LIB. VII. O{PHINJ!.AS. A. Altars, he goes up higher into the mount(as fome counrerteit Mojrs) toteceivethe I anfwerofGod. Butwill God meet with a Sorcerer~ Will he make a Prophet ofa Magician~ (\) man,who fhall prefcribe God whatinfirumentsm ufe~ he knows how 1 ro imploy,notonly Saints,&Angels,but wicked men,beafis,devils, to his own glory: He that put words into the mouth of the Afle, putswords into the mouth of B•- /44m;thewords doe but palfe from him;they are not polluted,becaufe they are not his;as the Trunk, through which amanfpeaks, is not more eloquent for the fpeech that is uttered through it. What a notable procbmation had the Infidels wanted of Gods favour to his people, if B•l44ms tongue had not been ufed ~ How many (!,all once fay,Lord,we h•veprophejiedin thy n•me,that fi1all heare,Yerily I knowY"'' not? What madnelfeis this in E•l•.m? He that found himfdfeconfiant in fol iciting, B thinksro finde God notconfiant in denying; and, as ifthatinlinite Deity were not the fame everywhere, hopes to change fuccelfe with places. Neither is that bold forehead afill!med to importune God againe in thar,wherein his own mouth had teflified analfuranceofdeniall.The reward was in one ofhis eyes,the revenging Angellin the other: I know not whether (for the time) he more loved the bribe, or feared the Angel. And whiles he is in this difiratlion,his tongue blelfes againfl his heart, and his heartcurfes againfi his tongue. It angers him that he dare not fpeak what he would;nnd now at lafi ratherthenlofe his hopes,herefolves to fpeak worfe then curfes.The feare ofGods judgements in aworldly heart is at length overcome with the love ofgaine. c ------------------------------------------- Of PH IN EA s. A/,.am•nr•ot<~nd<'d an hafi homeward;but he lingred fo long that he left his Midi•n. How jufily did he perilh with the fword oflfrael,whofc had infenfibly llain fo many thoufands ofthem? As it is ufually the devill, that hegoes away in aftench, fomay it betruly faid of this Prophet ofhis;according to the fafhion ofall hypocrites,his words were good, his aCtions abominable;he would not curfe,but he would advife,and his counfel is worfe then a curfe ; for his curfe had hurc none but himfelfe, his counfdl coft the bloudofz4ooo lfraelites.He that had heard God fpeak by Balaam, would not look D ror the devill in the fame mouth:and if God himfdfhad nor witnelfed againfi him, who could bekeve that the fame tongue which uttered fa divine.prophecies,flwuld utter fo villanous and curled advice~ Hypocrifie gains this ofmen, that it may doe evillunfufpetled: But now he that heard what he fpake in Balac's eare,hath bewrayed,and condemned his counfdl,and himfelfe. This policie was fetc.ht from the bottome ofhell.lt is not for bckofdefire tharl curfe not Ifrae\ ; thou dofi not more wifh their defirudion, then l doe thy wealth, and honour : Bur fo long as they hold firm with God,there is no forcery againfl: I•- cob;wirhdraw God from them,and they fhall f.11l2lone,and curfe rhemfelves;dm.J' them into finne, and thou fhalr withdraw God from them. There is no finnemore plaufible then wantonneffe; One fornication fhall draw in another, and both fhall E fetch the anger ofGod afrerthem;fend your fairefi wome into thei r tents,their fight fi>all draw them to lufi,their lufi to folly,t,heir folly to Idolatry;and now God fl1all curfe tilem forthee,unasked.WhereBala.~m did fpeak wel,there was never any Prophet fpake moredivinely: where he fpake ill,rhere was never any devil fpake more defperately:Ill tounfel feldome fucceedtth not:Good feed fals ofi:enoutoftheway, and roots not,but the tares neverlight amilfe.This project ofthe wicked Magician \9as too profperous.The daughters of Moah come into the tents oflfrael, and have captived rhofe whom the Amorites & Amalekires couldnot relifi.Our firfl mother Eve bequeathed this dowry to her daughters,thatthey fhould be our helpers to fin; the weak<;.rfexeis thefl:ronger in this conquefl::h!a the Moabites Cent their fubtillefi Counfellors,to perfwade the Ifraelites to their Jdol-facrifices,rhey had been repelled with fcorne; bur now the beauty oftheir women is .over-eloquent and fucceffull.
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