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If we look upon the Piety of this our Great Patriarch, or his happy Parallel, our late Lord Protector, in the largest extent of it, we should find it, as boundlesse as the Sea, and our selves swallowed up, in the contemplation of it; So we have restrained our selves, to the discourse of that part of their piety onely, which has relation to God-ward, and a true zeal to his holy Worship: And first we find
our Patriarch so severe and punctual in all his performances, that he would have the least omission of a puntillo of them, to be a mortal, at least a capital sin, the offender being to be cut off from the World, or from communion with the people: and so sumptuous he was in his appointed worship, that all the World might see, that he thought nothing too costly for a bare ceremony of Divine Service, and that the people should take notice, that, the All they had, was from the Lord, to whom they were to pay back so large a proportion in Sacrifice. A most Royal, Stately, and Magnificent, manner of Worship it was,* 1.1 which every man must acknowledge that reads the several solemnities instituted by him in those blessed Books, and worthy of the spirit of so great a Prince, Prophet, and Patri∣arch, as our great Moses was.
Now, has our glorious second Moses, shew∣ed lesse Religious zeal, or true Princely piety towards God? or lesse extraordinary care, and pious curiosity, in providing for the ho∣nour, splendour, worship, and service of his Holy Name? No his Mosaic Highnesse, full well knew, that if all the mountains of the World, were amassed into one, and all the woods of the Earth made into one Libanus, and were set on fire, and all the beasts of a thousand fields and forrests were turned into victims, for his Sacrifices, they would be all as nothing in value, in respect of his heavenly Majesty: and if all the voices of men were
tuned into one, and that one voice, so mu∣sically made, could speak like Thunder, and be heard loudly to proclaim from Pole to Pole, the glory of the Almighty, it could not be sufficient so resound his holy praises.
To this purpose it was, that his Highnesse, was pleased frequently to approve that wor∣thy and ingenious fancy of Philo that great and Learned Jew,* 1.2 who has a Story, though in it, may be, nothing at all of verity, yet I am sure, the morality of it, is very excellent.
This great man, in a Book of his called Noe's Plant, relates as a certain tradition of the Sages of his Nation, from the very beginning of the World; That God the Creator, after that he had formed this goodly Globe of the Ʋni∣verse, and composed it as a glorious Scutcheon of his own immense Greatnesse, a compendium or contracted table of his chiefest Titles, and a per∣fect Mirrour, of his Divine Wisdom and Power: demanded of those blessed Spirits about him, which were the Angels (it may be then in glory) what they thought, of that great piece of Work? upon which, one amongst the heavenly throng, after he had very highly commended, the curious Archi∣tecture of the Ʋniverse, acknowledging it to be a most compleat Fabrick in all things, but one, and that one thing, he said, was wanting to the per∣fection of so goodly a Frame, which he required as a noble Seal, to set upon so incomparable a Piece. What is that, said the Eternal Father? I would desire, replyed the holy Spirit, That there might be a strong, powerful, and penetrating har∣monious
voice, which borne upon the wings of the winds, & Coaches of the clouds, and Charioted tho∣rough the air, might replenish all the parts of the World, with an applause of so accomplisht a Piece of Work, and incessantly to eccho forth both night and day, the glories of God, with praises and thanksgivings for his Divine Majesties most ine∣stimable benefits.
This Story truly may passe very well, for a pretty invention at least, and not unworthy of an Angelical spirit, that was zealous for the honour and glory of the Lord, his Master and Creator. Yet by the leave of this good spirit, I must be bold to say, that his exception, if we take it as so, was in something very frivo∣lous; or his Complement, if we take it as so, was over-officious. For first, the Almighty had sufficiently provided, against that pre∣tended defect, in composing the World, in the frame chat we behold, as a fair large Clock; and then proportionably giving to man the place, which this celestial and critical spirit seemed to require. Now, that this great Clock of the Universe, should be alwayes in tune, to his service, and Divine disposition, he has laid his particular commands and or∣ders upon each wheel, and pin, to do their parts. The first wheel of this grand Clock, is that primum mobile, which we find in Philoso∣phy, the continual motion, and the secret in∣fluencies of antipathies, and sympathies, which lie, as it were hidden, in the bowels of Nature. The hand of this universal Horologe, is that
goodly embowed piece of checkerwork, and frettizing of the heavenly Orbes, which we be∣hold with our eyes. The twelve Signs in the Zodiack, serve, as it were, for distinctions of the twelve hours of the day. The Sun it self, exerciseth the office of the steel, and gnomon, to point out time to us, and in its absence the Moon: the other Lights and Stars, contri∣bute thereto, their lustrous brightnesse. The Sea gives in the azure of its waves for orna∣ment; as also the Earth produceth its varie∣ties of herbs, flowers, and fruits, for enamel of the outside, and its whole body, for a per∣fect counter-poise: its stony Quarries, Mettals, and Minerals, for to exercise the wisest, and learnedst Naturalists, in the search and know∣ledge of this great Creator: The lesser and inferiour animals, are the small chimes; and Man himself, is the great Clock, which is to strike, the several hours, and so perpetually to render thanks, honour, glory, praise, service, and worship, to this Almighty Maker.
And the most vocal Clock to celebrate the praises of his Creator, (that these later Ages have produced) was this Man of men, our most pious late Lord Protector.
All this, I say, his Highnesse knew full well, as our great Patriarch, his Prototype did, and the necessity too, that there was on the peo∣ples parts, to give the most gracious Lord of Heaven and Earth all adoration due to him; wherefore we find, how he enjoyned such so∣lemne observancies upon them, which though
but barely typical, and ceremonial; yet were hugely necessary to strike a reverend dread of the Divine Majesty, into so rebellious a peo∣ple.
Our Princely Patriarch therefore, and his Parallel, our late Lord Protector, knowing themselves (as all other Rulers, and persons in power are) to be set upon Pinacles, to change their words into Laws, and lives into Examples, were the first and foremost always, in the practise of this, and all other piety. The lives of Princes (they knew) are more read, than their laws, and generally more practised; yea, their examples passe altoge∣ther as current as their coin, and what they do, they seem to command to be done; cracks in glasses, though past mending, are no great matters, but the least flaw in a Diamond, is hugely considerable; yea, their personal faults, become National injuries. It is held by the Learnedst amongst the Ancients, that when the Sun stood still in the time of Joshua, the very Moon, and all the Stars, did make the like pause; so all Princes, and Gover∣nours, whose spirit is the first wheel, where∣unto all the other are fastned, it is necessary should give a good and godly motion.
Our sacred second Moses, therefore found himself (as his Princely Archetype before him did) obliged to be exemplary to his people, in all kindes of piety, proposing no Highnesse to himself, equal to that, which he enjoyed in his humiliation before his God: he never
found himself well at ease, but when he was paying those duties of piety, praise, honour, and glory, reverend service, and worship, to his Divine Majesty. Insomuch, that we may more truly say of him, that which the Pagan Orator said of his Emperour,* 1.3 Sanctiores effe∣cit ipsos Deos, exemplo suae venerationis; He made the gods themselves more holy, by the example of his pious worship: that is, he gave a reverence extraordinary to Religion, by his manner of serving it. The verity of this is evi∣dent, for we find that he has so happily in∣flamed all his people about him, and such as well studied him, to so high a pitch of piety, by his most exemplary good words, and works, that we can esteem them no otherwise, than as Thunder-claps to Hindes, for the powerful production of Salvation.
His Highnesse was unquestionably one of the greatest patterns of Princely piety that ever the World produced, since that of our first Moses. He had so great a fear of the Lord, that he apprehended the least shadow of sin, as death. Then he had a love so tender to∣wards his God, that his heart was alwayes as a flaming lamp, that burnt perpetually before the Sanctuary of the living Lord. His faith had a bosome as large, as that of eternity, his hope was as the bow of Heaven, ail furnisht with Emralds, which can never loose its force, more than they their luster, and so his piety must of necessity have been an eternal source of blessings. His care to gather, together so many
living-stones, for the edification of Gods house, (that is to say, so many good, godly, and re∣ligious men) has been more than all theirs, that have heapt together so many dead ones, in stately piles of Temples. Finally, his whole heart, we know, was perpetually towards God; his feet were ever walking towards the Church, or his other devout retirements: his armes were perpetually employed in all manly and pious exercises, and works of cha∣rity; and his whole body, was most dutifully disposed to the sacrifices and victims of his soul; and both his soul, and body, with all his faculties, were a constant Holocaust to the Lord: Insomuch, that neither all the cares and confusions of this World, nor multiplicity of affairs, that he has been ever involved in, have been at all able to withdraw any part, or parcel of him, from the course of true piety; but he has alwayes appeared in the midst of all those encombrances, as those sweet Foun∣tains (which we read of) that are found in the salt-sea, or those happy fishes, that do still preserve their plump white substance, fresh and free from the infection of all the brackish waters that they live in: his pious spirit could be never so much disturbed, as to be extin∣guisht, or taken off, from the refreshment of his devotions; as we shall see more at large in our next Ascent, and happy Parallel.
Levit. Num. Deut.
Philo Ju∣daeus in Planta Noe.
Plin.