second Table, governours of men, and not of Christians; guardians onely
of civill societies, and not of his Church, and shepheards also of his
flocke. Are Idolatries, blasphemies, prophaning of Saboths, no sinns?
Why then either have not the lawes force and strength enough in them (as
sometime wee are answered when wee complaine) or why are they not
executed for the suppressing of these raging sins? are not all they
punished with death in the Scriptures, as well as breaches of the second
table? Blood I leave to the malignant Church, and admire clemency in
Rulers, as much as any; but yet I know the prophane dissolutenesse of
the times, requires a three stringed whipp of severity to purge our
_Augean_ stable of the soule abuses, whipt often with penns and
tongues, but spared by them that beare the sword (a man may say of many
Governours) altogether in vaine for matters of religion. Are not kings
of the earth charg'd to render double to the bloody strumpet of Rome?
Why then doth the hurtfull pitty of our times imbolden and increase
their numbers? _Laodicea_ it selfe, I doubt not, for matters of mine and
thine, had (as their name imports) good civill justice and justicers;
but what was God the neerer for it? doth hee not threaten for all that
to spue them out of his mouth? shall hee not curse those that doe his
worke negligently, fearfully & partially? Our times complaine of two
speciall canker wormes of justice, which eat up zeale in Magistrates.
The first is _Covetousnesse_, which makes men of place to transgresse
for a morsell of bread; the zeale of their owne houses consumes the
zeale of Gods house: The building of great houses, keeping of great
houses, and matching with great houses, raising and leaving of great
houses behinde them, makes them so ravenous, that they devoure so much,
as choakes all their zeale; which would teach them to shake their laps
of bribes, and scorne to accept gifts, though men would augment them for
the perverting of judgement. The other is _Cowardice_ and _Fearfulnes_:
which how unfit, and base a quality did _Nehemiah_ thinke it for a man