The Joy of the English Church for the Coronation of Pious Prince James, Meditations on psalm · Part · Meditation 18
The 18. meditation.
Peace be within thy walls, and plenteousnes within thy palaces.] Some doe read, peace be in thy strength, foreign; so Hierome and the Septuagint. The word cheel, signifieth both an armie, or a wall or fortresse: and properly it signifieth the rampart & defence before the wall, which is antemurale, as Arias translateth, or as Tremellius, praemunitio: and so is it taken Lament. 2. 8. he made the rampart and the wall to lament. In the other part of this verse, some read, prosperitie, or tranquillitie: the Septuagint interprete, foreign, abundance, which the originall Shalvah, will well beare, and so it is vsed. Ezech. 16. 49. the aboundance of peace. The faithful then are here taught to pray that warre & trouble may cease, that there neede no watching or warding vponupon the walls: but that the citizens within the wals, and eueryevery man in his house may be quiet & at peace. It appeareth then, that this also is not the least blessing, when God sendeth peace vntounto a nation, and intermission of warre.
1. As the Lord promiseth by his prophet: My people shall dwell in tabernacles of peace, and in sure dwellings, and in safe resting places, Isay, 32. 18. They shall breake their swords into mattocks, and their speares into sythes, nation shall not lift vp sword against nation, neither shall they learne to fight any more, Isay. 2. 4.
2. Thus God blessed the raigne of Dauid:Ceasing of wa…. The Lord gaue him rest, round about from all his enemies, 2. Sam. 7. 1. He also prophecieth of his sonne Salomon: that aboundance of peace should be as long as the moone endureth, Psal. 72. 7. who had his name Salomon therefore giuen him from the Lord, because he should hauehave rest frō all his enemies round about, 1. Chro. 22. 9. And contrariwise, as God blesseth righteous kings with peace, so he iudgeth wicked gouernours and people with warres and troubles: as the Prophet threatneth Israel. Manasseh Ephraim, & Ephraim Manasseh, and they both shall be against Iudah, Isay, 9. 20. Thus was it in the daies of Asa in the world, There was no peace to him, that did goe out and in, but great troubles were to all the inhabitants of the earth; for nation was destroyed of nation, and cittie of cittie, for God troubled them with all aduersitie. 2. Chro. 15. 5, 6.
3. The prophet, speaking of the troubles that should befall the people for their sinnes, saith, They should be as meate to the fire, Isay. 9. 19. Warre is as the fire, and it feedeth vponupon and destroyeth the people, as the fire consumeth strawe or wood: or like as an hungrie man snatcheth at the right hand, and at the left, and is not satisfied, Isay, 9. 20. such is the vnsatiable and hungrie desire of warre, there is no measure of satietie of blood. But like vntounto a raging storme, that falleth vponupon the wood and forrest, Isay, 32. 19. which commeth with great violence & terrible voice, such is the tumult and violence of battell.
4. Peace therefore and ceasing from warre is the fruite and effect of trueth and iustice:Iustice and truth the causes of p…ace. as the prophet saith for the first▪ I will reueale vntounto them the aboundance of peace and truth, Ier. 33. 6. and another prophet also testifieth for the second: the work of iustice shall be peace, Isa. 32. 17. Therefore vnderunder the kingdome of Christ, peace and safetie is promised; because his kingdome, is a kingdome of righteousnes: I will raise vntounto Dauid a righteous braunch, &c. in his daies Iudah shall be saued, and Israel shall dwell safely, Ierem. 23. 6. which though it be specially referred to the spirituall peace, yet we doe see also that outward tranquillitie doth waite vponupon the Gospel as an handmaid.
5. First then we are taught to acknowledge another singular fauour of God toward vsus:The 18 benefit, externall peace. that hath heard the praiers of his seruants, and graunted peace vntounto his Church. Domesticall peace and quietnes this land (thanks be to God) hath enioyed more then these 40. yeares vnderunder the conduct of our worthy Deborah our late Soueraigne Q. Elizabeth. But much forren busines hath happened in this time in Ireland, the low countries, and in other places: much piracie hath beene committed vponupon the sea, diuers assaults and inuasions hauehave beene intended against this realme, and one furiously attempted by the Spanyards, ann. 88. But now we trust that the English nation may hauehave peace abroad, and there is great hope, that our peaceable Salomon and princely Ecclesiastes, will bring vntounto this land a generall peace and quietnes both at home and abroad: that men may trauaile safely at home, merchants traffique without daunger abroad, that artificers may still sing in their shops, husbandmen chearefully follow the plow, students applie their bookes: all which things by warre are interrupted. For as Hierome saith, Si iuxta inclyt…m oratorem silent inter arma leges, multo magis studia scripturarum▪ quae librorum multitudine, silentio & otio indig…nt, &c. If▪ as the famous Orator saith, lawes are silent amidst warres, how much more the studie of scriptures, which require multitude of bookes, silence and rest? Further, we see the contrarie disposition of the righteous seede, and the wicked race▪ for they are not so much given vntounto peace, as these are to be contentio…s: as the prophet Dauid saith, I seeke peace, and when I speake vntounto them thereof, they bende themselues to warre, Psal. … 20. 7. Like as it is said of Ismael, that his hand was against eueryevery man, and eueryevery mans hand against him, Gen. 16. 12. Such are nations with their gouernours, that hauehave not the knowledge and true worship of God. It is easie to ges…e, who are the Ismaelites of this age, that are readie to offend all their neighbours both by sea and land, thirsting after the monarchie of many nations, and stretching out their line beyond their measure. These are the fruits of the Popish separation, and such is the spirit of that bodie, breathing out continually contention and warre. It is no rare thing for one countrey, citie, or state, professing poperie to prouoke another: witnesse hereof the great contentions betweene the Guelphs in Italie taking part with the Popes, and the Gibelines of the Emperours part:ann. 132…. the strifes & warres mooued among the Popes themselues, that diuers times warred one vponupon another for the triple crowne;ann. 1168. as Alexander the 3. against the Antipopes Octavian,Lanquet. Guido, Ioannes: the Vrbanists against the Clementines:ann. 1383. and twentie times beside was that Sea deuided. Such were the wars betweene the states of Italie; as the Romanes and Tuscanes, ann. 1166. betweene Millane, Florence, and Mantua, an. 1398. betweene the Venetians and the citie of Pavie,Lanquet. and Verone, ann. 1405. Thus France and Spaine hauehave beene at variāce, England and Scotland,Contentions vsus…all betweene nations professing poperie. til the religion and faith of the Gospel vnited them. Which vnitie we trust nowe shall for euer hold, beeing knit together with three most sure bonds natural, ciuil, & religious: the first, in that the same continent containeth them; the second, one kingdome and gouernment ruleth them: the third▪ one religion and worship of god instructeth them: and therefore, as the preacher saith, a threefold cord cannot easily be brokē, Eccles. 4. 11. Long may this cord hold, & long may his princely Maiestie continue among vsus, that hath twisted this cord: and God graunt that both prince and people may walke in his feare, that as our Christian king is pious and faithfull toward God, so we may be obedient to God and our king. And let vsus not onelyonly pray for peace but practise it, not wish it onelyonly, but worke it: that we may desire so to please God, that he may delight to dwell among vsus: That according to the angels song, Glorie be to God on high, and in earth peace, &c. Luk. 2. 14. We may in all things set forth the glorie of God that we may enioy peace: that God hauing his due, we may receiue our desire: glorie beeing not giuen vntounto God, peace is denied to men: where God by our sinnes is prouoked, there peace in earth is like to be interrupted. And therefore he saith well, Quanam est causa tanti furoris▪ non alia sane, nisi quia displicet mortalibus angelica illa partitio, &c. What is the cause of so great rage? none other but this, because that partition of the angel disliketh men whereby glorie is giuen vntounto God, peace vntounto men: Quonam modo stabit pax hominum coram deo, Bernard. epist. 1…7.si deo apud homines non potest tu…a esse sua gloria? Howe shall mans peace be ratified before God, when Gods glory is violated with men?