will go right or stand long among us It is a great Trust which is this day to be committed to you your Advantages hereupon to do much for the Glory of God among his People by going before them and leading them in the way of the Lord are very Eminent And God hath answerable Expectations concerning you you may be for a Name and a Praise unto him and we may be so too by God's blessing on your Conduct This God expects and this is the Hope and Prayer of such as fear the Lord among us You have our hearty Wishes that God would be with you as he hath been with those that are gone before you That you may be as the Mountains that bring Peace and as the Hills that produce Righteousness to his People That your Wisdom Justice Courage Piety may be the safeguard of our Land and the Stability of our Times These are the things which duely improved will make you Rich Blessings Be intreated therefore to shine in the Improvement of them The Lord hath said Ye are Gods Psal 82.6 Let these Virtues appear as inseperable Properties of your Deity If you lack these things you cannot stand and we must fall I might remember you of many particulars by way of Motive As 1. You have the Care and Charge of a People whom God hath by special Favour taken to be his own Peculiar And such a Tâ—ust as this ought to be strenuously faithfully discharged The Lord our God hath by signal Protections and a stretched out Arm made these once dark corners of the earth a place of comfortable Entertainment to a Remnant of his faithful Servants and their Seed Here he hath intrusted us with the choise Mercies of his Word Ordinances we have had them enjoyed them in safety from all the Endeavours of such as with an envious eye and vexed Soul have beheld what God hath been doing for us and though we have sadly proved our selves ungrateful backsliding Children untrue to the Interest of the Gospel and Kingdom of Christ among us yet Oh! how are Covenant Mercies prolonged to us and how great are the Covenant Engagements and Obligations that we are continued under to this Day And what is the Lords end in all this but that we should be holiness unto him What doth God design but that we should shew forth his Praises who hath thus crowned us What doth the Lord look for from us but sach fruit as this And the Honour God puts upon you whom he makes the Rulers of his People the Authority which he doth vest you with is with Subserviency to this end God hath designed the Civil Government of his People to concenter with Ecclesiastical Administrations and though by different Mediums they are both levelled at the same end the maintaining of Piety and promoting of a Covenant walk with him That which is the Lords Aim in this should be yours also all your Conducts should center here This is the work that belongs to you in your Publick Capacities and it calls for your Wisdom and Justice and Zeal and Holiness if you would be found thus ruling with God and faithful with his Saints Hosea 11.12 2. Again Do net those palpable Declensions from the way of the Lord and Covenant Violations which we are manisestly guilty of loudly proclaim it necessary for you to bestir your selves with a holy Prudence and Zeal for the Cause of God among us Oh! how justly may the Lord complain of us that we are become the degenerate Plant of a strange Vine unto him Where is that Zeal for God and his ways that high esteem of Gospel Priviledges that faithful improvement of Sacred Ordinances that Care Concermnent for the Advancing of the Kingdom of Christ which things were once our praise Are not these great Interests miserably disregarded And Oh! what Irreligion Lukewarmness Prophanes and Immoralities have usurped their Room And doth not the Lord expect that the Leaders of his People should be their Reformers You have great Examples the Royal Presidents of Jehosaphat Hezekiah Josiah famous in this matter accepted and blessed of the Lord. let this then be your great Care to recover us a sinful sinning People from all our Apostasies And Oh! how much may you do by your Wisdom Piety Zeal and Justice Precept and Example Authority and Awe to awaken us and recover us again to the good wayes os God The Good Lord strergthen you yet more and more in all your endeavours for this and think upon you according to all that you have done and shall still be doing for his People 3. Further. Hath not the Lord himself been coming near to Judgment and pleading with and against his People It is obvious that God hath a Controversy with us and He is wrath with his Inheritance The tender mercy of God indeed doth spare us to this day many good and pleasant things yet in divers respects God hath been and is humbling us and bringing us low Tho' we may with thankful Admiration at the Divine Goodness say as the Psalmist Psal 78.38 concerning the Lords Dispensations towards 〈◊〉 Many a time turned He his anger away and did not stirâ— up all his wrath yet if we coâ—sider the Bloodshed and ruinous Devastations in some Places of this Land together with the languishing Sâ—ate oâ— the whole Country at this Day we may also take up the Psalmists complaint Psal 80.5 And say Thou feedest us with the Bread of Tears and givest us Tears to drink without measure I shall no need to mention those various Rebukes of Providence as Blastings and Mildews Droughts Unseasonable Frosts of late Sickness the Sword which you have so often in your Orders for Publick Humiliation piously directed us to take notice of as Tokens of the Lords Anger surely by these Providences God hath been loudly testifying against our Transgressions And we may read in them that of the Prophet Jer. 5.25 Your Sins have withholden good things from you We have a case fit and proper for us under our present Circumstances to propound and consider stated and resolved to our hand in Deut 29.23 24. Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this Land what meaneth the Heat of this great Anger Then men shall say because they have forsaken the Covenant of the Lord God of their Fathers And if this be a Day wherein the Lord is coming out against us in Judgment Oâ— How should you that are the Lords Substitutes bear witness in your places against the Transgressions which provoke him If you are thus a Terrour to Evil Doers it may be God will do no more terrible things in Judgment against us If you do wisely and courageously Execute Judgment who knows but it may divert the Lords Phinehas did so and the Plague was stayed Psal 106 30. 4 You do ordinarily I suppose I may say constantly bring your selves under the Sacred Bâ—nd of a Solemn Oath with impartiality fidelity to discharge the Trust committed
Blessings and condemn others as the Causes of a Peoples ruine What an honourable Character doth the Spirit of God give us of Moses Joshua and Samuel among the Judges Of David Solomon Jehosaphat and some others among the Kings And what an everlasting Brand of Infamy the Scripture hath set upon those Kings of Judah and Israel that were not so qualified as you have heard is obvious to every one that reads the Chronicles of those times with Observation To this therefore I shall add only these two or three Particulars wherein you may see the Lord commending able and faithful Rulers to us as rich Blessings and condemning others as ruinous 1. It is recommended in Deut. 1.13 and Exod. 18.21 to all that have the liberty and power of Electing Civil Rulers that in their designation of Persons to Places of Authority they should have special regard to their being so qualified And that which then contributed to the happiness of a People cannot now be thought to cross it 2. The Lord gives such Rulers in Mercy to a People In 2 Chron 9.8 It is said concerning Solomon Because thy God Loved Israel to establish them for ever therefore made he thee King over them to do Judgment and Justice It was a blessed Promise that God supported his people with when they were languishing under the miseries of a Government not regarding the Administration of Justice That he would restore them Judges as at the first and Counsellers as at the Beginning Isa 1.26 i. e. such as Moses and Joshua David and Solomon And when such as these are removed from a People their case is awful and God threatens it as a sore Judgment Isa 3.1 2. 3. God sends other Rulers in wrath to a People I gave thee a King in mine anger saith the Lord concerning Saul Hos 13.11 And again Isa 3.4 God threatens that People with this Curse I will give Children to be their Princes and Babes shall rule over them Dreadful are the consequents of this mentioned in the next verse The people shall be oppressed every one by another and every one by his neighbour The Child shall behave himself proudly against the Ancient and the base against the honourable In a word Violence and Insolence will bear down all before them 4. Able and Faithful Rulers have the Promise of God's Presence and Blessing Prov. 29.14 The King that faithfully judgeth the Poor his Throne shall be established for ever 2 Chron 19 ult Deal Couragiously and the Lord shall be with the good And God in blessing them blesseth the whole People When their methods are Prudent their aimes Right their endeavours Vigorous their hearts Valiant their hands Strong and God is pleased to be Crowning them with Success the Publick will reap the benefit It is said Judges 2.7 The People served the Lord all the days of Joshua Joshua faithfully endeavoured it and God smiled upon his endeavours God was with him and the People flourished in Piety and Prosperity but it was not long after Joshua's Head was laid in the Grave before they knew the difference The APPLICATION of the Doctrine may be USE 1. By way of INSTRUCTION Learn hence 1. That it is a signal token of the Divine Favour to a People when they have such men to rule over them Their Promotion cometh not from the East or from the West c. Psal 75.6 7. 'T is God that sets them up and His Love is to be seen in it and ought to be acknowledged 2. What matter of humbling it is to a People when such are either denied unto them or removed from them When the Elders were ceased from the Gate Lam. 5.14 The Prophet saith upon it v. 16. The Crown is fallen from our Heads when good men are taken away it is a sad Omen but when such good men thus removed were good Rulers too it 's much more ominous Such losses are hardly repaired therefore they are a Lamentation and shall be for a Lamentation 3. How much it concerns Rulers to be and approve themselves such men Strong Rods as they would not be charged with the Ruining of their People And that being themselves rich Blessings they themselves might be blessed both of God and men 4. That Those that are Professed Enemies to such a Government as hath Strong Rods to rule or to such Rulers as these are upon no Terms to be born withal But I may not enlarge on these Particulars the chief that I aim at in the Present Improvement of this Truth shall be in two words farther Of Direction and of Exhortation USE II. Of Direction This Doctrine affords Excellent Counsel to all such as have the Power of Choosing and Liberty by divine Providence and the Royal favour of Electing Persons into any Office of Civil Rule and Government among this People And it ought to be taken notice of by you as a necessary Direction in the work that is now before you It highly concerns you to be very careful of not abusing so great a Trust It is a piece of Service that requires your utmost Care and Conscience You are this day to transact a matter of great Importance to the Weal of this People and the Eyes of God and men is upon you Of God to observe your Sâ—iâ—its Designs and Ends in this Days work to bless you accordingly and the Eyes of Men are upon you some to rejoyce in all the happy effects that may follow your prudent choice others to take advantage of all the follies that you may this day be guilty of I may well conclude my self very much a Stranger to the particular Methods and Customs usual in the manner of your Elections But I suppose whatever sâ—epâ— have been already taken in other places of this Government there are many in this Assembly who are still to give in their Suffrage To whom therefore I would more particularly recommend this Rule that the Doctrine layes before 〈◊〉 and in them to all others that may hereafter be concerned in the same or like affâ—â—â— as that which you ought to attend to It you would not this day do that which will be for a Lamenâ—ation to this People and remain so â—et your Care then be to Elect such as may be Able for their Places and Faithful in them Don't think your Voices are so your own that you may bestow them upon whom you will meerly because you will Let not that Liberty you have be abused to an undoing Licentiousness Beware of those corrupt and sinister Ends which are too too apt to blind your Judgments and biass your Affections from the Rule thus set before you I shall but hint at some of them There are some of plausible pretences indeed but ungoverned Spirits who in Affairs of this nature consult only their own Humours and choose for such as they hope will most indulge them These had rather they should be in Authority then such as have Wisdom and Spirit to controul them if they have
to you and so Rule this People according to the Laws of God and the King than which nothing can be a stricter tie to those that know and believe that the same God whom they have thus called upon to be a witness of the sincerity and integrity of their hearts in what they are undertaking will if they be either careless or false not suffer them to escape his Righteous Judgment and most severe Reflections 5 Shall I add this one consideration further both to stir you up to and strengthen you in your publick work It is this You have the Royal Favour of a most Gracious Soveraign whom the Divine Providence hath in a wonderful manner raised up and hitherto preserved to be the Bulwark of Religion and Property to the English Israel We are a little Branch of that Vine our Civil Life and Liberty is bound up in theirs we have felt the warmth of those benign Influences which have refreshed the wearied Land of our Fore fathers Sepulchres and as the Prophet Ezekiel speaks chap. 34.27 God hath broken the Bands of the Yoke that were upon us and delivered us out of the Hands of those that would have served themselves of us God who hath the Hearts of Princes in his Hand hath whatever our Enemies have endeavoured to the contrary given you Favour in the sight of the King You have in this respect great opportunity and advantage to be consulting and promoting the things which will be for the Glâ—ry of God the Interest of his Kingdom and the Weal of his People According as it is improved we may hope God will prolong it He will not take it well at our hands if it be neglected Give me leave then to say to you that are or may this Day be Rulers over us as once it was said to Ezâ—a chap. 10.4 This matter belongeth unto you It is your part principally to take care for the Improvement of such an Opportunity and ours to be with you in it When the Lord by whom Princes â—â—le maketh them Nursing Fathers to his People it opâ—â—eth a wide door of Liberty and Power to all that derive Authority from them to be in their respective places Rods of Strength for desending and encouraging the Good for suppresling and punishing the Wicked for promoting Piety and Rightcousness and if there be an heart wanting to improve such an advantage we may probably repent it when we can do nothing else Suffer then the Exhortation I beseech you in the words of the Lord which you have in Hag. 2.4 Be strong O Zerubbabel and work Do the work of your publick Capacities with Prudence Honour and Fidelity I am with you saith the lord of Hosts Thus if you approve your selves it will be Honour to God your Comfort our Weal and the rejoycing of all that love God his People There are a sew thingâ— which I would crave your Patience Honoured and much Respected that I may briefly recommend unto you as needful to be much in your Eyes and upon your Hearts if you would thus acquit your selves be Strong Rods to us at such a Day as this 1. Let the Interest of Religion and Holiness be your principal care Labour the reviving and promoting of it with all your strength This is both our Decus Tutamen we may truly say of this great Article that it is Articulus stantis et cadentis Nov Angliae It is this that engageth the Lord to deal gâ—aciously with his people and to be their Saviour in Isa 63.7 When the Church had reckoned up the Loving kindnesses of God many ways expressed we have in the following verse the consideration intimated upon which the Lord proceeded in deing those great things for his people verse 8. For he said surely they are my People Children that will not lie so â—e was their Saviour q. d. They will not be salse to my Covenant they will walk in my ways and keep my Commandments they will remember their Engagements and fulfil them and upon their so doing he had and would shew them his Salvation In this way they might hope for it but if they should prove lying unholy backsliding Children they would but deceive themselves to expect it Upon this ground hath the Lord been proceeding with our Fathers in time past and upon the same will he deal with us at this Day If we consider the things that were at the beginning when God first laid the Foundations of Gospel work in these Ends of the Earth if we remember the Wonders of old which we have heard and our Fathers have told us we may say of those Providences where by God through many Difficulties brought a Remnant of his faithful People into these remote corners of the World planted and preserved them here as David doth Psal 44.7 That the Lord did it By his Right-hand c. because he had a favour for them By great Deliverances and Salvations did the Lord manifest his Presence among them and Loving-kindness to them and they were all u pon this account Psal 22.4 Our Fathers trusted in thee they trusted and thou dâ—lst deliver them They had Holiness to the Lord Engraven upon their hearts designs and ways and God was with them If we are true to this Interest and Cause of God and walk in the Covenant of the Lord God of our Fathers it shall be well with us Exod. 20.6 But if there be a declining backsliding apostatizing Spirit in us if we give the Lord cause to take up that Complaint concerning us in Mal. 3.7 Even from the dayes of your Fathers ye are gone away from mine Ordinances and have not kept them Oh! what Presumption what Madness will it be for us to hope that as he was theirs so he will be our Saviour Alas How many are there that have forgotten forsaken this great Interest of the Lord among us Beyou intreated therefore who shall have the rule of this People to consider it and engage your hearts to the advancing of it Remember that there is a Solemn Covenant between God this his People God hath taken them to be his they have owned themselves to be the Lords upon this Foundation stand all our Mercies Priviledges Enjoyments whatsoever can contribute any thing to our present or suture Felicity and therefore the recovering of us from all our Apostasies and the maintaining promoting of serious Godliness among us should will be the chief Scope of such Rulers as make Conscience to Serve either God or his People 2. Express a high Veneration for and Regard unto Gods holy Ordinances Let them have all that Security from the Blasphemous Reproaches and Abuses of Ungodly men that either your Laws or your Examples can afford them If they that go before a People go out of this way sad Experience proves it but too natural a practice for them to follow their Leaders So Jeroboam the son of Nebat made Israel to Sin 1 King 16 26.
under the Command Conduct of such Rulers God hath wayes enough to discharge them to take them from such a People or iâ—â—he doth not so yet to cause that they shall not profit them For the Prevention of which I have but these few words to offer and so shall close Are Able and Faithful Rulers such Rich Blessings and would we contribute to this our Happiness then 1. Let us be thankful to God for such Mercies When the Lord gives Kings to be Nursing Fathers to his People as he promiseth Isa 49 23. Should not the Praises of the Lord resound throughout all the Gates of the â—ughter of Zion Do we also see such advanced to â—bordinate Places of Power Let us remember that 〈◊〉 Promotion is from God It is He that sets them up â—d 756 7. They are of Him Râ—m 13.1 And by Him â—y Rule Prov. 8.16 We cast the Lot but the Lord that 〈◊〉 on High hath the whole disposing of it Prov. 16 33. 〈◊〉 that our Choice is also of Gods Appointment If â—ey be of our desiring they are of His giving And as â—hen others bear rule over a People it is a Signal of â—ods Displeasure under which they ought to Mourn 〈◊〉 when our Rods are Strong it is a Fruit of the Lord's â—avour and He ought to have the Praise In Psal 72. â—fter the Psalmist had in a Prophetical Contemplation â—lebrated the happy State of the Common-Weal of â—rael in a Day when they enjoyed the Blessing which â—e Doctrine speaks of for the Glory of which Felicity â— is considered as a Type of Christ's Kingdom closeth â—l with Repeated Acclamations of Praise and Honour 〈◊〉 God as the Authour of it at v 18.19 Blessed be the â—ord God the God of Israel who only doth wondrous things â—nd blessed be his glorious Name for ever and let the whole â—arth be filled with his Glory Amen Amen 2. Let us highly Prize and Honour them That Preâ—ept of the Apostle with Reference to Rulers Ecclesiastiâ—al is of as great Force in this case 1 Thes 5.13 Where â—e chargeth us to esteem them that are over us very â—ighly and undervalued Mercies are not like to be long continued Consider it and be Wise We have not many such to spare certainly then it is our Prudence â—nd Interest not to provoke the Lord to remove them Again let our high Esteem of them be testifyed by an honourable Deference towards them The Apostle Paul â—aith concerning them Rom. 13.7 That Honour is to be rendred them They are Gods Psal 82.6 And as such there is a Civil Worship and Reverence due to them both in Word Action Speak no Evil of Dignities Abhor that Unchristian way of Detraction Backbiting and Slander If they are God's Vicegerents certainly it must be a Crying Sin and Shame for us thus to treat them Do our Enemiâ—s charge us that this is the way wherein we have been used to requite those that with greatest Pains have travailed for the Publick good Let us refute this Slander and if we can do no more yet at least Let us Love Honour such as have Rule over us 3. Take we Care that we don't make them or provoke them to be other wise As they are sometimes Accessory to our Sins when they either connive at us doing them allow us in them or indulge us afterwards so shall we be to their Male-Administrations if we seek to corrupt discourage pervert and disbhearten or any way weaken them There was a very Laudible Spirit in the People when they said to Ezra Chap. 10.4 Arise This matter belengeth unto thee we also will be with thee be of good Courage do it And that matter did accordingly Succeed very happily But when there is a perverse Spirit of Dislike and Contradiction in us to thwart the Counsels and controul the Methods of such as are intrusted with the Care of the Publick if those Counsels prove abortive and those Methods vain it is no more than may reasonably be expected and we may thank our selves for it 4. I shall not exceed the Bounds of my Commission and I hope neither those of your Patience if I put you in Remembrance That you be Subject to those that are set over you St Paul left this in Charge with Titus respecting his Cretians Tit. 3 1. And it is a Duty as Obvious to the light of Nature so also positively enjoyned us in the Word of God Eccl. 8 2. I Counsel thee to keep the Kings Commandment and that in regard of the Oath of What can be more Express than that of the Aâ—le Peter 1 Pet. 2.13 14 Submit your selves to every â—inance of man for the Lords sake whether it be to the â—g as Supreme or unto Governours as unto them that sent by them The General Precept of Obedience Apostle doth here particularly apply with Respect â—ll Degrees of Authority both Supreme Subordinate 〈◊〉 so plainly declareth it to be the Mind of God v. 15. so is the Will of God That a man must Violate Reaâ— Conscience to gain say it The Apostle Paul urgâ— the same Duty in his Epistle to the Romans Chap. 1. Let every Soul be subject unto the higher Powers And â—weth that the Christians Obligation thereunto hath its â—ginal from a Power which no man can dispute but is utmost Peril v. 2. Whosoever therefore resisteth the â—er resisteth the Ordinance of God and they that resist 〈◊〉 receive to themselves Damnation We might argue 〈◊〉 as the Apostle doth in the Context v. 4. From the â—mon good which shall then flourish when there is â—irit of Wisdom Prudence Judgment in those that 〈◊〉 of Subjection in others upon this Account must needs be Subject as the Apostle adds v. 5 â—mly for wrath but for Conscience sake There are but â— things that can rationally be pretended to dispense 〈◊〉 this Obligation The First is when the Commands â—â—en do cross the Will of God And the Second is â—n the Authority commanding is not Legal As to First It is a ruled Case Act. 5.29 God is to be obeyed or than men Active Obedience is due where it may with a safe Conscience else not yet here All enâ—ours are to be carefully used to assure our selves â—he Repugnancy which we conceive to be between â—s Divine Humane be not onely in our Imaginaâ— for otherwise while we pretend to obey the Lord â—efusing Obedience unto men we shall be found which without doubt is the unhappy Condition of some disobedient both to God man As to the latter viz. The Illegality of the Authority Commanding I shall only say That whatever disputes there may be about the various Methods that are in use among men for the Designation of Persons to Places of Authority or about those that are Vested with Authority whether they came righâ—fully by it or no certainly they that have the Liberty or Electing their own Rulers have the least Reason to insist upon this