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A73282
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Iethroes counsell to Moses: or, A direction for magistrates A sermon preached at St. Saviours in Southwarke. March 5. 1621. before the honourable iudges by that reverent divine Thomas Sutton Dr. in Divinity.
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Sutton, Thomas, 1585-1623.
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1631
(1631)
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STC 23505; ESTC S123301
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19,735
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38
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her pulses the signes and Symptomes of desolation and death And when these Catholicke vipers have broken her heart what will become of us who suffer such professours as will never proove good subjects to varnish their nests and make their bowers within her It would doe them good to do us hurt it would lengthen their lives to shorten ours it would bring them halfe way to heaven to bury their poniards in our breasts it would make a newe feast and another holiday in the Romane Kalender if they might smell the burning or heare tell of the smoake and ashes of our Churches they are already become so bold their number so exceeding great their religion so bloudy their malice so inveterate that if no sharper course be taken to represse and smother them they will adventure within a while to trie whether we or they shall be the Masters and if either malice or multitude can doe it they will make bonefires of our flesh they will cut off our lives and confiscate our livings and set fire on our Churches and martyr our Cleargie and massacre our Iudges and murther our Princes and say of England as Edome did of Ierusalem downe with it downe with it even to the ground And if ever this day of mourning come upon us which I pray God may never come wee may thanke our selves for keeping such Romish waspes in our English Hives The Second part of the Text. I come now to the second part of the Text The Quos viz. The persons whom he must appoint and these are described first generally The Magistrate must be a choise man one of a thousand culled and selected out of all the people Secondly He is described by his particular properties and these are 4. First they must be Viri potentes powerfull and able men Secondly They must be viri timentes Deum Such as feare God Thirdly They must be viri amantes veritatem such as love trueth Fourthly viri abhorrentes avaritiam such as hate covetousnesse Of these in order And first of the generall hee must be chosen out of all the people he must be a châ—… man It is the observation of Abulensis that Moses chuseth the high Priests out of all the people of Israel Numb 17. It is the observation of Pelargus that Moses summoned by death to resigne his place nec filios obtrudit suos nec populum in suffragia mittit he shuffles not in one of his sonnes nor comit to most voices but desires God to appoint and nominate some one whom he had singularly enriched with his spirit Numb 27. David a man culled out of all the sonnes of Iesse 1 Sam. 16. the twelve Apostles pickt and chosen out of all the Disciples Luke 6.13 Were the birds of the ayre to chuse them a governour it should be the Phaenix were the starres of the heaven to chuse them a governour it should be the Sunne were the trees of the forrest to chuse a governour it should be the Cedar were the flowers of the garden to chuse them a governour it should be the Lilly or the fragrant Rose We must observe the rule of Paris King of Troy when Pallas Iuno and Venus contended for the golden apple Detur digniori let the most vertuous have it the Magistrate should be like a poesy made of the choycest flowers or like the picture of Helena that Zeuxes made in the Temple of the Croconians whatsoever was faire and beautifull in any other was admirably composed and wrought in that one St. August De Civit. Dei lib. 5. cap. 12. sayes the ancient Romans built their Temple of vertue directly in the way to the Temple of honour to signifie that it was not for a man to â—…pe to a seate of honour before he had proceeded in the schoole of vertue Hence I might justly challenge the precipitant forwardnesse of some who boldly intrude into places of eminence both in Church and State though it be well enough knowne that they are as eminent for their imperfections as they are for their places and the injurious dealings of others who set Idols in the roome of God preferre unworthy persons who come little short of Calligula who was so in love with his horse Incitatus that he gave him his provender in a golden charger made his horse a Priest and solemnly promised to make him a Consul But the generall will be manifest if we take view of the particular properties whereof the first is they must be viri potentes able men non corporis fortitudine sed animi saith Ferus If the eye of a Iudge be not be not like sn Eagle his hand like a Ladies if the heart of a Iudge be not like a lyon he is not fit to be Gods sword-bearer he must have a Chirurgeons heart who cuts the wound weepe the patient never so bitterly Plorat secandus secatur plorat urendus uritur saith Aug. in Mat. Ser. 15. this is not cruelty but mercy for sevit in vulnus ut homo sanetur si palpetur vulnus homo perditur It was Gods speech to Ioshua Be thou strong and of good courage Iosh 10. the commendation that the Angel gave Gideon The Lord is with thee thou và liant man Iudg. 6.8 I am of the opinion of Chabrias in the history if you be lyons let all the rest of the people be timerous hearts we shall doe well let all the rest of the army be lyons if you be timerous hearts nothing can be well O then awake and put on courage you that minister judgement me thinkes God speakes to you as Gideon did to his men of warre in the seventh of Iudges If you be timerous and fearefull depart from Mount Gilead and lay no hands upon your swords you must remember that as the royall throne of Salomon whereon he sate to judge was supported by lyons on both sides 1 King 10.20 so when you sit in seates of judgement which is as the throne of Salomon bee supported by the lyon-like vertues of courage and magnanimity you must not transgresse for feare or favour therefore you have neede of courage to silence the mighty therefore you have neede of courage to rescue the poore out of the hands of the oppressours with as much danger as David rescued his silly lambe out of the mouth of the lyon and the beare therefore you have neede of courage you must with Zeileucus King of the Locrenses passe sentence upon your owne children if they be found worthy of death therefore you have neede of courage you must confute the sinnes of the mighty you must support the worke of the Ministery you must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a living law to helpe the poore to their right that suffer wrong to heare the widowes cause to acquit the innocent Iosephs and Ieremies whom malice and revenge hath cast into prison shut fast into the stockes and therefore you have neede of courage Moses must chuse Iudges that doe feare God
he list a golden key commonly opens a wrong locke Loquente auro nil pollet quaevis oratio The mouth of a Lawyer saith Tully is an Oracle for the whole Citty but if in this mouth there be a guilded tongue it will prove like the Oracle at Delphos whereof Demosthenes complained in his time that it did speake nothing but what Philip would have it that had given a double fee. But I for my part accuse no man but many that have beene ancient Termers say that Lawyers take much money and say little for it that they come amongst many of you for succour as a sheepe runnes to the thornes and briars for shelter in time of a tempest they are saved from the shower for that time but that which saved theÌ„ pulls that wool from their backes that they are never able to abide another storme Some have money for holding their peace others for speaking that you who should be like Atropos to cut become like Clotho to spinne and like Lachesis to draw in length the thread of contention Maginus and some other Geographers noting the diameter and circuit of the earth are of opinion that if a foote-man had a path round about the world he might goe it in 900 dayes and take no hard journeyes a strange thing that one man in that time should goe through the world and some other in twice so much time cannot passe through an English Court or the length of Westminster hall let it never be tolde in Gath nor published in the streetes of Askelon that English Lawyers should grow great as that common souldier in Tacitus tolde Pompey per nostram miseriam by the misery of poore clients it is wickednesse inexpiable to build your houses with the fall of others let it never be said that you are like the milt of a mans body whereof Laurentius saith that it never growes great until all other parts of the body decay and perish But purge your hearts from covetous desires wash your hands froÌ„ the rust of that silver your consciences from the canker of that gold which with greedinesse you have conjested and raked together know for certaine that God will strictly examine and your soules shall one day pay for it When one asked Diogenes what was the reason that golde alwayes looked pale he shaped him this answer Quia tot habet insidiatores because so many crafty heads lie in ambush for it I pray God you may all be more greedy of heaven than of earth more willing to winne the streight way to heaven than the broad way to a heape of wealth And more carefull to make your election than your lands and possessions sure Thirdly this sinne is to be whipt from all Iurers and Witnesses also if you have but such a thought of this what shall I have you shall be sure to meete with Simon Magus that will say what shall I give You must sweare in truth and justice Ier. 4.2 You are to be whipt for ever out of the company of God and his Angels you are to be shut out of the kingdome and inheritance of the Saints you shall heare the thundering of an angry Iudge Mal. 3.5 There will be a writ against you a flying booke it is ten cubits broad and twenty cubits long Zach. 5. and that booke is a curse that flieth over the whole earth verse 3. that curse shall lay siege to the walls and timber of your houses to consume both you and them if money make you speake either more or lesse than the truth Such men saith Diodo Sicu Bib. lib. 2. cap. were alwayes punished with death and so Bohemus de moribus gent. lib. 1. cap. 5. ad Aug. in his Quae. in Deut. lib. 5. cap. 34. but that is but an easie punishment and temporall but the judgement that God hath for you is endlesse and easelesse you shall stand without Apoc. 22.15 without God without glory without mercy without comfort without hope without the Kingdome you shall have your portion in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone Apoc. 21.8 I therefore charge you in the name of God as you will answer it at the dreadfull day of judgement when the secrets of all hearts shall be opened and when you shall remember my words and see my face againe that not money nor money-worth make you smother the truth or support an ill cause that you deale faithfully betwixt a man and his brother that you remember the Apostles rule Ephes 5.3 Let not this sinne be once named amongst you A word for conclusion Right Honorable be you like Iethroes Iudges men of courage to helpe poore ones to defend weake ones to oppose great ones to cut off wicked ones Like Iethroes Iudges fearing God setting God allwayes before your eyes judging others as if you were going to be judged your selves having Gods Law that was once written in Tables of stone firmely and plainly written in the fleshly tables of your heartes Be like Iethroes Iudges men of trueth receiving no false nor suspected witnesses pronouncing no unjust nor partiall sentences Be like Iethroes Iudges hating covetousnesse as the staine of your Courtes the baine of your consciences the smotherer and stifler of Iustice the death and poyson of soules that when you shall put off your scarlet robes you may put on the long white robe of Saints and when you shall be removed from these seates of justice you may be admitted into a seate of glory and may follow the blessed Lambe wheresoever he goes Grave and learned Counsellors you must be like Iethroes Iudges men of courage to pleade against prophanesse men fearing God as patterns and examples of holinesse men of truth not setting a good countenance upon a bad cause men hating covetousnes lest it be truly wrote upon your graves as it was upon the Tombstone of Trinullius Hîc â—andem quiescit mortuus qui vivus requievit nunquam Here he restes in mould who whilst he lived could never rest for gold nor suffered them to rest that would Think godlinesse your greatest gaine Pleade for Christ and hee will pleade for you that when you shall be called from these barres to answer for your owne sinnes at the barre and tribunall of Gods judgement seate you may finde mercy and favour with God and you also may follow the blessed Lamb wheresoever he will Iurers and witnesses you also must be like Iethroes Iudges men of courage whom greatnesse of person cannot daunt men fearing God whom no private affection can command men of truth whom no perjuries can attaint men that hate covetousnesse and say with Balaam if Balaac would give me his housefull of golde and silver I will not be suborned or hired to deflect one haires breadth from the Eclipticke line of truth that when you have decided controversies among your brethren God may have no controversie with you when you have witnessed what possessions belong to men you may have a witnesse in your owne consciences that your selves belong to God and you also may follow the blessed Lambe wheresoever he goes And let all of us be like Iethroes Iudges putting on courage to fight the Lords battells armed with his feare girded with his truth as with a girdle hating the rust and canker of the unrighteous Mammon that when God shall finish our evill dayes of sinne hee may be pleased to quiet our clamorous consciences to pardon our sinnes to save our soules and to receive both our bodies and soules into his blessed kingdome and all of us may follow the blessed Lambe wheresoever he goeth That we may be filled with the glory of the Father be made partakers of an infinite happinesse purchased by the Sonne be ravisht with the ineffable comfort of the holy Ghost to which holy blessed glorious and immortall Trinity be rendred and ascribed of us and all Gods Saints throughout the world all power praise glory thanks and dominion from this time forth and for evermore Amen FINIS