Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	david_n	king_n	saul_n	5,115	5	10.1244	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41311	The power of kings, and in particular of the King of England learnedly asserted by Sir Robert Filmer, Kt. ; with a preface of a friend, giving an account of the author and his works.	Filmer, Robert, Sir, d. 1653.	1680 (1680)	Wing F926; ESTC R19499	10,291	18

but so much as Thought it Which Fact the Laws have in such Detestation as that when a man guilty of any Offence or Crime dyeth before he be condemned thereof he is deemed to have died in whole and perfect Estate except he have conspired against the Life and Dignity of his Soveraign Prince This only thing they have thought to be such as that for which he may worthily seem to have been now already Judged and Condemned yea even before he was thereof Accused And albeit the Laws inflict no Punishment upon the Evil Thoughts of men but on those only which by Word or Deed break out into some Enormity yet if any man shall so much as conceit a Thought for the Violating of the Person of his Soveraign Prince although he have Attempted nothing they have yet Judged this same Thought worthy of Death notwithstanding what Repentance soever he have had thereof Lest any men should think Kings or Princes themselves to have been the Authors of these Laws so the more straitly to provide for their own Safety and Honour let us fee the Laws and Examples of Holy Scripture Nabuchodonosor King of Assyria with Fire and Sword destroyed all the Country of Palestina besieged Jerusalem took it rob'd and razed it down to the ground burnt the Temple and defiled the Sanctuary of God slew the King with the greatest part of the people carrying away the rest into Captivity into Babylon caused the Image of himself made in Gold to be set up in Publick place commanding all men to Adore and Worship the same upon pain of being Burnt alive and caused them that refused so to do to be cast into a burning Furnace And yet for all that the holy Prophets Baruch 1. Jeremy 29. directing their Letters unto their Brethren the Jews then in Captivity in Babylon will them to pray unto God for the good and happy Life of Nabuchodonosor and his Children and that they might so long Rule and Reign over them as the Heavens should endure Yea even God himself doubted not to call Nabuchodonosor his Servant saying That he would make him the most Mighty Prince of the world and yet was there never a more detestable Tyrant than he who not contented to be Himself Worshipped but caused his Image also to be Adored and that upon pain of being burnt quick We have another rare Example of Saul who possessed with an evil Spirit caused the Priests of the Lord to be without iust Cause slain for that one of them had received David flying from him and did what in his power was to kill or cause to be kill'd the same David a most innocent Prince by whom he had got so many Victories at which time he fell twice himself into David's Hands who blamed of his Souldiers for that he would not suffer his so mortal Enemy then in his power to be Slain being in assured Hope to have enjoyed the Kingdom after his Death he detested their Counsel saying God forbid that I should suffer the Person of a King the Lords Anointed to be violated Yea he himself defended the same King persecuting of him when as he commanded the Souldiers of his Guard overcome by Wine and Sleep to be wakened And at such time as Saul was slain and that a Souldier thinking to do David a pleasure presented him with Saul's Head David caused the same Souldier to be Slain which had brought him the Head saying Go thou Wicked How durst thou lay thy impure Hands upon the Lords Anointed Thou shalt surely Die therefore And afterwards without all Distimulation mourned Himself for the dead King All which is worth good consideration for David was by Saul prosecuted to Death and yet wanted not Power to have revenged Himself being become Stronger than the King besides he was the Chosen of God and Anointed by Samuel to be King and had Married the King's Daughter And yet for all that he abhorred to take upon him the Title of a King and much more to Attempt any thing against the Life or Honour of Saul or to Rebel against him but chose rather to Banish himself out of the Realm than in any sort to seek the Kings Destruction We doubt not but David a King and a Prophet led by the Spirit of God had always before his Eyes the Law of God Exod. 22. 28. Thou shalt not speak Evil of thy Prince nor detract the Magistrate neither is there any thing more common in Holy Scripture than the forbidding not only to Kill or Attempt the Life or Honour of a Prince but even for the very Magistrates although saith the Scripture They be Wicked and Naught The Protestant Princes of Germany before they entred into Arms against Charles the Emperour demanded of Martin Luther if it were Lawful for them so to do or not who frankly told them That it was not Lawful whatsoever Tyranny or Impiety were pretended yet was he not therein by them Believed so thereof ensued a Deadly and most Lamentable War the End whereof was most Miserable drawing with in the Ruine of many great and noble Houses of Germany with exceeding slaughter of the Subjects The Prince whom you may justly call the Father of the Country ought to be to every man Dearer and more Reverend than any Father as one Ordained and Sent unto us by God The Subject is never to be suffered to Attempt any thing against the Prince how Naughty and Cruel soever he be lawful it is not to obey him in things contrary to the Laws of God to Flie and Hide our selves from him but yet to suffer Stripes yea and Death also rather than to Attempt any thing against his Life and Honour O how many Tyrants should there be if it should be lawful for Subjects to kill Tyrants How many good and innocent Princes should as Tyrants perish by the Conspiracy of their Subjects against them He that should of his Subjects but exact Subsidies should be then as the Vulgar People esteem him a Tyrant He that should Rule and Command contrary to the good Liking of the People should be a Tyrant He that should keep strong Guards and Garrisons for the safety of his Person should be a Tyrant He that should put to death Traitors and Conspirators against his State should be also counted a Tyrant How should good Princes be assured of their Lives if under colour of Tyranny they might be Slain by their Subjects by whom they ought to be Defended In a well-ordered State the Soveraign Power must remain in One onely without Communicating any part thereof unto the State for in that case it should be a Popular Government and no Monarchy Wise Polititians Philosophers Divines and Historiographers have highly commended a Monarchy above all other Common-weals It is not to please the Prince that they hold this Opinion but for the Safety and Happiness of the Subjects And contrarywise when as they shall Limit and Restrain the Soveraign Power of a Monarch to Subject him to the General Estates or to the Council the Soveraignty hath no firm Foundation but they frame a Popular Confusion or a miserable Anarchy which is the Plague of all Estates and Commonweals The which must be duely considered not giving credit to their goodly Discourses which perswade Subjects that it is necessary to subject Monarchs and to give their Prince a Law for that is not only the Ruine of the Monarch but also of the Subjects It is yet more strange that many hold Opinion that the Prince is subject to his Laws that is to say subject to his Will whereon the Laws which he hath made depend a thing impossible in Nature And under this Colour and ill-digested Opinion they make a mixture and confusion of Civil Laws with the Laws of Nature and of God A pure Absolute Monarchy is the surest Commonweal and without Comparison the Best of all Wherein many are abused who maintain that an Optimacy is the best kinde of Government for that many Commanders have more Judgment Wisdome and Counsel than One alone For there is a great difference betwixt Councel and Commandment The Councel of Many wise men may be better than of One But to Resolve Determine and to Command One will always perform it better than Many He which hath advisedly digested All their Opinions will soon Resolve without Contention the which Many cannot easily perform It is necessary to have a Soveraign Prince which may have Power to Resolve and Determine of the Opinions of his Council FINIS