yet this is so far from being an Argument to justisie Rebellion or taking up Arms against the King as that it doth altogether condemn it For notwithstanding so great strength yet David never pursued Saul never sought after Saul never discharged one Canon one Murtherer one Gun against Saul but still fled from him and to put him out of all such Fears jealousies got himself and his Forces out of Sauls Kingdom and begged a place for his habitation of Achish the King of Gath. Let all Rebells follow David in the whole Example and we shall both allow this Quotation and also commend their Imitation yes and pray they may have so many Followers that there may be no Rebel left to lift up an hand against the Lords Annointed The second Objection I meet with of any colourable strength Object 2 For I shall passe all those frivilous ones 1. Of the Peoples rescuing Jonathan from Saul Their whole Act. being nothing but a mediation in the behalf of Jonathan and nothing lesse then a Rebellion against Saul as any man may evidently percieve if he reads the whole Story and so Junius Borrhaus Osiander and Willet himself say and determine of it and Peter Martyr adds That if the People did more then pray if they pressed violently upon Saul in making a mutiny they sinned Liberaverunt says St. Jerome Redimerunt says Tremelius In Reg. c. 14 and so says Gregory Magnus i. e. They delivered they redeemed they freed Jonathan that he dyed not And how did they this Certainly not Fustibus but precibus by Prayers not by Pole-axes For if the did more then pray says Peter Martyr they sinned I forbear likewise 2. The Example of Elisha's shutting the door 2 Reg. 6.32 and holding fast the Messenger that came from King Joram to take away his Head For Elisha had Revelation from God as well of Jorams repentance as of his former and furious Message And 3. Of Jehu who killed this King Joram For this was by special and particular command from God 2 Reg. 9.14.24 and not by any Law of God or Man and extraordinary Oracles may not be our Examples And 4. Of Ahikam For he defended not the Prophet from the Tyranny of King Jehojakim but from the fury of the people Jer. 26.4 Had he had any hand in that tumultuous insurrection with the People he had been a Rebel like the People but being he did what he did by that credit and authority which he had with and under the King he shewed himself both a faithful Magistrate and a Loyal Subject And 5. the withstanding of Uzziah the King by Azariah the Priest For this was by words 2 Chron. 26.17 not by Swords and besides God struck him with Leprosy and so by the Law he was to be removed from the concourse of the people for fear of of Infection And 6. That of Deposing Athelia For She was but an Usurper of the Crown The second Objection I say of any seeming validity is that of Jeroboam 1 Reg. 12. from whence it is argued thus Rehoboam the Son of Solomon refused to ease the People of their burthens and therefore they rebelled against him and set up Jeroboam to be a King over them and this was so far says the Objector from being a sin that the Text says It was from the Lord and Therefore Subjects may in some cases bear Arms lawfully against the King and without sin And this Objection I answer thus The Scripture here sets down Rei gestae veritatem Answ 2 non Facti aequitatem the Truth of a thing done not the Right of a Thing to be done Quia factum legimus non ideó faoi â—ndum credimus says St. Austin sectando enim exemplum violemus praeceptum If we follow the Example of men we may break the Commandement of God Nor can we any more be free from the breach of the 5. Commandement and Disobedience if we rebell against our King upon this Example then we can from the breach of the 8. Commandement Theft if we plunder and rob our Neighbours upon Example of the Israelites spoyling the Egyptians In a word God made Jeroboam King and in that Act punished Solomons Idolatry and Rehoboams folly but notwithstanding This Act of the People in revolting from Rehoboam was Rebellion and so called by God himself in two several places 1 Reg. 12.19 2 Chron. 10.19 And Israel rebelled against the House of David unto this day And Israel rebelled against the House of David unto this day And God punished this Rebellion of theirs so fearfully that he first gave them up to Idolatry and afterwards drave them out into Captivity And I do assure you That there are ten Examples for one to shew Rebels have been first Idolaters and so hated by God and afterwards Slaves and so hated by Man That we may never fall into the one or the other either Idolatry or Captivity Almighty God keep us from Rebellion And whatsoever some People say and make shew of I will make it good That there is not one more Example in Scripture of any colour or worth a straw to dispute much lesse to justifie the taking up of Arms against the King There is one Objection made from the example of our own Object 3 Progenitors Richard the Second was deposed and deposed by Parliament and therefore says the Objector A King of England may be resisted With shame and sorrow I canfess the Factum but without blushing and in truth Answer I deny the Iusâ—um The honest Bishop of Carlile opposed it and howsoever the Rebells of those daies ended that good mans daies in prison for his honesty yet by this very Act of deposing King Richard they brought such miseries and mischiefs such Battails Bloudsheds such Rapines aâ—d Murthers upon this Kingdom that until two Kings viz. One Prince ten Dukes two Marquesses one and twenty Earls seaven and twenty Lords two Viscounts one Lord Prior One Judge one hundred thirty and nine Knights four hundred one twenty Esquires Gentlemen of a vast number and Common Souldiers to the number of an hundred thousand were slain in Civil Wars England never saw happy daies And setting Kings and Princes aside I believe there hath been more lost in a latter Rebellion against King Charles I. That we may yet see and enjoy Peace and Happinesse in our daies God keep us all from bearing Arms against King Charles II. when he shall be enabled by Gods raysing him Friends abroad and converting or consternating the Hearts of His Enemies at home to require his own Amen For it is altogether unlawful as appears Secondly by Scripture 2. Scripture and the first Scripture I offer to your Consideration is that of Moses Exod. 22.28 Speak not evil of the Ruler of thy people And this very place touched St. Paul so far that it brought him to a Peccavi when he had suffered his Tongue to run a little over and be
of the Kingdom and first here I shall examine what is meant by these words They despised him The meaning of this consists in three branches and they are these 1. They did Male-cogitare think evil of him in their hearts and so came within the compasse of Solomons prohibition Curse not the King in thy thought Eccle. 10.20 A thought of despising the King is Treason as well as a Word and a Word as well as an Action so says the Scripture of the Intention of Bigthan and Teresh Traytors they were and yet they never came to an Insurrexerunt or any Act of Treason Ester 2.21.23 but only to a Voluerunt an Intention they sought or they thought to lay hands upon King Ahasuerus and for this very thought of Treason they were hang'd And as the Law of God so the Law of this Kingdom doth construe a bare purpose against the King a despising thought of the King to be Treason and makes it deadly My prayer therefore is Convert them O God if they will not be Converted confound them O God and let them perish as many as have evil will against the King and do Male-cogitare despise him in their thoughts 2. They did Male-dicere despise the King with their tongues and speak evil of him saying How shall this man save us and this is the second Branch whereby the meaning of this word is explained They despised him i.e. they speak evil of the King and so came within the compasse of Moses's prohibition Thou shalt not speak evil of the Ruler of thy people Deut. 27.16 A Word against the King is Treason as well as a thought or Action Greater Treason then a thought and lesser Treason then an Action And they that Word it against the King if they be of the Clergy they are of Balaams Ordination Numb 23. because they Curse whom God hath blessed and he was killed with the Sword If they be of the Layety they are of Shimei's condition 2 Sam. 16.5 because they revile whom God hath annointed and he was put to death And of late by the Law of this Nation there stood one Pym condemned for saying He would if he could embrue his hands in the blood of King Charles the first and many more in good time may be condemned and executed for saying They will if they can embrue their hands in the blood of King Charles the Second My Prayer again therefore is Convert them O Lord if they will not be converted confound them O God and let them perish as many as speak evill of my Lord the King and do Male-dicere Despise Him with their Tongues 3 They did Male facere Despise the King with their Hands for they brought him no presents and so came within the compasse of King Davids prohibition 1 Sam. 26.9 Thou shalt not stretch forth thy hand against the Lords annointed I know King David there speaks by way of Interrogation Who can stretch forth his hand against the Lords Annointed and be guiltlesse but I know withal that Interrogative Quis Who can is a most triumphant Negative and says Nullus No man can and be guiltlesse or No man ought unless he will bring Guilt upon his own Soul Absolon did was hang'd 2 Sam. 10.9 Robert late Earl of Essex did against Elizabeth our late Queen of England and was beheaded and how many that were in the same Conspiracy were hang'd you may read in that Chronicle My prayer therefore is gain Convert them O Lord Convert them and return them to their Duty of Loyalty to thine Annointed If they will not be converted confound them O Lord confound them and as many as lift up their hands against or withdraw their hands from my Lord the King Amen You see what is meant by these words 1 a. 2 a. They despised him will you now see Why they despised him why it was Because they lookt upon him as a single man How shall this man save us Happily they thought him greater then any of themselves in particular but they thought themselves in a collective or Representative Body greater then him the King and this brings me to the unfolding of the second Question which is Whether the King be singulis major Question 2 greater then single persons but Universis minor lesse then collected Persons or the Body Representative I shall not need to speak of the first Branch of this Question viz. Whether the King be Singulis major Greater then any single Person For it is not denied by any or if by any yet only by such who are more Beasts then Men and live more by Sense then by Reason or Religion or rather have lost both their Sense their Reason and their Religion The enquiry therefore here must be upon the other branch of this Question viz. Whether the King be Universis minor lesse then the Body Representative For this was the thing in agitation in this late wicked Age and affirmed by these wicked men the Children of Belial who did de facto murther King Charles I. of blessed memory and would have done as much upon King Charles II. if they could have fastened upon him at Worcester but God I trust hath preserved him for better times I must at first take leave to tell them That the Ground on which they build is false and meer Sophistry That the assumption and Inference which they build is weak and meer Fallacy For thus they argue The Fountain or Cause of a King is greater then the King but the People Representative is the Fountain and Casue of the King Therefore the People Representative is greater then the King And here I say The Ground is false the Assumption is untrue and the Inference therefore is so too 1. The Ground is taken from an old Axiome Quickquid efficit tale est ma gis tale whatsoever effects a thing is greater then the thing effected This though true Ante effectum productum before the effect produced yet it is often false Post effectus productionem after the production of the effect v. g. The Fountain was once bigger then the River but now the River is bigger then the Fountain A spark of fire was once more Fire then all the Wood in the Chimney but when the Wood becomes one Flame the Wood is more Fire then the Sparke You see the Ground is not ever true and sure I am the Assumption laid upon this Ground-work is never true viz. The People is the Fountain or Cause Efficient of the King For God as I have shewed you before and whether I referr you is the only Efficient of Monarchy Only I add thus much Were it so that the People did make the King yet it would not follow That therefore the People is greater then the King For this Axiome is true only in those Agents in whom the Quality by which they work is Inherent and from whom it cannot be separated But the People if they had Power to make the
of necessity note the Person and the Superiority of the Person that hath that Power conferred upon and given to him and such Power no Person in England hath but only the King of England His great Council may Jus dicere propose Lawes but He only can jus dare make Lawes They the Lords and Commons may give weight and Testimony to the Law but He only The King can give Force and Authority to the Law And therefore by Higher Power we English men must needs understand the King of England To whom the King every Soul i.e. All People in the Kingdom of England must be subject subject Actively If He commands not what is against Gods word Subject Passively if He do whether He do or do not we must be so far Subject as that we may not Resist For if we do we shall receive to our selves Damnation Not the Plundering of our Goods at Home not the hanging of our Bodies in the street or field but the Damnation the everlasting Damnation of our Souls and Bodies in Hell for ever Now search and examine your selves Art thou any where in the whole word of God commanded to bear Arms or to contribute to maintain a War against thy Lawful and Rightful King Art thou any where forbidden by the word of God to Assist thy King in his just Wars Nay Doeth not the word of God forbid thee That and command the This It does thou knowest it does and so I conclude this Proposition from the Scripture and say Therefore it is not lawful for any man to bear Arms or to contribute to the maintenance of a War against the King For no man may curse the King in his thoughts for no man may revile the King by his words For no man may resist the King with his Hands yea Therefore every man must assist the King with Arms and contribute to the maintetenance of a War for him with his Purse because they that do not are the Children of Belial The Children of Belial said How shall this man save us and they despised him and brought him no presents And this I shall endeavour to make good Thirdly 3. Fathers By the contemplation and conversation of the Fathers by their Practise and by their Opinion and that I may not tyre you or my self I shall give you but a Taste instead of a Feast and name you but Few instead of Many I begin with Justine Martyr Ad inquisitionem vestram Secund. Apolog ad Anto. Imp. p. 113. Christianos nos esse profitemur c. says he to Antoninus an Emperour bad enough At your Inquisition we Professe our selves to be Christians though we know Death to be the Guerdon and reward of our Profession Did we expect an Earthly Kingdom we would deny our Religion that escaping Death we might obtain our desires For the preservation of publick peace we Christians O Emperour yield you our help and assistance We Christians says Tertullian to Scapula the Vice-Roy are defamed for Seditious Persons against the Imperial Majesty Lib. ad Scap. but we were never yet found to be either Albinians Nigrians Cassians or any other sort of Traytors No we know the Emperour is ordained of God and therefore we love him we honour him we reverence him we pray for him and for the welfare of his whole Empire Una nox pauculis faculis c. says he In Apolog. in his Apologetical Defence of the Christians One short night with a few Fire-brands or Torches would work our deliverance and revenge our wrongs if it were lawful to requite evil with evil Vetat autem Deus ut aut ab igne humano vindicatur Divina secta aut doleat pati in quo probatur But God forbid that the Christian Religion should be revenged with humane fire or that Christians should grieve for suffering because in suffering they are refined and for suffering they are rewarded Apol. Atha ad Constant Holy Athanasius in the clearing of himself against the Accusation of the Arians to Constantius the Emperour thus expresses his own Duty and the Duty of all good Subjects I am not so mad neither have I forgotten the voice of God which says Curse not the King no not in thy heart and backbite not the Mighty in the secreets of thy Chamber for the Birds of the Aire shall tell it and the winged Fowle shall bewray thee It is not for any man to say otherwise then well of his Majesty in the opinion of this holy man and therefore certainly it is not for any man to do otherwise then well To bear Arms or to contribute to maintain War against the King Orat. 1. in Julian Nazianzene the Divine so termed for his Excellent Knowledge and profound Learning speaks to this purpose Repressus est Julianus Christianorum lachrymis quas multas multi profuderunt hoc unum adversus persecutorem medicamentum habentes Julian that great Apostata and persecutor of Christians was restrained by the Tears of Christians which many of them shed and powred forth aboundantly unto God nor had they any other remedy against the Persecutor because they knew it to be unlawful to use any other means then Sufferance or else they might having so much strength as they had have repelled their wrong with violence St. Ambrose being commanded to deliver up his Church in Millane to an Arian Bishop Contr. Aux Ep. 31 32 33. his people being very sorry for his departure he thus resolves and comforts both himself and them Quid turbamini Volens nunquam vos deesram Why are you troubled I will never willingly leave you Repugnare non novi dolere potero potero slere potero gemere adversus Arma Milites Gothos Lach rymae meae mea sunt Arma aliter nec debeo nec possum resistere If I be compelled I have no way to resist I can grieve and sorrow I can weep and sigh my Tears are my Weapons against Souldiers Armors Goths such is the Artillery and Ammunition of a Priest otherwise then with Tears I neither may nor must nor ought resist St. Chysostome in one Epistle tells us Ep. ad Tim. 2. That though Kings continue obstinate in Infidelity yet they must be prayed for they must not they may not be resisted The Apostle commands prayers supplications and intercessions to be made for all men especially for the King What he hath said in another you have heard before and thither I refer you St. Augustine is of the same opinion Julianus extitit Imperator Infidel is Julian was an unbelieving Emperour In Ps 124. he was an Apostata an Oppressor a Tyrant and Idolater yet the Christian Soldiers served this anbelieving Emperour They obeyed him in all things for Christ and when he commanded them any thing against Christ yet they resisted him not though they did not obey him Gregory the Great might if he would Ep. l. 7. Ep. 1. but would not though he could destroy the Lombards
French-men ever after in their ordinary sport when they were at Cards and pulled for a Traytor a sort in their Packs as Knaves are in ours would call for a Barnardino de Corte to his perpetual reproach Infamy with the shame whereof and the sting of a guilty Conscience the Rebel was so tormented that he languished continually until he dyed desperatly I have heard of a certain Commander who would often wish he might rot if ever he lift his Hand or drew his Sword against the King Notwithstanding he did both and God answered him in his wish For he rotted within and dyed this was at Worcester A certain Lord likewise I have heard of a Great Ring-leader in a Rebellion yet a great Pretender to Religion and in his Exercises of Devotion would often desire God If the course he took were not right if the cause he mannaged were not just that God would take him away suddainly God heard him and answered him For by the Shot of a Musket he was killed so suddainly that he had not so much time as to say God be merciful unto me and without any sign or symptome of Repentance dyed This was at Liechfield I need not remember you of Pausanias Ariobarzanes Rodolph Duke of Suevia Catcline of Rome Spencers Dudlys and many more of England Not one of them all nor any other Rebel that I have read of but if he lived he lived the scoâ—n of honest men and if he dyed he dyed the shame of his Friends the mirth of his enemies and the example of all God in the shameful and fearful punishments of them telling us That it is not lawful to bear Arms or contribute to maintain a War against the King They that did so against King Charles I. God Almighty look upon them in so much mercy that they may look up to him with so much Repentance that they may be forgiven and their Souls saved whatsoever becomes of their Bodyes and that no man none of us especially may do the like against King Charles II. with the Church I pray From all Sedition and privy conspiracy from all false Doctrine and Heresie from hardnesse of Heart and contempt of thy word and Commandement Good Lord deliver us for Jesus Christ his sake Amen Amen Amen Anno Dom. 1655. 1 REG. 21.19 Hast thou killed and also gotten Possession THat a Rich man that a Good man should be made first a Delinquent and then a Malignant is no news For the Fact can prescribe time out of mind even beyond the memory of Christianity Yet such a Fact may be suspected and called in question whether it be Legal or Illegal since it hath so bad a Founder as Achab and so great a Confounder as God For it was God that sent Elijah the Tishbite to meet Achab King of Israel V. 17.18 with this expostulation Hast thou killed and also gotten Possession But soft Is not this Text corrupted or mistaken for Achab killed not Naboth rather the False Witnesses that testified against him or the false Judges that condemned him or Jesabel that commanded both to be done and him to be stoned Truely they had their Guilt and Punishment yet as if they had been but Accessories Achab is pickt out for the Murtherer because without his Seal to the Letter his Covetousness after the Vineyard Naboth had not been markt out for a Delinquent nor put to death for a Malignant Nor had Achab received this Increpation from God by the hand of Elijah Hast thou killed and also gotten Possession In handling of which words I shall observe 1. Two Persons 2. Two things belonging to each Person The two Persons are 1. The true Malignant Achab. 2. The pretended Malignant Naboth 1. In the pretended Malignant I look upon the two Causes Why he was so pretended 1. He was a Rich man would not part with his Inheritance 2. He was a Good man would not yield to an Arbitrary Government 2. In the True Malignant I look upon the two Causes that so Branded him 1. His Murther Anoccideris Hast thou killed 2. His theft you may call it Plunder or sequestration Ac etiam jure haeriditario possidias and hast thou gotten Possession Of these God willing orderly and first of the first The pretended Malignant Naboth Naboth hath three Significations 1. It signifies Conspicuus visible and so he was a Delinquent and a malignant de Fronte for his honesty 2. It signifies Sessio stable and so he was a Delinquent and a Malignant de pede for his Constancy 3. It signifies Exclusio expelled and so he was a Delinquent and a Malignant de Facto and sequestred both from his livelihood and Life But for a man visibly honest whose Heart and thoughts you may read in his Face and Front without fraud or guile For a man unmoveably constant whose Perseveraâ—ce in honesty keeps company with his Life without halt or Apostacy For a man who will not part with the sincerity of his Intentions nor the Integrety of his Actions for the Frowns of Kings or fear of death For such a man to be made a Delinquent and under sequestration to be made a Malignant and put to Death me thinks is somewhat strange and Illegal It is strange indeed but indeed it is true too de Facto that he was served so though not true de merito that he deserved so It was Illegal too against Law and without president yes against old Lawes and former Presidents But a new Law may come forth by an Ordinance upon a day of Humiliation under a Privy Signet by the subtilty of Jesabel which signifies Covetousness as you may read in this Chapter Jesabel wrote Letters in Achabs name and Sealed them with his Seal and sent the Letters to the Elders and to the Nobles Ver. 8. that were in his City dwelling with Naboth And she wrote in the Letters saying Proclaim a Fast and set Naboth among the Chief of the People Ver. 9. And two wicked men before him Ver. 10. and let them witnesse against him saying Thou didst blasphem God and the King then carry him out and stone him that he may dy And the reason of all this is double 1. Because Naboth was a Rich man and would not part with his Inheritance which is my second Consideration and prima primae So you have it in the 2. and 3 verses Naboth had a Vineyard by the Kings Pallace Achab desires it for a Garden of Hearbs 1 a. 1 ae but he would not part with it because it was the Inheritance of his Fathers In Riches there is a Felicity and an Infelicity Happiness and misery both in Riches Happiness because Wealth gets a man esteem in the World Misery because it gets a man Envy in the World Happiness because it enables a man to do good in the Wâ—â—ld Misery because it tempts a man to do mischief in the World Happiness because a Man may make Friends by the Mammon of Iniquity
the Dead which dye in the Lord. Had it been onely to maintain the publick Service of God established by Law even that alone would have made them Martyrs For not a Tittle of it but it was by the Dictate of the Holy Ghost and I should think my self accursed if I were not able to maintain it and would now if it were not beside my Text and Purpose yet blame not my holy Zeal if I do vindicate that saving-Book against the Schismaticks greatest Exceptions And that is in the Office of Marriage That Office consists of Substance and Ceremony The Substance Prayer The Ceremony a Ring Look you upon both and first the first Prayer in that Office It beseeches Almighty God to bless the Couple to be married As Isaac aâ—d Rebecca whence I aâ—gue thus This Prayer was dictated by the Holy Ghost to the Composers of the Common Prayers or made by those Composers without the Dictate of the Holy Ghost But not by them without his Dictate Therefore by his Dictate to them If by them without him then they would have made it according to Humane Reason and so have said bless them O Lord as thou didst bless Abâ—aham and Sarah or as thou didst bless Jacob and Rachel and they had humane Reason for it for Abraham was Gods fiâ—st Friend Jacob was Gods great Favourite But sayes the Holy Ghost Not so nor so but let it be bless them as Isaac and Rebecca and there is no Humane Reason for this but a Divine Reason there is and that is this Abraham had his Hagar in Sarahs time and this Keturah afterwards Jacob had his Leah his Zilhah and his Bilhah but Isaac had none but his Rebecca and therefore sayes the Holy Ghost let it not be Bless them as Abraham and Sarah Bless them as Jacob and Rachel for then people may be apt to think they may have many Wifes at once if not some Concubines but let it be Bless them as thou didst bless Isaac and Rebecca let them know One man should have but one Wife especially at one time Then secondly look upon the Ring The Ring must be round without end and the Ring must be of Gold without mixture so must the Husbands love be to his Wife perpetual and to be terminated onely by Death and withal his Love must be pure and not given or imparted to any other but to his Wife onely Certainly therefore Blessed they which dye in maintaining that Service-book which can without contradiction father the very Ceremonies of it upon the Holy Ghost But add to this Obedience to the King Unity to the Church Liberty to the Subject and many more commanded by God and deny He that can or dare Blessed is William Laud Archbishop for dying for the Churches Unity Blessed are Cavendish Greenvile c. for dying for Obedience and to keep the Kings Crown upon his Head Blessed is King Charles the first for dying for both and to preserve the Subjects Liberties And if they are Blessed why then do any mourn as if they were lost But alas Nature will have her course and on Gods Name let it but let Nature give you bounds to Natures course stillate volo non currere let your Eyes drop Tears like pretious water out of a Still not run like common water out of a spout So said Seneca from Nature Yes Nature hath taught it not onely by Speech but also by Example what else meant that Heathen Priest who so soon as be heard of his Sons Death presently put off his Crown and vented his Sorrow by his Tears but hearing withal That his Son died Valiantly he assumed his Crown again and finished his Sacrifice So you B. hearing your Friends death lay aside your Crowns and melt your selves into Tears but knowing They died for God for the Church for the King for the Countrey for the glory of God for the Unity of the Church for the Honour of the King for the Lawes of the Countrey and that the King himself was Murthered and Martyred for all these Put on your Crowns again and finish your own Christian course with Joy Give not back though you are bur few Fall not back though Gods the Churches the Kings and your Enemies have got the Trophees you know not whether God hath chosen for his Gedeon a Reserve that his own Glory may be the greater and your own blessedness as sure by Dying In the Lord as your Friends that have dyed For the Lord. Their blessedness is not doubted They that dye For the Lord They that seal the Truth of Gods VVord and Religion with their blood Nor Catholique nor Papist call their blessedness into question They that were slain in the late quarrel And certainly their blessedness too your own needs as little doubt who are resolved to dye In the Lord you who lead a holy life and believe in the Lord Jesus and will continue therein to the end They are you are blessed For questionless St. John is blessed though he died in his bed and was but banished as you are as well as St. Peter though he died upon the Cross and was put to Torment as our glorious King and many of our Friends were And it is to you as well as to them to you that are but Confessors as well as to them that were Martyrs that Christ speaks Come ye blessed of my Father possess the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning Mat. 25.34 But this for my part shall make no quarrel between Rome and England or Amsterdam If they will yield to us in some Substances we will easily yield to them in this Circumstance Let them decline to the killing of Kings and we will soon yield That Martyrs onely are blessed and so by consequence They onely dye in the Lord But with this Proviso That they take not nor understand this word Martyr in the common use of speech secundum vulgus For so it is one that seals his witness to the Gospel with his blood and suffers death for Christ but in the Grammar sence secundum Cleres For so it means but a Witness One that lives and dies in Faith as the Apostle speaks All these Abraham Isaac Jacob and many more died in the Faith i. e. They were all Martyrs Heb. 11.13 or they were all Witnesses to the truth of Christs Religion both in their Life and Death They died in the Lord. And thus you see what it is to dye in the Lord or who may be said to dye in the Lord Now for Application of this Point How may we dye in the Lord Appl. And that I shall tell you plainly and quickly If you would Dye in the Lord you must Live in the Lord Live in him you must by a Faith that purifies your hearts and then Dye in him you may by a Faith that justifies your Souls Live in him you must by the Faith of water to Sanctification Act. 15.9 and then Dye in him you may by