by men of weak judgments; fo that the reproach caft upon the commonwealth of Athens may too fitly be applied to other nations; namely, that their great wifdom appeared in their excellent laws, and their folly in taking pains to pervert them.

To prevent this, the Kings and Lords of this Ifle firft inftituted THIS COURT OF TINWALD, that all inferior magiftrates might have an opportunity of juftifying their conduct, if they had acted uprightly, and agreeably to law, and might receive a juft rebuke, if complaint were made, and they had acted otherwife.

And this is exactly agreeable to an ordinance of the ancient Romans, which made that commonwealth fo profperous: for to prevent carelessness, corruption, or negligence, in the interpretation or execution of the laws, the Judges were obliged to lay their acts before the Cenfors, that nothing might remain on record, but what the law fhould warrant.

A very excellent method, every body must own; and yet every Chriftian magiftrate has much stronger obligations upon him, to be most exactly careful in the administration of juftice: Ye judge not for man, neither for his approbation, nor for fear of his cenfure, but for the Lord. The judgment is God's, faith the text; that is, it ought to be the very fame judgment, if poffible, that God himself would give. At leaft, a good magiftrate must have

this teftimony of his integrity, that he honestly attend to give a judgment worthy of God, in whofe place he ftands; a judgment which he hopes God will approve of, and which his confcience will never reprove him for.

That it may be fo, it is neceffary, that every magiftrate fhould not only, as in Jehofaphat's charge, take heed what he does; that is, be very careful to inform himfelf what is the law, and what is the cafe concerning which he is to give judgment; but it is alfo neceffary, that he let no worldly confideration take poffeffion of his heart. The text faith, YE SHALL NOT BE AFRAID OF THE FACE OF MAN;and the truth is, that magiftrate, who fears or hopes for any thing more than the approving himfelf to God, has a bias upon his judgment that will certainly lead him to be unjuft.

We have a remarkable inftance of this fin and weakness, in the perfon of Pilate. He was very defirous to releafe Jefus, finding no fault in him which could deferve death. The chief priests, perceiving this, and knowing his weak fide, cried out, If thou let this man go, thou art not Cæfar's friend; that is, in other words, Though you find no fault in him, yet if you do not condemn him, you shall be reprefented as an enemy to Cæfar. Well, what followed? Why, the moft execrable piece of wickedness that ever judge was guilty of. The evangelift tells us, that when Pilate heard that faying, that is, that he was in danger of lofing

lofing his master's favour, by following his conscience, and doing juftice, he gave fentence, that it should be as they defired; not as justice required, or as his own confcience fuggefted.

And as all wickednefs is folly, this was fo in the highest degree: for, first, he owned by this act, that he was capable of being frightened out of his duty, than which there could not be fixed upon him a greater reproach; and fecondly, he most egregiously affronted that mafter whose displeasure he feared, by fuppofing that he could be pleased with a wicked action, the death of an innocent perfon. And the providence of God very foon convinced him of his fin and mistake; for notwithstanding all his care not to lose Cæfar's favour, he fell under his difpleasure, was banished, and, wanting the comfort of a good conscience, he made a way with himself,

And thus it will ever be, when men forget that the judgment is God's, and that to God they are accountable. When they forget this, interest will prevail with them, friendship will gain upon them, paffion will hurry them into error, bribes will blind their eyes, or, what the world will fay will influence them.

I fet God always before me, was the maxim of the best of kings: and every man, and every magiftrate especially, muft do fo too, who would never do any thing unworthy of God; and the neglect of doing fo, is the occafion of all the mischiefs committed and complained of. How

How feasonable, therefore, is the advice of the wife man, Seek not to be judge, being not able to take away iniquity, left thou fear the perfon of the mighty, and lay a ftumbling-block in the way of thy uprightness.

But that the magiftrate's judgment be worthy of God, it is neceffary that he do not only mean uprightly himself, but that he take ef pecial care that he be not imposed upon by defigning men.

The generality of those that take upon them to manage caufes, have nothing fo much in view as their own gain. Let a caufe be never fo unrighteous, they will undertake it. Let the law be never fo plain, they will endeavour to pervert it. Let a jury be never fo welldifpofed to follow the truth, they will endeavour to lead them astray.

A magistrate, therefore, has need to be very patient, and very refolute; patient in finding out the truth, which fuch managers endeavour to hide from him, and refolute in following it, in spite of all their clamours.

The complaints of those that fuffer by these fort of people, both in their peace and in their rights, fhould, one would hope, awaken the government to regulate at least, if not to filence them; and to bring us back to our old constitution, WHERE EVERY MAN PLEADED HIS OWN CAUSE; the fimpleft man being as able to tell his own story to a magistrate as to an attorney; and a magiftrate will be better able

Ecclus. vi. 6.

able to judge where the truth lies, when facts are laid nakedly before him without defign of impofing upon him.

We have hitherto confidered the magiftrate's duty with refpect to his fellow-creatures:-But there is another branch of his duty, and a very important one, which regards the honour and the laws of God.

Every magiftrate, whether ecclefiaftical or civil, ftands charged with this-to confult, to promote, to countenance, the caufe of GOD and RELIGION; for this reafon, becaufe their authority is from God, and the obedience they claim is not from any right of their own, but as they are God's fubftitutes.

And the will of God is, That wickednefs be punished, that fin be made uneafy to men, and that such as are not to be restrained by reafon, or by the terrors of the world to come, fhould feel the pain, the shame, and the punishment, which their fins deferve in this world.

And if magiftrates fhall be remifs in this, they will foon fee their own authority undermined. For if men be once permitted to trample upon the laws of God, they will at laft trample upon that authority which fhould have put a stop to their wickednefs. It is their duty, therefore, and it is their intereft, to execute wrath against them that do evil, as they are God's minifters; (fo faith the apoftle")-— to take care of growing vices, to root them