Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A34269
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A Confutation of sundry errors in Dr. Sherlock's book concerning allegiance
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1691
(1691)
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Wing C5812; ESTC R20781
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14,713
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16
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doubt whether the Crown of Scotland might be said to be throughly settled but after she was dead there was no question to be made of King James his right for if it should be supposed that he was an Usuper before yet after her Detth he had unquestionable Right and began to be fully and throughly settled in the Throne by the Law of Nations and the municipal Laws of Scotland Error 25. To fight against a King and not to fight for him I think are two very different things and when Kings make it impossible to fight for them without fighting against the Religion and Liberties of our Country they may thank themselves if their Subjects cannot defend them p. 49. Confut. Either the King is rightful King or he is not If yea then he is God's Ordinance and how can we in fighting for God's Ordinance be said to fight against it and true Religion If not then he is not God's Ordinance and why then may we not fight against him as Jehoiada and the good People of Judah did against Athaliah You and your Fellows think it your Vertue and Praise that you had no hand in the late Revolution Now either the late King James when the Prince landed was rightful King or he was not If yea then why did not you preach and press the Doctrine of Non-resistance and Passive Obedience Why did you not convince the People that he who is not for his rightful King and Soveraign is against him and that to fight for him is to fight for God's Ordinance Why did you basely and treacherously both Clergy and Laity forsake him in his Distress and stood looking on his Misery and afford him no help at all Was this Loyalty to your King Is it true Loyalty to be Neuter between God's Ordinance and Satan's Ordinance But if the late King James when the Prince landed was not rightful King but an Invader and Subverter of the Legal Monarcy and of True Religion and National Rights and Liberties and if the Prince came to save the Legal Monarchy and to rescue the National Rights and Liberties and to preserve and uphold True Religion why should it be your Vertue and Praise to have no hand in the Revolution Error 26. To judg truly of the legality of the late Revolution requires such perfect skill in Law and History and the Constitution of the English Government that few Men are capable of making so plain and certain a Judgment of it as to be a clear and safe Rule of Conscience p. 2. Confut. Certainly either the Prince of Orange's Undertaking Landing and Progress in his Affairs to the time of his being set in the Throne by Common Consent of the Nation and the two Princesses was Lawful or we have done ill in giving such solemn Thanks to God for it as we have and not only we in this Nation but Scotland also and Ireland as to the Protestant part and all the Reformed Churches beyond Sea and vâ—â—y 〈◊〉 of the Popish Party even Princes and Sovereign-States have approâ—â—â— it But too much Light puts out some Mens Eyes It is sufficient as to you that nothing at all in the late Revolution came to pass without the Providence of God for this with you is all in all in pulling down and setting up of Kings whether they have legal Right or not As to the Non-swearerâ— the chief of them had a principal Hand in the late Revolution and did eminently and publickly by Word and Deed and published Declaration concur to it and the thing it self was so manifestly just that it did overpower Mens Minds with its Evidence and could not be gain-said Indeed there was for some time dispute about the Point of Abdication But all the while it was indisputably plain that the Throne was empty and the Government of the Nation for a time was unhinged and the late King by hearkening to Popish Counsels and obstinately relying upon them had brought all this upon himself The late Revolution needs not our Arguments to make it good there is no necessity of turning over Volumes of Law and History for decision hereof it commends it self to every Man's Conscience in the sight of God to be no prosperous Wickedness but God's great Goodness and Mercy to three Protestant Nations if we had but Grace to be thankful for it and rightly to use and walk worthy of so great a Blessing So great that I greatly fear what between the Non-swearers and the deceitful and equivocal Swearers and the malicious haters of Godliness and Holy unity among us and the self-seeking Spirit which so sadly prevails we shall yet have cause of renewing days of Fasting and Prayer and happy we if we can so prevail with our God Error 27. If Princes receive their Authority from Men and Humane Laws I cannot imagine that their Power is any more than a Trust of which they must give an account to those who have entrusted them with it p. 36. Confut. The Prince receives his Authority from God as Principal and from the People as Instrumental yet is he not strictly accountable to us but to God as being God's Trustee over us and neither our Servant nor our Equal but Superiour to us all Yet is he inviolably bound to perform Covenant with us no less than we are bound to perform Covenant to him If he shall contrary to the fundamental Oath and Covenant between Him and the Nation go about to enslave us to subvert the Legal Monarchy and those Laws by which the mutual Rights of Prince and People do consist he ceases to be our lawful King and becomes the same with an Usurper We in so judging do not exercise any superiority over him nor call him to account but as Men endued with common Sense and Reason we judg righteous Judgment God himself permits us to judg between him and us And now O Inhabitants of Jerusalem and Men of Judah judg I pray you betwixt me and my Vineyard Isa 5.3 Doth this make us superiour to God Do we in discerning between Right and Wrong and judging according to Truth exercise Authority over God and call him to account Sure Kings are not above God! while they have legal Right to the Throne they may not be resisted but if they have no legal Right to it they may be resisted as was Athaliah when it can be done with Common Safety Many more Errors might be set down out of your Book according to the old and true Maxim Vno absurdo dato sequuntur mille grant one Absurdity and a thousand follow But I have neither leisure nor list to meddle with more and had rather see their Majesties unsubdued Enemies effectually reduced and clothed with shame and these three Nations freed from every Adversary and evil Occurrent and an end put to War than read Books stuft with cold Arguments and dead Syllogisms to prove their present Majesties now no Usurpers though lately they were their Throne being now throughly settled If really they were Usurpers from the beginning I doubt they are so still God hath indeed blessed his Majesty with great Success but we are great Sinners against God and engaged in a very expensive War against an Enemy not to be despised and as we have ground to hope so we have great reason not to be high-minded but fear for if we have not Success I doubt all Paper-Arguments and artificial Syllogisms and Books of Dispute will prove too weak to convince Mens Minds that their present Majesties are throughly settled in the Throne FINIS