one faith one baptisme one religion the sweetest bands And assuredly whosoever should goe about to set up severall Religions should also goe about to sever the Prince and the people Thus have I bin bold this day but it is before the Lord and before his anointed Now for the Vse which belongeth unto my deare Soveraigne I humbly beseech your Majesty and speake it with a kneeling heart as becometh me and in the feare of God to stirre up your owne most noble spirit and to set your heart to seeke the good of your people for the house of God God gave you as this day to be borne for the good I am perswaded of all Christendome God hath brought you to this goodly Kingdome and established you in it with wonderfull peace and acceptance God hath given you goodly knowledge and it appeares in publique how able you are to teach all the duties of all Kings Now I beseech your Majesty remember what great things God hath done for you and answer him in goodnesse and set your heart as I know you doe to seeke the good of his people and specially of the house of God and be assured that so long as you shall maintaine and advance the house of God God will establish your house and your posterity so long as they shall uphold the Lords true service or else assuredly this Word of God hath no truth in it Now for the house of God that which is to be done is first to repaire it well and then to keepe it so The repaire requireth two things first that the people be built up in knowledge I thinke the Kings Majesty knoweth it not would God he did know it that there be very many of his poore subjects wonderfull ignorant the people in many places are naked and Aaron hath made them naked I meane the Ministry a naked Ministry hath made a naked people the Lord helpe them and incline the Kings gracious heart to pity them The other thing for the repair of the house of God is that the inside of the Lords house the gold of the Temple be looked to I meane that with knowledge there be joyned the power and practice of religion in a good conversation And herein beseech the Kings Majesty to give leave unto his poore servant to informe him that which perhaps he knoweth not that from the occasion which some foolish turbulent and proud spirits spirits of separation have given there is a name of common scorne cast upon every man that setteth his face towards the practice of true godlinesse Wherein I beseech your Majesty to consider if the life and soule of Religion be let out what will become of the body of it will it not fall and grow ugly and rot and become a shame unto it selfe Now as the things are to be looked to for the repaire of the house of God so to keepe it in a good repaire two other things are to be cared for First that the common enemy may be suppressed It was a noble speech and blessed be God that put it into the Kings royall heart to say He would shed the last drop of his blood rather then tolerate another Religion But the Lord will not suffer one drop of that precious blood to be shed that is prepared to be shed for him The other thing is to establish peace in the Church it selfe A worthy worke and fit for a King It is true and all men know it that while we have striven which way to entertaine Christ best as the Tribes of Judah and the ten Tribes did about the receiving home of David their King Shebah the Sonne of Brâ—hri hath wickedly blowne the trumpet of seperation and much hurt hath come in the Church of God by our unbrotherly and unfruitfull contentions for which godly men have beene much grieved the division of Ruben were great thoughts of heart But now thanked be God the hearts of men are more moderate and disposed to peace that a very little thing a small matter as I am perswaded would establish this Church of God in so good tearmes of peace as it never saw In which respect I am bold to speake unto your Majesty but I speake unto a most gracious King and to a wise King that can tell how to pardon things somewhat foolishly spoken when they are spoken from a well meaning heart I could speake it upon my knees if the place would beare it but my soule shall kneele before my Soveraine I beseech your Majesty take unto your selfe that Princely worke to strike through a peace in this Church of God I will not direct but pray leave to tell a story It is reported of Augustus the Emperour that supping with one Pollio he was informed that a servant of Pollios had broken a christall glasse of his Masters a foule fault if he had done it willingly if negligently a fault but for this the poore servant was adjudged to be cut in peeces and cast to the fishes a marvailous sore sentence for such a fault The Emperour reversed the sentence and thought it punishment enough to the servant to have bin in feare of such a punishment and after breakes all the glasses that they might not be occasion of like rigorous sentence afterwards I will not apply it but do humbly beseech your Majesty to use your owne most godly wisdome now to make peace in the Church when so small a thing will doe it that so the Bishops may love the poore Ministers as brethren and Ministers reverence the Bishops as fathers in the Lord as Hierom adviseth and every honest man wisheth they should doe The second Vse is to his Majesties servants and attendants to whom I may speake more freely but yet with reverence and as becometh me to beseech them that seeing it is the office and desire of the King to seeke the good of his people and specially of the house of the Lord they doe their faithfull service herein to the King and take heed that they hinder not any of his godly purposes towards his people or the house of God Curse ye Meroâ—h said the Angell of the Lord curse ye the inhabitants thereof because they came not out to helpe the Lord to helpe the Lord against the mighty If they were subject to a curse that came not out to helpe what shall such be as come out to resist to hinder The last Vse is to us all the Kings loyall subjects to stirre us up to be thankfull to God that hath given us a King that seekes our good and the good of Gods house and that we strive to walke worthy of such a blessing in all loyalty and reverence And if any man be otherwise minded let the Lords hand finde him out yea surely it will finde him out and make him an example And secondly this should admonish us to serve God and please him that so we lose not the benefit of a good King which the people sometimes doe for their owne wickednesse
A SERMON PREACHED Before the late KING JAMES His Majesty at Greenwich the 19. of Iuly 1604. TOGETHER With two Letters in way of Apology for his Sermon The one to the late King IAMES his Majesty the other to the Lords of his Majesties then Privie Councell BY JOHN BVRGES Minister of Gods Word since Doctor of Divinity and Parson of Sutton Cofield in Warwickshire LONDON Printed by Thomas Brudenell 1642. A SERMON PREACHED BEFORE KING JAMES his Majesty at Greenwich the 19. of Iune 1604. The Text PSAL. 122.8 9. For my brethren and my neighbours sake I will now speake peace unto thee because of the house of the Lord our God I will procure thy wealth THE title of this Psalme shewes the excellency and Author of it a Song of degrees a Psalme of David The Psalme it selfe is gratulatory Davids gratulation to and for the good estate of Ierusalem the Metropolitan City of his Kingdome In which he first professeth his joy for the present good estate thereof and demonstrates his care for the future That which he rejoyceth at in the present condition of it is first the forwardnesse of the people to Gods service secondly the good estate of the City which was built as a City united made Ierusalem of Iebus and Salem the Fort of the Iebusites being subdued by David and by building united into one City now at peace in which also Religion was set up yea the staple of Religion for thither the Tribes went to worship and Justice also yea the royall seats of Justice The demonstration of care for the good of that City hereafter hath in it two branches The Kings incitation to all his Subjects to pray for the peace of it and he sets them downe a forme of prayeâ— the holy Ghost knowes well enough how to pray in a set forme The second thing is his owne promise as it were his Magna Charta the Kings great Charter for the good of Ierusalem in the words now read A great Charter but in few words which yet are massie and weighty containing the Kings grant in the word of a Prince to gratifie Ierusalem in two things First to use her kindely and secondly to procure her wealth To both which he addeth his reasons as we shall see in their places The promise of kinde and gracious usage is not so plaine in the words of our translation as in the originall for where the translation saith I will wish thee prosperity the originall saith I will speake peace A speech that every where as well as here signifies all kinde usage under one speciall kinde of it that is good words So Psal. 28.3 where David speakes of some that speake peace to their neighbours but malice is in their hearts they speake friendly Psal. 85.8 God will speake peace unto his people that is will use them graciously And in Hester 10.3 it is said of Mordecay he spake peaceably saith the translation peace saith the originall to all his seed Whereby it may appeare that the first parcell of the Kings grant is to use his people graciously to speake peace unto them In which parcell if we marke it be foure points First what he will doe I will speake peace Secondly to whom to thee to Ierusalem Thirdly for what respect for my brethren and companions sake Fourthly when now but that when is indeed why as we shall after heare 1. Touching the thing what we learne in Davids example First that it is the office and care of good Princes to speak peace unto their people They are Fathers a title as of power so of love to teach them to use their Subjects as children They are Masters but saith Paul to Masters Ephes. 6. Know that even your Master also is in heaven The greatest Kings are servants to the great King of Kings let them use their servants as they would be used of their Master graciously To this end because the disease of Princes oftentimes is the swelling of heart and to dye upon such swellings it pleased God in the 17. of Deutrinomy both to restraine them from windy and swelling meats forbidding such multitude of Chariots and horses as might lift up their hearts above their brethren so as to make them forget that they are men and rule over men and also to give them a dyet the Booke of God to meditate upon which is able to moderate and temper the heart of any Prince without which no Kings heart no mans heart can be good as it ought Secondly now as it is a duty of Princes to speake peace so it is an ornament unto them Curtesie is a Christian vertue commended to all men in the Epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians That which is curtesie in a Subject is graciousnesse in a Prince a vertue of the same kinde onely advanced to an higher place by the dignity of the person And it is an ornament that becomes none so well as Princes the images of the gracious God whose Deputies they are whose titles they beare It was truly said of Pythagoras that in two things specially we imitate the nature of God truth and goodnesse A Prince faithfull of his word and gracious to his people is a goodly image of God We see that in greater Maps things are expressed more plainly then can be in the smaller though they be drawne by one skill so in the greatest personages this ornament is fairest when they that of all others have the best warrant to speake roughly shall speake peace Thirdly and as it is a duty and an ornament so is it a bond and one of the best that Princes have to obliedge the hearts of their subjects unto them It is therefore noted of Mordecay as the ground of his acceptance among the multitude of his brethren that he did these two things which the King here promiseth in his Charter he procured the wealth of his people and spake peace unto all his seed The strength of this course to melt the heart of the Subjects appeares in David in 2 Sam. 19. who understanding the minde of the ten Tribes to fetch him home againe takes the watch-word and sends to the men of Iudah this message Why are you behinde to bring the King againe to his house ye are my brethren my bones and my flesh are ye wherefore then are ye the last that bring the King againe And to Amasa this protestation God doe so to me and more also if thou be not Captaine of the hoste to me for ever to lead the Army for him that had led it against him what was the effect He bowed the hearts of the men of Iudah as one man saith the text Such strength hath the gracious usage of a Soveraigne in the hearts of good Subjects Againe Ioab knew well what strength was in the Kings good speeches who finding the King so wounded for Absolon that he retired himselfe as if he had lost a Kingdome that very day in which the Kingdome was recovered so as the people
as we read in 2 Chron. 20. The high places were not taken away in good Jehosaphats time who was a godly Prince because the peoples hearts were not prepared to the God of their Fathers Finally seeing the hearts of Kings are in the hands of God as the rivers of waters it is our duty now and alwayes to become humble sutours to almighty God so to guide the heart of our gracious Lord the King as he may ever seeke the good of Gods people and specially of the Church of God to all our comforts and his owne immottall honour and everlasting happinesse through Jesus Christ to whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be honour and glory now and for ever Amen FJNJS The Copy of the Letter presented with the Copy of his Sermon aforesaid by Master Burges to the Lords of his Majesties Privie Councell being convented before them for the same 22. Iune 1604. MOst humbly giving thanks unto your Honors for so gracious usage of me at my late convention before you I now present unto you the copy of my Sermon preached before his excellent Majesty To say that there is no word added abated or altered were a speech not credible of a Sermon penned since and not before the preaching of it But this J professe before the God of truth unto your Honours J know not where J have varied from my selfe in matter or manner of speaking to the benefit of one word And therefore as in the preaching through a slip of memory J lost one whole branch of the first part out of the proper place and recovering it afterward did insert it in a place not so fit so have J willingly misplaced it now as then unwillingly yea for some allegations wherein J missed some words of the Author which J could now by the Authors have supplied J have chosen rather to shew the then failing of memory then now to faile in that which is a point of honesty a just report of my speech as J remember it aecording to my promise to your Honours For the rest J doe upon my knees beseech your Lordships to lay the whole together before you censure the parts of it and to consider the generall doctrines respectively to his Majesty by mine owne particular applications to his royall person As touching the to sparing acknowledgement of his Majesties Princely graces and the unspeakable good we have by him I humbly pray your Lordships to beleeve and I take God to witnesse that I failed mine owne purposes therein a fault in a speech unset to one not acquainted with such a presence contracted by the time much more easie to commit it then excuse because it is as needfull to acknowledge to the full what we have received as to incite unto that which is to be continued or added lest we seeme captious rather then zealous of small things studious of greater unthankefull Farther my most Honourable good Lords perceiving his Majesty out of his apprehensive depth to be jealous of some secret purposes in me to aime undutifull intentions to his Majesty under generall coverts as I cannot deny unto his Highnesse most just cause of indignation at me for ever if I should have intended so to a King a Christian King my King and in his presence and before his servants so I wish the Lord even so to give me favour with your Honours yea with his Majesty nay with Christ at his â—oming as my heart and purposes were upright to God the King and State in that service free from popularity and from all purpose of depressing the glory of so worthy a Prince or depraving personally any of his Highnesse servants I doe also further crave leave to protest that I had therein no intelligence no conference with any man living but ran that course out of opinion that it was my duty to speake before the King and State of such things as the best Kings and States shall have need to consider of while the world standeth As touching mine owne reverent heart and particular opinion of his Majesties gracious disposition if my speeches to that end cleared it not enough yet even that doth which is made to accuse me my freedome to speak of that duty so liberally before his presence an undoubted argument of good times like those of Trajan wherein as it is said one might thinke what he would and speake what he thought Howbeit I am so sensible of his Majesties distaste as I could not out live the discouragement thereof if the integrity of my heart before God in that poore Sermon and his Majesties gracious readinesse to receive satisfaction did not relieve me As for any construction of my speech by his Mnjesties subjects whom I have elsewhere and often taught and incited to be joyfull and thankefull to God for this favour that not being best people we are blessed with the best King under heaven I should mourne not a little if any spiderly minde sucke poyson out of that not flower but pothearbe that had no poyson in it And because it is matter of humbling to be thought casually and unwillingly the instrument of any hurt I doe freely offer that if the honest wise Auditors will say upon their conscience that my Sermon incited them to lesse reverence of his Majesty or joy in him then to silence my selfe from preaching to give up my maintenance and if that be to little to depart my Countrey in which yet I had rather live under his Majesty poore as I am then to abound in any other Kingdome of the world But what meane I to sentence my selfe I am in your Lordships to whom I submit my selfe with all reverence nothing so much fearefull of any punishment as sory to have grieved that royall heart the joy comfort and contentment wherof I wish and pray for more then my life as I am bound to doe ' and shall doe whether his pleasure shall be to pardon or punish his poore servant And thus professing my selfe to have great cause already to thinke the more reverently of your Honors while I live and to pray to God the more earnestly for you I humbly crave leave of you of presenting to your Honours an account of my selfe for my twenty yeeres Ministry which if I shall give untruly in any point I aske no favour of your Honours no mercy of God himselfe And for the rest beseech God to make you as honorable in life happy in death as ever were any in your places Your Honours in all humble duty JOHN BVRGES Master Burges Letter to the KINGS Majesty Most mighty King MY no lesse dear then dread Sovernigne I recount mine owne secret intentions in my Sermon preached before your Majesty the dearnesse and tendernesse of my heart to your Majesties person and honour and the many prayers and teares spent upon it that it might be faithfull and acceptable to God and your Majesty I am amazed at that distaste which your Highnesse hath taken of it and