Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	according_a	act_v	action_n	159	3	6.2477	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34948	A serious expostulation with that party in Scotland, commonly known by the name of Whigs wherein is modestly and plainly laid open the inconsistency of their practices I. With the safety of humane society, II. With the nature of the Christian religion, III. Their two covenants are historically related, and prov'd to be no sufficient warrant for what they do, IV. Their new doctrine of a pretended forfeiture, is prov'd to be groundless.	Craufurd, James, 17th cent.	1682 (1682)	Wing C6865; ESTC R4965	39,666	64

could never be wanting in so great a Body it was in the Christians Power at any time to have shaken the Empire This we may learn from Tertullian who boasts much of their Numbers in his excellent Apology Those who by deserting their Countrey must have depopulated it might certainly by fighting have broken the Government In Cities where there were two Christians to one Heathen as in many then in Africk they needed not have suffer'd themselves to be so cruelly butcher'd had not their Consciences disarm'd them of all Weapons of Defence against the Emperour The same we may gather from St. Cyprian in that Discourse of his addrest to Demetrianus where he fairly lays down the Grounds upon which Christians then walked But granting there had been five Heathens to one Christian yet as Tertullian observes Christians readiness to sacrifice their Lives might have made up their Disproportion in Number had not their Religion obliged them rather to dy than by Drawing their Swords to kill others And sure if the Christians were considerable so early as in Tertullian's and St. Cyprian's time no Question in the latter and of the third and the beginning of the fourth Century they wanted not Strength to defend themselves against the Violences then offer'd them under Dioclesian and his Colleagues had their Religion given them leave to resist I cannot finish this Discourse without observing that many finding violent Practices in Matters of Religion utterly condemned by the Examples of Christ of his Apostles and of the primitive Christians retire to the old Testament as more favourable to their Design but they never consider that as many Actions are there rather recorded than commended and which are not to be imitated tho there be no Censure an next to the Relations there delivered so several Things were Lawful under that Dispensation which the Gospel cannot admit The Government instituted by Moses was a Theocracy where besides the establish'd Laws God did by immediate Inspiration give Commission to private Persons to turn Magistrates and to punish offenders without tying them to any formal procedure such was Phineas Numb 25. and after him the Zealots whose Actions were accounted most Heroical among the Jews Yet when Christ's Disciples would have assumed this Priviledge in Imitation of Elias they met with a Check as I have already observ'd from their Master And if according to the Opinion of some learned Men Peter's Action was of this kind we have still a further Testimony of Christ's Discountenancing such Methods as too violent for the meek Spirit of the Gospel And tho the Actions of Phineas of Elias and of other Prophets while immediately directed by God were laudable yet afterwards when their Zealots were acted by heat of Passion and private Resentment more than by Divine Inspiration to what Excess of Cruelty and Injustice did they rise Fury and Rage under a Cloak of Zeal pretended to an Authority to commit the worst of Actions And Josephus informs us how those that went under the Name of Zealots then were the chief Instruments in the Ruin of the Jewish Nation and in the Destruction of Jerusalem Now as no Religion nor Government could be safe under this latter Sort of Zealots so the former were never design'd as Paterns for Christians who have settled Rules to walk by who expect no other Revelations than the Oracles of God contain'd in the holy Scripture and must therefore condemn those that in our Days pretend to new Lights and extraordinary Commissions to curb Magistrates and reform Governments as seduced by a Spirit of Enthusiasm savouring more of Anti-Christ than of the blessed Author of our Religion But tho we should allow Men were still at liberty to imitate those holy Zealots the publick Peace will not be much endanger'd by their Example for by what can be gather'd from most of their Actions they were rather terrible Neighbours to notorious Transgressors of the Law than undutiful Subjects to wicked Princes they had only Permission to do Justice upon meaner Offenders but as for the Sins of their Kings these were reserved Cases of such God himself thought fit to be the immediate Avenger or at least to ty Subjects up from medling with them until they had his particular Commission which was never granted against their Prince till God by the Authority he reserv'd to himself in that Government had first degraded him In a Word let us consult the Jewish Annals and see if we can bring any good Authority thence for rising up in Arms against Magistrates upon the account of Religion or whether any of the Instances that are alledged to this Purpose be first in themselves justifiable and next If they be clear evidences in a Matter of so great Importance for where the Question is If Subjects are to obey or resist the Proofs for Resistance ought to be as plain as those for Obedience before they venture to act and this I presume will hardly be made appear from Scripture When Jeroboam placed his Calves in Dan and Bethel and made Israel sin we find the Prophets condemn his Idolatry and foretell the ruin of his House 1 Kings 13. v. 14. but they stirr'd not up his Subjects to Rebellion against him Elias as a Prophet took upon him to reprove Ahab but as a Zealot he gave him no further Disturbance in his Government Against all the wicked Kings of Israel and Judah who were enemies to the pure Religion and Worship which God had established the Prophets boldly denounced the Wrath of God but seldom help'd to execute it tho under the harshest Treatment when they were hid by fifties in a Cave they never employ'd their Popularity to raise Sedition or to involve their Countrey in a Civil War either in their own Defence or in that of their Religion When from Idolatrous they fell under the Yoke of Heathen Princes and Strangers they preached up Duty and Allegiance to such being persuaded that these also derived their Power from God And tho the Maccabees in opposing Antiochus are commended as the Restorers of the ancient Worship and of the Liberties of their Countrey yet I conceive it may be prov'd that he was an Usurper and had no just Title to Judea and that the Jewish Nation had never by any Legal Act own'd him for their Prince If notwithstanding all that has been said any among us should still insist upon some Actions of the Zealots which give countenance to Resistance as that of Elias in calling down Fire from Heaven to destroy the King's Commissionate-Officers I shall only answer that they also may be allow'd to resist when Heaven appears as visibly in their behalf as it did here in the Prophet's The World is uncharitable enough to believe that our Zealots would shew some Instances of their Severity had they the same Power with Elias to command Fire from Heaven and that the King's Troops that have at any time march'd against them had then died without Mercy after the same

breach of the Laws than for their laying claim to Protection and other benefits while they observe them No severity in the Prince can cancel the obligation that lies upon Subjects nor put them in Commission to make violent Resistance seeing this were a taking upon them to reject that Judge and deny that Authority which the Laws the Government and they Themselves as Members of it have already own'd to be Supream upon Earth Nothing here below can be so perfectly contriv'd as not to retain some inconveniences and I shall grant a probability or a possibility at least of Particular Persons suffering sometimes unjustly to be an inconvenience which necessarily accompanies the chief Authority in all Governments But if there be no other way to shun it than by allowing violent resistance to be lawfull in such cases the remedy will questionless prove much worse than the disease If with the many Laws in the Prince's behalf there were but one to countenance resisting him this one would in a short time destroy all the rest and reduce his Authority to an empty name Or if it were declared lawfull for Subjects only to resist in some cases who must judge when these fall out The Prince could hardly be brought to give Sentence against himself to wound his Power by releasing men from their Allegiance And if it were left to the judgment of Subjects it is to be feared that the Determination would be highly partial on their side the case of lawfull Resistance would then turn frequent Obedience would be rare unless supported by Interest and Subjects would at this rate only be such to whom and when they pleased This Principle of Resistance being once allow'd it necessarily opens a door to subvert all Authority and renders the whole design of Government ineffectual How could the Publick Peace be secur'd if there were ways left for Particular persons lawfully to rebel Differences could never be decided but by granting a Sentence from which there is no appeal back'd with a power of executing without danger of opposition There could be no order were it left to Private men to desert their stations to turn Judges where they are Parties and to call Rulers to an account of their Administration If we leave Kingly Government and look upon the most Popular Constitutions which are raised but one step above Anarchy even there the chief Magistrates are only accountable to the whole Body for their actions nor can any part of this Body without the concurrence of the rest meddle with those that have their Authority from all Let us suppose Authority in some cases may be mistaken or biass'd in its decisions without doubt we might expect much greater errors and partiality were every man left to judge of his own performances If we think it inconvenient that the Prince should be enabled by his Power to injure any Particular Person much worse would it be to put it in every Particular Person 's power to be unjust to the Prince To be short the Supream Power falling sometimes into no good hands doth not frustrate the chief ends of Government but if discontented spirits may find ways lawfully to make opposition nothing can keep it from being dissolved It is most plain that Subjects Rights are rather secur'd than endanger'd by the Princes not being accountable for his Actions and that they would soon find themselves at a loss by being allow'd to resist for as men are naturally apt to complain and are allways partial enough to think themselves most hardly dealt with so if they were at liberty to fall upon the Government in helping to weaken that they would wound their own Security The whole Body must feel the blow which the Head receives Life may be preserved with the hazard or loss of several Members but when the Head is affected every part languishes and with it all dies The great foundation then of the Subjects Safety being shaken by violating the Prince's Rights Interest it self should teach us to be very tender of them and never to offer at destroying that which appears perhaps inconvenient in one respect but is useful and necessary in many If it trouble us to be at the Prince's Mercy we may remember we are likewise under his Protection and so need apprehend none besides And this I humbly conceive is a Condition much more desirable than by renouncing our Allegiance unhinging the Government and getting thus without the reach of an imaginary danger to draw upon our selves the violence of every one that hath strength or wickedness enough to hurt us And truly our Countrey is at little beholden to us for resisting Authority as we are to our selves for in shaking off all duty to our Prince we encourage others to do the same this must involve the Government in constant trouble and deprive us of the blessed fruits of Peace upon which we cannot set too high a value If every one of us be resolv'd to make good our petty Rights can we imagine our Prince will tamely pass from His which are so great And at this rate there is no avoiding a Civil War with all its fatal Consequences which will fall much heavier upon the Publick than any thing that any Particular Man or Sort of Men can suffer The Government of the worst of Princes is infinitely preferable to Anarchy and Confusion where Guilty and Innocent are equally obnoxious to Danger where no Man's Prudence Vertue or Merit can give him Sanctuary Rome felt it self much more at ease under a Caligula a Nero a Domitian or a Commodus than amidst the terrible Alarms of a Civil War This in a few Days spilt more of Rome's best Blood banish'd more Senators and ruin'd more Families than any of those Tyrants did in several Years But if it went better with the Publick while such Monsters sate at the Helm who were themselves govern'd and govern'd others by no better Laws than what Cruelty Avarice Ambition and the rest of their unbridled Passions suggested I am willing still to believe That none of us are so much our own and our Countrey 's Enemies to prefer Anarchy before the easy Yoke of our Indulgent Prince who 's Reign has never yet been stain'd with one Act of his Cruelty Whom Envy it self cannot charge as gratifying his Avarice or Ambition at the Expence of his Subjects Fortunes or Lives but who on the contrary has hitherto made good what he has been pleased both in Publick and Private often to declare That he intends to govern according to the established Laws of his Kingdoms And truly we must allow it reasonable that all his Subjects follow this Royal Pattern and make the Laws likewise the Sandard of their Actions or if they cannot be brought this length it is fit that at least they learn patiently to submit without taxing their Prince of Severity or Injustice for requiring them to observe those Rules by which he himself vouchsafes to be govern'd But if nothing besides our own private