Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	king_n	lord_n	sovereign_a	12,705	5	9.8164	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A58782	An abstract (with remarks) of Dr. Scot's sermon preached at Chelmsford assizes, Aug. 31, 1685 wherein the doctor prophetically gives his opinion of the consequences of the late revolution, concluding with an excellent character of King James the Second.	Scott, John, 1639-1695.; Philalethes.	1693 (1693)	Wing S2037; ESTC R8554	10,340	15

to those who consider only one side of the Case yet there is nothing more apparent than that the Liberty of resisting Princes would prove a far greater Mischief to the World than all the Cruelties and Oppressions of the most barbarous Tyrants for what though there was never any Governour so wise and good as not to be chargable with some Faults and Miscarriages we ought to consider that our World must be govern'd by Men and not by Angels and that perhaps there never was any Lawful Prince so bad the Benefits of whose Government did not far outweigh the Mischiefs of his Tyranny and therefore it is wisely eligible for us rather to suffer a less Evil than to deprive our selves of a greater Good The third and last Consideration in this Duty viz. the Object of it the Higher Powers by which its evident we are to understand the Persons of Sovereign Princes and Governors and not the Laws and Constitutions as some of our Republican Doctors pretend for this Epistle was writ either under Claudius or Nero whose Wills were the only Laws they govern'd by and yet these were the Higher Powers to whom the Apostle requires our Subjection and those whom he here calls the Higher Powers in the third Verse he calls the Rulers and in the fourth Verse he tells us that this Higher Power is the Minister of God a Revenger to execute Wrath upon him that doth evil which must necessarily be meant of the Governors and not of the Laws and accordingly St. Peter thus explains it 1 Pet. 2. 3. Be subject to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake whether it be to the King 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Supreme which is the very Word that is used here for the Higher Powers so that by the Higher Powers here must be meant the Person or Persons that are rested with the Supreme and Sovereign Power Now the Supreme Power to which we in this Nation owe subjection is the King whom our Laws do declare and recognize to be our Supreme and Sovereign Lord for so for instance the Statute of Premunire declares That the Crown of England is in no earthly subjection but immediately subject to God in all things touching the Regality of the same And in other Laws it is declared to be High Treason to Levy Arms against the King either within or without the Realm and that it is unlawful for both or either Houses of Parliament to raise or levy War offensive or defensive against his Majesty or his Heirs and Lawful Successors and that it is not Lawful upon any pretence whatsoever to take Arms against the King and that we are to abhor that traiterous Position of taking Arms by his Authority against his Person or against those who are commissioned by him I could never have imagined we could be so abandoned of our 〈◊〉 as in the same Age to act over the same 〈◊〉 again but if as a just Punishment of our Sins God should permit us to be so far infatuated as to sell our Liberties again for fear of being enslaved to fight against the Principles of our Religion in the defence of it to rip up the Bowels of our native Country to preserve it and in a word to go to cross a pile with a Company of beggarly Male-contents for our own Estates and Fortunes and run our selves into present and certain Mischiefs to prevent future and contingent ones if these things I say should happen again which God forbid a very small Prophet may easily foretel the woful Consequences of it and when we shall see our Fields strewed over again with the Carcasses of our Friends and Relations our Cities Towns and Countries laid waste by an unnatural War and shall come to cast up our Accounts and to reckon all the Blood and Treasure we have spent only to purchase Confusion or Slavery then we shall remember perhaps with Tears in our Eyes That it was nothing but a Surfeit of Happiness that caused our Misery Consider That upon our dutiful Subjection to our Prince the Honour of our Religion depends If once it should appear that our Religion is mischievous to Government Mankind would soon conspire to proclaim War with it and to decry and exploid it as a publick NUSANCE to the World And I verily believe should Men consult the Devil himself what course they were best to take to blast the Honour of Religion he could not direct them to a more effectual one than under sanctified Pretences to turn Rebels to the Government and accordingly heretofore the Adversaries of Christianity could find no such effectual Calumny to blast and expose it as this that it was an Enemy to the Civil Government as wisely enough considering That could they infuse into Mankind a Belief of this Scandal there was nothing could be more conducive to antidote Mens Minds against it and to render it Base and Infamous in the Opinion of the World whilst therefore we conduct any Seditious Design under the holy Banners of Christianity we join hands with our open and profest Adversaries and endeavour so far as in us lies to defend their most malitious Calumnies against it Whilst therefore we make our Religion a colour for our Faction and Disloyalty we confess it to be guilty of the most infamous thing that it was ever charged with by the worst of its Enemies viz. That it lays Trains of Factious Principles in Mens Hearts and Consciences on purpose to blow up Thrones and Governments and throw the World into Ruins and Confusions Consider That upon our faithful Subjection to our Prince the Safety of our Religion depends for there is nothing iu the World can more indanger our Religion than our making it a pretence for Rebellion for hereby we inevitably expose it to the hatred of Princes and do what in us lies to arm their Power against it for by our Actions we do in effect make this open Declaration to them Sirs To tell you plainly you may thank our Religion for our Disobedience we would be Loyal but it will not suffer us and therefore ye were best have a care of it it will undermine your Thrones and will one time or other arm the hands of your People against your Persons and Dignities When therefore we set up our Religion against our Governours we force them in their own Defence to set themselves against it and to endeavour as far as in them lies to root it out of the World and if being provoked by our Sedition they should ever draw their Swords against it it may thank us for it who first began the Quarrel and gave the Challenge and did in effect declare by our Actions that unless they forced us to lay down our Religion our Religion would force them to lay down their Crowns yea and though we should succeed in our Rebellion and prove too hard for our Governours yet first or last