with vs which God and the King will vse to keepe the State and the Church from melting This Remedy and the Preuention is iust the same is expressed first in the Execution of Iustice. And this God promises for the King and the King promises vnder God I will iudge according vnto right saith God and I saith the King Now Iustice and Iudgement is the greatest binder vp of a State The great bounder of Peace and Warre And it is not possible to finde dissoluing sinews in a Kingdome that is gouerned by Iustice. For if the King flourish the Kingdome cannot melt And the Kings Throne that is established by Iustice. Nay farther Nothing but Iustice can establish the Throne and make it firme indeed But when God blesses the King with a heart full of Iustice when God strengthens the King in the Execution of Iustice when the King followes God as close as hee can with Ego iudicabo I my selfe will looke to the administration of Iustice with which God hath trusted me there can bee no melting about the Throne of the King none in the State none in the Church But then this Iustice which preserues the King and blesses the people must be habituall To doe Iustice casually though the thing done be iust yet the doing of it is not Iustice. The State may melt for all that because the Remedy is but casuall Againe since the whole State hath interest in the Iustice of the King his Iustice must be spreading ouer all persons and in all causes And so 't is plurall in the Text I will iudge Iusticias for euery mans cause so farre as it is iust Why but then must the King doe all this himselfe No God forbid that burden should lye vpon him Moses was not able alone for that It was and it is too heauy What then why then Iethro's counsell must bee followed There must bee inferiour Iudges and Magistrates deputed by the King for this Men of courage fearing God and hating Couetousness These must quit Moses from the inferiour trouble that he may be actiue and able for the great affaires of State For if they be suffered to melt and drop downeward there can be no standing dry or safe vnder them And hence it followes that Ego iudicabo I will iudge according vnto right is not onely the Kings engagement betweene God and the People but it is the engagement of euery Iudge Magistrate and Officer betweene God the King and the State The Kings power that 's from God The Iudges and the subordinate Magistrates power that 's from the King Both are for the good of the people That they may lead a peaceable life in all godlinesse and honestie All Iudges and Courts of Iustice euen this great Congregation this great Councell now ready to sit receiue influence and power from the King and are dispensers of his Iustice aswell as their owne both in the Lawes they make and in the Lawes they execute in the Causes which they heare and in the Sentences which they giue The King Gods High Steward and they Stewards vnder him And so long as Iustice and Iudgement sits vpon all the Benches of a Kingdome either it is not possible for Fluxes and Meltings to begin in the State or if they doe begin their Drip will be cured presently Now while the King keepes close to Ego judicabo I will iudge that which comes to me according vnto right if inferiour Iudges which God forbid iudge other then right they sin against three at once and against God in all For first they sinne against the people by doing them wrong in stead of Iustice. Secondly they sinne against their owne conscience not only by calling but by sentencing Good Exill and Euill Good Thirdly they sin against the King the fountaine of Iustice vnder God in slandering of his Iustice to the people with the administration whereof they are trusted vnder him And once againe for Inferiour Gouernours of all sorts The King is the Sunne Hee drawes vp some vapours some support some supply from vs. T' is true hee must doe so For if the Sun draw vp no vapours it can powre downe no raine and the Earth may bee too hard as well as too soft and too melting Now this Raine which descends and is first caused by the Sunne is prepared in the Clouds before it falleth on the Earth And all Great Men that are raised higher then the rest especially Iudges and Magistrates of all sorts they are the Clouds They receiue the more immediate influence from the King and if they bee Gods Clouds and retaine what hee gaue them thev drop fatnesse vpon the people But if they bee clouds without water they transmit no influence If they bee light clouds in the wind then no certaine influence If they be cloud driuen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by a whirlewind then it is passionate and violent influence And the Clouds I hope are not I am sure should not bee thus betweene the King and his people There is then Ego judicabo I will iudge according vnto right both for the King and all subordinate Magistrates vnder him But here 's Ego judicabo and I will iudge according to right for God too For many of the Fathers will haue this to be Gods speech or Dauids in the person of God And then whatsoeuer men doe with Iustice and Iudgement God comes two wayes in vpon the iudgements of men to reuiew them For first God comes in when the Earth is melting by violence and iniustice And then Gods Ego judicabo I will iudge is either in Mercy to repayre the breaches to stay the melting of the State or else in Iudgement to punish the debasers of Iustice. And this God sometimes doth in this life But if hee doe it not here yet hee neuer failes to doe it at the last and finall Iudgement to which diuers of the Fathers referre this passage of my Text. Secondly God comes in when the Seats of Iustice supreme and inferiour are all entire And then Gods Ego judicabo I will iudge is alwayes to confirme and countenance the proceedings of Iustice and to blesse the Instruments And my Text hath it full For it is not here said I will iudge the causeonely or the men onely whose cause it is or the Iudges onely that sentence the cause but Ego iustitias I will iudge the very Iudgements themselues how right or otherwise they passe And then this must needs be to confirme and honour them if they bee iust or to condemne and dissolue them if they bee vniust rather then they shall melt or dissolue the State or sometimes to send a melting into that State in which Iustice is peruerted Now howsoeuer men sometimes breake from their dutie in iudging according to right yet there can bee no question of Gods proceedings Hee will bee sure to iudge all things and all men according to right who euer doe not
and the burden and the difference of the burden at seuerall times therefore while they compare they are sensible of the difference betweene supporting of earth and Terrae liquefactae dissolued or dissoluing earth For this latter is heauier a great deale therefore in the difference they can tell where they are likeliest to shrinke vnder the burden if God come not in to beare them vp And in all these cases and many more the Pillars of the earth must goe to God as fast as the Inhabitants of the earth come to them They must pray for themselues And the Church and the people must pray for them too And the cloze of the prayers must still bee that God would beare vp the Pillars that they may be able to beare vp the earth And for the honour of Kings and their great Assistants marke it God doth not say here I beare vp the Earth and the inhabitants of it though he doth that too and they cannot subsist without him but as if he had quite put them ouer to the King and the great Gouernours vnder him he saith I beare vp the pillars and then I looke and will require of them that they beare vp the State and the people Let mee speake a little boldly saith G. Nazianz. Shew your selues gods to your subiects gods and no lesse Gods why then you must doe Gods worke And Gods worke euer since the Creation is to preserue and beare vp the world Therefore as God beares vp you so you must beare vp the Earth and the people God reteines his owne power ouer you but hee hath giuen you his owne power ouer them Rom. 13. His owne power and that is to beare vp the people at home and in all iust quarrels to force enemies abroad And in all this t' is Gods power still but yet he will exercise it by the Pillars Therefore in the first great leading of his people himselfe went before them in the forme of a pillar Exod. 13. And when he smote the armie of Egypt he looked out of the pillar while he strooke it Exod. 14. And because this was an extraordinary pillar and therefore can be no principle for ordinary conclusions He makes Moses which was the ordinary pillar not beare onely but strike too He must stretch out his band vpon the Sea Exod. 14. Now this great worke of God in supporting the pillars kings and mighty Potentates of the Earth is so manifest that no reason can bee brought to deny it First in that the wisest and mightiest kings that euer were haue beene in their seuerall times most religious Secondly in that euen those kings and great men vnderthem which haue not accounted God their strength haue yet thought it necessary to beare the world in hand that they did rely vpon God to beare them vp And this is a full proofe that this principle is naturally printed in the heart of man that God is Basis Columnarum the foundation of the pillars Thirdly in that very many times weaker Gouernours both for wisedome and courage doe prosper and performe greater workes then some which in themselues had farre greater abilities and a more prouident Councell about them A famous instance of this is Pope Iulius 2. To ascribe this to Fortune onely worldly wisedome it selfe would condemne for folly To giue it to Destinie is to binde vp God in chaines vnworthy for men For worldly wisedome knowes this that God in his workes ad extra must be most free or no God To worldly wisedome it selfe it cannot be ascribed For she hath openly disclaymed many of their Actions which haue prospered best Therefore of necessitie so much be ascribed to Gods blessing and protecting them And certainly there 's no true reason can be giuen of it but this First Ego confirme I establish and beare vp the pillars For so long the world cannot shake them And secondly Ego apto I make fitte the Pillars as Tremel reades it for so long they beare euen aboue their strength And out of doubt there is very much in the fitting of the Pillars T' is not the great massinesse of a Pillar but the cleane and true working of him that makes him beare the fitting of him in time and to his place And here as for many other so especially for two things wee haue great cause to blesse and magnifie God First that since he would remoue our Royall Pillar which had stood now vnder the weight of this Gouernment full 22. yeeres yet he would not doe it till he had prepared another and brought him to full strength to beare vp this kingdome to Gods great honour and his owne Secondly that by Gods great blessing and his Royall Fathers prudent education hee is and was from the first houre confirmata columna an established and a settled Pillar And I make no question but aptata Columna too A Pillar euery way fitted to the State he beares fitted to the difficulties of the time fitted to the State and fitted to the Church Now the Church no question for the externall support of it hath need great need of Temporall Pillars too At this time a great Pillar of this Church is falne and doubtlesse a great part of the edifice had falne with it if God had not made supply of another and a very able Pillar I finde Gen. 28. that there was an Anoynted Pillar that it was anoynted by Iacob The place was Bethel the house of God In it the Ladder of heauen by which the Angels goe and come But out of doubt this Pillar is here This Pillar not yet anoynted by the hand of the Priest but anoynted already to the inheritance and by the blessing of Iacob The place where Iacob left him behind is the Church of God and he left him a Pillar for so hee rested on him and well hee might Old Iacob is gone by the Angels way to heauen but he left the Pillar here behind at Bethel for the house of God And al the blessings of Heauen Earth bee vpon him all the dayes of his life The Church in all times of her dissensions when schisme and faction haue made great Rents in her buildings hath still had recourse to her Pillars to her Ciuill and his Ecclesiasticall Pillars and shee goes right For her Pillars must support her or shee cannot be borne vp This very time is a time of Church diuision What followes vpon it what why the Church is become Terra liquefacta there 's melting almost in euery part of it Christendome through melting in all places but not at the same Fire For in one place Truth melts away from the doctrine of the Church In another deuotion and good life melt away from the practise of the Church In a third all externall meanes and necessary supply melts away from the maintenance of the Church And but that I know Hell gates cannot preuaile against it it melts so fast sometimes that I should
is not Iuda onely but all Kingdomes of the Earth are subiect to melting The many changes of the world haue Preach'd this ouer and ouer That whatsoeuer hath Earth to the foundation is subiect to dissolution And the Sermon is still made vpon this Text Terra liquefacta est The Earth is dissolued Now vsually before melting there goes a Heate And so it was Hos. 8. A fire first and then the melting of Israel There neither is nor can bee any Kingdome but it hath many Heates These are most felt by them that are at the working of the State But these are all quite aboue me saue to pray for their temper and I will not further meddle with them Heates then there are but all Heates are not by and by a Furnace nor are all Furnaces able to melt and dissolue States No God forbid Not all but yet some there are that can melt any kingdome especially two The one of these Heates is Sinne great and multiplied sinne For saith S. Augustine delinquere est de liquido fluere To sinne is to melt and drop away from all steddinesse in vertue from all foundation of Iustice. And here a State melts inward there 's little seene yet The other is Gods punishment for these sinnes For that makes emptie cities and a desolate Land And there a State melts outwardly and in view And by this we haue found what and who it is that melts great and glorious Kingdomes In the Text there 's no more then liquefacta est the earth is dissolued not a word by whom or for what But it is expressed Vers. 7. that it is by God And it is too well knowen that it is for sinne and for great sinne too For as there goes sinne before God heates so there goe great and multiplied sinnes before God makes his fire so hote as to melt or dissolue a Kingdome The sinnes of the Amorite not yet full therefore not yet cast into the melting pot But so soone as their sinnes were full their State melted The fruit of it from aboue and the root of it from beneath all destroyed And this was not the Amorites case onely for all Stories are ful of it That when States haue melted into wanton and lustfull sinnes they haue not long after dissolued into desolation For as S. Ierome obserues that course God holds with impious and impenitent Kingdomes aswell as men absque discretione personarum without any difference of persons or places Well when t' is Terra liquefacta when a Kingdome dissolues and melts what then What why then no man is in safety till it settle againe not a man For the Text goes on The earth is dissolued and all that dwell therein All men then to seeke what to doe the wisest to seeke and the strongest to seeke All. And it must needes be so For so long as a State is Terra like solide ground men know where to set their footing and it is not euery Earth-quake that swallowes the place But when it is once Terra liquefacta molten and dissolued there is no footing no foundation then I sticke fast in the myre where no ground is Psal. 69. and myre is but terraliquefacta molten and dissolued earth All foule then and no foundation And when a Kingdome melts indeed that is both wayes In sinne and vnder punishment there 's great reason the inhabitants should melt with it into feare into danger into ruine For God neuer puts his fire to the melting of a State but for sinne and sinne that is neuer committed by the dead State but by the liuing For when a fruitfull land is made barren it is for the wickednesse of them that dwell therein And therefore there is great reason when the earth dissolues that the inhabitants should all sweat and melt too When Dauid came to the Crowne t' was thus How is it now Why if you take the earth at large for the Kingdomes about you out of question there hath beene liquefactio a melting in the earth and many Kingdomes haue swet blood But if you take the earth for the State at home then t' is high time to magnifie God First for the Renowmed Religious and peaceable Reigne of our late dread Soueraigne of blessed Memorie who for so many yeeres together kept this Kingdome in peace and from melting And secondly that now in the change of Princes which is not the least occasion for a State to melt wee liue to see a miracle Change without Alteration Another King but the same life-expression of all the Royall and Religious Vertues of his Father and no sinewes shrinking or dissoluing in the State If you aske me the cause of this happinesse I can direct you to no other but God and God in mercie For as for the Kingdome that is made of the same Earth with others and is consequently subiect to the same dissolution And as for vs that dwell therein I doubt our sinnes haue been as clamorous vpon God to heate his fire and make it fall on melting as the sinnes of them that inhabit other Countreys And though I doubt not but God hath the sure mercies of Dauid in store for the King and will neuer faile him yet if Habitatores in ed they that dwell in this good and happy soile will burden it and themselues with sinne great sinne multiplied sinne vnrepented sinne it will not be in the power or wisdome or courage or piety of a King to keepe the State from melting For Dauid was all these and yet liquefacta est terra the Earth was as good as dissolued for all that And therefore that this Kingdome is not a melting too I can giue no firme reason but God and his Mercy For hee is content to giue longer day for repentance and repentance is able to doe all things with God And the time calles apace for repentance The Heauens they melt into vnseasonable weather and the Earth melts and dissolues her Inhabitants into infectious humours and there 's no way to stay these meltings but by melting our selues in and by true repentance Would you then haue a settled and a flourishing State Would you haue no melting no dissolution in the Church I know you would it is the honourable and religious designe of you all Why but if you would indeed The King must trust and indeere his people The people must honour obey and support their King Both King and Peeres and People must religiously serue and honour God shut out all Superstition on Gods Name the farther the better but let in no prophanenesse therewhile If this bee not done take what care you can God is aboue all humane wisedome and in some degree or other there will bee Liquefactio terrae a melting or a waste both in Church and State And this falls in vpon the second generall part of the Text which is The Remedy as it was then with the Iewes The Preuention as it is now