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
A42790	Three sermons preached in Lent and summer assizes last at Lancaster, and on one of the Lords days in the late Guild of Preston : wherein the nature of subjection to the civil magistrate is explained, the duty proved, and the clergy justified in pressing the same upon their fellow-subjects / by Thomas Gipps.	Gipps, Thomas, d. 1709.	1683 (1683)	Wing G783; ESTC R27382	51,822	90

upon the Usurpers account We may not commend his Government nor write Panegyricks nor erect Monuments to the Commendation of his Person and Virtue We may not enter into Engagements of Maintaining his Authority against the just and legal Title of the excluded Prince nor positively abjure the Royal Family If we proceed thus far in Subjecting our selves we are guilty of perjury the downright breach of our Sacred Oaths at least may bring our Consciences into such a Snare that if ever Providence turns our Captivity and Restores our Soveraign we are reduc't into this Streight of Necessarily forswearing our selves For to adhere to the Usurper to be active in his Defence is a Violation of our first Oath which Eternally obliges us not to resist our natural Prince And to be active in our Princes Cause is manifest perjury for the same Reason The Sin of forswearing our selves and unfaithfulness Will one of these Ways of a surety Cleave to us But if any think to avoid this Dilemma by being a Neuter he is so grossly mistaken that he is perjur'd in both Respects and doubly forswears himself He defends neither the Prince nor the Usurper at least he resists neither as he has oblig'd himself For the avoiding of which inconvenience it is our Wisdom and Duty tho to be Subject yet not active under the Usurper Because When Opportunity offers its self of recalling the Prince and Re-establishing the Lawful Government which oft times has and will happen even when it has appear'd impossible then our former Obligation revives and returns upon us For Providence which I always maintain is the Finger of God a Demonstration of his Will not onely admonishes us of our Duty but by putting it into our Power invites us to pull him down who Ceases to be the Divine Ordinance and as a rod is flung into the Fire Thus Jeremy after he had exhorted the Jews to be subject to Nebuchadnezzar to his Sons and to his Sons Sons adds after shall many Nations and great Kings serve themselves of him that is When Providence should put the Power and Opportunity into their Hands The whole that has been said in Answer to this first Question seems in my Judgment agreeable to the Principles and in a great measure to the Practice of that Learned Lawyer that honest Gentleman that good Subject that excellent Christian the Lord Chief Justice Hales in that account given of him by a late Learned Pen and of that renown'd Roman Knight Pomponius Atticus whose Life the said Eminent Lawyer has publish'd having I suppose singled if out for a Pattern and Coppy of his own Life Now if what has been delivered upon this Argument be well laid together I shall be so far from giving any just Offence or that I judg my self to have bound such strong Shackles upon the Conscience as will not be easily shook off by any that have any Spark of Religion and Loyalty left in them I proceed now to a second Query what if the Natural Prince stretches his Dominion beyond the Line exercises his Power beyond the Compass against the Rule of the Law To this I reply He is still the Higher Power the Ordinance of God Thou mayest not revile him nor by Force resist him nor with danger to his Life his Person his Crown and Dignity or the Publick Peace defend thy self Thou art notwithstanding bound to pay him all Reverence in Patience and Humility to possess thy Soul This I take to be St. Peters Doctrine who when he had perswaded Submission to the King and Subjection to Masters even to the froward backs his Doctrine thus For this is Thank-worthy if a Man for Conscience towards God indures grief suffering wrongfully not so much as Answering again as St. Paul to Titus commands that is not saucily not reproachfully Which also is by Peter recommended from the Example of Christ who when he was reviled reviled not again Now because there are among us many that ridicule this Doctrine and with much Confidence explode that Principle of betaking our selves only to Prayers and Tears humble and modest Petitions which the Primitive Saints and we at this day affirm the onely Conscientious Rule and Remedy against Injury received from the Supreme Magistrate 'T is worth our pains to observe how those Apostles encourage the Christians and by what Motives they press them unto this patient Suffering Says Paul Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the Inheritance And he that doth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he has done that is of God Again he saith Knowing whatsoever good thing any Man doeth the same shall he receive of the Lord. Says Peter If when ye do well and suffer for it ye take it patiently this is acceptable with God For hereunto are ye called because Christ also suffered for us leaving us an Example When he suffer'd he did not so much as threaten but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously Paul and Peter comforted not their Disciples with hopes of Opportunity some time or other to assert their just Rights and Natural Liberty which had been safe enough to have done in these their private Letters Nor do they talk of a Natural transcendent Power to resist when they should be able but as became good Subjects and Preachers of righteousness dealt plainly with them putting them in Remembrance what they were to trust unto scil to the righteous Judgment of God to the future Recompence of reward and to the Divine Punishments to be inflicted upon their Oppressors They had now perfectly learnt their Lesson not so much as to call down Fire from Heaven to consume their Enemys nor muster whole Legions of Angels in their own just Defence and Preservation much less not insist upon their Natural Right against the Publick Peace Whence I conclude that in Case of Injury and Oppression God is the onely Judg to him we are to appeal to his Care and Goodness is the Cause to be committed Our Obligations of Honour Obedience patient Submission and peaceable Subjection cannot cease in the Mean Time If any should now reply that the foresaid Passages concern the Duty of Servants to their Masters not of Subjects to the Higher Powers I shall answer that St. Peters Discourse and St. Pauls in Titus seems plainly intended of both and I farther reply that since Christians were commanded to be Subject not indecently to answer their Patrons tho froward and unjust that since they were not allowed by Disobedience to recover their Natural Liberties but to abide in the same Calling wherein they were called that is as Erasmus glosses upon that Place to bear their Lot with contended minds not to plead the Law of Nature against the Dominion of their Masters nor upon Pretext of Religion to disturb the Common-wealth if it were thus with Christian Slaves it must be understood thus by parity of Reason with Christian Subjects tho they

suffer unjustly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 illegally There is I will not deny a great Difference between them and us the Emperours and Heads of Families being much more absolute and arbitrary than our Princes and Masters are at this day And yet this will not justify resistance which being attended with the Breach of the Publick Peace and Order and a Subversion of Government in its Tendency is as irregular sinful in a Mixt as in an absolute Monarchy and every whit as repugnant to the Doctrine of the Apostles The Exorbitances of the supreme tho limited Power can be no plea for the Subject to rebell when the Publick Contract has expresly forbid it But if in contempt and spite of the Municipal Law the Subjects of a limited Monarch may fly to the Law of Nature their Moral transcendent Power for the Defence of their just Rights and Properties I see no Reason why the Christians under the Roman Empire might not betake themselves unto the same Law of Nature their natural transcendent Power and by Force assert themselves out of that Despotical Unnatural Unjust and Unsupportable Slavery they were under To make an End of this It is acknowledg'd by most of our ingenuous Adversaries that even in mixt Monarchy as great Deference Obedience and Submission is done to the Person of the King as to an absolute Prince And this at present I have only pleaded for Now because when we back this Doctrine with the Christians Practice in the Primitive days we are wont to meet with Scornful Men such as will by no means admit the Holy Apostles and Martyrs as the Pattern but Reproach them for tame Fools as I have my self heard some Censuring those Famous Souldiers of the Thebean Legion I shall give you further to understand that our Predecessors in the Faith were not so weak not so Stoical not so Prodigal of their Estates nor weary of their Lives but so far as the Law of God and the Political Government gave them leave were as brisk in their own Defence and as tender of their Natural and Civil Interests as we can be Of which I shall offer to you a plain Demonstration ●ut of Scripture the more fully to explain and prove my Answer to this second Query The Apostle Paul and Silas having been Imprisoned and Whipt at Philippi unheard uncondemned that is contrary to Law the Magistrates upon second and better thoughts being Conscious that they had exceeded their Commission as part of amends and to stop their Legal Complaints sent to have them dismist privately But Paul who could resent an Injury as well as any among us was not so senseless and stark Mad to let this pass without taking Notice but valuing his Ease and his Liberty and his Roman Priviledges better than so stands upon his terms and requiring at least some Honourable Satisfactions sends them this Couragious Message They have beaten us openly uncondemned being Romans and have cast us into Prison and now do they thrust us out privately Nay verily but let them come themselves and fetch us out which the Magistrates were forc'd to condescend unto no doubt acknowledging their own Rashness and begging Pardon intreated them quietly to depart Somewhat alike Story you will meet with in the 22 th of the Acts and in the 19 th where Paul Appealed unto Caesar But when he stood before the High Priest and was commanded to be smitten on the Mouth Humane Infirmity and sudden Passion provok'd him to speak unadvisedly with his Lips so as neglecting or forgetting his Duty he burst out into these words God shall smite thee thou whited Wall Here the Supream Magistrate for as such was the High Priest look'd upon by the Jews though limited proceeded not according to Law on which Account Paul having Reproved him unmannerly upon the very first check and Intimation of hi●●ault confess'd I wist not Brethren that he was the High Priest I did not remember nor carefully enough consider it with my self for Paul could not be Ignorant who he was I acknowledge my Error my Passion herein And thus he Argues at last against himself It is written thou shalt not speak evil of the Ruler of thy People Let us my Brethren Expound Paul's Doctrine by his Practice What can be the sense of these words Let every Soul be subject to Higher Powers Be subject to Principalities Obey Magistrates Submit your selves to and Honour the King Resist not the Ordinance Even in the present Case put of his Acting Illegally 't is so far from being Lawful to defend our selves or repel Injury by Force that 't is not permitted us so much as to Reproach him by indecent Reflections on his Person if the Apostles Practice may pass for a good Comment upon his own Text. And let this suffice in Answer to the Second Question I should now go on to two other remaining Queries but it being not fit for me to intrench farther upon your Patience I shall reserve them to the Afternoon And for a Conclusion shall beg leave to look back to what in the beginning I took some little Notice of and in a few words expostulate with our Adversaries about those unreasonable Clamours they raise against us who endeavour to inform our Congregations of the Nature Duty and Necessity of Subjection to the Higher Powers If indeed we would become Leaders of the People and draw them forth into the Wilderness the Field of Rebellion we need not then Question at our descent from the Pulpit but to meet with the Praises of Men for quitting our selves so dexterously in the behalf of the good of the People as some Men are pleased to call Faction Might we Preach to the People what is grateful to their Ears and corrupt Hearts our Task would be easie our Labours acceptable and in some measure successful If we could or might be so wise in our Generation as to suit our Discourses to the prevailing Distemper of the Times letting our words drop smoothly and our Doctrine run down gently with the Stream of Popular Humour I am sensible we should be hugg'd as Men of Temper Peaceable and Moderate Men Men that meddle not with the Times or State Affairs That is in Truth that say nothing that is nothing to purpose that is nothing towards the Information and Amendment of the present Disorders among us We might then be an happy sort of Men always in Favour and evermore surrounded with Applauses which are the most bewitching Temptations to sinful Silence and Moderation falsly so called Had I ex gr no call to this Publick Performanc● here did I not verily think it both seasonable and my indispensable Duty to urge the Doctrine of obedience to the Higher Powers at this time I might have remain'd lurking at home quiet not have raised the malice and hatred of this pievish Generation against me nor drawn upon my self the odious Character of being a Tory and a Sycophant I might have been