For be he Nebuchad- Jer. 29. 7.

I say one, I mean first, have any one. nezzar, yet must we pray for him; or be it Jeroboam, him Hos.13.11. though "God gave in His wrath," yet "He took away in His fury," the worst wrath of the twain. Or, be he who he will, to have one, though but such an one, is a matter of thanksgiving. For better any than an anarchy; better any one a King, than every one a King; and every one is more than a King, if he do what he lists. It calleth to mind the cry of the beasts in the fable when they were in consultation, to submit themselves to the lion as to their king. For when it was alleged, it was like enough he would do they knew not well what, what he listed which they had cause to fear, they all cried, Præstat unum timere quam multos, 'Better one lion do so than all the bears and wolves and wild beasts of the forest, as before they did.' First then for this, that there is a King.

Secondly for this, that a King, not many. For to have many, is a plague for the people's sins. Not many, nay not two, as of late, but now Rex indeed, one King over all Israel. We know when there were two Kings, one in Judah and the other in the ten tribes, two in one territory, it was a maim and a blemish both; that there was not Rex, one entire King, but two diverse Kings, as it were, over two halves of a country. The like imperfection was it, even the dividing this one island under two sovereigns. The reducing of both those under Ezek. 37. one, was promised Israel as a high favour. The same to us performed can be no less, even that now there is a King indeed. Rex, one King; one, and no more, absolute entire King over all the tribes, over all Israel. Let this be the second.

22.

And this our third. That not only over Israel, but, as the words are, "in Israel." These are two different things. To speak as the Prophet doth, that this King is not Ashur. "For this cause Ashur shall be your King," is a fearful Hos. 11. 5. threat God useth to His people for their unkindness. To have a mere alien, one from beyond the water, as Nebuchadnezzar was, out of a people whose speech they did not understand. One not in but extra Israelem, that is, over Israel, but neither in it nor of it. That this is not our case, as it is well known some would have had it. Therein then must we also acknowledge, God hath dealt graciously with

VIII.

SERM. us, sending us such an one as by more than one or two, before this very last of all, is come of the race royal, and is by due and undoubted right a King, not only over, but in and of Israel. Is not this a third?

1 Kings

15. 26.

2 Chron. 10. 14.

2 Chron. 13. 17.

And sure this fourth. That as He sent us not Ashur a stranger, so neither sent He a Jeroboam. No stranger in birth he, but one addicted to strange worship, a stranger in religion; (and it was even Micah's religion just; as Micah's countryman he was, for both were of Ephraim) who did that which was evil in God's eyes, by doing that which was good in his own, and so "made Israel to sin." Such an one He hath not sent us, but one that knoweth God; doth neither favour Micah nor Micah's worship, since that was a principal cause why there is a King in Israel, that Micah's idols might not be set up.

And then, fifthly. As not a Jeroboam favouring Micah, not a Rehoboam neither, who was indeed well for his religion, but otherwise not able to advise himself, and so ready to be advised for the worse. One that was full of great words, but so faint-hearted as not able to resist ought; that under him every one did what he would, for all the King. It was, as in another case the Prophet speaketh, Rex, Rex, et non est Rex. It is otherwise where princes are intelligent, learned, and as David was, both religious and wise; wise as "an angel of 2 Sam. 19. God," to discern good and evil. Such a King as David, a special blessing; not omnibus data, not 'given to every people,' nay many times not to Israel itself. May we not report this for a fifth?

27.

[1 Kings 10. 9.]

And for a sixth, this. That not as David neither, though he were both gentle and wise, which Rehoboam was not. For though he were both, yet was he so entangled with wars all his time, and forced still by continual effusion of blood, first to recover and then to maintain his right, as that he was rather Dux than Rex in Israel, a General of an army rather than a King. No, but (that which addeth still to the heap of our blessings) like Solomon, more happy than his father, as one that procureth to his people peace with all the nations round about. Of him, of such an one as he, saith the Queen of Sheba, "Because the Lord thy God loved Israel, to establish it for ever, therefore hath He set thee King over

them, to bring them to, and to preserve them in, the happy days of peace." That is indeed the right King, to be as Melchisedek" King of Salem, that is, King of peace." To be Heb. 7. 2. as the great King of Israel, Whose style is Princeps pacis.

And last of all, which is the complete perfection of all, that in and by him God hath not only sent us a King, but a race and succession of Kings. A blessing yet further, a greater hope, by blessing him, and in him us all, with an issue of such hope, and with hope still of more. Who shall (we trust, and pray they may) stretch their line to the world's end, and ever keep this land from this plague here mentioned, from days whereof it may be said, Non erat Rex in Israel. Even so Lord Jesus, so be it.

And thus seven times this day praise we God for this His sevenfold goodness. 1. For a King, 2. an absolute entire King, 3. a King both in and of Israel, 4. a King neither favouring nor favoured by Micah, 5. a King too wise to endure Fecit quisque quod rectum, 6. a King of peace, 7. a King who hath already by himself, and shall for ever by his seed preserve this land from the evil days wherein Israel was without a King. There is not any one of these seven but we owe our special thanks for it; but for them all, all that ever we have or can make.

And these now we offer and present to the Divine Majesty, all; and together with our thanks a commixtion of prayers, that this blessing of a King in Israel, and of this King in Israel, may to us and our posterity long and many years, yea many times many be continued, and we or they often see the renewing of this blessed day. Which Almighty God grant, &c.

Isa. 9. 6.

A SERMON

PREACHED BEFORE

THE KING'S MAJESTY AT GREENWICH,

A.D. MDCVII.

SERM.

IX.

[James i. 21.]

JAMES i. 22.

And be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Estote autem factores verbi, et non auditores tantum, fallentes vosmetipsos.

[But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. Eng. Trans.]

AN advice or caution of St. James to those that "receive the word engrafted." And that so necessary an advice, as without which all our receiving the word, or hearing sermons, is nothing else, saith he, but a very cozening or deceiving ourselves.

. Which I therefore thought very meet to attend upon the former verse so lately handled. That being a commandment to do it, this a caution to do it well.

There is not any time, but this caution of St. James is needful; but the special time for it is, when hearing of the word is growing into such request, as it hath got the start of all the rest of the parts of God's service. So as, but that sure we are the world will not like any one thing long, it might justly be feared lest this part eating out the rest should grow indeed the sole and only worship of God; which St. James by no means would have it.

Now if this be a proper text for such times, our times are such; this way our age is affected, now is the world of

sermons. For proof whereof, as if all godliness were in hearing of sermons, take this very place, the house of God, which now you see meetly well replenished; come at any other parts of the service of God, (parts, I say, of the service of God no less than this) you shall find it in a manner desolate. And not here only, but go any whither else ye shall find even the like.

And this, to speak with Solomon, "is an evil disease under Eccl.5.13. the sun," which hath possessed the world; or, with St. James, a strong illusion of our ghostly enemy. Who, when he cannot draw us wholly from the service of God, maketh us single out some one part of it from all the rest, and to be superstitiously conceited of that part, to make much of it, and to magnify it highly, nay only, with neglect and even as it were with. some disgrace to all besides it.

Of which I may well say with St. James, the third chapter following, at the tenth verse, "My beloved, these things ought not so to be;" nor they cannot so be, without manifest impeachment of the wisdom of God, Who hath appointed all the rest as well as this, and would have us make a conscience of all the rest no less than of this. And we cannot so sever out one as we do, but this will follow, that God did well and wisely in appointing that one, but not so in the rest. For as for them, they might well have been spared; we can serve God without them well enough.

Truly, though we cannot turn the stream or torrent of the time, (for that men will not hear of ought against hearing)

yet sure it is this is "utterly a fault;" hearing is not the only 1 Cor. 6. 7. thing, and so much we must and do testify unto you, though Joh. 3. 32. our witness be not received.

But this is not properly St. James' only; this rather, that in hearing, when we have made it the only thing, we so carry ourselves as, when we have heard and heard only, though we do nothing else but hear and only hear, we think we have done enough, we stand discharged before God, no further thing can be required at our hands. This, saith St. James, is certainly an illusion, or "deceiving" ourselves. For if all other parts be neglected for this, and then in this so great an error be committed, if all we do be hearing, and even in that we be deceived too, what shall become of us?