Good Rulers a Choice Blessing

THAT James Wadsworth and John Hooker, Esqrs. Return the Thanks of this Assembly, to the Reverend Mr. Azariah Mather of Saybrook for his Sermon Preach'd before this Assembly at Hartford, on the 13th of May Instant; and Desire that he give a Copy thereof that it may be Printed.

Hez. Wyllys Secr.

p. 1An Election-SERMON.

ECCLESIASTES X. 17.

Blessed art thou, O Land, when thy King is the Son of Nobles, and th◊ Princes Eat in due Season, for Strength, and not for Drunkenness.

SOLOMON the Wise (as the Learned well observe) in the former part of our Context, is instructing Subjects with their Duty toward Rulers, Which Duty he urges upon them with many excellent Motives and Arguments to enforce their Loyalty & Obedience; and left Rulers from what he had said concerning the Obedience of the Subject, shou'd take occasion to abuse their Power, lest they shou'd think themselves Priviledged ones to do as they list, & become Arbitrary & Despotick: He therefore brings in a Caveat, and inserts an Admonition and puts them in mind that as Subjects may not Rebel against lawful Authority (and indeed p. 2there is no other Authority but such; there's great difference between Potentia & Potestas, Dunam◊s & Exousia) so neither may Rulers bec◊me Licentious, Unjust, and Tyrannize over the Subject: Which Caution and Admonition is included in a declaration of that Dependence which is mutual between Subjects and Rulers, in regard of the good or ill State of the Common Wealth. Rulers can't be either good or bad to themselves, but the Subjects must share in either Felicity or Misery, under them in their Administrations.

1. The Miseries of a People is briefly hinted in ver. 16. Wo to thee, ◊ Land Wo is the◊e denounced in general terms; for who, alas, can give a detail of the Mischiefs that attend a bad Government? Ill Government arising from ill Governours and Rulers, Supreme and Subordinate.

(1) Supreme; in that Clause, When thy King is a Child; Not so much in Years & Age, as Vertue, Wisdom and Understanding, Goodness and Ability.

(2) Subordinate Rulers, called Princes; a Second degree, including all lower & inferior Ranks and Orders: whose fault as a ground of the Subjects Misery is mentioned, where one or two instances implies many: Intemperance, a careless Negligence & Slothfulness, ver. 16. Spending their time in Feasting & Carowzing; p. 3indulging the Flesh when they should be Sitting in the Gates and upon the Service of the Subject, or preparing therefor, or in other necessary Business p. 32. We have intimation of the Happiness of a People under the Regimen & Government of good Rulers. Blessed art thou, O Land, &c. And here the goodness of such Rulers is mentioned; and one particular is Synecdochally put for many, as Pemble observes.

(1) When the Supreme Ruler the King, Rules well; is the Son of Nobles: The meaning an't of Nobility of Birth and Extract, or Nobility in Blood mainly and principally, at least, 1 King. 3. 7. But 'tis meant of Policy, Piety and Prudence

(2) As to Inferior Rulers, their goodness is set forth by their Prudence, Temperance, Care and Caution; who are men governed in all their Actions, Conversations and Administrations, by good & right Ends. That's the scope & meaning of that Phrase, of their Eating in due season, for strength and not for drunkenness; i. e. to fit and prepare them for the discharge of their Duty: Which makes way for this Doctrine or Proposition.

DOCT. Good Rulers in a Common-Wealth, will be a great Blessing to a People.

p. 4This Truth contains the Sum & Substance of our Text; and shall be Prosecuted in this Method, We shall Essay to shew;

1. What are the Qualifications of these Rulers who are like to prove Blessings to a People, and stiled Good Rulers.

2. The Reasons and Evidences of the Truth.

3. The Use and Improvement.

As for the Character, Properties and Qualifications of such a Ruler, p. 41. A good Ruler must be a good man. Such is the Connexion between Piety & Christian Policy, that a man must be a GOOD man, in order to his being a Good Ruler; a Consciencious man, one that fears God, that walks with the fear of God before his Eyes. This is agreeable to what we have in God's Word; Exod. 18. 21. Thou shalt provide such as fear God, and place such to be Rulers. So Deut. 17. 14, 15. particularly ver. 19. which tho' spoken with express reference to Supreme Rulers, yet not exclusive of Inferior and Subordinate Officers. We read 2 Sam. 23. 3▪ He that ruleth over men must be Just, Ruling in the fear of God, Civil Rulers are to p. 5be Custodes V ◊ri◊s◊ue Tabulae, Keepers of both Tables of the Law. Rulers in a Christian-Common-wealth have a Sacred Dep◊situm put into their hands. And as we have all reason in the world to fear, that men whose Biass is not Grace, will do no great Service for God & Religion, so likewise that they will do a great deal of Mischief. If great men be good men, their goodness makes their greatness Honourable▪ but if they are bad men, their greatness makes their badness but the more Shameful & Dangerous. And Famous Bolton writing to a great man, tells him out of Nazianzen That never any man void of the true fear of God, can possibly be cordially and conscionably Serviceable to men on Earth; and much more to the same purpose says that Man. Such men are acted by Self-love, and governed by Self-interest at best: Seek to serve themselves, and oft want nothing but an Opportunity & Temptation to throw off the Mask; as is too often seen in Magistrates & Ministers of the Gospel too. Such men are unfit & unworthy to Rule over the Lord's People, who are unwilling to be Ruled by God himself. We read, Psal. 82.6. …