And what is there in God's Laws, but that which is our safety, and should be our joy? If good Laws be the safety and honour of Kingdoms, are not God's Laws so to all the World? What an ugly Dungeon were the World without them? and what a worse than brutish thing were man? O how happy were Man, were Families, were Cities, were Kingdoms, if all had made God's Laws their Rule, and all Mens Laws and Lives had been ruled by them? Then there would have been none but wise, just, and holy Rulers, that would have governed for God, and for the common good, and Princes would have been indeed the Fathers of their Countries, and Masters of their Families, abhorring all contradicting selfish Interests, and ⟨p. 12⟩all Injustice, Tyranny, and Oppression. Then Subjects would have with reverence, readiness, and fidelity, obeyed God, in obeying and honouring their Parents, Princes and Masters. Then all men would love their Neighbours as themselves, and do as they would be done by; Love and Justice would reign among all, and Injury, Partiality and Selfishness would be abhorred. And which of us cannot say, Had I been ruled by God's Laws, I had escaped all the guilt, the shame, the corrections, the terrors that have befallen me? It is our sin against that sacred Rule, which is the cause of all our sorrows; else what Peace might we have had in our Consciences, in our Bodies, in our Houses, in our Cities and Country, as having Peace with God. God's strictest Laws, are but his strict forbidding us to destroy or hurt our selves and others, as you forbid fire and water, and Knives and Gunpowder, surfeiting and poison to your Children, for their preservation.
And what is there in God's Laws, but that which is our safety, and should be our joy? If good Laws be the safety and honour of Kingdoms, are not God's Laws so to all the World? What an ugly Dungeon were the World without them? and what a worse than bruitish thing were man? O how happy were Man, were Families, were Cities, were Kingdoms, if all had made God's Laws their Rule, and all Mens Laws and Lives had been ruled by them? Then there would have been none but wise, just, and holy Rulers, that would have governed for God, and for the common good, and Princes would have been indeed the Fathers of their Countries, and Masters of their Families, abhorring all contradicting selfish Interests, and ⟨p. 12⟩all Injustice, Tyranny, and Oppression. Then Subjects would have with reverence, readiness, and fidelity, obeyed God, in obeying and honouring their Parents, Princes and Masters. Then all men would love their Neighbours as themselves, and do as they would be done by; Love and Justice would reign among all, and Injury, Partiality and Selfishness would be abhorred. And which of us cannot say, Had I been ruled by God's Laws, I had escaped all the guilt, the shame, the corrections, the terrours that have befallen me? It is our sin against that sacred Rule, which is the cause of all our sorrows; else what Peace might we have had in our Consciences, in our Bodies, in our Houses, in our Cities and Countrey, as having Peace with God. God's strictest Laws, are but his strict forbidding us to destroy or hurt our selves and others, as you forbid fire and water, and Knives and Gunpowder, surfeiting and poyson to your Children, for their preservation.
