And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him ; for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toivard the Lord Ood of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam.' — 1 Kings XIV. 13.
I shall only stand upon the latter part of this verse, because that affords me matter most suitable to my design.
'Because in him there is found some good thing toward the Lord God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam.'
These words are a commendation of Abijah's life, 'in him was found some good thing toward the Lord,' &c. When Abijah was a child, vers. 3, 12, when he was in his young and tender years, he had the seeds of grace in him, he had the image of God upon him, he could discern be- tween good and evil, and he did that which pleased the Lord.
The Hebrew word [N'agnar] translated child, ver. 3, is very often applied to such as we call youth, or young men ; Exod. xxiv. 5 ; Num. xi. 28 ; 1 Sam. ii. 17, &C.1
Of such age and prudence was Abijah, as that he could choose good and refuse evil. He was a Lot in Sodom, he was good among the bad. The bent and frame of his heart was towards that which was good, when the heart both of his father and mother was set upon evil. Abijah began to be good betimes. He crossed that pestilent proverb, ' a young saint and an old devil.' It is the glory and goodness of God that he will take notice of the least good that is in any of his. There was but one good word in Sarah's speech to Abraham, and that was this, she called him Lord ; and this God mentions for her honour and commendation, 'She called him lord/ 1 Peter iii. 6. God looks more upon one grain of wheat, than upon a heap of chaff, upon one shining pearl than upon a heap of rubbish. God finds a pearl in Abijah, and he puts it into his crown, to his eternal commendation, ' There was found in him some good thing toward the Lord,' &c. For the words, ' There was found in him,' the Hebrew word Matsa, sometimes signifies
1 "80, is used for a young man, or stripling, Gen. xxii. 5, and often for a servant, though he be a man of ripe years, Esther ii. 2. Such as one evangelist calleth young men, Luke xii. 45, another calleth fellow-servants, Mat. xxiv. 49.
176 APPLES OF GOLD. [1 KlNGS XIV. 13.
finding without seeking : Isa. lxv. 1, ' I am found of them that sought me not ;' so Ps. cxvi. 3, ' The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell got hold upon me, I found trouble and sorrow.' I found trouble which I looked not for ; I was not searching after sorrow, but I found it. There is an elegancy in the original ; ' The pains of hell gat hold upon me,' so we read, but the Hebrew is, ' The pains of hell found me.' One word signifies both. They found me, I did not find them. ' There was found in Abijah some good thing towards the Lord,' i. e. there was found in him, without searching or seeking, some good thing towards the Lord. It was plain and visible enough. Men might see and observe it without inquiring or seeking. They might run and read some good thing in him towards the Lord.
Secondly, The word sometimes signifies finding by seeking or in- quiry : Isa. lv. 6, ' Seek ye the Lord while he may be found/ &c. So upon search and inquiry there was found in Abijah, though young, ' some good thing toward the Lord.'
Thirdly, Sometimes the word notes the obtaining of that which is sufficient : Joshua xvii. 1 6 ; Num. xi. 22 ; Judges xxi. 14. In Abijah there was that good in him towards the Lord that was sufficient to evidence the work of grace upon him, sufficient to satisfy himself and others of the goodness and happiness of his condition, though he died in the prime and flower of his days, &c.
' And in him was found some good thing.' The Hebrew word Tob, that is here rendered good, signifies,
First, That which is right and just : 2 Sam. xv. 3, ' See thy matters are good and right,' i. e. just and right.
Secondly, That which is profitable: Deut. vi. 11, 'Houses full of all good things/ i. e. houses full of all profitable things.
Thirdly, That which is pleasing : 2 Sam. xix. 27, ' Do what is good in thine eyes,' i. e. do what is pleasing in thine eyes.
Fourthly, That which is full and complete : Gen. xv. 1 5, ' Thou shalt be buried in a good old age/ i. e. thou shalt be buried when thine age is full and complete.
Fifthly, That which is joyful and delightful : 1 SanL xxv. 8, ' We come in a good day/ i. e. we come in a joyful and delightful day.
Now put all together, and you may see that there was found in Abijah, when he was young, that which was right and just, that which was pleasing and profitable, and that which was matter of joy and delight.
In the words you have two things that are most considerable.
First, Thai I his young mans goodness was towards the Lord God of Israel. Many there are that are good, nay, very good towards men, who yet are bad, yea, very bad towards God.1 Some there are who are very kind to the creature, and yet very unkind to their Creator. Many men's goodness towards the creature is like the rising sun, but their goodness towards the Lord is like a morning cloud, or as the early dew, which is soon dried up by the sunbeams, Hosea vi. 4 ; but Abijah 's o-oodness was towards the Lord, his goodness faced the Lord, it looked towards the glory of God. Two tilings makes a good Christian, good actions and good aims ; and though a good aim doth not make a bad 1 This age affords many such hypocrites, such monsters, &c.
1 Kings XIV. 13.] apples of gold. 177
action good, as in Uzzah, yet a bad aim makes a good action bad, as in Jehu, whose justice was approved, but his policy punished, the first chapter of Hosea, and the fourth verse. Doubtless Abijah's actions were good, and his aims good, and this was indeed his glory, that his good- ness was ' towards the Lord/1
It is recorded of the Catanenses, that the made a stately monument, of kingly magnificence, in remembrance of two sons, who took their aged parents upon their backs, and carried them through the fire, when their father's house was all in a flame.2 These young men were good towards their parents ; but what is this to Abijah's goodness 'towards the Lord' ? &c. A man cannot be good towards the Lord but he will be good towards others ; but a man may be good towards others, that is not good towards the Lord. Oh that men's practices did not give too loud a testimony every day to this assertion ! &c.3