THE KING ON HIS THRONE OR A Discourse maintaining the Dignity of a KING the Duty of a Subject and the unlawfulnesse of Rebellion Delivered in two Sermons Preached in the Cathedrall Church in York By R. M. Master in Arts Coll. S. Fet. Cant. Printed at York by Stephen Bulkley 1642. By speciall Command To the Right Honourable HENRY Earle of Cumberland Lieutenant Generall c To the Right Worshipfull Sir Thomas Glemham Sarjeant Major Generall my much honour'd Collonel and to the rest of the Lords Knights and Gentlemen attending His Majesties Service in the City of Yorke Right Honourable and Right Worshipfull LOyalty as it is the Kings Joy the Kingdomes Happinesse So the Subjects Glory So long then as your Hearts continue Loyall your Names shall continue Glorious being hereby a meanes to restore Joy to your King and recover Happinesse to the Kingdome To you I Dedicate my Labours That as they afford a Lesson So you a Patterne both of Loyalty whereby men may be the better moved either to yeeld the one their Practise or the other their Imitation Besides Right Honourable and Right Worshipfull They who take up Armes against the King will not faile to take vp Armes against the Author and Arguments too against his Worke. Your Patronage therefore must be my Refuge and whilst you are pleased to Protect my person I feare not by Gods Assistance to maintaine the Truth Not in confidence of mine owne Ability's for they are too weake but because as Their Acclamation before Darius Magna est Veritas Praevalecit Great is Truth and it will Prevaile You have Uouchsafed these Sermons your Approbation in the Pulpit you have honoured them with your Command to the Presse and now my request is that you will be Pleased to Countenance them with your Patronage to the Publique Veiw In which I am confident nothing is delivered but what may beseeme either the Tongue or the Pen of a good Christian of a Loyall Subject And of Your most humble Servant R. MOSSOM York Novemb. 20. 1642. To the READER BEfore thou dost peruse the ensuing Discourse let me entreate thee to lay aside all Prejudice and with as much Sincerity to Reade as the Author writ and that is so is to enforme thy Judgement not to please thy Fancy to satisfie thy Cons ience not to strengthen a Faction making no better use of these Sermons then Nero did of Seneca's Instructions ad armandam malitiam by perverting the Truth to Arme thy Disloyalty Thou shalt finde here That endeavouring in some measure to doe well I have followed the best and kept my selfe to the Holy Scriptures Ancient Fathers and Orthodox Divines who I am sure would teach me true Divinity with which the Library in York so usefull and necessary did very well furnish me If then Courteous Reader thou finde here the choisest Flowers gathered out of the spacious Fields of larger Volumes bound up into a fragrant Posie of a short Discourse Kisse the Hand that presents them in courteous Acceptance defile it not with the Spittle of black-mouth'd Censure If thou finde not things handled so fully as thou desirest consider the short limits of an Houres Discourse if not so Learnedly as they might be accept them as they are and finde not fault till thou canst do better and then I shall be glad to be thy Reader let me suffer rather than Gods Truth and in that my Soveraognes Cause There are some who quarrell at the Text and will â—â—ve the Touchstone naught rather than acknowledge their 〈◊〉 Counterfeit but what is it thinkst thou Reader 〈◊〉 Object why Solomon was a King and spake in 〈◊〉 himselfe Odi profanum vulgus the Objection will tell thee who are the Objectors such as will blaspheme rather than be convinc't But what more Why there is no rising up against the King as there is no rising up against a Lyon propter terrorem least he fall upon us and rent us in pieces But what Is this the going well Is this the comelinesse in going the Wiseman speaks of vers 29 no sure The best if not all Expositors Interpret this in bonam partem and if Reader thou dost consult the Commentators and especially Salazars Exposition upon Solomons Proverbs thou shalt be fully satisfyed I will not contest about the Words of my Text I can easily chuse another if so be they will subscribe to the Truth in my Sermons with which they who have not been convinc't sure I am they have been silenc't If in perusing thou turne Criticke who like the Philomele is Vox praeterea nihil consider that these Sermons having had the Countenance of so great Nobles so worthy Knights and able Gentlemen having had the Approbation of so learned Bishops so Reverend Doctors and other Divines Quis tu Who art thou that I should feare thy supercilious look or malicious censure I shall be glad if any Man more Able will undertake the handling this Subject more fully What I have done if it may availe any thing as something I know it hath and hope will more to Gods Glory in the Advancement of my Soveraigns Cause I have my desire Farewell Thine whilst thou art thy King's R. M. A Sermon Preached in the Cathedrall Church in York on the sixth Day of November 1642. Prov. 30.31 And a King against whom there is no rising up Let the Words of my mouth and the Meditations of my Heart be now and ever acceptable in thy sight O Lord my strength and my Redeemer TO frame a Discourse concerning the Supremacy of Kings the Allegiance of Subjects and the unlawfulnesse of Rebellion after so many Learned Tongues and Judidicious Pens is to make Iliads after Homer to doe that which hath been already so well done that it cannot be done better But fit it is the Preachers Trumpet should sound so long as the Rebels Drum doth beate fit it is to presse Loyalty to the People when the People are so much prest to Disloyalty Who that they may know they are not more willing and able to defend the King and His cause by force of Armes than the Scholler is by force of Arguments I have made choice of this Text a fit Doctrine for these Times And a King against whom there is no rising up The dependance of the Words In the handling of which Words I will first speak of their Dependance upon the former implyed in the conjunction And And a King c. to understand this aright we must look back to the 29. verse and so downewards There be three things which goe well yea foure which are comely in going A Lyon which is strongest amongst beasts and turneth not away for any a Grey-hound or rather as the Margent to which accords Junius accinctus Lumbis Equus an Horse girt in the Loynes Equus edoctus militiam an Horse trayned up for War An He-Goate also and a King against whom c. By the by Observe That the Scriptures are a rich
of the Church to this purpose as the Kings of the Jews had a Copy of the Law so now our Kings the Book of holy Scriptures committed to them at their Inauguration That as the King of the Jews was Custos utriusque Tabulae the keeper of both the Tables so ours also Custos utriusque Testamenti the keeper of both the Testaments Secondly the Preserver of our Peace 2. The Preserver of our peace preventing by his Wisdome or suppressing by his Power all Insurrections at home and withstanding and repulsing all Invasions from abroad Ver. 23. Hence it is that in the 34 of Ezech. the King is called the Shepheard of his people the Shepheard as pascere to Feed them regere to Guide them so tueri too to defend them to defend one from the other and all from the Wolfe Ver. 20. one from another the Leane from the Fat the poore from his Oppressor and all from the Wolfe the Wolfe the Enemy without the Fold the Enemy without the Kingdome In that 1 Tim. 2.2 we are commanded to pray for Kings Why that we may live Heremon kai ' Esuchion Bion a peaceable and quiet Life Heremon Bion a peaceable Life free from Civill Dissentions and ' Esuchion too a quiet Life safe from Forraigne Invasions This then is the King also ad nos to us the preserver of our peace 3. The Protector of our Laws as the Sunne is the Fountaine of Light The protector of our Laws so the King the Fountaine of Justice the Magistrates in the State like the Starres in the Heavens the Starres borrow their lustre of Light from the Sunne and the Magistrates their power of Justice from the King the Rule of which Justice are the Laws So that if any Magistrates shall violate the Laws they eclipse the Kings Justice and cast dishonour upon his Throne Which Indignity to revenge he hath the Sword committed to him by God and is appointed Vindex malorum Rom. 13.4 to take vengeance on them that do evill and this protection of our Laws is the preservation of our peace and defence of Religion the glory of both This then is the King ad nos to us the Defendor of the Faith and to that end especially he hath Huperochen his Excellency the preserver of our peace and to that end especially he hath ' Exousian Power the Protector of our Laws and to that end especially he hath ' Archen Principality or Governement or put them altogether as in good Kings they are ne're asunder he hath Excellency Power Principality for the Defence of the Faith the preservation of the Peace and the protection of the Laws of his Kingdom That the King is in se in himselfe this he is ad nos to us Now on our part is due to the King a full maintenance of his Royall Estate a full Maintenance is due non donum sed debitum not a Gift but a Debt For this cause pay you Tribute also so Saint Paul Rom. 13.6 from which Tribute Aquinas Comment in Rom. 13. though Aquinas will have the Clergy exempted ex privilegio Principum by the priviledge granted them from Princes for indeed no Man can remit a Debt but he to whom the debt is owing yet he confesseth it hath equitatem quidem Naturalem truely a Naturall Equity for it is Equity indeed if we will have our Faith defended our Peace preserved and our Laws protected that then the Excellency Power and Principality of the King should be maintained To see a Man stand bare headed we account an ordinary and usuall Signe of Subjection and what is it think we then to see a State bare headed the Prince who is the head kept bare not onely denuded of his power and Aurhority but also of his meanes and maintenance But what is the Subject excluded may not he stand up in the defence of the Faith the preservation of the peace and the protection of the Laws Yes rise up he may but with his King not against him for against him there is no rising up But what if the King neglects nay seduced by his evill Councellors opposeth the sincerity and truth of Religion may not the Subject then stand upon Religions guard and Defend the Faith even against the King himselfe Judg. 6. v. 31. Here I might answer as Joash did Let Baal pleade for himselfe let wicked Kings Patronize their owne Cause Thanks be to God we have no cause to complaine of our Kings wickednesse but of our own and so need not I pleade for evill Kings since God hath given us so good and gracious a King But because this is that which many pretend to countenance their unlawfull Armes I Answer That in case a King neglects nay seduced by evill Councellors opposeth the sincerity and truth of Religion the Subjects may not rise up against the King Vi Armis with Force and Arms but Precibus Lachrymis with Prayers and Teares the Weapons with which the ancient Christians overcame the cruelty of their Persecutors according to that of Saint Bernard Bernard Epist 221. Stabimas pugnahimus usque ad mortem si ita oportuerit We will stand to it and fight even unto Death if need be But how why heare the Father non scutis Gladiis not with Shields and Swords sed precibus fletibus ad Deum with Prayers and Teares unto God The Subject then may defend by Petition to the King and Prayers for the King By Petition I say to the King yet not as Caesars Captaine Petitioned the Roman Senate as Plutarch Relates it with his Hand upon the Pummell of his Sword that if they would not grant it that should give it And in case the King will not Grant not Reade not Receive a Petition then Vince serendo ouercome by suffering And if it be the Truth of the Gospell a Man stands for so that the goodnesse of the Cause will beare him out he must not refuse to undergoe goe Death it selfe and so obtaine a Crowne of Martyrdome to be a Martyr himselfe by Christian Patience not Martyr the State by Civill dissentions King Solomon was chosen by God to build the Temple because he was a King of Peace 1 Cron. 2. Sure then Beloved whatsoever Men may pretend God hath not chosen them to reforme the Church who are Men of War yea War against their King against a Solomon too War against a King of Peace To raise a Civill War is certainely to exalt Satans Kingdome and not Gods or the King every where as too sad experience tells us to settle vile Profanation no where to settle true Religion And if Petitions to the King will not prevaile we must use Prayers to God for Solomon tells us The Kings heart is in the hand of the Lord not in the power of the People and he turneth it whethersoever he will He can move evill Princes to good in mercy to his People as he did Belshazzar and Darius as
much stood upon A King against whom there is no rising up If we desire Examples for further confirmation let us retire backe to former Ages and we are presently as Saint Paul speaks upon another occasion encompassed about with a cloud of Witnesses Heb. 12.1 Nephos martyrwn a cloud of Martyrs sealing and maintaining Gods Truth with their owne Blood not with the Blood of others Was not Saul a bloody Persecutor slaying Abimelech with fourscore and foure Priests in one Day upon the false accusation of Doeg was he not a Demoniacke possessed with an evill Spirit a cruell Tyrant seeking not onely the death of David but also of Jonathan his owne Sonne Yet when God had delivered him into Davids hands and Abishai looking upon him onely with a Souldiers Eye as his Enemy had been earnest to kill him yet saith David destroy him not for who can stretch forth his hand against the Lords Anoynted and be guiltlesse 1 Sam. 26.9 The Lords Anoynted What Saul a Persecutor a Doemoniacke a Tyrant and yet Christus Domini the Lords Anoynted Note Here beloved let me give you a remarkeable Observation This Anoynting here doth not betoken any Spirituall Grace as elsewhere it doth in severall places of the Scriptures a mistake let me tell you which hath begotten many irreverent opinions concerning Kings Royall Unction gives a Just Title to the Crowne not divine Grace to sway the Scepter it gives Right to rule not to Rule rightly Though true it is it were much to be wish't that Grace in their Hearts were as fragrant as the oyle upon their Heads and that as they excell in Glory and Dignity so in Godlinesse and vertue But we see wicked Saul then as well as holy David is Christus Domini the Lords Anoynted he had as all wicked Kings have sanctitatem Vnctionis though not sanctitatem vitae an holy Calling though not an holy Life Yea the Lord ruleth in the Kingdom of Men and giveth it to whomsoever he will so the Prophet Daniel c. 4. v. 32. so that he may be Christus who is not Christianus as was Darius the Heathen Is 45.1 If then Kings are made Christi Domini the Lords Anoynted neither for Religion nor Vertue then certainly they may not be unmade for either Heresie or Vice according to that Divinity axiome dominium temporale non fundatur in gratia Salis determinat Comment in locum temporall Dominion or power of Rule is not founded upon Grace To all this accords that of Junius and Tremelius Vncto Jehovae say they the Anoynted of the Lord that is a Deo ad Regnum assumpto admitted by God to the Kingdome and what to have his Crown presently cast down to the ground and himselfe upon misdemeanour deposed from his Throne by the States by the multitude by the Collective body of the Kingdom as some would have it no a Deo ad Regnum assumpto ac proinde sancto munito ab omni injuria admitted by God to the Kingdom and therefore sacred and fortified from all Injury Note In that great defection under Jeroboam did there not live many holy Prophets in that hot Persecution under Nero did there not live many holy Apostles under that grand Apostacy of Julian did there not live many holy Fathers yet I will speak it ex animo let it appear that there was ever any one Prophet any one Apostle any one Father that stirred up sedition or moved the People to take up Arm 's though in their defence against their Soveraign and I will submit to their Censure who now oppose their King I think I could not expect more severe Iudges Run over the Acts of the Apostles and you shall find them in the Prison not in the Campe drawne before Magistrates not drawing Magistrates before them stoned but not stoning struck with the Sword but not striking with the Sword And in 2 Thes 1.4 We glory in you saith the Apostle in the churches of God for what for their Valour and Courage in defending the Gospell by force of Arms no but for their Patience and Faith in all their Persecutions and Tribulations for the Gospell Epist 42. Aske Saint Augustine that holy and Learned Father how Paganisme and Heresie was vanquisht and how the Truth of the Gospell was maintained and he will tell you non a repugnantibus sed a morientibus Christianis nor by Christians resisting but by Christians dying What thinke you now who are the best Christians they who take up the Crosse and follow Christ or they who take up Arms and resist their Soveraigne But some may say The former Christians did not take up Arms and a good reason why they had no Arms to take up or if they had they were so far Inferiour in number and Power that they durst not take them up But what think you of that which Tertullian tells us of in his Greek Fragments That when Plinius Secundus observed the numerous Company of Christians which suffered Martyrdome for the Faith of Christ tarachtheis tw plethei multitudine interremptorum permotus as Ruffinus Translates it Paraphrasticws astonished at the Multitude of them that were slaine he related to the Emperour quod innumera hominum millia quotidie obtruncarentur that innumerable thousands of Men were slaine dayly as the same Ruffinus tells us what so many thousands slaine quotidie too slaine every day how easie had it been having the Lord of Hosts on their side to have gathered themselves together in every Province and to have stood not onely for the Truth but also for their Lives and to have destroyed to have slaine and to have caused to perish all the Power of the People and of the Provinces that should have assaulted them as did the Jews yet not without Commission from Ahasuerus Esth 8.11 But we see the contrary affirm'd to their Faces with a Challenge in Nazianzens Oration 2. contra Julian In quos vestrum saith he populum exaestuantem contra vos infurgere solicitavimw quibus vitae periculum attulimus Against whom of you have we moved the Tumultuous People to rise up Which of you have we put in danger of his Life They had not so learned Christ They knew well The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force but what Violence of opposing no but of suffering What Force of arm 's no but of a godly life They knew well if God had intended the founding his Church the propagating his Truth by an Arme of Flesh by the Power of the Temporall Sword he who is kardiognwstes the searcher of the Heart is also kardiotreptes the mover of the Heart and so would have moved the Hearts of Kings rather then the hearts of the People he would have called the Wise the Mighty and the Noble rather than the foolish the base and the despised But that no flesh should glory in his presence and that Gods Strength might appeare in Mans Weakenesse he
chose the foolish things of the world to confound the Wise the Weake things to confound the things which are Mighty and base things of the World and things which are despised did God chuse yea things which are not to bring to naught things that are 1 Cor. 1.26.27 c. That of Cyprian to Demetrianus is full to our purpose none of us saith he when he is apprehended resisteth quamvis nimius copiosus noster sit numerus though our number be far the greater Above all Ecclesiasticall History relates that Julians Army notwithstanding his great cruelty and persecution did consist most of Christians who we reade fought for him against his Enemies but never for themselves against him and that his Army did consist most of Christians appears by that full Acclamation of theirs to Jovinian afrer Julians death Christiani sumus we are Christians So that we may well say with Tertullian concerning the Sect of Christians in their Persecutions occidi licet occidere non licet not occidi potest occidere non potest not that it is in their Power to be slain not in their Power to slay but it is Lawfull for them to be slaine not Lawfull for them to slay Solomon here confirm's it with a non est qui resistat there is not any that may resist Yet are not the Adversary's herewith satisfied The Adversaries obiections answered but object to us the Men of Jerusalem who rose up against King Amaziah 2 King 14.19 Yet see how the Scripture setts a brand upon them and tells us that conspiraverant conspirationem they made a great Conspiracy an act as little commendable as it is imitable They tell us of the ten Tribes falling away to Jeroboam though the Scripture tells us that it was of the Lord 1 Kin. 12.24 Jeroboam being anoynted to the Crown by Ahijah the Shilonite They tell us of Jehu smiting the House of Ahab and rising up in arms against Joram his King though the Scripture tells us 2 King 9.6 Thus saith the Lord I have anoynted thee King over Israel and so Peter Martyr well It was an act extraordinary Loc. com cla 4. c. 20. non in Exemplum trahendum and not to be drawn into example They tell us also of the People delivering Jonathan from Saul 1 Sam. 14.45 Though it appears not in Scripture that they did it by forceable arms of resistance but rather as Junius and Tremelius by forceable Argument of Perswasion ut posthabita juramenti ratione Comment in locum juris haberetrationem That laying aside the account he had of his Oath he would have respect to Equity and Justice Thus then notwithstanding the Opposition of the Adversaries I have made it cleare to you that no Cause can justifie the Subjects taking up arms against the King 2 No Authority Who shall command against him 2. No authority from whom issueth the Power of commanding Yea but he is entrusted with that Power by the Commonwealth for the safety and well fare thereof which if he abuseth he may be deprived of it by the Commonwealth Suppose this true as you know affirm'd it hath been for a Truth suppose our King had his Power committed to him by the State which yet is most false as shall presently appeare and suppose it in the Power of the State to require it of him again Though let me tell you this severing the Head from the Body the King from the State hath been as ominous as erroneus But as I leade you into this Maze Note so will I conduct you out again Upon this Supposition then consider well our many Hero's brave Worthies Starres primae magnitudinis shining no lesse in Valour than in Vertue consider the gravity of their Wisedome the Authority of their Persons the Uprightnesse of their Lives Men fit for Councell in Peace and Conduct in Warre Consider those great Nobles and Grave Judges of the Land the Learned Doctors and Clergy of the Land the Faithfull Gentry and Loyall Commonalty consider the great Counties the many Cities with the Famous Universities All which stand up in the defence of their Soveraigne the Lords anoynted Consider these well and then tell me what is that you call the State what is that you call the Commonwealth of the Kingdome Thus you see that not without cause Saint Jude tells us v. 8. that they who despise Governement kurioteta not Dominum but Dominatum not the Governours but the Governement Comment in locum ordinem ipsum a Deo constitutum so Beza the Order it selfe constituted by God They the Apostle tells u are ' Enupnazourenoi altissimo veterno sopiri buried in a dead sleep so Beza againe they are filthy Dreamers so our English delusi insomniis deluded with Dreames so Erasmus That of our English may be applyed to the great Statesmen the Patriots that of Erasmus to the People their Disciples the former they are filthy Dreamers the latter they are delusi insomniis deceived with their Dreames For is it not evident to him that is awake and his Eyes open That what those Men set down to justifie their Actions doe most of all condemne them they swerving from their own Principles But to returne The Power of Kings is de super nor de subter from above not from beneath from God From whence the power of Kings is not from the Subjects call them what you will the Multitude the States or the Commonwealth Ego dixi Dii estis Psal 82.6 I have said ye are Gods Ego dixi I have said not nos diximus We have said he hath said it whose Dixit is a Fecit by him are Kings ordain'd by whom all things are created Per me Reges per quem Regna by him are Kings by whom are Kingdomes the World and the Governement of the World hath the same per both potestatis personae of Power and of Person If wicked Men once separate Reges from per me Kings from him by whom they are Kings no wonder if they strike at Regnant too no wonder if they strive to cast their Crowns down to the ground and lay their Honour in the dust Tertullian is full for an Heathen Emperour In Apologet. Imperatorem saith he necesse est ut suspiciamus it is necessary that we reverence the Emperour and how so ut eum quem Dominus noster elegit as him whom our Lord hath chosen ut merito dixerim noster est magis Caesar ut a nostro Deo constitutus that I may very well say Caesar is rather our Emperour as constituted by our God Yea the King is by God but God he worketh by means and therfore though he chuse the King yet it is mediante Populo by the choice of the People For this see Psal 89.20 there saith God of King David I have exalted one chosen out of the People The King not chosen by the People Electumâ—e Populo chosen out of the People not