Selected quad for the lemma: king_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
king_n	witness_v	word_n	world_n	109	3	3.9052	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A70539	Pia Fraus, or, Absalom's theft being a sermon preached to a country-congregation on the thirtieth of January last, being the anniversary fast for the martyrdom of King Charles the First / by R.L., M.A.	Lawe, Robert, b. 1617 or 18.	1684 (1684)	Wing L637A; ESTC R43031	12,974	34

'T is granted that as a prologue to the Plot he prepared him chariots and horse-men and fifty men to run before him that he might appear splendid before the People and dazle the eyes of the Vulgar who are much taken with Novelties and apt to admire such a royal Attendance and outward appearance of Grandeur Besides he invited two hundred men out of Jerusalem to grace the action who went in their simplicity and knew not any thing Yet I say Religion the pretence of it was the main and most effectual Artifice to win the Peoples affections and under the vizard of Piety to cheat them into a most impious Rebellion and Apostacy A Vow must be paid in Hebron 2 Sam. 15.7 Sacrifices must be offered there v. 12. And would so religious a Prince attempt any thing that was unlawful or unjust But see the damned hypocrisie of this flagitious Wretch these Sacrifices were offered in Designe not in Devotion First Either quod conjuratio validior esset foedere Sancita that the Conspiracy might be the stronger being ratified by a Solemn League and Covenant Thus the Guisian party in France strengthened their side by their holy League and the perfidious party of the Scots in imitation of them and 't is probable by the French advice play'd their Pranks under the same Vizard You may read their palpable Hypocrisie and Jugling in the King 's large Declaration by which they intended especially the Ringleaders of the Faction whatever they pretended to strengthen the hands of their Party and by the strictest tyes of Religion to engage incautelous Souls in one of the most villanous Rebellions that ever was hatched in Hell or acted on Earth And yet all this while see the villany of it many of the Contrivers had a secret reserve and resolution to keep it no further or longer than it should be subservient to their own ambitious and covetous ends Witness their base barbarous and treacherous delivery up of the King's person whom they were bound by the Law of Nature Nations and common Humanity to have protected into the hands of his cruel and bloud-thirsty Enemies And this too directly contrary to the tenour of their own Covenant wherein they had solemnly with hands lifted up to the most high God sworn to preserve and defend the Kings Majesty's Person and Authority in the preservation and defence of the true Religion and Liberties of the Kingdom that the World may bear witness with our Consciences of our Loyalty * Psal 55.21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter but war in his heart his words were softer than oyl yet were they drawn swords A Psalm penned as 't is probable upon the occasion of Absalom's Conspiracy and Achitophel's Treachery Mel in ore fel in corde and that we have no thoughts or intentions to diminish his Majesty's just Power and Greatness And yet it is manifest that they basely sold him as Judas did his Master for a sum of money to the eternal Infamy if not of the Nation yet of those Hucksters amongst them that were employed to drive the Bargain Or else secondly that he might impiously crave the Blessing of God upon his cursed Rebellion Thus Jezebel when she thirsted after Naboth's Vineyard and life proclaimed a fast 1 Kin. 21.9 that the masque of Religion might cover the villany of so barbarous an action as the cruel Murther of so innocent a person In imitation of whom these men or Monsters amongst us who were the occasion of this days Solemnity had learnt to fast for strife and debate and to smite with the fist of wickedness Isai 58.4 For when they had any mischievous designe on foot they used to prepare their way by proclaiming a Solemn Fast as a pious Cheat to inveagle the credulous Multitude into an high opinion of their extraordinary Sanctity VI. Lastly For what end Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel Not to relieve the Oppressed or reform the State though these were pretended but to satisfie his ambition and avarice by making the dead Carcase of his own Father a step to the Crown and then like a Tyrant to own no Law to rule by but his own Lust A perfect Pattern of our late Rebels as will after appear And the Issue was every way correspondent to the Action a mischievous designe attended with a miserable destruction of the Arch-rebel himself and twenty thousand of his poor seduced Party 2 Sam. 18.7 And let such a fate attend all such infamous Rebels But was not the hand of Achitophel in all this 'T is probable that it was though the subtle Fox did not appear openly till Absalom's Party was grown so strong and formidable as to take the Field and bear down as he thought all opposition that could be made against it Peter Martyr thinks that he was Autor vel faltem magnus adjutor Conjurationis I am perswaded that he was both and that in compliance with Absalom's discontented ambitious and it may be revengeful humour the whole Plot was projected the Scenes divided and the Actors assigned their several parts by this subtle Polititian before there was any apparent entrance upon the execution And this appears to me probable by his readiness to attend upon Absalom's motion 2 Sam. 15.12 the desperate counsel that he gave him to make the breach irreconcilable 2 Sam. 16.21 and the offer of his own personal service to pursue weary and weak-handed David before he could recover counsel or courage to make any considerable resistance 2 Sam. 17.1 c. Which latter if it had not been defeated by the over-ruling providence of God had certainly proved destructive to his forsaken Soveraign Upon what provocation this Arch-rebel as well as Polititian engaged in this Conspiracy is uncertain But 't is certain that David esteemed and honoured him so far as to make him his chief Counsellor it may be Lord President of his Council whose counsel was of that weight and authority with David as if he had enquired at the Oracle of God 2 Sam. 16.23 Nay if we consult 55 Psal v. 13 c. where the Psalmist curses his perfidious Villany we shall find that he made him his equal his companion his bosom-friend his guide in all his affairs and actions one in whom he reposed the greatest confidence therefore 2 Sam. 15.31 it was brought as it seems as strange and unexpected news to David Achitophel is amongst the Conspirators Strange it was indeed that a person so highly honoured and obliged by the King should assault his Crown and Life with such bitter bloudy and implacable malice But we need not be curious in our inquiry after his base Treachery and ungrateful Apostacy from his own Master A plodding head and mischievous heart will never want pretences for the sordidest Villanies especially when aspiring persons conceive hopes of advancing their fortune by a compliance with and adoration of the rising Sun and that no obligations from a Prince will keep

such persons firm to their Loyalty might be made evident by a multitude of Instances amongst our selves To apply this to our present occasion This day fell the best of Princes by the bloudy and barbarous hands of his own Subjects There were many Absaloms and Achitophels proud ambitious covetous subtle malicious wretches that conspired to shed his innocent Bloud and to this end stole the hearts of his beguiled Subjects and by plausible pretences decoy'd them into a Rebellion against their lawful and gracious Soveraign that so they might rob him both of his Crown and Life at once Unnatural Miscreants whom no reverence to his sacred Person no fear of that great God whose Vicegerent he was no sense of their own Duty nor shame of the World could restrain from the open impudent impious and villanous shedding his Royal and Sacred Bloud What Morsters were these that durst deal so barbarously with a King their own King who offered them all the pledges of his Love all possible security for their Lives Liberties Laws Religion or whatsoever was dear to or might abundantly satisfie all good and loyal Subjects * This the King grievously complains of in his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I had formerly declared to sober and moderate minds how desirous I was to give all just content when I agreed to so many Bills which had been enough to secure and satisfie all if some mens hydropick insatiableness had not learnt to thirst the more by how much the more they drank Chap. 6. A King famous for his Parts Piety Patience Devotion and all other Christian Graces which will make him admired to all Generations when the name of these wicked ones shall rot Prov. ●0 7 and stink in the nostrils of all those that have any sparks of Ingenuity or Humanity left in them But what assurances could satisfie those that were resolved not to be satisfied with any thing but his Crown and Life and therefore wretchedly staved off all offers of Accommodation for Peace † Or else offered such unreasonable terms as he could neither in Honour Reason or Conscience yield to Witness the 19 Propositions the Treaty at Vxbridge which proved unsuccessful says the King in his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the treacherous obstinacy of those men with whom it was a grand Maxime to ask something which in reason and honour must be denied that they might have some colour to refuse all that was in other things granted ch 18. For these Miscreants had a bloudy Tragedy to act an execrable designe contrived which they were resolved to carry on against all Laws of Scripture Nature Nations against their own publick Declarations against their solemn Oaths Vows Covenants and I am perswaded the checks of their own Consciences too unless they had as wilfully seared them as they had impudently brazened their faces to act such a prodigious Villany in the face of the Sun and view of the whole World who stood amazed to behold the impudence and impiety of those graceless wretches who had made such publick and frequent Professions and those confirmed by sacred and solemn Oaths of their Loyalty to that innocent and excellent Prince whose Bloud afterwards they so barbarously spilt If we enquire into the Means and Methods by which they effected this monstrous Villany we shall find that they traced exactly the steps of this bloudy Absalom in their Fraud Hypocrisie Calumny false and impudent Slanders cast upon that Kings Person and Government as appears by that Remonstrance set forth in 1641. pretended to be for the information of the People but intended by some at least for their seduction and indeed proved the source of all our ensuing Miseries and the prologue to that woful Tragedy acted on this day As also by their frequent and false Declarations wherein they wrest all his Expressions and Concessions to the worst sence charging him with the Irish Rebellion and the guilt of all the Bloud that was spilt in the three Nations * The tenderness and regret I find in my soul for having had any hand that very unwillingly God knows in shedding one mans bloud unjustly c. may I hope be some evidence before God and man to all posterity that I am far from bearing justly the vast load and guilt of all the bloud which was spilt in this unhappy War which some men will needs charge on me to ease their own fouls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chap. 2. Of the Irish Rebellion see chap. 12. Though themselves had no ground for the raising that bloudy War but their own pretended and groundless fears and jealousies and offering the highest indignities to his Royal Person and Family Their usual Expressions were Blacken him blacken him i. e. load him with Reproaches defame him amongst the People make him odious by false Accusations malicious Slanders infamous Libels c. † Those foul and false Aspersions were secret Engines at first employed against the love of my People towards me that undermining their value of me mine Enemies and theirs too might at once blow up their Affections and batter down their Loyalty Chap. 15. And so they did Some of them spit their hellish Venome upon his Name as others in imitation of their Forefathers the Jews Mark 14.65 did their aspish Poyson in his face a Barbarism unheard-of in token of their greatest Contempt and Abhorrence But his Name like a pretious Oyntment will yield a sweet savour Eccl. 7.1 when their Memorial shall perish with them or if any thing remain of it it shall be noted with a black mark Nigro carbone fit onely to be fixed upon men famous for infamy and render them an hissing a by-word and an astonishment to all succeeding Ages * I am well assured that as my Innocency is clear before God so my Reputation shall like the Sun after Owls and Bats have had freedom in the night and darker times rise and recover it self to such a degree of Splendour as these feral Birds shall be grieved to behold and unable to bear Chap. 15. But the grand Cheat lay in the pretence of Religion and Reformation Popery was coming in upon us like a Floud Popery a terrible word and which of late hath been made use of by some subtile Underminers of Monarchy as a Bugbear to affright silly people out of their wits But were they really such Enemies to Popery as they pretended who connived at least at the most infamous Hereticks and Heresies that ever started out of Hell or else Mr. Edwards belyes them in his Gangrene And Mr. Prynn in his perfect Narrative undertakes to demonstrate to them that their new Commonwealth or Good Old Cause they are his own words was originally projected by the Jesuits and other Romish Emissaries To destroy our Protestant Religion Church King Kingdom Parliament Laws Liberties c. And Papists and Popish books were grown so numerous and audacious under their government that the Stationers of London thought themselves bound