Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	sin_n	sin_v	transgression_n	4,837	5	10.4181	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10739	A sermon concerning the punishing of malefactors. Preached at Paules Crosse, the first of October, by Charles Richardson, preacher at Saint Katharines neere the Tower of London	Richardson, Charles, fl. 1612-1617.	1616 (1616)	STC 21018; ESTC S115967	37,754	48

Magistrates take heede that they giue not way to rash and vnaduised anger and that they bee transported and caried headlong with inconsiderate passion they cannot beginne soone enough to punish those that doe offend For as in all other cases so in this especially delay hath dangers For by this meanes sin gathereth st●e●th As fire that is not presently quenched causeth great ruine So iniquity that is not quickly rep●●ssed breedeth great mischiefe in the common-wealth a Vide ego quod ●erat primo sanabile vulnus Dilatum o●gae d●mna tu isse morae Principiis obsta 〈◊〉 to medicina per ●ur Cum mala per longas ●●aluere moras Ouid de rem d. amo●is l b. 1. Et neglecta solent in cendia sumere vires H●rat l. 1. Epist 18. 2. Sam. ● 27 20.9.10 As a wound or a disease that is not taken in time proueth many times inueterate and incurable so euill that is not preuented in the beginning spreadeth often to the destruction of a state If Ioab had receiued punishment according to his desa●ts at the first for killing Abner he would not haue growne so audaciously insolent as he did afterwards to murder Amasa so treacherously Againe it is to be obserued that the Prop●et Dauid doth here vse the plurall number For in the or ginall it is in the mornings Whereby he noteth his constant stoutnesse in performing of this dutie Because it were not sufficient for a Magistrate once or twice seuerely to punush wicked men vnlesse he doe constantly perseuere in the same And therefore in a word not to insist any longer on this point here is condemned the carelesnesse and remisnes of many Magistrates who though they see lewd and vngodly persons to rush i●to sin●e with impudent and shamelesse boldnesse yet either for feare or for fauour doe protract the tim● from day to day and dare not or will not punish them Let them remember that God himselfe hath armed them with a sword b In matutinis Calum●n loc singulis matuti●●s Tremel that they should not onely stoutly and manfully but also quickly and speed ly execute his iudgements And let them know that if they faile herein in any respect whatsoeuer they are lyabl to that curse denounced by the Prophet Ier. 48.10 Curs d he he that doth th worke of the Lord negligently and cursed b h● that when ●od giueth him a commandement to kill keepeth backe his sword from blood Workers of iniquity ●●er● the Prophet expoundeth and declareth what he meant by those whom he called wicked in the former part of the verse Which teacheth vs that all workers of iniquity are wicked men I know men thinke scorne of this and they wil by no meanes endure to heare of it And indeed it is an odious name all that are such are in a fearful estate But sti l in the iudgement of the holy Ghost they are all accounted wicked and vngodly persons that doe worke iniquitie Our Sauiour Christ affirmeth it with as great earnestnesse as may be Ioh 8. ●4 Verily verily I say vnto you that whosoeuer committeth sinne is the seruant of sinne 1. Ioh 3.8 And his Apostle maketh the matter yet worse He that committeth sinne is of the diuell But here peraduenture it will be obiected Prou. 2 B. 9. that all are sinners as Solomon saith who can say I haue made my heart cleane I am cleane from my sinne 1. Kin 8.46 1. Ioh. 1.8 And in another place there is no man that sinneth not And the Apostle confesseth that if we say we haue no sinne we deceiue our selues and there is no truth in vs. And so by this reckoning all should be wicked men I answer that it is true indeede all men are sinners but yet there is great difference of sinners Some are penitent and some are impenitent sinners But to the end that wee may conceiue this point aright we will distinguish of sinners foure seuerall waies First in respect of the measure Secondly in respect of the manner of their sinning Thirdly in respect of their continuance in sinne Fourthly in respect of the vse that they make of their sinnes For the first There is great difference betweene the Godly and the wicked in the measure of their sinnes Iud. ve 24. The godly though they haue in them the seedes of all sinne yet they doe not commit all sinne 1. Ioh. 3.9 but by the mercy of God they are kept from falling into many sinnes The seede of grace and regeneration is in them and that preserueth them that they cannot sinne as the wicked doe And therefore the childe of God may speake that sincerely which the arrogant Pharise spake proudly and vainely Luk. 18.11 O God I thanke thee that I am not as other men I am not giuen to extortion to iniustice to adultery and such like sinnes as other men are But the wicked commit all kinde of sinne whatsoeuer if either shame of the world or feare of punishment doe not restraine them Their life is a life of sinne As the Prophet Ieremiah insinuateth when he biddeth the people Amend their waies and their workes Ier. 7 3. All their waies are sinfull waies and all their workes are wicked workes and the Apostle speaking of the wickednesse of the Gentiles he saith They were full of all vnrighteousnesse and then reckoneth vp a long beadrow of vices wherein they liued And in another place Rom. 1.29.30 Eph. 4.19 They gaue themselues vnto wantonnesse to worke all vncleanenesse They make no bones of any sinne whatsoeuer it be there is nothing too hot or too heauy for them Secondly there is difference betweene them in the manner of their sinning For first the godly sinne but it is sore against their wils Rom. 7.23 As the Apostle saith of himselfe that The law of his members that is his corruption rebelled against the law of his minde and leade him captive vnto the law of sinne The Apostle sinned then but it was neither with heart nor good will as wee say but hee was hailed and drawne to it forcibly by the strength of his corruption and the violence of his tentation euen as a prisoner is hailed to the gaile But the wicked they sinne willingly voluntarily and of their owne accord They fulfill the will of the flesh and of the minde as Saint Paul saith Againe Eph. 2.3 the godly doe but seldome fall into sinne in comparison of the wicked They are sometimes ouertaken with it but still the whole course of their life is bent to doe that which God commandeth As a seruant may sometimes doe a chare for another man and yet chiefely and principally minde his maisters businesse And therefore it is said of Dauid that hee Did that which was right in the sight of the Lord 1. Kin. 15.5 and turned from nothing that hee commanded him all the daies of his life saue onely in the matter of

piece of bread Hereupon the Apostle chargeth Timotheus euen before God 18.21 and the Lord Iesus Christ and the elect Angels that in executing the ecclesiasticall censures vpon wicked persōs 1. Tim. 5.21 he should not preferre one before another and that he should doe nothing partially Wher he vseth two words of great signification 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The first doth signifie to esteeme highly of some one man in respect of others which is most intollerable in a Iudge who must sit in the place of iustice not to iudge of mens persons but according to their causes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beza The second is borrowed from him that holdeth the ballance implying that the Iudge must waigh the causes of men that are at variance as it were in a balance so as he must incline to neither part otherwise there can be no right iudgement Secondly this respect of persons and this parcialitie is condemned also in punishing When the Lord had appointed punishments by way of retaliation vnto him that had any way hurt his brother hee addeth in the end Ye shall haue one law it shall be as well for the stranger as for one borne in the country The stranger if he deserue fauour must haue as much sauour as if he were borne in the country and he that is borne in the country must be punished with as much seuerity as if he were a stranger Againe the Lord commandeth Deu. 17.25 If there be found among you in any of thy cities which the Lord thy God giu th thee man or woman that hath wrought wick●dnesse in the sight of the Lord thy God c. then thou shalt bring foorth that man or that woman vnto thy gates and shalt stone them with stones till thy 〈◊〉 We see here is none excepted Whosoeuer they be that transgresse high or low rich or poore they must be punished And therefore in some cases it were not lawfull for the father or mother to spare their owne sonne that was borne of their bone and flesh of their flesh If any man haue a sonne saith the Lord that is stubburne and disobedient Deut. 11.18 19.21 which will not hearken to the voice of his father nor the vo●ce of his mother c. then shall his father and his mother take him and bring him out vnto t e Elders of his citie and then all the men of his citie shall stone him with stones vnto death Yea there is not any bond of nature or of friendship that should hinder a man from the performance of this duetie according to that strict charge and precept of the Lord. Deut. 13.6.7.8.9.10 If thy brother the sonne of thy mother or thine owne sonne or thy daughter or thy wife that lieth in thy bosome or thy friend which is as thine owne soule entice thee secretly saying let vs goe and serue us other Gods c. Thou shalt not consent vnto him nor h●are him neither shall thine eie pitie him nor shew mercy nor keepe him secret But thou shalt eu n kill him thine hand shall be first vpon him to put him to death and then the hands of all the people 2. Cron. 15.16 c. And therefore Asa king of Iudah is commended in the word of God for his vprightnesse in this respect that when Maacha his owne mother committed idolatry he would not spare her but punished her euen by deposing her from her regency And indeede it is truely said a Iustitium non nouit patrem non nouit matte n ventatem vo●s that Iustice knoweth neither father nor mother but onely the truth As Moses testifieth of Leui that he said vnto his father and to his mothe I haue not seene him neither knew he his brethren nor knew his owne children so must it be with euery good Magistrate The neerest kinsmen and dearest friends that he hath in the world must haue no more fauour then other men Besides the Lord hath entitled and stiled Magistrates by the name of Gods as Dauid saith God standeth in the assembly of gods Psal 82.1.6 he iudgeth among Gods And againe I haue said ye are gods c. And therefore as they communicate with God in his name so also they should follow his example Now the Scripture doth euery where teach vs that God is no respecter of persons The Lord your God saith Moses is God of gods Deut. 10.17 18. and Lord of Lords a great God mighty and terrible which excepteth no persons nor taketh reward c. And Iehosaphat exhorting his Iudges that he had made to the due execution of iustice vseth Gods example as an argument to perswade thē therunto Let the feare of the Lord saith he be vpon you 2. Chr. 19.7 take heed and doe it for there is no iniquity with the Lrrd our God neither respect of persons nor receiuing of reward And Elihu affirmeth the same in the booke of Iob. Iob 34.19 The Lord accepteth not the persons of Princes and regardeth not the rich more then the poore for they be all the worke of his hands The greatest and the richest are like to finde no more fauour at his hands then the meanest and the poorest Isa 11.3 for he made the one as well as the other And the Prophet Isaiah speaking of the kingdome and dominion of Christ saith He shall not iudge after the sight of his eyes he shall not bee caried with outward respects to condemne or absolue any man without cause In a word the Apostle Peter saith 1. Pet. 1.17 that God without respect of persons iudgeth according to euery mans worke And we see by experience that the greatest potentates and mightiest monarches in the world can no more escape the vengeance of God then the poorest wretches that liue vpon the earth Witnesse Pharaoh Nabuchad-nezzar and diuerse others whom God brought to confusion notwithstanding all their pride Neither can the greatest multitude of sinners that are rescue themselues from the stroake of his punishing hand no more then if they were but a few or but one person as we see in the old world in Sodome and Gomorha and the cities about them and in the great army of Sennacherib Yea the Lord correcteth his dearest children euen as well as those that are his enemies As the Apostle Peter 1 Pet. 4 17. saith The time is come that iudgement must beginne at the house of God And the Lord himselfe saith to the wicked nations Loe Ier. 25.29 I beginne to plague the citie where my name is called vpon and should you goe free And speaking of the children and posteritie of Dauid whom he loued so dearely Psal 89.30.31.32.33 as he promised that he would Neuer take his louing kindnesse from them saith notwithstanding that If they forsake his law and walke not in his iudgements if they breake his statutes and keepe not his commandements he would visit their transgression with the