Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	law_n	punishment_n	sin_n	9,072	5	5.3449	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33467	The power of kings, particularly the British monarchy asserted and vindicated, in a sermon preached at Wakefield in the county of York, Sunday, October the 30th, 1681 by William Clifford.	Clifford, William, A.M.	1682 (1682)	Wing C4715; ESTC R18703	16,088	36

for all this are they not in the least liable to the Censure of any Man No Tribunal under Heaven hath power to take cognizance of them or call them into question The Prophet in our Text tho a King confesseth his Transgression but it is with Reserve of Justice unto none but to him whom alone he owned Superiour and therefore he crieth Against thee only have I sinned That some of our Moderns might evade this plain sence of the Text they have invented one which as they think will do the business Namely that David sinned in a double respect One as a King Another as a Private Person If these be not the Notions of Forty Eight let the World judge As he was a Private Person say they he was offensive to his Neighbour as well as to God having been injurious to Vriah To which I answer Davids Repentance here was either Feigned or Sincere Feigned it could not be as appears by the circumstances neither will they suppose it And if Sincere how cometh it to pass that in his Confession he hath no respect to his injured Neighbour But here lieth the bottom of the business If they could juggle the World into a belief that David sinned as a Private Person then the unavoidable consequence would be That he must be obnoxious to that Law which he had offended and no Man is ignorant that the punishment of that Sin whereof David was guilty was Death by the Mosaical Statute What is this but to seek a pretence for Regicide That David was injurious to Vriah I do fairly and readily grant But that he was a Private Person neither They nor all the World will ever be able to convince me it being not only absurd but impossible To say that such a one is a King and a Private Person too is a flat contradiction which can never be reconciled for wherever the one is it is impossible for the other to be there also at one and the same time But whether David were Private or no this was not the thing they aimed at which was that he might be liable to Terrestrial Punishment and then whatsoever looked tho never so ill like an Argument must be brought to maintain it Thus do Men become the Patrons of Error and render themselves contemptible to all discerning Persons David was no Private Person after he was Anointed this was nothing therefore but a distinction they had invented and fitted for their purpose and either it as I have shewed or our Logic must be false Let them shew us one Example and it shall be enough of any Law either Divine or Humane of any Civilized Nation in the World that owneth it but this they cannot being only ingaged to their own crazed Heads for it David was a King and as such was as other Kings above the Law Kings have Power to dispence with the Law at their pleasure Neither is there the severest Punishment the Law can inflict but it is in the Power of the King to remit it of this David could not be ignorant nay he seems to imply as much here and by how much the more he knew himself exempted from the Mosaical Law by so much the more earnest here he seemeth to be with God for a Pardon to whose greater Tribunal only he could be accountable And of this his Earnestness the Original is a sufficient witness wherein the Pronoun is twice repeated Against thee thee only have I sinned But I hast to be more particular wherein I shall undertake to prove That For Subjects to question the Actions tho Offensive or the Authority of their Princes is a thing that is most clearly Repugnant to Primitive Custom Inconsistent with the nature of the Kingly Office And Diametrically opposite to the Liberty of the Subject 1. It is Repugnant to Primitive Custom That which Men call Religion will in no wise allow the Prerogatives of Kings to be called in question Thus the thing was amongst the Hebrews when they requested for a King to rule over them like as other Nations had the Prophet answereth them that they should have a King and that their King should take their Wives and Children their Servants and Cattel for his use and service as you may read at large Sam. 1. 8. But that which is very observable is that the Prophet in the whole description of that their King who we know was none of the best never so much as setteth the least bound or limitation to his Power maketh no observations of the extent of his Authority Whereas if either this or any other of the Precedent or Succeeding Authors of the Old Testament had but made any cases of Resistance or Restraint I make no question but the Antimonarchical Spirits of these Times would have been diligent in the search and discovery of them But so far was this from the business of Samuel and the rest of the Prophets that they enjoyn Obedience even to the worst of Kings tho it be not only to the hazard of Goods but Life And we do find it twice pronounced to make the Obligation greater concerning one of the most Insolent and Unjust of all their Kings Who can lift up his hands against Gods Anointed and be guiltless That Golden Sentence of the Psalmist therefore must of necessity have a like Relation to all Rulers Touch not mine Anointed And as the Law so the Gospel runneth high concerning Majesty Our Saviour prohibiteth us from doing any man Injury or Injustice but much more must we pay that Reverence and Respect to Caesar which himself paid and commanded us to do the like You will never find him controverting the Actions of Caesar or his Delegates but willingly submitting to whatsoever they imposed as you may clearly see in the Case of Tribute wherein he proved to St. Peter that such as were Freeborn were not liable to Taxation Nevertheless saith he lest we be troublesom go thou to the Sea and taking up a Fish in his mouth thou shalt find a piece of Money that give them for thee and me Nay so far was Christ satisfied of the Power of the Roman Emperour that he suffered Death upon the Sentence of Pilate the Governour not because he wanted Power to make Resistance as Porphyrius Julian and some others did vainly affirm against the Primitive Christians but because he would not in the least seem to make any Exception from that General Rule of Obedience to Superiours that he had laid down for otherwise as he said he could pray to his Father who could send him more than Twelve Legions of Angels to be his Assistants and to rescue their Sovereign Lord and Creatour from the violence of that hour Thus also we find the Disciples treading in their Masters steps St. Peter and St. Paul those two great Doctors of the Circumcision and Uncircumcision asserting this Royal Prerogative Submit your selves unto every Ordinance of Man saith Peter whatsoever some of his Successours have to say to