Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	civil_a	magistrate_n	matter_n	3,433	5	6.0251	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15132	A most godly and learned sermon preached at Pauls crosse the 17 of Nouember, in the yeare of our Lorde. 1583.	Whitgift, John, 1530?-1604.	1589 (1589)	STC 25432; ESTC S114940	18,891	64

Etiam si Apostolus sis si Euangelista si Propheta siue quisquis tandem fueris These commaundementes are enioyned vnto all to Priestes to Moonkes and not to lay men alone c. yea though thou bean Apostle or Euangelist or whatsoeuer els Therefore Chrisostome doeth also include the Pope in this precept of obedience Peter from whome the Pope claymeth his Supremacie speaking of the obedience due vnto Kinges calleth the King most excellent that is aboue all others and greater then all other neither dooth he exempt himselfe much lesse those that clayme to bee his successors Colimus saith Tertulian Imperatorem sic quomodo nobis conuenit illi expedit vt hominem a deo secundum post quem primū ante omnes homines Deos. 〈◊〉 was a Priest of the Church of Rome if he had knowne or remembred the Pope to haue bin aboue the Emperour or equall vnto him hee woulde not haue said the Emperour had bin next vnto God the first after God and before all other men and Gods Chrisostome saith that the Emperour hath no peere vppon earth and calleth him Summitatem caput omnium super terram hominum The chiefe head of al men vpon earth Many of the Popes themselues haue acknowledged this superioritie in the Emperours for they haue bin complayned of vnto them pleaded their causes before them receaued iudgement by them and yeelded thereunto as it is to be read in their owne histories yea diuerse Emperours haue deposed diuers Popes from their Popedomes as it is also manifest in the same histories One of their owne Canonists saithe that the Emperour may require of the Pope an accompt of his faith And Gratian himselfe where hee dooth most of all exempt the Pope from the iurisdiction of the Emperour maketh this exception Nisi fuerit a fide deuius aut in crimine haereseos deprehendatur Vnlesse he be slid from the faith or infected with the sinne of herresie Therefore it is manifest that the Emperour hath authoritie ouer Ecclesiasticall persons euen ouer the Pope himselfe That hee hath also authoritie in Ecclesiasticall causes it is easelie prooued When I say that the Emperour or Ciuill Magistrat hath authority in Ecclesiasticall causes I meane not as the Papists and some other malitiously cauill that hee hath authoritie to execute Ecclesiasticall functions proper to the ministers of the word as to preache the Gospell to minister the Sacraments to cōsecrate bishops and such like which was neuer giuen to any ciuill Magistrate neyther yet did any Chrystian Prince take it vpon him But by authoritie in Ecclesiasticall causes I meane that it appertaineth to the Office duetie of the Ciuill Magistrat to see the commandements of God obserued true Religion mayntained euery man in the Church to doe his duetie and to prouide that all things be done therein decently and in order according to the rule of the Apostles That Christian Magistrates ought to haue this authority it is notorious For first the custodie of both Cables is committed vnto them which they can not performe accordinglye vnlesse they haue authoritie in Ecclesiasticall causes The first Table conteining thinges méerely Ecclesiasticall The Prophet calleth Kinges the nursing fathers of the Church and Quéenes the nursing mothers which title is giuen them in vaine if they haue no authoritie in matters of the Church All the good Kings and Magistrates of the old Testament as Iosua Dauid Salomon Asa Iosaphat Ezechias Iosias c. had and vsed this authority For they did not onely rule ouer the Priestes but also prescribed vnto them what they should doe in diuine matters as in Sacrifices Circumcision Blessings Cursings dedication of the temple casting downe Idolatrie Idols and such like Some of the Papistes themselues confesse that the Kinges of the olde Testament had this authoritie That Christian Kinges also hadde the same it appeareth by sundrie examples Elutherius Bishoppe of Rome who liued within two hundreth yeares of Christ writing to Lucius King of this lande calleth him Goddes vicar within his kingdome and sayth that it pertayneth to his dutie to make lawes according to the worde of God for the gouernement of his kingdome as well in matters of Religion as in matters of pollicie Eusebius calleth Constantine the great quasi communem quendam Episcopum a Deo constitutum As a cōmon Byshoppe appoynted by God And it is certayne that the sayd Constantine did not onelie call the Councell of Nice but had herein also the chiefe gouernement and superioritie he compounded controuersies betwixt the Bishops hee prescribed vnto them a rule according to which they should iudge matters then in question c. Iustinian and other godlie Emperours made lawes concerning publique prayers in the Church concerning the Trinitie Baptisme the Sacrament of the Supper Festiuall daies ordering of Byshoppes against Heretiques c. Socrates saith that since the Emperours were Christians the matter of the Church especiallie depended vppon them that the greatest councels were called by them Nabuchodonozer sayth Augustine when his heart was peruerted sette vp an Image and made a law for the worshiping thereof But when his heart was conuerted he pulled it downe and made a law for the true worshipping of the true God In hoc enim sayth he Reges Deo seruiunt sicut eis diuinitùs praecipitur in quantum sunt Reges si in suo regno bona iubeant mala prohibeant non solùm quae pertinent ad humanam societatem verùm etiam quae ad diuinam religionem In this behalfe Kings serue God for so God commaundeth them in that they are Kings if in their kingdome they appoint good things as also forbid that which is naught and this not onely in those causes which concerne the outward Communion and societie of mans life but also such as appertayne vnto Gods Religion and seruice And againe Seruiunt Reges terrae Christo leges ferendo pro Christo. The Kinges of the earth doe serue Christ in making and appoynting lawes for Christ. And writing against the Donatistes who graunted and denyed the authoritie of the Emperour in causes ecclesiasticall at their pleasure he sayeth An fortè de Religione fas non est vt dicat Imperator cur ergo ad Imperatorem vestri venerunt legati cur eum fecerunt causae suae Iudicem non secuturi quod ille iudicaret Is it not forsooth lawfull for the Emperour to commaund concerning causes of religion why then come your Embassadors vnto the Emperour why did they apoynt him Iudge in their businesse if they entended not to stand to his iudgement In the same Booke he writeth that the Emperour made pecuniarie lawes against those which called them-selues Christians and yet did not communicate with the vniuersall Church but gathered them-selues together in priuate Conuenticles which lawes although he sometimes misliked yet vpon better aduisement hee did not onelye allowe of them but also thought them to bee most profitable necessary It appeareth therefore that the Ciuill

Magistrate hath authoritie in ecclesiasticall causes in manner and fourme as I haue declared And therefore the Papistes in abridging this authoritie must needs be found guiltie of disobedience But I would to God it consisted herein only it reacheth further for whē they list they altogether take away the authoritie of the Magistrate The Bishops of Rome vsurpe vnto themselues power to place and displace Emperors and kings at their pleasure to deliuer their subiectes from their oath of obedience to mooue them to rebell against them and if that will not serue to suborne some priuilye and secretlye to murther them Pope Zacharie who liued seuen hundred yeares and more after Christ was the first that tooke vpon him that authoritie but diuers afterwards put it in execution Gregorie the seuenth did not onelye excommunicate Henry the fourth and animated his subiectes to revell against him by deliuering of them from their oath of obedience but when that woulde not serue sought also waies and means secretly to murther him by hiring one to let a stone fall frō the top of the church vppon the Emperours head as hee was praying but God preuented that practize by punishing the murtherer and crushing him in peeces with the same stone Paschalis the second continued the same course against the same Emperor and in the end caused his owne Sonne to rebell against him Alexander the third delt in like maner against Friderick the Emperor and betrayed him to the Turke So did Innocentius the fourth with the Emperour in his time and at the length poysoned him It were too long to reherse all examples which might be vsed in this matter doeth not experience teache vs that they contynue their practise euen at this time The Lorde defend her Maiestie from them and confound their deuises against her Certein it is that they are enemies to Princes and guiltie of disobedience The second kinde of men offending against this precept of the Apostle are the Anabaptists who thinke it not lawfull for Christians eyther to bee Magistrates or to obey Magistrates grounding themselues vpon that which the Apostle writeth in the fift to the Galathians Stand in the libertie wherin Christ hath made you free c and such like places forgetting that which followeth in the same Chapter Take heed you make not your libertie an occasion to the flesh whereby it appeareth that Christian libertie is not of the flesh but of the spirit not of the bodie but of the minde not of freedome from being subiect to men but from subiection to sinne and to death Lex spiritus vitae saith the Apostle liberum me reddidit a iure peccati mortis The lawe of the spirit of life through Iesus Christ hath made me free from the lawe of sin and death Rom. 8. 2. Christ himselfe obeyed the Ciuill Magistrate Peter and Paul commaund Christian Seruants Children Wiues and Subiects to obey their Maisters Parentes Husbandes and Magistrates The Gospel doeth not destroy common-welthes but establisheth them And Christian religion taketh from no man that which is due vnto him Therefore the opinion of the Anabaptists is of it selfe absurd and needeth no confutation The third kinde is of those that are conceited and wayward who onely obey when they list wherein they list and so long as they list men delighted with singularitie whome nothing can please but that which themselues doe inuent Of whome the Apostle S. Peter speaketh when he saith Dominationem contemnunt audaces praefracti qui gloria praecellentes non verentur maledictis incessere They dispise authoritie they are presumptuous and stande in their owne conceit which feare not to speake euill of them that excell in worship They contemine Lordship and Superioritie He saith not that they condemne Lordship and Superiority but that they contemne it being bold wilfull and froward which are not afraide to speake euill of those that are in authoritie The Apostle Iude in like manner writeth of them in his Epistle S. Paul giueth vnto them these titles Louers of themselues disdainefull proude cursed speakers disobedient vnthankfull calūniators fierce rashe heddie hauing a forme of godlines but denying the force thereof they creepe into houses liuing at other mens tables speciallie into womens houses loaden with sinne alwaies learning neuer stayed in any opinion S. Augustine also speaketh of these kinde of men when he saith Non iam vt vetus prouerbium fertur quod volumus sanctum est sed etiam quando volumus quàm diu volumus Not now as the old Prouerb is is that holy which we fancie to be holy but the same also when wee fancie and so long as we fancie For nothing is holie but that which they wil haue to be holie and that when they will haue it holie and as long as they will haue it holie and not otherwise I my selfe doe knowe and am able to proue that some things are now holie in their iudgement which before they compted vnholy and likewise something now to be vnholie which heretofore they haue set downe to be holie But these are holie ones and may not bee touched Therefore I will cease to speake anie more of their persons and come to the qualities and notes whereby they and al other disobedient persons may be discerned and knowen It followeth in the Apostle admonish them that they speake euill of no man that they bee not contentious And the Apostle Iude speaking of disobedient persons saith they are murmurers and quarrilous wherby I gather that there are two notes by the which disobedient persons may bee knowne Euill and slaunderous speaking and contention else the Apostle woulde not haue giuen Titus speciall charge to warne disobedient persons of these two crimes Well then those that are disobedient may bee knowne by their euill speaking of Magistrates and by contending against orders and lawes Touching the first the nature of man it selfe is prone and bent to speake euill of two kindes of persons principallie of those which haue gouernement in the Church as of Bishops Preachers c. And of those which haue gouernement in the common wealth as of Princes and Magistrates the deuill also prouoking thereunto For by speaking euill of the one the Religion that they professe and preache is slaundered the good successe of the Gospell hindred and by speaking euill of the other contempt of superiours is wrought in the harts of the subiects whervpon springeth all disobedience That Bishoppes and preachers and such as haue gouernment in the church haue bene alwaies subiect to the slaunderous tongues of disobedient persons it appeareth by the example of Christ him selfe who though he neuer offended eyther in life or doctrine yet could hee not auoide the malitiousnes of the tongue They called him Samaritane they sayd he had a deuill they accused him for keeping company with Publicans and sinners Therefore in purging of himselfe he faith not which of you accuseth me of sinne but which of you can conuince