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And he appointed, of his own head, the Feast of Tabernacles to be kept, not in the seventh month, as God had appointed, but in the eighth, which was October; that so the place, and time, and priests, and gods, might be all of his own devising.

XIII. 1. And Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.

Not only did Jeroboam ordain base priests, out of undue tribes, to offer unto God, but himself also would be taking presumptuously upon him the execution of this sacred function; he stood therefore by the altar to burn incense.

XIV. 10. That pisseth against the wall. See 1 Sam. xxv. 22. XIV. Ibid. And him that is shut up and left in Israel.

As well him, who, for his more sure defence, hath shut up himself within the strong walls of your cities; as he, that is left at liberty in the fields and villages.

XV. 4. Give him a lamp in Jerusalem.

See chapter xi. verse 36.

XV. 5. He turned not aside from any thing, &c. save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

He was not miscarried into any heinous and enormous crime, whereby his profession was notoriously blemished, all the days of his life, save only into that his murder of Uriah the Hittite, and the sins that were appendant unto it.

XV. 14. But the high places were not removed.

Those high places, wherein altars were built unto God in an ungrounded devotion, contrary to the charge of God who had appropriated his worship to the place which he should choose to put his name there, remained still entire and undemolished, and were put to that unwarrantable use.

XVII. 1. There shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.

There shall not be dew or rain, for the space of these three years, and more, that this drought may bring a just dearth upon Israel; neither shall it then fall, but upon my prayer to that God, who hath thus decreed to punish Israel, and to confirm his mission of me.

XVIII. 10. There is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not here; he took an oath of the kingdom, &c.

There is no nation or kingdom round about bordering upon Israel, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee; and of all those neighbouring kingdoms, whether tributary to him or allied, he hath by oath inquired of thy presence.

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XVIII. 17. Art thou he that troubleth Israel?

Art thou the man, that hast brought this grievous judgment of dearth and drought upon Israel?

XVIII. 29. They prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice.

They ran up and down, in a furious raving and distracted fashion, until the time, that the evening sacrifice was, by God's appointment, wont to be offered.

XVIII. 41. Here is a sound of abundance of rain.

I have a sure intimation from God, that there is very great store of rain coming.

XIX. 18. Yea I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

Whereas thou complainest that thou art left alone; know, that I have reserved to myself many thousands, that are not at all infected with the idolatry of Baal; having, neither in heart nor in outward gestures, yielded themselves to the adoration of those false gods.

XIX. 20. Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother. Let me go and take leave of my father and mother, ere I betake myself to follow thee.

XX. 4. I am thine, and all that I have.

I do acknowledge myself a tributary unto thee, and yield myself over as thy liege-man.

XX. 9. All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do: but this thing I may not do.

Thy first message, which challenged a power and interest in my silver, and gold, and houses, and land, I was willing to yield unto; but this, that thou shouldst utterly take them away out of my possession, I may by no means assent unto.

XXI. 3. The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.

Were it a thing free and lawful for me to do, I should not stick at the motion; but thou knowest, that God hath expressly forbidden a final alienation of the land of our inheritance. dare not sin to pleasure thee. See Levit. xxv. 23.

XXI. 7. Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel?

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Is it for thee, that art the king of Israel, to take a denial of so mean a suit, or to be thus affected with the repulse? Hast not thou power enough to give thyself satisfaction? Other spirits would become sovereignty: away with this poor dejectedness. XXI. 9. Proclaim a fast, &c.

Proclaim a fast; as those, that have cause of a public humiliation, for this heinous sin of Naboth's blasphemy.

XXI. 29. Because Ahab humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days.

That the world may see how well I accept of a penitent and serious humiliation, I will so far regard this dejectedness of Ahab, though I know it is not out of sound contrition for his sin or any true grounds of grace, as that I will defer these my threatened evils, during his days, and reserve them for his posterity.

XXII. 15. And he said, Go, and prosper.

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What needest thou ask me this question? Thy prophets have sufficiently assured thee already go up, as they have bidden thee no doubt thou shalt prosper; thou hast their word for security.

XXII. 17. And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd.

Then I must needs tell thee, that God hath revealed to me, that Israel shall in this war be put to flight, and stray like sheep, that have lost their shepherd: even so shall they be distressed in their wandering, having lost thee their king and master.

XXII. 19, 20, 21. I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven, &c. And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And there came forth a spirit, and said, I will persuade him.

It is certainly revealed to me, by an infallible vision from God, that he, in his just judgment, hath decreed to give power to an evil spirit to delude these thy four hundred prophets with lies, and to give thee over to be misled by their delusions, to thine own destruction: and this I do as surely know, as if I had seen the Lord sitting on his throne, and consulting upon the way and means of plaguing thee with these present seducements, and giving leave and commission to the evil spirit to work this mischief unto thee.

XXII. 34. And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel, between the joints of the harness.

A certain man drew a bow, without any aim or intention of any special mark, but only roving, in common, at the army of Israel; and behold, the arrow was, by a Divine Providence, directed to strike the king of Israel, between the joints of his harness.

II. KINGS.

I. 8. And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins.

He was a man roughly clad, as one, that professed to be a messenger of penitence and humiliation to the world.

I. 9. Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down.
Thou, which pretendest thyself to be a man of God, the king

hath peremptorily sent me to fetch thee down, by strong hand, into his presence; come down therefore, or I will force thy descent.

II. 9. Let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.

As thou hast chosen me unto a nearer relation unto thee, and herein hast preferred me to all the rest of the sons of the prophets; so give me this prerogative, that, according to the right of primogeniture, I may have a double portion to theirs, of that spirit and those miraculous powers, which are in thee; which I know thou, by thy last prayers, art able to effect.

II. 11. There appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder, &c.

The angels of God, in the form of a fiery chariot and horses, not so much in a terrible as a glorious fashion, appeared, and, parting them, took up Elijah.

II. 12. O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.

O my father, whose spirit I hope to inherit; all the safety, and strength, of Israel was in thy holiness and prevalency with God. This glorious chariot, that hath fetched thee up from us, puts me in mind of what thou wert unto us, the sure and glorious guard of thy Israel.

II. 14. He smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah?

If, according to the engagement and promise of my master, it hath pleased God to give me a double portion, to my brethren,. of his spirit, let it now be shewed in this trial; as to him, so to me, let the waters of Jordan be divided.

II. 17. And they urged him till he was ashamed; and he said, Send.

Since your importunity will take no denial, please yourselves; try the event; send your messengers.

III. 13. Nay: for the LORD hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hands of Moab.

Nay, but howsoever I have deserved to be unregarded in this suit, yet, have thou pity upon these other princes, that are joined with me; and especially on that Jehoshaphat, whom thou knowest to be a godly and gracious prince: let us not, for mere want of water, be delivered into the hands of Moab.

III. 15. But now bring me a minstrel.

Bring me hither a minstrel, that, by his music, both my spirits, which have been too much moved with indignation at thine un-; worthiness, may be composed, and that, by some divine ditty, your hearts may be lifted up to an expectation of this great mercy: from God.

III. 25. Howbeit the slingers went about, and smote it.

The engineers, and such as were employed for battery, went about it; and, taking advantage of the fittest place of entry,

smote it.

III. 27. Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt-offering upon the wall. And there was great indignation against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to their own land.

He took the eldest son of the king of Edom prisoner, and offered to sacrifice him upon the wall, if the kings would not break up their siege; which when the king of Israel refused to do, he, the said king of Moab, offered that son of Edom, for a burntoffering upon the wall: and hereupon there was great indignation of Edom against Israel; and they, in much discontentment, departed to their own country.

IV. 16. About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son.

About forty weeks hence, according to the ordinary time of conception and birth, thou shalt bear a son.

IV. 23. Wherefore wilt thou go to him to-day? it is neither new moon, nor sabbath.

On solemn days, I know it is our manner to resort unto the prophet of God, for the worship of our God, and our own instruction; but now, since it is neither new moon nor sabbath, that might occasion thy journey to the man of God, what business is it that calls thee to him?

IV. 26. And she answered, It is well.

Trouble not thyself with this question: I shall give an account of it to thy master; in the mean time, rest thou contented.

V. 18. In this thing pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon; when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon thy servant in this thing.

I do solemnly protest unto thee, that I will do no worship to any God, save to the true God of Israel only; and I could well wish, that I never might have occasion to come into any of the temples of those idol gods; but, in this, I shall desire to be dispensed with, that, when, upon the necessity of my place and service, I must wait upon the king, into the temple of his Rimmon, and my master (leaning on my arm) shall bow to his false god; I may then (after public notice given of my free intentions) not out of any respect of devotion to the idol, but out of my due service to my master, bow down under my master in the house of Rimmon; which, however in itself it may be construed as a gesture of adoration to the idol, yet, when the world shall be thoroughly possessed of my hatred of this idolatry, and my un

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