·, .L u. XVI I. Salomons choice, &c. the more able to beare,had carried away both thechild and thevittory:Thecounce. A nance ofeither of the mothers hewrayed an equality ofpaffion 1 Sorrowpoffel!cd theone, forche fonne !he had loft; and rhe.othcr, forch~ fonne !he_was in daogcrco leefe: Both \V ere equally peremptory, and Importunate ID tbm cla~me; It" in vain to thinke char the true pare can be difcerned by the vehemence of their chal!cooe : Fa!!hood is oft-times more clamorous then truth ; No wimeffes can be prodllc:d . They cwo dwdc apart u~der on~ roofc:and if fome ndghbours have fcene the chit: dren at thm bmh, and ctrcumcifion, yet how !mle dlfkrcncc, how much change is there in the favol!r oflnf.tnts ~ how doth deathalter more confirmed lines? The impoffibility ofproofe makes the guilty more co~fidom, more impudent; the true mother pl<~ds that her chdd was ta~en away afmidmght by the other; bur B in herflecp;fhe faw It nor,fhe ~de It not: and d al_l her fenfes.could have witneffed it, yet, hue was but the affirmanon of the one,agamfr the demall ofthe other,which in perfons ali~c cred_ible ?oe ~ut counterpoi~e. What is there now to lead the Judge, tincethere IS nochiDg either ID the a~, or Circumftanccs, or p<rfons, or plea, or eyi. dcDcc that might f''!'aythe fente~ce~S•l•!"'~ 'Yd faw that when all outward proofes f.tiled,there was an ID Ward affetlion, which IfIt could be fcccht out, would certainly bcwray the true mother; he knew farrow might more ealily be diffembled then na. turalllove; bothforrowed for theirowne, hoch could not love, one, as theirs : To draw forth then this true proofeofmotherhood, SAl'"'"' cals for a fword: Doubtldfe,fome of the wifcr hearers fmilcd upon each other; and thought in themfdvcs What,will the youngKing cucthcfe knotty caufcs io pccccs ~ Will he divide jufric~ wichedgetooles~ will he fmiteathazardbeforc conviction! The a<ltionsofwifc C Princes ore ridles to vulgar con!!tuctions 1 neither is it forche lhallo\Y capacities of the multitude ro fadome the deep projeelsof Soveraigne authority : That fword which had fervcd for execution,!hall now fcrve fortryall;Divideye the livingchild In '""'• •ndgive the ••• h•lft to thunt,& tht othtrh•lfe tot~e .,htr10hdivioe or.aclc ofJ ufti~e, commanding that which it would not have done, tharit might findc out chat which could not be difcovered!Neither God,oor his Deputies may befo taken at their words,as if they alwaies intended their commands for adion,and not fame. times for pcobacion. This [word hathalrcady pierced the brcaft of the true mother; and dividcd her heart with fearc, and griefe at fo killing'a fcoteocc : There needs no other racke to D difcovcr nature1and now lhe chinks,wois me char came for jufticc,and am anfwered with cruelty1DI<JiA't yetht living child? Alas,what bath rhar/oorc infant offended ~ that it furvivcs,aod is fued for~ Howmuch leffe miferable ha I been, that my •hilde had bceo [mothered in my llecp,theo mangled before mine eyes~ If a dead carcaffe could have fatisfied me, I needed not to have complained: What awofull condition am I !aloe into,who amaccufed to have been the death ofmy fuppofcd childcalrca. dy,and now !hall be_the death ofmy owne~ Ifthere were no loffe.ofmy childc, yet how can I endure this cormeftt ofmine owne bowels~ How can I hvc ro fee this pare ofmy fdfe fprawling under that bloodyfword?Andwhiles lhe chiokes thus,fhe fucs to that fufpetled mercy ofher juft Judgc,oh"'J Lord,give her thtlivi~gchild,& Jl•y h;;, ""' as chinkiog,ifhe live he !hall but change amother ; ifhe die, his mother loE fcth a fon;whiles hclives,ic!hall be my comfort that I have a fon,though 1 may not call hi111 fo: dying,hc peri!heth to both;it is better he lhould live towrong a mother, then to neither: Conttatily her envious competitor, os holding her fdfc wdl fatisfi. ed that herndghboor !houldbe as childleffe,as her fdfc,cao fay,LIIIt he neithlrmine "" thlnt,~•l dlviJeit; Well might S•l•mon,and every hearer conclude,thatdcher lhc was no mother, or a monftcr, that could be cootent with themurder ofher childe; and that if n1e could oave been the true mother, and yet have deftred the blood of her infant, !he had been as worthy to have been ftript ofher childc for fo foulc uo. naturalocs,as cheocher had beenworthy eoenjoy him for her honcft compaffio.Not more juflly then wifely therefore dochS•l•m•ntracc the truemotherby thefootfteps oflove,& pity;&adjudgeth the child tothofe bowels that had yemcd at his danger. Even in morality it is thus alfo:Truth as it is one,fo it loves iotirendfe ; falfhood, Ee e cc z divition: ll55
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