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Honour the king.--1 Pet. ii. 17.

But chiefly them that walk in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government, &c. and dominion, &c. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignities whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.-2 Pet. ii. 10, 11. Jude 8, 9.

III. To pray for them.

Exhort therefore, that first of all supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority (or eminent place), that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty: for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour.-1 Tim. ii. 1-3.

IV. To endeavour to get good Ma

gistrates.

all the nations, &c. This greatly displeased God; and he said to Samuel, They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them, &c. And they said, Nay, but we will have a king over us.-1 Sam. viii, 1-7. 19, 20.

Ye have this day rejected your God who himself saved you, &c. Ye have said, But set a king over us.-1 Sam. x. 19.

Samuel afterward tells them their wickedness was great in the sight of the Lord in asking a king. Which sin the people acknowledged, when God had sent thunder and rain in wheat harvest.-1 Sam. xii. 16—19.

They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not.-Hosea viii. 4.

And thy judges, of whom thou saidst, Give me a king, and princes: I thee a king in mine anger, and gave took him away in my wrath.-Hosea xiii. 10, 11.

When Adonijah exalted himself, It is a severe misfortune to want saying, I will be king; and prepara- magistrates.-Judges xxi. 25.

tion was made for it; then Bathsheba

the queen, and Nathan the prophet, made application to David, to set up

CHAP. XXIII.

Solomon to be king; and accordingly OF AN OATH FOR TESTIMONY, prevailed.-1 Kings i.

V. To discover Treasons. Mordecai discovered the design of two of the king's chamberlains against him.-Esth. ii. 21-23.

VI. To submit to lawful Magistrates, which God hath set over us ; even though they be not such as they should be.

When Samuel was old, he made his sons judges over Israel, &c. and his sons walked not in (or followed not) his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment. Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, and said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us, like

CON

FIRMATION, AND ENDING OF CON-
TROVERSIES, AND OTHER OCCA-
SIONS; AND EVIL OATHS.

ABRAHAM said to the king of Sodom,
I have lift up my hand unto the Lord,
the most high God, &c. that I will
not take, &c. any thing that is thine;
lest thou shouldest say, I have made
Abraham rich.-Gen. xiv. 22, 23.

Abimelech, &c. spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest: now therefore swear unto me here by God, that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, &c. And Abraham said, I will swear, &c. They swore both of them.

Gen. xxi. 22-24. 31. Josh. ii. 12-14.

Abraham said unto his servant, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and I will make thee swear by

an oath of the woman suspected, to clear herself.-Numb. v. 19.

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the Lord, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, daughters of the Canaanites, &c. and serve him, and shalt swear by his And the servant did swear.-Gen. name.-Deut. vi. 13. x. 20. xxiv. 2-4. 9.

Abimelech and Isaac swear one to another, not to hurt one the other.Gen. xxvi. 28, 29. 31.

Jacob and Laban made a covenant, and sware to it: Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac.-Gen. xxxi. 44. 50-53.

Joseph swore by the life of Pharaoh. -Gen. xlii. 15, 16.

Israel called Joseph his son to him, and desired him to swear unto him that he would bury him not in Egypt, but in his father's burying-place. Joseph did swear unto him.-Gen. xlvii. 29-31. 1. 5.

Joseph had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, &c. Ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.-Exod. xiii. 19. Gen. 1. 25. Josh. xxiv. 32.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.-Exod. xx. 16. Prov. xxiv. 28. xxv. 18.

If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, &c. and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it; then shall an oath of the Lord be between them both, that he hath not put his hand unto his neighbour's goods; and the owner of it shall accept thereof.-Exod. xxii. 10, 11.

If a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness whether he hath seen or known it; if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity.-Levit. v. 1. 4.

If a soul sin, and lie unto his neighbour, &c. or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doth, sinning therein, &c.-Levit. vi. 1-3.

And ye shall not swear by my name falsely; neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God.-Levit. xix. 12. Prov. xiv. 5.

The priest was commanded to take

At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death. The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him. -Deut. xvii. 6, 7.

One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin. At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. If a false witness rise up, &c. the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and if the witness be a false witness, &c. then shall ye do unto him, &c.— Deut. xix. 15-19.

Joshua made peace with the Gibeonites, &c. and the princes of the congregation sware unto them, &c. The princes said, We have sworn unto them by the Lord God of Israel; now therefore we may not touch them.-Josh. ix. 15. 19. ii. 12. 14. vi. 22.

The elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The Lord be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.-Judges xi. 10.

The men of Israel had sworn ́in Mispeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife, &c. How shall we do, seeing we have sworn by the Lord? &c.— Judges xxi. 1. 7. 18.

Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, for as much as we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever.-1 Sam. xx. 13. 17. 42.

Saul said unto David, Swear now therefore unto me by the Lord, that thou wilt not cut off my seed, &c. And David sware unto Saul.-1 Sam. xxiv. 17. 21, 22. xxx. 15.

The king said unto Shimei, Thou

shalt not die; and the king sware unto him.-2 Sam. xix. 23.

God brought a famine upon Israel, for the sin of Saul, in slaying the Gibeonites; with whom Israel had made a covenant, to which the princes swore.-2 Sam. xxi. 1-3.

David had sworn to Bathsheba his queen, by the Lord his God, that Solomon his son should reign after him, &c. And the king sware, and said, As the Lord liveth, &c. even as I swear unto thee by the Lord, &c. even so will I certainly do.—1 Kings i. 17. 29, 30.

They set up false witnesses against Naboth.-1 Kings xxi. 10. 13. Matt. xxvi. 59. Acts vi. 11. 15.

Jehoiada sent, &c. the rulers and captains, &c. and made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of the Lord, and shewed them the king's son, &c.-2 Kings xi. 4, &c.

Asa, with Judah, entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart, and with all their soul; that whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel, should be put to death, &c. And they sware unto the Lord with a loud voice, &c. And all Judah rejoiced at the oath; for they had sworn with all their heart.—2 Chron. xv. 8, 9. 12-15.

He

Ezra made a covenant, &c. made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel to swear, that they should do according to this word. And they sware.-Ezra x. 3, 5.

Nehemiah called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise.-Neh. v. 12.

False witnesses did rise up, they laid to my charge things that I knew not.-Ps. xxxv. 11.

The king shall rejoice in God: every one that sweareth by him, shall glory.-Ps. lxiii. 11.

These six things doth the Lord hate, &c. A false witness, that speaketh lies.-Prov. vi. 16. 19.

A false witness shall not be unpunished, &c.-Prov. xix. 5. 9.

Keep the king's commandment; and that in regard of the oath of God. Eccles. viii. 2.

He that sweareth in the earth, shall swear by the God of truth.Isa. lxv. 16. Jer. xii. 16.

And thou shalt swear, the Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness.-Jer. iv. 2. xii. 16. v. 2.

How shall I pardon thee for this? Thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods.— Jer. v. 7.

Will ye, &c. swear falsely, &c. and come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name? &c.-Jer. vii. 9, 10.

Because of swearing the land mourneth, &c.-Jer. xxiii. 10. Hosea iv. 1—5.

The king sware secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, As the Lord liveth that made us this soul, I will not put thee to death.-Jer. xxxviii. 16.

God threatened the Jewish king for breaking his covenant, and despising the oath which he made to and with the king of Babylon; and said, Surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head, &c. I will bring him to Babylon.-Ezek. xvii. 15, 16. 18-20.

I heard the man clothed in linen, &c. when he held up his right hand, and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever, that it shall be for a time, &c.— Dan. xii. 7.

God threatens to cut off them that swear by the Lord, and that swear by Malcham.-Zeph. i. 4, 5.

Every one that sweareth, shall be cut off, &c. I will bring it forth, saith the Lord of hosts; and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name, &c.-Zech. v. 3, 4.

Love no false oath for all these

are things that I hate, saith the Lord. -Zech. viii. 17.

Swear not at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne: nor by the earth, for it is his footstool, &c. But let your communication be yea, yea; nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. Matt. v. 33-37. James v. 12. Exod. xx. 7.

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Herod swore rashly to Herodias's daughter.-Matt. xiv. 6, &c.

They sought false witness against Jesus at the last came two false witnesses.Matt. xxvi. 60. Prov. xiv. 5.

They suborned false witnesses against Stephen.-Acts vi. 11. 13.

Men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation, is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly, &c. confirmed it by an oath.-Heb. vi. 13. 16-18. Jer. xxii. 5. Numb. xiv. 21, 22.

And the angel, &c. lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever, &c. that there should be time no longer.-Rev. x. 5, 6.

CHAP. XXIV.

foolishness of preaching, to save them that believe.-1 Cor. i. 18-21. 23, 24.

I have planted, Apollos watered: but God gave the increase.-1 Cor. iii. 6-9.

I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, &c. for I delivered unto you first of all, that which I also received; how that Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. -1 Cor. xv. 1, &c.

How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach except they be sent ?-Rom. x. 14, &c.

And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more: but thine eyes shall see thy teachers. -Isa. xxx. 20.

The Lord said unto Jeremiah, Thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee: and whatsoever I command thee, thou shalt speak. Be not afraid, &c.

WHAT THE GOSPEL IS: OF GOSPEL Jer. i. 7, 8.

PREACHERS IN GENERAL: THEIR
DUTY AND RECOMPENSE.

SECT. 1. What the Gospel is, and its

Efficacy.

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, &c. that publisheth salvation !-Isa. lii. 7.

The gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations, &c.-Matt. xxiv. 14.

The preaching of the cross is, to them that perish, foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God, &c. after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God; it pleased God by the

If thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth.-Jer. xv. 19.

The word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, and a derision daily: then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name; but his word was in mine heart, as a burning fire shut up in my bones and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.Jer. xx. 8, 9.

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If thou speakest not to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, &c. he shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand, &c.—Ezek. iii. 18, &c.

Freely ye have received, freely give: provide neither gold nor silver, nor brass in your purses, &c. for the

workman is worthy of his meat, &c. I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves; be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.Matt. x. 8-10. 16. John xx. 21. Luke x. 1, &c.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo, I am with you alway, &c.-Matt. xxviii. 19, 20. John xx. 21-23.

He that despiseth you, despiseth me; and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me.-Luke x. 16. He that speaketh of himself, seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, &c.-John vii. 18.

The apostles were very desirous to do good to the souls of others, and therefore took all occasions possible to preach the gospel every where Acts ii. 13, &c. iii. 12, &c. iv. 8-11. v. 29-31. 42. vii. 1, &c.

When the apostles were forbid to preach Christ, they answer, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye; for we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.-Acts iv. 19, 20.

We will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. Acts vi. 4.

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Sirs, why do you these things? we also are men of like passions with you; and preach unto you, that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven and earth.-Acts xiv. 15, 16. xvii. 22, 23.

SECT. 11. Of Gospel Preachers, their Duty and Recompense.

THESE men are the servants of the most high God, who shew unto us the way of salvation.-Acts xvi. 17. Paul, being a tent-maker, abode with Aquila, being of the same craft, and wrought with him, &c. He rea

soned in the synagogue every sabbath, &c. He testified to the Jews, that Jesus was Christ, &c. Apollos shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.-Acts xviii. 1-5. 28.

Paul preached three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God; but when divers were hardened, &c. he separated the disciples, disputing, &c. -Acts xix. 8, 9.

Paul said, I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you: but have shewed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, testifying, &c. repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, &c. Neither count I my life dear, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. I am pure from the blood of all men: for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God, &c. I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel; ye yourselves know that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.—Acts xx. 20, 21. 24. 26, 27. 33-35.

The Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, &c. Acts xxvi. 17, &c. Gal. i. 10-12. 15, 16.

Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him: preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ.-Acts xxviii. 30, 31.

I thank my God, &c. that your faith is spoken of, &c. Without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, &c. I long to see you, that

I

may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end that you may be established, &c. I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation.-Rom. i. 8-11. 16. Col. i. 9. Eph. i. 15, 16.

I will not dare to speak of any of

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