A Century of Sermons, Sermon 3

A Century of Sermons · Sermon 3

p. 731A SERMON Preached upon the Gowry Conſpiracy BEFORE KING JAMES.

PSAL. xli. 9.

Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I truſted, which did eat of my bread, hath lift up his heel againſt me.

THere is one way, ſays Plutarch in Demetrius, to make the whole world the better, one courſe to be taken to put ſhame into all mens faces that they dare not ſin. It is but thus, foreign, not to ſuffer the acts of evil men to paſs unregiſtred, let their names be known, and their deeds ſet forth in black colours, that they who could find pleaſure in a ſinful life, may be diſcouraged by an infamous memory. Cum de malo Principe poſteri tacent, manifeſtum eſt eadem facere praeſentem, ſays Pliny; It holds not only in Princes, but in the manners of all men. When we dare not ſpeak of the vices of other men, it is a ſign they are riſe among ourſelves. Can we then paſs over this high and unſufferable wrong done to an innocent perſon in my Text? Such a complaint as can hardly be match'd in all the Scripture. For ſay that one friend hath parted from another, as Demas leſt St. Paul; or that Ziba being truſted did fail Mephiboſheth; or that Jobs acquaintance, whom he fed with his Morſels, did ſhun him in the days of his ſorrow; yet for all theſe crimes to meet in one man, diſloyalty againſt friendſhip, treachery againſt truſt, ingratitude againſt daily benefits, this is ſtrange, quod nulla poſteritas probet ſed nulla taceat, fit to be blazon'd, that for infamies ſake the moſt proſtigate may fear to do the like. This is my Scope, there is the Center where I will fix the foot of my Compaſs, and whatſoever I do add more is the Circle drawn about it.

In the days of King Davids perſecution, you would think the Text were ſit for none but him. Expoſitors indeed are not all of one mind to ſay who it is that is pointed out for this diſloyal enemy. Perchance his ungracious Son Abſolon, an untimely Uſurper; perchance Joab the Captain of his Hoſt, truſted with the command of all his Forces, and yet complotting with Adonijah to ſupplant Solomon againſt the Fathers affection. But moſt likely, and you ſhall hear at this time of no other, it was the great States-man Achitophel, admitted into the ſecrets of his boſome, and rewarded with the beſt honours of his Court, even he, his own familiar friend, in whom he truſted, which did eat of his bread, did lift up his heel againſt him. In the p. 732days of our Saviours humiliation the Text doth ſo fit his turn, and that St. John ſaw in the thirteenth of his Goſpel, and did ſo apply it, that at the firſt bluſh you will ſay it doth directly ſerve to expreſs his pittiful caſe, and the wickedneſs of Judas who did betray his Maſter. Judas that followed him when he had no where to lay his head, and could a friend do more? Judas that diſpenſed his Alms to the poor, ſurely the greateſt truſt that could be laid upon any ſervant by ſo charitable a Lord; Judas his gueſt at all times, and more eſpecially a partaker of his Laſt Supper, take him with all theſe titles, and yet did he lift up his heel againſt his Maſter. One interpretation more of this Text is revealed in this our Age. And it is verified in application to none ſo fitly as to our moſt renowned Soveraign in the happy and ſucceſsful deliverance, which God gave unto him this day againſt his enemies; his Companion in recreations, his confederate in counſels, of the ſame unanimity of Religion, that had broke the ſame bread at the Communion Table did riſe up againſt the Lords Anointed. But he that lifted up his heel was ſupplanted himſelf and caſt down, praiſed be God for evermore.

You ſee here are three examples of Traitors, ſo notorious, that we who live may almoſt be aſhamed of Mankind: and there are three examples of them who ſuffered ſo innocently, that we may be proud there were men ſo good to endure it. Wherefore I will draw my diſcourſe into ſuch a method that neither Achitophel may be forgotten that wronged King David, nor Judas omitted that betrayed his Maſter, nor thoſe wicked Imps let alone in ſilence whom this day bath made notorious to Generations. Achitophels treachery hath the precedency in time, and therefore it ſhall be handled in the firſt part, in whom you ſhall ſee three things: 1. How odious it is to violate friendſhip, yea, mine own familiar friend. 2. How hateful it is to wrong the truſt repoſed in us, My friend in whom I truſted. 3. How impious it is to forget the benefits we have received, to ſpurn againſt him that ſeeds us, He that ate of my bread hath lift up his heel againſt me. Judas his Apoſtacy is the ſecond part of my Text, and in him let Hereticks diſcern, how grievous it is to wound their Saviour whom they have ſerved, and let our Runnagates to Rome and Rhemes conſider what a lamentable backſliding it is to leave the ſincere Altar whereon they have eaten the body of Chriſt and drank his bloud. I would our own Iſland had not brought forth ſuch men as make up the third part of my Text, in whoſe deſperate attempt you ſhall ſee how the beſt alive are not only like to ſpill their good turns upon barren ſands, but alſo to loſe their life, their country, their liberty, even where they had cauſe to look for nothing but due homage and fidelity. An firſt attend unto Davids complaint, &c.

Yea, mine own familiar friend; no vertue wins affection to it ſooner than humility, and behold we have it here in the loweſt degree; for David doth not reach out his Scepter, to keep his Servant at a diſtance, but draws him near unto his breaſt, and calls him the friend of David. The Shepherds in Sophocles complained of their Sheep, that although they held their Sheephooks over them as if they did command, yet in truth they did but wait upon the Flocks, and were their ſervants, foreign. So if we do truly examine it, it is the miſery of all greatneſs; they that ſit in the higheſt place as our Governours do perform more good offices for our uſe than if they were our ſervants; yet for the maintenance of Authority, and to keep Inferiours in awe of their power, they ſeldom ſtoop ſo low as David doth, Yea, mine own familiar friend.

A tyrannous inſultation over ſervants is out of practice for the moſt part in our Kingdom, let it be cenſured at large among them whoſe inſolency deſerves it; their ſcourgings and tortures did but breed this Proverb amongſt the Romans, So many Servants ſo many enemies. An id Dominis parum eſt quod Deo ſatis eſt? Is not that ſufficient for man which will content God? If obedience and good endeavour doth ſuffice the Lord, ſhall man be unſatisfied with his Servants diligence? Servi ſunt? Imò humiles amici, non miniſteriis ſed moribus eſtimandi, ſays Seneca. Look not upon our families as upon men under the yoke, but as upon friends that profeſs lowlineſs, reſpecting rather the good diſpoſition of their mind than the condition of their place. So David moderated his Court rather like a Society than a Kingdom; that as Plutarch ſaid of the Syracuſians being beſieged, every man was more ſollicitous for the ſafety of their Captain Dion than for their own eſcape, ſo in Davids affliction the whole Court mourned rather for his miſery than their own, only the pernicious head of Achitophel revolted being his familiar friend.

foreign, ſays Sophocles, a faithleſs friend is the ſo a reſt bile that p. 733can be toucht. Methinks as Jonathan laid aſide his bow and arrows approaching to embrace David, ſo the name of friend ſhould diſarm the heart of man, that no inſtrument of malice ſhould be left to give offence: It is like Gods Rainbow in the clouds, a ſure token of reconcilement and preſervation: it is the uniting of more ſouls in one, like the Rod of Moſes, and the Rod of the Egyptians which were united into one Rod, Exod. 7. that as Joſeph ſaid of Pharaohs dreams, the dreams are two, but the interpretation is but one; ſo among friends the hearts are two, yet there is but one joy, one deſire, and but one affection between them both. O what an accurſed crime it is to cancel ſuch a Bond, much more to falſifie and corrupt it? more unnatural than to divide one living Child into two dead parts like the uncompaſſionate Harlot. St. Baſil did ſo cleave to the familiarity of holy Nazianzen, whom he called foreign or his neceſſary friend, that he thought not his knowledg ſolid, or his ſtudy profitable, or the day-light to be clear without him. Zenophon was ſo enflamed with the love of Proxenus, dear to him as his own ſoul, that he changed his bookiſh life, and entred into a dangerous war, as he confeſſeth, that he might follow him as the ſhadow did the body.

Perfect Lawgivers, ſays Ariſtotle, have had more careful regard to ſettle friendſhip in their polities, than to ſettle juſtice; for there is a recompence and ſatisfaction for any fault that infringeth juſtice, put it is paſt our value and exceeds all eſtimation how to ſalve up an injury which abuſeth friendſhip: beſides there is prevention in all points of juſtice that an innocent may ſuſtein no hurt, but the wounds of a falſe friend, how is it poſſible to avoid them? ſuch an Achitophel is like hot iron taken out of the fire which neither gloes nor ſhines, but burns more violently than the flame that threatens. We have a Teſt to try gold ſays Euripides, a Touchſtone to betray deceit in counterfeit mettals, foreign: but to know the miſchief of a diſſemblers heart, there's no mark or character to diſcern it: Moreover every man hath a ſhare in his whole friend, in all his eſtate and faculties, but every ſingle man hath but his part in that Common-wealth whereof he is a Citizen: then reaſon within your ſelves, can he that wrongs a friend, who is all and every whit his own, be true to that Kingdom wherein he hath but a ſhare and moiety? As the Poet warn'd the Sparrow not to build a neſt in Medaeas Statue, for ſhe ſpar'd not to kill her own young ones, and could the little birds, who were but Inmates, expect ſuccour from her? ſo believe him not that he will be juſt to others, who was unjuſt to his other ſelf: Let him be rooted out, let him be cut off like unprofitable Ivy that undermines the building upon which it creeps.

It is a ſolid reaſon in School Divinity, why Devils cannot inflict a corporal torture upon the Sons of men without ſome eſpecial commiſſion for the fact, becauſe ſince immaterial ſpirits are always about our paths, and as near unto us as our garment unto our fleſh, although they cannot be diſcerned, it might tend to our unavoidable deſtruction, if inability did not check their malice: It were well for us if a falſe friend had not more advantage againſt our life and ſafety than the Devil; his acceſs unto us is as free as Satans, his miſchievous intentions as little diſcerned: here is the difference, the Devil can hurt you but by fits, but a fair-tongu'd Hypocrite at all times. As David kill'd Goliah with no rugged ſtone, but with a ſmooth peble out of the brook, and when the Army of the Philiſtins could not prevail the embracements of Dalilah confounded Sampſon: It is not the Majeſty of Eglon that can ſave him, if Ehud come with ave rex, and courteous ſalutations. Abner is but a dead man if Joab encroach with ah my brother, and embrace him. Pope Sixtus Quintus, ſecond to no man to make an Orator for the Devil, was much miſtaken in the Conſiſtory, when extolling the Parricidious Frier, who ſlew Henry the Third of France, made it a wonder that ſo mean a perſon in the form of a Petitioner, ſhould paſs all the Kings Guard, and without reſiſtance, execute that execrable treaſon. Quite otherwiſe ſay I, had he come armed, and reviled the King, and profeſſed defiance, then it had been ſtrange if the Guard had not cut him ſhort, and defended their Soveraign: but in the habit of an humble Subject that bowed unto his King, in the form of a Beads-man that came praying in the ſhape of a ſupplicant that ſued for juſtice, was this ſuch a wonder that ſo Vile a Fox ſhould ſtrike the ſtroke? nay David knew that evil could not be avoided, when his own familiar friend did lift up his heel againſt him.

Such friends as Achitophel was our unworthy Age is packt with, great obſervers in the time of our dignity, devoted to our good fortunes, ſhadows of our proſperity: p. 734but if Abſalon the Uſurper thrive, then they ſhrink like Sheba, we have no part in David, they are gone like the fiſhes in the ſmall Rivers that come up into the Brooks at full tide, and return into the Sea at ebbing waters: Fugiunt amici cum probari debuerint, ſays Seneca, 'tis a hard caſe, friendſhip is but a mere name before diſtreſs come to try it what it is, and when you come to catch hold of the ſuccour of faithleſs men, you graſp water: and the rule is infallible, cui placet pretium in amicitiâ, placebit pretium contra amicitiam, they that love to taſte ſome benefit in their friendſhip, may be induc'd to like a benefit ſo well as to betray friendſhip to obtain it. Aelian and ſome other ſuch ſcatter-ſtories as himſelf, do make more reports of Dogs and Elephants, of Birds and Horſes, and ſome other unreaſonable creatures, that they did either compaſſionate or relieve, if they were able, the miſeries of thoſe Maſters whom they had long attended, than of reaſonable men What? have we loſt both nature and good nurture, and have the beaſts found it? This made the Prophet complain, Pſal. xii. They ſpeak vanity to their neighbour, and flatter with their double heart. This made Obadiah tell Hieruſalem, that the men of her peace, and thoſe that eat of her bread deceived her. This made Jeremy adviſe the Jews, Jer. 9. Take ye heed every one of his Neighbour, and truſt not in a Brother, for every Brother will utterly ſupplant. This made our Saviour proteſt that a mans Enemies were thoſe of his own Houſe; this made King David decipher Achitophel in my Text, Yea mine own, &c.

Secondly, I proceed to conſider in this complaint, how hateful a thing it is to wrong the truſt which is repoſed in us; My friend in whom I truſted. I cannot but break out abruptly with the Pſalmiſt, I have hated the ſins of unfaithfulneſs, and as the old Patriarch ſaid of his Sons Simeon and Levi, that drew from the Sichemites the holy bloud of Circumciſion, that they might the ſooner ſpill their lifes bloud upon the ground, O my ſoul come not thou into their ſecret, into their aſſembly mine honour be not thou united. Let us inſtance in ſome points of truſt. To betray a ſecret is fit for none but Doeg the Edomite, a Beaſt ſet to keep the Beaſts of Saul. The Lacedaemonians ſitting in counſel had a Ceremony to charm their doors, as if no ſecret ſhould get out of that circle, and Alexander ſays Plutarch was wont to ſet his Seal upon their lips, to whom he had committed his affairs of truſt. Tertullian reports of the fidelity of an Athenian Woman, who was made privy to the counſels of Harmodius and Ariſtogiton, and being brought before a Tyrant that urged confeſſion from her, rather than ſhe would do it ſhe ſpat her tongue in his face.

In matters of greater truſt, if greater may be than ſilence, the old Roman Laws urged men to perform ſuch faithfulneſs, that an orphan Child committed to the pupillage of a friend lay upon his charge to look unto it next to his own Parents, next to the Orphan the Client that had committed his Cauſe to his Patrons protection was to be reſpected, and both theſe before their own Brethren. Gellius abounds with teſtimonies to prove it, primum locum juxta parentes tenere pupillos, proximum locum clientes, ſays the Author. And the Poet Virgil in the deteſtation of that wicked Guardian which ſlue young Polydor for his Portions ſake, makes the very trees to drop bloud that grew in the place where the child was buried. Did I ſay before, that Simeon and Levi broke fealty with the Sichemites? Did they deal any better with their own Father? Jacob put two things into their charge, his Flocks and their Brother Joſeph: 'tis true, they did tend their Flocks, but you know their uſage to their Brother. O ye fools, ſays St. Baſil, if dreams be vain, why do you vex him for a dreams ſake; if dreams be true and infallible, why do you think to thwart and hinder the Divine Providence.

If infidelity did only breed an ill opinion in that one diſloyal party which commits it, the matter were not great; but for one Achitophels ſake jealouſies, evil ſuſpicions, wrong ſurmiſes are counted the wiſe mans character in this ſubtle generation. Epicharmus his ſaying went current with Tully for a moſt ſage dictate foreign: 'tis the very ſtrength and ſinews of prudence to diſtruſt and be circumſpectious. Thus Sycophants and Impoſtors have changed the face of the world, and the innocency of the Dove is nothing ſo much reſpected as the wilineſs of the Serpent. foreign; let them that dare truſt that man who is too much miſtruſtful. Have you been deceived? ſays St. Ambroſe, do not diſlike your ſelf for that. So was our Saviour in his Apoſtle Judas, ut nemo aegre ferat eraſſe judicium, pertiſſe beneficium: and I ſee no reaſon, why he that is a wiſe man ſhould ſeem a fool, becauſe he that ſeemed an honeſt man is proved a knave. Simonides was conceited of the Theſſalians that no man could over-reach them, but did p. 735he commend them for this? Take his reaſon with you, and you will ſay no. Stolidiores eſſe quàm ut poſſint decipi. They were ſuch groſs Idiots, that no man knew their diſpoſition how to practiſe upon them. I did ever think meanly of the wits of Sycophants; all the glory that they reap is this, the Impoſtor had no faith, and he that truſted in ſuch men had too much charity.

If the portion of the Fatherleſs be made over to thy cuſtody, remember old Tobies friend Gabael of Media, who delivered up to Tobias the Talents ſealed. In the cauſe of the diſtreſſed Client be as truſty as Solomon was to the Harlot, and let her have her own. If thou haſt betroathed a Virgin, remember what Jacob endured, with what conſtancy he perſevered in the love of Rachel. Laſtly, There is not a greater truſt in the world, than to be deputed a ſhepherd over the flock of Chriſt. O be faithful and vigilant, break the bread of life which Chriſt hath bequeathed. But if the Portions of Orphans cleave faſt to your hands, how can you hold them up to that Saviour, who committed himſelf to Joſephs truſt when he was a Babe, and was not deceived? If the cauſe of an abuſed Client rattle in your mouth, how can you plead for mercy to him, who did plead ſo well for the woman taken in Adultery, and ſhe was acquitted? If the faith of ſome poor betroathed Virgin, whom you have wronged, cry for vengeance, how can Chriſt, the faithful Spouſe of the Church, attend to your ſupplication? If your poor Lambs pine for want of milk, how ſhall the great ſhepherd Chriſt Jeſus afford you the comfort of one drop of water? O the ſobs of Orphans, the curſings of Clients, the tears of abuſed Virgins, the bleatings of your Flocks, the revealing of ſecrets. Arcanique fides prodiga perlucidior vitro; and this Pſalm of David againſt Achitophel his falſe Counſellor will ring over heaven, and cauſe judgment to fall down upon ſuch who lifted up their heel againſt them that truſted too much to their ſlippery infidelity. Yea mine own familiar, &c.

Now the third complaint is ſoreſt, he that did eat of my bread, Magnificavit dolum, did exalt miſchief againſt me. It hath been ſaid in ſcorn of the Epicure, that the palate of his mouth was more ſenſible than his heart, it is well that ſomewhat would pleaſe him. But Achitophel had neither feeling of Davids true love in his heart, nor any taſte of his benefits in his mouth, friendſhip and food were both loſt upon him, Comedebat panes, and yet he is his enemy. As in the overflowings of Nilus the corn fields are the better, and the fatter for it, but Serpents and Vermine grow out of the fruitfulneſs: So the overflowing of benefits begets nothing in an ill diſpoſition but Worms and Cankers: foreign, ſays St. Bazil. Not a Cur ſo fierce but will fawn upon you, and lick your hands if you feed him; Birds are not ſo wild but by giving a little meat unto them, in time they may be brought to pick up crums at your Table; what a brutiſh thing is ingratitude, that the beaſts may be won with that which would not win Achitophel? Nay, there are ſuch, ſays the Father, that you loſe them when you beſtow kindneſs upon them, and envy will repine that you have ability to ſupply their wants. Jupiter hoſpitibus num te dare jura loquuntur, &c. The Table of hoſpitality was ever accounted a ſacred thing. And St. Auſtin thinks that Chriſt did reveal himſelf to Cleophas and the other Diſciple in breaking of bread, rather than in any other ſign, becauſe they offered him part of their own entertainment at Emmaus. And Salt was a Symbol of friendſhip among the Heathen, becauſe feeding at the ſame board was an uniter of affections and amity. The Greek Proverb makes it the baſeſt kind of love, to have the reliſh of a Paraſite in a mans mouth, foreign. to love no longer than we are fed. But here is a canker worm that devours the ſap of the tree that feeds him, like unnurtured beggars, ſerved plentifully at rich mens doors, and yet take advantage how they may break in and rob the houſe where they were relieved.

You may as ſoon reduce the babling of a mad man to reaſon as to take any meaſure of this vice of ingratitude. Can you ſearch the depth of that which hath no bottom? It is foreign, a Sive or Colender which contains nothing that you pour into it. It is gone like the wind which paſſeth by our ear, and you ſhall hear of it no more. Take the great inſtance from him whoſe caſe was moſt pitiful. Why was our Saviour put to death? For envy. Why was he envied? For his good Works. What good Works had he done? He fed the hungry, and this bountiful Lord hath Gall and Vinegar preſented to him. He raiſed the dead, divers of their own Nation, and yet the giver of life is put to death; Devils were caſt out of another, and the cleanſer of the houſe is defiled vvith ſpittle. Can any reaſon be p. 736given for this? We may ſay indeed, as one did, to our own ſhame, that there are a ſort of men, Divites aliorum jacturis, immortales funeribus; ſuch as are rich by other mens loſſes, and immortal by other mens funerals: but what reaſon can we yield for that? none at all. It is a ſin without a bottom, and therefore it hath the greater affinity with Hell and damnation.

I have thought it one of the Devils principal projects, that ſince the ſtory of the Athenian and Roman Commonwealths were the moſt likely to be turned over and peruſed, you ſhall not paſs the Annals of five years but ſome memorable example of ingratitude will croſs your way. In Athens it was malum epidemicum; their all deſerving Miltiades, Cimon, Ariſtides, Themiſtocles, diſcarded, diſgraced, impriſoned, a City full of ſevere Laws againſt ingratitude, Sed moribus ſuis quam legibus uti maluerunt, full of oppoſite practice to the Laws. In the Roman Polity Camillus, Africanus, Scipio, Manlius, many more either dethroned from dignity, deprived of life, or baniſht their Country; wherefore Africanus ſpat in their face again, when dying in exile he did appoint this Epitaph for his Tomb, Ingrata Patria, ne oſſa quidem mea habes; he did not bequeath ſo much as his bones to his ingrateful Country. Theſe are the Devils Land-marks to guide after Ages by ſuch diſloyal preſidents; we want not hiſtory then to pattern this vice by example, but if you ask for reaſon, as I ſaid before, it is deeper than the Sea, and you cannot ſound the bottom. Unleſs this may give a little ſatisfaction to the curious, that the flower of vertue hath been always untimely cropt in Popular Government, when the multitude are more prone to darken glorious deeds with envy than to make them famous by reward. And I could never find in my reading, that a deſerving perſon found a due recompence in any State but by the bounty of a Monarch. And therefore it is a thouſand pities, that our foreign, our Kings and Princes, that appoint prizes to them that beſt behave themſelves in the Combate, that they ſhould light upon ungrateful Courtiers, like Davids undermining Achitophel, his familiar friend, that eat of his breads &c.

I hope the truly noble and magnificent mind will ſay to this, Non nova mî rerum facies inopinave ſurgit; that he full well knew and foreſaw he muſt loſe many good turns when he beſtowed them among men. Eſt tanti ut gratum invenias experiri vel ingratos, ſays Seneca; One thankful man is ſo precious a jewel, if you find him out, that it will quit coſt to try twenty that are unthankful. Shall a good man loſe the employment of his bounty becauſe evil men have forgot the retribution of gratitude? God forbid. Shew me an Uſurer that hath broke up trade for being caſt behind by one bankrupt; Shew me a Seafaring man that leaves to traffick for one loſing voyage. Poſt malam ſegetem ſerendum. You cannot ſhew the man that will hold his hand from the ſeed hereafter, becauſe one crop did not anſwer expectation. Nay, I had rather preach, that there was never more than one covetous Judas in the Church, who loved thirty pieces of ſilver better than a thouſand bleſſings of his gracious Lord. I had rather perſwade you, there was never more than one projecting Achitophel, who would contrive ſubtilties againſt David, who advanced him to the higheſt honour of his counſel; I will ſay that there is no mouth but doth bleſs him that feeds it, no needy ſoul but doth pray for him that relieves it, rather than diſcourage the liberal Benefactors, & weaken the hands of them whoſe hearts are enlarged to help the poor with their plenteouſneſs. Again, the truly charitable delights in his own good deed, becauſe it is given and beſtowed, not becauſe it is returned. The glory of the Roman Commonwealth, ſays M. Antony in Plutarch, appears not by the rich tributes they receive, but by the chargeable ſuccours which they afford to their diſtreſſed Confederates, foreign. Laſtly, If you ſhut up your compaſſion againſt all men, becauſe a few unthankful have put up your kindneſs in the dark, taking no notice of your hand that gave it, you commit not only rigour, but great injuſtice, to puniſh more than have offended.

As for him that rewards evil for good leave him to God to receive his judgment. Serpents can bear poiſon to envenom others, which doth not harm themſelves, but the venom of the malicious ſhall be his own bane. The Viper dropt into the fire which hung upon St. Pauls hand, Acts xxviii. as if it had taken puniſhment of it own ſelf, Quod nihil ad ſe attinens corpus attigiſſet, becauſe it light upon a body which it ſhould not have aſſaulted; but Achitophel, not ſo conſcionable as this Viper, whom it irkt to have toucht the Saint of God, broke his own neck for madneſs, becauſe he could not ſupplant David. When Scevola ran his Weapon at King Porſenna, but miſſed his mark; the good King intreated him ſo courteouſly, that he made p. 737his enemy to ſay, Ego fortunae non ſuccenſeo quòd à bono viro aberraverim; I am not angry at Fortune which turn'd away my Sword from ſo good a man: But this Politician in my Text had not the grace to rejoyce and be glad that his Lord and King did eſcape his pernicious ſtratagem; but, ambitious of nothing but to ſeem wiſe, diſpoſeth his houſe in a prudent order and hangs himſelf. And becauſe I cannot leave ſuch a miſcreant in a better place, here ends my treatiſe of Achitophel, of Davids complaint, and the firſt part of this exerciſe, Yea mine, &c.

And as Achitophel left himſelf hanging between heaven and earth for all men to gaze upon, ſo likewiſe hath Judas in the ſecond part of the Text. I am now come from the complotting Stateſman to the Apoſtaticall Churchman; from him that dealt perfidiouſly with David, to him that was the traitor againſt Davids Lord, The Lord ſaid unto my Lord, Pſal. cx. Corruptio optimi eſt peſſima. That which is ſweeteſt, when it is corrupted is moſt unſavoury; and by how much an Apoſtle of Chriſt was an office of more ſanctity and faith than a Counſellour of King David, by ſo much the corruption of Judas is more ſoul than the corruption of Achitophel. To be called the Friend of his Creator, to be truſted by him who was the wiſdom of the Father: to eat of the Paſchal Lamb with him who was the Lamb of God, and yet to be the man that did enſnare his life, methinks the Devil did not enter into Judas, but Judas was more likely to enter and poſſeſs the Devil. Of every branch let me ſpeak a little, as I did in the former complaint, Yea mine own familiar friend.

Origen was ſo aſtonied to ſee Judas have this honourable compellation, that he would make us believe in his 35. Hom. upon St. Matthew, that no good man is ſo called in the Scripture; Friend how cameſt thou hither not having a wedding garment? he was bad: to him that grudg'd that he received but one peny in the Parable, Friend I do thee no wrong, take that which is thine own and depart, he was ſtark naught. But Origen did not remember that Abraham was called the friend of God, or that the Lord talked with Moſes as one doth with his Friend, or that John Baptiſt was called the Friend of the Bridegroom, for the honour of theſe Saints be it ſpoken, it is ſtrange that Judas ſhould be ſtiled his own familiar friend. But ſuch reaſons as I have pickt up I will briefly lay down before you.

1. Judas did bear himſelf as the friend of Chriſt, like a falſe diſſembler. I will inſtance only in that profane kiſs, a ſign unto thoſe that ſhould lead him bound unto Caiaphas. Why did not the Traitor ſay, him whom you ſhall ſee chiding and reproving me, him that ſpits upon me, and accurſeth me; no, he truſted too much to the lenity and gentleneſs of his Lord, therefore him whom you ſee me kiſs hold him faſt. St. Chryſoſtome knows not which he ſhould blame moſt, whether the High Prieſts, for ſending their Servants with ſwords and ſtaves, foreign, a ſweet muſter for Prieſts to make ſays the Father, I would the High Prieſt of Italy would mark it; or whether Judas that came to betray his Maſter with a kiſs. If thou wert not aſhamed of the fact, foreign is it poſſible thou ſhouldſt not be aſhamed to give thy accomplices ſuch a token? But out of that mouth, which had bargained for the wages of iniquity, nothing could come from thoſe lips but a ſign of miſchief. O let no falſe Brother be encouraged, that the Son of God did not deteſt the kiſs of an hypocrite, Non ut ſimulare nos doceat, ſed ne proditionem fugere videatur. It was not to embrace a falſe friend, but he would not thruſt him back, leſt he ſhould ſeem to decline and avoid his Paſſion. Would you not think, but as Eliſha put life into the Shunamites Child by laying mouth to mouth, ſo Judas much more might have received life by laying his mouth to our Saviours? Had it not been probable, that ſince the woman was cured of her bloudy iſſue by touching the Hem of his Garment, much more Judas ſhould be cured of a bloudy heart by this royal favour? No, beloved, they are not the lips that kiſs him, nor the womb that bare him, nor the paps that gave him ſuck, that make any one happy, but a heart without guile, and love unfained. Small comfort it is to Judas, that upon this outward ſign of courteſie he is called his own familiar friend.

Secondly, Judas doth paſs current with this mighty name becauſe Chriſt did uſe him as a friend. Bad as he was, the Spirit of God is not aſhamed to call him one of the Twelve, Ne tam exiguus numerus eſſet ſine malo, ſays St. Auſtin; that we may ſee how corrupt the world is, ſince in ſo ſmall a flock there is a Wolf in ſheeps cloathing. The time will give me leave to make but one inſtance of our Saviours good offices unto Judas, and that is the waſhing of his feet. Nay, Lorinus tells it as a received tradition of the Church, that among all the Diſciples Judas was the firſt whoſe feet our Saviour waſhed, to ſatisfie his aſpiring ambition. Sed quod lavit gratia p. 738inquinavit perfidia, ſays St. Ambroſe; Grace would have waſh'd him clean, but that perfidiouſneſs ſtain'd him like a Blackamore. And could Judas lift up his heel againſt him, whoſe precious hands had waſh'd thoſe heels in all humility? Like Sciron the murderer, who placed his Throne by the Cliffs of the Sea, and conſtrained Paſſengers to kiſs his feet, whom he ſpurned down the Rocks, and broke their necks. Could thoſe feet be ſwift to ſhed bloud? Could they find the way into the High Prieſts Hall after they had been bathed and wiped with the hands of a mighty Prince, which notwithſtanding caſt themſelves under the Traitors feet? What could the mighty God do more, than to draw poor duſt and aſhes to him with this title, Yea, mine own familiar friend?

Thirdly and laſtly, the name of friend is not pluckt away from Judas, becauſe Chriſt ſtretched out his arms, and was ready to receive him into friendſhip if he had repented. Whither doth this loſt man run with his thirty pieces of Silver? Is there not an High Prieſt to go to greater than all the Prieſts in Jeruſalem, that he runs to Caiaphas to caſt them before him in deſperation? As Tacitus ſaid of Claudius Apollinaris, a vain inconſtant man, Neque fidei conſtans erat, neque conſtans in perfidiâ; ſo Judas knew neither how to be faithful to Chriſt, nor how to behave himſelf when he was treacherous. When he had trained a Plot to betray his Lord, he knows not how to make amends to renounce the treachery. Had he but ſtood and wept among the Daughters of Jeruſalem, or ran to Golgotha to learn repentance from the converted thief, then ſurely he that bore the iniquities of all the world upon his Croſs would have felt no more burden, if he had carried the ſin of Judas. And ſo much for the laſt reaſon, becauſe our Saviour is ready to be reconciled to every contrite man, therefore he did expect this fruit from Judas, and calls him his own familiar friend.

I proceed to the next branch of his crime, He whom I truſted did lift up his heel againſt me. But becauſe our Saviour knew before what was in man, or in the heart of man, it muſt ſtand as a queſtion to be debated, why he would lay himſelf ſo low as this humility, to truſt in Judas?

1. Bucer comparing this place of the Pſalmiſt with the ſame as it is cited, Joh. xiii. 8. finds theſe words to be left out in St. John, the man in whom I truſted, and ſo rejecting Judas as never worthy of our Saviours truſt, applies himſelf to give no anſwer.

2. Leo and Euthymius varying from ſome ſtories, which caſt infamy upon Judas, that he ſlew his Father, and was inceſtuous with his Mother, to the end that he might honour our Saviours choice in the twelve Apoſtles, inclines to that opinion, that Judas was once good, and worthy of our Saviours truſt. Yea, Theophylact is willing ſo far to excuſe the Traitor, as if he did not ſell his Maſter, thinking to bring him to the death of the Croſs, but having had experience, both at the brow of the hill, when the people would have caſt him down, and likewiſe when he eſcaped ſtoning in the Temple, by paſſing away in form inviſible, how it was in his power to delude his enemies, I ſay Theophylact conceits of Judas, that he did expect Chriſt would now have acquitted himſelf from the judgment of Pilate. Beloved, this is my rule; Where men cite conjecture, and not reaſon, it is free to gainſay or incline to their authority: But where the Scripture gives up a ſpark, it is enough for us to light a Candle by. Now ſays Chriſt, very early after he had choſen his Apoſtles, John vi. Have I not choſen you Twelve, and one of you is a Devil? This methinks diſables Euthymius his opinion, and from the beginning there was no grace in Judas.

3. The common current of Expoſitors confine the truſt which this man had to the credit which was given him to bear our Saviours Purſe of Alms and Charity. What they ſay cannot be diſallowed as improbable; yet it ſeems Chriſt put little truſt in ſuch an officer, for when a payment was to be made of Tribute unto Caeſar, the money was borrowed of a Fiſh, and laid in the hand of his true Apoſtle St. Peter to disburſe it.

4. This is the conſtruction of the Gloſs, Chriſt had that eye of trial over all things, foreign, and therefore it could not be verified in him, that he put any confidence in ſo ungracious a practiſer. Sed membra crediderunt. As Chriſt was perſecuted in the perſon of the Church, Saul, Saul, why perſecuteſt thou me? So he truſted in Judas in the perſon of the Church, which did whilom believe in him for a true Apoſtle. Yea, Leo tells it with as much confidence as if he had ſeen it, that no Apoſtle did cure more diſeaſes, or caſt out more Devils than Judas; and he paſſeth p. 739in old ſtories for no indiligent Preacher. O how often do ſuch falſe Teachers enter in paſſing for Seeds-men, and ſowing Darnel in the field. So that the Church may ſay of ſuch Labourers, Yea, mine own, &c.

5. St. Ambroſe his judgment ſhall be the cloſe of theſe opinions, and, as I conceive, it carries weight, Periclitari maluit judicium ſuum Chriſtus quàm affectum; Chriſt had rather we ſhould conceive hardly of his judgment than to think he is not of the ſame affections with us. He had undertaken our frailty, and would ſhew it in this part of his humility. He that hungred could have contented nature without meat; he that ſlept in the Ship could have ſatisfied nature without a ſlumber; he that is more inward to our heart than our own ſelves could have diſplayed the ſecrets of Judas openly: yet it did pleaſe him otherwiſe, to ſhew his agreement in civil commerce with the frailties of men. St. Chryſoſtom, preaching upon St. Paul being ſtruck blind from heaven, hath this Moral upon it, Nemo meliùs videt quàm qui caecuttit; No man ſees better than he that hath been once blind: According to which I ſay, No man is more prudent than he that hath been once deceived. Therefore that we may patiently ſuffer our judgment ſometimes to be abuſed, our Saviour put himſelf in the way to be a mirrour of that humility, And his own familiar, &c.

He that did eat of my bread: Here is another Article to fill up the meaſure of Judas his Enditement. What, another obligation? And yet betray his Lord? I am aſhamed to ſay there is ſo much iniquity in the nature of man: But it is too true, that a ſmall kindneſs, as it will work no good, ſo it will work no hurt upon the worſt men, whereas a multitude of benefits provokes ingratitude to hate the Author. Beneficia eo uſque laeta ſunt dum videntur exolvi poſſe, ſays Tacitus; That which may be repaid is well accepted of, but ſome are ſo devilliſh, that inſtead of good will, they return hatred, when they know they muſt die ingrateful. So did this falſe Apoſtle, who, not contented to be an under confederate, was Dux eorum, ſays St. Peter, Acts i. 16. the Ringleader, the Captain of them that took Jeſus. foreign, ſays my Text, He did lift up and exalt his power; Magnificavit dolum, ſays the Chaldee Paraphraſe. He did advance his treachery, not like Dan, An Adder in the path lurking to bite the horſe heels, to make the rider fall backward, Gen. xlix. 17. no ſuch lurking Adder, but as a flying Serpent, magnificavit dolum, he lift up his heel, he triumphed in his ungodlineſs. And yet will you know what intereſt he had in his Maſters favour? Comedebat panes meos, he did eat of my bread.

If we follow the interpretation of the Gloſs, it is to be underſtood de buccellâ quam intinxerat Ieſus, of the ſop which was dipt, and given into his hands with this reproach, To whom I give the ſop he ſhall betray me, John xiii. 26. If we follow Caſſiodor, he ſays this bread is Doctrina in quâ ſpiritualiter epulamur, Chriſts continual preaching and inſtruction, which is the food of the ſoul. So David, repeating my Text in a Paraphraſe, p. 55. turns it thus, We took ſweet counſel together, there was the truſt; and walked in the houſe of God as friends, there was the bread which was eaten. But if we follow St. Hierom, and a liſt of Worthies after him, it is to be underſtood of the bleſſed Sacrament. Say it were the Sop, and did you ever hear of a Conſcience ſo feared up? That durſt be treacherous when he was branded with the ſuſpicion, Tu es homo, Thou art the man. Say it were the preaching of the Word, and what Adder would have ſtopt his ears except this Serpent? When that voice charm'd him ſo often, at which the Angels are aſtoniſhed, and hide their faces. Say it were the bread of the Celeſtial Communion, and how ſtubborn was this unbeliever that could not reliſh how precious the body of Chriſt was before he did betray it.

Beloved, I would that Judas were to be blamed alone. But if we could conſider what things the Lord hath done for our peace; who is he among us all that hath not had his …op, that is, ſome particular token, ſome eſpecial means, Gods hand reaching out a good occaſion unto us as well as unto Judas? We have not the lively voice of the very Oracle, but we have the Letter of the very Oracle, and the true Prophets of the very Oracle, reading the Law in the Congregation, expounding faith and good works from the Pulpit, giving to you all foreign, the portion of your food. And we cannot ſay but there is a Pot of Manna in the Ark; the holy Supper provided at ſolemn Feaſts, heavenly meat diſpenſed in due ſeaſon, whereof we have been partakers. Now if after particular warning, a token beſt known to every mans conſcience, if after the Word preach'd, if after the Sacrament of Chriſts own body, we wax ſtubborn and rebellious, as David charged Achitophel, as Chriſt impeached Judas, ſo will God endite thee, Yea mine, &c.

p. 740Had I not read of the poyſoning of an Emperour with the Cup of the Euchariſt, and of a ſuſpicion that a Pope was made away with the conſecrated Hoſt, I ſhould have thought that none had come to the Communion Table with a murderous heart, but only Judas. But now I have conſidered, that to enter into conſpiracies with the Sacrament ſet before them, is as ſolemnly kept, and as uſual with the Jeſuits, as to tune Inſtruments before Muſick. I can give an inſtance for what I ſay in that execrable Powder Plot; they that have tranſubſtantiated the Wine into bloud, and the Cake into raw fleſh, are fed for nothing but to prey upon the fleſh of their enemies, like Diomedes horſes, and to drink their bloud. Tam bibit hoc avidè, quàm bibit ante merum. They are not beholding to the Devil for his temptation, Mat. iv. To turn ſtones into bread. Let the Devil rather be beholding to them, and learn how to turn bread into ſtone, and brain there our familiars. Melchiſedech brought forth bread and wine for Abraham after the ſlaughter of his enemies, if you would moralize it, after the mortification of his ſins; but was ever ſuch an holy Table ſpread to furniſh any man to go out to battel to kill his Friends and Confederates? I have not many words to ſpeak againſt this violent ſin, the extinguiſher of all grace, and the ſhame of nature; but I will ſpeak home. Whoſoever frequents this Supper, and beats out Plots upon this Table as upon the Anvile of malice, like Judas, like the Jeſuits, the root is Hell, and the fruit is certain condemnation.

St. Auſtin, in his twelfth Sermon upon St. John, hath given me the hint to go one ſtep further; The good members of the Church, ſays he, are ſet forth in the perſon of St. Peter, In Judae perſonâ reprobi, the loſt part, the Reprobates are charactered in the perſon of Judas. Wherefore there is great reaſon from hence to cry after collapſed Hereticks who renounce the Faith which once they profeſſed in ſincerity, and to ſummon thoſe diſcontented Runnagates who fall off from our Church to the glorious ſuperſtition of the Papacy with this compaſſionate verſe, Yea, mine own familiar friends; yea, my Children that have ſuck'd my breaſts have drawn bloud from me: ſuch upon whom I have laid hands of Ordination have broken the Covenant, and ſmote me with the Palmes of their hands, their Pen hath wounded me with bitter Motives: Such as have eaten my bread, and compaſſed my Communion board like Olive branches of peace round about my Table, they have called me the Seed-plot of new Doctrine, and the Mother of Sacriledge, they have lift up their heel againſt me, and kiſs'd the proud feet of my Adverſaries. We have no ſuch enemies againſt our peace, no ſuch ſlanderers of our Church, no ſuch forgers of Calumniations almoſt incredible, as among thoſe fugitives that have skulked to Rome and Downy, to worſhip the Gods of the Groves. As if they could not prove themſelves to have forſaken us, unleſs they had forſaken natural affection, and the ingenuous colour of modeſty.

Away with them rebellious tongues, let them pack to other Kingdoms, we are not afraid as Pyrrhus was, that they who ſpoke evil of him at home, would backbite him worſe if they were baniſht and ſent abroad. No, I am glad there is Sea enough about the Iſland to purge away ſuch filth from the ſhore retrimenta populi. Let them who abide with us be more couragious, like the remnant of Gideons army, and be confident, that although ſome, which were harneſſed and carried Bows, have turned their backs from us in the day of battel, yet by the hands of the reſidue the Lord will give victory to his choſen people. But as Cyrus in Xenophon ſpeaks of the manner of the Median hunting beaſts in Gardens, that they did foreign, hunt beaſts that were bound; ſo to follow theſe turncoat Fugitives, which have ſheltred themſelves in Cloiſters, and are ſworn to do us miſchief, it were vincta venari, to purſue that which was entangled, therefore I leave them with Judas and this brand upon both their foreheads, concluding the ſecond part of my Text, &c.

I am now deſcended in the third place to the ſtratagem of this day, and am faln upon the haters of my Lord the King. A King who is an uniter of Kingdoms into one body as David was of Judah and Iſrael, none more zealous, no not David himſelf, for the proſperity of Jeruſalem, and the magnificence of the holy Temple. Under Chriſt not only the Supreme Head, but under Chriſt the moſt careful Watchman of our Churches; and as Chriſt did tenderly affect his Apoſtles above all other men, ſo the Succeſſors of the Apoſtles, the Reverend and moſt holy Biſhops of our Church, have found not the ſmalleſt place in the love of our gracious Soveraign. Surely above all men if the Clergy be not careful to ſet forth the honour of this day with great joy and ſolemnity, it is their ignorance, or their negligence. Ignorance p. 741is the very annihilating of a Scholar, negligence the fouleſt fault in a Labourer.

Had theſe furious Sword-men that laid their weapons to his throat ſound an auſtere Maſter, nay, a Tyrant, they muſt have born with it, and not touch the man that bears the character of the Lords Anointed. But his Peers are verè par…s, welcom as his equals, his familiar friends. Had they been out of the liſts of counſel, not acquainted with ſecret affairs, what ſhould they do but be thankful for the peace which they enjoy without trouble, and pray for that Government which fills them with plenteouſneſs without their labour, but they were familiars in whom he truſted, adventuring his Royal Perſon not only under their roof, but under their locks and cuſtody. Laſtly, had his bounty no way flown into their Coffers, (and whoſe bounty among all the Kings of the earth hath repleniſhed more?) yet their bodies are ſecure by the protection of his Laws, their ſouls ſecure by his maintenance of true Religion, their goods ſecure by his Courts of Juſtice, and yet his own, &c.

Did eat of his bread, that is true. But to feed upon the Kings hoſpitality is a curteſie every day common to thouſands that viſit the Court: But for a mighty Monarch to grace his Subjects Table with his Royal Preſence, and to eat of his bread, this is not the felicity of every one; Pauci quos aequus amavit Jupiter, it is a reſpect of high honour where it lights, and the glory of an illuſtrious Family. And out of doubt that mind muſt be very ſordid and avaricious, that eſteems it not the more noble grace, to make their ſervice find acceptation that they may expend ſomewhat rather than receive ſomewhat of a mighty Potentate. I can ſpare no more time to publiſh the black ſin of the Authors of this treachery. It was Dionyſius his ſaying to Plato, that if he ſhould diſmiſs him, and give him leave to depart for Greece, Plato would make him the common talk of Athens; Do not think O King, ſays Plato, that we have ſo little care of learned conference that we would chuſe you for our diſcourſe. So I hope, beloved, that our hearts are ſo full charged with thankfulneſs to God for this days deliverance, that in twenty years and more we have no leiſure as yet to think of the Malefactors. Let this day be ſpent, and many days following, only in Prayer, and Supplication, and Thankſgiving to that God who hath given victory to his Anointed, and will do to his Seed for evermore.

Nay, let me add one thing coronidis vice, and I have quite done; we have found this verſe to tax Achitophel, to condemn Judas, and laſtly, to lie at their door who periſhed deſervedly this day in their own fury. Bonaventure hath yet ſmelt out another enemy, and ſuch a one, as none more familiar, none more intimate to any of us all. Is not this fair warning beloved? And will you know who it is? O man it is thy ſelf. He that prays to God to bleſs him from his enimies is afraid of malice, indeed it is a dreadful thing. He that prays to God to bleſs him from his friends is afraid of treachery, and indeed no miſchief leſs avoidable. But let me pray to God to bleſs me from my ſelf; no enemie ſo full of flattery, ſo like to prevail, ſo cunning in tentation. foreign, it is the Civil War which waſtes the inward parts, it is the carnal man againſt the ſpiritual. Self-love is every mans diſeaſe. Why? You are your own familiar friend. Confeſſion of ſins can hardly be extorted from us. Why? We truſt to our ſelves too much. Gluttony and Riot are within our Walls. Why? We feed our ſelves, and are our own carvers. From our enemies defend us O Chriſt, from Forain Invaſion, from Domeſtical Conſpiracy, from the malice of Satan, and from the corruption of this vile Fleſh, the body of death which we carry about, Good Lord deliver us. AMEN.