Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	law_n	power_n	time_n	3,535	5	3.5329	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39241	The doctrine of passive obedience asserted in a sermon preach'd on January 30, 1684 / by James Ellesby ...	Ellesby, James, b. 1644 or 5.	1685 (1685)	Wing E537; ESTC R11960	23,468	38

the other to forbear Revenge upon an Injury offer'd or put up an Affront with Patience and requite it with Kindness This to a man of more Honour than Conscience sounds Low and Mean appears Base and Ignoble and yet no Duty can be more Christian than This. Now if it is not warrantable to oppose any of these Worldly Considerations to the greater Obligation of Conscience in matter of forgiving Enemies and passing by Injuries no more ought we to object against the Duty in Hand upon any Politick Motive or Consideration whatever Doth our Religion oblige us to bear and endure so much from one another and nothing at all from our Rulers to lay aside Malice and Revenge Hatred and Ill Will towards our Equals and Inferiours and not to do the like towards our Superiours and those whom God in his Providence hath advanced so much above us This Non-resistance therefore being enjoyn'd by Christ becomes as much our Duty towards our Governours as the Other of Forgiveness is our Duty to each other § From the Doctrine let me desire you to turn your Eyes once more upon the Example of Christ and mark his Behaviour a little more narrowly As he was no Hector to return an Affront immediately or as soon as it was offer'd so neither did he set up for a Champion or Patriot of his Country against his Duty to the Roman Emperour he never espoused the Cause of the Jewish Religion to promote a Faction or carry on a Party against the Government He would not Assert the Liberties and Priviledges of his Country-men tho they enjoy'd them by a Divine Grant in prejudice to Caesar's Authority or to the Interrupting of the Publick Peace so great a Friend he was to the Quiet of the World and so little Encouragement did he give to the Disturbers of it The Romans had many good Laws to be govern'd by and great Priviledges belonging to them insomuch as it was not lawful to bind a Roman Act. 22.25 or beat him with Rods like an ordinary Malefactor as in the Case of St. Paul Yet the Primitive Christians many of whom were Romans and born to those Priviledges which others purchas'd never laid claim to any of them to the Prejudice of their Duty towards the higher Powers but chose to suffer and part with all even to Life it self which alone is sufficient to weigh down all the Rest rather than save either the one or the other by Resistance If then the great Concern of Life ought not to exempt us from Subjection then surely no other Conveniencies or Advantages relating thereunto can possibly do it For are we not commanded to part with Lands and Livings Friends and Relations rather than Deny Christ or any part of his Religion as this of Subjection to Governours is and a considerable part too And how Extravagant soever such a piece of Self-denyal may be look't upon in or by the World yet this should not Move a Christian who hath a Soul to be concern'd for of more worth than the whole World and all the Honours and Advantages thereof put together This for certain will secure our Condition with respect to a Future State whatever may happen or fall out in This whenas all our Losses and Sufferings in this World shall be abundantly made up with a rich Recompence of Reward and a far more Exceeding and Eternal weight of Glory wherefore Christians comfort one another with these Hopes But secondly § 2. To put the matter out of all doubt Resistance is Unlawful according to the Laws of the Land For the Wisdom of our Princes and Loyalty of our Parliaments have sufficiently provided against Taking up of Arms against the King or his Ministers and to This the whole Nation have Sworn and given their Assent once already by their Representatives and every man doth it over again in his own Person as oft as they are admitted to any Publick Employment either in Church or State Our Laws are accounted in all respects as Loyal as our Religion and I make no question but the Professors of that Honourable Science are better able to vindicate them herein than I can possibly do Yet thus much is evident to all that have but the least insight into the Constitution of our Government that no Nation under Heaven hath been more Sollicitous for their Sovereigns Honour and Safety none more tender of their Princes Reputation and Government than Our Own and therefore no Country hath better Laws and no Laws make better Provision either for the Prince or People than these of the English Nation Our Constitution is the Happiest and Safest both for the One and the other if we had but Eyes open to see it and Hearts thankful enough to Acknowledge it as we ought No War can be justifiable but what is begun and carried on by a Lawful Power and the People of England will always want that in their taking up Arms against their Prince for the Law hath made all Resistance of this Nature Illegal by acknowledging the Power of the Sword to be solely in the King so that no man hath Power or any Pretence of Power now to take up Arms but by the Royal Authority which be sure the King will never Commission against himself or if he should the Grant is void in its own Nature as being inconsistent with the Essentials of Sovereign Power which cannot be Sovereign unless it be Irresistable too and such is that Power which our Kings are invested withall and which the People do Recognize every time they take the Oath of Allegiance and Supremacy and declare their Abhorrence of that Traiterous Position Of taking up Arms against the King c. Or any that are Commissioned by him § 3. The Methods of Resistance and Open Force let the Enemies of Passive Obedience say what they will are the most Unsafe and Impolitick Course we can take for the Preservation of Liberty and Property which will appear if we consider § 1. War Civil War especially is one of the most Formidable Violations of Publick Laws and Liberty for under pretence of taking up Arms for the Rights and Priviledges of the Subject they do hereby but Invade those of other men and Hazard their own Now the open Breach of the Laws is no good Method for attaining their End the exposing our Liberties to the chance of War is the worst course we can take to Preserve them and the Invading other mens Properties but an ill way of Securing our own For this makes every man guilty of that Crime which he is jealous of in his Prince namely the becoming Illegal Vnjust and Oppressive Regardless of the Commonweal and Publick Good This makes Subjects more Arbitrary than the most Absolute Monarch and Popular Fury of much worse consequence than any unbounded Tyranny whatsoever insomuch as the Remedy proves alwayes worse than the Disease and Ends many times in the open Shame and just Punishment of the first Authors and Abettors thereof

Cruelty But God be praised none of these Considerations mov'd them They were acted by other-guess Maximes and Principles than the disaffected of this present Age We hear of no Attempts or Offers of Resistance amidst the greatest heats of Persecution and it is a mighty Credit to Christianity and Satisfaction to all good Christians that no such thing is recorded of them This argues the Goodness both of their Cause and Religion which upon that Account deservedly recommends it self to the especial Care and Protection of Princes as being the best Fence and Security to their Persons and Government § 4. Resistance against Lawful Authority is a Sin that doth most commonly meet with its Shame and Punishment even in this Life and hath evermore been Abhor'd by all Good Men notwithstanding the Success which for a time it may meet withall No Crime is judg'd more Wicked and Unnatural more Mischievous and Prejudicial to Humane Society than this and no greater Punishment assign'd to any than to this of Treason and Rebellion which is the plain English of all Violent Resistance when oppos'd to Lawful Authority it being of most dangerous Consequence to all States and no Government long Safe where this may be permitted or thought Lawful and therefore the Laws of all Nations under Heaven have strictly provided against this Sin and branded it with the greatest Reproach and Infamy in the World It forfeits not only the Life and Estate of the Party guilty thereof but Taints his Blood Ignobles his Posterity and is too oft the Ruine and Dishonour of many otherwise Splendid and Illustrious Families especially where the Prince is pleas'd to take the Forfeiture according to the utmost Rigour and Extremity of the Law Est enim tam grave Crimen ut vix permittatur Haeredibus quod vivant saith Bracton 't is so Vile and Infamous a piece of Guilt that the Law doth hardly allow Life to his Children and Posterity Had I time I might observe unto you out of all sorts of History and the Records of all Nations extant the Sore and Grievous Punishments which have overtaken those that have been given to Change and drawn into Open Rebellion or secret Conspiracy against their Lawful Prince and Governours which is a manifest token how much God and Man abhors this Sin and how dangerous it is to those that are Guilty thereof The Time would fail me to speak of the just Judgment of God pursuing Korah Dathan and Abiram who rose up against Moses Absalom Achitophel and Sheba who rebelled against David befalling Bigthan and Teresh which conspired against Ahasuerus Theudas and Judas of Galilee who made an Insurrection under the Romans overtaking the Murderers of Saul and Ishbosheth his Son and the Conspirators against the several Kings of Judah and Israel All which are recorded in Holy Writ to be like Lot's Wife when turn'd into a Pillar of Salt as so many standing Monuments to caution us against this horrid Guilt where unto I might add out of prophane Story the Murderers of Darius Alexander J. Caesar and an infinite more who have been all brought to a Shameful and Untimely End by this very Sin and Branded to Posterity for their detestable Treasons and Conspiracies against their Princes and Sovereigns § The whole Nation of the Jews who were very Peaceable and Quiet under both their former Captivities and upon that Account always far'd the better for it God himself inclining the Hearts of their Conquerours toward them and sometimes appearing in an Extraordinary manner for their Safety and Deliverance yet were at last utterly Ruin'd by this very Sin for by Rebelling against the Romans they became a dreadful Instance of God's Wrath and Severity first under Titus and afterward under Adrian by whom for their frequent Mutinies and Insurrections they were banish'd their Countrey forbid their City and every foot of Land taken from them which they could never recover from that time to this What shall I or can I say more the great Conscience which David made of Resisting Saul Injuring his Person or Attempting ought against his Government notwithstanding he was Chosen of God and Anointed by Samuel to the Succession as likewise his punishing the wicked Amalekite with Death for laying hands upon him tho in his Distress and at his Request to prevent his Fall into the Enemies hands All these Instances give us to understand if we will Understand any thing how Hateful and Abominable this Sin is both to God and Man and how much we should dread all Beginnings and Approches thereunto § I pray what have the Authours of the late Rebellion and in particular of this Days horrible Parricide what have they got thereby but besides the Forfeiture of their Lives and Estates a Stain upon their Memories a Reproach to their Religion and Cause of perpetual Jealousie and Suspicion from the Government The like may be affirm'd of all those who have been any ways Instrumental in carrying on the two late Horrid Conspiracies against the Life of our Present King whom I pray God long preserve what have they got hereby but as the Prophet saith Jer. 23.40 an Everlasting Reproach and a perpetual Blot which shall not be forgotten He therefore that takes the Sword into his hand to lift it up against his Brother much more against the Father of his Countrey doth in that very Act rescue it out of Gods hand and so may justly dread the Fatal Consequence of such a Presumption foretold by our Saviour when he said Matth. 26.52 They that take the Sword shall Perish with it which most Men have found true to their own Cost either first or last sooner or later Wherefore you ought to be Subject as the Apostle saith for Wrath sake that is for fear of the just Judgement of God overtaking you in this Life either immediately from his own hand or that of the Magistrate But this is not all there is something Worse than this yet behind wherefore § 5. God hath threatned to punish this Sin with Damnation Rom. 13.2 so the Text runs according to our Version The word indeed signifies Judgment but however according to the Analogy of Scripture it may refer to the Punishment of the Other Life as well as of This because Resistance is as you have heard the breach of a Divine Command the Transgression of the Law of God which the Apostle tells us is Sin Rom. 6.23 now the Wages of Sin is Death that is of all Sin and This among the rest and then what a woful Case must they be in who Live and Dye in this Sin unrepented of or whom the just Judgement of God doth overtake before they are brought to an Humble Sense and Acknowledgement thereof Now who would venture upon this Sin which carries Shame in the Front and Damnation in the Rear Who would hazard his Soul tho it were for the Conquest of the whole World much less for a small clod and parcel thereof Strangel that