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	power_n	religion_n	3,708	5	5.7948	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43060	Gladius justitiae, a sermon preached at the assizes held at Lincoln, March 9, 1667/8 William Welby, esq. being Sheriff of the County / by G.H. M.A.	Hascard, Gregory.	1668 (1668)	Wing H1112; ESTC R9759	13,775	32

Gladius Justitiae A SERMON Preached at the ASSIZES held at LINCOLN March 9. 1667 8 WILLIAM WELBY Esq Being Sheriff of the County By G. H. M. A. Magnificentius est dicere quemadmodum gesserimus consulatum quàm quemadmodum ceperimus Tully LONDON Printed by William Godbid for Nathaniel Brook at the Angel in Gresham Colledge 1668. To His Most Honoured Friend William Welby ESQUIRE SIR FOR this small Piece to crave your countenance or the making Apologies on its behalf which calls indeed for the Posse Comitatus the whole extent of your Office to defend its weakness against the attempt of Tongues which are expected fiercely to charge it with conceit and confidence is unfaithfully to betray you into the same censure and imputation Give me only leave to summon You an impartial Witness not suborn'd by affection to attest this Truth That it was not an itch of Juvenile years desirous to be scracht by Popularity or only an earnest importunity of Friends the customary pretence of Scriblers but direct Commands and friendly threats of the Grand Inquest whose Persons and Judgements save in this may justly challenge a large esteem and value forc'd and extorted a Promise of committing this to publick View So that I disown to be styl'd the Parent of this hasty birth let it call Twelve its Father and be laid at their Door I can now triumph in an innocent revenge when I can justly indite and call every one of them a felo de se for offering violence to his own Judgement and committing a Rape and Deflowring that modesty which I account the inviolable duty of my low conceptions and well becomes the clearest intellectuals and best accomplishments which like the greatest beauty should wear a Vail for expos'd to Sun and Air to publick appearances to be read by all they soil their Features and Complexion and gain the name of confident To escape so black a brand let me rather confute my Doctrine perswade You to be a partial Judge let Your Affections bribe Your Reason or let Me beg me favour of Your Place and Charge reprieve Me being found Guilty and Condemnd and account this pure Obedience to their Commands and a faint return to Your high Civilities and Engagements laid upon Sir Your most humble and oblieged Servant GREGORY HASKARD March 9th 1667. Romans 13.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For be beareth not the Sword in vain SOme Proselytes betimes had suckt in this rotten Principle Gal. 3.13 that Christian Religion did discharge all its Professors from obedience unto Secular Powers 2 Pet. 2.19 because it did entitle them to Diadems above 1 Pet. 2.16 and styl'd them Co-Heirs with the King of Glory and endowed them with other fair Prerogatives and Royalties Divine they stretcht these beyond the bounds of a Spiritual design to reach at a Temporal Interest which was to inlarge their Secular liberties to throw open all inclosures to level Dignities and Honours to pluck up the pale of Humane Laws and tumble down all Supremes and Saint and Subject no more than King and Rebel could agree The Apostle to dislodge and prevent this pestilential opinion so great a rub to the spreading of Christianity in the Pagan World as though Kings must then throw off their Purples when their People put on Christs white Robe 1 Sam. 26. or cease to be God's annointed with his holy Oyl when their Subjects foreheads are once sprinkled with Baptismal water to purge so foul a stain as this from so pure and innocent a Religion and to set the Lawrels of Kings faster upon their brows to their External power he adjoyns a Divine Commission their Authority is a bright as their Diadems their Jewels belong to the new Jerusalem and sent by the King above to be Enamel'd in them 1 King 10.20 their Thrones more than Solomon's are supported with the Lion of the Tribe of Judah not only to intreat but command obedience from the most refined Christians So that this new proselyte mistook his Liberty and his Religion too in thinking he ceas't to be a Subject a Man reduc't into order when he became a Christian or to pay Tribute here below to Princes and Devotion to the King above could not stand together He therefore gives him this wholsom caution that if he fall under the lash and stroaks of Civil Government and Justice he must not murmure at and revile bespatter and blaspheme the arm of him that strikes but kiss the rod and pray for the hand of him that holds it Dan. 3.9 O King live for ever be patient and submissive to His Authority which came from the broad Seal above and enstampt with an Image Divine the Author of His Dignity and Power as well as of your Religion For He is the Minister of God and beareth not the Sword in vain In which words are included these Two parts 1. A Character Royal a Power dirived from God and delegated unto Judges or the Authority of Magistrates whereof the Sword is an Ensign by Letters Patents from the Court above and sent down to lower Judicatures Secondly The design and end by a negative Non temere the Secular arm must not wield it furiously and rashly or use it indiscriminately like the arrows of Death and Famines making no difference but must point it at the bad and nocent and protect the good and innocent First The Original and Family of the Magistrates power God to tell the World it was not Pride and Ambition Tyranny and private Interest that first erected Polities and founded the different sort of Government hath signed their Commission from above sent them down instruments of Authority to back and countenance their just procedures and execution of Laws that the Rebel World might not degrade and vilifie their Persons styling them poor Mortals Sons of Earth cast in the same mould with all Mankind He hath advanced them to be his Deputies and Vicars and now they sound infinite and immense in their Authority all Divine descending from above and the Rebellion rebounds from Earth and toucheth the Throne of Heaven 'T is more than Poetry what Phoebus told his rash Son begging the rule of his Father's Chariot Ovid. Metamor Non est mortale quod optas their shoulders had need be more than mortal who can canvass for rule of an Immortal concern Hence refusal of Supremes and disobedience to their Edicts and Commands 1 Sam. 8.7 like persecution of Saints and Favorites of Heaven reflects upon the person of God himself Exod. 16.8 For they have not rejected thee but they have rejected Me all Government in this sense as well as the Jewish might be called a Theocracy The commands and precepts of Kings have a deeper power than only upon the Externals of Men they reach farther Saunder de obli Consci and tie his Conscience too by this general and derivative power from God who only hath merum directum imperium in conscientias