Selected quad for the lemma: prince_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prince_n	ordinance_n	power_n	resist_v	2,543	5	10.0817	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95777	The soveraignes power, and the subiects duty: delivered in a sermon, at Christ-Church in Oxford, March 3. 1643. By J. Armagh.	Ussher, James, 1581-1656.	1644 (1644)	Wing U224; Thomason E36_13; ESTC R23316	10,392	32

THE Soveraignes Power AND THE Subiects Duty DELIVERED In a SERMON at CHRIST-CHURCH in Oxford March 3. 1643. By J. ARMAGH ROM 13.2 Whosoever resisteth the Power resisteth the Ordinance of God OXFORD Printed for W.W. 1644. Roman 13. vers 1. Let euery soule bee subiect to the higher powers for there is no power but of God IN vaine doe Christian Princes beare the Sword if their subiects conscience may question their power They which beginne it in the cause of Religion may as well goe on and doubt of all And therefore as Princes are iustly zealous in restraining the outward man the Priests should bee as forward in informing the conscience You know the occasion of such a meditation and this hath put mee againe so soone vpon you and a new Text standing engaged for many which I must desire you to hearken to as Gods message pleading for the right of Kings by his Apostle Rom 13. v 1. Let euery soule be subiect to the higher powers c. Wherein are th●se two parts 1. a Proposition deliuered by way of command expressing a duty enioyned Let euery soule b● subiect c. Wherein are three things 1. Quis Who it is that is to performe it Euery soule 2. Quid What it is Be subiect 3. Cui To whom The higher powers 2. a Reason for confirmation of it as if this cause were grounded not onely on bare authority but inforced by infallible reason For there is no power but of God I shall begin with the persons and first with those to whom this duty is due the higher powers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We haue iust cause to examine this stile and confine it strictly to us subiect lest vsurpers taking aduantage of the loosenesse secretly vndermine the bulwarke which we hope for and may heere build vp For some are ready to thrust in and shrowd vnder this Title Bishops and all Spirituall Gouernours others who mainely oppose that labour to make all temporall Gouernours equall sharers both which are repugnant to the Apostles meaning and both equally dangerous Let spirituall power be heere supposed and if they be not subiect yet shall temporall Princes haue no command ouer the Clergie Let all temporall partake in it and euery inferiour Magistrate shall contest with his King For for their safegard according to them as well as the Princes is this precept of the Apostle Let euery soule be subiect to the higher powers And heere is no subiection but command allotted them For powers say they extends its selfe to the spirituall power and higher in the others sense lookes onely on the people and therefore agreeable to inferiour Magistrates who in respect of the people are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 superexcellentes exceeding all others in ciuill power For that which wee render Higher they translate superexcellentes hoping thereby to escape the obscurity and danger of the vulgar translation which answers our English That is Bezaes censure on the vulgar Latine which saith Potestatibus sublimioribus subdita sit and redounds to our English wherein he hath his followers The difference at first seemes onely verball but when we heare them from hence suspect a dangerous sence we are to stand vpon ourguard and presume of a reall dissension Giue them leaue to change the word sublimioribus into superexcellentibus and they thinke they haue sufficient warrant in stead of absolute Lords and Princes to put in Bailiffes and Constables It must bee meant of all Magistrates that haue power ouer other men or else it is Periculosa interpretatio And wherin stands the danger Because they shall bee denied to deriue their power from God That would not follow because others are heresayd to bee of God they being not named Put the case they were denyed it and had their power allotted them onely from Kings and not immediatly from God as Kings deriue theirs Indeede this is that which is much feared by them who secretly labour to curbe Kings as shall appeare anon But is this lesse then the Apostle giues them S. Peter makes a different fountaine of power Submit your selues to euery ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether it be to the king as Supreame or vnto Gouernours as vnto them that are sent by him 1. Pet 2.13 14. Gouernours who haue a King may not thinke they stand at the well-head with him but haue their power deriued from him By him are they sent and from him haue they their authoritie and yet it is from God too being a branch of the Kings power which is immediatly from God It is not then a dangerous opinion but the safest trueth which they would auoide But we must not frame fancies and then fit the Scripture to them by translation Indeed should I lay this to their charge I should wrong them for whilest they were quarrelling with the word that was the occasion of daunger rather then they would erre from the originall they placed in another alike dangerous For what aduantage haue they by Superexcellentibus it is not in the comparatiue degree as was the other But hath it not a comparatiue sense Yes as great or greater Such as our English more excellent or more eminent doth not reach which Pareus at length confesseth saying Praecipuètamen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Apostle especially aimes at the Supreame power so the true meaning of the word importes for it is that which amongst many is still higher then them all and therfore Supreame which our latter English Translation obserues in the place before cited out of Saint Peter 1. Pet. 2.13 Submit your selues to the King 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Supreame They are then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Supreame powers only to whom this obedience is due and to all such whether in Monarchie Aristocratie Democratie or other forme of gouernement This we haue further warrant for from our Apostles discourse for that wee may haue yet another Plea against inferiour Magistrates and shew also at last against the Papists claime that no Spirituall Power hath place here these higher powers are such Rom. 13.4 as to whom the sword of iustice is immediatly committed at the fourth verse He that is one of these powers beareth not the sword in vaine for hee is the Minister of God a reuenger to execute wrath vpon him that doth euill and vnto whom Tribute belongeth at the sixth verse for this cause also you pay Tribute Both which are the infallible markes of Supreame ciuill power being parts of the Rights of Maiestie Yee haue then the persons to whom subiection is due Let vs now see Quis who it is that is to performe it whom wee find expressed by Omnis anima Euery soule PART II. Quis Euery soule THat here the soule is vsed Synechdochicè the part for the whole man as oftentimes in Scripture I presume needs no confirmation But yet there may be some speciall cause why he nameth the soule not the body which Gorran will haue Quia debet esse

Matt. 22.21 and the foundation of all commands the Law which was giuen by God himselfe first in generall termes Honour thy father and thy mother Exod. 20. and afterward enlarged Deut. 17.12 That man that will doe presumptuously nor hearken vnto the Priest or vnto the Iudge that man shall die But doth this command vrge at all times and on all occasions What if the Prince be wicked idolatrous The vices of the man abridge not his power and therefore not the Apostles command If this might haue beene a sufficient plea against obedience S. Paul might haue spared this precept since Nero was the power to whom these Romans were subiect Or to omit all other cases that may be made what if his command be contrary to religion yea an army bee raysed for the extirpation of true religion This is the true touchstone of subiection and heere if euer may a subiect renounce all obedience to his King For now is there power against power man against God and the subiect of both left to follow either man or God This is a wonderfull strait from which whilest some labour to escape by the shipwracke of their faith they turne traitors to God others by taking the sword in hand though but to defend become rebels to their King That is their stile Whether God be to be obeied rather then man should need no proofe amongst any that confesse a God and therefore when a Christian heares the commaund of a Prince pressing him to what God hath expresly forbidden Nature prompts him his answer I must obey God and this hath the Apostles practise ratified who counted this their safe warrant for not yeelding to the High Priests iniunctions Obedire oportet Deo magis quam hominibus we ought to obey God rather then man August de ve bis Domini ser 6. rather indeed in respect of the danger that attends in the disobeying of either for Hi carcerem as S. Augustine Ille gehennam minatur these threaten imprisonment onely God hell fire I hey a temporall He an eternall death There is no shifting then of Gods command without the penaltie of eternall death and therefore he must be obeyed euen against the King That 's my resolution in the first case But what if the King presse by violence to draw thee from that obedience wilt thou maintaine it by violence Wee haue indeed the Iesuites instructions for it yea Comoz letter to Parry and the Popes encouragement to it I spare the quotations because there comes not a Booke of theirs wherin if occasion be giuen they forbeare to expresse it Hospin Hist Iesuit l. 4. c. 1. Anticotton or compendiously to refer you to some see Hospin and Anticotton A doctrine of which when the Society is challenged for they are ashamed and labour to cleere themselues against their written testimonies as appeares in Anticotton And yet I can not but with griefe speak it we finde euen in some Reformed Bookes the Iesuites penne Their names deserue to bee branded that broach such positions weigh those of Pareus Par. in Rom. 13. dub 4. Bishops and Pastors may and ought to resist their vniust Magistrates Concl. 1 Pareus his false doctrines and wicked positions concerning Higher powers not with the sword but the word of God reproouing their notorious impiety and iniustice and reducing them to their office according to the word of God and the Law and deliuering them if stubborne to Satan That Priests should tell Princes their faults Replic we grant but when they can vse discretion fitting so grand a businesse when they desire to insinuate into them by their owne teares not enforce vpon them Gods command Spirituall force is the mother of all other but not farther to bee insisted vpon by mee at this time because our occasion was from what followeth Subditi non priuati Concl. 2 sed in Magistratu inferiori constituti c. Subiects such as are inferiour Magistrates may by armes defend themselues lawfully the Common-weale and true Religion against the superiour Magistrates These superior Magistrates are such Replic we may presume in whom the supreme power resides and then you may see how directly it thwarts the Apostles rule For those other Magistrate are subiects It is not lawfull for subiects Concl. 3 which are meerely priuate men to take armes without out a lawfull calling neither to inuade a tyrant before danger nor to defend themselues against them in danger nor to reuenge themselues after danger if they may be defended by the ordinary power If then they faile of this condition Replic there is a time when they may right themselues we shall not need to collect it he addes it in the following conclusion If a tyrant presse on his subiects Concl. 4 as if he were latro and stuprator and they can not escape by flight or any other ordinary meanes it is lawfull for to defend themselues and theirs as against a priuate extortioner How far short these conclusions come of the Iesuites positions I referre to your trial by comparing them And yet is not he the only man that maintaineth thē Buchanan and the fayned Iunius Brutus are infamous for this doctrin I could name others But this may suffice that there is scarce any of them who are eager for the Presbyterie and are fit instructours in this point for subiects of a free Monarch and therfore no maruell if our eares bee tainted with such doctrine That which I conceiue in this case for truth is that no subiects may vpon any occasion take armes or vse any violence against the supreame power no not in defence of religion Whosoeuer resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God Rom. 13.2 sayth S. Paul in the 2. verse Which place may well serue to confirme Princes power ouer their subiects in this case for this rule was giuen to them who suffered vnder a Tyrant and that for religion It is a vaine and idle exception which Pareus takes at this Some arguments drawn from the power of Maiesty saying such places are bent against priuate men who vsurpe such power ouer superiours for euery Common-wealth consists but of two sorts in the generall Prince and People superiours and subiects those who partake not of the Supremacy as in an Oligarchie are priuate men if where the power is deuided one take the sword against the other this is as hee is a part of the supreame power Other arguments that may bee drawne à parte potestatum I forbeare because they haue all their strength from the Apostles reason and till that be weighed we cannot auoide their shifts If we reflect vpon subiects we shall find that their hands are tied by precepts which lay hold on them as they take on thē to be zealous Christians Christs Mat. 5.44 Rom. 12.17 Pray for them that persecute you and the Apostles Recompence to no man euill for euill are not such priuate vertues but that they pertaine to euery