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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	find_v	king_n	law_n	2,835	5	4.8368	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81829	The povver of the Christian magistrate in sacred things Delivered in some positions, sent to a friend, upon which, a returne of his opinion was desired. With some considerations, upon the answer; and a digression concerning allegiance, and submission to the supreame magistrate. By Lewis du Moulin, History-reader of the University of Oxford.	Du Moulin, Lewis, 1606-1680.	1650 (1650)	Wing D2551; Thomason E1366_4; ESTC R209267	40,736	161

and over all persons no prophet in his time prophesied but the 70 Elders who yet prophesied by the spirit of Moses communicated to them In Joshuah's time the Regall or Civill Supreame Power was joyned with the Sacerdotall and seated in Eleazar as we may read Numb 27. vers 18 19. c. And St. Peter in his 1 Epistle chap. 2. vers 9. he coupleth them together or rather maketh but one of them calling the Common-wealth of Israel a Royall Priesthood That these Powers were no lesse divided in Samuel appeareth by the word of God to him 1 Sam. 8. ver 7. They have not rejected thee but me as if he should have said this people is weary to be under thy government they must needs have a King of their owne but in so doing they have not so much cast thee off as me who had set thee over them After Saul the High Priests attempted nothing except it were by a speciall command of God without the Kings consent Thus when the Booke of the Law had been a long time lost and then found the Priests enquired of the Lord concerning that Book by the command and direction of Josias so that the supreame visible authority to judge whether the Booke found was to be received for the Law of Moses and the word of God did only belong to the King as we see in the 2 Book of King chap 22. 23. where we read that the King called together all sorts of men viz. Elders Priests Prophets and all the people and read the Book of the Law before them all and withall was the author of the Covenant to which all the people stood under the word people all ranks of men being comprised After the return from the captivity it is knowne that the Sacerdotall Kingdome was againe set up as it was in Joshuah's time and under the Judges Letter IN the 10th Article he saith it is not understood that the Soveraigne Magistrate ought to give orders which concession will serve to keep a part of the authority belonging to the Ministers for if the ordination doe belong to none but the Pastors only it followeth that to them only belongeth the degrading and exauctorating of Ministers which are either vicious or hereticks or yet uncapable They may take away what they have given but still the punishing of them for crimes is in the power of the Soveraign Magistrate Consideration THere might be yet a question made whether when the Supreame and Regall Power is set in it hath not much of the Ministeriall and Sacerdotall Office annexed to the Regall calling and paternall Right for 1500 yeares together the Soveraigne Power was joyned with the Sacerdotall and among the chiefe Cities of Greece the Kings were Priests omnino apud veteres saith Cicero qui rerum potiebantur iidem auguria tenebant ut enim sapere sic divinare regali ducebant The division that was made to Aaron was not of the Soveraign Power but of the exercise of the Office Besides Aaron was an expresse figure of Christ our great High Priest which office near the time of Christ even soone after the Captivitie was againe confounded with the Regall but not to make use of this plea I say it is of ordination as of taking of the degree of Doctor of Physick or Law in an Academy This co-optation though made without the speciall privacie of the Supream Power yet in generall 't is not done without his consent permission he hath stil an inspection over the man quatenus Physitian or Lawyer and so long as he exerciseth the profession In like manner though the Soveraigne Power doth not ordaine this particular man yet is ordination of his appointment and one of his Lawes though it comes first from God for so doth the morall Law which notwithstanding after it hath been published under certaine penalties becomes the Law of the Supream Legislator of the State we have amongst the Constitutions of Justinian some bearing that title De ordinatione Episcoporum Clericorum Letter NOw if the Orthodox Magistrate under whose shadow the Church subsisteth and the true Religion maintained should transgresse the limites vindicating to himselfe more power over the Church then God hath given him in his Word I shall alwayes give counsell to the Pastors of the Church and to the people to beare that yoake with patience without murmuring giving thankes to God for bestowing Magistrates who are conservators of the purity of the Gospel under whose shelter and protection the souls are directed to the way that leads to salvation Consideration I Conceive that if the Soveraigne Magistrate takes upon him the care of ordering Church matters that the Pastor and Church have a yoak so much the lighter and therefore have need of lesse patience to beare it then if they carried it themselves neither doe I conceive that the transgression here mentioned in the Letter can be any trespasse in the Magistrate and though it were one that it is not much materiall nor of any dangerous consequence he having as the Letter saith the maine qualification required in a Magistrate which is to be conservator of the purity of the Gospel and besides the main end being obtained which can ever be desired and aymed at in any government which is to be directed to the way that leads to salvation But suppose that the Magistrate abuseth his own power over the Christian people in ordering the things which concern the Kingdome of God I doe likewise conceive that here the Magistrate does trespasse as a tyrant and not as an usurper and is like him that is drunke with his owne wine and not with anothers in which there is yet a double trespasse the one against his owne body the other against the good creature of God which he spils to no purpose But as they say by way of proverb right is right still and wrong wrong in what ever disguise they appeare So mischiefe is a mischief still and as great a mischief in the Soveraigne Magistrate whether his power exceedeth in things they call Civill or things which pertaine to the Kingdome of heaven though the inconvenience be farre greater in mis-ordering the latter God having equally entrusted him over all persons and causes in a Christian Common-wealth In the discharge of which trust it were to be wished that all Christian Magistrates would governe without that distinction of Powers Ecclesiasticall and Civill FINIS February 25. 1649. Imprimatur Nathaniel Brent

viz. first for conscience sake and for wrath that is the tye of every Christian in all the commands of the Magistrate is to obey God and doe whatsoever just and honest thing lies in ones power then for feare of punishment for any precept though morall and never so just although it bindes the conscience yet 't is no Law binding to obedience in foro humano till it be reduced into a Law by the Legislative Power of the Soveraigne Magistrate for even the supream power though Christian and godly cannot punish a theife for transgressing the commandement Thou shalt not steale except this Law be also a Law of the State But againe it may be demanded what authority and power doe you entitle on the Ministers of the Gospel to whom the Scripture committeth the power of the Keyes and giveth high Titles Names and Eloges I answer that still they have the highest honour in the world even higher then the Magistrates and Kings higher then Judges for all men shall be judged by their Gospel they are Ambassadours from Christ to earthly powers as the Kingdom committed to them is not of this world so their weapons are not earthy but spirituall and sharper then any two edged sword they condemn when they doe denounce the judgments of God to impenitent sinners they pardon declaring the mercies of God to penitent and mourning sinners they rebuke all kinds of men teach exhort admonish and have a kind of power and authoritie binding as much or more to obedience then the commands of the Soveraigne Magistrate for a man once convinced by the preaching of the word the word of of the Minister apprehended to be the truth of God or a command from God will be like the Intellect which being enlightened doth more powerfully work upon the will to act then when it is compelled by an externall agent and even civilly the respect one hath to an Artist binds in a manner to follow his prescriptions 'T is no marvell then if Theodosius being rebuked sharply by Ambros yielded to a censure rather coming from God which he was willing to undergo being conscious of his sinfulnesse and deserts then that it proceeded from a man endowed with a coercive power of excommunication to which not to yield had been a rebellion against God as Christ alone is the true spirituall Legislatour so he alone doth either withold or remit sinnes Solus saith Hilarius the Deacon peccata dimittit qui solus pro peccatis nostris mortuus est and the words of Lombard are very expresse to shew the extent of the power of the Keyes Sacerdotibus tribuit Deus potestatem solvendi ligandi id est ostendendi homines solutos vel ligatos God giveth the Priests power to loose and bind that is to make known they are either tied or loosed li. 4. dis 18. Saint Hierome upon the 26. of Matth. teacheth us what this potestas Clavium is as the Priest makes the Leprous either clean or unclean so doth the Bishop or Priest bind or unbind and saint Cyprian lib. de lapsis and other where saith that by the preaching of Ministers men receive not forgivenes of sins but are brought by it to be converted by getting a Knowledge of their sins And saint Augustine in many places saith that the Minister is some body in the administring of the Sacraments and dispensing the word but no body for the Iustification of a sinner and for working inwardly except he that made man worketh in the man Were the nature of Christs Kingdome well understood I suppose that the power of the Keyes would be easily stated I mean that Kingdome and power by which Christ worketh by his word and spirit upon the spirits of men inclining them to do his will by perswading and not constraining them by any coercive power delegated to the Apostles and their successors in the Ministery Christ himself saith he is not come into the world to Iudge the world but that the world should be saved by his preaching And the comparing of Christs Kingdome to a grain of Mustard seed and to leaven hid in the dough sheweth manifestly that this Kingdome is propagated by secret perswasions and workings and not by a Iudiciall external power seated in the Ministers constraining to obededience upon bodily or pecuniary penalties Were the visible Kingdome of Christ a different Kingdome from that of the Christian Magistrate we should read in the Gospel of some Lawes besides those about the sacraments for the regulating of the said Kingdome The precepts to believe to repent and to be baptised are no such Lawes that for the non-performance of them men should incurre punition or damnation for the not obeying of the Evangelicall precepts is an argument that the wrath of God is upon the transgressors and not an effect following upon the transgression He that doth not believe in Christ is condemned already man refusing to accept of the remedy in the Gospel is left to his former miserable estate and the Law onely takes hold of him Now this Law denouncing both temporall eternal punishment to the transgressors it is evident that the power to judge in the world according to that Law in ordering all causes and punishing all kinds of persons transgressing doth belong only to one Soveraigne power subaltern not to Christ as the Soveraigne Preacher and Mediatour but as God in Trinity and Trinity in unity or as God Creatour and Supream Governour over all causes persons estates and conditions temporall or eternall Letter A Midst all these difficulties it will be a work pleasing to God to find a mean to keep the caling of the Ministery of the Gospell in the posture and condition as it was established by Jesus Christ without any abating and diminishing of the dignity and power of the Soveraigne Magistrate and I believe that just and easie means may be found out Consideration THere is but one means which is that of Queene Elisabeth King James and of Hooker in his book of Ecclesiasticall polity wherein under the words of Royall power Crown and dignity he teacheth us that all power and Iurisdiction Ecclesiasticall is derived from the Supream power of England and is upholden and defended by him The words of the Act Elizab. 1. cap. 1. are very expresse omitting nothing which can be of Pastours and Synods cognizance which be not mentioned to be of the Iurisdiction of the Supream Magistrate All Ecclesiasticall and spirituall Jurisdiction is annexed to the Crown to visit reform redresse order correct and amend all such heresies schismes abuses offences contempts and enormities whatsoever which by any manner spirituall or Ecclesiasticall power authority or Jurisdiction can or may be lawfully reformed In the same statute it is enacted and ordained that no opinion shall be judged or determined to be heresie but by the high Court of Parliament of the Realm Letter WE have already laid down for a firme and constant ground and ordained by God that all Ecclesiasticall