The Husbandmans Companion, Meditation 49
Upon ſmall flys caught in a ſpiders web.
49. Med.
WHen I had veiwed the ſpiders web, and ſeriouſly conſidered the end it was made for, which (as I ſaid) ſeemed to me to be principally, if not only to catch flys, and to captivate thoſe little creatures, which otherwiſe were too quick for her; I then obſerved the event, and whether this little fowler could this way be recompenſed for all the pains ſhe had taken: I ſaw upon diligent obſervation, how ſmall flys were taken, and made a prey to their poyſonous enemy, who paid their ranſome with their lives, yet whether they were the food ſhe fed upon, or whether it were an innate antipathy in her to them, that thus ſhe ſought their deſtruction, I was not well able to diſcern; but withall I obſerved, that the great flys brake through the net, and ſometimes bare away both the weaver, and the web, as Sampſon did the gates and poſts of Gaza, and ſo the workman and the work were like to periſh together; this minded me of the ſaying of the Pſalmiſt, Pſal. 9.15, 16. the wicked is ſnared in the work of his own hands, the heathen are ſunk down into the pit that they made, in the net that they hid is their own foot taken; I conſidered that many times God by his providence doth thus diſpoſe of the cruel enemies of his Church, and thoſe that thirſt after the blood of his Saints, they have had blood, even their own blood to drink, Rev. 16.6. ſo righteous is God in his judgments, and ſo true in his word; thus it was with Pharaoh, that ſought the deſtruction of Iſrael, he and his army were overthrown in the Red-ſea: Adonibezek that had cauſed threeſcore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, to gather meat under his table, was requited in like manner, by the men of Judah, Judg. 6.7. thus it was with Haman, he procured a decree to cut off a… the Jews, and made a gallows fifty cubits high to hang Mordecai upon, but he himſelf was hanged upon it, and his own friends and relations were deſtroyed. Thus it was with Daniels perſecutors, he was delivered out of the Lions den, and they were caſt in; ſo the flames lickt up the men that threw the three Worthies into the fiery furnace, but had no power upon them: Phaleris periſht in his brazen Bull, the work of his own hands, invented to torment others; thus Tomyris dealt by Cyrus, and the Parthians by Craſſus, and the Romans by thoſe Jews that cryed out, his blood be upon us, and upon our children; and ſo God by his providence dealed with our gun-powder conſpirators, and ſo let thine implacable enemies periſh, oh God: this Obſervation alſo brought to my minde what I had ſomewhere read, and often heard, by way of complaint, of our Engliſh laws, viz. that they were like unto ſpiders webs, which hold the little flys, but the great ones break through, or like fiſhers nets rather, where the little fiſhes creep through, and the great ones break through; and I thought the compariſon not unfit: the laws themſelves I know would hold the greateſt malefactor, were not thoſe that ſhould execute them partiall, ofttimes fear or favour, makes them open the net, and let go their prey; how oft may we ſee partiality ſit as judge in ſome courts of Judicature; this is my friend, that is my kinsman, deal gently with the young man for my ſake: how oft have I ſeen a poor man ſtockt for ſwearing and drunkenneſs, and well they deſerved it, but his worſhip, or his honour, guilty of the ſame crimes, brake through the net, and eſcaped ſcot free, and was neither puniſhed in perſon nor purſe, yea, though they offended in the Magiſtrates preſence: but whether worſhipful titles will bear them out alſo before the judgment-ſeat of God, is worthy enquiry: there is no ſuch exceptions in Gods law, let him ſuffer except he be a Gentleman, nay, it is an aggravation to the fault of ſuch a one, who may well be preſumed to have better knowledge, and better breeding then others, or otherwiſe I know not what gentility ſignifies; and he that knows his Maſters will and doth it not, ſhould be beaten with many ſtripes; I have read of a Gentleman being condemned to death, for a flagitious crime, and pleading for a mittigation of his puniſhment becauſe he was a Gentleman, the Judge yielded him but this favour, that he ſhould be hanged upon a higher gallows then the other were; and I fear the Eccleſiaſtical Courts are not much better, perhaps much worſe, poor ones are a prey not worth keeping, great ones are too big to be held, the middle ſort of fiſh beſt ſuits the net, and pleaſeth the palat; oh my ſoul, think not to eſcape at the judgment-ſeat of God, by any external priviledge, the ſoul that ſinneth, it ſhall dye, whether high or low, rich or poor; thou haſt a righteous Judge to be tryed by, that will not be corrupted by gold nor gain, who will hear over again all the cauſes tryed in our Courts of Judicatory, and parhaps paſs another ſentence; if thy cauſe be good, he will not condemn thee; oh my God, abſolve me in thy Court, and no matter if man condemn me, but if thou condemn me, there is none can acquit me.