former the Apostle calls it Godly Feare God is the Author of it I will put my feare in their hearts The end of it Esa 32.40 and the object of it first and immediatly and man onely so far as God hath communicated something of himself as his Majestie wisdome authoritie power to him Feare the Lord and the King Observe first the Method The Lord Then the King The feare of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdome the beginning of wisdome is the feare of the Lord. A man may be witty but not wise without it he may be as subtle as the serpent but cannot be as innocent as the dove Jacob covenanting with Laban calls to witnesse the Feare of his Father Isaac Gen. 31.53 i. e. That God that Isaac his Father feared David doth not onely explaine this duty what it is but press it upon us why it is to be done with prevalent arguments Come let us worship and fall downe and kneel before the Lord our maker for he is the Lord our God he hath made us c. This is a duty confess'd by all though practised by few The fool indeed saith in his heart there is no God in his heart i. e. in his secret thoughts as rather desiring that it was so then concluding that it is so in his heart not with his lips in articulate words He is afraid either that the Echo of his own expression should give him the lye or that for Atheisme and blasphemy openly profesâ—'d he should strike him with death who first breath'd into him the breath of life But to leave such speculative and practicall Atheists either in mercy to be converted or in terror to be confounded What strange spectacle is this that I see Professors pious and precious souls such as seeme not without the power of godlinesse and yet want the forme no outward posture of the body that may expresse the reverence of the soule No sacred esteem of times places or things separated to holy use who to avoyd superstitious vowing exclude all formalities of worship deny God those external Civilities of his worship that they will scarcely deny their equalls and dare not deny their superiors The servant as though he was free from his Master sits in the Congregation with his hat on and that not in winter onely but in summer not upon any account of infirmitie but I feare presumption for heate and sweat will make him lay it by What will Turkes Jewes and Pagans think of us who in the externalls of their worship do far outstrip us and perhaps in their zeale also though it be not according to knowledge What will the holy men of God The noble army of Martyrs The glorious Societie of Saints and Angels who not onely kneel but fall flat on their faces not onely uncover their heads Rev. 4.10 but cast their Crowns downe to the earth before him What will they say to David or rather what will David say to them who while they boast of his Spirit deny his practise in every letter and whereas they would be thought to be men after Gods own heart they seeme to proclaime it that they thinke him like themselves See what David did and do the like I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercies and in thy feare will I worship towards thy holy Temple Psal 5.7 This feare of God then is an awfull apprehension of the sacred Majestie of Almightie God proceeding from a loving and a loyall heart binding over the soule to all services of love with a voluntary resignation of our selves our profits pleasures preferments and what is ours to his will and pleasure This is not only The whole duty of man to feare God and keepe his Commandments but his chiefest dignitie which not onely preserves the soule here in grace but also Crowns it with glory hereafter My son feare thou the Lord. The other object of our feare is The King It is our Saviours order and Command To give unto Caesar the things that are Caesars and to God the things that are Gods The Apostle appoynts that tribute be payd to whom it belongs and Honour to whom honour is due Come forth ye sons and daughters of Jerusalem see the Regalia that Throne of Majestie which God himselfe hath set up for him and that Crowne of honour wherewith God himselfe hath Crown'd him in the day of his espousalls He hath joyn'd him with himselfe in the same expression Cloathed him with the Robes of his own honour mounted him in royall equipage with himselfe and causing it be proclaim'd by Solomon no meaner a person then the greatest of Princes is his Herauld Thus shall it be done to that man that the Lord will honour Feare the Lord and the King The Act is the same Feare Feare The Lord. The King Of the first I have treated already now of the second and next immediate object of our Feare The King i. e. A single person cloth'd with authoritie chosen of God and of the people sitted for called to and setled in power and dignitie is to be fear'd i. e. with a loyall and loving heart reverenced and obey'd next and immediately unto the Lord in the Lord and for the Lord. Neither was this any Nationall or legall command onely impos'd upon the Israelites but see also the very same made by the Apostle Peter 2 Pet. 2.17 Feare God Honour the King Evangelicall Morall universall and perpetuall Where let me first congratulate the word honour by way of explanation which takes off the edge of admiration from subjects and of ambition from Princes It includes not onely reverence obedience and care of or for but also Recompence Reward Maintenance Kings themselves are servants design'd to defend preserve keep safe as a Shepherd his flock the people committed to their charge Our bare heads our bended knees all our salutations and signes of reverence our honour and feare are indeed a tribute due unto God but payd to the King as his Stuard commissioned by him to require and receive them of us Wonder not then that God should thus guild an earthen pot and lay up the treasure even of divine honour in an earthen vessell It is the Lord He may do what he will and the Honour is his he may doe with his owne what he pleaseth Two things lye plaine before us First That kingly government is of divine institution and approbation commanded and commended by God himself All other governments and governors are appoynted by the King and in subordination to him The text is plain 1 Pet. 2.13 14. Submit your selves to every ordinance or law of man for the Lords sake whether to the King as supream or to Governors sent i. e. authorized commissioned appoynted by him Thus Daniel was by the King made a great man and a Governor and he that raigned over one hundred twenty and seven Provinces Est 1.1 appoynted Governors over every Province v. 14. But to cleare this
more and more sin one mischiefe covering it selfe with another conceiving it cannot be safe but by so doing As we see it was thus with David in the matter of Vriah and Ahab in the case of Naboth the beginnings of which are oft but small but alas alas how great a sire will a little sparke kindle He that made the whole world the object of his contemplation as he was griev'd to see some idle and others ill imploy'd so was he also griev'd to see many bufie in other mens matters Such endeavours are seldome acceptable or successfull and this connivence they carry ever along with them if well they are but well if evill the more paines the lesse thanks ye accessaries in this case come in as principles and beare the reward of their follyes in their sufferings Briefly God hath placed every man in his own station appoynted him some office calling imployment or businesse of his own This let him doe it with all diligence and following the Aposties rule Let him study to be quiet and medle with his own businesse 1 Thes 4.15 Sin and sinners in generall we must not medle with My son if sinners intice thee consent thou not if they say Wee will lay wait for blood c. vid. 1 Prov. v. 11. We shall finde precious riches and fill our houses with spoyle Cast in thy lot amongst us we will all have one purse My son walke not in their way refraine thy foot from their paths c. Good old Jacob whom neither affection to his children nor love of gaine could court to the countenancing of cruelty abominates that villany of his sons in slaying the Sichemites though they pretended great and urgent reasons for it especially after overtures of peace for the future and tender of satisfaction for by-past injuries he confesses that it made him stinke in the nostrills of other Nations and many years after even upon his death-bed to evidence his perpetuall hatred of such treachery he disclaimes any society with or approbation of that act Into their secrets let noâ— my soule enter in their assemblies mine honour be not thou united and passes sentence upon them that were chiefe actors in it Simeon and Levi Devide them O God in Jacob and scatter them in Israel Gen. 49. 5-7 But to speake to the object in the text The seditious Sedition is the murtherer of pietie the bane of charitie the mother of consusion It is a hell upon earth as having nearest relation to and confederacy with the Devil and his Angels Satan never acts so like himselfe as when in the shape of an Angel of light he attempts workes of darknesse and by his delusions and devices throws all into extremities and those often contrary casting some into the fire and others into the water Sedition is that Grand Trapan which not onely carries away deceived soules such as in the simplicitie of their hearts goe on thinking no evill but also perverts good intentions and in time converts them into most horrid practises Sedition hath this evill in it that it usually corrupts the best knowing such when corrupted to be ever the worst That poyson is most mortall that hath seised on the vitalls and thus it is in a Church or State when Religion is turn'd to faction and peace the daughter of pietie is so fatally betrayed that she becomes the mother of dissention and grand-mother of destruction Nor do I wonder at it in our dregs of time when in those purer dayes the Apostle tells the Corinthians that he fear'd he should sinde what he was unwilling to finde strife envyings wrath contentions backbitings swellings and discords Behold an Army of Saints whose Cause is envie and swellings whose Artillery is strife wrath and contention and whose Military provision seems no better then backbitings and discords If thus it be with the greene tree what shall become of the dry and if the righteous could not be preserved from those evills how shall the wicked and ungodly appeare But to come to the Text the seditious seeme to be of two sorts which I gather from the last word Both a word necessarily relating to two and indeed in State-affaires two factions or seditions are most dangerous First Such as would have Monarchy degenerate into tyranny Who cannot be content to have Soveraignty like the tree of life planted in the midst of the paradise of God whose fruit is food and whose leaves are physick to heale the Nations but they must have it as that overgrowne tree whose height must reach to heaven It was a foule signe of Babels approaching ruine when his Princes and people who knew the King to be but a man must honour him as a God Is not this great Babel that I have built for mine Honour c. preceded that fatall deposing Thy kingdome is taken from thee c. Dan. 4.28 Herods flatterers were his murtherers had not they cryed out The voyce of God and not of man Herod might have been a man much longer but they giving and he accepting divine Honour he was smitten with a mortall disease He was eaten with wormes and gave up the ghost Acts 12.22 Such as those Hosea 7.3 That make the King glad with their wickednesse and Princes with their lyes That see vanitie and devise folly and say The Lord saith it Arbitrary Power and government at pleasure This shall be the Custome 1 Sam. 8.11 They interpret it This shall be the right power prerogative royall of your King to take your sons your daughters your tenths and till you cry out because of your King Such as Rehoboams young Counsellours Make thy little singer heavier then thy Fathers loynes 1 Kings 12.10 I take no delight to rub up old sores yet I request those whom it may concern to remember That flatterers have been most fatall to Prinâ—â—â— A Court Parasite is a Court Plague It is most certainty true That a King is made for the people and not they for him Their safety and welfare ought to be the aime and end of his government in requitall of and thankfulnesse for which his ease should be their labour his honour their endeavour his safety their hazard and in as much as their securitie is his chiefest worke their tribute and Honour ought to be duly payd to him as his just wages Princes are called Gods An unjust cruel tyrannicall god is non-sense and blasphemie with all sacred reverence be it spoken and receiv'd If God himselfe were as the son of man that he might erre or could be deceiv'd an arbitrary and unlimited power terminated in crueltie and oppression would depose him from his royaltie and make him even such a Creator hatefull to his Creatures God who is the holy one of purer eyes then to behold iniquitie may deale with men as the Potter with his Clay and who shall say What doest thou his wayes are unsearchable and his judgements past finding out but for man yea the best of men who in their
destruction cometh upon them when God divideth their lives in his wrath Job 21.17 When their day cometh as a destroyer from the Almightie When they least expect it feare and a snare is upon them with desolation and destruction yea usually it marcheth so furiculsly that when it cometh they sue and seek for peace but cannot finde it Ezek. 7.25 And this leads us to the fourth Observation Fourthly Suddenly Sudden death never passes without observation it is at least a mercy to be sorewarned of our misery and not to stand upon such slippery places as suddenly to goe downe into hell It is a sad condition to be surrounded with snares to be suddenly troubled with â—eares and yet such is the condition of those that cast out Widdows emptie and that have broken the armes of the fatherlesse Job 22.9 10. What greater calamitie then for destruction to come speedily and suddenly to be destroyed without recovery yet this is the portion of him that deviseth lewd things and that stirreth up contentions Prov. 6.15 Would a man paint out misery to the life What can be more sayd to lay out the lines of it then Evill shall come upon thee and thou shalt not know the morning thereof destruction shall fall upon thee which thou shalt not be able to put away destruction shall come upon thee suddenly or ever thou be aware and yet this is the lot of them who trust in their wickednesse and say None seeth it whose wisdome and knowledge have caused them to rebell who have said in their hearts I am and none else vid. Esa 47.10 11. It is the Lords Threatning against those that have increased that which is not theirs that they shall rise up suddenly that shall bite them and awake that shall stirre them up and make them their prey Hab. 2.7 8. But to add the Expostulation Who knowes the ruine of them both Who knowes how sudden or in what manner The Scripture compares it to the pangs of a woman When they say peace and safety sudden destruction shall come c. 1 Thess 5.3 The Prophet Esa 29.6 Sets it out by thunder shaking a terrible noyse a whirlwind tempest and a flame of devouring fire Who can comment upon these comparisons without amazement or think of them without terror The danger is past before the report come in thunders earth-quakes and lightnings Tempests are ushered in by Halcion dayes or fairer weather and sire though moderated the best of servants yet if become devouring the worst of masters It is also compar'd to a breach in a high wall whose breaking â—ut comes suddenly even in a moment Isa 30.13 Which puts me in mind of the house built upon sand which when the storms beat upon it it fell and the fall of it was great But the Genius of the time admits not of long discourses This concerns the wise and great men whose office it is not only to stand in but to make up the breach and a word to the wise is sufficient I shall therefore briefly from Scripture lay down the sudden and observable destructions of the seditious and then apply it that others may hear and fear In as much as we spoke of two sorts of seditious persons and that distinctly in the doctrinall part I shall follow the like method in the Rationall and speak first to the advancers of Tyranny either by evill counsell or wicked practises Such hath ever been fatall both to Prince and people and have in some sutable and remarkable way found this true That their destruction came suddenly I shall begin with the mother of a King Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah 2 Chron. 22.3 She counselled him to do wickedly in so much as he did evill in the sight of the Lord to his destruction And observable it is That it is said v. 7. The destruction of Amaziah came of God i.e. was in a singular manner appointed and ordered of God For his perishing together with the house of Ahab was the reward of his unhappy compliance And for Athaliah she was slain at the command of Jehoiada the Priest a strange and severe example the mother and grand-mother of a King slain at the appointment of the high Priest She had broke up the house of the Lord and bestowed upon Baalim whatsoever was dedicated to the house of the Lord. When wicked counsellers violate Gods glory Priests have somtimes the honour to execute upon them the judgements that are written Though this we may admire not imitate The next we shall take notice of is a Treasurer Adoram the receiver of the tribute 1 Kings 12.18 Near in name and perhaps in relation to Adoniram who in Solomons time was over the tribute he is sent by Rehoboam to pacisie and loe he perisheth by the tumult they stone him to death well may their hands be ready to break him whose faces he had before ground to powder by needlesse and unnaturall taxes it may be he was such a one as made himself rich and his master poore and therefore judg'd a fit treasurer for the devill in the meantime know this that as cruell tax-masdters are unwarrantable so the punishing of them by popular tumults is unsufferable God is just though the instruments be unjust and perhaps ordered in the providence of God to deter men from such cruel practises when they see revenge taken without yea against Law by them upon whom usually the law gets little satisfaction But to come from Counsellers to Kings themselves Adonibezek Judg. 1.8 Though he had his toes and his singers cut off yet could point at his own cruelty in Gods severity as I have done so the Lord hath rewarded me And Agag the King of the Amalekites happy in nothing but that he dyed by the hand of Samuel had not only the execution but the sentence of justice pass'd upon him As thy sword hath made women childlesse so shall thy mother be childlesse amongst women 1 Sam. 15.33 Pharoah who had ordered the male children of Israel to be drowned did in the sight of Israel sink like a stone to the bottom of the Sea Exod. 15.5 He whose hand had been so heavy upon the poor Israelites in the house of bondage he with his instruments of tyranny sanke as led in the mighty waters He who shewed no mercy to men when they laboured in the very fire found no compassion from God when he tumbled in the mighty waters Jehoiakim who had slaine Vriah the Prophet with the sword and with contempt had cast out his dead body Jer. 26.23 was himself buried with the buriall of an asse drawn and cast forth out of the gates of Jerusalem Chap. 22.19 Thus those that walk in the counsels of the ungodly and stand in the way of sinners are never able to appear in judgment or stand in the congregation of the righteous This place would be convenient to handle the question whether it be lawfull to kill a tyrant or no of all that I have seene