ABNER is dead, DAVID the King is become a mourner; hee followed the Beare of Abner to the Graue: When hee came to the Sepulchre, hee lift vp his voyce and wept: He bemoned his death to the people▪ hee refused his meate till the Sunne was downe. And in this Verse he pleadeth the cause of his griefe to his Seruantes, and makes them sensible of his losse: Knovv ye not that there is &c.

See how artificiall sorrow is, in telling of her owne tale: heere is not a word in this speach of the Kinges, but it hath the taste and the relish of the greiued heart where it grew.

[Page] 1 It is not a feare, or danger, or some in­firmitie of his friend, that mooueth him, but a fall; a fall as low as the Earth, and as deepe as the Graue.

2 It is not the fall of any artificiall struct­are or composition, but of a man; a Man is fallen. Heere is the dissolution of a little World, a pile of the curiousest Architecture, and the maister peece of the most skilfull builder.

Consult not herein the practise of hu­mane inhumanitie, which holdeth the life of man cheape, and vnderualueth so rare a creature with low-priz'd estimation, but consult Nature: Hoc natura prescribit, vt homo homini quicun (que) fit ob eam ipsam Causam tantum quod homo sit consultam velit: This (sayth Cicero) is the document of Nature, that a man should seeke the good of a man, euen for this alone, because he is a man.

3 This man for whom Dauid makes this moane, is none of them that are wearie of the light because God doth humble them; and being vile, and sitting with the Dogges of the flocke, hunt after death: But, a great man is fallen: great in the proofe of his ver­tue [Page] in the aduenture of his person, in his ad­uancement to be the fauorite of a King; in his imployment to be one of the supporters of a mightie Kingdome, a Prince and a great man, that is, a principall great man in Israel.

4 Hee is fallen in Israel, and it is so much blood let out of Israels veynes, some of that locke cut off wherein Sampsons strength lay: and Israel being the enuie of all the Kingdomes of the world, the Archers shoo­ting at it, and greeuing it, as old Iaacob said of Ioseph: If it had been sowen with the seede of valiant men, it could haue set them all on worke to keepe violent intruders from inuasion and assault. Therefore Israel had a great losse in the death of Abner.

5 All this not a griefe of auncient times, as Hecuba sayd of Troy, Troia i am vetus est malum: Troy is an old greife, but it is a fresh woe instantly pressing, and oppressing the sence: for he is fallen To day.

6 Doe you not kn [...] this? saith Dauid: had you an hope of his person, and haue you no greife for his death? Could your glad eares receiue the tydinges of his ioyning [Page] with our forces, and do you with dry eyes see him, by death, disioyned from vs againe?

Thus doth Dauid keepe a scoare of his owne losses. Beholde, heere is Abner a Prince; yet he is fallen: a Great man, yet a man, fallen in Israel: for Death hath left no place priuiledged, no person free.

I will confine my present Discourse to these three perticular poyntes.

• 1 I obserue a difference betweene man and man, in this title ginen to Abner: a great man.
• 2 I finde the greatest, subiect to mortalitie: is fallen.
• 3 I note in Dauid a desire, that no­tise be taken of this losse: Doe you not knovv?

1. Of the difference betweene man and man.

This is not in respect of the maker: for God hath not made some men himfelfe, and deuolued the rest to inferiour iournimen vnder him: but we are all alike beholding [Page] to him for our creation: not in respect of the matter; for we were all, digged out of the same Pitte.

But the difference is in the vse, & seruice of men, and that is directed in all well me­naged States, by their manners and merites. Tullies rule of a mans Fortune; that is, of his condition of life, is this: Suis ea cui (que) fingi­tur moribus: It is such as his behauiour and carriage makes it. The best men seeke Honour; and they seeke it best, euen in the merrite of their owne worth; not in the groundlesse opinion of an vndiscerning multitude, and therefore they make their liues presidents of liuing to others, and their whole comportsment exemplary, deser­uing well: Some for aduice, others for ex­ecution: Some for Artes, some for the Tongues, some for the Sword, some for the Compasse, some in the Chambers of Prin­ces, some in the Field making merite still, the true lustre of their greatnes.

Paulum sepaltae distat inertiae celata virtus: Vertue that commeth not abroade, is little better then vnseen [...] vnskilfulnesse: which the Poet sp [...]ke not to encourage men to [Page] put all their Vertue vpon the Stage, and to set it alwayes in the common eye, with base prostitution; for this is an ambitious beg­ging of popular ayer: But he admonisheth to keepe Vertue in breath with exercise, to giue it life in action, and not suffer it to keepe house too much, or to rust with rest and idlenesse.

Thus shall not a man trust to hereditary Dignitie, and spend vpon that stocke of Ho­nour which his noble ancestors haue left him: neither shall hee basely purchase precedence and priority with the Penny, nor diue by cunning insinuation into the fa­uour of Princes by flattering their amisses: All these are the Balles of Fortune, racke­ted vpon high; but not abyding there, but falling downe againe: These spring tides haue their neapes▪ these are very Meteors, making a portentose shew of light awhile, but soone put out: For when this Curtayne of Greatnes drawne betweene them and the deceiued eyes of men, shall be withdrawen; when this ouer-guilding with false Honour shall begin to weare off, and their vnwor­thinesse looke like it selfe, stript and naked: [Page] When they shall vnlearne the art of See­ming, shall it not then be sayd vnto them. What fruite haue you now of these thinges where of you are ashamed?

Ler Honour then follow Vertue: and let Vertue be content with it selfe. S. Augustines rule is, Gloria nostra est testimonium Conscien­tiae nosirae: Our glorie is in the testimonie of our owne Conscience.

The first Adam sought Honour, and it fledde from him: The second Adam fledde from Honour, and it ouertoke him.

The vse of this instruction is this, to pro­uoke euery of you (according to the mea­sure of Gods endowment of Grace) to stirre vp in your selues those faire partes of Ver­tue and goodnes, by which your God may be most glorified in his creature, your Countrie may haue the benefite of your seruice, your King the vse of your Vertue, and all men the example of it.

Seneca sayth, Recie facii fecisse merces est: To haue done well, is the reward of well doing: therefore if Riches buy away, or Fauoure giue away from you your wel-de­serued Honoures; yet God hath promised to [Page] be your portion, and exceeding great re­ward.

It will be a great euidence against you, that you neuer loued Vertue and goodnes truely, if you do neglect them when you see your selues neglected: for Honourable actions are not to be vndertaken in regarde of the honour which we gayne by them, but that God may be honoured by vs in them.

Our Sauiour hath enformed vs, that they which seeke the prayse of men, haue their rewarde heere. I will conclude this first poynt with the saying of S. Chrisostome, Hon [...] verus est in virtute animi: True honour is in the vertue of the minde: and for all other that goe for honours heere, let vs say with the same learned father Honores non sunt im [...] ministeria: They are not Honours, but meere seruices.

2 Though I haue found as much diffe­rence betweene man and man, as betweene high and low, rich and poore, great and small; yet I haue set mine eye in the second place, vpon the mortaliue of Great Men, [Page] because my Text saith, A great man is fallen. It hath cost the liues of the greatest to ex­emplifie this to vs from Adam, the Father of vs all; by whose disobedience Sinne came into the world, and by Sinne, Death, euen to this moment of time wherein thousands are breathing their last in sundry places, and by sundry sorts of death.

Where be those great ones, euen the grea­test of the Sonnes of men, which haue ouer­runne Kingdomes & people▪ with an inun­dation of power, and taught the Earth to groane, and tremble vnder the burthen of their Armes?

Did not God blow vpon them, and they withered? And did not the whire wind take them away as stuble. Esa. 40. 24.

When Iob was out of taste with his life, he wisht that he had gone immediatly from the wombe to the Graue: for sayth hee, I should haue slept then, and been at rest, with the Kinges and Counsay lours of the Earth, which haue builded them selues desolate places: or with the Princes that had gold, and haue filled their houses with siluer. Iob 3. 13.

[Page] Dignitie, friends, followers, wealth, plen­tie, the best supporters that euer the world could find (of temporall happines) giue way when Death commeth. The Centution sayth to his seruant Goe, and he goeth: Death sayth to the Centurion Come, and he com­meth. Deaths Nettes are not Cobwebbes to take none but small Flyes, nor Snares for none but small Birdes: If great Men should not die, small men should not liue. Vnrestrayned geatnes growes saluage: but the thought of Death, makes it come to hand, and become tame.

All the life of some, is a rize from one aduancement to another, till they haue lost themselues in their owne greatnes: but they shall fall euen from the greatest. It was so decreed in Paradice, when wee were all yet in the loynes of our first Parents, before there was any such difference betweene vs in dignitie: For out of it wert thou taken, because thou art Dust, and to Dust shalt thou returne. Gen. 3. 19. Dust is our first and last. The most neat, & the most cutious amongst vs, shall not brush off this dust, till we rise againe, euen till our mortall do put on im­mortalitie.

[Page] Reu. 6. 8. S. Iohn looked, and behold, a pale Horse, & his name that sate vpon him is Death. Death is an Horseman (you see) to shew his speede: and his Horse is pale, which is the complexion of departing and dying men. This ryder hath ouertaken Abner, a Great man in Israel. This filles the eyes of Dauid full of teares, till they runne ouer.

1 The vse of this obseruation is to vn­derstand, that Princes haue their sorrowes. Luctus (sayth Tully) est agritudo ex eius qui charus est acerbo interitu: Mourning is a sorrow conceiued at the death of a deare Friend. In this, griefe is impartiall, the friendes of Kinges are as mortall, as the friendes of Subiectes. It is not in the Cota­ges of the poore, or vnder the roofe of the Widow only, in the Hospitals of the diseased onely▪ or in the darke Dungeons of the im­prisoned: but in the Palaces of Princes, in the Bed-chambers of Kinges; nay in their bosomes, and the inmost conclaues of their breastes: Luctus et vltrices posuere cubilia curae: Sorrow and sad vnrest haue taken vp their lodging.

[Page] Abner dyeth in the nonage of King Da­uides soueraigntie; a limbe of strength vn­timely lopt from the body of his greatnes. And I am this day vveake (sayth hee) and nevvly annoynted King.

Dauid is exercised in these sorrowes: for in the next Chapter, he mourneth for Ishbo­sheth the Sonne of Saul, whom some, pre­suming to please the King, did murther in his bedd: but he calleth the executioners wicked men: he chargeth them with mur­ther, murther of a righte ous Person, and that done vpon him in his owne House, which should haue been to him a Sanctuarie of peace: and vpon his owne Bedd, where he promiseth himselfe rest.

The B [...] should indeed represent the Graue, and sleepe Death: but to make a Slaughter house of his Chamber, and a Beare of his Bedd, was the worke of men of blood: and Dauid could doe no lesse out of his griefe for Ishbosbeth, and his iustice vpon them, but require his blood at their handes, and take them from the earth.

Dauids Child be gotten of Bathsheba, and Absolon hi [...] Sonne dying, were to much [Page] cut out of his owne flesh: and (if Mors take name a Morsu, Death from byting) they were two morsels bitten cut of Dauids owne loynes.

This Dauid a King may doe: hee may loue his Friendes whilest they liue, and ad­uance them to honour: he may hugg them in the bosome of his best fauoures, and en­girde them in the cincture of his royall em­bracements: He may beweepe them when they are dead, & shed his sorrowes in teares vpon the earth for them: But to adiourne Death, or prolong Life▪ to fill the emptie Veines of his friendes with liuely blood, or their dryed Boanes with marrow: to open the eares which Death hath shut, or to light againe the Candles which Death hath put out, or to redeeme their life from the power of the Graue; In all these thinges, Diuid is no King. 2. Reg. 5. 7.

When the King of Israel receiued Letters conteining a request that he would heale the Leprosie of Naaman, hee answered them with the rending of his cloathes, saying: Am I God, to kill and to giue I fo, that he doth send to mee, that I should heale a man from [...] [Page] Leprosie?

In a lesse matter in the next Chapter, when a Woman in the Famine of Samaria, cryed, Helpe my Lord, O king. The King of Israel sayd: Seeing the Lord doth not succoure thee, hovv should I helpe thee vvith the Barne or the VVinepresse?

Kings then haue their winges clipt: God wil haue them knowne to be but men: the Winde blowes on them, the Sunne heates them, the raine doth wet them: griefe and care is as ordinary a guest with them, as with their meanest Subiectes: their great Friendes fall also like other men: Mors aequo pulsat pede, it goes with an euen foote, and carryeth an indifferent hand, and leaues Kinges that onely remedy, to sitte to wne and weepe ouer their dead, as Dauid heere doth ouer Abner.

It is not long since our eyes saw the fall of Maiestie, the death of the great Lady of these Realmes, the Soueraigne of all the honest hearts vnder these her dotninions, the wonder of her sexe, deseruing better of her people, then we haue words to expresse; as much aboue my prayse, as I was beneath [Page] her greatnes, the holy Annoynted seru [...] of God, hath not she read vs a lecture of Mortality, and shewed vs our of what Pitt Princes are digged?

I would my words could go so neare the hearts of the greatest in this assemblie, as to perswade them to lay thus much to heart, and to make it their Philosophy and best learning, to learne to die.

This meditation were enough to kill the Moath in their Garments, and to scoure off the Rust from their Gold, and to set their imprisoned Money at liberty: it were enough to cloath the naked, to feede the hungry, to comfort the oppressed, to make Rich men liue to God, & not to themselues, or to regard themselues chiefly for a com­mon good.

It were enough to distaste to men that auxious and solicitous impropriation of all their respectes vnto themselues, and to en­large their hoartes to the pursuite of the good of their brethren.

This meditation were enough to reare vp Temples to God, Colledges for Artes and Learning. Hospitals for the poore and disea­sed: [Page] for there is nothing that killes Cha­ritie and Good▪workes sooner, then hope of long life.

I beseech you, if your eare be open, to en­tertaine this needful instruction, let it be te­nible in your remembrance also, that whilst you liue, you may do good to all: and that when you die, your workes may follow you: not the merite of your workes; for, your well doing extendeth not to God.

This were condignitie on your part: but the reward of your workes: for God rewar­deth abundantly those that do well: this is gratuitie on Gods part. It is sayd of them that die, thus, [...], Their owne workes follow them, that they might not depende hopefully on the workes of other men, much lesse vpon their multiplyed rei­terations of prayers for them. It is also sayd, [...] which signifieth immediatly fol­lowing, and therefore no stay by the way, [...] euen with themselues.

It is the reproch of Protestants, and the shame of our Professours at this day: It is spoken of in Gath, and it is proclaimed in the [Page] streetes of Ask [...]lon; the Church of Roome doth iustly charge vs with it: Good workes liue in exile from vs: encroachments vpon our Church-reuenewes, and bequeathments of Dying men to holy vses, euen for the maintenance of good Artes and learning:

The reentries of the Laye vpon the rentes of God, are frequent: the Church hath not the ouerflowings now of the fullest Cuppe: it is honour enough to them, that inuade not these consecrate and hallowed Beneuolen­ces, that make a conscience of this gripple seasure, and vnrighteous intrusion, though they giue nothing themselues.

But let me speake it to the eare of Great­nesse; and let the heart that keepeth house there, tremble at it. Hinc colligendum est qua paena mulctandus sit qui aliena diripit si inferni damnatione percu [...]itur qui propria non largitur▪ Hence we may conceiue, how they shall smart for their direptions, who inuade the goodes of other men, when hee shal be pu­nished with infernall damnation, who gaue not that which was his owne: It is the speach of S Gregorie writing vpon the Parable of the Rich man.

[Page] I beseech you, as you tender the happines of your beloued soules, let the remembrance of the ende, kindle in you an holy ambi­tion, which may mount your eyes & hoapes to a more loftie apprehention of that wealth which wasteth not, of that honour which commeth not into dust, of that happinesse which neuer can be vnhappied againe: and for these thinges, facite de damno lucrum of that which idly oftentimes leawdly is mis­spent, make friendes: Ventres pauperum horrea diuitum, Lay vp, if not your Haruest, yet at least the Gleanings, in these Barnes: And if you giue charge for them, as Boaz did for Ruth, that they may gleane among the Sheaues, the bowels of the poore will blesse you, and they that are ready to perish, will pray for your increase.

2 Dauid teacheth vs a second vse of this Doctrine of Princes mortalitie. Psal. 146. Trust no in Princes &c.

A King is called [...] quase [...] Let Let them goe to him for Iudge­ment, and in his rest & peace let them seeke rest▪ but to fasten dependance vpon Great [Page] men, is to forget the Lord of Hoastes: they that sow their hope vpon this ground, reape no better Haruest then that vpon the house toppe.

I will conclude this poynt, with that Isay. 31. 1. VVoe be to them that goe dovvne into Egypt for helpe. &c. The Egyptians are men, not God: their Horses flesh, and not spirit; and vvhen the Lord shall stretch out his hand, their helpers shall fayle, &c.

3 I note in this fall of so Great a man the losse which the State where he liueth, hath of him: the King he loofeth Abners seruice. I am nevvly annoynted King, and the sonnes of Zeruiah. &c.

The people generally shall want his di­rection and ouersight. It is one of the Roddes; rather it is one of the Scorpions wherewith God did vse to scourge the diso­bedient; He calleth it The breaking of the pride of their povver. Leuit. 26. 19.

Ier [...]mie in his Lament. bringes in Ierusa­lem thus, complayning. 1. Lament. 15. The Lord hath troden vnder foote all my valiant men in the middest of me [...]: For those thinges [Page] I vveepe: mine eye, euen mine eye, easteth out vvater. Lamen 4. 2. The noble men of Zion comparable to fine gold, hovv are they esteemed as earthen Pi [...]chers, euen the vvorke of the hands of the Potter?

What are the Walles about our strongest Townes, but heapes of Stone and congesti­ons of Earth? Theopompus in Plutarch to one that shewed him the Walles of his Cittie, asking him if they were not goodly and strong? aunswered well, [...] no, if your Cittie hold none but Women. Our Shippes are but walles of Wood; our Or­dinance but the messengers of Death: and there must be some to sende these messen­gers abroade.

Indeed all our defence, our strongest Bul­warkes and Propugnacles of our land, what are they without the ministerie and seruice of Men, but as Shaftes and Arrowes hunge vp against the wall? And what are Men, without order and Discipline, but as droues of wilde Beastes? So did disordered Confu­sion fashion the vnschoold minoritie of the world, euen then when the Romane Empire like a young budd of greatnesse, was first [Page] Inoculate in the ranckstocke of vndisci­plin'd tymes: So sayth a learned Romane.

Disciplina militaris acriter retenta, &c.

Millitarie Discipline seueerely retained, made Rome spread ouer Towne and Coun­trey, Land and Sea, and bredd the Empire of all the Earth, in the poore Cottage of Romulus.

And was not all this performed by the vertue of men of action, and vndertaking, such as are called Great men?

Philip of Macedon had wont to call the Athenians an happie people, because they had such store of Great Men of worth, as yeerely to choose tenne fitt to be Leaders; whereas he had in all his time, found none but Parmenio, worthy to take charge vnder him. But now I begin to see how I do idle thetime, to shew you how great a misse a State may haue of Worthy men, and to en­deare to you men of action.

For we haue put off our Armour, and our Swordes and Sheildes hang vp rather as Monuments of old, then Instrumentes of new Warre [...]tour Ships are double moor'd, our Men of Warre haue wasted ouer wel­come [Page] peace into our borders; Abner hath leaue to die, and men of action could neuer haue been better spared: Smooth and euen is the face and outside of all things amongst vs. Let not our eyes, ô Lord, nor the eyes of our vnborne Children and Nephewes, euer see it wrinckled any more: Let vs all ioyne in prayer alwayes for the peace of our Ierusalem, and let them prosper that loue it.

Yet by the faire leaue of a gentle Peace, let vs consider that the Sonnes of Zeruiah may be too hard for vs, and therefore let not Abner die without sence of a publique losse, euen without an vniuersall condole­ment of the State wherein he liues, and of which he hath deserued well.

But this is my third, and last Obseruation: For Dauid desireth that notice be taken of Abners death: Kovv ye not.

Surely the righteous perisheth, and no man considereth it in his heart. Isay. 57. 1. It is not possible but the common eye doth see it, and the vnderstanding doth apprehende such sadd accidents: but men keepe such things as much as they may, from the heart, [Page] loath to entertaine so vnwelcome a guest as Griefe is.

Dauid doth not put them in minde of it as of some sadd betiding to Abner: for the aduantage of the death of the Righteous is manifold.

1 Rest from labours: For it is most true which S. Bern. sayth: Qui in labore hominum non sunt, in labore profecto Doemonum erunt: They that labour not heere amongst men, shall labour hereafter amongst Diuels.

2 They are taken avvay from the euill to come, as choyce stuffe remooued when Fire is feared; So doth God defend his chosen, from the conflagration of the vnrighteous.

3 They are translated from death to life. S. Gregory saith, Curramus et sequamur Christum, non sunt hic vera solatia, sed ibi ponuntur vbi vera vita: Let vs runne and follow Christ: heere are no true comfortes, they are layde vp there where it true life.

But Dauids end in this bemoaning of Abner is, to teach them to depende vpon God, not on man; and to encourage euery bold hart, and able hand amongst them, to auenge the workers of that death to Abner, that griefe [Page] to the King, that weakenes to the Church, and that common loste to all Israel.

It is our great fault that when God giueth any such blow to our State, the smart of it in too soone past, and their memorie buried in the same Graue with them. This is a great disheartning of Worthy men, from great vnderrakinges: For this Land hath buried, in our memorie, of Worthres that are all dead, their actes, their name and all; such an honourable breed, as huing eyes cannot find paragons too, and our present hopes (which yet are our franckest promises) cannot apprehend: Let them all goe with this honour done them in heauen, In me­moria aeteina erit iustus.

And let Learning, which bath the best eye to sec Virtue, & the Honourablest aff [...]c­tion to loue it and the longest liued meanes to immortalize it, keepe her owne cours vpon the earth: Vignum laude virum Musa vstat mori: And let their owne good deedes prayse them in the gates.

They that trust a curious pile of Stone Piramids, Colosses high-reard Monumentes ouer, their low layd bodyes in the losome [Page] of the Earth, with their memories, doe bue deceiue themselues. A good Name is a pretious Oyntment powred foorth, the per­fume of it filleth all the house.