^ God is very speedy and swift in the execution of justice, Joel ill. 4 ; Gen. xix.; Num. xvi. ; Ezra vii. 20. In this as in other things it becomes magistrates to be like to God.
8 THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY.
' I will early destroy all the Avicked of the land ;' sum^no mane, I will do morning-justice. Fesiinanter, so Genebrad, ' I will hastily do it.'^ Justice should be on the wing; delays are very dangerous and in- jurious : Prov. xiii. 12, ' Hope deferred maketh the heart sick.' The Hebrew word Mcniiushshacah, that is here rendered ' deferred,' is from Mashavh, that signifies ' to draw out at lengtli.' Men are short- breathed and short-spirited, and hope's hours aie lull of eternity, and when their hopes are draAvn out at length, this makes their hearts sick ; and, ah ! what a world of such sick souls lies languishing at hope's hospital all the world over. Hope in the text is put for the good things hoped for. Now wdien the good things men hope for, be it justice or a quick despatch, &c., are deferred and delayed, this makes the poor client sick at heart. A lingering ho])e always breeds in the heart a lingering consumption ; the harder travail hope hath, and the more strongly it labours to bring forth, and yet is deferred and delayed, the more deadly sick the client grows. 2 The speedy execution of justice is the very life and soul of justice : Amos v. 24, ' But let judg- ment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.' The Hebrew word Veiiggal, that is here rendered ' run down,' is from Galal, that signifies to ' roll down freely, plentifully, vigorously, con- stantly, speedily,' as the great billows of the sea, or as waves roll speedily over the rocks. Judgment and righteousness, like a mighty stream, should bear down all before it. Fiat justitia, mat orhis — Let justice be done, whatever come of it : Deut. xvi. 20, ' That which is altogether just shaltthou follow,' or rather, as the Hebrew hath it, plii plii, Tsedek, Tsedek, Justice, justice shalt thou follow — that is, all manner of justice thou shalt follow, and nothing but justice shalt thou follow, and thou shalt follow justice sincerely, out of love to justice; and thou shalt follow justice exactly, without turning to the right hand or the left; and thou shalt follow justice resolutely, in spite of the world, the flesh, and the devil; and thou shalt follow justice speedily, without delays or excuses. A magistrate that has the sword of justice in his hand must never plead, ' There is a lion in the way.' My Lord, this will be your honour while you live, and your comfort when you come to die, that whilst the sword was in your hand, you did justice speedily as well as impartially. You did justice in the morning, and justice at noon, and justice in the afternoon, and justice at night. What has been your whole mayoralty but one continued day of justice ? Who can sum up the many thousand causes that you have heard and de- termined, and the many thousand differences that you have sweetly and friendly composed and ended ? If the lawyers please but to speak out, they must ingenuously confess that your Lordship has eased them of a gi-eat deal of work.
My Lord, as it is the honour and glory of a magistrate to do justice speedily, so it is the honour and glory of a magistrate to do justice resolutely, courageously, valiantly. It is observable that
' More accurately Gilbert Genebrardus, whose Commentary on the Psalms (1577) has passed through numerous editions. — G.
* Julius Caesar's quick despatch is noted in three ivords : Veni, vidi, vici—l came, I saw, I overcame.
THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY. 9
as soon as ever Joshua came into the office of magistracy, God charges him no less than three times, in a breath as it were, to be very courageous. Josh. i. 6, 7, 9. A magistrate that is timorous will quickly be treacherous. A magistrate that is fearful can never be faithful. Solomon's throne was supported with lions, to shew that magistrates should be men of mettle and courage. The Athenian judges sat in Mars' street, Acts xvii. 22, to shew that they had mar- tial hearts, and that they were men of courage and mettle. The Grecians placed justice betwixt Leo and Libra, to signify that as there must be indififei-ency in determining, so there ought to be courage in executing. Where there is courage without knowledge, there the eje of- justice is blind; and where there is knowledge without courage, there the sword of justice is blunt. A magistrate's heart, a judge's heart and his robes must be both dyed in grain, else the colour of the one and the courage of the other will quickly fade. Why should not the standard be of steel, and the chief posts of the house be heart of oak ? It hath been long since said of Cato, Fabricius, and Aris- tides, that it was as easy to remove the sun out of the firmament as to remove them from justice and equity ; they were men of such courageous and magnanimous spirits for justice and righteousness. No scarlet robe doth so well become a magistrate as holy courage and stoutness doth. As bodily physicians, so state physicians should have an eagle's eye, a lady's hand, and a lion's heart. Cowardly and timorous magistrates will never set up monuments of their victories over sin and profaneness. It is very sad when we may say of our magistrates, as the heathen did of magistrates in his time, they were very good, si audeant quce sentmnt, if they durst but do what they ought to do.i My Lord, had not the Lord of lords put a great spirit of courage, boldness, and resolution upon you, you had never been able to have managed your government as you have done, counting the various winds that have blown upon you, and the several difficulties and discouragements that have risen up before you, Kev. i. 5, 6, and xvii. 14.
My Lord, once more give me leave to say, that in a magistrate justice and mercy, justice and clemency ought to go hand in hand: Prov. XX. 28, ' Mercy and truth preserve the king, and his throne is upholden by mercy. '2 All justice will not jjreserve the king, nor all mercy will not preserve the king ; there must be a mixture both of justice and mercy to preserve the king, and to uphold his throne ; and to shew that mercy is more requisite than justice, the word mercy is doubled in the text. Justice without mercy turns into rigour, and so becomes hateful. Mercy without justice turns into fond pity, and so becomes contemptible. 3 Look, as the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna were by God's own command laid up in the same ark ; so must mercy and justice be preserved entire in the bosom of the same magistrate. Mercy and justice, mildness and righteousness,
^ Cic. de Mil. ^ Truth in Scripture is frequently put for justice.
^ King John thought to strengthen himself by gathering a great deal of money to- gether; but neglecting the exercise of mercy and justice, clemency and lenity, he lost his people's affections, and so, after many endless turmoils, he came to an unhappy end.