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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A92778	Solomons choice: or, A president for kings and princes, and all that are in authority, presented in a sermon before the Honourable House of Commons at Margarets Westminster, at their publique fast, Septemb. 25. 1644. By Lazarus Seaman, pastor of the Church of Christ at Alhallowes-Breadstreet-London. One of the Assembly of Divines.	Seaman, Lazarus, d. 1675.	1644 (1644)	Wing S2177; Thomason E16_23; ESTC R189	37,337	55

Sam. 30. 6. 3. Suppose that all in authority were as happy all their lives as David was for a while Whatsoever the King did pleased all the people Yet there is a strict account to be 2 Sam. 3. ●6 given unto God hereafter For we must all appeare before the Judgement-seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad If therefore we 2 Cor. 5. 10. can approve our selves to the world that will not satisfie All the Lyons of the world must give an account to the Note Lambe He is the blessed and the onely Potentate the King of Kings and Lord of Lords The onely Potentate ● Tim. 6. ●5 because he alone is to continue King for ever To be a Monarke is onely to act a part for a while upon the Theatre of this world It is appointed unto all men once to die and after this the judgement And I saw the dead saith Heb. 9. 27. St. John small and great stand before God and the bookes were opened And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the bookes according to their workes Rev. 20. 12. Shifts subtilties excuses c. will stand no man in stead at that day Who ever ponders these things aright will surely apply his heart unto wisdome Yet because some though they be not so Atheisticall as to question the foregoing consideration may be the lesse affected with it because it 's future an object of faith and not of sense therefore I 'le adde this third 3. There is a wisdome such as it is even in Satan and in all his instruments His instruments for number are legions Luke 8. 30. for property they transforme themselves into Angels of 2 Cor. 11. 14 15 light and as touching the measure of their wisdome they are in their generation wiser than the children of light Luke 16. 8. The spirit of Machiavel and the Jesuits is I feare to be sound in many who would be thought to be at as great a distance from them as the Jewes from Satan when as Christ told them Ye are of your father the divell Such John 8 44. will never be discovered muchlesse prevented in their mischievous devices to hinder good and increase misery unlesse it be by that wisdome which all our adversaries are not able to resist Thus much to shew the necessity of wisdome The third Doctrine Wisdome is to be preferred before all earthly blessings especially wisdome for government in 3. Doctr. Governours It 's hard to looke besides the proofe of this point if we cast our eyes into the booke of Proverbs Thus we read in the third chapter Happy is the man that findeth wisdome and the man that getteth understanding For the merchandize of it is better than the merchandize of Silver and the gaine thereof than fine Gold c. And in the fourth Prov. 3. 12 13. chapter Wisdome is the principall thing therefore get wisdome and above all thy getting get understanding Exalt her and she shall promote thee c. Yet further in the eighth Ch 4. 7. chapter Receive my instruction and not Silver and knowledge rather than choice Gold For wisdome is better than Rubies and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it Surely there is a worth in wisdome more Ch. 8. 10. 11. then we doe readily believe or commonly apprehend The Holy Ghost useth no repetition in vaine If it were discerned as it is it would inflame us with the love of it * Si oculis cerneretur mirabiles sui amores excitaret Cicero de Off. lib. 1. And yet some caution must be used in our estimation of it We may not compare it with the love of God in Christ Nor with any saving grace when we speake of politique wisdome But it 's better 1. than long life A sinner may doe evill an hundred times and his daies be prolonged Or 2. then riches There is a sore evill which Eccles 8. 12. I have seene under the Sunne riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt 3. It 's better than victory over Ch. 5. 13. enemies If that be not well improved as it seldome is our shame and misery may be the greater in the end as Vincere scis Hannibal c. it was with Saul in conquering the Amalekites with Ahab when he tooke Benhadad prisoner and with Alexander who quickly skipt over the world like a Goat according to Daniels prophecy and touched not the ground Dan. 8. 5. as if he had flowne in the ayre rather than marched with an Army on earth But this great horne was soon broken and all his glory like Jonahs gourd grew up and withered Jonah 4. 6 7. all in a day 4. It 's better also then successe in businesse for that is common to wise men and fooles The race is Eccl. 9. 1● not to the swift c. Wisdome prepares the heart to beare all events and make advantage of them 5. Yea we may truely say it 's better than any single vertue All graces without it lose their lustre Patience is folly and cowardize Zeale madnesse Courage and resolution is rashnesse Justice cruelty And mercy a forfeiture of our selves into the hands of the living God And what shall I say for the benefit of it It directs Governours how to discharge their duty to God and man aright in all respects This one alone shall suffice to be instanced in in stead of all the rest All the precious stones in the Priests brest-plate were not be compared with the Urim and Thummin knowledge of that which ought to be done and a readinesse in doint it makes a compleat man a compleat Christian and a compleat Ruler Wherein consists the excellency of Christ as King of the Church but in this that the Spirit of the Lord Isa 11. 2. rests upon him the spirit of wisdome and understanding the spirit of counsell and might the spirit of knowledge and of the feare of the Lord But will any kind of wisdome suffice Governours No. It must be wisdome for government a Sapientiam quam a Deo Solomon postulavi● non eam intelligo qua fit a est in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sed potius quae ad res greendas facit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seu 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 consuevit appellari P. M. A wisdome to direct them how to goe in and out How to order all their affaires and each part of their Office upon all occasions to right ends by a strait rule in due season with respect to all circumstances that what is done may be just honourable seemely and most gracefull A wise mans heart discerneth both time and judgement Eccl. 8. 5. And the wisdome of the prudent is to understand his way Prov. 14. 8. David was short of Solomon in point

arisen among us who have thrust themselves into the Lords Vineyard It 's no lesse then persecution so they commonly give out to desire that their suspicious opinions may be examined according to the Word of God and they commanded to forbeare the publishing and spreading of them for the present There be many dangerous bookes abroad dangerous at least I le say no more The names of certaine books which have crept abroad of late Liberty of Conscience The bloody Tenent The compassionate Samaritan John Baptist From among your selves there did one arise the forerunner of all these called the Interest of England which is the rather to be taken notice of because it gave occasion to the rest The Calling of Ministers the power of Magistrates in matter of Religion the Law of God it selfe are all strucke at As touching the Calling or Office of Ministers I 'le say nothing for the vindication of it lest I might seem partiall Our Lord Christ Jesus whose we are and whom we serve will right himselfe as he pleases upon all those who revile any Ordinance or Servants of his owne appointing You will not be wanting to your selves Your worke is easie if it be no more then to repeale all Lawes already made in matter of Religion and to bind your selves from ever medling in such matters hereafter One of those bookes * The bl●o●y ●●nen● is reported to be burnt by Order The shell is sometimes throwne into the fire when the kernell is eaten as a sweet morsell But I am perswaded better things of you though I thus speake I beseech you see the Law of God righted Never thinke those men will make mans Law a rule to walk by whatsoever they pretend who disclaime Gods owne Law in that respect Consider also what helpes God hath graciously provided for The seventh ●onsideration your encouragement and the encreasing of your wisdome and improve them You have the prayers of many faithfull Ministers ordinary and extraordinary More Sermons have been preacht unto your eares and printed for your eyes then for any one Parliament yea then for all the Parliaments that have been before you There are some daily consulting by your Authority what advice to give you in matters of Religion They have not such titles among them as Arch-Bishops Bishops Deanes Arch-Deacons and it may be they are not looked upon as equally learned but I hope they will approve themselves both able and faithfull I 'me sure they love you better and more sincerely And I believe you consult with them not as Ahab with Micaiah with a great deale of prejudice Nor as the Elders and people of the Jewes with Jeremiah (a) Jer. ●2 5 6. who pretended faire for thus they spake The Lord be a true and faithfull witnesse betweene us if we doe not even according to all things for the which the Lord thy God shall send thee to us whether it be good or whether it be evill We will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we send thee that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God But when it came to triall this was the conclusion Ch. 44 16 17. As for the word that thou hast spoken to us in the name of the Lord we will not harken unto thee But we will certainely doe whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our owne mouth c. Nor as Henry the eighth with the masters of the new learning See the preface before Bishop Cranmers confutation of unwritten verities as the first endeavours for Reformation were called to have their consent that all Ecclesiasticall Revenue might be alienated from Ecclesiasticall use and be disposed of by Him arbitrarily which they opposed and thereupon he made the Whip with six strings to scourge them withall I meane the six Articles which drew out the heart blood of many of them But as Cornelius and his friends with Peter We are all here present before God to heare all things that are commanded thee of God (b) Acts 10. 33. Goe on as you have begun and reverence their advice The Father of lights make his owne waies plain both before them and you to walke in They consult the good of the Kingdome but they also stand in need of your wisdome and authority as for their vindication from unjust aspersions so also for necessary supplies to uphold them in their worke Yet againe for your selves Consider the speciall things The eighth consideration wherein Solomons wisdome did appeare and follow them close as you have occasion He peremptorily denied unreasonable Petitions though preferred by his owne mother in his brothers behalfe (c) 1 Kings 2. 23 Some thinke him too severe in the judgement against Adonijah for point of death (d) Sir W. Ralegh in Hist of the World 1 part 2 b. 18 ch 1 sect but I never heard of any who suspected his wisdome in refusing to grant him Haggith He that blames the one gives strong reasons for the other You have multitude of Petitions before you and may have more I make no question but you will distinguish of them Onely remember delays are denials it 's as great an injury not to heare and grant some as it would be to yeeld unto all (e) 〈…〉 9. 2. He tooke the first opportunity to execute justice on grand delinquents Joab Shimei A●iathar c. and would not leave them to offend a second time Mercy is so good it 's a thousand pitties it should be misplac'd 3. He judged her to be no true mother who would have the living child devided (f) K●ng● 3. 27 And certainly they are without naturall affection who desire to have the Kingdom still divided to make wars endlesse 4. He set himselfe to build the Temple for the Lord before he built his owne house (g) 1 Kings 6. ●8 compared w●t● 7. 1. Oh that we had sought God in due order in this respect Let us redeeme the time 5. There was order beauty and comlinesse in all things belonging to his Kingdome (h) 1 Kings 10. 4 5. Order and beauty is the end which you aime at hasten to it apace and let not all runne into confusion 6. The beginning of his reigne was in blood onely for execution of justice his latter end was peaceable and that peace most glorious Your beginnings were the same let it not repent you be true to your principles and we shall see alike glorious issue Consider also his failings and beware of them 1. He had The ninth consideration many wives even seven hundred Wives Princesses and three hundred Concubines (i) 1 Kings 11. ● Let not us have as many Religions There 's some anology between the one and the other 2. There was in his daies first a connivance at Idolatry then open toleration and withall Apostacy His wives turned away his heart after other gods vers 4. He built an high place for Chemosh