victory and blessing. How safe and happy it is, to attend both the call and the dispatch of God!

Being returned in peace to their home, their first care is, not for trophies, nor for houses, but for an altar to God; an altar, not for sacrifice, which had been abominable, but for a memorial what God they serve. The first care of true Israelites must be the safety of religion: the world, as it is inferior in worth, so must it be in respect: he never knew God aright, that can abide any competition with his Maker.

The rest of the tribes no sooner hear news of their new altar, but they gather to Shiloh to fight against them: they had scarce breathing from the Canaanitish war, and now they will go fight with their brethren: if their brethren will, as they suspected, turn idolaters, they cannot hold them any other than Canaanites. The Reubenites and their fellows had newly settled the rest of Israel in their possessions; and now ere they can be warm in their seats, Israel is up in arms to thrust them out of their own. The hatred of their suspected idolatry, makes them forget either their blood, or their benefits. Israel says, "These men were the first in our battles, and shall be the first in our revenge, they 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 to 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.

Not only wisdom but charity moved them to this message; for, grant they had been guilty, must they perish unwarned? Peaceable 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 doubtless 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 themselves 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 Israelites 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 interpretation scandalous : it is reason our mildness should give satisfaction for that offence, which we have not prevented. Hereunto 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.

Since

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 posterity 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 therefore these men are the offspring of some strangers, which, by vicinity 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?' therefore we may not either 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?

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CONTEMPLATION III.-EHUD AND EGLON.

JUDGES III.

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 this 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 committed 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 enemies 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 punish 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 beyond 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 penitent 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. Á vehement suitor cannot but be heard of God, whatsoever he asks. If our prayers want success, they want heart; their blessing is accord