not what was good for themselues inwardly greeued thereat yea and many wee know stormed at the same and laboured what in them lay to depose Dauid from his Throne and to depriue him of his Crowne of these was Abner the chiefe Captaine of Sauls host the chiefe who seeing Dauid now raigne in Hebron ouer Iudah tooke Ishbosheth Sauls sonne and made him king ouer Israel 2 Sam. 2. This know 2. Sam. 2. this people the thing was notorious amongst them yet comfortably they say one to another Let vs reioice and be glad as if they had said to each other what though many of the foolish people greeue at the aduauncemēt of our king Dauid yea and what though rebellious Abner his confederats of the house of Saule storme thereat and by the aduauncement of Ishbosheth to that crowne of Israel do not onely labour to keepe him backe from the Crowne of Israell which yet hee hath not but also to depose him from the Crowne of Iudah which hee now enioyeth yet as for vs Let vs reioice and be glad of it In like sort notwithstanding the great and vnspeakable happines of this Common wealth by the aduauncenent of Queene Elizabeth to the crowne thereof yet all reioyced not thereat neither haue they bene glad thereof but many no doubt of the foolish superstitious people haue greeued at it yea and many rebellious ones we know by insurrections openly and by conspiracies secretly haue laboured what in them lay baue aduentured there liues to depriue her of it but yet notwithstanding dearly beloued as for vs let not their foolishnes besotte vs but let vs reioice and bee glad thereof yea euen so many of vs which I hope is all of vs as haue a loue to the present prosperity of the Church of Christ amongst vs or a loue to the present peace and happines of this common wealth yea or a loue to the present welfare of our selues let vs reioice and bee glad for euen all these thinges next vnder God spring herefrom euē from the aduauncement of Queene Elizabeth Secondly concerning the time of this reioicing let vs say they reioyce and bee glad In it that is in this day which the Lord hath made for the aduauncement of Dauid Whereby we see that this people solemnly obserued and kept the day of the aduauncement of Dauid to the kingdome of Iudah which notwithstanding is not that obseruation of dayes dissliked and reiected by the Apostle Saint Paule Gal. 4. Coloss 2. Gal. 4. Col. 2. where only the superstitious obseruation of daies and times are condemned but religiously to obserue those dayes wherein the Lord hath done principall thinges either for the benefitte of his Church whether generall or particular amongest vs or for the benefite of the common wealth wherein wée liue as I finde neither cōmaundement nor counsaile nor example to condemne it so finde I manifold examples not amongest the Heathen people recorded by prophane writers which I willingly omit but amongest the people of God themselues set downe in the holy scriptures which I can not ouerslip What dayes the people of Israell were commaunded to keepe holy vnto the Lorde you may reade Deut. 16. and els where Deut. 16. euen the dayes of the Passeouer of Pētecost Tabernacles and some others in remembrance of those great blessinges which they had receiued at the hands of the Lord. Againe when by the meanes of Quéene Hester the Iewes vnder Ahashuerosh were preserued from the destruction practised against them by Haman and hauing ouerthrowen their enemies had gotten rest and were in safty shée by the aduise of hir godly vncle Mardocheus gaue cōmaundement vnto the whole people of the Iewes through out all the prouinces of the king Ahashuerosh that they should euery yeare keepe the xiiii and xv daies of the moneth Adar holy in remēbrance of their woonderfull deliuerance Ester 9. Againe Ester 9. when the same people by the means of Simon the high priest had bene deliuered from the tyranny of Tryphon Simon ordained that the same day euen the 23. day of the second moneth should bee kept euery yeare with gladnes 1. Mac. 13. and what neede more 1 Mac. 13. examples This people here seeing Dauid aduaunced to the kingdome of Iudah as a day wherein they had receiued so great a blessing at the handes of the Lord they solemnely obserue the same and that with reioycing saying this is the day which the Lord hath made let vs reioyce and be glad In it If euer the people of Israell had any iust cause to obserue with reioycing any day in remembrance ether of any euill auoided or of any benefite receiued at the handes of the Lord yea or if any people vnder the heauens hath had at any time iust occasion to do the same surely thē haue wee euen the people of this Common wealth as great cause as they that haue had the greatest whether in respect of the one or in respect of the other solemnely with reioycing to obserue this day wherein wee now breath the 17. of Nouember which is the day of the memorial of the beginning of the happy raigne of our most gracious soueraigne Queene Elizabeth ouer this land for on this day now 29. yeares it was that the Lord in mercy remembring vs whē we litle hoped and lesse deserued by taking away of Queene Mary aduaunced Queene Elizabeth ouer vs whereby what plagues wee were deliuered from and what blessednes wee reaped you heard before in part but can not fully bee expressed wherefore now in this day let vs reioyce and be glad yea and although euery day ought to be vnto vs a day of reioicing therat yet principally we ought to reioyce in this day How can wee but euery day reioyce thereat when as euery day wee reape the benefite thereof There doth not one day throughout the yeare nay throughout the whole course of our liues passe ouer our heads but that therein euery one of vs high and low rich and poore young and old do many wayes both see in others and feele in our selues the vnspeakable benefits of the aduauncement of Queene Elizabeth and therefore euery day ought to be vnto vs a day of reioycing euery day haue wee iust cause to fall downe on our knees and geue God thankes for Elizabeth but yet principally wee ought to reioyce in this day which now wee solemnly obserue in memoriall thereof for that this is the end wherfore all such solemne obseruation of special dayes for special benefites haue bene ordayned and vsed euen that they should be bestowed in reioycing not in fasting but in feasting not in weeping but in reioycing wherfore principally in this day we ought to reioyce for that aduauncement of Queene Elizabeth Therefore Let vs reioice and be glad in it Let not our so long enioying of her slacke our ioy or quaile our reioucing for her but rather as the longer wee enioy her the more wee are
opposed against the doing of man thereby shewing that it was brought to passe only by the power of the Lord without the helpe and beyond the expectation of man for albeit that euen those things which are brought to passe by the ministery of man are said to be done of God who vsed man as the instrument yet most properly are those things said to be the Lords doing which by his absolute power are brought to passe without the helpe beyond the expectation of man thus was the destruction of Pharao his host of Senacheribs host of Herod and thus wss the preseruation deliuerance of the Israelits of the thrée children of Daniel of Peter the Lords doing and thus doe this people affirme the aduancement of Dauid to be the Lords doing Secondly that it was the Lords dooing they proue by the marueilousnes therof And it is meruelous in our eies As if they had said Dauid is aduanced to the kingdome but without the helpe yea beyond the expectation yea aboue the reason and vnderstanding of man yea in so strange a maner as that in our eies it is a thing most merueilous and therefore surely it is the Lordes dooing And was it not a straunge thing woorthie to be merueiled at that Dauid a man of a meane parentage in the common wealth of Israell the youngest of all his brethren and one fetched from the shéepefold should be annointed to be king yea notwithstanding hee found so many enemies and so few friends so many perils and so small safetie being a man reiected and persecuted by Saul and his princes yea being a man despised and scorned of the people as he himselfe speaketh Psal 22. Should Saul Psal 22. being dead raigne ouer Iudah and at the length also Ishbosheth being slaine ouer Israel yet this came to passe Dauid that litle one was annointed that persecuted and despised one was aduanced first to be king ouer Iudah and then also ouer Israell This therefore was the Lords doing and it is merueilous in our eies And no lesse merueilous if we consider it was the aduancement of Quéen Elizabeth to the Crowne of this Realme for what though the kingdome successiuely by right appertained vnto her yet if we consider the multitude and mightinesse of her enemies that withstood her the infinite number of their subtile and deuilish deuises and practises to destroy her again if we consider the smal number of her able friends to defend her and her lesse abilitie to defend her selfe being a mayden virgine and therefore vnmeete vnarmed and therefore vnfit to resist againe being fast shut within the stone walles of strong holdes and therefore not able to fly but enforced to aduenture the extremitie of those dangers which by her bloudie enemies were daily threatned against her and prepared for her againe on the other side if wée consider how sodenly and wonderfully the chiefest of her enemies when shée was in chiefest danger of death and in the iudgement of man in desperate estate of life were brought to destruction wherby Quéene Mary being dead she was aduanced to the Crowne I say if we throughly cōsider these things and accordingly waigh them in the true ballances of an vpright mind we shall find the aduancement of Quéene Elizabeth a thing most marueilous in our eyes yea and the more we consider it the more marueilous we shall find it yea I assure my selfe you dearely beloued that of all those marueilous works which through the mighty hand outstretched arme of the Lord we haue either with our eyes séene in our daies or els with our eares heard in the daies of our fathers to haue come to passe this one is the greatest the most merueilous in the eyes of all those which throughly and vprightly consider it euen this the aduancement of Quéene Elizabeth to the Crowne of this land It was maruailous in the eyes of her verie enimies who were amased at the sight of it and whose hearts are yet astonished at the remembrance of it if therefore it séeme not marueilous in the eyes of any it is in the eyes of those which consider it not Wherefore if we are not too sottish we can not but sée and too malicious we can not but acknowledge that it is the Lords doing and not mans that it is the Lord which hath pleaded her cause and reuenged her wrong and that he onely which is mightie and almightie hath magnified her saying It is the Lords doing and it is marueilous in our eyes 3 The benefit thereof After that the people haue expressed the wonderfulnes of Dauids aduancement they likewise expresse the benefit thereof Vers 24. This is the day which the Lord hath made euen to the singuler benefit of the whole Common-wealth For here they speake of a speciall day made by God vnto a speciall vse for otherwise there is no day which the Lord hath not made and that euen for the vse of man as appeareth Genes Gen. 1. 1. The Lorde made the light and deuiding it from the darkenesse called the light Day and the darkenesse Night and so hee made the first second third fourth fift and sixt in which hee made the world and all the creatures therein and the seuenth wherein he rested from all his Gen. 2. worke which hee had made and so hee likewise maketh euerie day vnto the end of the worlde for as now and alwaies in his prouidence hee appointeth what thinges in euerie day from day to day shall be done so hee also in the same his prouidence maketh euerie day wherein all things shal be done Here therefore as I said before they speake of a special day made of God vnto a speciall vse for the same people and that not of a speciall day made for the sending of a speciall plague for thus also is the day of tribulation and of affliction for the punishment of the sinnes of the vngodly a speciall day which the Lord hath made to a speciall vse and therefore the day appointed for the captiuitie and destruction of the Iewes Ierem. 30. Ioel. 1. Amos. 5. Zophon 1. is called the day of the Ierem. 30. Ioel. 1. Amos. 5. Zophon 1. Lord but of a speciall day made by him to their speciall benefit and commoditie this day was the day of the aduancemēt of Dauid vnto the kingdome whereby the whole common wealth after the vnhappie raign and happie death of Saul was wonderfully blessed and therefore say they this day the Lord hath made not to the benefit of one or a fewe but to the benefite of the whole common wealth The Lord had made many daies for the benefite of that people before the time of Dauid both in the time of Moses and of Iosua and of the Iudges and of Samuel as appeareth in the perusing of those bookes but yet amongst those there was not one wherein they had receiued greater blessings then in this day of the aduancement of Dauid and
it is most troublesome and perillous And therfore they knew that Dauid beeing now aduaūced to the throne of the kingdome of Iudah and that in such maner as before is declared could not but finde many enemies by whom he should bée subiect to no few troubles nor small daungers yea many were the troubles and perils which were laid before him and stirred vp against him of his desperate enemies both within without both for his aduauncement to Iudah and Israell within beyng aduaunced to the kingdome of Iudah he had those that striued for the aduauncement of Ishbosheth Sauls Sonne and these were they of the house of Saule of whom you heard before betweene whom there was a long warre as appeareth 2. Sam. 3. beyng aduaunced to 2 Sam. 3. the kingdome of Israell both within and without viewing him within first his owne sonne Absalon the Sheba the sonne of Bechin a man of Iemini both which raysed vp Israel against Dauid without he had the Philistines and other nations oft times making war vpon him of both which you may read plētifully 2. Sam. 5. wherfore 2. Sam. 5. they séeing Dauid subiect to so many perils they pray for saluatiō at the hands of God saying O Lord I pray thee saue now For what was Dauid against his aduersaries either in multitude or mightines wherefore they flye vnto the Lord for refuge and defence saue now O Lord euē thyne annoynted whom thou hast aduaunced from the handes of his enemies which purpose and practise his destruction Secondly they pray for the prosperity of their king O Lord I pray thee now geue prosperity as Dauid could not saue himselfe from the hands of his enemies except the Lord saued him so neither could hee gouerne the common wealth except the Lord prospered him therin It is no easy thing to gouerne a kingdome to order a common wealth for the welfare happines of the people if the Lord teach not the king what to doo by whom shal he be directed If the Lord direct him not how cā he prosper in any thing which he taketh in hand how shal he prosper in his counsails how shal he prosper in his enterprises If the Lord build not the house in vaine do they labour that build it Psal 127. They euen Psal 127. Gen. 11. with the sons of men Gen. 11. thinke they to build neuer so lofty a building yet they build vnto themselues nothing else but a Tower of confusion The common wealth can not prosper but come to ruine and destruction wherefore O Lord I pray thee geue now prosperity vnto Dauid our King that thou prospering him the Common wealth may bee in prosperity by him The example of this people dearly beleued teacheth vs that in the middest of this our reioycing this day for the happy aduauncement of our most gratious Soueraigne Queene Elizabeth we must not forget to ioyne prayer therunto for her euen for the safety and prosperity of Elizabeth saying O Lord I pray thee c. First for her safety and that from the handes of her enemies for albeit that she is aduaunced to the throne of the kingdome yet hath shée not bene neither is shee frée from her manifold perils first by her rebellious subiectes within who for the aduauncemēt of an Ishbosheth nay of a Iezabell to the Crowne both by open insurrections leuying of armies displaying of Banners and pitching of fieldes and also by secret conspiracies with dagges and daggers c. haue practised her destruction then by forraine enemies of other nations for we are not ignorant of the often thretned inuasiōs in times past neither can we be ignorant of the purposed prepared mischiefe at this present to depose her from the Crown Wherefore O Lord I pray thee saue now euen thyne annoynted thou which hast lifted her vp hold her vp that thine and her enemies plucke not her downe whō thou hast exalted continue thy wonted goodnes towardes her as thou hast hetherto saued her so saue her now make perfect that same good woorke which thou hast begunne in her yea Now O Lord saue her for now is the wrathful indignation of thine and her enemies as a consuming fire enflamed against her wherefore O Lord saue now yea and saue her for euer Hereunto wee must ioyne prayer for her prosperity O Lord I pray thee now geue prosperity vnto Elizabeth béeing safely couched vnder the shadow of thy winges prosper thou her O Lord prosper thou the counsailes of her hart prosper thou the woorks of her hands yea O Lord whatsoeuer shee taketh in hand let it prosper in thy sight yea and so prosper her O Lord in the gouernment of vs thy people committed vnto her charge as that we also may prosper vnder her and that as in all worldly prosperity so principally in all godlines and honesty yea Now O Lord geue prosperity vnto her as thou hast hetherto prospered her gouernment aboue al other Kinges and Princes of the earth to the terror of thy enemies to the comfort of thy chosen to the admiration of all men so O Lord geue now yea and euer prosperity vnto Elizabeth Thus ought we dearly beloued in the middest of our reioycing to mixe prayer vnto God for the safety and prosperity of Queen Elizabeth great is the force of prayer before God it pearceth the clowds and assendeth into the eares of the Almighty and although the Lord heareth not sinners Iohn 9. But their Iohn 9. prayer is turned into sin yet the prayer of the righteous is euen as the sweet incense and as the euening sacrifice most pleasant and delectable in his sight hauing this promise that whatsoeuer they shal aske they shal obtaine it yea great is the force of the prayer of one righteous man if it be feruent as Iames speaketh cap. 5. And then how much more Iames. 5. forceable is the prayer of the whole congregatiō of the righteous being assembled together before him in his house which is the house of prayer Wherefore now being assembled together at this time vpon this occasion into this place yea at what time soeuer vpō any other occasiō we assemble our selues together into the Church of God that I speake nothing of priuate prayer in all places lifting vp cleane handes and purifyed hartes let vs pray O Lord I pray thee saue now O Lord I pray thee now geue prosperity vnto Elizabeth For as this is the duty of all men one towards another but principally of subiects towards their Kinges and Princes to commend thē in their prayers vnto God 1. Tim. 2 1 Tim. 2. so yet chiefly it standeth vs vpon which are the subiectes of this Common-wealth to pray for the safety prosperity of our Queene Elizabeth for in the safety of Elizabeth consisteth ours in her peace ours in her prosperity ours in her life ours in her death ours in her destruction ours If the Lord either by timely or vntimely either by