The Kings Chronicle in Two Sections, Chapter 7
THE ACTS OF ƲZZIAH. CHAP. VII.
UZZIAH is very prosperous, ſo long as he hearkened to the good word of GOD, and to the good Priests that had underſtanding in the viſions of God. Prosperity lifts him up; he is ſtout againſt the Lord in His own Houſe, The Lord meets with him there, ſmote him with an uncurable ſtroake, to the terrour of all the ſtout-hearted after him.
NOtwithſtanding the hatred borne to Amaziah, his Son Ʋzziah ſucceeded him, when he was 2 Chro. 26.ſixteene yeares old; he lived a few yeares a Prince, many yeares a King; he reigned 52. yeares aver. 3.: He builds and reſtores what was loſt and broken downe in his Fathers dayes; he ſtrengtheneth himſelfe exceedingly bver 8.; he warred, and was very victorious over the Philistines, he diſmantled their Townes, then proceeded unto the Arabians, and Amorites, brought them to pay him Tribute cver. 6, 7, 8.: As his victories were farre more important then were the atchievements of all, that had reigned in Judah ſince David; ſo were his riches and magnificent works equall, if not ſuperiour to any of theirs, that had beene Kings between him and Solomon. He had a Militia, even A-NON-SƲCH, ſo fully furniſhed with all proviſion to verſes 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15.compleate the ſame, as we reade, for I will not make an enumeration of ſingulars; he had abundance of all we commonly call good things, to enrich his Coffers, and to fortifie his Kingdom. We have now paſſed over one or two remarkeables in this Chapter, which we muſt recall.
Ʋzziah had the care of an holy man over him; an honeſt Prieſt (to a King, as a Diamond in his Crowne, the glory thereof) was not wanting to Ʋzziah; a great bleſſing to the King and Kingdome: as the contrary, an ungodly man, a vile counſellour, a wicked Prieſt (though but one) is a plague to both (what are many?) Ʋzziah had a good Tutour, a learned man, he had underſtanding in the viſions of GOD cver. 5.: and, no doubt, tooke care, that the young King ſhould underſtand them too: for in the dayes of his good Tutour Zechariah, he ſought GOD; and ſo long as he ſought the LORD, he was no looſer, for GOD made him to proſper. That was it, there goes the bleſſing; this ſeeking of the LORD, that made him to proſper. Let us obſerve how proſperous he was; Then GOD helped him dver. 7., made him victorious againſt the Philistines, and againſt the Arabians: GOD made the Ammorites fall at his foote, and preſent him with gifts ever. 7, 8.. God helped him, his enemies ſhould fall before him. He would ſeeke the LORD; he would advance His Name, as his good Tutour taught him; The LORD would make him a man of renowne, his Name ſhould ſpread abroad, even to the entring in of Egypt fver. 8..
We have read the beſt concerning Ʋzziah, proſperous ſtill; how long? As long as he ſought the LORD GOD of his Fathers. We reade no more of his proſperity, not a word more, for we doe not reade that he ſought the LORD; no? then we muſt not looke to reade of his proſperity; nor what his Militia did, either for defence or offence; juſt nothing; Time was when Ʋzziah ſought the LORD, his ſucceſſe was anſwerable, GOD made him to proſper; He helped him; He made his Name to spread; The Prieſt dies, and the Kings zeale dies. But the LORD had lifted up the poore man, and the man lifted up his heart ſo high, that he loſt the ſight of himſelfe, and the ground he ſtood upon, and of the Hand, that helped and advanced him; he lifted up his heart, not to the Lord but againſt Him, to HIS DESTRƲCTION, as if he himſelfe had done all this. Ol it is a hard matter to be lifted up high, and yet with Mordecai to keepe his ſtation, and returne, to the GATE gHoſt. 6. 12.: A hard matter, to be lifted up on high in the world, with the glory of the ſame, and yet to keepe the heart low; he muſt be more then a man, that can doe this, an impoſſible worke to this heart within us, to aſcribe ſalvations all unto GOD. There is a fooliſh, and a wretched pride, wherewith men being tranſported, can ill endure to aſcribe unto GOD the honour of thoſe actions, in which it hath pleaſed Him to uſe their own induſtry, courage or fore-ſight. Therefore it is commonly ſeene; That they, who entring into Battell, are carefull to pray for aid from Heaven, with due acknowledgement of His power, who is the giver of victory; when the field is won, doe vaunt of their own exploits. Man, when his mountaine is ſtrong, will be ſo ſtrong, and ſtout, and firme upon it, as if it could not be moved; he will cling faſt to the Arme of fleſh, forgetting the Arme of the Almighty; and then his Arme prooves it ſelfe fleſh, no better, but worſe, if worſe can be, like an Egiptian Reed, deceives, and pierceth both together. So it was when Ʋzziah was strong, his heart was lifted up to his deſtruction. Note this; He, that lifteth up his heart, and not to the Lord, lifteth it up to ſome lying vanity, and ſo lifteth it up to his deſtruction; And the higher he lifteth up himſelfe, the lower will his fall be. Then againe, He that lifteth up his heart, will tranſgreſſe againſt the Lord A proud heart will be rebellious. It followes; Then he tranſgreſſed againſt the LORD his GOD; for whereas he ſhould have maintained the Temple, the Lawes and priviledges thereof, he did cleane contrary, corrupted the ordinances of the ſame, and did there moſt preſumptuouſly. So we reade on, and of nothing his Militia did after he had done ſo proudly: only this we reade; That the Prieſts remembred their duty, when their King forgat his, and reprehended his preſumption roundly and roughly. That was enough; the reſt GOD Himſelfe performed, as we may reade, and the addition Joſephus makes to the Story, not very materiall, yet it may be true, and then it is very notable; That while the King Antiq 9. chap. 11.was in the Temple prophaning the ſacred worke there, at the ſame time there was an earth-quake, which did teare down an hill, and that, rouling downe, ſpoiled the Kings houſe and his garden. The ſame time, the roofe of the Temple rent, and, through the cleft, a Sun-beame lighted upon his face, which was preſently leaprous. But thus far only we have aſſurance; That, while Ʋzziah was wroth with the Prieſts, who withstood him (ſayes the Text) the leaproſie roſe up in his fore-head before the people, which aſſureth us firſt of all;
1. That it is dangerous for a King to contend with his faithfull ſervants, maintaining their office, which God hath intruſted them with. And;
2. That an heart, lifted up to his deſtruction, will venture upon ſome inglorious and unhollowed actions, ſpecially ſuch, which ſtrike at the Law and worſhip of GOD; as our Lord-Biſhops did, putting a ſcorne upon the Lords Day.
3. That no Militia, how compleated ſoever, can ſecure any perſon, or his houſe, when he doth deale proudly againſt the LORD, and His Houſe, the eſtabliſhed Lawes and Ordinances there. And;
4. The LORD will lift-up His Hand againſt that man, who will lift-up his heart againſt Him; and, if he will be ſo venterous, as to doe diſhonours to His Houſe, to His Services and Servants there, he ſhall beare the markes of thoſe diſhonours to his dying day; and they shall not part with him at his grave neither. It was juſt ſo with Ʋzziah, and ſo his Story is concluded; Ʋzziah the King was a leper unto the day of his death; and, being a leper, he dwelt in a ſeverall houſe, for, he was cut off from the Houſe of the LORD; Set a marke upon it all we, that have changed the Ordinances in GODS Houſe, and prophaned the Lawes there; he was cut off from the Houſe of the LORD; And, ſo having waſted out a miſerable life with ſighs and complaints, he ſlept with his Fathers, and was buried with them in the ſame burying-place; But yet, as he dwelt, being alive, in a ſeverall Houſe being a LEPER: So, being dead, he muſt ſleepe in a Bed ſeverall and a-part from the bodies of other Kings, for they ſaid, HE IS A LEPER dChro. 26. 21 In eodem agro ſed ſeorſim a cadavertibus aliorum regum. Irem.. Jotham was over the Kings houſe, and judged the people of the Land in his Fathers life time; and when his Father was dead, reigned in his ſtead. 2 Chro. 26. 23.Of him in his owne place, amongſt the Good Kings.