Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	church_n	king_n	law_n	3,272	5	4.8232	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17315	A sermon preached at the generall assises in Warwicke, the third of March, being the first Friday in Lent. 1619. By Samuel Burton, Archdeacon of Gloucester. Seene and allowed by authoritie	Burton, Samuel, 1568 or 9-1634.	1620 (1620)	STC 4164; ESTC S107146	16,569	31

A SERMON PREACHED AT THE GENERALL ASSISES IN WARWICKE the third of March being the first Friday in Lent 1619. By SAMVEL BVRTON Archdeacon of Gloucester Seene and allowed by Authoritie LONDON Printed by W. Stansby for Nathaniel Butter 1620. ROM 13. For he is the Minister of God to thee for thy good But if thou doe euill feare for he beareth not the sword in vaine For he is the Minister of God to take vengeance on him that doth euill THE light of the Gospell did no sooner begin to breake forth of Iury and to shine vnto the Gentiles but presently this scandall was raysed against the Professors of it that they were Nouatores rerum Innouators of States and Trumpeters of sedition Of which scandall I cannot say that it was merely scandalum acceptum a scandall taken by the Heathen For indeed it was in some sort scandalum datum a scandall giuen Not by the true Professors of the name of Christ but by the Iewes first Who because they were the seede of Abraham did therefore imagine themselues to bee the true owners of the whole earth and the only men that ought to rule in it And secondly by some false Apostles blind and foolish Teachers who because Christ in his life time had said to his Disciples Si filius vos liberauerit verè liberi eritis if the Sonne doe make you free then are you free indeed And because he said to Peter as it is recorded in the 17. of Matthew Ergo liberi sunt filij then are the children free did out of these two places deliuer this for currant Doctrine That Christians are and ought to bee free from subiection free from tribute Supposing that Christ in the former place had spoken of ciuill and corporall freedome and in the later of all sorts of Christians whereas it is plaine and euident that in the former he speaketh only of freedome from sinne and from the curse of the Law and in the later only of himselfe as he was the Sonne of God and King of Israel This Doctrine therefore being altogether false and wicked and the scandall that grew from it like to proue pernicious to the Church was the cause as Chrysostome tels vs that moued the blessed Apostle to enter into this large and religious discourse concerning Magistrates that both the children of the Church might know their dutie and that the enemies of it might vnderstand that Christ came not into the world to take away temporall Kingdomes as Sedulius speaks but to giue eternall that the Doctrine of Christ teacheth all due obedience and subiection to Authoritie and that if any had taught otherwise they had not therein deliuered the true Doctrine of the Church but their owne false and foolish fancies Out of this discourse I haue chosen this Verse which I haue read vnto you for my Text at this time as contayning fittest matter for this presence For it contayneth two generall heads whereof the 1. First is the dignitie and high calling of the Magistrate 2. And the second is his dutie His dignitie appeares in this in that he is said to be the Minister of God himselfe Which word is twice repeated in this Verse For he is said to be the Minister of God for good and hee is said to be the Minister of God for vengeance Out of which partition of his Ministerie arise two seuerall branches of his dutie The first is the reward of well-doing and the second is the punishment of sinne The first is the protection of the iust and innocent and the second is the co ertion of the lewd and wicked 1. Concerning the first the Apostle tels vs that he is the Minister and Seruant of God And so no doubt is euery faithfull Christian in his seuerall calling But specially and by prerogatiue is he that Minister of God unto whom is committed either the dispensation of the Word in the Church or the vse and exercise of the Sword among the people Now if the seruice of God in the lowest degree be an honourable seruice and more to be desired then the command of all the earth then surely the seruice of God in the highest degree and chiefest places which God hath ordayned here on earth must needs be the most honourable seruice and require the greatest respect and regard amongst vs. And such is the state of Rulers and Gouernours they are the Ministers of God they are his Deputies and Surrogats in the highest place which is the seate of Iustice And therefore if that of the Prophet in the Psalme may be rightly applyed to any sort of men then most fitly to Princes and Magistrates That God hath made them a little lower then the Angels and crowned them with glorie and worship For hee hath set them in his owne Chaire and Iudgement seate he hath placed them in his own stead hee hath armed them with his owne power he hath couered them with his owne Garment and Robe of Estate hee hath girded them with his owne Sword and hee hath honoured them with his owne Name Ego dixi vos Dij estis I haue said yee are Gods and yee are all the children of the most High And if the dignity of this Ministery doe not yet sufficiently appeare vnto vs from the Author looke further into the effects and fruits of it Omnium domos illius vigilia defendit Omnium otium illius labor Omnium delitias illius industria Omnium vacationem illius occupatio It is the Magistrate only that makes euery mans house his Castle his labour makes vs all to liue at ease his businesse makes vs vacant his trouble procures our peace his industrie maintaynes our delight his paines brings in our profit That wee sit safely in our houses that wee sleepe quietly in our beds that we drinke the water of our owne Cisterns that wee eate the labour of our owne hands and finally that we dwell without feare like Iudah and Israel in the daies of Salomon euery man vnder his owne Vine and his owne Fig-tree to whom are wee bound and beholden vnder God for all this but only to these Ministers of his as the Apostle tearmes them in this place by whose eyes he watcheth ouer vs by whose cares he heareth our complaints out of whose mouthes he giueth iudgement by whose hands hee smiteth the wicked and vnder the shadow of whose wings hee couereth the heads of the iust and innocent But why doe I enlarge and amplifie this point That the hearts of Magistrates may bee exalted and lifted vp Surely no It will rather humble them if it bee well considered of and make them feare and tremble at their calling For as Hierome could say of the great and eminent places of the Church Non est facile stare loco Pauli tenere gradum Petri It is not so easy a matter as a man would thinke to sit in Peters Chaire or Paules though Simon Magus perhaps may thinke it a matter of ease only and profit so we may