Vers. 4. And I will appoint children to be their Princes, and babes shall rule ouer them.
TO the end the vengeance of God might be the more apparent, he now tels vs how wofull and miserable this change should be, to wit, when the faithfull & wise gouernours should be cut off; and that God should put da∣stards & mecoks in their stead. By Children we must not onely vnderstand them that are so in age; but also in vnderstanding, and man∣ners: such as are delicate and effeminate persons, who haue no strength in them; nei∣ther are able to manage the sword that is put into their hand. He hath not opposed all the members one against an other: he thought it enough to shew ye meane by which a Com∣mon-wealth might soone be brought to ru∣ine; namely, if so be that fooles and ignorant ones do beare rule, who are as children, in whom there is no wisdome nor grauitie to be found. We may therfore hold it for a sure principle, that he is vnfit to gouerne a Com∣mon-wealth, that is not called thereunto of God, nor furnished with singular vertues: which thing Plato also did well perceiue; for howsoeuer hee were a prophane man,* 1.1 ha∣uing no true knowledge of God, yet he well discerned that none was capable nor fit to sway publike affaires, but he which was indu∣ed with diuine vertues. And as the admini∣stration of Common-wealths is of God one∣ly; so also is it necessarie that it be vpheld by himselfe in euery respect; and there remaines no more to those whom the Lord gouerns not, but that they bee like to children, yea that they be twice children, to wit, destitute of all counsell, and wisdome.
Now the Lord exerciseth his vengeance [ 1] two waies: for sometimes we thinke we haue men of grauitie and of experience in mat∣ters; but when they take it in hand, they stumble like blind beetles, and haue no more skill and wisdome then little children; be∣cause the Lord depriues them of this singular vertue, with which before they were indued: and puts them out of bias, as if he had smit∣ten [ 2] them with a thunderclap. Sometimes also the Lord proceedes more slowly and takes away excellent personages for iudgement, by little and little, and such as were fit for gouernment: and transports the swaying of causes ouer to them which are not able to gouerne a familie, no not a sillie child. When these things come to passe, we may hold it for certaine, that destruction and ruine is not farre off.
Moreouer, we haue to obserue (as I tou∣ched not long since) that the estate of a Com∣mon-wealth well ordered,* 1.2 is an excellent gift of God: seeing all the orders of Iudges, Se∣nators, Souldiers, Captaines, Teachers, and Handicrafts men, doe all of them helpe one another by mutuall community: and doe knit themselues together for the common safetie of the people. For seeing the Prophet threa∣tens and denounceth that these things shall be abolished as a most heauie iudgement of God, he sufficiently shewes, that these are rare and excellent gifts, which are necessarie for the conseruation of the people.
The office of Magistrates, Captaines,* 1.3 and Souldiers is here commended vnto vs then; as also the office of Teachers. Which we are well to note, against those franticke fellowes, who striue to cut off from the world, the pow∣er of the sword; and all other good politicke orders. Now the Prophet shewes that these things are not taken away but when God is displeased. It followes thereupon then, that such folke who fight against such benefits of God, reiecting and quenching all that in them lies the same, are wicked ones and ene∣mies to the publike good.* 1.4 Also the Ministry of the word doth here receiue his commendati∣on, without which a Common-wealth cannot long endure. For where no prophesie is (as Salomon saith) there the people perish: Prou. 29.18. Moreouer, handicrafts, tillage,* 1.5 all oc∣cupations of what sort soeuer they be, as Car∣penters, Labourers, and such like, which serue for the necessities and commodities of men, are here praised, as the ministers and seruants of the Lord, and haue the same end, as the o∣thers before mentioned; to wit, to preserue mankind.* 1.6 We may also say the same as tou∣ching them that professe the arte militarie; for although a lawfull warre ought to be no∣thing else but a meanes of peace, yet not∣withstanding, it is necessarie sometimes to come to strokes: so as they who haue the ad∣ministration of the sword, doe vse it in defen∣ding themselues and theirs. Warre therefore must not be condemned in it selfe, because it is a meanes to conserue a Common-wealth. Eloquence also is a thing not to be despised:* 1.7 because there is often neede of it, as well in publike, as in priuate, fully and plainely to shew a thing, and to make a trueth cleare and euident. For that also is reckoned amongst the gifts and speciall blessings of God, when a citie aboundeth with prudent and elo∣quent personages,* 1.8 who can debate with the aduersaries, in the gate, or in the place where neede shall require to defend it selfe by counsell and reason.
Now the summe of this place is, that when the Lord takes away his gifts from a people, and changeth their estate,* 1.9 be it any way how∣soeuer, either by altering the forme of go∣uernment, or that good gouernours be taken away; the wrath of God is to bee acknow∣ledged, who takes away Kings in his wrath, as Hosea saith, and giues others in his anger: Ho∣sea 13.11. We must not therefore attribute such changes to fortune, or to other causes.