2.10 That his Adversaries may be broken in pieces and that he will thunder out of Heaven upon them That he will give strength to the King and exalt the horn of his anointed that so the King may yet joy in his strength Psal 84 9â— and greatly rejoice in his salvation Behold O God our shield and look upon the face of thine anointed The children of Edom are waiting for another day of Hierusalem and as smooth as they look and speak with Jael's butter and milk Judg. 4.18 and a Turn in my Lord turn in to us and fear not it is to be feared they have a nail for those temples which God of his preventing goodness keep out of their hands Let my Lord the King live and this fear be to his enemies And so I shall ha' done with the first general part of the Text The Conservation of the King Thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness Come we now to the Second that which we are come with this great and unusual pomp to solemnize The Coronation of the King Thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head And here that we may make this second part match and run a paralel with the first we shall take notice of three expressions which heighten the mercy of his Coronation as those other did of his Conservation 1. The King's head crowned 2. The crown upon that head gold pure gold 3. The hand of God setting that crown of gold upon that head Thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head 1. Upon his head Not upon any one member no nor upon any five members neither no nor yet upon the whole body For by the undoubted fundamental Laws of this Kingdom neither the Peers of the Realm nor the Commons nor both together in Parliament nor the people collectively or representatively nor any other persons whatsoever ever had hath or ought to have any coercive power over the persons of the Kings of this Realm Dated Jâ—â— 25. 1660. As the Royal pen informs us in a late Proclamation and hath enacted it also at the request of the late Parliament that our heels may no more stand where our head should be Upon his head as fittest for Vision Provision 1. The head is fittest for Vision Eccles 2.14 A wise man's eyes are in his head And well had it been for us if ours had been believed to be there when time was probably we had not seen the miseries and direful effects of the late Warres We were so sagacious and quick-sighted we could see things before they were in their causes our members would needs see more than our head and so we ran blind-folded into confusion The eyes of a people are in their King as in their head and they that are without him witness our late selves are but like Sampson without his eyes fit for nothing but to make the Philistines sport Judg. 16.25 It is a sign their brains are scarce in their heads that think their eyes would do well any where else Upon his head for Vision 2. Upon his head for Provision The head is Providore and Purveyor for the whole body The welfare of the body depends mostly upon the Wisdom and Council upon the dictates and directions of the head The body supports the head by its strength and the head supplyes the body by its providence A Church or State without this head is like an Orphan or fatherless Infants So that promise intimates Erunt Reges nutricij hij And Kings shall be thy Nursing Fathers Isa 49.23 and their Queens thy Nursing Mothers Oeconomi tui as some render it making the Church and Common-wealth the Family of the Prince upon whom lies the whole care and governance of it to order it and provide for it Upon his head as fittest for provision That 's a second Upon his head This being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both for Order and for honor's sake Or if you please Upon his head Imports The heighth of his place and The weight of his employment 1. The heighth of his place Head denotes chiefdom and pre-eminence The chief of their Tribes and Families which the Vulgar Latin all along calls Principes our Translation renders Heads Princes are Heads Mic. 3.1 Hear O Heads of Jacob and ye Princes of the house of Israel It may be said of Saul in his place as well as his person that he is Altior universo populo ab humero sursum Higher by the head than all the people Rex omnibus major Deo solo minor was good divinity in Tertullian's dayes though the iniquity of ours had almost dasht it out of countenance with that ridiculous Maxim of our new Statists Confuted by Bodinâ—s de Repub. l. 1. cap. 8. Major singulis minor universis The King is above all and under God only He is Homo Deo secundus in the same Father's phrase A man second to God Nay be it spoken with reverence He is a God of the second sort 1 Tim 1.17 Psal 82.6 Deus est immortalis Rex Rex mortalis Deus God is an immortal King and the King is a mortal God This is Scripture language and I hope we may speak it without suspicion of flattery The height of the King's place that 's the first import of his head 2. The weight of his employment The trouble of Government lies most in the head Others may have their hands but the King commonly hath his head full This made Antigonus say to his son Regnum nostrumest servitus splendida A Kingdom is but a glorious servitude A finer kind of trouble No wonder if Saul hid himself among the stuff 1 Sam. 10 2â— and chose rather to obscure his head among the baggage than offer it to the Crown of Israel if he foresaw the burden of business and incumbrance which he was like to put on with it Indeed could that Bellua multorum capitum be tamed and all Wood made Mercury Would the Rout be refined and ingenuity be found among the Rabble Were there hopes to meet with a Nation as tractable as David found his countreymen of Judah Whose hearts he bowed 2 Sam. 19.14 even as the heart of one man Then Facile est imperium in bones Plaâ—t as the Comedian Good men are easily governed But the depravity of nature the pride avarice and ambition of men hath made them so mutinous and unruly that government is become a weight big enough for head and shoulders and all Isa 9.6 Therefore that Principatus super humerum in the Prophet The Government shall be upon his shoulder does not only allude to the Scepter and Sword and other symbols of Authority Praetoâ—ibus aâ—te ibant â—â—câ—ores cum fâ—scibas Cic. carried upon the shoulder as the Romane Fasces were before the Magistrate but speaks government it self to be a weight requiring more than an ordinary strength to undergo it
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
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