King Solomons Solace, Book · Chapter 35
CAP. XXXV.
Zadok anſwereth to ſome other obiections and reaſoneth of the knowledge of things naturall and of mans inſaciety.
ABiather, beeing nothing ſcrupulous in the report of that he had heard obiected againſt the King and his wordes, and the bolder becauſe hee was willed with out feare to bring foorth before their moſt honourable preſence, whatſoeuer hee had, or coulde oppoſe in the behalfe of the Kinges enemies, or of any others which were or might bee ſuſpenſiue of either th' one, or th'other: Obiection hee ſpake againe: It is further obiected againſt the King (quod hee) that heeh hath diſcouraged all men from the inveſtigating and ſearching out of the true natures of thinges, and ſo from that knowledge and ſtudy which is not onelyonly pleaſant, but alſo profitable and neceſſary for all men that liue in this worlde: and the ſame, wherein the King himſelfe hath much delighted and ſo farre excelled, that hee coulde not onelyonly ſpeak of the natures of the Celeſtiall motions, and of the Trees, the hearbes, the beaſtes, the birdes, the wormes, the fiſhes, the earth, the water, the fire, the aire, of the man, and of the woman, and of all the creatures: but alſo knewe the right vſes and end of them in their ſeaſons and kindes. To this anſwered Zadok, that they in this, did much miſtake the King and miſcontſtre his wordes. Indeede (ſaid hee) hee ſaith thus All thinges are laborious. Anſwere. A man is not able in word to expreſſe them. Ecclſ. 1.8.And this is the other member of that his generall compariſon, wherein hee proceeded to proue his former propoſition excluding from mans habilitie, and the humaine affaires, both the perfection and the felicitie of man. The Kings own words are foreign And the word Debarim (as ye know) doth not ſignifie ſimply voices,Al thoſe words or matters Debarim or wordes (as men for the moſt parte vnderſtand it) but alſo whole ſentences, or the declarations of matters: yea, the matters, or things, or cauſes with al the circumſtances thereof. And here the worde may bee applied either to the perſon before ſpoken of, which is man: or to the deviſes, ſtudies, endeuors, & works of men: or to the matters and cauſes now in queſtion and lately ſpoken of.Iepayim Laborious For all theſe thinges are indeede foreign laborious, hard, irkeſome and full of trouble. It is no meane labour to ſearch, finde out, and expreſſe the vanity of man, or the cauſes of the common euents.foreign Adam ſo called of the earth. foreign Enoſha man, ſo called of his miſery and mortality. foreign Isch a man of ſingulate honor & eſtimation, ſuch as Adam was in his full perfection. Gen. 2. The neceſſity of naturall philoſophy Moreouer to teach that not onelyonly anie perſon of the common ſorte, but alſo that the beſt among men commeth farre behinde in this pointe, he ſaith not that foreign the naturall man: or the mortall man is not able to doe it: but that foreign is not able to performe this worke. Which worde being taken in his proper ſignification, noteth not eueryevery vulgar perſon, but ſome ſingular and right excellent man, comprehending his perfect age, authority, dignitie, glory, excellency, eſtimation, with all the noble faculties of mans witte, and the dignity of his nature. And this worde is made (as yee knowne) of exiſtence, fortitude, efficacie, and beeing. Hereof ſpeaketh the King, and his meaning is no thing leſſe then to condemne this excellent knowledge of the natures of thinges or to diſwade men from it, how painefull ſoeuer it bee: for hee knoweth that whoſoeuer ſhall take this knowledge away frō either the legall or prophoticall & diuine doctrine and preceptes ſhall depriue the ſame of a great light, for by certain ſimilitudes taken from ye natures of thoſe things, are many high & profoūd matters taught & perſwaded therein.Gen. 2.19. This knowledge had Adam, & therfore could name the creatures according to their natures: the ſame had Enoch, Noah, Abrahā, Moſes, Samuel, Iob, David, & our L.K. Solomon as it appeareth in their ſeueral hiſtories, & it appertaineth to the reaſon & wiſdom of man to ſearch & find thē out. Therfore (as I ſaid this ſciēce is not by the K. condemned as vain, nor doth he diſſwade men from it, but onelyonly hee condemneth mans great ignorance, idleneſſe, imperfections, and the abuſe of this neceſſarye ſtudie. Yee hauehave ſaide (quod Abiather) and I reuerently admitte,Abiather. and of eſtéeme of your wordes.Abiather. Yee ſhall heare another obiection, to the which, it may pleaſe you to anſwere. For there bée many things conceued and thwarted: and what ſhall it availe the Phiſician to heale ten maladies of his Patient, if yet ſome one or more remaine vncured,Another obiection. whereof hee dyeth? The King is ſaid to bind all men vnderunder inſacietie: for the eye of a man (ſaith hee) is not ſatiſfied with ſeeing, nor the eare with hearing. When notwithſtanding we know, that men often waxe weary of ſéeing: and loathſome in hearing of many things, eſpecially of woofull Tragedies, loſſes, threatnings, reprehenſions,zadok his anſwere. ſcourges, and the iudgements of the Lawe. But what is this (ſayd Zadok) to that which ye hauehave gathered? The King in that ſaying, diſplayeth both mans curioſitie and imperfection.Mans curioſitie and imperfection. Man is willing to heare, ſée, & finde out all things: to behold all ſtrange matters, newes and wonders: hée would hauehave all knowledge: hee would be like the moſt high (as Adam and Hevah thought to bée) he thinketh he can, or may do all things:Gen. 3.5.6. but hee is reſtreined: his abilitie affoordeth him not that perfection: nor hath the Lorde appointed him in this his eſtate, capable of thoſe things ſo farre aboue him. In the mean time, hee continueth inſaciate & without perfect contentation in this life.*Here let man learn to know his own ignorance, weaknes, and imperfections in this world. Let him containe himſelfe within the bounds of his vocation, place and abilitie, and let him neither luſt after, or deſire to comprehend thoſe things, which are neither reuealed, nor incident to mans nature. But in all modeſtie and reuerence let him ſeeke the Lorde, who onelyonly is the God ſufficient, perfiect wiſedom, omnipotent ſacietie, Abiather. Another obiection.and life eternall vntounto them that ſerve him in humilitie and holineſſe of heart. Againe, (ſaid Abiather) it is obiected againſt the kings words, that he hath denied that any thing is new. When in trueth and experience, it appeareth that things are dayly renewed, and many new things are done, and brought to paſſe in the worlde eueryevery day: how therefore ſhoulde this be vnderſtood, to ſound acceptable to our knowledge? It is true (ſayd Zadok) that the King hath ſaid:zadok anſwereth. Eccles. 1.9. What is that which hath beene? that, that ſhall bee: and what is it, that hath beene done? that which ſhall be done: And there is no new thing vnderunder the Sunne. Or is there any thing, whereof one may ſay: Behold, this is new? It hath been already in the olde time that was before vsus. Nothing is new.But in theſe wordes, the king ſpeaketh not of the workes of the Creation, as if they ſhould be made againe: ſo it is enough, that thoſe things be onelyonly conſerued in their kinde: nor of the works of God, for God doth worke daily newe and ſtrange things: nor of thoſe generations of man, which are paſt: but of the occupations, deuiſes, counſailes, drifts, purpoſes,Man and his vanities are eber the ſame. and workes of worldly men, which are euer wrapped in miſerie and vanitie, and are euer like, and the ſame, which hauehave beene of olde in the children of men.Gen. 6.12. & 8.21. As man was in the olde time euill from his youth and all the imaginations of the heart wicked and vile: ſo is hee now, and ſo ſhall be: as his deuiſes hauehave beene of yore, ſo are they in this time, as the vngodly thought and endeuored then, ſo doe they thinke and endeuor now.Gen. 4.6. gen. 6.2. gen. 10.9. gen. 19.26. Exod. 7 13. Iudg. 9.5. I neede not gather vp particulars of this time to match Cain in his enuie: the daughters of men in their luſtes: Nimrod in his pride, Lots wife in her apoſtaſie, Pharao in his hardneſſe of heart, Abimelech in his bloodie crueltie, and ſuch like: they are eaſily noted and pointed at with the finger in eueryevery place. And that the king meaneth thoſe things, it is apparant by the place wherein he findeth nothing newe, namely vnderunder the Sunne, that is, in vanities kingdome, in and among worldly men, which herein remaine the ſame ſtill, howſoeuer they bee ſcholed and inſtructed, and therefore as vaine, they are forgotten and paſſe away with the priuiledge of vanities dominion. Howbeit,The remembrance of the righteous. the righteous are had in an euerlaſting remembrance with their vertues, in and for whom the Lorde worketh new and ſtrange things to their neceſſitie and conſolation eueryevery day.Abiather obiecteth againe, * I hauehave both heard you (moſt reuerende Father) and well vnderſtood the meaning of thoſe the Kings words. I hauehave heard another obiection that the King ſhould diſlike the ſearching and finding out of wiſdome, which is ſo much commended in the holy writings, and among all good men, and he ſaith, that it is a ſore trauell giuen to the ſonnes of men, to humble them.zadok anſwereth. The King (ſaide Zadok) ſeemeth to correct himſelfe and his owne ſtudyes, when hee would aduenture or aſſay to doe and performe that of himſelfe, which hee ſhould hauehave obtained and waited for from the Lorde to whom be firſt praied for wiſedome, and knew, that ſhe came from him: yet doth he not condemne the ordinary labours and ſtudies of them which (in the feare of God) aſſay to attaine to knowledge. For as he commendeth wiſedome before all things: ſo hee condemneth the idle fooles, which (becauſe the ſtudy and ſearch after wiſedome is laborious to the body) ſit ſtill and continue ignorant. But let vsus conſider the Kinges wordes, & obſerue theſe thinges in order. He ſaid not: Thus the Lord taught me or cō manded me,Eccleſ. 1. verſ. 13. The meaning of the king, is to condemne mans wiſdome of worldly thinges. or enabled mee to do, to performe, to bring to paſſe but thus I have given mine heart to ſearch and find out wiſedome: how? by the thinges that are done vnderunder the Sunne. The King ſpeaketh not of his preſent endeuour, but of that forepaſt, when he was carried away from the Lorde in the luſts of his eye and luſts of his fleſh. At what time reſpecting not what God had ſaid, nor what the diuine ſpirit had taught him: but after his owne wit and humaine reaſon, he entangled himſelfe in the ſtudies of the worlde, and thereby made ſearch curiouſly to be paſſing wiſe in the thinges of vanities kingdome, where, when hee thought to finde wiſedome indeede, he found nought beſides afflictions and griefes of minde. For what ſhould a man expect of thornes, but to be pricked? and what is their to be learned vnderunder the Sunne of vngodly and fooliſh men, & their deuiſes, but vngodlines, fooliſhnes and ſorrow? And ſurely therof only the K. acknowledgeth yt he made himſelfe moſt worthy, and therin to be puniſhed, as they do, which neglecting the meditation of the law of God, are diſtracted in the fables of vntruthes, and receiving not the feare of the L. are wholy buſied and vexed in the affairs of this world, wherin they trauaile as in a moſt painful Labyrinth without any perfection or end, therby to be tryed and humbled vnderunder the mighty hand of the Almighty, whoſe wiſedome, words and direction, they hauehave both forgotten and neglected.The kings confeſſion of his imperfections. Moreouer in this, the king maketh a kind of confeſſion of his imperfections, beeing a parte of his true conuerſion and repentance. Thus the King hath not condemned the ſearch after the true wiſedome: but that vaine wiſedome, or at leaſt the indirect manner of ſeeking after that which is commended in the word of God.