Hell Who but these have rais'd up all the Assassinations and Massacres upon the Body of the Church not only by Heathenish and Pagan Instruments but have sent their thousands and ten thousands into Death by the less merciful hands of those who Drunk with Blood have yet the blasphemous Impudence to call themselves by the Name of Jesus Who but these had the Brow to move the Court of Heaven for the subversion of the whole Colledge of the Apostles at once and with an equal Insolence to endeavour the utter evacuating the whole Project of our Eternal Redemption by tempting the great Authour of it to cast himself upon sinful and unwarrantable Means of Preservation and directly tending to his Ruine and when that would not take consult together more effectually to work their Ends by the cursed Treachery of his own Servant In a word these are they that have wrought all the late Storms and Tempests in the World 't is they have wrought all the Devastations that Turkish and Gallican Tyranny have executed for them The unnatural Wars in our own Bowels the horrid Massacres of the Church in France and Ireland the deplorable Fewds among our selves these have kindled our Fires burnt up our Cities enflamed our Spirits contrived the Plots of our Ruine and are yet at work very briskly to bring them to Perfection And all this from the Inveterate Hatred they bear to God and Man roaring as Lyons to devour twisting themselves as Serpents to deceive by all subtle wayes and wiles beyond all imagination by secret and invisible Engines and Artifices profound Stratagems and Devices making use of all sorts of Means and Instruments as well by real Friends as professed Enemies to the very Wife of thy Bosom nay to the dividing thy self and making a Party for themselves in thy Heart And yet we snore in our security and dally in an insensibleness of any danger while yet these mighty Enemies are round about they fill the Air we breath in and hover over our Heads and are prying into all our most retired Actions and are Witnesses to all our Villanies to give Evidence against us in the last Day Nay they mingle themselves with our very Affections and Passions and fly-blow our very Prayers and Devotions and Charities endeavouring to render tham all fruitless and unprofitable to us and unacceptable to God. In short instead of wishing well to us assisting us in our Work rejoycing in our Conversion and ministring to our Comfort the service of the good Angels these repine at our Welfare hinder our Repentance Lull us along in our Security terrifie our Spirits imbitter our Lives enrage our Enemies enstrange our Friends disease our Bodies and betray our Souls For all which and infinite other unmentioned Calamities and Disasters from them whom may we justly Curse and execrate as the Original cause of all but Sin which by its malignant Influences and wicked Inchantments from being amiable Creatures of the sweetest Inclinations and Affections hath transformed them into real Furies and Devils against us Come hither Reader and with that Roman Souldier envy me the Honour of preparing the Funerals of the great Pompy alone but bring with thee all the Luminaries of thy Soul gather all the straggling forces of thine utmost reason and considering Faculties and all too little to ruminate as thou oughtest on this rueful Spectacle David once bitterly Mourned at the Bier of one Prince of Israel Slain by the Treachery of an insolent Traytor But who hath slain all these Heaps upon heaps once glorious Princes of Heaven O see what a slaughter sin hath made upon them And then consider the weight of that Argument presented to thee by Peter and Jude If God spared not the Angels that sinned but cast them down into Hell and delivered them into Chains of darkness to be reserved unto Judgment How will he spare thee They were Angels Infinitely above thee in the Dignity of their Nature and Creation yet Greatness was no Argument for Mercy They were a Multitude in the confederacy yet neither did the Number of the Offenders move pity in the least but one and all Thousands of them to Hell without Mercy yet it was the first Offence too they sinned but once and some think but in Thought and Justice seized upon them to Execution and God dealt not with them as with thee and me Reader on whom he hath long waited even while we have been multiplying provocations and stirring up his wrath to destroy us yet still hath he waited to be gracious to us And methinks 't were pity to make a God wait in vain upon us to lose all the Expences of his Patience and Expectation from us We would do well to think on it and the force of the Apostles most Pathetick Argument Despisest Thou the riches of his Goodness and Patience and Long-suffering Thou that art but a poor Worm a Clod of the Earth and no Angel a Creature of Yesterday and who art crushed before the Moth and whose Foundation is in the Dust Despisest thou And who art thou that should despise a God And to despise him too To entertain low and unbecoming thoughts of Him that could Nod thee into Hell and send thee to accompany Devils in Torments Not so much as to have an Eye towards him or to spend a Look upon him or to concern thy Thoughts about him thinkest him unworthy of thy Notice or Observation and yet a God and such a one on whom Angels and blessed Spirits Gaze with unspeakable Admiration and Delight not to have the least sense of him No neither whilst he is flowing out to thee in the sweetest of his Communications that of his Goodness to despise Goodness and that Goodness not to others but thy self thy self Reader to despise a God who hath been so long good to thee The very Fountain of all the good Mercies thou hast enjoyed and herein good as not to punish thee for the abuse of those Mercies but is still waiting Now if thy reason be not drench'd into a perfect Bruitishness be thine own Judge whether such Goodness should not lead thee to Repentance A mercy he never vouchsafed to the Angels never waited to see whether they would return or no but for the first Sin delivers them to Justice layes them in Chains and reserves them to destruction while yet he is still Courting thee to come in and submit Declares himself unwilling to ruin thee makes Oath of it That he hath no delight in thy Blood but infinitely rather that thou shouldest return and Live and thou may'st believe him Reader thou hast his very Heart in that Protestation Well 't is not unworthy thy most serious Reflection to fix a while on Gods Severity towards these Angels who are now under Chains of wrath and thou art walking presumptuously on the snares of Death too but should thy feet stumble on the dark Mountains as they will and the fall of thy Body shall burst out thy
asked his Petition was granted and made sure to him by Oath though he knew it not For no sooner had God given him the Victory and with it a Right to all that was found in the Field but presently Abraham turns his Arms upon Himself and Fights to Conquer his own Temptations He had not stirred a Foot from the base Motive of a private Advantage The World should see that he Acted from principles particular to himself and shall be abundantly convinced that he had no dishonorable Aims He knew well enough whither to Go and from whom to expect his Reward Thus is This Great Man sticking Pearls into the Crown of God while he leaves his own bare 'T is below any Child of Abraham to warm himself by the Sparks of his own Kindling when the Cause and Glory of Heaven catches cold Abraham lifts up his Hand to the most high God to hang up all his Trophies in the Celestial Court and Knew not whither this might not be a Means to allure the King of Sodom thither after them when he should find a Person of such rare Religion and Vertue as could perfectly deny himself and Abjure Profit that great Diana of the World. Weep my Soul that thou seest so few Heirs of Abraham 's Faith and Self-denyal The whole World hunting after Shadows which themselves call Substance and labouring under a greater Distraction than this Sodomitish King who crav'd only the Souls and was content to forgoe the Goods but these abjure their own Souls so they may singer the Goods and are so far from letting pass their Pretence of Right to them that they quarrel even with God Himself and venture the loss of an Eternity for them How often is it found that Generous Minds suffer under the Injurious Imputations of a too foolish Facility and Softness of Nature They are deemed but Weak Men that do not Stare and Stamp for their Interest and hold what they have gotten Stiffly The King shall have but little cause to be Jealous of Abraham's Discretion and Prudential Management of his Affairs He shall not go home and deride his too easie Temper since not withstanding his Noble Grant of the whole Booty to him he doth not thereby intend Injustice to others by his own kindness to Him. Proportions must be first made to his Three Amorite Confederates who had run the hazard of the War and might reasonably expect to enjoy a share in the Spoils he therefore gratefully assigns to each of them his Part and thereby gave the King of Sodom to know that he was no stranger to his Own Right in the Whole and that Not of His own had he given him As for his Souldiers they were all his Domesticks in perfect Resignation to his Pleasure whom he feared not to Mutiny for the Plunder of the Field and he knew well enough How to gratifie them at home Thus is Abraham Just and Wise as well as Generous and Tempers his Courtesie with Prudence And the design of Abraham was evident to clap a Padlock on this Kings Foul mouth He shall not Vaunt hereafter that Abraham was Enriched by his Loss And hath not God himself contrived the Means of our Eternal Happiness in so wise a manner that when by Sin we had ruin'd our selves with Sodom he hath provided a Redemption for us to which we have not contributed the least Finger of Help or Assistance but whether we will or No the Praise of all must redound to the Glory of his Grace that no Man shall boast and the Mouths of all be stopped for evermore Prophane Hearts are ever ungrateful to God and Man under the richest Mercies This Kindness of Abraham was little considered by this King his Nephew (*) (*) (*) Videbimus Sodomitas accepti beneficii fuisse immemores dâ—m superbè cowumâ—liâ—â—è Sanctum se Lot vexarunt Calv. in 〈◊〉 14. He returns laden with the Profits of the whole Expedition while Abraham goes Home as Light and Empty as ever he went out and hath only the naked Glory of the famous Exploit The Author of our Salvation bled not for himself he was happy from Eternity in the Bosom and was the daily delight of his Father rejoycing always before him When he passed forth to Encounter and Destroy the Enemies of our Peace what Got he but many Wounds upon himself while we enjoy the happy Fruits of his Love and Victory yet alas his Kindness is but little regarded and too many fall in League and Strike Hands with those that Smote him Unthankful Man CHAP. V. God appears again unto Abraham labouring under some Trouble of Mind particularly That of the Want of an Heir God chears him from the Assurance of an Innumerable Posterity and the whole Land of Canaan for them Both which are confirmed by an Irrefragable Covenant c. A Braham having thus happily Carv'd out a Peace to the Country by his Victorious Arms hath now time to sit down and enjoy himself and his God in Quiet this was the pleasing Element he naturally delighted to Breath in The ratling of Armour and the Neighing of Horses and Garments dipt in Blood are not so Affecting Objects to the Senses of Gods Children who are taken up rather with the sweet Whispers of his Love and ravishing Songs of the Night There is all peace in Heaven and universal Harmony of Concord which Crowns the Felicity of the Blessed Abraham thrô all this Expedition had demean'd himself with so much Courage and Gallantry that God having first sent Melchisedeck as his Ambassador to Salute and Bless him in his Name by the way Now can refrain no longer from coming Himself to him to bring him a gracious Welcome home Whether Abrahams busie thoughts had been working upon the consequent Issues of this War and framing to himself some timerous Imaginations of a future danger in case these scattered Troops should rally again and recruiting into greater Numbers might return all enflamed with the fury of Revenge upon him as Princes seldom lay down the Cudgels for one broken Head or whether as others think that God having been so kind to him in the prospering his Arms to the desired Honour and Ends of Victory might seem to put him off with a Temporal Reward As it is not unusual for the Faithfullest Souls to be jealous of this Worlds Prosperity they cannot endure to think of being sent away with any blessing short of Himself There is none on Earth I can desire besides thee Or whether he found the Princes of the Country rather envious at than affected with or thankful for the deliverance he had wrought them Whether this or any of these but surely we may discover even from God Himself that he Laboured under some great Perturbation of Mind When he saw it sit therefore to revive his drooping Spirits by conveying his Consolations to him in the Visions of the Night and to pour in such a â—ulip of Joy as shall quickly restore him to his wonted
arises and makes them a Genteel Bow in Acknowledgment of their great Civility and Kindness to him in that Offer Yet while they were all so courteous 't was Ephron alone that must gratifie his desires and all the Kindness the rest can do him was but to Intercede for him that on valuable consideration his Field and the Cave in it might be secured to him and his Heirs for ever But when the brave Hittite perceives himself concern'd in Abraham's Choice and that He only hath the desired Cave that must be honoured in becoming the Repository of these precious Ashes how proudly doth his Liberality contest with Abraham's Justice and is hardly conquer'd from Resolutions of giving that Freely which Abraham desires only at a Price What pity is it that sweet Disposition and Generosity should go to Hell while sordid Niggardliness and base Selfishness hope for Heaven Can bare Nature so easily depart from her Rights on Earth which hath no pretence for others in Heaven while those who pretend an Interest there have their very Souls cleaving to the Dust below and their feet sticking fast in the Mire are so far from yielding up the least shadow of a Title to what they have of their Own that they greedily invade and flye upon the Properties of Others Abraham tho he minds not to accept the noble proffer yet is so greatly affected with it that once again he repeats his grateful Sence of Ephron's and all their Reverence towards him by an yet more humble Obeysence than before He bowed himself down before the people of the Land. Who can see this Great Prince and Friend of God twice together paying his Duty of civil Respect and Honour to the very Heathen by the External Demonstrations of it without pity towards those Rude and Unmannerly Professors of our Age whose very Religion hath no other Test of Distinction but Surliness and Inhumanity Abraham while he is treating about a Grave takes great Care that he may lye down in it with a peaceable Conscience He hath been hitherto a mighty Pattern of Holiness in all his Transactions with God Here we shall find him an Example of Righteousness in all his Affairs with Men That all his Children may know that Commutative Justice and the Duties of the Second Table were written by the same hand that will require as exact Observation of them as of all the other of the First In vain do we pretend Sanctity to God if we are not Righteous to Men. He that doth Righteousness is of God and he that loveth his Brother See how Strait the Lines of Abraham's Righteousness run thro' all the management of this Compact with Ephron First He will by no means take advantage of his Neighbours Good Nature against his Profit he will neither defraud him nor suffer him to defraud himself by an easie Disposition Hear me I pray thee I will give thee money for the Field take it of me c. Secondly When he hath the equitable Value of the Land set to him he undervalues it not in hopes to beat down the Price It is Naught it is Naught saith the Buyer but when he is gone his way he boasteth Thirdly He makes present Payment for what he Buyes and purchases not with Paper and Wax Abraham weighed out the Silver c. Fourthly He Buyes not Good Land with Bad Coin but all is Currant Money with the Merchant Lastly The Conveyances are Sealed and Witnesses taken to prevent all Causes of future Debate The Field was made sure unto Abraham in the presence of the Children of Heth and before all c. And now is Abraham as pleased with a Grave as ever was Prince of a Palace How many Mens Estates are their Graves while they live and never think of another Their very Souls are buried in their Acres below wherein if they might they would lye for ever They Live and Rot in their Pleasures and are Dead while they seem to Live Life to any thing but God is but very Death This is the only Joynture that we find ever settled upon Sarah which the Heirs of her Body against their coming to Age shall find enlarged into a Kingdom for by the purchase of this little Field which cost not much more than Two and twenty Pounds or thereabouts he had given Security to the Faith of his Posterity That God would one day give them the Inheritance of that whole Land where Abraham Isaac and Jacob with Sarah Rebekah and Leah lay close together to keep possession for them until themselves should come And sure there is a better Security given to us also by his Great Heir Jesus Christ who is gone before us and entred into the Heavens as a Forerunner to prepare places for us That where he is we may be also And is not his Spirit lying Leiger in us as the Earnest of our Inheritance until the Redemption of the purchased Possession to the praise of his Glory 'T is observable That after Sarahs Death God makes no more Appearances to Abraham from Heaven having now performed the Great Promise of a Seed he leaves him to walk in the Light and Comfort of those he had already made To teach us that the Great Heir being now come into the World in whose coming all the Promises are perfectly secure to the Faithful the Church is not to expect any Extraordinary Revelations of any farther Truths than what he hath already sent into the World by his Son. He hath now sealed up the whole Canon and will hereafter be silent for ever To these received we ought to trust in the Hope of these we ought to Live in the Comfort of these we ought to dye For this cause God in the close of his whole Book hath carefully contrived the Prevention of Alterations Additions or Diminutions by the Menace of an Eternal Curse imposeable on that Guilt and the multiplying Plagues upon Him that shall add any thing to it There being enough Written if well believed to make us Blessed and Happy for ever CHAP. XII Isaac 's Marriage FOr Three full years together had Isaac mournfully lamented the Death of his Mother now will God make up that loss to him in a Wife Eliezer the Steward of his Fathers House is dispatched as Legate with an Angel Attendant into Mesopotamia and takes with him his Masters Orders where and from whom to choose him a Daughter Abraham before his Journey Swears him to Fidelity in an Affair of so grand Importance and he as cautiously Swears that he might the more Religiously keep his Oath When he draws near the place he Invocates his Masters God for Prosperity and good Success and begs that the first Match may be made up between the Decrees of Heaven and his own Endeavours that they might not thwart each other but happily Marry together He humbly resigns up his own Discretion to the wise Council of God which he knew had determined already in the fittest Choice of a Wife for so