Selected quad for the lemma: power_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	david_n	king_n	saul_n	2,575	5	9.7545	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54714	God and the King. Gods strength the Kings salvation A sermon preached at Aylesham in the county of Norfolk, upon the 29 day of May 1661, being the anniversary day of thanksgiving, for the thrice happy and glorious restauration of our most Gracious Soveraign King Charles the second, to the royal government of all his Majesties kingdoms and dominions. By John Philips, B.D. sometime fellow of Magdalen College in Cambridge, and vicar of Aylesham in Norfolk.	Philips, John, vicar of Aylesham, Norfolk.	1661 (1661)	Wing P2031B; ESTC R218926	24,258	38

King to which Petitions they had not Loyaltie enough to say Amen as his Majesty of ever blessed Memory among the Righteous hath observed in his sacred Portracture never to be parallel'd and God grant it never may Now the Church in the words of the Text begins her praises for the Kings Salvation In which you have these two parts The Division First God's Mercy for his Strength in the Kings Salvation Secondly The Kings or the Church's for that Salvation In the former you have these three particulars First The Blessings for which the King or the Church for him praiseth God and they are two 1. Strength 2. Salvation Secondly The Author from whom these blessings are acknowledged to be received and that is the Lord therefore here called his Strength and his Salvation Thirdly The Person for whom this Strength is put forth and this Salvation wrought and that is the King He shall rejoyce he shall be glad In the latter you have these two particulars First The manner or quality of the Church her Thanksgiving and that is 1. Inward He shall rejoyce 2. Outward He shall be glad For so Expositors interpret the words laetabitur exultabit the one of inward the other of outward joy Secondly The measure of this Joy in the word Exceeding or how greatly as the other Translation reads it that is so greatly the King shall rejoyce as it cannot well in words be exprest Let the first part of the Text be the Doctrine the second the Application The Doctrine then is this The Lord is the Strength and Salvation of Kings of all Kings for there is no power but is ordained of God Rom. 13. 1. But of good Kings such as David was and such as blessed be God ours is after his own heart as well as by his own designment he is not only the Author of their Strength and Salvation but their Preserver and Blesser They are both the saved of the Lord and to the Lord of his Mercy and to his Glory Hear David himself speak this Truth Ps. 18. 2. Ps. 62. 1. 2. vers Ps. 27. 1. and to name no more Ps. 140. vers 7. O God the Lord the Strength of my Salvation And if we consider these Blessings severally it will more clearly appear they are from the Lord. First The King's Strength is from the Lord and this David acknowledges as in the former places so 2. Sam. 22. 1. That in the day of his deliverance from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul The Lord was his strength and his power and Moses who was also King in Jesurun Deut. 33. 5. sings to the same tune Exod. 15. 2. The Lord is my Strength and is become my Salvation Now Strength is either 1 Inward 2 Outward Inward Strength that also is double first the strength of Grace and secondly as I may have leave to expresse my self the Grace of Strength and these are both from the Lord. First strength of Grace and in this sense it is taken 1. Pet. 5. 10. The God of all grace strengthen you and we are exhorted to be strong in the Lord Eph. 6. 10. So David in his sufferings is said to Encourage himself in the Lord his God And certainly our David under all his trials was upheld by this Strength of the Lord. He was never without Gods Armour on though it may be sometime without his own The Lord alwayes girded him with Truth breasted him with Righteousness shod his feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace shielded him with Faith covered his anointed before it was anointed head with the Helmet of Salvation and his Royal hand and heart was never without the Sword of the Spirit which is the word of God witnesse those fiery darts he resisted those menaces and threats he set at nought those promises and profers he refused those sollicitations and allurements he withstood those disputes and conferences he managed alwayes with the advantage to truth of which the World may take notice So that through the strength of the Grace of God his Majesty may be justly numbred among those worthies Hebr. 11. 33 34. Who by faith subdued Kingdoms wrought righteousnesse obtained promises stopped the mouths of Lions quenched the violence of fire out of weaknesse were made strong waxed valiant in fight turned to flight the armies of the Aliens Appearing herein heir apparent of his Royal Fathers graces as well as Kingdoms of whom for piety wisdom mercy justice constancy in the truth and all other Princely grace when he was barbarously murdered we might sadly pronounce Ichabod Who was delicium humani generis as it was said of Titus the best of Kings as Augustus was stiled of Emperors the meekest of men as Moses after Gods own heart as David yet he that did good to all was hated to death he that never denied just liberty to any could not have liberty to live But I have no warrant to search into the inscrutable dispensation of the Almighty I say my hand therefore upon my mouth with that of the Apostle Hebr. 11. 38. Of whom the World was not worthy And also manifesting himself to be of his Royal Grand-Father King James his spirit who said That the best title of a King was to be the servant of God and that all the Crowns and Kingdoms in the World should not induce him to change on jot of his profession And this his strength is from above for the Kings heart is in the hand of the Lord. Prov. 21. 1. Secondly the Grace of Strength in Kings is from the Lord by which I do not mean power and ability of body and mind only that may be in another but a supernatural and celestial spirit of rule and government proper to Kings It is said of Saul though a bad King that God gave him another heart 1. Sam. 10. 9. And as soon as Samuel had anointed David the spirit of the Lord came upon him from that day forward 1. Sam. 16. 13. Which was not the spirit of sanctification for that he had before and therefore must be the spirit of wisdom resolution justice mercy and other Princely graces which God had induced him withall as a King for the right management of so great a trust For this his majesties Strength it is a subject for a History not a Sermon for others tongues and pens not mine Yet I account it my duty to speak what I believe he was never so low as to be less than a King The Lion abates nothing of his Majestick deportment whatsoever his condition be the King of fears never affrighted the hight of his spirit nor did any desponding thoughts ever break thorow his Sacred lips The Lord so tempered his Royal heart with a supernatural magnanimous resolution that both feriendo and ferendo in adventuring and bearing he cut thorow all difficulties with an edge of undaunted courage and with a back of invincible patience for God was the Strength of his heart

Ps. 73. 26. His Inward Strength 2 And also which was the second kind of Strength the Lord is the Outward Strength of Kings and so the word is taken in Scripture two wayes first for Right and Authority secondly for Power and Ability to act according to that Right and Authority and both these Strengths Kings have from the Lord. 1 Strength that is the Right and Authority of Kings is from the Lord and though the word be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 potentia not potestas and most commonly is taken for ability yet sometimes I conceive it may be taken in that sense we now speak of as in Ps. 99. 4. The Kings Strength loveth Judgment 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Kings honour and dignity so the Septuagint Imperium regis so St. Jerome the Kings Empire and government But not to litigate about words this truth is most clear that the Strength of the right of Kings is from the Lord by me Kings reign Prov. 8. 15. By me immediately not mediately at the first not second hand not by nor of man but by the will and ordinance of God and Tostatus I think it is that gives this to be the reason why they are anointed on the head because they hold of none but God and we are commanded to submit unto the King 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as to the supreme 1 Pet. 2. 13. For though the Apostle calls Kings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an ordinance of man which some interpret a humane creature whether for better translation or worse intention let others judge yet that is only to be understood in respect of the forms modes and qualifications of power which may be various according to the several laws of Kingdoms For though Kings be humane creatures and therefore must dy like other men Ps. 82. 7. Yet no Scripture warrants they may die by men Their power is of God alone they are only accountable to him for the administration of it which if it should be male yet it is an unheard of way of curing the body by cutting off the head I will judg none but my fears are that the frequent rendring of those words of the Apostle in the sense I have spoken of in the ears of the people though otherwise it may be proper enough hath been only to lessen the power of Kings in the estimation of their Subjects and so by degrees to steal away their hearts like Absolon from their obedience to their lawfull Soveraign Luther said Every man had a Pope in his belly he might have said a King too for how many through Traiterous ambition vain-glory covetous desires and other filthy lusts have had Kings Crowns and Dignities both in their bellies their greedy appetites and in their heads their hellish designs and intentions The uncomlinesse and prodigious deformity whereof would easily have been discovered had they looked in Solomons glasse Prov. 30. 31. And a King against whom there is no rising up What this Strength of Kings is is a depth my shallow vessel dares not launch into which while some have too venturously done they have easily made Shipwrack both of Faith and a good Conscience of Religion and Allegiance together Gods word is the rule of our Prayers and had we Prayed more or with more understanding and spiritual affections and Disputed lesse we had been better Subjects and never the worse Scholars Now in our prayers we acknowledge the King to be over all persons and in all causes as well Ecclesiastical as Civil supreme head and Governour and so he is by Divine institution and immediate power from God 1 First over all Persons Let every Soul Soul is taken there for the whole person be subject to the higher power Rom. 13. 1. And that for conscience sake v. 5. Which subjection whosoever denies they may possibly prove the immortality of their Souls to their own damnation but will never evince the integrity and regularity of their consciences for so doing Samuel tells Saul God had made him head over all the tribes of Israel 1 Sam. 15. 17. and Levi was one and Solomon devests Abiathar the Priest of his office for his demerits 1 Kings 2. 27. Neither was this power of Kings a rite and ceremony of the old law to be abolished for when Christ nayled those to the Cross yet he fastned obedience to supreme authority both by his precept Matth. 22. 21. Give unto Caesar the things that are Caesars And also by his practice First before he was born paying taxes in the loins of his parents Luke 2. 5. Secondly in his life working a miracle that he might be obedient Matth. 17. 27. Thirdly at his death acknowledging Pilates power and submitting unto it Joh. 19. 11. though he had 12 legions and those of Angels to have rescued him and Fourthly after his denth for his body must not be buried till it was begged of Pilate Matth. 27. 58. And St. Paul following his Masters steps stands at Caesars tribunal confessing that there he ought to be judged Acts 25. 10. And acknowledged Neroes supremacy when he was delivered out of the mouth of the Lion which is the King of beasts 2 Tim. 4. 17. Secondly he is head as over all persons so in all causes for that must fo●low from that rational maxim of the Schools Qui habet potestatem super personam habet potestatem super omnia ad personam spectantia Now these causes are either Civil or Ecclesiastical for the former they being particularly unknown to me and not a subject so suitable to my Profession and litle or rather not at all questioned before these late unhappy times by any that would pretend to Loyalty for any thing that I know I will therefore leav them to the vindication of those that are more able lest the cause should suffer through my weakness in maintaining it For Ecclesiastical causes in which I should be more versed the Scripture places the supreme authority in the King for 1 First did not the Priests and Levites Clense the house of the Lord according to the command of the King 2 Chro. 29. 15. And the text saith it was by the word of the Lord for that good King Hezekiah would do nothing without it and the successe his endeavour had shewed as much for the house of the Lord was sanctified in eight dayes v. 17. Our pretended purifiers were above eight years about the work of reformation as it was called but the long time they were about it and the little good they did in it or rather the great hurt is to me an argument that God never imployed them for those Foxes did instead of sweeping the house only raise a dust with their tayls that so blinding the eyes of the people they might the more cunningly steal away the goods that belong to it 2 Secondly did not good King Josiah impose an oath or covenant on all his people great and small and caused them to stand to