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
A59963	A hind let loose, or, An historical representation of the testimonies of the Church of Scotland for the interest of Christ with the true state thereof in all its periods : together with a vindication of the present testimonie, against the Popish, prelatical, & malignant enemies of that church ... : wherein several controversies of greatest consequence are enquired into, and in some measure cleared, concerning hearing of the curats, owning of the present tyrannie, taking of ensnaring oaths & bonds, frequenting of field meetings, defensive resistence of tyrannical violence ... / by a lover of true liberty.	Shields, Alexander, 1660?-1700.	1687 (1687)	Wing S3431; ESTC R24531	567,672	774

every soul be subject unto the higher Powers whosoever therefore resisteth the Power resisteth the Ordinance of God as Resistence by Prayer is with that 1 Tim. 2. 1 2. I exhort that Supplications be made for Kings and for all that are in Authority If the Prince be good the one as is unlawful as the other and a sinful resistence of the Ordinance of God to pray against him no less than the other to fight against him Therefore when he becomes a Tyrant destroyer of the Lords Inheritance and an Apostate as I may not pray for him except conditionally but against him as an Enemy of Christ so I may also fight against him as such 2. As Adversaries themselves will grant that Resistence by Prayers tears is more powerful effectual than the other So the Laws of the Land make the one treasonable as well as the other and that deservedly when the Prince is doing his duty but when he turneth Tyrant neither can justly be condemned These things being premitted I shall come shortly to the purpose and endeavour to prove this Truth That it is a necessary duty for a Community whether they have the Concurrence of the Primores Nobles Representatives or not to endeavour in the defence of their Religion Lives Laws Liberties to Resist Repress the Usurpation Tyranny of prevailing Dominators using or abusing their Power for subverting Religion invading the Liberties and overturning the foundamental Laws of their Country Wherein I shall be but short because this Truth is sufficiently confirmed by all the Arguments of the Second Head. Yet I may only hint at many other And prosecute them in this Order First I shall produce some Arguments from the Law of Nature Nations Secondly from the Common practice of all Christian people Thirdly from express Scriptures I. The Arguments of the first Class are very multifarious I shall reduce them to a few as Compendiously as may be and only give the strength of them in a Syllogistical forme without expatiating save where the matters requires 1. The greatest Antagonists of this Truth through the clearness thereof are forced to assert grant such particulars as will by Consequence justify this plea. 1. Barclay contra Monarchum is cited by the Apol. Relat. and Ius Populi asserting that if a King will alienate subject his Kingdom without his Subjects consent or be carried with a hostile mind to the destruction of his people his Kingdom is actually lost and the people may not only Lawfully resist but also depose him Grotius de jure belli lib. 1. cap. 4. asserts the same and adds if he but attempt to do so he may be resisted The Surveyer of Nap●tali grants the same pag. 23 24. Yea this hath been granted in open Court by the Council of Scotland that in case of the Kings alienating his Kingdoms he may be Resisted Hence 1 If vendition or alienation of Kingdoms or attempts of it do annull a Kings Authority Then an alienation of them from Christ to whom they are devoted by Covenant and selling them to Antichrist as is attempted by this King gives the people a right to Resist him But the former is here conceded Ergo 2 We need say no more to apply the other that carrying a hostile mind to the destruction of the people does forfeit his Kingdom and gives the people right to Resist than that a Papist is alwise known to carry a hostile mind to the destruction of Protestants and all the designs declared these 27 years have been demonstrative efforts of it 2. Dr Ferne acknowledgeth that personal defence is Lawful against the sudden illegal inevitable assaults of the Kings Messengers or of himself in so far as to ward off his blowes or hold his hands As also he alloweth private persons Libertie to deny subsidies tribute to the Prince when he imployeth it to the destruction of the Commonwealth Hence 1 If one man may defend himself against the sudden illegal inevitable assaults of the King or his Messengers Then may many men in defence of their Lives Liberties defend themselves against the surprising Massacres the sudden assaults and much more the devised deliberate assaults of a Tyrants bloody Emissaries which are illegal inevitable as all their furious bloody on-sets have been But the former is here acknowledged Ergo 2 If people may deny subsidies to a King when he employeth it to the destruction of the Commonwealth Then as this justifies the denyal of the Cess imposed for destruction of the Church banishing of the Gospel So this gives them right to Resist him for if he be the power ordained of God not to be resisted then for this Cause tribute must be paid for they are Gods Ministers Rom. 13. 6. and if tribute must not be paid then he is not the power ordained of God and so may be resisted But the former is here allowed Ergo 3. Bodin de Repub. lib. 2. cap. 5. granteth if a King turn Tyrant he may Lawfully at his subjects request be invaded resisted condemned or slain by a foraign Prince Hence if foraign Princes may Lawfully help a people oppressed by their oun Soveraign then people may Resist themselves if they be able and hold in their pains But the former is here granted Ergo The Consequence cannot be denyed for foraigners have no more Power or Authority over another Soveraign then the people have themselves 4. Arnisaeus de Author Princip c. 2. n. 10 granteth that if the Prince proceed extrajudicially without order of Law by violence every private man hath power to resist So the Surveyer of Naphtali ubi supra grants so much of a womans violent resisting attempts against the honour of her chastitie and tending to ensnare her in sin whereof her non-resistence makes her guilty Hence 1 If every extrajudicial violence of a Prince may be Resisted Then also all Contrajudicial violence against Law or reason must be opposed for that is more grievous and all their violences wherein they do not act as Judges must be resisted and that is all together for in none of them they can act as Judges But the former is here granted Ergo 2 If a woman may defend her Chastity against the K. lest her non-resistence make her guilty Oh if all women had been of this mind the Country would not have been pestered so with the Kings bastards Then may a Nation or any part of it Resist a Tyrants attempts upon the honour of their Religion entycing them to fornication with the Mother of harlots lest their non-resistence make them guilty But the former is here yeelded Ergo 5. That same Arnisaeus cap. 4. saith Of the former to wit he who is called a Tyrant in title it is determined by all without any difficultie that he may be Lawfully repulsed or if by force he be gotten into the Throne he may warrantably be thence removed because he hath not any Jot of power which

questions to be answered when impertinently interrogate but may be both Cautiously Conscienciously waved We have Christs oun practice his faithful servant Pauls example for a Pattern of such prudence Christian caution But yet it were cruel unchristian rigour to censure such as out of a pious principle of zeal to God conscience of duty do freely positively declare their judgment in an absolute disouning of their pretended Authority when posed with such Questions though to the manifest detriment of their lives they Conscienciously looking upon it as a case of confession For where the Lord hath not peremptorily astricted His Confessors to such rules of prudence but hath both promised and usually gives His Spirits Conduct encouraging animating them to boldness so as before hand they should not take thought how or what they shall speak and in that same hour they find it given them it were presumption for us to stint them to our rules of prudence We may indeed find rules to know what is a case of confession but hardly can it be determined what Truth or duty we are questioned about is not or may not be a case of confession And who can deny but this may be in some circumstances a case of confession even Positively to disoune the pretended Authority of a bloody Court or Council when either they go out of their Sphere taking upon them Christs Supremacy and the Cognizance of the concerns of His Croun whereof they are Judges no ways Competent then they must freely faithfully be declined Or when to the dishonour of Christ they blaspheme His Authority and the Sacred boundaries He hath prescribed to all humane Authority and will assert an illimited absolute Authority refusing discharging all offered Legal Scriptural restrictions to be put thereupon as hath been the case of the most part of these worthy though poor Martyrs who have died upon this head then they must think themselves bound to disoune it Or when they have done some cruel indignity despight to the Spirit of God and to Christ His prerogative Glory and work of Reformation and people in murdering them without Mercy and imposing this ouning of their King by whose Authority all is acted as a condemnation of these witnesses of Christ their Testimony and a justification of their bloody cruelties against them which hath frequently been the case of these poor people that have been staged upon this account In this case and several others of this sort that might be mentioned then they may be free Positive in disouning this Test of wicked Loyaltie as the mark of the Dragon of the secular beast of Tyranny And in many such cases when the Lord gives the Spirit I see no reason but that Christs witnesses must follow His Pattern of zeal in the case of confession which He witnessed before Pontius Pilate in asserting His oun Kingship as they may in other cases follow His Pattern of Prudence And why may we not imitate the zeal of Stephen who called the Council before whom he was staged stiff necked resisters of the Holy Ghost Persecuters of the Prophets and betrayers Murderers of Christ the Just one as well as the Prudence of Paul But however it be the present Testimony against this pretended Authority Lies in the Negative which obliges alwayes semper ad semper that is to say we plead that it must never be Ouned There is a great difference between a Positive disouning and a not Ouning though the first be not alwayes necessary the Latter is the Testimony of the day and a negative case of confession which is allwise clearer than the Positive Though we must not allwise confess every Truth yet we must never deny any 3. It is confessed we are under this sad disadvantage besides others that not only all our Brethren groaning under the same yoke with us will not take the same way of declining this pretended Authority nor adventure when called to declare their judgment about it which we do not condemn as is said and would expect from the rules of equity charity they will not condemn us when we find our selves in conscience bound to use greater freedom But also some when they do declare their judgment give it in termes condemnatory of contradictory unto our Testimony in that they have freedom positively to oune this Tyranny as Authority and the Tyrant as their Lawful Soveraign And many of our Ministers also are of the same mind And further as we have few expressly asserting our part of the debate as it is now stated so we have many famous learned divines expressly against us in this point as especially we find in their Comments upon Rom. 13. among whom I cannot dissemble my sorrow to find the great Calvin saying saepe solent inquirere c. men often inquire by what right they have obtained their power who have the rule It should be enough to us that they do govern for they have not ascended to this eminency by their oun power but are imposed by the hand of the Lord. As also Pareus saying too much against us For answer to this I refer to Mr Knox his reply to Lithingtoun producing several Testimonies of Divines against him upon this very same head wherein he shewes that the occasions of their Discourses Circumstances wherein they were stated were very far different from those that have to do with Tyrants Usurpers as indeed they that are most concerned and smart most under their scourge are in best case to speak to the purpose I shall only say Mens averment in a Case of Conscience is not an oracle when we look upon it with an impartial eye in the case wherein we are not prepossessed● it will bear no other value than what is allayed with the imperfections of fallibility and moreover is contradicted by some others whose Testimony will help us as much to confirm our persuasion as others will hurt us to infirm it 4. But now when Tyrants go for Magistrats lest my plea against ouning Tyranny should be mistaken as if it were a pleading for Anarchy I must assert that I and all those I am vindicating are for Magistracy as being of divine Original institute for the common good of humane Christian Societies whereunto every soul must be subject of whatsoever quality or Character and not only for wrath but also for conscience sake though as to our soul conscience we are not subject which whosoever resisteth resisteth the ordinance of God and against which Rebellion is a damnable sin Whereunto according to the fifth Commandment and the many reiterated exhortations of the Apostles we must be subject and obey Magistrates and submit ourselves to every Ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether it be unto the King as Supreme c. And we account it a hateful brand of them that walk after the flesh to despise Government to be presumptuous self willed and not afrayed

under the bond of a Covenant with his people So thô he make never so many fair promises with the greatest Solemnities maintains a principle that he will keep no promises but when with whom he pleases and can get a Dispensation to break all when he likes This is Iames his Ingenuity Sure in this case Such as are so Characterized Declare themselves so far from being Princes that they profess befor the world they are no more men to be conversed with for if neither their words Writs vowes promises Oaths Declarations nor Protestations can bind them what Society can be had with them Are they not to be looked upon carried towards as Common Enemies of Morality Religion Righteousness Liberty Humanity yea even of Mankind it self Now then let the world be Judge if the people of Scotland can be judged in Conscience Reason Prudence Policie or any imaginable way bound to oune their Authority being so Stated and by the Act Rescissory all humane ground rescinded that ever it shall be otherwise let them go seek other slaves where they can find them for we will not sell our selves posteritie to Tyrants as slaves nor give up our Religion and the exercise of it to the Mouldings of the Court. II. In the Second place It being clear from these forementioned Instances that Tyrants Uusurpers have been disouned And it being also as clear as light can make any thing from the foregoing Account of their Government and all the Characters of Truculency Treachery Tyranny conspicuously relucent therein that these two Gentlemen whose Authority we are pressed to oune were Tyrants Usurpers It remains therefore to prove from all dictates of Reason about Government that their pretended Authority could not nor cannot be ouned For the Argument runs thus The Authority of Tyrants Uusurpers cannot be ouned But the Authority of Charles Iames was is the Authority of Tyrants Usurpers Ergo their Authority cannot be ouned Now it s the Major of this Syllogisim that I under take to prove The Minor being so clear from their History that to prove it by witnesses were actum agere 1. All Authority to be ouned of men must be of God and ordained of God for so the Apostle teacheth Expressly Rom. 13. 1. c. Which is the alone formal reason of our Subjection to them and that which makes it a damnable sin to resist them because it is a resisting the Ordin●nce of God. The Lord ounes Himself to be the Author of Magistrats Prov. 8. 15. By me Kings reign and Princes decree Iustice. As He is the Author of man and hath made him a sociable Creature so He is the Author of the Order of humane Society which is necessare for the Preservation of Mankind He being the God of Order not of Confusion And this must hold not only of the Supreme Authority but of subordinate Magistrates also for they must be included in the higher Powers to whom we must be subject Rom. 13. And they that resist them resist Gods Ordinance too Their judgment is Gods as well as the judgment of the Supreme Magistrate Deut. 1. 17. 2 Chron. 19. 6 8. They are called Gods among whom the Lord judgeth Psal. 82. 1. He speaketh not there of a Congregation of Kings We are to be subject to them for the Lords sake as well as to the Supreme Magistrat 1. Pet. 2. 13. Therefore all Magistrats superior Inferior are ordained of God in the respective Places It s true Peter calls every degree of Magistracy an Ordinance of man not that he denies it to be an Ordinance of God for so he would cantradict Paul Rom. 13. but termes it so Emphatically to commend the worth of obedience to Magistrats though but men when we do it for the Lords sake Not effectively as an invention of men but subjectively because exercised by men created invested by humane suffrages considered as men in Societie and objectively for the good of man and for the external Peace safety of man thereby differenced from the Ministry an Ordinance of Christ for the spiritual good of mens souls Hence Those Rulers that are not of God nor ordained of God cannot be ouned without sin But Tyrants Usurpers are the Rulers that are not of God nor ordained of God but are set up and not by Him c. Hos. 8. 1-4 Therefore they cannot be ouned without sin I refer it to any man of conscience Reason to judge if these Scriptures proving Magistracy to be the Ordinance of God for which alone it is to be ouned can be applyed to Tyrants Usurpers How will that Rom 13. read of Tyrants let every soul be subject to Tyrants for they are ordained of God as His Ministers of Iustice c. and are a terror to evil works and a praise to the good would not every man nauseate that as not the Doctrine of God Again how would that sound Prov. 8. By me Tyrants reign Usurpers decree injustice harsh to Christian ears Can they be said to be Gods among whom the Lord judgeth If they be they must be such as the witch of Endor saw Gods coming out of the earth when she raised the Devil in a very Catichrestical meaning as the Devil is called the God of this world And indeed they have no more power nor otherwise to be ouned than he hath for this is a Truth Tyranny is a work of Satan not from God because sin either habitual or actual is not from God Tyranny is sin in habit act Ergo The Magistrate as Magistrate is good in nature end being the Minister of God for good A Tyrant as a Tyrant is quite contrary Lex Rex saith well A power Ethical Politick or Moral to oppress is not from God and is not a power but a Licentious deviation of a power and no more from God but from sinful Nature the old Serpent than a licence to sin Quest. 9. Pag. 59. Hence sin a Licence to sin a Licencious sinning cannot be from God But Tyranny Usurpation absolute power encroaching upon all Liberties Laws Divine humane is sin a Licence to sin a Licencious sinning Ergo But to make this clear and to obviate what may be said against this let it be Considered how the powers that be are of God ordained of God. Things are said to be of God and ordained of God two wayes by His purpose providence and by His Word Warrant Things may be of God either of His Hand working or bringing them about ordaining ordering them to be to His Glory either by a holy overruling Providence as Samsons desire of a wife was of God Iudg. 14. 4. and Amaziahs insolent foolish rejection of Ioash his Peaceable overture 2 Chron. 25. 20. Or by a powerful effective providence So Rom. 11. 36. Of Him through Him are all things 1 Cor. 8. 6. One God of whom are all things Or things be of

7. 2 6. I shew before that there is reason to fear that the sins of a few especially of Magistrats Ministers will bring wrath upon the whole body of the people as is plain from these Scriptures Levit. 10. 6. Isai. 43. 27 28. Lam. 4 13. Mic. 3. 11 21. shewing the sins of Ministers may procure universal Destruction And 2 Sam. 24. 25. 2 King. 21. 11. Ier. 15 4. proving the sins of Magistrats may procure it And Num. 3. 14 15. Iosh. 22. 17 18. Demonstrating that the sins of a party of the people may draw wrath upon the whole Now the only way the Scripture points out to evite avert such publick judgments is to make our resentment of these indignities done to our God our Mourning over them and our witness against them as publick as the sins are at least as publick as we can get them by a publick pleading for Truth Isai. 59. 4. for the defect whereof He hides His face and wonders that there is no man no Intercessor vers 16. that is none to plead with God in behalf of His born doun Truths There must be in order to this a publick seeking of Truth which if there be any found making conscience of the Lord makes a gracious overture to pardon the City Ier. 5. 1. we cannot think there were no mourners in secret there but there was no publick Meeting for it and publick ouning the duty of that day There must be valour for the Truth upon the earth Ier. 9. 3. a publick resolute ouning of Truth There must be a making up the hedge standing in the Gap for the Land that the Lord should not destroy it Ezek. 22. 30. a publick Testimony in opposition to defection There must be a pleading with our Mother Hos. 2. 2. which is spoken to private persons in the plural number Commanding all that would consult their oun safety publickly to condemn the sins of the whole Nation that they may escape the publick punishment thereof as it is expounded in Pool Synops. Critic in locum By this means we must endeavour to avert the wrath anger of God which must certainly be expected to go out against the Land which hath all the procuring causes all the Symptoms Prognosticks Evidences of a Land devoted to destruction that ever a Land had If then there must be such Publick Mourning and such Solemn Gathering for it such public pleading for Truth Seeking of Truth valour for Truth making up the hedge and pleading with our Mother there must of Necessity be publick Meetings for it for these things cannot be done in private but must be done by way of Testimony Which I make a 2. Reason The Nature End of Meeting for Gospel Ordinances is for a publick Testimony for Christ and His Truths Interest against Sin and all dishonours done to the Son of God. So that the only end is not only to bring to Christ build up Souls in Christ but it is to Testify also for the Glory of Christ whether Souls be brought in built up or not The Preached Gospel is not only the Testimony of Christ 1 Cor 1. 6. but a Testimony for Christ in which sense The Testimony of Iesus is said to be the Spirit of Prophesie Revel 19. 10. so called Durham expounds it for its bearing Witness to Christ in which respect Ministers are often called Witnesses It is also the Testimony of Israel not only given to Israel but given by Israel unto which the tribes go up the tribes of the Lord Ps. 122. 4. Whensoever therefore or howsoever the Testimony of the Church is contradicted that 's not a Lawful Meeting of the tribes of the Lord. It is also the Testimony of the Preachers for Christ against them that will not receive them Mark. 6. 11. And a Witness unto all Nations to whom they preach Math. 24. 14. And of all the Witnesses that hold it suffer for it Rev. 6. 9. And the same which is the Word of Christs Testimony is the Word of theirs Rev 12. 11. by which they overcome for which they love not their lives Wherever then the Gospel is preached it must be a Testimony But it cannot be a Testimony except it be Publick at least as publick as it can be as we find all Christs Witnesses were in the Old New Testaments 3. The Motive or principle prompting the Lords people to a frequenting of Gospel Ordinances is a publick Spirit stirring up to a publick Generation Work whereof this is the Scope to promote the Kingdom of Christ and not only to obey the Lords Command enjoining the duty to enjoy the Lord the end thereof or to edify their oun Souls But to partake in promote this Great Work of the Day for the Glory of God and the Churches good For the Gospel is not only a Banner of Love over His Friends but Christs Standart of war against His Enemies Isai. 59. 19. under which all that countenance it are called to list themselves as His Souldiers called chosen faithful And it is required of His Souldiers that they be valiant for the Truth upon the earth Discovering a Gallant greatness generosity of a Publick Spirit having their designs desires not limited to their oun interests even Spiritual but aiming at no less than Christs Publick Glory the Churches publick good the Saints publick Comfort having a publick Concern for all Christs Interests Publik Sympathie for all Christs Friends and a publick declared Opposition to all Christs Enemies This is a Publick Spirit the true Spirit of all Christs zealous Lovers Votaries Which when He is a missing will prompt them to go about the City in the streets and in the broad wayes to seek Him whom their Soul loveth Cant. 3. 2. and not only in their beds or secret corners but they must go to the streets and to the fields and avow their seeking of Christ even though the Watchmen should smite them the keepers of the walls take their vails from them Cant. 5. Which obliges them not only to take Him in to their oun Cottages and intertain Him in their hearts and give Him a Throne there but also to endeavour to enlarge His dwelling and propagate His Courtly residence through the World that the Kingdoms of the earth may becom the Kingdoms of the Lord and if they cannot get that done yet that He may have the Throne in ●her Mothers house and take up His abode in the Church or Nation they belong to that there His Ordinances be established in purity peace plenty power according to His oun Order And if that cannot be but that their Mother play the harlot and He be provoked to give up house with her and by her Childrens treacherie the Usurping Enemy be invited in to His place Habitation and take violent possession of it and enact His extrusion expulsion by Law yet they will endeavour to secure a place for Him among