Selected quad for the lemma: city_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	earth_n	great_a	king_n	5,865	4	4.0614	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39295	The magistrates obligation to punish vice a sermon preach'd before the right worshipful the mayor, aldermen, sheriff, &c. of the town and county of Newcastle upon Tyne, at the parish Church of St. Nicholas, October 8, 1699, upon the election of the mayor / by Nathanael Ellison ...	Ellison, Nathanael, 1656 or 7-1721.	1700 (1700)	Wing E610; ESTC R37317	18,338	44

or as some think when he had but a prospect of it So early do you find him resolving * Psal 101. to govern first himself and then his Court and then his whole Kingdom with such care and caution that good Men might secure themselves of his Favour and the wicked be afraid of feeling the Severity of his Displeasure I will behave my self wisely in a perfect way I will walk within my House with a perfect Heart I will not know a wicked Person He that walks in a perfect way shall serve me he that works Deceit shall not dwell in my House And as the Conclusion of all says he I will destroy all the Wicked of the Land that I may cut off all wicked Doers from the City of the Lord. And if the Seventy fifth Psalm were Composed by the same Pious King you have him there renewing the like pious Resolution and that at a time when there was the greatest Occasion and Necessity for interposing his Royal Authority when the Earth i. e. the Kingdom of Juda and its Inhabitants threatned its Ruine by an universal Dissolution of Manners when wicked Men lift up their Horn on high and spake with a stiff neck i. e. when they bad open defiance to all Divine and Humane Laws then even then did the Holy Psalmist interpose with heroick Courage and Magnanimity every way becoming a King in such a desperate Juncture then did he resolve to cut off all the Horns i. e. all the Power of the Wicked and Prophane and that all the Horns of the Righteous should be exalted But whether David were the Author of that Psalm or no 't is not to be doubted but that the 72 Psalm was of his own Composing the Title of which is a Psalm for Solomon and was made by David as 't is supposed * 1 King 1. when Nathan the Prophet and Zadok the Priest by David's own Command and while he was yet living took Solomon and set him upon his Throne In which Psalm he prays That God would give his Son Solomon his Judgments and his Righteousness that so he might judge his People with Righteousness and the Poor with Judgment that he might keep the simple Folk by their Right defend the Children of the Poor and punish the Wrong-doer But there are two Examples more behind which very well deserve your Consideration and which indeed in strictness should have been mention'd before if we had regarded the Age they lived in The one is Job Job 1. 3. the other is Moses Job is called the Greatest i. e. one of the greatest Men in all the East in all probability he was a King and if his Dominions were not so large yet his Power might be as great and absolute as any Monarchs at this day 'T is evident he was a Man in great Power and Authority by what we read Chap. 29. 7 c. But he was not contented with the bare Ostentation and Pageantry of Greatness but he shew'd his Greatness in Acts of Goodness in the highest Instances of Justice and Mercy I delivered says he ver 12 c. the Poor that cryed from Oppression c. I put on Righteousness and it clothed me my Judgment was as a Robe and a Diadem By which it appears he took not so great Pride in the Ornaments of State which he wore as in the impartial Execution of Justice upon Offenders and in breaking the Jaws of the Wicked Num. 12. 3. Moses had the Character of being the meekest Man upon the face of the Earth and yet notwithstanding his unparallel'd Meekness we read of his exerting very severe Acts of Justice when he saw God's Honour Prostituted and his sacred Laws violated and trampled on witness * Exod. 32. Numb 25. the Idolatry of the Golden Calf and that of Baal-Peor These four Illustrious Examples I have mentioned are very well worthy your Imitation none need to be asham'd to be taught their Duty by such Persons who had so establish'd a Reputation both for Greatness and Goodness But 't is high time to advance to my Second General To consider the dismal ill Consequence that naturally attends the Carelesness Negligence and Remisness of Magistrates The growth of Sin and Wickedness is thereby promoted and encourag'd the guilt of all which is laid at their Door whose Neglect occasion'd it for thus the wise Man tells us in my Text Because sentence c. Ill Men are emboldned and encourag'd by this Impunity and as long as they meet with (a) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. No Contradiction nor (b) Haud prompta fit oppositio Arab. Opposition no Check nor Controll from Men of Power and Authority they go on to do ill with (c) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sym. a fearless Heart nay 't is d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. fully persuaded setled and confirm'd in their Wickedness They grow daring and obstinate and at last obdurate in their Sins This is a melancholy Truth that has obtained too much Credit in all Ages * Plutarch Rom. Apopth Cato the Elder was wont to say That he wou'd rather be unthankful for a good Deed than not punish a bad one which as 't is an Argument of the ill Opinion he had of Ingratitude so also of the Necessity there was of Vindictive Justice Nay he thought soft and easie Magistrates intolerable in a Government and not only so but that even their suffering Death was a small Compensation for the Damage and Injury the Publick sustain'd through their Negligence and Remisness Such a violent Propensity to sin there is in all of us that all Nations have thought it absolutely necessary to restrain it by the severest Punishments To this purpose is that Observation of a Heathen Philosopher That tho' several Nations have differ'd in the several Punishments they appointed for the Violation of Religion and good Laws yet they were all agreed in affixing some Punishment or other upon such Violation But the severest Penal Laws are but a dead Letter without Execution and signifie no more than if they had never been made at all To have such Laws made and not executed is an Argument of Weakness either in the Government or Governours that they cannot or dare not Punish and ill Men take occasion thence to strengthen themselves in their Wickedness when Laws or Magistrates want Power or Courage to restrain them And no wonder indeed for if even the vigorous Execution of Laws is little enough and too little effectually to prevent or wholly to suppress and obstruct the growth of Impiety what Progress must it of necessity make if all Restraint and Opposition be removed out of the way When the Flood Gates are once broken down 't is a Miracle if an Inundation does not follow David was of invincible Courage and was resolv'd as you have heard to do what in him lay to put an early stop to the growth of Debauchery and Profaneness in his Reign