Linguistic DNA - Concept Modelling Demonstrator

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nation_n	law_n	nature_n	positive_a	2,085	5	11.0131	5	true

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08402	The sinne against the Holy Ghost discouered and other Christian doctrines deliuered: in twelue sermons vpon part of the tenth chapter of the epistle to the Hebrewes. By Sebastian Benefield ...	Benefield, Sebastian, 1559-1630.	1615 (1615)	STC 1872; ESTC S101615	138,488	190

convince any one of a crime committed For thus saith the Lord One witnesse shall not testifie against any person to cause him to die Num. 35.30 One witnesse shall not rise vp against a man for any trespasse or for any sin or for any fault that he offendeth in but at the mouth of two witnesses or at the mouth of three witnesses shall the matter be established Deut. 19.15 At the mouth of two or three witnesses shall he that is worthy of death die but at the mouth of one witnesse he shall not dy Deut. 17.6 Vnder two or three witnesses This is spoken disiunctiuely not as if the testimony of two were alwaies true but because it is so to be accounted if it be the testimony of two For we know that the testimony of two may be forged Two wicked men did falsly witnes against Naboth that he blasphemed God and the King 1. Kings 21.13 Two wicked men did falsly witnesse against Steven that he spake blasphemous words against Moses and God Act. 6.11 Two wicked men did falsely witnesse against Christ that hee should say I can destroy the Temple of God and build it in three daies Mat. 26.60 One witnesse shall not testifie against a man to cause him to die two may and their testimony may be false Two three or more may for at their mouthes shall every matter be established He that despiseth Moses law shall die the death c. Out of these words thus vnderstood we may for our instruction take two lessons 1 Necessity is laid vpon vs and woe is vnto vs if we despise mans law For he that despiseth Moses law dyeth without mercy 2 A caveat is given vs that we be not too credulous that we open not our eares to private reports tending to the discredite of any for He that despiseth Moses law dyeth not but at the mouth of two or three witnesses Our first lesson we comprehend within this proposition Every one is bound to subiect himselfe to honest and iust politique lawes and this even for conscience sake Our second within this It is a breach of the rule of charity to conceiue ill of any one for any private report Touching the first namely That every one is bound to subiect himselfe to honest and iust politique lawes and this even for conscience sake we may note that all such lawes politique civill mans lawes are either iust or vniust if iust then without doubt they bind our consciences to due obedience And this they doe not because they are set forth and published by man but partly because they haue their original from the law of Nature whervnto our consciences stand bound and partly because God in expresse commaundement hath made vs subiect to such lawes If vniust then are wee not in conscience bound to obserue them Such vniust humane lawes haue their difference for first they are said to be vniust either because he that makes them hath no authority so to do or having authority because he makes them rather for his own private then for any common good or making them for the common good because he bids and commaundes that which is aboue a mans power to performe And in this first sense vniust humane lawes though they tie vs not in coÌ„science to obserue them yet because they put nothing that may detract either from the law of nature or from the law of reason or from the law of nations or from the law of God and his glorie they leaue vnto vs a liberty either to keepe them as well as we shall bee able or not to keepe them at all vnlesse charity which chargeth vs in any wise to beware of giving offence to our neighbours commaundeth vs to obserue them Rather then we breake this bond of charity rather then we giue iust offence to our neighbours it is our Saviours couÌ„saile Mat. 5.39 40 41. Whosoever shall smite vs on the right cheeke that wee turne to him the other also whosoever suing vs at the law shall take away our coate that we let him haue our cloake also whosoever shall compell vs to go one mile that wee sticke not to goe twaine with him The care then we are to haue not to offend the weake consciences of our neighbours may binde vs to the observing of those humane lawes before spoken of which albeit in regard of their maker and his private respects they are called vniust are notwithstanding otherwise left to our free choice to bee kept or broken because without any repugnancie they may stand together with those eternall lawes the law of nature the law Celestial the law of reason the law of God the iust law of maÌ„ the law of nations So in a first sense the lawes of maÌ„ are called vniust if he that makes them hath no authority so to doe or having authority if he makes them rather for his owne private then for any common good or making them for the coÌ„mon good if he bids and commaundes that which is aboue mans power to performe In a second sense humane lawes are said to be vniust if they bid that which is contrary to Gods lawes to Gods revealed will to Gods glory and these lawes are so farre from binding vs to their observance as that the loue of God dwelling in our soules deepely chargeth vs with all our might to resist them The answer which Peter and Iohn made to those of Ierusalem Act. 4.19 well fitteth this place whether it be right in the sight of God to obey you rather then God iudge yee And as fit is the protestation made by Peter and the rest of the Apostles Act. 5.29 We ought rather to obey God then men Thus we see that the lawes of men if they are vniust doe not simply binde vs in conscience to any obedience and if they bee so vniust as to detract from Gods lawes and his glory we see againe that we are in conscience bound to disobey them Obedience is first due vnto God and next vnto men for Gods sake And therefore if men shall require any thing of vs which by anie meanes may redound to Gods dishonour leaue we men to theÌ„selues and reserue we all due obedience for our God We ought rather to obey God then men Yet are there humane lawes iust lawes lawes of equity and vprightnes binding the consciences of all that are placed in publike societies whether civill or spirituall In such societies though the lawes of nature and of reason be of necessary force yet those lawes suffice not over and besides them somewhat is necessary namely humane positiue law together with that law which is of commerce of merchaÌ„dise of exchange between the greatest societies the law of nations and of nations Christian Humane laws are measures in respect of men to direct their actions Measures they are yet to be measured by higher rules Those rules are two the law of God and the law of nature Humane lawes then must be made according to the

general lawes of nature without contradictioÌ„ to any positiue law in Scripture If they are otherwise made they are ill made Vnto lawes thus iustly made and received by a whole Church a vvhole coÌ„mon wealth a vvhole corporation a vvhole College they which liue within the bosome of that Church that Common vvealth that Corporation that College must not thinke it a matter indifferent either to yeeld or not to yeeld obedience The lavv of God hath said let every soule be subiect to the higher povvers Rom. 13.1 The publike povver of all societies is aboue every soule conteined in the same societies and the chiefe vse of power is to giue lawes vnto all that are vnder it which lawes in such case we must obey vnlesse there be reason shewed necessarily to enforce that the law of reason or of God doth enioyne the coÌ„trary For vnles our own private resolutions be overruled by the law of publicke determinations wee shall leaue no possibilitie of sociable life in this world This made our Saviour to admonish those hypocrits which came to tempt him to giue vnto Caesar the things of Caesar Mat. 22.21 This made Paule to exhort servants to bee obedient vnto their Masters with feare and trembling in singlenesse of their hearts as vnto Christ Ephes 6.5 This made Peter to call vpon vs to submit our selues in all maner ordinance of man for the Lords sake 1. Pet. 2.13 who vers 15. telleth vs that it is the Lords will we should doe so The Lords will and therefore we must be subiect not because of wrath only but also for conscience sake and this is Paules conclusion Rom. 13.5 Wee are all bound to subiect our selues vnto honest and iust politicke laws and that for conscience sake But doe we al herein as we are bound to doe Those which liue within the bosome of the Church the common wealth or great corporations I leaue to their owne examinations Their hearts will witnesse with them that nor laws of Church nor laws of commoÌ„ wealth nor lawes of Vniversitie nor laws of great townes are in any meane kept as they ought to bee Now not only great ones but little flyes also are strong enough to breake through so rent and torne are the cobwebs Great and little old and young every one that is willing to learne come and receaue instruction of SOLOMON My sonne saith he Prov. 6.20 My sonne keepe thy fathers commandement and forget not thy mothers instruction bind them both alwaies about thine heart It doth not stand with the duty which we owe to our heavenly father that wee should shewe our selues disobedient to the ordinances to the good and iust ordinances appointed by authoritie for the directing of our steps in the course of this life Let vs not say we keepe the commandements of the one when wee breake the law of the other for vnlesse we obserue both we obey neither God hath expresly coÌ„manded vs to obey mans lawes which if we obey not Gods lawe by vs is disobeyed Now let the Sunne the Moone any one of the heavens or elements once cease fayle or swerue the sequele is manifest ruine to it selfe and whatsoever dependeth vpon it And is it possible that man the noblest creature in the world yea a very world in himselfe transgressing the law of God in despising mans law should drawe no harme after him Mans noblenesse aboue other creatures in this case helps him nothing Tribulation and anguish vnto every soule that doth evill This wee are assured by S. Paules testimonie Rom. 2.9 As for vs who liue within these goodly buildings provided for vs when we were not what shall I say That we liue according to our lawes O happy houre wherein such a speech might truely be vttered But this latter and last age full of the ripest last sins which no posteritie shall be ever able to adde vnto forbids me so to say I must say the contrary We liue not according to our laws Wee will murmure and repine it may be not without cause if wee be abridged of our founders and vsuall allowance and yet are wee vnwilling to obserue those easie honest iust lawes prescribed vs by our founders Surely we haue forgotten that we ought to be subiect not because of wrath only but also for conscience sake Where my desire is that every one both Head and members of all our particular societies would enter a due examination of their own hearts and consider whether they haue beene obedient to their locall lawes with feare and trembling in singlenesse of heart as vnto Christ and my prayer is that it would please the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ to turne the hearts both of Heads meÌ„bers of Heads that they would not grieue their companies by stopping or withdrawing their ordinarie and statutable maintenance and of members that they thinke not much to bee restrained by their Heads according to the lawes of their Colleges that so ioyntly and ioyfully both Heads and members may labour together for the due performing of their Founders will As in a plague time we marvaile not so much at those that dye as at those which escape so in this generall infection of sin wherein these latter and last times are drunken and drowned we marvaile not so much at the vilenesse of the most as that any almost is innocent If I theÌ„ in this case should plead for your innocencie if I should speake you faire if I should sow pillowes vnder your arme-holes make vayles vpoÌ„ your heads happily you would like it well but assured I am I should endammage mine owne soule So much Solomon teacheth mee Prov. 29.24 where he saith He that is partner with a theefe hateth his own soule Therefore to deliver my soule though you should not turne from your wickednesse and wicked waies I must warne you of a matter and howsoever it may neerely touch some amongst you yet I beseech you heare me patiently It hath beene often spoken out of this place and I doubt not but with good fruit of an intolerable abuse nusled and fostred vp for a long time in some of our Colleges I meane the deare and vsuall selling of Places which at the first were destined and appointed by our Founders lawes to schollers of best desert It hath beene herehence told vs This Sermon was preached 1599. that in diverse of our iudgements 20. 30. pownds or more are but easie prices for so good prefermeÌ„ts I grieue shame even for the loue wee all ought to haue of this place wherein we liue to repeat all that hath beene publikely preached vnto vs concerning this point I hope and beleeue wee are not of the number of those that hold religion to be a pretie policie to keepe the meaner sort in awe I doubt not but beleeue that we haue a greater measure of Gods Spirit Guided therewith consider we I beseech you that it is no smal matter to despise the iust laws of our

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