The Joy of the English Church for the Coronation of Pious Prince James, Meditations on psalm · Part · Meditation 14
The 14. meditation.
V. 5. There are thrones set for iudgement.] That whereas all things before were confused, there was no order, no iustice, no redresse of errors, no correction of offenders, now Dauid had constituted an exact politie and gouernment, he appointed thrones of iustice, where eueryevery mans complaint might be heard. We see then what an excellent benefit it is, when the Lord giueth vntounto a nation, a fetled & established gouernment.
1. As the Lord promiseth by his prophet, that if they did sanctifie the Sabbath, &c. then shall the Kings and the Princes enter in at the gates of this citie, and shall sitte vponupon the throne of Dauid, Ier. 17. 25. The contrarie, the taking away of order and gouernment is threatned as a curse: The nobles shall call to the king, and there shall be none, all the princes thereof shall be as nothing. Isa. 34. 12.
2. Thus God gaue vntounto his people, Moses his faithful seruant, that sat to iudge the people from morning to night, and by the aduise of Hobab his father in law, he appointed other inferiour gouernonrs, both to ease him of some burthen, and for better expedition for the people, Exod. 18. And at Ephesus, what would hauehave beene the issue of that tumultuous vproare, if it had not beene appeased by the authoritie and wisdome of the towneclarke? who among other wise speaches said vntounto them, If Demetrius hauehave a matter against any man, the law is open, and there are deputies, let them accuse one another, Act. 19. 38. And what miserie is like to befall a commonwealth without gouernment, it is euident by the historie of the Iudges, where this is yeilded as a reason, of the oppression of the children of Dan, Iud. 18. 1. and of the horrible adulterie committed by the men of Gibeah, with the Leuites wife, Iud. 19. 1. In those daies, there was no king in Israel.
3. For men without a gouernour, are as the fishes of the sea, that deuoure one another, Hab. 1. 14. But the protection of Magistrates and gouernours, is like the shadow of a great tree, where the beasts doe finde shelter, and the birds build their nests, Dan. 4. 18. And as we see the wall is a proppe to the small boughes, or Ivie that runneth vponupon it, Gen. 49. 22. so was Ioseph to his brethren, and eueryevery good Magistrate to his people.
4. Therefore Iudges in Scripture are called Gods, Exod. 21. 6. as Moses was to Aaron, as a God, Exod. 4. 16. to giuegive him direction. And for this cause the Lord endueth Magistrates, with necessarie graces of discerning, and directing, of boldnesse and courage, of protection and deliuerance, that they might be guides and gouernours of his people, and distribute vntounto eueryevery man his right: as the Lord said to Iosua, I wil neuer leaue thee, nor forsake thee, be strong and of a good courage, for vntounto this people shalt thou deuide the land for an inheritance. Ios. 1. 5, 6.
5. This doctrine then giueth vsus occasion herein also to remember the louing kindnes of God towardes vsus,The 14. benefit, …tion of iustice. that, as the thrones hauehave beene set for iudgement all the happie and peaceable raigne of Q. Elizabeth: so they doe and are like to cō tinue still. Many feared great confusion to fall vponupon the land, and some wickedly imagined, and as treacherously desired, that this famous countrie might hauehave bin a pray for the Spanyard: then indeede the thrones of iudgement should hauehave beene cast downe, and no other iustice should hauehave beene expected but by the sword: such iustice as Lysander shewed, when the Argives, who seemed to hauehave better right, contended with the Lacedemonians about their bounds:foreign. he drew his sword and said, He that vseth this can best determine of the bounds and titles of lands. Much that like was the Duke of Medina his speach, the king of Spaines factor and chiefe captaine for the pretended inuasion of England, ann. 88. that his sword knew not to make any difference betweene Papist and Protestant, Repli…. fol. 52. pag. 1.if he had preuailed. The same reports also the secular masse priests affirme,Manifestat. fol. 52. pag. 1. that Parsons should thus write concerning the king of Spaine, that after the losse of his Armado, he ranne to an altar, and taking a siluer candle sticke, swore a monstrous oath, Manifestat. fol. 98. pag. 1.that he would wast not onelyonly all Spaine, but also all his Indies to that candlesticke, but he would be auenged on England. But thankes be to God, these cruell lords, that would hauehave raigned ouer vsus,Deliuerance frō forraine dangers. hauehave lost their hope, and as the Psalmist saith, They hauehave slept their sleepe, and all the men of strength hauehave not found their hands: at thy rebuke, O Lord, both the chariot and the horse are cast asleepe. Psal. 76. 5, 6. Many of those, which gaped for our destruction are asleepe, as Pharao with his hoast in the bottome of the sea, so that we may say againe with the prophet, Thou hast saued vsus from our aduersaries, and put them to confusion that hate vsus, Psal. 44. 7. Blessed be God, that hath not suffered such cruell lords to raigne ouer vsus, but hath raised vp the thrones of iustice from among our selues. Long may these thrones set for iudgment cōtinue and be established in peace; which we trust to see: that as it is in the psalme, we may sing: MercieMercy and trueth shall meete, iustice and peace shall kisse each other, Psalm. 85. 10. Truth & vertue in religion bringeth forth merciemercy and equitie in the princely administration: and the vpright sitting in these thrones of iustice, is the way to establish peace, as Augustine well saith vponupon these wordes of the psalme: Vultis pacem, in Psal. 85.ama & iusticiam, quia duae amicae sunt iustitia & pax, ipsae se osculantur, si amicam pacis non amaueris, non te amabit pax, nec veniet ad te, &c. If you will hauehave peace, louelove iustice, because iustice & peace are two friēds, they one kisse another: if you louelove not the friēd of peace, peace will not louelove thee, nor come at thee. God graunt, that both in the Ecclesiasticall and Ciuill state of this kingdome, iustice and peace may so embrace the other, with veritie and truth, that, if it be Gods blessed will, they may neuer be parted, nor pulled asunder.