Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	church_n	peter_n	successor_n	2,942	5	9.2143	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59571	A sermon preached before the Lords spiritual and temporal in Parliament assembled in the abbey-church at Westminster, on the thirtieth of January, 1699/700 / by the Most Reverend Father in God, John, Lord Arch-bishop of York.	Sharp, John, 1645-1714.	1700 (1700)	Wing S2999; ESTC R40613	9,996	25

plain general indispensable Duties of Obedience to Laws and of Peaceableness and Subjection to the Higher Powers which Christ and his Apostles have every where taught in the Bible If indeed a Preacher should in the Pulpit presume to give his Judgment about the Management of Publick Affairs or to lay down Doctrines as from Christ about the Forms and Models of Kingdoms or Commonwealths or to adjust the Limits of the Prerogative of the Prince or of the Liberties of the Subject in our present Government I say if a Divine should meddle with such Matters as these in his Sermons I do not know how he can be excused from the just Censure of meddling with things that nothing concern him This is indeed a Practising in State Matters and is usurping an Office that belongs to another Profession and to Men of another Character And I should account it every whit as undecent in a Clergy-man to take upon him to deal in these Points as it would be for him to determine Titles of Land in the Pulpit which are in Dispute in Westminster-Hall But what is this to the Preaching Obedience and Subjection to the Establish'd Government Let meddling with the Politicks be as odious as you please in a Clergy-man yet sure it must not only be allow'd to him but be thought his Duty to Exhort all Subjects to be faithful to their Prince to live peaceably under his Government and to obey all the Laws that are made by Just Authority And even where they cannot obey them yet to submit and to raise no Disturbance to the Publick upon that account And this is the great thing which we say Clergy-men have to do in this Matter We meddle not with the Politicks we meddle not with Prerogative or Property we meddle not with the Disputes and Controversies of Law that may arise about these Matters But we Preach a company of plain Lessons of Peaceableness and Fidelity and Submission to our Rulers such as the Law of Nature teaches such as both Christ and his Apostles did preach in all Places where-ever they came and such as will at this day hold in all the Governments of the World whether they be Kingdoms or Commonwealths And if at any time we make a particular Application of these General Rules to our own Established Government it is only in such Instances as are plainly of the Essence of our National Constitution In such Instances as are plainly contain'd in the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy and those other Tests which for the Security of the Government the Law hath taken care that Subjects sh●ll swear to and consequently must be thought obliged both to understand and practise them And how can it be an Invasion of another Man's Office to Preach and Insist upon such things as these No certainly what it is the Duty of every Subject both to understand and practise in order to his Salvation that without doubt it is the Duty of their Pastors to put them in mind of But Thirdly It is said further That Preachers cannot engage in these Arguments but they will of necessity side with some Party or Faction among us now they should have nothing to do with Parties or Factions To this I Answer That to be on the Side of the Established Government and to endeavour to maintain That is not to be a Favourer of Parties and Factions But They are the Factions They are the Setters up or Abettors of Parties who endeavour to destroy or unsettle or disparage or in the least to hurt and weaken the Government and the Laws as they are established let the Principles upon which they go or the Pretences they make be what they will So that a Minister by Preaching Obedience and Subjection doth not in the least make himself of any Party but on the contrary he sets himself against all Parties And so he ought to do For his Business is to be on the Side of the Government as it is by Law Established and as vigorously as in him lies in such ways as are proper for his Function to oppose all those that would either secretly undermine it or openly assault it In a word all those that would make any Change or Innovation in it by whatever Names they are discriminated by any other means or methods than what the Law of the Land and the Nature of the Constitution doth allow And thus much of the First thing I took notice of in the Text viz the Person to whom the Charge is here given that he should put the people in mind I now come in the Second place to the Thing he was to put them in mind of and that is to be subject to Principalities and Powers and to obey Magistrates And here Two things are to be enquired into First Who are those Principalities and Powers and Magistrates to whom we are to be subject and whom we are to obey And Secondly Wherein consists that Subjection and Obedience that we are to give to them As for the First of these Who are the Principalities and Powers and Magistrates Why certainly by these words are meant the Supreme Civil Governours of every Nation and under them their subordinate Officers Let the Form of Government in any Country be what it will in whomsoever the Sovereign Authority is lodged whether in one or in many They are the Principalities and Powers to whom we are to be subject and Those that are Commission'd and Deputed to exercise Authority under them are the Magistrates whom we are to obey St. Peter in the 2d Chapter of his 1st Epistle doth thus express them alluding no doubt to the Government of the Roman State under which he lived which was then Monarchical Submit your selves saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to every Humane Constitution for the Lord's sake whether it be to the King as Supreme or unto the Governours as unto them that are sent by him for so is the will of God Upon which words of his the Homily of our Church appointed to be read on this Day doth thus gloss St. Peter doth not say Submit your selves unto me as Supreme Head of the Church Neither saith he Submit your selves from time to time to my Successors in Rome But he saith Submit your selves unto your King your Supreme Head and to those that he appointeth in Authority under him This is God's Ordinance this is God's Holy Will that the whole Body in every Realm and all the Members and Parts of the same shall be subject to their Head their King As for the Subjection and Obedience that is to be paid to these Principalities and Powers which is the other thing I am to enquire into it consists of a great many Particulars It implies in it for instance That we should give all Honour Respect and Reverence to their Persons looking upon them which really they are as God's Vicegerents upon Earth That we should not rashly censure their Actions or the Administration of their Government That we should at