of the Church of Smirna Be thou faithfull to the death and I will give thee a Crown of life And surely though I may justly take up the words of the son of Syrack concerning Iosiah in reference to King Charles his eminent goodnesse The remembrance of Charles the First is like the Composition of the perfume that is made by the Art of the Apothecary it is sweet as honey in all mouths and as musick to a banquet of wine yet with all the remembrance of his death by which we were bereaved of so excellent a Prince cannot but be bitter as gall and wormwood and would be accompanied with sighs and groans So much the rather when we sadly take notice what I shall by and by enforce that this good King like Iosiah suffered for the badnesse of his people and withal duly consider what dismal miseries upon the people followed the death of this good King When Augustus dyed saith the Historian Orbis ruinam timueramus we feared the ruine of the world was at hand What fears of utter ruine to come upon City Countrey Kingdom did possesse our spirits when our Caesar was taken from us That malice which deprived us of him debarred us of the rightful Heir so that for many years there was no King in Israel The basest of the people were instead both of our Princes our Priests now a single and then a many-headed monster usurped the rule over us during whose Tyrrany what heresies and blasphemies what confusions and distractions what decimations of the Laity Silencing of the Clergy murthering of both slavery and bondage upon all so that we were no better than captives in our own Land Who can lay these things to heart and not wish with the Prophet Ieremy Oh that my head were waters and my eyes a fountain of tears that I might weep day and night for the slaughter of the Father and ruine of the daughter of my people What as on this day thirteen years and for a long time after was only done apart and in the closets whispering our sighs to Heaven let us this day do together and openly pour out our lamentations before God and man nor let the distance of time abate our sense of that grievous blow which was then given yea let it be mournfully remembred to all Generations and that not only with tears of commiseration for the sad loss but chiefly of compunction for the great sin which is the other branch of the Application 2. As there was to be a great mourning in Ierusalem for the Crucifixion of Christ so let there be a mourning this day in the Cities of London and Westminster yea throughout the Kingdomes of England Scotland and Ireland for the Decollation of King Charles the First I would not in this be misconstrued as if I went about to equalize the sufferings of my Soveraigne with those of my Saviour far be it from me could those glorified Saints know what was done here below as I am sure the blessed Virgin Mary would be enraged against the Papists for attributing as it were to the mothers milk what only belong to the sons blood so I doubt not but that blessed Martyr Charles would be incensed against any who should name his death the same day with his Saviours as if there were any comparison between the value of the one and the other And as I do not equalize the blood of my Soveraigne with my Saviours so neither the guilt of his murtherers with theirs who put Christ to death But yet I hope without offence we may take notice how near a resemblance there was and how as in some respects the guilt of the one was far greater so in some the charge lyeth heavier against the other To which end be pleased to observe 1. In putting Christ to death they put to death an innocent man they did so in cutting of Charles True here was a disparity Christ was perfectly innocent from all kind of sin whatsoever so was not he nor any other son of Adam yet thus far a congruity that as there was no just cause for the Crucifying of Christ so neither for Beheading him Indeed his impudent enemies drew up a charge against him so did the Iews against Christ but that as full of falshood as malice They charge him with raising a war against the Parliament how justly let the date of the Commissions on both sides decide it is his own Appeale and that not long before his death They accuse him for being a Traytor to his people which was so far from being true that it was impossible since he never received any trust from them I cannot here passe by that which was very remarkable that even those who raised the war against him voted his concessions at the Isle of Wight to be so far satisfactory as that they were a just ground for a peace notwithstanding which the Rebels Army proceeded to compass his death and yet I doubt not but some of the Centurions beholding his behaviour at his death said within themselves certainly this was a righteous man 2. In putting Christ to death they crucifie a King so the Magi affirm where is he that is born King simulnatus simul Caesar he was a King by birth So was he who was on this day murthered Who can stretch forth his hand against the Lords annointed and be guiltlesse was Davids Question and justly nay will you hear one of their own putting the Question Who did ever hear of any King put to death for any crime never indeed till in this monstrous age the greatnesse of his Person being in worth above any crime as civil The truth is Kings are Gods Vicegerants upon earth their persons inviolable and their actions unquestionable yet these Miscreants lay violent hands upon the Lords annointed Indeed here the disparity is vast since he whom the Iews pierced was not only a King but a God God Man and in respect of his Deity the eternal Son of God equal with the Father But still in this a congruity that as Christ in respect of his humanity was by descent from his Parents Heir to the Crown of Iudah So was Charles to this of England and consequently in this the parallel is good that the crime in both was the murder of an innocent King 3. The murther of the Messiah was not done in a corner but openly not sodainly but deliberately and that in a formal way of arraigning accusing condemning and executing was it not so here they would not strangle him in his Chamber he was not slain in heat of blood but he is brought with premeditation to the Bar as a Malefactor a charge is drawn up against him a sentence passed upon him with deliberation his enemies adding to use his own words the mockery of justice to the cruelty of malice and at length in the presence of his people at the Gate of his Pallace he is triumphantly Executed 4. Christ
King and people That he would gather him to his Fathers in peace that his eyes might not see all the evill which he should bring upon Jerusalem whereby is clearly implyed that soon after his departure evil should come upon them and had they not reason bitterly to lament his death So that to sum it up since it was not captivity but death and that not late but early natural but violent of no mean man but a King and he not a stranger but a native not a Tyrant but a good King and this both the consequent of their sins and forerunner of their ruine just cause there should be a great mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon 2. There remaineth nothing now to be discussed in reference to the Text but the particle of similitude As which knits the two mournings together by way of resemblance of one to the other and foretels that the mourning in Jerusalem should be as great as that of Hadadrimmon The mourning of Hadadrimmon as you have already heard was great in three respects but as the known saying is of similitudes in general that they do not run upon all four feet so I may say of this in particular it doth not hold in all three The mourning of Hadadrimmon was general so was not this in Jerusalem the greatest part of the Jews remained obdurate and so continue to this day But as the mourning of Hadadrimmon was perpetual so no doubt was the mourning of the converts in Jerusalem to their dying hour And in the mystical Jerusalem the Church of Christ the mourning for our crucified Jesus shall continue to the worlds end And as to that which the similitude chiefly aims at being as it were the edge of the knife the measure of the mourning this particle as is not only a note of quality but equality nay redundance and intimateth that the sorrow for Christ pierced should be as great nay greater than that which was for Josiah slain and good reason upon a double account 1. The mourning for Josiah was by them who were only spectators of his death yea assistants to him in the battell whereas these were the enemies of Christ and actors in that dismal Tradegy who had so much the more cause to weep bitterly for that blood whereof themselves were so deeply guilty 2. Besides which is principally considerable as it was said of Solomon so may I of Josiah Behold a greater ey and a better than Josiah is here one of whom he was but a Type and to whom therefore far inferiour so that what it was said by Lamech of Cain and himself in case of vengeance may be fitly used concerning Josiah and Christ in case of sorrow If Josiah were to be lamented seven fold truly Jesus seventy times seven the guilt of his bloud being not seventy times onely but seven thousand times seven yea infinitely greater than that of Josiah That which I shall observe from hence is that whereas the cause of the mourning of Hadadrimmon was an evill of afflliction and the cause of the mourning in Jerusalem was an evil of sin Our sorrow for sin ought to be as great nay greater than for any outward trouble what soever It is very considerable to this purpose that the Prophet maketh use of so many comparisons drawn from our mourning for worldly losses and those of the saddest nature as if one two nay three were not sufficient to expresse the greatnesse of that sorrow which ought to be for our sins The truth is the least iniquity is a greater evill than the greatest calamity and consequently the committing of the one ought to be matter of sadder lamentation than the suffering of the other But alas how unlike is our practice to this prediction how far short is our mourning for sin of our worldly sorrow if God be pleased to take from us any near or dear relation any earthly comfort whatsoever we are ready to fall into a bitter passion and mourn even to murmuring but though we provoke our gracious God by our sins we passe it over with little or no contrition Like Ulisses who wept more for the losse of his dog than his wife and that Citizen who was more grieved for the losse of his Hen called Roma than the ruine of the City called by that name we can weep flouds of tears for the miseries we endure whenas we have scarce a tear at command for the iniquities we commit Oh! let us be exhorted to heighten and enlarge our mourning for our sin and as those Disciples prayed Lord increase our faith so let us Lord increase our repentance It is easie to exceed in worldly but not in godly sorrow Let our tears for afflictions be only to the ankles but let those for our transgressions be to the knees nay chin they cannot be too high unlesse over head and ears I must not shut up this without a slave for weak Christians who may perhaps conclude against themselves as destitute of godly mourning because they are sometimes more affected with and afflicted for worldly troubles In order to which I shall propose this threefold consideration 1. If our mourning be not greater intensively yet it may and must be extensively for our crimes than our crosses our tears for a worldly misfortune may be like a land-floud more violent but for sin they must be like a river more permanent 2. Though our mourning be greater for afflictions expressively yet it may and must be greater for transgressions appretiatively There is a sensitive and there is a rational sorrow that maketh a great noise whilst shallow whereas this being deep is silent We have oft-times heard one sick of the gout or toothach roar extreamly whilst he that is sick perhaps of the plague saith nothing and yet this latter doubtlesse is inwardly more sorrowfull by how much the disease is more desperate our passion may break forth more violently upon some emergent losse and yet our will may be far more displeased at the sin we have acted than the comfort we have lost 3. Lastly If our godly mourning be not so great effectu in act yet I hope it is and certainly it ought to be greater affecta in desire and endeavour If we cannot mourn so much as we ought let us mourn that we can mourn no more and let us to our utmost strive that our penitential sorrow may exceed all other whatsoever And thus I have done the Composers part in setting as it were the several letters of my Text I shall now endeavour to perform the Printers in laying on the sheets and as it were pressing it home by a punctual and particular Application to the dolefull occasion of this dayes solemn Assembly This Scripture as you have already heard speaketh of a double mourning The one principal and directly intended to wit mourning for Christ the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who was pierced to death by nails upon the Crosse. The
is offensive unto God 5. Lastly This mourning for Christs piercing is not to be confined to Jerusalem since all Gentiles as well as Jews are guilty of it The Jews were the instrumental causes by whose instigation but all men were the meritorious causes for whose transgressions he was pierced and therefore saith the Prophet Isaiah The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all It was the hypocrisie of our hearts that mocked him the bribery of our hands which buffeted him the oaths of our mouths that spit in his face we betrayed him with our wanton kisses we whipt him with the cords of our oppression and gave him gall and vinegar to taste by our intemperance our pride in hair apparrel ornaments platted a crown of thorns upon his head and stript him of his garments Finally our many mighty sinnes were the nails which pierced his hands and feet and the speare that was thrust into his side The Lord of glory was brought to shame for our shamefull lives The Lord of life was put to death for our deadly sinnes and the word became speechlesse for our crying sinnes So that I may justly bring this home to every man in this Congregation with Nathans Tu es homo Thou art the man that piercedst Christ and every one of us were that question put to us seriously which was to him scoffingly Prophesie who smote thee may without the gift of prophecying returne the answer It is we that smote him And now methinketh every one of us should look upon him whom we have pierced and bespeak him in this or the like penitent language Blessed Jesus my sinnes pierced thy side and hands and feet shall they not my heart they bruised thy body shall they not my soul they fetched blood from thee shall they not tears from me they made thee heavy to the death shall they not make me penitent to life the Heavens were hung in black at thy passion and shall not I be cloathed in mourning the rock rent and clave asunder at thy suffering and shall my heart be more stony and obdurate than the rock Oh! my brethren let us both duly meditate on our Redeemers sufferings and our sins as the cause of those sufferings and that so long till our hearts be not only bruised but broken our head not only become dew but waters and our eyes not as a bucket but a fountaine of tears And thus I have given a dispatch to the mourning which was the matter of the prediction I now proceed to the other which is brought in by way of allusion in those words As the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon Which words I shall desire you to look upon with a double aspect to wit as they are in themselves and as they stand in connexion and accordingly there is a double assertion to be handled The mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon was a great mourning The mourning of Jerusalem shall be as great as the mourning of Hadadrimmon 1. I begin with the absolute consideration of the clause which implyeth the mourning of Hadadrimmon to be very great in discussion whereof I shall enquire What the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon was Wherein it appeared to be a great mourning What reason there was for the greatness of that mourning 1. In answer to the first of these it will not be amiss to take notice of the various reading of and glosses upon these words 1. The Septuagint construe Hadadrimmon and Megiddon as appellatives and read the clause thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of a pomegranate cut down in the fields of which reading the Greek Fathers give a double construction Theodoret borroweth the allusion from the noise which the woodcleaver maketh when in hewing down a pomegranate or any other tree he fetcheth as it were a groan at every blow he maketh but St. Cyril more probably conceiveth that it alludeth to the grief of the owner whose Orchard of pomegranates is cut down against his will as we have sometimes beheld in the late war a goodly Grove or Orchard for the safety of an adjacent Garison hewed down to the sorrow of the possessour 2. The Generality of Interpreters and most probably construe Hadadrimmon and Megiddon to be proper names but yet with variety By the more learned among the Hebrews saith Vatablus Hadadrimmon is thought to be the name oujusdam viri insignis ac cluri of some famous and eminent person who was cut off at Megiddon to the great sorrow of the people The Caldee Paraphrast takes it to be the name of him who slew Ahab the Son of Omri But S t Hierom and most rationally conceiveth it to be the name of some Fort or Town or Village near to Megiddon We read in the Story of the Kings that King Josiah going forth against Pharaoh Necho King of Aegypt was slain by him at Megiddon and consequently the mourning in the valley of Megiddon is the mourning for Josiah who was there slain And it is called the mourning of Hadadrimmon either because near that place he received his deaths wound or in that place the mourning for him began 2. That which is next to be resolved is Wherein this mourning appeareth to be great The Answer to which is returned from that in the Chronicles And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah and Jeremiah lamented for Josiah and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day and made them an Ordinance in Israel and behold they are written in the Lamentations Where we may observe the greatnesse of the mourning in three respects namely the measure the extent and the duration It was Luctus intensus publicus perpetuus a vehement a common a permanent and consequently a great mourning 1. The mourning of Hadadrimmon was a very intense mourning the first word which is there used signifieth to mourn as one doth ob rei charissimae amissionem for parting with what is most dear and certainly where there is a dearnesse of affection there cannot but be an excessive lamentation The Greek there rendreth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word very significant also to note an high degree of sorrow It is not unworthy our observation that the two preceding similitudes of a first-born and onely Son are designed to expresse intensivenesse of sorrow for though that conceit of St. Hierom be ingenious that he whom they pierced was unigenitus proprietate naturae primogenitus à mortuis resurgentium the only begotten by the propriety of his divine nature and the first begotten of them that rise from the dead the only Son of his Father and the first born of his Mother and that in that respect there is a congruity yet doubtlesse the true reason of using those comparisons is upon the account of the mourning The losse of any Child much more of a Son of a younger
but especially of the first-born of one among many chiefly of an only Son cannot but be matter of exceeding grief and yet as if these were not full enough here is another similitude annexed which therefore doubtlesse was a sorrow exceeding the former and consequently this mourning of Hadadrimmon was very intense 2. Yet further this monrning was great in the extent because a common and publick mourning The mourning might begin at Hadadrimmon but it went through all Judah and Jerusalem Countrey and City rich and poor high and low People and Prophets for Jeremiah is mentioned in particular do all bemoan his death Indeed all were concerned in his death fit it is that all should share in the sorrow a publick losse calls for publick mourning 3. Adde to this that it was a continued mourning It was made an Ordinance in Israel either that every year there should be a sorrowfull commemoration of him or that the singing men and the singing women should upon all mournfull occasions speak of him in their lamentations yea to perpetuate the mourning Jeremiah composed Lamentations which some conceive to be that which is extant those words seeming very apposite to Josiah where it is said The breath of our Nostrils the annointed of the Lord was taken in their pits of whom we said under his shadow we shall live among the Heathen But the whole scope of that Book plainly refers to the Captivity which was after Josiahs death and therefore it was some other which Jeremy composed thereby endeavouring that what Venus saith in the Poet concerning her Adonis Luctus monumenta manebunt Semper Adoni mei repetitaque mortis imago Annua plangoris peragent simulamina nostri the mourning for Josiah might be continually renewed No wonder if upon all these considerations in progressu temporis abiit in proverbium as one well observeth it became a Proverb among the Hebrews planctus Hadadrimmon as planctus Adonidis was among the Gentiles and both designed to expresse an exceeding great sorrow 3. But why this great mourning of Hadadrimmon that is the last Question which when answered we shall find that it was not a foolish humour fond passion but a just and rational though a great mourning More particularly there are eight Considerations which did serve to greaten the mourning of Hadadrimmon 1. The occasion of their mourning is Death not a slight wound that might be healed not taking captive for which a ransome might have been accepted but death from which there is no return to life When we mourn for the dead we mourn in this respect as without hope of enjoying their society any more in this world and therefore no wonder if it be in a great measure 2. The death which occasioneth this mourning is of a King Know you not saith David concerning Abner that a great man is this day fallen in Israel yet he was far inferiour to a King Howl ye Firre-trees saith the Prophet for the Cedar a tall and stately Tree is fallen The King is not only superiour but supream in his Kingdome so that when he dieth the Sun as it were sets fit it is a night of sad mourning should follow Thou art worth ten thousand of us say the people to King David not flatteringly but truly as one Sun is worth ten thousand Stars In uno Caesar insunt multi Marij there are many Mariuses in one Caesar so that in mourning for a King we mourne not for a mean but a great Person nay not for one but many thousands at once What heart so hard which will not mourn bitterly to see ten thousand men lye dead in the fields 3. The King whose death is bemoaned was their King who mourned for him it was the King of Judah whom all Judah lamented Behold we are thy bone and thy flesh said the Tribes of Israel to David so may all people say of their own native King can it choose but grieve a man to have his bone broken or flesh mangled yea what the head is to the body that is the King to his Kingdome if any one of the members be in pain the rest are sensible of it but surely all of them cannot but be affected when the head is to be cut off 4. This their King whose death they bemoaned was a good King and that must needs aggravate their mourning The Chaldee paraphrast maketh mention here of a mourning for two Kings Ahab the son of Omri and Josiah the son of Ammon Ahab was a wicked King and yet lamented it seemeth he is a very bad King for whose death the people have not cause to mourn Josiah was a good a very good King how good will appear anon no wonder if there were a great mourning Those characters The light of our eyes and The breath of our nostrils though in some sort they belong to all yet more especially to good Kings well may our eyes weep when their light is put out and we sigh when the breath of our no strils is ready to expire A good King is Pastor populi the Shepheard of the people no wonder if the sheep be scattered when the Shepheard is smitten Pater patniae The Father of his Countrey well may the children grieve when their Father dyeth Sponsus Ecclesiae The Bridegroome of the Church and shall not the Bride mourn when the Bridegroom is taken away 5. The death of this good King of Judah was untimely in the slower and strength of his age Had he dyed as David did when he was old and stricken in years it might justly have been expected but to dye in the midst of his dayes whilst he was young was sadly to be lamented 6. This early death was not by some disease but by slaughter Had he with Asa been diseased in his feet or any other part of his body and dyed in his bed it were not so dolefull but to be snatcht away whilst he was in full vigour and health of body could not but be matter of sad complaint 7. This violent and immature death was that which their sins brought upon him This good King used his utmost endeavour to quench the fire of Gods displeasure but notwithstanding saith the Text The Lord turned not from the fiercenesse of his great wrath wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah and accordingly he began the execution of his wrath in bereaving them of so good a King and had they not reason to mourn for his death whenas it was that which their own sins had accelerated 8. Lastly The fall of this King was a presage of fatal ruine to this Kingdome what the pillar is in the house the corner stone in the building that is a pious King to his people and surely as the removing of the pillar and taking away of the corner stone weakneth the edifice so doth the death of such a King especially shake his Kingdom Besides God had declared by Huldah the Prophetesse to this
was pierced by the Iews his own Countreymen of whom he came according to the flesh by those who of right ought to have been his Subjects and to whom he had vouchsafed many kindnesses yea he was betrayed into their hands by one of his own Disciples Was it not so here his own Countrey-men sold him his own Subjects killed him nay some of them that had been his own Servants and obliged to him by manifold favours were actors in his death And though comparing the persons murdered the aggravation was far infinitely far greater on Christs part yet if we compare the persons murdering there are several circumstances which render King Charles his murderers more inexcusable For 1. Though the Iews accused him and instigated the Romans against him yet the Iudg that condemned the Souldiers that executed him were Romans Here the Accusers Witnesses Iudges Souldiers and Executioner were all of his own people whereas the Romans were heathens and the Iews Moses his Disciples These were such as called themselves Christians nay professed the same Reformed Religion with him whom they destroyed 2. St. Paul saith of Christs murderers Had they known it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory these Miscreants knew acknowledged yea in their very Charge call him their King 3. There were no promissary Obligations from the Iews to Christ but these Rebels had by manifold private and publick promises protestations and oathes engaged themselves to preserve not only his life but honour 4. Finally Pilate wanted not the stamp of Caesars authority to constitute him a legal Iudg This Court of Iustice as they were unjustly called had not the least shadow of Authority Should both Houses of Parliament have conspired to erect such a Iudicatory which God forbid it had been altogether illegal much more if onely one The whole House of Commons have not nor when rightly constituted ever did challenge to themselves alone except in reference to their own Members a Iudicatory power over the estate or life of the meanest Subject much lesse over their lawfull King But in this case not both Houses but one and that the House of Commons and that not the whole nor yet the half but only a remnant the rest of their fellow Members having justly deserted them or being violently secluded from them most illegally gave a power to some of themselves the Army and others to undertake and accomplish this desperate and horrid design So that in this one Fact there was a concatination of many sins Malice and murder ingratitude and hypocrisie insolence and impudence false-swearing and forswearing rebellion and treason wilfullnesse and obstinacy are those black lines which do all center in this one black design and dismal fact of taking away the life of Charles the First And now tell me if all this considered there be not great cause of great mourning for so great wickedness Those whom this mourning doth in the first and chief place concern are the surviving murderers Surely if King David watered his couch and his bed with tears for the murder of Uriah his Subject what flouds of tears ought they to pour out day and night who being Subjects rebelliously and traiterously murdered their King Oh! let it be our hearty prayer in their behalf that by an unfeigned and propoâ—â—â—nal sorrow for shedding the blood of their King and through faith in the bloud of Christ they with some of those who crucified him may obtain remission of their sins and salvation of their souls and well may we when the Royal Martyr himself did so affectionately and zealously pray for them as you may read at large in the last leaf of his incomparable Book But if through Gods just judgment like their Father the Devil they be given up to impenitency yet let us mourn and that partly for them even upon this account that they do not mourn for themselves according to that example of a devout Father who told a wicked wretch Hoc plango quod teipsum non plangis I bewail this that thou dost not bemoan thy self Chiefly for the sin it self and that not only upon our own account it being our duty to mourne for the abominations which are acted by others least otherwise they in some sort become our own but principally upon the account of Religion which hath been made to stink that I may allude to Jacobs phrase in the nostrils even of Turks and Pagans by the committing of this horrid fact Nor yet is this all I must this day require all those to mourn who did in any kind either by tongue or pen purse or person contribute to or assist in that rebellious war which made way for this traiterous murder Believe it there is a remote as well as an immediate guilt As their hands were imbrewed in his blood which were lifted up at the sentence in the Hall so all their hands are sprinkled with it which were stretched forth against him in the field He that maketh another drunk is not only directly guilty of his drunkennesse but indirectly of what other sins he then commits though perhaps it was far from his intention that he should commit them It was not I believe at first in the design even of them that acted this villany much less in the thoughts of many others who ingaged in the war but neverthesse the assistance to that Rebellion involveth in the guilt of and therefore engageth to a deep sorrow for this blood which prosperous successe at last emboldned the Rebels to shed And now I heartily wish that may call for mourning might end here But I must crave leave to call upon those who assisted and endeavoured his welfare to mourn also for their oaths and curses intemperance and incontinence loosenesse and profanenesse by which God was provoked to blow upon his Counsels blast his Armies and deliver him up to the will of his enemies Josiah was slain by an Aegyptian but the sins of his people caused God to take him away Christ was put to death by the Jews but we all procured it by our sins it was so in this case the Scotch Rebel-Army basely delivered and sold him to the English Rebels Army who barbarously condemned and executed him But even the English Royal loyal Army were too too guilty whilst notwithstanding the goodnesse of their Cause through the badnesse of their lives they lost the Field upon which those sad events followed So that what hath been no lesse truely than commonly said in another way I may sadly allude to upon this account and justly say That whilst the malice of the Sectaries cut off his head the wickednesse even of the Royalists helped to bring him to the block Let us all therefore lay our hands upon our hearts smite upon our breasts and every one say in the bitternesse of our souls I am that Jonah for whose sake that terrible tempest came upon the Pilate and the Ship King and Kingdom And yet further let
us mourn yea mourn and weep that notwithstanding our sins brought such dreadfull judgments upon our King and Kingdom our persons and families those judgments have not wrought any reformation in our lives so that though we have been humbled we are not humble and have been sorely smitten we have refused to receive instruction Nay once more let us mourn yea be afflicted and mourn and weep were it possible a Sea of tears to consider that notwithstanding God hath pleased in the midst of judgment to remember mercy and commanded an unexpected and blessed change for us so that instead of usurping Tirants we enjoy our native Rightfull King instead of that black so the Martyr justly calls it we have a white Parliament that instead of no Lords new Lords by no just power we have both old and new Lords of a right extraction an House of Lords spiritual and temporal according to its ancient constitution that so much villified Order of Bishops being by the providence of that God who only worketh great marvels as it is in the Collect restored to their pristine splendor that in the roome of a pack of bloody Rebels we behold a full House of Commons whom for their loyalty to the King and zeal for the Church all generations shall call blessed and whose dissolution I hope I shall not see till the house of David and the house of Aaron be more firmly seiled That by the means of such a King and such a Parliament we obtain safety liberty tranquility and prosperity together with that which is far more prctious the liberty and shall we trust in due time the uniformity of Gods publick worship I say that notwithstanding God hath punished us lesse than our iniquities deserve and hath given us such a deliverance as this we do again break his Commandments and that with an high hand hard heart and stiffe neck most ungratefully returning monstrous iniquities for miraculous mercies Nor must we think we have done enough in mourning ey though it be a great and bitteâ— mourning no there is something further required that our humiliation may find acceptation and therefore give me leave to commend unto you a double item 1. One and that which in some measure I am prevented in is that pretious Royal bloud which on this day was villanously shed must not only be deeply mourned for by all but throughly avenged by those to whom the sword of justice is committed Justice justice was the loud cry of that hellish Crew to that infernal Court may it not be justly the cry of all Loyal Subjects now That good King whilst he lived prayed for mercy but now dead his blood calls for vengeance In the dark night of persecution we often prayed to God how long Lord holy and true wilt not thou avenge O! let not God have cause to say to us how long will not you avenge 2. But secondly those sins which any way procured this dayes fatal blow would not only be mourned for but turned from by our selves and as much as may be suppressed in others I have already intimated There were sins ey and those grievous sins on both hands On the one hand Schisme Sedition Rebellion Treason were those sins which did instrumentally procure his death you have done well Loyal Worthies exceeding well to use the best means for the restraint reformation of them by severe and extensive Laws Taking care that Rebellion to which the other sins are subservient may be destroyed in that which was its principal engine the Illegal League and Covenant made by a faction in two Nations without the consent yea against the command of their lawful Soveraign and in its rotten principles those doctrines which give power to two Houses of Parliament in some cases to take up Arms without or against the Kings command and distinguish betwixt the personal and politick capacity of a King as to the point of resistance which till they be utterly disclaimed both by Clergy and Laity there may be just suspition of new Insurrection upon the first occasion On the other hand Swearing and Drunkennesse Chambering and Wantonnesse Pride and Profanenesse are among the number of those sins which were the meritorious causes that wrought His and his Kingdoms ruine Oh! let not these escape your severest censure Revive and reinforce the old Laws and if it be needfull prepare new for the more carefull observation of Gods publick worship upon all holy dayes especially the Lords-day together with effectual restraint of those want on vanities and wicked vices which abound among us That you may the better prevaile with others by your Laws for a speedy and thorough reformation begin it I beseech you at your own persons and families that you may be patterns to those among whom you live of piety sobriety and all manner of virtue And oh that that Prophesie of Isaiah concerning the Jews might be accomplished in the people of this Kingdome That the time might come when the Lord should have washed away the filth of the daughter of England and should have purged the blood of London and Westminster from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgement and by the spirit of burning And that that of Malachy concerning Christs coming in the flesh might be spiritually fulfilled among us that his spirit may come and passe through the whole Land and sit as a refiner and purifier of silver upon both those parties which have been so long divided That so we may from the bottome of our hearts bemoan detest and abandon not only one the sin of the other but both their own sins Oh my Brethren would but the one party mourn for and leave of their execrable hypocrisie and the other their abominable profannesse the one their mock cantings and the other their fond rantings the one their spiritual and the other their corporal pride and drunkennesse the one their impious forswearing and false swearing the other their vain and rash swearing the one their schismatical separation from and the other their atheistical neglect of the publick worship Finally the one their seditious and rebellious both principles and practices and the other their vicious licentious conversations both their mutual strifes envyings and animosities there would be no need either to fear the return of those judgments under which we so long groaned or to doubt the continuance of those blessings which at present we enjoy It is high time that I should now dismiss you till the Evening Service when I doubt not but the abler gifts and longer warning of my Reverend Brother will supply my manifold defects Nothing now remaineth but our praises and prayers our praises in behalf of the Father our praises and prayers in behalf of the Sonne And I beseech you let us all joyn together In hearty thanksgiving to Almighty God for Charles the First of glorious memory that excellent pattern which he gave as on this day of meekness charity and withall of