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<DATE>2010-10-21</DATE>
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<NAME>Megan Marion</NAME>
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<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A SERMON Preached to the Honorable Ci|tizens of <HI>London,</HI> September 29. 1659. being the day of the Election of their Lord Major.</P>
<P>Wherein is di&s;tinctly &s;hewed,
<LIST>
<ITEM>I. <HI>The U&s;efulne&s;s of a powerful Mini&s;try to the Civil Governor.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>II. <HI>Integrity when in Conflict is mo&s;t Ami|able and in its highe&s;t Glory.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>III <HI>What Virtues are de&s;ireable in a Good Magi&s;trate.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>By <HI>PHILIP NYE</HI> A Servant of Je&s;us Chri&s;t in his Go&s;pel.</P>
<P><HI>London</HI> Printed by <HI>Peter Cole</HI> and <HI>Edward Cole</HI> Printers and Book-&s;ellers, at the Printing-pre&s;s in Cornhil, neer the Royal Exchange 1661.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="imprimatur">
<PB REF="2">
<OPENER><SALUTE><HI>Ireton</HI> Major</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>A &s;pecial Court holden the 25. day of</HI> October, <HI>1659, in the Afternoon.</HI></P>
<P>IT is ordered that Mr. <HI>Nye</HI> be from this Court de&s;ired to Print his Ser|mon at the Election of the Lord Ma|jor of this City.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Sadler.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>To the Right Honorable Sr. <HI>THOMAS ALEIN</HI> Lord Major of the City of <HI>LONDON.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>My Lord</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>The&s;e few pages thus pre&s;ented to your hand at your Command, contain the me&s;&s;age of the great God, &s;poken from him to this Honorable City, and more e&s;pecially to your Lord&s;hip, being then elected the <HI>Nehemiah</HI> or Governor thereof, The publi&s;hing of this Sermon though thus late, yet I cannot but deem it &s;ea|&s;onable, not only for that the word of God hath a &s;ea&s;on even out of &s;ea&s;on
<PB REF="3">2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4.2. but this being the time that you give up your tru&s;t, it doth &s;ea&s;onably &s;erve to provoke you as from the Lord, to a &s;erious and &s;trict account within your &s;elf how you have di&s;charged it, In the Parable of the &s;teward our Lord Chri&s;t calleth upon all any way intru&s;ted <HI>to give an account of their &s;teward&s;hip,</HI> Then when <HI>they may be no longer &s;tewards, Luke</HI> 15.2. My confidence thus far is, that the &s;ub&s;tance of this Sermon is &s;uch, as by comparing your own heart and waies with the contents thereof. It wil prove helpful to you in the ca&s;t|ing up your pre&s;ent great account of this years Government betwixt God and your own &s;oul, which is required by him of you now to be done, you will here &s;ee upon what terms you took this Office of the Lord, and
<PB REF="3">what he in&s;tructed and directed as your Lord&s;hips duty How much you have prized the a&s;si&s;tance of a Godly mini&s;try in carrying on your Go|vernment this year, what Eminency of &s;incerity hath appeared in any dif|ficulty or Conflicts, with what a pub|lick &s;pirit, with what Wi&s;dom, Piety, and Courage, the Government of this City hath been carried on in your Lord&s;hips hand, the time is now come, and God cals upon your Con|&s;cience mo&s;t &s;eriou&s;ly to con&s;ider, there wil be a final and great account which you as we all mu&s;t give of our &s;everal &s;teward&s;hips, but that wil not excu&s;e the omi&s;sion of this.</P>
<P>I am bold to conclude with the Apo&s;tles words, I now write the things unto you that you formerly heard And did then <HI>acknowledg,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1.13.</NOTE> <HI>And I
<PB REF="4">tru&s;t you will acknowledg</HI> now <HI>at the end</HI> and <HI>to the end</HI> as he there &s;peaks, And acknowledging make that u&s;e thereof I have been now in&s;i&s;ting on. My earne&s;t Prayer unto God is that as this Sermon was by divine appoint|ment the <HI>Early Rain</HI> at the fir&s;t <HI>Spring</HI> of your Government, &s;o that now it may obtain the <HI>Ble&s;sing</HI> of the <HI>latter Rain</HI> at the Inning of the Harve&s;t.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE><DATE>September, 1660.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Your Lord&s;hips mo&s;t humble Servant <HI>PHILIP NYE,</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="1" REF="4">
<HEAD>A SERMON Preached to the Right Honorable the Citizens of the City of <HI>London</HI> upon the twen|ty ninth of <HI>September,</HI> 1659. being the day of the Election of their Lord Major.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">The TEXT.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>Nehemiah, 6.11.</BIBL>
<P>And I &s;aid &s;hould &s;uch a man as I flee, and who is there that being as I am would go into the Temple to &s;ave his Life? I will not go in.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P><HI>_JEru&s;alem</HI> that famous City, had <HI>Ne|hemiah</HI> their chief Governor, &s;et o|ver them by that Higher power, under which for their &s;ins they then were in bondage. <HI>Artaxer|xes</HI> appointed this <HI>Nehemiah</HI> to that tru&s;t, and its more then probable Con&s;idering their then di&s;tracted Condition, they would not have cho&s;en &s;o wel for them&s;elves, If your ju&s;t rights
<PB N="2" REF="5">&s;hould be taken out of your hands, yet they wil be found in Gods hand for you, who many times by a le&s;s plea&s;ing way doth better for us then we would do for our &s;elves</P>
<P><HI>Nehemiah</HI> was a per&s;on eminently qualified for a Governor, I have cho&s;en him to be the Pattern by which you may direct your choyce this day.</P>
<P>As the <HI>tru&s;t</HI> of <HI>Nehemiah</HI> was great, and the peo|ple of God greatly concerned in his well or ill ma|nagement of it, &s;o was his <HI>oppo&s;ition.</HI></P>
<P>The Stratagems and Devices of <HI>Tobias</HI> &amp; <HI>Sanballat</HI> with the great Wi&s;dom and courage of <HI>Nehemiah</HI> in wre&s;tling through and e&s;caping them is the &s;um of this whol Chapter. Their fir&s;t a&s;&s;ault begins with ver. 1. which was &s;ubtile and importunate enough but defeated; and is &s;toried in the nine fir&s;t ver&s;es yet ver. 10. they are on again, and with <HI>greater</HI> craft in their de&s;ign, but to as <HI>little</HI> purpo&s;e though the Temple was the <HI>&s;nare,</HI> and a Prophet the <HI>Driver,</HI> yet all mi&s;carries, this Holy man <HI>will not go into the Temple.</HI> How indefatigable are the Churches Ene|mies!</P>
<P>Good <HI>Nehemiah</HI> when got over one brunt He praies for &s;trength again&s;t another ver. 9. <HI>Now ther|fore O God &s;trengthen my hands.</HI> Such a praier at &s;uch a time, a praier for &s;trength after he had found &s;trength and got the victory, evidently implies ei|ther,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, That a Good man, though he prevail in a conflict, yet may be left under &s;uch feeblene&s;s in his <HI>mind,</HI> and di&s;couragement in his <HI>work</HI> as will need a recruit from above; In our Militia if prai|er
<PB N="3" REF="5">be neglected, we &s;hall not be able to &s;tand two brunts together, as at meals &s;o in our Conflicts pray before and after. Or,</P>
<P>Secondly, If our work be great and we &s;teady in it, oppo&s;ition likewi&s;e wil be great and con&s;tant again&s;t it. The Enemy though every foot defeated yet wil rally again, How wil <HI>Balaam</HI> go from place to place, and try conclu&s;ions that he may find out a way to cur&s;e <HI>I&s;rael Pharoah,</HI> how oft di&s;appointed in his de&s;igns upon the people of God, yet in what a wretched Con&s;tancy is his re&s;olution to mi&s;chief them fir&s;t or la&s;t. This mu&s;t every good Soldier of Chri&s;t mind, No &s;ooner give fire and di&s;charge, but load again, and &s;tand in an expecting po&s;ture, in a readine&s;s to receive a &s;econd a&s;&s;ault.</P>
<P>This latter tryal of <HI>Nehemiah,</HI> by the return of <HI>Tobiah</HI> and <HI>Sanballat</HI> upon him in another &s;hape, and the ble&s;&s;ed I&s;&s;ue of it is that part of the &s;tory only which is to be the &s;ubject of our pre&s;ent di&s;cour&s;e; in handling whereof two particulars are to be in&s;i&s;ted upon.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. <HI>The &s;nare or de&s;ign it &s;elf and great artifice u&s;ed in the projection of it.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. <HI>The ble&s;&s;ed frame of heart in this prudent and holy man by which he works through it.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>For the de&s;ign. An Apo&s;tat Clergy-man (<HI>Nehemiah</HI>'s affection to that tribe being generally known) is hired by <HI>Sanballat</HI> and <HI>Tobias</HI> ver&s;e 12. To ffaine <HI>Ne|hemiah</HI> into an eminent &amp; &s;uddain danger &amp; &s;uch as there is but one way in the world to e&s;cape it, This
<PB N="4" REF="6"><HI>way</HI> mean and ignoble and not at all &s;utable to a man of Honor. But that be may the more ea&s;ily &s;wallow all, <HI>Shemaiah</HI> mu&s;t act the Prophet and tel his &s;tory both in re&s;pect of the danger and means of deliverance as from the Lord. Suddain danger may ga&s;ter a man of courage and &s;o far di&s;compo&s;e his mind, as any means of &s;ecurity if at hand will have ea&s;ie entertainment, e&s;pecially if it be the re|lation or in&s;truction of a Prophet. Which requires the exerci&s;e of our Faith, we ought to beleeve ra|ther then Judg of what God directs us to by his Prophets. So that the&s;e Impo&s;tors thought them|&s;elves &s;ure now they had got a Prophet to act a part in the cheat, <HI>Nehemiah</HI> (they knew) would be taken with a Prophet, if there were any way in the world to &s;educe him.</P>
<P>From this particular one Ob&s;ervation.</P>
<P>Doct. <HI>Governors if Holy, though wi&s;e, yet are apt to be led by the Coun&s;el of their Prophets.</HI></P>
<P>Magi&s;trates and Mini&s;ters Princes and Prophets, have neer allyance, &s;ervants together under the great God and our Savior Je&s;us Chri&s;t. The Ma|gi&s;trate is <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>The Mini&s;ter of God,</HI> Rom. 13.4. the other is <GAP DESC="foreign"> a Ruler <HI>over us in the Lord</HI> 1 The&s;. 5.12. their imployment is about the &s;ame per&s;ons, to &s;uppre&s;s the evil and encourage the good; Their Rule al&s;o that guides them the &s;ame; Magi&s;trates are Commanded <HI>to read and medi|tate on the Law of God and learn thence his fear,</HI> Jo&s;h. 1.8. <HI>For a man that is in honor and under&s;tandeth not, is
<PB N="5" REF="6">like the bea&s;t that peri&s;heth,</HI> P&s;al. 49.20. And Mini&s;ters to in&s;truct them to interpret and apply this Law to the Magi&s;trate and his People upon all occa&s;ions, In any great undertakings the Lord &s;tirs up their &s;pirits together, <HI>the &s;pirit of</HI> Zerubbabel <HI>Governor and the &s;pirit of</HI> Jo&s;hua <HI>the High Prie&s;t, Hag.</HI> 1.14. The&s;e two <HI>Olive-trees</HI> fil the &s;ame bowl, <HI>Zach.</HI> 4. They are joyned together in the &s;ucce&s;s of their work, be it pro&s;perous, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 118.19, 20. They ble&s;s the Lord together, if otherwi&s;e, they &s;uffer together, <HI>Rev.</HI> 11.4.</P>
<P>This Contexture of intere&s;ts begets &s;uch mutual dependency of each on the other, that <HI>Nehemiah</HI>'s E|nemies, venture all upon the Confidence they had, this holy man, even in what concerned publick &s;afety would li&s;ten much to a Prophet.</P>
<P><HI>Application</HI> 1. Let <HI>Magi&s;trates</HI> from this example of <HI>Nehemiah</HI> be watchfull and circum&s;pect in this re&s;pect, and not receive all <HI>Coun&s;els</HI> hand over head from &s;uch as give it under the Covert of this high <HI>Calling.</HI> Satan him&s;elf who hath the Conduct of the Churches Enemies is in the greate&s;t readi|ne&s;s, thus to &s;educe Governors and Magi&s;trates by clo&s;ing with their Prophets, and &s;peak de&s;tru|ctive Coun&s;els through &s;uch Oracles. The Lord purpo&s;ing <HI>Ahabs</HI> Ruine, In what a readine&s;s is Sa|than to pitch upon this as the &s;ure&s;t way to effect it, 1 <HI>Kings</HI> 22.21. <HI>I wil go forth, and wil be a lying &s;pi|rit in all his Prophets.</HI> If <HI>Ahab</HI> &s;hould have been &s;hie and not value the Coun&s;el of one or two, and ther|upon called a <HI>Synod,</HI> as in more weighty matters
<PB N="6" REF="7">Princes are wont to do, Sathan had fitted him, and all <HI>Ahabs</HI> advantage by his <HI>Synod</HI> would have been a greater Confidence only in the way of his own de&s;truction, for there was <HI>a lying Spirit in</HI> All <HI>his Prophets.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Application</HI> 2. Though it hath been thus; yet a good <HI>Magi&s;trate</HI> wil value a good <HI>Mini&s;ter,</HI> and take Coun&s;el from him as an <HI>Oracle of God,</HI> 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 4. Sa|than hath prevailed with the Prophets, and by them, with Princes to their undoing, yea and without them al&s;o, and again&s;t what they have Coun&s;elled, &amp; Magi&s;trates have been unrighteous, Oppre&s;&s;ors, &amp; Tyrants over both Mini&s;ters &amp; peo|ple, yet Magi&s;tracy is the <HI>Ordinance</HI> of God, and &s;o is the Mini&s;try. It hath bin the practice of wi&s;e &amp; ho|ly Governors in al ages to give this re&s;pect to their faithful Mini&s;ters. What intimatene&s;s was there between <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aron</HI> in Communicating their Coun&s;els and endeavors, the like between <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> and <HI>Eleazer, David</HI> takes advice from his Prophet <HI>Nathan,</HI> and <HI>Jo&s;iah</HI> from <HI>Huldas,</HI> I &s;ay wi&s;e and holy Governors. That Magi&s;trates encourage their Prophets, it is not only from their holine&s;s but their wi&s;dom, it's of &s;uch a great and &s;ingular advantage, to the more ea&s;ie govern|ing a City or Nation, the keeping up of a &s;tir|ring and powerful Mini&s;try, that wi&s;dom will di|rect, if no higher Principle, to put forth their au|thority this way. I &s;hal the rather add a word fur|ther for the evincing hereof: becau&s;e our new <HI>Modellers</HI> look upon the Mini&s;try as needle&s;s, if not
<PB N="7" REF="7">hurtful in a Commonwealth.</P>
<P>That &s;o <HI>great</HI> a multitude as in a City or Nation, &amp; in &s;o great a <HI>variety</HI> for di&s;po&s;ition, &s;hould be kept together ruled &amp; governed by <HI>one</HI> or a <HI>Jew</HI> per&s;ons, This doubtle&s;s &s;hews &s;uch powers are of God, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 144.2. <HI>Who</HI> (&s;aith <HI>David</HI>) <HI>&s;ubdueth my people under me.</HI> This the Lord doth, 1. By framing our Natures to &s;ociety and fitting us hereunto by principles of morality. And the good of dependency upon o|thers, for guidance and Conduct is taught us in our Childhood, and the &s;en&s;e and truth of it nouri&s;hed with our Mothers Milk. 2. But that which &s;trikes the main &s;troke, and brings a People more ne|ce&s;&s;arily into &s;ubjection is that which <HI>Paul</HI> menti|ons. <HI>Rom</HI> 13.5. <HI>You mu&s;t needs be &s;ubject not only for Wrath, but al&s;o for Con&s;cience,</HI> in which Scripture you have the two Sinews of Government, the two great Tendons by which the members of a politick body are brought to move under their head. <HI>Wrath</HI> and <HI>Con&s;cience,</HI> Fear of Puni&s;hment, Con&s;ci|ence of Duty, The one from the Civil Magi&s;trate, The Dignity Splendor and Glory that is put upon him, is to beget fear and dread in the hearts of his Subjects, and to acknowledg him the <HI>Mini&s;ter</HI> of God, a <HI>Revenger to execute Wrath, Rom</HI> 13.3. But to bring a people into a Con&s;ciencious &s;ubjection, God makes u&s;e of another hand, This Principle is to be planted and dayly watered by the Mini&s;ters of the word: <HI>Jeho&s;ophat</HI> took this cour&s;e to bring his people into a more kindly &s;ubjection, <HI>He &s;ent his Princes</HI> or Civil Powers, <HI>and with them the Levites and Prie&s;ts, and they had the Book of the Law of the Lord with
<PB N="8" REF="8">them, and went through all the Cities of</HI> Judah <HI>and taught the people,</HI> 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 17.7, 8. And this latter of the two is not only the more <HI>honorable,</HI> but the more &s;ure and <HI>Con&s;tant;</HI> for though <HI>Wrath</HI> puts a <HI>mu&s;t</HI> or ne|ce&s;&s;ity as wel as <HI>Con&s;cience</HI> in re&s;pect to our obedi|ence, yet with this difference, obedience from Con|&s;cience is willing and out of love, for Con&s;cience hath its &s;eat above all the faculties of the Soul, and brings them into obedience naturally, But <HI>Wrath</HI> takes hold of the lower and more &s;ervile part of the Soul, our <HI>Fear</HI> and <HI>Pa&s;&s;ion,</HI> and &s;ubdues us by violence, like putting a Shackle upon the <HI>Foot,</HI> by which a man may guide his bea&s;tindeed, but it wil be with much more &s;trife and difficulty, A <HI>Bitt</HI> in the mouth, or a <HI>Hook</HI> in the No&s;trill, the Superior and leading part of the Creature governs &amp; guides it more naturally, and every limb or member fol|loweth each other in a more kindly motion. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 9.16. <HI>A nece&s;&s;ity is laid upon me, yea, wo is unto me if I preach not the Go&s;pel,</HI> ver. 17. <HI>If I do this willingly&mdash; if again&s;t my wil;</HI> where moved from the Woe or <HI>Wrath</HI> only, there may be Obedience, though a|gain&s;t our wil, but if there be al&s;o <HI>Con&s;ciencious</HI> ne|ce&s;&s;ity, a willingne&s;s will naturally follow.</P>
<P>It is al&s;o a more &s;ure &amp; Con&s;tant obedience, <HI>Con|&s;cience</HI> hath the unchangeable word of God for its foundation, a people &s;o &s;ubdued will &s;tick clo&s;e in their <HI>Obedience.</HI> Tho&s;e that <HI>fear God</HI> will <HI>honor the King,</HI> where there is a Con&s;cience, and thence a <HI>giving to God what is Gods,</HI> there will be a giving to <HI>Cae&s;ar</HI> what is <HI>Cae&s;ars.</HI> As the Lord hath granted the u&s;e of an <HI>Oath</HI> (though a Wor&s;hip peculiar to him|&s;elf
<PB N="9" REF="8">So al&s;o hath he the u&s;e of Con&s;cience to the Civill Magi&s;trate to oblige his Subjects in obedience to him. The&s;e are additionals out of the Trea&s;ury of his Holine&s;s, and of great importance in the ma|naging of Civil affairs both which have their <HI>edg</HI> and <HI>Efficacy</HI> by the Con&s;tant <HI>whettings</HI> of a powerful Mini&s;try.</P>
<P>There is therefore this rea&s;on of State, why Go|vernors &s;hould much e&s;teem the Mini&s;try, for, without it, they know not how to <HI>rule in the Lord</HI> nor the people to <HI>obey in the Lord,</HI> that is, from a principle of Con&s;cience, there will be no <HI>free</HI> &s;ub|jection where there is no Con&s;cience and re&s;pect to God in our obedience to men: if we have no|thing but <HI>Wrath</HI> and <HI>Violence</HI> to &s;ubdue a people, we govern <HI>men</HI> as men govern <HI>Bea&s;ts,</HI> as God governs the <HI>Devils</HI> and <HI>damned</HI> in Hell, they beleeve and tremble, and in a City or Nation &s;o governed there is nothing but <HI>weeping</HI> and <HI>gna&s;hing of Teeth,</HI> mi&s;ery with Contempt and indignation again&s;t the pow|ers that are over us, and have brought it upon us.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>We come now to the &s;econd Branch and what ari&s;eth more imediately out of the Text.</HEAD>
<P><HI>And I &s;aid &s;hal &s;uch a man as I flee &amp;c.</HI> wherein,</P>
<P N="1">1. The Evil he was tempted unto: To flee, that is to go into the Temple and &s;o make an e&s;cape, The Temple as a place of &s;ecurity, either Natural for its &s;trength, or Moral for its priviledg. The City lay open having yet no Gates or doors to &s;e|cure the Inhabitants, ver 1. but the Temple had,
<PB N="10" REF="9">and therefore more &s;afe, of this he is minded by <HI>shemaiah</HI> ver&s;e 10. <HI>Let us &s;hut the doors of the Temple.</HI> Or as a priviledg'd place: Malefactors that are under guilt and fear, Flee to the Temple and take hold of the Altar, as a refuge and &s;ecurity again&s;t Death &amp; puni&s;hment, &s;o <HI>Joab</HI> fled unto the Tabernacle of the Lord, and <HI>caught hold of the Horns of the Altar,</HI> 1 <HI>Kings</HI> 2.28. Which to do, though it be no &s;in or evil in it &s;elf, yet in the Circum&s;tances, it was &s;o di&s;honorable, and un&s;utable to his &s;pirit and place, as he would die rather then do it.</P>
<P>There were the&s;e Circum&s;tances would have rendred it evil to him more then to another. <HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> He was accu&s;ed of Trea&s;on, that he would be King and cau&s;e the people to rebell again&s;t <HI>Artax|erxes,</HI> now if he had fled, and taken the cour&s;e u&s;u|all with Malefactors for refuge, it would have implied a Guilt and &s;trengthened the &s;u&s;picion. <HI>Secondly,</HI> If he had betaken him&s;elf to the Temple for &s;ecurity only and defence, yet &s;uch a fear in a Governor would have been a great di&s;courage|ment to all under him, this thing tho&s;e that laid the de&s;ign, had as a Main in their eye and intention, knowing if they could make him afraid, the advantage they had thereby to hinder the work. Compare his praier, and the ground of it as both are laid down in ver. 9. <HI>They all made us afraid</HI> (endeavored &s;o to do) <HI>&s;aying their hands &s;hall be weakned from the work that it be not done, Now therefore O God &s;trengthen my hands.</HI> That this was the drift and &s;cope of their wicked de&s;ign upon him, and the danger he e&s;caped, cleerly appears in ver&s;, 13.
<PB N="11" REF="9"><HI>therefore was He hired,</HI> the Prophet that came as from God, <HI>that I &s;hould be afraid and do &s;o and &s;in, and that they might have matter for an evil report that they might reproach me.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;nare was &s;o cunningly laid, that as there was the concernment of his life and the Ruines of the publick affaires depending upon it on the one hand to drive him into it, &s;o was there not any thing &s;imply evil or <HI>peccatum in&s;e</HI> to di&s;courage on the other hand. Some Punctilio's only of honor and Credit, which to neglect is a &s;in, in &s;ome ca&s;es only. In ca&s;e of life and death, the nature of &s;uch omi&s;&s;ions is much altered, So that had there not been a very exqui&s;ite mould of Spirit in <HI>Nehemiah,</HI> and choyce Graces, and in a readine&s;s for exerci&s;e, he had been undone, and the people of God with him: And had not he been thus exerci&s;ed, the lu&s;tre of tho&s;e Graces had not &s;o eminently appea|red unto us.</P>
<P>There is no po&s;ture of a man, who&s;e heart God hath wrought to him&s;elf in truth and &s;incerity, wherein Grace and vertue appears in greater lu&s;tre and Glory then when he is found in &s;ome conflict or under &s;ome difficulties: What then he is, he wil appear to be, and what he then appears to be, he is indeed. It is &s;o with a Magi&s;trate, with a <HI>Nehemiah.</HI> Afflictions and oppre&s;&s;ions are trialls, And as Gold &s;hines and brightens mo&s;t when in the fire, &s;o doth our Faith, and Love, and Hope, and every Grace. A Hor&s;e is at no time &s;o gallant a Creature as when mounted in Battel, at each Bog|gle
<PB N="12" REF="10">&amp; fright, his Eye, his Ear, his No&s;tril, every limb throughout appears in a fre&s;her perfection.</P>
<P>A Saint, when his Graces become his Armour, Faith when a shield, Hope when a Helmet, Righte|ou&s;ne&s;s when a Brea&s;t-plate &amp;c. Then have you a Saint in a mo&s;t taking beauty. A Chri&s;tian cannot exerci&s;e any Grace at &s;uch a time, but what is of proof and Grace indeed, Grace in &s;trength and vi|gor. When the Church is in Conflict, when as an Army with Banners, then Chri&s;t as one taken with her, cries out <HI>Thou art beautiful&mdash; O my Love thou art comly, Cant.</HI> 6.4. And how earne&s;tly doth he beg a|nother look while &s;hee is in this po&s;ture ver&s;e 13. <HI>Return Return O Shulamite that we may look upon thee.</HI></P>
<P>The Lord him&s;elf never appears in &s;o glorious a pre&s;ence as when the LORD OF HOSTS. And what a Glory was that in which Chri&s;t &s;hined when <HI>Judas</HI> with his band of men came to take him, <HI>I am He,</HI> &s;aith Chri&s;t, and no &s;ooner &s;poke it, but being a&s;toni&s;hed they fell backward <HI>John</HI> 18.6. &s;o you that are our Magi&s;trates, our gods here among&s;t us, what&s;oever there is of true excellency in you wil at &s;uch a time radiate and &s;hew it &s;elf. And if to be &s;teady and re&s;olute in a matter of Ju&s;tice &amp; Piety, &s;eem vile in the Eyes of others and they deride, your re&s;olution will ri&s;e with <HI>Davids</HI> even to be more vile. Where Grace is in <HI>pretence</HI> and &s;hew only, like the &s;tony ground, there wil be a withering in &s;uch <HI>heats</HI> and <HI>conflicts,</HI> for <HI>what we</HI> only <HI>&s;eem to have, is now taken away,</HI> But <HI>to him that hath</HI> at &s;uch a time e&s;pecially, <HI>it &s;hal be given:</HI> Ther|fore &s;uch men in their Conflicts wil be as <HI>Jacob</HI> in his
<PB N="13" REF="10">wre&s;tling <HI>He was for power with God as a Prince Gen.</HI> 32.28. &s;uch was the perfection and glory of his Graces appearing in that conflict Having therefore the ad|vantages of this po&s;ture of <HI>Nehemiah</HI> to draw his perfections more to life, I &s;hall now &s;hew you the Graces and Vertues in particular that are &s;o emi|nently con&s;picuous in this Man, heigthned and &s;hineing forth in this his conflict and victory, which ought to be attended and looked after in whom|&s;oever you &s;hall this day choo&s;e for your <HI>Nehemiah.</HI></P>
<P>They are the&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t</HI> you have in this Man a <HI>publick Spirit;</HI> &s;hall I go into the Temple to &s;ave my life? &s;hall I pre|ferr my private before the publick? There is one thing more to a Man then life, his Eternity, <HI>immor|talitatem quidem contra Rempublicam non acceperim,</HI> &s;aid a Heathen. <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> &amp; <HI>Paul</HI> knew what they &s;aid when tho&s;e tran&s;cendent and unparaleld expre&s;&s;ions of a publick Spirit broke forth. <HI>Exod.</HI> 32.32. <HI>Rom.</HI> 9.3. But to keep in the rode of what is exemplary and i|mitable, There is nothing in this World deerer to us than life. <HI>Job.</HI> 2.4.</P>
<P>Yet where a publick Spirit, how ea&s;ily and freely will &s;uch a Per&s;on pro&s;trate and lay his very life as an out-work for the Defence and Security of the publick. <HI>E&s;ther</HI> a woman, and that Sex mo&s;t tender, and timerous of death, e&s;pecially when in &s;o much pro&s;perity, yet having the welfare of her people in her Eye, how confidently doth &s;he engage, and with what a manly re&s;olution defie all per&s;onal concer|ments, IF I PERISH I PERISH, Magi|&s;trates are Shepherds <HI>Mich.</HI> 5.5. <HI>E&s;ay,</HI> 44.28.
<PB N="14" REF="11"><HI>the good Shepherd</HI> &s;aith Chri&s;t, <HI>will not flee and &s;ecure him&s;elf, leaving his &s;heep to the Wolf but the good &s;hepherd will give his life for the &s;heep, Joh.</HI> 10.11.12.</P>
<P><HI>Shall I go into the Temple to &s;ave my life?</HI> the actings of a publick Spirit ri&s;e up here to a very high degree, it is a re&s;olution: (&s;uch is his zeal for the publick) as he will not put it upon &s;o much as an Hazard to &s;ecure his neere&s;t concerments, no not lire it &s;elf. I &s;ay hazard, for it was not a certain lo&s;s. It was not &s;aid if you go into the Temple, you ruine all, but it was told him peremptorily, and by a Prophet, and the time when and the manner how, his life would certainly be lo&s;t, if he did not take refuge there, &amp; at that time he knew not the contrary, for it was afterwards perceived by him ver&s;e 12.</P>
<P>Magi&s;trates ought not to put the welfare of the Publick upon the lea&s;t hazard for the a&s;certaining their own enjoyments, though of greate&s;t impor|tance, This man would never have been brought to put the publick not only upon Hazard but certain lo&s;s and detriment, as it's too frequent among&s;t us, for the &s;ecuring to our &s;elves or friends, matters of le&s;s importance then life. It's a &s;ad Omen to find men <HI>Baruch</HI> like <HI>&s;eeing great things for them&s;elves,</HI> though they &s;ee at the &s;ame time all going to ru|ine, <HI>the Lord breaking</HI> down what he hath built, and plucking up what he had planted <HI>Jer.</HI> 45.</P>
<P>Two things &s;hould awaken each of you to fear le&s;t a private narrow &s;pirit &s;hould &s;urpri&s;e you. The fir&s;t and that which is more general, the <HI>Times</HI> we are fallen into, long &s;ince before prophe&s;ied of
<PB N="15" REF="11">2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3.1, 2. <HI>In the la&s;t daies &s;hal come perilous times</HI> (perilous and dangerous to the publique) <HI>for men &s;hal be lovers of their own &s;elves Covetous, Proud, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>The perilous evil of a private &s;pirit is there decla|red with its wretched principles from which it ari|&s;eth, <HI>Men &s;hal be lovers of their own &s;elves,</HI> and the im|mediate root of it <HI>Pride,</HI> a proffe&s;&s;ed high e&s;teem of them&s;elves, when a man &s;eriou&s;ly believes that he much excels others, as the Phari&s;e <HI>Lord I thank thee I am not as other men,</HI> accordingly he be|comes a lover of him&s;elf, for what we deem be&s;t we love mo&s;t, &amp; thence this private narrow &s;pirit im|propriates all to it &s;elf as being mo&s;t worthy.</P>
<P N="1">1. They are &s;aid to be <HI>Proud.</HI> Pride Elevates, a proud man looks upon him&s;elf, though indeed but a <HI>member,</HI> yet equal in value and worth with the whole <HI>Body</HI> and reducing the whole body into one member, and de&s;troy community to pre&s;erve pro|priety, and if &s;o, then <HI>where is the body</HI> as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks? this de&s;troys the very being of a Corpora|tion, for its of the E&s;&s;ence of a Body to be made up of many members, yea and each through humility, to be members one of another, <HI>Rom.</HI> 12. <HI>Let no man think of him&s;elf more highly then he ought&mdash;for we being many are one body and every one members one of ano|ther,</HI> ver&s;e 3, and 5. That which is the original of confu&s;ion in politick bodies, it's thinking of our &s;elves more highly then we ought, and according|ly our care and provi&s;ion will be for our &s;elves as only worthy of it without any re&s;pect unto others, hence the Apo&s;tle joyns the&s;e together again, <HI>Phil.</HI> 2.3. <HI>Let nothing be done through vain Glory but in lowli|ne&s;s
<PB N="16" REF="12">of mind let each e&s;teem other better then them&s;elves.</HI></P>
<P>The Second is, <HI>Lovers of our own &s;elves;</HI> an im|moderate love to our &s;elves, it &s;eems by this ex|pre&s;&s;ion that the love we bear to our &s;elves, ari&s;eth, not only from the high opinion of our &s;elves and conceipt of a goodne&s;s and thence an amiablene&s;s more in our &s;elves then in other men, but al&s;o from an intimate propriety, we are our OWN SELVES, we are more our own, and intere&s;t our &s;elves in our &s;elves &s;o much, as others are &s;carcely owned by us, or with any equal regard as they ought, love is fed and nouri&s;hed more plentifully from pro|priety and intere&s;t then property or worth, So this &s;elf Love being in &s;uch a mea&s;ure, even pre&s;&s;ed down and running over in their own bo&s;oms there is no place for that affection that &s;hould be extend|ed to our Neighbours, and therefore in the &s;ame Text they are &s;aid to be <GAP DESC="foreign"> without common af|fection, love is the mo&s;t exten&s;ive vertue and car|ryeth forth &s;ervice with it which way &s;oever it moveth <HI>&s;erve one another in love,</HI> where love is kept in and &s;et upon our &s;elves only, we wil &s;erve and care for none but our &s;elves: hence the Apo&s;tle gives this prai&s;e of love where rightly di&s;po&s;ed 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 13.4, 5. <HI>love puffeth not up, &s;eeketh not her own,</HI> by love we &s;erve one another as well as our &s;elves.</P>
<P>But more e&s;pecially, and what is a more pecu|liar &s;nare, to Citizens, Is their breeding and Edu|cation, you have been al along for your &s;elves and ever &s;ince your apprenti&s;hip hath bin out, ever &s;ince you have been free men you have &s;et up for your &s;elves, whereby you are as it were habitually di&s;|po&s;ed,
<PB N="17" REF="12">to bring all you deal with to &s;ome good ac|count to your &s;elves, and privat e&s;tates. It wil be found very hard when you come to be publick Per&s;ons, to do otherwi&s;e unle&s;s there be very great care and circum&s;pection. The manifold monu|ments of a publick Spirit in the pious and charita|ble works extant in many parts of the Nation &s;hew that divers Honorable Citizens have had their minds rai&s;ed to &s;uch a publick heigth that great things have bin done by their right hand that their left hand knew not. Yet never the le&s;s this is an ex|perienced truth, That Per&s;ons that never rai&s;ed but inherited their E&s;tates, and better acquainted with &s;pending then getting, are thereby di&s;po&s;ed to a more noble and free way in publick employments. What an in&s;tance of a free and generous &s;pirit have you in this man, Chap. 5.14. <HI>For the time that I was their Governor that is twelve years, I and my Bre|thren have not eat the bread of the Governour,</HI> The alow|ance the State made him, his due, not, as a gift, but debt, for its RENDER not GIVE unto <HI>Cae&s;ar, Math.</HI> 22. <HI>But the Governours before me were chargeable unto the people, yea even their Servants bare rule over the people, I continued in the work, and my Servants, neither bought we any Land</HI> ver. 16. <HI>Moreover there were at my Table one hundred and fifty Jews be&s;ides many others dayly</HI> ver. 17. and the provi&s;ion he made was not only for nece&s;&s;ity but delight <HI>Choyce Sheep, Foules, &s;tore of all &s;orts of Wine,</HI> as ver. 18. <HI>yet for al this required not I the bread of the Governour becau&s;e the bondage was heavy up|on this People.</HI> He might in &s;uch a hard time, have laid down his table having &s;o good an excu&s;e;
<PB N="18" REF="13">and its further ob&s;ervable were plentiful Ta|bles kept up by Governours only for glut|tony and exce&s;s or out of pride and vain glory, a man fearing God, would have been glad of the opportunity to lay them down, But <HI>Nehemiah</HI> knew &s;uch entertainments, kept up the dignity and honor of Government, and that the&s;e vulgar en|couragements do much &s;weeten the &s;everity of Magi&s;tracy, and for the&s;e and the like Rea&s;ons of State deems them &s;o nece&s;&s;ary as he wil rather con|tinue them at his own charge, then either break up hou&s;e or be chargeable to the people in &s;uch bad times. This &s;hews that this man was of a mo&s;t exact Publick Spirit, and being united to the Commonality by his relation he becomes <HI>one &s;pirit</HI> with it.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>He was a Man of</HI> HONOR, as per&s;ons of quality ought to be, 1. in knowing their own worth and 2. in doing what is &s;utable to it. <HI>Such a man as I</HI> and &s;uch a man as <HI>I flee.</HI> 1. What a man was he? <HI>An&s;.</HI> A Governour a publick per&s;on engaged in publick &s;ervice for his Country. To be a Magi&s;trate is to be a per&s;on worth ten thou&s;and of others, &s;o the people told <HI>David</HI> 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 18.3. They are termed in &s;cripture Dominions, Dignities or Glories <HI>Jude</HI> 8. Gods, and Sons of the mo&s;t high <HI>P&s;a.</HI> 82.6. this &s;heweth the great excellency of Magi&s;tracy, that as of &s;wearing <HI>Heb.</HI> 6.13. becau&s;e not a greater to &s;wear by, God &s;ware by him&s;elf: &s;o becau&s;e not a greater Name to give them, he names them from him&s;elf, a name above all names, given only to Angels, the mo&s;t excellent of all Creatures, and to Magi&s;trats
<PB N="19" REF="13">who are the mo&s;t excellent of al men. God him&s;elf calleth them gods and we e&s;teem them wor&s;hipful; And for the pre&s;ervation of their ju&s;t e&s;teem Na|ture it &s;elf hath taught, and Scriptures owned &s;uch external re&s;pects and ve&s;tments of &s;tate as may di|&s;tingui&s;h Magi&s;trates from, and dignifie them above other men? Their Pallace, Attendants, Entertain|ments. A Sword, a Mace and other pagentries, ac|cording to the gui&s;e of the Country, when they go abroad, The&s;e things are not en&s;ignes of vain glo|ry, but the nece&s;&s;ary vten&s;ils, by which the worth and excellency of Magi&s;trats is notified to the com|mon people, it being a language be&s;t under&s;tood by the generality.</P>
<P>Accordingly <HI>Nehemiah</HI> under&s;tands and owns him&s;elf, as it he had &s;aid <HI>&s;uch a one am I.</HI> The Go|vernour of <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> of the people of God, &s;uch a one as ought to have my mind rai&s;ed &s;utable to all the honour, titles, ob&s;ervances, and en&s;ignes of greatne&s;s belonging to my place. And &s;hall &s;uch a one as I flie? as he hath a &s;pirit &s;utable to his place, &s;o a deportment &s;utable to his &s;pirit. Shal I, &s;uch a one as I do &s;uch a thing, &s;o much below me, un&s;utable to me?</P>
<P>There is to each condition and rank of men a <GAP DESC="foreign"> a Comline&s;s, &s;eemline&s;s, decorum, expedi|ence, which if not regarded, we &s;in and tran&s;gre&s;s again&s;t the honor &amp; dignity of our place. <HI>Are you not carnal? and walk as men,</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3.3. why they were men it's true, and more, Saints, which is a higher order of men, tho&s;e that are mere men, men and no more, do &s;uch things with le&s;s blame, &s;o Magi&s;trates,
<PB N="20" REF="14">are not only men, but a higher rank and order of men. Be&s;ides evils that are &s;imply &s;uch we have in the Scripture mention of other matters to be a|voided, <HI>Eph.</HI> 5.3. <HI>Fornication and all &V;ncleanne&s;s</HI> &mdash; <HI>let it not be once named amongst you as becometh Saints.</HI> The needle&s;s mentioning of them is forbidden as &s;in, the nameing of them, forbidden to Saints and under the notion of <HI>uncomline&s;s,</HI> and <HI>inconveniency</HI> ver&s;e 4. Though no tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of any expre&s;s precept, yet if it be a breach of Common order (in &s;uch matters) it becomes Circum&s;tantially evill. That's &s;utable in apparel to a man that is not to a woman, and yong men do &s;uch things as are not Comly in the aged, &s;o a private man may do that without blame, as is hateful in a Magi&s;trate. There are not only real evils, but things which have the <HI>appearance of evil,</HI> and ought to be avoided, 1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 5.22. &s;uch things as being done by &s;ome per&s;ons or with &s;ome Circum&s;tances become in the eyes of o|thers, a &s;pecimen or fruit of an evil principle in the man. <HI>Paul</HI> refu&s;ed Maintenance from the Corinthi|ans when he took it in other places, to avoid the appearance of a mercenary &s;pirit, and gives this as the rea&s;on 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 8.21. <HI>We mu&s;t provide for hone&s;t things not only in the &s;ight of the Lord but in the &s;ight of men.</HI> There is nothing &s;imply evil or di&s;hone&s;t but what is &s;o in the &s;ight of God.</P>
<P>As Magi&s;trates give Laws to their peo|ple, &s;o the WONTS and CUSTOMS of a Peo|ple, in what is not &s;imply evil ought to be a Law to the Magi&s;trate, as wel as others. Accord|ing to the general notion of what is Noble, Fair,
<PB N="21" REF="14">Ju&s;t, Hone&s;t, in the e&s;teem of the common people, if it be without &s;in or notable error, we mu&s;t and Magi&s;trates and publick per&s;ons e&s;pecially mu&s;t be &s;ubject thereunto You have the heads of &s;uch Laws laid down, <HI>Phil.</HI> 4.8. <HI>Finally Brethren, what&s;oe|ver things are true, what&s;oever things are Hone&s;t, what&s;oe|ver things are ju&s;t, what&s;oever things are pure, what&s;oever things are lovely, what&s;oever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, if there be any prai&s;e, think of tho&s;e things.</HI> The&s;e Laws have al&s;o their penalties and rewards, from the multitude according as they are ob&s;erved or neglected, namely the general prai&s;e or reproach of men. <HI>A man &s;hal be commended accor|ding to his wi&s;dom, but he that is of a perver&s;e heart</HI> [he cares not whom or what he Cro&s;&s;es] <HI>&s;hal be de&s;pi&s;ed Prov.</HI> 12.8. A man mu&s;t be of va&s;t merits in the eyes of all men, that will be &s;ingular and of a pecu|liar humor and not be extreamly contemned.</P>
<P>This was the thing the enemies of <HI>Nehemiah</HI> would have put upon him, to do unlike him&s;elf, and otherwi&s;e then what the Law of vulgar expectation laid upon him, and upon Magi&s;trates, Though there had been no di&s;hone&s;t thing in the &s;ight of God, &amp; his life lay on it, yet if he &s;hould not have an&s;wered what the World expected, they would have <HI>&s;poken evill</HI> and puni&s;hed him with <HI>Re|proaches</HI> as ver&s;e 13. which he looked upon, and indeed is, a matter of great Con&s;equence to a Ma|gi&s;trate or per&s;on of publick imployment, <HI>Paul</HI> was of his judgment and choyce in &s;uch a ca&s;e and pro|fe&s;&s;eth, <HI>it were better for him to die than that he &s;hould make his glorying void,</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 9.15. Je&s;us
<PB N="22" REF="15">Chri&s;t him&s;elf engaged in publick &s;ervice, en|quires how he &s;tood in the opinion of men <HI>Math.</HI> 16.13. <HI>What do men &s;ay of me?</HI></P>
<P>As you are called gods, &s;o mind your Glory, that is, know who you are, and do like your &s;elves, we can mind our &s;elves, and who we are, if an affront or neglect be given from want of ob&s;ervance from others, Shall &s;uch a one as I bear it? do not you know my Lord Major? &amp;c Let him and all in Au|thority know them&s;elves, and do accordingly and they wil be acknowledged, their works wil di&s;co|ver and prai&s;e them in the Gate <HI>Prov.</HI> 31.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>A man of Courage and Re&s;olution,</HI> Con&s;tant and fixed in his Cour&s;e; there is nothing within or without &s;hall daunt him, talk to him of danger, Death, advi&s;e him to &s;toop but a little below him|&s;elf, and it wil be his &s;ecurity: No, &s;aith <HI>Nehemiah</HI> a man of Courage will rather take the bullet, though it take his life than make a &s;toop at the re|port to avoid it another man may do this, but it be|comes not a Soldier. <HI>Shal &s;uch a man as I flee? Shal I go into the Temple to &s;ave my life?</HI> I will not go in, I will not &s;ave my life upon &s;uch terms. Courage is re|qui&s;ite to tho&s;e that are publick per&s;ons in Civil as wel as in Military imployment, hence they mutu|ate titles, as <HI>Dux, Eques, Armiger, Major &amp;c.</HI> Thus God to <HI>Jo&s;hua, Jo&s;h</HI> 1.6. <HI>Be &s;trong and of a good Courage</HI> again ver&s;e 7. ONLY <HI>be thou &s;trong and very Couragi|ous,</HI> as if it were the <HI>All</HI> of a Ruler. <HI>Shall I go into the temple? I will not go in,</HI> this repetition &s;hew|eth the fixedne&s;s of his re&s;olution, like that of <HI>Paul,</HI> 2 Cor. 11.12. <HI>What I do I will do that I may cut
<PB N="23" REF="15">of occa&s;ion from them that &s;eek occa&s;ion &amp;c.</HI> An uneven un&s;teady Magi&s;trate, is the &s;ame at &s;omtimes, that an ea&s;ie and weak one is at all times, and the &s;ame advantages may be taken upon him, if we do but put our &s;elves to the trouble to wait our &s;ea|&s;on. I have &s;aid you are Gods, ye &s;hall die like men, to be a god is to be above all fears, all Hopes, all Temptations, to be immutable and not to ap|pear &s;o much as in the &s;hadow of a change. Ye &s;hall die like men, til Death comes, you are gods, there &s;hal be no diminution of your god-head, of your greatne&s;s by me, if you dimini&s;h it not your &s;elves, keep up therefore a Courage an&s;werable.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>Wi&s;dom,</HI> This is another Star in the Con&s;tel|lation, <HI>Nehemiah</HI> by his great reach and depth of under&s;tanding, was able to &s;ee through all their Colors and &s;ubtil pretentions <HI>To di&s;appoint the de|vi&s;es of the Crafty, Job</HI> 5.12. is mentioned as a Chara|cter of the greate&s;t wi&s;dom.</P>
<P><HI>Eli&s;ha</HI> begs that the Spirit of <HI>Elias</HI> may be doubled upon him, becau&s;e he was to be a publickTeacher, that is, he mu&s;t now teach him&s;elf and others, &s;o a Magi&s;trate mu&s;t &s;eek of God a double &s;pirit of wi&s;|dom, becau&s;e he is not only to govern him&s;elf, but a City A Nation. The lea&s;t Star is &s;ufficient to give light to it &s;elf, but no le&s;s then a Sun is &s;ufficient to in&s;pect a world. The want of wi&s;dom in a Magi|&s;trate as it is of greate&s;t detriment to his people, &s;o with greate&s;t difficulty &s;upplied. Men of weak and low parts have &s;uch Jealou&s;ies of tho&s;e that are more able, that for the mo&s;t part they carry on their Coun&s;els rather with per&s;ons of the &s;ame
<PB N="24" REF="16">proportion for wi&s;dom with them&s;elves.</P>
<P N="5">5. <HI>Holine&s;s Nehemiah</HI> was a per&s;on that feared God, of great Integrity and uprightne&s;s. It may be &s;aid of him as of <HI>David</HI> P&s;al. 78.72. <HI>He fed them accor|ding to the integrity of his heart and guided them by the skilfulne&s;s of his hand,</HI> where &s;kilfulne&s;s or wi&s;dom and Integrity meets, it's of &s;ingular advantage in Goverment, under &s;uch Governors <HI>We may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all Godline&s;s and Hone&s;ty.</HI> GODLINES wil thrive if planted in a City in a Na|tion though the Governors be enemies to it, but this is that great and choyce ble&s;&s;ing and Priviledg enjoyed by a people where &s;uch per&s;ons Govern, we may not only be <HI>Hone&s;t</HI> but <HI>Godly,</HI> and this not only in &s;ome parcels of devotion according to the mode of the times, But in <HI>all Godline&s;s,</HI> &amp; the&s;e ble&s;|&s;ed Privildges enjoyed, not in Corners and with difficulty and mole&s;tation, hunted from place to place, but all godline&s;s with <HI>a quiet and peaceable life</HI> where &s;uch Magi&s;trates, are over us. HONESTY with <HI>quiet</HI> and peace may be our portion and enjoyed if a Heathen or Infidel were our Gover|nor, But a freedom to be Godly and according to this extent with <HI>quiet</HI> to be expected only where a <HI>Nehemiah</HI> is Governor.</P>
<P N="6">6. <HI>Humility,</HI> What a deal of this Grace, lies out vi&s;i|ble in tho&s;e few words <HI>who is there that being as I am would do otherwi&s;e</HI> than I do. Although his doing was &s;o &s;ingular, as you wil not find &s;uch Honor, &s;uch Courage, &s;uch a publick Spirit, no not in one Go|vernor of a hundred, yet he a&s;&s;umes nothing unto him&s;elf peculiar, I have done but what any man
<PB N="25" REF="16">would have done. There are that for doing half &s;o much for the publick think them&s;elves to have merited red Letters, and for half &s;o much Self de|nial, ought to have a place in the Calendar. <HI>Peter</HI> was a godly man a chief Apo&s;tle, yet found in as great a di&s;tance in the frame of his &s;pirit from this of <HI>Nehe|miah</HI>'s as the Compa&s;s of Grace can well permit. <HI>Ma&s;ter</HI> &s;aith he <HI>Math.</HI> 26.23. <HI>though all &s;hould be offen|ded, yet wil I never;</HI> He conceits him&s;elf &s;ingular for Courage and Con&s;tancy and all, no man &s;hall &s;hew him&s;elf &s;o re&s;olute, no man &s;hal do as I wil do, yet found, even in this a very common per&s;on, and in|ferior to his fellow Di&s;ciples.</P>
<P><HI>Applic.</HI> 1. To you that are to choo&s;e, a great tru&s;t is committed unto you, the welfare of the mo&s;t famous City in the world, another <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> a City inhabited by the people of God.</P>
<P N="1">1. Be not Carried on in this work by old Cus-TOMS and WONTS, why &s;hould you depute in &s;o great a work &s;o blind a Guide, yet we are brought to it in mo&s;t Elections, and thereby lo&s;e one of the choyce&s;t Priviledges that belong unto us as Citi|zens.</P>
<P><HI>Mo&s;es</HI> choo&s;eth <HI>Jo&s;hna</HI> who was <HI>ful</HI> of the &s;pi|rit of <HI>wi&s;dom,</HI> Where are &s;uch to be found, if not among&s;t your &s;elves? Covet the be&s;t Gifts, lower then what the Apo&s;tle hath about Widows, we may not go in placing this honor, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 5.3. <HI>Ho|nor Widows that are Widows indeed,</HI> choo&s;e &s;uch as may be Magi&s;trates <HI>indeed</HI> and not in <HI>&s;hew only;</HI> where Electors are thus Con&s;ciencious in this work, the <HI>Properties,</HI> though not the <HI>Per&s;on</HI> of a good
<PB N="26" REF="17">Governor will be the &s;ame every year, and &s;o he|reditary, and for ever, though your Election be yearly.</P>
<P N="2">2. Your <HI>Judgments</HI> rather than your <HI>Affections</HI> ought to be exerci&s;ed in this work. It's God only that choo&s;eth per&s;ons from the good plea&s;ure of his wil, and it's peculiar to his ELECTION, and &s;o great a prerogative, as &s;ome are unwilling to yeild it him. But for us men, we mu&s;t choo&s;e <HI>ex praevi&s;is operibus,</HI> Qualities and Virtues, rather than per&s;ons mu&s;t be the mo&s;t immediate object of our choyce, It is no error in the Doctrine of this Election, but much of our duty this day is expre&s;&s;ed in it, and accordingly I &s;hal leave each mans Con&s;cience un|der this the Apo&s;tles charge, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 5.21. <HI>I charge thee before God and the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t and the Elect An|gels that thou ob&s;erve the&s;e things without preferring one before another doing nothing by partiality.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. I need not add, where there is &s;o much Civi|lity, what might be &s;utable, if this Election were in &s;ome hands, namely, that though there be a <HI>Praeterition,</HI> yet there mu&s;t not be a <HI>Reprobation</HI> in your Election, How &s;adly men have &s;uffered in their names, and what advantages malicious minds have taken in &s;uch competitions to &s;ink men under Color of Compari&s;on &s;eeking their revenge, upon the Credit and repute of whom they plea&s;e, is not unknown to you. You may each of you that are Electors commend your man and do it to the ut|mo&s;t, and yet (according to that old and hone&s;t phra&s;e) <HI>without Compari&s;on.</HI></P>
<P><HI>La&s;tly,</HI> having elected your per&s;on, there is a
<PB N="27" REF="17">&s;pecial Obligation laid upon you that are <HI>Electors,</HI> that you <HI>&s;ubmit</HI> and yeild <HI>Obedience</HI> unto the Per|&s;on you have cho&s;en for your <HI>Magi&s;trate,</HI> and it ought to be done with &s;uch freedom and affection as that you may provoke and become examples unto others in the like Obedience, for he is your choice, The great God and Governor of the world put not him&s;elf upon us, no not upon tho&s;e, of whom he expects his mo&s;t peculiar and affectio|nate &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion. But as he hath cho&s;en them, &s;o he enclines their wills to choo&s;e him, and this be|cau&s;e cau&s;e <HI>choyce</HI> is the &s;pring of all willing and free o|bedience, And therefore <HI>Jo&s;hua,</HI> having a purpo&s;e to bring his people into a more &s;trict &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion unto God, puts them upon a new Election of him, <HI>Chap.</HI> 24. and having brought it to pa&s;s, he makes it &s;olemn and &s;ignal, by expre&s;s &s;tipulation ver. 22. <HI>And</HI> Jo&s;hua <HI>&s;aid unto the people, Ye are Witne&s;&s;es again&s;t your &s;elves, that ye have cho&s;en you</HI> (or for your &s;elves) <HI>the Lord to &s;erve him, And they &s;aid We are witne&s;&s;es.</HI> Witne&s;s again&s;t your &s;elves, if now you be di&s;obedient having cho&s;en him, for out very Election, is a choo&s;ing to &s;erve, as the phra&s;e is there, a choo&s;ing to &s;ubmit, to obey; yea and to bring others al&s;o into obedience with you, <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> undertakes not only for him&s;elf, but his <HI>Hou&s;hold,</HI> ver. 15. to &s;ubmit where he hath made choyce: do you likewi&s;e, in your own per&s;ons and all your re|lations honor and obey whom this day you &s;hall choo&s;e, and as you of the Common Counsel of this City, in this choyce go before and repre&s;ent
<PB N="28" REF="18">others, &s;o in your &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion and a&s;&s;i&s;tance be Ex|amples unto others.</P>
<P>If he be not worthy, whom you have cho&s;en, it wil be your unhappine&s;s but not di&s;pence with your duty, if he be an Idol, he is the workman&s;hip of your own hands and you that have made an I|dol mu&s;t be contented to bow down &amp; wor&s;hip it.</P>
<P><HI>Applic.</HI> II. to you that &s;hall this day be cho&s;en our Governor, our <HI>Nehemiah,</HI> now begin to be a God, the name is coming upon you, meet it with a &s;utable frame of Heart, that you may not take his name in vaine, be you holy as he is holy, like min|ded, like affected, love what he loves, per&s;ons, things, and hate what he hates, yea with a per|fect hatred. What&s;oever your hand finds out to do, do it with all your might, for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledg, nor wi&s;edom, in the grave, whither thou goe&s;t, <HI>Eccl.</HI> 9.10. While you are gods, and in place, be like your &s;elves, afterwards you become men again, you are (as it were) in the grave, and then you are like other men, <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> prays that he might be able to number his days, and know how long he had to live, that he might ap|ply his heart to wi&s;edom, your dayes are numbe|red to you, you know to a day, the longe&s;t day you are to govern, make the &s;ame u&s;e of it, meditate your duty, as it hath been &s;hewed you in <HI>Nehe|miah,</HI> I cannot go over all the particulars, but this is a principal one and to be remembred in the fir&s;t place. Be of a <HI>publick Spirit,</HI> there is but one Lord Major for the whole City, as but one Sun for the whol world, you mu&s;t travail a greater compa&s;&s;e
<PB N="29" REF="18">that you may be light and comfort to both Hem|i&s;pheres, to the Mini&s;ters, to their people, to all per&s;ons in all places, to rich, to poor, to &s;ervants and Ma&s;ters, to Orphans and Widowes &amp;c. If you be an Olive tree, you mu&s;t not &s;ay, &s;hall I leave my fatne&s;&s;e? or a Fig tree, &s;hall I for&s;ake my &s;weetne&s;s? no though you be a Vine, you mu&s;t leave your fruitfulne&s;s, that is, to bring forth to your &s;elf, which if you do, you will be accounted an empty Vine. Con&s;ider, 1. You are men, men of note <HI>and eminency</HI> before this choyce, It will be for your own honor and comfort, how de&s;ireable is it for any of you to have the &s;tory of his life, the &s;tory of his Mairolty, to end like the &s;tory of <HI>Morde|cai E&s;th.</HI> 1.1. <HI>Mordecai was next to the King, great a|mong&s;t the Jewes,</HI> tho&s;e that profe&s;s godline&s;s <HI>&s;eeking the wealth of his people;</HI> not his own profit. There is al&s;o great Equity in it, for <HI>therfore he receiveth perqui|&s;ites that being Gods Mini&s;ter he may attend continually upon this thing. Rom.</HI> 13.6.2. You are Chri&s;tians, &amp; as &s;uch, you pretend to the mo&s;t publick end as your chief, the glory of God, now there is nothing con|duceth more hereunto, then this, to be of a pub|lick &s;pirit, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 10.31. <HI>what&s;oever you do, do all to the glory of God,</HI> how &s;hall we &s;o do ver&s;. 33. <HI>even as I plea&s;e all men in all things, not &s;eeking my own profit, but the profit of many. Paul</HI> was able to forbear the glory of Heaven, that he might be &s;erviceable here on earth. <HI>Phil.</HI> 1.23, 24.</P>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
