Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A46691
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Daniel in the den, or, The lord president's imprisonment, and miraculous deliverance represented in a discourse from Heb. XI V. 33 / by S. J., rector of Chinner ...
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Jay, Stephen, d. 1689.
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1682
(1682)
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Wing J497; ESTC R16865
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20,234
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40
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DANIEL IN THE DEN OR THE LORD PRESIDENT' 's Imprisonment AND MIRACULOUS DELIVERANCE REPRESENTED In a DISCOURSE from HEB. XI v. 33. By S. J. Rector of Chinner in the County of Oxon. DAN 6.23 Innocency was found in me and also before thee O King have I done no hurt LONDON Printed by J. A. for John Dunton at the Sign of the Black Raven in the Poultrey 1682. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE ANTHONY EARL of SHAFTSBVRY Late Lord PRESIDENT of his Majesties most Honourable Privy Council My Lord HOly Writ acquaints us with many cursed Conspiracies against the Innocent and the Good But I find none more sottish and cruel than that we read of John 12. v. 10.11 Where the High-prists consult to put not Jesus only but Lazarus also to Death because by reason of him many of the Jews believed on Jesus Lazarus wasguilty of no Crime but because he was It seems his very Being and Life was fault enough which though redeem'd by a Miracle must now be destroyed by Malice For his bare Presence and Motion Drew Disciples his very Looks preached the Gospel he opened his Eyes and Taught And while thus doing he would never make an end of doing mischief to them Therefore they consult to dispatch him out of sight and to silence this Teacher by muffling him up in a Napkin again and laying him under a Stone It is certain My Lord that every Turn of your Head Glance of your Eye Motion of your Hand Step of your Foot is a vexation and a Plague to your Enemies the Papists who believe your very Shadow so fatal to all their Contrivances and Aims that whilst You live they Shrivel and Wither Your Breath strikes confusion to all their Plots and therefore no wonder they have variously consulted your Death as well as your Great Masters Lazarus must dye too But then to promote it by projecting a Design of setting Jesus against Lazarus and imposing a belief that He Innocent He should conspire the ruine of his Masters Honour and Kingdom is a Plot like to prosper into the same Glory of the Projectors as this your Lordship will hear of in the following Discourse One would swear such Men were Planet-struck their Counsels confounded from Heaven as the Languages at Babel and the Witnesses stammering out an improbable Evidence Praised be God who hath frustrated hitherto all their Hellish attempts both against your Soveraign and Self May his Majesty live for ever a sure Defender of our Faith and Church And may your Lordship live too the Dread and Eye-sore of the Enemies of its peace And may You never be Imagin'd to be lessened in the Affections of your Prince nor in your own to the Interests of his Royal Person and Kingdom but may Realize in your Devotion to Majesty those Hyperbolical expressions of Allegiance and Duty wherewith Furre and Velvet have even tired the Court all this Year And let that idle imputation and reproach of a Republican Design be equally the Subject of your Diversion and scorn When all wise Men know you too Prudent and Politick to endeavour the unhinging those firm Establishments of Church and State to whose fixation and Glory you lent so Great an hand and I doubt not bear so true an Heart however enviously the contrary be insinuated by your Inveterate Enemies And no wonder when Jesus himself who dar'd the World and Devil to convince him of sin against God was yet Indicted of Treason against Caesar Joh. 19.22 and bawl'd to death by the Exclamations of those whose Hypocritical pretences to Loyalty serv'd only to mask very fitly the Face of their Cruelty From which God ever defend your Lordship and all Good Men. I am My Lord Your Lordships Most humble Servant S. J. HEB. XI 33. Who through Faith stopped the Mouths of Lyons THis Chapter as a Cabinet enrich'd with Variety of costly Jewels is all throughout Enamell'd with the Glories of Faith Some very Antique even from the first World the Lustre of Abel Enoch and Noah shine here The rest not Modern Abraham Isaac and Jacob Moses Samuel and the Prophets as Stars of the first Magnitude dart down their several Rayes and Influences upon the Church in all Ages and here altogether make up a glorious Constellation And thou Daniel the Prophet art not the least among all the Princes and Prophets of Judah for out of thee proceeded this Eximious Faith in the Text That stopped the Mouths of Lyons so as they could do thee no harm because Innocency was found in thee c. The Text being Historical will necessarily enforce me to give you a Cursory and Paraphrastical account of this Prophets Story and the several Remarques of his Life and Honours but especially of his Sufferings and Imprisonment and the Faith that procured him the Miraculous Deliverance from the Lyons Please you therefore to take a Transient view of him as the Holy Ghost has drest him up and display'd him before us in his own Book 1. In his Lineage and Descent 1 Daniel's high Birth he is if not of the Blood Royal at least of the Seed of the Princes and Noble Chap. 1.3 And the Great Soul that managed all his Actions with that Bravery and Courage confirms the highness of his Extract E fortibus creantur fortes Our Prophet was Born Honourable and the whole Series of his Life was no whit derogatory from but Ornamental to the Glory of his Birth 2. In the Beauty of his Personage 2 Perfect Beauty the Gracefulness of his Body vying perfection with the Graces of his Mind each striving in him for Superiority and both rendring him very amiable and lovely Chap. 1.4 3. In his excellent Breeding and Education 3 Good Breeding He is a choise Spirit cull'd out to be trained up and instructed by Royal Mandate in all the Learning of the Chaldees and taught the Mysteries and Policies of State that he might stand before the King verse 5. And is therefore wrought up to be a polished Pillar for the support of the Government 4. In the admirable Abstinence of his Youth 4 Admirable Abstinence he Religiously declines from the Luxuries of the Court and the Delicacies of the Kings Table and abstemiously satisfies himself with Pulse and Water v. 12. A Rare Example 5. In his Sublime Wisdom and Knowledge 5 Sublime Wisdom God also overlaying his humane Acquisitions with the Gold of Divine Grace Sanctifying him into a knotty and puzling Prophet hard to be understood and giving him a particular Skill and Understanding in Unridling Dreams and Visions of the Night v. 17. And dissolving hard Questions Cap. 5.12 As also the Spirit of Government and fitness for publick Affairs 6. In his Merited Promotion 6 Merited Promotion for his Wisdom he is preferred and made a Great Man by the King Lord Lieutenant over the whole Province of Babylon to inspect the Kings Treasures c. Cap. 2.48 And Chief Governour and Master of all the
are rent away and the Stony Door of the Chappel flies open the Preacher is hurl'd he hardly knows how into the Royal Presence where he finds the King Heaven-strucken too an Extasie of Joy had Ravish'd away his Senses and he talks like a Fanatick indeed Distractedly Ah Daniel art thou indeed my very Daniel May mine Heart believe what mine Eyes see Then stands like a Statue his rolling eye the only Index of his Life Is astonish'd and admires what he cannot express at length recovering himself into Majesty again he thunders out his dreadful Mandates And his Enemies cast in and orders the Execution of his own and the Lord Presidents Enemies This is a Day of Memorable Deliverance and the King dubs it into a Festival the Commons are doubled at Court but the first Course shall be serv'd up to the Lyons Good reason they who so Superstitiously Fasted all the night should now Feast the next day Therefore the King orders them Messes of all sorts and Sexes Young and Old They stay not laying the cloth and Daniel had given thanks before but they hastily fall too nay they meet the Waiters in the Entry and catch away their Meat e're it come to the Table and make no Bones of these Trepanners the Crackling of whose Joynts make Musick while they are Scranch'd by the Teeth of the Beasts and all together they Tip off the King's Health and Daniel's in the very Heart Blood of their Enemies they leave not a drop behind and should any chance to drivel down their Beards they lick them clean again make a clear Riddance and quick dispatch But if his Majesty has any more such Presents to make them they have reserved a Corner of their Stomachs and would be glad of another Draught next day 'T was but natural that the Flesh of these Monsters should be Incorporate into the Bodies of these bloody Beasts whose very Souls were degenerated into their Nature before neither needed there the Câ—remony of Process and Tryal where God himself had Sate as Judge and Condemned them by a Miracle So let all thine Enemies and thy Peoples Perish O Lord 'T is the first Lesson of Court-Policy to secure it self Where a Conspiracy had the Impudence to dare at the first Minister of State 't was time for Majesty to Consult its own Safety those who would adventure to its Bosom will next tear out its very Heart if they can Darius is Decreeing again A Decree of Honour to God but not against Heaven He is Sick of his Godship the Robe of Divine Honour sate too uneasie upon him Besides its sparkling Brightness struck him Blind that he could not see through the Treacheries of Designing Men He resolves therefore to resign it up to him that had a better Title to it than he 'T was Happiness enough for himself to enjoy his Daniel below And now all Nations People and Languages have free Liberty of Conscience to own the God of Heaven They should not need fear to Pray to that God that had been so kind to him to spare his Daniels Life Yea upon their Allegiance he Commands them to fear before him He is a God working Wonders they might chance need his Deliverance too Thus Daniel stands a Figure of Christ whose Imprisonment and Redemption as Jesus his Death and Resurrection is the means of Salvation to the World APPLICATION NOW folding up Daniel's Robe let us not be asham'd to present him to you in his naked Vest and give you a short Revise as it were in little both in the Character of his Piety The Cause of his Sufferings The Quality of his Enemies And the End of all 1. He was Heavens visible Representative upon Earth a Beam of the Divine Nature the Church in Epitome a mighty Man of Prayer One who would give Heaven no rest and therefore the better belov'd One that kept up the Reputation of Piety and its sinking Interest in the World One who was Valiant for God and Truth upon Earth that valued his Soul and Salvation above all the concerns of Life who spent much â—ime in his Closet conferring with God and his Heâ—â—â— notwithstanding the Noise and Avocations of a perplexing World One whose Eye was directly fix'd upon God but an utter Enemy to all the Selfish Hypocritical Squint-ey'd Designs of Men One in whose Thoughts God was alwayes uppermost and Scorn'd to let his Maker stand by while he Embrac'd an 〈◊〉 When but a Youth he was even so Wonderfully Temperate that he fasted himself into Beauty and would rather have eaten nothing than have Swallowed down Sin When rais'd to Degrees of Preferment and Honour the Air of a Title did but blow him nearer to Heaven and was as humble as Jonah when he Rode Leviathan towards Ninève The Cringes of his Flatterers made him Bow the more humbly to God and no wonder while he Harbours so lowly Apprehensions of Honours vanity and Nothingness Is so far from Impaling himself within the Grandeurs of State that he is Proud only of a Free Condescention and Opens himself to universal Service But when his Prince Commands him to Court he is there the whole Cabal himself and that mighty Empire stands steddy on the safe Basis of his Councils which made the Kingdom have an Ague all the time he was in the Den and while he Improves his profound Parts for the King has yet Policy enough to be wise for his Soul In short an excellent Pattern and glorious Exemplar of all Piety and Policy to those great Ones of his Station 2. Admire not then that he is sent to the Prison and you find him among the Lions is maliciously Conspir'd against as the Burden and Plague of the Generation he Liv'd in He that will be so Impudent as to Court Heaven more heartily than others when Righteousness and Goodness is out of Fashion shall not need Complain of too much Ease in the World And this Great Man was resolv'd to be Devout on purpose to dare their Malice thô sure to be thrust out of not Commission only but Life Let them Plot their Hearts out as they did his Resolutions were Set for Heaven He kept God in his Eye whose Faith scattered his Carnal Fears as the Clouds flye before the Sun or his Enemies before the Lions He knew all the Motions of the Inferiour World to be guided by that Great Agent whose very Faithful Servant he was Besides the King was his Friend whose Favour and Protection he worthily Merited does therefore heartily trust to both and is no Loser by his Considence 3. For his Enemies who were they but the Cursed Enemies of God The Heathen that knew him not and the Families that Call not on his Name Jer. 10.25 Men of the World whose Portion was in this Life and were without God and without Hope for the next Men that had no Prospect beyond the Grave and who Hated the poor Remains of Piety that still survive the Fall and upbraided all their Actions Who because themselves never Kneel'd but to an Idol Fret that another should to the True God they knew not No wonder then their Consults took no faster Hold together than the Extenterated Bowels of the Spider so weakly pinn'd to the Wall God Swept them away with the easie Hand of his Providence but afterwards twisted them into a Cable that hales them into the Bowels of the Beasts where I am very willing to leave them Unless perhaps Nature having cast them out at the back Door they are become as Dung to the Earth O Daughter of Babylon who art to be destroyed happy shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us Psal 137.8 FINIS