- for Amon sacrificed:
- Amon's conduct is recorded as like his father Manasseh, in sacrificing to graven images; by which some think it is an evidence that Manasseh did not truly repent, but they forget how many good kings had wicked sons. In one point of view Manasseh was defective, although it cannot be supposed that it affected his eternal state; for when he cast out the images, he did not utterly deface and destroy them, according to the law in "But¹¹ thus¹ shall ye dealª° with them; ye shall destroyª° their altars,ª and break downª° their images,ª and cut downª° their groves,ª and burnª° their graven imagesª with fire.ª" {Deu 7:5}, which required, moreover, that the graven images should be burnt with fire. How necessary that law was, this instance shows; for the carved images being only thrown aside, and not burnt, Amon knew where to find them, soon set them up, and sacrificed to them. "The carpenterªª stretcheth outª° [his] rule;ª he marketh it outª° with a line;ª he fittethª° it with planes,ª and he marketh it outª° with the compass,ª and makethª° it after the figureª of a man,ª according to the beautyª of a man;ª that it may remainª° in the house.ª ... He feedethª° on ashes:ª a deceivedª° heartª hath turned him aside,ª° that he cannot¹ deliverª°¹ his soul,ª nor¹ say,ª° [Is there] not¹ a lieª in my right hand?ª" {Isa 44:13-20}
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