Owner of could claim little or no Birth from Flesh and Blood yes before that Mr. Hynderson himself declared him to be A most pious and learned Prince yes and Mr. Caryll confest That he found King Charles another Selomon 4. Look upon him in his Mercy and therein he out-strips that King that forgave his servant 10000 talents Mat. 18.27 Luk. 23.34 and onely comes short of Christ and yet as Christ said Father forgive them so said King Charles I do freely pardon for Christs sake those that have offended me in any kind nor shall my hand ever be against any man to revenge what is past in regard of any particular done to me And this in his Solitudes he said at Holmeby as you may read in the 41 verse of his Penitentialls I could go on but expede Herculem and by these Four His Patience His Content His Wisdom and His Mercy you may see King Charles was Christus Domini and very near a Kin to Christus Dominus in the Unction of his Graces and so you may again in the Unction of his Crosses 1. Look upon him in the Crosse of Conspiracy Men of several minds and manners of divers Sects Factions Sadduces and Pharisees at deadly Feud between themselves yet bandy together against Christ so was King Charles assaulted by men of several Opinions Anabaptists and Antinomians Presbyterians and Independents at Daggers drawing between themselves do yet combine in their oppositions against him and all the difference was this The one brought him to the Block and the other chopt off his head 2. Look upon him in the Crosse of his ignomity The Devil is in him Why hear ye him said the Sanhedrin of Christ Joh 10.20.7.48 I dare not repeat what our Pharisees have said of King Charles and yet I dare not but repeat on speech of theirs Do any of the Worthies of Parliament believe him or give any respect to any things that proceeds from him 3. Look upon him in the Crosse of Cruelty and Malice As Christ was belyed and betrayed bought and buffeted by his own scorned and derided in his very Devotions and numbred amongst the greatest Transgressors and for fear he should make an escape had an Ordinance put out by the Great Council requiring If any man knew where he was he should discover him John 11.57 So was King Charles betrayed by his servaâ—ts bought and sold by his Subjects belyed by his Enemies denied by his Friends and least he should make an escape Look upon the Order of Munday May 4. 1646 where it is said Ordered be it and it is hereby declared by the Lords and Commons in Parliament assembled That what Person soever shall harbour or conceale or know of harbouring or concealing the Kings Person and shall not reveale it immediatly to the Speaker of both Houses shall be proceeded against as a Traytor to the Common-wealth and forfeit his whole Estate and dye without Mercy 4. Look upon him in the Cross of his Accusers accusation Judge 1. His Accusers many false Witnesses many false Witnesses sought against Christ Mat. 27. and many false Witnesses sought against King Charles 2. His Judge a Heathen Deputy President for the true and sworn Judges of that Kingdom durst not condemn him so because the sworn Judges of this Kingdom durst not and by Law could not therefore Legi-serviens is made his Judge and made to condemn him 3. Because the Evidence of witnesses gave no ground to Pilate to condemn Christ the Souldiers cry out He makes himself a King Joh. 19.12 and therefore is not Caesars friend and his very Accusatition over his Head upon the Cross is no more but this J. N.R.J. and just so is King Charles served because he was a King and would maintain Monarchy he is no friend to the Parliament and His Accusation can bear no Title but this C. A. R. O. was put to death January 30. 1648. for no other cause but because he was the best King England ever had and so like to Jesus Christ in the Unction both of his Graces and also of his Crosses And to make them yet more paralell as God would have it the very pretence of their enemies is the very same In salutem populi Joh. 11.47 The fafety of the people Better one man die thou all the people perish said Caiphas of Christ so that the Common-wealth of England might be preserved let Charles the King of England be condemned said Mr. John Bradshaw and it is a fine way I confesse to preserve the Body by cutting off the Head So like to Christ was King Charles and now very near to Christ is King Charles even at his right hand where that we may also be God of his infinite mercy pardon all our sins past and keep us from all sin to come and especially from this sin which is so fearful a sin Rebelling against Deposing and Murthering of Gods Annointed thorough Jesus Christ Amen And how fearful a sin that is Part. 3. my third and last part will tell you in a word 1. It is Murther and that is a fearful sin For it is not only Peccatum quia prohibitum which is bad enough but it is Prohibitum quia peccatum which is a great deale worse It is not sin only because it is forbidden but is therefore forbidden because it is sin And yet 2. It is far worse in this case because it is in conjunction with Sacriledge and Rebellion and so in direct opposition against Almighty God himself Davids nolitâ— tangere Christos meâ—s Touch not mine annoinetd Touch not my Christs proves it Sacriledge St. Pauls Qui obsistit whosoever resists the King Rom. 13.2 resists the Ordinance of God proves it Rebellion And whether of these two Sacriledge or Rebellion be the sin against the holy-Holy-Ghost hath been controverted by some Divines but that both concurring are if not the sin against the holy-Holy-Ghost an unpardonable sin hath been determined by many Divines and this Demonstration I offer for it The Antecedent to the sin unpardonable is Knowledge Ignorant men cannot commit it The subsequent to that sin is Irrepentance The Penitent men have not committed it And both these Knowledge and Irrepentance are in Sacriledge and Robellion Knowledge goes before to teach Irrepentance follows after to sinpify Knowledge shews the sweet of Rule in Rebellion and the sweet of Profit in Sacriledge The sweet of profit begotâ— Delight and nurses it to Presumption The sweet of Rule conceives Fear and nurses it to Despair each of which finds Irrepentance upon the bed of Death For the truth of this view all Records Sacred and Prophane read all Histories Canonical Apocriphal and Ecclesiastical and see if you can find one but one either Sacrilegis or Rebell that ever died in an outward possibility of Salvation What sign what Symptom of Repentance in Cain the first in Saul a Second in Jeroboam a third in Ananias a fourth sacrilegious person
charged us we cannot deny but that we are therefore Reprobates we hope not For what we have done hitherto we have done ignorantly we knew not our sins to be so Capital and we trust God will wink at our sins of ignorance Nay says St. Paul you cannot plead ignorance For you know the Law of God and that they which do such things are worthy of death and yet you did them Yes truly they reply we have committed those sins against our knowledge but what then must we needs be damn'd for that will not God pardon the frailties of our youth though we have not done these ignorantly yet we have done them of infirmity Nay says St. Paul by your leave that you have not neither For if you had committed these sins by way of infirmity in your selves you would then con demn them in others but you not only do them your selves but you also take pleasure in them that do them Before I proceed give me leave to wish that those Inditements were not as justly chargeable upon a great part of English Christians as they were upon the Roman Gentiles not upon all no there are many Chast Plous Religious Meek Patient and Loyall Souls amongst them who are not liable to any of St. Pauls enditement in this Chapter nor yet upon the Parliament neither that long Parliament no God forbid I should have or haâ—bour such a thought of Parliament of a true Parliament which represents the blessed Trinity in Power Wisedome and Sanctity where the King as Head directs the Lords Spirituall and Temporall as heart enlivens and the Commons as the inferiour Members put all things into execution I speak only of a Faction in that Parliament who by their Serpentive sedulity and subtlety engros'd the power of all cut off the Head of the Head the Kings Head and voted down or rather out the Heart of the Hearts the Lords Spirituall and Temporall and did not only do these things themselves Malignity Murther Deceipt Debate but also took pleasure in them that did them and vent one degree further commanded others to do them too In which words the Apostle 1. Accuseth them for doing things worthy of death 2. Aggravates that fault And were blessed St. Paul now living he would further aggravate it 1. From their knowledge of Gods Law 2. By delighting in others for doing the same 3. By Commanding all others and compelling many to do the same witness the 1. Engagement 2. Oath of Abjuration 3. Subscription against the common Enemy King Charles the second I begin with the first Agravation so the Accusation is too plain indeed too plain that who so runs Psal 1. may read it and the Observation thence is this Knowledg Aggravates Sin Joh. 9.41 For saies Christ If yea were blind yea should have no sin i. e. Nullum non simpliciter sed nullum Comparative None not simply but no sin Comparatively and when Christ extenuates their sin that crucified him he prays thus for them Father Luke 25. forgive them for they know not what they do and if I if you am that Servant which knew my Masters will and prepare not my self to do according to his will I yes and you yes and they whosoever they are shall be beaten with many stripes Luke 12. If Christ had not come and spoke to you and them and me Joh. 15.22 we had not had sin but now because Christ hath spoke to us all we have no Cloak for our sin If you and they Joh. 4.17 and I know how to be good and do it not know how to abstaine from sin and abstaine not to us it is sin If I sin of Ignorance only I want both knowledge and good will having a will only to the deed not to the sin but if I sin willingly I want both good will and inclination to leave my sin having a will at once both to the deed and sin and therefore the more sinfull because when I knew the deed to be sin yet I would do it More sinfull therefore I am then other men because my knowledge makes my sin a willfull neglect of Gods Authority He is the immediate Law-giver and hath revealed it to me as well as to Adam and Eve as well as to Moses and Aaron as well as to the Prophets and Apostles More sinfull therefore I am then ignorant people because my knowledge makes my sin a Prophane Contempt of the Law-givers Authority and He hath revealed it more to me and you and them then to the Gentiles Yet may no man hence more prophanely in far welcome Ignorance for though ignorance lessors both Sin and Damnation yet it makes not my sin to be no sin and it is but a miserable comfort for a Soâ—omite to think that a Capernaise is worse then himself when he is in the burning Lake for he too is damned everlastingly Luk. 12.46 though less tormented Science in the knowing sinner shall have the more stripes yet no more stripes then his sciene is capable off Ignorance in the unknowing sinner shall have fewer stripes yet no fewer then his Ignorance is capable off As the tender and soft flesh is more sensible of the sharpness by incision or stripes then the tough and hardned flesh yet they both have enough though not equally the same Nessire to be invincibly Ignorant is damnable simplicity Nolle scire to be wilfully Ignorant is hainous Impiety Scire et nolle facere to know good and not to do it is intollerable Obstenacy or scire et contra facere to know good and yet to do the contrary against the light of that knowledge is a very near borderer upon that unpardonable sin the sin against the Holy Ghost which shall never be forgiven This is the Aggravations of the Gentiles sins they knew those severall acts to be sins yet they did the sins Now before we go on let us examine whether some of our English Christians did not know the Dethroning the deposing the killing the Murthering of King Charles the first were not a sin and a great a very great sin Certainly they did know it they knew it 1. By the Law of God they knew it 2. By the Example of Christ they knew it 3. By the Native Positive and Statute Lawes of this Kingdome all which they were bound and sworn to observe to follow and yet against their knowledge and Oath both They quod horrendum est dicere quod infandum est renovare They dethron'd him depos'd him kill'd and Murthered him 1. They knew it by the Law of God It is expresly said Thou shalt do no murther but this it may be is too generall what think you then of that particular prohibition Nolite tangere Christis meos Touch not mine Annointed Doeth not this concerne Kings in particular For they were Annointed or rather doth it not concerne you in particular that howsoever you touch other men yet you would forbear to touch Kings i. e.
the Faith of Blood to Justification We may not with Balaam desire to dye the death of the Kighteous and live Covetously Nâ—â—b but we must with David lead the life of the Righteous and dye Comfortably If we would dye in the Lord and receive the end of our Faith which is the Salvation of our Souls we must first Live in the Lord by laying the Foundation of Faith by doing the Act of Faith and by bringing forth the Fruit of Faith 1. Fundamentum autem Fidei quid But what is the Foundation of Faith Why it is Cognitio Dei nostri the Knowledge of God and of our selves The Knowledge of God the Father and our Fall He made us upright and we found out many inventions He made us in his Image and we defaced it The Knowledge of God the Son and our Redemption we were lost and He sought us we were sold and He bought us 1 Cor. were slaves and He enfranchised us The Knowledge of God the Holy Ghost and our Sanctification by Him Such we were Druâ—kards Revilers Fornicators c. But we are sanctified by the Spirit of our God 1 Cor. This is the Foundation of Faith and it must be laid by Knowledge 2. The Act of Faith and it must be effected by Applying Actus autem Fidel quid And what is the Act of Faith Why it is Fiducia A perswasion that God the Father so loved me Joh. 3.16 that he gave his onely begotten Son for me A perswasion that God the Son so loved me That he came in the similitude of sinful flesh Rom. 8.3 and for sin condemned sin in the flesh A perswasion that God the Holy God so loved me that he hath baptized me into the death of Christ and hath thereby made me the Temple of Himself a Member of Christ and the Child of God In a word 1 Tim. 1.15 when I believe Though I am the greatest of all sinners yet Jesus Christ came into the world to save me 3. Fructus autem fidei quid And what is the Fruit of Faith Why it is Charitas Charity Charity to God by Prayer Charity to my self by Fasting and keeping my Body under Charity to the Poor by Almes These These are the precious Fruits that grow upon the precious Tree of Faith Faith believing in God thorow Jesus Christ by the Holy Ghost to be saved does therefore pray to God against sin and keeps the Body under from sin and gives Almes to the Poor And when we do this why then as Christ saies you shall know the Tree by his fruit we live in the Lord and therefore we shall dye in the Lord. The word of my Text is not Qui vivunt They which live but Qui exeunt They that dye in the Lord Nor did I say this to deviate from my Text but to tell you How you may fulfil the Text and dye in the Lord and no way for this but by living in the Lord for otherwise the Lord may be said to Dye in us we cannot be said to Dye in the Lord. Nor yet did I say this That the man that lives not in the Lord cannot dye in the Lord For God can fetch water out of the flinty Rock but to tell you That ordinarily Few dye in the Lord that do not first live in the Lord They that live in sin may dye in the Lord and such A course may speed But it is a dangerous and indiscreet pare to venture a Soul upon such an hazard This course is sure to speed ' They that live in the Lord do alwayes dye in the Lord. It is storied that the French ad judged certain ground to the Irish against the Scotch because Spyders Toads and such poysonous Creatures did presently dye if they were put there So you may be our own Judges and know to what Master you belong If siâ—ful lusts words and works dye when they come upon the Ground of your Souls you belong to the Lord He lives in you and you shall dye in him Once more Would you dye in the Lord Why then as St. Paul saâ—es Dye daily i. e. Master your Lusts Subdue your Wrath Humble your Pride Resist all Temptations v.g. more plainly Suppose Covetousness were now breeding in my heart and Money perswaded me to become another Judas to betray my Soul my Saviour my King my Countrey Yet remember I it is but a sad bargain I am about No profit to gain the whole world and loose mine own Soul And what I say of this sin I say of all sin Take them while they are but little ones Mat. even but Temptations and dash them against the stones Against the stones of Mortification and Repentance Obey the Precepts of God and resist sin Believe the Promises of God and relye on Christ and so you shall live in the Lord Continue in this Obedience to the Law Persevere in this Belief of the Gospel and though you do sometimes fall and God forgive us all for who falls not often yet Rise again by Repentance and at the Hour of your Death Then six your Faith upon the Mercies of God in the Merits of Jesus Christ and you shall Dye in the Lord And Dying so you shall be blessed Etiam sic dicit Spirius For so saith the Spirit It is my second General Pars 2. I called it the Witness to assure the Deposition to confirm the truth of the Proposition and I must tell you It is beyond all exception Etiam sic dicit Spiritus For so sayes the Spirit But of this I shall not need to speak much For I hope in Christ There is no Athist here to deny the Truth of God or of his Word No Schismatick or Heretick here I hope to deny this Book of Revelation though penned by St. John to have proceeded from the Spirit Not any Carnal or Private Spirit not any Giddy or worldly spirit but the Holy and Blessed Spirit and therefore I forbear to prosecute this Point and thank your Piety for saving me the pains Nor shall I dare to trespass upon your Patience Pars 3. in speaking much of my Third General This Depositaries Exposition of the Proposition And yet least I should injure your Expectation I shall venture upon a word or two If any one askes wherein are the Dead Blessed They that dye in the Lord wherein are they blessed Loe The Spirit makes answer and sayes They are blessed two wayes 1. In Relaxation They rest from their Labours 2. In Retribution Their Works follow them They are two Blessednesses and two such Blessednesses as this world cannot afford Ease and Glory both In this world If sometimes we have Rest in our Studies by Divine Contemplation yet there we have no Glory we are but poor Schollars still And if sometimes you have Glory in the Court by Royal admission yet there you have no Rest you are but Observing Courtiers still But in Heaven Both you and we shall have