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those kind hindrances: rather will he venture a benighting, than an unnecessary delay. It is a good hearing that the Levite makes haste home. An honest man's heart is where his calling is: such a one, when he is abroad, is like a fish in the air; whereinto if it leap for recreation or necessity, yet it soon returns to his own element. This charge, by how much more sacred it is, so much more attendance it expecteth. Even a day breaks square with the conscionable.

The sun is ready to lodge before them. His servant advises him to shorten his journey; holding it more fit to trust an early inn of the Jebusites, than to the mercy of the night. And if that counsel had been followed, perhaps they, which found Jebusites in Israel, might have found Israelites in Jebus. No wise man can hold good counsel disparaged, by the meanness of the author: if we be glad to receive any treasure from our servant, why not precious admonitions?

It was the zeal of this Levite, that shut him out of Jebus; We will not lodge in the city of strangers. The Jebusites were strangers in religion, not strangers enough in their habitation: the Levite will not receive common courtesy from those which were aliens from God, though home-born in the heart of Israel. It is lawful enough in terms of civility to deal with infidels: the earth is the Lord's; and we may enjoy it in the right of the owner, while we protest against the wrong of the usurper: yet the less communion with God's enemies, the more safety. If there were another air to breathe in from theirs, another earth to tread upon, they should have their own. Those, that affect a familiar entireness with Jebusites, in conversation, in leagues of amity, in matrimonial contracts, bewray either too much boldness or too little conscience.

It

He hath no blood of an Israelite, that delights to lodge in Jebus. was the fault of Israel, that a heathenish town stood yet in the navel of the tribes, and that Jebus was no sooner turned to Jerusalem. Their lenity and neglect were guilty of this neighbourhood, that now no man can pass from Bethlehem-Judah to Mount Ephraim, but by the city of the Jebusites. Seasonable justice might prevent a thousand evils, which afterwards know no remedy but patience.

The way was not long betwixt Jebus and Gibeah; for the sun was stooping when the Levite was over against the first, and is but now declined when he comes to the other. How his heart was lightened, when he entered into an Israelitish city! and can think of nothing but hospitality, rest, security. There is no perfume so sweet to a traveller, as his own smoke. Both expectation and fear do commonly disappoint us; for seldom ever do we enjoy the good we look for, or smart with a feared eyil.

Whither

The poor Levite could have found but such entertainment with the Jebusites. are the posterity of Benjamin degene rated, that their Gibeah should be no less wicked than populous? The first sign of a settled godlessness, is, that a Levite is suffered

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to lie without doors, If God had been in any of their houses, his servant had not been excluded. Where no respect is given to God's messengers, there can be no religion.

Gibeah was a second Sodom: even there also is another Lot; which is therefore so much more hospitable to strangers, because himself was a stranger. The host, as well as the Levite, is of Mount Ephraim: each man knows best to commiserate that evil in others, which himself ath passed through. All that profess the name of Christ are countrymen, and yet strangers here below. How cheerfully should we entertain each other, when we meet in the Gibeah of this inhospitable world!

This good old man of Gibeah came home late from his work in the fields the sun was set ere he gave over; and now, seeing this man a stranger, an Israelite, a Levite, an Ephraimite, and that in his way to the house of God, to take up his lodging in the street, he proffers him the kindness of his house-room. Industrious spirits are the fittest receptacles of all good motions; whereas those, which give themselves to idle and loose courses, do not care so much as for themselves. I hear of but one man at his work in all Gibeah; the rest were quaffing and revelling. That one man ends his work with a charitable entertainment; the other end their play in a brutish beastliness and violence.

These villains had learned both the actions and the language of the Sodomites: one unclean devil was the prompter to both; and this honest Ephraimite had learned of righteous Lot, both to en. treat and to proffer. As a perplexed mariner, that in a storm must cast away something, although precious; so this good host, rather will prostitute his daughter a virgin, together with the concubine, than this prodigious villany should be offered to a man, much more to a man of God.

The detestation of a fouler sin drew him to over-reach in the motion of a lesser; which if it had been accepted, how could he have escaped the partnership of their uncleanness, and the guilt of his daughter's ravishment? No man can wash his hands of that sin, to which his will hath yielded. Bodily violence may be inoffensive in the patient; voluntary inclination to evil, though out of fear, can never be excuseable: yet behold, this wickedness is too little to satisfy these monsters.

Who would have looked for so extreme abomination from the loins of Jacob, the womb of Rachel, the sons of Benjamin? Could the very Jebusites, their neighbours, be ever accused of such unnatural outrage? I am ashamed to say it, even the worst pagans were saints to Israel. What avails it, that they have the ark of God in Shiloh, while they have Sodom in their streets? that the law of God is in their fringes, while the devil is in their hearts? Nothing but hell itself can yield a worse creature than a depraved Israelite: the very means of his reformation are the fuel of his wickedness.

Yet Lot sped so much better in Sodom than this Ephraimite did in Gibeah, by how much more holy guests he entertained: there, the guests were angels; here, a sinful man: there, the guests saved

the host; here, the host could not save the guest from brutish violence: those Sodomites were stricken with outward blindness, and defeated; these Benjamites are only blinded with lust, and prevail.

The Levite comes forth: perhaps, his coat saved his person from this villany; who now thinks himself well, that he may have leave to redeem his own dishonour with his concubine's. If he had not loved her dearly, he had never sought her so far, after so foul a sin; yet now his hate of that unnatural wickedness overcame his love to her: she is exposed to the furious lust of ruffians, and (which he misdoubteth) abused to death.

Oh the just and even course which the Almighty Judge of the world holds in all his retributions! This woman had shamed the bed of a Levite, by her former wantonness: she had thus far gone smoothly away with her sin; her father harboured her; her husband forgave her; her own heart found no cause to complain, because she smarted not: now, when the world had forgotten her offence, God calls her to reckoning, and punishes her with her own sin. She had voluntarily exposed herself to lust; now is exposed forcibly. Adultery was her sin, adultery was her death. What smiles. soever wickedness casts upon the heart, while it solicits; it will owe us a displeasure, and prove itself a faithful debtor.

The Levite looked to find her humbled with this violence, not murdered; and now indignation moves him to add horror to the fact. Had not his heart been raised up with an excess of desire, to make the crime as odious as it was sinful, his action could not be excused. Those hands, that might not touch a carcase, now carve the corpse of his own dead wife into morsels, and send these tokens to all the tribes of Israel; that when they should see these gobbets of the body murdered, the more they might detest the murderers, Himself puts on cruelty to the dead, that he might draw them to a just revenge of her death. Actions notoriously villanous may justly countenance an extraordinary means of prosecution. Every Israelite hath a part in a Levite's wrong. No tribe hath not his share in the carcase and the revenge. Judges xix.

THE DESOLATION OF BENJAMIN.

THESE morsels could not choose but cut the hearts of Israel with horror and compassion; horror of the act, and compassion of the sufferer and now their zeal draws them together, either for satisfaction or revenge. Who would not have looked, that the hands of Benjamin should have been first upon Gibeah; and that they should have readily sent the heads of the offenders, for a second service after the gobbets of the concubine? But now, instead of punishing the sin, they patronise the actors; and will rather die in resisting justice, than live and prosper in furthering it.

Surely, Israel had one tribe too many: all Benjamin is turned into Gibeah; the sons, not of Benjamin but of Belial. The abetting of evil is worse than the commission; this may be upon infirmity, but that must be upon resolution. Easy punishment is too

much favour to sin; connivance is much worse; but the defence of it, and that unto blood, is intolerable.

Had not these men been both wicked and quarrelsome, they had not drawn their swords in so foul a cause. Peaceable dispositions are hardly drawn to fight for innocence; yet these Benjaminites, as if they were in love with villany and out of charity with God, will be the wilful champions of lewdness. How can Gibeah repent them of that wickedness, which all Benjamin will make good, in spite of their consciences? Even where sin is suppressed, it will rise; but where it is encouraged, it insults and tyrannizes.

It was more just that Israel should rise against Benjamin, than that Benjamin should rise for Gibeah, by how much it is better to punish offenders, than to shelter the offenders from punishment; and yet the wickedness of Benjamin sped better for the time, than the honesty of Israel. Twice was the better part foiled by the less and worse the good cause was sent back with shame; the evil 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 have miscarried in the fight, if thou hadst not fought against them: thou art just and holy in both. The cause was thine; the sin in managing of it was their own. They fought in a holy quarrel, but with confidence in themselves; for, as presuming of victory, they ask of God, not what should be their success, but who should be their captain. Number and innocence made them too secure it was just therefore with God, to let them feel, that even good zeal cannot bear our presumption; and that victory lies not in the cause, but in the God that owns it.

Who cannot imagine, how much the Benjaminites insulted in their double field and day; and now began to think God was on their side? Those swords, which had been taught the way into forty thousand bodies of their brethren, cannot fear a new encounWicked men cannot see their prosperity a piece of their curse; neither can examine their actions, but the events: soon after, they shall find what it was, to add blood unto filthiness; and that the victory of an evil cause is the way to ruin and confusion.

ter.

I should have feared, lest this double discomfiture should have made Israel either distrustful or weary of a good cause; but still I I find them no less courageous, with more humility. Now, they fast, and weep, and sacrifice. These weapons had been victorious in their first assault: Benjamin had never been in danger of pride for overcoming, if this humiliation of Israel had prevented the fight. It is seldom seen, but that, which we do with fear, prospereth; whereas confidence in undertaking lays even good endeavours

in the dust.

Wickedness could never brag of any long prosperity, nor complain of the lack of payment: still God is even with it at last. Now he pays the Benjaminites, both that death which they had lent to the Israelites, and that wherein they stood indebted to their brotherhood of Gibeah: and now, that both are met in death, there

is as much difference betwixt those Israelites and these Benjaminites, as betwixt martyrs and malefactors. To die in a sin, is a fearful revenge of giving patronage to sin: the sword consumes their bodies, another fire their cities, whatsoever became of their souls.

Now might Rachel have justly wept for her children, because they were not; for, behold, the men, women, and children of her wicked tribe are cut off: only some few scattered remainders ran away from this vengeance, and lurked in caves and rocks, both for fear and shame. There was no difference, but life, betwixt their brethren and them: the earth covered them both: yet unto them' doth the revenge of Israel stretch itself, and vows to destroy, if not their persons, yet their succession; as holding them unworthy to receive any comfort by that sex, to which they had been so cruel, both in act and maintenance. If the Israelites had not held marriage and issue a very great blessing, they had not thus revenged themselves of Benjamin: now, they accounted the with-holding of their wives, a punishment second unto death. The hope of life in our posterity, is the next contentment to an enjoying of life in ourselves.

They have sworn, and now upon cold blood repent them. If the oath were not just, why would they take it? and if it were just, why did they recant it? If the act were justifiable, what needed' these tears? Even a just oath may be rashly taken: not only injustice, but temerity of swearing ends in lamentation. In our very civil actions, it is a weakness to do that which we would after reverse; but in our affairs with God, to check ourselves too late, and to steep our oaths in tears, is a dangerous folly. He doth not command us to take voluntary oaths; he commands us to keep them. If we bind ourselves to inconvenience, we may justly complain of our own fetters. Oaths do not only require justice, but judgment; wise deliberation, no less than equity.

Not conscience of their fact, but commiseration of their bre thren, led them to this public repentance. O God, why is this come to pass, that this day one tribe of Israel shall want? Even the justest revenge of men is capable of pity. Insult in the ri gour of justice argues cruelty. Charitable minds are grieved to see that done, which they would not wish undone: the smart of the offender doth not please them, which yet are thoroughly displeased with the sin, and have given their hands to punish it. God himself takes no pleasure in the death of a sinner, yet loves the punishment of sin; as a good parent whips his child, yet weeps himself. There is a measure in victory and revenge, if never so just; which to exceed, loses mercy in the suit of justice.

If there were no fault in their severity, it needed no excuse; and if there were a fault, it will admit of no excuse: yet, as if they meant to shift off the sin, they expostulate with God; O Lord God of Israel, why is this come to pass this day? God gave them no command of this rigour; yea, he twice crossed them in the exesution, and now in that which they entreated of God with tears,

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