LIB. IX. G IDEo N s CaUing. ! 941j A and yet bleeding? Can the murther offo great aLeader be hid,0r uorcvenged? 0 r if I might hope fo,yet can my heart allm~ me tobe fecretly treacherous? Is rhero nor puce betlvixt my houfcand btm I Dtd not I mvtte htm to my Tent? Dorh ~0 nottrult tomy friendfhip and hofpitaliry? But what doe thefc weake fcJrcs, thefc idle fancies of civiJity? If Siftrr: be in league with us1 yet is he not at defiJncc with God? Is he not a Tyrant ro Ifrael? Is 1t for notlung th:lt God harh brou&ht him into my Tent?May I not now findemeanes ro repay unto lfrael ~11 their ki~dhe£fe to my G.-nd-farher Jetl>rol Doih not God offer me this daz, the honou< to be the refcuer of his people? Hath God bidJen me ltrike,and O"t! I hold my hand? No,:.'ifora, lleepenow thy !aft, and rake here this fatall reward of all tl1y crudty and oppreffion. B He that put this inltintl: into her heart, did put alfo ltrcngth ihto her hand; he c that guided si[era to her Tent, guided the nay le thorow his temples; which bath made a fpeedy way for his foule rhorow rhofc parts;and now bath faflencd his care foclofe to thocartb, as ifthe body had been Iiltningwhat was become of the foule. There lies now the great terror of Ifraclat the foorc ofawoman: Hetha~ brought fo many hundred thouf:mds into the field, bath not now one Page Iclr, etcher to avert his dearh,orro accompany it,orbewaile it: J;le that had vaunted of his yron Ctiariors, is Gaine by one nayle of yron, wanting ondy tillS one point of his infelicity, that he kno.vs not bywhofe hand he pcrifhed. GIDEONS [ailing. judgements ofGod !HI tl<e further rh:'y goe,rhe forer they are;the bondage ofIfraelunder J •hm was great, but it was frecdome in comparlfon of the yoke of the Midiatiires.. During the former iyranny, i>tborahwa's -l'erlnitted to judg lfrael under a Pilme·tri::c; Under this not fo muth :IS prNarel\abirarionsiVil be allowcil ro· I(racl. Thcn,tb; feat of judgem.ent IVaiin fight of the Sunnc; now, their very tlwelIings mull be fecrer under thet!a'ttli.They that rejee\'ed rh~ ptorc4ion ofGod,are glad to feek to die thounrames for !lrelter ; and as they had favagcly abufed themD felves, fo they are fainc to creep into dens and caves of the rocks, Iikewi!de creatut'es,for fafegard: God had fown~ fpintHall feed amongft them, and they fuffered rheit hcatllcnifh neighbours to pull it up by the roots; and now, no fcioncr cart they fowc their material! feed ; but Midianites and Amalekites arc ready by force to doftrqy it. As they imvatdly c:fe!t with God, fo God deales outwardly by them; Their eyes may tell them 1vhat their foulcs have done: yet that God,whofc mercy is :!9ove tfie worlt ofouF fi.nnes, fen~s firlt hi.s Prophet with a melfage of t~proofe, and thetj hiS Angellw1tl1 a naeOage of dehverance. The Ifradites had Crnarted enougl\with their rei'Vi~de, yet GO<\ fends them a !hupe rebuke: It is.a ~ood llgne 11lienGpd chide.s us;ht's toun~ reprehenfion.s are ever graciou(forerunrters of mercy :. whereas Ius filenr·conmvenccat the wtcked, argues dt;epe and feE et-.!t difpleafure : th~ Prophet made way for tfi~ Angel, reprooTe for deliverance; .humiliation 'for comfort. · Gidton ,,~; tl\reflling Wheatby rheWine-prclfe. Yet lfrael hath both WHeat artd Wine, fora !I the incurfiorrs ofrhcir enemies. Theworlt eltare out othcl,hath either fomc comfbrt, or at leatr, fome mitigation; in fplght of the malice of the \'lorld,God makes fecrct provifion fbr his own. Ho1v !hould it be,but he that owns the earth, and,.llcreatures, lhould referve eVer a fuf!iciency from forrainers (!itch the wicked are) for his houfhold 1 In the worltoftheMidiJnitin, ryraony,Gideons field and barn arepriviledged, as his fleece 1vas afrenvards from the fhowrc. 'A'hy did Gidton threfh outhis corn?To hide it; Not from his neighboun,buthis enemies: his granary miBhteafily be moreclofc than his barn . As then, Ifraclitcs L I 11 3 · threfhed
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