Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	people_n	power_n	see_v	1,799	5	3.3938	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90660	The loyal non-conformist, or, The religious subject, yielding to God his due, and to Cæsar his right being a discourse from the pulpit touching true gospel worship and due subjection to magistrates / now printed, as it was preached (for the most part) in the month of August, 1662, by T.P.P---N-C.	T. P., P---N-C.	1644 (1644)	Wing P203B; ESTC R42780	86,090	259

he should give Commands from God and according to those Statutes and Ordinances which God hath appointed to them they would be ready to yield obedience This is not an absolute promise but a restipulation a Covenant upon considerations to perform Articles Now for demonstration of the point I shall bring no other reasons or arguments for the confirmation of this Truth That all men must be subject for the enforcing of this duty of Subjection to Magistrates but only such as I find in the Context 1. 1 Arg. ab honesto The first reason is taken ab honesto It is meet that all men should be subject to God and to the Divine Ordination Now Magistracy is from God it is his Ordinance and the powers that be are ordained of God therefore out of respect and reverence toward God the Author of Powers it is meet that we should be subject to them It is God that giveth to Man power and authority over others Gen. 3. he first gave a Marital power a power to the Husband over the Wise in the next place from this followed a Parental power the power of Parents over Children and hence sprang other powers as a Despotical power the power of Masters over Servants and a Regal power the power of Rulers over Subjects The Apostle here properly speaks of this last of Civil publick Powers Now these powers are ordained of God First appointed by him raised above and set over other men God challengeth this as proper and peculiar to himself to raise up and appoint Rulers over people By me Kings Reign Prov. 8.15 16. by me Princes Rule The most high hath power over the Kingdomes of men Dan. 4.14 and giveth it to whomsoever he will and God hath put his own Name upon Rulers upon the powers which he hath set up Psal 82.6 I have said ye are Gods therefore let us reverence this Ordinance of God and be subject to the powers ordained by him God will have us to honour them whom he thus honoureth and will have us to know that in our subjection and obedience to them we have to deal with him 2. 2 Arg. ab inhonesto A second argument from subjection is taken ab inhonesto from the dishonesty and shamefulness of the contrary as an humble conscientious subjection to Magistrate is an acknowledgment of God's Ordinance so a contempt or slighting of the powers ordained by God and disobedience to them as Powers is Rebellion against God and his Ordination He that resisteth resisteth the Ordinance of God and how great is this sin It is a practical denial of God his Soveraignty a refusing to be under his Government It is God's Will to set such Order among men that some shall Rule others shall be Subject some shall give Commands others shall yield Obedience Now to despise and wilfully to violate this Order of God is great iniquity therefore it is made a brand of Libertines 2 Pet. 2.10 Jude 8. and prophane persons to despise Government 3. 3 Arg. a periculo A third Argument to enforce obedience to Magistrates is a taken a periculo from the danger of disobedience the pernicious effect of it respecting disobedient persons They that resist sha●● receive to themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 judgement From whom why from the Magistrate who hath Powe● in his hand and Commission from God to punish contumacious Offenders or they shall certainly be punished by God wh●● will vindicate his own Ordinance and will plead against the Violators of his Order so that the levelling humour and levellin● practices are dangerous to th● Authours Corah and his complices rose up against Moses and Aaron but they fell in such rising that they perished in the attempt the earth opened and swallowed up those Rebels Num. 16. And the Apostle Jude speaking of th●● Factious and Seditious practice of unruly and Antimagistratica● spirits in the latter times saith They perished in the gainsaying of Corah They that make head against Moses and Aaron against Magistrates and Ministers shal● be punished as sure as if the judgment were already Executed upon them But here is mainly intended punishment from the civil Magistrate that which is to be inflicted by the Powers disobeyed resisted They that disobey and resist shall receive condign punishment from them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall receive judgment to themselves And this expression is by the way a little to be noted as hinting to us three things 1. The folly of those that are opposite to God's Order in his Constitution of humane powers refractory and disobedient to the good Laws and just Commands of Magistrates they run themselves upon mischeif they are enemies to themselves when they suffer the penalty of disobedience they have but their own seeking they do as it were reach out the hand for it to receive it Now will any wise man wilfully hurt himself 2. Here is hinted the Justice of the Laws in inflicting the penalty of Transgression upon wilful Offenders whatever the breakers of good Laws do suffer according to Law is to be imputed to their own wickedness they have nothing to lay to the charge o● Magistrates They that resist the powers receive judgment to themselves their due is paid them their punishment is but a just retribution the reward of their offence 3. Here is a hint of the vanity and bootlessness of such attempt of Rebellious people against God's Ordinance when they rise up against Authority against the Powers which God hath se● up They receive judgment to themselves They have the worst of it like a man that runs his head against a wall to beat down the wall he breaks his own head it may be beats out his own brains but cannot overthrow the wall nor do it any harm They that resist shall receive judgment And this pernicious effect or fruit of disobedience which is a denial of subjection to Magistrates is confirmed by one great end of the Institution of Magistracy of God his committing the power of the Sword to the Magistrate namely That he might be Ver. 3 a terrour to evil doers for Rulers are not a terrour to good works but to the evil Here is the effect put for the cause evil works Metalepsis for evil workers And the Apostle expresseth himself in this manner because according to the course of Justice men are not to be punished but for evil works for something that is contrary to the Law of God and to the Laws of man consonant thereunto and grounded thereupon Note this Subjects are not to be threatened nor flattered into obedience to those Commands of the Powers which are sinful and repugnant to the Law of God and a good Conscience or to those that are arbitrary and illegal contrary to or beside the laudable constitution of the Government which is to be managed according to known Laws nor ought men to be punished for not obeying in such cases The Magistrate

once enjoyn and earnestly press subjection to Magistrates There is a wide difference betwixt that liberty which Christ hath purchased for us and that libertinism which Fanatical spirits plead for And as to that other Text which they urge 1 Cor. 7.23 Ye are bought with a price be ye not the servants of men To this I Answer that the Apostle there speaking of the subjection of Servants to their Masters forbiddeth sinful subjection and not civil subjection By Servants of men he meaneth not those that do civil service to their Superiours he forbids not Christians thus to be servants but he speaks of an inclination to gratifie their finful desires and a readiness to obey their wicked Commands for servants were then forced by threatnings and strips and by the terrours of death to obey all the Commands of their unbelieving Masters were they never so dishonest and wicked therefore the Apostle gives this admonition to believing Servants that were under the power of such Masters to take heed that they be not terrified into wickedness that they so serve men as not to offend God and wrong their own Consciences Thus Pareus interprets the place and so Chrysostome Noli●e eis parere si impia praecipiant Obey not their ungodly Commands And this admonition is very suitable with respect to the subjection and obedience of Subjects to their Rulers and Magistrates I may and must serve and obey the Magistrate but I must not sin at his Command * Major erga Deum obligatio quam erga homines illa absoluta haec conditionalis Supremae majestati debetur major reverentia Domino quam servo major obedientia When men command what God forbids in such a case God must be obeyed rather than men Walk ye not in the Statutes of your Fathers Ezek. 20.18 19. c. Walk in my Statutes I wish saith Calvin that these things were deeply printed in the minds of all men then would not so many serve the lusts of men as if they themselves were to be bought and sold Well here is the point They whom Christ makes free are free indeed but it is from bondage to their own and other mens lusts not from obedience to the honest Commands and righteous Laws of their Superiours Divers other frivolous objections and absurd pleas there are which have been fully answered over and over again and the Answers are in Print Obj. In Christ say they all are equal there is no distinction of Superiours and Inferiours Gal. 3 28. all are one in Christ Sol. To this it is Answered That politick inequality is not against Spiritual equality Obj. And whereas it is alleadged That Christ is the Christians only King therefore Christians must be subject only to Christ. Sol. The Answer is That though Christ be the sole King of the Church yet he is not the only King in the Church nor is his Kingdom contradictory to or destructive of civil Powers and Government Subordinata non pugnant There is no repugnancy where there is a subordination Kings in the Church serve Christ the great King of the Church and Christ keepeth up Order and maintaineth Government in the Common-wealth for his Church's sake for his own Kingdom 's sake I shall go no further in this Use of Confutation nor shall I stay much longer in the Application of the point only I shall add one word for Information and another of Exhortation Vse 2 We see here Information that Piety is not opposite to civil Authority that true Christianity opposeth not Magistracy that Religion maketh not Rebels but Subjects for subjection and obedience to Magistrates is one of the Principles of true Religion Indeed this is the common slaunder raised by the Devil and his Instruments against Christ and his Kingdom and Servants as if the true Religion and Professors of it were most dangerous to civil States as if the best men were the worst Subjects as if those that are most Religious were worst to be trusted as if there were most need to watch them and keep them under See what an Oration Haman made against God his people stuffing it with malignant Criminations Est 3.8 See what a pestilent Letter Rehum and Shimshai wrote against the Jews sending it to the King Artaxerxes Ezra 4.11 Was not Christ himself accused and condemned as an Enemy to Caesar and a mover of Sedition was it not laid to Paul his charge once and again that he was a pestilent fellow and a mover of Sedition and a Sect-master And thus Popish and profane and Atheistical malignant Spirits have been alwayes ready to cast such aspersions upon sincere Professours of the Gospel upon the most Religious and Conscientious and faithful Ministers and people Oh! they are Factious and Fanatical they are troublers of the Church and State they have a Spirit of Rebellion in them it is not fit they should live Thus the Devil would scare men from embracing the Truth and the Ordinances of Christ and from all forwardness in professing Religion But doubtless the godly Preachers and sincere professors of the Gospel are so far from denying the right of Princes and from a Spirit of Rebellion as that the Doctrine which they bring and which they entertaine and desire to hold fast establisheth the power of Rulers in their hands They are as one saith like Solomon his Workmen that built the Temple and built the Kings's Throne too And surely the more that any man takes in the Principles of the Gospel and of a Christian and the more power Religion hath upon his heart the better Subject will he be The Gospel commandeth all lawful obedience even to Infidel Magistrates such as were when Paul wrote this Epistle to the Romans and the more that the Doctrine of the Gospel comes in power upon the heart the more and better obedience there will be Rulers have no better friends than such as make Conscience of their wayes they are the best subjects to Princes on earth that do truly fear the God of Heaven These pray for Rulers while others do Curse and Swear and drink Healths as they call them thus constantly breaking the Kings Laws and by their wickedness provoking God to bring Judgement upon King and people These that fear God obey for Conscience sake and so as to keep a good Conscience when others obey onely for fear or according to their humour and without Conscience and however such talk of Loyalty and boast themselves the only Loyalists it would I think be no hard matter to demonstrate that none can be truly and certainly Loyal but such as are truly religious They that do not truly fear God do not truly Honour the King Though they may flatter Rulers for their own ends and be ready to serve them in many things so farre as they may serve themselves upon them and carry on their own designes and in those matters that may suit with their own humors yet to serve their lusts