Selected quad for the lemma: end_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
end_n	power_n	prince_n	temporal_a	1,487	5	9.3415	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A48196	The dangerous rule, or, A sermon preached at Clonmel in the province of Munster in Ireland, upon Aug. 3, 1657 before the reverend judges for that circuit by S.L., Master in Arts, and lately fellow of C.C.C. in Oxon.	Ladyman, Samuel, 1625-1684.; J. E.	1658 (1658)	Wing L168; ESTC R2962	19,621	141

the false Witness undergoes that punishment which the Accused had the Charge been proved was liable to suffer But no longer to insist upon this Example in the Text it self our Saviour seems to justifie the Truth of this Proposition Proof while he refuses to act by so Arbitrary a Rule as his own Will or Conscience for me thinks we may so understand him Luke 12.13 14. Who made me a Judge or a Divider over you As if he had said You know I am not entrusted with the management of those Laws by which Controversies about Meum Tuum ought to be decided and to determine these Differences by a Rule so boundless as mens own private Judgments is not safe nor shall I do it I believe there were other Inducements which perswaded Christ to wave what this importunate Suitor would have put upon him Perhaps lest intermedling with Temporals should interrupt that more necessary spiritual work for which he was sent Perhaps that he might not cherish the then-almost Epidemical mistake concerning the Messias of his coming a Temporal Prince Or perhaps that he might not give his Adversaries an occasion to charge him with an affection of Jurisdiction or Magisterial Power over the People But as these wise and holy Ends had their Influence upon him so might that also which we first assign'd The last Proof I shall trouble you with at this time shall be that rash and rigorous Sentence denounc'd against the Samaritans by James and John Luk. 9.54 how do the Consciences of these men though Christ's own Disciples like Sulphurous Aetna belch our flames how gladly could they have transformed that Samaritan Village into another Sodom yea what satisfaction to them for those Clouds which drop'd Fatness upon other places to rain Fire upon this But to draw neerer our own Times we may remember when Conscience sate as a Queen upon the Supreme Seats of Judicature in this Common-wealth when she acted without Control and advanc'd her self above all we called Law did she not then give sufficient proof what a dangerous Pilot we were like to find her In what an insolent and furious manner began she to invade our Rights both as Christians as Men Had her Magisterial Dictates stood our two standing Ordinances must have fallen our Laws had now lain buried in that heap of confusion which had been but the unavoidable consequence of their own subversion our Teachers had been driven into corners our Gospel-Sun had been wrap'd up in a plenary Eclipse our Eloquent Orators and Learned Councellors had been numbered among unnecessaries in England our Books our Colledges had been burn'd in Ireland drown'd here a Deluge there a Flame had been their Executioner Had the Decrees of Conscience stood our Charity had been as cold as our Zeal was hot men not onely straitning their Bowels and refusing to give but widening their Arms with resolution to take away what our pious Ancestors had bestowed Never could Dionysius applaud himself more in his Sacriledge when he spoil'd Aesculapius of his Golden Beard and Jupiter Olympius of his costly Robe then we our selves in our Religious Plunder the Alms of the Sick and Lame the Fatherless and the Widow were by Conscience voted a well-pleasing booty even by some reputed both judicious and godly And thus both by Scripture and Experience we have proved our Doctrine That without the guidance and superintendency of known Laws the Consciences c. The Grounds or Reasons of this Point are several I shall demonstrate it by a fivefold Argument The first is taken from known Laws Arg. 1. what they are And why may I not call them the very Heart and Soul of a Commonwealth the Hinges upon which it turns and the Basis up-upon which 't is built These lick'd the Civil Body which otherwise had been but Rudis indigestaque Moles a confused Lump an heap of Rubbish a meer Chaos into that comely shape which now adorns it A Kingdom without Laws Isai 34.13 is rather a Den of Thieves a Court for Owls Isai 13.21 an Habitation for Dragons a Place much fitter for Satyrs to dance and for Monsters to hide themselves then for Men to dwell in So highly did the Agathyrsi prize their Laws that in Aristotle's time for remembrance sake they sang them as others did also before Letters were invented whence some will have the Rules of Musick called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and doubtless the ravishing Melody of Orpheus his Harp was no other then the harmonious murmur of wholesom Laws by which he drew Beasts or Men as rude as they into Humane Society 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Known Laws are for the most part but so many commendable Customes in black and white the Wisdom and Experience of former Ages bundled up and transmitted to Posterity and what a folly to place Conscience which is but of yesterday and knows little in the room of these Nor may the narrowness of humane Understandings the weakness of Mens Judgments derogate from their just Repute for though there be but a little Light in a Glow-worm a little Heat in a Spark yet many of these together will afford a moderate-Lustre a convenient Warmth And suppose there be but a smal pittance but a single beam of Light but a spark of Knowledge in a single Intellect yet doth not this reflect upon those Laws which were the Products of Concentricated Beams of sundry Sparks laid together and blown into a Flame I mean of many well-informed Consciences and Understandings united in a glittering Constellation and sitting in Council for their Good who live under their Influence For what more proper Periphrasis then this of a Parliament what was the Roman Senate but such Now to trample under our feet the serious and unbyass'd Deliberations of these Assemblies to contemn the twisted strength of known Laws those well-compacted Combinations of Conscience and Judgment and above these to exalt the shallow capacities of single men were to complain of going to Jerusalem and to erect Calves at Bethel to call Law a burthensom piece of Exuberancy to cry against this Political Structure saying Race it race it even to the foundation what is this but to remove the ancient Land-Mark plac'd by Prudence and Necessity to pluck up the Hedge and lay all in Common and then the Nimrods of that Age the mighty Hunters would divide the Spoil I never think of this Design and its Promoters how handsomely they laboured to cheat us of our Laws the only Guardians of our Estates and Lives but it mindes me of the Wolf in the Fable who advis'd the Sheep to dismiss their Dogs that he at pleasure might devour them If any should here object those mischiefs which too often have attended Laws that Object like the Bramble they tear the Fleece rather then shelter the Sheep that they serve onely to perplex poor men and are themselves wrested by the wealthier or as Spiders Webs catch lesser Flyes while the