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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
state_n	church_n	power_n	secular_a	1,359	5	10.4493	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33283	Two sermons preached at Cambridge the first at the Lent assizes, 1654, the other on the yearly commemoration of Dr. Andrew Pern, 1655 / by J. Clerk.	Clarke, Joshua.	1655 (1655)	Wing C4481; ESTC R29962	25,596	69

not onely in duty and in the nature and intention of his office but in the reall experience of mankind the Minister of God for good That every faithfull Magistrate is so I presume will be granted without proof and such God often raiseth up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Plutarch calls them men assigned by nature to authority or rather men of another spirit as Caleb is called or men of another heart as Saul once was Rather then such shall be wanting God sometimes searcheth in the croud for them he calls David from his flock of sheep Timoleon from his melancholy retirement Quintius from the plough who was therefore called Dictator ab aratro But even corrupt Magistrates are the Ministers of God for good too generally speaking and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is enough to make a generall rule Grotius approves that of Tacitus spoken of Governours Vitia erunt donec homines sed neque haec continua meliorum interventu pensantur Magistrates are men and therefore subject to humane frailties but yet their faults are not so great nor so continuall at least in their publick administrations but that the good they do is more advantageous then the evil pernicious And no wonder For if it be considered that the hearts even of corrupt Governours are in the hands of God and turned by him as the rivers of waters and by his superintendency over them carried ofttimes against their own inclinations and if it be considered again that the laws of all nations whereby Magistrates are limited and directed are for the most part good and as conform to the law of nature as their wisdome could contrive them and if it be considered again that justice and equitie are plausible in regard of those common notions of righteousnesse that are written in the hearts of all men and so may find acceptance with corrupt Magistrates if not for their conscience yet for their credit sake and if it be considered lastly that it is the Magistrates interest to preserve his people Sint quibus imperes his own good consists in theirs If these things be considered and many more might be added of the like nature the wonder will cease that the worst sort of Magigistrates if they have any remainder of wisdome or humanity in them are the Ministers of God for good A tyrannicall Saul may sight the Lords battels and defend Israel from his enemies An ambitious Jehu may restore Religion and root out Idolatry A covetous Felix though but for hope of money may use Paul kindly The proud Pharisees may preach good doctrine when they sit in Moses chair But if for the punishment of nations or some other speciall reasons God hath sometimes given them up to the lust tyran● of Monsters rather then Magistrates that neither feared God nor regarded man such as Ahab that sold himself to work wickednesse such as that Romane tyrant Qui nullum non magnum bonum damnavit Euseb Nero That hated goodnesse for its own sake This will not conclude against the Magistracy in generall 'T is a certain truth that rain is a great blessing to the earth though sometimes it cause wasting inundations and That man is a reasonable creature though some men want the use of reason and That the Apostles were the light of the world though one of them was a Devil Neither can these extraordinary and blessed be God rare examples prejudice the truth of this generall rule that the Magistrate is the Minister of God for good So much for the words considered relatively 2. Absol We come now to consider them absolutely as a naked proposition and 1. Of the office of the Magistrate The Minister of God which presents him to our view under a sixfold qualification His Dignitie Authoritie Strength Duty dependance Accountablenesse of all which briefly 1. His Dignitie The Minister of God or servant of God a title of honour that the Apostles the Angels Jesus Christ himself glory in The Minister of God not onely by naturall subjection to his almighty command so the winds are his messengers and the lightnings his Ministers not onely by necessary subserviency to his providence so Nebuchadnezzar is his servant and the Medes and Persians his sanctified ones nor onely by voluntary obedience to his laws so every Christian is his servant but the Minister of God by speciall commission the Deputy of God assigned to that most noble work of his the government and preservation of the world The very mention of a message of God strikes Eglon with reverence and makes the fat unweildy man rise from his chair though he knew not what the message was till he felt it to his cost This publick Minister in the text comes to us with a message from God not a dagger to stab us as was Ehuds to Eglon but a sword to defend us and therefore to be received with honour and reverence The dignity that nature gives the father above his sonne must yield to this dignitie Liv. when young Fabius is Consul his old father must dismount and do him homage When Solomon is King his Mother Bathsheba must addresse her self to him as a petitioner not as a commander Yea the dignitie that Religion gives a spirituall father over his sonne must yield to this dignitie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. saith Chrysostome whether Apostle or Evangelist or Prophet or whatsoever high place he hath in the Church he must yield subjection to the Civil power It seems Chrysostome when he wrote those words upon this place did not know that any Bishop was by divine right the Monarch of the world not so much as in ordine ad spiritualia as the Jesuites mince the matter That neat similitude of Bellarmines De Rom. Pont. lib. 5. cap. 6. is of a later invention That as the spirit commands the body keeps it under enjoyns it to fast exposeth it to death as it sees fit so the Church may deal with the temporall power A similitude that if it would but hold together would soon lay all the powers of the earth with Frederick under the Popes feet Whether Ecclesiasticall and secular power be inconsistent one with another whether the same person may not be a Ruler in the Church and a Ruler in the State the Minister of God in both senses that 's another question which I meddle not with but to claim temporall power as an appendix to spirituall is that which the true Ministers of the Gospel dare not do I pray God they may not fare the worse for their modesty that they may not be made footstools and vassals because they will not be thrones and dominions But how ever they fare they must claim no more then their own they must yield the Civil power to be in this world the superiour Minister of God 2. His authoritie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Minister of God that is as he is called v. 2. the Ordinance of God and that in respect of the substance and in

There hath been a time when Devout Christians have been willing to lay down their estates at the Apostles feet to serve the Churches necessity There hath been a time when superstitious Christians have contributed beyond the Churches necessities Insomuch that the Venetian state and others have thought fit by severe laws to check their liberalitie least the Church should swallow up the revenue of the Common-wealth There is no feare of that extreme now amongst us and we have grounds to hope the good providence of God will prevent the contrary Though it be too manifest The religious charitie of Christians hath been much abused yet surely the abuse of their gifts may be reformed without their utter abolition Drunkennesse may be suppress'd without cutting down the vines as that rigid lawgiver did The house of God may be swept without a beesome of destruction 2. For the encouragement of learning Religions handmaid that hath for the most part flourished with her mistresse and next to her is the greatest honour and accomplishment of a person or nation The most beautifull ornament the most usefull instrument that God vouchsafeth unto the sonnes of men The onely remedie against barbarisme and savagenesse Yea tacitly commended by her very professed enemies whilest they are proud of that little learning they pretend to 3. For the upholding of their families The bonds of nature are neither broken nor slackened but exceedingly strengthened by Christianitie Our great Apostle pronounceth him that provides not for his family worse then an infidel And though he bore a tender affection to all the sonnes of Adam and became all things to all men for their advantage yet his love to his brethren and kinsmen according to the flesh so farre transports him that he could even wish himself accursed for their sakes Rom. 9.3 4. For the relief of the poore That great sacrifice of the Gospel so frequently and powerfully urged by the precept of our Saviour and his Apostles so commended by the examples of all the Saints in all ages so approved and exalted by the generall vote of the whole world that the very naming it is sufficient to prove it a principal stream of Christian charity 5. For the publick good of the communitie The best Christians have alwayes been the best Commonwealths men Indeed Religious persons both Jews and Christians have been often accused for the troubles of Israel That turn the world upside down that professe a religion inconsistent with peace and civil government But what scandals and groundlesse calumnies these have been Their very enemies so many of them as have had the patience to search out the truth have acknowledged to the world as might be prov'd by many instances if it were needfull and seasonable 6. For the maintenance of humane society The Christian name hath alwayes been renowned for offices of courtesie and humanitie as well as of compassion and is as cleare from the imputation of sordidnesse as of luxury and profusenesse These or some of these wayes according to their abilities and opportunities have the faithfull Stewards of God laid out their earthly talents Go you and do likewise III. Particular is the profit or benefit of their office from the manner of expression Make to your selves friends And here the apologie of a late learned man in the like case is seasonable Ipsa virtus vilis hoc seculo ignoscere mihi debet si quand● per se contemnitur ex utilitatibus ipsi pretium facio If the beauty of this grace be not powerfull enough of it self to enamour you yet let her dowry tempt you You will hereby make friends to your selves mighty friends that when ye fail will receive you into everlasting habitations as it follows in the next words Ambrose indeed would have this latter clause understood of the Angels and paraphraseth the words thus That when ye die the Angels may receive you into everlasting habitations Others understand it indefinitely and think it signifies no more then this That when ye fail ye may be received c. as elsewhere they shall call his name Emmanuel Matth. 1. that is his name shall be so called and this night do they require thy soul that is thy soul is required Luke 12.20 But it best agrees with the parable foregoing and with the contexture of the whole verse if we referre this they in the latter part to those friends in the former part of the verse and so make the latter an exegesis of the former Make to your selves friends of unrighteous mammon that when ye die those friends may receive you into everlasting habitations Not that all these friends of yours will be willing to receive you into happinesse seeing many of them may prove ungratefull and fall short of it themselves Nor yet that any of them are able in their own persons and by their own power to receive you for it is God that gives both grace and glory and disposeth of all places in heaven both at his right hand and at his left Nor yet lastly that they shall be your advocates and mediatours fee'd by your charitable gifts to speak a good word for you and by their interest to obtain your reception into heaven as some grosse Romanists collect from this place But they may be said thus to befriend you two wayes 1. By being the objects and occasions of those pious and charitable works which are the way to those everlasting habitations And it is a familiar scheme of speech to ascribe that to the object which properly belongs to the action As parents honoured and obeyed may be said to prolong our dayes And the stone out of the wall and the beam out of the timber are said to crie out against covetous persons So the backs and bellies and soules of poore distressed creatures which out of an humble obedience to the law of Christ and a tender compassion to your brethren you have clothed fed and refreshed will plead and that effectually upon the gracious promises of God for your reception into everlasting habitations 2. They may be said thus to befriend you though not in their own persons yet by their sureties God himself and his Sonne Jesus Christ have engaged and if I may so speak entred bond with these poore debters of yours to see your labour of love repaid with full interest nay to give you a recompence of infinite value for that i● which ●n it self is worth nothing God by his own promise hath made himself your debter according to that known saying of Austin Fidelis dominus qui fecit se nobis debitorem non aliquid à nobis accipiendo sed omnia promittendo You have it under the hand of the Holy Ghost himself that giving to the poore is lending to the Lord. That entertaining clothing feeding visiting the poore afflicted members of Christ are so many good offices done to Christ himself and acknowledged by him as his own personall debts and engagements So that prove your friends here spoken