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<DATE>2008-05-23</DATE>
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<NAME>John Pas</NAME>
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<TEXT>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
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<P>THE MAGISTRATES Pourtraiture Drawn from the WORD, AND Preached in a SERMON at <HI>Stowe-Market</HI> in <HI>Suffolk,</HI> upon <HI>Augu&s;t,</HI> the 20. 1656. before the Election of Parliament-men for the &s;ame County.</P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>On I&s;aiah 1.26. the former part.</HI></BIBL>
<P>And I will re&s;tore thy Judges as at fir&s;t, and thy Coun&s;ellors as at the beginning.</P></Q>
<P>By <HI>WILLIAM G&V;RNALL,</HI> M. A. of <HI>Eman Coll.</HI> now Pa&s;tor of the Church of Chri&s;t in <HI>Lavenham. Suffolk.</HI></P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed for <HI>Ralph Smith,</HI> at the Bible in <HI>Cornhil,</HI> near the Royal Exchange. 1656.</P>
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<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
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<HEAD>THE MAGISTRATES Pourtraiture Drawn from the WORD.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>ISAIAH 1.26. the former part.</HI></BIBL>
<P>And I will re&s;tore thy Judges as at fir&s;t and by Coun&s;ellours as at the beginning.</P></Q>
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<P>_IF we con&s;ider the great wickedne&s;&s;e of the people, to whom this holy Prophet was &s;ent, we may wonder that God &s;uf|fered &s;o rare a Jewel, to hang &s;o long on &s;uch a di&s;obedient care, as theirs was; that he lent his Prophet &s;o long to a people that made him and his me&s;&s;age no more wel|come. But again, if we con&s;ider how long heaven in|dulged
<PB N="2" REF="3">
them, this incomparable mercy, and calculate the long race of his Prophetical cour&s;e, we have rea&s;on to wonder as much, though he found them &s;o bad, that yet he left them no better. Stones weare with long dropping, but the&s;e relent not under &s;ixty yeares preaching, and more of this holy man, (for &s;o long the line of his Mini&s;tery was &s;tretcht) they were wicked e|nough in <HI>Uzziah</HI> and <HI>Jothams</HI> reign, when he fir&s;t a&s;|cended the &s;tage of Prophecie, but by <HI>Mana&s;&s;es</HI> his time, (in which he died, and that by a violent and bloo|dy death, (as Story tells us) being &s;awne a&s;under) they were wicked to &s;ome tune. It was now full water at <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> yea, the whole land becomes &s;ea, covered with idolatry, oppre&s;&s;ion, and the work of &s;in, which might have been expected any where, rather then among a people <HI>&s;o divinely</HI> taught. But weeds grow no where &s;o rank, as in fat &s;oile; we may know enough of this wretched people, if we reade this chapter, which like a true gla&s;&s;e, will give us the feature of that people, as it look't in the Prophets time; and I wi&s;h with all my &s;oul, we could not &s;ee a ca&s;t of our own Nations countenance in their face.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, they were a people <HI>Sermon-proofe.</HI> They had heard away their hearing eare, and 'tis a &s;ad deafne&s;&s;e, and hardly cured, which is got in hearing of Sermons; how far they were gone in this we may gue&s;&s;e by the Prophets &s;trange <HI>Apo&s;trophe,</HI> ver. 2. <HI>Hear O Heavens, and give eare O earth, for the Lord hath &s;poken, I have nouri&s;hed and brought up children, and they have rebelled again&s;t me.</HI> Take the words how you will, they &s;peak them a people pa&s;t councel, and in&s;truction; if <HI>by Hea|ven and Earth</HI> you will have the Continents of both meant, then by &s;peaking to the&s;e is intimated, he had as
<PB N="3" REF="3">
good &s;peak to the inanimate creatures, as to them. That Preacher &s;urely thinks his people bad indeed, who directs his &s;peech to the &s;eats they &s;it on, and pillars they leane to, Hear, O ye &s;eats, and hearken O ye pil|lars. If for the inhabitants, <HI>Angels and men,</HI> who dwell in the&s;e, &s;till he reproaches their ob&s;tinacy. It &s;hewes the Father can work little on his childe within doores, when he comes into the open &s;treet, and pro|claims his rebellion to all the world.</P>
<P>Secondly, as they were Sermon, &s;o <HI>Affliction-proof,</HI> they were &s;o mad on their lu&s;ts, that rather then not have them, they would &s;wim through their own blood to them; heavy judgements were on them, but no phy|&s;ick wrought kindly on them: God was weary of &s;mi|ting, but not they of finning; therefore we finde him making his moan as a Phy&s;ician, who hath run through the whole Art of Phy&s;ick to do his Patient good, but findes him grow wor&s;e under his hand, and therefore at la&s;t &s;peaks of giving him over, <HI>ver.</HI> 3. <HI>Why &s;hould ye be &s;tricken any more, the whole head is &s;ick, and the whole heart is faint?</HI> If affliction would do you good, you have had enough of that; I have beat you till I have not left you one &s;ound part, from head to heele, and yet you will run after your lu&s;ts, while your blood runs after your heels.</P>
<P>Thirdly, in a word, they were <HI>impudent in their hypo|cri&s;ie;</HI> at the very &s;ame time that they acted all their a|bominations, they kept up a gaudy Pageant of Religi|on, they &s;pared for no co&s;t in the multitude of their &s;a|crifices, but appeared great Zelots in the <HI>Temple,</HI> which the Prophet, <HI>ver.</HI> 11. prote&s;ts again&s;t, as the wor&s;t part of all their wickedne&s;&s;e. <HI>Indeed &s;piritual wickedne&s;&s;e carries in it the very &s;pirits of wickedne&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="4" REF="4">And all this is not charged upon &s;ome petty party, and incon&s;iderable faction in the Nation, which had not been &s;o much, but the inditement is laid again&s;t the whole Nation, <HI>ver.</HI> 3. <HI>I&s;rael doth not know, ver.</HI> 4. <HI>Ah &s;inful Nation.</HI> The whole head and heart were as &s;ick of &s;in, as they were of &s;uffering. 'Tis &s;ad when all the hou&s;e are down together, or tho&s;e that are well, not enough to look to the &s;ick. There were indeed &s;ome gracious ones in that degenerate age, but &s;o few, that their Religion, like a pinte of wine in a tunne of wa|ter, could hardly be ta&s;ted amid&s;t &s;uch a multitude of ungodly ones.</P>
<P>Now as it is in the di&s;ea&s;es of the body, when a gene|ral di&s;temper hath invaded the whole (as in a Feaver or the like,) there is commonly &s;ome one principal part, who&s;e di&s;order affects all the re&s;t, which a wi&s;e Phy&s;ician be&s;tows his chiefe&s;t skill to finde out, as mo&s;t conducing to the cure: &s;o here, the &s;ad di&s;temper which the Jewi&s;h Nation lay under, both in regard of &s;in and mi&s;ery, is ob&s;erved by the Prophet in a great mea&s;ure, to have proceeded from one principal rank, and order of men among them, and that was their Ru|lers and Magi&s;trates, <HI>ver.</HI> 22, 23. <HI>Thy &s;ilver is become dro&s;&s;e, thy wine mixt with water, thy Princes are rebellious.</HI> Therefore the Lord levells his threatnings at their brea&s;t, in an e&s;pecial manner, <HI>ver.</HI> 24. <HI>Therefore, &s;aith the Lord, Ah, I will ea&s;e me of mine adver&s;aries.</HI> That as they had the greate&s;t hand in the &s;in, &s;o they &s;hould have the deepe&s;t draught in the judgement. No &s;ins lie hea|vier on Gods &s;tomack, and make him more heart-&s;ick, then theirs who &s;tand in high and publick place of Rule and Government. But le&s;t the godly &s;hould be di&s;couraged at the calamities denounced again&s;t them,
<PB N="5" REF="4">
(for they could not but know, it would be a &s;ad day with the whole Land, when God &s;hould make &s;uch an overturning of the great ones in it; the &s;torme of Gods vengeance &s;eldome falls &s;o upon Princes and Rulers, but that the people are taken in the &s;howre, and &s;hare with them in their &s;ufferings.) To fortifie therefore the hearts of the&s;e few godly ones, he opens his de&s;igne of mercy which he had towards them, even in the cap|tivity coming upon them, <HI>ver.</HI> 25. <HI>I will turne my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dro&s;se, and take a|way all thy Tinne;</HI> where he compares their captivity to a <HI>furnace,</HI> them&s;elves to <HI>&s;ilver,</HI> the ungodly among them e&s;pecially (Magi&s;trates that were &s;uch) to <HI>dro&s;&s;e and tin,</HI> and him&s;elf to the <HI>Refiner,</HI> and that his de&s;igne is not to con&s;ume, but purge them from this dro&s;&s;e that did allay and deba&s;e them, and when he had done this (&s;o as that wicked generation were once worne out) then he would provide better for them; faithful Magi&s;trates in the room of the ungodly ones removed, <HI>ver.</HI> 26. which are the words of the Text, <HI>And I will re&s;tore thy Judges as at the fir&s;t, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>So that tho&s;e words are as a lump of &s;ugar after a bitter draught, given to this poor people, to take away that unplea&s;ing farewel, which the threatening of a cap|tivity might leave on their thoughts.</P>
<P>Where by the way ob&s;erve, Gods love and tender care over the godly in evil times, when his wrath is in its greate&s;t career again&s;t the wicked, even then his thoughts of mercy are full at work in his heart for his people, he is carving a mercy for them out of the &s;ame Providence, in which he deals out vengeance to the un|godly; God can blow hot and cold, wrath and mercy to his enemies at the &s;ame breath; yea, he contents
<PB N="8" REF="5">
not him&s;elf with this purpo&s;e of love to his people, but al&s;o he mu&s;t acquaint them with it, that though they could not be put in pre&s;ent po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the promi&s;e, yet they might be kept in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of them&s;elves, and by patience be enabled more comfortably to expect the performance of it. No &s;uch &s;weet companion to go with the Saints to a pri&s;on, as a Promi&s;e. The bed of af|fliction of it &s;elfe is hard, now to prevent their to&s;&s;ing and tumbling in it, through angui&s;h of their pre&s;ent &s;orrow, he layes this &s;oft pillow of the Promi&s;e under their head; <HI>I will re&s;tore.</HI> And</P>
<P>The words are a Promi&s;e, wherein ob&s;erve</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the Per&s;on promi&s;ing, <HI>I will re&s;tore, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, the mercy promi&s;ed, <HI>Judge as at the fir&s;t, and Coun&s;ellours as at the beginning.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, the time and manner, when and how per|formed, wrap't up in the word, <HI>And;</HI> which &s;tands in the front of the <HI>Text,</HI> pointing to the preceding words, They indeed tell us when and how God will do this for them. <HI>I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dro&s;&s;e, and take away thy tinne.</HI> Then follows the Pro|mi&s;e in the Text, which comes in as a con&s;equent of that great National calamity to come upon them in the Babyloni&s;h captivity. So that though the birth would be joyous, yet before this Promi&s;e could be delivered, many a &s;ad paine and bitter throw &s;hould precede. The people of God have u&s;ually their harde&s;t labours of their greate&s;t mercies. So have Churches and Nations their greate&s;t Reformations, rai&s;ed out of their greate&s;t Confu&s;ions. Indeed, as a ve&s;&s;el of &s;ilver, (to which God compares <HI>Iudah</HI>) that is tempered of much dro&s;|&s;ie matter, and much batter'd and crack't, can never be refined and made fa&s;hionable, without melting and new
<PB N="7" REF="5">
ca&s;ting. So God lets them know, they were grown &s;o corrupt and nought, that they needed a hot and la&s;t|ing fire to burne up their dro&s;&s;e, that their Nation might he ca&s;t into a new mould, &s;o new, that the very forme of Government was to be changed.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, of the Per&s;on promi&s;ing, <HI>I will restore;</HI> In which ob&s;erve, how in promi&s;ing to give Judges and Coun&s;ellours, he ownes this order of Magi&s;tracy as law|ful, yea, claimes it as his Ordinance. Whence note.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> Magi&s;tracy is an Order and Office, which God him|&s;elf &s;ets up, yea, which he will have up in his Church, when in its be&s;t purity, as here he &s;peaks of a time of more Reformation then ordinary. <HI>In that time he will re&s;tore.</HI> Here is Divinity &s;tamp't upon the face of it. 'Tis called indeed an <HI>Ordinance of man,</HI> 1 Pet. 2.13. <GAP DESC="foreign">, not as if it were mans invention: for <HI>all Powers are of God,</HI> but becau&s;e 'tis di&s;charged by men, and intended for mans good. And truly it is &s;o di&s;ta&s;teful to the ungodly world, becau&s;e it layes their lu&s;ts in chaines, and &s;o torments them before their time, that if God had not been in this bu&s;h (&s;o oft on fire) it had been con&s;umed before this. There has been old tugging to pluck this plant up, but being of Gods plant|ing, it &s;tands too &s;ure for mans hand to root up.</P>
<P>We may u&s;e the &s;ame Argument to prove the Divi|nity of Magi&s;tracy, which &s;ometime we do the Divini|ty of Scripture, <HI>viz.</HI> the &s;trange pre&s;ervation of it in all the revolutions and changes that have come over the head of times, by warres, and the confu&s;ions that ac|company them. Some have indeed thrown off their Governours, but never could a Government, as &s;oon almo&s;t as one is off, another is in the &s;addle; yea, &s;o
<PB N="8" REF="6">
connatural it is to the principles and notions of mans minde, that a Government is found, where no Scripture is found to teach it.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="U&s;e"> Fir&s;t, then let us ble&s;&s;e God for a Government, as though it &s;hould be none of the be&s;t. It is a very bad Government indeed, that is wor&s;e then none at all. Where there is a Magi&s;tracy &s;ome may be oppre&s;t and wronged under it, but none can be righted where there is none. If might be right, then right will be wrong, and better poor people &s;hould &s;it under a &s;cratching bramble, then have no hedge at all to &s;helter them from winde and weather, &s;tormes I mean of popular fury. The <HI>Per&s;ians</HI> had a cu&s;tome, that when their Prince di|ed, &s;ome dayes (five as I remember) of mi&s;rule, were indulged the people, in which they might do what they would without controll, that by the rapines and outrages, which might well be thought would be com|mitted therein, they might be brought in love the more with the Per&s;on and Government of their &s;ucceeding Prince. It is a &s;ad way I confe&s;&s;e, but a &s;ure one, to know the happine&s;&s;e of a Government, by experiment|ing the confu&s;ion of an Anarchy.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="U&s;e"> Secondly, what &s;hall we think of tho&s;e who would take the &s;word from the Magi&s;trates &s;ide, though girded to it by Gods own hand? that call Magi&s;tracy it &s;elfe to the barre to &s;hew its Commi&s;&s;ion? This is no new Sect, we finde it one Article in the inditement of tho&s;e &s;educers, <HI>Jude</HI> 8. <HI>They did de&s;pi&s;e Dominion, and &s;peak evil of Dignity;</HI> Mark, not the per&s;ons did &s;o much di&s;plea&s;e them, as the office it &s;elfe; and it had been well for the Churches of Chri&s;t, if this errour had died with the fir&s;t Broachers of it; &s;ome <HI>Anabapti&s;ts</HI> of later times, have declared them&s;elves heires to this &s;pi|rit
<PB N="9" REF="6">
of confu&s;ion and di&s;order; Among other po&s;itions of this Sect in <HI>Tran&s;ilvania,</HI> publi&s;hed <HI>one thou&s;and five hundred &s;ixty and eight,</HI> I finde this one, openly vouch|ed by them, <HI>that 'tis a mark of Antichri&s;t to have in their Church Kings, Princes, and the &s;word of the Magi&s;trate, which Chri&s;t</HI> (&s;ay they) <HI>can no way allow in his Church;</HI> And I wi&s;h the &s;ea, which runs betwixt that land and ours, had been able to keep this errour from &s;etting foot on <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> ground. But is Magi&s;tracy &s;uch an uncir|cumci&s;ed thing, that it mu&s;t be &s;hut out of the pale of the Church? Is it an office fitted and formed for Heathens, and not Chri&s;tians? Truly, then I &s;hould chu&s;e to live rather among Heathens then Chri&s;tians. But how an tho&s;e reade the Scripture and not blu&s;h? were the Saints at <HI>Rome</HI> Heathens or Chri&s;tians? and doth the <HI>Apo&s;tle</HI> bring any &s;uch newes to them, doth he &s;ee them out of the Magi&s;trates precincts? No, <HI>He is the Mini&s;ter of God to them for good;</HI> and he tells them they mu&s;t needs be &s;ubject, (though then the Magi|&s;trate was no friend to the Church) and that not only <HI>for wrath,</HI> to &s;ave his skin from mans wrath, but <HI>for con|&s;cience &s;ake,</HI> to &s;ave their &s;oules from God, <HI>Rom.</HI> 13.4, 5. They cannot father their brat upon the Scri|pture; No, 'tis a mi&s;&s;hapen brat conceived in the wombe of ignorance, and begot by pride, and it will appear &s;o by the two principles, which are the very &s;eed, of which this errour is formed; and they are,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, a liberty which they fancie Chri&s;t hath given them, to which, &s;ubjection under Magi&s;tracy (for&s;ooth) is incon&s;i&s;tent; what will not a &s;trong imagination finde in the Scripture? even that which was never writ, if it hath but a &s;trong de&s;ire it &s;hould be &s;o to back it. A liberty that never came into his minde to give a
<PB N="10" REF="7">
&s;trange liberty that leads to licentiou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and ends in bondage. True liberty is to chu&s;e good, and reject e|vil, and this Magi&s;tracy is erected to defend thee in doing, <HI>Rom.</HI> 13. <HI>Rulers are not a terrour to good works.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, a perfection that they dream of, which lifts them up &s;o high, that now they need not the Mini&s;te|ry of the Magi&s;tracy to keep them within bounds. The Magi&s;trate is an avenger (&s;ay they) to execute wrath to them that do evil, but Saints, who are led by the Spirit, dare not do thus Well, &s;uppo&s;e them &s;o holy as they would &s;eem, yet do they not live among tho&s;e that are wicked? (I am &s;ure they think and &s;peak bad enough of all be&s;ides their own tribe,) and do they not need the Ma|gi&s;trates help, that they may be defended in the exer|ci&s;e of holine&s;&s;e? The Saints do not finde the world &s;o kinde, as that they &s;hould need di&s;mi&s;&s;e their guard, be|fore they get &s;afe to Heaven. But what horrible pride is this, to pretend to &s;uch a conduct of the Spirit, as to be priviledged from &s;in? the Apo&s;tles that were of as high a forme in the Spirits Schoole, I trow, as the be&s;t in the <HI>Anabapti&s;ts</HI> bunch, are willing to be branded them&s;elves for loud liars, if they &s;hould pretend to &s;uch a perfection. <HI>If we &s;ay we have no &s;in, we deceive our &s;elves, and the truth is not in us,</HI> 1 John 1.8. But the Chur|ches of Chri&s;t have had too much experience of many of the Anabapti&s;ts, to give them their hands to be &s;uch great Saints; No, no, 'tis not their perfection that lifts them up above Magi&s;tracy, but their lu&s;ts that make them not able to bear the Magi&s;trates power. Tho&s;e Scholars are the fir&s;t that would burne their Ma&s;ters rod, who have mo&s;t need of it. I am &s;ure this &s;ort of men have &s;hewen, they need Magi&s;tracy as much as others. And &s;ome of them, tho&s;e I mean at <HI>Mun|&s;ter</HI>
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in <HI>Germany</HI> convinced the world, (for all their loud cries again&s;t Magi&s;tracy at fir&s;t) that they liked the Magi&s;trates &s;eat well enough, when they could once come to &s;et them&s;elves in it. If God intend mercy for <HI>England,</HI> this <HI>Anti-Magi&s;tratical</HI> &s;pirit &s;hall not prevail; If we be too good to live under Magi&s;trates, Gods Vicegerents, we are too bad to live under Gods own care and Government. The <HI>Hebrewes</HI> have a Proverb, <HI>Migrandum e&s;t ex eo loco, in quo Rex non timetur.</HI> We had be&s;t make ha&s;te from that place where the King is not feared, as if &s;ome heavy judgement impended that place where Magi&s;trates are de&s;pi&s;ed; and it were a &s;in that could not long &s;tay for its guerdion and reward. I am &s;ure tho&s;e fanatick &s;pirits in <HI>Germany</HI> found the warrant of vengeance &s;ent from God again&s;t them, endor&s;ed with &s;peed.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="U&s;e"> Thirdly, Is Magi&s;tracy an Order of Gods erecting? a word then to you (<HI>worthy Gentlemen)</HI> into who&s;e lap the lot of this dayes choice &s;hall fall; Decline not the place for fear or ea&s;e. If God gives you a Commi&s;&s;i|on, you need not feare to act; you are but under-Offi|cers, and of all Cowards, he is the wor&s;t that dares not follow, when God leads him on. <HI>Go in this thy might</HI> (&s;aith <HI>God</HI> to <HI>Gideon) have not I &s;ent thee?</HI> Judges 6.14. Gods Word was his Warrant, and Gods Warrant was his Protection. <HI>Frederick</HI> Duke of <HI>Saxony,</HI> when he had read <HI>Luthers</HI> book, put out in Vindication of the divine Authority of Magi&s;tracy again&s;t the <HI>Anabapti&s;ts,</HI> lift up his hands to heaven, and ble&s;t God, that he lived to &s;ee the place of Magi&s;tracy, wherein he &s;tood, &s;o clearly proved from Scripture evidence, to be a place wherein he might with a good con&s;cience act, &s;o as to
<PB N="12" REF="8">
plea&s;e God therein. The Magi&s;trates office we &s;ee is honourable, becau&s;e 'tis of God, yet &s;ometimes it goes a begging, but 'tis a certaine &s;igne of calamitous times, when good and worthy Patriots are loth to appear on the &s;tage of Government. <HI>Kings, Palaces, and Senate-hou&s;es</HI> do not u&s;e to &s;tand long empty, or are hard to be let, except &s;ome evil &s;pirit from the troubles of the times haunt them, and then indeed it is no wonder to hear it &s;aid, as in that deplored time of <HI>Judah</HI>'s declining-&s;tate, <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 3.7. <HI>I will not be a healer, make me not a Ruler of the people;</HI> If the Phy&s;ician will not take the Patient in hand, 'tis to be feared, he thinks the di&s;ea&s;e too far gone, and he &s;hall have little credit in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, if he hap to mi&s;carry under his hand. Indeed <HI>State Phy&s;icians,</HI> though never &s;o faithful, can hardly e&s;cape blame, if they do not the cure. The multitude judge the Pilot good or bad, as the voyage he makes, is gainful or lo&s;ing to the Owners. But I hope you have learn't not to judge your &s;elves by others thoughts, <HI>Nemo mi&s;er &s;en&s;u alieno,</HI> no man is mi&s;erable by what others think of him; If you be not willing to give up your own name to be &s;acrifi|ced by the multitude, there is little hope of being a Sa|viour to your Countrey. Chri&s;t could not have &s;aved man, if he had &s;tood upon &s;aving his Name among men, he was willing to do them good, though he was thought and &s;poken all to naught by them for his paines.</P>
<P>Do your duty, and leave the i&s;&s;ue to God; I con|fe&s;&s;e, 'tis a blu&s;tring time, but &s;ometime Marriners find faire weather at &s;ea, when they launch out in a &s;torme. That God hath the winde in his fi&s;t that &s;ends you to &s;ea, and if a &s;torme meet you in your work, Chri&s;t can
<PB N="13" REF="8">
&s;oon be with you in it, and &s;ave you from it. God is not more &s;een in &s;ea tempe&s;ts, then he is in land-&s;tormes, confu&s;ions, I mean, of States and Nations. <HI>He that &s;tills the noi&s;e of the &s;eas, doth the tumult of the people,</HI> P&s;al. 65.7. They are there, and may well be put together. Well, whatever comes of it, it will be more honourable and &s;afe for you (when called) to be found in <HI>Parliament,</HI> endeavouring to heal the bleeding wounds of the Nation, though to your private hazard, then &s;aving your own skins whole at home. Is it not &s;ad, that a poor woman in travel &s;hould die for want of help, becau&s;e 'tis midnight when &s;he calls, and her neigh|bours, loth to break their re&s;ts, or come out in the cold to &s;ave her life? <HI>England</HI> is now in travel, and calls you to her labour; take heed that the gho&s;t of your ruined Nation doth not haunt you to your graves, for denying your help. I confe&s;&s;e, 'tis like to &s;peed the wor&s;e with the poor Land, becau&s;e of &s;ome unhappy di&s;|appointments in former A&s;&s;emblies; 'tis with <HI>England,</HI> as with a woman that hath oft called her women, but her paines have gone over and nothing to be done, which makes her want help when &s;he hath mo&s;t need of it; But who knowes that now the full time is not come for a birth? God only keeps reckoning for States-deli|verances, better go twenty times, when called <HI>re infe|ct&acirc;,</HI> then thy place once found empty, when the work indeed comes to be done.</P>
<P>Secondly, as God by this Promi&s;e of <HI>giving Judges as at the fir&s;t, and Coun&s;ellours as at the beginning,</HI> ownes this order and &s;tate of Magi&s;tracy, &s;o he layes claim to the di&s;po&s;ure of per&s;ons that bear this office, <HI>I will re|&s;tore, &amp;c.</HI> It implies, that he had a hand in taking away
<PB N="14" REF="9">
tho&s;e holy Governours which ruled them in the fir&s;t and better times for their &s;ins; and ordering wor&s;e in their roomes, as a plague for tho&s;e &s;ins; and that now he will fill the Magi&s;trates Seat again with faithful Judges and Coun&s;ellours like their fir&s;t. Note hence,</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> That not only the office of Magi&s;tracy is of Gods e|recting, but the per&s;ons al&s;o in the place of Magi&s;tracy, (whether good or bad) are of Gods appointing. When the Magi&s;trates place is to be filled, though it be but in a private <HI>Corporation,</HI> what plotting and &s;iding is there, every one to lift up a head for his own faction? And I wi&s;h there were not too much of this crowded into the great A&s;&s;embly of this day, wherein mo&s;t (it is to be feared) come rather to &s;erve a party, yea, &s;ome particu|lar per&s;on with their &s;uffrages, then God and their Coun|trey; well, plot what you can, Heaven will carry it from you all, you (with all the bu&s;&s;le and pudder that is made) are but the flie upon the wheel, 'tis the wheele of Providence, not you, that determines the i&s;&s;ue of this dayes meeting. Matches are made in heaven be|tween Magi&s;trates and people; when they voted for Chri&s;t to die, and <HI>Barabbas</HI> to live, they did but make up the work, that God had cut out to their hand; chu&s;e well or ill, you cannot denie God his ca&s;ting voice. When the ten tribes made a rent from the hou&s;e of <HI>Da|vid,</HI> it is &s;aid indeed <HI>Ho&s;ea</HI> 84. <HI>They have &s;et up Kings, and not by me; they have made Princes, and I knew it not;</HI> that is, they asked not Gods leave, <HI>they were not by him,</HI> that is, not by his approbation, <HI>Princes that he knew not,</HI> that is, not by their acquainting him, they took not God into their Councel, and if God could have known it no
<PB N="15" REF="9">
known it no way, el&s;e he &s;hould have been wholly igno|rant of the matter, yet God tells them, he gave them the&s;e very Kings and Princes, <HI>Ho&s;ea</HI> 13.11. Gods &s;ecret Providence had the ordering of the matter, while they plea&s;e their own lu&s;t, they fulfilled Gods Councel wrath, who by their own wicked choice intended to plague them for their former &s;in.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="U&s;e"> Are Magi&s;trates good or bad &s;ent of God? &s;ee the way how to obtain a good choice this day, that is, by plying hard the throne of grace, if we have faithful Magi&s;trates, they mu&s;t be of Gods &s;ending, <HI>I will re|&s;tore,</HI> and no Key like prayer to open Gods heart. <HI>God rules the world by the lu&s;ts of his enemies, and by the pray|ers of his Saints;</HI> he by di&s;appointing the one, and &s;tir|ring up, as al&s;o graciou&s;ly an&s;wering the other, accom|pli&s;heth his own ends in the affaires of the word. The <HI>Egyptians</HI> policies, and <HI>I&s;raels</HI> prayers, helped on the ru|ine of the one and deliverance of the other; when <HI>I&s;rael</HI> groaned under the bondage of <HI>Pharaoh,</HI> the <HI>Lord heares their cry,</HI> and &s;aves them by the hand of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> it was worth their groaning to get &s;uch a change, a <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> that carried them tenderly on his &s;houlder, for a <HI>Pha|raoh</HI> the cruelly rid on their backs. Prayer moves the great wheel of the Clock, that &s;ets all the re&s;t a going. Per&s;wade God, and he will per&s;wade man; <HI>Jacob</HI> was afraid of <HI>E&s;au,</HI> and makes God his friend, and <HI>God</HI> made <HI>E&s;au</HI> his friend; He that could give <HI>Saul</HI> ano|ther &s;pirit, and &s;o altered the property of the man, that before he is aware he &s;hall prophe&s;ie with the <HI>Prophets;</HI> he can alter tho&s;e purpo&s;es which men had in their hearts when they came forth this day, and make them Vote for tho&s;e they little thought on, he can make pro|fane
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ones ca&s;t their &s;uffrages into the lap of tho&s;e that are godly; and truly if it were not &s;o, I &s;hould wonder how a <HI>faithful, godly Parliament-man</HI> could be cho&s;en in <HI>England,</HI> where the heap carries it. It hath been a cu|&s;tome in former times among us, for letters to come thick from Court, when Parliaments were to be cho&s;en, to Townes and Corporations, which had almo&s;t the effect of a <HI>Mandamus.</HI> To be &s;ure, God can &s;end in|to the bo&s;omes of men his &s;ecret me&s;&s;ages, which &s;hall awe their con&s;ciences, <HI>Gen.</HI> 31.29. <HI>It is in the power of my hand</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Laban</HI> to <HI>Jacob,) to do you hurt, but the God of your fathers &s;pake unto me ye&s;ternight, &s;aying, Take thou heed, &amp;c.</HI> Poor man! in his power? when God had tied his hands behinde him, yea, &s;ealed up his mouth, that he could not &s;peak a word but what God formed for him: Hath not God thus met &s;ome of you on your way, over-powering your hearts again&s;t your former thoughts? If he hath not met with you as you come, to binde up your hand from writing for an unworthy per&s;on, you may expect to meet him as you go home, &s;ometime or other upon a &s;adder-errand. Better <HI>Cain</HI> had met God before he gave the bloody blow, to have &s;tayed his hand from &s;triking it, then af|terward to meet him with that di&s;mal Que&s;tion, <HI>O what ha&s;t thou done!</HI> O it will pierce thy heart like a Dagger, when God &s;hall ask another day, What ha&s;t thou done in giving thy voice for &s;uch as will help to ruine, not to heal the land? Thou art the Murderer of thy Countrey, and its blood I will require at thy hands. So much of the <HI>fir&s;t Branch, the Per&s;on promi&s;ing;</HI> the <HI>&s;econd</HI> follows, the <HI>mercy promi&s;ed, Judges as at the fir&s;t, and Coun&s;ellours as at the beginning.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="17" REF="10">Three Que&s;tions may here be propounded, why Judges and Coun&s;ellours are here promi&s;ed, and not Kings and Princes? why the Promi&s;e double both Judges and Coun&s;ellours? And la&s;tly, why Judges as at the fir&s;t?</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>Why Judges and Coun&s;ellours, and not Kings and Princes?</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e this Promi&s;e had a particular re&s;pect to a time, when their Government was not to be Monarchi|cal, <HI>(viz.)</HI> after their returne from captivity, when this Promi&s;e took place in <HI>Nehemiah, Ezra, Zerubbabel,</HI> and other faithful Judges, that after them ruled the <HI>Jewi&s;h</HI> State; where I pray ob&s;erve,<MILESTONE UNIT="Note."> That it matters not &s;o much what kinde of Government a people live under, as what kinde of Governours. Let the Go|vernment be what it will, if the per&s;ons be naught in who&s;e hands it is, all will be naught: The <HI>Jewes</HI> &s;aw happy dayes under <HI>Kingly</HI> Government, when the <HI>Kings</HI> were gracious and wi&s;e, and happy under <HI>Judges</HI> and <HI>Coun&s;ellours,</HI> (&s;uch as <HI>Mo&s;es, Jo&s;hua, Zerubbabel,)</HI> though with le&s;&s;e worldly &s;plendour, and they &s;aw as mi&s;erable dayes, under both Kings and Judges, being under the former delivered up into the hand of the <HI>A&s;|&s;yrian</HI> and <HI>Babylonian;</HI> and by the factions of the latter betrayed at la&s;t into the hand of the <HI>Romane</HI> power: the &s;word of Government cuts as the hand is that holds it.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Que&s;t."> Secondly, <HI>Why runs the Promi&s;e double, both Judges and Coun&s;ellours?</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> Becau&s;e the&s;e by a <HI>Synecdoche</HI> comprehend whole Magi&s;tracy. Two things concurre to compleat a Go|vernment; Wi&s;dome to make whole&s;om Lawes, and
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Advice for the good of the People; and faithfulne&s;&s;e with courage to execute the&s;e Lawes; for the fir&s;t, here are Coun&s;ellours to advi&s;e and forme Lawes; for the &s;econd, here are Judges to inform and put life into the&s;e Lawes by execution; <HI>Coun&s;ellours</HI> without <HI>Judges,</HI> are as a head without a hand; <HI>Judges</HI> without <HI>Coun&s;ellours,</HI> a hand without a head.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Q."> Thirdly, <HI>But why Judges as at the fir&s;t?</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="A."> To implie their pre&s;ent degeneracy from the primi|tive con&s;titution, when fir&s;t formed into a Common|wealth by <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> or after in a Kingdome by <HI>David; where by the way we &s;ee,</HI><MILESTONE UNIT="Note."> The be&s;t con&s;tituted Govern|ments are prone in time to degenerate. The nearer the Spring, the clearer the water: the farther the &s;tream runs from its fir&s;t &s;ource, the more muddy it is and troubled. And indeed as of States, &s;o 'tis of Chur|ches, pure&s;t at fir&s;t planting, like Apples, faire and &s;ound when fir&s;t pluck't from the tree, but in time &s;peck and rot; The world we live in is a muggi&s;h and rafty aire, the be&s;t things &s;oone&s;t decay in it: hence it is that God brings &s;uch revolutions upon Nations and Churches, one change is productive of another; <HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> they change in purity, and grow corrupt; <HI>Then God</HI> changes their peace and pro&s;perity; yea, &s;ometimes of their very forme and vi&s;ible con&s;titution.</P>
<P>But we &s;hall wave the points tho&s;e con&s;iderations would afford us, and take up one Conclu&s;ion, which a|ri&s;eth from the Subject matter of the Promi&s;e in gene|ral, and 'tis this.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> <HI>That faithful Magi&s;trates are a choice ble&s;&s;ing to a Na|tion. I will re&s;tore Judges as at the fir&s;t, &amp;c.</HI> None of Gods gifts are <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>giftle&s;&s;e gifts;</HI> it is worth
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the having what God thinks is worth the promi&s;ing; yea, when he gives a people faithful Governours, he makes account he gives them a mercy not of the lea&s;t magnitude.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, ob&s;erve on what de&s;igne God makes this Promi&s;e, which &s;peaks it a choice mercy; and that is to quiet and compo&s;e their thoughts in the expectation of their captivity ha&s;tening upon them, and to make them the more willingly to leave their own land, upon this ac|count, that when they returne, they &s;hould gain this by all their &s;ufferings, to have <HI>Judges</HI> as at the <HI>first,</HI> as if this were a recompence adequate to all their lo&s;&s;es and troubles. It mu&s;t needs be &s;ome great thing that a man offers, to make a man willing to have his arme cut off, or endure &s;ome great torment. God gives this Promi&s;e, to make them patiently bear the calamities which their long captivity will bring with it, and there|fore is a great mercy.</P>
<P>Again, ob&s;erve how this is promi&s;ed, not as a &s;ingle mercy, but as a mercy that hath many in the wombe of it; a mercy repre&s;entative of all the good he had in his thoughts to be&s;tow upon them; he makes choice of this, as the fitte&s;t Interpreter of his large heart, as that which might be&s;t a&s;&s;ure them of his love towards them. <HI>I will re&s;tore Judges as at the fir&s;t,</HI> it is as much as if he had &s;aid, I will re&s;tore all manner of ble&s;&s;ings into your bo&s;ome; Indeed as Magi&s;trates are, &s;o we may ex|pect things will go in a Nation: There is no one place where we may &s;tand at greater advantage to &s;ee what God intends for a people (good or evil) then by ob&s;er|ving what Rulers and Governours, his Providence or|ders out to them. The very <HI>Heathens</HI> &s;ignified thus
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much by their cu&s;tome, who in erecting the &s;tatues of their Magi&s;trates by fountaines, did imply, that from them i&s;&s;ued out the good or evil of a people. Two wayes it goes ill or well with a Nation.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, when Religion and Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e &s;tand or fall. Without tho&s;e, Nations are but forre&s;ts of wilde bea&s;ts, where the &s;tronger devoure the weaker. As the Ma|gi&s;trate is, &s;o are the&s;e lift up or ca&s;t down; no &s;oon|er here in the text is Religion and Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e &s;et down in the Chaire of Government, but we finde the influence of it among the people, <HI>I will re&s;tore thy Judg|es as at the fir&s;t, &amp;c.</HI> then it follows, <HI>Afterward thou &s;halt be called a City of Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, a faithful City.</HI> So &s;oon doth the City learne to write, after the Copy which the Court &s;ets her. The <HI>Septuagint</HI> upon that place, <HI>P&s;alme</HI> 24.7. <HI>Lift up your heads, O ye gates, &amp;c.</HI> read thus <GAP DESC="foreign">, &amp;c. Lift up the Gates, O ye Princes. The Gate leads the way to the City, and the Magi&s;trate hath the command of the Gate, as he opens or &s;huts the Gate, &s;o is Religion en|tertained or &s;hut out of a Nation, in the publick Pro|fe&s;&s;ion of it. Therefore the open idolatry of a Nation is laid by God him&s;elf at the Magi&s;trates door, <HI>Mich,</HI> 1.5. <HI>For the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of Jacob is all this, and for the &s;ins of the Hou&s;e of I&s;rael.</HI> Now mark the next words, <HI>What is the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of Jacob? is it not Samaria? and what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jeru&s;a|lem?</HI> That is, what is the Spring of all this idolatry, and other abominations of the&s;e two Kingdomes? Is it not the two chief Cities, and Princes Courts kept there? Reade Scripture-Story, and you &s;hall finde Re|ligion flouri&s;hed and faded among the <HI>Jewes,</HI> as their
<PB N="21" REF="12">
Magi&s;trates were good or bad. When <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> by death let fall his leading &s;taffe, and there was a godly <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> to take it up, it yet went well with Religion. When <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> went off the &s;tage, and there were but any of tho&s;e faithful <HI>Elders</HI> left, who &s;hared with him in the Govern|ment to hold the helme, Religion was &s;afe, but when they were gathered to their fathers, and none to come into their place, and fill up the breach, then all went to wrack in Church and State, as we finde, <HI>Judges</HI> 2.11. <HI>Then the children of I&s;rael did evil in the &s;ight of the Lord, and &s;erved Baalim.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> Secondly, it goes well or ill with a people, as the out|ward peace and pro&s;perity fares, and this opens or &s;huts as the Magi&s;trates are. The <HI>Queen of Sheba</HI> without a Spirit of Prophecy, was able to &s;ee happy dayes co|ming on the Jewes from the piety and wi&s;dom &s;he ob|&s;erved in their Prince, 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 9.8. <HI>Becau&s;e thy God loved I&s;rael to e&s;tabli&s;h them for ever, therefore made he thee King over them to do Judgement and Ju&s;tice.</HI> So the wickedne&s;&s;e of the <HI>Kings</HI> of the ten <HI>Tribes,</HI> after their rent from the hou&s;e of <HI>David,</HI> (for 'tis ob&s;erved, not a good one is to be found of the whole pack, though &s;ome le&s;&s;e evil then other) is by the Spirit of God inter|preted, to proceed from his di&s;plea&s;ure and purpo&s;es of wrath, that he had taken up again&s;t them, to break and ruine them, <HI>Ho&s;ea</HI> 13.11. <HI>I gave thee a King in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath.</HI> Which is &s;poken (if you ob&s;erve the place) not of <HI>Saul,</HI> but of the ten <HI>Tribes</HI> after their rent from <HI>Judah;</HI> and not of a particu|lar per&s;on, but of the whole &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of Kings from <HI>Jeroboam</HI> to the la&s;t, under whom their captivity found them. God gave them in wrath, that is, &s;uch as were
<PB N="22" REF="13">
&s;it in&s;truments to be a plague to them, and execute Gods wrath upon them; and when he took any of them away, it was to make room for a wor&s;e, till by degrees the Nation (as a mor&s;el prepared for a forrein enemie) drop't into the <HI>A&s;&s;yrians</HI> mouth, and was devoured by them. The whole <HI>Series</HI> of the <HI>Jewi&s;h</HI> Chronicle will confirme this, that when God intended mercy to them, he gave them faithful Magi&s;trates; when wrath and judgement, he opened the door for it, by taking them out of the way. <HI>Jo&s;iah,</HI> who came to the throne in all ill time, and found it deep in arreares with God, yea, un|der an arre&s;t from God, for the abominations of for|mer times, and the people, at pre&s;ent, not much amend|ed, being kept in rather by his royal Sanction, then their own inclination, for 'tis &s;aid, he made <HI>them &s;tand to the Covenant.</HI></P>
<P>Which implies, they would &s;oon have fallen to ido|latry, and their own wayes, had not he &s;hored them up by his authority; yet this holy mans zeal for God and Religion, doing as much as he could, <HI>tant&acirc; faec&ecirc; populi,</HI> reprieved them, and was their Baile to keep them out of pri&s;on, as long as he was above ground; but no &s;oon|er his head laid in the du&s;t, and his wicked children in the throne, but God calls for his debt, and would &s;tay no longer.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="&V;&s;e."> Are faithful Magi&s;trates &s;uch a choice ble&s;&s;ing? Then in the feare of God, be &s;erious, and con&s;ider the weight of that work, about which from all quarters of this County you are met this day. God forbid, that I &s;hould think any of you came with &s;o wicked a minde, as to do this Nation, the place of your Nativity, a mi&s;|chief; yet let me tell you, that if you did owe a
<PB N="23" REF="13">
&s;pight to the peace and happine&s;&s;e thereof, I know no way like this, wherein you could pay it to the full, by choo&s;ing unfaithful Coun&s;ellours. <HI>David,</HI> when he meant to cur&s;e Gods enemy and his to purpo&s;e, one thing he wi&s;hed him, was, that <HI>God would &s;et a wicked man over him,</HI> P&s;al. 109.6. one that would make no con|&s;cience to oppre&s;&s;e him, and tyrannically lord it over him; yea, God him&s;elf puts it among his dreadful cur|&s;es, <HI>Levit.</HI> 26.17. <HI>I will &s;et my face again&s;t you, and tho&s;e that hate you &s;hall reigne over you.</HI> I &s;hall lay but foure Arguments before you, to per&s;wade you to a con|&s;cientious care in your pre&s;ent bu&s;ine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> Fir&s;t, con&s;ider they are great things that you tru&s;t them with, whom you chu&s;e to &s;it in the great <HI>Senate</HI> of the <HI>Nation;</HI> you tru&s;t them with your pur&s;e, and I am &s;ure mo&s;t of you account that &s;omething, what|ever you think of other things; you will know him well, to whom you will give the Key of your che&s;t, where your money lies. You tru&s;t them with your li|berties and lives, and tho&s;e your pur&s;es have paid &s;ound|ly for; yea, with your Religion, without which the o|ther are not worth the taking up. In one word, with all that is dear to you as <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> men, as <HI>Chri&s;tians,</HI> you put that power into their hands, which if they be not the more faithful, they may turne like a cannon upon your own brea&s;ts, and &s;o you mo&s;t truly become <HI>felo de &s;e,</HI> guilty of your own mi&s;eries; and let me tell you, tho&s;e &s;orrows have a peculiar bitterne&s;&s;e in them above all other, which are not impo&s;ed on us, but cho&s;en by us. Better an enemy &s;hould come in and turne us by force of armes, out of po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the&s;e, then we &s;end tho&s;e that &s;hall Vote us out of them, partly becau&s;e of the little pity we &s;hall de&s;erve, or can rea|&s;onably
<PB N="24" REF="14">
expect from others, when they &s;hall &s;ee the rod with which we are whip't was of our own gathering; as al&s;o becau&s;e of the inward guilt which will adde a further &s;tinging con&s;ideration then all this to our &s;or|rows, and deprive us of tho&s;e comforts which the con|&s;cience of doing our duty would help us to, in the greate&s;t calamities that otherwi&s;e could befall us. He that is acce&s;&s;ory to the burning down of his hou&s;e, by the negligence of a drunken per&s;on, whom he tru&s;ted to watch and keep it, hath more rea&s;on to be troubled, then he that hath it con&s;umed by a fire from heaven, or &s;ome other inevitable Povidence. O Sirs, there are le&s;&s;e matters then the&s;e, in which you would be very choice and curious; if you were to chu&s;e a Nur&s;e for your childe, you would look for one of a healthful con&s;titution and good di&s;po&s;ition, you would weigh and ta&s;te her milke whether good or no; You are now to choo&s;e <HI>Nur&s;es</HI> for three Nations, &s;o Magi&s;trates are call'd in Scripture, <HI>Nur&s;ing Fathers and Mothers;</HI> You are to choo&s;e the&s;e in a time of the&s;e Nations langui&s;hing, as the only meanes under God, (&s;o thought by the be&s;t Phy&s;icians among us,) to recover the con&s;umptive &s;tate of this great body; and will you &s;end any to &s;uch a place and work, before you know what milk they have given in their private capacities in the Countrey? If you were to choo&s;e a Shield, &s;hould it be one that would let the arrow come through it, to pierce you to the heart? Magi&s;trates are the <HI>Shields of the earth.</HI> You value the life of the Nation little, that will put a Shield into its hand you have not well tried; I am &s;ure, <HI>David</HI> threw away Armour, though it were a <HI>Kings,</HI> becau&s;e he had not tried it; in a word, if you were but to choo&s;e a Shepherd, or a Herd&s;man, any
<PB N="25" REF="14">
&s;hould not &s;erve your turne. <HI>Pharaoh</HI> a King thought it not beneath his care, though in &s;o low a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, <HI>Gen.</HI> 47.6. <HI>If thou knowe&s;t any man,</HI> &s;aith he to <HI>Jo|&s;eph, of activity among&s;t thy brethren, make them rulers over my cattel;</HI> you are to choo&s;e &s;uch, as are not to go before bea&s;ts, but to lead in and out the Lords people and flock.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> Secondly, con&s;ider your voices and &s;uffrages are not your owne, to be&s;tow them where you li&s;t, to grati|fie this friend, or that party withal. No, if you do, you give what is not your own. What <HI>Jeho&s;haphat</HI> &s;aid to his Judges, I may with a little alteration apply to you that are <HI>Electours</HI> this day, 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 19.6. <HI>Take heed what you do, for yee choo&s;e not for man, but for the Lord, who is with you in the choice.</HI> He is with you to ob&s;erve who you give your hand for, and why you give it. There is one more that takes hands, then you &s;ee. When Bi&s;hop <HI>Latimer</HI> heard a pen going behind the hanging, as he was upon examination before the <HI>Queens Councel,</HI> it made him more watchful what he &s;aid; and &s;hall not Gods pen, that walkes behinde the Tent, where thou &s;ette&s;t thy hand, make thee con&s;cien|tious. 'Tis God we have to do with in this matter, he is the Supreme Lord of Nations; all Magi&s;trates are his under-Officers, and hold their place of him, and are to do faithful &s;ervice for him. <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> 'tis &s;aid, <HI>was faith|ful as a &s;ervant, Heb.</HI> 3.5. Now, of what dangerous con&s;equence is it for a people, to chu&s;e one into an of|fice, that is a Traitour to his Prince? This thou doe&s;t, when thou &s;ette&s;t thy hand for an unfaithful per&s;on. Magi&s;trates are &s;aid to be taken into <HI>Gods throne,</HI> 2 <HI>Chro.</HI> 9.8. Now, dare&s;t thou &s;et Gods enemie in Gods throne? what is this, but to &s;et up a Standard again&s;t
<PB N="26" REF="15">
God, and declare to the world thou woulde&s;t &s;hake off his Government. This day the temper of this Nati|on will be di&s;covered, no way that I know like this to feel how its pul&s;e beats; and for my own part, as this &s;olemn National act &s;hall appear, I cannot look upon it otherwi&s;e, then as our owning or di&s;owning God, to be our God, to rule over us; and if the Nation do but vouch God to be their God, by a godly choice, I &s;hall not bury my hopes for our future happine&s;&s;e; God comes in mercy many times before he is &s;ent for; but he departs not to carrie away his mercie from a people, till they give him leave to go, yea, drive him away; and oh, how unhappy art thou, O <HI>England,</HI> if thou may&s;t &s;till have thy God, and will not?</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3"> Thirdly, con&s;ider the &s;olemn Obligation that lies up|on us, by a National Covenant, (famous through the Chri&s;tian world, and we infamous for the breach of it,) to promote, and procure with our utmo&s;t endeavours the Reformation of the Land. God hath, I beleeve, mo&s;t of your hands to &s;hew for this, and dare&s;t thou who ha&s;t bound thy &s;elfe in &s;uch a Covenant, give thy voice for an unworthy man to &s;it in Parliament, whom thy con&s;cience, (if thou woulde&s;t have patience to heare it,) will tell thee, he will never be the man that will help on that work with any Vote of his, yea, that is an enemy to it, and feares it more then de&s;ires it? if thou ha&s;t got the ma&s;tery of thy con&s;cience, &s;o far as to do this bold act, let me tell thee what thou doe&s;t; thou com|e&s;t this day to declare in the face of all the Countrey, yea, before God, men, and Angels, that thou art a for&s;worne wretch; and if thou gette&s;t this brand up|on thy forehead once, go where thou wilt, thou drage&s;t a chaine after thee, that will binde thee over to the fear|ful
<PB N="27" REF="15">
expectation of Gods wrath; that (come it &s;ooner or later) will take hold on thee. And now tell me, had&s;t thou not better have been a&s;leep in thy bed, yea, &s;ick in thy bed, yea, dead in thy grave, then to have come hither to do &s;o unhappy a dayes work? Oh, think when thou goe&s;t this day to give thy &s;uffrage for any that thou did&s;t &s;ee the Covenant with thy hand at it &s;pread before thee; dur&s;t thou then venture, to blot out what there thou ha&s;t wrote, by a wicked and unworthy choice? Suppo&s;e one &s;hould put him&s;elf under an oath of friend&s;hip, to promote the good and welfare of another, to his utmo&s;t power, (as <HI>Jona|than</HI> to <HI>David</HI>) and this his friend, to whom he is thus engaged, falling &s;ick, &s;hould tru&s;t him to bring a Phy&s;i|cian to him, and he &s;hould fetch a murderer to poi&s;on him, or an Emperick which by his ignorance &s;hould kill him (which comes to all one) Oh, how would his oath rot upon his con&s;cience? This thou doe&s;t, only with this aggravation, thou doe&s;t it to a Nation, he to a pri|vate per&s;on; before therefore thou &s;ub&s;cribe&s;t, &s;pend one thought more upon the matter. Con&s;ider, thou &s;tande&s;t at the greate&s;t advantage of paying thy vows, and performing thy Covenant this day, that thou may|e&s;t in all thy life; po&s;&s;iblie, before the three yeares for a Parliament come about, thou maye&s;t be &s;ummoned in|to another world, to give an account, how thou be&s;tow|ed&s;t thy voice now; or if alive, thou maye&s;t be re&s;er|ved to &s;ee a poor Nation helped to its ruine by thy hand and &s;uch as thou art.</P>
<P>Fourthly, con&s;ider the greate&s;t hopes our enemies have is to ruine us by our own Councels: The time hath been, the plot was to blow up our Parliaments, now they labour to blow us up by our Parliaments; to make
<PB N="28" REF="16">
our Parliaments, I mean, blow us up by their de&s;tru|ctive Councels, and a Nation cannot die of a wor&s;e death, then to be ruined by their Saviours, and how near we have been undoing by &s;ome of them, 'tis &s;o late, I think, I need not help your memories.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Que&s;t."><HI>But you will &s;ay, Who is the man fit for our &s;uffrage?</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> A hard Que&s;tion, who fit for &s;uch a place, among &s;uch a people, and at &s;uch a time, a Que&s;tion, I hope you have been asking your &s;elves, and others, wi&s;er then the Preacher, before you came hither; It were impudence for me to undertake a re&s;olution, yet I &s;hall not be too bold, if I lay a few Scripture lines together, which will make up an excellent Pourtraiture of a Parliament-man, though, I fear, we mu&s;t abate &s;omething of the beauty which will appear in the face of it, if we choo&s;e any this day. The face is &s;eldome &s;o faire as the pi|cture. I am &s;ure you will finde it impo&s;&s;ible to meet with any among the &s;ons of men, who&s;e graces are &s;o o|rient and un&s;ullied, as to an&s;wer the Magi&s;trates face, as it is drawn by the Holy Spirits curious pencil in the Word. And therefore your care is to come as neare the pattern, as the imperfections of the be&s;t among you will permit. You may &s;ee on a piece of clay, that hath been pre&s;t with a curious cut &s;eal, its true &s;tamp, though &s;o ragged, as will tell you, 'tis clay, not gold like the &s;eal. So there are &s;ome among us (I doubt not) on whom you may finde tho&s;e Magi&s;tratical endow|ments and graces, that are engraved by the Spirit of God on the &s;eal of the Word, yet &s;o as their imperfe|ctions will tell us that they are printed upon fraile fle&s;h and blood.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, enquire for the feare of God in tho&s;e you chu&s;e. This is writ with &s;o large a character in Scripture upon
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the Magi&s;trates forehead, and is &s;o principal a letter in his Name, that it cannot be well &s;pelled without it, <HI>Exod.</HI> 18.21. <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> bids them provide &s;uch men as feare God; Magi&s;trates are called gods, becau&s;e none among the &s;ons of men repre&s;ent his Power and Maje|&s;tie like them; by &s;tamping Authoritie upon a wicked man, what do you but pre&s;ent the beautiful face of God to the world in a broken gla&s;&s;e, and give them by his ill-favoured countenance, an occa&s;ion of &s;etting up vnworthie thoughts of God in their hearts, as if he were like him who is &s;et in his place? Some Kings have commanded, that none &s;hould carve this Pourtraiture in any meaner mettal then gold; And is it not pitie that Gods Image &s;hould be &s;tamp't upon a per&s;on of ba&s;e mettal? as every ungodlie man is, how much &s;oever his name &s;wells in riches and honours in the worlds &s;tile; <HI>Antiochus</HI> called a vile per&s;on, <HI>Dan.</HI> 11.21. The poor|e&s;t Saint he per&s;ecuted, was a Starre, and he as vile as dirt, even while he &s;tamped them under his foot of pride. He that puts a wicked man in place willinglie, would, if he could, pull a righteous God out of place. We had need look for the fear of God in tho&s;e we chu&s;e into Government, the more becau&s;e they are &s;o far a|bove the fear of any el&s;e, and if they have not the fear of God to keep them right no wonder if they mi&s;carrie: When <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> would per&s;wade his brethren they &s;hould have hone&s;t dealing with him, &s;ee what pawne he gives them, <HI>Gen.</HI> 42 18 <HI>This do, for I feare God.</HI> Indeed his power was &s;o great, that if the feare of God had not gi|ven law to his con&s;cience, he had them at &s;uch advantage, that he might have revenged him&s;elf upon them for their unkindne&s;&s;e, yea, crueltie to him without laying his own &s;afetie to &s;take at all from man; The Governours that
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went before <HI>Nehemiah,</HI> wanting this, nothing could keep them from oppre&s;&s;ion, whereas good <HI>Nehemiah</HI> him&s;elf, had no other cord but this to tie his hands, <HI>Ne|hemiah</HI> 5.15. <HI>But &s;o did not I, becau&s;e of the fear of the Lord.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> Secondly, enquire for wi&s;dom and ability of parts, for the work to which you choo&s;e them, <HI>Exod.</HI> 18.21. <HI>Pro|vide out of all the people able men, &s;uch as fear God;</HI> All that fear God are not able men; Every godly man doth not carry a Coun&s;ellours head on his &s;houlders; there are &s;ome &s;o holy, that in regard of their Prayers and the Power of godline&s;&s;e in their lives&punc; may be &s;aid to be Saviours, (I am &s;ure the Nation had drowned, had not they helped to hold its chin above water) but if they were called to Parliament-work, they might for want of wi&s;dom and a governing &s;pirit be in danger of proving de&s;troyers of it; and is it not pitie, that they who do &s;uch &s;ervice to the publick in their private capa|cities &s;hould be called from praying for, to ruining of the Nation? Every good Chri&s;tian could not make a good Mini&s;ter: the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks of a &s;pecial gift, be&s;ides grace in common with others, that belongs to them, <HI>they mu&s;t be apt to teach.</HI> So a Senatour mu&s;t be apt to advi&s;e and coun&s;el, without this all is in&s;ufficient, becau&s;e he wants that which &s;hould enable him to reach the end of his place. A knife, though it hath a &s;heath of gold, &amp; a haft of diamond, yet if it hath no edge, it is not a good knife, it may be good to &s;ell and make money of, but not to cut. Look therefore for men of wi&s;dom; you will not put a &s;uit to make, no, not a &s;hooe to mend, meer|lie becau&s;e he is an hone&s;t godly man, you de&s;ire &s;ome|thing of the trade in the man, or el&s;e you may be pinch|ed for it, and go unea&s;ie. But, oh you will &s;aie, if ho|ne&s;t
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hone&s;t men, they will do no hurt, you mean, I &s;uppo&s;e, not willingly, for el&s;e they may do much; That phy|&s;ick in a dangerous di&s;ea&s;e, which doth not good, doth hurt, becau&s;e that might have been given which &s;hould have done good. The di&s;tempers of the Nation at this time are many, and tho&s;e complicated, it will em|ploy the skill of a Colledge of as wi&s;e State-Phy&s;icians as ever &s;ate within tho&s;e walls to finde out a remedie; And I am of his judgement, <HI>Si pereundum, inter peri|ti&s;&s;imos pereamus,</HI> if we mu&s;t die, let it be under the hand of the able&s;t Phy&s;icians, for therein we &s;hall be lea&s;t acce&s;&s;orie to our own ruine.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3"> Thirdly, enquire whether they be &s;ound in the faith, and that upon a double account.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, con&s;ider the care of keeping Religion pure in a Nation, is part of the Chri&s;tian Magi&s;trates charge, and not the lea&s;t The Kings of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> were com|manded <HI>to keep by them the Book of the Law&punc; that they might learn to feare the Lord, and keep all the words of this Law,</HI> Deut. 17, 18. which was not meant only per&s;onallie (that was to be the endeavour of every pri|vate I&s;raelite) but as a Ruler to &s;ee the Law of God kept, and the true Religion there commanded, pre&s;erved in their Kingdom. Hence we finde tho&s;e Kings &s;harply reproved, that did either &s;et up, or connive at idolatry in their reign; and tho&s;e commended who removed the Monuments of idolatry, and re&s;tored the Wor&s;hip of God to its purity. Thus we finde of <HI>Hezekiah,</HI> the mo&s;t famous Reformer of them all, a large te&s;timony is given by God to him, for his zeal therein; <HI>That he cleaved to the Lord, and kept his Commandments, which the Lord commanded Mo&s;es.</HI> And truly, if it were the
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Magi&s;trates work then, it continues to be &s;o now, ex|cept we can finde that Chri&s;t hath retrenched their power in matters of Religion, which he hath not: the ob&s;ervation is good that Dr. <HI>Rivet</HI> quotes out of <HI>Augu|&s;tine.</HI> If we would re&s;olve the Que&s;tion, what the Ma|gi&s;trates power is in matters of Religion, we mu&s;t ob|&s;erve tho&s;e times rather, when the Magi&s;trate was a member of the Church; as in the <HI>Jewi&s;h</HI> Church he was, then when an open enemie to the Church, as in Chri&s;ts and the Apo&s;tles time; There is no danger, &s;aith that <HI>Reverend Authour,</HI> to allow the Magi&s;trate now as much power, as God then approved of. Well, is Religion the Magi&s;trates care? then for the Lords &s;ake, and Re|ligions &s;ake, choo&s;e not &s;uch as are corrupt and rotten in their principles, except you have a minde to diffu&s;e the infection pre&s;ently over the whole Land. The plague of this &s;piritual lepro&s;ie is &s;preading too fa&s;t al|ready in the body of the Nations. God keep it from among our Rulers, if it takes the head once, we may then pronounce the whole Land unclean.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> Secondly, con&s;ider at what door our ruine is like to come in upon us. Truly, it is ea&s;ier to foretel this, then it is to &s;hut it. They &s;ay of the Hectick Feaver, at fir&s;t 'tis ea&s;ily cured, but hardly known; afterward ea|&s;ily known, but hardly cured. The evils which now threaten us mo&s;t, might with more facility have been at fir&s;t prevented, could they have been as ea&s;ily known; but now, Alas! they have got that &s;trength, that though they are ea&s;ilie known, yet hardlie cured. Ma|ny of tho&s;e errours, which at fir&s;t appeared innocent things, grow now more formidable, becau&s;e they come to their complexion, and we &s;ee what they are like to
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re&s;olve into, and that truly is no le&s;&s;e then <HI>Popery</HI> it &s;elf, which the Merchants of <HI>Rome</HI> have the&s;e late years brought over from thence by whole-&s;ale, and par|celled it out to the &s;everal Sects, <HI>Anabapti&s;ts, Seekers, Quakers, &amp;c.</HI> in the Nation, as their petty Chapmen, to retail it for them, and put off &s;ome one point, and &s;ome another, as their trade lies here and there in the Land; &s;o that as it is ob&s;erved of tho&s;e di&s;ea&s;es, <HI>Pox, Purples and Malignant Feavers,</HI> when they abound, 'tis a &s;igne the plague is not far off, their malignity being &s;oon heightened unto the Pe&s;tilence: &s;o 'tis to be fear|ed, the&s;e errours are forerunners of <HI>Popery,</HI> in which they will end, except &s;ome help come timely from the Ma|gi&s;trate, to &s;poil the Popes Market among us.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="4"> Fourthly, look for men of courage and re&s;olution. Men of low &s;pirits are borne to &s;erve, not to rule. It is well if they will follow, never expect they will lead on in a time of danger; there are &s;ome may be blown like gla&s;&s;es, into any &s;hape, with the flattering or threaten|ing breath of others. A coward cannot be a good Chri&s;tian; much le&s;&s;e a good Magi&s;trate, &s;uch a one will be wonne with a nut, and lo&s;t with an apple. <HI>Solo|mons</HI> throne of ivorie was &s;upported by Lions; inno|cence and integrity cannot be pre&s;erved in Magi&s;tracie without courage. It was ba&s;e feare made <HI>Pilate</HI> cruel to Chri&s;t, to &s;ave his &s;orry &s;take that he had in <HI>Cae&s;ars</HI> hand. The man had no minde to &s;hed innocent blood, therefore &s;ought how he might relea&s;e him, but when he heard the <HI>Jewes</HI> cry out, <HI>If thou lette&s;t this man go, thou art not Cae&s;ars friend,</HI> the very winde of this bullet killed the mans heart, and makes him &s;teer a clean con|trary cour&s;e, <HI>John</HI> 19.12, 13. <HI>When Pilate therefore
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heard that &s;aying</HI> (that now quoted) <HI>he brought Je&s;us forth and &s;ate in the judgment &s;eat,</HI> and ba&s;ely proceeded to an unrighteous &s;entence again&s;t his con&s;cience. Magi&s;trates are great ble&s;&s;ings (&s;aith one) <HI>modo audeant, quae &s;entiunt;</HI> if they dare do their con&s;cience. Chu&s;e men that dare be righteous, only I wi&s;h we were wi&s;e to di&s;tingui&s;h betwixt an humble boldne&s;s in a good cau&s;e, and a proud &s;toutne&s;s in any cau&s;e, be it wright or wrong. That courage is of the right mettal, which like &s;teele, will bend, but not like lead, &s;tand bent; &s;ome men if they be once engaged, will ba&s;ely be bent and bowed into par|tiality.</P>
<P>Fifthly, finde out men that will make it their bu&s;ine&s;s to attend on the publique affaires of the Nation. It is &s;aid of <HI>Job,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Job. 29.14.</NOTE> <HI>he put on Righteou&s;ne&s;s, and it cloathed him,</HI> he could as ea&s;ily forget to put on his cloaths in a morning, when he aro&s;e, as to do his work as a Magi&s;trate. It were a &s;ad thing that we &s;hould pitch upon any, who when they are cho&s;e, &s;hould &s;leep out their time in the Country, or fea&s;t and juncket it away in the City, not caring whe|ther the Nation &s;inck or &s;wim. Non-re&s;idence is as bad in a Mgi&s;trate, as in a Mini&s;ter, they are Gods Mini&s;ters, as well as Preachers; &s;o &s;aith <HI>Paul,</HI> Rom. 13.6. <HI>For they are Gods Mini&s;ters attending continually upon this very thing.</HI> O, then 'tis well, when the Magi&s;trate attends to it, doth, <HI>hoc agere;</HI> where &s;hould the trade&s;man be but in his &s;hop? and where a Parliament-man, but where his work lyes in the hou&s;e; they are not worthy of the ho|nour, that are weary of the labour, which goes with the Office. Why doth the head weare the Crowne, and hath the honour of the whole man put upon it, but be|cau&s;e it is leane with taking care for the whole body?
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The faithful Magi&s;trate is &s;aid to beare <HI>the burden of the people;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ex. 18.22.</NOTE> away with tho&s;e that will &s;hift all the burden off their own, unto other &s;houlders, that like to be carryed upon the peoples &s;houlders on an Election-day, and to heare them&s;elves cryed up with the applau&s;e of the Coun|trey, but do not like to carry the burden of their Coun|tries affaires, either in their head, or heart, that have no eares to heare the cry of the oppre&s;&s;ed, when they come to them for relief.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="6"> Sixthly, men of Healing &s;pirits; that will make it their &s;tudy, to make up the breaches that are among us, and not make them wider; though the warre be done, and &s;word put up, yet the minds of men are not come to their right temper; the feaver is hardly quenched in mens &s;pi|rits, which mu&s;t be, before all is well; as long as tho&s;e embers are kept burning in the bo&s;ome, there is danger of breaking out into a flame. Suppo&s;e a man be &s;hot with a bullet, he may be cured of his wound, yet dye of a feaver his wound put him into: If you can find any that have more compa&s;&s;ion towards this divided Nation then others, e&s;pecially who&s;e bowels work more tenderly over Gods people in the Land, and their unbrotherly contenti|ons, who are for expedients, how to comprimi&s;e tho&s;e differences, tho&s;e are the men fit for &s;uch a time as this; He is the <HI>Chirurgion,</HI> that hath not only a <HI>Lyons</HI> heart, but a <HI>Ladyes</HI> hand, to dre&s;&s;e the wounds of the Nation gently. We are like a man that hath laine long, and grown &s;o weak, that the &s;ame &s;trong Phy&s;ick which might have cured him at fir&s;t, when nature was in heart, would now kill him out of hand.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="7"> Seventhly, men of intere&s;t in your Countrey, by place and e&s;tate. I pray, take me, as I meane; I de&s;ire not
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you &s;hould chu&s;e by this &s;ingle character, but take it in conjunction with the re&s;t; to chu&s;e meerly for e&s;tate, is too like the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> folly, who &s;et up a golden calf in <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> roome. But let not parts and grace, receive any prejudice through envy, becau&s;e they are inamelled with riches, and dwell in a great hou&s;e. It is noted as a &s;igne of a declining State, when the money, and coyne of a Na|tion is emba&s;ed, or le&s;&s;e then was wont; when the met|tal is not &s;o pure, nor the piece &s;o weighty, when for gold, and &s;ilver, there is bra&s;&s;e, leaden, or leathern, as &s;ometime it hath been. The Spirit of God compates Magi&s;trates to one of the pure&s;t of mettals, as &s;ilver; And &s;urely, it &s;hews a people are going down the hill of ho|nour, when the places of Magi&s;tracy that u&s;e to be filled with the chief heads of the Country, come to be of the ignoble floore; indeed, when either Magi&s;trate or Mi|ni&s;ter are <HI>of the lowe&s;t of the people,</HI> to u&s;e the Scripture phra&s;e; that Church and State, their day is in the after|noone; and thanks be to God, there is not &s;uch a dearth of Gentry, but &s;ome may be found, able to do God, and their Country &s;ervice.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="8"> La&s;tly, let your eye be on &s;uch as are faithful to the Mini&s;ters, and Mini&s;tery of the Go&s;pel; I confe&s;&s;e, I was under a temptation to have drowned this in &s;ilence, knowing with what di&s;advantage I &s;hall &s;peak on this &s;ubject; many will think me but &s;elvi&s;h in this, and only too kind to my own <HI>Tribe;</HI> but to know that, you mu&s;t be content to wait for the great day, when the world &s;hall know, why I &s;peak for, and others again&s;t the Mini|&s;tery; I am not therefore afraid or a&s;hamed againe to pre&s;&s;e this. Enquire for men that are faithful friends to the Mini&s;tery. It hath been re&s;olved long &s;ince in the
<PB N="37" REF="20">
<HI>Popes Conclave,</HI> that the &s;ure&s;t and &s;peedie&s;t way to cheat <HI>England</HI> of her Religion, and Go&s;pel, is to divide the people from their Mini&s;ters, and that they hold &s;till of the &s;ame mind; we &s;ee by their rigorous endeavour, to per&s;ue this one thing, as if they had laid a&s;ide all other plots, and &s;hipt their whole adventure in this one bottom; hence &s;o many bitter invectives printed again&s;t the faithful Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t, their Per&s;ons, and Office; and railing <HI>Rab&s;hekahs</HI> &s;ent about the Land, who whatever their text is, to be &s;ure make this their Sermon, to throw dirt upon the Mini&s;ters face; to turne the hearts of the children from their &s;piritual Fathers, by rendring them as ba&s;e and filthy to their hearers, as the dirt under their feet, and have they not prevailed farre herein? when many thou&s;ands in the Land are made Pro&s;ylites to them; yea, when &s;ome have ventured in Parliament it &s;elf, to heave both at the maintenance, and office of the Mini&s;te|ry; and can you think him worthy of the Magi&s;trates &s;eat, that would not allow you a Mini&s;ter in the Pulpit? Oh my brethren, know the Mini&s;tery hath the &s;ame Au|thority to &s;hew for their calling, the Magi&s;trate hath; the &s;ame God that gave <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> gave <HI>Aaron;</HI> it is &s;aid <HI>he led his people by the hands of Mo&s;es and Aaron.</HI> The &s;ame hand that planted one Olive-tree, on the one &s;ide of the bowle, to wit, <HI>Zerubbabel</HI> the Magi&s;trate, did plant <HI>Jo&s;hua,</HI> the Mini&s;ter, on the other, and both to drop their oyle, to feed the &s;ame lampe of Gods Church; the great ble&s;&s;ings have been given in by a concurrence of both, as we &s;ee in Reformations of the Jewi&s;h Church under &s;everal Kings. I have heard that <HI>Queen Elizabeth,</HI> coming her progre&s;&s;e into this our County of <HI>Suffolk,</HI> when &s;he ob&s;erved that the Gentlemen of the Coun|ty,
<PB N="28" REF="21">
who came out to meet her, had every one his Mi|ni&s;ter by his &s;ide, &s;aid, <HI>Now I have learned why my County of</HI> Suffolk <HI>is &s;o well governed, it is becau&s;e the Ma|gi&s;trates and Mini&s;ters go together.</HI> Indeed they are the two legges on which a Church and State &s;tand. He that would &s;aw off the one, cannot mean well to to the other; an <HI>Anti-mini&s;terial</HI> &s;pirit, is an <HI>Anti-magi&s;tratical</HI> &s;pirit; the Pulpit guards the throne; Be per&s;waded to take that away, and you give the Ma|gi&s;trates enemies room to fetch a full blow at them; as the Duke of <HI>Somer&s;et</HI> in King <HI>Edward</HI> the &s;ixths days, by con&s;enting to his brothers death, make way for his own, by the &s;ame axe and hand.</P>
<P>I have no more by way of Councel for you, as to the tran&s;action of this day. But my deare friends, think not you have done all your duty to God and your afflicted Countrey by a Vote or &s;uffrage, but la|bour to crown the work of this day with the&s;e things.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, follow tho&s;e you &s;hall chu&s;e with your pray|ers. Our <HI>Lord Je&s;us,</HI> when he &s;ent his di&s;ciples to &s;ea, he went into a mountain to pray for them; he knew a &s;torme was coming towards them, and they would have need of his help; Truly, you &s;end the&s;e Gentlemen, whoever they &s;hall be, to &s;ea; and God grant it may not be a winter-voiage. Oh, help them to as much &s;trength as you can for their work, &amp; no &s;trength like that which is got from Heaven; indeed the whole &s;ucce&s;s of that great A&s;&s;emblie mu&s;t drop from thence. <HI>The hearing ear, and the &s;eeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them,</HI> Pro. 20.12. Neither of the&s;e can be &s;pared if this Parliament ends well, they mu&s;t have a &s;eeing
<PB N="39" REF="21">
eye, to &s;ee what coun&s;el and advice is both whole|&s;ome and &s;ea&s;onable; and the people mu&s;t have a hearing eare, to &s;ubmit to the Lawes there con|cluded on, and the Lord makes even both of the&s;e.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> Secondly, take heed you do not ob&s;truct your pray|ers for them, nor their Councels, for you and the poor Nation by your &s;ins; Go home, repent, and reforme, and that in earne&s;t, or el&s;e all will be naught for all your praying. Sin is like a deaf &s;tone, which I have heard to be in <HI>Scotland,</HI> that one &s;tanding at one end, cannot hear what another &s;aith &s;tanding at the other end. If your &s;ins get between your prayers, and God you pray to, he cannot hear of that eare you would have him; If you do not reforme, lay no fault on the Parliament, though no good comes of their meeting. A carele&s;&s;e Pati|ent di&s;graceth a good Phy&s;ician; <HI>Samuels</HI> Councel to <HI>I&s;rael</HI> &s;hall be mine to you with the change of a word; <HI>Feare the Lord, and &s;erve him in truth with all your heart, for con&s;ider how great things he hath done for you, but if you continue &s;till to do wickedly, you &s;hall be con&s;umed, you and your Parliament.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3"> Thirdly, in doing your duty torment not your &s;elves with care, concerning the i&s;&s;ue of this Parlia|ment, or the great revolutions of the&s;e times; God hath ea&s;ed us of this burden, had we but faith to take his kindne&s;&s;e, who bids us ca&s;t our burden up|on the Lord; why &s;hould we go &s;weating under that load, which God is willing to take off our &s;houlders? Though God looks we &s;hould &s;owe and plough, pray and u&s;e the meanes; yet he will never charge it upon us, if a happy harve&s;t crownes not our labour. In
<PB N="40" REF="22">
the Parable of the man fallen among thievs and wound|ed, the Ho&s;t was not commanded by Chri&s;t to under|take to cure him, but to take care of him: Leave the curing of the Nations wounds to God, a happy peo|ple you will be, if found to have taken &s;o much care of your poor Nation, as to di&s;charge the dutie of your place, which you owe to God and it.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
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</TEXT>
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</ETS>
