written in the Book that Hilkiah the Priest found in the House of the Lord. And like unto him was there no King before him that turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soule and with all his might according to all the Law of Moses neither after him arose any like him 2 Kings 22 23. Chapters Now therefore my Lord the King arise and be doing and the Lord be with thee And command all your Children your Confederates and Allies your Nobles and your Commons and all the people of your Kingdoms to help you saying Is not the Lord your God with you And hath he not given you rest on every side for he hath given your enemies into your hands and the Land is subdued before the Lord and before his people Now set your heart and your soul to seeke the Lord your God arise therefore and build ye the Sanctuary of the Lord God establish Religion in its purity according to Gods Word settle the Church government compose the differences and heal the distempers that our sins have made repair ye the breaches and build up the waste places in the Church and State and doe you Judgement and Justice throughout all my Dominions And comand all the people to gather themselves together as one man and to make confession saying O Lord the great and dreadfull God keeping the Covenant and mercie to them that love him and to them that keepe his Comandements We have sinned and have committed iniquity and have done wickedly and have rebelled even hy departing from thy precepts and from thy judgements Neither have we harkned unto thy servants the Ministers and Preachers of thy Word and Ordinances which spake in thy name to our King our Princes and our Fathers and to all the people of the Land O Lord to us belongeth confusion of face because we have sinned against thee To the Lord our God belongeth mercies and forgivenesses though we have rebelled against him O Lord we have been disobedient and rebelled against thee and cast thy Law behinde our backs have slain thy servants which testified against us to turn us unto thee and we have wrought great provocations therefore thou deliverest us into the hands of our enemies who vexed us in the time of our trouble when we cryed unto thee thou heardst us from heaven and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest us Saviours who saved us out of the hands of our enemies But after we had rest we did evill again before thee therefore leftest thou us in the hand of our enemies so that they had the dominion over us yet when we returned and cried unto thee thou heardst us from heaven and many times didst thou deliver us according to thy mercies Thou didst not utterly consume us nor forsake us for thou art a gracious and a mercifull God Now therefore our God the great the mighty and the terrible God who keepest Covenant and mercie Let not all the trouble seeme little before thee that hath come upon us on our King on our Princes and Nobles and on our Ministers and Elders on our fathers on all thy people since the time of the Kings departing from his Parliaments and people unto this day Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us for thou hast done right but we have done wickedly Neither have our King our Princes and Nobles our Elders and Ministers of thy Word nor our Fathers kept thy Law nor hearkned unto thy Commandements and thy Testimonies wherewith thou didst testifie against them For they have not served thee in their Kingdom in thy great goodness that thou gavest them and in the large and fatland which thou gavest before them neither turned they from their wicked works Behold we are servants this day and for the land which thou gavest unto our Fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof behold we are servants in it And it yieldeth much increase unto them whom thou hast set over us because of our sins also they have dominion over our bodies and over our cattell at their pleasure and we are in great distress And because of all this let us make a sure Covenant and write it and let the King our Princes and Nobles our Elders and Ministers of Gods Word and Ordinances our Fathers and all the people of your Majesties Dominions seal unto it And finally may it please your Excellent Majesty to attend unto the doctrine and exhortations of the Apostle 1 Thes Chap. 5. and Hebrews 13.20 21. Quench not the spirit despise not prophesyings prove all things hold fast that which is good abstain from all appearance of evill And the very God of Peace sanctifie you wholly and I pray God your whole spirit and soule and body be preserved blameless unto the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ Faithfull is he that calleth you who also will do it Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Iesus that great Shepherd of the sheep through the bloud of the everlasting Covenant Make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is pleasing in his sight through Iesus Christ to whom be glory forever Amen I have not omitted for many yeares together my Sovereign Lord daily and constantly to pray for the temporall and eternall happiness of the King the Queen your Consort and Royall Progeny with that integrity of heart zeal and devout affection as I pray for the Church of God and the salvation of my own soul Thus rejoyceth evermore to pray without ceasing Royall Sir Your Majesties humbly devoted Oratour most dutifull loyall and faithfull Subject and Servant in the Lord Thomas de la More Cornet to his Excellencie Sir Thomas Fairfax Knight Generall of England c. From my Quarters at Spaldwick in Huntingdonshire Feb. 22. 1646. Note * Mistakes in the imprinting may be thus amended Page 1. line 7. read unrighteousness p. 4. line 23. blot out neither p. 5. l. 3. read weed p. 7. l. 11. blot out so p. 17. l. 13. read conveying p. 20. l. 10. read butt line 12. blot out the second but. p. 24. l. 8. read we are sold we were sold Imprimatur Iohn Downame A Protestation concerning the Church and Common-wealth of ENGLAND Composed 1641 By Thomas de la More of Graies-Inne Esq revised and published in the Yeer of Grace and Truth 1648. The first Part. SECT I. JOSVAH'S Resolution IEHOVAH our King who ruleth the Hoast of Heaven and scepters the hearts of Princes and great Potentates on earth with the powerfull Arme of his Justice mightily defendeth and with the sovereigne hand of his mercy graciously preserveth these our Kingdomes of great Britaine and Ireland from desolation and miserable confusion Satan rageth and his ministers fight against Christ they take the weapons of righteousnesse and smite their Reprovers like the mad Prophet with obloquie and murtherous intentions They maligne revile and
them to their own hurt and the Common-wealths This learned and pithy application c. I finde in Babingtons notes upon Exodus 23. If any do so saith he God make his Word profitable to them and so I leave them to him Now if there should be any faults or blemishes rarely found in some of the Iudges or other Ministers and Professors of the Law let not this cast any sinister imputation or black note upon the Law it self or the Profession For the Common Law is defined to be Sanctio sancta jubens honesta prohibens contraria Again the Law is nothing else but a rule or lesson of justice that is made to measure the actions of men And how needfull is the service of upright sage and learned men in the Law without which justice it self cannot possibly stand Therefore though Jupiter as Protagoras in Plato telleth us did first invent and give the Law yet was Mercury sent with that heavenly gift to deliver it ever unto mankinde So as it is manifest that without the Ministry of these Mercuries of these Interpreters of the Law namely the learned Professors thereof there can be no use or application of the Law and consequently the Law or Iustice it self cannot consist without them What a meritorious work is it to resolve those many troublesome questions which arise in the civill life of man either by laying open the truth of the fact or by cleering the doubtfull point in Law that speedy and equall justice may be done unto all and every one may have and enjoy his own in peace How often would the truth be concealed and suppressed How oft would fraud lie hid and undiscovered How many times would wrong escape and passe unpunished but for the wisdom and diligence of the Professors of the Law Doth not this Profession every day comfort such as are grieved prevent the ruine of the improvident save the innocent support the impotent take the prey out of the mouth of the oppressor protect the Orphan the Widow and the Stranger Is she not Oculus coeco pes claudo as Job speaketh Doth shee not with all many times stretch forth Brachium Seculare in defence of the Church and true Religion All which are workes of mercy and singular merit Againe doth shee not Register and keepe in memories the best Antiquities of our Nation Doth she not preserve our ancient customes and formes of Government wherein the wisedom of our Ancestors doth shine far above the policy of other Kingdomes Why may we not then affirme confidently and conclude that the profession of the Law is to be preferred before all other humane professions and Sciences as being most necessary for the Common and continuall use thereof For doe not all persons at all times and in all places stand in need of justice When without her rule The Prince himselfe knows not how to rule nor his people how to obey When we can neither travel safely by day nor sleep securely by night without her protection For we cannot without peril make a Voyage by sea unlesse she waft us nor a journey by land unlesse she convoy us We should be opprest by force in the Countrey if she did not defend us And undone by fraud in the City if she did not relieve us She incloseth every mans garden and field and makes every mans Cotage his Castle of defence So as we have not such an universall and continuall use neither of the light of the Sun nor of fire and water as we have of the light and heat and comfort of justice For a man may remaine alive some houres without the use of those common benefits but a Common-wealth wherein each private mans weal consisteth cannot stand and continue one minute of an houre if justice which is her soule be departed from her And again is not the Profession of the Law most meritorious for the good effects it doth produce in the Common-wealth For doth not all out peace plenty civility and morall honesty depend upon the Law Quid sunt regna nisi latrocinia sine justitia Saint Augustine faith Without justice the Land would be full of Thieves the Sea full of Pirats And I may adde The Commons would rise against the Nobility the Nobility against the Crown we should not know what were our own what another mans what we should have from our Ancestors what we should leave to our children Major haereditas venit uni cuique nostrum à jure legibus quà m à parentibus saith Cicero In a word there would be nothing certaine nothing sure no contracts no commerce no conversation among men but all Kingdomes and States would be brought to confusion and all humane society would be dissolved And lastly is not the profession of the law most noble for the matter and subject thereof For what is the matter and subject of our Profession but Justice the Lady and Queen of all morall vertues And what are our Professors of the Law but her Counsellours her Secretaries her Interpreters her Servants Againe What is the King himself but the cleare Fountain of Justice and what are the professors of the law but conduit pipes deriving and covering the streames of his Justice unto all the Subj cts of his severall Kingdomes So as if Justice be rightly resembled to the Sun in the Firmament in that she spreadeth her light and vertue unto all creatures How can she but communicate part of her goodnesse and glory unto that Science that is her handmaid and waits upon her And for as much as Kings be Gods Schollers as Homer writeth and that the rules of justice be their principall lesson and we read in the Psalmes of that Kingly Prophet David that God doth honour Kings and Magistrates with his own Name Dixi quod düestis Psal 82. Specially for that they sit upon Gods own Seat when they minister justice unto the people And Psal 95.3 The Lord is a great God and a great King above all Gods that is above Angels Princes or false Gods Psalm 8.6 and 82.6 and 96.4 5. And whereas we read that Kings shall be the nursing fathers and Queens shall be the nursing mothers of the Church Isai 40. And we be taught by the holy Scriptures that the hearts of Kings are in the rule and governance of Almighty God Let us pray pray therefore for Kings and for all that are in authority that we may lead a quiet and a peaceable life in all godlinesse and honesty 1 Tim. 22. And let all loyal Subjects and faithful servants of our Sovereigne Lord King Charles joyne with me in the words of David praying for Solomon Psal 72. Give the King thy judgements O God and thy righteousnesse unto the Kings son He shall judge thy people with righteousnesse and the poore with judgement We know by the Maximes and Rules of the Common Law that Rex est caput salus reipublicae à capite bona valetudo transit in omnes The King
to doe justice and judgement is more acceptable to the Lord then Sacrifice A wise King scattereth the wicked and bringeth the wheele over them Take away the drosse from the silver and there shall come forth a vessell for the Finer Take away the wicked from before the King and his Throne shall be established in righteousnesse Prov. 21.1 2 3. Chap. 20.26 Chap. 25. 4 5. What a blessing Justice is to the people and what a praise to the carefull Executor of it who knoweth not Heathen Aristotle could say Nec Hesperus nec Lucifer formofier justitia that no star is so beautifull in the Skie as Justice on the Earth Mens wisdome may make them reverenced and their power may make them feared but justice justice is that which winneth mens hearts and maketh them beloved and the more faithfull and painfull they are in doing thereof the more honoured alive and dead And as justice is a blessing so are good Laws and Ordinances in a Kingdome in the praise whereof much more then I have already written might be said as not a little against idle superfluous and hurtfull Laws against obscure and deceitfull penning of them leaving holes and gaps in them for all the good intended by them to run out at and never be seen but I leave it to the pious meditation and the discreet consideration of the great Councell of this Kingdome men of learning wisdome and godlinesse into whose hands the faithfull disposing and ordering those weighty affairs and concernments are put Read Sir John Fortescus Knight and Chancellour of England his commendable Book de laudibus legum Angliae and Sir Edward Coke Chiefe Justice of England and Sir John Davis Knight who have treated very learnedly of the Common Laws of England in their prefaces to their Reports SECT III. Of the Profession of PHYSICK THus having lightly touched some few points in that sacred Science and profession of Divinity and having briefly run over some considerable things in that noble profession of the Common-Law of the Realm It remains that I should write somwhat of that facultie and profession of Physick honourable for the use and necessity thereof amongst men But for as much as I have been a meer stranger in a manner to that Art and Science for in truth I have employed but very little time in the study thereof only for that I would quit and shift my selfe of the vulgar imputation and that Ignoramus leaden conceit of those who very fain would have it that others should 〈◊〉 thought to be as egregious dotards and very fools as themselves that have turned it into a Proverb That every one of necessity must either be a Fool a Physician I will therefore with as much perspicuity in brevity as I may speake a word or two of that profession 1 The Wise man tels us That we ought to honour a Physician with the honour due unto him for the uses which we may have of him For the Lord hath created him for of the most high commeth healing and he shall receive honour of the King The skill of the Physician shall lift up his head and in the sight of great men he shall be in admiration The Lord hath created Medicines out of the earth and he that is wise will not abhor them Was not the water made sweet with wooâ— that they 〈◊〉 thereof might be known Exod. 15.25 And he hath giveâ— men skill that he might be honoured in his marvellous works with such doâ—â— he heal men and take away their pains Of such doth the Apothecary make a Confection and of his works there is no end and from him is peace over all the earth Eccles 38. But this is to be understood of Archigenists or principall chiefe Physicians such as are learned and skilful in their profession and not of those Medici circum-feranti Physicians that goe aboue the Countrey keepe Fairs haunt Markets and publike meetings and so become juglers of mens purses if not Empiricks and made practisers upon their persons I shall not conceile a mystery which these men have attained unto in their faculty which is this that whereas most men themselves of all other professions doe commonly as we say pay for their learning these men by reason of their preproperous practise doe make others pay very denie somtimes for experiment sake onely and not for any learning of theirs which they never had nor knew what did belong to it Surely the learned professors themselves in that faculty or Science of Physick in one respect have the advantage of the Sages of the Common Law for good Lawyers have not with us that liberty which good Physicians have We know a good Physician may lawfully undertake the cure of a foul and desperate disease but a good Lawyer cannot honestly undertake the defence of a foule and desperate cause Secondly I have observed that the King and the Parliament in the Act of 14 Hen. 8. in making of a Law concerning Phisicians for the more safety and health of men therein pursued the Order of a good Physician for Medicina est duplex removens promovens removensmorbum promovius ad salutem Physick is twofold removing the disease and promoving and furthering health And therefore five manner of persons which more hurt mens bodies then the disease it selfe of whom one said of one of their patients fugiens morbum incidit in medicum are to be removed viz. 1 Improbi 2 Avari qui Medicinaâ— magis avaritia fâ—â—â— causa 〈◊〉 ullius bonâ— conscientia fidâ—era profitentur 3 Malitiosi 4 Teâ—â—◠〈◊〉 5 Inscii That is 1 They that are dishonest wicked Physicians 2 That are covetous who professe Physick more for covetousnesse and for lucre sakâ—â— then by any perswasion or testimony of a good conscience 3 Those that are malicious 4 Those that are unadvised young practisers 5 Those that are ignorant and unskilfull And of the other part five manner of persons were to be promoted as appeareth by the Act viz. 1 Those that were profound 2 Sad. 3 Discreet 4 Groundly learned 5 Profoundly studied And it was well ordained that the professors of Physick should be profound sad discreet c. and not they that are 〈◊〉 which have no gravity and experience for as one saith In juvâ—ne thâ—â—â—â—onscientia dâ—â— inâ—â—tum in juvâ—â—â— legist a bâ—rsa decrementum in juvent medico câ—â—â—â—â—â— inâ—râ—â—â—â—â—um In a young Divine there is Shipwrack and losse of conscience in a young Lawyer a decrease or waining of the purse in a young Physician a Monticulosity or increase of graves in a Churchyard And it ought to be presumed every Doctor of any of the Universities to be within the Statute that is to be profound sad discreet groundly leathed and profoundly studied for no man there is to be Master of Arts who is Doctor of Phylosophy under seven years study there and he may not be Doctor of Physick under seven years more in the study of Physick And let this
I have been resolved and setled in my judgement of a long time that the Supereminencies Prerogatives Temporall Dignities Barronies intermedling in Secular Affaires and the Lordly Monopolizing of Titles Jurisdictions and Functions by Archbishops and Bishops above the Pastors and Teachers of Gods Word their fellow-latourers and that the High-Commission with the whole Regiment of it's subordinary Offices likewise Deaneries and Chapters with their dependencies are all contrary to Gods Word unlawfull unwarrantable in themselves pernicious destructive of the peace godly unanimity which ought to be in a true Christian Church and Common-wealth But I confesse the many learned Books and Writings which I have seen and diligently perused since this question hath been moved and throughly debated of late by many sage acute Doctors and other learned men of divers Nations and Kingdomes have not only much confirmed but instructed me also in this point 'T is true that ex gratiá Regis by the favour of the Prince and for Government sake the Order of Bishops hath stood a long time in our Nation supported by the Lawes of the Realme and confirmed by Parliaments And so I see no reason why by the same legislative Power it may not be altered Now whereas by the gracious providence and disposing of Almighty God the Honourable Court of Parliament are zealously affected with a magnanimous and godly care of establishing the True Religion in his Majesties Dominions which consisteth in pure and sound Doctrine in a setled Government in a good and decent Discipline agreeable to the Gospell of Christ and to the rules and ensamples of the Apostles and Elders of the Church in the Primitive times From the first sitting of this great Assembly my hearty desires and prayers have been and are continually that in every Parish Countrey Towne lesser Village and Hamblet within the Kingdomes of England Scotland and Ireland a Religious painfull and learned Preacher may be placed with a Competent Livelyhood and Maintenance for the faithfull and true discharge of their Calling I shall forbear to insist upon this matter or to presse it as large for that Mr. Marshall that worthy and laborious Minister of Gods Word by whose preaching and exhortations thousands of souls have profitted much and as I may probably say many have been converted hath fastned upon this Subject already as I finde in a learned Sermon of his preached before the Honourable House of Commons Novemb. 17th 1640. and published by Order of the said House But I protest in the truth of my heart were I of riper years had I been blessed with a convenable estate and fortune had I been of judgement or had the honour and abilities to have supplied a roome as the meanest Member of that Noble and great Assembly in all humility by a discreet observing of the Countenance and Order of that Court I would have used my best endeavours for the promoting and furtherance of this Motion and I would have laboured and assayed all honest wayes and direct courses in this weighty and only speciall affaire for the security and happinesse both of Church and State had I seen any hopes of effecting it Whence come Heresies Breaches in Religion Schismes Sowings of strife between brethren Backslidings to Popery Superstition Ignorance and blind zeale False worship of God Prophaning of his holy Name Word and Ordinances and polluting of his Sabbaths And wheâ—â— cometh the cursed dishonour of Parents despising of Government the reviling of Magistrates vilifying the Pastors of Gods Word and contemning of Superiours Whence come evill thoughts adulteries fornications murthers thefts covetousnesse wickednesse deceit lasciviousnesse an evill eye blasphemy pride foolishnesse Whence proceed all these impieties I say but out of the impure hearts of prophane and ungodly persons not clensed through the Word of Christ The Apostle St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians not to keep company If any man that is called a brother be a fornicatour or covetous or an Idolater or a rayler or a drunkard or an extortioner with such a one no not to eate I am perswaded that many of Gods deare Saints do mourne in secret to behold the crying sinnes of our Nation which they would but know not how to remedy But the wise King Solomon telleth us for our instruction and comfort If the Spirit of the Ruler rise up against thee leave not thy place for yielding pacifieth great offences There is an evill which I have seen under the Sun as an errour which proceedeth from the Ruler Folly is set in great dignity and the rich sit in low place I have seen servants upon Horses and Princes walking as servants upon the earth Eccles 10. If thou seest the oppression of the poore and violent perverting of judgement and justice in a Province marvell not at the matter For he that is higher then the highest regardeth and there be higher then they Eccles 5.8 Verily as touching my selfe my spirit groaneth and my heart lamenteth and even bleeds within me to heare and see the horrible blasphemies rash oathes cursings and evill speaking lying hypocrisie dissimulation envie malice corrupt communication drunkennesse adultery fornication uncleannesse riot gluttony idlenesse chambering and wantonnesse filthy lucre pride with many more like sinnes which even now do reigne among us Protestants that professe the Name and Gospell of Christ Wherefore me thinkes we should lay our hands upon our hearts and consider with our selves that we are become dead to the Law by the Body of Christ that we should be married to another even to him who is raised from the dead that we should bring forth fruit unto God For when we were in the flesh the motions of sinnes which were by the Law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death But now are we delivered from the Law that being dead wherein we were held that we should serve in newnesse of spirit and not in the oldnesse of the letter Rom. 7. Shall we continue in sinne that grace may abound God forbid how shall we that are dead to sinne live any longer therein Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death Therefore we are buried with by baptisme into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walke in newnesse of life For if we have been planted together in the likenesse of his death we shall be also in the likenesse of his resurrection knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sinne might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sinne Also let us minde the Exhortation of Saint Paul to the Ephesians Chap. 4. This I say therefore and testifie in the Lord that ye henceforth walke not as other Gentiles walke in the vanity of their minde Having the understanding darkened being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the
that every Candlestick may have a Candle and that every flock may have a faithfull sheepheard to guide them And I am perswaded that this work done would prove a Catholike remedy for all our evils and the greatest means for the lengthning out our tranquility and the healing of all our distempers O Eternall and most gracious God send forth Labourers into the harvest of our Nation that may boldly and faithfully dispense thy Word and duly administer thy holy Sacraments and grant that in singleness of heart without grudging we may give them their hire O shed abroad thy holy Spirit into our hearts that we may love as brethren and be of one minde in Christ Jesus as thou our heavenly Father art one SECT II. Of the Common Law of ENGLAND NOw to this discourse of Religion I will onely adde a line or two concerning the Common Law of England which I have undertaken for my profession and calling And by Gods assistance I shall propose this as the main end in all my studies and endevours the honour of God the service of my Prince the profit of my Country and the good of the Church England hath been inhabited always with a vertuous and wise people who ever embraced honest and good customes full of reason and conveniency which being confirm'd by common use and practise and continued time out of mind became the Common Law of the Land And though this Law be the peculiar invention of this Nation and delivered over from age to age by Tradition as well as by Books yet may we truly say That no humane Law written or unwritten hath more certainty in the Rules or Maximes more coherence in the parts thereof or more harmony of reason in it nay we confidently aver that it doth excell all other Laws in upholding of a free Monarchie which is the most excellent form of Government exalting the Prerogative Royall and being very tender and watchfull to preserve it and yet maintaining with all the ingenuous liberty of the subject Moreover all men at all times and in all places doe stand in need of Justice and of Law which is the rule of Justice and of the Interpreters and Ministers of the Law which give life and motion unto Justice for Cassaneus well observeth that Justitia periret si deesset qui justitiam allegaret Our Counsellors and Advocates are the language of the Law Our Judges are the eare of the Law For the Law it self is dumbe and speaks not but by the tongue of a learned Lawyer she is blinde and seeth no enormities but by the eye of a watchful and diligent Officers and she is deafe and heareth no complaints but by the eare of a grave and patient Judge Those Honourable persons whose true minde hath advanced them to the most transcendent places of honour that can possibly be attained in our profession that is to be Hearers Judges and Determiners of causes in Courts of Justice let them take heed diligently unto themselves that no favour nor whatsoever respects move them from the right And let them remember that they sit not in judgement for rewarding of friends or servants for crossing of contemners but only for doing of Justice Plato in Pol. Arist 1. Rhetor. I purposely forbeare either to rub upon the sores or to lay open the issues and infectious maladies that have tainted some great Sages of the Law in our times for that the Lord Viscount Falkland in his learned speech of the Judges hath plainly described certain symptomes of their diseases and manifested them to the eye of the Kingdom the high Court of Parliament And I hope that great Counsel of Physicians will either purge them of their noxious and pestilent humours or prescribe them a more certain and present cure It is joy to the just to do judgment but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity Prov. 21.15 29.4 The King by judgment stablisheth the land but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it Memorable is that speech of Moses to the children of Israel Deut. 1.16 17. And I charged your Judges at that time saying Hear the causes between your brethren and judge righteously between every man and his brother and the stranger that is with him Ye shall not respect persons in judgment but you shall heare the small as well as the great you shaâ—â— not be affraid of the face of man for the judgment is Gods and the cause that is to hard for you bring it unto me and I will heare it See Levit. 19.15 Deut. 16.19 1 Sam. 16.7 Prov. 24.23 The properties noted by Jethro to be in Magistrates and Governours are worthy much observation Provide men saith he of courage fearing God men dealing truly and hating covetousness Ex. 18.21 and read Ex. 23. Observe the great pains of Moses in sitting to judg the controversies of the people even from morning unto even Exod. 18. What a coÌ„mendation it is of him What an example unto al those whom God in mercy hath raised to any like government over their brethren Surely diligence in the charge committed to us is ever sweet unto God and good for our selves He that is diligent in his worke shall stand before Princes Prov. 22.29 Lâ—â—râ— to do well seek iudgment relieve the oppressed judge the fatherless plead for the widow Isai 1.17 Ye shall not do unjustly in judgment Who can be safe in lift or limbe in lands or goods if affection be Judge Booteth it to be honest or just or blamelesse if not truth but sancietry me No no. And therefore blessed be God for Law and Justice and wo to the Land where affection ruleth Honestius est cum judicaveris amare quà m cum amaveris judicare It is far better to love when thou hast judged than to judg when thou lovest The poore cryeth and no man heareth the rich man cryeth and every man praiseth smootheth O heavy Countries case where thus it is Do the thing that is just to the rich and poore and that shall give thee peace at the last If Judges wil be free from respect of persons then needs must they be free from gifts for gifts will lead their affections wil they nill they the old saying being true Beneficium accepisti libertatem amisisti Hast thou received a gift then hast thou lost thy liberty and freedom Thou shalt not take no gift for the gift blindeth the wise and perverteth the words of the righteous Exod. 23 8. And 〈◊〉 all Judges followed this course Hesiodus should not need to fain that Astrea hath left the society of men and is flown up to Heaven But it is to be feared that as Ulysses servant when he was asleep opened a Bottle which Aeolus had given him wherein the Winds were all inclosed and so let the Winds out they thinking there was treasure in the Bottle which as well at Sea as at Land they loved so some Judges opening mens purses whilest they looke for gain let truth escape from
estate anent the Churches Cherish no man more then a good Pastor hate no man more then a proud Puritan thinking it one of your fairest Styles to be called a loving nourish father to the Church seeing all the Churches within your Dominions planted with good Pastors the Schooles the Seminaries of the Church maintained the Doctrine and Discipl ne preserved in purity according to Gods Word a sufficient provision for their sustentation a comely Order in their policy pride punished humility advanced and they so to reverence their supetiours and their flocks them as the flourishing of your Church in piety peace and learning may be one of the chiefe points of your earthly glory being ever alike waie with both the extremities as well as ye represse the vaine Puritan so not to suffer proud Papall Bishops but as some for their qualities will deserve to be preferred before others so chaine them with such bonds as may preserve that State from creeping to corruption And againe in his preface to that excellent booke He saith I charge you as ever you think to deserve my fatherly blessing to follow and put in practise as far as lieth in you the precept hereafter following and if you follow the contrary course I take the great God to record that this book shall one day be a witnesse betwixt me and you and shall procure to be ratified in heaven the curse that in that case I give unto you For I protest before that Great God I had rather not be a Father and childlesse than be a Father of wicked children This weighty charge of a most godly Prince and a carefull loving Father so faithfully diligent and very industrious to provide for the safety and welfare of his posterity and Kingdomes will assuredly take deepe impression and firme root in the heart of the King and the Kings Sonne The Lord said of Moses Numb 12.7 He is faithfull in all my house And of Abraham Gen. 18.19 I know him that he will command his chidren and his houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgement that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him Childrens children are the Crown of old men and the glory of children are their fathers Prov. 17.6 A wise son heareth his fathers instruction but a scorner heareth not rebuke Prov. 13.1 and Prov. 4. Heare ye children the instruction of a father and attend to know understanding For I give you good doctrine forsake you not my law For I was my fathers son tender and only beloved in the fight of my mother He taught me also and said unto me let thine heart reteine my words Keep my Comandements and live Take fast hold of instruction let her not go keep her for she is thy life Read the whole Chapter Prov. 4. My son keep my words and lay vp my commandements with thee Keep my commandements and live and my law as the apple of thine eye Bind them upon thy fingers write them upon the table of thine heart Prov. 7. The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoyce and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him Thy father and thy mother shall be glad and she that bare him shall have ioy of him My son give me thine heart and let thine eye observe thy wayes Folly is to him that is destitute of wisdome but a man of understanding walketh uprightly Without counsell purposes are disappointed but in the multitude of Counsellors they are established Apply thine heart unto instruction and thine eares unto the words of knowledge Hear thou my son and be wise and guide thine heart in the way Hâ—arken unto thy father that begate thee and despise not thy mother when she is old Prov. 22.22 and Prov. 15 21 22. Now if we are bound by the Lawes of God and Nature to observe the godly precepts and to hearken unto the good instructions of our earthly fathers How diligently should we keep the Comandements of our Father which is in Heaven How ready should we be to do his Will to attend and obey his voice calling unto us in his Word and to say with Samuel Speak Lord for we thy servants do hear Again We have given the fathers of our flesh reverence shall we not much rather give honâ—ur and obedience unto the Father of Spirits and live Heb. 12.9 We read in Deut. 6. After that Moses had repeated the ten Comandements he taught the people that the end of the Law was obedience and he exhorted them thereto saying Heare O Israel the Lord our God is one Lord. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might And these words which I comand thee this day shall be in thy heart and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children and thou shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way and when thou liest down and when thou risest up And thou shalt binde them for a signe upon thine hands and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes and thou shalt write them upon the pâ—sts of thy house and on thy gates See Deut. 4.9 and Chap. 10.12 and Chap. 11.18 19. and Chap. 30.15 16. and Chap. 32.46 47. The Lord our God who is a God full of compassion and gracious long-suffering and plenteous in mercy and truth spake of the people of Israel saying O that were such a heart in them that they would feare me and keep my Commandements alwayes that it might be well with them and with their children for ever Deut. 5.29 If the wicked will return from all his sinnes that he hath committed and keep all my Statutes and do that which is lawfull and right he shall surely live and shall not dye All his transgressions that he hath committed they shall not be mentioned unto him but in his righteousnesse that he hath done he shall live Cast away all your transgressions whereby ye have transgressed and make you a new heart and a new spirit for why will ye dye O house of Israel Ezek. 18. vers 21 22 31. Wash ye make you cleane put away the evill of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evill Learn to do well seek judgement c. Come now and let us reason together saith the Lord though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as Snow though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool Isai 1.16 17 18. This is a true saying and by all means worthy to be received that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners 1 Tim. 1.15 Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Mat. 11.28 They that be whole need not a Physician but they that are sick Goe ye and learne what that meaneth I will have mercy and not sacrifice for I am not come to call the
persecute the beloved Spouse of Christ the Church But the Lord hath reserved a peculiar people to himselfe that hâ—ve not bowed the knee unto Baal God hath selected a faithfull and obedient flock that follow the Lamb wheresoever he goeth These the Lord our God the God of Israel who keepeth covenant for ever hath blessed and they are blessed and no adversary power is able to curse them When Jesus Christ was upon earth he prayed thus for his Elect Holy Father keepe through thine owne name those whom thou hast given me that they may be one as we are John 17. But he is entred into Heaven it selfe now to appear in the presence of God for us And this man because he continueth ever hath an unchangeable Priesthood Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them Moses verily was faithfull in all his house as a servant for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after but Christ as a Sonne over his owne house whose house are we if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoycing of the hope firme unto the end Let us not be slothfull but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises For God is not unrighteous to forget the work and labour of love which his servants have shewed towards his Name The earth which drinketh in the raine that cometh oft upon it and bringeth herbs meet for them for whom it is dressed receiveth blessing from God But that which beareth thornes and briars is rejected and is nigh unto cursing whose and is to be burned Let us labour therefore faithfully in Gods Vineyard the Church Militant least we fall in unbeliefe for an ensample of a rebellious and stiff-necked people My hearty desire and continuall prayer to Almighty God is that every one of us in our severall places and callings do shew all diligence in the Worke of our great Lord and Master the God of our Fathers whom we serve and that we labour to advance the truth and purity of doctrine taught and delivered by our Saviour Jesus Christ and his Apostles and to resist convince and silence the gain-sayers and enemies of the Gospell Let us be strong and very couragious that we may observe to do according to all the Law that God hath commanded us let us not turn from 〈◊〉 to the right hand or to the left for then the Lord shall make our wayes our indeavours and works prosperous and then we shall have good successe Let us take good heed therefore unto our selves that we love the Lord our God Else if we do in any wise go back and cleave unto the remnant of Idolatry that remaineth among us Know for a certainty that the Lord our God will no more be mercifull unto us will no more be among us and deliver us But those Idol-worshippers false bloudy-hearted Papists shall be snares and traps unto us and scourges in our sides and thornes in our eyes untill we are restrained from all the good things which the Lord our God hath given us Would God that we had the courage and resolution of Joshua and that this charge of his from the Lord unto the people of Israel were written in our hearts Now therefore feare the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in truth and put away the gods which your Fathers served on the other side of the Floud and in Egypt and serve ye the Lord. And if it seeme evill unto you to serve the Lord choose ye this day whom ye will serve whether the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the Floud or the Gods of the Amorites in whose Land ye dwell But as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. See the 24th of Joshua and the 2d of Judges both remarkable Chapters for this purpose O Eternall and most Gracious God inflame thy Messengers the Ministers of thy Word with a holy Zeal and arme thy servants the Civill Magistrates with a godly courage that they may demolish beat down and root out Popery Superstition Heresie and Prophanesse out of these Isles and Dominions of our Sovereigne Lord King Charles The toleration of Massing Religion is against the grounds of true Christian Religion against reason and against the policy of the Common-wealth as I finde at large in an Answer to the Masse-Priests presumptuous Supplication directed to our late King James of renowned memory and published 1604. Our Adversaries themselves declare that indifferency of Religion or toleration of two contrary Religions in one Kingdome is intolerable Possevin Biblioth Select lib. 1. c. 26. saith 1 It is a divelish invention 2 that it is contrary to Gods Ordinance 3 that it repugneth against the Lawes of Moses of nature and the Gospell it selfe 4 That it is contrary to the substance and proprieties of Christian faith 5 That it taketh away the truth and certainty of Christian faith 6 That it taketh away the certainty of Gods divine Worship and of the Church 7 That it taketh away Christian Discipline 8 That it cutteth asunder the unity of the Church 9 That it is contrary to the Word of God 10 That it is repugnant to the practise of the Primitive Church the authority of Fathers and Decrees of Emperours And finally that it provokrth the wrath of God against the Authours of it If then the Adversaries themselves see Liberty of divers Religions to be so pernicious where they have winde in pupp I hope they will pardon others that will not admit their lewd pernicious and phantasticall opinions We read in our Histories when Ladislaus son of Albert King of Bohemia about the year 1440. went to Bohemia there to be crowned where Pogtebracius had the Governance that during all the time of his being there though being much requested yet would the young King neither enter into the Churches nor hear the service of them which did draw after the Doctrine of Hus. Also before he departed thence he thought first to visit the noble City of Uratislavia in Schlesia In the which City the aforesaid King Ladislaus being there in the high Church at Service many great Princes were about him among whom was also George Pogiebracius who then stood neerest to the King unto whom one Chilianus playing the Parasite about the King as the fashion is of such as feign themselves fooles to make other men as very fooles as they spake in this wise as followeth With what countenance you do behold this our Service I see right well but your heart I do not see Say then doth not the Order of this our Religion seem unto you decent and comely Do you not see how many and how great Princes yea the King himself do follow one Order and Uniformity And why do you rather follow your Preacher Rochezana than these Do you think a few Bohemians to be more wise then all the Church of Christ besides