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Kingdoms in this world should not induce him to change any jot of his profession?" Hath he not so engaged himself in this holy quarrel, that the world confesses Rome had never such an adversary? and all Christian Princes rejoice to follow him, as their worthy leader in all the battles of God; and all Christian Churches, in their prayers and exclamations, style him, in a double right, "Defender of the Faith," more by desert, than inheritance.

But because, as the sun-beams, so praises, are more kindly, when they are cast oblique upon their objects, than when they fall directly; let me shew you him rather in the blessings we receive from him, than in the graces which are in him. And, not to insist upon his extinguishing of those hellish feuds in Scotland, and the reducing of those barbarous borderers to civility and order, two acts worthy of eternity and which no hand but his could do, Consider how great things the Lord hath done for us by him in our Peace, in our Freedom of the Gospel, in our Deliverance.

3. Continuance detracts from the value of any favour. Little do we know the price of PEACE. If we had been in the coat of our forefathers, or our neighbours, we should have known how to esteem this dear blessing of God. Oh, my dear brethren, we never knew what it was to hear the murdering pieces about our ears; to see our Churches and houses flaming over our heads; to hear the fearful cracks of their falls, mixed with the confused outcries of men, killing, encouraging to kill or resist, dying, and the shriekings of women and children: we never saw tender babes snatched from the breasts of their mothers, now bleeding upon the stones, or sprawling upon the pikes; and the distracted mother ravished, ere she may have leave to die. We never saw men and horses lie wallowing in their mingled blood, and the ghastly visages of death deformed with wounds +: the impotent wife hanging with tears on her armed husband; as desirous to die with him, with whom she may not live: the amazed runnings to and fro of those that would fain escape, if they knew how; and the furious pace of a bloody victor: the rifling of houses for spoil, and every soldier running with his load, and ready to fight with other for our booty: the miserable captive driven manacled before the insulting enemy. Never did we know how cruel an adversary is, and how burdensome a helper is in war. Look round about you: all your neighbours have seen and tasted these calamities: all the rest of the world have been whirled about in these woeful tumults; only this Island hath, like the center, stood unmoveable. Only this Isle hath been like Nilus, which, when all other waters overflow, keeps within the banks 1.

That we are free from these and a thousand other miseries of

Watson. B. Barl. Answer to Parsons, page 115. è Com, Northamp. lib, † Tum verò et gemitus morientum, et sanguine in alto

Armáque, corporáque, et permixti cæde virorum
Semianimes volvuntur equi-VIRGIL. Æn. xi. 633.
Nam cùm tristis hyems alias produxerit undas,
Tum Nilum retinent ripæ. CLAUD. Epigr.

war, whither should we ascribe it, but, next under God, to his Anointed, as a King, as a King of Peace? For both anarchy is the mother of division, as we see in the state of Italy; wherein, when they wanted their king, all ran into civil broils; the Venetians, with them of Ravenna; Verona and Vincentia, with the Paduans and Tarvisians; the Pisans and Florentines, with them of Lucca and Sienna. And, besides, every king is not a Peace-maker: ours is made of peace. There have been princes, which, as the Antiochians said of Julian †, taking occasion by the bull which he stamped in his coin, have gored the world to death. The breasts of some princes have been like a thunder-cloud; whose vapours would never leave working, till they have vented themselves with terror to the world: ours hath nothing in it, but a gracious rain to water the inheritance of God. Behold, he, even he alone, like to Noah's dove, brought an olive of peace to the tossed Ark of Christendom. He, like another Augustus, before the second coming of Christ, hath becalmed the world, and shut the iron gates of war; and is the bond of that peace, he hath made. And, if the peacemaker both doth bless and is blessed, how should we bless him, and bless God for him, and hold ourselves blessed in him!

4. Now, what were Peace without RELIGION, but like a Nabal's sheep-shearing; like the fatting of an Epicurean hog; the very festival revels of the Devil? But, for us, we have Gloria in excelsis Deo, sung before our Pax in terris; in a word, we have Peace with the Gospel. Machiavel himself could say, in his Discourses, that two continued successions of virtuous princes fanno grandi effetti, "cannot but do great matters ." We prove it so this day; wherein religion is not only warmed, but locked in her seat so fast, that the gates of hell shall never prevail against it. There have been princes, and that in this land, which, as the heathen politician § compared his tyrant, have been like to ill physicians, that have purged away the good humours, and left the bad behind them; with whom any thing hath been lawful, but to be religious. Some of your grey hairs can be my witnesses. Behold the evils we have escaped shew us our blessings. Here hath been no dragging out of houses, no hiding of bibles, no creeping into woods, no Bonnering or butchering of God's Saints, no rotting in dungeons, no casting of infants out of the mother's belly into the mother's flames; nothing but God's truth abundantly preached, cheerfully professed, encouraged, rewarded. What nation under heaven yields so many learned Divines? What times ever yielded so many preaching Bishops? When was this City, the city of our joy, ever so happy this way, as in these late successions? Whither can we ascribe this health of the Church, and life of the Gospel, but, next to God, to his example, his countenance, his endeavours? wherein I may not omit how right he hath trod in the steps of that blessed Constan

Discors. 1. i. c. 20.

Otho Fris. lib. vii. cap. 29. + Socr. 1. vii. c. 22. Duz continuove successioni di principi virtuosi fanno grandi effetti. § Plato -$. de Rep. Alluding to the cruelties of Bonner, in Queen Mary's days. EDITOR.

tine, in all his religious proceedings. Let us in one word parallel

them.

Constantine caused fifty volumes of the Scriptures to be fair written out in parchment, for the use of the Church *: king James hath caused the Books of Scriptures to be accurately translated, and published by thousands. Constantine made a zealous edict against Novatians, Valentinians, Marcionites † king James, besides his powerful proclamations and sovereign laws, hath effectually written against Popery and Vorstianism. Constantine took away the liberty of the meetings of heretics. king James hath, by wholesome laws, inhibited the assemblies of papists and schismatics. Constantine sat in the midst of bishops, as if he had been one of them : king James, besides his solemn conferences, vouchsafes, not seldom, to spend his meals in discourse with his Bishops and other worthy Divines. Constantine charged his sons, ut planè et sine fuco Christiani essent, "that they should be Christians in earnest" king James hath done the like in learned and divine precepts, which shall live till time be no more. Yea, in their very coins is a resemblance: Constantine had his picture stamped upon his metals praying : king James hath his picture with prayer about it; "O Lord, protect the kingdoms which thou hast united." Lastly, Constantine built Churches; one in Jerusalem, another in Nicomedia: king James hath founded one College, which shall help to build and confirm the whole Church of God upon earth. Ye wealthy Citizens, that love Jerusalem, cast in your store, after this royal example, into the sanctuary of God; and, while you make the Church of God happy, make yourselves so. Brethren,

if we have any relish of Christ, any sense of heaven, let us bless God for the life of our soul, the Gospel; and for the spirit of this life, his Anointed.

5. But where had been our Peace, or this Freedom of the Gospel, without our DELIVERANCE? and where had our Deliverance been without him? As it was reported of the Oak of Mamre, that all religions rendered their yearly worship there **: the Jews, because of Abraham their patriarch; the Gentiles, because of the angels that appeared there to Abraham; the Christians, because of Christ that was there seen of Abraham with the angels: so was there to king James, in his first beginnings, a confluence of all sects, with papers in their hands; and, as it was best for them, with a Rogamus, Domine, non pugnamus, like the subjects of Theodosius. But our cousins †† of Samaria, when they saw that Solomon's yoke would not be lightened, soon flew off in a rage; What portion have we in David? I Kings xii. 16. And now those, which had so oft looked up to heaven in vain, resolve to dig down to hell for ‡‡ aid. Satan

* Euseb. de vitâ Const. l. iv. c. 36. † Lib. iii. 61, 62. Lib. iii. 63. § Lib. i. c. 37. In media istorum frequentiá ac congressu adesse et unà considere non dedignatus Basil, dor. || Lib. iv. 15. Lib. iii. 43, and 24. ** Socr. l. ii. сар. 3. ++ Ribera in prophet. min. ex' Joseph. Antiq. lib. ix. ult. Samaritani Judeos cognatos appellari soliti, quamdiu illis benè erat. At ubi contra, &c. Flectere si nequeo, &c.

himself met them, and offered, for saving of their labour, to bring hell up to them. What a world of sulphur had he provided against that day! What a brewing of death was tunned up in those vessels! The murderous pioneers laughed at the close felicity of their project; and now beforehand seemed in conceit, to have heard the crack of this hellish thunder, and to see the mangled carcases of the heretics flying up so suddenly, that their souls must needs go upward towards their perdition; their streets strewed with legs and arms; and the stones braining as many in their fall, as they blew up in their rise. Remember the children of Edom, O Lord, in the day of Jerusalem, which said, Down with it, down with it, even to the ground. O daughter of Babel, worthy to be destroyed, blessed shall he be that serveth thee as thou wouldest have served us; Psalm cxxxvii. 7, 8. But he, that sits in heaven, laughed as fast at them, to see their presumption, that would be sending up bodies to hea ven before the resurrection, and preferring companions to Elijah in a fiery chariot; and said, ut quid fremuerunt? Consider now how great things the Lord hath done for us: the snare is broken, and we are delivered. But how? As that learned Bishop well applied Solomon to this purpose, Divinatio in labiis Regis* If there had not been a divination in the lips of the king, we had been all in the jaws of death. Under his shadow we are preserved alive, as Jeremiah speaketh. It is true, God could have done it by other means; but he would do it by this, that we might owe the being of our lives to him, of whom we held our well-being before. Oh, praised be the God of Heaven for our deliverance! Praised be God for his Anointed, by whom we are delivered! Yea, how should we call to our fellow-creatures; the angels, saints, heavens, elements, meteors, mountains, beasts, trees, to help us praise the Lord for this mercy! And, as the oath of the Roman soldiers ran, how dear and precious should the life of Cæsar be to us, above all earthly things t! how should we hate the base unthankfulness of those men, which can say of him, as one said of his Saint Martin, Martinus bonus in auxilio, charus in negotio ; who, while they owe him all, grudge him any thing!

Away with the mention of outward things: all the blood in our bod es is due to him: all the prayers and well-wishes of our souls are due to him. How solemnly festival should this day be to us and to our posterities for ever! How cheerfully for our Peace, our Religion, our Deliverance, should we take up that acclamation which the people of Rome used in the coronation of Charles the Great, Carolo Jacobo à Deo coronato; magno et pacifico Britannorum Imperatori, vita et victoria §: "To Charles James crowned of God, the great and peaceable Emperor of Britain, life and victory;" and let God and his people say, Amen.

* Prov. xvi. 10. B. Barlow, p. 350. + Προτιμήσειν απαντων τὴν τῶ Καῖσας burnian. Suet. Addit, neque me liberosque meos cariores habebo, quàm Caium et ejus sorores. Clodoneus. Otho. Fris. 1. iv. c. 31. Clodoneus. Otho, Fris Liv. c. 31. § Fris. I. v. c. 31.

III. These were great things indeed, that God did for Israel; great that he hath done for us; great for the present, not certain for the future. They had not, no more have we, the blessings of God by entail, or by lease only at the good will of the Lord; and that is, during our good behaviour. Sin is a forfeiture of all favours. If you do wickedly, you shall perish. It was not for nothing, that the same word in the original signifies both sin and punishment. These two are inseparable. There is nothing but a little priority in time between them. The angels did wickedly; they perished by their fall from heaven: the old world did wickedly; they perished by waters from heaven: the Sodomites did wickedly; they perished by fire from heaven: Corah and his company did wickedly; they perished by the earth: the Egyptians did wickedly; they perished by the sea: the Canaanites did wickedly; they perished by the sword of Israel: the Israelites did wickedly; they perished by pestilence, serpents, Philistines. What should I run myself out of breath in this endless course of examples? There was never sin, but it had a punishment, either in the Actor or in the Redeemer: there was never punishment, but was for sin. Heaven should have no quarrel against us, hell could have no power over us, but for our sins. Those are they, that have plagued us: those are they, that threaten us.

But what shall be the judgment? perishing: to whom? to you, and your king. He doth not say, "If your king do wickedly, you shall perish;" as sometimes he hath done: nor, "If your king do wickedly, he shall perish;" although kings are neither privileged from sins, nor from judgments: nor, "If you do wickedly, you only shall perish :" but, If ye do wickedly, ye and your king shall perish. So near a relation is there betwixt the king and subjects; the sin of the one reacheth to the judgment of the other; and the judgment of the one is the smart of both. The king is the head; the commons, the stomach. If the head be sick, the stomach is affected; David sins, the people die if the stomach be sick, the head complains; for the transgression of the people are many princes.

What could have snatched from our head that sweet Prince, of fresh and bleeding memory, that might justly have challenged Otho's name Mirabilia mundi*, now, in the prime of all the world's expectation, but our traitorous wickednesses? His Chris. tian modesty upon his death-bed could charge himself; "No, no; I have sins enough of my own to do this." But this very accusa tion did clear him, and burden us. O glorious Prince, they are our sins, that are guilty of thy death, and our loss. We have done wickedly thou perishedst: a harsh word for thy glorified condi tion: but such a perishing as is incident to Saints; for there is a perire de medio, as well as a perire à facie, "a perishing from the earth," as well as "a perishing from God." It was a joyful perishing to thee: our sins have advantaged thy soul, which is partly there

Otho III. Fris, vi. 26.

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