S A M S 0 N S £nd. heart and hand of Samfon. Wickedmen never fee £1ircr pr0fpeCl, than when they are upon the very thrcfhold ofdc!lrultion;Sccurity andl\uine are fo clofe border· upon each other,that where we fee the face ofthe one,we may be lure the other IS at his back. Thusdidft thou, 0 bleffcd Saviour, when thcuwcn faftened tD'thc Crofie, when thou laycft bound in the grave with the cods of dcarh; rhus did!l thou miraculoufiy raifeupthy fdfe, vanquifh rhinc enemies, and lead Captiviry ; Thus doe all rhy holy oncs,when rhcy focme moll forf<1keu, and latd open the infultationofrhe world, finde thy Spirit mighty to their ddi1 erancc, and the difcomfiture of their malicious adverfarics. Thofc three thoufand lfraelires were not fo ill advifed, as ro come up into the Rocke unweaponcd, ro apprehend Samfon; Samfon therefore might have had l1is choice offwords,or fpeares, for his skirrnitl1with the Phibll:ims;ycr be leaves all rhc munition oflfracl, and finding the new jaw-bone of an A!fe,rakcs that up in his hand,andwirh rhar bafe inftrument of death, fends a thoufand Philill:ims to rheir place. All rhc fivords and fhiclds ofrhe armed Philtll:ims, cannor refift thar conrempriblc Enginc,which harh now lefta rhoufand bodies as dead as the carkaffe of that bcafl:, whofc bone it was. This vid:ory was not in tbcweapon, was not in the arme: ir was in rhe Spirir ofGod,which moved rhe weapon in rbearme.O God,· rhe meanes be weake, ycrrhou art ftrong: Through God we fhall doe grear aCts; Yea, I can dor all things rh rough him rhat ftrengtheneth me. Seeft rhou a poore Chri!l:iJn,which by \veakc counfCll hath obtained to overcome a tlntation ? is the Philiflimvanquil11•dwith a forry jaw-bone. It is no mJrvell if he were rhus admirably ftroug >nd vi.'l:orious, whofe bodily ll:rengrh God me.mr~o make a Type ofrbe fp~rituah powerofChri~:And behold, as the three thoufands ofJudah flood fttl,gazmg wtrh rhctr weapons In their hands, whiles Sam(Malonc fubdued rhe Philiftims; fo did men and Angels !land · the glorious arclaevements of the Son ofGod, who mighr JUftly fay, 1 Jt~ine-prejfe alone. Both the Samjons complained of thirf\:; The fame God which gave this Champion viClory,g"''e him alfo refr~l11ing i and by the fam~ meancs ; The fame bone yeelds himboth conqueft,and hfe;ano IS ofa weapon of otfence,rurned mto a W cl ofwarer:He rhat fetch'd warer outofthe flint for Ifrael,fetches it our ofa bone Samfon. What is not poflible to the infinite power of that Almighty made all things ofnorhing? He can give Samjon bony from rhe mouth ofthe and warer from rhe mouthof rheaffe. Wl)o would notcheerefully depend upon God,which can fetch moyfture out of drineffc,and life our ofdeath> S AM s o N s End. CJnno t wonder more at Samfon ftrength> than his wcakncffc; Hee that beganne ro caft aw>y his love upon a wife of the Pl•ilillims, ~oes on ro mif-fpcnd himfelfe upon rhe harlots of rhe Philiftims: He rhat did not fo much overcome the men, as the women overcame him. His affeCtions blinded him firft, ere the Philiftims could doe ir: Would he elfe, after the effufion offomuch oftheir blood, have fuffered his luft ro carry him wirhin their .vals, as one that cared more for his pkafure, than hisJtfe? Oh ftrange debaucbedneffe, and prefumption of a Nazarite? The Philiflims are up in arrnes to kill him; he offers himfelfe to their Ciry, their ftcwes, and dares cxpofc his life to one of their harlots, whom hee had tlau~htercd. ! would have looked to have feen him berake himfclfe to his ftronger Rock, rhan that of £t,,m,an<\by his aufteredevorion,to feek proteltioR of him, of whom he received ftrengrh: bur now,as if he had forgotten his confecration,I find himrurned Philiftim for his bed, and ofa N azarire fcarcea man. In vaine dorh he nourifh
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