Lra.XIX. Ahab and Naboth. !owes were glad to fay, Savemu; thisonely fayes,Smite mu; His honefi neighbour out oflove and reverence, forbears to firike; there are too many (thinks he) that fmice the Prophets,Though I refrainc;What wrong haft thou done that I 01ould repay with blows; hadefithou fued for a favour, I could not have&nyed thee, now thou fueft for thine hurt, the denyall is a favour; Thus he thought; but cannot excufe difobedience;Had the man ofGod called forblows(upon the refufall had been jufi and thank-worchy; But nowthat he fayes, In th< the Lml, Smiteme, this kindnelfc is deadly: Becaufe th•u ha}nDt Dbeyed the. the LDrd, beh,/d, •[Juone as thou art departedfrom me aLiDn foal/ flay thee; It is us to ex1mine the charges ofthe Almighty; be they never fo har01, or improbable, (if they be once knowne for his) there is noway but obedience, or death. Notto fmiteaProphet, when God commands, isnoletfe linne, thentofmite when God forbids ; It is the divine precept or prohibition, that either aggravates anevill; And iftheIfrielite be thus revenged, that [mote not a Prophet what 01all become of Ahabthat fmoce not Benhadad ~ Every man is not thus indulgent; an ealie requefiwill gaine blows to a Prophet from the next hand; yea, and • wound in fmiting. I know not whether it were an hardertaske for theProphet torequire awound, then for a well-meaning Ifraelireto give it 1 Both mufi be done; TheProphet hathwhathewould, what he mufi will, a light of his owne blood, and now difguifed herewith ,and with a!hes upon his face, he way-layes the King oflfrael, and fadly complaines ofhimfelfe in areall parable,for difmiffing asrian prifoner delivered to his hands, upon no letfe charge then his life ' and foon receives fentence ofdeath, from his owne mouth: Well was that wound bellowed that ftruck Ahabs foule through the fle!h ofthe Prophet: The difguifc is removed; The King fees not a Souldierbut a Seer, and now finds that he bath unawares palfed fenrence upon himfelfe. There needs noother doomethen from the lips of the offender: Thusf•yth the LDTd,btrau(e th•u haft let t•eoutofthy hand,a man whDm I app•inted to 11tttr dtftrufli•n,thmfm thy life [ballgoeJor his life, and thypeople for his P"ple: Had not Ahab known the will ofGod concerning Benhadad,that had been mercy to an enemy,which was now crueltyto himfelfe,to Ifrael: His eares had heardofthe blafphemies ofthat wicked rongue : His eyes had feene God go before him,inthe exampleofthatrevenge; No Prince can firikefodeep Into his flate, as in not firiking: In private favour there may be publique unmercifulnetfc. Ahab andNaboth. lr;~~~Ah<>tl hod a faire Vineyard; It had been better for him to have had none ; His vineyard yeelded him the bitter grapes of death. Many a one hath been fold to death by his lands & goods1wealthhath been afnate;ascothefoule,foto the life; Why doe we call thofe goods, which are many times the bane ofthe owner~ N•b•tht Vineyard lay neere to the Coutt of It::.tbrl;it had been better for him, it had beenplanted in the wildernetfe; Doubtlelfe this vicinity made it more commodious to the potfetfor1 but more envious and unfafc: It was now the perpetual! objea ofan evil! eye, and fiirred thofe delires, which could neither be well denyed, nor facisfied: Eminency is fiill joynedwith perill,obfcuritywith peace; There can be no worfe annoyance to aninheritance,then the greatnelfeofan evill neighbourhood: Nab,tlu vines flood too neere the fmoake ofie:ubelt chimneys; too mucli within the profpea of Ababt window; Now lately had theKing oflfracl been twice vitlorious over the Syriam no fooner is he returned home then he is overcome with evil! delires; The foyle he gave was not worfe then that bee tooke : There is more tme glory in the conquefi ofour lufis, then in all the bloody Trophees; invaine fhall Ahab boafi of fubduing a forrainenemy,whiles he is fubdued by a domefiickeenemywithin his own brefi; Opportunityand Convenience is guilty ofmany a theft:Had not this gcound!yen · Kkkkk fo l:Z.IJ
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