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A28303
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A caveat for magistrates in a sermon, preached at Pauls before the Right Honorable Thomas Atkin, Esquire, Lord Major of the city of London, November the third, 1644, being the first day of his coming thither after his entrance upon his majoralty / by Elidad Blackwell ...
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Blackwell, Elidad.
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1645
(1645)
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Wing B3090; ESTC R200137
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30,169
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52
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common good My Lord what can this honourable Citie suggest to them wherein they might be helpfull to you in furthering a Reformation which they would not as greedily imbrace as you can suggest Such a Ministerie too What course could you put them upon wherein they might be servicable to you in furthering and forwarding a Reformation which they would not take Doe but you tell them what you would have set up that might set up Christ and they will pray it up preach it up put to their heads their hearts their hands all they are or have or can even to the utmost to lift it up Such a mightie spirit of praier in the hearts of Gods people too It 's admirable to see how the spirits of God's people are drawn out in this service everie where God was never so assaulted The rest of the Almightie was never so broken As he said of that day wherein the Sun stood still in Gibeon and the Moon in the Valley of Aialon Never such a day as that before it nor ever should be againe after it The same may I say of this Citie in this respect There was never such a day in this Citie nor doe I verily believe will there ever be again such a day of praier A mightie encouragement You are backt with such a mightie gale of praier as never any Magistrate in this Citie was The ice is alreadie broken too The worke begun Aie and carried on a great way too What Monsters had your Predecessors to grapple with what a mightie spirit of Antipathie against a Reformation what stratagems what plots what desperate designes what insurrections what tumults All was in an uprore and wee were upon the verie brinke of ruine everie day This is all now husht and quasht in a gracious measure The Cause was then more doubtfull the malignants here in the Citie more powerfull higher in their hopes too how did they applaud themselves rejoycing and triumphing as those that put off the harnesse after victorie How did Rome triumph how did the Romish faction here in England triumph It 's otherwise now God hath taken off their charriot wheeles as I may say and though they drive still yet blessed be God they drive but heavily And what heards and droves of vitious scandalous superstitious Ministers were then in the City what a deal of unsavorie salt That 's now cast upon the dunghill And what swarms of Atheists Papists prophane persons that are now gone and what a deale of doe about a Service-Book and about a ceremonie and about superstitious pictures c Our Worthies in Parliament were at a stand knew not what to doe every one was at his wits end knew not what course to take The beginnings of reformation evermore meet with the greatest difficulties and with the strongest and mightiest obstructions and oppositions Israels greatest strait was at the red sea Indeed when they were in the Wildernes there they met with difficulties full of wants wanted bread wanted water and which was worse wanted faith wanted patience and thei 'l back again into Egypt and 't was better with them in Egypt c. Enemies came out against them too fighting enemies ploting enemies conjuring enemies Full of straits they were in the wildernesse But their greatest strait was at the red sea Blessed be God we are got through the red sea wee are in the wildernesse yea we are we hope upon the very borders of Canaan and who knows my Lord who can tell but that even You may be the Joshua that may bring us into the very possession of that good land However flag not in your attempts let your aymes be high Doe what you can Let no such But stand upon your name as we finde standing upon the names of some of the Kings of Israel who yet were good men too They did this and they did that they did thus and thus But But the high places were not taken away There was an imperfection in their reformation A Word or two to the people now and I have done And first Is this so Are Judges and Magistrates above all men in the world to be so wary and circumspect Who wonders then to see Saul running away and hiding himselfe among the stuffe when he should be anointed King To see wise and grave and conscientious men that understand the weight and charge of Magistracie willing to wave it unlesse they see a divine suffrage a vote from heaven a cleer hand of providence calling them out unto it Oh that I were made Judge says one and that every man that hath any suit or cause might come to me But who was it that said so It was Absolom a heady rash inconsiderate young man a wicked man a Tyrant a Traitor Others they cry out as Paul {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} who is sufficient for these things It 's true there 's honour in it but withall there 's burthen in it too And a burthen humeris vel Angelicis formidandum as Bernrrd sayes of the Ministerie too heavie for the shoulders of the verie Angels Againe Is this so Had Magistrates above all men under heaven need to be men of such marvellous warinesse and circumspection Oh then pitie them Christians pitie them Pray for them too Good people for God sakes let me beg your prayers this day for them whom God hath set over you in the place of Magistracie There are divers and sundry vertues and graces required in Magistrates Beg them of God for them As First beg wisdome and understanding for them Understanding in the law of God understanding in the positive Laws of the Kingdome that they may be able to discerne betwixt good and evill betwixt right and wrong How shall they be able to determine according to Law if they do not understand the Law Secondly beg valour courage fortitude magnanimitie Magistrates should be men of courage and further then God makes them so they cannot be so Thirdly Humilitie too That their hearts be not lifted up above their brethren That they be not proud haughtie c. but may behave themselves in a sweet lowly loving way to all Fourtly The true feare of God too 'T will restraine them from all evill constraine them to all good Therefore Let the feare of the Lord be upon you saith Jehosaphat That they may not only know what is just and execute what they know to be just but that there may be integrity in their executions 3 Help them Put to your own shoulders The burthen is great One man is not able to beare it alone Put we under our own shoulders therefore and help wee in our proportion everie one of us Moses was the wisest Magistrate one of them that ever was yet notable to bear the burthen of the people alone therefore hee chuses 70 Assistants or 70 subordinate Rulers and Magistrates that should beare the burthen with him He called them in partem solicitudinis His ease required it The peoples necessitie required it And so God ordered it Numbr 11.17 And such are you the right worshipful Aldermen of this Citie in your several Wards You the Deputies also You the Common-Councell men also At least you should be such you ought to be such Assistants namely to the supreame Magistrate Be so therefore Concurre as Assistants Oh helpe helpe all you can to to finde out offences To informe to reforme See you do it I beseech you heed what I say see you doe it I I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect Angels as you will answer your neglect in that last and great day see you doe it If not beare with mee I beseech you I must speak it I cannot approve my self to God and to mine own conscience unlesse I speak it I call heaven and earth to witnesse against you this day that all the sins that shal be cōmitted in London from this very day caused by your negligence connivence indulgence they are your sins you are the Drunkards of London you are the Swearers of London you are the Sabbath-breakers of London c. Helpe therefore I beseech you and assist what you can And so let us All even every one of us in our severall stations and proportions Oh that we would doe so Oh that the hand of God might be to give us one heart as 't is said of Judah in Hezekiahs time That there might be a concurrence a confluence of desires of endevours That wee would even All of us be active vigorously active this way That so all of us in our places as so many Rivolets contributing our strength to the publike current Judgment might run down as waters and righteousnesse as a mightie streame and know no stop nor resistance Errata PAge 1. for 2 Cor. 19. r. 2 Chron. 19. p. 3. l. 2. f. percipitant r. precipitant p. 7. l. 7. f. Reges r. Regis p. 8. l. 21. f. omnicient r. omniscient p. 8 l. 20. f. language r. languages p. 14. l. 12. f. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} r. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} p. 16. l. 30. f. nimus r. nimis p. 20. l. 25. f. mortall r. immortall p. 26. l. 2. f. drunkard r. drunkards Ezra 7.27 1 Chron. 29.18 Iam. 5 2◠Dan. 12.3 Luk. 1.16 Mat. 4.5 Ier. 9.23 24. Deut. 4.5 6 8. 2 Cor. 5.14 Iob 30.3 4 5 6 7. Iob. 30.8 Socrat. lib. 7.29 Doct. Doct. Doct. Hos. 6.6 Neh. 5 15. 2 Tim. 3.5 Ioh. 7.51 Gen. 18.21 Gen. 6.5 Gen. 11. Iam 1.10 Act. 25 16. Pro. 18.17 ◠Cor 55. Deut. 32.19 DIKE against covetousnes Deut. 23. Use 1. Pitts Iob 13.35 Iosh. 1.8 Rom. 16.3 5. Iob 29.14 1 Tim. 4.8 Zach. 2.5 Deut 1◠4 Iosh. 10.14 1 King 15.14 1 Sam. 1◠22 2 Cor. 2.16 Use 3. 2 King 3.9 1 Tim. 5.21 2 Chron. 30 12. Amos 5.24
sublimior gloria Eó major cura sayes Cyprian Again they of all others are most obnoxious to slips and falls and miscarriages And that 1 Because they have many provocations which others have not Ly open to many snares which others doe not ly open to 2 Because they want many restraints which others have Publike and private admonition and reprehension Fear of punishment c. A terrour indeed they are to others if they doe evill revengers to execute wrath upon others Rom. 13. But if they doe evill themselves who shall be a terror to them and execute wrath upon them Once more Innumerable and those unspeakable are either the mischiefs or benefits that must necessarily flow from Magistrates either diligence or negligence and that both to Church and Common-wealth A Magistrate he is a publike person and therefore a publike good or a publike evill If he be carelesse negligent ungodly unjust abuse his authoritie neglect his dutie what 's the issue Religion degenerates into Idolatry and Superstition The publike ministery of the word and all other means of salvation are either wholly neglected or exceedingly slighted Wicked men incouraged Godly men discountenanced Nothing but Ataxie Disorder Confusion in Church in Common-wealth Men cannot possesse their lives their estates their names their any thing in peace in quiet Whereas on the other side if Magistrates be wise faithfull carefull vigilant intentive God will be worshipped purely the Ministerie of the word prized highly evill men punished good men protected And all knit together in such an order that every one will forward what he can the peace prosperitie welfare good comfort of another and every one possesse and enjoy his life his goods his good name his all in peace in safetie in securitie This is cleer by the state of the Kingdomes of Israel and Judah When they had good Magistrates as David Salomon Josia Hezekiah c. How did every thing flourish that concerned either the glorie of God or the profit and benefit and comfort of men both for soul and bodie But when the Magistrates were Idolatrous Tyrannous Vicious Then all went to wrack And wee see it by our own sad experience And therefore Ecclesiastes 10.16 17. Woe to thee ô Land when thy King is a child and thy Princes eat in the morning And blessed art thou ô Land when thy King is the sonne Nobles and thy Princes eat in due season for strength and not for drunkennesse sayes Solomon That Land is happy that has good Magistrates and the contrary most miserable and unhappy For these and many other reasons Judges and Magistrates men set apart for the guiding and governing and ordering of Kingdoms or Counties or Cities ought in a more especiall manner to take heed what they do And that in all their actions Naturall Civill Religious In their whole conversations The ordering of their Families There Children Their Servants Those they employ in managing their publike Affairs Those too they employ in managing their Domestick or Houshold businesses and occasions to see that they be such as be faithfull in their dutie to them their masters on earth mindfull of their dutie to God their master in Heaven That they be pious religious conscientious such as feare God such as will discharge the trust committed to them If a man know not how to rule his owne house how shall he take care of the Church of God saith the Apostle of Ministers and it 's true of Magistrates as well How shall hee be able to governe a Citie that cannot govern his own Family The ordering of their persons too Above all men in the world Magistrates had need to take heed that their lives be holy harmlesse righteous religious Such as may adorn their profession Such as may put an honour a lustre upon Religion Such whereby they may be an example of good to all of evill to none For why First with what face can a Magistrate punish sin in others if guiltie of the same sin himself A drunken Magistrate A swearing Magistrate A whoring Magistrate A Sabboath-breaking Magistrate how can he punish drunkennesse in others oaths in others uncleannesse in others prophanenesse of Gods day in others Secondly The excellencie of their office requires it Magistracie It 's a visible character of an invisible Deity They are called Gods I have said ye are Gods Psal. 82. And what a drunken God! a swearing God! a Sabboth-breaking God! a prophane vicious God! It 's no lesse then blasphemy Thirdly The eminencie of their place requires it They are as a City set upon a hill All mens eys are upon them Their lives are exemplary Men are led by example much and by the example of Magistrates more then by the examples of other men Reges ad exemplum c. Magistrates lives they are the peoples rules And of all things a rule should be strait A false rule a crooked rule it 's most dangerous Fourthly Example in them doth more good or more hurt A mighty force in the example of Magistrates Have any of the Rulers believed in him John 7.48 The example of the Rulers kept many from believing Evill examples in Magistrates is more infectious more contagious Jeroboams sin it made All Israel to sin If Magistrates be wicked how will wicked men be animated imboldned incouraged in their wicked wayes Not a greater provocation in the world to a wicked life then a wicked Magistrate God will be dishonoured more his people grieved more wicked men imboldned more the Land indangered more defiled more from them as from a fountain prophannesse wickednesse ungodlinesse will flow forth into all the Land as the Prophet speaks of the wicked priests of his time Jer. 23.15 Therefore above all men in the world Magistrates had need to take heed wihat they do And that even in All their actions in their whole conversations But especially in the administration of justice in the execution of their office in matter of government in point of judgement in their judiciary proceedings That is 1 In hearing causes that are brought before them 2 In passing sentence when they have heard them 3 In executing that sentence when they have passed it {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} To these three heads may be referred all judiciary proceedings Hearing Sentencing Executing First hearing of causes that are btought before them whether criminall or controversall Doth our Law judge any man before it heare him saith Nicodemus The Common-wealth it 's a body politike offenders and offences in a Common-wealth they are as it were the peccant and noxious humours and diseases in that body Judges and Magistrates they are as it were Physicians for the healing and curing of those diseases and doth any Physician prescribe c. before he understands the state of a mans body and considers the nature of the disease Descendam ut videam saith God The sins of Sodome were exceeding grievous and their cry came up to heaven Yet God does not