word enfured him of all the fuccefs he afterwards enjoyed. "The LORD looked upon him, and faid, "Go in this thy might, and thou fhalt fave Ifrael "from the hand of the Midianites: have not I

fent thee?" But his might was not to be the proper mean of the falvation of Ifrael. The honour of this falvation was not to pertain to an arm of flesh. He had at firft an army of thirtytwo thoufand men. But the LORD faid to him, "The people that are with thee are too many for "me to give the Midianites into their hands, "left Ifrael vaunt themselves against me, faying, "Mine own hand hath faved me." They were therefore reduced to ten thousand. But "the LORD

faid to Gideon, The people are yet too many." Accordingly they were reduced to three hundred. Thofe, to whom the honourable work of delivering Ifrael was affigned, are brought fo low, as to have a dog's mark fet on them. For thofe only, who, in drinking of the water, "lapped, as a dog "lappeth," were chofen as the inftruments of this deliverance. The only arms with which these men were provided, were trumpets with pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. We have no evidence that a fword was drawn by one of them, or that a fingle fword was left among all the three hundred. For that expreffion, which was their word of war, "The fword of the LORD and of Gideon," is entirely metaphorical. They were to "fland ftill and fee the falvation of the "LORD their God." They were to ufe no other means

means of victory than to blow the trumpets, to break the pitchers, and to cry as inftructed by their captain. They had no other weapons thanlamps in their left hands, and trumpets in their

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right hands to blow withal." But by means of these they obtained a complete victory over their enemies. For "the LORD fet every man's fword againft his fellow."

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Here we have a most striking reprefentation of the manner in which the enemies of Chrift are made to fall under him. It is not by the sword of civil power, by the force of human eloquence, or by the influence of moral fuafion. In general he employs not the mighty, the noble, or the wife in this warfare; "left Ifrael fhould vaunt "themselves." It is ftill a cake of barley-bread, that overturns the tents of Midian. When the trumpet of the gofpel is blown, finners are awakened; and, according to the promise, Chrift gives them light. Thus the apoftle Paul, when speaking of the efficacy attending the gospel, fays; "For God who commanded the light to shine out "of darkness, hath fhined in our hearts, to give "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, "in the face of Jefus Chrift. But we have this "treasure," that is, the ineftimable treasure of this divine light," in earthen vessels, that the excellen"cy

cy of the power may be of God, and not of use." Poor, finful men, however, may engage in this work, only as receiving his commiffion.. No one can expect any fuccefs, but in as far as the lan

e 2 Cor. iv. 5. 7.

guage

guage of God to Gideon is applicable to him; "Have not I fent thee?"

Shamgar, the fon of Anath, flew fix hundred Philistines with an ox-goad, and thus delivered Ifraelf. Samfon flew a thousand of the fame hoftile nation with the jaw-bone of an ass . By means of a smooth stone out of the brook, thrown from a fling, the ftripling David afterwards flew their gigantic champion, who had defied the armies of the living God h. These were ftriking proofs of the contemptible character of the means which God employs, for carrying on his conquests in the Church, and over her enemies. The proud Philiftine difdained David because of his youth, and was filled with indignation at the defpicable equipment of his antagonist, as an infult to his own power, and as robbing him of every fhadow of honour in that conqueft about which he did not entertain a fingle doubt. "Am I a dog," faid he," that thou comeft againft me with "ftaves?" But David knew that all the human means he could ufe were inadequate to fuch a victory. His confidence was therefore wholly in divine power. To Saul he faid, "The LORD that "delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and "out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me "out of the hand of this Philiftine." To him. alfo David faid, "Thou comeft to me with a "fword, and with a fpear, and with a fhield; "but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of "hofts, the God of the armies of Ifrael, whom "thou

f Judg. iii. 31.

g Judg. xv. 15.

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h1 Sam. xvii. 40. 49

"thou haft defied. This day the LORD will de"liver thee into mine hand,-that all the earth 66 may know that there is a God in Ifrael. And "all this affembly fhall know that the LORD fa"veth not with fword and fpear." The following reflection is made by the infpired writer of this hiftory: "So David prevailed over the Phi"liftine, with a fling, and with a ftone ;-but "there was no fword in the hand of David." As David was an eminent type of Chrift, the muner in which he obtained this victory, remarkably prefigured the conquefts of his Son and Lord. Did David cut off the head of Goliath with his own fword? Jefus foiled Satan on the crofs; and "by death destroyed him that had the power of death." of death." David went forth to battle, with a ftaff, and with a ftone. As Jefus is himfelf the "ftone cut out of the mountain without "hands;" the word of the gospel is "the rod "of his ftrength," by which he rules in the midst of his enemies, and the ftaff by means of which he guides, fuftains, comforts, and protects his people!

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v. God taught his ancient Ifrael to have all their dependance on himself. Some notice has been taken of this in a former part of the work: but it deferves our particular attention here. When they were about to enter into the promised land, he put them in mind that they had no power

i1 Sam. xvii. 37 45. 47. 50. Į Pfal. cx. 2.; xxiii. 14.

k Dan. ii. 34. 45.

in

in themselves to fubdue the nations that poffeffed it.

"Hear, O Ifrael, thou art to pafs over Jor"dan this day, to go in to poffefs nations greater "and mightier than thyfelf, cities great and fen"ced up to heaven; a people great and tall, the "children of the Anakims, whom thou knoweft, "and of whom thou haft heard fay, Who can "ftand before the children of Anak? Understand "therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is he

which goeth over before thee as a confuming "fire: he fhall deftroy them, and he fhall bring "them down before thy face.-Speak not in thine "heart, after that the LORD thy God hath caft "them out from before thee, faying, For my righ-. "teousness the LORD hath brought me in to poffefs "this land but for the wickedness of these na"tions the LORD doth drive them out from before "theem." He in the strongest terms expreffes his difpleasure at carnal confidence: "Curfed be "the man that trufteth in man, and maketh flesh "his arm, and whofe heart departeth from the "LORD." On this account he often punished his people with the greateft feverity, and made the very object of their confidence the inftrument of their deftruction. "Wo to the rebellious children, faith the LORD,-that walk to go down into Egypt, (and have not afked at my mouth), to ftrengthen themfelves in the strength of Pha"raoh, and to truft in the fhadow of Egypt. "Therefore fhall the ftrength of Pharaoh be your fhame, and the truft in the fhadow of Egypt "your

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