The Christian Governor in the Commonwealth and Private Families, Exposition 1 · Part 18
Vers. 6.Mine eyes shall be to the Faithfull of the land, &c.
THe Prophet in this verse sheweth what kinde of persons he will make speciall choyse of, to vse in his gouernment, and to hauehave in his seruice. And they be the faithfull of the Land; not the great men, but the good men of the Kingdome. And that wee may know what hee meaneth by faithfull men, hee (therefore) addeth; they that walke in the perfect way; to wit, of the word, as wee heard before out of the second verse. Not that fulfill the perfect way and sinne not; for there are none such, Pro. 20.9. 1 Iob. 1.8. Eccles. 7.22. but that walke in it, though with slippes. So the Scriptures call those vpright; that is, faithfull men, not who are altogether free from sinne, and indued with righteousnes, but that are voyd of hypocrisie, and fraught with truth, Luk. 1.6. 2 Chron. 15.17. compared with Chapter. 16.2.3.10, 12. Two things (then) are propounded in this verse: As how the Prophet will choose the Seruants of his house, and Ministers of the State; and how hee will vse them being chosen. For the manner of choosing them, hee sayth, his eyes shall be toward them, eyther to hearken after them, or to giuegive grace vntounto them. And for his kinde manner of vsing them, it is expressed where hee sayth that they shall dwell with him; to wit, in the house, and that they shall serue him in the affayres of the Kingdome. In the manner of his choyse, he promiseth to giuegive diligence, and to vse care for the hauing of good Seruants in the Court and Common-wealth: for he sayth, in effect, that hee will seeke them, and enquire after them, as such Iewels are worthie, and employ his eyes ouer the whole Land, till he finde them.
Now, from so good an example in a King, eyther already placed, or shortly to be placed, great Magistrates and good Masters may learne how to get good Officers neere them,Doct. 1. and to hauehave good Seruants about them. They must choose them with wisedome and good discretion, and not take the next at hand: and though they would hide themselues among the stuffe, as did Saul, they must seeke them, and from thence fetch them, 1 Sam. 10.22.23. Abraham made a good choyse, and had good Seruants, Gen. 14.14. & 24.12.13.14.33.34. And it could neuer hauehave beene saide of Cornelius, that he feared God, with all his house, Act. 10.2. if he had not regarded what manner Seruants and kinde of people he had entertained in his house. And did not Dauid, when he gaue a charge to Salomon his sonne, concerning certaine euill Seruants, to proceede against them, 1 King. 2.5.8. giuegive a contrarie charge concerning good Men, and good Seruants, to make much of them? to wage them? to shew kindnes vntounto them? vers. 7. And did not Rehoboam loose as much by euill Counsellers, 1 King. 12.9.10. 14. as euer King gat by good?
The Reasons.
They that seeke shall finde: it is spoken of our Christian-seeking by prayer, and Christian diligence in good things, Mat. 7.7. So they who choose good Seruants with wisedome, and vse them with consci…nce, shall hauehave them. But they must vse diligence to get such; and hauing them, hauehave care to vse them wel. Secondly, a good man will make choyse of his company which he vseth seldome; and shall he be carelesse of the Familie which hee must vse daily? Thirdly, hee that hopes for benefit by his Orchyard, will not runne to eueryevery hedge to fet Grafts from it, but will prouide himselfe of the best Grafts and Sciences to make Trees of them, and to plant them in his Orchyard: Will a man care thus for his Orchyard, what good Plants hee doth set in it? and in the planting of his Familie, will hee be carelesse what Seruants and Officers he doth bring into it? If such complaine of vntrusty Seruants and euill Ministers, whom can they blame but themselues? for doe men gather Grapes of Thornes? Mat. 7.16. and can we from a wilde hedge of vnruly people fet the Graffes & Sciences of good Officers and good Seruants in a Familie? or should we not set them from the Trees of righteousnes in well gouerned houses? Hee that setteth Thornes, and Bryers, and Brambles in his ground, must not wonder if it beare Hips, and Hawes, and Sloes: and is it maruell that they who plant their houses with vnfaithfull people; should hauehave vnfaithfull Seruants? and who care not to choose the good, should light vponupon the bad?
Vses.
Vse. 1.A reproofe to those Masters that hauehave no regard of grace and Religion in the Seruants which they receiue into couenant but inquire onelyonly what wages they will take, and what worke they can doe; where, if they can doe sufficient worke, and will take reasonable wages, they seeke no farther: be they Papists, Atheists, Drunkards, abhominable Swearers and Swaggerers, the worst in a Countrey, they will receiue them: though they be vnfaithfull to God, if they will be faithfull to them (which they shall seldome see;) and though they walke ill, if they worke well, they will sooner put Christ away, then such. Here (also) those great Men are reproued, who take so little care to prouide themselues of good followers: for though they be good themselues, yet if they whom they trust in matters, be not good, or if they be not trustie bearers, vvhom they send abroad as Messengers of their good edge to many; their goodnesse is but to themselues, and they to whom they wish it, are neuer the better for it. If then (Christian Lord) you would hauehave your credit and true honour communicated, you must see that they be faithfull, whom you put in place about you. For, euill officers about great persons, as Iuie, clasping to the Tree about which it groweth, eate out the heart of their Honour, and discredit them with the people, of whom they should be honoured. And, though their cisternes were full of honourable courtesies, able to refresh a multitude of wearie soules, yet should but a few drinke of their fountaines, the passages being stopt with earth, or with the corrupt mindes of men, as vile as earth. Therefore, as you louelove your honour, when you finde such Wormes and Cankers of true Nobilitie about you, abandon them.
But,Vse. 2. must godly Gouernours be so carefull to chuse religious persons, whom they must admit to seruice and places about them? then it is their dutie to call vponupon those whom they keepe in their seruice, for duties of religion, and the seruice of God. The law is plaine in this, Exod. 20.10; where it is required, not onelyonly that the Masters themselues, but that the Masters & their Seruants should enter together into the house of God to keepe his Sabbaths, and to doe him seruice in the face of the assembly. And it is great reason that men should be as carefull of Gods worke, as they are of their owne worke: and, if they will not keepe one that is not true vntounto them, no reason that they should be Masters of one that is vnfaithfull to God. The Queene of the South, she & her seruants came together to Salomon, to heare his wisedome. 1 King. 10.1.2. How (then) will it he answered, if Masters in Christian Israel shal refuse to bring, not from the furthest parts of the earth, but from their houses at hand, not to Salomon, whose wisedome was mortall and limited, but to the true Salomon, Iesus Christ, in whom is all wisedome, and treasures of knowledge without measure. Colos. 2.3. and not Heathen Seruants, but Christians, bound in like bonds as their Masters are of promise in their baptisme, to forsake the Deuill and all his workes: I say, if such Masters shal refuse to bring (comming themselues) such Seruants to such a Salomon to be taught of him, what will they answere to him, who hath bought their soules as deere as theirs, when in wrath he shall bring them to iudgement, and in that great iudgement make them to answere, not for themselues onelyonly, but for all these, and for the poorest Kitchen-boy, among those whom they shall wilfully suffer to perish, by not caring to bring him, or to make him come to the waters of life, drawne out of the Welles of saluation, that he may liue for euer? Many complaine of bad Seruants. But doe they, who make the complaint, consider that the greatest fault is in themselues, as because their choise was naught, and their gouernment as bad after they had chosen. You hauehave taken heere a briar, and there a bramble, and thorne, and set them in your Orchyard, and doe you complaine of a bad Orchyard, and that you hauehave neither Apples, nor Peares, nor Plummes as others hauehave? So, you would hauehave a good family, when your care is not to graft it with good Seruants? For, hauehave you cared to make your Seruants, the Seruants of God, that they might be good Seruants to you? HaueHave you set them about Gods worke, on his day, as you are carefull to set them about your owne worke on other dayes? Abraham did so, and had good Seruants, and they that would hauehave good Seruants as Abraham had, must be good Masters, such as Abraham was.
Now the persons whom the Prophet would make choise of, to be in his Court, and to serue in the Kingdome, are called the faithfull of the Land. And, that wee may (further) know what these are, he calleth them such as walke in the perfect way, that is, as walke in the way of Gods word, with purpose of heart, though imperfectly. He saith not, they that are perfect in the way, but they that walke in the perfect way, though (sometimes) they may trip as they goe, yea stumble and fall. From whence it is plaine, that there is no state of perfection here.
Doct. 2.But the point and thing that I obserue is: they that are to be imployed in a publike State or priuate house, must be men of conscience and religion, fearing God. Because Princes and great persons cannot doe all themselues, but must hauehave some to deale for them, and vnderunder them; therefore Iethro his counsell to Moses, was to prouide some among all the people, whom he might appoint to be Rulers ouer thousands, rulers ouer hundreds, rulers ouer fifties, and rulers ouer tennes; by whose eyes he might see, by whose eares he might heare, and by whose hands he might minister in smaller causes. But what kinde of persons must these be? they must be men of courage, fearing God, Exod. 18.21. that is, men of conscience, hauing religion, and not Papists in affection, or Atheists in life. Iosiah was Gods King; God looked toward him: and he was a most religious and zealous King. Hee feared God betimes, and twice in his time, reformed religion, the first reformation, not being perfect enough, 2 Chron. 34.3.4.8. The King must not be a child: Eccles. 10.16; that is, they must not stand in neede of a Ruler that should rule others, nor be ignorant of GOD, that should make others to know him. For, a fit Ruler is the childe of Nobilitie, that is, of vertue; and they that will rule fitly, must be truly noble, that is, vertuous, vers. 17. Also, the pleasure of a King is toward a wise seruant. Prou. 14.35. Then, they that serue must be wise, and whom wee take into ser-godly. For, when the vnworthie are put in authoritie, and the worthie are kept out; what is it but to set folly in great excellencie, and the rich, that is, such as are truly rich and sufficiently wise, in a low place? Eccles. 10.6.
The reasons.
EueryEvery officer, though neuer so meane in place, and low in degree, ought to punish wickednesse and reward vertue, that is, ought (to his power) to reward it. But, who will suppresse sinne in others, who fauoureth it in himselfe? and vphold godlinesse in the life of another, who abhorres it in his owne? Secondly, it is a ioy to the people when the righteous are in authoritie, as they (contrarily) lament when the wicked beare rule. Prou. 29.2. Thirdly, though eueryevery officer hauehave not a Throne to sit in, yet the lowest ruling-officer, is Gods officer, or the Kings officer in Gods place; and therefore ought to carie Gods image, and to resemble Gods Maiestie; which they cannot doe who are not zealous of true religion, and friendly to such as feare him. Besides, when Magistrates become great offenders, they doe (what lieth in them) to make others beleeue that the Almightie is so, Fourthly, they who truely feare God, will honour those that God hath set ouer them, and be faithfull in the things which their Masters commit vntounto them, as in the examples of Iacob and Ioseph. Gen. 29.30. & 39. Chapters. For, all obedience and faithfulnesse floweth from the first Table, and hath his Spring head there. Lastly, as a good seruant opens many doores to God, blessing: so bee that opens his doore to an euill seruant, and when he should send him out of his house, makes much of him in his house, though a swearer, drinker, liar, swaggerer, &c. let him know that the curse of God will follow that house, and the vnfaithfulnesse of Seruants plague that house-keeper.
Vses.
Vse. 1.A terrour to irreligious persons. For, if they would serue, none may receiue them, and if they desire to be in office, none may employ them. None may open his doores to a wicked seruant, who would not open them to his hinderance and the curse of God. And, to set vp the vngodly, is to pull downe the godly, which none may doe. Besides, euerie good Man is bound to cast off a prophane wretch as a sorie curre-dogge; and who (that is professedly impious) can looke for countenance, or hope to get seruice in a well ordered State?
Vse. 2.An instruction to Nobilitie, to adde to their great parentage and worldly birth, the grace of faithfulnesse and feare of God, that they may be fit for great employments. For, if Noble-men be not wise, Princes must make wise men, Noble. Though a man be neuer so worthie by birth, if hee be not so by grace, hee doth forfait, in the sight of God and account of all prudent Monarches, all his other estimation that springeth out of the earth, and standeth onelyonly vponupon the clay-feete of pedigree and auncestors. Dan. 2.33. Therefore, true Nobilitie (Christian Lord) must not dwell solitarie, but combine it selfe in fellowship with true and sincere religion. The girdle of it must be faithfulnesse, and it must hauehave more then that which is fet from the Golgotha of corruption. It must honour God, that it may be honoured of God with euerlasting honour. It must walke in the perfect way of truth and grace, that it may hauehave grace and fauour with God and man. And it must submit to the Gospell, that good men may submit to it, and good Princes may employ it.
An admonition to all those who are publikely vsed in the businesse of iustice, Vse. 3.to be men of religion and conscience, that Gods seate be not made a seate, or rather graue of wickednesse; and their Soueraignes trust, nay oath, (left in their hand) a strong fore-horse to corruption, being made vile by abuse, and intolerable by executing no iudgement in the gate. But this hath bin spoken of.
A like admonition to Seruants to ioyne the seruice of God with their Masters seruice, that their labours may prosper, and their hand may not be emptie in the house. For, much good commeth in by a godly Seruant, as (on the contrarie) much goeth out at the backe-gate of one that is vngodly and prophane, Couetous Masters, who onelyonly minde their worldly aduantage, which they seeke to make fertile with their Seruants blood, count it no gaine but losse, that their Seruants so much feare God, and so desire to doe him reuerence vponupon his Sabbaths. But Christian Masters should enquire after such onelyonly, and receiue them into wages; couenanting with them at their admission, that they doe Gods worke, and in the Lord, their worke. That they serue GOD, if they will serue them, and be religious in Gods house, if they looke to hauehave countenance in theirs. And for those who thinke religion an enemie to lawfull gaine, let them know that all their encrease, gotten vvith the breach or neglect of that gaine which is according to godlinesse, cannot be called the Lords encrease, but our owne getting, or his gift who said to Christ; All these will I giuegive thee, if thou wilt fall downe and worship me. Matth. 4.9. What lost Obed-Edom by making his house the Tabernacle of the Lords Arke? 2 Sam. 6.12. His house fared much better for receiuing so honourable a stranger into it. I say further (that their condemnation may be iust, vvho thinke Religion to be an enemie to godly gaine) that true Religion is that onelyonly that maketh a Seruant to make conscience of his Masters thrift, and that the readiest way to thriue indeede, is to get and keepe good, that is, religious Seruants. And, to put them out of doubt that to hauehave, and to make much of religious Seruants, is not any losse, but the comfortablest Christian aduantage that may be, let them but remember how the Lord blessed the houses of Laban the Aramite, and Potiphar the Egiptian, for Iacob and Iosephs sakes. Gen. 30.30. & 39.3: So much for the Prophets choise of good men and faithfull, his manner of vsing them, followeth.