Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	old_a	scripture_n	testament_n	10,292	5	8.2542	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30478	A vindication of the authority, constitution, and laws of the church and state of Scotland in four conferences, wherein the answer to the dialogues betwixt the Conformist and Non-conformist is examined / by Gilbert Burnet ...	Burnet, Gilbert, 1643-1715.	1673 (1673)	Wing B5938; ESTC R32528	166,631	359

Government ought to be coërced otherwise you must open a door to perpetual Broils since every one by these Maxims becomes Judge and where he is both Judge and Party he is not like to be cast in his Pretensions And even few Malefactors die but they think hard measure is given them If then forcible self-defence be to be followed none of these should yield up their Lives without using all attempts for res●uing them Eud. Whatever other Cases allow of certainly the defence of Religion by Arms is never to be admitted for the nature of Christian Religion is such that it excludes all carnal Weapons from its defence And when I consider how expresly CHRIST forbids his disciples to resist evil Matth. 25.39 how severely that resistance is condemned by S. Paul and that condemnation is declared the Punishment of it I am forced to cry out Oh! what times have we fallen in in which men dare against the express Laws of the Gospel defend that practice upon which GOD hath passed this condemnation If whosoever break the least of these Commandments and teach men so to do shall be called the least in the Kingdom of GOD What shall their portion be who teach men to break one of the greatest of these Commandments such as are the Laws of Peace and Subjection And what may we not look for from such Teachers who dare tax that glorious Doctrine of patient Suffering as brutish and irrational and though it be expresly said 1 Pet. 2.21 That CHRIST by suffering for us left us his Example how to follow his steps which was followed by a glorious Cloud of Witnesses Yet in these last days what a brood hath sprung up Of men who are lovers of their own selves traytors heady high-minded lovers of pleasures more than lovers of GOD having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof who creep into houses and lead captive silly women laden with sin It is our sins that provoke GOD to open the bottomless pit and let loose such locusts but were we turning to GOD and repenting of the works of our hands we might hope that their power should be taken from them and that their folly should be made known to all men Isot. Who talk bigly now But let Reason and Scripture take place and you shall find good warrants in the Old Testament for coërcing the Magistrate and subjecting the power in the Peoples hands see p. 12. for the People were warranted to punish Idolaters Deut. 13.12 And from the beginning of Deuteronomy it appears that Book was directed to all Israel therefore any might have punished Idolaters therefore the power of Reforming is with the People And again see p. 13. the Law of the King is set down Deut. 18.14 which gives a clear Evidence that the People might coërce him Otherwise why was that Law delivered to the People Crit. I am much deceived if these Instances do conclude for your design since the utmost they can prove is that some share of the executive power lay in the hands of the People among the Iews but that proves nothing where by Law and Practice it is clear the power is wholly in the hands of Superior unaccountable Magistrates But that the Law of the King or of punishing Idolaters was delivered to the People proves not that they must execute it For the Law of Sacrifices and all the Temple worship was also delivered to them but I hope you will not from that infer that the People were to judge in these matters or to give Laws to their Priests neither will the Law because addressed to the People prove themselves to be the executors of it otherwise the Epistle to the Corinthians addressed to all the Saints in Corinth will prove the People the Iudges of Excommunication and of the Rules of Church-worship which are there delivered so that though the Law was directed to all the People yet that proves not that every precept of it concerned all the People but that the whole of the Law was addressed to the whole People and the respective parts of it to all the individuals according to their several stations And after all this you are to consider that some things were allowed by that Law to private Persons which ought never to be made precedents for the Law allowed the Friends of one that was killed by chance to avenge the Blood on the Person that slew him if he kept not within the City of Refuge but that being a particular provision of their Judicial and Municipal Law will be no warrant for such revenge in other States Isot. But what say you to the revolt of Libnah 2 Chron. 21.10 which revolted from Iehoram because he forsock the LORD GOD of his fathers And of Amaziab 2 Chron. 25. 27. who when he turned away from following the LORD his being killed by a Conspiracy of these in Ierusalem and the fourscore valiant Priests who withstood ●zziah when he went to offer incense 2 Chron. 26.17 See p. 13 14 Crit. As for your instances consider that many things are set down in the Old Testament that are undoubted faults and yet so far are they from being taxed that they rather seem to be applauded so it is in the case of the Midwives lie not to mention the Polygamy of the Patriarchs therefore it not being clear to us by what special warrants they acted a Practice of that Dispensation will be no precedent to us But for that of Libnah it may be justly doubted if the Libnah there mentioned be that City which was assigned to the Priests for Numbers 33.20 we meet with a Libnah in the journyings of Israel and both the Syriack and the Arabick version have understood the place of that City for they render it the Idumeans that dwelt at Libnah But whatever be in this the particle because doth not always import the design of the doer which if you examine the Hebrew will be very clear and I shall name but one place to satisfie you 1 Sam. 2.25 Elies sons hearkned not to the voice of their father because the LORD would slay them But I doubt not you will confess this was not their motive to such disobedience so this will import no more but that GOD in his Providence permitted that revolt for a Punishment of Iehoram's Apostasie neither will fair Pretences justifie bad Actions so the utmost that place can prove is that they made that their pretence But that their revolt could not be without they had also revolted from GOD will appear from this that the Priests were bound to give attendance by turns at the Temple so none of them could have revolted from the King without their rejecting of GOD'S Service as long as the King was Master of Ierusalem whither no doubt they would not have come during their revolt As for your instance of Amaziah I confess it is plain dealing and you disclose the Mystery of defensive Arms that it is but lamely maintain'd till the Doctrine of murdering