Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	according_a	grace_n	spirit_n	2,191	5	4.7088	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29109	A sermon preach'd before the Right Honourable Lord Mayor and Aldermen, and citizens of London, at St. Lawrence Jewry, on Saturday, September the 28th, 1700 at the election of the Lord Mayor, for the year ensuing / by Samvel Bradford ...	Bradford, Samuel, 1652-1731.	1700 (1700)	Wing B4122; ESTC R19662	14,119	30

Industry it usually procures regard and which is yet more puts the Possessor of it into a capacity of laying more Obligations upon others and consequently of procuring greater Respect from them And above all it does or should raise Men above the temptation of doing an ill an unjust an unfair or so much as a mean Action Riches are the Materials and Instruments of Virtue where those who have them know how to use them aright So again Natural Courage or Fortitude of Mind qualifies him that is indued with it to encounter Difficulties to bear up against Contradiction to do that which is fit in spight of all Discouragement and to maintain a just Authority against all Opposition all which are excellent Dispositions in a Magistrate And for Judgment and Prudence it will I take it for granted be readily allow'd that these are at least as necessary and useful Qualifications as any of the former and therefore these seem more particularly to be meant by the word able according to the exposition of Moses himself Deut. 1.13 where instead of able men he orders the People to present to him wise men and understanding And this is the first part of the Character of those Magistrates which they had at the beginning but this is not all there is a more considerable part of their Character yet behind What I have hitherto been speaking of concerns only the Abilities of Nature or Fortune but that which I am now going to mention relates to their Moral Qualifications It follows therefore Such as fear God men of truth hating covetousness than which a more complete Character of a good Magistrate cannot I think be given in so few words Such as fear God that is have an inward and hearty reverence toward the Divine Majesty which they discover by a serious regard to his Worship and Service by a zeal for his Honor and Interest in the World and by a conscientious observance of all his Precepts These are the Men that act upon Principles being mov'd not by worldly design or interest not by popular applause or vain-glory but by Conscience which they make appear by an equal and impartial regard to all the parts of their duty and by a steady adherence to it upon all occasions Again Men of truth Persons of Integrity such as one may firmly trust and rely upon whose meaning may be certainly known by their expressions whose word is so sacred that their plain affirming or denying might fairly pass for a sufficient Evidence and whose Promises one may be confident will be punctually and surely perform'd Men that have no design to serve by trick or artifice no interest to be carried on by falshood no reason and no inclination to deceive who are in a word True themselves and lovers and encouragers of Truth in all others And Lastly hating Covetousness that is not only free from that sordid Disposition but fill'd with an abhorrence of it and consequently Persons of large and generous Souls who love God and their Country infinitely better than their Wealth who as they detest all base and unworthy ways of Gain so they know no other considerable Advantage in Riches but a capacity of using them to the Honor of their Maker and the Good of their Fellow-creatures And that these also are proper Qualifications of a good Magistrate I suppose will easily be granted The former I mean the Abilities of Nature and Fortune before mention'd do not of themselves render him that enjoys or him that wants them a Virtuous or Vicious a Good or a Bad Man They are indeed all of them convenient and some of them necessary Abilities for a good Magistrate But any of them may be pernicious to the Publick if lodg'd in ill Hands Health and Wealth Courage and Understanding if an ill-designing Man has the management of them are but so many Advantages which he is possest of against those he has to do with which he may employ to their great detriment Whereas the moral Qualifications which I last mention'd as they cannot from the nature of them be ill-used themselves so they will certainly improve all the other to the greatest advantage rendering them eminently serviceable both to Magistrates and People As for the fear of God it is the foundation and support of all other Virtues 't is that without which no one can be a good Man in a private Station nor thorowly so in a publick For what can be more absurd than for those who are God's Vice-gerents on Earth for those who derive all the Authority and Power which they pretend to from God for those who bear his Sword and represent his Majesty and have from thence the very Style and Title of Gods to be all this while devoid of a just sense of God upon their Minds How should they represent Him decently or use that Authority which He hath deputed to them according to his Appointment And then for their being Men of Truth Those a great part of whose business it is to search out Truth to punish all Falshood and Injustice and to promote Truth and Righteousness in the Body which they Govern can never do these Things with any Heart with any Authority with any Grace or to any good purpose if they know themselves or are known by others to be False and Unrighteous Men. Nor is the hating of Covetousness less necessary than either of the former Covetousness contracts the Spirit of a Man and thereby renders it unfit for a Publick Charge and Trust The Man that truly loves none besides himself cannot be suppos'd to design the good of others especially of the whole Body to which he is related and he that values Wealth above either Honor or Conscience must needs be an improper Instrument for propagating Virtue or promoting the Publick weal. But of this I may have occasion to say more under my next General Head Only before I enter upon that it may not be amiss to take notice of one particular more observable in the Passage I cited out of Deuteronomy viz. where Moses orders the People to present to him such as were known among their Tribes and says again of himself that he took the chief of their Tribes wise Men and known and made them Heads over them By which is imply'd that those who are advanc'd to any Publick Office should be Men of Note and Eminency such as have been for some time observ'd and known to be endu'd with the Qualifications before mention'd Persons who have acquir'd a general Reputation among their People This is in truth highly expedient for the rendering their Authority more considerable there being oftentimes more force in a good Name than in Power it self and the Respect which is inwardly born towards those in Authority being apt to lead Inferiors farther into Obedience than meer Commands or Threatnings can do at least Reputation joyn'd with Authority has all the Force and Power in it that a Magistrate is capable of Besides that