Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A39744
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A sermon preach'd at St. Paul's Cathedral January 30, 1698-9 before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen by W. Fleetwood.
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Fleetwood, William, 1656-1723.
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1698
(1698)
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Wing F1256; ESTC R28630
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15,075
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35
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in their Nations by alienating the Affections of the People by scattering the Spirit of Fear and of Distrust throughout their Armies and causing them to turn their Backs upon their Enemies and by reducing them themselves to Misery and great Distress and sometimes suffering them to perish by the Sword or some more ignominious Death as well as common Men. But if this be not enough let them know that he is able after he has destroyed the Body to cast both Soul and Body into Hell Fire Tophet saith Isaiah the 30th and the 33d is prepar'd for the King he hath made it deep and large the Pile thereof is Fire and much Wood the breath of the Lord like a stream of Brimstone doth kindle it Hear therefore O ye Kings in the 6th of the Wisdom of Solomon and understand learn ye that be Judges of the ends of the Earth give ear you that Rule the People and glory in the multitude of Nations for Power is given you of the Lord and Sovereignty from the Highest who shall try your Words and search out your Counsels because being Ministers of his Kingdom you have not judg'd aright nor kept the Law nor walked after the Counsel of God horribly and speedily shall he come upon you for a sharp judgment shall be to them that be in high places for Mercy will soon pardon the meanest but mighty Men shall be mightily tormented And is it not a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God thus sharpen'd and prepar'd to execute full Vengeance on ungodly Governors it is not therefore so unreasonable and trifling a thing as is commonly reputed to say that wicked Princes must be left to God it is saying they are left to one that hates them with a perfect Hatred to one that will and can pour out the Vials of such Wrath upon their Heads as neither Eye can see nor Tongue express nor Heart of Man conceive and that to all Eternity And having thus gone through my Text I should in the last place apply my self to the sad Occasion of this Days assembling but having been so free in handling the first Parts I shall scarce be allow'd to do right at full to this and there is I hope the less occasion for it because the sad History is so well known and so sufficiently regreted and deplored by honest Men and the design especially of this Anniversary being more for the Use Instruction and Advantage of the living Subject than for the Praise and Honour of the dead King the Discourse I have rais'd from the Text will if attended to answer the greater and the better end and there is little need to meddle with the second and the less That Princes Praises speak themselves aloud and tho' Misfortunes add great lustre to Mens Virtues and set them off to great Advantage as Tears shew some fair Faces yet more beautiful yet Charles the First might well have past for one of our most excellent Kings altho' he had not had the exercise of such Afflictions as he met withal but had been always Fortunate But having had the advantage of those Tryals and thereby practis'd many other Virtues rare and unseen in Kings I know not now whom to prefer before him and God forbid I should be thought to put him under the disadvantage of representing Saul in the Comparison He was and that is as much as I can say no more like Saul than any of his Murtherers was like David If there was some Misgovernment and some unhappy Male-administration in his Reign as who can be so ignorant and partial to deny it we must if we will be just to the Truth discharge his Person in great measure of it and lay it where it ought to lye much of it on some of his indiscreet and zealous Servants who were unquestionably Men of better Meaning than Abilities and who appear atleast at so much distance not to have understood sufficiently the Ground they stood upon the Times they liv'd in and the Men they had to deal withal And some what on the Passions of Her who tho' she could intend no ill to him yet through her fondness for her Party that constant mischief to this Nation embroil'd him first with his distemper'd People But having taken this liberty I ought to add that never were Miscarriages improv'd to such a height nor aggravated with more Malice Their Adversaries got some Truths and us'd them as the Devil does the Scriptures always perversely and to bad Purposes they mingled them with odious Calumnies and Slanders and treacherous Insinuations and made them help to make the stronger Poyson and to disperse it more effectually into the Peoples Veins As to the Personal Virtues of this Prince Envy it self hath never yet found any thing to say against them Sober and Temperate to a wonder Chaste to his Queen and faithful to his first Vows of so pure Innocence and such unspotted Sanctity in that behalf that Calumny hath never fixt so much as a Suspicion on his Reputation And for his Zeal to God and his Devotion to his Service his constant Attendance and good Behaviour in his Prayers his firm Adhesion to the Church not out of Prejudice or pertinacious Obstinacy in what he had been educated but true and solid understanding of her Constitution with his great Care and Love to all her Ministers as they were made his Crimes and Accusation by his Enemies so by his Friends they have been made an Objection to God's Providence in suffering such a Righteous Prince to fall into the hands of such abominable People and such an Objection as must stay they think to be solv'd by that great Day when all such Arguments will certainly be fully answered and all such Clamours silenced and all the World shall see and feel that God is Just and no Unrighteousness dwells with him And yet we cannot strictly say this Days Offence hath hitherto been unaccounted for and unavenged No Man I think can assign any one Head to which we may so properly ascribe the continual Troubles and Alarms that have for many Years disturb'd this Nation the vast Calamities and most amazing Distresses it has labour'd under as to the atrocious and most execrable Action of this Day and its most cursed Consequences the debaunching both the Morals and Religion of our Princes and great Men. Had not our Sins increas'd with our Afflictions I should have hoped this Days Offence had now been fully expiated by that long train of Mischiefs that has followed by way of Consequence if not Retaliation But if there yet remain any dregs of Wrath for us to drink I know of nothing that can possibly prevent them or support us under them but true sincere Repentance which through the Merits of the Blood of Christ will wash away all past Offences reconcile us again to God and fit us for what future Favours we shall want either as private People or a Nation and he in his abundant Wisdom and Goodness shall see expedient for us FINIS These Books Printed for Tho. Newborough at the Golden Ball in St. Paul's Church-Yard A Sermon Preach'd at Guild-Hall Chappel Decemb. 11. 1692. before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen A Sermon Preach'd before the Queen at White-Hall Feb. 12. 1692 3. A Sermon of the Education of Children Preach'd at Guild-Hall Chappel Novemb. 1. 1696. Before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen All Three by W. Fleetwood Rector of St. Austin's and Chaplain in Ordinary to His Majesty Kettlewel's Measures of Christian Obedience shewing what Obedience is indispensibly necessary to a Regenerate State and what Defects are consistent with it 8vo His Practical Believer or the Articles of the Apostles Creed drawn out to form a true Christians Heart and Practice In Two Parts 8vo His Companion to the Penitent and to Persons troubled in Mind 12o His Companion to the Persecuted or an Office for those who suffer for Righteousness 12o His Four Tracts Quarto The Christian indeed or a serious Exhortation to the Holy Communion Together with some plain Directions for a due Preparation for it Behaviour at it and a seasonable Admonition to Live and Act after it as becomes Persons publickly professing to be Christians With some necessary Prayers designed chiefly for the Use and Benefit of those who have not better Helps 12o