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
A47398	Of obedience for conscience-sake a sermon preach'd at the assizes held at Warwick, August the 7th, 1683 / by Jonathan Kimberley ...	Kimberley, Jonathan, 1650 or 51-1720.	1683 (1683)	Wing K479; ESTC R8434	18,646	34

Governours and their Brethren that with more than a savage cruelty would and too often do devour one another And if the case be so under Government where there are bounds set and punishments allotted for Transgressors what would be the state and condition of mankind if there were none If every man were permitted to follow what was just in his own eyes it is to be fear'd that nothing would seem so to him but what was unjust if not cruel to his Neighbour and confusion would be the certain consequence thereof Government therefore is necessary And as it is necessary in it self so is it by the Appointment of God who has ordain'd it for the good of mankind Prov. 8.15 1 Sam. 26.9 2 Sam. 5.12 It is by me says God that Kings reign They are the Anointed of the Lord He sets and establishes them in their Thrones This he did to the Kings of Israel under the Old Testament in a peculiar manner but he did not confine his care to them only but Gentile Kings are also of his appointment and even such as were Cruel and Tyrannical as appears from our Saviours owning their Power Mat. 17.27.22.17 18 c. in paying Tribute an Arbitrary Tax to them at the expence of a Miracle and from the Injunctions of S. Paul and S. Peter Rom. 13.2 1 Pet. 2.13 who command us to submit to them as the Ordinance of God and to obey their commands for the Lords sake Government therefore is Necessary and at least in the general of Divine Appointment And that of all Governments Monarchical is the best will appear from hence because it bears the nearest resemblance to the Divine Government and best answers the ends of it It is most easie to the Subject if it be good and gentle and less cruel if it prove Tyrannical Most easie as that Obedience is always where the fewest command and so consequently most easie of all when we are subject to the will and power but of one If it should be Tyrannical it would be less hurtful inasmuch as 't is better to lye under the lash of one Tyrant than many and the rage of a Prince is less dangerous to a Kingdom than an Aristocratical fury or the uncontroulable violence of an incensed Rabble Government being necessary and of Divine Appointment and of all Governments Monarchical being the best as bearing the nearest resemblance to the Divine Pattern and being most conducive to the Peace and Happiness of any People highly reasonable then and very beneficial to us is this doctrine which S. Paul in this Chapter sets before us of subjection to the higher Powers that God hath placed over us The extent of which duty he sets before us ver 1. That every Soul is to submit to them in the following Verses he inforces his injunction with two Reasons the first is deriv'd from the original of this power it is from God ver 2. Whosoever resisteth the Power resisteth the ordinance of God and they shall receive to themselves damnation In the following verses 3 4. he adds another reason taken from the Authority these Powers are invested with If thou doest well thou shalt find a reward for thy ob●●ience but if thou doest evil he is sent to punish thee for the same From both these reasons he infers a necessity of subjection in the Text. Wherefore ye must needs be subject not only for wrath for fear of punishment here but also for Conscience-sake ye must submit to them as they are the Ordinance of God The words are a Precept pressing us to obedience to higher Powers from a sense of Religion not only for wrath but for Conscience-sake They afford us these heads First That a submission to those rightful Powers which God hath set over us is our indispensable duty Ye must needs be subject Secondly That although it is necessary that the Supream Magistrate should have an absolute coercive Power yet neither the bare hopes of a reward nor the dread of punishment in this World should be the only ground of our obedience Not only for wrath But Thirdly The only Obedience that ought to be regarded here or will be rewarded hereafter must proceed from a principle of Conscience For Conscience-sake As Corollaries from these heads we shall inferr 1. That neither an Atheist nor a vicious Person can be a good Subject from any good ground 2. That the Laws of the Higher Powers do oblige us to the observance of them in point of Conscience 3. That no pretences of Conscience or Religion can authorize any resistance of our Superiours 1. That a submission to those rightful Powers which God hath set over us is our indispensable duty If we derive the Ori●inal of Government either from Paternal right or from the looser way of Compact yet still it carries along with it a necessity of subjection in those that are under it He that anciently did or even now does dispute his Fathers Commands in things lawful deserves correction for it and he that durst oppose his Father formerly upon any account was liable to death for his disobedience 1 Arist. Eth. ad Nich. lib. 8. cap. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Simpl. ad Epic. Ench. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Alex. ab Alex. dierum Gen. lib. 6. cap. 10. de leg 12. Tabularum the ancient paternal power being despotical If we suppose that Government arose from Compact from the Concessions of the people which hypothesis can never be allow'd as true in regard that Governours are intrusted with a power of Life and Death which the People never had and so could never grant supposing then but not granting that Government arose from Compact it must be allow'd as necessary in order to the attaining of the ends of Government Peace and Security that there must be a Supream Power and that Power irresistible In this case the People must be suppos'd to concenter in him they place over them to be Umpire among them and if they will have him any thing more than the bare Image of a Prince or expect to enjoy under him the ends of Government Peace and Security to him must be their final Appeal and he must be invested with a power to compell them to submit to his determinations Furthermore allowing this supposition of the Origine of Government to be true yet the deductions which by some are made from it are very inconsequential As that the People may resume the Power which they gave or at least that those who succeed are not oblig'd to stand to the compacts of their Predecessors which are not only dangerous Principles but absurd and false Nor can it be imagin'd that ever any people should be so foolish as to go about to build any Government on such a sandy foundation which every storm must overturn if the People at pleasure may resume their unbounded liberty which in the foundation of the Government they are suppos'd to part with which they can

be the only ground of our Obedience We will suppose at present which we shall afterwards prove more largely that Loyalty and Obedience to our Governours is a duty that God requires of us and so a Christian Grace and therefore ought to proceed from and to be measur'd by the same principle and rule with other Graces which none will allow to be sound if they flow only from a prospect of Temporal Rewards or fear of such Punishments He therefore that only obeys his Prince out of hopes of being made great by him or for fear of suffering if he should disobey him can no more be said to be a good Subject than he that prays to God only to be seen of men or keeps his hand from picking his Neighbours Pocket only for fear of being discover'd and disgrac'd can be said to be either a good Christian or an honest Man Besides if we consider our Obedience to our Prince as a duty which we owe to God it cannot be such as will be accepted by him if it proceeds from fear only for God requires that we pay those duties we owe to him heartily and sincerely with the whole bent of our Will and Affections but those actions which proceed from fear only are but 1 Arist Eth. ad Nich. lib. 3. cap. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. mixt actions and are so far from being reckon'd among the actions of Christian graces that they are not esteem'd among those of the Vertues of Heathens Furthermore he that obeys his Prince only from Temporal concerns his Obedience is uncertain his Service unsafe ●ay it may be destructive to the Government if rely'd upon For if this Mercenary Subject is defeated in his expectation or any ways displeas'd as haughty and ambitious men soon are at their Governours or if he have a prospect of raising himself with safety by Rebelling what should withhold such a man if he pursues his principles but to oppose and destroy his King to advance himself and to overturn the Government that he may go unpunish'd in so doing So that from the whole we see that we must needs be subject not only for wrath for fear of Temporal Punishments or for hopes of any such Reward which is not the obedience that God requires or the King can trust to but our Loyalty must proceed from a sense of duty and we must obey for Conscience-sake 3. The only Obedience that ought to be regarded here or will be rewarded hereafter must proceed from Conscience For the right understanding of which we must know what Conscience is and what it is to act from a principle of Conscience Conscience is a Power which God hath implanted in the minds of men whereby they are enabled to compare their actions with the Rule and either to approve or condemn them as they agree or not agree with the same Now the Rule that Conscience is to be guided by among Christians is the revealed Will of God Whatsoever therefore is in Gods Law commanded is out of Conscience to be done and whatsoever is there forbidden is from the same principle to be avoided and this is to act from a principle of Conscience in conformity to what God requires of us Whatsoever then is not founded in the law of God nor derivable from thence is no matter of Conscience in it self but of private Opinion Scrupulosity or Errour Now is there any thing in Scripture more plainly commanded than Obedience to Authority or prohibited under severer penalties than the resisting of them To go no further than this Chapter Let every soul be subject to the higher Powers and whosoever resisteth the Power resisteth the Ordinance of God and he shall receive to himself damnation 1 Vid. 1 Cor. 11.29 34. Rom. 3.8 1 Tim. 3.6 the fame damnation that belongs to the vio●●●●rs of other ordinances of God a●d this doctrine was not only pr●●ch'd but practic'd by Christ and his Apostles and the Primitive Christians to the astonishment of their very Persecutors And yet notwithstanding the plainness and severity of these Precepts I know not how it comes to pass but so it is that there are many men among us who pretend to walk according to Scripture and would be accounted the only Conscientious persons yet have no more regard to these Rules than if they were Apocryphal to them and pretend even to Conscience for the violation of the same They are as free in censuring and condemning their Governours as if it were not written that 2 Exod. 22.28 Acts 23.5 thou shalt not speak evil of the Ruler of thy people Thou shalt not revile the Gods 3 Eccl. 10.20 Nor curse the King no not in thy thought They are as ready to oppose him upon all occasions as if it were not Canonical Scripture that whosoever resisteth the Power resisteth the ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive damnation What Criticisms false glosses and frivolous distinctions are invented and made use of to avoid the force of these plain Precepts the Higher Powers are to be divided into Higher and Lower the Higher or Supream is to be obey'd say they but the lower although Commissionated by the highest may be resisted The King the highest Power is to be divided and his Authority may be so far separated from his Person as the one may be made use of to destroy the other When we are expresly commanded to submit to the King and to those that are sent by him and that not only to such as are good and gentle but also to the froward and to bear our sufferings patiently although we suffer wrongfully 1 Pet. 2. after the example of Christ how many limitations must we have before these precepts which were deliver'd indefinitely can be receiv'd or own'd If the King be Ungracious Insufficient or Tyrannical he is so far say some from being to be submitted to that he ought to be oppos'd and destroy'd As if Nero and some of those that succeeded him were not as Cruel and Tyrannical as 't is imaginable any should be whom they were commanded to obey and did quietly submit to I 'm confident that if the like Sophistry were allow'd to be made use of in other cases the force of any the plainest precepts of Scriture might be eluded and the most desperate actings by such Arts might be defended thence But however men by such devices may delude themselves and abuse the World yet God will not be mocked nor their Consciences always sleep but will one day try them and unless they repent condemn them by these plain Scripture Rules devoid of all their Sophistry and delusion Furthermore he that makes Conscience of his duty to his Governours dares not so much as curse them in his thought much less enter into any Leagues Covenants or Associations against them be they never so secret because his Conscience which is the foundation of his Obedience respects a future judgement he obeys his Ruler as