صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

fpifed; and by encouraging and fecuring the rights of fuch as ferve faithfully at the altar against the facrilegious attempts of covet

ous men.

Such are laws, which are proper to prevent wicked men from corrupting the principles and manners of weak and ignorant people; by punishing the crimes against the Majefty of the great God, with at least the fame degree of feverity as crimes against the civil governors or private men.

And here it must not be paffed over in filence, that too many come amongst us, who bring all thofe evil difpofitions and bad qualities along with them, which were the cause of their misfortunes at home.

Now too many of thefe, instead of enjoying the happiness of a fafe and undisturbed retreat and liberty, fet up for directors or cenfurers of our magiftrates and conftitution both in church and ftate; ridiculing the religion and discipline established amongst us; meddling with matters they do not underftand; and, which is ftill worse, corrupting our youth with the bafeft examples of debauchery and profanenefs; making a mock of fin; propagating the very vileft opinions; hardening young people against the advice of friends, against their own intereft, and the fear of God and damnation.

And a fad truth it is-thefe, many of them, meet with too much countenance and encouragement,

ragement, for the fake, as is pretended, of the advantages we receive from them.

Whether any advantages of this kind will countervail for the difhonour done to God, the mischiefs done to our people, and the judgments we have to fear, is what fhould very seriously be confidered by all fuch as with for the continuance of the happiness of this place.

The exprefs condition of king Solomon's profperity was this-If thou wilt execute my judgments, then will I perform my word which I Spake unto David thy father. And the only fecurity which the people of God had for their profperity and God's bleffing was thisthat ye put away evil from among you.

From all which it appears, not from our reasoning, but from the infallible Word of God, that the welfare and happiness of nations depend upon the reftraint that is put upon vice and impiety, by good and wholfome laws, whereby the honour of God is fecured from contempt.

And indeed, wherever God has placed any fhare of power or authority, it is for this very end, that he may not be provoked by the difhonour done to him and his laws, to pour down his judgments upon men and nations.

Next to the glory of God, the great end of laws and of civil government is, THE GOOD OF MANKIND; to fecure the perfons, the properties, and the peace, of honeft and well

meaning

meaning men, against the power, or the craft, of fuch as would invade or difturb them.

It is a good deal more than an hundred years fince the hiftorian (Mr. CAMDEN) gave the following account of the people of this ifle:"The inhabitants in general," fays he, "have a very good character: not given "either to lewdness, cheating, or thievery; fo "that every man poffeffeth his own in peace "and fafety; none living in fear of lofing "what he has."-This ifland," the hiftorian adds, "is happier on another account than

[ocr errors]

we are in England; for the people are free "from vexatious and unneceffary law-fuits, "from long and dilatory pleas, and from fri"volous feeing of lawyers, proctors, and at"tornies; all controverfies being determined, "without long process, every man pleading " his own caufe viva voce."

Now this, we are too fure, is neither the cafe nor the character of the times we live in. Very late and melancholy instances we have had to the contrary. Many honeft men's properties have been invaded, fome by force, and fome by fraud. The civil magiftrate can tell us, how very litigious the people are grown of late, to the great increase of his burthen, and the expence of his time; and the people, too many of them, have smarted by the mal-practice of fuch as live and gain by contention. The ecclefiaftical magistrate meets every day with new, and heretofore un

heard

heard-of inftances of the contempt of God and of religion.

Whether it be for want of better laws, to put a stop to thefe growing evils, with which an holy and righteous God must be highly difpleafed, or for any other caufe, it will be worth the care of the legislature, in the first place, to make more effectual provision, that God in all things may be glorified; ever remembering, that there is neither wisdom, nor underflanding, nor counfel, against the LORD; that is, where there is not a regard to his honour.

But even the best laws that can be made will be of little ufe, unless they are faithfully put in execution, and by men of religion and integrity.

It was faid of the Athenians, (as a learned man has obferved) that they fhewed a great deal of wifdom in making excellent laws, but a much greater folly in not obferving them; and this was owing, in a great measure, to the negligence or corruption of the inferior magiftrates. This the Romans took care to prevent in the beginning of their commonwealth, by requiring, under the feverest pe'nalties, that magiftrates fhould be examples of that behaviour which they required of others. "If this," faith their great lawyer Cicero, "if this be obferved, we have all that we can wifh for."

And

And indeed it is the highest falfe ftep that men in power and authority can make, to give any manner of countenance to men of wicked lives, or of loose and wicked principles. For, to be fure, that man who makes light of God, of his word and his laws, will, when he can do it with impunity, despise the magistrate, who is God's reprefentative, and those laws which are made by him for the good government of the world.

Magiftrates, therefore, and all in authority, are above all others obliged to be upon their guard, because the leffer world will too readily follow their example, especially if bad; for fo the corruption of human nature, which is prone to evil continually, will lead them too forcibly.

And what will be the natural confequence of this? Why, the fear of God will be forgotten; men will be left to themselves, and to the conduct of Satan; pride and luxury will follow: and to fupport thefe, covetoufness, injustice, fraud, and knavery, will fucceed; as also a litigious temper, a difregard for oaths, perjury, and oppreffing one another; and laftly, which muft ever be remembered by people of any confideration, the judgments of God upon a finful nation, if these fins go unpunished; which they will be too apt to do, if the magiftrate himself be wanting in his duty to him whom he represents.

Το

« السابقةمتابعة »