A92848:26
The best and the worst magistrate
The best and the worst magistrate: or, The people's happiness and unhappiness, laid open in a sermon preached at the late election of the Lord Major for the famous City of London, Sept. 29. 1648. / By Obadiah Sedgwick B. in D. and minister at Covent-Garden.
London: printed by Peter Cole, 1648
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
But if Magistrates be (also) Spiritually righteous, if they be such as rightly know God, truly fear God, cordially love God, zealously act for God; if the Law of Righteousness be written in their hearts, these men are blessings indeed, and a joy indeed, though not in the opinion of wicked people, yet in the opinion of God, and all his people. And this I shall demonstrate unto you by four particulars:
1. By the Metaphors, under which they are shadowed.1 2. By the Titles, with which they are described. 3. By the Abilities, with which they are furnished. 4. By the Services, in which they are engaged.
- 1Four Demonstratiens of it.
First, By the Metaphors under which righteous and good Magistrates are set forth (in Scripture) as public Blessings, and special causes of joy unto a people: If you please to cast 1an eye upon Jotham's Parable (in Judg. 9. ver. 9. to 14.) you ⟨p. 5⟩may find good Magistrates or Rulers compared To the Olive tree, to the Fig-tree, and to the Vine-tree: Now there are three things, observable in all these Trees;
First, By the Metaphors under which righteous and good Magistrates are set forth (in Scripture) as publique Blessings, and special causes of joy unto a people: If you please to cast