Serm. XXX. Praying for Go7 nours. 2i9 Paffions, and comply with their Corrupt and Vicious. Inclinations, and are al- ways ready at hand, and forward Inftruments to execute their Commands, and to ferve their Lulls and Vices. And as Princes greatly need our Prayers upon there Accounts; fo it is juft Matter of draife and Thankfulnefs to God, when a Nation hath wife, juft; and good Princes, who lay to heart the Interefts of their People, and endeavour by all the wife Methods and honett Arts of Government, effectually to pro- cure it ; who by their Authority and dueExecution of the Law, do difcounte- nance, and, as much as in them lies, reftrain Wickednefs and Vice ; and by their own Example encourageVirtue and Piety in their Subjects; and thereby invite, and even provoke them to the like Practices : The life of a good Prince is a kind of Publick Cenfure of ill Manners, and reproof of vicious Pra&ices. And I do not know whether there be a more delightful Sight on this fide Heaven, than to fee thofe who are in Eminent Place and Power, even, if they might do whatever they would , yet continually "chufing to do what they ought ; as if their Power were fo far from being a Temptation to them to do Evil, that on the contrary, the Confideration of it is one of the belt and ftrongeft Arguments to rettrain them from it. Weak Minds are apt to meafure their Liberty by their Power, and to think that the higher and greater they are, fo much the greater Priviledge they have to be more extravagantly bad than others : But if the Matter be really confidered, the Argument runs the other way ; and he that reafons wifely, will certainly conclude with Tully, in maxima quâque fortuna minimum licere, that they who are in the highe/l Station, andgreate/t Power, have 'of all others the lea/l liberty to do what they li t. Their Power, fuppofing it never fo uncontroul- able, and unaccountable, would be fo far from being in Reafon a Temptation to then to do what they ought not, that in truth it would fet them above the Temptation of doing an ill thing ; becaufe they would ftand in awe of no body , and there would be nothing that could hinder them from doing what is beft, if they had a mind to it : And every one ought to have fueh as mind : And nothing can be more mif-becoming, and more directly con- trary to the Nature of their Office, and the power wherewith they are in- matted, than to give an Example of breaking thofe Laws, which they are to fee put in Execution. God himfelf, becaufe he hath all Power, is therefore all Goodnefr, : and is therefore holy in all his ways, and righteous in all his works, according to the reafoning of the Author of the Book of Wifdom, who argues thus with God,. Is it not (fays he) agreeable with thy Power to condemn him that bath not deferved to be punifhed; that is , it is not agreeable with infinite Power,, to do any thing that is unjuft ; For thy Power (faith he to God,) is the beginning of righteoufnefs, and becaufe thou art the Lord of all, it maketh thee to be gracious unto ál1. Infinite Power is the Foundation and Principle of Good nefs and Righteoufnefs, and an All-powerful Being is good and righteous, not only from Choice, but from a Neceffity of Nature. And this is the true Ground and Reafon of that Saying of St. 7eimes, that God cannot be tempted with Evil, becaufe his infinite Power fets him above alt Temptation to it : For what Reafon can be imagined, why he that hash all Power, thall have any inclination to be otherwife than good ? What can tempt him thereto ? Since he that bath all'Power can neither have any hopes of being greater than he is, nor any fear of becoming lets : And all Temptation is founded either in hope or fear, and where neither of thefe can have any place, there can be no occafion, no poffible Motive or Temptation to Evil; for to be Evil, and to do Evil, is always an Effect of weaknefs and want of Power. The rum of what I have faid upon this Argument, and the defgn indeed of it, is to thew; that the greater Power and Authority any one hath, the lets Liberty he hath to do any thing that is bad. And I have been the larger upon this, becaufe I would fain imprint upon the Minds of.Perfons, whom the Pro yidence of God bath invefted with great Powerand Authority, that as they have F f 2 great
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