JU 2 Non Rtf< in 1frael. d Ser~onpreached - This is then G oo's meanos. We ~annot fay,His one?J meaner; in that (we fee) there areStates that fubfift Without them. But this we may fay Bubeft meaner. The belt (faith thePhilofopher) for Order,Peace, Strength' Steadineffi_, and proves them all, one by one. But, beft (fay the Fathers) forthat, had there beene a better than this, Go o would not !all have re. folved on this. This is the mofl: perfeCl:, He !all: brought them to, Hither till they came, He changed theirgovernment: From Iofua aCaptaine to theJqJges; From theJudges, toEli andSamuel, Priefts : But here when He had fet.led them, He changed no~~re. And t~is aCl: of Go 0 in t~yscbange, 1s enough to Ihew, where lt 1s not, there 1s a deleCl: certainly, and fuch aState wemay reputedefeEii've. ' · Bdides, you !hall obferve : Ofthofe three eflates, which fwayeth molt, that in a manner doth over-top the reft, and like a foregrowne member depriveth the other oftheir proportion ofgrowth; Theworld bath (eene it in two already, and Ihall daily more and tnore fecit in tha tbird. Requifite therefore, there be One owr all, that is none ofall, but a common Father to all, that maypoize and keepe thetn all in tequilibrio. that fo all the Eflates may be evenly ballanced. ' ' · This Act then ofGod in this change, is enough to teach, that this Non trat !J?.!x is a defeCt certainly; and where there is not one, we may report the eftate for deficient. At leafl, thus farre, that God yetmay change itint() a moq: perfeCl:, as He did His owne. And againe this : that it is not con. formed to thegol!trnement, fimply the mofl perfeCl: ofall, thegowrnement ofthe TPbole: when, as the inferior bodies are ruled by theSuperiour, fo a multitude, by unity ; that is, aOby ene. Thus farre on the{ewords, 'Ibe~~ TPM no l(ing, howfoever other Statu therewere. ..J The next point is. No l(ing in lfrael. That this is not noted as ade~. feet ingro/fe, or atlarge; but even in lfrael, Gods owne chofen people~ lt is awant (not inEdom,orCanaan, but) even in lfrael too, the want ofa l(ing. Truly Iji-ael, beingGods owne pe~uliar, might feemeto claime ;z Prerogati'je above other Nations,in this, that they had the knowledge of His LauJes, whereby their eyes were lightned, and nheir bandstaught; and fo the mofl: likely to fpare one : others had not like light: yet this, non ou· ftante their lig/Jt and their law, and that they which were; Gods ownepeo• pie, is nofuper-Jedw for having a Kmg. Ofwhichthereneedethno reafon but this; that a l(ing is a good meanes to keepe themGods Ijrael. Here, for want of a l(ing, Ifrael began and was faire onward, to be tl() longerIfrael,but even 'Babe!. When Micab (and by good reafon any oth~r as well as he) might fet up fl?!ligions, and give Orders themldves; as lt Were in open contempt ofGod and His Law. So that, rbe people of God can pleade no exemptionfrom this-Since it is His owneOrdinance,tomake them and keepe them t;hepeople oj God. ' -, · - ~as
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