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A45683
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Two sermons lately preached at the Assizes in St. Maries Church in Leicester the former March 23, 1670, the latter July 27, 1671 / by Robert Harrison.
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Harrison, Robert, fl. 1648-1672.
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1672
(1672)
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Wing H909; ESTC R25412
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38,889
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70
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whole land of Egygt fared the better for Josephs sake for when there was a Famine over all the face of the earth there was bread enough and plenty of corn in Egypt which by Josephs wise forecast was laid up in Store-houses against that time Fourthly Victory over Enemies is another great mercy which the Lord of Hosts often giveth for his servants sake and by their means What a great conquest did the Heathen Emperour obtain through the means of the thundring Legion of Christians who by their fervent prayers prevailed with God to discomfit an huge army with thundring and lightning And Aurelius by experience found that Christians prevailed more with their prayers then others could do with their arms for the good of the Empire and therefore he desired the Senate to cease the Persecution lest the Christians should turn those spiritual weapons against the Empire So then the Race is not to the Swift nor the Battle to the Strong But thine O Lord is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty and in thine hand it is to make great and to give strength unto all thy people as David acknowledgeth 1 Chron. 29. 11 12. Lastly Preservation from ruine and destruction have the Righteous obtained for a disobedient and stif-necked people A clear proof we have of this Job 22. 30. He shall deliver the Island of the Innocent or according to the margent the Innocent shall deliver the Island and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands He shall deliver the Island of the Innocent in the Hebrew it is non innocentem he shall deliver the Island of the guilty q. d. a Righteous man that truly fears God shall be instrumental for the delivering of those at least from present ruine who are yet in their sins and have therefore no such interest with God to prevail with him to be thus gracious and merciful unto them Therefore he said he would destroy them had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach to turn away his wrath left he should destroy them Psal. 106. 23. And Isa. 65. 8. Thus saith the Lord as the new wine is found in the cluster and one saith destroy it not for a blessing is in it so will I do for my servants sake that I may not destroy them all For his Elects sake the Lord in judgement thinks thoughts of mercy towards a very vile and sinful people who cease not to go on in wayes of rebellion against him and herein he deals with wicked men that do but cumber the ground as if one had resolved to pull up a barren Vineyard and quite lay it waste yet should nevertheless refrain in part because of some choice fruitful Plants that are sound in it If there had but been ten Righteous Persons in Sodom the Lord promised his servant Abraham that he would not destroy it for tens sake And it is worth our observation that the Lord never left off granting till Abraham left off asking mercy for that people This may encourage the righteous among us to continue in prayer and not to cease pleading with God for mercy to this sinful land of our nativity Ye that make mention of the Lord keep not silence And give him no rest till he establish and till he make Jerusalem till he make England a praise in the earth I have done with the two first Heads for confirmation In the next place If we consider those wasting judgments which after the removal of the righteous like a swift torrent have broken in upon the ungodly the truth of the Proposition will yet be more fully manifested No sooner was Noah got into the Ark but God sent such a deluge of water as swept away the wicked Inhabitants of the earth The flood-gates of heaven are set open and the fountain of the great depths broken up and unavoidable destruction rusheth in upon the sinners of the old world In the very same day that Lot set soot out of Sodom came such a storm of fire and brimstone upon those Cities that in a few hours entomb'd them in their own ashes and left them as standing monuments of the Lords wrathful indignation upon ungodly wretches to the end of the world Not long after good King Josiah was taken away the Kingdom of Judah tumbled down apace the people of the Land was carried into captivity and all went to wrack with them thus the Lord in mercy many times takes away the righteous from the evil to come he doth with them as men are wont to do with their corn in the field when it is catching weather they are careful to get it into their barns before the rain fall so God took away Josiah before the dismal destruction of that people as he had promised 2 King 22. 19 20. When the Righteous had left Jerusalem and were gone to Pella as they had been warned of God the City is presently taken and as great wrath is poured sorth upon that people as ever was upon any Nation in the world besides nay none like unto it according to the prognostick of our blessed Saviour Mat. 24. 21. So that they might justly take up the like complaint with their forefathers in their Babylonish captivity and a more bitter lamentation if they could find words to expressâ— it then that we read of Lam. 1. 12. Is it nothing to you all ye that pass by behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow which is done unto me wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger Methuselah the longest-liv'd Patriarch dyed the year before the Flood St. Austin was taken away by death immediately before Hippo was sacked by the Vandals and the death of St. Ambrose was the fore-runner of the ruine of Italy I have somewhere read an observation of Luther that all the Apostles died before the destruction of Jerusalem except John and Luther himself died a little before the wars began in Germany It bodes no good to a State when God picks such choice principal Plants out of it Surely this speaks the Lords intention to take away the hedge of his Vineyard and to lay it waste It was a sign that Sampson meant to pull down the house on the Philistins heads when he attempted to stir the Pillars and when God takes away the Pillars and Supporters of a Nation certainly he intends it no good 't is greatly to be feared that he is already come out of his place to punish the Inhabitants of the Earth for their Iniquity Thus I have given in the proof of the Proposition by some argumentative considerations which being twisted together will make a strong cord sufficient to draw any that have staggered in the belief of this particular to a firm perswasion of the great use and furtherance of Righteousness for the exaltation of a Nation But it may
are carried down by rouling waters as well as lighter great loggs and trees as well as small chips may swim down a mighty stream A Judge should be Equanimous as well as Magnanimous There must be no respect of persons had in judgment Lev. 19. v. 15. Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgement thou shalt not respect the person of the poor nor honour the person of the mighty but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy Neighbour He that justifieth the wicked and that condemneth the just even they both are abomination to the Lord Prov. 17. 15. Exuit personam Judicis qui amici vel hostis induit Though Plato might be a Friend and Socrates a Friend yet Truth is the greatest Friend Qui pro Veritate est pro Rege est Henry the fourth King of England when his eldest Son the Prince of VVales was by the Lord Chief Justice committed to Prison for affronting him on the Bench gave God thanks for that he had a Judge so impartial in executing justice and a Son so obedient as to submit to such a punishment It was also a brave Princely saying of Rodulphus the Emperor when he understood that some of his Courtiers hindred poor men from applying themselves unto him for justice Sinite homines ad me venire non enim ideo Imperator sum ut in arcula includar And of Trajan it is reported that he neither seared nor hated any man but heard examined and judged the Causes of his Subjects without prejudice patiently and impartially These are noble and fit patterns for the imitation of Judges who ought not to regard the Man so much as the Matter who should hear Causes speak and not Persons and judge according to truth and equity and not according to opinion nor appearance for fear or favour Lastly Constancy and Perseverance are required in the performance of righteous judgment which must not be like a Land-stood that continueth for a short season and then drieth up because it had nothing to feed and maintain it but like Running-waters which flow from a springing Fountain and so never decay nor fall lower Psal. 106. v. 3. Blessed are they that keep judgment and he that doth righteousness at all times Lewis King of France having granted a Pardon to a Murderer at the request of one of his Courtiers upon the reading of this Text presently withdrew it and said he would give no Pardon where the Law did not Pardon he also farther added it was a work of mercy and charity to punish an Offender and not to punish Crimes was as great an evil as to commit them There is a Passive Injustice and Magistrates may be unjust in neglecting as well as in perverting judgment Ausonius saith of the Emperour Claudius Non faciendo nocens sed patiendo fuit Not to do justice is injustice Sontibus nimis ignoscendo insontibus sit injuria Thus you have the Metaphor unveyled and the fence thereof presented to you in those eight Singularities Now to the Magistrate that sincerely endeavours to act according to these discoveries that shall make it his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his Sparta his great business to administer judgment plentifully speedily purely willingly regularly impartially and constantly to this brave man it may be said as Samuel did to Saul when he first anointed him King Do as occasion shall serve thee for God is with thee I have done with the Explication of the Point the next thing to be handled is the Confirmation of it and for this there may be given several Reasons The first is couched in my Text It is the Command of God that judgement should be executed in truth and in righteousness Now were there no other Reason but this it would be abundantly sufficient of it self to confirm the Doctrine for we are not to dispute but to obey the Commandments of the Lord which are holy just and good the reason of all reason and not only right in themselves but the rule of reasonable actions unto his creatures 2. As this duty in Thesi hath the stamp of a great Command so in Hypothesi the grant of a gracious acceptance It is both commanded and commended of God Phine as executed judgment and it was counted unto him for righteousness unto all Generations for evermore q. d. The Lord highly approved of this fact of his as just and righteous and assigned to him and his posterity for their Reward the Priesthood for ever because he was zealous for his God Numb 25. 23. 3. This is a special remedy for the removall of the Judgments of God The Plague was stayed when Phineas had slain Zimri and Cozbi and after Achan was stoned to death Israel prevailed against their Enemies So when justice was done upon Sauls Sons for their bloudy cruelty against the Gibeonites the three years Famine ceased 2 Sam. 21. 14. 4. Hereby Blessings are procured and continued to posterity Jer. 22. 15 16. Did not thy Father eat and drink and do judgement and justice and then it was well with him It was King Davids exhortation to the people of Israel Keep and seek for all the Commandments of the Lord your God that ye may possess this good land and leave it for an inheritance for your Children after you for ever Now if Magistrates will not for Conscience sake 't were well if they would for Posterity sake act justly and as they ought to do 5. The neglect and non performance of this duty is a mighty provocation to God and will certainly bring down some judgments upon an unrighteous Nation Jer. 21. 12. O house of David thus saith the Lord execute judgment in the morning and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the Oppressor least may fury go out like fire and burn that none can quench it because of the evil of your doings Lastly without a due and diligent execution of justice there can be no safe and quiet living in the world Self-preservation therefore calls for this Lex est hominibus quod aqua piscibus extra aquam non vivunt pisces nec extra legem homines as a learned Author hath well observed What would become of our Liberties Properties and Priviledges which are sacred and precious things if the current of Justice should be stopped and there be no Reprover in the gate All distinction of places and orders of men upon Earth would be quickly taken away and there would be nothing but raging discord and horrible confusion in the world mans power would degenerate into tyranny wisdom into craft and justice into cruelty No person should longer possess that which is his then he hath more then ordinary might and power to maintain his right or policy to keep himself out of the reach of every injurious claw The poor mans little Pasture would presently be impal'd in my Lords large Park because it