Israel till all Sauls sons were hanged in Gibeah before the Lord of which the Scripture speaks in the second of Samuel chap. 22. So that we may declare in favour of the first opinion that the great kindness so much magnified by the Royal Psalmist relates to his deliverance from the house of Saul when he was setled in Ierusalem and reigned in peace and glory over all the Tribes In which estate he sung this Benedictus to the Lord his God that is to say Benedictus Dominus Blessed be the Lord for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a strong City 3. The Text it self contains in it these two general Parts God's Mercy David's Thankfulness God's mercy unto David in that great deliverance and David's thankfulness unto God for so great a Mercy In the first General God's Mercy we have these particulars The Subject of it first and that was David David the King the Lord 's Anointed one chosen by the Lord out of all his Family to be the blessing of his Tribe and the Prince of his People Mirificavit mihi He hath shewed to me 2ly The condition extent thereof as being not only called a kindness a great kindness too in our old Translation but misericordia mirabilis a marvellous great kindness a kindness which had very much of a Miracle in it 3 ly The Author or the Donor of it Misericordia sua His kindness or the Lord 's own kindness And lastly On what Theatre or Stage this marvellous kindness of the Lord was acted in Civitate munita in a strong City Over all which I mean to draw so thin a veil that under it we may behold the face of our own affairs but helped by some reflections from the Glass of Scripture and some comparisons of the Copy with the old Original In the next General David's Thankfulness we shall observe the Retribution which he made to the Lord his God for such multiplyed mercies whether it were expressed in his words or actions And then the duties of the Day will come in of course as the Conclusion followeth on the Premises in a well-formed Syllogism I begin therefore with the first General God's mercy unto David in that great deliverance and therein first of all with the Subject of it David the King the Lord 's Anointed the Author of this Psalm and the argument of it 4. Expertâ morbi molestiâ evidentior fit jucunditas Sanitatis as St. Austin hath it None can so rightly estimate the benefit of a perfect health as he who hath been long oppressed with a languishing sickness Contraries set together do most perfectly illustrate and express each other If therefore we would know how great God's kindness was to David in the time of his Glories we must a little look upon him in his fall in his lowest fortunes his wanderings in the vale of misery or rather in the Valley of the shadow of Death as his own words are A misery which fell upon him when he least looked for it when he conceived himself most happy and on the steps of his Ascendent to the Throne of Israel Anointed privately by Samuel in his Father's House and by that art designed for the next King of the House of Iacob Of great esteem amongst the people for taking up their quarrel against Goliah when all men else fell off and refused the combate Amongst the Priests as men that had some secret notice of the designation or otherwise beheld him as a man replenished with the Spirit of God Amongst the Courtiers as a Prince of the Royal Family in being married unto Michâ—l his Master's Daughter Amongst the Military men for his singular valour made known in many fortunate skirmishes against the Philistims two hundred of whose fore-skins he brought back with him for a sign of his Victory And finally amongst the Damosels or Ladyes of Israel for his personal gallantry who playing on their Musical Instruments did use to answer one another saying That Saul had slain his Thousands and David his Ten Thousands 5. But Eminentis fortunae comes est invidia said the Court-Historian This general applause and those publique honours made him a fit subject for as great an envy and drew upon him the displeasure of that mighty Tyrant who looked not only on him as his Rival in pursuit of glory but a competitor with the Princes of the house of Kish for the Regal Diadem And being once possessed with these fears and jealousies he thinks of nothing but to bring him to a swift destruction and to that end incenseth all his servants to conspire against him reproves his daughter for not betraying her husband to his rage and fury and darts a Javelin at his own son Ionathan for daring to affect the man whom his father hated No safety being to be found for David in or neer the Court he must be take himself to places more remote and private and in his flight obtains both Arms and Victuals from Abimelech being at that time the High Priest of the Iewish Nation For which small courtesie Abimelech himself and more then fourscore of the Priests such as did wear a linnen Ephod as the Text informs us were miserably slaughtered by the hands of Doeg a malitious Sycophant their City sacked their Wives and Children smitten with the edge of the Sword their Sheep their Oxen and their Asses together with the rest of their goods and substance given over for a prey to their Barbarous Enemies Poor David in the mean time had retired to Akish the King of Gath and consequently the old Enemy of his native Countrey where he could promise to himself no great hopes of safety considering those many sorrows and that foul dishonour he had wrought unto them in the death of their Champion 6. I should both tire my self and afflict your patience if I should lead him back again to the land of Iudah follow him there in all his wanderings from thence wait upon him to the Court of Moab where he was forced to leave his Parents that he might save them from the fury of the present Army And he might rather choose to leave them in that Countrey then in any other by reason of his Descent from Ruth a Moabitish woman as the Scripture tells us and therefore like to find some favour amongst those of her kindred But look upon him where we will either in the cave of Adullam the wilderness of Ziph the Desarts of Mahum or the Rocks and Mountains of Engeddi Inter Serpentes aprosque avidâ—sque Leones and we shall find him no where safe from the hand of his Enemies as long as he continued in the Realm of Israel The Keylites whom he had redeemed from the power of the Philistims resolved to have betrayed him to the malice of Saul had he not been fore-warned by God of their ill intentions The men of Ziph more savage then the wild Beasts in
Idols made a colour for committing Sacriledge such Sacriledges too as seldom or never had been heard of amongst the Gentiles Pictures and Images in Church-windows retained for Ornaments till this day in the Lutheran Churches defaced on purpose for the ostentation of a swifter Zeal than could keep company with Knowledge But in the mean time such a worshipping of Imaginations advanced and countenanced as seemed no less destructive to all Christian Piety than the worship of Images and in a word all the exploded Heresies of the elder times revived and justified without reproach to them that did it to the displeasure of Almighty God the dishonour of the Church the grief of all good men and the shame of the Nation Nor did we speed much better in our Civil Rights in reference to that liberty and property which seems peculiar in a manner to the English Subjects Quocunque aspiceres luctus gemitus que sonabant in the Poets language No news in any of our Streets but that of leading men into fresh captivity nor Musick to be heard in our private Houses but the sighs groans and cries of afflicted people who either suffered in themselves or their friends and kindred Our persons haled unto the prisons and our heads to the block our children born to bondage and brought up to servitude our goods taken from us and exposed to sale all our Lands either held in villenage or which was worse ad voluntatem Domini during the will and pleasure only of our mighty Landlords Such a confusion in the City such spoils and rapines in the Countrey and such oppressions in all places under their command that greater miseries never fell upon God's own people in those wretched times in which there was no King in Israel 46. To put an end to which misfortunes God brings the King unto his Throne as upon this day and brings him to his Throne after such a manner as makes it seem all-miracle in the eyes of Christendom When first like Noah's Dove in the book of Genesis he left the Ark of his retreat and preservation that he might trie whether the waters were asswaged from the face of the earth he found no resting place for the soles of his feet but when he took his second flight and came next amongst us and brought an Olive leaf in his mouth to be a Pledge of Peace and Reconciliation betwixt him and his people he made his coming most agreeable to those very men who before most feared it A coming so agreeable to all sorts of people that never King was entertained with more signs of joy or welcomed with a greater concourse of his faithful Subjects all of them with Te Deum in their mouths and the Magnificat in their hearts old women being as busie at their Benedicite's in their dark retreats as Children were at Hosanna's in the wayes and fields The mountains skippe like Raws and the little hils like young Sheep as he passed along the Trees bowed down their heads to salute their King and the glad earth rejoyced to become his footstool But when he came within the view of the Royal City Good God! what infinite throngs of people did run out to see him With what a gallant equipage did the Nobility and Gentry set forth to meet him Never did England see it self so glorious as upon that day nor old Rome so magnificent in her stateliest Triumphs as our great City then appeared in the eyes of those who flocked from all parts of the Kingdom in such infinite numbers that London could no more be called the abstract or epitome of the Realm of England but the Realm it self 47. Incouraged with which general Welcome he hath received here here in this Church he hath received his last Anoynting to the great joy of all his true and faithful Subjects who once again repaired to our Capital City but in greater multitudes that by their quality numbers and external Gallantry they might express their good affections and add some new Lustre to the accustomed Pomp and Splendour of the Coronation The Pomp and Splendour of which day is not to be described by a readier pen than I am able to pretend to nor to be equalled by any other in the times preceding but only by the glorious day of the Kings Reduction of which we may affirm with the Court Historian though with no such flattery Laâ—itiam illius diei consursum totius civitatis 〈◊〉 pene inferentiâ—m coelo mâ—â—is c. What pen is able to express the Triumphs of those two great dayes when all the bravery of the Nation seemed to be powred into the City and the whole City emptied into some few streets the windows in those streets to be glased with eyes the houses in a maner to be tyled with men and all the people in the streets the windowes and the house tops also ingeminating and regeminating this most joyful acclamation God save the King 48. For which great mercies and the rest of this glorious day let us sing our Benedictus also to the Lord our God Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his people and hath raised up a mighty salvation for us in the house of his servant David To which Immortal and Invisible God the Almighty Father and to the Honorable true and only Son the Lamb that sits upon the Throne and to the Holy Ghost the Comforter Let us ascribe as we are bound all Majesty Might Praise Power and Glory from this time forth for ever more And let all the people say Amen THE END a Prov. 15. 23 2 Sam. 20. 1. 2 Sam. 16. 5. 1 Sam. 16. 13. 1 Sam. 17. 24. 1 Sam. 28. 28. 1 Sam. 18. 27. 1 Sam. 18. 1 Sam. 19. 1 Sam. 19. 1. 1 Sam. 20. 33. 1 Sam. 21. 6 9. 1 Sam. 22. 18 c. 1 1 Sam. 21. 10. 1 Sam. 22. 3. 1 Sam. 23. 1 Sam. 23. 20. 1 Sam. 25. 11. 1 Sam. 22. 1. 1 Sam. 27. 2. 1 Sam. 22. 2. 1 Sam. 29. 8. 1 Sam. 27. 2. 1 Sam. 27. 6. 1 Chr. 12. 1 c. 1 Chr. 12. 22. 2 Sam. 2. 1 4. 1 Sam. 14. 50. 2 Sam. 2. 8 9. 2 Sam. 3. 8. 2 Sam. 4. 2. Antiq. Iud. lib. 7. cap. 2. August in Confes lib. 8. cap. 2. 1 Sam. 23 6. ☞ Muscul. in Psal. 31. Psal. 127. 1. Origen in Rom cap. 9. Horat. Aâ—iq Iud ic 〈◊〉 7. chap 3. loseph de â—ello Iud. lib. 7. c. 17. Id. ibid. Athanas. in Epist ad Mar. in Tom. 3. Virgil. Aencid 1 King 18. 44. Tacit. Hist li. 2. Vellei 〈◊〉 Hist. l. 2. Antiq. Iudaic. lib. 7. chap. 10. Aug Conf. lib. 10. ch 23. Id. ibid. Dan. 3. 5.
then we are in such a City which neither enemy can force nor want of trade impoverish nor disease infect Deus meus omnia Let God be mine and I am strong enough against all the world against all violence against all practices against all misfortunes I could inlarge my self on this general Topick as to the moral of my Text but that I am to keep my self to the literal sense to the strong City herein meant by the Royal Psalmist 20. And if I keep my self to the literal sense we must inquire what City is here meant by David And we shall finde upon a very short inquiry that it was either Ziglag Hebron or Hierusalem and the last most likely St. Austin and St. Hierome so resolve for certain with whom the Moderns do agree as to that particular all telling us That God declared his marvellous mercies unto David by setling his affairs in Civitate Ierusalem in the strong City of Hierusalem in the Fort of Sion For there he found an end of his former sorrows thither he brought the Ark to that place he removed the Trabernacle and there did he fix his Royal Palace with the Courts of Iustice and thereby drew unto it by degrees all the wealth of the Kingdom and there he reigned in greater glory and renown then any of the Kings and Princes which were round about him 21. Now Cities are accounted strong in two respects first in the strength of situation or of art and next in the multitudes and natural courage of the people and in both these Ierusalem as it flourished in the time of David might worthily be called a strong City as indeed it was Civitas munitissima as my Author hath it For first it was well situated and strongly fortified three Towns in one of them seated on steep Hills and all of them invironed with high Walls strong Bullwarks and unpassable Ditches But none to be compared with the City of Sion which made the Iebusites presume so far upon the strength of the place that in contempt of Davids Forces they mann'd their walls with none but their blind and lame as Iosephus tells us and then sent word whether with greater pride or folly it is hard to say that except he took away the blind and the lame he could not come thither Which was to tell him in effect that those poor wretches were sufficient to make good the Fort against all his Army and therefore must be first removed before he could expect to be Master of it Such confidence saith he they had in their Walls and Trenches that they conceived them able without further help to keep out the Enemy 22. But Walls we see by this example are but simple strengths if there be any want of people or in the people any want of courage to make good the place The honour of a King consists not in the strength of Towns and frequency of Garrisons but in the multitude and courage and good affection of his Subjects Kings are then safest when they trust rather to their Castles of bones then their Castles of stones according to the Aphorism of Sir Henry Savage an old English Souldier Lycurgus also seemed to be of the same opinion when he prohibited the Spartans to immure their City or to use any of the Arts of Fortification And in this sense lerusalem was strong because it was as populous and no less capacious then either Nineveh or Babylon or Eckbatana or any other Cities in the Eastern Countries So populous that at the siege thereof by Titus there perished by the Sword and Famine of all sorts and sexes 1100000. and above as Iosephus telleth us And so prodigiously capacious that once the High-Priest at the request of Cestius a Roman President numbering the people which came thither to observe the Passover found them to be two millions and seven hundred thousand men besides women and children all sound and purified and fitted by the Law for that Sacred Ceremony A number numberless and not indeed to be believed were not Iosephus generally reckoned for a true Historian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the good Father Iustin Martyr hath assured us of him And though these numberings of the people in that mighty City happened long after David's time yet the City after David's time received small inlargements Ten of the Tribes revolting on the death of Solomon and never afterwards returning to the Kings of Iudah 23. As for the courage of the People and Inhabitants of it in the time of David we may conceive it equal at the least if it were not greater then that of their posterity in the times succeeding Which was so eminent that he which reads the Story of their final ruine when besieged by Titus will find the Romans so put to it that they never purchased any City at a dearer rate And hereupon may say in the word of Iustin Et tanta animorum virtus fuit c. That though they had just cause at all times to despair of safety yet for the most part they presumed and came off with safety till God was pleased to give them over for a prey to the Sword of their Enemies 24. And yet there might be somewhat in it which more assured David of his peace and happiness than either the Courage of the people or the Strength of the place which was their good Affection and fidelity to him And this appears plainly by their carriage towards him when he was forced to give way to the Treason of Absolom For when he left them to the power of the Enemy the people followed him in great numbers to express their loyalty and followed him in tears to express their affection So as it cannot be affirmed that either they betrayed or forsook their King but that the King rather in a Royal pity did withdraw from them left otherwise he might have brought some evil on the City as the Text informs us Lay all that hath been said together of the strength of this City and we shall find that David had good reason to extol Gods Name for giving him possession of a place so strong so populous and so replenished with a loyal and couragious people 25. And thus I have run over all the parts of my Text as they declare God's marvellous kindness unto David so that it can be no hard matter to remove the vail and to behold the face of our own affairs the mercies of this day and the glories of it A day in which we solemnize the memory of as great a kindness a kindness as remarkable in respect of the Person as marvellous in its own condition no less peculiar to the Lord as the Author of it and in a place as notable our Principal City our strongest City of descence To which by Gods assistance and your Christian Patience I shall now proceed and then descend unto the duties of the dayes where we shall meet with David's thankfulness and our own to boot
we found it to be so in the first revolt but then it must be granted also that the Tide never turned in the lesser Rivers until the Thames had made a stand under London-Bridge The noise of which great miracle as it was no other made all the waters clap their hands and the floods rejoyce and even the Ocean to be proud of so rich a burthen as was committed to its trust by the heavenly Pilot. 35. For now the King prepares for his return to the Royal City not with an Army to besiege it to smite it with the edge of the sword and to root out the Iebusites which were planted in it as David did when he first brought Hierusalem under his command Not so but as a Prince of peace as the Son of David to bring the glad tidings of salvation to all his Subjects to put an end to all the miseries of his People and to restore them to that peace and happiness which they had forfeited by pride and wantonness by disobedience to his Person and distrust to his Promises and in a word by doing more then is to be repeated since it hath been pardoned And to this City came the Tribes to receive their King whether in greater numbers or with greedier eyes or with more joyful hearts it is hard to say Of which I shall speak little now because more anon This was the blessing of the day and this conducts me next to the duties of it which we shall take from David's Doctrine and example Benedictus Dominus Blessed be the Lord. 36. Et quemodo dicit Benedictus Dominus Num illi opus est benedictione nostra What means the Prophet saith St. Hierom by this form of speech Hath the Lord need of us that we should bless him No but we say with Vatablus that it is an Hebraism a garb of speech peculiar to the Hebrew Language the meaning this Dignus est omni laude Dominus The Lord is worthy to be praised His mighty Acts to be preserved in perpetual memory What David's practice was we need make no question or if we did we have sufficient evidence for it in the Book of Psalms Most of which were composed to no other purpose but to extol Gods name and set forth his prayses for all the blessings which he had bestowed upon him in his soul and body Among which last there was none more great more marvellous more fit to be ascribed to the Lord alone then the preserving of his Person the raising of him to his Throne and the establishing of that Throne in so strong a City And therefore Benedictus Dominus Let thanks be given unto the Lord saith our old Translation 37. But more particularly we may behold the thankfulness of David in his Works and Actions We may behold it in his Works if we consult that notable passage of Iosephus where it is said that David being delivered from his Wars and troubles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 indited Anthems Psams and Hymnes in the praise of God calling to minde those manifold and great occasions which might induce him to a pious and religious gratitude and more then so he procured many Instruments to be made for God's publick service Organs and Psalteries and Harps and taught the Levites how to praise Gods name upon them saith the same Iosephus not only on the Sabbath but the other Festivals For doing which he had no precept from above or any warrant that we read of but his own authority and that he thought it fit and decent 38. David no question knew as perfectly Gods nature and the true nature of his service as any other man whatsoever he was Yet thought he not that either of them was prophaned or made lesse edifying by the occasion of sweet Musick melodious Harmony Which made him call so often upon all his people not only to set forth Gods praises in their Songs and Hymns but to extol and celebrate his Name with Trumpets and loud sounding Cymbals with Psalteries and Harps Stringed instruments and Organs also and that not in their houses only but in the blessed Sanctuary as appears plainly in the last of the Book of Psal. And he appointed also that the singers and such as played upon the Musical instruments in the performance of this service should be cloathed in white or rather with a linnen vesture over the rest of their garments as it is said expresly in the 1 Chro. ch 15. From whence or from the linnen ephod which was worn by the Priests we have derived the Surplisse now in use amongst us and not from any garment used by the Priests of Isis as some of the preciser sort have most idely fancyed 39. But David was as excellent in paying his thankfulnesse to God in the acts of piety as praising him with songs and hymns and musical Instruments The Ark of God which had been taken by the Philist ms in the time of Eli and kept at Keriath-jearim all the Raign of Saul is now brought back and setled in Hierusalem by the care of David who gave not only order for the doing of it but saw it done and was himself a principal actor in that sacred Ceremony He thought it no way mis-becomming any earthly Majesty to look to all such matters as concerned Religion and appertained unto the service of the most high God Nor is there any thing which makes a King more esteemable in the eies of his subjects then to be active and industrious in the restoring of Gods worship to it's antient purity Ille diis proximus habetur per quem deorum majestas vindicatur are the words of an Heathen yet such as may become the most sober Christian. 40. Follow him yet a little further and we shall see him putting the whole service of God into a better frame and order then it had been formerly To which end he appointed to the priests their several tunes that every man might know the course of his ministration and so distributed and disposed them under several heads that all things might be acted by them without confusion Which Heads or Rulers or chief Captains as the gospel calls them being in number twenty fowr besides the High-priest and his Sagan or the second High-priest twenty six in all make up the just tale of our English Bishops And in regard the Tribe of Levi had remained so faithful to him and done and suffered so much for him in the time of his troubles he is resolved to make a retribution worthy of a Royal spirit Some of them therefore he sets over the treasures of the house of God that is to say such treasures as were dedicated and laied up in the Holy Temple or otherwise offered and designed for Religious uses Others he made officers and Iudges in the Tribes of Israel and that not only in all businesses of the Lord in all sacred matters but in the businesse of the King even in civill concernments as is expressed most plainly