Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
cause_n witness_v work_n world_n 37 3 3.9945 3 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A41782 The loyal Baptist, or, An apology for the baptized believers ... occasioned by the great and long continued sufferings of the baptized believers in this nation / by Thomas Grantham ... Grantham, Thomas, 1634-1692. 1684 (1684) Wing G1540; ESTC R26748 84,492 109

There is 1 snippet containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

this Example 2. Our Saviour hath led us the right way Give unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's But what things are they Why the Things which bear his Image and Superscription Whose Image and Superscription is this says Christ They say Caesar's Therefore saith Christ Give unto Caesar c. We may hence fairly infer that whatsoever bears the King's Authority or is required in his name must be obeyed Submit your selves to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake whether it be to the King as Supream or unto Governours as unto those that are sent by him Mark if they be sent by him they bear his Image or Superscription they represent the King submit submit either Actively or Passively here 's no resisting for here comes Caesar Only here it must be minded Caesar's Superscription is only to be put to the Ordinances of Man None can put a Divine Character upon a Law but God and we must give to God the things which are God's Divine Obedience or Obedience in all divine things to God Civil Obedience or Obedience in all civil things to Caesar Thus has our Saviour divided the matter of Christians and all Mens Obedience to God and to Caesar Let us hold to this most just Settlement a better cannot possibly be given 3. St. Paul will have Christians Subjection to Caesar to proceed from them of pure Conscience or for Conscience sake Rom. 13. not only Wrath. And of this Reason wills that we give all the Assurance that we can to Princes that we are heartily their Subjects And willingly obedient in all things which concerns their Government over us This Principle of Obedience in the Heart will make our Obedience to Princes delightful and durable they that have this good Principle in them will never be weary of any reasonable Labour Service or Hazard for their King where it is wanting the King can put no confidence in them This is so reasonable so necessary that he that hath not such an Heart for his Sovereign is unworthy the name of a Subject He is no Subject From this Principle we are to pay tribute also Rom. 13. 6 7. and not grudgingly And when Princes see Men ready in conscience of their Duty to serve them as God's Vicegerents how naturally will this draw back again the influence of all Princely Favours That Prince who is thus happy in the Obedience of his Subjects will doubtless as a Loving Father contrive the best to make his Subjects happy under his Government 4. How clearly is our Duty to our Superiors delivered by St. Paul Tit. 3. 1 c. Put them in mind to be subject to Principalities and Powers to obey Magistrates to be ready to every good work Let the Power be in this or the other Form for all Nations have not the same Form of Government you must not dispute that you must chearfully obey as becomes Men of a ready Mind to do the good commanded by Magistrates you must not ask whether they be Heathen Kings or Christian Kings You must obey all Kings or Magistrates For they are God's Ministers attending on this very thing i. e. the Government of the World a very necessary thing without which human Society cannot subsist Here is no Limitation of time for your Subjection to Princes Powers and Magistrates you are under this Obligation so long as St. Paul's Epistle to Titus is Canonical Let not then any idle Dream of the change of Dispensations subvert you from the simplicity of the Gospel-Rules delivered in this great Case in which the Happiness of Christian Men as such is much concerned For who shall harm them if they be careful Followers of that which is good 1 Pet. 3. 13. But if it so fall out that notwithstanding your care in this matter ye must suffer for righteousness sake then happy are ye c. for still religious Obedience is due to God and must be paid to him 5. This place Tit. 3. 1. commands Christians to be ready to every good work Obj. What if the Powers command otherwise what then For answer to this we know we have an Obligation to obey God antecedent to that of our Obedience to Kings as has been shewed He commands us to abstain from every appearance of Evil 1 Thess 5. 22. Wherefore if the Power shall be so unhappy to command otherwise as it fell out in the case of Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 5. there the Penalty must be patiently endured And then the Powers are still obeyed And tho some vainly upbraid us that there either is no such thing as Passive Obedience or that our Obedience in this is like the Obedience of a Felon when he goes to the Gallows c. Such blind Byards may be pleased to know the Felon hath ordinarily nothing to chuse but must necessarily dye whereas the suffering Christian has Life and Liberty offered if he will but worship so or so Now here he chuses rather to suffer than to do that which he conceives at least to be sin in the sight of God that so he may be a faithful Witness for God and therein a Blessing to his Prince and to his Nation which is his only way to silence the Ignorance of foolish Men whose unwary Objections reflect not only upon all true Martyrs since the World began but upon Christ himself who for this cause was hated and persecuted because He bore witness to the Truth Joh. 18. 37. and that the Works of the World were Evil John 7. 7. 6. But if it should happen that Princes should some way intrench upon the Civil Rights of their Subjects What then must we do What then Why it is dangerous to contend with them in such cases we are taught otherwise by the Example of our Saviour in his direction to St. Peter in the case of paying Tribute to the Roman Magistrates Mat. 17. 25 26 27. For it is evident from this place that our Saviour was not obliged by Law to pay Custom or Tribute but was free in that case yet it being demanded he advises Peter to pay it both for himself and his Master So careful was he to avoid Offences that he will pay Tribute and advises his Followers to do it too tho it be in their own wrong A good precedent to all Christians to be humble and not to contend with Authority in or about indifferent things Would God they would consider it 7. But it may here be demanded Whether Princes may not warrantably punish such as submit not to the Religion by them established from the Example of King Artaxerxes Ezra 7. 26. Whosoever will not do the Law of thy God and the Law of the King let Judgment be executed speedily upon him whether it be unto Death or to Banishment or to Confiscation of Goods or to Imprisonment I confess this Objection requires a serious Answer And with submission to better Judgments I shall say a few Things in Answer to it And it seems by the Scope and Contexture