OCR Text |
Show noftishekdiltoriedf the World: was fecure of hisowne eftate,he armedallIfrael againft the Philiftims,& befi sed one oftheir Townes. There (whetherit were fo,thatthepeaple were offendedwithhisill faccelfe,andrecalled. tomindtheir grieuous loffe of fine hundred thoufandynder/erpa boam,counting it an vnluckie family to the Nation ; or whether by fome particular in- difcretion, he exafperated them)flaine he was by Baafoa,whom the Armydid willingly acceptfor king in his ftead: Baafba was no foonerproclaimed king, thanheebeganto take order with the houfe ofJeraboam,that none of them might moleft him, put ing all of them,without mercy,to the fword. Thathe didthis for priuaterefpects,& notin re. sard of Gods will to naue it fo, itis enident byhis continuing in the fame formofIdo. latry which JeroSoamhad begun. Wherefore he receiuedthe famefentence fiom God 0 that had beenlaid vpon Jeroboam; which was executed ypon hina alfo in the famefort, He beganto infeft 4/a,by fortifying Ramah;butwas diuertedfromthence bythe Syrian Beahadad,who did wafte his Country, deftroying all the Land ofNepthalim.Foute andtwenty yeeres hee reigned , and then dying,left the Crowne to Ela his fon; who enioyed it, as Nedabthe {onof Jeroboam had done, two yeeres.currant, perhaps not one compleat. Ela was asmuchan Idolateras his father : and withalla riotous perfon. He fentan Army againft Gibbethon,the fame townofthe Philiftims,before which Nadab the fon of /eroboam perifhed ; buthe fare at homethe whileft, feafting & drinking withhis Minions, whereby he gaue fuchaduantage againft himfelfe, as was not neglected, Zémri,}® an ambitious man,remaining with the king at Tirza,finding his Mafter fo diffolute, & his behauiourfo contemptible,conceiued hope ofthelike fortune as Basha hadfound, by doing as Baafbs had done. Wherefore he did fet vpon E/« in his drunkennelle, and flew him. Prefently vpon whichfact,heftiled himfelfe king of Ifrael : and beganhis reigne with maffacring all the houfe ofBeafba; extending his cruelty not onelytohis children,and kinsfolke, but vnto all his friends in Tirza. Thefe newes were quickly blowneto the Campeat Gibbethon, wherethey were not welcommed according to Zimrihis expectation. For the Souldiers in ftead of proclaiming him King, procliimed himTraitor ; and being led by Omri, whom they faluted King, they (quitting the fiege of Gibbethon)prefented themfelues before Tirza ; which in fhoit{pace theymay}? feeme to haue forced.Zimri wanting ftrength to defend the City,not courage tokeepe | himfelfe fromfalling aliue into his enemies hands,did {etfire on the Palace,confuming itandhimfelfe together to afhes.Seuen dayes heis faid to haue reigned:: accounting(as is moft likely to the timé that Owri was proclaimed in the Campe. For Zimri was alfo an idolater,walking in the way of tetoboam ; & therforeis likely to haue had moretime whereinto declare himfelfe, than the reigne offeuen dayes,and thofe confumed pat ly in murthering the friends ofBaafbe,partly in feeking to haue defended his own lite After the death ofE/a,there arofe another King to oppofe the faction of Omri; where by itmay feeme, that Zsmrz hadmadehis party ftrong, as being able to fervpanthyp head, who doubtleffe would neuer hane appeared , ifthere had not beene ready tos hand, fomeftrength, not vnlikely.to refit and vanquifh the Army. whichmaintainee Omri. Howlongthis Tibni,the new Competitor of Omri, held out, I doe not findes onelyit appeares that his fide was decayed, and fo he died, leaning no other SucccHor than his concurrent. §.V I. A coniecture ofthe caufes hindering the re-union ofIfrael with luda, which might hare beens effecled by thefe troubles, A Ny man that hall confiderthe ftate of Ifrael in thofe times, may inftly wor howit cameto paffe,thareitherthe whole Nation, wearied with the already fuffered vnderthefe vnfortunate Princes , and with the,pre! = wartes, did not returne to thei themfelues with the kings,and:re-unite tancient Tribes of Iuda and Beniamir " n; Or that Zimri and Tibxi, with their opp! tions, did not call in 4a, but rather chofethe one to endurea defperate of yeeldiug , or burning himfelfe, the other. to languith away, a man fort: to hauerecourfe ynto.a remedy, fofure, fo ready , and fo horourable.,"T9 that God was pleafed to haueit fo» Werea true,but anidle anfiver(for his fecte "phe cal@ofalbthingsivnlelle tt could baprouedsthav he! hatbforbidden Hferoideale iin, chac butittefleyas he Forbad:Rehdboam nortorce therebellious people voobeditnee.f har cherehmintlaid by God ¥pon. Rehosoam did only!bindelis hand Mvombattempting the fippreMisnof char prefent inefurrection, it appeares by theWarredsnsitvedbaweene TrackTadaifo matty ¥ceres following wherein dtblafo farce pecidiledstharhewan a great battaile,andgeeouered fome! Townes belbngingsto the orhier:'T ribes; Which hee annexedto his own Dominion. Wihetfore we may boldly slowk intos the fecondvaufes, mduitig'the People and ‘Leaders of thexen Tribessto fofferany thing vader-lewyp- flaitewarticr than to cafeeheireyesvpon that RoWalbshonfe of Dawds four which\che roflicééffion of fue kings in lineallidefcenthad cakenawayall inepycation thecmight for: metly-hauebeene laid vponiche mgane. bégintlings thereof. "Fo chinke thacomrishad preuented his Competitors in making peace wich 4/45 were al eoniecture more bold than probable. For Omriwas not ondly anadolater): but did worfethin al tharesepehe fore bim s which'asit mighe ‘ferue alone to prone, that 4/4; bettigalsodly king: would nor adhereto him,fo the courfe which he profefledto takeatthevery fift,ofreuensine the maffacre commitred'vpon'the family andfrietids of Banfbalaa his mortallen eny) sities manifett reafon; why Zimri;Who had wrought that pteatexecution; fhould more iuftly'than he haue expected the friendthip of ludain that quarrel -Wherfore;in fearching out the reafon of this backwardnesin the ten Tribes(which was fuch,thactheyina y 20 feemeto haue neuer thonght vponthe matter) tofubmitthemfdluesto theirtrie Princes; it Were not amifs'to examine the caufes,mowingthe peopleto reuenge the death of El@anidle drunkardratherthan ofNzdab the-fon ofieroboamwhofollowed the wars in perfon,as aman of{pirit & courage.Surely it is apparant,thar the very, firft efection of the tea Titbes,was(if welooke vpomhumane teafon):occafioried bydefire of breaking that heatiie yoke ofbondage wherewith Salemoe had galledtheitneckes. Their defire wastohatiea king thatfhould novoprefle them not to:haueno king-atall. And therfore wheiithearrdeantfollie of Rehotosmhad caufedsthemto renounce him; theydid im- mediatly choole eroboam'in his téad)as.amamlikelyto afford that liberty:vnto them. for which he had contended in their behalfe. Neither: werethey (as it feemes) herein zo2le oethefdeceiued. Rot his affectationof popularity appears invhis building of decayed Towes, & in the initimtion of his newdeuifedidolatry; where: he told the people, thatitw4s té6 muchfor them,to trauatlefo:faras toTerufalem.But whether it were fo, that hits thodération,being voluntary3;began to ceafe,towards thelatter endof his reign; afid inth@réigneofthis fonwhen long time of pofleffion had confirmedhis title,which at the firftwas onely‘sood by ‘courtefie ofithe people :'or whether the people(as often happeéns!in fuch cafes) were more offended by fome:prerogatiues ofa king, that\he Rill retainedih his owne hands,thanpleafed withhisvemiffion ofothe t burdens? it is cl ly appayant,that the whole army ofall Hrael ioined with Baafba,taking ingood'part the ath of Wadab,anderadication of Jeroboams houfe. Now the reign ofsaa/ba himfelfe,was(for oughtthat remaineth in writing of ir)etie. €° ty wayvnfortunate ; his labour and coftat Ramawas caft away-; the other fide of his kingdoni¢hartied bythe Syrians;neither did he win'that onetown of Gibbethon from the Philiftims, but lefethat bufineffeto his fon, wholikewife appeares an vnprofirablé gard." Wherefore it muft needs be,thatthe'fauour of the people towardthe houfe aja orewfrom his good forme of‘Giuill gouernment,which happely he reduced temperate method than Vereboameucy meant to doe.And furely heethat thall pains to look intd thofeex untplesywhich are extant of the different courfes,held by kings ofIfrael & Tudayin adminiftration ofinftice, will findeit moft probable, that r eround it was thatthe ten Tribes continued {0 auerfe from the line of Dauid; ll aduerfitie moretolerable, than the weiglftie Scepter of that houfe. For if Joab and Shimei was indeedeby them'deferued; yet in that they fuffered it r P ment, theyfuffered like vnto'men innocent. The death of Aithout iudgement; and withoitt'any crime obiected, other than'the ¢: out of whichbythefamerule ofarbitraryiuftice (vnder which it may hat manywere caft awayyhee would hate flaine 7eroboam (if hee could m) before he had yet committed anyoffence'; appeares by his confi- 1¢ out of Egy pry like onethat was knowne to hau¢ endured wrong, hauing a ahic, |