Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	king_n	law_n	people_n	9,348	5	5.3251	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66578	Nehushtan, or, A sober and peaceable discourse, concerning the abolishing of things abused to superstition and idolatry which may serve as one intire, and sufficient argument, to evince that the liturgy, ceremonies, and other things used at this day in the Church of England, ought neither to be imposed, nor retained, but utterly extirpated and laid aside : and to vindicate the non-conformists in their refusal to close with them.	Wilson, Joseph, d. 1678.	1668 (1668)	Wing W2927; ESTC R38669	118,485	216

do it with safety Indeed when God calls us forth to appear in the behalf of his truth we must do it let the danger be what it will but till he call us we must avoid it and not through curiosity affectation of novelty precipitancy or the like expose our selves to it If we be present at Idolatrous services we must evidence our dislike if therefore we may not safely evidence our dislike we must not except we have some special call thereunto be present To this purpose is that of Baldwin Vbi publice dissensum declarare non licet c. l. 2. c. 6. Cas 6. p. 197. where saith he we may not publickly declare our dissent it is better to abstain lest we either beget a scruple in our own consciences or danger from the adversary If then we are of good progress in religion have a call from God are satisfied in our own consciences with what we are about have need of informing our judgements will do what we do with an evidence of our dislike Of Communicating with the Lutherans in the Eucharist See Alting Probl. Theol. pt 3. p. 164. Jo. Crocius Ant. Weigel p. 152. and may do it without giving offence to any or bringing our selves into needless trouble then we may appear before an Idol and be present at the worship given to it otherwise not As for Naamans going into the house of Rimmon it makes nothing against what I have here said for as he sinned in it so as you have heard upon his conversion he confessed his error and beg'd pardon Another example of this abstinence from abused things we have in Daniel a man of far higher attainments than such a new Convert as Naaman was can be presumed to have had who when Nebuchadnezzar by the hands of Ashpenaz the Master of his Eunuchs offered him of his royal meats and wines he refused either to eat or drink thereof He purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the proportion of the Kings meat Dan. 1.8 The King had such high esteem of him that he was desirous to win him to his religion and in order thereunto he judges it meet to treat him with such meats and drinks as he had consecrated to his Idols thinking that when he had inur'd him to feed on the one he should bring him to own the other Hunc hamum subesse cibis regiis vidit Daniel c. in loc Dr. Burgess Rejoynder c. 4. sect 6. p. 446. Ne illa quidem quorum usus permittitur lege integra erant c. Trem. Jun. in loc This bait he made use of to take him but Daniel as Pareus notes espying the hook declines the inticement and so escapes the danger Being aware of the design that was laid against him he first purposes abstinence in his heart and then exercises it in his practise I know it 's said that he refused to eat of the Kings meat not because it was abused by being offered to an Idol but because it was forbidden by the ceremonial law But 1. some writers of very great authority say he refused to eat it not only because the ceremonial law forbade the Jews to eat such kind of meat but because the King had abused it to superstition and idolatry 2. Admit the immediate reason of his refusing to eat the Kings meat was because it was forbidden by the ceremonial law yet that do's not at all mend the matter for the reason wherefore that law forbade such meats was that they had been abused by the idolatrous Nations So that though the immediate reason of Daniels refusing to eat the Kings meat was perhaps ceremonial viz. that that law forbade it yet the remote and more principal was that his meat had been offered to an Idol and thereby had been abused In like manner Ephraim upon his return declines the use of those things he had before so much doted on Nay he is so far from respecting them as he did that he speaks of them with disdain Hos 14.8 What saith he have I to do any more with Idols Being sensible of his having followed them too long already he resolves he 'll have no more to do with them Tertullian holds it unlawful De Coron Milit either to give any thing to the service of an Idol or take any thing from it As we must not take furniture from the house of God to beautifie the Temple of an Idol so neither must we take furniture from the Temple of an Idol to beautifie the house of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cujus aedes contiguae sunt templi idololatrico collapsae fuerint eas aedificare prohibitum Shulchan Aruch part 2. num 143 He will have nothing common with Idols neither must we The Jews in times past were extremely addicted to heathenish Idols but latter years have taught them more wisdom such is their hatred to them that they will not have an house stand near one of their Temples It is forbidden say they that those houses which stand contiguous to an Idolatrous Temple if they fall down to rebuild them They have found by sad experience that Idols are but bad Neighbours and therefore they think it not good to live near them And whenever God opens the eyes of men and shews them the vanity and danger of Idols they 'l have little mind to meddle with them or any thing belonging to them 3. Le ts all do our parts towards the abolishing and extirpating of them Whatever persons names times places utensils ceremonies we find amongst us that have been grosly abused in superstitious and idolatrous services let us endeavour the rooting of them out and the laying of them aside We must not only stand looking up to authority and waiting to see what they will do but we must every of us so far as may consist with the keeping of our places endeavour the doing of it Magistrates are often more backward in reforming the Church and purging out such things than otherwise they would be because their people are not more forward The reason wherefore Jehosaphat took not away the high places 2 Chron. 20.33 was because the people were not yet prepared He was willing to have set upon the work but he saw the people who hankered after their old superstitions were averse to it and therefore he let it alone Had they but gone to him and desired the removal of them the work had been done And I am perswaded that if the people of England who are unsatisfied with those monuments of Popish Idolatry that are amongst us would but acquaint his Majesty therewith and in a proper becoming way solicite him to remove them he would gratifie them in it Let us not therefore any longer sit still in the midst of such defilements and snares but discover our hatred of them decline their use and in such wayes as prudence justice and order do allow endeavour the rooting of them out

them as are in their own power Hence we find that when Jacobs household gave to him the strange gods which were in their hands with the ear-rings which either had or might easily have been abus'd to Superstition and Idolatry Gen. 35.4 he took them and hid them by the Oak in Shechem And when the Jewish exorcists were convinced of their error Acts 19.19 Quisque enim pater familias est quidam minor magistratus domi suae c. Zanch. vol. 2. de Imag. col 405. v. Contz Polit. l. 2. c. 16. Erastus Conf. Thes l. 3. p. 128. Maccov Vedelius Utenbogard Grotius and the Belgick Arminians with divers amongst our selvs they brought those mischievous books which they had abused in their prophane divinations and burnt them in the fire This is a more private management of it belonging to every good man who so far as his propriety and dominion do's extend is to endeavour the removal of such defiled and offensive things The more publick management of it belongs to the Civil Magistrate who by virtue of the power wherewith God hath intrusted him is to take a view of his whole Dominions extirpate and abolish whatever is prejudicial and injurious to Gods pure worship and service Concerning the Authority of the Civil Magistrate in matters of Religion Writers discourse variously The Jesuites on the one hand give him too little Erastus and his followers on the other give him too much The former look upon him as such a terrestrial animal that they allow him no more than only a power to defend and execute the Popes determinations and impositions that is to say to be his Vassal and do what ever he will have him The latter take him to be invested with such power that they think he may devise new forms of government make new laws institute new officers appoint new ceremonies and do great matters It is not necessary here to undertake the deciding of this controversie yet for the better clearing of the matter in hand I shall in a few words intimate to you my apprehensions concerning it Estius in 4. sent dist 18. sect 1. p. 258. There is as the School-men distinguish a twofold authority the one of order the other of jurisdiction The former consists in a power to preach the Word dispence the Sacraments and belongs only to Ministers who are duely qualified for and lawfully called thereunto The latter consists in a power to govern the Church and rule all persons and things therein And this likewise is twofold spiritual and temporal the one consists in a power to apply the keys exercise Ecclesiastical censures suspend excommunicate absolve and this as well as the authority of order belongs only to Ministers In the time of the Old Testament Numb 18.7 2 Sam. 6.7 1 Sam. 13.13 2 Chron. 26.18 Heb. 5.4 the power both of order and spiritual jurisdiction pertain'd only to the Priest Vzzah might not touch the ark Saul offer burnt offerings Vzziah burn incense And as it was then so it is now No man saith the Apostle taketh this honour unto himself but he that is called of God as was Aaron Necessity indeed varies the case but in an ordinary way none may meddle therewith but only such as by a legal and fit designation are set apart for the Ministry The other consists in a power to oversee See Salmas Apparat ad lib. de Primat p. 303. ed. Lugd. 1645. regulate and dispose in a political way of all matters in the Church to the advantage thereof and this belongs to the Civil Magistrate who though he hath not any formal Church power yet he hath such a power as he is to exercise for and in the behalf of it Though he hath not any power privative or contrary to that of the Church yet he hath a power cumulative and auxiliary which he is to exert improve and lay out in the behalf of her Constantine told his Clergy Euseb vit Const l. 4. c. 24. p. 397. that God appointed them Bishops 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the things within the Church or Temple and him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the things without it Though the Magistrate have not power in sacris so as to preach the Word administer the Sacraments and dispence censures yet he hath power circa sacra so that he both may and ought to do many things in relation thereunto He is to defend the Church from the rage and violence of persecutors back divine Laws with his Civil sanction that so they may be of more authority with his people see that all Officers in the Church do their duty when there is occasion convene Synods and if there be need preside in them take care that such Constitutions be made in them as may help to maintain unity and order and prevent division and confusion see that Ministers have competent maintenance erect Schools of learning Mr. Nye of the Oath of Supremacy p. 16. Mr. Tombs his Supplement p. 3. and purge his Dominions of superstition and idolatry with all such things as have been abus'd therein that so God may be purely worshipp'd and true Religion may flourish and prosper And if it were not a despotical nomothetick arbitrary but only a subordinate diatactick auxiliary power that was aim'd at in the Oath of Supremacy as some reverend men from good testimonies prove it was not I see no reason wherefore the Centuriators Calvin or others Cent. 7. praefat Com. in Am. 7.12 In what sense the Christian Magistrate may be allowed and called the head of the Church See in Wendel System Maj. l. 1. c. 28. p. 1307. Isa 44.28.49.23 should so exclaim against it It seems to me to be no more than what the Scripture does allow and therefore I am apt to think it was misinformation that put those excellent men into such indignation However to prove here that the Magistrate both may and ought to perform all these particulars is more than the orderly prosecution of my present theme does require It is sufficient for me in this place to make good that branch of the last particular which concerns the removal of such things as have been abus'd in superstitious and idolatrous services and that I shall endeavour to do in these following particulars 1. God in Scripture gives the Magistrate such appellations and titles as shew he ought to do it He stiles him Shepherd Father and the like and that not only as to the Common-wealth over which he is but as to the Church within his Dominions Now though we must not stretch metaphors too far yet this we may safely conclude that as Shepherds Fathers and such like relations are to provide Necessaries for their flocks children and those who are under their charge and remove stumbling blocks and whatever may be hurtfull to them so Magistrates are to provide necessaries for the Church over which they are and remove such things as have been abusd in corrupt