A Just Lamentation FOR THE Irrecoverable Loss OF THE NATION, BY The Doleful Death of the Late Queen Mary Of Blessed Memory: Delivered in a Sermon Preached at Daventry March 5. 1694/ 5.  
By Andrew Barnett Minister of the Gospel.  Lam. 2.1. 
How hath the Lord covered the Daughter of Zion, with a Cloud in his anger, and cast down from Heaven unto the Earth the beauty of Israel, and remembered not his footstool in the day of his anger!  
LONDON, Printed for Tho. Parkhurst, at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside near Mercer's Chapel 1695.   
PSAL. two 3, 4. 
If the Foundations be Destroyed, what can the Righteous do? The Lord is in his Temple; The Lord's Throne is in Heaven.  
WE are now before the Lord to Commemorate the Death of the Renowned Late Queen, Queen Marry, by which the Glory of the Nation is Eclipsed, and one great ground of our Humane hopes Buried in the Dust.  
Such a Character is given of her as few justly attain to in this censorious World. So cordial in her conjugal Affections, so constant in prudent Resolutions, so compassionate to needy Subjects, so concerned for the Publick-Good, so considerate in weighty affairs, so confirmed in the Principles of Religion, so accommodated with moral virtues, so conscientious in pious practices, and so rarely qualified for her state of honour, that she became to others an eminent example, and her Name will be both Titulary and truly of blessed memory to all Posterity.  
She was one of the Chief Corner Stones that supported the famous Structure of this Commonwealth, and if the Foundation be destroyed, what can the Righteous do? What God will do with us, we cannot certainly presage, but this we know, that when God boxeth up his precious Jewels, and Inneth his Wheat, it tells us that a Storm is at hand. And when sin groweth rampant, and the Righteous are taken away, it is a sign that Evil is a coming.  
God hath made England a Sanctuary for the Righteous, and hither poor Fugitive Christians that suffer for righteousness sake fly and find refuge: But if the Foundations be destroyed, what can the Righteous do? Lament they may, and will, but alas, alas, what can they do?  
1. Note then the supposition contained in the Text (if the Foundations be destroyed) and innocent Persons come thereby to have their outward security taken away, and have nothing left them to build their humane hope upon. If this come to be their Case,  
2. Note then the sad conclusion (What can the Righteous do?) Alas they can do just nothing in order to their own relief; their case is become forlorn and deplorable, and they are left without any visible remedy. They must then (will they, nill they) sit down under their oppressions, and endeavour to bear them with Patience, for they have no way to help themselves. What can they do? Can they raise up new Foundations? No, Can they dwell in safety in the building that wants good foundations? No; What then can they do? All that they can do is to lament the Case, and lay it open before the Lord, and support their sinking hearts with this, That the Lord sits (still) in his Holy Temple, and his Throne is in Heaven: Let us then here observe, 

1. That the Loss of the Foundations puts the righteous into a most forlorn condition, and is matter of just lamentation.  
2. That when the Righteous are lamenting the loss of the Foundations, they ought to look up to God for refuge, and to call to remembrance, that God sits in his Holy Temple, and that his Throne is in Heaven.    
1. The loss of the Foundation is a lamentable loss, and puts the Righteous into a most forlorn and deplorable condition. By Foundations we are to understand all such things on which the welfare of the Nation doth depend, and on which the Inhabitants thereof do use to build their humane hope of their safety and outward prosperity. The Metaphor includes all the things that do support and uphold the Structures of the Church and Kingdom in which we live. As, The fundamental constitution, the firm and righteous Laws, and the faithful Governors thereof: and the last of these is particularly pointed at in the Text: All these belong to the Foundation; but the supreme powers, and the faithfulness of such as Govern the Nation, are the chief Corner-stones in the Foundation: And are called the Foundation in Psal. 82.5 All the Foundations of the Earth are out of Course. It is spoken of Judges, and they are called Gods. 1. Because they stand in God's stead, and are to judge righteously, that the Sentence may be God's Sentence, and not their own: And when Judges are corrupt and partial, than the foundations are out of Course, and all goes to confusion, fiat justitia, aut periat Mundus: But when the Foundations are destroyed, the matter is much more deplorable: For the Foundations to be out of Course is sad, but when the foundations are destroyed it's much worse; for Anarchy is worse than Tyranny, and leads to utter ruin. So that the destruction of the foundation is a lamentable loss to a Nation, especially to all the Righteous in the Nation. And this I further prove thus:  
1. The Destruction of the foundations, Hazards the Superstructure, and brings down the whole building upon the heads of the Inhabitants, and such of them as are righteous, are in great danger thereby of destruction, for in a common calamity there is no particular safety. Destroying the foundations, is the same with laying the Axe to the root of the Tree, spoken of in Mat. 3.10. which threatneth utter destruction both to the body and branches thereof, yea irrecoverable destruction.  
2. The destruction of the Foundations Heightens the enmity of the common Enemy and promotes their designs against the Nation; They wait an opportunity to revenge themselves upon the righteous in the Nation that have stuck close to the interest of the Nation; and the destruction of the Foundations put such an opportunity into their bloody hands, and lays the righteous open to their rage and Malice. The Foundations are the security of the righteous from the violence of these unreasonable men, and destroying the Foundations destroys this security, and so exposeth them to the Mercy of their Barbarous and Cruel Enemies.  
3. The destruction of the foundations, hinders the prosperity of the Church, whereof the righteous are Members. There is a great dispute amongst the Learned, whether the Commonweal be in the Church, or the Church be in the Commonweal. I take it for granted that the Church is in the Commonweal, and if so, then when the Foundations of the Commonweal are destroyed, the Church and her Members are thereby wounded and bruised, and she lying in the bowels of the Commonweal, must unavoidably be thereby infringed in her Liberties, disturbed in her peace, and deprived of her faithful guides.  
4. The destruction of the foundations, holds forth the displeasure of God against the righteous themselves: That he is not only angry with the wicked of the Nation, but also with the righteous therein, for swimming down the stream of the Times, and partaking with the wicked in their wickedness, as, in their pride of Apparel and Intemperance: And therefore destroys the foundations, that as the righteous have been partakers with the wicked in their sins, so they may partake with them in their punishments. Sin is more inexcusable in the righteous than in the wicked, and therefore shall not pass unpunished, Amos 3.2.  

The Inferences hence.  
1. The Lamentation then of this day for the death of her Majesty Queen Mary is a just and aught to be a sad and great Lamentation. By the death of her Royal Person there is such a breach made in the foundation, that gives such a terrible shake to the building, that makes all the inhabitants to tremble; perhaps some may be so stupid or so intoxicated with folly as to be unsensible; but it's no wonder to see the righteous so much concerned: If the Foundation be destroyed, what can the Righteous do? Is not the life of their safety lost, and the loss irrecoverable? Was it not her Majesty's just right to the Crown, destroyed by a cheat, that gave life to the late happy revolution, and revived a dying Nation? Was it not her presence in the King's necessary absence, that quieted our homebred Enemies, and made the Government both safe and easy? And what Englishman that hath any Brains in his Head, or Sense in his Spirit, can do less than lament so public a Loss, that makes all the Foundations to tremble? Is not this the day in which the surviving Foundations are crying out, A Cornerstone is taken from amongst us, and we tremble at the shake it gives to the Building? Was she not a well polished Stone, as well as a chief Cornerstone, and not only a Strength but also a Grace and Beauty to the Building? And is not he now in Mourning, that was the great instrument under God, that saved our Lives and Fortunes, our Laws and our Religion? Is not he crying out, oh what shall I do! And are there not multitudes of righteous persons crying out, A part of the Foundation is destroyed, and what shall we do? And shall we here that are met before the Lord to Lament, be unconcerned? No, no, let us take up that lamentation, Lam 5.15, 16. The Joy of our Hearts is ceased, our Dance is turned into Mourning: The Crown is fallen from our Head, Woe to us that we have sinned, and sinned away such a choice mercy.  
2. The Lamentation then of this day, for the death of her Majesty, ought not only to be a sad lamentation, but also a solemn, serious, and religious lamentation. We must not only lament it as a National loss of a most dreadful consequence, but as the bitter fruit of our own sins, and as a sad token of God's great displeasure. It doth argue (beloved) that God is angry even to Indignation, and that if his anger be not appeased by a speedy and sincere repentance, we have just cause to fear, that he will make an utter riddance of us: See what is said in Jer. 45.4, 5. Behold that which I have Built, I will pull down: God built up our Ruins with a high hand, but now he is pulling down what he built up: He hath pulled down many of the Pillars both of our Church and State: He hath taken away many of our Nobles, whose noble Hearts and Hands had been happy Instruments in our late wonderful deliverance: And he hath extinguished many of our burning and shining lights, and now he is plucking up the very foundation of the building, and oh how dreadful is this! Surely it calls aloud upon all in General, to take to mind, and penitently to lament our great unthankfulness for, and gross abuse of the great deliverance of these Nations from Popery and Tyranny, lest God be provoked to go on in pulling down the foundations, till the building fall upon our Heads. And it calls upon our King and our Parliament, to consider what they have done for God that hath done so much for them, and hath waited patiently several years for returns from them, suitable to their receipts from him, and wherein they have fallen short herein, to endeavour to make up, lest God still proceed in pulling down, and they themselves perish in the downfall. Alas, who can stand before the Lord when he is angry!  
3. The Lamentation then of this day, for the death of her Majesty ought to be seconded with double diligence, in securing the Foundations. A breach in the foundations is not to be neglected, but speedily and carefully to be made up. And it highly concerns our Master-builders that are entrusted with the Work, to look well after the foundations, and to keep a vigilant Eye upon such as are no wellwishers to the foundations, and to check their notorious insolences; and to cherish and promote a firmer Union amongst ourselves, and to exercise their wisdom to the utmost in securing our foundations And each one in his place, should put his helping hand to this great work of securing the foundations: How cheerfully and willingly should we part with such Money as we pay towards the defence and support of the foundations? And how earnestly should we pray for the preservation of the foundations? That God that laid the foundations of the Earth, hath (blessed be his name) provided for us good foundations, and though he hath pulled away one of the Corner-stones, yet he hath left us enough to support the building; oh pray hard for the security of our foundations; their security is much more desirable than our own personal security, for they are National Foundations, and their security of universal concern to the three Nations, yea to all Protestant Nations.  
4. The Lamentation of this day for the Death of her Majesty, aught to be supported with a serious remembrance, that God sits still in his Temple, and his Throne is in Heaven: It tells us that the choicest of our outward blessings are but fading comforts, and that Kings and Queens that are clothed with Majesty, and admired for their Splendour and Grandeur; though adorned with the Wisdom of Solomon, and the uprightness of David, yet are but men, and have their Breath in their Nostrils; and are but fair Flowers that do flourish a why and then whither, and hang down the head, and drop into the portion of the Weeds: But that God is an everlasting portion to his People, and affords his Subject's protection from generation to generation. And that when the foundation fail, and the Thrones of the Earth are vacant, he still sits in his Temple, and on his Throne in the Heaven; and therefore when the Righteous are mourning for the loss of their foundations, they are not to mourn as without hope, but to moderate their sorrows with this consideration, that God is still in his Holy Temple. And this they must do, to stifle their fears, and to strengthen their faith. 1. To stifle their fears: The destruction of the foundations is a frightful dispensation, and raiseth grievous storms of great fears in the Souls of the Righteous: Now think they, Alas! alas! What can the Righteous do: The Church of God is upon the ruin, our Visions we fear will fail, our Teachers be driven into Corners, our day of Salvation is like to be turned into a Night of Darkness, and what shall we do? Now to suppress these fears, this they must do; they must consider that God is still in Heaven, Eccles. 7.14. In the day of Adversity Consider, that the cause is sin, and we must be humbled for it; and that the end of the Adversity, is to try, prove, and purge us: and that the hand from which the Adversity comes is God, who sits in his Holy Temple, and orders all adversities, with regard to his own Glory, and the good of his Church and People. 2. To strengthen Faith. When humane hope fails, hoping in God is to be supported: When there is no help to be had on Earth, there is help enough in Heaven: Means in sight, and means out of sight are all one with God: And therefore when the righteous are thus cast down, than they must look up, as the Psalmist here doth: The fore-thoughts of the destruction of the foundations daunted him; but under this discouragement he turns his Eyes upward, and his confidence was thereby revived, and he concludes v. 7. That the Righteous God loves Righteousness, and his Eyes behold the upright, viz. with a favourable aspect, and smiling countenance, and with great regard; and Lam. 3.21, 22. This I recall to mind (says the Church) therefore have I hope: I recall to mind that God is still in Heaven, and his compassions fail not, and his faithfulness is great, and therefore have I hope: This was the consequence of these considerations, and they are the necessary consequence, and the natural fruit that they produce: For the consideration of God sitting in his Holy Temple, and having his Throne in the Heavens doth demonstrate,  
1. The readiness of God to help the righteous: He sits on his Throne in the Temple of Heaven, to receive the complaints of the oppressed, and to relieve them, Eccles. 5.8. If thou seest the violent perverting of judgement in a Province, marvel not at it, for he that is higher than the highest regardeth it, and there be higher than they. The oppressed have a higher Court to appeal to, than the highest Courts of men, where their grievances shall be heard without costly attendance, and they shall certainly be righted by the great God that is higher than the highest, and hath those employed in his service, who are higher than the Judges of the Earth, to wit, his Angels. Upon this consideration it was that Job durst not turn his back upon the just cause of one of his Servants, whom he might have trampled under his feet, Job 31.13, 14. Did I despise the cause of my Manservant, what then shall I do when God riseth up? He is no respecter of persons: The Cause of the Servant shall be heard before him, as well as the Cause of the Master: And the injuries that imperious Masters do to their poor Servants, he will revenge, and rise up for that end and purpose: And sits upon his Throne in his Holy Temple of Heaven in constant readiness to hear the complaints of his oppressed Subjects; and this doth further demonstrate the righteousness of God in doing justice; his Throne is in his holy Temple of Heaven, where no injustice can enter. There is a vast difference betwixt the proceed of that Court, and the proceed of the Courts on Earth: There is no bribing, no tilting of the Balance, no carrying of unjust causes by forgery, false witness, or tricks in law. He lays righteousness to the Plummet, Isa. 28.17. So exact in Justice, that he erreth not a hairs breadth therein: And when transactions here came to be reviewed there, and Causes called over-again in that Court, than the destroyers of our good foundations, will be justly condemned for the worst of Traitors. This also demonstrates, The irresistableness of his power in executing justice. He is in Heaven out of the reach of his Enemies, and from Heaven he poureth down his judgements upon the heads of such as undermine the foundations: And a judgement from Heaven is unavoidable, Rom. 1.18. Wrath is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness: The endeavours of men to destroy the foundation, are acts of unrighteousness, and very injurious to the righteous, and the righteous God will not bear long with such ungodly and unrighteous persons that seek to destroy the foundations; And when he falls upon such, and revealeth his wrath from Heaven against them, than woe unto them. Their policy and power will nothing avail them, for their Wisdom, compared to his, is Folly, and their Power compared to his, is Weakness: And they are no more to him than a straw in the hand of a Giant, or a little Chaff before the Wind, Ps. 2.4. he laughs them to scorn. Their great Armies to him are but like a bubble upon the Water, that dance a little, and quickly burst and disappear and vanish away: And lastly, this demonstrates the regard that he hath to the righteous under the saddest circumstances that befall them: When supter-refuges fail, and the foundations are destroyed, he sits in his Holy Temple beholding and pitying their case, and waiting for a meet opportunity to arise and save them And if he delay their deliverance, it's but to time it so, as it may be more splendid and glorious. Under our Lamentations for the destruction of the foundations, you see it's our wisdom, to support our Spirits with the serious consideration of our relation to God, and of his sitting on his Throne in Heaven. Yea if God should go on in plucking up our foundations (which God forbidden) yet we must not sit down in despair, but in all such cases, bear up our Spirit and strengthen our Faith, by minding that God's Throne is in Heaven, and God as high as ever, and as ready to show mercy as ever: And when we are lamenting the loss of the Foundations, and crying out, What shall the Righteous do? We must then imitate upright David, and check our distrustful hearts, and look up to the Lord, who sits in his Holy Temple, and whose Throne is in Heaven.   

A Prayer for the Preservation of the Foundations.  
O Most Merciful Father, who laidst the foundation of the Earth, and whose Throne is in Heaven, and hast founded these famous Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, upon most excellent foundations, be pleased for the sake of the Righteous, and for the sake of thy beloved Son and our Advocate, to glorify thy own name in the preservation of our foundations. Thou hast made us happy above others in our foundations; we have many righteous Laws, a Matchless fundamental Constitution, and faithful Governors, and live at Ease and Peace under them; and we thankfully acknowledge that herein thou hast commended thy love to us, and humbly beg thy pardon for our unthankfulness, and the dishonour we have done to thy name under these mercies, whereby we have justly provoked thee to pluck away a chief Cornerstone out of the foundation, and to cause us to tremble and fear the effects of thy displeasure. Just art thou in thy proceed, and mayst justly proceed in pulling down the famous structure that thou hast built for us: But if the foundations be destroyed, Lord what shall the righteous do? Oh be thou reconciled to us and take away our iniquities, and receive us into favour, and secure for us our foundations; pluck up no more of the Corner-stones thereof; but make our good foundations lasting foundations; and help all the inhabitants of the land in the due discharge of their duty to serve thee in fear, that we being true to thee, and to our own Interest, thou mayst delight in us, and establish our foundations for us, and be glorified both by us and in us, For thine is the Kingdom, the Power and Glory for ever and ever.  
Amen.  
FINIS.    

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