Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	call_v	hear_v	lord_n	1,763	5	3.8748	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66096	[The character] of a good ruler as it was recommended in a sermon [preached before] His Excellency the Governour, and the honoura[ble] counsellors, and assembly of the representatives of the Province of Massachusetts Bay in New-England : [on] May 30. 1694 : [which was the day] for election of [counsellors] for that province / by Samuel [Willard] ...	Willard, Samuel, 1640-1707.	1694 (1694)	Wing W2270; ESTC R40123	13,355	37

is a great Priviledge to be secured from being hurt by any but our selves but let Charter Privileges be never so Excellent Good Rulers only can make us Happy under them and if they are not so we suffer notwithstanding Here then you are told what qualities are to be eyed in those whom you fix your Choise upon Whatsoever other Rules discretion may point to be observed in this affair yet these must always be of the Quorum It is true there are none without their failings nor can we expect that the best of men will never do amiss but yet the Best are to be preferred as they that will do i● s●ldomest and never of design They that Fear God will be afraid wilfully to hurt men they that are just will do justice that ca● wrong none This is it which advantageth all other gifts whether natural or acqui●ed to be truely serviceable to the promoting of the w●l●●re of a People without this the more that men have of these they a●● so much the more advantaged to do 〈◊〉 There is no misery greater or less 〈◊〉 than what men foolishly bring on thems●lves and none will be equally blamed ●o●●● a● t●ey who were the guilty occasions of it or more deserve it Chuse such men and then you may expect to be so Govern●d if you desire that H●liness and Righteousness may be promoted and encouraged this i● the best stroak that you can give to i● if you have a mind that Prophaneness and Deba●ch●ry sho●ld take place and bear all down here is the readiest way for it And if you will keep to the Rule pr●scribed in our T●xt ●eware of being misguided by Special Favour Bri●ery or Faction When Persons shall be crowded in because they are our Friends or have gaine● a room in our affections without any respec● to their meetness out what our blind passions judge of or that they may hav● a way to support themselves by the Govern●ment it is easy to tell what is to be expected When places of Trust in Governmen● are bought and sold and he shall have the● that will give most for them we may wel● con●lude that such a People are bought and sold too and must only serve to make a good Market of When a People are divided into Factions Just and Wise and good Men are renounced not thought worthy to be made use of because they favour not the Party that can sway and such as are ho●ly zealous for the design are counted meerly by that zeal sufficiently qualified and to be of all most worthy this will not p●omote the Publick Good but only gain to the one side a little more of advantage to do hurt 2 Let me humbly offer this as a Copy for all that either are or may be in place of Rule to W●ite after Allow me the ●iberty to say this from GOD that by what●oever Titles of Excellent Honourable or Wor●hipful you are known you not only Rule ●nder such as are your Superiors on Earth unto whom you are accountable for what you do but under GOD also who is your Great SOVERAIGN Your Authority is from Him and ought therefore to be for Him else will you be found false to your Trust You Rule over His Subjects and that not only upon a common account as the whole World is His Kingdom but one more Special as the People under your Watch are the Subjects of His GOSPEL KINGDOM if you do that which is Right to them He will be Pleased but if you should do otherwise their APPEAL is open to Him and there is a COURT that will be called wherein their CAUSE shall be Heard and Adjusted Be you entreated to measure all your ●dministration by this R●l● Do all justly and in the fear of God This is the way to be Blessings in your places and to be the Blessed of the Lord. By this course you will make your people an happy people and you your selves shall be Established Thus shall you pull down a blessing on your own heads and upon the Land you dwell i● This is the way to be the Repairers of breaches and the Restorers of paths to dwell in To this end be entreated to take care that Religion may Flourish the True Fear o● GOD and Right Administration of His Ordinances may be Promoted and Secured that Righteousness may be done for men and that Iniquity which defiles a Land and pull● down Wrath may be Purged away that Drunkenness and Swearing Fornication and Sabbath-Prophanation and whatsoever hastens the Calamity of a Professing People may be du●ly bo●n Witness against Let this be your Sincere Unb●assed Aim in all that you do Carry this with you let it Rule in the making of Laws let the Word of GOD be consulted and the Common Utility of the Subject be designed For though there be not a Body of Civil Laws drawn up in the Scriptures to which every Pol●ity is to be confined yet there are sufficient general directions Rules to be gathered from thence which may Regulate in this Affair Take heed of any Sinister Aims in whatsoever Laws do pass Laws made do strengthen a particular separate Interest never did Good but Hurt to a Body-Politick that which may serve the present turn may in a little time prove more Mischievous than ever it was Advantageous Remember you cannot Repeal such Laws when you will or when you have advanced a design with them Look then forward to the after Issues It will be no small Aggravation of our Trouble to be Wounded with a Shaft of our own making Look for Changes in a World of Mutability and lay in as far as innocent Prudence may direct for your Own and your Peoples Safety Keep to this also in all your Administration or Application of Laws Maintain a good Conscience in it and let the Fear of God and a Principle of Justice make you 〈◊〉 lay aside all Sinister Respects Let not Persons but Things Sway you in all your Dispensations and when the case is the same let the same sentence proceed from ●ou let neither Riches nor Poverty turn the Scale neither Friendship nor Enmity Spoil the Sentence Take no Gift in secret to stop or Pervert Justice nor misapply your power to take private or personal Revenge When Cases are plain do not obscure them and when they are dubious Search them out and let not flattery or Impudence prevail over you but take his advice in 2. Chron 16. 9. Thus shall you do in the fear of the Lord faithfully and with a perfect heart Deal couragiously and the Lord shall be with the good Remember the cause is Gods and he will have the calling of it over again where he will either applaud your fidelity or condemn your unfaithfulness Do so also in your Exemplary conversation Do not do that your selves which you ought in Duty and oath to punish in others Embolden not wicked men to transgress by your example and to excuse themselves upon your account That Man who Will Violate the Laws which He is to Rule by will soon neglect to Exec●●● them on others and bring reproach on himself where he doth 3 Let it afford matter of Instruction ●● us all Are these the Eminent Qualifications of good Rulers it is no small concern that we have in this affair It tells us that we ought Earnestly to Pray to God that we may have such always and we pray for our selves when we so do Whatsoever other influence we may have into the appointment of those that are to Govern us there is none that can hinder us of this but our selves God Over-rules the L●t he Determines the Hearts of men and he can make men after his own Heart he Presides over every Election and if we can prevail with him by importunate Prayer our business is done It is one of the Blessings that he will be sought unto for by the House of Israel It calls us to be thankful to him for such when he bestows them upon us God ●ot a little displays his kindness to a people when it is thus and expects their gratitude to him for so Comprehensive a Mercy there is nothing will sooner lose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 benefit than Ingratitude Let us Encourage them that are such and that by 〈◊〉 Cheerful acknowledgment of them Contentation under them and candid Interpretation of them We are Governed by men of like infirmitis with ourselves wonder not if sometimes they discover something of them but when we know that their cordial endeavours are to do that which is right and promote o●r peacable and Godly Living let thi● please us And beware of Murmurings GOD will not take it well of us and can easily let us know a difference and it is an Observation that seldom misseth That they who are most addicted to are soonest weary of Changes In a Word let us beware lest we provoke an Holy and Jealous God to anger so as to give us men of another Spirit to Rule over us or to withdraw His Spirit from them that do and leave them to do things inconvenient Evil Rulers and the Male-Administrations of good ones are punishments which GOD doth inflict on a people that have provoked him to Anger against them GOD gave Saul to Israel in his Wrath and he left David to Number the people because His Anger was kindled against Israel If we Apostatise from GOD and grow weary of his ways he knows how to Scourge us after this manner and hath not seldom done so by his people on such occasions But if we be a people Fearing GOD and Keeping of His Commandments He will Delight in us to Bless us and to do us Good and to give us Rulers after his own Prescription Just Men and Ruling ●n the Fear of God FINIS