they leave no more impression upon your consciences, than a sweet lesson upon the Lute in the ear, when it is ended; for, then both the vocal and instrumental sweetness dissolve into the air, and vanish into nothing: It is too truly so with our Sermons upon your souls. Hear your character in GODS own words unto the Prophet; They come unto thee, as the people cometh, and they sit before me as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness: ⟨p. 258⟩and lo, thou art unto them, as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for, they hear thy words, but they do them not. Let us lift up our voices never so high, or cry never so loud: and •ll Judges, That they ought not to be afraid 1of the face of man, for the judgement is GODS: that in judgement, they must neither respect the person of the 2poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: that they should not only hold their hands from gross bribes with Epaminondas, who (as the story tells us) refused3 great presents sent unto him, although he was poor, saying, If the thing were good, he would do it without any bribe, because good: if not honest, he would not do it for all the goods in the world. But they must also be of Austins judgement, that not only money, gold and silver, or4 presents (as they call them) are bribes; but the guilt5 of bribery also may be justly imputed, even to any exorbitant affection, which sways a man aside from an impartial execution of justice: as love, fear, hatred, anger, pusillanimity, worldliness, desire of praise and applause, which is Austins instance, &c. That they beware of bringing more blood upon the Law by sparing the spiller of blood. For ble•d (saith GOD) it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it: that they must not look upon the ca•ses which come before them only through the spectacles of a favourite, &c, and tell Justices of Peace, that they must be truehearted patriots, and not servers of themselves, and their own turns: that they must be serious, real, and grave; not only formal, not cyphers, not unnobly light in their behaviour on the Bench:
they leave no more impression upon your consciences, than a sweet lesson upon the Lute in the eare, when it is ended; for, then both the vocall and instrumentall sweetnesse dissolve into the aire, and vanish into nothing: It is too truly so with our Sermons upon your soules. Heare your character in GODS own words unto the Prophet; They come unto thee, as the people commeth, and they sit before me as my people, and they heare thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousnesse: ⟨p. 258⟩and loe, thou art unto them, as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for, they heare thy words, but they do them not. Let us lift up our voices never so high, or cry never so lowd: and •ll Iudges, That they ought not to be afraid 1of the face of man, for the judgement is GODS: that in judgement, they must neither respect the person of the 2poore, nor honour the person of the mighty: that they should not onely hold their hands from grosse bribes with Epaminondas, who (as the story tels us) refused3 great presents sent unto him, although he was poore, saying, If the thing were good, he would do it without any bribe, because good: if not honest, he would not do it for all the goods in the world. But they must also be of Austins judgement, that not onely money, gold and silver, or4 presents (as they call them) are bribes; but the guilt5 of bribery also may be justly imputed, even to any exorbitant affection, which sways a man aside from an impartiall execution of justice: as love, feare, hatred, anger, pusillanimity, worldlinesse, desire of praise and applause, which is Austins instance, &c. That they beware of bringing more bloud upon the Law by sparing the spiller of bloud. For ble•d (saith GOD) it desileth the land: and the land cannot be clea•sed of the bloud that is shed therein, but by the bloud of him that shed it: that they must not looke upon the ca•ses which come before them only through the spectacles of a favourite, &c, and tell Iustices of Peace, that they must be truehearted patriots, and not servers of themselves, and their owne turnes: that they must be serious, reall, and grave; not onely formall, not cyphers, not unnobly light in their behaviour on the Bench:
- 1Deut 1. 17
- 2[…] it. 19. 15.〈…〉 it. 19. 15.
- 3[…]. chron. sol. •7.〈…〉. chron. sol. •7.
- 4Psalm. 25.
- 5Pag. 144.
