make it penetrable by every stroke. After all brags of manhood, he is impotent that hath provoked God. While others labour for outward fortification, happy and safe were we, if we could labour for innocence. He, that hath found God present in one extremity, may trust him in the next. Every sensible favour of the Almighty invites both his gifts and our trust.

Resolution thus grounded makes even Saul himself confident: David shall have both his leave and his blessing. If David came to Saul as a shepherd, he shall go toward Goliath as a warrior: the attire of the king is not too rich for him, that shall fight for his king and country. Little did Saul think, that his helmet was now on that head, which should once wear his crown. Now that David was arrayed in the warlike habit of a king, and girded with his sword, he looked upon himself, and thought this outside glorious; but when he offered to walk, and found that the attire was not so strong as unwieldy, and that it might be more for show than use, he lays down these accoutrements of honour; and, as caring rather to be a homely victor than a glorious spoil, he craves pardon to go in no clothes but his own: he takes his staff instead of the spear, his shepherd's scrip instead of his brigandine, and instead of his sword he takes his sling, and instead of darts and javelins he takes five smooth stones out of the brook. Let Saul's coat be never so rich, and his armour never so strong, what is David the better, if they fit him not? It is not to be inquired, how excellent any thing is, but how proper. Those things, which are helps to some, may be incumbrances to others. An unmeet good may be as inconvenient, as an accustomed evil. If we could wish another man's honour, when we feel the weight of his cares we should be glad to be in

our own coat.

Those, that depend upon the strength of faith, though they neglect not means, yet they are not curious in the proportion of outward means, to the effect desired. Where the heart is armed with an assured confidence, a sling and a stone are weapons enough to the unbelieving, no helps are sufficient. Goliath, though he were presumptuous enough, yet had one shield carried before him; another he carried on his shoulder: neither will his sword alone content him, but he takes his spear too. David's armour is his plain shepherd's russet, and the brook yields him his artillery; and he knows, there is more safety in his cloth than in the other's brass, and more danger in his pebbles than the other's spear. Faith gives both heart and arms. The inward munition is so much more noble, because it is of proof for both soul and body: if we be furnished with this, how boldly shall we meet with the powers of darkness, and go away more than conquerors!

Neither did the quality of David's weapons bewray more confidence, than the number. If he will put his life and victory upon

the stones of the brook, why doth he not fill his scrip full of them? Why will he content himself with five? Had he been furnished with store, the advantage of his nimbleness might have given him hope; if one fail, that yet another might speed: but now this paucity puts the dispatch to a sudden hazard, and he hath but five stones' cast either to death or victory. Still the fewer helps, the stronger faith. David had an instinct from God, that he should overcome: he had not a particular direction, how he should overcome: for had he been at first resolved upon the sling and stone, he had saved the labour of girding his sword. It seems, while they were addressing him to the combat, he made account of hand-blows; now, he is purposed rather to send than bring death to his adversary; in either, or both, he durst trust God with the success, and before-hand, through the conflict, saw the victory. It is sufficient, that we know the issue of our fight. If our weapons and wards vary according to the occasion given by God, that is nothing to the event: sure we are, that if we resist we shall overcome, and if we overcome we shall be crowned.

When David appeared in the lists to so unequal an adversary, as many eyes were upon him, so in those eyes divers affections. The Israelites looked upon him with pity and fear, and each man thought, “Alas! why is this comely stripling suffered to cast away himself upon such a monster? Why will they let him go unarmed to such an affray? Why will Saul hazard the honour of Israel on so unlikely a head?” The Philistines, especially their great champion, looked upon him with scorn, disdaining so base a combatant; Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? What could be said more fitly? Hadst thou been any other than a dog, O Goliath, thou hadst never opened thy foul mouth to bark against the host of God, and the God of hosts: if David had thought thee any other than a very dog, he had never come to thee with a staff and a stone.

The last words, that ever the Philistine shall speak, are curses and brags; Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field. Seldom ever was there a good end of ostentation. Presumption is, at once, the presage and cause of ruin.

He is a weak adversary, that can be killed with words. That man, which could not fear the giant's hand, cannot fear his tongue. If words shall first encounter, the Philistine receives the first foil, and shall first let in death into his ear, ere it enter into his forehead; Thou comest to me with a sword, and a spear, and a shield; but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the host of Israel, whom thou hast railed upon this day shall the Lord close thee in my hand, and I shall smite thee, and take thine head from thee. Here is another style, not of a boaster, but of a prophet: now shall Goliath know, whence to expect his bane, even from the hands of a revenging God, that shall smite him by

David; and now shall learn too late, what it is to meddle with an enemy, that goes under the invisible protection of the Almighty.

No sooner hath David spoken, than his foot and hand second his tongue. He runs to fight with the Philistine. It is a cold courage, that stands only upon defence. As a man, that saw no cause of fear and was full of the ambition of victory, he flies upon that monster, and with a stone out of his bag smites him in the forehead. There was no part of Goliath that was capable of that danger, but the face, and that piece of the face; the rest was defended with a brazen wall, which a weak sling would have tried to batter in vain. What could Goliath fear, to see an adversary come to him without edge or point? And behold, that one part hath God found out for the entrance of death: he that could have caused the stone to pass through the shield and breastplate of Goliath, rather directs the stone to that part, whose nakedness gave advantage. Where there is power or possibility of nature, God uses not to work miracles, but chuses the way that lies most open to his purposes.

The vast forehead was a fair mark; but how easily might the sling have missed it, if there had not been another hand in this cast besides David's! He, that guided David into this field, and raised his courage to this combat, guides the stone to his end, and lodges it in that seat of impudence.

There now lieth the great defier of Israel, grovelling and grinning in death; and is not suffered to deal one blow for his life; and bites the unwelcome earth for indignation, that he dies by the hand of a shepherd. Earth and hell share him betwixt them: such is the end of insolence and presumption ! O God, what is flesh and blood to thee, which canst make a little pebble-stone stronger than a giant; and when thou wilt, by the weakest means canst strew thine enemies in the dust?

Where now are the two shields of Goliath, that they did not bear off this stroke of death? or wherefore serves that weaver's beam, but to strike the earth in falling? or that sword, but to behead his master? What needed David load himself with an unnecessary weapon? one sword can serve both Goliath and him. If Goliath had a man to bear his shield, David had Goliath to bear his sword, wherewith that proud blasphemous head is severed from his shoulders. Nothing more honours God, than the turning of wicked men's forces against themselves. There are none of his enemies, but carry with them their own destruction. Thus didst thou, O Son of David, foil Satan with his own weapon: that, whereby he meant destruction to thee and us, vanquished him through thy mighty power, and raised thee to that glorious triumph and superexaltation, wherein thou art, wherein we shall be with thee.

349

CONTEMPLATION V.-JONATHAN'S LOVE, AND SAUL'S ENVY.

1 SAMUEL XVII.

BESIDES the discomfiture of the Philistines, David's victory had a double issue; Jonathan's love, and Saul's envy, which God so mixed, that the one was a remedy of the other. A good son makes amends for a wayward father.

How precious was that stone, that killed such an enemy as Goliath, and purchased such a friend as Jonathan! All Saul's courtiers looked upon David, none so affected him, none did match him but Jonathan. That true correspondence, that was both in their faith and valour, hath knit their hearts: if David did set upon a bear, a lion, a giant; Jonathan had set upon a whole host, and prevailed: the same spirit animated both, the same faith incited both, the same hand prospered both.

All Israel was not worth this pair of friends, so zealously confident, so happily victorious. Similitude of dispositions and estates ties the fastest knots of affection. A wise soul hath piercing eyes, and hath quickly discerned the likeness of itself in another; as we do no sooner look into the glass or water, but face answers to face; and where it sees a perfect resemblance of itself, cannot chuse but love it with the same affection, that it reflects upon itself.

No man saw David that day, which had so much cause to disaffect him none in all Israel should be a loser by David's success, but Jonathan. Saul was sure enough settled for his time, only his successor should forego all that, which David should gain; so as none but David stands in Jonathan's light, and yet all this cannot abate one jot or dram of his love. Where God uniteth hearts, carnal respects are too weak to dissever them; since that, which breaks off affection, must needs be stronger than that which conjoineth it.

Jonathan doth not desire to smother his love by concealment, but professes it in his carriage and actions. He puts off the robe that was upon him, and all his garments, even to his sword, and bow, and girdle, and gives them unto his new friend. It was perhaps not without a mystery, that Saul's clothes fitted not David, but Jonathan's fitted him, and these he is as glad to wear, as he was to be disburthened of the other: that there might be a perfect resemblance, their bodies are suited, as well as their hearts. Now the beholders can say, 66 There goes Jonathan's other self; if there be another body under those clothes, there is the same soul."

Now David hath cast off his russet coat and his scrip, and is a shepherd no more; he is suddenly become both a courtier and

a captain, and a companion to the prince; yet himself is not changed with his habit, with his condition: yea rather, as if his wisdom had reserved itself for his exaltation, he so manageth a sudden greatness, as that he winneth all hearts. Honour shews the man; and if there be any blemishes of imperfection, they will be seen in the man that is unexpectedly lifted above his fellows. He is out of the danger of folly, whom a speedy advancement leaveth wise.

Jonathan loved David; the soldiers honoured him; the court favoured him; the people applauded him; only Saul stomached it, and therefore hated him, because he was so happy in all besides himself. It had been a shame for all Israel, if they had not magnified their champion. Saul's own heart could not but tell him, that they did owe the glory of that day, and the safety of himself and Israel, unto the sling of David, who in one man slew all those thousands at a blow. It was enough for the puissant king of Israel, to follow the chase, and to kill them whom David had put to flight; yet he, that could lend his clothes and his armour to this exploit, cannot abide to part with the honour of it to him that had earned it so dearly. The holy songs of David had not more quieted his spirits before, than now the thankful song of the Israelitish women vexes him: one little ditty, of Saul hath slain his thousand, and David his ten thousand, sung unto the timbrels of Israel, fetched again that evil spirit, which David's music had expelled.

before

Saul needed not the torment of a worse spirit than envy. Oh the unreasonableness of this wicked passion! The women gave Saul more, and David less, than he deserved; for Saul alone. could not kill a thousand, and David, in that one act of killing Goliath, slew, in effect, all the Philistines that were slain that day; and yet, because they give more to David than to himself, he, that should have indited and begun that song of thankfulness, repines and grows now as mad with envy, as he was with grief. Truth and justice are no protection against malice. Envy is blind to all objects, save other men's happiness. If the eyes of men could be contained within their own bounds, and not rove forth into comparisons, there could be no place for this vicious affection; but when they have once taken this lawless scope to themselves, they lose the knowledge of home, and care only to be employed abroad in their own torment..

Never was Saul's breast so fit a lodging for the evil spirit, as now, that it is dressed up with envy. It is as impossible, that: hell should be free from devils, as a malicious heart.

Now doth the frantic king of Israel renew his old fits, and walks and talks distractedly. He was mad with David, and who but David must be called to allay his madness? Such as David's wisdom was, he could not but know the terms, wherein he stood with Saul; yet, in lieu of the harsh and discordant notes