Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	good_a	king_n	power_n	4,538	5	4.8909	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16557	The third part from S. Iohn Baptists nativitie to the last holy-day in the whole yeere dedicated vnto the right religious and resolute doctor, Mattheuu Sutcliffe, Deane of Exeter / by Iohn Boys ...	Boys, John, 1571-1625.	1615 (1615)	STC 3463.3; ESTC S728	114,320	152

the word of God and verse 17. of the same Chapter obey those which haue the rule ouer you and submit your selues for they watch for your soules Hence the parsonages in England were termed anciently rectories and the parsons rectors as for the stile gracious Lords vrged so much by the Nouelists against our reuerend and honorable Primats answere is made that there is not one sillable in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that signifieth a Lord. It is true that our learned English interpretours in old time sought by the periphrasis gratious Lords to set downe the meaning of Christ vsing Lord for a title of honour and gratious for a title of doing good But our new translation expresseth it better in reading benefactors the Kings of the Gentiles exercise Lordship ouer them and they that exercise authority vpon them are called benefactors so Beza benefici vocantur so the vulgar latine Erasmus Ro. Stephanus and other as well ancient as moderne interpretours so that the clause vos autem non sic is referred by the two other Euangelists and almost all learned expositors vnto the fond ambition and tyrannicall oppression of the Gentile Kings and not vnto their titles or names Indeed we finde that the Kings of Egypt and of other nations vaine-gloriously desired to be called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 munificent benefactors when as they deserued rather the names of tyrants and oppressors as the Popes of Rome haue called themselues I verily thinke contrary to Christs but you not so Clement Pius Boniface when they were most vnmercifull and impious malefactors All that may be gathered hence then is that the Kings of the Gentiles assumed flattering titles vnto themselues being indeed nothing lesse then that which their stiles imported and it may be a good admonition for all men especially for Clergie men to frame their liues answerable to their names and titles of honour giuen vnto them An ambitious desire to be called benefactor is prohibited here but the name it selfe is commendable for Saint Peter applieth it vnto Christ Acts 10. 38. Iesus of Nazareth went about doing good and S. Paul exhorteth vs to doe good vnto all men especially to them of the household of faith As for ruling we say that it is against all sense that where the titles of rulers are giuen there ruling should be denyed nay Christ in the wordes immediatly following he that is greatest among you let him be as the least c. Insinuates that there must bee some great among them He saith not as Musculus obserues no man ought to bee chiefe among you which he would haue said if it had not been lawfull in the kingdome of God for some to be great and cheife or if it had bin necessary that all should haue bin in all things equall The celestiall spirits are not equall the starres are not equall the disciples themselues were not in all things equall It is not therefore Christs meaning to haue none great or chiefe among Christians seeing our state requires necessarily that some be superiour and other inferiour So Martine Bucer the fond Anabaptists collect here that no man may be together a Christian and a magistrate because Christ said to his Disciples it shall not be so among you not considering that those which according to the will of the Lord beare rule godly nihil minus quàm dominari immo maximè seruire tanto pluribus quanto pluribus praefuerint doe nothing lesse then domineere yea verily do most of all serue and euen so many doe they serue ouer how many soeuer they beare rule So Chrysostome Theophylact Euthymius and it is the common opinion of other writers that these words of Christ doe not condemne superiority Lordship or any such like authority but only the ambitious desire of the same and the tyrannicall vsage thereof If Christ here would haue forbidden ciuill gouernment in all men he would haue said the Kings of Israel haue rule but ye not so or if his intent had bin to forbid it in Ministers only then he would haue said the Priests of Israel rule but ye not so but in saying the Kings of the Gentiles beare rule but ye not so he doth euidently shew that hee mislikes only such an insolent kinde of ruling as the Gentiles vsed He condemnes neither temporall authority nor Ecclesiasticall not temporall authority whether it bee supreme or subordinate not supreme for Paul appealed to Caesar as supreme gouernour aduising euery soule to be subiect vnto superiour powers not subordinate for S. Peter gaue this rule concerning rulers submit your selues to euery ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether it be to the King as to the chiefe head or vnto gouernours as vnto them that are sent of him for the punishment of euill doers and for the laud of them that doe well Not Ecclesiasticall authority for S. Peter notwithstanding this but you not so iudicially sat vpon Saphira●… and Paul exercising this authority deliuered Hemineus and the incestuous Corinthian vnto Sathan And the same Paul exhorts Timothie the Bishop of Ephesus against an elder receiue none accusation vnder two or three witnesses He grants vnto Timothy to receiue bils of complaint and so iudicially to proceed against Elders in citing them and examining them and if need be deposing them Well then if Christ here forebad neither titles of rulers nor yet ruling it selfe whether it be ciuill or ecclesiasticall it remaines that he prohibited only so ruling that is such a tyrannicall kind of gouernment as the Gentile Kings vsed and that ambitious desiring of the same which ruled in them And indeed Christ often in the Gospell vseth to call backe those that are his from errors and corrupt affections by the behauiour of the Gentiles Mat. 6. 7. The Gentiles doe thinke that by their much babling they shall be heard bee not ye therefore like vnto them and in the same Chapter verse 31. 32. Take no thought saying what shall we eate or what shall wee drinke or wherewith shall we be clothed for after all these things seeke the Gentiles but seeke ye first the kingdome of God c. And that this is Christs meaning I proue by these three reasons collected out of the context it selfe 1. he saith Mat. 20. 25. and Marke 10. 42. Yee know that the Kings of the Gentiles speaking of those rulers they knew and they were tyrants and oppressors as Pontius Pilate who condemned Christ an innocent in whom he found no fault and Herod Antipas who beheaded Iohn the Baptist a iust and holy man whom he reuerenced and heard in many things at the request of his minion and Herod the great who butchered all the male children in Bethelem and vnder pretence to worship eagerly sought to worry Christ in his cradle ye know that these Kings now reigne but ye not so that is I would not haue you so to reigne 2.

diuels and they shall lay their hands on the sicke and they shall recouer c. of which I haue sufficiently spoken in my notes vpon the Gospell on Ascension day The Gospell LVKE 22. 24. There was a strife among them which of them should seeme to be the greatest c. CHrist in this Scripture teacheth his Apostles ambitiouslie contending for rule 1. By precept The kings of the nations c. but yee shall not so be c. 2. By paterne I am among you as one that ministreth c. But yee shall not so be Or as S. Matthew it shall not be so among you Now this kinde of speech is vsed in holy Scriptures and in our english tongue two manner of waies either forbidding a thing to be done or else foretelling a thing not to be done as a master in saying to his seruant this shall not be done to day forbids a thing to be done but when an Astronomer saith of the weather it shall not be cold or hot vpon such a moneth or day he doth not forbid but onely foretell a thing that shall not be so the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are vsed Apocalip 10. 6. and 22. 5. According to this twofold acception I finde a twofold construction of this clause but yee not so first by way of prophecie secondly by way of proposition or prohibition if it be taken Prophetically then it is a prophecie concerning the disciples estate either in this or in the world to come If in this life the meaning is briefly this the kings of the Gentiles doe raigne and they that are in authoritie are called benefactors but ye not so that is I doe foreshew vnto you that ye shall not be so as if he should say they in their gouernement are called benefactors but you exercising authoritie shall be called malefactors they ruling ill are called good men ye ruling well shall be reputed euill men in the world ye shall haue affliction and ye must of necessitie drinke of my cup and be baptized with the baptisme that I am baptized with and so Christ is made to speake that in this place which he saith elsewhere The disciple is not aboue his master nor the seruant aboue his Lord if they haue called the master of the house Belzebub how much more them of his household If they haue persecuted me they will also persecute you me who came to minister vnto them and to giue my life for them euen so you which in your authoritie shall intend the good of all and spend your liues in seruing them all This sense doubtles is true for by wofull experience we finde it to be so when as among vs some for their superioritie are called Antichrists other for their authoritie tyrants other for restraining the licentiousnesse of certaine factious people persecutors If we take but yee not so for a Prophecie touching the life to come the meaning is the kings of the Gentiles haue lordship ouer them c. but ye not so that is in my kingdome which you falsely conceiue to bee vpon earth I doe foretell vnto you that it shall not bee so For though I appoint vnto you a kingdome and yee shall eate and drinke at my table in my kingdome and sit on seates iudging the twelue tribes of Israel in my kingdome yet my kingdome is not of this world yee shall not I assure you tyrannise in heauen as the kings of the nations vpon earth This sense likewise is good and fitting other places of Scripture but it doth not fit our present text for it will appeare by comparing one Euangelist with another that Christs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it shall not be is nothing else but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let in not be for whereas Saint Marke saith chapter 10. 43. shall bee your seruant and verse 44. shall be seruant of all S. Matthew chap. 20. 26. hath it in tearmes imperatiue let him be your seruant and S. Luke here he that is greatest among you let him be as the least and he that is chiefe as he that doth serue These termes of command insinuate that our blessed Sauiour spake vos autem non sic imperatiuely forbidding a thing to be done Wherefore let vs examine two poynts especially first what is said secondly whom it concernes Some referre so to the word benefactors here translated gracious Lords making the sense to be they that are in authoritie are called gracious Lords but ye not so that is ye shall not be called gracious Lords Other referre so to the verbes reigne and rule making the sense thus the kings reigne and great men rule but you not so that is ye shall not rule other attribute so to the same verbes yet make the construction otherwise the kings of the Gentiles doe rule but ye not so that is ye shall not so rule to wit as the kings of the nations rule So that either titles of honour are forbidden as gracious Lords or ruling or else so ruling The Nouelists in the first exposition haue condemned the titles of our Archbishops in the second the iurisdiction of our Bishops our Diuines therefore like best of the third affirming that Christ here prohibited neither titles of honour nor ruling but onely so ruling Not titles of honour as Lord ruler benefactor for as Christ in saying elsewhere be not ye called Rabbi for one is your master and call no man father vpon 〈◊〉 for one is your father which is in heauen and be not called Doctors c. Forbids not simply the names of Rabbi father and Doctor for a childe may call his parent father and a scholler may call his teacher Doctor and a seruant may call him vnder whose gouernment he liues master and so Paul called himselfe the Doctor of the Gentiles and the Corinthians father As I say Christ there forbids not absolutely the names of father and master much lesse the functions but only the pharisaicall affection and arrogant affectation of superiority so Christ here likewise forbids not his Apostles to be called Lords or rulers or benefactors but condemnes only the carnall ambition of these titles and insolent vsing of the same For we reade in holy Scripture that these titles were giuen to Christ and his Disciples as Iohn 13. 13. Ye call me master and Lord saith he and ye say well for so am I. Yea his Apostles are stiled by that title which is rendred elsewhere Lords Acts 16. 30. Lords what must I doe to be saued said the Iaylor to Paul and Silas and yet they reprehended not this title which they would haue done had it beene vnlawfull as Paul and Barnabas rebuked the men of Lystra when they would haue sacrificed vnto them as vnto Gods O men why doe ye these things so likewise Preachers of the word are stiled rulers Heb. 13. 7. Remember those which haue the rule ouer you who haue preached vnto you