Selected quad for the lemma: justice_n
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A96352
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A sermon preached at Dorchester in the county of Dorcet, at the generall assizes held the 7. of March, 1632. / By John White of Dorchester, rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity.
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White, John, 1575-1648.
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1648
(1648)
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Wing W1782; Thomason E469_6
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33,644
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43
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A SERMON PREACHED AT DORCHESTER IN The County of Dorcet at the Generall assizes held the 7. of March 1632. By John White of Dorchester Rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity Pro. 24. verse 21. My Son feare thou the Lord and the King and meddle not with them that are given to change LONDON Printed in the yeare 1648. SIR AT your last being in Dorchester you seemed to receive some addition of Confirmation of the Justice of the Parliaments cause in taking up Armes against the King from some discourse which you heard from Mr. White But I then told you that Mr. White not many years since was cleare of another Judgement not only in this point of Resistance or more properly making War but almost in the whole matter Controverted between the King and the two Houses And that some of us who were his dayly hearers were much scandâ—lized to see his late practise and Preaching to move Antipodes to his former Doctrine eâ—pecially recommending and pressing things so point blanck opposite on the consciences of his Auditors as no lesse then the truths of Jesus Christ and necessary in respect of our Obedience This I told you I could make good unto you in foure particulars First in the point of the Subjects taking up Armes against their Soveraign Secondly in that of Episcopacy Thirdly concerning the book of Common Prayer and Lastly touching the Ceremonies of the Church But your haste then going for Exter Faire and your many businesses with your other Chapmen would not dispense with you to stay the making good of my Allegation And therefore it was your earnest desire That at better Leasure I would in writing give you such satisfaction as might leave you without all scruple in these particulars which I shall now endeavour to doe as briefely as I can First for the unlawfulnesse of Subjects resistance and taking up Armes against their lawfull King or supreme Magistrate what his Judgement was in this point I must appeâ—le to his Sermon Preached at the Assizes held for this County The Copy of which Sermon together with the Epistle Dedicatory to the Judges of the Circuit I have here seâ—t unto you I would not trust to the fidelity of my Apprentices Brachigraphi who tooke this Sermon from the Pulpit when he Preached it for so the Necessity of keeping pace with the Speaker The easy mistake of those Characters and the supplements of Memory used by those that are Masteâ—s of that Art might render this Copy suspected But to take away all Objections I procured a more Authentique Copy from his own Originall I say no more but as our Old Schoolemaster Mr. Chick was wont to say Res ipsa loquitur Out of his owne Mouth you may Judge of him Secondly for the authority of Bishops and Thirdly for the Lawfulnesse nay Necessity and Excellency of the Booke of Common Prayer There are two other Sermons of his published not in print but in Manuscript The first asserting the Authority and callingâ— of Bishops to be if not Iure Divino yet are Apostolico and equalling the Authority of their Order with that of the Observation of the Lords day The second vindicating the Liturgie from the usuall cavils of Seâ—taries and by impregnable Arguments preferring this set forme before all Extemporary Conceptions especially for the Publicke worship of God Nay we that were his Parishioners and daily hearers in the execution of his Parochiall Exercises must testifie That he hath very frequently magnified the Booke of Common prayer justified it against all Objections and affirmed not only that it was consonant to the word of God but likewise that if the Holy Ghost had vouchsafed his immediate Assistance in composing any booke since the Bible it was in composing the Common-prayers of the Church of England But though I have laboured it yet I cannot procure these Sermons They were by Master White himselfe presented heretofore as a Testimony of his conformity to Bishop Cook late Bishop of Hereford but then Bishop of Bristoll and Master Whites Diocesan whose Executors are able to produce these undoubted Testimonies both of their Authors then Orthodox Iudgement and the truth of my 〈◊〉 Lastly for his Approbation of the Ceremonies of the Church I shall appeale First to his owne Practise in his Pastorall charge not only in my time but in my Fathers as you 〈…〉 Secondly to his frequent justification of them in the Pulpit when you see Master â—troâ—g at Dunstans doe but aske him what he hath heard and seene in this particular Lastly to his serious Recommendation of Doctor Burges his Defence of Bishop Mortons Treatise of the Three Innocent Ceremonies to the Clergy of these parts exhorting them to buy them And though his meere Intimation of things to be done or not to be done had more influence on his brethren of the Ministery then the Commands of their Bishop yet to be sure to put one of those Bookes into the hands of every one of the Clergy he prevailed with Master Archdeacon Fitzâ—erbert to recommend the Booke to those with whom hee thought his owne perswasion had not so effectuall authority I cannot have so meane an opinion of Master White that he should thus industriously recommend this Booke to others meerely to helpe off an impression though Doctor Burges were his Wives Brother mistake me not I meane not your Paules Pâ—rgation Burges no this Doctor Iohn Burges Pastor of Sutton Coldfield 〈◊〉 Warwick-shine was an 〈◊〉 man and a Scholâ—r Things God knows that Cornelius was 〈◊〉 guilty of But I beleeve he did recommend that Booke not out of my sinister or by and but purposely to propagate those Truths which were learnedly defended in is and because they were such Truths of which he himselfe stood fully convicted in conscience for had he but doubted of the lawfulnesse of those Ceremonies he was better acquainted with the regulations of a Scrupulous Conscience then to recommend that to the practise of others of whose lawfulnesse He himselfe doubted But I detain you too long Reade this Sermon and then judge of the truth of my Affirmation of the rest by what satisfaction you receive in this Particular from Your Friend and Servant W. P. Dorchester Sept 14. 1647. For my Friend Mr. G.S. at the Sign of the in Watling-street London these To the Right honourable Sir Thomas Richardson Knight Lord Chiefe Justice of the Kings Bench And Sir John Denham Knight one of the Barons of the Court of the Exchequer And to the right Worshipfull John Browne of Frampton Esquire high Sheriffe of the County of Dorcet mercy and peace from God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ RIght Honourable and Right Worshipfull howsoever your Command for the publishing of these Impolished and scarce well-digested meditations pleade my Apologie in this act both to your selves and to the whole world to your selves who cannot distike the fulfilling of your owne will and to the world whe have nothing to blame in my exposing these
words with gravity truth and holinesse vaine words and railing speeches filthy Communications scoffing and Jesting most of all prohane discourses savowring of Athersine or ungodlinesse in the mouth of a Magistrate are foule blemishes to his honour and dangerous Presidents to his hearers vaine Jangling as the Apostle tearmes it 1 Timothy 1.6 railing sentence which Michael forbare to the devill himselfe Jude 9. nay Jesting it selfe unlesse it be used with great sobriety and moderation hardly befits a Rulers gravity A grave Historian relating a Jest which Philip father of Persius King of Macedon broke upon the Aetolians Embassadour leaves with all his censure upon him et erat Dicacior quam Begem deâ—â—bâ—â— he was given more to Jesting then became a King Nay if it be possible a Magistrates words should be like Solomons Proverbs worthy to be recorded to posterity Like Jobs speeches for which men waited as for the raine and after which they replyed not 29. Job 22.23 especially upon the seate of Judgement a divine sentence should be found in the mouth of a King Pro. 16.20 So that when men here a Judges sentence from the bench they should conceive they heard God speaking from Heaven in Justice Majesty and power Surely the very forme and nature of delivering a sentence by such persons from such a place cannot but worke deepe Impression in the hearts of such as heare them Next unto their words there is nothing more observable in persons of Eminent place then their Company and Society by which men gaze on their Inward dispositions and accordingly raise unto themselves hopes or feares of good or evill by their Government God himselfe that should be a Patterne for Imitation to all that are called Gods Invirons his Throne with Innumerable Companies of Angells and with the spirits of Just men made perfect and suffers none to behold his face but such as have cleane hands and a pure heart Psalme 24.2.4 In Imitation of him the Prophet David both a man and a King after Gods owne heart vowed that a deceiver should not dwell in his sight nor a lyer come in his presence Psalme 101.7 and Job denyes a base varlet a roome with the dogs of his flocke Job 30.1 what a shame were it for a Ruler to have a Gehazi in his Chamber a Doeg of his privy Counsell a â—ayling Shemei at his Table to be compassed about with Ruffing-like swaggarers debauched drunkards Blasphemers swearers prophane scoffers who may make him glad with their wickednesse and rejoyce him with their lyes Hosea 7.3 farre be it from our Gods to dishonour themselves and their places with the society of such persons as God shall one day cast out of his presence to be the overlasting Companions of the Devill and his Angells in the ever-burning flame of hell fire God forbid that a Christian Magistrate who should chase away evill with his eyes Pro. 20.8 should give so much countenance to a wicked wretch as may harden him to looke him in the face with confidence Blessed is the Land where the Rulers godly zeale chaseth away wicked persons as Job did from amongst men Job 30.5 to dwell in the Clifts of the valleyes and in the Caves of the earth To Runne through all the particulars of a Magistrates Carriage would tire out your patience in a word therefore a Magistrate behaves himselfe like a God when he carrieth himselfe with that difference towards the pretious and the vild that his countenance words and rewards revive the spirit of the godly and a pale the faces of the wicked It was rather kindly then advisedly and Judiciously spoken of Tullius that Romane Emperour non oportet quenquam a facie Imperatoris tristem Discedere that it is not fit that any man should depart from the Governours presence with a sad countenance nay it is hapy when the Magistrates countenance is like the shadow of death to a wicked wretch for whose reformation by milder correction or cutting off by the stroke of Justice he beares the sword and that for the terrour of those that doe ill by executing the vengeance and wrath of God upon them Rom. 13.4 unto which notwithstanding he comes Inforced by necessity with much compassion haud aliter quam viscera secans sua as the Romane Generall spake of himselfe having before his eyes the Apostles scope that the spirit may bee saved in the destruction of the flesh 1 Cor. 5.5 but miserable is that State and neere unto Ruine in which Governours so carry themselves that the weeds flourish and the Corne starves that good men depart from the Throne of Judgement with mourning hearts and the wicked have recourse unto it as unto a Sanctuary and place of assurance Thus much I have made bold to Intimate rather then to open at large or presse at full concerning the duties of Subjects and Magistrates Inforced by their Titles they are called Gods as for my conditionall promise of prosecuting the two points that follow arising out of the two next circumstances that it is God that makes Rulers Gods And that it is Gods word by which their honours and Dignities are assured unto them I had rather presume to leave my selfe a debter then to trespasse to much upon your patience only I referre it to your private meditations to consider at your leasure that if God set Magistrates upon their Thrones it is not in the power of men to plucke them downe at their pleasure Therefore that he can be no better then Anti-Christ whose Character it is to lift up himselfe above all that is called God ☞ that spurnes off the Crownes of Princes with his feete which God hath set upon their heads with his owne hand Secondly if Gods word bee a Commission by which Magistrates hold their places it concernes them both to Rule according to the directions of that word and besides to countenance advance and propagate the sacred Ordinances of God by which they set up their Thrones ☜ weare their Crownes and Injoy their Honours in peace and with assurance Then not by the People by Master White his owne confession without suppressing whereof that man of sinne could never have so farre advanced his usurped power trampled upon the Scepters of Princes bestowed their Kingdomes and Dominions at his pleasure discharged Subjects of their oaths and Allegiance to their owne Lords and armed them with sundry sorts of Instruments of death to shed their Sacred Bloud FINIS