Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A38258
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Eikōn basilikē, The pourtraicture of His Sacred Majestie in his solitudes and sufferings; Eikon basilike.
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Charles I, King of England, 1600-1649.; Gauden, John, 1605-1662.
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1648
(1648)
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Wing E268; ESTC R18840
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116,516
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280
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call Justice while they flatter themselves with the fancy of their owne safety by My danger and the security of their lives designes by My Death forgetting that as the greatest temptations to sinne are wrapped up in seeming prosperities so the severest vengeances of God are then most accomplished when men are suffered to compleat their wicked purposes I blesse God I pray not so much that this bitter cup of a violent death may passe from Me as that of his wrath may passe from all those whose hands by deserting Me are sprinkled or by acting and consenting to My death are embrued with My bloud The will of God hath confined and concluded Mine I shall have the pleasure of dying without any pleasure of desired vengeance This I think becomes a Christian toward his Enemies and a King toward his Subjects They cannot deprive Me of more than I am content to lose when God sees fit by their hands to take it from me whose mercy I believe will more then infinitely recompence what ever by mans injustice he is pleased to deprive me of The glory attending my death will farre surpasse all I could enjoy or conceive in life I shall not want the heavy and envied Crownes of this world when my God hath mercifully crowned and consummated his graces with glory and exchanged the shadows of my earthly Kingdomes among men for the substance of that heavenly kingdome with himself For the censures of the world I know the sharp and necessary tyranny of my Destroyers will sufficiently confute the calumnies of tyranny against me I am perswaded I am happy in the judicious love of the ablest and best of my Subjects who doe not onely pity and pray for me but would be content even to die with me or for me These know how to excuse my failings as a man and yet to retaine and pay their duty to me as their King there being no religious necessity binding any Subjects by pretending to punish infinitely to exceed the faults and errours of their Princes especially there where more then sufficient satisfaction hath been made to the publike the enjoyment of which private ambitions have hitherto frustrated Others I believe of sofâ—er tempers and lesse advantaged by my ruine doe already feel sharp convictions and some remoâ—se in their consciences where they cannot but see the proportions of their evill dealings against me in the measure of Gods retaliations upon them who cannot hope long to enjoy their owne thumbs and toes having under pretence of paring others nailes been so cruell as to cut off their chiefest strength The punishment of the more insolent and obstinate may be lâ—ke that of Korah his Complices at once mutining against both Prince Priest in such a method of divine justice as is not ordinary the earth of the lowest and meanest people opening upon them and swallowing them up in a just disdaine of their ill-gotten and worse-used Authority upon whose support and strength they chiefly depended for their building and establishing their designes against Me the Church and State My chiefest comfort in death consists in my peace which I trust is made with God before whose exact Tribunal I shall not feare to appeare as to the Cause so long disputed by the Sword between me and my causlesse Enemies where I doubt not but his righteous judgment will confute their fallacy who from worldly successe rather like Sophisters than sound Christians draw those popular conclusions for Gods approbation of their actions whose wise providence we know oft permits many events which his revealed Word the onely cleare safe and fixed rule of good actions and good consciences in no sort approves I am confident the Justice of my Cause and clearness of My Conscience before God toward my people will carry me as much above them in Gods decision as their successes have lifted them above me in the Vulgar opinion who consider not that many times those undertakings of men are lifted up to Heaven in the prosperity and applause of the world whose rise is from Hell as to the injuriousnesse and oppression of the designe The prosperous winds which oft fill the sayles of Pirats doth not justifie their piracy and rapine I look upon it with infinite more content and quiet of Soule to have been worsted in my enforced contestation for and vindication of the Laws of the Land the freedome and honour of Parliaments the rights of my Crown the just liberty of my Subjects and the true Christian Religion in its Doctrine Government and due encouragements then if I had with the greatest advantages of successe overborne them all as some men have now evidently done whatever designes they at first pretended The prayers and patience of my Friends and loving Subjects will contribute much to the sweetning of this bitter cup which I doubt not but I shall more cheerfully take and drink as from Gods hand if it must be so than they can give it to me whose hands are unjustly and barbarously lifted up agaâ—nst me And as to the last event I may seem to owe more to my Enemies than my Friends while those will put a period to the sinnes and sorrows attending this miserable life wherewith these desire I might still contend I shall be more than Conquerour through Christ enabling me for whom I have hitherto suffered as he is the Authour of Truth Order and Peace for all which I have been forced to contend against Errour Faction and confusion If I must suffer a violent death with my Saviour it is but mortality crowned with martyrdomeâ— where the debt of death which I owe for sinne to nature shall be raised as a gift of faith and patience offered to God Which I humbly beseech him mercifully to accept and although death be the wages of my owne sinne as from God and the effect of others sinnes as men both against God and me yet as I hope my own sinnes are so remitted that they shall be no ingredients to imbitter the cup of my death so I desire God to pardon their sins who are most guilty of my destruction The Trophees of my charity will be more glorious and durable over them than their ill-managed victories over me Though their sin be prosperous yet they had need to be penitent that they may be pardoned Both which I pray God they may obtain that my temporall death unjustly inflicted by them may not be revenged by Gods just inflicting eternall death upon them for I look upon the temporall destruction of the greatest King as far lesse deprecable than the eternall damnation of the meanest Subject Nor do I wish other than the safe bringing of the ship to shore when they have cast me overboard though it be very strange that Mariners can find no other means to appease the storme themselves have raised but by drowning their Pilot. I thank God my Enemies cruelty cannot prevent my preparation whose malice in this I shall defeat that they shall not have