Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	king_n	law_n	subject_n	4,732	5	6.6515	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60614	The unjust mans doom as examined by the several kinds of Christian justice, and their obligation : with a particular representation of the injustice & danger of partial conformity / by William Smyth.	Smith, William, b. 1615 or 16.	1670 (1670)	Wing S4285; ESTC R10096	31,702	132

or common Justice as Absolom or Reformation as both they are not then only unjust to a Prince in his Personal Capacity contrary to the Rule of doing to all men c. And though he be a Tyrant act contrary to an express Precept 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not to resist evil not allowable among private persons But as he is a publick person they are guilty of a National wrong they wrest out of Gods hand the Ordinance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 13. 2. the only expedient of Mercy by which the Rights of all men are preserved and the world kept from Confusion and are therefore answerable for all the Blood Ruine and miserable Consequences of a Civil War that is of a Princes Military defence of himself and faithful Subjects that adhere to him in the day of Rebellion So that a Rebel is an unrighteous person by a complication of guilt and an accumulation of wrongs But now permit not your thoughts nor will I my Tongue to make application by reflecting upon the unparallell'd Tragedy of Evils done and suffered upon the breach of this Justice in our late Rebellion If I have said so much as may teach the Guilty Repentance and others that were not engaged their duty it 's enough let us bury all the rest in Prayers and Charity But further if the Nation be Christian there is another Authority invested in a Prince over Ecclesiastick Persons and Cases for he is concerned as well in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Religion as the Civil Concerns of his Subjects 1 Tim. 2. 2. And there is a Due of Obedience to be paid him in Christian Justice on that account also This Power was apparently conferred by God on the Kings of the Old Testament Moses had both the Trumpets David ordered the Courses of the Levites and the Solemnities of the Publick Service Joash had the Testament given him in his hand as well as the Crown on his Head 2 Chron. 23. 11. Hezekiah and Josiah reformed the Church by their Royal Authority And as Christ found it there being no retrenchment of that power in the Gospel so he left it as his own general Laws expressed and interpreted by the Churches after-practice can testifie above all exceptions Ex quo saith Socrates Imperatores facti sunt Christiani ab ipsis res Ecclesiae dependebant After that the Emperors became Christian the Churches Affairs depended upon them Thus was Constantine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And Leo the Third could say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is they were mixt persons they were concern'd in the Government and Protection of the Church But of this Right hath the Romanist and Assemblies defrauded their Princes the one gets away half of their Crowns the other of their Scepters both rob them of their Authority and of their Subjects full Allegiance And thus it is with us while we have a Profession establisht by Law by a power next to God Solo Deo minorem saith Tertullian and by such Constitutions as God and Man cannot be pretended to stand in competition for Obedience The Bishop of Rome hath a superior power acknowledged by some and the Assembly by others and both profess a Religion in Obedience to those Usurpations and in opposition to their Lawful Soveraign's Commands and Laws So that the King is robb'd of his Subjects they of their Allegiance and the Church torn in pieces by them both as between two Milstones as the late Arch-B in his Preface to his Controversie This wrong is done on either side and for that reason they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unjust unrighteous persons that do it This as to the first part of Distributive Justice in the Concerns of Princes and their Subjects The next kind of Distributive Justice in the larger Circles of it is the reciprocal Dues and Rights which the Governours of the Church and their Charges are in Christian Justice obliged to pay to one another Without the mutual performance of which a Body of men can be call'd no more a Church than a Tumult can be call'd an Army or an ungovern'd Rout a City Now as it is in Civils though the King be Supremus Judex Chief Judge in the Law yet he administers Ju-Justice by his commission'd Justicers to whom also an Obedience is due on that account so in Ecclesiasticks he exerciseth his supreme authority for the care of the Church by proper Officers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 set apart for that design whose Calling though it be governed and protected by Princes is yet immediately from Heaven 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 5. 4. they are called of God to it and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 20. 28. Whom the Holy Ghost hath made Bishops or Overseers and for that reason a right of Obedience is due unto them on that account also First then the Pastors of the Church are bound in Justice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to feed the Church of God by pastoral Government and Preaching by Sacraments and Offices of Discipline and instituting Canons for fit Circumstances that all things may be done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 14. 40. decently in order or uniformity in the Church of God If they fail of their duties they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unrighteous and must answer deeply for the wrong they have done to their Charges On the other side their people in Christian Justice owe them Reception Love Honour and which for the Churches sake is most especially required Obedience Obey them that have the rule over you Heb. 13. 17. And as S. Ignatius the best Interpreter of the Apostles meaning and practice saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is necessary that nothing be done in the Church but in obedience to the Governors of it And this was the Sense and universal Practice of the Church it its primitive purity and best Integrity But if their Charges shall condemn their Callings contemn their persons separate from their Administrations and refuse conformity to their Rules of Order in the service of God they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unjust persons they have defrauded their Spiritual Rulers of their due and by infallible consequence the Church of the very Essentials of its well-being Peace and Unity the ends for which Spiritual Government was especially design'd Of which Unity the Church being once deprived in comes the Inundation of Atheism Prophaness Contempt of Gods Service Heresies and Factions for all which those unjust persons must answer when they happen And of all this our own woful experience is too convincing an evidence For as it is certain that those miseries are now upon us so it is as certain they own their beginning to the breach of this Christian Justice and commenced from the days the Disciplinarians first withdrew their obedience from their lawful Superiors and taught the people to despise and quarrel with them about indifferent Rites Which undutifulness afterward fermenting and gradually increasing hath