Chap.B: The Duties òfPrince and People. Cote.,, hr.a6.16. either referved to himfelf, or committed peculiarly to the Priefis. Z'zziah took on him.by his fupremacy to burn Incenfe in the Temple, which belonged only to the 9. 5, 6. Priefts; but God ftruck him with Leprotie. Hezekiah on the other fide, by his lepre- macy, would order mattersofReligion, but how ? not as the former did, or as a lare g, 8; . King, who would have whatloever he propofed to be good Divinity : but he com- mands the Prieftsand Levites to do what belonged to their Office ; he slurps not their Office, but makes them do their duty : and this is the Supremacy which a Chriftian Prince ought to have.Their care mull be to provide for Religion and Gods Service, to fee all done by thofe to whom it belongs, not to aft themfelves. King a Kings rs.4. Afa, whole heart 'was perfeft,(as the Text faith) removed not the High-places. He did 2 Kings 18.9. jubere bona,fed non tollere mala; KingHezekiás did both. And under this we compre hend that kindofcompulfion, which we fee in the Gofpel : Compellite ut introeant, Luke 14.23. compel them to come in : there muff beforis neceftar, ut fit intmvoluntas ; a neceftya- broad, to make awill within. In S. Aziguffines time there were diversDonatifis that by compulfion were converted, and thanked the Emperour for compelling them. 2: Another part of the duty ofa Prince is, (as he is the head ofthePeople), to be I Sam.zr.17. careful to feed them. The Tribes of Ifrael tell King David, that the Lord told him 2Sam. 5. A. when he made him King, That hefhould feed biì people ; not hiffriones, or canes, hut fubditár;as a Father (peaks upon Hofia 7.5. We have the dcfcription ofa Tyrant by aSa,r8.1i,&c. Samuel at large. He accounts all as born tobe his drudges and (laves ; and the Wifè- Prov. at. 16. man callethfuch, great opprefours: and the Prophet, evening Wolves ( not Paftors ) Zach. 3. 3. and roaring Lions. He muft not beoftheir minds, but like Ariflides ofAthens, who was fo carefulofthe Common-wealth, that he sled to with, that eitherhis houfe were Diád. the Common-wealth, or theCommon-wealth bis boufhold So was it with fnlhrea, his care was, in the firft place to divide portions for the Tribes,. and afterwards had his Jofh, i9.49: own portion. Not like force Rulers, that choofe firft, and ferveothers laft. And Ne- Neh.5.14,15, hemiab(though hehad anhundred andfifty at his Table,and that theprecedent Go 16,17, vernours had taken much money from the people, yet ) did not take fo much as-he might for the (pace of twelveyears together. 2 Ch.. s7.9. Now this provifion mutt beginwith care for the Soul ; as Jehofaphat did , who fent the Levites throughout the Kingdom, with the book of the Law to teach the people ; and to this end, that there may be a perpetual fupplyof this food, there muff be a Naiotb in Ramah, perfons educated,as in Bethel, in Mizpah, theSchools for the Prophets , and children of the Prophets, from whence Teachersare to grow. aChr 9 a1 up one under another. 19. a. The next care muff be for the Body. Pharaoh laid up Corn against a time of dearth. And not only fo, but he muff fend Ships for foreign Commodities, as Solo- mondid. To prevent and end injuries and contentions at home. Judges mull be ap- pointed, after 7ebofapbats example. 2Che. 17.2. Laftly, to preferve them from foreign invafions, he muff ( with the fameKing) let 13.14 Garrifons in hisownCities, and haveCaptains and Souldiers, as he had in forne Ci- ties ofEphraim taken byhis Father. Prov, 24.21. I. The firm dutyofthepeople,anfwering to thofeis,as the Wife-man counfclleth, i. Fear Godand the King. 2. Not to meddle with chafe that are given to change, that is, withRebels and feditiour perfons, who would change Laws, Religion, and Go- vernment. There aredivers Shires andCorporations in the Kingdom, andevery of them have their feveral Magiftrates, andJufticesover them, but they are all under one Prince ; likeas the Kings of theEarth, are as fo many juilices ofpeace in feve- ral Kingdoms, all conftituted by one God, who is over all. Nowifany ofthofe fub- ordinate Magiftratesrebel againft their Prince, he is a Rebel both to the Prince, and to God, and fo are all that hearken to him, or joynwith him. Thereforeas we muff not obey Kingsagainft God, fo mutt we not obey any inferiour Magiflrate against Rom. 8.28; Kings : ut omnia eooperentur in bonum, that all things maywork togetherfor good,as the Apoltle fpeaks. 2. In regard oftheir care over us, we are to follow Chrifts example in Obedi- ence, and to know, that we are according to the right fence of his words, not dare, Match. 22.21. but reddereCefari, que funs Gefaria ; to render ( not to give) to Cefar bis due : for we know, it is the Rule of Juflice, Coigne reddendum quod forum e/(, to render every one his own. We have fomethingof theirs in our hands, and non 'Nana
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