SERM. the pillars of it. 1. II. Which is the second principal point; what this strength is, and what the pillars are that bear it up. The Holy Ghost, speaking of strength, nameth two, as indeed Gen.32.28. the Scripture knoweth no more: 1. The strength of Jacob, and 2. the strength of Israel. 1. Of Jacob, supplanting, or prevailing over men; 2. and of Israel, prevailing with God. 1. Jacob's strength I call whatsoever the counsel or might of Gen.27.36. man affordeth; -- his prudent forecast, whereby he overGen.30.37. reached Esau and Laban; and his bow and sword, whereby Gen.48.22. he won from the Amorite. Under these two I comprehend 2. all human strength, the strength of Jacob. But when all is done, we must reserve and keep a strength Ps. 59. 9. for God, saith David. Who, if He forsake Alexandria, though Nah. 3. 8. it have the sea for his ditch, it shall be carried captive: Who, Ps. 78. 9. if He forsake Ephraim, though they be "well harnessed and carry bows," they shall "turn themselves back in the day of Deu. 33. 7. battle." Therefore, ever Dominus cometh in. "Judah's own hands are sufficient to help," si Tu Domine, "if Thou Lord Ps. 127. 1. help him against the enemy:" and Nisi Dominus, "If that the Lord do not keep the house, and watch the house, and Pro. 30. 1. make fast the pillars, all is in vain." Join, saith the Wise Man, Ithiel, that is Dominus mecum, and then Ucal, that is, Prevalebo, will not tarry from you; Ucal and He go ever together. Sever, saith David, Hi in curribus, hi in equis, from in nomine Domini, the next news you shall hear of them is, Ps. 20. 8. Ibi ceciderunt, &c. "There they are brought down and fallen." Therefore we must allow Israel a strength also, without which Ps. 33. 10. Jacob's forecast shall fail; for "He casteth out the counsels Ps. 83. 43. of princes," and his sword too. For, He can "rebate1 the [i. e. blunt.] edge of the sword." Two strengths then there are, and these two David here termeth two pillars, that we may know what be the pillars of the land. For such was the manner of the Jewish buildingarch-wise, upon two main pillars to set it. We may see it by Jud. 16. 29. Samson's desire so to be placed as the two supporters of the Temple might be in his two hands, that bowing them all the Church might come down upon their heads. Such an arch of government doth David here devise, and two pillars bearing it up. He telleth us they be two, and he telleth us what they be, for he hath already named them in the two former uses; 10.] 1. Celebrabintus Te Jehova in the first; and 2. Justitias judieabo in the second. God, and Right, the pillars; the worship of God, and the execution of justice or right. With these two he beginneth, and with these two again he taketh his farewell; the regard of religion in the ninth, and the care of [Ps. 75. 9, justice in the last. These two he teacheth us; for these two, he saith, God taught him. "God" saith he, "the Strength of 2Sam.23.3. Israel, spake to me and said, Thou shalt bear rule over men, 1. doing justice, and, 2. guiding them in the fear of God." So that these two are the pillars: 1. God, and 2. Right; Justice and the fear of God. These two give strength to that, and to all lands: 1. Celebrabimus Te Jehova; and 2. Justitias judicabo. These two decay all, and weaken the land; 1. Negligimus te Jehova; and 2. Injurias judicabo. God is a pillar; so is His most common name in the 1. Hebrew-Adonai, "My pillar." And His Son, a Rock; not Mat. 16.18. only Peter's Rock, but David's Rock too; the Rock both of 2Sam. 22.2. Church and Kingdom. And His Spirit, a Spirit not of holiness only and truth, but "a Spirit of judgment" to them that Isa. 28. 6. sit on the throne; and "a Spirit of strength for them that keep the battle from the gate." And His favour, "a Shield," Ps. 5. 12. and Boaz. 7. 21. Even the strength and stablishing of Si credideritis stabilie- Isa. 7. 9. mini, by which not only the devil's "darts" are repelled in the Eph. 6. 16. spiritual, but "the armies of the aliens are put to flight" in Heb.11.34. the earthly warfare. Therefore Moses made such reckoning of Celebrabimus, that having recounted, as the strength of Cain's progeny, their inventing of the tent, making of the flute of brass, and iron works, he opposeth to them all, as able Gen. 4. to match them all, in the posterity of the sons of God, the invocation of His Name, begun and set on foot, first, by Gen. 4. 26. Enoch, as the main pillar of strength which the people of God 20-22. I. 1 Tim. 2. 1, &c. SERM. trust to. And St. Paul is bold, 1 Tim. 2. 1., where, laying, as it were, the chamber-beams and stories of each Christian government; - Princes first, by whose means peace, and quietness; from thence knowledge of the truth; from it, godly and honest life; and from them, salvation; as the base or pillar of all, and that which beareth up, and giveth strength to all, setteth Prayer; prayer to be made, that so princes preserved; that so peace maintained; that so knowledge intended; that so a godly and honest life practised; that so salvation attained. Reckoning invocation as a special pillar of each estate; and as a prerogative royal, prayer for all men, but above all men for princes. Thus doth religion strengthen us, and is Israel with God; and not with God only, but is Jacob also, and prevaileth with men too. 26. Indeed, nothing prevaileth so much, nor worketh so deep, with man, as doth it; and, no men more fast and faithful, 1 Sam. 10. than quorum Deus corda tetigit. David therefore, undertaking in this verse to stablish the pillars, sheweth how he will do it in the next: dicam, by telling them their duty out of divinity; by laying before them Deus est judex, God's judgment, and the dregs of the cup which He holdeth in His hand. To make so many men so many pillars, well and wisely said the heathen man, Odium oportet peccandi, non metum facias. Το hate sin is the pillar, to fear it is not; for fear will fall away if his understanding be removed, and where the duty is not grounded on Deus est judex, it is no pillar to be built on. Certain it is, that, except God's laws, all laws, fear of sin they breed; but a kind hatred or conscience of sin, they breed not. Well may they bind the hand, fetter the foot, and imprison the body: there is nothing can imprison the heart or thought, [Conf. Ciceron. de Legib, 1. 14. et Horat. Epist. I. 16.52.] 2 Cor. 10.4. save arma militiæ nostræ. And thus is Religion a pillar among them also. For sure, the Christian duty of bearing wrong, where it is well persuaded, doth mainly strengthen the Civil of doing no wrong; and the Christian, of departing with our own charitably, doth strengthen the Civil of not taking other men's injuriously; and so, of the rest. That he called it not amiss, that called Divinity the backbone of the Prince's law; and consequently, Religion of the commonwealth. So that, not only Moses and Paul by calling on the Name of God, but Elias and Jeremy, by teaching the will of God-not by prayer only, but by preaching are the one, "an iron pillar," the Jer. 1. 18. other, "the chariot and horsemen of Israel," in his time. 2 Kings 13. 14. Now if all men had faith, dicam would have served, and 2. this one pillar have been enough; but because all men have not religion, but there be in the "world evil and absurd men," 2Thes.3.2. therefore needed the second, therefore needed Justitias judicabo. Indeed, meliores sunt, 'the better part be they,' quos dirigit amor, 'whom love leadeth;' but plures sunt quos corrigit timor, 'the greater by far, that fear driveth.' Even such as will not be "led with the cords of a man," that is, induce- Hos. 11. 4. ments of religion and reason, but they "must be held with Ps. 32. 9. bit and bridle," that is, the curb of justice. Which kind of men are of two sorts'; therefore it is Justitias. 1. The enemy or Egyptian smiting Israel from without; 2. The injurious Israelite wronging his brother, from within. Ex.2.11.13. Why then, Sit nobis Rex, say the people, which is a perfect 1Sam.8.19. comprehension of this pillar of justice to do them right, and to defend them by war, when need is, against the foreign enemy; by justice, when cause is, against the domestical oppressor. Against the one Jehoshaphat placeth "garrisons," 2 Chron. that is, against outward hostility; against the other he ordaineth "judges," that is, inward injury. 17. 2. 2 Chron. 19.5. Dicens Cyro, saith God, Pastor meus, &c. "which say to Isa. 44. 28. Cyrus," the mighty monarch, "thou art my shepherd." A shepherd, by pastoral justice, to see the flock safe from without, and quiet from within. From without, to keep "the wild boar of the forest" from spoiling our lives and goods, and from Ps. 80. 13. within, the "ravenous wolf from making havoc of our souls." Acts 20.29. Will you know what these two mean? "O My people," saith God, "remember what Balak the king hath devised Mic. 6. 5. against you"-speaking of a foreign prince, of the boar, "and what Balaam hath answered him"-speaking of a false Prophet, of the wolf. The case is very like ours, and God grant us a thankful remembrance and meditation of it; of the long intelligence between Balak and Balaam for our overthrow, and how graciously and marvellously God hath delivered us! Now, as without the fold these beasts be busy, and God therefore hath "girt the prince with a sword;" so within also there Ps. 45. 3. are certain "fed rams," saith Ezekiel, that with their horns push, Ez. 34. 20, SERM. and with their heels lay out against the poor weak sheep (that 1. with vis and fraus, 'deceit' and 'violence' keep evil rule within;) against whom He hath given into their right hand a sceptre, Ps. 45. 6. that by the arrest of the sceptre they might be quiet from within, and by the edge of the sword, safe from without; so 1 Tim. 3.9. intending the "mystery of godliness," and the knowledge 1 Tim. 4. 7. thereof, and after it "the exercise of godliness," and the practice thereof; that so, after Stabiliatur Regnum meum in this life by Justice, we may come to Adveniat Regnum Tuum in the life to come by Religion. And this is the second pillar, yielding us Jacob's strength, who, as we said, was furnished both with Gen.32.10. "his staff" to see good order in his flock, and with his sword Gen.48.22. and bow against the Amorite. Thus have we the two pillars of the earth, each strengthening other: Religion rooting Justice within; Justice fencing Religion without, and they both making an arch of government irremoveable. III. Yet, these two pillars, as strong and as steady as they are, except they be looked to and upheld, except they have an upholder and that a good one, Religion will cleave, and Justice bend, and they both sink, and the whole frame with them. Therefore mention is made here of a person put in trust with the bearing them up, which is the third point. Which person is here, Ego autem, the first, that is, David; the first and the chief person in any government. He it is upon whom both these lean; he is the head, that guideth these two arms; he, the breath of life in both these nostrils; yea, of all the body, saith Jeremy of Josias. Even christus Domini, Lam. 4.20. "the anointed of the Lord is the breath of all our nostrils." Familiar it is and but mean, but very full and forcible, the Isa. 22. 23. simile of Esay; wherein he compareth the prince to "a nail driven into a wall," whereon are hanged all, both the vessels of service and the instruments of music; that is, he bears them up all. And great cause to desire God, fast may it stick and never stir, this nail; for if it should, all our cups would batter with the fall, and all the music of our choir be marred; that is, both Church and country be put in danger. Which God willing to shew, saith Philo Judæus, he did place the fifth πραγμάτων commandment, which is the crown commandment, ὡς ἐν κληρονό- μεσορίῳ, 'as it were, in the middle,' and confines of both [Phil. Judæ. περὶ τοῦ τίς ὁ τῶν θείαν μος. cire. med.] |