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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	day_n	keep_v	sabbath_n	8,292	5	9.9626	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62323	Jethro's character of worthy judges an assise-sermon preached at Northampton, March 22, 1663 / by Antonie Scattergood.	Scattergood, Antony, 1611-1687.	1664 (1664)	Wing S842; ESTC R38218	23,301	44

God Job 28.28 wisdom 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 eminently emphatically so It is often put for the whole worship and service of God being the main root and foundation of Religion The Preacher saith it is the whole duty of man Eccl. 12.13 Let us hear saith he the conclusion of the whole matter Fear God and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man Filial Fear and sincere Obedience that the fountain this the stream is both totum Codicis and totum Hominis the summe of God's book and the summe of Man's duty all that can be said all that ought to be done Eschew evil and do good is the Brief of the Bible Now this Fear maketh a man not onely to depart from evil Prov. 16 6. which the other Fear may do but to hate evil Prov. 8.13 and that not so much because it is deadly as because it is ugly not so much because God will punish it as because he doth dislike it and hath forbidden it It maketh a man also to do good and that willingly and chearfully Psal 112.1 Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord saith the Psalmist he hath great delight in his commandments He who hath his heart indued with this grace will not dare to commit any sin not to blaspheme God's name not to profane his day not to neglect his service but will with care and diligence perform the duties that God requireth of him Levit. 20.30 He will keep his Sabbaths and reverence his Sanctuary he will attend upon his Ordinances hearken to his word receive the Sacrament call upon his Name seek to inform himself in God's will and endeavour to conform himself unto it This made Joseph though shrewdly tempted abstein from uncleanness Gen. 39 9. Exod. 1.17 This kept the Midwives from murthering the Hebrew infants contrary to the express command of the bloudy Tyrant This withheld Nehemiah from oppressing the people Neh. 5 15. when Oppression was now grown customary and he might have pleaded precedent and prescription for it Other Governours before him were chargeable to the people exacting provision and money of them and suffered also their servant 's to be insolent and to domineer over them But so did not I saith he because of the fear of God Though he was higher then the people yet he forgot not that there was One higher then he who strictly observed his behauiour and would call him to account for all his actions And this held him within due compass and made him exercise his power to the people's advantage and not his own On the contrary where this curb is wanting men grow impudent in sinning and commit all wickedness even with greediness When the Apostle would shew the fountain of all impiety and iniquity amongst men he saith Rom. 3.8 There is no fear of God before their eyes This reason Abraham allegeth to Abimelech wherefore he was loth to own Sarah for his wife when he was come to Gerar Because I thought Gen 20 11. Surely the fear of God is not in this place and they will slay me for my wives sake Where the fear of God is not men will make no bones at all of murthering a Prophet and ravishing his matrone From what hath been said we may know what to judge of the men of this generation Concerning a great part thereof we may take-up the Psalmist's words Psal 36.1 The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart that there is no fear of God before their eyes The outragious and unbridled sins of this age Atheism and Libertinism Schism and Heresie Oaths and Blasphemies Sacrilege and Profaneness Sedition and Rebellion Bloud-shed and Cruelty Oppression and Injustice Drunkenness and Gluttony Pride and Uncleanness Covetousness and Uncharitableness these notorious and horrible sins do openly shew that there is little fear of God amongst us Those few who making conscience of their ways Prov. 1.14 will not cast-in their lot among the rest 1 Pet. 4.4 and runinto the same excess of riot are made objects of wonder and subjects of obloquy The world accounteth their courses strange and speaketh evil of them But let all ungodly wretches know that if they repent not reform not 1 Pet. 4.5 they shall ere long give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead and feel that Power which they now do not fear And for us Beloved let us labour to get this holy Fear into our inward parts and seeing it is an heavenly and Divine grace let us earnestly pray with David that God would unite our hearts unto him that we may fear his Name Psal 86.11 Psal 4.4 that we may stand in aw of him and not sin against him that we may set God alwayes before us and having still a due belief and apprehension of his presence with us his knowledge of us his power over us and above all of his goodness unto us Acts 24.16 we may exercise ourselves to have always a conscience void of offense toward him and to approve not our actions alone but also our very affections unto him Prov 28.14 Blessed is the man who thus feareth always Before I close-up this point which shall close-up my discourse at this time let me crave leave though indeed my Text and my Calling give me leave to tell Judges and Magistrates and all that are in authority that they ought to be such as fear God This Qualification standeth mee thinketh in the Text like the Sun in the middle of the Planets dispersing his beams all about being the fountain of light and life or like the Heart in the midst of the body which is primum vivens and sendeth bloud and spirits to all the membres or like the Poise or Spring in a clock which is primum movens and setteth every wheel a-going Thus this Grace hath influence upon all its fellows which are still wont to sprowt from it as branches from the root That Magistrate who truly feareth God will be also an able man both in head and heart a man of truth and an hater of covetousness 1. The Fear of the Lord will be unto him a principle both of Wisdom and Courage It will make him first pray and labour for a competent measure of knowledge for the discharge of his duty and then with an undaunted vigour and resolution perform it scorning to be drawn or driven from it by the fawns or frowns of the world For this noble Fear will banish yea quite extinguish all base relpects and carnal fears as fear of loss or danger or disgrace or imprisonment or death it self None of these nor all these shall be able to deter a religious Magistrate from doing his duty The Lord of hosts being his fear and his dread Isa 2.13 Isa 51.12 he will not be afraid of a Man that shall die and of the Son of man which shall be made as grass Not forgetting the Lord

thou art forging in thy brain or breast Since God's Eye therefore doth so narrowly watch thee let it be thy care to set a strict watch over thyself not over thy Tongue and Hands alone but also over thy Heart and suffer not evil thoughts to lodge within thee 3. But again some there are who notwithstanding all this bless themselves in their own hearts and hold it folly for a man to amuze and amaze his mind with the conceit of Gods Omniscience since though he seeth and knoweth never so much he neither doth nor saith any thing Nec bene promeritis capitur L●●c et 3. nec tangitur ir â. His favour is neither won with good services nor lost with bad but he standeth an indifferent and unconcerned spectatour of humane actions They consent with thieves Psal 50.18 and are partakers with adulterers They give their mouths to evil 19. and their tongues frame deceit 20. They sit and speak against their brother 21. and slander their own mothers son These things they do and God keepeth silence and therefore they think that he is altogether such a one as themselves They take his silence for consent And because sentence against their evil works is not exsecuted speedily Eccl ●● 11. therefore their heart is fully set in them to do evil They see not gross offenders laid hold on by Divine Justice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the very act They see not Knights of the post false Witnesses and forsworn Jury-men Acts 5 ● 10. served as Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead with the lie in their mouths They see not unconscionable Lawyers struck dumb at the bar for misemploying that excellent gift of Eloquence in gilding-over causes manifestly rotten non hos quaesitum mun us in usus 〈◊〉 4 647. They see not corrupt and unjust Judges suddenly plucked from the Bench below to the Bar above They find that by wronging and ruining of others themselves prosper in the world Psal 73.12 and increase in riches And hence they conclude that though God see their courses he disliketh them not hence they embolden and harden and streng then themselves in their wickedness despise the threatnings of God and abuse his goodness Rom. 2.4 and forbearance and long-suffering which should lead them to repentance Prov. 1.32 Thus ease and prosperity destroy silly ones O that these men would believe the Scriptures Thence they might learn that God is infinite in Justice as well as in Knowledge Psal 5 4. that he is not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness 5. but hateth all workers of iniquity 6. and abhorreth the bloudy and deceitful man Gen. 18 25. that he is the Judge of all the earth and will do right Exod. 34.7 that he will by no means clear the guilty but though at present he endure with much long-sussering the vessels of wrath Rom. ● 21 he will in due time make himself known by exsecuting judgment Psal 9.16 Though he now keep silence Psal 50 2● yet presumptuous sinners shall one day find if in the mean while they repent not he will reprove them Eccl. 12.14 and set all their sins in order before their eyes Every work will he bring into judgment with every secret thing whether good or evil Then impenitent wretches shall feel the patience they abused turned into fury and the blow they feared not fall the heavier by how much it was the longer in fetching Psal 50 22. Now consider this ye that forget God lest he tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver 4. But still perhaps some there are who love to flatter and feed themselves with vain hopes of scaping well enough at that dreadful day of doom great men especially such as here upon earth have had both the face and fortune to overbear right by might to baffle Magistrates to elude the Laws of the Land to break all bands asunder Psal 2 3. to cast away all cords from them and to pass through every obstacle with as much ease and sport as Wasps and Hornets brush through the nets of Spiders Such sights as these the late times have presented us with more then a good many We have seen Folly set in great dignity Eccl 10 6. and the rich sit in low place 7. We have seen servants on horses and princes walking as servants on the earth And Asperius nihil est humili cùm surgit in altum We have seen the very dung and dust of the earth flie in the face of Authority and Majesty it self We have seen men well worthy to have been advanced to the gibbet sitting gravely on the Bench and not only trussing-up far lesser offenders then themselves but also oftentimes sentencing honest and loyal snbjects yea which is the height of villany their liege Sovereign unto death Certainly these bold wretches feared not the fury and force of the Almighty But if there be any of those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of that brood of Titans yet above ground Psal 2.4 let them know that He who sitteth in the heavens will laugh them to scorn the Lord will have them in derision And that what power soever they either have had or still have over men they can have none at all over God who is omnipotent and regardeth neither the persons nor power nor number of his enemies But though they be never so many Lake 19.42 never so mighty unless in this their day they know the things which belong unto their peace He will in that day of his break them with a rod of iron Psal 2.9 and dash them in pieces like a potters vessel Psal 9 17. By one word of his mouth all the wicked shall be turned into hell and all the people that forget God! Thy present wealth shall not be able to purchase thy pardon nor thy present dignity to procure any exemption Thou shalt fare no better then the meanest sinner Nay much worse for Potentes potenter Wisd 6.6 Mighty sinners shall be mightily tormented Wisd 6. a Chapter worthy to be seriously perused by all great men that they may become good as well as great I will shut up this point with the words of the Psalmist Be wise now therefore O ye Magistrates be instructed ye Judges of the earth Psal 2.10 Learn this lesson That God's Presence cannot be avoided his Knowledge cannot be deluded his Justice cannot be corrupted his Power cannot be resisted Learn this and ye will be wise indeed for then ye will serve the Lord in fear 11. These Notes haply may seem harsh and unpleasant But they should not do so since they are very profitable and may with the concent and concurrence of God's grace like the strokes of David's harp serve to allay and charm the evil spirit that is in us and to settle and compass our minds in a right tune and harmony But though the Strings be good I will touch them no more at present but slip over them to another with which I will endeavour to close sweetly 5. In the last place let all Magistrates for the ingendring and increasing the Fear of God in their hearts often remember and consider the Goodness of God unto them and his Favours bestowed upon them How he hath placed them in the noblest rank of his earthly creatures and indued them with rational and immortal souls capable of grace and glory How he hath called them to knowledge of him to faith in him to hopes of living for ever with him How he hath raised them alost and set them above their brethren hath put Wisdom into their heads and the Sword into their hands made them Oracles of justice Living Laws Pillars and Props of the Common-wealth Eyes to the blind Feet to the lame Fathers to the Poor Job 29.15 16. a Refuge to the oppressed and a Terrour to oppressours in a word his own Ministers and Vicegerents and Representatives upon earth Gods they are all and Children of the Most high He himself stileth them so Psal 82.6 Such honour have all Christian Magistrates Now let every Magistrate seriously consider this and in stead of being proud of God's gifts as if he had not received them 1 Cor. 4.7 he will bethink and bespeak himself with the Psalmist Psal 116.12 What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me and finding himself to be the Child of God in so many respects by Creation by Adoption by Office and Authority as a Man as a Christian as a Magistrate he will hold himself bound as it were by a threefold cord to serve his heavenly Father with filial Fear and Reverence I have done with the second Qualification of Judges but have insisted on it so long that the time will not now suffer me to speak as I once intended of those two that remain Neither indeed will it be necessary that I should if what hath been spoken concerning the Fear of God be believed and practiced as it ought seeing those other Qualifications as I told you naturally flow from this and constantly attend upon it like handmaids upon their mistress Those Judges who fear God will be also Men of truth and Haters of covetousness Which that all of us not only Magistrates but Subjects may be the God of all grace grant through Jesus Christ our Lord To whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be all honour and glory for evermore FINIS