Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	let_v	lord_n	see_v	4,698	5	3.6890	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94062	Justice justified; or The judges commission opened: in two assize sermons, preached before the judges of assize. The first at Chard, on Prov. 14.34. March 12. the other at Tauton, on Rom. 13.4. Aug.3. 1657. By James Strong, Master of Arts, and minister of the Gospel at Illmister in Sommerset.	Strong, James, 1618 or 19-1694.	1658 (1658)	Wing S5992; Thomason E937_3; ESTC R207741	20,137	35

that none durst to desire so much of worldly happinesse as God freely gave him and this was the Isalmists order too who first tenders a Petition for Zion and after that for Jerusalem Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion and then build the walls of Jerusalem O then let me beg this one thing as upon my knees be as zealous that God hath his due as Caesar or his Subjects theirs shall blasphemy scape better than felony shall a Cut-purse die and a blasphemer a God-robber a Kill-Christ live Is sacriledge become a lesse sin than theft If ever rage beseems a Magistrate 't is when he comes to rescue the honour or revenge the dishonour of his God then if ever Moses might be excused for tearing the tables when Israel had turned the glory of God into the similitude of a calf that eateth hay Servetus the Heretique charging Melancton of harshnesse in a Dispute made this answer In aliis mitis sim cum blasphematur nomen Christi non ita Religion my Lord hath the greatest interest in us all All the Tents were pitch'd about the Tabernacle to teach us that the whole world is but a great Inn for the Church to lodge in the Vine is a Noble plant and the wine that 's prest from it hath noble qualitie yet they say if a mandrake be set neere the Vine the grape is farre the more generous Justice is a rare vertue in it self but if Religion be planted neere it it s farre the more admirable The Centurions servant commended his Master to the utmost when he told Christ Jesus that he loved the Nation and confirmed it by this that he had built them a Synagogue O bring back the Captive Ark build Gods house repaire the ruines of the Tabernacle of David This wil honour you indeed and prove you lovers of your Nation 3. They must be men of truth that is of Justice saith A Lap. for in all wrong wrong judgement there is a lie Delrio tells us that Justice was wont to be described by a Virgin and the Magistrate by an Eunuch armed To shew First that Magistrates must not violate the chastity of Justice themselves and secondly they must preserve her from others Two enemies especially justice is in danger of 1. The Lawyer who makes it a great part of his Art to raise a mist before the Judges eyes 't is a rule that where the discourse is general there 's no personal wrong to any 't is sad to see a cause prove good or bad according as 't is pleaded Methinks I cannot mention the employment but mind too that of poor Spira whoat once breathed out his soul his hopes and this sad lamentation together Good causes I pleaded coldly or else sold perfidiously Bad causes I followed zealously and pleaded with all my might O legitur historiam ne sitit historia Be not too wise or too learned to be saved by the foolishnesse of preaching 2. The second enemy is the false witnesse if truth and innocency escape the one how usually do they suffer by the other Though a faithful witnesse I must confesse as great a friend to truth as Jonathan to David yet that thorowly sifted I doubt not but too often they would deserve to be handled as Paul when he was examined with stripes Alas who knows not saith Luther that Steven died by witnesse and Christ himself died by witnesses though sometimes suborned Between these two enemies when truth is like to be torne in pieces as Paul by those contrary factions the Pharisees and the Sadduces Acts 23. What need of a compleat Magistrate like the Centuriont here to come and make a rescue 4. Hating Covetousnesse When the Prophet complaines of Jerusalems Officers Thy Princes are rebellious and companions of thieves he addes the cause they love gifts As Paul shook off the viper from his hand so should a Magistrate a bribe and say as he at another time if he meet with a temptation when he dealt with Simon Magus thy money perish with thee O honourable comfortable testimony when our hearts can witnesse as Samuels Here I am c. whose Oxe have I taken or whose Asse have I taken or of whom have I received a bribe and I will restore it And now to move you a little let me quicken this grand duty with these few Argumens 1. Consider those many honourable titles wherewith God hath dignified you wherefore are you called Princes Nobles Nursing-fathers Shepherds Mountaines Sons of the Almighty but that you should honour those titles by acting for his honor that hath conferr'd them on you 't is a saying of Salvians reatus impii est pium nomen Titles of honour do but greaten wicked mens guilt that do abuse them 2. Consider the influence that men of place have upon their inferiours Magnates Magnetes great mens lives are small mens Laws Magistrates are the countreys looking glasses in which other men look and dress themselves by them If a Magistrate will drink or sweare or slight the Sabbath who will not bear him company As an eclipse in the Sunne alwayes produceth some destructive effects upon inferiour bodies so 't is here let a man of place be either good or bad he is sure to be exemplary We read when Crispus the chief Ruler of the Synagogue beleeved many of the Corinthians beside beleeved and were baptized with him Acts 18. 8. on the other side the Psalmist could imagine no heavier curse for his enemy then this set you an ungodly man to be Ruler over him 3. Meditate seriously whose work you are in Solomon tells you the weights of the bag are his work Prov. 16. 11. Et quae Dei sunt trimide tractanda Judges are Gods Lieutenants and you judge for him saith Jehoshaphat to his Judges Take heed what you do for you judge not for man but for the Lord who is with you in the judgement and that 's the third 4. Consider that God himself is present with you and president over you Psal. 82. 1. God standeth in the Congregation of the Princes Loring on that Scripture tells us the Ethiopians were wont to set an empty chaire in the middest of their judicatories to minde them that God was there O think that God attends to heare what charges evidences pleas and sentences are there past Cave Cato videt was wont to be a watchword in Rome and this awed them from evil let our watchword be the Lord seeth 5. Lastly he is Judge of Judges all causes must once more be heard over and called again he judgeth among the gods when the preacher complains of wrong judgment upon earth he looks upward and relieves himself from heaven but God saith he shall judge the righteous and the wicked Eccl. 3. 17. Ciprian in his prayer before his martyrdome among many heart-wounding passages from the consideration of the last judgement this especially is one Ve peccatis nihil cum elevaneris

were such murders rapes and robberies of all kinds committed by the headlesse multitude that before the five daies were expired they were exceeding glad to accept of a new Governour Justice is the very pulse of a State and as we know the man's dead when his pulse doth not beat so in a Commonwealth when Justice ceaseth The Prophet saw nothing but spoiling and violence and the wicked compassing about the righteous and why Defluit Lex the Law was dissolved no life any longer in the State its pulse had done beating Heb. 1. 4. 'T is an observation of learned Weems that so necessary is Justice to the very being of a Commonwealth that no society can subsist without it even Thieves and Robbers could not long subsist if every one had not his share the whole Society must needs be dissolved Miserable is that Nation where Justice is corrupted that looks for judgement and meet with oppression and for righteousnesse but behold a cry wrong judgement is worse then no judgement 'T is sad when judgement is turned into gall and the fruit of righteousnesse into hemlock where should a man look for justice but where men professe holinesse Yet this was the grievance of which the Preacher complains Eccles. 3. 16. I saw under the Sun the place of Judgement and behold wickednesse was there and the place of righteousnesse and iniquity was there Such corruptions gave Cato cause to complain of the Roman State that private robbers lay in chains of iron but publike thieves went in chains of gold In short a people is then at their last cast when God finds not a man to do Justice among them Jer. 5. 1. Run too and fro thorow the streets of Jerusalem and see and know and seek in the broad place thereof if there be any that executeth judgement and seeketh truth and I will spare it The want of Justice upon earth provokes God himself to do justice from heaven Learn we next to prize this grand blessing Justice executed by men is a mercy from God since sin entered into the world Justice is the remedy that God hath provided to purge corruption Nebuchadnezzar was none of the best Governours yet a Cedar under which the beasts of the field found shadow and the fowls of heaven dwelt under the boughs thereof if a bad Magistrate be so useful what 's the worth of a better When the Queen of Sheba came to hear Solomon she made it matter of her joy and blessed God that he had set Solomon on the throne of Israel because the Lord loved Israel for ever therefore he made the King to do judgement and justice 1 Kings 10. 9. Sure 't is our happinesse had we hearts to acknowledge it that we have justice weighed to us by the balance when for sin we might justly have expected to have seen it carved out to us by the sword Addresses it self to you Right Honourable with the rest that are in authority you see what 's your duty and the Countryes expectation would you raise a poor Nation that 's almost in the dust you see the way and your duty lies somewhat more exactly described in Deut. 1. 16. I charged your Judges at that time saying Hear the causes between your brethren and judge righteously between every man and his brother Five things especially are requisite to make a compleat Magistrate and they are briefly these 1 Wisdome and Judgement to find out the truth Magistrates are the eyes of a State and if this light be darknesse how great would the darknesse be let us ever deprecate that curse that God justly once threatened Israel with shepherds they should have and the sword upon their right eye Job here deserved to be a pattern to posterity seldome at a losse in judgement but the cause that I knew not I searched out saith he Job 29. Guilt usually stands at the bar under a disguize and hath a design to carry away the blessing as Jacob from Esau under the pretence of innocency Of Alexander 't is reported that he was wont to sit in Judgement with one ear stopt and never heard with that till the party accused came to speak 'T is Gods own Law Exod. 22. 9. When there is a difference about an Oxe or an Asse Sheep or Rayment or any lost thing both the parties must come before the Judges that is must be heard by them The other four vertues to compleat a Magistrate are in one Scripture injoyned Exod. 18. 21. Provide you among all the people men of courage fearing God dealing truly and hating covetousnesse c. and let them judge the people I shall crave leave briefly to run them over And 1. They must be men of courage such as Cato of whom 't is said that no man ever durst petition him for a favour that was contrary to equity Solomon symbolized this courage by the steps of his Throne which were adorned with Lions to mind him alway of that courage that beseemeth him that sate thereon For this reason Constantine in Sc. is called the man-child Rev. 12 13. to to imitate his valour in venturing for the Churches weal this valour was eminent in Job who brake the jawes of the unrighteous and pluck'd the prey out of his teeth Job 29. 17. This holy boldnesse would be as a shield to fence us either against the frowns of superiours or the murmurings of inferiours who so well fences against the reproach of others as he whose heart doth not reproach him Bene agere male audire Regium est saith Seneca 2 They must be men fearing God and that as they are considered in a double capacity 1 As Christians in common with others this saith Solomon is both the beginning and the end of Christianity 't is the beginning of wisdome Prov. 1. 7. and 't is the end of all things Eccles. 12. 13. Yea 't is the all of Christian that one thing that is necessary and oh that we could chuse this better part 2 As Magistrates in place above others as unjust Judges one sayes is a solecisme A Magistrate saith Luther should be vivalex such whose life should be but a Comment on the Law of God and man the way to do righteousnesse is to be righteous How ill doth it become him to punish a drunkard swearer or sabbath-breaker that is such himself Religion and Justice uphold a Nation as those two Pillars Jachin and Boaz did Solomons Temple Now Religion must stand as Jachin on the right hand Luther long since told the Reformers of Germany it would never be well with the State till they first secured the peace of the Church yet alas how apt are we to begin at the wrong end do our own work first and then Gods Good Constantine kept Gods method first sought Gods Kingdome and then sayes one other things sought him adeo ut tanta terrena nullus auderet petere c. So