L1ll.xx. Hezekiah and SenQcherib. 1297 A With what cheerful affurance ihould we approach to the throne ofthat grace,which - never failed any fuppliant. Neither was this grant more fpecdy,then bountifull;we arewont to reckon feven years for the life ofaman;and now,behold,more then two liveshath God added to the age of He"{fkiAh. How unexampled a favour is this! who ever but Htztki•h knew his period fo long before? the fixedneffe ofhis terme,is no ldfc mercy, then the pro. tradion;we mull be content to live or die at uncertainties 1 we arc not worthy to calculate the dateofour own times:T<Ach ,.,,o L~rd,fo 11 ~•mhtr '""'•yes , rhAIOit m•y •pply our heArts 11 rrifd•me, • There is little joy in many daycs,ifthcy beevil;Ht.cekiAh !hall not bcbldfed only wirh lifc,but with peace; The proud Affyrian threatens an invalionn; his late toyle B llill fiicksin his fiomack,and fHrs him to a revenge;the hook is in his nofirils,hccannot move whither he lifi; The God ofheaven will maintain his own quarrell: I will deftnd thil City fir mintownJ.kt,Andfor myftrv•nt D•vids f•ke , Loe; tor his life Htztki•h is beholden (next under the infinitegoodneffeofGod) to his prayers ; for his protedion, to the deare memory of his father DAvid; furdy for ought wee find,Ht:{tkiabwas no lclfeupright,and lelfe offenfive then DAvid;yetboth Htzrlriab and Jerufalem !hall fare the better for D•vids fake, above three hundred yeares afi:er. To that man after his own heart, had God ingaged himfelfc, by his gracious promife,to preferve his throne,his feed: God lovesro remember his ancient mercies:How happya thing is it to be faithfullwith God; this isthe way to oblige thofo C which are yet unborn;and to intayle blellingsupon the fuccdlions of future genera· tions. Itfeemesitwasfomepellilent ulcerthat thusindangered the life of Htztklah. Ij.UAh isnot a Prophet only, but a Phyfitian. .A~d Ifoi•hfoid, TAkt A lompofjigs: He that gave an affarancc ofrecovery, gives a receit torthe recovery. The decreeof God includes the mcanes : neither can the medicine work without a word 1 neither will the word workwithoutthcmedicine; bothofthem mufimeetin thecure: If wee fo trufi the promife, that we negled the pr<fcripr, we prefume to no purpofe. Happy is that foule, that fo regards the promife of Gods Prophets,as that withal! he receives their counfds. Nothing could bemore proper for the ripening of hard and purul<nt tumors, then D dry figs; Herein lfoiahs diredioo was according to nature 1 Wherefore ihould we balketheordin•ry road,where it is both f.lire and neer! The fuddenconrradidion oftheme!fage caufes a jufi difficulty in the affent,H t"{fki- •htherefore craves a fign; not forthat hedifirufied;but that he might trull the more; we can nevertake toofafi hold ofthofe promifes of God, which have not more comfort in the application, then natural! impoffibility in the performance. We be. leeve, Lord, help ourunbeleef. The lick King bath his option;His father was offereda ligne and refufed it;he fues for one, and obtaines it:Sh•U thtJb•dow g•forwArd ten degrus, DT hack ltn dtgrw? As ifheaven it fdfc lay open to his choice; and were ready either to mend his pace, or retire for his confirmation ; What creature is not cheerfully forward to oboy tbe E faith ofGods fervants. HtzthAh fafiens rather upon that lignc which is more hard, more difagreeing from thecourfe ofnarure; not withoutgood roafon; Every proofe mufi be clearer then the thing to be proved, ne;ther may there want a meet proportion betwixt both; now the going forward of the ihadow was a motion , no other then naturall, the recovery ofthat pefiilcntdifeafe was againfithe fiream ofnature; the morediffi· cult figne therefore,the furer evidence. Whether !hall wemore wonder at the meafure ofthe love ofGod to Ht,tlri•h,or atthepoweroflfoi•hs faith in God! Out ofboth, eitherthe Suo goes back in heaven that his ihadowmay goe back on earth,orthe ihadowno lelfe miraculoullygoes back on earth, whiles the Sun goes forward inheaven. It is true that the Prophet fpcakes ofthe ihadow,not ofthe Sun1cxcept perhaps becaufe thcmotionofthe Sun R rrrr is
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