The Kings Chronicle, Chapter 6 – Chapter 7
THE ACTS OF JEHOJADA.
CHAP. VI.
Jehojada the chiefe Prieſt takes an excellent way for the Poſturing the Kingdome, executeth judgement and justice: makes a covenant betweene GOD and the people; betweene the King and the People; breakes downe the Altars and Images of Baal, ſlayeth the vile Prieſts there, appoints Officers for GODS Houſe, and ſets Porters that no uncleane thing ſhouldenter enter there.
IEhojada, a Chiefe Prieſt indeed, and a Prince too, takes care to ſet the Kingdome in a Poſture of Defence againſt an uſurping and inſolent Idolatreſſe: the way he takes is remarkeable; he firſt cauſeth the Captaines to enter into a Proteſtation a2 Chro. 23. 1.or Covenant with him; Tels them Gods Counſell, touching the ſucceſſion in Davids houſe bver. 3.; orders the Militia of the Houſe of GOD, after that cals forth the Captains, makes them proviſion of Arms, and then ſweares allegeance to their true King; appoints every man his place cver. 4, 5.; ſets a guard about the King; every man with his weapon in his hand dver. 7.. All is done as Iehoiada appointed; Then the King is brought forth, the Crowne is put upon his head, but he is not made King yet. The Teſtimony is put into his hand. What is that? The Law of GOD, the Kings Law-Booke bver. 18., whereof you reade, Deut. 17. Wherein the King muſt learne, how to ſerve GOD, and to governe his people.
This is the Teſtimony they gave into his hands, and ſo they made him King cver. 11., And having annointed him, they ſaid, GOD ſave the King, Amen. But Athaliah ſayes not ſo; ſhe expected to heare, GOD ſave the Queene, when in truth, there could be no ſuch prayer put up for her; ſhe heares of a King, and ſhe cals out Treaſon, and ſhe doubles it, Treaſon, Treaſon. Who does ſo? Athaliah, that fire-brand in Judah, who had conſumed the nobleſt Families therein, and murthered all the Seed Royall: The moſt notorious woman in all the world, except one, and that was her Mother Iezabell. See the manner! This wicked woman cryes out Treaſon, Treaſon; calls others by her owne name. But what was the matter, that occaſioned ſuch an out-cry? This was all; The Crowne was ſet upon the right head; the teſtimony was put into the Kings hand; he is of the houſe of David, he muſt be King; and the people put up a Prayer for him, heartily, GOD ſave the King; and all the people reioyced. Thinke upon it, ponder it well. Is there any Treaſon in all this? Yes, ſaith Athaliah; Treaſon, Treaſon! That was Treaſon in her account, That the Seed of David ſhould raigne: That there ſhould be ſuch acclamations, ſuch proſperity wiſhed to the Kingdome of David. But her time is come, ſhe muſt be made drunke with her own blood, that had ſhed the blood of her husbands children. No matter what ſhe ſayes now, Iehoiada will not diſpute ſo cleare a caſe; He charges his Captaines, ſaying, have her forth of the Ranges dver. 14.: And if any one be ſo foole-hardy, as to appeare on her ſide, Slay him alſo with the Sword, but defile not the houſe of the LORD. So they laid hands on her ever. 15.. And where was ſhe ſlaine? It is worth our obſervation; juſt at the entring the horſe-gate; ſhe was hurried out of GODS Court, and could not reach home to her owne Court, before ſhe felt the Sword in her bowels; ſhe had lived like a beaſt, tyrannized like a Lioneſſe; ſhe muſt be ſlaine neare to her Stable, entring the Horſe-gate. Looke about you and conſider; you will finde that ſome ignominious death has befell the Idolatreſſe; and a place where very ſutable to the manner of her life. Where was ſhe buried? There is no anſwer to that. As her Mother Iezabell was trampled under the feet of her enemies herſes: So Athaliah was ſlaine at her owne horſe-gate; Iezabell was devoured by dogs, as the LORD had threatned. What became of Athaliah, we doe not find; ſhe was ſlain, and before the Horſegate: That was as much as Jehojada was to looke after, not where ſuch a wicked woman was to be buried.
And now here was a good worke diſpatched; what was that? Judgement and Juſtice was executed; The wicked Councellour was remooved, ſhee, that had deſtroyed the Seed Royall, and councelled her owne Sonne to his Deſtruction.
A good riddance indeed! Now Jehoiada goes on comfortably; And what do's he? He made a Covenant betweene Him, [GOD] and betweene all the People, and betweene the King, that they ſhould be the LORDS People fver. 16.. Of infinite conſideration ….all this; He made a Covenant betweene GOD, the People▪ and the King; He ſhewed the King the meaning and purpoſe of the Teſtimony, put into his hand; bids the King remember, he was in GODS ſtead, ſate in GODS Throne; muſt doe all by GODS booke: That is his Covenant betwixt GOD and his people, now that GOD has made him King over them.]
That they ſhould be the LORDS people. Had Jehoiada ſate muzing, as many dayes as he ſpent minutes upon this great buſineſſe, the crowning the King, ſecuring him, and his Kingdome; he could not have thought of a ſpeedier and more compendious way then this, to engage them to be the LORDS People. If they be ſo, they have aſſured confidence for ever. The LORDS vineyard, it is the ſecurity of that vineyard; The LORDS Kingdome, it is the ſecurity of that Kingdome; The LORDS People, it is the ſecurity of that people. Touch not theſe annointed-ones. Why? They are Mine: Nor the Prophets, for the ſame Reaſon, they are Mine alſo, and as the Apple of Mine Eye, So I tender them, ſaith the Lord. It is ſo, and ſo you may runne through all the Cities, Townes, Houſes, Gates, Ships, Strong-holds and Forts; it is the Lords City, a ſecured City, &c. But looke to it now; if not the Lords, we have no ſecurity from His hand for our Peace: Every thing may do us hurt, nothing ſhall doe us good, if not the LORDS: Goe yee upon her Walls and deſtroy; Take away her battlements gIer. 5▪ 10.. Ai, if we had an Arme like GOD, we could eaſily doe it might the Adverſary ſay; But it is not ſo ſoone done as ſpoke; the walls are high, and the battlements very ſtrong. No matter how high they are, nor how ſtrong they are, you ſhall take them. Why? They are not the LORDS (i. e.) Their defence is departed from them hNumb 14. 9.; The LORD protecteth them not, and then wounded men ſhall take the Fortreſſe iIer. 37. 10.; and the lame the prey kEſa. 33. 23.. In being or not being, the Lords people is ſumm'd▪ up all our comforts, or all our woes. Therefore of mighty conſideration this is, That they might be the Lords people. And now the people of GOD riſe apace and downe falls Baall, and they ſhatter his houſe all too peeces over his Lordſhips head; and yet the worke is not done; they break downe his Altars, and Images all to peeces l: And yet they have but little more then 2 Chro. 23. …vor. 17.halfe done: But here will be a perfect Reformation preſently, when they have ſlain the Maſſe-Prieſt, Mattan the Prieſt of Baal before the Altar, and that is done now, and before the Altars: I pray you note it; That Prieſt of Baal, like our Maſſ-Prieſt now, had been offering before the Altars, and when he did ſo, he offered ſacrifice to Devils. Now he muſt be ſlaine before the Altars; where he had wrought ſuch abominations, there he muſt be ſlaine. Now Jehoiada has but one worke more to doe, then the Reformation is compleat, and Judah is as well-poſtured, as can be expected. He appointed the Officers of the houſe of the LORD; ſet the Porters at the gate of the houſe of the LORD aver. 18., that none, which was uncleane in any thing ſhould enter in there bver. 19.. Indeed there cannot be too much Caution about the houſe of the LORD, a double watch there doe's well, for if any thing that is uncleane enter in there, it will diffuſe it's ſelfe there like a Leproſie unto all the people. Of mighty Conſideration this allſo, for filthineſſe from the Prieſt, is as ſpreading as oyle from the head, ſpreading it's ſelfe through all the people, for from the Prophets of Jeruſalem is prophaneneſſe gone-forth into all the Land. And now the MILITIA Iet. 23. 15.was as compleated as it could be, for ſo it was ordered: And ſo ſucceſſefull it was, That all the People of the Land reioyced, and the City was quiet, When was it quiet? The Anſwer to that is very conſiderable; After … Chron. 13 20, 21.that, they had ſlaine Athaliah with the Sword, that wicked and idolatrous woman; the City was quiet, and not before. Shee was ſtill diviſing iniquity, and working evill upon her bed, and when Morning was light, ſhee practiſed it, as the power was in her hand, and this did greatly diſquiet the City: but it was quiet after that they had ſlaine Athaliah with the Sword. The reſt touching good Jehoiada followes in the Story of King Ioaſh, but it is gone before in this Chronicle: For Ioaſh was, though a good Prince, yet a very bad King, and the moſt unthankefull Perſon that ever wee reade off. Hee has an Amaziah, a ſonne little better then the Father: Amaziah an Ʋzziah, both naught: Ʋzziah a Iotham, a very good man, wee will reade what he did, and not much, but very well.
THE ACTS OF JOTHAM.
CHAP. VII.
Jothams Story is ſhort, for his life was not long; he lived long in a ſhort time. He built much, and was mighty; A mighty Reaſon, why he was ſo.
KING Iotham followes in the Story, for hee ſucceeded Ʋzziah, and the plague, that roſe-up in his Fathers fore-head, muſt needs 2 Chro. 27. ….be in the ſonnes eye: So he was forewarned not to meddle with Temple-work, but to leave that to the Prieſts, and to ſee that they were faithfull in it. And yet this is noted of the people, not for the credit of the King; And the ver. 2.people, yet did corruptly: And this of the King, he built ver. 3, 4.MƲCH, an exceeding high Gate (ſixty Cubites upright, ſaith Ioſephus) and Cities, and Caſtles, and Townes: Hee ſubdued the Ammonites, and made them Tributaries, Ejuſmodi ver… Pr…cep… fuit, ut nullum in e… virtutis genus deſideres.they gave unto Iotham very largely: He proſpers, for GOD was with him. I will adde hereto the Teſtimony Ioſephus gives of him: This was ſuch a Prince, as a man could find no kind of vertue wanting in him; He worſhipped GOD ſo religiouſly; he governed his men ſo righteouſly; he was ſo provident for the City, and did ſo greatly amplifie it, That by his vertue and proweſſe, he made his whole Kingdome not contemptible to his Enemies; but to his Servants, Inhabitants, and Citizens, proſperous and happy. In ſhort, his raigne was not long, but as happy in all things, as himſelfe was devout and vertuous. So Joſephus. I will reſt in that Teſtimony, the Spirit gives of him, and conclude with it. So Jotham became MIGHTY, becauſe bee prepared his wayes before the LORD his GOD. How old he was, and how long he raigned is recorded in the ſame place, and then good ver. 6.Jotham ſlept with his good Fathers. Ahaz ſucceeds him, a bad Sonne, but Ahaz has a good Hezekiah, and his goodneſſe is upon everlaſting Record. Wee will reade his ACTS now.