A Looking Glass for Princes and Peoples Delivered, Book 1 · Part 3 · Part 3
Of the subject of Governement: Gods people: Thy people: the Poore.
BVt whom shall the King iudge? Thy people: a peopleDavids subjects are Gods people. gathered in a Societie; and by Gods providence subiected vntounto him: And thy people, even the Church of God for the time, and his choyse of mankind: Hee had blessed them with true Religion, and the meanes of grace, to incline them to righteousnesse amongst themselues, and yet for all this they hauehave neede of civill Governement. The best man hath some remanent Corruption, and in the best particular Churches are some who hauehave not the power of Religion, nor are disposed for righteousnes
Herein appeareth mans vnrulines: Gods mercy supplying Man most vnrulie of all creatures.it with Governement: And the happinesse of such Kings as rule the people of God: This is mans vnrulinesse that though hee bee reasonable, and of one stocke in Adam, and of one condition in sinne, (which should make him to louelove his Neighbour) yet wee are most vnreasonable and inhumane to other: Neither the bands of common nature, nor common miserie, no not of Religion can make vsus liue in righteousnesse. It was truelie said, That the necessitis of many Physitians in a Citie argued great intemperance in a people: So the necessity of Magistrates argueth great vnrighteousnes amōgst men. If we had stood in Innocency as wee were created, wee had beene to others as harmelesse Lambes and gallesse Doues; our pure minde tooke light of God fully; our Will followed that Light freelie, and our Affections and the whole man went one way to obey him: But by our fall that furnishing is lost, and that harmonie broken; our mynde taketh not Gods Light, our will and affections miscarie the whole man violently; wee breake to God, and so cannot doe a duety to man.
That fansie of some Schoole-men of a meere and pure No pure and meere Nature.Nature is a pernitious errour, that ignorance and concupiscence were the conditions of that Nature, and that man in his first estate would hauehave beene caried to the desire of sinfull things: This obseureth the integritie of our creation, the miserie of our fall, and Gods merciemercy restoring vsus: In our innocencie we had no disposition to sin; our originall righteousnesse was a sweete applying of everie power in vsus to another, and all of them to God. But now beeing voyde of that originall iustice, and full of iniquitie, weePsal. 49. are like vnreasonable creatures. Man is in honour, and vnderstandeth not, hee is like a beast that perisheth: As the greater Beastes devour the smaller, and ravening fowles prey vponupon the weaker, and greater fishes eat vp the lesser: So everie man as hee hath a gift aboue his Neighbours vseth it to their hurt: The wise man turneth his wisedome to intrappe the simple; the mightie man his power to oppresse the weaker; and the rich man maketh his riches as feete and hands to fulfill his evill purpose againstPhilo de …ita mosis▪ lib. 1. p. 475. the poore. So, though it would seeme an easie thing for a King to rule a multitude of reasonable menIdem de Agricultura. p. 150. brought vp in civilitie and Religion, yet it is a matter of great difficultie: Therefore one said right, That Kings ought to bee Pastours, and that because they rule men Affectu bruto d…cuntur.who are led by brut…sh affections.
This is a Glasse for mans infirmitie: That hee is the most Man most obliged and best furnished, is most disobedient.disobedient creature: the will of God is an eternall Law, the cause and rule of all equitie and reason; thereby hee disposeth his owne actions, and giveth the extract of it respectiuely to creatures, and all of them (except man) obey that Law according to their power: This power is specified in their essentiall formes, and these formes are the immediate cause of their working, and Character of their worke: Mans disobedience is the greater, because he hath the most excellent forme; is best obliged, and best furnished; he hath a reasonable Soule, and the greatest extract of Gods eternall Law both wri…en in his heart, and revealed to him in Scripture. Hee alone hath a Conscience to charge him with obedience in the Name of God: As a Center hee is compassed with obedient creatures: If he looke aboue, hee seeth the Angels keepe their celestiall Law, in loving, adoring, and imitating God; if beneath hee seeth all creatures keepe their Law: the fruite of their obedience is his comfort, and if they altered their course but a short space, hee would perish: And yet notwithstanding of the excellencie of his forme, the riches of his furniture, and his compassing with a cloud of so many obedient witnesses, hee remaineth still vntractab…e.
Secondly, herein is Gods great merciemercy to man, that heeGod hath set Magistrats to curbe mens outrages. leaveth him not in this disorder: Hee knoweth that hee would be as a beast, pushing and goaring other therefore he hath set vp Magistracie as a soveraigne remeede of that furie, and given it power to secure the weake from the injuries of the mightie, & wisedome to saue the simple from the snares of the craftie: That if the great sort will abuse their power in tyrannizing over the weake, they may finde in Kings a power to controll them. The greatnesse of Kings aboue their Subjects is both a staffe to the weaker to leane to, and a bridle to restraine the outrages of the mightie, as the Prophet expresseth. Defend the poore Psal. 82. 3 4and fatherlesse, doe Iustice to the afflicted and needie, deliver the poore and needie, ridde them out of the hand of the wicked. This vindicating power of Princes is as great a blessing to the oppressours whom it restraineth, as to the poore who are rescued.
Thirdly, this is the happinesse of Kings that rule over Kings in Gods Church are most happy. Psa. 16. 6.Gods people, that their lotte is fallen pleasantly in Gods inheritance. They who reigne over Barbarians are Kings over beastes rather than men, and they who rule over civill Countries where true Religion is not, are Kings but of men; but they whose Kingdome is a particular Church to God, are Kings over Kings, or Christians more than men; and their common Subjects by grace hauehave more true worth, than such Kings as are over Barbarians, because wee are a royall Priest-hood. The one reign…th1. Pet▪ 2. 9. in a Paradise, the other as in a barren Wildernesse. This excellencie hath also an easinesse with it to overcome mans natiue vnrulinesse; for Gods Scepter bringeth people to obedience, as this Prophet acknowledgeth: It is Psal 18. 47.God that subdueth my people vnderunder mee. When mans rudenesse is broken with a true Religion, it is most plyable to authoritie as to the ordinance of God: hee both commands and alloweth that obedience, and disposeth people thereto willinglie. Numa by Religion plyed his rude Romans more to the offices of Warre and peace, than Romulus austere governement: If a false Religion, did this in Pagans, what shall the true Religion, and the grace that accompanieth it worke in Christians?
It is farre more easie to rule good people, than badde, because there is none so rebellious to Authoritie, as thoseGood people easilie ruled. who rebell against their own reason; & a good man is more obsequious to Princes, than a Russian: The godly doe feare Princes more, than they are to bee feared of Princes: but no bands can keepe the wicked in order: True Religion binds vsus to God, and the grace of it is our greatest perfection in this life, and that partaking of the divine Nature maketh vsus the more respectuous to Gods ordinance:2 Pet. 1 4. Where that is not, Lawes, Rewards, and Punishments are but weake motiues; but where it is, they neede not a Law: The least notice of Gods will, is sufficient to moue them to doe his will.
God communicateth his eternall Law to creatures accordingBest people most capable of equitie and disposable to obedience. to their kind and capacitie: Hee giveth to heavenly creatures a celestiall Law to adhere to him; to reasonlesse creatures a naturall instinct, to direct them in their course, without either sense of his goodnesse, or reflecting on him: But to man renewed, such a Law where of Reason is capable, and Conscience sensible, and that both in pietie and righteousnesse: The first is all in respect to him, the other to man: Naturall men can exerce materiallie the workes of Iustice, but not spirituallie, because they hauehave no grace, nor the bands of a true Religion to God. Iustice and pietie of the olde Romans were but a forced curing of the contrare vices, that their ambition and pride (whereof they were sicke) might rule in them.