Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n
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A29916
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Monarchy maintained in a sermon preached at St. Anne Blackfryers / by Titus Bruce ...
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Bruce, Titus, b. 1654.
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1682
(1682)
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Wing B5221; ESTC R2486
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8,581
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28
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Condemnation I cannot here omit the Observation of St. Austin that at the Creation where God brought forth all other Creatures in abundance storing all the Earth with many Individuums and Particulars of the same Species as many Beasts many Birds and the like he made but one man and determined all the rest should flow from his Loins and so acknowledge him their Chief and Principle and so from him a lineal Descent should be derived by primogeniture in whose hands should rest the Government of all the rest So that we see Monarchic Government is by God's own order the most natural When men began to multiply upon the face of the Earth and became as the Stars of Heaven or as the Sand upon the Sea-shore for multitude for the better peace and tranquility of the World and the free course and Administration of Justice God's Providence was pleased to elect some particular Persons to govern the several Provinces and Dominions of the Earth He suffered not all the great men in any place to have an equal share in Authority and Power least that Aristocracy should have bred Emulation which is commonly the Parent of Discord he was much further from letting all the People enjoy a Parity lest their Democracy should have brought in Confusion But he exalts the horne of his anointed he disposes the rest in subordinate Offices under him thereby maintaining so blessed a Consort here below as that it is an imperfect shadow of that blessed Harmony which is above And upon these Persons thus exalted God hath bestowed an especial Character to secure them from any dangerous Conspiracies Touch not mine anointed saith David Chron. 1.16 my Messias saith the Original as if the Brow of Majesty were the nearest Draught and liveliest representation of Almighty God Hence it is that they were honoured in the purest times by the best of Christians with such Appellations as did befit their greatness their words Divalis jussio the audible Voice of God their presence Sacra vestigia the clearest foot-steps of the Deity This Primitive Doctrine would still be believed and practised were it not for some who creep into Pulpits as customary Birds at the time of the year into hollow Trees where out of a zealous ignorance they dare declaim against all Authority as Anti-christian all Antiquity as Heretical all moral Learning as in it self Damnable which I must confess is the best Plea for their own ignorance These are Jeroboam's Calves set up at Dan and Bethel to hinder People from going up to the House of the Lord where the true Exposition of the Law would teach them their Duty It is the Apostle's advice to his Son Titus 3.1 Put them in mind to be subject to Principalities and Powers and to obey Magistrates for indeed all Authority descends from God and our Superiors bear the Image of the Divine Power There is no sin in the World which God hath punished with so great Severity and high Detestation as that of Rebellion For the sin of Idolatry and other Crimes God hath sent the Sword the Pestilence and the Famine but it was never heard that the Earth opened and swallowed up any but only Rebels against their Prince Quibus dum non essent digni vivere saith Optatus nec mori concessum est not deserving to live they were not vouchsafed to dye Sepulti sunt priusquam mortui they which had made a Separation from their Fathers were not suffered to be gathered to their Fathers but go down quick to Hell To what hath been said I shall only add the consent of the Primitive Church and the Testimony of the ancient Fathers and by that I hope I shall clearly prove my first Proposition viz. that Soveraign Power is an Ordinance of God In the days of old before Religion was adulterated as Eusebius tells us the Reverend Fathers in the Primitive times were wont to bless the patience of their Christian Souldiers bless them for their Loyalty bless them for their Service which they performed to their most cruel Blood-sucking Persecutors when they behaved themselves like the stoutest Champions in the Causes of their Emperors under whom they were more likely to suffer Death than to receive a Reward they were encouraged with an Euge sic decet Christianos well done now ye shew that ye serve the Lord of Heaven by obeying his Vice-Roys his own Ordinance here on Earth When our Saviour Ascended into Heaven he left the holy Spirit as a Legacy to his Church to guide it into all Truth I hope St. Peter and St. Paul were true and sound Divines And we find both these affirming that Soveraign Power is of God But we are faln into the dregs of time wherein we have some who through ignorance and impudence dare assert that had these Apostles lived in these times when Christians knew their own strength they would have taught the Church another Doctrine Blasphemous Wretches can they not be content to wrest the Scripture to their own Damnation but must they lye against the holy Ghost and make the holy Spirit of God in whom there is no shadow or shew of turning to be byass'd by interest and to serve the times Never Mussel-man yet thought so of Mahomet or Heathen of the course of Nature If we consider the Writings of the Heathens we shall find that they attribute more to their Princes than many professing Christianity are willing to acknowledge Plutarch tells us Principes sunt Ministri Dei à Deo constituti Tacitus Minime ambigendum est imperium à Deo habere Principes Princes are the Ministers of God and are constituted by him saith the one and it is not to be doubted but that they receive their Power from God saith the other St. Austin is still more clear Lib. 5. De Civ Dei Cap. 25. Non tribuamus dandi Regni atque imperii potestatem nisi Deo vero which the Apostle may interpret for us the Powers which are ordain'd of God St. Irenaeus tells us Cujus jussu nascuntur homines hujus jussu Reges constituuntur he that saith unto them Live gives them Power likewise to Reign To what purpose should I add more but only that by which St. Peter characterizes the Separatists of his time 2 Pet. 2.10 which may not unfitly be applied to ours they despise Government Presumptuous are they Self-will'd and are not afraid to speak evil of Dignities I know not whether I may call St. Jude's Epistle a History of those times or a Prophecy of these he tells us of men crept in unawares who separate themselves dissatisfied murmuring Persons and disobedient But I pass to the second Secondly We ought not to resist I presume none present will be so impious as to deny but that the Sacred Scripture is the Rule both of our Faith and our Obedience The Apostle advises that we should desire the sincere Milk of the Word that we may grow thereby But alas some Persons have rub'd over these Breasts
of our dear Mother the Church with Gall and Wormwood Should we follow their corrupt Expositions they would make the Waters of the Sanctuary like those of Babylon where we may sit down and weep when we remember Sion They pretend to Reformation but in the mean time would trample Conscience Obedience Religion and Duty both to God and Man under foot The Reverend Bishop Davenant in his twelfth determined Question tells us Induant quam velint pietatis Larvam isti Magistratuum Reformatores c. Let them mask under what Vizard they will Religion may be their Plea but Rebellion is their Practice There is no pretence whatsoever should make us Rebel We should not only serve the Vespasians who are the love and delight of Mankind but we should take the advice of the Apostle 1 Pet. 2.13 To submit our selves to every Ordinance of man for the Lords sake and he liv'd in the time of Tiberius and Nero who were stiled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 heaps of Morter tempered with Blood Take the Sweet-Singer of Israel for your Pattern and I chiefly propound him because he is honoured with the glorious Character of being a man after God's own heart see the History 1 Sam. 26. When Saul's guilty Conscience gave him leave to fleep in the Trenches of Hachilah with his men of War about him we shall find as many Arguments to arm David's hand against him as ever met to depose a Sovereign Title First on Saul's part He was an unnatural Tyrant against his own Son Jonathan He was a bloody Persecutor of the Priests of God commanding them to be slain because their hands had been with David He was a sacrilegious Usurper of the holy Offices He was a demoniacal furious Man possess'd with a Devil Next on David's part His Life was sought for and by sparing Saul in all humane probability he destroyed himself He had all the opportunity that Night and Security could administer unto him He was a Successor to the Kingdom by the Prophets Unction and yet for all this as if he had been a Champion to maintain the right of Princes he stops Abisha's hand with a Quis unquam who can lift up his hand against the Lords Anointed and be guiltless The Helvetian Divines have prepared an Anathema against all those who either openly by offence or privately pretending defence shall oppose their Magistrates There is a Damnamus pass'd upon them the Churches Sentence is pronounced and they will find Heaven as inflexible as their rebellious Hearts I am amazed when I behold the purest time of our Religious Fore-Fathers and see those blessed Martyrs even when they were dress'd up in Flames and accompanied Elijah to Heaven in a fiery Chariot when they were grinding between the Teeth of Lyons and were driven up to the tops of Mountains as so many Sheep to the Slaughter when their ingenious Torturers were overcome at their own Art and could invent no Punishment equal to their Patience even then at their hour of Suffering to hear them Pray for their Persecutors to hear them poure out their Souls in their most pious Devotions for a Blessing on the Heads of those Tyrants under whom they suffered and we who enjoy all those Blessings which a peaceable Government can in rich a Land with which sit every man under his own Vine and under his own Fig-tree partaking of our own Labours and the fatness of the Earth that we who are at rest on every side when the rest of the Christian World is imbrued in Blood that we I say should not be contented and yield all faithful and thankful Obedience to God's Vice-gerent I cannot but wonder when I hear mention of the Loyalty of some Heathens some of them exposing their Bodies to the deadly stroke of their Enemies to secure the Persons of their Emperors others leaping alive into their Funeral Piles as if they could do them no later no greater Service Are we Christians Are we Protestants What think we then of that Branch of the Protestation that we will maintain the establish'd Doctrine of the Church as it stands in opposition to Popery and Popish Innovations This Position of Bellarmine will shew us part of the Doctrine of the Church of Rome Non licere Christianis tolerare Regem Haereticum Princes falling into Apostacy from the Faith or Heresie in the Faith loose all Dominion over their Subjects How much worse than these were some amongst us who under a pretence of Religion commit a Rape upon Right and destroy the Faith's Defender I dare oppose this 13. of the Romans against the Power of Men or Devils that would trample upon the necks of Kings Let every Soul be subject v. 1. mark the style There 's a Statute Law enacted in the High Parliament in Heaven which no man which owes a Soul may Break without High-Treason against man and higher Impiety against God The most Refractory will have a specious Pretence they make it a matter of Conscience the Devil transforms himself into an Angel of light but they make no Conscience to disobey Their Plea for Rebellion is the same by which the Apostle shews the necessity of Obedience v. 5. Ye must needs be subject not only for wrath but also for Conscience-sake To this let me add that Precept of the Reverend Bishop Taylor The Law of God commands us therefore we must make a Conscience of keeping the just Laws of our Superiors and although the matter before the making of the Law was indifferent yet now the Obedience is not indifferent And again Lift not up thy hand against thy Prince upon what pretence soever but bear all Personal Affronts and Inconveniencies at his hand and seek no Remedy but by Patience and Piety The most Reverend Bishop Cranmer in the days of King Henry the Eighth in his Exposition of the Fifth Commandment tells us that by it we are bound not to withdraw our Fealty Truth Love and Obedience from our Prince for what cause soever it be nor yet for any cause may we conspire against his Person nor do any thing towards the hinderance or hurt thereof or of his Estate The Pious Bishop Latimer tells us that we may for nothing in the World Rebel against the Ordinance of God that is the Magistrate These glorious Saints and holy Martyrs did in their actions confirm their Doctrine and in the days of Queen Mary received the triumphant Crown obeying her in suffering for that which their Consciences would not give them leave actually to perform After them comes that painful and Reverend Bishop Jewel disputing with Harding issues in the Story of Chilperick King of France His Nobles deposed him the Commons were convented and the Pope confirmed it Rebellion as well strengthned as heart could wish yet his Successor Pipin scarce ever with quiet enjoyed the Kingdom and of nine Generations which were all of that Race that succeeded hardly one was found which went down to his Grave in Peace These are men