Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	david_n	king_n	saul_n	5,115	5	10.1244	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07198	Two sermons, preached at the Kings court, this Ianuary, 1620 Concerning Davids adultery, and his politick practices. By Francis Mason, Archdeacon of Norfolk, and Chaplain to his Maiesty in ordinary.	Mason, Francis, 1566?-1621.	1621 (1621)	STC 17600; ESTC S112434	36,020	128

these foure points 1. The quality of the person or what manner of man this David was which committed adultery 2. With whom 3. When. 4. How he was plunged into this gulfe of sinne The first point is the quality of the person Concerning which I may truly affirme that David was the most eminent and remarkable man that was then living upon the face of the earth for it was famously knowne both to Iewes and Gentiles that the God of heaven had been his continuall Buckler and Defence even from his youth up He had defended him from a raging Beare from a roaring Lion from a huge and terrible Giant from the fury of the Philistines from the cruell persecution of bloodthirsty Saul and in a word from a thousand dangers And as the Lord had compassed him about with gracious deliverances so he had crowned him with blessings upon blessings temporal spirituall ordinarie extraordinary First when he was a poore Shepheard following the Ewes the Lord sent Samuel to anoint him King over Israel Secondly the Lord gave him a glorious victory over Golias all Israel did see it and reioiced Thirdly the Lord gave him honour in the hearts of the people so that the women did sing in their dances Saul hath slaine his thousands David his ten thousands Fourthly the heart of Ionathan the Kings sonne was knit vnto him for he loved him even as his own soule Fiftly Michal the Kings daughter loved him so David became the Kings sonne in lawe And after the death of Saul and Ionathan the Lord advanced him to the royal throne the glittering Diademe was set upon his head he raigned over Iuda seven yeers and sixe moneths and then over all Israel even from Dan to Bersheba Besides all this the Lord gave him plenty of gold and silver and victory over all his enemies so that his victorious banner was displayed even from Ierusalem to the River Euphrates Moreover he was a Prophet of the Lord a type of Christ a Secretary of the holy Ghost in penning those sacred and mellifluous Psalms he was also the sweet Singer of Israel and a Composer of those melodious harmonies that were used in the Tabernacle of God hee was likewise one of the Patriarks for so Saint Peter stiles him and God had sworne unto him that he should be one of the Progenitors of Iesus Christ. Now for inward gifts and graces hee was a Child of God a member of Christ a Temple of the Holy Ghost a vessell of grace a sanctified Soul a sweet and well tuned Cymbal a heavenly Organ of angelicall sound in all his workes he prays'd the Lord with words of glory every Psalme breathing religion and devotion in so much that God himselfe gave him this testimony that hee was a man according to Gods owne heart O what eminencie of grace what sublimitie of honour what preheminence of prerogatiues was here and yet for all this David euen this David committed adulterie Now that we may make vse of this example first let vs obserue the frailty and infirmity of man Behold hee that was supposed to be strong as a Lyon and tall as a Cedar was not only incountred but also conquered with a temptation Wherefore in his frailety wee all may behold as in a glasse the plaine image of our owne imbecillity for if the Lyon be conquered what shall the little Lamb doe If the Cedars of Libanus be shaken what shall the tender plant doe Alas what are wee if God withdraw his grace Even the best man upon the face of the earth if he were left to himselfe should perish everlastingly Look upon Saint Peter ô what a confidence and hye conceit had he of himselfe and yet for all his boasting hee did not onely deny but also forsweare his Master Wherfore lay away all presumption let no arogancy proceed out of your mouth but let every man cōsider his own infirmity therby learn a holy and a gracious humility Secondly let us observe the danger wherin we stand for if David a man according to Gods owne heart were tempted what man upon the face of the earth can be free from temptation I confesse that all men are not tempted alike to the same sinne of adultery For as our Saviour sayth There are some Eunuches which were so borne from their mothers wombe but all men are tempted to one sinne or other Now where the banke is lowest there the water will over where the wall is weakest there the enemy will batter and where man is weakest there the divell will soonest assault him for our adversarie is like to a cunning fisherman he cōsiders the natures and inclinations of the fishes and accordingly baiteth his hooke If Iudas be covetous the divell will baite his hooke for him with thirtie pieces of siluer If Achan love pride in apparell the divell will angle for him with a goodly Babylonish garment If Absolon be ambitious the divell will seeke to catch him with the hope of a kingdome Thus hee observeth all and accordingly he tempteth all and therefore looke for temptation whosoever thou art Alas my brother thou carriest sinfull flesh and bloud about thee and dost thou thinke thou shalt not be tempted The world is full of alluring provocations and doest thou think thou shalt not be tempted The divell goeth about like a roaring Lion seeking whom hee may devoure and dost thou think thou shalt not be tempted Wee have an enemy sayth Saint Hierome Cui nomina mille mille nocendi artes atque ego infoelix victorem me putabo dum capior He hath a thousand names and a thousand subtill devices to intrap and intangle the soules of men and I poore wretch shall I thinke my selfe a Conquerour even then when I am taken captive Beleeve me beleeve me haec tranquillitas tempestas est this calme will proove a storme for even then thou art tempted when thou thinkest thou art not tempted nay therefore thou art tempted because thou thinkest thy selfe free from temptation Our blessed Saviour when he taught his disciples to say Forgive vs our trespasses hee taught them likewise to say And leade vs not into temptation thereby teaching us that even those children of God whose trespasses are forgiven are still notwithstanding subiect to temptation Wherefore my sonne when thou entrest into the service of God prepare thy selfe for temptation Thirdly seeing wee are all so weake and yet walke in such danger what is then to bee done That we may learne of the Apostle Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall But how shall we take heed that we may learne of our blessed Saviour when he sayth Watch and Pray If the watch be neglected but one night the Citie may bee taken David had kept watch and ward over his senses all his life time and now neglecting it but one Evening he is not onely incountred but carried

and sluggish others are all in motion leaping and dancing Some being wounded by it are made dumpish and silent others never cease prating and babbling And is not this the plaine picture of drunkennes It is a lamentable case to cōsider how many in this kingdome are daily bitten by this Tarantula And is there no charme for the stinging of this serpent Alexander ab Alexandro writeth that the Tarantula is cured with musick and that he himselfe sawe the experience of it But what straines of musicke shall wee use to cure this drunken Tarantula Sound we the trumpet of the Lawe or tune wee the sweet timbrell of the Gospel they will not hearken unto the Charmer charme hee never so wisely What then remayneth but that they be charmed by the severity of wholsome lawes And yet I cannot say that there is any defect of lawes but rather a defect in the execution Many good and godly lawes haue been made in this kingdome against drunkenness and yet this sinne every where aboundeth O that this high and honourable Court of Parliament now to be assembled could yet in their godly wisdom devise some further course for the utter extinguishing of this Tarantula Surely it would redownd much to the glory of God to the honor of this kingdome to the good of this Church and Common-weale But to returne to Vrias hee dranke the royall wine and was made drunk though not as our Tarentati which lie tumbling in the streets blaspheming God and all good men but drunk in some degree yet not so as to bee deprived of his senses he still remembers the danger of the Hoast of Israel and will not goe home unto his wife Wherefore they could not impute the childe to him nor make a cloake for their iniquitie they have no colour to cast that colour So David was cleane disappointed of his first policie His second policie was to kill Vrias and to marry his wife that so the childe might seeme to bee gotten in marriage What to kill him had he not received wrong enough already that his wife was defiled but alas poore man must hee lose his life also It is as I tell you the matter is determined Vrias must die to save their credit there is no remedie And here let us consider what the best man is if God withdrawe his grace and leave him to himselfe Hee is like to an iron ball which a man standing upon the top of an hill le ts goe out of his hand and beholde it runneth downe headlong and the further the faster till it come in Profundum even to the bottom of the valley Even so if God let us goe out of his hands and leave us to our selves we run headlong from sinne to sinne even till wee come in Profundū that is into the depth of all iniquitie As heere wee see in David who to his former sinnes addeth the horrible sinne of murther by killing Vrias who now was the onely man did stand in their way And hath not this alwayes beene a practice among Politicians If a man stand in their way and hinder their profit or pleasure or preferment either they will lay a snare for him as the Nobles of Darius for Daniel to cast him into the Lions den or if they cannot so entrap him they will have one device or other to cut him off as David did Vrias and rather then faile they will giue him a figge and so make him away That these things should be done among Matchiavilians I would not marvaile but that holy David should doe it to holy Vrias this is a matter that deserves to be lamented with many teares But how shall it be done David is now growne a Politician hee will take him away so cunningly that there shall not appear so much as the least suspicion of murther And how so Forsooth hee will write to Iaob the Generall of the Campe to place Vrias in the forefront of the hottest battell and suddenly to retire from him O what a dishonor was this that Israel should flee before their enemies What an encouragement was this to the vncircumcised and what a discouragement to the people of God Yet at this time David will have it so to the end that Vrias beeing left in the danger might be smitten and die by the sword of the children of Ammon Here was notorious treachery and poore Vrias like Bellerophon in the fable did carry the letters of his owne death This was cunning indeed but have patience a while and you shall see that there is a God which seeth all things and will not suffer sinne unpunished What would Ioab yeeld to such an act yes hee did never stick at it so potent are the commands of Princes If Saul command to kill the holy Priests of the Lord Doeg will be his instrument to do it If Iezabel command to suborne false witnesses and to condemne the innocent the Nobles and Elders of Iezrael will be her instruments to put it in practice O happy therefore and thrice happy we whose King delighteth in the lawe of the Lord and meditateth therein day and night Pray we that the God of Iacob will for ever so direct him that all his commandements may alwaies be correspondent to the commandements of the most High For there is no question but if Princes should command even that which is simply evill a great number would be ready to be bad instruments to perform it And heere let us marke what manner of men they are which use to bee chosen instruments of iniquity First those that hate a man for his religion and such an one was Doeg the Edomite against the Priests of the Lord. Secondly those that hunt after the favor of great ones and such were the Nobles and Elders of Iezrael desirous to curry favour with Iezabel Thirdly those that are guilty of some notorious crime such an one was Ioab who long before this was obnoxious to the sentence of death for killing of Abner So now his life stood at the Kings pleasure and therefore David knew hee had him at command Wherefore let all men labour to carry themselves in innocencie with a good conscience in the feare of God If iniquity be in thy hand put it farre from thee and let no wickednesse dwell in thy tabernacle then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot then shalt thou bee stedfast and shalt not feare for hee that walketh uprightly walketh surely Such a man may bee bolde as a Lion and refuse to be made an evill instrument But here you see how Davids wicked invention Ioabs cruell execution brought good Vrias to his grave in a bloody coffin Neither Vrias alone was taken away by this treachery but the Text saith plainly that There fell some of the people of the servants of David such of them no doubt as were most couragious and valiant Ioabs commission extended no further then to the smiting killing of

Vrias but it seemeth he perceived that this could hardly be done without the loss of moe Neither did hee write to David concerning this point but understanding that it was the Kings pleasure that Vrias should die he was resolute to perform it thogh the exployt should cost him an hundred mens lives Here it may seeme by Ioab that Captaines are sometimes too prodigall of the lives of their souldiers We read that Abner sayde to Ioab Let the young men arise and play before us So hee accounted fighting but a play and a sport Now though Captaines should be courageous in a good cause yet they must love and tender the lives of their souldiers If any man say that it was not David and Ioab which kild Vrias but the sword of the children of Ammon Let him consider the frame of a clock and he shall see how one wheele mooves another wheele and that another wheele and that the hammer and so the stroake is stricken but the cause of all this motion is a certaine secret weight or poyse which hangeth in a corner and is not seene As for example in the story of Naboth Naboth was condemned to death there the stroake was stricken the hammer that gave the stroake was the iudge which gave the sentence the wheeles that moved this hammer were the false witnesses the wheeles that moved these wheeles were the Nobles and Elders of Iezrael but the secret waights that set all these wheeles a going were Achab and Iezabel So Achab and Iezabel were the principall agents which mooved the men of Iezrael and they the false witnesses and they the Iudge and thus poore Naboth was put to death So in this present story Vrias was slaine there the stroake was stricken the hammer that gave the stroake was the sword of the children of Ammon the wheels that mooved this hammer were the souldiers which first made an hot assault and then suddenly retyring left Vrias to the sword of the enemies The great wheele which moved these lesser wheels was Ioab who so ordered the battell And the secret waight that mooved this wheele was David the first moover and cause of all the motion O David David What hast thou done Knowest thou not that innocent blood hath a cry yea and a loud and a shrill cry and what doth it cry but vengeance vengeance Let all men take heed of this crying sinne if it bee done never so secretly the Lord will finde it out If it bee in the forrest the tree of the forrest shall cry vengeance vengeance and the leaves of the tree shall answere it If in the fielde the beast of the field shal cry vengeance vengeance and the bird of the ayre shall answere it If in the house the stone out of the wall shall cry vengeance vengeance the ioynt out of the timber shal answere it Where ever it be the whole frame of heaven and earth shall cry vengeance vengeance and hell shall open her mouth and answer it And doth secret murther crie for vengeance and hath not open murther the same cry Yes vndoubtedly And heere I must needs taxe a vice which formerly in this kingdom hath much raigned amongst Nobles and gentlemen If they received any word of disgrace they would presently challenge one another to the field revenge their owne quarrels and trye it out with the point of the sword not without great iniurie to the King and his Lawe whom the Lord hath made revenger of wrongs yea to the King of kings for vengeance is mine and I will repay sayth the Lord. Should Subiects thus goe to single Combates for private quarrels Is this courage Is this valour No no it is nothing else but rashnesse and folly If you would be truly valorous then reserve your selves for your Prince and your Countrey for Christ and for his true Religion This indeed would argue a noble courage and a generous spirit But these private quarrels are most lamentable O how many fathers by these ungodly means have bin made childlesse how many children fatherlesse how many wives have lost their husbands how many Gentlemen whose auncestours have beene principall studs and pillers in their Country have by those desperate combates ruinated themselves and their posterity O miserable incounters wherein the very Conquerours gaine no other garland but shame and confusion either to lose their lives by order of Lawe or to forsake their owne Countrey and so to live in perpetuall exile with anguish and vexation of spirit O happy therfore and thrice happy be the Lords Anointed who set out that gracious proclamation against Duels so much tending to the glory of God and the good of this kingdome Here I exhort all such as desire to enioy a quiet conscience that they take heed of this crying sin For if there be no other to accuse the murtherer his own cōscience will accuse him Hee may for a time have a slumbring cōscience but when it wakens it will torment him We read of one Bessus who had kild his owne father of a time hearing but a Swallow chatter he caught the truncheon of a iaveling and did fling at it with wonderfull violence And being demanded why hee did so hee answered Did you not heare this wicked bird accuse mee as though I had killed mine owne father Whereupon hee was examined and confessed the fact So Cain when hee had killed his brother thought that every one that met him would kil him Such is the nature of an accusing cōscience He that hath shed innocent blood hee will think that the very ground hee goeth on is embrued with blood that his garments are besprinkled with blood that his fingers distill with blood If he heare two talke he will think they whisper of blood If hee wake hee will thinke of blood And if he sleep hee will dreame of blood And verely if Davids conscience had not beene benummed hee would have thought that every bird had chattered Vrias that every winde had whistled Vrias that woods and mountaines had sounded Vrias and that the Eccho had redoubled Vrias Vrias But now David to his other sins addeth dulnesse and hardness of heart Thus poor Vrias is taken away a man vertuous and valorous cōmendable in his life honorable in his death For he died fighting in the forefront of the Lords battell and the face of his enemies Whereby hee is now dispatched out of the way hee will bee no more hinderance or obstacle unto them and therfore let us now see what course they take When newes came to Ierusalem that Vrias was slaine the woman she mourned with what minde I know not but the Text testifies that she mourned Which we may conceive to have been in this or the like manner O Vrias my husband my sweet husband Vrias How long this mourning lasted I dare not define The Wiseman saith Seaven dayes doe men mourne for him that is dead If Bathshebah mourned no longer it was very fitting