former dissembling his Religion and fearing he had designs and would in time attempt to introduce Innovations into the Temple of God they plotted and conspired against him and so at last made him away too Thus these two Princes grasping at an absolute and arbitrary power or to make themselves like to the great King of Assyria their Neighbour as the most proper Expedient endeavoured first to introduce his Idolatrous Worship It being the Nature of all False and Idolatrous Religions which come from the Devil to make all Monarchs like himself their Author Arbitrary Tyrants And all their Subjects like those in his Kingdom of Darkness Miserable Slaves But the Nature of the true Religion which comes from God is to render all her Kings being his anointed like himself Indulgent Fathers And all her Subjects like those in his Kingdom of Glory Children and Free-born By these Methods I say they made a miserable Exit losing both their Lives and Kingdoms too For that like the Romans who being abused by Tarquinius Superbus their last King would never after endure the Name of another So here the States of Iudah their King being destroyed seized the Government and turned themselves into a Commonwealth for about 11 or 12 years But after that time they unanimously restore Vzziah their last King's Son to the Throne in hopes that his Predecessor's Misfortunes in attempting to alter or corrupt the Established True Worship might prove a fair warning to him And this King in the beginning of his Reign God always prospered in Battel and delivered his Enemies that rebelled against him into his hands The Philistines the men of Ashdod and Gath. And his Name spread amongst the Neighbour-Princes he built Forts and raised a mighty Army he invented and proivded all manner of warlike Magazins and Engines Shields Spears Helmets Habergions Bows and Slings and God marvellously helped him till he was strong 2 Chron. 26. 13 14. But now in the midst of all this Grandeur warlike provision and mighty Army he seems to forget his Kingly Office and nothing will satisfie him but he must turn Priest and offer up Sacrifice And instead of employing all these warlike preparations against the common Enemy in defence of his Subjects their Laws Liberties Countrey and Religion it now appears he only designed to secure himself in such a Power as his Predecessors wanted that might enable him to go through in the Corrupting that Worship of God about which they had failed And in order to it at last he picks a quarrel with Azariah the High Priest who with other Priests assisting opposed the King in his attempts But presently hereupon in the heighth of all this greatness and glory it follows that his mighty Army answers none of his ends but turned to his shame and roproach His Spirit and Courage sinks in the midst of his Forces and himself between being thrust or affrighted out of his Kingdom run away and left it as we read 2 Chron. 26. 20. He made haste to be gone living after about four years and at last died with grief and discontent and was buried in his Garden Hereupon the States of Judah convened and their King having thus left them for the present juncture they set Jotham the King's Son over the king's house to administer the government and finding him an Excellent Prince in a short time after they advance him to the Throne during the Life of his Father Thus by the Male-administration of Three succeeding Princes and their several attempts to introduce an Arbitrary Power and an Idolatrous Worship The Foundations of the Jewish Church and State had been miserably shaken and almost dissolved so that it was hard for the most discerning amongst them to determine whether the Worship of the true God or that of Baal was like to prevail Which so much perplex'd the anxious thoughts of such Ely's whose hearts trembled for fear of the Ark of God. And so highly dissatisfied those who were well affected to the peace and prosperity of their Countrey that what between the Concernment and Zeal of some for their Religion the Discontents of others for their distressed tottering State and Government a general Neutrality and Supiness possessed most as careless of the issue the support of the Government or who govern'd concluding it could not be worse Their Country and Religion lay bleeding as Isaiah 1. 5 to 23. Their head is sick their heart faint their country was desolate their cities burnt with fire their land strangers devoured in their presence Sion was left as a cottage as a besieged city the faithful city Ierusalem is become a harlot she that was full of judgment and righteousness lodged in her is filled with malefactors their king and princes make wicked counsellors their companions their judges are made for oppression they judge not the fatherless nor house of the widow but they love gifts and follow after rewards And in the midst of these Distractions and Convulsions both of Church and State unless the Lord of Hosts had compassion on them they must have been as Sodom and Gomorrah but in the mount of the Lord is God seen He arises and resolves to rescue his people out of the jaws of so imminent destruction and tho all looks desperate yet to prevent their despondency he sends Isaiah in this comfortable Message and commands him to prophesie and tell them that notwithstanding all their present fears and confusions yet the time was just come That I will restore thy Judges as at the first and thy Counsellors as at the beginning after thou shalt be called The city of righteousness The faithful city Sion shall be redeemed with judgment and her converts with righteousness Which Prophecy seems to be made good in the very next Prince's Reign who was Jotham of whom Josephus writes Huic Regi nulla virtus defuit erga Deum pro justo erga homines reipublicae studioso quicquid enim instauratione opus habebat diligenter sarciendum curavit in tantúmque Regnum auxit ut tam domi felix esset quà m foris formidabilis That he was a most Excellent Prince deficient in no Virtue but devout towards God just towards Man and willingly employ'd himself to redress all that was amiss both in Church and State. He fortified his Kingdom and made War upon the great King of Ammon his Neighbour and all the Enemies of their Religion and Nation round about and overcame them in Battel and made them Tributary to him being happy amongst his Subjects at home and formidable to his Enemies abroad ever waxing mighty because he prepared his way before the Lord. Now since the Apostle tells us No Scripture is of private interpretation this Prophecy may concern us of England as well as Judah and Jerusalem Their Case seems to be our President we have copied after And our Circumstances their Parallel Both are so obvious that there needs no Application or more to be said than
what our Saviour did when he stood up in the Temple to preach and having read his Text out of this very Prophet he closed his Book and sat down having said no more Then This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears So may I. I will restore thy Judges as at the first and thy Counsellours as at the beginning c. This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears in your Eyes in all your Senses in the midst of our Towns and County After all our Distractions just Fears Apprehensions and Threats of Arbitrary Power Subversion of our Religion Laws Liberties and even Justice it self Behold our Judges as at the first in our respective Counties throughout the Kingdom at a General Assize gone forth to judge the People Behold our Counsellors as at the beginning in the Court to advise our Prince In our Grand Senate both House of Parliament sitting advising and enacting according to our ancient Rights Freedoms and Priviledges Behold our Religion our Church which is our Sion redeemed from Romish Superstitions Behold her Converts Protestant Proselytes and Professors of this Pure Holy Reformed Religion redeemed from all Fears of Rome's bloody Inquisition or France's Dragooning for Conscience sake Behold our Universities and Colledges our Cities and Corporations with their Free-holds Charters and Immunities restored as at the first To Crown all behold a King reigning in Righteousness the Support of our present and Pledge of our future happiness even England's Jotham Warring with the great King of Assyria his Neighbour the grand Enemy of our Religion and Country God grant him also a Jotham's Success to overcome them in Battel and to make them Tributary and that he may ever wax mighty because he prepares his way before the Lord. What remains now but that our Cities shall in a short time become Cities of Righteousness faithful Cities And our Sion which is our Church be redeemed with Judgment and her Converts with Righteousness In Summ then this Vision discovers these four things Of a Church and Nation 's Restauration and Deliverance from the Smart of such Calamities as they felt for the present or feared for the future 1. The Author 2. The Instruments 3. The Order 4. The Nature 1. The Author and Principal Efficient Cause of the Prosperity and Restauration of a sinking Church and Nation is God alone I will restore 2. The Instruments and Essential parts of a People's Restauration are 1 Judges as at the first 2 Counsellours as at the beginning 3. The Order and Method of a People's Prosperity after that For before that Judges and Counsellours are restored a Nation cannot flourish but they first then after that the other follows 4. The Nature and Comprehensiveness of a compleat Restauration it must be in Sacred as well as Civil Rights 1 Civil and Political Prosperity Cities shall flourish and become Cities of Righteousness 2 Sacred and Religious Prosperity The Church and her Proselytes must be saved Sion shall be redeemed with Judgment and her Converts with Righteousness As the result of the whole I infer 5. That whenever a People are thus restored they are highly obliged without murmuring to rejoyce in and to bless that God who is the Author of all for it These five Generals shall bound my present Discourse 1. That God alone is the Principal Efficient Cause of all Mutations of Government whether they tend to the Destruction or Restauration of a Church or Nation He sets up and he pulls down at his pleasure He deliver'd Israel out of Egypt and destroyed the Egyptians in the Red Sea. He rooted out the Canaanites and planted his own People in their Cities He took Saul from the Herd and David from the Flock and seated them on the Throne And he pulled down the High and Mighty Nebuchadnezzar in the midst of all his Glory and turned him to graze with the Beasts of the Field Alexander's and Caesar's may build Alexandria's and Caesarea's like great Babylon for their Honour and Glory when as all the while except the Lord build and keep the City too the Builder and the Watchman take care in vain These may arrogantly think that by their Power Policy and numerous Armies they have founded Empires and Dominions when as he that sits in the Heavens derides the vanity of their thoughts and frequently brings to nought their mighty Designs and many Devices For 't is the Counsel of the Lord that at last shall stand and his Purposes shall come to pass All the Powers on Earth are but as Tools in his hand to work out his good pleasure The mighty Cyrus was but his Shepherd and shall fulfil all his good pleasure saying to Jerusalem Thou shalt be built and to Sion Thy Foundation shall be laid And when his Ends are accomplished their Dominions are determin'd as the great Belshazzar's was by his Hand-writing MENE MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN Thy Kingdom is weighed numbred and finished and being found wanting is divided and distributed Thus he made Zerzes with his 2500000 Zenacharib and Siserah with Hosts as numerous as the Sands by the Sea to return with shame and dishonour and sent the great Bajazet about the World in a Cage for a show And again gave glorious Victories to a single Sampson with a Jaw-bone of an Ass To David with a Sling and a Stone To Gideon with the noise of Pitchers Rams-horns and but 300 Men. It is He that makes a fruitful Land to become a barren Wilderness and depopulates Cities by the Sword Famine and Pestilence And 't is the same hand that made the Wound that applies the Remedy cures all our Diseases and makes the noise of the Drum and Trumpet to cease and restores Peace in all our borders For as Clay in the hands of the Potter so are all Nations in his And 't is no more but for him to speak the word and they are made or utterly undone He can destroy or save as he pleases either by or without means but his usual methods are by Instruments and second Causes as here in my Text by restoring Judges and Counsellors who are both Instruments and Essential parts of a Nations Restoration 2. Which is the 2d thing in order to be discoursed of viz. That the Restoration of Primitive Judges and Counsellors are both the necessary and essential parts as well as instrumental Causes of a Peoples Restoration And here my first enquiry ought to be Who and what those Judges and Counsellors were at first 1. Neg. It is not Judges in general no matter who or what they are provided they are but Judges for of these we never wanted such as they were but they must be such as were at first For there are a sort who are so far from being a blessing that they are the greatest Scourge and Plague as can befall a Nation There are a sort of High Commission Judges there are Arbitrary Dispensing Judges there are Judges who 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
and fourth General Heads proposed at first to be discoursed on viz. 3. The Order and 4. The Nature of a Church or Nation 's Restauration or Ruine And how far Judges and Counsellors Influence and are Instrumental Causes of both 1. The Influence of good Counsellours on a Church or Nation 's Prosperity is and ever has been most visible in every Age and in all Nations and may be most convincingly demonstrated from the sad Effects dismal and satal Consequences Nations have smarted under by the Conduct and Advice of wicked ones to the utter ruine both of Prince and People What a flourishing Kingdom was Egypt when the Nations round about were like to perish through the faithful Counsel and Conduct of Joseph Whilst Jehoiadah lived to advise King Joash himself and his Kingdom flourished but after his death following the wicked Advice of his flattering Counsellors never greater Calamities befel a People Wicked Counsellors ruined the Kingdom of Ahab and Ahaziah His Mother was his Counsellor to do wickedly after the death of his Father to his destruction and subversion of the Government by Athaliah But most famous and remarkable is the Case of Rehoboam who upon the Death of Solomon his Father went up to Sichem to be crown'd King where multitudes of his Subjects went also to attend the Solemnity and so took that opportunity of presenting their humble Addresses That those Invasions made upon their Liberties as Freemen and Rights as Subjects might be redress'd Which the old faithful Counsellors of his Father advised him to do But he rejected these and followed the advice of the young men viz. To insist upon his Prerogative to check their Insolence in daring to petition and threaten them the higher for it and tell them He was resolved to make their Yoke heavier That his little Finger should be heavier than his Father's Loins And whereas before they were chastised with Whips he would henceforth lash them with Scorpions When his Subjects heard this and found that their humble Address was become their greater Crime and a Reason for heavier Oppressions they make a general Revolt and unanimously cry out What Portion have we in David neither have we Inheritance in the Son of Jesse Now see to thy own House O David to thy Tents O Israel that is Though Rehoboam be the Grandchild of David the King that God himself chose and set over us and he be the indisputable Heir Apparent to the Crown of Israel and to the House of his Father David yet if he pervert the Ends of Government which are to protect relieve and defend and is resolved to go on to enslave and oppress What is he to us more than another Or his Descent or House We have no part or portion in him Let him look to himself and his own House and we will go home and look to our selves and ours To thy Tents O Israel And so they unanimously left and deposed him and made Jeroboam the Son of Nebat King over Israel And this God in this case seems to encourage and approve of as his own Act 1 Kings 12. 24. This is from me saith the Lord therefore oppose it not And what the dreadful Church and Kingdom distracting Effects are of wicked Counsellors about a Prince is fresh in our Memories having so lately experimented the result of Conclave Romish French and Italian inslaving Counsels from abroad Petrean and Jesuitical undermining Counsellors at home which had reduced us to such Circumstances that we were all at the very brink of Destruction And it was the Lord's Mercies we had not been all consumed Wherefore Forerius tells us Mallet iniquum Regem optimis Consultoribus Reipublicae praeesse quà m justum sapientem iniquis Concilliariis constipatum And blessed be that God who has turned all the Counsels of these Ahitophels into Folly broken the Snare in pieces and we are escaped and restored unto our Faithful Counsellors 〈◊〉 at the beginning But remembring I am not preaching to these at Court or to the Senate at Westminster but to Judges at an Assize this little shall suffice And I shall now address my self more closely and particularly to my second General which is 2. What Influence the Restauration of Primitive Judges have upon the Prosperity of Church and State. 1. Upon our State and Civil concerns After or upon the Restauration of these it follows That our Cities shall be called Cities of Righteousness faithful Cities Countries and Cities were usually called by the Names or at the pleasure of their first Discoverers Inhabiters or Founders so Judea from Judah Britain from Brutus Rome from Romulus London or Ludstown from King Lud Jerum or rather Jebusalem from the Jebusites Yet after many places have received superadditional Epithets and Denominations new Names from Acoidents Customs Virtues or Vices predominant amongst their Inhabitants Thus degenerate Rome in the Scripture is frequently called Babylon the Mother of Harlots and Fornieâ—atibâ—s because she is become the habitation of Devils and of every foul Spirit and a Cage of unclean Beasts Thus Jerusalem is called Sodom and Gomorrah a Harlot and treacherous City when the sins of those places were committed and tolerated in her Hence it comes to pass that from good or bad Judges places may be denominated and accordingly change their Names Where Religion is profaned Wickedness abounds Vice flourishes Sins are impude 〈…〉 ly committed and Judges being Atheists or Galleo's that care for none of these things to punish or reform Such Cities or Places may be called Sodom and Gomorrals treacherous and perfidious in forsaking God. But where by the impartial strict Administration of Justice by upright Judges the good are encouraged the wicked punished Vice is asham'd or dares not to be seen Sin sculks in corners 5 and though cloathed in Scarlet yet openly exposed and whipped the streets Religion Piety and Vertue being encourag'd flourish the Poor the Widow and the Orphan rejoyce and no Clamours for Injustice and Oppressions are heard in the high places Here Cities may be called Faithful Cities Cities full of Righteousness But to prevent Mistakes here know that though Denominations are usually à majorâ— yet they are not so in this case For though the Stigmatizing Pilloring and Whipping of some and Executing of others be duly observed every Assizes and a Judge has done ten thousand just Acts yet he shall not be hence denominated a just Judge ad totum but only ad tantum for the whole but for so much But if he has done but one unjust Act in the whole course of his Judgship he shall be thence denominated an unjust Judge As a Man who has conversed with Thousands in the whole course of his life and never did the least injury to any Soul breathing yet if after all he kill but one Man he is denominated a Murtherer for ever For those common Acts of Justice on certain Malefactors being so absolutely necessary for the preservation of
neither fear God nor regard Man. Who live on Orphans Tears sacrifice and sell the Blood of some the Estates of others their Country their Laws their Religion and their own Consciences to purchase their Places and their Maker's Favour whom that you may know I shall name one John 19. 12. If thou let this Man go thou art not Caesar's Friend When Pilate the Judge heard that he sate down in the Judgment seat and condemned the most innocent holy and just i. e. when he heard he was like to lose Caesar's Favour and Friendship farewel to Justice to purchase its continuance In the whole Creation there is not one Creature more like a God than a Primitive Judge Nor a Monster more like a Devil than a corrupt degenerate one from his Original Pattern But to let pass this Pilattick Sect of Judges and leave them to repent or their Names to rot and Memorials to perish being the Antithesis and Reverse of those my Text speaks of I proceed 2. To consider and determine what Primitive Judges and Counsellors are And here 1 st what are Primitive Judges Homines in naturali statu liberi nascuntur pares in quâ parietate semper remansciscent nisi necessitas quaedam politica illos in ordinem coâ—gisset ut alii praesint alii subsint in totius salutem primô idem fuit Imperator Judex Liberty and Freedom being the Universal and Natural Birthright of all and their Security and primary end of all Government need no more proof than to prove the Tooth in a Man's Head his Eye or his Senses are his own But whosoever pretends to exercise any power over others must prove every Tittle and shew his Commission how and which way he came by it and take care to answer the End and true Reasons which first gave Birth to Empire and Dominion Which were not to invade or destroy but to protect and defend their Subjects And therefore if at any time they act contrary in it they renounce the ends of their being and overthrow the Foundation on which they stand Exposing their Authority to be stripped Naked subverted and trampled on For tho some self-designing men to flatter and abuse Princes and promote themselves may have tortured Scripture and screwed up Conscience and Religion to such heighths as to infer thence Obligations to an extravagant unreasonable sort of Obedience Yet 't is as impossible for men in general to act contradictory to their true Interest their Natural Principles of Freedom and Self-preservation or to stand by and assist any Power in abusing themselves As it is to be mad with Reason And 't is as foolish if not impious and contradictory to pretend to fetch Arguments from a Religion that comes from God to cheat men of those Natural Rights which himself and Nature has given them Whereby they represent God as tho repenting or recalling his Gifts and so acting contradictory to his goodness which is himself and dividing his Kingdom against it self like that which cannot stand Let then their mistaken sense of Government be what it will it was no doubt instituted for the defence and preservation of the whole and at first the Emperor and the Judge was the same with his Sword in one hand to defend against their Enemies and his Scepter in the other to determine Controversies But the weight of Government and number of Subjects increasing the Emperour withdrew from the Tribunal and substituted Judges And this was the course that Moses took by the advise of Jethro whose Books and Writings being the most ancient and authentick that we can rely on I shall from them collect what those Original Judges were according to whose pattern a Restoration is here promis'd By Judges 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Septuagint ut antea as the Syrriack Version ut erant antiquitùs ut olim as the Arrabick and Caldee Paraphrase as at first as before as anciently as in times past I understand either 1. Such as God himself was or such as he at first extraordinarily qualified and sent 2. Or such as Moses was or such as he commissioned 3. Or such as the best of the Kings of Israel and Judah were or such as they commission'd in their respective Reigns 1. Such as God himself was For tho by his Universal Power and Providence he at first planted and still governs all the Kingdoms of the World and has given them to the Children of Men yet Israel was his peculiar Care and Government and therefore when they clamoured for a King like other Nations God in anger replied by Samuel They have not rejected thee but they have rejected me that I should not reign over them because that himself as Isa 9. 7. was their King their Judge and their Lawgiver And it was common for them to bring such Causes as they could not determine and spread them before the Lord. 2. Or such as God extraordinarily qualified and sent to judge his People Israel such were Othniel Shamgar Deborah and Samuel and thus he gave them Judges for the space of 450 years and God was with the Judge Acts 13. 20. 2. Or such as Moses himself was or as he commissioned Moses was the first we ever read of that sate upon the Bench in a judicial way of Over and Terminer and he is the first too that issued out Commissions to other Deputy-Judges to bear part of the burthen with him and to judge the people at all seasons 3. Or such Judges as the best wisest most renown'd and religious of the Kings of Israel and Judan were As Jehosaphat Solomon and David whose Throne for Righteousness and Judgment was a Type of the Throne of the Messiah who is to judge the World in Righteousness and the Nations in Equity so famed for Justice that it revived the hearts of his Subjects but to talk of appearing before his Tribunal Our feet shall stand within thy gates O Jerusalem for there are set thrones of judgment even the throne of the house of David Or such as Solomon his Son so famed for Wisdom and Judgment in that righteous and critical decision of the Controversie between the Two Women about the dead and the living Child Or such as Jehosaphat sent into all the Cities of Judah in Circuit City by City 2. We may learn what these Judges at first were 1. From the Rules laid down for their Choice 2. From the Charge given them upon Admission for the Execution of their Office. I shall only instance in Two Moses and Jehosaphat's Rules and Charge 1. Moses's Rules for Choice or Qualifications he requires in a Judge are reduceable to these Four recorded Exod. 18. 2. 1. Chuse able men i. e. Men of Parts and Understanding 2. Such as fear God Not the Face of Man in the Judgment 3. Men of Truth Men of Integrity hating False Judgment 4. Such as hate Covetousness If not they 'l take Bribes and sell Justice 2. Moses