Selected quad for the lemma: city_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	day_n	great_a	see_v	5,499	4	3.3677	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77844	The magistrates commission from heaven. Declared in a sermon preached in Laurencejury, London, the 28. day of Sept. 1644. at the election of the Lord Major. / By Anthony Burgesse, sometimes fellow of Immanuel Colledge in Cambridge; now pastour of Sutton Coldfield in Warwick shire, and a member of the Assembly. Imprimatur Thomas Gataker.	Burgess, Anthony, d. 1664.	1644 (1644)	Wing B5650; Thomason E14_18a	18,261	25

publike good but the moderate man is fully for God wholly for the Cause of God only the Administration of his power it is with a great deale of wisedome and mildnesse here 's a world of difference between these two and therefore you ought mightily to distinguish them It was noted as a wicked thing of Tiberius that he medios viros optimos judicare he did judge the middle men to be the best men but what did he meane by middle men Men that could not abide eminent vertues nor great vices He did hate eminent vertues because from them he did metuere periculum sibi he was afraid of danger by them And then he did hate vice too because by them he did metuere publicum dedecus he was afraid of publike disgrace There are many of that temper But now a moderate man he is a man whose heart is faithfully set for God and who is bent for the publike and all his soule is in it and he is immoveable in it yet notwithstanding the administration of this is with a great deale of meeknesse And then in the last place and so I shall conclude he ought to be humble and trembling under this account that he is to give that is necessary they are not to lift up their heads above their brethren As they are to take heed of pusilanimity and lownesse of spirit Contemnitur Magistratus qui seipsum prius contempsit that Magistrate must needs be contemned by the people that hath first contemned himselfe by his low carriage But yet on the other side he ought to be sull of humilitie to tremble under the account he is to give what shall he say to God what shall he answer to God might not he have hindered this measure of vice might not he have done this good and that good It was a good saying of Seneca Principi non minis turpia sunt multa supplicia quam medico funera Many punishments they are as great a shame to a Governour as funerals are to a Physitian for it implyes that the Governour should have had a great deale of care and have prevented the punishment happily his carelesnesse hath wrought it happily his negligence or want of zeale hath wrought it Now in the managing of these he is to follow the rule of the Word of God without any carnall policy or without any subtile considerations whatsoever to be plaine hearted in carrying on the work of God and you see when David would runne to carnall policie it spoiled him And so Jeroboam it was his worldly and state policy that did undoe him we ought to be so trusting of God and depending on his Word that when we doe our duty we are to leave the successe wholly to him The Reasons why they that are in Government must be thus qualified First all their Actions have influence into the Common-wealth and therefore it behoves them more then others to be so The Eclipse of the Sun makes a great deale of motion and alteration in things below and so any Eclipse in those that are in Authoritie and Government workes great but sad effects in inferiours And secondly they are to doe it because God hath a speciall care of them who keepes thee that art in Authoritie and Government that the wicked rise not up and that the ungodly conspire not as one man to destroy Magistracie who keeps this but the Lord that keepes the waves of the sea that they doe not overflow A third reason is because their guilt will be the greater Oh! beloved it may be God is never more angry with a man then when he puts him into a high place then when he puts him into some great Office that which he is glad of it may be and that which he studies for and plots for and desires for the Lord sayes he shall have it but he shall have it in anger he shall have it as the occasion wherein he will vent his sinnes the more and as the advantage wherein he will destroy his owne soule it may be God may never be more angry with a man then when he lets him come into a place of Publike trust and therefore he ought the more to tremble and to quake under the consideration of this Vse 1 In the first place let us make this use is it so that Magistracie is appointed of God for our good Government is it for our good Then it may reprove all those opinions and errours that are about Government either in the defect or in the excesse of it In the defect Anabaptists and Socinians that question the Authoritie of Magistracie and so likewise Papists though they question it not yet notwithstanding have many destructive opinions about it And then on the other side in the Excesse for there is politicke idolatry as well as spirituall we may make a Magistrate an idoll and that is when we will obey him against God when we have no other ground for our Worship or Religion then the Authoritie of a Magistrate we look not to the Word of God this is politicke idolatry Quicquid rex Demetrius jubet id erga homines justum Deos sanctum that was their resolution Vse 2 In the next place Is it so that Magistracie is appointed for our good then let us humble our selves under the consideration of the abuse of Government that hath been heretofore in our Kingdome and Nation the abuse of it I say here saies the Apostle if thou dost evill be afraid Oh beloved were not the times when men to doe good were afraid were not the times when if men prayed fervently and when men preached powerfully and when men stood for the publike good of the Kingdome when they did these good things were they not afraid how terrible is it therefore when the Nature and the Office of Government is altered when men to doe good were afraid and when men that did evill were not afraid nor discouraged when the Text now is altered in stead of being a Minister of God to men for good when Magistrates and Governors shall become Ministers of Satan for the evill and hurt of men this is terrible Vse 3 In the third place let us be thankfull when the Lord raises up Magistracie for all these ends that we spake of Let us blesse God for the Parliament for those Worthies that have been raised up that have eased us of many burdens and superstitions All Government it is a mercy but now when they are raised up so as to be effectuall in a Reformation and in working the will of God this is much more Beloved any kind of Government is better then no Government There was a Law amongst the Persians that when their Governor was dead there should be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there should be a lawlesnesse for five dayes after that every man should doe what he would now for those five dayes there was such killing and robbing and such destroying one another that by the time the five dayes were over they were glad of a Government again So that I say we are to blesse God for all Government how much rather now when it is raised up for our good and happinesse And so likewise the Citie is to blesse God for the vigilancie and prudence of Governours for the peace it hath been kept in in the midst of these great confusions troubles that have been abroad that such a Citie as this is should be so quiet in such times of Civill warres and of great ruines here we are to acknowledge the mercy of God Vse 4 The last use is of Exhortation unto those that have Elections and Votes that are to chuse to day their Governour Beloved ye see by all that hath been said Magistracie it is of God and you see what are the ends and qualifications that ought to be in those men Understanding the will of God Men that are much in Prayer to God Men that are of Fortitude and Courage Men that are Prudent and Wise that have a knowledge how to doe good as well as a desire to doe good And so also Men that are carefull about Families about their Orficers about their Servants about all that doe belong to them Men that will be diligent Men that are of Publike spirits that will abhorre to make a publike place matter of their owne gaine Men that shall be diligent in these things to the execution of the good Lawes that may be or shall be established whosoever is thus thinke of such a man whosoever I say is thus Wise thus Diligent thus Faithfull thus Pious thus Godly whosoever is such set up such a man Beloved you may bring a great deale of comfort or a great deale of trouble to your selves this day what a Comfort will this be to thee that hast disposed thy Vote and suffrage to say thus I have chosen the man that will be a good Pilot of the Ship in the storme I have chosen the man that will be a good Physitian that will heale the breaches Nay all the good that comes by such a Magistracie will at last come to be thine thou maist say his Integritie is thine the good he hath done is thine it will all be counted to thee who hast given thy suffrage for it Therefore beloved deale faithfully with God and the Common-wealth this day and doe you so set about your worke that God may be pleased the good Cause of God may be advanced the Parliament may bee incouraged the Common-wealth may be blessed the Citie may be made happy and we all may be made rejoycing and praising of God for this dayes worke FINIS