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A89792
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A sermon preached to the Honorable citizens of London, September 29. 1659. being the day of the election of their Lord Major. Wherein is distinctly shewed, I. The usefulness of a powerful ministry to the civil governor. II. Integrity when in conflict is most amiable and in its highest glory. III. What virtues are desireable in a good magistrate. By Philip Nye a servant of Jesus Christ in his gospel.
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Nye, Philip, 1596?-1672.
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1660
(1660)
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Wing N1500; Thomason E1048_6; ESTC R208118
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17,332
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35
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Hook in the Nostrill the Superior and leading part of the Creature governs guides it more naturally and every limb or member followeth each other in a more kindly motion 1 Cor. 9.16 A necessity is laid upon me yea wo is unto me if I preach not the Gospel ver 17. If I do this willingly if against my wil where moved from the Woe or Wrath only there may be Obedience though against our wil but if there be also Consciencious necessity a willingness will naturally follow It is also a more sure Constant obedience Conscience hath the unchangeable word of God for its foundation a people so subdued will stick close in their Obedience Those that fear God will honor the King where there is a Conscience and thence a giving to God what is Gods there will be a giving to Caesar what is Caesars As the Lord hath granted the use of an Oath though a Worship peculiar to himself So also hath he the use of Conscience to the Civill Magistrate to oblige his Subjects in obedience to him These are additionals out of the Treasury of his Holiness and of great importance in the managing of Civil affairs both which have their edg and Efficacy by the Constant whettings of a powerful Ministry There is therefore this reason of State why Governors should much esteem the Ministry for without it they know not how to rule in the Lord nor the people to obey in the Lord that is from a principle of Conscience there will be no free subjection where there is no Conscience and respect to God in our obedience to men if we have nothing but Wrath and Violence to subdue a people we govern men as men govern Beasts as God governs the Devils and damned in Hell they beleeve and tremble and in a City or Nation so governed there is nothing but weeping and gnashing of Teeth misery with Contempt and indignation against the powers that are over us and have brought it upon us We come now to the second Branch and what ariseth more imediately out of the Text. And I said shal such a man as I flee c. wherein 1. The Evil he was tempted unto To flee that is to go into the Temple and so make an escape The Temple as a place of security either Natural for its strength or Moral for its priviledg The City lay open having yet no Gates or doors to secure the Inhabitants ver 1. but the Temple had and therefore more safe of this he is minded by shemaiah verse 10. Let us shut the doors of the Temple Or as a priviledg'd place Malefactors that are under guilt and fear Flee to the Temple and take hold of the Altar as a refuge and security against Death punishment so Joab fled unto the Tabernacle of the Lord and caught hold of the Horns of the Altar 1 Kings 2.28 Which to do though it be no sin or evil in it self yet in the Circumstances it was so dishonorable and unsutable to his spirit and place as he would die rather then do it There were these Circumstances would have rendred it evil to him more then to another First He was accused of Treason that he would be King and cause the people to rebell against Artaxerxes now if he had fled and taken the course usuall with Malefactors for refuge it would have implied a Guilt and strengthened the suspicion Secondly If he had betaken himself to the Temple for security only and defence yet such a fear in a Governor would have been a great discouragement to all under him this thing those that laid the design had as a Main in their eye and intention knowing if they could make him afraid the advantage they had thereby to hinder the work Compare his praier and the ground of it as both are laid down in ver 9. They all made us afraid endeavored so to do saying their hands shall be weakned from the work that it be not done Now therefore O God strengthen my hands That this was the drift and scope of their wicked design upon him and the danger he escaped cleerly appears in vers 13. therefore was He hired the Prophet that came as from God that I should be afraid and do so and sin and that they might have matter for an evil report that they might reproach me The snare was so cunningly laid that as there was the concernment of his life and the Ruines of the publick affaires depending upon it on the one hand to drive him into it so was there not any thing simply evil or peccatum inse to discourage on the other hand Some Punctilio's only of honor and Credit which to neglect is a sin in some cases only In case of life and death the nature of such omissions is much altered So that had there not been a very exquisite mould of Spirit in Nehemiah and choyce Graces and in a readiness for exercise he had been undone and the people of God with him And had not he been thus exercised the lustre of those Graces had not so eminently appeared unto us There is no posture of a man whose heart God hath wrought to himself in truth and sincerity wherein Grace and vertue appears in greater lustre and Glory then when he is found in some conflict or under some difficulties What then he is he wil appear to be and what he then appears to be he is indeed It is so with a Magistrate with a Nehemiah Afflictions and oppressions are trialls And as Gold shines and brightens most when in the fire so doth our Faith and Love and Hope and every Grace A Horse is at no time so gallant a Creature as when mounted in Battel at each Boggle fright his Eye his Ear his Nostril every limb throughout appears in a fresher perfection A Saint when his Graces become his Armour Faith when a shield Hope when a Helmet Righteousness when a Breast-plate c. Then have you a Saint in a most taking beauty A Christian cannot exercise any Grace at such a time but what is of proof and Grace indeed Grace in strength and vigor When the Church is in Conflict when as an Army with Banners then Christ as one taken with her cries out Thou art beautiful O my Love thou art comly Cant. 6.4 And how earnestly doth he beg another look while shee is in this posture verse 13. Return Return O Shulamite that we may look upon thee The Lord himself never appears in so glorious a presence as when the LORD OF HOSTS And what a Glory was that in which Christ shined when Judas with his band of men came to take him I am He saith Christ and no sooner spoke it but being astonished they fell backward John 18.6 so you that are our Magistrates our gods here amongst us whatsoever there is of true excellency in you wil at such a time radiate and shew it self And if to be steady and resolute in a matter of Justice Piety
just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are of good report if there be any virtue if there be any praise think of those things These Laws have also their penalties and rewards from the multitude according as they are observed or neglected namely the general praise or reproach of men A man shal be commended according to his wisdom but he that is of a perverse heart he cares not whom or what he Crosses shal be despised Prov. 12.8 A man must be of vast merits in the eyes of all men that will be singular and of a peculiar humor and not be extreamly contemned This was the thing the enemies of Nehemiah would have put upon him to do unlike himself and otherwise then what the Law of vulgar expectation laid upon him and upon Magistrates Though there had been no dishonest thing in the sight of God his life lay on it yet if he should not have answered what the World expected they would have spoken evill and punished him with Reproaches as verse 13. which he looked upon and indeed is a matter of great Consequence to a Magistrate or person of publick imployment Paul was of his judgment and choyce in such a case and professeth it were better for him to die than that he should make his glorying void 1 Cor. 9.15 Jesus Christ himself engaged in publick service enquires how he stood in the opinion of men Math. 16.13 What do men say of me As you are called gods so mind your Glory that is know who you are and do like your selves we can mind our selves and who we are if an affront or neglect be given from want of observance from others Shall such a one as I bear it do not you know my Lord Major c Let him and all in Authority know themselves and do accordingly and they wil be acknowledged their works wil discover and praise them in the Gate Prov. 31. 3. A man of Courage and Resolution Constant and fixed in his Course there is nothing within or without shall daunt him talk to him of danger Death advise him to stoop but a little below himself and it wil be his security No saith Nehemiah a man of Courage will rather take the bullet though it take his life than make a stoop at the report to avoid it another man may do this but it becomes not a Soldier Shal such a man as I flee Shal I go into the Temple to save my life I will not go in I will not save my life upon such terms Courage is requisite to those that are publick persons in Civil as wel as in Military imployment hence they mutuate titles as Dux Eques Armiger Major c. Thus God to Joshua Josh 1.6 Be strong and of a good Courage again verse 7. ONLY be thou strong and very Couragious as if it were the All of a Ruler Shall I go into the temple I will not go in this repetition sheweth the fixedness of his resolution like that of Paul 2 Cor. 11.12 What I do I will do that I may cut of occasion from them that seek occasion c. An uneven unsteady Magistrate is the same at somtimes that an easie and weak one is at all times and the same advantages may be taken upon him if we do but put our selves to the trouble to wait our season I have said you are Gods ye shall die like men to be a god is to be above all fears all Hopes all Temptations to be immutable and not to appear so much as in the shadow of a change Ye shall die like men til Death comes you are gods there shal be no diminution of your god-head of your greatness by me if you diminish it not your selves keep up therefore a Courage answerable 4. Wisdom This is another Star in the Constellation Nehemiah by his great reach and depth of understanding was able to see through all their Colors and subtil pretentions To disappoint the devises of the Crafty Job 5.12 is mentioned as a Character of the greatest wisdom Elisha begs that the Spirit of Elias may be doubled upon him because he was to be a publickTeacher that is he must now teach himself and others so a Magistrate must seek of God a double spirit of wisdom because he is not only to govern himself but a City A Nation The least Star is sufficient to give light to it self but no less then a Sun is sufficient to inspect a world The want of wisdom in a Magistrate as it is of greatest detriment to his people so with greatest difficulty supplied Men of weak and low parts have such Jealousies of those that are more able that for the most part they carry on their Counsels rather with persons of the same proportion for wisdom with themselves 5. Holiness Nehemiah was a person that feared God of great Integrity and uprightness It may be said of him as of David Psal 78.72 He fed them according to the integrity of his heart and guided them by the skilfulness of his hand where skilfulness or wisdom and Integrity meets it 's of singular advantage in Goverment under such Governors We may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all Godliness and Honesty GODLINES wil thrive if planted in a City in a Nation though the Governors be enemies to it but this is that great and choyce blessing and Priviledg enjoyed by a people where such persons Govern we may not only be Honest but Godly and this not only in some parcels of devotion according to the mode of the times But in all Godliness these blessed Privildges enjoyed not in Corners and with difficulty and molestation hunted from place to place but all godliness with a quiet and peaceable life where such Magistrates are over us HONESTY with quiet and peace may be our portion and enjoyed if a Heathen or Infidel were our Governor But a freedom to be Godly and according to this extent with quiet to be expected only where a Nehemiah is Governor 6. Humility What a deal of this Grace lies out visible in those few words who is there that being as I am would do otherwise than I do Although his doing was so singular as you wil not find such Honor such Courage such a publick Spirit no not in one Governor of a hundred yet he assumes nothing unto himself peculiar I have done but what any man would have done There are that for doing half so much for the publick think themselves to have merited red Letters and for half so much Self denial ought to have a place in the Calendar Peter was a godly man a chief Apostle yet found in as great a distance in the frame of his spirit from this of Nehemiah's as the Compass of Grace can well permit Master saith he Math. 26.23 though all should be offended yet wil I never He conceits himself singular for Courage and Constancy and all no man shall shew himself so resolute no man shal