y. 2. Others have
this written on them, "He did that which was right in the sight of the
Lord, but not with a perfect heart." Such an one was Amaziah king of
Judah. He was neither sincere nor constant: when God blessed him with
victory against the Edomites, he fell foully from the true worship of
God, and set up the gods of Edom. 3. A third sentence is written upon
the godly kings of Judah, "He did right in the sight of the Lord, with a
perfect heart." As Asa, Hezekiah, Jehoshaphat, and Josiah, they were
both sincere and constant. Let us neither have the first nor the second,
but the third written upon our king, "He did right in the sight of the
Lord, with a perfect heart." Begin well, and continue constant.

Before I close, I shall seek leave to lay before our young king, two
examples to beware of, and one to follow. The two warning examples, one
of them is in the text, another in our own history.

The first example is of Joash. He began well, and went on in a godly
reformation all the days of Jehoiada; but, it is observed, "That after
the days of Jehoiada, the princes of Judah came, and did obeisance to
the king, and he hearkened unto them." It appeareth, they had been lying
in wait till the death of Jehoiada; and took the opportunity to destroy
the true worship of God, and set up false worship, flattering the king
for that effect: for it is said, "They left the house of the Lord, and
served groves and idols;" and were so far from being reclaimed by the
prophet of the Lord that was sent unto them, that they conspired against
Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, who reproved them mildly for their
idolatry, and stoned him with stones, and slew him at the king's
commandment. And it is said, "Joash remembered not the kindness that
Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son." Sir, take this
example for a warning. You are obliged by the covenant to go on in the
work of reformation. It may be, some great ones are waiting their time,
not having opportunity to work for the present, till afterward they may
make obeisance, and persuade you to destroy all that hath been done in
the work of God, these divers years. Beware of it; let no allurement or
persuasion prevail with you, to fall from that which this day you bind
yourself to maintain.

Another example I give you, yet in recent memory, of your grandfather,
king James. He fell, to be very young, in a time full of difficulties:
yet there was a godly party in the land wh