Absalom's Obedience David was King of all Israel and therefore all the People were bound to give unto him the things which belong unto Caesar Custom Tribute Reverence Loyalty and Dutiful Allegiance Had he been as bad as Zedekiah yet was he the Breath of their Nostrils and ought to have been Treated as the Anointed of the Lord Lam. IV. 20. Had he been as Wicked as Nero yet he was God's Vicegerent and his Subjects were oblig'd to Obey not only him as Supream but also his Ministers as sent by him and this under no less a Penalty than Damnation Had he been the Greatest Oppressour and most Cruel Tyrant yet who had any Right to say unto him what doest thou Eccles VIII 4. For against a King there is no Riseing And who can Stretch out his hand against the Lord 's Anointed and be guiltless Prov. XXX 31. 1 Sam. XXXVI 9. Is it fit saith Elihu to say to a King thou art wicked and to Princes ye are ungodly Is it comely nay is it not highly Impious to Reproach the Footsteps of God's Anointed Job XXXIV 16. Psal LXXXIX 51. And as we must not Blaspheme the Sacred Persons of Kings with our Words or Assault them with our Actions So neither must we Murmur against them or Curse them no not in our Thoughts Those who do so Rebel not only against them but against the King of Kings who hath reserv'd unto himself the Prerogative of Judging Rebuking and Punishing his Representatives Thus had David been one of the wicked Kings of Israel yet every Soul was bound to Reverence his Royal Person and instead of Opposing him by Force of Arms was oblig'd to make it part of his Daily Prayer unto God that he wou'd grant the King a long Life even for ever and ever Neh. II. 3. But if we Consider him as a most Gracious and Merciful Wise and Prudent Just and Righteous King this does hugely aggravate the Guilt of those Rebellious Israelites He resembled God not only in Power but also in Mercy Wisdom and Justice with which his Government was so admirably Temper'd that his Subjects had no cause to complain of those Mischiefs which usually accompany that Princes Reign which is manag'd with Barbarous Cruelty unworthy Cunning and Licentious Toleration What therefore should move them to Rebel against him who in Virtue as well as Dignity of Place was the Light of Israel and Worth ten Thousand of them O Foolish People and Unwise do you thus Requite your great Deliverer and Benefactor Shall David who hath destroyed the Mighty Man and preserved you from the hand of the Philistins shall he who hath saved you as well as himself from the Jaws of the Lion and the Paw of the Bear shall he whom God hath miraculously protected for your Good shall he be deposed by you who Live Thrive and Prosper under the kind Influence of his Benigne Favour Do you first judge him unfit to Govern and then Resolve to rend his Kingdom from him But where hath God made you Judges f your Princes Abilities and by what Prophet hath he Pulickly denounc'd that his Kingdom shall not Continue To what Man of God hath he given Commission to appoint another During his Reign as he did to Samuel to anoint David whilst Saul possest the Kingdom of Israel If the House of Saul by God's Express Order be rejected for his Rebellion against God shall therefore Good King David without positive command from Heaven be dethron'd by the People God does not now Transfer Kingdoms from one to another by Immediate Revelation and when he did so he never gave any Power to the People either to Create or Depose Kings When he had Chosen Moses to be King in Jesharun he abhors and is highly offended at those Factious Levites and famous Members of Parliament men of Renown who shall murmur and Remonstrate against his proceedings But notwithstanding the severe Judgment which God Inflicted upon Corah and his Rebellious Associates Absalom and Ahitophel with their Rebellious Associates are Confederates together with one Consent against their Lawful and most Gracious Soveraign III. And that they may put a Good Face upon their Rebellious Practices they declar'd that they very Unwillingly enter'd upon these Violent Courses could they any other way have redress'd these Grievances under which the whole Nation lay most sadly Opprest Alas they could easily bear the Affronts and Indignities which David by the Advice of his Evil Counsellours had put upon them But when they consider'd the Oppressions with which the Poor People were harrassed When their Ancient Liberties and Just Rights and that which ought to be most dear unto every true Israelite their Holy Religion as Reform'd by Absalom and Ahitophel at Hebron lay at Stake and were in danger to be utterly lost When Israel's Condition was thus Miserable they could not but endeavour to relieve their Beloved Countrymen and doubted not but that all who had any love to their Country or their Religion would joyn with them in this Righteous and Holy Cause They were very sensible that the Followers of David would reproach them as Rebels and Traytors and appropriate unto themselves the Title of the Loyal Party But this did not move them who for the good of their Brethren were ready not only to be evil Spoken of but to Sacrifice their very Lives and all their dearest Concerns in this World And now what honest plain and simple Israelite hearing these fair Pretences wou'd not become a Proselyte weep over the Miseries of his Nation look upon these Persons as his only Patriots and intirely give up himself unto their Conduct These sweet Words and glosing Harangues especially coming from Men famous in the Assembly were enough to Charm the Common and Vulgar tho' Innocent and Well-meaning People An Upright Man in whom was no Guile would not have suspected any in this Declaration When in Truth it was nothing but an Artificial Perswasive to draw all Sorts of men into a most Horrid and Unnatural Rebellion A Cabal of Republicans Atheists and Fanaticks met together at Hebron and agreed under the specious Pretences of Property and Publick Good Liberties and the Laws Religion and Reformation to invite into the Faction the Honest and Industrions the Ingenuous and Free-born the Pious and Devout They were already Assured of those who were like unto themselves in Temper and Principles and that they might catch others who in a Lawful Sense were Friends to Property Liberty and Religion they Baited the Hook with these Glittering Pretences See says Absalom after he had Examin'd each Man's Case thy Matters are good and right But there is no man deputed of the King to hear thee Or as it is in the Margine none will hear thee from the King downward 2 Sam. XV. 3. David now began to grow in Age and therefore Absalom took this Occasion to render him Odious and Despicable unto the People When the King Grows Old the Giddy Multitude are easily
Perswaded to desire a Change not Considering that David by the Wisdom and Experience of Old-Age was now better Qualify'd to Rule his Kingdom in Peace which by the Strength and Valour of his Youth he had before Defended in War But suppose that David through the Infirmities of Age was uncapable to Govern so well as in his more Sprightly Youth doth it become Absalom to expose the Nakedness of his Father or Ahitophel to Discover the Imperfections of his Aged Master Is it the part of an Obedient Son or Faithful Servant in his Declining Age to Incense the People against him and so endeavour with Sorrow to bring down his Gray Hairs unto the Grave Perhaps while they were at Court they had observ'd some Miscarriages of David's Officers What if there were some Male-administrations lyable to just Exception there never was any Government without its Faults and 't is not likely that David's Kingdom tho' an Eminent Type of Christ's was without its Spots and Wrinckles But must the People therefore he alarm'd with sad Outcries against the Government as if none cou'd have Justice and no man could call any thing which he possest his own This use indeed Absalom makes of the Court-Corruptions not that he was Concern'd for the Peoples Happiness but his own Power and Greatness As it follows Oh! that I were made Judge in the Land that every man that hath Suite or Cause might come unto me and I will do him Justice Thus under the Guise of Property and Publick Good Absalom Design'd to get the Government into his own hands but some of his Advisers 't is not unprobable under this Colour intended to turn the Monarchy into a Common-Wealth And this Argument 't was thought would Prevail with those to come over to the Party who were Honest and Industrious who by lawful means had gotten an Estate and were 't was to be suppos'd willing to preserve it 2. In like manner to gain the Ingenuous and those who were well Descended We may be assured that Absalom's Counsellours caus'd it to be bruited abroad that King David was about to bring in Arbitrary Government and to take away all their Laws Rights Priviledges and Immunities which they and their Fore-fathers had hitherto enjoy'd And this to be sure would Create no small Prejudices unto his Royal Person and Authority What! shall we who are a Free born People be Entangled with the Yoke of Bondage Shall we who are Abraham's Seed and never were in Bondage to any man tamely suffer our selves to be made Vassals and Slaves when we have Law on our sides and Power in our Hands to Vindicate our own Liberties If David cease to behave himself as our just and merciful King we do no longer own him the Duty of Subjects Therefore To your Tents O Israel let us dye like Men rather than live like Beasts of Burthen We are not now in Egypt but in Israel and if David will be a Pharaoh shall we be Egyptian Bond-slaves With such like strains as these the Popular Orators drew in to their Faction those Israelites who were Well-Born and had been Ingenuously Educated And tho' in the History of this Rebellion we find no Complaint that their Liberties were Invaded yet 't is very likely they made use of this Topick not only because 't is the usual and plausible Common-Place of the Seditious but also because Solomon's Government which was more Easy and Peaceable than David's was we find accounted Grievous and very Hard to be Born Thy Father says Jeroboam in the name of all Israel made our Yoke Grievous 1 King XII 4. We may therefore not without Reason presume that Absalom's Agitators did not omit this Occasion tho' the Liberty for which they Contended and really aimed at might be nothing else but an Exemption from all the Laws both of God and Man so that they might without fear of Punishment have been Scepticks in their Opinions and Libertines in their Actions 3. But the greatest Imposture was the Pretence of Religion set on Foot as we may suppose by Absalom's Fanatick-Confessours that so their Rebellion might be reputed the Cause of Religion and be strengthen'd with the assistance of all those who desir'd to be accounted the Truly Pious and Devout For this Purpose Absalom must feign at least that he had Vowed if he should return safe to Jerusalem to praise God at Hebron for his goodness towards him Accordingly he Sollicites his Father to Consent unto his Journey The truly Religious David glad to hear that his Son was so well dispos'd readily grants his Petition little suspecting that Hebron where Sacrifices especially Peace-Offerings used to be performed should be a place design'd for a Religious Conspiracy But so it was Jerusalem was not now a Place Convenient for Absalom's purpose the Treason could not have been long Conceal'd in that City where David resided Besides his Presence wou'd have daunted the Courage of some and have won the Love of others Therefore this Conventicle at Hebron is resolved upon as the best Means to Unite them all in this most Hellish Conspiracy Wickedness is never so bewitching as when it appears in the Beautiful Robes of Religion Who would have suspected any harm from this Holy Assembly of the Brother-hood Alas Absalom Good Man intends to becom a New Man resolves to Repent of all his former sins and for this end is come to Hebron to Perform this Vow in a more pure way of Worship than he can do at Jerusalem And as for the Feasts and Publick Entertainments which he makes they are only for his Friends and Relations who come to rejoyce with him as is usual upon such solemn Occasions Thus the Conspirators might Apologise for themselves when they were intimately Conscious that this Thanks-giving with all the Religion and Hospitality which did attend it was design'd as a Prologue unto the most Dismal Tragedy the Murther of the best of Kings The Devil has in all Ages brought about his most Pernicious Stratagems under the shew of Sanctity He 's willing that men shou'd profess as much Godliness as they please if he may but have the Management of it He very well understands his own Interest and is too cunning to forbid his Proselytes the use of all Religion Upon Condition that they will be Employ'd in the Way of Schism and Sedition he allows them to dress themselves with all the External Ornaments of Holiness If he hath secur'd all within and be certain that Hypocrisie lyes lurking in the Heart when a splendid Zeal appears on the out-side he 's very well satisfy'd and fears no Evil from the Long and Tedious Exercises of such Religious Mountebanks Let Absalom himself and his wicked Accomplices pretend to be as Godly as they will at Hebron and Jereboam's Zeal he know's so long as it is Confin'd unto Dan and Bethel promotes his Kingdom He is not displeas'd with the Pharisee for his long Prayers and Frequent Fastings if after these seeming Devotions
Ahitophel's Wisdom into Folly And now having thus far pursued the History of Absalom and Ahitophel I need not draw the Parallel betwixt this unnatural Rebellion and the Treasonable Conspiracy against his Majesties Sacred Person and Government lately discoverd 'T is very evident that they do much resemble one another not only in the Principal Conspirators but also the Person against whom they were design'd the Pretences by which they were carried on the Progress which was made in them and the happy Instruments by which next under God they were discover'd I had rather that those who are Guilty should make Application unto themselves Repent of their Wickedness and for the future strive with the men of Judah and Israel who shall express the greatest Duty and Loyalty to the Lord their King than by calling to their remembrance the miserable Ends of Absalom and Ahitophel to put them in mind of that Divine Vengeance which attends obdurate Rebels If guilty Englishmen shall with Shimei become sensible of their sin and make an unseigned submission I do not envy their admittance unto the King's Grace and Favour But if they neither fearing God nor the King shall still persist in the ways of Schism and Sedition If they like Simeon and Levi shall still continue Brethren in Iniquity have not the Innocent and the Loyal reason to pray with good old Jacob that their souls may not come into their Secrets nor their honour be united unto their Assemblies That when dead the memory of their fierce Anger and cruel Wrath may be accursed And whilst alive that they may be divided in Jacob and scattered in Israel Give me leave further to observe That as this English Conspiracy doth in most things answer that of Absalom's insomuch that it may seem to have been transcrib'd from this Original by those who abuse the Scriptures unto their own damnation so they do both agree in setting aside the Title of Heriditary Succession For Absalom as hath been observ'd had an Elder Brother who was the undoubted Heir as long as King David had not nomintaed nor God Almighty appointed another Successour Absalom indeed was begotten in lawful Wedlock and the Kingdom of Israel was not then firmly settled upon the Right of Hereditary Succession as our English Monarchy is and has been in all Ages In these respects Absalom had a better Plea than any Pretender to the English Crown can produce No wonder therefore that those who plotted against his Sacred Majesty should also design to imbrue their wicked hands in the Blood of his Royal Highness his dearest Brother and only Lawful Successour Had God permitted this horrid Conspiracy to have taken Effect I cannot sufficiently express nor you fully conceive the Consequence which wou'd have followed this Bloody Tragedy Their Golden Pretences would have soon vanish'd into nothing and Dismal Confusion would have cover'd the face of the whole Nation Our Churches would have been defil'd with the raveing madness of Fanaticks Instead of enjoying our just Liberties Slavery and Imprisonment would have been our doom and Property would have been swallowed up in the unsatiable Abyss of Sacriledge and Covetousness Violence and Strife would have domineer'd in the City Mischief and Injury would have reign'd in the Country Deceit and Guile would have walk'd publickly in all our Streets In short the State would have been destroyed by War and Oppression The Church would have been buried under the Rubbish of Heretical Opinions and endless Divisions But I shall not endeavour to number the Miseries which would have ensued had God suffered this Execrable Villany to have been acted I shall rather excite you to joyn with me in a thankful Commemoration of God's unspeakable Mercy in protecting from the Fury of their Cruel Enemies Our most Gracious Just and Wise King his dearest Brother and with them the whole Royal Family all his Loyal Subjects this Apostolick Church and sinful Nation Every good Christian and Loyal Subject cannot but rejoice in secret for this signal Deliverance Much more will he chearfully and devoutly return his solemn Thanks in Publick for the same and say Blessed be God who hath heard the King in the day of his Trouble and defended him from the Insurrections of Wicked-doers Who hath sent him Help out of his Sanctuary and strengthned him out of Sion Who by his Miraculous Providence did reinstate him in the Throne of his Father who hath all his life long protected him from dangers and hath so lately in a wonderful manner deliver'd his soul from the Battel which was against him Who hath prevented the Designs of Blood-thirsty and Deceitful men and hath brought them into that Pit of Destruction which they had digged for his Anointed Blessed be God who together with him hath preserv'd his dearest Brother that they who were to have been Companions in death do still live and rejoice together in singing Praises unto the God of their Salvation Blessed be God who hath lifted up the light of his countenance upon the whole Royal Family and hath broken the snares in pieces which were laid for them Who hath smitten their Enemies upon the cheek-bone and secur'd them from 10000 's of the People who had set themselves against them round about Blessed be God who hath looked upon the hearty desires of his humble servants the King 's Loyal Subjects Who hath kept them from shame and rebuke and saved them from their Enemies who would have swallowed them up quick when they were so wrathfully displeased at them Blessed be God who by defeating the Counsels of the Wicked hath prevented those Punishments which the Inhabitants of this Nation for their sins had justly deserv'd Who has not cut-off a sinful and ungrateful People in their Iniquities but hath given them time to repent and turn unto their God and their Soveraign Lord the King against whom they have most grievously offended Blessed and for ever blessed be our God who hath beheld and visited that Vine which his own right hand hath planted in these Kingdoms Who hath not suffer'd her hedge to be broke down nor they which go by to pluck off her grapes Who hath not permitted the Wilde Boar of the wood to root it up nor the wilde Beast of the field to devour it Who hast remembred this Congregation which he hath purchased of old the Kingdom of his Inheritance which he hath redeem'd This Mount Sion wherein he has dwelt Who has not delivered the soul of his Turtle-dove unto the Multitude of the Wicked Who hath restrain'd his Enemies from casting Fire into his Sanctuary and destroying the Dwelling-place of his Holy Name 7. To Conclude Who hath defended our Church from those who had said in their hearts Let us destroy her who does yet continue unto her and all her faithful Children Apostolick Doctrine Government and Discipline together with her convenient Possessions so that Heresie Schism Profaneness and Sacriledge have not hitherto triumphed in her Ruine For these and all other Mercies contained and implyed in this Great Deliverance which we now Commemorate Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting And let all the People say Amen FINIS