/LIB. IX. 'I'beeAltarof the Reubenites. /937 A fomuch uncertainty: but this Go:!, chat difcharges his Ordnance from heaven. rure6ls every ihot roan he~d,and can as ea!ily kill as ihoot. It is a fearful! thing ro' fa!lmro the hands of the hvmg God:he harhmoe wayes of' ·"ngcance,tban he harh creatures. The fame heaven that feot forth water to the old world, fire to the Sodomite•, lightning and thunder-bolts to the Egyptians, fends out haile-ltones ro theAmorites. Itis.a good care howwe may not angerGod;it is a vainc ltudy how wemay fhe from Ius judgements, whenwe have angred h1m; 1f we could run om ofthe world, even rherc ihall we find his revenges far greater. Was it not miracle enough that God did braine theuAdverfaries from heaven, but that the Sun andMoon mult ltand ltill in heaven? It is not enough that the Amorites flic,bot that thogreatelt Planets of heaven muft fray their ownecourfe, to B witnes and wonder at the difcomfiture? For him which gave them both being and motton,to bid them ftand frill, it feemes no difficulty,altfiough the rarcncffe would deferve admiration : but for a man to command the cliiefftars ofheaven(by whofe influence he liveth)as the Centntiouwould do his fervant;Sun,ftay i Gibeon, and Moon itand it ill in Aialon, it is more than a wonder.It was not Jofhu•, but his faith that did this; not by way of precept, but of prayer; If! may not fay, that the requeftofaf.lithfullman (as we fay of the great) commands. Gods glory was that which Jofbua aimed at : he knew that all the world muft needs be wltneffes ofthat, which the eye ofthe world flood ltill to fee. Had he refpe6led but rhe ilaughrer of the Amorites, he knew the Haile-ltones could doe-that alone; the Sun neeaed not ltand ftill to dire& that cloud eo pcrfecute them;but the glory ofthe Daughter was C fought by Jofbu•,rhat he might fend that up, whence thofe Haile-ltones and thatvi6lory came: All the earth might fee the Sun andMoon;all could not fee the Cloud ofHaile,which becaufe ofthat heavyburthen flew but low.That all Nations might koow,the fame hand commands both in Eartb,in the Clouds, in heaven, J•fhu4 now prayes,that hewhich diihe~rtncd his eneil.lies upon earth,and fmote t hem from the cloud, would fray the Sun and Moon ip hc~ven. God never got himfelfe fomuch honour by one dayes work~ amongft th~>IHeathen, and when was it more fit than · now, when five Heathen K;ings are ljaaded ~g>illfhhim. The Su~ an4 the Mo.one we~e thc_ordinarb' godsof theworld: and whowould not but thmke that the1r ltandmg ftil buvoQe lioure,ihouldbe the ruine ofnature ? And nmv all Nations ihall well fee, thjit there is an higher than their highelt, that D their gods are but fervants to the God whom themfelves ihould ferve, ar whofe pleafure both they and nature ihall iland."t one~. If that God which meant ro worke this miracle, had not raifed up,his rhoughr. to delire it, it .had beene a blameablcprefumption, which nmv. is afaithworthyofadmiratidn. To de!irea ' miracle without caufe, is a temptingof GQd. 0 powerfull God that can e1fe6l this ! 0 pow~r of faith that can obtaine it l What is there that God cannot doe ? andwhat is there which G~ candoe, that faith cannot doe I E The Altar of the Re11benites. eu6en aud Gad were the firft that had an inheritance affigned them · yet they muft enjoy it !aft> So itfals out oft in the heavenly Ca~ naan , the firft in Title are !aft in poffeffion. They had their lot ~ffigned them beyond Jordan; which though itwere allotted them rn peace, muft bee purchafed with their warre: that muft bee done for their brethren which needed nor bee done for themfelves : they n;mft yet ftill fight, and fight formoft, that as they had the firlt patrimooie, they mtght endure the firft encounter. I doe not heare them fay, 'this is our iharc, let us fit downe, and injoy it quietly, fight who will for the reft : but when they knew the1r ownc portion, they leave wiv~s and children to take poffeffion,
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