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
B22970	An appeale to thy conscience as thou wilt answere it at the great and dreadfull day of Christ Iesus.	Fisher, Edward, fl. 1627-1655.	1643 (1643)	Wing F987	36,794	40

AN APPEALE TO THY Conscience As thou wilt answere it at the great and dreadfull Day OF Christ Iesus BEhold all yee that kindle a fire that compasse your selves about with sparkes walke in the light of ●our fire and in the sparkes that you have kindled This ●hall ye have of mine hand ye shall lie downe in sorrow ●say 50. 11. Printed in the Nineteenth Yeare of our Gracious Lord King Charles whom God grant long to raigne An Appeale to thy Conscience READER whosoever thou art I charge thee before God 2 Tim. 1. 4. 3. and the Lord Iesus Christ who sha●l judge the quick and the dead at that his appearing and in his Kingdome suffer wholsome doctrine and say aside the itching eares of these times that after their own lasts get them an heape of teachers Censure not before thou hast read it and be as free from faction as the Author of this Treatise is from Pop●ry Socinianisme Arminianisme or any by relation whatsoever which might draw him into errour Spit our now the venom of envy and sedition if thou art impoysoned therewith it may be God may so worke by his holy spirit in thy heart that thou mayest acknowledge the truth and never suck in that venome again by repentance 3 Tim. ● 25. 26. mayest come to amendment out of the snare of the Devil of whom thou art taken prisoner till then to doe his will But thou O happy Christian who knowest these things and doest them be assured all the blessings are thine which God promiseth from Lev. 26. verse the third unto v. the 14. and take this exhortation from St. Iude that thou earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto thee be stedfast not carried about with every winde of doctrine as multitudes of corrupt men are in our daies who are raging waves of the Sea foaming out their owne shame murmurers complainers walking after their owne lusts having me●● persons in admiration because of advantage mockers separating sensuall having not the spirit though they boast of nothing more Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh despise dominion and speake evil of dignities and by wresting the word of God do seek to maintaine their rebellio● schismes factions and their cursed speakings daily vented abroad in their pamphlets to the great dishonour of God the scandall of His Church and the infamy of our State And since the lawfulnesse of any action is the surest ground for hope of Gods blessing thereon which as the pretence runneth is To defend 〈◊〉 Protestant Religion and root out Popery and Idolatry to obtain the ●ust liberty of the subiect and ●o free them from sla●ery and oppression We 〈◊〉 ●herefore with all sincerity and plainenesse not handling the word of God deceitfully but by m●nifestation of the tru●h commending our selves to ev●ry mans c●nscience 2 Cor. 4. 2. in the sight of God ●y no other foundation but what the Scriptures have confirmed which is That subj●cts may not take up a●m●s Agai●st their lawfull Soveraign because He is wicked an uniust no though He be an Idolater and Oppressour The Reasons are First because it were an high pr●sumption and impiety in us to limit that 1 Reason command which God doth not limit Now our obedience to Superiours is alwayes commanded without limitation For God doth not command us to obey our Rulers only whilst they are good bu● indefinitely be they good be they bad Obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves Heb. 13. 17. Honour the King 1 Pet. 2. 17. Speake not evill of the Ruler of thy people Exod. 22. 28. Thou must hold thy tongue much more thy hands And St. Paul did acknowledg that unawares he had offended against this precept in reviling Ananias though he was a most wicked High-priest Acts. 23. 2 3 4 5. Secondly we may not thinke evill of the King ●herefore much lesse may 2 Reason we take up armes against him Eccles 10. 20. Curse not the King no not in thy thought But who can reveale our thought Surely God only Psa 94. 11. Ier. 17 10. And rather then a meanes shall be wanting a bird of the aire shall carry the voyce and that which hath wings shall tell the matter Thirdly S. Paul saith Recompence to no man evill for evill Rom. 12. 3 Reason 19. If thou maiest to no man then certainely not to thy King unto whom thou canst not do a greater evill and indignity then to take up armes against him Fourthly That which peculiarly belongs unto the Lord thou oughtest 4 Re●son not without his authority to meddle with But taking up of armes peculiarly belongs unto the Lord. Deut. 32. 35 where the Lord sayth Vengeance is Mine and of all kind of temporall vengeance taking up of armes that is the sword is the greatest which made David to choose the pestilence to fall upon his land rather then the sword 2 Sam. 24. 13. 14. Fifthly Rom. 13. The Apostle argues the point expressely Let every soule none excluded be subject unto the higher powers for there is no power 5 Reason but of God if no power then the power of a wicked Prince is from God and the powers that be are ordained of God Whosoever threfore resisteth the power resistteth the ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation Here is a heavy penalty laid not the confiscation of thy goods nor the quartering of thy body but far worse the everlasting damnatio●●●th of soule and body in hell fire for ever Observe under what powers St. Paul lived and to whom he command● this subjection even to those Idolatrous bloudy Emperours Claudi●s and Nero. Neither is St. Paul alone for St. Peter also joynes with him Submit your selves to every ord●nance of man for the Lords sake unto the King as supreame for so is the will of God 1 Pet. 2. 13 15. Sixthly S●lomon counsels every wise man to keep the Kings Commandement 6 Reason and that in regard of the oath of God Eccles 8. 1. 2. Here the Covenant made by the people to obey the King is called the oath of God And who dare sin so far against his owne soule as to breake this oath of God by disobedience and rebellion Nor art thou Read●r fr●e from this oath of God who hast taken the oathes of supremacy and Allegiance unto the King and hast so solemnly vowed to keep the late Protestation which includes them both But Solomon goes further and tells us The King doth whatsoever pleaseth him where the word of a King is there is power and who may say unto him what doest thou Now by the common rule Quod quaestiones affirmativ● resolver●ntur negativè the sense is That none may say unto the King what doest thou How none Thou wilt say may not his Iudges or if not they may not the Captaines of his Host o● if not they may not his Princes and Nobles or

destruction of the whole army whose number was as the sand which is on th● sea shore in multitude 1. Sam. 13. 5 and chap. 14. 4. 6. 14. 15. Vnarmed David upon the same ground that the Lord saveth not with sword and speare for the battel is the Lords assured himself that the Lord wou●d deliver mighty Goliah into his hands who had an helmet of brasse upon his head and was armed with a coate of male and the waight of the coate was 5000 sheckels of brasse And he had greaves of brasse upon his legs and a target of brasse between his shoulders And the staffe of his spear was like a weavers b●am and his spears head weighed 600 sheckels of Iron chap 17. 5. 6. 7 47. So Asa crying unto God and saying Lord it is nothing to thee to help whether with many or with th●m that have no powr Over●hrew Zerah and destroyed an cost of Ethiopians consisting of a thousand thousan● and three hundred charets 2. chr 14. 9. 11. 13. this carried Iehoiada the Priest aboue all defficu●ties against that bloudy usurping Queene Athal●ah 2. chr 24. This was the Churches confidence in Dauids time God is our refuge and strength Therfore will no● we feare though the earth be removed and though the mountaines be carried into the midst of the sea The Lord of hosts is with us Psal 46. 1. 2. 11. And with whom God is as without doubt he is was and ever will be with his church how can they at any time be accounted unable to resist in a just cause Doest thou respect multitude and is the Lord with the● Elisha or King Hezekiah will tell thre that there be more with thee then against thee 2. K. 6. 16. and 2 cor 32. 7. dost thou regard armyes the Lord breaketh the bow and cutteth the speare in sund●r he b●●neth the chariat in the fire Psal 46. 9. It is therefore apparant that if the children of God had had any warrant from Gods word by force to resist the wickednesse and cruelties of their lawf●ll Soueraignes they never wanted ability Ninthly Gods heavy judgments upon those who have taken up armes 9 Reason against their Prince though an Idolater and oppressour ought to be a warning unto us how we do the like Amon was an Idolater and his servants conspired against him and slew him but the p●ople of the Land detesting such horrible treason slew all them that had conspired against him 2. K. 21. 21. 22 23. 24. Nebuchadnezzar was an Idolater cruell Tyrant and type of Antichrist yet after that Iehoiakin had once yeelded up his faith and service unto Him whereby he became his lawfull Sovereign the Lord was so offended with his rebellion that he sent not only against him bands of enemies but also gave the land of Judah to destroy it and the Lord gave him into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar who buried him as an asse is buried drawne and cast forth without the gate of Jerusalem 2. K. 24. 1. 2. Ier. 12. 19 Dan. 1. 2. Neither was this a s●ffic●ent warning but Zedekiah did also rebell and was taken by Nebuc●a●nezzar who gave judgment upon him and they flew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him wi●h f●t●ers of brasse and carried him to Babyl●n Lastly To t●ke up armes against thy lawfull Sover●ign though he be an Idol●ter and ●ppres●●ur is contrary to the doctrine of the Church of England as it is delivered in the second part of the Booke of H●milies in the last Hom●l And also against the doctrine of the Fathers Martyrs and all holy men even from Chr●sts ●ime untill these last hundred yeers as you may s●e●t at large proved in the Booke intituled The subjests duty Bu● what t●u●li●s thereso cle●r which hath not met with some opposition Let the servant● do what they can he envious man will finde a time to sow tares among the wheat Matth. 13. 25. 28. Howbeit no point of doctrine hath been longer nor more generally received in Christs Church then this hath for no divine ever doubted thereof untill the wicked Iesuites began to flourish who have turned all Religion into policy and to maintaine their conspiracies treasons stabbing poysoning banishing deposing and murdring of Princes have by corrupting the Word of God endeavoured to prove That Subjects may and ought to take up armes against resist and slay their lawfull Sovereign if He be an heretike and oppressour But that which is most to be lamen●ed ●s that many learned men and otherwise great lights and pillars of the Protestant Church have through an over ho● and fiery Zeale runne into the same path with the Iesuites using the same arguments with them and alike countenancing sedition and rebellion to the ruine both of Church and state where they prevaile And since their arguments are by factious spirits enemies to all peace and government spread abroad in these unhappy times of publiqu● differences I shall therefore Reader for the full satisfaction o● thy Conscience set them downe in order and according to the Word of God render unto each a particular answer The first Objection David tooke up armes against Saul who causelesly sought his life 1 Sam. 22. 1 2. and chap. 24. 18. Therefore Subjects may lawfully take up armes against their Soveraigne The Answer To this I answer That it is falsely alledged that David tooke up armes against Saul For if we read the story of David 1 Sam. we shall alwaies finde him flying from one Town to another never resisting never sighting And when the Lord delivered Saul into his hand unawares in the Cave in the Wildernesse of En-gedi he did not lay hands on or doe the least hurt unto Saul nay he acknowledged he committed ●n ●ffence of high presumption and his heart smote him because he cut off Sauls skirt n●r would he suffer his men to rise against Saul but diswaded them saying The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master the Lords anoint●d to stretch forth mine hand against him seeing he is anointed of the Lord chap. 24. Again when the Lord deli●●red Saul into his hands in the hill of Hachilah and Abishai would have smote him David forbad saying Destroy him not for who can stretch forth his hand against the Lords anointed and be guiltlesse ch 26. So that Davids carriage towards Saul is worthy the imitation of all faithful and religious Subjects F●y we may from the causelesse wrath of the King but resist and take up a●mes against Him we may not David shews us no such example And it is also observable that though Saul maliciously and unjustly pursued David yet David continued in his duty towards Saul alwaies speaking most honourably of him And in testimony of his loyalty when Saul did but look● behind him David stooped with his face to the Earth and bowed himselfe and presently after protesteth that he never sinned against him 1 Sam. 24. 8 11. whose