Selected quad for the lemma: judgement_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
judgement_n	according_a	judge_v	know_v	1,843	5	3.8582	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81140	Davids prayer for Solomon, containing the proper endowments and duty royall of a king, with the consequent blessings upon a kingdome. Delivered in a sermon at Christ-Church London, before the Right Honourable the Lord Major, the right worshipfull the aldermen his bretheren, together with the worshipfull companies of the said city, upon the 27th. of March, 1643. Being the commemoration of his Majesties inauguration. By Joseph Caryl, preacher to the Honourable Society of Lincolnes Inne. It is this present eight day of Aprill, anno Domini, 1643. Ordered by the Committee of the House of Commons in Parliament concerning printing, that this sermon intituled (Davids Prayer for Solomon, containing, the proper endowments and duty royall of a King, &c.) be printed and published. John White.	Caryl, Joseph, 1602-1673.; England and Wales. Parliament.	1643 (1643)	Wing C750; Thomason E97_12; ESTC R13263	23,752	44

to every soul in the day of their conversion because the true understanding of it so far as is absoutely necessary is then given to every soule We have a famous instance in Paul Rom. 7. 9. Who though as a Pharisee he was a great student in the Law and exactly versed in it yet when he was converted then the Commandement came to him namely in the spirituall meaning of it and saith he I was without the Law till that time though he had the body and the letter of the Law yet he had not the spirit and the mind of the Law till then so take that speciall part of the word which concernes governement and is properly called Judgements or Statutes these may be said to be given to Solomon when God gave him a cleare light to understand his will and intent in them So then it is as if David had prayed that God would make the comment upon his own Laws that his Sonne might never wrest them by his owne glosses or expositions Give thy judgements that is ability strength and clearenesse of understanding to apprehend what thy mind is in thy judgements how to discerne betweene good and evill how to distinguish betweene right and wrong true and falfe This is to give judgements Solomons prayer for himselfe which is as it were the counterpane of this doth thus expound Davids prayer for Solomon 1 King 3. When God in Gibeon sends Solomon a blanke from Heaven and bids him aske what be would vers 5. he saith vers 9. Give thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people that I may discerne betweene good and bad The other Endowment is righteousnesse which as distinct from the former is an evennesse and uprightnesse of conscience in passing every thing according unto received light The defect of some Princes is in their head-peece judgements are not given to them but the defect of many is in their heart-peece righteousnesse or rectitude of spirit is not given them Judgement is an ability to know what we ought to doe and righteousnesse is a willingnesse to doe what we know So the Imperiall Law-giver defines justice or righteousnesse Iustitia est constans perpetua voluntas suum cuique tribuendi It is a constant and a perpetuall bent of the will to give every one his right that is righteousnesse and we may define judgement thus Iudicium est clara perfecta scientia quid cuique sit tribuendum Judgement is a cleere and a right knowledge what ought to be given or done unto every man Put both together and the Prayer may be thus rendered Give O Lord unto Solomon who is appointed King and is also the Sonne of a King or give unto Solomon the present King and unto his Sonnes those that shall succeed him in the Throne pure light of understanding to enterpret thy Laws that is judgement and integrity of conscience to act and resolve according to that light there is righteousnesse These are the endowments this the portion which I begge for the King my Sonne or for the King and his Sonne and this is a Kingly portion indeed It is here further to be noted that the Endowments of a King are not called barely judgements and righteousnesse but the stampe of God is set upon them Thy judgements and thy righteousnesse saith David Kings have judgements of their owne and a righteousnesse too of their owne which are not the Judgements nor the righteousnesse of God And as it is in the great point of Justification there is a righteousnesse of God which some neglecting take in and trust to a righteousnesse of their owne The Apostle shewes us such Rom. 10. 3. Who goe about to establish their owne righteousnesse not knowing or being ignorant of the righteousnesse of God So likewise it is in point of governement there are some that have a righteousnesse but it is a righteousnesse of their owne and a judgement but it is their owne judgement not Gods and then what the Apostle doth inferre respecting that great point is appliable to this in the place before cited They being ignorant of Gods righteousnesse and going about to establish their owne righteousnesse have not submitted themselves unto nor ruled their people by the righteousnesse of God yea which is farre worse as much as in their power is they have overthrowne the judgements and evacuated the righteousnesse of God they have as it were repealed Gods judgements and enacted their owne Now then as there is no righteousnesse that is fit to justifie the person of a man but the righteousnesse of God so there is no righteousnesse fit to judge the person or cause of any man by but that which is the righteousnesse of God Mans judgement and mans righteousnesse not subordinate to and regulated by the judgement and righteousnesse of God is nothing else but unrighteousnesse and injustice These are the speciall Endowments of a King As reason distinguisheth a man from a beast so judgement and righteousnesse distinguish a King or Magistrate from other men not but that other men have there but a King must a Magistrate without judgement and righteousnesse is like a man without reason ●e is not able to doe any thing in that capacity without these as a man can doe nothing in the capacity of a man without reason he may doe acts which are acts of a man but he cannot doe a humane act no act is strictly so but an act of reason so a King may doe acts without judgement and righteousnesse but Kingly acts he cannot doe without them As God hath made distinct callings so he hath given distinct abilities There are particular guifts proper to the managing of every calling as in the first of Cor. 12. 8. To one is given the word of knowledge to another is given the word of wisedome here are distinct guifts or distinct qualifications and in Rom. 12. 6. Having guifts differing according to the grace that is given us that is as some interpret and I think rightly having guifts according to the offices and employments wherein we are set for these are graces these are favours unto which God doth call any person And so the Apostle calls his office grace Grace and Apostleship Rom. 1. 5. That is the Grace of Apostle-ship And Ephes 3. 8. Unto me who am lesse then the least of all Saints is this Grace given that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearcheable riches of Christ therefore saith he having guifts according to those graces or offices or employments let us act in every one of them according to the proportion of faith This will be yet clearer if we descend to the second Point and therein consider the duty and imployment the work and businesse of Kings the Text saith Their duty is to judge To judge is the trade of Kings and therfore when the first King was cried for by the people in 1 Sam. 8. 5. they presently speake of this worke make us a King to judge us

it is to judge by a Law knowne by a knowne rule therefore God did publish his Law to the eare of his owne people and he published it to the hearts of all the people in the world There is an Edition of the law in the heart of every man and God will judge none but by a law at least thus knowne The Gentiles shewed the workes of the Law written in their hearts Their consciences also bearing witnesse Roman 2. 15. For to make Lawes and then to conceale them is rather to set traps and snares to catch men then to give rules to direct them Hence the ancient Greekes used to engrave their Lawes upon pillars of brasse to which usage it is well conceived the Apostle doth allude when he cals the Church the pillar of Truth a pillar for Declaration Hence also the Romans fixed Tables of their Lawes in the most frequented places of the City God tooke such a care to have his Law knowne unto the Iewes that hee commands them to write it on the Posts of their houses and on their Gates to lace their Garments with schedules of it such were Phylacteries they went about cloathed with the Law Deut. 6. 8 9. One step further to judge with the righteousnesse of God is to judge by a Law in it's proper native sence and genuine interpretation not by a purchased or a forc'd one for sometimes a Law and a knowne Law may be urged and yet as the Apostle Peter speakes of Hereticks who urge Scripture that they doe wrest the Scriptures so there is a wresting of Laws The Law that is set for the guiding or punishing of others may be punished it selfe as the Apostle notes in that word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they set Scripture upon the racke to make it confesse a sence God never gave it so Lawes may be set upon the racke too and made to confesse a sence the Law-maker never gave them Such bring not their judgements to the Law but the Law unto their judgements dealing with it as the Tyrant dealt with his guests if they were too long for his bed hee cut them shorter and if they were too short hee stretched them longer This is not the righteousnesse of God the righteousnesse of God is to judge by a Law a Law knowne a Law fairely and naturally interpreted If any shall object True Kings are bound to rule by the Law of God by the letter of the morall Law and by the equity of the judiciall Law But are they obliged by humane Laws or by the judgements of men I answer Though no Nation under Heaven have judgements and Lawes as the Iewes had immediately from God yet all the wise and just Lawes of every Nation may still be called the judgements of God Both because God is specially called upon to assist and direct in the making of them He stands in the Congregation of Law-making gods as also because all righteous Lawes are but extracts and streames issuing from that ●ountaine of righteousnesse the law of God And indeed that Law which is purely humane cannot be fit to governe any man by much lesse to be obligatory upon Kings The second rule is this to judge by the righteousnesse of God is a judgement upon evidence as there must be an evidence of the Law so there must be an evidence of the fact or else it is not the righteousnesse of God the Lord never proceeds in judgement till he have the fact cleare as well as the Law cleare though he had a cry come up to him concerning the bloud of Abell and the wickednesse of Sodom yet hee commeth downe to examine the matter and he will enquire whether it be according to the report And thus he directs in the 13. of Deutronomie 12. If thou shalt heare say in one of thy Cities which the Lord thy God hath given thee to dwell there Certaine men the children of Beliall are gone out from among you c. then thou shalt search and enquire and aske diligently and behold if it be a truth and the thing certaine that such abomination is wrought among you then thou shalt smite the Inhabitants of the Citie c. Reports and probabilities will not beare up a righteous Judgement there must be proofe and proof from men approved for Iezabel got witnesses The third Rule Judgement which is by the Righteousnesse of God doth alwayes stand betweene these two extreames Rigour and Remissenesse The Moralists embleme this Rule by the place of that signe in the Zodiacke which they call the Virgin standing according to the Doctrine of the Astronomers betweene the L●on and the Ballance the Lion bids the Virgin Justice be stout feareles the Ballance minds her to weigh all with moderation and be cautious Judgment is remisse when it spares where it ought to punish such sparing is cruell Judgment is rigorous when it punisheth where it ought to spare such punishing is blood Judgement is rigorous if at any time it be more then the Law requires and if at all times it be so much Extreame right often proves extreame wrong And he who alwayes doth as much as the Law allowes shall often doe more then the Law requires For what is odious in making promises is commendable in making penalties namely to expresse more then we intend shall be ever strictly executed The enraged Iewes whipt Paul thrice unjustly but they never whipt him to the height of Justice they bared one stroake he had 40. stripes save one whereas the Law admitted forty Deut. 25. 3. The righteousnesse of God calls not for an Arithmeticall proportion at all times and on all occasions to give the same award upon the same Law but leaves to a Geometricall proportion that the consideration of circumstances may either encrease or allay the censure God is not extreame to marke what is done amisse if he were who could abide it In this the gods on earth must imitate the God of Heaven Lastly To judge with the righteousnesse of God is to judge impartially the Text directs He shall judge thy people and thy poore When judgement runnes an even course unto all As it is noted of David He did justice to all his people 1 Sam. 13. 15. when neither 1. Feare of greatnesse Nor 2. Hope of gaine Nor 3. Neerenesse of affection doth interrupt or clogge the passage of justice that is to judge by the righteousnesse of God For first The day of God is against the Oakes of Basan and the Cedars of Lebanon upon the high Mountaines and the high Towers Isa 2. 13 14. But what doth God threaten Trees and Hills and Towers things insensible either of his anger or of his favour doth he like that Persian Zerxes menace Mountaines cast shackles on the Waves or whip the Ocean Or as the Prophet Habbacuk questions ●c 3. v. 8. Was the Lord displeased against the Rivers was thine anger against the Rivers was thy wrath against the Sea So here was the Lord angry with

Trees or wrath with Towers The 12. vers resolves this For the day of the Lord shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty and upon every one that is lifted up So Iunius glosseth his justice shall reach them quamvis valentissimos quamvis munitissimos His Artillery will bat-ter downe men as strong as Mountaines his Axe will hew downe men as tall as Cedars Some men there have alwayes bin so fortified with greatnesse and as it were so entrenched about with Titles and priviledges that the judgement of man dares scarcely touch them to meddle with such it is as it were to play with the paw of the Lyon or to sport upon the hole of the Cockatrice but justice when it is according to the righteousnesse of God will venture upon the high ones upon the Cedars and the Oakes as well as upon the lowest shrubs and weakest bushes Secondly The righteousnesse of God is never bias'd or stai'd by hope of gaine Their silver and their gold shall not deliver them in the day of Gods wrath Ezek. 7. 19. And when offendors cannot soare beyond the reach of mans justice though they have got wings like that Dove in Psalm 68. whose wings were covered with silver and her feathers with gold Then justice works on earth as it doth in Heaven It is well when justice is blind but it is as ill as can be when justice is blinded when a gift hath put out her eyes The hopes of some are stronger then their feares and though they cannot be terrified from doing justice yet they may be perswaded By what language thinke you One wittily calls it dialectum doricam the dorick dialect or the language of gifts Hosea observed and reprooved such in the Common-wealth of Israel Her Rulers or as the Originall hath it her Shields noting that Rulers should be Shields to protect the innocent with shame Love give ye Chap. 4. 18. This love corrupts man from the righteousnesse of God Lastly neerenesse whether in regard of alliance or of acquaintance hinders not the course of judgement when it is ordered by the righteousnesse of God Though Coniah were the signet upon my right hand saith God yet I would pluck him thence Ier. 22. 24. The justice of God knowes no relations He that made them will not have mercy on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour Isa 27. 11. This was the honour of the Tribe of Levi of whom it is said Deut. 33. 9. when they had received warrant from Moses Exod. 32. 27. Put every man his Sword by his side and slay every man his brother and every man his companion and every man his Neighbour Who said unto his Father and to his Mother I have not knowne him neither did he acknowledge his owne bretheren nor knew his owne children It was a noble resolution if it had been upon a right ground when Saul in 1 Sam. 14. thus protests Though the fault be found in Jonat●an my Sonne he shall surely dye And that was a more noble execution for it was well grounded of Asa who remooved his owne Mother from being Queene because she made an Idoll in a Grove 2 Chro. 15. 16. Affection is usually a strong impediment in the way of justice It is no easie thing to see a fault It is very hard to censure it in those we love Which gave the occasion of that speech Exuit personam judicis quisquis amici induit When there is either a naturall or civill tye upon a Magistrate he is quickly overcome to take every probability for a proofe every presumption for a demonstration both of the innocency of his friends person and of the equity of his cause But that which the faith of God doth to relations when they would hinder from Christ Luk. 14. 26. The same doth the righteousnesse of God to relations when they would hinder from judgement It makes us as Christ there warnes hate Father and Mother and Wife and Children and Brethren and Sisters That is it breakes all tyes whether naturall or civill when they stand in the way and would stop it from running impartially unto all So saith the Text He shall judge thy people with righteousnesse the indefinite is universall all thy people But if justice incline to any side with favour it is towards the poore that sort of men are nam'd in the Text He shall defend thy poore The poore are instanc'd in speciall for 3. Reasons First because the poore are usually most oppressed And Secondly most flighted And Thirdly the poore are least able to helpe themselves therefore they are commended by name to the care of Magistrates God cares most for his poore and men ought There is one thing very emphaticall in the Text which may be as a Naile to fasten home the thought of judgement by the righteousnesse of God upon all that are in the place of God it is said they are Gods people and Gods poore Thy people and thy poore Gods people and Gods poore must be judged with Gods Judgment and with Gods righteousnesse God is their portion for ever and his righteousnesse ought to be their portion here God will be very angry if they have it not If Magistrates had a people of their owne they might judge them with their owne righteousnesse What Christ speakes in the Gospell holds in this case May not I doe what I please with my owne Indeed Princes might doe what they would with people if they were their own but this particle Thy shewes that God is estated in them they are his people and the lot of his inheritance This made Solomon pray so hard for wisedome to governe because he knew they were not his owne whom he govern'd Give thy servant an understanding heart to judge Thy people for who is able to judge this Thy so great a people 1 King 3. 9. It is a truth indeed that the people of Israel were Gods people in a more peculiar manner then any whole Nation upon the earth is at this time there is no whole Nation hath such a priviledge and are the people of God in so strict a sence as they were for they were all as a Church and Christ had as many subjects among the Iewes as the King had because they were all at once taken into covenant with God It is not so in any Nation now upon the earth But yet God hath his speciall Covenant people his peculiar ones in every Nation who are the speciall charge of Princes and though all others are Gods people as men and the Princes charge too yet for the sake of these chiefely Governours are set up and Princes sit upon the Throne If Christ had done his worke concerning these he would quickly put downe all rule and all authority and all power yea then Christ would lay downe his governement also then shall the Sonne also himselfe be subject unto him that put all things under him that God may be all in all So the Apostle

seeme to lie levell with Nature Then surely Kings must be taught of God that transcendent mistery To governe Men to manure Nations They who are borne of the most Noble Progenitours yea they who are borne of the most Holy Progenitours are borne with nothing as from nature but with cruelty in their hearts and with violence in their hands Therefore pray Give the King thy judgements O God Secondly If we consider the condition of Kings we had need to pray this prayer the estate of Magistracy is an estate full of care The Crowne of a King is set with rich stones but it is lined with cares And they who have many cares had need of many prayers prayers of their owne and prayers from others The Apostles counsell is Be carefull in nothing but in all things with prayer and supplication make your requests knowne to God as nothing that care would eate a man out quickly unlesse prayer doe preserve him There is many a man consumed with the care of a single family yea some are consumed with the care of single selfe what then thinke you may the cares of a whole Kingdome what the care of three Kingdomes doe upon one man unlesse prayer prop him up therefore pray Give the King thy judgements O God Thirdly They that are encompass'd with temptations had need be encompass'd about with prayers and intercessions To be a King is a temptation No man knowes what his heart wo●ld be if he had so much power as a King in his hand as he said once can you tell me what you would be if you were a Lyon if to be a rich man be a temptation if to have riches be a temptation then much more to be a King to be the Earthly Center of Power is a temptation To be rich is so great a temptation that Christ tells us It is a hard thing for a richman to enter into the Kingdome of Heaven harder then for a Camell to goe through the eye of a needle If baggs of money if Lands and Houses be such temptations what are Crownes and Scepters And as the very estate it selfe of a King is a temptation so there are multitudes of temptations waiting upon and hanging about that estate A King can hardly set his foot out of his Chamber-doore but he treads upon a temptation A King can hardly heare a word I was about to say a Sermon but he heares a temptation some Sermons have more temptations in them then instructions he can hardly cast an eye but he lookes upon a temptation Now seeing a King hath so many temptations about him let him have store of prayers about him Prayer is the best Antidote against temptation Especially when we pray for Him as Christ teaches every one to pray for himselfe with others Lord leade not the King into temptation Lastly The Kings heart is in the hand of God Pro. 21. 1. And the hand of God is ordinarily in the prayers of his people God moves Kings and prayer moves God A Kings heart is so high that nothing can reach it but God And God is so high that nothing can reach him but prayer When a people have lost the key of their Kings heart prayer is a golden pick-lock to open it Further prayer doth not only prevaile with God to open the lock of a Kings heart but when need is to fashion it anew The Lord saith David Psal 33. 13 14 15. looketh downe from Heaven and he beholdeth all the sonnes of men From the place of his habitation he beholdeth all the Inhabitants of the Earth he fashioneth their hearts alike Alike Not that the hearts of all men are cast in the same mould Indeed the hearts of all men by nature are cast in the same mould they are of the same Make As face answereth face in the water so doe the hearts of the children of men That is they are all sinfull But if their hearts were in all respects alike their thoughts and counsels and actions would be a like too but the truth is there is not so much difference in the faces of men as there is in the hearts of men and therefore we cannot understand the Psalme thus that God makes all mens hearts of the same likenesse But take the meaning thus when God looks from Heaven and beholds all the Inhabitants of the Earth he can fashion the heart of one alike as he fashioneth the heart of another that is looke as ●ee is able to fashion the heart of a meane man so hee is able to fashion the heart of a mighty man as hee is able to fashion the heart of a Subject so hee is able to fashion the heart of a King Thus he fashions their hearts alike when wee put the heart of a King into the hand of God to fashion wee put a curious pee●e into his hand The heart of a King is the most curious peece of worke in the world Yet God can alike namely as soone and with as much ease fashion and frame that curious peece as he doth the plainest peece in the world he fashions all their hearts alike and therefore if we would have the heart of a King fashioned we must put it out to God who only can doe it and who can easily doe it Now there is nothing can carry a Kings heart to fashioning unto God but onely Prayer therefore you see the necessity of this duty Then let the King pray this Prayer for himselfe Kings should not put all prayer-worke out to others it is better to get a Blessing then to have it Then let us pray this Prayer for the King It is a duty which we have as much need to pay unto our King as any people under Heaven Then pay this Tribute of Prayer unto the King it may be a richer revenue to him then all that he hath in the world besides This may bring him in greater honour greater glory and greater prosperity then all that ever our purses or our persons our councels or our indeavours can bring him in And me thinks we are now in a speciall manner engaged to it at this time First The whole Kingdome shakes now then surely the Throne that being the Basis of it cannot stand so fast as heretofore therefore pray thus For His Throne is established in Righteousnesse Prov. 25. 5. Iudgement and Righteousnesse are the Pillars of the State and stronger Supporters of the Kings Armes then the Lyon or the Vnicorne Secondly We who desire the fashioning of so many things both in Church and Common-wealth by the hand of our King had need pray that our Kings heart may be exactly fashioned by the hand of God Thirdly We who have complained long That the heart of our King is stollen away from us how shall wee rescue and fetch it backe againe but by prayer Though any other course should gaine his person to us yet no other course can gain his heart to us Holy Prayers will at last over-match unholy Counsels Againe