l 1304 1 ________________ c_on_te_m~p_&_t_io_ns_. _______ L__ t_B_._X_X__. Jofiahs 'R..eformation. Et, yet if wemull alter from our felves,ic is ~etcetto ben Manaffih; then ai,.jh: lDAjh beganne wdl,and ended cll:U11•n•ffih beganill and ended well; his age varied from his youch, no ldfe, then on~ mans conditioncan vary from anothers ; His potlericy fucceeded A in bothiAmmon hi~ fon fucceedc? in the fins of Ulf •n•ffihs youth; lofiah _hcs graod-chcld fu~ceede~ m the vmues ofhis age. What a vall dtfference doch gracemake 10 the fame age~ Ulf•n•ffih began his raigne at twelveyeares,I•.fi•h at eight;MAnaffih wasreligioufly bred under Htzt· B kiab;Iofi•hwas mif-nurtured under Ammon; andyetMan•ffihruns into abfurd ldclacries,Io/iah is holy and devout.The Spirit ofGod breaches freely; not continino ic felfeto times,or meanes. · b No rules can bind the hands ofthe Almighty; It is in ordinary proofc coo true a word,that was fmd ofold,W•~ttothee o Land, whojt King is • cbildt: rhegoodndle ofGod makeslusown excepnons; Judah never fared better, then in the green yeares of a T•ft•h: Ifwe may not rather meafure youth and age by government, and difpoficion, then by yearcs:Surely thus, Iofiah was older with fmooth che~kes, then Ul1•n•Jfch with gray haircs. Hlppy is the infancy of Princes, when ic falls inro chc hands offaicbfull Counfdlors. Agood pattern isnofmall help for young beginners; Io(lah fees his father Davit/ C beforehim,noc Amm•~,not Ul1anaffih: Examples ace the bdt rules for tbc inexperienced,where their choiceis good , thedire~ionsarc Cl!ieft: The Laws ofGod arc rh< waics ofDAvid;Thofc Laws wereche rule,thcfe wayes were the praCiice;Good I•ft•h walks in all the waycs ofhis Father D•vid, Even the minority of Io.fi•h was not idle1we cannot be good too earely: At eight years it was enough to have his care opcnco hear good counfaile; to have his eyes and heart open to feck after God : At twelve, he begins eo a<!t and fhewcs well that he h<rh found the God he fought : Then he addrelfes himfdfe to purge Iudah and IerufJ!em,fromthe high places,groves,images,altars, wherewith it was de6led;bur. ning the bones ofthe idolatrous Priells upon their J!rars; flrcawing the alhos ofthe idols upon the gravesofthem that had facrificed to them, llriving by thofc fires and mattocks to tellitiehis zealous decetlacion ot"all idolacrv. · D The houfc mull firtl bccleanfcd, ercit can be garnifhed; no man will caft away his coil upon unclean heaps; fo foon as the Temple was purged, Io{iah bends his thoughts upon cbc repayring and beautifying ofrhis houfr ofthe Lord. . What ftirwas there io Iudah,wheroin Gods Temple fuffered not~ Six< fcverall timeswas it pillaged,whether ouc afforce or wil:Firtl,Ith.ajh King of Iudah is taine by thefpoilc ofitco ftopchemouch of Haz.el; Then , loaf/, King oflfrad fils his own hands wirh that facred fpoile,in the dayes of Ama\jah; afrcr this,..& ha::. riAes it for'Iigl•tb Piltftr,KingofAifyria; then Htzekiah is forced to ranfackrhe treafures of it for Stnacherih; yetafter, the facrilcdge of Ul1anaffih makes that booty of ic, whico his bter timeS<ndeavoured roretlorc;and now lallly .Amm1n his fon neglctls rhefrJme,embeazds the furnitureof this holy place: The very pile began tocom- E plaineof age and unrefpea. Now comes good I•fi•h, and in his eighteenth yeare (when orher young Gallantswould havethoughrofnorhing but plcafur<,and jollity) cakes up the latell careof his father D•vid, and gives order for the repayring of the Temple. Thekcepcrsofchedoorc have received .the contribution of all faithfull !ewes, forehis pious ufe; the King fends sbaph•n the fcribe to Htlkijah the Rrieft cofumic up,and to deliver it unto Carpenters, aod Mafons, for fo holy awork. How well doth it befecme the care ofa religious Prince, to fer chc Prktls and Scribes in hand with recdifying theTemple! Thecommand is the Kings,the cha_rge is the high.Priefts,thc execution is thewockemens.: When the labour<rs are facchfull
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