L.IB. XX. Hezekiah.andSenacherib. 1291 A Since Ht<:.tki.h wasthus,above all his Ance!lots, upright with the Lmd; it is no matvell ifthe Lord \Yere with him; ifhe profpercd, whitherfocver ihe went; The fame God that would have~ his jullie< magnified in the confufion of the wicked Princes of l{rAtl and /t<dah,would havehis mercy no lcffe acknowledgcd,in the bkf- !ings offaithful! Ht:ulciah. The great King of A/Jjria had in a fort fwallowed up both theKingdoms ofludah, and l{rAtl;yet not with an equal! cruclty;He m~de rfr.-1 captive,Judah (upon awil. ling compofition) tributary. ljratl is vanHhed in a tranfpotration; lutlab continues under the homage wherein v1 hao: left it: Htzelciah had raigoed but fix years when he faw his neighbours of lfr•el packing into a mifcrable captivity; and the proud Affyrians Lord in~ in their Citic:s; yet,even then, when he !load alonc,io a corner of B IMtiah, dur!l Htr.ckiah draw his neck out <?fthe yoke ofthe g<eat,and viilorious Manarch of Af!jria1and,as ifone enemy had not been enough, at the fJme time,he falls upon the incroaching Philij/i11u, and preva.ls. It is no~ to be asked, \That powers a man canmake, butinwhattermeshe llandswith beaver. The unworthy father of Ht'{tkiah had clogged l•d•b with thisfetvile fealty to the AJlirian;what theconditionsofthat fubjedion were,ir is too late,and needleffcfot us to inquirc; Ifthis pay· ment were limited <0 2 period oftime, the expirationacquittcd him ; If upon covenanrs ofayde, the ceffation theteof acquitted him, If the Reforming of Religion, and banifhmenr ofldolatry ran under the cenfureofreb<llion,the qu•rrell on Htztlciahs part,was holy,on Senacheribs unjull: but ifthe re!lipulation wereabfolute, and thewithdrawing ofthis homage upon none but civill grounds , I cannot excufc the c good King from a ju!l offence : It was an humane frailty in an obliged Prince, by force to effed a free and independant Soveraigmy. What doe we mince that fact,which holy Hezekiah himfclfc cenfurcs ~ I have •ffindul,rtt•rnfrom me;whAI thoM potjl on me rviU I beart. The camfor: of liberty may not bc had with an unwarranted violence. Holineffc cannot free us from infirmity: It was a weakneffe to doe that act, which mull be foon nndone with much repenranee and more loffe: This revolt fhlll call Heukiah (befidcs much humiliation) three hundred yecrly Talents offilver, thirty Talents of gold: Ho1v much b<ttcr had it been for the Cities of lud•h to have porehafed their peace with an eafie Tribme,then warwith intolerable taxation! Fourteen yeershad good Htzeki•h fed upon a fweet peace, fauced only with a fet D penfion;now he mull pr<plre his Palat for the bitter morfels ofwar. The King of Af!jriais come upagainll all thedefenced Cities of I11Jah; and bath taken them: Htz t/ci•hisfain to buy him out with toonuny Talents; The poor Kingdome of IuJ•{, is exhau!l,with fo deep a·payment;in fo much as the King is forced to borrow ofGod himfclfe1 for Ht'{tlciab gave him all the filver that"''"found In the ho•feoftht Lord1yt~,•t tbAI thne did Htz tlci•h CMI •If tht gold from t.ht doorts of the Ttmplt ofthe Lord,•nd{rlmtht Pillars wbicbht hatlover-laid,&gave itt• tbe King•fA(fjria.How hard was good Htz tklah driven,cre he would be thus bold with his God! Surely if the mines,or Coffers of ludah could have yeelded any fupply, this fl1ift had been har<full;to fetch back for an enemy, that which he had given to his Mak:r: Only necdlity excufcs that from fJcriledge in the fan , which will, madefacril<dge in the f.11hcr: Thatwich isonce devoted to a fac red ufe, may not be called back to a proE fan<: But he whofe the earth is,and thefulneffe ofit, is not fo taken with our metals, that be fl1ould more r<gard our gold,then our welfJre· His goodneffe cannot grudge any outward thing for the priceofour peace:To rob God out of contoufneffe, or wanronneffe,or neglcil,is juO!y damnable; we cannot rob him our ofour need; f0r then he gives us all we take1and bids usranfome outlives,our liberties;The trcafures of Gods houfc,werc precious,for his fake,towhomthey were confecrated,butmore precious in the fight of the Lord was the life ofany one ofhis Sainrs. Every true l{ratliu was the fpirirulll houfe ofGod, why fl10uld not th< door of the materia !I Temple be willingly !lripped, to fave the whole ftame ofthe fpirituall Temple! Take rherefor<, 0 Htr.elci•h, whatthou hall given, nogold is too holy to redeemethy vexation: it mam~s not fo much how bate the doores of the Temple be,
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