THE Goodness of GOD does not always leave Man, when he staps out of GODs Way; Indeed it might do so: And when we Depart from GOD, GOD might say now, go Good Providence and Leave them. But what does the Goodness of GOD, it stays and bides untill it bring some Folk back again to GOD; and then when they are Re­turned, the more that the Goodness of GOD has been with them, it makes them the more to Mourn when they Return again! We have an Instance of this in this Chapter: We have here a King, and a Good King, and he has gone out of GODs Way; and yet GODs Goodness has not left him, but it stayed, even after his sinfull Accession in Association with Achab. It's said, he returned in Peace to his House to Je­rusalem.

Now in this Chapter, there are several Things spoken of him; For this Chapter speaks not only of his Fall, and sets out [Page 4] all his Goodness; But it speaks, First, Of his Deliverance, and then of the rest. First, And he came to his House at Jerusalem in Peace.

Secondly, It speaks of the Sharp Reproof he meets with from the Prophet upon the very entry. Any Body would have thought they should have gone and met their King with Praise, and Flattery; Nay, but the Prophet of GOD goes to meet with him with a Sharp Rebuke: Sharp Rebukes were meetest for him, meeter nor any other thing, even the best of them all: But here the Holy Ghost marks the Sharp Rebuke he gate from the Prophet. We hear nothing of what Return he gave to the Prophet; but he took with it. It is a Rare Thing to see a Mean Person to take with a Reproof from a Pro­phet: But much more to see a King acknowledge & say, Indeed I am Guilty. I say it's a Rare Thing to see a Mean Person to take with a Reproof; But here a King takes with a Re­buke, Them that stands out against GODs Reproof, GOD will give over to Reprove them till the Day of Judgement, and then the Lybel will be altogether put in their Hand, and see who will Refuse then. But here he takes a Reproof Sweetly from GOD. O bless him that he is Wairing a Reproof u­upon You, and bid him now tell on, and say, What more has he now to Reprove me of? O! the Heart of Man is so Proud that it will not take with Conviction and Reproof. We say it again, The Heart of Man is so Proud that it will not take with Conviction, and the Reproof of GOD, with­out Humbling Grace.

But, Thirdly, The Third Thing shown of him, is this, He takes with his Reproof, and that is a Token of it, for he goes on to the Work of GOD, notwithstanding of the Prophets Reproving of him, he goes on I say, to the Work of Refor­mation: We shall say this General, where ever there is an As­sociation with Wicked Men, they will forget Reformation, [Page 5] untill Association be broken again: Here he forgets Refor­mation, till the Association with Achab be broken, and then he goes on to Reformation. We shall say that one Word, our Sinfull Association with the Malignant-Party in Scot­land, not only has made us forget the Work of Reformati­on, but has shut the Door altogether, that none should go fore­ward in a National Reformation: And till this Association be quate, Ministers nor People will never set foreward in Re­formation again. And wad ye know when the Reformati­on began to be at a stand or stay, it was that Day when we took the Malignant-Party by the Hand; and it has stood all this time; & till that be quate again, it will never be set foreward, & when it is quate, it will set foreward, and that by every one of you in your several Places & Stations; And then it will be said, them that did most withstand is now Removed out of the Way, and made to fly away; and then ye shall see nothing but Re­formation going on. O if it were come to that.

But, Fourthly, There is the Reformation it self, which is set out in these Three. (1.) It is set out in the Body of the Land the Generality, or Body of the Land: What does he to them? Verse 4 He went throw the People and brought them back to the LORD GOD of their Fathers: They were like Run-away-Servants; yea not only so, but like the Levit's Concubine that had Departed from her Husband & had played the Whore; And so he brings them back again to the Lord. But now you see what is the Duty or Office of a King, to bring back the People of GOD to GOD. Wa, What has the King done, and these Rulers? Wa, Their Exercise in these Kingdoms has been to Debauch Folk from their Obedience to GOD; And in a word, it has been to Exauterate that Autho­rity of GOD, and Introduce and Heighten Man's Authority; and has not that been that which all of them has been Carry­ing on? Let the Commands of Men be Great with you, and [Page 6] the Commands of GOD be Small; This they have Imployed themselves all into: But never a word of the Commands of GOD, nor his Authority. But, I say, this is the Work and Matter he Imploys himself into; He goeth throw Judah, & he bringeth the People back again to GOD, like Run-away-Ser­vants, or the Levit's Concubine. They had been away: But now this Holy King, he Imploys all his Power to bring them back again to GOD; and he thinks them Good Subjects, if they be Good Saints. But what is Obedience to him in re­gard of Obedience to GOD; But the contrary is said and done by the Men of this Generation: We are sure we see this plain from the Scripture, or Word of GOD, that this is a part of the Office of a King: And he that hath no Regard to this, ought no more to be Esteemed a King, but a Tyrrant and Enemy to GOD.

But, Secondly, A second part of Reformation is done u­pon the Civil State, What doth he there? He sets Judges in every City of Judah &c. We will get Customers anew in all the Cities of Judah: But few Judges, more for Exacti­ons and Customes, nor for Judgement. Now undoubtedly as he was a Holy Man himself, so he set Holy and Good Judges in every City. For every King will choose out such Judges as himself is. Officers and Judges will tell you what a Nature the Kings are of. Souldiers and Curats shews what's the Disposition their Prince is of. Then we may know what is the Nature of the King and Court. A Holy King will have Holy Judges that will give Justice and Equity to all; But now we need not look for Equity and Justice; if they would let us alone with their Injuries, Now I say, that is the second part of Reformation (viz.) in the Civil or State, he gives Holy Judges, and he has a particular Exhortation to them, when he puts them in their Office, Verse 6. And, 1. It is Remarkable, that he says to them in the Entry of their [Page 7] Office: Any Body wade have thought that he wade have said, See well to my Prerogatives and Priviledges, let not them be Wronged; Let not the Royal-Rents be Decreased; See that the Crown-Rights be no Way Diminished. These and the like ordinarly Kings Recommend at first. But what says he? He said to the Judges, Take heed what Ye do, for Ye judge not for Man, but for GOD the LORD, Who is with You in Judgement. Remember this, I commit Judge­ment to You, but the Judgement is not mine, it is the LORDs; and Remember what ye do, is for GOD; Then do it as if GOD Himself would do it; Do it as if He were Sitting there. Now where is there any Judges that does this Way? And where is there a King that Desires them to do so, or to do this Way? Says Kings now, Ye man Judge for Me, ye have your Office of Me, and therefore Judge for Me. But says he, I give you Authority of Judging; but Remember ye must An­swer to GOD for your Judgement, for GOD is with you in Judgement; That is to say, He is present with you to Help you if ye do Right, and to be Displeased with you if ye Judge Wrong; He is Present to Protect you, if ye do Right: But to be a Witness, & to Punish you, if ye do Wrong: That's the Thing he Commends unto them. Now I have given you Power, and set you in a Capacity to Judge Matters Right­ly; Then see ye well to it: For the Judgement is not Mine, but the LORDs; And if ye Judge Rightly, GOD will be with you in it; GOD he will Preserve you and Protect you: But if otherways, no. But there is one word in the Exhor­tation before we proceed to the Third Thing, Wherefore let the Fear of GOD be on you, for there is no Respect of Per­sons with GOD, &c. O but this were Necessary, if every King when he puts a Judge upon the Bench, wade give him such an Exhortation as this when he Sits down, saying, Take heed to your Selves, let the Fear of GOD be upon you. It [Page 8] is even but in Vain to speak to Men, if there be not some thing of the Fear of GOD on them to make them do Rightly and Well; So if there be a Principle of the Fear of GOD in them, then an Exhortation may be Usefull, and Profitable: But let the Fear of the LORD prevail, and if that make you not do Right, it will not be all the Exhortations of Men will do it otherways, or if that be not, ye will slip evermore when ye have the Opportunity, and ye will never be Sicker in Good.

But now let the Fear of the LORD be on you, for there is no Iniquity in GOD; He will do no Iniquity himself, and the Unjust Counsel he will not allow of; So this is one Thing that every one wade Remember and look to. There is no I­niquity in our GOD, and ye need not think that when ye do Wrong in Judgement that he will allow of it: For all Processes and Judgements that have been given out by Men, will be seen by GOD at the long run; For He is like a Great King that must Survey every Thing. It's true Kings now never looks to the Judgements that Inferiour Officers does, if they be according to Law. So then, he says to them, see to it, GOD will be with you in Judgement; It will be seen by GOD how ye have judged, and according to the Judgement that ye have given, GOD will give you Judgement. Now GOD is no Accepter of Persons. What is that? Give every one his Due, for GOD will give every one his Due. Think you GOD will spare a King more nor a Beggar? No, for all are his Creatures, he hath set up a King there: Therefore Kings are more bound to him than others. Said Christ who ought to Love most? It was answered, He to whom GOD has given most. So he that has gotten most Tokens of GODs Love, he should be most Holy; And they to whom less has been given, less is expected of: And so they should be most Holy who Command others; For with GGD there is no Respect of Persons, and so there ought to be no Respect of Persons with Judges, Folk thinks [Page 9] that Kings are above Laws: But let any Man shew us that Kings are above Laws, either from Scripture or Reason. GOD hath said it, that with him there is no Respect of Persons; So this will bring a King in under Law, as well as others. Then he who Judges for GOD must say that if he say Rightly: Even this with us, there ought to be no Respect of Persons. Indeed we will add this one Word, which is necessary to be added in this Case: There is no Body that Rules, but they will be lyable to Failings in Ruling: And therefore if all Faults of Rulers should be exactly looked to, there would be none who would Rule a Day to an end, but we might find Faults in them, for which to Depose them ere Night: But we will say this, it is one thing to be a Failing in Infirmity, and another thing to be in a constant Course of Wickedness, and Enmity against GOD. The first may be spared; but not the last. Then look where we are now: But whatever ye think of this, it is the Truth of GOD which we are Declaring unto you at this time.

But, Thirdly, The Third Thing in the Reformation is anent the Priest-hood; So that in effect he takes up the whole Land. (1.) The Body of the People, (2.) The State, or Civil-Magistrate. (3.) The Priest-hood, or the Ministry: And so a Perfect Reformation should go on throw the Three altogether. Let every one bring it to his own Heart, Kings and Rulers must Reform without in the Land, under, or in a time of Reformation: But will ye not Reform your Selves, Verse 8. He appointed Levits and Priests in e­very City, and the Chief of the Fathers for the Judgement of the LORD, and for Controversies, when they Returned to Jerusalem. Verse 9. He Charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the Fear of the LORD Faithfully, and with a Perfect Heart. This was the Great Judicatory that they had in the Land; It was made up with Priests and Law-men; [Page 10] There was some Priests in it, and some Civil-men, and they judged together in the LORD's Matters; The Matters of the LORD belonged to them, to wit, The Priests. And the Kings Matters belonged to the others: But all was to judge according to the Word of GOD. We shall say this one word more, there is one Great Thing Folk stumbles at in that Paper that Kings ought to Rule or Judge according to the Judicial Law; and that these Laws Kings ought to Rule by, ought to be according to the Word of GOD, And think ye this a Great Wrong? The People of GOD was ruled Two Hundred Years and upwards by this Law only, and can any be fitter to be a Law-Giver than GOD? Have we Laws, have we them from Men or of GOD? If of Men, then they had them of GOD. Then the GOD of Nature, or the GOD that Created All is far better to Teach Laws than Man that is un­der GOD. We say stumble not that it is said, the Laws of GOD ought to be the Laws of the Land; For it will never be Well with you (especially the Mein of the Land) till the Laws of GOD be the Laws of the Land; Then we will not be fashed with Great Ones to Oppress: For when they have Laws to make, they never do thing but Oppress the Poor. But when the Law of GOD speaks, it will give Right to the Poor as well as to the Great. So the Law of GOD should be our Law. Where the Law of GOD is received where Christians are; Let Christians go to the Law which GOD has found out; And let Heathens and Turks go to the Law that Nature finds out. Now they Judge in the Matters of the LORD, and in Controversies, &c. For Understanding this better; There was a Great Court at Jerusalem, and all the Difficult Matters came there. There were Courts and Judica­tories throw the Land, and there was Judges of Hundreds, and other Officers; and Judges of Thousands throughout the Land. But all Hard Matters they brought to Jerusalem. And [Page 11] now he sets Judges to receive these Hard Matters that they could not Judge among themselves, and they gave Judgement in these Matters.

Now the Last Thing (and we will not go to speak any more) is their Charge he gives them. Verse 9. And he Charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the Fear of the LORD. There is great Necessity to be Earnest with them that Kings commit Judgement too, that they be Faithfull; There is much need for it now: For if Kings Laws be seen too, there will be little Regard what come of the Law of GOD; We know this by Experience; All the Supplications of this Poor Land has been Rejected, and the Laws of Man well seen too. We thought to begin to speak to all these particularly; But First, A Word of his Delivery; He comes in Peace to his House. Why does the Holy Ghost Mark this? If ye Observe the Chap­ter before, he was in a Dangerous Battle, where he had a Sore Assault; They set upon him for the King of Israel, and the LORD Delivered him out of that. And so the Holy Ghost Marks this, He came Home in Peace. And the Holy Ghost will have us to Mark this of it, that notwithstanding of this Sin­full Plight he was in, in Associating with Achab, yet GOD Graciously brought him off. He Associated with Achab, and GOD might have letten him fall with him; Yet Achab fell, and he is safe; The Battle is Lost, and he Returns in Peace. We shall say this one Word, Who ever hath gotten such special Deliverances from GOD (especially when under Slips) they wade consider Narrowly in their Hearts what they have been Doing: Wherefore they have met with such Deliverances. But ye will say to us, We were not in a Sinfull Association; We were not Associated with Sinfull, Wicked and Prophane Men. But we shall say this one Word, We were Associate in a Sinfull Ʋnion; And so there was as Sinfull. Association with an Evil Course. Now that many Fell, was it not Just [Page 12] and Holy Dealing in GOD that some were preserved in such a Fall as that. O! Consider well wherefore it was that GOD has so Remarkably preserved you, especially when He might have taken away your Life. Now there are severals here that have had a part of such a Deliverance as this, not only once, but once and again. O! Great Deliverances has He given to some, even when they were Associate with a Sinfull Cause: Then Mind now and Remember wherefore it is, that GOD has preserved you; It is to Repent of Sin: Yet more, it is that ye may be ready at a Good Turn again when He calls for it at your Hands; But beware of this, tho' He let you go in a Sinfull Action once, beware of the next time by no more join­ing in Sinfull Associations; For Sinfull Associations is ever Dangerous. Whatever the Ʋngodly meet with in them, yet certainly the Godly never Thrives in such Associations. Now this is the Thing that we wade say, Let every Man that has a part in such Remarkable Deliverances, say, Wherefore has Thou preserved me? Wherefore is it that I have Life? Is it a Blessing? But I think not so much of it as I should, that I have it so wonderfully. Is it not for some End, even that I may Imploy it some Way for GODs Glory; Go back and ask, Wherefore it is so Remarkable He gave you your Life when in Danger, and while ye were in a backsliding Course, and while ye were associated in a Sinfull Way; and when ye were involved in a Course with the Deadly and De­stroying Enemies. Consider this therefore, Wherefore has GOD given you this Life? Say, Wherefore has Thou preserv­ed this Life? Is it that I may be for Thee? and Imploy it for Thee?

The next Thing to be considered is, The Prophet's Re­proof: He is an Misleard Prophet, Wade any Body think that he should speak so to a King? Ay, but we must be Faithfull in Reproving Kings as well as others. Modesty is Ruine here. [Page 13] Modesty in such a Case is Ruine to Rulers: For if we had [...]one and told them their Sins, they had not gone on in [...]uch a Course as they did. Silence or Modesty here, it is [...]ot a Vertue but a Vice: It is but Unfaithfulness to GOD [...]d Man, might he not have letten him come Home: Nay, [...]hy? Will he make him Sad? Why will he make him Sader [...]d Sader? There is a most be. Why are you Sad? If it be Affliction you are Sad for, ye must not be so, that is not the thing [...]e ought to be Sad for: There is Sin you must be Sad for: So ye would think Folk should be spared that is in Affliction; Nay, but spare them not, for then they will best hear Reproofs when under Affliction, never better nor then. Now the thing [...]e says to him is this, Shouldest thou Help the Ʋngodly, and Love them that Hate the LORD? How fit is this to be applyed to our Times? See hence who ever Helps the Ʋn­godly is in the Fault. They now talk Good Men are upon both Parties, Whom shall we Condemn or Follow? We shall say this one word, be they Good or Evil, if they Love them that Hate the LORD, and Help the Ʋngodly, they are to be reproved; See who does such are on the Wrong Side, and to be reproved. Shouldest thou Help the Ʋngod­ly, and Love them that Hate the LORD? Should ye Help them Higher for all the Little Good they have done with their Power which they have gotten already; They have too much of it already. O! that all the Ʋngodly in the World, were many steps Lower nor they are. What will they do then when ye have set them up? They will set up Wickedness with it. O! Help GOD and the Godly; But beware to Help up the Ʋngodly; They are High enough already, and there is none who will Help to Raise or Hold them up: But GOD will Reprove them; for they can do Nothing when they are raised up, but Wickedness. This Scripture speaks plainly, Shouldest thou Help the Ʋngodly? We shall say no more of [Page 14] it but this, Whoever has Helped the Ʋngodly at this Time, are worthy of a Reproof. We are in Two Parties now: There is one Party, the LORD and the Godly; And the other Party, the Ʋngodly. See what Party ye will take now. Shouldest thou Love them that Hate the LORD, and Help the Ʋngodly? Be what he will to you. Jehosophat was joined in Affinity with Achab, and so came of it. But be who he will, Father, or Mother, or your King, should ye Love and Help him that Hates the LORD? We shall only say this word, and take heed to it, for it is the Word of Truth, Enmity and Hatred against GOD, cuts off all Obligation. In­deed we will say that, tho' we were in the nearest Obligation, that is to say, even in that Relation betwixt a Father and a Son; Yet in this Case it is cut off: The Holy Ghost says, That his Father and Mother shall thrust him throw while he is Prophesying. We say this, then Hatred of GOD takes away all near and far off Obligation, for if they go on to Hate the LORD, and to Blaspheme the Name of GOD afrontedly, and Oppose the Truths of GOD, and with Malice and Ho­stility Oppress the Work of GOD; We may not Help and Join with them: If any Man can give better Doctrine nor this, he may; But he cannot: But Remember he brings it not from the Scriptures of GOD, if he give you that which is con­trare to this; but we shall leave it.

Amen.