presents; either lest an enemy should hurt us, or that we may hurt them. The intention is the favour in gifts, and not the

substance.

Ehud's faith supplies the want of his hand. Where God intends success, he lifts up the heart with resolutions of courage, and contempt of danger. What indifferent beholder of this project would not have condemned it, as unlikely to speed: to see a maimed man go alone to a great king, in the midst of all his troops; to single him out from all witnesses; to set upon him with one hand in his own parlour, where his courtiers might have heard the least exclamation, and have come in, if not to the rescue, yet to the revenge ! Every circumstance is full of improbabilities. Faith evermore overlooks the difficulties of the way, and bends her eyes only to the certainty of the end. In this intestine slaughter of our tyrannical corruptions, when we cast our eyes upon ourselves, we might well despair. Alas, what can our left hands do against these spiritual wickednesses! But, when we see who hath both commanded and undertaken to prosper these holy designs, how can we misdoubt the success! "I can do all things through him that strengthens me."

When Ehud had obtained the convenient secrecy both of the weapon and place, now with a confident forehead he approaches the tyrant, and salutes him with a true and awful preface to so important an act. "I have a message to thee from God." Even Ehud's poinard was God's message: not only the vocal admonitions, but also the real judgments of God, are his errands to the world. He speaks to us in rain and waters, in sicknesses and famine, in unseasonable times and inundations: these are the secondary messages of God; if we will not hear the first, we must hear these to our cost.

I cannot but wonder at the devout reverence of this heathen prince. He sat in his chair of state; the unwieldiness of his fat body was such, that he could not rise with readiness and ease; yet no sooner doth he hear news of a message from God, but he rises up from his throne, and reverently attends the tenor thereof. Though he had no superior to control him, yet he cannot abide to be unmannerly in the business of God.

This man was an idolater, a tyrant; yet what outward respects doth he give to the true God? External ceremonies of piety, and compliments of devotion, may well be found with falsehood in religion. They are a good shadow of truth

where it is; but where it is not, they are the very body of hypocrisy. He that had risen up in arms against God's people, and the true worship of God, now rises up in reverence to his name. God would have liked well to have had less of his courtesy, more of his obedience.

He looked to have heard the message with his ears, and he feels it in his guts; so sharp a message, that it pierced the body, and let out the soul through that unclean passage: neither did it admit of any answer but silence and death. In that part had he offended by pampering it, and making it his god; and now his bane finds the same way with his sin.

This one hard and cold morsel, which he cannot digest, pays for all those gluttonous delicates, whereof he had formerly surfeited. It is the manner of God, to take fearful revenges of the professed enemies of his church.

It is a marvel, that neither any noise in his dying, nor the fall of so gross a body, called in some of his attendants: but that God, which hath intended to bring about any design, disposes of all circumstances to his own purpose. If Ehud had not come forth with a calm and settled countenance, and shut the doors after him, all his project had been in the dust. What had it been better that the king of Moab was slain, if Israel had neither had a messenger to inform, nor a captain to guide them? Now he departs peaceably, and blows a trumpet in Mount Ephraim, gathers Israel, and falls upon the body of Moab, as well as he had done upon the head, and procures freedom to his people. He that would undertake great enterprises, had need of wisdom and courage; wisdom to contrive, and courage to execute; wisdom to guide his courage, and courage to second his wisdom: both which, if they meet with a good cause, cannot but succeed.

CONTEMPLATION IV.
Jael and Sisera.

It is no wonder if they, who, ere fourscore days after the law delivered, fell to idolatry alone; now, after fourscore years since the law restored, fell to idolatry among the Canaanites. Peace could in a shorter time work looseness in any people. And if, forty years after Othniel's deliverance, they relapsed, what marvel is it, that, in twice forty after

Ehud, they thus miscarried? What are they the better to have killed Eglon the king of Moab, if the idolatry of Moab have killed them? The sin of Moab shall be found a worse tyrant than their Eglon. Israel is for every market; they sold themselves to idolatry, God sells them to the Canaanites : it is no marvel they are slaves, if they will be idolaters. After their longest intermission, they have now the sorest bondage, None of their tyrants were so potent as Jabin, with his nine hundred chariots of iron. The longer the reckoning is deferred, the greater is the sum. God provides on purpose mighty adversaries for his church, that their humiliation may be the greater in sustaining, and his glory may be greater in deliverance.

I do not find any prophet in Israel during their sin; but so soon as I hear news of their repentance, mention is made of a prophetess, and judge of Israel. There is no better sign of God's reconciliation, than the sending of his holy messengers to any people. He is not utterly fallen out with those whom he blesses with prophecy. Whom yet do I see raised to this honour?-not any of the princes of Israel; not Barak the eaptain; not Lapidoth the husband; but a woman, for the honour of her sex; a wife, for the honour of wedlock; Deborah, the wife of Lapidoth.

He, that had choice of all the millions of Israel, calls out two weak women to deliver his people; Deborah shall judge, Jael shall execute. All the palaces of Israel must yield to the palm-tree of Deborah: the weakness of the instruments redounds to the greater honour of the workman. Who shall ask God any reason of his elections, but his own pleasure? Deborah was to sentence, not to strike; to command, not to execute. This act is masculine, fit for some captain of Israel. She was the head of Israel; it was meet some other should be the hand. It is an imperfect and titular government, where there is a commanding power, without correction, without execution. The message of Deborah finds out Barak the son of Abinoam, in his obscure secrecy, and calls him from a corner of Naphtali to the honour of this exploit. He is sent for, not to get the victory, but to take it; not to overcome, but to kill; to pursue, and not to beat Sisera. Who could not have done this work, whereto not much courage, no skill, belonged? yet, even for this, will God have an instrument of his own choice. It is most fit that God should serve

himself where he lists, of his own: neither is it to be inquired, whom we think meet for any employment, but whom God hath called.

Deborah had been no prophetess, if she durst have sent in her own name: her message is from him that sent herself, "Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded?" Barak's answer is faithful, though conditional; and doth not so much intend a refusal to go without her, as a necessary bond of her presence with him. Who can blame him that he would have a prophetess in his company? If the man had not been as holy as valiant, he would not have wished such society. How many think it a perpetual bondage to have a prophet of God at their elbow? God had never sent for him so far, if he could have been content to go up without Deborah: he knew that there was both a blessing and encouragement in that presence. It is no putting any trust in the success of those men that neglect the messengers of God...

To prescribe that to others, which we draw back from doing ourselves, is an argument of hollowness and falsity. Barak shall see that Deborah doth not offer him that cup whereof she dares not begin; without regard of her sex, she marches with him to Mount Tabor, and rejoices to be seen of the ten thousand of Israel. With what scorn did Sisera look at these gleanings of Israel! How unequal did this match seem, of ten thousand Israelites against his three hundred thousand foot, ten thousand horse, nine hundred chariots of iron? And now, in bravery, he calls for his troops, and means to kill this handful of Israel with the very sight of his piked chariots, and only feared it would be no victory to cut the throats of so few. The faith of Deborah and Barak was not appalled with this world of adversaries, which from Mount Tabor they saw hiding all the valley below them: they knew whom they had believed, and how little an arm of flesh could do against the God of Hosts.

Barak went down against. Sisera, but it was God that destroyed him. The Israelites did not this day wield their own swords: lest they should arrogate any thing, God told them before-hand, it should be his own act. I hear not of one stroke that any Canaanite gave in this fight, as if they were called hither only to suffer. And now, proud Sisera, after many curses of the heaviness of that iron carriage, is glad to quit his chariot, and betake himself to his heels.

Whoever yet knew any earthly thing trusted in, without disappointment? It is wonder, if God make us not at last as weary of whatsoever hath stollen our hearts from him, as ever we were fond.

Yet Sisera hopes to have sped better than his followers, in so seasonable an harbour of Jael. If Heber and Jael had not been great persons, there had been no note taken of their tents; there had been no league betwixt king Jabin and them: now their greatness makes them known, their league makes them trusted. The distress of Sisera might have made him importunate; but Jael begins the courtesy, and exceeds the desire of her guest. He asks water to drink, she gives him milk; he wishes but shelter, she makes him a bed; he desires the protection of her tent, she covers him with a mantle. And now Sisera pleases himself with this happy change, and thinks how much better it is to be here, than in that whirling of chariots, in that horror of flight, amongst those shrieks, those wounds, those carcasses. While he is in these thoughts, his weariness and easy reposal hath brought him asleep. Who would have looked that in this tumult and danger, even betwixt the very jaws of death, Sisera should find time to sleep! How many worldly hearts do so in the midst of their spiritual perils!

Now, while he was dreaming, doubtless, of the clashing of armours, rattling of chariots, neighing of horses, the clamour of the conquered, the furious pursuit of Israel, Jael, seeing his temples lie so fair, as if they invited the nail and hammer, entered into the thought of this noble execution; certainly not without some checks of doubt, and pleas of fear. What if I strike him? And yet, who am I, that I should dare to think of such an act? Is not this Sisera, the most famous captain of the world, whose name hath wont to be fearful to whole nations? What if my hand should swerve in the stroke? What if he should awake while I am lifting up this instrument of death? What if I should be surprised by some of his followers, while the fact is green and yet bleeding? Can the murder of so great a leader be hid, or unrevenged? Or, if I might hope so, yet can my heart allow me to be secretly treacherous? Is there not peace betwixt my house and him? Did not I invite him to my tent? Doth he not trust to my friendship and hospitality? But what do these weak fears, these idle fancies of civility? If Sisera be in league with us,