haue the more children but barren Annah hath the most loue How much rather could Elkanah haue wished Peninnah barren and Annah fruitfull but if she should haue had both issue and loue she had been proud and her riuall despised God knowes how to disperse his fauours so that euery one may haue cause both of thankfulnesse and humiliation whiles there is no one that hath all no one but hath some If enuie and contempt were not thus equally tempered some would be ouer hauty and others too miserable But now euery man sees that in himselfe which is worthy of contempt and matter of emulation in others and contrarily sees what to pittie and dislike in the most eminent and what to applaud in himselfe and out of this contrarietie arises a sweete meane of contentation The loue of Elkanah is so vnable to free Anna from the wrongs of her riuall that it procures them rather The vnfruitfulnesse of Anna had neuer with so much despight beene laid in her dish if her husbands heart had been as barren of loue to her Enuie though it take aduantage of our weakenesses yet is euer raised vpon some grounds of happines in them whom it emulates It is euer an ill effect of a good cause If Abels sacrifice had not beene accepted and if the acceptation of his sacrifice had not beene a blessing no enuie had followed vpon it There is no euill of another wherein it is fit to reioyce but his Enuie and this is worthy of our ioy and thankfulnesse because it showes vs the price of that good which wee had and valued not The malignitie of enuie is thus well answered when it is made the euill cause of a good effect to vs when God and our soules may gaine by anothers sinne I do now finde that Anna insulted vpon Peninnah for the greater measure of her husbands loue as Peninna did vpon her for her fruitfulnesse Those that are truely gracious know how to receiue the blessings of God without contempt of them that want and haue learned to bee thankefull without ouerlinesse Enuie when it is once conceiued in a malicious heart is like fire in billers of Iuniper which they say continues more yeares then one Euery yeare was Anna thus vexed with her emulous partner and troubled both in her praiers and meales Amidst all their feastings shee fed on nothing but her teares Some dispositions are lesse sensible and more carelesse of the dispight and â—â—â—ties of others and can turne ouer vnkinde vsages with contempt By how much more tender the heart is so much more deeply is it euer affected with discurtesies As waxe receiues and retaines that impression which in the hard clay cannot be seen or as the eie feeles that mote which the skin of the eie-lid could not complain of Yet the husband of Anna as one that knew his dutie labours by his loue to comfort her against these discontentments Why weepest thou Am not I better to thee then ten sonnes It is the weaknesse of good natures to giue so much aduantage to an enemie what would malice rather haue then the vexation of them whom it persecutes Wee cannot better please an aduersarie then by hurting our selues This is no other then to humor enuie to serue the turne of those that maligne vs and to draw on that malice whereof we are weary whereas carelesnesse puts ill will out of countenance and makes it withdraw it selfe in a rage as that which doth but shame the author without the hurt of the patient In causelesse wrongs the best remedie is contempt She that could not finde comfort in the louing perswasions of her husband seeks it in her prayers She rises vp hungry from the feast and hyes her to the Temple there shee powres out her teares and supplications Whatsoeuer the complaint be here is the remedie There is one vniuersall receit for all euills prayer When all helps faile vs this remaines and whiles wee haue an heart comforts it Here was not more bitternesse in the soule of Anna then feruencie shee did not onely weep and pray but vow vnto God If God will giue her a sonne she will giue her sonne to God backe againe Euen nature it selfe had consecrated her son to God for he could not but be borne a Leuite But if his birth make him a Leuite her vow shal make him a Nazarite dedicate his minoritie to the Tabernacle The way to obtaine any benefit is to deuote it in our hearts to the glory of that God of whom wee aske it by this meanes shall God both pleasure his seruant and honour himselfe Whereas if the scope of our desires be carnall wee may be sure either to faile of our suite or of a blessing Ely and Anna. OLd Ely sits on a stoole by one of the posts of the Tabernacle where should the Priests of God be but in the Temple whether for action or for ouer-sight Their very presence keeps Gods house in order and the presence of God keeps their hearts in order It is oft found that those which are themselues conscionable are too forward to the censuring of others Good Ely because hee markes the lips of Annah to moue without noyse chides her as drunken and vncharitably misconstrues her deuotion It was a weake ground whereon to build so heauie a sentence If she had spoken too loude and incomposedly hee might haue had some iust colour for this conceit but now to accuse her silence notwithstanding all the teares which he saw of drunkennesse it was a zealous breach of charitie Some spirit would haue been enraged with so rash a censure when anger meets with griefe both turne into furieâ— but this good woman had been inured to reproches and besides did well see the reproofe arose from mesprison and the mesprison from zeale and therefore answers meekly as one that had rather satisfie then expostulate Nay my Lord but I am a woman troubled in spirit Hely may now learne charitie of Annah If she had been in that distemper whereof he accused her his iust reproofe had not been so easily digested Guiltinesse is commonly clamorous and impatient wheras innocence is silent and carelesse of misreports It is naturall vnto all men to wipe off from their name all aspersions of euill but none doe it with such violence as they which are faultie It is a signe the horse is galled that stirs too much when he is touched Shee that was censured for drunken censures drunkennesse more deeply then her reprouer Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial The drunkards stile begins in lawlesuesse proceeds in vnprofitablenesse ends in miserie and all shut vp in the denomination of this pedegree A sonne of Belial If Hannah had been tainted with this sinne she would haue denied it with more fauour and haue disclaimed it with an extenuation What if I should haue been merrie with wine yet I might bee deuout If I should haue ouer-ioyed in my sacrifice to God one cup of
suppressed it will rise but where it is incouraged it insults tyrannizes It was more iust that Israel shold rise against Beniamin then that Beniamin should rise for Gibeah by how much it is better to punish offenders then to shelter the offenders from punishing And yet the wickedness of Beniamin sped better for the time then the honestie of Israel Twise was the better part foyled by the lesse and worse The good cause vvas sent backe with shame the euill returned with victory and triumph O GOD their hand was for thee in the fight and thy hand was with them in their fall They had not fought for thee but by thee neither could they haue miscarried in the fight if thou hadst not fought against them Thou art iust holy in both The cause was thine the sinne in managing of it vvas their owne They fought in an holy quarrell but with confidence in themselues for as presuming of victorie they aske of GOD not what should be their success but who should be their Captaine Number innocence made them too secure It was iust therefore with GOD to let them feele that euen good zeale cannot beare out presumption And that victory lyes not in the cause but in the God that ownes it VVho cannot imagine hovv much the Beniaminites insulted in their double field and day And now beganne to think God was on their side Those swords which had bin taught the way into fortie thousand bodies of their brethren cannot feare a new incounter Wicked men cannot see their prosperity a peece of their curse neither can examine their actions but the euents Soone after they shall finde what it was to adde bloud vnto filthinesse and that the victory of an euill cause is the way to ruine and confusion I should haue feared least this double discomfiture should haue made Israel either distrustfull or weary of a good cause but still I finde them no lesse courageous with more humilitie Now they fast weepe and sacrifice these weapons had been victorious in their first assault Beniamin had neuer been in danger of pride for ouer comming if this humiliation of Israel had preuented the fight It is sildom seen but that which we do with feare prospereth wheras confidence in vndertaking layes euen good indeauours in the dust Wickednesse could neuer brag of any long prosperitie nor complaine of the lacke of payment Still GOD is euen with it at the last Now hee payes the Beniaminites both that death which they had lent to the Israelites and that wherein they stood indebted to their brotherhood of Gibeah And novv that both are metre in death there is as much difference betwixt those Israelites and these Beniaminites as betwixt Martyrs and malefactors To die in a sinne is a fearefull reuenge of giuing patronage to sinne The sword consumes their bodies another fire their Cities vvhat-soeuer became of their soules Now might Rachel haue iustlie wept for her childrē because they were not For behold the men women and children of her wicked Tribe are cut off onely some few scattred remainders ran away from this vengeance and lurked in caues and rocks both for fear and shame There was no difference but life betwixt their brethren and them the earth couered them both yet vnto them doth the reuenge of Israel stretch it self and vowes to destroy if not their persons yet their succession as holding them vnwoorthy to receiue any comfort by that sexe to which they had bin so cruell both in act and maintenance If the Israelites had not held marriage issue a very great blessing they had not thus reuenged themselues of Beniamin Now they accounted the vvith-holding of their wiues a punishment second to death The hope of life in our posteritie is the next contentment to an inioying of life in our selues They haue sworn and now vpon cold bloud repent them If the oath were not iust why wold they take it and if it were iust why did they recant it If the act were lustifiable what needed these tears Euen a iust oath may be rashly taken not onely iniustice but temerity of swearing ends in lamentation In our very ciuill actions it is a weaknes to do that which we would after reuerse but in our affaires with GOD to check our selues too late and to steepe our oathes in teares is a dangerous folly He doth not commaund vs to take voluntary oathes he commaunds vs to keepe them If wee bind our selues to inconuenience we may iustly cōplain of our owne fetters Oaths doe not onely require iustice but iudgment wise deliberation no lesse then equity Not conscience of their fact but commiseration of their brethren led them to this publique repentance O God why is this come to pass that this day one Tribe of Israel shall want Euen the iustest reuenge of men is capable of pittie Insultation in the rigor of iustice argues crueltie Charitable mindes are grieued to see that done which they would not wish vndone the smart of the offender doth not please thē which yet are throughly displeased with the sin and haue giuen their hands to punish it GOD himselfe takes no pleasure in the death of a sinner yet loues the punishment of sin As a good Parent whips his child yet weepes himselfe There is a measure in victorie and reuenge if neuer so iust which to exceed leeses mercie in the sute of Iustice If there were no fault in their seueritie it needed no excuse and if there were a fault it will admitte of no excuse yet as if they meant to shift off the sinne they expostulate with God O Lord God of Israel why is this come to passe this day GOD gaue them no commaund of this rigour yea he twise crost them in the execution and now in that which they intreated of God with teares they challenge him It is a dangerous iniustice to lay the burden of our sinnes vpon him which tempteth no man nor can be tempted with euill whiles we would so remooue our sinne we double it A man that knew not the power of an oath wold wonder at this contrarietie in the affections of Israel They are sory for the slaughter of Beniamin and yet they slay those that did not helpe them in the slaughter Their oath calls them to more bloud The excess of their reuenge vpon Beniamin may not excuse the men of Gilead If euer oath might looke for a dispensation this might plead it Now they dare not but kill the men of Iabesh Gilead least they should haue left vpon themselues a greater sin of sparing then punishing Iabesh Gilead came not vp to ayde Israel therefore all the inhabitants must die To exempt our selues whether out of singularitie or stubbornness from the common actions of the Church when wee are lawfully called to them is an offence woorthy of iudgement In the maine quarrels of the Church neutralls are punished This execution shal make amends for the former of the spoile of Iabesh
suddenly cut off He saw the hope of posteritie extinguished in the virginity of his daughter It is naturall to vs to affect that perpetuitie in our succession which is denied vs in our persons Our very bodies would emulate the eternity of the soule And if GOD haue built any of vs an house on earth as well as prepared vs an house in heauen it must be confessed a fauour worth our thankfulness but as the perpetuitie of our earthlie houses is vncertaine so let vs not rest our harts vpon that but make sure of the house which is eternall in the heauens Doubtlesse the goodnes of the daughter added to the fathers sorow Shee was not more louing then religious neither is she lesse willing to be the Lords then her fathers and as prouoking her father to that which he thought pietie though to her own wrong she saies If thou hast opened thy mouth vnto the Lord doe with mee as thou hast promised Many a daughter would haue disswaded her father with teares and haue wisht rather her fathers impietie then her own preiudice Shee sues for the smart of her fathers vowe How obsequious should children be to the will of their carefull Parents euen in their finall disposition in the world when they see this holie maid willing to abandon the world vpon the rash vow of a father They are the liuing goods of their Parents and must therefore waite vpon the bestowing of their owners They mistake themselues which thinke they are their owne If this maid had vowed herselfe to God vvithout her Father it had been in his power to abrogate it but now that hee vowed her to GOD vvithout her selfe it stands in force But what shall wee say to those children whom their Parents vow and care cannot make so much as honest that will be no other then godlesse in spight of their Baptisme and education What but that they are giuen their Parents for a curse and shall one day finde what it is to bee rebellious All her desire is that shee may haue leaue to bewaile that which she must be forced to keepe Virginitie If shee had not held it an affliction there had been no cause to bewaile it it had bin no thanke to vnder-goe it if shee had not known it to be a cross Teares are no argument of impatience wee may mourne for that wee repine not to beare How comes that to be a meritorious vertue vnder the Gospell which was but a punishment vnder the Law The daughters of Israel had been too lauish of their teares if virginitie had bin absolutely good VVhat iniurie should it haue been to lament that spirituall preferment which they should rather haue emulated While Iepthaes daughter vvas two monethes in the mountaines she might haue had good opportunitie to escape her fathers vow but as one whom her obedience tyed as close to her father as his vow tyed him to God she returns to take vp that burden which she had bewailed to foresee If we be truly dutifull to our father in heauen wee would not slip our necks out of the yoke tho we might nor flie from his commaunds though the doore were open Sampson conceiued OF extraordinary persons the very birth conception is extraordinary God beginnes his wonders betimes in those whō hee will make wonderfull There was neuer any of those which were miraculously conceiued vvhose liues were not notable and singular The presages of the wombe and the cradle are commonly answered in the life It is not the vse of GOD to cast away strange beginnings If Manoahs wife had not been barren the Angell had not been barren the Angell had not been sent to her Afflictions haue this aduantage that they occasion GOD to show that mercy to vs whereof the prosperous are vncapable It would not beseem a mother to bee so indulgent to an healthfull child as to a sick It was to the woman that the Angell appeared not to the husband whether for that the reproach of barrennesse lay vpon her more heauily then on the father or for that the birth of the child should cost her more deare then her husband or lastly for that the difficultie of this newes was more in her conception then in his generation As Satan layes his batteries euer to the weakest so contrarily God addresseth his comforts to those harts that haue most need As at the first because Eue had most reason to be deiected for that her sin had drawne man into the Transgression therefore the Cordiall of GOD most respecteth her The seed of the Woman shall breake the Serpents head As a Physitian first tells the state of the disease with his Symptoms and then prescribes so dooth the Angell of God first tell the wife of Manoah her complaint then her remedy Thou art barren All our afflictions are more noted of that GOD which sends them then of the Patient that suffers them how can it be but lesse possible to indure any thing that he knows not than that hee inflicteth not Hee saith to one Thou art sicke to an other Thou art poore to a third Thou art defamed Thou art oppressed to another That all-seeing Eye takes notice from heauen of euery mans condition no lesse then if he should send an Angel to tell vs he knew it His knowledge compared with his mercy is the iust comfort of all our sufferings O GOD vvee are many times miserable and feele it not Thou knowest euē those sorrowes which wee might haue Thou knowest what thou hast done do what thou wilt Thou art barren Not that the Angel would vpbrayd the poore woman with her affliction but therefore he names her paine that the mention of her cure might be so much more welcom Comfort shal com vnseasonably to that hart which is not apprehensiue of his owne sorrow We must first know our euils ere we can quit them It is the iust method of euery true Angel of GOD first to let vs see that whereof either wee doe or should complaine and then to apply comforts Like as a good Physitian first pulls downe the body and then raises it with cordialls If wee cannot abide to heare of our faults wee are not capable of amendement If the Angel had first said Thou shalt conceiue and not premised Thou art barren I doubt whether shee had conceiued faith in her soule of that infant which her body should conceiue Now his knowledge of her present estate makes way for the assurance of the future Thus euer it pleases our good God to leaue a pawne of his fidelitie with vs that vvee should not distrust him in what he will do when we find him faithfull in that which we see done It is good reason that he which giues the sonne to the barren mother should dispose of him and diet him both in the wombe first and after in the world The mother must first be a Nazarite that her sonne may be so Whiles shee was barren she might drink what she
because he was Gods There is no so certaine way of increase as to lend or giue vnto the owner of all things Ely and his Sonnes IF the conueyances of grace were naturall holy parents would not be so ill suted with children What good man would not rather wish his loynes drie then fruitfull of wickednesse Now wee can neither traduce goodnes nor choose but traduce sinne If vertue were as well intailed vpon vs as sin one might serue to checke the other in our children but now since grace is deriued from heauen on whomsoeuer it pleases the giuer and that euill which ours receiue hereditarily from vs is multiplied by their owne corruption it can be no wonder that good men haue ill children it is rather a wonder that any children are not euill The sonnes of Ely are as lewde as himselfe was holy If the goodnesse of examples precepts education profession could haue beene preseruatiues from extremitie of sin these sonnes of an holy father had not beene wicked now neither parentage nor breeding nor priesthood can keepe the sonnes of Hely from sonnes of Belial If our children bee good let vs thanke God for it this was more then wee could giue them if euill they may thanke vs and themselues vs for their birth-sinne themselues for the improuement of it to that height of wickednesse If they had not been sonnes of Ely yet being Priests of God who would not haue hoped their very calling should haue infused some holinesse into them but now euen their white Ephod couers foule sinnes yea rather if they which serue at the alter degenerate their wickednesse is so much more aboue others as their place is holier A wicked Priest is the worst creature vpon earth Who are Diuels but they which were once Angels of light Who can stumble at the sinnes of the Euangelicall Leuites that sees such inpuritie euen before the Arke of God That God which promised to be the Leuites portion had set forth the portion of his Ministers he will feast them at his owne altar The breast and the right shoulder of the peace offering was their morsell these bold and couetous Priests will rather haue the flesh-hock their arbiter then God whatsoeuer those three teeth fasten vpon shall bee for their tooth They were weary of one ioynt and now their delicacy affects variety God is not worthy to carue for these men but their owne hands And this they do not receiue but take and take violently vnseasonably It had beene fit God should be first serued their presumption will not stay his leasure ere the fat bee burned ere the flesh be boiled they snatch more then their share from the altar as if the God of heauen should waite on their palate as if the Israelites had come thither to sacrifice to their bellies and as commonly a wanton tooth is the harbinger to luxurious wantonnesse they are no sooner fed then they neigh after the dames of Israel Holy women assemble to the doore of the Tabernacle these varlets tempt them to lust that came thither for deuotion they had wiues of their owne yet their vnbridled desires roue after strangers and feare not to pollute euen that holy place with abominable filthinesse O sinnes to shamefull for men much more for the spirituall guides of Israel He that makes himselfe a seruant to his tooth shall easily become a slaue to all inordinate affections That altar which expiated other mens sins added to the sinnes of the sacrificers Doubtlesse many a soule was the cleaner for the bloud of the sacrifices which they shed whiles their owne were more impure And as the altar cannot sanctifie the Preist so the vncleannes of the minister cannot pollute the offering because the vertue thereof is not in the agent but in the institution in the representation his sinne is his owne the comfort of the sacrament is from God Our clergy is no charter for heauen Euen those whose trade is deuotion may at once show the way to heauen by their tongue and by their foot lead the way to hell It is neither a coule nor an Ephod that can priueledge the soule The sinne of these men was worthy of contempt yea perhaps their persons but for the people therefore to abhorre the offrings of the Lord was to adde their euill vnto the Priests and to offend God because hee was offended There can no offence be iustly taken euen at men much lesse at God for the sake of men No mans sinnes should bring the seruice of God into dislike this is to make holy thinges guiltie of our profanenesse It is a daungerous ignorance not to distinguish betwixt the worke and the instrument whereupon it oft comes to passe that we fall out with God because we finde cause of offence from men and giue God iust cause to abhorre vs because wee abhorre his seruice vniustly Although it be true of great men especially that they are the last that know the euils of their owne house yet either it could not be when all Israel rung of the lewdnesse of Elyes sonnes that he onely should not know it or if he knew it not his ignorance cannot be excused for a seasonable restraint might haue preuented this extremitie of debauchednesse Complaints are long muttered of the great ere they dare breake forth to open contestation publique accusations of authoritie argues intollerable extremities of euill nothing but age can pleade for Ely that hee was not the first accuser of his sonnes now when their enormities came to be the voice of the multitude he must heare it perforce and doubtlesse hee heard it with greife enough but not with anger enough he that was the iudge of Israel should haue vnpartially iudged his own flesh and blood neuer could he haue offered a more pleasing sacrifice then the depraued blood of so wicked sonnes In vaine do wee rebuke those sinnes abroad which we tolerate at home That man makes himselfe but ridiculous that leauing his owne house on fire runnes to quench his neighbours I heard Ely sharpe enough to Annah vpon but a suspicion of sinne and now how milde I finde him to the notorious crimes of his owne Why doe you so my sonnes it is no good report my sonnes do no more so The case is altered with the persons if nature may be allowed to speake in iudgement and to make difference not of sinnes but offenders the sentence must needes sauour of partialitie Had these men but some little slackened their dutie or heedlesly omitted some rite of the sacrifice this censure had not beene vnfit but to punish the thefts rapines sacriledges adulteries incests of his sonnes with Why do yee so was no other then to sâ—aue that head which had deserued cutting off As it is with ill humors that a weak dose doth but stirre and anger them not purge them out so it fareth with sinnes An easie reproofe doth but incourage wickednesse and makes it thinke it selfe so sleight as that censure importeth A