death He was delivered to death for our offences So the sinnes of every one of us hath added force unto this great stroke and wound given unto these Kingdoms in his Majestâ—es death As the good King Josiah was taken away by a violent death for the sins of Iudah that God might the more freely powre out the fiercnesse of his wrath so was our Gracious Soveraigne taken away for the punishment of our sinnes that the iniquities of these sinfull nations being now finished and come to an height by an horrible rebellion and particide hee might powre out the violls of his wrath upon them there being now nothing to hinder the stroke of his vengeance when he is taken away yea made away by themselves who like Moses stood in the gap between the sinnes of his people and Gods judgements So that we may all of us take up that lamentation Lam. 5.16 which the Church made for the death of Iosiah The Crownt is fallen from our head woe unto us that we have sinned But howsoever our Saviour had many enemies yet his most violent adversaries were the Pharisees and if you will but observe how they are described unto us in the Gospell Ill all not need to make any application The Pharisees were the most strict and precise sect of the Jewes Matth. 6.16 the Puritans of that age they were men of a sad countenance and great austerity they did bow down their heads like a Bulrush when as their inward parts burnt altogether with deceipt they were outwardly though hypocritically holy Whited sepulchers beautifull without and within full of uncleanesse Great pretenders they were to religion and desired to be accounted more pure than others Matth. 23.27 the only saints upon earth and so did separate from the rest of the Church and from thence were they called Pharisees Matth. 6.5.7 Matth. 23.14.12.2 Luke 11.45.46 They pretended especially such of that sect as were Scribs great knowledge of the Scriptures and revelations of the Spirit they were much for preaching made long prayers and that openly to be seen of men used vaine repetitions Under colour of long prayers they devoured widdowes houses They were superstitiously zealous of keeping the Sabboth but great profaners of the temple they made Gods house a house of merchandise and Denne of theeves for which they were sharply reproved by our Saviour as they often quarelled him for breaking the Sabboth Whereas the fift commandement injoynes us to honour our Father not onely our naturall Father Mark 7.11 but also our civill father who is Parens Patriae they made this commandement void by their Corban that is a gift where by Gods cause or rather their own ends is advanced They did draw the people after them who were so much addicted unto them that they would not beleeve nor follow any without their allowance for that is the rule they gave to the people Ioh. 7.28 Have any of the Pharisees beleeved on him And indeed their faction was so popular that as Iâ—â—ephus testifieth they governed not onely Jerusalem but all Judea too They did bind heavy burdens upon other mens shoulders Matth. 23.4 Vers 6. Vers 23. which themselves did not bear and so they made the way to heaven straite to others and wide to themselves They were invited to feasts and loved to sit at the head of the Table They made conscience of smaller matters as of ceremonies but omitted the weightier matters of the law judgement and mercy Now would you not thinke that the soules of these Pharisees by a pythagorean transmigration were entred into our new reformers As the murtherers of our Soveraign resemble the crucifiers of our Saviour so we find them acting all the same parts And first Judas who sold his Master of all that conspired against Christ is most odious for he was his disciple a domestick servant one whom he trusted with his purse and yet he his familiar friend who did eat of his bread lift up the heele against him So our Soveraigne was sold at a greater price than our Saviour by those who had as neere a relation unto him as Iudas had unto Christ for they were his countrey men brought up with him his servants and familiar friends whom he trusted with his purse with his counsels and his person cherished in his bosome and inriched with many princely favours In many respects they were farre worse than Iudas for when Iudas sold his Master he thought he would not have suffered but have escaped by a miracle as he had sometimes done before This is the conjecture of the Fathers and may be probably gathered out of the Text for it is said Then Iudas when he saw that he was condemned Matth. 27.3 repeated himself so that before he thought it should not have come to that but that Christ would have escaped and he gone away with the money But the Judases who sold their Soveraign knew very well that he could not escape being delivered into the hands of his enemies Againe Judas saw not the horror of his sinn before hee had committed it if he had it is probable he would not have done it but these men saw and knew very well what horrible fact it was to deliver up their King as may appear by Lowdon his Speech therein he professed that it is against the law of Nations for them to deliver up a stranger who had put himselfe under their protection much more to deliver their King And yet all that was onely for forme sake that he might better beat the bargain and raise the price as did appeare by the event Besides they have acted many more parts than Judas did for they were the first that tooke armes against him ingaging all his Subjects by a solemn League and Covenant to distroy the Church and the King they devested him of all authority within that Kingdome Seazed his Castles and revenewes and by their example and Covenant incouraged their Brethren in England to doe the like and when his Majesty was like to have prevailed against his Rebels in England they notwithstanding that the King to secure them on his side had gratified them by granting them all their unreasonable and impious demands yet came in the second time with a great army to assist strangers against their naturall King And they have persecuted all the Kings party in that Kingdom imprisoning banishing forfeiting and barborously murthering even under colour of justice all that adhered unto him Alas poor Judas did none of these things but would have rescued his Master out of the councels hands if it had beene in his power and yet because he sold him for money he is odious and infamous unto all generations Oh then what shall these men be Finally Iudas repented was swallowed up of sorrow confessed his sinne made restitution for he gave back the money and made some satisfaction too for hee tooke revenge upon himselfe when he betook him to the halter But we
he was their King they put him to death And this leads me to the last consideration or the ends and causes that moved them to murder both our Saviour and our Soveraigne which were the very same The cause pretended for crucifying of our Saviour was Salus populi the safety and liberty of the people which is the common pretence of all Rebels Caiphas said John 11.50 It is expedient that one man die meaning Jesus and that the whole Nation perish not The same was pretended for the murther of our Soveraigne Crumwell said Unlesse he die the whole Nation must perish But as that which was pretended to be for the good of the people proved the bane of the people bringing a fearfull destruction upon them so also will this because they killed their King therefore shall the Nation perish Those who promised liberty unto the people and stile themselves custodes libertates Angliae have brought them under greater slavery and bondage then the Jews are at this day Now that people who stood so much with their King upon their priviledges and the property of their goods have nothing which they can call their own The true cause that moved them to crucifie Christ was envy which Pilat observed Matth. 27.18 For he knew that for envy they had delivered him So the ground of all the proceedings against our Soveraign was envy and malice but if you will ask me the reason why they did so much maligne him none can be given but because he was their King for as the Jews said Whosoever maketh himselfe a King John 19.12 speaketh against Caesar So may I say whosoever is a King though made by God as he was speaketh against the Parliament for it is as inconsistant with the grounds of these mens religion to have a King as to have a Bishop that Text which they formerly mis-applied against Bishops The Kings of the Gentiles exercised dominion over them Matth. 20.25 but it shall not be so among you I say that Text now fits their turn bettter against Kings then it did against Bishops for indeed between Kings over Gentiles and Ministers of the Gospell there is no right opposition but between Kings over Gentiles and Kings over Christians there is a fit antithesis and so howsoever the Gentiles have Kings yet they being Christians will have no King over them And now tell me whether Kings will not rather desire to have their Subjects Pagans then such Christians as they are who are worse then the Rebels mentioned in the Gospell they said onely Nolumus hunc regnare but our Reformers are come to Nolumus ullum regnare super nos they will have no King at all They are the true seed of Korah for as Korah and his complices Twâ— hundred and fifty Princes of the assembly all of them Parliament men gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said unto them ye take too much upon you seeing all the congregation are holy and the Lord is among them Numb 16.3 wherefore then lift you up your selves above the congregation of the Lord So these Rebels have risen up against the King and the Priest upon the very same grounds they are all holy and therefore need no Bishop to direct them and the Lord is among them and therefore they need no King to governe them An other reason that moved the Jews to crucifie our Saviour was a desire to retaine their places and dignities which they feared to loose if he should be acknowledged for the Messias This is expressed Joh. 11.48 If we let him alone all men will believe on him and the Romans will come and take away our place The same was the cause why they murthered our Soveraigne that they might keep those places and that power which they had got into their hands And they are farre more unrighteous then the Jews for the Jews sought onely to retain those places whereof they were lawfully possessed and which of right did belong unto them but these murderers were not content to enjoy what was their own but killed their King that they might keep those Places Revenues and power which they had sacrilegiously usurped and taken from him Like Achab they killed and took possession He first killed before he took possession 1 King 21.19 but these murderers first took possession and then to maintain their possession killed their King the right owner and barred all his heires from succeeding As the Husbandmen in the Parable said This is the heire come let in kill him Matth. 21.38 Luc. 20 14. and seaze upon his inheritance Or as St. Luke hath it that the inheritance may be ours So have they killed the true Heire and seek to destroy all his Heires that the inheritance which they seized on long before may be theirs for ever even all his Houses and rich Furniture his Parks Navy Revenues and all his Power and Authority and not only the Inheritance of the Crown but also the Patrimony of the Church Gods own Inheritance and the Inheritance also of every man else whom they at their pleasure can make a Delinquent But as is said in the Parable Vers 40 41. When the Lord of the Vineyard commeth he will miserably destroy those wicked men So we all know that he brought a fearfull destruction upon the Nation of the Jews and certainly he will bring the like upon those murderers who have followed their example and gone far beyond them in all manner of wicknesse Their damnation sleepeth not We know what hath been heretofore the end of Rebels What became of Korah Dathan and Abiram with their complices they did not die the common death of all men but the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up so that they went down quick into Hell Optatus calls unto the Donatists to remember their example saying Aspicite perditos magistros vestros And yet the Donatists never came so neer unto Korah and those Rebels as the desperate Traytors of whom I speak What became of Absolom and Achitophel Num. 17.31 32 of Shimei and Sheba of Adonijah and Joah of Zimri and Josabed of the two Eunuches who conspired against King Assuerus and of many more of whom we read both in sacred and prophane story Did they not all perish in the gainsaying of Korah So let all thine enemies perish O Lord but upon the Kings head let his Crown flourish Thus you see that as the Princes of the world crucified the Lord of glory so others worse then they have crucified our glorious Lord. I wish that my detection of that murder might finde such successe as St. Peters discovery had in the first Sermon that he preached Act. 2. When he had convinced them that Jesus whom they had crucified is Lord and Christ They were pricked in their hearts and said Act. 2.37 Men and brethren what shall we do They repented and became very zealous to advance the Kingdom of Christ so let
us be zealous to advance the Kingdom of our glorious martyr in the person of his Sonne Let the same spirit inflame us which came upon Amasa 1 Chr. 22.11 Then the spirit came upon Amasa and he said thine are we O David and on thy side thou sonne of Jesse peace peace be unto thee and to thine helpers for thy God helpeth thee Indeed God is the Guardian of Kings hath a speciall care of their preservation because they are his Deputies and Vicegerents on Earth by whom he procureth the safety of his people And therefore he hath been often seen to stretch out his naked arme for their defence And his arm now is not shortned nor his affection changed and therefore in his own good time when he hath chastized us for our sins he will certainly Sir look upon the justice of Your cause he will bruise your Enemies with a rod of Iron he will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel for Your cause is Gods own cause And as it is Gods cause so it is the cause of all Kings they are deeply concerned in it and ought to pursue those bloudy Paracides who now invade your Throne tanquam hostes humani generis as the common Enemies of mankind and violaters of the law of nature who have dissolved the bonds of humane society and overthrowne the order of God and nature ANd now to draw to a conclusion I will reflect a little upon my Text. The Apostle tels us Iam. 3.17 that the ignorance of the wisdom of God led the Jews to the committing of that horrible murther For if they had known it they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory I may say so much of the murtherers of our Soveraigne they were ignorant of the wisdom of God because utterly destitute of the true Religion for the true Religion is the wisdom of God The wisdome that is from above which as St. James sayes is first pure then peaceable c. The true Religion is said to be pure because as Lactantius observes it allows of nothing which in it self is evill or known to be evill by the light of nature and so it alloweth in no way of any Rebellion against Princes The true Religion delivered unto us in Scripture and â—â—â—â—ed in the true ancient and Catholick Church doth teach us to honour and obey the King as Gods Minister set over us and â—hat the injuries of Kings though never so great are to be indured by their Subjects who have no otheâ— remedy and are to use no other Arms against their King be he never so wicked but prayers and tears that they are to pray for him unto God who hath the hearts of King in his hand and can turn them when he thinks fit That in no case they are to resiâ—â— the King by force nor take upon them to judge him becâ—aâ—e he hath no Superior here on Earth but is reserved to Gods tribunall to whom only he oweth an account of his actions As for that doctrine of opposing deposing and killing of Kings it was first brocht in the Court of Rome a thousand yeers after Christ to maintain the Popes faction against the Emperor and other Princes and hath been since hotly defended by the Jesuits and others of the Popes parasites and what they have spued out of their mouth the Puritanes have licked up borrowing all their arguments and indeed have gone so far beyond their Masters in all treasonable doctrins and practice that in comparison of them even the Jesuits now may be accounted loyall Subjects But that is not the wisdom of God But the wisdom of this world that come to nought Vers 6. James 3.15 That wisdome descendeth not from above but is earthly sensual axd divellish The Church of England did abhor that doctrine of resistance and in the point of subjection as in other things followed the true ancient Catholick Church That Religion onely among all Christian Religions doth promise safety and security to Kings submitting them neither to Pope Parliament Presbytery nor People but unto God only by whom and from whom they raigne In the profession and maintenance of that Religion which your glorious Father seal'd with his bloud God will yet establish your Throne and make you to possesse the Gates of your enemies which Almighty God grant c. FINIS
is in Job 12.7 Ask the beasts and they will tell thee and the fowles of the Heaven Matth. 27.54 Thomlinson and they will instruct thee what an unnaturall murder ye are now committing When our Saviour suffered the Centurion beholding his passion was convinced that he was the Sonne of God and feared greatly so one of the Centurions who guarded our Soveraigne beholding his most Christian pious and magnanimous carriage was convinced and is to this day stricken with great fear horrour and astonishment When they had crucified our Saviour John 19.23 they parted his garments amongst them and for his coat because being without seam it could not easily be devided they did cast lots even so having crucified our Soveraigne they have parted his garments amongst them his Houses and Furniture his Parks and Revenues his three Kingdoms and for Ireland because it will not easily be gained they have cast lots who should go thither to conquer it and so take it to themselves In all these things our Soveraigne was the lively Image of our Saviour NOw if your patience will goe along with me while I consider the third circumstance in the Text the quality of the murderers their you will finde the paralell to hold also Our Saviour was crucified by his own Nation They crucified the Lord of Glory They who were his brethren and kindsmen according to the flesh John 18.35 So Pilat told him Thine own Nation have delivered thee unto me More particularly the great Councell consulted against him hyred Judas to betray him sent Souldiers to apprehend him falsly accused and injustly condemned him The great Councell was their high court of Sanhedrim which was their standing Parliament In it were many members of divers Callings and Professions some Priests and chiefe Priests some Elders and those lay-Elders for as there was a Parliament against Christ so also a Presbytery some Scribes and Lawyers who were Chair-men for they sate in Moses Chaire They drew also into this conspiracy against Christ wicked Herodians whom otherwise those precise Jewes could not endure And were they not such who murthered our Soveraigne His own Nation his great Councell the Parliament the Presbytery some Priests but they are Jeroboams Priests of the basest of the people some Scribes and Lawyers And they drew into that combination too wicked Herodians that is dissembling Courtiers and profane Ruffians and as pure as they would seem to be yet were they content to endure all their God dammees to gain their assistances for to damn and condemn their Soveraigne As Christs Enemies were of divers professions so also of divers Sects and Religions some Pharisees some Saduces and those were very opposite one against the other yet both joyned together against Christ To crucifie him even Herod and Pilat were made friends Act. 4.27 For as the Apostles say against thine holy Sonne Jesus both Herod and Pontius Pilat with the Gentiles and people of Israel were gathered together So the enemies of our Soveraigne were of divers Sects and Religions some Papists some Presbyterians some Independents And though they be at oddes enough between themselves their heads are as farre asunder as Sampsons Foxes yet being linked by the tayles they banded against the Lord and against his anoynted The Papist may seem to have little hand in that murder yet they contributed very much unto it For they raised a most horrid and bloudy Rebellion in Ireland and most falsly pretended the Kings commission for it whereby they enraged his other Subjects against him they weakned his Forces there destroying many who would have assisted their Soveraigne and keeping others so busie that they could not come to his reliefe they promised him great ayd but when he depended upon it they utterly failed him The Presbyterians are deeply imbrued with his blood for they assaulted him both in England and Scotland deprived him of all power and means declared him unworthy to raign and so weakned him that it was an easie matter for the Independants who are drunk with his bloud for to kill him The Presbyterians framed both the Major and Minor Propositions and the Independants drew out the conclusion for thus the Presbyterians both preached and published a tyrant is to be opposed and destroyed but the King is a Tyrant Then comes the Independants and draw forth the conclusion which naturally follows from the premisses Ergo let him be destroyed Or to use their own distinction which they have so much abused the Presbyterians murderd the King in his politicall capacity the Independants in his naturall capacity Thus our Soveraign as well as our Saviour was crucified between two theeves but neither of them a good theefe These two factions as his Majesty well expresses it in his Book Are the twins which lately one wombe inclosed the younger striving to prevaile against the elder what the Presbyterians have hunted after the Jndependants seeke to catch for themselves And indeed they have taken the prey out of their mouths They who at first were but journey men unto the other have now set up for themselves Albeit these be the chiefe murderers there be many others who though as himself saith Their hands are not embrued in his bloud by acting and consenting to his death yet they are sprinkled with his bloud by deserting him Even all those who had power and means and did not use them for his defence Seneca For Non caret scrupulo occultae societatis qui manifesto discrimini non occurrit By the Law of nature and Nations all subjects are bound to defend their Kings Person Crown and dignity Our Saviour said unto Pilat If my Kingdom were of this world Joh. 18.36 then would my servants fight that J should not be delivered to the Iews Where he insinuates that the servants and subjects of an earthly King are bound to fight for his defence And therefore all those who did not aide him according to their power have incurr'd the curse of Meroz Judge 5.23 Curse ye Meroz said the Angell of the Lord curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof because they came not to the help of the Lord to the help of the Lord against the mighty Besides these neutrals who because they were not for the King were against him there are many who fought for their soveragin who have yet by their sins fought against him their debauched carriage gave much advantage to his enemies provoked God to forsake their armies by their rapine and plunder they did alienate the hearts of the people from their Soveraigne and by their strifs and emulations they lost the Kingdom and that gracious King there was a strife amongst Christs followers which of them should be the greatest but the strife that was among the Kings followers for places and preferments was farre more hurtfull and pernicious Yea as all of us were in some sort Rom. 4.25 guilty of Christs bloud for our sinnes were the meritorious and procuring cause of his
and death saying It is not lawfull for us to put any man to death Joh. 18.31 But that high court of justice as they term it which was erected for his Majesties triall had lesse power it was not lawfull for them to put any man to death much lesse their Soveraign for the great councell of the Jewes had some power being instituted by God himselfe it was proper for them to judge of blasphemy if they had judged aright though power of life and death was taken from them by the Roman conquerour but the court that condemned our Soveraign had no power at all neither is it any court as not being instituted by any who had authority they did honour themselves and so their honour is nothing The great councell that condemned Christ was rightly constituted of all its members and under no force so was not the councell that condemned our Soveraign for the better part of it the house of the Lords was wholly layed aside and the house of Commons often purged so that the tenth man legally elected was not present and those that were their under such a force that they must say and doe as their Caiphas would have them Ioh. 8.54 Christ was allowed to speake for himself and Pilat desired him to make answer unto those things they witnessed against him and marvelled greatly that he answered not But our Soveraign was not allowed to speak for himself he was condemned before he was heard Matth. 27.13.14 Bradshaw and Cook two foule mouthed Dogges interrupted him and told him plainly that the court would not allow him to speak nor hear his reasons for they knew well that they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spak So that their proceedings were more illegall than the proceedings of the Jewes And as their proceedings were more illegall so in many things more cruell too Ioh. 19.25 Christs followers were not barred from comming unto him for his mother stood by the crosse and other women of her kindred so did the beloved Disciple but our Soveraign was not allowed any of his servants or friends to attend him during the time of his tryall and long before he could not so much as obtain any of his Chaplains to Minister ghostly comfort unto him which as he sayed in his Book Was a greater rigour and barbarity then is ever used by Christians to the meanest Prisoners and greatest malefactors whom though the justice of the Law deprive of worldly comforts yet the mercy of religion allows them the benefit of their clergy as not aiming at once to destroy their bodies and to damne their soules These murtherers were more cruell for having deprived him of all things else they were even loth that he should save his soul and therefore as they denyed him the service of his Chaplains so the souldiers by their rude and barbarous carriage in his Chamber did as much as they could hinder his private addresses unto God A great company of people and of women Luc. 23.27 bewailed and lamented Christs death without any check or reproof but men could not expresse any sorrow for his Majesties death without the danger of their own life and when some silly women wept bitterly seeing his Majesties execution they were mocked threatned and some of them beaten The Jews did not much trouble the followers of Christ before his death Joh. 9.35.12.10 only the blind man whom he cured was excommunicated for confessing him and Lazarus was threatned but none of them suffered yea when they apprehended our Saviour they suffered his Disciples to depart as he himself desired saying If ye seeke me Ioh. 18.8 let these goe their way Yea and after Christ had suffered they would not have persecuted his followers if they could have been silent for at first the councell only admonished them Not to speak at all Act. 4.18 nor Preach in the name of Jesus But these murtherers most cruelly persecuted all his Majesties friends and followers putting many of them to death for their loyalty even in his life time which much grieved his righteous soul and they cut off others after his death for his precious bloud was not sufficient to quench their thirst as they thirsted after Royall bloud so also after Loyall bloud and herein they imitate the savage Tartars who when their great Chain dyes they cast many of his dearest friends into the grave after him When our Saviour was upon the Crosse he commended his Mother to the beloved Disciple and that was not envyed nor the disciple questioned for it but when our Soveraign on the Scaffold commended those who were neerest unto him Ioh. 19.26 and delivered such small Tokens as were left him unto one who was by to be given unto them as the pledges of his love Ioh. 19.38.39 that was envyed the party questioned and the Tokens taken from him Our Saviour was not denyed a buriall for two honorable counsellers took a care of his Funerall and the Jewes as malicious as they were did not oppose it onely they desired a watch to be set upon his Sepulcher But our Soveraign was denyed this honour though three honorable counsellers begged his body to have buryed it in the Sepulcher of his Fathers they could not obtain it but the murtherers carryed away his Corps to Windsor thinking there to hide it in a private corner where no man should know and those honorable counsellers following after with much adoe obtained to have the disposing of it in a more seemly place but without all Funerall solemnity which yet in a most sumptuous manner is bestowed upon a base rigicide Dorislaus that all the world may see they preferre a Barabas before the Lords annointed The Jewes could not indure to heare Christ magnified after they had crucified him and therefore they raged against the Gospell which containes the History of his life As much have these Jewes raged against his Majesties Book the issue of his divine soul and laboured by all meanes to suppresse it but they can no more obscure his glory that shineth in that book then they can obscure the sunne in the firmament Finally they are more malicious than the Jewes because they committed this parecide more directly against their knowledgd and conscience for the Jewes did not cleerly know that Jesus was the Christ they expecting a Messias to come with great pompe and worldly glory were offended at the basenesse of his birth and many of them seduced to beleeve that he was an impostor Therefore sayed our Saviour Luk. 23.34 Act. 3.17 Father forgive them for they know not what the do And Saint Peter Through ignorance ye did it And our Apostle If they had known it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory But the murtherers of our Soveraign knew very well that he was their King their undoubted Soveraign and a most pious Prince and yet even for that cause and no other but because