heart of Absalom is guided by a power aboue their owne Hushai shall therefore preuaile with Absalom that the treason of Absalom may not preuaile He that worketh all in all things so disposeth of wicked men and spirits that whiles they doe most oppose his reuealed will they execute his secret and whiles they think most to please they ouerthrow themselues When Absalom first met Hushai returned to Hierusalem he vpbraided him pleasantly with the scoffe of his professed friendship to Dauid Is this thy kindnesse to thy friend Sometimes there is more truth in the mouth then in the heart more in iest then in earnest Hushai was a friend his stay was his kindnesse and now he hath done that for which he was left at Hierusalem disappointed Achitophel preserued Dauid Neither did his kindnesse to his friend rest here but as one that was iustly iealous of him with whom he was allowed to temporize he mistrusts the approbation of Absalom and not daring to put the life of his master vpon such an hazard he giues charge to Zadok and Abiathar of this intelligence vnto Dauid we cannot be too suspicious when we haue to doe with those that are faithlesse We cannot be too curious of the safetie of good Princes Hushai feares not to descry the secrets of Absaloms counsell To betray a traitor is no other then a commendable worke Zadok and Abiathar are fast within the gates of Hierusalem their sonnes lay purposely abroad in the fields this message that concerned no lesse then the life of Dauid and the whole kingdome of Israel must be trusted with a maid Sometimes it pleaseth the wisdome of God who hath the varietie of heauen and earth before him to single out weake instruments for great seruices and they shall serue his turne as well as the best No counsailour of state could haue made this dispatch more effectually Ionathan and Ahimaaz are sent descried pursued preserued The fidelitie of a maid instructed them in their message the suttletie of a woman saued their liues At the well of Rogel they receiued their message in the Well of Bahurim was their life saued The sudden wit of a woman hath choked the mouth of her Well with dried corne that it might not bewray the messengers and now Dauid heares safely of his danger and preuents it and though weary with trauell and laden with sorrow he must spend the night in his remoue Gods promises of his deliuerance and the confirmation of his kingdome may not make him neglect the meanes of his safetie If he be faithfull we may not be carelesse since our diligence and care are appointed for the factors of that diuine prouidence The acts of God must abate nothing of ours rather must we â—abour by doing that which he requireth to further that which he decreeth There are those that haue great wits for the publique none for themselues Such was Achitophel who whiles he had powers to gouerne a state could not tell how to rule his owne passions Neuer till now doe we finde his counsell balked neither was it now reiected as â—ll only Hushaies was allowed for better he can liue no longer now that he is beaten at his owne weapon this alone iâ— cause enough to saddle his Asseâ— and to goe home and put thâ— halter about his owne necke Pride causes men both to misinterpret disgraces and to ouerrate them Now is Dauids praieâ— heard Achitophels counsell is turned into foolishnesse Desperatâ— Achitophel what if thou be noâ— the wisest man of all Israelâ— Euen those that haue not attained to the hiest pitch of wisdome haue found contentment in a mediocritie what 〈◊〉 thy counsell were despised 〈◊〉 wise man knowes to liue happily in spight of an vniust contempt what madnesse is this 〈◊〉 reuenge another mans reputation vpon thy selfe And whiles thou striuest for the hiest roome of wisdome to run into the grossest extremitie of folly Worldly wisdome is no protection from shame and ruine How easily may a man though naturally wise be made wearie of life A little paine a little shame a little losse a small affront can soone rob a man of all comfort and cause his owne hands to rob him of himselfe If there were not hier respects then the world can yeeld to maintaine vs in being it should be a miracle if indignation did not kill more then disease now that God by whose appointment we liue here for his most wise and holy purposes hath found meanes to make life sweet and death terrible What a mixture doe we finde here of wisdome and madnesse Achitophel will needs hang himselfe there is madnesse He will yet set his house in order there is an act of wisdome And could it be possible that he who was so wise as to set his house in order should be so mad as to hang himselfe That he should be carefull to order his house who regarded not to order his impotent passions That he should care for his house who cared not for either body or soule How vaine it is for a man to be wise if he be not wise in God How preposterous are the cares of idle worldlings that prefer all other things to themselues and whiles they looke at what they haue in their cofers forget what they haue in their breasts The Death of Absalom THE same God that raised enmitie to Dauid from his own loines procured him fauour from forrainers Strangers shall releeue him whom his owne sonne persecutes Here is not a losse but an exchange of loue Had Absalom beene a sonne of Ammon and Shobi a sonne of Dauid Dauid had found no cause of complaint If God take with one hand he giues with another whiles that diuine bountie serues vs in good meat though not in our owne dishes we haue good reason to be thankfull No sooner is Dauid come to Mahanaim then Barzillai Machir and Shobi refresh him with prouisions Who euer saw any childe of God left vtterly destitute Whosoeuer be the messenger of our aide we know whence he comes Heauen shall want power and earth meanes before any of the houshold of faith shall want maintenance He that formerly was forced to imploy his armes for his defence against a tyrannous father in law must now buckle them on against an vnnaturall sonne Now therefore he musters his men and ordaines his commanders and marshalls his troupes and since their loyall importunitie will not allow the hazard of his person he at once incourages them by his eye and restraines them with his tongue Deale gently with the yong man Absalom for my sake How vnreasonably fauourable are the warres of a father O holy Dauid what meanes this ill-placed loue this vniust mercy Deale gently with a traytor but of all traytors with a sonne of all sonnes with an Absalom the gracelesse dareling of so good a father and all this for thy sake whose crowne whose bloud he hunts after For whose sake should Absalom be pursued if hee must be forborne for thine He
opinion If we giue almes and fast some will magnifie our charity and deuotion others will taxe our hypocrisie If we giue not some will condemne our hard-heartednesse others will allow our care of iustice If we preach plainly to some it will sauour of a carelesse slubbering to others of a mortified sinceritie Elaborately some will tax our affectation others will applaud our diligence in dressing the delicate viands of God What maruel is it if it be thus with our imperfection when it fared no otherwise with him that was puritie and righteousnesse it selfe The austere fore-runner of Christ came neither eating nor drinking they say He hath a Deuill The sonne of man came eating and drinking they say This man is a glutton a friend of Publicans and sinners and here one of his holy acts carries away at once wonder censure doubt celebration There is no way safe for a man but to square his actions by the right rule of iustice of charitie and then let the world haue leaue to spend their glosses at pleasure It was an heroicall resolution of the chosen vessell I passe very little to be iudged of you or of mans day I maruell not if the people maruelled for here were foure wonders in one The blinde saw the deafe heard the dumbe spake the demoniacke is deliuered Wonder was due to so rare and powerfull a worke and if not this nothing We can cast away admiration vpon the poore deuices or actiuities of men how much more vpon the extraordinarie workes of omnipotencie Whoso knowes the frame of heauen and earth shall not much be affected with the imperfect effects of fraile humanitie but shall with no lesse rauishment of soule acknowledge the miraculous workes of the same almightie hand Neither is the spirituall eiection worthy of any meaner intertainment Raritie and difficultie are wont to cause wonder There are many things which haue wonder in their worth and leese it in their frequence there are some which haue it in their strangenesse and leese it in their facilitie Both meet in this To see men haunted yea possessed with a dumbe Deuill is so frequent that it is a iust wonder to finde a man free but to finde the dumbe spirit cast out of a man and to heare him praising God confessing his sinnes teaching others the sweet experiments of mercie deserues iust admiration If the Cynick sought in the market for a man amongst men well may we seeke amongst men for a conuert Neither is the difficultie lesse then the rarenesse The strong man hath the possession all passages are blockt vp all helpes barred by the trecherie of our nature If any soule be rescued from these spirituall wickednesses it is the praise of him that doth wonders alone But whom doe I see wondring The multitude The vnlearned beholders follow that act with wonder which the learned Scribes entertaine with obloquie God hath reuealed those things to babes which he hath hid from the wise and prudent With what scorne did those great Rabbins speake of these sonnes of the earth This people that knowes not the Law is accursed Yet the mercie of God makes an aduantage of their simplicitie in that they are therefore lesse subiect to cauillation and incredulitie as contrarily his iustice causes the proud knowledge of the other to lie as a blocke in their way to the readie assent vnto the diuine power of the Messias Let the pride of glorious aduersaries disdaine the pouertie of the clients of the Gospell it shall not repent vs to goe to heauen with the vulgar whiles their great ones goe in state to perdition The multitude wondered Who censured but Scribes great Doctors of the law of the diuinitie of the Iewes What Scribes but those of Ierusalem the most eminent Academie of Iudea These were the men who out of their deepe-reputed iudgement cast these foule aspersions vpon Christ. Great wits oft-times mis-lead both the owners and followers How many shall once wish they had beene borne dullards yea idiots when they shall finde their wit to haue barred them out of heauen Where is the Scribe where is the disputer of this world Hath not God made the wisdome of the world foolishnesse Say the world what it will a dramme of holinesse is worth a pound of wit Let others censure with the Scribes let me wonder with the multitude What could malice say worse He casteth out Deuils through Beelzebub the Prince of Deuils The Iewes well knew that the Gods of the heathen were no other then Deuils Amongst whom for that the Lord of Files so called whether for the concourse of flies to the abundance of his sacrifices or for his aide implored against the infestation of those swarmes was held the chiefe therefore they stile him The Prince of Deuils There is a subordination of spirits some hier in degree some inferiour to others Our Sauiour himselfe tels vs of the Deuill and his Angels Messengers are inferiour to those that send them The seuen Deuils that entred into the swept and garnished house were worse then the former Neither can Principalities and Powers and Gouernours and Princes of the darknesse of this world designe other then seuerall rankes of euill Angels There can be no being without some kinde of order there can be no order in paritie If wee looke vp into heauen there is The King of Gods The Lord of Lords hier then the hiest If to the earth There are Monarchs Kings Princes Peeres people If we looke downe to hell There is the Prince of Deuils They labour for confusion that call for paritie What should the Church doe with such a forme as is not exemplified in heauen in earth in hell One deuill according to their supposition may be vsed to cast out another How farre the command of one spirit ouer another may extend it is a secret of infernall state too deepe for the inquirie of men The thing it selfe is apparent vpon compact and precontracted composition one giues way to other for the common aduantage As we see it in the Common-wealth of Cheaters and Cut-purses one doth the fact another is feed to bring it out and to procure restitution both are of the trade both conspire to the fraud the actor falls not out with the reuealer but diuides with him that cunning spoile One malicious miscreant sets the Deuill on worke to the inflicting of disease or death another vpon agreement for a further spirituall gaine takes him off There is a Deuill in both And if there seeme more bodily fauour there is no lesse spirituall danger in the latter In the one Satan wins the agent the suitor in the other It will be no cause of discord in hell that one deuill giues ease to the body which another tormented that both may triumph in the gaine of a soule O God that any creature which beares thine Image should not abhorre to be beholden to the powers of hell for aid for aduice Is it not because there is not a God
nature deare in their acceptation eternall in their vse So are the ordinances of God in his Church holy comfortable irrefragable So is the perfection of his glorified saints incomparable vnconceiuable In Situation the outer parts were here more common the inner more holy and peculiarly reserued I finde one Court of the Temple open to the vncleane to the vncircumcised Within that another open only to the Israelites and of them to the cleane within that yet another proper only to the Priests and Leuites where was the Brazen Altar for sacrifice and the Brazen sea for washings The eies of the Laitie might follow their oblations in hither their feet might not Yet more in the couered roomes of the Temple there is whither the Priests only may enter not the Leuites there is whither the hie-priest only may enter not his brethren It is thus in euery renewed man the indiuiduall temple of God the outward parts are allowed common to God and the world the inwardest and secretest which is the heart is reserued only for the God that made it It is thus in the Church visible the false and foule-hearted hypocrite hath accesse to the holy ordinances of God and treads in his Courts only the true Christian hath intire and priuate conuersation with the holy one of Israel He only is admitted into the Holy of holies and enters within the glorious vaile of heauen If from the walls we looke vnto the furniture What is the Altar whereon our sacrifices of praier and praises are offered to the Almightie but a contrite heart What the golden Candlesticks but the illumined vnderstanding wherein the light of the knowledge of God and his diuine will shineth for euer What the Tables of Shew-bread but the sanctified memorie which keepeth the bread of life continually Yea if we shall presume so farre as to enter into the very closet of Gods oracle Euen there ô God doe we finde our vnworthy hearts so honoured by thee that they are made thy very Arke wherein thy Royall law and the pot of thine heauenly Manna is kept for euer and from whose propitiatorie shaded with the wings of thy glorious Angels thou giuest the gratious Testimonies of thy good spirit witnessing with ours that we are the children of thee the liuing God Behold if Salomon built a Temple vnto thee thou hast built a Temple vnto thy selfe in vs We are not only through thy grace liuing stones in thy Temple but liuing Temples in thy Sion Oh doe thou euer dwell in this thine house and in this thy house let vs euer serue thee Wherefore else hast thou a Temple but for thy presence with vs and for our worshipping of thee The time was when as thy people so thy selfe didst lodge in flitting Tents euer shifting euer mouing thence thou thoughtest best to soiourne both in Shilo and the roofe of Obed-Edom After that thou condescendedst to settle thine abode with men and wouldst dwell in an house of thine owne at thy Ierusalem So didst thou in the beginning lodge with our first Parents as in a Tent Soiourne with Israel vnder the law and now makest a constant residence vnder the Gospell in the hearts of thy chosen children from whence thou wilt remoue no more they shall remoue from the world from themselues thou shalt not remoue from them Wheresoeuer thou art ô God thou art worthie of adoration Since thou euer wilt dwell in vs be thou euer worshipped in vs Let the Altars of our cleane hearts send vp euer to thee the sweetly-perfumed smokes of our holy meditations and faithfull praiers and cheerefull thanks-giuings Let the pure lights of our faith and godly conuersation shine euer before thee and men and neuer be put out Let the bread of life stand euer readie vpon the pure and precious tables of our hearts Locke vp thy Law and thy Manna within vs and speake comfortably to vs from thy mercie-seat Suffer nothing to enter in hither that is vncleane Sanctifie vs vnto thy selfe and be thou sanctified in vs. Salomon and the Queene of Sheba GOD hath no vse of the darke lanternes of secret and reserued perfections We our selues doe not light vp candles to put them vnder bushels The great lights whether of heauen or earth are not intended to obscuritie but as to giue light vnto others so to be seene themselues Dan and Beersheba were too strait bounds for the fame of Salomon which now hath flowne ouer all lands and seas and raised the world to an admiration of his more then humane wisdome Euen so ô thou euerlasting King of peace thy Name is great among the Gentiles There is no speech nor language where the report of thee is not heard The sound of thee is gone forth through all the earth Thy name is an ointment powred out therefore the virgins loue thee No doubt many from all coasts came to learne and wonder none with so much note as this noble daughter of Cham Who her selfe deserues the next wonder to him whom she came to heare and admire That a woman a Princesse a rich and great Queene should trauell from the remotest south from Saba a region famous for the greatest delicacies of nature to learne wisdome is a matchlesse example We know Merchants that venture to either Indies for wealth Others we know daily to crosse the seas for wanton curiositie Some few Philosophers we haue knowne to haue gone farre for learning and amongst Princes it is no vnusuall thing to send their Embassadors to farre-distant kingdomes for transaction of businesses either of State or commerce but that a royall Lady should in person vndertake and ouercome so tedious a iourney only to obserue and inquire into the mysteries of nature art religion is a thing past both parallel and imitation Why doe we thinke any labour great or any way long to heare a greater then Salomon How iustly shall the Queene of the South rise vp in iudgement and condemne vs who may heare wisdome crying in our streets and neglect her Certainly so wealthy a Queene and so great a louer of wisdome could not want great schollers at home them she had first apposed with her enigmaticall demands and now finding her selfe vnsatisfied she betakes her selfe to this Oracle of God It is a good thing to doubt better to be resolued The minde that neuer doubts shall learne nothing the minde that alwaies doubts shall neuer profit by learning Our doubts only serue to stir vs vp to seeke truth Our resolutions settle vs in the truth we haue found There were no pleasure in resolutions if we had not beene formerly troubled with doubts There were nothing but discomfort and disquietnesse in doubts if it were not for the hope of resolution It is not safe to suffer doubts to dwell too long vpon the heart there may be good vse of them as passengers dangerous as inmates Happie are we if we can finde a Salomon to remoue them Fame as it is alwaies a blab so oft-times a
lyer The wise Princesse found cause to distrust so vncertaine an informer whose reports are still either doubtfull or fabulous and like windes or streames increase in passing If very great things were not spoken of Salomon fame should haue wrongd him and if but iust rumors were spread of his wisdome there needed much credulitie to beleeue them This great Queene would not suffer her selfe to be lead by the eares but comes in person to examine the truth of forraine relations How much more vnsafe is it in the most important businesses of our soules to trust the opinions and reports of others Those eares and eies are ill bestowed that doe not serue to choose and iudge for their owners When we come to a rich treasure we need not be bidden to carrie away what we are able This wise Lady as she came far for knowledge so finding the plentie of this veine she would not depart without her full lode There was nothing wherein she would leaue her selfe vnsatisfied she knew that she could not euery day meet with a Salomon and therefore shee makes her best vse of so learned a master Now she empties her heart of all her doubts and fils it with instruction It is not good neglecting the oportunities of furnishing our soules with profitable with sauing knowledge There is much wisdome in mouing a question well though there be more in assoyling it What vse doe we make of Salomons teacher if sitting at the feet of Christ we leaue our hearts either ignorant or perplexed As if the errand of this wealthie Queene had beene to buy wisdome she came with her Camels laden with Gold and precious stones and rich odors Though to a mightie King she will not come to schoole emptie-handed If she came to fetch an inualuable treasure she findes it reason to giue thankes vnto him that kept it As he is a foole that hath a price in his hand to get wisdome and wants an heart So is he vnthankfull that hath an heart to get wisdome and hath no price in his hand A price not counteruailable to what he seekes but retributorie to him of whom he seekes How shamefull is it to come alwaies with close hands to them that teach vs the great mysteries of saluation Expectation is no better then a kinde enemy to good deserts Wee leese those obiects which we ouer-looke Many had been admired if they had not beene ouer-much befriended by fame who now in our iudgement are cast as much below their ranke as they were fore-imagined aboue it This disaduantage had wife Salomon with this stranger whom rumour had bid to look for incredible excellencies yet so wonderfull were the graces of Salomon that they ouercame the hiest expectation and the liberallest beleefe So as when shee saw the architecture of his buildings the prouisions of his tables the order of his attendants the religion of his sacrifices shee confessed both her iniust incredulity in not beleeuing the report of his wisdome and the iniury of report in vnderrating it I beleeued not the words till I came and mine eyes had seene it and loe the one halfe was not told mee Her eyes were more sure informers then her eares She did not so much heare as see Salomons wisdome in these reall effects His answers did not so much demonstrate it as his prudent gouernment There are some whose speeches are witty whiles their carriage is weake whose deeds are incongruities whiles their words are Apothegmes It is not worth the name of wisdome that may be heard onely and not seene Good discourse is but the froth of wisdome the pure and solid substance of it is in well-framed actions if wee know these things happy are we if we doe them And if this great person admired the wisdome the buildings the domesticke order of Salomon and chiefly his stately ascent into the House of the Lord how should our soules be taken vp with wonder at thee O thou true sonne of Dauid and Prince of euer-lasting peace who receiuedst the spirit not by measure who hast built this glorious house not made with hands euen the heauen of heauens whose infinite prouidence hath sweetly disposed of all the family of thy creatures both in heauen and earth and who lastly didst ascend vp on hie and ledst captiuity captiue and gauest gifts to men So well had this studious Lady profited by the Lectures of that exquisite Master that now shee enuies shee magnifies none but them who may liue within the ayre of Salomons wisdome Happy are thy men and happy are thy seruants which stand continually before thee and that heare thy wisdome As if she could haue beene content to haue changed her Throne for the foot-stoole of Salomon It is not easie to conceiue how great a blessing it is to liue vnder those lips which doe both preserue knowledge and vtter it If wee were not glutted with good counsell we should finde no relish in any worldly contentment in comparison hereof But hee that is full despiseth an hony-combe Shee whom her owne experience had taught how happy a thing it is to haue a skilfull Pilote sitting at the sterne of the State blesseth Israel for Salomon blesseth God for Israel blesseth Salomon and Israel mutually in each-other Blessed be the Lord thy God which delighted in thee to set thee on the Throne of Israel Because the Lord loued Israel for euer therefore made hee the King to doe judgement and justice It was not more Salomons aduancement to be King of Israel then it was the aduancement of Israel to be gouerned by a Salomon There is no earthly proofe of Gods loue to any Nation comparable to the substitution of a wise and pious gouernour to him wee owe our peace our life and which is deseruedly dearer the life of our soules the Gospell But oh God how much hast thou loued thine Israel for euer in that thou hast set ouer it that righteous Branch of Iesse whose name is Wonderfull Counsellor the mightie God the euerlasting Father the Prince of peace in whose dayes Iudah shall be saued and Israel shall dwell safely Sing O heauen and reioyce O earth and breake forth into singing O mountaines for God hath comforted his people and will haue euerlasting mercie vpon his afflicted The Queene of Sheba did not bring her gold and precious stones to looke on or to re-carry but to giue to a wealthier then her selfe Shee giues therefore to Salomon an hundred and twenty talents of Gold besides costly stones and odors He that made siluer in Hierusalem as stones is yet richly presented on all hands The riuers still runne into the Sea To him that hath shall be giuen How should wee bring vnto thee O thou King of Heauen the purest gold of thine owne graces the sweetest odors of our obediences Was not this withall a type of that homage which should be done vnto thee O Sauiour by the heads of the Nations The Kings of Tarshish and the Iles bring presents the