Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	law_n	power_n	prince_n	6,812	5	6.0088	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47050	The grand case of subjection to the higher powers in matters of religion resolved to which is added an appendix to a late book intituled A plea for liberty of conscience, wherein the kings supream power in ecclesiastical matters is asserted ... / by James Jones, a Protestant-dissenter, and now a prisoner in Woodstreet-compter for nonconformity.	Jones, James, fl. 1683-1684.	1684 (1684)	Wing J956A; ESTC R36209	11,281	12

The Grand CASE OF SUBJECTION TO THE Higher Powers IN MATTERS of RELIGION RESOLVED To which is Added An APPENDIX To a Late Book Intituled A PLEA for LIBERTY of CONSCIENCE WHEREIN The Kings Supream Power in Ecclesiastical Matters Is Asserted Humbly Shewing that the Kings Majesty hath Royal Power Sufficient to Perform his Royal Promise for Liberty of Conscience By JAMES JONES a Protestant-Dissenter and now a Prisoner in Woodstreet-Compter for Nonconformity PSAL. 105.20 The King sent and loosed him Even the Ruler of the People and let him go free ECCLES 1.9 The thing that hath been it is that which shall be and that which is done is that which shall be done and there is no New thing under the Sun LONDON Printed by George Larkin at the lower End of Broadstreet next to London-Wall 1684. THE Grand Case OF SUBJECTION TO The Higher Powers IN MATTERS of RELIGION Resolved FOrasmuch as great Contention hath been and still is among Christians Concerning a Right Subjection to the higher Powers in Matters of Religion All those Princes and States who by the Divine Providence have the Supream Government in their Respective Dominions making such Demands of Subjection from their Subjects in Matters of Religion as they cannot conscientiously Conform unto in which they do not only Plead the Power of their own Laws but would fain urge something from Divine Authority that so Persons may yield Obedience unto them in their Established Worship as a bounden Duty unto God Therefore the following Discourse upon this Subject is Humbly Offered to the Consideration of all Rational and Conscientious Persons of whatsoever sort or degree amongst Mankind which shall be endeavoured in a Satisfactory Answer to the following Questions Quest I. Whether all sorts of Persons whatsoever are bound to Conform to whatsoever Worship is or may be Established by the higher Powers in their several Dominions Because the Holy Apostle Paul in Rom. 13.1 saith thus Let every Soul be subject to the Higher Powers for there is no Power but of God the Powers that be are Ordained of God Answer To which I Answer Conformity to Every Established Worship cannot be the meaning of the Apostle in this Text as shall be soberly demonstrated by the Reasons following First Because then the Christian Religion would utterly cease in all those Countreys in which the contrary Religion is Established and that by the Consent of the Christians themselves who in Point of duty must relinquish the Profession and Practice of the Christian Religion and imbrace a Religion Contrary to it because it is Required by Authority Secondly Because then Every Sort of Established Worship would be Esteemed and Accounted the true Worship of God how much soever such Worships may differ from and be Contradictory to each other whether it be Mahometan-Worship Indian-Worship Jewish-Worship or Popish-Worship as well as Protestant-Worship if it have but the Broad Seal of Humane Authority affixed unto it Thirdly Because such a sence of that Scripture Condemns both the Profession Practice and Holy Zeal of Peter and John who Refused to be subject to the Authority of the Jews when they Commanded them to preach no more in the Name of Jesus for Peter and John said Whether it be Right in the Sight of God to Hearken unto you more then unto God judge ye For we cannot but speak the things that we have seen and heard Fourthly Because this Sence of the fore-mentioned Scripture will Condemn the Profession and Practice of Paul himself for he was not a Conformist to the Established Worship of those times but was a great Sufferer under those that then were the higher Powers Objection But some will be ready to say That this was the Nonconformity of Christians in not Submitting to the Idolatrous VVorship Established by Heathen Powers But the present Nonconformity is a not Subjecting to Christian Powers To which I Answer First Consider that the words of Paul in the forementioned Text did Require Subjection to those that then were the higher Powers and they were Heathen Powers maintaining Idolatry and punishing the Professors of Christianity And therefore if Subjection to Established VVorship be at all Required in this Text then it may be fairly Argued that it was Required unto those that then were the Heathen Powers But Secondly Consider that the Primitive Christians did not only Refuse Conformity in Matters of Religion to Heathenish Powers but also to the Higher Powers of the Jews who were a People that did Profess the Law of Moses and the Doctrine of the Prophets but they had mingled their own Inventions and Traditions with Gods Commandments and were more zealous of their own ways then of Gods ways as it was Revealed to them by the Prophets and also by Christ and the Holy Apostles and therefore the Christians of the Primitive time did Refuse to Conform to them in matters of VVorship and chose rather to suffer under their Authority Thirdly Consider that since those times the Christians in many Countreys have not Subjected so as to Conform to the Higher Powers in matters of Religion though Established by Christian Powers as for instance the Protestants in Italy Germany Bohemia Spain France and in these Kingdoms of England Scotland and Ireland they did not subject so as to Conform to Popery when it was Established by Those that were in Authority Fourthly Consider That to allow of such a Sence of Pauls words viz. Subjection to the Higher Powers in Conforming to their Established Worship is highly to Condemn the generation of the Righteous viz. the Faithful Suffering Servants of Christ who under-went Cruel Deaths for not Subjecting to such matters of Religion as were imposed upon them because this would render their Suffering to be rather Folly then Faithfulness And then Fifthly Consider that such a Sense of Pauls words as aforesaid will lead Christians to be of any Religion that is or shall be Imposed upon them viz. if Authority should impose Popery as in Queen Maries days then they must be Papists and if Authority should impose Episcopal Protestancy as in Queen Elizabeth's and now in our days then they must turn such Protestants and if Authority should like any of the ways of Worship now among the Dissenters and so Establish that then the People must Conform thereunto viz. If Authority should like Presbytery better then Episcopacy then the People must turn Presbyterians and if Authority should like and Establish the way of such as are called Independants Anabaptists or Quakers then the People must turn such also and thus Religion would be always a changing according to the differing Minds of such as may be in Authority and so the Laws of men instead of the Laws of God would be the Rule for Worshiping of God and this is the way to have the Commandments of men taught as if they were Divine Doctrines and so bring men to Worship God in Vain as Christ hath said Mat. 15.9 But in Vain do they Worship me Teaching for Doctrines the

or Laws that such who were then in Authority had made or should make concerning Religious Matters so as to OBEY and CONFORM thereunto because then Christians must have lest the Worship of God according to the Gospel and have Conformed to the Worship of the Jews when among them and to the Worship of the Gentiles when among the Gentiles But by Submitting to every Ordinance of Man I do humbly conceive is meant a submitting to the several Orders and Degrees of Power and Dignity among Men considered in Authority viz. First to the King as the supream and chief in Authority and Secondly To such Governers as are sent or Comissionated by the King to be in places of Authority for the well managment of Affairs in his Kingdom in the Right distribution of Justice So as to punish the Evil Doers and to incourage them that do Well in all matters that should come before them between Man and Man So that we may Read and Understand the Words of the Holy Apostle thus Respecting the several Degrees of Persons in Authority in England Let the King be submitted to as the Supream Governour and let his Privy Councel and the Lord Chancellor or Lord Keeper the Lord Chief Justice with the other Judges the Secretaries of State and Attorney General and also Justices of Peace be all submitted unto as unto Governours who are put into Authority by the King who is Supream in the Government So as each Party may have that Honour that Respect and Reverence as is due unto them suitable to that Dignity that the King hath Confered upon them and this is according to the Exhortation of the Apostle Paul Rom. 13.7 Render therefore unto all their dues viz. Tribute Custom Fear and Honour And these Duties of the Saints must be suitable to and Correspondent with their Christian Love to each other in maintaining their Gospel Fellow-ship as a Brother-Hood and the true Fear of God as it is plainly Declared in the former discourse of the Apostle Peter in 1 Pet. 2.17 Honour all Men Love the Brother-Hood Fear God Honour the King In which Words of the Apostle he taught the Servants of God in that Day that while they were zealous in and for the matters of Christianity they should also make Conscience of the matters of Humanity in a right behaving of themselves towards all Men and especially towards those that were in Authority that so they might Practice according to the Doctrine of Christ Luke 20.25 Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesars and unto God the things which be Gods And this kind of Subjection to the Higher Powers hath been the Profession Principle and Practice of the true Servants of God in all Ages in times past And it is now the Profession Principle and Practice of the PROTESTANT-DISSENTERS in General in all parts of this Kingdom and they have given great Demonstration of this thing even when they have been divers times loaded with many Miseries in being Prosecuted by Penal Laws only for matters of Religion And even now at this time and above a Year past they have been and still are Prosecuted divers ways viz. By the Statute of the 23 of Elizabeth many have been indicted thereupon for not coming to Common Prayer The penalty whereof is Twenty Pounds a Month and many have been Prosecuted by the Conventicle-Act and so Suffered the loss of their Goods or else have been forced to Pay the several sums of Money levied upon them because they would not suffer a greater damage by the loss of their Goods And many have been Prosecuted as Rioters for being at Protestant Peaceable Meetings and have been Fined at the pleasure of some in Authority and so have been forced to Pay such Fines or else go to Prison And many have been Prosecuted by the ECCLESIASTICAL COURTS to Excommunication and so cast into Goals by the Writ de Excommunicato Capiendo only for not frequenting Common Prayer and for not receiving the Sacrament in their Parish Church And in this way of Prosecution Doctor PINFOLD of Doctors Commons in London hath done more harm to the Protestant-Dissenters then any one of the Ecclesiastical Doctors in England having forced into the Prison called Woodstreet-Compter above Thirty Persons in less then thirteen Months time and now at the time of the writting hereof Two and twenty Honest Cittizens are in the said Prison and several of them have been very sick but God in his Mercy hath recovered them and many because they cannot under-go such hardship as to be shut up in Prison from their Families and Trades have purchased their Liberty at a Dear Rate in giving great Sums of Money to Doctor PINFOLD to take off the Excommunications and so allow a few Months from hurrying them into Prison But if they do not Conform in the time Allotted them then they are Prosecuted again so as to be sent to Prison or else brought to a new Composition And besides all this many have been sent to the New Prison being Protestant-Dissenters taken at Protestant Meetings Four and Twenty have been there at one time several weeks but some are discharged and since that some more have been committed And many have been committed to Newgate one of which viz. Mr. Francis Bampfield a Nonconformist Minister dyed in that Prison on the 16th of February last and Mr. Zacharias Ralphson another Nonconformist Minister imprisoned there died the 20th of March following Mr. Bampfield was taken from his Meeting where he was doing his Lords Work and being brought before a Magistrate had the Oath of Allegiance tendred to him for Refusal whereof he was first committed to Prison and afterwards Premunired Mr. Ralphson was taken from his own House and committed to Prison upon the Five-mile Act and afterwards fined one hundred Marks for Publishing a Book Intituled An Apology for Gods Worship and Worshippers Both these Ministers were men of great Learning Famous for true Godliness and faithful Labourers in the Lords Vineyard But now they rest from their Labours and their Works follow them Now let this be soberly Considered that the before-mentioned Prosecutions have been against and have fallen upon his Majesties Protestant and Peaceable Subjects who do make Conscience and exercise a daily care to give such a Subjection to the Higher Powers as the Word of God doth Require And as such Prosecutions for matters of Religion are without any Precept from Christ so they are contrary to the Royal Promise of the King For the full evidencing whereof let the following Discourse be candidly Considered AN APPENDIX To a late Paper called A PLEA for LIBERTY of CONSCIENCE WHEREIN The Kings Supream Power in Ecclesiastical Matters is Further Asserted FOrasmuch as I have lately Published a small Book Intituled A Plea for Liberty of Conscience Grounded upon the Holy Word of God and the Royal Word of the King I have since met with some Objections against the said Plea as it is Grounded upon the Kings Royal