Selected quad for the lemma: justice_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
justice_n	good_a	king_n	people_n	3,603	5	4.8197	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61112	The righteous ruler a sermon preached at St Maries in Cambridge, June 28, 1660 / by John Spencer, B.D., fellow of Corpus Christi Colledge in Cambridge.	Spencer, John, 1630-1693.	1660 (1660)	Wing S4952; ESTC R37586	37,324	64

immortality Besides a just Prince knows Universities designe to instate him in the highest honour a Prince is capable of To be Rex Virorum Ministers are stiled helpers of the peoples joy 2 Cor. 1. 24. That I may accordingly discharge my duty this day in helping forward your joy give me leave to retail the mercy and blessing of this day and give you a view thereof in these five parcels and particulars First we have now great matter of joy in that we have a fixed and established Ruler over us We might be well assured that the Nation was sick before by its shifting of sides so often and never continuing long in one posture of Government an evil too big for any other Teacher to make men understand but sad experience Frequent shifting of Governours is the great punishment of the sin of a people Prov. 28. 2. For the transgression of a Land many are the Princes thereof but by a man of understanding the perishing State thereof shall be prolonged with this evil God punished the revolted Kingdom of Israel which had as many Kings within one as the Kingdom of Iuda and yet lasted not much above half the time thereof with this judgement God avenged the bloud of his servants upon the Roman Empire even the frequent changing of Governours from Cesar to Constantine by the murdering of them so frequently This is a very great evil upon many accounts for in such vicissitudes of Government there will of necessity be fresh favourites who are never wanting to make use of such troubled waters to heal their lame fortunes In such vicissitudes people never learn the art of obedience nor a Prince the art of Government self-preservation being the mystery chiefly employs his study in order whereto he is often prompted to several counsels ungrateful and disobliging Laws in such times usually lose their force Rulers letting go these reins of Government when ready to be thrown out of the saddle to save themselves from a dangerous fall God rains snares upon a Nation in such a condition that being voic't up for Law to day which shall be Treason to morrow besides such times produce abundance of dissatisfied persons who heated by such violent motions and turns catch fire at last and endanger the peace of the Nation Matter of joy then we have in that His Majesties restauration silenceth all disputes amongst ambitious spirits who shall be greatest The Nation before did like Penelope but texere retexere in her Lords absence in foraign parts but make and unmake Laws and Rulers and there was little observable of England but what Solomon notes of the locusts Prov. 30. 27. The Locusts have no King over them yet go they forth by bands so that we should without our legal and setled King go forth so by bands and armies as we did to the terrour of our Neighbour-Nations But we hope that while our Lillies point to the North they will labour and toyl no more now that our hearts and prayers point toward His Majesty God will bless us with that rest and consistency which all great bodies especially Nations naturally tend and move unto Secondly We have matter of joy in that this setled Ruler is a King The government of England now bears conformity to Gods government of the World it is administred by one When God promised to bless Abraham he doth it thus Gen. 17. 6. I will make Nations of thee and Kings shall come out of thee when he would bless Sarai he doth it thus v. 16. I will bless her and she shall be a mother of Nations Kings of people shall be of her and when Ishmael v. 20. Behold I have blest him twelve Princes shall he beget and he commanded his own people Deut. 17. 14. long before they came to Canaan to set a King over them hence the Iewish Masters tell us three things were especially appointed them when they came to Canaan to choose them a King to build God a Temple and to root out the Amalekites The sin indeed of the Israelites was as they confest very great in asking of a King because they quarrelled with that excellent form of Government they were already under in which God was their King and Law and Justice administred immediately by himself or by persons extraordinarily stird up and inspired by him a Form of government which good men when invited thereto would never attempt to alter and the rejection of this Form of administration will appear to be the sin of the people and not the bare asking of a King upon a diligent comparing of Scripture 1 Sam. 12. 12. 1 Sam. 8. 7. 1 Sam. 10. 19. 1 Sam. 8. 20. Much might be alledged in commendation of regal Government but I shall add but this one consideration as having so great affinity with the Text It is hard for a Ruler in any other Government to be more then ordinary righteous and be matter of rejoycing to a people above others sine metu ostracismi nor can the deserts of a Subject under another Form be high and eminent but he is more feared then favoured oftner ruined then rewarded the envy of the fall of so eminent a person proving dangerous to none being divided amongst the Many that Rule and Command and certainly it is a considerable commendation of Kingly administration that we can say of it the Ruler may do good offices with the fewest fears and a Subject perform noble services with the highest hopes Sure I am this Nation of England is of a more noble and generous spirit then to sit contentedly under any other then a Royal shadow this was ever our way of Government Status Reip. Anglicanae semper Regalis fuit semper haereditarius saith a learned Antiquary Iulius Cesar makes mention of the Principes Britanniae before the times of Christ many changes have been in the persons but none in the Government till of late as indeed we shall finde Monarchies in History lasting for many hundred years in a Nation but Venice is the only instance of a Commonwealth which hath continued a thousand years and that too for some special reasons Upon this account we have matter of great joy that we are now returned to our old Form of Government the Nation was like a fish before sick till it came thither where it was first spawn'd To those that think this no such matter of joy I shall propound the question that Abimelech did to the men of Sichem Iudg. 9. 2. Whether is it better for you that all the sons of Ierubbael which are threescore and ten persons reign over you or that one reign over you remember also that he is your bone and your flesh This government so highly abetting that unity which all things tend unto hath been received with the greatest expressions of joy in Scripture Num. 23. 21. 1 King 1. 39. 2 King 11. 14. 3 We have matter of very great joy in that we have a

counsels He is great matter of joy to a people generally That Prince is most likely to be attended with success who makes use of this wisdome not to promote his own unwarrantable designes but to discover other mens It is a maxime in law When a state is in preservation of law nothing can hurt it And it is a proverb in Scripture Prov. 10. 9. He that walketh uprightly walketh surely The instances of unfortunate and righteous Princes are very few Reason of state indeed seldome makes use of that topick ab honesto for it is generally thought that religion makes a Prince a lamb and then he is next door to devouring that cases of conscience were not written for a Prince to read That a Prince who is to be faber fortunae suae must use crooked instruments as well as strait turn aside to counsels which nice Casuists possibly will not justifie But we shall finde God blasting such doctrine as this by his Providences frequently a Mounte-bank may sometime remove a fit but it is the Physician must cure the disease and thus sometimes the wily stratagems of unrighteous politicians those slight healers may remove a fit of a distemper the body politick groans under but it returns afterward with greater violence it is righteousness onely is the Physician to cure it Righteousness may possibly lose a throw or two but it constantly wins the game Not I but the Lord saith to a wily politician King Shallum Jerem. 22. 15. Shalt thou reign because thou closest thy self in cedar because thou managest affairs of state politickly did not thy father eat and drink and do justice and judgement and then it was well with him He judged the cause of the poor and needy and then it was well with him That policy and cunning do not carry it and that the game goes not always to him that can best cog the die appears both in nations and particular men See it in nations The Asiaticks more quick and acute generally then the Europeans anciently were conquered by the Grecians The Grecians by the Saracens The Athenians by the Spartans The Egyptians by the Persians many nations by the Turks and yet the latter the more dull and unpolitick people see it in particular persons who more acute then Machiavel and who more unfortunate in his counsel to Caesar Borgia Clement the seventh a politick person but not successfull Achithophel drowned in his own depth It is a thing which Scripture often tells us of Gods blasting the unrighteous counsels of Polititians It is one of Gods characters Isai. 44. 25. That he turneth the wisemen backward and maketh their knowledge foolish Job 12. 17. He leadeth counsellours away spoiled and maketh judges fools It is a truth of everlasting faithfulness that can never be brought about safely by bad means which could not be by good Besides righteousness brings success to counsels because politicians generally hunt counter and never think to finde a Prince walking in the broad rode of justice and honesty and so he walks undiscerned Again Love and Honour are the Magistrates Iachin and Boaz his main strength and establishment which by an unalterable law of heaven are intailed onely upon virtue and righteousness A righteous Prince is a very great matter of joy to a people by that largeness of heart and publickness of spirit which constantly attends a religious Prince Good and righteous Masters are peculiarly stiled 1 Tim. 6. 2. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} that is as Grotius notes They which take care of or assist doing good to others by providing conveniences necessaries for those under their charge {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} signifying curā alicujus gerere as {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Isa. 26. 2. is by the LXX intended to signifie a people that take care of truth Lawfull authority is generally attended as was noted with a publick spirit but goodness always it is the natural product of religion whose law is Philip 2. 4. Look not every man on his own things but every man on the things of others It makes a man owl-ey'd to his neighbours faults and eagle-ey'd to his necessities Isa. 58. 7. Goodness delivers from those lusts and impurities which shrivel shrink and crumple the spirits of men and make them particular and selfish As soon as ever the sun of righteousness shines in upon the soul like the flower it opens and expands it self in care for and love to our brother a publick spirit is a natural and pregnant discovery of God in a soul it is the nature of heaven to be always imparting but of the earth to be always receiving Now what matter of joy is this to a people to have rulers whose large hearts ingage them to be {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Rom. 13. 6. alway attending upon the good of their people He is matter of great joy to a people by his care to advance religion and the Church of God At the inaugurations of the Kings of Iuda the testimony was put into their hands 2 Kings 11. 12. to denote the Prince his being charged with the care of Gods worship as well as the peoples safety no such magna charta for a King to defend as Scripture Grotius well notes that the piety of good Kings in Israel is still intituled to the reformations and the wickedness of bad ones to the several abuses in the Church The Heathens acknowledged such a religious care well becoming a Prince in that form of prayer mentioned in Tacitus used by them for their Emperour Ut Deus ipsi intelligentem humani diviníque juris mentem daret It is the duty of a King to favour religious persons to say with David Psal. 101. 6. Mine eyes shall be upon the faithfull of the land Such persons are indeed accounted like Sampsons hair but the excrements the off-scouring of a nation but they are in truth like that the strength thereof Zach. 12. 5. 2 Sam. 5. 12. It is the duty of Kings especially to contend for the faith Errours and heresies are the red Dragons teeth whereby he devours souls which when sown in a nation too often up come armed men wars and seditions there being no such enmities as those which are founded in religious differences It is the King who is the Churches Guardian lookt upon as alwayes under age engaged to preserve her portion sacred and entire Church goods like Manna corrupt and breed worms while detained in the wilderness of sacrilegious invasion but continuing sweet and a monument of divine bounty while kept in the Temple Now by this his care of religion a good Prince is an occasion of great joy to a people procuring thereby so great a blessing from heaven upon them Virtue in many particular persons hath not her portion paid her till arrived at full growth in heaven but the histories of all times assure