unto death, to the restorers of his life; much less that, ere he would descry them, he requires an oath of security from so bad a master. Well doth he match death with such a servitude. Wonderful is the providence of God, even over those that are not in the nearest bonds his own! Three days and three nights had this poor Egyptian slave lain sick and hungerstarved in the fields, and looks for nothing but death, when God sends him succour from the hands of those Israelites whom he had helped to spoil; though not so much for his sake, as for Israel's, is this heathenish straggler preserved.

It pleases God to extend his common favours to all his creatures; but, in miraculous preservations, he hath still wont to have respect to his own. By this means therefore are the Israelites brought to the sight of their late spoilers, whom they find scattered abroad, upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing in triumph, for the great prey they had taken.

It was three days at least since this gainful foraging of Amalek; and now, seeing no fear of any pursuer, and promising themselves safety, in so great and untraced a distance, they make themselves merry with so rich and easy a victory; and now suddenly, when they began to think of enjoying the booty and wealth they had gotten, the sword of David was upon their throats. Destruction is never nearer, than when security hath chased away fear. With how sad faces and hearts had the wives of David, and the other captives of Israel, looked upon the triumphant revels of Amalek; and what a change, do we think, appeared in them, when they saw their happy and valiant rescuers flying in upon their insolent victors, and making the death of the Amalekites the ransom of their captivity. They mourned even now at the dances of Amalek; now, in the shrieks and death of Amalek, they shout and rejoice. The mercy of our God forgets not to interchange our sorrows with joy, and the joy of the wicked with sorrow.

The Amalekites have paid a dear loan for the goods of Israel, which they now restore with their own lives; and now their spoil hath made David richer than he expected: that booty, which they had swept from all other parts, accrued to him.

Those Israelites, that could not go on to fight for their share, are come to meet their brethren with gratulation. How

partial are we wont to be to our own causes! Even very Israelites will be ready to fall out for matter of profit. Where self-love hath bred a quarrel, every man is subject to flatter his own case. It seemed plausible, and but just to the actors in this rescue, that those, which had taken no part in the pain and hazard of the journey, should receive no part of the commodity. It was favour enough for them to recover their wives and children, though they shared not in the goods. Wise and holy David, whose praise was no less to overcome his own in time of peace, than his enemies in war, calls his contending followers from law to equity, and so orders the matter, that, since the plaintiffs were detained, not by will, but by necessity, and since their forced stay was useful in guarding the stuff, they should partake equally of the prey with their fellows: a sentence well beseeming the justice of God's anointed.. Those that represent God upon earth, should resemble him. in their proceedings. It is the just mercy of our God to measure us by our wills, not by our abilities; to recompense us graciously, according to the truth of our desires and endeavours; and to account that performed by us, which heonly letteth us from performing. It were wide with us, if sometimes purpose did not supply actions. While our heart: faulteth not, we that, through spiritual sickness, are fain to bide by the stuff, shall share both in grace and glory with

the victors.

CONTEMPLATION VI.

The Death of Saul.

THE witch of Endor had half slain Saul before the battle: it is just that they who consult with devils should go away with discomfort. He hath eaten his last bread at the hand of a sorceress; and now necessity draws him into that field, where he sees nothing but despair. Had not Saul believed the ill news of the counterfeit Samuel, he had not been struck down on the ground with words: now his belief made him desperate. Those actions, which are not sustained by hope, must needs languish, and are only promoted by outward compulsion; while the mind is uncertain of success, it relieves. itself with the possibilities of good. In doubts there is a comfortable mixture; but, when it is assured of the worst.

event, it is utterly discouraged and dejected. It hath therefore pleased the wisdom of God to hide from wicked men his determination of their final estate, that the remainders of hope may hearten them to good.

In all likelihood, one self-same day saw David a victor over the Amalekites, and Saul discomfited by the Philistines; how should it be otherwise? David consulted with God, and prevailed; Saul with the witch of Endor, and perisheth. The end is commonly answerable to the way; it is an idle injustice, when we do ill, to look to speed well. The slaughter of Saul and his sons was not in the first scene of this tragical field; that was rather reserved by God for the last act, that Saul's measure might be full. God is long ere he strikes, but when he doth, it is to purpose. First, Israel flies and falls down wounded in mount Gilboa: they had their part in Saul's sin; they were actors in David's persecution; justly therefore do they suffer with him whom they had seconded in offence. As it is hard to be good under an evil prince, so it is as rare not to be enwrapped in his judgments. It was no small addition to the anguish of Saul's death, to see his sons dead, to see his people flying and slain before him; they had sinned in their king, and in them is their king punished. The rest were not so worthy of pity; but whose heart would it not touch to see Jonathan, the good son of a wicked father, involved in the common destruction? Death is not partial: all dispositions, all merits are alike to it. If valour, if holiness, if sincerity of heart, could have been any defence against mortality, Jonathan had survived. Now, by their wounds and death, no man can discern which is Jonathan; the soul only finds the difference, which the body admitteth not. Death is the common gate both to heaven and hell; we all pass that, ere our turning to either hand. The sword of the Philistines fetcheth Jonathan through it with his fellows; no sooner is his foot over that threshold, than God conducteth him to glory. The best cannot be happy but through their dissolution; now therefore hath Jonathan no cause of complaint; he is, by the rude and cruel hand of a Philistine, but removed to a better kingdom than he leaves to his brother: and at once is his death both a temporal affliction to the son of Saul, and an entrance of glory to the friend of David.

The Philistine archers shot at random; God directs their arrows into the body of Saul. Lest the discomfiture of his

people, and the slaughter of his sons, should not be grief enough to him, he feels himself wounded, and sees nothing before him but horror and death; and now, as a man forsaken of all hopes, he begs of his armour-bearer that death's blow, which else he must, to the doubling of his indignation, receive from a Philistine. He begs this bloody favour of his servant, and is denied. Such an awfulness hath God placed in sovereignty, that no intreaty, no extremity, can move the hand against it. What metal are those men made of, that can suggest or resolve, and attempt the violation of majesty? Wicked men care more for the shame of the world than the danger of their souls. Desperate Saul will now supply his armour-bearer; and, as a man that bore arms against himself, he falls upon his own sword. What if he had died by the weapon of a Philistine? so did his son Jonathan, and lost no glory; these conceits of disreputation prevail with carnal hearts, above all spiritual respects. There is no greater murderer than vain glory. Nothing more argues an heart void of grace, than to be transported by idle popularity into actions prejudicial to the soul.

Evil examples, especially of the great, never escaped imitation; the armour-bearer of Saul follows his master, and dares do that to himself, which to his king he durst not; as if their own swords had been more familiar executioners, they yielded unto them what they grudged to their pursuers. From the beginning was Saul ever his own enemy, neither did any hands hurt him but his own; and 'now his death is suitable to his life: his own hand pays him the reward of all his wickedness. The end of hypocrites and envious men is commonly fearful. Now is the blood of God's priests, which Saul shed, and of David, which he would have shed, required and requited. The evil spirit had said the evening before," Tomorrow thou shalt be with me;" and now Saul hasteth to make the devil no liar; rather than fail, he gives himself his own mittimus. O the woeful extremities of a despairing soul, plunging him ever into a greater mischief to avoid the less! He might have been a patient in another's violence, and faultless; now, while he will needs act the Philistine's part upon himself, he lived and died a murderer: the case is deadly, when the prisoner breaks the jail, and will not stay for his delivery; and though we may not pass sentence upon such a soul, yet upon the fact we may; the soul may possibly repent in

the parting; the act is heinous, and such as, without repentance, kills the soul.

It was the next day, ere the Philistines knew how much they were victors; then, finding the dead corpse of Saul and his sons, they begin their triumphs. The head of king Saul is cut off in lieu of Goliah's, and now all their idol temples ring of their success. Foolish Philistines! if they had not been more beholden to Saul's sins than their gods, they had never carried away the honour of those trophies; instead of magnifying the justice of the true God, who punished Saul with deserved death, they magnify the power of the false: superstition is extremely injurious to God. It is no better than theft to ascribe unto the second causes that honour which is due unto the first; but to give God's glory to those things which neither act, nor are, it is the highest degree of spiritual robbery.

Saul was none of the best kings; yet so impatient are his subjects of the indignity offered to his dead corpse, that they will rather leave their own bones amongst the Philistines, than the carcass of Saul. Such a close relation there is betwixt a prince and subject, that the dishonour of either is inseparable trom both. How willing should we be to hazard our bodies or substance for the vindication either of the person or name of a good king, while he lives to the benefit of our protection! It is an unjust ingratitude in those men which can endure the disgrace of them, under whose shelter they live; but how unnatural is the villany of those miscreants, that can be content to be actors in the capital wrongs offered to sovereign authority!

It were a wonder, if, after the death of a prince, there should want some pickthank to insinuate himself into his successor. An Amalekite young man rides post to Ziklag to find out David, whom even common rumour had notified for the anointed heir to the kingdom of Israel, to be the first messenger of that news, which he thought could be no other than acceptable, the death of Saul; and, that the tidings might be so much more meritorious, he adds to the report what he thinks might carry the greatest retribution. In hope of reward or honour, the man is content to belie himself to David: it was not the spear, but the sword of Saul, that was the instrument of his death; neither could this stranger find Saul, but dying, since the armour-bearer of Saul saw him dead ere he