Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n
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A26203
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Englands common-wealth shewing the liberties of the people, the priviledges of Parliament, and the rights of souldiery : with epistles to the persons mentioned ... / written by John Audley ...
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Audley, John, Preacher of the Gospel.
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1652
(1652)
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Wing A4202; ESTC R1402
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34,551
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48
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The love of God knowes no relations where men love not God that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ Religion rebukes all manner of transgressions in all sorts of men A mans neighbour is as himself and he loves his neighbour as himselfe Diligit in proximo quod in se ipso diligit diligit proximum candem ob causam propter quam diligit scipsum He properly loves his neighbour as himself who in his neighbour loveth God and Christ whom he loveth in himselfe and who loveth his neighbour for Christs sake for whose cause he loveth himselfe God and Christ in himselfe and in his neighbour is the rule of his love to both Where the image of Christ shines more in his neighbour he loveth him more then himselfe but Christ he loveth most And seeing the image of Christ defaced in his neighbour or by him he loveth him lesse for the greater love that he bears to God Like Levi's son who said to his Father and to his Mother I have not seen him neither did he acknowledge his brethren nor know his own children for they have observed thy word and kept thy Covenant Deut. 33. 8 9. For that respect they bare to God and Christ above themselves They mortified all inordinate Affections they had to their own kindred hating their own life to follow Christ Luk. 14. 26. And thus David did who loved perfectly hated Gods enemies with perfect hatred Psal. 139. 22. and punished those who hated God whom they ought to have loved A Slanderer an high-looker a proud hearted man I will not suffer he that worketh deceit shall not dwell in my house he that telleth lyes shall not tarry in my sight Psal. 101. 5 6 7. The Properties of Freedome The first sort of these Freedomes is Naturall and in perfect Nature it was perfect Freedome Then man loved God for that man saw in the perfect nature of God and had man persevered in that perfect state man had been perfectly free to this day The second sort of Freedome is Con-naturall For though men be free-borne yet are they borne under the Lawes of their Nation and the lawes of our Nation do not annihilate but only determine our naturall freedome The third sort of Freedome is ad-naturall because Religion addeth some thing to Nature to regulate and to order mans Freedome The Law of God gives directions to perfect the freedome of Nature and of the Nation and sometimes gives reproofes to correct the imperfectnesse of them both As men failed touching the law of Nature so they fell under the Law of Nations and as men failed of the law of their Nation so they fell under the law of God and as their sin was greater so they fell under the sorer rebuke and punishment and greater offenders the rather stood in need of the blood of Christ ad redemptionem to make a Purgation Of the spirit of Christ ad resipiscentiam to make them know their sin and to repent of it Of the Rod In correctionem for a reproofe among men for their scandalous offences against themselves against the people and against God And when the sword of the spirit did not cut men off from their transgressions but they brake all bands then Nature took the help of Lawes and men appealed for justice to them that bare the sword to defend their naturall Liberties and for recovering their Nationall Freedome did with the sword of the Magistrate punish offenders against God and the People and the rather when transgressors continued impenitent implacable and irreconcileable The consequences of Freedome The Lawes of Nature Nation and of God are subordinate one to another God is above the people and the people above a mans selfe Personall and private interest must give place to the Publike Interest of the People and of the Commonwealth And in the Cause of God Who is above all thy interest and the Peoples interest also must give way to the glory of God Wherefore in the punishment of evill doers private-pitty must give way to publike-safety of the people fearing God Pereat unus potiùs quà m unitas It is expedient for us that one man should die for the People that the whole Nation perish not John 11. 15. What here Caiaphas said in his policy Christian Magistrates must doe in piety For thus God himself took part with Nature punishing Caine for shedding Abels blood Gen. 4. Burning Sodom and Gomorrah for injury don to righteous Lot by that wicked people Gen. 19. Bringing in the stood upon the world of the ungodly and saving Noah A Preacher of righteousnesse 2 Pet. 2. 5. Helps of Freedome First God himselfe hath prescribed to all people Lawes to keep up Nature in Freedome and to rebuke the unnaturall Gen. 9. 6. who so sheds mans blood by man shall his blood be shed not by force and violence but by course of Law It is a Law of God that respects not the persons of man his blood must be shed for the blood shed by him who ever he be Numb. 35. 30. No satisfaction may bee taken for him After this Nature began to helpe it selfe among the people as in case of Adultery it is said It is an iniquity to be punished by the Judges Job 31. 9. 11. Then men made Covenants with one another and bound them each to other with Oaths and Protestations As between Laban and Jacob Gen. 31. 48. and between Abraham and the families of Escol Aner and Mamre Gen. 14. 13. and this in order to preserve the peace of their families and to recover their rights from that people that should infringe them Hereupon when Lot was taken captive by Chederlaomer Abraham and his confederates made warre upon and recovered Lot out of their hands vers. 12 14 16. Also Jonathan made a Covenant with David because he loved him as his owne soule 1 Sam. 18. 3. and secured him against Saul his father chap. 20. 4. entred a Covenant of the Lord that whatsoever Davids soule desired he would doe it for him vers. 12 13 16 17. David sware him v. 23. The Lord is between me and thee for ever 41. Afterwards it became a matter of Religion in all sorts of Men and Nations to keep their Covenants Leagues and Oathes between them made and in case of breach they did right themselves by punishing the offenders even as Israel did justice on his brother Benjamin and the men of Gibeah for the rapine and murder committed upon the Levites wife against that brother-hood that was between them Judges 20. or else if they could not right themselves and recover their liberties they did appeale to God to doe them justice as Jer. 15. 15. Oh Lord thou knowest remember me visit me and revenge me of my persecutors And David to Saul The Lord judge between me and thee and the Lord avenge me of thee 1 Sam. 24. 12. Thus Jephtah when he and the children of Israel stood for their
their fields their vineyards their seeds their Servants their sheep after his pleasure 1 Sam. 8. 11 13 14 15 16 17. which sheweth what Tyrants will doe not what good Rulers ought to doe How many other waies a man may be put out of possession of his goods as by stealth robbery c. I now forbeare Onely let me admonish that having liberty of our persons and estates and religion which is the greatest use it not as a cloak of maliciousnesse but as the Servants of God 1 Pet. 2. 16. For who is he that will harme you if yee be followers of that which is good 1 Pet. 3. 17. Obstinate Offenders forfeit their Liberty Obstinate offenders make themselves Bond-men Such as will not be reclaimed doe forfeit their Liberty Some men there be like the unjust Judge they neither feare God nor care for men These neither chuse Rulers nor obey them being unruly and disorderly the law is to try them and Rulers that rule by Law are a terror to evill-doers as they are Ministers of God for the praise of them that doe well Rom. 13. 3 4 6. Rulers are by the law of the Land to judge rotten members in order to the peace of sound members who did chuse or approve them For they are Gods Ministers attending continually on this very thing and for this cause pay yee Tribute to doe them Honour and the Magistrate accepting their place and power doe thereby ingage to doe the people justice Provided alwayes that yee continue to do well Such persons then as will not honour the Magistrate by keeping order and observing Law must bear the punishment of their disorder against the Law the Magistrate beareth not the sword in vaine Although unjust men know no shame Zeph. 3. 5. yet just governours cannot but countenance them that doe well even for very respect of Nature and to safe-guard mankinde against persons unnaturall for the judgement is the Lords and they judge for the Lord with whom is no respect of persons 2 Chron. 19. 8. The Emperour Trajan is said to give a Sword to the President of the Pretorium with these mandates Hoc ense utaris pro me justè faciente contra me utaris si injusta fecero i. e. in defensione proprii Corporis Nationis If the Emperour himselfe should doe unjust things he allowed the Judge to doe justice if it were against himselfe when he should doe evil No Liberty to the Lawlesse Freedome is to them that doe well the Law is a defence to them that keep the Law and it is given to punish them that breake the Law the Law is for the Lawlesse neither Nature Nation nor Religion allowes man any Freedome to doe evill Praise is to them that doe well not to the evil doer Christians in Rome living as a conquered people under persons in power who were unchristian were directed by Paul to pay their tribute to them Rom. 13. 6. and well if so doing they might live in peace It is the goodnesse of any Government to protect the good and such as are quiet in the land but evill-doers shall be rooted out Prov. 2. 22. Yee that will yet know no Law nor be in subjection where is there a Land or Nation which hath Lawes and yet evill men may live as they lust without rebuke Pay your tribute here then as did the conquered Christians in Rome and the captive Israelites in Babylon of old who were bid to submit to the yoke of their Government and to pray for the peace of that City for in the peace thereof yee shall have peace Jerem. 29. 7. There is no way to Liberty in England but in well doing Doe that is good and thou shalt have praise of the same Rom. 13. 3. never strive to recover to your selves a Freedome to doe evill here If thou doest evill be afraid Rom. 13. 4. but be true and faithfull to the Common-wealth of England and the Government thereof and the Powers here shall be ministers of God to thee for good in common humanity we are to love all men in Nationall community to love the Brother-hood and in Religion we are to feare God which three Lawes laid the foundation to that which followes Honour the King for Kings themselves were to use their power for the good of all men of the Brotherhood and of them that feared God punishing evill doers and praising them that did well and good people were not to malice their Kings under pretence of a liberty to doe well without them provided their Governours rule well reproving Malefactours for the sake of wel-affected persons men may doe well with out Rulers over them yet well-doers need Rulers over them both to incourage men in well doing and to safe-guard them that doe well against evill doers who have evill will at the good of Sion wherefore use yee your liberty as the servants of God 1 Pet. 2. 16 17. Where no Law is the intent of the Law is to be followed The Law of Nations is Lex non scripta as Mr. Coulse out of Hollinshed citing the Lord Hungerford executed for Buggery when yet there was no positive Law to punish it where the written Law comes short what wanteth must be supplyed out of the Law of God and Nature out of the Laws of rightreason and common equity for a terrour of them that doe evill and in defence of them that doe well New sins require new lawes as for the Ranters Lawes have been lately made by this State I grant we are much bound to our Ancestors for Magna Charta and other Lawes of common right and Justice but we need more lawes still to be made as occasion serveth necessity made David eate the Shew Bread to preserve his life otherwise not lawfull for any man to eate but for the Priests alone Here David transgressed the letter of the Law yet following the intent of the Law he was blamelesse Matth. 12. 3 4 5. See from the beginning the grounds hereof the Gentiles had not the Law i. e. the written Law but they were a Law unto themselves for they had {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the worke of the Law in their hearts their consciences or their thoughts accusing or excusing one another as they did well or ill Rom. 2. 14 15. for God had shewed them his power and God-head in things that are made Chap. 1. 20. so that they are without excuse who vanish away in their imaginations from that they know of God and from that light of God which shewes men what is suitable to the nature of God But seeing that where no Law is there is no transgression Rom. 5. 13. That is men are slow to impute transgression to themselves where there is no Law therefore the Law entred that sinne might abound and that sinne might become exceeding sinfull Rom. 7. 13. howbeit when men were instructed out of the Law and knew the directive power of the Law they