Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	age_n	church_n	scripture_n	2,324	5	6.0450	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56562	The magistrates authority asserted, in a sermon, preached at the cathedral in Norwich by James Paston ...	Paston, James, d. 1722?	1673 (1673)	Wing P666; ESTC R13819	15,825	32

to the higher Powers and he gives a sufficient Reason why Subjection must be yielded to such For saith he there is no power but of God whether it be that power which Christ has left in his Church or that of Heathen Emperours under whom ye live The Powers that be are ordained of God The Sin of resisting therefore is not small For whosoever resisteth the Power though he may deceive himself and think he only resisteth man yet his resistance reaches further He resisteth the ordinance of God this is the nature of the sin and therefore He that doth resist shall receive to himself Damnation this is the punishment For further as he tells them verse 3. The end and design of Gods setling Rulers over them is not to terrifie them from good but from evil and therefore they ought to be afraid to resist that power which is given of God for so good an end which since it is so good they must needs be subject not only for wrath not only for fear of the sword which the Magistrate bears but although he should lay by his sword though he should suspend his punishment yet merely For Conscience sake they must be subject Now this is plaint to common sense that the Apostle injoynes subjection not only in civil but also in spiritual concerns but in what particulars this Subjection is to be yielded he hath not declared either here or in any other place The Church of the Jews was strictly limited and prescribed in many particular circumstances and whosoever should dare to trangress these or make any alteration in these punctilio's was sure to run inevitably upon a Curse But Christ has given us an enlargement and has granted liberty to the Christian Church to institute and appoint what indifferent Ceremonies should be used and therefore we finde onely general Rules laid down as 1 Cor. 16.16 the Apostle speaking concerning Timotheus and Apollos fellow-workers together with him in the Lord I beseech you brethren saith he submit your selves unto such and to every one that helpeth with us and laboureth And so again Hebr. 13.17 Obey those that have the rule over you for they watch for your souls as they that must give an account and the Apostle St. Peter 1. Pet. 2.13 Submit your selves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake whether it be to the King as supream or unto Governours that are sent by him for the punishment of evil doers and the praise of them that do well And the Apostle St Paul writing to Titus Bishop of Crete tells him Tit. 1.5 that For this cause he left him there that he might set things in order that were wanting so that to make our Christian freedome a ground of Disobedience is to use our liberty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a cover or cloke for our maliciousness For obedience to Governours both Civil and Ecclesiastical is as plainly commanded in the writings of the New Testament as love to God and our Neighbour and disobedience is so evidently forbidden that unless we be blinded either with Pride or Ignorance we may as easily discern the prohibition as Thou shalt not kill and Thou shalt not steal Nay not onely the Gospel but Nature it self has writ it in such Characters and so universally legible that all Nations have read and obeyed it and no people though never so barbarous were scarce ever yet found that had not a Government in Spiritual and Civil concerns So that Subjection and Government have been semper ubique at all times and in all places So that he that disputes against Authority at the same time argues against the Sacred Scripture and Reason and the practice of all Ages and Nations For Subjection we see is commanded to be yielded to Superiours whether in Church or State to Ecclesiastical or Civil Power or if it be both united in one but in what particulars is not here specified therefore observing the method of the Text we will enquire I. In what things we must be subject II. Wherein lies the necessity of such Subjection III. The Reasons laid down by the Apostle 1. For Wrath. 2. For Conscience sake I. In what things we must be subject to the higher Powers and that is First In all things God has commanded Secondly In all things which he has not plainly and evidently forbidden and that not only in Civil but also in Spiritual matters and for proof of this last I chiefly design my following Discourse I. In all things God has commanded we must be subject to our Superiours and to use Arguments to prove this would be needless and superfluous for I suppose if our Superiours commanded Love and Peace and Unity we ought to obey because God and Nature have commanded the same things but in regard that every thing is not set down nor every particular circumstance specified which may serve in order to the preservation of them Therefore II. If our Superiours prescribe this or that way for the attaining to and preservation of them if this or that way be not forbidden by God we must in this also be subject For although it be true that Christ has made us free yet nevertheless St. Peter exhorts us 1 Pet. 2.13 even for His sake to submit to every ordinance of man and not to use this liberty as a cloke of maliciousness as a pretence for Rebellion and Disobedience for that freedom which Christ purchased for us is Freedom from sin Freedom from the curse of the Law Freedom from the Ceremonial Law from Circumcision and Sacrifices and it is certain that when Christ abrogated those Circumstances which belonged to the Jewish he did not institute others as appendages to the Christian Worship but yet he gave power to those whom he left in his stead to do it If he had instituted any himself they had been indispensably necessary whether our Superiours had commanded them or not But now they are not so indispensably necessary till such time and no longer than the Commands of our lawful Superiours make them so For not the least drop of Christ's blood was so vainly spent as to purchase freedom for us in things absolutely indifferent that is in such things as were in their own nature indifferent concerning which there was no command For these were free before and therefore free to be performed before and after they are commanded and the Command is necessarily to be obeyed It is true if the Supreme King of Heaven evidently forbids what his Substitutes upon Earth injoyn we know which to obey God rather than Man But if it be not evidently forbidden nay if it be doubtful whether God has forbidden or not we are bound to obey at least till we see some manifest and very plausible ground for our hesitation For herein we carry along with us the virtue of obedience and God's Precept by his Apostle Submit your selves will be our plea whereas if we err the other way there is scarce any thing will