Selected quad for the lemma: prayer_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prayer_n	church_n	hand_n	imposition_n	2,100	5	10.5630	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95843	The supreme povver of Christian states vindicated against the insolent pretences of Guillielmus Apollonii, or A translation of a book intituled, Grallæ, seu vere puerilis cothurnus sapientiæ, &c. Or, the stilts, or most childish chapin of knowledge upon which William Appolonius of Trever, and minister of the church of Middleburgh boasts, among such as are ignorant, in his patcht rhapsodies, which hee set forth concerning supreame power and jurisdiction in matters of religion. Against the book of the most famous Dr. Nicholaus Vedelius, intituled Of the episcopacy of Constantine the Great.; Grallæ. English.	Vedel, Nicolaus, 1596-1642,	1647 (1647)	Wing V168; Thomason E388_5; ESTC R201503	255,312	305

preach what they list make Lawes as they think good at last censure when and whom they will This he thinkes was absolutely done under the crosse and because hee perceives that Magistrates doe meddle with these affaires by reason of the fleshly corruptions and sins which they observe are introduced in these things by Church-men Hence surfeiting with this peace like the dull Oxê in the Port he wisheth for a saddle and with the Horse desires to plough the ground hee thinkes the Church was happier under the crosse when she had no Magistrates then now when she hath such This I will confesse if the Churches happinesse consists in this that new Walachrian Papists domineere in her as they please but this is a childish happinesse For youths are glad when in the absence of their Parents they manage the estate and Family as they will and they wish it might be so still whereas things are never more unhappily managed in the family then in such a case So that it is a Proverb among us when things are in a confusion there is none at home but the children How happy this Ecclesiasticke selfe-government is without the Magistrates inspection may bee seen in Popery where the Magistrate being thrust out onely Church-men rule but how happily When there is nothing there except miserable butcheries both of bodies and soules The Game was not much unlike this which the spirituall king Becholtius played at Munster swelling there with as great pride as the Pope doth at Rome who wanted nothing to make him happy but continuance if the Stilt-walker thirsteth for this he deserveth to consume away with despaire Hee speakes too freely of the Churches happinesse under the crosse Apollonius thinkes it no trouble to leane upon cushions stuffed with other mens bloud and as they say subdue Alexander at the Table if hee had seene but a farre off the whips roddes wounds and tortures all his courage would quickly be cooled I have insisted somewhat long upon this discourse not as if I disliked the Worship of Christians or the lawfull Church-government but that I might shew the impudent fooler●es of the Walachrian Stilt-walker whose purpose is not to maintaine true Religion but to introduce a new Popedome therefore I hope impartiall Judges will not thinke I have done amisse that I have with laughter exploded his unsavourie fraudulencies not that I mock at true holy matters but because I would tread downe the Walachrian swelling leven of Popery For no godly Magistrate intends to overthrow the Churches true order to defile the sacred things of Religion or to destroy them this were a madnesse fit for Libertines Atheists from which I am very averse Neither do I thinke that any godly Minister doth seriously beleeve there is such abstruse spirituall sanctity in the affairs of modern Church Discipline as this Walachrian Rat dreameth out of the Iesuites writings read by him without judgement for this were to thrust upon Magistrates in stead of truth the Legends of Frances or the Ottoman trifles of the Turkish Alcheran which we saw lately whom no wise man wil beleeve except he be carryed headlong by Superstition or violently compelled to confesse disseble that to be true which he knowes is false such is the impudency of these Walachrian sticklers who are not content to perswade christians to esteem of that which the Scripture recordeth hath beene by Christ ordered in matters of Religion but they will have men also beleeve chiefly that in the worke wrought in the persons working and in other circumstances there doe lurke wonderfull and secret worth of holinesse with which they so bewitch ignorant men that neglecting the kirnell of truth they doe nothing almost but licke the outward rine of holiness● by which madnesse it comes to passe that Church-men are puffed up and obtaine too much respect which is that they hunt for and account superstition Religion I will freely appeale here to the conscience of godly Ministers who will here confesse ingenuously I know that in the whole outward worke of Church-government at this day there is not any such internall mysticall spirituall and untouchable holinesse for where doth this lurke the word of God is read the Psalmes are sung by all prayers are said either by heart or in the booke the Text of Scripture is explained by a humane manner and way knowne to all he that is haptised is besprinkled with ordinary water in the name and after the ordinance of God Men sit at the table common bread and wine are distributed ●ats and drunke by all concerning the order of administring the Sacra● eats care is taken that confusion may be avoided they that transgresse in the Church are admonished and reproved or by publicke authority are seperated from the communion of Christians The gifts and alines of Christians are received and as much as can be are bestowed on the poore All these things I rehearse as they are done in a most simple manner and come as neare as may be to the Apostles custome from which wee see how far every day the Wallachrians depart so that almost there is not greater corruption in Popery then there is among them in matters of censure c. Will any ingenuous man say that in these there is such abstruse mysticall sanctitie or in the Ministers themselves and if this were necessarily in them who will say that it proceeds from moderne vocation they are men that choose that call that lay on hands and although the Church at this day useth imposition of hands prayers fastings and other meanes yet Christ never promised that he would so concurre by his Spirit with these actions that the same effects should be prounced which the Apostle she wed by their vocation neither will any man except he be superstitious affirme that he hath upon imposition of hands received suddenly the gifts of tongues and sciences and if this Wallachrian smatterer should brag any such thing of himselfe experience and his owne act ons will refute him who then seeth not that the Stiltwalker is a foole who in such things seeks for the lurking holes of speciall sanctitie that he may beg a domineering power in the Church to the overthrow of all Religion●●● true piety If it were lawfull to bewith men with such fictions what may not wee beleeve of Magistrates for as soone as they are chosen to the supreame government although they were private men before now on a sudden they become Gods holy Logats Vicegetents and servants every soule to them is presently subject the Sword to them is committed with the power of life and death nest her matters it how they obtaine this power whether by right or wrong how they use the sword whether justly or unjustly and although they since against God yet they must be obeyed by their subjects except they will resist Gods ordinance and bring judgement on themselves Lastly they become Gods not by humane but divine right Who then will wonder if Hered

that they have afterward doubted whether pietie true Religion or the Spirit of God could be there where they saw order right and modesty so shamelesly violated he that will truely consider the truth of this will he not bee of my opinion that it will prove a most unjust and calamitous thing if liberty be granted to such meetings to prescribe Laws for mens Consciences and force Christians to observe what they please under pain of the greater and lesser excommunication If this superstition once get hold of Magistrates surew●ll Religion Protestants must look for no other Religion then Popery There is no other remedy for this evill but to hinder such Church-men from meeting thus often the end of which meetings can bee none else but to beget one quarrell out of another and to seek out a period for Ruling Let not the● the Civill Power be absent not that there you may sit as harmelesse Constitoriall Lamb● among the cornuted Rams for ●o the Sti●●-walker will by plurality of Votes cunningly deride you but that sitting in the higher seat as Gods Vice-gerents and having the supreme power to which God hath subjected every soule you may take charge of Ecclesiastick soules also least they leaving the charge of soules should gape 〈◊〉 secular businesse and lay shares against your Government Vocation remaines the lurking hole of all sanctitie from this 〈◊〉 Wall●thrians earnestly desire to keep the Magistrates by right of 〈◊〉 or at least of 〈…〉 and imposition of hands But wee have shewed that these are fained things to afright men As for the right of election the ●●●●t-Walker though unwillingly grants to the Magistrate Imposition of hands is nothing but a consequence or appendix of vocation neither is it of such a seperated and precise right but that the Ap●●●●es sometimes used it sometimes not and sometimes it was permitted to divers that were not Preachers as an indifferent ceremony so that Calvin sheweth how the Elders did promiscuously impose hands but pride and custome did at last conferre this upon the Bishop to remove which evill this will bee the remedy that confirmation by imposition of hands may not be superstitiously done by the Preacher but sometimes by the Elder the Deacon the Magistrate or any Christian who is of a knowne godly life and not alwaies one but sometimes more that the old simplicity being restored it may abolish Popish superstition If the Magistrate will effect this by his authority he will cause that inchantment of Ecclesiastick superstitions sanctity of speciall right to cease and will hinder the spirituall knaveries of some Clergy men which are solemne there in their Vocations as I have often shewed and experience doth daily teach us especially that superstition shall cease which the Stilt-walker strives to taint all men with that it is not lawfull for Magistrates to choose their Ministers under paine of Sacriledge and being chosen to remove them without the consent of the Clergy I confesse that when these men become moderate the matter should be handled by their counsells in common but if this come to passe what we see in the Stilt walker and his company that the whole strife be about preheminence that what the Magistrate approves the Church-men by right or wrong disapproves that they may obtain to themselves the whole Church-government if in election of Ministers their intent be to choose such as by secret catechisings and promises they have tyed to them in promoting the Ecclesiastick Liberty as they call it that is to say the Popish Hierarchy which at this day is called the holy Mystery of the Wallachrian Vocation In such a case why should not the Magistrate use his authority which not only Solomon and others did but the Apostles also being supreame and plenipotentiaries who suffered indeed the Church to choose men by prayers lots imposition of hands so long as order continued sincerely but as soone as the people by their carnall choice began to erre and false Apostles intruded themselves perversly and violently when Alexander the Smith Hymeneus and Elymas and other deceivers stirred they failed not by their miraculous Monarchicall authority which they had to force them all to their duty This power is now in godly Magistrates and by them in the Church Who will dreame this to be sacriledge if in calling of a Minister Church-men should desire him who is most unfit looking to their owne private interests who if they be stubborne even to the Churches ruine I say who will thinke it sacriledge if the Magistrate use his authority in procuring betimes for the Church an able man Againe if by fraud such a Fo● as wants spirituall gifts should creep in and strive mainly for preheminence and goe about to overthrow the civill government sow quarrells and hunt for popular applause that he may raise sedition against the Magistrates when they will not flatter him in his pride who will debarre the Magistrate from curbing such a man with his authority and compelling him to submit to Divine Ordination that is obey the secular Sword not that he should be still thrust out of his Ministery which Solomon did and some of our age Many remedies may be against this evill so that there is no necessity alwayes to use desperate remedies against desperate diseases First let the fault be mended by some mulct or penalty not that ridiculous Church one that the censurer should reprove in words and the party censured shall satisfie with words againe or laughter but let the mulct bee pecuniary which will vex the Church-mans soule Let a command be laid upon the Treasurer to detaine some part of his yearly stipend for neglecting his Ministery and not discharging his duty I know there is no Minister so spirituall as will not feare this sensible penalty There is a higher degree which they say in Ecclesiastick Policy is ordered in Zeland among their acts that who though upon just cause shall stirre up any party in the Church against the Magistrate he shall be silenced from his Ministery in that place and never to be admitted thither again Let it not be amisse if they borrow a remedy from the Gentiles even from the Pope himself as Solomon of old did gold and wood from the Tyrians and Gentiles for the building of his Temple Among the Lacedemonians and Athenians they had their Ostracisme and Petalisme by which they used to banish from their Cities for ten yeares together not those that were infamous but whom the favour of the people made suspected of affecting the tyranny This banishment was not dishonourable nor perpetuall for after the expiration of ten yeares they returned This was the effect thereof that by their long absence they ceased to be burthensome to the State and lesse feared The like custome at this day the pope or Bishop useth when hee seeth any man either for his vertue or preposterous zeale or else for some tolerable fault to be any where suspected or burthensome he sends him away to some

him nothing is more ancient then to extoll the outward businesse of the Ecclesiastick Ministery for holy spirituall and divine among men * Part 1 p. 116 p. 119. So that every where hee cries out these affaires do belong to heaven not to earth and that the externall things of the Church reach unto the soule and lastly to bee of such a sublime nature that it is impossible the art of Ecclesiastick jurisdiction should be exercised by the authority of the Magistrate so that as often as mention is made of the * Choragium Ampullantur dressing of Church matters they in proud and haughty words affirme that sacred things are not to bee touched Of which notwithstanding there is nothing so high and difficult which is not easie enough to him that is but indifferently exercised For these are preaching and publick Prayer the outward administration of the Sacraments the making of Laws for the outward order of the Church the greater and lesser censure whereof this is by suspending from the Lords Supper that by separation from the whole body of the Church by the uttering of certain words Lastly Election and confirmation to Ecclesiastick Offices All which affaires at this day are known to be performed by ordinary gifts oftentimes in a humane and perverse way even by such who being void of all Christian vertues are laden with nothing else but wickednesse that Apollonius may obtrude superstition after a Popish manner when hee searcheth after such abstruce mysteries of spirituality in the outward works of Ecclesiastick dressing that hee might make men think that what is performed by the Ministeriall function of the Church is of a higher nature then mans capacity can reach unto Whereas the whole dignity of these things as they are performed at this day depends from Christs generall institution and from the common Law of Order Out of these lurking places being driven after the Popish manner he flies to Ecclesiastick Vocation and chiefly to confirmation by imposing of hands which though at this day it be defiled and variously spotted shewing no effects of spirituallity in those on whom it is conferred Yet hee would faine perswade us that it is of wonderfull efficacy for conferring of spirituall right and spirituall prerogative to performe the sacred Offices of the Church that it hath such a speciall prerogative so that hee accounts him * Part 1. p. 87. p. 71. sacrilegious whosoever being destitute of the rights of Vocation and Ecclesiastick Confirmation will offer to put his hand to those internally externall affaires of the Church which hee illustrates by the example of King Uzziah struck with Leprosie Out of which principles at last springs up the speciall Church-Government which though every man may see it to bee in the world and to bee exercised by too worldly meanes and that by them who after confirmation are oftentimes more carnall than any Lay-men yet hee will have us beleeve that this Government is not o● this world not earthly but heavenly spirituall holy independent from any worldly power in it selfe absolute and as it were of its own * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 power by reason of the inseparable subjection of Church-men to Christ as his Legates Whence belongs to them this right to hee Governours Captaines Pastors Fathers under which titles it is lawfull onely for them to proceed to Governe to feed to give laws to punish and that imperiously with power and authority Part. 2. p 323. in the formalities of the Church Whence hee makes a rupture irreparable between the power or government of Magistrates and of the Church Part. 1. p. 91. 93. p. 9● Because they are so different in the subject end and meanes that he thinks heaven and earth will be confounded if the Magistrate should offer to touch the internall things of the Church For hee will not allow the secular power to bee in but onely about the Church which medleth with the circumstantialls of the Church onely as a separable accident which the Church may easily want and did want under the Apostles and time of the first Reformation So that as hee assevers the Christian and godly Magistrate hath no more to doe with Church-affaires then the wicked hath in respect of right except in cases extraordinary when the whole Clergie wants reformation but yet on this condition too that the judgement of this matter bee left to the Church-men But if the Magistrate should meddle with any thing which hee calls formally Ecclesiastick besides these cases hee cryes out openly that sacriledge and robbery is committed that the rights of Christs Spouse are violated for which Christ shed his blood yea that the state of the Church was happier under the crosse because of her free jurisdiction which then shee used then now if the Magistrate offer to intermeddle with the Church-affaires so that indeed hee counts no better then Gibeonites the religious Magistrates who were not to serve in but about the Sanctuary and were not to meddle with or touch any holy thing but being tide to servile obedience in furnishing necessaries were bound perpetually to acknowledge their fraud and prophanenesse Out of so many naughty rootes of Popery it is no wonder if in Apollonius and some of his followers this fruite proceed not onely in speaking evill of secular Rulers as often as they seeme to Clergie-men to stumble upon the rights of the Church but contrarily they dare in secular affaires prescribe to and command the Magistrate by their Pastorall authority so that no Catechisme seemes to them more holy than that they assure one another that the secular Magistrate is simply to bee debarred from all things which they account Ecclesiasticall and that they are not to be admitted into the meanest part of their modern Ecclesiastick spirituality so faire as they performe the Office of a Magistrate the top of which spirituallity if elsewhere they seem to touch that they must bee resisted with might and maine as profane men either directly or if strength bee wanting indirectly and cunningly Per cuniculos in their private or publick declamations to the people Sure Apollonius seemes in this work to sound the Alarum and by his example to stirre up turbulent Ministers to bee bold upon the Magistrate when opportunity serves and to shake off one time or other their vile and violent yoke I doubt not but such kinde of vermine lurke else-where but dull and as it were sticking fast in their shell of which notwithstanding none doth cherish such dastardly spirits Puliatus but that if this Black coat and rude Wallachrian shall finde good successe in a short time great store of such Zelots will every where appeare I will no more prophesie but now will produce the acts of Apollonius and his fellow Walachrians set out not a few years since which will teach us that long agoe they were resolved and purposed first to prescribe a Law to the Civill Magistrate in

fitted according to Judaisme Apollonius seeks the like among the Protestants but hitherto for ought I know he hath not found them We should wish surely Par. 1 p. 391 that according to the liberty of the Walachrian heaven under which he is born and educated and accustomed to all kinds of boldnesse he had called a boat a boat and an egge an egge for it is not safe for us to be always in such danger Who will not pity Vzza who was struck dead by touching the Ark only which was not to be touched Was not Sauls fact destructive in daring to sacrifice partly out of feare and partly out of impatience for Samuels long staying whereby he fell not only into the displeasure of Samuel but also of God himself What Prince will not tremble to see Vzziah struck with leprosie for touching that which he should not have touched Quid apud reformates sanctum sanctorum whereby whilst he lived he was deprived of his kingdome and when he died of the Kings sepulcher So then the Stilt-walker will do a most acceptable work if he will hereafter unfold what things in his Church-government are not to be touched I could never yet find the place of holy of holies among Protestants except it be among the Walachrians Apollonius his study where with his Tertullus and other conspirators he is secretly plotting to overthrow the Magistracie of Middleburg and to erect a new Papal hierarchy Though the Consistory be a conventicle of superlative Spirituality there yet it doth not seem to me to deserve the name of the Holy of Holies because the Keeper with Women dogs do familiarly go in thither and then there must be also so many Holy of Holies as there be Churches therefore in this point the Walachrian Judaisme is fallen into a swound Now Levites have no externall sacrifices peculiar except they will have the Masse with Papists Spirituall sacrifices are Almes Prayers Psalms which are called the calves of the lips and the whole reasonable service of God which is commanded as common to all Christians So that we are sure Magistracie cannot be removed from all these by reason of any special sanctity For who will say that it is unlawfull for Magistrates to pray in the Church He may saith the Stilt-walker but not publikely Then sanctity here consisteth in a circumstance to wit the same prayers uttered in private are holy in a common manner but in a speciall manner holy if they be said by the Minister in publike This subtile difference is no where mentioned in Scripture but the Walachrian Levite differs much from old Judaisme their sacrificing was a speciall priviledge not only in publike but in private also for if they had granted to them that were not Levites to sacrifice privately in the temple reserving the right of sacrificing publikely to themselves the Levites had polluted their sacrifices But if it be so sacrilegious a thing for the Magistrate to pray publikely in the Church and like women to be silent why not only is leave given to Magistrates but also to women to sing openly and with a loud voice in the church for this also is a spirituall sacrifice of praise In this surely he seems to prostitute his sacrifices unlesse he will say that this liberty is also taken away from Christians because it is the Precentor whose singing hath the speciall priviledge of sanctity whose tune the whole Congregation followeth but so the Precentor also should be received among those that have the speciall right of sanctity but I think this Mechanical smell will be too Goatish for Apollonius to make him partaker of the authoritative and speciall right of preaching stacte I confesse there is small difference because this man only in of the book sings the Psalms and sacred hymns but the other not willing to be a clerk in the book prayeth there without book yea I believe oftentimes without the Bible whatsoever the Apollonian spirit is able in his heat to some out There are indeed very godly prayers set out by Calvin and other Divines in their Catechisme for this purpose that all the people may be acquainted with them and so may be uttered by one spirit the Pastor going before which use many times the Church in Synods hath established but these things are vulgar and come too neer that strait and bookish spirituality of the Precentors to satisfie the spirit of the Stilt-walker that most servent Zelot This lastly is a wonder That he placeth speciall sanctity in publike prayer when under the ancient Levites Anna Samuels mother Solomon at the dedication of the temple K. Ezek. in Christs time the Pharisee and Publican did pray publikely in the temple I confesse that the busines of prayer hath bin sometimes upon special cōmand cōmitted extraordinarily to some as to Isaac Moses Noe Daniel and Job but this was no Levitical or ordinary priviledge but proceeded from the person whether ecclesiastical or civil as he was most in Gods favour It were to be wished that all they to whom the Magistrate hath out of his bounty given charge to pray publikely may not be only fit to do that modestly but also acceptable to God for their piety for in many there is such a confused babling and such an impuritie in their hands that we may feare lest by such messengers the Church-prayers prove detestable to God I conclude that there was no speciall sanctitie in prayers under the Levites why then should it be under these new Levites He seeks for prerogative in Preaching and saith Praedicatio that it is lawfull in private for all men to preach but in publike only for Ministers for this is authoritative and potestative and by right of the Legat that is only edifying Much more such stuffe he hath devised upon this matter but without Scripture so that here again sanctitie consists in the circumstance much different from that of the ancient Levites for if the High-Priest had placed his special sanctity in this that he entred publikely and by day-time into the Holy of Holies but he granted to the rest of the people that privately and in the night-time like rats they should creep into the holy of holies he had certainly polluted his sacred mysteries This new Levite is no lesse ridiculous who gives leave to Magistrates Lay-men and women to preach privately the same Word but reserves to himself the circumstance of preaching publikely in the Pulpit This circumstance was not of such sanctitie among the Levites much lesse among the Apostles for they would not have been so bountifull as to grant to every one who was fit leave to preach publikely so that they did not forbid women to prophesie with their heads covered if occasion served otherwise let Apollonius resolve me how Paul who elswhere bids women be silent saith expresly A woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head For Paul doth not give charge of that which was never

not I will make thee a God to Moses but contrarily I will make Moses a God to thee whence wee see that God from the beginning did not purpose to commit the supream care of the world and of the Church to church-men but to secular Magistrates for hee knew that things would not be well guided by church-men as appears by Aaron who when Moses was absent but 40. dayes was of such a soft and effeminate spirit that presently upon the prayers and menaces of the people turned the whole worship into Idolatry this was the cause that when Christ was asked of the Apostles concerning government hee permitted it to Magistrates but denied it precisely to church-men so that in this famous title of God all church-men are subject to the civill powers and all civill powers are to rule the church-men for these are called only Angels but they gods who will not confesse men to bee subordinate to Gods and Gods to have superiority over men I doubt not but Apollonius will here murmur with himselfe that the Prophet did so unwisely bestow this title upon Magistrates when out of the principles of Walachrian divinity this title of God belongs rather to church-men than to Magistrates for these as sheep should be subject to their ecclesiastick pastors Magistrates are only earthly Kings but cleargy-men are beavenly Magistrates are Legats of God the Creator church-men of Christ the Mediator exalted lastly Magistrates are carnall and worldly but churchmen are spirituall and holy who seeth not from hence that churchmen come neerer to God than Magistrates and that therefore the name of God belongs more justly to them So that wee need not doubt but in time the Stilt-walker will mend this magnificat as his predecessor the Pope did who not being content with the titles of Bishop pastor and president in which the Walachrian for the time rejoyceth hath assumed to himselfe also the title of God so that now hee is stiled our lord god the Pope but that our proud Ministers may not rise to this height among protestants I hope the Magistrate will take care whilst hee shall consider that hee alone by divine gift and right doth possesse this title of God which bee cannot without sacriledge impart to Ministers by which also is admonished that hee is subject to none but to God only and that there is nothing so spirituall so holy and so heavenly under his jurisdiction if it be humane but that it is subject to his power which will more appear by that famous place of Paul where not only hee is honoured with the name of God but also is endowed with the priviledge of Divine preheminence Among other elogies 2 Pet. 2.13 Rom. 13 1 that is notable one which is given to the Magistrate by Peter and chiefly by Paul where the great dignity of the civill power upon earth is described which hee placeth in three 1. That there is no supereminent power armed with the sword which is not subordinate to God and by him ordained for he saith that all powers which bear the sword are ordained by God and hee that resisteth them resisteth the Ordinance of God therefore every such by what name soever it is called bearing the sword hath God for its author so that the Apostle doth not permit any man to enquire who or what hee is that useth this power nor how hee hath attained to it nor indeed how hee useth it but absolutely commands to give obedience civill whether to the King as chiefe or to governours it was then known to the Apostles that the Emperors by fraud and violence invaded the Empire and that they used their power tyrannically against Christians so that if this generall rule had suffered any exception he would have mentioned it but both the Apostles do absolutely make this law That whosoever possesseth the sword he is ordained by God nor must any doubt of his power This did Abraham and Isaac well understand when they came within the jurisdiction of Abimelech Perhaps the fear of God is not in this place They doubted of the Kings piety and justice but yet they prepared themselves to obey even till death They will kill me for thy sake say they Thou shalt say thou 〈◊〉 my sister So Pompey when he went out of his own ship into the King of Egypt's barge in which he was treacherously murthered he rehearsed this sentence Whosoever entreth into the house of a Tyrant he is his servant though he entred a filee-man This then is sure wheresoever there is a superior power bearing the ●●●●d no man ought to enquire how he hath obtained it which is the form of it how he useth it at least not too curiously o● with an intent to resist For however the faults of his government are not from God but are displeasing to him yet the civil order is still from God So that whosoever out of his own private motion resisteth this he resisteth God himself and hasteneth vengeance upon himself The other is That he subjects every soul to the higher Powers Origen ●y every soul understands the Naturall man but he trifles Paul understands every man which in Scripture is ordinary Act. 3. 27 for every man hath a soul Now the Apostle said rather every 〈◊〉 then every body because men in respect of their bodies differ much but in respect of their souls they are all uniform Whence Chrysostome upon this place Though he be an Apostle though a Prophet though an Evangelist this subjection doth not overthrow piety Whence in appears that no man upon what pretence soever who is under anothers jurisdiction can free himselfe from the government of the Civil Magistrate whether he be Clergy or Lay rich or poor learned or unlearned no condition excuseth him from obedience These named famous Patriarks and as it appeared afterward more excellent then King Abimilech himself yet confessed humbly that even to death they were subject whilst they were under his jurisdiction Who more worthy then Christ yet he subjected himself to Caesar and Pilate impious Magistrates It is then an unworthy thing for any man to exempt himself from the Civil power under pretence of sanctity or religion or any prerogative for this is flat repugnant to Pauls generall maxime That every soule should be subject none excepted The third thing is That he commands subiection in all and obedience to Magistrates so that he will not have them resisted not only for punishment but also sor consoience because he that resisteth the Magistrate resisteth the ordinance of God and hasteneth judgement against himself which to do is against a good conscience All these are emphaticall and shew how absolute the Civil power is over all and in all things because absolutely it commands all without exception to be subject and absolutely commands subjection without any restriction Wherefore if there had been so many cases in which subjection was not to be given to Magistrates suppose in spirituall and ecclesiastick matters