row another Why he had his Iehonadabs with him that had a great reputation and esteem for their holiness and sanctity among the people to plead his cause and tell them His meaning and end was good and that it was a wise course for by this means he prevented further opposition that in all likelihood would be made for many of the people without question did cleave to them and he knew he should finde it a more difficult thing to root out Baal and his Priests then Ahab's posterity Superstition makes the heart more stout and sets upon more hazardous and desperate attempts then love to a King or Prince will and so in the quarrel the blood of some others of the people might be shed which were not appointed to destruction It 's a good and commendable thing to prevent shedding of innocent blood and it 's a course of quick dispatch too drawing them into a snare altogether doing that at once which would otherwise take up a great deal of time trouble and difficulty to do and so in stead of furthering the work of God prevent it and make it longer in the birth by creating new troubles and new disturbances among the people and if there were a failing in the way to the accomplishing that good end why failings are incident to the best of men and nothing can be expected perfect here in this world to come from men Excellently pleaded Iehonadab thou shalt have two Crowns or a flap with a Fox tail when Iehu is setled in his kingdom for thy great and faithful services Thus they skin over the sore that it appears not to every eye Well Iehu but this will not serve thy turn thy hypocrisie will be made evident by and by and God will discover thy nakedness and thou shalt know what it is to sin against and provoke the God of heaven and earth to great jealousie and wrath who hath done so much for thee and exalted thee from the dust to govern his people A full discovery of this man's hypocrisie and apostatizing heart we have in the words we have chosen mainly to insist upon and that by undeniable demonstrations When the peoples expectations were full and high and there wanted nothing but a command or license for their going up to Jerusalem to worship behold the golden Calves stood in the way and hindered Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat who made Israel to sin Jehu departed not from after them to wit the golden Calves that were in Bethel and that were in Dan. But Jehu took no heed to walk in the Law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam which made Israel to sin Poor Jehu could go no further in stead of going to the true God he runs to his golden Calves and takes up his resting-place there Why because that notwithstanding all his glorious outward appearance he had not the root of the matter in him and his heart not being of a heavenly nature what should he do there or in the ways that lead effectually to it Therefore it was most sutable to him to abide here belowe amidst the vanities of a depraved world Jeroboam's sins that Jehu departed not from That so we may be acquainted with the minde of God in this Scripture it 's necessary for us to enquire and consider First What these sins of Jeroboam are that Jehu departs not from Secondly The aggravations of this mans sins beyond those that went before him Thirdly The reason why Jeroboam and this Jehu would not depart from their sin For the first What those sins of Jeroboam are that Jehu answered not the expectation of God in departing from We shall consider them 1. More generally 2. More particularly First more generally which relate to Jehu more particularly then to Jeroboam â—s not this sin â—ritten in large â—haracters in â—ur foreheads 1. Cleaving to the sins of his fore-fathers He departed not from the sins of Ieroboam the son of Nebat yea though they were such as became national sins through their imposition upon the people yet from them he would not turn and this became a sin c. because his predecessor Ieroboam had set up Political bounds of his kingdom beyond which the people should not go to worship at Jerusalem that so he might secure the kingdom to himself and because there was so much reason of State for it therefore he would run the hazard of the hot displeasure and wrath of God against him rather then venture the loss of his kingdom in his carnal and unbelieving apprehensions Saith he If the Calves be taken away those ancient Political bounds and fortresses of the kingdom then shall the kingdom return to the house of David and I what shall I do How then shall I reap the fruit of my labours and enjoy the purchase of my hardships and dangers that I have run into and blood that I have shed No all will be lost if once I go over this bank and pull down this hedge Indeed Iehu went as far as can be expected for a hypocrite to do he went to the very borders of heaven there was but one thing wanting he could not overcome his worldly interest and live by faith upon God for the disposal of that and so he made this world his god all that provok'd God should go down but that Baasha's and Ahab's sins too but when once Ieroboam's sin came to be medled with that touch'd him to the quick it was of so neer concernment as he thought to his kingdom Do any thing but that I would please God and do his will but I must not lose my kingdome My outward worldly interest is very dear to me I pray spare that Unbelief will carry a man though he be never so outwardly glorious in profession to the greatest precipices of apostatizing danger And is not this the very picture of our times How zealous were we many years for God! and pull'd down all before us that stood in our way we pull'd down and utterly destroyed Ahab and his whole house and left none remaining but now we are gotten to the Calves and alas they are golden ones have a great deal of good gold in them it 's pity to destroy them We pull'd down King and House of Lords yea and Commons too and pull'd down many gross Tyrannies in Worship and Commonwealth yet now how is our heat and zeal cool'd with Iehu's We can go no further Oh if we do we shall bring all things into confusion we say The kingdom will be lost presently And I could wish this gall of bitterness were not at the bottom of many glorious professors hearts saying Lest the son of David come to reign over us The sins of the generation before us we explode but the old sins of the Ancients Ieroboam's sins those inventions they made to maintain their kingdom those foundations that they laid for their children to
things as are abominable to the least spark of honesty Application of this reason to our times Consider with your selves I pray you the Jehu's of our age can you give a better account then your great grand-Father Iehu hath done before you for the same reason of State that ruled him rules you surely your consciences upon a strict examination will tell you No you may be more skilful in palliating your sin then he was and have more cunning deceitful shifts then he had to blinde the eyes of your own consciences and others you may have more specious pretences and cloaks for your sin then he had By how much the times and the work of the times may afford you more matter to plead upon and by how much Satan your counsellor hath gotten more experience and perhaps hath found out more wiles now then he had then and so may furnish you with three or four shafts more in your quiver then Iehu had But in the end it amounts to one and the same account Lest the Son of David should raign the fear of losing your outward glory kingdom keeps you from submitting to the Son of David to his Scepter and command the unbelief of your hearts and your love to this present evil world will not suffer you to hazard in Gods own way the loss of your outward concernments and kingdom for Christ's the Son of Davids sake lest while you are doing Christ service you lose your darlings yea that fear hurries you on to the committing the worst of follies and vanities provoking him to the greatest anger And is it so then take warning Make your peace with him while it is to day hearken to his voice lest his anger be kindled and when he comes he consume you in his hot displeasure Hear what he saith Bring hither those mine enemies that would not that I should raign over them and I will slay them I tell you The wrath of his kingdom or the wrath he will manifest against his enemies when he goes up to his kingdom will be by many degrees more dreadful then the wrath he hath manifested at any other time or upon any other occasion You say indeed You would have him raign and be King you are for his kingdom as much as any but the time is not yet Ezek. 12.27 28. compare with 2 Pet. 3. it 's a great way off the vision is for many dayes but hear what the Lord of Hosts saith to such Pleas as these are Behold they of the house of Israel say The vision that he seeth is for many dayes to come and he prophesieth of the times that are afar off thus saith the Lord God There shall none of my words be prolonged any more but THE WORD WHICH I HAVE SPOKEN SHALL BE DONE SAITH THE LORD GOD. Alas poor hearts you are either afraid of rendering up an account too soon lest you be found light in the balance or your hearts cleave so close to this present world that you are loth to leave these vanities yet you would have a little more sport with them A little more sleep a little more folding of the hands saith the sluggard or you are afraid lest you have not yet gotten the wedding-garment on and so would fain have him stay long that you may have time enough to procure it because you apprehend it hard and difficult to come by if this be it why go to Christ you will finde him a willing Saviour his heart open to receive you Ask and you shall have knock and it shall be opened to you seek and you shall finde whosoever comes to me I will in no wise cast out saith Christ or is it because your conscience smites you and tells you You are of the left-handed companions of Christ that must go into utter darkness where is weeping and wailing gnashing of teeth Though you care not much for Heaven yet you would keep as long out of hell as you can and therefore put the evil day far from you the day that will bring evil to you though joy and glory to the Saints and people of God if so The Lord will come in a time when you expect him not Mat. 24.50 51. in a day when you look not for him before you are aware and cut you asunder and appoint you your portion with the hypocrites You say indeed You are for Christs kingdom and that you long for it as much as any but his kingdom is within in the heart in the inward man not in the outward man over the world of a spiritual nature not of this world Kinde subjects you will divide the kingdom between your selves and your Soveraign but you have so much self-love as to keep the greatest part for your own share If he rule not over the world How can he have the utmost ends of the earth for his possession according to the promise of the Father How shall the Saints judge the world â—f they believe â—he kingdom of Christ is onely â—hus spiritual in â—heir sence that is the reaâ—on the Jehonaâ—bs of our time â—o not keep to â—heir place and â—ffice in the â—uilding up of â—is kingdom â—ut seek so â—uch after the â—uâ—t and outâ—ard glory and â—ammon of this â—orld surely â—ey either â—eâ—eve not what â—ey say or their â—earts care not â—or what they â—elieve is the â—reatest happiâ—ess If he rule not over the world methinks that would be an impertinent expression viz. When he shall surrender up the kingdom to his Father can this kingdom be onely that over the heart How can he give his people to possess the gates of their enemies How can he deliver them out of the hands of all the enemies of their salvation How can he give the kingdom and dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven to his people If he rule not over the world as King How can he give his people the possession of the promised land performing all the promises to them for that is such a gift as he cannot fully give them till he is a King and hath received the kingdom prepared for him and promised to him by his Father Then shall his people behold him in his glory and the day of his power shall seize upon them and make them as the chariots of Aminadab Much more might be said in answer to these Pleas and to prove and that without contradiction that Christ hath a kingdom to enjoy over this world and that he will raign amidst among his people and in that over the world when not a dog shall dare to bark or wag his tail against any servant of the Lord. But I suppose I have said sufficient for this place and referre you to those elaborate discourses that are already sent forth into the world on this subject but thus much give me leave to say That it 's too much to be feared that the Pleas of these men against the kingdom of Christ
Christ himself lived their policy kept them from receiving Christ the true God caused them to reject him for say they If we receive him IF WE LET HIM THVS ALONE ALL MEN WILL BELIEVE ON HIM and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation And what great afflictions and destructions it brought upon them we see in the story of the Macchabees yea what utter ruine at last overwhelmed them is evident have they not been as dung upon the face of the earth for more then 1200 yeers So that there 's nothing more clear then this That the ruine of States and Kingdomes is founded in and bottomed upon their State-policy at one time or other first or last their walking by the rules and maximes of this policy breaks them to pieces and brings them to their utter ruine Secondly consider The pernicious loathsome abomination of Jehonadabs counsel Hypocrisie is most odious to God most provoking yet Iehonadab counsels to that the righteousness of thy counsellors will not save thee ô Iehu although they have been exemplary for holiness and as a beacon upon a hill to shew men the way of life yet now they commit adultery with this grand strumpet State-policy God leaves them and they are become abominable by how much the more close and spiritual their iniquities are by so much the more wicked and abominable they are to God as the most excellent things once depraved are most vile base and abject most destructive so these men now going astray no counsel so destructive so contrary to God in the aggravations of it as theirs But now Iehu at parting I shall leave to your serious consideration some few of the words of God it may be you may get meat out of them 〈◊〉 15. â—3 28. And Samuel said Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord Behold â—o obey is better then sacrifice and to heaâ—ken then the sat of rams 〈◊〉 6.14 Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord he hath rejected thee from being king The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day and hath given it to a neighbour of thine that is better then thou 〈◊〉 â—3 But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord even against the word of the Lord which he kepâ— not And also by the hand of the Prophet Jehu the son of Hanâ—ni 2 Kin. 16.7 came the word of the Lord against Baasha and against his house even for all the evil that he did in the sight of the Loâ—d in provoking him to anger with the work of his hands in being like the house of Jeroboam AND BECAVSE HE KILL'D HIM And he said unto him 1 King 20.42 Thus saith the Lord Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction therefore thy life shall go for his life and thy people for his people Hosea 1.4 And the Lord said unto him Call his name Jezreel for yet a little while and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel Gal. 2.18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed I make my self a transgressor 1 Chron. 28.3 But God said unto me Thou shall not build an house for my name because thou hast been a man of war and hast shed blood 2 Chron. 19.2 And Jehu the son of Hanani the Seer went out to meet him and said unto King Jehosaphat Shalt thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord therefore wrath is upon thee from before the Lord. 2 Chron. 26.16 But when he was strong his heart was lifted up to his destruction for he transgrest against the Lord his God ch 32.25 But Hezekiâ—h rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him for his heart was lifted up therefore was wrath upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem ch 28.10 11. And now ye purpose to keep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bond-men and bond-women to you but are there not with you even with you sins against the Lord your God now hear me therefore and deliver the captives again which ye have taken captive of your brethren for the fierce wrath of God is upon you Wherefore it shall come to pass Isa 10.1 13. that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon Mount Sion and on Jerusalem I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the King of Assyria and the glory of his high looks For he saith By the strength of my hand I have done it and by my wisdom for I am prudent and I have removed the bounds of the people and have robbed their treasuries and I have put down the inhabitant like a valiant man The Lord of hosts hath purposed it to stain the pride of all glory ch 23.9 and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth And it came to pass 2 Chron 25.16 as he talked with him that the King said unto him Art thou made of the Kings counsel forbear why shouldst thou be smitten then the Prophet forbare and said I know that God hath determined to destroy thee because thou hast done this and hast not hearkened to my counsel Now the good Lord help thee Iehu that upon reading this the maist understand the minde and will of God and repent and do tâ— first works lest c. A word to Jehonadab Jehu's counsellor In the second place I have a word to speak to Iehonadab hâ— excellent hast thou been how perspicuous hath thy glory shin'd the face of men insomuch that the Princes have taken notice of thâ— and have chosen thee for their counsellour thinking surely they shoâ— be happy and prosper if such counsellors as thou art teach theâ— Thou hast been counted worthy to ride in the chariots of the noâ— of the earth and thou hast been so far taken and ravished with tâ— sight of worldly glories from those mounts that thou hast fallen down and done worship to them notwithstanding all thy excellencies and perfections thou art overcome and fallen Repent and do thy first works or else saith the Lord I will come quickly and take that away that thou hast take away thy candlesticke Thou hast climed up the ascending steps to those Altars which are not of Gods appointment and your feet have slipt and you are fallen to the discovering of all your nakedness Remedies against this thou thy self O Jehonadab hast taught the people but now the disease hath overtaken thy self may we not justly say Physitian cure thy self but thy unskilful dealing with and carelesness towards thine own soul and thy being so slightly and so easily overcome makes it appear thou art really ignorant
of spirit that the greatest glories here below yield yet that takes him and he is overcome and besotted so as that he cannot stir one foot from it his heart is glued to it and he commits Idolatry worships the devil that he may enjoy it all his work now is to endeavour to maintain what he hath got But Iehu it 's but for a little while thou canst keep it Here he takes up his abiding place and gives all to understand he can live by faith no longer he must now live by sense How many of such Jehu's have we in these our dayes rather then the loss of their mammon their belly-gods shall be hazarded by Christs raigning over his people in the world they will fight with sword and buckler against him and do what in them lies to hinder him Those that have formerly preached up the kingdom of Christ sounded the alarms to prepare for his coming having now joyned themselves to the powers of this world turne their note and begin to tell another tale Witness the letter sent to the Norfolk-Ministers headily and injuriously charging the people of God with things that are not true falsities but their folly shall be made manifest to all men 3. Another aggravation of Iehu's sin is this That he had commission given him from God and his people to execute the vengeance of God upon Ahab and Iezebel for the very same sins that he now commits himself onely he keeps from he more gross sins as the worshipping Baal and the like For one man to execute the judgements of God written upon another man for breaking the Laws of God and men and then to do the same things himself it 's most hainous Hosea 1.4 Surely in the end there will be found an instrument to execute the same vengeance upon thy head O Iehu which thou hast executed upon others though judgement linger out of mercy for a little while to the fourth generation It 's evident how guilty we are of the same sins our forefathers were yea those very abominations for which God hath cast out and caused the Land to spue out that generation of men before us are to be found rise amongst us worshipping the Mammon of this world Pluralities Non-residents c. with this addition The forsaking the Churches of Christ and cleaving to this present evil world for filthy lucre's sake Innovations both in State and in the Worship of God or if you will something like that course Ieroboam took to establish the Kingdom to himself is now taken in the things of a spiritual concernment what meaneth else this new invention of Tryers an Innovation a thing never heard of before that men must have a Commission from humane hands upon a humane account to preach the Gospel or else no Wages Is not this like the proceedings of the Beast Antichrist that would not suffer any to buy or sell but such as had his mark Consider I pray how neer this comes to Antichrist's making merchandise of souls Let our Jehu's look to it God will remember them in the day of his accounts when he makes enquiry for blood and out of their own mouth they shall be condemned in that they have condemned and executed the judgements written against others and committed folly with the same sins themselves 4. Another Aggravation of Iehu's sin lies in this in that God did honour him with that special anointing by a special messenger as he did none of the Kings of Israel beside since Solomon's days no not Ieroboam Indeed God sent a messenger to Ieroboam to tell him what he would do for him but he was not anointed as Iehu was One Tyrant slew another and usurp'd the Kingdom to themselves but none was anointed but Iehu he was anointed to do the Lords work yet against this Anointing against this special testimony of God did Iehu sin O ungrateful Iehu But God will reward thee according to thy works Can we shift this Aggravation also off from our selves What Anointings hath God anointed us with What special and signal Testimonies hath he given of his being with us giving us Commission to do his work and being well pleased with us for obeying his voice witness Naseby Dunbar and Worcester besides many other Read over the Story of our times and see if ever God dealt so signally-graciously with any people since Israel's time Yet against all this do we sin for the present our hearts like the stony ground received them with joy and how full of resolutions were we to do for God and to the glorifying of his Name by following him fully whithersoever he would lead us but loe how soon are we turned out of the way we are sitting still building cieled houses for our selves and making sure the kingdom that it return not from us to the Son of David though God hath said that though the heathen rag and the people imagine a vain thing and Kings and Rulers take counsel together against his anointed laughing them to scorn and having them in derision he will yet set his King upon his holy hill of Sin on and give him the utmost ends of the earth for his possession O kiss the Son lest he be angry and ye perish in the way when his wrath is kindled but a little If a little wrath will perish you what ruine will that great wrath which you deserve bring speedily upon you if you prevent it not by a timely repentance 5. A fifth aggravation of Jehu's sin was this He was anointed King of the people of the Lord. This people were the Lords people and he was their God God set this Iehu ruler over this his people If they be the Lords people and the Lord be their God then he onely must he worshipped and served and feared by them they must bow down to no other Gods but him they must serve him in his own appointments not by any inventions of their own they must worship him in the place where he will be worshipped not upon the Altars of mens devising at Dan and Bethel If the people of the Lord they must walk in the Lords Wayes obey his Laws Precepts and Commands and no other All this and much more is intimated in these words The people of the Lord. And this manner of expression of the Prophet to Jehu did intimate to him that God did expect that he should lead the people on to the performing of all this God had made him the leader of his chosen ones and now he expected that he should lead them in the wayes God had chosen to communicate himself in Quest Now what benefit is this to Jehu to be King over the people of the Lord more then over any other people Answ Truely it 's a very great benefit for 1. He was in a very fair way to the fullest enjoyment of God attainable on this side heaven in his own appointments his Ordidances for being made ruler over the Lords people had
he made Solomons prayer he should have had Solomons return and had been a ruler after Gods own heart as David was and so have been made partaker of Davids full enjoyments of God in his Ordinances But 2. To be a ruler over the Lords people it 's of great advantage for what was he not able to do by their mighty power and force in faith and prayer If we look into the Scripture and see what wonderful things have been done by the faith and prayers of the Lords people we cannot but say of a truth Iehu had as great an advantage to become a second Solomon for wisdom not State-policy a second David for valour and might in conquering enemies as ever man had It 's more to be ruler over the Lords people then to be Emperor of the whole world besides to be ruler over the Lords people that have the mighty and faithful God so neerly and strongly tied and bound to them by so many great irrevocable and infallible promises as he hath made to them in his word and hath so often sworn the certainty and truth of them with the highest and greatest oath a people that have done and are still able to do such mighty and wonderful things by faith and prayer yea had done such great wonders before this Iehu's eyes witness the acts of Elijah Elisha and many other of the Lords Prophets in those dayes to be ruler over such a people what greater thing could be done for a man on earth what greater advantage over the world could be given to him Yet against all this Jehu sins though God made him ruler over his people to these and these ends and purposes and thereby gives him so many and great advantages yet he steers a contrary course in stead of leading the people to Jerusalem to worship he leads them to his calves at Dan and Bethel instead of pulling down all those inventions of their own which provoked God to so great wrath he pulls down onely those new more gross inventions which he could with no credit nor any the least shadow of conscience keep up but the old ancient fundamental bounds and limits of an Idolatrous kingdom Jeroboam's sins they must stand still and keep the people of God from going up to Jerusalem to worship from behaving themselves like the Lords people when God had carried himself so like a gracious God towards them they must stand still for the same reason and upon the same account they were first invented All that God had done for Jehu did not convince his dark minde nor his hard Idolatrous heart of the folly of those things and the reason on which they were founded nor of the equity safety happiness honour and glory that there was in and to be found in obeying the will of the Lord in leading his people up to Jerusalem to worship in Gods own appointments Now truely we need not Diogenes lantern and candle to finde out that man whom God hath made taller by the head and shoulders then the rest of his brethren and made leader of his people in this our day who hath led the people of the Lord on prosperously to the destruction of our Ahabs c. on whom the eyes of the Lords people have been fixed even to high and great expectations of the performance of many vows and promises and when we have found him shall we not see him taking up his station among the calves those antient inventions that our fore-Fathers found out to maintain an Idolatrous-kingdom and making them his own and if so will he not make that great wrath and punishment God hath so often entail'd upon them his own too shall we not behold him leading the people back again into those wayes to redeem his people out of which God hath made bare such a mighty arm of power and providence and it 's my prayer that our eager marching back towards Egypt may not hurry us to the brink of the red-sea ere we make a stand A sixth aggravation of Jehu's sin was His deceiving Gods expectations But Jehu took no heed to walk in the way of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart Saith God I have done thus and thus for Jehu anointed him King over Israel honoured him in executing my judgements upon mine enemies by him and because he hath done all that was in my heart against the house of Ahab mine and my peoples enemies I have given him the kingdom and now I expected he should have brought forth fruit answerable to my kindness with all his heart But Jehu took no heed to that Will not the loving kindness of thy God work upon thee O Jehu what will then Love in its effects is like the Sun it either softens or hardens one of these two are the inseparable effects of its influences Whether wilt thou be hardened with Pharaoh and drowned in the Red-sea or softened with Hezekiah and have thy dayes prolonged canst thou remember the goodness of God to thee and bring forth no hearty fruit answerable to his expectations but deceive him totally Well Jehu thou wilt repent of this when it is too late I fear How have we in our dayes been guilty of this deceiving the expectations of our God in not in any measure answering the mercies of our God What returnes have we made to him for his mercy at Naseby Dunbar Worcester and many other places Yea such is the deceit and hypocrisie of our hearts that we cannot tell how to perform those LITTLE VOWES that the glory of those mercies extorted from us in the present ravishment of our hearts with their glorious beauty The Seventh and last aggravation of Jehu's sin is necessarily implied in the words that it was against all the faith and prayers of the people of God Can it be supposed that such a man as Jehu was so full of holy profession so outwardly zealous for God and the performance of his word who would not have one tittle of it fall to the ground should not such a man as this have a large-share in the hearts of Gods people and so in their faith and prayer and yet to deceive them and sin against these What mighty sins were these sins of Jehu's guilty of such aggravations surely the sins of Corah Dathan and Abiram were but Pigmies to these Giants if their sins opened the earth to the swallowing them up alive certainly the head of these reach heaven it self and cry aloud for veangeance and wrath And may not our Jehu's cry guilty here too what faith what confidence of Gods performing his promises now to the latter ages of the world what a spirit of prayer hath been amongst the people of God in these dayes by beholding the glorious out-goings of God in his providences and his beginning to execute his wrath upon Babylon the kingdom of the Beast and have not you sinned against these consider it have not you frustated and deceived the expectations of the people of
it looks like such a mans counsel that compasseth sea land to make a proselyte and when he hath so done he makes him twofold more the child of hell then himself What Jehonadab hath to say for himself concerning this matter we shall see anon But can this excuse the business surely no such an excuse freed not our first parents from the curse neither will it thee Jehu without repentance from punishment Consider how hateful to God hypocrisie is you may see it in Christs hatred of it for he is the express image of his Father how full of indignation is he against the Scribes and Pharisees why because they were hypocrites In all his sermons discourses none did he so complain of against none was so violent as against hypocrites yea when he would express the wickedness of that generation wherein he lived to the full he calls them hypocrites Ye Scribes and Pharisâ—es hypocrites It 's a comprehensive appellation it comprehends all other sins in it hyprocrisie is sin in the abstract the qâ—â—nâ—â—ssense of all depravity and contrariety to God Hypocrisie it 's most offensive and loathsome to God such that he will spue out of his mouth so offensive it is that God will bring upon the head of an hypocritical generation all the deserts of a former wicked and prophane generation Mat. 23.34 35 36. yea the state of an hypocrite is made use of in Scripture as a signal term to set forth the dismal condition of the damned by The Lord of that servant shall come Mat. 24.50 51. c. and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites And yet wilt thou play the hypocrite Jehu think upon it will the counsel of Jehonadab save thy back from inheriting the stripes of a fool for this thy wisdom Plead not the goodness of thy end nor the uprightness of thy intentions That all is for the glory of God and bringing about the will of God We must not do evil that good may come of it The goodness of an end will not sanctifie an action but the sinfulness of an action may pollute and defile the goodness of an end But why could not Jehu go through with his work and pull down the Calves take away the antient fundamental political bounds of the Idolatrous kingdom in Israel that so the people might go up without let or hinderance to Jerusalem to worship O our kingdom would then be lost nothing but ruine confusion and loss would come unto us If any advantage be to be found in it it would be another's portion and inheritance not ours our kingdom would be lost the son of David would take it from us O most miserable kingdom that is upheld by such abominable bounds limits that provoke God to so great wrath to the consuming generations of men from off the earth for is it possible that inventions of men should be able to uphold that which God sets himself yea all his glorious Attributes against can it be supposed that weak man that is but as the grass that withereth should uphold that which we fear the promises of the great God cannot Suffer the children to cry Hosanna to the son of David and exalt him as King no that must not be tolerated we must rebuke them and stop their mouths imprison them and hinder their going on in this course otherwise what shall we do our kingdom will be destroyed and nothing but ruine and destruction will be left us for an inheritance Iehu I beseech thee consider these few things First The evil and wickedness of all State-policy and so of thy State-policy it 's a sin that destroyes more Rulers then all other sins doth but particularly the evil of it appears in these three things 1. It withdraws from God This is evident in this example of Ieroboam his State-policy and wisdom put a necessity upon him of leaving the true God and committing that great and devouring sin of Idolatry Calves must be set up and must be called Gods and must be worship'd for if the people go up to sacrifice at Ierusalem the kingdom will return to the house of David His carnal reason dictates such strong and feasible Arguments to him that it was impossible for him to hold his kingdom if that Rehoboam had that advantage of the peoples going up to Ierusalem to worship therefore he must either lose his kingdom or leave his God No Idol no King Thus his reason of State turned him from God And the same reason kept back all the Kings of Israel from going to God Why if they did they must lose their kingdom and that they would not do they loved their outward concernments better then their God and therefore rather then hazard the loss of them although it was but in appearance to their dim eyes they would let God go whither he would for them they would have none of him But this cost them dear at last yea this same reason wrought so strongly upon Israel's Iehu that enlightened man whose eyes pierced the confines of heaven and saw glories which are not the objects of every common eye that it blinded him so that he could not step over the stumbling-block the fear of losing his kingdom yea if this vanity take but a little place in the hearts of the true children of God it draws them at a distance from him as is plain the case of Asa when through policy he would go and hire the Syrians it smothered the faith that acted in him before to the destruction of Zerah the mighty Aethiopian it drew him from his confidence and trusting in the Lord as the Prophet saith and many dishonorings of the Lord followed upon it as the story evidences 2. It brings great affliction What affliction did this State-policy bring upon Asa it brought that sore reproof from God by the Prophet which so enraged him it brought great wars upon him and surely every one will say they are afflictions And it 's more then probable that his continuance in that sin brought that dismal disease upon his feet that he could never walk uprightly afterward What affliction brought it upon good Iehosaphat whose policy made him joyne with Ahab it brought him into great danger of his life and drew down wrath upon his own head 3. It brings utter ruine What ruine did this calvish State-policy bring upon Ieroboam Baasha Ahab Iehu and all the Kings of Israel yea by reason of the peoples compliance therewith the whole nation at last they are carried away and their name rooted out from under heaven yea had it not been for Gods promise to David what ruine would it have brought upon Ierusalem it self and her Kings How neer ruine did it many times bring her and God professes it was for his promise sake that he had mercy on her When the scepter was departed from Judah and so God not engaged to it by promise what effect had this State-policy upon that generation of men among whom