¶ The prayse of Nathan, Dauid, and Salomon.
CAPI. XLVII.
AFterward in the time of king Dauid / [unspec A] there rose vp a prophet called Nathā: For like as y• fat is taken away from the of∣feryng, so was Dauid chosen out of the chil¦drē of Israell. He toke his pastyme with the lyons and as with kyddes / and with bea∣res lyke as with lambes. Slewe he not a gyaunte when he was yet but yonge / and toke away the rebuke frō his people? what tyme as he toke the stone in hys hande / and smote downe proude Goliath wt the s••inge? For he called vpon the hyest Lorde, whiche gaue him strength in hys ryghte hande / so that he ouerthrewe the myghtye gyaunte in the battyll, that he might set vp the horne of hys people agayne. Thus brought he [unspec B] hym to worshpype aboue all prynces / and made hym to haue a good reporte in the prayse of the Lorde / that he shulde were a crowne of glory, For he destroyed the ene∣mies on euery syde, roted out the Philysty∣nes hys aduersaryes / and brake theyr hor∣nes in sunder / lyke as it is broken yet thys daye. In all hys worckes he praysed the Hyest and Holyest / and asc••ybed the ho∣nour vnto hym. With his whole hert dyd he prayse y• Lorde and loued god that made hym. He set syngers also before the aul∣ter / and in theyr tune he made swete son∣ges, He ordeyned to kepe the holy daies wor¦shypfully / and that the solempne feastes thorowe the whose yeare shulde be honora∣bly holden, with praysynge the name of the Lorde, and with syngynge by tymes in the mornynge in the Sanctuary.
The Lorde toke awaye his synnes, and [unspec C] exalted his horne for euer. He gaue hym the couenaūt of the kingdome, and the trone of worshipe in Israell. After hi there rose vp the wyse sōne called Salomon, and for hys sake he droue the enemyes awaye farre of. This Salomō raigned wt peace in his tyme (for God gaue him rest frō his enemyes on euery syde, yt he myghe builde him an house in his name, and prepare the Sāctuary for euer) lyke as he was well instructe in hys youthe / & fylled with wysdome and vnder∣standinge, as it were with a water floude.
He couered and filled the whole lande with similitudes and wyse prudent sentences.
Hys name wente abrode in the Iles, be∣cause [unspec D] of his peace he was beloued. All lan∣des marueled at his sōges, prouerbes, simi∣litudes, and at his peace, and at the name of the Lorde God, which is called the God of Israel. He gathered golde as tynne, & he had as much syluer as leade. He was mo∣ued in inordynate loue towarde wemen / & was ouercome in affeccyon. He stayned his honoure and worshyppe / yee hys posteryte defyled he also, in bryngynge the wrathe of the Lorde vpon hys chyldren / and sorowe after his ioye: so y• his kyngdome was de∣uyded, & Ephraim became an vnfaythfull / and an vncōstāt kyngdome. Neuertheles God forsoke not his mercy, neyther was he vtterly destroyed because of his worckes, y• he shulde leaue him no posterite.
As for y• sede that came vpō him, which he [unspec E] loued, he brought it not vtterly to naught but gaue yet a remnaūte vnto Iacob, and a rote vnto Dauid out of hym. Thus rested Salomon with his fathers, and out of hys sede he left behynde hym a very foolyshnes of the people, and such one as had no vnder standynge: euen, Roboam, whiche turned awaye the people thorowe his councel, and Ieroboam the sonne of Nabat, ‡ which cau¦sed Israell to sinne, and shewed Ephraim y• way of vngodlynes: In so much that theyr synnes and misdedes had the vpper hand so sore, that at the last they were dryuen out of the land for the same: Yee he sought out and brought vp all wyckednes, tyll the venge∣aunce came vppon them.