soles of their feet to dry up all the rivers of besieged places Isa 38.24 25. and said By the multitude of my Chariots am I come up to the heighth of the Mountain to the sides of Lebanon and I will enter into the heighth of his border and the forrest of his Carmel then did God but hiss for the flie as it is in the Prophet call up from Scotland a small Isa 7.18 inconsiderable and despised number and with them wrought this great Salvation Exod. 15.3 6. The Lord is a man of war the Lord is his name Thy right-hand O Lord is become glorious in power thy right-hand O Lord hath dashed in pieces the enemy And though there were several loyal attempts made before and some of them probable enough to effect deliverance for us yet did the all-wise God suffer them to be all broken and frustrated happily that he might fool earthly wisdom and by staining the beauty of all creature-excellency take the whole glory of our deliverance to himself that he might give us cause with admiration and amazement to say Thon settest a Crown of pure gold on his head A word of Inference and I ha' done 1. If God set the Crown on the King's head then what wretched impudence is it in any to dare to think much more to attempt the taking it off It is the very acting of that fancy of the Poets of the Giants fighting against Heaven Nothing but Hell is ill enough to own such an audacious presumption a most detestable and monstrous impiety 2. If God set the Crown on the King's head let us set our hearts on the King As Samuel said to Saul 1 Sam 9.20 On whom is all the desire of Israel is it not on thee and on all thy fathers house Prize him as the loyal men of Judah did their King David Thou art worth ten thousand of us Give unto Cesar the things that are Cesar ' s. Geneva Bibles wrong the King Give did I say it is not so proper though some like that Translation better 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the word render pay it is his due Rom. 13.7 Render him his due Tribute as the Apostle calls it the Tribute of our persons our purses our tongues our hands our hearts Make honourable mention of him when we speak of him Bern. I and we must Sentire sublimiter too saves the Father think highly of him Do not take up any unworthy reports nor entertain any unhansome suspicion of him Do but remember how dear we have paid for our jealousies and I 'le say no more of that To draw to a conclusion Nothing now remains but Prayers and Praises 1. Prayers to him that setteth the Crown of pure gold on the King's head that he will please there to fix Psal 89.20 21 22. and keep it That as he hath found David his servant and anointed him with his holy oyle so he will establish his hand with him and let his arm strengthen him that the enemy may not exact upon him nor the son of wickedness hurt him That God who watched over him Psal 105.13 15. and charged his providence with him when he went from one Nation to another from one Kingdom to another people Psas 140.12 and suffered no man to touch his Anointed will still deliver him from the evil man and preserve him from the violent man which imagine mischief in their heart Psal 18.47 48. and continually are gathering together for War That he will subdue the people under him and lift him up above those that rise up against him V. 6.7 hujus Ps That he will make him exceeding glad with his countenance and the King trusting in God through the mercy of the most high Psal 7◠9 Psal 132.18 he may not miscarry That his enemies may lick the dust and be cloathed with shame but upon himself his Crown may flourish And blessed be God our prayers for him may come out of our Closets again and be put up in the Congregation It is sad to think how he was persecuted out of the very prayers of his people And these Prodigious Reformers would needs have our duty to be our crime A duty we owe to all to Kings most of all and was never forbidden by any but where They and Satan had command How well their interdiction to pray for the King can consist with that Apostolical injunction 1 Tim. 2 1. to pray for Kings and for all that are in authority let the world judge unless these New Modellers can pretend to a power of regulating the Rule it self and to deal with the Royal Law as they sometime did with the Laws of the Kingdom But we shall leave them to him who hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the sharp Sword with two edges to avenge the affronts and injuries done to his own truth 2. Praises Let us end with them Praise is the great duty of this day Psal 44 8. In God let us boast all the day long and praise his name for ever Exod. 15.1 2 7. Sing unto the Lord for he hath triumphed gloriously The Lord is our strength and song and he is become our salvation In the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee Psal 148.13 And therefore Let us praise the name of the Lord for his name alone is excellent his glory is above the Earth Psal 150.1 and Heaven Praise God in his Sanctuary praise him in the firmament of his power You of the Magistracy Praise him in the heighths Vers 2. praise him for his mighty acts praise him according to his excellent greatness You of the Souldiery Psal 149.6 Let the high praises of God be in your mouths and a two-edged sword in your hands You of the Commonalty Psal 29 1. 2 9. Give unto the Lord glory and strength give unto the Lord the glory due unto his Name in his Temple let every man speak of his honor for the Lord taketh pleasure in his people Psal 149.4 Psal 29.11 Psal 64.9 he will beautifie the meek with salvation The Lord will give strength unto his people the Lord will bless his people with peace Let all men fear and declare the work of God and wisely consider of his doings Let us all praise him till Earth emulates Heaven where they are all praises Let them shout for joy and be glad Psal 35.27 that favour our Righteous Cause yea let them say continually Let the Lord be magnified which taketh pleasure in the prosperity of his servants Because thou hast been our help Psal 63.4.7 therefore in the shadow of thy wings will we rejoice Thus will we bless thee while we live and lift up our hands in thy Name And when mens tongues cannot reach it let us borrow of Angels Luk. 2.13.14 and join with the heavenly Host praising God and saying Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace good-will towards men And that our praises may come in a good place and our thankfulness follow our mercies nearer than ordinary Let them be Mental and Monumental 1. Mental Keep in mind the works of God Let not that complaint of Nehemiah come in against us Neh. 9.16 17. That we dealt proudly and hardned our necks and hearkned not to his commandments And refused to obey neither were mindful of the wonders that he did among us Let not that of the Psalmist be charged upon us That we sang his praise Psal 106.12 13 21. and soon forgat his works That we forgat God our Saviour who had done great things for us To remember mercies is but a cheap piece of thankfulness 2. Monumental Erect Trophees and set up Memorials of our deliverance Psal 45.4 5 6 7. Let one generation praise his works to another and declare his mighty acts Let them speak of the glorious honor of his Majesty and of his wonderous works Let men speak of the might of his terrible acts and declare his greatness Let them abundantly utter the memory of his great goodness and sing of his righteousness Propagate our deliverance to infinite posterity Hide it not from our children Psal 78.4 and let them shew the generations to come the praises of the Lord and his strength and his wonderful works that he hath done Num. 23.23 According to this time it shall he said of Jacob and of Israel what hath God wrought Exod. 12.14 17. Let this day be repeated annually it is a day to be unto us for a memorial to keep it a feast unto the Lord throughout our generations to observe it in our generations by an Ordinance for ever Psal 102.18 Let it be written for the generations to come that the people which shall be created may praise the Lord Psal 111.4 That merciful and gracious Lord who hath so done his marvellous works that they ought to be had in remembrance Psal 136.23 Who remembred us in our low estate brought back his banished and hath all his life prevented him with the blessings of goodness and this day set a Crown of pure gold on his head Now unto the King eternal 1 Tim. 1.17 immortal invisible the only wise God be honor and glory for ever and ever Amen FINIS
in more sober times was never an exemption from obedience Nay the Canonists go further Excommunicatio Domini non liberat vassalum à Sacramento Ministers may excommunicate Princes Buchanan de jur Reg. p. 70. The Excommunication of a King if such could be and it is too well known whose fingers itch to have such a power in their hands doth not free a Subject from his Oath and obedience It matters not what Sanders a ranting Romanist asserts An heretical King is no King Nor do we value that venemous Quacunque arte of Mariana it is lawful sayes he but it is but he that sayes it by any artifice trick or cunning to remove Kings that stand in the way Compare Knox and Buchan with Card. Bel. Emon Sa. Petra Sancta and other Jesuites And I know not whether our Schismatiques come in as seconds or do not rather out-do all in their damnable positions witness Muncer that notorious and incomparable Impostor who pretended to a conference with God and a Commission from him to kill Kings destroy the wicked such as his sense makes so and begin a new world of Saints Eph. 4.20 But we have not so learned Christ An unchristian'd Greek was better taught than so who calls a King 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the lively image of God the Preserver of all things And Tertullian sayes so much for the very Gentiles Caesarem majori formidine observatum à Gentilibus quà m ipsum de Olympo Jovem They looked on Caesar with greater reverence than Jupiter To shorten this Our histories tell us that Eleutherius wrote to King Lucius by whose means the heavenly light and brightness of Christianity first shone upon this Island Camd. Brit p. 67. as saith our Antiquary Vos estis Dei Vicarius You are God's Vicegerent in your Kingdom Kings are all so They are his Representatives here below He communicates his own name and stile to them that men may know they are anointed with the Oyle of gladness above their fellows and learn to look on Majesty as a very transcript of Divinity This Crown of pure gold commends the King's Dignity That 's first 2. It commands the Subjects Duty The Crown layes claim to our obedience And though the Donatists of old whom a peevish Canne in his Vâ—trom the Temple that Vox praeterea nihil and impertinent Trifle of the late mad world was not ashamed to call honest and our Donatists under new names would fain find out some subterfuges and plead an exemption yet they run full upon the mouth of that Canon of the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 13.1 Let every soul be subject Eâ—â—ad Eâ—â—sc Senond Every soul without exception Qui tentat excipere tentat decipere So Saint Bernard concludes He that would except would deceive He that with the sons of Belial dares ask 1 Sam. 10. What is Saul that he should reign over us will not stick in time Job 21.15 to question with the Atheist in Job What is the Almighty that we should serve him Our own late experiences evince this abundantly and are a sad proof of it These are those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The blots and blemishes the Scab and scandal to all Religion Such unruly principles and practices have made Christianity suffer opening the mouths of Julian and Porphyrie and such like scoffers to declaim against it as an enemy to all order and government It was the commendation of the Christians good subjects to Antonine no very good Emperor that they did Inservire laeti they did him cheerful service how much more then shall the best of Kings command ready obedience even from the worst of Subjects I hope I may save the labour of an exhortation in this place K. Charles the first before the Gates of Hull on St. George's day 1642. if I do but call to your remembrance who it was which this day nineteen years stood before your gates Much good may the meditation do you thoughts of it had need make you more than penitents Nor will I draw Arguments of obedience to you from the King or his Crown the name of your Town dedicates you to him Kingston super Hull and the very Arms of your Corporation are Monitors of your loyalty where lest one should not serve you have no less than three Crowns to put you in mind of your duty The Crown commands duty And be that enough for the second particular in this latter general part of the Text. The Crown on the King's head of pure gold Come we now to the third and last The hand of God setting that Crown of pure gold upon the head of the King Thou settest a Crown of pure gold on his head Thou Dan. 5.21 And who could do it but he He is the most high and ruleth in the kingdom of men Ch. 2.37 and appointeth over it whomsoever he will The God of Heaven hath given thee a kingdom power and strength and glory sayes Daniel who was Privy-Counsellor to two Monarchies and Principal Secretary to four Kings and so had the advantage to observe their successions alterations and disposals God is the great Moderator of Heaven and Earth the Original of Dominion is in him he is the only arbitrary and indisputable disposer of all the Diadems of the world He setteth on the Crown By me Kings reign Prov. 8.15 Psal 89.39 and Princes decree justice He taketh off the Crown Thou hast prophaned his Crown by casting it to the ground Thou settest it on by thy Commissive and Ordinative he sets it not on himself by thy permissive Will He takes it fairly from thy hand does not seize it by any hand of craft or cruelty It is the happiness of a people when their King hath a Crown of God's setting on Usurpers are their grievance make them complain as the Romans of Pompey the great Miseria nostra Magnus est Thou settest it on And who hath such cause to say so as we Men and Brethren let me speak freely unto you if ever Crown was set on by the immediate hand of God it is that upon the King's head this day Isa 52.10 Never did the Lord so make bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the Nation never did this end of the earth see such salvation of our God I appeal to his most inveterate Oppugners who were wont to argue the righteousness of their cause from the Topick of their success and victories Deut. 32.31 Ch. 4.32 whether their Rock be as our Rock even our enemies themselves being judges For ask now of the dayes that are past which were before us since the day that God created man upon the earth and ask from one side of Heaven unto the other whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is or hath been heard like iâ— When they were as numerous and as haughty as Senacherib vaunting that they were enow with the
David their King and in him to the whole Kingdom Polity or Common-wealth of Israel See here how Loyalty will concern it self in their Princes mercies His preservation is their praise and they reckon themselves safe in his deliverance They seek not his ruine but rejoice in his happiness They pursue not his Death but celebrate his incolumity It can be no pleasure else I might here recognise the contrary actings of a generation worse than Jews among us who have attained such a height of Villany that sober Posterity will blush at it if they can believe it The remembrance of it puts the poor Protestant Church at this day to that sad expostulation of Tamar 2 Sam. 13.13 2 Sam. 1.19 20. I whither shall I cause my shame to go The Beauty of Israel was slain upon the high place O tell it not in Gath publish it not in the streets of Askelon lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph Well fare the memory of this loyal people here that thus complicate their King's interest with their own Faithful Subjects will look on it as their duty to pray and praise God for their Princes welfare and think the best way to secure themselves is to imbarque all their concerns in the same bottom with him Such a Subject was Ittai the Gittite 2 Sam. 15.21 As the Lord liveth and as my Lord the King liveth surely in what place my Lord the King shall be whether in death or life even there also will thy servant be Such Subjects were the men of Judah who with their beloved Josiah Lam. 4.20 Ch. 5.15 16. lost the very breath of their nostrils The joy of their hearts And the crown from their heads Such the men of Israel in this Text and Psalm whose concern and welfare is so convolved so one with their Kings that they stand and fall they pray and praise together they suffer in his distress and his flourishing Crown is their Crown of rejoicing For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness thou settest a Crown of pure gold on his head In the Text we have the great and happy Argument of the day The Conservation and Coronation of the King 1. The King's Conservation Thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness 2. The King's Coronation Thou settest a Crown of pure gold on his head Them two For I would not mince the Text but divide it We 'll begin where the happiness of this day began at his Conservation Thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness And here are three expressions which set up and extoll the mercy every one carrying it higher than other 1. They are blessings 2. Those blessings are of goodness 3. That goodness is preventing Thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness 1. They are blessings In benedictionibus The word hath a peculiar signification when it referres to God In its own strictness it imports no more than to praise or wish or speak well Mens blessings are with the tongue only But Dei bene dicere est bene facere sayes A Lapide Comm. in Deut. p. 1012. Gods blessings come from his heart by his hand for him to speak is to give and make good a blessing Blessings in God's sense denote Reality Plenty 1. Lorinus in Loc. Reality They are blessings indeed Non rem fucatam donat He gives not gaudy nothings They are not apparitions Mat. 4.9 such as Satan profered our Saviour They are not umbrages but substances not seeming but sure mercies We may say Num. 22.6 as Balak to Balaam I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed and add what Isaac said of his son Jacob Yea and he shall be blessed Gen. 27.33 Such are the Kings blessings in the Text of the surer sort blessings in truth and in being All are not blessings that seem so Men may be full of enjoyments and yet empty of blessings Mal. 2.2 Hos 13.11 God can even curse blessings Dedi Regem in furore I gave them a King in my wrath I and a Parliament in his wrath And an Army in his wrath And we may have peace in wrath and plenty in wrath and health and life and all in wrath and to do us hurt Judas his money was no blessing Dives his pomp and delicacies was no blessing Achitophel's wisdom was no blessing Saul's Kingdom was no blessing But even the troubles the sufferings the dangers of the King shall become blessings to him Prov. 1.32 whil'st the prosperity of fools shall destroy them Reality that first 2. Lorinus in Loc. A Lap. Com. in Num. p. 788. Gen. 27.28 Plenty God's blessings make God's plenty as we use to speak Benedictio copiosam bonorum largitionem significat Blessings speak abundance all things in one word The fatness of the Earth and the dew of Heaven The treasures of both worlds are laid up in it When God said Gen. 17.16 I will bless Sarah it immediately follows she shall be a Mother of Nations Kings of people shall be of her Blessings is a word with a womb the fruit of it stocks the world Let us ascend the Heavens and take such a scantling of them as mortality is capable of and we shall find Blessings to be the sole ornament and furniture of those Mansions of peace and immortality The store of the New Hierusalem is all blessings Rev. 22.1 2. with this water runs that pure river clear as Chrystal proceeding out of the Throne of God this is the fruit of the tree of life There 's no need of Sun or Moon or Light or Temple for Blessing is all these There the place is Blessings the company Blessings the employment Blessings The glorious Inhabitants thereof hear no other voice see no other vision speak no other language but Blessing honor glory Ch. 5.13 and power be unto him that sitteth upon the Throne and unto the Lamb for ever and ever Let us look below and what takes up these sublunary regions but a croud of blessings as thick as they can stand ranged into orders and succession to serve man and speak the glory of the great Creator Psal 104.24 O Lord how manifold are thy works in wisdom hast thou made them all the Earth is full of thy riches Blessings speak plenty That 's a second But that 's not all There are some particular blessings of the King which the people desire here to commemorate and make recognition of with thankfulness Among many these three Victory Vivacity Safety 1. Victory Many victories for David entered the Camp betimes 1 Sam. 17.33 was A man of warre from his youth baffled and slew him that was called so He had Victricem dextram a conquering hand which did so inrich his repute and heighten his name that he became the very Mirth and Musick of Israel The women dancing and singing and ecchoing one to another Ch. 18.7 Saul bath slain
and poor and blind and naked Tua sunt omnia sayes King David when he and his Princes contributed so liberally to carry on the work of the Temple All are thine And the same King in the Text hath nothing but what Goodness gives him Goodness is Founder and Benefactor and all They are the blessings of goodness so as to their cause 2. Of goodness so as to their kind In benedictionibus bonis after the Caldee With good blessings Not as if any blessings were other than good but because some blessings are better than other God hath choice of blessings Some are of the greater and some of the lesser print Now the King's blessings are like himself of the better sort Achsah's portion Judg. 1.15 Irriguum superius inferius The upper springs as well as the nether springs Gen. 44.12 Joseph's Brethren may have every man his money in his Sack but the Cup is found with Benjamin The King shall not be put off with coarse and common mercies but he shall have Adipem frumenti the fattest or finest of the wheat and shall be satisfied with the very honey out of the rock of mercy Ps 81.16 Eum egregiis affecisti beneficiis is the apposite and expressive rendring of Castellio Thou hast bestowed most eminent favours on him D. H. Par. in Loc. Musc in Loc. Whom the incomparable Doctor Hamond mentions and follows paraphrasing it All sorts of the most valuable mercies In benedictionibus optimis sayes another With the chief and choycest blessings Such as are mentioned Ver. 6. Thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance And that certainly is the best of blessings the one thing needful the life of all the rest For as if the Sun were away it would be night for all the stars So if the face of God do not shine upon us all the glimmerings and scintillations of creatures cannot yield us the least spark of true comfort That I may leave this then Let me bespeak you in St. Paul's language 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 12.31 Having such choice of blessings covet earnestly the best gifts Think it not enough to have a portion in this life Take not up with the Blanks of the world when the prize of spiritual blessings and the riches of grace are set before you Stoop not so low as earth remember your souls came from Heaven It is a bassle put upon those immortal substances to take up in any thing less than Divine You are the best of sublunary Beings and therefore ' bate nothing of supercelestial blessings Never bless your selves in any but the blessings of goodness And that I may both speak and speed let me commend their goodness to you under three valuable considerations 1. They stay the soul giving it the fill and making up all the desires of it How craving doth every thing else leave the soul but these blessings of goodness Job saith of gold and silver Job 3.15 that Princes filled their houses with it but who can say they fill'd their hearts There is an insufficiency and scantness in all these poor and pitiful goods of the lower world Take them in their greatest extents and latitudes they are incommensurate and disproportion'd to a capacious and comprehensive soul Even where they are most and in greatest abundance Corn. à Lap. Com. in Isa 55. they leave many cantons and corners unfilled Ludibrium sunt oculorum non pabulum animi They fool the eyes but fill not the heart They make a great shew but give little satisfaction No satisfaction cometh from another quarter O satisfie us early with thy mercy Psal 90.14 There is a satisfying sweetness that goes along with divine goodness and with that alone For he satisfieth the longing soul Psal 107.9 and filleth the hungry soul with goodness These blessings of goodness stay the soul's appetite and longing That 's the first 2. They stay with the soul They ha' some last in them they are durable blessings They 'll stand when the stars shall fall and when the Heavens shall shrink up like a scroll they will hold out measure with eternity It abates the worth of all the good things of this life that they are making haste into nothing and shall shortly disappear Riches sayes he that had so much of them that he was able to buy out all the Kings of his time make themselves wings Prov. 23.5 and stie away as an Eagle towards Heaven Whilst we are making them fast with wax with bills and bonds and think to make them sure with bolts and barres and locks and chests even then are they making wings to slie away Friends the nearest of earthly comforts that will stick by us to the last even they meet with their non ultra and when affection hath commanded them to their last Office and led them to the grave-side to drop a tear over our dust then hither shalt thou go and no further But the blessings of goodness go through the very valley of the shadow of death Psal 23.4 survive our funerals step over our graves and meet us in our glory They attend us in this life Psal 23.6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the dayes of my life And they expect us in the life to come Psal 31.19 O how great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee They keep us company in both worlds Thus the blessings of goodness stay with the soul which is the second piece of their goodness 3. They stall not the soul The sweetness of grace dulls not the appetite after more and it is impossible the weight of glory should be a burden These blessings of goodness are like Manna to the gatherers of it Exod. 16.18 He that gathered much had nothing over They both fill and fit the cravings of the soul and they satiate without a surfet All our other goods as we call them may sometime or other be evil to us There may be there have been cases in which men have had too much of what we are apt to think we can never have enough Ch. 1.5 The Mariners in Jonah cast their Wares over-board They are fraught with their own fears and lost if they cast not away their gains Is there any thing of more value Light A great comfort A beam of the invisible brightness The first-born of the Creation of God Yet Job hath a quarrel to it Ch. 3.20 Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery Is there any thing yet dearer Life The breath of the Creator and being of creatures And yet Rebecca finds her self aggrieved with it I am weary of my life Gen 27.46 because of the daughters of Heth. Thus we nauseate the sweetest of earthly blessings and they sour in the very enjoyment like Tamar in the arms of Amnon But were these blessings of goodness ever out of date were they ever impaired by