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A40737
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A funeral sermon on the occasion of the death of Algernon Sidney, Esq. Who was beheaded on Tower-Hill, on December the seventh 1683. for high-treason
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1683
(1683)
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Wing F2539A; ESTC R214649
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22,178
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74
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where they were whipped and in the end their heads were struck off after the manner of their Country The Emperour Charles IV. in his war against Philip of Austria corrupted three of his Captains with promise of great reward if they would betray Philip into his hands by making him flee through false fear they did it and received the promised reward The Emperour had provided for them a mighty Mass of Counterfeit Money which he gave them they returning afterward complained that they were deceived with Counterfeit Coyn the Emperour answered Adulterinum aurum pro adulterino opere that counterseit Coyn was a worthy reward for counterfeit Knaves false Coyn for a false Work John Justian of Genoa having betrayed Constantinople to Mahomet upon condition that he should make him King thereof under him he made him King thereof and Crowned him most Royally but within three days after cut off his head Pausanias having received five hundred Talents of Gold of Xerxes to betray Sparta Agesilaus his Father when he fled into a Temple to save himself caused the Gates of the Temple to be walled up and so he died of hunger whose body his Mother caused to be cast to the Dogs and would not bury it All men hate Traitors Plutarch saith men are affected towards Traitors whom they are driven of necessity to use as men that use the poyson of a Viper c. they willingly use the poyson but hate the poysonful Creature So many that willingly make use of the Treason do hate the Traitor Observation XX. That evil men make an ill use of beholding God's judgments upon others instead of humbling themselves under the hand of God they are apt to fall foul upon others verse 41. On the morrow all the Congregation of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron saying ye have killed people of the Lord. The judgment of God against Korah and his Company was before then eyes and yet on the morrow they offended again what they had seen God to do they impute to Moses and Aaron Themselves had been saved by the Prayers of Moses yet now thus they requite them They repine more at the loss of a few than at the saving of themselves and many thousands others Murmuring in Scripture is called by the Name of Rebellion After this murmuring of the people against Moses and Aaron in the next Chapter v. 10. The Lord said unto Moses bring Aaron's Rod again before the Testimony to be kept for a Token against the Rebels against God to murmur is to have a heart rising against the Lord. A general Discontent and Murmuring in a Nation is usually the Forerunner of Rebellion and Murmuring is the root of Rebellion against God Gregory saith That Murmurers do enter into Judgment with God Consider the Evil of Murmuring First It is a great piece of Folly to murmur at any of Gods Dispensations with us and God at one time or other will shew such Men their Folly It is great Vanity to think we can redress any Evils by our own Wisdom for who can make straight that which God hath made crooked Eccl. 7. 13. Moreover by murmuring ye dedeprive your selves of the comfort and sweetness of all your Enjoyments If it be a pleasant thing to be thankful then on the contrary it is an unpleasant thing to be murmuring And let me add if you let loose your Tongues to murmur against Magistracy and Ministry and any of Gods Instruments God hath an Ear to hear all your Murmurings Exod. 16. 6 7. The Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron but say they to the people In the Morning ye shall see the Glory of the Lord for that he heareth your murmurings against the Lord. And what are we that ye murmur against us verse 8. Ye murmur not so much against us as against the Lord. Therefore St. Paul gives us a Caveat to take heed of murmuring Neither murmur ye as some of them also murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer The Israelites no sooner brake out into this Sin after the death of Korah and his Confederates but God sent the Plague among them that destroyed Fourteen thousand and seven hundred beside them that dyed in the matter of Korah And now I wish that that Scripture Psal 29. last may be made good this day That all that erred in spirit shall come to understanding and they that murmured shall learn Doctrine To murmur at Gods Providences is very prejudicial to us Seneca tells us that Caesar having prepared a great Feast for his Nobles and Friends the day fell out to be very wet that nothing could be done to the honour of that meeting Caesar being greatly displeased willed all them that had bows to shoot up their Arrows at Jupiter then their chief God in defiance of him for that rainy weather which they did accordingly But the Arrows fell short of Heaven and falling upon their own heads many of them were sorely wounded so by our murmuring against our Rulers or against any of Gods Providences we hurt not him at all but they will light on our own heads and wound us dangerously Let us all study peace and live peaceably and labour to make up those unhappy breaches that are among us Tacitus in the Life of Agricola his Father-in-Law describing the Fashions Chivilry and Resolutions of the Britains in that time observeth this also that they were then drawn into divers petty Factions and the greatest advantage that the Romans had against that our Warlike Nation was That they had no Common Council They did not consult together but each City fought against their Neighbours ita dum singuli pugnant saith he universi vincuntur whilst one by one fighteth all are overcome And it is much to be feared That the Romans are again ready to set foot into our Land they expect to get ground by our home-bred Factions and Divisions so that the Pope hath now hopes of a great Harvest in England And how can we think the Church of England can stand saith one when there be Sizers and Consizers so many Cuters and Carvers of her Members Moreover let us all be content with that Condition in the World which God hath allotted us keeping our selves within our due Bounds There 's a notable Story for this in Plutarch in the Life of Pyrrhus One Cineas adviseth him to desist from the Wars with the Romans May it please your Majesty saith he it is reported that the Romans are Good Men of War and if it please the Gods we do overcome them what Benefit shall we have of that Victory Pyrrhus answered him we shall then soon conquer all Italy with ease Cineas replyed it is probable it may be as your Highness speaketh but when we have won Italy will our Wars be then at an end If the Gods were pleased said Pyrrhus That the Victory were atchieved then might we afterwards go into Africa and so to Carthage But when we have gotten all into our hands said Cineas What shall we do then Then Pyrrhus laughing said we will then be quiet and take our ease and eat drink and be merry every day To whom Cineas returned saying and what hindreth us now from being merry together and at quiet sithe we enjoy that presently without further cost travel and trouble which we should seek for abroad with so much danger and Bloodshedding So how quietly and comfortably might men live together could they be content with their present Condition did not the corruption of their hearts swell them into Discontent Pride and Faction Making them to transgress the Bounds wherein God hath placed them Now the Lord of Peace give us Peace all ways by all means FINIS
Churches were built for them which prosperity being abused by the Bishops and the Clergy and other Christians unto Pride and Idleness strife and Contention It moved the Lord to scourge them with another See the tenth Persecution which began in the nineteenth year of the Emperour Dioclestan which raged very sore and extended unto this Island which was then under the goverment of the Romans Korah Dathan and Abiram though they had a Preheminence above many others yet the Pride of their Spirits causeth them to swell against Moses and Aaron Humility of Spirit is a special means to keep the heart in peace with God and from breaking out into irregular motions An humble man blesseth God that he hath raised him above any others and is not troubled that others are raised higher than himself Jacob confesseth himself to be less than the least of all God's Mercies Some think others too high who think themselves not high enough Plenty Riches and Prosperity do usually puff men up with Pride and Pride ingendereth strife and contention He that is of a Proud Heart stireth up Strife Prov. 28. 25. Some men are contentious to shew that they are men of Spirit Proud and Haughty Scorner is his name who dealeth in Proud Wrath. Prov. 21. 24. Some men are violent and wrathful meerly out of Pride that others may know they are men of mettle This is proud Wrath as the wise Man termeth it Ambition Pride and immoderate desire of greatness moved Alexandria the Great to wage War with Darius King of Persia This was the Cause of the Civil war between Caesar and Pompey Sylla and Marius Anthony and Augustus Pride hath been the cause of many Schisms and Divisions in the Church Hence the Corinthians ran into Schisms and Parties one was for Paul another was for Apollos a third was for Caephas a fourth above all Ministers and Ordinances he is for Christ alone Whence arose the strife between Basil and Eusebius Bishop of Caesarea and between Origen and Demetrius Bishop of Alexandria whence arose the stirs that Montanus Demetrius and Arrius made in the Epiphan lib. 2. Theodoret lib. 1. cap. 8. Sozom. lib. 2. cap. 18. Church whence were the contentions between Paulinus and Flavianus Lucifer and Eusebius the Meletians and Eustathians all at the beginning good Christians and embracing true Doctrine yet at last so divided they were that the one Excommunicated the other whence was the strife between Chrysostom of the one part and Cyril Theophilus and Epiphanius of the other about the Burning of Origens Books did not all these contentions spring from Pride whence were the contentions among certain Popes and Popish Bishops was it not from Pride was it not about the Supremacy which ambitious Popes have proudly challenged Humility is a low Postern at which the Proud man will not stoop Heaven is an High City yet hath but a low Gate as St. Augustine saith Peace is humble Pride quite overlooks her The safest way to keep fire is to rake it up in Embers and the best way to preserve Peace is in Humility Observation IV. That near Neighbourhood between men of corrupt Principles and working Spirits is very dangerous to the publick Korah with the Kohathites and Dathan and Abiram with the Reubenites were quartered on the South side of the Tabernacle This near Situation gave them opportunities of frequent coming together whereby they had an advantage of hatching this wicked PLOT against MOSES and AARON Confederacy in Evil is strong in Operation God complaineth Ezek. 22. 25. of the Prophets of Jerusalem thus There is a Conspiracy of her Prophets in the midst thereof The Hebrew for Conspiracy is from a root 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est ligare colligare Metaphorice dicitur de animorum colligatione conjurare facere ligam or word which signifies to bind to tye together as Jeremiah 51. 63. Isaiah 49. 16. and metaphorically is referred to the minds of men combining together as 2 Sam. 25. 31. It is said that Ahitophel is among the Conspirators with Absalom Backsherim in Conspirationibus his mind with others of his Associates was United in a Conspiracy against David So 2 Kings 12. 20. Jehoash his Servants arose and made a Conspiracy It is in the Original they conspired a Conspiracy they were all of one heart and mind and it was to kill their Master Being fellow Servants and dwelling together they had the more opportunities of meeting together to Plot the Destruction of their Master So the evil Prophets had a Conspiracy they met in Jerusalem they consulted and agreed together to Prophecy the same things that none should Prophecy otherwise they made a Conspiracy against the true Prophets and those that were truly Religious opposing God and Godliness Ye may read how they set themselves against Jeremiah Chap. 26. 8. and stired up the Princes and People against him verse 13. How they Prophecied the same things Jerem. 23. 17. Such was the Counsel of Trent a meer Conspiracy did they not agree together that whoever Preached against their Canons and Articles should be Anathematized did they not stir up the Princes and Powers of the world to punish those they Judged Schismaticks and Hereticks Observation V. That outward blessings bestowed upon evil men do commonly become snares to themselves and sometimes hurtful and prejudicial to the Common-Wealth These Conspiratours were Princess of the Assembly famous in the Congregation men of Name or Renown Their dignity put them upon this mutiny with hope of success Poyson given in Wine worketh strongly Sin meeting with outward advantages is the more mischievous when evil men come to places of Eminency they vent the Corruptions that lay hid in them before they make Progress in Wickedness and nothing restrains them we are ready to think that great men that have had good Education are well natured will prove admirable Instruments of God's glory and the publick good but we deceive our selves in some when they come to high and publick places their evil natures do appear and they grow worse and worse Nero at first for five years carried himself well like a Lamb but he was a Lion and his Lionish disposition shewed it self to the full These Princes of the Assembly perverted the end for which they were ordained of God and set up by men in Micahs days the heads of the house of Jacob and the Princes of the House of Israel abhorred Judgment and perverted all equity They build up Sion with Blood and Jerusalem with Iniquity and for their sins and sakes was Sion Plowed as a Field and Jerusalem made heaps The Venetian History informs us that in a time when the Common-Wealth of Venice was much afflicted Baimonti Tepulo who issued from a noble family but bearing a Devilish hatred to his Country with divers others of the same quality and means conspired against it divers of the common people being in pay with the Conspirators who in the midst of a horrible tempest intermingled with