Sam. 1. 14. It was a Formidable and dreadful Crime in Davids account And yet there are some Circumstances in that Story which those Accursed Regicides in 48 would have used to have Justified their Fact had the Case then been Parallel For first as for this Villain he was no Jew nor by what we find of him any sworn Subject of Sauls I am saith he the Son of a Stranger an Amalekite v. 13. 2ly as for Saul Himself he was a Man that had been Rejected of God for his Disobedience A Man full of spight and causeless Revenge a Man so wicked as that he consulted with the Devil when he applyed himself to the Witch at End or And yet for all this you see David called him the Lords Anointed Besides he was a Man so implacably set against David in particular that he pursued him like a Partridge upon the Mountains and would gladly have been at any Labour or Gost to have made him away notwithstanding all his Honourable Atchievements even for Sauls sake Nevertheless though David was sure to Succeed him 〈◊〉 in the Throne and so was little Concern'd in comparison in point of Interest either to have spared him himself or to have Revenged his Blood being shed by another yet be did not only himself let him go when he had him in his Power nay his Heart smote him when he only cut off the skirt of his Mantle but as soon as this Amalekite had own'd that he had slain him he straight ordered him to be Executed with these upbraiding and wrathful words How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the Lords Anointed And what a fearful sin was that then which was at this time acted 1. By persons that were the Kings Natural and Born Subjects Members and Children as it were of his Family such as he had a natural interest in such as lay under all those obligations which God and Nature ever laid upon Men to Obey and Honour to Revere and Love the great and common Father of the Country who was no more accountable to his Subjects then Parents are punishable by those of their own House-hold So that the sin of this day was not only Murder but Parricide too A crime which the very Heathens of old did not dream that it could enter into any Mans thought to meditate therefore neither Numa nor Solon made any Laws against it But when Hostius and Malleolus had once taken the heart to kill their Parents then it was provided that all such Vnnatural Wretches or Brutes rather should be burnt alive or drowned in the Sea with Dogs or be cast to the wild Beasts or be tumbled headlong from the top of some tugged Precipice And yet Secondly besides these natural obligations there were voluntary and Adventitious ones which those persons laid themselves under the most sacred tyes in the World and therefore called the Oaths of God I mean the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy which no Man can break but must be in danger of Hell-Fire We thought once that the devilish stratagem of dispensing with Oaths and of Absolving Men from their Allegiance had been the work of the Pope only to prove whom to be Antichrist one of the best Arguments is this that he exalteth himself above all that is called God that is above the Kings of the Earth But it seems some who were great pretending Enemies to Popery could Dispense with themselves and Absolve themselves and that at a cheaper rate too So that in spight of Honour Nature Religion and all the most strict and inviolable bands upon the Conscience they took the unparallel'd boldness not only to invade his Prerogative to divest him of his Regalities and to number him among Traytors even beneath themselves the very Worst and Rankest of all Traytors but after they had cut off his Locks and taken off his Crown they proceeded yet further even to stretch forth their hands to destroy the Life of Gods Anointed than which nothing under Heaven could be secured with a more sacred Fence And yet behold a greater than Saul was here A Prince for Intellectual and Moral virtues for Natural and Acquired accomplishments for Wisdom Eloquence and all kinds of Literature for his sincere Piety for his Christian and well-govern'd Zeal for his Exemplary Temperance for his Unspotted Chastity for his Invincible Patience for his Inexhaustible Clemency for the Tenderness and Compassions of his Heart for his most Condescending and Gracious Spirit for his Love to God to his People to the Church for his Courage Constancy and singular Christian Charity even to his Enemies and to his last breath for all necessary and admirable Endowments becoming a Man a Christian a King a Martyr he was a Prince by the confession of the World so Heroick Singular and Incomparable that even a Romish Priest gave this character of him that he was the greatest of Men and of Kings nisi quod Haereticus only he was an Heretick in their account that is in truth he prov'd a Defender Reign'd a Confessor Liv'd a Sufferer and Dyed a Martyr for the True Ancient Catholick and Apostolick Faith and Government of Christs Church The whole and only design of this Discourse is to make Men throughly sensible of the Foul and Horrid nature of this days sin that if any chance to hear me who were either Actors or Accesseries in it they may joyn with us in such a sincere and hearty sorrow for the Excerable Murder as may both answer the ends of all those judgments which we have already felt and may be a means to prevent those further Scourges which we have reason yet to Fear Before God and the World I confess my self abundantly satisfied that Popish Jesuites were in that Horrid Plot to execute which some Protestant Jesuites were the Instruments and Hands That Roman Priest and Confessor is known saith my Author Answer to Philanax p. 58. who when he saw the fatal stroke given to our Holy King flourisht with his Sword and said now the greatest Enemy that we have in the World is gone And when the news of that Horrible Execution came to Roan some Jesuited persons there told a Protestant Gentleman of good credit that now they were Revenged upon the King of England for not re-establishing the Catholick Religion And much more to the same effect we have in the answer to Philaâ—aâ— But yet it is too too manifest who they were and what they profest who were the actual Regicides And I will take this just occasion from hence to warn all well meaning persons who profess the Reformed Religion that they take great care how they suffer themselves to be Abus'd for the future or be drawn into the guilt of Disloyalty or Resistance For I am perswaded when our late troubles were upon breaking out many even Hot Men did not look as far as the Scaffold or dream that it would be built for the King at his own Palace door but
A SERMON PREACHT On January 30th 1683. IN Westminster-Abby Before the REVEREND and HONOURABLE the KINGS JUDGES and Printed at their Request By Edw. Pelling Praebendary of Westminster and Chaplain to his Grace the Duke of Somerset Omnis quidem sub Rege ipse sub nulló sed tantùm sub Deo non est inferior sibi Subjectis non parem habet in Regno Bracton l 1. c. 8. A Deo Rex à Rege Lex LONDON Printed by H. Hills Jun. for William Abington next Door to the Wonder Tavern in Ludgate-Street 1684. To the Right Honourable Sir George Jefferyes Knt. and Bar. Lord Chief Justice of England and one of His Majesties Most Honourable Privy-Council My Lord I Do heartily wish that your Lordships desires had not been so Earnest and Pressing as they were to have this Discourse made Publick which I assure Your Lordship was not in the least by me designed to be sent abroad into the World Your Lordship knew those Obligations I lye under to Your Lordship as my Kind and Noble Friend and the Principle I go upon of submitting to Authority so that Your Lordship had me under a double tye both of Gratitude and Obedience I expect to bear a great many more hard Censures and Invectives for this though I have done no more then what I think was my bounden Duty to do But those things I have been so accustomed to hear that I am now Clamour-proof I had almost said that mine Ears are somewhat like a Traytors Conscience past all feeling But if I may have leave to express my Real thoughts I cannot but pitty Your Lordship and your Reverend Brethren for Causing this Sermon to be Printed because hereby you have made it your own and are Oblig'd in Honour to undertake for it and to be my Defendants if ever I should be Threatned to be brought upon my Knees or to hoâ—â— up my hand at the Bar for this as I have been threatned formerly for things of the like Nature And this I may think to be Security good enough But the mischief is that if ever thoâ—â— Canicular days should come again Your Lordships will be in greater Jeopardy then my self and then God help my Advocates as well 〈◊〉 Your Client Let times be as it shall please God It is my Lord your Honour that you are true to youâ— Duty and it is my satisfaction that I can in any thing Obey your Commands And I do it with the more readiness because it is observed how ready your Lordship and the rest of the Judges are to stand by the Interest of the Church and upon all Occasions publickly to Vindicate the Honour and Integrity of the Conformable and Loyal Clergy That the God of peace for whom you Judge will Vouchsafe to preserve you in your Great and Honourable Station and support your Courage and Bless your Labours in the Ministration of Justice and Eternally Reward your Faithfulness to the King to the Church and to the whole Nation is My Lord the hearty Prayer of Your Lordships most Obliged and Obedient Servant Edw. Pelling Rom. 13. 2. Whosoever therefore Resisteth the Power Resisteth the Ordinance of God and they that Resist shall receive to themselves Damnation WHen the Christian Religion began to be planted in the World there were four very Evil Men which in their turns Succeeded Augustus in the Roman Empire Tiberius Caligula Claudius and Nero the latter of whom was the Man that raised the first Persecution against Christians I do not know but the Providence of God might order it thus that all men might have the most early notices of their Duty to Princes and that together with the true Faith they might receive the necessary Doctrines of due Obedience and Subjection to their Lawful Governours whether good or bad It was under Tiberius that Christ the Great Bishop of all our Souls gave that Command of rendering to Caesar the things that were Caesar's Matth. 22. 21. It was under Claudius that St. Peter the Great Apostle of the Jews taught the dispersed Converts to submit themselves to every Ordinance of Man for the Lords sake whether to the King as Supream or unto Governours sent by him c. 1 Pet. 2. And as 't is generally conceived it was under Nero that St. Paul the great Apostle of the Gentiles gave this so strict a charge Let every Soul be subject to the Higher Powers Because there is no Power but of God Had not this thing been a prime part of the Christian Religion we cannot conceive why such great care should have been taken to inform the whole World of it especially in times which afforded not any common encouragements thereunto Were it not a sad Truth that some will believe no more of the Scriptures then what serves their present Turn we might wonder how 't is possible for a Christian to be an Undutiful Subject For as that great Christian and Divine the Learned and Incomparable Dr. Hammond hath Of Resisting the Lawful Magistrate rightly observed In the New Testament especially in the Epistles of the Apostles which were all Written in time of the Reign of Wicked Heathen Bloody Adversaries of Christianity and can refer to none but those there is no one Christian Virtue or Article of Faith more clearly delivered more effectually inforced upon our Understandings and Affections to be acknowledged by the one and submitted to by the other then that of Obedience unto Kings So that it is not either Ignorance that can excuse or any allowable principle of Christianity that can encourage Resistance nor is it Zeal or Conscience that doth it though that has been pretended by some puling and ill natur'd Hypocrites but 't is either an haughty and unmanageable Spirit or an hankering after Spoyl or an Aking Tooth after Government or a Furious Rage for disappointments or Personal Spight or hopes of Revenge or the fear of Justice or a Restless Factious Humour or direct Devillishness and Atheism under the Bonnet of Religion some or all these things have ever been the true causes of those Riots which have been so Vexatious so Fatal to Soveraign Powers It being otherwise impossible that Men whose Consciences are so Enlightned by Gods own Word should be so Blind Wicked and Fool-hardy as to Rise up against their Prince at the manifest hazard of the Greatest and most Intolerable of all Evils For that is the Rebels portion if St. Paul may be credited That they who resist shall receive to themselves Damnation Yet I do not intend to declaim though the World might well bear with me and with all others should our mouths be full of the very Quintessence of bitterness especially when we reflect upon that most Horrid and Execrable Murder which was acted about this time upon the person of that Great Monarch and Martyr of whom the World was not worthy and perhaps will hardly ever see the like of him again It would be a pittiful and woful thing indeed should not
would have abhorr'd the very thoughts and suspicion of it Many specious and popular pretences ran up and down the Kingdom and those set on foot by the Jesuites themselves that innovations crept into the Church that the Prelates were Popishly-affected that there was great danger of Arbitrary Power and the like All the Histories of those times do bear witness to the truth of this But would to God all Sober and Honest Men would consider whither those things came at last Did they not end in the slaughter of the best of Kings Was not that the Period and sad conclusion of all Did not all the clamours and strivings of the people end in that all actions proceedings however otherwise intended by some all was at last unhappily Sealed up with that blood which ever since has cryed aloud for Vengeance upon this Nation Men ought to be careful and wary for the future and endeavour to choke the beginnings of Mischief For if once the bank be cut who can tell how far the Deluge will run In the late times it was not the First Intentions but the subsequent designs of Men which took place so that after the effusion of so much Heroick Noble and at last Royal Blood too God plagued people strait for their First Resistance he suffered the Basest of Men to ride over our backs he brought us under the very Faeces and Scum of the Nation and permitted such to be our Lords as a Man of Honour would have disdained to have set with the Dogs of his flock as the expression is Job 30. 1. And what was the end of this Why nothing but Tyranny Hypocrisie and Oppression To uphold Religion they introduced Atheism To promote Arbitrary Power they banisht our Laws and to preserve our Liberties they made us Slaves and the very worst of Slaves Slaves to the vilest of our Fellow-subjects In a word it may deserve to be consider'd whether all those grievances which People have complain'd of all along under the Kings of England putting them all together since the Conquest do amount to half the value and number of those Cruelties Miseries and Oppressions which within the compass of a few years were brought upon us by those few Carrion Members of that one Rake-Hell Parliament of cursed Memory Thus it is when Men will be Arbitrary and despise the Laws To affirm saith my Author that the Kings Power is separable from his Person is High Treason by the Law of this Land And he observes out of the case of the two Spencers in the Reign of Edw. 2. that to cover their Treason they went upon three principles 1st That if the King do not demean himself by Reason in the right of his Crown his Subjects are bound by Oath to remove him 2ly That seeing the King could not be reformed by sute at Law that ought to be done by Force 3ly That his Lieges are bound to govern in aid of him and in default of him Jenkins Rediv. Vindic. Pag. 74. These Principles were condemned as Execrable and Detestable by two several Parliaments in those days And yet these were the Fundamental Principles on which that Lewd and Profligate Party did rely in 41. Then what had been adjudged to be Execrable before passed for Law and for Gospel too Then Treason was their Conscience Resistance was their Creed Vâ—â—es and Ordinances their Magna Charta the Sword was their Judg and hence it followed that so many of the Representatives of our Nation was our greatest Grievance God would not stay till Dooms-day to reckon with us but his Judgments pursued us close at heels We had Worm-Wood for loathing Manna and a Yoke of Bondage upon us for a Stubborn and Ungovernable humour under a Light hand This was part of our Reward in this World and should God add weight to our Burthen yet Rebellious people must confess if they will ever speak Truth in earnest that they have deserved the most intolerable of all Evils if our Apostle be in the night that They that Resist shall receive to themselves Damnition To prevent the Execution of this sad sentence 〈◊〉 all such as have a Real and True value of their Souls and desire to live so in this world as not to he miserable in another let such account Subjection to the King both an Honourable and a Necessary part oâ— Religion and not suffer themselves either to bâ— wheadled out of their Loyalty by Flatteries or to 〈◊〉 husst out of it by Fears Methinks 't is something odd that when we all agree in the Premises we should differ in the Conclusion That Kings ought to be submitted unto is a Truth assented to by all sober Christians in the World This is owned in general The mischief is that when we come to Particulars whether Things or Persons either prejudice or passions or interests of Men start Evasions and Conditions which were never heard of in the World among Christians before Some are for the King as long as he is Rich Powerful and able to maintain their Interest that 's the Loyalty of the Leviathan Others stick to him as long as he sticks to their Religion that is the Loyalty of the Conclave and the Kirk But the Faith of the Church of England is this which I am sure is consonant to the universal sense and practice of the Ancient Apostolick Church that let Princes be as it shall please God either a Blessing or a Rod to a Kingdom in all things Lawful they are to be Obeyed and where we cannot Obey them but by sinning against God there their Authority is to be submitted unto so that whatever their Practices or their Faith be yet their Prerogatives their Persons their Lives must be Sacred though they be Sauls yet 't is a most fearful thing to lift up ones hand to destroy the Lords Anointed I shall conclude all with that of the wisest of Monarchs and Men Prov. 24. 21. My Son fear thou the Lord and the King and meddle not with them that are given to change Amen Soli Deo Gratia FINIS