ENGLAND's Royal Stone At the Head of the Corner Through the wonderful Working of ALMIGHTY GOD. Set forth in A SERMON Preached in the Cathedral Church at Gloucester the 28th day of June Being a day of publick and solemn Thanksgiving for His Majesties HAPPY RESTAURATION By Joh. Nelme M. A. and Pastor of S. Michaels in the said City MICAH 7. 8 9. Rejoyce not against me O mine enemy when I fall I shall arise when I sit in darkness the Lord shall be a light unto mâ— I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him until he plead my cause and execute judgemâ—nt for me he will bring me forth to the light and I shall behold his righteousness LONDON Printed by Ja. Cottrel for Henry Fletcher at the sign of the three Gilt Cups in S. Pauls Church-yard 1660. To the truly Honourable Sir EDWARD MASSEY Knight and Baronet Sitting as Citizen of Gloucester IN The Honourable House of COMMONS Assembled in Parliament Honoured Sir THis Sermon in the hearing was so acceptable to the Generality of that City for which you serve in Parliament with your worthy Colleague James Stephens Esq one of the Aldermen of the said City that it is really extorted from me into the publique View Their importunity shews their affection to the Subject Matter thereof I suppose rather then to the Manner of its composure and handling as being altogether too low for such a Subject in this day of Englands Liberty by Gods Blessing restored to the Right Keeper thereof his most sacred Majesty But however it be such as it is I humbly crave your patronage thereof England hath scarce been England for many years till the day of His Majesties happy Restauration wherein you were under God so instrumental even to the hazard of all that you cannot but rejoyce in the poorest Memorials of its accomplishment in so peaceable a manner This Mercy is the Subject of this Sermon Wherein so much of God was seen that you must pardon me if I allowed no time to speak to the Honour of those Humane but never to be forgotten Instruments who put their Hands to this Work It was a Day wherein GOD was to be glorified and not Man It is our work to improve it to his honour who in mercy to the Kingdom set his Excellencie your self with many other worthy Patriots on and prospered you and them in the prudent managing of this Noble Undertaking I am sure when we consider our former Bondage especially in respect of our conscience which by reason of the power that was over us we could hardly keep safe to our selves without the violation of our outward peace and hazarding all that was near and dear to us we cannot but acknowledge the mighty and merciful hand of God in this remarkable turn of his Providence praising and blessing his Name that we are Restored to the liberty of owning our own thoughts and to the opportunity of endeavouring a reformation in a Legal and not a Tumultuary way and the freedom of crying Hallelujah's for and Hosanna's to his Majesties happy Return to his People Which is and shall be the constant practice of From my Study in Gloucester July 5. 1660. SIR Your Honours humbly devoted John Nelme England's Royal STONE AT The Head of the Corner PSAL. 118. 21 22 23 24 25. I will praise thee for thou hast heard me and art become my salvation The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the Corner This is the Lords doing it is marvelous in our eyes This is the day which the Lord hath made we will rejoyce and be glad in it Save now I beseech thee O Lord O Lord I beseech thee send now prosperity ALong Text is not always unmeet for a short Discourse especially when the VVords Matter and Occasion do meet in one Such a Text of Scripture hath the Almighty fitted us with at this time For the suitableness of the Words with the Occasion of our present meeting I have no need to make an Apologie Every one that hears them can tell that they sound well enough to our purpose But whether I may not mis-apply them will be a doubt because some of them are applied by holy men of God and such as spake by inspiration too unto a better King and a better Kingdom then this days Festival doth bring unto our mindes viz. Messiah the Prince King Jesus and his spiritual Kingdom upon earth Our Saviour himself applies some of these words to the Jews rejection of Him from reigning over them and to his wonderful exaltation to the Kingdom notwithstanding and that in a prophetical way before Mat. 21. 42 it came to pass Saint Peter applied it to the same purpose but in an historical way after the business was done and over This is the stone which was set at nought of Act. 4. 11. you builders which is become the head of the Corner And to this History the same Apostle doth allude when he calls Christ the livingstone that was disallow'd indeed of men but 1 Pet. 2. 4. chosen of God and pretious But to solve all doubts and suspitions of our misapplication of these words to the business of this day you must know that it is no unusual thing in the Scriptures of the New Testament to accommodate several passages of the Old Testament unto events that fell out in the new especially in the person of Christ in whom many of those things were acted and done over again in one respect which were long before done in the persons of others in another respect This is the Case here VVhat fell out Christo Domino unto Christ the Lord in respect of his spiritual Kingdom was acted long before in Christo Domini the Anointed of the Lord King David in respect of his temporal Kingdom and now that it hath in the same respect been acted over again in another of the Lords anointed Ones King Charles I cannot but look on this Psalm as a Psalm for the day and on the words read as the fittest subject to be spoken to on this solemn Occasion For the whole Psalm is nothing else but a sacred Anthem Hymn or Song of praise composed as Interpreters agree by King David himself and delivered to the Singers to be sung in the publick worship of God on some solemn Festival Which Festival is supposed to be occasioned by David's full settlement and establishment in the Kingdom of Israel and Judah to which he had been foreanointed of God and from which he had been kept by force seven years and six months and in which he was twice disturbed by the in-roads of the Philistins so soon as ever the rest of the Tribes were joyned unto him Well the whole Kingdom over Israel as well as Judah was now confirmed unto David the Philistins quashed the Ark about to be brought home David bethinks himself of returning thanks to God in the publick Congregation For which he
our warfare is accomplished that our swords are turning into plowshares and our spears into pâ—uning hooks This must needs be the Lords doing and it is marveious in our eyes The second thing observable in the peoples part is their acclamations to the happiness of that dayes Festival This is the day which the Lord hath made God makes every day But he makes â—oâ—e dayes more notable then others for his singular mercies in them which onely is the meaning of this Expression That day of Davids Instauration was such a notable day in Israel And on the like account surely the 29th day of May should have a golden Character in our Kâ—lendars for his Majesties happy Restauration And this day should be reckoned for a good day because of the Opportunity which the King and Kingdom have joyntly to celebrate the Memorials thereof The thiâ—d thing observable in the peoples part is their hearty acceptation of the Kings Royal invitation to that days duty We will rejoyce and be glad in it Days of thanksgiâ—ing for such mercies as these should be days of rejoycing and gladness When King Joash was restored to his Crown by means of his Aunt Jehosheba who had kept him from being murdered with the rest of the Seed Royal by Athalia the text saith All the people of the land rejoyced 2 King 11. 20. â—t is on all hands agreed that such a time as this is a time of joy and gladness Onely let me beseech you to see your rejoycing be with sobriety not breaking out into sinful intemperance to the dishonor of him who hath wrought these things for you Let your rejoycing be a rejoycing in the Lord such as becometh saints who mind nothing more then the bringing honour to God by the joy which they express for mercies of any kind which they receive from God And last of all see that your joy and gladness for this dayes mercie be seconded with Charity to the Poor Make the bellies of the poor to rejoyce with you that their loins may bless you and that they may be able to call it a good day to them as well as to their King and those of greater ability The last thing observable in the peoples part is their humble hearty and seasonable supplications to God for the prosperity of the King and Kingdom Each man is brought in making this his prayer O Lord I besecch thee there 's the humility of it and this repeated again Save I beseech thee O Lord O Lord I beseech thee send prosperity there 's the heartiness of it The words may be rendered I beseech thee save I beseech thee O Lord O Lord I beseech thee send prosperity I beseech thee The word which is here rendred now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the T. being sometimes of the same force with the other that is rendered I beseech thee But take it as it is here fitly rendered Save now prosper now there 's the seasonableness of it With such humble hearty and earnest supplications for the King and Kingdom let every one of us follow the Lord this day and henceforwards Let every one of us have his Hosanna up this day as well as his Hallelujah In the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 most humble and earnest manner let us ply the throne of grace for the continuance and improvement of this blessing to us Now now is the time to strike in with God Save now I beseech thee O Lord I beseech thee prosper now We could not look that God should answer our prayers in this kind before The nation was set upon a wrong bottom We could not look then that God should hear us so long as we were so much out of the way Now that the Lord settled the Kingdom upon Foundations of righteousness again we may more rationally expect better success in our prayers for peace and truth and salvation to our King and Kingdom And therefore Now if ever follow the Lord with continual prayers for a blessing upon the King Church and State that these prosperous beginnings may have good proceedings and an happy conclusion that the hearts of none may be made sad but all may rejoyce in this days mercy Now if ever ply the King of Heaven with your prayers that this may be a lasting settlement improved by his Majesty and the whole Kingdom to the honour of Gods name the securing of the purity and power of Religion and the happy concord and unity of all that fear the Loâ—dâ— and to this let all the people say Amen FINIS
composed this Anthem or Song of Praise to bless rhe Lord for his many deliverances of him and for the full settlement of him at the last in the Kingdom whereunto he had fore-designed him At this time and on this occasion Mollerus and Musculus suppose this Psalm to be composed and made use of Calvin is not so punctual in the time but saith Whatsoever time it was composed this was Davids drift in it Having through many oppositions gotten full possession of the Kingdom he calls upon all the people to give thanks unto God for it The Psalm is digested into several parts the King People and Priests each bearing a part therein the greatest part falling to the Kings share First we have the King a Vers 1 2 3 4. calling upon the People and Priests and all that feared the Lord to the publick acknowledgement of the Lords singular mercy and making a narrative of the singular goodness and mercy of God to him in b Vers 5 6 7. hearing his prayers being on his side and taking part with his friends all which he mingleth and Vers 6 7 14 17. pursueth with singular expressions of his abundant confidence in the Lord and of the large experience he now had how good a thing it was to trust in God rather then Vers 8 9. in man or Princes and of the strong assurance he now had Ver. 10 11 12. through Gods help of vanquishing all his Enemies At length you have him calling upon the priests whose Office Ver 19 20. it was to open to him the gates of Gods Sanctuary that he might go in and praise the Lord. At length he comes in the text to make a short Apostrophe 21. to God himself repeating his resolution to praise him together with a general and particular account of that his resolution General Because he had heard him and was become his salvation Particular Because the stone which the builders refused 22. was now become the head stone of the corner Thus far goes the Kings part Now comes in the peoples part that of the whole Chorus as it were consisting 1. In their acknowledgement of the hand of God in 23. this Providence and their admiration at the strangeness of it This is the Lords doing it is marvelous in our eyes 2. In their joyful Acclamation to the happiness of that 24. days Festival This is the day which the Lord hath made 3. In their acceptation of the Kings Royal invitation to that Dayes Duty We will rejoyce and be glad in it 4. In their humble hearty and seasonable supplications 25. for the prosperity of the King and Kingdom Save now I beseech thee O Lord O Lord I beseech thee send now prosperity And then behind our Text follows the Priests part Vers 26. praying for a blessing upon the King welcoming him into the Tabernacle saying Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord and upon the people blessing them out of the House of the Lord acknowledging that it was Vers 27. the Lord that had shewn them light and inviting them to keep the Festival with joy and thanks unto God to bind the sacrifices with cords to the horns of the altar according to the use of Gods ancient people in their publick solemnities All this seems to be concluded with a return of the Piissimus Rex Psalmum concludit Musc Kings part consisting of A solemn repetition of his former resolution Thou art my God and I will praise thee thou art my God I will exalt thee And a solemn repetition of his former invitation to them all to give thanks unto the Lord with him O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good for his mercy endureth for ever The whole Psalm is contrived as if it had been to be sung in a solemn procession to the Tabernacle on that solemn day the singers going before and the players on instruments following after As it was at the like solemnity a little after at the bringing home of the Ark from Obed-Edom's House for which processional use the 86th Psalm Psal 86. 25 was penned wherein we read of such an order observed However it was the words we have cull'd out of the Psalm for the subject of this present discourse are this day again fulfilled in our ears Our Gracious Soveraign for his part being after a long and tedious exile restored to his people and his people to him as he hath resolved to render the tribute of praise and thanksgiving to Almighty God in his own person this day for his happy restauration so he hath by his Royal Proclamation required all his Subjects of England and Wales to joyn with him in this Duty And Subjects for their part never more joyfully consented to a duty of that nature then I think and hope they do over all the Kingdom this day Whilst the King saith I will praise thee for thou hast heard me and art become my Salvation methinks I hear all the people like men astonished at the wonderfulness of the mercy crying out This is the Lords doing and it is marvelous in our eyes and like men over-joyed making loud acclamations to the happiness of this days Festival gladly running to the Duty whereunto they have this Royal Invitation ready to give out their Hosanna their well-wishes and prayers for the King and Kingdom upon this happy revolution of affairs into that hopeful posture wherein now they stand I begin first with the Kings part his pious resolution to praise God with the general and particular account of that his resolution And first of the account in General which he gives of this resolution verse 21. I will praise thee for thou hast heard me and art become my salvation In which words we have the pattern of an afflicted King and a praying King a delivered King and a praise-returning King David is the pattern for all this He was an afflicted King Some would have this expressed in the Text I will praise thee for thou hast afflicted me The Original word will bear both Interpretations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou hast afflicted me or Thou hast answered me But however his afflicted condition is implyed enough in the news we have in the Text of the return which God had made unto his prayers Again He was a praying King Thou hast heard me or thou hast answered me It should seem then that he had been calling and crying unto the Lord. Yet thirdly He was a delivered King Thou art become my salvation And last of all He was a praise-returning King Therefore I will praise thee From all this I shall point out unto you three things of special and seasonable remark which I shall lay down as the ground-work of all that I have to say from this Verse and them that follow in the Text on this solemn occasion The First is That God is wont sometimes to exercise the Kings of 1
fitter Stone to be found in all the heap to make the chief-corner-stone of in the building of Israel's Commonwealth then he But Saul and his Counsellours and the great men of Israel who are here compared to Builders would not so much as let him lie in the building not suffer him to have any place of abode in the Lords inheritance but hunted him up and down as a Partridge is hunted in the mountains laid him utterly aside made him the Common Enemy And when after Saul's death David was crowned King in Hebron over Judah the Elders of the rest of the Tribes would not hear of his being King over them no not they Till at length God takes the building in hand himself and by his over-ruling providence sets this stone at the head of the corner beyond all expectation seats him in the throne of Israel and Judah both Both the walls of this politick Structure now met in David as the head-corner-stone that kept them together The meaning of the words as applicable unto King Christ the Antitype is briefly this Jesus was the Messiah that was to come anointed of the Father to be the Saviour of his People the King and Head of the Church Now the chief Priests and Elders of the Jews who are compared to builders instead of giving him that honour in the building that he ought to have had utterly laid him aside persecuted him to the death as unfit to live thrust him out of the world in a most shameful manner But yet for all this whether they would or no God takes the building into his own hands raises Jesus up again from the dead takes this pretious Stone out of the rubbish and sets it in the head of the Corner even at his own right hand in heavenly places far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not onely in this world but also in that which is to come c. The words are under consideration at this time as applicable to Davids Case which is the prime import of the Psalm and they being thus briefly but truly opened your thoughts cannot but out-run my words to the making a pertinent application thereof They are urged by David as an Argument of his resolution to praise God I shall urge this for the same end upon you to quicken you to this days Duty For which end I beseech you to consider with me 1. Englands late Misery 2. Englands present Mercy First Englands late Misery by falling into the hands of foolish Builders who took upon them to set fast the Fabrick of our tottering State that was ready to fall asunder by the unhappy Divisions that fell out between His late Majesty and his two Houses of Parliament of which three Estates the goodly Structure of the English Government is composed The two walls of the building unhappily fell from the chief-corner-stone which before held them together and then there was no likelihood but that all would tumble except some skilful hands might interpose to cement them together This was hopefully endeavoured until some busie Sword-men presuming they could handle the State-Trowel as well as the Martial Sword took the matter in their own hands and in stead of building destroyed and pulled down to the ground that most excellent Structure which our wise Ancestors left framed and fitted to our hands and beautified with all the Ornaments of a most flourishing Kingdom and all the most desirable Immunities of the freest People They left scarce a Pillar standing that was any ways useful to support it And the stones of the best use and worth they all flung out of the building Onely one crackt piece of that politick Fabrick they left in being which by a strange Synechdoche still retained the name of the whole and these they made no further use of neither then to pelt the Head of the Corner quite down withal Which was done on that fatal day of the execrable Murther of the Lords Anointed the saddest Day that ever England saw it being an Act of the most abominablest Treachery and Vnfaithfulness that ever the Sun beheld Well this desperate Turn being served our foolish builders in a while began to see a necessity of pulling down all that they had left standing and to enter upon fresh counsels of building all anew again And here to see our misery so much the more consider First what a loss we were at After a tedious contest on pretence for King and Parliament religion laws and liberty we had fairly sought our selves out of all having neither the one nor the other left unto us But all swallowed up by the all-devouring sword There was only a name of religion left and owned by these dovourers But it proved but a name in the issue A form a vizor of Godliness But it was not thick enough to cover the covetousness pride blasphemy ingratitude wickedness and treachery of those in power who went under that mask Secondly consider what an advantage there was of settling all again and setting up the old and best frame of Goverment on firm foundations and yet how foolishly this advantage was not laid hold of but slighted neglected and scorned Our Royal Soverain that now is was a stone fittest to make the head of the Corner of all that were to be found in the heap as being by the Law of God and of this Nation the undoubted heir of the Crown and being endued by God with such regal abilities as are not every where to be parallel'd But alas our foolish builders would have none of him And yet rather then not be building they assayed to build without a foundation setting up a linsey-woolsey Tent upon sticks sirnamed a Parliament and the supreme authority But that was quickly weather-beaten and fell asunder of it self A Fabrick somewhat like the old was at length resolved on But him whom God had fitted to be the head of the Corner they would none of And therefore by a new devised Instrument they clap in a piece of Iron instead of the true-corner-stone And now the Government was rather forcibly crampt then orderly joyned together This Iron-piece held it by force a while But it rusted at last and all came down again And now our builders might have had him whom God had fitted to be the head of the Corner But they rejected him still and put in a piece of soft clay in the room thereof and pull'd it out again as unserviceable almost as soon as they put it in And yet him whom God had fitted to be the head of the Corner they would none of All the skilful and conscientious workmen that knew none would serve but He cryed shame upon these bungling builders Yet so foolish were they as to let none meddle with the work but themselves And though they did they knew not what yet they would not give over Like besotted builders they fall to building without a foundation again but yet with some
of the old stones that before they had laid aside wherewith they reared up the old tottered wall of Democracie supporting it with a few rusty swords which withdrawing at their pleasure down it fell And yet he whom God and the Laws had fitted to be the head of the Corner would not serve their turn And yet who nor what to have they could not tell At length they only tack'd a government together for the present distress with instruments part of Iron and part of clay some easie enough to be wrought to any mould and some head-strong enough to carry all by their own wills This was such a piece of botchery as every one condemned and all cryed out of And the people began to grow weary of their Taskers or their Task-masters rather who would have pay too though they proved such sorry builders Whereupon some who thought themselves to be better builders of State then sword-men outwitted them outworked them over-powred them and rook the work out of their hands And now we were where we were twice before in as bad a labyrinth as ever For neither would these after so many succesless attempts in laying the foundation of a Democracie accept of him whom God had fitted to be the head of the Corner till God himself took the work in hand and by an unexpected providence sent in a supply of better builders only to undo what they had been doing so to make way for that mercy which we now injoy Thus you have heard a sad allegorical harangue of Englands late misery See we now in the second place what is Englands present mercy It is so Christians we are like men that dream when we speak of it as not knowing well how it should be so though we know it is so The stone which these foolish builders have rejected all this while is at the head of the Corner at firm and full agreement with both the honourable Houses of Parliament He whom they thought not fit to have any pottion with us is returned to the inheritance of the Lord. He whom they drave as much as lay in them upon temptations to embrace the abominations of Popery as being beholding to strangers to the Reformed religion for his Ziklag or place of abode is returned safe and sound from such pollutions and confirmed against them He whose life hath been sought after as was his Fathers He who was hunted from place to place as unworthy to rest any where He is verily he is at the head of the Corner He whose right it is He in whom alone under God we could look for an hopeful and happy and lasting settlement He is at the head of the Corner Not only King in Hebron but King in Jerusalem Not only King at Scone but King at Westminster All the tribes of England Scotland and Ireland are United in him The whole frame of our Antient Government is resettled and the topstone laid and all the people crying Grace grace unto it This is the Lords doing and it is marvellous in our eyes This is the day which the Lord hath made we will be glad and rejoyce therein c. What must now be done beloved upon the income of such a mercy What! but resolve to joyn with your King and praise the Lord. Let Israel now say that his mercy endureth for ever let the House of Aaron now say that his mercy endureth for ever let them now that fear the Lord say that his mercy endureth for ever Let every one of you now fall in with your parts in the praises of God for this days mercy There be but four and all in the Text. I shall but briefly touch upon them and dismiss you The First thing observable in the peoples part is their acknowledgement of the hand of God in this providence and their admiration at the strangeness of it This is the Lords doing and it is marvellous in our eyes The Psalmist brings the godly in acknowledging this exaltation of David to the throne of Israel to be the Lords doing And so must you concerning the exaltation of Our David to the throne of England Let all that fear the Lord say This is the Lords doing the singer of God is here This can be no other then the hand of God For though this was so desirable a mercy yet to humane reason it was next to impossible not many months ago Should one have prophesied of it you would have said with Nicodemus in another case How can these things be Powerful and foâ—cible attempts to bring this mercy about have been in vain Our Armies by sea land abroad and at home were professedly engaged in builâ—ing some of the Babels of confâ—sion before mentione a great part of the land were sinfully engaged another way for fear of losing what they had unjustly gotten And yet all these powers are over-powred not by might not by power but by the Spirit of the Lord. Tâ—e very hearts of all men are strangely subdued to this pâ—ovidence Surely this is the Lords doing And by good experience now we know that the hearts of all men are in the hâ—nd of God who can turn them whithersoever he pleaseth Further the Psalmist brings in the godly admiring at this strange providence To see all things work so to bring David in a man that had been so hated vilified and opposed this was strange to them And how can you but look on this return of our David as most marvellous considering First the unlikelyhood of the change in divers respects as in respect of the force that was kept upon his subjects at home so that the prudentest were fain to keep silence scarce daring for many years to impart their affections and desires to one another there was such treacâ—ery and unfaithfulness and such lurkings to supâ—lant the innocent without a cause and to make them offenders for a word as also in respect of the long time of his Majesties exile He was kept twelve vears out of his royal City David but seven and an half out of â—erusalem His cause lay stark dead in a mannâ—r â—s a forgotten business There was scarce any life left in it His return is as a resurrection from the dead a making of dead bones to live Our David had no footing in the Kingdom he was by God designed unto whereas Isâ—l's David was King in Hebron all that 7 years in a nearer capacity to recover the Kingdom over all Israel in time 2. It is marvellous in respect of the suddenness of it It was but the other day that some few intemperate men were about to abjure the royal line But behold how quickly is the seoene changed Allegiance and Loyalty dates shew its face when Treason and Reâ—ellion flees into corners 3. It is marvelous in respect of the peaceableness of it all this is done without the effusion of blood some may be spilt by the sword of Justice the land will be defiled with blood else But we trust