The Voice of the Last Trumpet Blown, Lesson 12

The Voice of the Last Trumpet Blown · Lesson 12

¶ The Maieſtrates leſſon

WHo ſo thou be that God doth call

To beare the ſwerde of puniſhemente.

Marke well my woo…des, & take thē all

Accordyngly as they be ment.

When thou art in Authoritie

And haſt the bridle raine in hand

Thē be well ware that Tyranny

Do not get the within hir band.

Loke not vponupon thy ſword alwaye

But loke ſome tyme on thy balaunce

And ſe that neither do decaye

In the tyme of thy gouernaunce.

For, to puniſhe wyth equitie

Is and aye ſhall be byſemynge

Where as to …ewe extremitie

Is founde rather a bloud ſuckeynge.

If any man be accuſed

Se thou heare him indifferently

And let him not be puniſhed

Tyl thou know his cauſe thorowli

If he hauehave wrought againſte y^e lawes

So that i…ſtice wolde hauehave him dye

Then …n thy balaunce laye his cauſe

And iudge him after equitie

If he did it of ignoraunce,

Of nede or by compulſion

Or elſe by fortune and by chaunce

Then muſte thou vſe diſcretion

Conſyder what extreme nede is

And home force may the weake compell

And howe fortune doeth hyt and myſſe

When the intent was to do well

And though the euidence be playne

And the accuſares credible

Yet calle to mynde the elders twayne

Dani. xiii.That Daniell founde reproueable

And if thou fynde them falſe or vayne

Forged to worcke theyr brother yll

Then let them ſuffer the ſame paine

That he ſhoulde hauehave had by their wil

Much myght be ſayd in this matter

Out of the workes of writters olde

And for to proue it the better

Many late ſtories myght be tolde

But I leaue this to the ſtudie

Of them that hauehave had exerciſe

In iudgment, in whoſe memorie

It is as ſtyll before their eies.

I thought mete to touch it only

That thou mighteſt hauehave occaſion

To call to mynde the chiefe dutie

Of thy ſtate and vocation.

Which is to ſcanne the euide…ce

And eke to trye the accuſars all

Though thei be men of good credence

Leſte haply the iuſte be made thral.

Moreouer, it behoueth the

If thou wylt walke in thy callynge

To ſe that all good ſtatutes be

Executed before all thynge

For to what ende do ſtatutes ſerue

Or whye ſhould we holde parliamente

If men ſhall not ſuch lawes obſerue

As in that courte we ſhall inuent?

And what thynge ſhal a realme decay

So ſone as when men do neglecte

The wholſome lawes, as who ſhould ſay

They were in dede to none effect?

For in that realme the myghtie ſhal

Worcke after theyr fancie and wyll

For there the pore may crye and call

For helpe and be oppreſſed ſtyll.

Se thou therfore to thy duttie

In this behalfe boeth daye and nyght

And let none breake ſuch lawes f…ely

But let thē knowe y^t lawes hauehave myght

Let them all knowe I ſaye that thou

Art ſet to miniſter iuſtyce

And that thou madeſt therto a vowe

At the takeynge of thyne offyce.

Wincke not at thinges y^t be to plaine

Leſte godli knowledge fle the fro

And thou flyt into endleſſe payne

At ſuch tyme as thou muſt henſe g….

For if thou wylt not miniſter

Iuſtice to them that do oppreſſe

What are the people the better

For the, when they be in diſtreſſe?

The heauenli houſband man therfore

Who planted the vice to ſuppreſſe

Shall drye thy ro…e for euer more

And geue the vp to wyckednes.Ihon. xvi

Be ware of this vengeaunce betyme

Leſte it come on the ſodainly

When y^u wouldeſt faine repēt thy crime

But ſhalt diſpere of goddes merciemercy:

For what thing cauſeth men diſpeire

Of gods merciemercy at their laſt ende

But their cōſcience that ſayth thei were

Tolde of their fault & would not mende.

If thou therfore doeſt ſe this thinge

And wilt wincke at it willingly

I ſaye that when death ſhal the ſtinge

Thou ſhalt diſpeyre of gods mercy.

Yet ha…e I more to ſaye to the

Concerning thy vocacion

Which if it growe ſtyl muſt nedes be

Double abhominacion.

For he that byeth, muſt nedes ſell

Thou knoweſt alreadie what I meane

I nede not with plaine wordes to tell

If ſinne hauehave not blynded the cleaue.

Se vntounto it I the aduiſe

And let not offices be ſolde

For god wyl puniſhe in ſtraite wyſe

Suche as with him wyl be ſo bolde.

He wyl not aye ſuffer his flocke

Of wolfes to be ſo deuoured

Neither ſhall they y^t would him mocke

Eſcape his handes vnpuniſhed.

Exo. xiiii.Exod 14His arme is as ſtronge it was

When he plaged Kynge Pharao

In Egipt, and can bringe to paſſe

All that he liſteth now alſo.

He ſpent not all his power vponupon

The …ynge Nabuchodonozer

He ſhall neuer be founde ſuche oneDani. iiii.

That he ſhould not hauehave might in ſtore.

Take hede, take hede, I ſaye therfore

That thou fall not into his hande

For if thou do thou art forlore

Thou canſt not be able to ſtande.Hebru. x.

Yet one thing more I muſt the tell

Which in no wiſe thou maiſt forget

If thou wylt profeſſe gods Goſpel

And thine affraunce therin ſet.

Thou muſt not couet imperie

Nor ſeke to rule ſtraunge nacions

For it is charge inoughe perdie

To aunſwere for thine owne cōmons.

Let thy ſtudie therfore I ſaye

Be to rule thine owne ſubiectes well

And not to maintaine warres alwaye

And make thy contrei lyke an hell.

Let it ſuffiſe the to defende

Thy limites from inuaſion

And therin ſe thou do entende

Thine owne peoples ſaluation.

For, marke this. If thou do inuade

And get by force commoditie

The ſame ſhall certeinly be made

A ſcorge to thy poſteritie.

This hauehave I ſayde, to call the backe

i. Reg. xiii.1 Kgs 13From the Philiſtines ſtation

Truſtynge thou wylte my counſell ta…

And walke in thy vocacion.