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
A60385	Ergon pseudous kai misthos alētheias, or, The wicked mans sad disappointment and the righteous mans sure recompence being a sermon preached the 17th day of October, 1661, at the solemn funerals of the Right Worshipful Sir Abraham Raynardson, Knight, late alderman of London / by George Smalwood.	Smalwood, George, 1604-1679.	1661 (1661)	Wing S4006; ESTC R10143	27,597	40

battail and for want of Christian courage would have betraied this City into the hands of her enemies and consequently have exposed her to the wrath of God but this noble Heroe stood stoutly in defiance of all opposition was couragious and faithful to his trust and would not betray it for fear of men or love of this present world 3. When the then usurping Parliament had made an Act to abolish the Kingly Office and House of Lords and sent it to this worthy Person then Lord Mayor to be proclaimed at the usual places of the City he judging it altogether inconsistent with nay positively contrary to the several oaths which he had taken considering of what dangerous consequence it might be to the City and Citizens he delayed to do it for eight days and afterward being summoned to come in person before the Parliament to give a reason of his refusal he appearing told them plainly that his conscience being forecharged with divers oaths would not permit him to do what they required Though he was before so great an Assembly surrounded with his enemies and his person estate liberty and life were all in their power and lay at their mercy which was no better then cruelty yet he did not shrink back for fear but gave them a flat denial to their very faces whereupon he was voted out of his Office fined Two thousand pound and committed Prisoner to the Tower of London where he remained for a time and was afterwards released but not paying his fine the Committee for advance of monies ordered his goods housholds stuff and wearing apparel to be sequestred and sold by a candle which was done accordingly and so his whole fine was extorted from him in Money Bonds and Goods by the power of that Committee Thus the unspotted Integrity and Christian fortitude of this then Honorable Lord Mayor did shine forth most gloriously in the midst his persecutions and afflictions like the Stars in a clear cold frosty night to the honor of God and the Example of others he suffered for His Majesty he suffered for the Nobility he suffered for the City and his fellow Citizens and in all these which is his greatest happiness and the greatest shame to his enemies he suffered persecution for Righteousness and to keep a good conscience and such our Saviour pronounceth blessed and saith That great is their Reward in Heaven Mat. 5. 12. In expectation of this reward he would rather hazzard his Estate Liberty Life and all that was dear and precious to him then defile his conscience and break his Oath which was lawfull for the matter and lawfully imposed for the Authority O if men had been so conscionable in those days in keeping the lawful Oathes which they had taken our land had not been so stained with the blood of her own children neither had we seen and felt those Miseries and Calamities under which this City and Nation groaned for so many years together The Lord of his infinite mercy give repentance and pardon for all the perjury of these perillous times Our Christian Worthy would have no share in it nothing to burthen his conscience nor disturb his peace he was firm and inflexible in his Resolution and as St. Jerome saith of Joseph he was not changed from his Uprightness and Integrity nec squalore carceris nec tumore Aegyptiae potestatis neither by the unsavouriness of a Prison nor by the Pride and Swelling of that Egyptian power then in being he was a man so carefull to sow Righteousness that he was well content with the fruits of Gods Blessing upon his endeavors in his lawful calling and never sought to add one penny to his estate or inrich himself by the spoils and ruines of others like Harpies and Crows that love to seed upon dead carkeises and to eat the fruits of other mens labours And which was none of the meanest of Gods mercies to him the Lord was pleased to keep him from having any hand in beginning or promoting our late unnatural troubles and commotions he was a man of very peaceable and quiet Spirit which in the sight of God is of great price he was none of the Sons of Mars none of those people that delight in War but he heartily wished and prayed for the welfare of our Sion and the peace of our Jerusalem this was one special favour of God to him to keep him from having fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness according to that Song of Hannah He will keep the feet of his Saints and the wicked shall be silent in darkness for by strength shall no man prevaile 1 Sam. 2 9. But his fidelity and love of peace were very costly to him though indeed such a purchase as the reward of Righteousness cannot be bought at too dear a rate for his being Lord Mayor that year was prejudicious to his Estate at least to the value of Twenty thousand pound besides his Fine as he hath affirmed under his own hand and I dare believe it coming from the mouth or pen of a person of such Worth and Integrity as he was And for all these sufferings he hath had no recompence upon earth but we may very fitly apply that of the Preacher to his condition Eccles 9. 14 15. There was a little City and few men within it and there came a great King against it and besieged it and built great bulworks against it now there was found in it a poor wise man and he by his wisdom delivered the City yet no man remembred that same poor man This is very suitable to our present purpose except in some circumstances I confess there is some difference in this place from that and in this person from that for this City is great and there are many men in it and this person was rich and not poor but the work and recompence of both run Parrallel for this wise and righteousness man delivered the City by his wisdom and righteousness yet no man remembred this same wise and righteous man It is pity such honorable worthy Christian actions as these should not be proportionably regarded and rewarded upon earth But this is the comfort of the righteouss man and it is unspeakable that his reward is with God in Heaven yea God himself is his exceeding great reward This worthy Knight sowed Righteousness and I hope that through the infinite mercies of God and invaluable merits of the Lord Jesus Christ upon whom alone he relied for Justification and Salvation that he hath recieved this sure reward which shall never be taken from him the Lord give us grace so to follow the steps of his Integrity and Stedfastness in believing and well doing that we may have a sure reward with the Generation of the Righteous in Gods Heavenly Kingdom Amen FINIS

of his charity will appear to the comfort of the poor in the several Hospitals of this City and some other places 5. But then the greatest and most eminent Tryall and Testimony of his Righteousness and Integrity was in that fatal year 1648. when the Blood of His Sacred Majesty was shed by cruel and wicked hands then it pleased God to call him to be Lord Mayor of London in which office coming to him in such a stormy time he was stedfast and unmoveable from his Integrity he shewed himself a good Christian a wise Magistrate a loyal Subject and a loving Citizen Indeed Magistratus indicat virum Magistracy is a touchstone which will discover a man whether he be gold or dross he that carrieth himself as he ought in Offices of eminency giveth a great testimony of his wisdom and virtue There are two things that commend a Magistrate Honesty and Courage both these were eminent in him There were three very memoriable passages to be observed in this worthy Knight in managing his publick affairs 1. In reference to the good of the City whereof he was chief Magistrate when a Treaty was concluded upon between His late Majesty of Blessed Memory and the Parliament then sitting and in order thereunto an ingagement was subscribed by most of the Common Council and principal Members of the City for the carrying on of that Treaty Afterwards the Treaty proving ineffectual and the Parliament being dissolved by the unjust violence of the Army and their Abetters a strict inquiry was made after the names of those that subscribed the personal Treaty But the Book wherein the names of the Subscribers on both parts for and against the Treaty were written containing about two Reams of Paper being privately brought to this worthy Knight then Lord Mayor he tendering the good and welfare of all his Brethren and fellow citizens not knowing what might be the ill consequence of it if such a Record should be found extant took it and burnt it to ashes privately in his Chamber that nothing might remain to the prejudice of any how many perhaps here present were deeply ingaged to him for the safety of their estates if not of their lives by that one action certainly it was a work full of wisdom charity and brotherly kindness a most excellent concatenation of Christian Graces 2. When some tumultuous and busie Commoners had contrived a traiterous and wicked Petition to bring His Sacred Majesty and others to a Tryal and were vehemently urgent to have it read and voted in the Common-council that so it might be presented to the then new moulded Parliament as the desire of the whole City This Heroick and Noble Knight stoutly opposed the promoting thereof and would suffer it neither to be read nor voted notwithstanding the rage and violence of the adverse party who neither reverencing the Authority of his venerable office nor regarding the gravity of his person loaded him with reproach and contempt within telling him they would have it voted whether he would or no before their rising and some of them stirred up a tumultuous Rabble against him without Notwithstanding all this unworthy dealing with him he continued like an unmoveable Rock persisting in his resolution and endured those insolencies from eight of the clock in the morning until after eight at night accompanied only with two of his bretheren and would not yield a jot to their unreasonable desires notwithstanding all their clamorous importunities And at last when no reason would prevaile with them not able longer to endure their uncivil behaviour towards him and chiefly that he might to the utmost of his power keep the City and Citizens from being stained with the guilt of that Sacred Innocent Blood he resolutely took up the Sword and departed the Court to his great hazzard All these proceedings he caused to be registred in the book of Records belonging to the City for an evident testimony to after times of his own and the Cities Integrity and Innocency as to that ungodly and execrable Fact of taking away the Kings Life which he heartily abhorred for all which noble and gallant resolutions and performances he had since publick thanks given him by a declaration from the City Thus this worthy Knight might well be called the Sword and Buckler of London as Camillus and Fabius were among the Romans for he defended them from that which is worse then any outward evil viz. from blood guiltiness and that in the highest degree even from the guilt of parracide and shedding the blood of him that was Pater Patriae the Father of their Country This was a great mercy to the City on Gods part and an eminent favour on his part that did it and the whole City have cause to be thankfull to God and him for it When the rest of the children of Israel understood that their brethren the children of Reuben the children of Gad and the Children of Manasseh had not turned from following the Lord by building an Altar for Burnt-Offerings besides the Altar of the Lord their God which was before his Tabernacle but only had built a pattern of the Lords Altar to be a witness between them and their brethren that they and their posterity belonged to the Congregation of Israel and had a part in the Lord and his Service as well as the other Tribes when they understood the Truth of this it is said the thing pleased them and they blessed God and said This day we perceive that the Lord is among us because ye have not committed this trespass against the Lord now ye have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the Lord Joshua 22. 31. They rejoyced that God had kept their bretheren from polluting themselves with that crying sin of Idolatry and turning from the Lord and his Altar and took it as a token of Gods presence among them and as a merciful deliverance of the whole Nation from the avenging hand of God and his fierce wrath which the guilt of that sin would have brought upon them Truly we in this City have great cause to be well pleased and to bless God as well as they for keeping us from being guilty of His Majesties Blood we have reason to interpret this happy providence as they did to be a pledge and token that God would not forsake us but continue his gracious presence among us as blessed be his name he is pleased to do as we see at this day and I hope through mercy shall still see as also to be a merciful deliverance of this City from the fearful wrath and severe vengeance of the most righteous God which the guilt of that Sacred Blood besides its other crying abominations would have brought upon it we have reason to magnifie God for that gracious deliverance and for raising up this worthy Knight to be so happily instrumental therein had it been some faint hearted Ephraimite or covetous Demas he would have turned back in the day of