execution those were visible and avoidable Engines but the Instruments of Death in this case were Blunderbusses and Carbines that by force of Fire and Brimstone a hellish invention could cast invisible and infallible Messengers of Death Barbarous and ever-to-be-abhorred was that detestable Parricide of the Royal Martyr yet if I may so say they gave him fair warning of that foul Enterprize he had time to fortiâ—ie himself against the terrours of Death and to anticipate the joys of Heaven to himself amidst those devilish tormentors by divine Contemplations of which we may have a happy taste from his incomparable Meditations So that he died as Moses on Mount Nebo within sight of the Promised Land and as the Rabbins say with a Kiss of Gods Mouth that drew up his Spirit But for such Varlets to assassinate a Prince in an instant coming from his Recreation not fearing any such thing having deserved well of all men this was like the Italian malice that designed to slay his Enemy Body and Soul Certainly King James spake as a Prophet when he told his Son I protest before the great God and as I am now on my last Will and Testament you shall never find with any Highland or Border-thieves greater ingratitude more lies and vile perjuries than with these Fanatick spirits and suffer not the principles of them to brook your land if you like to sit at rest except you would keep them for trying your patience as Socrates did an evil wife Basilicon doron p. 41,42 So much of the Oculta conventicula The second part of the Plot is the insurrection of evil doers for the King was not to perish alone they meant him a more noble attendance in his death than they would afford him in his life even a glorious Army of Martyrs It was Achitophel's advice the man whom thou seekest is instar omnium When the Head is cut off all the Members must perish with it Ch. 17.3 So that it was not some Small Stirs as they minc'd the matter in a Scotish Dialect but a general Insurrection The great City where Absolon had seated himself was to be cantonized in twenty parts an hundred of Sauls old Captains were ready to marshal the Rabble A great Assembly of ill-assected Nobles and Gentry were invited thither the City wanted not men nor Magazines of Arms the men wanted not Courage nor Malice They expected onely the Signal and then all the City had been once more in a flame and filled with the shout of God save King Absolon Nor was the Country much behind the City in preparation for the Insurrection Absolon had made frequent excursions into every part and had setled Spies and Correspondents in all the Tribes of Israel 2 Sam. 15.10 where-ever he came he was received with acclamations of joy and worshipped as the rising Sun the redeemer of Israel from Tyranny and Idolatry King David himself nor Solomon in all his glory was more splendid yet our Absolon exceeded him he had but 50 men of all that great City to run before him ours had 1500 in this little City and how many of the Gentry waited on him and caressed him is not yet to be spoken Insomuch that David had even done what our King was advised to do to leave the Government as he loved his life David himself called him King Ch. 16.16 and Hushai Davids friend cries more than once God save the King God save the King And no wonder then if so many of the people did adore him And with so great concern were Elections canvased through the Nation as if a Prize were to be plaid for the Imperial Crown against the black Box and as if the success depended on the suffrages of the Mobile The Cabals are kept up for Consultation in every County and Factions formed in every Corporation the Loyal Party are braved by Disloyal Clubs and Treason made the familiar Discourse of Coffee-houses and Taverns And he that pleaded for the Established Worship or Government was threatned as the Apostles that preached Christ to be brought before the Sanedrim and Elders of Israel Amasa their General had listed his Army Gilead was the place for pitching his Tents the signal was given for appearing in Arms. Ch. 15.10 As soon as ye hear the sound of the trumpet then ye shall say Absolon reigneth in Hebron And so confident they were of success that when they were putting on the Harness they boasted as if they were putting it off And now let the World judge whether there were a Fanatick Plot or no whether David's life and the life of his Subjects were in danger or whether those that brought his life to the Pits brink were Rebels or not Let such as are of a contrary mind read over all the Histories Sacred or Prophane let them contract the Rebellion of Corah and Jehu of Jeroboam and Judas and adde those of Catiline and Sejanus of the men of Munster and Rome And I dare find a Parallel to every circumstance in all those Plots in this One. Here was Corah's Spirit of Contradiction Jehu's pretence of Zeal Jeroboam's Calves and Judas his Kiss Here was in a word the Compendium of all Treasons An Armado was provided to seize the Kings Ships the Gunpowder-Treason in a Blunderbuss the Irish Massacre in the Insurrection the Scotish Rebellion in Argile and the Votes and Ordinances of Forty One c. in the Bill of Exclusion And now I suppose the Parallel is so well drawn that he that runs may read how far the Counsel of Achitophel and the Practice of Absolon is outdone by our Modern Polititians But it will be objected against what hath been said That it was not the Body of Dissenters that were engaged in thâ—… Horrid Conspiracy but onely a few Malecontents or men of desperate fortunes and some of them lived in the Communion of the Church of England and were religious and godly men To which I answer 1. The same Objection was made by the Papists concerning the Powder-Treason that they were men of broken Fortunes and were not permitted the Exercise of their Religion which they valued beyond their Lives yet it is well known that Digby and others of them were men of Estates that the execution of the Penal Laws against them was generally suspended and they enjoyed equal priviledges and favours with other Subjects and though all of that Perwsasion were not privy to it yet it is evident they would have approved of it and rejoyced in it if it had succeeded because though it were defeated the Designe was approved at Rome and a Priest of that Church who was proved guilty of the Conspiracy and suffered for it was honoured as a Martyr Now if the Principles allowed of in any Community of men do countenance the resisting deposing and murthering of Princes be it on pretence of Heresie or Tyranny or for the good of the Kirk reforming Abuses or redressing Grievances though there be but a few Actors yet all are Criminals and
people Circa personas publicas Specialis habitat providentia Wherefore as God calls them to a more operose and dangerous work so he gives them proportionable helps and assistances for which he covenanted with David when he gave him the Kingdom I have found David my servant with my holy oyl have I anointed him with whom my hand shall be established and my arm shall strengthen him the enemy shall not exact upon him nor the son of wickedness afflict him I will beat down his foes before his face and plague them that hate him Psal 89.20,21,22,23 And these were the sure mercies of David which God that cannot lie did always perform unto him And when he doth the like to other good Kings he fulfils his own Covenant and pleads his own Cause Thus as the Heathen fancied every King of the Nations had a God to be his Guardian Mulciber in Trojam pro Trojâ stabat Apollo so certainly every Prince especially such as defend the true Faith have God for their Protector and as Phidias's portraicture was so engraven in the Statue of Minerva that the Image of the Goddess was violated with that of her Workman so the honour of God is reflected on by any injury offered to the King Therefore God hath enjoyned first of all that prayers supplications and thanksgivings be made for kings and all that are in authority 1 Tim. 2. So in the Old Testament Prayers shall be made for him and daily shall he be praised Psal 72.15 not cursed and reproached Therefore God hath given such strict Rules and Commands concerning them Not to speak evil of dignities for that is a kind of Blasphemy Thou shalt not speak evil of the rulers of the people Acts 23.5 Nor to hearken to any murmurings or discontent for such murmurings are not against them so much as against the Lord who chose them to that Office Not to scatter false reports and create fears and jealousies whereby the affections of the Subjects may be alienated from their Prince Excordem reddidit amentem populum for that were as Absolon to steal the hearts of the people which is not onely to take the Crown from his head but in effect as we have seen his Head from his Shoulders and to leave the Body of the people as a Carkas fit onely to be devoured by Birds and Beasts of prey And as the Laws are strict so the Sanctions to enforce those Laws are so severe that no wit of men though all the Kings of the earth should consult together can either prescribe better Laws or oblige their Subjects to obedience under such penalties for 't is not the King onely that executes Wrath and Vengeance on the Disobedient and as Solomon Prov. 17.11 sends a cruel messenger to them that contrive Rebellion but God hath threatned that they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation Rom. 13. which is certainly to be understood of eternal Damnation as due to this as to any other sin this being one of the first magnitude and the cause of an infinite number of other sins and no less a penalty in the judgment of all Divines would be effectual to affright men from any beloved Lust And therefore I present this as another wise consideration to such as are tempted to this Impiety And now I may infallibly conclude from these premises that as surely as Achitophel's Counsel and Absolon's Rebellion was from Satan so was the contrivance and practice of our Late Conspirators from the same evil Spirit and the Kings Deliverance from God as sure as Davids was Qui facit mirabilia magna solus who onely doth great and marvelous works and doth them in such a manner that they ought to be had in everlasting remembrance A second consideration may be this Gods hand is most evidently seen in those Actions that make most for his Glory and for those ends for which he hath established Rule and Government in the World i. e. that under it we may lead quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty And as these ends are generally attained under Religious Princes so if they should perish untimely and violently nothing but Disorder and Confusion would follow as it was with Israel of old and with us in later days when There was no king in Israel every one did what seemed right in his own eyes If this prodigious Designe had succeeded God should have been entituled the Author of it and be mock'd with a Thanksgiving-day for the success the Actors had been honoured as Patriots and Saints the Protestant Religion had by these true Protestants received another indelible Blot and the true Protestant been rendred more odious than the most treacherous Papists or those Hungarians that fight under the Great Turk against Christianity Heresie Hypocrisie and Regicide been made the publick Profession and Religion of the Nation But God is not the Author of such Confusions He hath by this Discovery vindicated his own Glory and the established Religion and Government among us and if our sinful Ingratitude do not separate between God and us he will do it to the end of the World These things ought wisely to be laid to heart by every serious Christian therefore thus saith the Lord I do not this for your sakes O house of Israel but for my holy Names sake which ye have prophaned among the heathen and that the heathen may know that I am the Lord when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes Ezek. 36.22 And God grant that what follows in that Prophet may be found among us That God may put his Spirit within us and cause us to walk in his Statutes and keep his Judgments and do them that we may dwell in the Land that he gave unto our Fathers and we may be his people and he our God Ezek. 11.23 And then though as Isay saith our enemies associate themselves they shall be broken in pieces though they gird themselves to battel they shall be broken in pieces though they take counsel together it shall come to nought for God is with us Isai 8.9,10 Thirdly Again let us consider wisely that in this wonderful Deliverance there appeared no other Agent or Instrument but Gods immediate and out-stretched Arm working Deliverance for us not by means but without and against means by contrary means even by the same that would have destroyed us Not by force nor by might but by my Spirit saith the Lord it was not our Sword nor our Bow but it was God that saved us from our Enemies and put them to confusion that hated us By this we may know that it is God alone and beside him there is no Saviour When he commands and creates Deliverances and we are saved so as by fire by the very means that would have destroyed us he must be blind that cannot see it and may he be dumb that will not say This hath God done And Qui solus in Opere sit solus in