Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	mercy_n	peace_n	righteousness_n	4,695	5	7.7703	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42156	A sermon preached at St. Lawrence Church in Reading, in the county of Berks on the 3d of October, 1692 being the day on which the mayor was sworn / by John Griffyth ... ; printed at the request of the mayor and aldermen.	Griffyth, John.	1693 (1693)	Wing G2020; ESTC R34922	12,406	30

Matt. 12.25 is brought to desolation and every city or house divided against it self cannot stand saith our Blessed Saviour When Fellow-members of the same Body backbite and defame one another it makes persons who have any regard to their own Reputation cautious of having any dealing or commerce with them but there are those Charms in Unity and Love which makes the Inhabitants of a Town flourish in spight of all malicious opposition these will discourage such as have Designs of enriching themselves by making Advantages of other mens Divisions from coming in to you and will invite such as are helps and beneficial to the place they live in to dwell among you So that if you have any concern for the Interest of Your Corporation you will seek to promote Peace study to be quiet and do your own business you will add Diligence to a Peaceable Behaviour and this also hath a natural tendency to the Prosperity of a People For private Diligence is a Publick Good and the careful managing of every man 's own Estate and Substance is advantagious to the whole This is the truest way for a man to advance his own Fortune and of assisting and being serviceable to his Neighbour Prov. 10.4 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand but the hand of the diligent maketh rich c. 22.29 saith Solomon And again Seest thou a man diligent in his business he shall stand before Kings he shall not stand before mean men He that is laborious and careful to do the Works of his proper Calling be it never so mean whether a Plowman or any other ordinary Employment and busies himself with no Concerns but his own is much more useful in and a greater Benefactor to the town or Country he lives in than those who out of a pretended Zeal for Publick Good are always and in the mean time neglect what they are called unto Nay indeed those men do serve their Generations and answer the End of their Creation but these the contrary But if any Busibodies should still suspect the truth of my Assertion I would desire them for once to submit to the Judgment and Experience of one who they must allow was something wiser than themselves I mean king Solomon and observe the Character he gives of such persons Prov. 20.3 That it is an honour for a man to cease from strife but they are fools that will be medling And again Prov. 26.16 That the sluggard who walks about and hideth his hand in his bosom is wiser in his own eyes than seven men that can render a reason Now to make some short Reflections on what hath been said And if it be so if Faction Impertinency and Idleness have such ill and è contra Peace and Concord Contentment and Industry have such benign Influences upon Communities as well as Single Persons How highly doth it behove all of you to avoid those ugly ill-natur'd Vices forementioned and study to be cloathed with those as well Christian as Moral Habits which will be not only your Ornaments but Security All men unless they are become altogether bruitish naturally desire the prosperity of their own Town but unless men resolve to love one another and instead of filling their own Heads with Novelties or what is worse with Lies and their Neighbours Ears with Noise and Railery learn to be meek and humble to be gentle and kindly affection'd one to another and to mind their own Business at home instead of looking after some elsewhere I say unless men arrive to this Temper they are so far from doing good that they are Infections the very Plague of the Place they live in How highly incumbent then in the next and Last place is it on you who are intrusted with the Government of this Town to suppress all Factions and Disorders to discountenance busy and impertinent Bablers who love to do or speak any thing but what they should 2 Sam. 20.19 It is the Honour of a Magistrate to deserve the Character of that Wise Woman that saved the City to be one of them that is peaceable in Israel to be peaceable himself and to teach the unruly or else compel them to be so too In order hereunto make no other distinctions between those that are under you than according to their Merits make the disorderly feel your Justice and those who are quiet and industrious the Objects of your Respect and Favour incourage these who chuse to spend the Vacancies of their Labours in Church to pray to God for a Blessing on their Labours rather than in hunting elsewhere after News and Lies O Let a Principle true Religion excite you to a zealous prosecution of the Publick Weal that so Mercy and Truth may be sent down from Heaven and Righteousness and Peace may kiss each other if you can but constrain or rather persuade people to the practice of Religion this will secure to you all those Blessings and root out all those Evils forementioned I dare appeal to them of you that knew this Town when it was flourishing and eminent for Trade and could vye perhaps with most Places of its Bigness in the Kingdom for Wealth and Substance whether there was not more Peace and better agreement Whether there was not more Diligence and less Quarrelling and Impertinency then than has been since Let but the Vertues of your Ancestors be restor'd and their Success will follow Your Corporation is endow'd with many and Great Charities let Bridewel be your Hospital for the Lazy and the Benefactions you have to dispose of the Rewards of the Quiet and Laborious Seneca de Eenef Beneficia sine ullo delectu magis projicimus quam damus where there is not Judgment of Discretion it is not Charity it is throwing away but not giving So then let the most Religious and such as work with their own Hands and mind to do their own Business be preferr'd in your charitable Distributions And left any one should object that to me which I am decrying in others for prescribing where I am not concern'd I answer that the Design of my Subject justifies me and shews this Corollary naturally deduc'd from it This Apostle in 2 Epist to Thess 3.10 commands the same thing which I exhort That they who will not work neither should they eat And let me add Archbishop Laud besides many other Charities gave 20l. apiece to Six Maids who liv'd honestly for three Years in one Service to be disposed every third Year The Conditions of the Triennial Charities given by that Great Prelate who too severely felt the Eflects of prevailing Faction suppose such Qualifications For those Servants may be presum'd to be neither noisy nor sluggish but the contrary who continue many Years in the same service What remains then but that by these Methods you should endeavour to rid and deliver your selves from the hand of Strange Children Whose mouth speaketh vanity and their right hand is a right hand of falshood that so your sons may be as plants grown up in their youth that so daughters may be as the polish'd corners of the Temple that your Garners may be full of all manner of store and that there be no complaining in your streets Happy shall you be when you are in such a case Yea happy is the people whose God is the Lord And that ye may be thus happy in this World and eternally so in the next God of his Infinite Goodness grant through Jesus Christ of Lord To whom c. FINIS