THE BLESSING OF A GOOD KING Deliuered in Eight Sermons vpon the storie of the Queene of the South her words to Salomon magnifying the gouernment of his familie and kingdome By THOMAS GIBSON Minister Eccles 10. 17. Blessed art thou ô Land when thy King is the sonne of Nobles AT LONDON Printed by Tho Creede for Arthur Iohnson Dwelling at the signe of the white Horse in Pauls Church-yard 1614. TO THE RIGHT HOnourable the Lord Harington Baron of Exton Thomas Gibson wisheth all true happines both in this life and in the life to come MY purpose Right Honourable in the dedication of these sermons was to haue ioyned your Honourable father with that worthy Citie whereof he was a principall member and had speciall command and authoritie which place he much respected and loued and where he was againe much respected and honoured The ioy and ornament of the Citie was his name and countenance the very report and newes of whose decease was the cause of many a watrie eye and of many a heauie heart But their speciall comfort and ioy is that the Lord hath in mercy prouided so gratious an heire so worthy a successor so vertuous a fauourer as of all that are honest religious so most of all such as haue beene the faithfull friends and intire louers of your Honourable father who himselfe was a louer of all learning religion and of all good men a true worshipper of God zealous in the truth a sincere professor friend of the Gospell a fauourer of faithfull Ministers a worthie member both of Church and common-wealth a faithful dutiful seruiceable and rare subiect like Moses in faithfulnes in meekenes and in zeale against Idolatrie like Iob a iust man fearing God and eschewing euill like Nathaniell a true Israelite without guile Finally a man full of grace pietie curtesie humilitie temperance and other both morall and christian vertues I am not able to commend him according to his deserts that requires a larger discourse and it would perhaps proue an increase of sorrow which is rather to be abated then renewed I will therefore bend my selfe to administer comfort for so great a losse a losse so generall to Church and common-wealth Friends and followers Tenants and seruants and for my owne part I cannot but beare a part in sorrow for the losse of so kind a Patron and Benefactor both to me and mine Yet this is the vse of the prayses of the dead not onely for imitation of their vertues but also for the coÌ„fort of friends aliue And is this a small comfort Right Honourable that you had such a father yea a comfort and blessing it is to be of the seed of the righteous It is a further comfort that you enioyed him so long till your selfe came to ripenesse of yeares that he died in a good age full of daies few of his Auncestors liued longer and howsoeuer he left this life in a strange countrey yet no doubt he died in the true faith of Iesus Christ which he sincerely professed all his life and in the honourable and faithfull seruice of his gratious Soueraigne the Lords annointed It is no wonder that old men die rather it is a wonder in these latter daies that any liue so long Moses in his time made account of mans ordinarie age to be threescore yeares and ten Now the world decayes and the daies of our life is shortned We heare daily of the death of Infants children young men yea Princes taken away in the prime and strength of their yeares what maruell then though the ancient â—ie when the apple is ripe it must needs fall when the candle is spent the light must needs goe out This vse we are to make of the death of young or old to remember alwaies our mortall state and the vncertaintie of our life to be alwaies readie and prepared not to regard but contemne the lusts of the flesh the lust of the eie and the pride of life pleasures honours riches and the vanities of this wicked world Many moe comforts we haue against excessiue and immoderate sorrowe for the death of our best and dearest friends as to consider what they leaue a miserable world and whither they goe to the hauen of happinesse The best sort of the Heathen vsed three remedies against such kind of sorrow First to consider that death is common to all and vnauoydable Secondly that it is the end of miserie and hauen of rest Thirdly that it is likely that the soules liue and are blessed We haue the same and more sure comforts We know that our Redeemer liues and that wee shall see him as hee is Wee know not onely the immortality of the soule but the glorious resurrection of the body and that those that dye in the Lord are blessed Nothing comes to passe without Gods pouidence who is wise and mightie We pray that his will may be done both of vs and in vs. It will nothing auaile vs to torment our selues we are borne to dye many thousands are gone before vs and we must follow Pardon my boldnes right Honourable in presuming to put you in minde of these thinges which both by your own priuate reading and publicke heauing of many worthy men you doe already know and vnderstand sufficiently Yet in my loue to your Honour giue me leaue to adde some further instruction It hath alwaies beene the endeuour of Sathan the common aduersarie of mans saluation by all means possible to draw all sorts degrees and ages of men from the true care and studie of religion and vertue to the effecting whereof hee hath from euery estate his pretended colours and faire pleasing shewes of perswasion alluremeÌ„t perswading the elder sort that it is a thing vnseemely vnbefitting their grauitie to become schollers in Christs schoole seeing their heads are filled with other matters namely of the Common-wealth and affaires of this world Hee can tell the middle sort which are in the prime of strength and witte that it is against all equitie and reason that such should bee depriued of the pleasures and delights of the flesh and the world And as for the younger sort hee will easilie make make them beleeue that it is not yet time to serue God that the points of religion are too high for them and able to dull and trouble their tender wits buzzing into their eares that wicked prouerbe A young Saint an olde Diuâ—ll Thus by his will he would haue none religious because he would haue none saued but rather that all should perish and come to vtter ruine and destruction It is a torment and vexation vnto him to see any well disposed in religion but if wee hearken to the counsell of God in his word wee shall soone finde Sathan herein a lyer a murtherer a seducer For the Lord chargeth all sorts and degrees of men to giue themselues and that betimes to religion and vertue commaunding his law to bee read and published to men women and
you which will also doe it Brethren pray for vs. Yours alwaies in the Lord Iesus Thomas Gibson THE PRINCIPALL matters handled in euery Sermon The Contents of the first Sermon THe summe of the Bookes of the Kings and Chronicles The exceâ—lencie of the speaker of the parâ—â—e to whom these words are spoken and the excellencie of the matâ—er it selfe Eight marks of good hearers from the example of this Queene Verâ—ue and religion is to be praysed in any Against vaine glorie and hunting after the praise of men Diuers opinions of men touching true happinesse No perfection of happinesse in this life but in another Some description of that happinesse Our chiefe thoughts desires and affections are to be vpon that The Contents of the second Sermon THe diuision and difference of wisedome Salomons chiefe wisedome reuealed in the Prouerbes Ecclesiastes and Canticles True wisedome to be found onely in the Scriptures It consisteth in the knowledge of God and of our selues No perfection of wisedome in this life True wisedome alwaies ioyned with religiâ—n and vertue Three kinds of hearing the word The chiefe felicitie of this life to heare and obey wisedome The necessitie excellencie and profite of diuine â—isedome and of the ministerie of it The vnhappinesse of such as want it or seekâ— to stoppe the course of it or refuse to â—eare it or contâ—mne mockâ— it or profite not by it Causes why men profit not in wisdomes schoole The Contents of the third Sermon THe vanitie of such as repose felicitie in riches pleasures or honours The word of wisedome to bee reuereâ—tly and carefully heard We are to preferre it before all things eagerlie thirsting after it and reioycing in it We are to loue the publike assemblies to be arken to this wisedome read or preached and to despise no meanes of grace Wee are often in secret to conferre and meditate of it and to maintayne the credit of it by godly conuersation Wee are to hate all falshood and follie as enemies to wisedome Wee are to loue wisedome when it is most hated and persecuted in the world A comfort to the true sonnes and daughters of wisedome An application to the Auditors The happinesse of that Citie The necessitie and blessing of often and plâ—sntifull preaching The example of this Queene applyed to the shame of the Iewes and of vs. The Contents of the fourth Sermon THe example of the Niniuites and of diuers others alledged and applyed to the further condemnation of this our age The power of diuine wisedome Signes of true conuersion in this Queene Salomon a figure of Christ but Christ more excellent then Salomon Religion belongeth to all women much more to men and to great persons most of all The Contents of the fift Sermon THe pietie of this Queene in worshiping the true God God to be blessed for all his benefites The loue of thâ—â— Queene not enuying the prosperitie of Salomon but ioying and praysing God for it We are specially to reioyce and prayse God for the Kingdome of Christ God the disposer of Croâ—nes and Kingdomes All things fall in loue to Gods children A testimonie of Gods loue to bee called and fitted to high places Godâ— benefites to Salomon and his great felicitie Salomons great and grieuous fall in his olde dâ—yâ—s Some of the learned doubt of his saluation Arguments to proue his rising and repentance and that he could not finally perish The great danger of prosperitie Great and good Princes subiect to falling Some begin wâ—ll and end ill Instructions for young and old age The haynonsnesse of vncleane lusts and of Idolatrie It is most dangerous to mâ—tch with Idolaters Idolatrie not to bee tollerated for the sauour of any We are not to be offended at the fall of Princes or Preachers Their bad liues scandalous Their callings and doctrines not to be contemned The right vses of the falles of Saints The Contents of the Sixt Sermon A Good King is a rare blessing of God The originall of Kings and of diuers kinds of goâ—ernment The power of a King Miesticall The rushnesse and ficklenesse of people loathing and misliking Gods ordinance Bad Princes are of God in wrath to a people Their sinnes from themselues their callings from God Such Princes not to be resisted Such as are chosen in loue performe their dueties Many glorious titles of Princes in Scripture The like titles giuen to Ministers There is great affinitie agreement betwixt the callings of Magistrates and Ministers Good Rulers are to defend and countenance good Ministers The duetie of Princes and Rulers They must gouerne themselues their families and the people The summe of the seuenth Sermon THe true felicitie of Princes They are chiefely to regard the common good of the people Of lawes of Iudges of execution of lawes All notorious offenders to bee grieuouslie punished Good vses of such punishments Idolaters Heretikes and false Prophets are to dye the death All to bee compelled to the outward seruice of the true God Comforts to Magistrates punishing offenders Great offences not to be remitted Princes 〈◊〉 to be mercifull not cruell They are to comfort countenance the good and by kindnesse to winne the hearts of the people The Contents of the eight Sermon PRinces are to defend their subiects against forrayne enemies and oppressions at home Priuate men are not to reuenge themselues The haynousnesse of oppression Two worthie patternes of Iudgement and Mercie Against oppression by vsurie That the poore are to bee prouided for by the Magistrates Motiues to that duetie Caueats and comforts for the poore The care of religion belongeth to Magistrates Vses of the doctrine of Magistrates Ioy and thanksgiuing for the King We must be willing to learne of any THE FIRST SERMON 1. Kings 10. 8. 9. 8. Happie are thy men happie are these thy servants which stand euer before thee and heare thy wisedome 9. Blessed be the Lord thy God which loued thee to set thee on the throne of Israel because the Lord loued Israel for euer and made thee King to doe equitie and righteousnes THe whole scripture saith the Apostle is giuen by inspiration of God and is profitable to teach to improue to correct to instruct in righteousnes that the man of God may be absolute being made perfect vnto euery good worke As all and euery scripture serueth for these holie vses so especially these bookes of the historie and Chronicles of the Kings of Iuda and Ierusalem For here are not onely many examples of vice and vertue but here is described the true knowledge and worship of God the confutation of Idolitrie and false worship the true forme and patterne of all reformation of disorders The dutie and blessing of good Kings the ruine of the wicked the estate of the Church the care and protection of God for it Here we are taught that God is the chiefe Monarch the disposer the chiefe gouernor of kingdomes that the happines of Kings consisteth in maintaining true religion and
doctrine of saluation speaking in sinceritie as of God in the sight of God casting from them the cloakes of shame neither handling the word of God deceitfully but in declaration of the truth approuing themselues to the consciences of all good men There be many worthie meÌ„ in our Church of excellent gifts and graces whose ministrie hath beene powerfull to call many thousands from sinne and error to truth and holines to the conuersion and sauing of soules Our Church holdeth the true foundation it setteth it selfe by doctrine and sword against all heretickes it hath bredde many worthy Martyrs it is a true witnes keeper interpreter and translator of the holy scripture it is an helper and harbourer of the Saints and it doth truely call vpon the name of the true God and hath the true word and Sacrament the essentiall markes of the true Church What cause then is there of separation from vs though there be great oddes betwixt these two kindes of Recusants the one in greater degree of error then the other Yet we dare bouldly say to them both as Saint Paul saith to the Corinthians who began to contemne their Apostle Paul and to get other teachers If he that commeth saith Paul preacheth an other Iesus then him whom wee haue preached or if you receiue an other spirit then that which you haue receiued either an other Gospell then that you haue receiued ye might well haue suffred him As if he should say If any man can preach a better Iesus a better Gospell a better spirit they might hearken to him but indeed none could doe it And therfore he saith in an other place Though that wee or an Angell from heauen preach vnto you otherwise theÌ„ that which we haue preached vnto you let him be accursed As we said before so say I now againe If any man preach vnto you otherwise then that you haue receiued let him bee accursed We preach the true Iesus according to the scriptures that there is no Name vnder heauen that wee can be saued by but by him that hee is both true God and man that he is the King the Priest and Prophet of his Church we preach the true Gospell containing the doctrine of Faith and Repentance To this doctrine is ioyned the true spirit the spirit of Adoption the spirit of boldnes of comfort and sanctifâ—cation If any of them can teach a better Iesus a better Gospel a better spirit we will harken to them The Papists they teach hold many things corruptly of Christ Iesus the sonne of God ouerthrowing the power and ende of his comming and derogating from him the glory of our owne and full redemption by their Masse and manie Mediators they abolish the Priesthood of Christ by the Popes supremacie making him the vniuersall head of the Church they diminish dishonor and quite ouerthrow the Kingly Office of Christ by their owne Inuentions and vaine Traditions they take away his Propheticall office their Gospell is full of superstition and Idolatrie adding and diminishing at their pleasure making newe Articles and new Sacraments their spirit is a spirit of Error of Ignorance of doubting and torment But to let these goe and to come to the other It may beâ— some will say that they hold the same Iesus and Gospell with vs Let it be graunted that they and wee agree in all matters concerning Faith and saluation as it may appeare by their owne confession of Faith wherin there is nothing that is sound and Orthodoxall but they receiued it from vs Many of them specially of their founders and first beginners were bredde and borne amongst vs they had their faith if they haue any their knowledge the word and SacrameÌ„ts from vs they confesse they holde the same things with vs and other Churches touching matters of Faith the more shame for them to flie and run away from vs as though they had some better Iesus some better Gospell then wee haue where as all may see that they haue no other And therefore their separation is most vnkinde and ridiculous Let the best reformed churches in the world who haue giuen vs the right hands of fellowship Let them I say be Iudges between vs them or let the scriptures theÌ„selues truly opened applied be the true touch-stone triall betweene vs. Let them shew bring forth one scripture commanding or one holy example approuing such a separation from such a church from such ministers holding professing teaching that which they do from wheÌ„ce you your selues haue receiued all the good things which you holde maintaine or professe in matters of Religion So that you might say as Carneados a Philosopher was woont to say of his Maister and reader Chrisippus If it had not bene for Chrisippus I neuer had bene any body So might you say If the pride of your heart will suffer you If it had not beene for the church of EnglaÌ„d many of you could neuer haue had Bible Faith nor knowledge in the matters of your saluation Now you doe very ill requite the fathers that begot you the mother that bare you thus to flie from them to accuse slaunder reuile and curse them Herein you deale as Aristotle dealt with his maistar Plato who hauing gotten great Learning from his master did after oppose himself against him and by all meanes sought his disgrace and discredit Therfore Plato was wont to call Aristotle a Mule because when shee hath filled her self with her mothers milke she will beate her damme with her heeles Plato signified by this the ingratitude of Aristotle for when he had receiued from Plato the principles of Phylosophie and encrease of knowledge therein he became enemy to the schoole of Plato and with his Familiers and Schollers did alwayes contend and striue against Plato If the dealing of these men bee not as harde and vnkinde against our Church let any reasonable indifferent men iudge And are they not too neere like the Viper who gnaweth out the dammes bellie and so liueth by the death of her damme But of the vnthankfulnes of these men to God their Prince and this Church we shall speake of it in an other place For this time I referre them to the iudgment of two worthy men writing iointly vpon the 13. chap of the Prouerbs 13. verse the words are these He that despiseth the word shall be destroyed but he that feareth the commandement hee shall be rewarded This sentence say they will presse so vpon the Brownists who are become bitter despisers of the Ministrie of Iesus Christ by separating themselues from the Churches of God and deprauing all the holy meanes of saluation howsoeuer they preteÌ„d to stand for sinceritie yet they resist it taking vpon them to be chaÌ„pions for Christ his kingdom they fight against it though their argumeÌ„ts seeme to be grounded on the word yet being well sifted they proue meere falacies haue no agreement with the meaning of the holy Ghost in the
and a sincere loue to the word And aboue all things let vs pray hartily and continually to the father and founder of all good gifts for the blessings of all good lessons and instructions to our soules let vs confesse our owne weakenes and say in our soules with the spouse to her husband Christ Drawe me and we will runne after thee Finally let vs pray with Dauid be beneficiall to thy seruant that I may liue and keepe thy word open mine eyes that I may see the wonders of thy lawes I will runne the waies of thy commandements when thou shalt inlarge my heart Teach me ô Lord the way of thy statutes and I will keepe it to the end Giue me vnderstanding and I will keepe thy lawe yea I will keepe it with my whole heart Direct me in the path of thy commandements for therein is my delight Incline my heart to thy testimonies and not to couetousnes turne away my eyes from regarding vanitie and quicken me in thy way Looke vpon me and be mercifull to me as thou vsest to doe to those that feare thy name Direct my steppes in thy word and let none iniquitie haue dominion ouer me Teach me to doe thy will for thou art my God Let thy good spirit lead me vnto the land of righteousnes And in an other place Teach me thy way ô Lord and I will walke in thy truth Knit my heart to thee that I may feare thy name And let vs pray with the Prophet Ieremie Heale me ô Lord and I shal be whole saue me and I shall be saued for thou aâ—t my praise turne thou vs vnto thee ô Lord and we shall be turned And indeed the calling and conuersion of a sinner is the great worke of God as great as the worke of our creation And indeed what is our conuersion but an new creation for God that commandeth light to shine out of darknes is he which shineth in the he arts of his children conuerted It is he that must make both the eare and the heart tractable and flexible It is he that both must make vs willing to doe good and also able to doe good It is he that must inwardly perswade the heart and by his spirit teach vs inwardly before we can be truely conuerted Let therefore ministers of the word giue attendance to reading exhortation and doctrine Let them stirre vp the grace of God that worthy thing in them Let them be faithfull and wise stewards in disposing the secrets of God Let them preach sincerely diligently and feruently Let their affections and life be vpright and holie Let them be wholy possessed with the desire of Gods glory with the loue of Christ and with loue to the soules of the people and then their ministrie shall be acceptable to God If not powerful to conuert yet to confound their recompence shall be with the Lord their labour shall not be in vaine in the Lord. We are vnto God saith the Apostle the sweet Sauiour of Christ in them which are saued and in them which perish to the one we are the Sauiour of death vnto death and to the other a Sauiour of life vnto life and who is sufficient for these things And seeing that Paul is nothing Apollos is nothing but the effect and blessing is of God Let them striue and wrastle with them by humble and hartie prayer continually vehemently priuately and openly for the assistance of his spirit and the blessing of their labours that he would perswade Iapheth that he might dwell in the tents of Shem that he would circumcise the hearts and eares of the people and take from them the vaile that hindreth as ignorance prophanes vnbeleefe hardnes of heart and such like That he would power water vpon the thirstie and floods vpon the drie ground That hee would take away their stonie hearts and giue them hearts of flesh that so they might walke in his statutes finally that he would giue them vnderstanding hearts that they might be fulfilled with the knowledge of his will in all wisedome That they may discerne the things that differ that they may be pure and without offence vntill the day of Christ That they may walke worthy of the Lord and please him in all things that the same signes of conuersion may be seene in their people as were truely found in this woman And indeed many if not all the notes of good hearers which in the beginning I obserued in her are true signes and notes of her calling In that she takes so great paines and bestowes so much cost to seeke for true wisedome In that she is so carefull to enquire and search out the truth of religion In that she speaketh and thinketh so reuerently of Salomon her teacher reposing true happines in true wisedome and stirreth vp others to be of her minde these and sundrie other are signes and tokens of her conuersion She speaketh not like a Pagan Heathen or Idolater but like a worshipper of the true God she blesseth him and confesseth him to be the disposer of kingdomes and acknowledgeth Israell to be Gods people and howsoeuer before either by secret inspiration or by report she heard of the true God of his worship and of Salomons wisedome yet now she doth fullie taste the truth of it in her owne soule the secrets of her hearts are made manifest shee worshippeth God and saith plainely that God was in that place The diuine wisedome of Salomon had parswaded this daughter of Iapheth to come to the tents of Shem to be a member of the visible Church and to imbrace the truth of religion and no doubt she went ioyfully home and indeuoured by all meanes possible to establish the lawe and worship of the true God in her owne countrie Our Sauiour as you haue heard commended this woman and ioyneth her with the Niniuites who no doubt truely repented though many of them fell away afterwards It is true that all the Kings of the earth sought the presence of Salomon to heare his wisedome that God had put in his heart as we may see in this chapter I doe not say that all these were called and conuerted It may be many of them came to heare and see newes rather for humane then diuine wisedome to see the glory and royaltie of Salomon the beautie of the Temple and his Pallace which he had builded or vpon some other sinister respects Among so many this woman is especially named singled out and commended yea a whole storie is recorded of her and not of the rest the cause of her comming was religion She lost not her labour but got fruit and profit by her comming and sheweth plaine testimonies of her conuersion Indeed something is said of King Hyram that he euer loued Dauid and when he hard the words of Salomon he reioyced greatly and said Blessed be the Lord this day which hath giuen to Daâ—id a