King Solomons Solace, Book · Chapter 29
CAP. XXIX.
Of the nature of Solomons ſinnes and argumentes of his true Repentance.
ZAdoke had no ſoonr deliuered the former ſpeeches: but by and by Abiather roſe vp againe, and obiected ſaying:Whether are Solomons ſins greater then the ſinnes of ſome other that did repent and were pardoned? 1. King. 11.5. It is (ſaid moſt reuerend father) yt the ſins of our L.K. Solomō are of ye nature, as they hauehave far exceeded the ſinnes of thoſe holy ones of whoſe repentāce we be either certified, or perſwaded in the holy ſcriptures, as more hainous and dangerous: for behold his ſtrange wiues and fleſhly Concubines hauehave turned away his heart from the Lord his God: in ſo much that hee hath followed after Aſtaroth the God of the Sydonians, and Milcom the abhomination of the Ammonites, he hath builded an high place for Chamos the abhomination of Moab, and for Moloch the abhominatiō of the childrē of Ammon, and hath wrought wickedneſſe in the ſight of the Lord, and hath not followed the Lord perfectly as did David his father. Al theſe are your own words concerning the King and his treſpaſſe (moſt reuerend father) neither hauehave I added any thing in the hearing whereof, who is there (almoſt) but that will condemne the king of a more heinous and dangerouſe ſinne,zadok. then that the Fathers of whome ye hauehave ſpoken did euer commit, in their daies? But yet I beſeech you (ſaid Zadok) that thoſe my wordes may neither bee wreſted, nor amiſſe vnderſtood in this caſe: God forbid that therein I ſhoulde ſo farre depreſſe the Kinges hope and eſtimation with the Lorde, as to iudge his ſinnes either irremiſſible: or ſuch hauehave exceeded the ſinnes of thoſe others, whom the Lorde hath pardoned vponupon their true repentance. Indeede it cannot be denyed nor defended, but that the king hath ſinned grieuouſly againſt the Lord his God, as I ſaid before and therin hath offered an offence vntounto the Lords people: Howbeit that either the nature of thoſe his ſinnes is ſuch as can neither hauehave pardon (as was the ſinne of Cain) or that it was more hainous and horrible, either in quantitie or qualitie, then the ſinnes of ſome others, whom it pleaſed the Lorde in mercy to remit and renew vponupon repentance, wee neither finde nor dare to auouch. Our firſt parents in Paradiſe committed an horrible tranſgreſſion. They hearkened to Satan, they brake the commandement, they forſooke the Lord their God, & were made thralls to the tyranny of the Serpent which had deceiued them:Adams ſinne: Gen. 3. Iudah. Gen. 38.26. Lot. Aaron. Exo. 32.2. Gen. 34.25. Simeon and Levi. Ruben. Gen 49 4. The Iſraelites. Sampſon. Iudg 2.11.13. & 3.6. & 16.18. Laban. Gen. 31.30. for the which they were iuſtly driuen out of Paradiſe and made ſubiect to miſery and death: notwithſtanding, it pleaſed the L. God (as ye hauehave heard) to forgiue them, and to gather to himſelfe an holy church euē from among them which had ſinned. We read that Iudah tooke his daughter in law Thamar & lay with her contrary to the law, and acknowledged yt he had ſinned therein. Lot was made drunke and lay with both his daughters. Aarō the Lords prieſt yeelded to the making of a molten calfe, which the people worſhipped. VVe read that Simeon and Levi the ſonnes of Iacob dealt deceitfully with Hemor & Sichē his ſon and murthered them, and their people, againſt the will of their father, who in his laſt words, curſed their wrath which was ſhameles, & their rage which was cruel. As for Rubē (Iacobs eldeſt ſonne) he defiled his fathers bed, & diſtained his dignity. Our fathers (in the time of the Iudges) were carried away to ſerue Baal & Aſtaroth, and they were cōioined with the Cananites againſt ye law of the L. Sampſō the Nazarite combined himſelfe with a ſtrange woman, yea, and in the end yeelded his power to the harlot Dalila. Laban the father in law of Iacob, was a worſhipper of ſtrāge Gods & Terah the father of Abrahā was not free frō the like offence. And are the ſinnes of thoſe our fathers, eſpecially the greateſt of theſe ſins, inferior to the K. ſins? Notwithſtāding it is teſtified yt the L. pardoned thē & reſtored thē to his fauor. But ye ſay, that the K. hath turned away his heart form the Lord. Indeede of all others his ſins this is the greateſt. Howbeit, I ſay not therefore, that hee hath vtterly turned away his heart, as that hee hath quite forſaken God, and by wicked apoſtaſy fallen away from him for euer: for had it beene ſo, we ſhould not hauehave ſeene him in this his eſtate. And as I well remember, I heard the king himſelfe to ſay (and wee cannot denye it, when we well conſider thereof and of him in this his eſtate) that in the depth of thoſe his ſinnes and vanities he perceiued that yet his wiſedome remained with him:pſal. 51.11. 1. Sam. 16.14. 2. Sam. 7.15. How Solomon is ſaid to turne away his heart from God. by the which he ment the graces of that diuine ſpirit, which King David praied that the Lorde would not vtterly take from him, being indeed an effect of that mercy which the Lord his God ſaid he would not take from him, as he toke it from Saul, whom hee had caſt off before him. But I ſay the King hath turned away his heart in this ſenſe: firſt in that he hath ſinned againſt the Lorde his God: ſecondly in that he hath yeelded to his luſts: and thirdly in that he fainted in his holy zeale. For, there is no ſinne whatſoeuer which a man committeth, wherein there is not a turning away of the ſinner from the Lord, for ſinne is contrary to the law of God, and argueth a contempt of his iuſtice, & neglect of his graces; therefore the Lorde requireth in them, whom he recoureth and pardoneth a faithful returne in humble contrition. Next it is true, that eueryevery man is led away from God of his owne concupiſcence or naturall luſts, and thus the King doting ouermuch on his ſtrange Woemen hath been enflamed, ouercome in affection, ſeduced and led away from the Lordes righteouſnes. Thirdly the king by thoſe former occaſions had forſaken his firſt louelove, was waxen more colde, or luke-warme, in that holy religion, and godly zeale with the which his heart hath been wonderfully enflamed in his youth. But yet I remember what the Lord ſaid: I will ſhew mercy, to whome I will ſhew mercy. The ſame ſaid to Hagar: Returne againe to thy miſtris, Exo. Gen. 16 9.though thine heart was turned from her. Againe he ſaith to the ſinner 'Remember from whence thou art fallen and repent, and do thoſe good workes which thou haſt vſed to doe when I was well pleaſed with thee. Againe, Remember thy maker: So I confeſſe (though with ſorrow of heart) that the king in that his eſtate hath not ſo zeolouſly ſet foorth and maintained the glory and ſeruices of God, as he was wont to doe: for whoſoeuer is addicted to the former, is defectiue in the latter, but he neglected a great part of his office and duty. But yet (the Lord bee thanked) we know that the ſtate of religion was neuer altered or changed:The holy religion neuer altered but continued the ſame in Solomons time 2. Chro. 11.16.17. but that hath and yet doth remaine the ſame as in the time of David, notwithſtanding the idolatries, ſuperſtitions and prouocations of his ſtrange women: which is a notable argument, that yet thee helde the ſure foundation of his ſaith vnſhaken. And therefore let vsus not preſume either to ſay or to thinke, that King Solomon is fallen vtterly away from the Lord his God, who hath ſo wonderfully loued, beautified and bleſſed him. It is one thing to offend God by euill thoughts, euill wordes or wicked deedes: another thing to deny God and to forſake him vtterly. He that ſinneth and offendeth God, and yet beleeueth in God, he is by his repentance reſerved for ſaluation: but who ſo doth deny God and vtterly apoſtate from him, there remaineth vntounto him not ſo much as one little ſhell wherewith he may drawe a very ſmall meaſure of the water of life. It is not one and the ſame thing to turne frō the Lorde and to turne vtterly awry from him without retyre or returne: The former of theſe faults is often ſeene in Gods owne children, when (like prodigall and diſobedient ſonnes) they bee tempted to depart from their moſt louing father, and yet do returne home againe, & are renued by repentāce, as were Aaron, Moſes, David: ye latter is ſeene in the reprobates only, which fall away and neuer returne, and therefore are not renued by repentance: for they cannot truely repent,The reprobates cannot truely repent. becauſe the Lord giueth not repentance vntounto them: as it was apparant in Cain, in Lots wiſe, & in Saul, whom the Lord caſt away frō before him. But this falling away from God, wee hauehave not found, nor ſhall perceiue in K. Solomon, the Lorde bee bleſſed therefore. Neither may wee thinke, that howſoeuer he is ſaide to followe after Aſtaroth, Milcom, Molock, Camos & ſuch others the Gods of the heathen, that therefore he was ſo groſſe an Idolator, as he did adore and worſhippe thoſe ſtrange Gods, no more then we may thinke,Solomon did not worſhip Idols. Exo. 32.2. that Aaron the Prieſt did adore and worſhip the golden Calfe, which himſelfe had made at the importunacie of our Fathers in the wildernes. And I knowe (my Lordes) that ye hauehave not ſeene any ſuch thing in the king nor do ye imagine (as I ſuppoſe) that the king at any time was ſo fooliſh as to adore or worſhip ſuch kind of Gods, of the which his father David, deciding the groſſe Idolatrie of the heathen thus ſang.
Their Idols both, of ſilver golde and mens hand worke they be:
They mouthes have, but do not ſpeake, and eies but cannot ſee:
They have eke eares but do not heare, & ſenſeles noſes, ſo
They have handes, but they handle not, & feete but cannot go.
Doubtles (anſwered the Princes) we perſwade, as yee hauehave ſaid: yea, ſaid Azariah, and wee hauehave often heard the K. himſelfe to blame and reproue ſuch kind of Idolatry, and thus hath he ſaid (whoſe wordes for wiſedome and grauity are copied out and divulged euen among the Gentiles). Sap. 13.10. & 14.8. & 15.3.Miſerable are they and among the dead that call them Gods which are but the workes of mens hands. Againe deriding the folly of thoſe Idoll-worſhippers, he ſaith he is not aſhamed to ſpeake to that which hath no ſoule: for health hee makes his petition to that which is ſicke: for life he humbly praieth to him that is dead. Againe, curſed be the Idoll that is made with handes, yea, both it and he that made it: he becauſe he made it, and it becauſe it was called a God, whereas it is but a fraile thing: for the vngodly and his vngodlines are both like abhominable vntounto God: euen ſo the worke and he that made it, ſhalbe puniſhed together. Againe: To know the Lord God is perfect righteouſneſſe: yea, to know his power is the root of immortality. As for the thing that men hauehave found out through their euill ſcience, it hath not deceiued vsus, nor ye painters vnprofitable labor, namly an image ſpotted with diuers colors, whoſe ſight inticeth the ignorāt to luſt after it, and he deſireth the picture of a dead image that hath no breath. Both they that make them, they that deſire them and they that worſhip them, louelove euill thinges and merite to hauehave ſuch thinges to truſt vponupon. Againe the enemies of Iſrael that worſhip thoſe Idols are moſt vnwiſe & more miſerable thē very fooles. For they iudge of them to bee Gods, which neither hauehave eyes to ſee, nor noſes to ſmell, nor ears to heare, nor hands nor fingers to grope, and as for their feete they are too ſlow to goe. Lo thoſe and ſuch like wordes hath the king his wiſedome vttered touching thoſe heathen Gods and the worſhippers of thē, euen publikely, and in preſence of all them to come to him to heare his wiſdome: that thereby the ſooner he might withdraw them from that groſſe error and impious abhomination, and bring them to the right worſhip of Iehovah the God of Iſrael. Ye hauehave truly ſpoken in this matter (ſaid Zadok) for in truth, I hauehave not knowen any one man of life, yt hath more diſliked and derided this kind of Idolatry, & that hath more ſharply reprehended them that hauehave followed after ſtrange Gods, then the K. himſelfe. Neither did he thinke yt any man which either knew Iehovah our God, or had any wiſedome, or reaſon, or iudgement, or humaine wit wold acknowledge ſuch a ſenſeles image for a God, and worſhip it, much leſſe himſelfe woulde either aduenture or attempt a thing ſo heinous, ſhamefull and dangerous againſt the law of God, reaſon and good conſcience being a man ſo wiſe, holy and zealous for the L. his God. Therfore, let vsus not imagine yt the K. was ſo perſwaded to proſtrate himſelfe before thoſe vaine images of the heathen, to adore or worſhip them as Gods, or yt he did inuocate or pray to them: or truſt in thē for any aid or comfort: ſeeing that both he knew the abhomination of ſuch vain things,In what ſenſe it is ſaid that Solomon followed after ſtrange Gods. & felt the goodnes of the living God at al times ſo gratious towards him? but (indeede) this is true, that the K. hath in his fond louelove and carnall affection to his wiues being Idolators and Apoſtats from the true religiō, ſo doted & beſotted himſelfe, that he hath winked at ſuch their abhominations, yea, hee hath permitted them to vſe their ſtrāge religiōs: more yet, he hath cauſed to be built for thē houſes, & high places in the face of all Iſrael, & in the ſight of Ieruſalē, & hath allowed thē great ſums of money & maintenance out of his treaſurs to & for the ſame, wherof it is well ſaid (indéede) yt he followed after their abhominatiōs: for being both the K. of Iſrael, & the huſband of thoſe his wiues, he ſhould rather (as he might wel do) hauehave reſtrained & puniſhed ſuch horrible abuſes of the name & honor of God. But howſoeuer it was ſeing we hauehave not ſéen ſuch palpable idolatry in the K. as yt he did worſhip their idols, nor cā we ſee into ye K. heart (as God ſéeth him) & Gods ſecret waies are ſuch as no vultures eie did euer ſee (as Iob ſaid) & the bottōles profunditie therof we may not attempt to ſownd: let vsus here content our ſelues with ſo much thereof, as it hath well pleaſed him to reueale vntounto vsus, iudge iuſtly and ſoberly of God and his waies, conſtre the beſt of his Saintes, & thinke honourably of this choſen perſon and his actions and words, not raſhly cenſuring the one, nor indiſcreetely condēning the other. And out of all queſtion, if in this reſolution and minde wee duly ſearch and wiſely examine and conſider of all thinges, we ſhall find and confeſſe, that howſoeuer it bee, K. Solomon did not onelyonly turne away from God and endangered himſelfe, (as all other ſinners do) but that alſo he is returned againe and aſſured of ſafetie,King Solomon did turne again to the Lord. as thoſe which truly repent them of their ſinnes; that he had not onelyonly his heart ſeduced and corrupted: (as his Father David had when he cōmitted murther & adultery:) but hath alſo a new heart created and a right ſpirit renewed in him, as the ſame David had after that hee repented,pſal. 51. praied and founde grace with the Lord: that he did not only deny the Lord, wherby God was exaſperated againſt him, as our forefathers both in the wildernes and in the time of the Iudges hauehave don: but alſo hath acknowledged his power,Num. 21.8. and confeſſed him, and therein eſchewed his owne deſtruction, as many of our fathers did which beheld that braſen ſerpēt in the wildernes, and wept before the Lord, and were preſerued and comforted: he did not only ſin to prouoke the Lord: but alſo he did repent and well pleaſed the Lord.Exo. 10.17. 2. Sam. 12.13. Gen. 4.14. 1. Sam. 13.4. Gen. 3.20. & 38 26. Exo. 32.22 And this he hath done not with his mouth onelyonly as Pharao did, but with his heart as K. David did: he diſpaired not as did Cain and Saul: but he ſorrowed and repented in hope, as did Adam, and Iudah, and Moſes and Aaron. And this he did alſo truely and ſpeedily, as ſoone as he ſaw the Angell of Gods wrath had drawen forth his ſworde againſt him & his people, as David did, when he ſaw the angell of God plaguing the people: in this point he well reſembled, that wary bird which ſeeing the fowlers bow bent and himſelfe in danger, makes haſte to flye away before that the arrow bee ſent foorth againſt him, remembring what his father had modulated:
If when that men offend the Lord, they will not turn againe:
He furbiſheth his percing ſword, in iuſtice them to paine,
He bends his bow, & it prepares with dreadfull darts of death:
And lethall inſtrumentes, to take from them their vitall breath.
But alas there be in ye world too many cōparable to that fooliſh bird which maketh no haſt to eſcape frō the ſnare before he be taken therin. Therfore I now remēber not only what he coūſailed Be not ſlow to turne to the Lord, for ſodainly ſhall his wrath burne like fier: but what his father aduiſed.pſal. 95.8.
To day if ye his voice will heare,
Then harden not your faithles heart:
As ye with grudging many a yeare,
Provokte me in the wild deſert.
It is meet that men attend him whē he calleth. If men offer gold, which is yet but tranſitory, there bee which come with ſpeede: and the tree being ſhaken, they will gather vp the fruit without long tarrying: But when the Lorde proffereth peace to mans ſoule, they come ſlackly & regarde it little, which is the cauſe they often miſſe the kings thouſand. But as for our Soueraign L. albeit we had been neither eare-witneſſes, nor eye-witneſſes: yet (beſides the K. geſture and preſent conſtitution of body) the very words which wee hauehave heard from him, and yet daily heare him to vtter,That is his Eccleſiaſtes and the which being taken and collected into a regiſter, may bee called the booke of his repentance, ſhall for euer witneſſe and manifeſt the ſame thing. For therein it doth and may appeare, that our L. King Solomon, not onelyonly after his full and perfect experience of all the delights of the ſonnes of men, and the affaires of this life: but alſo after all thoſe his tranſgreſſions, wherein he had ſo much vexed and diſquietted both his minde and body, angred the L. offended the holy ones, diſtained his honor and endangered his ſoule, is nevertheleſſe by the admirable operation of the diuine ſpirite, brought to the true ſenſe and knowledge of his ſinnes and ſo of the danger of himſelfe and his people, the which is alwaies the firſt grade to true repentance, from whence hee hath orderly proceeded to the full perfection thereof, as hereafter yee ſhall vnderſtand. In the meane time (my good L) let vsus think right honourably of the K. and beleeue that Iehovah his God hath not barred him out from the contrition and repentance of the bleſſed and ſo neither from the diuine mercy. Ye hauehave well ſpoken (moſt reuerēd father) ſaid the Princes which we hauehave gladly heard, and will both concurre and conclude with you for the King to the honour of our God. And truely in this, that hee hath acknowledged and confeſſed his offences, hee may not bee either condemned or diſliked, albeit hee bee the King of Iſrael, no more then ſuch a thing was blamed in David, his father: but rather to be commended, as it was in him: as firſt in regard of the good example, wherby others might be inſtructed: next for the more eaſe of his own heart oppreſſed with ſorrow in the conſideration of his ſin with the danger enſewing it. Thirdly for the better pacifying of the diuine wrath which is vehemēt againſt obſtinat ſinners: and fouthly for ye good of his people, who vponupon his repentance and remiſſion might hope for peace: there be ſome who when they hauehave ſinned, will not eaſily acknowledge themſelues faultie either to God or to man: and therfore are hardly perſwaded to amend. Wherin they bee like thoſe which holden of deſperate diſeaſes not feeling themſelues ſick, are hardly recouered: for this is a great hinderāce to amēdment of life, when men which are offenders will not acknowledge their offences. But there bee ſome (though not many of them) which offending, do by times feele and know their offences, and ſeek to eſcape the diuine wrath by a faithful recōciliatiō and ſo are recouered in good time. And theſe be like not only to thoſe wiſe birds, which (as ye ſaid) eſchew the arrowes comming towards them: but alſo to thoſe which being diſtempered in their bodies ſoone eſpy it, and ſeek to preuent inconueniences by the aduiſe and help of the cunning phiſician. For as the ſenſe of the ſicknes is the commencement of the cure: ſo the acknowledging of a fault is the firſt ſtep to pardon, and ſo to the amēdment of him that hath faulted. But proceed (moſt reuerend father) we pray you, and deſiſt not, vntill ye hauehave fully declared the order and manner of the K. true repentance for: truly howſoeuer it hath beene a griefe and ſorow vntounto our hearts to hear of thoſe his great tranſgreſſions and ſins, it is and ſhalbe now a ioy and comfort vntounto vsus to heare of his happy Repentance, by the which, (it may be) the L. will alſo repent him of that euill which he had purpoſed to doe vntounto him and vsus, and will turne iuſtice into mercy, that we perriſh not in this his high diſpleaſure, which is as a fearfull fyer to conſume thē that wil neither repent them of their ſinnes, nor ſeeke him whiles hee may bee found in the ſingleneſſe of heart.