the Text. I come now to the other General Duty viz. That of a Good subject which is Secondly To Honour the King and this consists chiefly I. In Honouring or Reverencing their Persons for the sake of their Authority II. In Paying Tribute unto them III. In Praying for them And IV. In Obeying their Lawful Commands I. As to the Persons for the sake of their Authority We generally find that whenever People are once disaffected to the Persons of Men they have little regard to their Station or any other Perfection they are endowed with Now though God doth highly disapprove and condemn all reflections upon others especially for those Infirmities which are not in the Power of Man to prevent yet the Persons of Kings ought to be accounted Sacred and more peculiarly to be exempted from the vulgar Censures of Men. Thou shalt not revile the Gods nor speak evil of the Ruler of thy People says God himself Ex. 22. 28. And the Reason may be not only the restraining of unjust Censures and Reports but the prevention of a disrepect which insensibly encreases against the Dignity as well as the Persons Thus our Law tells us That the Crown takes away all defects And even the Murmuring Israelites when as David was once settled in the Throne never objected against his being the Youngest Son of Jesse but acknowledg Him to be worth ten Thousand of them As being the Lord 's Anointed But this Honouring their Persons will be of little use to the Government of a Kingdom unless II. We pay Tribute also Since it is the Supream care to Defend and provide for the Publick good 't is but reasonable that the Charge should be maintain'd by a publick Revenue which can never be fixt and settled in any Nation but must encrease proportionably to the different Circumstances of times And the strength or Power of those Enemies we have to encounter Nor are we to delay provisions for our safety till we are actually invaded But must prudently endeavour to fortify our selves against any surprize not accounting such preparations unnecessary Grandeur but useful precautions for our common safety and defence To make which the more effectual III. We must Pray for Kings according to St. Paul's exhortation Let supplications Prayers intercessions and giving of Thanks be made for all Men especially for Kings and all that are in Authority under them that we may lead a quiet and peaceable Life in all Godliness and Honesty 1 Tim. 2. 1 2. The affairs of a Kingdom are of such Moment that Kings of of all others ought to be most assisted And this of Prayer is not only one of the best but the cheapest way of doing it There is that promise to our Prayers which is not to our Treasures And if we faithfully and devoutly pray God to direct and prosper the Counsels of our Governours they may and no doubt will render the other much more effectual Hezekiahs Prayer was more prevalent than the United strength of all Judah against the vast Army of Sennacherib Let not these therefore be wanting which are of such Powerful influence and may be perform'd without any cost and with very little labour And so I shall pass to Fourthly The fourth branch of our Duty to Kings and that is Obedience to their Lawful commands This is fully set down by the Apostle a little before my Text. Submit your selves to every Ordinance of Man for the Lords sake whether it be unto the King as Supream or unto Governours as unto those that are sent by him for the punishment of Evil-doers and for the Praise of them that do well For so is the will of God that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish Men. so that when the King commands any thing which God or the Law of the Land do not forbid it may be said That his Commands are to be observed for the Lord's sake because God the Supream commands such subjection to the King his Vicegerent in matters of Government And if these were Duties incumbent upon the Christians in those days when Tyranny Persecution and Arbitrary Power were the avowed practises of those in Authority who broke through all Laws to attain their ungovernable Wills and in particular levell'd their Malice against the Church of God with an entire resolution to ruin and destroy it Certainly our present circumstances do much rather enforce the Obligation to this Duty having One now sitting on the Throne who makes it his whole Delight to defend and protect us Insomuch as never any King did more to deserve that Authority which Providence hath thought fit to confer upon him For to Enumerate some few of his many Glorious Actions since the straitness of time will not allow me to mention more How seasonably did he come to our relief when our Religion and Liberty were even Mark'd out for Destruction How continually hath God Bless'd his Endeavours with such success as apparently testify his Divine Approbation How unaccountably did God by him put an hook in the Nostrils of the great Leviathan and force him to surrender by a Peace what could not be got in War With what industrious Fatigue and singular Prudence hath he continued his Transmarine Voyages not giving himself up to Luxury and Excess as the reward of his Labours but by his Presence abroad improving the Confederacy in Peace as well as War and animating them by his immediate Counsel and Conduct to Frustrate the great designs of that Mighty King who is still Watchful and ready when where and whom he may devour By which means he hath preserv'd us from dangers beyond our reach to foresee and obtain'd Benefits we are not aware of But I need not enlarge to you upon this Topick Your Loyalty hath been in this Age sufficiently remarkable You were the only Persons who stood up in Defence of our Laws and Religion against Anarchy and Confusion when as the rest of the Nation seem'd to be in a deep Lethargy Nor did that Publick Spirit of our Ancient Gentry under the Conduct of the Honourable Father expire with the Fatal issue of that glorious Design But exerted it self as Need requir'd with equal Vigour by assisting the no less Right Honourable Son who did so zealously and successfully revive the Courage of our Country-Men as very much Facilitated the late Happy Revolution and will Chronicle our Natives with Honour to all Posterity Neither are we only Eminent for Loyalty but can assert a Title as good as any to the other three Duties of the Text. For as no County can produce more Ancient Families than Ours So none are more respected and Honoured in it which is but the due acknowledgment of their Exemplary Hospitality The intermixt Matches of Families which formerly were seldom out of the County hath so generally Allianc'd one to another as the whole is a kind of Literal Brotherhood And Lastly That Motto we bear of Antiqui colant Antiquum Dierum engages Us in imitation of our Ancestors to worship the God of our Fathers So that the whole Text is as it were a Character of your Conversations What then remains but that we earnestly beseech God that we may persevere in Wel-doing That those who have enjoyed and those who now are to reap the benefit of this Honourable Society may with Thankful Hearts pray for and Honour their Benefactors and make a right use of that Charity bestowed on them Let us also Pray that God would continue this generous and Religious Spirit upon our Country-Men to succeeding Generations And assist us by his Grace so truly to Fear God and Honour the King that we may daily grow in Favour with both FINIS
A SERMON Preach'd before the Honourable Society OF THE NATIVES Of the most Ancient County-Palatine and City of CHESTER At St Mary le Bow London December 7th 1699. Published at the Request of the Stewards By PETER SHELLEY M. A. Rector of Woodford in Essex LONDON Printed by Tho. Warren for Thomas Bennet at the Half-Moon in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1700. TO MY Worthy Country-Men Treasurers Mr Richard Aston Mr William Alexander John Hale Esq Mr Thomas Asâ—croft Mr Samuel Leadbeater Mr Carleton Vanbrug Mr Robert Mainwaring Mr Daniel Green Mr William Rutter Mr Edward Brooke Mr Richard Tyler Mr Richard Goldsmith Stewards of the Honourable Society of the Natives in the most Ancient County-Palatine and City of Chester Gentlemen YOur Earnest Request for the Printing of this Discourse was no less surprizing than your appâ—inting me to Preach it For as my belov'd retirement 〈◊〉 the place I now live in together with my long 〈…〉 my â—ative Câ—â—ntry had interrupted all Acquaintance with and as I thought render'd me unknown to you So I did not imagine but the meanness of the Performance would induce you to avoid all further Reflections on your Choice by Omitting a Customary Complement rather than to defend it by Obliging me to prefix your Names in its Vindication Though in this case the Printing your Approbation will be far from publishing it Since the Sermon is never likely to have so many Readers as it had Auditors But whatever it wants of Ornament I am sure it is not defective in an honest plain good Intent and whatever influence it may have on others those great and unexpected Civilities I have received from you upon this Occasion will for ever engage me to be Gentlemen Your Most Obliged and Most Humble Servant Peter Shelley A SERMON Preach'd at the CHESHIRE-FEAST 1 Pet. ii 17. Honour all Men Love the Brotherhood Fear God Honour the King VVHAT the Holy Apostle urges in this Chapter as the most proper method for Christians to observe under the Persecution of the Roman Tyranny and in the Infancy of Christianity that they might prevail against all Opposition is no less practicable for us at this time tho' God be Thanked under far different Circumstances What was necessary to propagate the Christian Religion will undoubtedly protect it when Establish'd and those Lawful means which at first promote will as probably continue our welfare Thus the advice of my Text is a general and Summary comprehension of our Duty as Christians and a sure guide to our Prosperity as Men Teaching us the most infallible means to attain and grow in favour both with God and Man For if we Honour all Men and Love the Brotherhood if we Fear God and Honour the King undoutedly our Israel will flourish Peace will be within our Walls and Plenteousness in all our Palaces The Words contain two general Parts The first more particularly relates to the Alternate duty between private Persons Honour all Men but especially Love the Brotherhood The second enjoins the duty of Inferiors to their Superior viz. of Creatures to their Creator and of Subjects to their King Fear God and Honour the King For the better understanding of which I think is not improper to give you the import or meaning of the Word Honour and First It signifies an outward Gesture or Reverence of the Body by bowing the Head puting off of the Hat or any other such like civil respect according to the Custom of the Nation we live in Thus Lev. 19. 32. Thou shalt rise up before the Hoary Head and Honour the Face of the Old Man Secondly It signifies to censer Honour upon another as God Himself speaking of the Righteous Man Ps 91. 15. says I will be with him in trouble I will deliver him and honour him i. e. I will advance him to honour Thirdly It is taken for the joint Devotion of the Body and Heart by paying all External and Internal Reverence unto God as we read of Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon who after God had Punished his Presumption and restored him to his Understanding and Kingdom makes this Solemn Declaration Now I Nebuchadnezzar Praise and Extol and Honour the King of Heaven Dan. 4. 34. Fourthly It is taken for a Charitable distribution of some part of our Estates according to our Abilities and the Necessities of those who want In which sense Solomon advises us To Honour God with our Substance and the First-Fruits of all our encrease Prov. 3. 9. i. e. to give what we can well and Prudently spare to such Charitable Uses as may best tend to the Advancâ—ment of Piety and the Manifestation of our Thankfulness to the Almighty And this is called Honouring of God because in so doing 1st We as His Faithful Stewards become Dispensers of His Bounty to the Needy 2ly We tacitely acknowledge our Gratitude to Him for His Goodness towards us 3ly We own Him for the Lord and Donor of all and consequently that the Honour and Glory of all is due unto Him which Charity Thankfulness and Humility thus united is an acceptable Method of ascribing Honour unto Him Now tho' I must acknowledge that the Honour here mentioned is by the Apostle more particularly intended of that which we owe to the subordinate and deputed Magistrates who are set over us by Kings and Princes yet the Words may very well include a larger sense especially since St. Paul advises us to be kindly Affectioned one to another in Brotherly Love in honour prefering one another Rom. 12. 10. as also when He exhorts Timothy to Honour Widows that are Widows indeed and to account the Elders who rule well worthy of double Honour So that in strictness of the sense we are positively commanded in the first Words to Honour Reverence and Respect our Governours according to their several Degrees and Qualities not only in respect of their Persons but their Authority rendering to all of them their dues Tribute to whom tribute is due Custom to whom custom Fear to whom fear Honour to whom honour 'T is not then an equal and indifferent behaviour towards all Men as some no less proudly than ignorantly imagine which the Words enjoin but such an Honour as admits of several Degrees according to the several Stations of Persons and even excludes some as altogether incapable or undeserving to have any Honour pay'd unto them For though with God in regard of the Impartiality of his Justice there be no respect of Persons yet in order to the better Government of the World He hath placed some Men as Vessels of Honour above others of whom He Himself tells us I have said ye are Gods And certainly to refuse to pay our Obliged honour to such is as ridiculous and unseemly as it is to give it unto Fools or Beggars But besides those whom God and the King have set over us there is Honour due to some by their Birth and Quality to others upon the account of their Parts and Abilities and to a
Original mould nor will there be in the dust of the Grave The rich and poor are equal in this the Lord is the Maker of them both He could either have made the Birth abortive or the wisest and richest Fools and Beggars Nay He can in a small time reduce the most Potent Monarch from the Throne to the Dung-hill and as He did Nebuchadnezzar make him dwell with the wild Asses and eat Grass with the Beasts of the Field For it is by His free Grace alone that we are what we are We can make Him no Retaliation for the good things He hath plentifully bestowed on us we must therefore pay to the Creature in this sense what is due to the Creator And since every other Species delights in its kind 't is Natural as well as Religious for one Man to assist and supply the necessities of another Yet least this Duty tho' apparently reasonable should be neglected and Men endeavour ungratefully to excuse what they are unwilling to perform we have many plain and positive Commands in Scripture to enforce us to it and therefore must be Charitable Secondly In Obedience to God's Commands There is scarce any Command in Scripture more frequently repeated especially in the New Testament than to Love one another and there can be no instance of our Love more useful or convincing than by our relieving the Necessitous In prosperity every one hath Friends but in adversity few have any For that 's the touchstone of true Friendship and we must gratefully acknowledge the Fidelity of those who supply our Necessities when there is no prospect of a return Yet that this Virtue may not want its due Encouragement nor the Poor Benefactors God himself gives this positive Command Deut. 15. Thou shalt Open thine hand wide unto thy brother to thy poor and to thy needy in the land Thou shalt surely give unto him and thy heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him because that for this very thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy Works and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto Here we have a positive Command to be Charitable and that in a large measure we must open our hand wide i. e. liberally and freely Answerable to their Occasions and our Abilities And the reason of this Command is the more observable being for this very Cause God hath blessed some with riches above ohers that they might be his Faithful Stewards and Treasurers for the Poor Nor is it a diminution to any ones greatness to Exercise this Virtue Nay 't is indeed the Principal intent of God in raising some above others For since all Superiority is for the publick Good the greatest Soveraigns and Princes cannot more firmly establish themselves in their greatness or be more Honourably employ'd than in relieving the needy and oppressed Who are as foils to Diamonds which tho' of inferiour estimation do notwithstanding very much encrease and set off the Lustre Nothing makes them more resemble the Great God of Heaven from whom alone they derive their Authority than to imitate the Divine Goodness in Works of Universal Mercy and Compassion So that it may be no small motive to this Duty if I briefly inform you First Of the Excellency of Charity Secondly Of some Promises attending it As to the First It is a Divine Vertue not only acceptable unto God but in a disproportionable manner evincing us to be resemblers of him And yet in this case he is so far from being jealous of any assault upon his Honour that being essentially Bountiful in himself he delights to see it shine in his Creatures And according to his Bounty unto any he expects they should contribute to the necessities of others This is the best Testimony of our Thankfulness unto God Honourable in its own Nature and help to the Needy Profitable to our very selves commended by others and an Act which makes Gods as it were of Men by communicating to those who want things necessary to their Being and Well-Being So that such Persons are as Visible God's distributing the common necessaries of Life to the Poor who next under God seem to have an immediate dependance upon charitable People And whose Welfare is in a manner at their discretion as they please to diffuse or restrain their Bounty And in this respect the Rich and Charitable are as it were the perpetual Overseers of the Poor the very Conduits of God's Liberality He places his Treasures in their hands and if they prove Faithful in Distributing as well as Receiving of his Bounty they make themselves Friends of that which otherwise will prove the Mammon of Vnrighteousness But that no encouragement may be wanting to promote this Duty Secondly God hath annexed Promises to the performance of it suitable to our humane conceptions as it were on purpose to stifle all Objections which avarice might object against it For least any one should be restrain'd from this Duty through fear of impoverishing himself God assures us Prov. 11. 25. That the Liberal Soul shall be made Fat And he that watereth others shall be watered also himself And in the 28 chap. at the 27. v. He that giveth unto the Poor shall not lack But least these should not be prevalent enough it is expresly said Prov. 19. 17. He that hath Pity on the Poor Lendeth unto the Lord and that which he hath given will God pay him again Here the Lord himself expresly becomes a surety and 't is very certain that he who refuses to lend upon this security must unavoidably displease God For besides the Breach of his Commands he tacitely indeed but yet very plainly confesses That he believes either God is unable and cannot pay or that he is unjust and will not pay what he Promises Now judge whether either of these Opinions are fit to be conceived of Him who by His Power hath made the World and in Equity preserves it But our Blessed Saviour goes yet further and plainly assures us That if we give it shall not only be repaid unto us but with such great interest as methinks should tempt a Miser even with full measure pressed down and running-over And thus have I briefly insisted upon some motives to this Duty of Charity As to the Persons most proper or the proportion to be alloted them it is altogether needless for me to direct Your former Experience will best instruct you in these particulars and God prosper the Methods you have taken May he who alone can Sanctify your Charity for the Uses intended as also those by whom and those to whom it is to be distributed But besides this Love to the Persons separately as Brethren Secondly We are to Love the Brotherhood collectively as a Church And indeed this is the Principal intent of the Apostle This is the most endearing amiable instance of Brotherly affection when with one Heart and one Mind we Worship the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness To obtain and continue