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A15391
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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.
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Willan, Robert, d. 1630.
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1622
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STC 25669; ESTC S120042
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18,128
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54
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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
CONSPIRACIE AGAINST KINGS HEAVENS SCORNE A Sermon preached at Westminster-Abbey before the Iudges vpon the fifth of NOVEMB 1622. BY RO WILLAN Doctor in Diuinity Sitotus orbis aduersum me coniuraret vt quippiam moliar aduersus regiam Maiestatem ego tamen Deum timerem ordinatum ab eo Regem offendere temerè non auderem BERN. Epist 170. ad Ludouic Franc. Regem LONDON Printed by IOHN BILL 1622. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE AND REVEREND FATHER IN God IOHN Lord Bishop of Lincolne Keeper of the great Seale MY LORD A Great part of this Sermon is spent vpon a Quare perhaps a Quare will be put to the Sermon it selfe that in Iob Quare misero data est lux why doth this poore Labour behold the light I can answer nothing but the Reuerend Iudges before whom it was bound to appeare vpon tryall adiudged it to be pressed Appealing to the Chancery so great vnion and harmony is betweene the Courts no reuersing of the Doome was to be had there So Obedience Gratitude and Modestie striuing together the last could not alone make her party good against two Obedience pleaded that authority is dissolued when sullen silence possesses such as are commanded to speake or print all is one Gratitude aduised me by an Embolisme or intercalation to insert my priuate thankefulnesse among the publike gratulations of all men some for redresse of their wrongs some for the dispatch of their interminable suites some for faire denyall of their vniust petitions accounting your Lordship another Cato of whom they durst not aske any thing irregular the good reioycing to see as the Athenians sent out their Salaminian ship swift and sure in dangerous seasons so this acedious and corrupt Age incountred with your assiduous and actiue integritie the most curious interpreters of great actions euen those who wished not such honour to your profession deeming it an Egyptian spoyle and a mysterie disclosed that a Gouernour might be chosen out of Rome confessing where many were thought capable of high place vntill they attained it Imperio proditus inferior your Lordship by the assistance of His grace which will conduct you to the races end hath satisfied if not exceeded expectation Then Modestie tho blushing at Vnworthines yet hoping to shun the censure of ouer-forwardnesse neuer adventuring but Candidior postquam tondenti barba cadebat consented to tender it vnto your protection Nil illum amplexa verebor Vouchsafe then from your first Chaplaine these first Fruites capitur minimo thuris honore Deus When God gaue his people an haruest of fruites hee reserued to himselfe a sheafe of thankes such a sheafe for the haruest of fauour and maintenance is this accompanied with prayers to that high God who giues salutem sublimium orationibus humilium still to multiply his graces vpon you and giue you the true happines of this and a better life Your Lordships humble and thankfull seruant RO. WILLIAN Gresham Coll. Decemb. 4. PSAL. 2. 1 Why did the Gentiles rage and the people meditate a vaine thing 2 The Kings of the earth stood vp and the Rulers tooke counsell together against the Lord and against his Anoynted 3 Let vs breake their bonds a sunder and cast their cords from vs. 4 He that dwelleth in the heauens shall laugh them to scorne the Lord shall haue them in derision THis Text like Ianus looks backward and forward Backe to reuiue the memory of this Day t' was a day of conspiracie and this is a Text of conspiracie Forward to represent the face of the times present tumultuarie times and this is a tumultuarie Text. Although blessed be God and the care of our Soueraigne we inioy Halcion dayes yet it is not so in other Christian parts of the world They haue found them pardon the word Dogge-dayes it is Tertullians Canicula persecutionis Such is the furie and rage of one against another that the fume and smoke thereof prognosticates the fire * of conslagration ready to breake 〈…〉 Naz. â—rat 3. de 〈◊〉 foorth to consume all When the Apostles were forbidden to preach in the sauing Name of Iesus they tooke their incouragement out of this Psalme Memorable Luther when all the world was in opposition against him found his best comfort in this Psalme Why should I sayes he be Heraclitus when God is Hilarius and Gelasius or vexe my selfe with discontent * 〈◊〉 ep ad 〈◊〉 when God vouchsafes to be merrie and laughes at their vaine attempts We our selues may make a double vse of this Psalme To raise vp our thankfulnesse for our owne happy deliuerance past and our peaceable estate present while others struggle against luctantes ventos tempestatesque sonoras and withall be affected to compassionate the contrition of Ioseph And so I come to vnfold the words wishing I had Saint Ambrose his facultie In Psalmis Dauidis explicandis eius lyram plectrum videtur mutuatus Posseuin Apparat * who in the exposition of Dauids Psalms is said to haue borrowed Dauids owne Harpe so properly hee exprest his meaning The Text may bee considered three wayes As a Prophesie as an Historie as an Embleme Dauid represents a threefold person his Sauiours his owne and ours Dauid was no sooner designed King ouer Israel but the bordering Nations and the ten Tribes made head and conspired What he saw acted against his owne person he foresaw in the eye of Prophesie should be accomplished vpon his Sauiour For so S. Peter vpon the fore-named place applies these words of the Psalme to the Passion of our Lord Iesus As an Embleme it fitteth this day wherein the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and vtter subuersion of this flourishing Kingdome was intended The parts of the Text are two First Dauids hard plight and condition Secondly Dauids sweet comfort and consolation The first in two particulars 1. A conspiracie 2. the cause of it In the conspiracie obserue the actors and the managing The actors all sorts of men the basest and the choicest spirits the Ruler and the vulgar euery one hath a hand in it The managing is described in foure Verbes Raging Meditating Banding Plotting so it hath foure fearefull supporters Malice Industrie Power Policie The cause none on Dauids part for that is implyed in the Prophets Quare The motiue on his enemies part Let vs breake their bonds asunder and cast the yoke from vs I there it is The cause of sedition is the dislike of Gouernment they will not brooke either State or Church no Law no Religion The second part Dauids consolation and that two-fold within him without him First the testimonie of his owne conscience that no ambition of his owne made him aspire to a Crowne but God called him and the Prophet anointed him Without the protection of heauen God looked vpon him with an eye of fauour vpon his enemies with an eye of scorne Hee that dwelleth in the heauens shall laugh them to scorne A double description of God by a