Contemplation!. !hould ferve himfelfeofhis own! !cannot blame the reftof lfrad, ifthey werewell A pleafed with their conditions l ondy one Ath411mmbles the peace,and his finne is imputed to Ifrael:che innocenceoffo many thoufand Ifraelites, is not fo'forcible to excufe his one finne, as his one linne is to taint all Ifrael, A lewd man is a pernicious creature: That he damnes his own'foule, is the leaft pan ofhis mifchicfe1he commonly draws vengeance uponathoufand, either by the def<rt of his !inne, or by the iofe6tion. Who would nor have hoped that the faii\C God, which for ten righteous men would have fpared the five wicked Cities !hould not have been content to drowne one finne, inthe obedi~ce offomany righte;ou1t But fo venemous is linoe, (efpecially, when it lights among Gods people) rhai'One B dram of it is able to infect the whole maffe oflfrael. · Oh righteous people oflliael,that had bur ono A<h•n!Howhad their laic circum. cifion cut away the uncleanc foreskinoftheir difobedience t How had the bloud of their Pafchal Lamb fcoured their foules from covetous ddirestTheworld was well mended with them,lince their ftubborne murmurings in the Defcrr. Since the death of Mo{ts,and the government of T•fhu•,I do not find them in anydiforder.Afrer rbat the Law harh brought us under the condutt ofthe true Iefus, our fins are more rare & our Ielves arc more.conlcionabl_c.Whiles w~ ~re ander the Law,wedo not fo keep lt, as whon we aredehvered from It: our Chnlhan freedomeis more holy then our fervitude,Then have the Sacraments ofGod their due effe6t, when their receit purgeth us from our old liones; and makes our converfatioo cleane and fpiriruall. Little did I•fh•• koow,thatthere was any lacrilcdgecommitted by Ifracl:thatfin C is not halfecunniog enough,that harh not learned fecrecie:I•Jhu• was!a vigilant Leader, yet fome linnes will efcapc him: Ondy that eye which is every whcre,findcs us out in our clofc wickedncffe.lt is no blame to authority,that fomc linncs are fecrerly committed: The holieft congregation,or family,may be blemilhtwith fomc malcfa6tors: it is ju!l: blame, that open fiones are not puoi!hcd; we ll1all wrong J:lO· vernmcnc, if we !hallexpea, the reach ofir tbouldbe infinite, He therefore, whiCh ifhe had known the offencc,would have feor up prayers & tcares to God now fends Spycs for a further difcovery ofAi: They returne, with newcs ofrhc w~akocffe of their adverfaries:and (as contemning theirpauciry)perfwades Iojh.., that'a wingof Ifraelisenoughtoovcrlhadowthisciryof Ai. Thclfraelitcs were fo f!clhedwirh their former vittory, that now they think no wals or men can !l:and before them. D Good fucceffe lifts up the heart with too much confidenc~ 1 and whiles it diffwades men from doing their bell,oft· rimes difappoinrs them, With God, the meanes can never be too weake; without him, never !l:rong enough. It is nor good ro contemne an impotent enemy. In rhis fecond battell rhelfraeleres are beaten : it was not the fewncffe oftheir affailants that overthrew them,but the liothac lay lurking at home. Ifall the hoft of Ifrael had fer upon this poore village ofAi, they had beenall equally difcomficed :The wedge of v!<h•»did more fight again!l: rhem,rhen all the !words ofthe Cananircs. The villoricsof God goe not by llrength, but by innocence. Doubtleffe,rhefemen ofAi infulrcd inthis foyle oflfracl,and faid; Loe,rhefc arc the men,from whofe prefence the warc:rs of]ordan ran backsnow they runne as fall E away from ours: Thefe are they, before \~horn the wals ofJcricho fell dowae;now they are falne as fall beforc.us;and all their neighbours took heart from this vi6tory. Wherein I doubt not, bur belidesthe puoilhment oflfracls linne, Gocl intended the further obduration of the Cananites: Like as fome skil(ull player lofes on parpofe at the beginning ofrhc game, to draw on the more abetmems. The ncwes of thm overthrow f pred as farrc as the fame oftheir fpeed;and every City ofCanaaocould fay, Why not we as well as Ai~ Bur good lojhu#that fucceedcd <.MI{ts_, DO leffe in the care ~f Gods glory then ~n his governmenr,is much de)Ctled With this event. He rends hiS clothes, falls on his face, calls dull upon his head, and (as if hehad learned ofhisMallcr, hO\V to expollulate with God) fayes, Wh•t "'tlt1h1• d~t to thy mtghty N•mt ~ That I•fhu• might fee,God rookno pleafur~ to letthe Ifraclires lye dead upon the earth,
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