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A65355
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A sermon preached in the high church of Edinburgh at the election of the magistrates of the city, on the 2d of Octob. 1694 / by James Webster.
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Webster, James, 1658?-1720.
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1694
(1694)
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Wing W1208; ESTC R26310
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9,270
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18
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them They should be a living Law The best Laws without Execution are a dead Letter they want edge The Law must take special hold of Persons guilty of gross Immoralities and Disorders unsupportable to any Government such Disturbers of human Society have need to be mortified For they are a Scandal to Christianity a Reproach of Mankind and draw down Judgements on themselves and others Compassion to the Innocent makes the Punishment of others sometimes necessary and the Perverseness of some Men accents the Song of Judgement against them Lastly Their relation to the People who have lodged in them all exercise of Power is a strong Bond They have trusted them with all their most precious Things their Estates their Liberties their Lives and which is to them dearest of all their Religion Now to betray under Trust those unvalueable Priviledges were an unpardonable Treachery We come now to the Second Thing proposed the consideration of the Two in conjunction and First They make the Magistrat the lively Image of God who is both Merciful and Just those Two Divine Attributes have their different Actings on their proper Objects without doing prejudice one to another and in the Proclamation God makes of himself to Moses Mercy is the first and Justice the last part of his Name Besides his two eternal Decrees concerning Man's final state are commonly thought Acts of the highest Mercy and Justice Rom. 9 18. And farther his glorious Providences shine bright with a wise mixture of them In every Dispensation Mercy and Justice kiss each one other Such an Administration is also an Enblem of the Great and General Judgement which God has design'd for the Manifestation of his Mercy and Justice Secondly The double Title of Father and Ruler of God and Judge the Magistrate wears is to be considered The one Designation is as full of Pity as the other is of Terrour Thirdly They are a counterpart of and fitly answer the two essential Peeces of Sanctification Love to Good and hatred of Evil. Fourthly By a Government so qualified God doth in a manner make streight that which seem'd crooked What is wanting in immediat Providence with respect to the Evil and the Good is here supplied so that the Atheist has no reason to talk so much of prosperous Wickedness and oppressed Innocence In the Third place I come to shew That 't is very necessary and reasonable that Persons in Authority should in all their publick Administrations mingle Mercy and Justice together and here I shall confine my self to one main Topick as most proper for the Day namely The mighty and universal Influence such a Government has on the publick Happiness and Prosperity of human Society Prov. 14. 34. Righteousness exalteth a Nation Two things prove this 1. The Justice of the Divine Providence Indeed as to particular Persons the Providences of God are many times promiscuously administred in this World so that no Man can certainly conclude God's Love or Hatred to any person by any thing that befalls him in this Life But God do's not deal thus with Nations because Publick Bodies and Communities of Men as such can only be rewarded and punished in this World For in the next all those publick Societies and Combinations wherein Men are now link'd together under several Governments shall be dissolved God will not then reward or punish Nations as Nations And a litle after In the usual Course of his Providence he recompenseth Religious and Vertuous Nations with temporal Blessings and Prosperity For which Reason Austin tells us That the mighty Success and long prosperity of the Romans was a Reward given them by God for their eminent Justice This the Scripture declares to be the setled Course of God's Providence That a Righteous Nation shall be Happy The work of Righteousness shall be Peace and the effects of Righteousness Quietness and Assurance for ever Thus far the Learned Primate 2. Their joint exercise doth in its own nature conduce to the publick interest When Rulers do checker their Administrations with Mercy and Justice this tends to make men live together in Peace and like a Cement to the Common Wealth unites and holds all fast together There cannot be a more certain presage of a declining State than dissolution of manners through the neglect of Mercy and Justice But to come a little nearer an equal mixture of Mercy and Justice does by ballancing the procedure of Rulers prevent all the evil consequences of bad Administration For as on the one hand an effeminat Pity and undiscreet Compassion makes both the Laws and Authority to be trampled on so on the other hand unmix'd wrath turns men desperate and we can't tell what men driven to extremitie may do But let us yet take a nearer view prospect of the matter and we shall observe how admirably the two are adjusted to the two great governing passions of man Hope and fear that are as the helme of Societies a well temper'd Government by taking hold of Them constrains men to Good and restrains from evil Some Petsons are of a Good and Generous disposition such are a proper province for Mercy to gain they must be drawn with Cords of a man and bands of Love Others have a more ackward temper and tempt the Ruler to instruct them as Gideon did the men of Succoth with Briers and Thorns In fine the great variety of Peoples conditions and manners and their different circumstances call for different treatment to some the Melancholy tune of Justice must be Sung Others must be comforted with the calm and still voice of Mercy I come now in the last place to make some improvement of what is said by bringing it home to the business of the Day And I beg liberty to address my selt to those Honourable Persons who had the Government of the City this last year and are now to lay down the Staff and commit their power to Others I trust that ye with respect to your publick management have the approbation of Heaven and the Testimony of your own Consciences and honour from men and to use our Psalmists Phrase since God came to you he has been ever with you and ye have walk'd with him and been Just ruling in the fear of God and as the light of the Morning when the Sun riseth as a morning without Clouds as the tender Grass springing out of the Earth by clear shining after Ram ye are under the deepest Obligations to preserve the power in its proper subject by handing it down to Faithful men for ye are the Image of God as ye are men as Christians as Magistrats and as Ministers of Mercy and Justice to the People look therefore that the Persons ye Elect this day have the Qualifications required in a good Ruler Exod 18 21. 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 c. Let this Text serve
as an Authentick Directory to your present Work for without a due observance of it in your Election there will be an utter neglect of Mercy and Justice Ye are to chuse Men of great abilities of mind Persons of good Judgment and prudence Magistrates should be wise as an Angel of God of a discerning Spirit and vast comprehension they are likewise to be such as fear God Religion in a Magistrate as one well sayeth strengthens his Authority because it procures veneration and gains reputation to it and in all the Affairs of the World so much reputation is really so much power The Magistrat must have the Greatness of God and the deformity of vice and the condition of the People full in his Eye which he cannot have If his heart be not possessed with awful impressions and a lively sense of the Divine Majesty This Holy and Religious fear serves as a powerful restraint on mens Natures and makes them invincible though assaulted with the great temptations that accompany their Office They are also to countenance and encourage Religion by their good example The lewd practice of a Ruler as one sayeth is very infectious makes a thousand fall at his side and ten thousand at his right hand The best of men are in danger to turn a little worse by promotion and how much Religion soever they carry to the Bench it will be sound little enough when it comes there Ye must likewise look out for men that are lovers of truth Judges ought to make a Critical Search an exact and diligent inquiry after Truth The Cause I knew not says Job I searched out They should copy after our Lord who judged not by the appearance of the eye They must not be imposed upon nor abus'd by an artful representation and cunning disguise of matters and guilding of falshood with a fair shew of Truth And to compleat the Character of men fit to be chosen they must be haters of Covetousness i. e. Not only innocent of but full of aversion to that base Vice it was the Emperout Hadrian's common proverb I am to inrich the People nor my self and a saying of Ptolmeus the Riches of my subjects are my plenty It s fit that Magistrars have a flourishing and plentiful fortune that in dispensing of justice they may have a single regard to the publick interest and no mercenary respect to their own And above all they are to have a perfect indignation at that gross perverter of all Justice Bribery Judges were wont to be pictur'd without hands To shut up this exhortation see ye manage your Election with all possible sincerity consider ye are a Congregation of Gods and the supreme God is among you observing and recording all your ways and weighing your Designs and penetrating into the most inward and hidden Springs of your Actions In the mid'st of you â—iffâ—sing his influences as the Centre of your happiness In the second place I have a word to you to whom God shall come this day Take on David's vows to sing of Mercy and Judgement This hath been God's way with you let it be your way with the people Know that though you be Gods on Earth ye are Subjects of Heaven and accountable to Him that is Higher than the Highest Suffer me to give you a few Directions 1. Exercise Mercy and Justice with Christian Courage In the Lords cause be bold as a Lyon let difficulties only serve to whett your Resolutions kindle your Zeal and be a Spur to your endeavours Solomons Throne of Judgement was supported by Lyons an embleme of Courage The Cowardice of sorry Peasants is altogether unworthy of your Character He deserves not to wear God's Sword that has not a Heart to draw it put an intire confidence in the divine protection and fear nothing Know that Providence Exerciseth a peculiar care over Magistrates in the practise and obedience of their Duty He is with you in Judgement Ye are fenc'd and rail'd about with his Infinit wisdom Almighty Power and unchangeable Faithfulness Trust God for once and be Jealous for him Breath Life into the laguishing Laws by Executing them on Notorious Offenders say to the mighty list not up the Horn rise up for God against evil doers Many disorders abound in the City make it your business to drain that deluge of Impiety that has over run it Sin unpunish'd blows up a Government `t is therefore your Wisdom Interest and Duty by the due execution of Justice to prevent it 2. Ye must do it speedily this seems to be the Dictat of Nature Ezra 7. 26. Slow pac'd Justice is the next degree to Unjustice And unnecessary Delay in giving of Judgement is a great Grievance 3. Yet ye would act with great deliberation which serves as a Check upon the former Hasty and rash Judgement is a most dangerous thing An Omniscient God will not punish a Sodom though their Wickedness was notoriously known till he first bring them to a Trial The Ruler is to have two Ears to hear both Parties It was an ingenious Check Machetas gave Philip of Macedon for giving rash Judgement against him the King having slumbred all the while the Case was a pleading Machetas at the giving of the Sentence with a loud Voice call'd out I Appeal at which Philip being surprized demanded To whom To yourself Sir said he when you are well awake I conclude all with a serious Advice to the Magistrates and the People to Read and Consider well that 13 Romans where we have the true Measures of the People Submission and the Rulers Power FINIS At this time were Elected Magistrates THE RIGHT HONOURABLE ROBERT CHEISLY Lord Provost John Robertson George Hume Archibald Rule Adam Broun Baillies Hugh Blair Dean of Gild. Patrick Thomson Thesaurer Dr. Tillit Serm.