8)4Ofthe CoNs P IRA c I& Sermon 6 . --~------------~------------------------- , lixod.l f•40. Luke 1.6.37. • Dteplicateofit. 'Writte~< fidl in the chr~nicles. And that beforethe Kin~ importance the King thought it.) ' And then this writing here of theKing is he writtenoveragaine,anew order from Go o. So,twoCqnjl4t"s: On~, intheK.ere chronicles, the other in Go o's Canonic~/! Script11re, ofthis act. Two Copiesex::tr' one zn Rstt<hs Regiftrt; the other m ArchJVtS Ecc/eji,.; One among the Kings Records' the other mthechurches Mon11ments. What ihould thiS meane ~Something the .' fure, in theadding ofthis claufe,. about the, writingit up. I know no meaning, rh~~ rim Go o liked well ofthe wnungoftt mtheKmgs, thathewouldhaveasmu h done in his owne Records. c Why theKingwould have it Chronicled, isealily feene.It wasaveryrriemorab! event,worthy to befet downe there. But~hy Go o! Sure Hefaw, thcfe cbrMic/,~ would not !aft fo long, as H1s ":'Ill was, this example here ihould. Andindeed th being now loft, we had beenelmlethe better,tf tt bad beene there only. He mad~ therefore to be enrredinto His owneChronicaChronicomm,that never fh~uld be loll Well itwas,it ihould f!and in the Perjianjlory while it did !aft ;but Go oforfailin ' provided further,to have amemor.mdrlmofit in His owneSacredjfory,that!all as lo!; as the world ihould !aft. That, that is there, isadperpetuam rei memoriam, indeed. " Another reafon. Being in thefeChm•icles, it would have fpread lio funhmhan Perfia,or thehundredtwenty[even Provincesat the furrhefi. Go o's eye looked further : that not Perjians only,but Iewes;Norboththofe,but Chriftians too: Not thehrrndred twmty [even Provinces alone,but all the Pnvinces in the earth !hould take notice ofit. I fpeake with the A~jlle, hath Go o acare ofPerjia? either writHe not thi~ for our fakes? Yes, (or ourfakes ns doubt He wrote it, that wealfo mightbetheberrerfor it. · The better: twowayes: • Firfi,to know Goo 's cenfure ofboththife,indie6millit] forthe prefent: The due praife ofHim by whom the delivery,Thejuft condemning ofthem by whom the danger; that none thatjD feeke ihal befavedby Ifis booke: For, that (we fee here) brings them to the gallowes, and thereleaves them. ' Or rather there leaves them nor, but by this Scriptum eft fets up their quarters, there to fiand and befeene, by all that lookein it, to the worlds end. And thisisworfethanhang· ing, yea, in chaines ; for, the carca!fes ofthofe, in time will confume and drop away and come to nothing; fo !hall thefenever, but remaine as frelh llill, as the firltday, they were fet up, to all generations to come. It is that, that grieveth the noble gene– rous nature (I dare fay) more than the execution ir felfe, there to hang upon rhefile inDigthan AndTharcz's infAmou< blacke roll; their names robe read there, for ever. But, this was written alfo for them thdt come after, and a double ufe there is ofit that way : As the parties, and their facts, be good or bad,that there are regillred. If bad, then (as in thefeventy eighth Pfalme) Ne jintflmt,not to belikethts BigtiMnand Tharez~ T{eflntjicut, not to be like them in their wicked attempt; 'l{sjintjicnt,that they be not like them in their wretched end. . Not like them; bur like MArdochai(A jint.ficntthere: )thatcommingtorheno· tice of fowicked a defigne, tookehimfelfe bound inconfcieucetodetectit: yea, though it were againfi a llranger to him in nation, amore ftranger inreligion to him, yet tO doe rr. Here,InJPice & fac (faith G 0 o, in His Law : ) r ade tll & foe .fimile, (faith C H .. 1 s T, in His Gof}cU.) In a word: this was writt~n to the end, w tye up all h,mds fromfeeking as they did; And toopen allmouthts, todifclsfe, ashe dtd: To makemen loyall to their PriNces, thoughHeathm Idolaters, fuch asAjft~erm: . . And ifthis were the end; ifany !hall go quitecro!fe (in a manoer)in thetr S&rtf·. t11m eft's to this Scriptum eft, in all thefe three: • Letloofe the hands ro.that, rhefe (here) JDnght and are condemned for it: ' Stop up themouthes from dtfclo!i.ng of that, Mord6chai (here) did, and is commended for it: l And both thefe, not tn the cafe ofAjfiuru;, but even of a Chriftian Prince; what thinke you bythem~ What doe they fay in effect,but Sintjicut Bigthan & Thaw:,, Nejintjic11t Mardoch.etu. t. I report me to your confciences: G o n thus skoring up thefe, that butJougot to lay their hands on aHeathen King, would He ever approve offuch, as under-h;mdft on SubjeCts, togoe pafi feeking, even to lay tbei~ handonchrift.!an Prilms,Moft ;:;.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=