Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	case_n	defendant_n	plaintiff_n	1,918	5	10.3007	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19372	Foure sermons whereof two, preached at two assizes, this present yeare, 1638. at Maidestone in Kent, the other two, in his own charge. By Robert Abbot ...	Abbot, Robert, 1588?-1662?	1639 (1639)	STC 58; ESTC S100378	53,626	193

meanes to keepe it THE LORDS ASSIZE OR A SERMON ON JVDGES 11. 27. The Lord the Iudge bee Iudge this day betwixt the children of Israel and the children of Ammon RIght Honorable Right Worshipfull and Beloved Be pleased to heare these words out of the Judges by Gods assistance driven to an issue before the Judges Object Verbum diei in diesuo It may bee you will say they are not fit they yeeld not a word in due season they speake of the Lord the Iudge and these here are men It is true they are men by Answer Psal 82. 6. 2 Chron. 19. 6. nature but they are Gods by Communion of office I have said yee are Gods and their Judgements are the Iudgements of God for God saith Iehosaphat But you will Object say this day will bring forth a Judgement by ordinarie Justice not by warre as that is heere This is true too yet by the Answer Rom. 13. Distantia 1 Perfectionis 2 Oppositionis sword for the Magistrate beares not the sword for nonght As all sinners fight against God for they stand at a double distance from him a distance of perfection and of opposition therefore God hath a controversie with his people proclaymeth warr So criminall offenders fight against the face of government the just lawes of the kingdom This is the controversie whether the lawes shall be kept or broken And as God in case of rebellion doth provide famine beasts pestilence and the sword so Magistrates come against such not with the sword of the mouth as Preachers but with the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 11. 34. mouthes of the sword to bee edged by the lawes for correction or confusion The greatest difficulty will be to fit the persons and causes to be tryed and Judged It is confessed that there wil heere be some difference Heere a pretended title of land is that which drawes on the whole quarrell but this day will bring forth other controversies Heere the proper sword of warre decides the doubt but this day drawes the borrowed sword of peace for peace Heere Israel is against uncircumcised Ammonites but this day will unvaile christians by profession not by practise in those particular acts they must fall in and for Yet looke more narrowly into the present businesse betwixt Israel and Ammon and yee shall see all the causes of this day intertwisted Ammon charges Israel with unjust possession of land held from them to a long succession Iphtah the now Judge being loath to fall upon such a desperate Phlebotomy as Ammon was prepared for would first pleade out Iuridically the cause by embassies to cleare the justice of his sword Hee confesseth that they have that land in question and hee pleades a threefold right unto it The right of a 1 Jus belli justi just warre it was gotten by the sword The right of Gods gift God whose is the earth 2 Donatio Dei gave it us and cast out the old owners as forfeiters The 3 Praescriptio right of prescription we have had it foure hundred yeares without clayme or charge of wrong But for the ancient possessors of it that he might crosse Ammons charge he pleadeth two things First that it was the land of the Amorites who fought against them under Sehon their then King and of the Moabites who were justly ejected by God But secondly for the Amorites the now plaintifes they had none of their land that was a false charge a picking of an unjust quarrell And that this plea was good is manifest in the Records of the law those old reports of God himselfe God said Deut. 2. 29 thou shalt not distresse or meddle with the children of Ammon for I will not give thee their land which I have given Deut. 2. 37 to the children of Lot There is Gods edict with the reason of it And Moses said to the land of the children of Ammon thou camest not nor unto any place of the river Iabbock the land now in question There is their obedience to Gods charge which they kept to that day Thus Israels case is cleare yet this prevailes not with Ammon Lyes would have dominion over truth and Ammon would fight though the cause were cleared against him He joynes issue takes out his nisi priùs appoints the day of Assize and he will have a triall for life whether Ammon or Israel must live For liberty whether Ammon or Israel must bee homagers for Goods whether Ammon or Israel shal have the spoyle for name whether Ammon or Israel is of better credit And thus the text comes up to the whole businesse of the day Now when all things were thus prepared betwixt guilty and innocent plaintife defendant the wretched Ammonites were like prisoners in Acts 8. Pro. 5. 22. Rom. 11. the bonds of iniquity holden in the cords of their sins shut up in the prison of unbeliefe and could not see the Judge set to be the avenger of his people But Iephtah was at more liberty He sees with fuller eye the Glory and presence of the just Judge Hee like a man confident in his cause appeales unto him calles for these prisoners and plaintifes to the barre prepares for hearing judgement execution and because hee would not have the glory of the day himselfe but would give it to the Judge of right wrong therefore as Ioab before Rabbah when hee was ready to take it sent for David saying Come thou and take it least the 2 Sam. 12. victory be attributed to me and the city bee called by my name so doth Iphtah invite God to the day for all honour the Lord the Iudge Iudge betwixt the children of Israel and Ammon But still you may say that Object they were Ammonites that were to be judged there and of these there were none here It is true personally individually Answer it is so but for the cause under pretence of land they would have life liberty goods and good name of Israel at their mercy for spoyle and prey and so there are too many here and every where Israel had all their life in and from the God of mercy all their liberty from the God of freedom all their goods and lands from the God of bounty all their credit and renowne from Gods protection and cohabitation yet Ammon unjustly seekes to dispossesse them of all these Hee puts them in feare of life and seeks it Hee presents death and pursues it Hee hunts after their liberty and would have it Hee desires their goods for a rich booty Hee basely takes away their good name as usurpers not worthy to live therfore I appeale to the God of Caesar saith Iphtah the Lord the Iudge bee Iudge c. By this time I hope you see Israels and Ammons case brought to the full worke of an Assize wherein yee have presented three particulars 1. The Judge set for the trial of guilty and not guilty plaintife and defendant the

Lord the Iudge 2. The causes to bee heard the life liberty goods good name of Israel and Ammon 3. The persons betwixt whom the children of Israel and the children of Ammon And now what shall I say the same or such like causes are the worke of this day Let it therefore be all our wishes desires prayers purposes and practises as it was Iphtahs That the Lord the Iudge may The issue of the Text. judge them 1. If he doe not Judge hee will Judge the Judgement Hee onely is reason it selfe wisedome it selfe justice it Summa ratio selfe 2. If hee judge them hee is Gen. 18. the Iudge of all the world whose waies are equall and cannot but judge justly Thus we shall have an happie assize for the maintenance of vertue and punishment of vice which is alwaies the issue when the Lord the Judge judgeth But what shall we wish to decline the judgements of Object men God forbid God is the Answer Iam. 5. onely Saviour yet the prayer of faith saveth too God onely converts the heart yet Luke 1. 16 17. Iob 33. 23 24. Iohn Baptist shall turne many hearts of the fathers to the children and of the disobedient to the wisedome of the just God onely delivers from hell yet the Interpreter one of a thousand shall deliver a soule from the pitte God onely forgives Mic. 7. 18. Ioh. 20. sinnes out of authority as the great Judge yet whose sinnes ye remit shall be remitted In a word God accounts them as authors with him that are instruments from him of good If therefore men judge with God from God the Lord the Judge judgeth too So be it this day wee decline them not let them judge and spare not There are two things 2. What keepes the Lord frō judging Rom. 1. 18 1 When truth is withholden in unrighreousnesse keepe God from judgement seates First when truth is withhold in unrighteousnesse when it is held in prison that it cannot speake Thus the Gentiles did in themselues when a beame of naturall knowledge was ready to breake out of them to give them light to see more of God then they did they withheld and smothered it and so God judged not in them Thus it may be at the barre Bee pleased to conceive it thus As in a reasonable man you may see an Assizes set for there is a Iudge Conscience which viewes and censures all the waies of man There is a Iury of naturall or revealed principles There is a prisoner to be tryed and that is truth Her case is this whether shee shall bee set at liberty yea or no to goe freely speake freely rule freely in all our courses Truth pleades I am the Veritas odium parit daughter of the great King his very Image But when I appeare I am hated and suppressed and this bringeth this trouble upon me The jury of naturall principles is silenced or corrupted by carnall reason and wisedome The judge hearing no evidence is silent and as loath to trouble himselfe is content to put off enquirie till another time as Foelix Heereupon the will triumphs Acts 24. 25. over truth I will doe as I have done and all the affections put Ier. 44. in after the lusts of the flesh the lusts of the eyes and the pride of life And thus is Truth 1 Iohn 2. imprisoned and God the Judge judgeth not in man So in places of judicature truth is tryed too There are judges set godly wise grave impartial hating covetousnes and persons out of the cause who are ready to passe sentence according to allegation and proofe set on with all good conscience There are juries of naturall subjects and brethren who should not be like Diogenes his man who was called Manes à non manendo because he ranne away so jury a non jurando because they forget the oath of God and runne away from it but must present according to truth so helpe them God There is a glorious Martyr to be tryed and that is Truth which would have truth in person of Judge jurer guilty innocent plaintife and defendant and truth in cause too nothing but truth objected nothing but truth answered that all may cry great is truth and it prevaileth But now if on all sides Ioh 18. 38 there be Pilates good motion what is truth But no further sifting into the nature and power of it by witnesse oath circumstances then are at Si inficiari sat est ecquis erit nocens hand these prisons to with hold truth The first is venially I did it not And if it be enough to deny who shall be guilty The second is false accusation Si accusasse sat est ecquis erit innocens by those who are Graeca fide testes knights of the post and will sweare any thing for a fee. And if it be enough to accuse who shall bee innocent The third is Profit in those Canes venaticos who will rouse up Verres his hounds who continually doe Dare offam Cerbero lie in the winde for gaine except a man will stoppe their mouthes by some fatte morsell The fourth is off-putting to Frustratoriae dilationes another time that is lingring and costly delayes though the case bee never so cleare in truth The fift is malice and all ill will which never speakes well in those that pant after the earth on the head of the Amos 2. 7. poore and turne aside the way of the meeke And lastly that which helpes on all these is selfe-flattery friendflattery feare hope or some other by-place for truths oppression These or the like prisons are in a readinesse and then truth is clapt up and kept out of sight like some malicious mans adversarie who is with great care put in prison before the day of hearing comes because he feares his cause Say I pray who Judges now not the God of truth but the Prince of darkenesse lying and vanity Secondly God is kept from 2. When judgement doth not attend upon truth in full glory judgement seates when if truth do appeare judgements doe not attend upon it in full glory All judgements of men are not good enough to waite upon truth There is darkenesse in them and nothing but light in truth Yet if God will so honour our judgements as to put them into that service whensoever she appeares we must bee glad to follow her and for truths sake to doe and for truths sake to die because God is in truth and the faithfull witnesse Christ is in truth Apoc. 1. too To conceive it call to minde that God requires as you know a threefold duty of chiefe magistrates First to 1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 advise consult and take care for common good as our good King doth These are the secrets of government which Arcana imperij if they were discovered the strength and weakenesse of a kingdome would soone bee discovered to all