A SERMON Preach'd before the House of Lords AT THE Abbey-Church of St. Peter's Westminster ON Thursday the 30th of January 1695 6. BEING The Martyrdom of K. Charles I. By the Right Reverend Father in God Humphrey's Lord Bishop of Bangor LONDON Printed for John Everingham at the Star in Ludgate-Street near the West End of St. Pauls 1696. A SERMON Preach'd before the House of Lords Hosea X. 3. For now they shall say We have no King because we feared not the Lord What then should a King do to us IF all the sad effects of the Horrible Sin committed on this day were now ceas'd if the reproach that it brought upon our Religion and Nation were quite worn out of the Memories of Men and the guilt of it intirely expiated in the sight of God we should then have no more to do here but to Celebrate the Memory of our Martyr'd King as we do those of the Primitive Martyrs with Joy and Thanksgiving to God for those Triumphs of his Grace which so eminently appear'd in him and conclude our Devotions with Prayers to God for a Portion of the same blessed Spirit that inspir'd and supported him to enable us to follow his Example in holy living and patient suffering This indeed would be the most pleasing and comfortable exercise upon this day and this we hope may be the service in which our posterty may sometimes spend it But it is to be fear'd we are not yet ripe for this The humiliation part hath not yet had its full effect upon us The guilt of innocent blood leaves a deep and lasting stain not only upon the persons that shed it but upon the place where it was shed How much more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 King especially such a King shed by his own subjects the voice of it cries loud for vengance it will be heard long after And however some may think we have done enough to still that cry already and look upon this as an antiquated Solemnity fit now at last to be Abrogated and laid aside yet I humbly conceive we ought the rather for that reason to continue our humiliation I am sure we have the more need of it because this is a sign our repentance is not yet gone deep enough Sincere Penitents are never weary in repenting and humbling themselves for their sins but are continually exercis'd in all the Acts of Contrition and Godly Sorrow till they have both receiv'd their pardon and are past the danger of forfeiting it by a relapse But as some may be weary of their repentance So thâ—â—e may be others that â—hink they need none I speak not of them who may perhaps think they were never concern'd in this sin because they did not live in those days yet even these should remember the second Commandment and consider that our Church hath taught us to pray Remember not our sins nor the sins of our Forefathers But I speak of them who not content to extenuate and excuse the sin have the boldness to justify and applaud the fact acquit the guilty and condemn the innocent nay murder him over again in his Reputation and Honour which to use his own words Were dearer to him than his Kingdoms or his Life Now when men are thus insensible under the greatest national guilt and under a continu'd succession of Judgments with which God hath pursued it for so many years it is not only a seasonable but becomes a necessary duty still to humble our selves in the sight of God still to bewail the crying sin of this Nation and not only this particular sin but also all those publick and national sins which prepar'd the way to it which provok'd God to give us up to to this last degree of wickedness and brought down the Guilt and Judgment of this day upon this Nation To stir you up to this I know not what to do better then to represent to you the antient people of God in a condition something like that we were once involv'd in by the sin of this day and to shew you their reflections upon it that we may form ours in like manner In this Text the Prophet gives us the words that were or might be spoken by the ten Tribes of Israel with respect to their present condition They were then in a state of Anarchy after which there was but one short Reign more and then the heaviest Judgment of God fell upon them to their destruction How they came to fall into this condition will soon appear upon a short view of their story about the time of this Prophesy These ten Tribes as they were now divided from Benjamin and Judah which together with Levi was all that remain'd to the House of David are usually styl'd the Kingdom of Israel Which Kingdom was under Jerâ—â—oaâ— the second-at the begining of this Prophesy so I conceive Hos 1. The latter part of the 1. v. and begining of the 2d should be pointed and read In the days of Jeroboam Son of Joash King of Israel was the begining of the word of the Lord by Hosea but as we read in the words next before the end of this Prophesy was in the time of Hezekiah King of Judah in the 6th year of whose Reign the Ten Tribes were carried a way Captives into Assyria So that this Prophesy was in writing from the time of Jeroboam the second to the Captivity during which time the people of Israel not only continu'd in the sin of Jeroboam the first the Son of Nebat but alsogave themselves up to several sorts of Heathen Idolatry andat last were come even to Infidelity and Atheism They did not believe in the Lord their God as we read in the History of that Age and Nation 2 K. 17. v. 14. To which this Prophet Hosea adds They corrupted themselves as in the days of Gibeah That is They lived in all manner of filthiness and rapine and violence as the Benjamites did in Gibeah In those days when there was no King in Israel Judg. 19. Now the Effect and Consequence of this general Corruption both of Faith and Manners was a continual Convulsion in the State and Government of the Kingdom unruly factions and divided interests and parties among the people their heart is divided saith the Prophet and this lead them not only to frequent Mutiny and Rebellion but even to murder several of their Kings Four of the five Kings that Reigned in that interval from Jeroboam the 2d to the Captivity being violently cut off by the hands of their Ambitious and Aspiring Subjects For Zachary the Son of this Jeroboam in the 4th Generation from Jehu the period which God had assign'd to that Family being expir'd was cut off by Shallum There ended that Race of Kings that was set up by Divine Designation therefore saith Hosea all their Kings are fall'n Hos 7.7 After this there follow'd a confus'd succession of four Kings more till at length when Pekah the last of those four Kings was slain
by Hosea not the Prophet Hosea to be sure but another that got himself to be make King about 10 years afterward There follow'd in the mean time for those 10 years a State of perfect Anarchy these was no Government at all but a liberty for the factious and bold to make a prey of the more quiet and peaceable In this miserable state and condition which was a sad presage of their approaching ruin the Israelites were at last made sensible what mercies they had thrown away and what Calamities they had drawn down upon themselves by their Rebellion They were brought to confess their guilt and to acknowledge the Justice of God in their punishment for as now they were found faulty stood convict and received their sentence in the verse before my Text so they own'd the Righteousness of God in it in the words of my Text We have no King And there is great reason for it because we fear'd not the Lord and having not the fear of God What then should a King do to us that is what cou'd a King signify to us Out of which words I shall take occasion to shew these three things 1. That then a People are most sensible of the blessing of Living under Kingly Government when they are depriv'd of it Now that they have lost their King they confess and lament their loss and say we have no King 2. That the cause of a Peoples being depriv'd of their King is commonly the irreligion and wickedness of such a People we have no King because we fear'd not the Lord. 3. I shall shew how insignificant and ineffectual all Government is without Religion We fear'd not the Lord What then should a King do to us 1. Tho I do not intend at present to enter into the Controversy about the several forms of Government yet both the words of my Text and the happy Government we live under will sufficiently justify me to give Monarchy the preference of all others And sure I am that for three thousand years from the Creation we read of no other sort of Government in the world it was this that God set up a mong his own people And this hath been Universally receiv'd approv'd and continu'd in most other Nations to this day But as I do not design to prejudg the other forms where they are the National and Legal constitutions so it cannot be deny'd that for a Nation that hath been always under Kingly Government and for Ages together hath thriven and prosper'd with it where it suits with the genius of the people as well as with their Laws and Constitution it is an invaluable blessing still to continue under the Protection and Conduct of Kings And it is the saddest condition that can befall such a Nation to have no King at all But tho this be so and every man knows it to be true yet it must be confess'd that very few consider it while they enjoy the blessing of living under Government and do not actually feel the misery of Anarchy and Confusion and therefore altho Government is certainly the most Beneficial it is often seen to be the most thankless office in the world And tho Kings were anciently stil'd * Luk. 22.5 Benefactors and good Kings are sertainly the truest and greatest Benefactors to Mankind * Rom. 13. the Ministers of God for the good of men yet they are too often the most slenderly and ungratefully requited of all others Men are generally full of thankfulness to other Benefactors while they are actually receiving their favours however they may often forget them But to good Kings they are most ungrateful when most oblig'd and slight the obligation while they are receiving it For when they fully possess the blessing of living under good Government and may repose themselves in peace and safety under its protection while they have all they can desire in this world in the full and entire Enjoyment of their liberty and property and may if it be not their own fault fecure to themselves all they can hope for in another world by the undisturb'd profession and practice of true Religion in short while men are most easy and most happy and owe that ease and happiness next to the providence of God to the conduct and vigilance of the Government they live under even then a great many men are most uneasy and discontented and most given to murmur and mutiny against it Tho their Governors make it their whole business to promote the interest and secure the peace and happiness of their people tho they sacrifice all the ease and comfort of their own lives to preserve them tho they wholly spend themselves in cares and labours for their good and freely expose their own lives to interpose between them and danger yet people are generally not only insensible of all this but also requite it with murmuring and misconstruing every thing they do Of all the Heathen Emperors Marcus-Antoninus Dion cas His Rom. lib. XXXI was I think the best Governour I am sure he was the most learned and virtuous man and yet living in a time of great publick Calamities such as no man could help his Reign was full of troubles and discontents which gave occasion to several conspiracies and to one open rebellion against him Mauricius was one of the best of Christian Emperors yet his people being generally discontented by reason of those taxes which his great Wars made necessary a bold Rebel took the advantage against him and murdered Him and all his Family But there is no need to search History for instances of this kind the holy Scripture gives us some very remarkable ones For we read that there were very great murmurings among the people of Israel against Moses himself tho he acted in every thing he did by particular direction from God tho he had rescu'd them from the last degree of misery and bondage tho he had obtain'd several signal victories for them against their Enemies tho he conducted and sed them with perpetual miracles and was just leading them into a firm and lasting settlement and into the possession of a Land flowing with Milk and Hony yet they could not abstain from frequent murmuring against this great and excellent Prince while he was present with them and doing these great things for them K. David was us'd in like manner by his people tho he had saved them from their Enemies and had deliver'd them out of the Hands of the Philistines as they themselves could not but confess 2 Sam. 9. v. 9. And tho he had been one while so popular that whatsoever he did pleas'd all the people 2 Sam. 3. v. 26. Yet by the cunning and artifices of one or two designing men we see the whole Nation was turn'd against him they cryed out What have we to do with the Son of Jesse to your tents O Israel To sum up all in one word the Israelites grew weary and murmur'd under the immediate Government
Pekah by his Friend and Counsellor Hosea These Princes had reason to think they had sufficiently oblig'd those that killed them but as we learn from the same Historian they were irreligious Men they had not the fear of God and therefore they easily broke thro' all the Bands of Duty Honour and Gratitude and Sacrificed their Kings and Benefactors to their own Lust and Ambition But if Irreligous Atheistical Men should be true to their Kings as you see there is no reason to rely upon them they would do much more hurt to the Government they live under by their ill Principles than they can possibly do it good any other way Men that dispute the Being and Providence of God lessen the Authority of the Magistrate and the Reverence due to him as the Minister and Ordinance of God they who deny the Truth of Revealed Religion and the Authority of the Holy Scriptures take away the greatest Obligation to Obedience for Conscience sake and lastly they who deny the Immortality of the Soul the Rewards and Punishments of another life and the Natural differences of Good and Evil enervate the Obligation discourage the Practice and as much as in them lies destroy the Being of all those Vertues by which the Throne is Established and make way for such a torrent of Vice as will soon overwhelm any Nation and overturn any Government in the World But 2dly Beside that Irreligion and Wickedness are naturally destructive to Government they do also provoke God to deprive a People of that Blessing This the People of Israel had the greatest Reason to know for when God placed a King over them to Protect and Govern that People he told them upon what Condition they might enjoy that Blessing and transmit it safe to Posterity When God had chosen Saul and they had accepted him for their King by a National Consent 1 Sam. 12.13 Behold saith he by the Mouth of his Prophet Samuel the King whom you have chosen and whom you have desired and behold the Lord hath set a King over you if you will fear the Lord and serve him and not rebel against the Commandments of the Lord then shall you and also the King that reigneth over you continue following the Lord your God But then on the other Hand he plainly warned them of that which would certainly bereave them of that Happiness If you will not obey the Voice of the Lord but rebel against the Commandments of the Lord then shall the hand of the Lord be against you and as the conclusion of all v. 25. if you shall still do wickedly you shall be consumed both you and your King Accordingly we still find their Government firm and steady or feeble and declining according as they observed or transgrest the Laws of God and that Observation proved true of them which St. Augustine somewhere makes of the Ancient Romans they prosper'd or decay'd as they were Nationally Virtuous or Vitious and it is as truly and equally applicable to all other Nations For God's method of Governing all Nations is alike but with allowance for their different Circumstances He rewards Religion and Virtue and punishes Wickedness and Vice equally tho' not in the same manner every where God's Blessings and Favours his Kindness and Protection are the proper Rewards and peculiar Priviledges of a Righteous and Holy Nation Especially the comfort and happiness of lasting Peace and Settlement under Just and Religious Princes that is a Mercy which will not be thrown away upon a Wicked and Sinful People None can expect it should be otherwise that considers the different ways of God's dealing with Nations and with Persons in this life As to Persons God may sometimes permit Wicked Men to be prosperous all their life long because if they go hence without Punishment he can overtake them in another World and there he will pay them once for all with Eternal Judgments so much the more heavy for the abuse of his long suffering goodness and mercy in this Life But Nations having no other life but in this World God must take them here or let them pass altogether unpunisht which because the Justice and Wisdom of his Government will not suffer him always to do therefore he must make Examples of them in this World he may spare them for a time in order to their amendment or to let them fill up the measure of their Iniquities but sooner or later he pours out his Judgment upon them in this World because they have no being as Nations in any other World but this But whereas there are many forts of publick National Judgments such as Famine and Sword and Pestilence and the like yet none of all these is more heavy and dreadful to a whole Nation than the Dissolution of its Government and giving up a People to be a Prey to their Enemies or which is commonly worse to themselves If this be not the greatest of Temporal Judgments it is next to it and commonly ends in it I mean their final Destruction Upon this Account the frequent Usurpations and Anarchies that happened in the Kingdom of Israel while that of Judah continued still in the House of David are justly ascribed to the general Corruption of that Nation occasion'd especially by the Apostacy of Jeroboam the Son of Nebat who as the holy Text saith often was he that made Israel to sin And even in the Kingdom of Judah when the House of David came to its period in the Captivity of Zedekiah their Fall is attributed to their Sin and Wickedness by the Prophet Jeremiah Lam. 5.16 The Crown is fallen from our Head or the Crown of our Head is fallen wo unto us for we have sinned And indeed it cannot but seem just and reasonable it should be so that when a People throw off the Authority of God and have no regard to his Laws that then he should also cast them off that when they deny him their Allegiance he should withdraw his Protection from them and remove his Vice-Gerents from among them But if God should still continue the Blessing of Kingly Government to an Irreligious People they would not be the better for it for without Religion and the fear of God it would never be effectual to the end for which Government is properly designed The chief end of Government is to promote the publick Good and to prevent any Evil that may endanger the common Safety and in order to this the Work of vernment is to do these three things 1. To keep Men within the bounds of Sobriety and Virtue in their Private Conversations lest by running out into a course of Vice they hurt and ruine themselves 2. To keep Men also within the bounds of Justice and Honesty lest they injure others 3. To preserve the Peace and Order and Prosperity of the whole Society But none of all these can be attain'd without the assistance of Religion Without that in the first place Men cannot be kept
Lusts to be meek and peaceable Nothing can make such Men peaceable but what can mortifie their Lusts and cure their Passions and nothing can do that but the Spirit of God that Dove-like Spirit which dwells in those Temples which are dedicated to him by Religion The result of all that I have said upon these two last general Heads in brief is this that as no Government can subsist without Religion nor continue long if the Subjects of it have not the fear of God so on the other hand no Government can obtain its end either in promoting Virtue maintaining Justice or preserving the Peace and Prosperity of a Nation without the assistance of Religion And the Conclusion which naturally follows from these two things is this That therefore it is the interest as well as the Duty of Kings and Princes and of all the Ministers of Government as they desire their own pres ervation and the continuance of their Authority and Hope to do any good in their Stations to make it their chief care and business to suppress all Irreligion and Vice and to promote Religion and the Fear of God among their Subjects without which in a word they themselves can never be safe nor their People happy And now to apply what hath been said with respect to the present occasion all that has been said of the Blessings a Nation enjoyeth in having a Government over it especially such a Government in the Person of a King that makes it his business to do God's work in the World in restraining men from sin and promoting Religion and Virtue All this these Kingdoms had in the most eminent Degrees in the Person and Governmentof King Charles I. of glorious Memory He was a shining Example of Religion and Virtue there were all the Motives to it in his Government both in punishing of Vice and Encouraging of Virtue And tho 't is true there were Complaints of Grievances and Oppressions in his time as perhaps there will be in all Governments yet whatsoever ground there was for them it is certain there were such Riches and Wealth in his Reign as never were known in England before The Wealth and Plenty and Prosperity of England was then the wonder and Envy of all our Neighbours And for Arts and Learning the attendants of Peace and Plenty we then surpass'd all other Nations in the World And yet from the beginning to the end of his Reign still there were those Complaints which I less wonder at since there were as I have shewn the like among God's chosen People and that even under Moses's Government and in the time of David's Reign But as this insensibleness of God's Blessings could not hinder his People from feeling the want of them when by the loss of those Excellent Governours they could better judge what a Blessing they enjoyed in their continuance with them Even so it happened among us when our King was taken away Then there was a general lamentation not only his Friends but some that had bin his Enemies joined in it There was indeed such a general lamentation in this Kingdom at first when the matter was fresh that the like has been never known nor heard upon any occasion It was much aggravated and heighten'd by a Sense of the manner of his being taken from us If the Lord had smitten him or his day had come that he should die or if he had descended into Battle and perished in all this there had been nothing extraordinary or singular but that it was the loss of an excellent King And that was no more than what Judah suffer'd in the death of their good King Josiah And yet we see what a sad lamentation they made upon that occasion 2 Chron. 35.25 But there was this extraordinary in our Case it was that which would astonish one to think of it that such a blessing should be thrown away with our own hands that such an excellent King should be murdered by his own Subjects and that with such unparallel'd Circumstances at the Door of his own Royal Palace with the Pageantry and Forms of Law a scornful Mockery of all Earthly Justice and the boldest Defiance of the Justice of Heaven This was horrour to all good Men that saw or heard of it it broke the Hearts of not a few at that time and even now all good Men have that sense of it which they want words to express Indeed it is hard to get over this Subject it is hard to speak of this blessed King's Murder without a just detestation of them that were the Authors of it But that is not my business at this time I am now to consider this matter as it stands between God and this whole Nation It was certainly a dreadful and almost an unexampled Judgment of God a Judgment that went very near being fatal to us it was the great Mercy of God it had not ended in our Ruine We may therefore be sure there were great National Sins sins as great and extraordinary as the Judgment by which we drew it upon our selves I do not mean only those particular sins which immediately produc'd this doleful effect and which were personal to the Actors in it but I mean those publick and National sins in which all had their share and which first set the other on Work They were these that depriv'd us first of the Protection of our God and then made him pour down his Judgment upon us and deprive us of our King To name nothing more at present but that which was the Fountain of all our Misery it is certain if we may believe them that liv'd in those days there was a very great neglect of Religion at that time in this Nation I do not mean of the outward Form and Profession of Religion perhaps that was never more in request on both sides among them that were Contending about it but the great defect was in the Life and Power of Religion This appear'd too much on both sides On one side we must confess among them who adher'd to the Principles of Loyalty and true Religion there appear'd too great a neglect of the Life and Power of it in them which gave occasion for some to say that their looseness and Irreligion was the Ruine of the King 's most Righteous Cause But on the other hand this appear'd most manifestly in them who notwithstanding all their great and specious Profession of Religion and all their Pretences to tender Consciences yet had no sense and made no Conscience of their sin in running out into that Rebellion and into all those Rapines Sacrileges and Murders which they committed in the Profecution of it This great want of the true Power and Spirit of Religion was the unhappy Fountain from whence all those other sins issued forth that made up the measure of our Iniquity and drew down that dismal Judgment upon us which we lament on this day What then remains but that we still humble our selves under