Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	absolute_a	king_n	law_n	2,395	5	5.2952	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05380	Heauen and earth, religion and policy. Or, The maine difference betweene religion and policy. Written by C.L.	Lever, Christopher, fl. 1627.	1608 (1608)	STC 15536; ESTC S108517	29,500	128

imployment in Christian States therfore the best the best ablemen in kingdomes and States haue that prouident care assigned them being a wisdom aboue the reach of common capacity wherewith God is pleased his Church aduanced kingdomes continued in reputation and greatnes which without such prouidence would like vnrepiared building rotte and ruine in their decaye 10 But all the trickes of euill Policy like so many Traytors to God to his Church and to all Christian society ought to bee banished the confines of euery Christian place and to be excluded the consultations of reuerend honorable Senators and to haue place onely in their knowledge but neuer in their consent and practise In respect of the Prince of soueraigne of State CHAP. VI. T The Prince is the Soueraigne or principall of euery State by whom the lawes haue authority and the life of execution And therefore these respects are most considerable in his person on whose good or euill disposition the good or euill fortunes of a kingdome dependeth Euery Prince in his kingdome being the helme by which the whole body is moued and inforced to mooue as hee is moued For Princes are the precedents of God in respect of vniuersall power and generall obedience For as God the King of all the world doth moue all occasions in the world at his pleasure altering translating and establishing according to his diuine wisedome euen so kings here on earth the petite resemblances of God alter and confirme at their pleasure within their own liberty iurisdiction bineding their subiects to conformity and generall consent 2 And for this cause they are called Gods because like God they haue generall power ouer the States of all their subiects And as the dignity of a Prince doth worthily challenge a prerogatiue ouer all degrees of men so in them there is a naturall descent of noblenes and pregnancy of spirit whereby they are made fit to manage those weighty and great occasions which are common in the care of their gouernment 3 Therefore in them there is most soueraigne vse of Religion and Religious Policy without which they cannot discharge the duety of their kingly office to God supply the necessities of their kingdomes nor support their kingly reputations All which necessary seruice hath beene the practise and pleasure of all Religious Kings of former times wil be in the race of holy Kings for euer 4 If then I be demanded what is first and principally required in the person of a Prince I will answere Religion if what is next I will answere Religion if I be still further vrged I would still answere Religion for that must be the first the middle and the last of all his cares and that principall whereupon his kingly building can onely haue sure foundation 5 Religion then is the necessary in the person of euery Christian Prince all other cares being but seconds and subordinate to this one most absolute for therfore are kings Potentates and Superiours ordained of God and therfore haue they authority of superintendance ouer multitudes of people not for themselues or for their owne glory but for the seruice of their master and supreme soueraigne who hath giuen them these dignities for the seruice of holy Church that by their authority men may be forced to the obedience of holy Religion and that the disobedience of their people may be reduced vnder a Ciuill and a Christian gouernement and therefore are Kings and Queenes called the nurse-fathers and mothers of the Catholique Church because their National Church and euery child of grace in that Church liueth vnder their tuition and their protection for which they are countable before Gods tribunall 6 Againe Religion is not onely of necessity in the person of a Prince but of Religious Politique consequence also for that Prince or Potentate who is truely Religious hath not onely for his recompence the rewards of heauen which notwithstanding doeth abudantly satisfie more then any mans desert but also all other temporall blessings doe of necessity depend vpon the fortunes of him that is Religious And therefore peace plenty honour victory all these or as much of these as in the wisdome of God is thought conuenient for their happines are alwaies found in the fortunes of holy Princes to whom God doth apply himselfe and the largenes of his bounty when they apply themselues to God and to the seruice of Catholique Religion And this is conforme to that Iudgement of diuinity First seeke the kingdome of God and all other blessings shall be cast vpon thee 7 As Religion is most necessary so Religious Policy is much required in the person of a Prince because euery Christian kingdome consisteth of two States Ecclesiasticall and Ciuill the which like a body and a soule are vnited and made one State vnder the gouernment of one absolute Prince And as the naturall body and soule of a man liue not by one and the same meanes though both participate their seuerall blessings So in the State of Christian kingdomes the Church is the soule the State is the body whereof is compounded a Christian kingdome And therefore is it a speciall wisedome in the discretion of Princes to order this soule and this body of State by proper and peculiar directions For many things are needfull in the Church which are not in the State and many things lawful in the State which are not in the Church the State hauing by much a greater liberty in her directions 8 For the State then it is needefully required that the Prince bee Politique and haue vnderstanding in secrets of most curious search wherein he must bee moderated by his Christian iudgement that no vnlawfull Policy enter further then his knowledge whereby his Kingly reputation should bee stained with vngodly practise And therefore whatsoeuer is euill must be onely knowne and whatsoeuer is good must be onely practised especially with Kings whose seates are aboue all men because they ought to bee neerest God in sanctimonious life being neerest him in place and because all mens eyes are vpon them and euery mans desire is to fashion them 9 For me to aduise a Prince and to giue directions would assuredly be thought presumption because flattery and feare haue corrupted the writings of many men most men applauding the fortunes of the present times how vnfortunate so euer and flatering the Prince vnder whom they liue in the exercise of much vnlawfulnes Whereby such writers deny God deny their acknowledgement of Truth and deny that seruice to their King and Nation whereby both King and kingdome might be benefitted of which base feare I will euer be innocent And therefore I would boldly declare my iudgement euen in this particular but that the Christian labour of a Christian King hath preuented me whose learned iudgement and kingly experience hath made him better able to aduise in all such directions then my selfe or then any man I thinke this day liuing 10 These things ought a Prince to doe

but if the politique State be iustifiable in her proceedings it argueth the iustnes and truth of the State of Religion because where the State is not tempted to euill which is much more subiect to such temptation it is of great likely-hood that the Church is vntainted and in the State of truth and holy discipline 12 And in this respect hath God beene fauourable to this Nation beyond comparison hauing giuen it such Soueraignes of State and State gouernors as no Christian Nation can out-glory it descending still a succession of both sorts of Gouernors principals and secondaries whereby both States of Religion and Religious Policy flourish in this kingdome in their lawfull and Religious exercise Of Subordinate Gouernours in the common affaires of State CHAP. VIII SVbordinate Gouernours in the State are Iudges Iustices and their inferiour officers who by reason the executions of their offices depend vpon certaine Satutes State directions are therefore bound to a strictnes of iustice from which they rightfully cannot wander and therefore in the iust discharge of their offices they haue nothing at their owne election but are tied by necessity to iudge and determine as the law shal lead them Therefore in them there is little vse of Policy because the seruice of their place is execution and not inuention to doe as they are directed and not to direct how to doe For the wisedome of Policy is direction but the life of iustice is execution 2 For as euery action of our bodies receiue directions from the soule how to moue how to speake how to worke according to such direction is euery action formed so the subbordinate Magistrate doth nothing of himselfe but as his superiours direct him they giuing him rules and proportions to command and restraine him 3 For the King is the head of euery body Politique his Counsellors of State are those diuine faculties in the head reason vnderstanding iudgement c. By whose directions the whole body is ordered and disposed the instrumentall parts such as the eies the hands the feete c. resemble subordinate officers who administer and execute as the head directs them The truncke or bulke of the body is the vulgar who communicate the profits of the whole body yet in respect of gouernment they are meerely passiue hauing diuine and humane lawes and their officers to order them in euery circumstance of their life 4 Thus ought euery body Politique to bee disposed euery difference of degree obseruing iust proportion as God as Nature and as Order hath disposed them Therefore in subordinate officers of State there is a dutie of conformity which commands them as they command inferiours whereby the libertie of euill affected men is restrained from much iniurious violence which authoritie would giue to bloodie or ambitious Natures 5 For in men not rightly affected there is no Heauen no Hell no wound of conscience so powerfull to correct and withhold from iniury as penalty and seuere law because they are but doubtfully but this certainly beleeued and therefore is it a speciall prouidence of State to limit all subordinate authoritie and to leaue nothing to libertie and common discretion wherein would bee disorder and confusion but to giue authoritie with limits and restrictions commanding both the matter and the manner of euery lawfull proceeding in a Common-wealth 6 In inferiour magistracie then there is not that needfull vse of much policy as in Soueraigne and State authority a faithfull diligence being principally required in their seruice to do onely that which they are directed And this was seriously regarded in the Romane Gouernment where inferiour officers might doe nothing not onely not against but not without superiour authority where such neglect was punished with death euen in them who had deserued nobly 7 Religion and Conscience then is principally and solely required in such magistracie the which dutie in them discharged where in all controuersies of titles or executions of iustice the true end and purpose of euery law is barely considered no partiall regard had to friend or friendly fauours whereby the sentence and iudgement of lawes may destroy their iustice and sincerity 8 And from whence do arise infinite of inconueniencies the greatest enemies of peace and iustice the calamitie of a Christian State and the distroyers of many wealthy States all which euils would be auoyded if law-controuersies were decided without friuolous protractions and and with a conscionable vnderstanding of the law the reuerend sages of the law deliuering the true sense of euery Statute and the true worth of euery title with single eye and without partiall affection whereby the swarmes of contentious wranglers might want argument of strife and imploy their paines in more conscionable seruices and whereby the Common-wealth should not want the profitable imployment of honest and painefull men in their callings who often times lose their whole estate by attending the law defence of some litle parte thereof Therefore in these officers and in this authoritie there is most needefull vse of conscience and that no Policy but onely Religion may giue them and their place direction 9 This is the common duty but not the common practise of subordinate officers who notwithstanding their little vse of Policy yet many times vse Policy and bad Policy more then conscience and Religion whereby the reuerend and worthy place it selfe is held in iealousie and the common reputation disgraced by the base vsage of some particulars 10 But it were a bad argument to conclude against a generall profession by particular instance or condemne the abused because of the abusers for among all degrees of men and in euery place and profession there are euer some guilty of dishonest and vngodly practise If Christ chuse twelue there is on diuell and therefore in our elections among twenty there may be twelue diuels And vndoubtedly it is no wrong to report that in all estates degrees and professions of men the worse part is by much the greater for as the way to Heauen so the way to honesty and vpright dealing is hard and the passage narrow and fewe there be that enter that path but most happie are they whosoeuer they bee who refuse to be vnfaithfull despising the vanities of this life because their hope and confidence doth repose in the trust of Gods prouidence 11 Whosoeuer then hath place in these subordinate affaires of State whether it be in the course of law or in the course of common iustice if he decline from the rules of equity and honest proceeding his practise is but Policy and the vse he maketh of Law is most vnlawfull for howsoeuer it is but reasonable that the profits of euery mans place that hath imployment in the State should support him and gaine him such proportion of maintenance as the countenance of his place requireth yet he that applieth the seruice of his place to his owne profitable vses onely is most vniustifiable in the iudgement of conscience because he faileth