Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	heaven_n	pharisee_n	scribe_n	2,390	5	10.4944	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43682	The true notion of persecution stated in a sermon preachd at the time of the late contribution for the French Protestants / by George Hickes ...	Hickes, George, 1642-1715.	1681 (1681)	Wing H1875; ESTC R20004	26,260	37

doing of those things which God had some way Commanded or for not doing of some things which he had some way or other forbid therefore the Law-terms for prosecution came in an especial manner to signifie Persecution which indeed is very seldom any thing else but a * Postremò legum obstruitur authoritas Tert. Apol. Legal or in case of usurpation or wresting the Laws a pretended Legal prosecution under Authority for not obeying where God prohibits for doing of any thing which God hath any way commanded or not doing any thing which he hath any way forbid as Peter and John said unto the Sanhedrim ‖ Tuis etiam obtemperaremus praeceptis nisi instituti legibus Christianis daemonum cultus aras semper pollutas sanguine vitaremus Martyres Thebaeae Leg. ex Eucher 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Polycarp ad Proconsul in Smyrn Eccles Epist Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto him judge ye I have a mind to make sure-work as I go and therefore I must repeat it once more and tell you that Persecution Actively taken consists in Legally prosecuting and Passively taken in being Legally prosecuted for not obeying Authority in those things which God prohibits otherwise for prosecuting or being prosecuted unto any penalty for doing of those things which he hath any way commanded or forbearing or refusing to do those things which he hath any way forbid I have put in the words any way because there are two ways by which God the King of Kings makes his pleasure known unto men by right Reason or the light of Nature and by Revelation which we commonly call the light of Grace Right Reason consists in the common principles which God hath implanted in all mens understandings and the conclusions which issue from them for as Solomon saith The Vnderstanding of a man is the Candle of the Lord and the light of Natural Reason is his Light who as Cicero calls him in his First Book of Laws is infinita mens ratio infinite Understanding and Reason or as the Platonists Allegorically stile him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Original Reason or Light As for the light of Grace or Revelation there are many sorts of it for God as the Apostle speaks who at sundry times and divers manners spake in the Patriarchal and Jewish times by Prophets Oracular responses and voices from Heaven hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son who was the Antitype of Moses and by his Apostles who were the Prophets of the New Testament and these two ways the light of Nature and Scriptural Revelation are the general and ordinary means by which we come to know what is the will of God Persecution therefore ordinarily speaking consists with respect to the Persecutors in Judicially prosecuting and with respect to the Persecuted in being Judicially prosecuted unto any penalty for doing those things which God hath commanded by the light of Nature or Scriptural Revelation or for not doing of those things which he hath forbidden by either or both of those two ways This is the true notion of Persecution which consists not in the greatness of any mans sufferings which inconsiderate people chiefly look at but in the righteousness of the cause for which he suffers For if he be pursued for doing any thing against the Law or Government under which he lives that God hath not commanded or for not doing of those things which God hath not forbid he is not persecuted but justly prosecuted for disobeying the Powers which God hath bound him to obey This is most agreeable to our Saviours notion of Persecution Matth. 5.10 Blessed are they who are Persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven To the understanding of which words I desire you to take notice that righteousness in the Scripture-stile when it doth not signifie just dealing or as it sometimes doth by an Hebraism * Psal 112.9 Prov. 11.18 Psa 37.21 25. Matth. 1.19 mercifulness it is taken for Virtue or Religion in its full latitude or obedience unto God In this sence righteousness and the righteous man are opposed to wickedness and the wicked man Ezek. 3.19 20. If thou warn the wicked man saith God unto the Prophet and he turn not from his wickedness Again when a righteous man doth not turn from his righteousness c. And in this sence of righteousness saith our Saviour to his Disciples Except your righteousness i. e. except your Religion and obedience to God exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees you shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven So saith he Matth. 6.33 First seek the Kingdom of God i. e. the Gospel and its righteousness that is the Religion and Obedience which the Gospel prescribes and all these things shall be added unto you According to this sence of the word righteousness S. Luke saith of Zacharias and Elizabeth that they were righteous before God walking in all the Commandments and Ordinances of the Lord blameless And as righteousness signifies Obedience and Religion in general so it signifies also any particular Divine Institution or the performance of any particular duty under any Divine Institution as God is pleased to order and command Thus the righteousness of the Law Phil. 3.6 signifies the performance of all those Commands and Ordinances which God required of the Jews and Proselytes under the Old Testament and the righteousness of Faith Rom. 4.13 signifies the performance of all those duties which God requires of Christians under the New The one signifies the Jewish Religion which consisted in obeying of Moses the other the Christian which consists in obeying of Christ that consisted in keeping the old Law and this in observing the Gospel which the Primitive * Neomenias vestras dies festos haec ergo vacua fecit Nova Lex Domini nostri Jesu Christi Epist Barnab 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Just Mart. dial cum Tryph. writers in their Discourses with the Jews usually called the New nay as general words are frequently taken in particular significations so this word is taken for any particular act or object of obedience to God as Matth. 3.15 when John forbad Jesus to be baptized of him Jesus who knew that God required it of him saith unto John Suffer it to be so for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness i. e. thus it is our duty for me to confirm and approve thy imperfect Ministry and for thee to let it be so confirmed because it is the pleasure of God From all this it is plain that to be Persecuted for righteousness-sake signifies to be persecuted for obedience unto God and therefore 't is neither the person nor the sufferings but the cause which makes Persecution so that when men are prosecuted by Authority for any other cause but for righteousness i. e. for Religion as Religion is taken for obedience to God's Laws let them complain and pretend as