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Sir THOMAS RAWLINSON

Lord Mayor of the City of LONDON.

My LORD,

UIET at home, and conqueft abroad, are two

Qof the greatest b'effings that can happen to a

people; and these hive remarkably distinguished the year of your Lordship's Magiftray: Which, as it bath been a continued scene of victories and fucceffes, fit begin, and ended, without any of those unnatural struggles for the chair, which have so long and often difturbed the peace of this great city. That thofe paffions, which feem now to bef mewhat almed, may be entirely laid afleep, and never more awakened; that the city may flourish in trade and wealth, and all manner of outward advantages: particularly, that it may never want fuch magiftrates to guide and govern it, as your Lordship and your worthy fucceffor, is the fincere wifh, and hearty prayer, of,

My LORD,

Your moft Obedient Humble Servant,

FR. ATTERBURY.

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I put on Righteousness and it cloathed me: my Judgment was as a Robe, and a Diadem.

J

OB's Reflexions on the flourishing estate he had once enjoyed, did at the fame time afflict and encourage him. Doubtlefs it encreafed the fmart of his prefent fufferings, to compare them with his former happinefs: And yet a remembrance of the good ute he had made of profperity, contributed to fupport his mind under the heavy weight of adverfity which then lay upon him. He had been a perfon, not only of great opulence, but authority; a chief magiftrate in the place where he dwelt; as appears from feveral paffages in the book which bears his name; and he had (it feems) executed that high office juftly and honourably; with great fatisfaction to himself, and with the univerfal applause of his country. To this confideration therefore he retreats, in the midst of all his preffures, with comfort and confidence in this thought, notwithstanding the fad afflictions with which he was overwhelmed, he mightily exults and triumphs. For hear, how he expreffes himself on this occafion, in the verfes next to that of the text! "I delivered the "poor that cried," fays he; "the fatherless, and "him that had none to help him. The bleffing "of him that was ready to perfh came upon me; " and I caufed the widow's heart to fing for joy. "I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the “lame; I was a father to the poor, and the

"caufe

"caufe which I knew not, I fearched out: and "I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked "the fpoil out of his teeth." One would imagine thefe to be the expreffions of a mah; bleffed with cafe, and affluente, and power; not of one, who had been juft ftripped of all thofe advantages, and plunged in the deepeft miferies, and was now fitting naked, upon a dunghill! But the spirit of a man will sustain his infirmities; the confciouf nefs of integrity, the fenfe of a life spent in doing good, will enable a man to bear up under any change of circumftances; and, whatever his outward condition may be, is fuch an inward spring of contentment and pleasure, as cannot fail. This was that, which not only armed the mind of Job with firmnefs and fortitude, but filled it alfo with thofe pleafing reflexions, which the words I havě. read to you contain. Therein he particularly mentions, and values himfelf upon, the compar fion, and readinefs; and zeal, with which he had applied himself to relieve the injuried and afflicted; the impartiality he had obferved, the great diligence he had ufed, and the fearlefs courage he had fhewn, in the adminiftration of justice: He adds alfo, in the words of the text; put on rightesufiefs and it cloathed me; my judgment was as a robe, and a diadem; that is, my chief delight, my greatest honour and happinefs, lay in thus difcharging the duties of my ftation; fo that, in comparison of it, I undervalued all the enfigns of authority which belonged to me, all the pomp and fplendor of life with which I was furrounded.

The

The words therefore will afford us a proper Occafion of confidering,

1. First, What a public bleffing a good magi trate is: For it is on this fuppofition that the reflexions, which Job here makes to his own comfort and advantage, are built.

H. Secondly, The regard that is justly paid the magiftrate, on this account, in thofe outward marks of diftinction and honour with which he is attended. Thefe have their ufes, with refpect both to him, and to the community over which he prefides. However, he must remember, al

ways, in the

III. Third place, That the chief honour of the magiftrate confifts in maintaining the dignity of his character by fuitable actions, and in difcharg ing the high truft that is repoted in him, with integrity, wildom, and courage. Then doth he appear moft venerable, and every way valuable, when, with upright 70, he can truly fay, "I put "on righteoufnefs, and it cloathed me; my judg ❝ment was as a robe, and a diadem."

We may, I fay, in the

1. First place, Take occafion from hence to confider, What a public bleffing a good magiftrate is. The virtues of private perfons, how bright and exemplary foever, operate but on few; on thofe only who are near enough to obferve and inclined to imitate them their fphere of action is narrow, and their influence is confined to it. VOL. II.

:

H

But

But a juft and wife magiftrate is a bleffing as extenfive as the community to which he belongs; a bleffing, which includes all other bleffings whatfoever, that relate to this life; fecures to us the poffeffion, and enhances the value, of all of them; which renders the condition of the happieft among men still more happy, and the state of the meanest lefs miferable, then it would otherwife be: and for the enjoyment of which no one man can well envy another; because all men, in their feveral ranks, and according to their feveral proportions and "As the precious degrees, do alike fhare in it. "ointment upon the head, which ran down unto "the beard of Aaron, and went down" from thence even "to the skirts of his cloathing:" Pf. cxxxii. 2. Such, and fo univerfal, are the benefits which a good ruler beftows; in like manner are they derived from him, the head, and gently diffufed over the whole body which he governs, refreshing every part of it, as they defcend, from the highest to the loweft. I fhall not attempt to prove a point, in itself fo evident; to us especially of this happy island, who have the most convincing argument for it, our own experience; and are bleffed with a reign, the advantages of which are common to prince and people, to the meaneft fubjects, as well as to thofe of the highest place and dignity: All fhare in them, and all therefore have reason to blefs God for them, and for the great inftrument of his goodness, by which he beftows them.

However, as manifest a truth as this is, it may deferve fometimes to be inculcated; because we are too apt, all of us, to forget it; and fome men

have

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