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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	great_a	lord_n	see_v	5,118	5	3.3465	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95723	Two assize sermons preached at Bridgnorth for the county of Salop in the year 1657. The first, upon Psalm 58. verse 1. Doe you indeed speak righteousnesse, o congregation? Doe ye judge uprightly, o ye sonnes of men? The second, upon Psalm 37. verse 37. Marke the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace? / By Mich. Thomas; rector of Stockton in the same county.	Thomas, Michael, rector of Stockton.	1659 (1659)	Wing T970; Thomason E1790_1; ESTC R209682	31,232	144

to the humour or the Designes of Saul whose Counsellours and Officers they were but prudently and equally to consider both his Cause and his Conversation and to give sentence accordingly And allowing this to be the Argument or Occasion of the Psalm as truly it is grounded upon very fair probabilities you will easily perceive that the Text in the proper Application of it will have an influence upon this Congregation and prove a word in season in respect of the occasion of this solemn Convention We are met at this time in the Name and fear of God about the work of Justice the Persons and Causes of men are to be weighed and examined And as I cannot say that there are any Davids to be tryed at this Assizes men of such eminent Pietie and Integrity as He was So I hope there are none of Saul's Officers here neither Men of such prostitute and mercenary consciences as they were Omnia Dicta Domini omnibus posita sunt sayes Tertullian The words of God have a generall prospect and though they may seem a particular Admonition to some few men yet they intend a generall Instruction to all men who may be concerned in the like case This Psalm was written about a matter of Justice and Judgement and that is the businesse wee are all met upon And forasmuch as the Administration of Justice in this Nation is by the Prudence and Wisedome of our fore-fathers cast into that forme that in all judiciall proceedings there are many Parties The sentence upon any cause issues not from the bosome of any Judge alone seeing he is tyed up to Proofs and Allegations So that the miscarriage in the worke of Justice may proceed from the corruption of those parties which prepare a Cause for Sentence If the Counsellors shall be corrupt and Covetous and by their flourishing Eloquence shall guild over a rotten Cause If the Witnesses shall be false and malicious and seek rather their private revenge than Publick Justice If the Jury shall be pack'd and partiall or instructed to sweare according to the private interest of a Friend or a Landlord there may prove sad obstructions in the vvork of Justice this as the Prophet Amos speaks may turn judgement into gall and the fruit of righteousnesse into hemlock And therefore I shall not addresse my discourse to any particular Party or Officer in this great work of Justice but to all who are in any respect concerned in it and enforce Holy David's admonition in the Text That they would speak righteousnesse and judge uprightly in all causes and between all parties that so Wickednesse and Impiety may have its condign punishment and Innocence and Honesty their due protection and reward And this is the design and project of the ensuing discourse for which I humbly entreat your Christian patience and the Lord's assistance The Text you see is presented in the form of a Question but it appears by the Context that it is such a Question which as Divines observe hath vim Negationis it implyes a denyal like that of St. Paul Doe we provoke the Lord to Jealousie are we stronger then He No wee are not So here in the Text Doe yee speake righteousnesse doe ye Judge Uprightly No ye do not for their conviction followes in the second verse Yea in heart yee worke wickednesse and weigh the violence of your hands in the earth So that the Text becomes as Musculus hath it an invective or a reproofe of the iniquity and injustice of Saul's Officers and Counsellours that when according to that place and power which they had with Saul they should have defended and protected Him as an innocent person they on the contrary prosecuted and sentenc'd him as a seditious conspiratour And this reproofe is imbitter'd with terrible threatnings and imprecations as we find in the body of the Psalm And these David in the Spirit of prophesie breathes out and denounces against them as knowing that the Lord in his due time would plead his Cause and by the glorious effects of his Power and Justice would give men occasion to say Verily there is a Reward for the Righteous Doubtlesse there is a God that judgeth in the earth It well became the majesty of that Spirit by which David wrote to convey his admonition in that form by way of reproof or invective But it will become me to observe a greater distance And I humbly crave leave to present that instruction which I conceive due to this Auditory and Occasion by way of Exhortation Let me exhort you I say justitiam loqui recta judicare to speak righteousnesse and to judge uprightly And when I have opened the Duty to you and shewn you what it is and how it may be done we shall find in the other words of the Text weight enough to press it by way of motive or consideration And this I shall do by Gods assistance with all respect to your Patience and Imployment For the Duty it selfe to declare unto you what Righteousnesse and Upright Judgement is I shall not perplexe your attention with the variety of definitions and distinctions which might be offer'd out of the School-men and Casuists In this first part I intend onely the edification of the common sort of people who now are or hereafter may be concerned as parties in the Administration of Justice To them I say this Righteousnesse is a constant purpose and resolution of giving to every one their own And you may very easily perceive how this Definition agrees with the Case in the Text. David complaines of the Corruption and Iniquity of those that were Judges in his cause Doeg was a false witness and gave in a malicious information against him Saul was too apt of himselfe to believe it and yet he wanted not some flattering Courtiers some perchance of his privy Councell who blew the Fire and by their evill suggestions turn'd Sauls hatred and jealousie into a flame that David was a suspitious discontented person and the Crown would not sit fast upon his head while David lived and with this unrighteous dealing David charges them Now Had these men been endued with the grace of Justice and Righteousnesse had they had a constant purpose and resolution of giving to every one their owne that is their due then they had given David that Character and commendation which vvas due to him namely this That David was mis-represented to Saul that he had given large testimonyes of a peaceable and quiet Spirit that he had spared the Life of Saul when it was in his power twice to have slaine him Thus they should have spoken righteousnesse and defended an innocent person But they did not They wrought wickednesse in their hearts as David speaks here they complied with Saul's humour in his bloody intentions and persecutions against David and did not care though he perished so long as they might secure their owne persons and fortunes But this case this tryall of righteousnesse doth not often

you the Quomodo How it is to be performed which appeares in the words of the question Do ye indeed speak righteousness do ye judge uprightly I shall observe in this part but two branches for we may well conceive that those phrases Speaking righteousnesse and judging uprightly are but Synonyma important of the same thing and under that joynt-notion I shall consider them And then a second thing will be This speaking righteousnesse indeed we shall perceive some weight in that word when I come to open it For the first of these How are we to speak righteousness or to judge uprightly Mollerus tells that some Expositours render the words thus An certè mutam justitiam loquimini It seemes to be an improper speech but they thus explaine it that David charges the counsellours of Saul with an unjust silence Do ye speak righteousnesse that is Ye do not speak righteousnesse ye do not declare that innocence and integrity which in your owne consciences ye believe to be in me I touch'd upon this before and shewed you what reflection it might have upon the great Officers and Counsellours of State let me in a word or two bring it a little lower As it may be a fault in a Witnesse to depose more then the truth so it may be a fault to conceal any materiall circumstance which may make for the discovery of the truth They had a proverb among the Antients when a man would not speak freely what he thought or knew in any cause they would say Bovem habet in lingua He hath a bull in his tongue the Atnenian money having the figure of a Bull stamp'd upon it and by that proverb they would taxe him with bribery that he had taken money to hold his peace And the like scoff was put upon Demosthenes when upon a gift received he would not plead as he did against the Melesian Embassadours 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He had swallowed a bribe and that made his throat sore I have heard complaints in this kind Poor men when with great cost and trouble they have prepared their Cause for a hearing have yet lost it their witnesses have bin corrupted to say lesse then they knew and their Counsell taken off to attend other causes in other Courts and so all hath miscarried for not speaking righteousnesse unrighteousnesse hath prevailed against him But I le carry this note no further Let me now take up that terme in the Text indeed and weigh it to you and you may receive some farther light and instruction from it The Lxx render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Do ye truly speak righteousnesse Apollinarius thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is do ye undauntedly speak righteousness So now we may guesse at holy Davids meaning Do ye speak righteousnesse without feare without favour from the truth and sincerity of your hearts And now that I have clear'd the words let all the Officers and Ministers of Justice from the highest to the lowest be pleased to suffer a word of Exhortation There is no one thing Religion onely excepted that more secureth and adorneth a State then justice doth It is both Columna Corona Reipub A prop to make it subsist firme in it selfe and a crown to make it glorious in the eyes of others Jus et Aequitas vincula Civitatum saies Cicero As the Cement is to the Building so is Justice to the Body-politick it holds all together Bodies politick owe both their strength and their height to Justice So Solomon tells us Righteousness establisheth the Throne and exalteth the Nation It was the Lords command to the officers of justice in the 16 of Deuter That which is altogether just shalt thou follow Justissimam Justitiam sectare Tremelius renders it The old Vulgar Justum justè persequere According to the originall we should read it Justice Justice shalt thou follow The Charge you see from the great Law-giver is very strict pressing all his under-officers to the execution of Justice We of this Nation are happy in an excellent body of Lawes and we want but one Law more to enforce Magistrates to the execution of those Lawes Execution in Polity is like Elocution in Oratory Primum Secundum Tertium The prime and the maine the all in all of it The Lord by his Prophet Isaiah commands Keep ye judgment and execute Justice Now it were a sad thing if we should keep judgment as a Prisoner or execute it as a Malefactour The Apostle Paul complain'd of some such that did withhold the truth in unrighteousnesse but God forbid there should be any such found amongst us who by any base arts should obstruct the course of judgment or award a punishment to any one who hath walked according to antient and known Lawes The purpose of the Lord by his Prophet was this keep Judgment that is declare it lay open the Law in the grounds and reasons of it and execute justice that is administer it impartially indifferently and without respect of persons The Jewes had a proverb Transgressours need a Sessions house It is not enough that good Lawes are enacted by pious Princes and their Councell It is not enough that they are rightly understood by the Reverend and learned Judges Nor enough that they are diligently enquired into by the Grand or petty Juries The maine thing is the execution of the Lawes that unrighteousnesse should not dare to out-face Justice that the Magistrate do not withhold his hand from seizing upon impudent iniquity Remember the importance of this word in the Text Indeed that ye speake and doe righteousnesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 truly without any by or base respects and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without fear or care Self-respects are too often obstructions in the course of Justice Viderit Utilitas is no good motto for a Magistrate Favour may blear his eyes but gifts will blind them He that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will easily become 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that undoes all Consider the case in the Text between SAUL and DAVID and you will wonder the lesse at the Corruption of his Officers when you hear the argument he urged to them He had intelligence that his Son Jonathan was in league with David and suspecting the revolt of other great Officers he speaks thus to them Hear now ye Benjamites Will David give every one of you Fields and Vineyards and make you Captains of thousands and Captains of hundreds 1 Sam. 22. 7. Here was an hook cunningly baited to draw them to his own party and it is hard to say in whom the Corruption was greater In Saul to offer or in his Officers to accept in Him to suggest a temptation or in them to yeeld to it but between both we know that David a man after Gods owne heart was pursued and persecuted So David tells Saul I have not sinned against thee yet thou huntest my Soul to take it 1 Samuel 24. 11. I perswade my selfe you never readd the