Of the Judicial Laws of God. The Seventh Sermon
IN prosecuting the treatise of God’s laws, I have now lastly to speak of that sort which are called the judicial laws: of which I will entreat, dearly beloved, as briefly as I can, so far forth as I shall be persuaded to be expedient for your edification. This treatise will not be unpleasant nor unprofitable to every zealous hearer, although it doth specially belong to courts of law, where judgment is exercised: for the judicial laws were with wonderful faith and diligence set out of God? by the ministry of his servant Moses; and God is not wont to reveal any thing to mankind with so precise and exquisite diligence, unless it do directly tend to mankind’s great commodity.
[6 et cultum sacrum, Lat.; and upon the holy worship. ]
[7 gratulatoria seu eucharistica, Lat.]]
[Ὶ [ vel instituto, Lat.; or institution.) [9 ab optimo et sapientissimo Deo, Lat.; of the most excellent]
[and most wise God. ]]
ὰ ὸ».2 1 iron a 218 THE THIRD DECADE. [sErM. Now although these judicial laws are very few in number, and not to be compared in multitude with the huge volumes of the laws and decrees of emperors, kings, and wisest sages; yet do they in their short breviary contain the chief points of judgment and justice, and, in effect, as much almost as is contained in the books of the laws and constitutions of the emperors and oivil lawyers. The good Lord would not by too long and burdensome a pack of laws be too burdenous and troublesome unto his people; neither was it needful over curiously to stick upon every several thought of ill-disposed persons: it is sufficient for all wise men, people, and nations, if every one have so much law as is sufficient for the conservation of peace, civil honesty, and public tranquillity; as all the holy scripture witnesseth that the people of Israel had.
ΝΟΥ͂ these judicial laws are the most ancient, and very fountains of all other good laws which are to be found almost in all the world. Moses was before all other lawgivers that were of name and authority: among whom Mercurius? Trismegistus and Rhadamanthus the Lycian are thought to be the eldest. The Egyptians called their Mercurius by the name of Thoth, who, as Lactantius affirmeth, slew Argus that had so many eyes, and upon the murder fled into Egypt. Now Argus and Atlas lived about the time of Cecrops Diphyes; and Cecrops is reported to have been in the same time that Moses was ~~ Rhadamanthus also is supposed te have lived after the days of Joshue, Moses his servant and successor, ες [ universa historia sacra, Lat.; all the sacred history.] 5
[2 He is by Augustine (de Civit. Dei, Lib. xvur. cap. 8 and 39)]
[made a late contemporary of Moses. ] A (3 In Euseb. Chron. a.m. 3765 are placed “Rhadamanthus et Sar- 1]
[pedon reges Lyciorum.” Moses is there placed from A.M. 3608 to x]
[3728. Augustine (de Civit. Dei, Lib. xvmr cap. 12.) places Rhada- ΝΞ]
[manthus in the interval between the Exodus and the death of Joshua. ] 1 [4 legislatorem suum, Lat.; their lawgiver. Lactantius, on the]
[authority of Cicero (de Nat. Deor. Lib. 111.) having stated that there]
[were five Mercuries, says: —quintum fuisse eum, a quo occisus sit]
[Argus: ob eamque causam in Agyptum profugisse; atque Agyptiis]
[leges ac literas tradidisse. Hunc Agyptii Thoth appellant.—Lactant.]
[Div. Instit. Lib. 1. cap. 6. pp. 29, 30. Lugd. Bat. 1660.] [6 Cecrops is placed by Abp. Usher, B.c. 1556, a little after the i]
[birth of Moses. In Euseb. Chron. under date A.M. 3615, it is said: i]
[Quidam scribunt Athlantem fratrem Promethei, et Argum cuncta cer-]
[nentem his fuisse temporibus; alii vero sctate Cecropis (i. e. A.M. 3640.)]]
vit] THE JUDICIAL LAWS OF GOD. 219 But the most famous lawgivers of the greatest and most ancient nations did follow long after the death of Moses; Draco and Solon among the Athenians, Minos with the Cretians, Charondas of the Tyrians [Thurians], Phoronzus to the Argives, Lycurgus to the Lacedeemonians, Pythagoras to the Italians, Romulus and Numa unto the Romans. Plato writ of laws a little before the reign of Philip, king of Macedon and father to Alexander the Greaté. And Cicero, Lib. 11. de Legibus, saith: “I see therefore that the opinion of the wisest sort was, that law was neither invented by men’s wits, nor yet was the decree or ordinance of people; but a certain eternal thing, ruling the whole world with discretion to command or forbid, to do or leave undone. So they said that the chief and highest law is the wisdom of God, which commandeth or forbiddeth all things by reason. Whereupon that law, which the gods have given to mankind, is rightly commended: for it is the reason and discretion of the wise which is able either to command or else forbid; and so forth”. Therefore the judicial laws of God are eommended unto us, not so much for their antiquity, as for the authority which they have of God.