ne confti

effe virtu

gradum

nec eft

*

of them, cannot, with any Colour of Reason, Omnes be efteemed Friends to their Country, but raquidem Magiftra- ther as unworthy to live in it, and enjoy the tus in be common Benefits of it; and if fo, they are tuenda re- unquestionably much more unfit for, and publica unworthy of Pofts of Honour and Trust; and convenit thofe that concern themselves for the Election te prædi- or Promotion of fuch Perfons to publick Platos, fed maximè ces, when Men of Virtue may be easily found eos qui fe- to accept of them, and perhaps offer themnatoriæ felves to their Choice, upon the account of dignitatis their Titles or Eftates, of their Relation or obtinent, Friendship to them, and I think I may furlaudanda ther add, for their being of their Faction or refpublica Party, may defervedly be judged to behave in qua pe- themselves very unbecoming good Commonnis & ma- Wealths-Men and good Chriftians, to act lis pru- therein as very mischievous Members of the & ftultis Community, and even Enemies to their Rehonores ligion and Country; on the contrary, they tribuan- who are truly Religious, who not only keep legibus the Laws themselves, but are diligent to exhos opor- ecute the Laws, or zealously encourage and fcriptos ut affift others in the furthering the Execution quorum of them, are to be looked on, by those that virtus in- make any juft pretence to Virtue, as Benefafit bono- ctors to the Community, of which they are rum ap- Members, as proper Perfons to be honourably probatione com- diftinguished, which it behoves all Men to

ræque bo

dentibus

tur, quare

tet efle de

duftriaque

mendata,

his honos debeatur. Unde in antiquorum rebufpub. ftatuæ, arcus triumphales, fepulchra publica, laudationes, & alia id genus meritis tribuautur.

con

(

*

φημι, τας

πολι

τειῶν τρεῖς

~

των

εἰώθασιν

αρχάς και

confider, who are any ways concerned in• E5 this Matter, and would fhew their fincere p Ta's Regard for the Intereft of Religion, or their as Country, particularly the Gentry and Com-Tomonalty of England, to whom I am addreffing var ómy felf, in the Election of their Reprefenta-vas netives in Parliament, of Magiftrates in Corpo-oneγαρχίαν, rations, and Subordinate Officers in them, and nav, μsall other Places throughout the Kingdom, on ναρχίαν whose Behaviour the Welfare of the Nation Tautais does fo much depend, left when they might οικούντων, have ferved the true Interefts of Religion and day the Nation, by their making Choice of fuchni Ta's worthy Perfons as might have proved great v Bleffings to us, if they had been thus employ-ras ined, by their Faithfulness in their Trufts, and as toeyby the happy Influence of their good Exam-ixavaξεις τις ple; they, on the other hand, by being inftru- TS TWY mental in the Election or Promotion of vici- πολιτών, 164 785 ous Men, especially after the evil of their do-noving fo is represented to them, may perhaps as desi draw a Guilt upon themselves of Partaking in other Men's Sins, of being Acceflory, in fome degree, to the Mischief that is done by the των όπιτα Negligence and Unfaithfulness of fuch Perfons TTsit in their Duty whom they make Choice of, as well as by the malignant Influence of their ill Examples upon others. Hath God Almighty as xaxas

μέλλον

και δικαιό.

Tala Tav

yua

τήσειν,

ἐν ἁπά

σαις

πολιτεί

οἰκήσειν,

καὶ πρὸς σφᾶς αυτές, καὶ πρὸς τὶς ἄλλες τὲς ἢ τοῖς πονηροάτες, καὶ θρησκ τάτοις ἐπὶ ταῦτα χρωμος, καὶ τὰ μὲ τῇ πόλει συμφερόντων μηδὲν φερν τίζεσιν, ὑπρ' ν τ αυτῶν πλεονεξίας, ἐξοίμοις ἔσιν ὁτιᾶν πάχειν, τὰς ἢ τέτων πύλεις ὁμοίως οἰκήσεθαι, 7 ἢ προεςώτων πονηρίαις, θέλοντας, τό Τοις αὖ τεναντίον κακίςοις ἑαυτοῖς ἢ καὶ τοῖς πολίταις εἶναι νομίζω. Τις δι ποιάτες ἐναλλάξ ποτὲ μὴν χείρον, ποτὲ βέλτιον πράξειν. Ifoc Pack p. 13.

faid

+1 Sam. 2. faid by the Prophet, † Them that honour me I 30. will honour; and they that defpife me, shall be Pf.101.6. lightly efteemed. Hath Holy David faid, | Mine

Eyes fhall be upon the Faithfull of the Land,
that they may dwell with me: He that walketh
in a perfect way, he shall ferve me. Hath the
King lately declared in his Proclamation, That
vicious Men are a Difcredit to his Kingdom,
and that he will discountenance and punish Immo-
rality and Prophaneness in Perfons of the highest
and lowest degree, particularly in fuch as are
employed near his Royal Perfon; and that he
will, upon
all Occafions, diftinguish Men of Piety
and Virtue by Marks of his Royal Favour? And
laftly, hath the Commons of England, affem-
bled in a late Parliament, in their Humble
Addrefs to His Majefty, reprefented to Him,
That the Debauchery of the Nation is chiefly
owing to the Negligence and ill Example of Ma-
giftrates; and that the countenancing and prefer-
ring of Virtuous, and the difcouraging of Vicious
Men, is a proper way to fupprefs it? And can
any that have any Principles of Virtue, and
Love to their Country, that fhall duly and
impartially confider this, be inftrumental in
promoting of prophane and vicious Men to
Places of Honour and Authority, and chufe to
entrust with them the high Concerns of Reli-
gion and our greatest Temporal Interests >
How far ignorance, Prejudice, or Inconfidera-
tion, may have hitherto been an Excufe for
any concerned herein, I fhall not presume to

deter

tio, careto,

fto. Præ

nam cum

unquam

4

determine, but I may be allowed to fay, that, is ordo,vi'tis to be hoped, it will not be hereafter pre- cæteris fpetended by any Men who are fincerely concer- cimen ened for the Honour and Interest of Religion, clara ifta and the Security and Profperity of their Coun- lex (ait try, who having this Matter laid before them, Cicero) fhall not only confider the fatal Confequerices omni viof their own ill Conduct in this Matter, but tio carere lex jubeat, the many and almost unspeakable Evils that ne veniat this Nation hath fo long groaned under by the in eum or Election and Promotion of wicked Men to Pla- dinem, ces of Honour or Power; and, on the con- vitii partrary, what a Glorious face of things we might ticeps, Cic. expect to fee if Men of all Ranks, as well as leg. p.336. thofe to whom I am addreffing my self, would ac- * Delecti quit themselves herein,as Natural Reafon as well apud Roas Religion may convince them they ought, natores, in the Difcouraging or Oppofing, in their fe- quibus veral Stations, the Election and Promotion of wicked Men to publick Pofts, and thereby mum, ingenium keeping them from doing so much Mischief as fapientia they have undeniably the greatest Advantage validum for their doing in them. And if we will not erat, unde be moved herein by either Religious or Civil fcripti, Confiderations, I must ask leave to fay, we are funk below Heathenifm in refpect, the formerly famous Roman

lib. 6. de

manos Se

corpus an

patres con

that nuncupati, Sigonius this de jure Gi and vin Romanoru, fol.7

In pluribus Romanum Senatum imitantur Decuriones, nec minor an nis 25 decurio creabatur, nec major 55, meritis enim, & facultatibus dig niffimi eligebantur, Pancirolus de Magiftra, fol 3.4.

Eadem forma in elegendis Duumviris, quæ in creandis Decurionibus obfervabatur, hoc excepto, quod Duumviri tribus ante aut pluribus meng fibus quam Magiftratum inirent nominabantur: ut, fi forte recufandi ju ftam honoris caufam habuiffent, alii eorum loco congruo tempore fubli tui poflent, fol. 8.

K 2

† Gré

+ Apud

Lacedæ

virtus po

tius &

merita

Grecian Common-Wealths having had a great monios regard to Virtue in the Choice of their SenaSenatui & tors and Magiftrates, which feems to have reliquis been one of the greatest Causes of their Stabifity and Profperity. And herein our Gentry and Commonalty have likewife manifeftly fuffragabantur. greater Advantages and Opportunities for the Nam vir- Promoting of the Work of Reformation, for cipuè ha the making one brave Effort for the Interest bita fuit of Religion and Virtue, for the Honour and ratio, ut Welfare of England, and thereby to recover omnibus the former Glory of their Ancestors, who apud eos; were Famous for their Virtue, and Love to in quibuf- their Country, and which appeared fo glorivis Magi

tutis præ

in aliis

ita etiam

ftratibus conferendis, Nic.Crag Ripen. de Rep. Lacedem. Et Plato de hac repub. ita dixit: Δίκαιόν μου, ὦ Λακεδαιμόνιοι, τότο γε τῇ πόλη ὑμῶν ἀπο διδόναι, ὅτι πενία καὶ πλέτΘ, καὶ βασιλεῖα, καὶ ἰδιωτεία διαφέρεσαν, ἐδ ̓ ἦν Joy Tiμlu & Tegony véuels. Non enim, inquit, in civitate honores, ideò in pretio effe, quod is qui eos gerat, divitiis excellat, &c. Et Demofthenes Græcus fcribit, tantum Texas Cilas, in ordinem Senatorum cooptari. Ætas deinde jufta lege quafi annuaria definita in Senatoribus fuit annorum fexaginta. Cæterum vita honeftè acta in Senatoribus præcipuè defiderabatur, Crag lib. 11. p. 113, 114.

Judicium apud Athenienfes conftituebatur quod illi orarias vocabant, in quo Senatorum qui lecti erant, vita diligentèr exquirebatur, Sigonius de Republica Athenienfium, lib. 2. p. 492.

Omnes oportebat Magiftratus vitæ morúmque fuorum antequam Magiftratum inirent rationem in foro apud judices reddere, ne quis Magiftratum ullum gerere poffet, qui impudicitiæ aut alio turpitudinis genere notatus fuiffet, Sigonius, lib. 111. p. 532.

Novem viri antequam affumerentur ad Magiftratum illum de omni vita acta caufam dicere folebant, quod fi nullam dedecoris labem perpetua innocentia contraxiffe videbantur, ad Tl dev adfumebantur, deinde Magiftratus gefti caufam dicentes, rationefque ferentes, fi tum quoque innocentes ufquequaque apparuiffent, ad Areopagiticum Senatum confcriban tur, Sam Petitus de Leg. Atticis, fel 190. Introducebantur autem omnes illi Magiftratus quorum anteactam vitam expendi, & eam inquiri oportet, Pet f 223.

Καὶ διὰ ταυτῆς ῳκεν τὴν πόλιν, ἐκ ἐξ ἁπάντων τὰς ἀρχὰς κληροντες, ἀλλὰ τὸς βελτίους, καὶ τὰς ἱκανωτάτες, ἐφ ̓ ἕκαςον τ ἔργων προκρίναντες. Ifocratis Oratio Areopagitica, p. 285.

'ous