Excipitur 3. De Aedilit Edict Malus servus creditus est saith Vlpian qui aliquid facit quo magis se rebus humanis extrahat ut puta laqueum torsit c. He 's adjudged an ill Servant by the Civil Laws who but prepares any thing to dispatch himself out of this world as if he fit an Halter mix Poison or the like And much more such is he who destroys himself by any of these For such a Servant plainly steals himself thereby out of his Masters Service and so does every man himself out of Gods who removes himself hence before God dismisses him Nay the Laws we spoke of go further as to this point affirming * L. Liber homo 13. §. ad L. Aquil. Neminem Dominum membrorum suorum none to be Lord of his own Limbs nor is it by them ordinarily permitted to any without the consent of his Superiors so much as to cut off a Limb for the saving the rest of the Body Which though possibly in some circumstances too strict yet shews according to the sense of those Law-givers who were reputed and I believe not unjustly some of the wisest in the world that there is no one of so private a condition in whom his Prince and Countrey may not so far challenge a right as to divest him of the sole power of disposing of himself I will conclude this point of Self-slaughter which by this time I think I may be bold to stile Self-murder with a famous passage of St. Austin transcribed out of him into the body of the Canon Law This saith he we say this we Hoc dicimus hoc asserimus hoc modis omnibus approbamus neminem spontaneam mortem sibi inferre debere velut fugiendo c. De Civitat Dei l. cap. vide plura causa 23. Qu. 5. Si non licet affirm this we by all possible ways avow that no one may bring voluntary death upon himself to escape thereby any temporal pains least he fall into eternal ones No one may do it by reason of anothers sins lest he thereby begin to have most grievous sin of his own nor because of any of his own past sins for the curing of which by Repentance he has more need to continue in life Nor through desire of a better life which may be hoped for after death because a better Life after Death belongs not to him who is guilty of his own Death This then is our third Conclusion No one is Lord so much as of his own Life Fourthly Whosoever therefore pretends or exercises a Power over other mens Lives must either derive that Power from the Supreme Magistrate to whose Dominions he belongs or in case he do not he becomes by such Exercise or Attempts either an Vsurper or Murderer or both If he pretend to a publick Power herein not deriving it as aforesaid he is an Vsurper and that as generally it comes to pass in all Usurpers is as much as a publick Murderer If he exercise only a private Power as suppose in righting or avenging himself or any third person against some single injurious man he hereby becomes a private Murderer at least before God in case the Life of himself or of any other be but hazarded by his Act. This is most plain for having no such Power in himself and it being by God committed only to the Magistrate he can never come by it regularly and in Gods way except he receive it from them to whom God has committed it Thus though the whole remains of Sauls House were in open Hostility against David and Ishbosheth particularly so keen an Enemy to Davids person that he sought his Life yet when Baanah and Rechab under pretence to do David a Service and avenge their Lord the King of Saul and his Seed go in privately to Ishbosheth's House and take off his Head to bring it as a present to David David pronounces Sentence against them both as Murderers because though there were a publick Quarrel yet these two officious wretches having no Commission to act or interpose therein could not derive any Right or Authority for what they did either from God or Man 2 Sam iv 9 c. Admit Ishbosheth did deserve Death yet these men had no right to inflict it on him Thus as to our fourth Conclusion The fifth is The Magistrate exerciseth this Power of the Sword either in the Administration of Civil Justice or of lawful War A third way I think cannot be assigned and therefore as we will more fully touch by and by whosoever pretend to have received Power of Life and Death from the Magistrate but are neither Civil Officers or legitimately enrolled in the Martial List are still by such pretence no better than Murderers First as to matter of Civil Justice the persons usually commissioned herein are either those who dispence the Laws as Judges Justices and the like or those who execute them as Sheriffs and Vnder-Officers That both these sorts of men must derive their Power from the King as Supreme or else cannot act warrantably I think none will question We have precedents enough in the Jewish Kingdom In Davids time 2 Sam. viii 15 16 c. But more explicitly afterwards 2 Chron. xix 5 6. to the end Jehosophat there set Judges in the Land some fixed as it would seem through all the fenced Cities of Judah City by City others itiner an t who went out and returned to Jerusalem ver 8. And the Subordination of Officers to the ordinary Judges as well as of the Judges to the Supreme Powers we have account of not only in the Old Testament but even from our Lord himself in the Gospels Matth. v. 25. Luk. xii 58. Here is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Magistrate we render it or Prince that is he * Vid. Grot. in loc who has Power to appoint the Judge The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Judge who is to determine Controversies between Bloud and Bloud according to Law and Commandment Statutes and Judgments And lastly here is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Exactor as the word signifies whose business it was to put or see put the Sentence in Execution Thus we see how this Civil Power of the Sword was legally and orderly derived diffused and managed amongst the Jews And the same God of Order still governs the world and both does and ever will delight in Order Secondly When Civil Justice cannot take place the Magistrate exercises the Power of the Sword in lawful War Sometimes Offenders are too numerous for civil Punishments and stand in justification of their Crimes against the Powers which God has ordained Sometimes not so much a few private persons as whole Nations at least those who manage National concerns may be injurious to a neighbouring People And in such case Justice cannot be done without War Now here also the Magistrate bears not the Sword in vain but he is to raise what armed Force he sees
ver 8. The Children of Israel were three hundred thoâ—sand and the Men of Judah thirty thousâ—nd A pretty number indeed to lift up their voice and weep at a vain mans scornful Rodomantade What 's the matter with them The point was there was yet in effect no King in Israel Saul indeed was just anointed King chap. x. but he had not yet taken upon him the actual Exercise of his Kingly Power he lived yet priâ—ately in Gibeah of Saul and was coming after the Herd out of the Field cap. xi 5. But when Saul heads them they had now one to save them as the expression is ver 3. and having put the people into three Companies drawn them into three Squadrons they slew the Ammonites until the heat of the day and they that remained of them were so scattered that tâ—o of them were not left together ver 11. so great a Strength and Shield was their new King already become to Israel And I beseech you Brethren consider it if not from this instance from any other you please There is nothing more exposes a People to be the most easie prey to their far weaker Enemies than Anarchy or want of Governours To their Enemies shall I say Nay there is nothing more exposeth them to themselves In those disorders and dreadful civil Wars which ensued thereon the History of which makes up the five last Chapters of the Book of Judges the reason of all that fatal series of Events is no less than four times inculâ—aled in these numerical words In those days there was no King in Israel chap. xvii 4. xviii 1. xix 1. and xxi 25. I will not â—ub on old sores but we may remember what days they were when there was no King in our Israel Wherefore if we love our own and three Nations Safety let this reason move us to be constanâ— in our Prayers for our King and Governours 2. Let it be considered further Kings happy and prudent Government is the Rule â—nd Measure of the Peoples Flourishing and Prosâ—eâ—ity As things are managed by the Prince with more or less Prudence Justice and Conduct so for the main do the People more or less grow and advance stand or decline in all at least outward felicities The Benâ—â—its of his good Managery are greaâ—er than I am able to give account of and the contâ—ary as dismaâ—ly and generally toâ—â— First A word particularly to the Beneâ—its thereof for of them the Context takes â—â—ice That we may â—ive â— quiet and peaceâ—le 〈◊〉 in all Godlineâ—s and Honesty The â—postle as becomes â—im takes notice 〈◊〉 oâ— spiritual goods or at least adâ—antages â—ending to them And some Beâ—eâ—its â—o themselves particularly shall all 〈◊〉 persons â—ndoubtedly â—eap who are conscientioâ—s in the discharge of this Duty Bâ—t we may hope where all joyn with united and constant Devotion therein he that â—earâ—â—h Prayer will not be deaf to his Servants who â—ry night and day to him Rather that to so universal and so importunaâ—e Prayers he will give in a pleâ—ophory of Blessings Blessings in heavenly things the fâ—ourishing of Religion the Reformation of mens Manners the advance of Union and Charity and like Benefits Oh how much to be wished for to the Church of God and that happy outward advantage hereto publick Peace and Quiet which gives all sorts of men all â—pportunies of Godliness and Hoâ—esty No â—eâ—s than these are the fruits of Kings good Administration Prov. xx 8 26. A wise King that sitteâ—h on the Toâ—â—ne scattereâ—h â—ay all evil with his eyes He scattereth the â—icked and bringâ—th the Wheel â—â—er them The Wheel in the Eastern Countries was oftentimes the instrument to thresh with â—nd 't is here put in allâ—sion thereto to â—ignifie the infliction of such punishment which either severs the sound and useful from the rotten and unprofitable or â—reaks in piecâ—s what withstands Now â—he issue thereof the same holy Author tell â—s When the wickeâ— periâ—â— the rigâ—â—eâ—us increase ch xxviii ult And no less than those may we hope will be the fruits of our loyal Prayers But further where we may look for the greater much more for the less If then the concerns of Religion and the prosperity of our Souls depend so much on the Princes pious and prudent Administration much more do those of our civil Liberties and Property The better the publick affairs are managed the better it is generally for all private persons The Princes own share of fruition is usually the least for the happiest Effects of his best and wisest Councils cannot well be greater than these two Either first continued Peace Or secondly victorious Arms. In both it may be truly said of all good Kings and Princes concerned in either or blessed with both Vos non vobis it is not for themselves they labour or succeed the great Benefit still redounds to the people or to publick bodies As on the contrary secondly If in their Counsels or Enterprises Kings miscarry the ill Success usually falls heavy on the multitude Though the Prince be but one man and have but one Life to lose yet be sure he can never fall alone Nay when the Providence of God whose peculiar care Kings are in the midst of many publick calamities preserves their persons safe and untouched very often according the methods and ancient proceedings of his sovereign Wisdom great numbers of the people fall Zech. x. 3. Mine anger was kindled against the Shepherds and I punished the Goats We knnow it was no otherwise in the transgression of that holy King the man after Gods own heart David numbred the people but the people who were numbred suffered In which kind of cases there is more strict Justice in God than all men generally are aware of For that the Princes Sins for which God at any time immediately or proximately takes punishment are usually the Effect of some other Sins of the People as in the very instance of Davids Sin mentioned 2 Sam. xxiv 1. The anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel and he moved that is as appears by the narrative hereof 1 Chron. xxi 1. he suffered Satan who stood up against Israel to provoke or move David to number Israel Davids Sin was the punishment of the Peoples Sin and so the People most justly suffered for it A like case we have 2 Kings xxiv last Through the anger of the Lord it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah until he had cast them out from his presence that Zedekiah rebelled against the King of Babylon King Zedekiahs breaking Covenant with Nebuchadnezzer was his own Sin yet he fell into it by Gods being provoked with his Peoples Iniquities and so it justly operated to the casting them out of Gods presence that is out of the Holy Land And I must here boldly but truly say whatsoever there is that in our judgment is amiss in our Gracious King His present Majesty is the Effect of the Sins of a great multitude of his people
be its and ours and if they will be of one piece with us their Security In the Name of GOD therefore let us devoutly hold to it It will approve Us and our Religion to God and Men. And again In private let us imitate the Primitive Christians of our own accord and without any Remembrancer recommending our King his Person Government Family and Affairs for so we have seen they did to the Protection and Guidance of the Almighty If after all I have said I thought any thing wanting to press this Exhortation I could add what me thinks would put every one of us on our knees in this behalf as frequently before God as might be desired namely that we can take no more effectual course than this to secure the Government of our King to be according to the Will of God A thing we pretend so much to desire Prov. xxi 1. The Heart of the King is in the Hand of the Lord as the Rivers of Waters he turneth it whithersoever he will If we were all to have our wishes in the behalf of the Kingdoms there could no greater Blessing befall us than to have our King a person after Gods own Heart There is no way in the world to make him so like our ardent and constant Prayers to God for him Surely a King of so many Prayers cannot miscarry I will therefore conclude all with a second Exhortation and that a little more limited to this present Day I am sure there are few or none of us who will not this Day before we sleep perhaps several times be praying or at least say God bless the King Now that our Prayers may be effectual this Day I will exhort only that we keep our selves all in such a Temper as to be able devoutly and in a true Christian Temper to pray so when we go to bed I do not forbid eating our Meat or drinking our Drink with Gladness and singleness of Heart and wishing well to our King his Subjects and one another in so doing But I caution all against Intemperance and Madness Is it Sense or Loyalty to be drunk for the King Or if the KING should see it would He thank or commend or think the better of any man for it For shame Good Christian People beware of such unreasonableness such Barbarity At the setting of David upon the Throne on the Holy Hill of Sion the Holy Ghost commands Serve the Lord with Gladness and rejoyce with Trembling Psalm II. 11. I do not press so much as that comes to Do but rejoyce with Sobriety Rejoyce so as not to provoke God Rejoyce so as that you may have Joy in the latter end His Sacred Majesty God be blessed is far from approving and all men say even from conniving at Debauchery As we cannot therefore thereby please Him so it is certain we are thereby sure to displease God Let us therefore study not only this Day but all our Days to maintain an holy devout serious Temper being always fit and resolved by all Prayers and Supplication with Thanksgiving to make our Request known unto God And the Peace of God which passeth all Understanding shall keep our Hearts and Minds through Christ Jesus To whom with his Blessed Father and the Eternal Spirit be all Honour Glory c. FINIS THE WAY TO PEACE AND Publick Safety As it was Delivered in a SERMON In Christs Church in the City of Cork and elsewhere in the heat of the late Rebellions of Argile and Monmouth By Edward Lord Bishop of Cork and Rosse Dublin Printed by A. Crook and S. Helshaem for William Norman Samuel Helsham and Eliphal Dobson Booksellers 1686. Advertisement Touching the Following SERMON IN the Address of the Clergy of the Diocess of Cork and Ross March 1684 5. which I had the Honour to pen there was made this sacred Promise That as our Lives were not dear to us in comparison of our Religion and Loyalty so we would not fail though with the peril of our Lives by the strictest ties of our Religion which abhors all Resistance or Unfaithfulness towards our Prince to endeadour the securing to His Majesty our peoples as well as our own Loyalty and Obedience Pursuant to these Vows I have ample proofs of my Brethrens Sedulity generally And as to my self as I had not been formerly remiss so when about the 20th of May following Argiles Rebellion in Scotland alarm'd us which though God be blessed both suddenly and happily supprest was seconded with that of the late Duke of Monmouth in the West of England I thought it was time to ply my Duty with ingeminated Diligence and to do my utmost by all Instance and Importunity to confirm and keep steddy in their Loyalty as far as in me lay the whole body of my Charge I therefore went abroad several Sundays to the most populous Congregations of my Diocess and in my Circuit I preached this same Sermon I confess three several times first in the City of Cork then at the Town of Kinsale and lastly at the Town of Bandon all of them very great Auditories The iteration of it was not from Idleness but because I could devise nothing else more close and apposite to the conjuncture Yet is its Subject matter such that it is not I conceive still unseasonable and I fear as long as the world stands is not like to be For as long as there are vices and lusts amongst men there will be violations of Peace in one kind or other Now this Sermon consists wholly of Counsels and Directions for securing and maintaining Peace in all its several branches and kinds It might easily have been dilated into a far larger bulk but few Readers or indeed Hearers now adays complain much of Brevity And in the present case I hope it will be esteemed no fault at all because what I have said on each Point is large enough I think not to be obscure and I hope the whole not much more defective than an hours Discourse on so copious a Subject must needs prove THE WAY to PEACE AND Publick Safety As it was delivered in a SERMON in Christs Church in Cork and elsewhere in the heat of the late REBELLION of Argile and Monmouth The TEXT 1 Pet. III. 11. Seek Peace and ensue it THe body of this Epistle for the main consists of Exhortations and Motives to several Christian Duties in the disposing of which Exhortations or assigning to each their place the Holy Ghost seems to have proceeded wholly arbitrarily and to have observed no other Laws or Reasons of their Order than meer good Pleasure In the eighth Verse of this Chapter begins as I compute the eighth Exhortation and it is to Vnity in Judgment and Affection but especially in Affection and then to the proper Product hereof Sweetness in Conversation Finally be ye all of one mind having compassion one of another love as Brethren be pitiful Some of the original terms are more emphatical than our English What we
render having compassion one of another if we take compassion strictly cannot be better rendred but then by compassion we must understand sympathising or being of like affection one with another as in Rom. xii 15. Rejoycing with them that rejoyce and weeping with them that weep He goes on Love as Brethren 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be ye lovers of the Brethren Be pitiful 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of easie bowels i. e. be tender hearted so the self same word is more exactly rendred Ephes iv 32. Then as to the outward Product of such inward Temper it follows Be courieous and ver 9. Not rendring Evil for Evil or Railing for Railing but contrariwise Blessing knowing that thereunto are ye called that ye should inherit a Blessing Now to back or further enforce the latter part of this Exhortation he brings in as a proof of what he had last said namely that peaceable and sweet tempered men should inherit a Blessing two or three Verses out of the Old Testament Psal xxxiv 13. directing such Life and Temper as the true way to Blessedness part of which citation is our present Text Seek Peace and ensue it By which account thus given of the connexion of the Words it appears that amongst the several Christian Duties which concern us in order to present and future Happiness in order to inheriting the Blessing the study of Peace is one of principal note Seek Peace say both the blessed Psalmist and the Apostle and in them both Old Testament and New if you would inherit the Blessing promised in either The Words are not obscure but yet emphatical Seek Peace If either Peace or the ways and methods to it should be obscure or do not readily offer themselves make it your business by diligent and assiduous search to find out both one and the other And not only seek it but ensue or pursue it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word properly imports the following hard after that which flies As if he had said Though Peace should at any time seem upon the wing to be gone out of the Countrey or out of the World yet pursue her still Desist not from your endeavours to retrieve her and if you cease not to pursue you shall infallibly reach her here or in a better world To this passage of David and of St. Peter it were easie to annex divers others as express to the same purpose out of other parts of Holy Writ Hear our Lord himself Mat. v 9. Blessed are the Peacemakers for day shall be called the children of God And if you remark it most of the foregoing Beatitudes Blessed be the poor in spirit that is the humble and lowly minded Blessed be thee meek blessed the merciful c. are accommodable to the peaceable Spirit which has a most intimate kindred with Meekness Mercifulness Humility and other like Christian Graces Again hear the Apostle St. Paul Rom. xii 18. If it be possible as much as in you lies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on your side or as far as concerns you live peaceably with all men If any will not be at peace with you let it be their fault not yours Yet again Hebr. xii 14. Follow peace the same word as in the Text pursue peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. But why do I spend time in repeating what all know and have daily in their mouths To be short the Commands are so explicit and plain and have such Promises annexed to them and withal so often repeated in the Old Testament and in the New by our Lord himself by the Apostle of the Circumcision in the Text by the Apostle of the Gentiles in the places mentioned and by others elsewhere that we must need account the Endeavour of Peace to be a Duty which the Holy Ghost has laid the greatest weight upon nor can he style himself a Christian who employs not this way his utmost power The rest of my Discourse therefore shall be taken up in recommending Directions for the more successful Practice of this Duty And these shall be proportionate to the several sorts of Peace and as neerly attemperated to the present publick Circumstances and Necessities as I can Now in our setting forth it will be meet to remember that Peace may be opposed to Discontent as well as to Strife and War Those who have inward Grudging and Dissatisfactions are as far from some sort of Peace as those who are engaged in actual or open Quarrels And a both regards Peace is either publick private or secret And the publick Peace â—gain is either Civil or Ecclesiastical First then as to Publick Civil Peace By Gods great Blessing we enjoy this here while our Neighbors every where on the other sides of the Water are embroiled For ever blessed be our good God who has singled us out as the peculiar Objects of this his Mercy at present yet let us study Peace also that is endeavour to keep it And to this purpose I can give no better directions than these following 1. Maintain entire and unspotted Loyalty I hope I shall not need much to press this Advice especially in this place The Commands for Subjection and Loyalty are as express in Scripture as are these for Peace but just now mentioned only it would divert us too much from our present purpose to alledge them now And I must tell you it is the peculiar Glory of the Reformation of the Church of England that as it was made by an happy Consent and Union of the Royal and Ecclesiastical Power of the Realm so the Professors of it can never be taxed in any points either of resisting or descrting their Prince In all the Wars since the Reformation in all the Plots old and new not one true Church of England-man to be found all along before any fell into such designs they were either leavened with Fanaticism and secretly fallen off from the Principles and Unity of our Church or open Apostates from her else they were never of us This might be proved by particulars but such proof is not for this Office or place only from what I have said I will infer if there should be any person here staggering in his Loyalty much more if a Desertor of it though yet but secretly that such person is neither Christian nor Protestant whatever he pretends He 's fallen off from his Christianity which commands Subjection and loyal Adhesion And he 's as much fallen off from the establisht reformed Church which ever taught and practised both Loyalty and Non-resistance witness our Book of Homilies and our Canons But I will quit this head as hoping it to be needless here long to be insisted on 2. In order to keeping and maintaining the publick Peace let every one be diligent in his own business and keep within the bounds of his own Calling This also is an express Command in Scripture 1 Cor. vii 20. Let every one abide in the same Calling
perfectly practised by any but such Serpents will slipperily insinuate themselves into your Company be sure then as soon as you know them to discover both them and whatever you know of their Projects Councils that immediately In the name of God let nothing of this kind sleep with you Let not that false opinion of I know not what vain honour which has made some men to their costs shy of impeaching others betray you to conceal what may operate to your own and the publick Ruine Certainly my King my Countrey the Church or if these be less dear to any my Family and my self ought to be loved first and before any particular Friend or Associate Consult therefore chiefly the welfare of these And I pray you remember concealing Treason is Treason not only by the Laws of England but by the Old Judicial Law amongst the Jews which derived from God himself According to this Divine Law or the Mishpat Hammeluchah the Statutes of the Kingdom a Book written by Samuel at the command of God and said to be laid up before the Lord 1 Sam. x. 25. Saul pronounces them guilty of High-Treason who knew when David fled and did not shew it 1 Sam. xxii 17. And his Sentence had undoubtedly been just had either David or the Priests been guilty of the matter of Fact charged respectively on them Even the principles of common reason and justice the grounds of all good Laws will conclude as much Wherefore we ought to look upon it as a matter against good Conscience as well as against Prudence and Common Law to conceal such treasonable discourses or designs as come to our knowledge 5. Spread not those Idle Stories or Suspicions which go up and down of publick Dangers If you can in the beginning trace them to their head to any true or probable Original so as to fix them on their malicious Authors do so and as before said discover them Then in all likelyhood you have put an end both to the Lye and its Mischief You have crusht the Cockatrice in its Egg. Otherwise know they are devised by cunning and ill-affected Men and put into Fools Mouths to report that the Devisers may take their advantages of those reports either by affixing their own Malice on innocent Men or by gaining some plausible pretence for the Spleen they would wreak so that they may be able when time comes with some colour to call Spite and Wrong by the names of Justice or Self-Defence In Levit. xix 16. we have a peculiar precept which explains the ninth Commandment fitly to our present purpose Thou shalt not go up and down as a Talebearer amongst thy People nor shalt thou stand against the Blood of thy Neighbour To spread Reports and Tales is one of the most mischievous kinds of bearing false witness And there are publick Tale-bearers as well as private ones Truely there are some that seem to make it not so much a Trade as the Business of their Lives they catch up all the Rumours that are going and have their Customers both to bring them in and to vent them too These people are ill members both of Church and State Particularly I cannot but take notice of a Story very fresh and brisk in the Country That the English are combining in a design to rise and cut all the Throats of the Irish And on the other side many of the English are told and believe as much of the Irish towards them What are these but Devices of wicked men or of the Devil by them to put us upon the imbruing our hands mutually in one anothers Bloud On neither side in the present circumstances of both is the thing either probable or so much as possible As to the English was there ever yet such a thing heard of upon the face of the Earth as a Massacre by Protestants Those men who know our Religion know the Principles of our Religion will not suffer it Nay further it is not possible at present as were easie to shew 'T is well if we are able to defend our selves Is it not a pleasant thing to see in a Parish between three or four hundred people ly by night out of their Houses for fear of two or three Families in which there are not Seven persons able to bear Arms For shame let not people suffer themselves to be thus abused Then as to the other side touching the rumoured danger of a Massacre upon the English by the Irish Is not this at present a plain abominable Device to put us together by the Ears set on foot by them who desire an advantage against us to the end that if by these affrightments they can tempt any weak persons of us to any irregular actions they may more justly seek occasion of Revenge by their own hands or otherwise accuse and misrepresent us I confess this is out of my Province a little but I could not forbear it For Gods sake and our Countreys sake and our own sake let us all joyn together to bring to light the Authors of these Reports but however let us not suffer our selves to be so far ridden by them as to be their Juments or Beasts of burden to carry such forged Wares up and down the Countrey Sixthly as another Preservative of publick Peace I take it to be good Advice that we pass not bad Interpretations on the Acts of the Government a fault that more people are guilty of then I am willing so much as to characterize I pray you remember Charity ever requires us to think the best 1 Cor. xiii 5 6 7. Charity thinketh no evil rejoyceth not in iniquity which as appears by the opposites may be interpreted maketh not advantage of falshoods but rejoyceth in the truth beareth all things believeth all things hopeth all things does not readily give men up for desperate and incorrigible endureth all things or grows not impatient upon every matter of suspicion that offers it self Some haply will say this Text treats only touching the Duties of private Charity towards one another Be it so but do I owe all these Offices of Charity to each private man and not to the most considerable body of men which I can pick out in the Kingdoms to Magistrates and Governours To deal more roundly Must I have Charity for every particular man yea even for Enemies and none for my King and his Council To be short then if we love the publick Peace let us neither make ill constructions our selves of publick Actions nor silently admit them when we hear them made by others Let us at least profess our Charity and that we hope better than some interpret or others fear Lastly and to conclude all the advice on this Head for the possessing our own and one anothers minds with Quiet Let t is remember what I have formerly prest God rules over all His hand is in all And let us be content he should govern Herewith let us still any risings in our
of Miseries the Lord struck him and he died His Son Nadab succeeds him indeed or as some think reigned together with him towards the latter end of his days However before he was well warm in his Throne Baasha a person of another Tribe who had no pretence to the Crown but who might quickly have as good a Title to it as either Jeroboam or Nadab had conspired against him and slew him as would seem in the head of his Army and reigned in his stead 1 King xv 27 28. But how long will this new Title stand After Wars again upon Wars all his days his Son Ela succeeds him but within two years Zimri Captain of half his Chariots conspired against him and slew him as he was drinking himself drunk in the House of Arza his Steward Upon this Zimri sets up himself chap. xvi 9. 11. and immediately slew all of Baasha 's House Here was a Recompence for Baasha's Treason But before Zimri had reigned over part of Israel full one week another part of the people would have another King and set up Omri on which Zimri burns himself in his own Palace And now ver 21. Israel is divided not only from Judah as before but within themselves divided into two parts saith the Text For half of the People followed Tibni to make him King and half Omri To be short from the time the Israelites fell off from the Royal Line that God had set over them and betook themselves to Kingchoosing from that Revolt I say to Omri which was somewhat less than five and forty years if rightly computed they had six Kings indeed but not one year of Peace and of their six Kings as far as I can find only two died the death of other men so frequent and so dismal were the Alterations of Government so unhappy the state of things I will pursue the History of this Kingdom no further as to this particular of the uncertainty of Titles and frequent Changes which you see must needs happen and when they happen they rend Nations in pieces and leave nothing stable durable or secure only out of what you have heard of the deplorable state into which this People brought themselves by breaking off the Succession and running into this kind of Elective Kingdom I cannot but note to you Secondly The dreadful Cruelties and Bloudshed which commonly ensue on such Elections to establish the New Prince Thus as soon as Baasha obtained the Throne he smote all the House that is Kinred Allies and most likely all the Adherent of Jeroboam he left not one of them that breathed until he had destroyed them 1 King xv 29. which though it were Baasha's Wickedness and Gods just Judgment executed on Jeroboams Family however by a villanous Agent yet in point of Policy and Security to himself he was in a sort necessitated to it Now so great a Slaughter certainly could not but be a sore publick Wound I might shew many instances of the like practice in in others but it is not pleasing to rake in Bloud Lastly Whereas it is ordinarily pretended by our modern State-menders that reducing Kingdoms as near as may be to an Elective form is the best method to secure a Succession of good and virtuous Princes the contrary hereto appears by this instance The People of Israel after this new modelling their Kingdom upon rejecting the true Heir descendent and electing out of themselves a King had through the Judgment of God withdrawing his Grace in punishment of their Rebellion and Revolt from this time till the utter Dissolution of their Kingdome nineteen Kings successively and not one good amongst them all And no wonder saith a sober Author For First It was a Kingdome whose Foundation was laid in 1. Rebellion 2. Schism Secondly It was maintained by a Politick Idolatry in the continuance of Jeroboams Golden Calves Thirdly Polluted with the Bloud of many of their Kings few of them going to their Grave Sicca morte by a Bloudless death And therefore having continued two hundred forty one or as others calculate two hundred fifty eight years in the ninth year of Hosea 's Reign which was the seventh of Hezekiah King of Judah the King and People of Israel were carried away Captives by Shalmanezer King of Assyria and never returned again for God removed Israel out of his sight 'T is so said twice 2 King xvii 18 23. And 't is observable no one knows to this day what 's become of these ten Tribes But even during the whole state or most settled time of their Kingdome they had no face of true Religion nor indeed any Religion constant amongst them but a Gallimafry of all the Gods and Idolatries of the Nations according to the Honour or Interest of their Kings On the other side the Kingdome of Judah which continued under the Rightful Succession and was Hereditary stood near one hundred and forty years longer than that of Israel and they had amongst their Kings many great Saints as Asa Jehosophat Hezekiah Josiah and diverse others And though the Worship of God were often foully corrupted in the Reign of some of their Kings yet as that Corruption still came in from the Kings of Israel or from Affinity or League with them so by the Succession of good Kings it was restored again and both the Church and Face of Religion kept up amongst them till it pleased God for their treading in the steps of the People of Israel to send his Church into Captivity there to be cured of Idolatry Which Cure when wrought though there still remained a general Cachexy or disorder of Manners yet it pleased God to bring back for a while their Captivity and to give them a new footing in their own Land till out of that Royal Stem was born our Lord Jesus the promised Seed of Abraham the Son of David according to the Flesh but declared by Power and Resurrection from the dead the Son of God the Lord of Lords and King of Kings blessed for evermore of whose Kingdom there shall be no end To sum up all If then there be any men to whom perpetual unsettledness and dangers to themselves and theirs to whom continued ages of War to whom ever and anon recurring Murder of Kings Massacres of Families together with all Violence and Tyranny over the people and even Arbitrary Religion as well as Government Vsurpation on God and Man be pleasing such men may plead these Arguments to enamour the world with the model of Elective Kingdoms But on the contrary If Publick Wealth Ease and Quiet I may add if continued Liberties settled Religion and general Stability as far as the state of sublunary affairs does admit be more amiable we have reason to stick to a true Legitimate Succession For it was the Observation of the wisest of Kings Blessed art thou O Land when thy King is the Son of Nobles and we see how far it proved so in the Kingdom of Judah We have hitherto as I think