soles of their feet to dry up all the rivers of besieged places Isa 38.24 25. and said By the multitude of my Chariots am I come up to the heighth of the Mountain to the sides of Lebanon and I will enter into the heighth of his border and the forrest of his Carmel then did God but hiss for the flie as it is in the Prophet call up from Scotland a small Isa 7.18 inconsiderable and despised number and with them wrought this great Salvation Exod. 15.3 6. The Lord is a man of war the Lord is his name Thy right-hand O Lord is become glorious in power thy right-hand O Lord hath dashed in pieces the enemy And though there were several loyal attempts made before and some of them probable enough to effect deliverance for us yet did the all-wise God suffer them to be all broken and frustrated happily that he might fool earthly wisdom and by staining the beauty of all creature-excellency take the whole glory of our deliverance to himself that he might give us cause with admiration and amazement to say Thon settest a Crown of pure gold on his head A word of Inference and I ha' done 1. If God set the Crown on the King's head then what wretched impudence is it in any to dare to think much more to attempt the taking it off It is the very acting of that fancy of the Poets of the Giants fighting against Heaven Nothing but Hell is ill enough to own such an audacious presumption a most detestable and monstrous impiety 2. If God set the Crown on the King's head let us set our hearts on the King As Samuel said to Saul 1 Sam 9.20 On whom is all the desire of Israel is it not on thee and on all thy fathers house Prize him as the loyal men of Judah did their King David Thou art worth ten thousand of us Give unto Cesar the things that are Cesar ' s. Geneva Bibles wrong the King Give did I say it is not so proper though some like that Translation better 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the word render pay it is his due Rom. 13.7 Render him his due Tribute as the Apostle calls it the Tribute of our persons our purses our tongues our hands our hearts Make honourable mention of him when we speak of him Bern. I and we must Sentire sublimiter too saves the Father think highly of him Do not take up any unworthy reports nor entertain any unhansome suspicion of him Do but remember how dear we have paid for our jealousies and I 'le say no more of that To draw to a conclusion Nothing now remains but Prayers and Praises 1. Prayers to him that setteth the Crown of pure gold on the King's head that he will please there to fix Psal 89.20 21 22. and keep it That as he hath found David his servant and anointed him with his holy oyle so he will establish his hand with him and let his arm strengthen him that the enemy may not exact upon him nor the son of wickedness hurt him That God who watched over him Psal 105.13 15. and charged his providence with him when he went from one Nation to another from one Kingdom to another people Psas 140.12 and suffered no man to touch his Anointed will still deliver him from the evil man and preserve him from the violent man which imagine mischief in their heart Psal 18.47 48. and continually are gathering together for War That he will subdue the people under him and lift him up above those that rise up against him V. 6.7 hujus Ps That he will make him exceeding glad with his countenance and the King trusting in God through the mercy of the most high Psal 7◠9 Psal 132.18 he may not miscarry That his enemies may lick the dust and be cloathed with shame but upon himself his Crown may flourish And blessed be God our prayers for him may come out of our Closets again and be put up in the Congregation It is sad to think how he was persecuted out of the very prayers of his people And these Prodigious Reformers would needs have our duty to be our crime A duty we owe to all to Kings most of all and was never forbidden by any but where They and Satan had command How well their interdiction to pray for the King can consist with that Apostolical injunction 1 Tim. 2 1. to pray for Kings and for all that are in authority let the world judge unless these New Modellers can pretend to a power of regulating the Rule it self and to deal with the Royal Law as they sometime did with the Laws of the Kingdom But we shall leave them to him who hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the sharp Sword with two edges to avenge the affronts and injuries done to his own truth 2. Praises Let us end with them Praise is the great duty of this day Psal 44 8. In God let us boast all the day long and praise his name for ever Exod. 15.1 2 7. Sing unto the Lord for he hath triumphed gloriously The Lord is our strength and song and he is become our salvation In the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee Psal 148.13 And therefore Let us praise the name of the Lord for his name alone is excellent his glory is above the Earth Psal 150.1 and Heaven Praise God in his Sanctuary praise him in the firmament of his power You of the Magistracy Praise him in the heighths Vers 2. praise him for his mighty acts praise him according to his excellent greatness You of the Souldiery Psal 149.6 Let the high praises of God be in your mouths and a two-edged sword in your hands You of the Commonalty Psal 29 1. 2 9. Give unto the Lord glory and strength give unto the Lord the glory due unto his Name in his Temple let every man speak of his honor for the Lord taketh pleasure in his people Psal 149.4 Psal 29.11 Psal 64.9 he will beautifie the meek with salvation The Lord will give strength unto his people the Lord will bless his people with peace Let all men fear and declare the work of God and wisely consider of his doings Let us all praise him till Earth emulates Heaven where they are all praises Let them shout for joy and be glad Psal 35.27 that favour our Righteous Cause yea let them say continually Let the Lord be magnified which taketh pleasure in the prosperity of his servants Because thou hast been our help Psal 63.4.7 therefore in the shadow of thy wings will we rejoice Thus will we bless thee while we live and lift up our hands in thy Name And when mens tongues cannot reach it let us borrow of Angels Luk. 2.13.14 and join with the heavenly Host praising God and saying Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace good-will towards men And that our praises may come in a good place and our thankfulness follow our mercies nearer than ordinary Let them be Mental and Monumental 1. Mental Keep in mind the works of God Let not that complaint of Nehemiah come in against us Neh. 9.16 17. That we dealt proudly and hardned our necks and hearkned not to his commandments And refused to obey neither were mindful of the wonders that he did among us Let not that of the Psalmist be charged upon us That we sang his praise Psal 106.12 13 21. and soon forgat his works That we forgat God our Saviour who had done great things for us To remember mercies is but a cheap piece of thankfulness 2. Monumental Erect Trophees and set up Memorials of our deliverance Psal 45.4 5 6 7. Let one generation praise his works to another and declare his mighty acts Let them speak of the glorious honor of his Majesty and of his wonderous works Let men speak of the might of his terrible acts and declare his greatness Let them abundantly utter the memory of his great goodness and sing of his righteousness Propagate our deliverance to infinite posterity Hide it not from our children Psal 78.4 and let them shew the generations to come the praises of the Lord and his strength and his wonderful works that he hath done Num. 23.23 According to this time it shall he said of Jacob and of Israel what hath God wrought Exod. 12.14 17. Let this day be repeated annually it is a day to be unto us for a memorial to keep it a feast unto the Lord throughout our generations to observe it in our generations by an Ordinance for ever Psal 102.18 Let it be written for the generations to come that the people which shall be created may praise the Lord Psal 111.4 That merciful and gracious Lord who hath so done his marvellous works that they ought to be had in remembrance Psal 136.23 Who remembred us in our low estate brought back his banished and hath all his life prevented him with the blessings of goodness and this day set a Crown of pure gold on his head Now unto the King eternal 1 Tim. 1.17 immortal invisible the only wise God be honor and glory for ever and ever Amen FINIS
his thousands and David his ten thousands Particularly the Victory which this and the foregoing Psalm referre to and which is the blessing celebrated was that of David's Armies against the forces of the children of Ammon with the Auxiliaries of Syria under the command of their Captain General Shobach Of which you have a full account 2 Sam. 10. and of which more afterwards 2. Vivacity Length of dayes Of which Vers 4. He asked life of thee and thou gavest it him even length of dayes for ever and ever Some victories cost dear are bought with the life of a King or General and are little less than the undoing of the Conquerors they lose by winning God sometimes takes his people from the possession of blessings even when they are entring upon them He did so with his servant Moses whom he cut off in the very confines of Canaan Deut. 34.4 I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes but thou shalt not go over thither He did so with the illustrious hopeful and most lamented the late Duke of GLOCESTER that immortal blossome not to be mentioned without a preface of sadness who saw but enjoyed little of the happiness of his royal Brothers His most excellent Majesties Restauration But the King's blessings are lengthened with his life He hath victory and life to use and improve it 1 King 3.11 God hath given him the life of his enemies and his own life too Which are two of the four most eligible blessings so accounted by God himself who best knows the worth of his own blessings in his comprobation of Solomons choice 1 Kings 3.11 Life is that blessing in Wisdom's right-hand which taketh place of riches and honor It is the greatest of earthly blessings Facito debilem pede facito debilem manu vita dum superest benè est Men will hold it upon hard terms they are loth to part with it even when the dayes are come they have no pleasure in them Eccl. 12.1 All look on it as their All Kings most of all They are most commonly at a heighth of outward glory full of blessings and they desire nothing so much as life to enjoy them We read of but one life lengthened in Scripture and it was a Kings 2 King 20 6. Dan. 2.4 Ch. 3.9 And the Caldeans looked on it as the best piece of Courtship that they could use to Nebuchadnezzar O King live for ever There is nothing so much a blessing to a King on this side the Kingdom of Heaven as his life And have not we cause to remember to remember with eternal thankfulness how God gave our most Dread Soveraign his life gave it him at Worcester even then when a thousand deaths look'd him in the face to take it away When the proud waters were ready to go over his soul Psal 124.5 When the insulting enemy said God hath forsaken him Psal 71.11 persecute him take him for there is none to deliver him even then did his mighty hand and stretched-out arm take Rebellion rampant by the throat Psal 22.20 and delivered his soul from the sword his darling his only one according to the Hebrew from the power of the dog Psal 113 8. That he might set him with Princes even with the Princes of his people Isa 55.3 That he might give him those sure mercies of David His Throne shall be as the Sun before me Psal 89.36 37. It shall be established for ever as the Moon and as a faithful witness in Heaven But of that more anon Vivacity that 's the second of those blessings the people here own with thankfulness for their King 3. Safety Ver. 5. His glory is great in thy salvation And in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice Ver. 1. God chargeth his providence in a more peculiar manner with Kings Touch not mine Anointed It is a great blessing to have our blessings secured to us Fear of losing lessens a blessing How low ran the rate of earthly blessings among us during the late times of trouble when men knew not how to secure them from the hands of Rapine nor free them from those artificial and finer kinds of violence which were in use among us It is the blessing of our blessings when they are made safe to us And we are then happy when we are fortified by the strength of God and made impregnable by the power of the most high There 's no security like Omnipotency and those Walls must needs be inexpugnable which are made up of his Salvation That 's the King's condition here Lord thou hast sospitated his person and established his Throne and secured his Kingdom Psal 5 11 12. His glory is great in thy salvation And therefore Let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice let them ever shout for joy because thou defendest them let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee For thou Lord wilt bless the righteous with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield Be that enough for the first expression which here heightens the mercy of the Kings Conservation In benedictionibus With blessings 2. Those blessings are of goodness The blessings of goodness In benedictionibus dulcedinis the vulgar Latin renders it With the blessings of sweetness and delight Blessings that will gratifie the desires of his soul and go down with a relish Psal 34.8 He shall taste and see how good the Lord is He shall not only have blessings of defence but delight mercies not only for necessity but complacency God shall gild his deliverance with the light of his countenance and sweeten his enjoyments with the experiences of his love Thou preventest him with the sweetest of blessings In benedictionibus bonitatis in St. Hierom's words with the blessings of goodness And that goodness seems to have a double reference either to the cause or kind of blessings 1. To the cause Thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness That is Thy goodness is the cause and ground the fountain and foundation of all his blessings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word which the Seventy two Interpreters use in this place speaks benignity and blessings of good-will Lord all the Kings blessings are the out-lets of thy goodness That is the living and inexhaustible fountain from whence do flow all those streams which make glad the people of God The spring of Love is in God's own self His bowels made the first motion of good to us Thou art good Psal 119.68 and dost good The goodness derived to us is from a primitive goodness in himself It is meerly and solely from his goodness that we have any good Alas had we no goods but what the purchase of our own merits brought in Ch. 3.17 we should be but like that conceited Phanatick Church in the Revelations say it may be We are rich and increased in goods and have need of nothing when indeed we are wretched and miserable
A lap in Isa p. 156. Therefore the learned in the Hebrew observe that the word Nasi signifies both Prince and Bearer A Prince is Bajulus reipublicae The supporter of his people So Moses made account Deut 1.12 2 King 13.14 when he complained that He could not bear them alone He is Currus Auriga the Chariot and Horseman to his people whom he carries about with him continually He stands under such a weight that he is the very Atlas of the lower world In short The cares of Princes sit closer to their heads than their Crowns and they that wear them both never want weight Matters of import and weight of employment that also is signified by the head And now I should ha' done with this particular but finding the words also eminently applyed to the Lord Jesus Christ Col. 1.18 who is head of the body the Church I could not pass them over without taking notice that it is no such impropriety to say two heads as our Refusers of the Oath of Supremacy would insinuate For Subordinata non pugnant To make the King head is not to behead Christ Christ is head and the King is subordinate head too Two heads and yet no Monstrosity Reges in ipsos imperium est Jovis Toparchs and under-Kings are not inconsistent with an Empire no more are Terrestrial Kingdoms and Headships with the paramount power of the Lord of Glory It is ridiculous to think more to object that the King would invade the Prerogative Royal of Jesus Christ by being head of the Church in the same heighth and latitude with him or that Christ should not look upon it as equal robbery for any to call himself King as head in his Church which yet these Recusants are willing to allow If men will be sober they cannot but see the King layes claim to nothing which Christ hath reserved to himself as his peculiar He stands not Rival with him for command He pleads not Peerage with God He sayes not sayes not in his heart Isa 14.13 14. I will exalt my Throne above the starres of God I will ascend above the heights of the clouds Ero similis altissimo I will be like the most high That was Lucifer's Language and one as proud as Lucifer takes to it or else he hath wrong done him Dominus Deus noster Papa Our Lord God the Pope I wish they would not give the Pope that which they deny the King Let them but remember the stile of some aspiring Emperors and the King's title will appear modest enough Numen nostrum Nostra Aeternitas And what Dio the Historian tells us of some Marbles and Statua's that they were inscribed with Devoti Numini Titles which any thing but Marbles would blush at But a Sub-supremacy as I may call it to be Supreme under Christ suits both with the reason of a man and the sobriety of a Christian There can be no just pretence to deny the King his Supremacy whil'st in all humility he confesseth Christ's The truth is the cavil is so idle and impertinent that those which make it give cause enough to suspect that as they now grudge him his head so they would not stick to take off his head had they power and opportunity in their hands If wise and good men be not mistaken This is that submission Saint Peter calls for 2 Pet. 2.13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To the King as Supreme Yes say these worst sort of Recusants again To the King as Supreme in Temporals I grant that the exposition of Pope Innocent the third P. 226 l A. Col. 1. for so Lorinus the Jesuite tells us in his Comment upon St. Peter And I wish they be not as little friends to the Protestant Churches as he that follow that Exposition Sit Petrus in clave is a phrase used at the Coronation of the Kings of this Realm And if there be any Scholars among the dissenters let them construe me that Mr. Bisield a person looked on as no great admirer of conformity urgeth this place to evince the King's Supremacy and the Oath to it as any may see that will consult his Commentary upon it I shall only add Let Protestants remember it was an Apostle and the Pontificians consider it was Saint Peter that asserted the King's Supremacy and then methinks neither should have much to say why he should not be owned as head upon whose head the Crown is now to be set Which is the next particular both the day and the time and the Text lead us to it The Crown upon the Kings head is gold pure gold A Crown of pure gold on his head A Crown But what Crown there 's the question and it is not Tanti not worth the while to resolve it Some conceive the Text to intend a particular Crown Among these Trevetus Vatablus and Genebrard determine it the Crown of the King of Ammon taken at Rabbah of which mention is made 2 Sam. 12.30 But whether the King 's own Crown or the Crown of Melchom alias Molech the celebrated Idol of that people hath been disputed more than enough Not of the King sayes one party because of the excessive weight of it 2 Sam. 12.30 Sixty pound weight Iuâ—â—us a Talent of gold a Talent being one hundred twenty and five pounds and so the Crown was insupportable either by the head of David or of the King of Ammon himself though of a larger breed Nec sufferre queat majoris pondera Gemmae Iuven. Sat. 1. To evade which Not usually worne but a Crown Estate Willet Haâ—m in 2 Sam. p. 78. It was supported by the hands of others says Lyranus It was contrived to be pendent so Abulensis from the Hebrews Or which is the fancy of Bruno the Carthusian Conslavit in aliam redegit It was melted and reduced to a less and more suitable sise Nor was it the Idol's crown sayes the other party Both upon a religious account because it was inconvertible to David's use and upon a civil score because it was below him to wear the reversions of an Idol who was Solo Deo vero minor majorque falsis below the true God only Abulensis Lyranus Hugo Cardinalis Carthusianus better and greater than all factitious fictitious ones The Learned have troubled themselves more than needs to salve all these difficulties It would be besides our business to ingage with any of them in renewing a quarrel about a Crown long since laid in the dust There are some also whom we shall but mention for another Crown 2 Sam. 1.10 the Crown of Israel which Saul wore and the young Amalckite took from his head as also the bracelet from his arm and brought them to David and lost his life for his pains Whatsoever Crown it was it was Insigne Regni in the Orator's expression An Ensign of Soveraignty and one of the chief among the Regalia Such a Crown it was that Interpreters strive