should be turned against Him Arise O Sword and smite my Shepheard was the barbarous inhumanity used towards Christ and I confesse oft-times since practised upon His Vicegerent I doe not onely meane the Sword of Excommunication more frequently used by the Bishop of Rome then his Crosyer At which weapon also Knox and Buchanan have shewed themselves as cunning Fencers as he but the Materiall the Criminall Sword And this defended as stiffely by those you scarcely would suspect Men who like the mutinous Israelites upon all occasions of pretended discontent cry downe Moses and set up an Idoll made out of popular Votes and Contributions Men who have found an arme to weild the Sword of Justice which God never appointed in the mannage of which irregular Authority they have presumed to set the people on the Bench and place the King at the Barre Heare it justified by one of their own pennes Rex cum ad populi judicium vocatur Minor ad Majorem in jus vocatur when the King is cited by the People the lesse is brought in question by the greater Ecce iterum Buchananus est mihi saepe vocandus Ad partes This is strange stuffe which I know as much offends you who are dutifully met in the feare of God and in this Holy Place to do Honor unto His Annoynted whom He hath set over you to heare as me to rehearse How much more ingenuously mannerly do the Jesuits deale with Princes then these kinds of men Suarius in his Book written against our late learned Soveraigne Post quam Rex legitimè constitutus est supremam habet potestatem in his omnibus ad quae illaÌ„ accepit etiamsi à Populo illam acceperit Admit the King were made by the people as it is quite otherwise He is constituted by God yet being made he hath an absolute independant and unquestionable Authority over the People And Mariana thus writes Adjuncta est Regia Majestas quasi Multitudinis Custos The King is that Person unto whom God hath committed the charge and custody of the people A truth which ye have the more reason to value since it comes from their pens whom you all know to have been none of the best friends to Soveraignty But Magna est veritas Great is the truth every where and great this truth which extorts consent from these and will evict it from all but such who praeposterous to Gods order and method will needs read this Text backward turning the heeles to Heaven the head to Earth whiles they goe about to whelme the Kingdome over the King and set the Nations that is the people above Him whom God hath set over them I have set Thee over Nations and Kingdomes I have done with the Text and should here end But your expectation and the duty I owe to this Day require some just Commemoration from me Here therefore my Eccè turns to you who in your relation to the Text are concerned with the King If I have hitherto spoken of a King is he King for his own sake or for yours No the Text tels he is Super vos constitutus He is set over you As God then hath given him the Kingdome so he hath given you the King Vobis datus est and in that gift as he hath Crowned the King with a Crown of Gold he hath Crowned you with a Garland of Peace There was a time when there was no King in Israel would you know the Character of that time Every man did what was good in his own eyes No Law then but Lust and Will the Rule of each ones Actions Might arm'd with injury and violence made the weaker Subjects and outrage was authorised by the power of the Actour Think how beyond all expression miserable your case were should the anger of God cause those times to revert upon you When barbarous Rapes and hoâ—rid Massacres cries wherewith your eares have never been acquainted should sound in every corner of your City Here then begin your thanks to God that to prevent all these mischiefes He hath given you a King And now as God once said to Moses in the top of Mount Pisgah let me say to you Lift up your eyes Westward and Northward and Southward and Eastward Look upon any other parts of the World which are governed without a King or where there is a King yet so abridgd in his Authority that He is as it were in Wardship to a Senate or some such Supervisors in Saint Pauls phrase Vnder Tutours and Governours and from the manifest inconveniences which Plurality of Rulers hath produced in the World for They are a punishment to a Land learn to prize your own happinesse under one Ruler as he in Homer {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and to pray that those may never be Masters of their will who would subject either Him or you to then Tumultuous Parity Look forth yet once more upon Kingdomes governed by formes Monarchall and Absolute as yours and think whether Talem Constituit whither God hath set such a one over them as over you Whether the People in Davids words are in such a case as you free to the exercise of true Religion and quietly enjoying every man his own and from these steps you will finde cause abundant to raise the measure and to multiply the acts of your thankesgiving to Almighty God and to say He hath not dealt so with any other Nation When in the gratefull apprehension of these blessings you have applied unto your selves what I have now said I shall most properly apply all other circumstances of this Text both to the Day and to the Person in whose honour it is solemnized I may indeed justly take up the words of our Saviour in the Gospell This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your eares Fifteene yeares are now fully run out since God who Taketh away and setteth up Kings did with one hand both take from us and restore He translated one King into his own Kingdome established another upon this Throne Thus Dominus dedit Dominus abstulit The Lord gave and the Lord tooke away Blessed be the Name of the Lord This very day was our Skie darkned and by the setting of a Sunne ever Glorious and Memorable in his Race an unnaturall mid-night threatned us even at Noone day for then He fell yet I may truely say Sol occubuit nox nulla secuta est though that Light was taken from our eyes no night ensued for a New Light kindled out of His Ashes began to shine upon us and that Stella de Jacob in a good sense That Starre of Jacob who was risen long before and though at some distance sparkled in our hopes now increasing in the proportion of his light appeared as he drew neere a perfect Sunne in our Zodiack Where ever since He hath happily runne and may he there long continue
A SERMON PREACHED At St. PAVLS March 27. 1640. BEING THE ANNIVERSARY OF HIS MAIESTIES HAPPY INAUGURATION TO HIS CROWNE By HENRY KING Deane of Rochester and Residentiary of St. Pauls One of His Majesties Chaplaines in Ordinary LONDON Printed by Edward Griffin 1640. יהוה JEREM. 1.10 Behold I have this day set thee over the Nations and over the Kingdomes to Root out and to pull down to destroy and throw down to build and to plant DId not the solemne comming up of your Tribes to this Place and the publike preparation loudly speake that Festivall we meet to celebrate the very reading of this Text were Trumpet enough to proclaime the cause of your addresse and my appearing here I may begin my Sermon as David his Psalme I speake of the things which I have made touching the King and the Hodiè in the Text applies my speech to the season That God who This Day set Him over us warrants the occasion and this Scripture gives me matter The words were spoken immediately to the Prophet Jeremy a Sonne of Oyle by his Office though not of him but improperly and figuratively Quod dicitur Jeremiae Eccè constitui Te non dubium quin figurata tota locutio sit saith â—aint Augustin Jeremy then was the Messenger not the Party for which reason one Translation reads not Constitui but Legavi Te. Literally and Properly they are meant of Christ importing his Regall Power and the Latitude of His Kingdome Non ergo Ieremias sed Dominus Iesus Not Ieremy but the Lord Iesus saâ—th â—t Ambrose Nor is He alone St. Cyprian St. Chrysostome Victorinus and oâ—hers agree with him which makes good St. Hieromes attestation Multi hunc locum supâ—r Persona Christi intelligunt Divers understand this Text of Christs Person Neverthelesse as we dâ—aw Coppies without wrong to the Originall so without injury to the sense of the Text or the Person of Christ I shall apply the words to the King who in respect of his Office and Domination upon Earth is Christs Image and Deputy the Christus Domini the Lords Annoynted First therefore I shall from hence trace this Soveraigne Power to the very Spring discovering unto you the Author whose Ordinance Dominion is who is God Himselfe Ego Constitui I have set or I have Constituted Secondly the Person Exalted Thee Thirdly the Extent of this Exaltation Over the Nations and over the Kingdomes Fourthly the End or Exercise of His Power which is twofold 1. Destructive to Roote out and to pull downe to Destroy to throw down 2. Conservative To Build and to Plant. The Ecce here prefixt shall serve as an Herald to usher in my Discourse and Application Behold And sure an Argument wherein God and the King are interessed will deserve an Ecce Both these Persons meet in the Text yet in that order that the King may know his Dependance upon God and the People their obedience to the King even for this reason because God hath set him over them Where He comes priviledged by such an Author and vested with such Authoriâ—y He will deserve not an Ecce alone but an Osanna too Blessed be hee that commeth in the Name of the Lord For this I is the Lord I have set Though you finde no Name subscribed the Deed sufficiently declares the Author And where the Act is Eloquent other denominations are of little use Men are divided by their Tribes and distinguished by their Titles If God have any Name it is to be read in his Attributes the first of which is His Power and the effect of that Power Ego Constitui I have set thee up The Government of the Earth is in the hand of the Lord and when Time is He will set up a profitable Ruler over it saith the sonne of Syrac Heathens themselves were sensible of this truth Homer termes Kings {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and Callimachus {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} The Off-spring of Iupiter So Tacitus Principes imperium à Deo habent eosque instar Dei esse Princes receive their Scepters from God and are in His stead Doe they not appeare worse then Heathens who goe about to fetch the derivation of Kings from any other Pedigree then this Those who either place the power of making them in the Pope as doe the Pontificials or in the People as Buchanan Populo jus est ut imperium cui vult deferat Or that joyne the People in Commission with God abridging the Latitude of the Text and liberty of Gods institutions Deum Reges Instituere Regna Regibus dare Reges Eligere Populum Reges Constituere Regna tradere Electionem suo suffragio comprobare A Distinction whose termes are contrary to the Text 'T is there Constitui te God Institutes the People constitute the King God gives the Kingdome the people deliver it God elects but the People confirme the Election If this be true sure our Bibles are false and our interpretation as erroneous as our Texts Why doe not these Men who in many things so neerely parallel the Jesuites get leave from their Consistory as the other from the Conclave to frame an Index Expurgatorius to expunge those places of Scripture which make against them Blot out that of Daniel The most High ruleth in the Kingdome and giveth it to whomsoever He will You heard now who said the People had right to bestow it where they listed Blot out that of Moses Let the Lord God of the Spirits of all flesh appoint a man over the Congregation * Gods election is nothing unlesse the People approve it Lastly Blot out that of Salomon By me Kings reigne These men have more wisely ordered the matter And let Kings Themselves no more write Dei Gratiâ which Rebuffus notes to be the just acknowledgement of His Power who gave Them Theirs since 't is not so much By the Grace of God as by the favour and Leave of the People It was ignorance of the first Cause which threw a Myst of blindnesse upon the World which Myst for all the Beames of Knowledge that have shone upon it never since could cleare up For it is a permanent Error in man-kind to mistake the Instruments and Secondary Agents in Gods purposes for the Maine Efficient It is so in this where because in the setling or translation of Kingdomes some Intermediate Actors are used many ascribe thâ—se Effects to them which are onely the worke of God The Romans were wont variously to distinguish the derivation of their Empire By Force so Iulius Caesar was invested By the Senates Election so Tiberius By the Souldiers so Severus By Inheritance so Octavius Augustus But to what meanes soever they imputed their Emperours were it Birth or Conquest Election or Usurpation 't is God who gives the Title to Kingdomes by the First and He also directs and permits it by the
Last When the Israelites desired a King they asked him of God who first designed Him and by a Law never to be reversed reserved the Choice as a Prerogative peculiar to Himselfe Thou shalt make Him King whom the Lord thy God shall choose over Thee so that if he come in by any other way the Act is quarrell'd by the Prophet and disclaimed by God himselfe They have set up a King but not by me If by Succession it is God who Regulates and prolongs that happy Line Children are Gods blessing to every private family but an Heire to a Kingdome is His Blessing to a Land Which Blessing is enlarged in the goodnesse of the Successour Therefore when the good Emperour Marcus Aurelius perceived the ill inclination of his Sonne Commodus who was to succeed he wish'd himselfe dead But contrary to him Hiram congratulates those who were sent from Iudaea Blessed be the Lord God who hath given unto David a wise Sonne over this mighty People And this was that Sonne whom David professes the Lord Himselfe had made choice of Of all my Sonnes for the Lord hath given me many He hath chosen Salomon to sit upon the Throne of the Kingdome of the Lord over Israel Nor onely in these Calmes of Peace but in the Tempest of Warre where the Sword hewes out a title to the Crowne and the Robe of the Prince instead of Purple is Dyed in Blood Even in this storme is God the Pilot to guide all actions to His Ends In the passing away of the first Monarchies from the Assyrian to the Persian His hand was set to the deed visible upon the Wall and legible in those fatall Characters which told Belshazzar that the Date of his Kingdome was numbred and finished And truely if you consider the power of Belshazzar and the number of his tributary Princes and the strength of Babylon his Metropolis which was fenced with a treble Wall of great height and the difficulties Cyrus encountred at the assault being forced by many Channels and trenches to drain the River of Euphrates that so he might approach the Walls which otherwise had beene inaccessible you will perceive it was not an Arme of Flesh but the Ordinance of God which made Cyrus strong and successefull Let all the Kings of the Earth then Throw down their Scepters before this Maker of Kings and ascribe unto Him Their Kingdomes and their Power for they are His Tuum est Regnum Potentia 'T is part of the Doxology in Christs prayer Let them not reckon their Crownes the acquisition of their owne wisedome or strength as Iacob told Ioseph concerning his portion With my Sword and with my Bow I tooke it But cry with that victorious Captaine of the Lords Battailes The Sword of the Lord and of Gedeon The Lord first and then Gedeon Gedeon may be the instrument the hand to atchieve but God the Cause God the Guider and Director of the Stroke And as the King casts downe His Crowne before the Lord Let the People cast themselves down before the King They that lift up their hands against Him in publike Rebellion or their Tongues in murmur against his commands or their Hearts in disobedient and discontented thoughts are as ill Subjects to God as to the King You need not aske Whom have they resisted St. Paul tels you They have resisted the Ordinance of God for Non est potestas nisi à Deo He hath his power from God His Office is Gods Ordinance His person dignified by Him too Constitui Te I have set Thee up which is the Kings Exaltation my second point When our Saviour rebuked the unruly Wind and Sea the Disciples askd with wonder Who is this whom both Elements of Aire and Water obey If any enquire who he is before whom God hath prostrated the obedience of of his people by whom he calmeth the uproare of the multitude And strivings of the people He can be no other then the Man whom the King of Kings was pleased to honour above all the rest He may be greater then all the Rulers of the Earth the Lord Christ but lesse He cannot be then the Lords Annointed He may well be that Lord unto whom the Lord said sit Thou on my right hand untill I make thine enemies thy foot-stoole for the Text naturally beares it but meaner He cannot be then the Man of Gods right hand whom he hath set up and made so strong for Himself for His purposes It was an Argument of Gods mercy and care of the World that though the Apostacy of Mankind deserved in justice a finall dâ—ssoluâ—ion whereby all things might have reverted into their first Chaos yet in the very Act of His displeasure when He dissipated those who in the building of Babel cast up a Mound against Heaven and raised a worke to assault Him in his Throne He appointed a Ruler over every People when He divided the Nations CoÌ„mon-wealths without their Governor were like Ships without an Helme in danger to strike upon the Sand or break upon the Rocks The King is the States Pilot and His Law the Compasse By Him are we kept safe from Enemies who by invasion might break in upon us from abroad and by Him defended from Domesticke quarrels in which by falling foule on one another our Fortune might be broken into nothing Sheep without a Shepheard and Water without a Bank and a Body without an Head are Emblemes of a State without a King The King is the Head the People the Body He is the Shepheard they the Sheep Homer calls Menelaus {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} And Moses beseeches God to appoint a man over the Congregation least they should be like Sheep without a Shepheard Lastly as Saint Iohn saith Aquae sunt populi The people are as an inundation of Water like the waves for number and for noyse and would resemble the wild disorder of a wrought Sea for David joynes the Noise of the waves and the madnesse of the people together did not the King by his Authority limit their inconstant motion So necessary is a King even as * Aire to our Breath 'T is Calvins expression and a true one The Prophet Ieremy calls Him the Breath of our Nostrils There is nothing which more clearely demonstrates the God of Order then the subordinate Government of the Kingdomes of the Earth Nor doth any forme of Government come so neere His Owne which is the Archetype the first and best patterne of all others as the Monarchall when a state is governed by a King as sole Commander over all For in this singularity of power that person who is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the lively Image of God will some way represent the Unity of his Maker too Therefore Gerson defines Dominion that it is a Soveraigne Rule eommitted to One Regnum describitur quod