an one was Solomon, to whom God gave such a wise and understanding heart, that no mere man since the fall ever equalled him in universal knowledge, and especially the art of well governing his people, and it was for their good and comfort as well as his own, that he was so earnest with God for wisdom and knowledge, "that he might go out and come in before his people." 2 Chron. i. 10. All these (with many others) were able to choose out their people's way, and also endeavored to be a comfort to them.

5. And when it is thus, when God gives such to a people to be their heads or rulers as are able to choose out their way, and will also endeavor to be a comfort to them, it is a singular happiness to them. It is a great and necessary blessing (as we have said already) for a people to have heads or rulers, and if so, much more is it a great and necessary blessing to have such heads or rulers as these. God promises such heads or rulers as a singular happiness to his people. When they were pining and languishing under a very uncomfortable government, God supports them with this blessed promise, "I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning, (Isa. i. 26.) i. e. I will give thee such heads or rulers as thou hadst at the beginning, either of thy commonwealth, such as Moses and Joshua, or of thy kingdom, such as David and Solomon.

And such heads or rulers are said to be given in great mercy to a people. "Because the Lord loved Israel, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice," was it said of Solomon, 1 Kings x. 9. Yea and such heads or rulers as are courageous and vigorous in promoting the comfort of their people, have the promise of God's protection and blessing in their promoting the same, (2 Chron. xix. 11.) and considering of this, we may say with the Psalmist, (Ps. cxliv. 15.) "Happy is the people that is in such a case."

And now our propositions being thus cleared, I descend to make a little improvement, and shall but little more than mention those things which I might very largely insist upon.

Use I. Hence we are informed, what cause of thankfulness the people have who enjoy such heads or rulers as these. The blessings of God call for thankfulness; such heads or rulers as we have been speaking of, being such a singular blessing, the people that enjoy them, ought to be very thankful to God for them. When such as are heads or rulers of a people are otherwise, are contrary to these, it is matter of mourning. The prophet was greatly affected and troubled upon the account of those rulers who sought themselves only, and not the good of the public, Isa. i. 23. "Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves, every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards, they judge not the father

less, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them." So when the princes of that people, instead of being examples of piety and virtue, and promoters of the public weal, were patrons and actors of wickedness, (Ezek. xi. 1, 2.) the Spirit of God seems to be affected with it, and affects the prophet with it. Well, but when such are heads or rulers of a people, as we have been describing, it is matter of joy, and we ought to thank our God always upon the account of such. It is spoken with respect to Solomon, 2 Chron. ix. 8. "Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee to set thee on his throne, to be king for the Lord thy God." God deserves all blessing and praise when he advances such to be kings, or governors, or inferior rulers of his people.

Use II. Hence it is a judgment upon a people, and a matter of deep lamentation to them, when God is removing and taking away such heads or rulers from them. God threatens this as a sore judgment upon Jerusalem and Judah, (Isa. iii. 1, 2.) that he would take away from them the judge; the civil magistrate. And when God frowns thus upon a people, they ought to lie in the dust. When the elders ceased from the gate, (their grave men that were wont to sit and execute judgment there,) Lam. v. 14, it follows, ver. 17, "For this our heart is faint, for these things our eyes are dim." And what cause have we to be deeply affected (and I believe we generally are affected) with the awful rebuke of divine Providence in the removing and taking away by death the truly noble Earl of BELLOMONT, His Majesty's CaptainGeneral, and Governor-in-chief over these Plantations, a Governor so able to choose out our way, and so disposed as his lordship was to be a comfort to us. Is not this a token of divine displeasure? Does not the Almighty testify against us, and by this course of his providence, call us to weeping and to mourning? We read that when Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, fell untimely by fire which went out from the Lord and destroyed their lives, it was commanded, (Lev. x. 6.) that the whole house of Israel should bewail the burning which the Lord had kindled. If the death of such priests was to be bewailed, (who died for, and in their iniquity,) how is the death of such a governor to be bewailed, who was so ready to gratify us in all that we could in reason desire of him, and to improve his interest also in the court of England, for the promoting our comfort! When our heavenly Father is thus spitting in our faces, shall we not be ashamed and humbled?

Use III. How instant and importunate should a people be with God in prayer for the protracting the lives of such heads or rulers who have for a considerable time chose out their way, and have

always been very solicitous of their comfort. The prophets, and other servants of God, and promoters of the comfort of their people, do not live forever. "David after he had served his own generation by the will of God fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption." Acts xiii. 36. After he had been a public good, had lived and governed by the rule and square of God's word, he appeared to be under the same law of mortality with other men; and so are all the redeemed; death treads with as heavy a foot upon the bodies of them, as upon the bodies of others. Well, but however such heads or rulers many times (in more respects than one) may have lived long enough for themselves, yet they always die too soon for their people. It is ominous, and bodes very ill to a people, when God threatens the removal of such; and therefore the people of God ought to pray hard for the reviving and continuing of such, when God is weakening their strength in the way, and shortening their days; yea, and see to it that they improve and make use of them to the best advantage while they have them. How careful should we be to neglect no opportunity of extracting and drawing out of them, what God hath put into them for our comfort, and as Jacob the angel, resolve not to let them depart till we have got our blessing from them?

Use IV. The propositions insisted on afford excellent advice to all such who are concerned in the electing of persons unto any office of civil rule and government among a people. If it be such a singular happiness to a people when those who are their heads. or rulers, are able to choose out their way, and will also endeavor to be a comfort to them, then let the consideration hereof be improved by those who are concerned in the elections of this day, to see to it that they choose such as are able to choose out our way, and will also be a comfort to us; let such of our rulers as are to be elected or established be such as are like to make us happy by these things; choose such as are able to choose out our way. Look at wisdom as a most necessary thing; you know very well that even royalty without wisdom is but eminent dishonor. The circumstances of the times are such as require policy as well as piety, the wisdom of the serpent as well as the innocency of the dove in those who hold the reins of government. And yet if you would give God no reason to complain, as Hos. viii. 4. "They have set up kings but not by me, they have made princes but I knew it not:" have a respect to piety and the fear of God in your elections if you would have God's heart towards this people, endeavor that such may be our rulers as are of David's character, (Acts xiii. 22.) “Men after God's own heart:" if such as are our heads or rulers have not the fear of God in their hearts, how can the presence of God be expected in their actions; and how then

will our comfort be promoted? Let therefore all corrupt and sinister ends, which we are too apt to be misguided by, be abhorred and most carefully avoided; and let no other spirit seem to act those who are to act in the elections of the day, but that of a most sincere respect unto the temporal and spiritual comfort of this people.

Use V. To the honorable and worshipful persons who are, or may be called to be the heads or rulers of this people. And here, I may well apologize for myself with Elihu, (Job xxxii. 6.) "I said I am of few days, and ye are old." I shall not therefore presume to go about to inform your judgments of any thing that you know not, nor to quicken your practice in that which you do not : but if I might (honored and much esteemed) I would encourage and comfort you in that which you already endeavor, viz. to choose out our way and be a comfort to us; and with humility would entreat you to endeavor this more and more. That ye would use all possible means for our protection and safeguard; you know what a point of wisdom it is even in times of peace, to be making suitable provision for a time of war; let not therefore our forts be to be built when the war is proclaimed, the alarm sounded, and the enemy is at the gates. That ye would do your uttermost for the recovering us from our apostasies, for the reviving the power of godliness, for the preferring the interest of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and whatsoever hath a tendency thereunto. That ye would exert your authority more and more for the suppressing all manner of vice and impiety; and particularly, if any further methods could yet be taken for the executing the wholesome laws, that are already enacted against the fearful abominations for which the land mourns; and more particularly, for the suppressing the beastly sins of sensuality, uncleanness, and especially the sin of drunkenness, by which so many brutify themselves; and that the miserable Indians might not be so debauched and poisoned by strong drink, which they are by very many (for the love of a little money), notwithstanding all that is already done for the preventing of this wickedness: that there may not be so much idleness, and so many may not be suffered to drink away their time (though they do not drink away their reason) which is the parent of a great deal of the poverty and beggary, which is to be seen upon many, and whereby they are rendered incapable for to render to every one their dues and to mention one thing more, if any thing could be done, for the better settling and encouraging of inferior schools (which too many of our unlearned seemed to be possessed with prejudice against), it would be a singular service both to the present and after generations; if these should sink and fall, the which God forbid, (and yet in many places the coldness,

indisposition, not to say opposition, that is in so many to things of this nature, gives too much ground to fear, that they will in a great measure sink and fall, if speedy care be not taken to prevent,) what a rude, unacquainted and unserviceable generation will be our rising generation; if therefore there be any thing yet doable* as to these things, by your honors and the honorable representatives who make up this great and general assembly, the doing of the same will be a comfort to many whose hearts tremble, and who mourn in secret upon the account of these things. Sed quo feror?

Many things I might remember you of (much honored) to encourage and comfort you in an endeavoring the weal and comfort of your people. Give me leave to say, that it is highly honorable, it deserves honor. Some of the worst of rulers have had high encomiums and praises, but good rulers deserve high encomiums and praises; it is a truth with respect to those in the magistracy as well as those in the ministry. "Let the elders that rule well be accounted worthy of double honor." 1 Tim. v. 17. And as it deserves honor, so it is the way to have honor. I know some will never be satisfied, will always be murmuring, let those that are over them do what they can; but yet such rulers as are a comfort to their people, are in the fairest way to hear well from their people; and God who has the hearts of all men in his hands, is wont to give unto such heads and rulers as endeavor to be a comfort to their people, a place in the hearts, and respect and honor from the mouths of their people. Mordecai (that ruler) was great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, when he sought "the wealth of his people, and spake peace to all his seed." Esth. x. 3.

And also let me add this, that it will be comfortable both in life and at death. When a man as a head or ruler of his people, has chose out their way and endeavored their comfort and prosperity, then may he well desire of God with the Psalmist, (Ps. cvi. 5, 6.) "Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that thou bearest to thy people, that I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance." And as Nehemiah, after all his great undertakings for the public weal, "Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people." Neh. v. 19.

Use VI. To the body of this people. Let us, as we are a people, carry it so towards those who are our heads or rulers, and endeavor to be such a people, as that God may please to favor us with such heads or rulers, as may be able to choose out our way,

• Practicable.