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A65563
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Six sermons preached in Ireland in difficult times by Edward, Lord Bishop of Cork and Ross.
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Wettenhall, Edward, 1636-1713.
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1695
(1695)
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Wing W1521; ESTC R38253
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107,257
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296
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well as with a large one of others These three therefore To Eat and Drink in due season in due measure and of such viands as are convenient for us make up what we call Temperance in Diet. But this single Virtue as being the principal part of Sobriety and that which is mainly instrumental to preserve Reason and Consideration is put Synecdochically for a considerative Virtuous Temper and Practice in opposition especially to a voluptuous and sensual Life which whosoever give themselves up to whether noble or plebeian are neither sit for nor can mind or happily dispath Business And so the sum of the Royal Preachers Observation in the Text amounts to this 'T is a singular Blessing to a Nation to have a King nobly descended of a noble Mind not young or unexperienc'd not giving himself over to Pleasures and excess but grave abstemious considerative and virtuous And all this praised be our good God is a Blessedness which these Nations at present enjoy The Text being thus explained it follows that we speak distinctly to its parts which I shall not be curious in assigning It being a compound or copulative Proposition consists evidently of two simple ones the first whereof is Blessed art thou O Land when thy King is the Son of Nobles We ought then first to consider what Felicities they are which amount to a People by having their Prince of Noble Extraction And in answer hereto if my Discourse be not at present so perfectly or wholly Theological as I could desire or as are generally those with which I use to entertain you I must beg your pardon the nature of the Subject matter does not admit it But I am sure the End I drive at or that to which all tends is truly Holy Religious and Christian Now the great Benefits which reasonably a People may expect under such a Prince are I think chiefly these three Publik Wealth and Plenty Publick Ease or Liberty to enjoy what they have And Publick Quiet and Peace Blessings which one would think should endear the Government to us and which I am sure whether we will acknowledge or no the Kingdoms generally enjoy especially if we consider how at present it goes with other neighbouring Nations And these I say by Gods Blessing and upon our own Loyalty we may reasonably expect the continuance of under our Sovereign and the present Constitution that is while we are governed by Kings who are the Sons of Nobles For First With Noble Personages generally go Noble Estates and Revenues When men who were born Princes come to the Throne they carry with them thither their private Fortunes and former Principalities joyning all to the Crowns they take A great Felicity this to the Publick and much for the aggrandising a Nation as well as for the Ease of the middle rate of men on whom commonly all burdens fall Kings cannot be too rich though Subjects may 'T is for the Benefit of the whole body of their People that Princes abound They will then be better able to defend both themselves and Subjects and that with fewer lighter and more easie Supplies On the contrary where indigent and poor men come to rule though never so virtuous upright and just never so sweet generous and noble minded yet Necessitas cogit ad turpia a poor Princes own or the publick Necessities will put him on Practices dishonourable and which will be uneasie and grating on the the Subject For what vast Treasures are cessary to settle a new Prince What unthought of Expences incident Extraordinary Exigents of State private Accidents Families to be raised Dependants to be advanced and a multitude of like occasions Of all which the ordinary sort must bear the main burden Wherefore no such Oppressor as a poor Man in chief Power Prov. xxiii 3. A poor man that oppresseth the Poor is like a sweeping Rain which leaveth no Food Though therefore it was a King in the Text that said it yet it would seem of all Degrees the Commonality may in this respect most justly pronounce Blessed art thou O Land when thy King is the Son of Nobles Secondly The Sons of Nobles most generally prove Noble and Heroical themselves and of great and brave Souls Fortes creantur fortibus bonis Eagles naturally produce not Kites or Buzzards There is a Royal Spirit runs in Royal Bloud And it has been observed by the wisest and most impartial men such which are best Judges in these matters I mean least obnoxious to mistake and freest from Flattery that many Princes even while young and within those years which ordinarily denominate Children have far surpast in ripeness of Wit Prudence Counsel or like Qualifications the generality of adult persons of above twice their years though of liberal and good lettered Education also This amongst others was manifest to all the world in that blessed Prince Edward VI. King of England whom Cardan an Italian by Birth as well as Religion but one of the most learned men and greatest Philosophers then in the world having visited could not forbear wonder and giving him so great a Character as is scarce credible touching one of so few years It is too long to repeat the whole but in the end he expresly stiles him the Miracle of Nature And it is truly much to have been ever from the Cradle fill'd with great thoughts possest with Principles and Designs of publick Good and bred by Art as well as by Nature dispos'd and fram'd for Government Now this may be expected from the Sons of Nobles and is almost ever found in those who are born Princes They cannot well be base spirited but answer their Originals and Condition of Life From whence how naturally the forementioned Advantages will flow to their Subjects any may easily see who pleases to consider the Case On the contrary when men either by the Sword or Popular Favour and Factions come to the Throne they retain dreadful tinctures of the Cruelty Bloudiness Partiality or other base Arts that advanced them Whence it comes to pass that they rule with Tyranny and Oppression at least that they generally administer pardon the solecism unequal and partial Justice Where they dare to punish they commonly though on slight occasions crush irreparably where they dare not they will not see but haply flatter or fawn at least basely dissemble and personate Justice only in being blind And what Grievances how great and various must arise hence is not easie I had almost said to imagine I am sure not to comprehend or determine Remember Jothans Parable Judg. ix 15. When the Bramble was advanced to be King over the Trees he said unto the Trees if in truth ye anoint me King over you then come and put your trust in my Shadow and if not let Fire come out of the Bramble and devour the Cedars of Lebanon The Bramble is no such tall erect or strong plant that its shadow was likely I should have said possible to defend the Trees
of Miseries the Lord struck him and he died His Son Nadab succeeds him indeed or as some think reigned together with him towards the latter end of his days However before he was well warm in his Throne Baasha a person of another Tribe who had no pretence to the Crown but who might quickly have as good a Title to it as either Jeroboam or Nadab had conspired against him and slew him as would seem in the head of his Army and reigned in his stead 1 King xv 27 28. But how long will this new Title stand After Wars again upon Wars all his days his Son Ela succeeds him but within two years Zimri Captain of half his Chariots conspired against him and slew him as he was drinking himself drunk in the House of Arza his Steward Upon this Zimri sets up himself chap. xvi 9. 11. and immediately slew all of Baasha 's House Here was a Recompence for Baasha's Treason But before Zimri had reigned over part of Israel full one week another part of the people would have another King and set up Omri on which Zimri burns himself in his own Palace And now ver 21. Israel is divided not only from Judah as before but within themselves divided into two parts saith the Text For half of the People followed Tibni to make him King and half Omri To be short from the time the Israelites fell off from the Royal Line that God had set over them and betook themselves to Kingchoosing from that Revolt I say to Omri which was somewhat less than five and forty years if rightly computed they had six Kings indeed but not one year of Peace and of their six Kings as far as I can find only two died the death of other men so frequent and so dismal were the Alterations of Government so unhappy the state of things I will pursue the History of this Kingdom no further as to this particular of the uncertainty of Titles and frequent Changes which you see must needs happen and when they happen they rend Nations in pieces and leave nothing stable durable or secure only out of what you have heard of the deplorable state into which this People brought themselves by breaking off the Succession and running into this kind of Elective Kingdom I cannot but note to you Secondly The dreadful Cruelties and Bloudshed which commonly ensue on such Elections to establish the New Prince Thus as soon as Baasha obtained the Throne he smote all the House that is Kinred Allies and most likely all the Adherent of Jeroboam he left not one of them that breathed until he had destroyed them 1 King xv 29. which though it were Baasha's Wickedness and Gods just Judgment executed on Jeroboams Family however by a villanous Agent yet in point of Policy and Security to himself he was in a sort necessitated to it Now so great a Slaughter certainly could not but be a sore publick Wound I might shew many instances of the like practice in in others but it is not pleasing to rake in Bloud Lastly Whereas it is ordinarily pretended by our modern State-menders that reducing Kingdoms as near as may be to an Elective form is the best method to secure a Succession of good and virtuous Princes the contrary hereto appears by this instance The People of Israel after this new modelling their Kingdom upon rejecting the true Heir descendent and electing out of themselves a King had through the Judgment of God withdrawing his Grace in punishment of their Rebellion and Revolt from this time till the utter Dissolution of their Kingdome nineteen Kings successively and not one good amongst them all And no wonder saith a sober Author For First It was a Kingdome whose Foundation was laid in 1. Rebellion 2. Schism Secondly It was maintained by a Politick Idolatry in the continuance of Jeroboams Golden Calves Thirdly Polluted with the Bloud of many of their Kings few of them going to their Grave Sicca morte by a Bloudless death And therefore having continued two hundred forty one or as others calculate two hundred fifty eight years in the ninth year of Hosea 's Reign which was the seventh of Hezekiah King of Judah the King and People of Israel were carried away Captives by Shalmanezer King of Assyria and never returned again for God removed Israel out of his sight 'T is so said twice 2 King xvii 18 23. And 't is observable no one knows to this day what 's become of these ten Tribes But even during the whole state or most settled time of their Kingdome they had no face of true Religion nor indeed any Religion constant amongst them but a Gallimafry of all the Gods and Idolatries of the Nations according to the Honour or Interest of their Kings On the other side the Kingdome of Judah which continued under the Rightful Succession and was Hereditary stood near one hundred and forty years longer than that of Israel and they had amongst their Kings many great Saints as Asa Jehosophat Hezekiah Josiah and diverse others And though the Worship of God were often foully corrupted in the Reign of some of their Kings yet as that Corruption still came in from the Kings of Israel or from Affinity or League with them so by the Succession of good Kings it was restored again and both the Church and Face of Religion kept up amongst them till it pleased God for their treading in the steps of the People of Israel to send his Church into Captivity there to be cured of Idolatry Which Cure when wrought though there still remained a general Cachexy or disorder of Manners yet it pleased God to bring back for a while their Captivity and to give them a new footing in their own Land till out of that Royal Stem was born our Lord Jesus the promised Seed of Abraham the Son of David according to the Flesh but declared by Power and Resurrection from the dead the Son of God the Lord of Lords and King of Kings blessed for evermore of whose Kingdom there shall be no end To sum up all If then there be any men to whom perpetual unsettledness and dangers to themselves and theirs to whom continued ages of War to whom ever and anon recurring Murder of Kings Massacres of Families together with all Violence and Tyranny over the people and even Arbitrary Religion as well as Government Vsurpation on God and Man be pleasing such men may plead these Arguments to enamour the world with the model of Elective Kingdoms But on the contrary If Publick Wealth Ease and Quiet I may add if continued Liberties settled Religion and general Stability as far as the state of sublunary affairs does admit be more amiable we have reason to stick to a true Legitimate Succession For it was the Observation of the wisest of Kings Blessed art thou O Land when thy King is the Son of Nobles and we see how far it proved so in the Kingdom of Judah We have hitherto as I think