SERMON X.

EVIL COMPANIONS.

1. KINGS, XXII, 48, 49.

Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold; but they went not: for the ships were broken at Ezion-Geber. Then said Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, unto Jehoshaphat, let my servants go with thy servants in the ships. But Jehoshaphat would not.

WHERE the land of Ophir may have been, or what were ships of Tharshish is not known. No doubt "ships of Tharshish" were ships which went long sea voyages; and we are told that it took Jehoshaphat's fleet three years to go and return to Ophir; but beyond these things we know little of Tharshish or Ophir.

These, then, being merely curious matters, I do not now purpose to dwell on them. There is besides in the Text a practical question relating to behaviour and duty, on which I intend now to speak. It involves the consideration of a great part of the life of Jehoshaphat. As he was a king, you may ask, What have we to do with the life of a king? But the

passions and actions of all men are of the like nature, and the poorest may learn to guide his behaviour by the warnings and encouragements we find even in the life of kings.

The present lesson of the Text is a warning. Jehoshaphat king of Judah, was a righteous man, and a worshipper of the true God; but, whereas there had been incessant war between the kings of Judah and the idolatrous kings of Israel, since the departure of the ten tribes, we read that, "Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel," that is, Ahab, who was an exceedingly wicked man. You see then the warning. It is the danger of evil companions. We are to enquire into this danger in the acts of Jehoshaphat.

The first instance we have of it is in the very instructive chapter on human passions from which the Text is taken. Ahab wished to take Ramoth-Gilead. Jehoshaphat, now his ally, agrees to assist him; but first he suggests that they should enquire of the Lord about it. Ahab agrees; and consults his prophets, and even Micaiah a true prophet of the Lord. In this Jehoshaphat seems to be bringing about good by the alliance; for he is introducing some religion, and some regard for God into a totally irreligious court. But, mark the issue. Micaiah tells them what would be the sad result of going to Ramoth Gilead, and that God in this was against them: what does Jehoshaphat do? if left to himself he would not have gone; but Ahab, self-confident when he should have been afraid,

is determined to go; and, so, Jehoshaphat goes with him. Here is one downward step, the fruit of evil company, and a doing of what he would not have done by his own choice. So it is very often that, by company, we are led to do things, not very bad at first, which we certainly would not have done of our own accord.

But, though Jehoshaphat has deserted God, yet God has not deserted him; and well was it for him that the Almighty was watching over him for good to bring him out of the snare of evil company. He receives a warning in the midst of the battle. The captains of Syria, by a Divine Providence, are commanded to fight with none but the king of Israel; and as Ahab had disguised himself, Jehoshaphat appeared the only king. This nearly cost him his life, but "he cried out," that is, he cried out in prayer to God for his life; and as we read in 2 Chron. xx., The Lord helped him, and God moved them to depart from him." How often is it the case that God brings on us our first difficulty and danger in evil company, and for once we are saved!

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After this Jehoshaphat returned home, and endeavoured to advance true religion and good government in Judah; yet that alliance once formed with Ahab he could not so easily shake off: for we read in 2 Chron. xx., that, after this, he joined himself with Ahaziah, son of Ahab, who did very wickedly, "to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they made the ships

at Ezion-Geber." So difficult is it to break off an alliance once formed with evil companions, even after warnings against it sent from God: nay, so strong was the power of this alliance on Jehoshaphat, that he would not listen to the warnings of a prophet sent to him at this time; for we read that "then Eliezer, the son of Dodovah of Mareshah, prophecied against Jehoshaphat, saying, "Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the Lord hath broken thy works." But, notwithstanding the warning, the seamen of Jehoshaphat and Ahaziah prepared for their voyage; yet the ships "went not, for the ships were broken at EzionGeber." Now, the loss of this national fleet, was a great loss to the kingdom of Judah; for ever since the days of Solomon a great and wealthy traffic had been carried on by this fleet, which had brought much riches to the kingdom of Judah, but was from this time wholly lost.

And now, how does Jehoshaphat act? His eyes are at length opened: he sees the judgment of God, not only against himself, but against his kingdom, and he behaves as a righteous man should do: he clearly sees the warning: he sees the judgment, and the cause of it, viz., his alliance with an ungodly king; and, so, he breaks off that alliance: for Ahaziah having a second time pressed that his servants might go with Jehoshaphat's, we read the king of Judah's resolution in these few emphatic words, "But Jehoshaphat would not." Here is a great change: the friendship is broken off,

and a separation is made. Well was it for Jehoshaphat, that, after the warnings he had received, he took this one; for, perhaps, God would have sent him no more. But far better would it have been, if he had never formed that alliance. For it had brought nothing but woe and disaster; his own life had been in danger; and his national fleet had been lost, whereby the power and resources of the kingdom of Judah were much diminished; and from this moment it began to sink; for soon after Edom revolted and closed the way to the Red Sea, and the tributary nations of the Arabians and Philistines rebelled, and greatly weakened the kingdom.

But this was not all the evil of that unholy friendship. Much greater evils, which Jehoshaphat could not prevent, arose from it, and another chapter of sorrow for the kingdom of Judah is opened. During the alliance, Jehoram his son had married the daughter of Ahab. This was an evil far worse than the loss of the fleet for what was the consequence? It was, as we read in 2 Chron. XXI., that Jehoram "walked in the way of the kings of Israel, like as did the house of Ahab for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife, and he wrought that which was evil in the sight of the Lord." Thus, the son of Jehoshaphat forsook the worship of the true God, was led astray into a false religion, and was its first general introducer into his family and kingdom. Jehoshaphat might think that religion might in such a case be safely dis