Princes So that to withdraw from the protection of a Soveraigne it is to despise and throw off a Saviour He who was the Saviour of the world he is also King of Kings and as St. Paul speaketh The only Potentate And he under whose wings we have been securely safe let the sad want of him now say it was Christus Domini the Lords Anointed the only Potentate the only supreme Governour of this Kingdome Or take the point thus Is it so that he whose Kingdome is not of this world hath for all that Power and Dominion over all the Kingdoms of this world Maugre then all the designes plots jealousies and fears that Devill or Man can set on foot Our Lord the King shall reach his end Our Lord the King shall break their Bonds in sunder and cast their Cords from him For to him all power is given Indeed if in the perusall of the Gospell we should stand to observe the Industrious malice of his Enemies we shall find their plot and designe was even root and branch to cut him off they endevoured to kill him with shame and to bury him with Infamy For when as a Malefactor they had put him to death their greatest care and thought of heart was to prevent his Resurrection And therefore their great suit to Pilate is Command that the Sepulchre be made sure Rebels are afraid of a King though he be in his grave And indeed they had cause so to be for though his Kingdom was not of yet I have shewed unto you it was over this world over their Designes over their Plots over their Malice in so much that you may read that very stone which they rejected it became the corner stone And that very Soveraign whom they ignominiously laid in the grave and thought to secure by Souldiers he had witnesse those very Souldiers a glorious Resurrection so that indeed there is no contesting against Soveraignty As the Kingdom of Christ is over this world even so Christ whose Kingdom is not of this world yet hath a Kingdom in this world If you peruse the Gospell you cannot but finde that even then when the major part and prevailing party was most against him even then this Soveraigne had some Loyall Subjects he had in his lowest condition some who though timorously yet most cordially stuck unto him so that he alwayes had a Kingdom even in this world And this is apparent from that last solemne prayer of his where when he prayed for these for these who were Loyall and true of heart his Petition runs thus I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world Out of the world he would not have his Subjects taken for though not of the world he was resolved and doth to this hour preserve a Kingdome in this world And this the Jews his Adversaries did too well perceive for such was his goodnesse such his meeknesse such his charity that he did indeed draw all men after him Whilest he was yet at liberty and the people might have accesse unto him they flocked unto him from all places and he healed them Multitudes followed him and he without respect to what part they took touched and cured such as came unto him In so much that his Malignant persecutors are not ashamed to vote what was done digito Dei with the finger of God to be done by Beelzebub the Prince of Devils not ashamed to say If we let him alone all men will believe on him If we let him alone the people will leave us if we let him alone he will recover his kingâ—ome if we let him alone what will becâ—me of us So apparent it was 〈◊〉 to his Jews that he had a party 〈◊〉 he had a Kingdome in this â—â—â—ld â—nd indeed a Kingdome he hath in this world a Kingdome whereof it concerns every one of us to be a Subject for those only who have been Zealous of his Laws and Loyall to his person Those only are they who shall sit upon Thrones those they who shall reign with him hereafter Indeed we have now amongst us a Generation of Saints who reckon much upon that old Millenary error who believe those thousand years are now approaching in which the earth shall abound with peace plenty pleasure in which the Saints shall reigne rule and enjoy what ever their souls lust after in which Christ shall descend manifest that he hath a Kingdome in this world And unlikely it is not but the conceit of this Epicurean paradise may be a cause that many run such mad couses as they do confidently believing they shall presently have a Kingdom in this world Job 19.25 I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day on the earth Now if it must be the last day before our Redeemer shall manifest himself and stand upon the earth Or if as it is Heaven must receive him untill the times of restitution of all things How then can he be a thousand years with his Saints upon earth before the last day Yea how can he be expected to live upon the earth at all whose last coming is described to be not on the earth but in an higher Element For The Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout with the voice of the Arch-angel and with the Trumpe of God And then observe the sequell The dead in Christ shall rise first then we which are olive and remain shall be caught up together with him in the clouds to meet the Lord Observe where not below but in the clouds not on the earth but in the Aire We shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the Aire and then lest peradventure it might be thoughts he would descend lower and live upon the earth with us it immediately followeth And so shall we ever be with the Lord As Loyall Citizens to entertain their long absent King put on their best roabs and go out to meet him Even so when Christ the King of glory shall return all who have been Loyall Subjects all who have been obedient Christians all who have faithfully kept their Allegeance to this Soveraign all such they shall be caught up in the clouds they shall go out to meet the Bridegroom yea they shall ever be with the Lord their King Rom. 8.17 If so be that we suffer with him we shall also be glorifyed with him Those who have stuck to their King in his low condition those who have been content to suffer for him those who looking upon his bitter sufferings have been moved by so patient an example to suffer with him those also shall fare as he fareth they shall be glorifyed with him Mat. 19.28 Verily I say unto you saith the King in my Text ye which have followed me in the Regeneration ye who for my sake have been Sequestred from Houses Lands and the comfort of wife and children When the Son of Man shall sit in the
hands make light worke but if we would piercingly and exactly look upon this Passion upon this murthering of a King we shall finde many hands indeed but for work the heaviest that ever was read of and how could it well be other when the miseries of this poor King was to satisfie the malice of two parties Mat. 27.1 When the morning was come all the chief Priests and as the Greek hath it the lay-Presbyters or the Elders of the people took counsell against Jesus to put him to death they who prepared plotted and purposed their Kings destruction they who raised an Army and sent Swords and staves to apprehend him these were you see an Assembly of Priests and Elders yet these were not they that did the deed these were not the Executioners these Voted but these did not Crucifie Now in verse 27. of the same Chapter you shall find the Souldiers of the Governours took Jesus into the common Hall and gathered unto him the whole band of Souldiers and they stripped him they fooled him verse 28. they crowned they mockt him they spit upon him verse 29. and when they had sported enough at his sorrowes then in the 35. verse of the Chapter They Crucified him they not the Presbyters or Elders but the Souldiers brought him to the block they Crucified him Not barely and simply put him to death but they put him ad mortem erucis to the death of the Crosse and indeed this had not been Envies Master-piece had it not been so had they not cloathed him with shame as well as macerated him with pain had they not put him as well to an ignominious as an irksome death Envy would have seemed too dull and too cool a persecutor And therefore to expresse the zeal and activity of their cruelty it is not said here they slew but they Crucified him that is they inflicted on him the extremity of shame sorrow death To a person of Honour and especially to the fountain of Honour to a King shame and dishonour it is bitterer then death so that indeed it is hard to say whether the disposition to and manner of his death was not more affliction to the King then death it self for if we look upon these three particulars though we must passe over a thousand bitternesses 1. What was done before they brought him to the Court of Justice 2. What was done there 3. What after Sentence we shall finde there was nothing done but what speaks Tyranny and Malice For first to take off the appearance of their Envy and to make Malice seem zeal unto the publick behold the King must be brought as a Prisoner to the Barre and as a Malefactor before the Court of Justice but if we observe the Tryall we shall finde nothing but envy and Malice in it For in a place I now cited Mat. 27.7 I shewed unto you how the Priests and Elders took counsell against Jesus to put him to death before ever they brought him to the Court of Justice before ever any Processe drawn or witnesses found out the Priests and Elders had resolved upon the question they sate in Councell and had agreed the King must die the President must and should give the Sentence of death upon him So that indeed the bringing him before a Judge the bringing the King before Annas Caiaphas Herod and Pilate this his appearance at four severall Courts it was only to put a faire Face upon an ugly Sentence it only was by the mockery of justice to cloak the cruelty of malice for before ever he came thither the Councell had determined Jesus their King must die Secondly see the carriage of the businesse when it came there and we shall finde that he was not tryed by any course of Law or by any legall principles for if we look upon him as before Caiaphas before the chief Priests and the Elders Mat. 26.59 we shall find that all his Judges were parties for the Scripture expresly saith the chief Priests and Elders and all the Councell sought false witnesse against Jesus all the Councell all that sate his Judges or that did rise up in Judgment against him they conspired and plotted how to put their King to death or look we upon him as he stood before Pilate before the President and we shall finde it was the Multitude it was the Tumult it was Voices not Law that carryed the cause against him When Pilate saw that he could not prevail any thing but that rather a Tumult was made Mat. 27.24 then he released Barabbas and delivered Jesus to be Crucified Tumult and Votes not Law or Justice brought the King unto his Crosse Indeed in the 25. ver. of the said 27. Chapter of St. Matthew it is written Then answered all the people his bloud be on us and our children the chiefe Priests and Elders the prime and close managers of this designe they interest and intitle the people to it as if this had been an Act of the whole people as if it had been the peoples desire to have their King cut off all the people said his bloud be upon us and upon our Children Whereas indeed if we look close into the story we shall find that had the people been let alone they would have been as they were some five dayes before all for the King they would have prosecuted their former engagement and have brought their King to his City with safety and honour they were more inclinable as it is in Mat. 21. to cry Hosanna then Crucifie and had rather have strowed their garments in his way then have imbrewed his in bloud Mat. 27.20 The chiefe Priests and Elders perswaded the multitude the Leaders and Commanders they over-ruled the people yea if it were as hard to get into Pilates as it was into Caiaphaâ— Court there might then be more or at least but few present at his tryall but such who were the Creatures and followers of the chief Priests and Elders for you shall finde in the 18. of Saint John and the 17. verse That the doore was shut and Sainâ— Peter got not in but upon the interest of St. John and no wonder if they spake as they were taught Crucifie him Crucifie him yea St. Peter in Acts 3.17 imputes it to the ignorance of the people which Pilate flatly layes to the fury of Rulers and indeed no People nor Rulers but were extreamly ignorant of what they did when they did this the foulest of attempts Crucifie their King Thirdly as you have seen what they did before they came unto the Court and how things were carryed there even so if we look upon what was done after Sentence we shall finde nothing but Cruelty nothing but a studiyd mixture of Infamy and Sorrowes And this wil appear from these two things 1. The place 2. The Instrument of his death First the place Jerusalem the Royall City the City of David and must it not needs be an aggravation of shame and sorrow for the Sonne of
Jerusalem to you my death is the â—arbinger of many deaths For in the 29. vers. Behold the days are coming in the which barrennesse shall be held a blessing in which you will hold it easier to lie under the weightiest mountaine then under the burthen of my bloud You will rue the time that ever you Crucified your King And therefore Weep not for me but for your selves And indeed good Kings are sure Survivors must feel their losse good Kings are sure they passe to peace but seldome or never leave peace behind them And therefore the taking away of a King a good King cals for penitence and especially the taking away of this King In the fourth verse of our present Chapter Behold saith Pilate I bring him forth unto you that you may know I finde no fault in him a faultlesse King cannot be put to death without a fault would you know then whose fault it was It was Pilates fault it was the Jews fault it was the Gentiles fault yea which is more it was thy fault and my fault it was the fault even of us who live at this day our sins as well as his Subjects voted him to death It was our Pride that brought him into derision our Covetousnesse made him poor our Pomp that stripped him our Wrath that wounded him It was our Drunkennesse that made him thirst our Lust that procured his thornes our Riot that drew his bloud so that indeed it concerns not only the Jews but even us also to be penitent it concernes not only his immediate persecutors but even us also to be humbled and be cast downe for the death of our King for not his Enormous crimes but the Rebellion of his Subjects brought him to his end Act. 3.19 when Saint Peter had laid before the Jewes the murther of their King he exhorteth them in these words Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out no way to be delivered from the bloud of their King but by penitence they must repent that ever they voted repent that ever they apprehended repent that ever they Arraign'd Condemn'd and Crucified their King Pilate in all emâ—nent languages proclaimed their guilt Hebrew Greek and Latine spoke their shame but not a Declaration in all the languages under heaven not all the oratory in the world no not any thing in the world but what St. Peter specifieth nothing but acknowledgement nothing but repentance can purge this guilt Repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out The way to change our guilt into an Interest the way to avoid the curse and procure the blessing of this bloud it is to be truly penitent to be heartily sorrowfull to be grieved and pricked at the very heart that we have done that for the which Royall and Divine Majesty did so deeply suffer Nor only must we repent saith St. Peter but convert also that is we must set the King upon his throne we must as Saint Paul renders it 2 Cor. 10.4 Pull down all strong holds cast down every imagination and bring every thought to the obedience of our King For he who was despised rejected of men even he was the beloved the Anointed of the Lord he who was insolently triumphed over and trampled upon by his Subjects yet even he was more then Conquerour yea he who was cut off from the Land of the living even he yet liveth and liveth the King of glory So that indeed unlesse we be converted unlesse we suffer him to raign over us unlesse we kisse reverence and obey the Son we perish from the right way we cannot avoid the guilt of his bloud In a word to conclude all with that in Rom. 8.17 If so be that we suffer with him we shaâ—l also be glorifyed with him if the King could not but by sufferings enter into his glory why should we dream or reckon upon a smoother way If he through Thorns and shame through anguish sorrow and shamefull death if he through bloud even his own bloud was forced to march unto his throne how can we hope to sit on thrones unless we will trample on thornes No Crosse no Crown It is enough for the Servant to be as his Lord enough for Christians since their King before was not even after death to be glorious And indeed did we as he so look upon the joy that is set before us as to spurne at the splendid vanities of this World had we an Eye piercing into the Heavens we would then as did he indure the Crosse and despise the shame we would not then to go to God much fear or care what man can do unto us Let us then in all our sorrowes all our sufferings in all the changes and chances of these sad Times remember we are the professed Servants of a Crucified King of a King who as to the immaturity injustice shame scorn and cruelty of his death suffered more then we can fear and all this to take away the sting of our sufferings to teach us looking upon him not to fear to suffer to teach us that his sufferings are the sanctification of ours to teach us not to value our bloud in his cause who was pleased to shed his upon the Crosse for us To that King then who bore our shame let us asscribe al honour to that King that bare our sorrowes let us give all praise to that King who gave his life for us let us give up our lives so shall we who believe him Crucified behold him glorified and out of his fulnesse receive such a glory as shall never be taken from us Which he vouchsafe who was Crucifyed for us Jesus Christ the righteous To whom be all honour and glory now and for ever Amen THE GRAND CONSPIRACY OF Jews against their King A Demonstration of the highest insolencies proceed from men of the lowest and most base Extractions THE Husbandmen Kill the Sonne Vine-dressers Kill the Heire Peasants Kill the Lords Anointed Virg. Aen. 12. v. 236. Nos patria amissa Dominis parere superbis Cogimur Herc. oet. ad fin Act. 2. O quod superbae non habent unquam Domus Fidele semper Regibus nomen LONDON Printed by E. C. for R. ROYSTON at the Angel in Ivie-lane 1654. Herc. oet. ad fin Act. 2. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Homer Iliad 7. de foeminis Capt. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} I. SIns of Ignorance sins of Knowledge some wittingly and some unwillingly put the Heir to death II. Persons eminent either for Honour or Holinesse they are the most liable to Envy Spleen Hate and Malice The Heir in whom Honour and Holinesse met in a most eminent degree him above all others did the Husbandmen put to the most Ignominie and most affliction Lam. 1.12 III. Since Covetous and Ambitious persons fear no difficulties the Conscientious and Religious should much lesse do it IV. All Conditions are comprehended under Coloni to teach that all
{non-Roman} {non-Roman} James 2.8 The Kingly the Royall Law and indeed the King in my Text as an employment truly regall fulfilled it to a title and for proofe I shall need appeal no further then to these his last words Father forgive them them who those even under whose Tyranny I now suffer those that have been the causes and contrivers of my death those who have flead my skin those who have furrowed my back those who with Thornes have crowned my head those who with their nailes wounds and Crosses have brought me to this present extremity even them forgive them O my Father Nor only doth he pray but plead for their forgivenesse for he not onely saith Father forgive them but therefore forgive them because they know not what they doe Should we look into our own souls or almost into any but a Royall breast we shall finde another accompt another temper for we do not use to extenuate but to aggravate our injuries we do not use to excuse but to accuse our adversaries what was done casually we are apt to say was done purposely and what was done ignorantly we are apt to say was done wilfully Whereas if you look upon the carriage and charity of the King you shall finde him so far from heightning that he lesseneth all his injuries forgive them for they know not what they do what Pilate attributed to Envy the King extenuates and imputes to ignorance forgive them for they know not And indeed Subjects do not know what it is to take away a King Rege incolumi mens omnibus una est Amisso ruperâ— fidem Look what the Poet sayes of the King of Bees the same is as true of the King of men in his safety lyeth theirs for though the Crown be to him that wears it a wreath of cares yet to the Subject it is vinculum pacis his bond of peace the Hive so long as the King of Bees reigneth it aboundeth with Honey abides in safety every even the poorest Bee enjoyes its Cell no plundering Droans no sequestring Hornets no dissension while he is in power but amisso take him away then it just happens to the poor Bees as it did to the Subjects of this despised King Mat. 26.31 Smite the Shepherd and the Sheep shall be scattered Crucifie the King and farewell the Kingdom so that very well might the Soveraign say they did not know what they did when they thus barbarously murthered and slew their King Father forgive them for they know not what they do And have not we here a lesson well worth the learning Shall God and the King be charitable and shall not we Shall they forgive and we persecute Shall they be Mercifull and we Tyrants one to another It was worthy a King and a King worthy our remembrance who said I thanke God I never found but my pity was above my anger Had not the King in my Text been a King whose wrath was much below his pity of all men we had been most miserable If so then we would have that in us which we commended in others that in us which we glorifie in our King we must then not only magnifie but imitate our King we must judge charitably forgive heartily our very enemies Our late Kings charity perswaded him that it was not his person but his errors which his Subjects Rebelled against it was not their malice but their scruples that put them upon it just like the King in my Text rather to weaknesse then wilfulnesse rather to infirmity then to obstinacy rather to ignorance then envy he imputes the high miscarriages against him Father forgive them for they know not what they do I shall conclude this point with that Heroick and remarkable death of Phocion in Plutarchs Moralls who when his Citizens had brought him to his last draught a little before he took off his Hemlocks they asked him if he had any thing else to say whereupon addressing his speech unto his Son he thus said I charge thee and beseech thee not to carry any Rancor and Malice in thy heart to the Athenians for my death he charged him as a King and besought him as a Father to bury all injuries in the grave with him His last Memento his last remembrance to his Son was remember thou revenge not Now if Magnanimity in a Heathen did this what should charity in a Christian especially being animated with such Royall Presidents as we are Though our blessed King in my Text suffered such indignities even the foulest that malice could impose on Majesty though they spit upon him Whipt him and upon his very Crosse derided him yet in the bitternesse of that pain behold his charity Father forgive them And so I passe to the last use of this point and that is that it should make us penitent for it will appear that it was not his but our sins not his but our Enormous crimes that Crucified the King 1 Sam. 12.25 the Prophet tels the people thus If ye shall do wickedly ye shall be consumed both you and your King not only ye but your King so that you see the wickednesse of a people may be the cause of a Kings destruction If you do wickedly not only you but your King also shall come to ruine ye and your King shall perish And indeed which of us that is a Christian doth not know that the King in my Text was not only slain by but even for his Subjects Isa. 53.3 He was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities yea in vers. 7. He was cut off from the Land of the living but still it was for the iniquity of his people for iâ— straight followes for the transgression of my people was he stricken yea not only of this King in my Text but also of that good young King Josia in the vulgar Latin it is thus written Lam. 4.20 Capâ—us est in peccatis nostris The Anointed of the Lord is taken in our sins for the sins of the people God took away their King So that the losse of King and a good King may very well call for penitence That sad book of the Lamentations it is conceived to be principally penned for the slaughter of their good King Josiah for it is said 2 Chron. 35.25 Behold they are written in the Lamentations the Lamentations made for their good King they are upon Record for indeed his losse was as it appeares in the next Chapter the forerunner of the losse of all The King in my Text our blessed Lord and Saviour when he had his Crosse upon his back he was more troubled with the foresight of the misery of his people then with his own death and therefore saith in Luk. 23.28 Daughters of Jerusalem weep not for me bvt weep for your selves weep not for me saith the King for I am passing unto glory where I go no disturbance can be no distuâ—bance in the World but to you the daughters and Inhabitants of