well as with a large one of others These three therefore To Eat and Drink in due season in due measure and of such viands as are convenient for us make up what we call Temperance in Diet. But this single Virtue as being the principal part of Sobriety and that which is mainly instrumental to preserve Reason and Consideration is put Synecdochically for a considerative Virtuous Temper and Practice in opposition especially to a voluptuous and sensual Life which whosoever give themselves up to whether noble or plebeian are neither sit for nor can mind or happily dispath Business And so the sum of the Royal Preachers Observation in the Text amounts to this 'T is a singular Blessing to a Nation to have a King nobly descended of a noble Mind not young or unexperienc'd not giving himself over to Pleasures and excess but grave abstemious considerative and virtuous And all this praised be our good God is a Blessedness which these Nations at present enjoy The Text being thus explained it follows that we speak distinctly to its parts which I shall not be curious in assigning It being a compound or copulative Proposition consists evidently of two simple ones the first whereof is Blessed art thou O Land when thy King is the Son of Nobles We ought then first to consider what Felicities they are which amount to a People by having their Prince of Noble Extraction And in answer hereto if my Discourse be not at present so perfectly or wholly Theological as I could desire or as are generally those with which I use to entertain you I must beg your pardon the nature of the Subject matter does not admit it But I am sure the End I drive at or that to which all tends is truly Holy Religious and Christian Now the great Benefits which reasonably a People may expect under such a Prince are I think chiefly these three Publik Wealth and Plenty Publick Ease or Liberty to enjoy what they have And Publick Quiet and Peace Blessings which one would think should endear the Government to us and which I am sure whether we will acknowledge or no the Kingdoms generally enjoy especially if we consider how at present it goes with other neighbouring Nations And these I say by Gods Blessing and upon our own Loyalty we may reasonably expect the continuance of under our Sovereign and the present Constitution that is while we are governed by Kings who are the Sons of Nobles For First With Noble Personages generally go Noble Estates and Revenues When men who were born Princes come to the Throne they carry with them thither their private Fortunes and former Principalities joyning all to the Crowns they take A great Felicity this to the Publick and much for the aggrandising a Nation as well as for the Ease of the middle rate of men on whom commonly all burdens fall Kings cannot be too rich though Subjects may 'T is for the Benefit of the whole body of their People that Princes abound They will then be better able to defend both themselves and Subjects and that with fewer lighter and more easie Supplies On the contrary where indigent and poor men come to rule though never so virtuous upright and just never so sweet generous and noble minded yet Necessitas cogit ad turpia a poor Princes own or the publick Necessities will put him on Practices dishonourable and which will be uneasie and grating on the the Subject For what vast Treasures are cessary to settle a new Prince What unthought of Expences incident Extraordinary Exigents of State private Accidents Families to be raised Dependants to be advanced and a multitude of like occasions Of all which the ordinary sort must bear the main burden Wherefore no such Oppressor as a poor Man in chief Power Prov. xxiii 3. A poor man that oppresseth the Poor is like a sweeping Rain which leaveth no Food Though therefore it was a King in the Text that said it yet it would seem of all Degrees the Commonality may in this respect most justly pronounce Blessed art thou O Land when thy King is the Son of Nobles Secondly The Sons of Nobles most generally prove Noble and Heroical themselves and of great and brave Souls Fortes creantur fortibus bonis Eagles naturally produce not Kites or Buzzards There is a Royal Spirit runs in Royal Bloud And it has been observed by the wisest and most impartial men such which are best Judges in these matters I mean least obnoxious to mistake and freest from Flattery that many Princes even while young and within those years which ordinarily denominate Children have far surpast in ripeness of Wit Prudence Counsel or like Qualifications the generality of adult persons of above twice their years though of liberal and good lettered Education also This amongst others was manifest to all the world in that blessed Prince Edward VI. King of England whom Cardan an Italian by Birth as well as Religion but one of the most learned men and greatest Philosophers then in the world having visited could not forbear wonder and giving him so great a Character as is scarce credible touching one of so few years It is too long to repeat the whole but in the end he expresly stiles him the Miracle of Nature And it is truly much to have been ever from the Cradle fill'd with great thoughts possest with Principles and Designs of publick Good and bred by Art as well as by Nature dispos'd and fram'd for Government Now this may be expected from the Sons of Nobles and is almost ever found in those who are born Princes They cannot well be base spirited but answer their Originals and Condition of Life From whence how naturally the forementioned Advantages will flow to their Subjects any may easily see who pleases to consider the Case On the contrary when men either by the Sword or Popular Favour and Factions come to the Throne they retain dreadful tinctures of the Cruelty Bloudiness Partiality or other base Arts that advanced them Whence it comes to pass that they rule with Tyranny and Oppression at least that they generally administer pardon the solecism unequal and partial Justice Where they dare to punish they commonly though on slight occasions crush irreparably where they dare not they will not see but haply flatter or fawn at least basely dissemble and personate Justice only in being blind And what Grievances how great and various must arise hence is not easie I had almost said to imagine I am sure not to comprehend or determine Remember Jothans Parable Judg. ix 15. When the Bramble was advanced to be King over the Trees he said unto the Trees if in truth ye anoint me King over you then come and put your trust in my Shadow and if not let Fire come out of the Bramble and devour the Cedars of Lebanon The Bramble is no such tall erect or strong plant that its shadow was likely I should have said possible to defend the Trees
of Miseries the Lord struck him and he died His Son Nadab succeeds him indeed or as some think reigned together with him towards the latter end of his days However before he was well warm in his Throne Baasha a person of another Tribe who had no pretence to the Crown but who might quickly have as good a Title to it as either Jeroboam or Nadab had conspired against him and slew him as would seem in the head of his Army and reigned in his stead 1 King xv 27 28. But how long will this new Title stand After Wars again upon Wars all his days his Son Ela succeeds him but within two years Zimri Captain of half his Chariots conspired against him and slew him as he was drinking himself drunk in the House of Arza his Steward Upon this Zimri sets up himself chap. xvi 9. 11. and immediately slew all of Baasha 's House Here was a Recompence for Baasha's Treason But before Zimri had reigned over part of Israel full one week another part of the people would have another King and set up Omri on which Zimri burns himself in his own Palace And now ver 21. Israel is divided not only from Judah as before but within themselves divided into two parts saith the Text For half of the People followed Tibni to make him King and half Omri To be short from the time the Israelites fell off from the Royal Line that God had set over them and betook themselves to Kingchoosing from that Revolt I say to Omri which was somewhat less than five and forty years if rightly computed they had six Kings indeed but not one year of Peace and of their six Kings as far as I can find only two died the death of other men so frequent and so dismal were the Alterations of Government so unhappy the state of things I will pursue the History of this Kingdom no further as to this particular of the uncertainty of Titles and frequent Changes which you see must needs happen and when they happen they rend Nations in pieces and leave nothing stable durable or secure only out of what you have heard of the deplorable state into which this People brought themselves by breaking off the Succession and running into this kind of Elective Kingdom I cannot but note to you Secondly The dreadful Cruelties and Bloudshed which commonly ensue on such Elections to establish the New Prince Thus as soon as Baasha obtained the Throne he smote all the House that is Kinred Allies and most likely all the Adherent of Jeroboam he left not one of them that breathed until he had destroyed them 1 King xv 29. which though it were Baasha's Wickedness and Gods just Judgment executed on Jeroboams Family however by a villanous Agent yet in point of Policy and Security to himself he was in a sort necessitated to it Now so great a Slaughter certainly could not but be a sore publick Wound I might shew many instances of the like practice in in others but it is not pleasing to rake in Bloud Lastly Whereas it is ordinarily pretended by our modern State-menders that reducing Kingdoms as near as may be to an Elective form is the best method to secure a Succession of good and virtuous Princes the contrary hereto appears by this instance The People of Israel after this new modelling their Kingdom upon rejecting the true Heir descendent and electing out of themselves a King had through the Judgment of God withdrawing his Grace in punishment of their Rebellion and Revolt from this time till the utter Dissolution of their Kingdome nineteen Kings successively and not one good amongst them all And no wonder saith a sober Author For First It was a Kingdome whose Foundation was laid in 1. Rebellion 2. Schism Secondly It was maintained by a Politick Idolatry in the continuance of Jeroboams Golden Calves Thirdly Polluted with the Bloud of many of their Kings few of them going to their Grave Sicca morte by a Bloudless death And therefore having continued two hundred forty one or as others calculate two hundred fifty eight years in the ninth year of Hosea 's Reign which was the seventh of Hezekiah King of Judah the King and People of Israel were carried away Captives by Shalmanezer King of Assyria and never returned again for God removed Israel out of his sight 'T is so said twice 2 King xvii 18 23. And 't is observable no one knows to this day what 's become of these ten Tribes But even during the whole state or most settled time of their Kingdome they had no face of true Religion nor indeed any Religion constant amongst them but a Gallimafry of all the Gods and Idolatries of the Nations according to the Honour or Interest of their Kings On the other side the Kingdome of Judah which continued under the Rightful Succession and was Hereditary stood near one hundred and forty years longer than that of Israel and they had amongst their Kings many great Saints as Asa Jehosophat Hezekiah Josiah and diverse others And though the Worship of God were often foully corrupted in the Reign of some of their Kings yet as that Corruption still came in from the Kings of Israel or from Affinity or League with them so by the Succession of good Kings it was restored again and both the Church and Face of Religion kept up amongst them till it pleased God for their treading in the steps of the People of Israel to send his Church into Captivity there to be cured of Idolatry Which Cure when wrought though there still remained a general Cachexy or disorder of Manners yet it pleased God to bring back for a while their Captivity and to give them a new footing in their own Land till out of that Royal Stem was born our Lord Jesus the promised Seed of Abraham the Son of David according to the Flesh but declared by Power and Resurrection from the dead the Son of God the Lord of Lords and King of Kings blessed for evermore of whose Kingdom there shall be no end To sum up all If then there be any men to whom perpetual unsettledness and dangers to themselves and theirs to whom continued ages of War to whom ever and anon recurring Murder of Kings Massacres of Families together with all Violence and Tyranny over the people and even Arbitrary Religion as well as Government Vsurpation on God and Man be pleasing such men may plead these Arguments to enamour the world with the model of Elective Kingdoms But on the contrary If Publick Wealth Ease and Quiet I may add if continued Liberties settled Religion and general Stability as far as the state of sublunary affairs does admit be more amiable we have reason to stick to a true Legitimate Succession For it was the Observation of the wisest of Kings Blessed art thou O Land when thy King is the Son of Nobles and we see how far it proved so in the Kingdom of Judah We have hitherto as I think
ver 8. The Children of Israel were three hundred thoâ—sand and the Men of Judah thirty thousâ—nd A pretty number indeed to lift up their voice and weep at a vain mans scornful Rodomantade What 's the matter with them The point was there was yet in effect no King in Israel Saul indeed was just anointed King chap. x. but he had not yet taken upon him the actual Exercise of his Kingly Power he lived yet priâ—ately in Gibeah of Saul and was coming after the Herd out of the Field cap. xi 5. But when Saul heads them they had now one to save them as the expression is ver 3. and having put the people into three Companies drawn them into three Squadrons they slew the Ammonites until the heat of the day and they that remained of them were so scattered that tâ—o of them were not left together ver 11. so great a Strength and Shield was their new King already become to Israel And I beseech you Brethren consider it if not from this instance from any other you please There is nothing more exposes a People to be the most easie prey to their far weaker Enemies than Anarchy or want of Governours To their Enemies shall I say Nay there is nothing more exposeth them to themselves In those disorders and dreadful civil Wars which ensued thereon the History of which makes up the five last Chapters of the Book of Judges the reason of all that fatal series of Events is no less than four times inculâ—aled in these numerical words In those days there was no King in Israel chap. xvii 4. xviii 1. xix 1. and xxi 25. I will not â—ub on old sores but we may remember what days they were when there was no King in our Israel Wherefore if we love our own and three Nations Safety let this reason move us to be constanâ— in our Prayers for our King and Governours 2. Let it be considered further Kings happy and prudent Government is the Rule â—nd Measure of the Peoples Flourishing and Prosâ—eâ—ity As things are managed by the Prince with more or less Prudence Justice and Conduct so for the main do the People more or less grow and advance stand or decline in all at least outward felicities The Benâ—â—its of his good Managery are greaâ—er than I am able to give account of and the contâ—ary as dismaâ—ly and generally toâ—â— First A word particularly to the Beneâ—its thereof for of them the Context takes â—â—ice That we may â—ive â— quiet and peaceâ—le 〈◊〉 in all Godlineâ—s and Honesty The â—postle as becomes â—im takes notice 〈◊〉 oâ— spiritual goods or at least adâ—antages â—ending to them And some Beâ—eâ—its â—o themselves particularly shall all 〈◊〉 persons â—ndoubtedly â—eap who are conscientioâ—s in the discharge of this Duty Bâ—t we may hope where all joyn with united and constant Devotion therein he that â—earâ—â—h Prayer will not be deaf to his Servants who â—ry night and day to him Rather that to so universal and so importunaâ—e Prayers he will give in a pleâ—ophory of Blessings Blessings in heavenly things the fâ—ourishing of Religion the Reformation of mens Manners the advance of Union and Charity and like Benefits Oh how much to be wished for to the Church of God and that happy outward advantage hereto publick Peace and Quiet which gives all sorts of men all â—pportunies of Godliness and Hoâ—esty No â—eâ—s than these are the fruits of Kings good Administration Prov. xx 8 26. A wise King that sitteâ—h on the Toâ—â—ne scattereâ—h â—ay all evil with his eyes He scattereth the â—icked and bringâ—th the Wheel â—â—er them The Wheel in the Eastern Countries was oftentimes the instrument to thresh with â—nd 't is here put in allâ—sion thereto to â—ignifie the infliction of such punishment which either severs the sound and useful from the rotten and unprofitable or â—reaks in piecâ—s what withstands Now â—he issue thereof the same holy Author tell â—s When the wickeâ— periâ—â— the rigâ—â—eâ—us increase ch xxviii ult And no less than those may we hope will be the fruits of our loyal Prayers But further where we may look for the greater much more for the less If then the concerns of Religion and the prosperity of our Souls depend so much on the Princes pious and prudent Administration much more do those of our civil Liberties and Property The better the publick affairs are managed the better it is generally for all private persons The Princes own share of fruition is usually the least for the happiest Effects of his best and wisest Councils cannot well be greater than these two Either first continued Peace Or secondly victorious Arms. In both it may be truly said of all good Kings and Princes concerned in either or blessed with both Vos non vobis it is not for themselves they labour or succeed the great Benefit still redounds to the people or to publick bodies As on the contrary secondly If in their Counsels or Enterprises Kings miscarry the ill Success usually falls heavy on the multitude Though the Prince be but one man and have but one Life to lose yet be sure he can never fall alone Nay when the Providence of God whose peculiar care Kings are in the midst of many publick calamities preserves their persons safe and untouched very often according the methods and ancient proceedings of his sovereign Wisdom great numbers of the people fall Zech. x. 3. Mine anger was kindled against the Shepherds and I punished the Goats We knnow it was no otherwise in the transgression of that holy King the man after Gods own heart David numbred the people but the people who were numbred suffered In which kind of cases there is more strict Justice in God than all men generally are aware of For that the Princes Sins for which God at any time immediately or proximately takes punishment are usually the Effect of some other Sins of the People as in the very instance of Davids Sin mentioned 2 Sam. xxiv 1. The anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel and he moved that is as appears by the narrative hereof 1 Chron. xxi 1. he suffered Satan who stood up against Israel to provoke or move David to number Israel Davids Sin was the punishment of the Peoples Sin and so the People most justly suffered for it A like case we have 2 Kings xxiv last Through the anger of the Lord it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah until he had cast them out from his presence that Zedekiah rebelled against the King of Babylon King Zedekiahs breaking Covenant with Nebuchadnezzer was his own Sin yet he fell into it by Gods being provoked with his Peoples Iniquities and so it justly operated to the casting them out of Gods presence that is out of the Holy Land And I must here boldly but truly say whatsoever there is that in our judgment is amiss in our Gracious King His present Majesty is the Effect of the Sins of a great multitude of his people
either now living or in the memory of many of us dead If our King be not fully of our Religion who were they that when they had by rebellious Arms first deposed then murdered the Father afterwards drove the whole Royal Progeny into strange Countries where they found more kindness from them of a foreign Religion than from the body of their native Subjects God divert from the three Nations the Plagues yet due to that Rebellion and its consequent Villanies In the mean while let the present consideration how Princes miscarriages light heavy and that most justly on their Subjects as well as on the contrary their prudent and pious Conduct so vastly advanceth both the spiritual and temporal Prosperity of their people let I say this most reasonable consideration move all of us to be duly devout in offering Supplications Prayers and Intercessions for our King and all sent by him Those great Rationalists who scarce will admit any other Law of Nature allow Self-preservation to be such I say even this obliges us to pray for Kings and that most ardently 't is an act in our own defence and for our own advantage But I trust we are most of us acted by more generous Principles let me therefore propound such also I say then lastly we are obliged in charity and good nature to this Duty And truly there is something of this in what I said but just now Who will not think himself bound to pity and as long as he lives pray for those whom his own Sins have provoked God to suffer to fall into Sin But to wave any such consideration put the case Kings were advanced so far above the race of Mankind that they could not either through human frailty or Gods vengeance on their peoples Sins fall themselves into any sin or do any thing amiss yet are they not thereby supposed impossible or uncapable of feeling their proper miseries And who knows not that all Crowns have their Weight and I may say their Thorns too Pardon that expression who knows not I must recall it Indeed none know the pressures of Crowns but those who wear them The infelicities of being in power especially in the highest place of power are greater than can be easily accounted To make a good man great is but to desire or necessitate him to be miserable for the publick Good to say nothing of perpetual cares waking nights and thoughts which the hearing of Chronicles read will not always divert of the most poynant sense of publick Straits national Affronts and a thousand things that will not enter into my head this one misery is enough to make any earthly Throne eternally uneasie that upon the poor Prince ever was and will be charged all publick Evils either his male-administration or some other his Personal guilt is still cryed out of though he in the mean time be never so wise vigilant virtuous or innocent Thus 1 Sam. xxx 6 the Amalekites invade Ziklag and carry the Women away captive and the people instead of rescuing them talk of stoning David These and such like miseries whoso consider will surely never think he can pray too often for his King I might speak of Obligations from humane Laws for humane Laws to this effect have there ever been not only in Christian but in Jewish and even in Heathen Countries Thus Darius when he ordered a kind of Endowment of the Jewish Temple required that the Priests should offer Sacrifices of sweet Savours unto the God of Heaven and pray for the Life of the King his Sons Ezr. vi 9 10. And it may be collected by parity of Reason from 1 Macc. xii 11. as well as more expresly by what is above said out of Josephus that the Jews practised accordingly The primitive Christians we have seen did it without any Imperial Laws and sine Monitore But what should I speak of such Laws amongst us In a word and to conclude the whole Evidence for this Duty If there may be any Obligation laid upon us which is not grounded upon Scripture Reason or humane Laws that is upon divine moral or political Principles of Justice Charity and Equity all which it is plain we have in the present case then I shall confess there is some Obligation wanting which might have been laid upon us to be assiduous or instant in Prayer for our King But because if even new Grounds of Duties could be assigned and humane Nature and Society should come hereafter to be regulated according to other measures than the World has hitherto known yet these will be obligatory still Therefore I must say after the Apostle I exhort that Supplications and Prayers Intercessions and giving of Thanks be made for all men For Kings and them that are in Authority And when I have in a very few words press'd the Practice of what I have hitherto been demonstrating to be our Duty I shall conclude First therefore in the name of God let none of us in what capacity soever whether private or publick persons be wanting to this Duty Be we what we will we are or would be looked upon as Christians or Friends to humane Society We are not such as plead for mens living wild and savage upon the face of the Earth If we be not such we are then concerned and held fast in the Tyes before-mentioned Wherefore In those publick Prayers which the Church has provided for us and most Christianly according to the Apostolical Injunction and primitive Pattern put into our mouths let us be cordial and sincere let them not pass over with us as matter of meer Form and Custom but honestly engage our Hearts in zealous desires and fixt resolutions of Loyalty I have heard it has been objected against our Liturgy that Prayers for the King occur therein too often that there is in this behalf a great deal of vain Repetition a Fault taxed by our Lord in the Prayers of Heathens It were an easie thing to vindicate our Service-Book from Tautology even in this regard were there now either Time or Need. In a word there never comes two Prayers for the King in the same Office of the same kind or to the same purpose And it is to be remembred diverse kinds of Prayers are commanded Supplications Petitions Intercessions and giving of Thanks are to be made for all men For Kings and them in Authority Or if there were any such yet new Affections still added to Prayers coming over again at some distance will as much make them new Prayers as our Lords greater Earnestness in the Garden made the Prayer which he uttered the third time in the same words no vain Repetition If we have any sparks of Reason in us let us be ashamed of such pretences We will tell the world that what some scrupulous persons thus plead against our Liturgy that it too frequently applies to God in behalf of the King will ever we hope operate to the maintaining it What these account its Fault may
be its and ours and if they will be of one piece with us their Security In the Name of GOD therefore let us devoutly hold to it It will approve Us and our Religion to God and Men. And again In private let us imitate the Primitive Christians of our own accord and without any Remembrancer recommending our King his Person Government Family and Affairs for so we have seen they did to the Protection and Guidance of the Almighty If after all I have said I thought any thing wanting to press this Exhortation I could add what me thinks would put every one of us on our knees in this behalf as frequently before God as might be desired namely that we can take no more effectual course than this to secure the Government of our King to be according to the Will of God A thing we pretend so much to desire Prov. xxi 1. The Heart of the King is in the Hand of the Lord as the Rivers of Waters he turneth it whithersoever he will If we were all to have our wishes in the behalf of the Kingdoms there could no greater Blessing befall us than to have our King a person after Gods own Heart There is no way in the world to make him so like our ardent and constant Prayers to God for him Surely a King of so many Prayers cannot miscarry I will therefore conclude all with a second Exhortation and that a little more limited to this present Day I am sure there are few or none of us who will not this Day before we sleep perhaps several times be praying or at least say God bless the King Now that our Prayers may be effectual this Day I will exhort only that we keep our selves all in such a Temper as to be able devoutly and in a true Christian Temper to pray so when we go to bed I do not forbid eating our Meat or drinking our Drink with Gladness and singleness of Heart and wishing well to our King his Subjects and one another in so doing But I caution all against Intemperance and Madness Is it Sense or Loyalty to be drunk for the King Or if the KING should see it would He thank or commend or think the better of any man for it For shame Good Christian People beware of such unreasonableness such Barbarity At the setting of David upon the Throne on the Holy Hill of Sion the Holy Ghost commands Serve the Lord with Gladness and rejoyce with Trembling Psalm II. 11. I do not press so much as that comes to Do but rejoyce with Sobriety Rejoyce so as not to provoke God Rejoyce so as that you may have Joy in the latter end His Sacred Majesty God be blessed is far from approving and all men say even from conniving at Debauchery As we cannot therefore thereby please Him so it is certain we are thereby sure to displease God Let us therefore study not only this Day but all our Days to maintain an holy devout serious Temper being always fit and resolved by all Prayers and Supplication with Thanksgiving to make our Request known unto God And the Peace of God which passeth all Understanding shall keep our Hearts and Minds through Christ Jesus To whom with his Blessed Father and the Eternal Spirit be all Honour Glory c. FINIS THE WAY TO PEACE AND Publick Safety As it was Delivered in a SERMON In Christs Church in the City of Cork and elsewhere in the heat of the late Rebellions of Argile and Monmouth By Edward Lord Bishop of Cork and Rosse Dublin Printed by A. Crook and S. Helshaem for William Norman Samuel Helsham and Eliphal Dobson Booksellers 1686. Advertisement Touching the Following SERMON IN the Address of the Clergy of the Diocess of Cork and Ross March 1684 5. which I had the Honour to pen there was made this sacred Promise That as our Lives were not dear to us in comparison of our Religion and Loyalty so we would not fail though with the peril of our Lives by the strictest ties of our Religion which abhors all Resistance or Unfaithfulness towards our Prince to endeadour the securing to His Majesty our peoples as well as our own Loyalty and Obedience Pursuant to these Vows I have ample proofs of my Brethrens Sedulity generally And as to my self as I had not been formerly remiss so when about the 20th of May following Argiles Rebellion in Scotland alarm'd us which though God be blessed both suddenly and happily supprest was seconded with that of the late Duke of Monmouth in the West of England I thought it was time to ply my Duty with ingeminated Diligence and to do my utmost by all Instance and Importunity to confirm and keep steddy in their Loyalty as far as in me lay the whole body of my Charge I therefore went abroad several Sundays to the most populous Congregations of my Diocess and in my Circuit I preached this same Sermon I confess three several times first in the City of Cork then at the Town of Kinsale and lastly at the Town of Bandon all of them very great Auditories The iteration of it was not from Idleness but because I could devise nothing else more close and apposite to the conjuncture Yet is its Subject matter such that it is not I conceive still unseasonable and I fear as long as the world stands is not like to be For as long as there are vices and lusts amongst men there will be violations of Peace in one kind or other Now this Sermon consists wholly of Counsels and Directions for securing and maintaining Peace in all its several branches and kinds It might easily have been dilated into a far larger bulk but few Readers or indeed Hearers now adays complain much of Brevity And in the present case I hope it will be esteemed no fault at all because what I have said on each Point is large enough I think not to be obscure and I hope the whole not much more defective than an hours Discourse on so copious a Subject must needs prove THE WAY to PEACE AND Publick Safety As it was delivered in a SERMON in Christs Church in Cork and elsewhere in the heat of the late REBELLION of Argile and Monmouth The TEXT 1 Pet. III. 11. Seek Peace and ensue it THe body of this Epistle for the main consists of Exhortations and Motives to several Christian Duties in the disposing of which Exhortations or assigning to each their place the Holy Ghost seems to have proceeded wholly arbitrarily and to have observed no other Laws or Reasons of their Order than meer good Pleasure In the eighth Verse of this Chapter begins as I compute the eighth Exhortation and it is to Vnity in Judgment and Affection but especially in Affection and then to the proper Product hereof Sweetness in Conversation Finally be ye all of one mind having compassion one of another love as Brethren be pitiful Some of the original terms are more emphatical than our English What we
is most proper and at least on this day most seasonable taken the words literally I before intimated another sense of them by which Son of Nobles came to denote persons in themselves truely Noble that is of generous brave and virtuous Souls But this we have in part seen to be a frequent consequent of Lineal Nobility and withal the second member of the Text will lead us into its consideration For it follows Blessed are thou O Land when thy Princes eat in season and not for Drunkenness As to Explication of this clause it remains only to be added to what has been abovesaid of it that the word Princes may be interpreted either 1. Of the Supreme the King himself Or 2. Of Subordinate Nobles or Governours as we read usually in the Scripture of Kings and their Princes that is Peers or Ministers of State Or 3. Perhaps it is the best way not to understand it singly or solely of either but jointly of both And truly there is very good reason for this last Interpretation For generally if the Prince Supreme that is the King himself be temperate and virtuous the Princes subordinate will be so too Temperance and Virtue will grow into fashion at Court. And thus taken this our second part not only in general asserts the Sovereigns Virtue to be the Peoples Blessedness but gives us a main specialty of that Blessedness Virtue and good Manners will generally prevail in such a Kingdome than which there cannot be a greater good to a Kingdome And this we will take as the first point of Advantage accruing to a People by their Kings being virtuous His Example will take It will have influence first on them that that are next him the Nobles Grandees or Favourites It will from them diffuse it self through all Orders and Ranks of Men for where shall not so powerful a Precedent be drawn into imitation The very Defects and natural Blemishes of Kings have been affected how much more shall their Honours Excellencies be copied This is matter of constant experience Qualis Rex talis Grex the People will be like their King If David be a war-like Prince you shall hear of Davids Worthies His Courtiers shall be Heroes as he is If Solomon grow effeminate the Subjects shall all degenerate with him Not a good Soldier in all his Reign but what was left by his Father David And so in case of other Qualities Now without doubt as there is no such Plague to a Nation as the Corruption of the publick Manners so I say no greater Blessing than the Melioration of them The Roman Empire say its Historians grew to its height by Temperance Industry and Justice When its Cesars became wicked and meer voluptuaries it soon fell stantibus Moenibus ruentibus Moribus by the decay of its Manners though its Walls stood Blessed therefore art thou O Land when thy Princes eat in season for Strength and not for Drunkenness And from this first Advantage will by plain natural causality slow a multitude of others more indeed than is easie to comprehend or enumerate What an Influence upon the Justice of the Nation must the general Virtue of the Prince and Grandees have For certainly the more virtuous they are who administer Justice the more equal Justice will be administred Virtue will be encouraged consulted and upheld virtuous men preferred and exalted Vice discountenanc'd and punisht serious Religion as well as civil Rights maintained and all the honest Designs and Desires of good men will generally succeed Again how must the same influence all publick Councils and Transactions When the Prince and his Council are ever clear and mature when they have ever both temper and time to think are intent and watchful ready to take all advantages for Good and to foresee publick Evils in their remote causes while they yet want strength to be mischievous what may not be hoped for From hence it is plain those forementioned so popular Goods of Wealth Ease and Quiet are in the fairest way to be provided for Especially considering lastly that so regular Lives and Manners of Prince Nobles and People conspiring as is supposed in Temperance and in general Virtue must needs derive Gods Blessing both upon them all and upon the whole Management and Administration of things For God will certainly verify the Word which he has publisht or as I may say his Faith which he has given to the world Say ye to the righteous it shall be well with them they shall eat the fruit of their doings Isai iii. 10. And Righteousness and Peace will assuredly meet and kiss each other Upon all accounts then we may pronounce Blessed art thou O Land when thy Princes eat in due season for Strength and not for Drunkenness To come now to Application and to bring all we have said to some serious practical result If we reflect and consider with our selves we shall certainly find we are a blessed Land and that in both the regards specified in the Text. We cannot surely but be sensible of that profound Peace and general Prosperity which God has vouchsafed us in this Kingdom under our present Sovereign These are most obvious to every mans notice and I may say whether we will or no we cannot but perceive them But perhaps the immediate Combination and happy Conspiracy of Causes which God makes use of to effect these all of us do not consider Now I cannot tell whether any truer causes can be assigned hereof than these in my Text. We have a King both who is the Son of Nobles and who eats in due season for Strength and not for Drunkenness A Virtue which will make not only Princes but even common mens affairs succeed well and it were to be wished to many meaner men for their own sakes that there were more of this in the world For if Luxury has exhausted the Treasures of Kings and Kingdoms it will much more easily and certainly consume private Estates But to return to the publick Our Sovereigns not only Virtues but Extraction Title and Interest God be blessed render him great and potent and hereto I say namely to his Extraction and Title to his Virtues and Interest we do certainly under God as much as to any thing owe our present Quiet and flourishing Estate Flourishing Estate I called it for if will be true to our selves there is nothing to make our Condition in general otherwise except the unreasonable Fears or possibly the Narrowness of some of our own Hearts Wherefore 1. Let us seriously and from the ground of our hearts give God thanks for our present King for his settling him in his Throne for the Quiet and Ease which we enjoy thereby and for his happy and auspicious Reign over us hitherto Methinks no man amongst us who has his Senses exercised should be backward in this Office I do not know that any is However I exhort that none be I will plainly make the challenge to any What Blessing could you