PUblick Calami­ties charge every man with a rate of sorrow pro­portionable unto the tenure of his Understanding, put him upon a serious enquiry of the Causes and Consequences of them, and ex­act from him a diligent provisi­on of means to stop, or divert them: Calamity, like the floud, is now lifted up above our Earth, [Page 2] and hath almost covered the highest Hills of our temporal fe­licity; could our sorrow swell as high, as that the sense of our pre­sent and impending miseries would drown us; if we search in­to the causes of them, we shall find those in our selves, [our sins] their sad consequences are by so much the superabounding matter of our just fear, by how much they go beyond our knowledge, nay, even conjecture, and all our power to prevent them: such is the inundation of miseries now prevailing over the three King­doms: Would you see the head of these overflowing Cataracts? this Text will make the discove­ry unto you, The breath of our Nostrils, the Anointed of the Lord was taken in their pits, of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the Heathen.

The Words are the ground­work and foundation on which [Page 3] the Prophet Jeremiah raised the whole sorrowfull structure of his Lamentations, composed on the mournful Obsequies of the best of the Kings of Judah, Josiah, 2 Chron. 35.25. (hurried away by a violent and (unto all but himself) untimely death) made a mourning Ordi­nance for Israel, Calvin. and enjoyned as the signal expression of their grief, and deep sense of the fu­ture, numerous and unavoidable Calamities would by his death befall them; Judah's sins having provoked God unto so speedy execution of those Judgements formerly denounc'd against them; that they might not longer plead the priviledges of their Princes piety to reprieve their punish­ments, 2 Kings 23.25, 26 27. God removes this remora unto his justice (their good King) from them; Lam. 2.6. that he might bring upon them the fierceness of his great wrath, he plucks down their hedg and fence, their devout Prince [Page 4] from them, that he might rush in upon them by unexpected judg­ments to destroy them: there lies not among all the files of sa­cred Records an evidence of so exemplary and princely Piety, as King Josiah, Like unto him there was no King before him, that tur­ned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, neither after him arose there any like him; yet the sins of his People drew upon him a violent death acknowledged worthy of a longer life; the peo­ples sins put the religious and deserving Prince into the toyles of his persecuters, they hunt af­ter his precious life, and he falls into their pits.

He who stood in the Gap to hinder the way of the Destroyer, that bulwark that stood betwixt them and the furious batteries of Gods wrath, was now torne [Page 5] down; just cause then had the Prophet to fear the sharp assaults of Gods judgements, ready to storm the Kingdome of Judah, and to break out into this dolo­rous Lamentation, (as pointing at the spring and source of their sorrows and calamities) The breath of our Nostrils, &c.

How is the happiness of a King­dom twisted with the welfare of a religious King? how close doth the ruine of a people follow the loss of a pious Prince? A good King is a Rampire and security unto his Kingdom, that being slighted, the destruction there­of is an easie undertaking; yet who so apt to sap and undermine these their own fortifications, as the people themselves?

— foelices nimium bona si sua norint, Sufficiently happy if they knew the things which belonged unto their welfare; Sufficiently happy, if they were not so industrious to [Page 6] make themselves unhappy; Jo­siah was the best of Princes, yet by the sinnes of his people, pushed into the fatall pits of his Adversaries, and his fall proves the utter destruction and down­fall of the people themselves; this Consideration makes them mourn for their deceased King, weep Elegies and lament thus, The breath of our Nostrils, &c.

A spreading and thick Cloud, whenee lasting showres of tears might continually descend, That the breath, &c.

The words (not to torture them) offer unto us two things,

First, Gods Letters patents of the royall prerogatives, and be­neficiall priviledges granted un­to King Josiah, and that in these 3 eminent and significant expres­sions: 1. He was the breath of their Nostrils. 2. The Anointed of the Lord. 3. Of whom they said, Under the shadow of his wings they [Page 7] should live among the Heathen.

Secondly, there is the Nulling of these letters patents of Jo­siah, He was taken in their pits, God by a violent death reversed them.

The Prophet and people of Judah well knew the sacred and royal prerogatives of their de­ceased King, yet acknowledge these glorious priviledges taken away by his death for their pu­nishment.

The breath of our nostrils, an high and emphatique expression, borrowed from the chiefe and choicest work of the Creation, Man, Gen. 2.7. whom when God formed out of the dust of the earth, he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and he became a living Soul; thus contriving within this trunk of dust and clay the inimitable hability of his own deity, & from him is this significant and effe­ctive operation; in an inferior and [Page 8] remiss degree attributed unto his Vicegerent King Josiah; that as in the natural body, Life, and all the animal faculties and princi­ples of action, owe their Origi­nal unto the infusion of Gods breath, the Soul: So a man; a Subject considered in a politick respect, hath the life of his Civil Constitution from the King; and as the rational faculties planted in the Understanding, Memory, and Will, are from the Soul; so the religious actions of men re­fer their growth unto the Prince, Rom. 13.3 in which respects is it, that the King is termed [...], Causab. Exc. 16. the Mi­nister of God; an august denomi­nation, implying him the chief Officer for the exercise of sacred Jurisdiction, great in regard both of the Author thereof, God; and the end thereof, Mans good. This royal Jurisdiction consist­ing in the Legislative and Execu­tive power of Kings, to make and [Page 9] execute Laws, for regulating the actions of men as well in the outward and religious worship of God, as in civil conversation; that as the Soul is the fountain of corporal motion and rational a­ction; so the Laws, divine and humane, (of which the King is the proper Custos) are the begin­ning and rule of all civil and reli­gious actions; and as to make Laws is the life of authority, so the execution of them is the life of the Law: Herein a pious Prince being eminently the re­presenter of his God, and may be said, the breath of his Subjects, (as unto their civil and religious life) in making and executing such Laws as may dispose them in order unto God and salvation: But this divinely alluding and cryptick similitude, appropriate unto a pious Prince, (to be the breath of our Nostrils) hath not a more lively feature of divine re­semblance, [Page 10] then the vigorous ex­emplarity of personal piety in the Prince himself; his example giving life, reputation, and lustre unto Religion; in which sense is it, that a King is tearmed, 2 Sam. 14.17. 2 Sam. 21.17. An An­gel of God, the light or Candle of his people: from all these Conside­rations, good K. Josiah was justly acknowledged, the breath of their Nostrils, he restored the Law even lost, punished & extirpated Idolatry, setled the Church, re­stored Religion, encouraged the Priests, judiciously ordered the whole service of Gods houses and for his personal sanctimony (besides these Acts of royal pru­dence and zeal) the Holy Ghost affords him this great and graci­ous testimony, 2. Chro. 34.27. that his heart was tender, and that he did humble himself before God: his chief care & solicitude was to decline those things that would offend God, and preserve his Conscience a [Page 11] clear, and unspotted glasse, where­in the glorious Image of divine holinesse did shew it self trans­parent in the whole conduct of his actions: yet this great and royal pattern of piety, the life of their Religion and Law was taken in their pits, for the sins of his Subjects he fell into the fatall snares of his Adversaries; yea notwithstanding he bare yet a more visible cognizance, and live­ry of Gods own divine and su­pream Authority, being

The Anointed of the Lord, Gods Christ, sacred by holy Un­ction unto God: Unto no materi­all thing hath God fastned such significations of his Graces unto mankind, as unto Oyle, the whole influence of Gods jurisdiction over man, being (as the most la­sting pieces are drawn in Oyle) represented unto us by a mysteri­ous application thereof, through Unction therewith, of those [Page 12] unto whom God hath by a depu­tation conferred the great and chief Places of Trust for the ex­ercise of his supreme power over mankind, as the Kingly, Priestly and Prophetick Offices; they whom God had delegated unto these subservient Offices of Su­preme Authority, and constitu­ted his own under-Officers, ha­ving the Warrant for the execu­tion of their Places signed by the outward Act of sacred Unction.

Euseb. Ecc. Hist. l. 1. c. 3.The Title Anointed, sayes Eu­sebius, is of great reverence and glorious, delivering types and sym­bols of heavenly things, and secret images, and representations, full of mystery. But whereas Priests and Prophets in Scripture are barely called Ʋncti, Anointed; for Kings the style alwayes runs, Ʋncti Domini, the Lords Anoin­ted: God having given unto Kings by a more immediate con­signation, greater relations, and [Page 13] proportions of his power, than unto either the Priest or the Pro­phet. Kings were by divine in­stinct of God, Euseb. ubi supra. unto his Prophet a­nointed with Oyl and made Christs, or anointed; that they should re­semble Christ, because they by themselves resemble the image and figure of regal and principal power, which is seen in the onely and true Christ: So Saint Augu­stine speaking of Saul's Unction, Civ. Dei l. 17. c. 6. which made David fear even to touch him, saith, Oleum illud, &c. mysticè accipiendum & magnum Sacramentum intelligendum est: That Oyl with which Saul was anointed, and from that Crisme or Unction was termed Anoin­ned, is to be understood mystical­ly, and is a great Sacrament, (so the Ancients usually termed the representations of things holy.) When Sylvester the Bishop of Rome anointed Constantine, Con­signationem, Spiritus Sancti adhi­buit, [Page 14] sancti Chrismatis Ʋnctione, dicens, signet te Deus sigillo fidei, In nomine, &c. saith the Author. He gave a Consignation of the Holy Ghost, Lib. Vet. Concil. by the Unction of the holy Oyle, saying, Almighty God imprint in thee the seal and character of his faith, In the name of the Father, &c.

Now the plenitude of the Re­gall power derived from Uncti­on, is visible in these proportions of similitude:

1. Unction conferred upon them, Vim supereminentis Domi­ni, the power of absolute and su­preme Authority; Oleum magnum aliquid significat, omnibus enim hu­moribus superemi­net, Aug. de verb. D. ser. 23. Eccle. 8.4. 1 Pet. 2.13. Oyle deno­ting Soveraignty, in that being mixed with any Liquor, it main­tains a superiority in the superna­tation, appearing still uppermost: the Exercise of which supreme Authority consisted in the ma­king and abrogating of Laws Ci­vill and Ecclesiasticall, (which in matters indifferent, and not a­gainst [Page 15] the clear evidence of Gods word) should bind the Consci­ence; David, Solomon, Hezekiah, Socrat, proae. l. 5. Josiah, ordered the Affaires of the Jewish Church; and Socrates tells us, that after the Emperours became Christians, matters of the Church wholly depended upon them, and that it was by their summons and pleasures that the greatest Counsels were cal­led, and therefore Constantine the Great would usually say unto the Bishops, Vos intra, Euseb. de vit. Const. m. l. 4. c. 24. ego extra Ec­clesiam Episcopus à Deo sum constitutus, ye are Bishops within the Church, and without the Church I am a Bishop appointed by God; he was Communis Episco­pus, the common and ecumeni­call Bishop in his Empire. Rom. 13.4. Psal. 47.9. Cont. Faust. Manic. l. 22. c. 75.

It gave them power to denounce Warre, the merum Imperium, and absolute power of the Sword, being his from God. Or­do ille naturalis mortalium paci [Page 16] accommodus hoc poscit, ut suscipi­endi belli authoritas at (que) Concili­um penes principem sit, even natu­ral order accommodate unto the peace of mankind requiring this, that the power of making War remains wholly in the Prince: which when the people usurped, we see they were punished, Numb. 14.44.

3. To conclude peace and make Confederations and Leagues, as King David and King Solomon did: 2 Sam. 10.19. 1 Kings 4.24. 1 Kings 5.12. 1 Kings 2.5, 6. the Olive from which Oyle comes is the Embleme of Peace and Unction, notably insinuates those ready inclinations and en­deavours in Kings to procure the peace of their Subjects; and in order unto peace to make Cessa­tions and Truces, which when broken even by Davids Gene­ral, he was sentenced as for mur­ther. 2 Chron. 17.8, 9.

4. The free Election of their Servants, and disposition of all [Page 17] Offices in Church and State.

5. To pardon unto Offenders their lives, 2 Sam. 20.4. 1 Kings 3.27. Esth. 3.1. 1 Kings 2. Acts 25.10.1. reprieve or to punish them with death, as in Joab's and Shimei's case.

6. To receive Appeals from all other Judicatures, that absolute submission unto the supreme Ma­gistrate being taught Christians, Euseb. Ecc. Hist. l. 4. c. 14. (as Polycarpus the holy Martyr and Bishop told the Proconsul) which brings no hurt unto the sal­vation of our Souls and Religion.

And from this divine signature of supreme power in Kings by Unction, flows their indempni­ty and inviolability in word and deed, they are not to be smitten even with the tongue, much less the hand: Against thee onely have I sinned, sayes David: Psal. 5.1. which St. Ambrose expounds by his absolute exemption from hu­mane Judicature: There is no ri­sing up against a King, sayes Sa­lomon, who may say unto him, what [Page 18] doest thou? Si non habebat Saul sa­cramenti sanctita­tem, quid in eo ve­nerabatur David? Aug. Cont. lit. pet. l. 2. c. 48. David acknowled­ged the Image of God by holy Unction in the worst of Kings, Saul, insomuch though he were his irreconcilable Adversary, he would not even stretch forth his hand against him; he had not the new way to expound Scriptures unto his own distorting passions, though that course was pressed upon him with the advantage of a Crown, he checks the wre­sted and carnall application, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing: 1 Sam. 24.6. yea, when the Son of a stranger, an Amalekite, (who might perhaps plead igno­rance of the sacred relations by Unction) although Saul had al­ready received his deaths wound; beside that it might be counted a kind of rescue to save him from being taken Prisoner, and come alive into the enemies hands, and that he might seem also to have merited by preser­ving [Page 19] the Regalia, David Saulem propter sacro-san­ctam Un­ctionem & honoravit vivum, & vindicavit occisum. Aug. Cont. lit. pet. l. 2. c. 48. In Apol. Ep. l. 2. Ep. 13. Dig. vet. l. 1. tit. 3. H. leg. 30. Tho. Aq. Ia. IIae. q. 96. a. 5. ad IIIm. the Crown and royal Habiliaments from the E­nemy, and presenting them unto the lawful Successor David, yet he is so awed with the sacred re­gards conveyed unto King Saul by Unction, that he punisheth him with death for shortning Sauls life as for the breach of a known and natural right. How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand against the Lords Anointed? David honoured Saul for his holy Unction living, and re­venged him being dead. A King in his Kingdom is solo Deo minor, inferior unto God onely, sayes Tertullian, and then surely above his people: Deo subditus, subject to God onely, sayes St. Ambrose unto Valentinian, Princeps legibus solutus est, that the King is free from the power of the Law (is a Maxime as old as Christiani­ty) that is from the penalties of it, Laws have onely a directive, [Page 20] no coercive power over him; though not as a moral man; yet in his politick consideration he is above the Law. Yvo Car­not. Ep. 171. Divino sunt ju­dicio reservandi Roges, Kings stand or fall unto their own ma­ster God; satis est ad poenam, quod Deum habeant ult [...]rem, it is sufficient that God will punish their Crimes; he is the onely Judge, not the people, unto whom our Appeal lies against the injuries of their procee­dings; in such cases our proper address is unto Gods Tribunal: if arbitrary Government, Op­pression, Murther, Sacriledge, Demonaick possession, Witch­craft, (of all which sins King Saul was notoriously guilty) could give sufficient warranty unto his punishment by his Subjects, and were the people competent Jud­ges, the peoples hate of Saul, and Davids merit from them, and suffrings from Saul, might [Page 21] probably lead him to propound the people an High Court of Ju­stice, but informed by a better spirit than that which actuates these times, he puts up his Charge against Saul (even when his life was in his power) unto God (unto whom the judgment of Kings belongs) in these words, 1 Sam. 24.14. The Lord judge between thee and me, and the Lord avenge me of thee, but mine hand shall not be upon thee; yea, afterwards up­on Sauls continuance of his mor­tal hatred and bloudy persecuti­on of David and his Followers, and that Abishai preached unto David the modern doctrine, the divine and infallible equity of out­ward Successes, that God had de­livered King Saul into his hands, and offered himself a ready Ex­ecutioner of the fact, David countermands his active and in­teressed malice (cloaked with usual pretensions of Religion [Page 22] and Liberty) Destroy him not, for who can stretch forth his hand against the Lords Anointed and be guiltless? but he refers for re­medy unto the proper Court of Justice against Kings, 1 Sam. 26.9, 10. the Lord shall smite him, or this day shall come to dye, or he shall descend in Battel and perish; the Lord forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the Lords Anointed. Saul had not Innocency, Saul non habebat Innocen­tiam, & tamen ha­bebat san­ctitatem, non vitae suae sed sa­cramenti Dei quod in malis hominibus sanctum est. ubi su­pra. and yet he had Sanctity, not of Life but of the Unction, which even in wicked men is holy, saith Saint Augu­stine. The first and best Christi­ans continued their practice to­wards their most refractory and imperious Emperors; when Va­lentinian the Younger disposses­sed the Orthodox of their Churches in Millain, and gave them unto the Arians; Saint Ambrose the Bishop onely offe­red up his supplications unto God to alter the Emperors pur­poses, [Page 23] Adversus Arma, Amb. Ep. l. 2. Ep. 13 Lacry­mae meae Arma sunt, against Armes, teares are my defensive weapons; aliter nec debeo, nec possum repugnare, no other way ought I, or can I resist, saith he: the carriage of the Citizens of Millaine was the same, exhibiting their Petition unto the Empe­rour, they all crie out, Rogamus, non pugnamus, We humbly in­treat you oh Emperour, we fight not against you.

The testimony of Plynius se­cundus, given unto Trajan, that the Primitive Christians practi­ced nothing against the received Laws, and were ready rather to suffer then oppose, procured them not onely a respite from their bloody persecution, Euse. Hist. Ecc. l. 3. c. 27. Theod. l. 3. f. 19. but also the free exercise of their Religion.

Teares and Prayers unto God, and humble supplications unto Princes, the ancient Christians held the onely powerfull means [Page 24] to divert their miscarriages; Quod de­bitum non reddide­runt in quo Chri­stiani non sunt terre­nis regibus obsequi. Aug. Con. 31. in Psal. 118. In Ps. 114. they never denyed them any duty of Subjection. Saint Austustine witnesseth, that this was the be­haviour of the Christian Souldi­ers, even under Julian the Apo­stata an Idolater. When Maxi­mus entred Italy with a great Army, under pretence of resto­ring the Orthodox, ejected by Valentinian, who patronized the Arrians; he was held by the Or­thodox but for a Tyrant, and was so far from receiving assistance from them, that they overthrew him, Sozom. lib. 7. cap. 13, 14. and established Valentinian.

And as Unction is the divine seal of supreme power, Indemp­nity, & Inviolability unto Kings, so doth it likewise suggest un­to them, the duty of the Regall Administration towards their Subjects; That as Oyle is of a spreading & diffusive quality; Psal. 133.2. Lev. 19.15. So in the Prince is required Impar­tiality and Justice equally distri­butive [Page 25] unto all. Luk. 10 34. Isa. 3.7. As Oyle like­wise hath in it a lenitive and hea­ling vertue: So should the Su­preme Magistrate be an Healer, and binder up of the wounds, and sores of his Subjects.

Oyle hath in it also an especi­all vertue to comfort and streng­then the parts unto which it is applyed: So is a King the Mini­ster of good unto his Subjects for good: he is to cherish vertue, to esteem honest and commenda­ble Action: in which sense are Kings stiled by our Saviour, Rom. 13.4. [...], Benefactors, Luke 22.25. Adde hereunto, that Oyle is of a nourishing and cheering quality, Psal. 104.15. and taken as sustenance; is of easie & fine distribution, causing a good and wholsome nutri­ment, therefore it is reckoned a­mong the principall blessings of a land; so is the Grace and Countenance of a King, of a nourishing, and improving opera­tion; [Page 26] The Kings favour is like the dew upon the grasse, Prov. 19.12. in which respect God promiseth unto the Christian Church, that Kings should be nursing Fathers, and Queens the nursing Mothers thereof, Isa. 49.23.

Thus we see the many sacred Impressions of Divine Jurisdiction imposed by God himself on Kings through holy Unction, whereby his Dominion over Mankind, is delegated unto Kings, the Lords Anointed; God by this Symbole, and outward signe agreeable and connaturall unto man, consigning the ordi­nary exercise of his Government over Mankind unto them; so that the holy Oyle thus employ­ed is no longer bare and com­mon Oyle, Cyril. Cat. 3. but [...], the gift of Grace; which (however vi­lified by Enthusiastiques and So­lifidians) betokens the Grace of Christ unto Kings; and prescribes [Page 27] necessary submission and duty unto their Subjects: We are not (whatever phantastique men may presume) so spirituall in this life, but that we stand in need of outward representations to carry on our faith and hope unto things spirituall, the greatest fa­vours unto lapsed mankind are the Sacraments, where the visi­ble and corporeall Elements are the meanes to convey by faith spirituall graces and the whole benefit of Christs sufferings unto us: the sublimated and meta­physicall Professours of our times endeavour too irreverent a close with Almighty God, they will have no King but Christ, no Unction but that of the Spirit, which is not that sober & peace­able Spirit that leadeth into all truth, but the Spirit of giddinesse; Job 32.18. Elihu's spirit, the spirit of their belly which leadeth into all er­rour, Carnal interests constraining [Page 28] them to shake off Gods Govern­ment in Princes; to effect which, the most compendious way is, to throw all Ceremony (which is unto Religion as the Scaberd unto the Sword, to pre­serve it from the rust of con­tempt, Cont. Faust. Ma [...]. l. 12. c. 11.) (as Saint Augustine speaks.) The sacred regards of Unction, of King, of Priest, of Prophet, of Churches, of Tythes, stand betwixt them and their sa­crilegious ends, they must be re­moved, no railes or bounds must be set unto them, they will up into the Mount and run the ha­zard if not of temporall flames, Exod. 19.23. yet certainly (without hearty re­pentance) of the Everlasting burnings: These men who will be solely swayed by the guidance of their own spirit, (which being as various as the severall tem­pers of the Continents it inha­bits) will make Religion full of uncertainties, meerly imaginary [Page 29] and wholly depending upon the doubtfull Insufficiencies of mens weak Conceptions, so that here­by the essentiall truths of Reli­gion must needs daily decay, the substance thereof be reduced in­to the smoake of every mans unbounded Fancy; and the Chri­stian faith will die by degrees. But Unction puts Gods Domi­nion into the Kings hands, that must not be resisted; for it is the resisting of God himselfe: It is the very language of the Holy Ghost unto the ten revol­ted Tribes, 2 Chron. 13.8. Antiq. l. 9 c. 14. that they resisted the Kingdome of God in the hands of the Sonnes of David: and Josephus assignes this the Cause of the subversion of them (no memory of them being left.) The sedition (saith he) that they moved against Rehoboam, esta­blishing his Servant for their King, was the originall of their mischiefs: Ammon was a most [Page 30] wicked and idolatrous Prince, yet God punished the Treason of his Servants against him, 2 Kings 21.23, 24. be­cause he was Gods Anointed: Many sacred regards are by Un­ction conveyed from God unto Princes: great cause then had the Prophet and people of Judah to lament the death of their good King Josiah, The Anointed of the Lord, That he was fallen into their pits.

3. Of whom we said, Ʋnder the shadow of his wings we shall live among the Heathen: King Josiah his regall prerogatives and per­sonall vertues were a protection unto his people, he was the foun­taine of their liberty and safety; The happinesse of Subjects de­pends upon the wel being of their Kings, and the preservation of the Regall dignity is a sure pledge of Gods goodnesse, & the continuance of his favour unto a people; for this cause is it that [Page 31] when the Apostle had exhorted that prayers should be made for all men, 1 Tim. 2.1. as though this precept were too universall, he reduceth it, v. 2. unto Kings, and adds the reason, that ye may lead a quiet and peaceable life, and for the same cause did the Prophet command the Israelites to pray for the King of Babylon, Jer. 29. Nebu­chadnezzar: This consideration also made Davids Subjects ap­price his life at so high a rate, is not now thy life worth ten thousand of ours? 2 Sam. 18.3. 1 Sam. 15.17. The King is the Head of the people, there is a sacred and neare relation betwixt them, a disease or paine in the Head causeth a discrasie in the whole body, an indisposition through­out all the members: So the ca­lamity and sufferings of the King affecteth every conscientious man in his Kingdome; this honest zeale and pious sympathy be­tween the Head & the Members, [Page 32] the King and the people, made our Prophet and the men of Ju­dah so passionately bewaile the losse of their good King Josiah: they promised unto themselves a lasting security in this life, Of whom we said, Under the shadow of his wings we shall live among the Heathen. Gods grant of Re­gall prerogatives unto Josiah, af­forded not onely protection ( as the Hen gathereth her Chickens under her wings, our Saviours al­lusion) to defend them from the Birds of prey, but a strength also and vigorous warmth to make them grow up unto an ability to guard themselves and dwell with safety among the Heathen, the known Enemies of their Nation and profession; when then this Royall Oake was cut down, and they deprived of the thriving benefits of its shelter, their sorrows must needs plentifully spring up from the [Page 33] sense of so great and irrepairable a losse, and the fear of those stormes which now threatned to overturne their felicity: But the depth of this sorrow was not to be fathomed, when they found the bottomlesse Abysse of their own sinnes the head thereof, that notwithstanding the great priviledges of Josiah's Regall dignity and piety, that the fiercenesse of Gods greater wrath was so kindled against Judah, that the Lord said, I will remove Judah out of my sight, 2 Chron. 24.26, 27. as I have removed Israel, and there­fore that his fury without obstru­ction or let might be powred out upon them, God suffers the breath of their Nostrils, the A­nointed of the Lord, of whom they said, Under the shadow of his wings they should live among the Heathen: Good King Josiah, the life of their Religion, Law; he who was empowred by God [Page 34] with the Supreme Authority, had a divine grant of humane Indem­nity and Inviolability, their righ­teous Justicer, their Physitian, their nursing Father, their Pro­tectour, and the great Conserva­tor of their Liberty and Safety. To fall into their pits, to die by the hands of his Adversaries: being the second consideration in the Text.

2. The breath of our Nostrils, &c. was taken in their pits. Here is the nulling of Gods letters pa­tents, and the grant of Regall prerogatives, and beneficiall pri­viledges made unto King Josiah, by a violent death. God for the punishment of the people of Ju­dah's sinnes, takes away their pious Prince by the power of his Enemies: The force of the re­lation betwixt the head and the members, the King and the Peo­ple, is the true reason why God punisheth the best of Kings with [Page 35] temporall judgments for the of­fences of his Subjects, (as here in Josiah) The anger of the Lord was moved against Israel, and he moved David to number the people, 2 Sam. 24.1. The divine Ju­stice vindicated that sin of the King upon the people; for whose transgressions he was suf­fered to sin: Ep. l 2. ep. 6 Justus Ja­dex pec­cantis vi­tium ex ipsorum animad­versione corripuit, ex quorum causa pec­cavit. Divinely holy Gre­gory, secundum meritum plebi­um disponuntur Corda Rectorum, According unto the deserts of the People, the hearts of the Gover­nors are disposed; the just Judge punished the fault of the Offender, upon them who had caused him to offend. What an impious absur­dity is it to flie in the face of our Prince for those errors, which re­ceive their birth & strength from our own native corruptions! Job 19.28 we should rather say (as Iob tels his supercilious Reprovers) why per­secute we him, since the ground of the matter is found in me? [Page 36] Where the Prince is vitious, the accusation properly lies a­gainst the Subjects, whose sins make him so: for, as the prospe­rity of the King is the sure ear­nest of Gods favour unto a peo­ple, 1 Kings 10.9. (as Saba shews the Israe­lites from the glory of King Sa­lomons Court) so is the oppressi­on and misery even of the worst of Kings an infallible mark of Gods anger resting upon a peo­ple, as in King Saul: Josiah's single default (fighting with Pharaoh Necho without Gods allowance) brings the punish­ment of a violent death upon him, for that onely registred er­rour into which the peoples sin; had pushed him, their sins were now ripe for punishment by his one offence, for whose punishment he was suffered even then to of­fend, that so their judgments might commence from his death, whose guilt permitted not [Page 37] unto him a longer life. He fell into their pits, (a speech taken from Hunters, who way-lay those Beasts they chase, setting snares and toyles for them in those paths and places they run unto for refuge) that they might know, that since God had dive­sted Josiah their sacred head of all Regal Prerogatives, and let him fall by the practises and power of his cruel Foes, they could no longer urge a respite from the execution of those judgments given against their former transgressions, but ac­knowledge and bewail this sad and evil occurrent, (the violent death of their King) the fatal consequence of their own sins, for which there was now a re­cession of God (in his Govern­ment by Josiah) from them, and an abandoning them up into the hands of Strangers and Usurp­ers, from whom they could not [Page 38] but expect all the wearisom tra­verses of Tyranny, the heavy weight of a continued Oppressi­on, and all those not to be recko­ned unhappy inconveniences which attend upon a Govern­ment obtained by conquest, sup­ported by force, and maintained and actuated by the Law of the sword: so that even this violent death appears an absolute assu­rance of Gods mercy and good­ness unto King Josiah, to take him out of this life, that he might not behold those wofull and thronging miseries which were ready to rush in upon and beat down the present (for his sake onely) happy condition of his Subjects, which would have pro­cured unto him more anxiety, than the consideration of under­going ten thousand violent deaths; a good Prince having so strong a sympathy with his Sub­jects sufferings, that he feels e­very [Page 39] pricking pang and painfull touch of their troubles, in which respect this violent death was an incomparable favour unto him, and (which at first sight procures our wonder) proves his greatest temporall blessing, and the gra­cious reward of his eminent pie­ty, and so much the Holy Ghost tels us, 2 Chron. 34.27, 28. Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thy self before God, when thou heard­est his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thy self before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me, I have even heard thee also, saith the Lord. Be­hold, I will gather thee to thy Fa­thers, and thou shalt be gathered unto thy Fathers in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and up­on the inhabitants of the same: So that as the Prophet Isaiah speaks we may Lay it to heart, Isa. 57 1. that the [Page 40] righteous is taken away from the evil to come: Hezekiah's piety likewise found this divine favour a respite from the sight of those judgments his peoples sins had contracted, 2 Chron. 20.19. that there should be peace and truth in his dayes, and he thankfully and humbly ac­knowledgeth the greatness of that mercy.

These sad Considerations quickly pull up all the sluces of sorrow, and let in flouds of tears to overwhelm them, they la­ment and mourn with a great and grievous mourning, 2 Chron. 35.24. All Ju­dah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah: a mourning wherein the whole Kingdom wore the blacks of sorrow, a mourning renown­ed for the universal and sad so­lemnity thereof, a mourning made the highest prescription of mourning the utmost bounds and confines of sorrow, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the Zech. 11.1 [Page 41] valley of Megiddo, where every family of the whole Kingdome distinguisht themselves by the variety and solitariness of their sorrow, every family mourning apart, the Princes of the bloud apart, the Priests apart, the Peo­ple by their several Families a­part, and all their Wives apart, every part of every Family ha­ving a several share in this ge­neral sorrow? and a particular part in this common sadness and Lamentation for Josiah: the Priest and Prophet Jeremiah he is the chief Mourner, composeth Josiah's Funeral Elegies (this Book of the Lamentations) gives them unto the skilful Quire to chaunt forth, he begins the first sad Note, the Singing-men and Singing-women consort with him in the doleful plaints, and all Judah and Jerusalem make up the sad Chorus in this general sorrow.

[Page 42]Just cause had every man in Judah and Jerusalem to mourn for Josiah's death, since every mans sin had made way by a se­verall wound to take away Josi­ah's life, and so must needs bear a share in the crying guilt of his bloud, which nothing but a floud of penitent tears could wash a­way: This makes every mans particular sorrow as several lines, meet in the centre of the Text, the common cause of their tee­ming grief, The breath of our No­stails, the Anointed of the Lord, was taken in their pits, of whom we said, Ʋnder his shadow we shall live among the Heathen.

From these sacred Truths natu­rally flow these divinely in­forming Conclusions.

That a good Prince is the life of Religion, Law, and civill Con­versation.

[Page 43] That Kings by holy Unction, as by Gods visible deed and convey­ance, are invested with the supreme Authority, Inviolability and In­dempnity; and therefore to think reverently of them, consecrated with so many mysterious regards, and relations, the characters of Gods supreme jurisdiction over man.

That Ʋnction suggests unto Kings that duty they stand obliged in unto their Subjects, in the im­partial distribution of justice to heal them, to comfort them, to nou­rish them.

That a good King is designed by God a Protector of his Subjects, and the Conservator of their Liberty, Safety and Peace.

That the best King may be pu­nished with the greatest temporall punishment for the sins of his Sub­jects.

That the Errors of Kings take their rise from their Subjects sins.

[Page 44] That God first taketh away a good King before he will bring judgments upon his Subjects.

That Gods violent taking away a good King from a People is an evidence of his heavy displeasure, and a certain Prognostique of the many miseries he will bring upon them.

That a violent death proves a temporall blessing unto a King, when it takes from him the sight and sense of his Subjects suffe­rings.

That a violent death may justly be reputed a departing in peace, compared with a continuance of the sence of troubles and durable cala­mity.

That all men are strictly and deeply engaged unto the most so­lemn sorrow for the calamity of their King, as caused by their sins, and ushering in their approaching miseries.

[Page 45]Let us see whether our King­domes may not truly calculate their griefs by the Ephimerides of Judah's sorrow; we have had a British Josiah, whose Graces and Prerogatives fully answer­ed the proportion and size of their pattern: Could Judah's sinnes snatch away their pious King JOSIAH from them, and do not we conceive that our sins have hurried our Reli­gious King CHARLES from us? Was King Josiah's death the In-let of Judah's mi­series, and do not we suppose that King Charles his life may be the period of our temporall hap­piness, and his death the first act of that tragicall Woe which is to be presented upon the The­atre of this Kingdome, likely to continue longer than the now-living Spectators? We have had as great an Ebbe of Felicity in the loss of our King Charles, as [Page 46] Judah had in her Josiah's; should not the Tyde then of our sorrows run as high as theirs? Surely the parallel considerati­ons of the Vertues and Preroga­tives of both these pious Kings, of the causes of their Calamities, and the sad consequences atten­ding them, will command an e­quality of ours with Judah's sor­row; we will a little invert the method: Begin with King Charls his divine and regal Preroga­tives, next shew his personall Vertues and Graces, then his Suf­ferings, point at their Causes, and conclude with our own constrai­ned Sorrows.

Vicarius Dei estis in regno vestro. An­tiq. brit. p. 5 Rex Vica­rius summi Regis. Leg. Ed. Reg. c. 17. Lamb. England in her best and loud­est language, the Law, hath largely declared the sacred so­veraignty of her Kings, spoke them Gods Vicars, assigned unto them the fulness of Regall pow­er, laid forth their jurisdiction by as large bounds as the Scrip­ture [Page 47] doth King Josiah's, or any other Kings of Israel or Judah: Are not these legall, registred and publick acknowledgments, That every man is under the King, and he under God onely. That he is not inferiour unto his Subjects, even collectively consi­dered. That he is a mixt person, and capable of Spirituall Jurisdi­ction through holy Unction. That he is the fountain of Honour, hath the sole power to pardon and punish Offenders; to leavy War, to make Peace, to constitute Officers. That he can do no wrong? Do not these expressions amount unto, The breath of our Nostrils, the Anoin­ted of the Lord, &c. And these are the Regall peculiars of the Kings of England inseparably annexed unto their Crown and Dignity, which he that run­neth may read, being written in those large and known cha­racters of the Law: Certainly [Page 48] these significant delineations of the sacred and regall power of the Kings of England were copi­ed out of the holy Scriptures, See Jud. Jenk. Lex Terrae. which those that now wrest them, (and make that fair Face of the Holy Ghost a vizard alterable unto the disguise of their perso­nated piety and hypocritical pra­ctice) seeing, will not see. Doubt­less the Crown of England was held from the Lord paramount of Dominion, God, by as free, noble and regall a tenure, as any under Heaven: And from him by a lineall and unquestionable right of succession, had King Charles the investure thereof, and grant of all these royall acknowledged Prerogatives untill (without any divine of humane warrant) He was violently disseized of them, and taken in their pits: These were his sacred and regall Prero­gatives.

Let us now look into that spa­cious [Page 49] field of His personall Ver­tues, a fragrant tract, having the sweet smell of A field which the Lord hath blessed; and since time wil not permit the perusal of eve­ry pleasant walk of grace, and the delightful Ambits of his vertues, let us as Moses from Mount Ne­bo take a general and distant sur­vey of this blessed circuit flow­ing with milk and honey, King Charles his Celestial gifts and graces, ‘As Jove principium —’

His religious piety renders it self glorious in his great love, fear and honour of God; His zeal and devout frequency in prayer, receiving the Sacra­ments, and reading the holy Scri­ptures, his reverence in Gods House, his attention unto Gods word preached, the esteem he had of Gods Messengers, his ha­tred of Heresie, and the zealous [Page 50] care he had (as it was consistent with charity) to propagate the true worship of God, the Pro­testant Religion; this in the purity thereof he established by his Laws, enlarged with his Regall Authority, cleansed from that Rust it had contracted through the Atheism and igno­rance of the Times, by the con­temptibleness of the outward worship, adorned with Decen­cy and Order in the publique service, and with cost upon the places dedicate unto that ser­vice; but chiefly he beautified it with the glorious example of his holy life, and encouragement of the Officers thereof, whom he rewarded with the rewards of Honour and Maintenance: His Royall Palace (as Theodosius Ju­niors) was a constant Receipt for learned and pious Prelats, whom he entertained and cheri­shed as the Servants of the great [Page 51] God, Socrat. l. 7. c. 22. and Dispensers of the myste­ries and means of Grace; which as it was an especiall and infalli­ble mark of the sincerity of his humble piety, so through the su­percilious irreligion of the times, did that (which should have most endeared him unto Christians) draw neglect and contempt up­on him, from them (and those Great ones too) who love no­thing of Christianity but the na­ked name: he knew that Church-maintenance was the best Nurse of Religion, and therefore no weight of difficulties could so press upon him, to alien Gods portion the Patrimony of the Church; to preserve which from the sacrilegious invasion of the first movers of these Troubles (who thought the best way to shake off Government was to destroy Religion, and the most effectuall and quick course to destroy Religion to take away [Page 52] Church-maintenance) He ten­dred the sale of so much Crown-land as would amount unto the value of the Church-land. That great and strict care he took to keep the Throne and Kingdom of God in his Soul (His Consci­ence) inviolable, shews that al­though he made his abode a­mong Men, yet his Conversati­on was in Heaven: The conti­nuall acknowledged remorse he was seized with, for consenting (against the dictate of his Con­science) unto the Earl of Straf­ford's death; speaks him another David, and A Man after Gods own heart, such were the tender impressions that Act ever left in him, 1 Kings 1.1. as David when he cut off the skirt of Sauls garment, his heart smote him, and indeed his Ma­jesty found that fate which the Rabbins assigne unto David's fact, that he found no heat in his cloaths afterwards: So His [Page 53] Majesty found not that com­forting warmth in the advices of others, which he did in the solid Counsels of that ever to be honoured Earl. How many invincible Arguments have we of his Majesties singular sancti­mony? How in that his great Tryall of his afflictions, did the abundance of his joy, the riches of his graces, and the absolute and compleat contentation of piety shine forth in all his spee­ches, and actions? as that first great Patron of Christianity, Constantine the Great, would have his Effigies kneeling engra­ven on his Coyne, Euseb. vit. Const. m. l. 4. c. 15. with his hands spread, and his eyes advanced to­wards Heaven, the posture of an humble suppliant at the Throne of Grace; so did our late most Religious KING desire that unto that his Golden Manuall might be prefixed his Representa­tion kneeling, contemning a Tem­porall, [Page 54] holding our blessed Savi­ours Crown of Thorns, and aspiring unto an eternall Crown of Happi­ness; which clears unto us, that his large Soule was not pos­sessed with narrow and tempo­rall considerations, but with the regards of lasting and eternal In­terests; so that of all the Chri­stian Kings of this Isle, he may be positively said the most Chri­stian.

From his piety let us pass over unto his prudence, which al­though it be fairly measured out unto us in his great piety; (the practise whereof is the supreme prudence and best evidence of a good Understanding) yet moral­ly considered, as it is an habit acting in humane affairs by the ordered rules of Reason, we shall find his Majesty nobly accom­plished with this Vertue, furni­shed with a strong memory of things past, with a sound judg­ment [Page 55] in their reference and re­lation unto things present, with a clear and quick apprehension to discern the operations and tendencies of Occurrents, and with a singular providence and wise disposition of things fit to attain unto his ends, which were ever honourable and wor­thy of so great a Prince; who ever judged a Christian simpli­city the best policy: With the gravest Nation of Europe, the Spaniard, he gained in his youn­ger years the reputation of A sober, grave, wise Prince; which will fully appear if we look up­on him in his particular relati­ons, His Majesty was a most kind Husband, religiously ob­servant of the holy ties of Wed­lock, a tender and indulgent Father unto his Children, unto whom he paid the due of Pater­nall care in their religious and royall Education: His Kingly [Page 56] bounty unto his Servants shew him a liberall and good Master, and his good affection unto his People (whose welfare he ever prized above his owne; and unto the last minute was much more afflicted from the sence of theirs than his own suffer­ings) shew him a most graci­ous Soveraign. And however he was by those who long since took away his Civill life, and destroyed his royall reputation with his Subjects (to set up themselves; and drive on their own ends) represented a Prince of mean and contemptible en­dowments, and unfit for Go­vernment; the whole World now sees their gross falshood, and their Confessions give the Lie unto their loud and lewd Ca­lumnies; for since his solitary and close Confinement, when he could have no Counsell but what he fetched from Heaven, [Page 57] all rationall and unprejudiced men see, His sober, wise, satis­factory and resolute Answers, unto all their arrogant, dull, de­structive, dissolute Propositi­ons; so that it is a positive and measur'd judgment (made from the whole carriage of his trans­actions with this Parliament) that he was incomparably the wisest Prince in Christendome, and better understood the Con­stitution and affairs of his King­domes than any man now li­ving: Neither may we here (as the constant Attendant and sworn Servant unto his prince­ly prudence) but with wonder reflect upon his Kingly Elo­quence, his flowing and (as Ta­citus speaks of Augustus) King-becoming stile, sweet, pure, acu­rate, perspicuous, grave, full of copious facility, and elegant feli­city, without strained affectation, or servile and forced imitation; [Page 58] so that had he not some naturall difficulties in Pronuntiation, he would have been approved the best Oratour and perfect Ma­ster of Language (as he was of Reason) that ever Britain yet bred; but who ever with more judgement bethought those things that were to be spoken? or who ever fitted his Con­sult thoughts with a more hand­some and cleane apparell of speech, and maturity of weigh­ed words? This Age shewes not a man able to take up his Princely pen, his style may well be the object of mens wishes, never of their imitation, unto an equality of like perfecti­on.

This his princely prudence re­ceives likewise further illustra­tions from his Justice, in the free and equall administration there­of unto all; some surreptions and corruptions in particular Of­ficers [Page 59] of State, as they are not to be defended, so (whilst men are men) they will hardly be a­voided: but the sweet influence of His Majesties justice upon all appeares, in the Peace of His King­domes, the serenity of His peo­ple, the tranquility of Publique affaires, the increase of Trade, the growing riches of His Sub­jects, and the universall happi­nesse of His Government; these three Kingdomes being thrice happy untill the Helme of Go­vernment was wrested out of His sacred hands; and now we see since these State-emperiques have practised upon the body politique, with what strong con­vulsions and mortall maladies it is affected: The best experien­ced Physician under Heaven, and He onely who could have cured England from the diseases of her distemper, without opening her veines, is taken away from her; [Page 60] she lies now in the hands of young and desperate Practitio­ners, it is to be feared, unlesse God prevent their violent ad­ministrations and corrosive po­tions, with Antidotes of mercy, in stead of mending her, they will end her health, life, and li­berty.

Look upon this true Christian fortitude, in the magnanimity of his carrying on with Constancy of Resolution his weightiest Af­faires even in their greatest dif­ficulties, in his confidence with Gods assistance to overcome them; in his exceeding patience, in a tollerance (free from despon­dency) in the greatest molestati­ons and pressures to compose them; and in his matchlesse and Kingly perseverance, even in the fornace of affliction, and hottest flames of adversity, (as Gods Cause) to maintaine them; He went unto the Scaffold, tanquam [Page 61] Apis ad Alveare, as a Bee unto his Hive, with our Saviour, as a Lamb unto the slaughter, and cheerfully undrest himself unto his spirituall repose.

Observe his great temperance, his exemplary chastity, (so rare a vertue in a Prince of so active & firme a constitution) so farre free from uncleannesse, that it had a refined purity from all lasci­viousnesse of either gesture or speech: his abstinence in his feeding gave unto him constancy in health, and readinesse unto action, and his sobriety in drink­ing (whom the Sun, nor all the Sons of Men ever saw overcome or disguised by ingurgitations of strong Liquors) made him unconquerable by Wine or Wo­men.

His divine clemency even in the heat and cruelty of the bloudy rage of his Adversaries, is a contemplation will raise us [Page 62] up unto the very top of admira­tion: whose life (after they had butchered his dearest and nearest Servants) did he take away? how many of his most active & resolved Enemies in his pow­er, did he dismisse with our Sa­viours caveat unto the blind man, Sinne no more? His Maje­sty in this divine clemency (which yet some interpreted a cruelty unto Himselfe) imitating the Fa­ther of mercies, who maketh the Sunne of his favour equally to shine upon the just and unjust, being so farre from procuring or desiring the death of his Ene­mies, (unto which he wanted not inciting animosities from others) that he often wished that he could recover those that were al­ready dead.

Neither are there wanting egregious Monuments of his Kingly munificence and liberali­ty; the great acquisitions of his [Page 63] Servants under him shew it, from many of whom notwithstand­ing, he had the unhappy returnes of ingratitude, desertion, and disloyalty.

And as unto his own Servants he was munificent, so especial­ly unto those who were set a­part for the service of God, whom (with those religious Kings, He­zekiah, Josiah, and Constantine) he encouraged by giving the por­tion of God, and our pious Aun­cestors, unto them, to recover which out of the hands of sacri­legious persons, he used many pious endeavours, and propoun­ded Compensations which would onely have entrenched upon his owne profit: when former Grants from the Crowne of Impropriations for years deter­mined, His Majesty alwaies restored them unto the Church, conceiving his best and most roy­all right unto the Goods of the [Page 64] Church (which he was otherwise by the Lawes of this Realme in­vested of) to be that of Patro­nage and Disposition; and from this Princely munificence doe I, with all the devotion of an hum­ble and hearty thankfulnesse, acknowledge to have received a particular encouragement in my profession; the Re­ctory of Sligo This nursing Fa­ther of the Church, knew the best way to support that, was by Church maintenance: so that by his bounty, the Churches in the three Kingdomes were lifted up out of the mire of contemptible poverty, and Clergy-men of no­ted piety and greatest abilities of learning, daily increased; so that setting aside some few, either illiterate, wandring, cockbrain'd, discontented or unconscionable Levites, who were in the great reserve of the sacrilegious and rebellious Jeroboams of our time, (to secure those two Calves of [Page 65] their Government and Worship which they fought for) no Kingdomes of the World were beautified with so many Lights of learning and piety as these Kingdomes.

Observe the divine graces of this glorious King, the unmove­able stability of his faith, a firme Rocke; which no stormes of popular rage, no swelling surges of the multitude, nor all the proud billowes of his insulting Adversaries, could alter or un­settle in his pious purpose to preserve the Protestant Religion and the Lawes of this Realme: how great was the intention of his sacred hope? and of what ex­ceeding latitude was his charity, which included and enclosed his fiercest and most mortall Ene­mies: But the lively features, and faire lineaments of his graces and virtues are best and more largely drawn out by his owne [Page 66] Pencill, His works praise him in the Gate, his writings present un­to us the heavenly pourtraicture of his divine, large, and grasping Soule; these (what they are wanting in volume, recompen­sing an hundred fold in worth) are the Repertory of all his Acti­ons, and the truest Index of his virtues: [...] that Book is the quintes­sence of knowing zeal▪ the store­house of the ripe & choice fruits of Christian piety: there are the principles of Religion perfectly digested into holy practice: there is the true Princely Image of King Charles that Golden Manu­all, being a stately building of Meditations, Consultations, Es­sayes, Debates, and Devotions, raised upon emergent occasions, with such judicious artifice of grace, adorned with so rich fur­niture of piety, enlarged with so many faire roomes and conveni­ent receipts for grace, that it [Page 67] shews his Body was the Temple of the Holy Ghost, that there was no corner or vacuity in his great and glorious Soul.

I doubt not (without the height of an Hyperbole) to affirme, that in what we have of this holy Kings draught, we are abundant­ly repaired in the losse of Solo­mons physiques, for here is a shop full of heavenly medicines for all the maladies of the soule: by so much then is their sinne the greater, whose malice hath de­prived us of those other later pieces of His Majesty. What already we have is the great­est monument of piety of any Kings (after theirs whose wri­tings become authentique from God, as being Pen-men of his own divine dictates) since the Creation, and shall have con­tinuall and unwearied travailes made unto it in all Languages and Kingdomes, by all Men [Page 68] and Women, who know, love, and honour piety, prudence, and all divine and morall graces and virtues, every of which hath its severall atchievement and par­ticular Trophy erected in this one work, which will be as long liv'd as Time.

I conclude this short and ge­nerall survey of His Majesties personall virtues (worthy of a just Volume, and exceeding the limits of a Sermon) with that Eulogy and Honour of Praise given unto Constantine the Great by Eusebius, De vit. Const. l. 1. c. 1. he was most deare unto God, and proposed by him a great and excellent example of an holy and religious life for all mens imitations.

The memory of his piety and glorious reputation of his vir­tues shall be for ever precious; Hugh Pe­ters. 2 Sam. 16.9. and whatever Dogs barke against it, alwaies remaine a fixed and shining Starre of the greatest [Page 69] magnitude in the firmament of Honour. And thou carnall Pro­phet who walkest by the light of thine own eyes, and callest thy darknesse light, thou who (as the Jewes unto our Saviour) didst reach the Vineger and Gall unto Gods Anointed in the Agony of his sufferings, offered'st that false, furious, Isa. 14.18, 19, & 20. and forc'd application of Scriptures, which thy coun­sels must fill up with an inter­pretation, (as the event shewes) know that there is a lying and se­ducing Spirit in thee, Acts 13.10. that thou wrestest the Scripture unto thine owne damnation: thou Sorcerer and chief Witch of these times, full of all subtility and all mis­chief, thou child of the Devill, thou Enemy of all righteousnesse, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right wayes of the Lord? Thy Epicurean and sublunary Divini­ty cannot admit that a violent death should be a singular testi­mony [Page 70] of Gods favour, yet here thou seest it in Josiah; wilt thou have all temporall judgments to be punishments due unto sinne? will not thy triumphant wicked­nesse let thee know, that some afflictions are for Tryals, and the additions of grace and glory unto Gods Children, Rev. 2.10. and therefore the chief marks of Gods favour: As in our gracious King Charles, Dan. 12.10. who was also taken away from the evill to come, in Gods mercy unto him; which thou even thou, unto the shame and confusion of thy face (although thou hast hardned it) shalt see in the ap­proaching day of Englands ca­lamity, which in a great part is procured and hastned by thy in­fernall counsels; thou needst not to have given that Scripture such a violent stretch so to streine it as to make it reach from Assyria unto England, or to travaile so farre for a reason why His Maje­sty [Page 71] should not have a royall inter­ment with His Auncesters; the causes were nearer thee, Let me assigne them:

First, it had been a Condem­nation of your selves to have al­lowed him solemne and Kingly Funeralls, unto whom you gave so unjust and cruell a death, that were to build up what you were resolved to destroy.

Next, you could not but know, that the neighbourhood of his sa­cred earthly remains must needs refricate the scarce skinn'd sor­rowes of London; when they should have such a standing and still present Monument of their former happinesse, in His Maje­sties peaceable Government; and of their new misery in your Tyranny, which would serve also (this being the place of the greatest confluence) to recrude the griefe of the whole King­dome, and probably beget such [Page 72] compunction and reluctancy in both City and Kingdome, as would testifie it selfe, by their at­tempt to cast you downe head­long from your new and wicked­ly acquired Dominion.

Another reason was, lest the nearnesse of his Body whom you murthered, might too frequently offer unto you the horror of your Guilt, and redouble unto you those inward cheques and lash­ings of your Consciences (which you cannot be without) and so impede and trouble your Coun­sels.

Theod. l. 3. c. 9.The Devill at the Oracle of Apollo of Daphne could not give his Answers unto Julian the Apo­state, who sent to consult him about his undertakings against the Persians, so long as the body of the Martyr Babylas lay by him; so it is to be presumed that the same Spirit (which the Apo­stle saith, Eph. 2.2. powerfully worketh in the [Page 73] Children of disobedience) might be hindred in his cooperation and influence upon those unto whom he hath consigned the chief exercise of his power in our English world, if King Charles his sacred reliques were lodged so nigh unto them as Westminster, and therefore Windsor was neare enough.

But from the view of His Ma­jesties undeniable matchlesse Vir­tues, let us passe on unto that of His sufferings:

Sinfull envie never failes to give a malicious attendance up­on virtue, which by how much the more it is illustrious, with so much the greater rancour doth she dog and persecute it, and therefore many are the troubles of the righteous; and no (meer) man had ever more, then righte­ous King Charles: behold and see if any sorrows and suffrings were like unto His. See one of [Page 74] the most potent Monarchs of Eu­rope, loved at home, and feared abroad, most injuriously and strictly Imprisoned, debarred from the most deare society of the most virtuous and best Wife, from the converse and sight of his most sweet & hopefull Children, from the attendance of his most faithfull Servants, from Gods house, from Gods publique wor­ship, & all Gods Servants, forc'd to cohabite with Beasts, brutish, savage, and wicked Men, & these to be made the Instruments of their cruelty unto him, who were his sworne Subjects and Ser­vants, upon whom all civill and divine obligations of duty and affection unto His Majesty rested, and that upon pretensions of Re­ligion and liberty, of which He was the truest and most undoubted De­fender; to lie under the weight and wounds of so many scandals, reproaches, wants, and miseries; [Page 75] besides the most grievous sense of the sufferings of his Kingdoms and best Subjects, to be daily tor­tured with so many iterated, unreasonable Propositions, and insolent Demands, to be racked out of his undoubted Royal Rights, to make so many Conces­sions & such great Condescenti­ons in his propensness unto peace, which notwithstanding his Ene­mies never meant; to be tormen­ted (if it were possible) unto per­jury, sacriledge, and Atheisme; and to have no other Conditions propounded for the Enjoyment of his Crownes and Kingdomes, then that which the Devill made unto our Saviour, All these will I give thee if thou wilt fall downe and worship me; to of­fer his owne (that which never was theirs) to deny God, which God gave them him to acknow­ledge and worship him: These must needs be sorrowes and suf­ferings [Page 76] as beyond expression, so above our conception; most ter­rible tests, and trials of all his virtues; certainly no man had ever more, and more strict exami­nations of Gods graces in him, all which he fully answered with a learned and invincible piety; for in all these who ever heard him murmure, repine, or charge God foolishly? who ever heard him accuse, raile at, or threaten his most confirmed Foes? with Job, Job 16.20. his eyes still powred out tears unto God, whose justice in their greatest injustice he acknowledg­ed, and although he vindicated his owne Innocency, (having wherwith to justisie homselfe before man) from theirs; yet not before God, he cleared the equity of his judgement upon him, for acting against his Conscience in the Earle of Straffords death.

But it was the great and cry­ing guilt of these Nations sinnes [Page 77] ( Englands principally) which made this righteous man fall into the pits of his Adversaries, to ripen Gods judgment upon this Nation, by that great addition of guilt [the shedding of his inno­cent bloud] who had so many cha­racters of Gods supreme power and spirituall graces upon him, as must needs make this Crime committed against God, & draw his speedy and unavoidable ven­geance upon them for it.

God usually punisheth one sinne by suffering Sinners to fall into others, and those customary sinnes accompanied with sens­lessnesse and impenitency, which fills up the measure of sin brim­full for judgment to take it off: so that this pious Prince fell in the very corruption of Christiani­ty, which is of farre more maligne aspect, and hath a more malicious influence of impiety upon the actions of men then Atheisme it [Page 78] selfe, for then men professe that they know God, yet in their works they deny him; using the name of God and Religion, as Conjurers in their Incantations to perpe­trate those things are most con­trary unto God, and destructive unto Religion; for as the Devill never doth more hurt then when he appeares in the likenesse of an Angel of light; so are men never so mischievous, as when they drive on wicked designes under the shew of Godlinesse.

Englands former sins which caused this Gods just dereliction, & the abandoning them up unto greater, were their exceeding lu­xury, in turning the grace of God (temporal favours) into wantonnes, the long continuance of their peace, the increase of their Trade, riches, and plenty, begot in them a generall insolency and pride, so that whē they waxed fat, like Jesurun, they kicked against [Page 79] God, in the Authority and re­gard due unto his principall Offi­cers, the Prince, and the Priest: Hence the people of England (in their generality) became self-willed, heady, high-minded, and in­corrigible, they slandered the foot­steps of Gods Anointed, smote him with the tongue, contended with Gods Priests; and usurped that sacred Jurisdiction which God had delegated unto them, as those Conspirators did (Ye take too much upon you ye Sonnes of Levi, since all the people of the Lord are holy) under pretence of the Am­bition of the Clergy; and being like Elihu's new bottels, ready to burst, with that liquor of flatu­ous and superficiall knowledge instilled into them by the giddy preachments, and undigested, swelling, and tedious prayers of their Lecturers, (who reduced all Religion unto lip-worship, and canting Scriptures.) Hence [Page 80] came it to passe that contemning the old paths, the truth of the reformation in the Protestant Re­ligion they contended unto bloud to corrupt by their phanatick Al­terations, the pure Doctrine & E­vangelical discipline established in the Church of England, to effect which with the more ease, they adventure upon sacriledge, to car­ry on that, they must pull down Episcopacy, (the fence of the Church) and here, the King, as a nursing Father interposing, they render Him unable by encroach­ing upon his Prerogatives, quar­relling him, seize upō his Strenghs, Arme, fight against him, imprison, and then Murther Him; which last Act of Rebellion, though the greatest part of the first Engagers may be thought never to have intended, yet they may see the first violation of their Obedience due unto His Majesty punished, by a guilt (thus farre) of his Inno­cent [Page 81] bloud, that that power which they raised, spilt it; So dangerous it is to vary from a Christian Principle, or to do evil that good may come of it, God onely having power to direct, li­mit, and determine any evill action: so that look over the pe­digree of Englands sins through the severall descents thereof, and you will find it thus, Peace begot wealth, that plenty, that pride, that vanity, that curiosity, that contention, that hate of the Clergy, that Sacriledge, that the downfall of Bishops, that the con­tempt of the KING, that War, that imprisonment, and that the murther of the King, a murther, the most horrid murther that e­ver the Sun saw, for Subjects to take away their King's life, with­out the prescription of a single example, or a law; nay, even a­gainst all laws divine and hu­mane, to Try him after the form [Page 82] of a Judiciary proceeding, this is to entitle God unto the grea­test sin; to establish iniquity by a Law, Joh. 19.7. and to make God such as themselves: Thus the Jews dealt with our Saviour, We have a Law, and by that Law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God, although there was no such Law; but a new-made Law, a Juncto-law, Straffords law, Canterburies law, the King's law (consequent Laws; Laws without names or cognizance) made because he was KING. Neither doth their power any more prove the equity of this Fact (the great scandal of the Christian name, and height of A­nabaptistical fury) than the De­vils power (which is from God) doth justifie his malice (which is from himself.)

They have now indeed made King Charles a glorious King, prov'd him glorious in his per­sonal [Page 83] Vertues, glorious in his divine Graces, but most glori­ous in the Christian Constancy of his glorious Sufferings for Gods Cause, the true Protestant Reli­gion, and the Laws and Liber­ties of the three Kingdomes: thus hath God extorted a truth from them; for this spake they not of themselves, but (God force­ing their testimony) they prophe­sied.

As we have seen His Majesties sufferings and their causes, our sins, so let us reflect upon their punishments; as the Springs from which our sorrows should arise. The exceeding avarice and hy­pocrisie (two noted Court-sins with which the greatest Chri­stian Prince Constantine was abu­sed) of the State-Grandees, Vit. Const. l. 4. c. 29. the deep pits wherein they laid the fatall snares into which pious King CHARLES fell, will be visibly punished, for God will not [Page 84] be mocked. The pride, vanity, sacriledge, rebellion, and the cruel murther of His Majesty will have particular judgments le­vell'd against these sins; every mans sin even of those who have fought for His Majesty, who have yet fought against him by their sins, hath given force unto this great stroke and wound gi­ven unto these Kingdoms in His Majesties death; and therefore ought every man to proportion his sorrow unto his sins. As King Josiah from Judah, so the strong Baricado King Charles is taken away betwixt Gods judg­ments, and this Kingdom, the great and wide In-let of all mi­sery is made by his death, could our sorrows answer them, like a Torrent, it would overflow all the banks of Reason, and grow too big to be carried away by the channels of our senses: behold every spring of Jeremiah and Ju­dahs [Page 85] sorrow open, to send forth these flowing streams of afflicti­on upon us, and all arise from the same head, The breath of our Nostrils, the Anointed of the Lord, was taken in their pits, of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the Heathen.

Those heavy judgments which the Prophet Jeremiah foresaw impending, and after came to pass by King Josiahs death, are in a great part by King Charles his death already come upon us. Gods House, his beautiful house, is laid waste, Lam. 1.10 & 2.7. the Heathen have entred into the Sanctuary, they have made a noise in the House of the Lord as in the day of a solemn Feast: So that they who in the beginning pretended God, Reli­gion, the Church, [their Cause] have dealt with us as that Facti­on among the Jews, Jos. Bell. Jud. l. 2. C [...] 2. who called themselves The Zealous, in the war with Titus did under pretence [Page 86] of defending Religion and the Law they possessed themselves of the Temple, yet were themselves the first who put fire with their own hands into the holy places.

How hath the avarice and car­nall interests of the Teachers of these times corrupted the purity of our Religion, as Judahs, so Englands onely Prophets have seen vain and foolish things for her, Lam. 2.14. 4.13. and they have not discovered her iniquity, to turn away her cap­tivity, but have seen for her false burthens and causes of banishment; they have shed the bloud of the just (K. Charles) in the midst of her Englands greatest Adversaries are chief, 1.5. and her Enemies pro­sper; 5.8. Servants do bear rule over us, and there is none to deliver us out of their hand.

4.5. They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets, they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghils. 5.12. Princes are hanged by [Page 87] their hands, and the faces of the Elders are not honoured. War, de­solation and famine, with their sad effects, foretold in these La­mentations, appear in our Hori­zon already like Elihu's little Cloud, which will shortly over­spread our whole English firma­ment; and all these calamities have and will fall upon us, be­cause the Crown is fallen from our Head; the British Josiah, 5.16. King Charles is taken from us, 1.9. and we have no comforter; and how great and just causes of our sorrows are all these Calamities? But let this sorrow have the full advan­tage in its fall, (to adde motion unto all the turning wheels of our afflicting griefs) the fall from our great happiness in his Maje­sties Government: Let London, let England, let Scotland, let Ireland, let every of them Remember (as Jerusalem did) in the dayes of her afflictions and her miseries, 1.7. all [Page 88] the pleasant things that she had in the dayes of old. All the pleasant things they had in the blessed dayes of King Charles his blessed Reign, the glory and truth of her Religion, the just execution of her Laws, her peace, her riches, her plenty, her liberty at home, and her protection and honour a­broad. 2.15. England was the perfection of beauty, and the joy of the whole earth. The Kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world would not have believed that the Adversary and Enemy should have entred into the Gates of (our) Jerusalem, London, that Chur­ches should be turned into sta­bles, Gods Houses made Courts of Guards, the Royall Palaces made Garrisons, the Tythes (the portion of Gods Ministers) made the Souldiers salary, that the Law should be turned into worm­wood, our Religion and Liberty measured out unto us by the [Page 89] Pikes length, the decisions of the Sword become the Princi­ples of Faith, and that (which is the cause of all this) mechanick persons, Trades-men (who will certainly marr, never can mend, so great concernments, they ne­ver before handled or were ac­quainted with) the sole Modera­tors of Publick affairs, and the chief Princes and Potentates of our Kingdom.

But now The glory is departed from (our) Israel, 1.1. the Arke of God is taken, and how is England become a Widow? made a prey unto cruel people, and skilful to destroy, who daily force and pro­stitute her unto their wicked pur­poses: for these things let Eng­land (and every true-hearted Englishman) say, I weep, 1.16. mine eye, mine eye runneth down with wa [...]er, because the Comforter (King CHARLES) that should relieve my soul is far from me. [Page 90] The breath of our Nestrils, the Anointed of the Lord, &c. The life of our Religion, of our Laws, of our Liberties, is taken from us; the Image of Gods power in supreme Authority, Indemnity, & Inviolability, is taken from us; our Physition, our nursing Father, our Comforter, our Protectour, is taken from us, & for our sins was taken in their pits, so that now we want the wings of his protection among these Heathen among whom we live; we are now made very Slaves unto the worst of Heathen, a people without God, without Faith, without Law, without Rule, without Reason, without Humanity, without all these, and whose unruly will one­ly, is unto them all these. These calamities are all fallen upon us, because The breath of our No­strils, &c. pious King Charles is taken from us like Elias in a fiery Charriot, Vi. Const. l. 4. c. 73. (or as Constantine the [Page 91] Great after his death was im­pressed on a Coyn pluck'd up by a divine hand) into Heaven, that his eyes might not see, nor his righ­teous soul be afficted with all the evil which is come upon us to con­sume us; wo unto us for we have sinned. These are but the con­tracted heads of those miseries, which we shall all read over in the vast Volumes of our appro­ching woes; and justly bespeaks such sorrows as might transform us into Niobes, make our heads Rivers of sorrows, and our eyes Fountains for continual tears.

The Lord in mercy look upon us, and wipe away these tears from our eyes, and their causes, our sins from our souls; and since the bloud of the Martyrs is the seed of the Church, in mercy unto his Church restore the seed of his Martyr King Charles the First unto the Government of these Kingdoms, that Religion, [Page 92] Peace and Liberty may be resto­red unto us: I conclude these ours, as the Prophet doth his La­mentations, Turn thou unto us, O Lord, Lam. 5.21, 22. and we shall be turned; re­new our dayes as of old, if thou hast not utterly dejected us: Hear our prayers, O Lord, for thy Sons sake, unto whom with the Holy Ghost be ascribed, &c.