STAMP Mayor Curia Tent. Jovis tertio die Decembris 1691. Annoque Regni Regis Reginae Willielmi Mariae Angl. c. Tertio Ordered THAT the Thanks of this Court be return'd to Dr. Wake for his Sermon preach'd at the Parish Church of St. Mary le Bow before the Lord-Mayor Aldermen and Citizens of this City on Thursday the 26th of November last being the day of Thanksgiving for the Preservation of Their Majesties Persons the Success of their Forces in the Reducing of Ireland and for His Majesty's Safe Return and that he be desired to Print the same Goodfellow A SERMON Preach'd before the LORD-MAYOR AND Court of Aldermen IN THE Church of St. Mary le Bow On Thursday the 26 th of November BEING THE Day of the Publick Thanksgiving By WILLIAM WAKE D. D. Chaplain in Ordinary to Their Majesties and Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYS-INN LONDON Printed for R. Sare at Grays-Inn-Gate next Holbourn 1691. Psalm Cxliv 9 10 11. 9. I will sing a new Song unto Thee O God upon a Psaltery and Instrument of Ten Strings will I sing Praises unto Thee 10. It is He that giveth Salvation to Kings who delivereth David his Servant from the hurtful Sword 11. Rid me and deliver me from the Hand of Strange Children whose Mouth speaketh Vanity and their right hand is a right Hand of Falshood IT is but a very little while since we were wont to meet together in this Place to implore the favour of God in the Preservation of their Majesties Persons and for the Good Success of their Arms in those Great Enterprizes they were pleased so generously to undertake for the necessary Defence of our Country the Preservation of our Religion and Liberties and to put a quicker End to those unhappy Confusions we have been so long and dangerously exposed to We are now Assembled with all possible Thankfulness to acknowledge his Mercy in the Gracious Return which he has vouchsafed to make to these our Requests That He has Preserved our King and Prosper'd his Enterprizes and given a Success to our Arms if not equal to what perhaps some would have wish'd yet I am sure beyond what any of us could reasonably have expected Now this being the Design of this days Solemnity I cannot tell how I could better entertain your Devotion than in offering you some Reflections upon the Words before us In which we have the Thanksgiving and Prayer of a King A Gratulatory Acknowledgment of God's Mercy to Him in his past Deliverances and an earnest Request that He would still continue to deliver him both from the Power and Malice of his false and treacherous Enemies That this Psalm was composed by King David the Inscription of it will not suffer us to doubt And that he composed it upon the account of some great Deliverance which God had given him from a Personal danger as well as for some Great Victory which He had obtain'd against his Enemies the words of the Text sufficiently demonstrate But now what that Deliverance in particular was which he here acknowledges with so much Gratitude and promises God He would ever celebrate with the most pious Resentments and in the most solemn manner that He was able we are no where told nor is it perhaps an easy matter to determine any thing certainly concerning it Indeed were the Title which the Septuagint praefix to this Psalm of such Authority that we might securely rely upon the Credit of it we should then soon come to a Resolution of this Point The Danger which the Psalmist here refers to being therein expresly said to have been that which he underwent when he encountred singly with Goliah 1 Sam. XVII and from whose Sword the Chaldee Paraphrast on the Text tells us he here blesses God for delivering of Him But as 't is certain that this Inscription is not now to be found in any of the Hebrew Copies at this Day so Theodoret assures us that neither could He in his time meet with it in any And the expressions of this Psalm both in the 2d and 10th Verses plainly shew that when he composed it he was not only King of Israel but throughly Established in the Throne For so those Words must be understood V. 2. Blessed be the Lord my strength who teacheth my Hands to War and my fingers to fight My Goodness and my Fortress my High Tower and my Deliverer my sheild and He in whom I trust who subdueth my People under me i. e. Who after all the Contests that have been raised against me to oppose my Authority has at last fully establish'd me in the Throne and brought All Israel to submit themselves unto Me. Now this has made Others suppose that the Sword from which God had delivered David and for which he here offers this Eucharistical return to Him was the Sword of Saul who so eagerly sought after his Life and from whose hand he could never have escaped had not the same Providence which before design'd him for the Throne in a wonderful manner preserved him for it and at last confirm'd him in it It cannot be deny'd but that this is a Conjecture agreeable enough to one part at least of the business of this Psalm which was to return Thanks to God for putting an End to those Oppositions that had been raised against him by the Friends of the House of Saul and bringing all Israel to receive him as their King But tho' I shall not therefore exclude this from being a Part of what the Psalmist here intended to Bless God for yet I cannot think that this comes up to the full meaning of the Words of the Text. For if we look more narrowly into the Expressions of it we shall find good grounds to believe that David not only composed this Psalm after he was come to the Crown but do's more especially refer to some Deliverance which he had received after his Coming to it and by consequence after all his Dangers from the House of Saul were at an End For having first vow'd a Thanksgiving to God Vs. 9. I will sing a new Song unto thee O God upon a Psaltery and Instrument of Ten strings will I sing Praises unto thee He tells us Vs. 10. That the subject of his Hymn should be this It is he that giveth Salvation unto KINGS that has deliver'd David his servant from the Hurtful Sword i. e. as the Connexion plainly shews when he was a King and as such received Salvation from Him In short As the Passage I have now mentioned does I think plainly enough argue that this Psalm was a Thanksgiving for some Deliverance which God had vouchsafed to him since he was King of Israel so we may reasonably conclude from the Acknowledgment which he makes in the Beginning of it of his being at last Peaceably Settled in the Throne as a Blessing which He had but newly received of Him that it was a Deliverance
Throne any less remarkable Whilst the Kingdom was yet divided against Him and but one of all the Tribes of Israel stuck firm to Him and own'd his Authority for above Seven years And when at last it pleased God to unite the whole People under him no sooner was He free from those Civil Disturbances at Home but a Forreign Enemy forthwith invaded him from Abroad and again exposed him to New Dangers 〈◊〉 out of all these Difficulties God deliver'd him and were it necessary for me to go on to the following parts of his Life we might find yet greater Instances than these of his Wonderful Preservations of him And as 't is certain that no One ever took more Care to magnify the Mercies of God than David did So I may say that never had any Prince greater reason than He had so to do Who seems to have been chosen by God out of all the Kings of the World to shew what a tender regard the Almighty has to his own Ministers whilst they take care to live well and to demean themselves as becomes that Place and Character which he has bestow'd upon Them This then was the Case of the Royal Psalmist when he resolved upon that Song of Eucharist of which the Text speaks in acknowledgment of all those Blessings which God had Vouchsafed to Him And if we Enquire into the Reason of all this What it was that moved God to shew such a particular regard to this Great Man I think we may give these two Accounts of it 1 st That He was King of Gods own peculiar People that People which he had chosen out of all the Inhabitants of the Earth to be his own Inheritance To whom alone of all the Nations of the World he had Declared his Will and given many noble Discoveries of himself whilst the rest of Mankind lay in a miserable State of Darkness and Idolatry And of whom therefore he took a singular Care more than of any Other People or Country besides Now if God had an especial regard to the Jewish Nation more than to any Other If he kept as it were his peculiar Residence among them and maintain'd a more than ordinary Communication in all other respects with them It ought not to be wonder'd If we find him in a singular manner watching over their King too more than over those of any Other People or Nation besides and in an extraordinary manner careful to save and desend Him But this is not yet All For if we look into the History of the Holy David we shall find that God did not only favour Him more than any King of all the Nations round about Him but more than any other King even of Israel its self And therefore I add 2 dly That this Great Man was not only King of God's own peculiar People and as such the Guardian of his Laws and Supporter of his Worship But he was moreover Himself a most excellent Person too A Man after God's own Heart and by his own Piety no less than by his place and Character in a more particular manner intituled to the Divine Care and Protection And this is what I take to be implied in that Expression of the Text where He calls himself God's Servant It is He that giveth Salvation unto Kings who delivereth David his Servant from the Hurtful Sword Intimating to us that it was This Relation in which he stood to God above all other Kings and indeed almost beyond all Other Men that ever lived in the World of being Zealous and Faithful in his Service that Engaged his Providence to such an extraordinary Concern for Him And if we look into all the following Reigns we shall find that according as any of his Successors shew'd themselves either careful for Gods Service or negligligent of it Accordingly God appear'd to be more or less careful to prosper and protect them Whilst Solomon continu'd to walk in the Steps of his Father David never was any Prince more Great or Honourable than He was But when Peace and Plenty His Wives and his Pleasures corrupted his Religion and made Him halt between God and Baal the Temple and the Groves tho' for his Father David's sake God would not rend the Kingdom from Him in his own time yet He threatned to deprive his Son of it and raised up many Dangers and Troubles against him to disturb his Peace and diminish his Glory On the other side we are told of Hezekiah 2 Kings xviii 5. That after Him was none like Him of all the Kings of Judah nor any that were before Him For he clave to the LORD and departed not from following Him but kept his Commandments which the LORD commanded Moses And what the Consequence of his Piety was we read in the very next Verse And the LORD was with Him and he prospered whithersoever he went forth It were an Easie matter to add many more Examples in proof of this Remark were it at all necessary to insist upon it The Summ of all is this That as God do's in a particular Manner Exercise his Providence in the Preservation of Kings and Princes above other Men so among them he is yet more especially careful to prosper and protect Those who profess his true Religion and take care both to Live themselves and as far as they are able to engage their People too to live according to the Rules of it Indeed there are Certain Seasons when God suffers the Best Princes not only to fall into some lesser Dangers but it may be utterly to be cut off by Wicked and Violent Hands When the Sins of a Nation are come to their full Period So that all the Piety and Prudence of their Governours are neither able to reclaim them from their Evil ways nor to intercede with God for a longer Forbearance of them Such was the Case of the Jews in the time of King Josiah a better Prince than whom never sate upon the Throne of David Yet God suffer'd him to fall by the Hand of Pharaoh-Necho King os Egypt that so he might not survive the Fortunes of his Country nor see the Evil which was then just ready to break in upon it And when Schism and Faction when Base Designs and Open Immoralities had in like manner prepared Us of this Country for some great Destruction We know how it pleased God from small Beginnings and unforeseen Accidents to throw us into a miserable State of War and Confesion and to deprive us at once both of an Excellent Prince and with him of our Church and Monarchy too But then even this God appoints in Mercy to them when it would really be more Grievous to them to Live than to Die And the Misfortune generally is not so much theirs as the Country's or Nation 's from which they are taken And so on the Other hand There is a time when the Worst Princes are strangely
as we would do against some devouring Fire or a raging Pestilence And beseech him that He would still continue to deliver us out of their Hands as well as bless him that he has hitherto preserved us from it Nor let us look upon our selves to be ever the less concern'd to do this because we do not lie so much expos'd to their Assaults as some others may seem to do It is indeed the singular Happiness of our Situation that We cannot presently be surpris'd by Them But yet if we do not timely prevent it we may be Conquered They who from either none at all or at best but a very small Power at Sea are already grown up to such a Pitch as to dispute with us for Victory may perhaps if not prevented in a little time become able indeed to give Laws to us And what the Consequences of that must be I cannot without Horrour consider But God forbid We should ever be so unhappy as to fall into the hands of those whose usage of their own Country-men too plainly shew what all others are to expect from them Rather let it be the Great Business both of our Prayers and of our Endeavours now that God seems again to offer us a fair Opportunity of securing our selves and Country our Religion and Liberties against their Devices effectually so to do Let the Consideration of that Success which he has already given to our Arms encourage Us to go on with the greater diligence to our Common Preservation Let it Unite our Minds and Quicken our Preparations that so we may not fail in the Last Act nor fall at once both under the Reproach and the Concern of being ruin'd by our own Fault when hardly any thing else could have done it And that God may continue to bless us in these our Great Undertakings let us to our Care for our own and our Countries Welfare add also our hearty Zeal for the Honour of God and the Promotion of Truth and Peace and Piety among Us. Let us do what in Us lies to imitate the Examples and to comply with the Pious Care and Endeavours of those whom God has made the Happy Instruments of our Preservation That so we may in some measure answer the Ends of his Providence in our Deliverance And being saved from our Enemies and from the hands of those that hate us may serve him without fear In Holiness and Righteousness before him all the days of our Life So may all those Blessings we have already receiv'd be only the Beginnings of that Great Felicity we shall from henceforth enjoy When God shall have changed even this Prayer too into a Song of Thanksgiving And instead of Supplicating any more with David Rid Us and deliver Us from the hand of strange Children whose Mouth speaketh Uanity and their right hand is a right hand of Falsehood We shall have only remaining to give thanks as He did when his Labour was at an End and God had finally deliver'd him from all his Enemies 2 Sam. xxii 40. Thou hast girded us with strength to the Battle Them that rose up against us hast thou subdu'd under Us. Thou hast also given us the Necks of our Enemies that we might destroy them that hate us They looked but there was none to save Even unto the Lord but he answer'd them not Therefore We will give thanks unto Thee O LORD among the Heathen and we will sing praises unto Thy Name He is the Tower of Salvation for his King and sheweth mercy unto his Anointed and to His Seed for Evermore Now unto the King Eternal Immortal Invisible to the Great and Wise God who is the Blessed and only Potentate the King of Kings and Lord of Lords Be Honour and Glory for Ever and Ever Amen Advertisement TWO Sermons The one Preached at the Reviving of the General Meetings of the Gentlemen and others of the County of Dorset December the 2. 1690. And the other before the Queen May 10. 1691. by W. Wake D. D. Chaplain in ordinary to their Majesties and Preacher to the Honourable Society of Grays-Inn Both Sold by R. Sare at Grays-Inn Gate next Holbourn FINIS †A Psalm of David ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †Tom â—in Psal. 143. Compare this with Psal. 18. 2. 47. 2 Sam. 22. 3. 48. So R. Kimchi in loc V. 12. V. 7. 8. 11. Compare Deut. 32. 21. 2 Kings 17. 15. Jer. 2. 5. c. 2 Sam. V. 23. 24. 20. 25. See Dionys. Hal. l. vi p. 411. Et supr l. ii p. 90. a Jupiter Feâ—etrius Liv. Dec. I. l. 1. Stator ib. Imperator l. 6. p75 G. Victor l. 10. p. 121. I. Pistor Lactantius de F. R. p. 110. Tonans Sueton. in Aug. n. 29. Conservator Tacitus Hist. l. 3. Custos ib. Propugnator c. Apollo Solianus Medicus c. De Fortunae Cognominibus Vid. Alex. ab Alex. Gen. D. l. I. c. 13. Hercules Victor Custos c. Ib. l. II c. 14. b Liv. Dec. I. l. 6. Suet. in Augusto n. 29. In Domitiano n. 5. Dionys. Halic â— VI. p. 411. Alex. ab Alex. l. I. C. 22. Plut. in Rom. n. 8. 9. Plin. N. H. l. VI. c. 28. c Themist Or. xiii p. 305. Ed. 4 to Dionys. Halic l. 2. p. 90. Ib. p. 130. l. 3. p. 173. l. 6. ad finem Virg. Aen l. viii ver 172. 188. 189. c. 268. c. d Liv. Dec. I. l. 5. p 63. H. Vid. Dionys Hal. loc citatis in d Tacit. Ann. l. xiv c. 21. Liv. Dec. I. l. I. p. 9. D. in Tarq. Prisc. Suet. in Aug. c. 18. Vid. Alex. ab Alex. l. v. c. 8. l. vi c. 19. e Dionys. Hal. l. 2. p. 102. p. 130. Plut. in Rom. n. 8. See Orph. Hymn Callim in laud Apoll. Virg. Aen. l. viii V. 287. c. 303. f See Rosinus Antiq. Rom. lib. x. cap. 28. 29. Dionys. Hal. lib. 2. p. 102. Alex. ab Alex. l. v. c. 6. Plin. H. Nat. l. xv c. 30. Seneca l. de Concol cap. 10. Plin. Panegyr c. 8. See Rosinus Ant. R. l. X. c. 29. Acts xvii 28. Psal. civ 28 29 30. Psal. L. 11 12 13 14 15. Psal. exvi 12 13 17. †1 Chron. X. 9. Dan. iv 34 37. Jonas 1. 16. c. ‖ See R. Kimchi in loc ‖ See Cic. de Nat. Deor. l. ii ad fin Quae ratio Poëtas maximéque Homerum impulit ut principibus Heroum certos Deos discriminum periculorum comites adjungeret Vid. pl. ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heracl in Vs. 10. Huj Psal. Et Supr in Vs. 1. Vid. Cat. ib. in Vs. 2. Prov. viii 15. Rom. xiii 1 2 5. Hieroclea de Prov. p. 18. Rom. xiii 1 5. 1 Sam. xxvi 9. 1 〈…〉 Ib. Câ— xviii xix c. †1 Sam. xviii 1â— * Ib. xix â—0 ‖ Ib. Ch. xxii xxiii xxiv c. †1 Sam. xxvii xxviii 2