humane Thoughts be harbour'd in a Heart of Flesh, which is the Seat of Pity? The Prophet told him, That he faw he would be King; and Home he goes and kills his Mafter, reigns in his ftead, and is provided of the Power, to do the great foretold Mischiefs. Had the Prophet told him, That his Sorrows broke out at his Eyes in the violent manner he faw and was confounded at, to think how treacherously he would murther his Prince,that trufted him with the Care and Confervation of his Health and Life, 'tis probable he would have bid him look for better things from him, and not account him fuch a.faithlefs Villain; and yet there were not many Days betwixt his doubting how he could attain the Power of doing fo much Mischief, and his attaining it, by murthering of his King. When mounted on his Mafter's Throne, by thefe bad means, what fhall he do to turn the People's Minds from confidering how he came to fit there, but divert them by a War abroad, revive the ancient Enmity betwixt the Syrians and the Jews, renew their ancient Claims, and fhew the greatest Zeal to recover the Honour they had lately loft, by Benbadad? And to this purpose, he muft breath nothing but Slaughter, the total ruine of the Jews, the firing their ftrong Holds, dafhing their Infants on the Ground, ripping their Women up with Child, and putting all their young Men to the Sword, to extirpate utterly the Race of Ifrael, and rid the Syrians of their old inveterate Enemies. And thus his Power infpires him with the Will, of doing what he could not bear to think on, when the Prophet told him, what would come to pass: And this hard Will is neceffary now, he fancies, to maintain his Power. His Ambition at firft dipp'd his Hands in his Mafter's Blood, and then to wash out that foul Stain, he muft do fome

thing

thing popular; he must be cruelly zealous againft his Countries Enemies, to divert his People from inquiring after their Princes Death; and make attonement for his Treachery, by barbarous War, and by prodigious Slaughters. Thus does one depth of Sin call for another; and he who trufts his Heart with one unlawful Paffion, will find it will make way for many other Guefts; fuch as he never thought of entertaining.

Let his Example therefore, inftruct us, to look to our Selves, whilft we are Innocent; never fo to trust the Refolutions of our Mind, tho' Reafonable, and Calm, as to neglect the natural and the neceffary means of preferving our Selves in that good Temper: Never to think our Opinions will not alter with our Circumftances, believing our Selves Temptation-proof, only because we know we should be fo, and intend to be fo;, but carefully avoiding all fuch Opportunities as may betray us into thofe Commiffions, which we now abhor; and never to believe it is within our Power, to ftop at this Offence, or this degree of Sin, and go no farther. If we will make this ufe of Hazaels Example, we may go on to confider, in the Second Place, whether this Prediction of the Prophet, that Hazael fhould be King, and should commit thefe Cruelties, will in any fort excufe the means he took to become King, or the Cruelties he committed when he was fo.

There is reafon enough to think, that his having been anointed by Elijah, (or defign'd for King by God's appointment, with that Ceremony) and his being now told by Elisha that he would, one day, be the King of Syria; there is reafon enough to think, that this preparatory Unction, and this Prediction, did indeed occafion Hazael to dispatch his Mafter.

Ambitious - Minds,

Minds, void of the fear of God, are forward enough, of themselves, to undertake the greatest Wickedness, to attain their Ends; but when they have the countenance of Inspiration on their fides, then nothing can difcourage or restrain them; they look upon themselves as call'd by God, to execute his Purpofe and Decree, and Negligence is Difobedience, and Delay is Sinful; they do not think they are to wait for God's time, or expect that He should bring his Purposes to pafs, by means and methods of his own; but will precipitate Events, and fancy every thing is lawful, that conduces to the End declar'd by God. Jebu was thus anointed by a Prophet, and told by him, what he fhould do, to all the House of Abab; but this was all, not by the way of foretelling what Jebu would incline to do, and do, when he was King; but by the way of Command, to inform him what God exacted of him, and expected from him. Thus faith the Lord God of Ifrael, I have anointed thee King, over the People of the Lord, even over Ifrael; and thou shalt fmite the House of Abab thy Mafter, that I may avenge the Blood of my Servants the Prophets, and the Blood of all the Servants of the Lord, at the band of Jezebel. There's no reading this, without the feeing a Commiffion from God, to put his Orders in Execution; and he accordingly deftroyed the Houfe of Abab, and became King in his ftead. And tho' he was not, himself a good Man, yet he was God's Inftrument, to avenge the Biood of God's Prophets, and fince he receiv'd fo pofitive and exprefs Orders to do what he did, I do not fee, but he was fo far blameless, as he perform'd the Will of God, without going beyond his Commiffion; if he exceeded that, and indulged any thing to his Ambition, cruel Inclinations, or particular Revenge, he will want to be juftified, tho' what he did might alfo tend

to

to the bringing about the purpose of God, in footing up the Houfe of Abab; as Men may certainly be guilty of cruel and revengeful Purposes, known to their own Hearts, tho' they are profecuting a juft Caufe, by juít and legal Methods. But this, I imagine, was not Hazaels Cafe; the Prophet had anointed him for King, or he was told by him, that he fhould certainly be King of Syria; the meaning of which, was one of these two things; either that God had pofitively defign'd he should be King, or forefaw what Courfes he would take to make himself fo, and foretold the Event, that fo it would be, without declaring the Means. If the Prophet anointed him King, and 'defign'd he fhould be fo, yet he did not bid him take the Courses he took, to become King; he anointed him beforehand, but he was to expect God's time, and to wait till it could innocently come to pafs. But, if God only fhewed the Prophet that Hazael would be King of Syria (which the Prophet alfo told to Hazael) then can we only conclude fafely, that God well knew, and forefaw that Hazael would take the Courfes to become King, which he after took, without directing, or approving them. And as Gods prefcience did not, by any means neceffitate or conftrain him to fuch murther of his Mafter, fo neither will the prediction of the Prophet juftify his coming to the Crown, by any fuch means: Any more, than Chrifts foretelling Peters denial, and Judas's treachery, either compell'd them to it, or will excufe them for it. God, (who fees whatever motives can occur to our Minds, and fees how they will influence and move) gives us our liberty to choose, and knows which way we fhall incline, and what our choice will be, and can communicate the Event without conftraining, or having conftrain'd, our Wills, to make

fuch

fuch choice; and having this foreknowledge, can determine thefe Events to ferve fuch and fuch Purposes, as he fees fit; and yet the blame fhall lie upon the Inftruments, if they either propose a wicked End, or pitch on wicked Means to compafs a good End by. We know that God intended to punish the Revolts, and Apoftácies of his People, and that by the hand of Hazael, who, when King of Syria, would commit unheard of Cruelties, and execute the fevereft vengeance on the Jews. How eafily may this be turn'd? That God foreseeing what courfes Hazael would take, to become King; and when fo, would turn his Arms on Judab with the greateft Violence; whofe Sins and Provocations were fo high, that he would fuffer them to fall into his Hands, and let them fee and know he us'd him as an Inftrument to punish their Offences. This he might justly do, yet Hazael be exceeding faulty, as well in the Courses He took to become King, as in the Cruelties he would exercise against the Jews, when he was fo. 'Tis worth our while to obferve what God fays, Ifa. 10. 5. 0 Affyrian, the Rod of mine Anger, and the Staff in their Hand is mine Indignation. I will fend him against an hypocritical Nation, and against the People of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the Spoil, and take the Prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the Streets. Howbeit be meaneth not fo, neither doth bis beart think fo, but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off Nations, not a few. And in Ver. 12. Wherefore it fhall come to pass, that when the Lord hath per formed his whole Work, upon Mount Zion, and Ferufalem, I will punish the fruit of the ftout Heart of the King of Affyria, and the glory of his high Looks. From whence we may conclude, that God fometimes makes use of Inftruments to bring his purpose to effect, who yet know nothing of it, but are gui

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