Selected quad for the lemma: judgement_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A33283
|
Two sermons preached at Cambridge the first at the Lent assizes, 1654, the other on the yearly commemoration of Dr. Andrew Pern, 1655 / by J. Clerk.
|
Clarke, Joshua.
|
1655
(1655)
|
Wing C4481; ESTC R29962
|
25,596
|
69
|
Two SERMONS Preached at CAMBRIDGE The first at the Lent-Assizes 1654. The other on the yearly Commemoration of Dr ANDREW PERN 1655. By J. CLERK Mr of Arts and Fellow of Peterhouse CAMBRIDGE Printed by the Printers to the Vniversitie 1655. And are to be sold by William Morden The MAGISTRATES MINISTERY Briefly described in a Sermon preached at CAMBRIDGE At the Lent-Assizes 1654. By J. C. CAMBRIDGE Printed by the Printers to the Vniversitie 1655. To THE WORSHIPFULL EDWARD PALMER ESQUIRE of STOAK-DOYLE in Northamptonshire SIR THe request of those that had power to command me made it my duty to publish first to the eare and now to the eye these two short discourses I humbly offer them both to your acceptance and perusall as an acknowledgement of your right to all my endeavours especially of this kind The common places rather toucht then handled in them are Justice and Charity the Jachin and Boaz the strengthening and establishing pillars of the whole Commonwealth of mankind especially where their foundation is laid in the firm and stable grounds of Christianity These arguments having been your constant study and practice must needs be so familiar to you that my two mites can make no considerable addition to your treasure of knowledge Yet Sir having out of my penury cast in even all that I had in a thankfull sense of my particular engagements to you I hope for as fair a reception as those Authours that have cast in much out of their abundance My onely presenting them to your hand is to witnesse my humble respects to your person and my readinesse to serve you in the work of God to the utmost of my abilities and that you will receive them under that notion is the hope and desire of SIR Your faithfull servant J. C. ROM 13.4 For he is the Minister of God to thee for good The first Part. THat the subject of this proposition is not a particular person but an order of men is cleare from the variation of the number in those many honourable titles given him by the Apostle in this former part of the chapter The power and the higher powers v. 1. the Ordinance of God v. 2. and rulers or governours v. 3. the Minister of God in this verse and the Ministers of God v. 6. or if we render it the Priests of God according to the most frequent acception of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that of Solomon will justifie the Metaphor To do justice and judgement is more acceptable to the Lord then sacrifice Prov. 21.3 And that it is not the supreme Magistrate onely though some confine these higher powers v. 1. to this narrow sense and so make the Apostles words liable to this dangerous inference that inferiour Magistrates may lawfully be resisted but that it is the Magistrate in generall whether supreme or subordinate is cleare from the scope of this and other parallel places of Scripture and the consent of the best expositours for all Magistrates of what degree soever are in respect of the people living under their severall administrations the higher powers So that these words will prove of a fit latitude for the present occasion Every Minister of justice is more or lesse concerned in them whether he sit upon the bench or stand below it whether he be the chief Supervisour or an Assistant or an Officer or a Jurour of what rank and order soever he be let him but do the duty and he may claim the priviledge of this honourable description He is the Minister of God to thee for good It is a likely conjecture of Calvins that there were in the Apostles times as there have been ever since some tumultuous and if I may so call them by a Prolepsis Anabaptistick spirits Qui regnum Christi non bene extolli credunt nisi aboleantur omnâ—s terrenae potestates That thought the Kingdome of Christ must presently be built upon the ruines of all secular powers that for the advancing of Religion they must either pull them down or at least get above them And this occasioned the Apostle so peremptorily to assert both the lawfulnesse and the usefulnesse of the Civill Magistrate He is the Minister of God therefore a lawfull power The Minister of God for good therefore usefull 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Chrysostome in both regards truly honourable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because he is sent from God and because he is sent upon so good an errand He is sent for the publick good for which thou should'st dispence with a private inconvenience publica privatis potiora is an ancient rule rather then the whole vessel should perish thou should'st willingly suffer thine own goods to be thrown over-board But he is sent for thy particular good too if thou art as thou should'st be if thou doest that which is good if thou doest that which Christian religion doth most severely charge upon thee He is the Minister of God to thee for good And thus I hope the text will concern the rest of the congregation The words may be considered two wayes 1. Relatively as an argument of what goes before Wilt thou not be afraid of the power do that which is good and thou shalt have praise of the same For he is the Minist c. 2. Absolutely as a naked proposition and so they are a description of the Civil power 1. From his office The Minister of God 2. From the end of his office which is twofold Finis cui Finis cujus 1. To whom he is the Minister of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to thee that doest that which is good as it must be paraphraz'd out of the former verse 2. For what he is the Minister of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for good a more generall word but of the same signification with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the former verse thou shalt have praise for he is the Minister of God for good A few words of the relative sense are necessary by way of premise to all that follows 1. Rel. It is an argument ab actu primo ad actum secundum from the office of the Magistrate to the discharge of his office He is the Minister of God to thee for good therefore thou shalt have praise of him Gods Ordinance is not in vain For if the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven and returneth not thither but watereth the earth surely then the word that goes out of the mouth of God to ordain this his Minister shall not return unto him void but it shall accomplish that which he pleaseth and prosper in the thing whereto he sent it We may not think the Apostle here describes a Ruler in Vtopia or in Plato's Commonwealth the meer notion and Idea of a Ruler such a one as men may fancie but never hope actually to enjoy but such a Ruler as the good providence of God doth generally blesse the world withall and his meaning is clearly this that the Magistrate is