fought well for us; we will try how they can fight for themselves. What if they were our champions! Their revolt from God hath lost them the thank of their former labours: their idolatry shall. make them of brethren, adversaries; their own blood shall give handsel to their new altar." O noble and religious zeal of Israel! Who would think these men the sons of them, that danced about the molten calf? that consecrated an altar to that idol? Now they are ready to die or kill, rather than endure an altar, without an idol. Every overture in matter of religion is worthy of suspicion, worthy of our speedy opposition. God looks for an early redress of the first beginnings of impiety. As in treasons or mutinies, wise statesmen find it safest to kill the serpent in the egg; so in motions of spiritual alterations, one spoonful of water will quench that fire at the first, which afterwards whole buckets cannot abate.

Yet do not these zealous Israelites run rashly and furiously upon their brethren; nor say, "What need we expostulate? The fact is clear : what care we for words, when we see their altar ? What can this mean, but either service to a false god, or division in the service of the true? There can be no excuse for so manifest a crime: why do we not rather think of punishment, than satisfaction?" But they send ere they go, and consult ere they execute. Phineas the son of Eleazar the priest, and ten princes, for every tribe one, are addressed both to inquire and dissuade; to inquire of the purpose of the fact; to dissuade from that which they imagined was purposed. Wisdom is a good guide to zeal, and only can keep it from running out into fury. If discretion do not hold in the reins, good intentions will both break their own necks and the riders'; yea, which is strange, without this, the zeal of God may lead us from God.

Peace

Not only wisdom but charity moved them to this message; for, grant they had been guilty, must they perish unwarned? able means must first be used to recal them, ere violence be sent to persecute them. The old rule of Israel hath been still to inquire of Abel. No good shepherd sends his dog to pull out the throat of his strayed sheep, but rather fetches it on his shoulders to the fold. Sudden cruelty stands not with religion: he which will not himself break the bruised reed, how will he allow us, either to bruise the whole, or to break the bruised, or to burn the broken?

Neither yet was here more charity in sending, than uncharitableness in the misconstruction. They begin with a challenge; and charge their brethren deeply with transgression, apostacy, rebellion. I know not how two contrary qualities fall into love: it is not naturally suspicious, and yet many times suggests jealous fears of those we affect. If these Israelites had not loved their brethren, they would never have sent so far to restrain them; they had never offered them part of their own patrimony if they had not been excessively jealous, they had not censured a doubtful action so sharply. They met at Shiloh, where the tabernacle was; but if they had consulted with the ark of God, they had saved both this labour and this challenge. This case seemed so plain, that they

thought advice needless; their inconsiderateness therefore brands their brethren with crimes whereof they were innocent, and makes themselves the only offenders. In cases which are doubtful and uncertain, it is safe either to suspend the judgment, or to pass it in favour; otherwise, a plain breach of charity in us shall be worse than a questionable breach of justice in another.

Yet this little gleam of their uncharitable love began at them. selves: if they had not feared their own judgments in the offence of Reuben, I know not whether they had been so vehement: the fearful revenges of their brethren's sin are still in their eye. The wickedness of Peor stretched not so far as the plague: Achan sinned, and Israel was beaten; therefore, by just induction, they argue, "Ye rebel to-day against the Lord; to-morrow will the Lord be wroth with all the congregation." They still tremble at the vengeance passed; and find it time to prevent their own punishment in punishing their brethren. God's proceedings have then their right use, when they are both carefully remembered, and made patterns of what he may do.

Had these Reubenites been as hot in their answer, as the Israel ites were in their charge, here had grown a bloody war out of misprision; but now, their answer is mild and moderate, and such as well shewed, that though they were further from the ark, yet no less near to God. They thought in themselves, "This act of ours, though it were well meant by us, yet might well be by interpreta tion scandalous: it is reason our mildness should give satisfaction for that offence, which we have not prevented." Hereupon their answer was as pleasing, as their act was dangerous, Even in those actions, whereby an offence may be occasioned, though not given, charity binds us to clear both our own name and the conscience of others.

Little did the Israelites look for so good a ground of an action so suspicious. An altar without a sacrifice! an altar, and no tabernacle! an altar without a precept, and yet not against God! It is not safe to measure all men's actions by our own conceit; but rather to think there may be a further drift and warrant of their act, than we can attain to see.

By that time the Reubenites have commented upon their own work, it appears as justifiable, as before offensive. What wisdom and religion is found in that altar, which before shewed nothing but idolatry! This discourse of theirs is full both of reason and piety; We are severed by the river Jordan from the other tribes; perhaps, hereafter, our choice may exclude us from Israel: poste rity may peradventure say, Jordan is the bounds of all natural Israelites; the streams whereof never gave way to those beyond the river: if they had been ours, either in blood or religion, they would not have been sequestered in habitation. Doubtless there. fore these men are the offspring of some strangers, which, by vici, nity of abode, have gotten some tincture of our language, manners, religion; what have we to do with them, what have they to do with the tabernacle of God?' Since therefore we may not ei

ther remove God's altar to us, or remove our patrimony to the altar, the pattern of the altar shall go with us, not for sacrifice, but for memorial; that both the posterity of the other Israelites may know we are no less derived from them than this altar from theirs, and that our posterity may know they pertain to that altar whereof this is the resemblance." There was no danger of the present; but posterity might both offer and receive prejudice, if this monument were not. It is a wise and holy care to prevent the dangers of ensuing times, and to settle religion upon the succeeding generations. As we affect to leave a perpetuity of our bodily issue, so much more to traduce piety with them. Do we not see good husbands set and plant those trees, whereof their grand-children shall receive the first fruit, and shade? Why are we less thrifty in leaving true religion entire to our children's children? Jos. xxii.

EHUD AND EGLON.

As every man is guilty of his own sorrow, these Israelites bred mischief to themselves. It was their mercy that plagued them with those Canaanites, which their obedience should have rooted out. If foolish pity be a more humane sin, yet it is no less dangerous than cruelty: cruelty kills others, unjust pity kills ourselves. They had been lords alone of the promised land, if their commiseration had not over-swayed their justice; and now, their enemies are too cruel to them, in the just revenge of God, because they were too merciful.

That God, which in his revealed will had commanded all the Canaanites to the slaughter, yet secretly gives over Israel to a toleration of some Canaanites for their own punishment. He hath bidden us cleanse our hearts of all our corruptions; yet he will permit some of these thorns still in our sides, for exercise, for humiliation. If we could lay violent hands upon our sins, our souls should have peace; now, our indulgence costs us many stripes and many tears. What a continued circle is here of sins, judgments, repentance, deliverances! The conversation with idolaters taints them with sin; their sin draws on judgment; the smart of the judgment moves them to repentance; upon their repentance follows speedy deliverance; upon their peace and deliverance they sin again.

Othniel, Caleb's nephew, had rescued them from idolatry and servitude his life and their innocence and peace ended together. How powerful the presence of one good man is in a church or state, is best found in his loss. A man, that is at once eminent in place and goodness, is like a stake in a hedge; pull that up, and all the rest are but loose and rotten sticks, easily removed: or like the pillar of a vaulted roof, which either supports or ruins the building.

Who would not think idolatry an absurd and unnatural sin ? which, as it hath the fewest inducements, so had also the most direct inhibitions from God; and yet after all these warnings, Israel

falls into it again: neither affliction nor repentance can secure an Israelite, from redoubling the worst sin, if he be left to his own frailty. It is no censuring of the truth of our present sorrow, by the event of a following miscarriage. The former cries of Israel to God were unfeigned, yet their present wickedness is abominable: let him that thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall.

No sooner had he said Israel had rest, but he adds, They com mitted wickedness. The security of any people is the cause of their corruption: standing waters soon grow noisome. While they were exercised with war, how scrupulous were they of the least intimation of idolatry! the news of a bare altar beyond Jordan drew them together for a revenge: now they are at peace with their enemics, they are at variance with God. It is both hard and happy, not to be the worse with liberty. The sedentary life is most subject to diseases.

Rather than Israel shall want a scourge for their sin, God himself shall raise them up an enemy. Moab had no quarrel but his own ambition; but God meant by the ambition of the one part, to pu nish the idolatry of the other his justice can make one sin the executioner of another, whilst neither shall look for any other measure from him but judgment: the evil of the city is so his, that the instrument is not guiltless. Before, God had stirred up the king of Syria against Israel; now, the king of Moab; afterwards, the king of Canaan: he hath more variety of judgments, than there can be offences: if we have once made him our adversary, he shall be sure to make us adversaries enough; which shall revenge his quarrel, whilst they prosecute their own.

Even those were idolaters, by whose hands God plagued the idolatries of Israel. In Moab the same wickedness prospers, which in God's own people is punished: the justice of the Almighty can least brook evil in his own: the same heathen, which provoked Israel to sin, shall scourge them for sinning. Our very profession hurts us, if we be not innocent.

No less than eighteen years did the rod of Moab rest upon the inheritance of God, Israel seems as born to servitude; they came from their bondage in the Land of Egypt, to serve in the Land of Promise. They had neglected God; now they are neglected of God. Their sins have made them servants, whom the choice of God had made free, yea, his first-born. Worthy are they to serve those men, whose false gods they had served; and to serve them always in thraldom, whom they have once served in idolatry. We may not measure the continuance of punishment, by the time of the commission of sin: one minute's sin deserves a torment be yond all time.

Doubtless, Israel was not so insensible of their own misery, as not to complain sooner than the end of eighteen years, The first hour they sighed for themselves, but now they cried unto God. The very purpose of affliction is, to make us importunate: he that hears the secret murmurs of our grief, yet will not seem to hear us, till our cries be loud and strong. God sees it best, to let the peni

tent dwell for the time under their sorrows: he sees us sinking all the while, yet he lets us alone, till we be at the bottom; and when once we can say, Out of the depths have I cried to thee, instantly follows, The Lord heard me. A vehement suitor cannot but be heard of God, whatsoever he asks. If our prayers want success, they want heart; their blessing is according to their vigour. We live in bondage to these spiritual Moabites, our own corruptions: it discontents us; but where are our strong cries unto the God of heaven? Where are our tears? If we could passionately bemoan ourselves to him, how soon should we be more than conquerors! Some good motions we have to send up to him, but they faint in We may call long enough, if we cry not to him.

the way.

The same hand, that raised up Eglon against Israel, raised up alsó Ehud for Israel against Eglon. When that tyrant had revenged God of his people, God will revenge his people of him. It is no privilege, to be an instrument of God's vengeance by evil means. Though Eglon were an usurper, yet had Ehud been a traitor, if God had not sent him: it is only in the power of him that makes kings, when they are once settled, to depose them. It is no more possible for our modern butchers of princes, to shew they are employed by God, than to escape the revenge of God, in offering to do this violence, not being employed.

What a strange choice doth God make of an executioner! A man shut of his right-hand! Either he had but one hand, or used but one, and that the worse, and the more unready. Who would not have thought both hands too little for such a work; or, if either might have been spared, how much rather the left? God seeth not as man seeth: it is the ordinary wont of the Almighty, to make choice of the unlikeliest means.

The instruments of God must not be measured by their own power or aptitude, but by the will of the agent. Though. Ehud had no hands, he that employed him had enabled him to this slaughter. In human things, it is good to look to the means; in divine, to the worker: no means are to be contemned that God will use, no means to be trusted that man will use without him. It is good to be suspicious where is least shew of danger, and most appearance of favour. This left-handed man comes with a present in his hand, but a dagger under his skirt. The tyrant, besides service, looked for gifts; and now receives death in his bribe: neither God nor men do always give where they love. How oft doth God give extraordinary illumination, power of miracles, besides wealth and honour, where he hates! So do men too oft accompany their curses with presents; either lest an enemy should hurt us, or that we may hurt them. The intention, is the favour in gifts, and not the substance.

Ehud's faith supplies the want of his hand. Where God intends success, he lifts up the heart with resolutions of and concourage tempt of danger. What indifferent beholder of this project would not have condemned it, as unlikely to speed; to see a maimed man go alone to a great king, in the midst of all his troops; to