compass; men that plow lies, as Siracides speaks; ( Ecclesiasticus vii. 13) that are artificers at it, and teach it their tongues; (Jer. ix. 5) that lay nets and contrive injury with cunning; (Jer. v. 26) that use all the art that may be, as Tully boasted of himself, to cast a mist before the eyes of the judges. In this case, innocence may quickly suffer injury, except the shields be guided by a curious and perspicuous eye. Therefore statesmen and ministers of justice amongst the Persians, were called "The eyes of the king," by whom he did dispense the affairs of the kingdom with wisdom and righteousness. In this point, God is very strict in his charge to the judges of Israel, not to huddle or slubber business over with a half hearing; but to inquire, and make search, and ask diligently, and find out the truth and certainty of a thing, before they proceed to sentence.

с

b

It were good to remember you of one thing more before we leave this point; it will preserve you humble, upright, and merciful; and that is this: As you are scuta terræ,' so you are scuta terrea' too: shields of the earth, but yet shields of earth. Nothing better in the war to deaden the cannon than a mound of earth; but yet it will moulder and decay of itself. The gods of the earth must die like men; (Psalm lxxxii) the kings of the earth must vanish like foam upon the waters; (Hosea x. 7) and when they are gone from their own tribunals, they must appear before a greater.

I will now beg but one inch of your time and patience more, to remember you of our third particular, "exaltatus est." Never better can the trumpet sound, or the people say Amen to any thing than to that, "When the rulers of the earth do belong to God;" do submit their crowns and consciences to his kingdom; do countenance, restore, and advance his truth and worship; when they are shields, to administer justice, and protect the land; then never more, "Vehementer exaltatus est," is the God of Israel highly exalted. When the rulers and princes that rid on white asses, sat in judgement, and offered willingly to the Lord, "Then praise ye the Lord; bless ye the Lord. Awake, awake, Deborah; rise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive.” (Judges

a Psalm 1. 19. xciv. 20. Job xiii. 4. lib. 1. p. 125, 126.

Brisson. de Regno Persarum,

c Deut. xiii. 14, 17, and ii. 19, 17.

v. 2, 8) When David and his nobles offered willingly to the House of the Lord; then, "Vehementer exaltatus," "Thine, O Lord, is glory, and victory, and majesty, and thou art exalted as head above all." (Chron. xxix. 6, 11) When kings stand up, and princes worship, because of the Lord," Then sing, O heaven, and rejoice, O earth, and break forth into singing, O ye mountains.” (Isa. xlix. 7, 13) When the kings of Tarshish and the isles offer gifts, and fall down before him, "Then let all the world be filled with his glory, amen, and amen." (Psalm 1xxii. 10, 19) As, on the other side, when it came to this, "Edificantes reprobarunt;" and do any of the rulers believe on him;" (John vii. 48) when it came to Herod's 'illusit,' to Caiaphas'' expedit,' to Pilate's 'tradit,' that they gathered together, not unto him, but against him; (Acts iv. 26) then I confess there was an 'exaltatus' still, but like that of the brazen serpent, (John iii. 14) on a pole, not on a throne; and we know what a few years after produced, even wrath to the uttermost. Consult the prophecies of it, Matth. xxiv.; or the story of it in a Josephus and Hegesippus; you shall find that there never was sorrow like the sorrow of that nation, who made their Messiah a man of sorrow.

e

If I should be asked the reason of that long, uninterrupted, and most blessed tranquillity which these our kingdoms have, to the envy and astonishment of other nations, so long enjoyed,-when our neighbours (doubtless as good as we; for we are a repining and unthankful people) have had their land fatted with the blood, and dunged with the carcases of its own inhabitants; next to the most free and most wonderful favour of our good God, other reason I would not allege but this," Principes populi congregati sunt ad Deum Abraam:" our gracious princes, our wholesome laws, our Josiah, our Deborah, our David, our Solomon, have supported and maintained the throne of Christ, and the faith of the gospel: our nobles, and worthies of church and state, have in their assemblies offered willingly, and made mounds about the worship and house of God, to establish it in the beauty of holiness and of peace; and therefore the Lord hath been the shields

d Joseph. de Bello Judaico, li. 6, 7. lib. 5.

• Hegesip. de Excidio Hierosolym.

of our nation, because the shields of our nation have belonged unto the Lord."

And now what remains, but that we the people praise the Lord for these mercies past: and make prayers and supplications for the shields of the earth, that, under them, still we may lead a holy and peaceable life, and the God of Abraham may be still exalted. And that you, the reverend ministers of justice (who go about ad inquirendum fermentum,' to search and purge out the leaven, and to make up the breaches of the land) may be so zealous for God, so faithful to our sovereign, so valiant for the truth, so wise, righteous, and merciful in judgement, that the eye which seeth you, may bless you, and the ear which heareth you, may give witness to you; that all the people may see that the wisdom of God is. in you to do judgement, and may return from your tribunals with songs of shouting. The shields of our country' have shewed themselves to belong to God; and therefore, 'vehementer exaltetur,' let him, in the mouths and hearts of all good people, be highly magnified and exalted still.

The God of all grace and consolation grant these mercies to you and us; be a shield to protect you, a sun to guide you, an exceeding great reward to comfort and honour you, in all your counsels, judgements, journeys, and returns.

To this one God, in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be all glory, praise, majesty, and dominion, now and for evermore. Amen.

SERMON

TOUCHING THE

PEACE AND EDIFICATION

OF THE

CHURCH.

Preached at the second Triennial Visitation of the Right Reverend Father in God, Francis Lord Bishop of Peterborough, at Daventry in Northamptonshire, July 12, 1673.

ROM. XIV. 19.

Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

EVERY gift of God, by how much the more excellent it is in itself, by so much the more, through the subtilty and malice of Satan, it is subject unto abuse; and as the wisdom of God doth order evil things unto good, so the cunning of sin doth pervert the best things unto evil, and turn the very grace of God into wantonness.

Christ's coming was to set prisoners at liberty, Isại. Ixi. i. and of all other, this of Christian liberty is one of the choicest jewels, with the custody whereof he hath entrusted his church.

This liberty is twofold, either from bondage spiritual under sin and Satan, or from bondage carnal under the ceremonies of the Mosaical law, which, in opposition to the royal and perfect law of liberty, is called an intolerable yoke, and commandments which were not good.

Two sorts of men there were, who, professing the reli

a James i. 25, and ii. 8. Irena. 1. 4. cap. 29.

b Acts xv. 10.

Ezek. xx. 25. Vid.

gion of Christ, did yet, through the subtilty of Satan, stumble at this liberty. Some were false brethren, who dogmatically taught against it; and to these the apostled would not give place for an hour. Others were weak brethren, who in their consciences were not persuaded of this liberty, and were offended at the use of it in those whose faith was better settled. With respect to these, the apostle in this chapter states the difference then depending in the Church; so that neither the knowledge of the one might breed scorn of those who were doubtful, as weak; nor the scruples of the other breed censure of those who were free, as wicked; wherein premising a most wise and pious maxim, that weak Christians ought to be plied and cherished in the main matters of religion, and not perplexed with impertinent disputations; and then giving directions to both sides touching their mutual behaviour towards each other, he proceedeth to state the question itself.

For the ground whereof, he layeth an excellent distinction. touching things indifferent, which may be considered either per se,' alone by themselves: and so he states the question for the strong, verse 14; or in ordine ad aliud,' with respect to some other thing, and so he giveth these three

rules.

1. In order to the weak so liberty must give place to charity; I must rather restrain myself, than scandalize and hazard the safety of my brother. ver. 13, 15.

2. In order to the doctrines of the gospel. So fundamentals, wherein the kingdom of God doth stand, are to take place of such, "in quibus non vertitur salus Ecclesiæ;" which therefore, however to be strongly vindicated against malicious corrupters, are yet not to be unseasonably obtruded upon tender consciences, otherwise agreeing in the substantial grounds of righteousness and peace, ver. 16, 17, 18.

3. In order to the church of God. And so the peace and edification of that is to be preferred before the rigorous and stiff asserting of our own private liberty: for the edification. of the church is God's work; and we ought not, by imprudent and immoderate pertinacy in smaller things, to disturb or hazard the work which God hath set us to do.

d Gal. ii. 4. 5.