| Are these his hot burning coals?" Thou and Ziba divide." He that had said, Their tongue is a sharp sword; now that the sword of just revenge is in his hand, is this the

know not whether excess or want of mercy may prove most dangerous in the great: the one discourages good intentions with fear; the other may encourage wicked practices through presumption: those that are in eminent place must learn the mid-way betwixt both; so pardoning faults, that they may not provoke them: so punishing them. that they may not dishearten virtuous and wellmeant actions: they must learn to sing that absolute ditty, whereof David had here forgotten one part, of mercy and judgment.

CONTEMPLATION III.-HANUN AND DAVID'S
AMBASSADORS.

villanous was the unjust suggestion of it, and the more necessary was a just apology: sweetly, therefore, and yet passionately, doth he labour to greaten David's favours to him, his own obligations and vileness; show-blow he gives?" Divide the possession." 1 ing himself more affected with his wrong, than with his loss; welcoming David home with a thankful neglect of himself, as not caring that Ziba had his substance, now that he had his king. David is satisfied; Mephibosheth restored to favour and lands: here are two kind hearts well met. David is full of satisfaction from Mephibosheth; Mephibosheth runs over with joy in David: David, like a gracious king, gives Mephibosheth, as before, Saul's lands to halves with Ziba; Mephibosheth, like a king, gives all to Ziba, for joy that God had given him David: all had been well, if Ziba had fared worse. Pardon me, O holy and glorious soul of a prophet, of a king, after God's own heart! I must needs blame thee for mercy; a fault that the best and most generous natures are most subject to: it is a pity that so good a thing should do hurt; yet we find that the best, misused, is most dangerous. Who should be the pattern of kings, but the King of God? Mercy is the goodliest flower in his crown; much more in theirs, but with a difference: God's mercy is infinite, theirs limited: he says, "I will have mercy on whom I will;" they must say, I will have mercy on whom I should: and yet he, for all his infinite mercy, hath vessels of wrath, so must they; of whom his justice hath said, "Thine eye shall not spare them." A good man is pitiful to his beast; shall he therefore make much of toads and snakes? O that Ziba should go away with any possession, save of shame and sorrow! that he should be coupled with a Mephibosheth in a partnership of estates! O that David had changed the word a little!

A division was due here indeed-but of Ziba's ears from his head, or his head from his shoulders, for going about so maliciously to divide David from the sons of Jonathan: an eye for an eye was God's rule. If that had been true which Ziba suggested against Mephibosheth, he had been worthy to lose his head with his lands; being false, it had been but reason Ziba should have changed heads with Mephibosheth. Had not holy David himself been so stung with venomous tongues, that he cries out, in the bitterness of his soul," What reward shall be given thee, O thou false tongue? even sharp arrows, with hot burning coals." He that was so sensible of himself in Doeg's wrong, doth he feel so little of Mephibosheth in Ziba's? Are these the arrows of David's quiver? |

It is not the meaning of religion to make men uncivil. If the king of Ammon were heathenish, yet his kindness may be acknowledged, may be returned, by the king of Israel. I say not but that perhaps David might maintain too strait a league with that forbidden nation. A little friendship is enough to an idolater; but even the savage cannibals may receive an answer of outward courtesy. If a very dog fawn upon us, we stroke him on the head, and clap him on the side; much less is the common band of humanity untied by grace. Disparity, in spiritual professions, is no warrant for ingratitude. He therefore, whose good nature proclaimed to show mercy to any branch of Saul's house for Jonathan's sake, will now also show kindness to Hanun, for the sake of Nahash his father.

It was the same Nahash that offered the cruel condition to the men of Jabesh. Gilead, of thrusting out their right eyes for the admission into his covenant. He that was thus bloody in his designs against Israel, yet was kind to David, perhaps for no cause so much as Saul's opposition; and yet even this favour is held worthy both of memory and retribution. Where we have the acts of courtesy, it is not necessary we should enter into a strict examination of the grounds of it; while the benefit is ours, let the intention be their own. Whatever the hearts of men are, we must look at their hands, and repay, not what they meant, but what they did.

Nahash is dead; David sends ambassadors to condole his loss, and to comfort his son Hanun. No Ammonite but is sadly affected with the death of a father, though

it gain him a kingdom. Even Esau could say, "The days of mourning for my father will come:" no earthly advantage can fill up the gap of nature. Those children are worse than Ammonites, that can think either gain or liberty worthy to countervail a parent's loss.

Carnal men are wont to measure another's foot by their own last; their own falsehood makes them unjustly suspicious of others. The princes of Ammon, because they are guilty to their own hollowness and doubleness of heart, are ready so to judge of David and his messengers: "Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? Hath not David rather sent his own servants to thee to search the city, and to spy it out, to overthrow it?" It is hard for a wicked heart to think well of any other; because it can think none better than itself, and knows itself evil. The freer a man is from vice himself, the more charitable he uses to be unto others.

Whatsoever David was, particularly in his own person, it was ground enough of prejudice that he was an Israelite. It was an hereditary and deep-settled hatred that the Ammonites had conceived against their brethren of Israel; neither can they forget that shameful and fearful foil which they received from the rescuers of Jabesh-Gilead: and now still do they stomach at the name of Israel. Malice once conceived in worldly hearts, is not easily extinguished, but, upon all occasions, is ready to break forth into a flame of revengeful actions.

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abuse of his messengers, and of himself in them: first, therefore, he desires to hide their shame; then to revenge it. Man hath but a double ornament of body; the one of nature, the other of art; the natural ornament is the hair, the artificial is apparel. David's messengers are deformed in both : the one is easily supplied by a new suit; the other can only be supplied out of the wardrobe of time: Tarry at Jericho till your beards be grown." How easily had this deformity been removed, if, as Hanun had shaven one side of their faces, so they had shaven the other! What had this been but to resemble their younger age, or that other sex, in neither of which do we use to place any imagination of unbeseeming? Neither did there want some of their neighbour nations, whose faces age itself had not wont to cover with this shade of hair. But so respective is good David, and his wise senators, of their country's forms, that they shall, by appointment, rather tarry abroad till time have wrought their conformity, than vary from the received fashions of their own people. Alas! into what a licentious variety of strange disguises are we fallen! The glory of attire is sought in novelty, in misshapenness, in monstrousness: there is much latitude, much liberty, in the use of these indifferent things; but, because we are free, we may not run wild. and never think we have scope enough unless we outrun modesty.

It is lawful for public persons to feel their own indignities, and to endeavour their revenge. Now David sends all the host of the mighty men to punish Ammon for so foul an abuse. Those that received the messengers of his love with scorn and insolency, shall now be severely saluted with the messengers of his wrath. It is just both with God and men, that they who know not how to take favours aright, should smart with judgments. Kindness repulsed, breaks forth into indignation; how much more when it is repaid with an injurious affront?

David cannot but feel his own cheeks shaven, and his own coat cut in his am

Nothing can be more dangerous, than for young princes to meet with ill counsel in the entrance of their government; for both then are they most prone to take it, and most difficultly recovered from it. If we be set out of our way in the beginning of our journey, we wander all the day. How happy is that state, where both the counsellors are faithful to give only good advice, and the king wise to discern good advice from evil. The young king of Ammon is easily drawn to believe his peers, and to mistrust the messengers: and liaving now, in his con-bassadors': they did but carry his person to ceit, turned them into spies, entertains them | with a scornful disgrace; he shaves off one half off their beards, and cuts off one half of their garments. exposing them to the derision of all beholders. The Israelites were forbidden either a shaven beard or a short garment. In despite, perhaps, of their law, these ambassadors are sent away with both; certainly in a despite of their inaster, and a scorn of their persons.

King David is not a little sensible of the

Hanun; neither can he therefore but appropriate to himself the kindness or injury offered unto them. He that did so take to heart the cutting off but the lap of king Saul's garment, when it was laid aside from him, how must he needs be affected with this disdainful halving of his hair and robes in the person of his deputies! The name of ambassadors hath ever been sacred, and, by the universal law of nations, hath car❘ried in it sufficient protection from all pub

How obstinate are wicked men in their perverse resolutions! Those foolish Ammonites had rather hire Syrians to maintain a war against Israel in so foul a quarrel, besides the hazard of their own lives, than confess the error of their jealous misconstruction

lic wrongs: neither hath it been violated | better than he?" Be of good courage, and without a revenge. O God, what shall we let us play the men, for our people, and for say to those notorious contempts, which are the cities of our God; and the Lord do daily cast upon thy spiritual messengers? that which seemeth him good!" It is not Is it possible thou shouldst not feel them, either private glory or profit that whets his thou shouldst not avenge them? We are fortitude, but the respect to the cause of made a gazing-stock to the world, to angels, God and his people. That soldier can never and to men: we are despised and trodden answer it to God, that strikes not more as down in the dust: "Who hath believed a justiciar, than as an enemy; neither doth our report, and to whom is the arm of the he content himself with his own courage, Lord revealed?" but he animates others. The tongue of a commander fights more than his hand. It is enough for private men to exercise what life and limbs they have: a good leader must, out of his own abundance, put life and spi rits into all others: if a lion lead sheep into the field, there is hope of victory. Lastly, when he hath done his best, he resolves to depend upon God for the issue, not trusting to his sword, or his bow, but to the providence of the Almighty, for success, as a man religiously awful, and awfully confident, while there should be no want in their own endeavours. He knew well that the race was not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; therefore he looks up above the hills whence cometh his salvation. All valour is cowardice to that which is built upon religion.

It is one of the mad principles of wickedness, that it is a weakness to relent, and rather to die than yield. Even ill causes, once undertaken, must be upheld, although with blood; whereas the gracious heart, finding his own mistaking, doth not only remit of an ungrounded displeasure, but studies to be revenged of itself, and to give satisfaction to the offended.

The mercenary Syrians are drawn to venture their lives for a fee: twenty thousand of them are hired into the field against Israel. Fond pagans, that know not the value of a man! their blood cost them nothing, and they care not to sell it goodcheap. How can we think those men have souls, that esteem a little white earth above themselves? that never inquire into the justice of the quarrel, but the rate of the pay? that can rifle for drachms of silver in the bowels of their own flesh, and either kill or die for a day's wages?

Joab, the wise general of Israel, soon finds where the strength of the battle lay, and so marshals his troops, that the choice of his men shall encounter the vanguard of the Syrians. His brother Abishai leads the rest against the children of Ammon, with this covenant of mutual assistance, "If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me; but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then will I come and help thee." It is a happy thing when the captains of God's people join together as brethren, and lend their hand to the aid of each other against the common adversary. Concord in defence, or assault, is the way to victory; as, contrarily, the division of the leaders is the overthrow of

I marvel not to see Joab victorious, while he is thus godly. The Syrians fly before him like flocks of sheep; the Ammonites follow them; the two sons of Zeruiah have nothing to do but to pursue and execute. The throats of the Ammonites are cut, for cutting the beards and coats of the Israel. itish messengers: neither doth this revenge end in the field: Rabbal, the royal city of Ammon, is strongly beleaguered by Joab: the City of Waters (after well-near a year's siege) yieldeth; the rest can no longer hold out. Now Joab, as one that desireth more to approve himself a loyal and a careful subject, than a happy general, sends to his master David, that he should come personally, and encamp against the city, and take it: "Lest (saith he) I take it, and it be called after my name." O noble and admirable fidelity of a dutiful servant, that prefers his lord to himself, and is so far from stealing honour from his master's deserts, that he willingly remits of his own to add unto his! The war was not his; he was only employed by his sovereign: the same person, that was wronged in the ambassadors, revengeth by his soldiers. The praise of the act shall, like fountain water, return to the sea, whence it originally came. To seek a man's own glory, is not glory. Alas! how many are there, who being sent to sue for God, woo for themselves! O