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A26303
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Ahitophel's policy defeated a sermon preached on the 9th of September, being the day appointed by His Majesty for a publick thanksgiving for his kingdoms great deliverance from the late treasonable conspiracy against his sacred person and government.
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1683
(1683)
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Wing A439A; ESTC R19991
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19,330
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32
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Children of Israel he was reputed the Fairest and therefore by the Vulgar who judge more by Sense than Reason would be accounted the most Deserving And indeed a Beautiful and Graceful Visage is apt to beget a secret love and esteem in Wiser men Virtuous Habits shine more Illustriously through a Beautiful Countenance and receive some Additional Grace from a well-proportion'd Body And on the other side nothing is more dangerous than Painted sin For the deformities of Vice cover'd over with a lovely Meen will pass for the fair Embellishments of Virtue so that the unwary Admirer of the one is soon tainted with the other whilst his Fancy is pleas'd his Judgment is defil'd and he swallows the most poysonous Drugs under the Name and Colour of Golden Pills He therefore who abuses these Gifts of Nature and uses them not as Recommendations of Virtue but Enticements unto Sin does waste his Talent and has reason to fear that hereafter he shall find the Reward of a wicked and faithless Servant These graceless Servants who instead of improving do misemploy their Endowments are highly Injurious unto the Lord of Heaven and Earth and at the last day will be miserably confounded when he shall require his own with usury If none be to be so much prais'd as Absalom for his Beauty and none so much to be condemned for his uncomely Qualities If from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot there be no blemish in him and yet all the Actions of his life be very ugly and fouly mishapen the Symmetry of his body will serve only to aggravate the Irregularities of his mind If the Pharisee's Hands be wash'd when his Heart is full of all manner of Corruption he 's still a Pharisee and shall receive the Woe denounc'd against such hypocritical Sinners for tho' he may deceive short-sighted Men he cannot impose upon the All-seeing God He may Cheat his Neighbour who looks only on the out-side but not him who discerns all the secrets of our hearts 3. Another advantage in Absalom's person was his Plausible Carriage and Popular Behaviour When any man came nigh him to do him obeisance he put forth his hand and took him and kissed him Ch. XV. v. 5. A courteous and friendly Deportment towards Inferiours if it proceed from a natural temper is a sign of an ingenuous disposition But if it be an Habit fix'd upon the Principles of Morality and true Religion is an admirable Vertue and most attractive of common approbation He who is sensible that Humanity and Gentleness is a common Debt will not confine his Civility to them who are above but will suffer it to descend on those below him He will treat all Persons with temperate and calm Language neither flattering his Betters nor despising those who move in a lesser Sphere He knows how to put a Just Value upon himself without the Unjust Contempt of others and does not think a Disdainful and Proud Behaviour to be a necessary Qualification of an Accomplish'd Gentleman He as much avoids the Moroseness of the sullen Stoick as the Vanity of the light Epicurean Having first sought himself in his own Conscience and endeavour'd to approve himself unto God as he does not seek so he doth altogether disdain other men's esteem if he can Please them for their good to edification or which by the way is the true meaning of Edification can thereby build them up in their Christian Faith in the Communion of the one Holy Catholick-Church Had Absalom's obligeing Carriage been founded upon this Principle and directed onely to this End no wise Man would have blam'd his Conduct But when his Popularity sprang from a rotten and corrupt heart and was design'd to inveigle men into a treacherous Conspiracy When he complemented the People only in order to his own Greatness and his Father's Ruine All his fair Words and taking Gestures were but so many Artificial Tricks of Leger-de-main whereby he stole away the Hearts of the People from his Father and of Loyal Subjects transform'd them into Revolting Rebels As the Lion is most Couchant when his Aims are most bloody so he put on the Guise of the greatest Meekness and Humility that with greater advantage he might seise upon his prey He fell down and humbled himself that the Congregation of the poor might fall into the hands of his Captains Psal X. 11. 4. In the next place we may observe That Absalom's stout Courage and manly Resolutions prompted him to Engage and promise unto himself Success in such a dangerous Undertaking His High Spirit could not well brook any Equal much less a Superiour tho' it was his own Father who by a triple Right Natural Civil and Religious might have commanded his Obedience This threefold Cord one would think might have bound his extravagant Passions to their good behaviour But alas what Obligations are strong enough to restrain the unruly Efforts of an hard-mouth'd Courage What signifies Reason Law and Duty on the one side or the prospect of Danger on the other to a Valiant Heart enflamed with the Fire of Ambition Such an one sees no Obstacles either of Conscience or Difficulty in the way therefore he presses on without either wit or fear and doubts not but that he shall either find or make an easie passage unto his desir'd Kingdom Had Absalom sat down and calmly consider'd with himself what an horrid Crime it was to Depose his Lawful Soveraign and dearest Parent how hard a matter the Subversion of a well settl'd Kingdom was likely to prove how strongly Princes are guarded by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and how frequently the Divine Providence doth detect and confound the Designs of Disobedient Sons and Rebellious Subjects Had he seriously weigh'd these things he would have found that his fancy'd Dominion and Greatness in one Scale was not able to counter-ballance the Sin and Danger of this Conspiracy in the other But what Reason and Consideration can be expected from Brutal Courage and Armed Madness From Natural Strength heated with the Feaverish Imaginations of Crowns and Scepters This High and Daring Disposition Absalom's Politick-Drivers saw and abused His heady Resolution and inconsiderate Boldness made him they knew very well the fitter Instrument to actuate their Malice They give Advice and he is to undertake the Combats They Contrive and he is to Act within those Lines which they have Chalked-out As his Blood serv'd to Countenance so his Great Spirit to Animate their Wicked Intentions Out of his Discontented Passion his Counsellors wrought their own Ends and as it often happens unto Young and Noble Dispositions entangled him in their Old and most Dishonourable Designs But such men shall surely answer not only for themselves but also those whom they have Seduced If Absalom by the Management of a Faithful Counsellour might in his Station have become an Ornament of his Country and by Ahitophel's wicked Insinuations is made the worst of Subjects such
Ahitophel's Policy Defeated A SERMON Preached on the 9th of September Being the Day appointed by His MAJESTY for a Publick Thanksgiving For HIS and the KINGDOMS GREAT DELIVERANCE From the late Treasonable CONSPIRACY Against His Sacred Person and Government For it was not an Enemy that reproached me then I could have born it neither was it be that hated me that did magnifie himself against me then I would have hid my self from him But it was thou one whom I esteemed as my self my guide and my acquaintance we took sweet counsel together Psalm LV. 12 13 14. Regum exitus si reputaverimus plures à suis quà m ab hostibus interemptos reperiemus Quint. Curt. L. IX Non creditur nisi perpetratum facinus Liv. L. XL. LONDON Printed for W. Kettilby at the Bishops Head in S. Paul's Church-yard 1683. 2 Sam. XV. 12. And Absalom sent for Ahitophel the Gilonite Davids Counsellour from his City even from Giloh while he offered Sacrifices and the Conspiracy was strong for the people increased continually with Absalom WE read in the XIII Chapter of this Book that Absalom having kill'd his Brother Ammon for defiling his Sister Tamar presently fled unto Geshur in Syria where he continued some time with King Talmai his Grandfather by the Mother's side Ammon was elder Brother and therefore considering Absalom's aspiring Genius 't is probable that he committed this Parricide rather out of an Ambition he had to be the more nearly related to the Crown than any Vertuous Detestation of his Brothers sin Such as God was sometimes pleas'd to put into the hearts of the Jewish Zealots However he takes this occasion to remove him out of the way and because he justly feared that his Father David would not let so foul a Fact go unpunish'd he flyes from his presence and returns not again to Jerusalem till about three years after When Joab perceiving the King's Affections towards his Son by the Parable which he put into the mouth of the Widow of Tekoah prevail'd with the King to issue out Order for bringing him back again to the Imperial City So Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem Ch. XIV v. 23. Where after he had resided about two years he is permitted to see the King's face and is graciously receiv'd into favour Good King David could not cast off the bowels and tenderness of a Father tho' he unnatural Child abandon's all the Duty of a Son for instead of repenting for what he had done he seconds his former sin with another of a more hainous nature to Murther he adds Rebellion And he who before had illegally kill'd his Brother does now both against all the Laws of God and man wickedly Conspire against his own Father For this purpose he prepares Chariots and Horses and fifty men to guard his body from the assaults of his Enemies that is the Kings Friends And because he well knew that his Design would not take Effect unless the Multitude were drawn into the Design by fair speeches and flattering insinuations he Steals away the Peoples hearts from his Father David And lest his secret Machinations should be discover'd he resolves to quit Jerusalem Accordingly he begs and obtains leave to depart And to cover his black Designs with a fair Appearance he alledges Religion as the Cause of his removal I pray thee says he unto the King let me go and pay my Vow which I have vowed unto the Lord in Hebron The pious King was glad to find his Son so well dispos'd hopeing that now he would seriously repent of his former wickedness He therefore easily granted his request and said unto him go in peace So he arose and went to Hebron When he was come thither he sends for Ahitophel that cunning Politician And now Wit and Strength Judgment and Courage being united no wonder that the People daily flock'd to Absalom and that great numbers continually listed themselves into the Conspiracy And Absalom sent for Ahitophel the Gilonite Davids Counsellour from his City even from Giloh while he offered sacrifices and the Conspiracy was strong for the People encreased continually with Absalom I shall consider the words with relation unto the Context and therefore shall not strictly bind my self within the compass of this Verse but represent this Conspiracy as it is more fully described in this and the following Chapters where we have an Account I. Of the Heads and Chief Promoters of it II. Of the Person against whom it was design'd III. The Pretences by which it was carry'd on IV. The Progress which was made in it And V. how at last it was happily Discover'd and Defeated I. The Chief Heads and Promoters of it were Absalom and Ahitophel two whose Qualifications render'd them fit both to project and execute this horrid Conspiracy For who amongst all the Children of Israel more likely to go further in a Rebellion than Absalom whose Birth and Beauty plausible Carriage and undauntd Courage seem'd to speak him a King at the first sight and Challenge the highest place of Honour as a Reward naturally due unto his great Accomplishments 1. By Birth we find that he was the King's Son tho' not the Immediate Successour For David had another Son elder than he was 2 Sam. III. 3. But no matter whether the Title be lawful or no. Ambition stays not to Examine such small Punctilio's In his own Thoughts he 's the most deserving and he 's already Crown'd in the Peoples Favour Why should he stand upon the niceties of Law when his own Merits and the Voice of the Multitude have already declar'd him King And what Consecration can be more Sacred than this wherein Intrinsick Worth and External Testimony do both concur Shall the Plea of Hereditary Succession be admitted against a Claim Seal'd in Heaven and proclaim'd on Earth by God's Representatives the People I am the King's Son as we may suppose Absalom arguing the case with himself and tho' there be another elder than I am yet being neither fit to Govern nor Beloved of the People the Priviledge which he has by Birth is cancell'd and therefore the Right of Succession devolves upon me who am the next in order I have the Royal Blood in my Veins as well as he and none of those Impediments which disanuls his Birthright and make him altogether uncapable to be King of Israel Thus we may suppose Absalom's ambitious Thoughts roving beyond all the Sacred Bounds of God's Laws to find out new Arguments whereby he might prove that he and not his Elder Brother was by especial Providence design'd to Succeed in the Throne of his Father David 2. And as by Birth he was the King's Son so he had other Advantages which did not a little encourage him in his Treasonable Attempt His fair and comely Feature render'd him amiable in the Eyes of Men and did silently plead his Cause with those who Judge according to appearance and not righteous Judgment Amongst all the