The Theater of Gods Judgments, Book 1 · Chapter 17
CHAP XVII. Of the third and worst sort of Apostates, those that through malice forsake the Truth.
IF so be that they of whom we have spoken in the two former Chapters, are in their revoltings inexcusable (as indeed they are) then much more worthy condemnation are they, who not only in a villanous contempt cast away the grace of Gods Spirit, and his holy worship; but also of a purposed malice set themselves against the same, yea and endeavour with all their power, utterly to race and root it out, and in stead thereof to plant the lies, errors, and illusions of Satan by all means possible. Against this kinde of Monsters sentence is pronounced in the thirteenth of Deutronomy, to wit, That justice should be executed upon them with all extremity, and no mercy and compassion shewed upon him, be he Prophet or what else, that goeth about to seduce others from the service of the Almighty, to follow false gods. This is the pitfall wherein Ieroboam the first King of Israel slipped by the perversenesse of his owne conscience; who as he had by his rebellion against Rehoboam and the house of David, upreared a new kingdome; so by rebellion against God and his House (in hope by that means to retaine his usurped state and people in subjection) upreared also a new Religion: for distrusting the promises of God which were made him by the Prophet Ahias as touching the Realme of Israel, which he was already in possession of, and despising the good counsell of God, in respect of his owne inventions, he was so besotted and bleared with them, that just after the patterne of his idolatrous forefathers, who by their Aegyptian tricks had provoked the wrath of God against themselves, he set up golden calves, and caused the people to worship them, keeping them so from going to Ierusalem to worship God: nor yet content with this, hee also erected high places to set his Idols in; and having restrained the Priests and Levites from the exercise of their charge, hee ordained a new order of Priests to sacrifice and minister unto his gods, and proclaimed a newer feast than that was in Iuda; even the seventh day of the eighth monethmonth: wherein he not onelyonly exiled the pure service of God, but also perverted and turned upside downe the Ecclesiasticall discipline and policy of Gods Church, which by the Law had been instituted. And that which is yet more, as he was offering incense on the Altar at Bethel, when the Prophet cryed out 1 King. 13.against the Altar, and exclaimed against that filthy Idolatry, by denouncing the vengeance of God against it, and the maintainers thereof, he was Contempt of Gods Word, lib. 1. cap. 34.so desperate and sencelesse, as to offer violence to him, and to command that he should be attached; but the power of Gods displeasure was upon him by and by: for that hand which he had stretched out against the Prophet, dried up, so that he could not draw it backe againe; and at the very instant, for a manifest declaration of the wrath of God, the Altar rent in pieces, and the ashes that were within were dispersed abroad. And although at the prayer of that holy man, his hand was restored to his former strength and soundnesse, yet returned not he from his unjust and disloyall dealing, but obstinately continued therein till his dying day. Wherefore also the 1 King. 14.fierce wrath of God hunted and pursued him continually: for first of all, he was robbed of his sonne Abia, dying through sicknesse: then he was set upon by Abia King of Iuda, with an army of foure hundred thousand 2 Chron. 3.men of warre: and though his power was double in strength and number, arising to eight hundred thousand persons, yet was he and his vaste army quite discomfited: for he lost at that field five hundred thousand of his men, beside certain cities which were yeelded to Abia in the pursuit of his victory: his courage was so abated and impoverished ever after this, that he could uever recover strength to resist the King of Iudah any more: And so God revenged at once the Apostasie both of the King and people of Israel, and last of all so strucke him after, that he died.
Ioram King of Iuda, although his father Iosaphat had instructed him from 2 Chron. 21.his childehood with holy and wholsome precepts, and set before his face the example of his owne zeale, in purging the Church of God from all Idolatry and superstition, and maintaining the true and pure service of God; yet did he so foulely runne astray from his fathers steps, that allying himselfe by the marriage of Athalia, to the house of Achab, he became not only himselfe like unto the Kings of Israel in their filthy idolatry, but also drew his people after him, causing the inhabitants of Ierusalem, and men of Iuda, to runne a whoring after his strange gods: for which cause Elias the Prophet most sharply reproved him by letters; the contents whereof in summe was this: That because he rebelled against the Lord God of his Fathers; therefore the people that were in his subjection should rebell against him. Presently the Arabians and Philistims rose up against him, wasted his countrey, robbed him of his treasures, tooke away his wives, and put all his children to the sword, except little Ochozias his youngest sonne that was preserved: And after all these miseries, the Lord smote him with so outragious and uncurable disease in his bowels, that after two yeares torment he died thereof, his guts being fallen out of his belly with anguish.
Ioas also King of the same country, was one to whom God had bin many 2. Chron. 22.wayes beneficiall from his infancy: for he was even then miraculously preserved from the bloudy hand of Athalia, and after brought up in the house of God, under the tuition of that good Priest Iehoiada; yet he was no sooner lifted up into his royall dignity, but by and by he and his people started aside, to the worship of stocks and stones, at that time when hee had taken upon him the repaire of the House of God. But all this came to passe after the decease of that good Priest his Tutor, whose good deeds towards him in saving his life, and giving him the Crowne, he most unthankfully recompenced, by putting to death his sonne Zacharias; whom hee 2 Chlon. 24.caused (for reproving and threatning his Idolatry in a publique assembly, incited thereto by the Spirit of God) to be stoned to death in the porch of the Temple. But seeing he did so rebelliously set himselfe against the holy Spirit, as if he would have quite oppressed and extinguished the power thereof, by the death of this holy Prophet, by whom it spake; God hissed for an army of Syrians, that gave him battell, and conquered his souldiers, who in outward shew seemed much too strong for them. His Princes also that had seduced him, were destroyed, and himselfe vexed with grievous diseases; till at length his owne servants conspired against him for the death of Zacharias, and slew him on his bed; yea and his memory was so odious, that they could not afford him a burying place among the sepulchres of their Kings.
Amazias the sonne of this wicked father, carried himselfe also at the 2 Chron. 25.first uprightly towards God in his service; but it lasted not long: for a while after, he was corrupted and turned aside from that good way which he had begun, to tread in the by-paths of his father Ioas: for after he had conquered the Idumaeans, and slaine twenty thousand men of warre, and spoyled divers of their cities; in stead of rendring due thanks to God, who (without the ayde of the Israelites) had given him that victory, he set up the gods of the Edomites, which he had robbed them of, to be his gods, and worshipped and burned incense to them, so void of sence and reason was he. And being rebuked by the Prophet of his adverse dealing, he was so farre from humbling and repenting himself thereof, that quite contrary, he proudly withstood and rejected the Prophets threatnings, menacing him with death if he ceased not. Thus by this means having aggravated his sinne, and growing more and more obstinate, God made him an instrument to hasten his owne destruction; for being proud, and puffed up with the overthrow which he gave the Edomites, he defied the King of Israel, and provoked him to battell also; but full evill to his ease: for he lost the day, and was carried prisoner to Ierusalem, where before his face (for more reproach) foure hundred cubits of the wall was broken downe, the Temple and Palace ransackt of his Treasures, and his children carried for hostages to Samaria. And not long after, treason was devised against him in Ierusalem, so that he fled to Lachish, and being pursued thither also, was there taken and put to death.
Likewise King Ahaz for making molten Images for Baalim, and walking 2. Chron. 28.in the idolatrous wayes of the Kings of Israel, and burning his sonnes with fire, after the abhomination of the heathen, in the valley of Ben-Hinnon, was forsaken of the Lord, and delivered into the hands of the King of Syria, who carried him prisoner to Damascus; and not onelyonly so but was also subdued by Pekah King of Israel, in that great battell, wherein his owne sonne, with fourescore thousand men at armes, were slaine; yea and two hundred thousand of all sorts, men, women, and children, were taken prisoners: for all these chastisements did he not once reforme his life, but rather grew worse and worse. To make up the number of his sinnes, he would needs sacrifice to the gods of Damascus also, thinking to finde succour at their hands: so that he utterly defaced the true service of God at Ierusalem, broke in pieces the holy Vessels, lockt up the Temple dores, and placed in their steads his abhominable Idols, for the people to worship, and erected Altars in every corner of the city to doe sacrifice on. But as he rebelled on every side against his God, so God raised up enemies on every side to disturbe him: the Edomites and Philistims assaulted him on every side, beat his people, tooke and ransackt his cities: on the other side, the Assyrians whom he had hired with a great sum for his help, turned to his undoing and utter overthrow and confusion.
Wat shall we thinke of Manasses? who re-edified the high places and 2 Chron. 22.Altars, which the zeale of Ezech… as his father had defaced and throwne downe, and adored and worshipped the planets of Heaven, the Sunne, the Moone, and the Starres, prophaned the porch of Gods Temple with Altars dedicated to strange gods, committing thereon all the abhominations of the Gentiles; yea, and caused his sonnes to passe through the valley of Lib. 1. cap. 26. Idolatry.Ben-Hinnon, and was an observer of times and seasons, and gave himselfe over to witchcraft, charming, and sorceries, and used the help of familiar spirits and Soothsayers; and that which is more, placed a carved Image in the house of God, flat against the second commandement of the Law: So that he did not only go astray and erre himselfe, in giving over his mind to most wicked and damnable heresies, but also seduced the people by his pernitious example and authority to doe the like mischiefe. And that which is yet more, and worst of all, he made no account nor reckoning of the admonitions of the Prophets; but the rather and the more hardened his heart, to runne out into all manner of cruelty and wickednesse, that his sinnes might have their full measure. For the very stones of the streets of Ierusalem were stained from one corner to another with the guiltlesse and innocent bloud of those that either for disswading him from, or not yeelding unto his abhominable and detestable Idolatry, were cruelly murthered: Amongst the number of which slaine innocents, many suppose that the Prophet Esayas (although he was of the bloud-royall) was with a 2 King. 12.strange manner of torment put to death. Wherefore the flame of Gods ire was kindled against him and his people: so that he stirred up the Assyrians against them; whose power and force they being not able to resist, were subdued, and the King himselfe taken and put in fetters, and bound in chaines, carried captive to Babylon: but being there in tribulation, hee humbled his soule, and prayed unto the Lord his God; who for all his wicked, cruell, and abhominable Apostasie was intreated of him, and received him to mercy; yea and brought him againe to Ierusalem into his unhoped for kingdome. Then was he no more unthankfull to the Lord for his wonderfull deliverance, but being touched with true repentance for his former life, abolished the strange gods, broke downe their Altars, and restored againe the true Religion of God, and gave strait commandement to his people to doe the like. Wherein it was the pleasure of the Highest, to leave a notable memoriall unto all posterity, of his great and infinite mercy towards poore and miserable sinners, to the end that no man (be his sinnes never so hainous) should at any time despaire: for, Where sin aboundeth, Rom. 5.there grace aboundeth much more Admit that this revolt of Manasses was farre greater and more outragious than was Solomons, yet his true repentance found the grace to be raised up from that … …ull downefall: for, God Rom. 9. 15.hath mercy on whom he will have mercy, and compassion on whom he will have compassion. O the profound riches of the wisedome and knowledge of God! How unspeakable Rom. 11. 33.are his judgements? and his wayes p…st finding out.
Amon the wicked sonne of this repentant …ather committed also the like 2 Chron. 33.offence in serving strange gods, but recanted not by like repentance; and therefore God gave his owne servants both will to conspire, and power Idolatry. Lib. 1. cap. 26.to execute his destruction, after hee had swayed the kingdome but two yeares.