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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

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66600	God, the King, and the countrey, united in the justification of this present revolution containing also animadversions on Dr. William Sherlock's book intituled, The case of allegiance due to soveraign powers, stated and resolved, according to scripture and reason, and the principles of the Church and England / by Tim. Wilson ...	Wilson, Timothy, 1642-1705.	1691 (1691)	Wing W2950; ESTC R8407	46,572	49

the Lord Deut. 8.3 And Hezekiah was recovered by applying a lump of Figs and laying it for a Plaister upon a Boyl Isa 38.21 Finally thus our Saviour saith Abraham in the Parable told the rich Glutton They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them Luk. 16.29 Thus I acknowledge it is the disposal of Providence that by the Convention of Estates as Means or Instruments the Prince and Princess of Orange should be King and Queen of England c. Now the Dr. saith well § 3. p. 12. Providence is Gods Government of the World by an Invisible Influence and Power c. But he might have told us that the Acts Manner and Effects of Providence become visible to us And the disposals of Providence are seen either 1. In Divine Judgments or Punishments Or 2. In Divine Probations and Fatherly Corrections and Chastisements Or 3. In Divine Blessings Mercies and Deliverances And all these are Personal Domestical or National Now Gods Providence is holy and just in all these But sometimes the Instruments are very wicked Thus proud and cruel men who break in pieces Gods people and afflict his Heritage as the Psalmist speaks tho' they are Gods Rod or Instruments by whom the Lord chastiseth his Servants which in God is most lawful and just I say ungodly men are guilty of the evil of sin Because they propound to themselves the satisfaction of their own malicious and spiteful affections But whoever are the Instruments of Gods Providence in Blessings Mercies Deliverances in such Acts do well and deserve praise of all that are not ungrateful Thus the late Revolution is Gods just Judgment and Punishment on the Papists and all Oppressors that joyned with them But it is an exceeding great mercy blessing and deliverance to the Protestant Church and all Gods faithful Servants But I spare the Dr's prejudice He knows the old saying Dolus latet in generalibus God permits evil Instruments but he approves good Instruments in such acts It is true also as the Dr. saith That God not only permits but he doth these things He permits men to do wickedly but God is the Author of all the Good and Evil which happens to private persons or publick Societies Surely no Christian doubts of this But then we distinguish which the Dr. doth not and say 1. Evil is from God who punisheth corrects or chastiseth his Church 2. Good is from God who defends delivers blesses or saves his Church And this is done ordinarily by the free Ministries of men And the Question between us is of these Instruments whether they be Evil or Good or whether they have done Evil or Good deserve well or ill of the Church and Common-wealth Thus to illustrate my meaning I say that O. C. and his Confederates were Usurpers Traitors and Murderers and tho' they had power or strength yet they had not Power or Authority from God But King William and his Confederates had not only Strength or Power but also had Power or Authority from God to save this Church and Kingdom when we were so near sinking under Popery and Slavery And this I think is deducible from what the Dr. sometimes grants As when he saith p. 28. The Law of God and Nature must take place of all Humane Positive Laws and Oaths And when he saith p. 33. Tho' I have as great a Reverence for Princes as any man I do not think the Right and Interest of Princes so considerable as the Safety and Preservation of a Nation and the Lives and Fortunes of all his Subjects From whence I infer that no Positive Laws Oaths or Prince in case of such Oppressions as we groaned under ought to stand in competition with the Preservation of our Countrey Liberty Property and Religion And consequently King William and his Confederates deserve Immortal Honour from all Englishmen and good Protestants And if this be not sound Divinity I desire that the Dr. would be pleased to bestow some of his Charity upon me and write another Book to convince those of my Perswasion I wish he had free leave given him to try his skill For tho' I do not pretend to his Learning and Abilities and I know that he can teach me many things nor have I the Opportunity of such Libraries and Conversation of most Judicious Men yet I have studied this Controversie and I never acted in any Affair with a more full and clear Approbation of my own Conscience than in this Revolution Or to use the Dr's words in the beginning of his Preface This I am sure of that I never acted with more sincerity in any Affair of my whole Life than I have done in this matter from the beginning to the end and whether I have sufficient Reason for what I do I refer to the Tryal of this and other my Discourses But in short All Power is of God and all Power is of the People All preservation is of God and all Preservation is of our selves All Riches and Honour are of God and all Riches and Honour are of our selves by our own Industry and good Merit For tho' we can Merit nothing at Gods Hands yet we may Merit from Man Thus the Hand of the diligent maketh rich saith Solomon and the blessing of the Lord maketh rich And seest thou a Man that is diligent in his business he shall stand before Kings he shall not stand before mean Men. This is Gods Cooperation and Concourse And God quasi ex pacto coobligat se creaturis as a Learned Protestant Schoolman and Metaphysician speaks by Covenant obligeth himself with the Creatures and as it were promiseth that he will help their Acts. And I suppose the Dr. himself doth not imbrace the previous efficacious motion mentioned by the strict Followers of St. Thomas and of Calvin Thus God removes Kings and sets up Kings And this the Dr. will acknowledge when he recovers himself For he saith p. 13. Sometimes a Prince is placed on the Throne by God and receives his Authority by the Election of the People sometimes by Conquest which hath been the visible Original of most Governments True say I but Conquest makes a Man a Prisoner not a Subject till after Consent and Agreement and when any Family is thus advanced to the Throne it is continued by Succession and Legal Entails But all these ways or any other that can be thought of are governed and determined by Divine Providence and the Prince thus advanced is as truely placed in the Throne by God as if he had been expresly nominated c. But the Secret or Reason of the Drs. obscurity and confusion I believe is this He could not condemn the Instruments of Gods Providence in this Revolution out of fear And he could not justifie them because of his Erroneous Conscience and Prejudice And so he runs on with a General and Confused Discourse of the Disposals of Providence Just as a Quaker when he knows not what to say will tell you It is the

GOD THE KING AND THE COUNTREY United in the Justification of this Present Revolution Containing also Animadversions on Dr. William Sherlock's Book Intituled The Case of Allegiance Due to Soveraign Powers stated and resolved according to Scripture and Reason and the Principles of the Church of England By TIM WILSON M. A. and Rector of Great Mongeham in Kent Licensed Jan. 29. 1691. LONDON Printed for Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside near Mercers Chapel 1691. To the Sacred Majesties of King William and Queen Mary by the Grace of God King and Queen of England Scotland France and Ireland Defenders of the Faith c. May it please Your Majesties THE Divine Providence that disposeth all things to the emolument and advantage of those that love God hath sent Your Majesties to be our Saviours and Deliverers from Popery and Slavery to the Joy of all sound Protestants not wholly sunk and buried in prejudice And we see the Prophecy of Isaiah fulfilled Kings shall be your Nursing Fathers and Queens your Nursing Mothers But the Government of Moses whom God sent into Egypt to deliver his people was not without some Murmurers and men of a revolting spirit who looked back towards Egypt Victorious David had that crafty Politician Achitophel his Adversary and Absolom who stole away the hearts of this people and Sheba a Mover of Sedition The Reign of Solomon had some who complained of Grievances and Oppressions tho' he honoured God by building a Magnificent Temple The most excellent Deborah tho' she had some that jeoparded their lives unto death with her yet she had others who for their Divisions caused great thoughts of heart It is my affection to the Protestant Cause and Your Majesties Government that moves me thus resolutely to rush into your Sacred Presence I am very sensible that false Principles will create Practices correspondent to them And therefore I have examined some new and strange Notions of Gods Providence and Humane Governments of late asserted by some Doctors To say That a Prince hath Gods Authority tho' he hath no Humane and Legal Right and that there is another Person who hath Legal Right is dismal to consider in the consequences thereof If this Poison creeps into the Church I tremble to reflect upon the Effects of it It is good for nothing but to produce Insincerity and to make men swear to live peaceably when they have War in their hearts I am confident of Your Majesties Protection for I have acted in this Affair with a full satisfaction of Conscience and the greatest Evidence of Reason And no History can exceed if parallel so great valour and courage mixed with so much grace and clemency as hath shined in King William This is to be like God who is Almighty and yet slow to wrath whose Power is irresistible and yet he delights in Mercy Go on and prosper most victorious Prince and may the God of Heaven bless you with success by Sea and Land against that proud and persecuting Monarch who hath been the Ruine of so many Innocent Protestants in his own Dominions May God give Your Majesties the Necks of your Enemies and may they all tast of Your Forgiveness and Bounty but never forsake Your first Friends who ran all hazards with Your Majesty I pray with Tertullian who saith We Christians pray for our Emperors 1. That they may have a long Life which contains Health Joy and Prosperity 2. A constant safe and secure Government 3. Faithful and Trusty Domestick Servants free from Treachery and secret Conspiracy 4. A strong and valiant Army 5. A faithful Senate Council or Parliament 6. Obedient Submissive and Loyal People 7. A quiet and peaceable Reign In a word whatsoever can be the desire of Caesar God inspire Your Majesties with heavenly Grace and Wisdom and sound Knowledge and good Vnderstanding to go in and out before this great People and moreover give you Victory and Peace and Length of Days and at last may Angels convey Your Souls into Abraham's bosom This is the constant prayer of Your Maiesties Most Humble most Loyal and most Devoted Subject and Servant Tim. Wilson The Apostle asserts in the 13th Chap. of the Epistle to the Romans That all Emperors Kings Princes and Governors receive their Power from God And that the Right of the Sword is delivered to the Magistrate by God And therefore all are obliged to be subject to the Higher Powers and not to resist And whosoever resisteth the Power resisteth the Ordinance of God and shall receive damnation FOR the right understanding whereof I shall premise these Principles 1. All Dominion is Gods 2. God gives Dominion and Power to some persons over others 3. The Law of Nature which is the Divine Law unwritten is a Rule by which all Nations should walk 4. This Law of Nature teacheth all Inferiours to honour their Superiours and Subjects to pay Tribute honorary Gifts c. to their Kings 5. The same Law of Nature secures every mans Propriety so that there can be no Alienation without consent explicite or implicite There is saith Aristotle Rhet. b. 1. c. 13. as all divine by Nature a common just and unjust though there be no mutual communication nor compact 6. The holy Scriptures do not contradict the Law of Nature but inform mankind more plainly what is duty Lastly The sacred Historian Moses and other holy Writers leave Positive and Political Laws to be practised according to the Usage of several Countries I suppose as the known truth is that God Created Adam and Eve And Adam begat Cain and Abel Now what Land or what substance and goods Adam gave Abel he had Right to by the Law of Nature as well as what he got by his own industry and labour Neither could Adam or Cain take any of Abels Flock without sinning against God tho' there had been no Agreement between them For this Law was written in Adams heart Thou shalt not covet any thing that is thy Neighbours There is a Natural Right and there is a Civil Right Natural Right is by the Law of Nature Meum and Tuum were before there was any written Law Civil Right is that which the Municipal Laws of every Countrey gives And if good and consonant to Reason they are but confirmations or explications of the Law of Nature or conclusions drawn from it or securities of mens Lives Goods and Possessions from wicked men who would use no conscience We know saith St. Paul 1 Tim. 1.8 9 10. that the Law is good if a man use it lawfully knowing this that the Law is not made for a righteous man but for the lawless and disobedient c. Government as Government agreeth to Heathens Jews Turks and Christians all alike It is man as man who is the object thereof The Nature and Definition and Properties are the same The holy Scriptures intend not to teach us to be Politicians no more than to be Philosophers but to be Christians and

though the Dr. saith There is nothing like this any where else in Scripture which is gratis dictum yet other Learned Divines say that the Apostle means this 1 Pet. 2.13 14. When he saith Submit your selves to every Ordinance of Man for the Lords sake whether to the King as Supream Hence they collect and I think truly That the Donation of the Power is of God and the Designation of the Person or Limitation and Qualification of the Power is of Man tho' it is also the disposal of Providence I have said in another Discourse God and Man in these Acts are not opposite but subordinate God is the first Cause Man is the second Cause The Prince that receives Authority from Man receives it from God also tho' mediately by Man and is Gods Minister and a Ruler v. 3 4. The Dr. proceeds Then in order to the fulfilling of this precept it would be necessary for Subjects to exarmine the Titles of Princes and to that end to be well skill'd in History and the Laws of a Nation and to be able to judge between a pretended and real Right c. A. And surely it is not so difficult a thing to know who is our Prince as the Dr. would make it It is so easie that every Subject in England as far as ever I heard never doubted that the late King James was the lawful King of England c. And there needs no great skill in History and Law to know this And as for the Revolution when we are bound in Conscience to obey another King there needs no History to tell us what we have seen and heard And the Reverend Dr. will tell us when the Government is setled p. 9. Suppose the greatest uncertainty that you can suppose the Consciences of men would not be more perplexed than you have perplexed them at this day And therefore you need not have said Let any man judge in what perplexities this sense of the Apostles Precept would involve the Consciences of men The Dr. hath a great deal more to the same purpose and descants at large To which I answer in general That if St. Paul had taught us Politicks in Rom. 13. I should have thought it very strange Men must learn Politicks from the Laws of Reason and the common Prudence and Experience of Mankind Suppose the Great Turk in a Passion or upon a small Provocation should draw his Scymeter or Sword to kill some Eminent Nobleman of his Court and the Nobleman should defend his Life by force of Arms and by Skill or Strength should disarm his great Lord and Master and escape for his Life In this case I say Natural Religion and Conscience will justifie the Innocent Nobleman and will tell the Great Turk that he ought to give God thanks in such like words as David did when Abigail by her wisdom pacified his wrath 1 Sam. 25.32 Blessed be the Lord God who sent thee this day to meet me And blessed be thy advice and blessed be thou who hast kept me this day from shedding blood I should never read the Scriptures nor any History or Law-book to tell me who is my King no more than I would to tell me who is my Father and Mother I like a Fool have all my days presumed without Book with my Fellow-subjects and with my Brethren and Sisters who is my King and who is my Father and Mother and have honoured and obeyed them according to the fifth Commandment Such reasoning is unworthy of the profound Judgment of Dr. Sherlock If the Dr. pleaseth I would desire him to write a Book to teach Children what are their Names and who are their God-fathers and God-mothers before we Catechize them any more For is it not a very hard thing to know all these things See how prejudice blinds the Eyes of pious and wise men I confess that when there is a competition for the Crown or when Imposture may be reasonably suspected or in the like extraordinary case then the Subjects may become Sceptics But then we have a Privy Council and a Parliament to examine judge and determine But otherwise I am persaded that there was not one of ten thousand that ever doubted whether King Charles the Second was the true Heir and rightful King or King James the Second But let us hear the Dr's Objection p. 24. If the choice and consent of the People makes a Prince then no man is a Subject but he who consents to be so For the major Vote cannot include my consent unless I please That is the Effect of Law and Compact or Force not of Nature If Subjects give their Prince Authority they may take it away again if they please There can be no Irresistible Authority derived from the People For if Authority be wholly derived from them who shall hinder them from taking it away when they see fit Vpon these Principles there can be no Hereditary Monarchy One Generation can only chuse for themselves their Posterity have as much right to chuse as they had A. The Dr. owns That if the Lineal Succession should fail then the People must chuse a Prince and this hinders not Hereditary Monarchy No more doth it in such an extraordinary case as our present case is And the Dr. himself saith p. 25. A Legal Entail is nothing more than the Authority of the People tho' here he saith Vpon these Principles there can be no Hereditary Monarchy Let him reconcile these The Parliament hath setled the Succession But saith the Dr. Every Subject must consent This is thought a mighty Goliath but I think it a poor weak Argument I have elsewhere shewed that the meek wise and ever-renowned Hooker foundeth all Government in Covenant so that I am not singular in the Church of England And surely it is not required in our Constitution that every individual person consent explicitly to Acts of Parliament but the major Vote includes all And there is nothing more common in the World either in Political or Sacred Affairs than for a Father or Guardian or God-father or Friend or Relation to engage for a Child See Deut. 29 10 11. If it were any other person I should be afraid would turn Anabaptist or at least a Puritan and write a Book against God-fathers In these Cases an Implicite Covenant is fully sufficient If the whole Kingdom consists of such who were Children to their Parents that Elected the Prince and agreed that the Kingdom should be Hereditary this in Conscience binds them Tho' they make no Personal and Vocal Expression of their Consent and Agreement as the Fathers did I imagine that upon second Thoughts the Dr. will have no mind to oppose this and therefore I say no more But the Dr. saith That if Subjects give their Prince Authority then they may take it away again if they please A. All Subjects are bound in Conscience to stand to their Covenant Agreement Promise and Oath And here whosoever resisteth the Power resisteth the Ordinance

to Hard. A. Art 2. Divis 6. justifies Luther as a godly man and accuseth Harding of Slander And Divis 7 he calls Melancthon and Bucer godly learned men And he calls Peter Martyr a most worthy and learned Father A. to Hardings Preface And Harding commends his Modesty And surely if Passive Obedience had been the Doctrine of those days and esteemed as it hath been of late Rebellion to oppose it the ever Renowned Hooker Preface to Eccl. Pol. would not have honoured Calvin with this Elogium For my own part I think him that is Calvin incomparably the wisest man that ever the French Church did enjoy since the hour it enjoyed him The Divines of the Church of England are not wont thus to commend Authors guilty of Heresie or Schism or Sedition or Rebellion And Dr. Bilson True difference between Christian Subjection and unchristian Rebellion p. 3. pag. 264. saith Calvin is so well known to those that be Learned or Wise for his great pains and labours in the Church of God that a few snarling Fryars cannot impeach his Name And Dr. Whitgift against the Puritan T. C. every where honours Bullinger Castius and more especially Zuinglius And yet all these justified Defensive Arms in some case Now who are the Innovators they that follow the first Doctors of our Church or they that have embraced other new and unheard of Principles in Government I leave the works of our Forefathers to be Judges But here it is objected by some weak and factious spirits that our Convention or Parliament have done as bad to the late King as the Rump Parliament so called O. C. and the Army of Sectaries did to King Charles the First And therefore if we are justifiable they are justifiable and consequently Jan. 30. ought not to be kept as a day of Humiliation and Fasting For this let the Reader consider what the Dr. saith p. 46 47 c. Or let him take this Answer Our Cause and theirs differ as far as Heaven and Hell or Good and Bad Murder and Self-defence I will not say that there were no Corruptions in Government nor no Innovations brought into the Church Neither will I dispute the Reasonableness of the War between the King and Parliament in the beginning But supposing that the Parliament had sufficient Cause to defend themselves Yet 1. King Charles the First had given full satisfaction to the Two Houses of Parliament and the Bishops and the Common Prayer were Established by Law And all know that it was the National Worship as it is now and cannot be abrogated or altered but by King Lords and Commons But O. C. destroyed the House of Lords and the Book of Common Prayer by force and by the Sword 2. King Charles the First was a professed Protestant and all his Officers and Ministers in Church and State were such as the Law allowed But the Late King was a professed Papist and put Papists in Places of Trust against Law and turned out all the best Protestants for no reason but only because they opposed the Jesuits and Arbitrary Power 3. King Charles the First and the Parliament had concluded upon a Settlement to the satisfaction of all sober and wise Men in the Kingdom but O. C. and his Army of Sectaries with force turned about a hundred Members out of Parliament and kept them Prisoners against Law and Justice 4. O. C. and the Sectaries Ruled the Nation by the Sword in time of Peace contrary to all Law and Executed many of the most Zealous Protestants But King William defends all Protestants according to Law 5. They like Cruel Tyrants and Usurpers destroyed the whole Frame of Government Murdered the King and Banished all the Royal Family As there are some at this day who are so vain and sottish as to desire a Common-wealth and to Root out the Bishops and Common Prayer and so bring confusion into Church and State As if there were no difference between the Reformation of Abuses and destroying that which is good and excellent We say that this Faction in a Nation is to be opposed as well as the Tyranny and Illegal Proceedings of the Papists For both are destructive of our Laws and Established Religion It is true our present Business is against the Abominations of the Church of Rome and the Usurpations of Popish Priests and Jesuits But we also abhor all those who would Murder a Protestant King and destroy our Liberties and the Religion by Law Established and force us contrary to our Consciences But King William opposeth none but Papists who would have destroyed us and he continues our Parliament and our Laws Liberties and Religion with all the Incouragements thereof 6. King William was invited over by divers of the Nobility and Gentry to save us from Popery and Slavery and was received with the universal Joy of Protestants But O.C. and his Sectaries who Barbarously and Impudently Murdered King Charles the First were cryed out against by all sound Protestants who adhered to the Laws of the Nation So that that Rebellion and King William's Actions and those that joined with him differ as much as Destroying a Nation and Saving a Nation as the greatest Sin and the greatest Good Lastly Our Royal Martyr King Charles the First died in the Defence of the Laws and Established Religion But the Late King Abdicated or Deserted or at least went out of the Kingdom rather than he would Rule according to Law And when he was gone to France the Chief of the Nobility and Gentry desired the P. of O. to take the Government upon him and to Summon a Convention which Convention Elected him King and the Princess Queen The Late King fled and Banished himself rather than he would do the Nation Justice and when he was gone the Convention or Parliament resolved to keep him out The P. of O. tho' a Soveraign Prince and no way Subject to the Late King did not Murder him when he had him in his Power But O.C. and the Sectaries of the Army Beheaded King Charles the First tho' he was Innocent and a Prince of most Excellent Virtues and of Ever Blessed Memory Ob. Solomon saith Prov. 24.21 22. My Son fear thou the Lord and the King and meddle not with them that are given to change For their calamity shall rise suddenly and who knoweth the ruin of them both A. This Text doth not forbid the Change of Government in Absolute necessity when the Safety of the whole Kingdom requires it and it is done Regularly and for the Publick Good But commands Obedience and Fear to the present Lawful King and never to join with Changelings who are restless under Government and Lightly Wantonly Factiously or Seditiously oppose what is present It is not to be understood Morally as if it were Absolutely evil and a Sin to change when the whole Frame of Government is corrupt But you must take it prudentially that a wise Man who fears God ought not to Change that Form of