worse then the thiefe who yet is odious and driuen frō habitation with men in their free dwelling houses into a loathsome prison among brutish companions For he vnlesse he be cruell also is content to take a share in his goods whom he robbeth but the cruell man is not content with a share but if his might be sutable to his mind he will haue all at one time or other that is his whom he pursueth yea he wil thrust him out of house and home yea and out of the world also before he can be satisfied Caine a little after the corrupt estate of things entred into the world was a patterne of cruel ones who when he had no cause giuen him by Abel his innocent brother of hard handling him yet because he was accepted of God and himself not did not hate him only without a cause but which was most vnnatural and monstrous in him rosevp against him and slue him Pharaoh when he had almost tyred the poore people of God who were strangers in his land with burdens and toile asmuch as they could beare yet was not satisfied therewith but made their burthen farre greater til their life was more vnwelcome then death itselfe that his crueltie might be manifest to all Haman so exceeded herein that it was too little to take the goods of Gods people from them and to hold them bondmen vnlesse hee might haue their liues also And what should I speake of Iezabel who being a woman exceeded men who were cruell also And of Rehoboams cruell handling his subiects as his storie declareth and of Iosephs brethren who consented to sell him into a far countrey whence he might neuer returne to trouble them as they hoped but further the most of them agreed to take away his life also and yet if they had killed him euen they themselues had lost their liues also in the famine that God sent afterwards they being preserued by Ioseph among all other men These might make crueltie odious to vs. But many that heare this of it desire to know what manner of thing it is that rageth after this sort and like the flaming fire deuoureth and destroyeth where it commeth Their demand is godly and I will briefly satisfie it That they may therefore cease maruelling that this fury crueltie I meane bringeth such strange effects forth they may know that it is a vile and vitious habit or custome whereby men are carried to do things both harsh and hard and that beyond all course and compasse of reason Now where men are thus set vpon their will to deale with other and are led to it without reason much more without religion there how can they chuse but to bee rigorously handled and cruellie delt with who fall into their hands Which maketh the cruell man to bee hated of all For such are barbarous and vnciuell as if they had sucked the Dragons in the desert and their hearts so bound with the sinewes of iron that they spoile them whom they pursue as raging raine and tempest rendeth the trees and destroyeth the fruites and they are no more mooued with the life of a man then if a dogge had fallen before them And therefore no maruell that Dauid hauing his choice of plagues presented to him made a present exception to his owne nature and kind fearing and knowing the crueltie of men saying let me not fall into the hands of man This the Heathen Seneca saw when he said Thou art deceiued if thou giuest credit to the lookes of those that meet thee They haue the faces of men the minds of wild beasts If he spake this of man in generall what would he haue said particularly of the cruell man with whom this speech is as common burne kill cut Poison young old men women brethren kindred as to eate their meate Whosoeuer doe but crosse them with a mistaken word or wrie countenance it is but a word and a blow with them and though they murther vpon light occasions and haue no gaine by their death they haue inough in that they take pleasure in it But whither might a man goe in this argument I will giue an instance in lower matters of this kind Hereof it is that if one neighbour bee trespassed by another in his corne or other commodities by cattell or any other way though it bee without any fault of him that hath done the trespasse the other is readie in rage and furie to seeke reuenge by laming and hurting the cattell which hee would doe to the owner like Lamech if he durst or will with spite and railing and exacting at his hands sixe times the valew of the damage and detriment that he sustained though if he annoy the other in a worse manner he yet maketh nothing of it but will shift it of This is a cruell part in things of so little valew vnto a neighbour What would hee doe thinke wee or he that is like minded to him in matters of waight and to a stranger and so much the more I may call such dealing crueltie seeing it is offered by such an one as trespasseth another time in a farre worse manner himselfe The like may be said of cruell Landlords Masters Guardians Stepmothers c. which measure not them whom they offend against by themselues For though there be diuers degrees in the many kinds of this foule vice of crueltie yet we must know that the least and lowest is vnseemely in a man and odious Indeed it is more noisome and furious if it bee accompanied with enuy therefore Salomon saith Who can stand before enuy for the enuious are obstinate and cannot bee reconciled Therefore whatsoeuer measure be offered by such it is certaine that it shall be hard inough seeing their very mercies are crueltie What remaineth then for such persons to doe to the end they may if it be possible cast of this crueltie as a most filthie and loathsome garment but this that they giue themselues no rest til it become as odious and loathsome to them as it is to other which is not hard for him to obtaine that will be perswaded to looke into the odiousnesse of it that when he hath found it he may fall downe at the Lords feete for mercie to couer the foulenesse of it and forgiue it and that being beleeued imbrace gentlenesse and mercie and kindnesse toward others in stead of rigor Like the Iaylor in the Actes who though he had vsedg reat crueltie against Paul and Silas yet when hee repented did wash their wounds most louingly which before scourging of them he had made in their bodies and set meate before them in his house most chearefully whom he had before thrust hungry into the inward prison most cruelly Also let it teach vs both to pray that wee bee not giuen ouer into the hands of vnreasonable and vnconscionable men who are as absurd as cruell in their malice As the Apostle willeth the people to pray 2. Thes 3.
Lion to be made a dead dogge is basenesse enough Therefore we may clearely see by this that the seeking of glory as Salomon saith is no glory but the glory of such is their shame For although for a time it may hold and last yet in a short time it shall vanish and end with reproch whatsoeuer else goe with it And so it is generally in all pride and vaineglory as I noted out of Gaals example before it shall end with shame and contrarily the humble and lowly in mind shall be exalted For there can not one tittle of Gods word fall to the ground but it must be verified to the comfort of the one and the iust rewarding of the other In this verse let vs further see for the Lord would not giue him the honor to be slaine in warre what he did when he had his deaths wound doth he crie for mercy was that as it ought to haue been thought vpon And yet the most past grace will lightly desire that he may haue three words before he die for then though it be to small purpose he thinks to aske mercy but the glory that this monster had hunted after in his life-time that was all that hee regarded euen now at his wofull end as his words testifie to wit That it might not be said that a woman slew him declaring thereby that he more feared infamy then damnation The multitude of desperate wretches that die in all ages with as little hope of saluation as hee did maketh it lesse to be considered and bewailed but what is more fearefull then to thinke a man should go to hell so apparantly and as it were visibly Where wee are to obserue that such as mens thoughts and affections are in their life time such they bee commonly at their death They loued not blessing saith the Prophet and therefore it is farre from them in their need so it is said elsewhere they sought not after God neither desired acquaintance with his waies while they liued and therfore God ordinarily suffereth them not to begin to doe it at their end They remembred not their maker in the daies of their youth neither shall they haue grace to doe it at their death but as they are mercilesse so God iustly recompenceth them with iudgement without mercy in their latter yeeres And the like we reade of Saul But yet for all this is one of a thousand thinke we of such as he was perswaded to repentance in the time of his iolitie nay doth not one follow anothers course to condemnation daily and from age to age And such as haue their libertie to aske three words before they die how vse they it what come they to but euen to worse then nothing Euen as Abimelechs few words did Let it not be said that a woman slew me And so their three words are vsed as Saul vsed his at his death Draw out thy sword and thrust me through And as that wicked man mentioned in the booke of Monuments who when he was haled violently on a bridge by his Horse into the riuer being put in minde of his three words he said thus Horse and man to the diuell A notorious adulterer there was a few yeeres agone who also had poysoned many youthes by his vncleane conuersation and lewd example and tongue he liued till he was threescore yeere old to resemble him to the sinner whom Salomon speakes of Eccles 7. neuer could hee bee brought to sauour or taste either preaching or praying which yet hee saw many zealously did round about him he might haue spend fiftie pound land by the yeere by his marriage but being visited by God in a strange manner and losing his maintenance by the death of his wife his bodie â—ore plagued with paine and diseases when he lay like a lazer in a barne for thither he was thrust through pouertie and there he died now to come to the point for the which I alleaged this example hee being moued by such as came to him when they saw in what miserie hee lay to call vpon God hee answered with fearefull oathes Is this a time to pray The which seeing he was neuer acquainted with in all his life wee see hee was farre off from it shunned and lothed it at his death by Gods righteous iudgement And as wee haue heard that it is commonly so with the vilest persons at their death as it hath been in their life so it were good wisedome for vs to seeke the Lord while he may be found in the daies of our youth lest if we should not goe about it till death it should not bee a sound turning to God but in mood and passion by violence and in feare onely gone about and who knoweth not that late repentance is dangerous And so let them reioyce and blesse God who haue made the Lord chiefe with them in their young yeeres and haue counted his seruice perfit freedome such shall not neede to feare that God will frowne vpon them and forsake them in their age or at their death but as many haue done shall reioyce most for this that they made the Gospell their solace in their life time and Gods fauour their portion and ioy and would not for all the riches of the vngodly haue done otherwise for so they should haue been then vtterly to seeke how to be saued Oh one sweete fruite of a godly life beside many other enioyed before is a most Christian and comfortable death so saith the Psalmist Marke the end of the righteous and ye shall see that the end of such a man is peace As for Abimelechs Page he was as he had been trained by him one fit to serue him onely in euill Like master like man such an one as hath many followers of which sort of hangbies few vnder such masters as themselues be few of them are I say found to come to good But both of them desperate rash murtherous and fraught with such sinnes as commonly accompanie these Yea and yet such hold vp their heads in the world for whom who seeth not but that the prison is fitter where they may be kept from doing mischiefe rather then to commit many lewd parts at libertie abroad But seeing such are past admonition taking let theÌ„ that are teachable learne to take such seruants to be neere at hand to them who may in danger giue aduice to them if need be as Naamans seruants did to the preseruing of his health rather then to be as too many are that is to say furtherers of their vtter vndoing or death And such as deserue well as Ioshuas and the seruants of Cornelius were let them I say be well incouraged and rewarded which are to be reioyced in of their masters when the other being intertained but to their owne and their masters vndoing or great detriment shall load both themselues and them with their bellies full of shame and sorrow Of this argument I spare
carefull and constant looking to the religious bringing vp of them and the marking of their disposition and the sinnes which they are most prone and inclined vnto that they may in due time and good manner helpe to remedie it accordingly Another thing that is seuerall in these verses is this that this Abdon the last that is reckoned had fortie sonnes and thirtie sonnes sonnes and these were of place and some countenance riding stately and not as meaner persons going on foote Whereby it appeareth to say no more of the number of children that they had peace then and were free from oppression by the other nations that dwelt about them For they must not else haue had such elbow roome nor their libertie so to shew themselues boldly and openly but to hide their heads as well as meaner persons and to lay their iollitie aside For our instruction this wee may learne that in the time of peace when there is freedome from warre and persecution in a land there is great prosperitie in euery kinde as multitude of people building purchasing and growing in wealth and promotion For though the plague and famine sometime sweep away diminish the number of people yet they through Gods goodnesse not continuing long nor sore are the sooner outgrowne but the other I meane warre and persecution make strippe and waste as we say euen as the violent fire burneth all where it commeth and the raging waters drowne But when they cease there is plentie for the most part going with peace and there is with both great outward prosperitie Which is to bee acknowledged a singular great fauour of God and to such as are able to vse it aright it giueth much libertie and encouragement to liue well and happily And otherwise what is all iollitie and abundance if we haue not learned and be not fitted for the right vse of it The which how few regard or looke after but onely seeke to passe their precious time in ease vanitie play idlenesse whoring drinking and such like and the ciuiller sort to minde little else then to encrease and gather wealth the most of them not knowing why but to content please themselues thereby to see I say how fondly nay madly so many doe vse this peace and liberty of quiet liuing it is much more to be bewailed then the benefit it selfe is to be reioyced for And to thinke how in this time of peace good preaching should be in vse throughout all parts of the land to hold downe Poperie Atheisme prophanenes and other sinne and that which should be all in all with vs to bring many people to God and yet how little is done this way it cannot without much bewailing bee thought on Now if in this earthly mansion of ours wherein wee are absent from the Lord and liue as strangers for a time he can allow his people so liberall and comfortable a supply of earthly refreshings meete for them vntill they shall no longer stand in need of them then what is like to be their entertainment at home in heauen thinke wee and what prouision will the Lord make for them there where all sound reioycing is without end or measure A great meanes doubtlesse to prouoke them to serue out their time with cheerefulnesse and faithfulnes when they consider that all things are theirs both here and hereafter all good things serue to make vp the happinesse of them who are Christs who is Lord of all And this be said of that which is to be considered of in these Iudges seuerally and apart and so of the whole chapter THE SEVENTIE ONE SERMON ON THE XIII CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES Vers 1. But the children of Israel continued to commit wickednesse in the sight of the Lord and the Lord deliuered them into the hands of the Philistims fortie yeeres 2. Then there was a man in Zorah of the familie of the Danites named Manoah whose wife was barren and bare not 3. And the Angell of the Lord appeared vnto the woman and said vnto her Behold now thou art barren and bearest not but thou shalt conceiue 〈◊〉 beare a 〈◊〉 4. And now therefore beware that thou drinke no wine or strong drinke neither eate any vncleane thing 5. For loe thou shalt conceiue and beare a sonne and no razer shall come on his head for the child shall be a Nazarite vnto God from his birth and he shall begin to saue Israel out of the hands of the Philistims HEre before I giue the summe of this Chapter as I vse to do in the entrance of euery Chapter I will first lay downe the short summe of the foure Chapters next following containing the storie of Samson And it giueth good light to the matters therein contained This Chapter setteth downe his birth the next his mariage the 15. some of his acts the 16. his death For the first of these it is said that the Israelites being for their sins brought into the hands of the Philistims and oppressed by them Samson is promised of the Lord to his parents to be borne as a reuenger of them and the Angell of the Lord instructing them what to doe about the child confirmed the promise by a signe and at the time it was performed that Samson was borne Agreeable hereto are the parts of the Chapter which are three first The appearing of the Angell to Manoahs wife with a message to her of a sonne that she should beare to helpe Israel against the Philistims to verse 6. Then his second appearing to them both together Manoah and his wife I meane to the fifteenth verse Lastly the signe that the Angell gaue that the thing he promised should come to passe as it did indeed of the childs birth and this to the end of the Chapter The first part of the Chapter THe holy storie sheweth in this first part of the Chapter that God sent tidings and hope of help against the Philistims and that is done in this and these foure next verses following and that was because the people hauing fallen againe to prouoke the Lord hee deliuered them into the hands of the Philistims and that for fortie yeeres But here it is said hee thought vpon their bondage and went about their deliuerance This their bondage when it began and ended is hardly gathered for certaintie but most likely it began after the death of Abdon and continued almost to the time of Heli. Of the sin of Israel that they added to worke euill in the fight of the Lord for so are the words meaning as they had done before in times past and as their fathers had done before their late peaceable gouernment so they did now againe For this must be vnderstood of the body of them not of particular persons who there is no doubt committed sinnes against the Lord but not so boldly grossely and openly with consent But now they fell to that and most like to idolatrie among the
so it hath bin in former times that when mens waies haue pleased the Lord he hath caused not only their very enemies to be at one with them but also their very hearts to be intirely knit to them Yea many sillie persons so furnished with grace by God haue forced great ones to wish from their hearts for all their wealth and power that they were like to them And yet this is more that a Minister of the Gospell who is to challenge them openly that keepe not the commandements of Iesus and in his name to rebuke and threaten the workers of iniquitie though all this is of the louing and kinde Preacher done to saue their soules by turning them from their euill waies that such a Minister I say who is not only hated for his good will and counted their enemie for telling them the truth but also accused by them pursued also and not suffered to be quiet among them yet should constantly hold out his labours with a life vnoffensiue what a work of God thinke we is that in him who were like to continue so gracious a course in the middest of so many discouragements whereof I haue mentioned but a few if the Lord should not giue them faith to beleeue that of their loue to him they should feed his lambes and his sheep and that in so doing they assure themselues they shall be plentifully rewarded and to this end that he will giue them shoulders I meane courage to beare their so great a burthen These are no small things which yet God worketh among vs that we may see he regardeth vs as he did some in former times The other and last thing to be noted in this second part is of Sisera that the Lord pulled him downe and cast him from his so great honour and valiantnes For as it was a great abasement for such a Nimrod to be driuen to so great a streight as to lurke in another mans house not daring to peere foorth as the sillie bird beaten into the bush by the hawke so it was yet farre baser to fall by the hand and at the feete of a woman Let vs learne that the Lord bringeth to naught the high and haughtie and that to their vtter shame who were so great and proud It is no strange thing in the Scriptures to finde it thus though fooles wonder at it who will learne no instruction by it The Lord casteth the mightie from their seate Witnesse Abimilech who in his desperate mood being striken on the head with a milstone by a woman called his page and bid him to runne him through lest it should be said A woman slew him And yet that which was said of him was reprochfull enough to wit that a base page slew him and agreeth well with the point in hand Thus Absolon who had stomacke to rise against his father so kinde to him was brought to a base and reprochful death very fit for such an one being thrust through by Ioabs common souldiers And Iezabel scorning God and his Prophets was according to the foretelling of the Lord made dogges meate and dung vpon the earth being throwne out of the window from her royall palace The proud and stout Iewes who railed on Peter calling him despitefully a drunken man were so terrified with their sin that they were glad to seeke to be comforted euen by him whom they had scorned And well is it with them whose pride the Lord resisteth in mercie for their good as hee did Pauls by appalling him first and then sending him to poore Ananias who being his comforter now had been a prey for him if God had not preuented it For the rest whom I haue mentioned they excepted also in the second of the Acts the other I say were resisted to their cost and vtter vndoing And so by the foolishnes of preaching as it pleaseth the world to call it and an humble submitting of themselues to his holy doctrine they that are saued must attaine but as that generation of vipers the Pharisies were glad to come to Iohns ministerie if so be they tooke any good by it Be we therefore humble and meeke they who are graced are they that finde fauour with him but as for the proud he resisteth them and setteth himselfe against them till they be confounded if they so abide and be brought to naught And therefore let the scorners and enemies taunt and mocke the simple professors of the truth like Edomites they shall one day wish they had been like them and iudge them more happie then themselues as Diues for all his superfluitie did wish that he might haue had not the estate of Lazarus which he saw no hope to attaine but the thousand part of it euen that he might dip his finger in cold water and quench his thirst which yet might not be granted him And therefore let vs but stay a while and containe our selues and wee shall see these boasters and contemners if they will needs hold on their course wee shall see them I say swept away and they shall be no more so little cause shall we see of hauing our teeth water after their dainties They are wise who can in the iolitie and prosperitie of the enemies of the Church see their ouerthrow by faith and count their florishing and bragges to be but vaine crakes And thus much be said of the second part of the Chapter THE THIRTIE FIVE SERMON ON THE FIFTH CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES The third part of the Chapter Vers 28. The mother of Sisera looked out at a window and cried through the lattesse Why is his charet so long a comming why tarrie the wheeles of his charets c. Vers 29. Her wise Ladies answered her yea she answered her selfe with her owne words Vers 30. Haue they not gotten and they diuide the spoile euery man hath a maide or two Sisera hath a prey of diuers coloured garments a prey of sundrie colours made of needle worke on both sides for the chiefe of the spoile Vers 31. So let all thine enemies perish O Lord but they that loue him shall be as the Sunne when he ariseth in his might And the land had rest fortie yeeres IN these words is contained the third and last part of the song of Debora and so of the Chapter and hath two members in the first she bringeth in the boastings of the women that were enemies to Gods people and Siseras deare friends and derides them in the first three verses In the last member she opposeth a propheticall prayer against their boastings wishing therein to the remainder of Gods enemies destruction and to the Israelites all increase of good things and that increase she laieth out by a comparison of the Sunne from the rising to the noone tide euen such she wisheth it to be More particularly to come to the first point she saith that Siseras mother was looking
them was preserued from his crueltie and kept out of his reach it was done by Gods speciall prouidence both to hold him in feare seeing hee that was kept aliue was the lawfull sonne of Gedeon and borne of a lawfull wife Abimelech himselfe comming but of a concubine and further it was also a good dashing of his ioy And moreouer wee see there was good vse of the Lords sauing aliue of that one of his brethren Iotham I meane because of the prophecie that he vttered therein foretelling the destruction of Abimelech To teach vs that although the committers of euill haue their humors satisfied and their turne serued and things to fall out euen as they would wish yet there is and shall be euer somewhat reserued to vex and pay them home euen here in this world and to giue them a taste of further torment For example who had better successe then Haman and yet by Mordecay who was of no place to stand with or to crosse him how was his ioy quailed by him rather then there should be none to resist him yea and that which was very vnlike to be came vpon him for by Mordecaies counsell and well handling the matter Haman was ouerthrowne with his whole house So Herod and Herodias had nothing that troubled them but Iohn Baptist and yet when they had taken Iohn out of the way our Sauiour Christ role vp who through this that Herods conscience put him in feare kept him at that stay that he could not bee quiet Ahab had been at hearts ease but for Eliah and yet afterward Michaiah vexed him as much Gehazi sped well a while but at length his master dashed all And all this is a sauour of their woe before it come vnlesse they be teared driuen from their bad courses thereby and so humble themselues to seeke mercy as that third Captaine of Ahazijah did to Eliah seeing the danger And thus God feareth the whole rabble of the vngodly and by other terrors also when his word wil not doe it his workes shall and euen thereby I meane by the casting them downe by the law liuely preached to them and the feare of death iudgement day and hell hee doth so torment many a man that all his shiftes and deuices cannot deliuer him there-from neither is al that hee hath able to comfort him and cry downe this voice of the Ministery although it worke no true feare of God in him to repentance but onely awake and astonish him True it is that some though they bee apparantly crossed by God yet they feele it no more then the dead palsey as we see in Nabal But in that they be hardned they are in worse case So then God dealeth thus commonly that the wicked shall haue somewhat to make them lesse eager of their pleasures as either paine sicknesse or some such thing or else inward feare or the like Although alas what although they should neuer be interrupted they should yet be but caried to hell merrily when others goe mourning And when Gods seruants fall to the like sinne as to nestle themselues in the deceiuable inticements of this world hee giueth them the like medicine to cure them of their disease that they shal euer haue one thing or other to hold them in vnquietnesse and to feare them with which is euer like to light vpon them to vexe and sting them if they shall dare delight themselues in any euill thing or to rest in that which is transitory and so goe from the Lord. As the feare of losing a good wife their nearest companion to them to partake their commodities and delights with them or their crosses and decaies in the world to make them easilier borne which affliction disquieteth them much and dampeth all their earthly repast So also he exerciseth them with weakenesse of body meannes in estate petty losses c. and al to weane thē from the breast as it were sucklings by laying such bitter and distasteful corrections vpon them The vse of this is to rest and ioy our hearts in nothing here below but to see that our delight bee in the fauour and feare of the Lord continually which is the one thing though we may make them two that is necessarie And if nothing will rouse vs out of spirituall slumbering in earthly prosperitie and peace wherein to lie senselessely and sottishly is more then to haue one foot in hell already let this doe it that wee know not how soone wee must leaue al and goe to iudgement and to the yeelding vp of our account And yet if the Lord crosse vs in our enterprises that bee euill we may know the worst that the meaneth toward vs is that he would stop vs in our race toward destruction and misery that it may not come vpon vs. When Abimelech had so vnnaturally slaine his brethren which ought to haue stricken such a terror into the men of Shechem that they should haue abhorred him and pursued him openly calling the rest of the Tribes to ioyne with them therein till he had receiued his due punishment he so subtillie woound in with them and they were so credulous that they beleeued for all that hee would deale well with them as hee had promised them and therefore proceeded O fearefull to be spoken and vndertooke to make him King and this they did in a place that pertained to them none of the other Tribes being either called or made acquainted with the matter who yet had a farre greater stroke therein then they which must needs raise great dissention and deuision betwixt them But this they regarded not seeing they had taken in hand the effecting of the other Here we see when one sinne is intended of a man to be committed it goeth not alone but draweth with it many other as companions to it For neither can it be brought to passe without the helpe of other neither can a man take pleasure in it without the company of other sinnes He seekes to be King and how many sinnes doth he adioyne to the effecting of it As he here vsed fraud flatterie and cousonage and rose vp and drew after him a band of seditious hang-bies he slew his brethren and when he was made King what contention did he cause among them It is too manifest that sinne is no solitarie bird nor is euer seene out of company Euen as S. Paul teacheth to the Romans how strife carrieth enuying with it and gluttony draweth drunkennesse and chambering wantonnesse And this is the more to be marked because wicked persons alleage for themselues when they are reprooued for their faults that al men are sinners yea some sinne grossely in many kinds and for themselues they say they hope if they haue done amisse yet they may be borne with seeing it is but one trespasse and further they will say euery one for himselfe Such a man hath this blemish and such a one that all haue some one
to speake more heere being as much and a great deale more as is like to be regarded of such as I speake of Thus we haue seene the wofull end of this cursed Abimelech and of the wicked men of Shechem who had been the furtherers of him to the mischiefe that he wrought And after these troublers of the land were taken away there was peace and euery man left off from the worke that Abimelech had drawne him to and went home to his owne place where first it may be seene what stirre disquiet and trouble one vile person may make in the Church or Common-wealth the Lord so punishing the peoples sinne as partly I noted before in this chapter Absolon was but one man but how did he disquiet his father and the whole land Likewise Sheba the sonne of Bicry that raised a new commotion against Dauid and so the Prophet Elias told Ahab that he troubled all Israel And so I may say of Achan and of Kora and of many other euery of these was but one in his attempts but each of these what plagues and mischiefe wrought they by their seuerall sinnes though most of thē priuate persons to the whole state of the Church and Common-wealth of Israel If wee compare the sinnes of the whole body with the sinnes of a few wee shall finde that the sorrow which few brought vpon the whole companie came little short of the plagues which God inflicted vpon the whole when all prouoked him Although alas what speake I of particular actions Adam his sinne first brought a feareful confusion into the whole creation What wonder then if this contagion and pestilence hath euer since and still doth cause the like disorder in the places where it rangeth whose deformitie yet and the mischiefe that it workes though we see as it were with our eyes who almost is not bewitched with the painted beautie thereof But to returne when Achan Sheba Absolon were taken away behold all was whist againe and a great calme there was after so horrible tempests The whole Church is as a ship in which if there be one Ionah what tumult makes he but cast him out and the danger is ouer And as this is true of great sinners and publike offenders so it is true of more inferiour and priuate persons as of Magistrates in their precincts Headborowes in townes Masters and parents in families seeing but for the badnes of such the rest should be in peace And further by the rooting out of Abimelech let vs confesse it to bee a great benefit when such authors of mischiefe and workers of iniquitie bee taken away and therefore giue all our endeuour for the maintenance of peace and to make holy and right vse of it while we enioy it For as wee may see by these that sought peace after the death of Abimelech euen so the most that are vsed to trouble other in time waxe wearie of it In these two verses is the shutting vp the whole chapter Iothams prophecie is verified and Gods iudgement thereby declared how hee rewardeth iniquitie Of which this I say briefly seeing in some sort it hath been touched already that they who take ill matters and bad in hand shall haue smal cause to reioyce thereof in the end For their sinne will finde them out when they thinke least of it And it is most like also that looke what way they haue sinned euen the same way their sinne may be punished as here it was Stone for stone Abimelech killed his brethren vpon a stone and he is killed by a weake woman most vnlikely with a stone The like wee haue heard of Adonibezek and of Oreb and Zeeb who tooke their death where they wrought mischiefe Oh how doth God recompence into their bosome in full measure heaped vp and running ouer vnto such The which they will not foresee and so preuent vntill they smart and be past recouerie If this cannot moue any of the like sort to take warning by such watch-words in time to hate their bad course and that with detestation at least let those that haue shunned and declined from such euill waies reioyce with thanksgiuing and that vnfained for that they haue been preserued from them and that they haue chosen the good way to walke in it howsoeuer they haue had many prouocations vnto the contrary And last of al we may see here that as God reuenged the innocent blood of Gedeons sonnes so God will take part with such innocents Hurt them not therefore for the time will come when thou shalt pay deare for thy so doing of which point looke more in the former part of the historie The end of the ninth Chapter THE SIXTIE ONE SERMON ON THE TENTH CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES Vers 1. After Abimelech there arose to deliuer Israel Tola the sonne of Puah the sonne of Dodo a man of Issachar and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim 2. And he iudged Israel three and twentie yeeres and died and was buried in Shamir 3. And after him arose Iair a Gileadite and iudged Israel twentie and two yeeres 4. And he had thirtie sonnes that rode on thirtie asse colts and they had thirtie cities which are called Hauoth-Iair vnto this day which are in the land of Gilead 5. And Iair died and was buried in Kamon THE summe of this Chapter is briefly this that the children of Israel hauing enioyed peace and libertie for a time vnder Tola and Iair fell againe afterward to Idolatrie Whereupon the Lord also did againe deliuer them into the hands of their enemies wherfore they calling vpon God were at the first sharply reproued but afterward truly repenting they obtained fauour with God and were released of their sinnes as before time By occasion whereof entrance is made into the storie of their deliuerance in the chapter following The parts of it are three The first containeth the time of their peace to verse the sixth The second a new defection and reuolt of the people from God to verse the 17. The third mentioneth the preparation that the Ammorites made against the children of Israel and the peoples and Princes meeting and comming together to consult and agree how to goe against them and this is to the end of the Chapter The first part of the Chapter GOd raised vp these two Iudges to wit Tola and Iair after the former to keepe the people in the true worship of God and in outward peace Here to speake somewhat in this first part of both these two Iudges of Israel ioyntly together and afterward somewhat seuerally this is to be noted of the former that after the ouerthrow of that cursed Abimelech the people of Israel had a long time of peace in both their daies that is 45. yeers Where note that though God iustly punisheth the sins of mē as he did theirs here yet he doth still remember his people and regard them sending them peace againe afterwards euen as
doe harme and partly our selues procuring it who nourish not in our selues such motions nor make wise vse of them by setting them a work and applying them to some fit obiect as Iphtah here did but delight only in the sweetnesse and pleasure which we feele and so suffer the heauenly flame to vanish for want of laying on fewell to preserue it And although the Lord causeth his children euen here sometimes in health sometime at death to enioy such vnspeakable feelings and operations of the spirit which hee doth to giue them such a taste of heauen as may cause in them a restlesse longing til they come thither yet he knoweth they would say with Peter Master it is good for vs to be here and would thinke of no departure if this should be an ordinarie diet Therefore he rather considers what they can digest then what he can afford and saith My grace shall neither be giuen in superfluitie nor yet in penury but it shall be sufficient And let vs learne to account so of it as the best for vs. Onely let vs beware lest by our giuing way to our flesh the counterpoise of the spirit that is to the earth to our sensualitie and lusts we bury and quench the spirit and smother it from appearing in the beauty thereof and also lest wee cause it to be heauy and sad in vs and so our selues to bee blockish and sottish rather then heauenly and ioyfull which is to choose to feede with swine when we might eate Angels foode In these two verses is not only set downe the victory which God gaue to Iphtah ouer the Ammonites but it is also particularly amplified and in larger manner described As that many fell in the battell and that hee ouerthrew twentie of their cities and that hee brought the Ammonites in subiection to him Where wee may clearely see what it is that encourageth vs and setteth vs forward in our duties doing Euen the Lords appointing and calling vs thereto as of the publike calling of the Minister I spake before it is true of the priuate duties also Husband and wife from thence haue their hartning on to liue mutuall helpers one of another to their Christian and peaceable conuersing together and passing their daies sweetly and bearing their crosses contentedly euen from hence I say that they beleeue God hath ioyned them together to that end So the Magistrate and all other in the seuerall duties of this life And want of this faith is enough to make mens liues ouercast as the weather is with clouds and tempests and to fill men with sinne and sorrow Other things which might bee noted from hence haue been mentioned before but besides them of these two a little In that the King of Ammon went by the worst in the battell had with Iphtah it shewes what wilfulnesse brings a man or the contempt or reiecting of good and sound perswasions such as Iphtah vsed to disswade him from warre For though he were an Heathen yet he knew by the law of Nature that he ought not to offer iniury to the innocent And we know that when the Gentiles knew God onely by the light of nature and did not honour him accordingly he gaue them vp to their hearts desires to fulfill them against nature Much more they who haue light in the word of God hauing no regard of good instruction and admonition shall come to naught especially the despisers thereof vnlesse they take shame and abashment to themselues for it and so come to better state according to that which is written He that knoweth his Masters will and doth it not shall bee beaten with many stripes But more of this punishment vpon wilfulnesse see before set downe by the like occasions and by name in Chap. 8. 14. And in that hee lost twentie cities which hee had of his owne and lost those also which he fought for which were none of his it liuely setteth before our eies that many not contented with that which is their owne while they claime to and seeke that which belongs to other men either by colour of law or otherwise they lose that which they sued for and spend and consume that which they had before The Lord doth oft times requite their vnconscionablenesse that way and yet in great mercy he dealeth with them in so doing to keepe a heauier iudgement from them who would most certainely be worse if they should by their corrupt and bad dealing speed better and be suffered to haue successe I will cleare this point by example and instance Pharaoh not contented to haue oppressed the Israelites for many generatiōs with bondage would needs pursue them when they were gotten out of his clawes though hee had smarted many waies for not letting them goe But what came of it seeing he sought vniustly to encroach vpon Gods possession he not onely failed of that hee desired but lost also that which he ventured euen his owne life and all that hee had and his people also in the middest of the sea The same is verified in other parts of vnrighteousnesse Sampson not content to liue with credit and honour in his owne land and within his compasse would needs breake out among the Philistims there hit into Delilas company which his soule entirely loued though vnlawfully and was made a vassall to a base mistresse But behold a short time this pleasure of sinne lasted for loe his louer rewards him with treason and then Sampson poore man is faine to forgoe his mistresse by force who could not be plucked from her by conscience and that which he abhorred that he was made to vndergoe and that by them whom he most hated to wit a painefull bondage while hee liued beside shame and sorrow and after all an vntimely death I will instance first in the sinnes of the second Table The murtherer and thiefe can by no perswasion bee brought to labour with his hands and to doe the thing which is good tush it goeth vtterly against him to bee put to labour and to worke hard all the yeere long for a poore liuing hee can bring in all at once and get great booties to liue at ease and plentifully for a long time as he imagineth and is not that a merry world yes while it lasteth in his kind but how long is that He gets two or three purses and in the fourth enterprise he is taken in the manner Doth hee not then thinke you wish from his heart that hee had obeyed Gods ordinance and been hard at work as much as he loathed it before rather then to haue put forth his hand to violence For he seeth that neither he hath obtained that which he sought for and that ouerthrow which he little looked for that hee hath brought vpon himselfe He lay in waite for the life and goods of another therein he was defeated but this will not satisfie for his sinne he must giue life and goods to