Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A15391
|
Conspiracie against kings, heauens scorne A sermon preached at Westminster-Abbey before the iudges, vpon the fifth of Nouemb. 1622. By Ro: Willan, Doctor in Diuinity.
|
Willan, Robert, d. 1630.
|
1622
(1622)
|
STC 25669; ESTC S120042
|
18,128
|
54
|
Periphrasis of the place of his abode He dwels in heauen By a Prosopopeia attributing improperly but significantly a splen and laughter vnto God So the Catastrophe and conclusion of all conspiracie is the Sarcasmos and bitter scorne of God Neither is the ingemination of the word a needlesse tautologie but an amplifying Emphasis repetens iterum iterumque monebat doubling the admonition to beware how men fall by rebelling against God his Anointed into such a degree of miserie as to be contemned of God I begin with the Text as a Prophesie The old fiction of the Gyants warre is heere represented in a true action The petie Potentates of the earth are in armes against the graund Lord of heauen who if he thunders the greatest of them tremble and with Tiberius flie for defence to the poore refuge of a Laurell wreath If he makes the earth to shake What priuiledge haue their Palaces aboue the meanest cottages will the Angels come at their call or the Sunne shine at their commaund Nay come lower in the ayre beyond a Nimrods tower they cannot build which the birds will flie ouer In earth is their dominion and that limited circumscribed their bounds dooled out by him whom they oppose The Persian Monarchie did not passe the narrow Hellespont The Grecian neuer had one foot in Africa nor the Romane beyond Euphrates Ouer men they rule neither those which are past nor those which are to haue beeing not ouer one whole man the body they may destroy the soule is out of their reach they cannot compell the will nor alter the affection of the meanest What Forces then can you bring into the field weigh your strength Are you able to resist his power from whom your owne is deriued no surely this rebellion is not directly intended against God but his Anointed Iesus Christ 't is a mistake they cannot be seuered He that doth not honour the Sonne doeth not honour the Father who sent him 't is against both but especially against King Iesus a King indeed euen as a man by most iust title the Deitie being vnited to the humanitie gaue him right ouer all things hauing purchased the world by the effusion of his blood he is absolute Lord ouer it his humiliation promerited this exaltation and being the naturall Sonne of God he obtained it as his patrimonie Is he a King what are the Ensignes of his authoritie where is his crowne not like Dauids which he raught from Hadarezers head that was of pearle his of thornes which mille puncturis with a thousand stings pierced his royall head Yet S. Iohn sees not onely many crownes vpon that head but all crownes cast at his feete Is he a King where is his throne not like Solomons of Iuory his was of wood the Crosse Dominus regnauit a ligno The malitious Iewes rased the last words out of the Text * Iustin Mart. Triph. Tertull. aduer Mar. yet by the Title they set vp they acknowledged his souereigntie and their owne rebellion Quem Israel crucifixit vt maleficum * Clement Alex. coronauit vt regem VVhom they crucified as a malefactour they stiled a King Is he a King where is his court besides that in heauen in the hearts of his chosen there hee keepes residence Is he a King where lies his Exchequer and reuenewes not like Augustus who taxed all the world and did no more then hee might Tribute is Princes due as markes of their power sinewes of their maintenance recompences of their labours But this King exinaniuit seipsum did emptie himselfe to in rich his subiects and out of the treasurie of his mercie paid all their scores as Elias gaue the widow oyle enough to satisfie her creditors and to liue beside so this King bestowed vpon vs his sorrowes and obedience to cancell the hand writing against vs together with the rich talents of his grace which well imployed will make vs liue for euer The Tribute he requires is praise and honour of his holy Name the rent hee cals for is faith in his merits the homage he expects is obedience to his Lawes His Lawes what are they Mandata eius non sunt grauia His commandements are not grieuous whatsoeuer he teacheth is trueth what hee inioynes is righteousnesse what he promiseth is happines and yet against this King Dauid fore-sees this great tumult and opposition No sooner did this King display his banners so Esay cals it * Esay 11. 12. In signum populorum for a signe to the people to muster vp the world to an holy warre against the deuill and sinne but presently they band to ouerthrow his standard and to teare his colours Esay his Signum populorum becomes * Luke 2. Simeon his Signum contradictionis It is a Metaphor from Archers who set vp a marke to shoote at and striue to sticke their shafts in the very center of it Such a marke was King Iesus vpon whom both Iewes and Gentiles did emptie all their quiuers Herod the father began the leading shoote with a deadly arrow to entrap the life of Christ in his cradle hee caused fourteene thousand infants to be put to death but missed his aime Herod the sonne shot at him an arrow of scorne and mocked him The Priests and people shot at him an arrow of accusation Gens tua Pontifices tuj accusant te Pilate the Roman Iudge shot the vp-shot of condemnation but as elegantly Ambrose Absoluit iudicio condemnauit mysterio He absolued him in his iudgement and condemned him in a mysterie What mysterie this of the Text the heathen and the people Iewes and Gentiles the vulgar and ruler Herod and Pilate Annas and Caiaphas conspired against King Iesus Heere is the accomplishment of this Prophecie once fulfilled in Christ our Head euer to be fulfilled in the Church and his members As long as it continues vpon earth it shall euer bee haunted with one of these three Furies 1. Persecution 2. Varietie of opinions 3. The vnanswerable conuersation of Christians to the rule prescribed Sometime Tyrants seeke to deuoure the Church and to roote vp the seedes of truth not onely those without her pale but in her bosome * Del Rio Adag Sacru The Monke who ambitious of Martyrdome told the Souldan that hee was come into his Court to die for preaching the truth was answered I wish it had not beene true hee needed not haue trauelled so far for death For he might easily finde it among his Princes at home but force neuer got ground of truth all tempters of that kind were inforced to confesse with the cruell Queene Ego prosum sola nocendo Heresies indeed haue done more mischiefe by deflouring pure doctrine some so foolish as made Christianitie ridiculous to wise men some so wretched as made Christianitie reiected by honest men Oh Christian Religion the cleare fountaine of peace and vnion how doe thy distractions turne thee into a puddle of quarels and contentions How are thy
Sometimes hee lets them make some progresse in their attempts The Philistins surprise his owne Arke and carrie it away but did not God smile when their idoll Dagon tumled downe to doe it reuerence and themselues so tormented with sickenes as they were enforced to restore their pilfer with shame enough When superstition and idolatry seeme to bee aduanced the restauration tendes to the greater ruine Is Dagon perked vp to his place againe short is the wickeds ioy Gods smile takes off his head and hands leaues him neither wisedome to guide nor power to subsist He permitted his Temple to be sacked rifled the holy vessels to be prophaned and caroused in but did not Gods smile make Balthasar to tremble at the hand-writing vpon the wall Oh what are his frownes if his smiles bee so terrible We may not iudge of Gods workes vntill the fift act the case deplorable and desperate in outward appearance may with one smile from heauen finde a blessed issue 3 This laughter argues not so much what God doth as what they suffer by discouering and frustrating their practises hee exposeth them to scorne and contempt Aboue hell there is not a greater punishment then to become a Sannio a subiect of scorne Sampson bare with more patience the boring out of his eyes thē the ludibrious scoffes of the Philistins Alcibiades did professe that neither the proscription of his goods nor his banishment nor the woundes receiued in his body were so grieuous vnto him as one scornefull word of his enemy Ctesiphon Good Queene Ester in her prayer to God for her people doth humbly deprecate this height of infelicity O let them not laugh at our ruines and Dauid holdes it for a singular token of Gods fauour By this I know thou hast a respect vnto mee that mine enemie doeth not triumph ouer mee 4 Lastly hee laughes that is hee despises their prayers and stops his eares when they call vpon him A Chirurgion neuer cures a wound while the iron or steele remaine in it nor doth God heare the suites of those whose will continues in sin whose thoughts are iron steele gun-powder They may conceiue prayers and take the Sacrament but God highly disdains that his dreadful name holy institutiō should be so prophaned Praier is our bil of exchange and is allowed in heauen and returnes with what sums of blessing we desire if agreeable to his wil. But when mischieuous intentions appeare God protests their bills and proclaimes them bankrupts of his grace to all the world So then Dauid hath found great opposition but withall a sure protection men sought his ouerthrow God wrought their confusion Rebellious doome is heauens scorne One word of this text as an Embleme to this day shall giue a period to your patience This day the fift of Nouember a fatall inauspicious day branded in historie with a blacke coale for mischiefe Among the Grecians it was kept with sad solemnitie for the losse of noble Aratus the often Plutarch in rita Arati Manlij Calendarium preseruer of his country Among the Iewes famous for the slaughter of Zacharias the Priest that day butchered in the temple betweene the porch and the altar our Sauiour vpbraiding the murder many yeeres after the fact Among our selues neuer to be forgotten a day for which we neede no Darius prompter Memento Atheniensium A day quem semper acerbum semper honoratum as he said of his fathers death day euer to be thought vpon with sadnesse and yet euer to bee remembred with ioy For as Lucullus said of a day ominous fatall he would make it luckie and prosperous so blessed be the change God hath turned the funerall into a festiuall I wil not recount the well known story only I must put the Quare why against our gracious Soueraigne Could any complaine of his iustice That is such as it were not best for any greatnesse to aduenture vpon Or of his mercie that is such as his enemies neuer implored in vaine Or of his vnquiet disposition he is the Nestor of the times Componere lites inter Peliden festinat inter Atriden Hee was euer euer will be the Noah of the age borne to giue men rest from their toiles and labours the loadstar of his actions is peace he hath alwayes called to the raging Christians as the moderate Roman Parte ciuibus Pompey Spare your blood spend not that prodigally among your selues which thriftily imployed might ransome your friends and ruine your enemies What cause then can you alledge yes a colour one fault his Maiestie hath which sure he will neuer amend the same fault which was found in Daniel long agoe hee was so faithfull as no blame no occasion found but onely in the worship and seruice of his God That is the true Quare His Maiestie doeth not open his windowes to the Romane Saints but toward Ierusalem aboue and prayes to the God of Heauen No roaring of Bulles can make him set vp an Idolatrous calfe as Ieroboam did Hee will not erect Images as Nabuchadnezzar did nor to gratifie any forraigne Power set vp an Altar according to the patterne of Damascus as Achas did nor alter his Profession for Affinitie as Hemor and Sichem did This was the Quare of their malice and withall of Gods mercie towards him For as all Kings and Kingdomes are vnder the wings of Gods protection yet those principally where his Church is fostered and his sauing knowledge spread It is his custome those who promote his seruice and take care of his holy businesse hee vsually prouids for their safetie Doe the Israelites goe vp to his solemnities leaue their countrey vnpeopled to performe his command Tho Borderers bee prone to take occasion of inlarging their Territorie Quemque suae rapiunt scelerata ad proelia Luca. causae God will take away that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and itching appetite of incroching no man shall desire their land no man dare inuade them If the Quare bee asked for the Parliament Why raged they against it The Text shewes that the breaking of the Bands was their intention there the Lawes were made which held them in awe This Place where wee now are calleth for a Quare Why should this stately Pile haue been demolished and not one stone left vpon another This is Abrahams Mach-pelah the burying Caue of the Patriarks Hierou ad Marcel Dauids Mausolaeum so Hierom called his Sepulchre whereat hee was wont to pray This is Solomons royall Reconditorie wherein were one and twente receptacles or Celles as if in the spirit of Prophecie he had foreseene how many Kings should be interred there for iust so many in number if you account from Dauid to Zedechiah This is Iosephs Garden a dedicated Cemetery containing veterum decora alta parentum the sacred vrnes and deare reliques of our famous deceased Princes Why did the heathen rage For say the people were Christian yet the rage was heathenish and barbarous aboue all madnesse The Lunaticke in the Gospel who liued among the Graues did not roote them vp I end all He that dwelleth in the heauens looked downe vpon vs let vs looke vp to him since by his mercy we liue and breath let vs liue to breath Praise and Thankes-giuing vnto his Name He hath neither zeale to Religion nor loue to his Countrey nor loyaltie to his Soueraigne who this day binds not the Sacrifice with cordes to the hornes of the Altar who this day sends not vp to heauen some incense of thanks The Iewes once a yeere were wont to celebrate a Feast to sorrow wherein they went barefoot and with bitter imprecations they cursed Titus and Vespasian for the destruction of their Citie and Temple I speake confidently fidenter quia fideliter and I may say it without breach of any rule of charitie Priests Iesuits and all such Romanists as haue euill will at our Sion this day doe keepe a feast to sadnesse if not for griefe that this hopefull Plot miscaried yet for shame vnlesse they be past shame that it was attempted Let their sorrow increase our ioy let our ioy increase our Thankfulnes As Caesar said of Phraates he was prius victus quam visus so this Conspiracie against our Dauid was knetched before it was fully hatched vndertaken but ouertaken Hee that dwels in Heauen laught it to scorne To him therefore this day and euer be ascribed all Honour praise and glory Amen FINIS LONDON ¶ Printed by IOHN BILL M. DC XXII