910 [ontemplations. LIB.Vlll. doe homage to her Creator: Nowmuft the Ifradites needs think;How can rhe Ca- A naarutes fiand our againft us when the Seasapd Rivers give us way~Wirh.what joy d1d they now trample upon the dry channdl ofJordan, whiles they mioht fee the dry Dcfarts overcome; the promifed Land before them; the very water~ [g gbd of them that they ran back to welcome them m to Canaan~ The palfaoes inro our pro. mifed Land are rroublefome and perillous ; and even at lalt, offer d1emfelves ro us the main hindrances ofour falvation; which afttr allour hopes threaten to defeat us: for what will it avail us to have palfed awildernelfe,ifthewaves ofJordan!hould fwallow us up~ Bur the fame hand that bath made the way hard,hath made jcfure: He that made the wildernelfe comfortable, will make Jordan dry; he will mafter all difficulties for us; and thofe rhings which we moll feared, will he make moft fov~raign an.d beneficiall to us.O God,aswe have trufied theewirh thebeginning, fo B Will weWith the firu01mg ofour glory .Fa~thfull art thou that hall promifed,which wilt alfo doe it. - He chat led them about,in forty yeares journey,thorow the wildernelfe,yetnow leads them the ncareft cut to Jericho; He will not fo much as feek for a Foord for their palfage;buc dividesthe waters. What a fight was rhi• eo their heathen adverfaries,co fee the waters make both a lane,and awall for Ifrael~ their heartS could not chufe but be broken,to fee the fireames brokenoff for away to their enemies.I doe not fee Iojhua hailing thorow this chaonell, as ifhe feared left the Tide ofJordm !hould return; bur as knowing thatwatery wall fironger then the walls ofJericho, he paces llowly: And left this miracle fhould palfe away with themfelves,he commands twelve fiones to be taken out oftbe channell ofJordan, by twelve felclled C men from everyTribe,which fhallbe pitched in Gilgal;and twdveorher fioues ro be fer in the midft ofJordan,where thefeet ofthe Priefts had ftood with the Ark ; . Thatfo both land and water might tefiifie the miraculous way oflfrael, whiles it fhould be faid ofthe one, Thefe fiones were fercht out ofthe pavement ofJordan ; ofthe other,There did the Atke reil whiles we walked dry-010d thorow the deeps ofJordan:ofrheone,Jordanwas once as dry as rhisGilgal;ofthe other,Thofe waves which drown thefe fiones,hadfodrowned us,ifrhe powerofthe Almighty had not refirained them. Many a great work had God done for lfrael, which was now forgotten: Iofbua therefore will have Monuments of Gods mercy, that future Ages might be both wirne!fts, and applauders ofrhegreat works oftheir God. 'The}iege offericho. D IIOf/>11• begins his warres with the circumcifion and Paffeover ; He koew that rhe way to keep the blood of his people from fhedding, was ro let out that Pagani!h bloud of their uncircumcifion. The perfon mufi bein favour,ere the work canhope to profper: His predecelfor Mofes had like to have been llain fornegledofrhis Sacrament, when he went to call the people out ofAlgypr : he juftly feareshis ownefafery, ifnow he omit i,r, when they are brought inro Canaan : we have no ri~ht ofinheritance in the fpitituall Canaan, the Church ofGod, rillwe have received the Sacrament ofour marriculaiion: So foon E as our covenants are renued with ourCreator, we may well look-for tl\e vi!ton of God forrhe alfuranceofvidory. What fure work did theKing of]erkho think he had made! he blocked uprhe palfages,barred up the gares,defcnded the walls,anddid enough to keep out a cam· mon enemy: Ifwe coulddqe but this to our fpirituall adverfaries,itwereas impollible for usto be furprifed, as for Jericho to~>!! fafe. Me thinks I fee how they called theircoun,ell ofwarre,debared ofall meanes ofdefence,garheredrhcir forces,tr31ned their fouldiers, fer firong guards to the gates & wals; and now would perfwade one another, thatunlelfe Ifrael could i!ie into their City,rhe fiege was vain. Vame worldlings rhink their Rampiers and Barricadoes can keep out the vengeance of God;their blindnelfe fuffers them tolook no further then the meanes:The fupreme hand
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