and grace and true repentance in our hearts with joy in the Holy Ghost and the sincerity of a good Conscience as Carthusian glosseth that place in the Gospel Thus you see it is the glory of God to conceal a thing Honor autem Regum But it is the honour of a King to search out a matter namely to search out the causes and examine the controversies and differences betwixt man and man and also to administer true justice and judgement to the people This is the proper Office and Duty as I may so term it that belongs unto the Regal Scepter or Diadem yea this is the right honour and glory of Kings and I prove it thus First out of Humane Story Secondly by Divine Testimony First out of humane Story It is repotted That when Phillip the King of Macedonia did reject and cast off the earnest suit of a poor Widdow with this slender answer Goe thy way for I have no leasure to hear thee now She replyed thus and why then hast thou leasure to be a King as if she had said Hast thou leasure to be a King and hast thou not leasure to doe Justice and to hear the Complaint of a poor Widdow that comes before thee for Justice God hath given thee time to Raign and power to Rule and Govern that thou mightest Apply them and Imploy them both unto that Prov. 20.28 and wherefore they are given thee For Mercy and Truth preserveth a King and with loving kindness his Seat is upholden or his Throne is upholden by mercy as our last translation hath it Even as Solomons stately Throne of Ivory was supported with two Lyons on cach side one so the Throne of every good and pious Prince 2 Chron. 9. is supported and stayed up with those two Magnanimous and Lyon-like vertues Justice and Mercy Therefore God made thee King said the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon to doe Justice and Judgment 1 Kings 10. And therefore Augustine said well to this purpose Ablatâ Justitiâ quid sunt regna nisi magna latrocinia Now for divine Testimony We read in the 1 Kings 3. when Solomon prayed to God for an understanding heart that he might do Justice among Gods people it is said that his prayer pleased God passing well because Solomon asked wisdome rather than wealth and knowledge rather than honour for thereby he gave evidence that his heart was set upon righteousness For Ex abundantiâ cordis os loquitur Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh Math. 12.34 and did not his mouth speak righteous things did he not truly discern between good and bad when he judged the two Harlots that came before him when he wisely decided and determined the matter betwixt them and happily discovered and found out through his mature wisdome and judgment the right Mother of the Child which as soon as his wisedome was thus proved and perceived it was presently approved and applauded for when all Israel heard the Judgment which the King judged they feared the King for that they saw that the wisdome of God was in him to do Justice and Judgment 1 Kings 3.28 Lo here was his Honour and here was his Crown and Glory to pervestigate and search out the matter As it is reported of King James to his tare and singular and perpetual Commendation that he rightly interpreted those miscarried letters which discovered the Powder-Treason in a sense and construction differing and dissenting from the Capacity and Understanding of all his Nobles For as it is the honour and glory of Kings diligently to search out the truth of matters that come before them and uprightly and sincerely to administer Justice and Judgment to the people committed to their Charge and Government so may we be assured and perswaded likewise of this that no less shall it make for their Praise and Commendation to have hearts like the Heaven for height and the Earth for depth as it is in the next verse Hearts like the Heaven for height and the Earth c. i. e. Infinite boundless bottomless unsearchable namely in regard of their profound learning and knowledge their extraordinary wisdome and understanding It behoveth them to have a large heart like Solomons Even as the Sand that is on the Sea-shore c. For Solomon in saying here that no man can shew the Kings heart sheweth that it is too hard for man to attain to the reason of all the secret doings of the King even when he is upright and doth his duty God putteth many things into his heart which are unsearchable and past finding out by ordinary men which made David to admonish Kings and Judges thus saying Psal 2.10 Be wise now therefore O ye Kings be learned ye that are Judges of the Earth For as one saith wittily If the Judge or Magistrate be not Wise Judicious and Perspicacious to dive into the Matter and discern the Cause thoroughly that comes before him words may soon carry the matter away through the glozing tongue of some eloquent Tully or Tertullus some Colluding and praevaricating Lawyer who may be a Sophister in word and an Ambadexter in deed That Christian Poet Prudentius spake prudently against Symmachus in his first book Publica res inquit tunc fortunata satis si Vel Reges Saperent vel regnarent Sapientes That Common-wealth saith he cannot chuse but flourish when either Philosophers are Kings or Kings are Philosophers an admirable remarkable saying indeed and worthy to be written in letters of Gold and engraven with the pen or point of a Diamond upon the Thrones of Princes And the wisest of Kings speaketh to the same purpose Prov. 20.26 A wise King scattereth the wicked and bringeth the wheele over them i. e. the wheele of Judgment and Vengeance for their evil deeds Here note that this saying hath been partly fullfilled of late by finding out and bringing some Egregious and Notorious Malefactors to just and condigne punishment who lifted up their hands against the Lords Anointed K. C. the first and embrued them in his blood Ut paena ad unum sit terror ad omnes neque enim lex justior ulla est quam necis artifices c. And how necessary learning and understanding is for Kings and Princes may be easily gathered out of those words Eccles. 10.10 Woe to thee O Land when thy King is a Child i. e. Ignorant unlearned and unskilful in the affairs of State Woe to thee O Land when thy King is a Child and thy Princes eat in the morning i. e. when they rise up early to Ryot and to Revel it But as it followeth Blessed art thou O Land when thy King is the Son of Nobles and thy Princes eat in due season for strength and not for drunkenness Where by the Son of Nobles he meaneth one not only praeclara prosapiâ sive progenie oriundus that is one descended and born of antient and famous Progenitors and Predecessors but one vertuously
in more such Judges especially you would but give leave to the Haâ—â—maid to wait upon her Mistris For mention is made in humane story of one Verlenius who was in the days of the Roman Emperour Alexander Severus He abused the favour of the Emperour and took much money of divers to prefer their Suces but deluded them and did them no good When the Emperour understood it he caused him to be hanged up in a Chimney as some have it or as others he commanded him to be tyed in propatulo in publick view to a stake and there to be suffocated and stifled or choked to death with smoke an Herald proclaiming to the people Fumum vendidit et fumo punitus est Smoke he sold and with smoke he is punished It seems that Justice is too much turned into smoke amongst us we have many sittings and meetings in the Country which put us in mind and both pretend and promise some hope of reforming of disorders and suppressing or at the least diminishing and decreasing that World of Alehouses that is now adays but all turn into smoak and vanish into nothing the Cath-pole Excise man goes away with all the gains the poor Country man pays all or else he must drink sixteens here 's small Justice and poor reformation of Exorbitancies Another fearful example was read in Herodotus that when a Judge for mony and for lucre had pronounced a false sentence the King of the Persians caused him to be excoriated and fleyed alive and commanded that his skin should be nailed over the Seat of Judgement there to remain for ever as a terrour to succeeding Judges and that the Son of the same Judge should first supply the Seat that by his Fathers example he might take heed of perverting Justice A just Judgement inflicted upon a corrupt Judge which if it move you not because a Heathen was the Author of the story yet hearken to the Law of God against which no exception can be taken Cursed is he that taketh a reward to put to death innocent blood and all the people shall say Amen Deut. 27.15 Such Judges as these our own Chronicles do afford us sufficient Testimony and Examples of and they testifie that there were such in the Reign of King Richard the Second namely Sir Robert Tresilian Lord Chief Justice with six more Judges and divers others of great places who did not faithfully Counsel the King but advise him to do things contrary to Law whereupon they were censured in a Parliament holden at that time some of them were Executed and some Exiled and Banished the Land for their Fasehood and Treachery and such Judges as these we have had of late years again who have run into the same Errour and faln into the like premunire as they did by deluding and perswading the King against the Subject and by alienating and exasperating the hearts of the Subject against the King and the like unlawful and ungodly Stratagems practices Nay more than this their wickednesse and vilenesse did not here cease but they proceeded yet farther and set up a High Court of Justice as they called it and both Indited and Arraigned the King himself at their Barr and made a Law among themselves as the Jews did to put that pious Prince to death and to divide his Head from his Shoulders and this they did contrary to Magna Charta and contrary to all Law and Justice these were Judge Bradshaw Hacker Harrison Cook and their Com-plices who sate in Judgement upon him as Pilate and his Souldiers did upon Christ and Condemned him as a Traytor against the State but these Judges for some part of them have of late been detected and found out and received Severe and Condign punishment for their Cruel Hainous and Bloody Offences and that blood which was thus shed about twelve years since is not yet expiated neither is the hand quite purged from it therefore we may well say of them as the old Patriarch Jacob did of Simeon and Levi Gen. 49.6 In arcam eorum ne ingreditor anima mea in Caetum eorum ne adunator gloria mea O my Soul come not thou into their secret unto their Assembly mine honour be not thou united for in their anger they slew a man that was ten thousand times better than themselves and in their selfwill they digged down a wall Cursed be their anger for it was fierce and their wrath fot it was cruel I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel Thus when he maketh inquisition fot blood he remembreth it and forgetteth not the complaint of the poor Psal 9.12 for although God revengeth not suddenly the wrong done to his Servants yet he suffereth not the wicked alwayes to escape unpunished So we read that God raised up the Holy Spirit of a young Child whose name was Daniel to acquit and clear innocent Susanna from that false and unjust accusation which those two corrupt vicious and lascivious Elders had brought against her return again to Iudgment said he for they have born false witnesse against her and therefore such corrupt Judges as these or as Felix was who kept Paul in prison hoping that mony should be given him to let him loose Acts 24.27 and such as the Sons of Samuel were who turned aside after Iucre and took rewards and perverted Judgement 1 Sam. 8. they must be removed and taken away from the King for they are but drosse so saith my Text Take away the drosse from the silver and there shall come c. We have shewed you that false Prophets and covertous corrupt Judges are but drosse in comparison of silver III. Flattering Courtiers are dross In the third place we may observe that fawning Parasites that is to say flattering and aspiring Courtiers must be removed and taken away from the King for they are but like drosse in respect of pure silver and to make us abominate abhor and detest such and to make us out of love with such drosse and refuse of men David the King saith Psal 120.2 Deliver my Soul O Lord from lying lips and from a deceitfull tongue and in the 12th Psalm he also saith They that do but flatter with their lips and dissemble with their double hearts the Lord shall root out all such deceitful persons He meaneth the flatterers of the Court which hurt him more with their tongues than the Philistines or any open Enemy can do with their weapons And Solomon saith to the same effect purpose Prov. 27.5 6. Open rebuke is better than secret love fidelia sunt vulnera amici Faithful are the wounds of a friend but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful even as the kisses of Joab and Judas were Let the Righteous rathersmite me friendly saith David and reprove me 2 Sam. 20.9 but let not their precious balms break mine head That is Psal 141.6 6. let not their prosperities like the Apples of Hippomane cast before Atalenta let them not
Spies with peace Heb. 11.31 the Harlot shall be metamorphosed or transformed and turned as it were into an honest woman Zion shall be redeemed with Judgment saith Esay and her Converts with Righteousnesse And the destruction of the Transgressors and of the Sinners shall be together and they that for sake the Lord shall be even as dross is in the fire For as the Lord saith by the mouth of his Prophet Jeremy Behold I will melt them and try them Ier. 9.7 And Malachy placeth him being Antiquus dierum The Antient of dayes in the seat of Judgment Mal. 3.3 saying He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver he shall purify the Sons of Levi and purge them as gold and silver that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousnesse Now although Exempla illustrant non probant yet to give you a president or two for the cleering and illustrating of this point and to single you out some egregious and notorious examples of covetous corrupt unjust and unconscionable Judges That one in the Gospel may be the first that shall be arraigned in this Catalogue and brought before the Tribunal of divine Justice because he is best known unto you his bill of Inditement is drawn out delivered and deciphered unto us by the exact pensil of the Evangelist St. Luke thus Luke 18.2 and therefore is the more remarkable There was in a City a Judge which feared not God neither regarded man It seems by this he was guilty of the breach of both Tables a transgressor of the whole decalogue peccant and delinquent he was in respect of all the Commandements for he neglected his duty both towards God and man this was his general Obliquity but his particular fault and offence was this There was a certain Widdow in that City and she came unto him saying Avenge me of mine Adversary and he would not for a while Here was his obstinacy and injustice joyned with uncharitableness by delaying her suit and protracting the time a common fault of our cunning covetous Lawyers in these dayes to make a demur of their poor Clients causes and hold them in suspence Term after Term till they have emptied their purses and brought them to want and penury But according to that saying Secundae Cogitationes sunt meliores Afterward this unjust Judge said within himself though I fear not God nor regard man yet because this Widdow troubleth me I will right her and avenge her lest by her continual coming she weary me And the Lord said hear what the unjust Judge saith As if he had said do you not mark the end of his speech observe his aim and his drift how that not for fear of God nor respect to man not for love of justice to the poor Widdow but meerly for his own end and his own ease Ne tandem veniens obtundat me Lest by her continual coming she weary me Hear what the unjust Judge saith saith God shall he avenge the Widdow by reason of her Importunity And shall not God who is the Judge of all the Earth do right Gen. 18.25 shall not he avenge his own Elect which cry day and night unto him with a Quo usque domine How long Lord holy and true as those souls do that lye under the Altar Revel 6. Shall not he judge and avenge their blood on them that dwell on the earth even on them which Causelessly and Injutiously spilt it though be bear long with them I tell you that he will avenge them and that speedily Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh shall he find faith on the Earth No surely for great Apostacy false doctrine and heresie and a general corruption of manners shall then be praedominant the love of many shall wax cold Faith shall scarce be found at Christs coming There must be a departing and falling away from Faith towards God and love towards man an infallible note of Antichrist and the last days Et jam recessit lex a Sacerdotibus et jam Terras Astraea reliquit The Law is now departed from the Priest and Justice from the Magistrate the foundations of the Earth are out of course as the Psalmiff complaineth Yea all things are grown so naught and there is such an universal defection and corruption both in the Civil State and Ecclesiastical that it begun of late years even in the reign of the late King through a common fame to grow into a Proverb Note that this was when they left the Law of Magna Charta and set up a Law of their own like the Law of the Jewes to put Christ to death so they set up the High Court of Iustice to put the King to death How that the Judges had betrayed the Law and the Bishops had almost destroyed and overthrown the Gospel Horresto referens atque animus meminisse horet lactuque refugit O tell it not in Gath nor publish it in the streets of Askalon I could here tell you of another unjust Judge besides the former which is also recorded in the Gospel and I cannot well passe over his name in silence although I cannot chuse but name him with a kind of indignation and disdain 't is Pontius Pilate by name who was Governour of Judaea as St. Luke reports it chap. 3. v. 1. Deputy and Lieutenant he was to Tiberius Caesar the Roman Emperour under whom our Saviour suffered This was he who to humour content and pleasure the people he was indeed too popular and pleasing in his dealings For he knew that of envy they had delivered him who though he found no fault at all in that Immaculate Lanb of God Christ Jesus our blessed Lord and Saviour yet contrary to all Law and Justice contrary to his own Conscience yea conttary to that special Item and serious Admonition which his Wife gave him being warned in a dream so to do for she sent him this message Have thou nothing to do with that just man for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him Math. 27.18 19. Although his Wife being Divinitas Inspirata as it were sent thus unto him when he was set down on the Judgment seat yet he regarded it not but pronounced the sentence of Condemnation against that holy and innocent and just one Who also though he sent an Epistle to Tiberius to excuse the fact and laid all the fault on the Jews and their malice as Sixtus Senensis relates it yet Stygma Injustitiae the brand and blemish the spot and stain of injustice of partial and wrongful dealing shall stick upon his name so long as that superscription which he set upon the Crosse shall remain to be read and recited in Hebrew Greek and Latine because all nations might understand it and remember it Ioh. 19.20 Or at least as long as that Gospel of our Saviours death and passion shall be read and preached throughout the world I could here produce and instance