Ln. X. J E PT HA. A unccrtaintyofgood,or impolfrbilityofpcrformance,makcs vows no fcrvicc toGod. WhenwcvO\Ywhatwccannot,orwhatweq..ught not doe, we rnoc k Godinfrcad of honouring him: It is a vainething fortogoeab<Jut to catch God hood·winkt: The confciencelhall never find peace in anyway, but that wluch we fee before us and which we know fafe,-both in the kind,andcircum(\ances. There is no comfor; in (Peradventure I may plcafe God;) Whatgoodchildewill not take partofrhc Parents joy? 1 f ]<ptba returne ' IV rth Trophccs,ttts no marvcllrf Jus daughter meet himwith Timbrels: 0 that we could be fo affc.9:ed wit11 the glorrous aCls of our heavenly Father! Thou fubdue£1 thine enemies, and mightily deliverc£1 thy people, 0 God; a fang waitcth for thce•in Sion. vVhowould have fufpcctcJ danger in a dutifull Triumph I Well might ]<pthaes B daug'-er have thought; My fcxe forbade me todoe any thing towards the he!pc of my ~hers viCtory; I can doe littlc,ifl cannot applaud it: It nature have made me weake, yet notunthankfull; nothing forbids my joy to be as f!rong as the viClbrs: Though I might not go out with my.father to.fiBht,yet I maymeet f1im with !;\ratulattons; A. Timbre! ma:Y become thefe hands whrch were unfit for a livord;Thrs day bath made me the daughter ofthe Fleadoflfrael; This day bath made both Ifrael free, my Father a Conquerer, 2nd my felfein him,noble : and thallmy affection make no difference? What mull my Fnther needs think, if he £hall find me fitting fi>llcnly at homc,whiles all Ifracl £1rivcs who thal run fir£! to ble!fc him with their acclamarions? Should I oncly be infenfible of his and thecommon happine!fe? And now, behold when the lookes for moft thankcs,hcr Father anfivers the meaC flues of her feet with the knockings of his breaft, and wcepcs at her mu!ick, and tcares his-clothes, to looke upon her whom he bell loved, and gives no anfwcr to her TimbreIs, but Alaf!e, my daughter, thou wt oftbcmlbattrou6ieme: Her joyalone ·bath changed the day,and lo £1 the comfort ofthatvictory,whicb fl1e injoycd to fee w0nnc. It fals out often, that thofe times and occafions which promife mo£1 contentment, prove mofl:·dolcfull in the i!lue : Theheart of this virgin was never lifted np fo high as now, neioherdid;my•dO:Y of her life feeme happy butthis;and this •o.ne!y proves the dal:' <11f her folemne a~d pcrpctuall mourning: As contrarily, the I J~mcs'!l1ldellentswhrchwe havem<11£1diftru£1ed, provemoftbeneficrall. Itrs good Jio a £urc morning, to thinkc of that -ftorme toot may rife erenight, and to m joy 'hothgoodand.cvtll fearefullyD Mifer.able is that devotion which troubles us in the performance; Nothing is I more plcafant than the acts of true prety: ]<ytha m~htwell fee the wrong of this rchg10n, in the d>fla£1e of it; vet whiles himfelfe had troubled hrs daughter, he .faycs, Alajft, my daughter, thouari of tbem ti>at trouble me: Shcdidbut her duty: bee did what he thould not; yc.t he would be rid ofthe blame, though he cannot ofthe fmatt. No man is willing toown a fin;the firft man £hifrcd it from himfclfcto his wife; this,from himfelfe to his daujlhter: He WO< ready to accufe another which only committed it himJi:lf. It wcrenappy ifwe COttld he as loth to commit fin,as to ackno,,, le<lge it. Tile iooonfideration of this vow was very rough, and fctled; I hwe •pemd my mafjt-h:~'itltd c.tJJnotgot 6o~cKe. Ifthae w~re jutt caufe to repent, it was the weakncffe iE' ofhis zctlc, to~binkc tbara vo1v oould bind him tocvill;. An ualawfull vow is ill · 1 . ma~c, bllt worfe performed. It werc,p:itty this .cooltancy (hould light upon any, .but an holyobjeCl:; Noloanecan makea truer debt,than our vow; whichif1vcpay oat in our petform<l!lce, God w.illl'ay us wi~h judgement. We have all opened our !ilOUtbCJ>otoGed in tb2t initial! ®ll folcmne vmv ofChriltianity ; Ob that we couW not<goc backc ! So muchmore is our vowob.ligJtory,by hmv much the thing voweJ ismnrc neccflllry. Why was the foul of ]epthathus troubled, but bccaufe he faw the entail of his new .honor thus fuddcly cutoff?he faw the hope ofpolterity extinguith'd,in the virginity of his daughter.lt is natural to us,to.affecl: that perpetuity in our fuccelllon, w' ' >' dcn>cd usm onr perfons;o.ur very boayes would emulatethe eternrry ofthe foul. And
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