Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	king_n	know_v	power_n	6,767	5	5.0443	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65440	Ferguson's text explain'd and apply'd, in a sermon before the Right Honourable Sir Robert Geffery, Kt., Lord Mayor of London, at Guild-Hall Chappel, December the 6th, anno 1685 by Robert Wensley ...	Wensley, Robert, 1647-1689.	1686 (1686)	Wing W1352; ESTC R15240	16,002	36

against King Richard the Second II. The Two last Rebellions of this present Age. As to the First Though they had forced him 1st The bloody Punishment of the Rebellion against Richard the II. to Resign his Crown in open Parliament to Henry of Bullenbrook and had Confirmed it to him by all the means that Policy could contrive or Law could dictate yet as that Loyal Bishop of Carlisle * Mr. Trussell's Hist of Henry the IV. p. 52. Dr. Thomas Merks whose Name ought alwayes to be remembred as a Martyr for his Loyalty foretold to them The Child that was yet unborn did Rue the Work of that Day For though this Rebellion prosper'd in the highest manner for Two Generations yet in the Third such a War was Rais'd thereby between the two Royal Families as lasted † Vid. ibid. Hist of Richard the III. p. ult near an hundred Years and was the Occasion of the Loss of the Lives of near an Hundred Thousand Subjects amongst which were most of the Nobility and Gentry of this Nation Neither had it had an end so soon had not God Almighty been pleased of his great Mercy by several strange Over-turnings at length to Give the Crown to them whose Right it was in whose Posterity both the Families of York and Lancaster were firmly United So fully was that Old Verse which ought never to be forgotten confirm'd to us De male quaesitis vix gaudent tertius haeres The Third Heir scarcely ever enjoyes ill-gotten Estates But I need not go so far for Examples of this kind our own Experience being too well supply'd with them even in this present Age the two last Rebellions amongst us being no less apparent Instances of the like Punishments For Secondly As to that Rebellion against 2dly The Rebellion against Charles the First Charles the Blessed Martyr never to be thought on without the utmost horror Though it prosper'd for a while yet what did we get by it Instead of the Best of Men and the Best of Kings who was inhumanely Murdered by his own Subjects at his own Door under a damnable pretence of Justice we were forc'd to truckle under a Base and Bloody Vsurper Instead of The best Church and Religion in the World Established amongst us we had made our Nation nothing but a sink of all manner of filthy Schismes Heresies and Confusion Instead of the Best of Governments under which every Man could Claim the same Right and Law for his Possessions as the King Himself we brought upon our selves the Iron-Rod of meer Arbitrary Power and knew no Law nor Right but what the Sword gave us Instead of the most Blessed Peace and Plenty that our Nation ever enjoyed we brought upon our selves nothing but Sequestrations Decimations Rapine Sacriledge and the most Vnnatural War and Blood-shed To Summ up all All that we got by that Sea of Blood and those vast heaps of Treasure spent in that Rebellion was only this Viz. That we had entail'd upon our Posterity had not God been more Merciful unto us all those things which were the main pretences for those Fears and Jealousies which rais'd the first Feuds and Commotions amongst us unless we add which with good reason we may those amazing Judgments of The most Dreadful Fire and the most Raging Pestilence which were the Just Punishments of that most unjust Rebellion But Thirdly As to this last Rebellion 3dly The fatal consequences that would have ensued had Monmouth's Rebellion prevail'd Supposing the Late Monmouth had prevailed and by plain force had platted the Crown upon his own head What could we have expected from such an Usurpation but only another War Between Him and His Whigg-Parliament or else between the Two Houses of York and Monmouth that might in all probability have lasted as long and have been no less Bloody than the former between the Two Families of York and Lancaster But God Almighty thanks to his Holy Name hath by a most signal Providence put an end to all these Calamities and Dangers and hath Vtterly Over-turned both these Rebellions and their Authors and Abettors almost miraculously fulfilling the last Verse of the Prophesie of my Text so clearly even to every tittle of it as though the Prophet had meant it of none but our Times Viz. I will Over-turn Over-turn Over-turn it and it shall be no more until he come whose right it is and I will give it him For how wonderfully hath he Over-turned the Usurper his Family and the Fagg end of a Parliament that had unjustly seiz'd into their own hands the Supream Power of the Kingdom and made them stink in the Nostrils of all good Men How prodigiously hath He Over-turn'd the Committees of Safety the Keepers of our Liberties that kept them from us and the old Invincible Army of Implacable Rebels and all their Commanders who Usurp'd the Command of all things amongst us Lastly How miraculously hath He brought the Wheel over the Whiggs and utterly Over-turn'd them and all their Rebellious Devices And by those very Means by which they thought to have destroy'd our King and Government hath so firmly settled the Crown upon his Head whose undoubted right it is and so immoveably Fixt and Establish'd His Throne That unless we by our Sins and Abuses of his Mercies do provoke God to permit them we have Reason to believe that neither the Devil himself the first Rebel nor all his Followers shall ever be able to shake it To summ up All that I have said Since seldom or never any Rebellion hath long The general Application of the whole Discourse Prosper'd but hath generally been even in this Life it s own Punishment Since it is such a Sin that contains all other Crimes and no Amends nor any sufficient Excuse can be made for it And lastly Since it is such a Sin as can very hardly if at all be Repented of and by Consequence Since there is very little or no Hope of Forgiveness for it If we have any Regard to our own Happiness either in this World or That which is to come Let us follow the Wisest Advice of the Wisest of Men viz. * Proverbs c. 24. v. 21 22. My Son fear thou the Lord and the King and meddle not with them that are given to Change And let us always bear in mind the Reason that Solomon gives us the Truth of which our own Experience hath so often confirm'd viz. For their Calamity shall rise suddenly and who knoweth the ruin of them both And lest any should be drawn into Rebellion with a Shew and Pretence of Religion Let me add the most necessary Exhortation of the Great Apostle of the Gentiles viz. † Rom. c. 16. v. 17 18. Now I beseech you Brethren mark them that cause Divisions amongst you contrary to the Doctrine ye have learned and avoid them For they that are such serve not the Lord Jesus Christ but their own Bellies and by good Words and fair Speeches deceive the Hearts of the Simple For so long as such Deceivers are mark'd by the People for Godly and Precious Men as to my Knowledge the greatest Rebels even Ferguson himself hath been cry'd up as the Most powerful and Soul-saving Preacher amongst them it is impossible but that all manner of Rebellious Principles will be planted in their Heads But if our Magistrates would Mark such as make Divisions amongst us contrary to the Doctrine we have received in our Church so as to execute our Laws with all Vigour against them and if all the People would so Mark them as to Avoid them it would be impossible for them to turn our Faith into Faction and our Religion into Rebellion And methinks they have shewn themselves such bare-fac'd Rebels to all our Nation that he that can still have such a Kindness for them as to continue still to follow them doth clearly demonstrate to the World that he hath but very little Loyalty to his King or Religion to his GOD. Let me Conclude All with this short Prayer That God Almighty would Unite all our Hearts in the Wayes of True Religion towards Him of Temperance and Sobriety towards our selves of Justice and Charity towards all Men and of Duty and Loyalty towards our Soveraign And that as He hath so signally Over-turn'd His Enemies and given Him the Crown and Diadem whose right it is so He would please to Establish the Work that He hath wrought amongst us upon the sure Foundations of Peace Truth and Righteousness And that to this End He would bless our KING with length of Dayes and all Happiness in this Life and finally Crown Him with Immortal Glory To which Prayer I am sure every True Son of our Loyal Mother the Church of England cannot but heartily say AMEN Now To God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost the Great Disposer of all Things and the Giver of all Victories be ascribed as is most due all Praise and Glory Majesty and Dominion now and for evermore AMEN FINIS

thy sake both the Kingdom and the Priesthood of the Jews hath perished I will place this Iniquity upon thy Account for ever but not immediately to be reckoned for but when Christ cometh whose is the Judgment and when the Father giveth him both the Kingdom and the Priesthood or the Church called from amongst the Gentiles For then indeed it was that both the Jewish Religion and Government were absolutely Over-turn'd by the Romans when the Apostles had just finished their Work of Preaching the Gospel to all Nations and making them Disciples of Christ For ever since the Jews have continued meer Vagabonds upon the Face of the Earth And an hissing and a By-word to all Nations So that according to St. Hierom Zedekiah's Crimes had an ill Influence upon all Israel for many Generations even till their final Destruction after our Saviour's Crucifixion So that we may well conclude that they were most odious to God And therefore it cannot be but worth our while to proceed to the next Enquiry propos'd viz. II. What Zedekiah's Crimes were for which II. What Zedekiah's Crimes were the Text stiles him Thou wicked and prophane Prince of Israel and for which He and all Israel were so dreadfully punish'd Now if we will take the pains to read the places of Scripture * 2 Kings c. 24. v. 17. c. 25. and Jeremiah cap. ult before-mentioned we shall find his Crimes to be these three viz. Ingratitude Treachery and Rebellion Ingratitude Perfidiousness Rebellion First Ingratitude against the King of Babylon Nebuchadnezzar had Raised him from a Subject to be King over Israel instead of Jehoiakim whose Right it was and in token of his Favour had given him a new Name But He ungratefully endeavours as far as he could to Unmake his Maker Whereas Common Gratitude if he had retain'd any Sense of it would have bound him fast to the Service of such a Prince who had conferr'd so great Honours and Obligations upon him that even all that he could do for his Service was little enough to express his Grateful Acknowledgments But instead of this such was his ungratefulness that no Tyes though never so Sacred could hold him to his Duty but even contrary to his Faith and Promise he Treacherously endeavours to Ruine Nebuchadnezzar with those Favours he had conferr'd upon him And this brings me to Discourse his second Crime viz. Secondly His Perfidiousness or Treachery 2ly Zedekiah's Perfidiousness In all probability the King of Babylon bound Zedekiah by all manner of Promises and Oaths to be faithful to him for common prudence could perswade no less and we have this further Warrant for it That one of the best Commentators as to the sense of the Antients tells us directly That the † Loquitur propheta Sedekiae faedifrago Cornel. a Lapid in textum Prophet here speaks to Zedekiah the Covenant-breaker What then could be a greater breach of Faith than for him to abuse so great and so honourable a Trust to quite contrary purposes What could be greater Treason than for him who had received the Regal Authority over the Jews on purpose to keep them in Subjection to the King of Babylon to be the first that Opposed it and to be the Ring-leader of Rebellion against him This leads me to take Notice of his third and last Crime viz. Thirdly His Rebellion 3ly Zedekiah's Rebellion Had not Zedekiah been the Chief Governour under Nebuchadnezzar he could not have been the Chief Rebell against him And therefore this did fully compleat both his Ingratitude and Treason and above all other his Sins is particularly laid to his Charge 2 Kings c. 24. v. ult even by God himself Having now Explain'd the Words lest it should be asked What is all this to us I shall proceed to the next part of my proposed Design viz. Secondly Rightly to Apply these Words thus The 2 d. part of this Discourse the Application Explained both to Persons and Things First then as to Persons 1. To Persons I freely Confess That there is nothing less becomes the Pulpit than Personal Reflections where they are not necessary or at least highly convenient But since common Fame assures us That this Text was Applyed to Seditious Purposes against our present Sovereign Whom God long Preserve I cannot but think it a necessary Duty to wipe off those Foul and Impudent Aspersions from our Royal Master and to let you see where they naturally fall With what Face could any one but Impudence it self Apply Zedekiah's Ingratitude Perfidiousness and Rebellion against such a Prince whom even the worst of His Enemies cannot but own to be the Best and most Grateful Master the most Faithful of all Friends and when He was in that capacity the most Loyal of all Subjects Do not We of the Church of England owe the Preservation of our Religion to His Royal Faith and Gratitude Hath He not in the most Grateful and Publick manner Acknowledged our Services though we did but our Duty in Endeavouring to Maintain The Succession in the Right Line Hath He not Pass'd His Royal Faith for the Preservation of our Religion and Government by Law Established in His repeated Promises and His Coronation-Oath Oh! May His Royal Word and Oath be as Sacred and Inviolable as all good Subjects do Esteem His Person and Authority And as He derives His Power from none but GOD so may He Govern after God's example That as By these two immutable Things His Word and Oath It is impossible for God it may be no less impossible for the King to Lye That so His NAME may be Recorded to all Ages by those Glorious Titles of JAMES the Grateful and JAMES the Just In the mean while let Us follow His Example in being as Faithful Subjects to Him as He was to His Royal Brother who hath particularly Recommended Him as a Pattern for our Imitation For in his last * Pag. 166. Part the first Declaration perused by himself and Ordered to be Published He who best knew Him gives us this Recommendation of Him That He could not forbear to Recommend to all his other Subjects the profound Respect and the intire Resignation and Obedience which his Royal Highness continues to Practise to his Person and Government Let this then Suffice to stop the Mouths of all our Railing Rabshake's against God's Anointed But since they have alwayes been too ready to make Personal Reflections and False Applications of Scripture it is but Justice that we should Retort upon them such as are apparently true especially where without the least Stretch or Force they mutually Apply themselves as certainly if ever words did these of the Text most directly Apply themselves against the Authors of the late Rebellion amongst Us. For What need I mention the late Earls of All the Late Leaders of Rebellion Guilty of every one of Zedekiah's Crimes Shaftsbury Argyle and such like when their Horrid Ingratitude to his late