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	parliament_n	power_n	33,826	5	5.6112	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85407	Peace protected, and discontent dis-armed. Wherein the seventeen queries (with the addition of three more, postscript-wise) lately published, partly to allay the discontents of some about the late revolution of government, but more especially to guide every mans feet into the way of peace, as well his own, as the publique, are reinforced with replies unto, and animadversions upon, such answers, which some (it seems) have given unto them, to invalidate their purport and intent. Together with four new queries superadded. By the author of the said seventeen queries.	Goodwin, John, 1594?-1665.; Goodwin, John, 1594?-1665.	1654 (1654)	Wing G1188; Thomason E732_27; ESTC R202310	55,941	80

the hands of wicked men at least not in wickednesse Yet to speak the truth my arch-design as well in this as in all the rest of the Queries was not to strengthen the hand of any magistrate good or bad but to strengthen the hand of the great body of the people in the land to that subjection under the present Government which upon good grounds and next to u●questionable I know w●ll be if universally exhibited at least their civill happinesse and peace 5. And lastly Whereas I am charged to make their heart sad whom God hath not sadded my plea is that certeinly God is willing that their heart should be made sad who will be sadded with the truth yea in as much as he is the Author not onely of the truth but of all seasonable speakings of the truth he may very properly and truly be said to make the heart sad of all such who a●e sadded by such speakings of the truth The heart of the Corinthians was made sorry or sad by that Epistle which Paul wrote unto them concerning their incestuous member butought Paul in this case to be challenged that he made the heart of those sad whom God had not sadded If either the Answerer or any other in his behalf can fairly shew and prove that any thing asserted or necessarily supposed in any of the Queries is either contrary to the Truth or unseasonably delivered the Author is well content that all that shall die by the hand of the Demonstration neither shall he make lamentation over it but rather over his own ignorance or inconsideratenesse in delivering it Four New QUERJES super-added to the former I. WHether are not the just rights liberties and Interest of the people better and more clearly asserted and secured unto them by the present Government and by the published articles and constitutions hereof then ever they were formerly Or is not the truth hereof in all the materiall points or parts of Government as in the choice of their supreme or legislative Authority I mean their Parliaments from time to time the absolutenesse of this Authority being disincumbered and freed from the obstructions super-intendencie of a negative voice in another in the choice of the members of the council of State for the future and after the conveening of the next Parliament and so again in the Militia with some other particulars is not this truth I say that the liberties and interest of the people are in all these particulars with as much care wisdome and saithfulnesse of contrivance as readily can be imagined provided for by the constitutions of the present Government demonstrated above all reasonable contradiction in a discourse lately published under the title of A true state of the case of the Commonwealth II. Whether was there or is there any other way course or means so promising in the eye of humane probability and discourse whereby the Army and the Principal members thereof who stood and still stand most signally and solemnly engaged by many promises and publique declarations to contribute their utmost endeavours to settle the Nation in righteousnesse freedome and peace might or yet may performe their ingagements in this kind to the best advantage as by reducing the Nation and Common-wealth thereof to that form or kind of Government unto which by the good hand of divine Providence it is now reduced considering how un-successfull in respect of any competent satisfaction given to the Nation our late Parliaments have been Or in case the late Government by Parliaments onely continuing the tranquillity peace and safety of the Nation or the liberties of the people of God in it should have miscarried or deeply suffered thereby could the Army or the said Principal members of it have given any tolerable account either to God or men of their oscitancy neglect or sitting still considering 1. Under how many sacred ingagements they were to do their uttermost for the prevention of these evils and 2. That God had now entrusted them with an opportunity of great hope for their prevention as viz. directing them to some such change of the Government as that which is now in being Or in case it should be supposed that it is not the sence or judgement of other men that the Government now erected is any whit more promising of such a prevention then that by Parliaments onely however our late Parliaments have not prospered in the work is it reasonable or meet to desire that the Army and the chief heads thereof who were contrary-minded should walk by the light of other men in opposition to their own III. Whether is it the kind or form of the present Government or any excesse or extent of power or revenue state-splendor or the like conferred upon one man at which the dis-satisfied or the greater part of them find themselves so much aggrieved and discontented as the Person in whom the supreme place or office in this Government is vested Or would they not have been very well apaid and satisfied had there been some man according to their own hearts and of whom they might have had hopes that he would haue fulfilled all their pleasure invested with all that dignity power and all other State accommodations which are now cast upon him who hath the preheminence in the present Government yea though the terms and constitutions of the Government had been the same which now they are IIII. Whether was there the same reason to plead subjection to the power of the late King especially when the Parliament had declared themselves in opposition to him which there is now to plead subjection to the present power Considering 1. That the soveraignty or supremacy of power was never regularly or according to the law of nature vested in the person of the King but in the people whose lawfull agents and trustees the Parliament were 2. That the people to whom the supremacie of Authority and power as hath been said regularly appertaineth having in Parliament questioned their cheif Steward or Servant the King for male-administration of his trust and power and declared themselves in Arms against him he the said King was not in a plenary or peaceable possession of that power which had been committed unto or vested in him whereas the power vested at present in him who is the head or Cheif in the Government that now is is fully peaceably quietly and without any forceible contest or opposition possest by him Or in case it be or were lawfull when and whilest two adverse powers are st●iving for mastery in a Nation to comport with and strengthen the hand of that against the other the prevailing of which he truly judgeth to be most expedient for the publique doth it follow from hence that therefore it is lawfull to deny subjection unto such a power which God so farre countenanceth and blesseth as not to suffer any competritresse to rise up with any strength considerrble against it Or had it been regular and justifiable for the power

nearest unto Sathans sieve I beleeve the same Persons will be found to inherit the relation of this proximi●y too Nor can I easily perswade my self that the Answerer himself whoever he be one or more is able to perswade them out of a corceit that they are equal at least to the first born sons of wisdom in their generation 4. It is the sence of wiser men then I and these not a few that the men whom the Answer would make contenders with the world to the l●sse of their honours names estates and upon this account to be counted fooles are rather gainers in all these then losers in any by that contest wherein they have lately appeared and which they still prosecute I can not say with or against the World but with Persons of as much Christian worth as I know any so that by considering men they are counted rather subtile then fooles in entering the lists of their present contention 5. I confesse that those souls who walk in the light of the same spirit with them may very probably be exceeding confident and imagine that they know that they are of God in as much as every mans wayes seems right in his own eyes and consequently other mens ways which are the same with theirs must needs seem right also 6. lastly Neither doth God always chuse the weak and foolish things of this World for his instruments to bear forth every testimony of his in their generation Luther Melancthon Calvin with many others of like note about their times were none of the weak or foolish things of this World but men of great endowments guilts abilities of learning knowledge in tongues arts and sciences c. and yet these were chosen by God to bear forth a great testimony of his in their generation Not to speak of Moses his great Instrument of old for the service and purpose here mentioned to whom the Holy Ghost himself speaking by the mouth of Stephen giveth t is testimony that he was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and that he was mighty in words as well as in deeds Paul himself who was a chosen vessel unto him to bare his Name even befors Kings b had neverthelesse been brought up at the feet of Gamaliel a Doctor of the Law and a man of great reputation in his generation c and was taught according to the perfect law of the Fathers d yea and immediately before his being stirred up by God to bear forth his testimony was by the great men of the world in his generation highly esteemed and judged meet to be imployed in their greatest affaires Therefore neither was he any of the weak or foolish things of the world The rest of the Apostles however before and at the time of their calling to be Apostles they might be numbred amongst the weak and foolish things of the world yet before God sent them forth to bear his great Testimony unto the World they were extraordinarily and miraculously endued with strength from on high with wisdom and great understanding with the knowledge of tongues and much other learning as is to be seen in their writings Nor doe I beleeve that God ever stirred up any instrument to bear forth any testimony of his in their generation in any solemn or publique manner but onely such whom either he found men of worthy guifts and abilities at the time of his stirring them up or else whom he furnished accordingly in or upon their stirring before he imployed them in any such service The Scripture indeed saith that God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty 1 Cor. 1. 27. speaking as is evident from the context of the mean condition and esteem of the generality or greater part of Beleevers in the world in comparison of the great and numbers of rich men learned and prudent men men in high places who oppose or reject the Gospel according to that of Christ Mat. 11. 5 the poor receive the Gospel as the former translation read it but it no where saith with the Answer that he hath chosen the weak and foolish things of the World to bear forth his testimony in their generation in a ministerial and publique way XV Whether is there any kind of zeal more ecstatical and fierie then that which is blind and without knowledg Or was it not such a zeal as this which made the Apostle Paul himself whilst yet a Pharisee exceedingly mad against the Saints in so much as to persecute them even unto strange Cities a Or were not the Jews to whom notwithstanding Paul bears this witness that they had a zeal of God the fiercest enemies of all others to the most worthy and faithful Servants of God Or was it not a spark of this unhallowed fire that provoked the two Disciples James and John to demand of Christ whether they should not command fire to come down from Heaven to consume the Samaritans because they received them not Or did not the Lord Christ upon their motion turn himself towards them and rebuke them in these words Ye know not what manner of Spirit ye are of b Or do they understand and consider of what spirit they either are or ought to be who in effect call for fire not only from Heaven but from Earth also I mean from the vulgar and less considerate sort of people to destroy if not the persons yet the power and Authority which must needs endanger the persons also of such Rulers amongst them who do not receive their notions and Doctrines about Government and submit to an investiture from them and such as they please to joyn in the Act of this investiture with themselves This Query is presum'd satisfied with this bimembrous Answer 1. If zeal without knowledg be bad surely knowledg of without zeal against the sins of our generation is much worse and shall receive the greater condemnation 2. The people that know not the Law are cursed said the Pharisees of the hearers and followers of our Lord Iesus To the former part of this Answer thus First the Answerer had small cause to reflect upon the Querist as a man without zeal against the sins of his generation His Queries themselves are with the best strength he could readily put to them bent against some of the greatest sins at least in his judgement and as farre as his knowledge extendeth of his generation as viz. turbulencie of spirit running without sending revileing Magistrates murmurings and discontentments against the gracious and wise dispensations of God towards the Nation beleeving of spirits without trying whether they be of God or no with others of affinitie with these 2. Zeal being nothing but the strength and fervour of desire to accomplish some end it may expressed otherwise then by blustering or by crying out either in the streets or temple Christ shewed as much zeal or