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Show "The Bookeofthefrst part Cuar.20.§11, Cuar20:§.2. {aidto haue begun his reigne,in thé feuenteenth yeerofZehofaphat. Ichoram the brother of Abaxie facceededhimin the fecondyeer ofIehoram theforne of Iehofapbat hing oftae daxthat is,in the next yeere after that ieboramoft Tuda was eipo aod his father; it being(as we finde elfewhere)the eighteenthyeer of Iehofaphat bim/felfe,who went with §. TI. Probable cowieclures ofthewmotines ieduciug the old King Iehof apliatto chang e hispurpofe of- ten,ta making hisfonne lehoram King, rovall office was retained {till by Iehofaphat,who gouerned abfolutely by himfelfe, not Any arguments do very ftrongly proue /ehoram to hane been wholly ouer-tus Mie byhiswife efpecially for his forfaki ng the r ligion of his eodly Apces which was thetwo and twentieth of Zehofaphat,the old king took ynto him,as partner inthe Gouernment, this his eldeft fon,who Wasat that time 32.yeeresold;his Father That fhé was a woman of intolerable pride; and abhorring to linea priuate ifs tha whole courfeiofhe# aGions witneffeth at | ar Muchvaihe matterfhe was dbptot tas the Ifraelite againft Moab.Herebyit appeares that the full power and execution of the stors,and following the abominable ftrperftitions of the houfe of communicatinetherulewithhisfon. Butinthe fifth yeere of Ichoram King of Ifrael, being 57. Nowfora{muchas Lehofaphat reigned 25 .yeeres, itis evident that his fonne rd did nor reigne alonetill the eighth of Joram king of Ifrael. Thelike regardis to be had jn accounting the timesofotherkings of Iuda & Iftael, who did not alwaies reign precifely fo long asthe bareletter ofthe text mayfeematfirft to affirme: but their yeeres were fometimes compleat, fometimes onelycurrent, fometimes confoundedwith the yeeres oftheirfieceflors or foregoers,and muft therefore be found by comparingtheit ‘ times with the yeeres of thofe others,with whom they did begin and end. | It were perhaps athing leffe needful than curious,to enquire into the reafons mouing Iebofaphat either to affume vnto himhis fon as partner in the kingdome, whileft hee was able himfelfe to command bothin peace and in warre, thelike hauing ncuerbeene done by any of his progenitors,or hauing once(in the 17.0fhis reign) veuchfafed vnto%® himthat honour,to refiumeit ynto himfelfe,or at leaftwife to deferrethe confirmation of it,vntill foureorfiue yeers were paffed.Yet forafmuchasto enterinto the examina- tion ofthefe paffages,may bea meane tofind fomelight,whereby we maymorecleat ly difcouer the caufes ofmuch extraordinary bufinefle enfuing, T holdit not amifle to make fuch conieéture, as the circumftances ofthe Storybriefly handled in the Sctip: tures may feeme to approue. Weare therfore to confider,that this king Zeha/aphat wasthefirft of Reboboams iffue that euer entred into anyftreight league with the kings oftheten Tribes. All that reig- nedin Tuda before him,had with much labour and long war, tired themfeluesinvaine, making {mall profit ofthe greateft aduantages that could he withed. Wherefore lehi/é-36 2.Ch YI 910,20 atd 3. ‘ofthe Hiffory ofthe World. phatthoughtit the wifeft way, to make a league offenfiue & defenfiue betweene Ifrael andIuda,whereby each might enioy their ownein quiet. This confederacy madeby a religious king,with one that did Aarethe Lord,could not long profper,as notiffiuing from the true root andfountaine ofallwifedome: yetas a picce of foundpolicy,doubtleffe it wanted notfaire pretences of much common good ther bylikely to arife,.vith mutuall fortification of both thofe kingdoms, againft the vnc" cumcifed nationstheir ancient enemies. This apparant benefit, being fo ineftimables iewell;that it might noteafily be loft,but continue as hereditary from father to fon 3 i was thoughta very good courfe to haueit confirmed byfome fire bondofafintt af thereupon was Arhaliathe daughterof Omri,and fitter of Abab king' of Ifrael, gtuet A ' martiage to Jehoram, who was fon and heire apparant to the king of Tuda.' This Lady was ofa mafculine fpirit,and had learned fo much of Queerizeziabel her brothers" that fhe durft vndertake,& could throughly performea great deale more in Jerulait™s than the other knewhowto compaffe in Samaria. Shee was indeedafire-brand ora fied by Godto confumea great part ofthe nobleft houfes in Tuda,and perhaps of mien ortheir children, whofe worldly wifedome, regardleffe of Gods pleafure; broughtherin. The firk fruits ofthis great league,was the Syrian war.at Ramoth Gilead;where! da & Ifrael did aduenture equally, but the profit of the victory f{hould haue redo whollyto 4bab:as godly Pritces very feldomethrine byimatching with Idolators,""" ratherferuc the turnes ofthofe falfe friends,who beingillaffeéted to G od himfelf,ca" notbe well affectedto his feruants. Before their fetting forth: Ahab defigned,as kings" fon Abaxiah snot fo much perhaps in regard ofthe vncertaine events of w of hispredeceffors had cuer donethe like vpon thelike octaftdns) nor as fes threatnings of the Prophet mithaie(forhe defpiled them as inuiting 44 gfaph Owne example,to take the fame courfe,wherein he preuailed. 1. "kbeb, ro duce, whereby to' make'hér husband thinke that his brethren anid kindred olebe meanea nd vnwotrthyperfons in compatifon of hita, &ofhis cildren,whic h werel IC- gatten'vpon the daughter and fifter of two great Kings,not oe vpon bafe ome eh No meere {ubiedts.The Court of Abab, and his famous viGories obtain ed againtt the S iat Be badadwere matterfufliciént to make an infolent mari think highlyofhim fell ¢.4s beine allied fo hohourably; who could otherwife haue foundin hisheart welleno oe 1fi1,toder de{pifeall his brethten,as being the éldeft,andheire apparant to the Crown, ugh.to wl2. ready he had,in amaner,the poifefiion. ' ; How foonehis vices brake out, or howlong he diffembled them at ndhis ido]. igion,it cannot: certainly be knowne.Like enoughit ts, that fome {moke, out « zo hidden fire, did very foone make his fathers eyes to water ; who thereupon c nguemanto knowhimfelfe better, by making ‘himfal l backe into ranke ‘ Yon: er brethren.And furely the doings of Jebefaphat about the fame time, argue no FostgoodLingsvasinto veeaekaerneneofisody fon, bg KIN Was tain to make his progreffe roundabout the Land,reclaimine the evntothe fer ‘of God,andappointing Tudges throughout allthefrong Citiesi o? eryCitie, This had beenea needleffe labour, if the religion taught and Rtronely See ned by A/z,andbyhimfelfe,hadnot fufferedalte ration, &the courfe of uftice cen peruerted, by the power offuchias had borite authority. But theneceffitie that then mn of reformation,appears by the charge which the King did giue to the Tudges. ) ScCor Hane es aOofthe ps shoufeiatemporallmaterytobegenerallouceieersne he Seen Disafle in Tikes ais Apes Paray hot tillafter the death of Abaziathe fon of Ahab ; but howlongafterit is -ForJeboram the brotherof Abazia beganhis raign (as hath beenal; ithe eighteenth of seh bat, which was then accounted the fecon d of 0ofavhats fonne Ate, though afterward this Zhoramof Tuda had anothe rfirft and fecond 's time,before he reigncdalone, as the beft Chronc rers-and xtagree.So |} Jath gn,at whict algnityare not fetdowne,yet we s thereto; all; were wanting. Iehoraw of I refpondency, dean into the ; ast Which time it might well be thatthe yonguePrinceof Tada wz ined King by his father, iddpbatthats fatheraddone,dcmadevic ofHedethe I as inthe Syrian expediti nhe had'be ene. Or if ; that the preparations forthe enterp rize inftMoab "rom the eighteenth ofZhofaphatin which yeere tha ‘N&O Nis two and twentieth. yet thedaily necot wand] andthe affinity betweenthemc ontr: goodoccafions thereunto. Neith ons, in their elder brothers difetra c i. n forfea Fea!reof tumult afterhis deat ;0r oi: the deep di inthe good opinion both of his Fath erand B, : ous fell natures,to be as abieét a oN, felf in‘fuch J pon adua ntage. 7 Th rith ftore of nos ; gs donbrlef?, doubtleffe 1eir Father to. : yn of Je- fer hich kind 2-chron21, t With the cu- . The |