Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	ceremonial_a	moral_a	sabbath_n	5,138	5	10.1156	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13877	An ansvvere to a supplicatorie epistle, of G.T. for the pretended Catholiques written to the right Honorable Lords of her Maiesties priuy Councell. By VVater [sic] Trauers, minister of the worde of God.	Travers, Walter, 1547 or 8-1635.	1583 (1583)	STC 24180.7; ESTC S118501	163,528	396

who hath authoritie to punishe the soule for breakyng of his lawe But God onely is able to doe this as Sainct Iames here teacheth and our Sauiour Christe in the Gospell Therfore the soule and conscience can haue no other Lawgiuer but God alone Likewise his lawes onely can binde the conscience who can not erre in makyng Lawes which being the peculier honor of God his Lawes onely can binde vs in that respect Whiche if it were otherwise we should be as deepely bounde to keepe studie vnderstand and teach the Canons of the church the Statutes and Lawes of the lande as we are the Lawe of God Whiche if thei did in deede beleeue it is a maruell how euer these men that breake so ordinarily the the lawes of God and of man bothe of the Churche and commonwealth should hope to be saued by their workes and dreame of workes of superogation for the relief of others But though wee acknowledge no other bond of conscience to obserue any humaine Lawes whatsoeuer then the Lawe of the ten Commaundementes doeth laye vpō vs yet doeth it not hereof followe that our conscience is free from keepyng any Lawe of man For wee are bounde by the Lawe of God to yeeld vnto all men suche duetie as belongeth to theim and namely to suche as are in aucthoritie either in the Commonwealth or in the Churche honor loue dutie obedience subiection and suche like Therfore though the lawe of man do not binde our conscience to bee subiecte to princes their lawes yet doe we acknowledge the lawe of God doeth binde vs to all obedience whiche he hath commaunded to be giuen vnto theim For further clearyng of this matter it is to bee vnderstoode that all lawes are either simply good or euill or thei are suche in respect The lawes which are simply good are onely the tenne commaundementes of the morall lawe of God whiche binde the soule and conscience simply to obedience and so straitly without al exception that no circumstance or occasion maie make that lawfull whiche is there forbidden or vnlawfull whiche is there cōmaunded Now humaine lawes and ordinaunces of men whiche commaunde or forbidde the same whiche are commaunded or forbiddē by the lawe of God As thou shalt not murther commit whoredome steale or suche like are also simply good and binde the conscience yet not in any regard of the commaundement of men for suche reason as is before alledged but onely because thei are the same whiche were before commaunded by the liuyng God Of the other parte suche are simply euill Lawes as in commaundyng or forbiddyng are opposite and contrarie to the Lawe of the ten commaundementes And these as touching the keepyng of theim it is so farre of that thei should binde vs that contrariwise we stand bounde by the lawe of God to doe the contrarie There remaineth the seconde kinde of humaine Lawes whiche are not good simply alwaies and to all men but in a generalitie for a time and some good respect beyonde whiche boundes the weakenesse of man can not reache For that whiche is now good for the Commonwealthe maie fall out at an other tyme and in an other respecte whiche peraduenture was not thought of to be hurtful not onely to some perticuler man but euen to the Commonwealthe it self Further though thei be neuer so good for the tyme and neuer so wisely made yet euen for that tyme that thei appeare to bee beste are thei not of the same sorte with the Lawes of GOD and suche as are simplie good in theim selues that thei should binde the conscience For though menne haue sought to make suche Lawes moste agreeable to the generall equitie of the woorde of GOD yet haue thei no assuraunce to haue attained vnto it neither in deede can haue any warraunte that thei haue erred in no circumstaunce belongyng therevnto because of the weaknesse of man bothe in iudgement and in affection but that whiche maie binde the conscience is suche as proceadeth from an other that cannot erre in commaundyng I adde further herevnto that the Ciuill and Ceremoniall Lawe of the Iewes though thei were bothe expressely commaunded of GOD who could not faile in any poincte yet did thei not simplie binde the conscience For in case of antinomie and repugnaunce with the Morall Lawe as our Sauiour argueth by the example of Dauid in eatyng of the presence bread whiche otherwise it had not been lawfull for hym to haue eaten but in case of necessitie for sauing his life commaunded in the Morall Lawe a man was not guiltie of hauyng sinned by suche breakyng of the policie of the Churche And if these lawes notwithstandyng GOD were aucthour of theim who could not erre yet did not simplie binde the conscience muche lesse can those whiche are of men either in the Churche or Commonwealthe Whereby it appeareth wee are bounde to the keepyng of those kinde of Lawes that is to obeye theim with a Ciuill obedience without conscience of synne for any breache of theim whiche is proper to the Lawe of GOD excepte wee breake theim in suche sorte as wee make our selues thereby also guiltie of transgressyng the Lawe of God doyng it with hatred resistaunce contempt or other offence against aucthoritie whiche GOD hym self hath forbidden Which plainlie sheweth our Aduersaries argument that is Excepte wee beleeue the Lawes of men to binde our conscience wee haue nothyng to hinder vs from rebellion to bee rather a slaunderous surmise of his owne then any good consequent of reason For by the grace of GOD wee are staied from suche wicked and vnlawfull attemptes whiche are proper to our pretensed Catholikes whose mouthes are full of obedience and who vtter woordes as it is in the Psalme soft as Butter and smothe as Oile but their hartes are sharpe as twoo edged swordes and their deedes moste full of Rebellion and disobedience by conscience of the Commaundement of GOD who hath expressely forbidden theim But their perpetuall Rebellious practises against Princes dooe plainly shewe that this doctrine was deuised But all stories make mention that thei haue allowed them selues any thing to the dishonor of pinces kynges and Emperors haue been abused by them as their vassalls and seruaūtes and that to as base seruices as to leade the Popes horse and to hold his Stirruppe thei haue not vouchsaufed for a long tyme to admitte theim to their presence but kepte them at their gates Thei haue troden in their neckes and taken of and put on their Crounes with their foote Further thei haue taken vpon theim to depose theim from their Regall seates and Imperiall Thrones and place in theim whom it liked them The soonne hath been stirred vp by theim against his Father and the subiect and seruaunt against his Lorde and maister to take the Empire from him Thei haue made thē after a sorte to sue out their Liuerie as if thei had been his Wardes and forced them to paie full dearely for it ere thei could obtaine it Finallie thei haue freed

disobedience Some of them haue beene executed according to the auncient lawes of this land without any extraordinary extremitie nay rather with fauor in case of high treasō And yet of this sort the epistle of the persecution in England Whervnto he referreth him selfe For proofe wherof he mentioneth only pretended Catholiques that haue been so executed In deed since some more vpon like reason their cause being first iudicially heard at the K. bench and orderly proceeded in according to the course of law and iustice in such case beeing found guilty of hie treason receiued like execution And this is the greatest extremety which they can complaine of to this day But he denieth that any one act word or thought was founde in them of treason wherin he is conuicted of manifest truth both by so many as were officers of her maiesties iustice vpon them and by their owne confessions as well of other matter as also of reconciling of diuers her highnesse subiects to the pope as it appeareth by that hath bin published hereof by authoritie Whereby they acknowledge the Popes most vniust sentēce against her H. as lawfull draw her Ma. subiects from her obedience which the law of this land hath declared to bee high treason againste her Highnes royall crowne and dignitie Nether is it heere inough to say that they do it in conscience of their religion for in many good consciences they can not do it the B. of Rome by the worde of God hauing no more to do in England then any minister in Englād hath to do in Rome And if without the word of God they will be caried in such a course as cannot stand in any truth of religion or sound pollicie with the safetie of the state and securitie of oure moste lawfull Soueraigne oure whole common Wealth and Countrie should they cry out as if extreame cruelty were executed vpon them if their excuse of a pretensed conscience be not taken for a sufficient aunswer These cries complaints might worthely haue bene made by the poore faithful people of Merindall of the valley of Anagrogne the rest when the Popes executioners wasted destroied 7. townes of theirs Also by our brethren in Q. Maries daies which were burnt by dosens together in a fire Likewise by our brethren cruelly without any forme or processe of iustice murdred and slain in the late butcheries and massacres of France Then was it time to haue shewed compassion but the bowels of Christ were not in them Then was a time to haue shewd pitty but their merciles harts were void of grace mercye They were filled with gal and bitternes no fire was hot inough for them no sworde was sharp ynough The honourable and the common was all one to them the learned and vnlearned the reuerēd age and the comly youth the man and the woman the father and the sonne the mother and the babe borne out of time and murdered as soone as hee was born by their sauage and barbarous crueltie These cry yet behinde the altar against them O Lord when wilt thou reuenge our bloud and the Lord will not refuse to hear them and reuenge their cause vpon their bloudy enemies in the day of his wrath Another reason is alleaged of the fauour they find in the Indies and vnder the Turke which I haue aunswered before and answere here again that neither do they suffer that doctrine and practise of their religion which they holde in these parts neither if they did are Christian P. to rule their Subiectes by the examples of Turks and heathen but by the law of God Who hath giuen to them this commandement to be obserued in all their dominion that neither anye man nor his children nor seruaunts that neyther home borne or strangers be suffered to prophane his Sabboth and to pollute his holy seruice leest the rest of the people of the lande learne of them and so the wrath of God come suddenly vpon vs for being accessaries to Idolatrie As for the tolleration of the Iews whosoeuer they be that suffer the exercise of their religion with the blasphemies they commonly vse against Christ make themselues giltie of al their wickednes which the Lord keepe this lande from as well as from the abhomination of the masse But they maye remember that their Holye Father can tollerate the Blasphemye of the Iews and the filthinesse of all the Curtesains and Stewes and take a yeerely rent of them for it and for no respect will allowe the exercise of our most holy religion eyther in his own dominions or wheresoeuer he may preuaile againste vs but by all meanes seeke to burne all the professors of it to ashes and to shed their bloude as water to runne downe the Streetes Further if no protestāt Prince elswhere haue executed any of these Catholiks for religiō as he cōfesseth no more hath any for the cause bin put to death with vs as I haue shewed alredy which being so that neuer any professyng the Gospell put any of them to death for meere matter of their conscience let the Lorde iudge the wicked seruaunt by his own mouth Now for the barbarous crueltie and most sauage immanitie vsed by them against vs we haue shewed againe that pacience towardes thē hitherto as we haue not touched the life of any one of them But if the Catholiques had practised Rebellions and Treasons in the Dominions of other Princes professyng the Gospel as thei haue doen here with vs no doubt but thei should haue found the same reward of their wickednesse that thei haue doen here For our doctrine it is vtterly vntrue that any of the churches professyng the Gospell or this of England vnder persecution did euer thinke it vnlawfull to put to deathe a Rebell and a Traytour Naie it hath beene alwaies taught in all the reformed Churches that bothe thei and also obstinate Heretickes amongest whom thei haue alwaies accounted and doe still account all obstinate and wilfull spreadors of the Romishe faithe sett doune by the Councell of Trent are moste worthie of death that as it is in the Lawe the false Prophett and the seducyng Idolater maie bee taken from amongest vs that all Israell maie heere and feare and not dare to committ the like Wee acknowledge in deede faithe to be the gift of God whiche commeth by the preachyng of the Gospell by Ministers sent by the commaundement of God but we do not therefore think it vnlawfull for the Magistrate to execute the Lordes iust vengeaunce vppon the obstinate Heretickes and seducyng Idolaters Repentaunce and holinesse of life is also the gift of GOD and commeth by the same meanes and yet the Magistrate not onely in a good conscience maie but in duetie to God ought as he will answere it to him that shal iudge the quicke and the dead drawe out the Lordes sworde of execution of iustice and of vengeaunce against all ill doers to wounde and to kill accordyng to the qualities of the