Selected quad for the lemma: hand_n
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A83999
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Englands satisfaction in eight queries; concerning the true place, office, and power of a king, according to Gods word.
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1643
(1643)
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Wing E3046; Thomason E105_14; ESTC R17568
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12,050
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ENGLANDS SATISFACTION IN EIGHT QVERIES Concerning the true place Office and power of a KING according to GODS Word A KING as he is the Lords Anoynted over his GODS Judgemēts upon his people for asking of a King people Israel 1 Sam. 8.11 12 13 14 15 16 17. will take your sonnes and your daughters to serve him He will take your fields vineyards and your olive-yards even the best of them from you and give them to his servants He will take the tenth of your seed and of your vine-yards from you and give them to his Officers and to his servants and he will take your men-servants and your maid-servants and your goodliest young men and your Asses and put them to his worke He will take the tenth of your sheepe and yee shall be his servants 1. Quest Is it lawfull for Kings to doe as Samuel from the Lord told the people Saul would doe Answ No for Samuel at the establishing of Saul 1 Sam. 10. 25. told Saul and all the people the dutie of a King as it is written Deut. 17.16 17 18 19 20. and wrote it in a Booke and laid it up before the Lord as a witnesse betwixt King and people so that all that the Lord doth command is lawfull to be done and it is a sinne not to doe it and all that the Lord doth forbid is unlawfull to be done and it is a sinne to doe it The Lord in the 8th of the 1 Sam. doth not command Kings to take from one and to give to another and to doe their own wills therefore it is not lawfull for Kings to exercise this regall power but the Lord saith that they will doe so and so which is not a sufficient warrant for Kings to doe so and so because the Lord in his Law of the dutie of a King hath expresly forbidden the same Deut. 17 18 19 20. And it shall be when he sitteth upon the throne of his Kingdome that he write him The dutie of a King a copie of this Law in a Booke and it shall be with him and he shall reade therein all the dayes of his life that he may learne to feare the Lord his God that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren to the right hand or to the left Therefore it is unlawfull for Kings to exercise this regall power King David though a man after Gods owne heart because he by vertue of this regall power would have Barshebah the wise of Vriah to be his wife and caused Ioab to put Vriah in the forefront that he might fall by the sword for which Nathan the Prophet told David 2 Sam. 12. 9. Thou hast killed Uriah with the sword and hast taken his wife to be thy wife and hast slaine him with the sword of the Children of Ammon Vers 10. Therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house It made good David by the experience of evill the sight and knowledge of evill and repentance for evill say at his latter end 2 Sam. 23. 3. He that ruleth over men must be just ruling in the feare of the Lord. Rehoboam thinking by this regall power he might doe what he would over and with his Subjects refused the good and milde Counsell of his grave and wise Elders and tooke the rough and evill Counsell of his young Counsell 1 King 12. 3. which lost him ten of his twelve Tribes Ahab by this regall power thought he might take away Naboths Vineyard and so followed the wicked Counsell of Idolatrous Iezabel his wife and put Naboth to death for which the Lord saith by Eliah the Prophet 1 Kings 21 19. 21 22. In the place where the dogs licked the bloud of Naboth shall dogs lick thy bloud even thine And I will take away thy posteritie and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall and will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the sonne of Nebat therefore it is utterly unlawfull to use this regall power 2. Quest If it be unlawfull for Kings to take from and to give unto and to doe what they please why did or doth the Lord in the 1 Sam. 8. 17. command the people to yeeld obedience and serve their Kings according to such demands commands will and pleasure Answ For two reasons first in respect of the Lord himselfe because he was King of Israel and had that regall power and prerogative Royall to doe his owne will with man as the Potter with the clay who being able and did with a mightie hand and stretched-out-arme bring Israel out of Aegypt from the crueltie of Pharoah through the red Sea and in the Wildernesse caused the stony Rocks to yeeld them water to drinke giving them Manna Angels food and sent them Quailes to eate and gave them the Land of Canaan houses they builded not Vineyards Orchards and gardens they planted not and cast out seven Nations greater then they before them even a Land flowing with milke and honey Notwithstanding all which Israel would have a Man King as had the Nations 1 Sam. 8. 5. At which Samuel was displeased but the Lord said unto Samuel ver 7. heare the voyce of the people for they have not rejected thee but they have rejected mee that I should not reigne over them therefore testifie vers 9 unto them and shew them the manner of the King being but a man what evill inclinations he will be of that shall reigne over you to take from one unjustly and give it to another that hath no right to the same unequally to demand of and command over and from you according to his own corrupt lusts as it is vers 11 12 13 14 15 16. And when these things shall come upon you vers 18. yee shall cry because of your man King whom you have chosen you but the Lord will not heare you at that day therefore bethinke your selves O Israel because you will forsake the Lord to reigne over you as formerly and will have a man to be your King to sit in the Lords throne of Majestie for in all these things ver 17. yee shall be his servants in obeying of him without redresse whose answer is ver 19. Nay but there shall be a King over us Chap. 10. 18 19. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel I brought Israel out of Aegypt and delivered you out of the hands of the Egyptians and out of the hands of all Kings that troubled you but you have this day cast away your God who onely delivered you out of all your adversities and tribulations And out of Chap. 12.12 the hands of Nahash King of the Children of Ammon when the Lord your God was your King yet yee said A King shall reigne over us Know O Israel vers 3 4 5. you and your King beare record Whose Oxe have I taken or whose Asse have I taken or whom have I done wrong to or whom have I hurt or of whose hands have I received any bribe and I will
restore it saith Samuel Then they said thou hast done us no wrong nor hurt us neither hast thou taken ought of any mans hand Then Samuel said the Lord and your Anointed is witnesse this day that yee have found nought in my hands And they answered he is witnes so the Lord in his anger Hosea 13. 11. gave them a King who was no blessing but a curse unto them as will appeare Secondly In respect of man because Israel would have a man to be their King and forsake the Lord their God peremptorily notwithstanding all before mentioned Israel must know that a mortall man one of their brethren to be exalted to the dignitie of the Lords throne of Majestie unto which belongs such a regall power and royall prerogative that was not fit for any sinfull mortall man because the wayes power and wisdome of man cannot as the Lord exercise such a power but either on the right hand or on the left they will transgresse against God or man in disobeying the Commandement of the Lord and this is the cause of the Lords anger and therefore for a punishment Israel must although their Kings should will unlawfull things 1 Sam. 8. 17. yeeld in obedience and serve their Kings accordingly and therefore the Lord Chap. 12.17 sent them in judgement even in wheat harvest such a thunder and raine to convince and to shew them their great wickednesse in asking of a King that ver 19. all the people said unto Samuel Pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God they durst not say our God that wee dye not for we have sinned in asking us a King Chap. 8. 20. to judge us and goe out before us and fight our battles the first whereof was against the Philistims where Saul Chap. 13. 12. was bold to offer a burnt offering for which Samuel vers 13 14. told Saul thou hast done foolishly for because thou hast not kept the Commandement of the Lord thy God thy Kingdome shall not continue for the Lord hath sought him a man after his owne heart and the Lord hath commanded him to governe his people Another battell against the Amalekites Chapt. 15. 9. who against the Commandement of the Lord spared Agag and the best things of the Amalekites for which Samuel told Saul vers 22 23. Obedience is better then sacrifice and to heare the Word of the Lord better then the fat of Rammes that rebellion is as the sinne of witch-craft and stubbornnesse as iniquitie and idolatry because thou hast rejected the Word of the Lord he hath rejected thee from being King ver 28. The Lord hath rent the Kingdome of Israel from thee this day and given it to thy neighbour that is better then thou therefore Kings though Anointed of the Lord and sit in the Lords throne may not exercise this regall power to doe their owne wills against the Commandements of the Lord no not by duties of burnt offering or sacrifice even Kings are to be as subject to the Commandement of the Lord as well as other men none may doe evill for good to come of it for with the Lord there is no respect of persons and Kings must know as they are but men That Pro. 28. 15. as a roaring Lyon and a hungry Beare so is a wicked Ruler over the poore people therefore thus saith the Lord Ezek. 45. 9. Let it suffice you O Princes of Israel leave off crueltie and oppression and execute Judgement and Justice and take away your exactions from my people Thus saith the Lord Jere. 21. 12. O house of David execute Judgement in the morning and doe not delay and deliver the oppressed out of the hand of the oppressor Chap. 22. 2 3. O King of Judah that sittest in the throne of David execute yee judgement and righteousnesse And Pro. 25. 5. Take away the wicked Counsellors from the King and his throne shall be established in righteousnesse for Chap. 29. 14. A King that Judgeth the poore in truth according to Gods Word his throne shall be established for ever for Chap. 22. 23. The Lord will defend his cause and spoyle the soule of those that spoyle them Chap. 19. 21. Many devices are in a mans heart but the counsell of the Lord standeth Chap. 14. 26. In the feare of the Lord is an assured strength and his Children shall have hope therefore know O Kings Princes and Rulers that Chap. 21.30 there is no wisdome neither understanding nor counsell against the Lord who saith Mat. 5. 3. Blessed are the poore in spirit for theirs is the kingdome of heaven Luke 6. 20. Blessed be yee poore for yours is the kingdome of God that feare the Lord and unto salvation beleeve in Jesus Christ for Mat. 11. 5. The poore receive the Gospel Luke 4 18 19. The spirit of the Lord is upon me that I should preach the Gospel to the poore and heale the broken-hearted and preach deliverance to the captives and set at libertie them that are bruised and preach the acceptable yeare of the Lord. And Isa 61. 3. To give unto them beautie for ashes the oyle of joy for mourning the garment of gladnesse for the spirit of heavinesse that they may be called trees of righteousnesse the planting of the Lord. Jer. 22. 2 3. O King of Iudah vex not the stranger the fatherlesse nor the widdow doe no violence nor shed innocent bloud in this place where such of the Lords dwell although Kings thinke they have a regall power to doe their owne wills they are mistaken 3. Quest What is the true and onely right place office and power of a King according to the Word of God Answ First the true and onely right place of a King is from amongst above and over all the people alone to sit in the Lords throne of Majestie Secondly The true and onely right office of a King is Rom. 13. 4. to be the Minister of God for the wealth or good of the people over whom he is set doing the will according unto the Lawes Statutes and Ordinances of him in whose throne he sits vers 1. Let every soule be subject to the higher power for there is no power but of God and the powers that be are ordeined of God therefore Kings are not to make any Statute Law or Ordinance destructive or contradictory unto them that were made by God before he made any King so that even Kings are to be as subject to the Lord as men to Kings and so as one intrusted by God as the Lords Vicegerent or Lievtenant over the Lords people betwixt God and man to see and looke unto it that God may be honoured glorified and served by himselfe and all the people and to see and looke to and preserve the people from all enemies perils and dangers both from abroad and at home Thirdly The true and onely right power of a King is as the Minister of God Rom. 13 4. to beare the sword of Justice to take vengeance on or execute