KING DAVID's Danger and Deliverance OR THE CONSPIRACY OF Absolon and Achitophel defeated IN A SERMON Preached in the Cathedral Church of EXON On the Ninth of September 1683. Being the day of Thanksgiving Appointed for the Discovery of the Late Fanatical Plot. By Thomas Long B. D. one of the Prebendaries Psal 129.1,2 Many a time have they fought against me from my youth up yea many a time have they vexed me from my youth up but they have not prevailed against me Qui haec non videt Caecus Qui videt nec laudat Ingratus Qui Laudanti reluctatur Insanus est August de Civit. Dei l. 1. c. 7. LONDON Printed by J. C. and Freeman Collins for Fincham Gardiner at the White-horse in Ludgate-street To be sold by Walter Davies in Amen-corner 1683. To his Grace CHRISTOPHER Lord Duke of Albemarl c. Lord Lieutenant of the County of DEVON and the City of EXON Chancellor of the University of Cambridge Gentleman of his Majesties Bed-Chamber One of his Majesties most Honourable Privy-Council And Knight of the most Noble Order of the Garter c. The AUTHOR Humbly devoteth Himself And this Thanksgiving-SERMON BOOKS lately published by the same AUTHOR THe Unreasonableness of Separation the Second Part. Or a further Impartial Account of the History Nature and Pleas of the present Separation from the Communion of the Church of England Begun by Edw. Stillingfleet D. D. Dean of St. Pauls Continued from 1640. to 1681. With special Remarks on the Life and Actions of Mr. Richard Baxter No Protestant but the Dissenters Plot Discovered and Defeated Being an Answer to the late Writings of several Eminent Dissenters Wherein their Designes against the Established Church of England and the unreasonableness of Separation are more fully manifested Both printed by J. C. and Freeman Collins for Dan. Brown at the Black Swan and Bible without Temple bar A Vindication of the Primitive Christians in point of Obedience to their Prince against the Calumnies of a Book intituled The Life of Julian written by Ecebolius the Sophist As also the Doctrine of Passive Obedience cleared in defence of Dr. Hicks Together with an Appendix being a more full and distinct Answer to Mr. Tho. Hunt's Preface and Postscript Unto all which is added the Life of Julian enlarg'd Printed by J. C. and Freeman Collins and sold by Robert Kettlewell at the Hand and Scepter over against St. Dunstan's Church PSAL. 64. v. 9. And all men shall fear and shall declare the work of God for they shall wisely consider of his doing In the Bishops Translation it is thus All men that see it shall say This hath God done for they shall perceive that it is his doing ST Athanasius says that the Psalms are so composed as to represent the case and condition of every man And though I thought it impossible to find in sacred or prophane History a fit Parallel for this horrid Conspiracy yet by a few meditations on this Psalm our present Case appeared to be so fully described as if the Royal Prophet had penned a Prophecie of our times rather than a History of his own there being scarce a considerable circumstance in the rise growth discovery or defeating of the one which hath not a parallel line in the other whether we consider Gods many miraculous deliverances of the King the Kings excessive Clemency to an unworthy People or that Peoples deplorable ingratitude both to God and the King Nor was there more of the Malice of the Devil and unreasonable men in contriving nor of the Mercy of God in defeating the Conspiracy against King David than in this against King Charles which by that time the Parallel is drawn will so appear that all that see it shall say This hath God done c. The Title doth not declare the occasion of the Psalm which consists of Prayer and Praise and is directed to the chief Musician to be set as a holy Anthem to perpetuate the memory of a gracious deliverance from a formidable Enemy that sought after his life It is not agreed who this Enemy was Dr. Hammond with some others think it to be Saul but the whole contexture of the Psalm expresseth the Rebellion of Absolon and Achitophel so fully that there is not a thread wanting or misplaced It is a Rule with Expositors that where the Title of the Psalm is defective it ought to be referred to the preceding Psalm wherein v. 11. the Prophet gives himself the Title of King which he never did while Saul was alive and therefore some very learned Expositors conclude that it was written contra Achitophelem Collegas ejus against Achitophel and his Confederates Instead of a Comment on the Text I shall onely joyn the two authentick Translations together and there will need no other Exposition for thus it runs All men shall see it i. e. the Iniquity of the Conspiracy and the righteous Judgments of God on the Conspirators and fear and shall declare the work of God saying This hath God done for they shall perceive that it is his work and shall wisely consider of his doing The Parallel runs in five or six lines The first shews the Person against whom the Conspiracy was aimed The second a Character of the persons joyned in the Conspiracy The third the Matters of Fact or overt Actions The fourth the Methods and Arts used to bring it to effect The fifth Gods Goodness and Wisdom in the discovery and defeating of it And sixthly if our Gratitude may run parallel with that of David God may have the Glory and we may enjoy the Comfort and Continuance of this signal Mercy First of the Person against whom the Conspiracy was intended King David a King who was the greatest Favourite of Heaven who had been exercised with as many Troubles delivered and established on his Throne by as many Miracles as ever the People of Israel were till they were setled in Canaan And 't is no less a wonder that after so good a King had been so long in the Throne which was well-nigh forty years and God had done so great things for him and he for God his Church and the true Religion against all Opposition when for Plenty and Peace Laws and Liberties Religion and all necessary helps to Devotion and true Piety when for so long a time there had been no decay no leading into captivity but their Sons did grow up as young Plants and their Daughters were as the polished corners of the Temple that there should be any complaining in their streets Much more that the People should grow weary of such a King as was the Fountain of such Blessings and like Lucifer not content with the beatifick Vision and the pleasures at Gods right hand confederating with evil Angels to divide the Glory and Power of that Kingdom among themselves be deservedly condemned to chains of darkness and reserved to the judgment of the great day King David v. 4. is called a perfect man
in the sence of the Law there are no Accessories in the case of Treason But secondly a Secret of such consequence could not be intrusted with all the Faction it was enough that their Principal Guides and Leaders were engaged in it where some performed the Function of the Brain to consult others of the Eyes to search out Opportunities and Advantages others of the Ears and Tongue to listen after and scatter false Reports as so many Fire-brands others of the Hands to execute such traiterous designs the whole Body was certainly engaged and without all peradventure would at least post factum have rejoyced in it as they did of the most detestable Murther of the Royal Martyr when a Representative Body of these Dissenters layed a foundation for such an ungodly Enterprize when they had even buried the King alive and by false Insinuations stoln away the hearts of the People and deprived him of the Comforts and necessary Supports of his Crown and Dignity voting his Guards to be a Grievance and the executing the Penal Laws on Dissenters to be grievous to the Subjects an Encouragement to Popery and dangerous to the Peace of the Kingdom when he was denied to raise Money on his own Revenues and such as should assist him pronounced Enemies to the Peace of the Nation when a considerable part of his Customs were taken from him the Bill for excluding the lawful Successors was resolutely insisted on and a Vote pass'd for restoring the Duke of Monmouth to his Offices for which application was to be made to the King by such Members of Parliament as were of the Kings Privy Council when it was voted that all who should oppose the Bill of Exclusion should be dealt with as Betrayers of the King the Protestant Religion and the Kingdom of England and Pensioners of France when one pronounced it a favour that the Duke was onely excluded and another would have perswaded him to destroy himself and a third threatned that rather than not exclude him they would exclude the whole Glorious Family of the STUARTS Mr. Hunt when seditious Petitions were promoted and the Thanks of the House voted to be given to a seditious Party of the City for their manifest Loyalty to the King their Care Charge and Vigilancy for the preservation of his Majesties Person and the Protestant Religion when his Majesties Prerogative to call and dismiss his Council was questioned and while they who infused fears and groundless jealousies of the Kings ruling by an Arbitrary power did in an Arbitrary manner fine and imprison divers of his Majesties Loyal Subjects I doubt not to say that though such a petite venemous Insect as Achitophel was sate on the Axle and boasted of his moving all these great Wheels yet there were many more than a few rash and desperate persons engaged in the Commotion And what was the meaning of that Vote That in case the King should die by a violent death they would revenge it on the Papists when the chief Ministers of State the Bishops and all that were eminent for their Loyalty were condemned as being Popishly affected and the Clergy branded as Projectors for a Conjunction with the Church of Rome and had made many steps towards it Nor were these things whispered in a corner by some Malecontents but proclaimed on the house-top they were vox votum Populi When Absolon was sacrificing at Hebron the Conspiracy was strengthened says the Text ch 15. It seems then Absolon had his Levites who set up their Altars at Hebron which signifies a Society or Association in opposition to that at Hierusalem and these were they that strengthened the Rebellion For as every Chieftain had his Levite so every Levite had some hundreds whose Purses and Consciences were at their command and instead of catechising them in the duty of Obedience they preached Satyrs against their Governours and instilled the Doctrine of Resistance Their Texts were usually such as these Ye take too much upon you Moses and Aaron all the congregation is holy every one of them and the Lord is among them Numb 16.3 Curse ye Meroz say these Angels of Light curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof because they came not to help the Lord against the mighty Judg. 5.23 Cursed be he that doth the work of the Lord deceitfully and cursed be he that with-holds his sword from bloud Jer. 48.10 If ye do wickedly ye shall be destroyed both you and your King 1 Sam. 12.25 The kings of the Gentiles exercise Lordship over them but it shall not be so with you Mat. 20.25 He reproved kings for their sakes saying Touch not mine anointed and do my prophets no harm Psal 105.15 Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage Gal. 5.1 In vain do they worship me teaching for doctrines the commandments of men Mat. 15.9 I hate them that hold lying or superstitious vanities Psal 31.6 Come out of Babylon my people that ye partake not of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues Rev. 18.4 The hour cometh and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him Joh. 4.23 Why as though living in the world are ye subject to ordinances Touch not tast not handle not which all are to perish with the using after the commandments and doctrines of men Col. 2.20 I thank thee O Father that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes Mat. 11.25 These are the Texts and it is easie to conjecture what Uses and Applications were made to the People For from these the People are instructed in their great Priviledges and Power That there is Idolatry and Superstition in the Church Oppression and Tyranny in the State That they ought to shake off those Yokes of Bondage and vindicate themselves into the glorious liberty of the sons and daughters of God That they may bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron to execute judgment upon them for this honour have all the Saints Psal 149.8 Hence every Idiot thinks he understands the Scriptures better than his Priest or Bishop And the watchmen of Israel may in vain forewarn them of the sin and misery which their false Prophets are leading them to though it be demonstrated that as naturally as the same cause doth produce the same effects so do the same seditious Principles spring up into rebellious Practices which a Prophet of their own was so sensible of that he told those men that they were nati ad bis perdendam Rempub. Anglicanam Born to destroy the English Government a second time But though an Angel from Heaven or one from the dead should perswade them contrary to what their Teachers have infused into them their Understandings are so oblinded and Consciences seared that sooner may a Jew or a Turk be converted
people Circa personas publicas Specialis habitat providentia Wherefore as God calls them to a more operose and dangerous work so he gives them proportionable helps and assistances for which he covenanted with David when he gave him the Kingdom I have found David my servant with my holy oyl have I anointed him with whom my hand shall be established and my arm shall strengthen him the enemy shall not exact upon him nor the son of wickedness afflict him I will beat down his foes before his face and plague them that hate him Psal 89.20,21,22,23 And these were the sure mercies of David which God that cannot lie did always perform unto him And when he doth the like to other good Kings he fulfils his own Covenant and pleads his own Cause Thus as the Heathen fancied every King of the Nations had a God to be his Guardian Mulciber in Trojam pro Trojâ stabat Apollo so certainly every Prince especially such as defend the true Faith have God for their Protector and as Phidias's portraicture was so engraven in the Statue of Minerva that the Image of the Goddess was violated with that of her Workman so the honour of God is reflected on by any injury offered to the King Therefore God hath enjoyned first of all that prayers supplications and thanksgivings be made for kings and all that are in authority 1 Tim. 2. So in the Old Testament Prayers shall be made for him and daily shall he be praised Psal 72.15 not cursed and reproached Therefore God hath given such strict Rules and Commands concerning them Not to speak evil of dignities for that is a kind of Blasphemy Thou shalt not speak evil of the rulers of the people Acts 23.5 Nor to hearken to any murmurings or discontent for such murmurings are not against them so much as against the Lord who chose them to that Office Not to scatter false reports and create fears and jealousies whereby the affections of the Subjects may be alienated from their Prince Excordem reddidit amentem populum for that were as Absolon to steal the hearts of the people which is not onely to take the Crown from his head but in effect as we have seen his Head from his Shoulders and to leave the Body of the people as a Carkas fit onely to be devoured by Birds and Beasts of prey And as the Laws are strict so the Sanctions to enforce those Laws are so severe that no wit of men though all the Kings of the earth should consult together can either prescribe better Laws or oblige their Subjects to obedience under such penalties for 't is not the King onely that executes Wrath and Vengeance on the Disobedient and as Solomon Prov. 17.11 sends a cruel messenger to them that contrive Rebellion but God hath threatned that they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation Rom. 13. which is certainly to be understood of eternal Damnation as due to this as to any other sin this being one of the first magnitude and the cause of an infinite number of other sins and no less a penalty in the judgment of all Divines would be effectual to affright men from any beloved Lust And therefore I present this as another wise consideration to such as are tempted to this Impiety And now I may infallibly conclude from these premises that as surely as Achitophel's Counsel and Absolon's Rebellion was from Satan so was the contrivance and practice of our Late Conspirators from the same evil Spirit and the Kings Deliverance from God as sure as Davids was Qui facit mirabilia magna solus who onely doth great and marvelous works and doth them in such a manner that they ought to be had in everlasting remembrance A second consideration may be this Gods hand is most evidently seen in those Actions that make most for his Glory and for those ends for which he hath established Rule and Government in the World i. e. that under it we may lead quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty And as these ends are generally attained under Religious Princes so if they should perish untimely and violently nothing but Disorder and Confusion would follow as it was with Israel of old and with us in later days when There was no king in Israel every one did what seemed right in his own eyes If this prodigious Designe had succeeded God should have been entituled the Author of it and be mock'd with a Thanksgiving-day for the success the Actors had been honoured as Patriots and Saints the Protestant Religion had by these true Protestants received another indelible Blot and the true Protestant been rendred more odious than the most treacherous Papists or those Hungarians that fight under the Great Turk against Christianity Heresie Hypocrisie and Regicide been made the publick Profession and Religion of the Nation But God is not the Author of such Confusions He hath by this Discovery vindicated his own Glory and the established Religion and Government among us and if our sinful Ingratitude do not separate between God and us he will do it to the end of the World These things ought wisely to be laid to heart by every serious Christian therefore thus saith the Lord I do not this for your sakes O house of Israel but for my holy Names sake which ye have prophaned among the heathen and that the heathen may know that I am the Lord when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes Ezek. 36.22 And God grant that what follows in that Prophet may be found among us That God may put his Spirit within us and cause us to walk in his Statutes and keep his Judgments and do them that we may dwell in the Land that he gave unto our Fathers and we may be his people and he our God Ezek. 11.23 And then though as Isay saith our enemies associate themselves they shall be broken in pieces though they gird themselves to battel they shall be broken in pieces though they take counsel together it shall come to nought for God is with us Isai 8.9,10 Thirdly Again let us consider wisely that in this wonderful Deliverance there appeared no other Agent or Instrument but Gods immediate and out-stretched Arm working Deliverance for us not by means but without and against means by contrary means even by the same that would have destroyed us Not by force nor by might but by my Spirit saith the Lord it was not our Sword nor our Bow but it was God that saved us from our Enemies and put them to confusion that hated us By this we may know that it is God alone and beside him there is no Saviour When he commands and creates Deliverances and we are saved so as by fire by the very means that would have destroyed us he must be blind that cannot see it and may he be dumb that will not say This hath God done And Qui solus in Opere sit solus in
Laude Fourthly Let us wisely consider that God saved us in the very instant of Danger pluckt us out of the very Jaws of Death and as fire-brands fit indeed to be consumed out of the fire when Horae momento Cita Mors when we were brought to the brink of a Sea of Bloud and Pharoah and his Host pursuing us and crying Victoria that then God should divide the waters and make a safe passage for us and overwhelm our Enemies and the Cita Mors was made a Victoria laeta this was Deo vindice Nodus the Lords doing and is marvellous in our eyes Fifthly When such strange and unexpected Deliverances are often repeated and God appears to us not once or twice as he did to Solomon but as often as he did to David saving him from the Lion and the Bear and the uncircumcised Philistins and from the Sword of Saul and the Counsel of Achitophel and the Rebellion of Absolon and from the hands of all his Enemies may not David conclude By this I know that thou favourest me because mine enemies do not triumph over me Psal 41.11 Raro futilibus micat ignibus aether And when God shall usher in a Prince into the World by the unusual appearance of a Star at Noon and lead him through a tedious Wilderness by a Pillar of a Cloud to hide him from his Enemies and guide him by a Pillar of Fire out of their Snares when he not onely keeps his heart upright amidst almost invincible temptations to Idolatry and Superstition but covers his head in the day of battel and at last with a non obstante sets him to reign as a king upon his holy hill of Sion to defend his true Religion and to execute Judgment and Justice to all his People They must be more obdurate than Pharoah and more perverse than his Magicians that will not confess digitus Dei hic the hand of the Lord is in all this that God hath magnified the king in the sight of all the people as he did Joshua Josh 3.7 and made his glory great in such Salvations Psal 21.5 Sixthly We may also wisely consider that David himself made no use of any other Weapon against Achitophel but a short Prayer and his constant trust and confidence in the power and goodness of God You have his Prayer ch 15.31 O Lord I beseech thee turn the counsel of Achitophel into foolishness and the Prayer of this righteous man was more effectual than Chariots and Horsemen for there is a certain Omnipotency in Prayer Concerning the works of my hands any thing that God can do command ye me saith God Isai 45.11 and whatever we ask according to the will of God we know that he heareth us Now this being Gods express Will and Command that first of all prayers supplications intercessions and giving of thanks be made for kings and all that are in authority c. it should endear the use of Liturgy unto us and cause us in full assurance of Faith to put up our Requests to God that he would abate the Pride asswage the Malice and confound the Devices of all the Kings Enemies That he would replenish him with the Grace of his Holy Spirit that he may alway incline to Gods Will and walk in his way that he would grant him in Health and Wealth long to live that he would strengthen him that he may vanquish and overcome all his Enemies and finally after this life he may obtain everlasting Joy and Felicity That those Evils which the craft and subtilty of the Devil or man works against us may be brought to nought and by the providence of his goodness they may be dispersed that we may be hurt by no persecutions but being armed with his defence may be preserved evermore from all perils to glorifie him who is the giver of all victory through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. With such sacrifices God is well pleased this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour 1 Tim. 2.3 And blessed be God who hath not turned away his face from us nor our Prayers from him Lastly Let me perswade all those whose hearts the Counsel of Achitophel and subtile Insinuations of Absolon had stollen from their King wisely to consider what in all probability would have been the consequences of this Conspiracy if it had succeeded All wise men do propose some apparent advantages and prosperous ends to themselves I demand therefore if the fatal Blow had been given what prospect could they have but of Confusion and Misery in such ways what though David had been set on when weak and weary handed yet as Hussai said 2 Sam. 17.8 David's men were mighty men and would not have died as Cowards tamely yielding their throats to those Butchers but being chafed in their minds would have pursued the Murtherers as a Bear robbed of her Whelps and the Country was not yet secured to Absolon for which cause he rejected the Counsel of Achitophel as rash and dangerous But suppose they had massacred not onely David and his Guards but a thousand of the Loyal Nobility Gentry and Clergy some thousands also of the Rebel-Party might have perished in the Attempt and Achitophel and Absolon been cut off in the head of them then he among the Rabble that had the longest Sword would have set up for himself and they that had joyntly acted Treason against their King would have avenged his Bloud by turning their Swords one against another and executed the vengeance of God upon themselves when there was no Power or Authority of men to do it And if all things had fallen out to their expectation if they had killed and taken possession and divided the Spoil to every man a Damosel or two beside the Houses of God the Portion of the Priests and the Kings Lands they might have had as short an enjoyment of their Prey as Sisera's Captain which was but during the Dream of some silly women Judg. 5.30 or God himself would have driven a nail through their temples and bereaved them of the sense of their sin or misery that as Regicides generally have done they would have lived and died impenitently and so perished eternally And this probably had been their portion whether they were defeated or had succeeded which I wish they were so wise as seriously to consider and lay it to heart As also that having brought the Nation into so great Distraction and Confusion while they were violently contending to divide the Prey among themselves how easily they might be made a Prey to a forreign Enemy who need no other advantage to swallow us up than our being thus divided and cut in pieces by our selves Then Prince and Priest and People might have made their Enemies Swords drunk with Bloud or if they had escaped that might have wandered up and down begging their Bread in desolate places or if this had not happened a perpetual Civil War might have been intailed on the Nation