A Sermon ON the 5th of November BEING The last which was preached BY THE Reverend Father In God Bishop Brownrigg Bishop Of EXON London Printed for Roberâ— Crofts at the Crown in Chancery-Lane under Serjants Inne 1660. Dan. 6.21,22 O King live for ever c. THis Chapter upon a summary viero represents unto us a malicious conspiracy and a miraculous deliverance The proseprity and honor of holy Daniell was envied by the Babylonian Princes envy stirr'd them up to seek his ruine Nothing will satisfie for they consult conspire effect their purpose the Prophet is condemned yet he is snatched from the jaws of death and from thence the mighty hand of God doth wonderfully rescue him The words are Daniells thankfull acknowledgement of this great deliverance and 't is directed to King Darius by whom he was cast into this dangerous destruction and it standeth upon these particulars 1. A reverend Compellation O King 2. A loyall salutation Live for ever 3 A particular declaration of this deliverance My God hath sent his Angell c. Come we to the first the reverend Compellation O King The Prophet here acknowledges and honors Darius for his Prince and Soveraigne To understand this particular we will consider Darius in this four-fold consideration 1 Darius was a Heathen Prince an Alien from the People of God estranged from the Church of God and that holy society yet the Prophet doth honorably acknowledge him as his Prince and Soveraigne it affords us this observation That Religion doth not rescue and exempt us from the power and authority of such Governours and Magistrates though Infidells Heathens and strangers to Religion the tyes bonds of our obedience to them are inviolable Dominion and Soveraignty are the constitutions of God not as he is the author of Grace and Redeemer of the Church but as Author of Mankind and Governour of the world It 's a true Maxim Dominium temborat non fundit in Gratia supernaturall grace doth not constitute its authority but it 's the act of God in his providence Thus our Saviour acknowledges he was subject to Pilate and the authority he had over him was from Heaven Thus Paul appeals to Caesar accounts himselfe abnoxious to his judgement and tribunall as his Prince Thus Christ paid tribute to Caesar Some teach that Religion and Christianity does exempt us from obedience unto other Magistrates and thus they affirm that Christianity the Gospell doth utterly discharge us from any obedience to Heathen Magistrates No we see Christ Paul and all the Primative Churches acknowledge it otherwise Daniell Ezekiell and the whole state of Christianity doth abhor that Doctrine and acknowledge their Magistrates lawfull authority 2 Darius was not onely an Alien but an Enemy he held the Church of God under Tyranny his command yet notwithstanding the Prophet acknowledges him as his lawfull Prince Observe Obedience to Magistrates it 's nor only to those lawfull and just but though they be oppressors yet notwithstanding their subjects owes to them all due obedience Thus Jeremiah exhorteth the Jews to take upon them the yoke of the King of Babylon and submit to him to study the peace of his Government and to pray for him Thus the primative Churches submitted to the Emperour of Rome even when it was Tyrannus and Paul exhorts the Christians to submit to Magistrates even when they were persecutors Thus the whole Army of Marters submitted to Julian that hatefull Apostate 't is true what Tertullian says Christians had rather be murdered then murther others and it was told the Emperour in his time that the Christians would wage war against the Emperours that did slay and destroy them but that Religion and conscience did enforce obedience 3 Darius comes under a third account consider how he made wicked laws here prohibiting all the worship of God assumes all divine worship here to himselfe and yet notwithstanding the Prophet Daniel acknowledges him as Prince and Soveraigne Indeed active and actuall obedience to their unlawfull commands we may not we must not performe so to be obedient to them is to be rebellious to God but yet notwithstanding though we refuse thir personall commands in doing of them yet it must be with all submission and acknowledgement of their power and authority thus Saul's servants were obedient to him though they would not obey his command in killing Gods Priests This is certain Magistrates and Rulers though their commandments be unjust we must acknowledge their Authority though we doe not fullfill their commands saith Austin good lawes serve to bind men that are bad and evill laws serve to prove the constancie of Religion in them that are good This is the Piety of Christianity we know who to obey yet notwithstanding to refuse those commands that are made against God 4 Darius was he that cast Daniel into the Lyons Den His Law did insnate him his sentence condemned him his seale shut him up and seal'd him up in the Den of Lyons yet notwithstanding he did here acknowledge him as King and Soveraigne No wrongs that we can receive from Magistracy and Superiours must free and disingage us from our obedience to them Thus the primative Church did obey those Princes that yet notwithstanding brought them into danger Having seen the consideration of Daniel in it selfe Now let us look upon his salutation O King live for ever he wishes him long life peace and prosperity here and salvation hereafter 1 He does not pray against his Tiranny and Impiety He charges not upon him the cruelty of his office much lesse doth he threaten him w i th wrath and judgement from God least of all like the Pope that past sentence of death against Henry the second that for the death of a rebellious Papist presently sentenced him and cast him out of his Kingdome No here 's the piety of a Christian to pray for those that revile and persecute him saith Saint Paul pray and curse not Rom. 12. This is not to be overcome of evill but to overcome evill with good 't is that Saint Paul saith he approves himselfe to be a good Christian in all patience in affliction in suffering in persecutions in bonds and imprisonments Indeed the spirit of the Law it was more direfull and more severe Elijah calls for fire from heaven upon his persecutors I but the Gospell calls us to an other spirit the spirit of the Gospell is a spirit of meeknesse gentlenesse goodnesse there we must not take upon us unlawfull revenge but prayers and supplications We learn curseing and execrations and slaughters from the malignant Church they are the brands of those that are the worshippers of the red Dragon we that are the followers of the Lambe and adore him must be like the Lambe full of meeknesse and gentlenesse Zechariah the son of Jehoiada out of the spirit of the Law when he was stoned prays to God for vengeance 2 Chron. 24.20 But Steven when he was stoned out of the
spirit of the Gospell he prays for his Persecutors Lord lay not this sin to their charge Thus the Apostle when hardly used by the high Priest is falling to his prayers not to punish and plague his Enemies but to win and convert them This is the spirit of the Gospell to yeild to not rise up again in any mutiny and rebellion 2 Orat pro Rege Daniel will not pray to the Emperour but he prays for him Here 's the tryall of Daniells Allegiance to his King he refuses indeed to pray to him but he never gives over to pray for him This is the duty we owe. Alas his Enemies counted him an Idolatrous man a worshiper of strange Gods and one that will not honour the King but whether is not Daniel a better subject that doth not pray to the King as an Idoll but doth earnestly pray to God for him The King is to be honoured non pro Deo but propter Deum not instead of God but in the behalfe of God and Gods cause we honour him not as an Idoll to pray to him but as the great Magistrate of God and so we pray for him Thus the primative Church did they would not worship the Emperour as God nor sacrifice to him but prayed for his office for good successe for continuance in the Empire and for all prosperity The Third thing is the representation of the danger it selfe and it stands here upon five particulars 1 The Author of this deliverance and that is God 2 The Instrument of this deliverance whom God imployes and that 's an Angell 3 The manner of this deliverance how it was wrought He stops the mouths of Lyons 4 The measure of this deliverance how farre it proceeded He had not the least hurt by it 5 The motive that stired up God to do this for him and that is two fold 1. Innocentia personae the Innocency of his person Before God he was found innocent 2dly Innocencia causa The Innocency of his cause Before thee O King have I done no hurt Thus the Prophet Daniell reckons up all the Causes of his deliverance in opposition to all his Enemies 1. They plotted to take away his life here 's releef against that God Almighty hath saved and rescued 2ly They excluded him out from the Kings favour well here 's a remedy for that he appropriates to himselfe the favour of God My God hath sent his Angell 3ly The Princes and Potentates of Babylon they conspire against him to cut him off but here 's a Potentate of Heaven a holy Angell he comes with a rescue 4ly They made sure of him shut him up put him into the Lyons Den and sealed it up This Angell of God hath sealed up the Lyons that they could not hurt him First the Author of this deliverance herein two things are observable the author of this deliverance and that is God and then the hould that he layes upon this God for his helpe and that in this pronoune Meus he is my God First God is the Author of it Indeed all deliverances especially of his Church and People they are all the works of God it 's he works salvation and deliverance in the middst of the Earth and what saith David God is a God of Salvation and to God belongs the issues of life Psal 68. but especially of this great deliverance that we have now before us in three respects three particular works of God three Ecces 1 Contra tantum inimicum To rescue this Man from so potent a Prince as Darius 2 A Tantillo To suckor so helplesse and forlorne a Man that 's God's peculiar 3 A Tanto periculo from such great danger to bring him out from the pit of destruction 1 Contra tantum inimicum for to rescue this Prophet from Darius it must be the work of God The strong man may be at peace and hold what he will till a stronger then he spoiles him and takes away his goods so all other powers whatsoever Private wrongs may have other adresses but when the Magistrate doth argue Law and Auhority that 's a peculiar case to God St. Ambrose Basill Chrisostome when the people would have rescued them from the ill will of the Emperour oh they utterly forbid it O no God and God onely is terrible to Kings 2 A Tantillo for so forlorne and forsaken a Man this is a case God only can dispose it he is utterly forlorne cast out of the Kings protection no mediation used for him here 's a peculiar to God It was Davids case Psal 142.4 I looked on my right hand and beheld but there was no man that would know me resuge failed me no man cared for my soul then he sayes I cried unto the Lord I said thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living deliver me from my Persecutors for they are stronger then I this is the God that doth give it he is the helper of the helpless 3 A Tanto periculo God alone can rescue him from this danger The King himselfe if he would never so fane cannot save him he is past the reach of any humane help this is the case wherein God wil be seen he is the helper then from the greatest danger when all is forsaken and lost when they see no hope in man as the condition of the Prophet is now desperate God steps in Thus Paul makes his thankfull acknowledgement when he was prest in Asia he despar'd of life he received the sentence of death in himselfe yet he acknowledges God delivered me from so great evil So he gives an account when he appeared first before Nero that cruel Tyrant all men forsook me no man stood by me I but God stood by me and I was delivered from the mouth of the Lyon David in the depth Jonah in the Whales belly the three Children in the fiery Furnace these are cases peculiar to God that workes salvation in the midst of the earth You have seen the help Come we to the second which is the hold which he layes upon this help for it 's not sufficient to see help at hand but we must lay hold upon it lay hold upon my strength saith God in Isaiah Indeed at all times we must put our trust in him but in extremities in dangers when life begins to faile and to sit in the snares of death then the Prophet clasps close to God here 's not only contactus fidei but complexus fidei he lays hold upon him close he will not let him goe as it was with Jacom when he was in danger his brother coming against him with 400 armed Men he would not let the Angell goe This is that that magnifies the faith of a Christian when he drawes neare to God No nearnesse can be too much no approach too much when we make God our refuge then we shall be sure he will not fail us To understand this particle Meus my God we will resolve it into these particular