Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
england_n head_n king_n supreme_a 4,443 5 9.1068 4 true
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A61453 A plain and easie calculation of the name, mark, and number of the name of the beast ... humbly presented to the studious observers of Scripture-prophecies, God's works, and the times / by Nathaniel Stephens ... ; whereunto is prefixed, a commendatory epistle, written by Mr. Edm. Calamy. Stephens, Nathaniel, 1606?-1678.; Calamy, Edmund, 1600-1666. 1656 (1656) Wing S5450; ESTC R17480 246,007 328

There are 2 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

the Church of God doth come too near to the formality of Anti-Christianism Antiochus Epiphanes in the Prophecy of Daniel is described as a mighty King or Potentate in the Seleucian Line but when he was not contented with his Power which was great enough but would exalt himself against the Prince of the Host and tread down the Sanctuary and do all things after his own will in this he was a figure of the Antichrist to come Dan. 8. 12. But that we may speak more distinctly in a matter of so great moment we do desire to lay down this necessary caution in the beginning Let us then distinguish betwixt the Essence and the Exercise of the power For the Essence we do willingly acknowledg that the Lord hath ordained Magistrates to be over the people for his own glory and the publick good and that Magistracy is the Ordinance of God Rom. 13. v. 1 2 3. And though he hath not tied any Nation or People so strictly and precisely to this or that particular Form of Government yet his pleasure is That the People should obey the Government that is set over them In this case If they resist the Power they resist the Ordinance of God and draw great guilt upon their Souls for their resisting If we look to the Nation and People of the Jews they did meet with the greatest Changes and Alterations of State yet in each Alteration the will of the Lord was that they should obey the Civil Authority set over them for the preservation of the Publick Peace The hardest Change that they ever met withal was the translation of their State from the house of David yet they were to pray for the peace of the King of Babylon seek the good of the City whither they were carried Captive All this plainly sheweth That Magistracy is the Ordinance of God and the Lord would have his own Command to be observed by his People though they did live under Heathen Kings Secondly we are to consider the Exercise of the Power And here First is the lawful execution and Secondly the exorbitancy and excess of the Power above Law For the lawful use of the Power we do willingly yield That the Supreme Magistrate hath not onely Authority in the Common-wealth but he hath also great Power in and about the affairs of the Church And this thing we have often incu●…cated in the Body of the Treatise to wit That the Reign of Christ doth begin upon the Earth when the Kingdoms States and Governments of this World become Nursing Fathers to the Church And so we do affirm That it doth appertain to the Higher Powers to take order that Unity and Peace be preserved in the Church that the Truth be kept pure and intire that horrid Blasphemies be supprest that the Ordinances of God be duly setled that the profane the ignorant and rude body of the People who of themselves would never call upon the Name of the Lord be brought by their Power and Authority to the publick places of Worship For the better effecting of which they have Power to call Synods to be present at them and to provide That whatsoever is transacted in them be according to the minde of God In this sense we may not doubt to say That the Chief Magistrate in every Common-wealth is the Supreme Head in Causes Ecclesiastical that is to say The Supreme Head in Causes Ecclesiastical that do of right appertain to him and do fall under his cognizance by the Law-Divine In the forementioned cases he is the Delegate and Vice-gerent of Christ upon the Earth And this we take to be the lawful Exercise of the Power Thirdly there is the Hyperbole or Excess of the Power when the Magistrate is not contented with his own limits or bounds but shall further endeavor to carry all by Will and Prerogative in the Church of Christ. This is that which comes nearest to the formality of Antichristianism for Antichrist is said to sit in the Temple of God shewing himself that he is God If therefore the Supreme Magistrate shall do the same in the Church of Christ if he shall controll and do all things after his own Will in the house of Christ this is to resemble the Great Antichrist and to do the same in effect which he doth But for this we have a clear example in Steven Gardiner Bishop of Winchester who of all others is noted by Forraign Divines to cry up such an excessive Prerogative of the Kings of England in Causes Ecclesiastical For he did not shun to maintain That it was at the pleasure of the King to abrogate Statutes and institute new Rites in the worship of God yea he further said That it was lawful for the King to forbid the people the use of the Cup in the Lords Supper and the use of Marriage to the Ministers And the ●…round of all this was Because the King was Supreme Head in Causes Ecclesiastical Now in way of opposition to this the Forraign Divines have risen with great indignation These are the words of Dr. Rivet in his Explication of the Decalogue Edit 2. pag. 203. Qui enim Papatus doctrinam adhuc fovebat ut posteà apparuit novum Papatum in personâ Regis erigebat For he meaning Steven Gardiner aforesaid who did as yet nourish the Doctrine of the Papacy as after it appeared did erect a new Papacy in the Person of the King And Calvin in his Commentary upon Amos Chap. 7 ver 13. speaking of them who did ascribe the Title of Supreme Head in Causes Ecclesiastical to Hen. 8. King of England hath these words Hoc me semper gravitèr vulneravit quum vocarent ipsum summum Ecclesiae Caput sub Christo. This hath grievously wounded me always when they called him the Supreme Head of the Church under Christ. He did take this for no other then an incroachment upon the Prerogative of Christ. And he might well do so if we look to the Interpretation of Steven Gardiner aforementioned with whom he had to do But the learned man doth proceed in these words It is certain if Kings do their duty they are both Patrons of Religion and Nursing Fathers of the Church as Isaiah calls them Chap. 49. ver 23. This therefore is principally required of Kings That they use the Sword wherewith they are furnished for the maintaining of Gods Worship But in the mean time there are inconsiderate men who make them too Spiritual and this fault reigns up and down Germany yea spreads too much in these Countries And now we perceive what fruit springs from this root viz. That Princes and all that are in the place of Government think themselves to be so Spiritual that there is no other Ecclesiastical Government And this Sacriledge creeps amongst us because they cannot measure their Office with certain and lawful bounds but are of opinion they cannot reign unless they abol●…sh all the Authority of the Church and become the Chief Iudges both in
and in what manner those Princes and Potentates of the Earth do sin Whosoever they be that hold up the Name and Headship of the Beast in direct opposition to the Name and Headship of the Lamb. Thou mayest further understand how greatly they do aggravate their sin that compass Sea and Land that make search and inquisition into every corner and persecute unto the death all that will not live in subjection to this Name or Headship Hereby also thou mayest be informed what sympathy what bowels of affection thou shouldst shew to those that live under the Tyranny of the Beasts Kingdome For i●… on the one side poor Souls do Worship the Beast receive his Mark and Name Christ as he hath cause enough doth denounce the most grievous Judgements against them On the other side if they refuse to subject their Consciences to his Papal determinations such is the hard condition of many Countreys that it is the loss of all yea of life it self This is the Glassie Sea mingled with fire through which the Saints have passed which also they are yet in passing But how few of us are sensible of their hard condition How few do mourn for the affliction of Ioseph If that be true that the Members of the Protestant Churches abroad are in imminent danger If they have been lately Massacred in Piedmont without sparing Age or Sex If they are bleeding in Switzerland divers there having been put to death for no fault but being Protestants If the designes be upon the whole Interest by the Popish Party almost in all places of Europe Then we have reason to condole with our Brethren in their Sufferings And the reading of the present Treatise will help us more clearly to see and judge of that which is the cause of the Quarrel We shall see also what is the Minde of Christ concerning these things and to what issue they will be brought at the end of all Hereby also thou mayest be advertised to beware of the Opinion of such that make the Christian Magistrate the Fountain of all Church-Power This is to set up a Civil Anti-Christ in the stead of a Spiritual Christ is the Head of his own Church and therefore he hath appointed Laws by which his Kingdome is to be governed Censures by which his rebellious Subjects are to be punished and Officers to dispense those Censures If there be no such Name or Headship What should be the meaning of the Apostle when he speaketh of the Incestuous Corinthian Concerning him that hath done this deed in the Name of the Lord Iesus Christ when you are gathered together and my Spirit with the power of the Lord Iesus to deliver such a one to Satan 1 Cor. 5. 4. And in that other place Now we command you Brethren in the Name of the Lord Iesus that you withdraw your selves from every Brother that walketh disorderly 2 Thess. 3. 6. And in that Scripture Whatsoever ye shall binde on earth shall be bound in heaven for where two or three are gathered together in my Name I will be in the midst of them Matth. 18. ver 18 19 20. In these several places the Name of Christ is his Power and Headship in and over the Church his own House which is not onely opposite to the Name of the Beast but in an inferior degree to that Spiritual Power and Supremacy which some would give to Princes and Potentates of the Earth The London-Ministers in their Vindication do speak to good purpose when they say Christ Iesus is the onely Head of the Church governing it not onely inwardly and invisibly by the working of his Spirit but outwardly also and visibly as a Political Ministerial Body In which he hath appointed his own proper Ambassadors Assemblies Laws Ordinances and Censures to be administred in his Name and according to his own way pag. 4. By this account then they must be judged to come neer a very dangerous Errour whosoever they be that take this Name and Headship from him and give it to Temporal Princes Calvin and other friends of ours have been much offended at the Title that was given to Henry the Eighth and his Successors And our Adversaries also have hereby taken occasion to insult over us For these are the words of Wadesworth in a Letter of his to Mr. Bedell N●…r will I saith he insist upon the passions that moved King Henry violently to Divorce himself from his lawful Wife to fall out with the Pope his Friend ●…o Marry Lady Anne Bullen and soon after to Behead her to disinherit Queen Mary and to inable Queen Elizabeth and presently to disinherit Queen Elizabeth and to restore Queen Mary to hang Catholicks for Traytors and to burn Protestants for Hereticks to destroy Monasteries to pill Churches Were these fit beginnings for the Gospel of Christ I pray was this man a good Head of Gods Church For my part I pray our Lord to bless me from being a Member of such a Head or such a Church pag. 11. Now what saith Mr. Bedel to all this You demand saith he if this man King Henry were a good Head of Gods Church What if I should demand the same touching Alexander the sixth Julius the second Leo the tenth or twenty more of the Catalogue of Popes in respect of whom King Henry might be Canoniz'd for a Saint But there is a story in Tullies Offices of one Lutatius that laid a Wager That he was bonus vir a good man and would be judged by one Fimbria a man of Consular Dignity He when he understood the case said He would never judge that matter lest either he should diminish the reputation of a man well esteemed of or set down that any man was a good man which he accounted to consist in an innumerable sort of excellencies and praises That which he said of a good man with much more reason may I say of a good King one of whose highest excellencies is to be a good Head of the Church And therefore it is a question which I will never take upon me to answer Whether King Henry was such or no unless you will before-hand interpret c. pag. 131. He hath some other passages concerning the use of the Authority of the said King in doing things that were good and in removing the Popes Tyranny Which Acts of his saith he whosoever shall impartially consider of may well esteem him a better Head to the Church of England then any Pope these thousand years pag. 132. But for my part I conceive here are two Questions to be answered Whether that King were rightly and truly a Head of the Church at all That being granted the second Whether he were a good one yea or no To determine these Questions I am clearly of Fimbria's judgement in that other case As on the one part I am loth to diminish the lawful Power of Princes which they have they ought to have and ever had in disposing the affairs of the Church so on