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to the perfecting and securing of all societies, and the want of it subverteth them.

7. Holiness doth not only tell men of a right way, and shew them their duty, but also effectually disposeth their very minds to the performance of it, and causeth them to walk therein. The nature of it is, to be the very right disposition of the heart, and right ordering of the life. The truly gracious soul is habitually an enemy to all known sin, and addicted to obey in all known duties. And surely persons thus habituated are more like to live according to their dispositions, than others to live well that hate the good in their hearts which they should practise. Men's laws can command good, but cannot give men good hearts to practise it, as God doth by his servants. If you cannot tell whether wicked men that love sin, or godly men that hate it, are better members of a commonwealth, you know not what societies are for.

8. Holiness destroyeth the root of iniquity, and teacheth men to hate even secret sins, which are in the heart, or which none can see but God alone. The laws of men restrain the subjects but from open injuries; but holiness restraineth men from doing the most secret wrong to others, or once thinking, speaking, or contriving any evil against them. It reacheth the conscience; it cleanseth the heart, from whence all evil doth proceed; 2 Sam. xii. 12. Deut. xxvii. 24. Psal. xc. 8. Eccles. xii. 14. A man fearing God, as such, dare not deceive or wrong another, though he were sure that it would never be known on earth. For he knoweth that the Lord is the avenger of such things; 1 Thess. iv. 6.

9. Holiness cementeth the members of all societies with the strongest cement of endeared love. It bindeth them together in the bond of charity. He is not godly that loveth not all men, even his enemies, with that common love that is due to humanity, and that loveth not all that fear the Lord with a special love; Psal. xv. 4. John xiii. 34, 35. xv. 12. 17. 1 John iii. 14. 23. iv. 7. 11, 12.20. Luke vi. 27.

10. Holiness maketh princes and rulers a double blessing to their people. It maketh them the more divine, and bear the more excellent image of God. How precious is the name of a David, a Hezekiah, a Josiah, a Constantine, a Theodosius, (though they had all their falls,) in comparison of the

name of a Saul, a Jeroboam, an Ahab, a Nero, a Julian! O how sweet is the name of a godly king in the subjects' mouths! Even those that are enemies to godliness as in themselves (because they cannot endure to be curbed and troubled with it), do yet use to admire and honour it in their kings and governors. Authority and holiness conjunct are two such rays of the heavenly Majesty and Goodness as place man in the state of highest excellency on earth, and make him so much to resemble his Creator, as hath given such the highest place in the esteem and honour of the world, of any mortals. And it is not easy for a people to value such holy and pious princes and governors too highly, or to be sufficiently thankful for them unto God.

(1.) Holiness effectually teacheth governors to rule for God. To set him highest, and make it their work to seek his glory, and to avoid all selfish, contradictory interests; and to own nothing that stands at enmity with his honour; but to judge that they have most happily attained the ends of their government and lives, if they have promoted the Gospel and kingdom of Christ, and the work of holiness in the world.

(2.) Holiness will cause rulers to prefer God's laws before their own; and to be examples to the subjects of obedience to God; and to desire that all men should stand in far greater awe of God than of them. It will make them careful to form all their laws and government to the pleasing of God, and promoting men's obedience to his laws; and to take heed that there be nothing in them injurious to Christ, or contrary to his will. It will teach them with David to inquire of God, and make him their counsellor. And with Josiah, to "search the book of the law," and humble themselves when they have violated it. And with Joshua, "not to suffer it to depart out of their mouths, but to meditate in it day and night, that they may observe to do according to all that is written therein." And then God hath promised to make "their way prosperous, and to give them good success;" Josh. i. 8.

(3.) Holiness will cause the rulers of the world to love those that are holy, and to promote the communion of saints. and to be nursing fathers to the church, even that part of the holy catholic church, which they are intrusted with; and to protect them from the violence of men. It will keep them

from the sins of Jeroboam, that corrupted God's worship, and put forth his hand against the prophet that spoke against it. Whereby God will be engaged to be their protector in peace

and war. When princes and people that fall out with holiness and take part with the flesh, and set themselves against the servants, the worship, and the ways of Christ, do put themselves from under his protection, and put themselves under the battering and piercing strokes of his displeasure. And woe to him that striveth with his Maker, and that kicks against the pricks of his severity; Isa. xlv. 9. Acts ix. 5. xxvi. 14. The fatal ruin of the kingdoms of the world, or at least the final ruin of the persons, is from their enmity and rebellion against the Lord, and because they will not be his kingdoms, but hate and quarrel with his ways, and persecute his servants. And godliness preserveth princes and magistrates from this sin and ruin.

(4.) Holiness will cause the rulers to hate sin in themselves and others, and to remove the abominable thing from before the eyes of God's jealousy, and to "drive away the froward; and not to know the wicked and the proud, and to cut off the slanderer, and the wicked doers, and to set no wicked thing before their eyes;" Psal. ci. "In their eyes

a vile person will be contemned, but they will honour them that fear the Lord." By this means their kingdoms may be holy, and God will delight in them, and dwell among them, and it shall be said of them, as Jer. xxxi. 23. "The Lord bless thee, O habitation of justice, and mountain of holiness." And when Israel is "holiness to the Lord, all that devour him shall offend, evil shall come upon them, saith the Lord;" chap.ii.3. The holy examples, and holy government of godly kings and magistrates, will draw the hearts of the people to holiness, and cause it to flourish in the land. Whereas the wicked examples and government of the ungodly tendeth to make all about them wicked. For as Solomon saith, Prov. xxix. 12. "If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants are wicked." And then they are fuel for the wrath of God, both as offenders, and as enemies. For they will be still rebelling and opposing him and carnal interests and enmity will pervert them to use the reprovers as Asa, and Amaziah, and Jeroboam, and Jezebel, and Joash did; and to think with Saul that Doeg was the best subject that would kill the priests at his command, and those the worst that would not

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betray them or destroy them; and to say to false accusers, as he did to the Ziphites, (1 Sam. xxiii. 21.) “Blessed be ye of the Lord, for ye have compassion on me." And saith the Lord, (Isa. xxvii. 4.) "Who would set the briars and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together."

(5.) Holiness will save princes and rulers from the great and dangerous temptations of their riches, and honours, and power, and pleasures, and will teach them to mortify the flesh, and live after the Spirit (Rom. viii. 1. 6. 13.), and will keep them hereby from those sins that would subject them to the consuming wrath of the impartial God, and will bring them to heaven notwithstanding all the impediments of the world, even as a camel through a needle's eye, by the Power to which all things are possible. And doubtless that which maketh men most acceptable to God, and tendeth to the everlasting happiness of the persons, must needs be better for all societies than that which prepareth them for damnation, and keepeth them here under the indignation of the Lord. See 2 Sam. xxiii. 3. Lev. xxv. 43. 46.53, Isa. xxxii. 1. Rom.

iii. 4-6. xii. 8.

II. And as holiness thus maketh the most excellent princes and happy governors, so it maketh the most loyal and obedient subjects, and is the most powerful preserver of peace in all societies.

If any shall say, that the people that are accounted holy have caused as great contentions and rebellions in the world as any other, witness the wars in France, Savoy, Bohemia, Scotland, England, &c. I shall first prove undeniably from the nature of the thing, that true godliness must needs make the best subjects, and tend to the happiness of commonwealths, and then I shall more nearly answer the objection.

1. Holiness effectually teacheth subjects to know themselves; to know their weakness, and meanness, and unworthiness, and to know their places and their proper work. It kills that pride that makes men think that none are so fit to rule as they; and it makes them so humble as to think themselves unworthy of protection in the meanest station. And also it so takes them up with a higher ambition, and sets their hearts on the greater things, that they are dead to the ambition of the world, and can easily leave these things to

others. Their kingdom is not of this world. They are taught to expect affliction and persecution, and not aspire after crowns. No man can deny that this is the lesson set them by their Lord, and the covenant which they make with him when they become his servants. Whereas the ungodly having their portion in this life, and relishing and minding most the things of the world, will snatch, and scramble, and turn every stone, and do any thing within their reach for worldly honours.

2. Holiness teacheth subjects to see God in their rulers, and honour and obey them as his officers, even with an honour and obedience participatively divine. And no men can give them a higher honour than they that thus honour them on God's account; and no men can give them so full, and firm, and constant obedience, as they that obey God in their governors. No man can give them higher titles than they that take them to be the officers of God. Carnal men obey their governors merely as men that are able to do them good or hurt. If they were sure to receive no damage by contemning them, they cared not to trample them in the dirt. Though that people sinned in desiring a king, yet when they had chosen that kind of government, and Saul was set over them, those that went with him were such “ whose hearts God had touched; but the children of Belial said, How shall this man save us? and they despised him and brought him no presents;" 1 Sam. x. 27.

3. Holiness causeth subjects to obey and submit for conscience sake. They do it because God himself hath commanded them to do it. They pay tribute, and give honour and obedience because it is part of their obedience to God, required of them in the fifth 'commandment, which is the first with promise. Outward prosperity is especially promised to them that honour their parents and superiors. And the commands and promises of God, with the bonds of conscience, do tie men faster to their duty, and restrain them more effectually from disobedience than the words of men alone can do. Conscience holdeth strongly and constantly; and it holdeth as well in secret as în public; so that if a man were sure to do a mischief and never be discovered, he would nevertheless abhor it, as being not unknown to God and conscience. A man that feareth not God and conscience, will never stick to do a mischief, if he may escape the eye and revenging hand

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