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thing is left for you to do, but to give in a right manner, that is, out of pure obedience to God's command, and in due proportion to the estates which He, for such purposes, hath entrusted with you: as many of your pious ancestors have done before you; who, by their liberal contribution to the erecting and support of these hospitals, are still doing good with the estates they got upon earth, though they themselves be gone to Heaven. Many of them are long since dead, and yet their good works live to this day, and will do so, I hope, to the end of the world: and why should not yours do so too? Blessed be God, you have all, more or less, wherewithal to give, as they had; and if you be but as "ready to distribute," and as "willing to communicate," as they were, you also will have the benefit and comfort of your estates always continued to you, as they have.

This, therefore, is that which I would now advise you to. It is true, we are here empowered not only to advise, but to "charge them who are rich in this world" to do good with their riches: but I hope I need not exercise that power here: I do not question but that some of you are " rich in good works" already, and am willing to persuade myself that others, for the future, will strive to be so; and, for that purpose, are resolved to contribute liberally to these pious and charitable uses above-mentioned. And therefore, all that I have now to desire of such, is only that you would do it presently, and also proportionably to what you have wherewith to do it, as remembering, that unless you proportion your charity to your estates, God may justly proportion your estates to your charity; and, if you will not give as much as you are able, make you able to give no more than you do.

But fearing there may be some among you, who, notwithstanding all that hath been said, either out of diffidence of God's Word, or carelessness of their own eternal good, are not yet resolved to do their duty in this particular, I must do mine, in acquainting you plainly in the Name of Him Who sent me, that it is not left to your own choice, whether you will do it or no; but He, the Eternal God, Who made you, and ere long will judge you, doth expressly require, command, and charge all you who are "rich in this world, that

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SERMON CXXVIII.

OBEDIENCE TO GOVERNORS.

1 PET. ii. 13.

Submit yourselves to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake.

WHEN Josiah, king of Judah, was slain in his wars with Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt, the Church and people of God were so mightily troubled, for the loss of so pious and excellent a prince, that they did not only lament his death at present, but they devoted the day, on which it happened, to fasting and humiliation, for many years after; as may be easily gathered from 2 Chron. xxxv. 25. How much more cause have we to spend this day, as we are commanded, every year, in fasting and mourning for the death of our late most gracious sovereign, King Charles the First, who was not killed, as Josiah was, by a foreign power, but murdered by his own subjects; not by chance of war, but by a formal pretended court of justice, the whole nation standing by without endeavouring to rescue and deliver him; whereby it became, in a great measure, accessory to his death and murder, and, by consequence, guilty of that royal and sacred blood which was then shed! And notwithstanding the greatness of the sin, aggravated with the most dismal circumstances that any sin could then be capable of, it was a long time before the nation in general was sensible of it, or made any public show of repentance and remorse for it; until, at length, being come to itself, and having its eyes opened, it plainly saw it was absolutely necessary to find out some expedient

CXXVIII.

SERM. whereby to prevent, if possible, these public calamities, which so public and horrid a sin would otherwise bring

upon us.

Whereupon, being assembled in Parliament, both Lords and Commons humbly besought his Majesty, that this thirtieth day of January, whereon that execrable murder was committed, might be set apart and kept in all churches as an anniversary day of fasting and humiliation, to implore the mercy of God, that neither the guilt of that sacred and innocent blood, nor those other sins whereby God was provoked to deliver up both them and their king into the hands of cruel and unreasonable men, might at any time after be visited upon them or their posterity; which being accordingly assented to, and signed by our gracious sovereign, and so passed into an act, we, in obedience thereunto, are now here assembled for the purposes aforesaid.

But that we may not meet in vain, but may effectually obtain the mercy we fast and pray for, even the pardon of the sin which was this day committed, there are two things necessary to be done.

First. "That we be truly humbled under the sense of it."

And then,

Secondly. "That we be steadfastly resolved against all such sins for the future."

As for the first, I suppose I need not say much, being willing to persuade myself, that you do not come hither to mock God, but that you really believe, that the sin ye have now confessed to Him was so great and heinous, that He might justly inflict the severest of His judgments upon you, and the whole nation, for it. For he that hath any sense at all, either of good or evil, cannot but be sensible, that there was as much sin or evil in the murder of the late king, as any one act could be capable of. The murder of a private person, though never so wicked, was always judged, by the very law of nature, to be one of the most wicked acts that mankind could be guilty of. But what then shall we think of the murder of a king, a wise, a sober, a just, a merciful, a pious king? Or rather, who can think of it at all, without horror and amazement? Especially when we consider how

many other sins concurred to the effecting of it, or else were joined with it; pride, envy, malice, covetousness, theft, sacrilege, hypocrisy, schism, sedition, lying, perjury, treason, rebellion, what not! And such a sin as this, which was not only so great in itself, but had such a train of the most diabolical vices attending upon it, either going before, or else following after it, what punishment could be too great for it? What could be great enough? Certainly, if God should have punished this sin according as it deserved, the whole nation, before now, had been turned into an Aceldama, a field of blood. It is true, He hath already laid more than ordinary punishments upon the nation in general, and upon this city in particular, which was so deeply concerned in this sin. But we must acknowledge, that He hath yet punished us less than this iniquity deserved, and have just cause to expect much greater judgments to be still behind, which will certainly fall upon us, unless prevented by a timely and sincere repentance.

And this is the reason why we are commanded to keep this day so strictly, that, if it be possible, we may avert that vengeance which hangs over our heads, and is ready each moment to fall upon us, for that sacred and innocent blood that was this day shed amongst us for which end we have already been humbling ourselves before Almighty God, under the sense of it: and so have, in some measure, done the first thing which I said was necessary thereunto. But this will avail us nothing without the other, as not being sincere and cordial; for no man can be said truly to be humbled for any sin, that still continues in the practice of it. And it is not he that only confesseth, but" whoso con- Prov. 28.13. fesseth and forsaketh his sin shall have mercy." Hence it is that the Church hath not only prescribed us a form of sound words, wherewith to address ourselves to God, and implore His mercy in the pardon of this sin, but hath likewise appointed such a portion of Scripture for the Epistle this day, wherein we are expressly enjoined, both to avoid such sins as this was, and to perform the contrary duties for the future; which, therefore, I thought good to pitch upon for the main subject of my discourse, if by any means I may be so happy as to convince you of the necessity that

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