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A40880 The magistrates concern in Christ's kingdom a sermon preached at the assizes at Winchester, July 14, 1697 / by Roger Farbrother, Vicar of Holy-Rhoods in Southampton. Farbrother, Roger. 1698 (1698) Wing F421; ESTC R36415 15,012 37

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THE MAGISTRATES Concern in Christ's Kingdom A SERMON Preached at the Assizes at Winchester July 14. 1697. By ROGER FARBROTHER Vicar of Holy-Rhoods in Southampton LONDON Printed for William Keblewhite at the Swan in St. Paul's Church-yard M DC XC VIII To the Worshipful Alexander Alchorne Esquire High Sheriff of Hampshire SIR IT was at Your Desire that this Discourse was prepared it appeared at the Assizes with Your Approbation and now at length in publick by Your Command It 's aim is to make the Magistrates Duty Christian by laying before him the Relation he bears to the great Mediatorial King the Honourable Trust he is advanced to in his Houshold what Service he owes his Church and is capable of doing for her in which consists the great Dignity of his Office and without which it would remain Heathen still And how weak soever the performance may be or how unfit for the Press for which you are answerable who have promoted the Publication and carried it beyond its Design yet the Foundation I doubt not will prove good and this weak Essay if it can attain no further may at least provoke some abler hand to set this seasonable Truth in a better Light whereby some good may accrue to the Publick herein which by whomsoever conveyed will be highly acceptable I know to You and to all the True Sons of the Church of England particularly to SIR Your Most Faithful and Humble Servant R. Farbrother PSAL. II. XII Kiss the Son lest he be angry and ye perish from the way THE Psalmist here whether by extatick rapture or by the softer Whispers and Inspirations of the Holy Spirit more common to him was favour'd with a prospect of the Messiah's Kingdom of its Rise and Power A Kingdom which should be the delight of all Mankind as well as the Glory of their Maker who would erect it Over which the Infinite Father would set his equally Infinite Son who was qualify'd for a perfect Government and to enrich all Mankind from his own Bounty and Fulness and in the emanations of which God would erect to himself brighter Trophies of Glory and address more powerfully to the love and admiration of all rational and intelligent Beings than he had done in that great Work of Creation One thing there was in this great Work which shews it to be more than Humane a thing so unlikely in reason to come to pass that it could never have entred into the Prophets thoughts had not some Being of higher rank and greater foresight discovered it which might have tempted the Prophet to and almost have excus'd him in the disbelief of the whole Scene And which may seem so strange to us that did not our times produce instances of it more than enough we should hardly believe those Histories that did relate it viz. That when God would erect a Kingdom so glorious and so great redounding every way to the Honour and Advantage of Mankind would repair our corrupted Nature and miserable State make us a gracious tender of all the Happiness both of this and of a future Life and this by the Wise and Gracious Government of his own Infinite Son who first should signifie his love by such a surprising instance as to lay down his worthier Life a ransom for ours by whom also the Father would give us a most perfect Law and make us proposals of the greatest good That yet this Kingdom of his Son erected for these gracious purposes should find violent opposition from Men and that not only the ruder People but their Governours also should conspire against it and with attempts as furious as they were unreasonable and vain oppose the Omnipotent Hand and ward off the offered Mercy That God should be so careful to do Man the greatest Good and Man should be as diligent to frustrate and prevent it This tho' by our constant experience it is become familiar to us yet as it betrays the overgrown corruption of our State so to any Man that has a competent sense of those Mercies which the Father tenders to all Mankind in the erection of this Kingdom of his Son it may justly seem a wonder With admiration at this folly and ingratitude David begins this Psalm Why do the Heathen rage and the People imagine a vain thing The Kings of the Earth set themselves and the Rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his Anointed saying let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us Whilst yet these cords were only the cords of love of a love stronger than death free and generous and the Glory of its Infinite Author And these Bands were the wholsome Laws of the Gospel just and reasonable such as the Magistrate needed not to be jealous of nor the People uneasie under admirably adapted to our Nature and Condition to make us happy here and to dispose and fit us for that complete felicity hereafter to bring us to which was the great end for which this holy Oeconomy and Spiritual Kingdom was erected Wherefore the Psalmist to let them know how vain and dangerous this their opposition would be tells them that this promised King was the only Son of the High and Great Creator whose Scepter as it was right so it was Divine too would extend its Dominion over all Nations and break in pieces all that should oppose it And because he foresaw that this opposition would chiefly be formed by Princes and Magistrates therefore he addresses to them to perswade them as a consequence of all this to pay a voluntary Homage and loving submission to this great Prince to promote his Government and to seek his favour Kiss the Son lest he be angry and ye perish from the way Before I come to form my Exhortation it may be necessary and I shall do it briefly first to explain the terms and to shew who are the Persons spoken to who this Son or the Person spoken of what it is to kiss the Son and what is meant by perishing from the way 1. Who the Persons here exhorted are appears from v. 10. Be wise now O ye Kings be instructed ye Judges of the Earth serve the Lord with fear and rejoyce with trembling Kiss the Son c. Answerable to that v. 2. The Kings of the Earth set themselves and the Rulers take counsel together which we find apply'd Act. 4. to Herod and Pontius Pilate the Rulers of the Jews the Elders and Scribes whilst they were forming their several Oppositions and Persecutions against Christ and his Apostles So that by Kings and Rulers in the second v. that oppos'd this Messias and his Kingdom by Kings and Judges in the 10th v. that are exhorted to a better carriage to submit to this Government and to kiss the Son are meant Magistrates of all ranks not only Kings the Supreme but all subordinate Magistrates also to which is committed in any degree the execution of the Laws 2ly Who this Son is The ancient Jews