Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A49241
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A sermon preached before the Honourable House of Commons, at St. Margaret's Westminster, on the 30th of January, 1696/7 by William Lancaster ...
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Lancaster, William, 1650-1717.
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1697
(1697)
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Wing L315; ESTC R6275
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14,635
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35
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Lunae 1. die Feb. 1696. Ordered THat the Thanks of this House be given to Doctor Lancaster for the Sermon by him Preached before them upon Saturday last at St. Margaret's Westminster And that he be desired to Print the same and that Mr Robert Berty and Mr Drake do acquaint him therewith Paul Jodrell Cl. Dom. Com. A SERMON PREACHED Before the Honourable House of Commons AT St Margaret's Westminster On the 30th of January 1696 7. By WILLIAM LANCASTER D.D. Vicar of S. Martin's in the Fields LONDON Printed for Walter Kettilby at the Bishop's Head in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1697. A SERMON Preached before the Honourable House of Commons LAMENT V. 16. The Crown is fallen from our Head Wo to us for we have sinned THE Words are part of Jeremy's Lamentation and if we look into 2 Chron. 35.25 We shall find that this Lamentation was for the Death of King Josiah The words of that place in Chronicles are these And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah and all the singing men and singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day and made them an Ordinance in Israel and behold they are written in the Lamentations From these words I conclude That the Prophet in this place speaking of the downfall of the Crown does it with relation to the Death of that great and good King The Chronicle witnesses That Jeremy made Lamentation for him and that it was contain'd and written in the Lamentations And since these Words of the Prophet do so well express it we must believe that Josiah's downfall was the occasion of them He was a Pattern for all Princes and the Mourning which was to be in Judah and Jerusalem for him was to be a Pattern for all Lamentation The Prophet Zechary when he foretells the Passion and dying of our Lord Jesus upon the Cross says There shall be such mourning for Him as was for Josiah That they shall look on him whom they have pierced Zech. 12.10 which S. John c. 19. explains and applies to our Saviour exposed and wounded and bleeding upon the Cross And then the Prophet adds v. 11. That in that day there shall be great mourning in Jerusalem as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon The Lamentation for our Lord it is here foretold should be as great as that for Josiah who was slain in the Field of Battle at Megiddo which seems to have been the greatest Mourning that was ever known in Israel The words then I have sufficiently explain'd by shewing the occasion of them and the same History says That hereupon an Ordinance was made in Israel and the Book which was written many years at least some reigns after Josiah's Death says the observation of that Ordinance was continued a very long time They speak of him in their Lamentation to this day So that we may conclude thus much from that History that when Josiah was slain there was in Israel an Act an Ordinance a Law made for a solemn yearly Mourning for ever We see then we are now assembled by a Law made after a Precedent of great Antiquity and I may add of much greater Authority And since Providence has for our Sins given us the like Occasion let us implore his merciful Acceptance of the like Mourning and Humiliation and of our Service and Sorrow in Obedience to the Law in our own Nation made after the example of Israel and of this Divine Ordinance wherein the Wisdom of Heaven was most immediately concern'd The Civil Magistrate may by what Rules he pleases enquire after Persons disaffected and uneasy to the Government but methinks it were very natural to suspect all such persons as dangerous to Kings and States who rejoyce and seem to triumph at the fall of one of the best of Kings and at the promotion of the worst of Men and Murderers into his place It cannot be safe laughing when a Nation upon so good reason is commanded to be all in Tears not only lest God should be angry whose Judgments are thereby despised but also lest that Man who can be merry upon so sad and lamentable an occasion should be thought pleas'd with the publick Sorrow and that common Calamity which was the cause of it Every Man's experience tells him thus much that what we are glad of we wish may happen frequently and that occasion and matter of Joy can never come too often so that should the Anniversary for one Prince's Murder be to any Man a day of Joy I should suspect that Man wishes more such days as these and that we may have many such reasons for Jeremy to lament On the other hand what a Man sorrows and grieves and mourns for he wishes may never be repeated and that he may never hear of the like again So that days of Humiliation as they have sometimes been serviceable to Hypocrisie may serve for Politick Ends and Purposes as well as Religious to secure Princes from all attempts of cruel and bloody Men by creating an aversion to such barbarous Practices upon them in the minds of all Men. It is very natural for Sorrow and Shame to fill the Mind with horror and dislike of all Events or Actions which caused sorrow to possess the Mind with a principle and habitual desire to prevent such Actions for the time to come and all the Efforts and Endeavours which are made towards them The Jews had therefore very good reason to make an Ordinance for a yearly Mourning for Josiah as all other States and Governments have upon the like occasion because sorrow and affliction for the untimely Death of one King disposes the Mind to Care and Vigilance over the Life and Welfare of another And I think common Charity will teach us to believe That he who now does his dury to God and is just to the Blessed Memory of this day's Martyr can do no injury to the State or Person of his present Successor nor give way to so much as a Thought which may prejudice the Interest of that Brave Man who through so many Perils has asserted the Religion and Honour of the English Nation We may reckon upon Two sorts of Men who are avowed Enemies to our present Constitution The First are those little Wretches who yet dare meditate great and Bloody Villanies and endeavour the Confusion of their own Native Country by Assassines and bringing in upon us a Foreign Power These are not to be neglected because little since it has often been in the power of Wretches and small things to do great mischiefs But Secondly There are other Enemies who are far more powerfull and who have hit upon the only stratagem in the World which can undo us Such are they who endeavour to make God our Enemy and to rob us of his Care and Favour to whom alone we owe our Protection and Peace When the Almighty thunders and when his Judgments are abroad he expects we should tremble and be afraid and not live as if we either
may be as perilous as when he storms a Castle or takes a Town We have heard of these mens Crimes and sometimes of their Absolution but not a word of any publick Repentance for publick Sins but all go out of the World with a quiet Mind or are only sorry their Attempts succeeded not Now this can proceed from no other Cause but from that sole Principle and Opinion That it is Lawful to resist and to embrew their Hands in that Sacred Blood which has been too frequently and too far exposed in our Defence I wish that sort of Men would deal fairly and instead of vending among the People those Jesuitical Notions and Speculations they would go directly to the Prince's Chambers and tell them Him and give Him timely notice to look to Himself for that they will Rebell when they please and themselves are the proper Judges of their own time This is the real truth of the matter and Men who justifie Resistance and intend to practise it do not intend to ask the King's leave when they go about it do not wait for an Order of Council or a Patent or Instrument under the Broad Seal but their Convenience is their Commission and they bear their Authority on their Sword 's point Thus I say God has given some Men over to a reprobate Sence and from Murdering one King to maintain That all others may be lawfully Murder'd This is surely the most direful Curse that ever happen'd to any People to be given over to Impenitence and a hard Heart a Man in this state is got within the confines of Hell even while he lives upon Earth and has gone so far within the Gulph that he cannot return Moses was once angry and he repented David was guilty of Murder and Adultery and with Tears he washed off the guilt of Blood and of Uncleanness S. Peter deny'd his Lord and wept bitterly Nay Judas made some sort of Confession and seemed to be sorry when he returned the Money which was the Price of Blood Judas himself never betray'd and resisted and taught others to resist so that this is one degree above his Crime and will be punished in a place below him Men of no Religion and who have written in behalf of a Liberty I had almost said in behalf of an Indifferency of all Religions yet have thought fit to own That Principles not consistent with the repose and quiet and security of Government ought not to be tolerated or endured Now Men who teach and justifie the Lawfulness of resisting Kings maintain all Principles of Confusion in one word For First It will be hard to distinguish between Resistance and Rebellion they are Twins so very like each other that without some nicety in Metaphysicks a Man would mistake them for one and the same thing Secondly If a Man may Lawfully resist no man can Lawfully hinder Him or put a stop to his Resistance for what has any man to do to hinder or molest me when I am doing a Lawful thing I am then about my Lawful Employment Thirdly If Resistance be lawfull and men doing lawfull Actions are not to be hindered or molested be sure upon that account they cannot lawfully be punished and then all Treasons may go on and prosper And now as we are bound to pray for Kings and all in Authority so it is no less our Duty to teach such Doctrines as may secure to them the Possession of that Power and Soveraignty they have over us and the Duty and Allegeance we owe them as God's Ministers for our good It is not Affection alone nor is it Principle alone that renders Kings safe in the Enjoyment of their Crown and Dignity Principle may be too weak when Affection is lost and gone and Affection for a Prince without Principle too is but mutable and uncertain our Love is apt to vary and change and Affection goes with Interest and turns with it but when Affection for a Prince and a Principle of Conscience are joyn'd and united they make a Bond that will hold a Sampson and which the strongest Man cannot break But to conclude First Our Law and our publick Prayers complain of a Murder committed as on This Day and of the shedding Royal Blood Let us mourn and sorrow for it though as to our selves we had no hand in it the Heart must grieve for what the hand does and thereby we shall testify to all the World That although there is upon our Land the Guilt of Blood yet we are not those Savages that delight in Blood Secondly God in his Justice took away Josiah and He frequently takes away good Kings when the sins of the People tempt and provoke Him to it He has hitherto been gracious to us and deliver'd our Soveraign both from hidden Conspiracies and open Violence and has been his Defence when thousands have fallen at his Right and Left Hand Let us not by our Sins tempt God to take from us that Blessing we enjoy in Him Thirdly The Jews had their Temple and City Jerusalem destroy'd and themselves carried away Captive after the Death of Josiah think you they were Sinners above others I tell you nay The same People of God the Jews for the Murder of our Saviour were above Forty years afterwards finally ruin'd they and their Children think ye they were Sinners above others I tell you nay We know what follows Here is likewise the Cry of Innocent Blood at this day and we cannot presume that we have yet shed Tears enough to wash off the stain and pollution from our Land but that Posterity and Childrens Children may mourn under the Curse and Cry of it Wo to us c. This is a proper Subject for Jeremy's Lamentation here a man might with Him wish his Head a Well of Water and his Eyes a Fountain of Tears to bewail the Miseries due to so sinfull so ungodly so ungovernable a People Remember O Lord and let not those things come upon us which our sins deserve Let not our Inheritance be turned to strangers nor our Houses to Aliens who would be Lords over us Spare us good Lord Spare thy People turn away thy Wrath from us and together with all our other Iniquities pardon the Sin of this day Thou who hast shed thine own Blood to save us from Sin and from Wrath to come FINIS