of Miseries the Lord struck him and he died His Son Nadab succeeds him indeed or as some think reigned together with him towards the latter end of his days However before he was well warm in his Throne Baasha a person of another Tribe who had no pretence to the Crown but who might quickly have as good a Title to it as either Jeroboam or Nadab had conspired against him and slew him as would seem in the head of his Army and reigned in his stead 1 King xv 27 28. But how long will this new Title stand After Wars again upon Wars all his days his Son Ela succeeds him but within two years Zimri Captain of half his Chariots conspired against him and slew him as he was drinking himself drunk in the House of Arza his Steward Upon this Zimri sets up himself chap. xvi 9. 11. and immediately slew all of Baasha 's House Here was a Recompence for Baasha's Treason But before Zimri had reigned over part of Israel full one week another part of the people would have another King and set up Omri on which Zimri burns himself in his own Palace And now ver 21. Israel is divided not only from Judah as before but within themselves divided into two parts saith the Text For half of the People followed Tibni to make him King and half Omri To be short from the time the Israelites fell off from the Royal Line that God had set over them and betook themselves to Kingchoosing from that Revolt I say to Omri which was somewhat less than five and forty years if rightly computed they had six Kings indeed but not one year of Peace and of their six Kings as far as I can find only two died the death of other men so frequent and so dismal were the Alterations of Government so unhappy the state of things I will pursue the History of this Kingdom no further as to this particular of the uncertainty of Titles and frequent Changes which you see must needs happen and when they happen they rend Nations in pieces and leave nothing stable durable or secure only out of what you have heard of the deplorable state into which this People brought themselves by breaking off the Succession and running into this kind of Elective Kingdom I cannot but note to you Secondly The dreadful Cruelties and Bloudshed which commonly ensue on such Elections to establish the New Prince Thus as soon as Baasha obtained the Throne he smote all the House that is Kinred Allies and most likely all the Adherent of Jeroboam he left not one of them that breathed until he had destroyed them 1 King xv 29. which though it were Baasha's Wickedness and Gods just Judgment executed on Jeroboams Family however by a villanous Agent yet in point of Policy and Security to himself he was in a sort necessitated to it Now so great a Slaughter certainly could not but be a sore publick Wound I might shew many instances of the like practice in in others but it is not pleasing to rake in Bloud Lastly Whereas it is ordinarily pretended by our modern State-menders that reducing Kingdoms as near as may be to an Elective form is the best method to secure a Succession of good and virtuous Princes the contrary hereto appears by this instance The People of Israel after this new modelling their Kingdom upon rejecting the true Heir descendent and electing out of themselves a King had through the Judgment of God withdrawing his Grace in punishment of their Rebellion and Revolt from this time till the utter Dissolution of their Kingdome nineteen Kings successively and not one good amongst them all And no wonder saith a sober Author For First It was a Kingdome whose Foundation was laid in 1. Rebellion 2. Schism Secondly It was maintained by a Politick Idolatry in the continuance of Jeroboams Golden Calves Thirdly Polluted with the Bloud of many of their Kings few of them going to their Grave Sicca morte by a Bloudless death And therefore having continued two hundred forty one or as others calculate two hundred fifty eight years in the ninth year of Hosea 's Reign which was the seventh of Hezekiah King of Judah the King and People of Israel were carried away Captives by Shalmanezer King of Assyria and never returned again for God removed Israel out of his sight 'T is so said twice 2 King xvii 18 23. And 't is observable no one knows to this day what 's become of these ten Tribes But even during the whole state or most settled time of their Kingdome they had no face of true Religion nor indeed any Religion constant amongst them but a Gallimafry of all the Gods and Idolatries of the Nations according to the Honour or Interest of their Kings On the other side the Kingdome of Judah which continued under the Rightful Succession and was Hereditary stood near one hundred and forty years longer than that of Israel and they had amongst their Kings many great Saints as Asa Jehosophat Hezekiah Josiah and diverse others And though the Worship of God were often foully corrupted in the Reign of some of their Kings yet as that Corruption still came in from the Kings of Israel or from Affinity or League with them so by the Succession of good Kings it was restored again and both the Church and Face of Religion kept up amongst them till it pleased God for their treading in the steps of the People of Israel to send his Church into Captivity there to be cured of Idolatry Which Cure when wrought though there still remained a general Cachexy or disorder of Manners yet it pleased God to bring back for a while their Captivity and to give them a new footing in their own Land till out of that Royal Stem was born our Lord Jesus the promised Seed of Abraham the Son of David according to the Flesh but declared by Power and Resurrection from the dead the Son of God the Lord of Lords and King of Kings blessed for evermore of whose Kingdom there shall be no end To sum up all If then there be any men to whom perpetual unsettledness and dangers to themselves and theirs to whom continued ages of War to whom ever and anon recurring Murder of Kings Massacres of Families together with all Violence and Tyranny over the people and even Arbitrary Religion as well as Government Vsurpation on God and Man be pleasing such men may plead these Arguments to enamour the world with the model of Elective Kingdoms But on the contrary If Publick Wealth Ease and Quiet I may add if continued Liberties settled Religion and general Stability as far as the state of sublunary affairs does admit be more amiable we have reason to stick to a true Legitimate Succession For it was the Observation of the wisest of Kings Blessed art thou O Land when thy King is the Son of Nobles and we see how far it proved so in the Kingdom of Judah We have hitherto as I think
takes the Forfeiture or actually executes the Sentence of the Law in this world than in the case of doing violence to the Lives of others So far is this our Lords Speech true even as to the Event also that perhaps not one Murderer in ten dies the death of other men The sum then of what our Lord avows to back his Rebuke or the Check he gave St. Peter is this That all those who of their own accord and without due Authority attempt or take away the Life of another are before God guilty of Murder and deserve the Punishment thereof which is to fall by the Hand of Justice And for the asserting hereof I do not think it is possible I will not say to urge but even to devise any Evidence of such advantageous circumstances as this in the Text I will therefore press it more distinctly It has ever generally been esteemed lawful to repel Force with Force Now we see our Lord was here most forcibly seised and that as was evident in order to suffer all the Violence and Cruelty which Malice could exercise upon him yet never before appeared such Innocence and Holiness in humane Nature as from his very Conception and Cradle had shone in him Whether the Powers which commanded his Seisure were just or no we will not now examine it is most sure their use of their Power against him was the unjustest of any Instance assignable from the foundation of World Further St. Peter was one of our Lords Followers and if the Holy Jesus had had an House Menials Add hereto the Person in whose defence he drew was so extraordinary that not only his Words but even his Presence might seem to warrant any act that was capable of being good if done in his behalf Lastly even himself and his Brethren were in danger from that Rabble as well as his Master What a multitude of concurrent circumstances are there here to justifie St. Peters act Especially I say his own defence the defence of his Brethren nay the defence of God himself in humane Nature and all in a most just Cause against Power more unjustly and more hellishly used than ever any Power was or could be on the face of the Earth and both before and in the behalf of a person vested with Power paramount to all under Heaven Good God! can there be ever Case again like to this so much I say as imagined Yet for all this Peter is chid for his attempt Put up thy Sword into its place for they that take the Sword shall perish with the Sword No Cause then so just which can warrant private men to attempt the Life of others without Authority from them to whom God has entrusted the Power of the Sword For the further evidencing hereof I will lay down and make good the seven following Conclusions First God alone originally and sovereignly hath the power of humane Life and Death Of the truth whereof there needs no other as indeed there can no more solid reason be given than this that he alone gave or could give Life at first and still he alone preserves and continues or indeed can continue it Mille viae Mortis there are a thousand ways of extinguishing Life but either the Gift of it or the Continuance of it is alone from God We poor mortals are so far from being able to give Life to any thing that we do not yet know what it is That we live we know what Life is we know not but daily Experience in our Friends and selves teacheth us the the very preserving it in being when given at least to the term we would is beyond the power of Art Industry Strength or even that little Omnipotent as it is too usually looked upon Money it self A minute of it cannot be purchased by all the Treasures on or under Earth Psal xlix 8 9. The Redemption of the Soul that is the prorogation of Life as there the phrase most certainly signifies is precious and it ceaseth for ever None can give to God a Ransome for it that he should live for ever and not see Death Any and all the least retrievals from it are of God alone and proper to his Almighty Power Psal lxviii 20. He is the God of Salvation even in this kind and to God the Lord belong the Issues from Death Now seeing it was he alone who when he had formed the Body of the first Man breathed into him the Breath of Life so that Man became a living Soul seeing also it is he whose Visitation preserveth mans Spirit how can it in Reason or Justice be conceived that any besides him should have Sovereign Power of Life and Death How should any have right to take away what neither they by themselves nor by any principal from whence they derive could ever give God therefore alone I say has original and sovereign power of Life and Death 2. The derivative Power hereof in every Kingdom or Commonwealth is immediately in the supreme Magistrate alone that is God has in every such publick Body committed this Power to none immediately but to those whom therein he has made Supreme By the Supreme Magistrate in every Nation I mean that Civil Power whose acts are not under the Controll of another so that they may be annull'd or Summa Potestas Civilis illa dicitur cujus actus alterius juri non subsunt ita ut alterius voluntatis humanae arbitrio irriti possint reddi Grot. de Jur. Bell. par l. 1. c. 3. §. 7. made void at the pleasure of other humane Will Now such Magistrates the Apostle St. Paul uses to style Powers Rom. xiii 1 2. Tit. iii. 1. And touching such Power or which is the same for he there uses the terms Powers and Rulers indifferently for one another touching such Ruler he says expresly ver 4. He is the Minister of God Gods Agent or Vicegerent a Revenger to execute wrath upon every one that doth evil He is the Minister of God to wit He alone immediately within his Territories and no other but from by or under him Nor can there be a greater proof hereof than our Lords Practice here in the Text. Might any person not being Supreme Magistrate claim to himself a right to take the Sword how is it possible that St. Peter should have been reprehensible in drawing his Sword in the circumstances he did upon the mixed multitude of Jews and Romans sent by the Authority of the Sanhedrim and Roman Prefect If there had been any Power of this nature in any private person not derived from the Supreme Power certainly he could not have wanted it in the present juncture Yet you hear how solemnly and severely our Lord reprehends him for the Attempt And as neer as Christ was to his Death at the time of this Event in the Text before he departed out of the world he put another Seal to this truth When Pilate after our Lords first Arraignment before him and
only Kings-men not to contradict two of their and our most gracious Kings And here not to speak of several Proclamations and Statutes made by the Authority of King Charles the First of ever blessed memory in which this War as these Gentlemen would style it is expresly called a Rebellion with some aggravating Epithets and its Authors Rebels not to speak I say of these because some may say a Fanatick Parliament pen'd them what will they say of that now blessed Kings dying Penitentials Did he in them utter any thing but the sincere conceptions of his holy Soul Let then any one peruse Chap. 12. of his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and see if he speaks not there in the express terms we use Nay let any one look upon the Statute for the observing of this Day made in the Reign of our late gracious Sovereign Charles the Second which according to Order was even now read see what terms are used there Now this being the Kings Law must be taken to be the Kings Language See in the name of God not to call one another names but to give our Sins the true names in our Confessions and Penitentials for them before God But I have dwelt long enough on this I will only add that I am my self far from thinking and would have others far from believing that all the Irish Nation are people of such an Humour as those whose Cruelty we give God thanks we were delivered from or as those others who will not allow this Days-work to have been Cruelty and Rebellion There are undoubtedly a multitude of them harmless people and many others generous good-natured loyal and brave-spirited persons And if after all there be any of a contrary strain whom what hath been said will not convince of their Sin I only pray the Lord have mercy on them To proceed Secondly From the whole Tenour of this Discourse appears the utter unlawfulness of Subjects resisting the Prince or Magistrate whom God has set over them yea though it be in the Abuse of his Power If in such case our Lord Jesus had resisted Mankind had never been Redeemed Yet had it been most easie for him had it been consistent with the Laws which he was to enact to have baffled all the Violence with which he was or could be assaulted For though he had but twelve Apostles even at first and of them only one that dared to fight for him yet could not I saith he have asked of my Father and he would have given me more than twelve Legions of Angels But this would neither have stood with his Sufferings nor with the other Ends of his coming the Doctrine and Example of most holy Life which he was to leave unto the World And therefore as in the Text he most expresly delivers the Doctrine of Non-resistance Put up thy Sword into its Sheath so in the whole Context he practiseth it Wherefore none can esteem themselves Followers either of Christs Doctrine or Example that is none can esteem themselves Christians who shall in the hardest circumstances they can be put resist their Prince or those that are sent by him Thirdly Upon consideration of what has been said let us be moved to put a due value both upon our own and others Lives Let us not at least so vainly and trivially expose them as in every mad and rash fit we are apt to do I will not speak at present of those manifold indirect ways of Murder that are in the world When men do any unlawful or unwarrantable act to themselves or others by which though not intentionally the untimely End of either ensue as drinking themselves or others into mortal Fevours Frenzâ—â—s and a hundred like acts this is Murther before God though indirect indeed and only by consequence yet really and truly such My Text confines me more to the Sword-work And give me leave here a little to insist expresly against that abominable and most unreasonable but frequent practice of Duelling I beseech and conjure all men to consider neither the Old Law of God nor the Gospel make any difference betwixt Murder and what our Common Law calls Man-slaughter To attempt or design taking away the Life of any though in never so violent and transient a Passion is by Gods Law and by the Gospel Murder And no Murderer shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven that is most surely none who dyes impenitently such Now 't is seldome or never that any man dyes in a Duel but there dyes one singly or doubly a Murderer and impenitent For though murdered he dyes a Murderer at least of himself because he had no right to take the Sword and according as beforesaid by his taking it unwarrantably has brought his own Death upon himself Further 't is of all Duellists generally sure enough neither but would have sped the other the person slain would as truly have sped his Adversary as his Adversary has sped him could he have done it Wherefore in Will and Intention he that falls is a Murderer of the Surviver that is doubly a Murderer and in both cases too commonly impenitent as dying before he comes to Temper sedate enough for Repentance So that I say for the most part such persons die doubly Murderers and impenitent and then Good God! what is their estate Consider this in the name of God all ye that are so wickedly prodigal of your own and others both Bloud and Souls On what Trifles and ridiculous Punctiâ—io's do you generally venture both For when was there almost any private Duel heard of the Occasion whereof was such a wrong as the Law assigns a man Satisfaction for This is the general Resolution in these cases I can have no Satisfaction by Law therefore I 'll fight him Now let us but attend how unreasonable this Resolution is It amounts plainly to thus much the Affront or pretended Injury I have received is so small that the Law takes no notice of it therefore I 'll exact the greatest Satisfaction by or against any Law in any other case imaginable for greater cannot be given by Man than the mans own Life Nay perhaps what I design as a Satisfaction may be the greatest wrong to my self the loss of Body and Soul I may dye by it in my Sin Now is this reasonable such an one has done me a small wrong perhaps none perhaps has only cross'd me in my humour possibly too only in my Vices but admit he has done me a small wrong what then Why then I will compel him to do me a greater namely to kill me in his own defence Nay therefore will I do my self the greatest I will venture both Body and Soul in a most unchristian and unreasonable Revenge For being in this case I take the Sword of my own rash will without any Warrant from God or Man nay against the Laws of both may I not expect actually to perish by the Sword And because I presumptuously and with an high hand rush on such vile Sins to dye impenitently too and forsaken by Gods Grace which if I do how eternally deplorable but utterly irremediable is my Condition Oh! that men would but consider these things and value their own Lives only as God has valued them At least that they would but keep those Laws which he has made to preserve and secure them If but this could be obtained not one in an hundred of those who do would dye untimely or unnatural Deaths Lastly In case for our Sins God should so punish this Nation that we should live to see the Sword of War drawn again let us remember we have been this day taught our Duty in such times Let us all that are able or qualified to take the Sword take it at his Hands and in his Defence who has received the Sword from God our King 's I mean Let us all stick to the Crown in its true and legal Descent This is the only way to keep good Conscience and the likeliest way to secure or retrieve Peace For if Pretenders find few or no Abetters if the great Body of the Nation take the side which all good men will take namely as said that of the Royal Authority all Civil Wars must quickly be at an and and others I think and hope we need not fear But God keep far from us all Attempts of any War And I know no better Preservative from any than that all would remember what our Saviour in teaching St. Peter here has taught us all They that take the Sword shall perish by the Sword The good Lord give Peace in our days and to the God of Peace be all Honour and Glory now and for ever Amen FINIS ERRATA PReface pag. 3. line 13. read Translation p. 8. l. 1. r. at all Serm. 1. p. 10. l. 14 r. the Frame p. 24. l. 4. r. but he p. 26. l. 21. blot out of the God p. p. 28. l. 7. r. of the most p. 30. l. 11. r. as for Serm. 2. in the Advertisement l. 11. r. 16. How indeed the line at 16. should have been broken off p. 3. margin r. Theophylact. p. 7. l. 16. r. indefeasible p. 12. l. 23. r. may please p. 13. l. penult r. Idolatrae p. 16. l. 19. r. This is ibid. l. 21. r. God Who p. 19. l. 16. for more r. move p. 22. l. 21. r. fatal p. 27. l. ult r. impassible p. 29. l. 25. r. or upon charity Serm. 4. p. 3. l. 25. r. fickle p. 21. l. 6. r. account of p. 23. l. 23. r. Casuistical p. 24. l. 15. r. Guilty p. 30. l. 17. r. in my Serm. 6. p. 4. l. 16. r. on what p. 13. l. 16. r. expiring their souls may p. 19. l. 11. r. Death