Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	great_a	king_n	people_n	5,724	5	4.8029	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59072	God, the king, and the church (to wit) government both civil and sacred together instituted ... and throughout all, the Church of England ... vindicated : being the subject of eight sermons, preached ... / and now published by George Seignior ...	Seignior, George, d. 1678.	1670 (1670)	Wing S2417; ESTC R19835	158,466	284

upon the Divine Institution that one must make for the other This being the scope and sum of the whole Paragraph That Government both Civil and Ecclesiastical was at first instituted and established by God himself over such a People whom he would take and choose to himself for his own inheritance and these two instituted not onely at one Time but both in an Vnion in a mutual relation and dependance one upon the other whether the Phrase in the Text as spoken by God himself He shall be and Thou thalt be be by way of precept then it denotes the necessity of this mutual Vnion or whether it be by way of Promise referring to the foregoing verse then it denotes the Vtility and advantage of this Relation since there is no assurance of Gods Blessing on which side soever the Division or Separation be made 'T is pity to divide the Text when the words speak nothing but Vnion I shall endeavour to keep my self close to the scope of them whilst I confine my Discourse unto these Three Particulars First Here is the Promulgation of two great Authorities and that made to those who are Subjects unto Both the Promulgation is to be made by the High Priest who while he speaks for his Prince unto the People doth at the same time declare his own appointment to be of a Divine Right He shall be thy Spokesman to the People He shall be even He shall be to thee instead of a Mouth Secondly Here is the due Execution firm Establishment and sure Administration of both these Authorities whilst the Prince doth defend the Priest he doth so stand by himself the Throne is thus established to him in Righteousness the Kingdom is confirmed in the hands of Moses whilst he is unto Aaron instead of God Thirdly Here is a Promise of success to Both an assurance that God will not be wanting where this Vnion is continued and that taken from the Phrase or manner of expression in the Text relating to the last words of the foregoing verse spoken by God himself by way of Promise He shall be and Thou shalt be and then I will be with thy Mouth and with his Mouth and will teach you what ye shall do This is the sum of the Text and the Designe of what further I have to say from it Of which that I may so speak and you so Hear * Can. Eccl. Angl. 55. that we may all of us profit Let us pray c. First The Promulgation of two great Authorities and that made to those who are Subjects unto Both the Promulgation is from the High Priest who while he speaks for his Prince unto the People doth at the same time declare his own appointment to be of a Divine Right He shall be thy Spokesman unto the People He shall be even He shall be to thee instead of a Mouth He shall be thy Spokesman Et lequetur ipse pro te cum populo He shal speak for thee to the people Targ Onk. that so they may be taught to obey not for wrath but for conscience sake accidet ut sit ipse Tibi in interpretem Targ. Jonath and he shall speak from thee to whomsoever thou thy self shalt go or send him He is to be no other then a Voice crying whether it be in Egypt or in a Wilderness to prepare thy way before thee and to make thy paths strait quicquid Moses mandasset tanquam intellectus concipiens Tostat Abul in loc hoc Aaron loquetur tanquainos exsequens Whatsoever Moses who reigned as King in Jeshurun did dictate out of the abundance of his heart whose wisdom was as the wisdom of an Angel of God to know all things to be done that Aaron the High Priest was to declare and publish and to speak it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Oracles of God Thus the Priests lips are to preserve and to proclaim knowledge the people are to seek the laws of God and of the King at his Mouth that is so far the laws of Both as their salvation may be concerned in the cheerfulness of their obedience and to tell them that if they do in the least resist they shall receive unto themselves damnation For as the Priest is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts so not unfitly is he also the messenger of the Lords Anointed And this may not improperly be the reason of the present Institution in the Text if the Prophet be the Mouth of God well may he be so unto his Prince who is instead of God Jer. 15.19 Thou shalt be as my Mouth says God unto his Prophet even as the Mouth of God The Law of God is dumb it is as a dead letter without a lively Voice to publish it how shall they believe except they hear and how shall they hear without a Preacher The Law of Man is dumb too Promulgatio est de essentia legis Promulgation is of the very essence of a law in order to its being observed and great security there is unto the Subject that the laws of God and Man do not thwart and contradict each other when the Trumpet is blown in Sion and the Voice is from the Sanctuary that bespeaks Obedience unto Both It is not then absurd that the Keeper of the Kings Conscience should be His Confessour he to tell when commanded unto the people what are the thoughts of his heart the practise is as antient as the present Institution in the Text and perhaps as an intimation how fit it is that it should be still continued in those polities that are called Christian the Office is again confirmed upon Aaron by this Repetition of it He shall be even He shall be to thee instead of a Mouth From all which I might raise and prosecute this Observation That the Ministerial Function is the most proper certain effectual and perpetual Mouth of the Common-wealth and that from the Chief Magistrate to the People and therefore is by no means to be excluded Senates Aaron is to be the Mouth of Moses in every thing in which Moses ought to be his God and that is reciprocally and Universally upon all accounts and at all adventures They are the words of him who was both a King and a Preacher Eccles 12.9 The Preacher must be wise to teach the people knowledge how can he find out acceptable words such words as may be as goads or nails fastned in a sure place unless he be permitted to converse with those that are the Masters of Assemblies and so may he speak such words as are given forth from one Shepherd But I need not magnifie the Priest's Office in this particular the happy temperament of the Constitution under which we live is an abundant demonstration to us that the laws by which we are governed were instituted in the fear of God and consequently the Obligation is greater upon the Subject to obey them since the Authority that confirms them is both Spiritual and

heaven the Blessed of the Lord even amongst Indians and Armenians those that sate in darkness and the shadow of death unto them by this Apostle was preached the word of life and that life was the Light of God and last of all how he seal'd the Doctrine which he deliver'd with his Blood his skin flay'd off and so he was exposed like his Master a man of sorrows neither was he in his death unlike unto him being nailed to a cross he committed himself and his cause to God that judgeth righteously All this it may be piously received and entertained from a literal and oral Tradition but ignorantly enough God knows how true fides penes sit Authores let those who have a more easy faith believe whose main business it is to gain credit to such things of which they are not themselves overmuch perswaded Our Church therefore having little or no regard to all these has rather chose to celebrate this Apostle as one of the Twelve without any particular specifications concerning him save only that he was Brother and Companion with the rest in Tribulation and in the Kingdom and Patience of our Lord Jesus Christ Accordingly the Gospel for the Day St. Luk. 22.24 is our Saviours Determination of that perplexing Question which so much troubled the Disciples at first among themselves and has since been no small cause of Division in the Christian Church Which of them should be the Greatest not St. Bartholomew himself should we grant him right Noble by his Birth yet he must not pretend here to a Priority therefore in the Gospel the words run thus The Kings of the Gentiles exercise Lordship and they that exercise authority are called Patrons and Benefactors But ye shall not be so not so untill that Kings be your Nursing fathers and Queens your Nursing Mothers in the mean while let no one vindicate to himself Power and Prerogative amongst you over the rest of his brethren But he that is greatest among you let him be as the Younger and he that is chief as he that doth serve And the Epistle for this Day part of which is the Text was the happy effect and result upon this Determination The Apostles agreeing together amongst themselves the Gospel of Jesus did run and was glorified their Unity was causal of respect from those who were without whilst they kept together with one accord even the place where they met was an an indication both of their piety and their prudence in or about the Temple in Solomons Porch and as an ancient Gloss upon the Text fuerunt simul sapientes in domo sapientis The wisdom of God was here justified by the children of Wisdom and that in no other place then in an House of Wisdom whilst 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the rest whither they were Friends or enemies seeing and observing their Unity ecce ut seinvicem deligant they could not but keep their distance no man durst to joyn himself to them and yet notwithstanding this awe upon their spirits the Apostles wanted neither Praise nor Admiration But the People magnified them and upon the whole the word of God grew and was multiplied Believers were the more added to the Lord multitudes both of men and women Well therefore has our Church in her Divine Service furnished us at this time with a Prayer for the continuance of that Vnity and Vniformity which beares its later date from this Festival to wit that it would please Almighty God to grant unto his Church to love that Word which this Apostle in the Communion of the rest believed that both those who Minister may preach and the people may receive the same in the fear of God in the love of those truths and of one another through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen The words of the Text having thus given you an account of our Churches choice in the selection of them for the Epistle at this time which I could not well omit partly out of a respect to the Festival and chiefly out of a design to speak a word in season too much and sadly in season even all the year long because of these days of error schism and sedition in which we live are in themselves a Parenthesis and so an Historicall observation made in the midst of a continued Narration A Descant made of what effect the judgment of God had upon the sin of sacriledge in the verses before to wit what influence the punishment of this sin in the sudden death of Ananias and Sapphira had upon the Church as also what was the effect of Gods Providence in the verses following how that God was with his Apostles to deliver them from the expectation of those who sought their lives he sent his Angel to open the prison door and out of prison they were sent to reign in the hearts of all that heard them and at length by the counsel of their enemies they were acquitted God over-ruling in those Determinations also so that this seems to be the Historical though Parenthetical observation of St. Luke writing the whole story That the Apostles and new convert Disciples being altogether with one accord in Solomons Porch of the rest durst no man joyn himself to them but the People magnified them and Believers were the more added to the Lord multitudes of men and women Observe with me in the whole Parenthesis as the limits to what may be Discoused from it these four things 1. A Holy Convention They were all with one accord in Solomon's Porch 2. A Due Distance observed in that Convention Of the rest durst no man joyn himself to them 3. An awefull Reverence exhibited upon that Distance But the People magnified them 4. A Great Benefit redounding to the whole Community upon that Reverence or rather upon the whole present Dispensation Believers were the more added to the Lord multitudes of men and women Of these in their order 1 A Holy Convention They were all with one accord in Solomon's Porch in which words we may observe 1. The Persons convening 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all of them 2. The Place of their meeting 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Solomon's Porch 3. Their Behaviour at their meeting 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 together with one accord These Three the Subject of the first Discourse 1. The Persons convening 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all of them Whether with the Apostles the new Convert Disciples or the multitudes called together at the noise of the wonders that were wrought or it may be amongst so many some out of curiosity to pry and observe and others out of evil will to seek and occasion against them that so they might deliver up these Apostles to the Rulers Thus might these multitudes at this time have been divided The Apostles were there labouring in the Word and Doctrine the new Converts were there receiving as new born babes the sincere milk of the word that they might grow thereby those who were curious and inquisitive came

Temporal I pass by this double honour possibly some think it too much for those that labour in the Word and Doctrine and I follow that which is the great designe of the Text the Vnion that is here fixed and everlastingly to be promoted and therefore the Word is singular Regis Sacerdotis unum est Os there is but one Mouth assigned both to King and Priest the one is to think the other to speak the same thing Moses and Aaron to go hand in hand together Hence it is observable that they were Both of the Tribe of Levi verse 14. Is not Aaron the Levite thy Brother The Levite and thy Brother and his Mouth to be thy Mouth to speak the words which thou shalt put into it Why then should there be any difference betwixt Moses and Aaron since they are Brethren They are Both of the same Tribe which the Lord had chosen out of all the Tribes of Israel to come and Minister before him the One was to deliver the Other to teach and instruct Both together to establish and confirm in a perpetual and never ceasing Oeconomy what are the judgments and the statutes of God and Man And all this not to Jacob and Israel onely but to Pharaoh and the Egyptians also 1. Aaron is the Mouth of Moses to the People that is to Israel to tell them that they are the Visited and Beloved of the Lord to proclaim to them the Royal Law of liberty out of the house of bondage from their slavery to wish them to follow the directions of their Law-giver Moses who will rule them according to the integrity of his heart and guide them with the skilfulness of his hand with the skilfulness of his hand with great and wonderfull Dexterity will he extricate them out of all their miseries remove their shoulders from the burdens and their hands from making the pots 2. And so Aaron to be the Mouth of Moses to Pharaoh and his fervants to denounce and execute as many Plagues on him and his people as are the Tribes of Israel if you reckon the plagues and signs together from first to last a Plague for each Tribe because of the hard and cruel bondage wherein he made each of them to serve neither would he permit them to depart in peace from amongst them that they might worship the Lord their God And here by the way we may take notice how necessary is this Vnion betwixt King and Priest how comfortable is their mutual assistance then especially when there is danger of a common enemy both to Church and State when there are a Generation of Men like Pharaoh who will not permit the people to be at quiet onely because Moses and Aaron would have them to serve the Lord how should Moses at such a time stand at the door of the Tabernacle with the Rod of God in his hand for the defence of Aaron and how should Aaron lift up his voice in the behalf of Moses hold up his hands lest that Amalech prevail In a word The Commandment is to go forth from Both to restore and to build the Temple the One must stand like stout Nehemiah with his Sword in his hand that so the work be not hindred the Other not unlike holy Ezra a Prophet of the Lord with the Sword or the Keys of the Kingdome in his Mouth that so it may be perfected in righteousness great is the care which Both together must take for many are the kindnesses which Both together must do unto the House of God and the Offices thereof O then may Aarons Bells never ring backward if ever let it be to call the people as One man to the quenching of a common flame let it be to stand between the living and the dead when a Plague is begun that it may be staid pro Te loquetur He shall speak for Thee to the people surely then he is not so to speak as to inveigh against him to aggravate his failings to exasperate and calumniate his Person before the people he may lift up his Voice like a Trumpet but it must not be the Trumpet of sedition the Alarm of War sounding to battel from the Pulpit let him cry aloud yea and he may not spare to tell Judah and Israel of their sins but it is not fitting to say to a Prince that he is wicked Such language as this does least of all become the Mouth of Aaron Much more unseemly is it for him to say before the People be they Israel it will increase their murmurings be they Egyptians it will add to their hard-heartedness that Moses is ungodly God doth hear the blasphemy of those who do in the least though it be but in a thought slander the footsteps of his Anointed Aaron himself was too sad an instance of this when he murmured against Moses saying Numb 12.2 Hath the Lord indeed spoken onely by Moses hath he not also spoken by us Yes he hath spoken by you Both and yet the Leprosie upon Miriam's forehead may be an intimation unto Aaron that he do cover his Mouth and shut his lips such language as this hath defiled them Vnclean unclean But the meekness of Moses was soon intreated and the God of mercy did accept of his intercession so that immediately there was a healing of this breath and Aaron is still continued to be the Mouth of Moses to the People To the People if to Moses surely much more to them and the People are to attend to him with reverence upon this treble account because that he is the Mouth of God of the King and also of the People Heb. 5.1 Every High Priest is ordained for men that is is set over men in things pertaining to God the manner of expression in the Original is the same with the Septuagint in my Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Every High Priest is set over men as concerning those things which are to God-ward that is the interpretation may fairly be admitted without any great stress upon the words set over the ordinary sort of men to tell them with Authority and with power what is their duty either to God or his Vicegerent to the Lord of Lords or to those who are instead of God and they who do resist or despise either One or the Other do not despise or resist the Man in either of them but the God that is in them Both. And this brings me to the Second thing I observed from the Text which is the due Execution firm Establishment and sure Administration of both these Authorities together and that no otherwise then by a Divine Dispensation Whilst the Prince doth defend the Priests of the most High God he doth so stand by himself the Throne is thus established to him in Righteousness the Kingdome confirmed in the hands of Moses whilst he is unto Aaron and to his sons instead of God Instead of God in his quae ad Deum that is in the Letter of the Text