[ontemp!ations. Lrn. XX. thee,•ndf•J,WhD iJ the LDrtll Upon th_is Rock_did t~e f'?n of Sa/omDn runne and fpfuA h1mfelfe; H1s full fayles of profpenty earned h1m mto prefumprion and ruine: what may henotdoe~ what mayhen'otbe! lkcaufe he found his power otherwife unlimited; over-ruling in the Court, the Cities, the Fields, the Deferts rhe armes, and Magazins, therefore he thinks he may doe fo in the Temple to~: as things royall, civill, husbandly, military palfed his hands, fo why fl10uld not {thinkes he) facred alfo ~ It is a dangerous indifcretion fota man nor to know the bounds ofhis own calling : What confufion doth not follow upon this breakingof the rankes? Uponafolemne day,King Vz.!-i•h clothes himfelfin Pomificall robe~, and in the viewofthatpopulous :tlfembly, walkes upinfiate, into the Temple of God, and boldly approchingtothe Altar of Incenfe, offers to burnfweetodorsuponitto B ~he God of heaven: .AzAriAhthePrielt is fenfible offo perillous an incroachmeot; he tberefore,attended with fourefcorevaliant allifiants ofthat holy Ttibe, hafiens after the King,& finding him with the cenfer in hislJand, ready addreffed to that finfull devotion,!laycs him with a free , and grave expofiulacion : There i$ no place wherein I could be forry to fee thee,O King,but this,where thou art1 ntitber is there any atl,that welhould grudge thee fo much,asthis, which is the mofi facred l Is it polllbl~ that fo great anoverfight f!Jould fall into fuch wifdome ~ Can a religious Princetrained up under a holy Ztchari•h, after fo many yeares zealous profellion of piery,beeither ignorant,orregardlelfeofrhofelimits which God bath fer to his own fervices~ Oh,what meanes this uncouth attempt~ Confider 0 dear Soveraigne , for Gods C [Jke,for thy fouies fake,conftder where thou art, what thou doe!l; it is Gods houfe wherein thou fiandefi,not chineown; Looke about thee , and fte, whethercbefe vailes, thefeTables, thefe Pillus,thefe wah,thefePavemenrs,have any refcmblance ofeaith: There is no place in all the world whence thy Gpd bath excluded thee , but only this 1 this he bath referved for his owne ufe: And canfi thou think much to~llowoneroomeaspropertohim, who harh not grudged all the rel!: to thee? But if it be thy zeale ofa perfonall (ervice to God,rbar bath caried thee hithtr1 alas, how canfi thou hope to plcafe the Almighty_withra forbidden facrifice! Which ofrhinc holy Progenitors ever dared totread, where thy foot now ftandeth~ Which ofthem ever put lonh their hand to rouch this facred Altar! Thou knowdl that ·Godhathferaparr,andfanC\ified hisownartendants{Wherefore ferves the Prief\- D hood,ifthis be the right of Kings~ wereit not forehe firiC\ prohibirion of our God, it could feem no otherchen an honour to our profeflion, that a King lhould think to dignifie himfelfe by our imployment ; but now knowing the fevere charge of tbe greatKing of hcaven,we cannot but tremble tofee that cenfer in thine band; who ever, out ofthe holy Tribe, bath wielded it unrevenged ~ This affront is nor to us, it is to rhe God whom we ferve; In awe of that terrible Maje!l:y, asrhouwouldfi avoid fome exemplary judgemenr,O King withdraw thy felfe, not without humble deprecations,from this prefence;and lay down that interdicted handfull, with feare and trembling; Bethouevera King, let us be Priefis; The Sccpter is thine, let Cenfers be ours. What relioioHS heart could do otherthen relent at fo faithfull and juft an admo. E nition ~ But"howbatd is it for great perfons royeeld they have offended~ r::.::.i•h mull not be faulty, what is done ralhly lhall_be borne out wit~ power; Hee was wrorh1andthusexprelfethit: What meansthJs fauey expoftulat_10n, 0 ye fons of Levi, how dare yeethus malapertly controll the ~~d!-mean~ aC\10ns_ of your Soveraignedfyce be Priells, remember that ye are fubjetls ; onfyee w11l needs f~rget • 1 it,how eafie is it for this hand to awake your memory~ What.fuch offence can lt b;: ' for me to come into rhot houfe and to touch that Alrar, wh1ch my royall Progem1 tors have made,beautified,conkcrated~Is the God ofthis placeonly yours~ Whydo . 1 ye thus ambitiouOy.ingroffe Religion~ IfPrinces have not inteunc;dled with rhefe holyaffaires, it w>s becaufe they wouldnor, not becaufe they m1gbrnot; When rhofe !awes were maao for the Sanlluacy, there were no Kings to grace thefe divi_ne CCf('ffiOOieS
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