Selected quad for the lemma: head_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
head_n	body_n	king_n	politic_a	2,735	5	10.6730	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65716	Three sermons preach'd at Salisbury the first, A.D. 1680, and again before the militia, at their going against the late Duke of Monmouth ... the second preach'd before the Right Reverend Father in God, Seth, Lord Bishop of Sarum, A.D. 1681 ... the third, preach'd A.D. 1683, at the election of the mayor ... / by Daniel Whitby.	Whitby, Daniel, 1638-1726.	1685 (1685)	Wing W1737; ESTC R28389	88,809	79

committed to some Persons who thereupon should act as his Vicegerents here on Earth and should be owned as his Ordinance This therefore being true of all Supreme Authority that 't is Potestas Dei vicaria a Ray of divine Majesty that 't is entrusted with that Power only which is from above and representeth none but God whosoever lifteth up his Hands against it must be a Fighter against God for if a cruel and blood-thirsty Nero is as St. Paul asserts the Ordinance of God whosoever doth resist him must resist God's Ordinance and if there is no Power whether of Nero or Domitian but from God there can be no Resistance but from Satan If even that Power which condemned the Saviour of the World commenced from Heaven all Insurrections against such Powers must certainly derive from Hell In a word If Government be the Constitution of God to make forcible Opposition against it Faulkn ib. p. 427. must either be in design to have God's Authority subject to them who so act or at least that themselves may not be subject unto it both which things are unreasonable and include a resisting the Ordinance of God Argument 3 3. No Christian Subjects must resist the Higher Powers because they cannot do it without taking of the Sword avenging of themselves and claiming of the Power of Life and Death and passing Judgment on their Fellow-Subjects all which Prerogatives belong immediately to God and by his Ordinance alone or Grant to any Humane Powers Rom. 12.19 Matt. 5.39 For God expresly saith Vengeance is mine I will repay it and hath commanded us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not to resist when we do suffer Evil. The Injury we do against our Fellow-Subjects is done to one of God's own Subjects it is a Violation of his Law and so it properly belongs to him to punish it God also being Judge of all the Earth 2 Chron. 19.6 all Acts of Judgment are declared to be not for Man but for the Lord because they are performed by an Authority derived from him Act. 17.25 28. Moreover it is by God we live and move and have our Beings he giveth to us Life and Breath and all things No man can therefore wield the Sword of Justice or use that Sword to take away his Brothers Life but by Authority from the God of our Lives by whom the Higher Powers are commissioned and who are therefore said by his Authority to bear the Sword and be his Ministers in executing Vengeance on the Evil-doer And therefore when St. Peter did attempt to wield the Sword even in Christ's Cause our Lord rebukes him Matt. 26.52 saying Put up thy Sword into its place for all that take the Sword shall perish by it This is saith Musculus Locus notandus omnibus subditis a place to be well noted by all Subjects for 1. This was a Cause wherein Religion and Civil Justice were both much concern'd for the malicious Jews were now pursuing their Design to put the blessed Jesus to an ignominious Death to crucifie the true Messiah and to extirpate his holy Doctrine from the Earth and Justice never was more highly violated than in the Methods which they used to destroy the Lord of Life And yet when upon this occasion his Disciples said Luke 22.49 Master shall we smite with the Sword he peremptorily forbids it and checks St. Peter's hasty use thereof and this he doth partly because John 18.36 as he declared his Kingdom was not of this World and so his Servants should not fight for its Defence against Authority partly because they could not do it in opposition to Authority without the taking of the Sword Contra Faust●m Manich. lib. 22. c. 70. for he saith Austin truly takes the Sword who when no lawful Power doth command or authorise him so to do useth Force of Arms to shed the Blood of others Secondly Observe that they who came to apprehend our Saviour were only some Inferior Officers commissionated by the Supreme Authority and yet they must not be resisted saith our Lord. Thirdly If we consider the Intention of the Person smiting we shall find that he had no design or purpose to rebel against or to turn Casar out of his Dominions but only to preserve his Master it therefore may be fairly pleaded in behalf of Peter that be kept the Laws inculpatae tutelae of Self-defence that what he did was of a sudden without deliberation and that he did not kill out-right but only wounded the High Priests Servant and yet our Saviour not only doth dislike the Action but thinks it necessary to work a Miracle for reparation of the Injury done by it If therefore to unsheath the Sword in Christ's own Cause against the meanest Officer commissionated by the Higher Powers be to usurp it what must it be to take it in our own If to avenge our selves upon our Equals be to usurp on God's Prerogative what must it be to offer to avenge our selves on our Superiors If lastly it be murther to shed our Brother's blood without commission from God or his Vicegerent then all who fight against Authority must become guilty of that sin and it will much concern them to consider what St. John hath said viz. 1 John 3.15 that no Murtherer hath Eternal Life abiding in him And suitable unto these Principles of our Religion is the Constitution of our present Government which doth acknowledge that the whole Power of the Sword or the Militia is in the King and 13 Car. 2.1 that 't is Treason to levy War against him within the Realm or without that justice regularly must be executed and Vengeance recompensed by Judges who receive commission from him to do it For our Sovereign Lord the King which is the current style both of our Statutes and of their Commissions That the Crown of England hath been so free at all times that it hath been in no earthly Subjection 16 R. 2. but immediately subject to God in all things touching the Regality of the same Crown and to no other That the Realm of England is an Empire governed by one Supreme Head and King 24 H. 8.12 to whom a Body Politick of Spiritualty and Temporalty be bounden and ought to bear next to God a natural and humble obedience That both or either Houses of Parliament cannot 13 Car. 2.6.14.2 3. nor lawfully may raise or levy any War offensive or defensive against his Majesty his Heirs and lawful Successors and lastly that it is unlawful upon any pretence whatsoever to take up Arms against him or against those who are commissionated by him Argument 4 Fourthly The Christian ought not to resist Superiors because He by so doing will cast a great reproach upon the Name and Doctrine of our Lord and give occasion to renew that Calumny of Jews and Heathens that our Lord was no Friend to Caesar that his Disciples were the men who by their Doctrine turned the