LIB.VII. OfBAi.. A i. M. A thrrebe one pmjeel worfe then another,a wicked heart will findeitout: Nothin& but deflruetion will content the malicious. .. I know not whether Bai4Am were more famous,or Balac more confident. Ifthe King hadnot beenpetfwaded ofthe flrength ofhis charm,he had not fenr fo far,& paid fo dear for it;now he trufrs more to his inchanrmenr, then to the forces of Moah,3lld Midtan; and (as ifheavenandearth were in the powerofa charmers tongue) he faith, He thatthote btejJejl, is bltffid; andht rohom thoucur[<jl, it ct~r[<d. Magick, through rhe permiflion ofGod,is powerfull;for wharfoever the Devil! candoc,the Magician maydoe;but iris madndfe to think either ofthem omnipotent. Ifeither the curfes ofmen,or the indeavour1 ofthe powersofdarknelfe,fhould be effectual, all wouldbe hell. No,Bal.c: So fhort is the power ofthyBalaam,that neither thou, 11 nor thy prophet himfelfcan avoid that curfe, which thou wouldfr have broughtupon lfrael.Had Btlaam beena true Prophet ofGod,rhis bold alfurance had beenbilt jufr. Both thofe ancient Seers, and the Prophmofthe Gofpel have the ratificatic!fi. ofGod inheaven,to their femences on emh. Why have we lelfe care ofthe bleflings,and lelfe feare ofthe curfes and cenfures ofGods Miniftm~ Who would no!!' rather have Elijha's guard,thenboth the Kings o[Jfrael and Alfyria ~ He himfdfe as he hadthe Angelicall chario15 and horfemen about him, fo was he the chariots and horfemen oflfrael. Why fhoul<! o~r faith be lelfe firong then fuperfrition ~ Or why fhould Gods agents have lelfe verrue then Satans ~ • I fhould wonderrohear God fpeak with afalfe prophet,ifl did notknow,ir hath been no rare thingwith him(as with men)to befrow words,even where he will not C befro\vfavour. Pharaoh, ,dimtltc ,N tbt~chatlntzzar ,receivevilionsfromGod:neither can I think thi~ llrange, when I heare God fpeaking to Satan in a quefiion no le!fe familiar·then this of Balaam,Whtnct com'jlthou,Satan?Not the found ofrhe voiceof God,but the matter which he fpeaks argues love: He may (peak to an enemy; he ' · fpeaks peace to none but his owne. Iris a vainebrag, G?d hathfpokento me. So I mayhedpe to reprobates or devils.But what fald he~ D1d he fay to my fou!e,Iam thy fa!vation~Hath he indented with me that hewill be my God,and I !hallbe his~ I canno;t.heare this voice and not live. Goq·heard all the confultation and melfage ofrhefe Moabite5;thefe melfengers couldnot havemovedtheir fopt orrheir tonguebut in him;and yet he which asked .4dam where he \Vas,l!skes B4liwn,What men art tht[< ? I 'have ever feene,that God D loves to takeoccalion qfp.roceeding with us from our felves, ratherrhen from his own immediate prefcience.Hence it ;,,thatwelay openourwams,andconfdfe our fins to him that knows both,better then our own hearrs,becaufc: he will deale with us from our ownc mouthes. The preventionofGod forbids bothhis journey and his curfe: And what ifhe had been fuffered to goe and curfe ~ What corne had this wind il1aken, when God meanttoblelfe them ~ H<>w many Buls have bellowed ourexecrations againll: this Church ef God~whar are we the wprfe~Yet I doubt,ifwe had btenfo much bleffei,had notthofe Bala•mitifh curfes been fpent upc;m us.He that knows wharwafre wmd the caufeleffe curfes ofwicked men are, yet will norhave B•laam curfe Ifrael; becaufe hewill not allow !alae fo much incouragement, in his oppolition, as the E conceit ofthis help.Or perhaps,if B•lac thought this Sorcerer a rrue Prophet,God would not have hisN ame,fo much, as in the opinion ofthe Heathen, fcandalized, in ufurping irto a purpofe,which hemeam not fhould fucceed. ThehandofGod is in the refrraint ofmany evils,which we never kne\V to be towards us. The Ifraelires fate frill in theirTenrs, they little thought what mifchiefe wasbrewing againfr them: without ever making them ofcounfell,God croffes the deligns oftheir enemies.He that keepethIfrael is both a fure and a fecret friend. The rewardofthe divination had eafily commanded the journey,and curfeofthe covetous prophet ifGod had not frayed him.How ofi: arewicked men curbed by a divine hand; even in thofe fins which their heart frands to~ It is no thank to lewd men that th~ir wickednelfe is not proCperous. Whence is it that the world is oot .over-run with evill,but from this·; thatmen cannot be fo ill as they would~ . Gggg J .· The \
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