Imatges de pàgina
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nal Affocia

1. When Men of great Policy and Skill, that are engag'd in fuch Plots, are feiz'd with a Spirit of Giddinefs, being inclin'd to follow that Advice that in all probability will weaken the Attempt, and lay open the whole Confpiracy.

How often hath God turn'd the Counfels of Plotters against themselves? For He, in whofe hands are the Hearts of all Men, hath made fome of them that were big with the Designs of his Peoples Ruin, empty themselves in their own Confufion.

Guilt has been legible in their Countenances, by the pre- and thro the Infatuation of their Counfels, fent Natiothey have ferved the Intereft they design'd tion, which to overthrow. And as the Lord turn'd the was occafioned by the Heart of the King of Affyria unto the Jews, Late Confpi- to strengthen their Hands in the Work of racy. the House of God, Ezra 6.22. fo he does fre

quently turn the Counfels of his Enemies to the Service of his Church; and their Policies are fo baffled by the Spirit of Wisdom, that they meet with nothing but Difappointment and Shame. As in Herod's Plot against the Life of our Lord, who fearing that he would rival him in his Throne, forms a Design to murder him. And altho Herod was a Man of very great Craft and Subtilty, yet in this Confpiracy his Sagacity feems to be revers'd; (according to that of the Prophet, Isa. 44. 25. He turneth Wife-men backward, and maketh their Knowledg Foolishness) and he acts directly repugnant to all the celebrated Maxims of Policy; for altho he knew that the Wife-men had feen Christ's Star in the East, and were going to worship him, yet he never thinks of fending his Guards with them, or going himself in a Religious

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Religious Difguife, which according to Human Probability might have effectually brought abought the Barbarous Defign. But what could he do? The Hand of God was against him, and he acts like one under the Power of Infatu- Quos Jupiation; for he fends these Wife-men to fearch ter vult perdiligently for the young Child, and entrusts mentat. them to bring him word where he might go and worship him. Surely never Prince acted Mat. 2. 8. more against the Rules of Policy! to depend upon the Notice of thofe Men, whofe Perfons he knew as little of, as their Studies; and of whofe Kindness, Conftancy and Fidelity, he had lefs Affurance than of either they came from a far Country, fome fay from Sufa in Perfia, others from Arabia Falix; the former is about 920 Miles, the latter above 1240.

Now, I fay, that he should truft fuch as thefe, to me is an incontestable Evidence that he was feized with a Spirit of Giddinefs and Infatuation, and that God by a special Providence render'd his abominable Design abortive; especially when I confider that the wife Men Mat. 2. 12. were warn'd of God in a Dream that they should not return to Herod, and that accordingly they departed into their own Country ver. 13. another way; while Joseph is warned by an Angel in a Dream to take Jefus and his Mother, and flee into Egypt: all which contributed to give a total Defeat to Herod's black Design against the Life of our Lord.

Alas! Men are fometimes under fuch diforder within, by an Influence over-ruling all their Designs, that they cannot take the most rational Advice that is given them.

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As in the Plot against David; Achitophel, like a politick Minister of State, gave very proper Advice (humanly speaking) to Abfalom to bring about the Affaffination of his Father: 1 Sam. 17.1, For Achitophel faid unto Abfalom, Let me now choofe out twelve thousand Men, and I will arise and purfue after David this Night; and I will come upon him while he is weary and weak-handed, and will make him afraid, and all the People that are with him fhall flee, and I will fmite the King only.

2.

You fee the Defign was to come upon David fuddenly, when his Forces were dispers'd and fcatter'd abroad, and could not easily be alarm'd; which feems to be fomewhat like furprizing King William's Guards, and attacking him in his Winter-quarters.

Whether our late baffled Confpirators took their Politicks from him, I know not; fure I am they met with no better Success.

But to proceed; Notwithstanding the feeming Rationality of Achitophel's Advice, Abfalom declines the taking of it, and chooses rather to receive the Counsel of Hufhai, which did not look half fo probable, as you may fee from the 7th Verfe to the 14th of the fame Chapter: So that David might well cry out in the Words of my Text, It is God that giveth Salvation to Kings, and delivereth David his Servant from the hurtful Sword. For by God's infatuating their Counfels, David and his People were deliver'd from mischievous Designs and Plots.

Now what fhall we fay when God maketh the Diviners mad, and disappointeth the Devices of the Crafty, fo that their Hands cannot perform their Enterprize? Shall not we confefs that it is by a fpecial Providence of God that all this is done?

2. Then

2. Then may the Deliverance of a King and his People be afcrib'd to a special Providence of God, when the deep-laid Design is uncover'd, and the black Project brought to light, by fome unaccountable Means.

Such an Inftance we have of a fpecial Providence of God towards the Jews, in defeating that execrable Confpiracy that was formed against them by Haman, who was prime Minifter of State under Ahasuerus; and being affronted by Mordecai the few in that he refufed to do him Reverence, was refolv'd to revenge it not only on him, but upon the Jews in all the King's Provinces; and having (no doubt) very frequently infinuated, that they were a factious and difloyal People, and great Enemies to Abafuerus's Government and Empire, it seems by what follows, he was not a little confident that the King would grant his Request, and that the many thousands of Jews that were dispers'd through the Emperor's Dominions, fhould be offer'd up as an entire Victim to his Ambition and Rage: for in the 7th Verse 'tis said, That in the first Month, (that is, the Month Nifan) in the twelth Year of King Ahasuerus, they caft Pur, that is the Lot, before Haman from Day to Day, and from Month to Month, to the twelfth Month, that is the Month Adar.

To understand which Words, you must confider that in thofe Eastern Countries the People before they undertook any confiderable Enterprize, caft Lots for a lucky Day.

Thus did Haman in his Confpiracy against the Fews, caft Pur for a lucky Day to begin his bloody Work upon, which happened upon the 13th Day of the 12th Month, which is cal

led

Efth. 3.2.

Ver. 9.

Ver. 12.

led Adar; which according to modern Computation answers to our February, the 15th of which was fix'd upon for the Affaffination of our King: as if God Almighty would fignify by his Providence, that in all the voluminous Records of Time, there was never any Inftance of a Plot came fo near that which we have lately escaped, as this remarkable one in facred Story.

Now Haman having advanced the Matter thus far, left the King fhould fcruple to fign the Warrant for the Maffacre, fince by fo doing he would lofe a confiderable Revenue, by taking off such a vast Body of his Subjects, he offers to return into the King's Exchequer ten thousand Talents of Silver : what Talents they were is fomewhat uncertain, fome think the Sum might be about two Millions of Mony Sterling; but be it more or less, the King is content, takes off his Ring from his Hand, and gives it to Haman to fign the Warrants that were to be iffued out for the Execution of the Jews. Haman having received the PrivySeal, fhows his Activity; for he presently calls for the Secretaries of State, that they might write his Pleasure to the feveral Officers of the Militia in the Kingdom, to the King's Lieutenants, and Governours of every Province, that they should deftroy, kill, and caufe to perifh all Jews both young and old, little Children and Women, in one day, &c. and this Order was difperft into every Province by a fwift Poft.

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