iots perceived that it [was] not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him.

:

34 And a [certain] man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness; he drew it at a venture, but it hit the right man, and in the right place; it entered his breast; wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am wound35 ed, that the wound may be dressed, And the battle increased that day and the king was willing to stop to give orders and animate his soldiers, but he was obliged to be stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at even: and the blood ran out of 36 the wound into the midst of the chariot. And there went a proclamation throughout the host, about the going down of the sun, saying, Every man to his city, and every man to his own country; the king of Syria, hearing of Ahab's death, was willing to draw off.*

37 So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they 38 buried the king in Samaria. And [one] washed the chariot in

the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood; and they washed his armour; according unto the word of the 39 LORD, which he spake, ch. xxi. 19. Now the rest of the acts of

Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he made, and all the cities that he built, [are] they not written in the book 40 of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead,

41

And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah 42 in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. Jehoshaphat [was]

thirty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name 43 [was] Azubah the daughter of Shilbi. And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing [that which was] right in the eyes of the LORD: nevertheless the high places were not taken away; [for] the people offered 44 and burnt incense yet in the high places. And Jehoshaphat 45 made peace with the king of Israel. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he showed, and how he warred, [are] they not written in the book of the chronicles of the 46 kings of Judah? And the remnant of the Sodomites, which re

mained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land. 47 [There was] then no king in Edom: a deputy [was] king. 48 Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold:

but they went not; for the ships were broken at Eziongeber. 49 Then said Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat, Let my

servants go with thy servants in the ships. But Jehoshaphat 50 would not. And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father and Jen horam his son reigned in his stead.t

The vision in . 17. was now fulfilled. Ahab had time enough to think of Baal's altars, of Benhadad's escape, of Naboth's vineyard, and Micaiah's imprisonment; and to be filled with terrible agonies of conscience.

A more particular account of Jehoshaphat's reign, will be found in 2 Chron. xvije xviii, xix, and xx chapters, which may be read after this chapter.

1

51

Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and 52 reigned two years over Israel. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, 53 who made Israel to sin: For he served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the Lord God of Israel, according. to all that his father had done.

1. FRO

REFLECTIONS.

ROM Ahab's sparing Benhadad, and the consequence of it, we are taught, that sparing our corruptions will only deceive our expectations, and prove our ruin, as Benhadad did to Ahab. We are required to subdue our iniquities; if we spare them, we shall repent of our folly. They promise us ease and pleasure, but we shall be disappointed, and they will end in our destruction.

2. We should be solicitous to take divine direction in all our actions. Ahab did not think of this, but pious Jehoshaphat did. In all our ways we should acknowledge God, with a determination to follow the leadings of his providence, and the rules of his word; then will he direct and prosper our paths.

3. Let us be willing that friends and ministers should deal plainly with us when the soul is concerned. Those prophets who deal in generals, and prophesy smooth things, are our greatest enemies ; yet men love to have it so. Those that will not have their mistakes rectified by the word of God, will soon be undeceived by his judgments, and wish they had taken warning.

4. There is no judging of truth or error by numbers. Unity is not always the mark of a true church, or true ministers. The whole assembly of prophets, four hundred, were all wrong. One despised, persecuted prophet, who differed from the rest, had truth on his side. Unanimity in opinion in the greatest ecclesiastical councils is not an argument for truth. One man may possibly know more of the divine will, and understand his bible better, than a whole assembly of divines. Let us therefore bring every thing to the test of scripture, and not be the servants of men.

5. Ministers should learn impartiality and courage in pronouncing the messages of God, and a purpose thoroughly to follow the intimations of the divine will, wherever it may lead. Micaiah, with a resolution as high as heaven, and a pang of seraphic zeal, determined, v. 14. As the Lord liveth, what the Lord saith unto me, that will I speak. A good pattern for all ministers. They must declare the whole counsel of God, whether agreeable or disagreeable to their hearers.

6. Let us establish in our thoughts and our faith the universal providence of God. Micaiah declared this before two kings, with prophets and guards surrounding them, consulting about war. He declared God to be the great universal king on his throne, while his heavenly hosts surround him, all executing his orders, and that

all the affairs of this lower world are under his direction. He determines what it will be, while men are consulting how it may be or should be. Ever remember this truth, the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

7. From the whole we learn, how dangerous it is for good men to get into bad company. Jehoshaphat, by contracting an alliance with Ahab, brought evil upon himself and his house. He saw the prophet despised, abused, and imprisoned, without interposing; and was in danger of loosing his own life. The wisest and best of men are not secure while in bad company; and though they may not be infected, yet they are often guilty of sins of omission in not reproving others, and are in danger of learning their ways and being like them; at least of being partakers in their sin. Our rule is to come out from among them, and be separate; and have no friendship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but to resist and reprove them.

The Second Book of the KINGS,

CALLED BY THE SEVENTY,

The Fourth Book of the the KINGS.

INTRODUCTION.

TE HIS Book contains an account of the decline of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, and the destruction of both. In the last chapter of 1 Kings, v. 51 to the end, we find that Ahaziah walked in the way of his father Ahab, in worshipping the calves, and of his mother Jezebel ; he did not take warning by the death of his father; nor was he moved by the threatenings of Elijah against his mother and family.

CHAP. I.

In which is an account of Moab's rebellion; of Ahaziah's fall; Elijah's prophecy of his death; and of his bringing down fire from heaven to destroy Ahaziah's messengers.

2

TH

HEN Moab rebelled against Israel, after the death of Ahab. Moab and Edom were subdued by David, but when the kingdom came to be divided, Moab fell to the ten tribes, and Edom to Judah. Both revolted much about the same time. In the third chapter we have a farther account of this rebellion.

And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that [was] in Samaria, and was sick, was dangerously hurt : and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease.* 3 But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, [Is it] not because [there is] not a God in Israel, 4 [that] ye go to inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? Now therefore thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die for this

Ekron was a considerable city among the Philistines. Baalzebub signifies, the Lord of flies. He was looked upon as the tutelar deity of their country, who defended it from swarms of flies, which were frequent and pernicious, or delivered them from some pestilence that was attended with great swarms of flies. Probably Ahaziah sent here, because his own Baal had deceived his father. This was so famous an idol, that the prince of the devils was called by the Jews, Baalzebub.

5 affront to the God of Israel. And Elijah departed to mount Carmel. And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said unto them, Why are ye now turned back without executing my orders? 6 And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, [Is it] not because [there is] not a God in Israel, [that] thou sendest to inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. His discovering the errand on which they were going, affected them 7 so much that they could not but regard what he said. And he said unto them, What manner of man [was he] which came up to meet you, and told you these words? No wonder he was 8 curious to know who it was. And they answered him, [He was] an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It [is] Elijah the Tishbite.

Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty, with his fifty. He sent the captain with authority to apprehend him and put him to death, else he need not have sent so many: and if this was his design, it was ridiculous. For, if he was a common man, there did not need so many; if he was a prophet, these and a thousand more would not do the business. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him in a *very haughty and scornful manner, Thou man of God, the king 10 hath said, Come down. And Elijah answered and said to the

captain of fifty, If I [be] a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came 11 down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, 12 thus hath the king said, Come down quickly. And Elijah answered and said unto him, If I [be] a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.*

13

And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty: and the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty 14 thy servants, be precious in thy sight. Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious

Tindal inquires, Where was the justice in killing these men for delivering a blunt message? We answer, that the temper and conduct of Elijah is not to be arraigned, because it was evidently approved of God; and the circumstances of the case, and the temper of the king and the people, were sufficient to vindicate the action. It was designed to convince the king of his folly, and to recover a regard and esteem for the Lord's prophets, when the people saw that they were so immediately under the divine care. How many mil lions have been sacrificed to the pride and obstinacy of princes! yet our tender hearted desse are grieved for these poor men, more than for all of them,