Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	judah_n	king_n	tribe_n	2,987	5	10.0544	5	true

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

off the Skirt of Saul's Robe but his Heart smote him for it When Providence seemed twice to have delivered Saul into his Hands and Abishai offered to smite him to the Earth his Answer to Abishai was Destroy him not ch 26.9 for who can stretch forth his Hand against the Lord 's Anointed and be guiltless And lastly when the Amalakite did at Saul's own Request when he was mortally wounded and ready to be seiz'd by his Enemies stretch forth his Hand against him David revenged that Action by the Death of the Amalakite nor is he ever charged in Scripture with Murther or In justice for that Act so that no Provocations no Advantages no Colour or Pretence of Right from God or Failure on the part of Saul could prevail with him to one Rebellious Attempt against the Lord 's Anointed Now that which made it thus unlawful to rise up against him could only be that he received his Authority from God since then all other lawful Sovereigns are by St. Paul declared to be the Ordinance and Ministers of God it must be as unlawful in such Cases to rise up against them Object Now if to these things you oppose the Example of Jeroboam and the ten Tribes who openly revolted from Rehoboam who being Heir to Solomon was legally their King Answ I answer 1. That this Action of the ten Tribes is by God called a Rebellion for the People having said 1 Kings 12.19 What Portion have we in David neither have we Inheritance in the Son of Jesse and it follows So Israel rebelled against the House of David to this Day Now what the God of Truth doth style Rebellion that is the rising up against that Person to whom they owe Allegiance must certainly deserve that Character so that God by calling that which the ten Tribes did a Rebellion doth thereby declare that Rehoboam was still their lawful Sovereign for otherwise their renouncing of him and setting up another in his stead would not have been a Rebellion And therefore when God declares that this thing was from him we must thus understand it that it was permissively from him that he left Rehoboam thus to his own Pride he suffered Satan to encline him to hearken to the Counsel of his Young-men and to despise the sage Advice of the Elders and also to alienate the Hearts of Israel from him that so he might fulfil his Threatnings against Solomon for his Idolatry which he pronounced in these Words Forasmuch as this is done of thee and thou hast not kept my Covenant and my Statutes 1 Kings 11.11 12. which I have commanded thee I will surely rend the Kingdom from thee and will give it to thy Servant notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it but I will rend it out of thy Sons hand I will for this afflict the Seed of David v. 39. Now what is thus from God may yet be Sin in him or them unto an high degree who are the Executioners of his Punishments and do accomplish his Decrees as in the Instance of those Heathen Kings who vexed Israel tho God permitted them to do so for his Peoples Punishment for God delivered them up into the hands of the Spoilers that spoiled them Judg. 2.14 and sold them into the hands of their Enemies round about and yet he was resolved to punish all that oppressed them Jer. 30.20 2 Sam. 24. In the Case of David whom the Lord moved to say Go number Israel and Judah because his Wrath was kindled against Israel and yet he doth severely punish him on that Account and in the instance of our Saviour's Passion for the People of Israel and the Gentiles did only to him what God's Hand and Counsel determined before to be done Act. 4.28 and yet they suffer severely for it to this day If it be still objected That God by his Prophet Ahijah promised that he would rend the Kingdom out of the hands of Solomon 1 Kings 11.31 35. and give ten Tribes to Jeroboam and again that he would take the Kingdom out of his Sons hands and give it unto him 〈◊〉 37 38. even ten Tribes and said I will take thee and thou shalt reign according to all that thy Soul desireth and shalt be King over Israel and that this must of necessity be done during the Reign of one of the Posterity and Seed of David to whom the Government of these ten Tribes belonged by Right of Succession God having promised that to his Son he would give one Tribe 1 Kin. 11. ●● ●● that David his Servant might have a Light before him always in Jerusalem and again I will not take the whole Kingdom out of his hand And therefore that this could not be Rebellion in Jeroboam to take the Government of these ten Tribes upon him whilst there was still surviving any Heir of David and Solomon since otherwise he never could have had it and so God's Promise could not have been fulfilled And again for the same reason that it could not be Rebellion in the ten Tribes to quit the Government of Rehoboam and embrace that of Jeroboam because that Rehoboam was the Legal Heir of Solomon since God had promised that he should have a Legal Heir for ever and so they never could have submitted to Jeroboam without Rebellion and so God's Promise could not have been fulfill'd And lastly if it be objected that had this been Rebellion on the foresaid Account they must have been under a constant Obligation to revolt from Jeroboam and his Posterity to the House of David which yet God never calleth them to do nor condemneth them for not doing and then the Gift God promised and performed to Jeroboam must be a Gift he was obliged in Conscience not to receive because he could not do it without keeping another man's Subjects from that Allegiance they owed unto him and therefore being instrumental to their continual Sin I say if it be thus objected to confess ingeniously quo me vertam nescio I find it very difficult to avoid the strength of these Objections which make some rather chuse to say this Action tho very peccant upon various Accounts was yet not formally Rebellion because performed by a special Commission from God who gave to Jeroboam these ten Tribes and by so doing transferred their Duty of Allegiance from Rehoboam unto him which he might with good reason do seeing he is the King of Kings from whom all carthly Powers hold their Dominions Durante ejus beneplacito Dan. 4.17 who ruleth in the Kingdoms of Men and giveth them to whomsoever he will and seeing secondly he was the Judge and Governour of Rehoboam who had a Right to punish him and his Fore-fathers how and by whom and unto what Degree he pleased and therefore to the deprivation of all or of the greater part of his whole Kingdom if he pleased But then to argue That because this Great Sovereign may do it to

in them or conferred upon them by the People but by the Power of that God who is the Fountain of all Government Which will be further evident if we consider First That the Magistrate is here expresly stiled the Avenger of Wrath and by St Peter is declared to be the man who doth commission others for the avenging of the Evil Doer now seeing God expresly challengeth the right of executing recompence and vengeance to himself Deut. 32.35 Rom. 12.19 saying to me belongeth recompence and vengeance vengeance is mine I will repay it no man can be invested with that Power but by Commission Deputation and Warrant from the God of Vengeance and so the Higher Powers can only exercise it by virtue of a right derived from him Again seeing all private Persons are forbidden to avenge themselves seeing they are commanded to recompense to no man evil for evil they cannot give that Power to another which they have not received from God and which they are not Authorised by him but rather are forbidden to exert and so the Magistrate cannot be rationally supposed to receive this Power from them and this seems written with a Sun beam in those words of our Apostle where of the Magistrate he saith He is the Minister of God the Avenger of wrath to him that doth evil behold He is the Minister of God not of the People and his Vindictive Justice upon evil doers is therefore to be feared 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because He in the execution of it is the Minister of God If it be said in Answer to this Argument that every man has a Natural Right to defend his own Life by taking away the Life of any man who doth injuriously assault it this therefore he may part with to his Prince and by so doing give him the Power of Life and Death I Answer that it is exceeding evident that no man doth make over such a Right unto his Prince for had he done it by owning himself subject to his Government no Subject could defend his Life from the Assaults of Thieves and Robbers or other bloody Persons without assuming what they had given to their Sovereigns since therefore Subjects do retain this Right as fully under Civil Governments as in a state of nature they cannot be supposed by submission to their Governors to have abandoned or parted with that Right which doth so sundamentally destroy the vain pretence that it is needless to add more in confutation of it Secondly The Supreme Governor saith the Apostle bears the Sword that is he hath the Power of Life and Death Now seeing God hath said to every private man thou shalt not kill and since he hath not given to any man the Power to dispose of his own Life or to commit self-murther or to consent that any one that will shall murther him seeing 't is evident from Reason that no man can confer that Power on another which he hath not received it follows that the People who never had this Power over their own Lives cannot impart it to the Magistrate He therefore must receive it wholly from that God who giveth unto all men Life and Breath Acts 17.25 and therefore hath the Sovereign Right to be the sole disposer of them And sure that God who breatheth into man the Breath of Life must have the sole Dominion over his own Production this Dominion consequently can be communicated to none but those to whom by him it is communicated to the Magistrate it is committed by that Law of God which puts the Sword into his hand to cut off evil doers and if the People or any others will challenge the like Power they must shew the like Charter and if they cannot do so as without doubt they cannot this is sufficient to disprove all their pretences to give this Power to another And sure I am that St. Paul knew of no Sword Bearer besides the Minister of God nor did St. Peter know of any who could wield it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Pet. 2.13 14. for the avenging evil doers but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those who were sent by the Commission of the Supreme Power so to do Objection And whereas from St. Peter it is objected against this inference That even the King or Supreme Power is by him stiled an Humane Ordinance 1 Pet. 2.13 or Humane Creature and hence it is concluded that he is the Ordinance of man derives his Power from the People and therefore is accountable to them if he abuse the Power so received from them Answer 1 To this I answer 1. That St Peter cannot be rationally deemed by this expression to deny the Higher Powers to be the Ordinance of God for then he must assert what is the plainest contradiction to St. Paul who as you have already heard expresly says they are God's Ordinance the Ministers of God the Officers of God and whosoever doth resist these Powers resists the Ordinance of God He also must expresly contradict the Doctrine of the Old Testament which hath as fully and more frequently declared not only of the Kings of Israel and Judah but of an Heathen Cyrus and Nabuchodonosor that they did rule by his Commission and Appointment and that their Thrones Kingdoms and Judgments were the Lords 2. He by immediate consequence must contradict his own avowed Doctrine in this very place where he requires all Christians to be subject to this Humane Ordinance for the Lords Sake and out of Conscience towards God for where the Power we submit to is not the Ordinance of God there can be no Subjection due unto it from Conscience towards God where he hath given no Authority to govern there can be no Subjection for the Lords Sake and where he giveth an Authority to govern the Government derived from his Authority must be his Ordinance Answer 2 Whereas it is inferred from this expression That the Higher Powers deriving from the people must be accountable to them if they abuse the Power so received this Inference makes the Apostle like an unskilful Builder pull down that very Fabrick which he intended to erect for his designis clearly this To teach all Christians by Subjection to the Higher Powers even when they suffered from them wrongfully and for the Sake of Righteousness to approve themselves the Servants of God and by well doing to put to silence the Ignorance of Foolish Men and wipe off the aspersions of Rebellious Principles or practices which they had cast upon them and for which they were wont to speak against them as Evil Doers Now can it be supposed that whilst he was in Prosecution of this good design he should tell these Christians that though he called the King 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Supreme Power yet they were above him though he required their Subjection to him yet he thought fit at the same time to let them know he was their Creature and if he did not rule as they would have him must

Jeroboam according to the Sentence of his Prophet Hoc crimen poenam à deo merebatur cum nullo dei jussu idfecisset Grot. yet was not this his action acceptable in the sight of God because he here resolves to punish him 1 Kings 16.7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because he slew him Again the instances of the Idolatrous King of Judah from the days of Rehoboam till the time of their Captivity afford a further confutation of this new Apology for Treason and Rebellion For First it cannot be denied but that the Law of Moses and the Religion prescribed by it was the Religion established in the Kingdom of Judah Secondly The Scripture notwithstanding doth inform us that when Rehoboam had established his Kingdom 2 Chr. 12.1 1 Kings 15.3 he forsook the Law of the Lord and all Israel with him That Abiiah who succeeded him walked in all the sins of his Father which he had done before him 2 Chr. 21.11 That Jehoram made High Places in the Mountains of Judah 2 Chr. 24.16 17. and caused the Inhabitants of Judah to commit Fornication and compelled Judah thereto That Jehojada and the Princes of Judah left the House of the Lord God of their Fathers and served Groves and Idols 2 Chron. 28.24 25. That Ahaz did shut up the doors of the House of the Lord and he made him Altars in every Corner of Jerusalem 2 Chron. 33.5 6. and in every several City of Judah he made High places to burn Incense unto other Gods That Manasseh built Altars in the house of the Lord whereof the Lord had said in Jerusalem shall my name be for ever and he built Altars for all the Host of Heaven in the two Courts of the house of the Lord That Hezekiah with relation to some of these Enormities confessed after this manner Our Fathers have trespassed 2 Chron. 29.6 7. and done that which was evil in the Sight of the Lord and have forsaken him and have turned away their faces from the Habitation of the Lord and turned their Backs also they have shut up the Doors of the Porch and put out the Lamps and have not burnt Incense nor offered burnt Offerings in the Holy place unto the God of Israel by all which sayings it is evident that the exercise of the established Religion wholly was obstructed and the people were compelled not only to neglect but act in opposition to it Thirdly 2 Kings 17.13 2 Kings 14.25 26. 2 Chron. 12.4 8 9. 'T is further evident that God testified against these Abominations done in Judah by all his Prophets and his Seers that he chastised them for it 1. by Shisak King of Egypt who in the days of Rehoboam took the fenced Cities of Judah and came up against Jerusalem and took away the Treasures of the house of the Lord and of the King's house and the Shields of Gold which Solomon had made and caused Judah to be tributaries to him because they had transgressed against the Lord. 2. By the revolt of Edom and of Libnah because Jehoram had forsaken the Lord God of his Fathers And 3. 2 Chron. 21.10 Vers 16 17. by stirring up against Jehoram the Spirit of the Philistins and of the Arabiams that were near the Aethiopians who came up into Judah and brake into it and carried away all the Substance that was found in the King's house and his Sons also and his Wives 4. By the Host of Syria which came to Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the Princes of the People from among the People and sent all the Spoyl of them to the King of Damascus 2 Chron. 24.24 25. Zach. 14.5 Joel 1.2 3. a Great Host of Judah being delivered into the hands of their small Company because they had forsaken the Lord God of their Fathers 5. By a terrible Earth-quake in the days of Vzziah 6 By the dreadful plague of Locusts Caterpillars and Canker-worms 7. By sending against Judah Rezin the King of Syria 2 Chron. 28.6 and Pekah Son of Remaliah who slew in Judah 120000 valiant men in one day because they had for saken the Lord God of their Fathers and the King of Israel who carried away captive two hundred thousand Women Sons and Daughters Verse 8. And yet we read not of any Prophet stirring up these People to Rebel on the account of the Religion by Law established or on the account of all the miseries they suffered by the neglect of God's true Worship and by the introduction of Idolatry whence it is evident that private Persons or Subjects were then thought to have done their Duty when they had sighed and mourned for these abominations and kept themselves from any fellowship with these iniquities We find indeed 2 Chron 25.27 that after the time that Amaziah turned away from following the Lord they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem and he fled to Lachish but they sent to Lachish after him and slew him there But who made this Conspiracy the Text doth not inform us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Antiq. Jud. lib. 9. c. 10. Josephus saith that some of his own Friends were the Contrivers of it the Syriack and Arabick Version that his Servants thus conspired against him as did the Servants of his Father Joash against him 2 Chr. 25.3 and as the Servants of Ammon did afterwards against their Lord and if so no doubt these Servants of Amaziah deserved the same punishment those other Murtherers received 2 Chron. 33.25 though by reason of the infancy of Vzziah who was then but four years old as good Interpreters conjecture and by reason of the interregnum of eleven years they scaped their condign punishment Moreover the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which imports Conspiracy and Treason being generally used in an ill sense gives us just reason to believe the Holy Ghost did not approve this Treachery and much less the ensuing Murther Fifthly Argument 5 According to this Principle Christians might lawfully rebel against those Arian Emperors who succeeded Constantine the Great viz. against Constantius and Valens for evident it is 1. That the Nicene Faith was fully established by Constantine the Great (a) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euseb de vit Const l. 3. c. 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lib. 2. c. 32. Eusebius informs us that He confirmed the Doctrine of the Nicene Synod and made Laws against Arius and those of his Perswasion (b) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 1. c. 8. p. 31. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 9. Socrates saith the same and (c) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Soz. Hist Eccl. l. 1. c. 20. Sozomen adds that he condemn'd to banishment those who did contradict the Suffrage of the Nicene Council and that He made a Law against all Heresies not suffering them to Assemble any where but in the Catholick Church and declaring that the (d) Privilegia quae contemplatione Religionis indulta sunt Catholicae