Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	ordinance_n	power_n	resist_v	4,907	5	10.4011	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A36771	The true nature of the divine law, and of disobediance thereunto in nine discourses, tending to shew in the one, a loveliness, in the other, a deformity : by way of a dialogue between Theophilus and Eubulus / by Samuel Du-gard ...	Dugard, Samuel, 1645?-1697.	1687 (1687)	Wing D2461; ESTC R14254	205,684	344

them If we look upon the Apostle's Words from which the former Opinion is taken to wit All things are yours there are these things indeed which much make for the Honour as well as the Benefit of Pious Men. All things are theirs so as that with a Christian Liberty they may use them without esteeming any of them unclean All things are theirs after such a manner as that if they should absolutely stand in need of them God would order them by his Almighty Power for their Service Lastly all things are so theirs that in probability God would not suffer his Sun to shine nor his Rain to fall on the Evil were there not Good Men in the World to value his Providence and Love. But then this is the whole that those Words will bear To say that God hath given the Saints the Right of Possession and authorized them to Ingross all the World to themselves is notoriously false For as the Oeconomy of the World now stands God doth dispose of the possession of things in those ways which all Civil Nations do give consent unto or the particular Laws of Nations allow of whether they be Inheritances by Descent or the Gift of others to us or Purchased by our Money or Acquired by our Labour Where any of these are there is a Right as being God's Gifts to us by those Methods and the depriving us of them by Fraud or Force would be down-right Injustice Add to this that the Right of Possession in these ways is discernable and certain while the founding it in Grace and Holiness gives no sure Light unto us at all For how shall we know who are the Good We see Impiety can wear as good a Face somtimes as the truest Virtue and Mens Hypocrisie may cheat not only others by a specious shew but even themselves too There is nothing I may say more in the dark than true Goodness we cannot be infallible in pronouncing it in another because his Heart and Thoughts in which it peculiarly resides cannot be seen by us And our own Hearts are so deceitful that they oftentimes no less lie hid to ourselves than they do to others And therefore if Grace and Holiness which they will have to be the Ground of Dominion and Possession is so uncertain That Right which from those is so much talk'd of must needs be as uncertain But suppose that such and such should be known undoubtedly to be Religious and Gratious Persons I would ask Have they all the same Right to enjoy every thing or have they not If they have there will this absurdity follow viz. That every one cannot at the same time use what every one hath a Right unto and Quarrels may arise who shall have the Precedence in them If they have not all the same Right how comes equal Grace in many to give an unequal Title A narrower to one than to another Or if it shall evidently prove as it evidently will that Human Laws or Customs and not Grace do make a Distinction of Property why should some others whom those Laws or Customs have by no means condemned be denied the benefit of Property from them Further yet God may possibly bestow these outward good things upon a wicked Man as Encouragements to a better course of Life Somtimes he may throw them upon him as a Scourge and somtimes he may think good to reward with the Blessings of the Earth some good Actions in him when yet his Crimes will not suffer him to have hereafter a place in Heaven And in which of all these cases have not wicked Men a Right to their Estates from God as well as from Men Will any good Man think that he hath any Title to those outward Possessions which God hath conferr'd to draw Men unto Virtue Or will he arrogate to himself as Blessings what God hath made Curses to others Or lastly shall the good things which God hath given as Rewards for some commendable Actions be thought much of envied and claimed when it may be they are all the Recompences which ever shall be given And what wicked Man is there to whom his Estate may not belong in one of these ways And surely to deprive him of it upon the account of Grace in ourselves or Corrupt Nature in him would be Impiety and Presumption towards God and Injustice and Dishonesty towards Man. So unreasonable and contrary to the Law of Righteousness is this first Opinion And is it Theophilus any otherwise with the second I do not know any Laws in the New Testament that are more express and direct than those against the Resisting of Sovereign Princes Let every Soul be subject to the Higher Powers for there is no Power but of God Whosoever resisteth the Power resisteth the Ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves Damnation Rom. 13. And were it that upon the account of Religion we might resist why should the Holy Ghost so peremptorily forbid Resistence under an Emperour who he certainly knew would be a grievous Persecutor of the Gospel But if we look at the first progress of Christianity into the World the case will be evident The Gospel was not forcibly to enter the Territories of any Prince but by its own Excellence accompanied with cogent Arguments and humble Persuasions was to have admittance For indeed it was against the Nature of that which consisteth chiefly in Love to thrust itself upon the World by Acts of Hostility and Violence And if so can we reasonably think that when it is admitted it is to maintain itself by the Sword against those through whose Favour and Kindness it was first received This would be to make it by continuance to put on quite a different Nature from what it primarily had And were it to be such Princes could the less be blamed if they should be scrupulous in giving within their Dominions a place to that which at last might not allow a place to themselves there But surely Christ's Kingdom in its proper Nature is as little of this World as ever it was and so his Servants are as little to fight now as they were when He was upon the Earth It is a very remarkable place in St. Peter 2 Epist 2.10 11. where it is said That God will chiefly reserve those unto the Day of Judgment who are not afraid to speak evil of Dignities And that the holy Angels which are greater in Power and Might bring not railing Accusations against them which must needs be understood of evil Princes For what occasion may there seem for railing Accusations against those Princes that are Pious and Good Now if the blessed Angels with respect to God's Ordinance in them will speak with a kind of Heavenly Modesty and Deference concerning them is it lawful for us think we not only to let loose our Tongues in a bitter and inveighing manner but to lift up our Hands in Treasons and Rebellions against them And if those shall be reserved