true wisedome This is the ioye and Felicitie of Gods children in this life This doctrine serueth for many excellent vses And first it serueth to set out the miserable estate of such as are destitute of this gratious meanes For if they be happy that heare this wisdome vnhappy are they and cursed which cannot heare it which are cleane without it haue no taste or knowledge of it Where Prophâ—cying faileth or where there is no Vision of wisedome there the people perish And in an other place Where no counsell is the people fall But where manie Counsellors are there is health Againe The Lorde complaineth in these words by the Prophet saying My people are destroyed for lacke of knowledge Because thou hast refused Knowledge I will refuse thee that thou shalt bee no Priest to mee And seeing thou hast forgotten the Lawe of thy God I will also forget thy children The Lorde threatneth it as one of his greatest Iudgements to send in his wrath to anie people Blinde Guides dumbe Dogges Idoll Shepheards and scarcitie and famine of his word And as our SAVIOVR CHRIST saith That if the blind leade the blind both shal fall into the ditche Ignorance blindnes is a wretched vnhappy thing both in Minister people Knowledge a part of Gods Image Ignorance defaceth it Knowledge the Eye of the soule Ignorance the very blindnes and darknes of the soule It is the cause of all sinne and error And if it bee Eternall life to knowe God it is eternall death destruction and damnation not to know him And heauy is that sentence of the Apostle against such when he saieth That when the LORD IESVS shall shewe himselfe from heauen with his mighty Angels hee will in flaming fire render vengeance vnto them that do not know GOD which obey not the Gospell of our Lorde Iesus Christ which shall be punished with euerlasting perdition from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power Some are maliciously ignorant misliking and hating the Truth Some are sloathfull idle carelesse They will take no paines for Wisedome Some are proude thinking scorne to learne and that they neede not bee taught but knowe enough alreadie These are none of the sonnes and daughters of Wisedome but rather those Fooles of whom Salomon often speaketh in the Prouerbes And indeed the Diuell may begge them for fooles these haue no part in this happines but are vnhappy here and shall be most vnhappy hereafter This doctrine also serueth for the reproofe of such as seeke to hinder and stoppe the course of wisedome these are vnhappy themselues and seeke to hinder the happines of others they are like to the malicious Philistimes which stopped the welles of Isaack as fast as he digged them and would haue kept his cattle from water so these would hinder men from the sweet water of life He that withdraweth the corne saith the wise man the people curse him but blessing shall be vpon the head of him that selleth corne Couetous and cruell men are most vile and wretched creatures which keepe backe the corne from the poore hoping for a greater dearth much more vnhappy are they which keepe from the people the bread of life the decay of tillage is a hindrance to the common-wealth and the cause of want and dearth and they that doe it doe offend against God and men and they sinne much more which pulleth downe Gods plough and hinder the sowing of the blessed seede of his word which is as needfull for the soule as husbandrie is for the body The righteous man regardeth the life of the beast but the mercies of the wicked are cruell pitty and compassion is to be shewed to the very dumbe creatures that doth vs seruice we must see them fed and it were crueltâ—e to pine them how much more are we to be mercifull to men to the bodies of men and most of all to their soules And if it be crueltie to pine and famish the bodies of men yea of any creature how much greater crueltie is it to pine famish and murther the precious soules of men in keeping from them the blessed and spirituall foode of their soules Were it not an vnmercifull cruell thing to take from a poore souldier his sword his buckler his whole armour and to leaue him naked and open to the force and rage of most cruell enemies As vnmercifull are they which take from the poore people the sword of the spirit the word of God being the armour of proofe and so leaue them altogether weake and vnarmed against their spirituall enemies by the power of the word and the right vse and handling of it Sathan Antichrist sin â—rror heresies all corruptions are weakned and ouerthrowne how shall we then doe if we be depriued of such a weapon and most cruell are they that depriue and robbe the poore people of it such are the Papists which keepe from the people the blessed booke of true wisedome wil not haue it read to the people in their own toÌ„gue but in a strange an vnknowne language wheras the Apostle had rather in the Church to speake fiue words with vnderstanding then ten thousand in a strange toÌ„gue he would haue vs not to be children in vnderstanding but of a perfect â—ipâ—age Christ coÌ„mandeth to preach the Gospel to al nations therfore he gaue theÌ„ the gift of all tongues that they might preach to euery nation in their owne tongue Others also â—oyne with the Papists which by any meanes sâ—eke to hinder stâ—ppe the free course of the Gospell such were the Pharises whom Christ threatneth saying Woe be to you scribes Pharises hypocrites because you shut vp the kingdom of heaueÌ„ bâ—fore men for you your selues go not in neither suffer you theÌ„ that would enter to come in And in an other place it is said that they had taken froÌ„ the people the key of knowledge such were the wicked malicious Iewes who killed the Lord Iesus their owne Prophets and persecuted the Apostles and forbad them to preach to the gentiles that they might be saued to fulfill their sinnes alwaies for the wrath of God is come on them to the vtmost Such a one was Alexander the copper Smith of whoÌ„ S. Paul saith That he had done him much euill the Lord reward him according to his workes of whom be thou ware also for he withstood our preaching sore Againe this also serueth to reprooue all those which may heare and will not such are all Recusants Papisticall or Anabaptisticall which refuse to come to our assemblies and will not be partakers with vs either of the word or Sacraments they haue other meetings haue gathered to themselues other kinde of teachers and haue made quite separation from vs and yet without any iust cause or reason and the true messengers of wisedome doe truly deliuer the
against the law of God written against ciuill honestie and charitie These destroie and consume the goods the good name the body and soule And as Bertheba sayeth to her sonne Salomon Such vncleanesse is the destruction of Kings so it is the destruction of many others men and women of many great houses townes countries and kingdomes Therefore sayth Iob If my heart haue beene deceiued by a woman or if I haue laide waite at the doore of my neighbour let my wife gâ—inde to another man and let other men bow downe vpon her For this is a wickednes and iniquitie to bee condemned yea this is a fire that shall deuoure to destruction whiâ— shall roote out all mine increase And it is most true which the Prophet saith that whoredome and wine take away the heart And indeede such sinfull pleasures they take away witte and vnderstanding grace and religion they take away credit riches and health yea the comfort of soule and body It is a great curse and heauy iudgement of God to be giuen ouer to such vile and filthy lusts And this Salomon confesseth vpon wofull experience saying I haue compassed about both I my heart to know and to enquire to search wisedome and reason and to know the wickednes of folly and the foolishnes of madnesse and I finde more bitter then death the woman whose heart is as nets and snares and her hands as bands hee that is good before God shall be deliuered from her but the sinner shall bee taken by her Behold sayth the Preacher this haued founde seeking one by one to finde the count and yet my soule seeketh but I find it not I haue found one man of a thousand but a woman among them all haue I not found His meaning is not to disgrace good women but that women are easily drawne to wickednes and being wicked they exceed men in wickednes and are of great power to draw allure others to the same And that fewer women are good then men finally he speaketh vpon his owne experience tryall that he for his part amongst so many found none at all good and this is some testimony of his repentance These words being spoken and that booke being written as some thinke as it is probable after his grieuous fall But wee see by that place that it is a token of Gods anger to bee giuen ouer to such vncleannesse and it is a iust iudgement vpon our prophanesse neglect contempt of Gods seruice and therefore the Apostle sayth That because men regarded not to know God hee deliuereth them vp into a reprobate minde to doe those things which are not conuenient he gaue them vp to their hearts lusts and to vile affections Because men are carelesse in religion of the true honour of God therefore the Lord giueth them ouer to such filthy and odious sinnes to their vtter dishonour and shame in life and death and after death so that the memoriall of such though they haue beene of neuer so high account in the world is but vile rotten and cursed Therefore let vs hearken to that blessed Exhortation of the Apostle saying Dearely beloued I beseech you as strangers and pilgrimes abstayne from fleshly lustes which fight against the soule And let vs not forget those words of another Apostle Know yee not saith hee that your bodies are the members of Christ shall we then take the members of Christ make them the members of an harlot God forbid Doe yee not know that hee which coupleth himselfe with an harlot is one body for two saith he shal be one flesh but he which is ioyned to the Lord is one spirit Fly fornication euery sin that a man doth is without the bodie but he that coÌ„mitteth fornication sinneth against his owne body Know yee not that your body is the temple of the holy Ghost which is in you whom yee haue of God and ye are not your owne for ye are bought with a price Therfore glorifie God in your body and in your spirit for they are Gods Another sin which we are to auoide and which was Salomons sinne is Idolatry It is saide as we haue heard that he matched with Idolatrous women that for the loue of them he built high places hee wrought wickednesse in the sight of the Lord continued not to follow the Lord as did Dauid his father that his hart was not perfect with the Lord his God The beginning of his sinne was that hee matched with Idolatrous womeÌ„ contrary to the expresse law of God And therefore it was sin so to match We are to auoide all vnnecessarie society familiarity with the wicked therfore Iehosephet is reproued because he helped the wicked loued them that hated the Lord for he ioyned in the affinitie with Ahab but the wrath of the Lord came vpon him for it Salomon saith The wicked man is an abhomination to the iust he that is vpright in his way is an abhomination to the wicked There can be no sound nor true friendship betwixt those that are diuers contrary in religioÌ„ maners Therfore saith the Apostle be not vnequally yoked with Infidels for what fellowship hath righteousnes with vnrighteousnes what coÌ„munion hath light with darknes what concord hath Christ with Belial what part hath the beleeuer with the Infidell and what agreement hath the temple of God with Idols The Lord complained thus of his people saying Iuda hath transgressed abhomination is committed in Israel and in Ierusalem for Iuda hath defiled the holines of the Lord which he loued hath maried the daughter of a strange god The LORD will cut off the man that doth this both the maister the seruant out of the Tabernacle of Iacob and him that offereth an offering to the Lord of Hoasts Such cursed and crosse matches was the cause that God destroyed the first world with the generall flood And such matches at this day are the causes of prophanenesse Athisme Popery and much wickednesse For what comfort or blessing can they looke for which haue no respect to God in marying But onely regard pleasures and riches The example of Salomon is fearefull that so great wise a man of extraordinary gifts and graces is allured and drawne to Idolatry being ouercome with the loue of heathenish women And yet it may be and it is likely that Salomon himselfe did not worshippe those Idols or thinke them to be gods or that there were any diuine power in them neither did he bring them into the Temple nor commaund any to worship them but this was his fault that hee did not suppresse the worshipping of them but graunted and suffered such Idolatry for the pleasure of his women So that he fell as Adam fell who did eate of the forbidden tree not because that he thought thereby to be like vnto GOD or wiser then hee was made but least he should offend his
THE BLESSING OF A GOOD KING Deliuered in Eight Sermons vpon the storie of the Queene of the South her words to Salomon magnifying the gouernment of his familie and kingdome By THOMAS GIBSON Minister Eccles 10. 17. Blessed art thou ô Land when thy King is the sonne of Nobles AT LONDON Printed by Tho Creede for Arthur Iohnson Dwelling at the signe of the white Horse in Pauls Church-yard 1614. TO THE RIGHT HOnourable the Lord Harington Baron of Exton Thomas Gibson wisheth all true happines both in this life and in the life to come MY purpose Right Honourable in the dedication of these sermons was to haue ioyned your Honourable father with that worthy Citie whereof he was a principall member and had speciall command and authoritie which place he much respected and loued and where he was againe much respected and honoured The ioy and ornament of the Citie was his name and countenance the very report and newes of whose decease was the cause of many a watrie eye and of many a heauie heart But their speciall comfort and ioy is that the Lord hath in mercy prouided so gratious an heire so worthy a successor so vertuous a fauourer as of all that are honest religious so most of all such as haue beene the faithfull friends and intire louers of your Honourable father who himselfe was a louer of all learning religion and of all good men a true worshipper of God zealous in the truth a sincere professor friend of the Gospell a fauourer of faithfull Ministers a worthie member both of Church and common-wealth a faithful dutiful seruiceable and rare subiect like Moses in faithfulnes in meekenes and in zeale against Idolatrie like Iob a iust man fearing God and eschewing euill like Nathaniell a true Israelite without guile Finally a man full of grace pietie curtesie humilitie temperance and other both morall and christian vertues I am not able to commend him according to his deserts that requires a larger discourse and it would perhaps proue an increase of sorrow which is rather to be abated then renewed I will therefore bend my selfe to administer comfort for so great a losse a losse so generall to Church and common-wealth Friends and followers Tenants and seruants and for my owne part I cannot but beare a part in sorrow for the losse of so kind a Patron and Benefactor both to me and mine Yet this is the vse of the prayses of the dead not onely for imitation of their vertues but also for the coÌ„fort of friends aliue And is this a small comfort Right Honourable that you had such a father yea a comfort and blessing it is to be of the seed of the righteous It is a further comfort that you enioyed him so long till your selfe came to ripenesse of yeares that he died in a good age full of daies few of his Auncestors liued longer and howsoeuer he left this life in a strange countrey yet no doubt he died in the true faith of Iesus Christ which he sincerely professed all his life and in the honourable and faithfull seruice of his gratious Soueraigne the Lords annointed It is no wonder that old men die rather it is a wonder in these latter daies that any liue so long Moses in his time made account of mans ordinarie age to be threescore yeares and ten Now the world decayes and the daies of our life is shortned We heare daily of the death of Infants children young men yea Princes taken away in the prime and strength of their yeares what maruell then though the ancient â—ie when the apple is ripe it must needs fall when the candle is spent the light must needs goe out This vse we are to make of the death of young or old to remember alwaies our mortall state and the vncertaintie of our life to be alwaies readie and prepared not to regard but contemne the lusts of the flesh the lust of the eie and the pride of life pleasures honours riches and the vanities of this wicked world Many moe comforts we haue against excessiue and immoderate sorrowe for the death of our best and dearest friends as to consider what they leaue a miserable world and whither they goe to the hauen of happinesse The best sort of the Heathen vsed three remedies against such kind of sorrow First to consider that death is common to all and vnauoydable Secondly that it is the end of miserie and hauen of rest Thirdly that it is likely that the soules liue and are blessed We haue the same and more sure comforts We know that our Redeemer liues and that wee shall see him as hee is Wee know not onely the immortality of the soule but the glorious resurrection of the body and that those that dye in the Lord are blessed Nothing comes to passe without Gods pouidence who is wise and mightie We pray that his will may be done both of vs and in vs. It will nothing auaile vs to torment our selues we are borne to dye many thousands are gone before vs and we must follow Pardon my boldnes right Honourable in presuming to put you in minde of these thinges which both by your own priuate reading and publicke heauing of many worthy men you doe already know and vnderstand sufficiently Yet in my loue to your Honour giue me leaue to adde some further instruction It hath alwaies beene the endeuour of Sathan the common aduersarie of mans saluation by all means possible to draw all sorts degrees and ages of men from the true care and studie of religion and vertue to the effecting whereof hee hath from euery estate his pretended colours and faire pleasing shewes of perswasion alluremeÌ„t perswading the elder sort that it is a thing vnseemely vnbefitting their grauitie to become schollers in Christs schoole seeing their heads are filled with other matters namely of the Common-wealth and affaires of this world Hee can tell the middle sort which are in the prime of strength and witte that it is against all equitie and reason that such should bee depriued of the pleasures and delights of the flesh and the world And as for the younger sort hee will easilie make make them beleeue that it is not yet time to serue God that the points of religion are too high for them and able to dull and trouble their tender wits buzzing into their eares that wicked prouerbe A young Saint an olde Diuâ—ll Thus by his will he would haue none religious because he would haue none saued but rather that all should perish and come to vtter ruine and destruction It is a torment and vexation vnto him to see any well disposed in religion but if wee hearken to the counsell of God in his word wee shall soone finde Sathan herein a lyer a murtherer a seducer For the Lord chargeth all sorts and degrees of men to giue themselues and that betimes to religion and vertue commaunding his law to bee read and published to men women and
nor friend but his enemie he that hath not contented himselfe with many Lordships and countries he that hath ioyned house to house land to land then a little peece of ground will serue his turne By such reasons doth Salomon proue the miserie of riches and he concludeth that the whole life of the rich man is miserable saying All his dayes he eateth in darkenes with much griefe sorrow anger Finally riches are deceitfull and dangerous they hinder vs from Gods kingdome they drawe our heart to them and make it as a captiue and slaue they ouerloade presse vs with cares they make vs faint-harted and fearefull cowards to endure any thing for the Gospell of Christ they often hinder vs and keepe vs backe froÌ„ wisedomes Schoole and though wee come thither yet they doe choake the seede of the Word in vs. Therefore there is no true Happinesse in them Those bee true Riches which when wee haue them wee cannot loose them Earthly substance compared to Eternall felicity is no helpe but a burden This life compared with Eternall life is rather to be called death then life The sonnes of Adam saith Bernard are a couetous generation What haue you to doe with earthly Riches which are neither true riches nor yet yours Gold and Siluer is red and white Earth which the error of man doth make and account more precious And if they be yours take them with you when you die It is a true saying of these Earthly riches Hic gigâ—untur Hic amittuntur Hic dimiâ—tuntur Heere they are gotten here they are lost and heere they are left Those then which repose Felicitie in Riches haue neither true Wisedome nor true Happinesse nor true Riches They are as much deceiued which put anie happinesse in Earthly pleasures Some of these are Carnall and wicked and haue their beginning from Hell Of this speaketh Salomon when he saith It is a pastime for a Foole to doe wickedly And of this speaketh Esaiah when hee saith The Lorde calleth to weeping and mourning and beholde ioy and gladnes slaying Oxen and killing sheepe eating flesh drinking wine Eating and drinking for tomorrow we shall die Of this speaketh our Sauiour CHRIST when hee saith Woe bee to you that now laugh for you shall waile and weepe In such pleasures the rich man liued in the gospell all his life time vpon earth but after death his soule was tormented in Hell The Apostle saith of the wanton widdowe that shee liuing in pleasure was dead while shee liued and indeed those which were most liuely and lusty in these pleasures are but dead men in grace and goodnes But to let these sinfull pleasures passe wherein yet manie too wholie spend their time and count it their chiefe Felicitie And to come to honest lawfull and ciuill pleasures yet there is no true Felicitie in them Let the best the greatest ioye and delight bee named yet it is but transiorie It is not true and perfect ioy It doth not satisfie and content vs. After wee haue it we loath it It is common both to good euill It doth leade to corruption it doth ofteÌ„times cause grief and sorrow The other pleasures indeed they come from hel and these are but from the earth They are but pettie ioyes bitter sweetings seeming Ioyes earthly and bastardly ioyes in comparison of true and perfect ioy we are not borne to spend our time in mirth ioy but rather to mourne and lament in respect of our sinnes and miseries Blessed are they which mourne saith Christ for they shall be comforted and they that sowe in teares for they shall reape in ioy and there is a godly sorrow that leadeth vs to repentance and so to saluation the true way to godly ioy is to feele godly sorrow Oh that we would remember the greatnes and the multitude of our sinnes the certaintie of death the vncertaintie of the houre of it the account that we are to make in that great day the manifold duties that we owe and are to performe to God to the Church to the common-wealth to our countrie to our families and others and the remembrance of these things no doubt would abate restraine and moderate our lawfull pleasures Let them that reioyce be as though they reioyced not and they that vse this world as though they vsed it not for the fashion of this world passeth away Loue not this world saith S. Iohn neither the things that are in the worlde If any man loue the world the loue of the Father is not in him For all that is in the worlde as the lust of the Flesh the lust of the Eyes and the Pride of life is not of the Father but is of the worlde and the world passeth away and the lusts thereof but he that fulfilleth the will of God abideth for euer The glorie of this worlde saieth one is deceitfull and is worthily refused It is but like the flower of Grasse and a vapour appearing for a time In what state so euer of this life there is more griefe then pleasure whilest thou doest reuenge defend enuie suspect whilest thou doest alwayes loue that which thou hast not and hauing gotten something thy desire is not diminished What rest is there in thy glorie If there bee anie the ioye passeth away not returning againe and thy griefe remaineth which will neuer leaue thee Oh wicked worlde who doest wont so to blesse thy onely Friendes that thou doest make them the enemies of God There is small ioy to a man when hee seeth his Neighbours house on Fier Hee is vaine which spendeth the dayes of his Repentance in pleasure when he seeth daylie before his eyes both his Friendes and others to die and so seeth that Death is certaine Is hee not vaine then that forgetting the feare of God doeth giue himselfe to vaine delights Parents do more grieue then ioye when they see their Childe borne and die in one day The ioy of this worlde is short It is a foolish thing to delight in our owne Foolishnes It is a vaine thing to fill our hearts with delights which are ended before they beginne It is a vaine ioye of the Byrdes in the middest of Nettes Trappes and Snares set for them And it is a foolish thing in the Fishes to delight in the bayte of the hooke which bringeth present sorrow and death And they are as vaine as those vnreasonable creatures which glorie in the vaine delights of this world Seeing that Death is so neere them The very Heathen haue proued and mocked this follie of men Some saying That we come into the world weeping we goe out of the worlde wailing And yet we liue heere laughing others saying that the desire of pleasures are griefe that the fulnes of pleasure is full of repentings that the end of pleasures is heauy and grieuous that if any may be counted blessed for them then the beasts also may
those young men that suffer themselues to bee abused and seduced by the baites temptations and allurements of harlots saying that such are as Oxen going to the slaughter and as a foole to the stockes of correction till a dart strike thorow their liuer As a bird hasteth to the snare not knowing that hee is in danger saying that the harlot hath caused many to fall downe wounded and the strong men are slayne by her Her house is the way to the graue which goeth down to the chambers of death And are not these thy sayings The mouth of a strange woman is a deepe pit hee with whom the Lord is angry shall fall therein And againe A whoâ—e is a deepe ditch and a strange woman is an narrow pit Also she lyeth in waite as for a prey and she encreaseth the transgressers amongst men O Salomon hast thou forgotten the law of nature the written law of God the sweete counsell of thy father and mother and the good counsell which thou hast long since giuen to others Hath sensuallity prosperity pleasures and lusts wholy possessed thee blinded thee and taken away they heart O pittifull lamentable wofull and fearefull fall The greatnesse and hainousnesse of this sinfull fall haue made some learned Fathers to doubt of the saluation of Salomon And some to put him in the number of the reprobate and damned their reasons are these First because his father Dauid being a Prophet saith of him in the place before alledged That if he forsooke the Lord hee would cast him off for euer T is true if Salomon did finally forsake him without repentance Againe they say that the Scripture maketh mention of his grieuous fall as we haue heard before out of the next Chapter following but there is no mention of his repentance though his death bee there named Neither is it found that hee tooke away the Idols which hee had erected But it may be his repentance was late and hee could not take them away suddenly Againe he is not numbred by the Apostle in the Catalogue of the faithfull Though Samuel and Dauid his father and diuers others bee there named yet all the faithfull of the Old Testament are not there numbred nor all holy Kings for there is no mention there of Iehosephat and Hesechias Againe some doe alleage that sentence of God out of the Prophet saying I will speake suddeÌ„ly against a nation or against a kingdome to plucke it vp and to roote it out and to destroy it but if this nation against whom I haue pronounced turne from their wickednes I will repent of the plague which I thought to bring vpon them and thus they gather from this place that because God plagued Salomon by sundrie aduersaries to his death and neuer tooke away this plague that therefore Salomon repented not but died in his sinnes But that sentence of Ieremie is not rightly applied because God doth oftentimes correct penitent sinners with temporall punishments and thus he did to Dauid after his repentance He forgaue him his sinnes but yet he did correct him diuers waâ—es by temporall corrections It is true indeed that all penitent sinners are sure to be freed from eternall and euerlasting punishmeÌ„ts And it may rather be thought that God doth threaten and afflict Salomon to drawe him thereby to repentance and no doubt if he had any sparke of grace or diuine wisedome left in him such afflictions and corrections one after an other would drawe him to true humiliation and repentance The Fathers some of them speake very hardly and heauily of this fall of Salomon Dauid the sonne of the celestiall Ierusalem saith one raigned in the earth and was much commended in the scripture His pietie and true humilitie so conquered his affections that he was one of them of whom we might say with him Blessed are those whose iniquitie is forgiuen and whose sinnes are couered After him his sonne Salomon raigned in all his kingdome beginning to raigne in his fathers time he began well but ended badly prosperitie the mouth of wisedom did him more hurt then his famous and memorable wisedome profited him An other saith that Salomon receiued a deadly wound that his father fell but after he rose againe that he warred and thence receiued a crowne but so did not his sonne Salomon And an other Who was wiser then Salomon but departing from the commandements of God and ioyning himselfe to heathenish women he built Temples to their Gods yea to diuels being so much the more deiected and deceiued in follie as before he was lifted vp in wisedome An other compareth Salomon with Christ saying that he did much excell him because Christ had wisedome by nature but Salomon did aske it by prayer and in the end possessed it not These things are heauie to speake and thinke of and they are some blot and blemish to Salomon but yet it is hard and vncertaine to determine of the damnation of any and as the former reasons may be answered so as I take it there be stronger arguments to proue the repentance and saluation of Salomon And first call to minde those great promises which God maketh to Dauid touching this his sonne Salomon saying of him I will be his father and he shall be my sonne and if he sinne I will chasten him with the rodde of men and with the plagues of the children of men but my mercy shall not depart away from him as I tooke it from Saul whom I haue put away before thee A plaine testimonie of Gods loue to Salomon and of his election to saluation And howsoeuer some doe apply that mercy of God to the mercy of succession in the kingdome and that God would not vtterly cut off his seed from thence as he did to Saul yet that mercy may be further extended to the pardoning of the sinne of Salomon and sauing of his soule And if God be his father and he his sonne how can he finally fall and perish Are any of the sonnes and children of God damned Is God a father to the reprobate and are the reprobates his children doth he correct them gently in loue as fathers vse to chasten their children or doth he not rather punish them in his furie and rage in his iustice and seueritie In an other place when Salomon was borne Dauid called his name Salomon and it is said that the Lord loued him For the Lord had sent by Nathan the Prophet therefore Dauid called his name Iedidisah that is beloued of God For that is the reason of the name because the Lord loued him That is one of his titles Beloued of God And it is said twise in that place the Lord loued him and in this our text this Queene saith as much that God loued him Now those whom God loueth he loueth to the end And those whom God loueth how can they finally and totally fall away Though they fall they cannot fall away though they
they had him they would not receiue him but many of them despised him And thus they dealt with the Lord many times before and after this They desire deliuerance out of Egypt and when they are deliuered they desire to returne thither againe They desire Manna from heauen when they were in the wildernesse when they had it being sweete and heauenly food they loathed it and made light account of it They desire to turne out of Babilon into their owne countrey when their returne is graunted a great part of them refuse to returne So in this place how importunate and eager are they with the Lord to haue a King but when hee was annoynted and chosen King some wicked men said How shall he saue vs so they despised him and brought him no presents How can such people be pleased being fickle wauering and changeable misliking the best gouernment that is yea such as the Lord himselfe alloweth and appointeth and such as they themselues sometimes haue liked and desired But yet it is sayd that many of those people shouted sayd God saue the King And when Saul went home to Gibiah there followed him a band of men whose heart God had touched Againe it may be obiected how is God the Author of the calling and authority of Kings how doe they sit in his throne When many of them are most wicked in life and vniust and corrupt in gouerning when all things are full of confusion and disorder but we are to looke to the good wee haue of gouernment And wee are to know that both bad Gouernours and corruptions in gouernement the sinnes are not of God but from themselues God doth neyther allow nor commaund them but forbid and detest them And yet there is some profit in bad Magistrates Many good lawes and some forme of iustice amongst them Wicked Gouernours are as plagues punishments for the sinnes of the people Because when they are good we receiue not that goodnesse at the hand of God thankefully submitting our selues to his lawes and ordinances but abuse the goodnesse of God to our sinfull and beastly lusts Therefore doeth God make a scourge of them and turne them to wilde beasts contrary to the nature of their names euen to Lions Beares Foxes and vncleane Swine to auenge himselfe of our vnnaturall blinde vnkindnesse and of our rebellious disobedience So he turneth the fruitfull land into barrennesse for the wickednes of them that dwell therein Let vs not take the staffe by the end to seeke to auenge our selues of his rod which is the euill rulers The childe as long as he seeketh to auenge himselfe of the rod hath an euill heart for he thinketh not that the correction is right or that hee hath deserued it neither repenteth but reioyceth in his wickednes and so long shall hee neuer bee without a rod yea so long shall the rod bee made sharper and sharper If he acknowledge his faulte and take the correction meekely and kisse the rod and amend with the learning and nurture of his father and mother then the rod is taken away So if we resist euill Rulers seeking to set our selues at libertie we shall no doubt bring our selues into more cruell bondage and wrappe our selues into much more miserie wretchednes For if the heads is ouercome they will make their yoakes sorer If the people ouercome the Rulers then make they away for a more cruell nation which hath no right to the Crowne If wee submit our selues to the chastening of God and meekely acknowledge our sins for the which we are scourged and kisse the rod amend our liues Then God will take the rod away that is he will giue the Rulers a better heart or if they continue their malice and persecute thee for well doing hee will deliuer thee out of their tyrannie When Israel sinned against GOD hee gaue them vp to one Tyrant or other when they repented hee sent them deliuerance A Christian man in respect of God is but a passiue thing a thing that suffereth onely and doeth nought as the sicke in respect of the Chirurgion or Phisition doth suffer onely The Chirurgion slancheth cutteth out the dead flesh searcheth the wounds thrusteth in tents burneth seweth stitcheth and putteth corasiues to draw out the corruption and last of all layeth too healing playsters and maketh whole The Phisition giueth purgations and drinks to driue out the disease and then with restoratiues bringeth health Now if the sicke resist the razor or searching yron doth he not resiste his owne health and is the cause of his owne death So likewise is it of vs if we resist euill rulers which are the rods and scourges wherewith God chastiseth vs the instruments wherewith God doth search our wounds and bitter drinkes to driue out sinne and corasiues to draw out by the roote the coare of the poxe of the soule that fretteth inward Thus a Christian receiueth all things at the hands of God both good and bad both sweete and sower both wealth and woe and he doth take good Princes as a speciall belssing and bad Princes as a iust iudgement sent for sinne But it will bee obiected That the Lord sayth of some Rulers that they raigned not by him They haue set vp a King saith hee but not by me they haue made Princes and I knew it not The meaning is that the people of Israel had set vp Ieroboam by whom they sought their owne liberty as many Tyrants do not respect Gods worde or will but their owne lusts and affections But wee must distinguish the office from the person and wee must know that men do abuse good things through their owne corruption And therfore whatsoeuer is good in gouernment is from God and hee doth vse the Diuell as plagues and punishments for the sinnes of the people It is sayd by Daniel that God changeth the times and seasons He taketh away Kings and setteth vp Kings And Daniel saith thus to the proud King Nebucadnezer O King thou art a King of Kings and the God of heauen hath giuen thee a Kingdome power strength and glorie And when Pilate sayde to Christ Knowest thou not that I haue power to crucifie thee haue power to loose thee Iesus answered Thou couldest not haue power at all against me except it were giuen thee from aboue But it may bee yet obiected That the authoritie and office of Kings is not of diuine institution Seeing Saint Peter calleth it an ordinance of man and that place is abused by the Pope to the disgracing of Christian Princes The meaning is not that the power of Princes and Magistrates is onely a deuise of man and onely from man But as one saith Est ordinatio diuina secundum substantium ordinatio humana secundum modum ac finum It is a diuine ordinance in respect of the substance and it is humane in respect of the manner and end The office and power of the King is from God The
are made better by weedes the plantes and seedes are hidden choakt but the good husbandman is carefull to plucke them vp so by good lawes men are made better and the wicked which hinder hurt others are restrained suppressed and as husbandmen haue many things to hinder their planting and sowing as wild beasts tempests haile floods drought so haue gouernours hinderances and enemies to their gouernment which they will carefully auoyde as well as they can This comparison of husbandrie as it setteth out the necessitie and excellencie of gouernment so it sheweth the great care and labour that is ioyned with it for who is more carefull and painefull then the husband man let therefore magistrates be humbled in consideration of the vertues and duties of their great calling and yet for their further humiliation let them remember their owne infirmities and wants to performe their dutie as they ought Let them remember that they are subiect to the temptations of the diuell of the flesh and the world and let them knowe that they are subiect to the common miseries of this life and to other miseries and crosses incident and peculiar to their calling and let them in no case forget that they must giue account to the great Iudge and gouernour of all the world how they haue behaued themselues in their places and callings It shall be said to them to euery one of them Come giue account of thy stewardship thou mayest be no longer steward And for their further humiliatiō they must knowe that they cannot tell how long they shall enioy those places of honour and dignitie being subiect to death as well as others and they cannot tell how soone they may be taken away Agathon had wont to say that a magistrate must alway remember these three things First that he ruleth men secondly that he must rule according to lawes and thirdly that he shall not alwaies rule The consideration of this latter poynt of the shortnes and vncertaintie of this life that we must certainely die and we knowe not how soone is able to humble the mightiest potentate in the earth The highest of them all may say I my selfe am also mortall and a man like all other and am come of him that was first made of the earth and in my mothers wombe was I fashioned as others are and when I was borne I receiued the common ayre crying and weeping at the first as all others doe I was nourished in swadling cloathes and with cares For there is no king that hath any other beginning of birth all men haue one entrance to life and a like going out Dauid calleth death the hie way of all the earth and he himselfe putteth gouernours in minde of their mortall state for howsoeuer he saith that God standeth in the assemblie of gods he iudgeth among gods And againe I haue said yee are gods and yee all are children of the most high this he speaketh of magistrates magnifying and extolling their office and giuing them three times in that Psalme the glorious and sacred titles of Gods yet least they should be puffed vp with the excellencie of their callings presently he telleth them ye shall die as a man and you Princes shall fall like others He would haue them remēber that though they be gods yet they are but mortall gods of this mortall state of Princes we to our great discomfort haue had wofull experience not long since in this our Land A worthie young Prince of great hope the flower and Iewell of our land the comfort of his parents and of all good Christians and subiects the heire apparent of sundrie kingdomes how soone hath the Lord taken him away in the prime of his tender young and flourishing age happie no doubt is he that is so soone taken away from a miserable world but vnhappie are we whose sinnes hath caused the Lord to take such a Iewell from vs it cannot but prognosticate some heauie iudgement to this our nation and countrie and great cause haue all christian hearts amongst vs to mourne and lament for such a great losse This Church may say as Naomi said vpon the death of her husband when they called her Naomi she answered them call me not Naomi that is beautifull but call me Marah that is bitter for the almightie hath giuen me much bitternesse Why call you me Naomi seeing the Lord hath humbled me and the almightie hath brought me to aduersitie Wee may mourne and say with Dauid mourning for the death of Ionathon Tell it not in Gath nor publish it in the streetes of Ashkelon least the daughters of Philistimes reioyce least the daughters of vncircumcised triumph And as he saith in an other place after the death of Abner there is a Prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel But blessed be God who is still more mercifull to vs then we deserue and in iudgements remembreth mercy who though for our sinnes hath cut off so precious a branch yet the blessed tree is yet aliue and standeth and flourisheth and also some sweet branches to our great comfort and hope Now the Lord of mercy blesse them all and multiplie and encrease them and continue them and theirs if his will be to the end of the world to their owne comfort the shame of their enemies and to the common good of this Church and common-wealth yet let vs not forget that heauie iudgement but so remember it that it may drawe vs to true repentance for that is the true vse of all iudgements and let vs learne to depend wholy and onely on God and not vpon any mortall man Remembring that counsell of Dauid put not your trust in Princes nor in the sonne of man for there is no helpe in him his breath departeth and he returneth to his earth then his thoughts perish blessed is he that hath the God of Iacob for his helpe whose hope is in the Lord his God which made heauen and earth the sea ' and all that therein is which keepeth his fidelitie for euer And let this and the like examples of the death of great persons put all in minde though they be neuer so high of the mortall state of all the children of men of what state or conditions soeuer they be And thus though gouernours and magistrates take occasion by the dignitie of their places yet both this and many other causes may moue drawe and induce them to true humilitie And now let vs drawe neerer to the description of the seuerall duties required of Christian gouernours both in this and in many other places of scripture the Lord doth not onely in his word set downe generally the rules of all christianitie but also the seuerall duties of all states degrees and callings as of fathers children maisters and seruants husbands wiues kings subiects wherein we may see the fulnes equitie of scripture applying it selfe and speaking to all sorts of men Againe we learne this
are preserued and established Therefore Dauid exhorteth his son Salomon To walke in the Waies Statutes and Iudgements of God that so hee might prosper in all things he went about The Lord by Ieremy declaring how happy Iosiah the father had bene and how cursed Iehoiakim the sonne should bee and why the one did speed so well and the other so badly saith Shalt thou raigne because thou closest thy selfe in Cedar Did not thy father eate and drinke and prosper when hee executed Iudgement and Iustice when hee iudged the cause of the afflicted and the poore hee prospered was not this because hee knew mee saith the Lord but thine eies and thy heart are onely for thy couetousnesse And therefore the Lord threatneth in the next wordes to destroy him This iustice is profitable to the whole Common-wealth both to the good and the bad Therefore the Lord commanding the rebellious sonne to bee put to death So saith hee thou shalt take away the euill from among you that all Israel may heare it and feare Where Iustice is neglected sin raigneth Because sentence against an euill worke saith the Wise-man is not executed speedily therefore the heart of the children of men is fully set in them to doe euill On the contrary it must follow that where there is true execution of Iustice there the hearts of men are drawne and terrified from euill The blewnesse of the wound serueth to purge the euill and the stripes within the bowels of the belly Againe To the Horse belongeth a whip to the Asse a bridle and arod to a Fooles backe His meaning is that by such sharpe correction foolish men are stayed and kept in order And in another place Smite a scorner and the foolish will beware Meaning that simple and ignorant men will bee warned when they see the wicked punished they will take heed by others mens harmes And the Lord hath ordained iudgements for the scorners and stripes for the backe of fooles To this duty of Iustice the example of God may incite and moue all Christian Magistrates they are in his steed and therefore are to follow his example in punishing offenders Hee is a most iust and seuere Iudge and a very consuming fire against sinne and wickednesse Hee is a God that loueth not wickednesse neither shall euill dwell with him the foolish shall not stand in his sight hee hateth all them that worke iniquity Againe The Lord will try the righteous but the wicked and him that loueth iniquity doth his soule hate vpon the wicked hee shall raigne snares fire and brimstone storme and tempest this is the portion of their cup. And in another place Surely God will wound the head of his enemies and the hairy pate of him that walketh in his sinnes Most fearefull examples of his iustice and iudgement wee haue vpon the first world vpon Sodom and Gomorrah yea vpon his owne people Israel What kind of offenders wee ought to punish more seuerely wee may haue direction from the Law of God that those whom hee appointed to die should not bee spared for wee must not make our selues more mercifull then God is himselfe wilfull murther is death by the Law of Princes and it is death by the Law of God Yea before the Law written it was said to Noah Who so sheddeth mans bloud by man shall his bloud bee shed for in the Image of God hath hee made him And in the Law Written He that killeth any man hee shall bee put to death And Adultery also is death by the Written Law of God The man that committeth adultery with another mans wife because hee hath committed Adultery with his neighbours wife the Adulterer and the Adulteresse shall die the death Theft was not so seuerely punished but they were to make restitution and restore foure-fold that which they had stolne Theft in our age is more seuerely punished it is certaine that Theft is a grieuous sinne against the Law of God against Equity and Iustice but I see no reason why the Theefe shall dye a shamefull death and the Whore-maister escape with lesser punishment seeing that Salomon compareth the Theefe and the Whore-maister together sheweth in diuers respects that Adultery is a greater and more grieuous sinne then Theft because the Theefe may make restitution and so can neuer the other This is the corruption of Nature that men make more account of money and goods then of religion or honesty and Adulterers being spared and left aliue many questions are raysed and propounded which can hardly bee answered Namely whether the innocent party or nocent party may marry whether they may be reconciled againe or no. Let the Adulterer and Adulteresse according to the Morall Law of God die the death and then these questions will bee idle and superfluous And as Magistrates may punish Murtherers by the same reason they may as well punish Heretickes Idolatours false Prophets for indeed these they murther mens soules they runne a whoring from God and they rob him of his honor We heard partly before that false Prophets and Idolatours were to die the death and wee haue examples of good Kings and Rulers which haue put such to death and if the Magistrate bee the keeper of both the Tables then hee is to punish the transgression of the one as well as the other and if the transgressions of the first Table bee more hainous and grieuous then the transgressions of the second Table there is no reason why they should bee lesse and more slightly punished Moses said to the children of Israel after they had worshipped the golden Calfe Thus saith the Lord God of Israel put euery man his sword to his side go to and fro from gate to gate through the Host and sâ—ay euery man his brother and euery man his companion and euery man his neighbour so the Children of Leuic did as Moses had commanded and there fell of the people the same day about three thousand men For Moses had said consecrate your hands vnto the Lord this day euen euery man vpon his sonne and vpon his brother that there may bee giuen you a blessing this day Iehu slew all the Priests of Baal burnt their Images destroyed the image of Baal and threw downe the house of Baal and made it an house of all filthinesse and vncleanesse Iosiah putteth downe the Idols killeth the Priests the Chemerimes hee burneth the groues brake downe the house of the Sodomites hee defaced the High places hee tooke away them that had familiar Spirits and other abhominations and compelled all that were found in Israel to serue the Lord. The like power hath all Christian Kings Princes and Gouernours in their owne Kingdomes and Dominions The Prophet Prophecieth of the latter times saying as from the Lord I will cut off the names of the Idols out of the Land and they shall no more bee remembred And I will
in this distresse Both these examples of Iob and Nehemiah are as looking-glasses and mirrours for Magistrates to looke into wherein they may see what care and counsell what pitty and compassion they are to haue to ease and releiue the oppressions of their people And this will be greatly to their comfort credite and honour And indeed it may be a great discomfort and discredite to Princes to suffer their people to bee abused by oppressours and tyrants especially when it lyeth in their power to helpe and relieue them A reuerend Father and blessed Martyr in a certaine Sermon before a King of worthy memory sheweth wherin the honour of a King consisteth It is saith hee the Kings honour that his Subiects be led in true Religion that his Prelates and Cleargy bee set about their worke in Preaching and Studying and not to be interrupted from their charge Also it is the Kings honor that the Common-wealth bee aduanced and that the dearth of things bee prouided for and the commodities of the Realme bee so employed as it may bee to the setting of his Subiects on worke and keeping them from Idlenesse and herein consisteth the Kings honour and Office Furthermore if the Kings honour as some men say standeth in great multitude of people then these Grasiers Enclosers and rent-raisers are hinderers of the Kings honour For where there hath beene a great many of Housholders and Inhabitants there is now but the Shepeheard and his do so they hinder the Kings honour most of all And indded these bee the words of Salomon In the multitude of the people is the honour of a King and for want of the people commeth the destruction of a Prince Increase and aboundance of people is a great blessing of God and a credite and strength to the Prince They are not Oxen or Sheepe but men that must fight for Prince and Country if the enemies arise and assault the Land And there be many oppressions amongst vs besides these Oppressours in the Church and in the Common-wealth oppressions in euery Court in buying and selling and in other dealings amongst men to the hinderance and vndoing of many poore people But to let passe the many kinds of oppressions which the true Magistrate is to looke into and so farre as hee can to redresse and remoue I speake onely of that one kind of oppression that is biting and cruell vsury which Nehemiah reformed among his people I will speake of this because it is most common and generall yet most pernicious detestable though many do count it no sin at all Vsury had wont to be called the woe and sin of Citties and it seemeth that as pride and other sinnes had their beginnings in great Citties so had vsury but it hath passed from Citties to the Country to Townes and Villages Euery place all sorts of persons in the Land are infected with this pestilence leprosy high low rich and poore men women and children fathers mothers Maisters and Dames sons daughters men-seruants and maide-seruants husband-men trades-men and Labourers yea some that go from dore to dore to beg and craue of others haue learned this trade of vsury Free lending is hardly to be found charity is waxen cold this iniquity hath gotten the vpper hand so that this sinne is not onely now a woe to Citties but a woe to Townes to Villages and to priuate houses It is the ruine and decay of many poore people in most places of the Land nay it is the decay ouerthrow of many worthy and great houses and families in the Land It hath bitten them it hath eaten them it hath deuoured consumed them to nothing It is pittifull and lamentable that such a destroying and murdering sin should bee suffered or tollerated in a Christian Land Those that be true Christians indeed are to abstaine from all appearance of euill How much more from so grosse and apparant euill directly and expresly against the Law of God If thou lend money to my people saith God that is to the poore with thee thou shalt not bee as an Vsurer vnto him yee shall not oppresse him with Vsury Againe If thy brother bee impouerished and fallen into decay with thee thou shalt releiue him thou shalt take no vsury of him nor aduantage but thou shalt feare thy God that thy brother may liue with thee thou shalt not giue him thy money to vsury nor lend him victuals for increase Dauid shutteth out the vsurer out of Gods Kingdome as well as the slanderer and him that taketh reward against the innocent Another Prophet putteth Vsury amongst Idols Adultery and other filthy sinnes and threatneth the same punishment to one as to the other Christ saith Whatsoeuer you would men should do to you euen so doe yee to them for this is the Law and the Prophets Againe Giue to him that asketh and from him that would borrow of thee turne not away A Heathen man being asked what Vsury was hee answered what is it to kill a man Another saith that it is robbery Another that it is the death of life The ancient learned fathers do vtterly condemne it One saith that Vsury swalloweth vp mens goods and Lands large Patrimony as it were a Sea yet the Sea is neuer filled The Seas for the most part are for profite and gaine but the Vsurer can no man vse but to his owne hinderance In the Sea there is profite of many things but with the Vsurer shipwracke of all things Againe hee that taketh vsury committeth extortion rauen and pillage If hee will say I haue nothing else to liue by so may the Theefe say the Bawde the Witch the Sorcerer Some compare the loane of mony vpon vse to the poyson of Aspes Whosoeuer is strucken and stung of the Aspe he falleth into a sweet pleasant sleep and so by sweetnesse of that sleepe dyeth for then the venemous poyson disperseth into euery member So he that beginneth with vsury thinketh for a time that hee hath a great benefite but vsury runneth through all his riches and conuerteth all he hath to debt Another father being asked what vsury is saith It is a poyson of patrimony And being asked what is vsury permitted by Law hee saith that it is a Theefe that before hand giueth warning what he mindeth to do Some say that a Vsurer is worse then all sinners hee is worse then a theefe for he robbeth in the night but the Vsurer robbeth day and night He is worse then hel for in hel onely the wicked shall bee punished but the Vsurer spoyleth and punisheth both the good and bad spareth neither holy nor vnholy He is worse then a Iew for one Iew will not take vsury of another but the Vsurer will take vsury of his Christian brother Hee is worse then death for death killeth but the body the Vsurer killeth bodies and soules He is worse then Iudas for he sold Christ