Lr.B. X X. Hezekiah and Senacherib; 129~ A How did the fingers ~nd tongues of rhofeJewiili P<eres and people itch to be at ~ R•6foekeh; in a revengefull anfwer to rhofe impieries:Ail is huilir1notaword founds from thofewalls: I doe normore wonder at Htztki•hs wifdome, in commandin~ fi. Jence, rhenarrhe fubjetts obedience in keeping it; This raikr could not bo ~ore fpighred,rhen with no anfwer1and,ifhemight be exafperared, he could nor ber:" formed;belides,rhe rebounding ofrhofe mu\tiplyed blafphemies, might leave fome ill imprdlions in themultitude, This fulphurous A ask, therefore, dyes in his own fmoak : only leaving an harefullllench behinde ir. Good Ht'{!ki•h cannot ealily paffe over this devililh oratory; no fooner dorh he hear of it, then he rends his clothes, and covers himfeif with fackclorh , and be• rakes himfelfto rhe houfe ofthe Lord; and fends his officers, and rbe gravd1: of B rhe Priells,clad in fack-clorh, to Ef4y the Prophet ofGod, with.a dolefull and que. ruloas melfagr. Oh the noble pietyof Ht.uki•h! notwithllanding all the llrairs ofthe liege, and rhedanger offo powerfull an enemy 1 . llind not thefaarmeors of this good Ktng, any otherwiferhenwhole,andunchanged; bur now o foon as everablafphemy is uttered againllrhe Majelly ofhis God, (though by a Pagan dog) his cloarhes are torn, and turned into fackclorh : There cao be no better argument of an up· right hem, then robe more fenlible ofrhe indignities offered ro God, then ofour own danger!, Even rhefe defperare reproaches fend Ht::.tki•h to the temple: The more we fee Gods oame prophaned, themore !hall we,ifwe be truly religious, love and honour it. c Whirher!hou\d Ht'{!ki•h run but ro the Temple, rorhe Prophet! There, there is the refuge ofall faithrull ones 1where they may fpeak with God , where they may be fpoken to from God,and fetch comfort from both: It is not poflible that a beleeving heart !hould be d1fappoinred: IJ4i•h fends that meffage to the good King, that may dry up histearcs. and cheer his countenance , and change his fuir ; Thm faith tbt Lord,Benot•fr.id ~thtJ>Drds J>hich 1~1• h-JI h,.,J,,.ith JJhieh tht firvAnts •f tbt Ki~g o[S1ri• h•vt hi•{} tmtdmt;Btbold,I .,;a {tnd A bi•JI upon him;& ht fo•ll hw "•mor,•ndfo•ll rttrtrn to his ows L•nti;•nolwi/1<Au{i hit» to f•ll bJ tht(.,.,dinhiHrPn L•nd. Loe;even whiles SMACherib was in the height ofhis jollity and affurance 1 Gods Prophetfore.fees his ruioe 1 and gives him for dead, whiles that Tyrant thought D ofnothing but life and villory. Proud and fecure worldlings little dreame of the neere approach oftheir judgements: whiles they are plotting their deepell de!ignes, the over-ruling jullice ofrhe Almighty harh contrived their fudden confulion, and fecs,and fc:rSihem their day. · · R.6fo•keh rerurnes, and finding the King of AJhri• warring again !I Li6n•b, re. pons to him the lilem, (and therein) contemptuous anfwer, and firme refolutions of Htr:.tlci•h; Inrhemean time God pullsStn•cherib by the eare, with the newcs of the approaching armyofTirh•k•h King of Ethiopi•,which was comming upro raife the liege1and to fuccour his confederates: Thatdreadfull power wiiJ nor allow the AJhri•nKing,ia. perfon to lead his other forces up again!llerofo/tm, nor to cootince I his former Leaguer long before thofc: walls. Bur now, hewrites big words to Htz tki•h, and thinks with liis thunderingmenaces ro be21 open the gates, and leveil the E bulwarks of Jtr•foltm: Like the nue maller of R•bfh•kth,he revilesrhe God of Heaven;and bafely parallels him with rhe dunghill deities ofrhe heathen. - Good Htzeki•hgers him into his fanlluary i there he fprcads the letter before the Lord; and calls to the God that dwells between the Cherubims, to revenge rheblafphemies of ~~uehtrib, to prci'ri:/l and refcue himfelfc, and his people. Every one of rho!~ words pierced heaven; which was no leffe open ro mercy unto Ht'{!kl•h, then, vengeance to Senttberib; Now is Ifol•h addreffed with a fecood melfageof comfort to him, who doubtleffe di!lrulled not the firll: only the reiteration ofrhat furious blafphemy made him rake fallcr hold, by his faithfull devotion. Now, the jealous God in a difdain of fa bbfphel1lous a conrellation, rifes up in a llil~ of M3j~lly, and gloriouOy tramples upon this faucy infolenc~fo Bt<•• t I
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