your hearts be loyally affected towards God the King of Kings and loyally affected to God's Vicegerent our gracious Soveraign Have honorable Thoughts of God and the King and then out of the abundance of the heart the mouth will be filled 2. Our Mouths also must be thankful The Lord open our lips that our mouth may shew forth his praise Vocal praise in the Congregation in the singing of Psalms is a comely thing and you need not be ashamed of it in your private Houses yea you may sweeten your business and comfortably pass away your solitary times by holy Musick Hear the Psalmist Praise ye the Lord praise the Lord O my soul While I live will I praise the Lord I will sing praises to my God while I have any being Psal 146. And Psal 147. Praise ye the Lord for it is good to sing praises to our God for it is pleasant and praise is comely God must be praised as in singing so in speaking in our ordinary discourses we should delight to make mention of the loving kindness of the Lord delight to make a thankful remembrance of the peace and plenty of the liberty and protection of the deliverances and mercies which God hath bestowed upon our Land delight to speak reverently of the King who is under God the Minister and the Preserver of these mercies for us Bless God and bless the King Obey God and obey the King For 3. Our Actions also must be thankful and without this real Thankfulness by our Obedience all our verbal and ceremonial expressions are of no account Obedience is that which God requires Obedience is that which the King desires of you Obedience to the Laws of God and to the Laws of the King When we do all in our places and stations perform our duty Ministers their duty Magistrates their duty and every sort and rank of people their duty then are we all truly Thankfull 1. The Ministers that are the Guides of the people in spiritual things and by good Doctrine and good example are to lead them in the wayes of God they must testifie their thankfulness by attending more duly and giving themselves more devoutly to the Ministery of the Word and Prayer O that the daily Sacrifice that hath long ceased might now be renewed in every Parish In this Parish till better provision be made I shall be glad to celebrate Morning Prayer at the ringing of the School-bell Pray take notice of it and let one at least out of every Family be spared to assist in the publick Service of God 2. The Magistrates that have power in civil things and by execution of good Laws of the Land and by their own good behaviour are to keep peace and order among the people they must testifie their Thankfulness by a more faithful discharge of their Office Keep up the respect due to Authority joyn your selves together as one man and this Union will strengthen you to suppress any disorders among your Inferiors Consult maturely for the common good determine soberly execute courageously and let every publick Officer be a man of a publick spirit knowing there is some ray of Majesty descending on him and that he is Gods Minister and the Kings 3. Let all people of all ranks and qualities testifie their Thankfulness old and young rich and poor Let the Elder men and Fathers by their gravity and wisdom be guides and examples to the younger rejoycing that they have lived to see this blessed restauration and that they may now assure and comfort themselves that their children shall be bred in true Religion and under lawful Governours Let the younger testifie their thankfulness by their sober-mindedness and modesty and readiness to follow the steps of their wiser Fathers rejoycing that they have happy times before them and are likely to have a greater share in the fruits of his Majesties just and gracious Government Let the richer sort shew themselves really thankful by their bounty and liberality to the poor and by their other works of piety and charity and let the poor be thankful too in their way by their patience and contentedness by their diligence and painfulness in some honest labour Lastly Let every one without exception make it his chief care to serve and fear God and next to God to honour and obey the King this being the best way to engage God to continue and enlarge his mercies and favours to us the best way to make sure of God to be our God for ever and to make sure of the King to be our King so long till it shall please God to remove him to that Kingdom which alone is better then this the Kingdom of Heaven In the mean it is our Happiness our Joy and our Crown that we have such a King the Son of such a Father that thought not his life dear unto him but laid it down for the Church and People committed to his care Such a King instructed by such a Father in the Art to govern justly prudently and mercifully Such a King as God hath miraculously for us and delivered from many dangers and brought his Royal Person through many Tryals that he might be more precious like Gold tryed in the fire and appear unto his people with the greater splendor Such a King as is mindful of these his Sufferings not to revenge them but to make a good use of his Afflictions and to be better'd by them To conclude such a King in whom all good men do hope to find that Wisdom that Justice that Clemency that Piety which will undoubtedly render him the Glory of Kings and the Joy of all his Subjects Which God of his infinite Mercy grant through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer O Most glorious God the Creator and Governour of all the world we acknowledge thine infinite mercy to this lately distracted and distressed Nation It is thy hand thy power thy favour whereby this happy Change is brought to pass Thou hast inclined the heart of the King to his People and Thou hast inclined the heart of the People to their King We know O Lord it is thy doing and we look upon it with admiration as a wonderful favour both to the King and People We beseech thee accept our Thanks and Praise which we offer up unto thee with all our hearts and with unfeigned lips And we beseech thee also to enable us as we desire to testifie our Thankfulness by our Obedience in the whole course of our lives that all the People of the Land Ministers and Magistrates young and old rich and poor doing their duty in their several places and glorifying thy Name by a godly Conversation Thou mayst still delight to dwell amongst us to do us good and to continue thy favour to us from generation to generation We pray thee multiply thy best blessings upon our Soveraign Lord the King upon the most Illustrious Prince the Duke of York and upon the rest of the Royal Progeny upon the House of Lords and Commons upon the Lords of his Majesties Privy Council upon all the Nobility and Gentry of this Kingdom Bless we pray thee the Judges and Magistrates the Bishops and Ministers the Soldiers and Scholars all orders and degrees of men that all may live in thy fear in obedience to the King and in brotherly love and concord O let not the Sword devour any more nor the noise of War be heard in our Land Quiet the spirits of all parties take away our carnal animosities and vain opinions that we may all gladly close in a perfect reconciliation under our gracious King As thou hast made him an example of forgivenness and mercy so grant that all his Subjects may shew mercy to one another being tender-hearted and forgiving one another as God for Christ's sake is ready to forgive us all Lord perfect thine own work and make us such as thou wouldst have us and deal with us not according to our deserts but according to thine own infinite Mercies in Jesus Christ For whom we ever bless thee in whom we crave acceptance with thee and to whom with Thee O Father and thy Holy Spirit one Eternal God be all Honour and Glory now and for ever Amen The End
The Kings Return A SERMON PREACHED At WINCHCOMB in Gloucestershire UPON The KINGS-DAY Thursday May 24. 1660. By CLEMENT BARKSDALE SENECA Rex velit honesta nemo non eadem volet LONDON Printed for R. Royston at the Angel in Ivye-lane 1660. The KING'S Return II. SAM XV. 25. If I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord he will bring me again MEN are generally short-sighted they see things before their feet taking but little or obscure notice of the hand of Heaven moving and disposing the Affairs and Events of this World When Adversity befalls us we complain of our Enemies of bad Luck and Fortune and when we prosper we applaud our selves our own Wit and Diligence in both cases forgetting God for the most part or remembring him in a very cold and heartless manner Hence it is that so many are discontented and murmur when things go cross against them that so many are proud and unthankful in the time of their successes and prosperity Whereas a right looking up to God in both conditions would keep us still in a right frame and temper not suffer us to swell with pride nor sink into despair Thus it is in our private Estates and much more it is thus in the Publick in the great Affairs of Kingdoms and Common-wealths Suppose a King a religious King be forced from his Throne and live as a banished man persecuted and almost forsaken how apt are we to look only upon the rebellious cruel ambitious party that cast him out a party that pretended Godliness but shewed no Humanity and in the mean not consider at all the Providence of God who thus afflicts the King to try his Patience to exercise and improve his Graces to prepare him for the greater Glory and make him the greater blessing and more welcome to his people Again the King returns and is brought home unto the Throne of his Fathers Here also we are prone to forget God and magnifie the Valour and Prudence and Loyalty of a most Noble General and an obedient Army and to ascribe much to the wisdom and endeavours of a blessed Parliament and to commend the forwardness of a gallant Nobility and Gentry and of a Loving People Whereas God is the prime Author and Contriver and Doer of all He begins and continues and perfects this Glorious Work If the King send gracious Messages He moves the heart of the King if the Parliament return dutiful and grateful Answers He stirs up the heart of the Parliament If the General ride on prosperously He gives the General good speed If the Navy have a safe arrival He sends the favourable wind he fills the sails he is the Safe-gard he the Conductor that brings the King and the Nobles and the Captains and all the Royal Retinue to the Haven where they would be This is Opus Diei this Thankful acknowledgment of Gods wonderful Hand is the business of the day and I could not think upon a fitter Text then these words of King David David is an excellent example to teach us a right behaviour in both Conditions He is driven from Jerusalem by Conspiracy and Rebellion and afterwards returns with victory and honour and in both in his being driven out and in his bringing back he seeth Gods hand he acknowledgeth Gods providence If I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord he will bring me again The same Lord tha thath been pleased to chastise me by the Rebellion of my seduced people can bring them to a better understanding of all things and change their hearts and turn their Affections towards me and by them restore me to Jerusalem again and to the peaceable possession of my Kingdom The words without any straining will fairly yield us these two Propositions 1. It is the Lords doing to bring the King again however under God as we shall see there are divers Means and Instruments yet certainly it is the Lords doing II. To bring the King again is a signal favour of the Lord a favour to the King and a favour to the People also When I shall have considered these two Propositions or Observations first in relation to King David and then in relation to King Charles where some of our lines will run very parallel I shall in conclusion exhort to Thankfulness not only a verbal but a real Thankfulness for this so great a work of the Lord so great a favour in the return of our most gracious Soveraign This is the Lords doing and it is marvellous in our eyes I. It is the Lords doing to bring the King again The proof of this Proposition is either general or particular 1. General thus It is the Lord that as he made the world so he governs the world It did not become the Wisdom of God when he had by his infinite Power produced and built up this excellent frame of Heaven and Earth and all things contained therein to forsake the work of his hands and leave it to the blind guidance of Chance and Fortune No as he made the world by his Power and disposed it in a beautiful order so he rules it by his Wisdom and his Providence shineth forth unto us in those various strange events we behold that many times may beget in us admiration and sometimes tempt us to infidelity Afflicted Piety persecuted Innocence on the one hand Prosperous Wickedness Triumphant Injustice on the other hand hath sometimes stagger'd the faith of weak man but when we behold Innocence relieved Piety rewarded when we perceive the prosperity and success of wicked men and ungodly Usurpers to be on the sudden over thrown and themselves brought to ruine and destruction and their Names and Memories to not and perish Then absolvimus Deum we acquit God no longer suspect but magnifie his Justice and Providence Then we say Verily there is a God that judgeth the world God reignetb in the Heaven and in the Earth The Lord is righteous in all his wayes and holy in all his works From this general Providence of God and his care in the Government of the world we cannot but conclude It is the Lards doing to bring the King again 2. The more special and particular proof is thus God as he hath a care of all things so more especially of men and among all men most of those that are styled Gods his Vicegerents and Deputies Kings and Princes upon Earth and among all Kings God hath a peculiar care of religious Kings such as David was such as our Soveraign is Great deliverance giveth he unto his King not deliverance alone but great deliverance And sheweth mercy to his Anointed to David and to his feed for evermore Not to David only but to his seed not for the present only but for evermore This is in the end of the 18. Psalm and in the beginning of the 21. The King shall joy in thy strength O Lord and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoyce The strenth of the Lord and
the Lord. And here I said It is a Favour to the King and a Favour to the People also A Favour to the King How great a Favour will be manifest if we consider 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from what to what the King returns 1. King David returns from beyond Jordan to Jerusalem from the way of the Wilderness v. 23. to the Royal City King Charles returns from beyond the Seas into Great Britain now to be made by his presence again the most fortunate Island of the whole World He returns from Holland from Flanders from Spain from France from Germany in which forein Countries he hath long wandred as it were in a Wilderness to his own dear Country to his own City to famous London the Chamber of his Empire to renowned Westminster the Seat of his Parliament to White-Hall his Royal Palace 2. King David returns from Poverty to Riches from want to plenty from being fed by the bounty of old Barzillai at Mahanaim to feed Barzillai if he please or at least his son Chimham at his Table in Jerusalem King Charles returns from a necessitous condition wherein he disdained not relief from the bounty of others to a flourishing Estate to distribute bounties and graces and benefits to all 3. King David returns from his flight a most sad and dangerous flight All the Countrey wept with a loud voyce v. 23. v. 30. David wept as he went up and had his head covered and he went barefoot and all the people that was with him covered every man his head and they went up weeping as they went up As his flight was sad so it was dangerous he escaped narrowly from the mischievous counsel of Achitophel ch 17. King Charles also fled but it was after he had in his own Person fought valiantly even in the judgment of his great Enemy in that unhappy Battel at Worcester 'T was a cruel Fight and a sad Flight and a difficult yea miraculous miraculous escape The King took upon him the form of a Servant and the Lord brought him by the ministery of some Noble Persons safe over the Sea and now returns him and exalts him after his humiliation He brings him again with Honor and Majesty Such preparations such Attendance such Solemnities such Rejoyceing and Acclamations as are beyond the reach of my understanding and the expression of my tongue 4. King David returns to the Ark of God and the Tabernacle to the enjoyment of the Solemn Worship of God This is that he most longed for As the Heart panteth after the water brooks so panteth my soul after thee O God My soul thirsteth for God for the living God when shall I come and appear before God! Psal 42. This is that he promiseth himself The Lord will bring me again and shew me his Ark and its habitation King Charles returns from among strangers that are I will not say of another Religion because the Creed the Commandments and the Lords Prayer the Fundamentals are common to us but of another way and manner of Religion having mixed the Truth with Errours and Superstitions where yet his Majesty by the singular Grace of God hath preserved himself pure and untainted He returns home not only to enjoy himself but to give his Kingdoms too the publick exercise of true Religion liberty of solemn and regular Devotions and a free Administration of the Word and Sacraments This this Beloved is the Glory of his Majesties return That Religion returns with the King Not only Peace and Prosperity to the State but peace and prosperity to the Church returns with the King And therefore in this chiefly as in other respects the bringing home of the King is a signal Favour of the Lord. A Favour to the King and a Favour to the People also as you will further perceive if you consider that his Majesty hath bound up his own Interest to use his own words entirely with that of his Subjects and is as ready to give any thing for the Publick good as they are to receive 1. Is it not a Favour to the People to have Religion establisht and good Order prescrib'd for the publick Service of God and a lawful Ministery countenanced and maintained that the people may be no longer tossed to and fro with every winde of new Doctrine nor seduced by false unordained Teachers nor deprived any longer of the benefit and comfort of the Holy Sacraments for themselves and their children This is one benefit and the chief of all by the Kings return 2. Is it not a favour to the people to have a firm Peace setled in the State upon true Foundations to have reverence and obedience paid to the Fundamental Laws of the Land to have Justice equally and impartially administred to all men to have vice suppressed and virtue advanced to have Trade open and Oppression shut every man to sit under his own Vine and enjoy his own as well as the King enjoys his own This is also a Benfit and a very great one by the Kings Return 3. Is it not a Favour to have heavy burdens unloosed to have the oppressed set free and every yoke broken that the banished be called home the ejected and sequestred relieved the suffering party eased and refreshed This is another Benefit of the Kings Return 4. Is it not a Favour that such as have in these late calamitous times either wilfully or weakly transgressed their bounds and have either invaded the Kings or their fellow-subjects rights should be assured of pardon and reconciliation and that all uncharitableness and animosity all notes of discord separation and difference of parties should be utterly abolished This is another and a very considerable Benefit of the Kings Return Wherefore being there are so many Benefits and Blessings brought home unto us with our Gracious Soveraign we cannot but acknowledge the favour to be a signal Favour both to King and People a Favour never to be forgotten a Favour deserving all Thankfulness That 's the Use we are to make of it to be truly Thanful And now having laid sufficient grounds and motives for the Duty in conclusion I must briefly exhort you to it Use When Liberty was proclaimed to the Graecians after long Oppression the People cryed out to the Herald to proclaim it again and again delighting and rejoycing in the very sound and voyce of Liberty England hath been long exercised and almost exhausted by great and unsupportable calamities and how can we chuse but exult when we hear of Liberty How can we chuse but break forth into thanks and praises for our freedom and deliverance How can we chuse but testifie the Thankfulness of our hearts by glorifying God in our life and conversation Our Thankfulness must begin at the heart be expressed by the mouth be testified and compleated by our hands in our daily actions 1. Our hearts must be thankful And truly unless our expressions come from this root they will quickly die and come to nothing O let