[ontemp!ationr. LIB. IX. I ' threlhed out.theit come,to hide it from the Midianites:but now, Midianites threlh A outcorne, to hide it from the Ifraclites.:hofe rurall Tyrants ofour time, doe .,0t more by up cornc than curfcs : ho that 1v1th-draweth corne, the people will curfc lam; yea, God will curie him,wirh them,and for them. .What lhifts nature will make to live! Oh that we could be fo carofu!l to lay.up fpmtual! food for our foulcs,outof the reachof thofc fpimua!l Midianites!we couldnet but livcin defpight of all adverfarics. 1"he Angels, that have ever God in their face, and in their thouolm, have him alfo in then mouthes: The Lord ir with thee. But this which appearea unto q ideo• was the Angel! of the Covenant, the Lord of Angds. Whiles he was with Gideon' he migl1t well fay'· The Lord is JPith thee. Hee that fcnt the Comforter, wa; alfo the true Comforter of his Church: He well knew how to lay a litre ground B of conlolation, and that theoncly remedy oHorrmv, and beginning of true joy i•, The J refer.ceof God. The griefe of the·Apollles for the expeeted'lolfcofthei; Maller, could never be cured by any receit bur this, of the fame Angel, Bebold I •mwrth you to the em/of' the World. What is our glory, but the fruition ofGods prefence I The punilhment of the damned, is a feparation from the beatilicall face of God; needs mull therefore his abfence in this life be a great torment to a good heart : and no crolfe can be equivalent to this beginning of heaven in the' Eleet, The Lord rs JPtth thee. Who can complaine either of folitarindl"e or oppofition, that harh God with him? With him, not only as a wirnelfe, but as a party: Even wicked men and divels cannot exclude God, not the bars of hell can !hut !urn out: he is ••irh them C perforce, but to judge, to punilh them : yea, Godwill be ever with them to their . col\.; bur to proteet,comfort, favc, he is with none bur his. Whiles he cals Gideon valiant, he make him fo.Hmv could he be but valiant,that had Godwith him ? The godlelfe man may be carellfe, but cannot be other than cowardly. It pleafes God-to acknowledge his owne graces in men, that he may interchange his owne glory, with theircomfort; how much more lhouldwe confe.fic the graces of one another ? An envious nature is prejudicial! to GQd; he is a llrange man in whom there is not fome vifiblegood; yea, in tile Divels themfdves .ve may eafily note lome commendable parts,oi knowledge, llrengtb, agility: kt God have his owne in the worft creature; yea, let the worfr creature have that praife which God would put upon it. D q ideon cannot palfe over this falutation,as fome f.llhionable completnent,but laies hold on tbat part, which was moll important;the tenure ofall hiscomfort;and (as not regarding the praife of his valour) inquires after that which lhould be the ground of his valour,tbe prefencc of God:God had fpoken particularly to him;be expoll'ulates for all. It had been pollible God lhouldbe prefent with him,not with the rell;as he promifed to have liee 0 with A_fo[es, 1/TAtl: and ye~ when God faies The Lord is wttb thee he anlivers, Alas Lord, ifthe Lord he wtthU<.qtdeon cannot concciv~ ofhimfelfe as ;nexempt perfon;but puts himfelfamong ~he throng of Ifrael, as OPe that could not'be fenlible ofany parttcular comfort,wblle the common cafe of Ifracllaboured. The maine care of a good ~ea~t is llill for the. publick, neither · c;an it irjoy it felfe, while the ChurchofGod1S ~tftrelfed. As fa~th drawes home E generaliries,fo charity diffufes generalities fro_m •t. felfe to all: . Yer the valiant man was here weake,weake·m fa1th, weake 111 dlfcourfe; wlul·s he argues•Gods abfence by affiietion~ his prefenceby deliverances, and tl1e ur lzkelihooJ of fuccclfe by l~1s owned1fab~hty_; all grorr:e mconfequences: rather lhould he have inferredGods prefence upon thetr c?rrechon;for whcrefoeverG?d c~alhfes,there he i•,yc2,rhere he is in mercy:notbmg more proves us lu_s,than h1s tlCJpes; hewill not bellow whipping where he loves not. Fond nature t!unks God. lhould nor fufferthe wind to blow upon his dearcones, becaufe her fclf~makcs rim ufe <"f herowne indulgence; lmt none out of the place oftorment, have fuffereJ f.., mnch as his dearcllchildren.He fJies not we are Idolaters; therefore the Lord hat!· f, , 1 ~n
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