Selected quad for the lemma: justice_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
justice_n	authority_n	king_n	power_n	3,463	5	4.8127	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19328	The ungirding of the Scottish armour: or, An ansvver to the informations for defensive armes against the Kings Majestie which were drawn up at Edenburgh, by the common help and industrie of the three tables of the rigid covenanters of the nobility, barons, ministry, and burgesses, and ordained to be read out of pulpit by each minister, and pressed upon the people, to draw them to take up armes, to resist the Lords anointed, throughout the vvhole kingdome of Scotland. By Iohn Corbet, minister of Bonyl, one of the collegiate churches of the provostrie of Dunbartan.	Nicanor, Lysimachus, 1603-1641.	1639 (1639)	STC 5753; ESTC S119005	43,296	68

they themselves denounce Warre against their owne sinnes as their greatest enemies and submit themselves obediently to follow their Leaders whom God at this time hath largely furnished with counsell and courage for the good of his Kirk and Kingdome Anticovenanter The people needeth not to bee troubled with warres Rom. 13.3 if they be loyall Subjects for his Majesty is not a terror to good workes but to the evill Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power doe that which is good and thou shalt have the praise of the same For he is the Minister of God to thee for good but if thou doe that which is evill bee afraid for hee beareth not the sword in vaine for he is the Minister of God a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evill 2. It 's needlesse to perswade them not to be afraid of shadowes for shadowes flie away But what meane you by shadowes the Kings power his armie Well it may be that these shadowes become bodies Zebul perswaded Gaal who conspired against Abimelech that Abimelech's army was but the shadow of the mountaines and not men Iudg. 9.36 But when Gall saw them come downe by the middle of the land and another company come along by the plaine in Meonenim he found that a shadow to be feared when Zebul said where is now thy mouth wherewith thou saydst Who is Abimelech that we should serve him Is not this the people that thou hast despised Goe out I pray now and fight with him Howbeit you regard not this shadow yet let all these in his Dominions that feare God esteeme His Majesties power under God to be especially in these evill times a hiding place from the wind a covert from the tempest Esa 32.2 a shadow of a great rocke in a wearie Land 3. Whereas you desire men not to be deceived with promises c. You would doe well to make this cleare Will the King promise faire and then faile Will you like railing Rabshakeh disswade Israel to trust Hezekias and say 2 King 18.29 Let not the King deceive you hearken not unto him GOD give you better mindes I dare bee bold to promise in His Majesties name these words of the Prophet Esay Say to the righteous Esa 3.10 that it shall bee well with him for they shall eate the fruit of their doings Woe unto the wicked it shall be evill with him for the reward of his hands shall be given unto him 4. It 's well advised to urge the people to make war with sinne God further this worke but I pary you urge them to denounce warre against the reigning sinne amongst you against rebellion and resisting of superiour Powers Let the Leaders of Gods people lean them in the paths of righteousnesse bring not strange fire to Gods Altar warme not your pulpits with the strange doctrine of unrighteousnesse that you may at the day of account say Lord I have done as thou hast commanded and if wee have beene deceived thou hast deceived us and be not blind leaders of the blind till you both fall in the ditch Covenanter 5. That is be remembred what hath been our manifold defections in discipline Sacraments worship and doctrine through the want of lawfull Nationall assemblies and the usurpation of the Prelats these many yeeres by past and that a greater mercie could not be showne to this Land than a free and full Naetionall assemblie such as is that which was indicted by His Majestie and holden at Glasgow ridding this Kirke of the Prelates the Authors and Executioners of all our woes That they may bee earnest with God in their Prayers that as he hath beene pleased to set up our reformation againe with a stretched out hand hee may bee graciously pleased to uphold his own work and make the Kings Majesty a nursing Father to the Kirke in this Land Anticovenanter Let these things be remembred in Gods Name Tell them that the defections of Discipline is great in that the antient Apostolik Government is by a lawles Covenant abjured and by violence removed and another of a baser coin put in it's place Tell them of the profanation of the Sacraments and of their superstitious opinion who make some gesture essentiall to the Lords Supper and others idolatrous Let them be told too that the Lord is wronged in his worship by those who condemne set prayers in his Service Tell them likewise that the Doctrine is corrupted especially concerning the authority of the Supreme Magistrate But call not ye the Prelates the authors and executioners of your woes who are become so great enemies to them you ought also to be afraid to father your disorders upon God as a work of reformation thereby speciously making him the author and fautor of all your misdemeanours After a contemptus species est dicere falsum Vtque fidem facias divine numine abuti And finally it 's a most odiously spoken by you to pray that the King His Majestie may be a nursing father to his Church for in your sense you seeme to make him a stepfather an enemy yea a Tyrant to the Church as you declare your selves in the stating of the question and answering to the 13. Rom. for except he be a Tyrant you declare it 's unlawfull to resist him and if mercy clemency and all Royall vertues which are in him be Tyranny then His Majestie is the greatest Tyrant that ever was Covenanter 6 That the Ministers and Professors acquaint themselves with the acts of Assemblie especially that against Episcopacie with the protestation and answers to the Declaration made by the Commissioner and the Declinator of the Assemblie by the Bishops That from these they may be able promptly to answer the objections of the Adversaries That the last supplication be read in publike that the Commons may see how falsly we are traduced and how reasonable our desire is Anticovenanter It were more sit that you should studie to prudencie and to keepe these things close and to desire that these things should not be told in Gath not published in Askelon especially that monstrous Act concerning Episcopacie lest by publishing these your follies in print you make your selves Opprobrium Coeli ludibriumque soli And get your Assembly branded with that of the Councell of Trent Non fuit liberum Concilium Sibrand de Concil Excep 8. sed combinatio conjuratorum Covenanter 7 The stating of the Controversie at this time betweene the King and his Subjects must be cleared to the people thus that all men may know how unjustly we are invaded and how just and necessary our defence shall be The question is not whether we ought honour to the King for we a knowledge him to be Gods Deputie and Vicegerent or whether we ought to obey the King for God hath given him Power and Authority to Command or whether we ought to given unto Caesar that which is Caesars for that we desire to doe most cheerfully or whether we

a Reall and Royall answer from the most gratious and most learned King Iames of Blessed memory in his Booke intituled Ius Liber a Monarchiae pa. 193. Nego ego tempore Coronationis inter regem subditos pactum ini●i c. I deny sayes he that in the time of the Coronation there is any such covenant betweene the King and his Subjects But this is manifest that at that time or at the beginning of his raigne sponte suá of his owne accord the King promiseth to discharge honestly and faithfully that charge which God hath committed and entrusted him with 2 Though it were granted that there were such a mutuall contract yet his Majesty demonstrates most clearely that it cannot helpe this cause If the King sayes hee shall not keepe his part of the Covenant who shall be judge between these parties there is none who hath but attained to a smal taste of the civill Law who knoweth not that the contract cannot be esteemed violated by the one partie nor the other absolved of his part of the contract before that it be made manifest by the cognition and Tryall of the ordinarie judge which of the parties hath departed from the Contract For this is the caution of every civill and municipiall Law otherwise what could hinder but that every man in his owne cause may be both Judge and partie then the which there can bee nothing thought more absurd Now in that contract between the King and his Subjects without all controuersie onely God is Iudge to whom alone the King is bound to give acount of his administration because in that oath at the Kings inauguration both the judgement and vengeance of his perfidious dealing is given onely to God Therefore since God alone is the judge between the parties and since the try all and vengeance onely doth belong to him it must necessarily follow that God must first pronouce the sentence against the King before the people can be thought free of their part of the Covenant of obedience and subjection And so there is no man so blind but he may see how unjustly you make your selfe judge in your owne cause and usurpe the place of God 3. From this your mutuall contract you must shew that his Majesty not only obligeth himselfe to performe his Kingly office but also giveth power to the people when they judge that he failes in his part to resist him by force of armes or else you are idle to alleadge such contract And if you will produce this I have no more to say but that the King hath denuded himselfe of Royall authority and devolved it into the peoples hands he onely in name and the people in effect being King and supreme judge in their owne cause and so the King must stand Vt magna nominis umbra But you would doe well to produce such a contract out of the Vtopia of your owne braine Covenanter From Acts of Parliament ratifying the three Estates Authority 10. Argument and from our owne ecclesiasticall and civill Historie Anticovenanter 1 There can be no Acts of Parliament but those the King sets downe with advice of his Estates 2 And can you shew any Act of Parliament for the lawfulnes of resisting Princes or can you shew that there is any Act of Parliament giving authority to the Estates to resist His Majesty to execute Iustice 4 Doe you attribute any authoritie to these which ye cal the three Estates without the King You must know that the King is the onely Law-giver the Parliament is but his extraordinarie Councell and the Estates thereof are his extraordinarie Counsellours by whose advice hee enacts Lawes Consider also there was no Law in the Kingdome of Scotland before the Kings of it for before Fergusius his dayes we were but like Salusticus Aborigenes Genus hominum agreste liberum atque solutum sine legibus sine imperio But when the first King did conquer this Land he and his Successours gave Lawes divided the whole Land which was their owne and distinguished the orders of men and did establish a politicall government This is clear by our Chronicles and Ex archivis regijs in quibus antiquum primaevum jus asservatur satis constat Regem esse Dominum omnium bonorum directum omnes subditos esse ejus vassallos qui latifundia sua ipsi dōino referant accepta sui nempé obsequij servitij praemia 4 If you attribute such incompatible power to these Estates Why did not you by vertue thereof conclude this warre You ought first to hold a Parliament and then conclude warre But pardon me you have done so Your three Tables is for Your three Estates which hath ordained this warre 5. Which are these three Estates now Episcopacie is thrust from you and over-ruling Elders are in their place who are busie Bishops in another mans Diocesse and have been too busie in my parish And shall they supply their place in Parilament As for your Ecclesiasticall and civill Historie if that be Knox Buchanans regni jus expresly condemned by Act of Parliament you may be ashamed to name them and ought to have covered their nakednesse if you had respected them You have published in print to the great disgrace of Knooe that he called kneeling at the Communion An Invention of the Divell and will you here make him a Doctor of Treason Covenanter From our Covenant lately sworne and subscribed 1. Argument binding us to defend the Kings Majesties person in defence of the true Religion and to defend the true Religion against all persons whatsoever Anticovenanter This is indeed Ilias malorum your Covenant binds you to it and to much more even to whatsoever shall seem good to the most part of you by cōmon consent were it never so hainous For that clause of your Covenant wherein you are obliged to whatsoever shall seeme meete by common consent is a great Ocean a blanke to be filled up with what you please it seemeth good to you already for the keeping of the first Table to break the second in working the works of unrighteousnesse As to with-hold from Ministers their Stipend as conducible for your ends to threaten them with big words to lay violent hands on them in the discharge of their calling in pulpit 〈◊〉 which I have suffered and which is more to contemne and disobey Supreme Authoritie yea to take up armes against it and if you by common consent shall thinke meete to remove that blocke of authoritie out of your way you are obliged to it by your Covenant for certainely this is very conducible to your ends For if your Calder wood be true Kings are enemies to Religion in his Altare Damascenum he affirmeth that Natura insitum est omnibus regibus odium in Christum And so King James of Blessed memorie is called by him Infestissimus ecclesiae hostis And your Master-man Cartwright layeth down a ground for this overthrow of Kings as you may reade in the

these are wise enough for their new calling let them be gone to them Let the one learn better to play the butcher with beasts whose Physicke for man is naught and let the other be an Asse-breaker and if he did formerly thus preach I am sure an Asse hath done more service to Christ than ever he hath done an Asse caried Christ to lerusalem but with his Asinine pratlings he hath brought none to Christ And therefore I would not that any should brand our Church with such spots fruitlesse trees wandring stars and clouds without water Let them beare their own shame It cannot be dennyed but our Church is now in a great Eclipse and the mouth of our common adversary is open and they triumphing over us cry Medice te ipsum cura But Mic. 7.8 Rejoyce not against me O mine enemy though I have fallen I shall arise though I sit in darknesse the Lord shall be a light unto me I hope to see our Church flourishing and shining in her former beauty maintaining againe the Orthodoxe Doctrine toward Monarchy 1 Pet. 2.15 and putting to silence the ignorance of foolish men And therefore my third reason in publishing this Treatise is that all our Orthodoxe Divines may have these informations as so many Theses brought to their hands who are more able to stop the mouth of the Gain-sayers Now Right Honourable seeing I am a stranger in this Kingdome and this my meane labour standeth in need of one in these evill dayes who is powerfull both for Place and Learning for its Patron I have therefore presumed to lay it at your Lordships feet begging your honourable Patronage in whom both great Authority and Learning Wisdome and Justice are met whom this Church and Nation hath found a most gratious Patron Acts 24.10 Whom I know to have been of many yeeres a governour unto this nation Acts 26.3 and to be expert in all customes and questions of this nature which concerneth the civill Magistrate and especially the Monarchicall Government of great King CHARLES And therefore though the Author and the workmanship be but mean and rude yet the matter which I defend deservedly craveth such a high Patronage for its defence as is your Lordship who is as faithfull David among all the Kings servants and honourable in his house 1. Sam. 22 14. Iob. 29.14 who hath put on Righteousnesse as a cloathing and judgment as a robe and diademe whom when thy eare heareth it blesseth and when thy eye seeth it giveth witnesse as to one ready to deliver the poore that cryeth and the fatherlesse and him that hath none to help and to break the jawes of the unrighteous and to plucke the spoile out of his teeth And this is no small addition to his Majesties happinesse Psal 101.6 to have one who walketh in a perfect way to serve him which was Davids resolution As Salomon speaketh of the vertuous woman Prov. 31 11. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her so that he shall have no need of spoile So may I say of his Majesties trust in your Lordship especially in these evill dayes which brings to my remembrance the words of Nabal 1. Sam. 25.10 There be many servants now adayes that breake away every man from his Master To put confidence in such is to trust to a broken tooth and to a foot out of joynt May it please therefore your Lordship favourably to accept these meane labours which for the Glory of God Victory of truth honour of our King and good will toward my distracted Countrey-men I have brought to light Humbly beseeching for the shelter of your L. protection to this Treatise and its Author who shall begin and remaine to bee Your Lordships most humble Servant JOHN CORBET THE VNGIRDING OF THE Scotish Armour THE Elephant travelleth not so long from her conception to her birth as these chiefe covenanters have been travelling in their mutuall bond of defence against authority under the Cloak of a Covenant with God to bring forth this huge and monstrous birth of informations for resisting the Lords Anoynted who after unparallelled examples of Clemencie is constrained by force of Armes to re-establish his Ancient Authoritie in SCOTLAND which is now laid in the dust and trampled under foot At this last meeting at Edenburgh of the Nobilitie Barons and learnedst of the rigid covenanting Mininsterie for this effect I looked for some great matter for some weighty and powerfull arguments and reasons to presse the people to Armes but behold they have brought forth nought but a lie as sayes the Royall Prophet David Psal 7.14 not so much as a shadow of any sound reason to any reasonable man Parturiunt montes nascetur ridiculus ●●us And I protest that I am now beyond all Admiration when I consider how so many men can be carried away with so small appearance of reason from the due subjection to the supreme Governour under God and not bee moved when most sound reasons are brought on the contrary but rather furiously with the zeale of Iehu persecute those who upon sound reasons withstand them in great sobriety This is a great prejudice and its most manifest that their affections obnubilates their reasons as sinoake that they cannot see For our ministers of the strict and rigid sort have taken only paines in moving the affections and not in instructing the mind with sound reasons hereunto like the false teachers who as witnesseth Tertullian priùs suadent quàm docent Hence it is that in this Pamphlet of theirs before they alledge any reasons of their resisting authority they propound six points for the gaining of the affections of the people and then come to some naughtie reasons to perswade warre I know that the times are evill I have already suffered much thereof so that Amos counsell chap 5.13 might seeme seasonable The prudent shall keepe silence in that time for it is an evill time Esa 59.15 Yea so evill a time that hee who departs from evill makes himselfe a prey as Isaias sayes But when I see hostile armes raised against our dread Soveraigue the Lords Anoynted the breath of our Nostrils I cannot hold my peace any longer but as the dumbe sonne of King Croesus suddainely spake when he saw the sword upon the King his father crying O man kill not the King So when I see the same to be drawne against my father my King and Head I cannot hold my peace and I cry rather O Country men save your selves from such high rebellion Save your soules save your bodies and estates be affraid to under-take that Warre which is forbidden by God adventure not a poore soule upon such an hazzard in resisting superior powers which is to resist the Ordinance of God and will you strive with the Almighty I have considered your reasons drawne up at your tables for Armes and I find no reason that any soule may probably lean to Vpon the first

ought to feare the King for he is set over us to doe Justice Neither is the question whether Honour should be given to evill Superiours for as our Adversaries by moving of such questions at this time under pretext of dutie doe wrong and dishonour to the Kings gracious Majestie so we professe in the generall that the wickednesse of man cannot avoid Gods Ordinance and therefore although we had froward and wicked Superiours yet obedience and honour is to be given unto them as being set up by God as it were in his wrath Hos 13.11 Neither is the question whether we ought absolute obedience to an evill Magistrate for our adversaries whatsoever be their judgement and practice doe not affirme that malo in malo or ad malum est obediendum but that Kings are to be obeyed so farre as their Commandements are not contrary to Gods and if God command one thing and they the contrary in this case it 's better to obey God than man Neither is the question about the invasion of the King or any of his Kingdomes which is the despitefull and divellish calumnie of the disnatured enemies of this Kirk and Kingdome But the question is meerly and simply about our owne defence And in this also wee would put difference betweene the King resident in this Kingdome and by opening his eares to both parties rightly informed and the King farre from us in another Kingdome hearing the parties and misinformed by our adversaries Between the King as King proceeding Royally according to the lawes of the Kingdome against rebells and the King comming downe from his Throne at the feet whereof the humble supplication of his subjects yet lyeth ananswered furiously to invade his loyall and well-meaning people Betweene a King who is a stranger to religion and tyed no further but according to his owne pleasure to the professors of Religion within his Dominion and our King professing with us the same Religion and obliged by his fathers deed and his owne oath to defend us his owne Subjects our lives religion liberties and lawes Again difference would be put betwixt some private persons taking armes for resistance and inferiour Magistrates Counsellors Iudges Nobles and Peeres of the Land Parliament-men and Barons Burgesses and the whole body of the Kingdome except some few Courtiers States-men papists or popishly affected Betweene subjects rising or standing out against law and reason that they may be free from the yoake of obedience and a people holding fast their alleageance to their Soveraigne and in all humilitie supplicating for Religion and Iustice. Betweene a people labouring by Armes to introduce innovations in religion contrary to Gods Word and a people seeking nothing so much as against all novations to have the same Religion ratified which hath beene professed since the reformation and hath not onely beene sworne to solemnly long since by the Kings Majestie and the whole Kingdome both of old and of late but also commanded by the Kings Majestie to be sworne by his Councellors and all people as it was professed at first Betweene a people pleading for their owne fancies follies and inventions and a people suspending their judgement and practice about things controverted till they should be determined in a Nationall assemblie the only proper and competent jurisdiction and after determination receiving and standing for the Acts of the Assemblie The question then is whether in this case matters thus standing betwixt the King and this kingdome defensive warre be lawfull or whether the people ought to defend themselves against extreame violence and oppression bringing utter ruine and desolation upon the Kirk and Kingdome upon themselves and their posteritie That it is lawfull for us to take up Armes for our defence against such unjust violence it is manifest by these reasons following Anticovenanter I Many Tautologies are here used in stating the Controversie and you remove that which is the question and makes that the question which I am perswaded you know to be not the question 2. You multiply words to affect the ignorant the question is not say you whether we ought to honour obey or feare the King or whether we ought to give Caesar that which is Caesars Know you not that the last question comprehends all these is not honour feare and obedience Caesars due 3. You are very charitable that you say whatever be out judgement and practice yet we affirme in word that absolute obedience in evill is not to be given to wicked men 4. You make many differences about defensive armes to no effect The first difference betweene the King resident in the Kingdome hearing impartially the complaint of both parties c. I pray you tell me if the King were here resident and did impartially heare you and gave sentence against you would you not then resist Would you not even then be judges in your owne cause and take up defensive armes Whether the King be at home with you or abroad he shall still be one partiall and unequall judge so long as he goeth not with you Your second difference is of the like stuffe Between the King proceeding by lawes and the King comming furiously against his Subjects His Majestie was still well pleased and so remaineth to proceed according to the Laws but you will not stand to his judgement but must be judges in your owne cause and now if his Majestie after so long contempt of him and his Lawes bee forced to draw the sword of Iustice you cry out hee commeth furiously against you Your third difference is of the same nature Betweene a King who is a stranger to religion and a King who is of the same with us What make you the difference herein Will you not resist a stranger to religion if he invade you by armes The stranger to religion by the Law of God and his calling is bound to defend the Religion within his Dominions aswell as our King onely this our King is more obliged by his generall calling of Christianitie and by his owne fact and deed and blessed be God he will ever do it Your fourth difference is of no purpose also Betweene a private man and the whole bodie of a Kingdome for the most part c. Tell me then doe you grant that one private man ought not to defend himselfe against the Supreme Magistrate by armes albeit it bee true that he may not and you doe here deny it yet you must be forced to acknowledge the lawfulnes of it for afterward your reason shall make it good that you maintain the lawfulnesse of a private mans taking up of armes against the Lords anointed You doe no small in jurie to our Nation to affirme that the whole bodie of the Kingdome except a few c. 1. For it 's notorious that the whole body of the Kingdome for the most part did never dreame of such a thing as to take up armes against the Lords anointed but were most deceitfully parswaded that their covenant did not carry