Selected quad for the lemma: prince_n
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B04652
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Salvation improved: in a sermon upon the 16th of April, 1696. : Being the day of solemn thanksgiving for the preservation of His Majesty's sacred person, from barbarous assassination; and of this kingdom, from French invasion. / Preached at Oswestry, by J.O. minister of the Gospel.
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Owen, James, 1654-1706.
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1696
(1696)
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Wing O6; ESTC R181128
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15,594
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31
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tied as it were to the Horns of the Altar and ready to be Sacrificed But the Great Shepherd and Bishop of our Souls the Prince of the Kings of the Earth looked down from Heaven troubled the Hosts of these Egyptians and took off their Chariot-Wheels as they were driving on with the greatest Fury and assurance of Success Ps 2.4 He that sitteth in the Heavens did laugh the Lord had them in derision He Divided their Tongues Infatuated their Counsels and made the sworn Instruments of the Kings Destruction the happy means of preventing it He sent a spirit of Jealousie among them which occasioned the discovery of their execrable Intentions Ps 110.2 Thus Christ rules in the midst of his Enemies and over-rules their Hellish Policies to his own Praise Job 5.12 13 14 15. He disappointeth the Devices of the Crafty so that their Hands cannot perform their Enterprize He takes the Wise in their own Craftiness and the Counsel of the Froward it carried headlong When Balak practiced against Israel and took Balaam for his Counsellor neither the one or the other thought of the French Method of hiring a company of Desperadoes to Assassinate Moses who was a King in Jeshurun and so prepare a way for an easie and inglorious Victory over Israel No that Heathen Prince judged it the best policy to engage his Gods on his side and to expose Israel to a Prophetick Curse The World then was too innocent to entertain such devilish projects Royal Minds scorn such mean Arts of subduing their Adversaries The Assassinating Invention owes its Original to latter and more Brutish Ages the name and thing are derived from the barbarous Saracens among whom there is a Bloody Sect called Assassini living under a Senior or Ruler whom they honour as a Prophet by whom they are sent forth to murther such Princes as favour them not promising themselves the reward of Immortality by him in all things though with the loss of their Lives They are Mahometans by profession and one would be apt to think no other but a Mahometan were capable of such Villany Our Noble King Edward the first when he was at Acon was dangerously wounded by an Assassine and had undoubtedly died of the Wound which the Saracen had given him with a poisoned Knife had not Queen Eleanor of immortal memory sucked out the poison with her Tongue when no Medicine could extract it She licked his rankling Wounds whereby they perfectly closed and yet her self received no harm The Spirit of this Barbarous Sect is since enter'd into the Jesuits and other Popish Orders who have by their Writings and Actions proved themselves the genuine Off-spring of the Mahom tan Assassines Henry the 3d. of France and his Successor Henry the 4th a great Prince both fell by base assassinating One would think the present French King whose Grandfather was stabbed by Ravaillac should above all Men abhor Assassinations especially towards a Prince who exposes his Person to the utmost hazards of Battle but we have have strong Presamptions that the design upon King William's Life was carried on with his Knowledge and Approbation nor could the late King be ignorant of it or less innocent than his mighty Guardian For the Success of the intended Invasion depended upon the taking away of the Kings Life The Army at Calais under the Conduct of Monsieur Bouflers and K. J. waited only for the welcome news of the King's Death to give Life to all their motions The discovery of the Plot broke all their measures and spoil'd the infallible design The French King's Ambassadours at the Courts of Sweden and Portugal and in some other Courts of Europe gave sufficient hints of their knowledge of it Besides Grandval who was Executed in August 1692. in Flanders for being in Conspiracy to assassinate King William confessed that he was put on by Monsieur Barbesieux the French King's Secretary who promised he should be made a Count and by the late K. J. of whom he had Audience in Presence of his Queen and was assured by him he should never want provided he did his work effectually They who have been concerned in a design against the King's Life may be justly suspected to have a hand in the late Conspiracy which was undertaken in favour of them both and who were like to be the Principal if not only gainers by it 2. There is a particular Providence over Princes in covering them from open and publick dangers King David often recognizeth the divine Goodness in delivering him from his strong Enemies even when they were too strong for him They compassed him about like Bees Ps 18.17 and 118 12. and were quenched as the fire of Thorns When he was surrounded with the snares of Death God made a way of escape for him When good King Jehoshaphat was inclosed by the Syrian Army 2 Chro. 18.31 he cried out unto God and he helped him and moved them to depart from him King Richard the first who was hunting carelessly near Joppa with a few of his Nobles about him was surprized by a company of Turks who lay in Ambushment for him and had inevitably fallen into their Hands had not one of the Company walsh hypod neustr p. 454. William de Pratellis cried out in the Turkish Language That he was the King which the Turks believing carried him away in Triumph and neglected the rest whereby King Richard had his opportunity of escaping their Hands and returned safe to his own All Histories are full of Instances of a particular vigilancy of Providence over Princes but no Age hath afforded more pregnant ones than those that concern the Person of our Illustrious King William A Narrative of all the remarkable deliverances of his Life would fill up a just Volumn None can be more conversant with dangers none more secure in the midst of them He walks without fear in the Valley of the Shadow of Death he passes untouched through the midst of the Enemy's Fire guarded by invisible Powers as the three young Men in the Fiery Furnace he advanceth with an Heroick Courage before the Mouths of roaring Canons those Artificial Vulcano's that vomit out Fire and Smoak and flying Globes the irresistible Messengers of a terrible and present death His trust is in the name of the Lord which is a strong Tower a Shield of defence and a sure Refuge which no adverse Power is able to penetrate He believes that every Bullet has its Commission 2 Kings 22 3â— and is directed by unerring Providence This is not to ascribe events to a Turkish Fate as his Enemies have invidiously and basely traduced him but an entire dependance upon the Divine Will to whose Conduct the most fortuitous Events ought to be ascribed How wonderfully has God preserved him at the Boyn A Canon-Ball gently salutes him to give him a sensible Impress of his mortal state and of his immortal Obligations to his Almighty Preserver In Flanders another Canon-Bullet
many Heathens will rise up in Judgment with and Condemn a Drunken Unclean and Hypocritical Generation Who can express the Abominations of our Land What Oaths what Blasphemies what Immoralities abound among us How boldly do guilty Wretches challenge the most Righteous Judge to damn them Alas his Holy Law hath Condemned you already and art thou Impatient of a short Reprieve Some professed Protestants lead such Lives as if they were listed under the Prince of Darkness to fight against Heaven God expects that so signal a Mercy as we enjoy this day should melt our Hearts and effectually oblige us to a Reformed Course No sooner were the People come out of Egyptian Bondage Exod 15. â—â— but they were call'd to renew their Covenant with God Let us say with Ezra Seeing that thou our God hast given us such Deliverance as this Should we again break thy Commandments Wouldst thou not be angry with us till thou hadst Consumed us so that there should be no remnant nor escaping Hapy are the People whom God delivers at once from their Distresses and from their Sins the procuring Causes of them It is a poor Victory to subdue our Enemies and continue Slaves to our own Lusts A Servant of Sin is the vilest Slave in nature The rational Powers which should command are subject to Brutish Passions which entangle the Sinner in the snare of the Devil who leads him Captive at his Will Look unto your Eternal Deliverer the Lord Jesus Christ if he makes us free we are free indeed Set upon the subduing of your Sins and you have overcome your most dangerous Enemies The Lusts of the Flesh war against the Soul they are dangerous Enemies to its Purity Peace and Everlasting Happiness Jam. 4.1 Whence come VVars and Fightings among you saith the Apostle come they not hence even of your Lusts that war in your Members Mortifie these in your selves and you shall have Peace within Pray that God would mortifie them in others that the blessing of Peace may be restor'd to the oppressed Nations who are made a Sacrifice to the boundless Ambition and bloody Rage of defigning Men. Be importunate at the Throne of Grace for the Life of our Great and Good King William for a Blessing upon his Councils and for the success of his Arms against his ours and God's Enemies Let us serve the Lord with a willing Mind that we be not made to serve our Enemies against our Wills The Lord threatens Israel that they shall be Servants to the King of Egypt that they may know his Service and the Service of the Kingdoms of the Countries Such as are weary of the easie Yoke of Christ may have their Necks gall'd with the Iron Yoke of Antichrist Is it the Lord that giveth Salvation unto Kings Let 's contribute our best endeavours to support the present Government God usually saveth Kings and Kingdoms by the Agency of Second Causes It s rarely if ever he Saves a People against their Wills His Majesty never declines emergent Dangers but exposes his Sacred Person upon all occasions for our Defence and shall we decline the duty we owe him upon any Prospects of hazard Let 's chearfully pay our Taxes as heavy as they seem to be they are absolutely necessary for the carrying on a just War in defence of our Religion and Liberties which ought to be dearer to us than our Estates than our Lives Let 's unanimously join with our Reprosentatives in Parliament in defence of his Majesty's Person and Government Let 's unanimously joyn with the rest of our Fellow Subjects who give fresh assurances of their Loyalty and firm adherence to the Government in this difficult time Let 's joyn with the Great Body of true-hearted Protestants through all his Majesty's Dominions Our Union is our Strength Nothing can ruin us but our Divisions The Experience of most Ages hath evidenced the Truth of that Maxim A Kingdom divided against it self cannot stand The divisions of the old Britains subjected them at first to the Roman Yoke Dum singul pugnant In Agr. co vit 12. omnes vincuntur saith Tacitus While they were quarrelling among themselves Caesar comes and decides the Controversie by a Conquest of all The Dissentions of Androgeus and Cassivellan rulned the Kingdom The discontents and Animosities of the Jews rendred them an easie Prey to Antiochus Epiphanes who miserably persecuted them caused the daily Sacrifice to cease set up the abomination of Desolation in the Holy Temple Joseph de bel Jud. lib. cap. 1. Antiq. XII 6. and ruin'd all the Country by an unparallel'd Cruelty The Sons of Tobias to be reveng'd of Onias the Priest who had banish'd them out of the City invite over Antiochus as some do now the French King who being glad of the occasion invaded the Country with a great Army destroy'd all before him interdicted the Profession of the true Religion Jos de bell Jud. VI. 11. and set up Heathenish Idolatry The discords of Aristobulus and Hircanus brought Pompey to Jerusalem by whom they were made a Roman Province Palestine was lost to the Turks by the unhappy divisions of the Christians who had been possessed of it about an hundred Years after they had recover'd it at a prodigious expence of Blood and Treasure Upon the Death of Baldwin the Fifth whom his Mother poyson'd to advance Guy her second Husband to the Throne they fell at variance and were ready to turn their Swords upon each other of which Saladin the Egyptian Sultan taking the advantage won many Cities in a Bloody Battle overthrew the Christians Turk Hist cap. 2. took Prisoners the King most of his Nobles and the great Master of the Templars which broke the Strength of the Christians in Syria and after fourteen days he took Jerusalem If we look into our own Histories what woful Tragedies have our own Divisions been productive of The discords of the English brought in the Normans and subjected this Nation to the Sword of a Forreign Conqueror Upon the Death of Edward the Confessor the Nation was divided about his Successor some were for Edgar Atheling the rightful Heir others for Harold Earl Goodwin's Son others for William Duke of Normandy to whom King Edward had promised the English Crown At length Harold possessed himself of the Crown but enjoyed it not long The Norman Duke invaded England being attended with the Pope's Benediction and the good Wishes of the Clergy who then depended on him and were disaffected to King Harold for the Wrongs done unto Robert Archbishop of Canterbury by him and his Father Harold was slain in a Bloody Battle in which above sixty Thousand English fell The Conqueror advances to London was Crown'd by the Archbishop of York the Clergy and People swear to him and he to them But he was no sooner established in the Throne but he enslaved the English gave their Estates to his Normans extirpated the ancient Nobility and so grievously oppressed the Commons that many of them forsook their Houses and lived in the Woods by Theft and Robery preferring the naked name of Freedom before their Inheritances under the miserable Tyranny of their Conquerors vid. Matth. West minst ap 433 ad sin lib. 1. and init 2. lib Others truckled under their new Masters endured the heavy Yoke and durst not complain lest it should be made yet heaver He seized the chiefest Offices of Honour and Profit into his own hands and gave them to Strangers he receiving Hostages of those that were Potent and sent them to Normandy he dis-arm'd all the Natives of the Land he forbad all Night Meetings and obliged the English to cover their Fire at eight a Clock at Night at the ringing of a Bell which is yet call'd Couvre lefeu he sent the Nobility to his Wars beyond the Seas he obliged the Commonalty to turn Soldiers and by them he fought his sharpest Battles in Normandy and France he impoverish'd the Laity by oppressive Taxes and Forfeitures he robb'd the Clergy of their richest Plate and Ornaments he published his Laws in French and took advantage of Peoples Ignorance of them he amass'd into his own Exchequer the Treasures of this Realm ruin'd whole Villages and Towns several Churches and Chappels to make a Forest of seized into his Hands all the Chases and Forests of this Kingdom Thus God brought low the English Nation by their own divisions and fondness of a French Prince Can we expect better Treatment from the present French King than our Ancestors did from the Norman Bastard Will not his little Finger be heavier than the other's Loins King Lewis is a professed Enemy to our Holy Religion and glories in the unchristian and barbarous Methods by which he has perverted or ruined near two Millions of his Protestant Subjects and can English Protestants promise themselves Protection from such a Prince Will he be more favourable to Strangers and Enemies than to his Native Subjects who were his fast friends and by whose Loyal Arms he was established in his Throne Is he like to assert the liberties of Englishmen who has left none to his own Frenchmen It 's obvious to all Men of Common Sense that the late King cannot return but by a French Power which will prove destructive to our Religion Laws and Liherties none therefore but an Enemy to all these can wish his Restauration FINIS