future actions which else that euill Spirit could neither foretell nor foresee These kinds of graces are both rare and common rare in that they are seldome giuen to any common in that they are indifferently giuen to the euill and to the good A little holinesse is worth much illumination Whether out of enuy to heare that said by the Seer of Iuda which he either knew not or smothered to heare that done by another which he could not haue effected and could not choose but admire or whether out of desire to make triall of the fidelitie of so powerfull a Messenger the old Prophet hastens to ouertake to recall that man of God who had so defied his Bethel vvhom he findes sitting faint and weary vnder an Oake in the way taking the benefit of that shade which he hated to receiue from those contagious groues that hee had left behind him His habit easily bewrayed him to a man of his owne trade neither doth his tongue spare to professe himselfe The old Prophet of Bethel inuites him to a returne to a repast and is answered with the same words wherewith Ieroboams offer was repelled The man of God varies not a syllable from his message It concernes vs to take good heed of our charge when we goe on Gods errand A deniall doth but inuite the importunate what hee cannot doe by intreatie the old man tries to doe by perswasion I am a Prophet also as thou art and an Angell spake to me by the word of the Lord saying Bring him backe with thee into thine house that he may eat bread and drinke water There is no Tentation so dangerous as that which comes shrouded vnder a vaile of holinesse and pretends authoritie from God himselfe Ieroboam threatens the Prophet stands vndaunted Ieroboam fawnes and promises the Prophet holds constant now comes a gray-headed Seer and pleads a counter-message from God the Prophet yeelds and transgresses Satan may affright vs as a fiend but he seduces vs as an Angell of light Who would haue look't for a Lier vnder hoarie haires and an holy mantle who would not haue trusted that grauity when there was no colour of any gaine in the vntruth Nothing is so apt to deceiue as the fairest semblances as the sweetest words We cannot erre if wee beleeue not the speech for the person but the person for the speech Well might this man of God thinke An aged man a Prophet an old Prophet will not sure bely God vnto a Prophet No man will forge a lie but for an aduantage What can this man gaine by this match but the entertainement of an vnprofitable guest Perhaps though God would not allow me to feast with Ieroboam yet pitying my faintnesse he may allow me to eat with a Prophet Perhaps now that I haue approued my fidelity in refusing the bread of Bethel God thinkes good to send mee a gratious release of that strict charge Why should I thinke that Gods reuelations are not as free to others as to me and if this Prophet haue receiued a countermand from an Angell of God how shall I not disobey God if I doe not follow him Vpon this ground hee returnes with his deceitfull host and when the meat was now in his mouth receiues the true message of death from the same lips that brought him the false message of his inuitation Thus saith the Lord for as much as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord and hast not kept the commandement of the Lord thy God but camest backe and hast eaten bread and drunke water in the place forbidden thee thy carkasse shall not come to the Sepulcher of thy fathers Oh wofull Prophet when hee lookes on his host he sees his executioner whiles he is feeding of his body hee heares of his carkasse at the table he heares of his denied Sepulcher and all this for eating and drinking where he was forbidden by God though bidden as from God The violation of the least charge of a God is mortall No pretences can warrant the transgression of a diuine command A word from God is pleaded on both sides The one was receiued immediatly from God the other related mediatly by man One the Prophet was sure of the other was questionable A sure word of God may not be left for an vncertaine An expresse charge of the Almighty admitteth not of any checke His will is but one as himselfe is and therefore is out of the danger of contradiction Me thinks I see the man of God change countenance at this sharp sauce of his pleasing morsels his face before hand is died with the palenesse of death me thinkes I heare him vrging many vnkinde expostulations with his iniurious host who yet dismisses him better prouided for the ease of his iourney than he found him Perhaps this officiousnesse was out of desire to make some amends for his late seducement It is a poore recompence when he hath betrayed the life and wronged the soule to cast some curtesies vpon the body This old Bethelite that had taken paines to come and fetch the man of God into sinne will not now goe backe with him to accompany his departure Doubtlesse hee was afraid to bee inwrapped in the iudgement which hee saw hanged ouer that obnoxious head Thus the mischieuous guides of wickednes leaue a man when they haue led him to his bane as familiar Deuils forsake their witches when they haue brought them once into fetters The man of God returnes alone carefull no doubt and pensiue for his offence when a lion out of the wood meets him assaults him kills him Oh the iust and seuere iudgements of the Almighty who hath brought this fierce beast out of his wild ranges into the high way to bee the executioner of his offending seruant Doubtlesse this Prophet was a man of great holinesse of singular fidelity else he durst not haue beene Gods Herald to carry a message of defiance to Ieroboam King of Israel in the midst of all his royall magnificence yet now for varying from but a circumstance of Gods command though vpon the suggestion of a diuine warrant he is giuen for a prey to the Lion Our interest in God is so far from excusing our sin that it aggrauates it Of all others the sin of a Prophet shall not passe vnreuenged The very wild beasts are led by a prouidence Their wise and powerfull Creator knows how to serue himselfe of them The Lions guard one Prophet kill another according to the commission receiued from their Maker What sinner can hope to escape vnpunished when euery creature of God is ready to be an auenger of euill The beasts of the field were made to serue vs we to serue our Creator When wee forsake our homage to him that made vs it is no maruell if the beasts forget their duty to vs and deale with vs not as Masters but as rebels When an holy man buyes so dearely such a sleight frailty of a credulous mistaking what shall become
holy care of others but idly scrupulous The King of Israel could not chuse but see that onely Gods prohibition lay in the way of his designes not the stomacke of a froward subiect yet he goes away into his house heauy and displeased and casts himselfe downe vpon his bed and turnes away his face and refuses his meat Hee hath taken a surfet of Naboths grapes which marres his appetite and threats his life How ill can great hearts endure to be crossed though vpon the most reasonable iust grounds Ahabs place call'd him to the guardianship of Gods Law and now his heart is ready to breake that this parcell of that Law may not be broken No maruell if hee made not dainty to transgresse a locall statute of God who did so shamefully violate the eternall Law of both Tables I know not whether the splene or the gall of Ahab bee more affected Whether more of anger or griefe I cannot say but sicke hee is and keepes his bed and balkes his meat as if hee should die of no other death than the salads that hee would haue had O the impotent passions and insatiable desires of Couetousnesse Ahab is Lord and King of all the territories of Israel Naboth is the owner of one poore Vineyard Ahab cannot inioy Israel if Naboth inioy his Vineyard Besides Samaria Ahab was the great Lord Paramount of Damascus and all Syria the victor of him that was attended with two and thirty Kings Naboth was a plaine townsman of Iezreel the good husband of a little Vineyard Whether is the wealthier I doe not heare Naboth wish for any thing of Ahabs I heare Ahab wishing not without indignatiō of a repulse for somewhat of Naboths Riches and pouerty is more in the heart than in the hand He is wealthy that is contented hee is poore that wanteth more Oh rich Naboth that carest not for all the large possessions of Ahab so thou maist be the Lord of thine owne Vineyard Oh miserable Ahab that carest not for thine owne possessions whiles thou maiest not be the Lord of Naboths Vineyard He that caused the disease sends him a Physitian Satan knew of old how to make vse of such helpers Iezebel comes to Ahabs bed-side and casts cold water in his face and puts into him spirits of her owne extracting Dost thou now gouerne the Kingdome of Israel Arise eat bread and let thine heart be merry I will giue thee the Vineyard of Naboth Ahab wanted neither wit nor wickednesse Yet is hee in both a very nouice to this Zidonian dame There needs no other Deuill than Iezebel whether to proiect euill or to worke it Shee chides the pusillanimity of her deiected husband and perswades him his rule cannot be free vnlesse it belicentious that there should be no bounds for soueraignty but wil Already hath shee contriued to haue by fraud and force what was denied to intreaty Nothing needs but the name but the seale of Ahab let her alone with the rest How present are the wits of the weaker sex for the deuising of wickednes She frames a letter in Ahabs name to the Senatours of Iezreel wherein she requires them to proclaime a fast to suborne two false witnesses against Naboth to charge him with blasphemy against God and the King to stone him to death A ready payment for a rich Vineyard Whose indignation riseth not to heare Iezebel name a fast The great contemners of the most important Lawes of God yet can be content to make vse of some diuine both statutes and customs for their owne aduantage Shee knew the Israelites had so much remainder of grace as to hold blasphemy worthy of death Shee knew their manner was to expiate those crying sinnes with pulike humiliation She knew that two witnesses at least must cast the offender all these shee vrges to her owne purpose There is no mischiefe so deuillish as that which is cloked with piety Simulation of holinesse doubleth a villany This murder had not beene halfe so foule if it had not beene thus masked with a religious obseruation Besides deuotion what a faire pretence of legality is heere Blasphemy against God and his anointed may not passe vnreuenged The offender is conuented before the sad and seuere bench of Magistracie the iustice of Israel allowes not to condemne an absent an vnheard malefactor Witnesses come forth and agree in the intentation of the crime the Iudges rend their garments and strike their breasts as grieued not more for the sin than the punishment their very countenance must say Naboth should not die if his offence did not force our iustice and now he is no good subiect no true Israelite that hath not a stone for Naboth Iezebel knew well to whom she wrote Had not those letters fallen vpon the times of a wofull degeneration of Israel they had receiued no lesse strong denials from the Elders than Ahab had from Naboth God forbid that the Senate of Iezreel should forge a periurie belye truth condemne innocency broke corruption Command iust things we are readie to dye in the zeale of our obedience we dare not embrue our hands in the bloud of an innocent But she knew whom shee had engaged whom she had marred by making conscious It were strange if they who can countenance euill with greatnesse should want factors for the vniustest designes Miserable is that people whose Rulers in stead of punishing plot and incourage wickednesse when a distillation of euill fals from the head vpon the lungs of any State there must needs follow a deadly consumption Yet perhaps there wanted not some colour of pretence for this proceeding They could not but heare that some words had passed betwixt the King and Naboth Haply it was suggested that Naboth had secretly ouer-lashed into saucie and contemptuous termes to his Soueraigne such as neither might be well borne nor yet by reason of their priuacy legally conuinced the bench of Iezreel should but supply a forme to the iust matter desert of condemnation What was it for them to giue their hand to this obscure midwifery of Iustice It is enough that their King is an accuser and witnesse of that wrong which onely their sentence can formally reuenge All this cannot wash their hands from the guilt of bloud If iustice be blinde in respect of partialitie she may not be blinde in respect of the grounds of execution Had Naboth beene a blasphemer or a traitor yet these men were no better than murtherers What difference is there betwixt the stroke of Magistracie and of man-slaughter but due conuiction Wickednesse neuer spake out of a throne and complained of the defect of instruments Naboth was it seemes strictly conscionable his fellow Citizens loose and lawlesse they are glad to haue gotten such an opportunitie of his dispatch No clause of Ahabs letter is not obserued A fast is warned the Citie is assembled Naboth is conuented accused confronted sentenced stoned His vineyard is escheated to the Crowne Ahab takes speedy and
the agent Yet Israel and Iuda were now peeced in friendship Iehosaphat the good King of Iuda had made affinity with Ahab the Idolatrous King of Israel and besides a personall visitation ioynes his forces with his new Kinsman against an old confederate Iuda had calld in Syria against Israel and now Israel calls in Iuda against Syria Thus rather should it be It is fit that the more pure Church should ioine with the more corrupt against a common Paganish enemy Iehosaphat hath match't with Ahab not with a diuorce of his deuotion Hee will fight not without God Inquire I pray thee at the Word of the Lord to day Had hee done thus sooner I feare Athaliah had neuer call'd him father This motion was newes in Israel It was wont to bee said Inquire of Baal The good King of Iudah will bring Religion into fashion in the Court of Israel Ahab had inquired of his Counsellors What needed he be so deuout as to inquire of his Prophets Onely Iehosaphats presence made him thus godly It is an happy thing to conuerse with the vertuous their counsell and example cannot but leaue some tincture behind them of a good profession if not of piety Those that are truly religious dare not but take God with them in all their affaires with him they can be as valiant as timorous without him Ahab had Clergy enough such as it was Foure hundred Prophets of the groues were reserued from appearing to Elijahs challenge these are now consulted by Ahab they liue to betray the life of him who saued theirs These care not so much to inquire what God would say as what Ahab would haue them say they saw which way the Kings heart was bent that way they bent their tongues Goe vp for the Lord shall deliuer it into the hands of the King False Prophets care onely to please a plausible falshood passes with them aboue an harsh truth Had they seene Ahab fearfull they had said Peace Peace now they see him resolute war victory It is a fearfull presage of ruine when the Prophets conspire in assentation Their number consent confidence hath easily won credit with Ahab We doe all willingly beleeue what we wish Iehosaphat is not so soone satisfied These Prophets were it is like obtruded to him a stranger for the true Prophets of the true God The iudicious King sees cause to suspect them and now perceiuing at what altars they serued hates to rest in their testimony Is there not here a Prophet of the Lord besides that wee might inquire of him One single Prophet speaking from the Oracles of God is more worth than foure hundred Baalites Truth may not euer be measured by the poll It is not number but weight that must carry it in a Councell of Prophets A solid Verity in one mouth is worthy to preponderate light falshood in a thousand Euen King Ahab as bad as hee was kept tale of his Prophets and could giue account of one that was missing There is yet one man Michaiah the sonne of Imlah by whom we may inquire of the Lord but I hate him for hee doth not prophecy good concerning mee but euill It is very probable that Micaiah was that disguised Prophet who brought to Ahab the fearefull message of displeasure and death for dismissing Benhadad for which he was euer since fast in prison deepe in disgrace Oh corrupt heart of selfe condemned Ahab If Micaiah spake true to thee how was it euill If others said false how was it good and if Micaiah spake from the Lord why doest thou hate him This hath wont to be the ancient lot of Truth censure and hatred Censure of the message hatred of the bearer To carnall eares the message is euill if vnpleasing and if plausible good If it be sweet it cannot bee poison if bitter it cannot bee wholsome The distemper of the receiuer is guilty of this mis-conceit In it selfe euery truth as it is good so amiable euery falshood loathsome as euill A sick palate cries out of the taste of those liquors which are well allowed of the healthfull It is a signe of a good state of the soule when euery verdure can receiue his proper iudgement Wise and good Iehoshaphat disswades Ahab from so hard an opinion and sees cause so much more to vrge the consultation of Michaiah by how much he findes him more vnpleasing The King of Israel to satisfie the importunitie of so great and deare an allie sends an Officer for Michaiah He knew well belike where to finde him within those foure walls where vniust cruelty had disposed of that innocent Seer Out of the obscuritie of the prison is the poore Prophet fetcht into the light of so glorious a Confession of two Kings who thought this Conuocation of Prophets not vnworthy of their greatest representation of State and Maiestie There he finds Zedekiah the leader of that false crue not speaking onely but acting his prediction Signes were no lesse vsed by the Prophets than words this arch-flatterer hath made him hornes of iron the horne is forceable the iron irresistible by an irresistible force shall Ahab push the Syrians as if there were more certaintie in this mans hands than in his tongue If this sonne of Chenaanah had not had a forehead of brasse for impudency and an heart of Lead for flexiblenesse to humours and times hee had neuer deuised these hornes of iron wherewith his King was goared vnto bloud Howsoeuer it is enough for him that he is beleeued that he is seconded All the great Inquest of these Prophets gaue vp their verdict by this foreman not one of foure hundred dissented Vnanimitie of opinion in the greatest Ecclesiastical assemblies is not euer an argument of truth There may be as common and as firme agreement in error The messenger that came frō Micaiah like a carnall friend sets him in a way of fauour tels him what the rest said how they pleased how vnsafe it would be for him to varie how beneficiall to assent Those that adore earthly greatnesse thinke euery man should dote vpon their Idols and hold no termes too high for their ambitious purchases Faithfull Micaiah scornes the motion hee knowes the price of the world and contemnes it As the Lord liueth what the Lord saith vnto me that will I speake Neither feares nor fauours can tempt the holily resolute They can trample vpon dangers or honours with a carelesse foot and whether they bee smiled or frowned on by the great dare not either alter or conceale their errand The question is moued to Micaiah He at first so yeelds that he contradicts yeelds in words contradicts in pronunciation The syllables are for them the sound against them Ironies deny strongest in affirming and now being pressed home hee tels them that God had shewed him those sheepe of Israel should ere long by this meanes want their Shepheard The very resemblance to a good Prince had beene affectiue The sheepe is an helplesse creature not able either
therefore he walks his last round from Gilgal neere Iordan to Bethel from Bethel to Iericho from Iericho to Iordan againe In all these sacred Colledges of Diuines hee meant to leaue the legacie of his loue counsell confirmation blessing How happy a thing it is whiles we are vpon earth to improue our time and gifts to the best behoofe of Gods Church And after the assurance of our owne blessednesse to help others to the same heauen But O God who can but wonder at the course of thy wise and powerfull administrations Euen in the midst of the degeneration and Idolatries of Israel hast thou reserued to thy selfe whole societies of holy Prophets and out of those sinfull and reuolted Tribes hast raised the two great miracles of Prophets Elijah and Elisha in an immediat succession Iudah it selfe vnder a religious Iehoshaphat yeelded not so eminent and cleerely illuminated spirits The mercy of our prouident God will neither bee confined nor excluded neither confined to the places of publike profession nor excluded from the depraued Congregations of his owne people where he hath loued he cannot easily bee estranged Rather where sinne abounds his grace aboundeth much more and raiseth so much stronger helps as hee sees the dangers greater Happy was Elisha in the attendance of so gracious a master and more happy that he knows it Faine would Elijah shake him off at Gilgal if not there at Bethel if not yet there at Iericho A priuate message on which Elijah must goe alone is pretended from the Lord Whether shall wee say the Prophet did this for the triall of the constant affection of his carefull and diligent seruant or that it was concealed from Elijah that his departure was reuealed to Elisha Perhaps he that knew of his owne reception into heauen did not know what witnesses would be allowed to that miraculous act and now his humble modestie affected a silent and vn-noted passage Euen Elisha knew something that was hid from his master now vpon the threshold of heauen No meere creature was euer made of the whole counsell of the Highest Some things haue bin disclosed to babes and nouices that haue beene closed vp to the most wise and iudicious In naturall speculations the greater wit and deeper iudgement still caries it but in the reuelations of God the fauour of his choice swaies all not the power of our apprehension The master may both command and intreat his seruants stay in vaine Elisha must be pardoned this holy and zealous disobedience As the Lord liueth and as thy soule liueth I will not leaue thee His master may be withdrawne from him hee will not be withdrawne from his master He knew that the blessing was at the parting and if hee had diligently attended all his life and now slacked in the last act he had lost the reward of his seruice The euening praises the day and the chiefe grace of the theater is in the last Scene Bee faithfull to the death and I will giue thee a Crowne of life That Elijah should be translated and what day he should be translated God would haue no secret The sonnes of the Prophets at Bethel at Iericho both know it and aske Elisha if hee knew it not Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head this day and he answered Yea I know it hold yee your peace How familiarly doe these Prophets inter-know one another How kindly doe they communicate their visions Seldome euer was any knowledge giuen to keepe but to impart The grace of this rich Iewell is lost in concealement The remouall of an Elijah is so important a businesse that it is not fit to be done without noise Many shall haue their share in his losse he must be missed on the sudden it was meet therefore that the world should know his rapture should be diuine and glorious I doe not finde where the day of any naturall death is notified to so many by how much more wonder there was in this Assumption by so much more shall it be fore-reuealed It is enough for ordinary occurrents to be knowne in their euent supernaturall things haue need of premonition that mens hearts may bee both prepared for their receit and confirmed in their certaintie Thrice was Elisha intreated thrice hath he denied to stay behinde his now-departing master on whom both his eyes and his thoughts are so fixed that he cannot giue allowance so much as to the interpellation of a question of his fellow-Prophets Together therefore are this wonderfull paire comne to the last stage of their separation the bankes of Iordan Those that were not admitted to bee attendants of the iourney yet will not be debarred from being spectators of so maruellous an issue Fiftie men of the sonnes of the Prophets went and stood to view a farre off I maruell there were no more How could any sonne of the Prophets stay within his Colledge-walls that day when hee knew what was meant to Elijah Perhaps though they knew that to be the Prophets last day yet they might thinke his disparition should be sudden and insensible besides they found how much he affected secrecy in this intended departure yet the fiftie Prophets of Iericho will make proofe of their eies with much intention assay who shall haue the last sight of Elijah Miracles are not purposed to silence and obscuritie God will not worke wonders without witnesses since hee doth them on purpose to win glory to his name his end were frustrate without their notice Euen so O Sauiour when thou hadst raised thy selfe from the dead thou wouldst bee seene of more than fiue hundred brethren at once and when thou wouldst raise vp thy glorified body from earth into heauen thou didst not ascend from some close valley but from the mount of Oliues not in the night not alone but in the cleere day in the view of many eyes which were so fixed vpon that point of thine heauen that they could scarce bee remoued by the checke of Angels Iordan must be crossed by Elijah in his way to heauen There must be a meet parallel betwixt the two great Prophets that shall meet Christ vpon Tabor Moses and Elias Both receiued visions on Horeb to both God appeared there in fire and other formes of terrour both were sent to Kings one to Pharaoh the other to Ahab Both prepared miraculous Tables the one of Quailes and Manna in the Desert the other of Meale and Oyle in Sarepta Both opened heauen the one for that nourishing dew the other for those refreshing showres Both reuenged Idolatries with the sword the one vpon the worshippers of the golden Calfe the other vpon the foure hundred Baalites Both quenched the drought of Israel the one out of the Rocke the other out of the Cloud Both diuided the waters the one of the Red sea the other of Iordan Both of them are forewarned of their departure Both must be fetcht away beyond Iordan The body of Elijah is translated the
of fauours What ailed the waters of Iericho Surely originally they were not ill affected No men could be so foolish as to build a citie where neither earth nor water could be vsefull Meere prospect could not carrie men to the neglect of health profit Hiel the Bethelite would neuer haue reedified it with the dāger of a curse so lately as in the daies of Ahab if it had bin of old notorious for so foule an annoyance Not therefore the ancient malediction of Ioshua not the neighborhood of that noysome lake of Sodome was guilty of this disease of the soyle waters but the late sinnes of the inhabitants He turneth the riuers into a wildernesse and water-springs into a drie ground a fruitfull land into barrennesse for the wickednesse of them that dwell therein How oft haue we seene the same field both full and famishing How oft the same waters both safe and by some irruption or new tincture hurtfull Howsoeuer naturall causes may concurre heauen and earth and ayre and waters follow the temper of our soules of our liues are therfore indisposed because we are so Iericho began now to make it selfe capable of a better state since it was now become a receptacle of Prophets Elisha is willing to gratifie his hosts it is reason that any place should fare the better for the presence of Diuines The medicine is more strange than the disease Bring me a new Cruse and put salt therein Why a Cruse why new why Salt in that new Cruse How should Salt make water potable Or if there were any such vertue in it what could a Cruse full doe to a whole current Or if that measure were sufficient what was the age of the Cruse to the force of the Salt Yet Elisha calls for Salt in a new Cruse God who wrought this by his Prophet is a free agent as he will not binde his power to meanes so will he by his power binde vnlikely meanes to performe his will Naturall proprieties haue no place in miraculous workes No lesse easie is it for God to worke by contrary than subordinate powers The Prophet doth not cast the Salt into the channell but into the spring of the waters If the fountaine be redressed the streames cannot be faultie as contrarily the purity and soundnes of the streame auailes nothing to the redresse of the fountaine Reformation must begin at the well-head of the abuse The order of being is a good guide to the methode of amending Vertue doth not run backward Had Elisha cast the Salt into the brooks and ditches the remedy must haue striuen against the streame to reach vp to the spring now it is but one labour to cure the fountaine Our heart is a well of bitter and venomous water our actions are the streames In vaine shall we cleanse our hands whiles our hearts are euill The Cruse and the Salt must be their owne The act must be his the power Gods He cast the Salt into the spring and said Thus saith the Lord I haue healed these waters there shall not be from thence any more death or barrennesse Farre was it from Elisha to challenge ought to himselfe Before when he should diuide the waters of Iordan he did not say Where is the power of Elisha but Where is the Lord God of Elijah and now when he should cure the waters of Iericho he saies not Thus saies Elisha but thus saith the Lord I haue healed these waters How carefull is the man of God that no part of Gods glory should sticke to his owne fingers Iericho shal know to whom they owe the blessing that they may duly returne the thankes Elisha professes he can do no more of himselfe than that Salt than that Cruse onely God shall worke by him by it and what euer that almighty hand vndertakes cannot faile yea is already done neither doth he say I wil heale but I haue healed Euen so O God if thou cast into the fountaine of our hearts but one Cruse-full of the Salt of thy Spirit we are whole no thought can passe betweene the receit and the remedie As the generall visitor of the Schooles of the Prophets Elisha passeth from Iericho to that other colledge at Bethel Bethel was a place of strange composition there was at once the golden Calfe of Ieroboam and the Schoole of God True religion and idolatrie found a free harbour within those walls I doe not maruell that Gods Prophets would plant there there was the most need of their presence where they found the spring head of corruption Physitians are of most vse where diseases abound As he was going vp by the way there came forth little children out of the cittie and mocked him and said to him Goe vp thou bald-head Goe vp thou bald-head Euen the very boyes of Bethel haue learned to scoffe at a Prophet The spight of their idolatrous parents is easily propagated Children are such as their institution Infancy is led altogether by imitation it hath neither words nor actions but infused by others If it haue good or ill language it is but borrowed and the shame or thanke is due to those that lent it What was it that these ill-taught children vpbraided to the Prophet but a sleight naturall defect not worthy the name of a blemish the want of a little haire at the best a comely excrement no part of the body Had there beene deformitie in that smoothnesse of the head which some great wits haue honored with praises a faultlesse and remedilesse eye-sore had beene no fit matter for a taunt How small occasions will be taken to disgrace a Prophet If they could haue said ought worse Elisha had not heard of this God had crowned that head with honor which the Bethelitish children loaded with scorne Who would haue thought the rude termes of waggish boyes worthy of any thing but neglect Elisha lookes at them with seuere browes and like the heire of him that cald downe fire vpon the two Captaines and their fifties curses them in the name of the Lord Two she-Beares out of the wood hasten to be his executioners and teare two and fortie of them in peeces O fearefull example of diuine Iustice This was not the reuenge of an angry Prophet it was the punishment of a righteous Iudge God and his Seer lookt through these children at the Parents at all Israel he would punish the parents mis-nurturing their children to the contemptuous vsage of a Prophet with the death of those children which they had mis-taught He would teach Israel what it was to mis-use a Prophet And if he would not endure these contumelies vnreuenged in the mouthes of children what vengeance was enough for aged persecutors Doubtlesse some of the childrē escaped to tell the newes of their fellowes what lamentation doe we think there was in the streets of Bethel how did the distressed mothers wring their hands for this wofull orbation And now when they came forth to fetch the remnants of their