Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A39285
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A sermon preach'd before the King and Queen, upon the second Sunday in Advent, being the fifth of December, 1686 by the Reverend Father Dom. Philip Ellis ...
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Ellis, Philip, 1652-1726.
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1686
(1686)
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Wing E599; ESTC R40479
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13,887
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36
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A SERMON Preach'd before the King and Queen UPON The Second Sunday in Advent being the fifth of December 1686. By the Reverend Father Dom. PHILIP ELLIS Monk of the Holy Order of Saint Benedict and of the English Congr Chaplain in Ordinary and Preacher to Their MAJESTIES Published by His Majesties Command LONDON Printed by Henry Hills Printer to the King 's Most Excellent Majesty for his Houshold and Chappel 1686. A SERMON Preach'd before the King Queen Upon the second Sunday in Advent being the fifth of December 1686. MATTH 11.2 Joannes in vinculis John in Prison STrange surprizing News Sacred Majesty John in Prison Luke 1.13 John the Child of Prayer 11. the gift and darling of Heaven the mighty subject of an Angels Embassie himself an Angel Matth. 11.10 and is he in Prison John fill'd with the Holy Ghost in the very Womb Luke 1.15.41.66 filling his Mother with Prophecy and all people with Admiration as soon as he appeared in the world and is he in Chains Is this the Character of the greatest Man who ever rose among the Sons of Women In vinculis Vulgat Matth. 11.11 Luke 1.17 Is this the Herald the Precursor sent to prepare the Messiah's way in the Spirit and Power of Elias But he is tamely seiz'd 2 Kings 1.10 and committed to Goal when Elias would have call'd down fire from Heaven to consume the Sacrilegious hand Is this the powerful Man who was to convert the hearts of the Fathers to the Children Luke 1.17 Et Incredulos ad prudentiam justorum Vulgat and the Disobedient to the Wisdom of the Just I should not have wondered at his Fathers incredulity had he foreseen the passage of this day he would have been struck dumb without a Miracle horrour and amazement would have done the Work unless I may call it a greater Miracle that John IN PRISON heard the Works of Christ than all the Miraculous Works he heard 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Metuebat Vulg. reverebatur Rub. in concord In short is this the Man whom Herod not only esteem'd but also knew for certainty to be Just and Holy Sciens illum justum Sanctum and what could have endear'd him so much to a wise Prince and St. Mark seems to imply no less Marc. 6.20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 conservabat Montan. custodiebat eum he kept him who would doubt but as a Councellour and a Friend and so the Evangelist goes on audito eo multa faciebat he did many things by his advice and heard him gladly So far 't is very well 't is what we expected But St. Luke saies Luke 3.20 he added one thing over and above adjecit hoc super omnia he shut him up not in his Closet but in Prison Strange Paradox of Providence strange turn of Fortune strange Embleme of human Mutability a fresh instance of that old Lesson put not your trust in Princes Psalm 146.3 nor in the Sons of Men in whom is no Salvation for JOHN IS IN PRISON But what real or pretended Crime could be laid to the charge of a person so useful to his Prince so serviceable to the Publick so just so holy and inoffensive in his Private capacity The Gospel being but an Abridgement of Transactions sets down only the immediate cause the immediate provocation because saies St. Luke Herod the Tetrarch was reproved by him cum corriperetur ab eo for Herodias his Brothers Wife Luke 3.19 because he had Married her saies St. Mark Mark 6.17 his Brother being yet alive and for all the evils which he had done But Josephus Antiq. l. 18. c. 10. as a Statesman and Politician dives into the bottom of the difference and discovers the first spring which moved Herod against the Baptist because he excited people to the practice of Virtue and Justice quia praecipiebat Judaeis virtuti dare operam justitiam colere upon which Doctrine as guilt is ever jealous but commonly in the wrong place corrupt Ministers and a Government noted for many Injustices Et de omnibus malis quae fecit Luke ibid. pretended to ground their politick and irreligious suspition that it would be of dangerous consequence a general reason for every thing one has a mind to obstruct when no other reason can be given That it was not yet time to suffer such Doctrine to be preached nè novi aliquid fiat as the Historian continues least it should cause some disturbance in the State wherefore saies he upon this sole suspicion not for any real ground of it but upon the apprehension of consequences meerly imaginary John began to decline in the Tetrarch's favour the Tetrarch began to fear whom he ceas'd to love he first opened his Ears to Accusations against him and then his Hand to seize him tenuit eum and behold Joannes in Vinculis John is in Prison And here let us leave a while this Martyr of Justice to consider a little the weight and importance of his Doctrine How much JUSTICE conduces to the happiness both of Prince and People when it s Dictates are followed and what reparation is required when they are neglected The first comprehends the Nature the Excellence and the several Species of Justice and shall be treated in my first part The second regards the violation of it as it is reparable where I shall speak of RESTITUTION and Conclude Let us beg a portion of his Spirit of his Firmness and Courage that I may not sink the Reputation of that Cause which he so gloriously maintain'd but as I cannot hope to bear it up to that height so it is my comfort that I need not since I speak to an Assembly already prepar'd to receive a Doctrine so agreeable to Reason and essential to the Law of Christ who came into the world to publish his word to Jacob Psal 147.19 his justice and judgments to Israel when the Angel saluted the B. Virgin in the same terms we make our usual addresses to her Hail Mary full of Grace c. IT is the first and greatest commendation of Justice that it comprehends all virtues in it self runs through every branch of the Divine and Humane Law and verifies the bold assertion of a Learned Writer that as never any thing was well done which was not directed by Justice so never any thing was done with a right intention if it was not for the sake of Justice The Ancient Author of the Imperfect Work among those of St. Author oper impert apud Chrysost Hom. 34. John Chrysostom ingeniously proposes Justice as the Vine all other Virtues as the Branches which are vegetated and nourished with the Juice and Spirits which are transmitted to them from this Mother-Stock And what can be a greater eviction of this Truth than the Holy Ghost's generally using that Name for the perfection of all and promiscuously for every Virtue For when he would deliver the verbum breviatum
speak much of a Man in a little a Panegyrick in a word he calls him Just Thus when he would raise in our minds a high esteem of Noe he calls him a just and perfect man Gen. 6.9 Noe vir justus atque perfectus when he would commend the extraordinary Piety and singular Prudence of St. Joseph Joseph cum esset justus Mat. 1.19 when he would represent in one view all the virtues of our Baptist's Parents Luke 1.6 erant ambo justi And in fine when he had drawn the Portraict of our Redeemer with his Government upon his Shoulder to express his Sovereignty he calls him Wonderful Isa 9.6 for his Conduct Councellor for his Knowledge the Mighty God for his Power the Everlasting Father for his Affection to his People the Prince of Peace for the Tranquility of his Reign and this saies he is his Name his Stile Character and Property vocabiter nomen ejus Hoc est nomen quod vocabunt eum Jer. 23.6 all which he sums up elsewhere in one word Dominus justus noster our Lord our King the Just From which and many such instances it appears as St. John Chrysostom observes Hom. 23. That a just man is a denomination which implies all virtue that Justice as he speaks in Psalm 14. is a compound of many virtues and one active virtue does not make a virtue Justitia conflatur ex multis virtutibus una virtus activa non facit virtutem una virtus activa non facit virtutem How Great Doctor is not one Virtue a Virtue No replies he no more than the loss of one Plank makes a Wreck or one Stone can build an House A Ship cannot be built without Planks nor a House without Materials but Planks without mortressing and Stones without Cement are of little or no service so are all other Virtues without Justice They are loose and disjoyned they cannot denominate a man Virtuous because they cannot denominate him JUST I know our Pulpits continually ring with the praises of Charity as the Mother and Mistress of all other Virtues and little is heard of Justice But you are to observe that the Pulpit in preaching Christianity supposes Morality as one who labours to beautifie and adorn a Fabrick supposes the Foundation is well laid otherwise it would be madness to spend his Time his Mony and Industry upon a House which may likely fall upon his Head and bury him with his Art and Charges in the Rubbage Now Justice is the ground of Moral Vertues as Charity is of the Christian and as it is a folly to think to be pious without first being honest so it is a fond hope and senseless endeavour to superstruct Charity where Justice has not secur'd the Foundation To proceed therefore from the more general and larger acceptation of the word to the common and more restrained use of it as it signifies a particular virtue it is defin'd by Divines and Moralists after Ulpian Ulp. L. de just π de jus ν jure constans perpetua voluntas jus suum cuique tribuendi a constant and unchangeable Will and Resolution of giving to every one what belongs to him whether in Buying and Selling or any sort of Trade or Exchange which we call Commutative Justice or by dealing out Rewards or Favours with respect to the Merit or Fidelity of Persons which we call Distributive Jnstice or performing that Service which every one in his respective station is bound to exhibit to the Publick which is termed Legal Justice or restoring the Goods and Effects of another which we have destroyed or unjustly detained which is called Restitution I purposely abstain from mentioning that sort of Justice which inflicts Punishments and is called Vindictive I speak nothing of it I say partly because t is a Branch of the Distributive and partly because 't is more the business of the Bar than of the Pulpit and because I desire the Audience should not think I exceed my Commission I speak of the Divine not of the Human Justice I summon you to the Inward Tribunal and if I threaten Punishment I mean not that which is inflicted by the Temporal Power This premis'd I affirm any wilful and premeditated offence against one or more of these species of Justice constitutes a Man formally unjust and this not only by Committing or doing wrong but also by Omitting or neglecting to do what we ought neque minus omissione reddi hominem injustum quà m commissione say the Divines And in such cases the Dictates of right Reason as well as the precepts of Religion command us to make reparation if we desire to be forgiven of which more in my Second part at present it will be sufficient to illustrate the Doctrine by an Example or two in each of these heads as far as the Time will allow First If you have taken advantage of the necessities of your Neighbours and upon that account sold things dearer than the true value or common price you have sinn'd against Commutative Justice and stand oblig'd to Restitution If you have laid hold of the inadvertencie or ignorance of the seller and surpriz'd him into an inconsiderate bargain you have sinn'd against Commutative Justice which sentences you to Restitution What you call a good bargain is a deceit you have not bought but cheated Secondly If you asperse the Reputation of your Neighbour either take away his good Name or notably prejudice it by Detraction Drollery Inventing or Dispersing Satyr Imposing a False or Revealing a Secret Crime you have offended against Distributive Justice Rom. 13.7 which enacts honour to whom honour is due and obliges you to Restitution even with the peril of your own fame under pain of being the Aversion of Mankind hominum abominatio saies the wise Man Prov. 24.9 of being excluded from the common society of Men cum Detractoribus nè comedas 21. This sin of Detraction being one of those for which God delivers Men over to a reprobate sense as he did the Gentiles Detractores Deo odibiles Rom. 1.28 and 30. c. For if one who has wrong'd another in his goods is bound to repair the injury with the expence even of his own as all Men acknowledge with more reason shall he who has committed a crime of a more heinous nature and in an higher subject be adjudged to a severer compensation And if Calumny be a greater crime than Theft or Rapine because it issues from a deeper malice and leaves behind it a greater prejudice how came you to perswade your selves the obligation of restoring should be less If the person injured be sacred it is not a Simple Defamation but a Sacriledge It is an Invasion as well upon the Religion as Government and to deface the Character of your Temporal or Spiritual Superiours is so much worse than prophaning Churches and robbing Altars as it is worse to mangle or destroy God's living Representation than