Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	moral_a	nature_n	positive_a	4,914	5	10.3383	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A92321	England's restitution or The man, the man of men, the states-man. delivered in several sermons in the parish church of Waltham Abbey in the county of Essex. / By Thomas Reeve D.D. preacher of Gods word there.	Reeve, Thomas, 1594-1672.	1661 (1661)	Wing R689; Thomason E1056_1; ESTC R208033	132,074	175

reign over him In the mean time true Majesty is a Monarchy yea Monarchy is the Protarchy the first and best government One Iesus in spiritual matters one King in civil affairs Did the government of the World begin in one father of the family and till the reign of Kings was it confirmed in one Moses one Ioshua one Iudge and when Kings were set up in their splendour was there but one individual person designed to exercise Soveraignty and supream Authority from the beginning of Kingly Government to the end of the Macchabees reign Do Heathens Mahometans the wild Tartarians and the wise Persians and Chaldees allow but of the government by One Is there but one King amongst Beasts Birds Fishes Devils And shall neither the Moral Law nor Positive Law the light of Nature nor instinct of Nature the order upon Earth nor the order of Hell dired us to know what is expedient and necessary lawful and laudable in the Architectonicall point of Government Read all Authours and see if the generality of writers do not terminate Government to one yes they agreed for the most part in one person though that person was represented to the world under severall names Ios l. 1. c. Appion Herod l. 6. c 29 Ioh. Mesellus Huit l. 3. c. 21. Cato in fragmentis p. Dia● l. 3. de long c. 8. Herod l. 3. Amongst the Iewes a chief Ruler was called Hyscus amongst the Egyptians Piromis amongst the Iaponians Voon amongst the Tartarians Caan or Can amongst the Hetrurians Larts or Larthes amongst the Longobards Autharis or Flavius amongst the Servians at this day Despots amongst the Transilvanians Valachians Moldavians Vayvods yet though the Denominations or appellative terms be several yet they all accord in signification that Government is to be limited to one Indeed I do finde Ottanes disputing hard for Democracy and Megabisus as earnestly for Aristocracy but wiser heathens have been wholly for Monarchy Aristot l. 8. Ethic. Aristotle saith that the best form of Government is a kingdome and the worst is a Common-wealth Plato in Dial. c. 10. polit Plato saith the best and mildest Government is by a King Isoc in Nicocle Isocrates saith that Monarchy is the supereminen● Government Plut. in 7. Sap. con Plutarch saith that if free choise were given to a people to choose what Government they would a Monarch should be preferred before all they which will read Volateran l. 36. Philo tit de polit Alcinous c. 33. F. Patricius lib. 1. Philostratus de optima reip forma Sigon de Antiq. jure civ Rom. l. 1. shall finde this most judiciously and abundantly confirmed namely that Monarchical Government doth excell all what combustions in votes litigations in designs altercations tumults rents ruptures in dividing Authority have there been where any kind of popular Governments have been erected The contests have been so bitter that to appease these commotions the best tempered States have been driven to the election of one single Magistrate was there not for this end amongst the Lacedemonians an Harmosta amongst the Thessalians an Archus amongst the Mitileneans an Azimneta and amongst the Romanes a Dictatour If they could choose One to quiet differences at last why not at first to avoid them preventing Physick is the best Physick Aelian Polycletus must not onely have a moving Image that turn it which way soever he would it should please the people but if he would be a right workman he must have a standing piece as his Master-piece that might please wise men and skilful Artists So though popular Governments be very acceptable to the multitude yet we must not have such a voluble Government as is pleasing to the people but a true standing fixed Government that is agreeable to Art the highest Art even Divine inspiration and where I pray you in the whole Scripture did God constitute any Government but Monarchical or that which is correspondent to it The Government of many is so pernicious that the Government of two hath ever been held dangerous Nulla fides sociis regni omnisque potestas Impatiens consortis erit Lucan There is no trust to be put in Companions of Government all power is impatient of consortship Did not Romulus kill Remus his partner in Government upon a slight disconten● were Caesar and Pompey Augustus and Antony ever quiet when the Government was divided was not Eucratides killed by his own son whom he had made equal in Government with him when he returned with a great victory over the Indians Iustin l. 11. Iustin l. 1. Sueton. Plin. de vir illust did not Cambyses for this kill his brother Smerdes Domitian as many think his good brother Titus Aemilius Numitor Etheocles Polynices Bassianus Geta And can it be expected but that a divided Government should have these divided spirits in it is there any thing almost to prevent it Herodian l. 2. 4. Herod l. 2. No Herodotus I remember hath a famous history that when Sethon the King of Aegypt was dead the people constituted twelve Kings as Governours they at the beginning of their reign to prevent all emulation and envy took an oath one of another that one should not conspire against another for disturbance or deposition but going to the Oracle to know what should be the end of this Government they received answer that whosoever did sacrifice in the temple of Vulcan in an iron vial he should reign over them all they having heard that Psammeticus had done this they Banished him and his children into the Fens where they lived a slavish fordid life for a while but at last Psammeticus being helped by the Ionians for all his oath came in an armed way against the eleven Governours fought with them subdued them and cut their throats So that no obligations or oaths will restrain men that have joint Authority from being Competitours to strive for obtaining the sole power into their hands Nunquam aut vix aut parvo tempore divisum imperium sine pugna aut invidia Oros Orosius saw it so apparently that he pronounceth that it was never known or scarcely or but for a small time that a divided Government was without strife and envy But some will say that under Monarchy outrages have been often committed what then do not ' Democracy outvy them both for number and horrour oh the bloody factions that have been in Rome Athens Carthage c Was there ever any man much lesse any calling free from errour since the first fall Is every thing that hath imperfections in it to be rejected then how should the world soone be without a man and the Church without a Saint I had then lost my ministery for I finde imperfections enough in my self and I believe that many others must be degraded with me and be called my sliding brethren yea many great Saints might be put into the sinners Catalogue with me Archives and Diptyckes Synodical and Select Congregations might have

and our rights other mens birth-rights we have no claim but the military conveighance or the free-deed of a liberal State can a statute of pacification or an Act of Indempnity secure us in a just enjoyment of these things no these are Acts of Grace or condescensions of politike prudence we many possesse these things without molestation from the world but is there no other Court where titles must be decided Are the ten Commandments abrogated have we by this a Writ of priviledge against Doomesday no the moral law doth still continue in force conscience doth tell us that we would not have our estates thus wrested away There will be another inquisition made after these Tenures our rights must be tried at another Bar there is a just Iudge which will passe sentence upon all just evidences to the legality of that Court we must stand Oh then we which believe the last and strict reckoning that we should own any thing which we do not hold by inheritance or just industry can these be comfortable livelihoods at last no we eat sumptuously and cloth our selves gorgeously and stock up for posterity aboundantly for the present but our wretched souls must scorch for these damnifying gaines in conclusion oh then that our feet should stand any longer within such thresholds that our hands should carry about with them such keyes that we should write our selves owners of such Mansions and Messuages where the true Heires are yet living Wo unto us that we have ever fingered such unjust means we hold but a curse in our hands so long as we graspe it to own use we will resigne up therefore our interest and call home the true Heires For. better is a little with righteousnesse then great revenues without equity We got it with violence and we keep it with vexation therefore away with it vve vvill rather vvork for maintenance nay beg for relief then vve vvill feed our selves vvith other mens bread A free soul and a quiet conscience is above all the rich revenues of the vvorld Thus if evil Princes could be brought to a sense of their Tyrannical Government vve should hear them expostulating about their extortions and send them out of their houses vvith haste yea vvith speed and earnestnesse make restitution of their ill-gotten goods 3. Thirdly We might expect some reparation for their former disobedience For Princes they have been but hovv came they by it vvas it not by disobedience and disloyalty by resisting and rebelling by opposing and deposing did they not pull dovvn the lavvful Prince and set up their selves as aspiring Princes novv is usurpation a just title may private men take upon them to be Princes is not this to nevv act the parts of Corah Dathan and Abiram Sheba Absalon Zimri Pekah the son of Remaliah are not these vvorthy guides to follovv noble precedents to imitate finde we not Traytours out amongst the worst men of the perillous times 2 Tim. 3.5 Iob 34.37 Is it not the height of disobedience to add rebellion to sinn If God would stigmatize people can he fix worse epithets upon them then to stile them treacherous and rebellious Hear now ye Rebels Num. 20.10 backsliding Israel and treacherous Iudah Ier. 3.6.7 Are not these apostates in common-weales nay very state wizards yes rebellion is as the sin of whitchcraft 1 Sam. 15.23 the impes of hell and the devils Zanies his clawes whereby he doth scratch states or his stings whereby he doth poyson kingdomes who would not abhor that name were it not for Iudas sirnamed the traytour Luke 6.16 or especially because God cast Adam out of paradise and Lucifer out of Heaven for rebellion and treason are not subjects rather to ly down upon their bended knees then to stand up with their armed-hands before their lawfull Soveraignes yes Iudah shall have the Scepter and his fathers Sons shall bow down unto him Gen. 49.8 If against a King there be no rising up Pro. 30.31 then should any by cunning glosses and subtile distinctions raise up tumults distractions commotions conspiracies in Nations is not hell threatned to all such wild furies Seditio à secedendo vel seorsum eundo Cicero de repub yes Whosoever resisteth the power resisteth t●… Ordinance of God and they which resist shall receive to themselves damnation Rom. 13.2 Sedition is a violent separation from a true Governour now those which are united by allegiance how can they set themselves apart for their own turbulent designes is not this to turn the union of a Commowealth into a combination Inter bonos amicitiam inter malos factionē Sal. In bel Iud. Yes as amongst good men there is friendship so amongst bad men there is faction Petrus Gregorius counts these insurrections diseases in Common-wealths others wildfire to inflame peoples affections others Vermin to consume the goods of a Nation and not one learned Author gives them a good term for the very reproach therefore persons might abstain from them How odious to this day are the names of them which have been practisers in them as of Sejanus under Tiberius Philip the Arabian under Gordianus Plantianus under Antoninus Cleander under Commodus Bessus under Darius Phocas under Mauricius Mans laws have no greater judgment nor Gods laws have no greater vengeance then for Rebels and Traitours Oh then how might these many Princes say that we would not content our selves with our own estates nor quiet our selves in those degrees wherein God had set us but against the scandal and curse of the sin out of haughtiness and arrogancy we must attempt execrable and hideous things in stead of obedience and duty which we did owe to our just and lawful Prince we have expressed nothing but obstinacy and contumacy pervicacy and pertinacy and in stead of subjection we have aimed at soveraignty and in stead of loyalty we have affected royalty Princes we would be and Princes we have been but now ejected by justice from heaven and rejected with the shame of the whole world O that our own fierce humors and the Devils violent suggestions should so far prevail with us and seduce us as with Bibles in our hands Sermons in our ears Prayers in our lips the name of Christ in our foreheads and oathes of allegiance in our consciences we have perpetrated such things as all divine precepts do forbid all justifiable Religion doth defie We blush we tremble at the thought of all the commotions we have raised the wasts we have made the blood we have shed the peaceable land we have distracted the innocent King we have murthered his dead head doth ly bleeding before our eyes his Ghost doth day and night torture us Oh that we could redeem our errour that we could expiate our guilts If there be any mercy left for us we will deplore our faults implore favour ly at the feet of the Nation and begge forgivenesse yea weep our selves half blind to be pardoned and our future resolutions and expressions