Homines nascuntur hujus jussu Reges constituuntur As God onely made Man so God onely constituted and made Kings And he gives a very good Reason wherefore God made Kings and Instituted the Secular Powers and Commanded strict Obedience to be render'd to them to wit Because when Man fell and Apostatized from (a) Quoniam enim absistens à Deo homo in tantum efferabit ut etiam consanguineum Hostem sibi putaret omni inquietudine homicidio avaritiâ sine timore versaretur imposuit illi Deus humanum timorem ut potestati hominum subjecti lege eorum astricti aliquid assequantur justitiae moderentur ad invicem in manifesto positum gladium timentes c. ad utilitatem ergò Gentilium terrenum regnum positum est à Deo sed non à Diabolo qui nunquam omninò quietus est imò qui nec ipsas quidem Gentes vult in tranquillo agere c. Irenae l. 5. c. 24. God He and his Posterity grew outrageous and ungovernable And therefore to prevent farther disorders among Men God wisely Ordained Kings and Governours who by strict Laws of Morality Justice and Equity should restrain and reclaim Apostatized Mankind and as God's Vicegerents should reward Vertue and punish Vice Thus says Irenaeus God was the first Authour of all Order and Government and not the Devil who was the first Incendiary of all Sedition and Rebellion And that God set Kings over the Gentiles for their good and profit to govern them to protect and defend them from all Injuries Tyranny and Oppressions Clement Alexandrinus urging from Scripture many necessary Duties upon his Scholars when he treats of Government Clem. Alex. Paedag. l. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He briefly tells them their great Duty of Obedience to the Secular Powers in our Saviour's words Give unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's Celsus the Heathen that he might with greater colour of Reason oppose the spreading of the Gospel of Christ Does object That according to Christ's own saying Christians cannot be Obedient to Emperours and Kings nor to any in Civil Authority And that because Christ says He has taught them this Factious Lesson scil That they cannot and therefore ought not serve two Masters such as God and the King For says Christ they will love the one and hate the other c. And therefore from thence does Celsus plead though very falsly that Christianity lays (a) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Orig. contr Cels l. 8. a foundation for Resistence of the Civil Powers and for Rebellion against their Lawfull Princes inasmuch as according to their Lord and Master Christ's words St. Matth. 6.24 No man can serve two Masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will hold to the one and despise the other To this long Harangue and Objection Origen replies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. that the above-mentioned words of Christ do not in the least countenance Rebellion For says Origen Although there be many Gods and many Lords yet there is but one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God of Gods who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 King of Kings and all the other Gods and Kings are Subordinate to him the Supreme And therefore to obey lawfull Kings on Earth is to obey God in Heaven for the King is God that is God's Vicegerent and Representative upon Earth So that in the point of Obedience God and the King are but One Master onely the one is Invisible the other Visible the one God by Essence the other God by Deputation and Office And as God and the King are One Master so they both are carefully and duely to be Worshipped and Reverenced onely the One with Divine the Other with Civil Honour and Obedience And Orig. contr 〈◊〉 l. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. As we are always to pray unto God so we are always to pray to him for the King that God would bless and prosper Him in his Government Origen pressed due Obedience unto Heathen Kings in all things Lawfull But if any thing Vnlawfull was Commanded then he advised all Christians not to obey Actively by doing what was Commanded but Passively by suffering patiently whatever should be inflicted upon them And because Origen was of opinion That it was a sin for any Christian to fight under the Banner of an Heathen Prince Therefore it was that He dissuaded the Christians from going into the Wars and from fighting under their Lawfull Emperour which was Origen's great failing and gave Celsus occasion to Revile the Christians and to Stigmatize them as Stubborn Disobedient and Seditious However although Origen was against the Christians fighting under an Heathenish Banner Yet He himself did and advised all Christians to pray (a) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. ibid. p. 427. for the Emperour's safety and success in all his Lawfull Wars and Enterprises Gregory Nazianzen in his Oration to Julian the Collector of the Emperour's Tribute exhorts all people to keep their own Station and not to walk disorderly for God is a God of Order and Peace And therefore says he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. That it is not Lawfull for Subjects to Censure their Governours nor to prescribe Laws and Rules to their Legislatours 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. But every man ought to be content with his own condition and ought to live and act peaceably in his own private sphere although possibly he may deserve to be promoted higher And thus as he would not have the Layity to Usurp the Jurisdiction and Office of the Bishops and Priests lest they should make a Schism and Faction in the Church So neither would he have the Subjects to entrench upon the Prerogative of their Superiours lest they should cause Sedition and Rebellion in the State And therefore upon the whole he concludes that all Christians ought to imitate their Lord and Head Jesus Christ who render'd to God what was God's and to Caesar what was Caesar's such as Naz. ad Julian Orat. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Tribute Fear Honour and Obedience And when the said Gregory Nazianzen was accused by the Arians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. for a Factious Troublesome and Seditious person Gregory cleared himself of that Scandal and foul Aspersion by appealing to his own Doctrine and known Conversation He having ever been Gregor Presb. Vit. Naz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a constant promoter of Obedience to the Government and of peace in the Common-wealth And although this Holy Father Greg. Nazianzen wrote very Satyrically against Julian the Apostate And as we humbly conceive he did too unworthily if not too unchristian-like inveigh against the said Julian for his Apostacy especially considering (a) Vir caetera egregii animi regendique imperii callentissimus Lodovic Vives in Civ Dei l. 5. c. 21. He had been Emperour and a very Learned one Yet this
Kingdom and that it is your true and unfeigned purpose to amend your lives And this Covenant ye make in the presence of Almighty God the searcher of hearts with a true intention to perform the same as ye shall answer it at the Great day when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed most humbly beseeching the Lord to strengthen you by his holy Spirit to this end and to bless your desires and proceedings with success as may be deliverance and safety to his People and encouragement to other Christian Churches groaning under or in danger of the Yoke of Anti-Christian Tyranny to join in the same or like ASSOCIATION and Covenant to the Glory of God the Enlargement of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ and the Peace and Tranquility of Christian Kingdoms and Common-wealths So help you God NOW if any unbyassed and unprejudiced person will but compare these two Covenants together He may easily see and conclude that though the one be larger than the other yet That the Fanaticks took the Plat-form of their Covenant from the Bygot Papists Onely the Papists in their Covenant Swore to Maintain the Ancient Herarchy and to preserve not onely the King but also his Heirs and Issue Whereas the Fanaticks swore to extirpate All Hierarchy And although they swore to preserve the King yet they did not swear to preserve his Lawfull Heir ☞ and Issue for they do not make the least mention of them in their Covenant And it is to be noted farther That although the Fanaticks in their Covenant swore to Preserve and Defend the King's Person and Authority Yet they swore to maintain him onely in his Just Power and Greatness And they made themselves the Interpreters of what was the King's JVST Power and Greatness And farther The Fanaticks in their Covenant swore to Preserve and Defend the King's Person and Authority Onely in Subserviency to the Rights and Privileges of Parliaments and the Liberties of the People and Kingdom All which they in their Covenant put before the Preservation of the King his Person and Authority ☜ Whereas the Truth is this to wit That neither the Rights and Privileges of Parliaments nor the Liberties of the People can possibly be preserved and maintained Without the constant Preservation of the King his Person and Authority his Heirs and Successours in his and their full Rights and Royal Prerogatives For The King is the Life of the Kingdom He alone by his Prerogative gives Life and Being to Parliaments and with the Breath of his Mouth can and does Annihilate them at his pleasure He is the Spring and Fountain Head of all the Peoples Liberties they are all the Results and Effects of his Donations upon Condition of their Fealty and Loyalty to him For in England whatever Lands Immunities and Privileges the Subjects enjoy They hold all à Capite from the King and his Heirs And therefore to depose and destroy the King and his Heirs or to infringe their ancient Rights and Prerogatives is truly to destroy the Subjects just Title to their Liberties and Enfranchisements All which Liberties depend upon their Allegiance to the King and his Lawfull Heirs But we will deseant no farther on these Rebellious Engagements and Covenants either of Papists or of Fanaticks Onely we will take leave to add this scil That if according to * Beaufr c. ◠p. 52. Beaufrons the Protestants that is to say the Episcopal Men of the Church of England be as indeed they are like the Papists in all that is Good in the Papists Then we may on the other hand avouch for a Truth that the Fanaticks are like the Papists in all or most things which are †Ibid. p. 46 to p. 51. Bad in the Papists And therefore if Beaufrons would have us to love the Papists for what they are like unto us Then Reason tells us That we ought to Dissent from both Papists and Fanaticks in what they are contrary to us and ever to Abhor their Treasonable Practices of Covenanting against our Lawfull Princes and their Heirs upon pretence of Tyranny Idolatry want of Grace or the like for He that hateth Righteousness Job 34.17 18. shall and ought to Govern nor is it Lawfull to say unto a King Thou art Wicked nor unto Princes Ye are Vngodly CHAP. VII The chief Cause of Rebellion among Christians is a Belief of that false Position scil That Temporal Dominion is founded in Grace Maintained by the Papists and Fanaticks REbellion among Heathens and irreligious Men commonly arises from Pride and Ambition from * Jam. 4.1 Lust Envy and Malice from Discontents Oppression and Tyranny But Sedition and Rebellion among Religious Men who profess Christianity and pretend to tenderness of Conscience to Grace and Holiness ordinarily yea chiefly if not wholly arises from a persuasion and firm belief of that very false Doctrine and Position stifly maintained both by Papists and Fanaticks scil Dominium Temporale Fundatur in Gratia That Temporal Dominion is Founded in Grace And that onely the Godly ought to Reign and Govern upon Earth Before we proceed to disprove the asoresaid Position It will be necessary to inform the weaker sort of men what is generally meant by Grace to wit The Gifts and Graces of the Holy Ghost Such as 1. A Faith in Christ a Belief of the Christian Religion Without which Belief every Man is an Infidel 2. All Moral Vertues wrought in us by the Holy Ghost concurring with our own endeavours such as Sobriety Prudence Justice Love Meekness c. Sanctification and Holiness of Life and Manners Without which every Man is Morally wicked The Fanaticks both Classical Congregational and Anabaptists to doe them Right by Grace do commonly mean A Conversion unto God a firm Faith in Christ Sanctification and Holiness of Life and other Gifts and Graces of the Holy Ghost And farther By Grace they all mean A firm Belief of the Truth of their own several ways of Church-Government in opposition unto the Hierarchy And whoever is not of their Way and Persuasion is looked upon by them as no better than an Heathen and Publican or one Vngodly and wanting Grace And therefore if he that is not of their way and persuasion Be a King or Magistrate and will not come over to them and Declare that He has Grace and is in the number of the Godly if he will not doe so then He has no Right to Rule and Govern over them nor to impose Laws upon their Consciences but they may Lawfully Resist such a Prince or Magistrate And that because according to them All Temporal Dominion is founded in Grace The Papists in like manner by Grace mean not onely a Faith in Jesus Christ c. But also and primarily a firm Belief of the Pope's Supremacy and of the Church of Rome's Authority over all others in the Christian World And whoever denies the Pope's Supremacy or denies the particular Church of Rome to be the Onely Catholick
they be evil not onely for Fear but also for Conscience-sake c. Our Saviour Christ himself and his Apostles received many and divers injuries of the unfaithfull and wicked men in Authority yet we never reade that they or any of them caused any Sedition or Rebellion against Authority we reade oft that they patiently suffered all troubles vexations slanders pangs and pains and Death it self obediently without Tumult or Resistence They knew that the Authority of the Powers was God's Ordinance and therefore both in their Words and Deeds they taught ever Obedience to it and never taught nor did the contrary c. We may not obey King Magistrates or any other though they be our own Fathers if they would Command us to doe any thing contrary to God's Commandments Ibid. p. 74. In such a case we ought to say with the Apostle We must rather obey God than Man But nevertheless in that case we may not in any-wise withstand violently or Rebell against Rulers or make any Insurrection Sedition or Tumults either by force of Arms or otherwise against the Anointed of the Lord or any of his Officers But we must in such cases patiently suffer all wrongs and injuries p. 75. referring the judgment of our Cause onely to God And elsewhere our Church says What shall Subjects doe then Serm. against Rebellion 1 Part. shall they obey valiant stout wise and good Princes and condemn disobey and rebell against Children being their Princes or against undiscreet and evil Governours God forbid For what a Perillous thing were it to commit unto the Subjects the judgment which Prince is Wise and Godly and his Government good and which is otherwise as though the Foot must judge of the Head And enterprize very heinous and must needs breed Rebellion Serm. against Wilfull Rebellion 1st Part. p. 279. This is you see the Pious and Loyal Doctrine of the Protestant Church of England which she received from Christ and his Apostles and from the Primitive Christians concerning the Subjects absolute Obedience to Kings and All in Authority whether Good or Evil. And the said Loyal Doctrine was ever preached and practised by the Protestants in England we mean those who owned the King's Supremacy in opposition unto Popery and Fanaticism for there never was nor are any other * Beausrons c. 1. Protestants in the World but such who protest for and defend the King's Supremacy This Doctrine of absolute Obedience was practised as well as preached by the Bishops Martyred in Queen Mary's days and by the most Reverend Jo. Whitgift Archbishop of Canterbury and by the most Reverend William Laud late Archbishop of Canterbury who suffered Death by the late Rebels for nothing more than for maintaining this Primitive Doctrine of absolute Obedience to the King And since it has been urged upon the Peoples practice by several Learned Men of this our Church particularly by Dr. Faulkner in his Christian Loyalty And by the Right Reverend Seth Lord Bishop of Sarum in his most Learned Sermon before the King on Nov. 5.1661 against Resistence of Lawfull Powers Some of his Lordships words are these If harsh Administration of Power will exempt Men from Obedience p. 60. at that time when Claudius or Nero was Roman Emperour why should the Holy Ghost move St. Paul to write to the Romans scil Rom. 13.2 They that resist shall receive to themselves Damnation And p. 67. that other pretence scil That after a Lawfull Sovereign is established Ibid. p. 67 68. the Power still remains in the People in the dissused Body of them or their Representatives to alter the Government as they please it is in respect of Policy and Government what the sin against the Holy Ghost is to Religion it destroys the foundations of the peace and safety of men and makes that to be the Artifice of Man which is the Ordinance of God How much God abhorred this pretence will appear in the case of Corah and his Company The Reverend Dr. Tillotson Dean of Canterbury in his Letter to the late Lord Russel has these expressions to wit That the Christian Religion doth plainly forbid the Resistence of Authority That though our Religion be established by Law yet in the same Law which establishes our Religion it is declared That it is not Lawfull upon any pretence whatsoever to take up Arms c. Besides that there is a particular Law declaring the Power of the Militia to be solely in the King and that ties the hands of Subjects though the Law of Nature and the General Rules of Scripture had left us at liberty which I believe they do not because the Government and Peace of Humane Society could not well subsist upon those Terms As thus these abovementioned Persons so indeed all the learned Men of the Church of England who have wrote any thing largely of the Subjects Duty towards their Prince have unanimously declared contrary to the Factious Authour of Julian the Apostate scil That all Lawfull Kings and their Lawfull Heirs by Primogeniture of what Religion or Manners soever Good or Bad they be ought successively to Reign and Govern and to be honoured and obeyed by all their Subjects either Actively by chearfully doing whatever they shall Command or Passively by humbly and peaceably submitting to whatever punishment their said Princes shall think fit to inflict upon them for not obeying their Royal Commands Actively And if any Prince should after he is seated in the Throne prove Tyrannical we may not Rebell nor plot his Deposition But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nazian Orat 1. c. Our onely Remedy is what was Nazianzen's and the Christians in the Reign of Julian the Apostate to wit Prayers Fastings and Tears This was the practice of the Primitive Christians and ever has been the Profession and Practice of the Protestant Church of England And therefore whoever lives in Rebellion against his Lawfull Prince and dies in and for the same without publick and hearty Repentance Acknowledgment and Confession to God and to Man of that his Rebellion or secret plotting of Rebellion Neither does such a man live nor any true way can he be said to dye in Communion with the Protestant Church of England But as he lived So he dies either a Popish or a Fanatick Recusant And No Protestant And thus died most of the late Fanatical Associatours and Rebels inasmuch as most of them died without the least expression of their sorrow and penitence for and without humble and publick Confession of their Horrible Plot and Treason for which they were Condemned As appears by their own Papers given to the Sheriffs and Published by Authority And here it will be requisite that we as far as we are able undeceive the people and tell the Naked Truth to wit That the abovementioned Persons abused the World and imposed upon the ignorant people a notorious falsity when at their Executions they declared they died Protestants and in