Selected quad for the lemma: justice_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
justice_n	judge_n	king_n	lord_n	7,200	5	4.0035	3	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

A SERMON PREACHED at the Assizes held in WARWICK MARCH the Nineteenth 1682 3. By SAMUEL JEMMAT M. A. sometimes Fellow of Vniversity Colledge OXON now Vicar of St. Nicholas's Church in the Borough of WARWICK OXFORD Printed by Leonard Lichfield Printer to the University for George Teonge Bookseller in Warwick 1683. To the Worshipful THOMAS LUCY of CHARLECOTE Esquire HIGH SHERIFFE of the County of Warwick THere are three things which if universally conjoyn'd would certainly make this Nation happy The just Awe and Reverence of the Divine Nature Loyalty to the King God's immediate Vice-gerent upon Earth And the due Execution of Justice for the terror of evil doers and the praise of them that do well The first would make them good Christians the second would make them good Subjects and the third would either perswade or force them to be good Men. In order to the attaining of these ends I have made it my business according to my slender capacity to evidence that there is a God who ruleth over the highest and that He is so far graciously pleased to promote the good of Humane society as to make Government his own Ordinance that they who are Subjects are bound to be obedient and loyal by God's authority and that they who represent our gracious Sovereign in the high seats of Judicature are obliged to fidelity by the greatest Commands and Encouragements SIR being selected by Your undeserved favour to be your Chaplain at this remarkable time I was perswaded that I could no way better publish the true sentiments of your Loyal heart or discharge my Own Duty than by endeavouring to instill into the minds of my Auditory these weightier matters of the Royal Law If I have in the least degree promoted the Honour of God and the King satisfied your Self confirmed any true Christians in their just sentiments and convinced or confuted any seditious Anarchical spirits I have compassed my end shall give God the glory and remain Honoured SIR Your most Humble and Faithful Servant SAMUEL JEMMAT 2 CHRON. 19.6 And said to the Judges take heed what ye do for ye judge not for man but for the Lord who is with you in the Judgment IEhoshaphat was one of the best of all the Kings of Judah it having pleased the Spirit of God to record it of him about the beginning of his Reign a 2 Chron. 17.3 4. that he walked in the first ways of his Father David and sought not unto Baalim but sought to the Lord God of his Fathers and walked in his commandments and not after the doings of Israel And afterwards towards his latter end the same spirit testifies b 2 Chr. 20.32 that he walked in the way of Asa his Father and departed not from it doing that which was right in the sight of the Lord. And on the other side He only chargeth him with breaking Leagues with c 2 Chr. 18.3 Ahab and d 2 Chr. 20.3 Ahaziah two wicked Kings of Israel which according to humane policy might seem agreeable enough with the reasons of State and for not removing the High places e 2 Chr. 20.33 which the people still had recourse unto having not throughly prepared their hearts to the God of their Fathers By all which it is intimated though his Predecessors had their failings yet He in the beginning progress and end of his reign was highly commendable That he had a constant respect unto the holy commandments of God and made them the rule of his own life as well as the Government of his Kingdom The consequent whereof was this that he did more in the reformation both of Civil and Ecclesiastical affairs than any that had gone before him since the days of David The words which I have read are part of the charge which this good King gave to the Judges commissioned by himself And therefore from them we may rationally expect to learn some of the main and principal duties which concern all those who live in any degree of Eminency or Authority either in Church or State and more especially those that are in office appertaining to Justice This good King being dead yet speaks and that aloud in the words of the Text saying to the Judges take heed what ye do for ye judge not for man but for the Lord who is with you in the judgment Which words present us with four remarkable and profitable truths The two first of which ought to be of general influence and the two latter principally concern those Sages which are in Commission They are these Truth I That the primary source and original of Judgment is God Though Judges are chosen commissioned by and must give their accounts to the King yet they judge not for man but for the Lord. 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 Truth III That it is highly incumbent upon all Judges to be most critically cautious and careful Both God and the King say to them take heed what you do Truth IV That all they who are duly advanced to such eminent places of trust and dignity have the greatest motives in the world to be faithful in the performance of their duty and that because God is with them in the judgment I begin with the first of these viz. That the primary source and original of Truth I Judgment is God Though Judges are chosen commissioned by and must give their accounts to the King yet they judge not for man but for God I am not ignorant that there were two sorts of Judges among themselves in the days of Jehoshaphat such as were concern'd in Ecclesiastical and such as were intrusted only with Civil affairs The constitution of both is manifest from vers 11. of this chapter where the King declares Behold Amariah the chief Priest is over you in all matters of the Lord and Zebediah the son of Ishmael the Ruler of the house of Judah for all the King's matters Yet do I not think it rational for any man so to appropriate Ecclesiastical affairs to the Lord as to exclude him from his interest in those that are Civil but have good reason to conclude that the King speaks to both sorts of Judges when he saith ye judge not for man but for the Lord. That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which he makes use of vers 10. by instancing in particular cases sufficiently proves what I say And what cause soever shall come to you of your Brethren that dwell in their cities between blood and blood between law and commandement statutes and judgments ye shall even warn them that they trespass not against the Lord. Those criminal causes between blood and blood were certainly Civil as well as those which related to the statutes and judgments were Ecclesiastical and yet the

〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 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