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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	great_a	know_v	world_n	4,002	5	4.4108	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61335	The divine obligation of humane ordinances Delivered in a sermon upon the 26th of February, before the iudge, at St. Maries in Bury St. Edmonds, By William Starkey, D.D. Rector of Pulham in Norfolk.	Starkey, William, 1620 or 21-1684.	1668 (1668)	Wing S5294; ESTC R214022	19,168	36

although it hath gotten through mistake a repute of harshness in the World I know not why it should seem unreasonable For if persons will take up Resolutions without yea sometimes against a Rule I think 't is a greater deal of Charity and there is necessity to bring those by any means to a Rule to bring them into the way of truth who have so long erred and have been deceived But be it agreed upon betwixt us That Conscience is a settled Determination of the Intellective Part from a certain Rule inferring the Morality of our Actions and concluding the issue accordingly And now to our business in hand That I or thou decline any thing in Conscience that is commanded by a lawful Authority it must be because the thing is unlawful For neither I nor thou ought to do any thing unlawful that we both abide by What therefore we decline that is enjoyned by lawful Authority we cannot decline unless it be prohibited or forbidden by the Law of God For if forbidden then be not careful to answer Vetitum est is sufficient But if the thing be not forbidden and so not unlawful though not commanded by God directly or immediately yet if enjoyned by lawful Authority we must sin against Conscience in refusing or declining much more in opposing when we ought to be subject to Higher Powers and to submit c. to every Ordinance of man And yet these Ordinances of men not binding as the Arbitrary Impositions of fallible men but as having their Authority and Obligingness from a superintending Command of an undeceiving God who commands subjection to Higher Powers which cannot be better demonstrated then in things of this nature nor is the Fifth Command better observed as hath been proved sufficiently So there can be no justifiable declining or opposing the Superiours Command out of Conscience when the things declined are no ways unlawful nor prohibited by the Word of God For where no Law no Trangression But now on the contrary if we have any Conscience we must submit and there is just ground of our submission and conformity For the thing being not unlawful and commanded by our Superiours we are to submit not onely for fear of wrath but for Conscience sake Conscience not simply of the Command of man but as the Command of God who commands subjection and that we submit to every Ordinance of man for the Lords sake Yet the Dissenters oppose and complain of it as a great grievance That actions or things in their own nature indifferent should by an Imposition be made necessary and determined and this bemoan'd as a violence to tender Consciences To which I must reply this To demand what hurt is it if things or actions of their own nature indifferent be determined Those things that were indifferent of their own nature might have been done or undone lawfully without transgression before determined but now determined they are grievances and unlawful Oh at last consider How little thy Reason how great thy Opposition to all manner of Government when an action of its own nature indifferent and so consequentially lawful shall be declined by thee as a thing unlawful onely because a lawful Authority hath enjoyned it Again that the indifference is taken away it is not taken away for the nature of the thing but for the use of it it being determined in wisdome as then in that place being most convenient Neither is it enjoyned that thou shouldst believe thy obedience must be yeelded to such Commands as if they were absolutely necessary to Salvation but as conveniently necessary for Peace to preserve Order and prevent Confusion There is no question but such Constitutions are peculiar temporary and mutable yet the outward Power shall bind and limit thee for the outward Act but it leaves thee free for thy Conscience Conscience I say of the nature of the thing not of the exercise of the Act enjoyned For thou art bound to do as is commanded not onely for wrath but for Conscience sake who art commanded to submit c. Again If indifferent things as thou seemest to desire should not be determined what can be expected from the unyeeldingness of mens nature upon pretence of offence but we must run into Schism and Divisions For to instance in that thing which is before our eyes The Surplice in its self is indifferent whether worn or not worn be it left so and no Injunction and see what follows Thou art perswaded in Divine Administration it should be forborn others with as much earnestness and more reason urge it that it must be worn it being decent and significant If I wear it I offend one party if I wear it not I offend another it were good to be without offence and to give none to either Jew or Gentile but if this be left indifferent of necessity some must be scandalized so as the Determination of the Governour in this case is necessary that people by his judgement may abide quietly and live in peace who if left to themselves would inevitably run into Contention and Confusion But I may leave arguing and we have reason enough God help us to break out into Lamentation and we may complain with Hilary Our Faith facta est fides temporum potius quam Evangeliorum periculosum ac miserabile tot nunc fides existere quot voluntates Our Faith is become the Faith of the Times rather then the Faith of the Gospels and what is dangerous and lamentable we have got as many Faiths as Wills and Consciences as obstinate Resolutions And when Conscience which ought to be subordinate and under a Law shall be accounted as a plea sufficient to justifie any mans attempts or actions without any respect to the absolute Law no wonder we should run headlong in multitudes into a lawless liberty and licentiousness and into all manner of disobedience The Church of England admired and envied of all strangers hath been like Joseph a very fruitful Bough but the Archers have sorely grieved her and shot at her and feared not Those that have withdrawn themselves into the Synagogue are yet persecuting them of the Church and lay things to their charge they knew not of For while they clamour against Superstition among us let those that obstinately will account things absolutely unlawful that of their own nature are indifferent let them soberly consider whether they be not deeply guilty of Superstition themselves But say what we can the worst of our Enemies are those that have been of our own Houshold the Children of our Mother have fought against her and they that have eat of her bread have lift up their heels against her And when those that have been our Friends and Acquaintance though without cause stand thus afar off no wonder if Strangers think some evil Disease cleaveth close unto us And to make us more miserable what hath befaln the Church will certainly befal the State in all positive Laws if Liberty and Toleration be

THE DIVINE OBLIGATION OF HUMANE ORDINANCES Delivered in a SERMON Upon the 26th of February Before the IUDGE At St. Maries in Bury St. Edmonds BY WILLIAM STARKEY D.D. Rector of Pulham in NORFOLK CAMBRIDGE Printed by JOHN FIELD Printer to the University And are to be sold by Henry Dickinson Bookseller in the Regent Walk in Cambridge 1668. To the Honourable Sir WILLIAM MORTON One of His Majesties Justices of the Kings Bench Health and Happiness SIR NO importunity of Friends could perswade me no calumny of my worst Enemies could provoke me niether could the juncture of time when this Sermon was preach'd induce me onely the assurance of your Lordships Patronage hath prevailed with me to expose to publick view these weak Meditations without which this Scroll as worthless must have undergone the Authors doom and must have been condemned to perpetual forgetfulness And certainly my good Lord there is great necessity of your defence who have been so valiant for the Truth and feared no opposition For that Spirit of Loyalty and Obedience that runs through this whole Discourse which sure was the sole reason that moved you to like it when preach'd before you will for this reason alone make it dis-relishing amidst an unreasonable Generation which setting up a pretended Conscience above yea against a certain Law is yet desperately hurried headlong into a lawless liberty and licentiousness and into all manner of disobedience If therefore there be any thing in this Treatise that may conduce to correct these miscarriages I think I need not protest my Integrity in delivering them Malice it self will acquit me and my worst Enemies cannot entertain a suspition of my Hypocrisie in this when no former Preferments have pre-ingaged me no future Hopes can have byassed me no other Worldly Respects can have inclined me but that is done in all probability is done in simplicity out of an unfeigned love to Order and Peace To which if I may contribute any thing I have my designe and the Reader that hath any benefit will with me thank God for your Lordship and pray heartily for the continuance of your Welfare who hath been always ready to act and suffer for the preservation of the Religion the Laws and Obedience of the Nation This your care hath brought these things that follow to the light And the assurance of your Lordships perseverance constrains the Author that he can no longer forbear to vow himself Yours in all Services with all readiness to his utmost WILL. STARKEY The Divine Obligation of Humane Ordinances c. 1 Pet. 2.13 Submit your selves to every Ordinance of man for the Lords sake AS it was with St. Paul's new-converted Gentiles even so was it with St. Peter's dispersed Hebrews to whom he chiefly directs this Epistle Either the Gnosticks or some other carnal Gospellers that made it their business to despise Dominions and speak evil of Dignities Jude 8. under a specious pretence of Liberty had miscarried the Servants so as they cast off all yokes of service and the Subjects so as they broke asunder all bonds of obedience and now the new Christians were blown up into a prejudice yea into an opposition against all Humane Government Which justly opened the mouths of the Unbelievers to brand such Christians as evil-doers and Religion was now reproached and the Name of Christ and his Gospel was every where blasphemed Upon this the Apostle in this part of the Epistle presseth the new born Babes to a greater care of a more becoming conversation that by well-doing they might put to silence the ignorance of foolish men And without doubt Piorum Apologiacertissima speciocissima si vita eos purgat non oratio as Luther upon the place Holy Men purge themselves by Demeanour better then Language and an Harmless Life is the Christians furest Apologie there being no such way for them to silence Gain-sayers to choak Detractors and disarm all Opposers as to lead lives quiet and peaceable void of offence in all godliness and honesty And this honesty of conversation is best discovered by readiness of submission to the just Commands of lawful Governours which brings our Apostle to urge this of our Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Submit c. And as it was in the Apostles even so it is in our days we have such Teachers and such Believers in the midst of us Those that think and say 'T is Reason and Religion to cast off all submission to Political either Civil or Ecclesiastical Laws especially in their Poenal determinations Pretending That meekness and mildness of disposition that is required and that liberty which is granted by the Gospel is inconsistent with that rigour and exaction that is used in the execution of those most wholsome Laws that are in force among us Glad should I be if I might undeceive any that are run into this errour in the midst of us but if I cannot undeceive others I shall satisfie my self that others shall know I am ready to give an account of my perswasion of that my yeelding subjection to Humane Ordinances even to those that may oppose themselves with mildness and godly fear And as it is reasonable for me to do it so it is seasonable for you of this solemn Assembly to receive it who are met about the execution of Laws and Penalties and urging subjection unto them And sure it cannot be improper to urge not onely the lawfulness but the necessity and profitableness of the work that so with faithfulness watchfulness and chearfulness you may go about the designed employment when the undertaking is not onely out of policy barely for peace and advantage or convenience but in piety and for conscience sake when either St. Peter was no Apostle or else this is undoubtedly the will of God That we are to submit to every Ordinance of man for the Lords sake The Text is an Exhortation of St. Peters to the scattered believing Jews that they would be subject to Government And sure if it were their duty then to be subject to the Laws of Heathens it is much more ours now to be subject to the Laws of Christian Governours Be it agreed upon then 't is our concern to regard the Exhortation and then three things are observable 1. Note the condition or part or manner of Government the Apostle would have us subject to 't is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to every Ordinance of man 2. Observe the manner of subjection we are to pay 't is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lend an ear onely but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 submit not to be done passively onely but actively nor onely your wills but your judgements if the matter of the thing be indifferent Submit your selves 3. Observe the reason of the submission of the Christian the Obligation of Humane Ordinances the Ordinances may be Humane yet their Authority and Obligation is Divine for submission must be given to Humane Ordinances for the Lords sake We are to begin with