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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A29567 Achitophel befool'd a sermon preached November V, 1678 at St. Sepulchres / by Aaron Baker ... Baker, Aaron, b. 1651 or 2. 1678 (1678) Wing B478; ESTC R5235 15,256 39

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and therefore a very dangerous and remarkable Conspirator The greatest Wits prove most Pernicious when they are misimployed Who so wise as Achitophel When he was David's Counsellor the Oracle of God what a Stay what a Prop what a Pillar and Support to a Church or State But now who more formidable to David How is David startled to hear that Achitophel is among the Conspirators Wise Politicians if wicked are of all others most Destructive So was Catiline among the Romans a great Wit but a most pernicious Rebel And so the Gracchi in the same State wise and eloquent but to the publick detriment It was the Case of these Popish Traitors many of them of good Birth and great Parts but how did they cast away their Abilities God bestowed them on them but they employed them in the Devil's Service But O that we could learn that when God gives us Parts as Learning and Wisdom to employ them to his Glory and the Churches good Take heed of being Achitophels Jer. 4.22 wise to do Evil but not to do Good Our good Parts if abused will one day turn to our greater Condemnation and Knowledge misemployed will but encrease our Stripes Luk. 12.47 And let us beware likewise of sinning against the Laws of Gratitude and near Relations for we may be assured that God's Justice looks upon and will severely punish the unnaturalness of our sins as when Sons Rebell against their Father or Subjects against their Prince thereby subverting the Laws of Nature it self Mark those that cause Divisions amongst you and avoid them Ch. 16. vers 17. was St. Paul's Advice to the Romans As we must shun Faction and Rebellion so must we avoid all Occasions conducing thereunto and especially mark those that cause them that are Chief Actors and Ring-leaders in them For as Achitophel is here observed above others so in all Seditions the Leaders and Counsellors are most Notorious the People but Followers seduced and misled In the 2d Sam. 20.1 Sheba blew the Trumpet and in the 2d Verse it follows Every man of Israel went up from after David and followed Sheba the Son of Bichri And so here in my Text Achitophel plotted Verse 11. the rest went out in their simplicity and knew not any thing of Absalom's or Achitophel's Intent though at last they were easily won upon and drawn into the Conspiracy Which that we may Parallel in the Powder-Treason Were not some Papists singled out to be the Actors as Fawks and Catesby While the rest had design'd their time to come in and do their Parts if God's Mercy had not prevented their Designs and seasonably interpos'd it self in the Defeating of their Counsels What the Prophet Isaiah said once of the sinful Jews may be fitly applyed to them Chap. 59. v. 6 7. Their works are works of Iniquity and the Act of Violence is in their hands their Feet ran to evil and they made haste to shed Innocent blood and therefore their Webs shall not become Garments their hopes ended in disappointment for their Plot was discover'd Psal 10.2 and they taken in the crafty Wilyness that they had Imagined Which brings me to The third particular Enquiry By whom the Discovery is made And one told David The Vulgar renders it Et nunciatum est David In the Hebrew Elliptically Et David indicavit i. e. indicavit quispiam as Montanus or quidam No name an Individuum vagum It doth not appear that he was any employed by David but rather one that came Casually or Providentially by Gods own Dispensation and peculiar Mission one not thought on or put upon any such Employment to Teach us that God doth many times bring to light Conspiracies against Kings and States by strange and wonderful Means As he hath professed himself to be the Protector of his Anointed and his Church that the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against the One Mat. 16.18 nor the Sons of Violence approach to hurt the other Psal 89.23 so he hath appeared Marvellous in the detection and manifestation of the Practises of the Wicked though never so secret and close I cannot instance in a plainer Case nor indeed in any more pertinent to our purpose than that which is the Occasion of this days Thanksgiving For certainly none can doubt but that the hand of God was in the Discovery while the Treason was brought to light by a Quidam a Letter from an unknown Person which the King by God's direction construed aright and so fore-seeing the danger prevented the fatal stroke How then should this deter men from Conspiring against the Lords Anointed since God is so engag'd in the defence of their Persons that rather than they should perish by the Plots and Conspiracies of the Wicked he will bring to pass strange Discoveries though even by the expence of Extraordinary and Miraculous means In the Scripture we are forbidden to speak evil of Dignities Jude v. 8. But how little this Prohibition is regarded by us of this Nation I leave you to judge who cannot but be sensible surely of the frequency of Whisperings against God's Vicegerent of the Number of seditious Pamphlets and scandalous Libels that have of late years stollen out into Print to rob our Governours Ecclesiastical and Civil of their Reputation some murmuring others mutining against their Rulers detracting from the worth of their Good deeds and amplifying and aggravating their Bad that so by traducing their Government they may the sooner ripen the People for a Rebellion against the first Opportunity But this Practice is no less sinful than common for 't is a notorious thwarting the Commands of Scripture Thou shalt not revile the Gods saith Moses nor curse the Ruler of my People Exod. 22.28 We may not Whisper or speak evil much less Plot and Conspire the Death of our Sovereign the Lords Anointed I shall conclude this Particular with that of the Royal Preacher Curse not the King Eccles 10. ult no not in thy Bed-chamber nor in thy Thoughts for it shall not be conceal'd a Bird of the Air shall carry the voice and that which hath wings shall tell the Matter God will have it discovered by some Means or other I have done with the first General proposed A Discovery of the Danger toward David in the first words of my Text. And one told David saying Achitophel is among the Conspirators with Absalom I proceed now to the Second General David's Defensative against the Danger discover'd in the next words And David said O Lord I pray thee turn the Counsel of Achitophel into Foolishnesse And herein three Things also present themselves to our Consideration First The Person to whom David seeks and applyes himself which is God and David said O Lord. Secondly The Means which David useth in his Search or Address to the Lord Prayer O Lord I pray thee Thirdly The Summe and Tenour of David's Prayer O Lord I pray thee turn the Counsel of