Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	government_n	king_n	power_n	6,332	5	5.0174	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64639	Perez Uzza, Or, A serious letter sent to Master Edm. Calamy, January the 17th, 1663 touching his sermon at Aldermanbvry, December the 28th, intimating his close design, and dangerous insinuation against the publick peace : with some queries he is to answer, for the satisfaction of the world.	Udall, O.	1663 (1663)	Wing U17; ESTC R23555	20,153	32

Israel ought to do O there was a time to keep silence and there would have been a time to speak Your Text I hear was 1 Sam. 4.13 where methinks I no sooner hear of the Ark but I call to mind that passage 2 Sam. 6.6 7. And when they came to Nachons threshing floor Uzzah put forth his hand to the Ark of God and took hold of it for the Oxen shook it and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah and God smote him there for his errour The Ark may be in danger and yet you have no call to uphold it the Ark may seem to you in danger unless you put your hands to it and you may be in danger if you meddle with it Now consider your call you were there by Law made a hearer O how durst you but abide in that calling wherein you were called Why did not you study to be quiet and to follow your own business and if you must speak a word of Exhortation to the people why did you not assure them that you and they must needs be obedient to every ordinance of man for the Lords sake and to submit for conscience sake Why did you not desire them to go home and consider what that meaneth If the spirit of the Ruler rise up against thee stir not out of thy place for yielding pacifieth great offences Eccl. 10.4 Object 1. I hear you observed that the threatnings of the second and third Chapter and the terrors of the fourth were denounced and inflicted Because he did not restrain his wicked sons from their lewd courses You have given his Majesty and his Parliament fair warning to persist in their severe restraints of all licentiousnesse and not to hearken to that indulgence which may be their ruine that they grant it to and their own that grant it To indulge men in a wrong way is to undo them and our selves too Government is not so firm when it prevariously depends upon the private humours of Subjects as when it is eternally established upon the publick resolutions of Authority An able Prince that would establish a troubled Government must have two things eminent power and virtue he ought to have virtue to preserve his dignity and power to check others insolence power begets fear and fear makes Gods and Kings And really it is high time for discipline to awake when by a sad liberty offences are grown so impudent as to controul it and so potent as to venture the suppressing of it Oh! Ely may beget Phineas Phineas may beget Ichabod Remissnesse may beget prophaness and prophaness may beget the departare of the glory Irresolution loosens all the joynts of State a good nature may be a good companion for a private person but for a Prince to be so is mischief to himself and others Remissness and connivance are the ruine of unsettled Kingdomes Let us satisfie our selves in the best Principles of Religion and Government and keep close to them and leave the success to God Ely must not let his sons escape nor Magistrates their people with a why do you these things for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people nay my sons for it is no good report that I hear Upon the whole matter I appeal to your own Conscience whether the establishment of great rules of piety worship order and obedience against which no man must appear all men being publickly restrained by just penalties from saying or doing any thing scandalous to or derogating from the true Religion which is esteemed and so settled the best and most holy be not a better way to preserve the Ark then to allow loose men Liberty to do what they please sometime I know you think you may be indulged in your opinions though Ely's Sons were not to be indulged in their Practises You know these are damnable heresies as well at damnable practises and though I cannot say your Opinions are such yet upon the same ground that the Church allowed such Moderate men as you are Liberty of Conscience it must allow all men Liberty that can but pretend to Conscience Besides you have Liberty of Opinion for the Government takes no notice of your opinions but you must not have Liberty of practise especially where your Practises hath been such that their eares tingle that have heard of it Now some there are that would make comparisons between your Practises and the Sons of Ely The Sons of Ely were sons of Belial i. e. that endure not the yoak 2. They altered the custome by taking too much to themselves 3. And if any one said Let them not fail to burn of the fat presently and thou shalt take as much as thy soul desireth then they would answer him Nay but we will have it presently or we will take it by force 4. They made men abhor the Sacrifice of the Lord. 1. Would the world did not observe of you that you cannot endure the yoak 2. You altered a Custome in the Church yea all the Customes of the Church and have taken too much upon you 3. If any one said unto you be contented let the great things of Government and obedience take place and then you may do what you please for true Liberty to do good and good Government may very well contest together then you answer Nay but we will take it presently or we will take it by force 4. And you have made men abhor true godliness and serious holiness because you did such strange things who usually practised it We cannot now own being holy unlesse we own a suspicion at least of disloyalty too O Sir the good wayes of God have been evil spoken of through you and many a man was afraid of being serious least he should be suspected seditious and many a poor soul applauded his very prophanesse because it was loyal and honest and despised Religion because he saw you made it disloyal and turbulent And indeed give me that Religion that is most charitable to all men Object 2. I hear you observed that the Israelites confessed the Lord had smitten them Though we know all evil of punishment is from the Lord yet we repine at men we murmur against the Magistrate that dischargeth his Conscience we exclaim against our Pastors who perform their duty we complain of Parliaments who enact according to the published reason we entertain hard thoughts of the Magistrates that execute Justice and maintain Truth whereas if we suffer any thing by these men performing their several duties we are to look upon it as the hand of God upon us and to say with old Ely It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good I am informed that you observed that they thought they were safe by the presence of the Ark but therein they were miserably mistaken Object 3. And I have often observed of you and those of your way that you confine your Religion Worship Church and safety to a few opinions and persons equally modern which

If they are against no Law every one of them apart how are they against a tender conscience that hath alwayes an eye upon a Law and peace be upon them that walk according to this rule if to read a good Prayer-book be no where forbidden how is it a sin and if it be no sin how doth it trouble a tender conscience deny your selves and you shall have complacency and satisfaction enough to your thoughts and wishes in Heaven if you should be as that man sad at this saying and goe away grieved O then submit at least to our Saviours last Lesson to the man Take up the Crosse and follow Me. Sometimes I think and it 's no little pleasure to observe the innocent emanations of our souls and the harmlesse springing of our thought pure as the morning cleer as the first dawn of day when we are composed with quiet tranquility and peace with our God our conscience and with all the World 〈…〉 sometimes I think I heare you a sked by sober men as Agrippa was by Saint Paul believe you the Prophets believe you the Scripture that enjoyes obedience to Magistrates and those under them in Church and State for 〈◊〉 under and peace do you believe the primitive practise of the Church of God lead by the spirit of God in all ages do you believe the decrees of Counsels do you believe the holy sayings of the Fathers we know you do believe them and you considering how neer we come to what the Scripture teacheth concerning obedience decency and order and edification what the Catholick Church before Popery was heard of practised say as Mr. Vines c and others would say you have almost perswaded us to an uniformity to order to decency to obedience for if ancient History may be believed and if humane evidence may be of any use which it must be of or else we have nothing sure for if Laws were not as we are told they are by men our estates are lost if deeds are not such as they are witnessed our Lands are forfeited and if we in the World live onely to deceive and be deceived we are undone the Catholick Church before Popery kept up two things that were its glory uniformity and sincere obedience and if honest and knowing men may be believed the reformed Churches keep up an uniformity among themselves and obedience even to their Popish Princes and methinks I hear the sober men say as Saint Paul we would to God not only you but all Christians this day were not only almost but altogether such as we are except onely our unhappinesse that we are looked upon as enthralled our selves and as those that would enthrall others whereas we desire onely that all men may be free from all prejudices interest and partiality to know what they ought to do and to do what they know we desire only that Kings may be free to command according to their conscience subjects may be free to obey according to their conscience and that none may perswade the World that Kings sin commanding what they think in their conscience is good and that Subjects sin in doing those things when commanded which they think in their conscience are not in themselves evill As we would all the truths of God were received not in Word but in Power in the holy ghost and in much assurance so we would that great truth of obedience which our Religion teacheth with most evidence Inforceth with most motives and presseth with most power of any Religion in the world viz. of obedience and uniformity were owned among us so freely that Christian Kings and Princes might entertain our Religion as their interest and all Christian people might entertain it as their peace and composure This is all the harm we wish this is all the evil we think we are thus harmlesse thus innocent in our thoughts towards you Amidst these pleasing thoughts of you at once my duty and delight that I might not know that undisturbed calm here below which I look for above behold an unpleasing message is brought me this week and I know not by what correspondence whatever you speak or do is suddenly spread abroad throughout the Kingdom that you had 1. In contempt of the authority of a full and free Parliament which you once cried up as the only power of God ordained in this Nation 2. To the disturbance of a quiet Government under which we began to lead peaceable and quiet lives in all godlinesse and honesty 3. To the offence of a gracious Soveraign many waies indeared to you 4. To the grieving of many a poor soul which expected you of all men should shew a pattern of humility meeknesse and obedience and the misleading of more who have that reverence for your person that by your example may be induced to your miscarriage to the great trouble of your Dtocesan who is hereby in a streight betwixt the sad choice of either seeing you punished so as not becoming a man of your Coat and Order or of winking at you against the grand establishment of the present Parliament and you know what it is to protect delinquents from Justice you preached I am afraid by making use of that way to incense the people for it is observed that preaching and printing undid you will provoke the Magistrate to do as King Edward the sixth did who ordained that whereby of late by reason of certain controversious and seditious Preachers his Majesty out of the love he bare to the quiet of his Subjects inhibitted all men from preaching in any open audience unlesse they were licenced by the Lord Protector or my Lords Grace of Canterbury yea by bringing the abomination of sedition that makes desolate into the holy place you will make the Magistrate as much afraid to open the Church doors to you as to open Janus his Temple as much afraid to hear the Gospel as the Israelites were to hear the Law equal the terrour the thunder the fear under both Christian Princes will look upon Lords daies as daies of Sabbaoth of Hosts and armies and noise than of Sabbath of rest and peace and when preachers truly lift up their voices like Trumpets to tell people of their former transgression but to incite them to commit new ones I am afraid that you call cause men by these courses to abhor the service of God and so by your fault the Word of the Lord be precious in our daies and there be no open vision You preached I hear Mr. Calamy the 28. of December when the Kings thoughts were full of favour towards you and all your friends were resolved of obedience and patience that in so doing they might put to silence the ignorance of foolish men where the Nobility and Gentry had their eyes upon your carriage and behaviour in order to a further clemency or severity O Mr. Calamy a wise man knoweth time and judgement and the men of Issachar had understanding in the times knowing what