\55 I59g Milbourne A Guilty Conscience a rebel makes THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES FREDERIC THOMAS BLANCHARD ENDOWMENT FUND A Guilty Conscience makes a Preached on the Thirtieth oi BEING The Solemn Day of Falling and Humilia- tion for the Execrable Murder of CHARLES the Martyr, of Bleflfed Memory. AT THE Pariih>Church of St. ETHELEU^GJ. With a PREFACE, reflecting on a late Pamphlet, cali'd, The A S S and the E By LUKE MILEOURNE, a Presbyter of the Church of England. LONDON: Printed by L. Eerdwell } for George SwhUge, at the Three Golden Fltwer-de-LuceS) in Little-Britain. 1713. Price four Penct. 8* T O T H E EADER WH E N I had done my Dty on tltf Black Day of the Martyrdom of Chariest of Blefled Me*' ntory, One put into my Hand, a Pamphlet^ calfd The Afs, or the Serpent. Theod-: nefs of the Title made me read it prefently ; '/* doing which, I ra^the Afs in every P^age, and found, tho y not the Wi&orn, yet abundance of the Malice and Venom of the Ser- pent ', and, That the Author valued himfelf upon being one ofthofr who flops his Ears to the Voice or the Charmer, tho* p. 17. he charm never fb wifely; The Preacher of this" peaceable Difcourfe, itfeems, is H. Peters, Junior, nlias^ Thomas Bradbury, a Predicant ofD. W. Million, and blejfed al- ntoft with a double Portion of his Qrdaincry Fiery Spirit, And un- grounded Infilence. t cant imagine who told this Atheological "Boutefeu ? That when Jacob bleffed his Sons^ he defigned to exfofe any of them, as Afles for their Stupidity, Lions for their Ferity^ Wolves for their Ra- pacity, or Serpepts or Adders for their Mifchievous Temper.- tVlio told him, That it was a fan of Stupidity to love Reft, and ttt delight In a pleafant and a fruitful Country ? Who-tolei him, That Iffachar was refemlled to^ an Afs for his Stupidity, and not rather for his Strength and Patience, and general Ufefulnefs ? M %o told him, That there was no other dnimal forbidden to itftuJ? oftfA*T* be devoted to God, but an Afs? If he had rend his %X?v- Bible well, he'd havt found another Creature, of it Mature much like himfelf,whofe very Redemption Price' bent . 13.18. was not permitted to be brought into the San6hi- ary. I wi/h too, he had let Us know what tbofc" Civil Liberties were, which the Tribes of Ifrael enjoyed, and which Iflaehar parted with fo tanicly ? iVhofc Tyranny Iflachaf fubmit- ted to more than Others , tinlefs he dejigned to rcflcft upon the Go- vernment of God Inmfelf, of God?s High Pricft, of his Judges, or of his Kjngs t Either he bids Defiance to them ally which any but art Afe To the Reader. Afs may difcern, or elfe his whole Harangue is nothing but a Scan- dalous Libel againft the Pious Patriarchs, good Jewt, gocd Cbri- ftians, of all Ages, and againft all Governments and Governours, Spiritual and Temporal, and is, perhaps, the moft confummate Piece of Ignorance and Impudence that vents ever vented, fence fix Days of bis Anceflor, Hugh of infamous Memory. The Liberties which this Iflachar is fuppofcd, by this admirable Textuary, to give up fo like an Afs, are no where fpoken of in Scrip-* ture ; no where mentioned, or fo much as hinted at in Jacob's Blef- ling. Iflachar could have no diftimSt Liberties from his Brethren ; God governed Ifrael Himj'elf,, and that abfoluttly, wen before the Horeb Contract : The Judges and Xjngs, in all Things not direftly determined by the Law of God, governed De- fpotically, and came up in every particular, to Samuel 1 ; Declaration. , And what the Ten Tribes got by their Re- volt from the Houfe of David, teas only what this Gentleman and his Friends would fain be at, viz. A Toleration of any Religion but the true. All his Talk, of the Liberties of Iflachar, or ofDan, are only the Chimeraet of his own empty Brain, and the Deductions from his abfurd Hyfothejis are- Idle, Impertinent, Falfe, and Seditious all together. The Lot of the Tribe of Iflachar, was, indeed, exceeding fertile ; they were confequently obiiged to pay more of Tribute and, Taxes to God and the King, a terrible Burden that, than thofe Tribes, whofe Soil was lefs Productive ; But Iflachar, feeing his Lot ib Pleafant, and kimfelf the more fecure of Reft, by having foftrong a Barrier of the other Tribes, he flrongly apply ed himfelf to the Improvement of bis Land, and without Reluctance., fubmitted to fix Difpropsrtion. This our jliing Hugh could never have brooked ; down with Religion, down with Spiritual and Temporal Government ; Let Sword and Fire difturb the Reft of a happy People, and defolate- a flcafnnt Land, the 'Liberty of any , or no Laws,or Religion, is worth all the Expcnce of Blood and Tteafure. So fang the Rebellious Saints of old ; fo preached Hugh PtKiS^and we fee that Devi{ of Se- dition, is not yet caft entirely out of the Party. lam one of thofe wh never yet preached up Paffive Obedience ; but if all thofe who have done it, Wlfer ad Greater Men then I, muft be called A3es for it, they'll all prove like that of Balaam, when God open>l his Mouth ; and while they hold true to their own DoBrine, the dulleft of them,willfuicientl^ reprove the $jels of this falfe prophet. His Intimation is certainty fix moft. Brutifh and /y confuted it, Jhewing every where, "That none, but thofe who are alienated from God, can be Guilty of Sedition, or Rebellion : Katie but Evil Doers are afraid of their Lawrul Governours, as 1 havejbown in the fcHowing Difeourfe. Hsjhould certainly be a. Man of Courage, for his -very Scul is an Enemy Co Peace. He lays abtut him, without Fear or Wit, and ht?s certainly the firft who ever pretended to fill Hell f. 4. with fuch as Fear God and Honour the King, and will not meddle with thofe who are given to change. Hut he writes of H:a+en and Hell, juft as Aretine would have done ef God. He never Dreams of Working out his own Sal- vation with fear and trembling, and is therefore, Jude iz. for feeding himfelf without Fear. But Us a re- markable Character, which God gives of a certain dan- Job 41. gsrous Creature. Upon Earth there is none like 33, 34. him who is made without Fear, he beholdeth all high Things, he is King over ail the Children of Pride. He may oall that Leviathaa the Whale, an Animal al- moft asftupid us the Afs, or the Crocodile, cr the Devil, and a}- ffy which he pleafes at leifurc to himfetf. He gives us as good a Character of Patience and Faith, j and Chriftianlty fprcad far and wide, un- der Heathen psrfecuting Ewperers j and a)$ t but fuch a Novice ... at To the Reader. AS be, would have kjiown, that the Chriftians, very early, were nu" merous enough to have given Check. their Perfecutors, had not they learn d Chrifl otherwife than he has done ; and it's well enough known. That tbofe who talk, fo much againft rejjfting their lawful Princes by Force, dare fpeal^ more home and free I? againft Whore- mongers and Adulterers, and any of the immoral Tribe, than he or arty of his Brethren dare ; and we dare preach too, againft Schifin, Sacriledge, Herefy, fpeaking Evil of Dignities, Sedition, &c. Which he and his Brethren dare -not; I thinly, that neither the HobbsV , Spinofae'j , Collin's , Tyndal's , or Toland's, can more abufe or ridicule that Sacred Word, which makes the De- vils tremble, than this prefumptuous Son of Ignorance has done in this unparalleled Harangue. As for St. Paul's Behaviour toward the Magiftrates at Philippt, I have fufficiently accounted for that, in my Melius In- quirendum. from this Man's Obfervation That an f. 6. Afs can be no more a Pattern under tHe Gofpel, than a Sacrifice under the Law. I begin to hope, that few witt take -pattern by him, or give credit to what he afferts ; That he finds no Submiffions to an unrighteous Power in Scripture; but where the People were not able to do otherwife. No ? WJjat thinks he of the ftrong Afs, in his Text, if he underflood it right ? Did Mofes eppofe Pharaoh, when he was in the Bead cf Six hundred Thoufand Men, a greater Army than Pharaoh could ever raife to purfue him ? Did David want Strength . to have de- jlroycd Saul, when he had him alone in the Cave, or when he found him f.flsep in the Head of a Jleeping Army ? Were there not Ifrae- lites enow to have overturned David's Throne, when he had fo bafcly cut off the faithful Urijah ; or Ahab, when he had murdered, innocent Naboth ; or AhaT,, when he had polluted Jerufalem, and the Temple with Idolatry ? would not Twelve Legions of Angels have eafily bufficd the Force of Pontius Pilate and the]e\\s ? Could not the thundring Legion have brought down that fatal Storm upon Marcus Antoninus and his Army, as well at upon the Quades and Marcomans, who had never perfecut e d tfyem ? 'Or could' not Julian's Army have difpatched himfeon, whcfe Malice to Chriftianity they fill kriew , and who, prefently, to Jovian declared tbcmfelves all Chriftians? But I would beg of Mr. Hurh, to give us one {ingle Inftance, out of tbs. Bcol^of God, of one- truly pious Man, whoever Appeared in Arms againft his Lawful SoqercigK, if he cart. Z cannot find any Thing like an Argument in his whole Ha- rangue, nor one {ingle Text quoted ; bt,tt which he has blafphemed, profaned, and ridiculed to the utmoft of tyis Power. The Tribe of Dan, To the Reader. Dan, fo much bis Favourite, were no more Serpents in vindicating their Liberties, than the other were Afles in furrendring theirs ; tut Dan, however, applauded by him, vans the moft unhappy of all the Tribes ; There was fame Serpentine Subtihy, indeed ^ in fur- prfying the fecure Inhabitants of Laifh, and Sampfbn's Birch a-, mong them was remarkable j but they never afforded a confiderable Man afterwards ; and they were tke firft who fell into Idolatry, and in- to the bcavieft penal Defolations. He f. 26. the Hands of a Chriftian People. The Chriftian World then has been in a very dangerous Miftak? for a, great while^ and this glorious Difcovery was referred for fuch worthy Men as Boniface VIII. Julius III. Alexander VI. and other devout and long-headed Popes of Rome, and to be revived by the Hobb's, Sidney's, Locks, H ly's, B t's, Collins's, Bradbin ry 's &c. And yet a Man would thinly that fiich a well read Tbeo- logtic as the laft,jhoidd have heard of turning the other Cheek to him who had ftricken one. Of doing good to fuch ai Hate and Perfecute us. O/- Paying Tribute for Fear of of- fending Of Recommencing no Man Evil for Evil. Of Giving to dxjar the Things that are Cf Religion ; a War bc- Eflcx's gun for the Defence of the King, ending in the Watch-Mem Death of the King ; a War begun for the Defence of WatchWord the Parliament, ending in the Violation of the prefent, p. 14. and the Mutilation of all Future Parliaments, borh in the Point of Eleftion and Conftitution, &c. But, whether this Protection was fmcere or not, fo fell the Glory of thefe Nations in their pious and innocent , but their flandered, abused, vilified, hated, and at laft, cruelly murdered Prince. It was revived, indeed, again, in Charles the Second, of happy Memory, it lives ftill in our prefent Gracious Sovereign, and long may it Ihine, ill fpite of all its Enemies, with an undecaying Luftre ! But can tire, who are Chrijtiant, who are Englifk Subjects, can we remember the Occafion of this Day/'s Faft, and not ask that Queftion on the Behalf of Charles the Firjt, which our Saviour once propofed to the ingrateful Jews on his Own: Ftir which of his Good Works was it that they would Murder Him ? They called Him Tyrant, Traytor, Mur- derer, and publick Enemy of the Commonwealth ; and fuch Characters did the befotted Jews beftow on our dear Redeemer, viz. that he Was a Deceiver, a Profane and Sacrilegious Perfon, a Man of Rebellious Principle*, a Madman, one projffeji with a Devil. Could either thtfe Jews or our Infidels have proved their Charge, the Croft and Scaffold would haVe been deferved : But we may obferve,that They were thofe OVerprecifeObfervers of the Mofaic Law, thofe nice Men, the Scribes and Pharifes, who valu'd themfelves upon their Popular Religion and Circumftantial Piety, Thefe gaudy painted Septtlchers, whi were inwardly full of Stench and Rottenmfs, who were the Mortal Enemies of the Son of God : And the unhappy Spawn of that Hypocriti- cal Generation, Men of a pure Pharisaical Temper, who filled Mens Ears with the pleafmg Sound of Religion ; but their Hearts, as far as in them lay, with the impious Principles of Perjury and Rebellion ; Thefe Men were the bloody Perfecutors of God's Vicegerent, our late truly Religious Sovereign. The hair-brain'd jewijh Zealots, knew vefy well that, if the D6- Qrine of the Holy jefus prevail'd, their Power would befoon at an End, and the undeceived People, who had almoft adored them formerly, would quickly tread them under Foot ; and the Fear of this made them, againft their own Conferences, endeavour to de- ftroy Him, who came to feek and fave them. Our Enthujtaflical Bigots were perfectly fenfible how fatal a well-fettled peaceful Monar- chy would be to their feditious and illegal Projects j and this made them Thirtieth of January, them endeavour to fecure their own guilty Heads, by the Ruin of one of the beft Princes, who ever fwayed an earthly Scepter; for they hoped, that themfelves might efcape unpunjfhed, when they had involved three Nations in eternal Anarchy and Confujion. Thus pur Rightful Superiors, whether in a Spiritual or a Temporal Senfe, are the conltant Objsfis of guilty F.-ar and Malice. Such Malice and fuch Fear always vent themfelves in impartial Mifchiefs, wkile/caw^ Re- ligion and r^al "Gitdtuff, under the fure Guard of its fupreme Objeft, is all Obedience and Course ; The Reafon of which our Apoftle gives, in the Words of the Text. For Rtthrs are not a Terror to Good Works, but to the Evil. From which Word* I fhall prove, . ' That He, who exercifes himfelf in Qood Works, never enter- tains any Fears or Jealoufas of the Supreme Magijlrate, or his lawful Governors. 2. ' That He, who exercifes Himfelf, in that which is Evil, is always under violent Sufficient of his lawful Gavernours, becaufe of that Power, which is in their Hands to punifh Him, and then as a neceflary Confequence, 3. ' That He, who is full of Guilt and Sufoitiat, will always ftudy to revenge himfelf on that Power, which be Jiands in Fear of. I fhall prove then, r. That He, who exercifes himfelf in Good Wwkt, never enterr tains any Fears or Jealoufas of the Supreme Magistrate, or of his lawful Governours. There is no Fear in Love, faith, St. John, in another Cafe ; but perfect Love cafteth cut Fear. His Affertipn is true too in the Cafe before Us. He who loves Good, muft love God ; and he who loves God can fear no Being beftdes Him. But here its to be remembered, thac, by that Fear, which perfeft Love cafts out, the Apoftle means only that Bafe and Sla-wjh Fear, which, as God refufes in his Service, {q it bodes no Goo.d to any Other. Elfe we are commanded to ferve the Lord with Fear and the Fear of the Lord, is the beginning of Wifdont. And eternal Life can never be attained by any but fuch as fear Him. In this Senfe, the more we love God, the more we fhall fear Him, i. e. We fhall he the more afraid to tranfgrefs his Laws, or to do any Thing which may offend Him ; fuch Fear is commonly known by the Name of filial Fear, or that which ah Obedient and Wife Son fhews to his Father ; and it ftands in Gbntra- diftinftion to that flavifi Fear, which we mentioned before, o? fuch Fear as pofleffes a fturdy ungovernable Slave, when fce fees his sngry Matter. No.w its a filial Fear which the Good Man always bears to his lawful Governeur:, who are to us the Ordinance of God, and his Reprefentatives : The more of this Fear Men have, the bet<= cer SubjeSs they'll prove } fo,r the Effects of it ar? Always, due Sub* Oiiffien and Obedience. t But if a Man, out c.f a flavifh Fear, grows jealous, and Afraid oC feis lawful Governp.ufs, flfe muft do fo, cither on Account of tke A SERMON yreactfH en the Religion he Himfeli prefefTes, or on Account of his omn Civil or Temporal CdKcerns, or he muft Love Mifchicf only for MifchicPs Sake : Tlie laft Reafon few will be willing to owa^ the two for- mer we'll confider diftinftly. i. For Religion, where its True and Sonnet, its a Jewel, which oughfc always to be very precious in our Efteem j oay, we ought rather to lay down our Lives, than to Renounce or Abjure it i This ourf great Matter encourages us > in thdfe Words Matth. 8. 3- jett to the Higher Powers, i.e. The Higher Powers then in being: 'The reafbn was < Far there is no Power but ef God, the Powers that: lie, are ordained of God ; he,therefore, who rcfifts the Povfcr, rejtfts the Or- dinance of God ; and they that rejfft, /kail receive to thetnfelves Damnation. I believe, that Nero, whofe- Subject Sr. Paul was, did, and that, ether Princes, even in thefe Days, do bear a great deal of Ill-will to true Religion ; but the Queftion is, whether, with all their ill- will they com. do it any Hurt or not ? Nero is juftly Infamous for being the Krfi Prince, who openly perfected Christianity ; Yet, in fpite of all his wicked Intentions, He was fo far from hindring the Pro- grefs of the Gofpel, by perfecucing it, that many ef his own Hou- Thirtieth of January, flat* embraced it. Nay, it was found by frequent Experience, That the Death of a Martyr had much of the fame Effeft, with the Sermon of an j4poftie ; and fent great Numbers of Converts from the place of Execution. It was obferved, That the Edifts of Empe- rors againft the Profeflbrs of Chriftiapity, made many Perfons very jnquifitive after the Tendrys of that Religion, who, otherwife, \vould not have regarded it at all ; by which means, they too of- ten became Converts to the Truth. All places were full of the Followers of Chrift, in a very few Years; tho' all the Stratagems of Wit and Cruelty were made ufe of for their Extirpation. To fay more yet, Was not Perfecution an excellent Means to diftinguifh between the Wheat and the Ch.*jf ; between fuch as had a Form if Godlimfs only, and fuch as were Illuftrious for the Paver cf i? ? And may we not fufpeft, on that very Reafon, that thofe who were fo fearful of Perfecution, as to take Unchristian Methods to prevent or divert it, do fo, leaft a time of Perfecution mould expofe them to the ill Opinion of the World ; and let them fee how little they can fitter for the Sake of that Heavenly Religion, ahlch they talk fo loud of, under a ferene Sky ? The Chriftians of the firft Ages were, doubtlefs, as willing as Others to live quiet and peaceable Lives, under their refpeftiye Prin- ces ; but they befieged the Throne of Grace only with their Petiti- ons for the Bleffing : They knew, That the Hearts of Kings were in. fbc Hands of God, and that He could turn them as He $leajed ; their Bufmefs was, to fend up their United Prayers to Heaven ; to do their own Duties in their feveral Stations, and to truft Providence with the Event. Thofe blefTed Saints ftudyed to provide Things Honeft in the fight of all Men, to give no Occajion of Offence to them that were without ; And, who could Harm them while they did. what toat Good ? Chriftians did not believe, in thofe Days, that the Deftruftion of their Bodies, could do any Hurt to their Souls f but when they fuffered for the Name of Cbn'Jl, they even blef- fed the Inftruments which difpatchcd them out of a World of Sin and Mifery, to the glorious Inheritance of the Sons of God. When the Rowan Emperor: purfued the Chriftians with their ut- rnoft Fury, they could have reveng'd themfelvesfufficiently,as Tertul- lian alledgcs, in the time ofStptimiuJ Seventy if rhey would but have Deferred the Empire ; but they fudg'd it unlawful to do that; God had la- : d the Yoke of Subjection upon them, and they fuppos'd it was their Duty to bear chat Yoke with Patience; and tho 1 they pray'd, fervently to God, That He would change their Prince's Hearts, yet at the fame time, they pray'd too, That God would Blefs thofe very Princes in all their lawful Undertakings ; and they afUfred them as readily with thtir Lives and Fortunes. It is not Safe, we fay, to provoke an armed Multitude ; yet neither their Strength in Number nor in Arms, could perfuade the Primitive Chriftians fo much as to Defend themfelves againft the bloody Commands of a Cruel, but their Lawful Prince j Witnefs thefamM Thebeian Legion. r- ' they A SERMON preach' d on the ' They were more than Six Thoufand, both Officers and private " Centinels r allChriftians; Atox/M//?Crf/ their Voices A&s 4. 27, with one Accord, and faid, of a Truth, Lord) againft thy 2. Holy Child Jefus, vhora thou haft Anointed, bath Herod and Pontius Pilate, fcith the Gentiles and People of Ifrael were ga- thered together, &c. But do they Pray, that God would there- fore aflift them, to repel Force with Force, or to reduce them to more reafonable Courfes ? t No ! but they Pray thus.-; Behold Lord, their Threatnings, and grant unit thy Servants, that tntb all Btldncfr, they may fpeak thy Word. i.e. Give Us but Grace to do our Duties, as Difciples and Miniflers of Jefus Chrift; let thy Spirit but aflift Us powerfully in that Work, and we fhall never be terrifyed, either at the Violence or Malice of fuch as Oppofe the Gofpel. How bufy was Jntiochus Epiphanes of old, to introduce Idolatry among the Jens ? What Force, what Fraud did he not make ufe of to that purpofe ! How formidable an Adverfary did he appear to a miferable harrafTed Nation ? Yet, when he had tryed all Ways to effeft his bafe Defigns, he found himfelf ftrangely baffled, and a poor handful tf Men made a Terror to his numerous Armies. The Antient Roman Emperors attempted as oft to root out Cbriftitmity, and to eftablifh Hcathenifm: What Seas of Blood were fhed to that purpofe at their Commands ? What politic Fetches had they to circumvent the Innocent and Unwary ? Yet all their Enterpri- zes of that Nature came to nothing, being carryed on only by the ArmcfFlelh, while the Gofpel propagated by fuch as were far from being Worldly Politicians, under the Prote&ibn of Almighty God, prevailed every Day more and more ; and it pleafed him, even by the Foolijhnefs of preaching to fave fuch as Believed; or, to come nearer Home ; Popery, after a long Tyranny over our Souls and Bodies, was banifned from among Us, by the gracioufly aflifting Hand of God ; and Religion reformed according to God's Word, and the Patern of Antiquity was fettled here : How many Plots and Stra- tagems, how many angry Confederacies have Men been engage^ in, to replant that Poifonous Weed of Popery ; and to fubjeft Us again to that infupportable Yoke ? What dreadful Apprehen- fions have many had of its Reftauration ? Yet, wh&n all the Po- litic Defenders of our Reformation have been in a profund Sleep , or have run countre to all the Rules of common Prudence, God's unerring Ptovidence has fecured our Religion, or reftored it when it was almoft buryed in its own Ruins ; His All-feeing Eye has, difcovered thofe Snares which sre laid to entrap Us, and which 8 A SERMON preach* but Political Societies could never ftand C without A S E R M/O N preactid on the without Laws, tho' there were no God to fin againft ; yet, as St. John tells us, That - - Sin is the T> anferrjfion of the Law. So, in fuch a Cafe, every Trefpafs againft every Humane Law, muft oeeds be a Sin againfl: the Members, and the Intereft of that Society, in which it is committed. But if this be true, then that fame Necefiity, which obliged Men to contrive Laws among themfclves, and for their own Security, that fame Ne- cefTity would oblige thertr to enforce thcfe Laws by Penalties, and tQ execute thefe Penalties upon Delinquents. Now this Oder being obferved, fo many as are at any time guilty of a Tranlgreflion, and fc have incurred a Peaalty, fo many would have a continual Terror cpon their own Hearts, upon account of thofe who were neceflarily entrnfted, as feme muft be, to in*Ji& Penalties upon Delinquents; and tho 7 none may know any Thing of their Guilt for the prefent, befirfe themfelves, they'd be afraid of every Thing that could pofTrbly difcover them ; and tho 1 the Perfons ent rafted to execute Juftice, fhould pardon the Criminals at prefent ; yet the Criminals would be jealous ftill, leaft the Mi- nifters of Juftice mould refume their Refolutions of Revenge; and, That I'lemfclves fhould be furprifed with an unforefeen Dcftruftion. But firtce Religion, and the Belief of a God' have t^ken place in the World, the Cafe of Good Men, indeed, is much better ; but that of ill Men is much Worfe. Lucretiw fpoke Primus in Orbe like himfelf, i.e. like an s/;fa/J{,vchen he &id,Fear DeosftcitTimor. was the f.rft Creator tfGtds -- Yet it's probable Lucre f. enough, That, tho' an ,4th ;ft may be very high and above all Few of Correction in this World, yet his fecret Bbfom- Fears may convince him, That there is A Being higher than himfelf j and that fuch a Being as can punifli him feverely for his Mifdemeanors. But where Men are con- vinced before hand of that great Truth, That there is a God, the Lathes of Confciencc are much more terrible. A Man may put fome flop to humane Juftice, by hiding himfelf, cr flying from one Place or Country to another. But, who can fly from the All-reaching Hand o f Divine Vengeance ? Who can hide him- felf from the All-fearching Eye of God? Pfal. 139. 8,9. if I afc end up to Heaven thcu art there, fays Holy David ; if I go down into Hell, behold 'thou art then alfo ; if 1 take the Wings tf the Miming, and diocU in the utter- tnojl Part's of the Earth, even there jh*ll thy Hand had me, and thy Right Hand Jhall find me ; if I fay, furcly the Darkncfs faff coi)ir me, even the Right jbail be Light about me ; Tea, the Drknefs hideth not from Thee ; bvt ike N'ght jhinetb es the Day, the D#rkcfs and Liglt are lt,ib alike toJ'hct: Nay, may I not add farther, that, fiom"this,g-f77fr^/ a God, thcfe Apprehenfions fpring, which render the very Brute Creatures, over whom we Tyrannize fo much, fo very dreadful to Us, as if, when we had committed a Sin, tho' it m?.y Thirtieth of January, 1773. may be, but in Thought only, we believed , thtf. of Solomon literally true That the Bird of the W/r fiould cany the Four, and that which had Wings frould tell the Matter. Every one knows the Story of the Fall of our fir ft Parents; but who, without acquiefcing, in what has-been id id, can give any reafon for theirE'Wwue^orfor thtir hiding thetujelves? HowdidGuilc ilupify their Underftandings, and make them filly, even to Ridi- culoufnefs ? They knew their Creator, and underftood his Na- ture, better than any of their Pofterity ; and yet they- dreamt of hiding thumfel-jts from his Search, among the Tree! of the Garden ; none of their fellow Creatures could iliame them ; and yet th.'r tfjtkettnefs muft be covered. What ? durft they not Look upon Themfelves now, who, before had been the lovelyeft Obje&s in the World to one Another ? Or, did they only flicker Them- felvcs front the Fury of Wild Beads among the Trees ? Cod had given them Dominion over all Creatures ; and we done find, that any of rheir Subjefts had rebelled againft them ib early: No, but alas! They were Confcious to themfelves of tlieir own Crime, md they knew not now what they might expeft ; They had loll their Innocence, and having expofed their Naked nefs by fo doing, They might well be afliamed of Themfelves; They had an Accuser and a Judse, in their own Bofoms ; and who can wonder at the Reftiffnefs of a wounded Spirit ? When Can had murdered his righteous Brother , tho' ail Men Living then, were nearly related to him, and its probable, they might have fhewn fome Reverence to his Primo-geniture ; yet' be was jea- lous, leaft Wbofiever Jhould meet Him, jhould kill II m The Senfe of all this made the Heathen Saiyrifl cry out O yeGodi, how mifsrehle Diicj; De;rq; omnes a r e the Lives of Guilty Wretches, wht are at- q-uam male eft extra ways tiered with the Expectations of thofe Pu- Legem viventibus ! itijbmetttt, which they know they have Deferred! quicquid merueranc Nay, Guilt, even when it's fincerely repen- ftm per expectant, ted of, is apt to give the Penitent a long Difturbance. David was a Man after God's own Hcmrt, and as fuch. jnight have lived and enjoyed himfelf fecurely in his Palace at Jerujalfm ; but the Matter tf Urijah had {hocked the Foundation of his Quiet: After that Sin, his Son Abfalom, no very great Warriour, made valiant David fly for his Life ; Shimei cnr^-d him, and threw Stones at Him; Sheha the Sons cf Bichri, raifed a new Rebellion againft Him ; sldomjah, another of his darling Fa- vourits, ftep'd into his Throne, while He was yet Alive ; David all the while reflecting on his great Sins, which, tho' God had remitted, He, the mournful Criminal Himfelf knew not how to forgive. Solamaji was the Wifeft of Men, yet when He had afted beneath a Man, in committing Idtlttry, to pleafe his Wives and Concubines, He was driven to mean Shijts, to keep down the ftirring Spirits of 'Jeroboam. Jeroboam too, was fenfible of his Sin, in leading the Ten Tribes in their Rebellion, againft the Houfe C 2 Of i z A S E RMO N freacVd on the of David, and his guilty Thoughts threw Him upon that Politic Idolatry, which brought nothing but Scandal upon Himfelf and Ruin upon his Kingdom. He ftands upon Record, for the Man who made Ifrael to (in ; and in the next Generation, his Name, as King, was quite 'done away : His coward Heart told Him, that if He permitted true Religion, and the Worfhip inftituted by God ro continue among the revolted Tribes, his prefent Subjefts would foon grow fenfible of their Fault, and return to their for- mer Obedience ; fo well that fubtil Rebel knew, that Fidelity to Cod, and Loyalty to lawful Princes would Live and Dte, Stand and Tall together. But the Cafe of thofe Two Brethren in Iniquity, rho' not in Time, Jchitophel and Jttdas, was remarkable above all ; they, were Favourites with Wicked Men, like Thcmfelves, for their Bafenefs and Treachery ; but they funk under the intolerable Perfecutions of their own Confciences, till they brought deferved Death upon Themfelves. And have We not read or heard of greater Tyrants and Murderers, who have groan'd under perpetual Terrours, after the Perpetration of fome extraordinary Wicked- nefs? In the Bock of Wifdom, We have an excellent Defcription of the Plague of Darknefs, and the Plague of a wounded Spirit, as they both met together in the ^Egyptians, For while they fup- fofed' to lie hid in their fecret Sins, fays that Ex- Wifdom. 17. 3. cellent Author, they were fcattered under a dark Veil of Fargetfulnefs, being horribly aftonifoed and ter~ rifed with flrange Apparitions ; far neither might the Corner which held them, keep them from Fear; but Nuifes, as ef Waters falling down, founded a',ont them, andjad Vijions appeared to them with heavy Coun- tenances ; The lilupons of ^rt Magic were put down, and their vaunting Wifdam was reproved w:ih Difgrace ; for they who promifed to drive away Terrours and Troubhs frsm a Sick Soul, were Themfdv*s Sick of Fea>", ytortky to be laughed at ; for Wickednefs, condemned by her own Witnefs, is very t-tneraui, -and being freffed with Conference, always fcrscajleth Evil-Things And the Author concludes, that Chapter, thus The whole Wot Id fiined with Light, and none were kindred in their La- bours ; over them only was fpread an heavy Night, an Image ef that Varknefs which fhtuld afterwards receive them ; But yet were they unto Themfelves more grievous than that Darbttfs. So true it is, that jic- thing can fufficiently exprcfs the Horrors of a Guilty Mind ; That God, who is the fupreme Governour of all Thing?, terrifies fuch as delight in Wickednefs, by unavoidable Confcience, an Enemy which r,hey always carry about them, and is, of all others, the moft unconquerable. But fome Men, now adays, are grown to fuch a Height of Impiety, that they do not ftand in any Extraordinary Fear of God, who feems aft a. vaft Diftance from them. If they own his Being at all, ^et, at beft, they look on Him as cne who is very (low in executing Vengance j and, That He permits Sinners to enjoy Thirtieth o/ January, i-j\\. enjoy themfelves in their own Wickednefs for a very confiderable Time. Therefore, with reference ii God, they put the Evil Day far from them ; But they are beyond Meafure angry with fuch *s are in "Authority hereupon Earth ; Such as are God's Subftitutes here below, for the Punijkment / Evil Doers, and jor the Praife of thofe who do 'Well. They are irreconcilably angry with fuch who are Men, like Themfelves ; and are, as they think always, ready at Hand to plague them, who can Punifh them in rtieir Bodies, or in their EJtatet, which they value much more than their immortal Souls. Of fuch Men in Power, thefe daringly Impious Wretches are fo very fearful, that as the Wife-Man Obferves The iVckcd fly, when n* Man purfues. They are al- Prov. 28. r. ways apprehenfive of Juftice, and always projecting how to fecure Themfelves from the Edge of thofe Laws, which they fo frequently tranfgrefs, Where wicked Men are not yet ftrong enough to defy Authority and Juftice, a fudden and * jet-ret Flight into fome Foreign Country, is generally looked on as the Offender's beft Security ; And, yet even in fuch a Flight, the very Notes of harmlefs Birds, the waving Motions of the (landing Corn, the Winds whittling among hallow Rocks, the gentleft Motion of the working Sea, and the brisker Sound of a fudden Flurry amongft the Shrouds of a Ship failing merrily towards its Port ; and a Thoufand fuch Bugbears as thefe, make their Hearts tremble ; and every Shadow flying o're their Heads, reprefents an Officer of Juftice, ready to take them into Cuftody. And, certainly, fuch a Life is worfe than Death itfelf. Again, Let but an Infurreftion be raifed againft his lawful Prince or Governuor ; let but a Foreign Enemy invade Him, or a Home- born feeming Friend betray Him , the Guilty Man claps in imme- diatly with the Enemy, and feeks for Shelter from his Princes Ju- ftice among the Croud of his Oppofers. Let but a Seditious Jew be- gin a Tumult, and Thoufands of Murders fhall be ready to follow whereever he'Jl think fit to lead them. Nay, let but Pious David fly from the jealous Rage of Saul, and even he Ihall have Sor.s of Belial, a Pack .of Factious Male-Contents, of Bznk-rupt Debtor?, and all forts of Malefactors, to efcape the Sword of Juftice, lift them- felves among his Followers. Let a Prince or Governor be vigorous, only in averting hit own jufl Power, without encroaching at all upon the Liberties of his Subjects : Let him feem a little too fevere for the Humour of a Loofe and Degenerate Age, and how ready will jealous Criminals be to lopp off the Arm* of that Power, which they tremble to think of? Thus Kerva, Pertinax, Aurelius Probxs, Alexander Severn.', and other excellent Emperors of Rome, found themfelves fuddenly opprefied, by the Confpiracy of thofe Troops, whofe Diforders they endeavoured prudently to reform : Thus Oftnan, or Ottoman, the Second of that Name, a late Emperor of the Turks, was murdered by his J.tniz,arict, becaufe they underftood, he was refolved to reduce that kind of Militia to their Original Difcipline, or to diflblve A SERMON preach 1 el on the diffolve their whole Order. And fuch too, was the Cafe of Charles the Juft, the Good, whofe Murder all true Englifh-Afcw, and fincere Cbriftians this Day Mourn for. There are few who are ac- quainted with the Story of that Time, except the Brood of the /.true Serpents, and tainted with the fame Penemous Principles, who can think thofe were extremely veil affected, cr the Sobereft and the Bejl of Saints, who attempted, at firft, to clip the Wings of Regal Power ; and to make their Prince Slave to his own SubjtErs ; who would have nay the fame unconquerable Fears, can never imagine Themfelves at Eafe, till they have difpacched every Thing, that feemed capable of giving them Dift.urbance. When. Maurit/M, the Ea-ftcrn Emperor heard of an lufurreftion in his Armv, and that it was headed by one Phocas, he asked what fort of a Man that Phocat was? When he was told, That Jie was a notorious Coward ; Is he a Coward, faid the Emperor",""^ daubtlefs he i* Cruel and Mdit'ous too ? And fo he proved : For firft he MurderW his Matter's Wife and Children before his Face, and then the Emperor himfelf ; for he could not hope to reign in Quiet, fo long as one Competitor of fo great a Family remained alive^ Ufurpers are perpetual Inftances of this Truth, for tho' Ptpulartty and Ceurtejjr be their Intereft; and, tho' they pretend to be the awns of P-Mck Liberty, and therefore, often make the moft. Thirtieth of January, moft pleafing, and the gentlefs Laws ; yet their Fears and Jea- louiles make their Practices fo incenfiftent with their Pretences, and force them to draw ib much Blood, tocut off fo many of thofe who are able or likely to controul Them, that in fpite of all their Artifice , they quickly forfeit both their Peace and their Reputation. Such, fay, eur Hiftorians, was the Cafe of our Richard the Third, to whom, we are told, that we owe fame of oar moft nfefitl Statutes, which he pafied only to court the Populace ; yet endleis Sufpicions, both of Friends and Enemies, made him lavifh out fo much of the Nation's nobleft Blood ; beiide, the unnatural Murder of his own Nephew* and Sovereigns, that he juftly got the Name of Tyrant and Traytor, and as fuch was hated and curfed , and, at laft, deferred by his Fellow-Subje&s. The Roman Story, indeed, tells us of the famous Cornelius '&y II a, the Dictator, that after he had deluged Rome and all Italy, with the Blood of proscribed Citizens and Senators, and when his Safety feemed to lie wholly in the Arbitrarinefs of his Authority; he yet, on a fuddain, with an amazing Boldnefs, laid down his Rods and Axes, and in Defiance of Publick Hatred, retired himfelf to a Private Life Whether he did it out of mecr Contempt of the Multitude, or a ftrange Confidence in the Majefty of his own Perfon ; or becaufe every one knew he was not Cruel but upon Neceflity; or that fome Oracle had flattered him with a Promife of Safety in his Retirement : Whatever Syllas Reafon was, for what he did, we meet with no Parallel to it in Hiftory. When I remember the Fear which Cain was in leaft every one who met Him jbould kill Him, it makes me think, That that Law He who lied; Mans Blood, by Man fiall his Blood be fhed was as old as the Creation of Adam himfelf ; it was part of what we call the Law of Nature, and is altogether Equitable ; and the Rule of Equity Teaches, even thofe who are Guilty of other Sins, to fear fomething of a. Retaliation; fo God repayed Jdvni* bezels Cruelty and Tyranny- Threescore and Ten Kings, having their Thumbs and great Toes cut off , gathered their Meat undtr my Table, fays he us I have done, jo God hath requited me; So David's Murder and Adultery was revenged Judges i. 5. by dbfahms Murder and Inceft, as Nathan had fore- told ; for thvs fiiye th the Lord, fays Nut ha, Iwill raife Evil agbwft theetout of thine own Houfe, and I will tah thy Wives before thine Eyes, and I will give them unto thj Neighbour ; and he jh.ill lit: with thy Wiiiei in the fight of this Sun ; for thon didfl it fccretly, bat I -spill do this before all Ifrael, and before the Sun. But now can 2 Sam. J *. any Man, who is acquainted with Humane Nature, fan- u, 12. cy, that a meer Carnal Man, be his Crimes never fo Great and Scandalous, can fubmit to that Punifhmenf, which he has delc-rved, without Keluftance ? Can he be fo patient, when he's pu- nifticd, as not to :h>nk of Revenge, againft botli the Authors and Miniflers of Jufticc ? Pious Men, under the vigorous Influ- A SERMON reactid on the ences of Supernatural Grate, may ask, fincerely ~ Why Jhould a living Man complain, a Man for the Punishment of his Sins But racer Flefh and Blood knows no fuch Principle. The Reafon is plain, Man in his Carnal State, is but the Slave of Hell; die Devil always moves them to fin, and hurries them on violently to commit it ; while Men Sin, they'r doing the Devil's Work, and the more they deftroy of fuch as oppofe them in their Wicked Actions, Che more they are encouraged to Sin, and the Devil's Empire is enlarged the further ; This is what the Devil would have ; and tho' that fubtil Serpent treacheroufly deferts his moft aftive Ser- vants, at their greateft Need ; fo that the Ax or Gibbet is the common Reward of all their Ungodly Induftryj Yet many are fo defperately hardened, thro 1 the Deeeitfulnefs of Sin, that they can- not fee their own Danger j but they go on to drudge for Hell, without fo much as the paltry Reward of a little temporary Self-Enjoyment, or fading foolifh fenfual Pleafure. Skin for Skin, yea all that a Man has, will he give far his Life, faid, Satan, to God, in the Cafe of Job; and it's a great Truth, 'tho' fpoken there by the Father of Lies ; Men will expofe or part with any Thing that's deareft to them, for their own prefent Security ; but they'll be much more lavilh of what belongs to others, on the fame Account. Tho' the prefent World is a Place of Grief and Vanity, where nothing of true Pleafure, or real Contentment was ever yet found ; yet there's fuch unaccountable Witch-craft in it, that foolifh Men can feldom extricate thcmfelves out of its Embraces : Nay, and thofe who abufe themfelves and the World moft, ?.re generally the moft infenfiblc of their Folly, and the moft unwilling to leave it. Thofe whofe monfterous Crimes, even in their own Opinions, deferve Death, yet fly from Death with the greateft Care, and could be content to turn the World upfide down, provided they might put off Death but for a few Hours ; this very Sollicitude proves, that wicked Men are very fenfible of their own Demerits, tho' they try to hide their inward Pangs, with abundance of Artifice ; for what is it, that makes them fo very loth to die ? Do they not believe their Souls ti be Immortal ? If they are not Immortal, then the fooner they die, the Happier is their Lot ; fince after Death, as there is no Pleafure, fo neither is there any Pain ; but in this Life, Pain is the moft Certain, Pleafure the moft Uncertain Thing in the World ; De they not believe that there h a God, a Providfnce, a 'Judgment to come ? Then the Difoiution of their prefent Being can do them no harm to be fure ; they have no /Iccwvt to make, no Sen- tence to bear, no Pum'Jhment either of Body or Soul to undergo ; fo that Life or Death might be very indifferent to them, or, of the Two, Death fhould be preferred But when I hear our BlefTed Saviour declaring, That Wicked Men, at the great Day, jhatt cry out tt the Mountains to fall upon them, nnd to the Rocks to cover them from the Wroth f Him whs fits upon the Throne. When I hear him Thirtieth of January, htm fay, that at tie found of tke la ft T,imfet^Tte Dead JleS rife, ttey whf have dint i^ell te the fLefttrrt&icx of Life, they nfo k&va 4int ill to the Refurreftisn / Damnation. When I hear it infal- libly determined, That tke Sew/, -nth* Sinr, jb.tii Die I wonder no longer, . when I fee ungodly Men (brink from Death, and fhiver when they ffand upon the Brink of the Grave, when no- thing appears but Hell and Eternal Torment, to receive the fleering Soul, no Courage can fupport the dreadful Vifion. Revenge, then carries with it all'chats fweet, all that's dedrable to the Eyes of wicked Men* If Revenge be feifible, he who At- chjeves it, may promife himfelf Impunity, as to any hurt which ths Power he would be revenged on, can do him. From the Hopes of this Revenge, A'b:ifin, Rebellion, Murder, and the like horrid Impieties take both their Beginnings and Increafe. The Wretch, who has finned himfelf out of all hopes of Heaven, and is there- fore inwardly affured, that, if there be a God, that God will re ward him according to his Works : That at the Day of Doom, he (hall be c?.ft into cuter Darkntfs, where fhall be weeping and -vail* ing, and gnzfiing O f Teeth; Eternal infinite irremediable Tortures with the Devil and his Angels: Such a Wretch, when he falls upon thefe Reflexions , liftens prcfently to the Suggeftions of Hell ; and, That he may, if poflible, quiet his own Thoughts, endeavours with the old Poetical Giants, to dethrone Gcd Him- felf; he Labours Night and Day, to argue himfelf out of rfie Opinion of God's Exiftence, and propounds to himfelf and others, a Thoufand Doubts and Difficulties, which hee'd fain imagine are included, in maintaining that Notion ; all which, till extreme Guilt had made him defperate, had never come into his Head j to exprefs his Malice againft Heaven the more, he's not content to entertain dtbdfl.ical opinions himfelf, but he's induftrious t pf o pagate them among his Companions and Acquaintance ; he per- fuades others by his Talk, and by his own Example, to be impu* dent In Wickedness ; and encourages them by cavilling and ridiculing every Thing that's Rational and Important ; before them lie laughs at, and expofes God's Word, and his Meffsngen, and flouts at his more modeft AfTociat.es, as if to be afraid of finning, was only tO be a frltjt-riiidtn Coward ; and to walk innocently were only i Proof of a foft place in the Head. This Man never wants hi$ Infhnces to prove, That Men may be infamous /> t',idr Klckednefs, and yet make a mighty Figure, and proffer totndfrfuttj ir. the World. He afJerts, and would fain convince others, that all the current Notions of a God, of a fcvere Religion, of a future Judgment, and the like, are bur fo many Scare-crows or Supcrfiirirus Whim- fies, to-fceep Melancholic Souls in awe ivi'.'h, and.ro abridge that Liberty in their Aftions, which, by : Nature, they were born to. And if his Wit and Arguments fail, as commonly they run Very low on thefe Occafions however, lie'll debauch as rnsny *Sh can, bjr his Jjwii Example, and values hjmfclf as a Hero, 1 8 A S E R M O N preach *d on the when he has throughly tin&ured another with his own Madnefs, and as far as in him lies, fruftrated the Deflgn of Christ Dtath, by making a poor unthinking Sinner defpife his own precious Soul, and feoff at, and abufe the Means of eternal Salvation. Thofe too behave themfclves in the fame Manner, who, by their irregular Aftitns, have incurred the Penalties of Humane Lavt, no Breach of which can be good or juftifiable, anlefs, where they enjoyn any Thing that is a plain and undeniable Contradiction to the Law of God. Such Perfons, moved by a very reasonable Fear of being called to an Account for their Crimes , and being difTattt- fied to fee any Advantages, Honours or Preferments, go befide them- felves, or that all Public Aftairs are not carried on according to their own Peculiar Schemes, make it their Bufinefs to undermine and weaken the Authority and Reputation of thofe, who, if they flourifh, muft neceflarily ruin them. If fuch defperate M*/e-Ces- tents can but find the People in a tickliftj and uncertain Humour, and eafy to be put into a Ferment, they'll prefently fcatter ground-' left and malicious Riimavrs every where, amufe the People with their abrupt and paflionate , but very myfterious Expreflions ; they'll induftrioufly fpread the falfs Newt, of aThoufand Encroach- ments upon their darling Liberties and Properties, and of Injuftice and Tyranny creeping in, by infenfible Degrees; if they .find the Multitude have any Concern for Religion, they'll hare the World with Stories of its aproaching Ruin, at that very Time when they know it's fupported with the greateft Steadinefs and Vigour, againft all th Attempts of open Enemy's, or pretended Friends ; and then frequent Experience {hews Us, tbat a frighted Rabble may eafily be perfuaded, that the Thames may be blown up, That Princes may be guilty of Treafon againji their own Subjetff, that Sntv> is Slack, or that the moft abfolute Impoflibilities aretrue. When Men's Minds are thus alarmed, they are prefently ape to take, any ill Impreflion, and then our Male-Contents advife them, with a very ferious Countenance, to ftand upon their Guards, fince Danger comes on fo faft ; they talk of mighty. Hazards, which .they themfelves have undergone, while, Vila Zealous Pa- tnott, they have thruft themfelves into the Gap, and at the Peril of their own Lives, have fliouldred off certain Mifery from the un- obfervir.g Multitude. Thus, by repeated and inceffant Lies, they keep the once heated Vulgar, in a continual Ferment, who, clfe, would quickly fee fuch Incendiaries in their proper Shapes. Thus they hold them always in a readinefs for Rebellion on the firft Oppor- tunity, which, to be fure, lhall not long be wanting, when thofe who Aand condemned in Law themfelves, have got Partisans enough, to bear them out. And, when a Rebellion is once begun, He w'jt drams kls Srvcrd againji his Sovereign, mitft throw a-scay the Scabbard, and never put up his Sword again, till he has fixed himfelf above the reach of Humarjejuftice. or has loft himfelf in the bold Attempt. To be above the reach of Juftice, he muft deflry his Lawful Thirtieth of January, 17-". 19 Superiours entirely ; for he's a Fool in Miichicvous Politics, whofe Stomacfc is fo fqueamifh as to (lick at any Thing, or who helitate? at taking away their Lives, whom he 1m h robbed of every Thing for which Life was to be defired. Atfdom, how much .fo ever he had been dandled by his Father's Favour, was yet camfle.it Mjjlcrofthe Rebels Crf- he endeavoured firft to find or to create Caufes of public Difconrent in one f the moft glorious Reigns that ever was: He complains to the People, who knew nothing of any fuch terrible Grievances be- fore That "jufltce could nut be duly executed., for want of a Deputa- tion to himself, or fame other fuch good Men, to that Purpofc ; and therefore, very kindly wifnes, that he himjdf -mere but made * Judge in the Land : How ejfily then Jhould every F.jult in the Govern ment be mended ! For then, if any Man had .a Suit cr Cattfe, and would but come to kim^ they fiould presently be relieved: For he himfelf would tak^all neceflary Care to do 2 Sam. ry. j ( themjuftice. By' ftich Arts, he ftole tbe Hearts of a 4,5. People, happy enough, had they but known it, from the Man after God'* own Hearr : By fuch he drew the abufed Multi- tude into a Rebellion, and had fair for the Subverfion of his Father's Life and Government ; but Providence baffled his impious Defigns, and he periflied miferably in his own unnatural Wickednefs. Thus Brutus and Cajjiu? too, pretended to an extraordinary Zeal for the Liberties of the Roman State, and by fuch Pretences, got feveral powerful Confederats againft the Government of Julius defer, and a fair Opportunity of revenging their own private Quarrels upon Him, whom they reprefented every where, as a public Enemy. So Roiolph, Duke of Suevia, upon pretence of Religion, and in Obedience to the See of Rome, rebelled againft Henry the Fourth, Emperor of Germany, but died of a Wound re- ceived in Battle againft Him. Thus the Bijhopr of Rome have reached that lofty Supremacy, which they now pretend to, while they forced Subjects into Rebellion, againft their Lawful Cover- nours, attempted the Lives of Kings and Errjpcrours f by a Thoufand villanous Stratagems, and then filhed in troubled Waters, wirh great Advantage. Nor can we imagine, Thae the great fyforretfion of Kett the Tamior, in Norfolk, in the Days of Edward the Sixth; of Sir Thomas Wyat, in the Reign of bit Sifter Mary ; or of the Earls of Northumberland and Weftmorland, under the more Aufpicious Government of Queen Elizabeth, how plaufible fq ever their Allegations for them Pelves were , could have ended otherwife than in the Deftruftion of thofe Princes, had noe Almighty Vengeance flopped them , in their Rebellious Car riere. But what need I look farther, for an Evidence of that wiiich 1 have fo long aflerted, than the unhappy Occasion of this Day's fad S!emm'ty ? What manner of Perfons they were, who raifed and Carried on that Bloody Relllin> aga>ft Charles the firjl, cf ; D 2 2.0 A S E R M O N preach' d on the rioits Memory ; the Three Ejiates of this Nation, in Parliament affemblcd* in their y#7, prefented to Charles thi Second^ for the Obfervation 6t this Day have faithfully informed Us. - ' They were a Party of wretched Men, defperately Wicked, v and hardened in their Impieties ; who plotted and contrived the Ruin and Deftruftiort of this Glorious Monarchy ; and with it, the true reformed Protefhnt Religion, and the Sacred Perfon of his Majefty Him- feif : A few M^fcreants filled with Fanatic Rage, who were as far from being true Proteftants, as they were from being true Subjefts: From whom the Proteftant Religion has received the greateft Wound and Reproach ; and the People of England the moft infupportable Shame and Infamy that was poflible, for the Enemies of God and the King, to bring upon Us. - 'Thus far, that Loyal and Religious Parliament; nor can any, who at any Time, go about to fubvert this reformed Church and Antient Monarchy, and to change them into a Republican Limp, or a Presbyterian Synagogue deferve' a better Character. The pretended Motives, which thofe accurfed Wretches went upon, may be beft taken from that admirable Record, their folcmn League mid Cove- nant, vi &f - . ' They tad before their Eyes the Glory of God, the Advancement of the Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift ; the Honour and Happinefs cf the King's Majefty, and his Pofterity, and the true public Liberty, Safety, and Peace of the Kingdoms. - The end of this Covenant, they profefs to be - ' That the World may bear Witnefs, with our Con- fciencf s of our Loyalty; and, That we have no Thoughts nor Intentions to ciminilh his Majefry's juft Power and Greatnefs. Thus, thofe monftrous Hypocrites appealed to the World, and the World, on Occafion of this Day's horrid Wickednefs, muft come an for Witneffes of their abominable Impudence. Indeed, it was never likely, that fuch a Pack of Hypocritical JF-/7- lains fhould do, or Intend any Thing for the real Good of P.cligion, or of thefe Nations : Men are not wont to gather Grapes of Therm, or figs of Thiftles, After all the gay tlourifhes of thofe Rebellion? Saints, time quickly fhowed their Cloven Feet. It feemcd very innocent, to defuc only, to remove E vil Councilors from the King ; Bur, under that Specious Pretext, their real" Defign was, to take offall thofe, who were able or willing to ferve, either the Church or State; when fuch Blocks were once removed, Villany would quickly grow Triumphant. Itfeemed very reafonable, to prevent the Return cf Popery, a Religion, whofe Priuiiplcs are a meer Hodge- podge of Neiifcnfe, Idolatry^Supcrfiition, cmd Rebellion ; But the mean- ing of thofe, who talked of that, was, to bring in a Heap of new Light -.r, new Teachers, and all the Plagues of Herefy, Blafpfcemy, and Phanaticifw. It looked like Juftice, to put a ftop to Tyranny and Arbitrary Power, where they could find it; but their true Intent was, by that Noife, to exafpeme a quiet happy People, againft the beft of Monarch*; ad when they had railed enough at Tyranny Thirtieth of January, i-j\\. Tyranny, to amufe the Multitude, by a furprize, to affert and fettle it in tbemfelves : It -was thought, not unfit, to redrefs the Abufa of Epfiopal Power, if there were any ; but, their fecret Intent tions were to fix a Fifth Rate Pope, an infallible Piece of Holiness in every Paiifh. It might have a ihew of Good-Zeal, to remove what they called, The Yoke of Ceremonies ; but their true Aim was, to rob Ged of his Honour, and to tke away even common De* cency in his Service. It founded very plaufibly, That they would make their Sovereign a Happy fad a* Glorious Prince; and this was all they really performed; but it was not by fettling Him' in his due Rights and Power, but by fettiag upon his Sa- cred Head the more Glorious and Immarceflible Crown of Mar^ tyrdorn. The Condition of our Church and Nation would have been fad, indeed, if they had had H* manus Trojam no hitter Patriots, than thofe Mifcreants ; fhould erigent ? Parvat fuch Hands fettle our Religion -and our Liber- fpes kabet Troja ties ? The Hopes of all thefe Nations had been tales bubet. wholly defperate , had not the Rock upon Sen. which they were fixed , been higher than ,. they. God would not admit, that David, a Saint of another Clafs than our Rebels, Ihould build a Temple to his Name, be- caufe he had been a Man of Blood, One who had wickedly contrived the Death of innocent Urijah, and had fought many Battles. Nor would God, in after Ages, permit tint Hypocritical ^poftate "ulian, to build an Oratory for Chriftian Worfhip, tho', at that Time, he outwardly exprefled a great deal of Zeal for that Reli- gion ; for God knew the Unfoundncfs of his Heart, and fcorned his outfide Piety, when there was nothing Sound within. Could fuch then be thought fit to build up the Church arid Kingdom of Chrift in thefe Nations, who had their Cruel Hands not only dipp'u in the Blood oj Thwfanii: cf their Ffl!ea> Subject}, who were incomparably more Righteous than themfelves ; but had their Cur- fed Hands dipp'd in the facred Blocd of the Lord's Anointed ? For, far be that HeUifi Religion from Us, which glories in the Favour and Proteftion of fuch Prodigies of Wicked ntfs. Not Popery, noc Jefuitifm, not Hell it felf could ever have bidden more open Defance to Law, Ju(lice, Reafon, or Religion, than thofe profligate Tray tors did, who from picking Quarrels with their Princes Govern- ment, dared to oppofe his juft Power by drms, to fully his fpotlefs Reputation by Calumnies, and at laft, by an hifernl High Court ofjujiiet t to take a-soay bis L : f>. Had Men of fv.nd Principles, Men of fober and ur.faotted Lives, eminent far falid IfJftfom, and dtep sippreheM&n of Thing:, been concern- ed in the ttg'y sfftion of this Day, Strangers might have been ftag- ^ered by their Character, and have fufpecled there had been fome more than ordinary Reafon for it ; they'd have fancied, that Wife 9nrl Good Men would never have perpetrated a rafh and unjufti- A S E RMON preacUd m the fiable piece of Wickednefs'; for Wickdnefs is of the Wicked, only, *f faith the Proverb - But why fhould I once mention Giad or Wife Men, in the Cafe before us ! As foon may Heaven and Earth meet together, as foon may Light and Darkncfs fubfift together in the fame Point, both of Time and Place; as foon may the Prince of Hell get lawful PofTeffion of the Sovereignty of Hea- ven, as et true Cbrijlian, afting only upon true Chriftian Principle:;, can entertain fo muck as one Difloyttl Thought, or rebel againft bis law- ful Sovereign. For the WickeAnefa of a Nation, many art the Princes thereof, fays Solomon ; And great, certainly, was the Wickednels of thefe un- grateful Nations, in thofe Black Days of the great Rebellion. That Wickednefs brought upon Us, that irreparable Lofs of one ofths ttft ef Princes, and of Men, and expofed Us to the arbitrary Tynanny ef n few domineering dtheijlf. O, That our Eyes were Waters, and our Heads were Fountains of Tears, That with their Streams, we might, if poffible, waft away the Guilt, contracted by that horrid Impiety. But, alas! The Blow is given, the fatal Stroke is pafTed, and the Calamity irrecoverable. What fliall we do in this our Day, to evidence our hearty Deteftation of that unpa- io Treaion ? Let Us praife our God fincerely, who has not yet extinguifoed our Light altogether, nor given Us wholly up to the inexprejjtble M'feries of Anarchy and Confufion .' Let Us love, and with our Hands and Hearts fupport that Monarchy, under which alone our Half our Primitive, and our dpoftolical Church and Religion. cn be Jeeure ! Let us not permit any Encroachments on the Prero- gatives of the Throne, leaft, as formerly, we find the Liberties of the S*bje8s overwhelmed and buried in the fame Ruins. Let us be- ware of groundless Fears and Jeahujtes, leaft they fhould conceive and bring forth Treafos and Rebellions, and the nmft execrable of Murders again among Us. We know England, nay, London it felf, has a Club of thofe God. mocking Wretches , who profane this Day, with impious Feafting t applaud the Bravery of thofe who murdered their Sovereign, and Drink their Solemn Healths , to that bold Hand, which jhall ftrike the next blow at Britain's Sovereigns Head : We know there are Tuckers, Mimfters of the Gofpel, as they prefumptuoafly ftile themfelves, as well as sitktiftlcal States-men, who impofe a ne-so Scheme of Govern* ment upon us ; and reprefent thofe Kings, whom the Holy Ghoft calls Supreme, as no better than the Truftees and Creatures of the People ; who therefore threaten our prefentJGracious Sovereign with having Re&wfe prefently, to the Original Magazine of Power, i. e. tc\ raife the Mob upon Her, if She fhould but maintain the Lavs ef Her An:eftors, or deny any Thing which they fliould think fit to demand of Her ; who boaft of their Thousands and Ten Thousands openly, who applaud the Sin of thif D&y, and would be glad of an Opportunity to repeat it. O never let our Souls come into their Secret . l Let not our Honours be uyited to their dfferably ! Leq 5 abhor their Principles, deteft their Treafaj) own ottr Queen as t Thirtieth of January, iyif. Cotft Vicegerent, and ferve Her faithfully as our Lawful Severeign ! JLct us not liften to falfe Teachers, ttirn Religion into Trifling, IDevotion into Cant, nor HoJy Zeal into guiddy Enthufiafm. Let /us hold faft thefe Forms of found Words we yet have, leaft Fanatic 'Raving Ihould again blow up the Fire of Rebellion among us, and 1 our Slaves, once more, fhould grow our Matters. In Ihort, let us, as Solomon advifes, Fear the Lord Prov. 14. if, and the King, and not meddle with fuch at are given aa. to change ; for their Calamity jhall rife fvddtnty, and if ho knows tie Ruin of them Both ? FINIS. BOOKS Printed jw Geo. Sa\\ bridge. \ A Large Kiftorical Account of Monarchical Government efpecialjy of the S-ngiik Monarchy. Wherein is treated ot the feveral Benefits of Kingly Government, and the In- eonveniencies of Common- Wealths, with the Principles and Pra- ftices of our late Common- Wealth s-Men. Alfo ot the feveral Badges of Sovereignty in general, and particularly according to the Conftitutions of our Laws. Likewile the Duty of Subje&s, and the Mifchiefs of Faftion, Sedition, and Rebellion. A full Account of the Saxon Councils, &c. Of the great Councils from the Conquerr, to the beginning of tknry III. Then of the great Councils and Parliaments, to the End of Ldvcard III. Afrer, to then End of King Charles II. Of the Factious Members of Par- liaments. Of the Encroachments of fome Parliaments, efpecislly of fome Houfes of Commons. An Account of the Privy Coun- cil, Minifters of State, Magistrates, Judges, Juftices of the Peace % of the Nobility, Gentry, and Commonalty. The Prognofticks of Faftion and Sedition, with the Remedies and Prefervatives againft both. And laftly, of Confpiracies and Rebellion. The Whole di- vided into Forty Seven Chapters. Price Bound 14 j. / A Critical Hiftory of the Doftrincs and Worfhip, both Good and Evil, of the Church, from Adam, to our Saviour Jefus Christ ; giving an Account of the Origin of all the Idolatries of the An- cient Pagans, as far as they relate to the Jewijh Worfhip. Written in French by Moniieuv J^rieu, and faithfully done into English. la two Volumes, O&avo. Price Bound 12 r. Old England ; or, the G.overnifcet>t of g^^Iand prov'd to be Mo- narchical and Hereditary; by the Fundamental Laws of England, and by the Authorities of Lawyers, Hiftorians, and Divines; and Allegiance to be due to the King, not only by the Laws Eccls- liaftical and Civil, but by the Laws of God and Nature ; and, That neither the Pope, nor any other Power, upon any Pretence what- foever, can abfolve the S'ubjtfts of Engird from their Oaths and Allegiance to their King. In a Letter to a Reformer. With a large Appendix In Oftavo. Price Bound a s. 6 d. Several Difcourfes, ajl preach'd in Ireltnd upon variety of Sub- jects; and on different Occafions. By William SberMw, lare Lord Bifliop of Kilmore and draagb, in the Kingdom of Ireland. In three Volumes, in Oftavo. Price Bound 15 j. N. B, One Sermon has fold above One hundred thoufand. The Hiftory of Faftion, alias Hypocricy, alias Moderation, from its firft Rife, down to its prefent Toleration in thefe Kingdoms. Wherein its Original and Increafe are fet foith. its feveral Con" trivances to fubvert the Church and State, apparently detefted ; and the Sreps it has made towards g^ing into the fuprearn Power, from the Reformation to the riling of rhe laft Parliament ^ ^re conllder'd. In Oftavo. P;i;e Boii.;J : > 6d. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. san> Form L9-40m-7,'56(C790s4)444 THE LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES