<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2007-06-19</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Jonathan Blaney</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>proofed text and revised markup</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="OX" ID="A87630">
<STC T="W">J952</STC>
<STC T="T">E1041_3</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99866944</BIBNO>
<VID>168953</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A SERMON Preach't at CHRISTS-CHURCH DUBLIN Before the GENERALL CONVENTION OF IRELAND. May 24. 1660.</P>
<P>By <HI>Henry Jones D. D.</HI> Vicechancellour of the Univer&s;ity of <HI>Dublin</HI> and Bi&s;hop of <HI>Clogher.</HI></P>
<P>LONDON, Printed by <HI>J. C.</HI> for <HI>J. Crook</HI> at the Ship in St. <HI>Pauls</HI> Church-Yard. 1660.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="declaration">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD><PB REF="2">
A Declaration of the General Convention of <HI>Ireland,</HI> for a day of publick Thanksgiving to be ob&s;erved throughout the Kingdom.</HEAD>
<P>_WHereas it hath plea&s;ed Almighty God, after &s;o ma|ny and various Revolutions, to look upon the&s;e Kingdoms of <HI>England, Ireland,</HI> and <HI>Scotland,</HI> with the eye of Mercy, by re&s;ettleing them upon the ancient ba&s;is of their lawful Government, in which, onely they, can be happy.</P>
<P>And, whereas God hath made his arm bare, in this &s;ignal and eminent tran&s;action, that no fle&s;h might a&s;&s;ume glory to it &s;elf; and hath removed all tho&s;e great ob&s;tructions, without the ef|fu&s;ion of bloud, a mercy, as much beyond, humane expectation, as our merits.</P>
<P>We, therefore, the General Convention of <HI>Ireland,</HI> that we may give unto God the things that are Gods, as unto <HI>Cae&s;ar</HI> what belongs unto <HI>Cae&s;ar,</HI> do in manife&s;tation of our &s;en&s;e of this high &amp; unde&s;erved mercy, &amp; the humble, yet fervent, return of our prai&s;es to him, for placing his royal Maje&s;ty King <HI>Charls</HI> King of <HI>England, Scotland, France,</HI> and <HI>Ireland,</HI> Defender of the Faith, &amp;c. not onely in the throne of his Ance&s;tors, but in the hearts of his people, Appoint, &amp; accordingly ordain, that <HI>Thur&s;|day</HI> the 24. day of this in&s;tant <HI>May,</HI> be a day, appointedand &s;et a|part, throughout all the Churches in this Kingdom, to prai&s;e God for this great &amp; &s;ea&s;onable deliverance afforded to us that are le&s;s then the lea&s;t of his mercies, and that this Declaration be then publickly read by, the re&s;pective Mini&s;ters, in their Congre|gations; and all Mayors, Sheriffs, Ju&s;tices of the Peace, and o|ther Officers and Mini&s;ters, are, re&s;pectively, to take notice here|of, and to take care that the &s;amebe put in due execution accor|dingly; and that all per&s;ons do forbear to labor or exerci&s;e their ordinary calling on that day.</P>
<CLOSER>God &s;ave the King.</CLOSER>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>Dated at <HI>Dublin</HI> <DATE>the 15. day of <HI>May</HI> 1660.</DATE></DATELINE>
<POSTSCRIPT>
<P>Ordered, that this Declaration be forthwith Printed &amp; publi&s;hed <HI>Mat. Barry</HI> Cl. of the General Convention of <HI>Ireland.</HI></P>
</POSTSCRIPT></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="order to preach">
<PB REF="3">
<OPENER><DATELINE>Ordered <DATE><HI>Monday</HI> 14. May 1660.</DATE></DATELINE></OPENER>
<P>THat Dr. <HI>Henry Jones,</HI> Lord Bi&s;hop of <HI>Clogher,</HI> one of the Members of this Convention, be, and is hereby de&s;ired to carry on the work of the thansk giving day appoint|ed upon thur&s;day next come &s;even night being the <HI>24.</HI> day of this instant <HI>May</HI> at Chri&s;t Church <HI>Dubl.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Signed by Order. <HI>Math. Barry</HI> Cl. of the General Convention of <HI>Ireland.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="license">
<OPENER><DATELINE><DATE><HI>Thur&s;eday</HI> 24. May 1660.</DATE></DATELINE></OPENER>
<P>WHereas Dr. <HI>H. Jones</HI> L. B. of <HI>Clog|her,</HI> one of the members of this Con|vention, was de&s;ired to carry on the work of this day appointed a day of thanksgiving that God in much mercy has re&s;tored his Maje&s;ty to the Government of the&s;e his Kingdoms, which was both learnedly &amp; piou&s;ly perform|ed by his Lord&s;hip.</P>
<P>It is Ordered, that the Chairman of this Convention do returne their hearty thanks to his Lord&s;lip: And, that he be de&s;ired to cau&s;e his Sermon to be printed and publi&s;hed at the charge of the &s;aid Convention.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Signed by Order, Math. Barry <HI>Cl. of the General Convention of</HI> Ireland.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="1" REF="3">
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>PSALM 118. 24, 25, 26.</BIBL>
<Q><P>This is the day which the Lord hath made: We will rejoyce and be glad in it.</P>
<P>Save now I be&s;eech thee, O Lord: O Lord I be&s;eech thee, &s;end now pro&s;perity.</P>
<P>Ble&s;&s;ed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: we have ble&s;&s;ed you out of the hou&s;e of the Lord.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_I Have cho&s;en the&s;e words for this time, A P&s;alm, and of prai&s;e, is a fit &s;ubject for this occa&s;ion, &s;uch is this p&s;alm; It begins and ends with prai&s;e, ending as beginning, and with the &s;ame words, <HI>O give thanks un|to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever,</HI> (ver. 1. 29.) There, are we called on, and invited to the Duty; but here in the Text, we are in the duty, in the practice of it, <HI>This is the day which the Lord hath made: we will rejoyce, and be glad in it,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>This P&s;alm hath not the Author in its Title, yet may we probably conclude it <HI>Davids.</HI> A general con|&s;ent of Writers, ancient, and modern, is for it. The matter al&s;o of the P&s;alm leads to it, being, much the &s;ame with the &s;econd P&s;alm, that being, as this, of <HI>Da|vids</HI> and Chri&s;ts Kingdom, both fir&s;t oppo&s;ed and after
<PB N="2" REF="4">
e&s;tabli&s;hed, notwith&s;tanding all to the contrary, <HI>Why do the Heathen rage, and the People imagine a vain thing, the Kings of the Earth &s;et them&s;elves, and the Rulers take Councell together, against the Lord and again&s;t his anoin|ted. Yet have I &s;et my King upon my holy hill of Sion (P&s;a.</HI> 2. 1, 2, 6.) where note, that that P&s;alm hath al&s;o no ti|tle as this here; yet is that declared to be <HI>Davids</HI> by the Te&s;timony of the holy Gho&s;t <HI>(Acts</HI> 4. 25, 26, 27.) <HI>Who, by the mouth of thy Servant David, ha&s;t &s;aid, why did the Heathen rage,</HI> &amp;c. Nor is this our P&s;alm, as to the matter of it, to be Apropriated unto <HI>David:</HI> for here we find Je&s;us Chri&s;t, of whom are, principally, the words which are next foregoing in the Text (v. 22, 23.) <HI>The &s;tone which the Builders refu&s;ed, is become he head stone of the corner. This is the Lords doing: it tis marvelous in our eyes.</HI> Which are applied unto Chr i&s;t <HI>(Acts</HI> 4. 11, 10.) So al&s;o are the&s;e words in the Text, <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord,</HI> (v. 26. with <HI>Math.</HI> 21. 9.)</P>
<P><HI>David</HI> was here the tipe, and what is to be &s;aid of <HI>David,</HI> mu&s;t be principally referred unto Chri&s;t the Antitipe, the &s;ame matter, being here (as in many o|ther P&s;alms) common to both.</P>
<P>And whereas <HI>David</HI> is &s;aid to be A tipe of Je&s;us Chri&s;t; it is intended, Principally, as he was a King, he a tipe of Chri&s;ts Kingly office, as were others of his other offices, propheticall and Prie&s;tly. Therefore, and for other rea&s;ons, is Chri&s;t, as a King, called by the very name of <HI>David, Ezech.</HI> 34. 23, 24. <HI>I will &s;et up one Shepheard over them, and he &s;hall feed them, even my Servant David; he &s;hall feed them, and he &s;hall be their Shepheard, and I the Lord will be their God, and my Ser|vant David a Prince amongst them, I the Lord have &s;poken</HI>
<PB N="3" REF="4">
<HI>it.</HI> Therefore mu&s;t this P&s;alm be under&s;tood of <HI>David</HI> and of Chri&s;t, as to the Kingly power and Govern|ment, ve&s;ted in them; therefore is this P&s;alm, in that, yet neerer to the pre&s;ent occa&s;ion.</P>
<P>And yet more particularly; the&s;e words &s;eem to point to that very period of time, when <HI>David</HI> fir&s;t en|tred on his Kingdom in peace, freed from tho&s;e di&s;tur|bances, till then, given him, as it was al&s;o with Je|&s;us Chri&s;t; of either of them, it might be &s;aid, that he was <HI>A &s;tone which the builders refu&s;ed: being after made the head &s;tone of the corner.</HI> (v. 22. 23.) unto this, this tryumphant day in the Text doth particularly referr, <HI>This is the day,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>In all which you may already &s;ee how &s;utable this Text is to the pre&s;ent occa&s;ion. It is <HI>Davids,</HI> in the Hi&s;tory; Chri&s;ts in the prophecy, (&s;o mu&s;t it, then, have been) and it will be found ours in the Appli|cation.</P>
<P>I &s;hall not at pre&s;ent in&s;i&s;t on the opening of the words, only as to that here, where the <HI>Lord</HI> is &s;aid to <HI>make this day: This is the day which the Lord hath made,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>All dayes are the Lords, and made by him. Times, as things, are from him, but &s;ome dayes are his&punc; more e&s;pecially, having his &s;tamp, and being owned by him|&s;elf as his, above others of this kind were tho&s;e.</P>
<P N="1">1. Which had his appointment, in his word, by &s;pe|ciall command; as the Sabbath; al&s;o other dayes mentioned and ob&s;erved under the Leviticall Prie&s;t|hood, called al&s;o Sabbaths, and his Sabbaths.</P>
<P N="2">2. There are dayes al&s;o of the <HI>Lords making</HI> which are &s;o made by the wayes and works of his Providence, made by the voice of his Providence, as were tho&s;e o|ther, by expre&s;s appointment in his word written.</P>
<P><PB N="4" REF="5">
Such are (1) dayes of the Humiliation (private or publick) in them is Gods voice heard. <HI>The Lords voice crieth unto the City, and the man of wi&s;dom &s;hall &s;ee thy name: Hear the Rod, and who hath appointed it. (Mich.</HI> 6. 9.) Do we &s;ee a rod, cro&s;s di&s;pen&s;ations from the Lord, then, and in that, is the Lords voice heard and what then &s;peaks that voice unto us, &amp; <HI>In that day did the Lord God of Ho&s;ts call to weeping and to mourning,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>(I&s;.</HI> 22. 12.) That is a day then, and thereby, made by the Lord for Humiliation, for Weeping, and for mourning, &amp;c.</P>
<P>In like manner (2) when the Lord doth &s;peak good to his people (to &s;ome in their private, or to mauy, or all, in publick concernments) thereby is there a day of the Lords making, a day of thank&s;giving, &s;uch as is this which we now celebrate.</P>
<P>The&s;e are dayes of the <HI>Lords making,</HI> 1. Becau&s;e they are from him, and by that his voice of Providence called for, and appointed to us for dayes of prai&s;e. The day is made by him, when the good given in the day is by him and from him. 2. A day of prai&s;e is then of the Lords making more e&s;pecially, when the Lord not only gives good in it, but that is done in &s;uch a manner, and with &s;uch eminent Manife&s;tations of his goodne&s;s, and glory, that it cannot but be owned his, and from his hand, and his only. <HI>The right hand of the Lord doth valiantly, the right hand of the Lord is exalted: the right hand of the Lord doth valiantly.)</HI> [v. 15. 16.] For the <HI>Stone which the builders refu&s;ed: is become the head stone of the corner.</HI> [v. 22.] which mu&s;t be acknow|ledged the <HI>Lords doing, and marvellous in our eyes.</HI> [v. 23.] thereupon it follows, <HI>This is the day which the Lord hath made.</HI> v. 24. And this is this, above others, a day of the Lords making.</P>
<P><PB N="5" REF="5"><HI>The point on the whole &s;hall be.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Doct.</NOTE> That tho&s;e dayes made by the Lord, for good un|to his People, are to be of them particularly ob&s;er|ved.</P>
<P><HI>I &s;hall reduce this into parts.</HI></P>
<P>That the Lord doth many times make dayes, in <MILESTONE N="1"> which he will give good unto his People.</P>
<P>That it is our duty to improve &s;uch opportunities. <MILESTONE N="2"></P>
<P><HI>In the fir&s;t, is Gods work:</HI> this is the day which the Lord hath made, <HI>in the other, is our work,</HI> we will re|joyce and be glad in it.</P>
<P><HI>I &s;hall begin with Gods work.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">2. <HI>Doct.</HI></NOTE> That the Lord doth many times make dayes in which he giveth good to his People.</P>
<P>There is none of you which hear me this day, who in your own experiences cannot but witne&s;s to this truth. But I am, at pre&s;ent, for this, in a more publick con&s;ideration, &s;o doth the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 word"> require it, and in the proof of this doctrine, I &s;hall confine my &s;elf unto the Lords dealing, with tho&s;e two, hinted at in my Text, <HI>David</HI> the tipe, and <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> the Antitipe, to both whom the&s;e words particularly referr; and what will be &s;aid of the&s;e, will fall into our pre&s;ent work &s;o na|turally, that little application will be therein ne|ce&s;&s;ary.</P>
<P><HI>I &s;hall &s;peak fir&s;t of</HI> David, <HI>of whom are the&s;e words</HI> <MILESTONE N="1"> <HI>(as to the letter) that he was</HI> a &s;tone which the builders refu&s;ed, and after made the head &s;tone of the corner. <HI>(v. 22.) concerning which it might well be &s;aid,</HI> This is the Lords doing, it is marvellous in our eyes.</P>
<P><HI>David,</HI> although he were not <HI>that stone</HI> (which is properly under&s;tood of Chri&s;t) yet was he <HI>a &s;tone re|fu&s;ed by the builders.</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P><PB N="6" REF="6">
<HI>A &s;tone,</HI> in the Scripture &s;ence, and as here intended, &s;ignifieth Government, principality. Soveraignty. A King is in this &s;ence <HI>a &s;tone,</HI> &s;o we find it in the ble&s;|&s;ing of <HI>Jo&s;eph,</HI> that <HI>from him &s;hould be the Shepheard, the &s;tone of I&s;raell (Gen.</HI> 49. 24.) Intending the Kingdom of the ten tribes, and beginning in the hou&s;e of <HI>Jero|boam,</HI> of the tribe of <HI>Ephraim.</HI> For on that &s;in of <HI>Reuben Jacobs</HI> fir&s;t born, de&s;iling his Fathers bed, was the birthright and principality, given, from him, unto <HI>Jo&s;eph,</HI> or to <HI>Ephraim</HI> his Son. (1 <HI>Chr.</HI> 5. 1, 2.) And in that &s;ence, is Chri&s;t al&s;o called, <HI>a stone cut out without hands, &s;miting and breaking the Image in peices, (Dan.</HI> 2. 34.) after expounded; <HI>a Kingdom which &s;hould break in pieces and con&s;ume all tho&s;e Kingdoms,</HI> and it &s;elf for ever (v. 44. 45.) and where a King is called a &s;tone; in that, is intended, a <HI>foundation &s;tone:</HI> &s;o is it &s;aid of Chri&s;ts Kingdom, <HI>Behold, I lay in Zion, for a foundation, a &s;tone, a tried &s;tone, a precious co<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="3 letters">r &s;tone, a &s;ure foundation, &amp;c. (I&s;.</HI> 28. 16,) A King is therefore a &s;tone, a foundati|on &s;tone, the ba&s;is and foundation of a Peoples hap|pine&s;s.</P>
<P>And how <HI>David</HI> (this &s;tone) was fir&s;t refu&s;ed, and after made the head &s;tone of the corner, is worthy our con&s;ideration, in the &s;everall &s;teps and degrees of it; wherein we &s;hall find a parallel and lively Portraicture of our gracious Soveraign, who&s;e day is thus celebra|ted of us, and on the &s;ame occa&s;ion, as was that day of <HI>Davids.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>David</HI> you know had been anointed King, and, by the Lord, appointed the Shepheard and &s;tone of <HI>I&s;rael;</HI> that notwith&s;tanding that his right (which was well enough under&s;tood) he was refu&s;ed and op|po&s;ed by <HI>Saul;</HI> and by the people, and the chief of
<PB N="7" REF="6">
them (here called builders) they joyning with <HI>Saul</HI> a|gain&s;t him. Al&s;o after the death of <HI>Saul, David</HI> found oppo&s;ition from <HI>I&s;hbo&s;heth Sauls</HI> Son, who &s;ucceeded him, although he were farr &s;hort of his Fathers re&s;oluti|on, and parts for Government, being a weak Prince, and governed rather then governing; ea&s;ily checkt by his great ones; e&s;pecially <HI>Abner,</HI> Generall of his Army, by whom, whil&s;t he &s;tood by him, he was &s;upported, but was &s;oon ca&s;t down when for&s;aken of him, (2. <HI>Sam.</HI> 2. 8. (3. 8. 9. 10. 11.) And what <HI>David</HI> &s;uffered in all this, e&s;pecially under <HI>Saul,</HI> is evident, he being per&s;ecuted, pur&s;ued, pre&s;cribed, declared again&s;t, and at length, enforced to flee his Country into forreign parts to a People of a &s;trange Language and Wor&s;hip, with other his di&s;tre&s;&s;es in that kind, of which I need not &s;peak, nor make farther application.</P>
<P>That, not with&s;tanding &s;uch his &s;ufferings, yet was <MILESTONE N="2"> not <HI>David</HI> for&s;aken, for fir&s;t, even then, when at lowe&s;t, he had the hearts of many who followed him in all his troubles, &s;o as that, even then, he was not alto|gether incon&s;iderable (1. <HI>Chr.</HI> 12. 1, to the 23.) but after, when the Lord had indeed prepared the hearts of his People, and that they were generally bowed to him, how great then was the confluence to him, from all parts of his Kingdom? and that, when he was yet at a great di&s;tance and farr off; they then inviting, and pre&s;&s;ing his return to his own Country and people, (1. <HI>Chr.</HI> 12. 23. to the end.)</P>
<P>I know not why in this parallel I &s;hould omit the <MILESTONE N="3"> Circum&s;tance of time when <HI>David</HI> made this his en|trance in to his power. It was long after his having been anointed King by <HI>Samuel,</HI> he had at fir&s;t, his right of title to the Government, but had not untill now, po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ion
<PB N="8" REF="7">
of it. And his right con&s;idered, he might, in his very fir&s;t entrance, have written the 12th. year of his Reign (&s;uppo&s;ing him to have been about 18. when he was anointed by <HI>Samuel)</HI> as &s;ome have it, although that others (whom I reverence) add more to his years; but as to <HI>Davids</HI> age when he was actually brought in, it is clear, that he was then about <HI>Thirty years old.</HI> (2. <HI>Sam.</HI> 5, 4.) An age, that carrieth in it an <HI>Omen</HI> for good, for &s;o was <HI>Jo&s;etph</HI> when he &s;tood be|fore <HI>Pharoah,</HI> and was made Governour of <HI>Egypt [Gen.</HI> 41. 46.] And of Je&s;us Chri&s;t al&s;o, it is &s;aid, that <HI>he began to be about thirty years of age</HI> when he did fir&s;t put him&s;elf forth into the World in his bapti&s;me <HI>(Luke</HI> 3. 23.) Nor have we rea&s;on to debarr our &s;elves of our hopes of his Maje&s;ty (among tho&s;e) he beginning to be now about 30. years of age, the 29th. of this Month giving the entrance thereunto, as doth this Month to his happy Government over us.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="4"> That I may proceed in this parallel: <HI>Davids</HI> re|turn to his People, was with generall acclamations. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:</HI> So here (v. 26.) taking this in the letter to be of <HI>David;</HI> &s;uch a Prince could not but be a ble&s;&s;ing to his People; &s;o as they had good cau&s;e to ble&s;s him, and God for him: He came to them in the name of the Lord, <HI>Saul</HI> did not &s;o come to them, he came not with a ble&s;&s;ing to the People, his reign was with confu&s;ion and with blood, even of the very high Prie&s;t him&s;elf, al&s;o of other the Prie&s;ts, cruelly murdered by him, on a charge of com|plyance with <HI>David</HI> (1. <HI>Sam.</HI> 22. 9. to the end) no wonder therefore, if it &s;hould be &s;aid of <HI>Saul</HI> (whe|ther per&s;onally intended of him, or of &s;ome &s;uch o|ther) That <HI>God gave him to be a King in his anger, and</HI>
<PB N="9" REF="7">
<HI>took him away in his wrath. [Ho&s;.</HI> 13. 11.] Which Scripture, &s;ome have enlarged again&s;t Kings, in gene|ral, and again&s;t Kingly Government, as if that had been a form of Government, not from God, whereas <HI>David</HI> was a King, given by God: He <HI>came in the name of the Lord,</HI> and was given a ble&s;&s;ing unto his People. <HI>God cho&s;e David his Servant, and took him from the Sheep folds, from following of the ewes great with young: He brought him to feed Jacob his People and I&s;rael his inheri|tance. So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skilfullne&s;s of his hands, (P&s;alm</HI> 78. 70. 71. 72.) A good King is given in mercy; and there is wrath to that People from whom he is kept, or removed: As on the contrary, it is the mercy of that People, from whom &s;uch a Prince, as <HI>Saul,</HI> is re|moved, and to whom a <HI>David</HI> is given, whereunto, that &s;poken in another ca&s;e, may be applied, <HI>Thou pro|fane wicked Prince of I&s;rael, who&s;e day is come, when ini|quity &s;hall have an end. Thus &s;aith the Lord God, remove the Diadem, and take off the crown: this &s;hall not be the &s;ame: exalt him that is low, and aba&s;e him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn it, and it &s;hall be no more, untill he come who&s;e it is, and I will give it him. Ezek.</HI> 21. 25, 26, 27.)</P>
<P>And great cau&s;e had the People to hope well of <HI>Da|vid,</HI> and to promi&s;e them&s;elves a ble&s;&s;ing in him, as coming to them in the name of the Lord, con&s;idering</P>
<P N="1">1. In what might have been ob&s;erved of his great piety, and con&s;tant holding on in the truth of his pro|fe&s;&s;ion, Notwith&s;tanding many Temptations: This is to our ca&s;e, this day, very eminently, and give me leave to change the per&s;on a little, from <HI>David,</HI> to his &s;acred Maje&s;ty our Soveraign, on whom we look in all this,
<PB N="10" REF="8">
more e&s;pecially. Might not his &s;ufferings have been, in this, his Temptation? (Many have fallen therein.) Or might not hopes of being re&s;tored to his Kingdoms, by tho&s;e abroad, have wrought him to a compliance, no|thing being then from his own at home, hopefully vi&s;i|ble towards his return? Or was there not danger in the very abiding among, and conver&s;e with Idolaters [which was nece&s;&s;arily enforced,] be&s;ides &s;trong en|deavours, purpo&s;ely u&s;ed, to withdraw him, from the truth of his profe&s;&s;ion? How greivous this was to <HI>Da|vid,</HI> above any thing be&s;ide, of all his &s;ufferings, we may remember, and that there was nothing whereof he &s;o complained as of this very thing; <HI>cur&s;ed be they</HI> [&s;aith he] <HI>before the Lord: For they have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the Lord, &s;aying, go &s;erve other Gods.</HI> [1. <HI>Sam.</HI> 26. 19.] The driuing him into tho&s;e &s;treights was (as to the Temptation) to &s;ay <HI>go &s;erve other Gods.</HI> But <HI>David</HI> did not &s;o; and his Ma|je&s;ties return is with the &s;ame Spirit, he was not over|come, but confirmed in the truth, by what he had &s;uf|fred.</P>
<P>2ly. Tho&s;e, <HI>Davids</HI> &s;uffrings, were a better fitting him for Government. It was an inducement to the People for receiving <HI>Henry</HI> the 4th. of <HI>France,</HI> with hopes of much good by him, in that he was a Prince of great &s;ufferings. So doth God, by &s;ufferings, fit his, for great things, and for good to them&s;elves, and others. Thus was <HI>David</HI> kept back, many years, from what he had been appointed unto, So <HI>Jo&s;eph, [P&s;alm</HI> 105. 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22.] So Je&s;us Chri&s;t al&s;o, <HI>he was made perfect through &s;uffrings [Heb.</HI> 2. 10.] So al&s;o Gods Children, for whom a Kingdom is pre&s;erved, they are to be thereunto fitted and perfected for it by &s;ufferings.</P>
<P><PB N="11" REF="8">
Nor was the hopes of the People, di&s;appointed in what they might expect of happine&s;s, in Da<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="2 letters">ds Go|vernment, for a Prince he was, of rich endowments, and in the very entrance of his Government, they had expe|rience of his clemency. (Clemency is a Princely qualifi|cation) <HI>Davids</HI> &s;ufferings, and per&s;onall injuries&punc; were, by him, &s;oon forgiven, and forgotten; and all pa&s;&s;ed o|ver, as it were, by generall Act of Oblivion, and that given by him not demanded of him. Thus was it to the generality of his People who had formerly &s;o oppo|&s;ed him. But particularly, &s;ee his clemency to <HI>Shimei,</HI> who &s;o unworthily behaved him&s;elf to <HI>David</HI> in his low condition. He cur&s;ed <HI>David;</HI> he ca&s;t &s;tones at him and his followers, he reviled him very fal&s;ely, and &s;can|dalou&s;ly, calling him a man of blood, and charging him with all the blood &s;pilt in his Government: [2. <HI>Sam.</HI> 16. 5, 6, 7, 8.] and have not the foot&s;teps of the Lords anointed, his late Maje&s;ty, (and even all his royall family) been &s;o reproached, unto &s;uch there is a Scrip|ture cur&s;e, where they may expect from the Lord, <HI>[P&s;a.</HI> 89. 50, 51.] but as to <HI>David,</HI> he pa&s;&s;eth all that over. For when in his return over <HI>Jordan, Shimei</HI> had met him, with the fir&s;t, and begg'd pardon for his faults. It was, ea&s;ily, and readily, granted, and that, by an Oath, confirmed to him. [2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 19. 16, 18, 19, 20.] Of &s;uch <HI>Shimei</HI>'s. There have been many; who may well repo&s;e on his Maje&s;ties gracious Declaration; notwith|&s;tanding that there be Sons of <HI>Zerviah,</HI> who may repine, and interpo&s;e, as did <HI>Abi&s;hai</HI> the Son of <HI>Zerviah, who &s;aid, &s;hall not Shimei be put to death for this, becau&s;e he cur|&s;ed the Lords anointed?</HI> [2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 19. 21. Such may pick us, and object words, and actions, &s;o, and, then, &s;aid and done again&s;t his Maje&s;ty, but they may expect
<PB N="12" REF="9">
his Maje&s;ties return thereunto, as was <HI>Davids</HI> in that ca&s;e; <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 word"> have I to do with you ye Sons of Serviah, that you &s;hould this day be Adver&s;aries unto me: &s;hall there a|ny man be put to death this day in I&s;rael: for do not I kuow that I am this day a King over I&s;rael</HI> [v. 22.] Clemency became him a King, and then be&s;t, when fir&s;t entring on his Kingdom.</P>
<P>Yet mu&s;t not mercy &s;hut out Ju&s;tice, Ju&s;tice with|out Clemency is but butchery, and clemency, without Ju&s;tice, is very cruelty; <HI>Joab,</HI> (another of the Sons of <HI>Ser|viah)</HI> had foully murthered <HI>Abner</HI> and <HI>Ama&s;a,</HI> this blood, required Ju&s;tice; and what <HI>David</HI> could not do in this, while the Sons of <HI>Serviah</HI> were too hard for him [2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 3. 39.] He after recommends, to his Son <HI>Solomon,</HI> to &s;ee executed [1 <HI>Kings</HI> 2. 5.]</P>
<P>I know that <HI>David</HI> is hardly cen&s;ured in this. And, &s;ome have objected to his Maje&s;ty, that inqui&s;ition now made in the entrance into the Kingdom, of the blood of his royall Father. I find it therefore ncce&s;&s;ary, by what I hear of this, that &s;omething be &s;poken of it. It was no brand, but a commendation, of <HI>Amaziah</HI> King of <HI>Ju|dah, That, as &s;oon as the Kingdom was confirmed in his hands, he &s;lew his Servants which had &s;lain the King his Fa|ther.</HI> It is added, <HI>but the Children of the murderers he &s;lew not, according unto that which was written in the book of the Law of Mo&s;es, wherein the Lord commanded, &s;aying, the Fathers &s;hall not be put to death for the Children, nor the Children be put to death for the Fathers, but every one &s;hall be put to death for his own &s;in.</HI> [2 <HI>Kings</HI> 14. 5, 6.] He did according to the Law of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> in &s;paring the chil|dren of the Murderers, and he did according to the Law of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> in not &s;paring the Murderers them|&s;elves. <HI>Ye &s;hall take no &s;atisfaction for the life of a</HI>
<PB N="13" REF="9">
<HI>Murderer, which is guilty of death, but he &s;hall be &s;urely put to death, &s;o you &s;hall not pollute the Land wherein you are, for blood it defileth the Land, and the Land cannot be clean|&s;ed of the blood that is &s;hed therein, but by the blood of him that &s;hed it, defile not therefore the Land which ye &s;hall in|habit, wherein I dwell, for I the Lord dwell among the Children of I&s;rael [Numb.</HI> 31. 31, 33, 34.] And in this ca&s;e of blood, it was provided, that though the murderer &s;hould flee, for refuge, to the very altar, yet &s;hould he not find protection there. <HI>[Exod.</HI> 21. 14.] So fared it with <HI>Joab,</HI> he being &s;lain, even at the very altar [1 <HI>Kings</HI> 2. 28, 29, 34.] <HI>Solomon,</HI> concluding in that act of ju&s;tice, the wa&s;hing away the guilt of blood from his Throne, and the &s;ettlement of his hou&s;e, and of his People in peace, which had not been otherwi&s;e, [v. 31. 32, 33.] therefore, this his Maje&s;ties inqui&s;ition of blood, and of the murderers of his royal Father, is his Ju&s;tice, and what God will require of him, and of his People, if, in that, Ju&s;tice be not &s;atisfied, and for which the People hath &s;o long &amp; &s;o much &s;uffered, yet, &s;ee his Maje&s;ties Moderation, even in this; not, as <HI>A|maziah,</HI> &s;eeking the blood of all who were in that Guilt, but &s;ome of them onely; and referring him&s;elf, in that al&s;o, to his Parliament to do therein, as to them &s;hall be judged fitting: That as, by a pretended Parli|ament, that royall blood was &s;hed, &s;o, by a ju&s;t Parli|ament, the blood &s;hould be expiated, and the People, in that ju&s;tice, cleared by their full repre&s;entative.</P>
<P>Hitherto hath been &s;poken of <HI>David,</HI> in his &s;uffrings, and of the great things, by the Lord <HI>done</HI> for him, in bringing him out of all his troubles: al&s;o of the com|fort which his people had in him, their King, thus brought home to them: and of his being, by them, re|ceived
<PB N="14" REF="10">
with Acclamations. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.</HI></P>
<P N="5">5. Now follows the conclu&s;ion, on the whole: that, all being duely con&s;idered, it mu&s;t needs be &s;aid, that <HI>This is the Lords doing: and that it is marvellous in our eyes.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. It <HI>is the Lords doing,</HI> it is intended, <HI>Davids</HI> Vindi|cation: and, therein, is his innocency cleared, it now appearing, how little he de&s;erved tho&s;e his injurious &s;uffrings, &s;eeing God him&s;elf, now, and thus, appears for him. <HI>This is the Lords doing.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. It &s;hews that the work was carried on, by the Lord him&s;elf, alone, without <HI>Davids</HI> interpo&s;ing, and without outward probable means, and beyond Mans expectation. <HI>David</HI> might, indeed, have made u&s;e of force, he wanted it not, having then, with him, a very con&s;iderable force [1 <HI>Chr.</HI> 12. 20, 21, 22.] But he waves all that, and waits Gods way, and time, and ca&s;ts him&s;elf altogether upon hls People. I need not in this make application.</P>
<P>But, that this was the Lords doing (I &s;peak it now as to our &s;elves) is very apparent.</P>
<P N="1">1. In the Lords timeing our work for us; each &s;tep in our proceedings here towards it, was, as if it had been, by a common, and joynt corre&s;pondence, of the three Kingdoms. A concurrence, indeed, there was, but (which was the &s;trangene&s;s of it) without any corre&s;|pondence, which mu&s;t conclude it to have been from God.</P>
<P N="2">2. That all this was carried on, and that through|out, without blood. This cannot, to any who &s;hall duely con&s;ider it, but appear little le&s;s then a very Miracle.</P>
<P N="3">3. Above all, it is an evident demon&s;tration of Gods
<PB N="15" REF="10">
hand in this work, both as to <HI>David,</HI> and as unto us; that the hearts generally, of all, were prepared, every where, and, as it were, at once, in this great work; &s;ure|ly, this mu&s;t be from the Lord, and the doing of it, his alone, in who&s;e hand, only, are the hearts of the Sons of Men. It is &s;aid. <HI>That the Kings heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of waters, he turneth it wither&s;oever he will, [Pro.</HI> 21. 1.] No man can command, or change the cour&s;e of tides, but God can do it, and who, but he, can order the hearts of men? as he hath done it in the King, &s;o is it from him, that it is done in the People, the hearts of both being, by him, thus turned to each other. That Reformation by <HI>Hezechiah</HI> was done in 16. dayes. It was &s;oon done, for all hearts were made willing to it: which is therefore &s;aid to be from the Lord. And that <HI>God had prepared the People. For the thing was done &s;uddainly.</HI> [1 <HI>Chr.</HI> 29. 17. 35, 36.] This is our very ca&s;e this day: being, in this day of the Lord, made a willing People <HI>[P&s;al.</HI> 110.] So, that we may conclude, concerning it, as here, that <HI>this is the Lords doing,</HI> his, and his only.</P>
<P N="2">2. Therefore, it is <HI>marvellous in our eyes,</HI> which now followeth [v, 23.] Who would have believed that one ca&s;t out, &s;o as was <HI>David,</HI> &s;hould in the condition he then was, be, on a &s;uddain, &s;o rai&s;ed, and that to the highe&s;t pitch of all Imaginable glory? for, but a lit|tle, before he had been in very great di&s;tre&s;&s;e, at <HI>Zicklag</HI> [1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 30. 6.] at that time al&s;o, were the People of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> in great confu&s;ions, by rea&s;on of the Phili&s;tins, then prevailing over them, &s;o was it then with <HI>David,</HI> and &s;uch was the condition, and State of affairs, at home, when <HI>David</HI> was brought in: therefore, all things con&s;idered, it could not but have been marvellous in the eyes of all that beheld it.</P>
<P><PB N="16" REF="11">
And, if the confu&s;ions, of <HI>England,</HI> and of the three Kingdoms, be con&s;idered, in this our day&punc; (I dare be bold to &s;ay it) the like cannot, in any time, or hi&s;tory, be ever paralell'd. For (to &s;peak nothing of the &s;trange confu&s;ions in the foregoing years &s;ince the year 1648.) we find, in this very year, in which we now are, even, but in the compa&s;s of the&s;e pa&s;t twelve months (ta|king in this, in which we now are, one of them) we &s;hall find (I &s;ay) within the&s;e twelve months, ten Fun|damentall changes.</P>
<P N="1">1. That violent di&s;&s;olving of the Parliament, in <HI>A|prill.</HI> 1659. Called the Protectors Parliament, 2. An Army-Government thereupon, 3. The Armies recal|ling, in <HI>May</HI> after, that, now called the Rump-Parlia|ment, 4. That Parliaments laying a&s;ide the Protector, in <HI>June</HI> next after, 5. The breaking up in <HI>October,</HI> of that Parliament &s;o lately recalled, 6. The bringing them back again in <HI>December,</HI> 7. The again excluding them, &s;oon after, by the coming in of the &s;ecluded Members, 8. The &s;ecluded Members di&s;&s;olving them&s;elves in <HI>A|prill,</HI> 1660. 9. The meeting of the pre&s;ent Parlia|ment, which may be Ju&s;tly called the happy Parlia|ment, 10. The re&s;ettlement of the three King|doms, on the ba&s;is of their ancient Government in his, &s;acred Maje&s;ty, by whom is all happine&s;s and peace promi&s;ed to his People. Who could expect &s;o much good from &s;o much evil? who could look for order from confu&s;ions? and from overturnings of Founda|tions one after, and upon another, to find &s;uch a &s;et|tlement, as at this day, it cannot but be acknowledged, with a&s;toni&s;hment, to be <HI>The Lords doing,</HI> and <HI>it is</HI> &s;ure|ly, <HI>marvellous in our eyes.</HI></P>
<P>Let therefore the day, of &s;uch great things, and of
<PB N="17" REF="11">
&s;o many, and publick mercies, be precious, and valued of us, as was that day of <HI>Davids,</HI> with his People, <HI>This is the day which the Lord hath made: Let us rejoyce and be glad in it.</HI> Thus, of the&s;e words, as to <HI>David,</HI> of whom the words have been, in the Letter, con&s;idered.</P>
<P>I &s;hall now look on the words, as they pa&s;s from <HI>David</HI> the Tipe, unto Chri&s;t the Antitipe.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t is indeed he who is herein principally con|cerned, to him are tho&s;e words particularly applied, that, <HI>He is that &s;tone which the builders refu&s;ed, and now made the head stone of the corner,</HI> &amp;c. (22. 23.) He him&s;elf &s;peaks &s;o of him&s;elf, pointing to this very Scrip|ture, in that parable of the husband mens, not receiv|ing but refu&s;ing, and &s;laying him, the Son &s;ent by the Lord of the Vineyard to them. <HI>(Math.</HI> 21. 42.) Of him, al&s;o, is that &s;poken by the Apo&s;tle <HI>Peter (Acts</HI> 4. 10. 11. (1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2. 6, 7, 8.) and <HI>Paul (Eph.</HI> 2. 20.) the following words al&s;o (v. 26.) <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord,</HI> are applied to him, and yet more particularly.</P>
<P N="1"><HI>1. That Je&s;us Ghri&s;t was</HI> that stone, refu&s;ed by builders, <HI>is evident: That he</HI> is now made the chief stone of the corner, <HI>who knoweth not? and who could but &s;tand amazed at that great work, to &s;ee one &s;o di&s;pi&s;ed of men, ca&s;t off, and ca&s;t out, and to be dead, and three dayes buried, and yet, after all this, rai&s;ed again, and ex|alted above all, Angels and Men, and all being made &s;ubject unto him, the Empha&s;is, of all is laid here, that he having been &s;o low, is now rai&s;ed, and exalted a|bove all.</HI> Him, &s;aith, Aplc. being delivered by the deter|minate Coun&s;el and foreknowledg of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and &s;lain: Whom God hath rai&s;ed up. [Acts. <HI>2. 23, 24.]</HI> This Je&s;us hath God
<PB N="18" REF="12">
rai&s;ed up (v. <HI>32.)</HI> That &s;ame Je&s;us, whom ye have cruci|fied, hath God made both Lord and Chri&s;t, [v. <HI>36.]</HI> We &s;ee Je&s;us who was made a little lower then the Angels, for the &s;uffrings of death, crowned with glory and honour. [Heb. <HI>2. 9,]</HI> He made him&s;elf of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a Servant, and was made in the likene&s;s of Men, and being found in fa&s;hion as a Man, he humbled him|&s;elf, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cro&s;s: Wherefore God al&s;o hath highly axalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Je&s;us every knee &s;hould bow, of things in Heaven, and things in Earth, and things under the Earth, and that every tongue &s;hould confe&s;s, that Je&s;us Chri&s;t is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. [Phil. <HI>2. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11.] In all which you &s;ee</HI> him who was the &s;tone &s;o refu&s;ed by the builders, to become now the head &s;tone of the corner, and that this is the Lords doing, and marvellous in our eyes.</P>
<P>This of Chri&s;ts glory, is the <HI>day</HI> here pointed at, <HI>this is the day,</HI> &amp;c. Which his day, &s;trictly taken, is the day of his re&s;urrection, his fir&s;t &s;tep into glory from his humbled condition, that having been before di&s;pi&s;ed, he was then exalted above all. Or, this his day may be taken in a greater Latitude, for all the degrees of his exaltation together; then is this the day, or of his glory begun in his re&s;urrection, and carried on to the fulne&s;s of glory, of which he is now po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed for evermore, in which is the ground of this joy here expre&s;&s;ed by his People. <HI>This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoyce and be glad in it.</HI></P>
<P>You have hitherto heard of the Lords making, or the Lords work, in making this day for his People. You have &s;een it as to <HI>David,</HI> and as to Chri&s;t, and as to our &s;elves in the application; that the Lord doth
<PB N="91" REF="12">
make a day wherein he will do, and give, good unto his People.</P>
<P N="2">2. I now proceed to the next point herein ob&s;erva|ble; Our work in this day: <HI>We will rejoyce and be glad in it.</HI> The point being this. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doct.</NOTE></P>
<P>That tho&s;e dayes by the Lord made, and Given to his People, are to be ob&s;erved, and improved by them.</P>
<P>I will not &s;pend time in proving it, it needs it not, nor will the time permit it: I &s;hall rather &s;peak to the manner and practice of our duty herein, and herein I &s;hall confine my &s;elf to the Text, and to what, there|in, we are directed.</P>
<P>Where we find three things propo&s;ed to us, in way of duty, in this particular.</P>
<P N="1">1. That we take notice of the Lords work. what it is, that he doth for us; So here (v. 24.) <HI>This is the day.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. That we take notice of Gods work, &s;o done for us, with thankfulne&s;s. <HI>We will rejoyce and be glad in it.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. That we farther improve &s;uch the Lords mercies to us by Prayer. <HI>Save, now I be&s;eech thee O Lord,</HI> &amp;c. (v. 25.)</P>
<P N="1">1. That we are to take notice of Gods work for his People: here is a day for it, and that day particular|ly pointed at, <HI>This is the day,</HI> &amp;c. as to the manner of it.</P>
<P N="1">1. This is by taking notice of Gods work, in particu|lars, not in the gro&s;s or bulk of them only. A particu|lar Enumeration and confe&s;&s;ion of Sins becomes a day of Humiliation: &s;o are mercies to be particularly re|membred in a day of prai&s;e <HI>(P&s;al.</HI> 111. 2. <HI>P&s;.</HI> 103, 1, to 6.)</P>
<P N="2">2. We are not in this, not to pa&s;s over the works of God lightly, but to in&s;i&s;t on them, in &s;erious medita|tion, and in &s;peaking of them again, and again, as here
<PB N="20" REF="13">
(v. 15. 16.) but this I &s;hall not dwell upon longer at pre&s;ent.</P>
<P N="2">2. The next part of our duty, is our ob&s;erving Gods works of good to us, and that with thankfulne&s;s: <HI>This is the day, &amp;c. We will rejoyce and be glad in it.</HI> Our re|joycing mu&s;t be in the Lord; and that cannot be, but in a thankfull acknowledgment of his mercies, to the prai&s;e of his name: where therefore it is &s;aid, we will rejoyce in it (v. 24.) it is after, with prai&s;es unto God (v. 27. 28, 29.)</P>
<P>Let us &s;ee the practice and ground of this duty, by what may be ob&s;erved of it in <HI>Davids</HI> day.</P>
<P N="2">2. By what we find of the Lords goodne&s;s to us, in this our day, And 3. the ground of our joy, and re|joycing in this day, al&s;o, of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P N="1">1. As this day referrs to <HI>David,</HI> his day required &s;uch thankfull acknowledgment, from him, and from his People. You have heard what the Lord has done for <HI>David,</HI> and in him, for his People; &s;uch mercies requi|red &s;utable acknowledgments. See him&s;elf in the duty. <HI>I will prai&s;e thee, for thou bast heard me, and become my Salvation</HI> (v. 21.) <HI>Thou art my God, and I will prai&s;e thee, thou art my God, and I will exalt thee</HI> (v. 28.) He &s;tirreth up others al&s;o in it. <HI>O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever.</HI> (v. 1. 29.) and thereunto he calls all the People. <HI>Let I&s;rael now &s;ay, that his mercy endureth for ever</HI> (v. 2.) And the Prie&s;ts. <HI>Let the Hou&s;e of Aaron now &s;ay that his mercy en|dureth for ever,</HI> [v. 3.] <HI>God is the Lord who hath &s;hewed us light; bind the Sacrifice with cords, even unto the Horns of the Altar</HI> [v. 27.] And all this is done in a publick manner, even in the Church, the publick place for Gods wor&s;hip. <HI>Open to me the Gates of righteou&s;ne&s;s, I</HI>
<PB N="21" REF="13">
<HI>will go into them, and I will prai&s;e the Lord, this is the gate of the Lord, into which the righteous &s;hall enter,</HI> [v. 19. 20.] publick mercies mu&s;t have publick acknowledg|ments, as you have &s;een in <HI>Davids</HI> day.</P>
<P N="2">2. Our day al&s;o (this which now we celebrate) com|mands the like performances from us, our duty of prai|&s;es to our God: I am &s;ure no people under the Sun have more cau&s;e for it, then have we in the&s;e three Kingdoms, after &s;o many, and &s;o great, and &s;uch con|tinued confu&s;ions, to be thus, as at pre&s;ent, &s;etled in peace, under his &s;acred Maje&s;ty. This &s;urely <HI>is the Lords doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes</HI> it is a <HI>day which the Lord hath made, let us rejoyce and be glad in it.</HI></P>
<P>Nor is the Lord to be prai&s;ed in his works alone, but in tho&s;e, al&s;o, whom he makes his In&s;truments in tho&s;e his works, the Lord alloweth them their prai&s;e in this, yet &s;o, as in reference to him in who&s;e hands they are in&s;truments, and that tho&s;e prai&s;es be not lodg'd with them, but that they pa&s;&s;e from, and through them, unto him, who employed, and fitted them for the work, and carried them on in it.</P>
<P N="1">1. Let me therefore (to the glory of God; and to the prai&s;e of his great name this Day) &s;peak unto tho&s;e, in the fir&s;t place, who have been chief in this work; (I confine my &s;elf herein, at pre&s;ent, to what is within our &s;elves, in this Kingdom only) unto you the heads and leaders of the People, I &s;hall &s;ay on|ly, as in <HI>Deborahs</HI> tryumphant &s;ong of prai&s;e, <HI>My heart is toward the Governors of I&s;rael that offred them&s;elves wil|lingly among the People, ble&s;s ye the Lord (Judg.</HI> 5. 9.) You have herein your prai&s;e, and we have cau&s;e to ble&s;s you for what have been, by you, done for us; but <HI>ble&s;s ye the Lord.</HI> Let your prai&s;es be returned from you
<PB N="22" REF="14">
to him, by whom you have been &s;o &s;tirred up, and owned in this great work.</P>
<P N="2">2. To you of the Army Officers, and Souldiers, is your prai&s;e al&s;o: I may &s;ay of you, as was &s;aid of&punc; <HI>Zebulun</HI> and <HI>Naphtali,</HI> in the before mentioned &s;ong of <HI>Deborah. Zebulun and Naphtali were a People that Jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field (Jud.</HI> 5. 18.) Ble&s;&s;ed be God that it did not come, among you, unto that of death, or to the lea&s;t drop of blood, of a|ny of you. It is a Miracle that it was &s;o: yet did you put your lives in your hands in this great cau&s;e, and they were by you Jeoparded; nor would you have drawn back from the utmo&s;t of dangers, had it been nece&s;&s;ary.</P>
<P N="3">3. As to you of this City (both you in the chief Go|vernment and others) you have your prai&s;e al&s;o, and that very eminently, as you have been even above others, eminent in the work of this day, in which al&s;o you continue even unto this very day.</P>
<P N="4">4. Nor ought you of the general Convention of <HI>Ireland,</HI> to be forgotten, but to be remembered with the fir&s;t: for you have, in a time of trouble and great di&s;tractions, ri|&s;en from your &s;everall places, and &s;et your &s;elves here, for the quiet and &s;ettlement of this Kingdom: The happy fruits whereof we this day gather; by you, have our publick wants been &s;upplied, in a time of pre&s;&s;ing nece&s;&s;ities, to the great refre&s;hment of the People. You have &s;trengthned our hands here, and the hands of others el&s;ewhere, who had been engaged in this cau&s;e with you, you have in your forward, and prudent zeal, &s;tirred up Emulation (I will not &s;ay envy) in o|thers, to the quickning and ha&s;ting this work to that perfection in which we &s;ee it at this day. And from
<PB N="23" REF="14">
you, and by your appointment, have we the day it &s;elf, and therein this pre&s;ent opportunity for ble&s;&s;ing the Lord, and rejoycing before him, in the great things, by him, thus done for his People. Where, therefore, here|after mention &s;hall be made of this general convention of <HI>Ireland,</HI> let this al&s;o be remembred concerning you, to your la&s;ting prai&s;e in after Generations.</P>
<P>And let all of us together (as we have common cau&s;e) joyn, in one, in the prai&s;es of the Lord; from whom alone is all this good, this day derived to us. <HI>it is a day which the Lord him&s;elf hath made,</HI> for us; let us <HI>Rejoyce and be glad in it.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. But more e&s;pecially, and above all, this day of the Lord, Je&s;us, our Lord, and our King, the day of his Glory, is, withall joy, to be of his people remembred for evermore.</P>
<P>The glory of Je&s;us Chri&s;t is the foundation of all our comforts, in his humble condition, and &s;ufferings he merited, Redemption and happine&s;&s;e for us, he pur|cha&s;ed it for us, in his blood; but, the Application of all, and our reall po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of that our happine&s;&s;e, is from him exalted: he is in his Kingly office, the Sa|viour, as in his Prie&s;thood; and from him, as our King, and not otherwi&s;e, have we what, as a Prie&s;t, he had prepared for us. <HI>The God of our Fathers</HI> (&s;aid the A|po&s;tles) <HI>rai&s;ed up Je&s;us whom ye &s;lew, and hanged on a tree: him hath God exalted, with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give repentance to I&s;rael, and forgivene&s;&s;e of Sins, (Acts</HI> 5. 30, 31.) The fir&s;t coming in of a Prince into his power, is with grace, and an act of oblivion: So in Chri&s;t our Prince, thus exalted, is now generall pardon held out, and given, and from him, as &s;o, is repentance of forgivne&s;&s;e of Sins to be
<PB N="24" REF="15">
expected: In this, is the foundation (as was &s;aid) of our joy and rejoycing, for ever. <HI>We declare unto you</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>Glad tidings, how that the promi&s;e which was made unto the Fathers, God hath fulfilled the &s;ame unto us their Children, in that he hath rai&s;ed up Je&s;us again. Be it known unto you therefore Men and Brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgivne&s;s of &s;ins, and by him all that believe, are justified from all things, from which ye could not be ju&s;tified by the law of Mo&s;es, (Acts</HI> 13. 32. 33. 38.)</P>
<P>Thus of Chri&s;ts day, and of our duty of prai&s;e, in it. And thus of the &s;econd part of our work, in this day, that duty of prai&s;e expected from us.</P>
<P N="3">3. The la&s;t is prayer, prayer, as prai&s;e, is part of the work of this day. Thank&s;giving makes way for Petition and, prayer Improveth prai&s;e; as here, <HI>Save, now I be&s;eech thee, O Lord, O Lord, I be&s;eech thee, &s;end now pro&s;perity. Ble&s;&s;ed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord</HI> (v. 25, 26.) Where we find.</P>
<P N="1">1. The Kings prayer for the People, as <HI>Solomon</HI> pray|ed for the People, (1 <HI>Kings</HI> 8. 12. &amp;c.) So doth <HI>Da|vid</HI> here. <HI>Save now I be&s;eech thee, O Lord, O Lord, I be&s;eech thee, &s;end now pro&s;perity.</HI> Kings ought to pray for their People.</P>
<P N="2">2. Here al&s;o, ye People pray for the King, and ble&s;s him in the name of the Lord: <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. We have ble&s;&s;ed you out of the hou&s;e of the Lord,</HI> (v. 26.) It is our duty to pray for the King. I <HI>exhort</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>That first of all, Supplications, Prayers, Interce&s;&s;ions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men, for Kings, and for all that are in Au|thority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, in all Godline&s;s, and hone&s;ty, for this is good and acceptable in the</HI>
<PB N="25" REF="15">
<HI>&s;ight of God our Saviour.</HI> (1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2. 1, 2, 3.) It is, you &s;ee, an <HI>Exhortation</HI> earne&s;tly pre&s;&s;ed, and that, <HI>first of all,</HI> and as <HI>good and acceptable in the &s;ight of God</HI> and, what he expects from us in dnty, and, what will be well plea|&s;ing him; and, what he will return to us, to our good: he, thereby, giving us, to <HI>lead a quiet, and peaceable life, in all godline&s;s and honesty.</HI> I am per&s;waded that the contrary (the not praying for the King, but again&s;t him, and the not ble&s;&s;ing him, but cur&s;ing rather, hath been, in a great mea&s;ure, the ground of our unquiet and trouble|&s;ome dayes hitherto, wherein al&s;o hath been &s;o little of Godline&s;&s;e, (although nothing more pretended) and, &s;o little, even, of very common hone&s;ty among&s;t profe&s;&s;ors, as in the&s;e our dayes. Let, therefore the ex|hortation of the Apo&s;tle prevail withus, for the practice of this duty, in our dayly prayers, for his Maje&s;ty. That the Lord would ble&s;&s;e him, and make him a ble&s;&s;ing unto his People; as here, <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.</HI> Thus was Je&s;us Chri&s;t received by his People, when he entred <HI>Jeru&s;alem. Ho&s;anna to the Son of David, ble&s;&s;ed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord [Math.</HI> 21. 8, 9, 15.] Then, did Chri&s;t enter <HI>Je|ru&s;alem,</HI> as a King, which is implied, in his being called <HI>the Son of David;</HI> It being al&s;o expre&s;ly &s;aid, that <HI>this was done that it might be fulfilled which was &s;poken by the Propbet, &s;aying. Tell ye the Daughter of Sion. Behold, thy King cometh to thee, meek, and &s;itting upon an A&s;s, and a Colt, the foal of an a&s;s,</HI> as it is, on that occa&s;ion, ob|&s;erved by the Evangeli&s;t <HI>(Mat.</HI> 21. 4. 5.) And, where it is in St. <HI>Mathew, ble&s;&s;ed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord;</HI> it is thus in <HI>S. Luke, ble&s;&s;ed is the King that cometh in hte name of the Lord, Luke</HI> 19. 38.) And here is to be noted; that, where it is &s;aid in the text, <HI>Save now O</HI>
<PB N="26" REF="16">
<HI>Lord,</HI> &amp;c. That the word <HI>Save</HI> is, in the Original, the &s;ame with that <HI>Ho&s;anna,</HI> (that Acclamations of the People concerning Chri&s;t (as if &s;aid, God &s;ave the King. It is al&s;o to be ob&s;erved; that, as Je&s;us Chri&s;t was, in his fir&s;t coming, received with the Acclamati|ons of the people in tho&s;e words; <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:</HI> So &s;hall he be again received, e|ven with t he &s;ame words, his &s;econd coming; Then he &s;hall, withall joy, be welcomed, and, that &s;aidof him <HI>ble&s;|&s;ed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.</HI> You find this, in our Lords own words &s;peaking of his, then leaving the World, and of his &s;econd coming: <HI>Ye &s;hall not</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>&s;ee me henceforth till ye &s;hall &s;ay, ble&s;&s;ed is he that com|eth in the name of the Lord.</HI> That, <HI>till ye &s;hall &s;ay ble&s;&s;ed,</HI> &amp;c. [as in St. <HI>Mathew]</HI> is thus rendered by St. <HI>Luke, untill the time come when ye &s;hall &s;ay, ble&s;&s;ed is he that com|eth in the name of the Lord [Luke</HI> 13. 35.</P>
<P N="3">3. Here are al&s;o prayers for the Church and its pro&s;|perity, v. 25. <HI>Save now, I be&s;eech thee, O Lord, O Lord, I be&s;eech thee, &s;end now pro&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">ity.</HI> Je&s;us Chri&s;t our King, needs not our prayers. He is, in his glory, above our prayers; although Princes, in their greate&s;t glory, have need of them: Concerning them we may, and ought to &s;ay, <HI>&s;ave now I be&s;eech thee O Lord;</HI> But al|though Chri&s;t needs not [as I &s;aid] our prayers, yet doth his Church, his Kingdom want them: and he him&s;elf commands our prayers for it. <HI>Thy Kingdom come,</HI> is one of tho&s;e petitions which he hath put into our Mouths for his Church <HI>[Math.</HI> 6. 10.] This is re|quired of us, for his Church in generall, and particular|ly for <HI>Jeru&s;alem:</HI> That the Lord would build up his Church, and enlarge his Kingdom, in the calling of that his people. <HI>Pray for the peace of Jeru&s;alem, they &s;hall</HI>
<PB N="27" REF="16">
<HI>pro&s;per that love thee. Peace within thy walls, pro&s;perity within thy Pallaces, for my Brethren and companions &s;ake, I will now &s;ay peace be within thee, becau&s;e of the hou&s;e of the Lord our God I will &s;eek thygood [P&s;al.</HI> 122. 6. 7. 8. 9.] And, &s;uch a praying frame of Spirit hath the Lord pro|mi&s;ed to give unto his, concerning that his People: <HI>I have &s;et watchmen upon thy walls O Jeru&s;alem, which &s;hall never hold their peace, day nor night, Ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not &s;ilence, and give him no re&s;t till he e&s;ta|bli&s;h, and make Jeru&s;alem a prai&s;e in the Earth (I&s;.</HI> 62. 6, 7.) I much fear we are wanting in this duty, let it not be &s;o, &s;ay concerning <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> as here. <HI>Save now I be&s;eecb thee O Lord, O Lord I be&s;eech the &s;end now pro&s;perity.</HI> Let our prayers, al&s;o, be for the &s;uffering Churches in other Countreys: God hath made this day to be, to us, a day of prai&s;e and rejoycing; Ble&s;&s;ed be his name, but it may be a day of &s;adne&s;&s;e, with others, el&s;where. Let us, be &s;en&s;ible of their condition, as of our own, and, in our rejoycing, be mindfull of their &s;orrow: Say of them, <HI>Save now I be&s;eech thee, O Lord, O Lord I be&s;eech the &s;end now pro&s;perity.</HI> As for the Church at home, and among our &s;elves in the&s;e Kingdoms: Let our prayers be for them al|&s;o. We &s;ee already in the work of the day, the happine&s;s of the State, and we have hope of the happine&s;&s;e of our Church, al&s;o, under his Maje&s;ty who&s;e piety hath been &s;o eminently evidenced to the comfort and &s;atis|faction of his people. We well know that much of the evil in the State, hath broaken in upon, and pro|ceeded from, &s;ad divi&s;ions and factions in the Church. Our happine&s;&s;e in the State, will be in union in the Church; and in the Lords making up the breaches there in: That will be our peace, and not o|therwi&s;e. And now, even now, is the very time,
<PB N="28" REF="17">
even the very time for our prayers herein. Therefore, for our common happine&s;s in Church and State, in King, and People, let it be part of our work, in this our day of rejoycing, to be in&s;tant, al&s;o, in this duty of prayer, and again, and again, to &s;ay. <HI>Save now I be&s;eech thee, O Lord, O Lord I be&s;eech thee, &s;end now pro&s;perity. Ble&s;&s;ed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: We have ble&s;&s;ed you out of the hou&s;e of the Lord.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
