Here we sec that the messengers deal faithfully with Josiah. They brought the direct message which the prophetess did bid them, which was good for himself, but doleful for his estate. He was a gracious man, and God gave him gracious servants.
Doct. 13. For God idll r/ive f/ood men faithful servants, that shall deal faithfully with them. As for the wicked, God will give them such servants that shall humour them to their own ruin. If they have a heart not desirous to hear the truth, if they be Ahabs, they shall have four hundred false pro- phets to lead them in a course to their own ruin. But Josiah had an upright heart, desiring to know the truth. Therefore God gave him a faithful pro- phetess to deal truly with him, and faithful messengers to bring the true answer.
' Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. And the king went up into the house of the Lord, and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people gi'eat and small,' &c.
Which words shew what good king Josiah did upon the receipt of this message. As soon as ever he heard it, he did not sufi'er it to cool upon him. But when his spirit was stirred up, he did as a gracious king should do, he sent and gathered all the elders of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, both great and small, and they went up to the house of the Lord, and there read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant %vhich was found in the house of the Lord.
Here, first, we see that Josiah gathered, as it were, a parliament and a council ; as also, in both Josiah and the people, we may behold an excellent and sweet harmony of state, when all, both king and priests, Levites and people, did meet amiably together. This was an excellent time, when there was such an harmony between king and people, that he no sooner commands but they obeyed him.
But more particularly we learn,
Doct. 14. That the care of the commomcealtli and of the church is a duty helonffinrf to the kinrf, that the reformation both of church and common- wealth belongs unto the prince. There is a generation which think that the king must only take care for the commonwealth. But they have also power to look to religion. We see Josiah doth it, he is the keeper of both. Josiah hath a care. of religion, and it doth become his place. He is a head, and it is befitting his relation. He is a father, not only to look to the temporal state, but to the church.
The Donatists in Augustine's time did ask, "WTiat had the emperor to do with the church ? But it was answered that the emperor could not rule the commonwealth except he govern the church, for the church is a com- monwealth. So that we see, as a chief right, the ordering of the matters of religion belongs to the care of the prince. But there are two things in religion : first, intrinsecal, within the church, as to preach, administer the sacraments, and ordain ministers. These he ought not to do. But for those things that are without it, these belong unto him. If any of those that are placed in church or commonwealth, do not their duty, it is fitting for him to coiTect. He ought to set all a-going without, and to remove abuses, but not to meddle with the things within the church aforesaid, as to execute the same, but to oversee and govern their execution, and those persons whose proper office it is to execute them.
This observe against the usurpation of the pope, and see the supremacy
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of king Josiah, that he is supreme over all ; not only over temporal persons, but over evangelical persons. For thei'c was an high priest at that time and the Levites, but none were above king Josiah.
Quest. Aj', but this was under the law, say the papists.
Sol. 1. I answer, that this is a rule in divinity, that the gospel doth not take away or dissolve the laws of nature and reason. Therefore if the supremacy belonged to the prince then, surely now much more. Therefore saith one, We give respect to the emperor as next to God ; to God in the first place, and then to the emperor.* The ministers have power over the prince for to direct him and give him counsel, but yet they are not above him. A physician doth give directions for his patient. Is he therefore above him ? So a builder giveth direction for the building of the king's house. Is this any supremacy ? So the minister may give direction and counsel to the prince ; but hath he therefore any superiority above the prince ? Surely no.
Sol. 2. In the second place, here we see who it is that called this parlia- ment. It was king Josiah. He was the first mover in calling of this council, for he was the head ; and had it not been a strange thing to have seen the foot move before the head ? The head must first give direction before any of the members can move. Therefore it is only in the authority of the king to gather a council, and none must gather a public assembly without authority from the king.