Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n
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A27454
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The original of kingly and ecclesiastical government by T.B. ...
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Barlow, Thomas, 1607-1691.
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1681
(1681)
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Wing B1513A; Wing B196; ESTC R37045
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57,729
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118
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for him which with much difficulty and many pleadings she so appeas'd his wrath that he was satisfied and this was as common for a Senator of Venice to do as for a Parliament man to pay no debts Neither is their any Law or Justice to be had against any of these Statesmen There was a Noble-man who was an Austrian both by Birth and Family who being a Traveller chanc'd to cast his eyes upon a fair and vertuous Lady who in every respect were deserving of each other This Noble-man had no sooner made his mind known unto his Paragon fâ—r beauty but he was soon obstructed with a corrival who was a Nobile Venetiano who perceiving his Mistress affections to this Stranger to be more liberally expressed than unto him contrives his death and soon effâ—ct it she loving her Martyr more than either others conceived or she her self could brook so great a cross concerning them studies revenge and being an Italian found her self easily prompted by her own natural inclination she pretends much love that she might the better put in execution her greatest hatred she gets him into a Chamber where she prays him to rest himself in a Chair wherein he was no sooner sat but his arms and thighs were caught with springs and being thus fastened she murders him with her own hands and flies for sanctuary to the next Nunnery within the Popes Dominions leaving behind her by the murdered these words written with her own hand in a piece of paper Because there is no justice to be executed against a Noble Venetian I have been both Judge and Executioner my self Men may talk what they will and fancy what they please but there is no more difference in point of freedom between a Monarchy and a Free-State as they call it than there is between a High Sheriff of a Shire and a Committee of a County Utrum horum mavis accipe Now for the Free State of our Neighbour Netherlands otherwise called the States of Holland who have sprung up as all other Free-States will do at last from the submissive and humble stilings of the distressed to the High and Mighty The particulars which occasioned their revolt from their Soveraign the King of â—pain I shall not insist upon but refer you to the Spanish and Netherland Histories only I shall hint upon the main inducements to their Rebellion viz. Religion and Freedom For the first There is not a People amongst whom the name of God is known to whom Religion is a greater stranger than unto these stilers of themselves Reformed Protestants for if this Free-state who allow all Religions both of the Jews and Gentiles whose several Churches own in Capital letters over their doors the several sects of Religions to which each Libertine is inclined be Religious than the Pantheonists were as truly Reformed and Religious as the Amsterdamiams but as he who sacrificed to all the Gods in general must needs have sacrificed unto the true God and yet know him not because he joyned others with him who was to be worshipped alone So that Country which embraceâ—h all Religions happily may have the true Religion amongst them and yet have no Religion because they admit of many being there is but one This I speak in reference to the Country not to particular men Neither is there a sort of Christians in the world who are less servants unto Christ if it be enough to make them so to be the greatest prophaners of his day for the Sabbath is only distinguished from other daies by a Sermon in the Church and the Ale-house being full of Mechanicks drinking and carousing from morning until night the shops are open and buying and selling all the day long excepting half the window which is to distinguish the day but the door is open to let in the buyers and the other half of the window is open to let in the light and wonderfully strange it is and remarkable to consider how these people who shook off their Allegiance to their Prince upon pretences of Reformation should be so besotted as to fall into such a strange and unheard of prophaneness of him and the day whereon Christ himself is to be worshipped as in their Metropolls or chief City to have a dog-market kept to the utter scandal of true Religion and Christianity it self this is no more than what I have seen and if it were not true it were easily returned upon my self as the greatest impudence that could be imagined but O the partiality of the Picture-drawer when he receives large wages for a similitude he insults over his own work only because it is like when the face it self is most abominable Now for the freedom from Tyranny and oppression if the Turks or Tartars had conquered them they never would nor never did where ever they extended their Dominions impose such Taxes and Rates as they have imposed on one another incredible even to the full value of the several commodities which run through their natives hands but you will ask me how it is possible they should live then To which I answer you by sharking and cosening of strangers Let any forraigners come there and ask for a dinner and for such a dinner as they may well afford for eight pence a-piece they will ask you five shillings a man find but the least fault with them and they will demand twelve pence a piece more for fouling of linnen and if you seem angry at that you shall mend your self with the payment of six pence a-piece over and above for fouling the room and seek a remedy and you shall be told the Prince of Orange himself if he were there could not help it altom all is all the reason they will give you if in sadness you shall complain of such abuses to indifferent Judges they will tell you that the States do lay such heavy Taxes upon the Inhabitants that they are fain to flie to such shifts for their subsistance thus men pleased with the itch of Innovation are contented to scratch the blood out of their own bodies till they feel the greatest smart rather than their Physician should let out a little spare blood to cure the disease and preserve them in good health but you will say that for all this they thrive and prosper abudantly so do the Argiers men but with what credit and reputation in the eye of the World I believe both alike It was not their strength or policy which brought them to this height and flourishing condition but it was our policy of State in emulation to other Princes which helped these Calves to Lions hearts teeth and claws until the High and Mighty Butter-boxes stood in competition with the Crown and I am afraid the siding with such Rebels hath turned Rebellion into our own bosoms as a just judgment from that God who is a revenger of all such iniquities they may call it the School of War whilst wanting a good cause it could be no otherwise than
Throne of Gold and Ivory he should have six steppers to his Throne for the Gold and Ivory sake instead of having a foot-stool of Gold under his feet he should have much ado to keep a Crown of pure Gold upon his head instead of hands to stay his throne he should have hands enough to pull it down and cast it to the ground and instead of two and twelve Lyons fixed on cach side as a guard unto his Throne he should have found many Lyons without regard running up and down seeking how they might destroy him Lastly Kings are the Lords Anointed because they are Anointed with his own oyl Oleo sancto meo with my holy Oyl have I anointed him Psal. 89.20 It is not with any common or vulgar Oyl or Oyl that any lays claim to but himself but it is Oleo meo my oyl neither is it oyl that was fetch'd out of any common Shop or Warehouse but it is Oleo sancto with holy oyl oyl out of the Sanctuary And no question but this is a main reason if they would speak out why some have such an aking tooth at the Sanctuaries because they maintain in them oyl for the anointing of Kings but if the Alablaster box were broken the ointment would soon be lost If they could persuade the King out of the Church into the Barn they would soon pull a Reed out of the thatch to put into his hand instead of a Scepter or if they could get him to hear Sermons under a hedge there would not be materials wanting to make a Crown of thorns to plat it on his head Thus you see the reasons why Kings are called the Lords Anointed because the Lord hath appropriated them unto himself not in a common and general way but in a particular and exclusive manner my King my Kingdom my Crown my Scepter my Throne my Oyl where is there left any place for claim Pride may thrust down Angels out of Heaven and violence may crucifie the Son of God But all these things considered who can stretch forth his hand against the Lords Anointed and be guiltless 1 Sam. 26.9 CHAP. V. Whether bad Kings be the Lords Anointed or not THey are for they are of the Lords sending and appointment as well as the good I will set an evil man to rule over them saith God and I gave them a King in mine anger Hosea 13.11 which King was Saul which Saul was a Tyrant which Tyrant was the Lords Anointeâ— when he was at the worst You cannot have two better witnesses then David and the Holy Ghost 1 Sam. 26. Cyrus was a Heathen Persian and one that knew not God yet for all that Haec dicit Dominus Cyro Christo meo Thus saith the Lord to Cyrus mine Anointed Esay 43.4 Nero was no good Emperour but a Monster of man-kind yet Saint Peter in whose days he wrote his Epistle commanded all Christians to submit to him 1 Pet. 2.13 Hasael whom the Lord fore-saw and fore-shewed unto his Prophet Elisha to be the destroyer of his people of Israel and one that should make them like the dust by thresâ—ing 2 Kings 13.7 one that will set their strong holds on fire slay their young men with the sword dash their children against the wall and rip up their women with child insomuch that it made the Prophet weep to foresee all the miseries that should happen 2 King 8.12 insomuch that it made Hasael himself when he was told thereof cry out is thy servant a Dogg that he should do all these things vers 13. yet for all this Goâ— will have him to be King and it be put to scourge his people the Lord hath shewed mâ— that thou shalt be King over Syria vers 13. Julian when from his Christianity he fell to flat Paganiâ—m yet this Anointing held no Christian ever sought no Preacher ever taught to touch him or resist him in the least degree for whilst the cruel and bloody Emperours were persecuting the poor Christians they were fitting their necks for the Yoke and teaching one another postures how they might stand fairest for the stroke of Death And this was not quia deerant vires because they could not help it for the greatest part of Julians Army and the most part of his Empire were Christians For saith Tertullian in his apologetical defence of the Christians of those times una nox pauculis faculis c. One night with a few firebrands will yield us sufficient revenge if we durst by reason of our Christian obligation and shews how they neither wanted forces or numbers and that neither the Moors or the Persians or any other Nation whatsoever were more mighty or more populous than they and how they filled all places Towns Cities Imperial Palaces Senates and Seats of Judgment and that they could do any thing in their revenge if it were any thing lawful but this Anointing was the thing that kept the swelling down and hindred the corrupt humours from gathering to a head And therefore it is not as Stephanus Junius Franciscus Hottomanus Georgius Buchananus Ficklerus â— Renecheruâ— with the rest of the pillars of the Puritan Anarchy do answer being graâ—el'd at the practice of the primitive Chriâ—tians anâ— those precepts of the holy Apostlâ— that the Church then as it were swathed in the bonds of weakness had not strength enough to make powerful resistance and therefore so the one taught and the other obeyed but if this doctrine were allowable then would inevitably follow these two gross absuâ—dities 1. That the pen of the holy Ghost which taught submission even to the worst of Kings was not directed according to the equity of the thing but the necessity of the times 2. That either the holy Ghost must turn Politician and become a timeserver or else the Church must lose the means of its being and substance Whereas we know the contrary so well that when Acies Ecclesiâ—e was so far from its bene ordinâ—ta that wâ—en all the Souldiers fled and the Life-guard â—outed the Lord of â—ost the General himself taken Prisoner yet then like the Sun looking biggest in lowest estate so the son of righteousness think ye not that I can pray unto my Father and he will send Legions of Angels and rathâ—r than Gods children shall be oppressed by a company of Egyptians if it be his pleasure to deliver them he can without the drawing of one Sword turn Rivers into blood produce an Army of Froggs to destroy them and rather than they should be necessitated for lack of means send swarms of Flies that may serve them in the stead of so many rescuing Angels and therefore it was not any necessity that the Church was or could be in that procured in the Apoâ—tlâ—s or the first Christians either that doctrine or that use it was not disability but duty not want of strength but a reverend regard of the Lords Anointed that wrought these effects in both Let the people be never so many and