Chap. 34. An Expof tsen 'goy the Bake. J 0 B. Verf. ill. 621 height ofimpudence againft him, mentioned with indignation by Eliha iri the Text, he openly and to his face called him Belial, (2 Sant. 16 . 5.7.) Comeoit thou bloody mats, and those man of Be- lial: But we knowwhat the iffue was, he paid dear for it at lafi thoughDavid forgave him at prefent, and did nor fuffer Abrfhai to take afudden revenge,yet upon his death-bedhedelivered him -over tohis fon Solomon, todeal with him as he, ihould fee good. And fo great is the offenfivenefs and unfirnefs of fpeaking thus sunto aking,that the Jewes joyned it with blafphemy againli God himfelf. We read (a Kings 2t., 13.) how two falíeWitnefies -came againli Naboth, laying, Naboth bla#emed G,d and the King; as muchas to fay, we heard Naboth fay of theKing, Min! ; And as loon asthefe two had brought in their evidence againft him, that he had blafphemed God and the King, they drewhimout,and -finned him Blafphemy againfi God was death by the exprefs letter of the Law, (Lev. 24. 15, i6.) It was alío death by the fame Law for any man to curie hisFather or his Mother (Eved. 21. 17.) And becaufe the King is (Pater Patrie) the father of his Country, it feems the curlingor blafpherning of him, was alto punifhable by death. TheApeltle ftrde ufeth an equivalent word in theGreek (Ep. ofwade, v. S.) reproving a wicked Sea in thole times; They fear not to blafjaheme, it fj eeik, evil of Dignities There is blafphemyagainfi Princes, who are titular Gods as well as againli the only trueGod. Kings are to ba feared, to be fub- milted to, theyare to prayed for, therefore not tobe reviled. Is it fit to fay cantoa King, Belial ? Yet this doth not flop the mouths ofall'men from telling Kings andPrinces their faults, nor loth it jufiif e a filent dìffenbling of them ; much lefs doth it open the mouchesof any todawb Kings and Princes with the untempered morter of flatteries ; Kings are no more to b flattered then theyare to be reproached. Digni- ties muff not be fpoken evil of, yet they may be prudently and humbly told of their evils, and informed of their failingsplainly. When Eliahmet Ahab, whofaid,Art then he that trosbleth Ifra- el ? Eliah anfwered, (t Kings 18. i g.) Ihave not troubledIfraef, brit thou and thy fathers hosafe, in that ye have forfaken the Cene.. mandments of the Lord, and thouhaft followedBaal.And we read howboldly VOA carried itto theKing of Ifrael, (a Kings 3.r 3, 14.) what have Ito dowith thee ? Gee thee to `the Prophets of thy Lill '"z father,
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