image cannot abide that such should liue vnder him in earth Therefore where he saith I cannot suffer him his meaning is that hee would not be perswaded by any meanes to beare with such an one or to be otherwaies affected then God is toward proud ones The Doctrine that I gather is No proud person must be encouraged but resisted by a Christian Magistrate in a Christian Common-wealth Ismael was a proud Scorner therefore God commaunded Abraham and Abraham at Gods commaundement cast him out Genâ— 21.9.12.14 Moses when he saw a proud Aegyptian smiting his brother a poore Hebrew as Gods High Marshall presently slew him Exod. 2.11.12 Salomon saith that humility goeth before glorie as much as if Salomon had saydeâ— They whom Magistrates should preferre and good men set by must be humble But Haman that was lift vp by pride to so great crueltie against Mordecai and so many innocent Iewes came with much shame to his end for God made the King that loued him his Officer to execute him vpon his owne Gallowes Hest. 7. The Reasons Gods Magistrates must be affected as God is whose Magistrates they are they must loue where he loueth and be enemies where hee is enemie Now God resisteth the proud 1 Pet. 5.5 or sets his hoast in array and orders his Armie against him and therefore they must do so to Secondly the proud robbe God of his glorie and shall the spoylers of God be spared Thirdly the proud are fooles and proud persons sinfull fooles such as must inherit destruction Pro. 3.35 Now if destruction be their inheritance from the Lord they sinne that keepe them from it But not onely Magistrates that may punish pride are here prouoked to their duties but they who hauing the charge of others in a priuate Cure may restraine it are taught also must learne though not to punish it as Magistrates yet not to beare with it as fooles Vses A reproofe to those in authoritie who countenance Swaggerers rude in carriage and proud in heart nay Papists and such proud ones as clayme heauen by their works for he that must not suffer a proud person how shall hee abide a Papist that thinketh his works worthie to stand before the Sonne of God Dauid I perswade my selfe if he were now liuing would not beare with him who so sharply threatneth a high looke and large heart Heere also those foolish Parents and Husbands are reprooued who are so farre from not suffering pride or a proud person in their children and wiues that they pranke them in it by offering the meanes in cuâ—ious apparrell and new fashions that rather blow vp then keepe downe the swelling of a vaine heart An admonition to auoyd pride as we would not haue good men to auoyd vs and good Magistrates not to abide vs nay if wee would not haue God for our enemieâ— let vs not haue pride for our friend Let vs rather vse all cooling remedies for the inflamation of so windie a stomacke And let vs if God haue graced vs with good things bewayle the euill things that are in vs in greater measure Neyther let his blessings make vs proud and let our wants humble vs. Let vs consider that wee haue nothing but what wee haue receiued 1 Cor. 4.7 and shall a Beggar that liueth of the Almes-basket be proud of the meate that is giuen him Let vs not conceit of our selues aboue that which is in vs nor haue our selues in more admiration then is cause Finally let vs take heede of the flattering prayser for what needle creature pinched with want will be made to beleeue that he swimmeth in plentie and that hee were a liberall House-keeper that hath not wherewith to keepe himselfe So much for the Prophets affection toward euill doers his good affections to those that doe well follow Mine eyes shall be to the Faithfull of the land c. THe Prophet in this verse sheweth what kinde of persons he will make speciall choyse of to vse in his gouernment and to haue in his seruice And they be the faithfull of the Land not the great men but the good men of the Kingdome And that wee may know what hee meaneth by faithfull men hee therefore addeth they that walke in the perfect way to wit of the word as wee heard before out of the second verse Not that fulfill the perfect way and sinne not for there are none such Pro. 20.9 1 Iob. 1.8 Eccles. 7.22 but that walke in it though with slippes So the Scriptures call those vpright that is faithfull men not who are altogether free from sinne and indued with righteousnes but that are voyd of hypocrisie and fraught with truth Luk. 1.6 2 Chron. 15.17 compared with Chapter 16.2.3.10 12. Two things then are propounded in this verse As how the Prophet will choose the Seruants of his house and Ministers of the State and how hee will vse them being chosen For the manner of choosing them hee sayth his eyes shall be toward them eyther to hearken after them or to giue grace vnto them And for his kinde manner of vsing them it is expressed where hee sayth that they shall dwell with him to wit in the house and that they shall serue him in the affayres of the Kingdome In the manner of his choyse he promiseth to giue diligence and to vse care for the hauing of good Seruants in the Court and Common-wealth for he sayth in effect that hee will seeke them and enquire after them as such Iewels are worthie and employ his eyes ouer the whole Land till he finde them Now from so good an example in a King eyther already placed or shortly to be placed great Magistrates and good Masters may learne how to get good Officers neere them and to haue good Seruants about them They must choose them with wisedome and good discretion and not take the next at hand and though they would hide themselues among the stuffe as did Saul they must seeke them and from thence fetch them 1 Sam. 10.22.23 Abraham made a good choyse and had good Seruants Gen. 14.14 24.12.13.14.33.34 And it could neuer haue beene saide of Cornelius that he feared God with all his house Act. 10.2 if he had not regarded what manner Seruants and kinde of people he had entertained in his house And did not Dauid when he gaue a charge to Salomon his sonne concerning certaine euill Seruants to proceede against them 1 King 2.5.8 giue a contrarie charge concerning good Men and good Seruants to make much of them to wage them to shew kindnes vnto them vers 7. And did not Rehoboam loose as much by euill Counsellers 1 King 12.9.10 14. as euer King gat by good The Reasons They that seeke shall finde it is spoken of our Christian-seeking by prayer and Christian diligence in good things Mat. 7.7 So they who choose good Seruants with wisedome and vse them with consciâ—nce shall haue them But they must vse diligence to get such and
I doubt not but the Statute prouided against Drunkennes calleth such Drunkards By Idlenes the second sinne I meane such a sin as is contrary to an honest vocation by Idle persons such sinners as follow no trade but the wicked trade of Gaming and Drunkennes or the Beggers wandering trade Such persons are Idle persons and not the members but the diseases of the Common-wealth Also the houses which harbour such are no better then Bawdes to all manner vice and lewdnes Such houses of vnnecessarie resort being without number in no order should be shut vp by the Magistrates key specially such as are kept at Townes ends or in corners blinde Lanes for greater conueniencie of receiuing late conuaying away earely persons of most infamous life God blesseth a mans lawfull trade Man in it but this blessing they cannot hope for who liue in no calling or sinfully in a wicked calling Moses keeping sheepe saw the Lord Exod. 3.1.2.3.5 This excellent Man of God whose Psalme this is was taken from the Sheep-folds to be King Psal. 78.70.71 Lidia in her honest trade hath the benefit of her conuersion Act. 16.14 And in Q. Maries time there was almost no trade Mechanicall so base but some were called out of it to suffer for Christ. But how many Roysters Tiplers Gamelters good-fellowes e mbraced the Stake hot flames of fire in those raging dayes And for Carding houses Dicing-houses Tipling-houses Brothell-houses what Chappels are these to serue God in and of what trade are they who keepe them that they may say they liue in a trade with comfort to be saued Also these houses and such trades of life what doe they but multiply Rogues and Theeues who though they haue nothing to liue vpon in a lawfull course yet goe gay and haunt Alehouses day after day This cannot be borne out but by some bad dealing Therefore you who haue your Princes Sword and Oath put into your hands for such matters as you tender the glorie of GOD the welfare of your Countrey your Soueraignes glory and the saluation of your owne soules be zealous against both Drunkennesse and Idlenesse and let not those houses stand open that are open Iâ—nes to one or both And what I haue sayde of these I would haue to be sayd of all other works and workers of iniquitie And so I come to that which the Prophet meaneth by the wicked of the Land All the workers of iniquitie c. THe wicked which the Prophet before spake of he here by an exegesiâ— or exposition calleth the workers of iniquitie By which he meaneth such as giue themselues ouer to wantonnesse to worke al vncleanenesse euen with greedinesse Eph. 4.19 and such as commit sinne not vnwillingly but with purpose of heart From whence this Doctrine is taught that euery doer of euill is not a wicked person but he that doth euill and will doe it Dauid had many faults so haue the best Men for in many things we sinne aâ— Iam. 3.2 yet they are not to be numbred among the wicked Zacharie and Elizabeth were both sinners yet the Scripture calleth them not wicked but iust persons and persons iust before God that is in Gods account iust and concerning the Law vnreproueable that is vnreproueable by Man Luk. 1.6 Paul likewise after his conuersion had a bodie of death but no body of wickednesse Rom. 7.24 The Reasons First the doer of euill may doe euill against his will or as caried to it by some violence and yet be a good Man and so opposite to one that is wicked and doth purposely offend for hee is no sinner vvho in truth and deede desireth to be none Secondly hee is a wicked person not who sinneth but vvho is of the trade and vvorke of sinne and vvho is led by it as a Dogge in a line after his Keeper Also hee that worketh sinne 1 Ioh. 3.8 that is that followeth it as a man doth his trade is a wicked sinner But hee that doth euill sometimes doth not so offend and vvhen a good Man offends â—t is not his worke but the sinne that dwelleth in him Rom. 7.17 and can hee who thus is rather ouertaken by sinne then an ouertaker of sinne be properly called wicked Vses Here we see what may be thought of those who when they behold or heare of the frailties of Gods children iudge them as wicked as themselues vvho daily offend and with greedinesse and excuse their wilfull wickednesses by the vnwilling slippes of those that are sory that they doe euill But it is one thing to haue sinne in vs and another thing to haue it raigning in vs as it doth in the workers of iniquitie who giue their willes affections and members as seruants vnto it Indeede no man can say his heart is cleane Pro. 20.9 and sinne dwelleth and hath dwelt and will dwell in the best that euer vvas is or shall be begotten by Man But sinne is in the godlie as an ill Tennant that they would but cannot put out and the godlie are in sinne as a Malefactor in prison that is in hold and vvould be at libertie So it is not with the wicked for they without striuing willingly serue sinne make it their trade and occupation and delight in nothing more then to doe euill They liue by it as a man doth by his meate and walke in it ordinarily as Trauellers by the way Sinne raigneth in them Rom. 6.12 and by such regiment expelleth all voluntary goodnesse it selfe onely hauing the Kingdome and glory They wallow in sinne and rise not from vnrighteousnes And these the Prophet calleth the wicked of the land An instruction therefore to put difference betweene the sinnes of Gods children and the works of iniquitie in Saethans children Both may doe euill but both doe not euill in like measure nor with like minde therefore the one sort â—re and may be called the doers of euill the other wicked The place followeth out of which the Prophet purposeth to destroy these wicked of the Land From the Citie of the Lord c. BY the Citie of the Lord in these last words of the Psalme the Prophet meaneth Ierusalem which is called the Citie of the great King Matth. 5.35 for as the Lord out of all the world chose the Land of Canaan to bee his portion so out of all Canaan he chose Ierusalem to be his place where he vvould put his Tabernacle and set his Temple Deut. 12.5 and 1 King 8.29 Metaphorically hee meaneth by the City of the Lord the Church of God and so the reformation of the Church shal be his first and chiefest care The Doctrine is in all reformationâ— the Churches should haue the first place The Commaundement which Christ giueth Mat. 6.33 First seeke the Kingdome of God and his righteousnesse belongeth to all teaching them vvith their first care and best meanes to promote the glorie of GOD in his Church This Dauid practised himselfe 2 Sam. 6. 14.15 7.1.2 and
that or in some measure of that sinne it shall be punished with a remoue of that blessing This Country abused her abundance therefore was shee plagued with vvant God brings a famine of Bread when men prepare bread for laughter that is excesse Eccles. 10.19 or satietis that will â—â—t suffer them to sleepe Eccles. 5.11 When men will eate till it come out at their nosthrils Numb 11.20 and drinke till it come vp at their mouth drinking healths till they haue no health the Lord must needes draw the Table Iudah that was preuented with liberall blessings hauing one fruit ripe after another to feede on in due order and with great plentie Amos 9.13 because she became wanton through abundance and kept no measure in sinning against God as hee passed measure in being gracious to her therefore was that fruitfull Land turned into a barren Land the meate was cut off before their eyes tinne women did bake their bread at one Ouen and deliuered it by waight that is by small waight againe If they sowed an hundred Pottels it yeelded but tenne that is tenne of an hundred and the principall lost and they did houle and cry out for the Wheate and for the Barley because the Haruest of the field was destroyed Ioel 1.11 So Dauids punishment was in that wherein he sinned hee sinned in numbring the people and GOD diminished the number of them by the Pestilence 2 Sam. 24.15 Ephâ—sus dealt not well with her Candlestick and God put out her Candle Apoc. 2.5 for not long after shee fell sicke of diuers grieuous Heresies and at last dyed of the plague of Mahomet God knew Iewry by his benefits but Iewry would not know God by thankefulnesse for those benefits but despised his Word and those that brought it killing some and stoning some therefore the Word departed from them to the Gentiles and God did let out his Vineyard to other Husbandmen Mat. 21.41 It is a true saying therefore that in what a man sinneth hee must looke to be punished The Reasons are First it standeth with equitie when a blessing is abused to with-draw it As if Mercy be contemned to turne Mercy into Iustice if health be abused to plague abused health with sicknesse and if the Word be not beleeued to punish that vâ—beliefe with a beleeuing of lies 2 Thes. 2.10.11 Secondly the Law of correction was that according to the measure of the fault so should the number of the stripes giuen for it be Deut. 25.2 According to the qualitie of the trespasse hee was to be beaten that had trespassed and it is reason that wee be plagued as wee haue sinned Apoc. 18.7 Thirdly it is an old saying Like iâ— faulâ— like in punishment and with a little alteration as true a saying Like fault like punishment Vses An instruction when the hand of God is vpon a Country in a scarcitie of graine or other commodities with Pharao's chiefe Butler to call our faults to minde that day Gen. 41.9 when vvee can say This day this Scripture is fulfilled in our cares Luke 4.21 or this day there is great want in our Country of bread and other sustenance then as Adoni-bezek said wee in a like case of proportionate punishment should say As wee haue done so God hath rewarded vs Iudg. 1.7 We haue sinned in our food and God hath diminished our food the last yeere by want of raine this yeere by too much raine for God hath left a remembrance behinde him and vve may yet see where his finger was What is the cause of this Fulnesse of bread and drunkennesse haue raigned among vs. Some make a Noahs Arke of their bellies vitailed with I know not how many kindes of Creatures One is hungry and another is drunken 1 Cor. 11.21 And what eating with contempt of the poore what eating as in the dayes of Noah and of Lot Luke 17.27.28 that is what daintie and continuall eating or eating like beasts that eate all the day and some part of the night and eating with no remembrance of God vsing Sauces to let downe excesseâ— not to help the stomack but to oppresse it Nature is content with a little and Grace with lesse but such feeders no friends to Nature and enemies to Grace make it their Religion not to serue God but that which is their God the Belly Phil. 3.19 You will say what is this to the poore I answere though they cannot offer so much to the belly yet it may be the sinne as well of the poore as of the rich to bring more then enough vnto it A poore man may be giuen to his belly and to consume himselfe that way as soone as a richer man But let vs passe from this sinne to the sinne of Drunkennesse and wee shall finde that rich and poore are drowned in it For the sinne of Gluttony though foule in those that vse it yet is it not so generall as this sinne of Drunkennesse which like the darknesse of Egipt Exod. 10.22 goeth ouer all the Land Where men doe not onely as a Assuerus Royall Feast Hest. 1.7 change vessell after vessell but emptie vessell after vessell nor as then drinke by order but in no reasonable order then none might compell his fellow ver 8. so the King had commanded Now a man is inforced vnder the paine of the stabbe or thrust to drinke the health or pledge of his friend and a man giues his neighbour drinke and makes him drunken though the King and the Lawes of the Kingdome haue otherwayes commanded Hab. 2.15 For what drinking of healths till men haue drunke themselues out of health out of wit and commonly out of common sense and honesty I say out of common honestie For what Goates doe they rise when they rise from their drinke how impure how adulterous in their talke and doings so hard a thing it is to sleepe in Drunkennesse and to watch against Adulterie looke and compare Prou. 23.29.33 These may bee called the Drunkards of a Land Not they onely vvho cannot beare their drinke and therefore fall downe like beasts being wounded by some stronger beast but they much more vvho are strong to poure in strong drinke Esay 5.22 that is are able to sit vvith the longest and to drinke with the last in the bottome of a Celler turning downe bowle after bowle into some vncleane Sincke-hole or Throate like a Sepulcher Townes and Countrey swarme with such dead Flyes drowned in their poâ—s of excesse Eccles. 10.1 of which wee may say Death is in them 2 Kings 4.40 and they Deaths guests that vse them Prou. 9.18 For these sinnes and because of these Pharaos and their Host who lye thus ouer-whelmed in the red-Sea of Drunkennesse the Lord this yeere threatned our graine both bread-corne and drinke-corne how farre his hand hath gone wee see how much further it might haue gone who did not see and feare when the storme fell But are these sinnes the onely sinnes that make such waste and cause
fauoured Arius the world became an Arian These great red Dragons fall not alone but with their tailes draw downe others Apoc. 12.3.4 And therefore are they well compared to great trees and the people vnder them to lowe bougheâ— and shrubs which must needes fall when they fall An admonition to all vnder authoritie to pray for all in authoritie that they vnder them may leade a quiet and peaceable life in all godlines and honestie 1 Tim. 2.2 For their good commeth with the good of their ouer-seers A good President will helpe to make a good Prouince and where are such Masters in the house as Abraham was there will be such people in it as Abraham had Parents that be religious will traine vp children in religion and Iudges that feare God will commaund the Countrie to feare him Then how much are we bound to God that had a vertuous Mother and haue a religious King Queene ELIZABETH we hadâ— King IAMES we haue and long may haue who begunne in this whole Realme this sacred song of pietie which Dauid tuned to his Harpe and now King IAMES our Dauid preferreth â—o his chiefâ— ioy Pray we therfore as we are bound to pray that hee may sing it long and merrily to God his strength in despite of all enemies within the land â—nd in other lands who would haue him to change his notâ— and in stead of the sweet song of Siâ—â— to sing the lewd song of the whore of Rome in a strange tongue Hee that gaue him this grace to be a King must giue him grace also to raigne aright For as no man is borne an Artificer so none is borne a good King and as it is one thing to be borne a man and another thing to be a good man so is it to be borne a King and to be a good King Therefore and since it commeth from God onely that Kings continue to rule well wee had neede to pray to him heartily for our good King and for all our Rulers vnder him that they may doâ— wisely in the truth and be truly zealous for that God and truth which giueth them their honour heere and will hence as good and faithfull seruants glorifie them in heauen for euer So shall we doe well better at least because they haue ruled well So much for the manner of expressing the dâ—â—tie the partâ— of it follow Mercie and Iudgement c. THese two parts are put together and may not be sundred in the administration of iustice by Christian Magistrates And here by mercie the Prophet vnderstandeth fauour grace such as hee would shew to well doers in their good cause and by iustice that course of iustice that he would obserue straitly in the chastisement of offenders And by putting both together hee meaneth that in the sentence that should come from the Throne of the Kingâ— mercie should not be alone nor iustice dwell alone but mercie and iustice togetherâ— as vnder one roofe and closer as in one roome As if he should haue said that hee would be mercifull with iustice and iust with mercie fauouring the good for their goodnesse and punishing the euill for the euill in them concerning whom hee would not beare the sword in vaine So he will sing the song of mercie with cheere and the dolefull song of iustice with courage Now where the Prophets song is of two parts in which hee singeth not of mercie alone nor of iustice alone but of both together hee teacheth that these â—wo must goe hand in hand and in association be combined together namely mercie and iudgement when a sentence commeth from the Lord by his Magistrate Mercie and iudgement must be his song For mercie without iudgement may turne into foolish pittie and iudgement vvithout the temper of mercie proue summum ius and cruelty in matters Also what are Kings the thrones of Kings without iustice and seuered from mercie without terrour to the wicked and honour to the good without punishment and recompence Rom. 13.4.5 These two are the two daughters of wisedome by which Kings raigne Prou. 8.15 and the two Lions of wisedomes throne by which it is stayed 1 King 10.19 nay by which it flourisheth mercie being administred and iustice bearing sway In one place it is said the throne is established by iustice Prou. 16.12 and in another place the throne is vpheld by mercie Prou. 20.28 The meaning is that Kings and they that sit in the Kings place or vpon the Kings Bench are Fathers and Iudges and that which they minister must be mercie and iudgement So in Psal. 112.5.9 it is noted for a iust mans propertie and a good mans praise that he is mercifull and that his righteousnesse abideth for euer And the Apostle requireth of Magistrates that they be for the wealth of them that doe well and that they take vengeance of euill doers Mercie therefore and iustice belong to one sword but to opposite Subiects as mercie to the righteous and iudgement with righteousnesse to sinners The sword of fauour in the good mans defence and the sword of iustice threatning death in the faces of the wicked Prou. 16.14 compared with Prou. 19.12 The good Magistrate must be carefull of both so shall he finde life and glory Prou. 21.21 in this world glorie and in the other eternall life Further these two mercie and iustice haue their roote in the good trees and digge at the roote of the bad trees of the Common-wealth One of them spreadeth in the sinewes of the Realme to containe the people in their duties and another in the veines comfortably to refresh the people that doe well with the Princes fauour And so mercie and truth must meete and righteousnesâ—â— and peace kisse one another Psal. 85.50 The reasons Iustice is the boâ—d of all societie among men which being loâ—sed or not well kept the state is brought to confusion and tumult And where the staâ—e keepeth no order the King looseth glorie Prou. 14.28 So for mercie it correcteth the sharpnesse of iustice without mercâ—e in the point of soueraigntie and maketh the hard bâ—rthen of subiection â—asie to such as must obay Therefore is mercie well called by one the preseruer of Scepters The body of man is kept in good estate by a good diet and when it is decayed it is restored by yroâ— and fire that is by cutting and â—earing so this great bodie of the Common-wealth must be maintained by the sweet diet of mercie and when it is impaired in â—state be râ—couered by the yron and fire of iustice vsed against desperate offenders Secondly mercie is necessarie to abate the courage of iustice that it riot not and iustice as necessarie to master the large affection of mercie that it be not foolish For iustice will be too harâ—ie if mercie pull it not downe and mercie too base minded if iustice doe not encourage it Dauid enquired if there were any left of the hoâ—se of Saul on whom hee might shew mercie that
can be so haynous or errour absurd that shall not finde some house of harbour in their mouth Some will pretend an hatred of Papistrie and yet commend Papists to be honest men and such as they know no euill by who because they are no more hot may expect that the Lord will plague them with heresie or prophanenes before they goe hence A good warning to all men specially to those men whom God hath called by their great places to see Religion and the power of godlines aduaunced among the common people The works of such as fall away they must pursue to punishment or reformation they must not approue them in their Kinsmen and rich Friendsâ— nor winke at them in their seruants and children nor spare to punish them being found in their Mothers sonnes Eli for his sinfull mildnes brake his necke 1 Sam. 4.18 And if they be not so punished that is so as Eli was who transgresse as Eli did let them beware that in Hell the necke of their soules be not broken by Fiends there But are there no Pilates now on the Bench who are readie to loose Barrabas and to condemne Christ Are there not among persons in authoritie some Merchants and Factors for the fift Monarchie that it may not goe vtterly into destruction Are not fallers away winked at are they called nay are they not still at great libertie in their houses of pleasure eating and drinking as if they carryed no sinne for their partaking with the sinnes of the Whore of Babylon Doe they not ouer-flow as a Riuer and compasse vs as Bees who wish little good to the breath of our nosthrils the Lords annoynted among vs and who againe thirst to set vp Altar against Altar with Ieroboam and to fill the Land with Idols Are there not that daily depart from the house of Dauid with those false Israelites vnder Rehoboam making them Priests contrary to the Law and declyning from the Lord to set vp Calues in Dan and Bethel 1 King 12.16.28.29 Are there not that reuolt to Poperie from our assemblies euen to this houre and doth not the number of them increase yet more and more who cleaue to the Ieroboam of Rome whom we may therefore truely call fallers away The consideration whereof should mooue you Christian LORD to strengthen your hand to the rooting out of such noisome weedes growing in the Lords field and seeking to choake and ouer-grow the pure graine of Religion that would otherwaies flourish among vs. This Countrey is greatly diseased and your Honour is the appointed Physitian It hath many sores running on it and one of the chiefe is the making of Papists by Seminarie men for there is not a Papist made but King IAMES aduentureth a Subiect and Rocâ—sâ—â—â—ie as a pernitiouâ— Gâ—â—grene runnes from ioynt to ioynt from man to man and will not stay if it be not cured with your early assistance till it haue infected many sound members in this body of the Marches wherein you are a principall and worthy member vnder his Maiestiâ— the head Therefore the Countrey comes to your Honour as to a Phisitian of account for helpe in a case of so great infection and common feare caused by the contagious growing of Papists and rising of Papisticall plague-sores vpon men who were lately of our fellowship and are now departed from vs to the Beliall of Italy God hath promoted you to great Honour and I doubt not but you haue the wisedome which is of God Now this wisedome requireth and must haue practise in the care of Religion and in the care of Iustice. Dauid was called the light of Israel because at his fire they all lighted their candles both of Religious knowledge and of righteousnes The principall resident Light vpon the Table of this Countrey is your Honour a borrowed Light I confesse from the Sun of our Soueraigne it must so shine therefore that it may giue light to all that are in this large house of the Marches And here I beseech you with that notable Lord President Nehemiah to see that Godâ— Sabbaths be kept in the Prouince and that fallers away be obserued and watched that they increase not by infection At least doe what you can herein and what law wil permit as you well do already and God will be with you in the deede and will And for the cause of Iustice in the punishment of offenders your Honour and the Rest in Commission with You must be men of courage hating that which is euill with a perfect hatred Herein Yee must not honour your selues but seeke the honour which is of God doing Iustice out of the loue of Iustice and hatred of wrong You must not be indifferent to offenders but haters of iniquitie though the wicked hate you for it for God will loue you and what can mans hatred doe where God loueth And so I come to my second note the obiect of your hatred The matter of the Prophets hatred as was said is not vertue or godlinesse but generally sinne and more particularly all declining from God He abhorred the plague and pittyed their cases that were infected by it From whence I gather that in the affection of hatred the person of man should not be the obiect or thing hated but the sinne of the person So this same Prophet hated but whom Gods enemies not his enemies or Gods enemies perfectly and his owne in part And Psal. 69.6 he speaketh of the rebukes that fell vpon him no doubt because himselfe was a rebuker but whom rebuked he and whose faults theirs who rebuked the Lord theirs he rebuked and to them he was enemie So Christ was angrie and yet mourned Mark 3.5 that is hee was angrie with sinne and mourned for those that sinned As therfore in Iustice there must bee mercy so in hating there must be loue for we must hate the sinne and loue the creature In every sinner there is a man and a transgressing man and we must loue the man and hate the transgressour The man God made but the Diuell made the sinfull man therefore we must loue the creature that God made as wee must hate his sinne which not God but the Diuell is authour of The reasons of the doctrine As we must pittie where God is pittifull so wee must be angrie where God is offended But it is not the substance that he made which displeaseth him but the euill qualitie which hee cannot abide that is his griefe The same must vexe vs therefore that grieueth him and we must be so moued with offences as in the meane while we be troubled that a Brother hath so offended and as the good Phisitian may loue his Patient and yet minister sharply to his disease so hee that is his Brothers Christian Phisitian may in loue to his Brother spare his Brother that hath offended and yet deale roughly with the offenders sinne Secondly the person in his substance is Gods creature Now all that God maketh is good Gen.
it to be no fault but praise rather to put away their bad wares with artificiall lying By this Art they get their liuing and therefore as the people cryed Great is Diana of the Ephesianâ— Act. 19.34 so because they so gaine by this siluer shâ—ine of a lying mouth therfore great is this Diana of Englandâ— and much honoured in Towne and Country But me thinks they should neuer looke vpon the money so gotten but it should make them to open a veine and bleede for may they noâ— say of such mony Is not this Acâ—ldama is it not the Field nay price of bloud haue we not for this corrupt reward with cruell hands euen shed the blâ—â—d of our Seruant and the bloud of our owne deare Childe haue we not for a little perishing wealth sould the life of our Seruant and the life of our owne bowels to the Diuell But may lying at no hand be indured then the admonitioâ—i which the Apostle giueth is good for vs and we should endeauour to cast off lying or to thrust it from vs and to speakâ— the truth euery Man to his Neighbour that is to speake nothing to any Man but what we know to be true or answerable to our new-man in the image of truth Eph. 4.25 for wee are renâ—ed in the holinesse of truth and therefore must be true as God is true vers 24. Also we haue put off the old-man of vnrighteousnes therefore wee must not lye one to another which is one of his works Colos. 3.9 Further that that Moses saith or the Lord by him belongeth to vs Yee shall not steale nor deale falsely nor lye one to another Leuit. 19.11 And here as thefâ— and lying vsually goe together so they commonly couple as companions Wouldest thou then blush to be a Thiefe be as much ashamed to be a Lyer To lye is a base thing but truth is noble and who can endure that it should be sayd to his face Thou lyest or You lye Lastly is it intolerable to tell lyes then is it horrible to sweare them and heere the greater may not be abidden where the lesser cannot be indured which maketh against false witnesse and periury in iudgement for if wee may not tell a lye then we may not sweare a lye and if not in priuate speech much lesse in Iudgement This vvould be considered of Iurers and Quest-men who as they fill mâ—ns â—ares with vntruths so they defile the place of Iudgement with periury and vnrighteousnes whiles by a false verdict they make the sacred Seate of Iustice which is Gods owne Chayre of estate on earth a Sanctuary for false sentence and whiles as much as in them lyeth they make the Lord himselfe in those high persons who sit in that chaire to oppresse the innocent and to cleere the wicked Some with respect of persons giue themselues altogether being Sworne-men to packe matters to gratifie their friends with the Lords dishonour And some going vpon the life and death of a man whom they would corruptly saue or wickedly destroy dread not eyther by periury to saue life in the vessels of carnall pittie and corrupt hyre or to shed bloud by crueltie where no cause is saue that malice will not let the simple liue By this high straine the holinesse of the Lord is defiled as much as is in man to defile it and the person of Sathan put vpon the person of the Lord as farre as Man can do it The consideration hereof should admonish all of you Christian Lord and graue Magistrates to be circumspect what oathes you receiue and what lawfull oathes they that be vnder you minister in Court where you sit as Iudges and if you finde any to faile of fidelâ—tie to sift their testimonie well before you passe it for it is no small matter to suffer a seate of such excellency as you sit on to be defiled with impure swearing The Kings Chayre is kept cleane and shall the holinesse of the Lord be violated Here also you must take good heed how and with what reason you beleeue those Aduocates that speake for their Fee though vnsworne For some vvill tell you farre otherwayes then the thing is if you will beleeue them and speake euill of good or good of euill Esa. 5.20 if you will heare them Some vvill whet their wit and polish their tongue to couer a false and naughtie matter and to make that seeme good which is indeede naught If there be none such in this Court and I hope there is not I speake against none here And for those vvho be here this that I haue sayd may serue to preuent corruption that it enter not not to tax corruption where it is not Here let none excuse himselfe because hee must speake for his Client For hee must speake that onely for him which is true or which hee thinketh to be true else hee takes a fee to goe to Hell for his Client Some say they spake as they thought and some of such say true for they neither spake well nor thought well else how could they who are so witty to prouide shifts as it were colours to mend and varnish a bad cause bee so simple in the helps which belong to a good cause The Prophets last generall protestation against offendors followeth Betimes I will destroy all the wicked c. THE Prophet as a cleane soule comming out of the hand of the Creatour and entring into the Realme left by Saul as into a bodie altogether vncleane and polluted with great filth of much iniustice and wickednesse that then abounded doth heere take a bond of himselfe presently by Gods helpe to roote out wicked persons and to purge that whole bodie where without delay as it were rising early he promiseth betimes to set vpon the worke with purpose to effect the cure of the holy Citie and whole land And here he resembleth the Sun in the heauens which as soone as it riseth or before it appeare chaseth the darknes before it and is cloathed with glory as with a Roabe for so as soone as he came to the Kingdome or before he was placed in it as the Sunne of that Firmament like a right Noble Starre in an obscure Land hee gaue forth as his beames of approach these holy promises which he holily obserued so soone as with the consent of all the Tribes hee was made and confirmed King Further he saith that betimes or morning after morning he will destroy or vtterly cut off all the wicked of the Land Hee saith all without acception of persons or exception of Men. And for the wicked he sheweth in the words following what he meaneth by them as namely workers of iniquitie and these hee will with his morning care dispatch out of the Church and Common-wealth of Israel that is he will presently so doe and from time to time This is the meaning of the words wherin we may consider further the manner of his reformation it shall be instantly done and