to be sober in the Horse and drink no more then will do us good being Unchast or Lacivious in the Dove and know no woman but out own Wifes being Cruel or Unnaturall in the Storke and to maintain our Parents Children Freinds that if we do such things we are worthy of death Worthy of death of death temporal so Draco by the light of nature appointed Death for all great Transgressions but that is not all our Apostle here means but worthy of death eternal too and this the very Gentiles knew by assigning their Elisyan fields to some sinners and Hell or their Stygian Lake to other sorts of sinners Take you and I therefore heed of all sorts of sins and do with every sin as David did with his water which his Worthies brought him with hazzard of their lives powre it them on the ground and say God forbid we should commit these sins because if we do we are worthy of Death of Death Temporal and Death Eternal Especially take we heed that we delight not that we take not pleasure in that we applaud not them that do them For this is desperate impiety the hight of and the great aggravation of the Gentiles sin here used by this great Apostle which is my second consideretion They do not only do them Psal 2. Put also take pleasure in others for doing the same Some read it Consent so Lyranus Tolet and others and make the Aggravation lesse But Theophylact Paraeus Piscator and others read it Patrocinantur favour delight take pleasure in yes Applaudunt Applaud and defend them that do such things and so make the Aggravation greater either way It is bad enough Alexanders murthering of Clytus was not the lesse though Anaxarchus the Epicurian Phylosopher told him All was lawful that Princes did though Aristander the Stoical Philosopher told him it was Fate and Destiny Davids murthering Uriah was not the lesse though the Ammonite slew him 2 Sam. 12.9 because he commanded it Achitopels killing of Absolom was not the lesse because his Counsel brought him to his death 2 Sam. 16.21 Saul was not lesse guilty of St. Stephens death Act. 7.59 though the Jews stoned him Act. 22.20 because he consented to it Achab was not lesse guilty of Naboths death though some Sons of Belial bare false witness against him and others condemned him Reg. 21.13 and others stoned him because he authorized and countenanced it with his Seal Esau was not the lesse guilty of Jacobs destruction though Forreigners Obed. 11.12 carried him away captive because he did not rescue him All the Tribe of Benjamin was not guilty of the Concubines Death and Rape in the Act of it Jud. 19.22 Jud. 20.13.14 yet they were guilty of the sin because they sheltered the Actors and Doers of it The Modern or latter Jews were not the less guilty of the old Prophets death Mat. 23.34 though their Fathers and Grand-Fathers slew them because they were Heire as well of the Murthers as of their Fathers Nor were they less guilty of King Charles blessed King Charles the first his death who brought him to the Block though others chopt off his head because they then withstood it not nor ever since called any of them to account for doing of it Nor are you or my self the loss guilty of that sin which another man commits if lying in our power we do not hinder it if we do not reprove it if we counsell'd it if we consented to it if we commanded it if we concealed it if we entertain'd the Actors of it and gave them applause or took pleasure in them for doting of it I end this second part with Prayer O God we have much guilt of our own too much if thy mercy be not the greater suffer us not we beseech thee to partake of other mens sins or communicate in other mens guilt but give us Courage to hinder it Zeal to reprove it Power to forbid it Wisdome to dispraise it Anger to discountenance it Strength to resist it Hearts and Tongues to declaime against it The burthens of others miseries give us Charity to bear but the burthens of other mens sins give us piety to forbear and the burthen of our own sins do thou ease and the guilt of our own sins do thou forgive for his sake who hath borne that burthen and washt away that guilt by his pretious and invaluable blood Jesus Christ Amen And now I come to the last part I proposed That if the Apostle were now living Pars 3. he would certainly further aggravate this sin upon the English Christians then he did upon the Romane Gentiles who have out-stript and exceeded their doing these sins themselves and their delighting in those that do them by commanding all others and compelling many to do the same by 1. An Engagement 2. An Oath of Abjuration 3. A subscription of Opposition against the Common Enemy whom they at least some of them I am sure one of them with the Approbation if silence gives consent declared to be Charles Stewart whom we acknowledge to be Charles the second King of England Scotland and Ireland and for whose return we do and will pray with Power from above to recover his own Rights with mercy from above to forgive his Rebellions Subjects and with Wisdome from above to lettle this Church of God and his three Kingdomes in Peace and Truth untill the second comming of our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Amen That Engagement with the Covenant was the first 1. Engagement and either of these bad enough since there is not one Engagement in the whole Book of God save those of the Rebels Corah and his Complices Absolom and his Conspirators Shaba and his Peufellowes nor is there one Covenant in that whole book but they were all given and taken by the Kings Authority not a Covenant amongst them all and they are but six in number imposed without much less against the Kings Authority and besides they were all meerly Religious Covenants not one Politick or state Covenant amongst the whole six Joshua 24.25 The first of which six was made by Joshua with the people The second was made by Jehojada the High Preist in behalf of the young King Joash with the people 2 Reg. 11.4 the sum of which Covenant was that the people should be true to God 2 Cron. 15.12 the King and the Church The third was made by King Asa with the people to seek the Lord God of their Fathers with all their heart and with all their soul The fourth was made by King Hazechiah with the people when they were in great distress for want of Religion and therefore said the King I have purposed to make a Covenant with the Lord God of Israel that he may turn his feirce wrath from us This was the Kings Covenant and Engagement with God for the people 2 Cron. 29.10 not theirs against him The
charged us we cannot deny but that we are therefore Reprobates we hope not For what we have done hitherto we have done ignorantly we knew not our sins to be so Capital and we trust God will wink at our sins of ignorance Nay says St. Paul you cannot plead ignorance For you know the Law of God and that they which do such things are worthy of death and yet you did them Yes truly they reply we have committed those sins against our knowledge but what then must we needs be damn'd for that will not God pardon the frailties of our youth though we have not done these ignorantly yet we have done them of infirmity Nay says St. Paul by your leave that you have not neither For if you had committed these sins by way of infirmity in your selves you would then con demn them in others but you not only do them your selves but you also take pleasure in them that do them Before I proceed give me leave to wish that those Inditements were not as justly chargeable upon a great part of English Christians as they were upon the Roman Gentiles not upon all no there are many Chast Plous Religious Meek Patient and Loyall Souls amongst them who are not liable to any of St. Pauls enditement in this Chapter nor yet upon the Parliament neither that long Parliament no God forbid I should have or haâ—bour such a thought of Parliament of a true Parliament which represents the blessed Trinity in Power Wisedome and Sanctity where the King as Head directs the Lords Spirituall and Temporall as heart enlivens and the Commons as the inferiour Members put all things into execution I speak only of a Faction in that Parliament who by their Serpentive sedulity and subtlety engros'd the power of all cut off the Head of the Head the Kings Head and voted down or rather out the Heart of the Hearts the Lords Spirituall and Temporall and did not only do these things themselves Malignity Murther Deceipt Debate but also took pleasure in them that did them and vent one degree further commanded others to do them too In which words the Apostle 1. Accuseth them for doing things worthy of death 2. Aggravates that fault And were blessed St. Paul now living he would further aggravate it 1. From their knowledge of Gods Law 2. By delighting in others for doing the same 3. By Commanding all others and compelling many to do the same witness the 1. Engagement 2. Oath of Abjuration 3. Subscription against the common Enemy King Charles the second I begin with the first Agravation so the Accusation is too plain indeed too plain that who so runs Psal 1. may read it and the Observation thence is this Knowledg Aggravates Sin Joh. 9.41 For saies Christ If yea were blind yea should have no sin i. e. Nullum non simpliciter sed nullum Comparative None not simply but no sin Comparatively and when Christ extenuates their sin that crucified him he prays thus for them Father Luke 25. forgive them for they know not what they do and if I if you am that Servant which knew my Masters will and prepare not my self to do according to his will I yes and you yes and they whosoever they are shall be beaten with many stripes Luke 12. If Christ had not come and spoke to you and them and me Joh. 15.22 we had not had sin but now because Christ hath spoke to us all we have no Cloak for our sin If you and they Joh. 4.17 and I know how to be good and do it not know how to abstaine from sin and abstaine not to us it is sin If I sin of Ignorance only I want both knowledge and good will having a will only to the deed not to the sin but if I sin willingly I want both good will and inclination to leave my sin having a will at once both to the deed and sin and therefore the more sinfull because when I knew the deed to be sin yet I would do it More sinfull therefore I am then other men because my knowledge makes my sin a willfull neglect of Gods Authority He is the immediate Law-giver and hath revealed it to me as well as to Adam and Eve as well as to Moses and Aaron as well as to the Prophets and Apostles More sinfull therefore I am then ignorant people because my knowledge makes my sin a Prophane Contempt of the Law-givers Authority and He hath revealed it more to me and you and them then to the Gentiles Yet may no man hence more prophanely in far welcome Ignorance for though ignorance lessors both Sin and Damnation yet it makes not my sin to be no sin and it is but a miserable comfort for a Soâ—omite to think that a Capernaise is worse then himself when he is in the burning Lake for he too is damned everlastingly Luk. 12.46 though less tormented Science in the knowing sinner shall have the more stripes yet no more stripes then his sciene is capable off Ignorance in the unknowing sinner shall have fewer stripes yet no fewer then his Ignorance is capable off As the tender and soft flesh is more sensible of the sharpness by incision or stripes then the tough and hardned flesh yet they both have enough though not equally the same Nessire to be invincibly Ignorant is damnable simplicity Nolle scire to be wilfully Ignorant is hainous Impiety Scire et nolle facere to know good and not to do it is intollerable Obstenacy or scire et contra facere to know good and yet to do the contrary against the light of that knowledge is a very near borderer upon that unpardonable sin the sin against the Holy Ghost which shall never be forgiven This is the Aggravations of the Gentiles sins they knew those severall acts to be sins yet they did the sins Now before we go on let us examine whether some of our English Christians did not know the Dethroning the deposing the killing the Murthering of King Charles the first were not a sin and a great a very great sin Certainly they did know it they knew it 1. By the Law of God they knew it 2. By the Example of Christ they knew it 3. By the Native Positive and Statute Lawes of this Kingdome all which they were bound and sworn to observe to follow and yet against their knowledge and Oath both They quod horrendum est dicere quod infandum est renovare They dethron'd him depos'd him kill'd and Murthered him 1. They knew it by the Law of God It is expresly said Thou shalt do no murther but this it may be is too generall what think you then of that particular prohibition Nolite tangere Christis meos Touch not mine Annointed Doeth not this concerne Kings in particular For they were Annointed or rather doth it not concerne you in particular that howsoever you touch other men yet you would forbear to touch Kings i. e.
dimittis Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart Philip. 1. so did St. Paul Cupio dissolvi I desire to be dissolved But yet did ever any man desire to be hanged I do not think Judas senior did who betrayed his Master nor Judas junior neither who condemned his Soveraign True They both hanged themselves but for all that I do not believe that either of them desired to be hanged If I must die let me die any Death rather then a shameful then an accursed Death and yet the Apostle doubles that word upon Christ Philip. 2.8 Christ suffered death mortem autem crucis yea the death of the crosse i. e. He suffered the most shameful and accursed of all deaths For as all Lifes are not equally comfortable so all Deaths are not equally miserable the Cottage is not like the Pallace for life nor is the Water like the Halter for Death The Jewes had four kindes of Death for Malefactors Sword Fire Stone and Towel the Towel was the easiest yet there was Dolor Pain in that the Sword was next yet there was sanguis Blood in that Fire was worse then the Sword for there was scandalum shame in that Stoning was worse then all three yet there was not maledictum a curse in that but crucifying was worse then all Four Colos 1.14 Act. 2.24 Gal. 5.11 Gal. 3.13 for it was Bloudy and therefore called the Blood of the Crosse For it was painful and therefore called the Pain of the Crosse For it was shameful and therefore called the shame of the Crosse For it was cursed and therefore called the curse of the Crosse To dye by Age no man is against It is a Natural Death a Debt we owe to Nature to die by War no Soldier is against It is an honourable Death so that they die pro Rege et Lege for their King Country but if against their King it is Rebellion and damnable to die for Religion no good Christian is against It is a glorioas Death the Death of Martyrs But to dye the Death of the Crosse violently untimely penally cursedly Oh this goes against the haire It strikes to the heart This Cursed it was That is without all question Cursed is every one that hangeth on a Tree Deut. 21.23 Galat. says St. Paul by way of Transcript from Moses's Original Untimely it was For he was now in the prime of his Age about thirty three years old not more by any ones account that I remember His Body most Active now and now his Soul most contemplative both most vigorous Violent it was For they nail'd him and stab'd him spikt His Hands Feet that he might neither shew a nimble pair of heels nor a valiant pair of Hands and last of all they pierced him thorow the Heart the very Fountain of Life least peradventure he might have recovered after three hours crucifixion Painful it was For it is a pain to prick a Vein a greater pain to boar the Hand and peirce the Heart yes a cruel pain it was the cruellest of pains and thence as I take it are Dolores acermi called cruciatus A pain it was when He bled in Gabbatha where they scourged him with Rods and Crown'd him with Thorns more painful it was in Golgotha where they printed his Hands and Feet with Nails and Spikes and peirced his Heart thorow with a Spear and the more long the more painful It is some ease if Gravis be Brevis but if it be Acuta too Oh then it is painful indeed Add but to this the Blood he lost in Gethsemane the Blood of his Soul and without all question you will confess that if this Text had run but in mortuus est He dyed It had been hard enough But Death may still be suffered a painful and shameful Death may but when cruelty and malice are joyned to the shame and Pain Oh then it is hard indeed Indeed hard it is to say whether cruelty or shame have the upper hand Saul chose rather to fall upon his own Sword 1 Sam. 31.4 then to die shamefully by the han's of the Philistines Well but what shame did Christ suffer or rather what shame did he not suffer 1. He suffered first the shame of the whip which was a punishment only for Slaves and Bond-men then amongst the Romans and for Vagrants and Wanderers now amongst the English so it was once answered by a Freeman when he was threatned with a whip Loris saith he Liber sum Whip me Do if you dare I am a Freeman Acts 16.37 and St. Paul himself intimates so much saying After they have beaten us openly uncondemned being Romans they have cast us into prison and now would they put us out privily and more expresly afterward Acts 22.25 Is it lawful for you to scourge one that is a Romane and not condemned 2. He suffered secondly the shame of contempt and disgraceful usage Herods white Sheet ct Pilates blew Livery were put upon him so St. Luke and St. John describe his Apparrel Herod with his men of war despised Jesus and mocked him and arrayed him in white Luk. 23.11 says St. Luke And the Souldiers Pilats Souldiers platted a Crown of Thorns and put it on his Head and they put on him a purple garment says St. John And then they hood-winkt him John 19.2 playd at blind-man-buff with him pull'd him by the hair and spet in his Face 3. He suffered thirdly the shame of despight and malice In the depth of his distresse they would not afford him a dragm of compassion but railed reviled scoft scorn'd derided him in his very prayers and in his extream thirst denied him that which was never denied to any but the damned in Hell John 19.36 A drop of Water and instead thereof offered him a Spunge dipt in Vinegar He suffered fourthly the shame of shames For to make the world believe His Death was an Act of Justice they add the Solemn formality of a new erected and never before heard of Court of pretended High Justice For they knew too well That no Legal Court of true Justice could take away his Life In a word Had it been Occidistis You have killed him though by Assasination It had not been so much because that Act would have workt all honest men to pitty his condition but it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Trucidastis you have impetuously without any judicial proceeding but that of pretence and formality and cruelly without any Relenting and Compassion saving that of Hypocrisie and Dissimulation killed him i. e. in plain English murthered him and if you will believe Mr. Beza and in this you may believe him though he was Dr. of the Chaire at Geneva Trucidare is more then Occidere For Occidere is but to Kill It implies neither shame nor cruelty but trucidare is guilty of both And therefore the Poet expressing the shame and cruelty and subtlety and malice and Revenge to boot which
the Greeks used towards the Trojans gave it by this very word saying Fit via vi rumpunt aditus Aeneid primosque trucidant By this time I believe your Intellectuals are weary of so sad a Theam and rueful Discourse I shall now speak a word to your Affections If it prove sad there too you may not think much of it since it was upon the Prince of Life which is my second Consideration In Quis Who was killed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Prince Pars. 2. the Author of Life 1. The Author of Life who gave life to us 2. The Prince of Life who preserves life in us Corporis anime et utrinsque tám conjunctim quám seperatim The Prince and Author of all our Animal Life For by him were all things made and without him was not any thing made that was made John 1.1 Acts 17. says St. John For in him we live we move and have our being says St. Paul The Author and Prince of our spiritual life I live now says St. Paul Gal. 2.20 yet not I but Christ liveth in me and that I now live in the flesh I live by Faith in the Son of God who hath loved me and given himself for me and so he speaks of us as well as of himself Eph. 2.1 saying You who were dead in sins hath he quickened together in Christ by whose grace ye are saved The Prince and Author of our eternal life and that three ways 1. By Preordination Eph. 1.5.2.6 He hath decreed it to us from all eternity He hath predestinated us to be adopted thorow Jesus Christ to sit together in heavenly places 2. By Purchase He hath bought it for us and us to it by the price of his blood 1 Cor. 6.20 Ye are bought with a price says St. Paul and so bought and with such a price as neither Man nor Angel did administer any help in the Satisfaction Torcular calcavi solus says the Prophet Isaiah in the Person of Christ Isa 63.2 I have trodden the Wine-presse of my Fathers wrath alone and of all the people there was not one with me and so bought and with such a price that neither man nor Devil can hinder us from the fruition of it Nec sublimitas nec profunditas says St. Paul Neither height nor depth nor life nor death nor sword nor peril nor any other thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom. 8.39 For 3. He is the Author and Prince of our Eternal life by Donation were it put upon our Desert Merit we might not only doubt of it but utterly despair of it For all our works whether of Obedience or Patience come infinitely short of it and therefore said one Father Etiamsi millies servirem Though I could should serve God unreproveably a thousand years yet should I not thereby deserve to be one half hour in Heaven and therefore said another Father Etiamsi millies paterer Though I could and should patiently suffer all the pains of Hell for ten thousand years yet should I not thereby deserve to be one minute in Heaven But being that Heaven and eternal Life is Gods gift we may rest assured that no thing Man nor Devil is able to take it out of his hands and therefore we shall have it But oh for Tantus so great an Essence so good an Essence as the Prince of Life of our corporal Life of our spiritual Life of our Eternal Life should be made Tantillus so little a thing as never was lesse Agnus a Lamb Jer. 11.19 Psal as the Prophet Jeremy calls him pittifully slaughtered Vermis a Worm as King David calls him spitefully trod upon me thinks is able to melt Stones into Tears and Hearts of Rock into Hearts of Flesh To see a Lamb lye pittifully bleeding it is a pittiful spectacle To see a Worm scornfully trod upon is a sorrowful sight But Lambs were made to be slaughtered and Worms to be trampled on Be it so But yet for a Man to be made a Worm and no man for a Lion to be made a Lamb and no Lion and that without any demerit of his own To see an Innocent and a Noble person suffer to see a great and a gracious King to be trucidated to see God the Prince and Author of our Life to be killed certainly it is a heavy a very heavy spectacle and enough to make our Bowels yearn The Sun was asham'd of it and therefore withdrew his light the Temple was afeard of it and therefore rent it self in twain the Farth trembled at it and therefore fell into an Ague And shall not we be moved at it to them it appertained not For he came not to Redeem Sun Temple or Earth but to Us it doth For he was killed for us Justus pro injustis He for us The Righteous for the Unrighteous and he by Us Justus ab Injustis The Righteous was killed by the Unrighteous which is my third consideration Qui Pars. 3. Who killed him Vos Ye If you charge his death upon Judas the Traytor who sold him for thirty pence or upon Caiphas the High-Priest who accused him of Envy or upon Pilate the Lord president who condemned him of cowardise and against his conscience you take your aime amiss We wretched sinners that we are were the principal They but the Accessary Instrumental Killers of Christ The Executioner doth not Kill the Man He doth but execute the Sentence The Judge doth not Kill the Man He doth but pronounce the Sentence No Solum peccatum est homicida only sin is the Murtherer so then the true Construction of this Text is this You have killed the Prince of Life i.e. Our sins or we by our sins have killed the Prince of Life And upon the thought of this Can we do lesse then weep Can we see the Sun asham'd and cover his Face and our selves not blush Can we see the Temple rent in two and we not rend our Hearts Can we see the Earth quake and our selves not tremble Can we see Christ pati suffer for us and we not compati suffer with him and if need be for him too Can we see his soul heavy to the death and hear him complain of it too Marke 14. My soul is exceeding heavy even to the death and our souls be light with and delight in sin Can we see Christ Trucidatus killed at and transfixus peirced through the Heart and we not be compunctus prick't at the Heart Can we see the Jewes spet upon his Face that did when he pleased out-shine the Sun and we not wash our Face With Tears Can we see them buffet him on his Face and we not smite our Breasts and cry out God be merciful unto us miserable sinners Can we see his Head Crown'd with Thornes Crown'd to deride him Crown'd with Thornes to torment him and we not cover our Heads with
both both Natural fear and Filial fear But when they stand in competition and my obeying the King will dishonour God and my fearing the King will displease God where sin is the subject of a Tyrants command and Gods Law must thereby be transgressed Act. Then I am at the Apostles resolution Whether it be fit to obey God or man judge ye I am then at King Davids blessed man I fear God and therefore I fear not any evil tydings This will appear more evident if we look into the diverse acceptions of Auditus malus Evil tydings and what is the true construction of evill tydings 1. It signifies sometimes Calumnies Contumelies Checks Taunts and Reproaches wherewith they that fear the Lord are slaundered Thus gluttony blasphemy and sedition were objected to Christ And now his Servants and the late present Kings liege people are called I should have said miscalled Malignants Delinquents Papists evil Counsellours enemies of the Church troublers of the State Haec autem perferre difficile and this is a very heavy burthen to bear Generosis enim animis cruciatus corporis Plutarch quám jacturam famae facilius est perferre A noble mind had rather have his Body to be bruised then his credit blasted yet he that is truly noble et sola virtus vera Nobilitas the Noble Christian that feareth God is so far from being afraid at these evil tydings that he neither forsakes the Truth nor declines his Loyalty He is not afeard of the evil tydings 2. Sometimes evil tydings signifie Famam sinistram quam improbi culpâ suâ contrahunt that evil report which base people deservedly bring upon themselves Thus Shemei is called a Rayler thus Doeg is called an Accuser thus Absolon is called a Traytor thus Achitophel is called a Conspirator thus Corah Dathan and Abiram and all such as rise against the Lords Annointed their lawful King are called Rebells But they that fear God and such as are Loyal Subjects fear not such aspersions If they are cast upon them by evil Tongues they readily answer as St. Augustine did Petilian upon a like scandal I know no such thing by my self and I think I know my self better then he knows me but believe you which you please and judge as you please whether he that writes and fights against the King or he that writes and fights for the King be a Rebel a Delinquent a Malignant I am not afeard of these evil tydings 3. Sometimes evil tydings signifie dangers and Calamities Jobs messengers One tells us Our Cattel are plundered A second tells us Our houses are fired A third tells us Our Children are murthered A fourth tells us Our Soldiers are mutined Our Garrisons are betrayed Our Armies are disbanded and Free-quarier is denied Why yet Non succumbit justus non deficit He that fears God faints not fails not looses not his courage yea though he knows Death to be the Guerdon of his not yielding to a Conquerors pleasure he looks upon his Saviour and fears not him that kills the Body he looks upon King David and fears not â—ay evil tydings These times offer as fit a case as this Text requires King David pronounces the man blessed that feareth the Lord My fear of God is best evidenced unto me by my Obedience to my Parents for that is Gods Commandement my great Parent is the King He is Pater patriae and the higher power so St. Paul calls him The Supream power so St. Peter calls him Therefore I to be subject to him and not to resist him is St. Pauls inference Therefore I to honour him and to fear him is St. Peters inference But of late there were a pack of men met together against Charles I. the long liv'd Parliament so there are now against Charles II. the too long being Protector with his too long fitting Council of State who did and do call themselves a Power above the King who did command us who do command us to take their part against Charles I. then against Charles II. now who did and do threaten us with Sequestration of our Estates That 's Beggary with Registring our names in the black Book That 's Infamy with bringing us to the Barr of Justice of their Justice or more truly To the Barr of their Court of their high Injustice That 's Death We know If we did forsake Charles I. If we do forsake Charles II. and take part with them against the King we sin we resist If we resist we incur damnation The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mr. Marshall did qualify and linify it by the construction of Judgement and that signifies the destruction of Soul and Body here and for ever Now here is the tryall If we did stand to the late and do to the present King and do our Duties If we were and are resolved as Ittai was 2 Sam. Wheresoever my Lord the King is whether in Life or Death there will thy servant also be Then we fear God and therefore fear no evil tydings But if we did go back to them that opposed and deposed and murthered the Father or if we do go back to them who resist and keep out and calumniate and hunt after the bloud of the Son let it be upon what consideration it may I shall leave my Wife and Children beggars else I shall be a Slave and Prisoner all the dayes of my life else I shall be han'gd else And these pettire thoughts fright me out of my Duty I have then ruined my blessednesse I am not blessed I have lost my Evidence I am witnesse against my self I am afeard of evil tydings basely and slavishly afeard and therefore I fear not God Well fare that Heathen who was resolved for all Fortunes and will rise in Judgement against many very many cowardly Christians in England Non fulminantis magna Jovis manus Terrebit justum And again Etiamsi fractus illibatur Orbis Impavidum ferient ruinae Let the world totter turn round and fall I will not be afraid I will fear God But a Heathen is not fit to be our Schoolmaster look we upon the Primitive Christians and amongst them well fare old Hilarion who being in the hands and power of his Persecutors and by them demanded Antimeret If he were not afeard of those evil tydings they brought him For they came to strip and plunder him To which he returned an Answer as full of gallantry as mirth Nudus latrones non timet An empty Ship fears not a Pyrate A naked man fears not a Theif They then thâ—eaten him with Terribilium terribilissimâ— the Hyperbole of evil tydings sed occidemus te we will put thee to most exquisite torments and in the end will kill thee Non times mortem Art thou not afeard of death and he returns as great a Hyperbole of gallantry Non timeo mortem quia paratus sum mori No I fear not death because I fear God and am therefore prepared to
the Dead which dye in the Lord. Had it been onely to maintain the publick Service of God established by Law even that alone would have made them Martyrs For not a Tittle of it but it was by the Dictate of the Holy Ghost and I should think my self accursed if I were not able to maintain it and would now if it were not beside my Text and Purpose yet blame not my holy Zeal if I do vindicate that saving-Book against the Schismaticks greatest Exceptions And that is in the Office of Marriage That Office consists of Substance and Ceremony The Substance Prayer The Ceremony a Ring Look you upon both and first the first Prayer in that Office It beseeches Almighty God to bless the Couple to be married As Isaac aâ—d Rebecca whence I aâ—gue thus This Prayer was dictated by the Holy Ghost to the Composers of the Common Prayers or made by those Composers without the Dictate of the Holy Ghost But not by them without his Dictate Therefore by his Dictate to them If by them without him then they would have made it according to Humane Reason and so have said bless them O Lord as thou didst bless Abâ—aham and Sarah or as thou didst bless Jacob and Rachel and they had humane Reason for it for Abraham was Gods fiâ—st Friend Jacob was Gods great Favourite But sayes the Holy Ghost Not so nor so but let it be bless them as Isaac and Rebecca and there is no Humane Reason for this but a Divine Reason there is and that is this Abraham had his Hagar in Sarahs time and this Keturah afterwards Jacob had his Leah his Zilhah and his Bilhah but Isaac had none but his Rebecca and therefore sayes the Holy Ghost let it not be Bless them as Abraham and Sarah Bless them as Jacob and Rachel for then people may be apt to think they may have many Wifes at once if not some Concubines but let it be Bless them as thou didst bless Isaac and Rebecca let them know One man should have but one Wife especially at one time Then secondly look upon the Ring The Ring must be round without end and the Ring must be of Gold without mixture so must the Husbands love be to his Wife perpetual and to be terminated onely by Death and withal his Love must be pure and not given or imparted to any other but to his Wife onely Certainly therefore Blessed they which dye in maintaining that Service-book which can without contradiction father the very Ceremonies of it upon the Holy Ghost But add to this Obedience to the King Unity to the Church Liberty to the Subject and many more commanded by God and deny He that can or dare Blessed is William Laud Archbishop for dying for the Churches Unity Blessed are Cavendish Greenvile c. for dying for Obedience and to keep the Kings Crown upon his Head Blessed is King Charles the first for dying for both and to preserve the Subjects Liberties And if they are Blessed why then do any mourn as if they were lost But alas Nature will have her course and on Gods Name let it but let Nature give you bounds to Natures course stillate volo non currere let your Eyes drop Tears like pretious water out of a Still not run like common water out of a spout So said Seneca from Nature Yes Nature hath taught it not onely by Speech but also by Example what else meant that Heathen Priest who so soon as be heard of his Sons Death presently put off his Crown and vented his Sorrow by his Tears but hearing withal That his Son died Valiantly he assumed his Crown again and finished his Sacrifice So you B. hearing your Friends death lay aside your Crowns and melt your selves into Tears but knowing They died for God for the Church for the King for the Countrey for the glory of God for the Unity of the Church for the Honour of the King for the Lawes of the Countrey and that the King himself was Murthered and Martyred for all these Put on your Crowns again and finish your own Christian course with Joy Give not back though you are bur few Fall not back though Gods the Churches the Kings and your Enemies have got the Trophees you know not whether God hath chosen for his Gedeon a Reserve that his own Glory may be the greater and your own blessedness as sure by Dying In the Lord as your Friends that have dyed For the Lord. Their blessedness is not doubted They that dye For the Lord They that seal the Truth of Gods VVord and Religion with their blood Nor Catholique nor Papist call their blessedness into question They that were slain in the late quarrel And certainly their blessedness too your own needs as little doubt who are resolved to dye In the Lord you who lead a holy life and believe in the Lord Jesus and will continue therein to the end They are you are blessed For questionless St. John is blessed though he died in his bed and was but banished as you are as well as St. Peter though he died upon the Cross and was put to Torment as our glorious King and many of our Friends were And it is to you as well as to them to you that are but Confessors as well as to them that were Martyrs that Christ speaks Come ye blessed of my Father possess the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning Mat. 25.34 But this for my part shall make no quarrel between Rome and England or Amsterdam If they will yield to us in some Substances we will easily yield to them in this Circumstance Let them decline to the killing of Kings and we will soon yield That Martyrs onely are blessed and so by consequence They onely dye in the Lord But with this Proviso That they take not nor understand this word Martyr in the common use of speech secundum vulgus For so it is one that seals his witness to the Gospel with his blood and suffers death for Christ but in the Grammar sence secundum Cleres For so it means but a Witness One that lives and dies in Faith as the Apostle speaks All these Abraham Isaac Jacob and many more died in the Faith i. e. They were all Martyrs Heb. 11.13 or they were all Witnesses to the truth of Christs Religion both in their Life and Death They died in the Lord. And thus you see what it is to dye in the Lord or who may be said to dye in the Lord Now for Application of this Point How may we dye in the Lord Appl. And that I shall tell you plainly and quickly If you would Dye in the Lord you must Live in the Lord Live in him you must by a Faith that purifies your hearts and then Dye in him you may by a Faith that justifies your Souls Live in him you must by the Faith of water to Sanctification Act. 15.9 and then Dye in him you may by