Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	civil_a	law_n	society_n	2,401	5	9.1625	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

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 cōscience 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 coūsaile 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 mā the law of nations So in a first sense the lawes of mā 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 cōmon 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 thēselues 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 merchādise 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