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A77009 The states stability a sermon / preached in Exon before the deputy-lieutenants, captaines, and other militarie officers and souldiers of the county of Devon. By John Bond ... Bond, John, 1612-1676. 1643 (1643) Wing B3575A; ESTC R172820 17,545 37

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of all the people as if he should cut off the heads of all the people but the chief the great ones that were next to Moses Take the heads of the people and hang them up before the Lord that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel This is my first reason because wicked great ones neere about the Throne are one of the most desperate provocations that a Land can make to provoke the eyes of the jealousie of the Almighty It is good reason they should be taken away and that the taking of them away establisheth the Throne in Righteousnesse because the letting of them alone provokes the Lord to shake the Throne Crown and Scepter and all The second reason for this is the great one that I shall insist on it is taken from the manifold mischiefes and dangers that wicked ones about the Throne doe the manifold mischiefes that are like to follow and do usually follow when wicked ones are about the Throne Those mischiefes and dangers of wicked counsellers or great ones about the King are many but I will reduce them to three heads and in every one brethren I hope I shall be part and proper The first danger is of fraud and flatterie of seducing and misleading a Prince by fraud and flatterie when wicked great ones are about the Throne when such Eare-wigges take place about the Scepter they may seduce a pious and Religious Prince from justice and Religion I speake no more then I will repeat and that I repeat I will prove out of the Scripture I say they may seduce a pious and Religious Prince from justice and Religion from the truth of Religion and the execution of justice in government See both these for all this while I shew you the great concernment of the service you areon the greatest that ever God honoured souldiers within the English Nation See it in point of Religion for the seducing of a pious and well meaning Prince there You will say that the Pen-man of my Text Solomon was a pious Prince he that looks upon his prayer in Gibeon 1 King 3. for wisdome above all things wisdome spirituall and civill he that lookes on that prayer before the Altar 1 King 8.22 23. He that lookes on his munificent building of the Temple and the great charge he was at for the utensils 1 King Chap. 5 6 7. he must needs confesse that as Solomon was an extraordinary wise so he was a pious and a Religious intending Prince yet the wicked before the Throne neere about the Throne nay his case was such the wicked in the bosome of the Throne in the lappe of it they did draw aside this well meaning pious and wisest of all Kings 1 King 11.1 There we read that his strange Idolatrous wives drew him aside from the right worship contrary to his intentions and contrary to all those prayers therefore to prevent this mischiefe it seemes that Asa 2 Chron. 15.16 took away Maacah his mother from being Queene because she had made an Idoll in a grove Would you have another example how wicked ones before the King are in danger of seducing of a Prince though he be a pious and well meaning Prince even from the truth of Religion Looke upon Joash lively is that example 2 Chron. 24. There I read that Joash was a Prince that was orthodox and so continued during the time of Jehojadah the Lord protector But Jehojada was full of daies and he died ver 15 16. and now Joash was left to stand on his owne legges and to the Princes and Courtiers about the King And what were they When Jehojada was in his grave The princes came and made obeysance to the King and he hearkned to their voice and they left the God of their fathers and worshipped Groves These Idolatrous Courtiers though they lurked in the Court all that while and durst not shew their heads for their heads as long as pious Jehojada was alive do when he was gone take this Spoke out of the wheele and all crackes So we see a double proofe when Jehojada was about the King as Atlas he beares up Religion but when he was gone the wicked prevaile with the King 2 Chron. 24.17 18. I note these three circumstances on the words First the time after Jehojada he had made a covenant before in the time of Joash the Kingdome had made a Protestation just such as ours that we have lately made 2 Chron. 23.16 Jehojada made a Covenant betweene him and all the people and between the King that they should be the Lords people Therefore they durst not shew their heads to seduce the King when Jehojada was alive because he was the chiefe stickler in the protestation That was the time they watched when Jehojada was gone as now a dayes wicked Counsellers laboure to remove the godly from about the King take away Jebojada and then they have their oportunity Secondly the Persons the Nobles the Grandies but Idolatrous Nobles corrupt in Religion It seemes they went to Church before they discovered not themselves in Jehojada's dayes they took the protestation therefore they were Church Papists Church Idolaters conformable in Jehojada's time so much the worse These were the men that when they had staid and lived so long conformable when that good man that was the Kings support was taken away they seduced him Thirdly marke the manner and meanes to bring about the project Obeysance they came and did obeysance by insinuation and flattery they adored his sacred Majesty and ascribed more perchance then he expected and more then was fit to be ascribed to a man By this you see my first instance confirmed the danger and mischiefe of the wicked before the King in respect of seducing and flattery you see I have proved it by the wisest King that ever lived and by King Joash a man in whose dayes they had made a covenant against Idolatry yet the wisedome in the one and the covenant in the othet when good Counsellours were taken away and a hedge of evill Counsellours surrounded them were not able to stand against the streame Secondly for perverting a Prince from Justice Judgement and Law for still I am upon the point of seducing by Flattery First from the truth of Religion and then from Justice and Judgement take an instance or two there Thus Doeg seduced Saul against the Lords Priests though he bore them a little good will before see what a mischievous Edomite may doe with a King he was an Edomite one of another Nation and of another Religion but it seemes the King had admitted him to his Privie Councell at least to his Councell of Warre 1 Sam. 22. ver 9. Then answered Doeg the Edomite which was over the servants of Saul and said I saw the Sonne of Saul comming to Ahimelech the sonne of Ahit●b When Saul heard that David was discovered Saul said to his servants that were about him heare now ye Benjamites is there none of