Selected quad for the lemma: power_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	king_n	law_n	legislative_a	6,899	5	12.8932	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A55142	Loyalty and conformity asserted, in two parts the first preached the seventh of August, 1681 ... : the second preached the sixteenth of October, 1681 ... / by Jos. Pleydell ...	Pleydell, Josiah, d. 1707.	1682 (1682)	Wing P2568; ESTC R17033	24,967	48

Licentiousness are become so prone and apt to do all those violences to which an unbridled Lust would lead them if there were no power antecedaneous to this state which must necessarily accuse Providence and destroy the essential difference between Good and Emil it would undeniably follow that men would be necessitated to enter into Societies to secure and preserve themselves But for which Atheists and Villains would live under the obedience of no other Laws and Rules but their own Wills and Lusts and the effects of want of Government would light most severe upon Good and Vertuous Persons For if I am tyed up by the aw of an invisible Power from doing wrong to any body and every one that lists may do me what wrong they please which would be the case of every good man in respect of every evil man under such an Universal Anarchy I say my condition must needs be very miserable for which reason it no less concerns wicked men also in respect of themselves to be secur'd from each other And this is one special Instance of Providence whereby it Rules the Beasts of the People as one Translation of the Psalms calls them such that is as are not awed by the sence of an invisible Power that regard no inward Ties and Obligations of Conscience but are acted and swayed like Bruits by the impressions of sensual Objects but the strongest Hold that Government has of us is by those secret and invisible tyes by which it bounds upon our Consciences for when all the other Respects and Conveniencies of Government fail this cannot It may be my advantage and I may have an opportunity to Rebel what should hinder me The Publick Good That 's no Rule of my Practice for in that respect what he said of any Peace we may say of any Government be it the most Tyrannical upon the Earth it is a far less evil than Anarchy But now take in the sence of my Duty and Obedience to God that will do it effectually If I make Conscience of being subject as I ought from which no circumstances of our Condition or any accidents or occurrences whatsoever can dissolve us so far as to resist i. e. unless which we are assured he never will God himself should revoke his Grant and alter the Princes Patent There remains one thing more for the establishing of the Civill Magistrates authority and that is to consider the Extent and Latitude of this power wherewith God hath Invested them Bishop Taylor 's Ductor Dubitant lib. 3. ch 3. Rule 1. And we must distinguish between Potestas Imperantis licita and legitima what a Prince may Lawfully i. e. Warrantably do and what he may do Legitimately i. e. Vnaccomptably to any but Almighty God In the Conjunction of both these consists the whole of their Supremacy In the stateing whereof my Design is not to set bounds and limits to the Exercise and Administration of their Power but to remove those restrictions and encroachments the Enemies of the King and the Church have made upon it The Church of England gives unto all Sovereign Princes the Supremacy in their respective Dominions as well over Spiritual as Temporal Persons and in Sacred as well as Civil Causes which we account not as an Act of Grace or any base flattering of Authority or fawning upon the Crown but 't is the expression of a just Debt and a bare Recognition of what is their undoubted Right giving them neither more nor less than what they always did enjoy except where the Popish Vsurpation or the Presbyterian Reformation have invaded it But most fierce Opposition hath this Doctrine met with from the Bigots of both those Parties the Guelphes and the Gibellines from Rome and from Scotland from St. Peter and St. Andrew the Papist and the Presbyterian who have hardly left any branch of their Supremacy unassaulted and unquestioned but either by Rebellious and Traiterous practices or by Monstrous and Damnable Positions have endeavoured to rend it from the Crown It has not scap'd quite in temporals For how is he Supream if he be Minor Vniversis if he may be resisted in the Tyrannical and Exorbitant use of his Power if he may be Depos'd Murdered which we may reckon under the Apostles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 strange and monstrous Doctrines 13 Heb. 9. 1 Tim. 4.1 or rather under his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Doctrines of Devils Though I know the Learned Mede has another Notion of that place But especially they quarrel about the Potestas licita in Ecclesiasticis which the Romish Party and their Adherents will by no means endure either in reference to Persons or Things but subject them to their Decrees and Ecclesiastical Constitutions nay they are not only bound to a Personal but to a kind of Politick Obedience i. e. To enjoyn Obedience thereto from their Subjects and punish such as refuse or else they must be Excommunicated and their Subjects absolv'd Concerning which I shall only say in the Words of a very Reverend Prelate Kings and Princes are ty'd to obey the Laws of the Church by Religion but not by Power or Church-Censures and that is only in things which concern their essential Duty and not in the contingent External and Political Concerns of Religion which their Assent alone can pass into a Law So likewise for the Presbyterians for they are like Samson's Foxes their Faces are contrary to each other but they are ty'd fast together in the same mischeivous Design of putting the Church and Kingdom into Combustion and a Flame Nor is it possible to find any Difference between them herein but Pope for Synod and Synod for Pope They take upon them to appoint Fasts indict Synods decree Constitutions without and against Royal Assent and what they do of this kind he shall be concluded under too as well in his Politick as Personal Capacity For that 's the Meaning of his being Custos utriusque Tabulae he must see that all his Subjects in their several Orders obey and conform to their Injunctions and if he do's not he must be Admonished Excommunicated Depos'd The thing is too Notorious to Instance in passages of this kind in the many Writers of either side Betwixt both these I fancy Monarchy like St. Peter 12 Acts 6. lying bound between two Souldiers ready to be executed and were it not that the Constant and Steady Loyalty of the Church of Enland-Men like the Guardian-Angel there mentioned did from time to time rescue and preserve it you would soon see Monarchy in its Grave And therefore I admire at their Wisdom that could tell a Reason why the Prosecutors of one Side should be the Saviours and Deliverers of our Nation and those of the other the Grievance If Rebellious Principles and Practices be the ground of their Zeal and the reason of their prosecuting men wherein do's the adding of Presbyterian qualifie either unless Number and Interest make an Enemy less dangerous I confess

these things are a Mystery to me unless the Reason be contained in the Pyrates Answer to Alexander But to return from whence we have digress'd namely the Kings Supremacy in Matters Spiritual I would only subjoyn instead of laying down and answering the Exceptions against it this one I think Conclusive Argument You know the End of Government it is the Publick Weal and external Happiness of the City and therefore it must be invested with a Power and Means sufficient to that Purpose or else he will never be able to prosecute his own Duty and their Good And this I do affirm cannot otherwise be done than by establishing its Supremacy in Ecclesiasticals allowing it to have a Legislative and Coercive Power in the Things of Religion And the Reason hereof is this Because an unbounded Liberty in Conscience and Religion would unavoidably end in a wild and dangerous Rebellion whereby the Government is dissolv'd and the Publick Peace overthrown which is the greatest Evil that can befal the City so that I do not only think the Magistrate may make Laws concerning the Exercise of Religion and punish such as break them but there is a Necessity hereof to prevent Anarchy and Confusion For Separations and Divisions in the Church which is the Design as well as the Effects of a Toleration are as sure to be succeeded as Day by Night with Distractions Commotions and Wars in the State And this was constantly urged by the Assembly-men to the late House of Commons And look by how much stronger the Influence is that these things have upon mens Lives and Actions by so much is the danger abundantly greater after once men are grown to this impatiency of Legal Restraints for it makes men apt and bold to rebel the most desperate and pernicious one having commenced from the specious pretexts of Conscience and Religion You remember it was but crying it up for God's Cause and the Lord's Work and when the Ecclesiastick Drum beat thus how did the Saints flock into Christ's Banner and list themselves Volunteers for this Civil and Holy War So dangerous and unsafe it is to tolerate these Persons in a Commonwealth that turns mens Consciences which else are its best Security upon the Government for humane Sanctions will avail but little where men are hurried on by the Fury of an Impetuous Zeal To see the men of this Kidney so Religiously break the Second Table in Obedience to the First Serve God with Blood and Rapine Schism Faction and Sedition and as if they had a design to requite and outvie our Saviour in his Sufferings descend into Hell for Christ's sake In short you leave a Prince but one Expedient more after this is gone to preserve himself and Government and that is a Standing Army so that the King shall be necessitated to substitute an Arbitrary and Tyrannical Power in the Room of a Just and Lawful one And this is de facto Confirmed by all the Governments in the World where the practice of Diversity of Religions is allowed and it holds as true of the Netherlands as of Constantinople Besides the bare Supposition hereof takes away all Conscience and Religion from a Christian Monarch Which was what the old King so tenaciously insisted upon For if I think those Opinions and Ways wherein they desire their Liberty unsafe or destructive to mens Souls where 's my own Religion if I consent to it And he that thinks his own Religion the right is an Atheist in Practice if he does not heartily wish and as far as he may Lawfully endeavour to bring every body else to it And this is to me an undeniable Argument in Religion on the Princes side as the other was in Policy You have seen what Power of Right they have our next Enquiry is how they ought to exercise this Trust This wall make up the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of my Discourse The Text says a Sword they have and they are not to bear it in vain Now that is said to be in vain which do's not attain its End The End of Government you have heard is to procure the external Peace and Happiness of the Weal Publick whereto the Magistrates are but so many 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ministers Servants but then as the Sacred Function are improperly called Ministers by the People whose Rulers these are but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so and much more are Princes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but their Power is said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which are the several Expressions of Scripture relating thereunto So that if they abuse this Power by Exorbitancy 't is their own and God's that they abuse to whom alone as I said they are accomptable For who of their Subjects may say unto them What dost thou as Solomon says Or against whom do they sin as David said who both did certainly understand as well as any the Just Proportions of Liberty and Prerogagative But 't is an extream of another nature that my Text does admonish them of their being too Laxe and Remiss in the exercise of their Coercive Power whereby the good and the vertuous that is the Loyal and Obedient are expos'd to the Arbitrary Violences and Oppressions of the Factious and the Turbulent Which is somewhat worse than suffering under the Tyranny of a Lawful Power because that has always some right in what it does Another thing which is a worse inconvenience than that is it exposes the Government it self to the Insolencies and Affronts of such as are bold and impudent in their disobedience For there is nothing more certain in Experience than that Impunity gives warranty and incouragement to sin So that if Authority grow a little tame and easie if they suffer the Sword to Rust in the Scabbard and the edge of it to grow Blunt for want of Vigor and Zeal you 'l see men quickly grow up from disobeying the Laws to contemn the Authority that made 'em and the very next remove's check-mate open Rebellion Especially this duty of putting the Laws in Execution belongs to all subordinate Magistrates according to the proportions of Trust and Power they share under the Government Who besides the Obligations of the Prince are bound to it by the additional Characters of Trust Law and Religion i. e. their Commission the Laws of the Land and their Oath and in some particularly the Act against Conventicles by Penal Provissions Let us extend this Lenity of ours a little farther and see what mischievous effects would attend it Let Villains alone to break your Houses ravish your Wives cut your Throats Throw off all restraints of Goals and Fetters and bonds of Peace and Behaviour and see how it will reform mens Manners Lay by the Mace and the Gown the little Pagentries of your honour Forbear to Fine and Amerce Men for neglecting your Courts and mark with what Veneration and Attendance you