Selected quad for the lemma: justice_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
justice_n	great_a	king_n	lord_n	8,214	5	3.8032	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12983	A sermon preached at Paules Crosse, the second of Nouember. 1606. By Richard Stocke, preacher of Al-hallowes, Bread-streete, London	Stock, Richard, 1569?-1626.	1609 (1609)	STC 23276; ESTC S117808	42,660	92

A SERMON PREACHED AT Paules Crosse the second of Nouember 1606. By Richard Stocke Preacher of Al-hallowes Bread-streete London LONDON Printed by T. C. for Edmond Weauer and William Welby 1609. TO THE RIGHT REVErend Father in God Iames by Gods prouidence Lord Bishop of Bathe and Welles R. S. wisheth all Grace true Honor and Comforts in this life and the Crowne of glory in the life to come RIghte Reuerende in CHRIST Saluia Massil de gubernat Dei the anger of God his fearefull punishments for Iradiuinitatis est poena peccantis hath bene heauie vpon vs for the space of these almost sixe yeares The cause doubtlesse is the sinnes of the time which haue defiled the Land and prouoked God to send such plagues as may purge the land of vs when we will not purge it and our selues from our sinnes Which sinnes what they are as I haue touched diuers in the Sermon following so none seemeth to mee to be more offensiue to the eyes of God then that popish Idolatrie which is committed in the land wherewith euerie place countrie and Citie is horriblie defiled though as the prophet speaketh Ezek. 8.12 it is but in the darke and in the chamber of their imagery Which was an occasion to me beeing called to the stage of the land to act this part I haue done in this Sermon namely to perswade euerie man to iudge himselfe and them to whom the sword of iustice is committed to iudge other malefactors specially Romish Idolaters and to execute the iust lawes vpon them because God will not iudge when man doth iudge before as the Iudges of assile will not censure againe those malefactors whom the Iustices of the sessions haue formerly punished But when this is neglected God will and can not for his iustice but he must bring this the like fearefull iudgementes vpon the land Which as they were the occasion of my preaching of this doctrine so they are some causes of my publishing of it in writing to trie if I might by any meanes prouoke euery man in his seuerall place and condition to this preuenting course of Gods iudgementes At the least I shall haue my owne discharge by it Now I haue presumed to bring it forth into publike vnder your name and countenaunce for diuerse both publike and priuate reasons and respectes Publike first you are now aduanced to a speciall place of gouernment in the Church and haue that authoritie in your hands that you may cause effect great reformation of manners and redresse of many things which are highly displeasing to God To which if I might be any occasion to excite your Lordship I should thinke I had effected some great good because your example as it might prouoke others in authoritie both in Church and common wealth to do the like so it might animate them to goe forward with hope it would be well accepted of his highnes when they shall see you who haue beene so continually in his presence and so daily conuersant with him and can not but knowe his heart affection take some round and constant courses in reforming of abuses both in manners and doctrine Secondly your place you yet enioy so nigh vnto his Maiesties person whereby you haue done hitherto good offices to the Church The English desence of the Popes Breeues Bellar. Letter her enemies being witnes in iustly and wisely exasperating his Maiesties heart against these foxes who would destroy her vines Now if I might bee anie meanes to further your willing minde to be constāt in this dutie I should iudge it in me a good seruice to the Church as in your selfe it will be a glorious seruice to the King of Kings honourable to his highnes profitable to the Church comfortable to all her friendes and bring you great honour from God and good men Which pointe I will not here much presse in the particular seeing I haue in the treatise following don it in the generall though to vse Bernards words in another case De diligēdo Deo Non prout dignum rei sed prout datum mihi Yet let me intreat your Lordship or rather adiure you by that honour and sauour which God hath giuen you with your Soueraigne and by that account you must giue for the imployment of it before the great King in that great day that you would goe on in this so religious and profitable a worke namely to excite his Maiestie to wakē his sleeping lawes that as he hath long sung mercie he would at length tune iustice and command indeed that his lawes may haue their course Psal 101.8 that betimes he would destroy the wicked of the lād that such workers of iniquitie may be cut off from the citie of the Lord. It is not vnfitting your Lo. beeīng called to be a reuerēd Bishop a gouernor of the Church to incite him to this since it was the consecrating of the Leuites hands to the Lord for euery man to slay his brother Exod. 32.29.27 his companion and his neighbour who had defiled the land with Idolatrie And it is no lesse then necessitie requireth of his Maiestie both for the good of himselfe Thomas Worthingtonus presbyter his posteritie those hopefull plants his whole people and the church of God Sith they boast not at home onely but a broad of the great increase of this Idolatrous broode amongst vs. There is one who hath lately published two Tomes of Bristowes the Iesuite written in Latine called Motiua Anti-haretica who in his Epistle Dedicatorie speaks thus Post diuturnas in Anglia ingrauescentes pro fide Catholica persecutiones ita plus solito crescat Catholicorum ibi mumerus ac zelus vt spes effulgeat Diuina praestante misericordia totum illud amplissimū Regnū ad sanctaematris Ecclesiae gremiū breuirediturum Is it not then more then need high time that his Maiesties former lenitie shuld be turned into iust seueritie lest he may seeme to succeeding ages to forget both his God himselfe his posteritie people Which may easily be preuented if his lawes may be at length with some roūdnes executed specially against the seedes men of treason idolatrie by whom this popish superstitiō is nourished increased in this land For so saith the former authour in the same place commending the founders and vpholders of their Seminaries as the fountains of those waters which haue watered these weeds till they be fit for the fire adding that His enim in collegijs Sacerdotes initiati inde in Angliā missi tū paruas ibi religionis reliquias cōseruerunt tum easdē vt nūc videamus in immensum propagarunt These then by confession beeing the preseruers and the increasers of this Idolatrie among vs there is no way to preuent the cōtinuance and increase of this ●●●●…by ●●●…ing off such at least who husband this Idolatrous worke least 〈◊〉 should growe to that they would haue it the ●ar●s to

by these meanes how bolde will they grow and how will they insult that though the face of the lawe be against them yet the edge is turned from them how vnlike shall this gouernment be to that which God vseth in adding and vsing more seueritie when the smaller corrections preuaile not how preiudiciall to the peace of the state and preseruation of his Maiestie his posteritie and people both in respect of their inueterate malice and exasperated stomacks and in respect of Gods iustice who cannot endure such a sinne without seuere iudgements when neither the loue of the truth is expressed nor the hatred of heresies and his enemies pursued When Ahab had let Benhadad the King of Aram escape his hands whom the Lord had deliuered into his hands euen then whē he had fully resolued to destroy him and the whole kingdome there came vnto him a Prophet of the Lord and vnder a parable made him accuse himselfe then vttered the Lords message Thus saith the Lord 1. King 20.42 Because thou hast let goe out of thy hands a man whom I appointed to die thy life shall go for his life thy people for his people The Lord hath deliuered into your hands men whō he hath appointed to punishment some after this sort some after that according to the iustice of the law and some to die which are their principall seducers If you let them goe out of your hands what can you expect but that Iudgement your liues for theirs and your people for their people your goods libertie and peace for theirs But to preuent this as you are Gods so shewe it in time in vsing more seueritie and yet but iust against al who are irreconciliable and irreuotable specially against their seducers the seedes-men not of heresies only but of horrible treason and confusion of state The french storie reporteth that Sa●anorola P●●l●de Co●● lib. 8. cap. 2. holden by many for a Prophet but sure hee was a renounned man for pietie and learning tolde the french King Charles the 8. he should haue great prosperitie in his voyage into Italic and that God would giue the sword into his hand and all this to the end hee should reforme the corrupt state of the church which if he did not performe he shuld returne home againe with dishonour and God would reserue the honour of this worke for some other and so it fell out I am no Prophet nor the sonne of a Prophet yet out of Gods dealing in former times as the sacred and Ecclesiasticall Histories shew I may be bolde to speake thus much that seeing God hath put the sword into your hands to reforme things amisse and withstand corruptions that would grow by cutting off such as seeke to bring them in If you doe it well and good 1. Sam. 2.30 I will honour them that honour me But if you doe it not you shall returne with dishonour to your long homes For they who despise me shall be despised and God will reserue the honour of this worke to some other Ther is a speech in Lactantius to this purpose If saith he De Ira Dei. a maister of a family shall haue his children massacred his wife murdered his house burned ouer his head and all by a leawd seruant and if he should spare that seruant and let him goe without seuere punishment what doe you thinke of him Were he to be accounted mild mercifull and clement or vnnaturall and cruell doubtlesse euery one would condemne him of crueltie Then what may be thought of your sparing of Papists for though Blessed be God they haue not done any such thing to vs yet there wanted no will nor intent in them no indeuour was lacking to haue effected it So no thanke to them we yet liue and prosper for if they might haue had their wills long since our wiues and children had bin murdered before our eyes our houses burned before our faces our whole state brought to confusion Then iudge whether pittie lenitie to them be not crueltie to all our state But as the Apostle Paul hauing reprooued the Hebrewes somewhat sharpely saith Heb. 6.6 Beloued wee haue perswaded our selues better things of you and such as accompanie saluation though wee thus speake So Honorable and Reuerend I haue perswaded my selfe better things of you and such as accompanie the safetie of the state the peace of the Church the prosperitie and preseruation of his Maiestie and all his royall issue and the good comfort of your selues and your posteritie though I thus speake Thirdly Vse 3 this may perswade euery man to indeuor for repentance to profit by gods former and lesser iudgements that they may auoyde the future and greater Those Patients who will not obey the physitians prescripts must indure his potions and if those whose ingredients are more gentle and milde and of lesse malignitie preuaile not they must haue sharper if the physitian purpose to cure them he that would auoyde these must indeuour himselfe to helpe the first that they may haue their effect and worke that which was intended by them so he that will not obey God commanding must be sure to heare from him and to feele his rodde that neglects his worde and if he profit not by the lesse he shal haue the greater and seeing God will do this he ought by that he hath felt to harken to the prophet Ames Prepare to meete him with true repentance and 〈◊〉 to him that hath smitten him Amos. 4.12 least his hand be stretched out still The physitians haue a potion against the plague which consisteth of three ingrediēts but it is but the rich mans physicke it is too costly for many the medicine is called flying the ingredients are these Citò longè Tardè Citò flee soone enough Longè flee farre inough Tardè make no haste to returne but returne slowe inough Many take this preseruatiue many are kept all together from this though ouertaken with another many haue it adiourned for a time but yet are met withall afterwards either with that or a greater Amos. 5.19 As Amos saith As if a man did slie from a lyon and a Beare me●●● him or went into the house and leaned his hard against the wall and the Serpent bit him But the prophets haue another preseruatiue not against this only but all other either to make them not touch him or else to turne to his good and this they call not flying but returning The ingredients of this medicine are two laid downe euery where in the Scriptures Cease to do euill learne to do well Eschew euill and do good And this is both restoratiue preseruatiue that by which men may remooue the present and preuent greater to come for if men would turne from their wicked waves and put away their drunkennes and gluttonie their chambering wantonnesse their horible oathes and blasphemie cease profaning of holy things and the Sabbothes of God forsake their couetousnes