Ahab_ against the King of _Syria_, and also to marry his Son to
_Ahab_'s Daughter, which was fatal to _Jehoshaphat_, and to his
Posterity.
_Again_, He tempted _Hezekiah_ to shew all his Riches to the King of
_Babylon_'s Messengers; and who can doubt, but that he (_Satan_) is to
be understood by the wicked Spirit which stood before the Lord, 2
_Chron._ xviii. 20. and offered his Service to entice _Ahab_ the King of
_Israel_ to come out to Battle to his Ruin, by being a lying Spirit in
the Mouths of all his Prophets; and who for that Time had a special
Commission, as he had another Time in the Case of _Job_? and indeed it
was a Commission fit for no body but the _Devil_: _Thou shalt entice_
him, _and thou shalt_ also _prevail: Go out and do_ even _so_, ver. 21.
Even good _Josiah_ himself, of whom it is recorded, that _like him there
was no King before him_, _neither after him arose there any like him_, 2
Kings xxiii. 26. yet the _Devil_ never left him with his Machinations,
till finding he could not tempt him to any Thing wicked in his
Government, he tempted or mov'd him to a needless War with the King of
_Egypt_, in which he lost his Life.
From the Death of this good King, the _Devil_ prevail'd so with the
whole Nation of the _Jews_, and brought them to such an incorrigible
Pitch of Wickedness, that _God_ gave them up, forsook his Habitation of
Glory, the Temple, which he suffer'd to be spoil'd first, then burnt and
demolish'd; destroying the whole Nation of the _Jews_, except a small
Number that were left, and those the Enemy carried away into Captivity.
Nor was he satisfied with this general Destruction of the whole People
of _Israel_, for the ten Tribes were gone before; but he follow'd them
even into their Captivity; those that fled away to _Egypt_, which they
tell us were seventy thousand, he first corrupted, and then they were
destroyed there upon the Overthrow of _Egypt_, by the same King of
_Babylon_.
Also he went very near to have them rooted out, young and old, Man,
Woman and Child, who were in Captivity in _Babylon_, by the Ministry of
that true Agent of Hell, _Haman_ the _Agagite_; but there _Satan_ met
with a Disappointment too, as in the Story of _Hester_, which was but
the fourth that he had met with, in all his Management since the
Creation; I say, there he was disappointed, and his prime Minister
_Haman_ was exalted, as he deserv'd.
Having thus far traced the Government and Dominion of the _D
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