better Subject he is and friend both and more right for Sauls designes the more he declares himselfe an enemy to David Why now David cannot trust Saul All his sweet words are lost if he be melting a little the Evill spirit and the Edomite will harden him againe So David will to his Strong-hold and is resolved upon the question To go to GATH out of Sauls reach else he could not avoid Sauls bloody hand he thought which pursued him so far even till he had driven David from out of the Inheritance of the Lord And so Sauls Evill spirit is fully discovered now and manifest He must be convinced also non-plussed and put to silence The Evill spirit shall bee convinced that he shall not be able to say a word but in way of acknowledgement and honest confession from a sound conviction That he is a lyar a murtherer and has erred exceedingly See how convincing Truth is from Davids mouth and how ingenuous Saul is in his confession 1 Sam. 26.21 I have played the foole and erred exceedingly He had indeed Saul Davids grand enemy is fully discovered convinced also yet David is not delivered no. though all Sauls Right men the Edomites implacable adversaries his false friends Keilites and Ziphites are made manifest too yet David is not delivered no not yet we shall see more reason for it anon first we must bring-this-up-to our time GOD delayes his Churches deliverances now for the same reason sure That the adversaries thereof might be fully manifest to all Israel The actings of the evill spirit President over the Kings Councell were not manifest enough sixe yeares agoe when they thrust a cursed Booke upon the Scots and after that the sword Nor when they called a Parliament in England not to ease the yokes but to ingage the Kingdome in that warre which would have â—ashed the people one against the other even the father and the son together Ierem. 13.14 This evill spirit was not manifest enough yet for wickednesse may bee established by a Law in Scotland and yet pretence very faire To establish True Religion Lawes and Liberties here in England And goodly and sweet words were spoken that way and much done touching Bishops and their Courts And all this while the evill spirit was as an Angell of light And his Actings more indiscernable then before But then the Designe touching the Army in the North changed the Divels colour quite and made him looke as black as soot as he is an Angel of darknesse But let the evill spirit alone he can cleare up himselfe againe he will not be made manifest yet No not when he prevailed by the evill Counsell To remove the Lieutenant of the Tower in whom all Israel could confide and placed a Murtherer there in that Strong-hold notwithstanding the evill spirit was not manifest enough No nor when he counselled the King to desert the Parliament No nor when he perswaded the King to call all Israel to war against David and all that had their hand with David under pretence of taking a guard to his person Nor when he made the Edomite Generall in the field MANAGER of all the Kings affaires here in Israels Land notwithstanding the evill spirit was not manifest enough yet But now we know what spirit they are of and who rules them For the Land is filled with bloud from corner to corner Zeph. 3.3 The Princes within her are roaring Lyons reade-on her Iudges are evening Wolves never such violences acted by Tartars Caniballs as by these Princes Surely I cannot tell what shall be done unto them these murtherers GOD knowes And that they have broken all the lawes of Heaven and Earth Divine and Humane such Children of Belial they are Iob 31.3 I cannot tell what strange punishment shall befall these workers of iniquity Doth not the LORD see their wayes and count all their steps We will leave them in His Hands Who has put a bridle in their lips But this I can tell What an execution The LORD would have done upon those who had wrought villany in Israel joyning themselves unto BAAL-PEOR Num. 25.3 as these unto as abominable an Idol as was that But they had not shed bloud in the defence of that Idol These Princes in name have filled the Land with bloud from corner to corner Yet hearken what The LORD sayes unto those who joyned themselves unto Baal-Peor as these to the Idol of Rome Take all the heads of the people Vers 4 and hang them up before the LORD against the Sun that the fierce anger of The LORD may be turned away from Israel We will wait Gods time for then they shall be made manifest indeed before Israel and before the Sun In the mean time the evil spirit is discovered and discerned plaine enough for by his meere motion he has prevailed with the King to seale a Commission to his Edomites To kill and to slay his good people to lay a City waste even a Mother in Israel And if they will doe so to their power They shall approve themselves in so doing his best subjects and truest friends so he blesseth murtherers whom GOD will lay if they repent not in the lowest hell They have compassion on their King why they Because they will to their power destroy a mother City in Israel They would have a whole Kingdome wasted Blessed be ye of the LORD ye have compassion on me does the King say Blessed be The LORD The discovering GOD Who has had compassion on His poore people trusting in His Name and on His dwelling place Blessed be GOD The Spirit that rules the King and his Councell is discovered the Edomites also those bitter enemies the Keilites and the Ziphites too those false and treacherous friends Take them in order The Edomites first Those called SPIRITVALL Lords They must be discovered how full of spirit they were Their spirit was not sufficiently discovered eight yeares ago when they forced a cursed Paper to be read in all the Churches there to publish a Declaration for Sports and Passe-times on The LORDS DAY Their spirit was not discovered by all this for this the people liked reasonably well They had an Advouson for liberty To riot on the LORDS DAY and they were glad of that The people had a grant from the Bishops The Bishops from the Archbishop he from the King and that should be sufficient warrant for them and every one of them to riot on the LORDS DAY And for every Minister from the Pulpit GODS mouth there To command the people so to do O abominable Yes they have justified the Heathen at this point And yet these Bishops are not discovered yet They are in their white Robes yet we shall see them in Scarlet by and by And yet not manifest to all the Christian world say they how spirituall they were when with the Scarlet Whore they would have rode in the bloud of Scotland up even unto their horses bridles by the
the Edomite in our sense and in Scripture language That Legion of the Papists now Raging and Rioting in our Land we shall resist the King too for this Edomite is the chiefe MANAGER next to the Divel of all the Kings affaires in this Kingdome his very best Subjects and truest Friends O horrible what words are these Papists his best Subjects It must passe for it has the Kings allowance he has declared it so he has proclaimed it so once and againe and a third time The Edomites in Ireland in England they are the Kings best Subjects those he may confide-in his heart may cleave to them in love when David The faithfull of the LORD are called Traitors every day and his good People Rebels all O David cannot be silent now any longer GOD knowes and all the Christian world knowes Davids heart is upright and his hands cleare and his prayer pure touching this matter Their hands have not shed innocent bloud nor have their eyes seen it but with indignation and Zeale against these Murtherers And we say That many Kings have beene seduced by evill counsels Many whose hearts have beene stolne away from their good people and given-up into their enemies hands cleaving to them in love and some have shed bloud to their power as Saul here and others after him But oh how loth I am to speake The Evill Counsellours have carried-on the King in the Path of the destroyer beyond all These for he has given a Commission to destroy his good people and makes shewes That his soule bleeds over them He pittieth his Peoples nakednesse and takes from them their cloathes hee calls them Rebels in Ireland and entertaines the same Rebels here He professeth to do all by helpe of GOD and the Law and all he does has a manifest contrariety to GOD and contradiction to the Law He professeth with his tongue to be for Religion indeed when his heart and hand is utterly against the professors of the same To take them from the Earth He professeth to maintaine his Peoples liberties and does all that is in the power of his hands to inthrall and oppresse his people To make their neckes bend to the Edomites yoake he would make beleeve his hand goes along with GOD when hee puts it forth against The Almighty in all his peoples sight as if he had an arm like GOD. But the bloudshed in both his Kingdomes this The Lord sees and heares the voice of it too And which maketh the voice yet louder The LORD heares how he chargeth it upon the innocent and blesseth the Murtherers those that have shed it indeed The LORD lay it close to the heart of his Majesty that his soule may bleed over the blood he hath shed That he may forbeare to say so till he does so That his soule may shed teares for the bloud he hath shed indeed and indeed Let others pray The LORD bring his Majesty home to his Parliament upon the wings of the Churches Prayers They that pray so pray well but they pray better who pray The Lord open the Kings eyes and heart that he may discerne the Path he has trod the way he is in and feele the working of that bloud shed upon his soule working in him a sorrow after a godly sort The LORD shew him the falshood the hypocrisie of his heart make it as manifest to him as it is to all his good People That his uncircumcised heart may be humbled that he may abhorre evill and loath himselfe for what he has done Amen say I and all who wish that his soule may prosper He may come home to his Parliament and doe more hurt then good there unlesse his heart be humbled for all he has done first I remember very well the Eleventh King of Scotland the worst King that ever was I thinke yet was brought home to his Parliament I meane he came-up to his good People even to all the desire of their hearts for thus he did Those pernicious Counfellors he had many and they stole away his heart or he stole away theirs surely the King was worst because chiefest in the trespasse he suffered to be imprisoned and over some the wheele was turned And all this he did in deep dissimulation that he might the more freely with no resistance worke-out his owne will and doe according to his owne pleasure afterwards And so he did the yeare after by that time he saw all cleare before him the hearts of his Nobles gained for he gave the offenders into their hands and all was well and now they must be feasted They were glad of that and to supper they came which was served-up in a Lordly dish and after the meat Wine they are and dranke and their hearts were merry but the worst Wine was kept last towards the close of the Feast the Nobles were made drunke with their owne bloud as with sweet Wine A few escaped and those few by the helpe of the People rose-up against their King and slew him I shall not meddle with that though in the close of the worke I shall point to that King againe and another halfe as bad I conclude from hence That till the King be truly informed for what he has done That he has walked in the counsell of the ungodly his foot has stood in the way of sinners and he sitteth in the seat of the scornfull Till his heart be humbled for this Tâ—ll his soule cleaves to the ground for this and what else God and his conscience best knowes Till this be the King cannot come-back to his Parliament he caâ—not be to the heart and desires of his good People there Therefore pray we LORD turne the heart of the King give him a sight of what he has done and humble his soule in the sight of it th the hath blasphemed the Name of his GOD deal deceitfully with his Maker treacherouoy with His People abominably with His Day prophaning it by a Law He must be restlesse in his spirit till he hath vindicated That dishonour done to That Rest forcing and persecuting His best Servants touching that matter and shedding their bloud to his power ever since LORD give the King a sight of all this and of all that The Searcher of hearts and his owne heart knowes by himselfe and kindly humble him for all Then all the rest followes the King will be right for his Parliament his heart will be with them then it will be said and not till then What the King does pleaseth all his people and what his good people doe pleaseth the King Amen But if the King doe not his duty his people must doe theirs if hee looke not to his charge how he rules not his but Gods People THY PEOPLE sitting in GODS Throne Yet must the people look to their obedience they must be subject to the higher Power notwithstanding I come then to resolve what this higher Power is and the cases of conscience thereabouts Not touching the giving of
not so uncharitable as to thinke That all these three thousand were all murtherers They that were acquainred with Sauls minde and willingly followed the Commandement Those all were murtherers in the highest degree there is no doubt of all that But some there were a very few who followed Saul and crossed his commandement what they could So did Jonathan and how many more I cannot tell And others there were who followed Saul as sheepe are driven by the Shepheard when hee meanes to plunge them into the waters They did not properly follow Saul but were driven by the hand of violence as some of late have beene and as Saul himselfe was by the Divell To exemplifie this by the Edomites practice at this time The Edomite now in the North we have no other name for him has exercised such cruelties upon the inhabitants there to force them to his side tying their heads and heeles together till from some of them breath departed And by these Turkish inforcements he has gained many bodies to his side but David has their hearts And so we may conceive and so judge it was with men in Sauls Host because the Sacred Scripture gives us that allowance For we reade of no execution done upon Israel upon their Cities but by Saul and the Edomite Saul spake indeed to all his Servants That they would kill David and wee make no doubt many were active Instruments that way for the Edomite could not doe all his executions alone But that all this Host was ingaged upon this service and would have answered Sauls bloudy will had they come to a set Battell is more then I can tell or any man in the world for we have not a word for it Onely to cleare this and to say as much as needs in reference to the present tiâ—e also for all is plaine all along this I will say That whosoever amongst those three thousand did follow Saul and his Command though grieving for Conscience not asleep or seared will regret and recoile give checke sometimes and yet approving An. lib. 14 cap. 〈◊〉 In some Bookes the fourth Moerens ac laudans as Tacitus speakes of Burrhus in a case not unlike I say All such as followed Saul so though grieving yet approving and commending what Saul did these were as one of them Edomites murtherers in true judgement and Scripture account And if the Sacred Scripture accounts these men murtherers then GOD accounts them so and then what will their Commission and Warranâ— profit them Or can it bâ—are them out in these outrages they have committed when they are indeed the fiercest enemies that ever the Church had But I will draw-up to a conclusion of this matter with some few observations from all wee have read First 1. Here an Edomite has done all the mischiefe a Right-hand to Saul in his bloudy execution What was hee A meane man sure an Heards-man then he was lifted up higher and made Steward of Sauls house set over his Servants there Conferring of honours upon him engaged him to Saul and his service so Saul made him Generall in the Field O! This preferment these honoâ—rs are a sweet bait it takes a man strangely it will take a man quite from Dâ—vid that hath not his heart engaged to his GOD Saul knew what he did when he raâ—lâ—d the Edomite to honour he shall doe what Saul will have him doe He is more then a man who can shut his eyes against the glory of the world and contemne it for Daviâ—s sâ—ke A man without â—ruth of Grace is like a ship without ballast it cannot endure a stonne That can be content to passe over with a carelesse eye the pleasures and profits of the Court. and endure afflictions with David the friends of GOD. An HOTHAM who had the boldnesse when time was and GODS pleasure to maintaine David and his cause to out face a Prince could not out-face the glory of the world he is taken with the bait of honour gaine or I know not what and so hath undone what he did and made himselfe infamous to all generations The King has that at his dispose which will worke upon all complexions but honour for the proud workes strangely brings many to his side and makes them RIGHT for his service David is in a Wildernesse has little for himselfe and lesse for his friends but they that serve David serve Him heartily nothing can win them to Davids side but meere conscience of duty to GOD and His cause LORD stablish the heart with Grace a sleeting thing we are never sure of it and must never be secure about it shew it the excellencies in the LORD JESUS then we shall not be taken with the â—omp of the world Acts 24. a Phantasie nor be offended at the troubles of David Secondly there were many Noble many Rich many Stout many valiant men and many wife men on Sauls side but yet they must not be a dishonour to Israel all these must come-in under one Head and the Edomite their Generall must beare the envie and dishonour of that Naturall war for it is as Naturall for the Edomite to warre with David as for the fire to burne It is not said Israel smote Nob No The Edomite smote Nob and all his helpers some Israelites no doubt yet they goe under that name So here are two Kingdomes smitten with the sword Who smote them It shall not be said This Prince or That Prince This Noble-man or That Noble-man No The Edomite did it It shall not lye as a reproach upon England it shall cause her sorrow that her owne children whom she has dandled upon her lap have to their power eat out her bowels It is a grievous thing And that those Brethren in evill who ought themselves unto this Church should prove such vipers and doe her such mischiefe This is grievous But the dishonour of it shall not lye upon this Mother-Church but upon Rome it shall lye upon the children of that Edom and the Church shall remember them to all generations Who in the day of Ierusalem said Rase it rase it even to the foundation thereof Thirdly though we doe not question Ionathans sincerity being well resolved at that point that he was a good man and a true friend to David and did him great service at the Court yet I thinke wee may question whether his bands of nature or Court-bands all very strong no doubt were strong enough to bind his bodily presence to continue with his father all the time his father persecuted David I determine nothing here because the Scripture is silent but thus the Scripture speakes out and we may set a marke upon it that if Ionathan was not slaine first which yet the Text seemes to say yet thus it was 1 Sam. 31.6 Saul died and his three Sonnes and his Armour-bearer and all his men that same day together TOGETHER they went along with Saul in a bloudy Path he did drive-on furiously but
Yeere of his Age He was no sooner Marryed but hee Doted and had a speciall gift in flattering himselfe Excluâ—a Nobilitate And those about him few or none of the Nobility the worst he could pick from cut of the Cities or Country quickly learnt the Court-Art and could flatter as well as their King but none more accurately then the Priests could doe They told their King he might doe what he listed he was King and his will was the Law Thereafter he might punish and might pardon and bestow his honours as he would and not as the Common Law wills but saies the Author all as hee wills so it must bee will was Law and King both and Commands all What a miserable Confusion was here The face of the Kingdome quite changed Nobles could not be heard nor the Law neither and good Men were Silent Some base Men or quite degenerate had the eare of their King and his heart and commanded his hand and they did all till they had almost undone all for they Monopolized the Common good of all the Subjects their King They Ingrossed his heart that deare Commodity So as That which should be as Rivers of water to Refresh the whole Kingdome they made as a sealed fountaine quite shut-up to all honest Men and open to c. In the Nick of Time there came an Ambassadour out of England if I well remember to treat of Peace and to seale it with a Marriage when the Prince and Princesse should come to age So great a businesse required consultation The King calls a Parliment He with his wicked Counsell has his end satisfaction of a Private will and to enlarge Private wealth The Nobles and Commons have their end the Common-wealth the publike Faith and Trust of the Kingdome They are all assembled the Lord Douglasse a faithfull Minister of State is their Speaker his Speech is long that which relates to the present is short He tells them wherefore they were called together what their Kings end what theirs the Kings businesse requires no haste the matters of the Kingdome does he opens unto them the sinke of the Court shewes the Nobles and Commons their Vassalage under these the vilest persons who stanke all the Kingdome over We are Nobles sayes he ye and we are a free people yet if we looke not to it quickly we must be made servants to the basest Masters the lusts of our King and his favourites who have stollen away our King his heart is gone quite alienated from his friends and betrayed to his enemies No sooner this was spoken and his speech ended but out he and the rest went Nobles and Commons and to the Court gate What is the mattes sayes the King We will plucke the evill Counsellours from your side said they The Question was quick the Answer was as quick They will have their demands and they have them those evill Counsellours the Plague and Pests of the King and Kingdome all but one and he was a youth too ingenuous to learne the art so quickly is spared at the request of the King but all the rest are given over unto them and they as quickly hang them up How did they doe for Ropes That might be a question indeed being so neare the Court gates Vt câ—m funes in re subâ—ta decsseâ—â— They made an honest shift for they hanged these evill men up with their horses bridles Perfidious Scots said some three years agoe Honest Scots say I and shall say so till I read and finde the contrary They will bestirre themselves when they see a Kingdome neare to ruine There is not the like story but a very notable one of Dursthus their eleventh King mentioned befoâ—e hee was slaine in battell by his owâ—e subjectâ— They â—re blamed for it to this day that they brake their Oath with their King No they did not he brake with them and was the most perfidious King that you shall read of in any Chronicle The case is plaine and the manner of resistance cleared to be as becommeth Israel then and now But all Israel comes not in now as they did then to help the LORD against the Mighty There will be excellent Reason given for this in the next Chapter CHAP. 8. Mans extremity is Gods opportunity David had a glorious deliverance when he was made meet for it So shall the Church have when their adversaries have filled up their measures When Gods People are purified in their furnace then their God will send them glorious Saviours and a glorious Salvation In the meane time they hold fast their confidence DAvids helpers came-in he was raised to a glorious condition here on earth the Crowne was set upon his head presently and there is mighty Reason why it was so His head was made meet for a Crowne he was fitted for deliverance All his strong holds were downe all his Altars the lying vanities whereto he trusted were as Chalke stones that are beaten asunder Isa 27.8 He was greatly distressed forsaken of all humane helps refuge failed all is gone and all the discouragements in the world were upon him yet at such a time he fainted not but encouraged himselfe in the LORD his GOD Then he could exalt GOD in that day Psal 18.12 he could say of Him Thou art my strength my Rocke my Fortresse c. he called upon the LORD in that day SO he was saved from his enemies and from the hand of Saul 2 Sam. 22. Our case is otherwise our helpers come-not-in as to David all as one man we are yet greatly distressed True you will say in some quarters of the Land but it is not every mans case and God forbid it should be so all the Land over So say I too Amen And yet it must be every mans case I meane not to suffer all alike the spoyling of our goods but to be affected and afflicted for what others our Brethren and Sisters doe suffer that way this must be every mans case to have a sympathy a fellow-feeling of what others doe suffer wee must suffer all in compassion before we are dâ—livered every man must beare his part Heb. 10.33 partly sayes the Apostle whilest we were made a gazing stocke both by reproaches and assliâ—â—ions and partly while ye became companions of them that were so used If we examine our case by this Scripture it will tell us how fit and meet wee are for deliverance which we wonder does linger so long The sword has greatly distressed our land how has it wrought upon the oppressed therein or what compassion in those who have not yet been oppressod by it Surely it may be answered Perdidistis utilitatem calamitatii miseâ—rimi fâ—cti estis pessimi permansistis Aug. de Civis l. 1. c. 33. that the most of us have lost the fruit of all this sore wrath which has lyon upon our neighbours these many yeares and upon our owne land these few moneths which yet