jus est De jure Regni P. 15. ut imperium cui velit deferat He hath now many followers and it is a wonder to see how that these men who professe that they will banish all Popery root and branch are yet drawing in Popery by head and shoulders for I know no point of doctrine which can with better reason be termed Popery then that which had a Pope for the first author of it and which in it selfe is so false as being contrary unto the Scriptures to the doctrine of the ancient Church and even contrary to the confession of many of the wisest amongst the Heathen for Homer tearmes Kings the sons and off-spring of Iupiter Anal. Lib. 3. so doth Callimachus and the wise Tacitus saith Principes imperium à Deo habent Therefore some Emperors did stamp't their Coine with an hand comming out of the Clouds holding a Crowne and setting it on their heads and accordingly did stile themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Crowned by God And yet for all this the Iesuites and Puritanes pretend that the Scripture is for them because forsooth Deut. 17.15 the constitution of a King seemes to be left unto the People Constitues eum Regem super te thou shalt set him King over thee whom the Lord thy God shall choose So the choosing of the King is ascribed unto the people 1. Sam. 8.18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your King which ye have chosen the like is Chap. 12.13 Behold the King whom ye have chosen The making of the King is ascribed unto the People 1. Sam. 11.15 And all the People went to Gilgall and there they made Saul King before the Lord. The anointing of the King is ascribed unto the People 2. Sam. 2.4 And the men of Iudah came to Hebron and there they anointed David King over the house of Iudah And Chap. 5.3 So all the Elders of Israell came to the King to Hebron and they anointed David King over Israel So it is said of Solomon 1. Chron. 29.22 And they made Solomon King the second time and anointed him unto the Lord. Of Rehoboam 1. Kings 12.1 All Israell were come to Sechem to make him King Of Ioash 2. Kings 11.12 That when Iehojada had shewed unto the Captaines and the Guard the Kings Sonne and put the Crowne upon him and given him the testimony that they made him King and anointid him Of Azariah 2. Kings 14.21 And all the People of Iudah took Azariah and made him King instead of his Father Amaziah Of Josiah when his Father Ammon was slaine 2. Kings 21.24 And the People of the Land made Iosiah his sonne King in his stead Of Iehoahaz 2. Kings 23.30 And the People of the Land took Iehoahaz the sonne of Iosiah and anointed him and made him King in his Fathers stead And yet for all this it is certaine that the constituting the choosing the making the anointing of the King did not properly belong unto the people For in that place Deut. 17.15 the choice of the King is plainly reserved unto God Thou shalt in any wise set him King over thee whom the Lord thy God shall choose And so God did choose Saul first as Samuell told them 1. Sam. 12.13 The Lord hath set a King over you God designed him unto Samuel commanded him to anoint him without the consent or privity of the People he caused the lot to fall upon him and therefore albeit it be said that the People went to Gilgall and there made Saul King yet we know that Saul was King before that chosen at Mizpech by the Lord as Samuel saith 1. Sam. 10.24 See ye him whom the Lord hath chosen he was there publiquely acknowledged and received with acclamations And all the People shouted and said God save the King ibid. The men also whose hearts God had touched went with him and gave him presents vers 26 27. He had also done the Office of a King raising Armes and fighting against their Enemies Chap. 11.4 So that that act of the People in Gilgall of making him King was onely a renewing of the Kingdome as Samuel tearmes it in the words going before Let us go to Gilgall and renew the Kingdome there vers 14. They did renew it by a solemne inauguration And when God had rejected Saul for his disobedience it is manifest that he onely did choose David and establish the Kingdome in his line no man did contribute any thing to his advancement for if Samuel might have had his will Eliab had been King and not David So God choose Solomon among all the Sons of David to succeed him as David tells us 1. Chron. 28.5 And of all my sonnes he hath chosen Solomon my sonne to sit upon the throne of the Kingdome and when David was upon his death bed and all the People together with Abiathar the High-Priest and Joab the Generall of the Army had set their eyes upon Adonijah to make him King David commanded Zadocke the Priest and Nathan the Prophet to anoint Solomon King 1. King 1.34 All the rest succeeded by the right of inheritance God having now setled the Crowne in his line insomuch that albeit it be said that all Israell went to Sechem to make Rehoboam King yet in the words immediately going before we read that Solomon slept with his Fathers and Rehoboam his sonne raigned in his stead 1. King 11.43 So that Rehoboam raigned before the People went to Sechem to make him King And therefore the constituting choosing making anointing of the King which is ascribed unto the People must be understood onely of their Solemne Declaration and acceptation of their King otherwise the Scripture shall be contrary unto it selfe which we may not in any wise admit That this is the true meaning of these phrases may further appeare because as the People are said to make Saul King so Samuel is said to make him King 1 Sam. 12.1 And Samuel said unto all Israel behold I have hearkened unto your voice in all that you said unto me and have made a King over you Now it is certain that Samuel did nothing but onely powred a box of oyle upon him by Gods direction yet for performing of that Ceremony he is said to make him King so the People for performing another part of the solemnity are said to make him King Again as the People are said to make the King so they are said to anoint him they anointed David in Hebron they anointed Solomon unto the Lord we know it never belonged unto the People to anoint that Office was ever performed by Priest or Prophet yet are the People said to anoint the King because they were present when he was anointed did concurre to make up the solemnity testifying their approbation of that act And as they are said to anoint the King so are they said to anoint the Priest 1 Chron. 29.22 They anointed Solomon unto the Lord to be the chiefe governour and Zadock to be
THE BLESSING OF IVDAH Explained and applied to the present times in a Sermon preached at S. MARIES OXFORD March 27. 1644. Being the Anniversary of His Majesties Inauguration to His Crowne Before some of the Lords and the Honourable Members of the House of Commons there assembled Wherein amongst other things is strongly proved that the King is immediately dependent from God and receiveth not His power from the people By HENRY LESLIE Bishop of Downe Published by Command of Authority And King David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the Priests saying Speak unto the Elders of Iudah saying Why are yee the last to bring the King backe to his house 2 SAM 19.11 OXFORD Printed by LEONARD LICHFIELD Printer to the Vniversity 1644. DEUT. 33.7 And this is the blessing of Iudah and he said heare Lord the voyce of Iudah and bring him vnto his People Let his hands be sufficient for him and be thou an help to him from his enemies THe first words of this Text containe the Title and stand as it were an Inscription written over the head of the Verse And this is the blessing of Iudah touching which blessing three things are expressed 1. Quis the Person blessing and that is Moses And he said 2. Cui the Person to whom the blessing is given is Iudah 3. Quid the blessing it selfe it is a Prayer unto God for Iudah consisting of foure Petitions the first is that God would heare the Prayer of Iudah Heare Lord the voyce of Iudah 2. That God would set Iudah as King over his People and establish a firme union betweene him and them And bring him unto his People 3. That he would grant him strength and wealth Let his hands be sufficient for him 4. That God would give him Victory in the day of Battle And be thou an helpe to him from his Enemies The Person who blesseth is Moses and he said even he who is mentioned in the first verse of this Chapter And this is the blessing wherewith Moses the Man of God blessed the Children of Israel before his death The Apostle saith without all contradiction the lesse is blessed of the greater Heb. 7.7 which is to be understood of that blessing which is ex authoritate for there is also a blessing ex Devotione wherewith an inferiour may blesse his Superiour a Subject doth blesse his Prince and man doth blesse God in hearty devotion But the blessing which is ex authoritate commeth alwayes from the greater And such was Moses his blessing a blessing with authority for he blesseth them in the name of the Lord beginning his blessing after this manner The Lord came from Sinai c. vers 2. He blesseth the Sonnes of Iacob in the name of the God of Iacob And he had good authority to blesse in Gods name if we doe but consider what he was Moses the man of God vers 1. The servant of the Lord Iosh 1.1 Gods chosen one Psal 106.23 Gods Secretary who spake with God face to face Exod. 33.11 and saw him who is invisible Heb. 11.27 Moses the leader of Gods People out of Aegypt and his Law-giver as it is vers 4. Moses commanded us a Law Moses a Prophet and the greatest amongst Prophets before Christ came Chap. 18.15 and not onely a Prophet but a King also as it is in the fifth verse He was a King in Iesurun In all these respects Moses had good right to blesse especially before his death it being the custome of the Patriarches to blesse their Children on their death-bed The Partie blessed is Iudah Iudah was the fourth sonne of Iacob unto whom by the forfeiture of Ruben the birth-right did descend and in whose posterity the Crowne was established according to the prophecie of Iacob Iudah Thou art he whom thy Brethren shall praise Thy Fathers Children shall bow downe before thee The Scepter shall not depart from Iudah Gen. 49.8 and 10. And God himselfe sayes Iudah is my Law-giver Psal 108.8 The like you have 1. Chron. 5.2 Judah prevailed above his Brethren and of him came the chiefe rulers So David acknowledgeth 1. Chron. 28.4 The Lord God of Israel chose me before all the house of my Father to be King over Israel for ever for he hath chosen Iudah to be the ruler And Psal 78.67 He refused the Tabernacle of Ioseph and chose not the Tribe of Ephraim But chose the Tribe of Iudah Iudah in all their Battells had the Vanguard by Gods own direction and was to go up first against the Enemy as you will find Num. 11.3 Chap. 10.14 Iudg. 1.2 Chap. 20.18 The first Iudge whom God raised to deliver the Children of Israel was Othoniel of the Tribe of Iudah Iud. 3.9 And the first King in whose line the Kingdome was established was of Iudah and when the ten Tribes made defection after Ieroboam there was none that followed the house of David but the Tribe of Judah onely 1. King 12.20 so that by Iudah here we shall understand the Kings Tribe his Familie and Person too for in the words following in my Text he is distinguished from his People introduc eum ad populum suum In the third place we come unto the blessing it selfe which is a prayer for Iudah and indeed we can blesse no other wayes but by praying God to blesse our Benedicere is bene-precari When God is said to blesse us his blessing is Operative making us blessed indeed when we are said to blesse God our blessing is Declarative pronouncing him to be blessed and when we blesse others our blessing is Optative wishing blessednesse unto them And yet this blessing of Moses is not onely a prayer but also a prophecy as was the blessing of Iacob Gen. 49.1 And Iacob called unto his sonnes and said gather your selves together that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last dayes So Moses here sheweth unto them those things which should befall them in the last dayes that which he prayes for unto Iudah he foretels shall happen unto him namely that God shall heare his voice bring him unto his people make his hands sufficient for him and helpe him against his enemies The first petition is Heare Lord the voice of Iudah that is the prayer of Iudah as the Chaldee Paraphrase translates it But shall Iudah need to pray Yes Iudah signifies Confession or Praise and there is no man hath more need to call upon God than Iudah hath for the strength of Iudah lyeth in his God In this short petition three things are implied 1. That Iudah shall be in distresse 2. That in his distresse he shall utter his voice and call upon God 3. That God shall heare his prayer First I say Iudah shall be in distresse for albeit he be exalted farre above the ranke of other men yet is he not exempted from the common condition of mortals Nebuchadnezzars Image may teach us that the feet of every Empire are of clay Dan. 2.33 that is very
was given him from above but if he had received his power from the people Christ should have said De subter not De super The judgement which they execute is Gods saith Moses Deut. 1.17 and they iudge not for man but for the Lord that is in the Lords place saith Iehosaphat 2 Chron. 19.6 They are Gods Ministers even 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 13.4 which is a name peculiar to Church-Officers so termed because they are Gods Deputies or Lieutenants upon earth appointed to procure not onely the temporall but also the eternall happinesse of the People by planting and preserving the true service of God This was acknowledged by Popes in ancient times for Pope Eleutherius writing to Lucius the first Christian King in Britaine termed him Gods Vicar within his Kingdome so did Pope Anastasius stile Anastasius Caesar but it is not my purpose at this time to speake of the Kings Power in Causes Ecclesiasticall but onely to prove that they are advanced by God and receive their power from him for which I have yet a cloud of witnesses to produce The making of a King is ascribed to God 1 Kings 3.7 And now O Lord my God saith Solomon thou hast made thy servant King instead of David my father The providing of a King is ascribed unto God 1 Sam. 16.1 For I have provided me a King The setting up of a King belongeth unto God for this Moses prayed before his death Numb 27.16 Let the Lord the God of the spirits of all flesh set a man over the congregation where we shall do well to marke the stile which is given to God The God of the spirits of all flesh as he is the God of the spirits of all flesh that is of the soules of all men so is he the God who sets a man over the Congregation now God is the Authour of the soule of man immediately by creation and infusion albeit an humane act do intervene so is he the Authour of regall power immediately though some humane acts do intervene to the investing of the King with that power So God after Moses death set Ioshua over the Congregation and all that succeeded him in that charge Samuel said of Saul Behold the Lord hath set a king over you 1. Sam. 12.13 where he useth the same phrase which is used of Christ and of his kingdome Psal 2.6 I have set my king upon my holy hill of Sion We know that no man had a hand in constituting Christ King over his Church so the advancement of Saul was not from men but from God And least you should thinke that this was peculiar unto the Kings of the Iewes who were Gods owne People and he their King in a speciall manner I must shew unto you that all other Kings as well as they are advanced by God He anointed Hazael to be King over Syria 1 Kings 19.15 He gave unto Cyrus all the kingdomes of the earth as he himselfe confesseth 2. Chron. 36.23 Ezra 1.2 As God gave these kingdomes to Cyrus so before he had given them unto Nebuchadnezzar as the Lord himselfe testifieth Ier. 27.6 And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar c. And Ezech. 29.19 Behold I will give the land of Aegypt unto Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar not knowing s◠〈◊〉 was â—â—â—ed to converse with beasts untill he 〈…〉 this lesson that he had received the kingdome dominion and power from God Dan. 4. Kings in Scripture are called Gods Kings and the Lord 's Anointed Christi Domini and Christi eius above twenty times but we no where reade Christi Populi nor Christi Pontificis to shew that they are dependent from none but from God onely and that stile is given unto Heathen Kings as well as to the Kings of Iudah as namely unto Cyrus Isay 45.1 Yea that all Kings are advanced by God and receive their power from him is fully declared by God in that message which he sent to the Kings of Edom Moab Ammon Tyrus and Zidon by the hand of the messengers Thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel thus shall yee say unto your Masters I have made the earth the man and the beast that are upon the ground by my great power and by my out-stretched arme and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me Ier. 27. vers 3 4 5. The son of Syrach speaketh universally of all Kings Ecclus. 17.17 In the division of the Nations of the whole earth he set a ruler over every People He saith nor that he set Rulers but a Ruler for God did not institute a Democracy nor Aristocracy but a Monarchy and it was not the People who set a Ruler over them but God set a Ruler over the People and this was universall over every People in the division of the Nations of the whole earth onely Israel is excepted whom God reserved to be under his own immediate command as it followeth in that Text But Israel is the Lords portion In a word it is God that giveth Kings that chooseth them that anoints them that adopts them that exalts them we have them all in the Psalme 89. And therefore Solomons wisedome exhorts Kings after this manner Chap. 6.1 Heare O yee Kings understand yee that be Iudges of the ends of the earth give eare you that rule the People for power is given you of the Lord and Soveraignty from the highest By all these testimonies which I have produced it will appeare that there is no truth more fully more clearly revealed in Scripture then this that Kings are from God receive their power from him and neither from the Pope nor from the People This was the Divinity of the Primitive Church for at least eight hundred yeares Tertullian saith In Apologetico Inde est imperator unde homo antequam imperator inde potestas illi unde spiritus And before him Irenaus Lib. 5. adver Haeres Cujus jussu homines nascuntur hujus jussu Reges constituuntur Now it is certaine that Kings as men are created by God receive their breath from him neither from the Pope nor from the People as by Gods appointment they are borne so by his appointment they raigne St Austin speaketh fully to this purpose in many places so doth St Gregorie and the rest of the Fathers Let this suffice that it was never heard of in the Church of Christ that the people had any power to dispose of the Kings Crowne before Pope Zacharie Eginhart in Princie histori when the French were resolved to dethrone Childericke and to set up Pipin in his place they sent to the Pope to be resolved touching the lawfulnesse of that act and he like a bad Divine gave them an advice to their owne mind that they might doe it for that the People have power to make him King who manageth the affaires of the Kingdome Such a Papall determination and a worse too is given by Buquanan Populo
the duty which I owe unto this day to make some acknowledgement of those manifold graces wherewith God hath indued His Majesty and therein blessed us and I shall intreat you in the phrase of Philo to behold the image of a great mountain in a small ring to conceive the worth of a good King in the narrow words of an unskilfull speaker for I freely confesse the mercies of God bestowed on us in and by him are higher and greater then I can measure Turn over all your Chronicles and tell me what King was there ever in this Land so free from vice so eminent for vertue whose life was so Religious and exemplary as His Plinie saith there be three vertues which especially commend a Prince Paneg. namely Piety Temperance and Meeknesse and I believe that these are hardly to be found in a more eminent measure in any man living then in Him His Piety is seen in His frequenr acts of devotion and great reverence in Gods worship which I wish were recommended unto all His Subjects as a patterne for imitation His Temperance is such as may be in some sort compared with that of the ancient Philosophers And this is no smale blessing unto the Land Eccles. 10.17 for saith Salomon blessed art thou O Land when thy King is the sonne of Nobles and thy Princes eat in due season for strength and not for drunkenesse His Meeknesse mercy and clemency is so great that his greatest enemies and most perfidious Traytors do not dispaire of his pardon I should come farre short if I should only apply unto him the commendation of Augustus Quo nihil immensus mitius orbis habet He goes farre beyond that and hath learned the hardest lesson in Christianity not only to forgive his enemies but also to render good for evill Vnto these I might adde His great Iustice and Integrity which is such that He may make Samuels testament and say 1. Sam. 12.3 witnesse against me before the Lord whome have I defrauded whom have I oppressed or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blinde mine eyes Surely when God gave us such a King as he Crowned him with a Crown of Gold so he Crowned us with a Garland of Peace every man did sitt under his own vine and did eate the fruit of his own laboures Religion and Iustice did flourish there was great plenty in the Land there was no leading into captivity no complaining in our streets But alas we did not know our owne happinesse but were weary of his government as the Israelites were of Samuels so that for a long time he hath been driven from his People But it may be now we will learne to prize the blessing of a good King Carendo magis quà m fruendo by the miseries which we have endured since he was driven from his people Since our gracious Soveraigne hath been kept in Wardship under Tutors and Governors these Aegyptian taskmaisters have not only usurped the rights of his Crown but with more then Spanish cruelty Tyrannized over the Goods Lives and Liberties of the Subjects yea and over their Consciencies too forceing men to forsweare themselves and to forsake the true Religion wherein they were bred The time was when there was no King in Israel and these were very bad dayes Iud. 17. for in these dayes every man did that which was good in his owne eyes In these dayes Micha made him an Image set up a new Religion and got him a Chaplaine for the purpose In these dayes the men of Dan did rob kill and burn Iud. 18. In these dayes the men of Gibeah ravished a Woman Iud. 19. a Levites wife and that unto death And the censure which the holy Ghost passeth upon all these facts is this In these dayes there was no King in Jsrael but every man did that which was right in his owne eyes Almighty God because of our sinnes and especially for not acknowledging the blessing of a good and peaceable King hath caused these dayes to returne upon us There are many Michas who will have a new Religion by themselves for one image which Macha made they have set up an hundred fond imaginations so that they have already more Religions in London then ever was in Amsterdam Others kill burne and spoile a thousand times more then the men of Dan did Women also are ravished and much more wrong done to the Levites now then that which was done by the men of Gibeah So that one would think that even in these dayes there is no King in Israel Yet praised be God we have a King the best of Kings of whom I may truely say as a late Historian saith of Henry 6th against whom there was such a Treasonable combination Speed Pag. 856. as is against our King That he hath no fault but that he is too good to live amongst such Subjects But for all this every man doth what is right in his own eyes because the sonnes of Belial have risen up against him and taken from him that power whereby he should controule the wickednesse of men and execute vengeance on him that doth evill And a King who is thus robbed of his power Rom. 13.4 beareth the sword in vaine which ought not to be if we may beleive the Apostle or if you will take Solomons word for it Eccles 8.4 who saith Where the word of a King is there is power and who shall say unto him what doest thou If Solomon did live now he needed not to aske that question Who shall say unto the King what doest thou For now every one questions the King for his doings they charge him with many things which he never did accuse him even for these things which he did aright with these men the Kings word hath no power and so with them he is no King The same Solomon amongst the three or four comely things that order well their going reckoneth as the cheife in the last place Prov. 30.29.31 A King against whom there is no rising up If a King who is so powerfull that against him there is no rising up be a comely thing then certainly to take Power from a King and to rise up against him is a thing very uncomely But it may be the Close Committee is wiser then Solomon and they thinke it comely and decent to curbe a King to keep Him in bondage to rise up against him and to take all Power from him howsoever I beleeve Solomon and I know that to deale thus with a King is not onely uncomely but most unjust and impious It is unjustice to rob any man of his right much more to rob a King whom God hath priviledged and exempted from humane touch When there was onely a conspiracy intended against Henry the 3d the Traitor was put to most cruell death and the historian saith it was well done Speed 616. for that a Traitor is guilty of homicide of parricide
hath long dwelt with him that hateth Peace I am for Peace but when I speake they are for Warre I can best compare them though it be hard to find any to match them in villanie with that Rebellious rout of the Iewes who called themselves Zelators they under colour of fighting for Religion and Libertie Rebelled against Caesar and when Vespasian Lievtenant Generall to Nero who was sent to suppresse them offered them all termes of Peace Ioseph de bell Iud. L. 4. C. 5. L. 7. by the mouth of Iosephus they would not heare of it Titus so much pittied them that he earnestly entreated them to accept of Peace and save themselves from destruction but they scorned him â—ailed at him and endeavoured from the walls to kill him yet that mild Prince seeing the number of their slaine did lift up his eyes to Heaven and say 'T is well knowne to thee O Lord of Heaven that I am not the cause of these evills for I desired to be at Peace with them oftner then once but the Seditious evermore would nothing but Warre Warre I am sure our King may make the like Protestation And that you may see in how many things our Rebells doe resemble them I will note some other passages out of the history They hated Peace so much that it was death to move for it yea they killed one onely for praying God to send Peace and concord amongst them Howsoever in their Rebellion they pretended the Lords Cause and that they fought for the Law and Religion of their God which the Romanes had no purpose to debarre them of yet there was no Religion in their hearts for they choosed for their Chieftaines the grand Captaines of wickednesse they committed cruelties and outrages of all sorts they invited to come unto them whosoever desired to be rid of his Master or desired to be revenged on him who had done him wrong or who could not abide to be ruled by any or who had shed blood or was in debt and danger of the Law or who was disposed to robbe steale murder and eate and drinke freely at other mens cost And is it not so now with our Zelots They had their lying Prophets who incouraged the People to stand out in Rebellion yet certainly neither so many nor so impudent as there are now at London They made one Pavi the sonne of Peniel a Carter as good as a Coach-man high-Priest for saies the story they held the Priesthood and service of God but as gaudie toyes The like esteeme have our Zelots of the Ministrie Liturgie and administration of the Sacraments They accused such as were rich to be friends to Caesar and to have an intent to betray the City to Vespasian and so to use the phrase of this age they pronounced them Malignants and plundered them of all their goods These goodly Zelators I had almost said Puritans at last set the Temple on fire as our Zelots have set the Church of God on fire and defaced many materiall Temples and brought utter ruine upon themselves with the death of a million of men Some of them escaped unto Alexandria and there causing commotions for recovering their liberty were apprehended to the number of six hundred whose obstinacy saies Iosephus was to be admired L. 7. de Bell. Iud. cap. 29. for they endured all the torments that could be devised rather then they would acknowledge Caesar to be their Lord. They were not they could not be more obstinate and spitefull against Caesar then are the Rebells now against their gratious and Native King and therefore the greater zeal courage and resolution will be required in you to bring the King back unto his house When David was to return after his flight from Absolom the people did strive who should be most forward to bring him back and the men of Israel did hotly expostulate with the men of Iudah 2. Sam 19.41 c. for preventing them in the honour of that service I wish the like forwardnesse in you that in this you strive to bring Iudah unto his people and in nothing else for if you should be divided in other things and every man have his own ends and severall waies there will be little hope of any good to be done I told you in the explication that to bring Iudah unto his people imports an union betweene him and his people and now I shall adde only this that where there is a fracture and a breach as there is now a great one there is no way to salve it and to bring Iudah back again unto his people except that you who adhere unto Iudah be united amongst your selves Consider therefore I beseech you that there is no strength in divided forces as Menenius Agrippa Liv. L. 1. sheweth in an oration to the people of Rome by a parable of the Members of a mans body disagreeing amongst themselves Consider likewise that it was division which gave the Romans advantage against the Ancient Brittons Nec enim aliud saith Tacitus adversus validissimas gentes pro nobis utilius quam In vit Agric quod in commune non consulunt rarus ad propulsandum commune periculum convent us ita dum singuli pugnant uniuersi vincuntur and specially consider how the enemies of Iudah in both Kingdomes are united amongst themselves united with the bond of an Oath or rather a Covenant of perjury So that I may say as it is in the Psalm Psal 2.2 3. The rulers take counsell together against the Lord and against his anoynted therefore against the Lord because against his anoynted Saying let us break their bands asunder What bands why all the bands of Allegiance The like we read Psal 83. They have taken craftie counsell against thy People and consulted against thy hidden ones they have consulted together with one consent they are confederate against thee The tabernacles of Edom and the Ishmaelites of Moab and the Hagarens Geball and Ammon and Amalek the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre In Psa 140. Assur also is joyned with them Here is an unity in evill which St Hilary will not have called union but combination St Basil cals it Concors odium unity in hatred However I wish that in the poynt of agreement we may even follow their example albeit it be strange that any President of Peace should come from Schismaticks and that we may be as firmly united for Iudah as they are against him for there is most need of unity against united forces Put away therefore all divisive motions and look unto the Weal-publique and not every man to his own particular ends And truly such is my hope of you that you will deserve the commendation of the sonnes of Iudah Ezra 3.9 when they went about the rebuilding of the temple of whom it is said Et filij Iudah quasi vir unus that you will be like the children of Israel going against the Tribe of Benjamin for of them it is said And all the people arose as one man and againe Iudg. 20.8.11 So all the men of Israel arose against the City knit together as one man And that you will imitate the men of Iudah when Hezekiah appoynted the Passeover to be kept it is said 2. Chron. 30.12 Also in Iudah the hand of God was to give them one heart to do the commandment of the King I confesse that in this your forwardnesse hath prevented me and given me occasion to blesse God for you and I shall do it in the words of Deborah Praise the Lord for the avenging of Israel when the people willingly offered themselves Iudg. 5.2.9.2.9 My heart is towards the governours of Israel that offered themselves willingly among the people It is said 1. Chron. 12.18 Then the spirit came upon Amasa and he said thine are we O David and on thy side thou sonne of Iesse Peace Peace be unto thee and to thy helpers for the Lord thy God helpeth thee Such a spirit God hath sent upon you and if you continue to be thus affected it will be an easie matter to bring Iudah unto his people Yea God Almighty helpeth him as he did David he hath begun to bring him unto his people and to let him upon his throne he hath made his enemies to fly before him As this day requireth from us a thankfull comemoration of his Majesties first Inauguration unto his Crown so God hath given us a fresh occasion to praise him on this day for that great victory which he hath lately given unto his Majesties Forces At Newarke against the Rebells This should be unto us an earnest that God in his own time will perfect that work which he hath begun and Give great deliverances unto the King Psal 18.51 Psa 1.32.1 Psa 134.11 and shew mercy unto his Anoynted In the mean time I shall pray That God would remember our David in all his Troubles that he would rescue him and deliver him out of the hands of strange children that his arme may strengthen him so that the sonne of wickednesse do not afflict him Psal 89.21 22 23. that he would beat down his foes before his face and plague them that hate him Psal 83.11 12 13. Make their Nobles like Oreb and like Zeob yea all their Princes as Zebah and as Zelmunah Who said let us take to our selves the houses of God in possession O my God make them like a wheele and as the stubble before the wind Make them like a wheele saith the Prophet you know a wheele is made to turne round so will God make all their devices turne Round in their Heads he will bring the Counsells of Achitophel to nothing and scatter the people that delight in War so that their sword shall be sheathed in their own sides 1. Sam. 2.10 But he will give strength unto his King and exalt the horne of his anoynted And unto his people he will yet give the blessing of Peace which Almighty God of his infinite mercy grant c. FINIS