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Show a The fecondBooke of thefirStpart Cuar.22.G10; Cuari22G a1 out requiring what belongedynto their duties,rofe vp againft himwith fuch headlon his fortune, than to feeke. his reformation. Wherfore‘it is no maruell, that Priets and Pyophets wereleffe welcometo him, than ever they had been. On theother fide, flatterers, and fuch as were defirous to put a heart into him, whereof themfelues might alwaies bee mafters, wanted not plaufable matterto reuiue him. Forhe wasnot firft, nor f{econd, of the Kings of Iuda, that had beene ouercome inbattell. David himielfe had abandoned the Citie, leauing it, before the enemywas in fight, vnto Abfalom his rebellious fonne. Many befides him hadreceiued loffes, whereinthe Temple bare a part. If Jeas might {foeafily hauebeene kept out ; whydid their Ance- 16 ftors let Sefacin ¢ Af was reputeda vertuous Prince, yet with his owne handshee furie,that being vnable to defend himfelfe in lerufalem,he was driuen to forfaket} 1€City, and flyeto.Lachis, for fafegard ofhis life. But fo extreame was the hatred concei. ued again him, andfo generall,that neitherhis abfence could allay the raveofirin the Capitall Gitie, nor his prefence in the Countrey abroad procure friendsto defend his life. Queftionlefle hee chofe the TowneofLachis forhis refuge, as-a place ofal] on ther beft affected to him; yet found hee there noneother fanour, than'that the people did nor kill him with ther owne hands ; for whenthe Confpirators (who troubled ae 1othemfelues aboutraifing an Armiie for the matter) fent purfuers after him, he.was aban- donedtodeath. Lachis was the vtmoft Citie of his Dominion Weftward, ‘ftanding emptied the Temple,and was not blamed,but held excufable byneceffitic of the State, Belike thefe traducers would commend no actions but of dead Princes : iffo,hee fomewhat without the border of Iuda; fo that hee might haue madean eafie efi ae (fhe durft aduenture) into the Territorie ofthe Philiftims, or the Kingdome of Iftael fhould rather lmeto punifhthem, than dye to pleafethem. Though wherein had Therefore it may feeme that hee was detained there; where certaineitis that he Sound no kind of fauour: for had not the people ofthisTowne, addedtheir owne treafon to the generallinfurrection ; the murderers could notat fo good Jeifure as they did haue carried away his bodyto Ierufalem,where they gaue him buriall withhis fathers.: hee giuen them any caufe of difpleafure\: It was hee 'indeede that commandedtofet openthe gates to ozs ; but it was the people that did it. Good {eruants oughtnotto haue obeyed their Mafters Commandements, to his difaduantage, whentheyfawhim not mafterof his owne Perfon. As‘ his captiuitie did acquite himfromblame; ofall things thathee did orfuffered inthat condition; fo was that misfortune it felfe, intme eftimation, as highly to his honour, as deepelyto his loffe. For had he beenashafty to flye, as others were; hee might haueefcaped, as wellas others did. But {eeking to teachthe bafe Multitude courage, by his Royall example, he was fhamefillybetrayed by thofe in whonrhetrufted, Vaworthycreatures that could readily obeyhim, when {peaking another mans words,being prifoner, heecommanded themtoyeeld; hauing negleéted his charge,whenleading themin the field, he bade themftand to itand fight like men. The beft was, that they muft needs acknowledge his mifchance,asthe occafion whereby many thoufandliues were faued ; theenemy hauing wifely preferred the furprife of a Lion that was Captaine, before the chafe and flaughter ofan Armyof Stags that followed him. Thefe or the like words comforting Amézia; were able to perfivade him, that tvv4s 0 euen foindeed. And fuch excufes might haue ferued well enoughto pleafethe people, ifthe King had firft ftudied how to pleafe God.. But hee that vvas vawilling to aferibe vnto Godthe goodfucceffe foretold by a Prophet; could eafily finde how to impute this late difafter, vnto fortune, and the fault of others,. Nowconcerning fortune, it feemes that hee meantto keepe himfelfe fafe from her, by fitting till ; for in fifteene yeeres following(fo long he out-liued his honor)vvefind not that heftitred. Asforhis fubieéts, though nothing henceforth be recorded of‘his goueffiment, yet vvemdy hee by hisend,that the middle time wasill fpentamong them, incteafing their hatred, 0 his owneruine. He thatfufpecteth his owne wvorth,orother mens opinions, thinking theleffe regard is had of his perfon,than he belecueth to be due to his place, vvill com49 monlyfpendall the force of his authoritie,. in purchafing the name of afeuctem". For the affected fowreneffe ofa vaine fellow, doth mary, times refemble the graully ot onethatis vvife: andthe feare vyherein they line, whichare fubiec vnto oppteflio"s catries a fhew ofreuerence, to him that does theyvrong'; atteaftit ferues codazlethe cyss of vnderlings, keeping them from prying.into the vveakeneffe of firch as haue™ rifdiGtion ouerthem: Thus the time,yvhercin,by vvyell vfing it,men might attaine to he fuch as they ought,they do viually mif-{pend,in feeki ngto appeare firch as they ate This isavain & deceiueable courfe;procuri ng in ftead oftheref{pect that was hopee 10h, moreindignation than was feared. Whichisa thing ofdangerous confequenceselpe™ j ally vvhen an vnable {pirit,being ouer-perted yvith fo hizh authority, is too pafionsits? in the execution of fuchan officeyas. cannot be checked but by violence. Ifcherforea™" #éa thought by extream rigourto hold yphis reputation,yvhat did he elfe than ftrsue . make the peoplethinkhe hated them,vvhen of themfelues theywereapt enought? leeucthat he did notloue them/the belt was,that he had,byreuenging his fathers oe Prouided vvell enough for his own fecurity : but yvhofhould takevengeance(or r vvhom? of fuch a murther,vvherin euery one hada part ¢ Surely-God himfelie,¥ v re hot giuen comandment or leaue vntothe people,to take hisoffice out of hus ¥ nd in fhedding the bloud ofhis Annointed. Yetas Amazia,carelefte of God, yv4s h eadlo ng of theEiloryof theWorld, ea caitS iee =! headlong by his owneaffections ; fo his fubiects,following the fameill example, with proofe that he was not reclaimed, ynto his lives end. Andcertainely, they which tell aman.in his aduerfity of his faults paffed, thall fooner be thought to vpbraid himwith 29 Of the Tnterregtuitn, or vacancie, that was in the Kingdome of luda, after the duat of Amazia: T hath alteady beene thewed, that the:Reignes of the Kings of Iuda and Ifrael [ees fometimes to bee meafured by compleat yeeres, otherwhiles, by yeeres curtent : and that thetime of one King is.now and then confounded withthe lat yecres of his fathers Reigne, or the foremoft ofhis fonnes. But we are nowarriued ata meere vacation,wherin the Crownof Iudalay voyd eleauen wholeyeeres: athing not plainly fet downein Scriptures,noryet remembred by Jofephusand therfore hardto be 39. béleeued; Were ithot proued byneceflary confequence. Twice we finde it Written, that Amazia, King of Inds, lined after the death of loas King of Irael fiftecueyectes ; whereuponit followes,that the death ofAwazie,was about the * cbr: end of fifteene yeeres compleate, which Jeroboam the fecond (whoix theSifiecath yeere 8" of Amazia was made king oner Ifrael) had reigned in Samaria. But thefucceffion.of He-2 Ki 4G ol 4,236 2ia, Who isalfo called Azaria, ynto his father in the Kingdome of Inda, was eleauen yeereslaterthan the fixteenth ofIeroboam: forit is expreffed,that Azaria begantoreign 2 King-15.2) in thefeanen andtwentieth yeere of leroboam ; the fixteenth yeereofhis life, being ioyned t of two and fiftie that he reigned, Sothe Jaterregwamofeleauen yeers e withthefirf reer | : ee eo cannot be divided,w ithout fome hard: meanes vied, of interpreting the Text otherwife 4° than the letter founds. Yet fome knowled Speen there are made, which tend to keepealleuen, withoutacos fe ai on time. Foritisthought thatin the place laft ofall cited, by ied duential, ~uncepe of Ieroboam; wee thould perhaps vnderftand the feauen teeedanche en - a life; or elfe (becaufethe like words areno where elfe inter- old Webraine ip 2 ior Azaria was eleauen yeetes vnderage, thatis, fine yeeres andtwentieth of ~ re > and fo his fixteenth yeere might concurre with the feauen mifwriti ee * 0am; orthat the Text it felfe may haue fufferedfome wrong, by By a6 twenty feauen for feauenteeneyeeres ; and fo, by making the feauenteenth 50 om Seenereede tobe newly begun, all may bee falued. Thefearethe coniectures of; Reabos bic Caeantereetae ‘concerning the firft of which, it may fuffice, that the Toa saline ic ae bes y let it paffe,asimprobable ; the laft is followed bynone that nied could hon ee fateh ri - vpon euery doubt,we fhould call the textin questionsw beheld with for a en if perhaps it were in.one :, as forthe fecond, i may themes ae ne qua ification, that dzaréa began his Reign being fue yeeres old; but ea.tiet uttwee adde thofe eleauen yeeres which paffedin his minority, tothetwoand Cthat followe ree hh: : : natin an at followedhis fixteenth yeere, whichis all one, ina manner, with allowing TAL Teeny, ? 2 - ' Hould we be fo carefull to guoide aninterregnum in Iuda,feeing that the like nec effity |