Lra. XIX. 1\ hab anfl Michaiah. A Ahabs conditi6,Nab61h ch•nges a vineyardon earth,for a Kingdome inheaven.Ne· verllllYwicked man gained by the perfecution ofan innocent :Never any innocent man was a lofer by fuffering from thewicked. Neither was this judgementperfonall bm hereditary: I will take away thy poLlerity;and will make thiRe houfe like the houfe of Imboam: Him that dyeth of Ahab in the City, the dogs ji>J/1 eat; and him that dieth in the field,(ha/1 the {owls .•fthe.yre eat: Ahab fhall not need.to take thought for the traducin_ll of this ill gotteninheritance; God bath taken order for his heyres; whom his I m hath made no letfethe heyres of his curfe,then ofhisbody:Their fathers cruelty to Naboth hath made the together with their mother Jezebel, dogs-meat. TherevengeofGoddothatlaLl make amends for the delay;Whether now is Naboths vineyard payed for~ B The man thathad foldhimfelfeto worke wickednetfc, yet rues the bargaine.I do not heare Ahab (as bad as he was) revile orthrcaten the Prophc:t, but he rends his cloathes,and weares &lies infack-clmh,& faLls,&walks fofdy:Who that had feen Ahab would not have deemed hima true penitent~ Allthis was the viforofforrow, not the face; or ifthe face, not the heart; or ifthe forrqw of the hem, yet not the repentance:A farrow forthejudgement,notarcpenrance fort he lin:Thevery devils howle to be tormented;Gricfe is not evera figne ofgrace; Ahab rends his cloathes, he did not rend his heart; he puts on fack-cloth, not amendment; he lies in fackclotb,but he lies in his Idolatry; he walks-foftly, he walls not fincerely1 worldly farrow caufcth deoth1Happy is that griefe for which the {oule is the holier. Yet what is this I fee~ This very fhadow ofrepentance caries away mercy; le is C no fmall mercy to defer anevill; Even Ah.tbs l)umiliation fhal prorogue the judgment;fuch as the penitence was, fuch fhal be the reward, a temporary reward ofa temporary penitence;As Abab might be thus forrowfull,and never the better;fo hee may be thus favoured,and never thebappier;Oh God,how gracioufiyart thou ready to reward • found,and holy repetftance, whoart thus indulgent to a carnall and fervile dejection? . 1 Arua and MicHAIAH: or, D The death of AHAB. • Ho would have look'tto have heard anymore ofthewarsofthe Syrians with Ift':lel,afi:er fogreat a Oaughter,after fo firme a league;aleague not ofpeace onlybut o! Brotherhood~ The haltars,thefack-cloth of Benhadad, followers were worne out , as ofufe,fo ofmemory,and now they are changed for Iron and Lleele. Itis butt\me; yeares thatthis peace laLls1and now that warrebegins which lhal make an end of Ahab; The King of lfrael rues his unju(\ mercy;according to the word ofthe Prophet, that gifi: ofa life, was but an exchanr;e;Becaufe Ahab gave Benhadad his life,Benhadad fhall take Ahabs;Hee muft forfeit in himfelfwhat hehath give to another.There canbe no better fruit of too much kindnetfcto Infidels; Itwas one Article ofthe league betwixt Ahab &his E brother Benhadad,thatthere lhouldbe a fpeedy reLlitmio ofal the IfraelitifilCities; The re(\ are yeeldcd,only RamothGileadis held back,umh'!llk(l\ljx,injurioufiy;He that begged but his life receives his Kingdome, and now nijts potcontent with his own bounds;}u(lly doth Ahab challenge his owne,juLlly d<ir'j"e move a war to recover his owne from • perfidious tributary; the la"fulneffeo'faC!ions may not be judged bythe events, but by the grounds; the wife and holy arbitero{the world knowes why many times the better caufe bath the worfe fuccetfe;Many aju(\ bufi• neffe iscroJTed,for apunifhment to [he agent. Yet Ifrael and J udahwere nqw peeced in friendfhip;ltho(haphat the good Kingof Judah had made affinity with Ahab the Idolatrous King oflfrael:and befides a perfonal vifitation,joynes his forces with his newKinfman,againLlanold 'dnfederote: t\kkkk 3 ).:::ud==ail~--"'
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