A SERMON PREACHED at the Assizes held in WARWICK MARCH the Nineteenth 1682 3. By SAMUEL JEMMAT M. A. sometimes Fellow of Vniversity Colledge OXON now Vicar of St. Nicholas's Church in the Borough of WARWICK OXFORD Printed by Leonard Lichfield Printer to the University for George Teonge Bookseller in Warwick 1683. To the Worshipful THOMAS LUCY of CHARLECOTE Esquire HIGH SHERIFFE of the County of Warwick THere are three things which if universally conjoyn'd would certainly make this Nation happy The just Awe and Reverence of the Divine Nature Loyalty to the King God's immediate Vice-gerent upon Earth And the due Execution of Justice for the terror of evil doers and the praise of them that do well The first would make them good Christians the second would make them good Subjects and the third would either perswade or force them to be good Men. In order to the attaining of these ends I have made it my business according to my slender capacity to evidence that there is a God who ruleth over the highest and that He is so far graciously pleased to promote the good of Humane society as to make Government his own Ordinance that they who are Subjects are bound to be obedient and loyal by God's authority and that they who represent our gracious Sovereign in the high seats of Judicature are obliged to fidelity by the greatest Commands and Encouragements SIR being selected by Your undeserved favour to be your Chaplain at this remarkable time I was perswaded that I could no way better publish the true sentiments of your Loyal heart or discharge my Own Duty than by endeavouring to instill into the minds of my Auditory these weightier matters of the Royal Law If I have in the least degree promoted the Honour of God and the King satisfied your Self confirmed any true Christians in their just sentiments and convinced or confuted any seditious Anarchical spirits I have compassed my end shall give God the glory and remain Honoured SIR Your most Humble and Faithful Servant SAMUEL JEMMAT 2 CHRON. 19.6 And said to the Judges take heed what ye do for ye judge not for man but for the Lord who is with you in the Judgment IEhoshaphat was one of the best of all the Kings of Judah it having pleased the Spirit of God to record it of him about the beginning of his Reign a 2 Chron. 17.3 4. that he walked in the first ways of his Father David and sought not unto Baalim but sought to the Lord God of his Fathers and walked in his commandments and not after the doings of Israel And afterwards towards his latter end the same spirit testifies b 2 Chr. 20.32 that he walked in the way of Asa his Father and departed not from it doing that which was right in the sight of the Lord. And on the other side He only chargeth him with breaking Leagues with c 2 Chr. 18.3 Ahab and d 2 Chr. 20.3 Ahaziah two wicked Kings of Israel which according to humane policy might seem agreeable enough with the reasons of State and for not removing the High places e 2 Chr. 20.33 which the people still had recourse unto having not throughly prepared their hearts to the God of their Fathers By all which it is intimated though his Predecessors had their failings yet He in the beginning progress and end of his reign was highly commendable That he had a constant respect unto the holy commandments of God and made them the rule of his own life as well as the Government of his Kingdom The consequent whereof was this that he did more in the reformation both of Civil and Ecclesiastical affairs than any that had gone before him since the days of David The words which I have read are part of the charge which this good King gave to the Judges commissioned by himself And therefore from them we may rationally expect to learn some of the main and principal duties which concern all those who live in any degree of Eminency or Authority either in Church or State and more especially those that are in office appertaining to Justice This good King being dead yet speaks and that aloud in the words of the Text saying to the Judges take heed what ye do for ye judge not for man but for the Lord who is with you in the judgment Which words present us with four remarkable and profitable truths The two first of which ought to be of general influence and the two latter principally concern those Sages which are in Commission They are these Truth I That the primary source and original of Judgment is God Though Judges are chosen commissioned by and must give their accounts to the King yet they judge not for man but for the Lord. Truth II That the Kings of the earth are the secondary springs and fountains of Justice Next and immediately under God judgment flows from them And therefore the King in the Text gives his command to the Judges in these words He said to the Judges Truth III That it is highly incumbent upon all Judges to be most critically cautious and careful Both God and the King say to them take heed what you do Truth IV That all they who are duly advanced to such eminent places of trust and dignity have the greatest motives in the world to be faithful in the performance of their duty and that because God is with them in the judgment I begin with the first of these viz. That the primary source and original of Truth I Judgment is God Though Judges are chosen commissioned by and must give their accounts to the King yet they judge not for man but for God I am not ignorant that there were two sorts of Judges among themselves in the days of Jehoshaphat such as were concern'd in Ecclesiastical and such as were intrusted only with Civil affairs The constitution of both is manifest from vers 11. of this chapter where the King declares Behold Amariah the chief Priest is over you in all matters of the Lord and Zebediah the son of Ishmael the Ruler of the house of Judah for all the King's matters Yet do I not think it rational for any man so to appropriate Ecclesiastical affairs to the Lord as to exclude him from his interest in those that are Civil but have good reason to conclude that the King speaks to both sorts of Judges when he saith ye judge not for man but for the Lord. That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which he makes use of vers 10. by instancing in particular cases sufficiently proves what I say And what cause soever shall come to you of your Brethren that dwell in their cities between blood and blood between law and commandement statutes and judgments ye shall even warn them that they trespass not against the Lord. Those criminal causes between blood and blood were certainly Civil as well as those which related to the statutes and judgments were Ecclesiastical and yet the
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 finally as men are the persons who are to receive the benefits of Government But yet if we consider it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly and originally as to its creation ordination and institution so it is Gods work and so the highest Judges upon earth judge not for Man but for the Lord. That 's the first Truth I come now to the second Truth II That the Kings of the Earth are the secondary springs and fountains of Justice Next and immediately under God Judgment flows from them And therefore the King in the Text gives his Command to the Judges in these words He said to the Judges It is impossible to conceive what dread and horror would befall Mankind if God should take the immediate exercise of Dominion and execution of Justice into his own hands When the whole congregation of the Israelites were sensible of the terrible Concomitants of God's delivering the Law it was their unanimous supplication that he would be pleased from thence forwards to speak to them by the mediation of his Servants q Exod. 20.19 Speak thou with us say they to Moses and we will hear but let not God speak with us lest we dye And it is as impossible to apprehend what confusion would enter into the world if God should in his righteous judgment deliver up Mankind to Anarchy Wherefore to avoid these unspeakable evils God hath been pleased to make choice of fit persons to be his own Vice-gerents among men Fitt I say because adorn'd with wisdom from above and the spirit of Government yea the fittest of all others because God thinks them so having said Prov. 8.15 By me Kings reign and Princes decree justice By Me i. e. by my authority and appointment exclusively to all others By Me Kings reign and Princes decree justice as it may be taken absolutely the Powers that are being ordained of God r Rom. 13.1 and as it may be taken with its most desireable additaments by him they reign justly righteously and happily This Promotion cometh neither from the East nor from the West nor yet from the South but God is the Judge he putteth down one and setteth up ſ Ps 75.6 7. another These are the persons to whom God hath been pleased to give his own Name t Ps 82.6 calling them Gods not only to mind them of the height of their Place and the excellence of their Duty but also to command Reception and beget Reverence and Esteem for them among Men. These he hath stiled his own Ministers y Rom. 13.6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is always a title of great Honour and Publick performance being never applied to servants or underlings but to those who are Eminent and Glorious either by Nature Office or both To These he hath given the character of the Higher Powers w Rom. 13.1 as if he designed by that very act of his Providence whereby he called them to be Rulers etiher to advance them so far above other men as to place them among the Angels or to abstract so much from their Humanity as to make them all Power for the necessary ends of Government Into their hands hath he put the sword of Justice and commanded them not to bear it in vain x Rom. 13.4 As it is a sword t is design'd to cut and wound yea and to kill too when occasion requires it and as it is the sword of Justice it is obliged to spare the innocent and turn its edge or point only towards evil doers and whereas it is not to be used in vain Pusillanimity and fond Pitty are by that consideration excluded It being the natural temper of Justice to give to every man his due without being biassed by the persons interests relations or rewards of malefactors Of these He hath assured us that they are his own Ordinances y Rom. 13.1.2 to convince all fanatical and seditious spirits that the Magistracy was not originally invented or ordain'd by Men that it is not at mans pleasure to reject it when they think fit to withdraw their obedience or to defend and maintain themselves against God's ordinance by private conspiracies or open resistance when ever natural strength or the combination of parties shall make them able Lastly unto these hath He obliged mankind to subject themselves not onely for wrath but for Conscience sake z Rom. 13.5 i. e. not only for fear of being cut off by the sword of Justice but because God hath by his Command made it their Duty and threatned them with eternal Damnation if they disobey them Hence it is that Almighty God speaking of Cyrus the great Persian Monarch saith He is my Shepherd and shall perform all my pleasure a Is 44.28 Hence our Saviour tells Pilate the Roman Governer among the Jews Thou couldst have no power against me except it were given thee from above b Jo. 19.11 Hence it is recorded that the people found that the wisdom of God was in Solomon to do judgment c 1 King 3.28 and the Queen of Sheba though an Heathen attributed it to God's love to Israel that he had set Solomon over that people to do judgment and justice d 2 Chron. 9.8 The necessary Conclusions which flow from this Doctrine I take to be these three Conclus I That it is not only lawful and necessary but a part of the true Christian Religion to defie and abjure the Pope's Supremacy who takes upon himself as St. Peter's Successor to have the sole power of disposing of all the Kingdoms of the Earth to place the Crowns of Emperors upon their heads with his foot and to kick them off again when he hath done It being most certain that they which hold immediately from God are not at all beholding to his Holiness That none but God can absolve Subjects Conclus II from their Allegiance and Obedience which they owe to their natural Lords Neither the male-administration of Government nor their own fears and jealousies nor the decay of Trade no nor the hazard of Religion it self can justifie the acts of Rebellion When God suffers such things as these to fall out he permits them for ends best known to Himself but hath never yet nor ever will to the end of the world give the least countenance or toleration to Rebels They to whom he hath given his Own Power are accountable to none but Himself And therefore those must needs be so far from deserving the names of High-Courts of Justice in which Gods Vicegerents are sentenc'd and condemn'd that they are to be accounted the greatest Violences to Humane Society and the Ordinance of God as also the greatest usurpations upon Sovereignty and Judgment that the Presbyterians Jesuites and the Devil himself could ever boast of Conclus III That next and immediately under God we ought to be thankful to the King's Majesty for his most gracious Government For causing good and wholesome Laws to be
offenders in both cases are warned not to trespass against the Lord. Which plainly discovers God's interest in Judgment be it of what kind or nature soever whether it be Civil or whether it be Ecclesiastical God is the primary source and original of it And whatsoever they be that are intrusted with the executive parts of Judgment they judge not for man but for the Lord. This I am sure is agreeable with the analogy of Scripture which informs us not only f Is 30.18 that the Lord is a God of judgment implying that it is his nature or unalterable property or that g Ps 33.5 Is 1.8 he loveth judgment to denote his affection or h Deut. 32.4 that all his ways are judgment to discover his steadiness and uniformity in the exercise of it or i Ps 9.16 that the Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth to show how remarkable he is for this property or that k Job 27.33 the Almighty is excellent in judgment to demonstrate how far he transcends those that are most critical amongst men but it also assures us that the judgment is Gods l Deut. 1.17 to teach us this lesson that though the Ministers and Executioners of Justice may be varied according to the exigencies of times and places yet wheresoever Judgment is faithfully done God is the director author and owner of it By that emanation of power from himself whereby he communicated existence to the World and all the Creatures that are therein He became the absolute Sovereign of the Vniverse and did Himself at first exercise this jurisdiction which I am speaking of As appears by his punishing of Cain for murdering his Brother before the Promulgation of any Law to the contrary And by his Commissioning Abraham to kill his Son which made the real intentions of the Patriarch so to do an act of Faith and commendable obedience which without that would have been down-right murder And t is as certain that he did afterwards devolve this power upon Man when he delivered that Law to the sons of Noah whoso sheddeth man's blood by man shall his blood be shed m Gen. 9.6 which power he cannot be imagined to have committed promiscuously to every man who would be glad to be an avenger of blood because that would have given authority to the most notorious murthers and countenanced the vilest outrages in the world but to persons of knowledge and fidelity elected commissioned and set apart for that Office Since which time t is manifest he hath in all Ages selected choice persons for the administration of Justice hath given to some the spirit of Government and to others the spirit of Subjection hath given to the Higher Powers the greatest encouragements they are capable of by his Promises in case of diligent faithful Obedience and hath deterr'd Subjects from injustice and disobedience by the great movers of mankind viz. Temporal and Eternal Death Use 1 How bold and couragious how diligent and faithful how resolute and unmoveable by the entreaties threats flatteries collogueings and all other artifices of men should the consideration hereof make all those who judge not for Man but for the Lord A wicked Baalam could say n Numb 22.18 If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God to do less or more Nehemiah could say in the sincerity and integrity of his heart Should such a man as I fly Nehem. 6.11 And it will well become every person that is entrusted with Judgment to take up the like forms of speech and say Should I he faint-hearted or negligent should I be partial or injust shall I be drawn aside by any sinister respects who judge not for Man but for the Lord Sure I am they have as good a ground so to do because God's Commission doth not only license them to execute justice and judgment but it lays a necessity upon them by making it their Duty And on the other side how ready to obey Use 2 and fearful to offend should it make all those who are subjected to their Power How should they be inclined to account their persons Sacred and to look upon them as Representatives of God himself Yea how thankful to God should it Use 3 make all those who are under jurisdiction for being so mindful of the Sons of Men God is that High and Holy one who sits upon the Circle of the Heavens and beholds all the Inhabitants of the Earth as Grass-hoppers all the Kingdoms of the World are very little and inconsiderable things to Him There can be no advantage accrue to God by their felicity nor detriment though all their counsels be turn'd to folly and all Civil Government to Anarchy and Confusion And yet he is pleased to contrive the good of All and to fortify Civil Powers by his own Commission that Judgment may run down like water and Righteousness like a mighty stream Lord What is man that thou art so mindful of him or the son of man that thou dost so regard him Use 4 How effectually should this convince all the Anarchical spirits amongst us and assure them that Dominion is neither founded in Power nor Property nor Compact nor Grace but in the great Authority of the Absolute Sovereign and most gracious Governer of the whole World Could it be founded in Power Angels would have a right to destroy all Mankind Children their aged Parents nay Thieves themselves would have an undeniable title to the goods of the Impotent Could it be founded in Property it must be possible to suppose that Man had a right to Sovereignty before God gave him a dominion over the fish of the Sea and the fowls of the Air and over every living thing that moveth upon the Earth o Gen. 1.28 which was long before he back'd it with that commandment Thou shalt not steal p Exod. 20.25 Could it be founded in Compact 't would have been at the pleasure of the People heretofore and would be so still whether they would engage themselves or not and they might have frustrated the great design of the Almighty by their refusal Could it be founded in Grace there must have been some better 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 than we now enjoy whereby to distinguish between the Holy and the Vile or the crafty hypocritical Pretenders would certainly go away with the greatest shares of the Earth But being founded in the power and wisdom of God and it being determined that he is the primary source of Judgment it will necessarily follow That the subordinate Authors of Judgment are not meerly the ordinance of Man They are so indeed subjectivè as the Offices of Justice are born by Men not immediately by God himself not hy Angels or any other Creature They are so objectivè as Justice is imployed among men they being the persons who are to be restrained or punished by Laws They are so
enacted and continue in force for the Government of this Nation wherein we live And for superadding the high favour of his Royal Promise to govern by Law and to protect the true Protestant Religion as it is by Law established as well as the Properties of his Subjects against all invaders and opponents For these inestimable benefits all the grateful Addresses of his Subjects the greatest inlargement of their hearts and most intimate exultations of their souls are too mean returns Nothing but unmoveable Loyalty to the King Conformity to the Church and active Obedience to his Laws can bear any true proportion to them Certainly we have as great reason as any Nation under Heaven to make an hearty and grateful use of that Exclamation of the Psalmist e Ps 144.15 Happy are the people that are in such a case yea blessed are the people who have the Lord for their God That it is highly incumbent upon all Truth III Judges to be most critically cautious and careful Both God and the King say to them Take heed what you do Caution and Care in such high concerns as they are conversant withal seem to me to include these four things 1. Wisdom and Knowledge Prudence and Experience 2. Courage and braveness of spirit 3. Vigilance and Activity 4. True Christian Piety The first will teach them how to take heed The second will make them dare to do it at all times and in all causes The third will not suffer them to slip any opportunity wherein they ought to be cautious And the last will make them have respect both to God and the King 1. When Caution is thus recommended to the Judges it is implyed that they ought to be men of Wisdom and Knowledge Prudence and Experience i. e. men of great natural abilities and skilful in all those Causes which shall come before them They ought to have a general knowledge and comprehension of the Laws and still to apply that knowledge to the greatest variety of actions Without these it will be impossible for them to take heed what they do notwithstanding they be of themselves well-minded and willing to do justly because Ignorance as forward as it is can hardly be more impudent than it is weak nor can Folly be more swift to discover its Presumptions by its undertakings than it is to testifie its Impotency by its miscarriages But when Prudence and Experience come to be superadded to great natural Abilities and acquired Accomplishments they will certainly prove the most excellent ingredients out of which Care and Caution can be compounded 2. It is implyed hereby that they should be endued with courage and braveness of spirit without which Knowledge and Experience will be but insignificant words and ineffectual sounds Which may sufficiently appear from the consideration of the persons with whom they have to deal the high matters about which they are conversant the rebukes and punishments they are subject too from those who are above them the hatred and violence of inferiours as well as the obloquies and evil speeches of the multitude things which no man in the world can be able to cope withall except he be endued with an extraordinary spirit Mean souls are naturally unfit for high imployments because Cowardice will certainly betray men to base and ignoble actions 't will make them afraid of righteousness both in a Legal and Evangelical sense because it wears a sword 3. T is implied that they should be men of Vigilance and Activity industrious to discover the Truth in every Cause and willing to be guided by it when discovered Though Justice it self ought to be blind yet the Ministers thereof ought to be all eye because the great Governour of the World who hath stiled them Gods never made them Omniscient and though he calls them by his Own name to add Veneration to their Authority yet hath he frequently made it evident to themselves and the world that they are but Men by their Failings It is the unparallel'd excellency of God that He is Omnipresent i. e. as the Schools interpret it in all places at all times by the same indivisible act and undoubtedly he expects it from all those of whom he hath said ye are Gods that they should endeavour to assimilate themselves to Himself by a Politick Vbiquity From whence t is evident that such high Officers are obliged to testifie their Fidelity by their Care their Conscience by their Circumspection Especially because the lives and fortunes of their Brethren are frequently put into their hands and t is possible for them without such caution not only to do unrighteousness in Judgment but also to become the veriest Cut-throats and Pick-pockets in the world Lastly it is implyed that they should be endued with true Christian piety because that will be sure to make them have respect to the commands both of God and the King to the commands of God for his own to the commands of the King for God's sake It will make them reverence Justice because God is the Authour and Archetype thereof and t will incline them to moderate the rigour of Justice with lenitives of Mercy lest they should transgress the rules of true Christian charity You see how necessary it is for them to be cautious and careful both from the nature of the thing it self and also from the Commands of God and the King To which I may most justly superadde the consideration of the Age in which we live This calls for the height of Wisdom the greatest Abilities the bravest spirits the most eminent Activity and the best grounded Religion Because the purest Church which Christ hath this day upon Earth and the best of Monarchies are design'd to be subverted and ruin'd by men of the most different Principles and Interests The Jesuites abroad and the Fanaticks at home are closely engaged in undermining both The former will own no Allegiance to the King if it be inconsistent with the Supremacy of the Pope nor think the vilest murthers or treasons sinful if they will but promote their Hierarchy And the latter behave themselves as if they were of different interests both from the Church and Kingdom and it were chiefly incumbent upon them to ballance Prerogative with Property They therefore study the King's Laws that they may be in a capacity to evade his Power and pretend the Laws of God to take away the force of the Laws of the King They are ready upon all occasions to plead the liberty of the Subject whenever it may prove a snare to the Government and make use of those Franchises and Liberties which have been given by the gracious Kings of this Realm to their once loyal Subjects to deprive their Successors of their Sovereign Authority They so well understand the inclinations of the giddy multitude as at most of their Popular Elections they design to choose such Representatives of the People as are best qualified to restrain the spirit of Princes as if they were with the degenerating Romans to set up the Tribunes of the People with this only design that they might beard the Consular Dignity That 's the third Truth Truth IV Give me leave to speak very briefly to the last and I shall immediately conclude It is this That all who are duely advanced to such Eminent places of Trust and Dignity have the greatest reason in the world to be faithful in the performance of their Duty and that because God is with them in the Judgment T is certain that Omnipresence is an attribute inseparable from the Divine nature they that climb up into Heaven and they that dig down into Hell they that take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the Sea and they that cover themselves with the most opacous darkness can never get out of the sight or company of the Almighty And yet God hath been pleased to make the promise of his special presence an act of Grace and that whereby he would incourage his most eminent Servants in the performance of his own work Hence we read Psalm 82.1 God standeth in the Congregation of Princes He is a Judge among Gods and in the Text He is with you in the Judgment God is with them and stands by them not as an idle Spectator or unconcern'd Auditor but as one who gives them their best Commission will countenance maintain protect and reward them for their lawful Acts but will keep a severe book of remembrance against them if ever they force Judgment which should run as as a pure and mighty stream to spring up as f Hos 10.4 hemlock or g Amos 5.7 wormwood My Lords I don't question but that You are prepared and resolved to obey the King and to judge not for man but for the Lord and therefore I have good warrant to declare that God will be with you in the Judgment For which and all other gracious vouchsafements to Mankind let us render unto the Glorious and Eternal Trinity God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost the only Wise and True God all Honour Obedience and Adoration now and for ever Amen THE END ERRATA Pag. 2. l. 7. read making p. 5. l. 10. r. for the Lord. l. 12. r. the Jews p. 7. l. 5. r. whosoever p. 10. l. 2. r. viz. the fear of p. 18. l. 21. r. mens p. 21. l. 2. r. that Allegiance p. 23. l. 1. r. with them p. 31. l. 11. r. Text we read