A Sermon PrearhVJan. 3'1· 1669. feek a Varnilh and Coiout for fome bl:ltli and horridWic!<eilncfs. This hath rend red the Reverend ~ame cif G?dlinefs, defpicaaie and odib"1fs to prophane Spirits; whO whilfr they faw none privt!eilged to act thh1r R-apines, .Revenge, Injufticc, and mofl: wrongful Ufurpatiort and tyranny, bUt thofe 1yh6fe Months were as full of a gloririous Profeffion, as their Hands were of wicked Deeds, have ahafged. all r.hofc Im- . pi.eties u_pon. t~e fc;ore of Religion, and made it bear. the bur then of thofe Ctimes With whrch It IS not ct>nfi!tent. Is was once the glory of the Protcftant-Religion,_ that lt ,taught Subjects to account the-PerfonS of their Prin~es Sacred and' Invi~lahlc; ~ sup~earrt .to all under God, and accountable to none but Him: and poffibly tlu~ one Dofumc bath been no frnall Advanta,ge to make it gai!?- fa much grou!jld·in. fo Ihar~ a fp~ce. But u.ow our Adv_erfarie~ ttiumph ~n the fha~e of ?ut:t~fefiidn, '?fllkn 1~l~C mo~ nq~Or~Ous RegiCides, who not only avow the J;>octnne; ' but pnblrckly..rerpettate die l'lail of depo- !ing' and killing a King, are found amo9g thofe \Vhd pter,end~d to be at tHe greatcft c;lifl:an,ce ·from Romifu Pfin~iples and Pr~ites. There is indeed, a. great ~ifference b~twcen ' the Dotl:rine, of a ,Schi(m~ and the polrrine qf ~Church; .bctwe~n the practice pf a .N.uion, and the prafrice of a p"evalcnt Falli'op .m't6,e Nation. Aod blelfcd · be God, ;ve have this ltillleft to filence the Rtcrimlna~ions of all hntichriftian Ad- ~ verfaries, tha:t to depo'fe imd all"affinat~ Ki~gs, is not the 'DOd:rine of the Pro'uj1411t Omrch, but of the Romsp, Synagotue. A.nd as it was Iiot the DoCtrine of the Church, ~}1~ .of a Schi(m 1 ~o ncitller was ,It t~e FaEf of J:~e Nation? but ~fa rebelli~us and prevailmg I!aCfton m It; nor could thetr armed·viOlence reach tHe Head, ttll they had firfl: deftroy~ the Body both of Church and Suu. But it is not the Work of this Day to exiufo any, but to ftir up all to bemoan this bloody and horrid Crime. A Crime the mbft horrid and accurfed that ever w.:ts atl:ed under the Sun, but only when a Miracle edips'd it from looking on. Though the Hiftories of all Na~ions abound with the fad Tragedies of their lawful Princes affaffinat~d .bY their SubjeCts, yet we may ftill remark, that their Wickcdnefs was either fo Timerous, or fo Modeft, as to endeavoUr to hid'c the Blood they fhed, and durft not be otherwife guilty, but .With thofc .Ndvantagbs of Nigl1t and Secrecy, that might make t:Jherri l!lppcar Innocen't. But here Royal a.nd Sacred Blood is. Theatrically fpilt; and the Fail avowed by the impudent Pomp and Solemnity of Villany. Villany fo proffiga"te, that it fcorn'd to proceed in a clandeftinc manner, but as it was refolved to out.do all the Examples of former Regicides, fo to outface all that fhould dare to oppofe or condemn it. And therefore to add Ceremony and Scorn to Murthcr, they erect a Pageantry of Juftice; fummon the Throne to appear before the Bar; arraign Maje.fly, before which Awe and Reverence fhould have made them tremble; condemn him for their own Crimes ; and execute that wicked Sentence w·ith all the Oftentation that triumphant Spight and Malice could invent. ' And that which makes all this the more odious and execrable ; all this \-\'as tranfaaed under Forms of1uftice, and fpeciom Pretexts of tlu Glory ofGod, and the Intcrefts of Religion. Here the Fairh bleeds together With the D~(ender of it: Religion it felf fuffers by the vile hypocrify of thofe who pretended to an higher ftrain of Godlinefs in Practice, and Refonnation in Difcipline, than yet the WOrld Jmd ever known. And it is likely to futrer an eternal Reproach, as long as there are any Popifh B1afphemers, tp c:lfl: it into the Teeth of Prote.ftants, that they never thought their Religion pure. enough, till it was wafll~ in the B~od of a Chrijfimz King7 of the fame profcffion wtth themfelve~ .. 0 pro,bgy of VV1ckednefs! that ever ']ufficc fuould be pTetended to the committmg-ofa Crime fo fu.ll of dread and l~orrmtr, that it might well puzzle arid nonplm1uftice how to pwtijh It, and Mercy how to forgive it! That ever the increafe of tnte Piety, and .the Advancement of the Honour of Religion fhonld be m.:tde a .colour to the fhedding the Blood tJ/ a Kin'(, a FaEf that gave Religion the moft mor'tal Wound that ·e':er it received, · ~nee it was hrft plamed in the World by the Blood of ouY Saviour! And yet thofe Sacred Names, The PUYity of JVarj11ip, The Reformation of Abu[es, 17fe ~nour and Glorj ofGod, Law tmd 'Ju.ffice , 1t11d the due Liberty of the Subject, mufi: be made a Stale by thofe Men (~·.'ho •could not clfe have fiiccefsful!y ailcd fuch a droi/ifl> part, unlefs they appeared hke Angch of Light) to promote an impiety, whofe dired: Defign, and ~tural Gonfequence, wa.s to (;'Verthrow and root them aU out: a·nd wheii theY' had caft out and Oaughtered, not only · thclr
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