History of the Old Testament Volume 7, Part 5
Aſa.
THe two houſes of Iuda, and Iſrael grow vp now together in an ambitious riuality; this ſplitted plant branches out ſo ſeuerally, as if it had forgotten that euer it was ioyned in the root; The throne of Dauid oft changeth the poſſeſſors; and more complaineth of their iniquity, than their remoue; Abijam inherits the ſins of his father Rehoboam, no leſſe than his Crowne; and ſo ſpends his three yeares, as if he had beene no whit of kinne to his grandfathers vertues. It is no newes that Grace is not traduced, whiles vice is: Therefore is his reigne ſhort becauſe it was wicked; It was a ſad caſe when both the Kings of Iudah and Iſrael (though enemies) yet conſpired in ſinne; Rehoboam (like his father Salomon) began graciouſly, but fell to Idolatry; as he followed his father, ſo his ſonne, ſo his people followed him. Oh, what a face of a Church was heere, when Iſrael worſhipped Ieroboams calues, when Iudah built them high places, and Images, and groues on eueryevery high hill, and vnderunder eueryevery greene tree; On both hands God is forſaken, his Temple neglected, his worſhip adulterate; and this, not for ſome ſhort brunt, but during the ſucceſſion of two Kings; For, after the firſt three yeeres Rehoboam changed his fathers religion (as his ſheilds) from gold to braſſe; the reſt of his ſeuenteene yeeres were led in impiety; His Sonne Abijam trod in the ſame mirie ſteps; and Iudah with them both; If there were any (doubtleſſe there were ſome) faithfull hearts, yet remaining in both kingdomes, during theſe heauy times, what a coraſiue it muſt needs hauehave beene to them, to ſee ſo deplored, and miſerable a deprauation?
There was no viſible Church vponupon earth, but heere; and this what a one? Oh God, how low doſt thou ſometimes ſuffer thine owne flocke to be driuen? What wofull wanes, and eclipſes haſt thou ordaind for this heauenly body? Yet at laſt, an Aſa ſhall ariſe from the loines, from the graue of Abijam,; he ſhall reuiue Dauid and reforme Iudah: The gloomy times of corruption ſhall not laſt alwaies; The light of truth and peace ſhall at length breake out, and bleſſe the ſad hearts of the righteous.
It is a wonder how Aſa ſhould be good; of the ſeed of Abijam, of the ſoyle of Maachah; both wicked, both Idolatrous; God would hauehave vsus ſee that grace is from heauen, neither needs the helpes of theſe earthly conueyances: Should not the children of good parents ſometimes be euill, and the children of euill parents, good, vertue would ſeeme naturall, and the giuer would leeſe his thankes: Thus we hauehave ſeene a faire flower ſpring out of dung; and a well-fruited tree riſe out of a ſowre ſtocke; Education hath no leſſe power to corrupt, than nature; It is therefore the iuſt praiſe of Aſa that being trained vp vnderunder an Idolatrous Maachah, he maintained his piety; As contrarily, it is a ſhame for thoſe that hauehave beene bred vp in the precepts and examples of vertue and godlineſſe, to fall off to lewdneſſe, or ſuperſtition; There are foure principall monuments of Aſaes vertue, as ſo many rich ſtones in his Diadem: Hee tooke away Sodomie, and Idols, out of Iudah; Who cannot wonder more that he found them there, than that he remoued them? What a ſtrange incongruitie is this; Sodome in Ieruſalem? Idols in Iudah? Surely debauched profeſſion proues deſperate; Admit the Idols, ye cannot doubt of the Sodomy; If they hauehave changed the glory of the vncorruptible God, into an Image, made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and foure-footed beaſts, and creeping things, it is no maruell, if God giuegive them vp to vncleanneſſe through the luſts of their owne hearts, to diſhonour their owne bodies, betweene themſelues; If they changed the truth of God into a lie, and worſhipped and ſerued the creature more than the Creator, who is bleſſed for euer, no maruell, if God giuegive them to vile affections, to change the naturall vſe into that which is againſt nature; burning in luſt one towards another, men with men working that which is vnſeemely.
Contrarily, admit the Sodomy, ye cannot doubt of the Idols; vnnaturall beaſtlineſſe in manners, is iuſtly puniſhed with a ſottiſh dotage in religion; bodily pollution with ſpirituall; How ſhould the ſoule care to be chaſte, that keeps a ſtewes in the body? Aſa begins with the baniſhment of both; ſcouring Iudah of this double vncleanneſſe: In vaine ſhould hee hauehave hoped to reſtore God to his Kingdome, whiles theſe abominations inhabited it; It is iuſtly the maine care of worthy, and religious Princes, to cleare their Coaſts of the fouleſt ſinnes; Oh the vnpartiall zeale of Aſa; There were Idols that challenged a prerogatiue of fauour; the Idols that his father had made; all theſe he defaces; the name of a father cannot protect an Idoll: The dutie to his Parent cannot win him to a liking, to a forbearance of his miſdeuotion; Yea, ſo much the more doth the heart of Aſa riſe againſt theſe puppets, for that they were the ſinne, the ſhame of his father: Did there want (thinke we) ſome Courtier of his Fathers retinue, to ſay; Sir, fauour the memorie of him that begot you; you cannot demoliſh theſe ſtatues, without the diſhonour of their Erector; Hide your diſlike at the leaſt; It will be your glorie to lay your finger vponupon this blot of your fathers reputation; If you liſt not to allow his act, yet winke at it; The godly zeale of Aſa turnes the deafe eare to theſe monitors; and lets them ſee, that he doth not more honor a father, than hate an Idoll; No deareneſſe of perſon ſhould take off the edge of our deteſtation of the ſinne. Nature is worthy of forgetfulneſſe, and contempt, in oppoſition to the God of Nature; VponUpon the ſame ground, as he remoued the Idols of his father Abijam, ſo for Idols he remoued his Grand-mother Maachah; ſhee would not be remoued from her obſcene Idols, ſhe is therefore remoued from the ſtation of her honor; That Princeſſe had aged, both in her regency, and ſuperſtition; VnderUnder her rod was Aſa brought vp; and ſchooled in the rudiments of her Idolatry; whom ſhe could not infect, ſhe hoped to ouer-awe; ſo, as if Aſa will not follow her gods, yet ſhe preſumes that ſhe may reteine her owne; Doubtleſſe, no meanes were neglected for her reclamation; none would preuaile; Religious Aſa gathers vp himſelfe; and begins to remember that hee is a King, though a ſonne; that ſhe, though a mother, yet is a ſubiect; that her eminence could not but countenance Idolatry; that her greatneſſe ſuppreſſed religion; which he ſhould in vaine hope to reforme, whiles her ſuperſtition ſwayed; forgetting therefore the challenges of nature, the awe of infancie, the cuſtome of reuerence, he ſtrips her of that command, which he ſaw preiudiciall to his Maker; All reſpects of fleſh and blood muſt be trampled on, for God; Could that long-ſetled Idolatry want abettors? Queſtionleſſe, ſome or other would ſay; This was the religion of your father Abijam, this of your grandfather Rehoboam, this of the latter daies of your wiſe and great grand-father Salomon, this of your grand-mother Maachah, this of your great grand-mother Naamah; why ſhould it not be yours? Why ſhould you ſuſpect either the wiſdome, or pietie, or ſaluation of ſo many Predeceſſors? Good Aſa had learned to contemne preſcription againſt a direct law; He had the grace to know it was no meaſuring truth by ſo moderne antiquitie; his eyes ſcorning to looke ſo low, raiſe vp themſelues to the vncorrupt times of Salomon, to Dauid, to Samuel, to the Iudges, to Ioſhua, to Moſes, to the Patriarks, to Noah, to the religious founders of the firſt world, to the firſt father of mankinde; to Paradiſe, to heauen: In compariſon of theſe, Maachahs God cannot ouerlooke yeſterday; the ancienteſt error is but a nouice, to Truth; And if neuer any example could be pleaded for puritie of religion; it is enough that the precept is expreſſe: He knew what God ſaid in Sinai, and wrote in the Tables; Thou ſhalt not make to thy ſelfe any grauen image, nor any ſimilitude; Thou ſhalt not bow downe to them, nor worſhip them; If all the world had beene an Idolater, euer ſince that word was giuen; he knew how little that precedent could auaile for diſobedience: Practiſe muſt be corrected by law, and not the law yeeld to practiſe; Maachah therefore goes downe from her ſeat; her Idols from their groue; ſhee to retiredneſſe, they to the fire, and from thence to the water; Wofull deities that could both burne, and drowne.
Neither did the zeale of Aſa more magnifie it ſelfe in theſe priuatiue acts of weeding out the corruptions of Religion, than in the poſitiue acts of an holy plantation; In the falling of thoſe Idolatrous ſhrines, the Temple of God flouriſhes; That doth he furniſh with thoſe ſacred treaſures, which were dedicated by himſelfe, by his Progenitors; Like the true ſonne of Dauid, hee would not ſerue God, coſt-free; Rehoboam turnd Salomons gold into braſſe; Aſa turnes Rehoboams braſſe into gold: Some of theſe veſſels (it ſeemes) Abijam (Aſaes father) had dedicated to God; but after his vow, inquired; yea with-held them; Aſa, like a good ſon, payes his fathers debts, & his owne. It is a good ſigne of a wellmeant deuotion, when we can abide it chargeable; as contrarily, in the affaires of God a niggardly hand argues a cold, and hollow heart.
All theſe were noble and excellent acts, the extirpation of Sodomy, the demolition of Idols, the remouall of Maachah, the bountious contribution to the Temple; but that which giues true life vntounto all theſe, is a ſound root; Aſaes heart was perfect with the Lord all his daies; No leſſe laudable workes than theſe hauehave proceeded from Hypocriſie; which whiles they hauehave carried away applauſe from men, hauehave loſt their thankes with God; All Aſaes gold was but droſſe to his pure intentions.
But oh what great, and many infirmities may conſiſt with vprightneſſe? What allayes of imperfection will there be found in the moſt refined ſoule? Foure no ſmall faults are found in truehearted Aſa; Firſt the high-places ſtood ſtill, vnremoued; What high places? There were ſome dedicated to the worſhip of falſe gods; theſe Aſa took away; There were ſome miſ-deuoted to the worſhip of the true God; theſe he lets ſtand; There was groſſe Idolatry in the former; there was a weake will-worſhip in the latter; whiles he oppoſes impietie, hee winkes at miſtakings; yet euen the varietie of altars was forbidden by an expreſſe charge from God, who had confined his ſeruice to the Temple: With one breath doth God report both theſe; The high-places were not remoued, yet neuertheleſſe Aſaes heart was perſit. God will not ſee weakneſſes, where he ſees truth; How pleaſing a thing is ſinceritie, that in fauour thereof the mercy of our iuſt God digeſts many an error: Oh God, let our hearts goe vpright, though our feet ſlide, the fall cannot (through thy grace) be deadly; how euer it may ſhame or paine vsus.
Beſides, to confront his riuall of Iſrael, Baaſha, this religious King of Iudah fetches in Benhadad the King of Syria into Gods inheritance, vponupon too deare a rate; the breach of his league, the expilation of the Temple. All the wealth wherewith Aſa had endowed the houſe of the Lord, was little enough to hire an Edomite, to betray his fidelitie, and to inuade Iſrael: Leagues may be made with Infidels; not at ſuch a price, vponupon ſuch termes; There can bee no warrant for a wilfull ſubornation of perfidiouſneſſe: In theſe caſes of outward things, the mercy of God diſpenſeth with our true neceſſities, not with the affected: O Aſa, where was thy pietie, whiles thou robbeſt God, to corrupt an Infidell for the ſlaughter of Iſraelites? O Princes, where is your pietie, whiles yee hire Turkes to the ſlaughter of Chriſtians? to the ſpoile of Gods Church?
Yet (which was worſe) Aſa doth not onelyonly imploy the Syrian, but relies on him, relies not on God; A confidence leſſe ſinfull coſt his Grandfather Dauid deare: And when Hanani Gods Seer, the Herald of heauen, came to denounce war againſt him for theſe ſinnes, Aſa, in ſtead of penitence, breakes into choler: Fury ſparkles in thoſe eyes, which ſhould hauehave guſhed out with water; Thoſe lips that ſhould hauehave call'd for mercy, command reuenge; How ill doe theſe two agree, The heart of Dauid, the tongue of Ieroboam? That holy Grandfather of his would not hauehave done ſo; when Gods meſſenger reproued him for ſin, he condemned it, and himſelfe for it; I ſee his teares, I doe not heare his threats: It ill becomes a faithfull heart to rage, where it ſhould ſorrow; and in ſtead of ſubmiſſion, to perſecute: Sometimes no difference appeares betwixt a ſonne of Dauid, and the ſonne of Nebat; Any man may doe ill, but to defend it, to outface it, is for rebels; yet euen vpright Aſa impriſons the Prophet, and cruſheth his gainſayers. It were pittie that the beſt man ſhould be iudged by eueryevery of his actions, and not by all; The courſe of our life muſt either allow or condemne vsus, not theſe ſudden eruptions.
As the life, ſo the Death-bed of Aſa wanted not infirmities; Long and proſperous had his reigne beene; now after fortie yeares health and happineſſe, he that impriſoned the Prophet, is impriſoned in his bed; There is more paine in thoſe fetters which God put vponupon Aſa, than thoſe, which Aſa puts vponupon Hanani; And now, behold, he that in his warre ſeekes to Benhadad, not to God, in his ſickneſſe ſeekes not to God, but to Phyſitians: We cannot eaſily put vponupon God a greater wrong, than the alienation of our truſt; Earthly meanes are for vſe, not for confidence; We may, we muſt imploy them; we may not relye vponupon them; Well may God challenge our truſt, as his peculiar; which if we caſt vponupon any creature, wee deifie it; Whence hauehave herbs, and drugs, and Phyſitians, their being, and efficacy, but from that diuine hand? No maruell then if Aſaes gout ſtrucke to his heart, and his feet carried him to his graue, ſince his heart was miſcarried carried for the cure of his feet, to an iniurious miſ-confidence in the meanes, with neglect of his Maker.