1 L 1 B. X IX. Ahaziah Jick!, &c. 11i3 A Captaine, with a band of Souldiers to fetch him : the inftrumencs which he ufeth, caryrevenge in their f.&ce:Ifhe had notthought.Uiijah more the aman,what needed a bandoffifty to apprehend one~ and ifhe did thinke him fuch,why would he fend to apprehend him by fifty~ Surdy Ahauah knewofold howmiraculous a Prophet £/ijAh W:I.S: w bat power that maa had,over all theirbafe Deities : what command ofthe Elements, ofthe heavens : and yet hee fends to attach him. It is a {!range thingto feehowwilfully,godlelS men!lrive again!lthe !lreame ot rheirown beans: hating that which they know good, fighting again{! that which they know divine. What a groffe difagreement is in themeffage ofthis Ifraeliti!h Captaine( Thou man ofGod, the King hAth[aid, Comedown<; If heewere amanofGod, how bath hee offended ( and it he have ju!lly offended the Anointed ofGod, bow is he a man of B God(And ifhe beaman ofGod,and havenotoffended,why !hould he comedown to puni!hment(Here is a kind confeffion,with a falfe hean,with bloody hands: rhe world is full ofthofe windy courtelies,reall cruelties : Deadly mall ice Iurkes under fairecomplemenrs, and whiles it flauers, kill eth. Tbe Prophet hides not himfelte from the purfuit of Ahaziah; rather he fits where hee may bc:e moll confpicuous, on thetopofanHill: this band knowes well where to find him; and climbs up, inthe light of E/ijah, for his erre!l : The !leepneffe ofthe atrent ( when they drew neere to the highe!l reach)yeelded a c6venience,both ofrefpiratioand parle:thence dotb the Captaine imperioully call down the Prophet. Who would not tremble at the dreadful! anfwerof 1'./ijah, If! be a man ojG1d, then let fire C111udowm from Hl4vm And coof~H»e thu,andtbyjifty : What !hall we fay ~ That a Prophet is revengeC full,that Souldiers fuffer whiles a Prophet !lrikes;that a Princescommand is anfwered withimprecation,wordswith firc;that an unarmedSeer lhould kill oneand fifty at ablow ? There are few trackes of Elijah that are ordinarie, and fit for common feer : His aaions are more for wondtr,then for precedent : Not in his owndefence would the Prophethove been the death offo many,ifGod had not by a peculiar inflint< m•de him anin!lrument ofthis jull: vengence. The divin~ ju!lice finds it meet to doe this for the terrour oflfrael, that he might reach them, what it wM to con. temne,to perftcute a Prophet; that they might learne ro feare him whom they had forfaken,and confelfe that heavenwas fenlible oftheir infolencies,and impieties: If not :1.5 vifibly,yet as certainly dotb God pupi!h tbe violations ofhis ordinances,the affronts offered to his meffengers,llill and ever:Not ever with the fame fpeed:fomeD time,the puni!hment overtakes the att: fomerimesdogs it a farrc off,and feizeth up· on the offeader,whc his crimeis forgocren:Here,no fooner is the wordout of Elijahs mouth then the fire is out ofHeaven.Oh the wonde,full power ofaProphet !There firs Elija.hin his coorfeMantle,on the topofthe Hill,andc6mandsche heavens,and they obe}' him 1 Letfirt faUd01vne [1emheavtn; He needs no more but fay what hee would have clone: The fire fals down, as before upon the facrifice in Carmtl fo now upontheSouldiets of Aha%>iah: What is man in the hands ofhisMaker ~ One Ralh of Iighrning hath conli1med this one and lifiy. And ifo.ll the ho!ls of Ifracl, yeaof the world, hadbeene in their roomes, there had needed no other force. Whar madneffe is it for him whofe breath is in his no!lhrils to wncend with the Almighty~ 'Ihetime was, when two zealous Difdples would faine have imitated this E fiery reveng~ of Elijah, and where repelled with a checke;The very place puts them inminde.ofthe judgement; Not farre from Samaria wasthis done by Elijah, and wi!ht to be done by his Difciples; So churli!h a rejettion ofa Saviour feemed no !ciTe hainous, then theendeavour ofapprehending a Prophet; Lord, rrilt th•u that "'" comn"nd'jirtto comedown• fromhtwt~, and co~f"mezhm~, '" Elill4 did. The world yeelded but one Eli"':that whlch was zeale in him,might be fury in another; the Iea!l variati6<>fcircum!lancemay m<J.ke anexample dangerous; prefently therefore doe they heare, r. knorun•t •fruhat [piritye art .. ltis the calling that vuies the fpirit ; Elijab was Gods Mini!ler fortbeexecution offo fevere a judgement; they were but ~he Servants oftheir own impotent anger 1 therewas lire in their bre!ls, which God never kindled\ f.ure was it from the Saviour ofmen, to fecond their eanhly fioe, ,with his hc~venly ; Hee came indeed to fend fire upon earth; but to warme,
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