The Magistrates Support Burden In a SERMON Preached at the LATE ELECTION OF THE LORD MAJOR For the Famous City of London Sept. 28. 1650 By JOHN CARDELL Exod. 18.17.18.21 And Moses Father in law said unto him The thing that thou doest is not good Thou wilt surely wear away both thou and this People that is with thee for this thing is too heavy for thee Thou art not able to perform it thy self alone Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the People able men such as fear God men of truth hating Covetousness and place such over them to be Rulers of Thousands and Rulers of Hundreds Rulers of Fifties and Rulers of Tens Magistratus itaque inductus est ut leges quam diligentissime conserventur sontes puniantur boni juventur ac foveantur Et sane lex est mutus Magistratus vicissim Magistratus est lex animata loquens Pet. Martyr in cap. 19. lib. Jud. London Printed by Peter Cole 1650. To the Right Honorable Thomas Foot Lord Major of the City of LONDON Thomas Andrews Lord Major Elect AND To the Right Worshipful The Aldermen and Sheriffs of the same City My Lords THE following Discourse presents you with the Original Copy of a compleat and well Accomplished Magistracy drawen first by Moses somwhat more imperfectly and afterwards corrected by Jethro unto that Exactness wherein it now lies before us in those most Antient and Authentick Records The Holy Scriptures of God A Subject which had it been set out according to merit of it would have fallen before you and entitled it self to you deservedly who have both had the Honor to sit at the Stern in the Government of this great City and that have both 〈…〉 It is not surely without a special hand both of Power and Providence that your feet my Lords are still standing upon those slippery places where so many have caught fals However That 's excellent Counsel which the Apostle gives and I mention it not by way of Charge or Accusation but meerly by way of humble Admonition b Ro. 11.20 Be not high-minded but fear for Blessed is the man that feareth alway But he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief Prov. 28.14 The Fear of God lies in the middle of Jethroes qualifications as the Diamond in the Ring or the Heart in a mans Body or as a dram of Musk to perfume the whole Box of Ointment And indeed who among all the People have more cause to fear God then Magistrates since if they fear not him they have Nothing else to fear or so much as to restrain them from any thing that is evil The Psalmist having let fall that high expression concerning Rulers I said ye are Gods he presently adds by way of corrective for fear of the worst c Ps 82.6 7. Vita in summo mors in imo Lactant. But ye shall die like men and fall like one of the Princes And if there were no other motive but this my Lords The consideration of your own Mortality that should strongly induce and perswade you to fear the Lord your God The Fear of God being the only Antidote against the Fear of death He needs fear no danger no difficulty no enemy no death that does but truly fear God But besides this Consider I beseech you Opus Dei in die suo what God is now about to do and for that consult but your own Experiences Seems he not to be in a way of d Isa 23.9 staining the Pride of all outward glory Hath he not lately answered us by e 64.3 terrible things in Righteousness and such as we looked not for f Job 12.21 Powring contempt upon Princes and upon great ones g Psal 2.5 Speaking to them in his wrath and vexing them in his sore displeasure And the h Isa 2.17 loftiness of man shal be bowed down and the haughtiness of men made low That the Lord alone may be exalted in this day And therefore now saies the Psalmist You that are i Ps 2.10 11 12. Rulers and Judges of the Earth Be wise Be instructed Serve the Lord with Fear Rejoyce with Trembling Kiss the Son lest he be angry c. Doubtless Christ is now upon his March towards the taking in of all k Rev. 11.15 Nations or at least some of all Nations and All that he meets with in his way They must who ever they be either bow before him or else be Broken and l Psal 2.9 dashed in pieces by him like a Potters vessel And at m Esth 4.14 such a time as this That God would give out abundance of Wisdom and Courage Abundance of the Fear of his Name Abundance of Love to Truth and Peace Abundance of Hatred and Indignation against Covetousness n 1 Tim. 6.10 the root of all our evil to all in Authority That the o Jam. 2.1 Lord of Glory would in a special manner thus cloth the Governors of this great City with his own Spirit unto a full compliance with Christ in all the great things that he is now about to bring forth and Accomplish This is the Prayer my Lords of Your Lordships most humble and obliged Servant John Cardel THE MAGISTRATES Support and Burden Numb 11.16 17. And the Lord said unto Moses Gather unto me Seventy men of the Elders of Israel whom thou knowest to be of the Elders of the People and Officers over them and bring them to the Tabernacle of the Congregation that they may stand there with thee And I will come down and talk with thee there and I will take of the Spirit which is upon thee and will put it upon them and they shall bear the Burden of the People with thee that thou bear it not thy self alone IN the former part of this Chapter Introductiâ—â— you may see the Spirit of Moses an holy and gracious Governor extreamly burdened with the sinful Provocations of a discontented People The sins oâ— the People Burden to godly Govâ—nors Although the man Moses was very meek above all the men which were upon the face of the earth Numb 12.3 yet the Peoples frowardness was too hard for his meekness neither was he able any longer to bear the weight of that Burden which their iniquities did inevitably cast upon him And among the rest of the sins of this People that lay so hard upon the spirit of Moses There are Two great enormities Peccata primae magnitudinis or the sins that â—ay so hard upon the Spirit of Moses mentioned or heynous offences of the first magnitude expresly mentioned here in this Chapter The First was Their complaining of an hard journey in the Wilderness without a sufficient Cause Complaints are never just but when the Cause is just and that the Cause was not just here the effect shews For in the first Verse it is said Verse 1 That when the people complained it displeased the Lord and the
There are hardly any People under Heaven that trade more in Ordinances then you do ye are very frequently at those Performances wherein God does appear and shew Himself your feet stand often in the Tabernacle of the Congregation and ye do pretend at least unto a desire That God would come down and talk with you there And therefore when he does so when he does come down and talk with you be sure to e Rom. 6.17 e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That form of Doâ— whereinto ye were delivâ— vid. Bez. hic deliver up yourselves unto that which he delivers as a People that are willing to be taught of God and let both Heart and Life savour of that which He sayes to you f Jam 1.22 Vult Apostolus ut non taâ— simus auditores Sermonis 〈◊〉 etiam effectores hoc est taâ— quibus sermo qui inseritâ— dices agat quod fit dùmâ— ex verbo concipitur et 〈◊〉 entia nostra testatur fidenâ— Heming in loc Be doers of the Word as James sayes and not Hearers only deceiving your own selves Especially when ye are met as now about any Business of Concernment and the Lord shall then please to come down and talk with you and cast in g A word in â—eason not to â—e neglected 〈◊〉 being like â—pples of gold â—n pictures in â—lver grateful â—nd delightful Prov. 25.11 a word in season when ye come and sit before your God for a word of Counsel and He is pleased to come in with a word of Counsel according to your desires and according to your expectations Now take heed of resisting or rejecting and be sure to close in with that word that so what ye do may appear to have been done in sincerity Verbum secunâ—um suos modos â—u commodè â—ictum nihil aâ—ud est quam â—ntentia in se bona observatis locorum temporum personorum circumstantiis prolata Cartwr hic and not in hypocrisie and so I shall now fall upon that in the rear of the words which does principally concern the purpose of our present meeting I will come down The third â—art of the Text opened and talk with thee there sayes God to Moses and I will take of the Spirit which is upon thee and will put it upon them c. By the Spirit here Seponam de â—piritu qui est â—per te Spiritu â—uta gratiae non â—t ideo minus aberet Moses â—d ut illi tanâ—um haberent de â—piritu Dei â—uantum adâ—ensurus ipsis â—at Deus vocaâ—or is auctor ut â—osi adjuâ—ento essent we must understand the Spirit of Government And sayes God to Moses I will take of that Spirit or I will divide that Spirit or I will encrease and multiply that Spirit that is now upon thee upon these seventy men The very same Spirit of Government that is now upon thee sayes God it shall rest upon them even as h 2 Kin. 2.15 the Spirit of Elijah rested upon Elisha i â—un et Trem. 〈◊〉 loc â—ee Ainsw â—nnot upon â—e place Not that Moses himself was to be unspirited or dispirited or uncloathed or unpossessed of the Spirit that 's not the meaning of it neither But says God the same Spirit that has k 1 Cor. 12.4 diversities of gifts in it It shal be diversly shared amongst you al that are to be the Governors of my People According to the several Exigencies or Necessities of your Places And saies he Having thus sitted and prepared these men By putting my Spirit of Government upon them They shall then bear the Burden of the People with thee that thou bear it not thy self alone Two othâ—â— Doctrinâ— from thiâ— ter part oâ— Text. From whence I shall further commend these two other Notes or Observations to you which I shall entreat you to take special Notice of The First this That the Burden of the People lies upon the Magistrates They shall bear the Burden of the People with thee The Second this That no man is any way fit or able to bear this Burden but he that hath a Spirit of Government graciously conferred upon him To begin first with the former of these Namely this That the Burden of the People lies upon the Magistrates 1 Doâ—â— For the opening of this you may please to observe That the Burden of the People is in 4. The Burâ— of the Pâ—â— in 4 respâ—â— upon the gistrates Respects incumbent or lying upon the Magistrates 1 The Burden of the Peoples Sins 2 The Burden of the Peoples Sorrows or Sufferings 3 The Burden of the Peoples Rights or Priviledges And 4 The Burden of the Peoples Discontents The Buâ—â— of the peâ—â— sins First The Burden of the Peoples Sins that 's incumbent or lying upon the Magistrate more waies then one For sometimes Magistrates are the Causes of the Sins of the People being like unto l 1 Kin. 1â— Jeroboam the son of Nebat who made Israel to sin Rulers 〈◊〉 of the sinâ— the Peopâ—â— veral waâ— There are several waies whereby Rulers may be guilty of the Sins of the Sins of the People Either By m 1 Sam. 22.18 commanding or By n 2 Chr. 19.2 countenancing or By o 1 King 1.6 coÌ„niving or By p 1 Sam. 3.13 not restraining the sins of the People And in such Cases as these If Magistrates will make Rods for their own Backs or lay Snares for their own Feet to be taken in Then nothing in the world more righteous or q Non est â—ex aequior ulla Quà m necu Arâ—ifices Arte peâ—ire suâ equal then that they themselves should bear the greatest weight of their own procured Burdens Or suppose on the other side That the Magistrate be like r 2 Ch. 34.37 Josiah of a tender heart or of a melting disposition and no way so much as accessory to the sins of the People but one that would fain have all things rightly and duely administred yet this will trouble Him never the less but burden him so much the more to see how hard a matter it is to reduce a rebellious De exilii sui inâ—ommoditate et nolestiâ queriâ—ur David â—úam ex comâ—oratione taliâ—m barbarorum malitiosorum â—ominum quoâ—idiè experiebaâ—ur Muscul â— loc or to bring a gain-saying People into any good order as ye know what a burden it was unto Å¿ 2 Pet. 2.7 8. Lot and how his righteous soul was vexed and grieved from day to day to see and observe the unclean conversation of those lewd and wicked Sodomites among whom he lived And t Psal 120.5 woe is me saies David that I sojourn in Mesech that I dwel in the tents of Kedar intimating that the lewdness of those places was a very great burden unto his spirit also Secondly The Burden â—f the peoples â—orrows or â—ufferings The Burden of the Peoples Sorrows or Sufferings that also
Lord heard it and the fire of the Lord burnt among them and consumed them where ye have both the Sin and the Punishment The Sin was unjust complaining or discontented murmuring because of their long travel in the wilderness And the Punishment was consumption by fire The Anger of that God brake out upon them who is a Heb. 12.29 A consuming fire and He was at that time A consuming fire unto them And loe that fire was no sooner quenched by the Prayer Intercession of Moses but presently there was kindled another fire The fire of the Lord was no sooner quenched without but the fire of Lust within that begins to kindle the second time and speedily breaks out into a greater flame of discontent murmuring And from Vers 4. c. At the 4th Verse c. The mixt multitude which was among them fell alusting and the Children of Israel also wept again said Who shall give us flesh to eat we remember the Fish which we did eat in Egipt freely the Cucumbers the Melons the Leeks and the Onions and the Garlick But now our soul is dried away there is nothing at all besides this Manna before our eyes That Manna which they speak so slightly of and that they undervalued so much in saying b Queruntur nihil praeter Man oculis suâ— occurrere ac siâ— in unius optiâ—â— cibi copia fastâ—â— dium penuria esset Calv. iâ— Loc. We have Nothing but this Manna it was as excellent food as ever men were fed with The Psalmist calls it Angels food man did eat Angels food Ps 78.25 If Angels would have been fed they could not have had daintier food then that same Manna was and yet they wept throughout their families every man in the door of his Tent and spake as if it had been nothing for God to rain down Manna from Heaven in a miraculous manner upon them Which Repetition of their former transgression did exceeding highly provoke God and kindle his anger greatly The Anger of the Lord was kindled Before at the first onset of their complaining and of their murmuring But now at the 10th Verse of the Chapter Verse 10 The Anger of the Lord was kindled greatly says the text Moses also was displeased And upon this occasion of their adding sin to sin and wrath to wrath does Moses begin to plead with God about the Burden that was upon him From the 11th Verse c. Moses said unto the Lord The pleadiâ—â— of Moses wâ— God aboutâ— the Burdenâ— that was upâ—â— him fromâ— Vers 11. â— Whersore hast thou afflicted thy servant and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight that thou layest the Burden of all this people upon me Have I conceived all this people Have I begotten them that thou shouldest say unto me Carry them in thy bosome as a nursing father beareth the sucking Child I am not able says he to bear all this people alone because it is too heavy for me And if thou deal thus with me kill me I pray thee out of hand if I have found favour in thy sight and let me not see my wretchedness Which Pleadings of Moses though they did arise from a troubled Spirit or from a Spirit overwhelmed with grief and sorrow for the sins of the people and were c Not without som mixtures of humane frailty Quod Mosi displicuit â—anta perversitas sancti zeli et â—aude digni fuâ—t sed excessus pitio non caruit â—dem not without some mixtures of human frailty yet God He Hearkens and Hears and overlooking the faylings that were in it He presently signs the Petition of his servant grants him what he requested the thing that Moses desired was That he might have some Ease in point of Government and that the whole Burden of it might not for the future lie upon himself alone That was the substance of his Request And this ye see is both fully and fairly granted unto him in the words now read unto you And the Lord said unto Moses Gather unto me Seventy men c. The Text contains a new Election of Magistrates fo the Common-wealth of Israel wherein ye have these particulars notable 1 The Persons to be Elected Text divided â—nto 3 Parts or Chosen 2 The Manner or Order of the Election 3 The main End or Purpose of God in it The Persons to be Elected or Chosen are described Two wayes The Persons â—o be Elected â—wo ways deâ—cribed By â—heir Number â—nd Qualificaâ—â—ons 1 By their Number Seventy men 2ly By their Qualifications Elders of the people and Officers over them in the former part and such as as also had The Spirit of God upon them in the latter part of the text Then the Manner The maÌ„ner of â—â—e Election or Order or whole Proceed of the Election that follows in the close of the 16th and at the beginning of the 17th Verse Gather unto me sayes God to Moses such a Number of men whom thou knowest to be men of Gravity and men of Experience Elders of the people and Officers over them and bring them to the Tabernacle of the Congregation and let them stand there with thee and I will come down and talk with thee there that is I my self will be present at the Election says God and see to the managing of it in all things according to the due Order And then in the 3d place The End of God in it God declares his full End and Purpose or he opens his whole heart unto Moses in the Business which comes fully up to the satisfaction of Him in that which he requested For sayes he I will come down and talk with thee there where thou art apointed to stand with the Elders of the People and the Officers over them and I will take of the Spirit which is upon thee and put it upon them they shall bear the Burden of the people with thee that thou bear it not thy self alone I shall but cursorily run over the former parts of the Text as having mine Eye chiefly upon that which lies at the bottom of it The Lord said unto Moses Gather unto me Seventy men of the Elders of Israel Passing by the Number Seventy as that which was not intended surely to be alwayes binding The Number Seventy not Binding or perpetually presidential unto Posterity that there should be continually such a number as seventy sitting upon the Bench leaving that unto the good will and pleasure of God in disposing it so at that time and as not so properly belonging unto our present purpose I shall first take notice of somthing by way of Observation The Rise of the first Dectrine from the former part of the 16 Verse from the two former Qualifications that lie plainly before us in the 16th Verse Gather unto me sayes God to Moses such a Number of men as are upon thy certain knowledge grave men and experienced
to Moses Exod. 18.21 Such as fear God not with a slavish but with a filial not with a vitious but with a gracious fear In short take it thus Quid est quâ—â— Sapientia Câ—stiani Qâ—â—nisi Timor 〈◊〉 Amer Chriâ—â— Salvian ad Eccles Cathol Lib. 4. Fides facit formidinem formido facit solicâ— nem solicitudo facit perseverantiam Tertul. contr Marcion The Consideration of his Presence who is q 1 Tim. 6.15 King of Kings Lord of Lords the great the only Potentate All Eye to see and All Eare to hear and All Hand to punish every disobedience This should awe the Magistrate continually and make him afraid to r Exod. 23.3 patronize the Nocent to Å¿ Deut. 24.17 pervert the Cause of the Innocent to t Prov. 17.15 justifie the Wicked to condemn the Righteous u 1 Sam. 8.3 to take Bribes to w Prov. 28.21 accept Persons to x Mat. 18.6 offend any of the little ones of God He that truly fears God dares not do any of these things and why But Because he knows all such Practises as these are to be an Abomination to that God who is a y Heb. 12.29 consuming fire and that hath provided z Isa 30.33 Tophet for Princes and great ones aswel as for those of a meaner rank and Quality This therefore may well go for a 3d Support under all the former Burdens Support 3 A Spirit of the Fear of the Lord. Fourthly A Spirit of Truth and Faithfulness that 's also very requisite in a Magistrate A Spirit of Truth and Faithfulness without which all the other Qualifications that I have mentioned already are but shadows of Honor and of no worth at all Behold thou desirest truth in the inward parts Ps 51.6 for though a man be reputed never so wise a man never so couragious and stout and Able a man yea never so Pious and Religious a man Veritatem quam scripfit in corde hominis quia non legebatur in corde iteravit Deus in Tabulis ut voce fornisecùs admotâ rediret ad cor ibi inveniret quod extrà legeret Lombard Sentent lib. 3. Distinct 37. Though his Name be up and his Credit never so great for all these things for Wisdom for Courage for Prety yet if these things be not in him of a Truth If there be Nothing to Confide in or Nothing looked after but an Appearance or an outward shew of these things Such a one is but the Picture of a Magistrate He is no more a Magistrate in Reality or in propriety of speech then a painted man 's a man But He that is a Magistrate indeed Gods Vicegerent indeed He is a a Exo. 18.2 man of Truth one that knows the truth and that loves the truth b Non solùm verum opponiâ— tur falso et vâ— ritas mendacâ—â— verùm etiam 〈◊〉 significat sinâ—â— rum et simplâ— cem et opporâ—tur fucato et 〈◊〉 mulato Zanâ— de Nat. Dâ—â— lib. 3. cap. 3 〈◊〉 Both wayes both in opposition to falsehood and likewise in opposition to hypocrisie one that hates with a perfect hatred All those Hiding places of Iniquity All those dens and thickets and coverts of deceitful dealing that others have to lie down in And in all particular Cases Suits and Controversies whatsoever He counts it his greatest honour to sift out the truth to maintain the truth and to cleave unto it inseparably still saying Amicus Plaâ— Amicus Socâ— tes sed magâ— Amica veriâ— as He did of old most worthily Such a one is my Friend and such a one my Friend Socrates my Friend and Plato my Friend But Truth 's my best and my dearest Friend and with that in my Bosom I intend to live and die This I mention 4 Suppâ—â—â— as a 4th Support under all the former Burdens A Spirit of Truth and Faithfulness Fifthly A Spirit of Heavenly-mindedness A Spirit oâ— Heavenly-mindedneâ—â— that 's also very requisite in a Magistrate which is the concluding Passage in Jethroes Advice to Moses Moreover thou shalt Provide out of all the people Able men such as fear God men of truth hating Covetousness I pray mark He does not only say Let Rulers or Magistrates abstain from Covetousness or flye from Covetousness that 's not his language But let them sayes he be such as c Exo. 18. â—â— Quoniam 〈◊〉 pturimum â— duntur insâ— judicibus ob quaestu noâ— t is munitieâ— contra hoc g gâ—â—corruptelae â—â—avaritiam â—â—professo detâ—â—rentur Caâ—â— in loc Reasons 〈…〉 Magistratâ—â— should Hâ—â—â— Covetousâ—â—â— hate Covetousness Now Hatred that reaches as far as it can after the Non-being of the thing Hated As Love desires the life and the preservation so Hatred the death and destruction of that which is the Object of it And indeed Great Reason there is for it why Magistrates above all other men should be Haters of Covetousness why they should Hate that evil more then any other evil First Reason 1 Because it is a Sin that God hates Therefore should they Hate it It is a Vice that God Abhorres Therefore should they Abhorre it Psal 10.3 The wicked boasteth of his hearts desire and blesseth the Covetous whom the Lord Abhorreth Does the d Ezr. 5.11 God of Heaven abhorre the Covetous and shall not the e Psal 82.6 gods upon earth abhorre to be Covetous Secondly Reas 2 The Magistrate is to Hate the evil and to love the good or else He cannot Establish Judgment in the Gate as ye may see from Am. 5.15 Though He is not to hate the Person of the evil any where yet he is to hate the evil of the Person every where But he is so far from hating every evil that he does not so much as hate any evil that does not hate Covetousness for that is so deep and so dangerous and so comprehensive an evil that it hath all evil at the bottom of it It is sayes the Apostle f 1 Tim. 6.10 Radix excisos semper densius reparat ramos Evellenda est ergò radix nè rami superfluè excidantur Hier. in loc The root of all Evil. And therfore to be g Rev. 14.3 redeemed from the Earth and from a h 1 Pet. 1.18 vain Conversation here below and to have a Spirit set upon i Col. 3.2 Heavenly things more then upon Earthly Support 5 This is another main Support under all the former Burdens And thus ye see what kind of Spirit that is which God bestowes upon those whom he does prepare for Government A Spirit of Wisdom and of Courage and of the Fear of the Lord and of Truth and of Heavenly-mindedness Magistrates must be men of Vnderstanding and men of Valour and men of Truth and men that Fear God and men that Hate Covetousness Now for that other Question already propounded Qu. 2 Why No man is any way fit or able to bear the Burdens