LIB· XVII. Salomons defe8ion. A was S•l•mm;the beloved of God,the Oracle,the miracle ofwifdome. Who would havclooked but that the blo!fomes offo hopefull a fpring, lhould have yeelded 3 goodly and pleafant fruit,in the Aurumneof age~ yet behold even S•l•m•Rs old age vicious. There is no time wherein we can be Cafe,wkiles we carry this body offio a. bout us:Youth is impetuous,mid-age!lubboroe,old age weake,all dangerous:Say nor now ; The fi"J ofmy youthfoUjl-flm iuver, I fo•ll henctforth finli• "'1 htlll't ea/me a11d imprrgnable; whiles thou fee(\ old S•lomm doting upon his Concubines, yea upon their Idolatry. It is no prcfuming upon time,or meanes,or Clrengrh : how many have begun and proceeded well,who yet have lhamed themfdves in their laC! llage? IfCod uphold us nor,we cannot Cland:lfGod uphold us,we cannot fa!,when we are atthe llrongell iris the bell to be weakein our [elves ; and when at our weake!l, llrong in him, in whom we can doe all things. · 1cannor yet think fo hard of S•/•m<»,thlt he wodd projea his perfon to v.lfhtt· r1th the goddelfe of the Sidonians,orMilchom the Idol of theAmmonites, or Chemolh the abomination of Moab: He that knew all things from thelhrubtothe Cc. dar,could not be ignorant that thefe Clarues were but Clocks,or llones,or metals, and the powers rcfembled by them,Devils.lt isnot like he could be fo infenfate ro adore fuch Deities; but fo farre was the uxorious King blinded with affe61ion,that he gave not palfage ontly to the Idolatry ofhis heathenilh wives, but furtherance. So did he dote upon their perfons, that he humored them in th.eir fins : Their a61 is therefore his,b<raufe his eyes winckt at ir; his hand advanced it : He that built a C Temple ro the living God,tor ~infdfe & Ifrael in Si'?n, built a Temple to Chemoth in the mount ofScandall,for Ius mt!lretl'es ofMoab,tn the very f.ce ofGodsHoufe: No hill about Jerufalem was free from a Cbappell ofDevils:Each ofhjs dames had their Puppets, their Altars,their incen(e; Becaufe S•lomon feeds them in. their fuper- !lition he drawes the finne home to himfelfe, and is branded for what he lhould have f~rbidden. Evenour very permiffion appropriates crimes to us: Wee need no more guilrinetl'eofany finne, then our willing toleration. Whocan butyearne, and feare ro feethe wofullwracke of forich and goodly a velfdl ~ 0 Sai,,M,wert not thou he whofe youger yeares God honoured with a melfage and ftile oflove?To whom God twice appeared;and ina gracious vifion renewed the covenant of his favour! Whom he lingled out from all the gt:ll<ration D ofmen to be the found<r ofthat glorio·us Temple, which was no letl'e cleerely the Type ofheoven,then thou wett ofChriCI theSon of theeverliving God ! Werr nor thou that d<ep Sea ofwifdome which God ordained to fend forth rivers and founrainesof all dtvine,andhumane knowledge to all Narions,toa)lages!Werr notthou one ofthofe fdect Secretaries, whofe hand it pleafed the Almighty to imploy in three peeces ofute divine monuments offacred Scriptures~Which of us dares ever hopcr0 afpire unto thy graces!Which ofuscan promifeto fecure our felves from thy ruines~We faii,O God, we fall to the lowcC! hell, ifrhou prevent us nor, ifthou luClaine us not;Vpholdthou me amrdiwg llth1Wordth•tl may li'TJe,Antl lttme not bea/hamtdofmy l11pe.order myjltps in thy word,<t not•n1 iniquity h•vedo111iniii over me, All our weaknelfc is in our fdves,all our llrength is in thee, 0 God, be thou!lrong E in out weaknelfe, thatour weake ~nees may be ever lleddy in thy llrength. But in the mid!l ofthe horrorofthis fpeaacle(ablc to affright all thefonsofmen) behold fame glimpfe ofcomfort:was ir of S•lom•n thatD•.,Jdhis father prophefied; Th011gh hefoll,he fbaO nitbe utterly c.JI downeiforthe LorJ •pholdtth himwit!. hilh•wd: Iffenlible grace, yer fin>ll mercy was nor takea from that beloved ofGod; In the bardell of this winter, the fap was gone downe to the root, though it thewed not in the branches : Even whiles S•lomon removed, that word !load fall, He fb•D bte "'1 fonnt, and I will be hil f•thtr, He that forefaw his finne,threarned and limited his corretlion,If ht bre.ke"'J.Jiatutts, andkeep not my m»mandtmtwts, then will I <Ji.flt hil rr,.firefion with a rsd, •udt.il/niq«it1 with jlripes; Ntvertheltj{t m1 l•ving kindntffi will! nit utttrl1 taktjiom him,norfujfer "'1 f•ithfulntiJt to fi ilt; M7 CovtnA»t will !not bmke;nDT •Iter the thing tbat ilgont DNI o[T»J R1DIIth; Behold the favour of God doth
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