Selected quad for the lemma: city_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	great_a	king_n	people_n	9,166	5	4.4099	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A23817	The period of the grand conspiracy delivered in two sermons, The desire of nations, preached on the fast day, April 6, 1660, the second, The joy of nations, preached on the thanksgiving day, June 29, 1660 / by John Allington.	Allington, John, d. 1682.	1663 (1663)	Wing A1212; ESTC R25234	38,105	114

David it was accounted an holy a religious place and therefore Absolon pretending to be full of Holy thankfulness for being recalled from his exile restored to Jerusalem and reconciled to his Father he must needs to Hebron that there where his Father was first declared King he might make publick manifestation of his holy rejoycing And so with this specious pretence and shew of piety he drew out of Jerusalem two hundred followers of whom it is thus written They went in their simplicity and knew not any thing So that I might very well say those who said Absolon whom we anointed over us they were a misinformed people They went not out with any rebellious intent or purpose they went not out to head an Army but out they went upon the score of Religion out they went in their simplicity and to do they knew not what But when engaged and drawn in by the crafty then they were fain to do as they did and to say as they said when Absolon and Achitophel had wound them into their guilt then there was no way but to strengthen his hands and now his was their interest to anoint Absolon It is traditionally delivered that whilst in the wicked reign of Manasseh the children passed through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom there was a delicate harmony made of Sackbuts Cornets Dulcimers and all loud musick And the reason was that this melody might drown and conceal the sad and dismal shriecks that the frying children● made in that cursed fire Even so● here that the people which wen● out with Absolon might not drea● of raising a war or sending for a general to head them whilst the messenger was dispatcht away to fetc● Achitophel whilst yet the leaven o● conspiracy was but newly working Absolon falls to his pretended business pays his vows and offers sacrifices whilst Achitophel and the design was not yet ready Absolon talks of nothing but Reformation Religion Vows and Sacrifices seeking God But when Achitophel was come when the close Committee had got together and as the Text saith the conspiracy grew strong when the Vows and Covenants had done what they were intended for then they were like an Almanack out of date laid aside and a march commanded toward the Royal City for though Absolon pretended Hebron it was Jerusalem that he aimed the first of the rebellion was to drive the King from the City Whereas then the great desire of all good people is to have a settlement upon the foundations of Truth and Righteousness Pray we must that we have not such as was Absolon to be our leaders such as shall pretend piety and reformation when they no more intend it then did he in Hebron The Crown and Dignity the Palace and the kingly Revenue this was all that Absolon thought to compass when in simplicity of heart and under pious pretences he drew a many even of the Kings loyal subjects into Hebron Acts 3. Saint Paul exhorting the Jews who had persecuted and crucified their King to become Converts and Loyal for the future useth this argument And now brethren I wot that through ignorance ye did it as did also your rulers Those who through ignorance misinformation and simplicity of heart have conspired either against David or the son of David such the Apostle infers they have a very pardonable plea and indeed so pardonable that we read not that David put any mothers son to death upon that great rebellion yea albeit he returned upon his own terms returned in conquest returned with the sword in his hand yet so merciful is a good King that he gives an Act of Indemnity unto all and spares even that rebel who insulted upon a weeping King The King said and sware unto Shimei thou shalt not dye And truly there was a great deal of Reason for abundant mercy for they who had been a misinformed became now a reformed people they who in simplicity of heart went out against him they and thousands more with integrity of heart flocked and came in unto him for even All the people were at strife through all the tribes of Israel saying The King saved us out of the hands of our enemies and he delivered us out of the hands of the Philistines All the people they now seemed to strive who should commend the King most who should be forwardest in bringing him back to his royal City And that 's our next considerable II. Israel or all the people under this notion a transformed people transformed I dare not say reformed for so ill an use even in our memories hath been made of Reformation that till reformation it self shall be reformed it will be Mali nominis of an ill report For in the days of Hen. 8. when a Reformation onely was pretended what did the Reformation of a Monastery signifie but pull it down and alienate the Revenue convert that to common which was given for holy use convert that to the service of men which was given for the service of God so that to reform a Religious House signified in those days a taking from them whose designed life was Fasting and Prayer and a giving it unto those who would spend it in chambering and wantonness a taking the maintenance from Devotion and Piety to give it unto such who would spend it in Gallantry Rioting Drunkenness and to put to any rather then that use which the Revenue was given for V. 2. Holy Charitable Religious In these days of ours what hath Reformation signified but either Extirpation or Deformation For to reform Episcopacy what was it but decry the function and sell their land to reform Liturgy and the worship of God what was it but a suppression of that Form which was confirmd by the blood of martyrs and to set up what will never get into form extemporary rapsodies and abominable effusions To reform Innovations what hath it signified but the introduction of a new Doctrine a new Discipline a new every thing To reform Taxes Burthens and Impositions what hath it signified but the multiplication and and the most heavy aggravation of them And as for the reformation of Religion what hath that signified but an open toleration of all but the true reformed Religion and therefore where reformation is grown scandalous and ambiguous I choose rather to say a transformed then a reformed people proportionable to that of Saint Paul Be ye not conformed to the world but transformed in the renewing of the mindes And thus were this people for it was the renewing and the change of minde that begat this Loyal strife which in these words we are to speak on All the people were at strife through all the tribes of Israel It hath been said of old Vox populi vox Dei the voice of the people is the voice of God and indeed when God is the ultimate design in it it is so Now to make a voice to be the voice of the people and that

on foot against him For the Text saith The King is fled out of the land for Absolon Now whilst it was thus in Israel though Absalons party had the Royal City in theit possession had Amaza and an Army on foot yet they conceived a Scepter was blunter then a Sword and a King though out of the Land more to be embraced then a General in the City and therefore upon debate consultation and sending throughout all the Tribes the result was And all the people were at strife through all the Tribes of Israel saying the King saved us out of the hands of our enemies and out of the hands of the Philistins and now is fled out of the land for Absolon And Absolon whom we anointed over us is dead in battle and therefore why speak ye not a word of bringing back the King Now these words with the Consequents upon them cannot well be understood without we briefly relate the story what it was occasioned and what it was that brought David into all these troubles Now to that end know we must David walking upon the roof of the Kings house had the unhappy sight of a beautiful Woman lying too naked to his view Bathsheba with bathing her body enflamed his and indeed so lustfully and wretchedly sired his soul that as if the eyes of him who made the eye had been blinded in the clouds He sends messengers and takes to his bed even the Darling of anothers bosom the wife of Uriah the Hittite Upon this she conceives with childe and upon this conception his soul soul travelleth with fresh mischief conceiveth sorrow and brings forth a more sad ungodliness for he sends for the Husband to conceal the shame sends for Uriah that lying with his wife the adultry might be smothered But his better soul to the shame of thousands of Christians at this day was so affected with the publick calamity both of Church and State that he would by no means be solicited to private contentments and personal joys for he said unto David The Ark and Israel and Judah abide in Tents And my Lord Joab a●d the servants of my Lord are encamped in the open fields shall I then go into my own house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife As thou livest and as thy soul liveth will not do this thing In these days of ours few I doubt very few such Uriahs are to be found few who prefer a publick to a private interest Most men now adays s● studying and minding their own tha● so that be safe let the Ark be where it will let Israel and Judah sink o● swim if they can eat and drink an enjoy their Bathshebas all is we with them so that all that most me care or seek after it is their ow● selves Now well had it been with David had Vriah been of such a tempe● for then he had had a Father to h● Bastard and a cloak for his Adultery but this Religious soul could not sport himself in time of a publick calamity could not indure to solace himself at home whilst Church and State were languishing and oppressed in the fields And therefore David now forgetting that God had eyes he proceeds from adultery to murther and being Uriah would not go and lye with his Wife he writes to Joab to cause him to lye by the cold walls of Rabbah But the just God whose eyes are in every place beholding both the evil and the good He so severely beheld and lookt upon this evil that by his Prophet Nathan he sends him word he should smart for it even to a circumstance For Being he had dared to take to his ●ed the wife of another man the Prophet plainly tells him another ●hould go to bed to his wives Being ●e a publick person had secretly done ●o foul an act the prophet tells him ●is wives should be adulterated open●● before all Israel and even in the ●●ght of the Sun yea whereas he had ●ared by an unjust sword to slay a Subject God sends him word The sword shall never depart from thy house And indeed all this was verified in his rebellious Darling in his lovely son his son Absolon For first having made the Royal City too hot for him when himself came thither as if Incest had been an high piece of Gallantry a tent was spread on the top of the house there went he in to his Fathers Concubines and that in the sight of the Sun and Israel An Observation that seems to me to give a great check and restraint to all Rebellion for what need the Subject to wrest the Sword out of a Kings hand when you see both the eye and hand of God is severely upon an oppressing King Why should there be in the soul any rebellious machinations against a Soveraign when God is so great a Patron of the Subjects interest that he spareth not a King after his own heart if his heart shall dare to do thus Ahab He by the instigation of a lewd Queen did once invade the Interrest of a Subject poor Naboths vineyard But he and his whole line was accursed for it Be hold I will bring evill upon thee and will take away thy posterity and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall David a better King for daring to adulterate one wife had no less then ten of his own prostituted and for daring to murther a subject by the sword of the children of Amnon he had a Son murthered and that by a Son too Amnon was slain by Absolon Yea being he dealt treacherously with Vriah God permits his own Son the Son of his Love his Fondling his Absolon to deal so traiterously that as the Text speaks David was glad to fly out of the land for Absolon Thus exact is God in beholding and in avenging what Kings un kingly or unjustly do unto their Subjects David who whilst yet a stripling slew the Formidable Goliah David who most successfully fought the Lords Battles David whom the men of Israel in the Text professe saved them out of the hands of their enemies and out of the hands of the Philistines even he when God would avenge the injury of a subject durst not hold out his Royal City against a Rebel durst not hold up his hand against a puny for Now he is fled out of the land for Absolon And so we are brought to the very Text it self to consider how the Israelites wanted and how they valued a King in exile even so much that All the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel saying The king saved us c. In these words there are of distinct Consideration 1. People 2. David 3. Absolon The People must have a double Consideration 1. As a misinformed people And that implied in these words Absolon whom we anointed 2. As transformed and become new men And so all the people were at strife

now Absolon was dead bethinking what they had done and what they had to do How they must either live in a perpetual war or call back their King How if they set up another instead of Absolon they must keep an Army on foot to maintain the usurpation Josephus relating the story telleth us they thus concluded That it behoved them since he was dead whom they had chosen to make their supplication and submission unto David that dismissing his wrath he would receive the people into his favour and according as before time so now also he would vouchsafe them his pardon and protection And indeed as before I intimated the King was so gracious that not so much as Shimei who reviled cursed and threw stones at him suffered upon that account Now if the desires of Israel was as the desires of England To settle Peace and Government upon foundations of Truth and Righteousness they could then pitcht upon no better course then indeed was done which was the bringing back of David to Jerusalem the King to the City For a righteous Foundation builds upon this score That every man may have his right and that made David himself to say unto his God Thou hast maintained my Right and my Cause Thou satest in the throne judging right Now the men both of Judah and Israel they were all convinced they all very well knew that the seat of the Kingdom was Davids knew Absolon to have no Title but what the sword made him knew the right of the Throne belonged to him who was fled to him who was out of the land And therefore if they would have peace and government built upon the foundation of Righteousness they could not but conclude the King himself must have his right He who was unjustly banisht must in Righteousness be called home He who was unjustly driven from his Royal City must in all right and reason be reduced and brought back again For if there were all the right and reason in the world that Ahab who unjustly got possession should restore Naboths vineyard certainly then there is no less righteousness that all the people of Israel should restore David to his own when themselves very well knew there was nothing but Rebellion and Treason that drove him out so that either righteousness and right dealings must be confined to the subject or else David the King must have his right and of this doubtless all the people of Israel were then convinced when they thus said Why speak ye not a word of bringing the King back Again as Righteousness even so Truth requires it For if you will run through the whole book of Kings you shall finde that true Religion it always adhered to the Kings party during the rebellion of Absolon Zadock and Abiathar and all the Levites they were of Davids side they went out with him they carried the Ark with him they returned it to Jerusalem upon command from him yea when after Solomons days there was a division made between the house of Judah and the house of Israel when there was Kings of Israel and Kings of Judah In Judah still was the Lord known in the City of David was the Temple the Sacrifice and the undoubted Priests of God 1 Kings 12. 28. When Jeroboam had exalted himself to be King of Israel you shall finde one of the first things he fate in Council on it was Religion And because he knew the true Religion and his false Title could not do together he made two Calves of Gold and said to the people It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem Behold thy gods oh Israel which brought thee out of the land of Egypt They who will live under an usurped Title they must never hope to live under a true Religion for Usurpers they will have such Worship such Priests and such Confessions as may serve their turns And therefore had the men of Israel onely upon the account of Truth and Religion considered and consulted they could not have found a better expedient for the enjoying of it then by moving as they did to bring back their King again For to David and his line adhered the profession of the true Religion In a word to settle Peace and Government upon those two immoveable Pillars Truth and Righteousness cannot possibly be effected unless we be true to this common principle Suum cuique To give every one his own Now Matth. 22. 21. Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesars and unto God the things that are Gods saith the Saviour of the world the Prince of Peace Whence it appears that both God and King have their interests and their properties Caesar hath and God hath his Rights Now if God and Caesar have a right how can we expect that God should bless us with the blessing of peace unless we give both to him and his anointed what is their rights Suppose Absolon Achitophel Amasa or all Israel whilst the power was in their hands had sold the Tabernacle which David pitched to put the Ark in or had they made sale or given away the Kings Cedar house that was in Jerusalem ● Could the Government of Israel have been settled upon Truth and Righteousness till God had had his Tabernacle and the King his palace certainly Restitution is as great a part of Righteousness as Preservation and God and Caesar as considerable to their dues as any persons in the world Truly among us Christians it is a great defect that we are quick and highly sensible of every trespass of every wrong of every encroachment that is personal and done to us but what is done to others the s●questrations deprivations wrongs and ejectments of any but our own relations those as nothing at all to us we scarce lend an ear to so we scape all 's well And hence it comes to pass what is done to God or what is done to Caesar we make no account no reckoning on Now sure I am God Almighty was very ill pleased with them who in their fulness did not think of them that wanted who drank wine in Bowls anointed themselves with the chief ointments but grieved not for the affliction of Joseph Now certainly if the afflictions of Joseph the troubles of David should be remembred and indeed with what face can we desire our God to settle us in peace if we have no Bowels for our Brethren nor melting hearts for the Father of our Countrey certainly we are not worthy to sit in peace under our own Vines if we will not endeavour to bring the Lord of our Vineyards to his own possessions To the people of Israel whilst they understood themselves nothing was so dear as the Ark and the King But neither the Ark without the King nor the King without the Ark could make a settlement A time there was when Jerusalem had their King but the Ark was at Kiriath-jearim and whilst so David himself could be contented and therefore that