Selected quad for the lemma: power_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	law_n	prince_n	sovereign_a	3,774	5	9.4515	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A58782	An abstract (with remarks) of Dr. Scot's sermon preached at Chelmsford assizes, Aug. 31, 1685 wherein the doctor prophetically gives his opinion of the consequences of the late revolution, concluding with an excellent character of King James the Second.	Scott, John, 1639-1695.; Philalethes.	1693 (1693)	Wing S2037; ESTC R8554	10,340	15

to those who consider only one side of the Case yet there is nothing more apparent than that the Liberty of resisting Princes would prove a far greater Mischief to the World than all the Cruelties and Oppressions of the most barbarous Tyrants for what though there was never any Governour so wise and good as not to be chargable with some Faults and Miscarriages we ought to consider that our World must be govern'd by Men and not by Angels and that perhaps there never was any Lawful Prince so bad the Benefits of whose Government did not far outweigh the Mischiefs of his Tyranny and therefore it is wisely eligible for us rather to suffer a less Evil than to deprive our selves of a greater Good The third and last Consideration in this Duty viz. the Object of it the Higher Powers by which its evident we are to understand the Persons of Sovereign Princes and Governors and not the Laws and Constitutions as some of our Republican Doctors pretend for this Epistle was writ either under Claudius or Nero whose Wills were the only Laws they govern'd by and yet these were the Higher Powers to whom the Apostle requires our Subjection and those whom he here calls the Higher Powers in the third Verse he calls the Rulers and in the fourth Verse he tells us that this Higher Power is the Minister of God a Revenger to execute Wrath upon him that doth evil which must necessarily be meant of the Governors and not of the Laws and accordingly St. Peter thus explains it 1 Pet. 2. 3. Be subject to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake whether it be to the King 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Supreme which is the very Word that is used here for the Higher Powers so that by the Higher Powers here must be meant the Person or Persons that are rested with the Supreme and Sovereign Power Now the Supreme Power to which we in this Nation owe subjection is the King whom our Laws do declare and recognize to be our Supreme and Sovereign Lord for so for instance the Statute of Premunire declares That the Crown of England is in no earthly subjection but immediately subject to God in all things touching the Regality of the same And in other Laws it is declared to be High Treason to Levy Arms against the King either within or without the Realm and that it is unlawful for both or either Houses of Parliament to raise or levy War offensive or defensive against his Majesty or his Heirs and Lawful Successors and that it is not Lawful upon any pretence whatsoever to take Arms against the King and that we are to abhor that traiterous Position of taking Arms by his Authority against his Person or against those who are commissioned by him I could never have imagined we could be so abandoned of our 〈◊〉 as in the same Age to act over the same 〈◊〉 again but if as a just Punishment of our Sins God should permit us to be so far infatuated as to sell our Liberties again for fear of being enslaved to fight against the Principles of our Religion in the defence of it to rip up the Bowels of our native Country to preserve it and in a word to go to cross a pile with a Company of beggarly Male-contents for our own Estates and Fortunes and run our selves into present and certain Mischiefs to prevent future and contingent ones if these things I say should happen again which God forbid a very small Prophet may easily foretel the woful Consequences of it and when we shall see our Fields strewed over again with the Carcasses of our Friends and Relations our Cities Towns and Countries laid waste by an unnatural War and shall come to cast up our Accounts and to reckon all the Blood and Treasure we have spent only to purchase Confusion or Slavery then we shall remember perhaps with Tears in our Eyes That it was nothing but a Surfeit of Happiness that caused our Misery Consider That upon our dutiful Subjection to our Prince the Honour of our Religion depends If once it should appear that our Religion is mischievous to Government Mankind would soon conspire to proclaim War with it and to decry and exploid it as a publick NUSANCE to the World And I verily believe should Men consult the Devil himself what course they were best to take to blast the Honour of Religion he could not direct them to a more effectual one than under sanctified Pretences to turn Rebels to the Government and accordingly heretofore the Adversaries of Christianity could find no such effectual Calumny to blast and expose it as this that it was an Enemy to the Civil Government as wisely enough considering That could they infuse into Mankind a Belief of this Scandal there was nothing could be more conducive to antidote Mens Minds against it and to render it Base and Infamous in the Opinion of the World whilst therefore we conduct any Seditious Design under the holy Banners of Christianity we join hands with our open and profest Adversaries and endeavour so far as in us lies to defend their most malitious Calumnies against it Whilst therefore we make our Religion a colour for our Faction and Disloyalty we confess it to be guilty of the most infamous thing that it was ever charged with by the worst of its Enemies viz. That it lays Trains of Factious Principles in Mens Hearts and Consciences on purpose to blow up Thrones and Governments and throw the World into Ruins and Confusions Consider That upon our faithful Subjection to our Prince the Safety of our Religion depends for there is nothing iu the World can more indanger our Religion than our making it a pretence for Rebellion for hereby we inevitably expose it to the hatred of Princes and do what in us lies to arm their Power against it for by our Actions we do in effect make this open Declaration to them Sirs To tell you plainly you may thank our Religion for our Disobedience we would be Loyal but it will not suffer us and therefore ye were best have a care of it it will undermine your Thrones and will one time or other arm the hands of your People against your Persons and Dignities When therefore we set up our Religion against our Governours we force them in their own Defence to set themselves against it and to endeavour as far as in them lies to root it out of the World and if being provoked by our Sedition they should ever draw their Swords against it it may thank us for it who first began the Quarrel and gave the Challenge and did in effect declare by our Actions that unless they forced us to lay down our Religion our Religion would force them to lay down their Crowns yea and though we should succeed in our Rebellion and prove too hard for our Governours yet first or last

our Religion will be sure to smart for it Lastly Consider that if we of this Nation had no other Motive yet in meer gratitude we stand obliged to render our faithful Subjection to our Prince for considering with what an easy and indulgent Government and with what a Succession of excellent Princes God Almighty hath blessed us I know no Nation under the cope of Heaven that may be so happy as our selves if we please for as our Government is in the Frame and Constitution of it a most easy Yoke and gentle Burthen so for sundry Ages we have had Princes as gentle and gracious as our Governments Princes that have studied our Ease and our Happiness and that have in nothing so much exceeded as in their Mercy and Indulgence towards us Not to mention that pious and every way incomparable Prince Charles I. whose sacred Blood is such a Monumental Shame to Treason and Rebellion as must make Rebels and Traitors if they have any modesty in them blush and be confounded for ever And then that Reverend Author proceeds to give an admirable Character of King Iames the Second And now to him that is King Charles the Second in despite of all the Hellish Machinations of a restless Faction our present Rightful Lord peaceably succeeds a Prince whom God seems to have reserved on purpose to make us amends for the unestimable Loss we sustained in Charles the Wise and Good And indeed considering the Great and Princely Virtues which adorn his Mind and shine through the whole Sphere of his Activity we have all the Encouragement in the World to promise our selves a Continuance of those Halcion days under his happy Influence if by our intestine Seditions we do not cloud and disturb them that we have se long enjoyed under the Auspicious Reign of his Brother For if from an undaunted Courage and Firmness of Mind if from an immense Greatness and Generosity of Soul if from an inflexible Sincerity and Integrity of Manners if from an impartial Justice sweetned with an endearing Benignity of Temper if from the fair Conjunction of all these Royal Virtues in a Prince a People may presage their own Happiness we have all these to build our hope on in our present Sovereign FINIS Pag. 1. * Qu. Whether the People then have Power to depose their Lawful Sovereign and elect a new King and whether to do so is not Popery Qu. Whether the Convention then did not set themselves above God Pag. 8. Qu. How faithfully Dr. Scot and his Swearing Brethren have observed this Doctrine Pag. 12. * Of which Number the Bishop of St. Asaph even Dr. Scot. being Judg is to be reckon'd who in his Discourse of God's Ways of disposing of Kingdoms Pag. 7. expounds Rom. 13. 1. after a new Fashion putting Kingdoms for Kings and resisting their Laws for resisting their Persons whereas the latter is a Crime whilst the former may be a Virtue or else the Three Children in Daniel sinn'd and were according to that Author damn'd His Words are these Pag. 7. The Powers that be are of God that is The several Kingdoms and States even all that are in the World all have their Authority from God And whosoever disobeys or resists the publick Order and Government of the Kingdom or State where he lives he disobeys or resists the Ordinance of God and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he shall be called to Account for it or as it is in our English Bible shall receive to himself damnation Pag. 13. Qu. Then whether the Convention did act honestly and consistently with their Duty to raise such immense Sums to levy War against the King in Ireland Qu. Whether to take Arms against the King is not now thought and pronounced lawful the Law being abrogated that made it unlawful Pag. 20. Qu. Whether this is not fulfill'd amongst our Fellow-Subjects in Scotland and Ireland Qu. Whether 't is not time to cast up our Accounts after so great Expence of Blood and Tresury Quis talia fundo temperet à lacrymis Pag. 22. Pag. 23. Qu. Whether the Devil has not been consulted by the Patrons and Abettors of this Revolution who act quite contrary to the Doctrine of Jesus Chrict and his Apostles and yet cry up Religion Religion like the Jews of old The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord That this Prophetick Speculation is reduc'd to practice Tell it not in Gath publish it not in the Streets of Askelon least the Philistians rejoice least the Daughters of the uncircumcised triumph Pag. 25. * Tho I hope and I heartily with that Dr. Scot may prove a false Prophet as to what he predicts in this Paragraph of the direful Effects of a Religious Rebellion yet should it happen which God avert that our Religion should at last smart for it that it should be rooted out of the World and have its dismal Funeral Exit which some holy learned Men who perhaps by the Spirit of Prophecy did foresee this wretched Rebellion have predicted as Dr. Plumè observes in his Preface to Dr. Hacket's Sermon Pag. 15. last Paragr whom may we thank for it but these Members of the Church of England who have succeeded in their Rebellion which the Doctor and his prevaricuting Brethren by false Oaths wicked Prayers and Setitious Anti-Gospel Preachings have promoted and abetted But though the Argument which the Doctor suggests to a highly provoked Prince be so genuine and natural as to put him upon the most tremondous Instances of Indignation and Revenge yet 't is not to be doubted but that the Innocent yea and the Penitent too if they are not too late so like the harden'd Sinner who spurns at the Bowels of Mercy and defies a Pardon until the time of Justice the hour of Vengeance surprize and overtake him will find a kinder Usage from the Justice and Clemency of a Prince who has signaliz'd himself to be a true English-man a Father of his Country and of the forgiving Race Pag. 28. Pag. 29. Qu. Whether the Patrons and Abetters of this Revolution have not then cause to blush who by their Arms and their Prayers attempted and encouraged the same against the Son which the Rebels and Traitors acted against the Father viz. the Shedding of Sacred Blood which in the Doctor 's Opinion is such a Monumental Shame to Treason and Rebellion * If King Iames is our Rightful Lord how can Dr. Scot and his Brethren justify renouncing of Allegiance to him and transferring it to a new Master who ipsis Iudicibus is not Rightful King * Which though blasted with the virulent Tongue of Infamy and Detraction and loaded with the foulest and blackest Aspersions and Imputations yet like the Sun being clouded shines the brighter for none of those black Crimes of which he was accused viz. the Murther of the Earl of Essex the Poysoning of his Brother the League with France to cut all his Protestant Subjects Throats and to crown all as Dr. Burnet Words it the Supposititiousness of the Prince of Wales being proved against him though there has been uncontroulable Liberty of Speaking and Petitioning nay Challenging the Accusers to do it if they can it amounts to a Demonstration of his Innocence and that according to the usual Methods in Courts of Judicature where if the Fact against the Person is not proved the Jury pronounce him Innocent by their Verdict of Not Guilty † Which he sufficiently signaliz'd in Ireland notwithstanding what Dr. King of Dublin like a cursing Shimei and railing Rabsheca says in his celebrated Book which for the many Falshoods in it may be stil'd a Legend of Lies rather than a true History who points only to to the dark side of the Cloud but hides its brighter and beautiful Glory insists only on those things which either out of unavoidable Necessity the King was forced to comply with or those which were acted at a distance by the rude Irish or by Souldiers for the which he was not accountable but conceals all the Instances of his Goodness which will embalm his Memory in that Kingdom throughout all Ages of which the Protection he gave his Protestant Subjects to whom he was a Screen from the furious and enraged Irish his surprizing and unexpected Kindness and Charity inconsistent with the Politicks of War to the vast Numbers of Women and Children in Londonderry his wonderful Compassion to the Sick English Souldiers at Dundalk when he was advis'd and importun'd by his Generals to break into the Camp which had defeated Schomberg and discouraged any other Attempt and finally his leaving Dublin after his Defeat at the Boyne without Suffering his Souldiers to burn or plunder it are glorious and perpetual Monuments And though the Bishop who has learn'd to speak evil of Dignities talks now at an insolent Rate yet the Preacher of St. Warburghs had another Language every Sunday almost presenting his Auditors with a Panegyrick upon King Iames's Virtues and especially those God-like ones of Clemency and Mercy In which the Doctor was either then a fulsom hypocritical Flatterer or is now a disingenuous and false Historian