On Saturday the ix. of Nouember. 1555. The Cj. Sermon, which is the fifth vpon the sixeteenth Chapter.
18 Iudges and Officers shalt thou make thee in all thy Cities which the Lorde thy God giueth thee throughout all thy Tribes, to iudge the people with iust Iudgemement.
19 Thou shalt not wrest the Lawe, nor haue regarde of persons. Thou shalt not take any reward. For gifts blinde the eyes of the wise, and peruert the woordes of the righteous.
HAd wee continued in the same soundnesse of nature wherein God created vs: ye order of Law (as men terme it) should not be so needefull, bicause euery man [ 30] should cary the law in his heart, so as no man needed to be compelled to obedi∣ence, but euery man should know his rule, & wee should all with one accord followe that which is good & rightful. And therefore law is as a reme∣die against the corruption yt is in men. As oft as there is any talk concerning earthly gouernmēt, we must vnderstand yt therein we haue a mirror of our frowardnes, in yt we are faine to bee com∣pelled to ye following of vprightnes & reason. For [ 40] they that are in authoritie,* 1.1 haue the sworde in their hand: and to what end? To represse such as burst out into excesse and outrage. And wher∣of commeth that, but that whereas mē ought of themselues to seeke the thing that is good and iust, they turne it vpside downe, and goe about to bring all to confusion, if they bee not letted? Surely it is a great shame,* 1.2 (considering that God hath created vs after his own image, & giuen vs dominion & soueraigntie ouer al his creatures,) [ 50] yt we should be faine to be inforced to it by reasō of our naughtines. Picke me out the most despi∣sed of all men, & yet doeth he carie in himselfe the image of God, and the saide token of soue∣raigntie. Yet for al that, wee bee faine to become vnderlings, and that is bicause of our sinne, as I said afore. Let vs know therefore that God hath not stablished the order of earthly gouernment without cause: but that he had an eye to ye cor∣ruption yt is in vs. Hereby we be well warned (as [ 60] I saide afore,) to humble our selues, seeing our sinnes require such remedie. But yet ought wee to magnifie Gods goodnes, for yt he hath proui∣ded aforehand, yt all should not go to vnrecoue∣rable confusion among vs, which thing woulde come to passe if we might do what we listed. For if the strongest might goe away with the goale, what would com•• of it? It were much better for vs to be in ye forestes among wolues and wilde beasts, thā to be among mē, if all things were at libertie. For no beastes are so woode, as are our own lustes. Therfore let vs acknowledge ye won∣derful goodnes of our God, in yt he hath had such care to preserue vs, yt forasmuch as he sawe wee coulde not maintaine our selues vnlesse there were lawes to hold vs in, & Iudges to execute y• things yt are set down in writing: he hath proui∣ded for al. Also hereby we are put in mind to loue the state of Iustice, forasmuch as we know it is a singular gift of God, & a meane to preserue mā∣kind. If we loue the light of the Sunne bicause we cannot liue without it; and if we loue bread and whatsoeuer else belongeth to our sustenance: let vs also loue ye order of Iustice. For it is to no pur∣pose to haue meate & drink & all other commo∣dities, seeing yt without lawes & Magistrates wee should bee depriued of all Gods blessings; and it were better for vs to be dispatched out of hand, than to eate vp one another as it would come to passe. And therefore we must esteeme ye order of Iustice, to be a president of Gods grace, and wee must make account of it as it is worthy, euery of vs indeuouring al yt he can to maintaine it: For wee shewe our selues to bee deadly enemies to peace & to the cōmon weale, if we loue not the state of Iustice. And all such as trouble it, & go a∣bout to peruert it, are as theeues, and are to bee esteemed as enemies of mans welfare. In so much that all men ought to fight against them, when wee see them goe about to bring in such horrible confusion among vs.
Now it is not for nought faid here againe, that when the people were come into the lande which had bin promised vnto them, they should make them Iudges and Magistrates euerywhere. This matter hath beene expounded alreadie in the first Chap∣ter:* 1.3 but yet is it not without cause that GOD