The Kings Chronicle, Chapter 2
THE ACTS OF SOLOMON.
CHAP. II.
Solomon his chiefe deſire, and how GOD anſwered the ſame, making him a moſt glorious King; what ecclipſed all his glory, and took away his heart; The Glory of the world had daz'led his eye, and his Queens Idoll had put it quite out. The Lord cleared his eyeſight again, ſo that he could ſee into things, and account all Nothing.
SOLOMON his ſonne, the Beloved of the Lord, bleſſed with the bleſſings of the LORD, with the bleſſings of the Father, and of the People a1 King. 1. 47., reigned in his ſtead. His Father ſaid to the ſon, Thou art a wiſe-man b1 King. 2. 9.; Solomon ſaid to God, Thou haſt made Thy Servant King, and I am but a LITTLE CHILD c1 King. 3. 7., and yet I muſt goe out and in, before a great and wiſe people. All this was true, and in a true ſenſe of this LITTLENESSE, and the peoples GREATNESSE, Solomon prayed for an understanding heart dver. 9.. That deſire pleaſed the LORD ſo well, that He granted it, made Solomon excell therin all the wiſe-men on the Earth e1 King▪ 4▪ 30, 31.. Aske the greateſt thing; GOD will give the leaſt without asking: He gave him alſo therwith, that he deſired not, both riches and honour: ſo as there was not any like him all his dayes; nor in all theſe yeares after him f1 King. 3. 13.. Then ſate Solomon upon the Throne of David his Father (nay, upon the Throne of GOD, to be King for the LORD f2 Chron. 9. 8.) and his Kingdome was Eſtabliſhed Greatly g1 King. …. 12., for he was ſtrengthened therein, and the LORD his GOD was with him and magnified him EXCEEDINGLY h2 Chro. 1. 1..
Then we reade of his magnificence; The Glory of his Court; The beauty of GODS Houſe; his Dedication; his Prayer there, and that is excellent.
Truly, I know not well what to ſay next, but Idols and their abominable ſervices, will darken all this glory; for thus it was; Solomon was the greateſt example of Wiſdome, Riches and Honour, that ever was in the world: and the ſtrangeſt example of humane frailty, that ever we reade▪ off, being ſo wiſe a man. But what is man in his beſt eſtate, though the wiſeſt and the ſtrongeſt? Not Subſtantive enough to ſtand of himſelfe, nor wiſe enough to order his ſteps. If the LORD, Who is our ſtrength and our wiſdome, with-draw His hand, we fall, and poſſibly ſo low, that he, who was a mirrour of wiſdome even now, becomes anon the mirrour of folly. Hold me Lord, and I will hold Thee, ſaid a good woman, who ſaw how weake ſhe was in her ſelf, and how ſtrong ſhe might be in her GOD▪ There mans ſtrength lyeth. It is an high point of wiſdome to know all this: And that wicked and Idolatrous Counſels, ſpecially from her, that lyeth in the boſome, will weaken ſtrength, and beſot reaſon; and thoſe are the leſſons we are to take hence. How the LORD met with him is remarkable allſo, which I paſſe-over, touching onelyonly upon it anon.
Concerning his fall and recovery againe, there is pregnant proofe in ſacred Writings; and no matter what fooles ſay, though they write books about it, no wiſer at the end, then at the beginning. True it is, though Solomon was really ſo wiſe, ſo rich, ſo honourable, yet, when he A WOKE (for I allude to it) when he came to himſelf, behold it WAS A DREAM o1 King. 3. 15., his wiſdome, his riches, his worldly power, Behold! It is a dreame, Vanity of vanities all is vanity; ſo ſaid he, who haſtened to find ſatisfaction; who more then he? pEccleſ. 2. 25.he kept not from his eyes, what they deſired, nor with-held his heart from any joy; ver. 10.yet ſo ſaid Solomon the King: for what can the man ſay, that commeth after the King? Even that, which hath bin already ver. 12.ſaid; Solomon ſaid of All things under the Sunne, they are vanity and vexation; he could looke thorow All, and diſcerne a Nothingneſſe at the bottome. Surely this did argue, he had a spirituall eye, and that GOD had inſtructed him to diſcretion. As GOD made all things, by His power, of Nothing; ſo he, by wiſdome from GOD, made Nothing of all things; Nothing in reference to that one thing Neceſſary; or Nothing, in reference to Heaven, our putting forward or backward in our race thither-ward, to our Crowne. The concluſion is, He, that ſees all things to be Nothing, ſee's alſo GOD to be all things: He that ſees a Nothingneſſe, in the creature, ſees a fulneſſe in GOD, an All-ſufficiency in Him. It is cleare from Solomons writings, That ſo Solomon did, and that makes clearer proofe to them that have queſtioned it (I thinke no wiſeman ever did) That Solomons heart was turned from Idolls to ſerve the Living GOD.
We reade-on now, That we may learne to looke the better to our ſtanding by Solomons fall; and to avoid with all our care the ſnares that are in a proſperous and full eſtate.
That little more, which concernes our preſent Theame, is this; Solomon was a King of Peace, and enjoyed long peace, he and his people; Judah and Iſrael were many as the ſand, which is by the Sea in multitude, eating and drinking and making merry q1 Kin. 4 20.: An interrupted peace, never broken till Solomon broke Covenant with his GOD, and then all breaks to peeces, but till then all was peace, Eating and drinking and making merry. Here was a conſidering time for Solomon the wiſeſt, and for all his people. They were now in a Land, where Silver and gold was as plentuous as ſtones r2 Chro. 1. 15:: But that more precious commodity, BREAD, That they eate without ſcarceneſſe tDeut. 8. 9.; there was no lacke of any thing, houſes full, and wells full, vineyards full and barnes full, a fullneſſe of all good things. What is to be done now? It ſhould not be queſtioned, becauſe the anſwer Deut. 6. 11. 12.is neare; But, becauſe of our evill and forgetfull hearts, we are ſtill remembred, as often as we meet with all this fullneſſe; Beware Leaſt thou forget the LORD, That hath done thus and thus for Thee, and hath given thee all this fullneſſe. O remember and forget not to bleſſe the LORD thy God for all this good, which He hath given thee. Beware now (marke what cautions are given to a people that is full) That thou forget not the LORD Thy GOD, now when Deut. 8 10. 11, 12.Thou haſt built goodly houſes, now when thy heards and flocks are multiplyed, Thy ſilver and thy gold is multiplyed, and all that thou haſt is multiplyed, now looke narrowly to it, els ver. 13, 14.thy heart will be lifted-up, and thy ſpirit will be flat and downe; Thou wilt forget the LORD Thy GOD, Who gave thee all this fallneſſe, and multiplyed thee ſo exceedingly, if thou art not now aware and lookeſt narrowly to thy ſelfe. A man cannot eaſily beleve, how he can forget GOD, when he hath ſo many remembrances of Him ſtill before his eyes, fields full, and Barnes full, and houſe full and table full; yet now thou wilt forget God or never, Remember Solomon. It will make us beware; the wiſeſt man that ever was, yet, when all good things were multiplyed to him, his heart was lifted up, and his ſpirit fell downe flat, he forgate the Lord. Note, It is an hard thing (impoſſible without ſpeciall aſſiſtance) to keepe the heart downe and humble, when the perſon is lifted-up with the fullneſſe of all things; the hardeſt buſineſſe well to husband peace and plenty, for the good of the ſoul, that the ſoule may proſper as the outward man doth, an hard worke it is; pray therfore, That we may be filled with the fruits of Righteouſneſſe; Phil. 1. 11.; that we may not be drunke with the world, wherin is exceſſe, but be filled with the Spirit, even with all the fullneſſe of God: Then we ſhall beware and not forget, then we ſhall bleſſe Epheſ. 5. 18. 3. 19.the Lord for all His fullneſſe; then we ſhall well husband our reſt and peace, as the Churches before us, They had reſt: What then? And were edified, and walking in the feare of the Lord, and in the comfort of the holy Ghoſt, were multiplyed. The digreſſion is Act. 9. 31.neceſſary, if it be a digreſſion: And theſe conſiderations and cautions very uſefull, when we are, as thoſe people were, in thoſe dayes, Eating and drinking and making merry. There we breakoff. It follows;
No warrlike actions were performed by Solomon, nor memorable, excepting his buildings, which were great, wonderfull and very many *a Chron. …., with other works of magnificence, wrought for the glory of his owne State, not much inferiour to that houſe hee built to the honour of GOD in fewer yeares by ſix, then he was building his own, which he was building 1 King 6. 38. Chap. 9. 1.thirteene yeares, and the building the houſe of GOD but Seven; That was not for his honour. But wee muſt obſerve his prayer at the Dedication of Gods Houſe, for that is notable *1 Kin. 8. 2 Chr. 6.. As for the workes, though very MAGNIFICENT, yet they might be quickly compaſſed by him, who could ſet downe and count his coſt, and quickly cleare all disburſements, That made SILVER and GOLD, as plenteous as ſtones, and had Cedars in aboundance q2 Chro. 1. 15. Chap. 9. 20.
Touching his MILITIA, we reade much in a little; He provided 2 Chro. 1. 14.for the troubles of warr, in the leaſure of Peace: And, to maintain his peace, he maintained a mighty MILITIA, for hee had foure thouſand Stalls for Horſes and Charriots, and twelve thouſand Horſe men, whom hee beſtowed in the Charriot▪cities, and with himſelfe at Hieruſalem r2 Chr. 1. 14. 9. 25.; and he raigned over all the Kings, from the River even to the Land of the Philiſtines, and to the border of Aegypt.sver. 26.
But it came to paſſe, when Solomon was old, that his Wives turned away his heart after other gods (the words 1 Kin. 11. 4.are cleare, as ſoone underſtood as read;) And the LORD ver. 9.was angry with Solomon, becauſe his heart was turned away from the LORD GOD of Iſrael, Who had appeared unto him TWICE, and had warned him touching that Matter d2 Chro. 7. 17, 18, 19, 20.. If the LORD graciouſly appeare unto a man once, and he regard not; this will kindle GODS wrath: But if he appeare TWICE, and yet he will not beware, this will make His wrath burne, for the more mercy, the more diſpleaſure, if mercy be deſpiſed. We reade-on, and how the LORD charged him touching that matter; Solomon had a faire warning, much grace was ſhowne unto him; GOD appeared to him TWICE, and charged him as often; yet Solomon did contrary, hee hearkened what his ver. 10.Wife ſaid, not what GOD ſaid; Hee kept not that, which c ver. 11.the LORD commanded. Therefore his ſonne ſhould not keepe his Kingdome intire e. Surely, The LORD would rend it out of his ſonnes hand. Howbeit not all, for Davids ver. 12.ſake. And yet Solomon himſelfe ſhould out-live his ver. 13.Glory, he ſhould ſee affliction, and feele it too from one Adverſary, and then another; For thus it was; When this Kings heart was divided betwixt ſtrange Wives, and as ſtrange vanities; when hee turned from the LORD, Who had appeared to him TWICE, and ſo inſtructed him, touching the eſtabliſhing his Throne: Then the LORD ſtirred-up Adverſaries, now one, and then another; The one did great miſchief f f1 Kin▪ 11. 9▪; and the other abhorred Iſrael gver. 25.. Solomon ſhould have abhorred Idols, thoſe curſed and miſchievous things; he did not ſo, he clave to them in love, for his heart was turned after other gods and goddeſſes: he did ſmart for this in this world; The Lord did ſtir-up two 1 Kin. 11. 4, 5▪Adverſaries, the one did Solomon great miſchiefe; the other ſerved him, as he ſhould have ſerved Idols, He abhorred Iſrael. To ſhut up Solomons Story, wee have but this more: Hee raigned over Iſrael fourtie yeares. The Sunne of his glorious ver. 4… ▪Day did ſet in a Cloud (that wee may not admire perſons, but free Grace) Then it was night with him, went to bed, and ſlept with his Fathers. Rehoboam his Sonne raigned in his ſtead. Wee have read his Story, his Sons followes.