l LIB. XX. Jehu'WithJehoram,&c. / 1267 ; l A itthcyhadnO[ knowne: him a Prophet: .By the man tllcrctorc they rmghc guctte-- at his mdfJg<; Prophets doe not ufeco appeare, but uponferiouserrands;whether of reproofe, or ofprediction. . . Niceciviliti<s ofdenialswere not then known to the world; They f<id, It i< folfi, ·- ttU m n•rv: Amongfl thefe Captaines no combat, no unkindneffe follow.s upon o word fo ruddy familiar. Ithu oeods not reil them that the man was a Prophet; he eels them che prophecie of the man; wlw he had faid,whac he haddone. Th< ir eks had no fooner feene the oile ; rheir eares had no foon<r heard, Tkm aith tbc L.,d, I havt anointtd thtt King over I{rat/, then they rife from their feates, as rapt with a tempefl, and are hurled into armes; So doe they hafle to pro· B claime Ith,., tlm they fo;arce fby to fnatch up their garments, which they had perhaps left hehinde them for fpeed,had they not meant with thefe rich abilimeots ro garnifh a fiate for their new Sovcraine\ TO whom baving now crea~d an cxtcmpo~ rail Throne, they doe by the found ofTrumpets give the flile ofRoyaltie, Ithu is King. Somuch credit hath that mad fellow with th:fe gallants of T(rMI, that upon his • word they will prdemly adventurecheir lives,and changethe Crowne, God gives a fccr<tauthority to his dcfpifcd fcrvams; fo asth<y which hate their petfon yet rev{'rc:ncc thdr rruth: Even vc.ry fcorners cannot but bdccvc them; If wbed the P10ph<cs of the Gofpell tell us of a fpiricuall Kingdome, they be ditlrufled of thofe which profeffe to obfervcthem, how lharnefullis the difproporcion~ how julllhall C their judgement be~ Yet I cannot fay whether meet obedience to the Prophet, or perfonall dinikes of Ithoram, or partial! rcfpeds to iebu, drew the Captains of I {rat/; The will ofGod may be done thankIdly, when fulfilling the fob!lance, we faikof theiotention, and errc~ in circumfianct. Ont!y J1amotb is cot~fcious ofthis fudden Inauguration; This new princedome yecreaches no fucthenhen the found of the crumpet: Ithu is no Idle fubtile , then valiant; he knew that the notice of this inexpeded change might work a bulie,and dangerous rdiflance;he therefore gives order that no meffenger ofthe newes may prevent his perfonall execudon,thatfo he might furprife Teb~ram in his palace of Itzr~tl, whethec tending his lace wounds, or kcurd y feafling his friends,aod drea· D ming ofnothing leffc then danger; and might be feen, and felt at once. Secrecie is the (afell gord ofany deligne;difclofed pcojeds ace eitherfruflrat<d, or made needle fly difficult. - Neither is lehu more clofe,then fwift;That very trumpet with the farrie winde founds his march1 from the topofthe ~air:s, he fleps down into his charet. That man meanes to fpeed, who can beat one: referved in his counfds, and refolut< and quick in his performances. Who could but pity the unhappy and unfcafonable vifitation of the grand-child of IthoftMpbat,were it not that he was degenerate into the fJmily of ...A !Jab? Aha:rjah Ktng ofJudah iscometo vific_ltboran: King of Ifrael, the knowledge ofhis late re. ceived wounds hath drawn thuhertlm k1nde 1ll-matched alhe: He who was parr. E I nerofthe war, cannot but be a vifitor ofthewounds. The two J(ings are in the height of their complement, and entertainements, when the watch-men ofthe Tower of ItZ,rttl efpies atrQupe, afarre off. For ought was known,there was nothing but peace in •11 the Land oflfrae! 1 and Judah was n >w fo combined with it,that both their Kings were feafling under one roof; yet in the midn ofthisfuppof<d fafety,thewarch-towerisnot unfurnilhed with heedy cies:No fecurity ofpeace canfceewife governours from a careful! fufpition of what may come, and a providenceagaiallthe worfl. Even whiles wee know of no enemies,che watch-tower ofdue lnt<lligcnce may not be empty. ' In vaine are dangers forc-feene, if they 'bee not premonithed; It is all one to have a blinde and a mute watch-man; This fpeakes what hee fees, Ifi"""'· pany. Doubtleffe
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