Therefore did Jepthe plead a right Title to that Land for the Israelites by Prescription because they had possest it for 300 years or as we speak here in England Judg. 11.12.13 Time out of mind Now then to draw this Argument to a conclusion we joyne issue thus because Achab had neither Gods commandement for his Warrant nor the Law of Nature for his Necessity nor the tacite consent of Naboth for his Prescription He was therefore guilty of theft for taking away Naboths Vine-yard and because guilty of theft a Milignant And now Beloved as in the former so I say again Judge your selves If Robbing of Naboth but a Subject male Achab a Malignant though a King Whether then Naboth the Subject had not been a Malignant if he had robbed Achab the King though a bad King And this day the 30th of January will yearly remember them to be the true Delinquents and Malignants who robbed King Charls and murthered King Charls whether their Names were Fairfax or Ireton or Whaley or Pride or Baxter or Braâ—shaw or whosoever else especially Cromwel because after he had kill'd he took possession For you for my self and all Loyal Subjects I pray From robbing and murthering either our Superiours or Inferiours God deliver us and encline our hearts to keep these two Lawes Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not steale that neither our Neighbours goods nor blood may cry for vengeance or bring Judgments upon us here or hereafter for Jesus Christ his sake Amen Amen Amen Anno Dom. 1655. 1 Cor. 9.16 Necessity is laid upon me and wo be to me if I preach not the Gospel GOD did once open the mouth of an Asse to teach a Prophet his duty Num. so merciful is God that rather then a Prophet should miscarry in his Duty an Asse shall teach it him But now the Prophets mouths are shut that they may not teach men their Dutys so merciless is man that rather then men shall learn their Duties the Prophets mouths shall be muzzelled I pray God this be not a sad Omen of more miserie then we have already felt two ways 1. That the shutting of our Mouths whereby we might be kept from starving be not the wounding of your Souls Rom. whereby you may be kept from Believing For how shall you believe without hearing and how shall you hear without preaching and how shall we preach if we be not sent if we be shent when we go being sent about our Masters errant to preach But 2. I pray God this silencing the Clergy do not prove a worse Omen then the starving of your Souls even the darkening of your Souls here and the sending of them into darkness hereafter at the least the Souls of your innocent Posterity For how shall they when the Orthodox and lawful Clergy are silenced from preaching ever learn to acknowledge the Articles of their Faith and particularly that one most necessary Article of the Trinity 1 Joh. 5.7 since there is but one Logical Text in the whole Bible that proves it Many Symbolical Texts there are that shew it but only one Logical Text I say that proves it And when we are silenced both from preaching and reading the Common Prayers in which Book the Creed of Athanasius is the only Piece that expounds that Logical text of the Bible the Heterodox Clergy never or seldom troubling themselves with that Master-piece of Faith How shall your Posterity learn to believe in a Trinity in unity and in an Unity in Trinity God divert it But if you observe Gods works you will find them all and amongst them all his Judgements to be done in Number Weight and Measure when he resolves to punish a People for their crying sins He commonly begins at their Bodys and either divides their Civil Governours as in the case of Rehoboam the lawful King and Jeroborm the usurping King of the Jewes and with such a Civil Division commonly arises a Spiritual Division and the lowest of the People are made or make themselves Priests and wrest the word of God to successful Principles yet there was then an Orthodox Priesthood remaining to maintaine the Purity of Gods Word and Worship and happy are the People that are converted then But if they go on still and side one with another and having made an Head justle out the Truth and the Prophets may no more preach at Bethel because it was the Kings Court nor in Jerusalem because it was the Metropolis the Chief City end the Kings Chamber Though the Judgment of taking away Kings eâ—eavy and we have felt it yet the next is heavier when the Judgment rises so high as to take away the Priests too And therefore as the Church was wont to pray From Famine Plague Pestilence Battail Murther and suddain death Good Lord deliver us so answerably I pray now From suddain death Murther Battaile Pestilence Plague and Famine but especially From the Famine of the Word Good Lord deliver us Amos the Prophet makes that the greater Judgement and God deliver you from it For it any of you do think there lyes no Necessity upon you so hear us preach yet I think there lyes a Necessity upon us and wo be to us if we preach not the Gospel That 's the Text and in it I observe 1. The Duty To preach the Gospel 2. The Duty performer Me to me every lawfully ordained Minister St. Paul was ordained thereunto and therefore did it and we that are called thereunto must do it too 3. Why must we do it Necessitatis Causâ for Neecssity sake 4. What is that necessity Why besides other Necessities which I shall look upon There is a woful Necessity if I do it not Vae mihi When I have dispatcht these I shall by way of Antithesis â—ook upon the Text another way not as it is in the Bible but as â—t is in the Alchoran Necessity is laid upon me and wo be to me if I do not preach the Gospel I begin with the first The Duty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and what is the Gospel Pars 1. Why this word Gospel signifies two things 1. That Sacrifice which the Heathens used to offer to their Gods when they received any good news or tydings In this sense Cicero takes it O suaves Epistolas Quibus Evangelium deberi frater Adâ— Attic. O sweet Epistles O excellent Letters which I account worthy of an Evangel i.e. Of such a Sacrifice 2. It signifies the bringing of good news and here Appropriatly it signifies the glad tydings of our Redemption by Christ so says the Angel Luke 2. Fear not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For behold I bring you glad tydings i.e. Good news then which there is there can be no better For it is of a Pardon to a Condenmed Malefactor and it is not only to oâ—e but to All to all you To you in the City of David the Royal City of the Anointed King is born a Saviour which is
a Magazine of strength in that and we shall have relief enough El if we believe in him as He is a strong God Were it but Shaddai there is a Panacea of sufficiency in that and we shall have Succour enough if we believe in him as He is God All-sufficient Were it but Elion there is a Mountain of Hope in that and we shall have supply enough if our Heart standeth fast in him as He is the most High God Were it but Tsebaoth there is an Army of Protection in that and we shall have Victory enough if our Heart standeth fast and believeth in Him as He is the Lord of Hosts Were it but Adonai there is a Rock of Preservation in that and we shall be upheld enough If we believe in Him as He is the strong Foundation But it is more then all this for it is Jehovah the most Essential Excellent Name of God If El implies His Omnipotency If Elion implies his Soveraignty If Shaddai implies his Immutability If Tsebaoth implies his Irresistability If Adonai implies his Fidelity sure I am Jehovah implies all whether you take it in the construstion of our own Divines or in the Derivation of others 1. In the Construction of our own Divines it signifies three things First Habere esse a seipso that he hath his Being of himself Secondly Dare esse omnibus that He gives a Being to all things that be Thirdly Dare esse Verbo that He gives a Being to his word and we therefore need not fear if we believe the truth of his word but He will give the Rebells their due and settle the Crown to flourish upon the Kings Head 2. Or if you take the meaning of Jehovah in the derivation of others either with Oleaster as it is derived from Hovah which signifies Destruction then we have reason to believe He will be mighty in the Destruction of His Enemies or whether you take it with Galatinus as it is derived from Hajah which signifies to Be then we have reason to believe He will be mighty amongst us in our preservation Let your Hearts then stand fast in Jehovah And e're long He will either divert our Enemies from thirsting after any more of our Blood as He did Saul from hunting after David or He will divide our Enemies in their Consultations as He did destroy the Counsel of Achitopel by the Counter-Counsel of Hushai or He will give our Enemies to Self-Destruction as He did Abimelech and the House of Millo and as He hath one of the late King-Tryers to Hoyle himself or He will call back our Enemies by strange rumours next time the present KING comes to claim his own as He did the Assyrians All these wayes and many more God can do it so we may have no need to be afeard of any evil Tydings and He will be perswaded to do it if we fear him For when we fear him then as it was when the Dictator Ruled in Rome all other Offices ceased so when the Fear of God is in us then all other Fears vanish This was acknowledged by that once magnanimous Earle of Essex but afterwards the Rebel-Father of a Rebel-Sonne Sometimes said he when I have been in the Feild and encountered the Enemy the Weight of my sins have layn so heavy upon my Conscience because I was not reconciled to my GOD that my Spirits were quelled and I have been the most timerous man upon the Earth I wish our Gentlemen of the Sword when King Charles II. shall have occasion to use them that they would not batter our walls more within by sins then the Rebell enemy can do without by Guns that they would not storm themselves more by Oaths and ruine themselves more by Mutining and undo themselves more by Treachery then a Rebel enemy can do by strength And you that hear me this day January 30. 1650. Let your hearts stand fast and believe in the Lord And that all our hearts may and that the Heart of King Charles II. may Pray we for Him and for our selves Help the King O God and help us O God for vain is the help of man Though thou hast cast him a great way off and seasoned the morning of His daies with bitternesse yet be not displeased too long but turn thee unto Him again and return Him unto us again but return Him either with an Olive of Peace or with a Laurell of Conquest And as thou hast strangely and wonderfully delivered Him from those who eagerly hunted after his Life so let it appear to them that thou hast not done this to make him more miserable or to continue him in the condition of an Exile but rather that thou hast reserved him for faithfuller hands then the Scots for fairer opportunities and more prosperous successes then in the year 1650. for Jesus Christ his sake Amen Anno Dom. 1651. 1 SAM 10.27 But the Children of Belial said How shall this man save us and they despised him and brought him no presents THis latter and therefore this wicked Age hath broached three Seditious Questions the false resolving of which was a chief cause of the Decollation and Martyrdom of our late and blessed King Charles I. and the true resolving whereof will I trust be a leading cause for the Restauration of our present and glorious King Charles II. The Questions were brewed heretofore by Bellarmine and his fellow-Jesuites by Bucanan and his fellow-Puritans and this Age this Jesuitical Puritanical Age hath Practically broached what they speculatively brewed viz. 1. Whether God or the People be the Author and Efficient of Regality of Monarchy of Kingship 2. Whether the King be only singulis Major and Universis Minor greater then every particular man but lesse then the Assembly of men 3. Whether it be lawful to contribute for the maintenance of a War against the King And this Age this wicked Age resolves these Questions just to the Peoples humours 1. The People are the Author and Efficient of Monarchy 2. The whole People or the People in a Body Representative are above and greater then the King 3. It is lawful to contribute to a War against the King But to make good that old Adagy Quod vulgo placet sapienti displicet That which pleaseth the People displeaseth the wise the Prophet Samuel in this Chapter in this Text resolves clean contrary Samuel's Rosolve 1. That God not the People is the Efficient of Monarchy so he says See ye him quem elêgit Deus not quem populus whom the People have chosen Ver. 24 No but See ye him whom the Lord hath chosen The King hath his power not precariò by the curtesie of the People but Dei graciâ by the Grace of God 2 That the King is greater then the Body not only in peice-meale and particulars but also in grosse and in the whole so he says He the King stood amongst the people and was higher then all the People by the Shoulders and upwards
the Law of Nature or the Divine Law not by Popular Pactions or Politick and National Agreements we are bound to obey the King and the Reason is Because the King is the Supream Head i. e properly Universorum of all the People and all this is not obscurely implyed but manifestly expressed and that not by single and yesterday Pamphlets but by sundry old Authentique Histories and Chronicles Would you have it yet plainer Look ye then upon the Oaths ye have taken in the presence of Almighty God The Oath of Allegiance The Oath of Supremacy and your own Parliamentary Protestation In each of these you have sworne to maintain the Kings Soveraignty in all Causes and over all Persons Ecclesiastical and Civil A Soveraignty he hath not onely over singular persons but over all persons and you have sworn to maintain it and as you endeavour it so God will help you But you may fear you may justly fear If you have un-Sworne that or Sworne against that which you have so Solemnly Sworne to maintaine That GOD will not onely not help you but wound you wound you while you live with the Infamy of Rebells and a tormenting Conscience Witnesse Alderman Hoyle Sr. Henry Phane Senior and some more and wound you when you are dead with the Eternity of Fire and all the Torments of Hell From both which Almighty God deliver you for his Son Jesus Christ his sake and from which that you may be delivered I pray God give you grace to acknowledge esteem King Charles II. to be Universis as well as Singulis Major Greater then and over all because They that think lesse of him do despise him and are therefore the Chilâ—ren of Belial as they are and shall be in future Chronicles who thought lesse of King Charles I. and therefore murthered him And so are they that bring him no presents which is my third Consideration and to be handled the next year In the mean time God in mercy c. Anno Dom. 1653. 1 SAM 10.27 They brought him no Presents WEE are by the Grace of God Pars. 3. met here again to remember a sad and mournful day That day on which the best King that ever England had was murthered I chan◠〈◊〉 my Text yet because I am yet to shew you the Privative cond tion of Rebels or Children of Belial from these words They â—â—ought him no Presents And I shaâ—l not spend much time in the Explication of these words Theâ— are obvious enough to the thinnest understanding and thâ—yiâ— end thus much These men these Children of Belial diâ—noâ— contribute to the maintenance of the King They did not â—yd im they did not assist him They ayded him not with Aâ—ms they assisted him not with mony They withheld his Vectiâ—li from him They brought him not his Customes his Crown-Reâ—enues his Subsidies and Poll-monies I shall therefore spend my ensuing Discourse in resolving that Question which doth almost Naturally arise from these last words viz. Whether it be lawful to bear Arms Quest. 3 or contribute for the maintenance of a War against the King This Text resolves it Negatively and says It is not lawful For they who brought the King no presents were therefore Sons of Belial and therefore much more are they the Sons of Belial who fight against or contribute to maintain a War against the King And this I shall endeavour to make good 1. Removendo by removing all Objections that I meet withal which colour this Opinion 2. Movenâ—o by commending to you some choise and pregnant places of Scripture which give the checkmate to this Opinion 3. Propendendo by explaining those places of Scripture by the practises of the Fathers 4. Proponendo by laying before your face some of those fearful Judgements which have befallen some men who have born Arms against their Kings as fearful Examples for them who contribute to the maintenance of such Wars And first for the Objections and the first of any validity I meet with is that of David's taking up Arms against King Saul Object 1 and it is argued thus 1 Sam. 22.1 2. 1 Sam. 24.18 David the Subject took up Arms against Saul the King and was not rebuked for it either by any Divines or Lawyers or States-men Many of his Fellow Subjects to the number of 600. took up Arms with him and very likely many more contributed to the maintenance of that Army nor yet were they reprehended either by any Rules of Divinity Law or Policy and Therefore Subjects may take up Arms and contribute to the maintenance of a Warre against a King if he be an Oppressour of their Properties Liberties or Religion And to this first colourable Objection Answer I Answer thus The Allegation is false For how can it possibly be imagined That David took up Arms against Saul when we find him continually flying from and never fighting with Saul Yea 1 Sam. 24.6 so far was he from fighting with him or taking up Arms against him that when God had delivered Saul into his hands two several times 1 Sam. 26.9 once in the Wildernesse of Engedi and once in the Hill of Hachilah David durst not himself nor would he suffer any man else to stretch forth his hand against King Saul and for this reason 1 Sam. 24.2 Because he was the Lords Annointed Certainly David neither raised nor entertained these 600 men to fight or encounter with or against Saul For what are 600 to so many thousand as Saul had at Command 1 Sam. 26.2 He never went without 3000 men after him David used these 600 only for Spies or Scouts that they might give him Intelligence where Sauls ambushments lay that so he might as is said the better avoid his fury ver 4 Certainly therefore David with his 600 mens is very unlearnedly urged as an Example of Disloyalty Nor will that Addition help it viz. That David was 40000 strong in the days of Saul and likely he would not lye still with that great Army 1 Chr. 1.12 No no They had no such foolish Oath in those Loyal daies as Never stir law It is fit let the King know himself It is high time King Saul were removed from his evil Counsellours Doeg and his fellows For first you cannot but know at least you cannot deny That these 40000 come not to David until Sauls death if you observe the story Ver. 22. For it is said expresly They came to David to help him until it was a great Host like the Host of God And these are the numbers of the Bands Ver. 23. that were ready Armed to the War and come to David to Hebron to turn the Kingdom of Saul unto him according to the Word of the Lord And what made these men come to David at this time It was Sauls death and they knew David was appointed by God to succeed him But secondly admit it for truth That David was 40000 strong in the daâ—es of Saul