14. The Earth shall be filled with the Knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea Therefore be sure O King thou have Thus saith the Word of the Lord for thy Warrant for God is a jealous God and will not be served with any thing but what is of his own And this did Hezekiah throughout all Jndah and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the Lord his God and in every work that he began in the service of the House of God and in the Law and in the Commandments to seek his God he did it with all his heart and saith the Text He prospered Chap. 31. 20 21. Whence we may note That whilst Hezekiahs heart was upright to God God prospered him and thus we find in Holy Writ That whilst men with a perfect heart have a careful eye in all their undertakings to please God God hath a tender eye over them to prosper them And thus whilst Joseph is answering his lustful Mistris with a How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God Gen. 39. 9. Though Joseph by her revengeful malice be cast into Prison yet God is with him v. 21. And God gives him favour in the eyes of the Prison-Keeper insomuch that the Prison-keeper looked not after any thing that was under his hands and the Reason is added vers. 28. Because the Lord was with him and that which he did the Text saith The Lord made it it prosper And thus whilst Daniel in the Babylonish captivity is resolved in his heart not to defile himself with a portion of the Kings Idolatrous Meat nor of his wine God bringeth Daniel iuto Favour and tender Love with the Prince of the Eunuches Dan. 1. 3 9. Insomuch that the Eunuch will venture his head to the King his Master rather than Daniel shall want that food he desires V. 10 14. A good encouragemant for the People of God in the very worst of times even to take up a Resolution to eye God in what he would have them to do in all things and not at all to fear the faces of men though never so great for if Shadrach Meshach and Abednego will not bow to Nebuchadnezzars Image but keep themselves close to their God God will keep as close to them and one like the Son of Man shall walk with them in that seven times hot fiery Furnace to preserve them Dan. 3. 16 25. Will Daniel Petition no other but the true God though against the Decree of the King that God will send his Angel to shut the mouths of the Lyons that they shall not hurt him Daniel 6. 10. 22. Therefore suffer me to bespeak thee and thy People O King in the Language of Azariah the Son of Obed which he once uttered to King Asa 2 Chron. 15. 1. Hear thou me CHARLES and all England Scotland Ireland and in particular thou proud voluptuous and vain-glorious City of London the Lord is with you whilst you are with him if ye seek him he will be found of you but if ye forsake him he will forsake you And let not the King be angry if one that is counted a Fannatick speak once more to him not in his own Language but in the words of the Spirit of the Lord in the Prophet David to his Son 1 Chro. 28. 9. And thou Solomon my Son know thou the God of thy Fathers and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind for the Lord searcheth all hearts and understandeth all the imaginations of thy thoughts if thou seek him he will be found of thee but if thou forsake him he will cast thee off for ever Thou knowest O King thou hast had a casting off and that that casting off may not be for ever be perswaded to turn to thy God with all thy heart We usually say That he that would move another to weep must first cry himself he must first begin the passion thus God hath done God hath begun a Work God hath first troden a Path for thee O King to walk in God hath made a Return to thee most miraculously and far I presume beyond thine own Expectation or the Imagination of many others therefore O King Prepare to meet thy God have a care thou walk not in any By-Path but onely and alone in that Path of Returning which God hath troden for thee and as God hath been Miraculous in his Returning to thee O be thou as Eminent in thy returniug to him this is that which I am confident the Lord looketh for at thy hands for so saith the Lip of Truth it self Luke 12. 48. For unto whomsoever much is given of him shall be much required and the same voice hath the Spirit of the Lord in my Text But Hezekiah rendred not again according to the Benefits bestowed upon him therefore wrath fell upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem And that I may come to the handling the words themselves I shall briefly shew what God did for Hezekiah that caused him to look for so suitable a return from Hezekiah After these things and the establishment thereof Chap. 32. 1. That is After the Reformation that Hezekiah had made as I have in part laid down and as in the three foregoing Chapters is more particularly discovered After these things and the establishment thereof Sennacherib King of Assyria came and entered into Judah and Encamped against the fenced Cities and thought to win them to himself Whence we may note That though men walk never so close with God yet they cannot be exempted from the malicious endeavours of wicked men David we know is Recorded in holy Writ to be a man after Gods own heart who in the Confidence of his Soul sometimes can say The Lord is on his right hand he shall not be moved Psal. 16. 8. And anon in Psal. 17. 8. he begs of the Lord to hide him under the shadow of his Wings from the wicked that oppress him and from his deadly Enemies Now he will not fear what man can do unto him And anon he cryeth out That one day he shall fall by the hand of Saul Good men are at an uncertainty of quietness or tranquility on this side the grave If the Sons and Daughters of God had too much Happiness and Peace in this life they would then begin to settle upon the Lees and satisfie themselves with that which cannot profit God knows what is fitter for his than they do themselves and therefore it is that he suffers his dearest Children to undergo great Tryals and that for several Reasons First for the Tryal of their Faith according to that of Judg. 2. 21. I will not saith the Lord drive out any of the Nations which Joshua left when he died and the Reason is added That through them I may prove Israel whether they will keep the Way of the Lord to walk therein as their Fathers did keep it therefore saith the Text The Lord left
his Enemies but all in vain so long as he continues an Enemy to God by wicked works For at that time Ahaz sent to the Kings of Assyria to help him v. 16. To whom Ahaz gave gifts out of the Lords House and out of the Princes Houses but they helped him not v. 21. but distressed him v. 20. Whence we may further note That whilst men continue wicked their Blessings become Curses and their hoped for helps hindrances And thus whilst Ahaz is under the sin-revenging hand of God the saying of the Prophet Isaiah is in him made good Isaiah 1. 5. Why should ye be smitten any more ye will revolt yet more and more For with our first Parents in the Garden Gen. 3. 8. Ahaz runs surther from his God and returneth not to him that smote him And with the fierce dog earnestly snaps at the stone that is thrown at him little considering the hand that threw it And thus whilst men are quarrelling at second causes they loose both the Benefit and the Blessing of Gods chastising hand And therefore cannot with David that man after Gods own heart say as once he did Psal. 119. 67 71. It was good for him that he was afflicted for before he was afflicted he went astray but now saith he I have kept thy word Thus whilst David is making a Right improvement of Gods chastising hand upon him he is made sensible of Gods faithfulness towards him which causeth him thankfully to acknowledge the same and to say v. 57. I know O Lord that thy Judgements are right and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me He now sees the dealings of God herein towards him to be such as that he makes that Sanctified use of it as once Moses the servant of the Lord required of Israel Deut. 8. 5. Thou shalt also consider in thine heart that as a Father chasteneth his Son so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee And so saith our Apostle Heb. 12. 5 c. My son despise not thou the chastening of the Lord For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every Son whom he receiveth Men lie under the Chastising hand of God as Wax and Clay in the heat of the Sun whose heat so Mollifieth the Wax as that it becomes plyable and fit for the Impression of the Seal Whilst the Clay though before soft yet is thereby hardened made stiff and so brittle that it will rather break than in the least conform to the Seal And thus it fares with King Ahaz he grows worse and worse for in the time of this distress did he Trespass yet more and more saith the Text 2 Cor. 28. vers. 22. For he Sacrificed to the Gods of Damaskus which smote him and he said Because the Gods of the Kings of Syriah helped them Therefore will I Sacrifice to them that they may help me vers. 23. Thus whilst men forsake the true God they trust on them which by nature are no Gods And so become as senseless and as sottish as they For they that make them are like unto them And so are all they that put their trust in them Psal. 115. 8. And as if these mis-actings of his were not enough to make him and his People sufficiently Miserable he Crowns as it were all his former Evlls with this tripple Crown of Abominations First he cut in pieces the vessels of the Lords House Secondly he shut up the Doors of the Lords House And Thirdly he sets up a false worship in every Corner of Jerusalem to burn incense unto other Gods v. 24 25. Thus whilst men relinquish their knowledge of the true God they are given up to blindness of Eyes and hardness of Heart To commit all Abominations with greediness for so saith our Apostle Rom. 1. 28 29. And as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge God gave them up to a reprobate mind to do those things which were not convenient being filled with all unrighteousness c. And thus whilst Ahaz is committing sin with greedilness Ahaz is made partaker of its wages for the wages of sin is death Rom. 6. 23. And seeing Ahaz will thus forget God in his life time God at length will deprive him of a possibility of remembring him at all for in death there is no remembring of thee And who shall give thee Thanks in the Pit Psal. 6. 5. Ahaz being thus deprived of life Hezekiah now cometh to succeed his Father in the Crown and Government And seeing the several mis-actings of his Father and the sad Consequences that attended both him and his People thereupon is not willing to heir his Fathers punishments And therefore wlll not act in his Fathers sins but makes an evident Manifestation of his experimental knowledge of them and also of his utter Detestation to them together with a Publick Declaration of the intentions of his heart for a thorow Reformation throughout his whole Realm for he gathered the Priests and the Levites together into the Eaststreet Chap. 29. v. 4. and said v. 6. Our Fathers have trespassed and done that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord our God and have forsaken him and have turned away their faces from the Habitation of the Lord and turned their backs v. 7. Also they have shut up the Doors of the Portch and put out the Lamps and have not burnt Incense nor offered burnt-offerings in the Holy Place unto the God of Israel Wherefore saith he v. 8. The Wrath of the Lord was upon Judah and Jerusalem and he hath delivered them to trouble to astonishment and to hissing as ye see with your eyes for saith he v. 9. Our Fathers have fallen by the Sword and our Sons and our Daughters and our Wives are in Captivity for this And now it is in mine heart to make a Covenant with the Lord God of Israel that his fierce wrath may turn away from us vers. 10. Therefore he calls upon the Levites and the Priests to be active in the Work and not to be negligent in the places God had set them in verse 11. A glorious Reformation is likely to succeed when a Prince not out of Custome but out of Conscience shall begin the Work and the more likely it is to prosper when his zeal thereunto shall thus cause him to provoke them who indeed should have first stirred him up to the Work And in this Reformarion the first work that he enters upon is the opening and Repairing the Door of the Lords House and to cause the Levites to sanctifie themselves and to sanctifie the House of God and to carry forth the filthiness out of the holy Place v. 3 4 5. the direct way to a happy Reformation and as ready a way to have with God a Reconciliation for if the iniquity of our holy things be not done away what will it avail us though we thrive never so well in our secular affairs for saith our Saviour Mat. 16. 26. For what is a man profited if he
run head-long to the ruine of the People of God here though it be to the ruine of their own Souls hereafter and that to Eternity for so saith the Lord Christ himself Mat. 25. 41. Then shall the King say to them on his left hand Depart from me ye cursed into Everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels for when I was an Hungry ye gave me no meat I was Thirsty and ye gave me no Drink I was a Stranger and ye took me not in Naked and ye cloathed me not Sick and in Prison and ye visited me not for inasmuch as ye did it not to one of these little ones v. 45. or the least of-these my brethren ye did it not unto me v. 40. Whence I would have all persecuting spirits to take notice That if Christ at that great day will be so strict upon men for omitting the doing of that good that they might have done to the People of God that he will be far more stricter with them for doing Acts of violence against them for God is very tender of his People however men esteem of them and so saith the Prophet Zach. 2. 8. He that toucheth you toucheth the Apple of his eye God hath been Eminent in his Judgements of late dayes And therefore let all persecuting spirits hear and fear and tremble for the Lord will appear mightily for his People But to return to our matter King Saul being fully Commissionated for this work of Amaleks destruction and being perswaded to the faithful performance thereof by Samuel upon the account of what Benefits God had done for him yet Saul rendred not according to the Benefits bestowed upon him and therefore he was looked upon as a Rebel astainst God 1 Sam. 15. 23. in that he saved the best of the Sheep and Oxen and King Agag alive and this caused God to rend the Kingdom from him v. 28. And this is that together with his going to the Witch of Endor that also cost him his life for so saith the Text 1 Chron. 10. 13. So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord even against the Word of the Lord which he kept not and also for asking Counsel of one that had a familiar spirit to enquire of it So that in Saul also we see the Assertion made good That God requires suitable returns for Benefits bestowed though from the greatest of Men or Nations upon the neglect whereof God punisheth without respect of Persons It is neither the Name Dignity nor Power of the greatest of Kings that can exempt them from the sin-revenging hand of God for Tophet is ordained of old saith the Prophet Isaiah 30. 33. yea for the King it is prepared he hath made it deep and large the pile thereof is fire and much wood the Breath of the Lord like a stream of Brimstone doth kindle it Neither is it the greatness of a Nation or a People that can excuse them if they be found sinning against God witness Israel of old a Nation like the Sands of the Sea shore or as the Stars in the Firmament for number yea the Lords Portion for so saith the Text Deut. 32. 9. The Lords People are his Portion Jacob is the Lot of his Inheritance the Vineyard that his own right hand hath planted Psal. 80. 15. Such as in their day had the highest Priviledges of any Nations under the Heavens for so saith the Prophet David Psal. 147. 19 20. He shewed his Word unto Jacob his Statutes and his Iudgements unto Israel he hath not dealt so with any Nation And as for his Iudgements they have not known them yet for all this by reason of Gods sin-revenging hand upon them the Apostle Paul takes up a great Lamentation Rom. 9. the beginning and tells us That he could wish himself that he were accursed from Christ for his Brethrens sake concerning the flesh who saith he are Israelites to whom pertaineth the Adoption and the Glory and the Covenants and the giving of the Law and the Service of God and the Promises whose are the Fathers and of whom concerning the flesh Christ came Yet notwithstanding all these high Priviledges the Prophet is sent to them with a Message from the Lord Isaiah 6. 9 10. Go saith the Lord and tell this People Hear ye indeed but understand not and see ye indeed but perceive not make the heart of this People fat and make their ears heavy and shut their eyes lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and convert and be healed And what 's the Cause of all this may some say Answ. The Prophet that was sent on this Message with other of the Prophets will give a perfect answer and tell you That Israel did not render unto the Lord according to his Benefits bestowed and therefore wrath was upon them from the Lord for God had planted them a noble Vine wholly a Righteous Seed but they were turned into the degenerate Plant of a strange Vine unto him saith the Prophet Jeremiah 2. 21. And the Prophet Isaiah sings the same Song Isaiah 5. 1 c. Now will I sing saith he to my well Beloved a Song of my well Beloved touching his Uineyard My well beloued hath a Uineyard in a very fruitful Hill and he fenced it and gathered out the stones thereof and planted it with the choisest Uine and he Built a Tower and set a Winepress therein and he looked that it should bring forth Grapes and it brought forth Wild Grapes V. 7. The Vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the House of Israel and the Men of Judah his pleasant Plant and he looked for Judgement but behold Oppression for Righteousness but behold a Cry And therefore God calls themselves to Judge the Cause v. 3. And now O Inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah Judge I pray you between me and my Vineyard What could have been done more to my Vineyard that I have not done in it And now saith he Go to I will tell you what I will do to my Vineyard I will take away the Hedge thereof and it shall be eaten up and break down the Wall thereof and it shall be troden down and I will lay it waste it shall not be pruned nor digged but there shall come up Bryers and Thorns And for these Mis-actings of theirs the Lord by his Prophet Isai. 1. 2. takes up a great complaint saying Hear O Heavens and give ear O Earth for the Lord hath spoken I have nourished and brought up Children and they have rebelled against me the Ox knoweth his Owner and the Asse his Masters Crib but Israel doth not know my People do not consider Ah! sinful Nation a People laiden with Iniquity a Seed of Evil-doers Children that are Corrupters they have forsaken the Lord they have provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger they are gone away backward By Reason whereof we see the Lord looks upon their
thou rejoycing that the Sword in all visible probability is now sheathing again And is not that rejoycing such that may justly cause God to Command it to run thorow thy Borders a second time Art thou humble before thy God O England out of a Consideration of thine own unworthiness and of Gods great love to thee in these things Or rather art thou not grown more haughty And may not the Lord take up a Complaint against thee and thy Daughters O England as once he did against his People of old Isa. 3. 16. and say to England and in special to London Because thy Daughters are haughty and walk with stretched out Necks and wanton Eyes walking and mincing as they go and making a tinkling with their feet therefore the Lord will smite with a Scab the Crown of the Head of the Daughters of England And the Lord will discover her secret parts in that day Or when the Lord shall say so to England Then will he take away the bravery of their tinkling Ornaments about their feet and their Cauls and their round Tiers like the Moon and the Braslets and the Mufflers the Bonnets and the Ornaments of the Leggs the changeable suits of fantastical Attire and instead of their sweet Powders a stink instead of a Girdle a Rent instead of their crisped and well-set Hair Baldness and instead of a Stomacher a girding of Sack-cloth and Burning instead of Beauty and cause a second time their Men to fall by the Sword and their Mighty in War for England is full of Distempers so that God may justly say of her as once he said of Israel Isa. 1. 6. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it but mounds and bruises and putrified sores they have not been closed neither bound up nor mollified with Ointments for the Judgements nor the Mercies of God have neither allured nor restrained them from their Iniquities but to this very day she hath her Tinpenny of Pride being also full of the Dropsical Humours of all Abominations and yet in a deep Consumption of all true Piety Pitty Penitency Patience and Purity by which means she is become very Perverse Peevish Prophane and Pittiless Therefore O England Consider what God after all his Judgements and Mercies requireth of thee and for the time to come meet thy God with suitable Returns lest God meet thee again in some or all his three fierce Judgements Sword Pestilence or Famine either to thy speedy rooting out or thy Consuming lingring Ruine Consider what I say and the Lord make thee wise And Secondly Seeing it is so That God requires suitable Returns for Benefits bestowed though from the greatest of Men or Nations c. This then may serve for a Use of Reproof to all from the Highest to the Lowest from him that sitteth upon the Throne to him that grindeth at the Mill even to the Hewer of Wood and Drawer of Water to all that have received and have not duly rendred to such who like the Swine under the Acorn Tree have greedily swallowed down all the Benefits that comes from God never so much as once looking to God nor to him that sends them And to say truth it fares generally with men as with those Leapers Luk 17. 17. where ten were cured but one found to return Praise And indeed it is ten to one whether men generally know it really to be their duty or not therefore I shall commend this Use to all that have not Rendred and shall let them know in the words of Solomon the wise That he is in the way of Life that keepeth knowledge whilst he that refuseth reproof erreth Prov. 10. 17. For he that hateth reproof is brutish Prov. 12. 1. And shame shall be to him that refuseth Instruction whilst he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured Prov. 13. 18. And therefore I shall desire all seriously to consider the danger of not Rendring For Hezekiah rendred not again according to the Benefits bestowed upon him but his heart was lifted up therefore wrath fell upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem And so I shall pass to the next Teachable Observation 2. That many times God punisheth a People for the misactings of their Governours whether in Church State or particular Families For the Proof of which Point let us consider King David who as to the integrity of his inward-man was upright before God therefore we have this Testimony of him That he was a man after Gods own heart 1 Sam. 13. 14. Yet this integrity of his was accompanied with some imperfections which caused Gods wrath to burn hot against his People as we may read 2 Sam. 24. 1. For King David by the instigation of that Enemy of mankind was moved to number his People by which means the wrath of God was kindled against Israel for so saith the Text 2 Sam. 24. 1. And again the Anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel and He moved David against them to say Go number Israel and Judah Quest But here it may be asked How I prove this to be done by the perswasion of that Evil One seeing the Text doth not in so many words say so Answ. To which I Answer The Text in 2 Sam. 41. 1. nor in any other part of the Chapter doth not in so many words prove it but if according to the teaching of the Apostle Paul 1 Cor. 2. 13. We compare Spiritual things with Spiritual the Holy Ghost will make a clear Discovery for compare this 2 Sam. 24. 1. with 1 Chron. 21. 1. we shall find this He that moved David in this 2 Sam. 24. 1. is that Enemy of mankind that Evil One or Satan for so saith the text 1 Chron 21. 1. And Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to number Israel Quest But here it may be farther demanded What was Israels sin seeing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what had Israel done Answ. I Answer Israel was not at this time as we read of acting in any gross or known sin yet Isrà el must be punished Which proves our Assertion to be true That God many times punisheth a People for the misactings of their Governours c. Quest What then was Davids sin may some say Answ. I Answer Davids sin lay in numbring the People for so saith the text 1 Chron. 21. 7. And God was displeased at this thing therefore he smote Israel Quest Was the numbring of the People then the only Cause that moved God to slay with the Plague threescore and ten thousand as we read vers. 14. Answ. Yea so saith the text v. 17. For David said unto God Is it not I that Commanded the People to be numbred Even I it is that have sinned and done evil But as for these sheep what have they done Let thy hand I pray thee be on me and on my Fathers House but not on thy People that they should be punished Quest Is it so dangerous a thing then to tell over or