King Solomons Solace, Book · Chapter 17
CAP. XVII.
Zadoke ſpeaketh of the fourth cauſe of King Solomons trouble, viz. of Bethſabe and Nathan.
KIng Solomons Princes being willing to heare what Zadok could yet further ſay in the cauſes of the kings trouble, vrged on and ſayde. Wee hauehave heard what yée hauehave ſaid touching the Queene of Shaba: Now let it pleaſe you (moſt reuerend Father to proceede, to declare vntounto vsus the fourth Cauſe, the which (as ye ſayd) did riſe of the Kings moſt noble mother, and of Nathan the Prophet. Indeed (ſaid Zadok) there hath no meane ſorrow inuaded the kings mind of late, occaſioned by thoſe two noble perſons: howbeit, not that either of thē hath in thought, word or déed hurt or offended him, but that by their death bee is depriued of them. For as they were ſuch as he wonderfully loued, affected and fauoured:Naturall affection ſorroweth for the departure of friends. ſo they were no leſſe profitable, and comfortable to his ſtate and honor in their liues. Wee ſee that very nature prouoketh men, (yea the very wiſeſt and holieſt men) to bee ſadde and to lament the departure of other men, eſpecially of their fathers, mothers, brethren, ſiſters, kinſfolkes and friends: for in them they ſee not onelyonly the horrour of death, the diſſolution of ſoule and body, that the ſame which was lately liuing is now dead, and that which was a man is become a ſenſeleſſe carkeſſe and very earth, to the terror and horror of all mortall men, which are taught therein to know their owne condition and nature: but alſo that they muſt now depart one from another, the father from his ſonne, the mother from her daughter, the brother from his brother, the friend from his friend; and both man and woman from all his and her acquaintance and familiars of this life. Therefore, when the king ſpeaketh of death, by the which a man is reſolued into duſt from whence he was taken, he ſaith alſo,Eccles. 12: that The Mourners goe about the ſtreetes, Againe, that men mourne for the dead ſeuen dayes. Wherefore our father Abraham (although he knew right wel that Sarah his wife being dead,Gen. 23.1.2. was freed from all the miſeries of this life, whereto all perſons that heere liue are ſubiect, and was aſſured by his faith, that ſhe being a true beleeuer ſhould riſe againe to eternall life: yet) he ſorowed, he wept, & mourned for that her departure many daies.Gen. 50.1. Alſo that godly Ioſeph, the ſonne of Iſrael, when he ſawe his father to bee dead, hee mourned and wept for him,2. Sam. 4.31. & 13.36. & 18.33. expreſſing thereby both his pietie and naturall affection. Thus David, the kings father wept wofully, and bewayled the death of his friend Abner, the like he did for Abſalon, and for Amnon his ſonnes. And therefore the king (though a wiſe and godly Prince) worthely ſoroweth for his deare mother, and for the Prophet Nathan whom the Lorde hath taken away from this world: Neuertheleſſe,Eccles. 4.2… I hauehave heard him to ſay and that according to the truth▪ that the deade are happier than they which live: and then muſt that follow, that he which is dead, and fréed from this world and the troubles thereof, is in better caſe than the higheſt Emperour, king, prince, or potentate in his life: and being ſo, we ſhould ſéeme to enuie that their happy eſtate,How farre to be ſory. if we that be yet liuing ſhould celebrate their funerals with exceſſiue ſorow. Sorow then we may, for that is naturall: and ſorow for our friends and acquaintances, for that is godly: but to be ſory without meaſure is neither naturall, nor godly, but heatheaniſh and brutiſh. For therein we ſhall not onelyonly hurt the naturall conſtitution of our bodily health, but declare our ſelues to want that conſtancie of faith which our godly fathers hauehave reteyned, & the word of the Lord hath taught touching ye eternall happineſſe of man after this life: yea, we ſhould be as enemies to them that bee deliuered from the miſeries of this world, as they which are ſory that men being in priſon and torments ſhould be deliuered & eaſed: and we ſhould be as the envious, that is wonderfully greeued to behold and conſider the good health and proſperitie of another man. Therefore albeit (I ſay) the king is for this right wofull and ſad, as nature and pietie requireth: yet I ſay not that he is ouercome therewith, knowing well (as he is a wiſe man) how to bridle affections, and therein beſt to behaue himſelfe: yet as a mortall man. * But (my Lords) beſides this naturall ſympathie and pietie, ſuch was the wiſedom, the iudgement, the grace & vertues of his Mother, Bethſabe a wiſe woman, right profitable to the king in her life.and ſuch a helpe and comfort ſhe was vntounto him eueryevery way, that as he thought in her life he could not honour her enough: ſo he may not forget her and her vertues after her death. As this noble gentle woman inſtructed and taught the king when he was a child: ſo ſhe neuer deſiſted to aduiſe and counſaile him in all godlines being a man: and ſhe thought it appertained to her dutie, not only to teach and catheciſe him with wiſedom: but alſo both to admoniſh him gently, and to reprooue him ſharpely: knowing well that ſometimes gentle admonitions, and ſometimes ſharpe chidings hath their place to doe good in them that feare God, as ſome precious ſtones ſhine the better bring ſteeped in ſharpe vinegar, & ſome others, when they bee boyled in ſoft oyle. There be ſome, which though they be in place,The neceſsitie of good admonitions. either dare not, or liſt not to tell, admoniſh or reprooue the mighty and rich vntill they ſée them through folly fall downe to the ground, and Fortune ſternely frowne at them: then perchance, (but neuer before) they wil tel them of that which now it is too late for thē to auoyd: reſembling therin that maladie, whē then & neuer before appeareth, when it hath throughly conquered nature in a man. And then they will ſay, as the Phyſician did to the man which after his long cure dyed, ſurely if thou haddeſt forborne to eate of this, and that kind of meat, thou mighteſt have lived longer. But hereof it commeth that as thoſe which are wounded, when they want friends are conſtrained to ſeeke helpe of their enemies: ſo euen thoſe noble perſonages themſelues being offenders in their places (as they bee men and doe offend often) hauing none of ſuch their faithfull friends about them, as will either admoniſh or gently reprooue them of their offences, doe often heare of their faults afterward by their very enemies, and that to their ſhame and ſorrowe. Truely, the king knowing both the wiſedome and faithfulneſſe of his Mother, and conſidering what a comfort and ſtay ſhee was vntounto him, not onelyonly in thoſe priuate things: but alſo in the better adminiſtration of the kingdome with him: hee did worthily honour her, hee was glad to heare her, hee diſdained not to follow her wiſe directions, & placed her on a ſeat next vntounto his royall maieſtie, when at any time hee ſate to giuegive ſentence of iudgement in matters of the higheſt importance. But now this princely counſailor is taken away: and the king ſeeth that the departure of ſuch a pretious ornament of his pallace, is a prognoſtication of trouble to them that remaine behinde her: ſeeing that with the loſſe of ſuch a member, the common-wealth of Iſrael is depriued of much wiſedome and many good things. And in this reſpect,The departure of Nathan, The loſſe of good counſailors a pronoſtication of future troubles. the death and departure of that excellent Prophet Nathan his Scholemaſter and faithfull counſailor, doth not a little grieue him at this time: not only in that Nathan is dead: but alſo in that the king by his departure is depriued of a moſt wiſe, godly & happy counſailor. For truly this is one chief cauſe that a Prince ſhould mourne, namely, when his graue Senatours and prudent Counſailors be taken from him: for this is as if the eyes ſhoulde bee pulled from out of the head, knowledge ſhould faile in him that hath an office of waight to bee performed, the ſtayes taken from an houſe, and a ſtaffe from him that leaneth thereto. In this conſideration, our Fathers in the wilderneſſe lamented with aboundance of teares, when Moſes their Leader was taken from them, and in this reſpect all Iſrael mourned mightily ouer Samuel, the Lords Prophet, when he dyed. For theſe did ſee, that in the departing away of thoſe worthy Perſonages, a great part of their glorie, their weale, their proſperitie, their ſafetie and defence departed alſo with them: for the taking away of moſt noble Kings, worthy Princes, graue Senatours, godly Magiſtrates and vertuous perſons,Deut 3.1.16. God ſheweth mercy to them among whom the godly do liue. Gen. 7.10. is a common Pronoſtication of euill euents to enſue on them that remaine behind in the world: from the which it often pleaſeth the Lorde firſt to remooue and take to himſelfe * ſuch his ſeruants for whoſe ſake or through whoſe miniſtery and meanes he hath beene willing to deferre, or withhold from the people ſuch wofull afflictions. So long as Noah was yet remaining in the world without the Arke, the Lorde ſtayed the waters that they ſhould not fall to couer the earth: but when Noah was embarked then by and by the deſtruction threatned, was executed on them that remayned without the Arke. The like we hauehave obſerued in the ouerthrowe of Sodome and the Citties there-about,Gen. 19.22.24. which was ſoone effected after that Lot, was taken from thence. Thus alſo during the dayes of Moſes, and the whiles Ioſuah liued, the wealth of Iſrael encreaſed, and great proſperitie enioyed our fathers, the which then began to bee moleſted, and to decline after their vnhappy departure from Iſrael, as the Story of the Iudges doth certifie vsus. So as long as the Prophet Samuel iudged Iſrael, the land enioyed peace: yea, and whiles bee liued, king Saul retained his honour before his princes and the people, and the people their ſaftie: for hee was a rare Prophet, well beloued of the Lorde, hee was a noble Counſailour to Saul, and a moſt wiſe director of him in all his affayres: to whom, whils he liſtned, and followed his godly counſaile, hee and his people proſpered on eueryevery ſide. But after that hee reiected Samuel, (but eſpecially after the death of Samuel) Saul was ſo agonized for want of good counſaile, that deſpayring of good ſucceſſe hee ſlewe himſelfe, diſgraced his houſe, and the people were ſorely afflicted. Euen ſo while thoſe two right noble and godly perſons, namely Bethſabe the Queene, and Nathan the Prophet liued and proſpered in Iſrael, all things went well, and the King and his people proſpered in great honour and peace: but (ſurely) ſithence the departure of thoſe two worthy members, there is a kind of defect eſpied in many things, yea aſwel in the king, as in his people, as yee ſhall more plainely vnderſtand, when I ſhall rippe vp vntounto you the ſeauenth cauſe of the kings ſorowe. Worthily therefore may the king bee greiued for the loſſe of his moſt princely mother, & no leſſe for the death of the diuine Prophet, and wiſe Counſailor Nathan, as for the falling downe of two ſuch principall pillars, as by whoſe ſtrength and counſaile both the king and the Common-wealth of Iſrael hath beene (ſithence the kings moſt hapy gouerment) the better ſtayd vp and maintained in peace and proſperitie.
And in very deede (ſaid the Princes) this may be no ſmall grief to the King (in our iudgement) as now wee call to minde and conſider how tenderly his mother loued him,The princes aſſent to zadokes reede. and how honorably the Prophet eſteemed him: againe how deere was th'one, and how fauoured was th'other of his royal grace, wee cannot but teſtifie. And moſt happy were the King (indeede) of hee had well obſerued that which the one taught,The conſent of the prince with the prophet a ſtay to the common wealth and a comfort to the Church. and th'other confirmed in him in his and their happy daies. For theſe two euer well agreede in the right ordering of the holy religion, in the right inſtitution of the King, and in the well gouerning of the common-wealth of Iſrael. And ſurely when theſe both departed from vsus, we found (as ye hauehave in ſort ſignified) that a great part of the light of Iſrael was ſhadowed, and the kings honour blemiſhed, but ſuch is their lots, and ſuch is our diſcomfort and the occaſion of the kings ſorrow. Now here wee may remember well what the Lord God ſaid to Moſes a little before his departure from Iſrael: Deut. 3 116.Behold (ſaid he) thou ſhalt ſleepe with thy fathers, and this people will riſe vp and go a whoaring after strange Gods of the land whether they go: and will forſake mee and breake the appointment which I have made with them: and then my wrath ſhall waxe hot againſt them in that day, and I will forſake them, and hide my face from them, and they ſhalbe conſumed and much aduerſitie and tribulation ſhall come vponupon them: ſo that they will ſay, are not thoſe troubles come vponupon me, becauſe God is not with me? Wherein we may ſee the order of the deſtruction of them whom the Lord determineth to conſume. Firſt hee taketh away their godly and vertuous Prince: then they as people without good gouernment depart from him, and liue in all abhomination▪ then his wrath is kindled againſt them: then he hideth away his face and fauour from them: then hee grieuouſly afflicteth them, and in concluſion conſumeth them.
This partly beginneth to worke on vsus in the taking away of thoſe wiſe Counſailors: but oh God! what may wee feare to enſewe on vsus, of our Soueraigne King ſhoulde bee alſo called away? Surely then it cannot otherwiſe bee, but that thoſe troubles which awayte for vsus in ſuch a time will ſodenly ſeiſe on vsus to our extreame paine and miſerye In the meane time, it is meete that we bee diligent in our duties and places aſwell towardes the king, as towards the people, and aſſay to ſupply them which are ſo departed: aboue all, let vsus hauehave an eye to the law of our God, and not to contemne the ſame, nor in any ſort neglect it, that ſo the Lord may thereby the ſooner in his mercy regard the king and his people: that neither we may be without an honourable King, nor his Maieſty deſtitute both of faithfull counſaylors and obedient Subiects. But now (moſt reuerend father) we alſo requeſt that the fifth cauſe of the kings ſorrow be likewiſe examined, the which (as ye ſaid) riſeth of the yong Prince Rhehoboham, the kings ſonne and heire apparent to the kingdome.