Lx n. XIX. Ahab and Naboth. A ofanger,or.griefe,I cannot fay1but lick he is& keepshis bed,and bllks his meat,as if he{bould d1< ofno otherdeath,then the falads that hewould have had:O the impoten< pallionond infatiable defires ofCovecoufndfe! Ahab is Lord ond Kingofall the t<rritories oflfrae!1 Naboth is the owner ofone poore Vineyard; .Ahab cannot injoy Jlrael, i[Naboth injoy his Vineyard; Befides Samaria, .A/Jab was the great Lord Paramountof Dsmafcus and all Syria, the victor ofhim thst was attended with two and thiny Kings; Nabotb was a plaine townfman ofJezreel, the good husband of a little Vineyard;Whether isthewealthier?! doenot heare Naboth wi/h for any thing of .Ahabs, I heareAhab wifhing(not without indignation of a repulfe)fllrfomcwhat from Naboth: Riches and poveny,isnomore in the heart then in the hand 1 He is wealthy that is contented,he is poore that wantet!! more: Oh rich Naboth,that ea: B re{\ not for all the largepoffellionsof .Ahab;fothou maiel! be the Lord ofthineowne Yineyard;Oh miferable .Ahab,that careft not forthine own poffefiions whiles thou mayefl not be the Lord of N•b•ths Vineyard. He that caufed the difeafe fends him a Phylitian1Satan knew of old how to make u(eoffuch helpers:Itztbtl comes to.Ahabs bed fide, and carts cold water in his face, and puts into him fpirits ofher owne excraaing.Dojl thou nmgnmnt the Kingdome •f I{r4tl~ Ari{t,eat hre•d,andltt thine hembemerry .I .,;u gwe tl;ee the VineyardofNa. bnh.Ah•b wanted neithet·wit, nor wickednelfe1 Yet is Qe in both, a very noviccco this Zidonian dame.There needsnoother Devill,than Jezebel, whether to project evill,ortoworke it.- She chides thepufil!animity ofher dejet!ed husband,and perfwades him his rule cannot be free, unlelfe it be licentious; that there lhould be no C bounds for foveraignty,but will .- Already hath fhe contrived to have by fraud and force,what was denied to intreaty1Nothing needs butthe name,but the feale of .Ah.b.let heralonewith the refi:Howprefent are thewits ofthe weaker lex for the deviling of wickednetfe~She framesa!mer inAh•bsname,to the Senatours ofJezreel wherein (he requireSthemto prodaime a fafl,to fuborne two falfe wirnelfes ag,Yl)ft N•both, to charge him with blafphemy again{\ God and the King, to flone him to death;A readyf.ayment for a rich Vineyard:Whofe indignationrifcthnot,to heare ltz1btl name a aft~ The great contemnersofr.hemofl important Lawes of God,yet can be content tomake ufe offome divine,both flatutes, &cuflomes,fortheir own advantage:She knew the Ilraelites had fo much remainder ofgrace,asto hqld blafphemy wonby ofdeath; She knew their manner was to expiate thofe crying fins with publike humiliati61Sheknewthattwowitneffes at leaf!muC\cafl theoffender; D all thefe (he urges tO her own purpofe.There is no mifchiefe fodevilifh,as that W' ' is dokedwith piety:Simulati6ofholine!fedoubletha villany1 This murder hadnot been halfe fo foule,ifit had not binthus masked witha religious obfervati6;Befides devotion, what a faire pretence of legality is here ~ Blafphemy againfl God and his Anointed may not paffe unrevenged1 The offi:nder is c6vented before the fad & fevere bench ofMagiC\racy;thejuflice of!frael a!lowes not tocondemn anabfent,an unheard malefador;Witnelfes come fonh,and agree in the intentati6 ofthe crime; the Judges rend their garments,and flrike their brefls as grieved, not more for the. fin, than the punifhment;their very countenance mufl fay, N•both fhould not die, if hisoffencedidnot force our juC\ice,and now,he is no good fubjecr,notrueIfraelite, that bath not a flone for N•both. E Iezebtl knewwell to whom !hewrote;Had not thofe letters fitlne upon the times ofa wofull degeneration oflfrael,they had received no leffe flrong denials from the Eldcrs,than Ahab had from N•both; Godforbid that the Stn4tt ofIezml f/11uldforge • perjur,,l:etie trutth,condemPt innoctnc1,bro1kt corruption: Command jufi things, weue ready to die in the zeale of our obedience, we dart not imbrue our bands in the blood ofan innocent. But (be knewwhom fhe had engaged;whom fl1e hadmarred by making cOfcious. It were flrange if they whocancountenance evil with greatnes,fl1ould want fa~ors for the unjuflefl defignes. Miferable is that people whofe Rulers (in!lead ofpunilhing)plot,and incouragewickednelfe1whena diflillatiort ofevil falls from the head upon the lungs of any State, there mufl needs follow adeadly confumptlon. Kkkkk • Yet, Ul5
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