Selected quad for the lemma: power_n
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A83999
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Englands satisfaction in eight queries; concerning the true place, office, and power of a king, according to Gods word.
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1643
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Wing E3046; Thomason E105_14; ESTC R17568
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12,050
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Justice upon all evill doers and vers 3. to praise honour and encourage all such as doe well and also Exod. 18. 16. to judge of and decide matters in difference betwixt man and man according to the Lawes and Ordinances of the Lord and provide and appointing vers 21. men of courage fearing God dealing truely and hating covetousnesse such shalt thou make Deut. 16. 18 19. Judges and Officers and they shall Judge the people with righteous Judgement not wresting the Law nor respect any person neither take a bribe knowing that the Lord is King of Kings and Judge of all the world who is the searcher of the heart and tryer of the reines and discovereth the thoughts of mans heart 4. Quest Was there no difference between the Kings of Israels powers and the Kings of the Nations powers and the Subjects of both Answ Yes for the people of Israel were within the Covenant and promise of Jesus Christ unto whom the Lord gave his Lawes Statutes and Ordinances both Morall and Ceremoniall unto whom also was given Priests Levites and Prophets to administer unto them and to teach and direct them and Judges to guide and lead them and the great God of heaven and earth to be their King to save defend and deliver them therefore the Kingdome and Crowne of Israel was the Gods of Israel and so of a greater and higher power and majestie then any other Kingdome of the earth for the Kings thereof were by the immediate appointing and anoynting of the Lord and unto whom with their Crowne the Lord gave or of right unto the throne of that dignitie did belong a regall power and royall prerogative of selfe-will and pleasure which made them cry out and say Nehemiah 9. 36 37. Behold the Land that thou gavest unto our Fathers to eate the fruit thereof and the good things thereof behold we are servants in it this day indeed it yeeldeth much increase but it is unto our Kings whom thou hast set over us who because of our sinnes in asking a King have dominion over our bodies to command them and over our estates to take away them at their pleasure so that this promise or gift little availeth us so that the Kings of Israel had a regall power over their Subjects to demand and command according to their owne wills and pleasures in respect of the peoples charge of obedience The Subjects of Israel because of their sinnes against the Lord in asking of a King must submit 1 Sam. 8. 3. and be his servants without any redresse 1 Pet. 2. 13 14. Submit your selves unto all manner of Ordinance of man for the Lords sake both to the King as superiour and to governours sent for the punishment of evill doers Rom. 13. 1. Let every soule be subject to the higher powers and when they suffered they had no other meanes but to say Nehe. 9. 37. Wee are in great distresse The Kings of the Nations came out of the loynes of cursed Ham Gen. 9. 25. A servant of servants shalt thou be unto thy Brethren whose Grand-sonne Nimrod Chap. 10. 8. began to be a mightie man in the earth ver 10. The beginning of his Kingdome was Babel whose very name signifieth a rebell or wicked one and Canonized for a Proverbe ver 9. Wherefore it is said even as Nimrod the mightie Hunter before the Lord who was neither appointed nor anointed of the Lord. The second generations of Kings of the Nations was out of the loynes of Esau whom God hated in the wombe Gen. 36. 31. And these are the Kings that reigned in the Land of Edom before there reigned any King over the Children of Israel who was chosen by Election vers 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 The Kings of the Nations were out of the Lords Covenant and so had nothing to doe with the Lords mercies or promises but were used as the Lords instruments of wrath whom the Lord regarded not for good because they served him not nor knew the Lord by his Word Ioshuah 8. 29. tooke the King of Aie and hanged him on a tree and cast his carkasse downe at the entring of the gate of the Citie and laid thereon a heape of stones Chap. 10. 23. The King of Jerusalem the King of Hebron the King of Jarmuth the King of Lachish the King of Eglon vers 24. Ioshuah said to his Captaines come and put your feet upon the neckes of these Kings ver 26. and Ioshuah slew them and hanged them on five trees Chap. 12. 24. Ioshuah slew one and thirty Kings of the Nations whose manner of reigne was according to the custome of their Countreys and their power was by man and therefore all destroyed by the power of God so the power the honour and dignitie of the Kings of the Nations was not from the Lord as was the Kings of Israel therefore not worthy to be compared with the Kings of Israel therefore the Kings of the Nations cannot plead any right to this regall power from the Lord by his Word for the Kings of the Nations were ordained by and ruled over the Nations before the dayes of the Prophet Samuel they were not obedient unto the Commandements of the Lord and therefore have no right to the promises of the Lord. 5. Quest Now what difference is there betwixt the power of the Kings of Israel under the Morall and Ceremoniall Law and the power of the Kings of England under the Morall Law and the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Subjects of both Answ The Kingdome and Crowne of Israel was the Gods of Israel who in Judgement to the people for their sinnes gave the same to Saul and confirmed it upon David and to his seede 1 King 8. 25. There shall not faile thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel So that the inheritance of the Crowne of Israel was established upon David for Bathsheba said 1 King 1. 20. My Lord O King the eyes of all Israel are upon thee that thou shouldst tell them who shall sit on the throne of my Lord the King after him saith David ver 34. let Zadock the Priest and Nathan the Prophet anoynt Solomon King over Israel and blow with the Trumpet and say GOD save King Solomon The Lord never gave any Kingdome nor Crowne neither did the Lord appoint or anoynt any Kings save onely of Israel and Judah The Kings of England were not at their beginning appointed nor anoynted as were the Kings of Israel but were by the Nation ordeined as Kings over this Nation according to the custome of this Nation which is before they will admit the Crowne to him they doe intend he must by Covenant and Oath imposed upon him yeeld them their rights and priviledges and that he will rule them according to the Customes and Lawes of the Land and then they graunt unto him the Crowne for his owne life so that power that hath power to impose an Oath before a Graunt hath power to
ENGLANDS SATISFACTION IN EIGHT QVERIES Concerning the true place Office and power of a KING according to GODS Word A KING as he is the Lords Anoynted over his GODS Judgemēts upon his people for asking of a King people Israel 1 Sam. 8.11 12 13 14 15 16 17. will take your sonnes and your daughters to serve him He will take your fields vineyards and your olive-yards even the best of them from you and give them to his servants He will take the tenth of your seed and of your vine-yards from you and give them to his Officers and to his servants and he will take your men-servants and your maid-servants and your goodliest young men and your Asses and put them to his worke He will take the tenth of your sheepe and yee shall be his servants 1. Quest Is it lawfull for Kings to doe as Samuel from the Lord told the people Saul would doe Answ No for Samuel at the establishing of Saul 1 Sam. 10. 25. told Saul and all the people the dutie of a King as it is written Deut. 17.16 17 18 19 20. and wrote it in a Booke and laid it up before the Lord as a witnesse betwixt King and people so that all that the Lord doth command is lawfull to be done and it is a sinne not to doe it and all that the Lord doth forbid is unlawfull to be done and it is a sinne to doe it The Lord in the 8th of the 1 Sam. doth not command Kings to take from one and to give to another and to doe their own wills therefore it is not lawfull for Kings to exercise this regall power but the Lord saith that they will doe so and so which is not a sufficient warrant for Kings to doe so and so because the Lord in his Law of the dutie of a King hath expresly forbidden the same Deut. 17 18 19 20. And it shall be when he sitteth upon the throne of his Kingdome that he write him The dutie of a King a copie of this Law in a Booke and it shall be with him and he shall reade therein all the dayes of his life that he may learne to feare the Lord his God that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren to the right hand or to the left Therefore it is unlawfull for Kings to exercise this regall power King David though a man after Gods owne heart because he by vertue of this regall power would have Barshebah the wise of Vriah to be his wife and caused Ioab to put Vriah in the forefront that he might fall by the sword for which Nathan the Prophet told David 2 Sam. 12. 9. Thou hast killed Uriah with the sword and hast taken his wife to be thy wife and hast slaine him with the sword of the Children of Ammon Vers 10. Therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house It made good David by the experience of evill the sight and knowledge of evill and repentance for evill say at his latter end 2 Sam. 23. 3. He that ruleth over men must be just ruling in the feare of the Lord. Rehoboam thinking by this regall power he might doe what he would over and with his Subjects refused the good and milde Counsell of his grave and wise Elders and tooke the rough and evill Counsell of his young Counsell 1 King 12. 3. which lost him ten of his twelve Tribes Ahab by this regall power thought he might take away Naboths Vineyard and so followed the wicked Counsell of Idolatrous Iezabel his wife and put Naboth to death for which the Lord saith by Eliah the Prophet 1 Kings 21 19. 21 22. In the place where the dogs licked the bloud of Naboth shall dogs lick thy bloud even thine And I will take away thy posteritie and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall and will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the sonne of Nebat therefore it is utterly unlawfull to use this regall power 2. Quest If it be unlawfull for Kings to take from and to give unto and to doe what they please why did or doth the Lord in the 1 Sam. 8. 17. command the people to yeeld obedience and serve their Kings according to such demands commands will and pleasure Answ For two reasons first in respect of the Lord himselfe because he was King of Israel and had that regall power and prerogative Royall to doe his owne will with man as the Potter with the clay who being able and did with a mightie hand and stretched-out-arme bring Israel out of Aegypt from the crueltie of Pharoah through the red Sea and in the Wildernesse caused the stony Rocks to yeeld them water to drinke giving them Manna Angels food and sent them Quailes to eate and gave them the Land of Canaan houses they builded not Vineyards Orchards and gardens they planted not and cast out seven Nations greater then they before them even a Land flowing with milke and honey Notwithstanding all which Israel would have a Man King as had the Nations 1 Sam. 8. 5. At which Samuel was displeased but the Lord said unto Samuel ver 7. heare the voyce of the people for they have not rejected thee but they have rejected mee that I should not reigne over them therefore testifie vers 9 unto them and shew them the manner of the King being but a man what evill inclinations he will be of that shall reigne over you to take from one unjustly and give it to another that hath no right to the same unequally to demand of and command over and from you according to his own corrupt lusts as it is vers 11 12 13 14 15 16. And when these things shall come upon you vers 18. yee shall cry because of your man King whom you have chosen you but the Lord will not heare you at that day therefore bethinke your selves O Israel because you will forsake the Lord to reigne over you as formerly and will have a man to be your King to sit in the Lords throne of Majestie for in all these things ver 17. yee shall be his servants in obeying of him without redresse whose answer is ver 19. Nay but there shall be a King over us Chap. 10. 18 19. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel I brought Israel out of Aegypt and delivered you out of the hands of the Egyptians and out of the hands of all Kings that troubled you but you have this day cast away your God who onely delivered you out of all your adversities and tribulations And out of Chap. 12.12 the hands of Nahash King of the Children of Ammon when the Lord your God was your King yet yee said A King shall reigne over us Know O Israel vers 3 4 5. you and your King beare record Whose Oxe have I taken or whose Asse have I taken or whom have I done wrong to or whom have I hurt or of whose hands have I received any bribe and I will