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	supremacy_n	3,288	5	10.6148	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95091	Gods covenant the churches plea: or A sermon preached before the Honorable House of Commons at a late solemn fast, in Margarets Church at Westminster, Octob. 29. 1645. By Francis Taylor B. in D. pastour of Yalding in Kent, and a member of the Assembly of Divines.	Taylor, Francis, 1590-1656.	1645 (1645)	Wing T278; Thomason E307_20; ESTC R200348	29,106	33

themselves alone The supremacy of limited ones in Ruling and governing according to the Laws of the Kingdome wherein they are chiefe and the Courts of Justice by Law therein established Ours is of the latter sort And wee conceive that the supreme power of our Kings which wee are tyed to obey is not exercised in personall and Arbitrary commands but in their Laws and Courts whereof the Parliament is the chiefe Else why doe our Laws and Customes binde the hands of our Kings that they may not make any Law concerning our Religion Lives and Goods nor impose any taxe upon the Kingdome without the consent of both the Honourable Houses of Parliament Why doe they give the supreme power of interpreting Laws not to the persons of our Kings who never yet undertook it nor to their Judges who have smarted for mis-interpreting Laws though they did it to please our Kings but to the Parliament who in the ages past have interpreted our Laws in things doubtfull and punished the greatest Officers of the Kingdome for mis-interpreting them Why do not our Kings sit in Judgement in their own persons but must have sworn Judges to doe Justice not onely between Subject and Subject but also between King and Subject Why doe not our Kings as David and Solomon did when an offender appeares worthy of death never try him by a Judge nor execute him by a Sheriffe but say to one standing by (a) 2 Sam. 1.15 4.12 1 Kin. 2.25.40 Goe and fall on him and kill him Examples therefore of an unlimited Monarchy are not applyable to the Government of such States as by the fundamentall Laws have set bounds and fixed limits If two Feoffees bee intrusted with the estate of a dying man for the good of his Children and one of them by bad counsell misled seeks his own dignity most and the other the childrens good which of these two should a creditour pay debts to Are our Kings onely betrusted with our Religion Lives and Liberties Doth not the Magna Charta put a great trust in our Parliament also Have not our Princes guided by Courtiers and Church Parasites countenanced Monopolies and Innovations Have not our Parliaments stood up for our lawfull Liberties Why should wee not then stand to them to the utmost of our Estates and Lives according to our Covenant If it bee granted that a power abused may not bee resisted who doubts but a power never granted by God nor man may If a Father take a rod to correct the Childe though it bee sharpe the Childe may bear it but if hee take a sword to kill the Childe hee may defend himselfe because God hath given no such power to Parents Who gave this power to our Kings to raise an Army against the Parliament to keep Malefactours from deserved punishments to arme Papists against Protestants to bring the barbarous Irish into this and the Neighbour Kingdomes to cut our throats Is this power of God or from men If neither wee may justly resist it and defend our selves and our lawfull Priviledges Object 2 Secondly the practise of the Primitive Christians is objected who have signified to the Heathen Emperours * Videantur Tertul. Apolog. c. 37. Cyprian Ep. 1. ad Cornel. Roman ad Demetr Ambros in ep ad Sor. in Concione ad Pop. that they had power enough to resist them but would not doe it They would rather suffer Martyrdome Answ To this wee answer that the power of those Emperours seemes to have been absolute in regard of men and humane Laws and not limited as ours is Secondly that when those Christians had gotten Constantine to assist them who had a share in the government then they fought for their Religion and Liberties against the other Emperours So may wee having authority from our Parliament who have a great part in the Government of this Kingdome by Covenant defend our selves against the personall command of Princes Object 3 The last and least Objection is from the purse and from the troubles and charges that this warre hath brought upon us They have been very great and greater then before say some of the people And these are blown up by discontented spirits to make us leave our station and break our Covenant Were it not better to leave all at the mercy of the adverse party our charges and losses are more then wee indured by Monopolies and other exactions before Answ To this it may bee answered that wee should not so much look at our troubles and charges as at the end of them What do wee fight for What doe wee pay our money for Is it not to recover our sinking liberties No cost too great for such a purchase The Physitian makes his Patient sicker before hee cure him yet the sick man blames him not The Lawyer makes his Client spend much money before hee recover his estate in controversie yet the Client is not offended These charges are to prevent greater Monopolies might have lasted much longer These will have their end if God please to assist us and make us able to make good our Covenant Rab. Aquiba in Bethneeman A Jewish Writer furnisheth mee with a feigned similitude fit for this purpose The Fox going by the River side espies the Fishes leaping up above the Water Heedemands the reason They tell him there were nets laid in the water to catch them He bids them come to the shore then where there were no nets Nay say the Fishes if wee cannot live quietly in our own element how shall wee live when wee are out of it If wee now bee scarse able to subsist for troubles and charges while wee stand up to defend our Liberties what shall wee doe when wee have given them all away Did our Fathers purchase them with so much charge and blood that wee should lose them To perswade you further to bee firm in your Covenant consider I pray you the ancient form of making Covenants It is said to bee a cutting of a Covenant (a) Gen. 15.18 In that day the Lord * Heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cut. made a covenant with Abraham Abraham in likelihood not onely (b) Gen. 15.11 12. went but slept between the parts of the birds and beasts divided God went between them (c) Gen. 15.17 in a smoaking furnace and burning lampe Wee read (d) Jer 34.18 of a Calfe cut in pieces when the people made a Covenant with God And the Chaldee Paraphrast reads in the Text The covenant which thou hast * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cut with our Fathers An allusion to the custome of making of Covenants then among men They sware first to keep the Covenant made Then both parties went between the parts of some beast divided as wishing that they which brake the Covenant might bee so divided as that beast was Something like is that in Livy (e) Livius 1. Decad. l 100. The Priest struck down a Hogge with a flint stone saying *

sincerity Vse 6 Sixthly it calls upon us to blesse God for keeping Covenant with us and so much the rather because wee have broken Covenant with God and given him just cause to faile us Wee must therefore not onely give him the glory of his truth but of his mercy also In Victories whereof wee have had great store of late wee must looke above our selves and above the meanes to Gods Covenant from whence all the Victories of his people doe proceed God hath taught us so to doe in some of our greatest Victories first shewing us by the flight of our men and Horses what wee could not doe as in the battaile at Edgehill and the Victory neare Yorke and then by putting valour and courage into the hearts of the remainder of the Souldiers to get the Victory shewing us what our God could doe And in the Victories since by that Modell so much despised hee hath taught us to see the hand of God manifestly in the battailes fought by men Wee must therefore say (a) Psal 115.1 Not unto us Lord not unto us but unto thy name bee the glory for thy mercy and for thy truths sake And wee must give the same reason which the Psalmist doth (b) Psal 105.7 He hath remembred his Covenant for ever the word which he commanded to a thousand generations Vse 7 Seventhly wee may here likewise behold the cause of some of our overthrowes given us by our Adversaries Wee looke to much upon our selves in our Victories Wee highly commend * Si quando nobis prosperi aliquid praeter spem nostram meritwn Deus tribuit alius ascribit hoc fortunae alius eventui alius ordinationi ducum alius consilio alius Magistro alius patroeinio nullus Deo Hoc modo opertet terris gratius agere quod fiuges annuas metimus vineis quod vindeniamus mari quod piscus capimus silvis quod ligna caedimus Salv. de Gub. Dei l. 7. the Wisdome of our Senators the Valour of our Souldiers the Fidelity of such as have been faithfull in this great Cause but wee sleightly praise God or his Covenant Wee scarse afford him our bodily presence in solemne dayes of Thankesgiving but wee often leave our harts behinde us and give God no praise at all in our owne families or closets for all the great things God hath done for us Wee have cause indeed to blesse God for such excellent helpes as hee hath raised up for us and to give them their due commendation among the sons of men but if our confidence or our praises rest on them God will make us smart for it as sometimes hee hath done It was a sad fore-runner of the King of Swedens death when not long before his end hee said that * Swedish Intelligencer God would take him away because the people trusted too much in him It is not Gods but our unfaithfulnesse that brings losses upon us * Miramur si nobis coelestis manus aliqua non praestet qui quicquid praestiterit derogamus Salv de gub Dei l. 7. Doe wee wonder saith Salvian if Gods heavenly hand give us not some things that wee would have who derogate from him the praise of all the good that hee hath done for us Vse 8 Eighthly let us plead this Covenant of God most earnestly in the time of our greatest necessity In troublesome dayes such as these are and in the dayes of our publick humiliation Thus did the Prophet in the time of the Churches trouble (a) Jer. 14.21 Doe not abborre us for thy Names sake doe not disgrace the throne of thy glory remember break not thy Covenant with us Gods Covenant pleaded was ever accounted the Saints Sanctuary to flye to in such dangerous times Their greatest hope of deliverance was in this that God was theirs by Covenant Our prayers can have no other solid foundation Great need there is for godly men to lay claime to Gods Covenant when all places are like dens of theeves and robbers and oppression reignes every where How many such have wee left yet in this Kingdome although God hath graciously delivered up many of them to our Forces and given the spoilers to the spoile Therefore wee had yet need to cry out this day with Asaph Have respect unto the Covenant for the dark places of the Land are full of the habitations of cruelty Vse 9 Ninthly wee should learn from hence to bewaile our breaches of Covenant with God that hinder us from pleading Gods Covenant with us This sin is objected to the people by the Psalmist as a cause of Gods forsaking them and delivering of his Ark into the enemies hand (b) Psal 78.10.37 They kept not the Covenant of God their heart was not right with him neither were they stedfast in his Covenant A lazy servant cannot look for wages though it bee part of his Masters Covenant One compares a Covenant to a Lute in which * Si una chorda defuerit perfectus caeteris sonus esse poterit Hiero. in Psal 97. if one string bee out of tune all the musick is marred (c) Judg. 16.17 c. When Sampson brake his vow and cut his haire with his haire hee lost Gods protection and was taken and basely abused by the Philistines Wee have all of us lately entred into a Solemne Covenant with God to reform our own soules and lives and according to our callings and abilities to further the Reformation of three Kingdomes Oh that wee would smite upon our breasts this day and bewaile our failings Then might wee with comfort and courage plead Gods Covenant with us and expect safety from it Vse 10 Tenthly it calls upon us to bee carefull to keep our Covenant for time to come that wee may expect further comfort from Gods God will not bee bound if wee bee free Remember the speech of Azariah the Son of Oded to Asa and Judah and Benjamin (a) 2 Chron. 15.2 The Lord is with you while yee are with him and if yee seek him hee will bee found of you but if yee forsake him hee will forsake you Many things are objected to discourage us from keeping our late solemn and religious Covenant Object 1 First it is said to bee against the Commandement of our King and therefore it ought not to bee observed And the rather because the Apostle chargeth us (b) 1 Pet. 2.13 to submit to the King as supreme As if the power of every King were of that extent and so absolute that whatsoever they command must bee obeyed by doing or suffering Answ Who sees not that this interpretation would set up a generall Arbitrary government in all Kings in the World which our Kings never yet challenged in words though Courtiers and Bishops indevoured to raise them to that heighth Wee must therefore distinguish between an absolute Monarchy and a limited The supremacy of absolute Monarchs consists in a Legislative power residing in