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Christians could imitate the love of idolaters towards them which serve at the altar. Micah made a shift with the priesthood of his own son; yet that his heart checks him in it, appears both by the change and his contentment in the change; Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, seeing I have a Levite to my priest: therefore, while his priest was no Levite, he sees there was cause why God should not be good to him. If the Levite had not come to offer his service, Micah's son had been a lawful priest. Many times the conscience runs away smoothly with an unwarrantable action, and rests itself upon those grounds, which afterward it sees cause to condemn. It is a sure way, therefore, to inform ourselves thoroughly ere we settle our choice, that we be not driven to reverse our acts, with late shame and unprofitable repentance.

Now did Micah begin to see some little glimpse of his own error: he saw his priesthood faulty; he saw not the faults of his ephod, of his images, of his gods and yet, as if he thought all had been well when he had amended one, he says, Now I know the Lord will be good to me. The carnal heart pleases itself with an outward formality; and so delights to flatter itself, as that it thinks, if one circumstance be right, nothing can be amiss.

Israel was at this time extremely corrupted; yet the spies of the Danites had taken notice even of this young Levite, and are glad to make use of his priesthood. If they had but gone up to Shiloh, they might have consulted with the ark of God; but worldly minds are not curious in their holy services: if they have a god, an ephod, a priest, it suffices them: they would rather enjoy a false worship with ease, than to take pains for the true. Those, that are curious in their diet, in their purchases, in their attire, in their contracts, yet in God's business are very indifferent.

The author of lies sometimes speaks truth for an advantage; and from his mouth this flattering Levite speaks what he knew would please, not what he knew would fall out: the event answers his prediction, and now the spies magnify him to their fellows. Micah's idol is a god, and the Levite is his oracle. In matters of judgment, to be guided only by the event is the way to error: falsehood shall be truth, and Satan an angel of light, if we follow this rule. Even very conjectures sometimes happen right: a prophet, or a dreamer, may give a true sign or wonder, and yet himself say, Let us go after other gods. A small thing can win credit with weak minds, which, where they have once sped, cannot distrust.

The idolatrous Danites are so besotted with this success, that they will rather steal than want the gods of Micah; and because the gods without the priests can do them less service than the priest without the gods, therefore they steal the priest with the gods. O miserable Israelites! that could think that a god, which could be stolen; that could look for protection from that,

which could not keep itself from stealing; which was won by their theft, not their devotion ! Could they worship those idols more devoutly than Micah that made them? And if they could not protect their maker from robbery, how shall they protect their thieves? If it had been the holy ark of the true God, how could they think it would bless their violence; or that it would abide to be translated by rapine and extortion? Now their superstition hath made them mad upon a god, they must have him; by what means they care not, though they offend the true God, by stealing a false.

Sacrilege is fit to be the first service of an idol. The spies of Dan had been courteously entertained by Micah: thus they rewarded his hospitality. It is no trusting the honesty of idolaters if they have once cast off the true God, whom will they respect?

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It seems Levites did not more want maintenance, than Israel wanted Levites: here was a tribe of Israel without a spiritual guide. The withdrawing of due means is the way to the utter desolation of the Church: rare offerings make cold altars.

There needed small force to draw this Levite to change his charge; Hold thy peace, and come, and be our father and priest: whether is it better, &c. Here is no patience, but joy: he that was won with ten shekels may be lost with eleven when maintenance and honour call him, he goes undriven; and rather steals himself away, than is stolen.. The Levite had too many gods, to make conscience of pleasing one: there is nothing more inconstant, than a Levite that seeks nothing but himself.

Thus the wildfire of idolatry, which lay before couched in the private hall of Micah, now flies furiously through all the tribe of Dan; who, like to thieves that have carried away plague-clothes, have insensibly infected themselves and their posterity to death. Heresy and superstition have small beginnings, dangerous proceedings, pernicious conclusions. This contagion is like a çanker, which at the first is scarce visible; afterwards it eats away the flesh, and consumes the body.

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CONTEMPLATIONS.

BOOK XI.

TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

SIR FULKE GREVILLE, KNIGHT,

CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER;

ONE OF HIS MAJESTY'S MOST HONOURABLE PRIVY COUNSELLORS; A MOST WISE, LEARNED, JUDICIOUS, INGENUOUS CENSOR OF SCHOLARSHIP; A WORTHY EXAMPLE OF BENEFACTORS TO LEARNING;

J. H.,

WITH HIS UNFEIGNED PRAYERS FOR THE HAPPY SUCCESS OF ALL HIS HONOURABLE DESIGNMENTS, HUMBLY DEDICATES THIS MEAN PIECE OF HIS STUDIES.

CONTEMPLATION I.-THE LEVITE'S CONCUBINE.

JUDGES XIX.

THERE is no complaint of a publicly disordered state, where a Levite is not at one end of it, either as an agent or a patient. In the idolatry of Micah and the Danites, a Levite was an actor; in the violent uncleanness of Gibeah, a Levite suffers. No tribe shall sooner feel the want of government, than that of Levi.

The law of God allowed the Levite a wife; human connivance, a concubine: neither did the Jewish concubine differ from a wife, but in some outward compliments: both might challenge all the true essence of marriage; so little was the difference, that the father of the concubine is called the father-in-law to the Levite.

She, whom ill custom had of a wife made a concubine, is now by her lust of a concubine made a harlot: her fornication, together with the change of her bed, hath changed her abode. Perhaps her own conscience thrust her out of doors; perhaps the just severity of her husband. Dismission was too easy a penalty for that, which God had sentenced with death.

She, that had deserved to be abhorred of her husband, seeks shelter from her father. Why would her father suffer his house to be defiled with an adulteress, though out of his own loins? Why did he not rather say, "What! dost thou think to find house a harbour for thy sin? While thou wert a wife to thy

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husband, thou wert a daughter to me; now, thou art neither. Thou art not mine; I gave thee to thy husband: thou art not thy husband's; thou hast betrayed his bed. Thy filthiness hath made thee thine own, and thine adulterer's: go seek thine entertainment, where thou hast lost thine honesty. Thy lewdness hath brought a necessity of shame upon thine abettors: how can I countenance thy person, and abandon thy sin? I would rather be a just man, than a kind father. Get thee home therefore to thy husband; crave his forgiveness upon thy knees; redeem his love with thy modesty and obedience. When his heart is once open to thee, my doors shall not be shut; in the mean time, know, I can be no father to a harlot." Indulgence of parents is the refuge of vanity, the bawd of wickedness, the bane of children. How easily is that thief induced to steal, that knows his receiver! When the lawlessness of youth knows where to find pity and toleration, what mischief can it forbear?

By how much better this Levite was, so much more injurious was the concubine's sin. What husband would not have said, "She is gone, let shame and grief go with her! I shall find one no less pleasing, and more faithful: or, if it be not too much mercy in me to yield to a return, let her, that hath offended, seek me: what more direct way is there to a resolved looseness, than to let her see I cannot want her?"

The good nature of this Levite casts off all these terms; and now, after four months' absence, sends him to seek for her, that had run away from her fidelity: and now he thinks, "She sinned against me; perhaps she hath repented; perhaps shame and fear have withheld her from returning; perhaps she will be more loyal, for her sin: if her importunity should win me, half the thanks were lost; but now, my voluntary offer of favour shall oblige her for ever." Love procures truer servitude than necessity mercy becomes well the heart of any man, but most of a Levite. He, that had helped to offer so many sacrifices to God for the multitude of every Israelite's sins, saw how proportionable it was that man should not hold one sin unpardonable: he had served at the altar to no purpose, if he, whose trade was to sue for mercy, had not at all learned to practise it.

And if the reflection of mercy wrought this in a servant, what shall we expect from him whose essence is mercy? O God, we do every day break the holy covenant of our love. We prostitute ourselves to every filthy temptation; and then run, and hide ourselves in our father's house, the world. If thou didst not seek us up, we should never return: if thy gracious proffer did not prevent us, we should be incapable of forgiveness. It were abundant goodness in thee to receive us, when we should entreat thee; but lo, thou entreatest us that we would receive thee! How should we now adore, and imitate thy mercy: since there is more reason, we should sue to each other, than

that thou shouldest sue to us; because we may as well offend, as be offended!

I do not see the woman's father make any means for reconciliation; but when remission came home to his doors, no man could entertain it more thankfully. The nature of many men is forward to accept, and negligent to sue for: they can spend secret wishes upon that, which shall cost them no endeavour.

Great is the power of love, which can in a sort undo evils past; if not for the act, yet for the remembrance. Where true affection was once conceived, it is easily pieced again, after the strongest interruption. Here needs no tedious recapitulation of wrongs, no importunity of suit. The unkindnesses are forgotten, their love is renewed; and now the Levite is not a stranger, but a son. By how much more willingly he came, by so much more unwillingly he is dismissed. The four months' absence of his daughter is answered with four days' feasting. Neither was there so much joy in the former wedding feast, as in this; because then he delivered his daughter entire; now, desperate: then he found a son; but now, that son hath found his lost daughter, and he found both. The recovery of any good is far more pleasant than the continuance.

Little do we know what evil is towards us. Now did this old man, and this restored couple, promise themselves all joy and contentment, after this unkind storm; and said in themselves, "Now we begin to live." And now this feast, which was meant for their new nuptials, proves her funeral. Even when we let ourselves loosest to our pleasures, the hand of God, though invisibly, is writing bitter things against us. Since we are not worthy to know, it is wisdom to suspect the worst, while it is least seen.

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Sometimes it falls out, that nothing is more injurious than courtesy. If this old man had thrust his son and daughter early out of doors, they had avoided this mischief; now, his loving importunity detains them to their hurt, and his own repentance. Such contentment doth sincere affection find in the presence those we love, that death itself hath no other name but departing. The greatest comfort of our life is the fruition of friendship; the dissolution whereof, is the greatest pain of death. As all earthly pleasures, so this of love, is distasted with a necessity of leaving. How worthy is that only love to take up our hearts, which is not open to any danger of interruption; which shall outlive the date even of faith and hope, and is as eternal as that God and those blessed spirits whom we love! If we hang never so importunately upon one another's sleeves, and shed floods of tears to stop their way, yet we must be gone hence no occasion, no force, shall then remove us from our father's house.

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