Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	faith_n	true_a	truth_n	4,594	5	5.5207	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54714	God and the King. Gods strength the Kings salvation A sermon preached at Aylesham in the county of Norfolk, upon the 29 day of May 1661, being the anniversary day of thanksgiving, for the thrice happy and glorious restauration of our most Gracious Soveraign King Charles the second, to the royal government of all his Majesties kingdoms and dominions. By John Philips, B.D. sometime fellow of Magdalen College in Cambridge, and vicar of Aylesham in Norfolk.	Philips, John, vicar of Aylesham, Norfolk.	1661 (1661)	Wing P2031B; ESTC R218926	24,258	38

King and therefore let us be exceeding glad A King constant in the Profession of the Truth in which he is the deeper rooted the more he hath been shaken Coelum non animum he often changed his air the greater is their sin that would neither give him nor sell him a liberty to breath in their Climate but never his heart he was not e salice as that Politician said he was being ask'd why he changed his Religion so oft but quercu ortus not made of willowes that will bend every way but of heart of Oak that will not bow to the boysterous winds And his Majesties Love and Pains for the settling of the true Religion shews him to be Defender of the Faith as well by Truth as Title and as much by desert as by descent And when he lost all he lost nothing of the Truth nor wheresover he went did he leave his God behind him but brought them with him into his Kingdom who had well nigh lost both 3 The Lord hath restored unto us our Peace-making King so meek as if with Moses he had known only the name of Passion not the thing beati pacifici is not only his Motto but Blessing while other Kings make or should make Peace he is made of Peace How wonderfully under God hath he preserved the Ark of this Church ready to sink What Rages hath he appeased What stormes hath he calmed among the spirits of men What gracious and sweet Concessions flow from his native Goodnesse How doth he burn in love towards those whose affections it is to be feared are but cold towards him He first passed an act of pious and fervent Devotion in Heaven for his enemies with Father forgive them before he passed and confirmed his Act of Pardon on earth and remembred the awful Counsel if not Charge of his Royal Father which was much like that of Phocion to his Sonn mando ut hujus pot us obliviscaris I charge you never to revenge my death And O let all his Subjects make a better use of all his gracious Favours than which formerly have been done to be more unreasonable in their demands and spend all their lives in thankfulnesse to God for the salvation of so merciful pious and peaceable a Prince Direct And for our Direction especially these two ways 1 First by a true fear of God that so we may better honour our King God hath often joyned them together in his Word let us never put them asunder It hath been the policy of Satan and his instruments to scandalize Religion to be the occasion of Rebellion but the Fathers well discovered that fallacy by retorting and demanding what was the cause of sedition in Rome before Christianity was in it But the Disciple is not above his Master Christ himself was accused for a pestilent fellow and a denyer of Tribute to Caesar though indeed none was so forward in it as he profering it when he might have been free without enquiring whether Caesar stood need of it or no being then at peace with all the world not yet expecting the assembling of Judea together It cannot be denyed and the story is too sad to remember but that Religion hath been made a Cloke and that a long one for Rebellion but this hath been through the pride ambition covetousnesse envy malice and other lusts of men for otherwise Religion and Loyalty not only may consist together but do best establish one another Let Philosophers and Statists dispute as long as they will whether a bad man may not be a good subject to be sure a good man cannot be a bad one upon which ground King James told the King of France that the Protestants were as good Subjects as any he had Spiritual liberty agrees best with Civil subjection for though we cannot serve God and Mammon yet we may very well serve God and man together nay how can we serve or Love God whom we have not seen if we do not serve and obey our King whom we have seen John 1. 4 20. who is a Brother and more It is better indeed to obey God than man but best to obey both which we may do either by Active or Passive obedience Hearken then ye prophane scoffers at Religion You foul-mouth swearers you beastly drunkards you debauched miscreants and all the black-guard of ungodlinesse and impiety can you that are evil speak well of Dignities Do men gather grapes of Thornes or figs of Thistles How can you fight cordially for your King that carry Traytors in your bosomes Whatsoever you are I am sure your sins are enemies to his Crown and Dignity Let us then in a holy rejoycing raise up our Bells but not with the cords of iniquity lest we pull down the Judgements of God upon us Kindle we our Bone-fires but take we heed we incense not the Wrath of God against us who is a consuming fire Be we merry in the Lord but feast we not the Devil Daemonum cibus ebrietas Let our Cups be the Cups of salvation And let it be our prayers to God That as his Majesty hath zealously declamed and proclamed against all vitiousness debauchedness and prophaueness so the High and Honourable Houses of Parliament would vote against them that the R. Reverend and awful Convocation would let their sacred Decrees Canons and Censures fly out against them that it may appear Christs Keys are not lost though they have layn rusty too long a time That the pious and resolute Magistrates of the Land would remember that they are sent of the King for the punishment of evil doers and for the praise of them that do well 1 Pet. 2. 14. That all the Orthodoxal painful and faithfull Ministers of the Gospel may be Sons of Thunder and rattle out the Judgements of God against all ungodliness that they would out-pray out-live out-preach out-countenance all impiety And you of this Congregation whose faces have cause to discover your congratulation of the happinesse of this Day whose credit it is yet boast not of it it was no more than your duty that you were the first in your County I mean some of you and I believe the only Town not incorporate that ever appeared in Armes for your King and stood too against an Army and were so resolute that it was evident you valued not your Lives for the service of your Soveraign and have suffered in your Liberties and Estates O be you as forward for Piety and Religion as ever you were to Loyalty and Obedience And though you have lyen and yet do among the pots in obscurity and darkness yet in due time ye shall be as the wings of a Dove covered with silver and her Feathers with yellow Gold Ps. 68. 14. post tenebras spero lucem as Jobs comfort let it be yours after darkness look for light Secondly Shew your joy and gladness as in walking in the fear of God so in honouring the King and that 1 In a high and supereminent

Ps. 73. 26. His Inward Strength 2 And also which was the second kind of Strength the Lord is the Outward Strength of Kings and so the word is taken in Scripture two wayes first for Right and Authority secondly for Power and Ability to act according to that Right and Authority and both these Strengths Kings have from the Lord. 1 Strength that is the Right and Authority of Kings is from the Lord and though the word be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 potentia not potestas and most commonly is taken for ability yet sometimes I conceive it may be taken in that sense we now speak of as in Ps. 99. 4. The Kings Strength loveth Judgment 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Kings honour and dignity so the Septuagint Imperium regis so St. Jerome the Kings Empire and government But not to litigate about words this truth is most clear that the Strength of the right of Kings is from the Lord by me Kings reign Prov. 8. 15. By me immediately not mediately at the first not second hand not by nor of man but by the will and ordinance of God and Tostatus I think it is that gives this to be the reason why they are anointed on the head because they hold of none but God and we are commanded to submit unto the King 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as to the supreme 1 Pet. 2. 13. For though the Apostle calls Kings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an ordinance of man which some interpret a humane creature whether for better translation or worse intention let others judge yet that is only to be understood in respect of the forms modes and qualifications of power which may be various according to the several laws of Kingdoms For though Kings be humane creatures and therefore must dy like other men Ps. 82. 7. Yet no Scripture warrants they may die by men Their power is of God alone they are only accountable to him for the administration of it which if it should be male yet it is an unheard of way of curing the body by cutting off the head I will judg none but my fears are that the frequent rendring of those words of the Apostle in the sense I have spoken of in the ears of the people though otherwise it may be proper enough hath been only to lessen the power of Kings in the estimation of their Subjects and so by degrees to steal away their hearts like Absolon from their obedience to their lawfull Soveraign Luther said Every man had a Pope in his belly he might have said a King too for how many through Traiterous ambition vain-glory covetous desires and other filthy lusts have had Kings Crowns and Dignities both in their bellies their greedy appetites and in their heads their hellish designs and intentions The uncomlinesse and prodigious deformity whereof would easily have been discovered had they looked in Solomons glasse Prov. 30. 31. And a King against whom there is no rising up What this Strength of Kings is is a depth my shallow vessel dares not launch into which while some have too venturously done they have easily made Shipwrack both of Faith and a good Conscience of Religion and Allegiance together Gods word is the rule of our Prayers and had we Prayed more or with more understanding and spiritual affections and Disputed lesse we had been better Subjects and never the worse Scholars Now in our prayers we acknowledge the King to be over all persons and in all causes as well Ecclesiastical as Civil supreme head and Governour and so he is by Divine institution and immediate power from God 1 First over all Persons Let every Soul Soul is taken there for the whole person be subject to the higher power Rom. 13. 1. And that for conscience sake v. 5. Which subjection whosoever denies they may possibly prove the immortality of their Souls to their own damnation but will never evince the integrity and regularity of their consciences for so doing Samuel tells Saul God had made him head over all the tribes of Israel 1 Sam. 15. 17. and Levi was one and Solomon devests Abiathar the Priest of his office for his demerits 1 Kings 2. 27. Neither was this power of Kings a rite and ceremony of the old law to be abolished for when Christ nayled those to the Cross yet he fastned obedience to supreme authority both by his precept Matth. 22. 21. Give unto Caesar the things that are Caesars And also by his practice First before he was born paying taxes in the loins of his parents Luke 2. 5. Secondly in his life working a miracle that he might be obedient Matth. 17. 27. Thirdly at his death acknowledging Pilates power and submitting unto it Joh. 19. 11. though he had 12 legions and those of Angels to have rescued him and Fourthly after his denth for his body must not be buried till it was begged of Pilate Matth. 27. 58. And St. Paul following his Masters steps stands at Caesars tribunal confessing that there he ought to be judged Acts 25. 10. And acknowledged Neroes supremacy when he was delivered out of the mouth of the Lion which is the King of beasts 2 Tim. 4. 17. Secondly he is head as over all persons so in all causes for that must fo●low from that rational maxim of the Schools Qui habet potestatem super personam habet potestatem super omnia ad personam spectantia Now these causes are either Civil or Ecclesiastical for the former they being particularly unknown to me and not a subject so suitable to my Profession and litle or rather not at all questioned before these late unhappy times by any that would pretend to Loyalty for any thing that I know I will therefore leav them to the vindication of those that are more able lest the cause should suffer through my weakness in maintaining it For Ecclesiastical causes in which I should be more versed the Scripture places the supreme authority in the King for 1 First did not the Priests and Levites Clense the house of the Lord according to the command of the King 2 Chro. 29. 15. And the text saith it was by the word of the Lord for that good King Hezekiah would do nothing without it and the successe his endeavour had shewed as much for the house of the Lord was sanctified in eight dayes v. 17. Our pretended purifiers were above eight years about the work of reformation as it was called but the long time they were about it and the little good they did in it or rather the great hurt is to me an argument that God never imployed them for those Foxes did instead of sweeping the house only raise a dust with their tayls that so blinding the eyes of the people they might the more cunningly steal away the goods that belong to it 2 Secondly did not good King Josiah impose an oath or covenant on all his people great and small and caused them to stand to