Selected quad for the lemma: state_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
state_n	act_n	church_n	communion_n	1,337	5	9.7715	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44305	A survey of the insolent and infamous libel, entituled, Naphtali &c. Part I wherein several things falling in debate in these times are considered, and some doctrines in lex rex and the apolog. narration, called by this author martyrs, are brought to the touch-stone representing the dreadful aspect of Naphtali's principles upon the powers ordained by God, and detecting the horrid consequences in practice necessarily resulting from such principles, if owned and received by people.	Honyman, Andrew, 1619-1676.	1668 (1668)	Wing H2604; ESTC R7940	125,044	140

submission Pi●u● or out of any Principle of Conscience but prudential and politick because they are not in probable capacity to give him Battel if they had the tempting opportunity and capacity the case would be altered Then not only violent resistance should come to be duty but pulling of the Magistrate out of his chair of Government as we will hear punishing him and placing themselves though but private Men in his room How contrary such principles and practices of private Mens non-submission to and counter-acting of Church-judicatories supposed to do wrong are unto the Word of God how subversive of Church-government how introductory of Schisme Heresies and all Mischiefs into the Church is well discovered by the learned Reviewer of the Pamphlet intituled Presbytery no Papacy Protesters no Subverters And with equal reason may the same grounds be made use of against this Mans inciting all private persons to counter-counter-act the Magistrate violently when they think he doth them wrong or when they account their Sentences unjust As certain confusion comes on the Church if the Principles of that Party be entertained so let People once drink in this Mans Doctrine in reference to the State there shall be no end of sedition no security for the powers ordained by God for any private persons are made judges of the justice of the Magistrates Sentences and Punishments and what Man will readily condemn himself if he may be admitted to be judge in his own cause And upon their own private judgement of the injustice of the Magistrates dealing with them are allowed without any further prerequisite to use violence against him pull the sword out of his hand and pull himself out of his seat onely there must be probable capacity for this and nothing excuses from not doing so but want of that capacity If that be wanting there must be submission to unjust Sentences not out of any consciencious respect to the Power but ad redimendam majorem vexationem This is the Libellers mind Such Doctrine surely is neither consonant to Gods Word to the practices of his dear and approven People to the mind of his soundest Servants nor to sound Reason Who ever will consult the holy Oracles of God will find that not only is obedience commanded to be given to Magistrates in their lawful injunctions and submission not only for wraths-sake but also for conscience-sake to their just punishments of sin and wickedness who ever re-offends or violently resists the Magistrate in either of these no doubt resists the Ordinance of God and receive to themselves damnation Rom. 13.2 but also that there is a submission required to be yielded them even when they put us to suffer wrongfully and unjustly may be evidently gathered from Scripture grounds in the case of unjust suffering God hath not left his people without direction what to do in reference to Magistrates abusing their power It is true as hath been said the Lord hath not given a moral power or warrand to any invested with Authority to do evil or unjustly concerning that the question is not But the question is what duty is owed by the Subject unto the Magistrate especially the Supreme for there may be remedies had against the injuries of the inferior by appellation in case of his male-administration and unjust Laws or Sentences according to these Laws or Executions according to Sentence whether they may violate or violent the person invested with Authority and not submit to him but counter-act him by force in self-defence against his violence or if they be bound in conscience or by any Law of God to submit humbly to what he inflicts although unjustly if they can neither move him by their humble petitions to forbear them nor can flee from his wrath or go out of his Dominions This man and his Complices maintain that if the Magistrate abuse his power in making unjust Laws or punishing according to these any private man or company of men that think themselves strong enough for the Magistrate ought never to suffer but use forcible resistance against the Magistrate abusing his power and that all the patience that is required of Christians toward oppressing Magistrates is only to bear suffering patiently when they are out of capacity of acting and may not better do and to suffer patiently when they see they cannot repress the violence of the unjustly-dealing Magistrate with a sufficient contrary violence This Doctrine favouring so strongly of carnal selfie-nature and being too suitable to the way of beasts who know no other thing but to be carried with a natural impetus to repay violence with violence till they be over-powered we utterly dislike and do assert according to the Holy Scriptures That even when Magistrates deal unjustly or put any to suffering wrongfully albeit they are for this to give a dreadful account and albeit Subjects are to judge of their actions as they deserve and not approve their malversation but modestly witness against it as there is opportunity yet suffering persons are bound to a passive submission or obedience enduring wrongs done to them not only with respect to Gods providential Ordinance by which their suffering comes to pass but with respect to his institutive Ordinance of Magistracy wherewith the persons afflicting them are invested albeit in the particular acts concerning them abusing their power For albeit the abuse of the power be not of God yet the abused power is of God and the person invested therewith must have respect from the sufferer other respect then is to be given to a private invader intuitu officii not intuitu abusus officii and this respect is patient submission under the affliction though unjustly inflicted and not daring to re-violent the person invested with Magistratical power although in a particular toward us he abuse his power to commit our persons and our cause to him that judgeth righteously not offering to move sedition albeit we were able for it If we shall only look to these three things in the Scripture we shall see ground for what is said 1. Consider what is required of Children toward their Parents unjustly afflicting them and likewise from Servants toward their Masters and by analogy we may learn somewhat of the mind of God of the duty of Subjects to their Princes who are their political Fathers and have a despotical and lordly power over them For Children Heb. 12.9 10. We had Fathers of our flesh who corrected and chastned us after their own pleasure and we gave them reverence which in the apodosis of the similitude is expon'd subjection v. 9. This is not only spoken of narrativè but approbativè if it were not so the argument taken from our carriage to Parents to enforce reverent subjection to God were not good The Apostle approves the reverend subjection of Children to their Parents though unreasonably and with mixtures of unjust passion correcting them he allows not the deed of the Parent for his own pleasure afflicting the Child but

Nec Samson saith he aliter excusatur quod seipsum cum hostibus ruina domus oppressit nisi quod latenter Spiritus sanctus hoc jusserat So he is accounted amongst heroick Believers Heb. 11.32 And of his fact Bernard saith lib. de precept dispensatione Si defenditur non fuisse peccatum privatum habuisse à Deo consilium indubitanter credendum est 2. Phineas had not only a large reward of his fact Numb 25.12 13. but an ample approbation of it Ps 106.31 It was accounted to him for righteousness i. e. as a righteous action both as to the intention of it Gods honour and as to the ground and warrand of it Gods direction God does not approve or remunerate any action which one way or another he doth not command there are none of these extraordinary actions mentioned in Scripture but either Gods stirring men up to the same or his approbation of the same one way or another is noted See Judg. 3.10 and 5.7 and ●0 23 and 3.9.15 and 2.16.18 he raised up stirred up mens spirits or afterward approved them expresly in these actions As for the private persons which this man will have to take the punishing Sword in their hand against all Magistrates as they cannot pretend extraordinary special commands So the real rebukes of God given them proclaims they have not his approbation 5. Divines have given it as a good rule Opera liberi spiritus non sunt exigenda ad regulas communes nec trahend● in exemplum vitae If once men come to make rules of the actions specially warranded beyond the common rule of the Word where will they stand As to instance this same example of Phineas If they will go on to presse the imitation of it 1. They must say that even when the Magistrate is godly and zealous and willing to execute judgement as Moses and the great Council were private persons may do it without them and not wait their warrand as they think Phineas did not 2. That any private person may go to mens Tents or Chambers and stab them without any legal Processe which Phineas they will say used not 3. That if such things be done inconsulto pro Magistratu such as Moses was yet the doer must not be challenged as Phineas was not challenged by Moses 6. The Libeller striving to parallel the Acts of his party which he justifies and incites unto with Phineas his act as he dare not say the acts which he justifies and instigates unto are extraordinary but only heroical so he asserts Phineas act was not extraordinary nor upon extraordinary warrant but heroical and imitable by others who may have such measures of zeal as he had He should in order to this laboured to have set some distinction betwixt heroical and extraordinary acts but this he doth not only labours to jumble the matter and speaks so confusedly that as others cannot understand him so he gives evience he did not understand himself in this matter only something he would gladly say to encourage men to irregular actions under the pretence of Phineas fact But the man if he would might have known the distinction betwixt extraordinary and heroical acts Philosophers and Divines too distinguish betwixt heroical vertues with the acts suitably thereto and common vertues and their acts 3● pars Thomae qu. 7 art 2ª ad 2 m ● and aggree in this that there is no difference between heroical vertues and virtutes communiter dictae nisi secundum perfectiorem modum A heroick act doth not deviate from the rule of a common vertue but only proceeds from a more intense disposition to a high pitch of vertue and of the acts thereof but yet keeps within the bounds of the ordinary rule of such or such a vertuous action But an extraordinary action goes beyond any ordinary rule of common reason or divine Word as that Abraham should kill Isaac without any hatred of him or cause in him was an act of extraordinary obedience to a special mandate of God Albeit the love that is due to God above all and the respect due to his Sovereignty should incline to obey whatever he enjoyns yet the particular act of slaying his harmlesse child meerly upon the declared will of God was an extraordinary act of obedience not comprisable within the lists of common vertues that direct our actings toward men under God Extraordinary actions are such as are done upon special mandate of God and are not within the compasse of ordinary acts of obedience according to the rule that is set Men may have heroick motions and actions within the bounds of an ordinary calling as sometimes though they have extraordinary calling they may want heroical motions Luther had no immediate nor extraordinary calling to reform the Church but within the bounds of ordinary calling he had special excitations of Gods Spirit and was elevated unto heroick actings for Gods glory in an exceedingly corrupt and collapsed state of the Church Peter had an extraordinary calling and immediate yet he wanted sometimes heroical motions and actions as when he dissembled Gal. 2. Phineas had not only excitations of zeal and heroical motions but supposing him a meer private Person he is to be looked upon as having extraordinary calling from God which is fully enough insinuated both by Gods approving and rewarding him Numb 25. and he rewards not our will-service nor approves it but what he hath enjoyned himself and also by Ps 106. where it is said emphatically it was imputed to him for righteousness though judging according to ordinary rules it might be imputed to him for sin supposing him a meer private man Yet having Gods warrand whose will is the rule of righteousness the deed was imputed to him for righteousness 7. Great gifts secret impulses heroical motions do not as this man suggests give men sufficient call to go beyond the ordinary rules God hath set to men in their callings though they dispose them to act eminently in their callings yet cannot give a new or another calling Every calling a man hath to any work God sets him about must be either mediate or immediate there is no midst betwixt these two as there is not between contradictories If men be not called to a work by the intervention of men and their allowance they must plead an immediate calling from God And we would gladly hear if this man will allow the private persons whom he instigates to insurrections against Magistrates an immediate calling by vertue of their secret impulses and excitations for we are sure they have no mediate ordinary calling If he will go on to say that great gifts of zeal c. great excitations and impulses allows people to desert their own calling and state like these spirits Jude 6. that kept not their first estate but left their own habitation and to intrude upon the Magistrates office alwayes when they think there is cause without an external vocation from men Where will he rest till he

Scripture or mocking the Holy Ghost by whom it was given are not they rather deluders of the Scripture and of the Spirit of God who labour to make a nose of wax of the Holy Scriptures wringing and wresting them where they will introducing their own fancies upon the Word and not embracing the clear sense of the Spirit of God directly held forth in the Word In this art of wyre-drawing the Scripture-words without any wa●rand or good reason and of covering crooked courses with Gods cloak as is said of these Mal. 2.16 who cover violence with his garment this man and his complices men of blood and violence are singularly experienced 2. This is a sure rule That no exposition of a Text can subsist that is either contrary to other Texts of Scripture or to found reason but so it is that the exposition given by this man of this Text as if it favoured his position for meer private persons or any part of a peoples taking not only the defensive Sword in hand but the vindicative and punishing Sword against all Magistrates higher and lower and against the body of the Society whereof they are Members and the lesser part also is contrary both to plain Scripture and to reason The Scripture commits the vindicative and punishing Sword only to the Magistrate Rom. 13. He only is Gods Sword-bearer that way And amongst Magistrates there is a supreme power 1 Pet. 2. on whom all others have dependence as to their call and the exercise thereof And it is a Doctrine point-blank contrary to reason remedilesly tending to dissolve humane Societies and all Kingdoms and Common-wealths and opening a door to all seditious confusions to teach that any meer private persons or any part of a people who think themselves strong enough should take on them to sit and act as punishing Judges over all Magistrates supreme and subordinate constituted by the body of a people yea and upon the major part of the people themselves Oh horrid confusion to be detested by all rational and Christian hearts that the minor meer private part of a people should set themselves down as Judges upon the whole body of a people and the generality of the Magistrates and upon their own fansies led with their own lusts draw the magistratical Sword which God never committed to them and strike both the Magistrates of all sorts and degrees and their neighbours therewith This sure is not the work of God however it be faced or varnished but of Sathan 3. The man fansies an adversary to himself while he brings-in some saying That in the case of equal division of Cities faithful and unfaithful matters should come to accommodation anent serving or not serving other gods the case Deut. 13. or that if the major part went wrong the minor should rest in a sinful acquiescence and be thereto oblieged by the major part Who ever said so or if there be any spark of Gods fear in the heart will say so There is no coming to accommodation in such matters whither the true God or other gods should be served and followed and yet this man would be very severe if no Nation in the world might having before been embodied in a Kingdom or State continue and abide in their peaceable communion in civil interests upon supposition of such an equal division arising amongst them As for the obligation that the major part of a people might put upon the minor to a sinful acquiescence who will allow that There should be no sinful acquiescence nor any acquiescence at all to any party were they never so many who run away from God after other gods or idols But supposing a Government democratick though the lesser part is not to acqulesce in the way of the greater running into rebellion against God but by all means competent to them bear witness against that way and study to keep themselves pure when they cannot prevail to have matters rectified as to the whole body yet cannot people keep their conscience and practice undefiled unless they overthrow by violence which is the thing all alongs aimed at by this man Gods order in the Societies whereof they are members and instate themselves in the power God hath not given them 4. This Libeller is a very confident person pronouncing Oracles ex scrin●o pectoris while he affirmeth that the constitution of Civil Government amongst Gods people to which the Texts Deut. 13. Judg 22. c. do relate was democratick Upon the contrary we affirm that from Moses time who is called King in Jesurun Deut. 33.5 the Lord never appointed nor allowed a democratical Government amongst his people although the principles of this man and his consorts do lead to the worst sort of Democracy as the only lawful Government yea to an Oligarchick Democracy if so we may speak wherein the lesser part of meer private persons may tread down the greater and all Magistrates also from the highest to the lowest if they can have strength enough The Government of that people until Sauls time was properly Theocratical The Lord was their King 1 Sam. 12.12 in another way and more special then he is King over all the earth From him they had their judicial Laws particularly set down to them He appointed in his Word their high Senate or Sanhedrim wherein the high Priest was a chief Member and other Priests Members also not eligible by the people as neither were the heads of the Tribes of Israel to rule them under himself He did now and then send out his extraordinary Vice-royes the Judges till Samuels time who not only were Saviours to deliver them from their enemies but Judges to rule them in times of peace for many years together and when these were not sent they had their setled Sanhedrim or Senate of Gods appointment to govern them Again that command Deut. 13. did reach all times of that Israelitish estate even when they came to be under Kings and visible Monarchs who unquestionably had the supreme power of the Sword nor was it free for private persons upon any pretence to take hold of it for revenging or punishing without them as this man would have private persons now to do And further though the word Deut. 13.12 be spoken to the people If thou shalt hear say c. yet it is alwayes to be understood that the peoples concurrence in the punishing of an apostate City was to be within the bounds of their calling and under the conduct of the Magistratical power set over them As when inticers to idolatry are in the former part of the Chapter injoined to be taken order with however nearly they were related to people and to be stoned it is not to be supposed that the charge is given to every private person brevi manu to do this but judgement was to be execute on them after judicial conviction and sentence given by the Magistrate as Diodat notes well ver 8. Procure saith he vengeance on him in way of justice