falling of a great Prince in Israell within an howre or two of the sun saw not the dawning but the faire rising and appearing of an other Sol occubuit nox nulla sequuta est Hir Sonne reigned No stranger vnto vs no sonne nor daughter of Spaine nor Sonne from that Sonne of perdition no Catholicke King as they falsly vsurpe the name but borne in the same continent descended of the same bloud knowne by the same language bred in the same religion And though not filius vteri for hir pignora were hir merita hir vertues hir issue yet filius regni the next to inherit the kingdome I haue heard from an honourable person whose wisedome and fidelity I rest vpon though shee were euer tender and sparing in that point because solem Orientem omnes we are all prone to worship the sun rising and ambulant omnes cum adolescente secundo qui consurgit PRO â—O that being asked not many howres before hir death who should succeed hir in hir throne shee answered No filius terrae who then None but a King what king VVho but the king of Scots the right was his as much as to saie Salomon filius meus as when Bethshabe came to David not long before his end said vnto him My Lord o King the eies of al Israel are vpon thee vt indices eis quis sedere debeat in solio tuo and Nathan seconded hir My Lord o King hast thou said Let Adonias reigne after mee the king answered Bethshabe Salomon filius tuus regnabit post me post me pro me after me and for me that J bee not mist. It is true that through the vse of so many Halcyon yeares we were growen to a great daintinesse Sic imbuti vt non possemus nisi optimuÌ„ ferre so long invâ—ed with an excellent Queene that none could haue liked vs but as excellent a King What shal I then say Mortua est quasi noÌ„ est mortua quia reliquit simileÌ„ plus quam similis hic preteritis melior venientibus author a paragon to those that are past a patterne to al that shal come after I could leaue my Text behinde in a number of circumstances For Salomon filius in my Text was Salomon puer Salomon very yonge Salomonem filium meum elegit deus adhuc puerum tenellum and you knowe what that meaneth Dabo pueros principes eorum 3. Esay but Salomon filius in my application is Salomon vir Salomon a man in the peâ—fit aequilibrium and stablest state of his age and both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a man and a king of ripest perfection as hauing sitten so longe at the sterne of a mightie kingdome Salomon filius in my Text was but filius a sonne no other sonne from him but Salomon filius in my application is Salomon pater a father of many children of either sexe whom hee may liue by the will of God to make princes ouer diuerse nations Loquutus es Domine Deus de domo servi tui in longinquum VVee trust Lorde thou haste spoken of the house of thy seruant for manie generations to come Et coept is non deerit fascibus haeres that Shiloh shal come againe before the sceptre of our Israell shall depart from one of this line Salomon filius in my text regnavit pro eo a man for a man Salomon filius in my application pro eâ a man for a woman Is that nothing Though nec Censum nec sexum eligit Deus God is not tyed to sexe nor substaunce and wee shall neuer repent vs that our leader so many yeares was a Deborah not a Barak and amongst the daughters of men I thinke the earth neuer bare a worthier but hir that bare the Lord of heauen and earth yet cateris paribus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nature hath more enabled the stronger sexe to vndergoe this burthen But the summe and comprehension of all is that this filius is Salomon filius Salomon hir Sonne That is Rex pacificus a verie vinculum pacis communis terminus betwixte nation and nation that hath pulled downe the wall of partition and is come ouer on this side of Iordan and planted the Tribes of his Jsraell his people on both sides the riuer and ioined not Roses but Realmes togither the Augustus of this latter vvorlde that hath broken swords into sithes speares into Mattocks the stiller of wars extinguisher of rebellions nec timens bella nec provocans seeking after peace not shunning his enimies Againe SalomoÌ„ the wise a Prince of incoÌ„parable wisdom As that queene of the South came to the other so this Queene of the North hir selfe the woÌ„der of the world might haue stood wondred at the wisedome of this SalomoÌ„ Hath he neuer spoken sentences parables and reasoned of trees beasts and birdes like an other Chrysippus de quâlibet re propositâ rather a right SalomoÌ„ indeed hath he neuer opened his mouth in Parliament held the eares of his Nobles CoÌ„mons with the cheine of his tongue not lesse then some howres togither without intermission and that with truer purer eloquence then euer Tertullus did delivered not opinions but oracles of the most important affaires Neuer sitten in counsell and overlooked his eies Never beene present as great Constantine at the conferences of his Bishops not an hearer but a iudge decider of controuersies Haue we not heard him in this place assoiling arguments defining states of questioÌ„s in both your Philosophies law physicke diuinity not without astonishmeÌ„t of your selues the professours Js there almost a worthier prompter textuary in the world witnes his dayly howrely eiaculations in that booke of the Law which by the law of the Lord ought neuer depart from the hand of a king for which he should euer be calling Da magistrum hath he never written bookes yea and interpreted commented vpon the holy scriptures themselues VVhat can I adde O Salomon the learned the Philosopher the Diuine the Writer the Ecclesiastes a Salomon in all points To omit his theories with manie experiments proofes of his practick wisdome wherin hee hath abouÌ„ded since he came into this land the interpreting of that Caiphas-like prophecy in the hart of him that wrot but happy evaÌ„gelicall letters as the goodnes of God disposed theÌ„ against those bloudy daies of Pur it was a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 indeede wherein puluis pyrius had the cheefe part and out of a blase of paper collecting a blast of that neuer enough abhorred abominated powder-treason I take not to bee lesse if not much more then Salomons doome betwixt the 2. harlots Postremò adhuc nemo extitit cuius virtutes nullo vitiorum confinio laederentur At principi nostro quantâ— concordia quantusque concentus omniuÌ„l audum omnisque gloriae
his kingdome shall there neuer be an end I come now to the prototypes the right David Salomon which my text speaketh of Thus David the Sonne of Ishai c. Where you see there are two persons David and Salomon and accordingly two partes first the cession or decease of the one secondly the succession and supply of the other In the person of David I obserue especially the 2. principal verbes Regnauit he reigned and mortuus est he died for in these two is his whole storie comprised Of the former it is said Regnavit super vniversum Israelem I will not so much nuÌ„ber as weigh my words But if super had stood alone in my text regnavit had beene away it had attributed some dignity vnto David more then others Where man is over but beasts as the shepheard over his flocke which was sometimes the case of David and as Amos over his heardes nay where beasts but ouer beasts as the tallest and goodliest Bee is over the Bees and the armies of Grashoppers and Ants haue their leaders wheresoever super is found it importeth a superiority excellencie preheminence and a kinde of ability vertue and skil which the inferiours submit themselues vnto Thus the minde is over the body reason ouer the appetite the head ouer the foote the Sun and Moone over the rest of the starres because God hath enriched magnified them with some greater measure of grace and dignified them with a note of honour more then others But here is more then a super in my text a superiority supreme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an high commaunding authority man ouer man nullum morosius animal nec maiori arte tractaÌ„dum not as a father is ouer his sons nor a Lord over his servants nor a captaine ouer his hundreths and fifties over limited and determinate chardges not by iudicature alone as Samuell and the Iudges nor by way of Lieutenantship deputation subordinate prefecture whatsoever but as a King over subiects Regnavit he reigned a proconsul viceroy for God a mortall God imago the next and most glorious vpon earth administrantis omnia Dei able to say of himselfe Ego ex omnibus mortalibus placui electusque sum qui in terris deorum vice fungerer I am chosen out of thousands to sit in the seat of God and execute his iudgements There is yet more Super IsraeleÌ„ Og was king over Basan Seon ouer the Ammorits others ouer other the kingdomes of Canaan Infamous kings infamous kingdoÌ„s the names of the one writteÌ„ the carkasses of the other laid buried in the earth Great Assuerus over an 127. prouinces the great Emperor of the Turks over 72 kingdomes 3. Empires to omit the rest were not comparable to Dauid reigning ouer Israell The rest are populus non populus by the phrase of the holie ghost turba that is turbata multitude a body without an ey Israel is the people the peculiar the inheritance the beloued treasure the Sonne the first borne of the Lord the king over Israel primogenitus regum excelsus praeregibus terrae where though there bee not multiplicata gens as els where yet is there magnificata laetitia lesse store of people more abundaÌ„ce of grace not vasta eremus a wast desert but ciuitas vnita ornata Sparta hortus aromaticus ager cui benedixit dominus 27. Gen. 7. a Citty at vnitie in it selfe a sanctified Country a garden of spices a feild that the Lorde hath blest as hauing the true worship and feare of the Lord and the booke of the Law of God to direct both the king as touching his ordinances and the people concerning their obedience where the king is not as in other countries only murorum for outward and bodily defense but sacrorum also to see to the honour service of God Rex idem hominum Christique sacerdos There yet remaineth a fourth point to make vp a quadrate and perfitt honor of the king blessing of God vpon him and that is super vniuersum Isr. over al Israell There are that are but reguli or regij 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the 4. of Ioh. such as in likelyhood were the 31. Kings that fought against Iosuah 12. Ios. those other fiue that Abraham followed and put to flight only with his houshold seruants and in the opinion of some writers the 3. frendes of Iob and those 3. supposed kings of Colen of whom Caesar Baronius the Casar Dictator of writers as one tearmeth him reporteth that by an accustomable phrase of scripture they may bee tearmed Kings as Lords are wont to be of seueral townes and citties David far differently is king ouer all Israell Not as Charles the 7. of France beeing excluded the rest of his Kingdome was called in sport Rex Biturigum Rex sine terrâ not as Saul at the first when but a band of men followed him whose hart the Lord had touched the other asked how shall he saue vs Not as Dauid himselfe whilest Isboseth vsurpeth against him Dauid is King ouer al Israel So as hitherto he is 1. a principall man a go uernour and superiour bycause super 2. a principall superiour a King because regnauit 3. a principal king because super Israelem 4. an obsolute monarke a sole and a whole king because regnauit super vniuersum Isr. These are the 4. wheeles whervpon the heigth of his honor runneth witnesse the Lord himselfe when he capitulateth with him 2. Sam. 12. 7. after this manner I haue anointed thee king ouer Israell and haue giuen thee the house of Israell and Iudah siparua sunt ista if this bee too little as indeed it was very great then J wil giue thee much more Now we haue seene the honour let vs a while examine the person on whom it is coÌ„ferred Regnavit super vniversum Israelem who Filius Isai. The Son of Isai. Where is Ionathan the meane time or some other of the Sonnes of Saul the king his predecessour at leastwise a man of the tribe of Beniamin from whence their first king was taken Who is this Isai that his Sonne should be aduanced to the kingdome The most that I finde of him in the booke of God is that he was an Ephrathite of Bethleem Iuda et erat vir in diebus Sanl senex graÌ„daevus inter viros that is at the vttermost with the helpe of the English marginal note accompted among them that bare office David himselfe when first the eldest daughter of Saul Merab was profferred vnto him at his combate with Goliah asked Quis ego sum VVho am I or what my condition or what the kinâ—ed of my father in Israel that I shoulde be sonne in Law to the King Afterwardes when Michel was designed to him and the seruants of the King were sent to proue him his answere was seemeth it a smal thing vnto you to become sonne in law to the
king Ego autem sum vir pauper tenuis To conclude The Sonne of Isai grew in the end to be a proverbe and word of reproach as in the speech of Saul to the Beniamites Heare now yee sonnes of Iemini will the sonne of Isai giue every one of you fieldes and vineyards c. that yee haue all conspired against me So Doeg the Edomite when he complained of Ahimelech the Lords Priests I saw said he the sonne of Isai there it was the best title he would vouchsafe him But admit the sonne of Isai must be king ouer Israell Why David filius Isai this sonne of Isai more then all the rest If Eliab the sonne of Isai in whom Samuell the Seer saw enough to enable him to the kingdome surely the anointed of the Lord is before him his primogeniture stature many things making therevnto or if Abinadab the second or Shammah the third or any one of the eldest it might lesse haue beene woÌ„dred at Are there no more but these said Samuell the father answered Adhuc reliquus est parvulus pascit oves There is yet behinde a little one that keepeth my sheepe But that gleaning is more then all the other haruest reliquiae salvabuntur reliquiae regnabunt This same reliquus parvulus pastor ovium this little and least and absent neglected vnsanctified not called to the sacrifice scarce euer thought vpon must be king ouer Jsraell So the Lord himselfe putteth him in minde of the best that he saw in him Ego tulite de pascuis sequentem greges What shall we say to this but that he who is rex regum dominuus dominantium Deus Deorum ens entium and causa causarum God and Lord ouer all as dominus vitae to giue vs breath and being so dominus gloriae to bring vs to promotion hee whose throne is the heauen of heauens and the earth his footstoole whose garment Majesty and his diademe perfit beauty and the sceptre of his kingdome a sceptre of equity who sitteth vpon the circle of the earth and diuideth this punctum among the sonnes of men whose priuiledge and right vnquestionable is per me reges regnant his might vnconquerable Dominus regnavit iraâ—cantur populi The Lord is King be the people never so vnpatient hee that putteth downe the mighty from their seat exalteth the humble and meeke that setteth seruants on horse backe and maketh Princes to walke on foote which lifteth the poore out of the dust placeth them with the Kings of the earth which weigheth the Kings in a ballance and findeth them to light and maketh the iudges of the earth vanity nothing as if they had never beene planted neuer sowen Finally hee at whose feete the Kings in the Reuelation cast downe their Crownes as if in effect they saide Non nobis Domine non nobis Lord these are not ours wee tooke them at thy handes thine is the kingdome and power and glorie for euer and euer I saie hee that is all in all to shew the libertie of his actions and soveraigntie of his power and that promotion commeth neither from the East nor from the VVest but from himselfe alone chooseth the weake things of the worlde to confounde the strong c and things that in comparison are not to bring to nought things that are If Ionathan had beene elected to the kingdome hee might haue saide Dignitas mea electa est if Eliab at as mea electa est God respecteth neither VVith him are olde and young noble and ignoble weake and strong all alike For as hee giveth the place so grace also annointeth both with oile and with his Spirit inuesteth into honour and inspireth with abilitie for gouernment both at once For so it is saide that from that date forward that the oile was powred vpon his head the Spirit of the Lorde prospered or grewe exceedingly vpon David Meruailous is the dispensation of God in the disposition of earthlie kingdomes Some reigne by Vsurpation some by election some by succession some by acquisition and purchase of sworde some by sortition or augurie some by imposition from men as Herode was put vpon the Jewes others from God as Saul appointed ouer Jsraell Some are borne of Kings and no Kings other Kings that had not Kings to their Fathers Some nati ad regnum heires apparant to the Crowne yet misse it others nati regno of whom the world neuer thought The wheele of Gods prouidence is euer in motion and holdeth a strange course according to the verse Regnavi saith one King in his declination regno saith an other in his possession and at the height of the wheele regnabo saith a thirde in his ascension sum sine regno the fourth cast out of his kingdome David was neither natus ad regnuÌ„ borne to a kingdome nor any Son of a king had no one suffrage in election pretended no title to succession in the earth much lesse sought to be king by intrusion yet by imposition and ordination from God is appointed king ouer Israell Hitherto you haue heard I that the sonne of Isai 2. David the sonne of Isai 3. was over 4. reigned ouer 5. Israel 6. all Israell It followeth And the space that hee reigned over Israell was 40. yeares seuen yeares reigned he in Hebron and 33. yeares reigned he in Ierusalem So as he not only reigned but reigned long to weete fourty years the time alowed by God to many the worthiest Judges and kings Gedeon iudged Israel 40. yeares Dauid was king 40 Salomon his sonne 40 Asa 40 Queene Elizabeth 40 vpwardes our Gracious Soueraigne that now is ouer Scotland alreadie 40 with aduantage J hope our Kalenders and Chronicles shal report to posteritie ouer England no lesse Amen sic loquatur dominus Deus domini mei regis Jt was the word of Benaias 1. Reg. 1. 36. Saul Act. 13. is also said to haue reigned 40. yeares but by the iudgment of the learned twenty of those yeares must be accoÌ„pted to the iudicature of Samuel Jt is a signe that they honored patreÌ„ saeculi the father of eternity with their gouermeÌ„t blest their mother natiue contry that their daies were so loÌ„g not only of life but of reigne in the Land which the Lord their God gaue theÌ„ Omnis potent atûs vita breuis saith the sonn of Sirach Hominum breuis regum breuior and by later experience it was found pontificum breuissima Men liue not loÌ„g kings a shorter time Popes shortest of al of some of which might be verified as Tully somtimes spake of their Consul habuimus vigilantes pontifices they skarse euer slept in the roume Dauid by the fauour of God both liueth and reigneth long For the clearer distinction and elucidation of the times it is added seauen yeares in Hebron which was as it were the childhood and apprentiship of his gouernment the storie