Conrem p lations. R&HOBOAM. Ho would not but have looked tlut fevcn huodred wives, & three hundred concubines, lhould have f•roilhed S''""'"' PJlace with choyceofhdres, and have peopled l frad with royall ilfue ~ and nowbehold, sJ'"''" h>tb by all thefo bur one Son .and him by an Ammonitelfe:Many apooreman bath an houfe-foll ofchildren by one wife ;whiles this~reat King bath bur one fon bymany houfefulls ofwives: Fortility is not from the meanes, but from the author:It was for S•t.mm that DAvid fungofold;L•,<hi/dms ~re •~ bais•gt~ftbt Lord; A»dthtfruitof the.,ombtil hil ""'"d: Ho1v oft doth God deny this heritage of heyres, where he gives the largeft heritage oflands; and gives moft ofthefe livino polfellions,where he givesleall ofthe dead!tbat his bletlingsmay be acknowledged free unto both 1 entailed upon ndther. As the greatdl: perfons cannot give themfdveschildren,fo the wifeft cannot give their children wifdome: Was it not of l!ehob,.m rh1t S•l•mo» faid; 1 bAted AIJ m1 I•· D b1ur whi&b I hAd t.itnundtr theSunnt,btt••fe I jbou/d ltavt iton/0 t!Jt mAn th41 p,.!l be •fur nu; A»dwho knDilltth .. btt~tr he {/14/l bt • wi(e m•• or afiole: Ttt befo•Uruleovtr •I my l.h1ur, wbtrein I h•vtl•b~tmJ, ,,.,; jbewtdmy folfi rr~~ft undtr the Su11m ~ All lfrael found that S•l"'""' witwasnot propagated: Many a f,oJe harh had a wifer fonn<, then thi• wifeft father: Amongft many foones it rs no newes to finde fome one defective: Salomon bath butooe lon,and he no miracle ofwifdome: God gives purpofely fo eminent an inftance, ro reach men to looke up to heaven, both for beires and grae<s. SA/om,. was both theKing of lfrael,and the father of Rtho~DAm,when he was fcarce out ofhis childhood 1 Rehoh04m enters into theKingdomeat a ripeage; yet S4/•m•n was the man, and Reh•hw,.the childe: Age is no juft meafure of wifdome:There are E beardleffe fages,and gray-headed children: Nor the ancient are wife, but the wife is ancknr.Ifrael waored not for thoufands that were wilcr then Reho~OAm: Yet becaufe they knew him to be the fonnc of S alonsou, no man makes qudflon of his govern. ment: In the cafeoffuccellion into Kingdo;nes we may not looke into the qualities of the perfon, but into the righr. So fecure is S•lomon ofthe peoples fidelity toD•· vids fted, that he followes not his fathers example in fetting his fonne by him,in his owne throne: herewasnodanger ofa rivaliry to enforceit; noeminency in the fon to merit it; Ir fufficeth him to knmv that nobond can be furertheo thenarurallallegcance of fubjects: I doe not finde that the following Kings ftood upon theconfirmltion of their people ; bur as thofe that knew the way to their throno, afcended theirftcps without aid;A' yet the foveraignry of D•vids houfe was greene, and unfctled; Ifrael therefore doth not no1~ collle to attend l!eboh,.m, bat l!ebobullf goes up
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