Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	age_n	great_a	king_n	2,374	5	3.4489	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95091	Gods covenant the churches plea: or A sermon preached before the Honorable House of Commons at a late solemn fast, in Margarets Church at Westminster, Octob. 29. 1645. By Francis Taylor B. in D. pastour of Yalding in Kent, and a member of the Assembly of Divines.	Taylor, Francis, 1590-1656.	1645 (1645)	Wing T278; Thomason E307_20; ESTC R200348	29,106	33

themselves alone The supremacy of limited ones in Ruling and governing according to the Laws of the Kingdome wherein they are chiefe and the Courts of Justice by Law therein established Ours is of the latter sort And wee conceive that the supreme power of our Kings which wee are tyed to obey is not exercised in personall and Arbitrary commands but in their Laws and Courts whereof the Parliament is the chiefe Else why doe our Laws and Customes binde the hands of our Kings that they may not make any Law concerning our Religion Lives and Goods nor impose any taxe upon the Kingdome without the consent of both the Honourable Houses of Parliament Why doe they give the supreme power of interpreting Laws not to the persons of our Kings who never yet undertook it nor to their Judges who have smarted for mis-interpreting Laws though they did it to please our Kings but to the Parliament who in the ages past have interpreted our Laws in things doubtfull and punished the greatest Officers of the Kingdome for mis-interpreting them Why do not our Kings sit in Judgement in their own persons but must have sworn Judges to doe Justice not onely between Subject and Subject but also between King and Subject Why doe not our Kings as David and Solomon did when an offender appeares worthy of death never try him by a Judge nor execute him by a Sheriffe but say to one standing by (a) 2 Sam. 1.15 4.12 1 Kin. 2.25.40 Goe and fall on him and kill him Examples therefore of an unlimited Monarchy are not applyable to the Government of such States as by the fundamentall Laws have set bounds and fixed limits If two Feoffees bee intrusted with the estate of a dying man for the good of his Children and one of them by bad counsell misled seeks his own dignity most and the other the childrens good which of these two should a creditour pay debts to Are our Kings onely betrusted with our Religion Lives and Liberties Doth not the Magna Charta put a great trust in our Parliament also Have not our Princes guided by Courtiers and Church Parasites countenanced Monopolies and Innovations Have not our Parliaments stood up for our lawfull Liberties Why should wee not then stand to them to the utmost of our Estates and Lives according to our Covenant If it bee granted that a power abused may not bee resisted who doubts but a power never granted by God nor man may If a Father take a rod to correct the Childe though it bee sharpe the Childe may bear it but if hee take a sword to kill the Childe hee may defend himselfe because God hath given no such power to Parents Who gave this power to our Kings to raise an Army against the Parliament to keep Malefactours from deserved punishments to arme Papists against Protestants to bring the barbarous Irish into this and the Neighbour Kingdomes to cut our throats Is this power of God or from men If neither wee may justly resist it and defend our selves and our lawfull Priviledges Object 2 Secondly the practise of the Primitive Christians is objected who have signified to the Heathen Emperours * Videantur Tertul. Apolog. c. 37. Cyprian Ep. 1. ad Cornel. Roman ad Demetr Ambros in ep ad Sor. in Concione ad Pop. that they had power enough to resist them but would not doe it They would rather suffer Martyrdome Answ To this wee answer that the power of those Emperours seemes to have been absolute in regard of men and humane Laws and not limited as ours is Secondly that when those Christians had gotten Constantine to assist them who had a share in the government then they fought for their Religion and Liberties against the other Emperours So may wee having authority from our Parliament who have a great part in the Government of this Kingdome by Covenant defend our selves against the personall command of Princes Object 3 The last and least Objection is from the purse and from the troubles and charges that this warre hath brought upon us They have been very great and greater then before say some of the people And these are blown up by discontented spirits to make us leave our station and break our Covenant Were it not better to leave all at the mercy of the adverse party our charges and losses are more then wee indured by Monopolies and other exactions before Answ To this it may bee answered that wee should not so much look at our troubles and charges as at the end of them What do wee fight for What doe wee pay our money for Is it not to recover our sinking liberties No cost too great for such a purchase The Physitian makes his Patient sicker before hee cure him yet the sick man blames him not The Lawyer makes his Client spend much money before hee recover his estate in controversie yet the Client is not offended These charges are to prevent greater Monopolies might have lasted much longer These will have their end if God please to assist us and make us able to make good our Covenant Rab. Aquiba in Bethneeman A Jewish Writer furnisheth mee with a feigned similitude fit for this purpose The Fox going by the River side espies the Fishes leaping up above the Water Heedemands the reason They tell him there were nets laid in the water to catch them He bids them come to the shore then where there were no nets Nay say the Fishes if wee cannot live quietly in our own element how shall wee live when wee are out of it If wee now bee scarse able to subsist for troubles and charges while wee stand up to defend our Liberties what shall wee doe when wee have given them all away Did our Fathers purchase them with so much charge and blood that wee should lose them To perswade you further to bee firm in your Covenant consider I pray you the ancient form of making Covenants It is said to bee a cutting of a Covenant (a) Gen. 15.18 In that day the Lord * Heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cut. made a covenant with Abraham Abraham in likelihood not onely (b) Gen. 15.11 12. went but slept between the parts of the birds and beasts divided God went between them (c) Gen. 15.17 in a smoaking furnace and burning lampe Wee read (d) Jer 34.18 of a Calfe cut in pieces when the people made a Covenant with God And the Chaldee Paraphrast reads in the Text The covenant which thou hast * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cut with our Fathers An allusion to the custome of making of Covenants then among men They sware first to keep the Covenant made Then both parties went between the parts of some beast divided as wishing that they which brake the Covenant might bee so divided as that beast was Something like is that in Livy (e) Livius 1. Decad. l 100. The Priest struck down a Hogge with a flint stone saying *

the feare of God and they are to obey him according to the lawes of the Kingdome God is our King (c) Psal 149.2 Let the children of Zion bee joyfull in their King And wee may say with Gods people (d) Psal 28.9 Save thy people and blesse thine inheritance By all these titles the Covenant between God and his Church is abundantly proved and fully confirmed Reas 4 Fourthly this League appeares by mutuall Offices really performed to each other according to the Covenant Is Gods people afflicted in Egypt and doe they groane in their Spirits by reason of an heavy bondage God will come downe and deliver them (e) Exod. 2.24 25. God heard their groaning and God remembred his Covenant with Abraham with Isaac and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel and God had respect unto them Doth Senacherih besiege Jerusalem affright Gods people and threaten utter destruction to them (f) 2 King 19.35 God will send an Angel to destroy his hoast in a night Do the Reubenites Gadites and half Tribe of Manasseh set up a new Altar as if they went to worship another God (g) Josh 22. Gods people will expostulate with them and maintaine Gods honour against them by warre if there had been cause Doe the men of Gibeah dishonour God by abusing the Levites wife to death and doe the Benjamites uphold them in it (h) Judg. 20. Gods people will not give over till they have welnigh rooted them all out though many of themselves dyed in the quarrell This mutuall upholding of the peoples safety and Gods honour is a reall proofe of the Covenant And so much for the first point The second Observation was this Doct. 2 God seems to his people to neglect his Covenant when they are oppressed by ungodly men So Asaph complaines After an acknowledgement that God was the shepherd of Israel and so in Covenant with his people and accordingly had wonderfully brought them out of Egypt and made them flourish marvellously in the land of Canaan hee attributes their miseries to Gods neglect (a) Psal 80.12 Why hast thou then broken down her hedges so that all they which passe by the way doe pluck her So Ethan the Ezrahite having mentioned Gods firme Covenant made with David afterwards chargeth God (b) Psal 89.39 Thou hast made void the Covenant of thy servant thou hast prophaned his crown by casting it to the ground Many reasons may bee given of this unkinde carriage of Gods people to him As Reason 1 First because their misery blindes them And blinde men when they are smitten suspect every man that comes neer them (c) Luk. 22.64 The men that held Christ blinde-fold him then smite him on the face and bid him Prophesie who smote him Such is our condition when affliction blindes us that wee cannot tell who smote us unlesse wee could prophesie Reason 2 Secondly self-love makes us suspect any rather then our selves yea even God himselfe The people should have reflected upon themselves that were nocent and in their sorrowes they reflect upon God that was innocent Wee are all Adams and Eves children When Eve had eaten of the forbidden fruite shee * Adam se excusare voluit de muliere mulier se excusare voluit de Serpente Aug. Hom. 12. Excusare peccatum voluit vir per mulierem mulier per serpentem Greg. Mor. l. 22. c. 13. Oblique Adam Dominum tangit quasi ipse peccati sui autor entiterit qui mulierem fecit Et Eva culpam ad Dominum refert qui serpentem in Paradiso posuit Greg. ibid. Et ibid. l. 4. c. 23. Excessus sui vitium in autorem latenter in torquet q. d tu occasionem delinquendi praebuisti qui mulierem dedisti Ita Creator hinc blasphematur dum enim vult excusari se in eo quod fecit home Deum accusat a quo factus est homo Aug. ubi supra tacitly layes the fault upon God (d) Gen. 3.13 The Serpent beguiled mee and I did eate Hadst thou not made a subtill Serpent I had not broken thy Commandement Adam layes it openly upon God (e) Gen. 3.12 The woman whom thou gavest to bee with mee shee gave mee of the tree and I did eate Hadst thou not give mee such a companion to betray mee I had been innocent So wee their posterity when trouble is upon us suspect Gods breaking Covenant rather then our own * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arrian Epict. l. 3. c. 19. Thus our nurses beat the stone when children stumble through their own neglect Reason 3 Thirdly in time of need wee most commonly suspect such as are best able to help us The sick man if hee bee in danger of death suspects not his ignorant neighbours but his skilfull Physitian Hee that is oppressed in his estate when the sentence goes against him suspects none more then the Advocate or the Judge Wee know God is best able to help us our corruption therefore makes us to suspect him most if our troubles continue Reason 4 Fourthly wee most suspect those who as wee thinke have most reason to helpe us in our miseries and doe it not If the servant want meate or apparell hee complaines not of his fellow-servants but of his Master who is tyed by covenant to provide for him If the childe bee wronged by the servants hee layes not the fault upon his brethren but upon his Father who by bands of nature is obliged to take care of him So wee being in Covenant with God wonder not much if others faile us but complain heavily that God seemes to neglect us And so much for the second point Doct. 3 The third follows which is this The Covenant is the Churches surest plea. This was Solomons strongest argument in his solemn mayer at the Dedication of the Temple (a) 2 Chron. 6.14 O Lord God of Israel there is no God like thee in the heaven nor in the earth which keepest Covenant This was Nehemiahs (b) Neh. 1.5 I beseech thee O Lord God of Heaven the great and terrible God that keepeth Covenant This was the Levites argument (c) Neh. 9.32 Now therefore our God the great the mighty and the terrible God who keepest Covenant For the Covenant gives Gods people interest Reason 1 First in all that is in God Our troubles may bee so great that no humane power can deliver us There is power enough in God to doe it But nothing can give us a right in Gods power but Gods Covenant Our foes may bee so subtill that no mans wit can prevent their designes Gods wisdome can doe it But the Covenant must give us an interest in it Our misery may bee so deep that no creatures mercy can give us hope of reliefe from them God is infinite in mercy but the Covenant onely can state us in a condition capable of good by it Our waywardnesse may bee so strange that no friend could beare with