Of E leflion. the Captivity ofBahylon, yet Go~ reflored all again to a greater glory at Iaf\: ~ The Ground was that in Per[. 68. Zton whtch he loved, Chap. 6, ~ IV. Inflance. in David, and Saul, and Solomon. Aud this lriflance follows next in that Pfa/m and endeth it, Va[. 70. He ~hojt alfoDavid his Servimt, &c, You know I have in the preceding par~ of this Difcourfe alledged Vavid as the great Pattern of Grace, in ordenng all things about him for his Salvation, and lhadowed forth in his dealings with him about his kingdom; yet behold , God thought not enough to /hew– Mercy limply and abfolutely to V avid' 1 own perfon , but fet up Saul toge– ther with.him, yea indeed afore him , as a foil of a contrary difpenfation to illuf\ratc his Grace towards V ,zvid. As for Saul, you know what once Samu– d faid to him, as from God, I Sam. to. 6, ]. Andthr Jpirit of thr Lord will ~omt upo11 thee, and thoufhalt prophifie with them, and /ha116e turned into another man, &c. Yet in a lhort rime God foon takes the advantage .,fa fin of his, upon which to declare his reje~ion of him from the Kingdom. Arid ever after that, upon every occafion, he withdrew from him more and more, till at lafl be anfwered him neither by V rimnor by Thummim, nor any other way, but gave him up to enquire of a Witch; a practice the moH contrary 10 his mofl avowed Principle; for of all other wickednelfes, he had been zealous again{\ that. Vavid committed as great a Sin, yea greater by far than that fir{\ of Sauls Sins was, for which God rejelled him; Then Solomon his Son, who had the Covenant of Grace entailed upon him, together witll Vavid, and he committed greater Sins for kind, than that ot Sat•l's was, or V.Jvid's either. Stml's fir[\ fatal Sin was but worlhipping the true God a few hours afore Samurl came, and he was in great di!lrefs, which moved him fa to anticipate it, and be had that aw of God in it, that he would not go to Battail without having Sacrificed firfl. WherGas Solomons Sin was the permitting the worfhip of falfe Gods, of Devils, yea, and build– ing Temples for them on the Hill oppofite to Mount Sion, where the Temple flood; concerning whom the Prophet thus fpeaks, I Kings I 1. H· Becaufe they have for[rlfun me, andhave worfoipptdAlhtoreth the Goddefl of the Zi– donians,Chemofh the Godoftht Moabites,andMilcomthe God ofthe ChiJdrm of Amman, a11d h<tve not walkedi~ my ways, to do that which u right in mineeyes , flnd m-keep my Statutes mtdmy Judgments , as did David hi& Fa– ther. This Charge you fee lies upon many more than Solomon, but yet in the laf\ words thereof, there is a fling that turns all that guilt upon Solomott, in thofe words, As didDavid hi& Fflther. The Indictment lies again{\ him', as he that ca ufed lfrarl to Sin; aggravated by this alfo, that he had the Ex– ample of fo good and holy a Father as V•vid: Notwithflanding all which, God yet profe!fethhe would not take the kingdom away in his days, but that he ffiould be a Prince entirely over the whole, all the Days of his Life; as in thef ollowingVerfe H· and after his death, he left to his Poflerity that part whtchGod had chofen ollt of all the Tribes , .Vrrf. rz.. as alfo in Verf. J6. And u11to hu So" wtll lgtve one Trtbt, that Dav1d my Strvant may have a tight always 6tfore me in Jerufalem, the City which I have chofen to put my 1Jame there. Again, what was an other of Saul's great Sins, but perfecuting of Vavid whom God had declared and anointed King in his fie ad, by the Prophet? So– lomon d1d the very fame, in th~ like cafe of Jtroboam, his being anointed, I Kmgs I L 40, yet Lo,, what fays God in 2 Sam. 7· 1 j, I4, '5· Bilt my Mere;• /hall not dtpart away from him as I took tt from Saul, whom I put awa7 6e– fore thee, God was_not contented to exprefs his Grace limply, as in and to theiC own Perfons dtfcovered, but would needs add, a1 1took it from Saul , whomipm awayaforethu; that is, in thine own view, afore thine own !•~e. So then, _God in this his de_aling with Sattf ( bcfides what was of Jufiice m 1t towards hts Perfon) had tliu great a1m tn a, to cafl a luflre on D,,vid's Y z Mercies:
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