A10933:1314
A commentary upon the whole book of Judges Preached first and delivered in sundry…A commentary vpon the vvhole booke of Iudges Preached first and deliuered in sundrie…
A commentary upon the whole book of Judges Preached first and delivered in sundry lectures; since collected, and diligently perused, and now published. For the benefit generally of all such as desire to grow in faith and repentance, and especially of them, who would more clearly understand and make use of the worthy examples of the saints, recorded in divine history. Penned by Richard Rogers preacher of Gods word at Wethersfield in Essex.A commentary vpon the vvhole booke of Iudges Preached first and deliuered in sundrie lectures; since collected, and diligently perused, and now published. For the benefit generally of all such as desire to grow in faith and repentance, and especially of them, who would more cleerely vnderstand and make vse of the worthie examples of the saints, recorded in diuine history. Penned by Richard Rogers preacher of Gods word at Wethersfield in Essex.
London: printed by Felix Kyngston for Thomas Man, 1615
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Secondly, from hence let us note, how one sinner (being opposite to another's 1drifts and purposes) goeth to work, in the defeating of his enemy. Even thus that (as the proverb saith) one nail drives out another: they have no way to go beyond each other, but this, who shall use his weapon skilfullest, and most mischievously. They all fetch their wiles out of one budget, and their arrows out of one quiver: either subtlety or force is their weapon: the sligh and treacherous Ahithophel runs to the budget, the cruel and malicious Esau to the quiver: here lies the point, who shall draw out the subtlest and cunningest fetch, or who shall take thence the sharpest or deadliest arrow. Both shoot in the same, I mean the devils bow, but the skill is, who shall over-reach, and over-shoot each other therein. And he that provides them this artillery, will be sure to be the gainer which part soever loseth: he will provide, that his kingdom shall increase, even in the opposition of his subjects: they fight as fast for him as they do against each other: Zebul and Gaal serve two Masters here (in one sense) the one Abimelech, the other Shechem, and the one by his boasting seeks to out-face the other. The other by his connivance and dissembling seeks to root out him. But lo in the mean while both serve one Master the Devil, he rejoices as much in the spectacle, as Joab and Abner did, in the beholding their young men to play, (as they cruelly called it) but in good earnest to cut each 2others throat. If men in their cursed doings and tradings thus in sin, would consider that themselves are sure to go by the walls, and forfeit their souls to him with whose engines and tools they appugne each other, yea if they considered, that their quarrels serve to no other end, but to make 3a pageant for the devil to laugh at: If they could see into the issue, that he who winneth, winneth hell, and he that loseth, loseth heaven: the gains ⟨p. 487⟩are only Satan's: oh how would this quail them and damp them in their lewdness? Put case that in the same ship upon the sea, two men walk contrary steppes to each other, the one crossing the other in their motions: doth not the ship carry them both one way? Can they (will they, nill they) resist