Selected quad for the lemma: day_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
day_n light_n night_n rule_v 7,457 5 10.0229 5 true
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A51830 Two sermons both preached at Northampton, one at the assizes March 1693, the other at a visitation October the 10th, 1694 by John Mansell ... Mansell, John, 1644 or 5-1730. 1695 (1695) Wing M513; ESTC R32049 23,984 62

There is 1 snippet containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

the Text. And thus much for their Dignity 2. We have their Subjection also Deut. 10.17 for though they are called Mighty though they are called Gods yet there is a God above them Psal 94.2 A God that is Allmighty that is literally the God of Gods and Judge of all the Earth And this Subjection of the Civil Magistrates is implied in their very Dignity whose greatest Excellency does consist in a likeness of God and in their resembling him they therefore must needs be subordinate unto that God to be whose Representatives is their greatest Honour For if their Chief Power consists in their being Commissioned by God to execute part of his own Authority upon Earth if their Chief Accomplishments are but saint and dim reflections of the Divine Wisdom Truth Goodness and Justice if their greatest usefulness consists in being God's Instruments for good to Men Agents for Divine Justice and Factors for Almighty Providence here below in Short if their Chief Glory consists in being God's Mortal Representatives then all this Dignity being but a Reslected Lustre but a Relative and Dependant thing and all their Divinity being but an Imperfect Copy of his in whom dwells the whole fulness of the God-head This very Dignity proves that though they are Mighty they are still Subordinate that though they are Great Lights yet like the Moon they only rule this present Night and borrow all their Brightness from that greater Luminary which rules the Everlasting Day That is from God the Giver of every good and perfect gift As therefore all that is Eminent in them flows from a Higher Spring so it shews their Subordination to it And this Subjection is in the Text set forth 1. By Gods standing in the midst of them And 2. By his Judging among them That is by his being both the Witness and Judge of all they doe 1. Mighty as they are they are still under Gods Immediate Inspection he stands by not only to assist them which is a Sence the words might very well bear but to observe both all they doe and how they do it he not only overlooks all their Proceedings but he reads their very Thoughts too and pearceth into the Darkest Corners of their Hearts to see whether any Secret Self-Interest Partiality or By-Respects Influence those Acts of theirs which outwardly perhaps carry a plausible Aspect Thus God is the Great Supervisor of all their Actions and of all the Reasons of those Actions Whllst like some Inquisitive Princes he sits behind the Curtain when his Great Officers are Administring Justice where he sits no Idle Spectator by for we read that he hath often thrown aside the Curtain and by extraordinary interposing Providences hath Publickly appeared on the behalf of Injured Innocence and wonderously detected the Iniquity either of Prosecutors Juries or Judges 2. Mighty as they are God is still their Judge and passes Sentence upon all they do which Judgment of his though at present it be only Secret and confined to the Cabinet Council of his own Immutable Wisdom and Justice Yet at last it shall be made most Publick when those Gods shall come to dye like other Men and in the day when God shall judge the secrets both of People and of Princes When Monarchs must descend their Thrones and Judges come down from the Bench to the Bar there to take their Tryals in the midst of Ten Thousand Spectator Angels and as many Accusing Devils and by the Witness of their own Consciences every of which is Ten Thousand strong Deut. 16.9 When neither Fine Parts nor Great Learning nor Court Favour nor Popular Esteem nor Bribes that blind the eyes of the wise shall stand them in any stead but it will then appear notwithstanding all former outward Differences yet that all Souls are Equal Which puts me upon my third and last Observation The Magistrates Duty consequent both to their Dignity and their Subjection 1. Their Duty with respect to their High Dignity If they are in some sence Gods then how ought they to behave themselves answerable to that glorious Title and to Act like the Divinity whom they represent Every Magistrate therefore ought to stand very much upon his Honour And to consider in all he does whether he be true to his High Quality whether it be Great and God-like Justice that he is then doing whether he believes that God himself if he was there visibly present would act in those Cases as he does Thus our Mighty Being inspired with a Noble Pride and a Holy Emulation should scorn to do any thing unworthy the God whose Name they wear whose Person they represent and whose Work they are about And as Nehemiah when warned to withdraw himself from the surprize of his Enemies answered with a generous Zeal Neh. 6.11 Should such a Man as I flee So should every Magistrate as conscious of his own High Dignity be ready with a Devout Bravery of Mind to say Should such a Man as I do thus or thus Should I who represent the Great God fear the face of any man though ever so great Should I respect Persons Should I take a Bribe Should I justifie the wicked for favour Or condemn the Righteous for fear Would this become the Heavenly Character I bear Or this be at all like a God Thus from a due sence of their Dignity may the Magistrates argue themselves into their Duty And 2. From a Sence of their Subjection too since as much Gods as they are yet there is a God an Infinite Power above them A God that is now the Infallible Witness of all they are doing and that will hereafter be the Impartial Judge of all they have done Thus when they consider that theirs is but a borrowed Greatness a deputed Authority a vicarious Power a temporary Regency and that e're long their large Commissions will be out of Date their Magistracy come to its end their Ensigns of Honour be all lay'd by their Robes of State be put off for ever their Titles and Dignities be buried in the Dust and their Persons divested of all their former Grandieur must appear in the Croud of Common Malefactors that Judges themselves must in their turns be judged and all our Mortal Gods must render an Account to him that is alone Immortal and that the Judgment of God will prove as much more strict and terrible as his Wisdom and Justice are infinitely more perfect than theirs the Sence of such a Subjection must needs instruct them in their Duty and become a more powerful memento to them than that severe Prince gave who stead off the Skin from a Corrupt Judge and spread it on that Seat of Justice upon which he caused his Son to succeed him that so by the Horrour of his Fathers Fate he might be terribly warned to avoid his Crime But here though it might be thought presumption in me to intrude my Counsels upon those who are in so many respects above me yet as