' Tennes, the son of Cyrnus, who was worshipped as a god, was so strict and exact in judgment, that he caused an axe to be held over the witnesses' heads, to execute them out of hand, if they were taken with falsehood ; and from thence was the proverb, Tenedia bipennis. [Rather Tennes (T-Zivvris) of Tenedos, a son of Cycnus, not Cyrnus. Cicero, Q. Fr. ii. 11, 2 : M. Aurel. ap Front. Ep. : ad M. Caesar, i. 9.— G.]
^ Mat. vii. 12. Severus, the emperor, had this scripture often in his mouth ; and whensoever he punished any of his soldiers for offering of injuries to others, he still commanded this scripture to be proclaimed by the crier.
18 THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY.
masters, subjects, servants, and children, should so act in their relations, as they would have others act in the co-relation. All injustice will be repaid one time or another ; and therefore men had need be just, and do to others as they would have others do to them. I have read of a citizen of Comun, in the dukedom of Farrara,! who being cast into prison upon suspicion'of murder, his wife could get no promise of his deliverance, unless she would give the captain, whose prisoner he was, two hundred ducats, and yield her body to his plea- sure ; which, with the consent of her husband, she did ; but after the captain had his desire, he notwithstanding put him to death. The Duke Gonzala hearing of it, commanded the captain to restore the two hundred ducats to the widow, with an addition of seven hundred crowns ; then he enjoined him to marry her presently, and lastly, before he could enjoy his new wife, the duke caused him to be hanged for his treachery and injustice. Sometimes in this life, injustice is repaid upon the heads of unjust judges. My Lords and Gentlemen, before I close up this head, give me leave heartily to recommend to your justice those wrongs and injuries which more immediately strike at the honour and glory of the great God. God hath put his name upon you ; Psalm Ixxxii. 6, ' I said that ye are gods : ' yet it must be granted that you are gods in a smaller letter — mortal gods, gods that must die like men ; all the sons of Ish are sons of Adam. And as God hath put his name upon you, so he hath made you his vice- roys, 2 Chron, xix. 6, ' Ye judge not for yourselves, but for the Lord.' And therefore God takes all affronts that are done to you, as done to himself, as you may see by comparing the scriptures in the margin together.^ And God hath provided for your honour among men; Exod. xxii. 28, ' Thou shalt not revile the gods,' i.e., the magistrates, ' nor curse the ruler of thy people.' I have read of Fabius Maximus, who highly reverenced and honoured his own son, being consul. This heathen will one day rise up in judgment against all such that scorn to give to magistrates that honour that, by the fifth commandment, is due unto them. And God is very severe in revenging the wrongs that are done to you, 2 Pet. ii. 9, 10 ; 1 Sam. viii. 7. He interprets all the injuries that are done to you, as done to himself. And why then will you not revenge the wrongs and injuries that are done to the great GodP Give me leave. Gentlemen, in the behalf of the great Gt)d, a little to expostulate with you. Shall the least dishonourable word that is spoken against an earthly prince be severely punished ? and shall all those horrid and hellish blasphemies, by which the Prince of the kings of the earth is dishonoured and reproached all the nation over, pass unobserved ? Shall all affronts that are offered to ambassadors be deeply resented and justly censured, as high indignities done to the prince that employed them ? and shall the ambassadors of the great God — I mean such as are called, commissionated, spirited, gifted, and graced for that high office by God himself — be scorned, defamed, injured, reviled, and on all hands evilly entreated, and yet no man say. Why do you thus wickedly, to provoke the great God to your own destruction ? 2 Chron. xxxvi. 15, seq. Shall it be looked upon as
^ Query * Como' and * Ferarra ?'— G.
2 Rom. xiii. 2 ; Exod. xvi. 7, 8 ; 1 Sam. viii. 7 ; Rom. xiii. 7 ; Josh. iv. 14.
THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY. 19
noble and necessary justice, that all insurrections in the state be punished as rebellion ? and shall those who are daily up in open arms against the great God, and that daily bid defiance to him, to his Son, to his ordinances, to his people, to his word, and to his ways, escape without the least lash, the least censure ? Shall those that rob their neighbours, though it be but to the value of five shillings, yea less, be indicted, examined, condemned, and executed ? and shall others that rob God of his glory, of his Sabbaths, and of his service, &c., escape without the least shaking of the rod, or without the least danger of the whip ? Shall all profaneness, looseness, and wickedness, be winked at, yea, countenanced and encouraged, notwithstanding his Majesty's most zealous, pious, and renowned declaration against it ? and shall real holiness and the power of godliness be on all hands scorned, dis- countenanced, opposed, and reviled, and yet no man say. What means these things ? Well, my Lords and Gentlemen, for ever remember this : all those sins that are in this land committed, which by your just power and gracious examples might have been prevented, all those sins in the great day shall be charged upon your accounts ; and there- fore it highly concerns you with all your might to browbeat wicked- ness, to discountenance ungodliness, and to improve your power to the uttermost, for the suppressing of all profaneness, and for the coun- tenancing, encouraging, and promoting of real holiness, that so you may give up your accounts at last with joy. I have read of king Ethelbert, how that by his godly example, and by his countenancing and encouraging such as were godly, and by his discountenancing of profaneness and wickedness, he drew this whole kingdom once to look after godliness. 0 my Lords and Gentlemen, if you would be but shining examples and patterns of holiness to the nation ; if you would but in good earnest put forth your utmost power for the encouraging of godliness, and for the suppressing of profaneness : oh, what a holy nation, yea, what a happy nation should we have ! King Cyrus commanded the chief officers of his army to keep a strict hand upon themselves ; for, saith he, that is the best way in the world to keep the whole army in good order. The application is easy. But,