LIB. IX. AB I ME LE c s Vfurpation. $'); -,----- A dying awhole day,we thinke above the fl:rcngth of humme p1ticnce. 0, what !ball wothcn conceive of that death, which knowcs no end? As tlns hfc IS no lelfe fraile than the body which it animates; fo that death is no lelfc eternal! tlun 'the fouk which mull: endure it. Forus to be dyin~ fo long as we now have lca-e to l11•e, is inrolcrobk; and yet oneoncly minuit ofthat other tormenting dcath,is worfc than an a~e of t his.O the dc!pcrate infidelity of careldfc men, that fhrink at the thou&ht ol a momentany doath,and fearc not eternal!! This is but a killing oftl'c boJy; that I S a dcftruction of body andfoulc. \IVho is fo worthytoweare the Crowneof !fracl,as.he that wonne the Crowne from Midian? Their Ufurpcrs wen! gone, now they arc headlelfe ; It is a doubt 11 whether they w"Cre better to have had no Kings,or Tyrants : they fuo to Gideon to accept ofthe Kingdomc,and arc repulfcd: There is no greater example ofmode ay than GideM. VJhen the Angel fpakc' ro him, he abafcd himfdfe below all lfrael; when theEphraimit~ contended lfith him,he prefers their gleanings to ius vintage, and cafl:s his honour at their feet:and nowwhen lfraclproffers him that Kingdome which he had merited, he rcfufes it. He that in ovc!comming would allow them to cry, The jword~f tbe Lord, &nd of q ideon, ingoverning,will ha\ e none but The (word of the Lord. That which others plor, and fuc, and fwcare, andbribo for, Dignity and Jup<rio· rity,he feriou(Jy rejects; whether it were, for that he knew God had not yet called them to a Monarchy; or rather,forthat he faw the Crown~ among thornes?What c doeweambitiou(Jy affect the col)lmandofthefe mole·hils ofeartb,when wife men have rcfufed the proffers ofKin~domes? Why doe not we rathe,r labour for that Kingdomewhich is ftee from all cares, from all uncertainty? 1 Yet he that refufes their Crown,cals for their'care-rings,although not to enrich himfelfe, but teligion. So long had God been a fl:ranger to Ifrael, that now fuperftition goes currant for devou,t worfhip. It )vere,pitty thatgbod il1tentjons lhbuld 'make any man wicked; here they did fo. Never man meant . betfer than Oidw, in his richEphod; yet this vetyna fer all Ifrael\mwhoreing.:, God had chofen a 'p1are a~d a fe'rvJce of hJS mvnc. _When the'(vit of man will bee over·plcaung God With better deVIces than his owne, 1t turnes to madneffe, and ends i11 I ~lfcl1iefe. ' J • • • ' I l 'c AB I MEtE c s Vfurpation . • , IJeonrcfufed the'Kingdomeoflfrael when itwasoffercd; his fcvcnryfonncs offered 1.10t to. ob..t·a,inethat Scepter1 which their Fa· rhel's vJ,'tory h'ld defervcd to ma~e hereditary: onely .Ab.melec the concubines f'onnc, fues, 'lnc\ al\lbitiollily plots for ir. What could .Abimel.cfco'in himlclfe, that hce lhould ovcr·looke all . hls brethren? if heclooke to. his Father, they were his equah; E 'ifto hismother,thcy were his petters. Tho(C that are moll: unworthy of honour, l'"e nortcli: in :he cha('eof it, whiltl t'he 'confcicncc of bctte~ dcfcrts bicls men lit 'fl:ill, and (\ay to' be e1~her importuned, or negle8:od. There can bee no greater I figne of nnfitnl:lfc·, than 'ehement fute. It is 'hard to fay, whether there be more pride, or i?;Mr.nce in Ambition. I ha'vc noted th1s differcnco betwi<t Spirintall and earthly honour, and the Clients of both; wee cannot be worthy of the one wirhourc."Jrneft: profecution5rl1 0twith ·earnell profccurion \'rorthy ofrheothcr: I The violc ".t obtaine heaven;onely the meek areworthy to inherit the earth. n~rwl•i,:han afpiring h~arthath projeeted,itwil findborh argument~nd means tpcffcC\. Iftitherbnbos or favour will carry it,the proud man will not fit out.The Shcchcnutes arc fir brokers for Abimelec; That City which once betrayed it felfc 1 • Mmmmz to
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