Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	destroy_v	die_v	sin_n	5,036	5	5.2799	4	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

and for fear that his own personal Endeavours might prove ineffectual he calls in all good Men to assist him in so Pious a Work Psal 94. 16. Who will rise up for me against the evil Doers or who will stand up for me against the workers of Iniquity And yet after all notwithstanding the Design was so Pious in it self and was most vigorously Prosecuted yet the Success answer'd not Expectation as we may probably conjecture from the Psalmist's own Complaint of an universal Degeneracy and Corruption of Manners that still prevailed Psal 12. 1. as That the Faithful were minished from among the Children of Men Psal 14. That they were Corrupt and Abominable in their doings and that there was not one that did good no not one Insomuch that Rivers of Water ran down his Eyes Psal 119. 136. to consider that all the severity he had used could not totally suppress that depravation of Manners that was become universal in his Days But if so Epidemical a Disease was not to be perfectly cured all on a sudden yet however Time and a severe Course of Physick might very much correct it Now if even the severest Execution of Laws has not had that Success as totally to prevent and suppress the growth of Profaneness I leave it to you to guess what a dismal Consequence must inevitably follow a total suspension and relaxation of those wholesom Laws If Mens hearts are fully set in them to do Evil because Sentence against an evil Work is not executed speedily what would they do what would they not do if it were not executed at all If the very Delay of Justice would encourage Sin How much more would a total Obstruction of it We shall be better able to judge of the ill Effects of this by producing an Instance or two of what Disorders have been occasion'd by too great Remisness and Indulgence of Government Gregory Nazianzen was prevail'd upon to intercede with the Secular Power for some Favour to be shew'd to the Apollinarians but when he saw how ill it succeeded and what ill use they made of it he wrote back to the President in this manner I now own my Intercession on behalf of these Men to be unseasonable since I find they make not so good use of your Indulgence as to be reclaim'd But no Instances like those that are taken out of the Word of God If you look into the Book of Judges Chap. 18. 7. you 'll find the People of Laish dwelling quiet and secure It had been a good Character of a People if it had been a true Quiet and well-grounded Security but as 't is there added 't was a Careless and Supine Security which in all probability made them indulge themselves in Luxury and Sensuality And this it seems was occasion'd either by their having no Magistrates at all or by the shameful Remisness of those they had for so it follows There was no Magistrate in the Land that might put them to shame in any thing they did and no wonder then that they became an easie Prey to the first Enemy that Attack'd them Laish had the Character of a sweet and plentiful Country it being a Place where there was no want of any thing that was upon the Earth ver 10. A pity it was that so good a Place should want good Magistrates From whence 't is natural to observe That though a Country abound with every thing desirable and want nothing else but a good Magistracy yet they want that which will make them a happy People This was what Laish wanted There was no Magistrate among them i. e. they had either none at all or as good as none for there was none that took due care to execute his Office none that restrain'd them from Sin or punish'd them for it or so much as fixed any Mark of Disgrace upon them There was none that put them to shame for any thing they did And this proved in the end the Ruine of that People and so it will prove of any Persons whatsoever Thus there was nothing perhaps that contributed more immediately to the Wickedness and in effect to the Ruine of Eli's two Sons than the too great Indulgence of their old compassionate Father who being a Judge as well as a High-Priest in Israel should have made it his Business to discountenance and punish Vice severely and impartially where-ever he saw it but especially in his own Family But it seems that good Man was of too mild and easie a Temper and his natural Affection to his Children made him forget the Duty both of a Parent and a Judge for when their Sins became so scandalous and notorious that the Congregation publickly remonstrated against their Lewdness and Debauchery Eli instead of Punishing his Sons severely for their Wickedness instead of turning them out of the Priest's Office for Desecrating and Profaning their Sacred Character and instead of calling them to a more severe Account for their Adultery as the Law required he Expostulates with them with too much Calmness and Mildness * 1 Sam. 2. 22 c. Vid. Sanctium in 1 Reg. c. 2. §. 90 91 c. Id. in cap. 3. §. 29. Why do ye such things for I hear of your evil Dealings by all this People Nay my Sons 't is no good Report that I hear Ye make the Lord's People to Transgress But this was so gentle a Reprimand that his Sons gave no ear to it but become † 1 Sam. 2. 12. Filii Belial i. e. sine Jugo Grot. in 2 Cor. 6. 15. Sons of Belial indeed their Father's Indulgence made them so i. e. it had made them throw off the Yoke and sin without all restaint and in this obstinate Course of Impiety they continue until God thought fit to destroy them Neither is this all but observe how severely God dealt with Eli and his whole Family for this neglect These two profligate Sons of his die an untimely Death both in one day and which is greatly to be fear'd they died in their Sin the News of which sad Disaster so confounds Eli that he fell back and died immediately And well had it been if God's Vengeance had stopp'd here but ‖ 1 Sam. 3. 11. c. there is a dreadful Curse entailed upon his whole Posterity * Vid. Selden de Success in Pontif. Ebraeorum l. 1. c. 2. c. Const l'Empereur Annot. in Bertram de Rep. Ebr. c. 15. Sanctium in 1 Reg. 9. c. 1. §. 6. Let the Learned resolve you how Eli that was of the Stock of Ithamar the younger Son of Aaron's Family came to be High-Priest However he came by that Sacred Office we know not so well as that ‖ 1 Sam. 2. 32 35. God threatned for the future to transfer it from his Family to Eleazar's Posterity again and takes a solemn Oath 1 Sam. 3. 13 14. That the Iniquity of Eli's House shall not be purg'd with Sacrifice nor

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