Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	king_n	mercy_n	throne_n	1,927	5	9.8019	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62049	Men are gods, or, The dignity of magistracy, and the duty of the magistrate as it was presented in a sermon at the assize holden at Hertford for that county on August 2, 1653 / by George Swinnocke ...	Swinnock, George, 1627-1673.; Hall, Thomas, 1610-1665. Beauty of magistracy.	1660 (1660)	Wing S6278A; ESTC R18061	67,270	101

Gods attributes He hath a Mercy-seat to note that he sitteth at ease when he is shewing mercy Whereas judgement is his strange work Isa. 28.21 we read likewise that mercy pleaseth him Mica 7.18 Thus the God should be mercifull men your hearts should be full of mercy and pitty to the sinner when your hands are executing justice against the sin The Bee doth not sting till provoked God doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men Lam. 3.33 There should be bowels of compassion in him than pronounceth sentence of condemnacion Ille dolet quoties cogitur esse ferooe Augustus never pronounced a deadly sentence without deep sorrow Our Laws forbid Butchers to be Jurors because it is supposed they will be hard-hearted Among several qualifications which the Jews required in their Judges these were two 1. That they should be Fathers of children hoping that their paternal affection would incline them to commiseration 2. That they should not be Eunuches for they concieved such very cruel It is a bestial cruelty to delight in blood The laws of Draco are generally condemned for they were written in blood and the offender was sure to die of what nature soever his offence was A. Gell. Our English Deborah Queen Elizabeth did not without cause exceedingly prize Seneca's first book of Clemency because it treated of that which is so needfull to a Prince It is the Devils work to be Abaddon a destroyer It is Christs work to be Goel a Redeemer Mercy and truth preserve the King his Throne is established by mercy Prov. 20.28 Mercy sometime to them that sin through weakness may be as profitable as severity to them that sin through wilfulness It was certainly a cursed speech of that man or rather Monster whom the Italian Orator mentioneth that being a Judge said To hang many is my Jubile and a great execution is my great recreation The expression of the Roman Emperour is worthy of imitation That he had rather save the life of one of his Subjects then take away the lives of a thousand of his enemies Life is a precious jewel more worth then all this world Skin for skin and all that a man hath will he give for his life Job 1. It is not therefore to be taken away for every trifle I do not now dispute the question Whether any Theft may lawfully be punished with death but I am sure every Theft ought not The Romans had their Axes and Rods carried before their Consuls to shew that if the lesser punishments as of the rods would serve the greater of the Axe should not be used And they did justly lament the cruelty of those tribunals where the cheap prescription of lives made the Judgement-seat differ little from a Shambles 3. Work as Gods among men in promoting piety to your power The great design and work of God is to promote holiness in the world This was his aim in his internal work or his decree Ephes. 1.4 This is the great end he drives at in his external works As in the work of redemption Tit. 2.14 Luke 1.92 In bestowing his word The precepts in it are the perfect rule of godliness Gal. 6.16 the promises are pretious encouragements to godliness 2 Cor. 7.1 the threatnings are like the Angel with a drawn sword in his hand to deter men from the way of ungodliness Rom. 1.18 And his works of providence are to the same purpose Afflictions are like the fire to consume the dross and purifie the gold Heb. 12.6 Mercies are like the warm influences of the vernal Sun to draw forth the Sap of grace and hasten mens growth in holiness Thus should the Gods promote godliness as the chief business which the most high God hath given them to do Other things of what nature soever which come within the reach of their care are questionless much inferiour to this And this they should do Partly by their patterns in being examples of godliness to their people Their lives should be so exact that they should be able to say as Gigeon Judges 7.17 Look on us and do likewise or as Paul Walk as ye have us for an example Partly by your precepts your edicts and commands should be like those of Asa 2 Chorn. 14.2.4 Asa did that which was right in the sight of the Lord He commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their Fathers and to do the Law and the Commandment Mark upright Asa did not leave men to choose their religions nor to live as they listed but he commanded them to obey Gods Law He did not strictly enjoyn the payment of Taxes or Customs and such civil things and leave it as a matter of indifferency whether men would mind religion or no but his Laws did enforce and confirm the Laws of God as far as he was able Partly by countenancing maintaining and providing able Ministers 2 Chron. 19.8 1 Cor. 9.13 for the Church as also by taking care that they discharge their trusts faithfully 2 Chron. 29.3 4 5.1 Chron. 16. It is observed of Julian the Apostate that to root up Christianity he disgraced the Orthodox Ministry took away Church maintenance and forbad Christian Schools and places of learning so Sozomen lib. 5. cap. 5. This very course is now cryed up the Lord prevent it The Prince indeed is not called to be a publike Preacher but he hath a call to see that none abuse that calling to the hurt or poyson of his people Partly by suppressing and discountenancing them whose doctrines or lives hinder godliness Suppressing evil is necessary for the promoting good Holy Asa removed his Mother from being Queen upon this very account 1 Kings 15.12 13. The toleration of any in such sins is an intolerable sin And the jealous God will one day make Magistrates know that they shall bear his anger for bearing such evill doers as blasphemers and Hereticks are I speak not against a true Christian liberty in things that are indifferent or in things that are not fundamental but I cannot but speak against this Antichristian licentiosness which is though under other terms so much pleaded for It may well make a dumb child speak when his Father is so deeply wounded in his Word Honour People and Ordinances as he is in our dayes If State-reason compel men to suffer it they must know that it will prove State-ruine Shall it be treason and death to speak thus and thus against men that are mortal weak Gods and shall it not at all be penal to blaspheme the Almighty and Everliving God in denying his Truths which are more worth then the whole world Surely Blasphemies Idolatry and Heresies sins against the first Table are greater as being more directly and immediately against God then sins against the second Table and therefore deserve punishments vide 1 Kings 18.18 Exod. 21.17 Levit. 24.10 to the 17. v. Job 31.25 26 27. Deut. 13. per totum though care should be first

are Caesars so we must give unto God the things that are Gods Matth. 22.21 22. One observeth that the Greek Article is twice repeated when be speaketh of God more then when he speaketh of Caesar to shew that our special care should be to give God his due It was noble speech of those Worthies mentioned Dan. 3.16 17.18 who were commanded by the King to worship the Image which he had set up O Nebuchadnezar we are not careful to answer thee in this matter Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and he will deliver us out of thine hand O King But if not be it known unto thee O King that we will not worship thy God nor fall down to the golden Image which thou hast set up And it was a gallant answer of the Prince of Condee who being taken Prisoner by Charles the ninth of France and put to his choice Whether he would go to Mass or be put to death or suffer perpetual imprisonment The former said he by Gods grace I will never do and for the two latter let the King do with me what he pleaseth God I hope will turn all to the best We are also to honour Magistrates both by praying for them and paying tribute to them the former is our duty and the latter is their due I will saith the Apostle that prayers and supplications be made for all men for Kings and all in authority 1 Tim. 2.1 2. The burden which lyeth on them is weighty we had need therefore to beg of God to strengthen their backs otherwise they can never bear it There is a truth in that saying Did men but know the weight of a Crown they would not stoop to take it up Pride indeed is so prevalent with many persons that they will venture their lives to satisfie their ambition these mens great care is to get the Sword the Scepter not how to use them for God and his people but certainly they who mind a faithful discharge of their trusts find the Magistrates Throne to be a place of little ease They are shepherds Isai. 44.28 and we know the life of a shepherd is a laborious life they endure the scorching heat of Summer and the nipping cold of the Winter to keep their flocks safe Cares and Fears about publike concernments molest them night and day as weights hang on a clock and will not suffer them to sleep If they watch to protect us should not we watch unto prayer for them The embleme of King Henry the seventh in all the windows of his house was still a Crown in a bush of thorns surely to tell us that great places are not free from great cares that no man knoweth the weight of a Scepter but he that swayeth it We are bound likewise to pay tribute to them as well as pray for them Render to all their dues tribute to whom tribute belongeth custom to whom custom Rom. 13.7 It is observable The Holy Ghost calleth it their due To pay tribute or custom is not an act of curtesie but a duty which must be done out of conscience God commandeth it from us in lieu of the Magistrates care of us as v. 6. For this cause pay ye tribute praestatis non datis you pay not you give for they are Gods Ministers c. Your paying tribute and custom is a sign of your subjection to them and a thankful acknowledgement of your protection from them and v. 5. For this cause ought you to be subject not only for wrath but for conscience sake God taketh care for the maintenance of the Magistrate as well as of the Minister and doth strictly enjoyn us that both they who watch for our souls and they which watch for our bodies should have an honourable subsistence Did such as are private but seriously consider this word conscience for conscience sake they durst not as they do cozen the publike The same mighty Possessor of Heaven and Earth who giveth me a right to the whole giveth them a right to a part of my estate and therefore to cozen them of their dues in tribute or custom is to cozen and defile my conscience by the violation of Gods righteous command * I shall in the next place lay down two or three thoughts to enforce the duty of honouring Magistrates First Consider the necessity of Magistracy without Magistracy one man would be but bread for another and the world which is like the Sea for storms and tempests would also resemble it in this that the Inhabitants of it would be as the fishes of the Sea the great would devour the small Men are like the fishes of the Sea saith the Prophet that have no ruler over them Hab. 1.14 No man could call any thing his own were it not for these Gods Did not they defend us by their power every one would rob and wrong us at his pleasure Our liberties estates and lives would quickly be a prey to the covetousness and cruelty of vicious persons Liberty and property are quite banish't where authority is not established Who can express the malice and murders the rapine and robberies the mischiefs and miseries that raign where the Magistrate doth not raign In those days there was no King in Israel every man did that which was right not in Gods but in his own eyes Judg. 17.6 Judg. 19.1 And what evill is not good in his eye who hath the Devil for his guide and leader and corrupt nature for his law and rules When the gate of Magistracy is shut the floodgates for all manner of enormities are open When these that bear up the pillars of the house are removed how soon will the building be ruined When God intended the destruction of the Jewish Common-wealth he took away their Sanedrim And in the glass of our times it is too too visible what a sad deformed face things have when Magistrates are overturned Constantinople will witness to this truth where upon the grand Signiors death till his Successor be on his Throne all things are in a confusion and the Janizaries have the rule and Dominion Some write that the Persian law commandeth that upon the decease of their Kings there should be a susspension of the Laws for certain five dayes that Subjects might know the necessity of Government and learn to value it more by being bereft of the benefit of it for a time Nay when God is exceedingly provoked by sin how sharply doth he make men suffer by taking away their stay and their staff The mighty man the Judge the Prophet and the Prudent Isa. 3.1 2 3 4. The taking away the civil stay and staff the Prince and the spiritual stay and staff the Prophet will quickly cause the fall yea the utter downfall of the people Men often murmur at the Magistrate and tell us many times falsly He is a Tyrant if he were gone all would be well but