Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A87668
|
King Solomons's infallible expedient for three kingdoms settlement: or, Better men make better times. Delivered in a sermon preached in the renowned and famous city of Gloucester, the Lord's day before their election of burgesses for Parliament. By Samuel Keme S.S.T.B. rector of Allbery, near Oxon.
|
Kem, Samuel, 1604-1670.
|
1660
(1660)
|
Wing K251; Thomason E1021_9; ESTC R208389
|
12,634
|
22
|
he delighted formerly to hear for opposing him in his Interested Herodias As cruel Bonner in his time c. And as our English Historian mentions one more cruel to Mr. Love Gibbons c. 5. Such as have broke all Bonds and bounds Laws of God and Man to make Laws to maintain their own Interest though to the ruining of three Kingdoms as Rehoboam Absolom and his Renegadoes and young men in Arms 1 King 12.11 14 15. 6. Such as Profess to be Counsellors for National safety and pull down its Hedge of Magistracy and Ministry Eccles 10.8 He that breaketh a Hedge a Serpent shall bite him Verse 9. Apply 7. As the fag end of this Character take a Company of them together discovered by the Apostle Paul 2 Tim. 3.2 3 4 5 6 c. Lovers of themselves Covetous Boasters Proud cursed Speakers Disobedient to Parents Unthankfull Unholy without naturall Affection Covenant-breakers false Accusers Intemperate Fierce No lovers at all of them which are good Traitours heady high-minded Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God having a shew of Godliness creeping into houses leading captive silly Women A Righteous man affirmatively is such a one as is positively holy in his Person and his practises his Opinion his Principles his Aims as well as Actions Jehu did drive furiosly acted highly but all was to get a Kingdom He is such a one as walks by Gospel Rules not Lights within or providences and successes Impulse of Spirit Secondly What By being in Authority And it is explained by the Apostle 1 Tim. 2.2 and that Personally or Relatively I exhort therefore that first of all Prayers and Intercessions be made for all men for Kings and all that are in Authority that is all that exercise a lawful Power over us Thirdly What kind of Joy or rejoycing the People act as the Product of such Government and Rulers Solution 1. Not carnal sinful prophane Rejoycing in drinking Healths Oaths or any deboisture drinking to excess sinning because God's Mercy abounds and have hopes of better times 2. Not rejoycing as to Self-Interest Preferment c. 3. Not rejoycing in bodily Priviledges but the Soul's Advantages this is explained by the Apostle also 2 Cor. 10.17 In the Lord in Soul's Priviledges Gospel-freedom in power and purity Magistracy and Ministry's restauration Anti-christ's disappointments Rejoyce spiritually yea in the Creatures and one anothers societies moderately yea and make the poor rejoice with you charitably Observation A Righteous Magistracy forms a People's hearts in all their Conversations to rejoycing and alacrity A righteous King Lords and Parliament is the Kingdom 's All-agreement Good men create good times Good Superiours good Inferiours Regis ad Exemplum I shall give you Scriptures and Examples and divine Arguments to prove it and so apply it And because the word King is out I shall rather confirm it than recal it and assert Monarchy not onely as most agreeable to the Nation 's well-being but God's Order To omit Himself being President and Oeconomical Government natural Instinct I pray you read Exod. 18.13 Moses sate and judged the People 21. Moreover provide amongst all the People Men of Courage fearing God men dealing truly hating Covetousness and appoint them to be Rulers Nobles but every great matter let them bring to thee 23. So shall the People go quietly to their place 25. ver And Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them Heads over the People Exod. 19.6 Ye shall be to me a Kingdom Deut. 1.13 14 15 c. read 17. Bring it to me and I will hear it And pray see Rom. 13. Where commanding to obey Magistrates for Conscience whoever resisteth the Power 4. ver For he is the Minister of God 6. ver For this cause ye pay Tribute that is onely due to Kings Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's Deut. 17.14 15. God's Institution Then thou shalt make him King whom the Lord shall choose Josh 1. â—0 1 Sam. 16.1 I have provided me a King 2 Sam. 14.17 Prov. 11.10 In the Prosperity of the Righteous the City Rejoyceth Prov. 16.15 In the Light of the Kings Countenance is Life and his favour as a Cloud of the latter Rain Prov. 20.8 A King that sitteth on the Throne of Righteousness chaseth away all evils with his Eyes This contains Divine reason also Prov. 25.3 The Heaven for heighth and the Earth for depth and the heart of Kings is unsearchable Prov. 29.14 The King that faithfully judgeth the poor His Throne shall be established for ever Examples How chearfull and with what joy did the People manage their Affairs in the Daies of righteous Kings and Magistrates As in godly David's Solomon's Josia's Ezekiah's c. Again under wicked Kings as Absolon Jeroboam c. Richard III. Henry VIII Queen Mary c. what astrange alteration in the faces of People But in Edward the Sixth Days after in Queen Elizabeth's so at present what Rejoycing what a Life in hope of Trade what Demonstrations of joy in all places amongst all Degrees Sexes Ages even whilst but in expectation of Restoration 1. Arg. Because Righteous men constitute and enact none but righteous laws righteous Superiors cannot dare not do any other then righteous things for Inferiors Now this creates joy in the heart Prov. 12.10 A righteous man regards the life of his Beast Prov. 16.17 The path of the Righteous is to depart from evil Prov. 20.26 A righteous King scattereth the wicked and causeth the wheel to turn over them 2. Arg. Because righteous Superiors bring multiplyed blessings on their Inferiors and keep evils from them and seek God much for them Prov. 11.11 By the blessing of the Righteous the City is exalted Prov. 10.21 The lips of the Righteous feed many Righteousness delivereth from Death Prov. 10.11 Prov. 12.28 Life is in the way of righteousnesse and in that path-way there is no Death 3. Arg. Because all such things as usually create joy in us wait on their endeavours by God's appointment and the relishes of them expected by the People are performed to the People As Righteousness Peace security dwelling under their Vines and Figg-Trees injoying the Fruits of their own Labours They shall dwell safely and be quiet from all evil Prov. 1.33 Prov. 2.7 He Preserveth the Estates of the Righteous He is a Shield to them that walk uprightly Prov. 2.21 The just shall dwell in the Land They have the promise of all Temporals and Spirituals Health to their Navel Marrow to their Bones Prov. 3.24 When thou sleepest thy sleep shall be sweet 33. Ver. He blesseth the habitation of the Righteous Prov. 28.10 Whoso causeth the Righteous to go astray in an evil way he shall fall himself into his own pit but the upright shall have good things in possession Prov. 6.11 16. A naughty person a wicked man walketh with a froward mouth He winketh with his Eyes he speaketh with his Feet he teacheth with his Fingers Frowardnesse is in his heart he
Iniquity and provokes God to give Men over to affect mutability Novelty as Aristocracy Democracy Anarchy Oligarchy Fift-Monarchy The attempts of all which must be managed by Policy Power Violence Blood and Tyranny Experientia docet Pretences of Religion and Liberty hath in all Ages lead the Van-guard and bin the pretence for most the unbounded Licentiousnesse As in that nefarious and bloody Conspiracy and Murther of Julius Caesar When proud Sheba would invite Israel from a just and lawfull Subjection to the bondage of an Usurper He proclaimes a Toleration and Liberty And then the People as Bees when up in a swarm and hearing not the Voyce of the Master-Bee the Monarch are apt to light on any Bough yea Thornes or Bryars So Pride and Interest carry Men to cloze with any Faction Psal 2.3 The proud Rulers projecting against Christ's Monarchy declare for Liberty Let us break their bonds say they But your experience tells you The deadliest Storms attend the smoothest Calms Fair Promises are strange snares to intangle the ignorant and simple-hearted The cheapest things Men can part with and yet the strongest Inchantments It was the Devils promise to Jesus Christ to give him Kingdoms It is the Jesuit's first lesson Machiavell's old Rule And some of late Authorities practise John Huss had a fair promise for a safe conduct to the Council of Constance yet they cut him off as to Life with a distinction To come but not return Absolon stood at the Court Gates and having taken the People by the Ears with his Gallantry he leads them by the Nose into slavery 2 Sam. 15.4 His ear is open to all Plants Petitions of all Sorts no Cause he flatters no Error he tolerates not And then O Valiant Vertuous Bounteous Absolon was the common acclamation Sed Promissa Tyrannorum finiuntur in ruinâ Credentium They have Arguments in all Moods and Figures but the last is in Bocardo But Christians I have to our wofull past-experiment brought you at this time for your Election Incouragement Solomons Judgement as a direction Expedient For better time and a firm Settlement restore and cry up better men For when the Righteous are in Authority the People Rejoyce but when the Wicked â—ear Rule the People Sigh The Text is Independent and yet let me tell you it is for Monarchy the very best Government for it was pen'd by a Monarch King Solomon Not onely in Defence of Monarchy as to his own Interest and Glory but to the People's Security Peace and Indemnity as he Argumentatively expounds my Text ver 4. A King by Righteousnesse maintaineth or preserveth his Country but a man receiving gifts destroyeth it A man that is necessitated to inforce constant Taxes c. In the words in generall you have 1. Monarchy and Magistracy asserted 2. Happinesse assured First When the Righteous are in Authority the People Rejoyce Secondly The contrary experimented When the Wicked bear Rule the People Sigh In the words you have these parts First The Time or Season in which a Kingdom or People may expect and be sure of Happinesse When the Righteous are in Authority Secondly A just account of the length of Time of a Kingdom 's misery and calamity So long as the wicked beareth Rule And now I wonder not that King David experienced in the Harrassing and Oppressing of his People under Absolons Rebellion and Usurpation he and his Companions being routed and slain makes such haste to be settled on his Throne for his People good 2 Sam. 19.20 Absolon whom we appointed over us is dead Ver. 11. Then King David sent to Zadock and Abiathar the Priests saying Speak to the Elders of Juda and say Why are ye behind to bring the King again to his House See v. 14. He gives Amasa incouraging-hints as to be Generall in Joab's stead Ver. 13 14. He bowed the hearts of all the men of Juda as of one man Therefore they sent to the King saying Return thou with all thy Servants v. 15. So the King returned and came to Jordan And Juda came to Gilgal to meet the King and to conduct him over the Waters of Jordan Yea Shimei faces about and goes also And when holy David is in Authority the Kingdom rejoyceth exceedingly 2 Sam. 22. But when Absolon and Sheba Ruled their very hearts were grieved I shall clear these particulars or so much as I shall speak to 1. What is meant by Righteous 2. What By being in Authority 3. What by the Peoples Rejoycing and what kinds of joy it is that they express 4. What is understood by Wicked and what by their bearing Rule 5. What by Sighing First What by Righteous And really Christians there hath bin and is so much spirituall Hocus-pokery and Hypocrisy in the World that the Devil in Samuel's mantle hath past for the Prophet But because Christ hath said The Tree is known by the Fruit Affection concluded by Actions I will tell you what the Scripture saith Is not to do righteously and whom God looks upon as unrighteous that you may in your choyce decline them And whom he looks upon as righteous that you may Elect and Accept them as your Representatives I shall give you examples in Men and Actions These are righteous 1. Negatively not such as walk prophanely or countenance or oppose not the spirit of prophaneness in their Relations or Inferiors Noah in his opposition to this practise is called a righteous Man in his Age for he grieved for the unrighteous deed Gen. 6.9 10. Gen. 24. If there be fifty righteous c. v. 25. So Lot is called a righteous man in opposition to his times practice Secondly Such as walk perfidiously that break Covenants with God and Man That keep not their promises Psal 57. In opposition to this Jonathan is styled righteous acting so to David having made a Covenant with him 1 Sam. 18. although his treachery might have got him a Crown in all probability Thirdly Such as preferr Policy to Piety and manage it with the most notorious Acts of cruelty In opposition to this practise David is called righteous by hiâ— very Enemy Saul 1 Sam. 24. compared with 6.7 Verses 1 Sam. 26. And it came to passe when Abiâ—thar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah that he came down with an Eplâ—od in his hand And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah and Saul said God hath delivered him into mine hand for he is shut in by entring into a Town that hath Gates and Bars Contrary to this is the unrighteous Actings of Joab and Abner And our English Historian Sanderson tells you of one lately that pretended Piety that by Policy he might act his Cruelty Such was Herod's Act Math. 2. and Judas Kiss to his Master 4. To walk cruelly and act Tyrannically meerly to fortify Interest yea against convictions of Conscience Upon this account is it Christ calls Herod Wicked who valued not to serve up John Baptist's Head in blood whom