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	justice_n	law_n	2,681	5	4.6776	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A46742	A sermon preached at the assizes held in Warwick, March the nineteenth 1682/3 by Samuel Jemmat ...	Jemmat, Samuel.	1683 (1683)	Wing J550; ESTC R34479	10,599	38

offenders in both cases are warned not to trespass against the Lord. Which plainly discovers God's interest in Judgment be it of what kind or nature soever whether it be Civil or whether it be Ecclesiastical God is the primary source and original of it And whatsoever they be that are intrusted with the executive parts of Judgment they judge not for man but for the Lord. This I am sure is agreeable with the analogy of Scripture which informs us not only f Is 30.18 that the Lord is a God of judgment implying that it is his nature or unalterable property or that g Ps 33.5 Is 1.8 he loveth judgment to denote his affection or h Deut. 32.4 that all his ways are judgment to discover his steadiness and uniformity in the exercise of it or i Ps 9.16 that the Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth to show how remarkable he is for this property or that k Job 27.33 the Almighty is excellent in judgment to demonstrate how far he transcends those that are most critical amongst men but it also assures us that the judgment is Gods l Deut. 1.17 to teach us this lesson that though the Ministers and Executioners of Justice may be varied according to the exigencies of times and places yet wheresoever Judgment is faithfully done God is the director author and owner of it By that emanation of power from himself whereby he communicated existence to the World and all the Creatures that are therein He became the absolute Sovereign of the Vniverse and did Himself at first exercise this jurisdiction which I am speaking of As appears by his punishing of Cain for murdering his Brother before the Promulgation of any Law to the contrary And by his Commissioning Abraham to kill his Son which made the real intentions of the Patriarch so to do an act of Faith and commendable obedience which without that would have been down-right murder And t is as certain that he did afterwards devolve this power upon Man when he delivered that Law to the sons of Noah whoso sheddeth man's blood by man shall his blood be shed m Gen. 9.6 which power he cannot be imagined to have committed promiscuously to every man who would be glad to be an avenger of blood because that would have given authority to the most notorious murthers and countenanced the vilest outrages in the world but to persons of knowledge and fidelity elected commissioned and set apart for that Office Since which time t is manifest he hath in all Ages selected choice persons for the administration of Justice hath given to some the spirit of Government and to others the spirit of Subjection hath given to the Higher Powers the greatest encouragements they are capable of by his Promises in case of diligent faithful Obedience and hath deterr'd Subjects from injustice and disobedience by the great movers of mankind viz. Temporal and Eternal Death Use 1 How bold and couragious how diligent and faithful how resolute and unmoveable by the entreaties threats flatteries collogueings and all other artifices of men should the consideration hereof make all those who judge not for Man but for the Lord A wicked Baalam could say n Numb 22.18 If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God to do less or more Nehemiah could say in the sincerity and integrity of his heart Should such a man as I fly Nehem. 6.11 And it will well become every person that is entrusted with Judgment to take up the like forms of speech and say Should I he faint-hearted or negligent should I be partial or injust shall I be drawn aside by any sinister respects who judge not for Man but for the Lord Sure I am they have as good a ground so to do because God's Commission doth not only license them to execute justice and judgment but it lays a necessity upon them by making it their Duty And on the other side how ready to obey Use 2 and fearful to offend should it make all those who are subjected to their Power How should they be inclined to account their persons Sacred and to look upon them as Representatives of God himself Yea how thankful to God should it Use 3 make all those who are under jurisdiction for being so mindful of the Sons of Men God is that High and Holy one who sits upon the Circle of the Heavens and beholds all the Inhabitants of the Earth as Grass-hoppers all the Kingdoms of the World are very little and inconsiderable things to Him There can be no advantage accrue to God by their felicity nor detriment though all their counsels be turn'd to folly and all Civil Government to Anarchy and Confusion And yet he is pleased to contrive the good of All and to fortify Civil Powers by his own Commission that Judgment may run down like water and Righteousness like a mighty stream Lord What is man that thou art so mindful of him or the son of man that thou dost so regard him Use 4 How effectually should this convince all the Anarchical spirits amongst us and assure them that Dominion is neither founded in Power nor Property nor Compact nor Grace but in the great Authority of the Absolute Sovereign and most gracious Governer of the whole World Could it be founded in Power Angels would have a right to destroy all Mankind Children their aged Parents nay Thieves themselves would have an undeniable title to the goods of the Impotent Could it be founded in Property it must be possible to suppose that Man had a right to Sovereignty before God gave him a dominion over the fish of the Sea and the fowls of the Air and over every living thing that moveth upon the Earth o Gen. 1.28 which was long before he back'd it with that commandment Thou shalt not steal p Exod. 20.25 Could it be founded in Compact 't would have been at the pleasure of the People heretofore and would be so still whether they would engage themselves or not and they might have frustrated the great design of the Almighty by their refusal Could it be founded in Grace there must have been some better 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 than we now enjoy whereby to distinguish between the Holy and the Vile or the crafty hypocritical Pretenders would certainly go away with the greatest shares of the Earth But being founded in the power and wisdom of God and it being determined that he is the primary source of Judgment it will necessarily follow That the subordinate Authors of Judgment are not meerly the ordinance of Man They are so indeed subjectivè as the Offices of Justice are born by Men not immediately by God himself not hy Angels or any other Creature They are so objectivè as Justice is imployed among men they being the persons who are to be restrained or punished by Laws They are so

〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 finally as men are the persons who are to receive the benefits of Government But yet if we consider it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly and originally as to its creation ordination and institution so it is Gods work and so the highest Judges upon earth judge not for Man but for the Lord. That 's the first Truth I come now to the second Truth II That the Kings of the Earth are the secondary springs and fountains of Justice Next and immediately under God Judgment flows from them And therefore the King in the Text gives his Command to the Judges in these words He said to the Judges It is impossible to conceive what dread and horror would befall Mankind if God should take the immediate exercise of Dominion and execution of Justice into his own hands When the whole congregation of the Israelites were sensible of the terrible Concomitants of God's delivering the Law it was their unanimous supplication that he would be pleased from thence forwards to speak to them by the mediation of his Servants q Exod. 20.19 Speak thou with us say they to Moses and we will hear but let not God speak with us lest we dye And it is as impossible to apprehend what confusion would enter into the world if God should in his righteous judgment deliver up Mankind to Anarchy Wherefore to avoid these unspeakable evils God hath been pleased to make choice of fit persons to be his own Vice-gerents among men Fitt I say because adorn'd with wisdom from above and the spirit of Government yea the fittest of all others because God thinks them so having said Prov. 8.15 By me Kings reign and Princes decree justice By Me i. e. by my authority and appointment exclusively to all others By Me Kings reign and Princes decree justice as it may be taken absolutely the Powers that are being ordained of God r Rom. 13.1 and as it may be taken with its most desireable additaments by him they reign justly righteously and happily This Promotion cometh neither from the East nor from the West nor yet from the South but God is the Judge he putteth down one and setteth up ſ Ps 75.6 7. another These are the persons to whom God hath been pleased to give his own Name t Ps 82.6 calling them Gods not only to mind them of the height of their Place and the excellence of their Duty but also to command Reception and beget Reverence and Esteem for them among Men. These he hath stiled his own Ministers y Rom. 13.6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is always a title of great Honour and Publick performance being never applied to servants or underlings but to those who are Eminent and Glorious either by Nature Office or both To These he hath given the character of the Higher Powers w Rom. 13.1 as if he designed by that very act of his Providence whereby he called them to be Rulers etiher to advance them so far above other men as to place them among the Angels or to abstract so much from their Humanity as to make them all Power for the necessary ends of Government Into their hands hath he put the sword of Justice and commanded them not to bear it in vain x Rom. 13.4 As it is a sword t is design'd to cut and wound yea and to kill too when occasion requires it and as it is the sword of Justice it is obliged to spare the innocent and turn its edge or point only towards evil doers and whereas it is not to be used in vain Pusillanimity and fond Pitty are by that consideration excluded It being the natural temper of Justice to give to every man his due without being biassed by the persons interests relations or rewards of malefactors Of these He hath assured us that they are his own Ordinances y Rom. 13.1.2 to convince all fanatical and seditious spirits that the Magistracy was not originally invented or ordain'd by Men that it is not at mans pleasure to reject it when they think fit to withdraw their obedience or to defend and maintain themselves against God's ordinance by private conspiracies or open resistance when ever natural strength or the combination of parties shall make them able Lastly unto these hath He obliged mankind to subject themselves not onely for wrath but for Conscience sake z Rom. 13.5 i. e. not only for fear of being cut off by the sword of Justice but because God hath by his Command made it their Duty and threatned them with eternal Damnation if they disobey them Hence it is that Almighty God speaking of Cyrus the great Persian Monarch saith He is my Shepherd and shall perform all my pleasure a Is 44.28 Hence our Saviour tells Pilate the Roman Governer among the Jews Thou couldst have no power against me except it were given thee from above b Jo. 19.11 Hence it is recorded that the people found that the wisdom of God was in Solomon to do judgment c 1 King 3.28 and the Queen of Sheba though an Heathen attributed it to God's love to Israel that he had set Solomon over that people to do judgment and justice d 2 Chron. 9.8 The necessary Conclusions which flow from this Doctrine I take to be these three Conclus I That it is not only lawful and necessary but a part of the true Christian Religion to defie and abjure the Pope's Supremacy who takes upon himself as St. Peter's Successor to have the sole power of disposing of all the Kingdoms of the Earth to place the Crowns of Emperors upon their heads with his foot and to kick them off again when he hath done It being most certain that they which hold immediately from God are not at all beholding to his Holiness That none but God can absolve Subjects Conclus II from their Allegiance and Obedience which they owe to their natural Lords Neither the male-administration of Government nor their own fears and jealousies nor the decay of Trade no nor the hazard of Religion it self can justifie the acts of Rebellion When God suffers such things as these to fall out he permits them for ends best known to Himself but hath never yet nor ever will to the end of the world give the least countenance or toleration to Rebels They to whom he hath given his Own Power are accountable to none but Himself And therefore those must needs be so far from deserving the names of High-Courts of Justice in which Gods Vicegerents are sentenc'd and condemn'd that they are to be accounted the greatest Violences to Humane Society and the Ordinance of God as also the greatest usurpations upon Sovereignty and Judgment that the Presbyterians Jesuites and the Devil himself could ever boast of Conclus III That next and immediately under God we ought to be thankful to the King's Majesty for his most gracious Government For causing good and wholesome Laws to be