A SERMON

PREACHED AT

THE OPENING OF THE PARLIAMENT,

A.D. MDCXXI.

PSALM lxxxii. 1.

Deus stat in synagogá deorum: in medio deos judicavit.

The Greek, word for word, the same.

God standeth in the congregation of Princes'. Or, in the assembly 'The Psalof gods'. Or, of the mighty3.

In the midst will He judge the gods.

ter.

2 The Ge

neva.

8 The new transla

Which was the Psalm for the day, viz. the sixteenth day of the tion. month, on which day the Parliament was first begun.

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"GOD standeth in the congregation of Princes," &c. Of a congregation of Princes" is this Psalm, as you have heard. And behold here such a congregation, and God, I trust, standing in it. And who then can doubt but this Psalm is for this day?

The words, sure, seem to favour it; the use much more, which hath ever gone with it.

For standing the policy of the commonwealth of Israel, their writers tell us, when ought was to be done, for choosing their rulers, for placing them and giving them their charge; but specially when there was any meeting of them in their synagoga magna, their 'great congregation,' this was ever the Psalm before they sat down. Purposely set, as it seemeth, for the assembly, to set them in tune. For that end set, and to

that end ever used.

SERM.

Deu.31.19.

It was Moses the man of God that by special direction X. from God Himself began and brought up this order first, of making men's duty into music; putting it into their mouths, that so with the sweetness of melody it might be conveyed into their minds. And David since continued it and brought it to perfection, as having a special grace and felicity; he for a song, and his son Solomon for a proverb; by which twothe unhappy adage and a wanton song-Satan hath ever breathed most of his infection and poison into the mind of

The divi

sion.

man.

Now in this holy and heavenly use of his harp he doth by his tunes, as it were, teach all sorts of men how to tune themselves. And there is no estate whatsoever, but in this Book he sweetly singeth their duty into them. Into his court, Psalm the hundred and first, and so severally into the rest. And here now in this Psalin, how to preserve harmony in a congregation.

Of which Psalm this is the first verse, the key and the compendium of the whole. And thus we divide it: 1. into two parties first; 2. into two acts, second. Two parties: 1. the first word of it is God, God in the singular; 2. the last is gods, gods in the plural. These two parties are distinct;

1. one from another, 2. one above another.

1. God That standeth, from the congregation He standeth in. 2. God That judgeth, from and above the gods whom He will judge.

The gods we consider two ways, as the word is twice repeated: 1. deorum, and 2. deos. 1. In synagogá deorum, and 2. in medio deos. 1. Deorum in the congregation, 2. deos 1. out of it. If you will, thus: into the 1. gods of the congreII. gation, and the 2. congregation of the gods.

Now of the first God in and upon the last gods, and in III. and upon the congregation of them, two acts there are set IV. down; 1. His standing, 2. His judgment.

1. In the congregation He stands: Stat in synagogâ deorum.

2. Out of it, the gods He will judge: deos judicabit, that is, call them to account, every god of them; and even upon this very point, how they carried themselves before Him standing in the congregation. 1. This He will do; and do it in medio,

not in a corner, but bring them forth into the midst, and do it in the view of all. In medio deos judicabit.

The order lieth plain. the congregation of them. After of God; 1. His standing, and 2. His judging. Standing now, Deus stat; judging hereafter, Deus judicabit. Judging, 1. even the gods themselves. And that 2. in medio, that all the world may see it. 1. In the whole course of our lives we may have good use of these two; 2. but the Psalmist seemeth to think not at any time so good as at this.

1. Of the gods first: 2. then of

Therefore whatever else slip you, my desire is these two may stick with you, and be ever in your minds all the session long. Two they be, and short ones and plain ones they be; but two words apiece. 1. Deus stat, 2. Deus judicabit; 1. “God doth stand,” and 2. “God will judge.” 1. "Doth stand" for the present; 2. and "will judge," will take a time to call each party to a reckoning, for every thing shall here pass.

1. The taking to heart, a true impression there of these v. two, cannot but do much good, keep all in true measure, time, and tune. 2. The ignorantibus or non recordantibus of it, as it is at the fifth verse, like enough to put all out of course; while men run on and carry things away before them, as if there were no judicare in the creed, as if they should never come to account again.

It hath been thought there needeth no more to make a good Parliament, but the due recording of this verse. It will serve as a rest to tune, and to set all right. To set God, 1. first standing, and then 2. judging, before our eyes.

But specially, standing; for if we shall regard Him well when He stands, we shall never need to fear Him when He judges; and then I shall never need to trouble you with that part. The regard then of God's standing to be our only care for the present, and we to commend it to your care, and so to conclude.

Of the gods first. And first, on our parts that be men; after, on theirs that be the gods.

On our parts. When we read, and weigh well with ourselves this high term and title of gods, given to them that are in authority, we learn to hold them for gods, to owe and to bear all reverend regard to their places and persons. And above

I.

The two parties.

The gods gregation. of infe

of the con

1.The duty

riors to the gods.

X.

SERM. all, highly to magnify such assemblies as this. So taught by the Prophet here, who once and twice, over and over again, so styleth them, their persons themselves, deos, their assembly, synagogam deorum. In the congregation they are so, out of it they are so. Add to these two a third yet, more authentical, and it is in this Psalm too. The Prophet speaketh Ps. 82. 6. here, God Himself there; Ego dixi dii estis. This, saith our Joh. 10.35. Saviour, is sermo Dei. The other two may seem to drop out of the Prophet's pen, but this came from God's own mouth: the more, say I, to be regarded. And this is not Old Testament, as say our Anabaptists. Our blessed Saviour in the New comments upon these words-the best Commentor that ever was-and two things He tells us. 1. One, we thought it Job. 10.34. to be but a Psalm, He tells us it is a law, Nonne scriptum est in Lege? and so gives it the force of a law. 2. The other, Joh.10.55. that it is a binding law still; so binding, that Non potest solvi, (they be His own words) "it cannot be loosed." Was not by Him, nor can by any other; and so is in full force still. These then, dii, deorum, and deos, are not St. Peter's 2 Pet.2.18. Vπéρoyκа μатаίοтηтOS, “swelling words of vanity." This is not to give titles, but of God's own giving; not to say one syllable more than God hath said before us. Said it must be that God hath said, Who never gives titulum sine re. are by Him intituled, and so they are.

Yet not to hold all

the gods equal.

So they

But I take it my duty not to keep from you that all that are comprised here under dii, deorum, and deos, are not all gods alike. No: in this godhead some are before or after other, some are greater and lesser than another. There are some higher than other, saith Solomon. And there are others Eccl.5.8. yet "higher than they." For "the powers that are, are by Rom. 13.1. God" both " ordained" and set in order, saith St. Paul. So in 1Pet.2.13. order, saith St. Peter, as there is one veρéxwv, and that he

3.

saith is "the King" by name, supereminent above the rest, and the rest ab eo missi have their mission and commission from him. Many superiors, but one sovereign.

Ego dixi was said to all, but not to all at once. To some 2 Sam. 23. one before the rest; even to David, to whom before the writing of this Psalm, "God," saith he, "even the strength of Israel, spake to me and said, Thou shalt bear rule over men." Nor did all the "sons of the Most High," as they are after called

29.

at the sixth verse, come into the world at one time. There was primogenitus inter fratres; of whose primogeniture or birthright this was a part, "Be thou Lord over thy brethren, Gen. 27. and let thy mother's sons bow unto thee." And take even the word synagoga; never was there a synagogue heard of, but there was an archisynagogus, a ruler of it.

Nazianzen, speaking of Magistrates as of the images of God, and sorting them, compareth the highest to a picture drawn clean through down to the feet; the middle sort, to half pictures drawn but to the girdle; the lowest, to those same Idyllia, no farther but to the neck and shoulders. But all in some degree carry the image of God, as all have the honour to be called by His Name. This for our parts. Now for theirs, the gods.

2.

The duty

gods: to

be called,

Heb. 1. 4.

What infer we of this? Nothing, but that what they are they would be; "having obtained so excellent a name," they of the would be even what their name bodeth. They that wear be as they God's name, hold God's place, represent His person, "what gods inmanner persons" ought they to be? Choice persons they deed. would be, taken as the fat from the sacrifice, having more 2 Pet.3.11. sparks of the Deity, a larger portion of the Spirit of God, more lively expressing the image and similitude whereto man Gen. 1.26. was made, than the rest. If it were possible, such as of them might be said in the Lycaonian tongue, "Gods are come Acts 14.11. down to us in the likeness of men." Sure they that are styled gods, somewhat more than men they would be; as like, come as near rem nominis, 'the truth of that they are named,' as human frailty will permit.

they not

such.

Judg. 9. 4.

8.

13. 7.

But have they been ever so? I cannot say it. Assemblies Yet have there have been; Abimelech had one, and Rehoboam his, and always Jeroboam his. But Abimelech with his needy indigent been such. Shechemites, Rehoboam with his youth that never stood before 1 Kings 12. Solomon, Jeroboam with his crew of malcontents, "sons of 2 Chron. Belial," shall I call any of these synagoga deorum? I cannot, I see no lineaments, no resemblance at all, nothing for which this name should once be vouchsafed them, of Gods. Nay, nor scarce of synagoga neither; as deserving not only to be left out of the list of gods, but even to be put extra synagogam. Scarce a synagogue, much less of gods.

After, in this Psalm, at the fifth verse, they are told as