The Casting Down of the Last and Strongest Hold of Satan, Treatise · Chapter 1 · Thesis 9 – Thesis 11
9. THESIS.
The holy Patriarchs, good Judges, godly Kings, and other pious Magiſtrates ſpoken of in Scripture, did de facto make uſe of their power and authority over others to ſuppreſſe falſe Doctrine, falſe Worſhip, falſe Prophets, Seducers, and to bring thoſe under them to the true feare and Worſhip of God; they thought it their duty not only in their owne perſons to keep to the Word of God and to ſerve him, and to bring their children to it, but to command all under their Government to the true worſhip of God, forbidding and ſuppreſſing all other. It would fill a Book to relate and open all the particulars concerning Religion, in commanding the true, deſtroying the falſe, and puniſhing falſe Prophets, Idolaters, Apoſtates, recorded in the Scriptures of Abraham, Jacob, Moſes, Joſhua, Gedeon, Jehoſaphat, Aſa, Hezekiah, Joſiah, Manaſſeh after his converſion, Nehemiah, with many others. I ſhall ſet downe ſome particulars of ſome of them.
Abraham the Patriarch was a Magiſtrate, a great Prince, that had three hundred and eighteene ſervants armed trained men borne in his houſe, he had not only the Covenant in his owne fleſh, but he made all that were borne in his houſe, and all that were bought with his money to be circumciſed Geneſ. 17. he caſt alſo out of his Familie, Hagar the bond-woman, and ſcoffing perſecuting Iſmael, born after the fleſh, Geneſ. 21. compared with Galath. 4. 29, 30. and Geneſ. 18. God ſaith of him, I know that he will command his children and his houſhold after him, and they ſhall keep the way of the Lord; upon which place Maſter*A Sermon before the houſe of Commons cald A Plot for the good of Poſterity. Cheynel a learned Divine of the Aſſembly writes thus: Abraham did not leave his children and ſervauts to their owne genius, their owne Councels, their owne luſts, though 'tis certaine that divers of them would have thancked him for ſuch a Liberty; for they had been nurſed up in Superſtition and Idolatry as Abraham was, and might have pretended that they were not ſatisfied in point of Conſcience; ☞but Abraham knew how to diſtinguiſh between Liberty of Conſcience and liberty of luſt, and therefore would not allow them ſuch a Liberty as would have enticed them into the worſt kind of bondage. * Pareus alſo,Pareus in Gen. 18. 19. God uſes the word command, that Parents and Superiours may underſtand that they are not overly and ſlightly, but diligently, and with authority to do their duty to bring their inferiours to the feare and obedience of God. Jacob the Patriarch, Geneſ. 35. 2, 3, 4. ſaid to his houſhold, and to all that were with him (all under his power protection) put away the ſtrange Gods that are among you, and be cleane, and change your garments. And they gave unto Jacob all the ſtrange gods which were in their Land, and all their ear-rings which were in their eares, and Jacob hid them under the Oake which was by Shechem. Pareus upon the place ſhowes that they that were with Jacob made diſtinct from his houſhold, were thoſe Sichemits that were taken captive by the ſonnes and ſervants of Jacob who had brought their Idols with them, and obſerves that as 'tis the office of a good Maſter of a family in his houſe, ſo of a Magiſtrate in the Common-wealth to take away Idols and inſtruments of Idolatry, and other lets of true converſion to God.
Jehoſaphat, Aſa, Hezekiah, Joſiah, thoſe excellent Princes made uſe of their power and the authority of their places in their Kingdomes and Territories, to put down and ſuppreſſe falſe worſhips and wayes, to puniſh falſe Prophets, Idolatrous Prieſts, and the people who went after them, to eſtabliſh the true faith and worſhip of God, and to command and cauſe all their people by Lawes and their Authority to ſtand to their Reformations; yea Manaſſeh who had been ſo wicked, preſently upon his converſion, 2 Chron. 33. 15, 16. reſted not in his own repentance that he knew that the Lord was God, but he took away the ſtrange Gods, all the Altars, and caſt them out of the City, and repaired the Altar of the Lord, and commanded Judah to ſerve the Lord God of Iſrael: as before he had made them to erre by his place, and power, verſe 9. ſo now he made them to ſerve the Lord God of Iſrael. Aſa that good King, 2 Chron. 14. and 15. chap. by his kingly power took away all Idolatry and falſe worſhip, and that not only out of the Land of Judah and Benjamin, but out of the Cities which he had taken from Mount Ephraim, the ſtrangers of Ephraim, Manaſſeh, and out of Simeon, all under his power and juriſdiction, though of the ten Tribe…, and accounted ſtrangers after the revoult; yea, hee deſtroyed the Idoll of his Queene Mother. Secondly, hee ſetled and renewed the true worſhip of God renewing the Altar of the Lord, and entring into a Covenant to ſeek the Lord God. Thirdly, he commanded Judah to ſeek the Lord God, and to do the Law and the commandment, and to enter into a Covenant to bind themſelves more to the right ſeeking of God. Fourthly, he puniſhed thoſe under his government who went contrary, viz. they ſhould be put to death who would not enter into this Covenant, or having entred into it, ſhould fall from it, and his Queen Mother he removed from being Queen, becauſe ſhe had made an Idol in a Grove, that is, he deprived his mother of all dignity and authority which ſhe had by cuſtome. Jehoſophat uſed his Authority when he came to be King to take away the high places and Groves out of Judah, and from*Vide Junium in 2 Chron. 19 4. and the late Annotations of the Engliſh Divines on that place. Beerſheba to Mount Ephraim from South to North, from one end of his Kingdome to another he brought his people unto God from whom they had fallen, (for the Kingdome of Judah from the dayes of Aſa was extended to Mount Ephraim.) Hezekiah when he came to the Kingdome remoued the high places and Images, cut down the Groves, broke in pieces the brazen Serpent; he and his Princes gave out a commandment, and eſtabliſhed a Decree for the keeping of the Paſſeover, and for the turning of the people unto God, and he reſtored the true worſhip of God, and commanded the Prieſts and the people to do their duties in their ſeverall places. Joſiah that godly Prince, Firſt, he removed and deſtroyed the high places, Groves, carved Images, molten Images, the Altars of Baalim and all the Idols out of all the Land, he took away the horſes given to the Sun, he defiled Topheth, brake down the houſes of the Sodomites, and purged the Land of all the abominations. Secondly, he put down all the idolatrous Prieſts, and all other Prieſts that had burnt Incenſe upon the high places, and ſlew all the Prieſts of the high places upon the Altars. Thirdly, he reſtored the true worſhip of God, made a Covenant with God to that end, and commanded the people to keep the Paſſeover, and to performe the Covenant. Fourthly, he cauſed all that were preſent in Jeruſalem and Benjamin to ſtand to the Covenant, and made all that were preſent in Iſrael to ſerve, even to ſerve the Lord their God, 2 Chron. 34. 32, 33.*Vide late Annot. on 2 Cron. 34. 32, 33. Regia ſua auctoritate obſtrinxit & quā vis propenſos Judaeorū animos compeſcuit ne ipſo vivo ab externo Dei cultu deficerent; tantam adhibuit ſeveritatem diſciplinae. Tremellius & Junius in locum. that is all that were under his juriſdiction he kept them in ſuch awe by his regall authority and penall lawes, as they durſt not but ſtand to the Covenant.
10. THESIS.
As de facto 'tis evident in the examples related (beſides divers others recorded in Scripture) that good Magiſtrates did alwayes meddle for God and his truth, againſt falſe worſhip and ſeducers, ſo that they did it de jure, and ought to do ſo is as clear from the approbations, ſpeciall teſtimonies, promiſes, rewards and bleſſings given by God of them, made to them, and beſtowed by God on them for ſo doing. There's hardly any place mentioning what the Patriarchs, Judges, Kings, Magiſtrates did in this kind, but there's ſome commendation, ſome bleſſing, ſome ſpeciall teſtimony from God for ſo doing recorded in thoſe places, 2 Chron. 14. 2, 3, 4. Aſa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God, For he took away the Altars of the ſtrange gods and the high places, &c. So 'tis ſaid of Jehoſophat, Hezekiah, Joſiah, they did that which was right in the fight of the Lord, are highly commended, have many bleſſings upon themſelves and their Kingdoms, and all for commanding by their Princely power their ſubjects to good, and removing all falſe worſhip and the means of it. God will not hide from Abraham the thing that he was doing concerning Sodom, and the reaſon is given, becauſe he will command his children and his houſhold after him to keep the way of the Lord. Iacob took away the ſtrange Gods from his houſhold and all that were with him, and God manifeſts his approbation of it, the terror of God was upon the Cities round about Iacob, and they did not purſue after the ſonnes of Iacob; yea God gives ſuch teſtimony to Princes and Magiſtrates ſuppreſſing falſe Prophets and falſe worſhips, that he hath rewarded with temporall bleſſings wicked Kings for ſo doing, as is evident in Iehu, who for deſtroying Baal out of Iſrael, though he departed not from the finnes of Ieroboam, yet his children of the fourth generation ſhould ſit on the throne of Iſrael, 2 Kings 10. 28, 29, 30.
11. THESIS.
Thoſe Magiſtrates, Judges and Princes, even the dear ſervants of God, who being in place of authority and power, that out of carnall reſpects to wives, children and other intereſts, have ſuffered and tolerated Idolatry and other evils (though they in their owne perſons never practiſed, much leſſe commanded any ſuch things, nay diſſwaded from them) and not uſed their power to reſtraine and hinder them, have been both ſharply reproved and ſeverely puniſhed by God for it: King Solomon having power to hinder his wives from Idolatry, and not doing it, but ſuffering them, God is provoked to bring wrath upon him and his family, 1 King. 11. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. 10, 11, 12. to rend the Kingdome from him, to ſtirr up an adverſary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite. Tis the opinion of many good*Meiſnerus Sect. 2. Contro. quaeſt. Politic. de Magiſt. pag. 841. Vituperatur autem Solomon idololatrica ſacra permittens. Ameſ. Animad. in Remonſtrat▪ Synod Script. ſuper 5. Artic. de Perſeverant. cap. 7. de Solomone. Certum eſt Solomonem non introduxiſſe aut admiſſiſſe idola in domum Dei, neque adegiſſe populum ut vel Dei verum cultum deſererent vel colerent Idola; neque probari poteſt eum in ſua propria perſona coluiſſe idola. Hoc tantum certum eſt de ejus idololatria quod infatuatus a mulieribus idololatricis permiſerit eas construere, aut ipſemet juſſit conſ…rui fana & erigi altaria. Divines, and that upon the firſt of Kings, ch. 11. and in anſwer to the Arminians upon that Article of falling from Grace, that Solomon did not bring or admit Idols into the houſe of God, neither did he command the people, that either they ſhould forſake the true worſhip of God, or worſhip Idols, neither can it be proved that he did in his owne perſon worſhip Idols. This is only certaine that being bewitched by his Idolatrous wives, he ſuffered them to build Altars and high places, or at moſt commanded them to be built, and this the word in the Hebrew verſ. 11. with thee, not of thee, implies as much, for as much as this is done with thee, implying done in his Kingdom, and neer Ieruſalem, though not by Solomon himſelfe. Eli being a Judge, becauſe when his ſonnes made themſelves vile, ht reſtrained them not, redreſſed not their corruptions and abuſes about the Sacrifices, though he reproved and diſſwaded them from their wayes by many ſtrong arguments, therefore God brought fearfull ruine upon him and his houſe, cutting off his arme, and the arme of his fathers houſe, &c. as in 1 Sam. 2, 3, 4. chap. 'tis laid down at large.