THE DEATH OF THE TWO RENOWNED KINGS OF SWEDEN AND BOHEMIA▪ Happening both in one and the same year and month; viz: in NOVEMBER 1632. publicly lamented in a Sermon, held before a Princely, Noble, and frequent Assembly, in the High-Dutch Congregation at the HAGVE By Mr. fredrick SCHLOER, Minister of Gods Word. Translated out of the High-Dutch Printed copy. LONDON, Printed by I. D. for Nicolas Bourne and are to be sold at his Shop, at the South entrance of the royal Exchange. 1633. The Entrance. BEloved, in our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ; It hath pleased almighty God to visit whole christendom, and especially our own dear Country and Nation, but most nearly the greatest part of this Assembly, with a very heavy, but well-deserved affliction and calamity, in pulling down by a never-lesse expected death, two of the chiefest Pillars of his Church, two of the chiefest patrons of true Religion, two of the chiefest Instruments of his glory; the two royal Majesties of Sweden and Bohemia, in that moment of Time, when our hopes were at the best, that GOD by them would have saved His Israel. well, Beloved, Our unmeasurable sins have most justly deserved this, and much more, and worse: yea, GODS mercy and goodness it is, that wee are not utterly consumed; And because we cannot otherwise conclude and pronounce from this our grievous loss and punishment, but that the wrath of the almighty is kindled against the continuance of our sinful courses, it is most requisite, that with unfeigned repentance, and effectual resolutions of serving GOD more carefully then ever yet wee have done, we go to meet the LORD, and to hold his hands from destroying us utterly. To this purpose now wee are met in the valley of( Bochim,) not only to lift up our mournful voices in lamenting and bewailing our incomparable losses, in the death of those two pious and heroic Kings and Champions; but to confess our murdering sins unto the LORD, to repent and reform ourselves, to pray to GOD for a gracious pardon: and that thus reconciled, He would bee pleased with the due of his blessed comforts to refresh, uphold, and cherish the royal& Princely Houses, and all the true hearted Friends& dependents of those deceased Worthies; that He would not reject, but in mercy regard us; And besides to receive instruction out of His sacred Word▪ how we are to frame our lives and courses in time to come, that the almighty may hear our prayers,& let his gracious face to shine again upon our troubled souls. But because of ourselves wee are altogether unable, to think one good thought, much less to speak or perform any good thing, let us join in humble petition to God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ, for the assistance of his blessed Spirit, that our hearts may be cleansed and sanctified, and his holy Word preached may bring fruit in us, to his glory, and the eternal welfare and salvation of our poor souls. Almighty, eternal and &c. Our Father, &c. A Lamentation Sermon. TEXTVS. 2. SAM. 1. ver. 19. 20. And David lamented: The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places; How are the mighty fallen? Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askalon, least the Daughters of the philistines rejoice, least the Daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. AVGVSTVS mortuus est, The King is dead: For thus were the Romans wont to begin their Epicaedies after the death of their Mighties. And why should not wee now begin likewise in the same manner, that as we may read one anothers heart and disposition in his face, so you may know the drift of this our Lamenting Sermon in the very entrance; The Kings are dead. We red 2. Sam. 19. 1. 2. that, after that great victory which God gave unto David against Absolom, the day of triumph was turned into a day of mourning unto all the people, onely because they heard some whisperings of the Courtiers that the King wept. How much greater cause have wee, Beloved, in the midst of our victories to keep a day of mourning? The Courtiers not only telling us The queens weep, but withall, The Kings are dead. That is able to melt a ston, but this the wicked'st heart, which is more flinty then any rock. Beloved, me thinks, it were enough and sufficient to turn your hearts into springs and your eyes into rivers of tears, if we should rehearse no other word unto you this hour, but The Kings are dead; not onely Kings, but those Kings, that concern us so nearly, in whom we were so much interested; Those Kings who had so strait a relation to the whole Christian Church; Those Kings that so much suffered, so much performed to the righting of Gods honour, to deliver his Church from the Enemies of the gospel, to spread Religion, to relieve and release the oppressed, and to subvert the Throne of Antichrist. Those Kings are dead, The Crownes are fallen off from our heads; Woe unto us! for we have sinned Tiberius geares and mocks the Ilienses, when they came somewhat late unto him to condole the death of Augustus, answering them, Et ego doleo Hectorem vestrum esse mortuum; And I am sorry you lost your captain Hector, who was dead many hundred yeares before. So some wretched scoffers may conceive we lament the death of those Kings very late; Alas! Beloved, we lament them too too soon, according to the mindes and wishes of all sincere hearted; of whom I dare say, there is none, but saith with me in his heart, Ah! dear Kings would to God I had dyed for you, dear Kings, dear Princes. David could not speak a word when he was troubled, as he confesseth of himself, Psal. 77. 4. Thou holdest mine eyes waking, I am so troubled, that I cannot speak. Thus, my Beloved, did novitas rei, the strange, un expected, and altogether unlooked-for news of the death of these great Kings, so confounded our thoughts, disturb our memories, and lock up our tongues, that we could neither believe, nor feel, nor speak of our loss, till the third, fourth, and some following dayes were past; and then we began from our Ecstasis, and confused rapture to come again to ourselves, and to see what, and where, and how we are now; namely, poor, scattering, and forsaken sheep. unbelief struck Zacharias dumb; belief unloosened again the tie of his tongue, and resolved it into a Magnificat. To our unbelief it seemed impossible, that Those Kings, Such Kings, could be taken away in limin victoriae, in the entrance to an accomplished victory; in vestibulo felicitatis, in the very gate of our temporal happiness. And hence was our lamenting deferred hitherto, that we have not yet mourned in public to witness our humiliation, and the unfeigned sorrows of our hearts. But now we beleeue, therefore we speak, but we are sore troubled. But Beloved, let us mourn so that we do not fall neither into temptation, nor into despair; Let not Gods providence be prejudiced by the extremity and boundlesnesse of our complaints; Let not us by our excessive and un-christian tears, grudge unto those royal souls the rest and happiness they haue obtained, nor disable ourselves to the work in hand, the hearing of Gods blessed word: but let us mourn as Christians, and not as Heathens, who mourn without hope; For there is a great difference between the mourning of Gentiles, and that of the faithful, as we see Gen. 50. 2. 9. The Egyptians mourning 70. dayes for jacob▪ but joseph 7. dayes onely, though for his Father. So let us show ourselves to be rather Iosephites, then Egyptians. Alas! say many, should we so soon forget those Kings? Those anointed of the Lord, who were the comfort of our hearts, by whom we hoped God should haue saved his Israel? No, my Beloved, Wee may as soon forget them, as our right hands, our longue will cleave to the roof of our mouths if wee do not remember them? But though we may and shall remember them for ever, yet we must not for ever mourn for them. Water is good to bathe, wash,& cleanse, but not to drown ourselves in it. So tears are good, in some sort to cleanse ourselves by them from our sins, to refresh us in our heaviness( for after we haue once given our eyes free scope of weeping, our hearts are eased and grow lighter) but not to plunge& drown ourselves in despairing and perpetual mourning; And therefore let us now once more power out our hearts, empty our mournful eyes, and once more satisfy our Christian sympathy and affection with unfeigned and Christian repentance; that we may afterwards, as always we should have done, set our hearts onely upon God, turn our eyes alone to him, and give all our affections wholly over unto the almighty. To this end let us consider the words of our Text, whereof this Place, the cause and occasion of our meeting, and your sorrowful hearts themselves have made choice off, and constrain us to meditate at present. For this place is now the very Bochim, the valley of tears, where the people lift up their voices and weep. The occasion is Marah, bitterness; for the almighty hath greatly afflicted and humbled us. Your eyes and hearts are full of weeping& lamenting; nothing therefore could more fitly be preached unto you, but Threni, Lamentations; where the Place, the Occasion,& Audience minister nothing but mourning, weeping, and lamenting. Now these Threni, or this Lamentation, is not made by any private person, but by a King and Prophet, who is fitter to lament a King but a King? Whose lamentations can be holier then a Prophets? The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places, How are the mighty fallen? As long as wee weep with David, we cannot do amiss; but we must as well end, as begin with him: and thus our lamenting will be acceptable to God, commendable among men, and profitable to ourselves, that as now wee sow in tears, so wee may reap with ioy and comfort. Three main things offer themselves to our consideration; 1. A Lamentation, And David lamented. 2. A description of the deceased and of their end; The beauty of Israel is slain; How are the mighty fallen. 3. An Instruction and advertisement, Tell it not in Gath, &c. In the first is our duty, to lament; In the second the object, for what; that The beauty of Israel is fallen, &c. In the third the measure; weep, lament so, that thereby you make no sport and pastime to the wicked, and least by it they take occasion to insult over you. In the first we see our portraiture, and contra-fact, as we now do,& ought to appear: Lamenting In the second we have a picture drawn of the Deceased, their lively lineaments: The beauty of Israel, the mighty Ones. In the third we have a full draft of the wicked, with the native colours of their present disposition: Insolent rejoicings and triumphs. Let us ascend one step and degree after the other, and first of all, see and consider our present estate and condition, cast down, drooping and lamenting, from those words of the 17. verse, which have reference to our Text: And David lamented. OF THE FIRST. David, that Man according to Gods heart, lamenteth here for Saul and jonathan. It might seem, he had but little reason to lament for Saul, his Enemy, his Persecutor, and a wicked man; though reason enough for jonathan, whose love he esteemed beyond the love of women: Notwithstanding, he lamenteth Saul, as his Father in Law, his King, and the anointed of the Lord, although he dyed in his sins. By how much more then have we cause to lament and mourn for those Annoynted of the Lord, who besides their outward annointment of the Priest, had received withall, and were sanctified by the inward of the holy Ghost. The Christian man, as it is his duty to mourn and lament, under any kind of cross& calamity God sends upon him; so he is especially obliged hereunto upon the death of his Magistrate, of his King and Prince, whom God had set as Vicegerent over him. Eccles 3. 4. There is a time of weeping appointed by God; and as fish, flesh, and other creatures are not good nor wholesome to eat out of their season: so is joy and laughter unchristian, if it be unseasonable. Isaac mourned 3. year over his mother: jacob 22. yeares for his son. The rabbins tell us, that Adam mourned 100. yeares for his son Abel: The Egyptians raised a monument of their mourning for jacob at Abel-Mitzraim: The Iewes did the like for josias in the valley of Megiddo: Yea, the Iewes were wont to hire men for to lament their dead, who cut and pricked themselves, that they might weep in good earnest. Lamentations and weepings are of three sorts, that are required of Christians, as the schools do divide them out of Gods word. 1. Lacrymae doloris, griefeteares: 2. Lacrymae compassionis, fellow-feeling tears. 3. Lacrymae penitentiae, repenting tears; The first are personal; the second for others; the third for both. 1 Lacrymae doloris. Griefe-teares, are those which we shed every one in his private and particular cross and affliction, when any evil befalls us, as we are never unfurnished of occasions, from the cradle to the grave. Low grounds are commonly moist and watery: The earth lieth in Centro mundi, in a deep bottom; no marvel, that it is a valley of tears; Hence we have so often cause to wash our couch with tears, to eat the bread of tears, to drink tears, to cover the Altar of the Lord with tears. Malach. 2. 13. what ever we do, where ever we are, we have cause of mourning, weeping, and lamenting. 2. Lacrymae compassionis. Fellow-feeling tears, when we see or know others suffer, we have likewise cause to mourn, as fellow-members of the same body. S. Austine gives a fine reason why we should compassionate others in their misery, by this similitude: For, saith he, in a throng of people, one may easily tread upon another mans foot,& cause him to say, Cur me calcas, why dost thou tread me? The foot, or the to was hurt, and not the tongue, and yet the tongue complaineth, Cur me calcas? By reason of that amiable sympathy and friendship that is between the membets; Thus likewise should it be among Christians, if one suffer, all should be grieved and lament for it. It would be an uncomely thing, if one should wear a golden show upon one foot, and a wooden upon the other so unseemly it is in the Church of Christ, if there is disparity of the affections, if they have not all one and the same, as they have one God, one Redeemer, one faith. And therefore Christ, as Paul persecuted the Church took it as done to himself, saying, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Act. 9. 4. Me inquit, non meos, Me, saith Christ, not Mine, as Austine speaketh. 3. Lacrymae paenitentiae. Repenting tears, in both cases: Why doth the hand of God lye upon us or others, but because we have sinned, therefore God chastiseth us for our sins, and sometimes others for our sake. Many times we draw the rod of God upon us, for, Flagitium& flagellum ut acus& filum, sin and punishment follow one another, as the needle and the thread, one makes way for the other. Numb. 32. 23. And as God doth oftentimes punish us in our own persons▪ so do others eftsoones feel the rod of God for our sakes, and they receive the punishment, that we deserved: God deals herein with us, as with great mens children, who are refrained from evil by seeing punishment inflicted upon others; or as the physicians deal sometimes with their Patients, when they have a rheum in their eyes, to open a vein in their neck or arms: Thus God many times chastiseth us in our goods, friends, children, kindred, for our correction and instruction. Many Israelites were put to death by reason of Achan: more for Davids sin. Abimelechs family suffered for their Master: And as Theodoret saith, when God took away Pharaohs first born, he opened a vein in the arm to cure the head, but because it would not be mended, it was destroyed at last itself. If then, Beloved, we are always bound to mourn and lament, in one sort or another, how much more is it our duty now, having those three motives together, to be stirred up to Christian lamenting, and to shed, 1. lacrymas doloris, griefe-teares, for the incomparable loss we suffer in our own persons, by the death of those two Kings, who onely were our comfort, our hope, our shelter, our Castor and Pollux, according to whom we steered and governed our ships in the vast Ocean of this troublesone world: of whom it is hard to judge, whether the one suffered and endured, or the other endeavoured and did more, for the advancing and furthering of Gods glory and religious worship. But as the Poet joined, Et agere et pati fortia, so we may well pronounce of both, that the beauty of Israel is slain: How are the mighty fallen? Alas! Beloved, what tongue is able to express the greatness of our loss, and how grievously. God afflicts us by it? A loss which heretofore we never feared, and which now we are not able to describe; that those two Christian Kings, should follow one another in less then a fort-night, and be snatched from among us by such immature death, in the Summer of their age, in the midst of their victories, in the entrance to greater hopes, when we were fully persuaded now was the time, they were the men by whom God would ruin the Throne of Antichrist, and save his Israel. But I will rather leave unto you by my silence to consider of this loss, then lessen it for want of requisite expression, This onely I will remember unto you, that, had we as hearty prayed for them whilst they yet lived, as we now hearty lament their death, who knows but God might have prevented our meeting here in the valley of Bochim, and instead of that have filled our mouths with Alleluiahs. 2. As much reason have we to shed lacrymas compassionis, fellow feeling tears: For as we ought to mourn for the transgression of jacob, Mich. 1. 5. so must we also be grieved for the affliction of joseph If our eyes should be so far blended, and our hearts so much hardened, that we could not discern nor apprehended our particular and private misery, in this common and universal loss of whole christendom; yet let us at least turn our eyes upon the Church of God, who lost so great, so faithful nursingfathers; upon the kingdoms of Sweden and Bohemia; upon our dear germany, and especially upon our poor electoral Palatinate, who lost such Kings, such Friends; Let us but turn our eyes upon those pearls of piety, the two unconsolable queens, whose very names we cannot remember without tears and hearts-griefe, upon the royal, desolate; and yet tender posterity, whereof part lost a Father afore they knew him. Can there be any heart so flinty, that would not be moved by the innocent tears of those Princely Infants, to condole with them, when he seeth them weeping for their loss, which, though now they comprehend it not so fully, yet they will too too soon be sensible of it. Though we had no particular share and part in the loss, yet we should have out part in the common grief of whole christendom, and thus approve ourselves living members of Christs body. It's but a rotten member, a whithered hand, a wooden leg, that is not sensible of the heads wounding. Assuredly such hard hearts, that are voided of fellow-feeling and compassion towards others in their adversity, are but glass eyes, silver noses, lvory teeth, and have nothing but the shape and fashion, fill up a room, but have no use, and yield no profit. 3 Great reason we have to power out our lacrymas penitentiae, repenting tears; which the Apostle 2 Cor. 7. 10. calleth a godly sorrow, which worketh repentance to salvation, never to be repented off Such as Daniel shed, Daniel 9. And the Church after the death of good josiah, especially when they said in the Lamentations of ieremy; The crown is fallen from our head, for this our heart is faint, for these things our eyes are dim. Full well may we power out whole buckets of repenting tears, and by them arraign our sins, as the onely cause and firebrand of our present loss& calamity, saying, The crown is fallen off from our heads, woe unto us that we have sinned; we have murdered the Kings with our sins, we have bereaved the queens of their dearest consorts; the royal progeny of their Parents, the Countries of their Princes; all this have we done, and for this is our soul perplexed, our eyes are consumed with grief and waxed old. But what then were those cut-throatsins, that committed this heinous murder upon the sacred persons of those noble Kings? I answer. They were two; Omitting the good, committing the evil; as the Commandements of God are two fold, so are the transgressions The rabbins, according to their usual curiosity, have calculated and summed up all the Commandements of Moses, and found 613. whereof 365 are negative and inhibitions, showing us what we ought to shun, in number equalling the dayes of the year The rest are affirmative precepts, teaching us what to do, in number 248. as many as there are bones in a mans body; by which division, they would instruct us, that the whole man inward and outward to his very bones, should observe Gods Commandements; and that not for a while onely, but the whole year throughout, all the dayes of his life. But to leave those rabbins to their speculations, this is undoubtedly certain; that there are those two sorts of Commandements in holy Writ, wherein God not only teacheth us what to do, but likewise what to avoid, both which we grossly transgressed, especially in two capital sins: The first whereof, is that most common and yet most heavy sin of unthankfulness; Ingratum si dixeris, omnia dixeris. The Centuriators of Magdenburgh in their Preface make a certain gradation and degrees, in what order God brings his punishments upon us; Ingentia beneficia, ingentia flagitia, ingentia supplicia. If God shows extraordinary mercies& favours to a people, and yet the same continueth multiplying its sins against God, then God doth likewise muliply his punishments upon it, till it work either amendment, or utter destruction Now what people or nation is there, to whom God hath imparted so many and so great favours, as to our own selves? How for a long time hath he blessed us with good Magistrates and Governours, what plenteous peace have we enjoyed, what honour and reputation had we of other Nations? But when we began to slight those benefits, and would not rest contented with them, God took the rod into his hand, and gave us severe correction. Yet, again did those all-pittying bowels of our good God, yearn towards his poor Church, raising them a Deliverer, a mighty josuah, in a miraculous manner, all hope being lost, whereby he so much kerbed and broken the enemy, and so much comforted the disconsolate Church, that it is beyond expression. But how have we in the mean while demeaned ourselves towards our good God? Alas! we have provoked him more and more, with our pride, haughtiness, luxury, envy, hatred, and all manner of filthiness, and given him cause to deal with us as it is at this present. Gods servants have good reason to complain of their people, saying, Deut. 32. 4 God is the rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are Iudgement; they have corrupted themselves, they are spotted, and are not his children, do ye thus requited the Lord? This now is the first sin, we have not been thankful unto God, neither in our former peaceable and happy estate for his manifold favours, nor now in our calamitous condition for the Deliverer he sent us, therefore hath God visited us with this sharp correction. The other sin was affirmative, an overgreat confidence in impotent man, whom we have Idolized, reposing upon an arm of flesh, bragging and attributing to mortal Kings, the honour that belongeth to the eternal, which he cannot brook or connive unto. Esay 42 8. I will not give mine honour unto another. Therefore hath God taken away our Kings to avenge this dishonour, and to vindicate all the honour unto himself, to publish throughout the earth, that he was, he is the Lord, that onely worketh wonders, and that his Throne abideth for ever. If it be so then Beloved, that we have so much cause of sorrowing, grieving, weeping, and lamenting, for ourselves, for others, and especially for our sins; Oh! then let us pray with ieremy, saying, jer. 9. 1. O that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night, for the loss of the daughter of my people, and for the sins of my youth. Our Christian faith allows no stoic stupidity and blockish senselessness, called {αβγδ}, by the philosophers, as that which is averse and repugnant to Christian charity, which is full of tenderest compassion. Though sorrow be bitter at present, and an unsavoury portion, and hath such vehement operation, that it enfeebleth all natural faculties, yet afterwards it worketh repentance never to be repented off Let the worldlings laugh, whilst we are weeping, the turn of weeping will once come to them, when they with grudge shall see us joyful: let not our hearts be cooled by their coldness, but as the bellows by their could wind do blow and kindle the fire, so let their could affections serve ours as bellows do the kindled coals, to inflame them the more, to make them the more zealous& fervent, to manifest our Christian fellow-feeling before the world, but especially to find out and bewail our sins. Thus God shall be honoured, our neighbour comforted, and we restrained and refrained from the wil●ss and snares of sin Chiefly let us be frequent and much in considering what we have lost, no trifles, nor such things as we may easily recover else-where; not some children with Rahel, or goods with Lot, or health with job; but the beauty of Israel, the Mighties of Iuda, as we shall hear in the second part of our Text, where David saith; The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places, how are the mighty fallen? THE SECOND PART. Our royal Prophet in this part most elegantly describeth▪ 1. The persons lamented, whom he calleth The beauty of Israel, and the M●ghties 2. The manner and fashion of their death, they are slain and fallen. For the former, the original useth a word signifying glory, beauty, or excellency: Kings, Princes and Magistrates are the beauty and glory of a Land, 1. In their persons and qualities, if they are wise and heroic 2. In their Government, if they undertake and perform such things as may tend to the honour of their Countries; Si quod invenerunt regnum lateritium, relinquunt marmoreum. And Mighties those are called, whose experience and courage is seen in difficult warres and encounters, as we have examples in Ioshua, in the Iudges, and in the mighty men of David. For our better understanding of these words, we will briefly survey, what the principalest qualities and employments of Kings and Princes are, for which they may be called the beauty and glory of a Land or Nation; Chiefly among the rest these following. 1. piety; This must be the leader; A jove principium: For Kings are called Gods, not onely by reason of their Power and authority, but likewise for the holinesse and integrity, that is required of Gods Vice-gerents, and those that shall carry his character and Image in their persons here on earth; whence it is, that the first commendation, the word of God gives unto good Kings, is, That they did that, which was right and pleasing in the sight of the Lord. 2. Iustice; Suum cuique tribuere, to give every man his due, without respect of persons either in punishing evil, or rewarding good, for which end God hath put the Sword in their hands. 3. bounty and goodness; mildness and humanity. Quâ proximè ad divinam accedunt naturam: whereby they do most nearly approach to the nature of God himself: Parcere subjects, &c. 4. Courage and magnanimity: Cass●neus observeth that Kings are anointed, as in many parts of their body, so among others upon their arms, as Organs and Instruments of action; They must be going out and coming in before their people, led, and protect them. Numb. 26. 7. 5. wisdom; The fountain from which all good actions must be derived, so needful and profitable, that when God offered a whole Cornucopiae, a Treasure of all sorts of gifts and graces unto King Salomon, he onely made choice of wisdom, or rather taking it, took all, according to Gods promise: Omnia adsunt bona quem penes est v●●tus. Kings are anointed in several parts, but onely the head is crwoned, as the Throne and residence of wisdom. These now are the ornaments, which if a King or Prince have, He is the beauty, glory, and excellency of his Land and People. Now, Beloved, it is needless to enlarge myself in the application, as that which is notorious to all, that we have a most lively pattern and representation of all those qualities in our two Kings, that now are blessedly resting in the Lord: of each of whom we may well say, Sic oculos, sic ille manus, sic ora ferebat. For was not his majesty of Sweden of happy memory, one of the lewels of the Protestant Princes in those parts, not onely by reason of those rare and celestial endowments and qualities, that so illustriously shined in his Person; but also for his matchless and imparalell heroic Acts and Expeditions, whereby he ennobled himself and his Countries, throughout the universe. So likewise was not his majesty of Bohemia an Orient pearl, and excellent gem, among all the electors and Princes of the Empire, for his ever praise worthy and virtuous disposition, for his constant and unreprochable endeavour to propagate the gospel of Christ, whereby, all unhappy accidents notwithstanding, he hath purchased glory and honour both to himself and to our common Country. 1. It is universally known, without my instancing of it at large, what may be said in the commendation of both the Kings constant tenor of their piety and Devotion, both private and public, wherein they have always been patterns and singular examples to their Subjects and followers; as especially, those are able to witness, who had the honour to be much about their Majesties; especially, how careful and assiduous they have been in the observation of their pray-and readinghoures, as well in war, as in peace, as much as possibly they could recover from their infinitely employed and busied Time, as it is reported and known all the world over. They writ of Helena, that, having found the material cross of Christ, and the nails wherewith he had been nailed upon it, shee caused one thereof to be inserted into the crown of Constantine the Emperour, and the other linked unto his bridle, minding him thereby, that Christ was not onely his chiefest honour, but likewise his bridle and director. But wee may truly say of our deceased Kings, that Christ was their chiefest glory and diadem; the onely Rule and Compass● of all their Life and Actions We need no further proof of their piety, least we should seem to make it doubtful. But because Kings especially, are not born for themselves alone, but for all theirs and for their Subjects, as gregory the Great speaketh, Reges in orb fecit Dominus, ut terrestre regnum famuletur caelesti. God hath given kingdoms unto Kings, that they should bring their Subjects to the kingdom of Heaven, and show them the way unto it. This was likewise a principal care of their Majesties; We have the effect of this godly care of his majesty of Bohemia, before our eyes, in the nursing up of the young Princes and Princesses in all piety and Christian virtues: and we bear yet in fresh memory the fatherly care in this kind which he manifested to all his Subjects in Bohemia and in the Palatinate; an infallible argument of sincerest piety: the like his majesty of Sweden ever carefully and praise-worthily intended and furthered to his uttermost. Lastly, if it be an undoubted mark of christianity and godliness, to fight and suffer for God and his Truth, what then shall we say of those two Kings, who partly lost, partly hazarded all their Possessions and Countries, to do service to God, his Church, and the grievously oppressed Christians, and to spread and extend the sweet gospel of Christ? In a word, we may well and deservedly give them this Encomium and commendation out of Gods Word, That they have done what was right and pleasing in Gods eyes. 2 King. 18. 3. 2. Iustice, was another jewel, wherewith our two Kings were gloriously adorned. How just and impartial they ever shewed themselves, as well in the public administration of Iustice, as in private cases in their own Courts, is more clear and manifest then the light of the sun, one may as soon disprove one as the other; insomuch, that we may well apply this sentence of Gods word unto them, that The wisdom of God was in them to do iudgement 1 King. 3. 28. 3. bounty and humanity; The third jewel of both their Majesties: the which was seen and praised in his majesty of Bohemia with admiration, how lovingly and how amiably, yea in a manner familiarly he carried himself to all, even of the lower sort, to his immortal commendation. Which as another excellency was likewise observed and highly commended in his majesty of Sweden; how friendly, mildly, and courteously he demeaned himself, not onely to those of lower rank, but towards his very enemies; with whom he could so comport himself, ut Pyrrhus unà fuerit& Cyneas, that he conquered almost as many and great Cities with his loving behaviour, and heart-breaking eloquence, as he did by his valour and courage: whereof Elbing in Borussia, Frankfurt upon the main, and Augsburg, are evident and fresh examples. We red indeed in the Histories of many Kings, qui alienae facundiae egue●unt, aut illâ vsi sunt, who either were to be supplied by the eloquence of others out of necessity, or used it out of pride, And so we red of lo, that he had always Maiorian at his elbow, to interpret his mind, Cuius dignatur ab ore, Caesar in orb loqui, as Sidonius speaks of him. But God had bestowed this singular gift upon the Majesties of these Kings, that they had no need, as Moses of an Aaron, to be their spokes-man, but ex tempore, and without premeditation they were able fully, wisely, and elegantly to express their mindes upon any occasion, which often put the hearers into admiration: So that we may say of both, that They knew to speak from the Cedar that groweth in Lebanon, to the Isop that sprouts out of the wall. 4. As for Courage, Valour, and undaunted magnanimity, another jewel again of the Crownes of those Kings, and which made them esteemed as the only gem of the world, consider we their heroical resolutions, and that height of courage they have manifested in so many occasions, Countries, Times, and Seasons, even admiraculum usque as the whole world cannot but know, and those do witness, that were oculati testes, the present and constant beholders of it. And we need no other proof then the many hundred Cities, Forts, Castles, the several bloody battles and victories, the frequent and dangerous skirmishes, and innumerable other warlike expeditions, which were practised onely in germany, within these two yeares, under the command and government of his majesty of Sweden. So that wee may well sum it up all with this part of Davids elegy, 2 Sam. 1. 22. From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty. And out of Gen. 49. 9. judah is a lions whelp; from the victory thou art exalted; he couched himself as a lion, as an old lion, who durst rouse him up? But what do we endeavour to commend that in his majesty, which neither present, nor future ages can sufficiently and answerably to desert extol and magnify, although they shall never cease to ring and trumpet his noble famed and memory. 5. There is yet wisdom, that royal Plant, which seems was the Masterpiece of all the endowments the heart of those royal Princes were adorned withall. For, Beloved, we may say this with out the least touch of pleasing flattery, that God had endowed those two Kings with such understanding and wisdom, that they were admired abroad, and joyfully honoured for it at home, and among their own: And we could well have applied to them, what Plinius saith of another; Nihil est omnium quod discere velles, quod illi tedocere non possent: You could have devised nothing to learn, but you might have learned it of them. witness, the great concourse heretofore to Heidelberg from all parts of christendom, as to the Delphik Oracle, and afterwards to his majesty of Sweden, for counsel, help, redress, and relief. In a word for the brevity of Time, we may without blasphemy, pronounce of their majesties that the Heavenly wisdom had built her a house in the hearts of those Kings, Pro. 9. 1. which will preserve the Remembrance of their Names to perpetuity. And now I had almost made this general conclusion of both Kings, with that of the Scripture, 2. Chron. 1. 12. that, scarce was any the like before them, and hardly will such come after them as were themselves: but that the philosopher puts me in mind of his, Ante obilum nemo, supremaque ●ata beatus: And therefore it is requisite that according to the subdivision of our Text, we consider with David the manner and fashion of the death of our deceased, and with all how happy our Kings were in the same. I shall not be long in this matter, it toucheth too near to the quick: would to God we had never had occasion to hear or speak of these, to us, most doleful deaths But as with all good Kings, so went it with these, Venit summa dies& inevitabile fatum The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places! How are the mighty fallen? I● is remarkable how that royal Prophet describeth their death; though they were slain, yet doth he add they were but fallen; Cadunt, non occidunt, abeunt, non obeunt, praeeunt, non pereunt, which though it could not be applied to Saul, yet of jonathan it was certain; They are fallen! So these, but they will rise again, they are gone, but not perished, they are gone before, but not lost: they will not come to us again, well we may go to them. Beloved, it would break not onely the tenderest, but the hardest heart, to consider how resolvedly, and quietly both Kings have left this miserable wilderness, and how, as Ambrose speaketh, regnum non deseruerunt, said mutârunt: They have not put off their Crownes, but onely changed them. His majesty of Bohemia, did so holily and comfortably resolve and fit himself divers dayes before with reading, praying,& singing especially the last night against the approaching death; in the presence of divers of his Courtiers& Ministers, till death came which seemed rather to be a sleep, his life failing and spending as the light of a dying candle. How resolutely and courageously likewise his majesty of Sweden hath encountered his death, none is able to express sufficiently, as we easily may conclude, if we weigh but a little one of his last discourses, praying that none would giudge him the honor God would bestow upon him, that he should loose his life for Gods word,& shed his blood for the German Liberty: exhorting withall the Princes and Commanders, to go on courageously with the work they had begun, that none should look upon him, an Instrument& Minister, but upon God the Mover& Master who doubtlessly would bless their endeavour, if their aim be& continue sincere,& that they onely would seek the magnifying of his glory; that hitherto he had done what he could, hoping none could lay any evil to his charge, that could have been prevented by him. And thus both Kings blessedly departed in the Lord& as the Scripture phrase is, obd●rmierunt, they fell a-sleepe, leaving behind them as Pliniu● words are, duas Reginas& mill virtutes, Two disconsolate queens, and a thousand heroical virtues. Therefore wee conclude in the words of David 2. Sam. 1. 23. They were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided, they were swifter then Eagles, they were stronger then lions. Lastly, it is worth observation, that as Samson slue more Philistines in his death, then all his life time; so the two Kings have obtained nobler victories in their Death, then even before; and thus entred the new jerusalem, as it were in a Chariot of triumph, as it is apparent, out of that strange and miraculous victory the dead King of Sweden obtained, and out of the rendering up of the city and Fort of Franken●all, into the hands of the dead King of Bohemia. Thus have we viewed a pattern and lively contrafact, of a pious and heroic Prince, in the example of those two excellent Kings; to pass by many other and most commendable virtues, wherewith as Christians, they were endowed and adorned. But now some malicious scoffers may rise up and say, what, had those Kings nothing but perfections, that all this while we have nothing rehearsed but their praises and virtues. I answer; Alas! Beloved, Homines fuerunt. They were men, as we are; they had their infirmities, as we have; who lives and sins not? But as Apelles, when he drew the picture of Antigonus painted onely the one side of his face, thus to hid and cover his infirmity, he wanting an eye upon the other hidden side: So must we do with our Princes; remember and propound unto the view of the World, whatsoever of theirs was praise-worthy and commendable, to add spurs and encouragements unto us to follow and imitate their example in all Christian virtues. As for the faults and infirmities, the Apostle tells us, that Love doth cover a multitude of sins, Iam. 5. 20. Especially, where the multitude and excellency of virtues do cover and excel the imperfections, the which we can and do truly aver of our deceased Kings. What remaineth then, but that with the Centurion having seen their death, wee comprehend all their commendations in one word: Of a truth those have been the sons and children of God. Mat. 27, 54, OF THE THIRD PART. Now for conclusion, How ought we to behave and demean ourselves after this fall and loss of ours? The Time being already past, and the season could, I will onely intimate some few rules, how we shall profit ourselves upon this mournful accident, and so conclude. 1. Telt it not at Gath, Publish it not in the streets: of Askelon, &c. Why? I trow the Israelites would sand no Messengers to Gath, to bring the news to the Philistines, that they had lost Saul their King. O no, Beloved, but we tell bad news at Gath, by our excessive complaining and crying, if we cast off all comfort, and do as if we would despair. Then we tell our Enemies as it were, that all our hope is gone, that we are quiter undone, we give them occasion to tickle and sport themselves, to grow proud and insolent upon our losses; And therfore we ought to moderate our lamenting and mourning, and to show by it unto the world that God is still continuing in heaven, on whom we depend. The Kings are dead indeed, but God lives for ever; his hand is not shorter, his arm is not weaker. At least, let us show our confidence in the eyes and presence of the wicked and scoffers, and though our heart lies bleeding, as it cannot but bleed for a long time yet, the wound being so fierce and deep; yet let us so order our comportment and conversation, that we manifest our dependence and confidence in God, and make no sport and pastime to the wicked by our immoderate grieving and lamenting. 2. Withall let us look once somewhat more seriously upon the Nature of sin, what infiniteness and greatness of evils it hath brought upon all the children of Adam. Sorrow and grief is one of those herbs and simples the earth yeeldeth not, afore it was dunged with sin. It is a weed, that sprouted immediately out of that bitter roote of our first apostasy. And as it came into the world with sin, so it will ever remain with it, till sin and world be both destroyed and perish. As much therefore as we desire to prevent those natural griefs and sorrows, so let us take heed of sin; Let us often think of sin, and that which follows sin at the heels, and then we will shun sin, to shun the inevitable after-claps of sorrowful misery and grievous punishments. Thus, as thorns and thistles are good to hedge in a pleasant garden, to keep out wild and wasting creatures, so will sin likewise be good, to be rooted in our memory, to remember both it, and the grievous consequents of it, but not good to plant any in our hearts, to feed and harbour it there, to spoil and cumber the ground. Let us therefore now seriously repent us of our sins, aclowledge, confess, bewail, deny, condemn, forsake, avoid, and hate them, and be assured God will make up the breach he made in Israel, perfect the building of the Walls of jerusalem, and wipe off those tears from our eyes, and turn them into joy and gladness. 3. Let us learn to put all our Confidence in God alone, and build all our comfort upon that sure rock: Ah! how often doth he repeat and inculcate this lesson unto us in his blessed word. Psal. 146. 3. 4. 5. Put not your confidence in Princes, they are men and cannot help, their breath goeth forth, they return to earth, in that very day their thoughts perish. Yea he hath confirmed this truth unto us by our woeful and doleful experience, and convinced us of it to our cost and grief; But hoppie is he, that hath the God of jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God; The Lord doth reign for ever, even thy God O Sion to all generations. This should always bee our comfort to uphold us, especially in our present mournful condition; God hath taken away our Kings and gracious sovereigns, yet He is not taken away but abideth for ever. he will supply their places, He will be the governor of the desolate Countries, a gracious King to the destitute Subjects, a general to the faithful Souldiers, a Husband to the royal widows, a Father to the royal progeny, yea all in all to all. He will raise up other enemy's and Iosia's, that shall finish his work, if we will but learn and practise this good lesson, to trust& rely wholly and onelly upon him. Saint Ambrose comforted the people after the death of Theodosius in this manner; Discedit, said non totus; reliquit enim liberos, in quibus ipsum cernamis; He is gone, but not wholly, for he left children, in whom we may see him still. Yea, but say they, the children are young? No saith he, they are not young: aetas est perfecta, ubi virtus est perfecta: the age is perfect, when virtue is perfect. To the kingdom of Sweden, God hath left a Queen, of the seed of that glorious King of theirs; And so hath the electoral Palatinate a true heir and successor, who shall go in and out before his people; in whom, God continuing his grace and favour, wee shall find a change of the person, but not of the royal virtues and endowments; Tu Marcellus eris: what great cause have we yet further to depend upon God, who already doth give us such hopes of happy after-times. 4. For our Conclusion, let us discern the vanity of all outward things, and the happiness of them that died in the Lord; Let us not grudge them their blessed estate, but endeavour, how we may follow them. The Scripture hath very elegant expressions of the death of the godly, that God gives them rest from their sorrows, and from their fears, and from their hard bondage, wherein they were made to serve, Esay 14. 3. There is nothing in this world but labour and pain sorrow and hearts grief, as we have seen it in the example of our deceased blessed Kings, whose whole life was circumscribed with Dolor& labour, pain and travel, misery and calamity. If we take any thing in hand to do, we grow weary; if we sit idle, the very idleness is tedious and irksome unto us: who then would be in love with this life, whose Prologue is weeping, whose Act is weeping, whose Epilogue is weeping. Here crieth one, My head, my head, with the widows son of Sunem; There moans another, My belly, my belly, with the Children of the Prophets; Yonder is a third lamenting, My son, my son, with David; There stands a fourth calling, My Father, my Father, with Elisha. One bewails his children with rachel, another faints for hunger with Esau, a third mourns for his sins with David, a fourth groans under his sickness with Hezekiah. Nothing but crying, weeping, mourning and lamenting: And yet how loth we are to leave this wretched World: The reason is, we have not yet sufficiently tasted the bitterness of it; and therefore, that we may not love, but loathe it, God must fill us another cup. What strange conditioned people are we, that we have been willing and ready to follow both these Kings to any Country, battle, danger, hazard, yea whither not, as long as they were here on earth; and now none cares nor thinks how to follow them into Heaven, perpetually to live and triumph with them. Let us then live as they lived, if we will die, as they dyed; yea, if we will live, as now they live. No question, if we do follow their example, Christ will always be our Life, and Death our gain: and after our work done here on earth, we shall sit down to Supper with Abraham, Isaac, and jacob, and with the blessed choir of Angells, sing perpetual hallelujahs to the Lord, and partake of that joy, which is at the right hand of God forever and ever. Whereunto God grant and help us to be advanced, for our blessed Redeemers sake, to whom, together with the holy Ghost, be glory and thankes for evermore. Amen. FINIS. APOTHEOSIS GVSTAVI MAGNI, Suecorum, Gothorum, Vandalorum, &c. Regis. Hic, ille Vindex Magnus Orbis, Hercules Non falsus,& non editus falso jove; said a potentiore missus Numine, Monstris domandis,& tuendis gentibus Adversus impias Tyrannorum minas. Hic, quicquid Illum somniavit Graecia Fecisse, fecit; veraque ultra fabulam est Enixa virtus. Ergo pro Laboribus Heros receptus contubernio Deûm, Caeli refulget non inanis Gloria. I. FORESTVS.