then again the Kings answer which was supposed to be the hastening cause of that murther Let him repent and pray if God may possibly forgive him The fourth is to command sin For by this means they beget it they give it Seed and become the Fathers of it And for this Let the Long Lifed Parliament Lieutenant General Cromwell and others whom it concerns water their Bedds and wash their Couches every night with tears for fear they exchange their Evill Dayes into an Everlasting Night of Evill The fifth is to consent to it For by that means they own it and maintain it and become Adopted Fathers to it And for this Let the High Court of Justice President Bradshaw Whaley Pride and others that sat there and gave Vote to the most unjust sentence that was ever pronounced Pilates only excepted abhorr themselves in dust and ashes least their memories be abhorred by all good men on Earth and their Souls in Fire and Brimstone The sixth is to commend it For by this means they give it suck Dugg and become a Nurse to it And for this Let them who have presented Books to John Bradshaw and given him Eulogies for the greatest Vaelogy was ever spoke in England severing the Head of King Charles I. from his Body The seventh is To entertain and maintain the Actors of it For by this means they give it Shoulders they support it and become Protectors of it And for this Let him who hath made himself Protector with his Stately Counsel consult how they may avoid the curses of so many thousand innocent Widdows and Orphans whom they have made so that they might kill as the Jewes did the King of Life the King of England Charles the I. The Eighth is To keep Silence and to be mute at it when it is done For by that means they become Friends to it and give it Heart and Hand And for this Let him or them or both who have out-stript Dioclesian and Julian by mnzzleing the Mouths of all the Orthodox Clergy of England least they should declaim against it look to it and weep and groan if perhaps they may out-cry that cry which the Blood of CHARLES the I. makes to Heaven for vengeance The ninth and last is to partake of it For by that means they give it Arm and Face and become Benefactors to it And for this Let the present Soldiers whether Voluntiers or other whether before or since consider with themselves whether they be not guilty of the violent painful shameful murther of King Charles I. and presently forsake their Usurper and joyn to bring in the true Heyre of these Kingdoms of England Scotland and Ireland King Charles II. whom as God hath hitherto miraculously preserved so may he make a Miracle of his mercy in restoring him to a Glorious Crown here and receiving him to a Crown of Glory hereafter thorow Jesus Christ Amen Anno Dom. 1650. PSALM 112.7 He is not afeard of any evil tydings For his heart standeth fast and believeth in the Lord. ANd yet King David was no Stoick For this Psalm is an Exegesis or Exposition of the last verse of the former Psalm And that Psalm ends thus Timor Domini initium sapientiae The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom Ps 111.10 and this Psalm in answer to that begins thus Beatus qui timet Dominum Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord. Ps 112.1 Wisdom seeks Blessedness and by the Fear of God finds it and finds it in four degrees 1. In the Happiness of his Posterity His seed shall be mighty upon Earth Ver. 2 2. In the Happinesse of his Prosperity Wealth and Riches shall be in his house Ver. 3 Ver. 6 3. In the Happiness of his Stability He shall never be moved 4. In the Happiness of his Security He shall not he will not be afraid or He is not afraid of any evil tydings And this though the last is not the least degree of his Happiness his good Fear banisht his evil Fear He fears God and therefore he fears not any evil tydings And that he fears God he is assured of it too for his heart standeth fast and believeth in the Lord. In which words you have observable these three Parts 1. Quis non timet Who feareth not Times Dominum He that feareth the Lord feareth not 2. Quid non timet What is it he feareth not Ab auditione malâ He feareth not any evil tydings 3. Quare non timet Why doth he not fear any evil tydings quia paratum est stabilitum est confirmatum est cor ejus confidens in Jehovâ because his heart is prepared because his heart is est ablished because it is confirmed and standeth fast believing in the Lord. I begin with the first He fearet not he shall not be afraid Pars 1. And this at first sight seems a strange commendation or a strange Prohibition Construe it as you please by the Present or Future tense Timor enim Domini est Janitor cordis et virtutis custos saith St. Hierome Fear of the Lord is the Guard Royal of the heart and keeps out forbidden lusts like unbidden Guests Fear is the Treasurer of Vertue keeps it in a close Cabinet like a precious Jewel least it should take Wings like Riches and fly away Fundamentum salutis says Tertullian Fear is the Foundation of Hope and like that house which is built upon a Rock let the Sea roar and the Rain fall and the winds blow It stands fast it is unshaken Tuta Armatura says St. Chrysostome Fear is a safe Armour whosoever puts it on hath such a Coat of Male as is Sword Pike Pistol and Canon proof Initium sapientiae Pro. says Solomon Fear is the beginning of Wisdom not a Student in the Accademy of Fear but is sure to commence Doctor of Wisdom Vita omnium operum says Melancton Fear is the vivacity of all our Actions whatsoever we do without Fear is dead in the very doing and Solomon gives the reason of it Officium enim est totius hominis Eccles 12. For this is the whole duty of man To fear God and keep his Commandements Religio Majestas Honor metu constant says Lactantius where Religion is neglected confusion enters nor can Religion subsist without Fear For what is not feared is contemned and what is contemned is not worshipped Religion Majesty Honour The Religion of God the Majesty of the King and the Honour of the Nobility are all preserved by Fear Take away Fear and take away all This Age this unhappy miserable Age gives us too sad feeling an example of it The Kingdom of England hath lost Religion The King of England hath lost his Majesty the Majesty of England hath lost his Head the Nobility of England have lost their Honour And all this because the Commons of England have lost their Fear the Fear of God St. Barnard advises most divinely Cúm adest Gratia time
that his little Finger would be heavier in the Levies of Taxes for the payment of Soldiers to maintain his usurped Power and raysing up the basest and lowest of the People to be Priests and become their Teachers The English thought Ship-mony in King Charles his time to be a Tax unsufferable and therefore first set up Essex and found out an easy way of Excise and the First and Twentieth parts and a Bankrupt Publick Faith to maintain a Rebellious Army and when that would not do they then set up a New Modelled Army under the command of Fairfax with a lighter burthen of 60000 li. and 120000 li. the Moneth to reduce the King to obedience and then did Cromwell finely juggle him out and gave himself by deed of Gift the Protaectordom of England which he hath fairly safe-guarded by running it into a vast Debt and silencing the Orthodoxal Clergy for fear by their Preaching the people might be recovered of their madness and cherishes in their room an Anabaptistical Sect to keep them still in Bedlam But in the mean time they forget a Power which is in Heaven that will e're long laugh all these powers of Earth to scorn and establish Him whom by Succession he hath assigned to the Crowns of England Scotland and Ireland King Charles II. But till then Wo be to us if we preach says the Humane power Wo be to us if we preach not says the Divine power and So you see which power both by Reason and Religion we should rather obey And now 2. You may see which wo either Mans wo or Gods wo we should rather Fear 1. The wo which Man threatens us if we preach is the wo of imprisonment and the wo of banishment The wo of imprisonment for three Moneths the first time we preach The wo of imprisonment for six Moneths the second time we preach and he wo of banishment the third time we preach Now may not these woes be borne by us Certainly they may if we think upon Joseph in his Prison or the Jewes in their Banishment for Gods hand is not shorter now than it was then but He can preserve us as well in and deliver us as well out of prison as he did Joseph Nor is his ear heavier now than it was then but He can as well provide for us in and restore us from Exile as He did the Jewes and bring us back as well as them to re-build our Church and worship him with our former Reveverence Unity and Order 2. But the wo which God threatens us if we preach not is the Wo of the worst Goale Hell the Wo of the Banishment from Heaven and both these Eternal from which their is no Redemption and to bear which there is no Ability For who is able to dwell in those everlasting burnings Isa But then why do we not preach the Gospel Why Beloved It may be we do For the Pulpet doth not make a Sermon or if we do not It proceeds not from fear of either the Humane power or wo but because we believe God will be pleased more with our Obedience than Sacrifice Mistake me not I mean not Obedience to the Power which forbids us to preach but Obedience to the Providence which hath made our silence our punishment and also because we hope and pray that power which hath all things at his dispose to Restore King Charles the Second into the Throne of King Charles the First to Reign as he did Justly and Mercifully not to be Murthered as he was Barberously and Cruelly And then Wo be to us if we preach not the Gospel And as we believe and pray so be it unto us for Jesus Christ his sake Amen Anno Dom. 1656. APOCALYPS 14.13 Blessed are the Dead that dye in the Lord from henceforth even so faith the Spirit They rest from their labours and their workes follow them THis Book is not Apocrypsis a Covering but Apocalipsis a Discovery and therefore may be lookt into Were it Apocrypsis a Concealment It were only for God For secret things belong only to God Deut. But being as it is Apocalypsis A Revealement or a Revelation It is for us and ours For things revealed belong to us and to our Children In this Book I confesse are Multa Mysteria Many Mysteryes and so not fit for vulgar eyes But in it too are Multae Hystoriae Many Historys and so fit for all Eyes The Mysterys indeed are for the Schools but the Histories may be for the Pulpit My Text hath not one jot of Mystery in it It is all an History a plain History for the understanding For who understands not That they which dye in the Lord are blessed It is a sweet History for the Affections For what more desired then Blessednesse And it is a short History for the Memory For it consists but of three parts and who remembers not three Those three parts are these 1. An Affirmation or a Proposition Beati abhoc tempore posthac amodo qui in Domino Domini causâ moriuntur Blessed henceforth are they which dye in the Lord or for the Lords Cause 2. A Witnesse or a Deposition to justifie the Truth of the Proposition Etiam dicit Spiritus Even so saith the Spirit 3. A Comment or Exposition Quoniam requiescunt a laboribus et opera eorum sequntur eos They rest from their labours and their works follow them The Proposition comforts us The Deposition assures us The Exposition enlightens it and us For if any man should say of the Proposition Blessed are the dead which dy in the Lord Durus hic Sermo This is an hard sentence who can understand it why here is a Glosse to expound it and explain it and the Glosse tells you They are doubly blessed 1. In Deliverance and Relaxation They rest from their labour Pars. 1. 2. In Reward and Retribution Their works follow them If the time confines me not I shall D. V. speak of each And 1. of the first Blessed are the dead which dye c. Blessednesse is a large word and comprises all those Mercies and Favours which appertain to this Life or the next so we read in the Psalms Blessed is the man that fears the Lord and that Blessednesse is as well Earthly as Heavenly His Seed shall be mighty upon Earth Wealth and Riches shall be in his house There it is earthly His Righteousnesse endures for ever Here it is Heavenly But the Blessedness in any Text is not of this extent It is not extended to the Living and therefore is not earthly It is restrained to the dead and therefore only Heavenly Blessed are the Dead saith my Text. And here again least any one should quarrel with the Text and say flatly It is false because of all Terribles Death is the most Terribles and therefore said Mecaenas Facito debilem Pede facito debilem manu vita dum superest bene est Lay what Pain you will upon me Sursingle me with
the Primitive and later Orthodox Divines as To kill their King 3. And therefore I hasten to shew in the next place That such a desire to have the King killed is against the Law of Man and particularly against the Law of the men of this Nation even of those men who did Kill King Charles I. And that I may do it truly and according to the Law of this Nation I shall only repeat the words of Judge Jenkins who tells us His Oath as a Judge runs thus p. 174. 1. Well and truly to serve our Sovereign Lord the King and his People in that Office 2. To do right to all manner of People Poor and Rich after the Lawes and Usages of this Realm 3. Truly to Counsel the King and his Counsel to conceal and keep p. 174. 4. Not to suffer the hurt or disheriting of the King or that the Rights of the Crown be decreased by any means as far as he may let it 5. If he may not let it he shall make it clearly and expresly to be known to the King with his advice and Council 6. And that he shall do and purchase the Kings profit in all that he reasonably may as God him help and the Contents of Gods Book And after he tells us p. 175. That the House of Commons this Parliament some call'd it the Long Parliament gave in charge to Mr. Sollicitor St. Johns I think upon the Prosecution of the Bill of Attainder against the Earl of Strafford to declare the Law to be That Machination of War against the Laws or Kingdom is against the King They cannot be severed He tells us again p. 1676. That Mr Pym had in charge likewise upon the same Prosecution to Declare That the KING and his People are obliged one to another in the nearest relations He is a Father and the Childe in Law is called Pars Patres He is the Husband of the Common-wealth They have the same Interests they are inseperable in their condition be it good or evil He is the Head they are the Body there is such an Incorporation as cannot be dissolved without the destruction of both Once more p. 198. after this he tells 1. To Imprison the King is High Treason 2. To remove Counsellours from the KING by force is High Treason 3. To alter the Laws establisht in any part by force is High Treason 4. To usurp the Royal Power is High Treason 5. To alter the Religion establisht is High Treason 6. To raise rumours and give out words to alienate the Peoples affections from the King is High Treason 7. To sesse Souldiers upon the People of the Kingdom without their consent is High Treason 8. The execution of Paper Orders by Souldiers in a Military way is High Treason 9. To counterfeit the Great Seal is High Treason 10. Thâ— Commissions of Array is in force and no other 11. None can make Judges Justices Sheriffs c. but the King â—he King makes every Court 12. The Great Seal belongs to the Kings Custody or to whom he shall appoint and none other 13. Ordinances of one or both Houses are no Lawes to binde the people 14. No Priviledge of Parliament holds for Treason Felony or breach of the Peace 15. To Levy war against the Person of the King is High Treason 16. To impose unlawful Taxes to impose new Oaths is High Treason 17. It is a pernicious Doctrine to teach Subjects They may be discharged from the Oath of Allegiance Good God of what a complicated Treason then was that party of that PARLIAMENT Guilty who after they had taken up Armes against KING CHARLES I. did did then slaunder him did then Imprison him did then desire to have Him Kill'd and did then Actually Kill Him And so Committed a Murther a monstrous murther which is my second Generall Part Pars 2. And thus I discourse it Had they but desired to kill him they had committed a monstrous Murther For as to Lust after a Woman is Adultery in Christs Exposition of they Commandement Mat. 5. so to be Angry with a man to call him Fool or Raca is Murther in his Exposition of the sixth Commandement but they the Jews called Christ a Wine-bibber a Samaritan a Devil and at last desired to have him killed and thereby committed a monstâ—ous Murther King David tells us that the Lord aâ—horreth the blood-thirsty and deceitfull man Psal 5.6 and the deceitfull man as the best Expositors tell us is such a one as longeth after or desireth the blood of his Neighbour But they went further they did not only desire to have him killed but they actuaâ—y killed him Pilate indeed gave the sentence upon their importunity and they executed that sentence by their own Cruelty and so Murthered him in their heart by desire in their tongue by detraction and in their hand by Execution and so committed a monstrous Murther 1. Monstrous 1. as being against Nature Omnia appetunt esse Naturally all things love their being 2. Monstrous 2. as being against Reason Quod tibi non vis fieri alteri ne feceris Reasonably no man should do that to another which he would not another man should do to him 3. Monstrous as being Devilish He is a Muâ—therer from the beginning and the Author and Father of a Murther and who would be called a Malignant Joh. 44.8 or the Son of the Devill 4. Monstrous 4. as being Beastly Ferina rabies vulnere et sanguine laetari saies Seneca it is a savage Cruelty to delight in blood And yet if these Jews had thought that for this sin of Blood this monstrous Murther of Christ they should have been cursed upon earth and have been Vagabonds all the dayes of their life certaâ—nly they would never have committed so unnaturall so unreasonable so devilish so beastly a sin in defiring Christ to be killed by the Cross nor would the English have done the like by desiring Charles to be killed by the Hatchet But why did they desire Pilate to kill Christ and why did some others desire John Bradshaw to kill King Charles why that my prima secundae is to tell you and it tells you thus in one suppositive and in one Positive Quare 1. It may be the speak truth when they said to Pilate Joh. 18.31 It is not lawfull for us to put any man to death and some latter Jews tells us by name Moses Kots in Sanhedrin that all power of Capitall punishments was taken from them forty years before the destruction of their second Temple But this I dare not conceive For though power in Criminalls in the Generall was taken from them yet in this particular Pilate gave them power when he said Joh. 18.31 Take yea him and judge him according to your Law Nor could they object against this their Law could not condemn him if he had transgressed their Law because they confest they had a Law and by their Law he ought
to dye All that can excuse him in this is Joh. 19.7 the Holiness of that time made them say It was unlawfull because they held it unlawfull upon their daies of preparation to sit on life and death and Friday on which our Saviour was condemned was the preparation of their Sabbath But 2. My positive Quare is this They desired Pilate to put him to death because if they had let Christ alone all men would believe him et venient Romani the Romans will come and take away both their Place and Nation This was the causeless cry they made against Christ and the causeless end they pretended in desiring Pilate to kill him and here you may see how just the Judgment of God was We desire you Pilate to kill him for fear the Romans come upon us and destroy us and the killing of Christ was the cause that brought in the Romans upon them so justly did God punish them with that which they pretended most to fear I would the Application were not too visible 1. That gallant and wise Earl of Strafford must be beheaded because he plotted the Alteration of the Fundamentall Laws of this Kingdome and raising of the standing Army 2. The constant and learned Arch-Bishop of Canterbury must be beheaded because he plotted the Alteration of Religion and bringing Popery into this Church 3. King Charles the first that most Wise most pious most Learned Religious Defender of the Faith must be beheaded too because He listened to such evil Counsellors which God hath punish'd with an evil Counsell with the raising continuing of an Army against the Fundamental Lawes of this Kingdome with an Harvest of the Popes besides with the Gleanings of a Medley of many Sects and Schismes Anabaptists Independants Quakers Shakers Brownists the Mother Father of these and many more the Presbyterians to the utter undoing almost of the most glorious Church Christ ever had upon the Earth since the Apostolicall and Primitive time God Almighty in his good time send a Charles the second to restore Vigour to the Fundamentall Lawes Peace to the people and true Religion to the Church through Jesus Christ Amen But what end had the Jewes in killing Christ why that my seconda secondae and last disquisition must informe you and thus it doth it 1. It may be they had Jeroboams end to make Preists of the lowest of the people and it is observable that after they had killed Christ they never had nor to this day have a worthy man for their High Preist 2. It may be they had Jehu's end to make away all the Seed and Blood-Royall and it is observeable again that after they had killed Christ Herod the Son killed James also the Cozen-German of Christ and therefore of the Blood-Royal from David that so none of that Family might ever after inherit the Crown of Judea 3. Or it may be they had Omries end to erect new Statutes contrary to the old Statutes of a new Invention contrary to or diverse from thâ—se of Gods first Institution 4. Or it may be they had Je abels end that when Christ the King was killed they might without controule make honest loyall constant Consciencious men Delinquents and Malignants and plunder them of their â—states and take away their life 5. Or if they had none of these ends and I cannot positively say they had yet questionless their end was that in the Parable This is the Heire come let us kill him and the Inheritance shall be ours He being killed our Glosses and humane Traditions and Inventions shall go for Currant and all the world will be of our Religion and thereout shall we suck no small advantage And this end had some Judaized Scots and English in killing King Charles the first They desired the Deputy or Governour or President Bradshaw to kill him that the Possession of Crown and Soveraignty being of out his hands or podibility to recover them and his Heire and Issue banished he the President by name John Bradshaw might quietly and Conscientiously enjoy the Lord Cottingtons Estate and part of the Earl of St. Albons worth 4000. l. per ann Sr. Thomas Fairfax part of the Duke of Buckinghams Oliver Cromwell part of the said Dukes part of the Marquess of Worcesters with a great deal more who of late upon the third of September this year forfeited his usurped Protectorship with all his ill-gotten wealth and Honours and surrendred his Soul into the hands of God with this Manifesto of his Repentance O Lord how wilt thou deal with me O Lord what Judgements and Torments hast thou prepared for me I dare not say so let them and the Kings enemies perish O Lord and yet I do say How long O Lord how long will it be ere thou returnest King Charles II. with power to recover his Dominions and with Wisdom to settle Peace and Religion in these Kingdoms which we yet wait for patiently and do beg earnestly for his sake whom the Jewes killed Jesus Christ Amen Anno Dom. 1659. ROM 1.32 Who knowing the Judgement of God that they which commit such things are worthy of death not only do the same but have pleasure in them that do them MAny Inditements hath the Apostle brought in against the Gentiles in this Chapter from the 29. verse to this 32. Two and twenty as some have tallied them Others add this to the former and read them Three and twenty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fornication the first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wickedness was the second 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Covetousnesse was the third 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Maliciousness was the fourth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Envy was the Fifth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Murther was the sixth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Debate was the seventh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deceipt was the eighth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Malignity the ninth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wnispering was the tenth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Backbiting was the eleaventh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hating of God was the twelfth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Despitefulness was the thirteenth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pride was the 14th 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Boasting was the fifteenth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Invention of evil things was the sixteenth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Disobedience to Parents was the seventeenth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without Understanding was the eighteenth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Covenant-breaking was the nineteenth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Without Natural affection was the twentieth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Implacability was the one and twentieth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Unmercifulness was the two and twentieth and this I take to be the last of his Inditement And this I have now read unto you howsoever some men account to be a three and twentyeth Inditement yet I take it to be an aggravation of and not an addition to the former Inditements and withal a preoccupation of all excuse For they might say That we have done as you have