He neither pleaded guilty nor innocent; he held his hands before his face to hide his fallen countenance, and trembled at every joint; for he had not (to his knowledge) one friend in all the court. The indictment was read, wherein he was charged with private confpiracy and rebellion; this he could not deny, for the accufer who stood at his right hand was the very enemy that drew him into that confpiracy; as it is recorded-that they may recover themselves out of the fnare of the devil, who are taken captives by him at his will. 2 Tim. ii. 26. Abimaaz. Why fure the curfed wretch did not drag the poor foul into rebellion, and then turn the king's evidence, did he? Cufbi. He is one that can turn any way but the right; he will swear and lie too for nothing. Howbeit the king ftands in no need of his evidence, nor does he get his own neck out of the halter by all his turning. The rebellion that the prifoner was charged with was, that he had not only oppofed the universal monarch himself, but that he had endeavoured to put the loyalifts to fhame-expofetheir obedience to contempt and profecute them for their close attachment to the crown and dignity of their rightful fovereign. His treafon confifted in speaking evil of the king; yea, he had even gone fo far in his defperate rebellion, as to give him the lie to his face--for he that believes not has made him a liar. 1 John v. 1o.. When the poor prifoner looked up and faw Mofes Mofes his accufer before him juft under the judgment-feat, and Justice with his drawn sword close by him; Satan ftanding at his right hand, and Death at his left, his fpirit would have failed from before bis judge, and the foul that God had made, Ifaiah lvii. 16, had he not been upheld by a divine power; for he knew that as foon as Mofes had finished his accufation, the fentence must be paffed; Justice would order the executioner to cut him down, and deliver the rebel to the tormentor, and then wo to him for ever. What to do he knew not; plead innocent he dared not; he was drove to his wit's end; his hair stood erect upon his head, and his heart was fo pregnant with grief and horror, that he feared it would burst in his body. The burden of his fin, and the fear of death, overwhelmed him; for he knew that in the fight of his Judge no flesh living could ever be juftified. Mofes began his accufation thus: Thou haft been a ftubborn ftiff-necked rebel ever fince I knew thee. I had fet before thee life and death, and told thee to choose life that it might be well with thee, and that thou mighteft prolong thy days; but thou haft been one void of counfel, a perverfe one, in whom is no faith. I told thee that thou shouldest find no reft for the foles of thy feet-that thy life fhould hang in doubt before thee-and that thou shouldest have no affurance of thy life; that the heavens fhould be iron over thy head, and the earth brafs beneath thy feet; and that in the morning thou thou fhouldeft fay, Would God it were night; and at night, Would God it were morning :-all these things thou knoweft ftand on record in my law. But thou haft caft all my words behind thy back, therefore thou must now expect the confequencesCurfed be be that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. Deut. xxvii. 26. Doft thou think that the law fhall be made void for thee? Shall an eternal act be repealed to screen a rebel? Shall a divine sentence be revoked? Shall divine truth ftand in derifion, or be exposed to scorn and contempt, or charged with falfehood to fave an enemy? And fhall immutability itself appear to change and waver, that a traitor may stand in judgment? Nay, divine veracity hath affirmed that it is easier for beaven and earth to pass away, than for one tittle of the law to fail. Luke xvi. 17. Now Juftice began to vindicate truth and law. I have faid, that the foul that finneth fhall die. Exod. xviii. 4. My fword shall be bathed in heaven, and come down on Idumea, the people of my curse, to judgment. Ifa. xxxiv. 5. Cut him afunder, and appoint him his portion with hypocrites. Matt. xxiv. 51. Cut it down [I fay], why cumbereth it the ground? Luke xiii. 7. Now his right hand accufer laid about him, as if he had almoft swallowed bim up alive as the grave, and whole as they that go down to the pit. Prov. i. 12. To be short, the poor prifoner couldnot perfuade himfelf but that the execution was 6 actually actually begun, and that he was really finking into hell itself. Abimaaz. I never heard of fo dreadful a trial in my life before; do relate his deliverance,-for really I feel as if I was under the fentence myself. I cannot help weeping over him; I find my very foul drawn out in love and pity toward him. I have fuch a love to him, and fuch a fenfe of his fufferings, that I could give all that I have in the world to have a fight of him. Cufbi. While Mofes was thus accufing, Justice threatening, and Prodigalis finking as he thought into the belly of hell, he lifted up his right hand and gave fuch a finite upon his breaft as if he would have beaten the breath out of his body, and cried out, God be merciful to me a finner. This was done. with fuch fervour, and with fuch a strong voice, that it filenced every one in the court, except the devil, whofe curfed breath is never fpent. As for Mofes, he had no more to fay; for he knew that God would be gracious to whom he would be gracious, and that he would fhew mercy to whom he would fhew mercy. Exod. xxxiii. 19. Mofes never accufes any man that pleads or calls for mercy; nor did Juftice proceed against this petition of Prodigalis; for justice is in perfect harmony with mercy; they have met together and kiffed each other long ago. Pfal. lxxxv. 10. Nor is Juftice against the poor finner that pleads for mercy in mercy's channel; far from it; for he fays to fuch, I am faithful and juft to forgive fins, and to cleanse from all unrighteousness. 1 John i. 9. Mofes infifted on perfect obedience, and be accufed for disobedience. John v. 45. Juftice called for death on the tranfgreffor, and Death stood ready to execute the fentence, and Satan to torment the executed. The The prisoner having recovered himself a little, repeated his old petition (being determined to dif charge the arrow that would fly), God be merciful to me a finner. As foon as he had ended this lamen table cry, there came a person to him of fingular beauty, fairer [by far] than any of the children of men, Pfalm xlv. 2, and faid, Where are thofe thine accufers? Hath no man condemned thee? John viii. 10. prisoner could not fpeak, for his words were fwallowed up. Job vi. 3. He ftill ftuck to his text, and a third time repeated the old cry, if poffible louder than ever, God be merciful to me a finner! The glarious perfon looked very hard, both at Mofes and at Juftice. And be answered and spake to those that [for they still] stood before him, faying, [I] Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him [the prifoner] be faid, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. Zech. iii. 4. And true enough he did; for he took him and washed him in the midft of the court, faying, For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleanfed; for [1] the Lord dwell in Zion, Joel iii. 21. And to the poor |