560 now TO DO GOOD TO MANY. good they are exceeding great blessings to the world. They will remember that their power is for God, and the common good, and that to God they must give a strict account: they will take God's law for the only universal law to the world, and conform their own as by-laws to it. They will take their ow,n interest to consist in pleasing God, and promoting the gospel and kingdom of Christ, and the piety and savingof men's souls.. They will be examples of serious godliness, of justice and sobriety, trustiness, and temper- ance, and chastity, to their subjects in their eyes a vile person will be condemned, but they will honor those that fear the fiord';" Psalm xv. 4. They will love those' most that love Christ best, and most diligently obey him, and tenderly fear to sin against him : those please them best that please God best, and are most useful to the common good : they will set their hearts on the people's welfare, and are watching for all, while all securely . live under their vigilancy. . They will cherish all that 'Christ cherisheth, and especially the faithful pastors of the churches, that seek not the world, but thewelfare of the flocks : when some are saying, ' In this mountain we must worship God,' and some, 'atJerusalem,' they will teach them all to worship God in spirit and truth. When pastors and people grow peevish and quarrelsome for their several interests, opinions, and wills, a. Constantine will cast all their libels into the fire, and rebuke the unpeaceable,, and restrain the violent, and teach them to forgive and love each Other, and will be the great justice ofpeace to all the churches in the land, and pare their nails that would tear and scratch their brethren : he will countenance the sound and peaceable, and tolerate all the tol- erable, but will tie the hands of, strikers, and the tongues of revi- lers ; he will contrive the healing of exasperated minds, and take away the occasions of division, and'rebuke them that call for fire from heaven, or for the sword, to do that Which belongeth to the word, or to execute their pride'andwrath. Godliness will have all the encouragement they can give it, and innocency, a full de- fence: malignity, and persecution,. and perjury, and unpeaceable revenge, will be hateful where they rule.; and they had rather men feared sin too much than too "little; and would have all men prefer the law and honor of God to theirs. Where .the righteous bear rule, the people rejoice; the wisdom, piety, and impartiality of their governors suppresseth profaneness,oppression and contention, and keepeth men in the way of love and peace ; and as the wel- fare of all is thecare ofsuch a ruler above his ownpleasure, wealth or will, so he will have the hearts, and hands, and wealth of all with readiness to serve him. No wonder if such are called nursing fathers, and the light ofour eyes, and the breath of our nostrils, and the shadow of a rock in a weary land. As they bear the im-
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=