When the man of Beniamin came frō the Israelites with his clothes rent and dust vpon his head in token of heauinesse and certified father Ely that Gods Arke was taken by the Philistines and that his two sonnes were slaine the old father fel backeward out of his seate and broke hys necke and his daughter in lawe Phynies wife being flighted with feare fell in trauell and dyed in child bed but before her death she called her sonne Icabod that is the glorie of God meaning thereby that she accōpted the glorie of God to be taken from Israel when Gods Arke which was a figure of his Churche wherein wee glorifie his name was taken awaie by the enemie And secondly to admonishe all parentes so to nuiture vp their children that they may seeke to maintaine the glorie of God better then Ely did for the wickednesse of whose children As also for the fathers default in not correcting them God had threatned before that if he once began with him he would make an end with him so that as the Prophet saith children being the fruite of the wombe as they are come from God are a good blessing and an heritage that commeth of the Lord because hee it is from whom euerie good and perfect gift doth proceede yet in respect of men so may the matter be handled that they shall finde no such crosse or curse as gracelesse or vnruled children such as Esau and his two wiues who were a griefe of minde and a heart breaking to Isaak their father and Rebekah their mother It is true that the verie godliest men and women haue rather desisired sonnes then daughters at the handes of God but they did it for good and godly purposes As when Abraham desired a sonne to the end that Eliezer the steward of his house being a stranger Namely a man of Damascus should not be the heyre of his goods So did Anna pray to God for a sonne when she said O Lord of hostes if thou wilt looke on the trouble of thine handmaid remember me c. And giue vnto thine handmayd a manchilde then will I giue him vnto the Lord al the daies of his life c. And as the verie name of a sonne is in price and preferred at this day so hath it beene heeretofore as when Phineas wife being neere her deathe in trauell the midwife with the rest thinking to comfort her said feare not for thou hast borne a sonne when the angell sayd to Abraham this time twelue monethes Sarah thy wife shall beare a sonne Sarah laughed as partly doubting and partly ioying that so sage a woman as shee should conceiue a sonne by so aged a man as Abraham was That same Angell that certified Zachario that Elizabeth his wife shoulde beare Iohn the Baptist said not onely that it should be a sonne but such a sonne as should bring ioy to him and many more And that Angel Gabriell that was sent of God Mary the mother of our sauiour according to his humanitie saith that in stead of feare shee had found fauour with God and his reason is this for thou shalt beare a son and shalt call his name Iesus As if he had said it is a great blessing of God to beare a childe and a greater to beare a man childe but to be so farre in Gods fauour as to beare such a sonne as shal be the sauiour of the worlde it is the greatest grace which hath beene heard of in the which God make his Church ioyfull and for the which in speciall and for all the rest of his blessinges in generall God make vs thankefull Amen Iohn 10. 9. I am the doore by me if any man enter in he shal be saued and shall go in and go out and shall find pasture FINIS A MEMENTO FOR MAGISTRATES By Henrie Smith LONDON Printed by Iohn Wolfe are to be sold by William Wright 1592. A Memento for Magistrates THe Apostle Paul writing to Timotheus amongst manie other things assureth him that those Elders which rule well are worthie of double honour And the Authour of the 45. Psame speaking of the gouernement of Salomon saith The Scepter of thy kingdoome is a right Scepter for thou louest righteousnes and hatest iniquitie in which words the Author aduoucheth that he cannot rule rightlie that loueth not to iudge iustlie and that he vsurpeth aucthoritie that dealeth partiallie for wee must remember that hee measurerh Salomons worthinesse to raign by his wel swaying of the scepter the which Salomō could not haue handled so commendablie as he did if he had not bene carried away with an earnest desire to deale indifferentlie amongst men in causes of controuersie but most plainly appeareth his great desire of godly gouernment in that heartie praier which hee vttered vnto almightie God when he said giue vnto thy seruant O Lord an vnderstanding and a wise hart to iudge thy people that I may discerne betwixt good and euill In this praier it is plaine that although hee was a King yet he calleth himselfe the seruaunt of God for promotion commeth neither from the East nor from the West nor yet from the south but from God who plucketh down one and setteth vppe another And Salomon hauing praied for wisdome and vnderstanding hee sheweth wherevnto he wold applie those good gifts of God euen vnto the glorie of him that gaue them to iudge thy people that I may discerne betwixt good euill saith hee for by him Kinges raigne and by him Princes decree Iustice When Iethro the father in law of Moses came out of the land of Madian to see Moses being at the mount of God which was mount Sinai and beheld how the people flocked vnto Moses their magistrate for iudgement iustice by due consideration therof Iethro found these three in conueniences First that Moses wearied himselfe with sitting in iudgement from the morning vntill night Secondly that he was too tedious vnto the people which attended vppon him in all that time And thirdly that notwithstanding his carefulnesse in iudgement and their earnest expectation of iustice hee was not able to dispatche so manye matters as vvas brought before him but with a light hearing and a little regarding of manie mens causes Wherefore Iethro beeing a man verie desirous that iustice might proceede that no mans matter should sleightlie be slipt ouer counsaileth Moses to make more Magistrates in Israel and to the end that this might be perfourmed the better Iethro dooth point at the disposition of those men which should bear rule for saith he thou shalt choose out amongest all the people men of courage dealing trulie fearing God and hating couetousnes and them shalt thou make gouernours ouer the people By this you may perceiue how Iethro in counsailing and Moses in practising did both aime at iustice and true iudgement For it is not a meane matter or light labour for men of yeeres to sit
want of saluation proceedeth eyther of the lack of teaching or of the want of faith to beleeue rightly that which is taught The first of these is approued by the wordes which the holy Ghost spake by the mouth of this prophet last named thus my people are destroyed with lacke of knowledge c. The other by the testimonie of our sauiour Christ himselfe who sending hys Eleuen to preach and baptise sayth he that beleueth and is baptised shall be saued he that beleeueth not shall be damned why went the rich man to hell but either for one of these causes afore named or for thē both that is to say because he neuer frequented the word of God whereby faith is begotten in the heartes of the hearers or if hee heard the same worde yet it was heard so carelesly that it tooke no roote at all and indeede that answere which Abraham made to his request seemeth to auer the trueth of that whiche I say for when request was made by that helhound that a messenger might go from the dead to his fiue brethren which were yet at his fathers house c. Abraham replied thus they haue Moses and the Prophetes Let them heare them for as Abraham sayth if that whiche Moses hath set downe in Gods iustice cannot better our brasen faces and heartes of Adament nor they vnualuable and moste assured promises made by Christ to his elect and recorded by his prophetes cannot driue vs from sinne and draw vs to himselfe Then there is no more hope of vs in hearing the worde of God then was of Symon and Iudas Though they heard the worde and receiued the Sacramentes for our life is no other waie reformed by a carelesse kinde of hearing then Ieroboam redressed the religion in Israel when hee set vp two golden Calues the one in Dann and the other in Bethel that the Israelites might worship them them or Nabuchadneezer in his kingdome when he destroyed Idols that he might be worshipped as God It is a matter so true that no man can so muche as imagine much lesse speake the contrarie without great offence that God hath done so much for his vine as by anie meanes might be in somuch that Dauid the king of Israel neuer hadde greater cause then the prince and people of England haue to say of the goodnesse of God hee hath not dealt so louingly with anie nation as with vs in giuing to vs so long vse of his lawes and yet he that compareth the pastors painfull preaching with the peoples little profiting in most places of this land shall finde iust occasion to thinke that the sonne of God hath pronounced that same curse vppon this Englishe vine which hee vttered against that fruitlesse figtree mentioned by Marke in these wordes Neuer fruite growe on thee henceforth God grant that there be not some men who measure the meate by the man like those proud Citizens whiche saide wee will not haue this man to reigne ouer vs and loathe the message because they like not the messenger like those skornfull Iewes that tolde Ieremie to his face the worde which thou speakest to vs in the name of the Lord vve will not heare it of thee but whatsoeuer we thinke good that will wee do but that they may knowe those men which labour among them and haue the ouersight of them in the land and not barely knowe them but also loue them for their good workes sake Thus hauing finished the former circumstances as compendiously as I promised I proceed to the next wordes the whiche containe in them the second part of a christian ministers dutie which is to minister the sacramentes rightly whereof one is set downe in his due order by the institutor Christ hymselfe when he saith baptising them in the name of the father and the sonne and the holy ghost Nowe because the worde Baptisme hathe diuers significations in the scripture I will heere set downe as manie of them as my memorie can recorde First the worde Baptisme according to the true meaning of the Greeke text Baptisma doth not signifie onely addicting but suche a dipping in the water as doth cleanse the partie dipped and for that the Primitiue Churche did vse to put the partie baptised quite vnder the water Therfore Paule writing both to the Romaines and Collossians vseth these wordes wee are buried then with him in baptisme into hys death that like as Christ was raised vp from the dead by the glorie of the father So we also should walke in newnesse of life in the whiche wordes the Apostle sheweth what resemblance their baptisme hath with Christ hys death and resurrection Secondlie baptisme is vsed for a bare washing in whiche sense our Sauiour spake when hee saide to the Pharisies you lay apart the commaundementes of God and obserue the traditions of men as the washing of pottes and cuppes and manie suche thinges yee doe and in the same sense wee read in the Epistle to the Hebrewes when the authour saith that the olde Tabernacle consisted of manie washinges and ceremoniall rightes vntill the daie of reformation came Thirdly by baptisme wee may vnderstand affliction as our Sauiour Christ did in saying to Iames and Iohn the sonnes of Sebedeus can you be baptised with that baptisme wherwith I must bee baptised and to hys Disciples I must bee baptised with a baptisme but howe am I payned vntill I bee ended Fourthly baptisme is a liberall distribution of the graces of GOD as appeareth in these wordes Iohn baptised with water but you shall be baptised with the holy Ghost within these fewe dayes Fifthly the worde baptisme is taken for doctrine onely as in that place wherein the holie Ghost hauing occasion to speake of Apollo a Iewe of Alexandria sayth that hee was mightie in the Scriptures and did knowe but the baptisme of Iohn only And last of al Baptisme is taken for a reuerent order of ministring that Sacrament in the Churche and the whole sanctification of the parties baptised as in the wordes of this present part of Scripture baptising them c. But to speake of the Sacrament it selfe It hath beene vsuall with almightie God from time to time to confirme hys couenauntes with seales set to the same for example wee see that there is a Rainbowe in the cloudes the reason whereof is that GOD hauing in his iustice destroyed the olde worlde for sinne onely Noah and his famelie being excepted the same GOD in hys mercie made a couenant with Noah that hee would neuer destroy it so againe for confirmation thereof hee set the Raynbow in the Clowdes as a seale to that couenant betwixt himselfe and Noah So was circumcision giuen to Abraham as a seale of confirmation in that promise that in his seede all the nations of the earth should be blessed So that as manie as were circumcised were within the compasse of that
from morning to night in iudgement no their yeares antiquitie consequentlie their bodies imbesilitie cannot easilie endure it besides the care of common causes heard at home and that which is the biggest burden of all the continuall good of the Common-weale which they meditate carefullie when vvee sleepe securely is not to be forgotten but herin are many Magistrats greatly to be blamed in that they cause the people to attend vpon thē from morning vntil night with expenses great and continuall whilest they find no end of poore mens matters because they wishe no ende of spending money Are their mindes set vpon righteousnes which deale thus No no they are the same that the Prophete spake of when he said the vngodlie seeketh occasion against the righteous and knasheth vpon him with his teeth for the crafty counseller taketh occasion to hinder his Cliants iust cause that he might still feede vppon the poore mans purse the Lawyer who careth not to deale vnfaithfully is like the christall glasse which flatteringly sheweth vnto euerie man a faire face how iuill fauoured so euer he be So can he perswade the simple swain that his cause wil bear a strong action bee it neuer so weake Oh remember what God said vnto Israell you shall not do what seemeth good in your owne eies but what I command you Then know that you do not that which he hath commanded because you deale not with mercie and truth for if euer the time required and occasion was offered to mooue that question to Magistrates which Dauid did in his daies namelie how long they will proceede to giue vniust iudgement and to accept the person of the vngodlie Nowe is the time and occasion present for I doe not doubt but it is too true that the Prophet hath spoken who saith that the vngodlie are more set by thē the righteous and this is the cause that wrong iudgement dooth proceed How can iustice sit when there is no seat appointed for her you may be sure she vvill not haue to do with the stoole of wickednes where mischiefe standeth in stead of iustice It was a woorthie commendation that Dauid vttered in the praise of Ierusalem when hee said there is the seate for iudgment the which appointing of that seat for iudgement was an argument that they loued iustice and first the place vvherein it vvas set assureth vs heereof for it was set in the gate vvher through men might haue passage to and from the iudgement seat Secondly the maner of framing that seat in the gate namely that the Iudges of force must sit with their faces towards the rising of the sunne in token that their iudgement shuld bee as pure from corruption as the sun vvas cleare in his chiefest brightnesse Oh happie house of Dauid vvhose seat vvas set so conueniently vvhose causes vvere heard so carefullie and matters iudged so iustlie The Israelites thought themselues well apaid vvhen they had the gouernement of Debora that vertuous VVoman for all vvas laied a bed vntill she came vppe a mother in Israell and as shee was a good gouernesse in her time so shee loued those that were like vnto her selfe for saieth shee my heart is set vpon the gouernours of Israell Dauid was a good King vvhile he liued as it did appeare by the testimonie of God himselfe who said of him I haue found Dauid my seruant with my holie oyle haue I annointed him Secondly by his appealing to God for iudgement in this case when he saith be thou my iudge O Lord for I haue walked innocently c. And last of all by that good counsell which hee gaue vpon his death-bedde vnto Salomon his Sonne who was to succeed him in that kingdom for saith he thou shalt prosper and come to great honor if thou keepest the commandements which GOD commanded Moses when Phillip the King of Macedonia did cast of the earnest sute of a poore widowe with this slender answere go thy way for I haue no leasure to heare thee now She replied thus and why hast thou leasure to be a King as if shee should haue said God hath giuen thee time to raigne and power to gouern that thou mightest applie them both vnto that end wherefore they are giuen thee for mercie and truth preserueth a King and with louing kindnes his seat is vpholden When Salomon praied to God for an vnderstanding hart that he might do iustice among gods people it is said that his praier pleased God passing well because Salomon asked wisedoome rather then wealth and knowledge rather then honor for thereby he gaue euidence that his heart was set vpon righteousnes for out of the aboundaunce of the heart the mouth speaketh It is a most excellent praier which the Prophet maketh when he saith giue thy iudgement vnto the King O Lorde and thy righteousnes vnto the kings sonne c. then shall hee iudge the people according vnto right and defend the poore wherein the Prophet praied for himselfe while he gouerned the kingdome of Israell and for his successors in the same hauing relation vnto that promise spoken of in the 132. Psalme the Lord hath made a faithfull oath vnto Dauid and hee will not shrincke from it saying of the fruit of thy bodie shall I set vpon thy seat if thy children keepe may testimonies which I shall learne them And the Prophet proceedeth to say then shall he iudge the people according vnto right and defend the pore by the word then hee insinuateth that when God giueth grace to the Magistrate then hee cannot choose but do right and defend those which doe sustaine wrong But when the Prophet saith and defend the pore Some man would thinke that he had saide enough before and therefore might haue cut of this speach but it is to be remembred that as sick men nedeth not the Phisition or the way fairing man his weapon at one time onelie but as often as the patient is sicke so often hee must haue the Phisitions counsaile and as often as the traueiler is assaulted so often hee vseth his weapon In like sort the pore man oppressed often doth as often neede the defence of the Magistrate And therefore hath the Magistrate the sword is alwaies caried before him this sword is alwaies caried before rather the behind the Magistrat that he might rather remēber iustice then cast the care thereof behind his back the last but not the least thing to bee marked of the Magistrate is that iustice is set foorth with a paire of ballaunces in the one hand whiche admonisheth him to waie those matters iustlie which are brought before him And within the other hand a two edged sword to the intent that iustice might returne to iudgement that is that thinges iustlye iudged might bee rightly rewarded on both sides whereof King Salomon hath giuen a good president First in finding out the true mother of the smothered childe which