——q £ Either, 1. 'The Prieſts which Jeroboam had made of the meaneſt Chap. 11. of the People, whom he flew,both for their Preſumptuous Uſur- _ pation of that ſacred Office, which of it ſelf was punithable with ” Death by God's Law, Num.3.10- and for their Idolatry. Or rather, 2. The Prieſts of Baalim ; by comparing this Verſe with the foc- - thtr, where ſpeaking of the ſame High places, he doth not ſay, which Jero:oam made ; as is uſual when he ſpeaks of the High Places of the Calves ; but which the othcr kings of 1[rael made, who were divers of them. Worthippers of Baal; and by conſidering the Parallel place, 2 Chren.34.4. where it 1s ſaid they brake down the altars of Baalim, &c, By this Relation it appears, and from the nature of the thing,and common prattice in like caſes, it 15 more than pro- bable, that after the departure of the King of 4ſjria, divers of the | Iſraelites who had retired to other parts, and kept themfelves our i of the Conquerours hands, returned together with their Prietts ro | their own Land, and to their old trade of Worſhhipping Idols; _ to whom, peradventure, they aſcribed this their Deliverance from that Judgment which Jehovah had brought upon them. 6 Accord-
ing to that Famous Prophecy, 1 Krng. 13:1, 2. : q 21 © And the king commanded all the people,ſaying, 4 _ * Keep the paſlover ; unto the LORD your God, * as
Exod.1: it #s written in this book of the covenanc &. 3. Lev.23. # Having aboliſhed Falſe Worſhip, he now endeavours to fer up 5- Numb. the True Workhip of the True God. & In this Book which I have 9.2. Deut. found ; wherein is contained the Covenant made between God aid x6. 2, AIſratl, and the terms of it. a 22 Surely there was not holden ſuch a paſſover from. the days of the judges mthat judged Iſrael, nor in all the days of the kings of Iſrael, nor of the kings of Judah : 7. e, Celebrated with ſuch Solemn care, and great preparation, and numerous Sacrifices, 2 Chron.35.7,8 9.and univerſal Joy of al] good men ; which was much the greater, becauſe of their remem- brance of the former wicked and miſerable times under Manaſeh, and Amon; and the good hopes they now had of the happy Eſta- bliſhment of their Nation, and the Trre Religion ; and of the pre- venticn of Gods Judgments denounced againſt them. mz Or, from the days of Samuel, the laſt of the Judges; as it is expreſfed 2 Chr.35. 8. None of the Kings had taken ſuch care to prepare themſelves, the Prieſts, and People,and accurately to obſerve all the Rites, and diligently to purge out all uncleanneſs, and to nenew their Cove- nant with God, fo' ſolemnly as Joſiah now did. - 24 But in the eighteenth year of king Joſiah, wherein this paſſover was holden to the LORD in Jeruſalem. 24 C Moreover, the werkers with familiar ſpirits, and 1 Or,7er4- the wizards », and the || images, and the idols, and all thim, the abominations o that were ſpied p in the land of Ju- dak.and in Jeruſalem,did Joſiah put away,that he might * Lev. 20- perform the words of *.che law, which were written in 27. Deut. the book that Hilkiah the prieſt found in the houſe #8. 1. of the LORD.
» Of which ſee on Levit. 19. 51. and 20. 27, Nuntb. 22, 5. Dent. 18. 11, o Three words noting the ſame thing, to ſhew, That all the Inſtruments and Monuments of Idolatry were Deſtroyed,asGod had Commanded. p z. e. All that were diſcovered ; not only fach as were in the place and ſtate of Worſhip, bur ſuch as their Prieſts or
ealots tad removed, and endeavoured to hide and ſecure.
25 And * lixe unto him was there no king: before him 9, that turned to the LORD with all his heart,and with all bis ſoul,and with all his might,according to all the law of Mofes, neither after him aroſe there any like him. | | 4 To wit,for las diligent Study in God's Law and his exa& care, and unwearied Induſtry ,and ferventZeal,in rooting out of Idolaters; and all kinds and appearances of ldolatry,not only in J#dah,but in Jſrael alio 3 and in the Eſtabliſhment of the erue Religion in all his Dcminions,andin the contorming of his own Lite, and his peoples too, (as far as he cou!d) ro the holy Law of God : though Hezekiah might excel him in ſome other particulars ;' of whom therefore the hke is ſaid above, Chap. 18. 55+
CD CEE IN _
* Chap. 18. 5.
* Ter 15.
+ Heb. © the fierceneſs of his great wrath, wherewith his ange:
£1NG 358
ry Becauſe though the King was moſt hearty in his Repentance, and acceptable to God, as was ſaid before and therefore the Judg- ment was delayed for his time ; yet the People were generally corrupt- and ſecretly averſe from Joſiah's pious and excellent Re- formation, and inclined to their old Luſts and Idols ; as appears from the Complaints of the Prophets, eſpecially Jerem:ah and Ze. phaniah, againſt them : and by the following Hiſtory, wherein we ſee that as ſoon as ever Joſiah was gone,his Childrenzand the Prin- ces,and the People, ſuddenly and greedily returned to their former Abomi-ations. 5s The ſins of Mwmaſ:», and of the Mcn of his
Generations z who complyed and concurred with his IdoJatroug and cruel prattices, Chap.24.3,4+ are juitly puniſhed in this Gene« ration : partly,becauſe of Gods Soveraign Right of puniſhing Sin. ners ( ſuch as theſe unqueſtionably were) when, and upon what occaſion he ſees fir ; partly, becauſe of that publick warning and Declaration of God,that he would viſit the Iniquity « the Fathers upon the Children : and principally, becauſe theſe Men had never ſincerely Repented of their own, nor of their Fathers Sins ; but their hearts ſtil] hankered after them ; which, though nor yer ſeen by Men, was manifeſt ro God, who therefore pronounced this Terrible Sentence againſt them.
' 27. And the LORD faid,T will remove Judah alfo out of my ſight, as I have removed Iſrael ; and will caſt off this City Jeruſalem,which I have cholen,and the houſe of which I ſaid t, * My Name ſhall be there. *,
t To wir, upon the conditions in ſundry places exprefled, which g . they broke, and therefore God juſtly made thein to know /is breath
of promiſe, as he threatens, Numb. 14.
7
34
28 Now the reft of the acts of Joſiah,and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah ?
29 © * In his days Pharaoh-necho # king of Egypt *:Chron; went up againſt the king of Afſyria x to the River Eu-35: 2%. pbrates y : and king Jokah went ag:inft him z ; and he {ſlew him 4 at * Megiddo, when he had ſeen him b. * 7e,