Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	church_n	receive_v	testament_n	3,420	5	8.7349	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93872	A sermon preach'd before the Honourable House of Commons, January 30, 1699/1700 being an anniversary sermon for the day / by William Stephens, B.D. Rector of Sutton in Surry. ; Corrected by the author.	Stephens, William, d. 1718.	1700 (1700)	Wing S5463A; ESTC R212531	13,080	32

Civil Power over a Conquer'd People without their Consent how shall he obtain it over his own Conquering Nation without their free Concurrence Did this Victorious People leave their Native Country with all the Liberties they injoy'd therein to follow their Chief into a Foreign Land wherein they hoped to find a better Settlement for themselves and Posterity would they indure all the Hardships of War and by their Sweat and Blood purchase an intire Conquest that they might be reduced to the miserable Condition of the Conquer'd People that is to become Slaves to their General I allow that this Chief may by the help of his own People make himself own'd by the Conquer'd upon advantageous Terms But by what invisible power shall he gain to be I will not say absolute Master but even the Civil Head over his new settled Colony It can be nothing else but their own free Consent which can Invest him with a Political Headship over them And then how great Reason have they to Pay a due Submission to that Ordinance which themselves have made and to submit to Principalities and Powers which were their own Appointment and for their own Benefit III. Having thus set forth the Apostolical Grounds of Civil Obedience I crave leave to make some improvement of them First By way of General Application for to insist on the dismal Effects of this Days Tragedy with which you have been Annually acquainted all your Lives would be superfluous Labour And therefore I shall rather indeavour to offer some Cautions which may probably prevent the like Mischiefs for the future But 1 st The Apostolical Reasons of Obedience being duly consider'd may serve to allay the Fears and Jealousies of some Good Men who have conceived That a National Government hath not so sure a Foundation as is necessary if it be only bottom'd upon Humane Compact Because Mens Minds being subject to frequent Alterations all Governments will as they think be very unsteady And it must be acknowledged That in all dubious Matters wherein the Judgment cannot come to a Determination the Minds of Men will be unsettled So likewise in smaller matters scarce worthy of serious Deliberation Men will act differently Nay in Matters of Moment some Men may suffer themselves to be Carry'd away by unaccountable Capricio's But yet none of these things can any ways endanger a Constitution settled upon the Foundations before mentioned First Because a Good Government is a Matter of so necessary Importance that no Man in his Wits can doubt whether he shall concur to its Support or not And Secondly The Compact by which all Governours are introduced is evermore Solemn and Deliberate and attended with the strongest Tye to the Sovereign Power by which 't is possible for a man to ratifie the Solemn Obligations he has Contracted For such a Bond is The Oath of the Lord by which the Allegiance of the Subject is confirmed And if a Deliberate Compact freely enter'd into upon the wisest and strongest Motives of Advantage confirmed by Solemn Oaths and Promises be not a sufficient Establishment 't is hard to say what is such And notwithstanding some Men may suffer themselves to be carried away from a Useful and Necessary Establishment by Reasonings contrary to the General Stream of a Nation it cannot be presum'd that the Number and Abilities of such Men will ever be sufficient to unhinge any tolerable Administration of a Government thus Established Indeed Nothing but an Absolute Necessity and such as is visible in an extraordinary manner will be effectual to work a Change in any Settled Constitution such an One as renders Mankind fully satisfied without the least remaining Scruple that the Government then in Being is not the Ordinance of God to them for Good 2. From what hath been said it also appears That no Man's Pretence to the Membership of any pure Apostolick Church can excuse much less warrant his Disaffection to that Government which God's Providence and Man's Consent have set over a People for their Good I speak this to take away that Scandal which some have endeavoured to fix upon the Church of England as if she had laid any Obligation upon her Sons in Opposition to the Present Constitution Whereas the contrary Truth is Self-Evident For does not our Church in Her Sixth Article receive all the Books of the New Testament as they are commonly receiv'd and account them Canonical Is not my Text part of that Canon And are not all our Bishops and Clergy thereby obliged as much as Titus was to put their Hearers in mind of their Subjection to Principalities and Powers Or can we pretend to be Members of an Apostolical Church if we carry our selves unseemly towards such a Government whose Administration directly tends to our Common Good and was also our own Ordinance and Appointment which are the Apostolical Reasons of Civil Obedience I speak not this as if by Vertue of the Ministerial Function we could pretend to prescribe Forms of Civil Government to Nations to determine the Regalia of Princes or the subordinate Powers of inferiour Magistrates The Book of God does not furnish us with Abilities for this Work much less require it of us It injoins us to make Peace among our Neighbours by indeavouring to incline Mens Minds to a peaceable Temper but it does not inable us to judge the least Point of Legal Right which is in Controversie between them much less does it teach us to determine the Rights Titles or Powers of Princes and Magistrates but yet it injoins us to put men in mind to be ready to every good work which may contribute to support a Good Government Thirdly From the Doctrine already set forth in Conjunction with the Misfortunes of that Sovereign Prince which are this Day called to Remembrance ariseth matter of Caution to Two sorts of People First To all those who have the Honour to share the Publick Administration that they make it their Equal Care that the Government which at present we enjoy may be always the Ministry of God to us for good For such an Administration applies the Text in the most sensible manner convincing every one that he ought to be subject to Principalities and Powers to obey Magistrates and to be ready to every good work It is well known That the Character of a Good Prince is raised so high in the Holy Scripture that such are called Gods upon Earth to admonish them of that continual overflowing Kindness that universal Beneficence that tender Care and Concern for their Peoples Welfare which their High Office requires And from the Scriptures we are also informed That the kind Providences of God are immediately conveied to Men by his holy Angels who are therefore called Ministring Spirits Hebrews 1.14 and are most especially employed in Works of Deliverance By their Means Lot was delivered out of Sodom Isaac from the Arm that was stretched forth to make him a Sacrifice Israel was conducted through the Wilderness to Canaan