L1s.VIIL Jericho be/ieged. A band ofthe Almighty comesnot within the compaffc ofthtir fcares.Every carnal! 1 heart is a Jericho Omt up; God lets downc before ir,and difplaies mercpnd judgement mfight of the walls thereof; 1t hardens 1t fdfemaWilful! fecumy, and faith, Tu[h, I ]ha!i tWU(r be moved. j Yet their courage and fear fight together within their wals,within their hofomes: Their courage tells themoftheir own firength; their fcare fuggefis the miraculou< fiKceffe ofthis (as they could not but think, inchanted geoew:on; and now whiles they have Omt out their enemy,they have !hut in their own terror.The mofl fecure heart in the world bath feme flalhes offearc; for ir cannot but fometimes look out ofitfelf,and fee what it would not.Rahab had notified that their hearts f.1inted :and yet now their faces bewray nothing bt~t refolution. I knownor whether the heart or B the face ofan hypocrite be more f.1lfe; and as each ofthem feeks to beguile the orher,fo both ofthem agree to deceive the beholders: In the midfioflaughtertheir heart is heavy;who would not think him merry that laughes~ yet their rejoycing is but in the face: who would notthink a blafphemer or prophane man refolutely carekffc~ !fthon had(\ awindow into his heart,thou lhouldeft fee him tormented with horrors ofconfcience. Now rhe Tfraelires fee rhofe walled ciries Jnd rowcrs,whofe height was reported to reach to heaven;the fame whereofhad fo aftl·ighted them ere rhcy law them,and were ready doubrleffe to foy in rheirdifiruft,Wilich Wly 01all wefcalc rhefe invincible fonific:nions':' what ladders,what Engines fhal we ufe to fogrear a work:-God prevenrs their infidelity; Behold,!havegivmItrich11 into thine hand. Ifrheir wals had C their foundJtions laid in the cenrer ofthe earth; Ifthe battlements had bin fo hioh builtrhat anEagle cOuld not foare overrhem;this is enough, I havegiven it thee.F~r on whofeearth have they raifed thefe caftles~ Out ofwhofe rreafure did they diooe rhofe pilesofftone (whence had they their ftrtngrh and rime to build~ Canno~he that gavc,recall his own ( 0 y_c fooles ofJericho,what ifyour walls be firong,your men VJliant,your leaders skJ!full ,your Kmg Wife,when God harh r"d,r havegiven thu the City? What can fwords or fpeares doe againft the Lord ofHofis (Without him meanes can do nothing; how much leffe againfl bim(How vain and idle istlllt reckoning, wherein God is left out ( Had the Captain ofthe Lords haft drawn hi< fword for Jericho,the gJtcs might have bin openecj; Ifrael could no more ha,·e entred,rhen they cJn now lx kept from tntring,when rhewalswere(aln Wharcourfes D fo ever we rakcfur ourfafery, it is good making God ofour fide: Neithermen nor devils can hmt us againfr hirn;neitht>r men norA ngds c.m fCcure us from him.There was never fo firange a fte~e as this ofJericl1o :Ht:re w.1s no rnount raifed, no f\vord drawn,no Engine planted,no Pioners undermining ; Here were trumpets founded, but no enemy fccnc;herewerearmed men,but no firokegiven:They muft walk and not fight; fcven feverall daies muft they pace about the wals, which they may not once look over ro feewhatwas wirhin.Doubrlelfe,rheJe inhabitants ofjericho made themfelvcs merry with this fight;" hen they had ftood fix daies upon their wals, and beheld none l;>ut a walking enemy;Whar(i:ty they)co(tld Ifrad find no walk to brc:athe them with, but about ourwals ~ Have they not travelled enough in their forty years Pilgrimage,buttheymull I\ retch their limbsin this circle~Surdy iftheir E eies were engines,our \Vals could not ftand:we fee they are good footmen,bur when lhall we try their hands~ What, doe rhefe vaine men think Jericho will be won with looking at~ Or, doe they only cometo counthow many pJces it is about our Cirydfthis be their manneroffiegewe Oull have no great caufe to feare the fword oflfrael.Wicked men think God in jeft,when he is preparing for their judgement. The Almighty harhwaies and counfds ofhis owne, utterly unlike ro ours: which becaufe our reafon cannot reach,we arc ready tocondemoeoffooliOmeffe and impoflibility. With us there is no way to vitlory but fighring;1nd the ftrongeft carries the fpoile: God can give viC\Qry to the feet as well asro the hands, and when he will,makes weakneffe no difadvamJge.What 01ould wedo bur followGod rhorow by-waies,Jnd know,that he will infpighr ofnature kad us to <lurend ~ All the men ofwarre muft compaffe the City,yet.it was nor the prefence of the · great 911
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