e acts, viz: He,

1. Removes all external impediments of true religion, worship of God,
&c., by his civil power, whether persons or things, whether
persecutions, profaneness, heresy, idolatry, superstition, &c., that
truth and godliness may purely flourish: as did Jehoshaphat, Asa,
Hezekiah, Josiah. And hereupon it is that God so oft condemns the not
removing and demolishing of the high places and monuments of idolatry,
1 Kings xv. 14, with 2 Chron. xv. 17; 1 Kings xxii. 44; 2 Kings xii. 3:
and highly commends the contrary in Asa, 2 Chron. xv. 8, 16: in
Jehoshaphat, 2 Chron. xvii. 3, 4, 6-10: in Hezekiah, 2 Chron. xxxi. 1; 2
Kings xviii. 4: in Manasseh, 2 Chron. xxxiii. 15: in Josiah, 2 Kings
xxiii. 8, 13, 19, 20, 24: whereupon the Holy Ghost gives him that
superlative commendation above all kings before and after him, ver. 25.

2. Countenanceth, advanceth, and encourageth by his authority and
example the public exercise of all God's ordinances, and duties of
religion within his dominions, whether in matter of divine worship,
discipline, and government, maintaining for the Church the fulness of
spiritual liberties and privileges communicated to her from Christ: as
did Asa, 2 Chron. xv. 9-16: Jehoshaphat, 2 Chron. xx. 7-9: Hezekiah, 2
Chron. xxix., xxx., and xxxi. chapters throughout: Josiah, 2 Chron.
xxxiv. and xxxv. chapters. And to this end God prescribed in the law
that the king should still have a copy of the law of God by him, therein
to read continually, Deut. xvii. 18-20; because he was to be not only a
practiser, but also a protector thereof, a keeper of both tables.

3. Supplies the Church with all external necessaries, provisions, means,
and worldly helps in matters of religion: as convenient public places to
worship in, sufficient maintenance for ministers, (as the Scripture
requireth, 1 Tim. v. 17, 18; 1 Cor. ix. 6-15; Gal. vi. 6:) schools and
colleges, for promoting of literature, as nurseries to the prophets,
&c.; together with the peaceable and effectual enjoyment of all these
worldly necessaries, for comfortably carrying on of all public
ordinances of Christ. Thus David prepared materials, but Solomon built
the temple, 1 Chron. xxii. Hezekiah commanded the people that dwelt in
Jerusalem, to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they
might be encouraged in the law of the Lord; and Hezekiah himself and his
princes came and saw it performed, 2 Chron. xxxi. 4, &c., 8: Josiah
repaired the ho