Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	common_a	king_n	time_n	5,545	5	3.5263	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41782	The loyal Baptist, or, An apology for the baptized believers ... occasioned by the great and long continued sufferings of the baptized believers in this nation / by Thomas Grantham ...	Grantham, Thomas, 1634-1692.	1684 (1684)	Wing G1540; ESTC R26748	84,492	109

of the Commission given to Ezra by Artaxerxes that these Things are evident 1. That the King did not himself embrace the Religion of the Jewish Nation but retained still his former Religion for tho he did fear the God of Israel yet he never calls him his God but the God of Heaven and the God of Ezra c. 2. That God had by a special Providence and Motion from himself disposed the Heart of the King of Persia to give free Liberty to the Jews which were Captives in his Dominions to go forth to serve their God vers 13. I make a Decree that all they of the People of Israel and of his Priests and Levites in my Realm which are minded of their own free Will to go up to Jerusalem to go with thee to do whatsoever shall seem good to them after the Will of your God 3. The King does not only give a present Supply to Ezra as a Free-Will-Offering to the God of Israel vers 15. but also provides for his necessary Supply for the future out of the King's Treasury vers 20. 4. The King fearing the Displeasure of the God of Israel against himself and his Sons does require Ezra that whatsoever was required by the God of Heaven should be diligently done 5. The King also empowers Ezra to set Magistrates and Judges over the People and in so doing gave Ezra a Magistratical Power or made him a Magistrate and so gives Order that whosoever would not be obedient to him should be punished vers 25 26. This is the Sum of the Commission given to Ezra by the King of Persia In all which nothing appears that any of his Subjects should be compelled to alter their Religion nor be forced to be all of one Religion But a free Liberty is given to the Jews as well as to others to serve their God according to his Law and a Restraint laid upon them that would hinder them And Ezra is empowered indeed to punish those that were under the Law of Moses according to that Law if they would not do it and such as withstood his Authority as a Magistrate which he received from the King were to be punished by the Law of the King of Persia who had the Power of Life and Death in his hand which the Jewish Nation had not at this time 6. We may learn hence that it is indeed a blessed Thing for all Kings to fear the God of Heaven and to advance the Interest of Religion in their Dominions and it is as evident that Religion must always be setled according to the Law of God with the greatest Care that may be and none punished for keeping the Law of God but for breaking the Law of God and the Law of the King which did concur with the Law of God Here were great Punishments assigned and yet not to be insisted on too rashly in the Times of the Gospel nor in Cases purely Evangelical or of the Christian Religion as it is dignified above the Principles of common Reason and Morality In these Cases I cannot see how it should be in the power of Magistrates to compell any against their Will seeing it's God not Man that makes Christians Ephes 2. 10. We are his Workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good Works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them And God gives none the Privileges of his Children until they be his Children nor are they his Children till they be born not of Blood nor of Flesh nor of the Will of Man but of God John 1. 12 13. 7. Nor must we deny but acknowledg that God's Vicegerents are authorized by the Almighty to be Keepers of both Tables so as to defend his Sovereignty and to encourage true Religion against Atheists and Idolaters that worship a Creature instead of the Creator for so it is written Job 31. 26 27 28. If I beheld the Sun when it shined or the Moon walking in Brightness and my Heart hath been secretly enticed or my Mouth hath kissed my Hand this also were an Iniquity to be punished by the Judge for I should have denied God that is above Now let us write or desire the Lord to write the Words of our Text in our Hearts Honour all Men Love the Brotherhood Fear God Honour the King Surely that Christian that shall make it his Business to do these things heartily shall be acceptable to God and approved of Men there shall be no occasion of stumbling in him But if Christians be too busy to inspect Matters of State or to meddle with those that contrive or project any thing to the disturbance and subversion of the Government in the Kingdoms where they live they shall never be able to recommend their Religion be it never so good in it self to the acceptance of their Governors nor to obtain from them to be Nursing-Fathers to it but shall certainly expose themselves to the Displeasure of God as well as to the Wrath of Princes And God himself will vindicate the Honour of his Ordinance of Worldly Government against all that despise it as well as against all that abuse their Power in it for there is no Respect of Persons with God Rom. 2. 11. Let me therefore exhort you my Brethren as you know it has been my manner these thirty Years to follow Peace with all Men and Holiness to study to be quiet and especially in troublesom Times to fear the Lord and the King and meddle not with them that are given to change Prov. 24. 21. Many have undone themselves by itching after Changes in Worldly Government God only knows what is best for you and for the Nation They that are weary of this are soon weary of that few know what they would have and who is able to devise any thing that will please all Humors and suit all Interests Bless God for your Prince and for the Peace you have enjoyed under him and pray for him and for all that are in Authority that under them if the Will of God be so you may lead quiet and peaceable Lives in all Godliness and Honesty They that will not pray for all that are in Authority do not fear God for they contemn his Word 1 Tim. 2. 1. They do not love and so they cannot honour the King You are at present under Sufferings for the consciencious performance of what you believe to be your Duty towards God in Matters of Religion humble your selves under the mighty Hand of God and suffer patiently what Trials it shall please God to exercise you under that as our Apostle hath it 1 Pet. 1. 7. the Trial of your Faith being much more precious than that of Gold that perisheth tho it be tried with Fire might be found unto Praise and Honour and Glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ I say no more the Lord direct you AMEN NOW if it shall please God to bring this faithful tho unpolished Discourse to his Majesties Royal Hand I do hereby

Word at any time or in any place but on the contrary commands every Man that hath an Ear to hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches Rev. 2. 7. saying To day if ye will hear his Voice harden not your Hearts Psal 95. 7. Proclaiming to every one that thirsteth to come and take of the Waters of Life freely Isa 55. 1. To whose gracious Invitation the Spirit and the Bride the Church agreeth saying Come Rev. 22. 17. It must needs be very dangerous for any Man to say Do not come when they desire to drink of these living Waters which flow in the lively Preaching of the Gospel of Christ And how can we think that our gracious God who in Things pertaining to this Life will not allow us to say to our Neighbour Go away and come again to morrow and I will give when we have it by us Prov. 3. 27 28. will ever accept us with a Well-done good and faithful Servant if in the more weighty Matters of his Law we put Men off with delatory Answers Behold now is the accepted Time behold now is the Day of Salvation It must be granted that the Church is the Light of the World a City set upon a Hill that cannot be hid whilst therefore we are conscionably and we trust groundedly persuaded that we are a part of this Church a necessity lieth upon us to make manifest the Savour of the Knowledg of Christ in every Place For as it was truly said to Christ That no Man doth any thing in secret and himself desires to be known openly So neither must the Church of Christ obscure her Light by a secret Profession of Christianity lest she contradict her own Prayer and the Practice of the Primitive Churches held forth in these Words God be merciful to us and bless us and cause his Face to shine upon us that his Way may be known upon the Earth and his Saving-Health among all Nations And now Lord behold their Threatnings and grant unto thy Servants that with all boldness they may speak thy Word And they spake the Word with boldness And they overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb by the Word of their Testimony and they loved not their Lives unto the Death And became Followers of the Churches of God having received the Word in much Affliction with Joy of the Holy-Ghost And if for the like faithful Testimony we must still suffer as we have done we shall rejoyce as Christ hath exhorted us The Church is taught of God to hold fast not her Faith only but also the Profession of her Faith and this not by Starts and Girds as Men give them License or Toleration but with all constancy and without wavering And surely our Lord foreseeing and by his Apostles foreshewing what would come to pass required that this Profession be held without wavering in the Business of Church-Assembling Heb. 10. 25. because without such Assemblies the whole Service of God in a Church-way is like to fall to the ground This Duty as it is of greatest importance so it is founded upon Heavens Authority Forsake not the Assembling of your selves together And it is granted by the learned Protestants That against the Law of God or Nature no contrary Custom doth ever prevail Dr. Field of the Church lib. 4. He that doth any thing by Command from the King contrary to the Command of God does not fear God saith Dr. Savage Chaplain to K. Charles II in his Dew of Hermon p. 36 to 39. And speaking of the first Preachers of the Gospel he saith Their Rulers enjoined them not to preach Christ and therein they did well to disobey for otherwise they had not feared God inasmuch as tho their Rulers were above them yet God was above them both For in commanding any thing contrary to the Word and Will of God they abuse their Power either through their Ignorance or Wilfulness and in that case meerly Passive Obedience is to be yielded These latter Sentences are the more remarkable being written by one of his Majesties Chaplains in Answer to a Book written by the Baptized Believers in this Age entitled Sion's Groans for her Distressed which Book whilst he pretends to confute he has confirmed it in the main scope and Intent of it As it is impossible by Mulcts and Penalties to overcome the faithful Professors of the Truth for that which is of God Men cannot overthrow Acts 5. 39. so neither will those that are zealous for Error be vanquished by that way And the mischief is their Errors are by their Sufferings made the more taking with those of weak Judgments What then is the result of Persecution for Religion Is it not commonly this That the Hypocrites or Time-servers do fill that Church which has the Power of the Magistrate on her side And suppose she have the Truth on her side yet those Temporizers come not to her Communion for the Truths sake and therefore cannot be a Blessing to her nor she to them nay these shall the soonest of all others betray her when ever Time shall minister occasion for those who are not true to God and their own Conscience will never be faithful to Men. They worship not the King of Heaven but the Earthly Crown and Scepter much like Euripus carried headlong sometimes this way sometimes that way Socrat. lib. 3. cap. 21. But shortly to sum up what is or might be further said in this Case 1. To restrict our Assemblies to the Limits of the said Act is to obey Man rather than God who gives liberty without limiting the Numbers of those that meet to worship him in a Church-way And whilst we believe our Assemblies are true Churches we must endeavour to meet in God's way whoever countermands it 2. For thus to limit our Assemblies to the Number of Four will certainly destroy all our Church-Assemblies For suppose some Congregation or Church consist but of an hundred Persons these being divided into Fours have no Church-Assembly unless every of these four be a Church And if the Magistrate have just power to divide us into Fours or Fives he has power to subdivide us into Two's and by consequence to dissolve all our Assemblies I confess a small Number may constitute a true Church Gregory Thaumaturgus tho a Bishop had a Church consisting but of seventeen Persons Basil de Spirit Sanct. cap. 29. Our Saviour has promised his presence where two or three are met together in his Name But then in his Name signifieth in his Authority and according to his Appointment Now Christ has no where appointed that four and no more should come together into one House or Place no tho an hundred Persons be come together if more do come they cannot be prohibited by all that Power which God has given to Man as we have shewed 3. Our zealous Country-Men of the Parochial Way would think it very unlawful to be limited in their Meetings to fours or fives and yet they ought to