Selected quad for the lemma: power_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A46742
|
A sermon preached at the assizes held in Warwick, March the nineteenth 1682/3 by Samuel Jemmat ...
|
Jemmat, Samuel.
|
1683
(1683)
|
Wing J550; ESTC R34479
|
10,599
|
38
|
enacted and continue in force for the Government of this Nation wherein we live And for superadding the high favour of his Royal Promise to govern by Law and to protect the true Protestant Religion as it is by Law established as well as the Properties of his Subjects against all invaders and opponents For these inestimable benefits all the grateful Addresses of his Subjects the greatest inlargement of their hearts and most intimate exultations of their souls are too mean returns Nothing but unmoveable Loyalty to the King Conformity to the Church and active Obedience to his Laws can bear any true proportion to them Certainly we have as great reason as any Nation under Heaven to make an hearty and grateful use of that Exclamation of the Psalmist e Ps 144.15 Happy are the people that are in such a case yea blessed are the people who have the Lord for their God That it is highly incumbent upon all Truth III Judges to be most critically cautious and careful Both God and the King say to them Take heed what you do Caution and Care in such high concerns as they are conversant withal seem to me to include these four things 1. Wisdom and Knowledge Prudence and Experience 2. Courage and braveness of spirit 3. Vigilance and Activity 4. True Christian Piety The first will teach them how to take heed The second will make them dare to do it at all times and in all causes The third will not suffer them to slip any opportunity wherein they ought to be cautious And the last will make them have respect both to God and the King 1. When Caution is thus recommended to the Judges it is implyed that they ought to be men of Wisdom and Knowledge Prudence and Experience i. e. men of great natural abilities and skilful in all those Causes which shall come before them They ought to have a general knowledge and comprehension of the Laws and still to apply that knowledge to the greatest variety of actions Without these it will be impossible for them to take heed what they do notwithstanding they be of themselves well-minded and willing to do justly because Ignorance as forward as it is can hardly be more impudent than it is weak nor can Folly be more swift to discover its Presumptions by its undertakings than it is to testifie its Impotency by its miscarriages But when Prudence and Experience come to be superadded to great natural Abilities and acquired Accomplishments they will certainly prove the most excellent ingredients out of which Care and Caution can be compounded 2. It is implyed hereby that they should be endued with courage and braveness of spirit without which Knowledge and Experience will be but insignificant words and ineffectual sounds Which may sufficiently appear from the consideration of the persons with whom they have to deal the high matters about which they are conversant the rebukes and punishments they are subject too from those who are above them the hatred and violence of inferiours as well as the obloquies and evil speeches of the multitude things which no man in the world can be able to cope withall except he be endued with an extraordinary spirit Mean souls are naturally unfit for high imployments because Cowardice will certainly betray men to base and ignoble actions 't will make them afraid of righteousness both in a Legal and Evangelical sense because it wears a sword 3. T is implied that they should be men of Vigilance and Activity industrious to discover the Truth in every Cause and willing to be guided by it when discovered Though Justice it self ought to be blind yet the Ministers thereof ought to be all eye because the great Governour of the World who hath stiled them Gods never made them Omniscient and though he calls them by his Own name to add Veneration to their Authority yet hath he frequently made it evident to themselves and the world that they are but Men by their Failings It is the unparallel'd excellency of God that He is Omnipresent i. e. as the Schools interpret it in all places at all times by the same indivisible act and undoubtedly he expects it from all those of whom he hath said ye are Gods that they should endeavour to assimilate themselves to Himself by a Politick Vbiquity From whence t is evident that such high Officers are obliged to testifie their Fidelity by their Care their Conscience by their Circumspection Especially because the lives and fortunes of their Brethren are frequently put into their hands and t is possible for them without such caution not only to do unrighteousness in Judgment but also to become the veriest Cut-throats and Pick-pockets in the world Lastly it is implyed that they should be endued with true Christian piety because that will be sure to make them have respect to the commands both of God and the King to the commands of God for his own to the commands of the King for God's sake It will make them reverence Justice because God is the Authour and Archetype thereof and t will incline them to moderate the rigour of Justice with lenitives of Mercy lest they should transgress the rules of true Christian charity You see how necessary it is for them to be cautious and careful both from the nature of the thing it self and also from the Commands of God and the King To which I may most justly superadde the consideration of the Age in which we live This calls for the height of Wisdom the greatest Abilities the bravest spirits the most eminent Activity and the best grounded Religion Because the purest Church which Christ hath this day upon Earth and the best of Monarchies are design'd to be subverted and ruin'd by men of the most different Principles and Interests The Jesuites abroad and the Fanaticks at home are closely engaged in undermining both The former will own no Allegiance to the King if it be inconsistent with the Supremacy of the Pope nor think the vilest murthers or treasons sinful if they will but promote their Hierarchy And the latter behave themselves as if they were of different interests both from the Church and Kingdom and it were chiefly incumbent upon them to ballance Prerogative with Property They therefore study the King's Laws that they may be in a capacity to evade his Power and pretend the Laws of God to take away the force of the Laws of the King They are ready upon all occasions to plead the liberty of the Subject whenever it may prove a snare to the Government and make use of those Franchises and Liberties which have been given by the gracious Kings of this Realm to their once loyal Subjects to deprive their Successors of their Sovereign Authority They so well understand the inclinations of the giddy multitude as at most of their Popular Elections they design to choose such Representatives of the People as are best qualified to restrain the spirit of Princes as if they were with the degenerating Romans to set up the Tribunes of the People with this only design that they might beard the Consular Dignity That 's the third Truth Truth IV Give me leave to speak very briefly to the last and I shall immediately conclude It is this That all who are duely advanced to such Eminent places of Trust and Dignity have the greatest reason in the world to be faithful in the performance of their Duty and that because God is with them in the Judgment T is certain that Omnipresence is an attribute inseparable from the Divine nature they that climb up into Heaven and they that dig down into Hell they that take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the Sea and they that cover themselves with the most opacous darkness can never get out of the sight or company of the Almighty And yet God hath been pleased to make the promise of his special presence an act of Grace and that whereby he would incourage his most eminent Servants in the performance of his own work Hence we read Psalm 82.1 God standeth in the Congregation of Princes He is a Judge among Gods and in the Text He is with you in the Judgment God is with them and stands by them not as an idle Spectator or unconcern'd Auditor but as one who gives them their best Commission will countenance maintain protect and reward them for their lawful Acts but will keep a severe book of remembrance against them if ever they force Judgment which should run as as a pure and mighty stream to spring up as f Hos 10.4 hemlock or g Amos 5.7 wormwood My Lords I don't question but that You are prepared and resolved to obey the King and to judge not for man but for the Lord and therefore I have good warrant to declare that God will be with you in the Judgment For which and all other gracious vouchsafements to Mankind let us render unto the Glorious and Eternal Trinity God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost the only Wise and True God all Honour Obedience and Adoration now and for ever Amen THE END ERRATA Pag. 2. l. 7. read making p. 5. l. 10. r. for the Lord. l. 12. r. the Jews p. 7. l. 5. r. whosoever p. 10. l. 2. r. viz. the fear of p. 18. l. 21. r. mens p. 21. l. 2. r. that Allegiance p. 23. l. 1. r. with them p. 31. l. 11. r. Text we read
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 finally as men are the persons who are to receive the benefits of Government But yet if we consider it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly and originally as to its creation ordination and institution so it is Gods work and so the highest Judges upon earth judge not for Man but for the Lord. That 's the first Truth I come now to the second Truth II That the Kings of the Earth are the secondary springs and fountains of Justice Next and immediately under God Judgment flows from them And therefore the King in the Text gives his Command to the Judges in these words He said to the Judges It is impossible to conceive what dread and horror would befall Mankind if God should take the immediate exercise of Dominion and execution of Justice into his own hands When the whole congregation of the Israelites were sensible of the terrible Concomitants of God's delivering the Law it was their unanimous supplication that he would be pleased from thence forwards to speak to them by the mediation of his Servants q Exod. 20.19 Speak thou with us say they to Moses and we will hear but let not God speak with us lest we dye And it is as impossible to apprehend what confusion would enter into the world if God should in his righteous judgment deliver up Mankind to Anarchy Wherefore to avoid these unspeakable evils God hath been pleased to make choice of fit persons to be his own Vice-gerents among men Fitt I say because adorn'd with wisdom from above and the spirit of Government yea the fittest of all others because God thinks them so having said Prov. 8.15 By me Kings reign and Princes decree justice By Me i. e. by my authority and appointment exclusively to all others By Me Kings reign and Princes decree justice as it may be taken absolutely the Powers that are being ordained of God r Rom. 13.1 and as it may be taken with its most desireable additaments by him they reign justly righteously and happily This Promotion cometh neither from the East nor from the West nor yet from the South but God is the Judge he putteth down one and setteth up ſ Ps 75.6 7. another These are the persons to whom God hath been pleased to give his own Name t Ps 82.6 calling them Gods not only to mind them of the height of their Place and the excellence of their Duty but also to command Reception and beget Reverence and Esteem for them among Men. These he hath stiled his own Ministers y Rom. 13.6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is always a title of great Honour and Publick performance being never applied to servants or underlings but to those who are Eminent and Glorious either by Nature Office or both To These he hath given the character of the Higher Powers w Rom. 13.1 as if he designed by that very act of his Providence whereby he called them to be Rulers etiher to advance them so far above other men as to place them among the Angels or to abstract so much from their Humanity as to make them all Power for the necessary ends of Government Into their hands hath he put the sword of Justice and commanded them not to bear it in vain x Rom. 13.4 As it is a sword t is design'd to cut and wound yea and to kill too when occasion requires it and as it is the sword of Justice it is obliged to spare the innocent and turn its edge or point only towards evil doers and whereas it is not to be used in vain Pusillanimity and fond Pitty are by that consideration excluded It being the natural temper of Justice to give to every man his due without being biassed by the persons interests relations or rewards of malefactors Of these He hath assured us that they are his own Ordinances y Rom. 13.1.2 to convince all fanatical and seditious spirits that the Magistracy was not originally invented or ordain'd by Men that it is not at mans pleasure to reject it when they think fit to withdraw their obedience or to defend and maintain themselves against God's ordinance by private conspiracies or open resistance when ever natural strength or the combination of parties shall make them able Lastly unto these hath He obliged mankind to subject themselves not onely for wrath but for Conscience sake z Rom. 13.5 i. e. not only for fear of being cut off by the sword of Justice but because God hath by his Command made it their Duty and threatned them with eternal Damnation if they disobey them Hence it is that Almighty God speaking of Cyrus the great Persian Monarch saith He is my Shepherd and shall perform all my pleasure a Is 44.28 Hence our Saviour tells Pilate the Roman Governer among the Jews Thou couldst have no power against me except it were given thee from above b Jo. 19.11 Hence it is recorded that the people found that the wisdom of God was in Solomon to do judgment c 1 King 3.28 and the Queen of Sheba though an Heathen attributed it to God's love to Israel that he had set Solomon over that people to do judgment and justice d 2 Chron. 9.8 The necessary Conclusions which flow from this Doctrine I take to be these three Conclus I That it is not only lawful and necessary but a part of the true Christian Religion to defie and abjure the Pope's Supremacy who takes upon himself as St. Peter's Successor to have the sole power of disposing of all the Kingdoms of the Earth to place the Crowns of Emperors upon their heads with his foot and to kick them off again when he hath done It being most certain that they which hold immediately from God are not at all beholding to his Holiness That none but God can absolve Subjects Conclus II from their Allegiance and Obedience which they owe to their natural Lords Neither the male-administration of Government nor their own fears and jealousies nor the decay of Trade no nor the hazard of Religion it self can justifie the acts of Rebellion When God suffers such things as these to fall out he permits them for ends best known to Himself but hath never yet nor ever will to the end of the world give the least countenance or toleration to Rebels They to whom he hath given his Own Power are accountable to none but Himself And therefore those must needs be so far from deserving the names of High-Courts of Justice in which Gods Vicegerents are sentenc'd and condemn'd that they are to be accounted the greatest Violences to Humane Society and the Ordinance of God as also the greatest usurpations upon Sovereignty and Judgment that the Presbyterians Jesuites and the Devil himself could ever boast of Conclus III That next and immediately under God we ought to be thankful to the King's Majesty for his most gracious Government For causing good and wholesome Laws to be