ƲSE.

Let us then be as industrious for the pre­servation of it: self-preservation is a Law of Nature; and to preserve Religion in its purity and regularity we are commanded by the Law of God. And therefore we are bound to appear in open field against the common Profaners and Corrupters of it. What Reason can there be given, why we should not be as zealous for the propa­gating that Religion we profess and believe to be true, as the Romanists are for theirs? [Page 9]there is none that I can think of: but yet 'tis not so. Though the Romanists differ amongst themselves, yet they all are as one man against the Protestants; when 'tis our business to supplant and destroy one ano­ther; one's for Paul, another for Apollo, a third for Cephas, as if Christ could be divi­ded. This I fear, without a speedy Refor­mation, will be our ruine: we are taught by an Infallible Spirit, that a Church divi­ded against it self cannot stand long: And yet how industrious are many to make breaches and create differences, by making Worship to affront Worship, and one Church to jostle out or beat down another.

I refer it to any Man's judgment, whe­ther or not by these our Differences have not been much augmented, the Protestant Religion lost much Ground, and the E­nemy prevailed much against us. I con­fess I can hear sometimes the Pope call'd Antichrist and the Whore of Babylon, but what does all this signifie? strong Argu­ments, wrapt up in better Words, must impair his Cause; Peace, Unity, and Uni­formity amongst our selves must work out [Page 10]his Interest, it cannot reasonably be ex­pected without it. But where lies the fault? that must not be mention'd. I have been sometimes thinking this was a Cause, every Man so vigorously prosecutes his private Interest, that they care not what becomes of the whole, or at least the Pub­lick concern is much neglected. Or if this must not be allowed the Cause, may not I say, as the King to the Woman of Tekoah, Is not the hand of Joab in all this? Is not the Jesuits Hand in our Divisions and Separation? It was notable Counsel that was given to Benhadad when he was routed by the King of Israel, viz. Change your place, take the Kings away every Man out of his place, and put Captains in their rooms, then shall we be stronger than they, 1 Kings 20.24, 25. Thus the Jesuits know, that many of their Doctrines are so odious, that they will not pass from them as they are; but let new Men broach the same Errours with a fair gloss upon them, then shall they pass currantly.

As for instance, Their Doctrine of In­fallibillity, most of the reformation start [Page 11]at it; but let this be turn'd into a state of perfection in this life, and be managed by the demure Creature, call'd a Quaker, then it shall slide down glibly amongst the com­mon sort of people. If the Jesuits preach the lawfulness of deposing Kings and Prin­ces at the Pope's pleasure, 'tis cry'd down as Heretical and Damnable, and very good reason for it. However, let a man of another Face, a new Name, and a more pleasing Aspect, preach and practise Rebellion too, then the croud immedi­ately cries out, Curse ye Meros, Curse him bitterly, because they do not come out to help the Lord against the mighty. Though I always thought we were to embrace Truth for its own sake, and hate Errour be­cause 'tis such, let either of them be ma­naged by what person soever: else we may be justly charg'd with what St. Jude speaks, of having men's persons in admiration be­cause of advantage, and so consequent­ly inherit the portion St. James lays be­fore us, viz. to commit Sin, and to be con­vinced of the Law as Transgressors, James 2.9. And thus have we discoursed of the former [Page 12]part of the Text, clouded, and full of troubles: We come now to the brighter and better side, long may it be so. And is fallen into the Ditch which he made.

These words bring us to the event of a wicked Man's labour, He fell into the Ditch that he made.

Note. God not only disappoints the wick­ed Designs of the Enemies of his Church, but he turns them to their own hurt and detriment. Their own Plots are their own Plagues; he wrests their Swords out of their Hands, and turns them into their own Bowels; he serves all his Enemies as David did Goliah; he cuts off their Heads with their own Sword. Nothing hath amongst the Heathens been accounted more just, than that a man fall by the same means which he designed should be the ruine of his Neighbour. It hath of old been proved true, That evil Coun­sel is worst to him that gives it. The Wicked is snared in the works of his own Hands; the Wicked in his Pride doth per­secute the Poor, let them be taken in the De­vices they have imagined, Psalm 10.2. His [Page 13]own Iniquities shall take the Wicked him­self, and he shall be holden with the Cords of his Sins. Satan makes use of a Woman to subvert and destroy the very race of Man­kind; the woman tempts Adam to eat the forbidden Fruit, thus man falls: however, man is restored by the Seed of the Woman to a safer and surer Estate than he was in be­fore. Joseph's Brethren have a design to hin­der his Prophesies, and to make his Dreams but idle things; upon this they sell him as a Captive or Slave into Egypt; then they thought he would not expect to be wor­shipped by them when he was in that condi­tion himself. However, this design effect­ed what they endeavoured to have prevent­ed; there happening a Famin, they are for­ced to go into Egypt, and there bow and cringe to Joseph for Bread. The Jews take counsel to kill Christ, thinking, that if they let him alone all men would believe on him, and the Romans would come and take away both their Place and Nation. And this very thing proved the means of effect­ing what they feared; for the days came upon her that her Enemies cast a Trench [Page 14]about her, and compassed her round, and kept her in on every side, and laid her even with the Ground; and they left not in her one Stone upon another, because she knew not the time of her Visitation, St. Luke 19.43, 44.

Thus Roderick, King of Spain, to secure himself against the lawful Prince, whom he had deposed, dismounted all the strong­holds, unburthen'd the Castles, disarm'd the people, which turn'd to his own ruin: this indeed strengthened him against Do­mestick Commotions, but not Forreign Invasions; for the Moors, soon after, over­threw him, and in few Months conquered Spain. My Text tells you, They fell into the Ditch which they made. Thus Haman is hanged on the same Gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai. And this Text is litte­rally fulfilled in our Ears this day. For thus it happened to these wicked Conspi­rators; that which they designed to have been the ruin of the King, the Royal Is­sue, the Nobles, the Clergy, and Gentry of the Land, was the destruction of them­selves; for two of them being drying of a [Page 15]pound of Powder in the Chimney-Corner, on a sudden a Spark of Fire flew into it, and they were miserably battered by their own Engin; you might at that time have read their Sin in the Glass of their punishment; they hate a lingring death, they are for a speedy ruine, so sudden a mischief happens to themselves.

ƲSE I.

All which demonstrates the Lord to be most wise and merciful, powerful and just.

1. Most wise, The Lord is known by the Judgment which he executeth, the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. God will not lose the Glory of any of his Attri­butes, therefore God takes them thus, that he may be known to be wiser than the wisest, as the Apostle hath expressed it: Oh the depth of the riches both of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his Judgments, and his Ways past sinding out! He is said to take the wise in their own craf­tiness, when they are in the highest and most sublime Counsels: He doth not stay till they begin to doat, and to do weakly, and then takes them; but he befools them [Page 16]in the heighth of Wit, and in the depth of Carnal Policy; when, like Achitophel, they give Counsel like the Oracles of God.

2. This demonstrates the Lord to be most merciful, that will deliver his people at such a time: The needy shall not always be forgotten, the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever. He saveth the poor from their Sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty; so the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth, Job 5.15, 16.

3. This also vindicates his Power. Helets them alone till their Plot comes to maturity, and they were upon executing of it, and then he brings all to light and nought: This does he at this time and not before, for the greater manifestation of his Power. As Christ deferr'd to come to Lazarus till he had been dead four days: Now our Saviour did not defer to come because he loved him not, for he wept bitterly; insomuch that the Jews could say, See how he loves him. If our Saviour had relieved him pre­sently, the Jews would have said he was not dead, and that our Saviour had only awa­kened him out of Sleep; but having been [Page 17]dead four days, and beginning to stink, then for Christ to raise him! this was for the Glory of the Son of God. To restrain the Sinner in his height, to cross the Coun­sels of Wicked men, and to ruin them by their own Devices, bespeaks God to be ve­ry great. If one man prevails against another 'tis through errour; they take them by some advantage, because they err in their Counsels: most successes of men are made out of the defects of their Adversaries; but the Lord is able to con­found his Enemies after the most deliberate and great Debates, the choisest and best-grounded Resolves, as the Apostle says, The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men, 1 Cor. 1.25.

Lastly, This speaks God to be very just, that he will thus pay the Sinner home in his own kind, in that he causeth their mis­chiefs to light upon their own head, and their violent dealing upon their own pates, in tumbling them into the Pit they have made for others. Thus justly was Adoni­bezeck requited, thus he tells you himself, [Page 18] As I have done, so God hath requited me, Judges 1.7.

ƲSE II.

2. This speaks the case of all the Enemies of Gods Church to be very miserable: they are wise only to do evil; they dig pits, and lay snares, and say who see them? Let such know that God will not only disap­point them, but take them in their own craftiness. Now it's a great trouble to wicked men, that they are prevented, and cannot do that mischief they intend to o­thers; but it is a greater vexation, when their counsels recoil upon them, and wound themselves; when their own plots and pro­jects promote their own ruine; when their own actions effect that which they had rather dye than live to see done; when that mischief falls on their own heads, which they intend­ed for others, how doth this aggravate their sorrows? How will they be able to bear it, to see themselves accessary to their own ru­ine: This must needs wound their souls, to think, they have blasted their own Estates, blemished their own Names, ruin'd their Posterity, set fire to their own Houses with [Page 19]their own hands: this aggravates the mise­ry, when a man falls by his own hand; self-murther is the most bloody of all murthers: surely this then must needs be a great ter­rour to these wicked Conspirators, to think they had plotted and worked so long to de­stroy themselves, for thus you see it hap­pened. They made a Pit, and digged it, and fell into the Ditch which they made.

ƲSE III.

Since God preserves his Church, and turns the Conspiracies of wicked men to their own detriment, ruin, and destruction, as he did this day, Let us return Praise and Glory to God; this is the business of the day; 'tis its proper work: If they had had their Ends they would have been singing long before this, Jam seges est ubi Troja fuit. And shall not we rejoyce at our own preservation? Bless then and praise the name of the Lord; I'll tell you for what and how.

First, That God did discover this Plot, and brought their Deeds of Darkness to light; that after they had travelled with mischief many years, and brought their [Page 20]Design within few hours of its Execution, that then it should be brought to nought! Faux, at the dead time of the Night with his Dark Lanthorn, ready to blow up his Myne, was discovered, taken, and that strangely; all was miraculously discovered by a few obscure Lines, which being brought to the King, he truly interpreted them; the Lord made him the happy Instrument of this great deliverance, and it is marvellous in our Eyes. Bless then that God that blast­ed this Plot, and brought this Design to nought. They designed to have blown up the King, to have taken away the life of the Lords anointed, which accursed Principle and most horrid attempt, is contrary to the Law of God, the Law of the Nation, and to common Reason.

1. The Law of God says thus, Curse not the King, no not in thy thought; Curse not the rich in thy Bed-Chamber, for a Bird of the Air shall carry the Voice, and that which hath Wings shall tell the matter, Eccles. 10.20. The Apostle teacheth us thus. Let every Soul be subject to the higher powers, for there is no power but of God; whosoever therefore re­sists [Page 21]the Power, resists the Ordinance of God, and shall receive to themselves damnation, Rom. 13.1, 2. Let every Soul of what rank or quality soever, every Soul of what faith and per­swasion soever. And it follows, whoever resists shall receive to himself damnation. In which Words it's very plain, That it's upon no account whatever lawful, either upon corruption in principle or practice, to re­bell against, much less to depose, the Su­preme Magistrate. And to confirm men in this Principle, I have these two things to offer to their consideration. First, 'tis very remarkable, That those for whom the Gospel presseth subjection and obedi­ence, were Enemies to the Cross of Christ, implacable Adversaries to his Person, Do­ctrine, and Government. Could this Do­ctrine of subjection to wicked and Atheisti­cal Princes and Emperours have been laid aside, our Saviour and his Apostles had ea­sily avoided those Persecutions and fiery Tryals which they met with upon the ac­count of their Doctrine, and the holiness of their lives. If Heresie or Corruption in Manners had been sufficient Cause for the [Page 22]deposing of Princes, as the Romanists assert, you would not have had so long a Roll of Martyrs to run over as now you have. Our Saviour was able to have defended his own Cause by his own Power, but how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled.

But farther, I desire you to reflect upon a remarkable passage in the Gospel, relating to this purpose. 'Tis in the case of Herod the King. When he heard that Jesus was born King of the Jews, he was troubled, and then no question of it but agreed upon his destruction, though 'twas cunningly blinded with a zealous pretence of worship­ing him. Thus he pretends to the wise-men; Go, and search diligently for the young Child, and when ye have found him, come and tell me, that I may worship him also: But the wise-men, being warned of God that they should not return, they departed into their own Country another way. Now when Herod saw he was mocked of the wise-men, he was exceeding wroth, and sent forth and slew all the Children that were in Beth­lehem, and in all the Coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise-men. [Page 23]Now what a miserable case was this? you can conceive of little less than Lamentations, weeping, and great mourning. Rachel weep­ing for her Children, and would not be comforted, because they are not; for what's more dear to a Father? the Father loves his Child, because 'tis his Image; and if he hath never so many, he knows not which to part with; for some reason or other he loves them all. Therefore to be deprived of them all, and that at once, is a sore affliction; 'tis too hard a saying, who can bear it? to be bereaved of our Children by the common Infirmities and Diseases that attend Mankind, is a great affliction to a good man; for by this he's dismembred, as a Tree whose Branches are lopt off; and by such los­ses, whilst he lives, he sees part of himself turn to corruption: But to have them all butcher­ed so barbarously, and inhumanly murther'd. Poor innocent Babes! what had they done, that they must fall by so fatal and cruel a stroke? The thoughts of this certainly was terrible, and if any thing would have exasperated the people, and enraged the Multitude, this would have done it; and the people, swelling with envy, would have burst into publick ho­stility [Page 24]and open Rebellion: But yet this Di­vine story acquaints us with no such thing: the Arrows of Divine Justice and Vengeance, though they fly not so swift as we would have them, yet they will certainly wound the heart of the bloody and deceitful man, though they be not sharpened and winged by the rage of a mad-headed Multitude: 'tis evidently the design of the Gospel, to press obedience to Magistrates, tho they were Heathens and Tyrants, much more are we obliged to obey Christian Monarchs, those that are merciful and good, such as by the mercy of God we now live under; long may we do so, notwith­standing all the Plots and Conspiracies of the Jesuits to destroy the Lords Anointed; which is contrary, I am sure, to the Rules of the Gospel, and the Doctrine of our Saviour.

2. 'Tis contrary to the Law of the Nation, as you are Subjects you are obliged to ho­nour and obey your King; this is a Law of your own making, made by your Repre­sentatives in Parliament, and so ye are bound to stand to your own Act and Deed; every honest man will be, I'm sure, as good as his word, and stand to his promise.

3. It's contrary to common Reason: This is the first Commandment with promise, Ho­nour your Father and your Mother; we in our sphere expect duty from our Children, and obedience from our Servants; I hope then, the Father of the Country may come in for a share. Those Principles that own the mur­dering of Kings, and deposing of Princes, cannot be of God, neither can those men be Christs Disciples, that would reduce these Principles into practice, seeing he came not to destroy mens lives, but to save them: Be­hold then the Villany of this days Conspira­cy; they would have destroyed the Lords A­nointed, blown up the two Houses of Parlia­ment, the Representatives of the whole Na­tion, the Church and State too, and that at one blow: They would not allow the Ho­nourable Peers of the Realm, the worthy and brave Gentry, the Pious, Learned, and Loyal Clergy, the least time to prepare for another World: They had no respect to the Souls of men. But blessed be God they were prevent­ed. Let the Patrons of their Principles turn it off as well as they can, and say 'twas only the Plot of some unfortunate Gentlemen, we'll give them the hearing of it: However, 'twas [Page 26]well for us they were unfortunate; had they succeeded, they would have had greater Ti­tles conferr'd upon them; success would have made so great Villany have pass'd for Virtue: Witness the honour and esteem that Father Garnet is in to this day in the Church of Rome, for the generous attempt made on this day. If I should instance in the horrid Murder committed upon the Body of Henry the Third of France, you will find the Pope admiring and commending the Person and the Fact too, and dares before Witnesses e­nough, compare it with the miracle of our Saviour's Incarnation: and had the design of this day taken effect, no question but it would have been as great and as generous in their thoughts and determinations: But blessed be God, the snare was broken and we were de­livered, they were taken in their own crafti­ness. Faux could not escape, who was so wickedly insolent as to say, had he been with­in the house, as he was without, he would not have failed to have blown them up, house and all. But blessed be God he was appre­hended, and the rest either slain or taken Pri­soners. And now, having told you what you are to bless God for, let me tell you in a word how, and so conclude.

First, Bless God for the Deliverance from this horrible Conspiracy; and that so, as you grow more and more in love with the true, ancient, Catholick, and Aposto­lick Faith, represented often to you under the Name of the Protestant Religion; it's not enough to bless God with our lips, unless we praise him with our lives; he that orders his Conversation aright, praiseth God best; and you cannot do it better, than by a zealous contending for the Faith once deliver'd to the Saints.

Secondly, So bless God, that every day you grow into detestation and hatred of those Principles that allow such bloody Practices: If I should say the Romish Religion is a Reli­gion whose Faith is Faction, and whose Zeal is Rebellion, 'tis no more than may be prov­ed. 'Tis a Religion that deposeth Kings, blows up Parliaments, changeth Governments: It's an argument of an ill Cause, that must be managed by blood and treachery: It's a Religion that holds the Pope hath Power o­ver Foreign Princes; a Religion that sets Kingdom against Kingdom, the Father a­gainst the Son, and the Son against the Father.

Thirdly, So bless God, as that we pray to [Page 28]God to deliver us still from all such bloody Attemps and horrible Conspiracies: They are never weary of plotting mischief, we have fresh and new arguments which tell us what they would have had, and yet desire: And this late Plot against his Majesty's most sa­cred Person and Government, in many Cir­cumstances far exceeding that of this day, should oblige us to be more constant and fervent in our united Prayers for our Preser­vation: We must either not understand, or else not love the Religion we own and pro­fess to be true, if we are not as diligent to preserve it, as the Enemy is to undermine, subvert, and destroy it. I am sure the Psal­mist determines to practise, what I recom­mend to you: I will call upon the Name of the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, so shall I be saved from my Enemies, Psal. 18.3. Let us imitate this great and good man, a King and Prophet too, yea let us pray, that as the Ene­mies of the Lord and his Church make a pit, and dig it, so they may again fall into the ditch that they have made: And to this let all the Peo­ple say, Amen, and Amen.