A lap in Isa p. 156. Therefore the learned in the Hebrew observe that the word Nasi signifies both Prince and Bearer A Prince is Bajulus reipublicae The supporter of his people So Moses made account Deut 1.12 2 King 13.14 when he complained that He could not bear them alone He is Currus Auriga the Chariot and Horseman to his people whom he carries about with him continually He stands under such a weight that he is the very Atlas of the lower world In short The cares of Princes sit closer to their heads than their Crowns and they that wear them both never want weight Matters of import and weight of employment that also is signified by the head And now I should ha' done with this particular but finding the words also eminently applyed to the Lord Jesus Christ Col. 1.18 who is head of the body the Church I could not pass them over without taking notice that it is no such impropriety to say two heads as our Refusers of the Oath of Supremacy would insinuate For Subordinata non pugnant To make the King head is not to behead Christ Christ is head and the King is subordinate head too Two heads and yet no Monstrosity Reges in ipsos imperium est Jovis Toparchs and under-under-Kings are not inconsistent with an Empire no more are Terrestrial Kingdoms and Headships with the paramount power of the Lord of Glory It is ridiculous to think more to object that the King would invade the Prerogative Royal of Jesus Christ by being head of the Church in the same heighth and latitude with him or that Christ should not look upon it as equal robbery for any to call himself King as head in his Church which yet these Recusants are willing to allow If men will be sober they cannot but see the King layes claim to nothing which Christ hath reserved to himself as his peculiar He stands not Rival with him for command He pleads not Peerage with God He sayes not sayes not in his heart Isa 14.13 14. I will exalt my Throne above the starres of God I will ascend above the heights of the clouds Ero similis altissimo I will be like the most high That was Lucifer's Language and one as proud as Lucifer takes to it or else he hath wrong done him Dominus Deus noster Papa Our Lord God the Pope I wish they would not give the Pope that which they deny the King Let them but remember the stile of some aspiring Emperors and the King's title will appear modest enough Numen nostrum Nostra Aeternitas And what Dio the Historian tells us of some Marbles and Statua's that they were inscribed with Devoti Numini Titles which any thing but Marbles would blush at But a Sub-supremacy as I may call it to be Supreme under Christ suits both with the reason of a man and the sobriety of a Christian There can be no just pretence to deny the King his Supremacy whil'st in all humility he confesseth Christ's The truth is the cavil is so idle and impertinent that those which make it give cause enough to suspect that as they now grudge him his head so they would not stick to take off his head had they power and opportunity in their hands If wise and good men be not mistaken This is that submission Saint Peter calls for 2 Pet. 2.13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To the King as Supreme Yes say these worst sort of Recusants again To the King as Supreme in Temporals I grant that the exposition of Pope Innocent the third P. 226 l A. Col. 1. for so Lorinus the Jesuite tells us in his Comment upon St. Peter And I wish they be not as little friends to the Protestant Churches as he that follow that Exposition Sit Petrus in clave is a phrase used at the Coronation of the Kings of this Realm And if there be any Scholars among the dissenters let them construe me that Mr. Bisield a person looked on as no great admirer of conformity urgeth this place to evince the King's Supremacy and the Oath to it as any may see that will consult his Commentary upon it I shall only add Let Protestants remember it was an Apostle and the Pontificians consider it was Saint Peter that asserted the King's Supremacy and then methinks neither should have much to say why he should not be owned as head upon whose head the Crown is now to be set Which is the next particular both the day and the time and the Text lead us to it The Crown upon the Kings head is gold pure gold A Crown of pure gold on his head A Crown But what Crown there 's the question and it is not Tanti not worth the while to resolve it Some conceive the Text to intend a particular Crown Among these Trevetus Vatablus and Genebrard determine it the Crown of the King of Ammon taken at Rabbah of which mention is made 2 Sam. 12.30 But whether the King 's own Crown or the Crown of Melchom alias Molech the celebrated Idol of that people hath been disputed more than enough Not of the King sayes one party because of the excessive weight of it 2 Sam. 12.30 Sixty pound weight Iuâ—â—us a Talent of gold a Talent being one hundred twenty and five pounds and so the Crown was insupportable either by the head of David or of the King of Ammon himself though of a larger breed Nec sufferre queat majoris pondera Gemmae Iuven. Sat. 1. To evade which Not usually worne but a Crown Estate Willet Haâ—m in 2 Sam. p. 78. It was supported by the hands of others says Lyranus It was contrived to be pendent so Abulensis from the Hebrews Or which is the fancy of Bruno the Carthusian Conslavit in aliam redegit It was melted and reduced to a less and more suitable sise Nor was it the Idol's crown sayes the other party Both upon a religious account because it was inconvertible to David's use and upon a civil score because it was below him to wear the reversions of an Idol who was Solo Deo vero minor majorque falsis below the true God only Abulensis Lyranus Hugo Cardinalis Carthusianus better and greater than all factitious fictitious ones The Learned have troubled themselves more than needs to salve all these difficulties It would be besides our business to ingage with any of them in renewing a quarrel about a Crown long since laid in the dust There are some also whom we shall but mention for another Crown 2 Sam. 1.10 the Crown of Israel which Saul wore and the young Amalckite took from his head as also the bracelet from his arm and brought them to David and lost his life for his pains Whatsoever Crown it was it was Insigne Regni in the Orator's expression An Ensign of Soveraignty and one of the chief among the Regalia Such a Crown it was that Interpreters strive
as if they could not embelish and set it out with terms significative enough Posuisti in capite ejus Coronam de lapide pretioso Thou settest a Crown of precious stones on his head so the Vulgar Latin And Bruno the Carthusian from Josephus tells us Cicero In Psal it was Corona cum Sardonyche in medio gemmarum A Crown that had a Sardonyx set in it in the midst of other Jewels The Sardonyx signifieth Zeal for the Faith and a readiness to die for it A stone that would stand well in the Diadem of this Realm as well becoming him who is Defender of the Faith and renewing the precious memory of that Royal Martyr K. Charls 1. who sealed his love to it with his blood Rev. 12.11 and loved not his life unto the death I am not so much a Lapidary as to give you in all these Crown-Jewels and their Tropological imports I shall only tell you the Topaz was one that Lapis auri aemulus so called for the golden colour of it Corn. â—ap Com. nâ—â—od p. 554. l D. signifying Animum caelestem ad omnia infractum a gallant soul one that dares invite danger and shrinks in at no apprehensions of fear And to this also the Head to be Crowned this day hath a good title as his actions both at home and abroad can witness But time is more precious than these stones and therefore I shall spend no more of it upon them Enough of that reading A Crown of precious stones on his head Saint Hierom reads it Ex obryzo of tried gold Auri purgatissimi Optimi Those are other readings speaking the same sense of the Text and therefore I shall keep to that A Crown of pure gold I shall not digress into a discourse of the several acceptations of the word Crown in Scripture Sometimes speaking excellence Prev 12.4 A vertuous woman is the Crown of her husband Sometimes abundance Ps 65.11 Thou crownest the year with thy goodness and thy clouds drop fatness Sometimes recompence Rev. 3.11 Hold fast that which thou hast that no man take thy Crown I shall make quicker work if I only observe to you That Crown speaks Majesty Gold perpetuity Pure simplicity 1. Crown There 's Majesty Liv. The Historian calls this Insigne Regium this especially it is the first highest greatest and most inseparable 2 King 11.12 Esth â— 17 When Joash was made King Jehoiada put the Crown upon him And when Esther was made Queen the Crown of the Kingdom was set upon her head In familiar discourse Crown speaks as much as Kingdom A Crown is so expressive of Majesty that it gives us in some and those the sublimest apprehensions of the life to come and all those glorious retributions of the Saints It was the highest notion under which St. Paul could conceive of the bliss of Heaven Henceforth is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me at that day A Crown There 's Majesty 2. Gold There 's perpetuity Let the Isthmian Gamesters wear their Garlands whose names were as fading as their flowers Gold that immortal mettal is only fit for his head who is immortal and that Rex nunquam moritur makes the King so And so does that In pactum salis 2 Chron. 13.5 of Abijah The Lord hath given the Kingdom over Israel to David for ever even to him and to his sons by a Covenant of Salt And so does that promise made to David in faithfulness Ps 89.29 His seed will I make to endure for ever and his throne as the dayes of heaven Nulla te terris rapiet vetustas Senec. Tu comes Phoebo comes ibis astris Gold there 's perpetuity I willingly omit some other designations of Gold Prudence it notes wisdom as Lead doth hebetude and folly Opulence it is the riches of a people Gen. 2.11 Havilah is commended because there is gold Supremacy it is the first of Mettals and the King first of men Tranquility Times of peace before Warre and Bloodshed broke into the world are by the Poets called the Golden Age. Mollia securae peragebant otia gentes Ovid. 3. Pure There 's simplicity It speaks the King simple in opposition to mixture 1. In his rule It is not a Miscellany an every-thing-nothing a mingled a Mungrel Government It is not sophisticated with any Plebeian ingredients not an Aristocratical composition much less an Anarchical confusion but it is the pure gold of Monarchy 2. In his Title Which is clear Like him who would devise the pedigree of O. Williams alias Cromwel from Ow … and fair he needs no mercenary pen to lead him a new way into antiquity He doth not cut out his way to it with the sword swim to it through a Sea of innocent blood break into it through repealed Oaths and Obligations He doth not tread down Law and Right stride over honor and honesty prostitute conscience and whatever the civilized world calls Sacred Briefly He does not weave a Cloak of Religion to steal a Crown withal but his right is indubitate his Title clear it is a Crown of pure gold This Crown of pure gold commends the King's dignity commands our duty 1. Commends the King's dignity Not as if he needed any mutuatitious worth or had little but what he was beholden to his Crown for I think enemies themselves if so gracious a Prince can have any must needs say that he is even with his Crown and brings as much lustre to his Crown as his Crown to him but because the Crown upon the right head though he should be otherwise unworthy makes a Dignity Which made it a pardonable and no unhandsome piece of Zeal in a noble person of this Nation Thomas Earl of Surrey to Hen 7. that if the Crown were set upon a stake he would fight for it It is a truth that Nero as King is exalted as much above the common rate of men and hath as much right to obedience from his Subjects as Augustus Domitian as Vespasian Julian as Constantine And if they that dote so upon Mr. Calvin's Discipline will but allow of his Doctrine he tells us Calv. in Ro. 13. Etiamsi non rarò degenerant qui Principatum tenent nihilominus deferenda est eis obedientia quae Principibus debetur Though Princes should not be good men yet they have the right of good Princes to the subjection of their people Nulla ergo Tyrannis esse potest Ibidem sayes the same Calvin and I instance in it on purpose because he sayes so quae non aliqua ex parte subsidio sit ad tuendam hominum societatem No Tyranny can be which may not in some measure tend to advance the Weal-publick Pet. Mart. in Ro. 13. And Peter Martyr speaking of Nero saith that Cum ipse imperio suo opprimeret Orbem terrarum tamenjus dicebatur Tyranny then
2.10 That his Adversaries may be broken in pieces and that he will thunder out of Heaven upon them That he will give strength to the King and exalt the horn of his anointed that so the King may yet joy in his strength Psal 84 9â— and greatly rejoice in his salvation Behold O God our shield and look upon the face of thine anointed The children of Edom are waiting for another day of Hierusalem and as smooth as they look and speak with Jael's butter and milk Judg. 4.18 and a Turn in my Lord turn in to us and fear not it is to be feared they have a nail for those temples which God of his preventing goodness keep out of their hands Let my Lord the King live and this fear be to his enemies And so I shall ha' done with the first general part of the Text The Conservation of the King Thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness Come we now to the Second that which we are come with this great and unusual pomp to solemnize The Coronation of the King Thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head And here that we may make this second part match and run a paralel with the first we shall take notice of three expressions which heighten the mercy of his Coronation as those other did of his Conservation 1. The King's head crowned 2. The crown upon that head gold pure gold 3. The hand of God setting that crown of gold upon that head Thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head 1. Upon his head Not upon any one member no nor upon any five members neither no nor yet upon the whole body For by the undoubted fundamental Laws of this Kingdom neither the Peers of the Realm nor the Commons nor both together in Parliament nor the people collectively or representatively nor any other persons whatsoever ever had hath or ought to have any coercive power over the persons of the Kings of this Realm Dated Jâ—â— 25. 1660. As the Royal pen informs us in a late Proclamation and hath enacted it also at the request of the late Parliament that our heels may no more stand where our head should be Upon his head as fittest for Vision Provision 1. The head is fittest for Vision Eccles 2.14 A wise man's eyes are in his head And well had it been for us if ours had been believed to be there when time was probably we had not seen the miseries and direful effects of the late Warres We were so sagacious and quick-sighted we could see things before they were in their causes our members would needs see more than our head and so we ran blind-folded into confusion The eyes of a people are in their King as in their head and they that are without him witness our late selves are but like Sampson without his eyes fit for nothing but to make the Philistines sport Judg. 16.25 It is a sign their brains are scarce in their heads that think their eyes would do well any where else Upon his head for Vision 2. Upon his head for Provision The head is Providore and Purveyor for the whole body The welfare of the body depends mostly upon the Wisdom and Council upon the dictates and directions of the head The body supports the head by its strength and the head supplyes the body by its providence A Church or State without this head is like an Orphan or fatherless Infants So that promise intimates Erunt Reges nutricij hij And Kings shall be thy Nursing Fathers Isa 49.23 and their Queens thy Nursing Mothers Oeconomi tui as some render it making the Church and Common-wealth the Family of the Prince upon whom lies the whole care and governance of it to order it and provide for it Upon his head as fittest for provision That 's a second Upon his head This being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both for Order and for honor's sake Or if you please Upon his head Imports The heighth of his place and The weight of his employment 1. The heighth of his place Head denotes chiefdom and pre-eminence The chief of their Tribes and Families which the Vulgar Latin all along calls Principes our Translation renders Heads Princes are Heads Mic. 3.1 Hear O Heads of Jacob and ye Princes of the house of Israel It may be said of Saul in his place as well as his person that he is Altior universo populo ab humero sursum Higher by the head than all the people Rex omnibus major Deo solo minor was good divinity in Tertullian's dayes though the iniquity of ours had almost dasht it out of countenance with that ridiculous Maxim of our new Statists Confuted by Bodinâ—s de Repub. l. 1. cap. 8. Major singulis minor universis The King is above all and under God only He is Homo Deo secundus in the same Father's phrase A man second to God Nay be it spoken with reverence He is a God of the second sort 1 Tim 1.17 Psal 82.6 Deus est immortalis Rex Rex mortalis Deus God is an immortal King and the King is a mortal God This is Scripture language and I hope we may speak it without suspicion of flattery The height of the King's place that 's the first import of his head 2. The weight of his employment The trouble of Government lies most in the head Others may have their hands but the King commonly hath his head full This made Antigonus say to his son Regnum nostrumest servitus splendida A Kingdom is but a glorious servitude A finer kind of trouble No wonder if Saul hid himself among the stuff 1 Sam. 10 2â— and chose rather to obscure his head among the baggage than offer it to the Crown of Israel if he foresaw the burden of business and incumbrance which he was like to put on with it Indeed could that Bellua multorum capitum be tamed and all Wood made Mercury Would the Rout be refined and ingenuity be found among the Rabble Were there hopes to meet with a Nation as tractable as David found his countreymen of Judah Whose hearts he bowed 2 Sam. 19.14 even as the heart of one man Then Facile est imperium in bones Plaâ—t as the Comedian Good men are easily governed But the depravity of nature the pride avarice and ambition of men hath made them so mutinous and unruly that government is become a weight big enough for head and shoulders and all Isa 9.6 Therefore that Principatus super humerum in the Prophet The Government shall be upon his shoulder does not only allude to the Scepter and Sword and other symbols of Authority Praetoâ—ibus aâ—te ibant â—â—câ—ores cum fâ—scibas Cic. carried upon the shoulder as the Romane Fasces were before the Magistrate but speaks government it self to be a weight requiring more than an ordinary strength to undergo it
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
his thousands and David his ten thousands Particularly the Victory which this and the foregoing Psalm referre to and which is the blessing celebrated was that of David's Armies against the forces of the children of Ammon with the Auxiliaries of Syria under the command of their Captain General Shobach Of which you have a full account 2 Sam. 10. and of which more afterwards 2. Vivacity Length of dayes Of which Vers 4. He asked life of thee and thou gavest it him even length of dayes for ever and ever Some victories cost dear are bought with the life of a King or General and are little less than the undoing of the Conquerors they lose by winning God sometimes takes his people from the possession of blessings even when they are entring upon them He did so with his servant Moses whom he cut off in the very confines of Canaan Deut. 34.4 I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes but thou shalt not go over thither He did so with the illustrious hopeful and most lamented the late Duke of GLOCESTER that immortal blossome not to be mentioned without a preface of sadness who saw but enjoyed little of the happiness of his royal Brothers His most excellent Majesties Restauration But the King's blessings are lengthened with his life He hath victory and life to use and improve it 1 King 3.11 God hath given him the life of his enemies and his own life too Which are two of the four most eligible blessings so accounted by God himself who best knows the worth of his own blessings in his comprobation of Solomons choice 1 Kings 3.11 Life is that blessing in Wisdom's right-hand which taketh place of riches and honor It is the greatest of earthly blessings Facito debilem pede facito debilem manu vita dum superest benè est Men will hold it upon hard terms they are loth to part with it even when the dayes are come they have no pleasure in them Eccl. 12.1 All look on it as their All Kings most of all They are most commonly at a heighth of outward glory full of blessings and they desire nothing so much as life to enjoy them We read of but one life lengthened in Scripture and it was a Kings 2 King 20 6. Dan. 2.4 Ch. 3.9 And the Caldeans looked on it as the best piece of Courtship that they could use to Nebuchadnezzar O King live for ever There is nothing so much a blessing to a King on this side the Kingdom of Heaven as his life And have not we cause to remember to remember with eternal thankfulness how God gave our most Dread Soveraign his life gave it him at Worcester even then when a thousand deaths look'd him in the face to take it away When the proud waters were ready to go over his soul Psal 124.5 When the insulting enemy said God hath forsaken him Psal 71.11 persecute him take him for there is none to deliver him even then did his mighty hand and stretched-out arm take Rebellion rampant by the throat Psal 22.20 and delivered his soul from the sword his darling his only one according to the Hebrew from the power of the dog Psal 113 8. That he might set him with Princes even with the Princes of his people Isa 55.3 That he might give him those sure mercies of David His Throne shall be as the Sun before me Psal 89.36 37. It shall be established for ever as the Moon and as a faithful witness in Heaven But of that more anon Vivacity that 's the second of those blessings the people here own with thankfulness for their King 3. Safety Ver. 5. His glory is great in thy salvation And in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice Ver. 1. God chargeth his providence in a more peculiar manner with Kings Touch not mine Anointed It is a great blessing to have our blessings secured to us Fear of losing lessens a blessing How low ran the rate of earthly blessings among us during the late times of trouble when men knew not how to secure them from the hands of Rapine nor free them from those artificial and finer kinds of violence which were in use among us It is the blessing of our blessings when they are made safe to us And we are then happy when we are fortified by the strength of God and made impregnable by the power of the most high There 's no security like Omnipotency and those Walls must needs be inexpugnable which are made up of his Salvation That 's the King's condition here Lord thou hast sospitated his person and established his Throne and secured his Kingdom Psal 5 11 12. His glory is great in thy salvation And therefore Let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice let them ever shout for joy because thou defendest them let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee For thou Lord wilt bless the righteous with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield Be that enough for the first expression which here heightens the mercy of the Kings Conservation In benedictionibus With blessings 2. Those blessings are of goodness The blessings of goodness In benedictionibus dulcedinis the vulgar Latin renders it With the blessings of sweetness and delight Blessings that will gratifie the desires of his soul and go down with a relish Psal 34.8 He shall taste and see how good the Lord is He shall not only have blessings of defence but delight mercies not only for necessity but complacency God shall gild his deliverance with the light of his countenance and sweeten his enjoyments with the experiences of his love Thou preventest him with the sweetest of blessings In benedictionibus bonitatis in St. Hierom's words with the blessings of goodness And that goodness seems to have a double reference either to the cause or kind of blessings 1. To the cause Thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness That is Thy goodness is the cause and ground the fountain and foundation of all his blessings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word which the Seventy two Interpreters use in this place speaks benignity and blessings of good-will Lord all the Kings blessings are the out-lets of thy goodness That is the living and inexhaustible fountain from whence do flow all those streams which make glad the people of God The spring of Love is in God's own self His bowels made the first motion of good to us Thou art good Psal 119.68 and dost good The goodness derived to us is from a primitive goodness in himself It is meerly and solely from his goodness that we have any good Alas had we no goods but what the purchase of our own merits brought in Ch. 3.17 we should be but like that conceited Phanatick Church in the Revelations say it may be We are rich and increased in goods and have need of nothing when indeed we are wretched and miserable