true wisedome This is the ioye and Felicitie of Gods children in this life This doctrine serueth for many excellent vses And first it serueth to set out the miserable estate of such as are destitute of this gratious meanes For if they be happy that heare this wisdome vnhappy are they and cursed which cannot heare it which are cleane without it haue no taste or knowledge of it Where Prophâ—cying faileth or where there is no Vision of wisedome there the people perish And in an other place Where no counsell is the people fall But where manie Counsellors are there is health Againe The Lorde complaineth in these words by the Prophet saying My people are destroyed for lacke of knowledge Because thou hast refused Knowledge I will refuse thee that thou shalt bee no Priest to mee And seeing thou hast forgotten the Lawe of thy God I will also forget thy children The Lorde threatneth it as one of his greatest Iudgements to send in his wrath to anie people Blinde Guides dumbe Dogges Idoll Shepheards and scarcitie and famine of his word And as our SAVIOVR CHRIST saith That if the blind leade the blind both shal fall into the ditche Ignorance blindnes is a wretched vnhappy thing both in Minister people Knowledge a part of Gods Image Ignorance defaceth it Knowledge the Eye of the soule Ignorance the very blindnes and darknes of the soule It is the cause of all sinne and error And if it bee Eternall life to knowe God it is eternall death destruction and damnation not to know him And heauy is that sentence of the Apostle against such when he saieth That when the LORD IESVS shall shewe himselfe from heauen with his mighty Angels hee will in flaming fire render vengeance vnto them that do not know GOD which obey not the Gospell of our Lorde Iesus Christ which shall be punished with euerlasting perdition from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power Some are maliciously ignorant misliking and hating the Truth Some are sloathfull idle carelesse They will take no paines for Wisedome Some are proude thinking scorne to learne and that they neede not bee taught but knowe enough alreadie These are none of the sonnes and daughters of Wisedome but rather those Fooles of whom Salomon often speaketh in the Prouerbes And indeed the Diuell may begge them for fooles these haue no part in this happines but are vnhappy here and shall be most vnhappy hereafter This doctrine also serueth for the reproofe of such as seeke to hinder and stoppe the course of wisedome these are vnhappy themselues and seeke to hinder the happines of others they are like to the malicious Philistimes which stopped the welles of Isaack as fast as he digged them and would haue kept his cattle from water so these would hinder men from the sweet water of life He that withdraweth the corne saith the wise man the people curse him but blessing shall be vpon the head of him that selleth corne Couetous and cruell men are most vile and wretched creatures which keepe backe the corne from the poore hoping for a greater dearth much more vnhappy are they which keepe from the people the bread of life the decay of tillage is a hindrance to the common-wealth and the cause of want and dearth and they that doe it doe offend against God and men and they sinne much more which pulleth downe Gods plough and hinder the sowing of the blessed seede of his word which is as needfull for the soule as husbandrie is for the body The righteous man regardeth the life of the beast but the mercies of the wicked are cruell pitty and compassion is to be shewed to the very dumbe creatures that doth vs seruice we must see them fed and it were crueltâ—e to pine them how much more are we to be mercifull to men to the bodies of men and most of all to their soules And if it be crueltie to pine and famish the bodies of men yea of any creature how much greater crueltie is it to pine famish and murther the precious soules of men in keeping from them the blessed and spirituall foode of their soules Were it not an vnmercifull cruell thing to take from a poore souldier his sword his buckler his whole armour and to leaue him naked and open to the force and rage of most cruell enemies As vnmercifull are they which take from the poore people the sword of the spirit the word of God being the armour of proofe and so leaue them altogether weake and vnarmed against their spirituall enemies by the power of the word and the right vse and handling of it Sathan Antichrist sin â—rror heresies all corruptions are weakned and ouerthrowne how shall we then doe if we be depriued of such a weapon and most cruell are they that depriue and robbe the poore people of it such are the Papists which keepe from the people the blessed booke of true wisedome wil not haue it read to the people in their own toÌ„gue but in a strange an vnknowne language wheras the Apostle had rather in the Church to speake fiue words with vnderstanding then ten thousand in a strange toÌ„gue he would haue vs not to be children in vnderstanding but of a perfect â—ipâ—age Christ coÌ„mandeth to preach the Gospel to al nations therfore he gaue theÌ„ the gift of all tongues that they might preach to euery nation in their owne tongue Others also â—oyne with the Papists which by any meanes sâ—eke to hinder stâ—ppe the free course of the Gospell such were the Pharises whom Christ threatneth saying Woe be to you scribes Pharises hypocrites because you shut vp the kingdom of heaueÌ„ bâ—fore men for you your selues go not in neither suffer you theÌ„ that would enter to come in And in an other place it is said that they had taken froÌ„ the people the key of knowledge such were the wicked malicious Iewes who killed the Lord Iesus their owne Prophets and persecuted the Apostles and forbad them to preach to the gentiles that they might be saued to fulfill their sinnes alwaies for the wrath of God is come on them to the vtmost Such a one was Alexander the copper Smith of whoÌ„ S. Paul saith That he had done him much euill the Lord reward him according to his workes of whom be thou ware also for he withstood our preaching sore Againe this also serueth to reprooue all those which may heare and will not such are all Recusants Papisticall or Anabaptisticall which refuse to come to our assemblies and will not be partakers with vs either of the word or Sacraments they haue other meetings haue gathered to themselues other kinde of teachers and haue made quite separation from vs and yet without any iust cause or reason and the true messengers of wisedome doe truly deliuer the
well of those good things which they praise in others and it is the gift of God to allowe and approue of his graces and to forbid such kinde of commendations is not to will nor desire that the faithfull should praise and approue those things which are worthie of due praise and approbation Salomon in this place doth not refuse but accept the iust commendation of this woman though it be of himselfe in his owne presence and in the hearing of many other and yet we must beware that wee be not moued to doe well for the desire of praise and that we cease not from doing good though wee be reuiled and hardly spoken of and those praises which are giuen to vs let them not rest nor die in vs but let the glorie of them be referred to God the author and giuer of all good gifts A worthie Father writeth of himselfe that in this respect he had cause to be much grieued because he was ofteÌ„ praised and hee could hardly auoyde the pride of heart yet hee saith that this was his comfort that it was appointed of God that praise should bee the follower of a good life And howsoeuer Salomon saith Let an other man praise thee and not thine owne mouth a stranger and not thine owne lippes yet sometimes the Saints of God are forced to praise themselues not for vain-glorie but for the glorie of God the confirmation of others and for the stopping of the mouthes of the aduersaries It is a worthy saying of the same Father Beholde saith hee it is found how thou mightest praise thy selfe and not be proud praise God in thee and not thy selfe praise him not because thou art such a one but because hee hath made thee such a one not because thou canst doe anie thing but because he can doe something in thee and by thee Finally this doctrine serueth for the comfort of vertuous and good men who haue small comfort and commendation in the world but rather dispraise and discomfort they are disgraced and despised of the most let them take this as some crosse vpon them and howsoeuer they haue not deserued it of the world yet it may bee God hath something against them and it may bee if they had the praise of all men it would make them proud and high conceited and God depriueth them of earthlie glory that they might more carefully seeke heauenly and Eternall glorie As for the praise of men it is but like a feather tosâ—ed vp and downe by the wind hither and thither and therefore not to be regarded nor hunted after Let vs content our selues with the testimonie of a good conscience the praise of good men and specially and most of all with the approbation and praise of God For the Lord God is the Sunne and shield vnto vs the Lorde will giue grace and glorie no good thing will he withhold from them that walke vprightly the full accomplishment of these promises and the like shal be in the great and latter day the day of praise and reward and a full recompence to euery man according to his works when God shall bee glorified in his Saints and be made maruellous in all them that beleeue then those which by continuance in wel doing haue sought glorie shall certainely haue honour immortalitie and eternall life In the meane time wee must remember that God hath the disposing of all to â—gues hearts and he can make our Righteousnes and Innocencie to shine as the light euen in this life to the shame of the enemie and to our comfort and credit But to let this passe and to come to the maine point chiefe doctrine of this sentence which was the fift note obserued of a good hearer to repose true felicitie and happines in true wisedome This I meane to vrge fully and largely because it is expressely set downe in the text and comprehendeth all the rest For they which thus esteeme of it will refuse no paines to learne and enioy it will reuerence the teachers will be thankefull to God and them For the cause why few men doe desire this wisedome but are idle careles and vnwilling to learne the cause why fewe reuerence their faithfull pastors few moue and stirre vp any other to goodnes Fewe reioyce in the meanes of saluation and praise God for it but rather loath contemne it the cause I say why most hearers are profane careles churlish froward couetous vnthankfull and vnprofitable the cause of all is they doâ— not rightly esteeme of this wisedome they thinke basely and contemptablie of it preferring carnall wisdome and all worldly things aboue it But let this worthie woman teach them the true price worth estimation of wisedome Shee accounteth them happie that enioy it she reposeth the greatest felicitie of this life in it she might haue said happie are you which haue so sumptuous and beautifull a temple such a princely pallace which was twentie yeares in building surpassing all that euer was either since or before shee might haue said Happie are you which haue so glorious and famous a King a mirrour wonder to all the world in pompe wealth and dignitie she might haue saide Happy are you which haue such Vineyards Orchyards gardens like Paradice such pleasures and delights of all sorts and kinds she might haue said Happie are you which haue such store of goodly Horses and Horsemen and such abundance of gold and siluer so many Targets of beaten golde and all drinking vessels of golde and siluer being as common as stones in the strectes but shee passing all these things as nothing in comparison she accounteth this as the greatest Happines to heare and enioy the wisdome of Salomon and in this her iudgment she excelleth and surpasseth many learned men both before since her time who haue erred gone farre astray touching the chiefe good and Felicitie of man About that question of the finall good the Philosophers haue kept a wonderfull coyle among themselues seeking in euery cranke and cauerne thereof for the true beatitude for that is the finall good being onely desired for it selfe all their goods hauing in their attainements a reference out of that alone we doe not call that the finall good which endeth goodnes that is which maketh it nothing but that which profiteth it which giueth it fulnes of perfection Thus Augustine defineth the finall good the same father reiecting confuting the varietie multiplicitie of vaine opinions by many Sects of the Philosophers he setteth downe the Christians opinion of the chiefest good If you aske vs now saith he what the Citie of God saith to this position of the perfection of good and euill It will answere you presently eternall life is the perfection of good and eternall death the consummation of euill And that the ayme of all our life must be to auoyd this and attaine to that other therefore it is written The iust shal liue by faith for we see not
and iniurie offred to Christ it bringeth outward iudgement at least spirituall it doth bring vpon vs the spirit of slumber securitie and benummednes of conscience there is a curse and iudgement vpon the eares and soules of such they are like vnto the ground that is continually drest and tilled in good order and sowne with good seed and yet bringeth foorth no good fruite All will confesse such a ground to be very bad and cursed And the holie Ghost sayth the like That the earth which drinketh in the raine that commeth often vpon it and bringeth forth hearbs meet for them by whom it is dressed receiue the blessing of God but that which beareth thornes and briers is reproued and is neere to cursing whose end is to be burned And our Sauiour Christ teacheth in the Parable of the seed That the good and blessed ground bringeth forth good fruite some an hundreth fold some sixtie fold some thirtie fold so they which heare with a good and honest heart doe also keepe the word and bring forth fruite with patience An vnprofitable hearer offendeth against God who cryeth dayly to him yet he will not heare him to any purpose who doth kindlie visit him but he will not receiue and entertaine him with such comfort and fruite as he ought they offend against their teachers in discrediting and greeuing them making all their labour and trauell as much as in them lyeth to be in vaine they doe an iniurie to themselues being still ignorant whereas they might haue had knowledge being profane whereas they might haue had some measure of holines the grace which they haue if they haue any it decayeth and dyeth and is taken away from them for God doth take away his gifts from those which vse them not aright and haue no care to encrease them they drawe vpon themselues diuers punishments from God as we hard before Nay these vnfruitfull hearers they offend the Church they do no little wrong to it because they are vnprofitable members and can doe no good to others whereas we are borne not for our selues but for others we should so profit that we should be able to teach our families to comfort admonish and edifie one an other yea w◠should be examples of vertue and pietie to others and growe daily in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ the causes why men profit not are these they haue not repented of sinnes past but they are withholden by some speciall sin or else they are not perswaded of the truth of Gods holy word or else they are carelesse what become of thē after this life or else they are dulled with the cares pleasures of this world or else they neglect prayer hearing reading conference and other holy priuate exercises or else they haue some proud conceit of themselues that they know enough and are holy enough alreadie and need no more or else they haue th◠curse of a stonic and hard heart or else they are drawne away and hindred by bad counsell or company these be the pull-backes and hindrances which keepe men backe from profiting in the schoole of wisedome THE THIRD SERMON FRom this worthy sentence of a most worthy and gratious woman we haue alreadie deliuered and handled this worthy doctrine namely that the chiefe felicitie of this life consisteth in hearing and obeying true wisedome this we haue largely confirmed and proued and haue made some vse of it gathering from hence as a necessarie consequence the miserable wretched estate of such as are destitute of this wisdome of such as seeke to hinder and stoppe it of such as refuse to heare it of such as are contemners and mockers and of such also as are idle and vnprofitable hearers and yet still we are to make some further vse of this doctrine it serueth directly to reproue confute the vanity and follie of such as repose their chiefe felicitie either in carnal wisdome or in the glory of the world or in riches or in pleasures Of al these we haue spokē something already yet let vs say something more of the two latter namely riches and pleasures because most men doe repose true happines in them this is taken as a principle that those are the happiest men in the world which abound in wordly wealth spend their whole life in mirth and Iollitie in earthly delights and carnall Ioyes but the vanitie of these men shall easily appeare if true wisedome may be iudge Trauell not too much to be rich saith the wise man but cease from thy wisedome Wilt thou cast thine eyes vpon that which is nothing for riches taketh her to her wings as an Eagle and flyeth into the heauen His meaning is that riches are of small reckoning and account and that they are vncertaine flitting and fading therefore there can be no true happines in them In an other place he doth handle this more largely He that loueth siluer saith he shall not be satisfied with siluer and he that loueth riches shall be without the fruit thereof His meaning is that such as repose their happines in riches are not happy but miserable because they are like vnto such as are alwaies thirstie and hungrie and neuer satisfied he setteth downe many other miseries of such men that they haue not so much as the fruit of their riches because they dare not vse that which they haue they are tormēted with the desire of more In the middest of all their wealth they want as well that which they haue as that which they haue not and the more they haue the more they are to maintaine as seruants friends and many parasites and flatterers and this miserie also is incident to such that they do so much thinke of gathering and keeping their riches that they cannot haue so sweete rest and sleepe as many a poore man hath their thoughts are troubled thinking sometimes how to deceiue others and how others may deceiue thē they are in continuall feare of theeues robbers of fire and water and of other danger and losses they are troubled in their minds thinking how badly they haue gotten their riches and how badly they hold and vse them their riches turne to their owne hurt and destruction being occasions to them of pride couetousnes prodigalitie and licentiousnes and sometimes very ruine of body soule These riches are spent consumed by many waies by dilicate daintie fare by costly apparell by smptuous buildings by gaming by whoredome by buying by selling by lawing how many waies are riches spent and consumed by fire by water by warres by theeues by vnskilfull and vnfaithfull Physitions by prodigall wiues and prodigall children by negligēt vntrustie seruants and thus riches perish by euill trauell This is also an other miserie that they leaue the owner he can take nothing with him he knoweth not how soone he must leaue thē he hath heapt vp riches and cannot tell who shall gather them it may be neither child
wise so that hee preferred the loue and good will of a woman before the word of his God So Aaron knewe well enough that there was no Godhead nor diuine power in the golden Calfe yet fearing least the people should stone him he yeelded to their furie he made an Idoll and promulgated the feast of it In like manner Salomon knowing Idols to be nothing yet being ouercome with the flattring inticements of wicked women he graunted to them diuers kindes of Idolatrie It is dangerous for any Prince to suffer and tollerate any Idolatrous worship for the loue or fauour of any be they neuer so neere or deare vnto them Nay we must all learne generally not to harken to the voyce of our dearest friend though it be our owne lawfull wiues if they goe about to drawe vs to any kind of sinne whatsoeuer This was the cause of Adams fall as we heard euen now This was the cause of that ruine of Ahab and his house because he harkned to the voyce of his wife Iesabell and being perswaded by her most vniustly tooke away Naboths vineyard and also most cruelly tooke his life away from him No naturall affections should cause vs to sinne against God or offend his diuine Maiestie our loue to him should bee greater then to any mortall creature whatsoeuer The Heathen could say Amicus Plato amicus Socrates sed maior amica veritas Plato is my friend Socrates my friend but truth is a greater friend So may wee say Our fathers our mothers our brothers and sisters our wiues children are neere and deare friends vnto vs but yet Christ is our greatest and best friend he hath done and can do most for vs And therefore nothing should draw vs from his loue And touching Idolatrie it is most odious and abhominable in the eyes of God It is a spirituall whoring from God A denying and forsaking of his Maiestie it hath beene the ruine of many Nations and Kingdomes And therefore in no case to bee suffered nor tollerated for the loue of any Therefore the Lord saith to his people The grauen Images of their gods yee shall burne with fire and couet not the siluer and gold that is on them nor take it vnto thee least thou be snared therewith For it is an abhomination before the Lord thy God Bring not abhomination into thy house least thou bee accursed like it But vtterly abhorre it and count it most abhominable And in another place we are forbidden to hearken to the Prophet that doth perswade vs to goe after other gods and that such a one being conuicted and condemned by the Iudge is to die the death Nay though it bee our sonne or daughter or wife or brother wee must not consent to him nor pittie him nor shew him mercy but thou shalt kill him sayeth the Lord thy hand shall bee first vpon him to put him to death and then the hands of all the people And this is the direct law of God Hee that offereth to any gods saue the Lord onely shall bee slayne There must bee then no sufferance at all of any kinde of Idolatrie This was Salomons sinne and therefore it is sayde that his heart was not perfect with God as the heart of his father Dauid was For howsoeuer hee sinned in adulterie and murther and in numbering the people yet he repented presently and neuer did the like againe and he had alwaies this sinceritie and perfection of heart that he neuer defiled himselfe with Idolatrie neither did hee suffer the true worshippe of GOD to bee corrupted in his Kingdome but kept it sincere pure and sound Hee alwayes hated and detested all false worshippe his soule hated Idols as lame and blind guides therefore hee taketh them away at the beginning of his raigne And hee caused the gods of the Philistims to bee burnt with fire The sorrowes saith he of them that offer to another god shall be multiplied their offerings of blood will I not offer neither make mention of their names with my lips It hath beene a blot and blemish vpon many good Kings because they suffered the high places to remayne and it is the chiefe commendation of good Iosiah that he tooke away all the abhominations out of all the countries that perteyned to the children of Israel and compelled all that were found in Israel and compelled all that were found in Israel to serue the Lord their God This blessed King a worthie president of full and perfect reformation he tooke away not onely grosse Idolatrie but all Reliques and remnants all occasions prouocations appearances shewes of Idolatrie One thing more very necessarie and pertinent wee are to learne by Salomons fall namely Not to be offended though we doe see Christian Princes learned Preachers and great professors men of gifts aboue others to be seduced and drawne into great and grosse sinnes wee are indeede to be grieued and much to lament when wee see or heare such things but yet wee must not bee discouraged in our profession and in the trueth of religion Men of greatest gifts haue beene subiect to great sinnes As Adam Noah Lot Abraham Moses Aaron Dauid Sampson and Salomon Sathan doth most enuie such hee standeth at the right hand of Iehosua Hee will winnow and sifte to the very branne the Apostles of CHRIST as hee himselfe warneth them Indeede the bad liues of Preachers and professors are scandalous and offensiue and hinder many in the way of saluation and maketh the worde and profession ill spoken of by many yea loathed and reiected as the sonnes of Elie by their wickednesse made the offering of the Lord to be abhorred In seeking and receiuing counsell saith one the honestie of life and the prerogatiue of vertue doth much preuaile Who will seeke for a fountaine in a dunghill who will drinke of filthie water for where there is luxurie intemperance and other vices whoe will thinke any good to bee drawne from thence how can I take him to bee my superior in counsell whom I see inferior in manners And can I thinke him fitte to giue mee counsell that cannot giue it to himselfe he that giueth counsell to others he must shew himselfe an example of good workes in integritie and grauitie that his speech bee sound and vnrebukeable his counsell profitable and his life honest He that liueth wickedly in the sight of the people as much as in him lyeth he killeth him that looketh vpon him hee that followeth him perhaps dyeth he that followeth him not liueth but as much as in him lyeth he killeth both Examples are stronger then words and it is a more full teaching by workes then by word The house and conuersation of a Preacher is set on a hill all see it and looke vpon it it is as it were a guide and teacher to others whatsoeuer hee doth others thinke that they may doe the like that word is willingly receiued of the hearer which is vttered from the
are made better by weedes the plantes and seedes are hidden choakt but the good husbandman is carefull to plucke them vp so by good lawes men are made better and the wicked which hinder hurt others are restrained suppressed and as husbandmen haue many things to hinder their planting and sowing as wild beasts tempests haile floods drought so haue gouernours hinderances and enemies to their gouernment which they will carefully auoyde as well as they can This comparison of husbandrie as it setteth out the necessitie and excellencie of gouernment so it sheweth the great care and labour that is ioyned with it for who is more carefull and painefull then the husband man let therefore magistrates be humbled in consideration of the vertues and duties of their great calling and yet for their further humiliation let them remember their owne infirmities and wants to performe their dutie as they ought Let them remember that they are subiect to the temptations of the diuell of the flesh and the world and let them knowe that they are subiect to the common miseries of this life and to other miseries and crosses incident and peculiar to their calling and let them in no case forget that they must giue account to the great Iudge and gouernour of all the world how they haue behaued themselues in their places and callings It shall be said to them to euery one of them Come giue account of thy stewardship thou mayest be no longer steward And for their further humiliatiō they must knowe that they cannot tell how long they shall enioy those places of honour and dignitie being subiect to death as well as others and they cannot tell how soone they may be taken away Agathon had wont to say that a magistrate must alway remember these three things First that he ruleth men secondly that he must rule according to lawes and thirdly that he shall not alwaies rule The consideration of this latter poynt of the shortnes and vncertaintie of this life that we must certainely die and we knowe not how soone is able to humble the mightiest potentate in the earth The highest of them all may say I my selfe am also mortall and a man like all other and am come of him that was first made of the earth and in my mothers wombe was I fashioned as others are and when I was borne I receiued the common ayre crying and weeping at the first as all others doe I was nourished in swadling cloathes and with cares For there is no king that hath any other beginning of birth all men haue one entrance to life and a like going out Dauid calleth death the hie way of all the earth and he himselfe putteth gouernours in minde of their mortall state for howsoeuer he saith that God standeth in the assemblie of gods he iudgeth among gods And againe I haue said yee are gods and yee all are children of the most high this he speaketh of magistrates magnifying and extolling their office and giuing them three times in that Psalme the glorious and sacred titles of Gods yet least they should be puffed vp with the excellencie of their callings presently he telleth them ye shall die as a man and you Princes shall fall like others He would haue them remēber that though they be gods yet they are but mortall gods of this mortall state of Princes we to our great discomfort haue had wofull experience not long since in this our Land A worthie young Prince of great hope the flower and Iewell of our land the comfort of his parents and of all good Christians and subiects the heire apparent of sundrie kingdomes how soone hath the Lord taken him away in the prime of his tender young and flourishing age happie no doubt is he that is so soone taken away from a miserable world but vnhappie are we whose sinnes hath caused the Lord to take such a Iewell from vs it cannot but prognosticate some heauie iudgement to this our nation and countrie and great cause haue all christian hearts amongst vs to mourne and lament for such a great losse This Church may say as Naomi said vpon the death of her husband when they called her Naomi she answered them call me not Naomi that is beautifull but call me Marah that is bitter for the almightie hath giuen me much bitternesse Why call you me Naomi seeing the Lord hath humbled me and the almightie hath brought me to aduersitie Wee may mourne and say with Dauid mourning for the death of Ionathon Tell it not in Gath nor publish it in the streetes of Ashkelon least the daughters of Philistimes reioyce least the daughters of vncircumcised triumph And as he saith in an other place after the death of Abner there is a Prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel But blessed be God who is still more mercifull to vs then we deserue and in iudgements remembreth mercy who though for our sinnes hath cut off so precious a branch yet the blessed tree is yet aliue and standeth and flourisheth and also some sweet branches to our great comfort and hope Now the Lord of mercy blesse them all and multiplie and encrease them and continue them and theirs if his will be to the end of the world to their owne comfort the shame of their enemies and to the common good of this Church and common-wealth yet let vs not forget that heauie iudgement but so remember it that it may drawe vs to true repentance for that is the true vse of all iudgements and let vs learne to depend wholy and onely on God and not vpon any mortall man Remembring that counsell of Dauid put not your trust in Princes nor in the sonne of man for there is no helpe in him his breath departeth and he returneth to his earth then his thoughts perish blessed is he that hath the God of Iacob for his helpe whose hope is in the Lord his God which made heauen and earth the sea ' and all that therein is which keepeth his fidelitie for euer And let this and the like examples of the death of great persons put all in minde though they be neuer so high of the mortall state of all the children of men of what state or conditions soeuer they be And thus though gouernours and magistrates take occasion by the dignitie of their places yet both this and many other causes may moue drawe and induce them to true humilitie And now let vs drawe neerer to the description of the seuerall duties required of Christian gouernours both in this and in many other places of scripture the Lord doth not onely in his word set downe generally the rules of all christianitie but also the seuerall duties of all states degrees and callings as of fathers children maisters and seruants husbands wiues kings subiects wherein we may see the fulnes equitie of scripture applying it selfe and speaking to all sorts of men Againe we learne this
so Iehoshaphat set himselfe against the children of Ammon Moab and mount Seir which were come against Iudah and the Lord gaue him a meruailous victory against these enemies This blessed King feared God and both he and his subiects gaue themselues first to fasting and prayer and repentance and so the Lord blessed their Armies against their enemies It is lawfull for Kings to defend and maintaine their owne liberties and to recouer by warres that which hath beene vniustly taken away from them And as in warres there must bee a good cause and a good affection if we looke to speede so the authority and example of the chiefe Gouernours doth much encourage the people and put life into them And as Rulers are to defend their people from the force and violence of enemies abrode so they must not suffer them to bee oppressed at home by their owne Countrey-men And indeed this is most vnnaturall and intollerable that one subiect should oppresse another that Christians Countrey-men and brethren should vexe and torment one another by hard and cruell dealing in the time of the Gospell vnder Christian Gouernours Wee haue not this many yeares blessed be God beene much troubled with violence of forraigne foes but haue liued peaceable a long time And though our enemies haue sometimes made attempts and assaults against vs yet the Lord himselfe hath fought for vs to his great glory and to the shame of our Aduersaries Our greatest troubles exactions and oppressions are amongst our selues one with onother Now this is a speciall part of the Magistrates calling to relieue and defend the oppressed And he may more easily and sooner with lesse charge and danger defend his owne subiects against domesticall oppressours then set himselfe in combate against mighty many and cruell enemies abrode Priuate men may not reuenge their owne wrongs but they are in place to doe it for them It is their office to relieue the oppressed and to auenge their cause As a father ouer his children is both Lord and Iudge forbidding that one brother should auenge himselfe of another but if any cause of strife bee betweene them hee will haue it brought to himselfe or his Assignes to haue it iudged and corrected So God forbiddeth all men to auenge themselues and takes that office into his owne hand Therefore saith the Apostle Dearly beloued auenge not your selues but giue place to wrath For it is written Vengeance is mine and I will repay saith the Lord. But yet in the next Chapter the same Apostle sheweth that God hath appointed Princes and Magistrates as reuengers of wrongs For hee saith that the Prince is the Minister of God for thy wealth but if thou doe euill feare For hee beareth not the sword for naught for he is the Minister of God to take vengeance on him that doth euill It is almost impossible that a manshould be an equall and indifferent iudge in his owne cause lusts appetites do so blind vs. And when thou auengest thy selfe thou makest no peace but stirst vp more debate God therfore hath giuen lawes to all nations and hath in all countries placed Kings Gouernours and Rulers in his owne stead to rule the world through them and hath commanded all causes to bee brought before them and they are to determine and iudge of such causes according to the rules of equity and righteousnesse This is part of the counsell which Salomons mother gaue vnto him Open thy mouth for the dumbe in the cause of the children of destruction Open thy mouth iudge righteously and iudge the afflicted and the poore The Prophet saith to the Gouernours of Israel Learne to doe well seeke iudgement relieue the oppressed iudge the fatherlesse and defend the widdow Therfore such as were distressed were wont in their distresse to flye to the refuge of the chiefe Magistrate for their protection and defence The Shunamite returning from the land of the Philistims called vpon the King for her house and for her land which had beene wrongfully taken away from her and the King said to an officer Restore thou all that are hers and all the fruits of her lands since the day she left her land euen till this time Hee caused that to be iustly restored which was wrongfully holden away from her And herein good Magistrates should follow the example of God and resemble his Nature whose Name and Image they carry The Lord vpholdeth all that fall and lifteth vp all that are ready to fall Hee executeth iustice for the oppressed which giueth bread to the hungry The Lord looseth the Prisoners the Lord giueth sight to the blinde The Lord raiseth vp the crooked the Lord loueth the righteous the Lord keepeth the strangers hee relieueth the fatherlesse and widdow but hee ouer-throweth the way of the wicked Therefore saith the Lord rob not the poore because hee is poore neither oppresse the afflicted in iudgement for the Lord will defend their cause and spoyle the soule of those that spoile them Againe hee saith Remoue not the ancient bounds and enter not into the fields of the fatherlesse for hee that redeemed them is mighty he will defend their cause against thee When the Children of Israell were sore afflicted by Phaâ—aoh and the Aegiptians the Lord in pitty said I haue surely seene the trouble of my people which are in Aegypt and haue heard their cry because of their Taske-maisters for I know their sorrowes therefore I am come downe to deliuer them out of the hands of the Egyptians c. And afterwards when they were vexed by sundry enemies one after another though they sinned against him grieuously and sundry times yet when they cryed vnto him in their distresse and repented them of their sinnes hee heard their cry and sent them Iudges and Deliuerers to deliuer them and ease them of their oppressions Most excellent and worthy is that worthy speech of that good Queene Elizabeth our gracious Soueraigne of famous memory A speech I say recorded by reuerend Iewel in his answere to Pope Pius his seditious Bull Thus shee speaketh to the Councell and Iudges Haue care of my people you haue my place doe you that which I ought to doe They are my people euery one oppresseth them and spoyleth them without mercy they cannot reuenge their owne quarrels nor helpe themselues See to them see to them they are my charge I charge you as God chargeth mee I care not for my selfe my life is not deere to mee my care is for my people O blessed and gracious speech beseeming a gracious Prince a patterne of piety Wee may obserue in that speech the tender care pitty and loue of her Maiesty to her distressed Subiects and that in those times being in the beginning of her Maiesties raigne about fifty yeares ago there were sundry oppressions and wrongs in the Land How more grieuously are they increased and augmented since that time Citties Townes and Countries are full of exclamations of the