Selected quad for the lemma: justice_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
justice_n	authority_n	law_n	power_n	2,872	5	4.6226	4	false

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

is the most credible witness who telleth us that he did no Sin neither was Guile found in his mouth that when he was reviled he reviled not again that when he suffered he threatned not but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously in all things leaving us his Example that we should tread in his steps Thus Grotius And as the Law of Moses the Gospel and the Laws and Practice of all Christian Nations so the Law of Nature and all Civilized tho not Christian Nations do assert this Truth whereof Plato's Books of his Common Wealth are an ample Testimony And in the Twelve Tables which are believed to be of Grecian extract Greece having furnished all the Heathen World with Laws as it is probably supposed which contain the Fundamentals of the Old Roman Law Crimen laesae Majestatis is the first as being a guilt of the highest nature Hitherto we have seen what Primitive Custom hath for this Assertion It appears by what hath been spoken that we must be so far from questioning the Royal Prerogatives that we are obliged both by the Law of God Nature and all Nations to vindicate them though it be with peril of life And if our Superiours should Command us any thing as God forbid they should contrary to any of these Laws you hear what is enjoyned us We must lay our hands upon our Mouths and suffer with that Meekness which becometh our Profession remembring the Examples of our Saviour and the Primitive Christians whereof I have given you a full and I hope satisfactory account However I am assured that I have spoken the Judgment of the best and purest Ages of Christianity neither can any thing be sound in contradiction to this Doctrine in all the whole Life Actions or Sufferings of Christ nor in the constant and unerring Practice of the Primitive Christians nor in any of the Writings of the Apostles or Apostolick Men. I proceed therefore to shew 2. That for Subjects to question the Actions tho offensive or Authority of their Princes is inconsistent with the nature of the Kingly Office The Scepter is put into their hands by God Almighty alone and with that the Power he giveth them is so great as that he maketh them capable of being accountable to none but Himself only Thus he saith By me Kings Reign Of this Power King Solomons Sentence is very absolute Who shall say to a King what dost thou and of the unquestionableness and uncontroulableness of his Authority he further addeth The wrath of a King is as the roaring of a Lion who shall stir him up Things depending on another are governed by that on which they depend this is undeniable Thus the Lives and Liberties of Subjects do depend upon the good or evil Will of their Prince And thus much Pilate could alledge to our Blessed Saviour that he had power to condemn him and that he had power to release him whereupon our Saviour replied without any denial or refusal of the Power that he had no power at all but what was given him from above that is that Power wherewith he was invested and which he then exercised under the Roman Caesar was not only by the permission but also by the Order and Institution of God Were it so that the Actions of Kings or their Authority could be swayed or byassed by any other Terrestrial Power whatsoever except their own how Proteus-like would Government be How would the Laws of Mercy and Justice which are so essential to the Being of a Government that it cannot subsist without them be either wrested or quite antiquated by the Prevalency of a Party Admit but this and then we should soon be sensible of the Prophets complaint Justice is gone away backward having instead of Law Rule and Order nothing but Noise Distraction and Confusion Which brings me to shew 3. That for Subjects to question the Actions or Authority of their Prince is diametrally opposite to the Liberty of the Subject We are subjected unto lawful Earthly Powers That under them we may lead godly and peaceable lives saith the Great Apostle And that according to the Prophet Every man might fit under his own Vine and that none might make him afraid The enjoyment of our Lives and our Liberties too as well in Sacred as Secular things next under God we have from the Prudence of our Prince That our Lives have not hitherto been made a Prey to our Enemies it is because his Sacred Majesty maintaineth and defendeth them That our Liberties both in Religion and State have not long since perished away in our bosoms it is because we have a King to actuate and enliven them In a word That the Allies of Rome or Geneva have not long ere this extirpated the best Reformed Church in Europe the Church of England it is because his Sacred Majesty and his Predecessors and long may He and His Successors be equally prosperous have hitherto dispelled all those abominable Mists of Schism Sacriledge and Idolatry which they raised amongst us Hitherto I have shewed you That a KING is the Greatest of all Earthly Blessings the Defence of our Lives the Bulwark of our Liberties Surely I need not long stand to recommend it to you How many Hundreds yet alive have not long since seen our tumultuous World wherein tho Religion and Liberty were the Pretence yet Prophanity Atheism and Slavery were the Event Wherein our greatest Enjoyment was the blessed Hotchpotch of Democracy and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of our Devotion instead of our pure and Primitive Liturgy was exercised in an halting Directory not only destructive of and contradictory to all Antiquity but also to it Self And the wholsom Laws of our Gracious and Natural Sovereign abrogated together with Himself to make way for worse And that which Crown'd the Happiness we had Reformation thrown amongst us with a Sword in its hand to let us see how basely we had abused the Power of the Sword in taking it from him who alone by the Law of God Nature and Nations did justly challenge it The abrogation of Civil Power makes every Man Sui juris so that take away the Supreme Power which is indeed the Life of all Laws and then all manner of Sins will be venial Heresie and Schism Murder Conspiracy and Rebellion the blackest Impieties these will never be boggled at For indeed that many Men abstain from the Commission of these Sins it is not because they are so much afraid of the Justice of God as of the Severity of the King who swayeth the Sword of Justice as Gods only Vicegerent And thus at the long run should we be brought into the lamentable condition of the wretched Hebrews of whom we find this Melancholy Complaint registred by the Prophet no less than four times together that in those days there was no King in Israel but every Man did that which was right in his own Eyes Which seasonably brings me to my Third Proposition namely