story of that war made in the behalf of the Gibeonites, where the five Kings that made war against Gibeon, hid themselves for fafety in a cave at Makkedah: and that cave chofen for fafety,proved a prifon for their forth-coming, and fobua fent men to roule great ftones to ftop the mouth of the cave till he had Joh.10. finished the war, and then he brought them forth and flew them, and buried them in that cave.

16.

Thus the head of the Villages were beaten with their owne ftaves, and that cave which the Kings chofe for their fafety was firft made the trap to catch them,then the prison to hold them faft, and at laft,the fepulcher to bury them.

Yet more perticular reference may it have to the conJudg.7. queft of the Midianites, for in that battail the Lord declared his ftrength for Ifrael mervelloufly, for he faid to Gi deon their Captain.

Ver.2,

The people that are with thee, are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, left Ifrael vaunt themselves, and fay,mine own hand bath faved me.

In conclufion, God would have no more to go up against Midian, but three hundred men.

Now the Army of the Midianites was great, as appeareth in the former Chapter,ver. 33.

Then all the Midianites, and the Amalekites, and the children of the Eaft together.

Yet God would have no more to go against Midian but three hundred men against this great Army, of whom he faith Judg.6.5. before: that they came as Grafhoppers for multitude, for both they and their Camels were without number.

And they had much vexed and impoverished Ifrael, as the ftory faith.

But Ifrael had the victory by thofe three hundred men, who being divided into three Companies; in the beginning of the middle watch of the night, when the figne was given by Gideon, every man brake a pitcher of earth that was in his hand, and held their lamps in their left hands, and their trumpets in their right hands to found withall, and cryed, The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon, and they (tood every man in kis

place.

And

And the Lord fet every mans sword against his fellow through- Judg.7.22 out all the boaft. Here it is plain,how God beat them with their own ftaves, and flew them with their own fwords. And of them we may well understand that which followeth. They that came out as a whirl-wind tofcatter me, their rejoycing was to devour the poor fecretly: for the Midianites by many direptions had made them poor, and by fpoiling the increafe of the earth almost starved them, and now they came as a whirl-wind in an army to deftroy them.

Their fecret comming to devoure the poor, it is well expreft in the story.

And fo it was when Ifrael had fowen, that the Midianites Judg.6.3. came up, and the Amalukites, and the children of the East, even

they came up against them. And they encamped against them, and Verse 4. deftroyed the encrease of the Earth, till thou come to Gaza, and left no fuftenance, neither Sheep, nor Oxe nor Affe.

Here they affaulted them fecretly, by fudden incurfious upon them, and they came out as a whirl-wind by fudden violence, and they made them poor.

The words thus expounded, we may in this part of the fection confider.

The miracle of the station of the Sun and MUON.
The victory that followed.

3 The conqueft of Midian.

1 Of the miracle of the station of the Sun and Moon. This example of the ftation of the Sun and Moon, as at- Doct.1. tending upon the wars of the Lord, doth further confirme the former Doctrine, delivered out of the Verfe going before, that the insanimate creatures do ferve the Lord, aud the will of God is their onely nature, whether he guide them by his ordinary providence, or by his fpeciall difpenfation of extraordinary power.

It teacheth that God is above all fecond caufes, fo that his revealed determination of means, for his operations do not bind him, but his Non obftante, often inter-curreth by vertue of his prerogative.] To expreffe him abfolute Lord of all, ru- Reaf. 1, ling all things by the word of his power, that he may be both trufted and fear ed above all..

Το

Thal.76.

To divert us from the over-weening of our fellow creatures, for many Nations having obferved the good that the Sun doth on earth, have worshipped the Sun, and fome Lunatiques have as wifely worshipped the Moon, others have adored fome speciall Stars,as the afcendents in their nativities.

The Ægyptians in refpect, as is thought of the great profit that came of kine, did worship a living bullock, or calfe, and of them the Ifraelites learned that Idolatry.

Herodotus tels how Cambyfes comming with his conquering forces into Ægypt, faw the Egyptians worshipping their calf, he drew his fword, and cut him on the thigh, that he bled exceedingly, and shortly after died.

Cambyfes feeing this, cried out in fcorne of the Egyptians: O Capita nequam hujufmodi Dii exiftunt, carne e fanguine praditi, & ferrum fentienter? dignus nimirum Ægyptiis hic Deus.

Thus came into the Church the worship of Angels, and the Mother of our Lord and Saints, and its because they were Benefactors to the Church. And after for their fakes, their images were worshipped, as at this day in the Church of Rome.

To divert us from this fuperftition and idolatry, and to teach us to know our fellow creatures, God doth alter fomeimes the established order of his government, and faith, as Chrit his Difciples. Are thefe the things you look upon.

ιν

Surely the Sun, or all things is that God hath made for the ufe and fervice of God, as the moft glorious, the moft comfortable, in respect of light, which it giveth us from its own body, and which it bendeth to the Moon and Stars; and in respect of its influence, fo that as Ambrose calleth it, Ornamentum Cali, the ornament of Heaven, and Oculum mundi, the eye of the world; others have called it anımam mundi, the foul of the world, as the quickner of all living things.

Three most memorable evidences of Gods power in the Sun are past, this of the standing of it for the space of a whole day.

The going back of the fhadow upon the dyall of Ahaz in 2 Reg.20. the days of Hezechiah, 10 degrees, And the miraculous E11. clipfe at the death of Chrift. And Chrift,foretelliug the end

of

of the world, faith that, The Sun fhall be dark ned, and the Moon Matth.24 fhall not give her light.

St. Auguftine proves the Divinity from these things, which we call portenteous, and he blameth the Mathematicians, for affirming those extrao: dinary effects in naturall bodies, caleftiall or terreftiall to be contra naturam, against nature, quomo- 2..8. do eft enim contra naturam, quod Dei fit voluntate, cum volunt.us tanti Creatoris, Creatura natura funt.

Portentum enim fit non contra naturam, fed contra, quod nota eft

natura..

29.

De Cizit.

3 This ftation of the Sun and Moon at this time doth serve Reaf.3. to juftifie the lawfulneffe of a juft war, for they attended the arrows and the fpear of God. This was a juft war, for,

It had a warrant from God to poffeffe Gods Ifrael, of their own land, which God had given them, this is the warrant of policy.

2 It was against Idolaters, whom they were fent to deftroy: the warrant of Religion.

3 It was in the behalf of the Gibeonites, their confederates by oath. Lex Gentium, the Law of Nations.

It is a fin to fet and look on, when either our Commonwealth, or Gods Religion, or the Oath of confederacy fuffereth.

This war was here managed openly, and in the fight of the Sun, and God declared himself both of the Council of War, and an auxilary friend to his Ifrael, in the fame, for none but he could have stayed the course of the Sun and Moon.

Now these extraordinary operations of God, as St. Austine Use. faith, are called, Monftra ut a Monftrando, fo they are called portenta à portendo, & prodigia à porro dicendo: therefore let us fee what they fhew, and what they teach us. ́

I They teach us the great Comandement of the law to love God, and to keep his Comandements. This power in doing fo great things, and this mercy in doing the fame for Ifrael, doth well deferve that service from his Church, obferve it in a touch, remember it in the front of the law. I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, for

that

that leadeth us into the full ftory of Ifraels peregrination, and is there used to move obedience.

And we cannot make a bettter ufe of our frequent Commemoration of the manifold mercies of God to us, then to ftir up our felves to ferve him: fo Chrifts greater deliverance is urged by Zecharie, ut liberati ferviamus.

2 It ferveth to direct us in the estimation of the creatures of God, for the honour that we can do them lawfully, is but to glorifie God for the good we receive by them honour is onely due to him that implyeth them.

Take heed of Idols, take heed of fuperstition, let not another Gospel bewitch any of us, when the Sun communicateth his light to all the world, every corner and part of the world, is not illuminate alike, there be fome pretious ftones that reflect the light of the Sun more then others doe: vve value thefe above other, yet we know that the liglit is all borrowed of the Sun.

And though in our fellow creatures the gifts and graces of God be in differing measures given, for which we value them above an ordinary price, yet we referve to our God the honour of the gift, of every good and perfect gift, who is the Father of lights, and we do him wrong if we draw any of our fellow creatures into the communion of his glory.

3 Let me adde this for caution, let not our thoughts befo ravished with the contemplation of Gods extraordinary power, fometi es expreffed in the fervice of his creatures, as that we do neglect his ordinary providence: which in true judgement is more admirable.

It is Saint Auftins note, Qua funt rara, funt mira: But he faith, it is more admirable to behold fo many faces fo unlike in forme, feature and proportion, yet we do more wonder to fee two faces alike.

It is not fo admirable in true judgment to fee the Sun ftand ftill in heaven, as a glorious candle fet upon a Candlestick, as to fee it move and fet,and rife in fo conftant manner as it doth. Therefore,let the common providence of God loofe nothing by his extraordinary lightnings of Power, and flashes of Prerogative.

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