subâ—git Bodin They exceeding other Nations in Piety as one observes by this they conquered all the world besides And St. Chrysostome tells us that Princes without learning and the fear of God manage but lamely their greatest Affairs and are blind in discretion and knowledge The Piety of an Agesilaus brought him both Honour and Success the Devotion of a Numa and a Fabius made them formidable and glorious And we have read of a Law of one of our Danish Kings that at the Assizes the Bishop was obliged to accompany the Judge that the one might countenance Gods Law and the other Mans in Imitation of Jehosaphat who sent the Levites with his Princes 2 Chron. 17.6 to teach in the Cities of Judah We pass over the Piety of Charles the great who used to set his Crown on the Bible of Edward the Sixth and Queen Elizabeth who when the Bible was presented to her by the Citizens of London kiss'd it and laid it to her Breasts and the Examples of Princes are of great force to promote Devotion in the People Regis ad Exemplum was a saying of old and all Ages have confirmed it Now when Religion is settled it produces peace and a general happiness which produceth peaceable Society the Improvement of Arts and Sciences Trade and Commerce and on these depend the happiness of a State We pass over the sad effects of War and Hostility of Rapine and Bloodshed and all those Evertores horrifici those Devastations which succeed it How are Temples and Antiquities razed to the ground and Religion spuriated into Heresie and Schism all which cease by reason the cause is taken away and the State preserved from Forreign Invasions and Civil Dissensions Here we may see how things are chained and linkt together and how naturally effects flow from their causes and how Family-government where the Father governs his Children and they again obey their Parents bears so strict an Analogy and semblance between a Prince and his People and Family-government a little Model and pattern of National Discipline which was erected first from Paternal Administrations For 'till Nimrod's time who Erected the first Monarchy National Noah and his Generations as Paraeus tells us Par familias 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Paraeus in Gen. did rule gently by their Families But in Process of time the World growing exceeding Populous thô the several Families of the Earth did and doe retain their Oeconomy and first Prescriptions for their particular Order and Decorum they are since Politically united and a whole Land or Nation under an Uniformity of Government and as it were so many thousands of Families incorporated into one Body for a common Strength and Preservation Here the Sagacity of Man under the Divine Conduct is very visible Vis unita fâ—â—tim Lord Bacon 's Esssays all Estates subscribe to Unity as the Mother and Foundation of Concord and Preservation and by this Polity not only Sacred and Civil Rights are preserved but settled and confirmed and Nimrod was the first Prosecutor hereof and changed the Paternal Government into National Monarchy and the Genius of his aspiring Nature instructed him in this principle of Policy which very word is derived from the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to Sell whence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a City and metonymically taken to signifie Commerce and Trade in a Society of men which did ensue and was in the greatest measure augmented by National Government Now this Nimrod in Scripture is styled a mighty Hunter Viribus roâ—â—stis 〈◊〉 discretus Tostatus in loc And Tostatus speaks of him being strong in Body and Discreet in mind by the Engine of his Wit and Art of Gratification and by heaping good turns on Injured Persons did engage a multitude to his Party Vnde dominandi Occasionem naâ—ius regnâ—m obtulit Muscul in loc by whose assistance he pursued men as a Hunter does Beasts whereupon sayes Musculus he obtained a Kingdom by his Valour and Victory the rude and barbarous People being reduced to Civil Government Musculus St. Chrysostome Cornelius a Lapide Mercer and Rivet in Locum which Conquest by most Commentators is ascribed to the Vigour of his Body and Virtue of his Mind surpassing others by his Humanity and Benignity he got together a Party whereby he subdued his Opposites and settled his Government But since it hath been the general Policy of succeeding Ages by Marriage and Affinity to perpetuate that in their Families which he only obtained by Craft and Subtilty witness the Royal Families of the World ever since a Soveraignty and Superiority having been generally successive Moses Joshua Samuel c. except only when it pleased God to inspire and adapt some particular men for the Government of his People in the Primitive times And thus Marriage hath not only Intailed Soveraignty on their Posterity but also settled the common Peace Trade and Commerce of one Nation and State with another hath promoted Alliances of common preservations against the Enemies of Gods Church and whereby several Countreys have enjoyed the Commodities and Manufactures of each other for a mutual good and advantage Solomon Married Pharaoh's Daughter and settled a Trade and Commerce with the Aegyptians What reconciled the Chaldeans to Cyrus but Marriage what reconciled the Sabines to the Romans Marriage they were Enemies and Friends both in one days time Salubrem providentiam Seneca which Seneca styles an healing Providence What reconciled Pompey and Caesar after so much Fighting and Blood-shed but Marriage Which way did Alexander reconcile and allye Asia to Europe but by Marriage And our Politick Henry the Seventh Marrying the Lady Elizabeth Heir of the House of York ingrafted the white Rose on the Red and so put a Period to those Civil Dissentions which had caused so much Blood-shed and by Marrying of his two Daughters entituled his Heirs to the French Interest and Crown of Scotland And in short the Soveraign Houses of Christendome being a Kin to each other by Marriage the Peace of Christendome and other parts have been preserved thereby Firmissimum Imperii munimentum Tacitus an and Tacitus calls it the most strong Preservative of Empire And if these Obligations were but duly observed by Nations and Families what Halcion dayes would be found on Earth this Contract of Mankind should be like that Golden Chain which reaches from Earth to Heaven preserving the mutual coherence of the Elements whereby all things are reciprocally tyed together and make this lower World like the Imperial Heavens where all the motions of the comprehending Orbs the several Constâ—â—â—tions the various position of the Stars and Planets produce a ravishing Chorus and an Harmony truly beautiful And what peace and quiet too as the Emanations of this sacred Friendship would be established and what a series of Hacentia's and pleasing Contentations slow from it 't would lead us up to the via Lactea and usher us with Musick to the presence of Divinity Having spoken
something of the Illustrious Effects of Marriage we proceed to inquire what method we are to take to render it blessed propitious and satisfactory which brings us to peruse the Prayer of Eliezer for constituting a Family in which Government was first erected and if still preserved is the best means to preserve National Discipline which was derived from it GEN. 24. v. 12. And he said O Lord God of my Master Abraham I pray thee send me good speed this day and shew kindness unto my Master Abraham THe words contain a pathetical Prayer of Eliezer Abraham's Servant for a good Wife for his Masters Son I pray thee c. The Context and preceding Verses give us an account of Abrahams direction and Eliezer's entrance on this design here we find Abraham's Servant begining with his Supplication to the Lord God of his Master Abraham for success in this undertaking The Explication being so obvious we only take notice of four particulars 1. His Solemn Address to God for success 2. His Prayer is strengthened by this Expression O Lord God of my Master Abraham 3. The Object and Design of his Prayer to have good success this Day 4. That particular kindness God would vouchsafe unto Abraham in the concession and gratification of his request And shew kindness unto my Master Abraham And First of the First of these viz. 1. His Solemn Address to God for Success this is Eliezer's method and as the best way and means to accomplish his desires is to address himself to God who is the Author and giver of every good thing He and He only can give success to our Undertakings or blast and disappoint our most resolved Designs and Intentions Prayer is a Duty which keeps the trade of Religion a going and 't is our happiness that God puts it into our hearts to Pray which is no other than a religious Speech directed to God after a due sort concerning things appertaining to his glory and our good and it is the Key of Heaven and Conduit of Mercy a Perfume and sweet Savour in Gods Nostrils and the Messenger of the Soul to the Throne of Grace Damascen tells De Orth. Fid. lib. that in Prayer the Will is filled with desire and the desires flame and blaze upwards to God and though Prayer is an act of the Will yet it hath its conception in the Heart and is serviceable to the Soul like the animal Spirits to the Body It is and hath been the Method and Usage of Gods Servants in all Ages to Pray to God on all occasions Gen. 13.4 Thus Abraham for Ishmael and when he removed his Family to Bethel and Beersheba he built an Altar and Called on the Name of the Lord And David after he had settled the Ark returned to bless his House that is to Pray for his People so good Nehemiah First I Prayed unto the Lord and then I spake unto the King And 't is the Apostles Exhortation In all things by Prayer and Supplication let your requests be made known unto God 2. His Prayer is strengthened by this Expression O Lord God of my Master Abraham 'T is very Emphatical and gives us to understand Gods great affections to his eminent Servants and the seed of the Faithful And this place more particularly refers to Gods promise to Abraham concerning Isaac Gen. 19.17 and 't is very probable this was a great Topick with Eliezer Isaac being the Son of the Promise and such forms of Invocation were very common in those times in Abraham's charge to his Servant Verse 7. he encourages him in his undertaking by recounting Gods Promises to his Seed And we find often times in Gods appearance to his Servants he is pleased to express himself as remembring his Promises when he appeared to Isaac Gen. 26.24 I am the God of thy Father fear not and Jacob when afraid of Esau strengthened himself by this Invocation Gen. 32.9 O Lord God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac the Lord which said unto me I will deal well with thee So Moses fearing the Aegyptians would not believe him Exo. 4.5 but God to confirm his Faith and the Israelites was pleased to work Miracles That they may believe says God that the God of their Fathers the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob hath appeared unto thee 3. The Object and Design of his Prayer To have Good speed this day Fac ut se mihi ossert quod peto Zenochius in Locum Good speed is an indefinite wish and refers to several Objects but here particularly signifies success in choosing a good Wife for his Masters Son and some render it That he might obtain what he asked others That what he desired might be prosperous and successeful Prosperum fac mihi occursum Vatablus in Locum Both which are Synominous and 't is very aptly and significantly rendred Good speed because the choosing and enjoying a good Wife is so essential a part of a mans happiness this prompted Abraham to that wonderful care in seeking out a good Wife for his Son Verse 3. and nothing could be more satisfactory to Isaac than the enjoyment of this blessing Jacobs seven years seemed but a few dayes for the Love he bare unto Rachel And all Ages of the World have subscribed to this Doctrine 4. That particular Kindness God would vouchsafe unto Abraham Fac misericordiam significat non alio jure fretum hoc audire nisi qua Deus gratiam suam Abramae pollitius fuerat and shew Kindness unto my Master Abraham We are here to enquire what kindness the accomplishment hereof would be unto Abraham And nothing can please better and be more acceptable to a Father than to see his Son happy in a good Wife A noter on the place well expresseth himself And a Father that hath taken so much care and pains in the education and bringing up of his Son who is so dear to him and to whom he hath given so good an Example when his Son is well married and his Father sees him prosecuting those admirable Instructions he received from him and with the help of a good Wife how does he esteem himself happy in his Sons happiness whose Wisdom and conduct may render even his Posterity happy To which the Wise man alludes Pro. 24.23 The Father of the Righteous shall greatly rejoice and he that begetteth a wise Child shall have joy of him Having spoken something by way of Explication we pass on to the Observations and each concluded with a short Inference Prayer is a great and Indispensable Duty Observ 1. A Tribute we owe in recognition of the Divine Soveraignty 't is the Just Prerogative God may expect from his Creatures The other parts and pieces of the Creation pursue the design of their beings the Sacred Poet tells us Psal 19.1 The Heavens declare Gods Glory the Sun rules the Day and the Moon the Night the Elements observe
their appointed Stations the Earth is Lowermost the Sea keeps his bounds the Air Aethur and Superaethur observe their Sphaerical apartments the Earth is our Habitation the Beast of the Field our Food Vegetables afford both Medicine and Nourishment and all things admirably useful and adapted for the service of man Psal 19.3 4. There is no speech nor language where their Voice is not heard Their line is gone throughout all the Earth and their words to the end of the World And are wonderful Indiciums of Gods Glory and goodness in their serving man and shall he only degenerate and prove Anomalous and Sceptical shall the best piece of the Creation prove the worst and unserviceable The noblest beings shew most Beauty in their operations and shall man that was created to admire the Wisdom and goodness of his Maker be silent and do less than the dumb pieces of the Creation God forbid The all-wise God hath communicated the sensible and eminent influences of his mercy goodness and bounty to the rational Nature of man that so Body and Soul jointly engaged might produce an harmony of Praise and Thanksgiving to the great Creator of the World wherefore did God give him his Tongue the Organ of Speech but to pray unto his Maker and with David O Lord open thou my Lips and my Mouth shall shew forth thy Praise God gave him his hands to lift them up in prayer to him Tendens ad sydera palmas and with David that his Prayer might come before him as Incense and the lifting up his hands as the Evening Sacrifice So also the Inorganical parts are to be chiefly imployed in our prayers to God Elevatio mentis ad Deum the Understanding Will and Affections without which prayer is insignificant 't is only the spiritual and fervent prayer that availeth which is called wrastling Gen. 32.24 Oratio essicax Beza and pouring out of the Soul to God and 't is that which is our indispensible Duty all the faculties of the Soul must be engaged herein to supplicate and adore the great God and intentionally with David exciting all within us to pray unto that God who gave us our Being and to Praise him for all our Mercies and Benefits Affectus operi nomen imposuit St. Ambros for 't is the lively affections of the Soul in a Duty that gives it a Name and makes it successful so Eliezer here pray'd unto God for his Masters Son And prayer is our Duty to shew our dependance on God In him we live move and have our Being our daily exigencies invite us to it Inf. Let us therefore pray daily for prayer is as useful to us as our daily bread and we are encouraged hereto for he filleth the hungry with good things and exhorted to pray without ceasing In all things let your Requests and Supplications be made known to God That some forms of Invocation and phraseologies are very prevalent Observ 2. So Eliezer here O Lord God of my Master Abraham and this expression is used to strengthen Eliezers Faith And we may learn from hence That upon particular wants and occasions we ought to use such Phraseologies which are analogous to Gods Promises or referr to our wants Thus Joshua after Israel had sinn'd Josh 7.8 9 O Lord what shall I say when Israel turneth their backs before their Enemies That was when they were pursued by the men of Ai which implies his earnest Expostulation with God to preserve his own People and concludes with this prevailing argument And what wilt thou do unto thy great Name The Prophet Hosea exhorts the Israelites to renounce in these Expressions their former Sins Hos 14.2 3. Take with you words and turn to the Lord and say unto him Take away all Iniquity and receive us graciously so will we render the calves of our Lips Ashur shall not save us we will not ride upon Horses neither will we say any more to the work of our hands ye are our Gods for with thee the Fatherless findeth Mercy So Elijah prayed unto God 1 Kings 17.20 Hast thou also brought evil upon the Widdow with whom I sojourn by slaying her Son Which is as if he remembred God who commanded him to go to that Widdow for succour as we find in the beginning of that Chapter And we read of Asa 2 Chron. 14.14 when he went to Battle he used this pathetical way of expressing himself to God Help us O Lord our God for we rest in thee and in thy Name we go against this Multitude O Lord thou art our God let not man prevail against thee and so Jehoshaphat when the Army of the Heathens were coming against him he prayed unto God 2 Chron. 20.6 7. O Lord God of our Fathers art thou not God in Heaven and rulest not thou over all the Kingdoms of the Heathen and in thine hand is there not power and might so that none is able to withstand thee Art thou not our God who didst drive out the inhabitants of this Land before thy People Israel and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy Friend for ever Secondly In our Thanskgiving and Exultation we should admire and paraphrase on Gods power suitable to the Nature of our deliverance such was the Song of Moses after the Children of Israels deliverance at the Red Sea a paraphrastical Triumph repeating the manner of their deliverance and Pharaohs overthrow what pious Airs and Encomiums was chanted out by the thankful Israelites And what was Deborahs Song but the slaming Raptures of a rejoicing Heart And the twenty second of Samuel is a continued thanksgiving of David to God for his mercies and the 105 and 106. Psalms are a History of the deliverance of Gods People and Davids thankfulness for Gods Mercies Inf. Let us therefore remember the advice of the Apostle 1 Thess 5.18 In every thing give thanks for this is the Will of God in Jesus Christ concerning you And as we expect any blessings we must pray for them so also to improve what we have with thankfulness is the only way to have more Observ 3. That we ought to pray for each other 1. Here was good Eliezer praying for his Masters Son and 't is the Duty of Christians to assist each other with their Prayers The Apostle bids us make Supplication for all Saints and the Apostle prayed for those that had not seen his Face in the Flesh and how passionate was he for the prayers of of the People and conjures them For Christs sake Coloss 2.1 and the love of the Spirit that they should strive with him in their Prayers to God for him Tertullian calls it Rom. 15.30 An holy conspiracy to besiege Heaven this Conjunction in Prayer edifies the whole Church the Communion of Saints and is of advantage to every member nay even the wicked have a sense and need of the Prayers of good men so Pharaoh told Moses