Jofiahs• death~ &c. /•L...XX. The wife providence ofGod hath mercifully derormined ro leave Iofi•h to h~ - owne counfcls, that by the weaknelfc ofhis fervanr, he might rake occafion to pcrfic his glory' Even charwher<in I•Ji.h waswanting unto God, fu1ll concurreto the making up ofGods promife ro Io.fi•h :whenwe arc the mo!l blinde-folded, we runne on rhe wayes ofGods hidden decrees;aqd,whar everour intents be,cannot,ifwewould, goe out ofrbat IIQknown p>th, • ' Need~ will lofi•h put nimfelfe into armesagainlf)an unwilling enemy; and robe lelfe note.d, difguifes himfc'lfe. The farallarrow ofan Egyptianarcher findos himour in the throng. and gives him his deaths-wound; •Now·too lace he calls eoa rerrait; his changed Char<t is turned to a Biere, to cary his bleeding corps to his grave, in Ierufoltm. , B What eye dorh not now pity and lament the unrimdy end ofa Ufi•h ~whom can it choofe but affect, eo fee a religious, juft, verruous Prince lnatclu away in the vigor ofhis age ~ After all our foolifu moane, ihe p~ovidence that directed that fuaft to his lighting,place,incends chat wound for a'ftroke of mercy:TheGod whoml•fi•h ferves, lookes thorough his death, at his glory: and by this fudden violencewill deliver him from the view, 1nd participltion of themiferi<s 6f I•J•b, which h•d beene many deaths; and fetches him to the particip>tion ofthat happinelfe,which.could countervaile more deaths, then could be incident to a Ioji.h. Oh the wondhfilll goodnes of theAlmighty, whofeYety judgementsare mercifull J Ob the fafe condition of Gods children, whom very paine eafcch, whom death revives,.whom diffO!Ption'unites, whom laflly, theirvery:finne and temptation glorifies! C How happily bath loft•h gained by this change ! Inflcad ofa froward people, hC now is foncd with Saintsand Angels; inflead ofa f2ding,and corrupriblecrownc, he nowenjoyes ao eterna!l. The orphan fubjetts arc ready to weep out their eyes, for forrow; their lolfe cannot be fo great, as his gaine: he is glorious, they,as their.liones had dcf~ryed, mifer.able• If the fcpanttd foule,could be capable ofpallion, could Iojiah hlve fecne, after his departure, the calamitiesofhis fons, ofhis pceple, it could nor hU\ have laid liege to his pcae<. . · The fad fubjeds proclaime his fon Ioh••haz, King inllcad of fo lamented a father 5 He both doth ill, an\:1 fates ill " By that time·he bath fate bur three moneths· io the throne, Pha,.•h Ne<~h King ofEgypt fatands thofathers death, with the fonscaptivity : This vidorious enemy puts down• th.C wicked fonne of llfi•h, and Jades him D with chaines at Rib!Ath,in cbclatld of H••wh; and lades his peoplewith a tribute of an hundred talents of lilver, and a talent ofgold: Yet, as if he that was unwilling eo fight with Z.Ji•h, were no leffeunwilliag ro root out his peflericy, this Egyptia.n fees EliAkim, the fecond {ono! Iofiah, u!!Dn the feat ofhis fatherland, that he might be all his, changes his name to rehoi.Xim: Oh the woful!aod unworthy luccelliQn of 1,. Ji•h! one fon is a prifoner, the other is a tributary; both ore wicked, After that Jeh•i- •lirn hath been fome years PhArAOhs Baylife, to garner, and tack the deare rcms of I•J•h, NthochAJner.ur the v;reat Kiag of B•byl•n comes up, and fwcrps away both the Lord, and his Fcodary, PhAr.oh, and IthoiakiJ. Sofar was the ambitious Egyptian frommaintaining hisincroachmenr upon the territories of !ud•h, char be couldnot now hold his owne: From Nilt14 to EophrAtts, all E is loll, So'fubject are the leffer powers flill to befwallowed upofthegreacer; fo ju!l: iris with God, that they which will be alfeding undue enlargement of their ellates, fuould fall fuort ofwhat they had. lth•i•kim is cariedin fetters to BabJl•n: and now io that dungeon ofhis captivity, hath more lcifure,then grace,to berhir.kc himfdft ofall his abominations;and whiles he inherits the fad lodging of his great grandfather <.Jf!anaj{th, inherits not his fuccelfe. While he is rotting in this Gaole, his young fon Ith•i•chitO llarts up in his throne; like to a mufurom that rifes up ina night. and withers in a day: Within three moneths and ten dayes isthat young Prince (the mocr foo offuch a father) fecchtupin irons ~obis fathers prifon; Neither fuaU. he go.c alone; his attendance fuall add to his mifcry; His mother, his wives, his. officers, his peer<>, his crafcfmen his wardS rrrr outs '
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