Selected quad for the lemma: justice_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
justice_n	john_n	lord_n	sir_n	34,784	5	7.5192	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67833	Two assize sermons preached at Winchester the first Feb. 26, 1694, James Hunt of Popham, Esq. being sheriff of the county of Southampton : the second July 14, 1686, Charles Wither of Hall, Esq. being sheriff, &c. / by E. Young ...	Young, Edward, 1641 or 2-1705.	1695 (1695)	Wing Y70; ESTC R3087	24,328	64

whose Matters are not of Natural but only of Positive Right which happens as often as Laws are enacted about things that are in their Own Nature Indifferent Now it is certain these Matters do not Directly belong to Gods Cause and yet they do Consequentially Because Indifferent things do generally carry in them the Advantages and Encouragements of Necessary Things And whether they do or no God will have our Obedience approved in Indifferent Things as well as Necessary We conclude therefore that Moral Things which are most commonly the Matter of Human Laws are Gods Cause by Antecedent Relation and that Indifferent things when they once are made Matter of Human Laws do then become Gods Cause by Espousal And therefore it is that Both are charged upon the Consciences of Men by the Apostle and Both are to be observed for the sake of God Or in Case they are not observed the Animadversion upon those that do not observe them is no less than a Judgment executed in Gods Behalf III. The Issue of Judgment is Gods End The Political End of Judgment is the Maintenance of the Laws the securing of Rights the encouragement of Industry and the establishing of Peace in which consists that Political Happiness that Every Government aims at But God has a Greater End in it than All this and that is the making of Men Internally Good and Virtuous and laying in them the Foundation of a Future Happiness a Happiness that will last when all the Polities of the World are past off the Stage and expired So that we ought to look upon Judgment as a Part of Gods Providence whereby he governs the World to his most holy Purposes For as we all acknowledge that God has a Providence whereby he does govern the World so if we enquire into the Nature and End of that Providence we shall find it to be no other than a series of several Methods to make Men Good to which End this of Human Judgment is conducing in the most Eminent manner For no doubt but Judgment is the greatest possible External Bond of Human Virtue and the most effectual Check of disorderly Passions It guards Men from doing Ill by a Wholsome Fear and those that have done Ill it brings to Repentance by Suffering Insomuch that in the Scripture it is recommended as the great Disposition to Christianity and the great Preparatory to the salvation of God For the Prophet Isaiah speaking of the Coming of our Saviour and explaining as it were that future Message of John the Baptist Prepare ye the way of the Lord he does it in these Words Isaiah lvi 1. thus saith the Lord keep ye judgment and do justice for my salvation is near to come and my righteousness to be revealed And to the same sense is that Passage Psalm xcvii where after it has been said verse 1. The Lord reigneth the earth may be glad thereof it follows verse 2. justice and judgment are the establishment of his throne As if according to the Ordinary nature of Things God could not Reign where the Government did not assert him He may in Compassion hover over a People but he can never pitch his Tent and Dwell amongst them unless the Magistrate fix him a Throne by looking to that Point which S. Paul therefore calls the very End of Magistracy viz. To be a terrour to evil doers and a Praise to them that do well Thus God has put into the hands of the Magistrate not only a Godlike Power but likewise the Power of a Godlike Retaliation For as He makes them Govern so they may and who questions but that they ought to make Him Govern Reciprocally I know indeed that God has had a Church in the World and that the most glorious Church that ever was in the World without the Assistance of Magistrates But that was in an Age of Visible Miracles and at a time when the World and the Church stood notoriously distinguish'd and while those that were of the Church were kept so Humble by Persecution and Mortify'd by Poverty and Sober by the Daily Expectation of Death that they needed no Other Laws to restrain their Appetites But now that the World it self is come into the Church and Men can maintain their Temporal Hopes and Passions and their Christian Profession together it is impossible but that the Tares of Common Corruption should choak and wast the Good seed unless the Magistrate step in to weed and to pluck up and assist in the Cultivation of the Field IV. The Formal Judgment i. e. the Sentence of Judgment is Gods Sentence For says the Psalmist God is judge himself Psal. 1. 6. And though Delegated Powers act for him at present and pass the Sentence yet he Recognizes and Imputes that Sentence and takes it into his Own Account We are aware that God has appointed a Day in the which he will Judge the World in Righteousness And the Rule of Proceeding in that Day as the Holy Scripture avouches shall be this viz. Men shall Reap as they Sow and He that hath done Wrong shall receive for the Wrong that he hath done Now the very same being the Rule of all Human Judicature we ought to look upon every Judicial Sessions here to be no other than a Particular Dispatch of Business subordinate and preparatory to the Universal Judgment Thus when wrong is Recompensed by Human Judgment the Judgment of God is so far Prevented If indeed the Sentence it self happen to be Wrong and Injurious then in the Psalmist's Style The poor committeth himself to God that he may take the matter into his own hands Thus I say it happens should the Sentence of Judgment be in it self Wrong and Injurious But both the Law and Good Manners look upon this as the Supposition of an Impossible thing Turpe est Impossibile says the Rule of Law and therefore without farther supposing it I shall form This Conclusion viz. That Every Sentence of Human Judgment is Ingredient to the Retribution of the Great Day and that All that Men suffer here for their Crimes if they suffer it with a just sense of their Crimes shall then be imputed to such a Measure of their Purgation and All the Impunity that Guilt meets with here shall be reckon'd for in the Sentence that shall then be passed I say not that a Man may work out his Future Absolution by any satisfactions that he can make here to Publick Justice or that he cannot be Absolved in the Future without such satisfactions here paid Blessed be the Love of Christ whose Satisfactions are All-sufficient But this I say that since God has made True Repentance a necessary Condition without which none can lay hold on that Satisfaction which Christ has made and no Repentance is True that does not engage a Man to make what Satisfaction he is able himself both to Men by Compensation for Injuries and to God by Sorrow for Guilt And since Men left to their Own Discretion are

have set God always before me So let us God is always By us let us set him always before us His Eyes are always upon Us let Ours be likewise proportionably upon Him Let us keep our minds in a Lively Sense of the Venerableness of his Presence and the Awfulness of his Inspection And this is the best Method to guard us from treating that Inspection irreverently and to keep us tender of doing any thing unsuitable to such a Presence Come see the man that told me all that ever I did cries the Woman of Samaria after her Conversation with our Saviour at Jacob's Well Think a little upon that Conversation or upon such a possible one with thy self Think what Commotions what Strugling of several Passions started up in that Womans Breast so soon as she found One whom she look'd upon as a pure Stranger to her to break in upon all her Secrets The same shall one day be every ones Case The same Jesus though in more awful Circumstances shall tell every one of us all that ever we did And say then where lies our Wisdom but in a Constant Endeavour to do that that will bear the Telling Happy are they that pursue this Endeavour Almighty God assist us all to do so by his Merciful Grace To whom be Glory and Thanksgiving for ever and ever Amen AN Assize SERMON Preached at WINCHESTER July 14. 1686. CHARLES WITHER of Hall Esq Being Sheriff c. TO CHARLES WITHER Esq SIR MY publishing the foregoing Sermon puts me in mind of a Debt of the same Kind to Your self which I shall discharge by publishing that which follows Why it was not publish'd when first desired the Sermon it self will speak my Apology I there represent Good King Jehosaphat giving such Counsel to His Judges as was not given to the Judges of this Realm in the Year 1686. c. And although preaching upon such an Occasion I thought it no less than my Duty to Speak what I did yet to Print it which was beyond my Duty would have been no other than an Officious Imprudence The Printing it Now gives me a Fresh Admonition to be Thankful to God for the wonderful Providence whereby we were delivered from those fearful apprehensions which possest us at that Time and whereby we are settled in such a state of Happiness and Freedom that any One may say what is Consonant to Law and Justice without fear of Thwarting the Measures of the Government or hazard of being brought under Censure for it And Your self may now Safely which then you could not espouse the Dedication as a Testimony of my Respect who am Sir Your Affectionate and humble Servant E. Young SERMON II. 2 CHRON. xix 6. Take heed what ye do for ye judge not for men but for the Lord. THE Heathens themselves did never set about any Solemn Business but they began with Religious Offices And Hierocles one of them gives us account of the Notion on which this their Piety was grounded He says They pray'd to the Gods before they set about their Business for Two Reasons 1. That they might procure the Divine Assistance in what they went about and 2. That in Contemplation of that Assistance they might act Soberly and in such a manner as to do nothing Unworthy of it The Reasons are as Enforcing as the Example is Commendable and I hope there is no Soul in this Assembly so Loose as not to be suitably affected with Both I hope none here is so Profane as to account Going to Church the Great Importance of a Circuit or so Inconsiderable as to think that the Administration of Justice is a Business of such a Nature as may be done well enough without particular Regard to Gods Assistance Let a Man but weigh the Words now read unto you he shall find Reason in them sufficient to confute any such Apprehension They are the Words of King Jehosaphat of whom the former Verse tells us That He set Judges in the land throughout all the Cities of Judah and in this Verse He is brought in as giving Instruction and Caution to those Judges in this Form Take heed what ye do for ye judge not for men but for the Lord. For the Explication of which Words I shall use no other Method than the making of this Paraphrase upon them in the Person of the King Ye Men and Now ye Principal Men of Judah I have advanc'd You to the Magistracy and made You the Guardians of Peace and Justice It is become Your Province to give Life to the Laws to redress the Injur'd to check the Insolent and to bound the Unruly Power and Honour always attend Your Persons and Submission waits on Your Decrees But this notwithstanding let me advise You Be not over-much Pleased with Your Station but rather Take heed Consider and be afraid For Magistracy does not only advance it likewises Indicates and Tries Your Honour is ballanc'd with Duty and Your Power is clog'd with Temptation Please not Your selves therefore in thinking that I have confer'd on You the Power to do Great things but rather Take heed what ye do For You cannot but be tempted to do Amiss You will find Your Integrity assaulted through Every Passion Among those Persons over whose Causes You will Preside some are Great and they may possibly byass You by Your Fear some are Bountiful and they will not fail to bait Your Desire some are Insinuating and they may chance to warp You by Affection But Take heed and remember that Ye Judge not for Men. I my self Your King what a Temptation must I needs be to You You cannot but reflect in all Your Transactions that You are Mine by Original Duty Mine by present Obligation Mine by all Future Expectances and what Prudence then can hinder You from concluding that My Pleasure ought to be Your Supreme Rule But remember that You Judge not even for Me For though I can communicate that Power to You which I have received from God yet I cannot prescribe any other Ends and Uses of that Power than what God himself has prescribed both to You and Me I can give You Authority to Judge but God has fix'd the Mark and Scope of Your Judgment in the Indispensable Measures of Right and Truth Remember therefore that You Judge for the Lord It is Gods Business that Your Character engages You in 'T is His Cause You have now undertaken To this Effect that Good and Wise King cautioned his Judges and it well became Him but I am aware that to the Manners of Other Men there must be Other Measures and for such a One as I am to pursue the same Advice to Persons of that Conspicuous Order were too great an Indecency I shall therefore choose to extend the Concern of the Advice to All that either do or may any way Relate to Publick Justice And the Words will very well bear that Extension When we consider that in the Transactions of Judicature many may be said