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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	death_n	life_n	spirit_n	17,101	5	5.5218	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15132	A most godly and learned sermon preached at Pauls crosse the 17 of Nouember, in the yeare of our Lorde. 1583.	Whitgift, John, 1530?-1604.	1589 (1589)	STC 25432; ESTC S114940	18,891	64

Magistrate hath authoritie in ecclesiasticall causes in manner and fourme as I haue declared And therefore the Papistes in abridging this authoritie must needs be found guiltie of disobedience But I would to God it consisted herein only it reacheth further for whē they list they altogether take away the authoritie of the Magistrate The Bishops of Rome vsurpe vnto themselues power to place and displace Emperors and kings at their pleasure to deliuer their subiectes from their oath of obedience to mooue them to rebell against them and if that will not serue to suborne some priuilye and secretlye to murther them Pope Zacharie who liued seuen hundred yeares and more after Christ was the first that tooke vpon him that authoritie but diuers afterwards put it in execution Gregorie the seuenth did not onelye excommunicate Henry the fourth and animated his subiectes to revell against him by deliuering of them from their oath of obedience but when that woulde not serue sought also waies and means secretly to murther him by hiring one to let a stone fall frō the top of the church vppon the Emperours head as hee was praying but God preuented that practize by punishing the murtherer and crushing him in peeces with the same stone Paschalis the second continued the same course against the same Emperor and in the end caused his owne Sonne to rebell against him Alexander the third delt in like maner against Friderick the Emperor and betrayed him to the Turke So did Innocentius the fourth with the Emperour in his time and at the length poysoned him It were too long to reherse all examples which might be vsed in this matter doeth not experience teache vs that they contynue their practise euen at this time The Lorde defend her Maiestie from them and confound their deuises against her Certein it is that they are enemies to Princes and guiltie of disobedience The second kinde of men offending against this precept of the Apostle are the Anabaptists who thinke it not lawfull for Christians eyther to bee Magistrates or to obey Magistrates grounding themselues vpon that which the Apostle writeth in the fift to the Galathians Stand in the libertie wherin Christ hath made you free c and such like places forgetting that which followeth in the same Chapter Take heed you make not your libertie an occasion to the flesh whereby it appeareth that Christian libertie is not of the flesh but of the spirit not of the bodie but of the minde not of freedome from being subiect to men but from subiection to sinne and to death Lex spiritus vitae saith the Apostle liberum me reddidit a iure peccati mortis The lawe of the spirit of life through Iesus Christ hath made me free from the lawe of sin and death Rom. 8. 2. Christ himselfe obeyed the Ciuill Magistrate Peter and Paul commaund Christian Seruants Children Wiues and Subiects to obey their Maisters Parentes Husbandes and Magistrates The Gospel doeth not destroy common-welthes but establisheth them And Christian religion taketh from no man that which is due vnto him Therefore the opinion of the Anabaptists is of it selfe absurd and needeth no confutation The third kinde is of those that are conceited and wayward who onely obey when they list wherein they list and so long as they list men delighted with singularitie whome nothing can please but that which themselues doe inuent Of whome the Apostle S. Peter speaketh when he saith Dominationem contemnunt audaces praefracti qui gloria praecellentes non verentur maledictis incessere They dispise authoritie they are presumptuous and stande in their owne conceit which feare not to speake euill of them that excell in worship They contemine Lordship and Superioritie He saith not that they condemne Lordship and Superiority but that they contemne it being bold wilfull and froward which are not afraide to speake euill of those that are in authoritie The Apostle Iude in like manner writeth of them in his Epistle S. Paul giueth vnto them these titles Louers of themselues disdainefull proude cursed speakers disobedient vnthankfull calūniators fierce rashe heddie hauing a forme of godlines but denying the force thereof they creepe into houses liuing at other mens tables speciallie into womens houses loaden with sinne alwaies learning neuer stayed in any opinion S. Augustine also speaketh of these kinde of men when he saith Non iam vt vetus prouerbium fertur quod volumus sanctum est sed etiam quando volumus quàm diu volumus Not now as the old Prouerb is is that holy which we fancie to be holy but the same also when wee fancie and so long as we fancie For nothing is holie but that which they wil haue to be holie and that when they will haue it holie and as long as they will haue it holie and not otherwise I my selfe doe knowe and am able to proue that some things are now holie in their iudgement which before they compted vnholy and likewise something now to be vnholie which heretofore they haue set downe to be holie But these are holie ones and may not bee touched Therefore I will cease to speake anie more of their persons and come to the qualities and notes whereby they and al other disobedient persons may be discerned and knowen It followeth in the Apostle admonish them that they speake euill of no man that they bee not contentious And the Apostle Iude speaking of disobedient persons saith they are murmurers and quarrilous wherby I gather that there are two notes by the which disobedient persons may bee knowne Euill and slaunderous speaking and contention else the Apostle woulde not haue giuen Titus speciall charge to warne disobedient persons of these two crimes Well then those that are disobedient may bee knowne by their euill speaking of Magistrates and by contending against orders and lawes Touching the first the nature of man it selfe is prone and bent to speake euill of two kindes of persons principallie of those which haue gouernement in the Church as of Bishops Preachers c. And of those which haue gouernement in the common wealth as of Princes and Magistrates the deuill also prouoking thereunto For by speaking euill of the one the Religion that they professe and preache is slaundered the good successe of the Gospell hindred and by speaking euill of the other contempt of superiours is wrought in the harts of the subiects whervpon springeth all disobedience That Bishoppes and preachers and such as haue gouernment in the church haue bene alwaies subiect to the slaunderous tongues of disobedient persons it appeareth by the example of Christ him selfe who though he neuer offended eyther in life or doctrine yet could hee not auoide the malitiousnes of the tongue They called him Samaritane they sayd he had a deuill they accused him for keeping company with Publicans and sinners Therefore in purging of himselfe he faith not which of you accuseth me of sinne but which of you can conuince

me of sinne Neither doth S. Paul require that a Bishop should not be blamed but that he should be blameles and admonisheth Timothie that hee receiue not against a Bishop or minister any accusation without two or three witnesses It hath beene the lot of Bishops c. at all times to be ill spoken of Basill saith that in his time whosoeuer could raile most of the Bishops in their sermons as manie yong Preachers then did were best liked of the people and coumpted most perfect and most holy Nazianzen complayned that the state and condition of Bishops in his time was far worse then the condition of the Apostles in their time For they were a gazing stocke to Angels and men onely to men saith he of the better sort to Princes Magistrates c. But we meaning Bishops are a common spectakle and talking stocke to Angels and men but to men of the basest sort to the common people to men vnworthie They rayle vpon vs in euerie place in the streetes in the Tauerns in their feasts standing at their dores yea they bring vs vpon the stage and the verie Players iest of vs. This saith Nazianzen The same complaint maketh Chrisostome like wise so doeth Ierome and other of the auntient 〈◊〉 which is soine comfort vnto vs who liue in these daies and receiue the same measure But I will leaue off to speake anie more concerning our selues and commit our cause to him that iudgeth iustlie and knoweth the secrets of the heart before whome I summon to appeare all those blasphemous tongues which cease not continuallie to slaunder vs there to aunswere mee and others of my bretheren when it shall please him to call vs all to an accompt vnlesse they shall in the meane time repent I will in a worde or two declare how haynous a crime it is to speake euill of Magistrates God doeth exp●esselie forbid it Dijs non detrahes Principi populi tui non maledices Thou shalt not rayle vppon the Gods neither blaspheme the ruler of thy people Thou shait not saith the Preacher speake euill of the Kinge no not in thy thought neither shalt thou slaunder the rich man in thy priuie chamber For the birds of the Apre shall bewray thee c. God so abhorreth the speaking euill of Kings and Princes that he wil not haue it kept secret though it bee spoken neuer so secretlie Marie Moyses sister was smitten with Leprosie because she murmured against her Brother If Marie saith Chrisostome was so punished for murmuring against her brother and that but once how canst thou escape scotfree which daylie railest against thy Prince and Gouernour He that speaketh euill of Father and Mother by the law of God ought to die If those saith Chrisostome that speak euill of their Parents by Gods lawe are punished with deathe what iudgement art thou worthie of who darest speake euill of him which is to bee preferred before Father and Mother meaning the Magistrate God saide to the sinner as the Psalmist reporteth Why doest thou preach my lawes and takest my Testimonie in thy mouth c. And shewing the cause why hee woulde not haue him to preach his lawes he saith Sedens aduersus fratrem loquebaris Thou sitting speakest against thy brother Now saith Chrisostome if God by his owne voice pronounce him vnworthie to preache his lawes and to professe his worde which speaketh onely against his Brother shal wee thinke him worthie to preache or count him a professor which speaketh euill of Magistrates The wise man speaking of all slaunderers saith that they are to be abhorred of men Dauid saith that hee will persecute him that slaundreth his neighbour The Law pronounceth him to be accursed which backbiteth his neighbour S. Paul placeth backbiters and slaunderers among those that shall neuer enter into the kingdome of Heauen The Apostle Iude writeth in his Epistle that Michaell the Archangell when hee contended with the deuill about the body of Moses did not giue vnto him any railing spéech Michaell the Archangell did not rayle vpon the diuell no not to his face Then they that rayle vpon Princes and Magistrates not to their face but behind their backes are no Archangels nay they are no Angels nay they are deuils For the deuill was the first Calumniator as his name testifieth and is the father of backbiters and slaunderers euen as he is of liers Certaine then it is that back biting slaundering is an horrible crime and a manifest signe of disobedience And therefore Peter and Iude ioyne them together saying they contemne superioritie and are not ashamed to speake euil of those which are in authoritie And the Apostle in this place to his precept of obedience like wise ioyneth this that they speake euill of no man as though hee shoulde say if they speake euill of men they cannot be obedient The second note is Contention For the Apostle addeth admonish them that they be not contentious Contentious persons cannot bee but difobedient for they are proude Pride engendereth contempt contempt bringeth forth disobedience And proud persons are euer contentious Inter superbos semper iurgia Among the proud there is euer strife Prou. 13. 10. And againe Homo peruersus suscitat rixas A froward bodie causeth strife Prou. 16. 28. Contention of it selfe is such an euill that it is sufficient alone to make a man wicked though he seeme otherwise to be neuer so holie So long as there is amongst you saith the Apostle emulation contentions and factions are you not carnall and walke according to the flesh And in the epistle to the Galathians hee placeth contention among the works of the flesh S. Iames saith that where contention and emulation is there is trouble and euerie euill worke Iude saith that those which seperate thēselues meaning coutentious persons followe their owne lusts S. Paul secludeth those that are contentious from the Church onely because they are contentious If any man bee contentious amongst you saith hee wee haue no such custome neither yet the Churches of God as though hee shoulde say a man can not be contentious of the Church of God Chrisostome saith that the name of the Church is a name of consent and concorde and that therefore they that are contentious make diuision can not be said to be of the church Augustine affirmeth that though a man doe beleeue all the Articles of the Christian faith according to the Scriptures yet if he doe not cōmunicate with the vnity of the church but breake the peace thereof he is not of the Church And againe that whosoeuer so commendeth himselfe to the people that he causeth them to follow him and thereby maketh diuision in the Church non est de illis montibus in quos illuminat altissimus Is not of those hills which the highest God giueth light vnto Chrisostome affirmeth that it is no lesse crime to make diuisiō in the church then it is