he should fight a good fight 1 Tim. i. 18. and a prophecy that forbad him to Preach with Saint Paul the Gospel in Asia Acts xvi so by the laying on of the hands of Prophets he might at first be called to the Ministery so Primasius Oecumenius upon the place say expressly and say not onely that he was called to the Ministery by the Prophets but that he himself was a Prophet For the thing it self Theodâ—ret in Tim. â— â— is clear that Timothy received that order by Divine Revelation and Saint Chrysostome Hom. 5. in 1 Tim. c. 1. saith that as the Holy Ghost said Separate me Paul and Barnabas so was Timothy chosen yea he saith it was a common custome or raâ—her a general Blessing that in the infancy of the Church the Prophets named what Ministers should be choseâ— Tunc quia niâ—il fiâ—bat humanum Sacerdotes ex Prophetia veniâ—bant Quid â—st â—x Prophâ—…ia ex Spiritu Sancto And Eusebius l. 3. c. 23. sâ—iâ—h baâ—…aâ— nâ— John at Ephesus and thereabout made many Ministers so somewhere supplying the Clergy with such as the â—piâ—it mâ—…d â—…drawing lots for such as the Spirit signified Seeing 〈◊〉 so many Expositions are given of this intricate Place and that by â—he 〈◊〉 learned which ever wrote Presbytery which in these days is asserted can scarce finde in Scripture a root from whence it should branch No as the lay Presbyter from 1 Tim. v. 17. may say I was never here grafted so the Spiritual Presbyter from the 1. Tim. iiii 14. may say I was never here planted yea they may be fellow-Mourners and sob together saying We that would have all things attested by Scripture have not a clear Scripture either for the one's Binding of hands or for the other's laying on of hands for these onely places are nonely places neither pregnant nor perspicuous But to leave the Lay Presbyter as one saluted by the way and to talk a little more freely to the Spiritual Presbyter as the person to whom this conference is intended Can Presbytery of it self create a Ministery Scripture doth not affirm it will Antiquity avouch it I doubt not or without doubt it will nor Epiphanius saith that Aerius the Arian was the first which gave Presbyters power to ordain Ministers but saith he this cannot be for the order of Bishops doth beget Fathers to the Church but Presbyters do but onely beget Chidren by the laver of regeneration and not Fathers or Doctours Episcoporum enim ordo Patres generat Ecclesiae Presbyterorum vero non potens generare patres per lavaâ—cri regenerationem generat filios Ecclesiae non tamen Patres aut Doctores Et quomodo posâ—ibile erat Presbyterum constituere non habentem manuum impositionem aequalem Episcopo Epiphan Haer. 75. how is it then possible that a Presbyter which hath not the power of imposition of hands should be equal to a Bishop Oecumenius in c. 5.1 ad Tim. saith that where Saint Paul commandeth Timothy to lay hands rashly on no man he treateth of imposing hands because he wrote to a Bishop as if it were peculiar to him Saint Chrysostome saith that onely in laying on hands Bishops go beyond Presbyters and have that onely thingmore then the Presbyter Chrysostom Hom. in c. v. 1. ad Tim. Saint Jerome saith the self same in his Epistle to Evagrius The Councel of Antioch saith that the Bishop shall have power within his own Diocess to ordain Presbyters and Deacons C. Antioch can 2. The Councel of Nice saith the Ministers of the Paulianists must receive imposition of hands from the Bishop of the Catholick Church C. Nicen. c. 19. And is there not reason for this when Bishops are the direct Successours of Apostles for if Christ said that I will be with you to the end of the World Matthew xxviii 20. the Apostles being dead where is Christ's perpetual Providence if there be not a perpetual succession the Ministery in General cannot prove this for the Apostle's were superiour to the seventy Disciples so there must be some to represent the Apostles which must be superiour to other Ministers and that the Bishops are those persons it may appear because they have often the honourable title of Apostles James the Bishop of Jerusalem who was not James the son of Zebedee for he was one of the twelve Apostles but James the Just who is usually called the brother of the Lord being no immediate Apostle but a Bishop Com. in Es for his very office sake is called an Apostle 1 Gal. xix and by Saint Jerome called the thirteenth Apostle Theodor. in 1 Tim. 3.1 Theodoret doth call Timothy the Bishop of Ephesus an Apostle Ruffin de adult lib. Orig. Clemens is said by Ruffin to be almost an Apostle and by Clemens Alexandrinus he is expressly called Clement the Apostle Ignatius by Saint Chrys encom Ignat. is stiled both Bishop and Apostle Rab. Ms in Tim 4. Rabanus Maurus saith that Bishops ruled whole Provinces being call Apostles Theodor. in 1 Tim. 3. And Theodoret saith that those which they now call Bishops they did formerly name Apostles I know it is Objected that the Apostolical Order being extroardinary it is not perpetual but that is not so for the calling of Aaron was extraordinary at first yet it was perpetuated in the succession so likewise the calling of the Apostles for though it be not perpetual in respect of that which was extraordinary as the gift of tongues healing and discerning of Spirits yet it is in respect of the ordinary offices else I cannot see how any Minister could at this day Preach or administer the Sacraments For as inferiour Ministers do derive from the Apostles the use of Preaching and Sacraments so do Bishops both these and Jurisdiction and the power of Discipline But it will be said that a Presbyter and a Bishop in Scripture is all one and so a Presbyter hath as much power in the Church both for ordaining and exteriour regiment as the best Bishop parcius istis Credat Judaeus Apella If it were so I am but a Presbyter and no Bishop and would faine be at work next to the creating of a race of Penitents I would be creating a race of Preachers and next to wrastling with Principalities and Powers would be delivering up men to Sathan I do not know but my heart might be as Ambitious and my hands as Pragmatical and my tongue as Devouring as any others but I read that we must not stretch our selves beyond our line nor be many Masters lest we receive the greater condemnation James iii. 1. The Lord will be sanctified in them that come near Him Levit. x. 3. No man must take this Office upon him but he that was called as Aaron was Heb. v. 4. I finde no calling for these things therefore I have no comfort in them nor courage towards them Pride is odious in a Lay-man it is execrable in a Clergy-man all men must
your pride from your backs your lusts out of your members your riots out of your palats your blasphemies out of your lips your oppression out of your hands and your malice out of your hearts that ye would know your sins and bewail them reflect upon them and renounce them that ye would say we have sinned we are greived that we have sinned so often and do vow that we will sin no longer that ye might say we have once been at Church and heard one penitential sermon that here we have met with conviction and will carry home conversion oh that it might be said that ye came blind but go away seeing that ye came remorsless and goe away contrite ye came guilty and go away innocent oh I stand waiting to see a little water in your eyes a little shame in your cheeks a little smiting upon your breasts a little turning of your feet oh I stay for a circumcised ear a rent heart and a renewed life Do it for the love of your souls do it for love to your Countrey for the land that hath been stained with transgression for the land which hath suffered for transgression and for the Land which may perish by transgression Though a great part of the Land should be impenitent yet have ye repentance unto life pacifie Gods wrath for your selves and sacrifice for your Countrey so if greater judgements should be reserved for the land and this Nation which will not be reformed must be weather-beaten again yet ye may have an hiding place from the storm that if the destroying Angel should smite on all sides your sprinkled door-posts may be past over that ye may be taken like the two legs or the piece of an ear out of the mouth of the Lion or plucked like a brand out of the fire Oh therefore search and try your ways and turn again unto the Lord if iniquity be in your hands put it far away leave not an hoof in Egypt spare not one Amelekite but put the whole cursed race to the edge of the sword loath your selves in all your abominations turn from every evil way throughly amend your wayes and your doings I would I could convert the whole Nation howsoever I do desire to renew you let it be the fruit of my Ministry the priviledge of the meeting the blessing of the day Oh remember that there is no such refuge as repentance nor no such Sanctuary as submission God cannot be angry with you if ye seek his favour by humiliation or howsoever ingratiate your selves into him by reformation It is sin that is Gods professed adversary take away this and there is not a frown in Gods brow nor a fret in his brest his razor is laid aside his vial of indignation is set by his thunderbolts fall out of his hand Attonement with the land if there be the amendment of the land because judgement to the land if there be the transgression of the land For the transgression of the Land PART II. Now let us come to the sad disease Many are the Princes thereof Baynus Rhemus Cope hold both Kings successively and several Governments to be here understood but R. Sal. Mercer Salazer with many others do understand onely seveveral Governments because of the Antithesis between many Princes and the man and so insist onely Polyarchy to be here intended Some thinke the meaning to be that God for the transgression of the Land did take away Prince after Prince which maintained the same Government and if I thought that this were the true sense my Observations should be these 1 That sin is the great blood-sucker 2 That Princes are not exempted from judgment 3 That till God be appeased for the transgression of the Land there is a succession of misery 4 That the heaviest judgment upon a Nation is the destruction of Princes 5 That Princes above all others ought to look to the transgression of the Land because it is most fatal and Epidemical to the Throne 6 That the sins of that Land are heinous which do take away Princes by heaps But I find by many judicious Expositors that this is not the meaning but that by many Princes there is to be understood several sorts of government brought into that transgressing Land Following their opinion from hence observe that many Princes are a judgment It is an heavy thing when the Bramble Thistle and Briar have the sole reign Iudg. 9. then the foot of pride doth strut in authority Psal 36.11 then the Leopard doth watch over the city Ier. 5.6 what are the people but the sheep of slaughter when God doth break his staffe of Beauty and staffe of Bands and rule them with the instruments of a foolish Shepheard Zach. 11. A Nation punished with variety of Governments is like the monstrous and prodigious Beast which had seven heads and ten horns Rev. 13.1 the several plagues in Egypt were scarce more grievous then several governments in a Nation then in stead of just Princes Ziims and Ohims and Satyrs and Iims and Dragons dwell in the Palaces Isa 13.21,22 Sure I am there are many sins where there are these many Princes Barnsf de populi improbitate l. 12. Pandect Crin de populi improb Brunfelfius saith that popular government is a pestilent government and so saith Crinitus Pausan in mes Pausanias saith he never saw it make any great progress and there are several instances given of variety of miseries which have come from that imperfect turbulent disordered and distempered government Plut. in Lacon Lycurgus would have no government counted happy in a Common-wealth which a man would not allow in his private family If no man can serve two Masters then doubtless no man can serve many Princes for many Princes are like many Empiricks which practise so long upon the weak patient that little vigour is left in the body When God takes away lawful government from a Nation he doth even take away peace from that people Cicero pro domo sua crebra tempestatum commutatio ex plebis colluvie For when the Crown and Diadem is removed then God overturn overturn overturn and the Nation shall be no more as it was till he come whose right it is and God doth give it him Ezek. 21.26,27 Many Princes are a cakexy which turn all the nutriment into ill humors till the good habitude be removed yea they are almost like many evil spirits afflicting and tormenting the Creature till the body be dispossessed of the Devil called Legion Tully saith that there is nothing where these governments are permitted but several changes of tempests Plato in Axiocho Plato saith that rage and rapine do abound where the government doth arise from the dregs of the common people Herod l. 3. Plut. in Nicia Seneca in Consol ad Helvid c. 6. Liv. Decad 4. l. 8. Herodotus saith that a violent torrent of sorrows and unbridled insolency doth accompany such a government
contrarias abrogando A King doth serve God in enjoyning good Lawes and abrogating bad Aug. ep 32. yea Menander could say that a King was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the enlivened Image of God Almighty That when we do not and indeed cannot see God personally reigning upon earth for no man can see God and live yet we may see him in this Image We may discern God shining in this bright pillar going before us or behold him representing himself in these glorious back parts A King is as the Sun-glasse wherein the splendor of the Sun is clearly manifested God doth heal the bitter waters of a Nations distempered manners by this sweet tree cast into it or doth feed an whole Camp with this celestial Manna God doth not act all by himself but much by his inferiour Substitute we ought for an happy Government to depend upon God as the spring but upon Man as the Channel he doth not honour God which doth not respect his Providore general They have not cast thee away but they have cast me away we may contemn God in his Ruler Thou wilt respect the Messenger that brings thee thy Patent and not a King which from God doth present thee with a Charter of so many rich Priviledges yes blesse God and reverence his Steadsman his Vicegerent God doth reign in such though the blessing doth come from God yet the administration of it doth come from Man The Nation is often sick and often cured but God doth appoint a Party in his stead to work the recovery Man is the Physitian But by a Man c. 2. Secondly this doth serve to shew the wonder of Government Naz. in apol Government is ars artium the art of arts Chrys in 2. ma◠certantibus ventis mare concutitur The Sea is shaken with contrary winds but not more then a Commonwealth with the whirlwinds of mens opposite dispositions It was a singular thing to see Heliogabalus to have tamed Tygers so that he could drive them in his Chariot but more admirable is it to see a King so to moderate the fiery natures of men that they are pliant to his Soveraign authority and he can mak them draw the Chariot of his legal commands Is not this marvellous what is a King to rule a whole Nation He is but a Man to a multitude Who knows how the bones grow in the womb so who knows how the various humours of a Land are by the wisdome and power of one man kept in good order The regular motions of the heavens are beyond apprehension so are the ordinate motions in a Kingdome doubtlesse God must highly inspire the heart of the Prince and encline the hearts of the people to keep them in this sweet composure He must be a rare Prince to keep such an Instrument in tune and a choice Physitian that could preserve such a Body in a due crasis Have I conceived all this people or begotten them that thou shouldest say unto me carry them in thy bosome as a Nurse beareth her sucking child Numb 11.12 It is much that a Nurse should have breasts enough for such a numerous company A Prince might say with Moses I am not able to bear all this people it is a burthen too heavy for mee Numb 11.14 He had need have shoulders as strong as those of Atlas which should bear such a weight Oh therefore pray for thy Prince and obey thy Prince dishonour not his person disturbe not his Government for as Solomon said Who is able to Iudge this mighty people 1 Kings 3.9 A mighty people a mighty charge he had need be a person of high perfections and ye of due subjection where such a trust should be discharged Fie then upon the Male-content shame to the Mutineer the King hath enough to doe to keep the obedient constant in duty what then should he be molested to quel the stubborn and obstinate he hath forraign dangers enough to prevent he had not need have domestick jarres to pacify That heart is arrogant and that head pragmatical that doth consult and contrive variances and grievances against his Prince wearied with State-cares Away therefore ye turbulent and seditious spirits ye deserve not the eyes in your heads to look upon a King nor feet upon your bodies to walk through his Territories nor your necks upon your shoulders to carry them unshaken under his Government which are carping traducing and perhaps ready for challenging and fighting to disturbe the reign of a just Prince How shall he Govern the quarrelling when it is an hard thing to rule or to keep in rule the peaceable Remember that Government is a wonder A King is but one to all a particular Man But by a man 3. Thirdly This doth serve to exhort persons to bear with the infirmities of a Prince he is but a Man wouldst thou have him without Mans frailties Art thou so is any man here so since the fall was there ever man so no Who can say my heart is clean I am clean from sin Who can bring a clean thing out of filthinesse In many things we offend all surely there is not a just man upon earth that doth good and sinneth not Eccles 7.22 Guilts are general and Horat. Optimus ille qui minimis urgetur He is the best man which hath the fewest to account for quantum noxae sit ubique repertum Ovid. How much disobedience is there to be found every where To hold thy self pure and thy Prince impure this is to be just overmuch to condemne that in thy Prince which thou canst not excuse in thy self this is to be wicked overmuch It is a shame Cum tua pervideas oculis mala lippus inunctis Horat. When thou art purblind in discerning thine own faults and Eagle-eyed in prying into thy Soveraignes errours Take thine own indictment out of the Court before thou dost arraigne him cleanse away thine own Leprosy before thou dost exclaime or declaime against his biles Thou canst not passe sentence upon him till thou hast said to thine own conscience with that worthy Iudge Annon ego talis Am not I such an one Nay art thou not worse and superiour in wickednesse yet how common a thing is it to see people inquisitive into Princes faylings and to riddle their lives and to dissect their conversations when they their selves are by many degrees more culpable how light soever they be in the balance the Prince must have down weight and want nothing of his graines If a Prince miscarry in any thing it is the Bruit of the Kingdome the discourse of every Lackey and Fripperyman Councel-chambers will cry out of it as if every States-man-were an Aristides and Pulpits will not be silent as if every Preacher were an Enoch Yea some there are so rancorous and venemous that if they can discover no Crime they will create some Sincerum vas incrustare crack the sound vessel raise a false report slander the footsteps
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