Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	john_n	sin_n	transgression_n	6,343	5	10.8416	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47310	The religious loyalist, or, A good Christian taught how to be a faithful servant both to God and the King in a visitation-sermon preached at Coles-hill in Warwick-shire, Aug. 28, 1685 : at the triennial visitation of my Lords Grace of Canterbury, during the suspension of the Bp. of Litchfield and Coventry / by John Kettlewell ...	Kettlewell, John, 1653-1695.	1686 (1686)	Wing K381; ESTC R16674	14,027	40

that when they cannot obey they suffer patiently without making Insurrections 1. They must pay faithfully all legal Tributes which are imposed on them by their Country Laws and Authentick Customs and which are as much the Princes Property not to be with-held or defalcated without fraud and dishonesty as every private mans Estate and Inheritance is his Render to all their dues tribute to whom tribute custom to whom custom is due saith St. Paul Rom. 13. 7. This the Primitive Christians did with exemplary fidelity and exactness being as Conscientiously fearful to with-hold any just Payment from their Prince as from their Neighbors They durst not pay indeed what was exacted of them for Idolatrous Vses because that had been to contribute towards the Worship and Service of Idols But Caetera Vectigalia Gratias Christianis agent c. says Tertullian i. e. As to all other Customs which are every where fraudulently concealed or with-held by the Gentiles we Christians are so strict in paying them that though the Gentiles pay Taxes for Idolatrous uses which the Religion of us Christians will not suffer us to do yet our punctualness in discharging all State-taxes so far exceeds theirs that we pay as much into the Checquer for civil Impositions as the Heathens do for those and for Idolatrous too Tert. Apol. c. 42. 2. They must readily obey all their just Laws Put them in mind to be subject to Principalities and Powers says St. Paul and to obey Magistrates Tit. 3. 1. And this Obedience is due whensoever they command Lawful things i. e. things unforbidden by a higher power and which have no Law of God against them To shew a thing Lawful it is unreasonable to ask where there is a command in Scripture and a Law of God for it For such a Law commanding it would not make it a thing Lawful which may be done but a thing necessary which must be done and cannot be let alone But to the lawfulness of things it is enough that God has said nothing of them and that there be no Law of his against them This is security enough that they may be done without sin or any offence to him For he is never offended and we never sin nor shall ever suffer but for breaking some Law and doing something that he has forbidden Whosoever committeth sin trangresses a Law saith St. John for sin is the transgression of a Law 1 Joh. 3. 4. And there must always be a Law saith St. Paul that worketh wrath for where there is no Law there is no transgression Rom. 4. 15. So that whensoever they enjoyn unforbidden things they enjoyn Lawful ones which no good Subjects must dispute and question but peaceably and readily perform 3. When unlawful things are enjoyned which they cannot honestly obey they must suffer with Patience and not seek to stave off Sufferings by making Insurrections Whilst there is any help in Law to prevent unjust Sufferings men may claim their Legal Priviledges in their own defence as St. Paul did before the Heathen Magistrates Or if Laws give no redress they may have recourse to Prayers and Tears or any other peaceable Arts to still a Princes Rage and melt him into Justice But if all peaceable methods fail and there appear no hope of protection but in Force the Case is helpless in Humane means and must be left to God to redress it Rebellion is a thing which no necessity can excuse nor any pretence can authorize They that resist says St. Paul shall receive to themselves damnation Rom. 13. 2. Which was spoken when the Christians had felt some and daily feared and expected greater Sufferings and bound up their hands when the Scepter presently after was sway'd by a man Nero I mean who invaded honest mens Estates to supply his own profuseness and embrued his hands in the Bloud of any he had a Pique against without any regard to Law or Justice and was a profest Enemy of the true God and raised the first Persecution against the Christians as appears from Tacitus and Suetonius two approved Historians of those times And these are the fairest pretences that can ever be urged in this case so that if they cannot secure us in flying to Arms against our Governours nothing else can All these are the things of Cesar and whether Princes are good or bad they are all due to them For the ground of their being due is not the moral Endowments of Princes because they are men well qualified but their Power and Authority because they are the Vicegerents and Ordinance of God This God assigns as the reason of our Duty not that a Prince is circumspect or Successful Wise or Holy but that he is his Deputy I have given the Kingdom to Nebuchadnezzar says he wherefore all Nations must serve him Jer. 27. 6 7 8. The Powers are ordained of God therefore he that resisteth shall receive damnation Rom. 13. 1 2. and he is the Minister of God wherefore you must needs be subject v. 4 5. Inde Potestas Caesari unde Spiritus illuc suspicientes Christiani c. It is because God that gave him Breath has vested him with Power that we honour and obey the Emperour says Tertullian Apol. c. 30 31. So that all this Love and Reverence this respectful Speech and submissive Practice are due as to the Best so to the Worst of Princes They must be paid not onely where Kings Rule well and are wisely sollicitous for the Publick but also where they lie steeped in Pleasure and hate Business and not onely neglect but oppress the State They are due to Princes of the most opposite Religions for this is the very Case determined in the Text the Jews denying Tribute as was said to the Roman Emperours because they were Heathens Nay they are due not onely to Princes that profess a false Religion but also to those who impose it and Persecute the true Religion For so Nero did if not before yet at least soon after St. Paul under the pain of Damnation had required all Christians to be Subject Rom. 13. And so also did the other persecuting Emperours that succeeded him when the Christians were a noble spectacle of Bleeding but persevering and unconquerable Loyalty to all the world As for this tryal of Persecutions God be thanked it is not our case For our Laws protect the true Religion and punish all that dissent from it And our King has graciously assured us that he will govern by Laws yea preserve the Government and Laws themselves both in Church and State as they are now established But where that is truly the Case as it was with the Christians in the Apostles days and the Primitive Persecutions and as it is still with the Forreign Protestants in Popish Countries but especially in France Yet will not this Persecution of the true Religion exempt Subjects from any Branch of the foresaid Duties They must bear Honour and Reverence and speak of them with Respect as well