A Key Opening Mysterious Texts of Scripture, Collection of sermons 1 · Sermon 5

A Key Opening Mysterious Texts of Scripture · Collection of sermons 1 · Sermon 5

p. 53THE TRAITORS GUERDON. A Sermon preached on the Gowries conſpiracy before his Grace, and divers Lords and perſons of eminent quality, at Croydon, Auguſt 5. Anno Dom. 1618. THE FIFTH SERMON.

PSAL. 63. VER. 9, 10, 11.

9. But thoſe that ſeeke my ſoule to deſtroy it, ſhall goe into the lower parts of the earth.

10. They ſhall make him run out like water by the hands of the ſword: they ſhall be a portion for Foxes.

11. But the King ſhall rejoyce in God; every one that ſweareth by him ſhall glory: but the mouth of them that ſpeake lyes ſhall be ſtopped.

Moſt REVEREND, Right Hon^r. Right Wor^ſh. &c.

WEe are at this preſent aſſembled with religious Rites and ſacred Ceremonies, to celebrate the unfortunately fortunate Nones of Auguſt, which are noted in red letters in the Romane Calendar (as I gheſſe) to repreſent the bloud of many thouſand Martyrs ſpilt upon them: (twenty three whereof were put to moſt exquiſite torments by Diocleſian in Rome) but deſerve to be diſtinguiſhed from other dayes by golden letters in ours, in memory of two of the moſt renowned Princes that ever ſwayed Scepter in theſe Kingdomes wherein wee live; the one received life, the other eſcaped death on this day. ForaaBed. & Baron. in Martyrolog. menſ. Auguſt. Beda and Baronius in their Church Rolls of Martyrs, record on the fifth of Auguſt the nativity of King Oſwald; who united thebbWhich were after ſevered for many ages, but …ow by the ſpeciall providence of Almighty God againe lye lovingly, encompaſsing and embracing each the other. Crownes of England and Scotland, and after hee had much enlarged the bounds of Chriſts Kingdome with his owne, in the end exchanged his Princely Diadem p. 54for a Crowne of Martyrdome, and ſigned the Chriſtian Faith with Royall bloud. So happy an uniter of the Royall Diadems, and Princely Martyr of our Nation, ſhould not be forgotten on this day; yet may hee not every way compare with our Rex Pacificus, who hath ſo faſtened theſe Diadems together, that we hope they ſhall never be ſevered againe. Nor is the birth of any Prince by the uſuall courſe of Nature ſo remarkable, as the unheard of, and little leſſe than miraculous preſervation of our Soveraigne his Royall perſon, from the bloudy aſſacinate of the Earle Gowry, and Alexander Ruthen his brother, to the everlaſting memory whereof our Church hath conſecrated the publike and moſt ſolemne devotions of this day. And therefore wee are now to change the old ſpell, Quintam fuge, and foreign, that is, Carefully ſhunne the fifth day, into Quintam cole, Religiouſly obſerve the fifth day of this MonethMonth; if not for King Oſwald, yet for King James ſake: if not for the birth of the one, yet for the ſafety of the other: if not for the ordinary Geneſis and entry of the one into the gate of life, yet for the extraordinary Exodus, or exit of the other out of the chambers of death. Which wonderfull delivery of our gracious Soveraigne that I may print the deeper in your memories, I have borrowed characters from King Davids royall preſſe as you ſee: But thoſe that ſeeke my ſoule, &c. Ver. 9, 10, 11.

All which Verſes, together with their ſeverall parts and commaes, even to the leaſt Iota or tittle, by the direction and aſſiſtance of Gods holy Spirit, I will make uſe of in my application, if I may intreat**Here he bowed to his Grace. your Gracious patience, and**Here he turned to the Lords. your Honourable attention for a while in their explication. And firſt of the tranſlation, then of the relation of theſe words, as well to the eternall deſtruction of the enemies to Chriſts Croſſe, as to the temporall puniſhments of the traitors to Davids Crowne.

They ſhall goe into the lower parts of the earth,

theſe ſhall goe into the nethermoſt hell.

They ſhall fall by the hands of men,

theſe ſhall fall into the hands of the living God.

They ſhall be a portion for Foxes,

theſe ſhall he a prey for Divels.

But the King ſhall rejoyce in God,

David in Chriſt,

Chriſt in his Father.

And all that ſweare

by him, that is, Chriſt,

to him, that is, David, ſhall glory.

For the mouth of all that ſpeake

lyes againſt the one,

blaſphemies againſt the other, ſhall be ſtopped.

The vulgar Latine, upon which the Romane Church ſo doteth, that ſhe is in love with the errours thereof, asccCic. de orat. Naevus in puero delectat Alceum, eſt deformitas in vultu, illi tamen lumen videbatur. Alceus was with the wirts in his boyes face, rendereth the Hebrew thus: Quaeſiverunt in vanum animam meam, introibunt in imâ terrae; They have ſought my ſoule in vaine, they ſhall goe into the loweſt parts of the earth. Of which words in vanum p. 55inſerted into the Text, I may ſay as Ariſtotle doth of the ancient Philoſophers diſcourſeddAriſtot. Phyſ. auſcuſt. c. de Vacuo. foreign. de vacuo, of a ſuppoſed place voide of a body to fill it. Their diſputes, faith he, of this void or empty ſpace, are empty, void, and to none effect. For neither are they found in any originall copy, as is confeſſed, neither ſerve they as artificiall teeth to helpe the ſpeech, which ſoundeth better without them: yet Cardinall Bellarmine to helpe out the vulgar Interpreter, with an officious lye beareth us in hand, that his book was otherwiſe pointed than ours are, and that where we reade foreign he reades foreign as if Leſhoath and Leſhava, the one ſignifying to deſtroy, the other in vaine, differed no more than in prickes or vowels, and not in conſonants and radicals; or the ſenſe were ſo full and currant, they ſeeke my ſoule in vaine, as they ſeeke my ſoule to deſtroy it, or for the ruine or deſtruction thereof they ſhall goe to the loweſt parts of the earth, that is, they that ſeek to overthrow me, and lay mine honour in the duſt, they ſhall lye in the duſt themſelves.

They ſhall fall by the ſword. So wee reade in the laſt tranſlation, and the members of the ſentence ſeeme better to fall and ſhoot one in the other, if we ſo reade the words, They ſhall fall by the edge of the ſword, they ſhall be a portion for Foxes, than if we reade according to the Geneva Tranſlation, They ſhall caſt him downe with the edge of the ſword, they ſhall bee a portion for Foxes. Yet becauſe Calvin, Moller, Muſculus, Tremelius, and Junius concurre with the Geneva Tranſlation & Note, underſtanding theſe words as a ſpeciall prophecy of Sauls death, who was Davids capitall and ſingular enemy; and this tranſlation and expoſition fitteth better the application which I am to make of this Scripture to the preſent occaſion: but eſpecially becauſe the Hebrew Jaggirhu ſignifieth as the laſt Tranſlators rightly note in the margent,foreign They ſhall make him runne out like water by the hand of the ſword, that is, his bloud ſhall be ſpilt by the ſword; I preferre the Geneva Tranſlation before the laſt; and as the Macedonian woman appealed from Philip to Philip, ſo I appeale from the Tranſlators in the Text, to themſelves in their Marginall note, and reade the tenth Verſe thus: They ſhall caſt him downe, or ſlay him with the edge of the ſword.

Thus having accorded the Tranſlations, I now ſet to ſuch heavenly leſſons, as the Spirit of God hath pricked for us in the rules of this Scripture. The firſt is pricked in the title of this Pſalme, (A Pſalme of David when hee was in the wilderneſſe of Judah) and it is this:

Doctr. 1. That the wilderneſſe it ſelfe may be, and is often a Paradiſe to the ſervants of God. If the Poet could ſay of himſelfe and his friend, Quo cunque loco Roma duobus erit;Martial. epigr. Whereſoever wee two are, wee make that place as Rome to us: have wee not great reaſon to thinke, that whereſoever God and the faithfull ſoule are together, and the one enjoyeth the preſence of the other, there is Paradiſe, nay, there is Heaven? This ſweet flower I gather from this wilderneſſe, to which David was driven by the purſuit of Saul his dreadfull and powerfull enemy. It was a vaſt and wilde place, a thirſty land without water, verſe the firſt: yet here David is refreſhed with waters of comfort, p. 56and rivers of pleaſure: there was neither Church nor Chappell in it; yet here David ſeeth the glory of God as in the Sanctuary, verſe the ſecond. It was a barren ſoile, yeelding no manner of ſuſtenance for men or cattell; yet here David is ſatisfied as with marrow and fatneſſe, verſe the ſixth. It was a hot and ſcorching place; yet here David findeth a ſhade to coole himſelfe, (viz.) under the ſhadow of Gods wings, verſe the eighth. In regard of which commodities of this wilderneſſe, I cannot but breake out into the praiſes of it, as SainteeHierom. epiſt. ad Heliodor. O Deſertum, Chriſt… floribus vernans! O Solitudo, in qua illi naſcuntur lapides de quibus in Apocalypſi civitas magni Regis extruitur! O Eremus, familiarús Deo gaudens! Quàm diu te tectorum umbrae premunt? quàm di… fum ſarum u bium ca cer includit? neſcio quid hic plus lucis aſpicio. Jerome doth into the commendations of the Deſart of Syria: O Wilderneſſe, enameled with the flowers of Paradiſe! O Deſart, in which thoſe ſtones grow, of which the heavenly Jeruſalem is built! O ſolitude, enjoying the familiarity of God and his Angels! Why doeſt thou keep under the ſhade of houſes? Why doeſt thou ſhut thy ſelfe up in the priſon of ſmoaky Cities? come hither to mee, thou ſhalt finde here freer aire, and much more light. Such pleaſure this holy Father took in that ſolitary and uncouth place. And SaintffHilar. con. Auxent. Malè vos parietum amor cepit, montes mihi, & ſylvae, & ſolitudines, & lacus, & voragines ſunt tutio res; in illis enim Propherae aut demerſi, aut manentes Dei Spiritu prophetabant. Hilary ſeemeth to be in love with the like places, by thoſe ſpeeches of his: You doe ill to dote upon walls, to build your faith upon ſtately buildings. I for my part preferre hills and woods, deſarts and dens, and caves, and rockes, and lakes, for theſe have been the habitations and lodgings of Gods deareſt ſervants the Prophets. The Law was firſt given in the Wilderneſſe of Arabia. The Goſpel was firſt preached by John the Baptiſt in the Wilderneſſe of Judeah. The nobleſt duell that ever was fought, was between Chriſt and the Divell, and the pitched field was the Wilderneſſe. The woman that was clothed with the Sunne, and had the Moone under her feet, lived obſcurely in the Wilderneſſe a thouſand, two hundred, and ſixty dayes: and many of Gods deareſt children all the daies of their life, Apoc. 12.6.

The number of whom was ſo great, and their labours ſo profitable, and their lives ſo admirable in the Primitive Church, that as the Prophet ſpake of the barren woman, that ſhe had more children than ſhe that had an husband; ſo we may ſay of the barren ſoile and wilderneſſe, that it hath brought forth a greater increaſe to the Church than many inhabited countries, and better husbanded land. There are divers ſorts of plants and fruits, that muſt be ſet in the Sunne, or elſe they will not proſper; but others are ſcorched with the heate thereof, and better thrive in the ſhade: ſuch were PaulusggVid. Hieron. in …ita Paidi, & Hilarionis; & Marianum. Victorinum in vita ſancti Hieronomi. Eremita, St. Antony, St. Hilarion, St. Baſil, S. Jerome, St. Iſidore Peluſiotes, and others, which proved the faireſt flowers in the garden of the Church, and prime-roſes of Chriſts Spouſe, yet grew in the Wilderneſſe: with whom the Biſhops of the greateſt Sees may not compare, leaſt of all the Biſhops of Rome, of whom their owne creaturehhPlatina in vitis Pontif. Hic Pontifex nihil memoriâ dignum reliquit: hic pontifex, niſi podagram habuiſſet, omnind ignoraretur. Platina hath often nothing to ſay, but that he can ſay nothing: This Pope, ſaith he, left nothing behind him worth memory. Well fare this Popes gout, but for it he had gone out of the world without any notice taken of him. iiBaron. tom. 10. ad ann 900. Intrudebantur in Petri ſedem meretricum Amaſii pſeudo-Pontifices, qui non ſunt, niſi ad conſignanda tempora in Catalogo Romanorum Pontificum ſcripti.Baronius himſelfe, who received a Cardinals cap, to burniſh the Popes triple golden Mitre, reckons himſelfe up a dicker of Popes, who ſerved for nothing but as ciphers to fill up the number of Biſhops, or Chronologicall markes to deſigne the times. But I am affraid, leſt I ſhall loſe my ſelfe in this Wilderneſſe p. 57of Ziph; and therefore I will make haſte out of it, and come into the rode of my Text.

They that ſeeke my ſoule to deſtroy it, ſhall goe, &c.

Doctr. 2 Davids confidence in God in this Epitaſis of all his troubles, and Criſis of all his affaires, and the height of his hope in the depth of miſery, ought to ſettle faſt the anchor of our hope in all the ſurges of tentations. Wee ſee in him what is the carriage of Gods Saints in their greateſt extremities. They never caſt away the buckler of their faith, but lift up their hearts and hands to the God of their ſalvation, and hope even above hope in him, who is able to ſave beyond all means. Thus reſolute Martin Luther, when he had ſtirred up the whole world againſt him, and there was no other appearance, but that the doctrine of the Goſpel ſhould have been ſtifled in the cradle, flyes to his God, layes hold on him by faith, and offereth violence unto him by prayer, and never leaveth wreſtling with him, till he received comfort from him, and riſing up chearfully from his devotion, comes out of his cloſet triumphantly to his fellow-labourers, ſaying: Vicimus; We have overcome: at which timekkSleidan in com. ſui temporis. Vicimus. Sleidan obſerveth, that there came out a Proclamation from Charles the fifth, that none ſhould bee farther moleſted for the profeſſion of the Goſpel. What ſpeake I of a noble Champion of Chriſt? Numa Pompilius a Heathen King of the Romans, when newes was brought him of his enemies, that they were at hand ready to ſurprize him, put the meſſenger off with this memorable ſpeech:llPlutarch. apoph. & in vit. Numae. foreign, What tell you me of dangers or enemies? doe you not ſee that I am about ſacrificing to God? Numa his confidence was paralleled bymmRaleigh hiſt. of the World. c. 6. lib. 3. Pauſanias the Lacedemonian Generall, who at Platea, when his Army was overtaken by the enemies horſe, and overwhelmed with flights of arrowes; as thicke as haile, quietly ſate ſtill, not making any defence or reſiſtance, till the ſacrifices for victory were happily ended; yea, though many were hurt and ſlaine before any good ſigne appeared in the enirals. But as ſoon as he had found good tokens of victory, he aroſe, and with excellent courage received the charge of the Perſians, ſlew Mardonius that commanded in chiefe, and many thouſands of the Barbarians. Did Heathen Religion put ſuch courage, and breed ſuch confidence in the worſhippers of Idols, that they feared no danger while they were about their ſuperſtitious rites? and ſhall not true Religion beget more noble reſolutions in us, who have God bound by promiſe to deliver us, when we faithfully crave his ſuccour and aſſiſtance? Will he not glorifie nnPſal. 51.15.Ps 51:15himſelfe by delivering us in time of trouble, who calleth upon us, to call upon him, to this end: Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou ſhalt glorifie mee? Wherefore, as the Athenians, when they were in greateſt danger at ſea, accuſtomably caſt out the great anchor called the holy Anchor. WhenceooEraſ. adag. ex Lucia. Sacram Anchoram ſolvere dicimur, quando ad extremum praeſidium confugimus. grew the Proverbe, foreign; ſo when wee are toſſed with waves of perſecution, and ſo overwhelmed with violence of tentation, that wee are ready to ſinke in deſpaire, let us lift up our hands to God, and caſt anchor in heaven; and though wee ſee no meanes at all to ſubſiſt, yet ſtill hang upon Gods providence. It is ſcarce poſſible, that wee ſhould bee put to a greater plunge than David was in this wilderneſſe, who having but a handfull of men, and moſt of them hunger-ſtarved, or fainting for want of water p. 58to quench their thirſt, was ſurrounded by Sauls royall Army; yet in this deplorate, and almoſt deſperate eſtate, after parley with God by prayer, ſhall I ſay he conceived hope of delivery? nay, hee aſſureth himſelfe of the Crowne, and in a manner inſulteth over his enemies, as if they were already under his feet, ſaying: They that ſeeke my ſoule to deſtroy it, ſhall go into the loweſt parts of the earth. They ſhall caſt him, &c. that is, they that goe about to caſt mee downe from my high throne of Majeſty, ſhall fall low themſelves; they who ſeeke to deveſt mee of my royall Purple and Diadem, ſhall bee clothed with confuſion as with a garment: they who hunt after me, and would make a prey of me, ſhall be themſelves a portion for Foxes: they that ſeeke my ſoule to ruine it, ſhall downe themſelves; They ſhall caſt him downe. Doctr. 3 Theſe words in Hypotheſi containe a prophecy of Sauls bloudy end, and the deſolation of his Army on the mountaines of Gilboa; but in Theſi, a generall judgement of God upon the wicked, whom he entangleth in their owne malice, and puniſheth with their owne ſinne, and bringeth to confuſion by their owne order.

aaHeſiod. foreign l. 1. Sibi ipſi mala fabricat homo, qui alteri fabricat, & malum conſilium conſultori peſſimum.foreign

foreign

Which Verſes of the prophane Poet may be thus tranſlated, and they become ſacred Oracles: The bbPſal. 7.15, 16.Ps 7:15Ps 7:16ungodly ſhall be trapped in the works of his own hands: he made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which hee made; his miſchiefe ſhall returne upon his owne head, and his violent dealing ſhall come downe upon his owne pate. For it is juſt with God to mete to the wicked their owne meaſure, as he did to the accuſers of Shadrach, Meſach, and Abednego, who were burned in the fire of that furnace which they had cauſed to beccDaniel 3.22.Dan 3:22 heat ſeven times more than ordinary for thoſe three noble Confeſſors. And to the traducers of Daniel, who were caſt to the Lions, which they keptddDaniel 6.24.Dan 6:24 faſting, on ſet purpoſe, that they might make but one morſell of the Prophet. And toeeEſter 7.10. Haman, who had the honour to bee hanged on that high gallows, to which he would have preferred Mordecai. And toffJudges 1.7.Judg 1:7 Adonibezeck, who when his thumbes were cut off by Judah, beſhrewed his owne fingers, ſaying: Threeſcore and ten Kings, having their thumbes and great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: As I have done, ſo God hath requited mee. All ages yeeld examples in the like kinde, inſomuch that the Heathen themſelves have taken notice of Gods uſing the wickeds mete-wand, to meaſure out their own ruine. Thraſeus inſtructing Buſirus how to expiate the wrath of the gods, by the effuſion of ſtrangers bloud, was firſt himſelfe ſacrificed, and conſtrained to write a probatum eſt under that concluſion with his owne bloud:

ggOvid. de art. l. 1.Cum Thraſeus Buſirin adit, monſtratque piari

hoſpitis effuſi ſanguine poſſe deum;

Illi Buſiris, fies Jovis hoſtia primus

inquit, & Aegypto tu dabis hoſpes aquam.

What Puny in the Schooles hath not read Ovids golden Motto upon Perillus his braſen Bull:

hhOvid ibid. Et Phalaris tauro violenti membra Perilli, Torruit infoelix, imbuit author opus.—nec enim lex juſtior ulla eſt,

Quàm necis artifices arte perire ſuâ.

There can be no juſter law, than that the deviſers of mans ruine ſhould rue p. 59their owne devices, and that the inventers of new deaths ſhould dye by their owne inventions. ScironiiPlutarch. in Theſeo. the Giant, that ſate upon the cleft of a high rocke, and kicked downe all that ſcrambled up to it into the ſea, was himſelfe ſerved in the like manner by Theſeus, who comming behind him, puſh't him downe with his foot into the deep. And Termerus, who had a ſtrange faſhion of beating out mens braines, by playing at hard head with them, in the end met with his match at that barbarous ſport, and loſt the little braine he had, his skull being broken by Hercules. What ſhould I relate the tragedy of an agent of PopekkBeno Cardinalis devita & geſt Hildeb. Hildebrands, who ſtanding upon a planke in the roofe of a Church in Rome, and taking up a huge ſtone to caſt down upon the Emperour, when he was at his devotion, by the waight of the ſtone and his owne, the planke brake under him, and hee fell downe into the floore, having his braines ſtruck out by the rowling of that ſtone upon him? Or of Laurentius Medices, who having fitted a fleſh-baite forllBodin l. 4. de rep. Alexander Medices, and as he was greedily catching at it, being naked and diſarmed, ſet a deſperate villaine, in the habit of a Maſquer, to ſtabbe him with a Stilletto; and himſelfe was ſhortly after ſtilletoed at Venice, by a ſuborned Traitor at a Maſque, in the habit of a Whiffler? The ancient Romans glanced at this retaliation in their ſacrifices to Ceres and Bacchus, to whom they offered Swine and Goats, becauſe theſe of all creatures moſt annoy corne and wine:

mmOvid. faſt. l. 1. & Martial l. 13. cui nomen Xen. Laſcivum pecus & viridi non utile Baccho, dat poenas, nocuit nam tener ille Deo.Prima Ceres avidae gaviſa eſt ſanguine porcae

ulta ſuas meritâ caede nocentis opes.

Rode caper vitem, tamen hinc cum ſtabis ad aras,

in tua quod ſpargi cornua poſsit, erit.

I will not charge your memory with more examples at this preſent than of PopennBodin. l. 6. de rep. Alexander the ſixth, who was poyſoned in that very cup, through a miſtake, and with that very potion, which he prepared for the Cardinals of the oppoſite faction: and of theooSuet. in Jul. Caeſ. conſpirators againſt Julius Caeſar in the Senate, who moſt of them were ſlaine with the ſame daggers numero, wherewith they had ſtabbed him before: and of Saul, who fell upon that ſword of his, which he ſought to draw through Davids bowels; as he here propheſieth of him: They ſhall cauſe him or his bloud to run out like water by the hand of the ſword, (viz.) his owne ſword.

Doctr. 4 And they ſhall be a portion for Foxes.

Beaſts were given to men for their food,Unnaturall puniſhment for unnaturall crimes. but here men are given to beaſts for a prey. A lamentable ſpectacle to ſee the vileſt of all creatures ravenouſly feaſt themſelves with the fleſh of the nobleſt; and irreſpectively hale and teare in pieces the casket, which whilome incloſed the richeſt jewell in the world. Is it not againſt the law of Nature, that men ſhould become beaſts meat; yea, the meat of ſuch beaſts as are carrion, and not mans meat? Queſtionleſſe it is: yet Nature giveth her conſent to this kind of puniſhment of unnaturall crimes. For it is conſonant to reaſon, that the law of Nature ſhould be broken in their puniſhment, who brake it in their ſinne; that they who devoured men like beaſts, ſhould bee devoured of beaſts like men: that they, who with their hands offered unnaturall violence p. 60to their Soveraigne, ſhould ſuffer the like by the clawes and teeth of wilde beaſts, their ſlaves: that they, who bare a Foxe in their breaſt in their life, ſhould been tombed in the belly of a Foxe at their death.

SaintppAuguſt in Pſal. 62 Jud ei ideo voluerunt Chriſtum …ccidere ne terram perderent; ideo terram perdiderunt, quia Chriſtum occiderunt: quia repulerant Agnum, & elegerunt Vulpem, ideò praeda Vulpium facti ſunt.Ps 62 Auſtin, expounding this whole prophecy of Chriſt, yeeldeth a ſpeciall reaſon of this judgement of God, by which the Jewes were condemned to Foxes. The Jewes, ſaith hee, therefore killed Chriſt, that they might not loſe their countrey; but indeed they therefore loſt their countrey, becauſe they killed Chriſt: becauſe they refuſed the Lambe, and choſe Herod the Foxe before him, therefore by the juſt retribution of the Almighty, they were allotted to the Foxes for their portion. Notwithſtanding this alluſion of Saint Auſtin to Foxes in ſpeciall, Janſenius and other Expoſitors extend this grant in my Text to all wilde beaſts and fowles, which are, as it were, in patent with the Foxe, and have full power and liberty given them to ſeize upon the corps of Traitors to God and their Country. But Foxes beare the name, becauſe they abound in thoſe parts, where was ſuch ſtore of them, that Sampſon in a ſhort time with a wet finger caught three hundred, ſo that upon the matter, they ſhall be a portion for Foxes, is all one with that doome in theqqHom. Il. 1. Poet:

—foreign,

foreign.

They ſhall be expoſed to the teeth of every cruell beaſt, and to the bill and talons of every ravenous fowle.

I might inſiſt upon the ſeverall branches of this Scripture with delight and profit, but becauſe the occaſion of our meeting at this preſent is rather to offer unto God the fruits of our devotion for his Majeſties and our enemies deſtruction, than to gather fruits of knowledge from Scripture for our inſtruction; I deſcend from the generall explication of the whole, to the particular application of the parts: and firſt, I will ſhew you how this prophecy, according to the ſeverall members thereof, was accompliſhed in Chriſt Davids Lord, then in David the Lords Chriſt, and laſt of all in King James our David.

Saint Auſtin, Saint Jerome, Arnobius, and almoſt all the ancient Interpreters of this propheticall Pſalme, underſtand the letter ſpiritually of Chriſt; on the other ſide, Calvin, Muſculus, Mollerus, and others underſtand the ſpirit literally of David. I know no reaſon why we may not ſpell them together, and of two make one perfect and compleat interpretation of this Scripture. Wherefore to avoid vaine jangling, where the golden bels of Aaron may bee orderly rung, and diſtinctly heard; for the literall expoſition, I accord with the later Interpreters, yet beare a part with the Ancients in their ſpirituall deſcant upon the ground of the letter; the rather, becauſe David is a knowne type of Chriſt: and therefore by the law of contraries, Saul and his hoſt of Sathan or Antichriſt, and their infernall troups; but eſpecially, becauſe (asrrCal…in. epiſt. ad Fran. gallo. reg. Nuſquam legimus reprehenſos quod nimium de fonte aquae vivae hauſerint. Calvin piouſly obſerveth) that wee never read of any blamed for drawing too much water out of the Well of life; ſo it is moſt certaine, that we cannot offend in aſcribing too much honour to the King of glory. Then take the cliffe as you pleaſe, the notes will follow accordingly; if you take it higher from Chriſt, thus the notes follow: They that ſeek my ſoule to deſtroy it, that is, Herod and Pilate, Scribes and Phariſees, Rulers p. 61and people that conſpire againſt the Lord, and againſt his annointed, to take away his life from the earth, they I ſay ſhall goe into the loweſt parts of the earth; that is, the nethermoſt hell, without repentance: they ſhall make him run out like water; that is, Pilat, who in diſcontent was driven to ſlay himſelfe; as alſo did Saul, to whom the letter pointeth: or, as we reade in my text, They ſhall fall by the edge of the ſword; that is, the Nation of the Jewes ſhall fall by the ſword of the Romans: who ſhall make ſuch a ſlaughter of them at Jeruſalem, where they crucified Chriſt, that the channels ſhall run with gore bloud, and the ſtreets be ſtrowed with dead carkaſſes, left unburied for a prey to the fowles of heaven, and every ravenous beaſt: but the King, viz. the King of glory, and Prince of Peace, Chriſt Jeſus, ſhall rejoyce in God, and triumph at the right hand of his Father; and every one that ſweareth by him, and putteth his truſt in him, ſhall glory in theſe his victories. But the mouth of all Jewes and Gentiles, Turkes and Infidels, Atheiſts and Idolaters, that belch out blaſphemies againſt him, ſhalbe ſtopped when he ſhall come in the glory of his Father, with his elect Angels, and ſit in judgement upon quicke and dead.uuHieron epiſt ad Heliod. Tunc quod vocem inbae pavebit terra cum populis, & tu gaudebis. Judicaturo Domino lugubrè mundus immugiet, tribus ad tribum pectora ferient, Potentiſsimi quo…dam reges nudo latere pulpitabunt, exhibebitur cum prole ſua vere tunc ignitus Jupiter, adducetur & cum ſuis ſtultus Plato diſcipulis, Ariſtotelis argumenta non proderunt. Tunc tu ruſticanus & pauper exultabis, & ridebis, & dices, ecce crucifixus Deus meus ecce Judex qui obvolutus pannis in praeſepio vagiit: hic eſt ille operarii & quaeſtuariae filius, hic qui matris geſtatus ſinu hominem Deus fugit in Egyptum, hic veſtitus coccino, hic ſentibus coronatus: cerne manus Judae e quas fixeras: cerne latus Romane quod foderas. Then at the ſound of the laſt trumpe the earth ſhall tremble with the inhabitants, but thou O Chriſtian ſhalt rejoyce. When thy Lord comes to judge, the world ſhall roare hideouſly, all the kindreds of the earth ſhall ſmite their breaſts; the moſt puiſſant Kings ſhall appeare without their guard, panting for feare: Jupiter himſelfe (the chiefe Idoll of all the heathen) with all his off-ſpring, ſhall be ſeene all in true fire: fooliſh Plato ſhall be brought with his diſciples; Ariſtotles ſophiſtry ſhall ſtand him in no ſtead. Then thou poore and ſimple countrey ſwaine ſhalt leap for joy, and ſay, Behold my God who was crucified, behold the Judge who ſometimes wrapt in ſwadling clothes cryed in a manger: this is the Carpenters ſonne, this is he who borne in his mothers armes being God fled from man into Aegypt: this he who was clad in purple, and crowned with thornes: ſee O Jew the hands which thou nailedſt: view O Roman the ſide which thou diggedſt with thy ſpeare: behold O Jew the head which thou prickedſt with thornes, now compaſſed with radiant beames: behold the face thou defiledſt with ſpittle, ſhining brighter than the Sun: behold the hands thou woundedſt with Iron nailes, holding a rod of Iron, and bruiſing his enemies like a potters veſſell: behold O Roman the naked ſide which thou piercedſt with a ſpeare, now guarded with a troupe of Angels with their polaxes: behold the body thou ſtrippedſt ſtarke naked, cloathed with light as with a garment. In a word, behold him whom thou eſteemedſt the ſcorne of the earth, made now the glory of the heavens, in a triumphant march, with millions of Saints and Angels, riding on bright clouds, as it were fiery chariots, through the aire, to execute ſpeedie vengeance upon all his enemies, and to take up all the elect with him into heaven:xxApoc. 22.20.Rev 22:20 Etiam ſic veni Domine Jeſu; Even ſo come Lord Jeſu, come quickly.

You have heard how ſweet and heavenly the muſicke is, if you take the higheſt cliffe from Chriſt; if you take the middle from David, thus the notes follow; They that ſeeke my ſoule to deſtroy it, that is, my bloud-thirſty enemies, ſhall goe into the loweſt parts of the earth; that is, either enter into their graves, or hide themſelves in caves of the earth: they ſhall make him to run out like water; that is, cauſe Saul my capitall and mortall enemie to ſpill his p. 62owne bloud, by falling upon his owne ſword.

And they ſhall be a portion for foxes. This clauſe of the prophecie was not fulfilled in Saul his perſon, nor his ſonnes, foryy1 Sam. 31.12.13.1 Sam 31:121 Sam 31:13 their fleſh was burnt and their bones buried under a tree at Jabeſh: but in his ſervants and ſouldiers, which mortally wounded on the mounts of Gilboa, and being not able to helpe themſelves, nor having any to burie them after they had breathed out their laſt gaſp, fell to the foxes ſhare: and therefore David purpoſely altereth the number, ſaying not they ſhall caſt him downe, and he ſhall bee a portion for foxes; but they ſhall be a portion for foxes, as in the truth of the ſtory afterwards they fell to the foxes commons. Now after the death firſt of Saul, and the diſcomfiture of his royall armie, and the overthrow afterwards of the Philiſtims, and deſtruction of all his enemies round about; King David, ſitting ſafely and quietly in his throne, full of joy and comfort, breaketh forth into a Pſalme of thanks-giving to God for his wonderfull victories and ſtrange deliverances, and all the loyall ſubjects of Judah and Iſrael beare a part with him in it: whereat all thoſe that before had falſely traduced his perſon, or impugned his right to his crowne, were put to ſilence and ſhame.

Thus have I ſet the tune in my text to the middle key alſo, and as you heare the muſicke is ſweet; if you will have the patience to heare it once more ſet to the loweſt key, you will all perceive that every note in it conforteth not onelyonly with our voices, but our thoughts and affections at this preſent. I have ſhewed you how this prophecy in my text was fulfilled in Chriſt, Davids Lord, and ſecondly, in David the Lords Chriſt: may it pleaſe you out of your love to him, to whoſe honour you have dedicated this feaſt, to ſtretch out your patience to the length of the houre, and I ſhall briefly exemplifie the ſame in our Iſraels David. To reſume then the words of this Scripture, and by the parts of it to draw the lineaments of that narration, which ſhall ſerve for my concluſion. Firſt, I will relate unto you the attempt of the conſpirators the Earle Gowrie and Alexander Ruthen his brother, and their complices, by the occaſion of theſe words, They that ſeek my ſoule to deſtroy it. Secondly, the event, by occaſion of the words following, ſhall goe to the loweſt parts of the earth, &c.

They that ſeeke my ſoule to deſtroy it. Were there ever any ſuch? or are there any at this day? Doth hee breathe that would goe about to ſtop the zzSen. de clem. l. 1. c. 4. Ille eſt vinculum per quod reſpublica coheret, ille eſt ſpiritus vitalis quem tot millia trahunt.breath which ſo many thouſands draw? Doth the Sun give light to any that would go about to quench the light of Iſrael? can the earth bear any ſuch an ungratefull and graceleſſe varlet, whoſe conſcience is burthened with ſo heavie and heinous a ſin as Parricide in the higheſt degree; laying violent hands upon the Father of his countrey, whom for his clemencie and wiſedome the world at this day cannot parallel? Yes beloved, this hath beene the lot of the beſt Princes that ever ware corruptible Crownes.aaSuet. in vita Tui. Titus ſirnamed Delitiae humani generis, The darling of mankinde, drew this lot; andbbSen. de clem. l. 1. c. 9. Severitate nihil profeciſti: Salvid enum Lepidus ſecutus eſt, Lepidum Muraena, Muraenam Caepio Caepionem Egnatius, ut alios taccam, quos tantum auſos pudet. Auguſtus before him, the mirrour of mildneſſe, Quo nihil immenſus mitius orbis habet. And David before them both, a man after Gods owne heart;

Quo nihil majus meliuſve terris,

p. 63Fata dona vere boni que diu;

Nec dabunt quamvis redeant in aurum

Saecula priſcum.

Moſes the meekeſt Magiſtrate that ever drew the ſword of Juſtice had a murmuring Core, and his Majeſtie a mutinous Gowrie, Num. 16.32.Num 16:32and a brother in iniquity, Ruthwen; both bearing as the hearts ſo the names of two ancient moſt infamous Rebels and Traytors, the one of Core, whom the earth ſwallowed up: the other ofccSueton. in vita Tib. Ruthenius a deſperate caitife, that attempted a like villanie upon the perſon of Tiberius, to that which Ruthwen would have acted upon the perſon of King James.

Nomen

Omen

Core

Gowry

Ruthenius

Ruthwen

conveniunt rebus nomina ſaepe ſuis.

As their names were ominous, ſo their facts were abominable. It is pitie it ſhould be ſo, yet it is certaine that it is ſo. A PrinceddPlin. in panegir. Poteſt iniqui Princeps, poteſt tamen odio eſſe nonnullis, etiamſi ipſe non oderit. may be hated by ſome, (wrongfully I grant) yet hated he may be though he hate no man; and that which is to be bewailed with bloudy teares, he may have bloody treaſons plotted againſt him, though his innocencie beeeSen de clem. l. 1. c 11. Nullam te toto orbe ſtillam cruoris humani mifiſſe. untainted with the effuſion of the leaſt drop of bloud: for ambition is a ſworne enemy to ſoveraignty, envie to eminencie, libertie to law, diſorder to juſtice, faction to peace, ſchiſme to unity, hereſie to true religion: whereby it comes to paſſe that Princes, who are to right all men, are themſelves moſt wronged of all men, by miſ-information of their ſubjects demeanours towards them, and miſ-conſtruction of their actions, and proceedings, and affections alſo towards their ſubjects. You will yet ſay, be it that the actions of Princes are ſubject to cenſure, and their perſons, though ſacred, yet ſometimes lie open to violence: howſoever, if they eſtabliſh their throne with judgement, and ſupport their ſcepter with equity, their innocencie ſhalbe a perpetuall guard unto them, and the arme of the Almighty ſhall be a buckler of ſteele over them, and the love of ſubjects ſhall be a wall of braſſe about them; ſo that the enemie ſhall not be able to hurt them, the ſonnes of wickedneſſe ſhall not come neere them. Notwithſtanding all this, it pleaſeth him, by whom Kings reigne, either to make Princes to walk more humbly before him, and more warily before their ſubjects; or for the greater triall of their faith in greateſt diſtreſſes, or cleerer manifeſtation of his power in their delivery, to expoſe their perſons to imminent dangers, and ſuffer them to be led to the brinke of deſtruction, and to be entangled in the ſnares of death. How did he ſuffereeCamerarius meditat. hiſtor. c. 27.30. Charles the fifth to aſcend to the top of the Pantheon in Rome, and there to looke out of a great gallery window, where there was a deſperate villaine ſet to take him up by the heeles and throw him downe headlong? How did hee ſuffer that ſtaine of the French Nobility to approach neare Auguſtus in the dangerous paſſage of the Alpes, with a purpoſe to juſtle him out of the narrow path into the ſteepe of the hill, where it was impoſble to ſtay himſelfe? Was not Titus paſt all mans helpe, and given over for dead a thouſand times, when ſcouting out with a few to ſpie the enemies campe, at the ſiege of Jeruſalem, he fell unawares into an ambuſh, and p. 64was conſtrained to paſſe through a volly of darts and arrowes, caſt and ſhot at him, whereof ſome fell before him, ſome behind him, many on each ſide of him: yet by Gods marvellous protection not one faſtened on him? Was not Fredericke the firſt at the brinke of deſtruction by the river ſide, when a ſouldier tooke hold on him, and claſped about him to draw him with himſelfe into the deep and drown him? Had notffCambd. in vit. Reg. Eliz. Parry the meanes and opportunity to parley with Queene Elizabeth of famous memory in her garden privately, with a dagger in his hand, and a dag charged? Theſe and many other preſidents of the like nature make me the leſſe marvaile that God ſhould ſuffer Ruthwen, with a golden hooke, (a pot full ofggVid l. Angl. ſcrip. de conjura. Gowr. outlandiſh coyne) to draw his Majeſtie through divers chambers, which hee ſtill locked after them, into that diſmall ſtudy which was more fearefull than any Jeſuits chamber of meditation; in which they ſhut up their deſperate inſtruments to cracke their braines, and fit them for horrid deſignes. For there are but pictures onelyonly of Divels, and Images of ſeverall kindes of death; but here were very Divels incarnate, and death it ſelfe. Bookes he ſaw none in this ſtudy, but thoſe two mentioned byhhSutton in vita Calig. Suetonius, in which Caligula wrote the names of thoſe men whoſe heads he meant to take off; calling the one of them, which was longer, gladium, the ſword; the other, which was ſhorter, pugionem, the dagger. The ſubject he was now to meditate upon was a bloudie aſſacinate, and the points he was to handle, no other than the ſharpe ends of ſwords and rapiers. Made then he was to beleeve that he ſhould there take an outlandiſh man, with great ſtore of treaſure; but he found an armed man, ready to take away that from him which was more precious unto him than all the jewels in the world. Here wee ſee what a ſoveraigne care the Higheſt hath over ſoveraigne Princes his vicegerents on earth, and what a terrour ſacred Majeſtie ſtriketh into the hearts of barbarous and bloudie traitors. The Italian varlet had not the power to lift at Charles the fifth: with a lift onelyonly he had throwne him out of the window. The French miſcreant had not the power to puſh at Auguſtus: with a puſh only he had broken his neck downe the ſteepe Alpes. Parry had not the power to draw the pin of his fire-lock: upon the moving but of a pinne the dag had gone off in his hand, and the Queene had beene ſhot through the heart. Parry's dag fell out of his hand, and Henderſons dagger ſtucke in his hand; he could no more ſtirre it than the ſouldier at Minternum, who drew upon Caius Marius, but was not able to ſtrike a ſtroke, nor make a thruſt at him.

iiLucan de bell. Pha…ſal.—primo nam caedis in ictu

Diriguit, ferrum que manu torpente remiſit.

Howbeit, though Henderſons faint heart and benummed hand would not ſerve him to act his bloudie part; yet the Divell ſo hardened Ruthwen, that he tooke out the other dagger, and ſet the point thereof at his Majeſties royall breaſt. And now if ever any lay inter kkEraſ. adag.ſacrum & ſaxum, betweene the axe and the blocke, orllTheo…ri. in dioſc…. foreign, upon the edge of the razor, or in ipſis fati mmCic. Catilin. …ai. 2.faucibus, in the very chops of deſtinie, or jawes of death it ſelfe; at the point lay the hope then, and now the joy and life of us all. p. 65Alone, in a remote place, his ſervans and attendants barred from him by many doores locked and bolted, himſelfe deſtitute of all weapons, betweene two Conſpirators, with a poynard bent to his heart. O King live for ever, is not thy God whom thou ſerveſt able to deliver thee from this perill of death? Could hee not ſnatch thee out of the paw of the Lion? Could hee not have ſtrucke downe both the Conſpirators dead to the floore with a thunderbolt from heaven, or at the leaſt taken away the uſe of Ruthwens limbes, drying up that hand that preſumed to touch the apple of his owne eye, the ſacred perſon of our Soveraigne? With a word he could, but it ſeemed beſt to his all-ſweetly-diſpoſing providence wonderfully to preſerve his Majeſtie, yet without a miracle. For if he had reſcued him by any ſuch miraculous meanes as I named before, there had beene no occaſion offered, nor place left for his Majeſties faithfull ſervants to ſtake their lives for their Maſter: neither had the world taken ſuch notice of his Majeſties rare gift of eloquence, by the force whereof, like anothernnCic. de orat. l. 3. Antonie, intentos gladios jugulo retudit, he ſtayed the Traitors hand, and delayed the intended blow: firſt, clearing his owne innocencie from the aſperſion of bloud in the execution of the Traitors father, by courſe of juſtice, in his Majeſties minority; then recounting to him the many princely favours he had conferred upon his brother, himſelfe, and all their kindred: but eſpecially laying before his eyes the horrour of the guilt of embruing his hands in the bloud of the Lords annointed; which ſaid he, if my children and ſubjects ſhould not revenge, the ſtones out of the wall, and the beames of the timber, conſcious of ſuch a villanie, would execute vengeance upon thee for ſo unnaturall, barbarous, and bloudie an act. In fine he promiſed in the word of a King, pardon for all the violence he had hitherto offered him, if he would yet relent and deſiſt from his murtherous intent and attempt of ſpilling royall bloud. At which words Ruthwens heart, though of Adamant, began to relent and give in; in ſuch ſort, that hee gave his Majeſtie a time to breathe, and offer up prayers with ſtrong cries to the God of his ſalvation, who heard him in that hee feared, as you ſhall heare anon. In the interim, Ruthwen conſults with the Earle Gowrie his brother, and according to the LatineooEraſ. adag. Aſpis a vipera ſumit venenum proverbe, the aſpe ſuckes poyſon from the viper, wherewith he ſwelleth, and bruſling up himſelfe, flies at his Majeſtie the ſecond time to ſting him to death, and wrapping about him, begins to bind his royall hands; who nothing appalled at the hideous ſhape of death within a fingers breadth of his heart, anſwers like himſelfe, that he was borne free, and would die free and unbound: forthwith he unlooſeth his hands, and with one of them claſping the Traitors ſword, with the other he grapples with him, and, after much ſtruggling, his Majeſtie draweth the Traitor to the window, by which it ſo pleaſed God to diſpoſe for his Majeſties ſafety, that ſome of his Majeſties ſervants paſſed at that very inſtant, and both heard and ſaw in part, in what diſtreſſe his Majeſtie was, and made all poſſible ſpeed to reſcue him: but before they could force a way through ſo many doores, the King by power from above got the Traitor under him, and drew him by maine force to the top of the ſtaire-caſe; where ſoone after the Kings ſervants, forcibly breaking through all barres, bolts and lockes, met with him, p. 66and throwing him downe ſtaires ſent him with many wounds to his owne place, verifying the letter of this prophecie in the confuſion of our Davids enemies, qui quaerunt praecipitium animae meae, they which ſeeke the downefall of my ſoule, they ſhall goe or rather tumble downe with a witneſſe. And ſo I paſſe from the Traitors attempt to the event and happy cataſtrophe, on the Kings part, of this not fained Interlude.

They ſhall goe downe. By this time as I intimated but now, the Kings ſervants partly made, and partly found their way into the ſtudy, ruſhing in to ſave the life of their Soveraigne; where they had no ſooner diſpatched one of the brothers Alexander Ruthwen, but the other brother the Earle, with ſeven of his ſervants well appointed, encountreth them. The skirmiſh growes hot betweene them; theſe fighting for their lives, they for their Soveraigne; theſe animated by hope, they whet on by deſperation, After many wounds given and received on both ſides, they of the Kings part, according to the words of the tenth verſe, caſt him down; or, as it is in the Hebrew, make his bloud ſpin or run out like water on the ground: his, I ſay, the arch-Traitor the Earle Gowrie, who may be compared to Saul Davids chiefe enemie; whoſe downefall the ſpirit in the pronoune in the ſingular number him pointeth at, in many reſpects, but eſpecially in this, that he tooke counſell of the Divell to murther the Lords Annointed. For as Saul conferred with the Witch at Endor before he put himſelfe into the field which he watered with his bloud, ſo the Earle Gowrie, before hee entred into this Acheldamah field of bloud, pitched by himſelfe, hee made the Divell of his counſell, and was found with many magicke characters about him when he fell by the edge of the ſword.

If any man queſtion how it could ſo fall out that Alexander Ruthwen, being more nimble, ſtrong, and expert in wreſtling, and having many wayes advantage on his Majeſtie, ſhould not throw him downe, or get him under him; I anſwer out of the words immediately going before my text, dextra Jehovae ſuſtentabat eum, the right hand of the Lord ſupported him the King: by whoſe ſpeciall providence it was ordered, that his Majeſties ſervants ſhould paſſe by the window at the very moment when his Majeſtie looked out; as alſo, that ſome of them ſhould finde that blinde way by the turne-pecke into the ſtudie which the Earle Gowrie cauſed to bee new made for this his divelliſh enterpriſe. Therefore his Majeſtie, as ſoone as the bloudie ſtorme was blowne over, kneeled downe in the middeſt of all his ſervants, and offered up the calves of his lips to the God of his life; promiſing a perpetuall memorie of this his deliverie, and profeſſing that hee aſſured himſelfe that God had not preſerved him ſo wonderfully for nought, but that he reſerved him for ſome greater worke and ſervice to his Church, as wee ſee this day. There remaineth yet one clauſe in my text; And the mouth of every one that ſpeaketh lies ſhall bee ſtopped: and anſwerably an appendix to the narration of the conſpiracie of the Gowries, for ſtopping the mouthes of all that ſhall call in queſtion the truth of that relation. Which beſides the conſcience of his Majeſty, the depoſition of his ſervants, the publicke juſtice of the Parliament of Scotland, the ſolemne piety and devotion of the Churches of great Brittaine and Ireland, was ſixteene yeeres after the plotting thereof, and eight yeeres after the acting confirmed by the p. 67publicke, free, and voluntarie confeſſion ofppVid. a booke intituled, the examination of G. Sprot, publiſhed with a learned preface to it by G.A. Dr. D. and Dean of Wincheſter. George Sprot, arraigned and executed at Edinburgh for it.

Thus have I fitted each member of this prophecy to the ſeverall parts of the ſtorie of his Majeſties deliverance as on this day: betweene which there is ſuch good correſpondencie, that the propheſie ſeemeth text to the ſtorie, and the ſtorie a commentarie on the propheſie. Obſerve I beſeech you the harmony of them, and let your heart dance with joy at every ſtraine.

1. The firſt is, They that ſeeke my ſoule to deſtroy it, ſhall goe downe, &c. This was exemplified, and according to the letter accompliſhed in Alexander Ruthwen, who ſought the ruine of our David, and was himſelfe throwne downe the ſtaires, and after part of him into the loweſt parts of the earth, a deepe pit, into which his bowels were caſt.

2. The ſecond is, They ſhall caſt him downe by the edge of the ſword. This was accompliſhed in the Earle Gowrie, whom the Kings ſervants ſmote in the ſtudy with the edge of the ſword, that hee died and fell at their feet.

3. The third is, And they ſhall be a portion for foxes; that is, lie unburied for a prey to the fowles of heaven, and beaſts of the earth: this was accompliſhed in all the Traitors, who were according to the Lawes of the kingdome hanged, drawne and quartered, and their quarters ſet up upon the moſt eminent parts of the Citie, where the fowles preyed upon them till they dropped downe to the ground, and were made an end of by ſome ravenous beaſts.

4. The fourth is, The King ſhall rejoyce in God. This was literally verified in our King, who joyfull after hee was plucked out of the jawes of death, gave publicke thankes to God, and aſcribed the whole glory of his deliverance and victorie over his enemies to his gracious goodneſſe; and in memorie of this ſo great a benefit, commanded this feaſt, which wee now celebrate, to be ſolemnly kept in all his Dominions yeerely.

5. The fifth is, And all that ſweare by him, that is, all which worſhip the true God, the God of our Jacob; or all that ſweare to him, that is, allegiance to his Majeſtie, ſhall glorie. This, as it was accompliſhed in other congregations, ſo is it in us here preſent, aſſembled to glorie in the Lord for this wonderfull delivery of their then, and now alſo our Soveraigne.

6. The ſixt and laſt is, And the mouth of all that ſpeake lies ſhall bee ſtopped. This was alſo fulfilled by the meanes of George Sprot, who by his pious behaviour, and penitent confeſſion at his death, and a ſigne which he promiſed to ſhew after his breath ſhould be ſtopped, and accordingly performed (after he had hanged a great while, clapping his hands above his head) ſtopped the mouth of all ſuch as before ſpake lies againſt the truth of the precedent relation. To the lively expreſſion whereof, I have borrowed, as you ſee, Davids princely characters, and ſet the preſſe, placing each letter in his ranke, and part in his order. What remaineth but that I pray to God by his ſpirit to ſtampe them in our hearts, and ſo imprint p. 68them in our memories, that he that runneth may reade our thankfulneſſe to God for this deliverance, and confidence in his future protection of our Soveraignes perſon, and love and loyaltie to his Majeſtie, whom God hath ſo ſtrangely ſaved from the ſword, to ſave the ſword from us; that in peace and ſafety he might receive and ſway the Scepter of theſe Kingdomes of great Brittaine and Ireland. Which long may hee, with much proſperity and honour, to the glory of God, and propagation of the truth, libertie, and ſafetie of the Church and Common-wealth, exceeding joy and comfort of all his friends, and remarkeable ſhame and confuſion of his implacable enemies. So bee it. Deo patri, &c.