David be proud and by reason of their pride and ambition have their mutuall dissentions and emulations yet they can combine themselves to be Davids persecutors There is a two fold use to be remarked of the assembling of Davids enemies This may seem the more strange and admirable if we consider the nature of proud men in so far as they are proud for they presume of their owne worth and think all others to be base and contemptible they presume of their own wit so that nothing in their estimation can be wel spokē or done but their own words their own works or else what one way or other pleaseth their humours they so look to their own honour and wealth that they care not for the wrack and disgrace of others It is a wonder then that in any respect they can assemble with others that in these respects do separate themselves from all others yet we see that though Pilate and Herod be mutuall enemies they can be friends when Christ is crucified And though there be mutuall hatred betwixt the Pharisees and Sadduces they can conspire when Christ is persecuted There was no greater confusion at the building of the tower of Babel nor is in the Romane Church amongst their religious orders yet all of them can conspire against the profession and professours of the Truth The reason then of the combining of the proud persecutors of the Saints of God may be expressed in a plaine comparison A great king that is the commander of diverse Countries and Provinces though those Countries differ in their Languages and in their maners though some of them invie others priviledges and contemne others basenes yet being imployed in a warre against the kings enemies they can all make up the bodie of one Armie as if they were Citizens of one Citie we know that persecution is the worke of Sathan the king of pride though it be performed by men that are the children of pride the persecution of the Saints is hatched in hell by Sathan before it be either threatned or executed by men upon earth * Revel 12.15 This is the water that cometh out of the mouth of the Dragon to drown the woman and her sonne that is a fruit of the enimitie * Genes 3.15 betwixt the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman The proud persecutors of the Saints of God are set a work by Sathan the king of the children of pride about one worke for one end to destroy the kingdome of Christ albeit it be true that wicked men that have hand in the businesse have their owne wordly devlish and divers other respects in the satisfying of their wicked humours ambition cruelty and covetousnesse But to bring the application nearer home it may be questioned How can it be thought that all the Malignant partie which persecute the Covenanters in these Kingdomes doe service to Sathan for one end seeing many of them make profession that all they doe is for the propagation of true Religion To this I answere that seeing there is a great assembly of divers sorts of persons against the professors and defenders of the truth in their kingdoms that is to say Professed Papists and Malignant Protestants Concerning the Papists we may justly say They carie themselves more wisely in keeping of silence than if they should speak for it is well known to God and their own consciences to all that know them that the maine end of all their doings is to get liberty to professe their own Religion and to finde opportunitie to extirpate the Protestant Religion But the Malignant Protestants doe carie themselves more Antichristian like in the busines than the Papists themselves for we know that the name of Antichrist importeth one that saith He is for Christ and yet doth against Christ so those men make profession that all their care is for the advancing of the true Religion when in the mean time all their courses projects tend to the ruine of true Religion and erecting of idolatrie and superstition And as History relateth of Didius Iulianus who succeeded Pertinax in the Romane Empyre which he attained not by the consent of the Romane Senate but bought it with money that he promised to the Pretorian Souldiers when this man after the custome of the Romane Emperours would be styled the father of his Countrie there was a writting set upon the gate of his palace by night (e) Didius Iulianus non pater patriae sed emptor venditor proditor patriae mellificium histor Didius Iulianus is not the father of his Countrie but the buyer and seller and betrayer of his Country So those Malignant Protestants who professe themselves to be furtherers of Religion and defenders of their Country are by their lewd and wicked practices declared to be enemies to the Truth and traitors to their Countrie The Covenāters should lay three things to heart when they heare of the assembling of their enemies The second use which hereof ariseth when the Covenanters of Britain Ireland hear of the assembling of the Malignant enemies from divers quarters there are three things which earnestly they should lay to heart first they should study by all means to keep peace amōgst themselves Secondly they should hinder by all means the enemies which are in divers places to come together into one place Thirdly they should intreat the Lord by prayer to be present in the assemblies of his Saints that so they may be protected against the assemblies of their enemies First I say they should carefully studie to keepe peace amongst themselves that is to say they should labour to be of one minde in the mater of Religion and in the exercise of the service and worship of God they should mutually defend one another according to thair Covenant they should remove all excuses from them which may hinder them to advance the Cause of Christ none that hath power should pretend weaknesse nor that hath wealth should pretēd poverty but every zealous Christian should count it his honour happines that God hath furnished him with habilitie and by his providence offered him opportunity to honour Christ and to advance his Kingdom * Colos 3.15 Christians that are called to peace in one body should let the peace of God rule in their hearts at all times but especially when their peace is troubled by cruell persecutors Abraham thought it not time * Genes 13.8 To discord with Lot in the land of the Amorites Historie telleth us that though the Athenians and Thebanes had their mutuall jealousies yet they packed up all their dissentions when they were invaded by Philip king of Macedone the common enemie of the libertie of Greece It is a lamentable matter * Luke 16.8 that the children of this world in their own generation should be wiser than the children of light At this time all the covenanted people of the Lord should be carefull to keep peace amongst
in place and authority in a countrey or citie they leane so much to their owne wit that they despise the counsell and advice of others not being like * 2 King 5.15 Naaman that heard the advice of his servant nor like the Elders of * Sam. 20.20 Abel that received the advice of a wise woman but * Sam. 20.20 rather thinke that their counsel should be followed of all and they should be counselled by none by such wilfull pride and proud wilfulnesse many good things are neglected which might profitably be done and many evils ar committed which after-wards proved hurtfull and might well have beene avoided Thus much for the pride wherewith Davids enemies were possessed Proud persecutors rise against Gods Saints for 3. reasons Now let us consider wherefore Davids proude enemies arise against him and what can be the reasons that move other proud persecutors to rise against the Saints of God the reasons are especially three First Because proud men of all others are most like Sathan and are the chiefest subjects of his kingdome Secondly Because proud men see some excellencie in the Saints of God which is not in themselves Thirdly Because the saints of God cannot be moved to favour their wicked opinions and follow their lewd practices First I say because proud men of all others are most like Sathan and are the chiefest subjects of his kingdome For as the humble Saints are of all other men most like God because after their effectuall calling they are renewed to his image in holinesse and righteousnesse as they only are the loyall subjects of Jesus Christ the King of * Psal 149.2 Sion in whom they rejoyce So seeing Sathan is the first proud creature and the author of all pride that is found in creatures so the more proud that any man be he is the liker Sathan the author of pride Proud men likewise are Sathans most loyall subjects * Iob 41.34 For he is a king over the children of pride to him they doe most acceptable service beeing led captive at his will greatly pleasing him in the plotting and performing of their proud and ambitious designes whereby God is dishonoured his people troubled and the kingdome of Sathan is inlarged And therefore as Sathan himselfe had rather tempt one of the Saints of God then a thousand others so proud men that are the slaves of Sathan take pleasure to trouble the Saints of God * Psal 10.2 The wicked with pride doe persecute the poore that is by mocking and scoffing by railing and reproaching and by hurting them in their stats and bodies as they find opportunity and occasion Secondly Because proud men see some worth and excellencie in the Saints of God which is not in themselves by reason of some eminent grace or gift wherwith God hath endued them which not only becometh the object of their invie but likewise the spurre of their pride when they cannot endure that another should have the good which they themselves want and cannot winne to and will rather * Ierem. 11.9 that the tree should perish with the fruit before it should stand to bear fruit that is to say They wish rather that the gifted men should perish and their gifts be lost than that they should see the manifestation of Gods gift in an other which they have not in themselves So the powerfull words and mighty workes of Christ make him to be persecuted by the proud rulers of the Jews least his fame should be the occasion of their ruine * Iohn 11.49 and the Romans should come and take away their place and their Nation The proud enemies of David were his cruel persecutors because they did see that God was with him that great things were to be done by him and that great honour was to be conferred upon him Thirdly Because the Saints of God cannot be moved nor induced to favour the opinions of proud men and aprove their doings and follow them in their wicked practices and sinfull courses for proud men doe either so presume of their knowledge wisdome and understanding that they think they cannot erre or else they are so wilfull that though they be convinced of their error they will not be reclaimed some-times likewise they are so violently set upon sinfull courses that because they look for pleasure and profite in the prosecuting of them that either they think them to be lawfull and equitable or though they be convinced of their unlawfulnesse yet they will stand to the defence of them and obstinatly maintaine them as if they were most agreeably to equity and reason so that they become open enemies to all that will not walke in them or any way disalow them For as men that goe abroad in the world and by reason of their imployment have occasion to meet with people of divers humours they will sometimes meet with a sort of men that if they can flatter them and please their humours ratifie their words and approve their doings they will respect them as their brethren and their dearest friends But if they shall finde fault with their words or censure their foolish carrage then they shall altogether abhorre their companie and count them the basest fooles and idiots in the world No wonder it is then that proud men persecute the Saints of God that are so farre from imbracing their erroneous opinions and approving their wicked carriage and lewd conversation that either they are openly censuring and reproving them or else they altogether refuse to be of one minde with them in their erroneus opinions and to walk in one way with them in their lewd and wicked courses This is the reason of the persecution that Protestants sustaine by Papists where they live together and this is the ground of this great combustion that is kindled in these kingdomes for there is no other reason wherefore the Malignants are so violently set against the Covenanters but because they cannot be of one minde and opinion with them concerning the matter of State Religion for that which the Malignants think and professe to be a meane to propogate Religion and settle the state of the Kingdom the Covenanters with better reason affirme to be the subversion of the state and ruine of Religion Now before I come to the second thing considerable in this Text there is an use that I would gather frō the former considerations which is both for our comfort and instruction when proud persecutors which have great power and authority amongst men arise to trouble the peace of the Church of God by grievous oppression and persecution Then the Saints of God may boldly have recourse to God by earnest prayer in hope of a gracious deliverance from their eminent danger that for two reasons First whē they consider how diversly the Lord is affected towards his Saints and towards their persecutors Secondly when they consider the event of the insultatiō of their persecutors First I say when
themselves partly when they consider that usually distraction is a dolorous presage of destruction as Eusebius in his ecclesiasticke Historie observeth that the dissension betwixt the Easterne and the Westerne Church was the forerunner of the tenth persecution and partly because vnion maketh strength but devision bringeth weaknesse There is no Nation under Heaven hath more reason to lay this to heart then we of this Kingdome We read that when Antonius was vanquished by Augustus Caesar while he lay a dieing by his owne deadly wounds he said to Cleopatra Queene of Egypt It is no shame for a Romane to be vanquished by a Romane but truly it is the miserie and dishonour of this Kingdome that SCOTLAND hath beene so frequently vanquished by Scots for our History telleth us that the most powerful forraine people that ever invaded this Kingdome was never able to vanquish this Nation without the combining of treacherous miscontented subjects amongst our selves Of whom it may be said as the Greek Oratour spake of the besieged Olynthians (f) Ibi alij hostes propulsabant alij urbem prodebant Demost thenet oratione 3. Philippica That while some valiantly were repulsing the enemies others were treacherously betraying the Citie But if we be true to our selves and keepe that peace which we have sworne in our Covenant and is recommended to the disciples of Christ wee need the lesse to care for all the enemies of the Cause of Christ Secondly when the people of the Lord heare of the assembling of their enemies they should labour what in them lyeth to hinder them that are in severall places to come together into one place It was wisely done of the Romans to fight with the armie of Hazruball before they joyned with the armie of Hannibal for otherwise the later troubles of Italie had beene greater than the former It is a great deale more safe to deal with the severall parts of an Armie than with the compleat body of an Armie as the history of our Nation telleth of one of our Noble men who with eight thousand of our people in the time of Edward the first King of England vanquished in one day thirtie thousand of the English Nation that were devided in three bands which would have beene more defieill if all had beene joyned together We know that as many burnes may make a great river so many hands joyned together may make a strong and powerfull invasion the smalest enemie is not to be contemned because his power may grow if he be altogether neglected and dispised as Amorath the sixth king of the Turks told his sonne Mahomet concerning Scanderbeg the prince of Epirus who increassed in power because he was neglected and contemned It was well said by a Greeke writter (g) Qui hostem spernit sibi periculum accersit Thucidides lib. 1. That whosoever contemneth his enemie bringeth danger to himselfe Wise people should doe with their combining enemies as Christians should doe with sinne which in the beginning is to be resisted lest afterwards it grow so strong that it car not be resisted It was worthily said by a learned man (h) In rebus omnibus qui maximum malum vitare cupit necesse est ut malum exoriens extinguat Osor lib. 4. de institutione Regis That in all things he that would avoyd the greatest evil must needes extinguish the beginning of evil It greatly concerneth the peace and present saftie of this Nation to make timous opposition to the armies of our enemies before they be strengthned by a greater faction as * 2 Sam. 20. Ioab pursued Sheba the sonne of Bichri before he could gather a greater companie And truly we have reason to blesse the Lord for that singulare care and diligence that he hath put in the hearts of our worthie Noble-men and commanders that are conservers of peace that they have so timously opposed the insulting enemie that no sooner was his power increased but al 's soone it decreased like * 1 Kings 16 15. the kingdome of Zimri that lasted for a week Thirdly when we heare of the assembling of divers people from divers quarters our humble prayer should be to the Lord * Psal 89.7 That he would be present in the assemblie of his Saints that so they may be protected and defended against the assemblies of their cruell enemies * Rom. 8.31 If God be one our side who is against us * Chro. 13.10 Abijam was more incouraged that God was with his people While wee pray for the Lords presence against our enemies wee must looke to two things than he was afrayed of the hudge number of Ieroboams armie which were against his people But while we thus intreat the Lord by prayer we must looke well to two things First That we feare not excessively nor be faintheart ed when we are fewer in number seeing it is alike to the Lord * 1 Sam. 14.6 to vanquish by few as by many according to the frequent passages that we reade of this purpose in the book of the Iudges in the Books of the Kings Secondly Though by Gods providence our number be greater yet we must not leane to the strength of man but to the help assistance of God for neither the greatnes of number nor the goodnes of a cause for which they fight will make a people prevaile aginst their enemies that hath greater confidence in their own strength than in the help of God I verily thinke that when Iehosaphat was threatned by his enemies he could have raised a greater Armie nor all the kings that were his enemies such a number as I think all the Princes of Europe conbined could not bring the like number to the fielde and yet he saith * 2 Chro. 20.12 Lord we know not what to do but our eyes are towards thee for as he knew that he was threatned by his enemies without the Lords approbation so he knew that though he had a greater number he might be vanquished by the Lords permission * 2 Chro. 20.12 Chariots and horses may runne to the battell but the Lord of hosts giveth victorie wherefore he imploreth the help of the Lord and putteth his trust and confidence in him by whose only asistance and power the greatest number may be vanquished as well as the least and without whose helpe and asistance the greatest number may be vanquished by the least But if we shall finde accesse to God by prayer then whensoever we are threatned by our enemies we may looke for protection and deliverance according to the observation of David * Psal 56.9 When I crie then mine enemies shall be turned backe this I know for God is for me Now let us speake of the third thing considerable in the enemies of David The enemies of the Saints are cruel in three respects he calleth them violent and cruell men that seeke after his soule where we are to observe that the enemies of