are hyred into the field against Israel Fond Pagans that know not the value of a man their bloud cost them nothing and they care not to sell it good cheape How can wee thinke those men haue Soules that esteeme a little white earth aboue themselues that neuer inquire into the iustice of the quarell but the rate of the pay that can rifle for drams of siluer in the bowels of their owne flesh and either kill or die for a dayes wages Ioab the wise Generall of Israel soone findes where the strength of the battle lay and so marshalls his troupes that the choyce of his men shall incounter the vantgard of the Syrians His brother Abishai leads the rest against the children of Ammon with this couenant of mutuall assistance If the Syrians be too strong for mee then thou shalt helpe mee but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee then will I come and helpe thee It is an happy thing when the captains of Gods people ioyne together as brethren and lend their hand to the ayde of each other against the common aduersary Concord in defence or assault is the way to victory as contrarily the deuision of the Leaders is the ouerthrow of the army Set aside some particular actions Ioab was a worthy Captaine both for wisdome and valour Who could either exhort or resolue better then he Be of good courage and let vs play the men for our people and for the cities of our God and the Lord doe that which seemeth him good It is not either priuate glory or profit that whets his fortitude but the respect to the cause of God and his people That Souldier can neuer answer it to God that strikes not more as a Iusticer then as an enemy Neither doth hee content himselfe with his owne courage but he animates others The tongue of a Commander fights more then his hand it is enough for priuate men to exercise what life and limmes they haue a good Leader must out of his owne abundance put life and spirits into all others If a Lyon lead sheep into the field there is hope of victory Lastly when he hath done his best he resolues to depend vpon God for the issue not trusting to his sword or his bowe but to the prouidence of the Almightie for successe as a man religiously awfull and awfully confident whiles there should bee no want in their owne indeuours he knew well that the race was not to the swift nor the battle to the strong therefore hee lookes vp aboue the hills whence commeth his saluation All valour is cowardise to that which is built vpon religion I maruel not to see Ioab victorious whiles he is thus godly The Syrians flee before him like flocks of sheepe the Amonites follow them The two Sons of Zeruiah haue nothing to doe but to pursue and execute The throates of the Amonites are cut for cutting the beards and cotes of the Israelitish messengers Neither doth this reuenge end in the field Rabba the royall city of Ammon is strongly beleguered by Ioab the City of waters after well-neare a yeares siege yeildeth the rest can no longer hold out now Ioab as one that desired more to approue himselfe a loyall and carefull subiect then a happy Generall sends to his master Dauid that he should come personally and encampe against the City and take it Least saith he I take it and it be called after my name Oh noble and imitable fidelity of a dutifull seruant that prefers his Lord to himselfe and is so farre from stealing honor from his masters deserts that he willingly remits of his owne to adde vnto his The warre was not his he was only imployed by his Soueraigne The same person that was wronged in the Ambassadors reuengeth by his soldiers the praise of the act shall like fountaine water returne to the sea whence it originally came To seeke a mans owne glory is not glory Alas how many are there who being sent to sue for God wooe for themselues Oh God it is a fearfull thing to robbe thee of that which is dearest to thee glory which as thou wilt not giue to any creature so much lâ—sse wilt thou indure that any creature should filtch it from thee and giue it to himselfe Haue thou the honor of all our actions who giuest a beeing to our actions and vs and in both hast most iustly regarded thine owne praise Dauid with Bathsheba and VRIAH WIth what vnwillingnes with what feare do I still look vpon the miscariage of the man after Gods owne hart O holy Prophet who can promise himselfe alwayes to stand when he sees thee falne and maimed in the fall Who can assure himselfe of an immunity from the foulest sins when hee sees the offending so haynously so bloudily Let profane eyes behold thee contentedly as a patterne as an excuse of sinning I shall neuer looke at thee but through teares as a wofull spectacle of humane infirmity Whiles Ioab and all Israel were busie in the warre against Ammon in the siege of Rabbah Satan findes time to lay siege to the secure hart of Dauid Who euer found Dauid thus tempted thus foyled in the dayes of his busie warres Now only doe I see the King of Israel rising from his bed in the euening The time was when he rose vp in the morning to his early deuotions when hee brake his nightly rest with publique cares with the businesse of estate all that while he was innocent he was holy but now that he wallowes in the bed of idlenesse he is fit to inuite a tentation The industrious man hath no leasure to sinne The idle hath neither leasure nor power to auoyd sinne Exercise is not wore wholsome for the body then for the Soule the remission whereof breeds matter of disease in both The water that hath beene heated soonest freezeth the most actiue Spirit soonest tyâ—eth with slackning The earth stands still and is all dregs the heauens euer moue and are pure We haue no reason to complaine of the assiduity of work the toyle of action is answered by the benefit If wee did lesse wee should suffer more Satan like an idle companion if he finde vs busie flies backe and sees it no time to entertaine vaine purposes with vs Wee cannot please him better then by casting away our work to hold chat with him wee cannot yeild so farre and bee guiltlesse Euen Dauids eyes haue no sooner the sleepe rubbed out of them then they roue to wanton prospects He walkes vpon his roofe and sees Bathsheba washing her selfe inquires after her sends for her solicits her to vncleanenesse The same Spirit that shut vp his eyes in an vnseasonable sleepe opens them vpon an intising obiect whiles sinne hath such a Solicitor it cannot want either meanes or opportunitie I cannot thinke Bathsheba could bee so immodest as to wash her selfe openly especially from her naturall vncleanenesse Lust is quick-sighted Dauid hath espyed her where she could espye no
counterfait Samuel he had not beene strook downe on the ground with words Now his beleefe made him desperate Those actions which are not sustained by hope must needs languish and are only promoted by outward compulsion Whiles the minde is vncertaine of successe it relieues it selfe with the possibilities of good in doubts there is a comfortable mixture but when it is assured of the worst euent it is vtterly discouraged and deiected It hath therefore pleased the wisdome of God to hide from wicked men his determination of their finall estate that their remainders of hope may harten them to good In all likelyhood on selfe-same day saw Dauid a victor ouer the Amalakites and Saul discomfited by the Philistims How should it bee otherwise Dauid consulted with God and preuailed Saul with the Witch of Endor and perisheth The end is commonly answerable to the way It is an idle iniustice when we do ill to look to speed well The slaughter of Saul and his sonnes was not in the first scene of this Tragicall field that was rather reserued by God for the last act that Saules measure might be full God is long ere he strikes but when he doth it is to purpose First Israel flees and falls downe wounded in mount Gilboa They had their part in Sauls sinne they were actors in Dauids persecution Iustly therfore doe they suffer with him whom they had seconded in offence As it is hard to be good vnder an euill Prince so it is as rare not to be enwrapped in his iudgements It was no small addition to the anguish of Sauls death to see his sonnes dead to see his people fleeing and slaine before him They had sinned in their King and in them is their King punished The rest were not so worthy of pittie but whose heart would it not touch to see Ionathan the good Sonne of a wicked Father inuolued in the common destruction Death is not partiall All dispositions all merits are alike to it If valour if holines if syncerity of heart could haue beene any defence against mortality Ionathan had suruiued Now by their wounds and death no man can discerne which is Ionathan The soule only findes the difference which the body admitteth not Death is the cōmon gate both to heauen and hell we all passe that ere our turning to either hand The sword of the Philistims fetcheth Ionathan through it with his fellowes no sooner is his foot ouer that threshold then God conducteth him to glory The best cannot bee happy but through their dissolution Now therefore hath Ionathan no cause of complaint he is by the rude and cruel hand of a Philistim but remoued to a better Kingdome then hee leaues to his brother and at once is his death both a temporall affliction to the Sonne of Saul and an entrance of glory to the frend of Dauid The Philistim-archers shot at random God directs their arrowes into the body of Saul Least the discomfiture of his people and the slaughter of his sonnes should not bee griefe enough to him hee feeles himselfe wounded and sees nothing before him but horror and death and now as a man forsaken of all hopes hee begs of his armor-bearer that deaths-blow which els he must to the doubling of his indignation receiue from a Philistim Hee begs this bloody fauour of his seruant and is denyed Such an awefulnes hath God placed in soueraigntie that no intreaty no extremity can moue the hand against it What mettall are those men made of that can suggest or resolue and attempt the violation of maiesty Wicked men care more for the shame of the world then the danger of their soule Desperate Saul will now supply his armor-bearer and as a man that bore armes against himselfe hee falls vpon his owne sword What if he had dyed by the weapon of a Philistim So did his Son Ionathan and lost no glory These conceites of disreputation preuaile with carnall hearts aboue all spirituall respects There is no greater murderer then vain-glory Nothing more argues an heart voyd of grace then to be transported by ydle popularity into actions preiudiciall to the Soule Euill examples especially of the great neuer escaped imitation the armour-bearer of Saul followes his master and dares do that to himselfe which to his King he durst not as if their owne swords had beene more familiar executioners they yelded vnto them what they grudged to their pursuers From the beginning was Saul euer his owne enemy neither did any hands hurt him but his owne and now his death is sutable to his life his owne hand payes him the reward of all his wickednesse The end of hypocrites and enuious men is commonly fearefull Now is the blood of Gods Priests which Saul shed and of Dauid which he would haue shed required requited The euil spirit had said the euening before To morrow thou shalt be with mee and now Saul hasteth to make the diuell no lyer rather then fayle he giues himselfe his own mittimus Oh the wofull extremities of a dispayring Soule plundging him euer into a greater mischiefe to auoyd the lesse Hee might haue beene a patient in anothers violence and faultlesse now whiles hee will needs act the Philistims part vpon himselfe hee liued and dyed a murderer The case is deadly when the prisoner breakes the Iayle and will not stay for his deliuery though wee may not passe sentence vpon such a Soule yet vpon the fact we may the Soule may possibly repent in the parting the act is haynous and such as without repentance kills the Soule It was the next day ere the Philistims knew how much they were victors then finding the dead corpes of Saul and his Sonnes they begin their triumphs The head of King Saul is cut off in lieu of Goliahs and now all their Idoll temples ring of their successe Foolish Philistims If they had not beene more beholden to Sauls sinnes then their Gods they had neuer carryed away the honor of those trophees In steed of magnifying the iustice of the true God who punished Saul with deserued death they magnifie the power of the false Superstition is extemely iniurious to God It is no better then theft to ascribe vnto the second causes that honor which is due vnto the first but to giue Gods glory to those things which neither act nor are it is the highest degree of spirituall robbery Saul was none of the best Kings yet so impatient are his subiects of the indignity offered to his dead corps that they will rather leaue their owne bones amongst the Philistims then the carcasse of Saul Such a close relation there is betwixt a Prince and subiect that the dishonor of either is inseparable from both How willing should wee bee to hazard our bodyes or substance fo the vindication either of the person or name of a good King whiles he liues to the benefit of our protection It is an vniust ingratitude in those men which can endure the disgrace of
If his mother could say when her blessed cozen the Virgin Mary came to visit her Whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me how much more might hee say so when the diuine Son of that mother came to call for a fauor from him I haue neede to bee baptized of thee and commest thou to me O holy Baptist if there were not a greater borne of women then thou yet thou couldest not be borne of a woman and not neede to be baptized of thy Sauiour Hee baptized with fire thou with water Little would thy water haue auailed thee without his fire If he had not baptized thee how wert thou sanctified from the wombe There can be no flesh without filthinesse neither thy supernaturall conception nor thy austere life could exempt thee from the need of baptisme Euen those that haue not liued to sin after the similitude of Adam yet are they so tainted with Adam that vnlesse the second Adam clense them by his baptisme they are hopelesse There is no lesse vse of baptisme vnto all then there is certainty of the need of baptisme Iohn baptized without Christ within The more holy a man is the more sensible he is of his vnholinesse No carnall man could haue said I haue need to be baptized of thee neither can he finde what he is the better for a little Font-water The sence of our wretchednes and the valuation of our spirituall helps is the best tryall of our regeneration Our Sauiour doth not deny that either Iohn hath need to be baptized of him or that it is strange that he should come to be baptized of Iohn but he will needs thus far both honor Iohn and disparage himselfe to be baptized of his Messenger he that would take flesh of the Virgin education from his Parents sustenance from his creatures will take baptisme from Iohn It is the prayse of his mer cy that hee will stoope so low as to bee beholden to his creatures which from him receiue their being and power both to take and giue Yet not so much respect to Iohn as obedience to his Father drew him to this poynt of humiliation Thus it behooues vs to fulfill all righteousnesse The counsels and appoyntments of God are righteousnesse it selfe There needs no other motiue either to the seruant or the Son then the knowledge of those righteous purposes This was enough to lead a faithfull man thorow all difficulties and inconueniences neither will it admit of any reply or any demurre Iohn yeeldeth to this honour which his Sauiour puts vpon him in giuing baptisme to the Authour of it Hee baptized others to the remission of their sinnes now hee baptizes him by them they are remitted both to the Baptizer and to others No sooner is Christ baptized then hee comes forth of the water The element is of force but during the vse It turnes common when that is past neither is the water sooner powred on his head then the Heauens are opened and the Holy Ghost descendeth vpon that head which was baptized The Heauens are neuer shut whiles either of the Sacraments is duely administred and receiued neither doe the Heauens euer thus open without the descent of the Holy Ghost But now that the God of Heauen is baptized they open vnto him which are opened to all the faithfull by him and that Holy Ghost which proceeded from him together with the Father ioynes with the Father in a sensible testimony of him that now the world might see what interest hee had in the Heauens in the Father in the Holy Spirit and might expect nothing but diuine from the enttance of such a Mediator CHRIST tempted NO sooner is Christ comne out of the water of Baptisme then he enters into the fire of Tentation No sooner is the Holy Spirit descended vpon his head in the forme of a Doue then hee is led by the spirit to be tempted No sooner doth God say This is my Son then Satan sayes If thou bee the Son of God It is not in the power either of the gtft or seales of Grace to deliuer vs from the assaults of Satan they may haue the force to repell euill suggestions they haue none to preuent them yea the more we are ingaged vnto God by our publique vowes and his pledges of fauour so much more busie and violent is the rage of that euill one to encounter vs Wee are no sooner stept forth into the field of God then hee labours to wrest our weapons out of our hands or to turne them against vs. The voyce from Heauen acknowledged Christ to bee the Son of God this diuine Testimony did not allay the malice of Satan but exasperate it Now that venomous Serpent swels with inward poyson and hastes to assayle him whom God hath honored from Heauen O God how should I looke to escape the suggestious of that wicked one when the Son of thy loue cannot bee free when euen grace it selfe drawes on enmity That Enemy that spared not to strike at the head will he forbeare the weakest and remotest lim Arme thou mee therefore with an expectation of that euill I cannot auoyd Make thou me as strong as he is malicious Say to my soule also Thou art my Son and let Satan doe his worst All the time of our Sauiours obscurity I doe not finde him set vpon Now that hee looks forth to the publique execution of his diuine Office Satan bends his forces against him Our priuacy perhaps may sit down in peace but neuer man did endeauour a common good without opposition It is a signe that both the work is holy the Agent faithfull when wee meet with strong affronts We haue reason to bee comforted with nothing so much as with resistance If we were not in a way to do good we should finde no rubs Satan hath no cause to molest his owne and that whiles they goe about his owne seruice Hee desires nothing more then to make vs smooth paths to sin but when we would turne our feet to holinesse hee blocks vp the way with tentations Who can wonder enough at the sawcines of that bold Spirit that dares to set vpon the Son of the euerliuing God who can wonder enough at thy meeknes patience ô Sauiour that wouldst be tempted He wanted not malice and presumption to assault thee thou wantedst not humility to endure those assaults I should stand amazed at this voluntary dispensation of thine but that I see the susception of our humane nature layes thee open to this condition It is necessarily incident to manhood to be liable to tentations Thou wouldest not haue put no flesh if thou hadst meant vtterly to put off this consequence of our infirmity If the state of innocence could haue beene any defence against euill motions the first Adam had not been tempted much lesse the second It is not the presenting of tentation that can hurt vs but their entertainment Ill counsell is the fault of