The Joy of the English Church for the Coronation of Pious Prince James, Meditations on psalm · Part · Meditation 15
The 15. meditation.
Euen the thrones of the house of Dauid.] That is, God had giuen vntounto his people a gouernour from among themselues: as the Israelites say to Dauid, We are thy bones & thy flesh, 2. Sam. 4. 1. as also an vpright wise and iust prince, that did feed them according to the simplicitie of his heart, and guided them by the discretion of his handes, Psal. 78. 72. It is then an vnspeakable benefit, when the Lord setteth vp the thrones of Dauid, that is, giueth vntounto a people iust gouernours, and the same not strangers but of their owne bone and flesh.
1. For the first, the wise man saith: When the righteous are in authoritie, the people reioyce, Prou. 28. 2. Great ioy there is, when God raiseth vp to his Church vertuous rulers and gouernours: as the contrarie is a great iudgement: When the wicked beareth rule the people sigh, Prou. 28. 2. For the other: the Lord by Moses gaue them this law, From among thy brethren, thou shalt make a king ouer thee, thou shalt not set a stranger ouer thee, which is not thy brother, Deut. 17. 15.
2. Such an one was Salomon, who both was the sonne of Dauid, borne from among his brethren the Israelites, as he himselfe saith, Thou hast kept for Dauid this great merciemercy, and hast giuen him a sonne to sit vponupon his throne, as appeareth this day: as also he praied▪ vntounto God to giuegive him an vnderstanding heart, that he might iudge the people righteously, 1. king. 3. 5. 9. Such an one was Zorobabel, of whome the prophet Ieremie thus testifieth, Their noble ruler shall be of themselues, and their gouernor shall proceede from the middest of them, and I will cause him to draw neere, and approach vntounto me. Ier. 30. 21. The same Zorobabel when as strangers, the aduersaries of Iuda and Beniamin offered their seruice to build the temple, he refused their helpe, saying, It is not for you, but for vsus to build an house vntounto our God, Ezra 4. 3. This was a double blessing, that both God gaue them a ruler of their owne kinred, and such an one, as was zealous to build the Lords house.
3. Such gouernours the prophet compareth to nailes whereupon hang the vessels and other instruments, Isa. 22. 23. and they are as pillars, that beare vp the kingdome, Psal. 75. 3. and as the staffe whereupon a man leaneth, Ier. 48. 17. So is a mercifull and righteous prince, vponupon whome the glorie and safetie of the kingdome dependeth.
4. And great cause the people hauehave to ioy in a good Prince, because the whole realme receiueth a blessing because of him, as the wise man saith, By a man of vnderstanding and wisdome a land endureth long, Prou. 28. 2. And a Prince borne of the kings seede and of the royall blood, must needes be more kind and naturall to his people, then a stranger. Such an one was Eliakim, as a father of the inhabitants of Ierusalem. Isa. 22. 21.
5. First then, if the thrones of Dauid must be set for iudgement, and all causes there tried,The Princes power in causes Ecclesiasticall. then it followeth that Dauid must not be excluded from the cognizance, and iudgement of causes Ecclesiasticall: and so was it practised in his raigne. For Dauid distributed vntounto the Leuites their offices, and appointed the courses of the priests the sonnes of Aaron, 1. Chron. 23. 24. The chiefe gouernment both in Ecclesiasticall and Ciuill cause belonged vntounto Dauids throne. From whence it is necessarily inferred, that eueryevery king ought to be chiefe in all causes within his kingdome, and that what forraine potentate soeuer entermedleth, he is to be held an vsurper: so that by the word of God the Pope is no more to meddle with the managing of Ecclesiasticall causes within the realme, then the king of Spaine is to deale with temporall. The prince then is both to prescribe lawes according to the word of God, euen in matters Ecclesiasticall, and to see them executed, though not in his owne person, and to punish transgressions: for as the Apostle saith, He beareth not the sword for naught, for he is the minister of God to take vengeance on him that doth euill. Rom. 13. 4. It belongeth then to the Prince to correct all sorts of offendours, whether Ciuill or Ecclesiasticall persons, for the Apostles words are generall: none that doth euill, is exempted frō the Princes sword.
And that it is gods ordinance to stirre vp the hearts of princes to reforme religion and Ecclesiasticall abuses, and not to leaue it wholly to the disposition of the cleargie; it is euident by the experience of al ages: wherein the greatest reformations hauehave beene wrought by kings, not by priests. As in Iuda, the godly kings, Asa, Iehosaphat, Hezekiah, Iosias, were the greatest purgers, and reformers of the Church, & most zealous for Gods house: so were Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, after the returne from captiuitie, the one for the building of the temple, the other for repairing the cittie most forward. Whereas the Priests were often found vnfaithfull, and very backeward in the Lords worke: such was Vriah the high Priest, in the daies of Ahaz, that consented to his idolatrie, 2. King. 16. 16. When Ezra returned from Babel, the priests were the hindmost, for whome he staied three daies, Ezra 8. 15. They more forward then any, to marrie strange wiues, contrarie to the law.The negligence and slouthfulnes of priests in the returne from captiuitie. Ezra. 10. 18. One of the high priests sonnes was confederate with Samballat, an enemie to Ierusalem, Nehem. 13. 29. And diuerse there were beside of the priests, that hindred reformation, against whome Nehemiah praieth, Remember them O lord, that defile the priesthood: The whole burthē of redressing the corruptiōs of the church, as concerning the keeping of the sabboth, the putting away of strange wiues, & such like, lay vponupon Nehemiah, cap. 13. 19. 23. Likewise in our Sauiour Christ time, none were greater adversaries to the gospel, then the high priests, Annas and Caiphas, and Ananias to S. Paul, Act. 23. 1. And of late times, who more hindred reformation in the Church of England, then the Pope and his papal brood? When had England receiued the gospel, if God had not stirred vp the heart of the Prince to embrace the trueth? Is it like that the pope and his papall Hierarchie would euer set their mindes to reforme the Church abroad, when they suffer such abomination at home? Paulus the third made some semblance and shew of reformation, when he set certaine Cardinals aworke, as Contarenus, Sadoletus, Polus, with others, to certifie him of the abuses of the Church, which they did accordingly, but no reredresse or amendment followed. But God would hauehave this worke to be vndertaken by his annointed to whome it belongeth, receiuing their direction from the word of God: as thereto he stirred vp the heart of king Henrie the 8. that beganne; king Edward followed, Queene Elizabeth happely proceeded, and what is yet wanting either in Church or commonwealth, we trust that by the hands of our dread Soueraigne, that nowe is, it may▪ in good time be perfected & accomplished; that as the Prophet saith of Zorobabel, he shall bring forth the head stone thereof, that is, finish Gods worke, that the whole Church of God with ioyfull acclamations and shoutings shall crie, Grace, grace vntounto it, Zach. 4. 7.
Secondly, here is the great ioy & comfort of the English nation, that there wanteth not a man of the house of Dauid,The 15. benefit, a prince no stranger, or forrainer. to sit vponupon the throne: that God hath giuen vsus a king of our own kindred and nation, of the familie of Dauid, of the noble race of the kings of this land▪ not a stranger, or forrainer, borne of English blood and parentage, brought vp in the same Island, neither by sea nor moūtains discrimined, eiusdem labii of the same speech and language, and which is the cheifest of all, of the same faith and religion. God graunt vntounto his Maiestie Dauids spirit, that he may be after Gods own heart, and as the Scripture saith of Iehosophat, that he may walke in the first wayes of his father Dauid, 2. Chron. 17. 3. And we trust that God hath sent vntounto vsus a Dauid indeede, to whome these princely qualities of Dauid doe agree,Ambr. lib. 2. offic. cap. 7. as Ambrose well describeth: humilis spiritu, sedulus corde, facilis affatu, &c. fortis in praelio, mansuetus in imperio, &c. meritò ergo expetitus est ab vniuerso populo, vt omnes ad eum venirent dicentes, ecce nos ossa tua, &c. Hūble in spirit, diligent in heart, affable in speech, valiant in battell, mercifull in gouernment: therefore he was worthely desired of all that came vntounto him saying, We are thy bones, &c.