Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A29567
|
Achitophel befool'd a sermon preached November V, 1678 at St. Sepulchres / by Aaron Baker ...
|
Baker, Aaron, b. 1651 or 2.
|
1678
(1678)
|
Wing B478; ESTC R5235
|
15,256
|
39
|
Achitophel Befool'd A SERMON PREACHED NOVEMBER V. 1678. AT St. SEPULCHRES By AARON BAKER M. A. and late of Wadham Colledge Oxon. QVISEQVITUR ME NON AMBULAT IN TENEBRIS LONDON Prunted for Rich. Royston Bookseller to His most Sacred MAJESTY An. Dom. MDCLXXVIII To the REVEREND Dr. J. TILLOTSON Dean of Canterbury and Chaplain in Ordinary to his MAJESTY Reverend Sir THE Importunity of Friends could never have prevailed with me to let this Discourse come abroad had not your better Judgment complyed with their desires This is enough to make it pass among those within And as for those without I must expect to become their Enemy because I tell them the Truth and though I have endeavoured to rebuke them with a spirit of Meekness I do not suppose they will receive it so They have a way of answering us by those Instruments of Cruelty that are in their habitations so that we shall never reply more unless by our blood that cryes for Vengeance But the Will of God be done If we must be sent as Sheep in the midst of Wolves and that too by the great Shepheard and Bishop of our Souls it behoves us all that are under-Shepheards by Patience and Innocence to become Examples to the Flock But I hope the Lord of David will snatch us out of the Jaws of these Lyons and Bears and Experience works that Hope that he who hath deliver'd will deliver us and he hath deliver'd us out of six troubles and out of seven But whatsoever becomes of such mean Lamps as my self my hearty Prayer to God is that such burning and shining Lights as You are in the Church may never be put out by these Extinguishers but continue to turn many unto Righteousness till in God's good time you shall be translated to shine as Stars in the Firmament of Glory Sir I earnestly recommend you and all your Pious and learned Labours in the Vineyard to the Blessings of him who is Lord of it and am From my Study this 16 Novemb. 1678. Your most obliged and humbly Devoted Servant Aaron Baker A SERMON Preached at St. SEPVLCHRES November V. 1678. 2 SAM XV. 31. And one told David saying Achitophel is among the Conspirators with Absalom and David said O Lord I pray thee turn the Counsel of Achitophel into foolishness NO Danger can appear more Dreadfull than that which is known to be plotted by Wickedness armed with Subtilty and Power Such is that Danger which is in this place represented to David being projected by Achitophel that State Machiavel in Israel at that time And this Danger must be the Subject of our present Discourse now we are met upon occasion of Thanksgiving at this Anniversary Commemoration The words are a Part of that History which records Absaloms Treason against the King his Father I shall divide them into these two Generals First A Discovery of Danger made to David Secondly David's Defensative against this Danger Concerning the First I shall enquire into three Things First What the Danger was Secondly Who it is that is noted as a chief Actor or Adviser in this Conspiracy Achitophel Thirdly By whom this Discovery was made And one told David The First General is an Advertisement given to David or a Discovery of Danger and therefore our first Enquiry must be What kind of Danger it was This is easily collected from the Text Achitophel among the Conspirators So that the Danger was a Conspiracy against David God's Anointed such as we Commemorate this day For the better understanding whereof we must reflect on the former Passages of this History where we shall find the Author of the Conspiracy to be Absalom 2 Sam. 3.2 David's Son by Maacha the daughter of Tahmai King of Geshur a man of that goodly Personage and Endowments that he was at once the Love and Beauty of Israel a man of that exquisite Frame and Composure of Body 2 Sam. 14 2â— that from the sole of his Foot to the Crown of his Head there was no blemish in him This Absalom not long since returned from Banishment after the Murther of his Brother Amnon and after some restraint in Jerusalem reconciled to his Father by the means of Joab who suborned the Woman of Tekoah to work on David by a Parable is again received into Grace and Favour of his Compassionate and Royal Father But Pride and Ambition not suffering his haughty Spirit to content it self with a moderate Prosperity are restless within him till they have wrought his aspiring Mind to aim and level at a Kingdom Hence it is that he runs into a desperate Rebellion and that he might the more easily pluck the Crown from the Royal head of his Indulgent Father he useth his utmost diligence to become Popular and by his seeming Affability to win the Affections of the heedless Multitude Ambition wants no Diligence Whence he riseth up early and standeth in the Gate 2 Sam. 15.2 where he complements all that pass by And when any man that had a Controversie came to the King for Judgement he would cast Aspersions on his Fathers Government as First An Imputation of Remisseness and Negligence Verse 3 Thy matters are good and right but the King deputes no man to hear Causes Secondly An Imputation of Injustice Vers 4 Absalom must be fain to do it David would not And Thirdly An Imputation of Pride too much Reservedness and Haughtiness David belike kept too much State while Absalom kissed those that came to him Vers 5 but as Judas's Treason was breath'd forth in a Kiss so this Popularity of Absalom was but the Veyl to his Unnatural Treachery For the End of all his Kindness was Stealing away the Hearts of Israel from the King Vers 6 and the last and ultimate end of that no less than Usurpation of the Crown The Theft of hearts from their Natural and lawful Sovereign came all to this upshot Vers 4 Quis me constituet Judicem O that I were made Judge in the Land And now having gain'd as he thought the Peoples hearts whose simplicity is easily abused with the desire of Novelty and fair speeches he puts on a Pretence of Religion as the Papists did in this their matchless Conspiracy and tells David Verse 7 that he had a Vow to be paid at Hebron Verse 9 but he had no sooner obtained leave to go thither Verse 10 but he sent Emissaries secret spies throughout all the Tribes of Israel to feel the Inclinations of the People and to draw a Party to meet him at Hebron where having gathered his Counsellors and Abettors Verse 12 he quickly made it appear that That which drew him to Hebron was his Devotion to the Crown not the Altar Absalom is proclaimed King Absalom reigneth in Hebron News of this is soon brought to David for a Messenger comes and tells him Verse 13 that the hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom to which David hath nothing to say but speaks to his servants and
Achitophel into Foolishness I begin with the First of these The Person to whom David doth seek and apply himself The Lord And David said O Lord. David who was called A man after God's own heart 1 Sam. 13.14 had that Eulogy and Commendation as some think for his Mercifulness He was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Procopius a Lover of the Poor a compassionate man Willet p. 48. But others are of opinion that David was called so for his Faithful Dependance upon God in all Dangers which did either threaten or affright him He had a faithful heart a heart that was Constant and True to his God How often doth he profess it as Psal 57. O Lord my heart is fixed Verse 7. Verse 2. my heart is fixed And again Psal 108. O God my heart is fixed His heart was such as would never start or recoyl from God no not in the greatest Fears and Concussions whatsoever Even in this great Danger he keeps close to his God Cajet in 1 Sam. p. 97. The Reason that Cajetan gives doth indeed vary in words but is to the self same Effect and Purpose When David saith he is said to be a man after God's own heart God who calls him so saith I have sought a man after mine own heart 1 Sam. 13.14 Whence Cajetan Quaesitus erat David ideóque ad similitudinem quaerentis David was sought by God and therefore was a man like God As he was quaesitus à Deo so was he vir quaerens Deum So that he that seeks God in his Distress is a man after God's own heart This was this Pious King's Practice in all Difficulties in all approaches of Trouble and Affliction I sought the Lord Psal 34.4 and he delivered me I sought him in the day of my Trouble Psal 77.2 yea I sought him in the Night when my Sore ran Plagâ fluente non quiescente when my Wound bled and my Pain was upon me and that in the Night the most dismal and disconsolate Condition even Then I sought him It is the same Lord whom he seeks in this Place and to whom he doth apply himself in the great danger that was Imminent at that Time One tells David of a Treason and Conspiracy against him David runs immediately to God and said O Lord. Too many among us swerve from this Example of David as First Those who in their Afflictions and Necessities look not up to God but cast their Eyes only on Inferior and Second Causes 2 Pet. 1.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Those are they of which the Apostle Peter speaks short-sighted purblind men men of thick eyes that can see only such Objects as are at hand such as are the objects of their Senses It was God's complaint of Ephraim and Judah Hosea 5. That they could see no further than their neighbour Nations their Friends and Allyes for help They saw their wound but they went not to God no they went to the Assyrian and sent to King Jareb who as the Prophet tells us could not heal nor cure their wound Verse 13. They could discern nothing but the Arm of Flesh which was visible to their fleshly Eyes they had not the Eye of Faith which sees afar off even the things which are not seen 2 Cor. 4. ult Or Secondly Such as see no help at all but are cast down in damps of Dejection and Despair like the Philistins in 1 Sam. Chap. 4. v. 8. who cryed out Woe unto us who shall help us they are even at their wits end Or Psal 107.27 Thirdly If they do see afar off they look the wrong way Instead of looking up to God with David Psal 121.3 whose eyes were lifted up unto the Hills they look down to the smoaky Gates of Hell 1 Sam. 28.7 as Saul did to the Witch of Endor Desperate Sinners will look after any Shifts rather than they will turn to God But David here knew well that when a Danger is threatned from a Malicious Enemy such as Achitophel was in whom Policy and Power were both combin'd none is able to defeat such an Adversary but God himself to whom he makes his Address And it would be happy for us if we would follow his Example and in all our Extremities fly unto our good God for Relief and Succour We are all even at this time again in a Panick Fear because of the Treachery of the Papists A second Powder-plot was to have been acted amongst us the very Consideration whereof has put us into such a General Consternation and Astonishment that we are in Jehoshaphat and Judah's Condition We know not what to doe 2 Chron. 20. The Counsel that I shall advise you to is the course that they took in the words Immediately following Our eyes are upon thee Verse 13. Lift up your Eyes and your Hearts unto the Lord and trust in the Name of God and then no doubt but he will some way or other rid you of your Enemies and bring you out of your Distress or else if a tryal of your Constancy and Christian Courage be most for his Glory support you under it For Surely Prov. 18.10 the Name of God is a strong Tower the righteous runneth into it and is safe Let us not stand Amazed or in suspence what to doe in a Fluctuation and doubtfull dispute with our selves No let us first humble our selves for our sins and then run and betake our selves with speed to this Tower leaving the Issue to God and his Anointed the King and Parliament while we use the Means which David did in the Conspiracy of the Text and that is Prayer Our next Particular and now comes to be insisted on And David said O Lord I pray thee As Protection and Deliverance from Dangers are works of God's Providence so Prayer is a means subservient to this Providence Prayer is a Condition without which there is no one thing we have Promise to receive from God Ask and ye shall have not otherwise Mat. 7.7 And for this cause David no sooner hears of Aâ—â—itophel in the Conspiracy a Combination of such strong and Malitious Politicians but 〈◊〉 falls immediately to Prayer Lord I pray 〈◊〉 It was David's Practice here and elsewhere Psal 109.4 and it must be ours if we would be deliver'd as David was Psal 46.1 God is a Present help in the day of Trouble and 't is our Duty to Pray to him for his Assistance First God's Command requires it when we are engaged in the greatest Difficulties Call upon me in the day of Trouble Psal 50.15 Secondly God's Promise is obliged and annexed to our Prayers Psal 91.15 He shall call upon me and I will answer him I will be with him in Trouble and will deliver him Much here might be added concerning the Duty Power and Efficacy of Prayer as that it is as Incense to the Nostrils of the Almighty Psal