King Solomons Solace, Book · Chapter 31
CAP. XXXI.
Why God permitted Solomon to fall? Why Solomon now vſeth not the Name Tetragrammaton? The preſervation of Solomons Sermons.
THE moſt reuerende Zadok, hauing made the former Apologie for the K. and thervpon taken a pauze yet, as not willing to giuegive ouer, but as (after a little breathing) to proceed; the Princes tooke an occaſion of applauſe, wherein they both approued and commended all thoſe things which had beene ſayde for the King,The Nature of good ſubiects, as right glad of that which might be iuſtly found and ſpoken in his defence: being ſuch perſons (indeed) as wiſhed him no euill, but all good in their hearts. But Zadok to preuent them who might of any his words take an occaſion to preſume in their ſinnes,zadok by defē ding the king would not offer an occaſion to any man to preſume too farre vponupon the divine mercies. ſaid: I hauehave not produced the former arguments for the king, nor ſpoken any thing (my Lordes) whereby I would animate or encourage men to preſume vponupon the diuine mercies, and ſo to ſinne, that mercy might be powred out: The Lorde forbid, that any man ſhould of this take that occaſion. Nay, rather eueryevery man might beware and take heed that he fall not then, whiles he thinketh himſelfe to ſtand moſt aſſured. For as the moſt righteous man is not without his ſinne, and ſo prouokes the Lorde to anger, and deſerues damnation: ſo ſhall not hee eſcape ſome meaſure of puniſhment:Sinnes ſhall be puniſhed. aboue all, hainous ſinnes ſhall be horribly puniſhed, euen here in this life, as it hath been apparant in David, when he offended in the caſe of Vriah: & alſo in this our king, of whom the Lord ſaid before:2. Sam. 7. If he ſinne, I will beat him with the Rodde of men, and with the plagues of the children of men, thus did God beat euen him whom hee had made a man after his owne heart. And thus he threatned euen the ſame, whom hee named his Sonne! If hee hath thus done on thoſe greene and flowriſhing branches; what will he doe on the dry and withered ſtubbes? ſurely, whereas hee pruneth and correcteth the former, to amend them for their good, hee will cut off and deſtroy the other from among his people: for though as a father he pittieth his owne: yet as a iuſt Iudge hee will condemne, and as a tyrant will rent a ſunder the ſonnes of Beliall, Deut. 32.neither deſiſt or ſpare, vntill that in them hee hath filled vp the meaſure of his wrath, according to the meaſure of their tranſgreſſions. The which thing, if the vngodly (the féede dayly on miſchiefe as on bread, and drawe ſinnes vntounto themſelues as with ſtrong ropes) duely conſidered and regarded, they would hauehave leſſe courage to flatter themſelues in their manifold impieties, and to promiſe peace to their ſoules in the depth of thoſe their dangers.Azariah. * Then ſpake Azariah for the Princes, ſaing: Well ſayd (moſt reuerend father): But wee beſeech you, wherefore did the Lord God permitte and ſuffer our noble King, not onelyonly to ſlide: but alſo to ſinne, yea, and to tranſgreſſe ſo horribly before the Lorde and his people?zadok. Gods ſecret iudgemēts are beyond the reach of man. Shoulde godly ſobrietie licence vsus (anſwered Zadok:) to ſounde the profunditie of the divine thoughts? or to enter into the bowels of his ſecretes? or to ſearche out the cauſes of his hidden and vnknowen wayes? no ſurely: but rather then to ſearch or endeuour to finde out, wee ſhoulde reuerently admire, and in all things iuſtifie them; for it is true that Moſes ſayde:Deut. 3 2.4. Perfect is the worke of the most mightie GOD: for all his wayes are Iudgement: Hee is a GOD of trueth, without wickedneſſe, righteous, and iust is hee. Deut. 29.29.Thoſe ſecret things belong to GOD aboue, and they are not for a man to knowe or finde out, nor ſhall hee bee able in any other ſorte, then hee is able to finde out the circle of a Ring.Iob. 28.7. This is that way whereof Iob ſpake, the which the birdes hauehave not knowne, the Vultures eye neuer ſawe, wherin the Lyons whelps walke not, and into the which no Lyon euer came. It is farre eaſier to knowe the way of an Eagle in the Ayre, of a Serpent vponupon a ſtoane, of a ſhippe in the Sea, and of a man with a yong-woman (which yet paſſed the kings vnderſtanding) then to finde out the reaſons and cauſes of the Lordes ſecret iudgements and hidden wayes: Therefore, when the wiſeſt men in the worlde hauehave preſumed this enterpriſe, they hauehave beene compared to the hungry man, which dreameth that hee is eating, and beeing awaked out of his ſléepe, findeth himſelfe emptie: Thus are they fedde with winde in ſteede of woordes, they take the ſhadowe for the bodie, they finde wandering cloudes whiles they ſeeke for rayne, and for ſubſtances they take holde of accidentes onelyonly.The cauſes of Gods ſecret iudgements, are not to be found out. But the better to ſuppreſſe the curioſitie of mans minde, let vsus conſider certaine examples of the workes and wayes of God, the cauſes and reaſons whereof we could neuer as yet finde out. In the dayes of Ioſuah the Captaine of the Lordes Hoaſte, wee finde that one Achan ſinned againſt the Lorde,Achan. Ioſ. 7.25. in that hee had contrary to the commandement taken among the ſpoyles a certaine Babiloniſh garment, and two hundred ſickles of ſiluer, and a tongue of golde, and conveyed and hidde them away: for the which the whole Hoaſte was troubled and fledde before the enemie: and afterwarde, not onelyonly Achan, but alſo his Familie and all the hee had was deſtroyed. Nowe, if Achan onelyonly ſinned, why did the people flye and fall? Againe, why were his ſonnes, and Familie puniſhed? and what had his children and cattle deſerued, that they all periſhed with him? was it not commanded before (Deut. 24.16) The fathers ſhall not bee put to death for the children: nor the children for the fathers:Chorah. Num. 16.13. but eueryevery man ſhall bee put to death for his owne ſin. Alſo in the rebellion of Corah, Dathan and Abiram, why were the people plagued for theſe mens offences? and wherefore dyed their Wiues, and children, and ſeruantes,Abraham and Sarah. Gen. 18. and cattle together with them? * Alſo, we finde that Abraham being fore-folde that hee ſhould hauehave a ſonne of Sarah his wife, laughed aſwel as did Sarah: and yet Sarah was reprooued and not Abraham. We may imagine that the one laughed for ioy, and the other in ſcorne: but wee hauehave no ſuch cauſe deliuered vntounto vsus: for they both beleeued God. Moreover:Adam. Gen. 3. why did God permit Adam to fall, and Hevah to be tempted? Why was Abraham our Father made a ſoiorner in a ſtrange land?Abraham. Iacob. Pharao. Why was Iacob vexed and afflicted with ſo many euils in his dayes? why did God harden the hart of Pharaoh? Why did the Lord plague thréeſcore and ten thouſand of Davids people for his ſin? In all theſe things,David. let vsus (as I ſaid) wonder, and iuſtifie the Lord, knowing,Iob. Gen. 18. that as no kinde of iniquitie dwelleth in the moſt high: ſo beeing the Iudge of all the world, he iudgeth according to right, as Abraham ſaith: and would that men ſhould content their minds only with that which it pleaſeth him to reueale & vtter vntounto them.The generall cauſe of all. But thus wee may ſay, that in all thoſe things, the Lord hath reſpected his owne glorie, and the benefite of his children, and that, as his will is in all things performed, it was his will that (among others) the King ſhould fall, and ſhew his imperfections: and that as I can gather (beſides the former) for theſe foure cauſes:Certain particular cauſes of Solomons ſin. Firſt, that the people which beheld his wonderfull wiſedome, wealth, proſperitie and glory (wherein hee hath as by way of ſymbole expreſſed the ſpirituall and heauenly vertues and glory of Meſsiah) might not eſtéeme or thinke of him more then it is conuenient. For (indéed) they hauehave for the moſt part taken him rather for God, then for man: and others hauehave taken him for the promiſed Meſsiah, and not for the Figure of the ſame: wherein they began to derogate from the Lorde and his Annoynted, by giuing of his glory to a mortall man. And ſurely for this cauſe hath the Lord often ſuffred the right worthy veſſels of his grace to fall, and to be noted in the holy Scriptures with their imperfections and imfirmities, as were Adam, Noah, Abraham, Lot, David, and ſuch like. Next, the king hath in this ſort fallen, that as in his wiſedome and diuine vertues he did prefigurate the holy Meſsiah: ſo by thoſe his ſlidings, and the ſinnes of his wiues, and ſtrange women imputed alſo vntounto him, (in that he both affected & maintained them, notwithſtanding their blemiſhes in religion) hee might foreſhew the burthen of mans ſinnes, layd and imputed to the holy one, on whoſe héele therefore the Serpent was to treade, in the regard whereof, hee ſhall bee both reputed and eſteemed vile and of no reputation among the children of men, and ſhall be puniſhed for their tranſgreſſions, as David hath propheſied thereof: Beſides that, in this declination of the Kings honor, is noted the renting and finall diſſipation of our Nation and gouernment in time to come. Thirdly: the Lorde God will, that this example of the Kings fall, ſhould bee a terrour and document to all others in poſteritie, how proſperous or glorious ſoeuer they ſhall bee in this worlde full of Vanitie, that they beware how they preſumne on any ornament either of body or minde, or any thing elſe of this preſent life: and that they promiſe not to themſelues the aſſurance and continuall vſe of that which is but lent them, and not their owne to retaine or diſpoſe: for if God hath ſuffered the king, who enioyed all theſe things at his full pleaſure, to fall, yea, and to worke wickednes againſt his owne honor, & for theſe his ſinnes hath laden him with a meaſure of his iudgements; why ſhould any other man aſſure himſelfe the continuall poſſeſſion of the like, which yet come farre behinde the King in all things? Laſtly, by this, the Lord would ſchole and teach the king (as wiſe as he is) that hee preſume not to enter into iudgement with him, which is moſt iuſt, and will not acquite a ſinner in his ſinnes: nor to iuſtifie himſelfe before him, in whoſe ſight the very Angels be vncleane: nor that he might thinke himſelfe righteous in his owne power, before the throne of that King, in whoſe preſence no fleſh liuing can be iuſtified: but that rather (in the conſideration of his imperfections and the bitter ſenſe of the diuine diſpleaſure) he ſhould acknowledge and confeſſe his infirmities, and by a godly repentance ſtriue to reſurge vntounto that from whence he was fallen, as his father did. *But here I call to minde,Why Solomon vſed not the holy name Tetragrammaton: in his Booke of Eccles? that Abiather obiected further againſt the king and his wordes, namely in this, that hee had not of late vſed, nor remembred in his common talke, the glorious Name Iehovah, whereof he would conclude (as it appeareth) a note of prophanitie in the King, as one that either ſhould denie or forget the liuing God, who is to be remembred & praiſed for euer. Wherefore, leſt any aduantage might be either giuen or taken, in paſſing ſuch a thing ouer in ſilence, which might (indéed) argue a conſent to that which is obiected, ye ſhal vnderſtand that in any wiſe we may not gather of this omiſſion of that ſacred Name, either a deniall, or a forgetfulnes of the Lord God, by the king: nor may we, thereby the ſooner, derogate authoritie from him and his words, no more then wee may iuſtly condemne the poore ſinner and his prayer, which in the conſideration of his owne vileneſſe, dareth not to lift vp his eyes to the heauens. For as this Name is wonderfull and moſt dreadfull to the ſinfull: ſo, who knoweth not but that we eſteeme it Ineffable, not to bee pronounced or vſed, except in waightie matters, and in the cauſes of the higheſt importance. But the omiſſion of this Name by the king, may be imputed partly to the great honor he yéelded the ſame: partly, to the ſingular humilitie of his contrite ſpirit, who now déeply weighing the heauy burthen of his ſinne, and all thoſe vanities wherein hee had béene long wearied, with the terror of the diuine iudgements, threatned on him and his poſteritie, by the Lords Prophet, he thinketh himſelfe moſt vnworthy to take in his mouth, or to vſe that dreadfull name, being not forgetfull of that which he heard his Maiſter Aſaph (after the Propheſie that David had giuen him) often times to ſing and ſay.
foreign
foreign
foreign
But God vntounto the ſinner ſaid: And why,pſal. 50.16.
preſumeſt thou to preach mine holy heasts:
and in thy mouth to take my Teſtament?
For the King is now ſo far humbled,An argument of the kings repentance. that notwithſtanding his wiſedome, place, and glory, he eſtéemeth himſelfe of no reputation, and therein too vile not onelyonly to name Iehovah: but alſo to be as a doore-kéeper within that holy houſe which himſelfe hath built and dedicated (in the time of grace) to that moſt glorious Name. And this is ſo farre off from all iuſt ſuſpicion of prophanitie, or forgetfulneſſe, or deniall of God in the King, that the omiſſion of this Name, doth rather mightily argue his faithfull feare and humbled heart in true Repentance, and with the like ſpirite, in the remebrance of his ſinnes committed, and the puniſhments thereon threatned, and felt in part, and in this regard hee alſo refuſed to be called the King of Iſrael (as before it hath béene ſayd). Would to God, the like conſideration, dread and reuerence of this moſt holy Name, did in the ſame ſpirit, hold and poſſeſſe the hearts of all others, that not onelyonly mean and priuate perſons, but alſo princes and great perſonages would rather either tremble with David, to heare thereof, or feare with Solomon, to take the ſame raſhly and commonly in their mouthes! then ſhould not that commandement bee ſo preſumptuouſly and dayly broken:Exod. 20. Thou ſhalt not take the Name of Iehovah thy God in vaine. Neither ſhould this vengeance bee ſo often iuſtly inflicted: Iehovah will not holde him guiltleſſe that taketh his Name in vaine. Therefore hath the King worthily omitted the common vſe of this Name, in thoſe his wordes, and late writings. Howbeit, he hath neuertheleſſe in all humilitie, reuerence, and grauitie vſed, and yet doth daily vſe thoſe other Titles or Attributes of God, whereby he is ſufficiently knowne in the Law, and in the Prophtes, as namely, foreign that is, God, Creatour, King: Supreme or higheſt. And hee thus reſolueth (with holy Iob, Iob. 27.3.that now ſo long as his breath is in him, and the ſpirit of God in his noſtrels, his lips ſhall ſpeake no wickednes, and his tongue ſhall vtter no deceit. But (howſoeuer it bee, that men hauehave their imperfections and ſlidings) as wée may not tie the authoritie of holy Scriptures, diuine Sermons, and the truth of the Almightie to the credite or eſtimation of any mortall man:The way to try all writings, words and works of men. ſo neither ſhall thoſe Wordes and Sermons of our Lorde King Solomon, bee eſteemed onelyonly after the perſon, and authoritie of Solomon, though he ſo far excelled all other men liuing in wiſedom, knowledge & many other right excellent and rare induments and vertues: but alſo according to the conſent it hath with the propheticall and legall veritie and doctrine, indited by the finger of Gods Spirit, by whoſe motion, Noah, Abraham, Iſaack, Iacob, Samuel, Moſes, David, and other holy men hauehave ſpoken. And it is moſt certaine (howſoeuer ſome would gather thereof, as Spiders which gather poiſon of the ſweeteſt flowers, and as the pureſt ſtreames may bee polluted by the trampling of ſoule feete: and the beſt Scriptures may be abuſed, as Satan himſelfe and the deceiuers of all times hauehave therein preſumed to credite and authorize their owne) that yet theſe preſent words of King Solomon, as alſo his Proverbs, Solomons words are approoued, collected and reſerued by his princes and ſervants.Parables and divine ſongs, the which he hath, in the fullneſſe of the Spirite of wiſedome, vttred, ſpoken and modulated, are ſound veritie, good Scripture, and words agreable to the words and writings of Moſes, and the Prophets, in all things. Therefore let vsus proceed with diligent carefulneſſe, to call to minde thoſe the kings wordes, which in this time, and vponupon this occaſion, hee vſeth to vtter and ſpeake before vsus, with great grauitie; and to collect them into a Booke (in the Name of God) not forgetting to expreſſe our gratefull minde towardes his Grace, in this our care to preſerue his Wordes, & to commend them to the holy Church, for the better inſtruction of the ſame, acknowledging and teſtifying withall, the diligence, wiſedome, godly deſire, and excellencie of him, who ſtudied to be yet more wiſe, and to teach the people knowledge, that thereby abandoning the deceiuable vanities of this wicked world, they might with him walke the right and perfite way towardes the beſt Good and higheſt felicitie. Theſe words beeing ſaid, Zadok pauzed again: wherat the princes (with one accord) expreſſed by ſignes both their gratefull minde, and ready will to yeeld to the performance of this dutie, knowing ſo well, not only that the reaſons alleaged were of ſufficient probabilitie & merited allowances: but alſo that thoſe the Kings Wordes were perfite veritie, profitable for the Church in poſteritie, and therefore would that they ſhould bee committed to writing and preſerued accordingly.