Abihu's death there had like to have been another Funeral for Moses was even ready to have executed severe Judgment upon Eleazer and Ithamar for not eating the Goat the Sin-offering where God had commanded and for not bringing the Blood into the Holy-place and Aaron though he pleaded hard and Moses connived at the Trespass yet by Divines it is concluded that Moses was too Humane in the relaxation Some Judicious Expositours think there was too much natural infirmity in Aaron and too much condescension in Moses to pass by the aberration It is left as no precedent for them that sin pervicaciously It is a dangerous thing to innovate any thing in Church-rites That which is Apostolical is Apophthegmatical and ought to be taken up as Valueable and immutable If the Church be Built upon the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles then I can Pronounce nothings well grounselled which do want their Fundamental Institution A Foreign Church may have something that pertains to the building but I doubt there is something defective therefore I must say as it is in Caâ—… viii 9. If she be a Wall we will build upon her a silver Palace and if she be a Door we will keep her in with boards of Cedar but 'till I finde in her a Wall and a Door I can bestow no great cost upon her to enrich her or adorn her Miriam may have breath in her but if she be stricken with a sore Leprosy she is half-dead whiles she liveth Sic ego sentio si alii non consintant unusquisque abundet sensu suo I do not say but that there are rare parts and singular endowments there but I cannot call any thing perfect without a just calling I am not certain whether thâ—…e can be right Baptism lawfull Preaching a due Administration of the Lord's Supper without a true Priesthood I fear it much and I have just grounds for my jealousie I like her Profession well I would I could like her Polity aswell that I might say with the Apostle I rejoyce beholding your order together with your stedfast Faith Col. 11.5 Privileges Principles an accurate Wit Fancies of men confederacy with them that seem holy will not do all no the law is strict God is a Jealous God a little Leaven may corrupt the whole lump he that is unjust in a little hath his disparagement there can be no exactness without a general Perfection Loth's Wife was turned into a pillar of Salt for the cast of an Ey Moses was debarred entrance into the Land of Canaan for striking the Rock when he should but have spoke to the Rock The High-places were enough for a grievance Oh! if we feared the opening of the Books or the appearance before the white Throne we would leave palliating and descanting and conform to the Rule Yea cry out To the law To the testimony for Every plant which my Heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up Therefore if the Foreign Church can shew her Consanguinity of Government from the Blood of the Apostles I shall acknowledg the kindred but otherwise my heart may shake rather then I can shake Hands with her I may piety her but I cannot embrace her I may pray for her but cannot magnify her I cannot pronounce her sound but onely send her to the Physician and she must be cured by the right Party I cannot allow her a College of Physicians to consult with for then she may spend all her mony upon Physicians but her Bloody issue will never depart from her till she hath touched the hem of Christ's garment In the state she is in I have no Vindication for her let other Advocates if they will justify her but I have thus much charity to wish her to repent and reform and if counsel do not prevail my bowels shall yearn for her but my toung cannot say to her All-hayl But for the forreign Church sick or sound we will leave her to her self and to her medicinal Artists about her which warrant her good constitution for our selves let us praise God for our health and seek to preserve it Let us assure our selves that there is nothing more requisite in a visible Church then a just government without this there is neither peace beauty order or purity of the Ordinances If every calling of the Nation ought to be justifiable how much more the Ministery Else a man shall suspect every Church Duty which he doth communicate in and be afraid whom to acknowledg as a true Messenger from God Almighty A great matter to sanctify a Nation is a sanctified Ministery I mean a sanctified Function for all Sanctification is but sorcery in respect of the external conveyance of it which doth not flow from a right Spring-head The wind I know bloweth where it listeth and I have nothing to do with the secret motions of God's spirit but for a publique assurance right Ordination is the best confirmation yea the most Orthodox ratification Away with Topical reasonings give me a Demonstrative argument that which is Apostolical to men is Characterical Jannes and Jambres had an art of inchantment Prophets that cause the people to err and bite them with their teeth can cry A Vision though it be a lying divination False Apostles can transform themselves into Angels of light The star called Wormwood hath a brightness in it The beast that came out of the earth had two horns like 〈…〉 There is no trusting to appearances and pretences the high satisfaction must be a justifiable undoubted commission Oh! that the King's Daughter who is to have her rayment of Needle-work should wear any thing about her that is not True-stitch that the Temple should be overlaid with any thing but pure gold What is comfortable in any Church where the Squinancy is in the throat where the Sermon-Bell is riven where there is a suspicious supposititious Ministery a lawfull Heir a lawfull Spouse a lawfull Officer are not more necessary then a lawfull Ministery Was God angry with them which went and were not sent and will not fury arise in his face against unauthorised Messengers Men must be put apart and separated for this Calling Rom. 1.1 and be allowed of God which are put in trust with the Gospel 1 Thes 2.4 And be Ordained Preachers 1 Tim. 2.7 Are the Keyes of the Kingdom of Heaven to be put into all hands is every one to be a Steward in God's Family no Unto me is this Grace given to Preach the unsearchable Riches of Christ 3 Ephes 8. How else is the Gospel a Mistery or this Function an Ordinance The sons of Scaeva met with claws and were rent to purpose because they would be dealing with that which they had no Authourity to meddle with And do these scratches terrify none though the Devils be quiet for a while are not their Talons to be feared in another World Is the Gospel a Feast and may every one invite Guests no Wisdom hath her Maidens to send
be in a Nation there are some that would have a Roodloft of Saints set up to worship a Senate is better to them then Soveraignty and a Bench then the Throne But to us as Paulus Aemilius said Cor vitale spiritus populi est Rex let the vital spirit of a Nation be a King Let there be as many Cousellours as ye will for in the multitude of Counsellors there is health Prov. 15.22 but let there be but one Throne one Commander A surfet of meat is not worse then a surfet of Rulers and a deluge of waters then an inundation of Governours One Master builder is enough to give direction how to build an house one Head is enough to convey animal spirits into the whole Body so one King is enough to diffuse Authority to a whole Nation Let others then be drunk with their several Bowls but let us quench our thirst at our own golden Cup let others purge away their malady by taking all the Drugs of the Apothecary but let us cure our selves onely by using our rare Catholicon A Nation is then happy when the King is the Phosphorus of the Throne and the Phoenix of Majesty This fair Spouse doth desire but one Bridegroom this Paradise doth need but one Tree of Life to grow in it Magistracy divided is rather a Monster then an amiable Creature We had almost lost our selves by travelling in the new troden Paths let us hold our selves now to the Kings High way A lawfull Governour as he must be Superiour so he must be separated from the rest in greatnesse and dignity a distinct and singular person a Man Bâ—… by a Man Of understanding and knowledge 3. Thirdly I am to handle the singular Compound Of understanding and knowledge From hence we may observe that a beneficial Prince must be a prudent Prince Prudence is the directive virtue in all Morall things and so in Political If Prudence be nothing else but rectitudo rationiâ— the rectitude of reason then in Government what more requisite then reason refined prudens quasi porro videns a prudent man is as one that seeth afarre off and so he is as the Statsemans Scout or Sentinell to discover all conveniencies and inconveniencies in ordering publick affairs Prudence is a virtue which hath discretion ingraffed into it for though it be a Morall virtue according to the matter yet it is an intellectuall virtue according to the essence yea it is the generall rule or measure by which all things are to be acted It hath an influence into the appetite according to the application to the work and the practical thing to be done but subjectively it is in the understanding If beasts do need sagacity for their actions much more men prudence for theirs Sure I am that good temperament is not more necessary to live then prudence to live well For if mens actions have their defects by inconsideration precipitation and temerity then they must have their perfection by inspection circumspection and caution which amongst other things are the potential parts of this virtue There are many Maids of â—onour attending upon this Queen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to make due inquisition into things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to passe â—udgement according to general Rules and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to go out of the general road prompting men to things not according to the usual grounds of practice but the more sublime grounds of equity For a true Statesman is the â—igh towring Eagle that flieth beyond the tops of Customes and Precedents and resteth not till it hath soaâ—ed up to the clouds of integrity and conscience Prudence then to a Governour is as a Moses Rod whereby he doth work all his miracles of Government eat up all the Serpents of enchanting Polititians divide the red Sea of deep and profound State matters and draw water out of the Rock out of the difficulties of the ruling principles of reason An Idol in the world is nothing no more is an â—dol Governour which hath hands and feeleth not eyes â—nd seeth not Wo to thee oh Land when thy Prince is a Child Eccles 10.16 A Child can do nothing here with his â—hildish Iudgement no he must be a Man and a Man of â—nderstanding and knowledge He had need be aevi prudenâ—ia nostri the Master-wit of the age alter Ianus one that can â—ook on all sides What is the high born Prince to the high gifted the valiant to the pregnant the well guarded â—o the well qualified Prudence is better then Pedigree Iudgement doth cut deeper then the sword â—nd the weapons of reason are a surer defence then the Halberds of Pensioners A Kings honour is to search out a matter Prov. 25.2 Where there is a Prince that can â—hus unriddle doubts Anatomize scruples and hath â—he sifting and searching judgement to finde out a matter â—here that Prince doth excell all the pompous Rulers upon earth and is a King in his honour Be wise oh ye Kings Psal 20. as if there were nothing more requisite for Kings then wisdome Give unto thy servant an understanding heart to judge this great people 1 Kings 3.9 as if Salomon could not desire a greater blessing from heaven Sure I am it made him excel all the Princes of his time and drew all the earth to look upon him as the Gemme of Soveraignty and the Angel of the Throne His Throne of ivory his gorgeous Temple his magnificent Palaces his house of Millo his house of Lebanon Megiddo Hazor Gezer Baalath Tadmoâ— in the wildernesse his two hundred targets and three hundred shields of beaten gold his royal Navy which brought him home yearly six hundred threescore and six talents of gold did not so illustre him preprince him and supra Majesty him as his wisdome His lustre was that God gave Salomon wisdome and understanding exceeding much and a large heart that was as the sand by the Sea-shore insomuch that his wisdome exceeded the wisdome of all the children of the East and all the wisdome of Aegypt For he was wiser then any man then Ethan the Ezrahite then Heman then Chalcol then Darda the sons of Mahol 1 Kings 4.29,30,31 So that all the world sought to see Salomon and hear his wisdome which God had put into his heart and they brought every man his present vessels of silver and vessels of gold and rayment and armour and sweet odours Horses and Mules year by year 1 Kings 10.24,25 Oh! Salomon the conspicuous because Salomon the perspicuous Oh Salomon the wonder because Salomon the wise Salomon the wise to be preferred before Ahasuerus with 127. Provinces or Zerah that brought into the field 1000000. fighting men Salomon the Miracle of the earth because the Oracle of his Age when ye would talk of a peerlesse prizelesse Prince let it be of Salomon the wise To this day he doth carry the palm and is thought to be the Prince which is Cantari dignus worthy to