are lawfull that all authority is from God and that hee which resisteth lawfull authority resisteth God that they which resist shall receiue to themselues iudgement and that thou must obey not only for feare but also for conscience sake Remember what S. Peter saith Be subiect to all humane ordinance whether the soveraigne or subordinate governours But how As free and not as hauing the liberty for a cloake of naughtinesse but as the servants of God Can it not be vsed without the offence of thy weake brother Take heed saith the Apostle lest thy liberty be an offence to the weake For hee that scandalizeth his brother sinneth against Christ. Wherefore if meate offend my brother I will not eate flesh whiles the world standeth rather then I will offend him Lastly can it not be vsed in some particular vnlesse thou shalt passe the bounds of sobriety temperance humility modesty frugality c. Remember what the Apostle saith Brethren you are called to liberty only vse not your liberty as an occasion to the flesh But here ariseth a doubtfull question the explication whereof is needfull for these times For sometimes there seemeth to be a conflict betweene the law of loyalty and the law of charity as when that which the Magistrate commandeth cannot as wee thinke be observed without the offence or scandall of the weake In which case of Antinomy which some say is our case divers know not which way to turne them and others erroneously chuse to disobey the Magistrate rather then seeme to offend their weake brethren Consider therefore vprightly what I shall say and the Lord giue you vnderstanding mindes and tractable hearts to see and embrace the truth First therefore vnderstand that wee are neuer cast into such an exigent betweene two sinnes not yet committed but there is an issue from them both without a third Suppose therefore that in this case there were an Antimony or such an opposition betweene the two lawes of loyalty and charity as that the one could not be observed without the neglect of the other In such cases of Antimony we are to know that if wee obey the superiour law vnto which we are more bound as hauing higher and more principall ends the inferiour which giueth place vnto it is not broken Now the supreme end is the glory of God then the common salvation of the Church then every mans owne salvation then the salvation of his neighbour then the common outward good of the Church or Common-wealth then our owne then our neighbours So that publike and common goods are to bee preferred before private and spirituall before corporall and the glory of God before all Well then thou saist thou maist not yeeld to the ceremonies as namely the Surplice the Crosse and kneeling at communion because these things cannot bee done without scandalizing of thy brother Suppose it were so and remember that I doe but suppose it But on the other side thou refusing the vse of indifferent things whereunto thy Christian liberty extendeth being enioyned by lawfull authority with such conditions as these are enioyned I say vnto thee without supposition that besides thy disobeying the lawfull authority of a Christian Church and of a Christian Magistrate whom thou oughtest to obey even for conscience sake thou dost scandalize first thy weake brethren being affected as thy selfe who by thine example for which thou perhaps thinkest thou hast good ground are animated or as the Apostle speaketh edified without ground to contemne the authority of the Magistrate and of the Church and from that contempt doe many of them proceed to mislike of the State from mislike either to separation or to some degree of disloyall discontentment Besides those of thine owne disposition thou doest offend them who are more loyally affected who if they bee not the better grounded in our most holy faith doe stumble at your practise and begin to stagger in the profession and practise of religion when they see men seeming most zealous in our religion professing as they pretend the cause of sincerity vpon no iust cause to abandon their ministry to oppose themselues against authority to maintaine a faction in the Church and wilfully for any thing that they can see to persist in a bad course And hereupon many take occasion to rest in outward civility without grace and to mislike all forwardnesse in religion for your sakes c. Now here seemeth to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a scādall falling two ways indeed a single supposed offence opposed to a double scandal ioyned with disobedience If no more could be said who could doubt on which side rather to encline But to these I adde other respects that ought to be regarded more then a supposed scādall The question is not as many would seeme to vnderstād it whether it being a thing arbitrary meerely left vnto our owne choice either to vse these ceremonies or to forbeare them as it was in the Apostles question of eating flesh whether I say we ought to abstaine if we vnderstood that a brother would bee offended at the vse of them or not for then there were no question but that for avoiding of scandall we ought to abstaine But these things are not arbitrary in our choice but imposed by lawfull authority and that with such condition as that the obseruation of these things being indifferent in themselues becommeth respectiuely necessary First in respect of authority which not only for feare but also for conscience sake wee are bound to obey in all lawfull things This one necessity of obedience is sufficient to excuse me from scandall especially if I doe my endeauour to preuent it as after shall be shewed Secondly in respect of the conditions wherewith they are imposed as not to receiue the cōmunion vnlesse we kneele not to goe on in our ministery vnlesse we conforme For care of avoyding scandall respecteth arbitrary matters and not necessary duties appertaining to Gods glory and our salvation which we must performe though all the world would be offended thereat The care of thine owne saluation must be preferred to the supposed danger of another mans fall the care of the Churches saluation much more the glory of God most of all Well then maist thou not receiue the Communion being a duty appertaining to thine owne saluatiō to the edificatiō of the Church communion of Saints to the glory of God vnlesse thou wilt receiue it vpō thy knees it being a gesture not only lawful but most cōuenient to be vsed in such a part of Gods worship as is performed with inuocation on the name of God especially seeing the gesture vsed at meales is not to be vrged vnlesse the Sacrament were with our meales as at the first institution with Christ last supper and in the primitiue Church with their loue feasts receiued for the cause of the gesture being worthily taken away the reason of retaining it ceasseth for
it is as you haue heard the law of loyalty requiring obedience to superiours Wherefore a Christian man though in respect of the inward man he be free as being the sonne of God by adoption in Christ yet in respect of the outward man he ought to bee a servant not only to his superiors in loyalty and obedience but also to all in benevolence and charity Obiect 2. On the other side it is obiected 1. That for conscience sake we are to obey the Magistrate that is that we are bound in conscience so to doe therefore the lawes and commandements of the Magistrate doe binde the conscience Answ. It followes not for although we are bound in conscience to obey the lawfull commandements and lawes of superiours yet that bond is not in the particular lawes of men but in the generall commandement of God Obiect 3. Againe A thing indifferent enioyned by the Magistrate becometh necessary for Paul saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is necessary that you bee subiect therefore the commandement of the Magistrate doth binde the conscience Answ. Neither doth this follow For it becometh necessary not by the particular commaundement of man but by the generall commandement of God For notwithstanding the commandement of the Magistrate the thing commanded remaineth indifferent in it selfe and before God and so to be vsed with free conscience without placing any religion therein howsoever it becommeth necessary so farre forth as by the generall commandement of God I am bound thereto And this is that which Peter saith that wee must obey Magistrates as free and yet as the servants of God Free in respect of our consciences exempted from humane power yet as servants of God bound in conscience to obey him in obeying them so farre forth as hee doth commaund vs to obey them The truth of these answers shall not only be demonstrated as it were before your eyes by a syllogisme wherein is concluded the bond of conscience and necessity of duty in obeying the commandements of men but also by other reasons proved The Syllogisme All lawfull commaundements of Magistrates thou art bound in conscience by the law of God to obey so farre forth as hee requireth such commandements to bee obeyed This or that particular is a lawfull coÌ„maundement of the Magistrate Therefore this or that particular thou art bound in conscience by the law of God to obey so farre forth as God requireth such commandements to be obeyed By which argumentation wee may conceiue that the distinction of necessity vsed in schooles viz. that there is necessit as consequentis which is simple or absolute necessitas consequentiae which is not simple but vpon condition of other things presupposed may not vnfitly be applied to the necessity of duty imposed by the lawes either of God or man For Gods commandement imposeth the necessity as it were of the consequent without presupposing other things requiring simple and absolute obedience The law of man doth not impose the necessity of the consequent or require simple obedience but it imposeth onely a necessity of the consequence that is such a necessity and no other as may soundly be concluded from the law of God and so farre forth as it may bee concluded thence Or to speake more plainely in a simple sentence without interpositing any condition or presupposing any antecedenâ— whereupon it is to bee inferred I may say either particularly this commandement of God is necessarily or by necessity of duty to be obeyed or generally all Gods commandements are necessarily to bee observed And this speech is of necessary truth But concerning mens commaundements If I shall say in the generall All the commaundements of men are necessarily to be observed the speech wilâ— be false and absurd if in particular this commaundement of the Magistrate is necessarily to bee observed this speech cannot be necessary simply or by the necessity of the consequent or to speake more plainely for the explicating of that phrase by the necessity of a simplâ— sentence wherein the consequent or predicat is both simply and necessarily affirmed of the antecedent or subiect it cannot I say bee simply necessary because as you heard the generall is false Notwithstanding if you presuppose these two things first that all lawfull commaundements of Magistrates are by the commaundement of God necessarily to be observed so farre forth as hee commaundeth them to be observed secondly that this particular is a lawfull commaundement of the Magistrate vpon these premises you may proue that speech to be true by necessity of consequence viz. that this particular commaundement of the Magistrate is necessarily to be observed c. But some sophister will obiect that I might as well conclude thus Propos. All lawfull commaundements of the Magistrate must necessarily be obeyed Ass. This or that particular is a lawfull commaundement of the Magistrate Concl. Therefore necessarily to bee obeyed I answere that the proposition of this syllogisme needeth proofe as not being manifest of it selfe You will say it may thus be proued Propos. What is commanded of God must necessarily be performed Ass. Obedience to all law full commaundements of Magistrates is commaunded of God Concl. Therefore obedience to all lawfull commaundements of Magistrates is necessarily to be performed But I say againe the assumption of this syllogisme needeth some explanation For the Lord would haue difference put between his owne commandements and the lawes of men and therefore we may not thinke that he commandeth all lawes of men simply to be obeyed not simply you must say then but so farre forth as he requireth them to be obeyed By which short discourse wee learne that those additions by which I explaned the proposition of the syllogisme were necessare and that the bond of coÌ„science is not the law of man but of God that we are bound to obey mans lawes not simply but so farre forth as God requireth And lastly that this speech All lawfull commandements of Magistrates are necessarily to be obeyed is true not by the necessity of the consequent as an axiome or principle which is manifest of it selfe but by the necessity of consequence as a conclusion manifested by discourse Now that the lawes of men doe not binde the conscience it may further appeare by these reasons first because our freedome from the lawes iudiciall and ceremoniall which in the Scriptures is extolled for so great a bâ—nefit would be a burthen rather then a benefit if wee should in like manner be bound to the ecclesiasticall and ciuill lawes of men Againe if they did binde the conscience there would be no difference betweene Gods lawes and mans lawes in respect of outward actions and the one sort would require simple obedience as well as the other yea vnlawfull commandements would also binde the conscience But it is plaine that simple obedience is to be performed onely to the lawes of God To the laws of men we are bound not simply but so farre forth as in
obeying them we also obey God and no further thas is as I said so farre as God commandâ—th â—s to obey them Now how farre forth God commandeth vs to obey the lawes of men will easily appeare by this distiâ—â—tion for either they command such things as God forbideth and forbiddeth such things as hee commandeth which kinde of coÌ„mandements are so farre from binding our consciences as that we are bound by the law of God to obey him in disobeying them or they command such things as God commandeth and forbid such things as he forbiddeth that by their authority the lawes of God may the better be obseruâ—d to which kinde of commandements we are simply bound because as in obeying them we obey God so in breaking them we transgresse the law of God or lastly they command such things as God hath not forbidden and forbid such things as God hath not commanded â—â—o the particular 〈◊〉 of this kinde wee are not simply bound but so farre forth as God hath commanded vs to obey them that is as free being not simply bouÌ„d to those particulars as necessary in themselues but vsing them with free conscience as being indifferent and therefore such as wherevnto our Christian liberty extendeth and yet as seruants of God thinking our selues so farr bound to obserue them as is necessary for auoyding of scaÌ„dall or coÌ„tempt which God by his law hath forbidden Contempt for it is necessary saith the Apostle that we should submit our selues to lawfull authority not onely for feare of punishment but for conscience sake For although we be free as concerning the inner man yet in respect of the outward man wee must as the seruants of God submit our selues to such superiours as God hath set ouer vs and not haue our liberty as a cloake of naughtinesse Scandall also is to be auoyded First in respect of the superiour that by our disobedience wee doe not scandalize or offend him Wherein our Sauiour hath giuen vs a notable example who although he were as he saith free yet was content to pay tribute-money for auoiding of offence Secondly in respect of the subiect that he stumble not at the example of our disobedience being animated thereby to doe the like For whereas some thinke that we are not to obey the Magistrates commandement concerning a thing indifferent if wee imagine that some weake brother will be offended thereat they greatly mistake the rule of Diuines who say these commandements are to be obeyed for avoyding scandall and not that they are to be disobeyed for auoyding of scandall For if this were a sufficient reason to excuse our disobedience wee should not neede to obey almost any commandement of this kinde there being scarce any coÌ„mandement concerning things indifferent wherewith wee may not imagine some weake scrupulous conscience will bee offended But wee must thinke our selues more bound for â—uoyding of contempt and scandall to obey a lawfull commandement then to disobey for auoyding a supposed offence That which we are to doe in this case is this If wee feare any will take offence we must labour to preuent it by informing the party as before hath beene said And hauing so done wee must doe our owne duty whether hee will be offended or not in obeying the lawfull commandement of the Magistrate so farre as it shall be necessary for auoyding of scandall and contempt Hitherto I haue intreated of the liberty of grace both that which is common to the faithfull in all ages and also that which is peculiar to Christians vnder the Gospell There remaineth in a word to bee spoken of the liberty of glory which is not only a perfect deliuerance from sinne misery and all imperfections whereunto because wee are subiect in this life for here is as Augustine saith inchoata non perfecta libertas we ought to aspire towards this perfection but also a fruition of happinesse and all the priuiledges of the citizens of heauen This liberty is either of the soule alone as at our death when wee may freely and with comfort resigne our soules into the hands of God that he may commit the same to the blessed Angels to bee transpoâ—â—ed into heauen where wee are vnto the end of the world comfortably to expect our full redemption Or it is of the body also at the day of iudgement and is therefore called the redemption of our body when it rising vnto glory shall be freed from the seruitude of corruption this mortall putting on immortality and this corruptible putting on incorruption that death being swallowed vp in victory we may enioy both in our bodyes and soules the glorious liberty of Gods children in the kingdome of heauen This ought wee with earâ—â—â—stnesse of desire to aspire vnto with 〈◊〉 of faith to expect that thereby we may be weaned fâ—om the world hauing our conuersatioâ— in heauen and not either by the desires of the world which are but vanityes be allâ—red and ensnarred or by the terrors thereof which are 〈◊〉 worthy the glory that shall be reuealed drawne into bondage Thus haue you heard the doctrine of Christian liberty Now heare the vse For seeing this liberty is a benefit of so great excellency in it selfe and of such profit and necessity to vs Our first duty is to try and examine our selues by that which hath beene said whether wee haue as yet obtained this liberty or not If not as he which committeth sinne is the seruant of sinne we must labour to acknowledge and feele that miserable seruitude wherein wee are vnder sinne and Satan for hee that is not free and yet feeleth not his bondage is drowned in sinne euen as he that is ouer head and eares in â—he water feeleth no weight thereof that in the sense of our misery we may not only truly and earnestly desire but also carefully vse all meanes to attaine this liberty and never be at rest vntill we haue obtained it It is strange to see what hard services men will vndergoe and what great summes they will forgoe to get an earthly freedome whiles this spirituall freedome which is worth many worlds will scarcely be accepted when men are called and invited vnto it Which sheweth that men naturally are not only servants but willingly wilfully continue in servitude But you will say what meanes are wee to vse I answere 1. Diligently and conscionably to heare the Word as being the meanes which God hath ordained to call you to liberty 2. To aske seeke knocke by earnest and hearty prayer vnto God the author of this liberty that he would giue you the spirit of liberty 3. To turne vnto God vnfainedly laying hold vpon Christ by faith and repenting of your sinnes Eris liber saith Augustine si fueris servus liber peccati servus iustitiae You shall be free from sinne if you will become the servants of righteousnesse If God hath already called vs vnto this liberty
into bondage to whom wee gaue no place by subiection so much as for a time that the truth of the Gospel might continue with you There is also a time when wee must of necessity defend our liberty if the same bee in weake consciâ—â—ces endangered by the vniust exactings of false Prophets Wee must in euery thing study to preserue charity and haue regard to the edifying of our neighbour All things saith hee are lawfull for me but not all things are expedient all things are lawfull for mee but all things doe not edifie Let no man seeke that which is his owne but that which is anothers There is nothing now plainer by this rule then that wee must vse our liberty if it may turne to the edifying of our neighbour but if it be not so expedient for our neighbour then wee must forbeare it There bee some which counterfeit the wisedom of Paâ—l in forbearing of liberty while they doe nothing lesse then apply the same to the dutyes of charity For so that they may prouide for their owne quietnes they wish all mention of liberty to be buryed whereas it is no lesse behoouefull for our neighbours sometime to vse liberty for their benefit and edification then in fit place to restraine it for their commodity But it is the part of a godly man to thinke that free power in ouâ—ward things is therefore graunted him that hee may hee the freer to all dutyes of charity But whatsoeuer I haue spoken concerning of auoiding offences my meaning is that it bee referred to meane and different things For those things that are necessary to bee done are not to bee left vndone for feare of any offence For as our liberty is to bee submitted to charity so charity it selfe likewise ought to bee vnder the purenesse of faith Verily here ought also to bee had regard of charity but so far as to the altars that is that for our neighbours sake wee offend not God Their intemperance is not to bee allowed which doe nothing but with troublesome turmoiling and which had rather rashly to rend all things then leasurely to rip them Neither yet are they to be harkned to which when they bee leaders of men into a thousand soâ—t of vngodlinesse yet doe feigne that they must behaue themselues so that they be none offence to their neighbours As though they doe not in the meane edifie the consciences of their neighbours to euill specially whereas they sticke fast in the same mire without any hope of getting out And the pleasant men forsooth whether their neighbour bee to bee instructed with doctrine or example of life say that he must be fed with milke whom they fill with most euill and poysonous opinions Paul reported that he fed the Corinthians with drinking of milke but if the Popish Masse had then been among them would hee haue sacrifized to haue giuen them the drinke of milke No for milke is not poyson Therefore they lie in saying that they feed them whom vnder a show of flattering allurements they cruelly kill But graâ—ting that such dissembling for a time is to bee allowed how long yet will they feed their childreÌ„ with milke For if they neuer grow bigge that they may at the least bee able to beare some light meat it is certaine that they were neuer brought vp with milke There are two reasons that moue me why I doe not now more sharply contend with them first because their follies are scarcely worthy to bee confuted â—ith they worthily seeme filthy in the sight of all men that haue sound wit secondly because I haue sufficiently done it in peculiar bookes I will not now doe a thing already done Onely let the readeâ—s remember this that with whatsoeuer offences Sathan and the world goe about to turne vs away from the ordinances of God or to stay vs from following that which hee appointeth yet wee must neuerthelesse goe earnestly forward and then that whatsoeuer dangers hang vpon it yet is it not at our liberty to swarue one haires bredth from the commandement of the same God neither is it lawfull by any pretence to attempt any thing but that which he giueth vs leaue Now therefore sith faithfull consciences hauing receiued such prerogatiue of liberty as wee haue aboue set forth haue by the benefit of Christ obtained this that they bee not entangled with any snares of obseruations in those things in which the Lord willed that they should bee at liberty we conclude that they are exempt from all power of men For it is vnmeete that either Christ should loose the thanke of his so great liberality or consciences their profit Neither ought wee to thinke it a sleight matter which we see to haue cost Christ so deare namely which hee valued not with gold or siluer but with his owne blood so that Paul sticketh not to say that his death is made voide if we yeeld our soules into subiection to men For hee trauaileth about nothing else in certaine Chapters of the Epistle to the â—alathians but to shew that Christ is darkened or rather destroyed to vs vnlesse our consciences stand fast in this liberty which verily they haue lost if they may at the will of men bee snared with the bonds of lawes and ordinances But as it is a thing most worthy to bee knowne so it needeth a longer and plainer declaration For so soone as any word is spoken of the abrogating of the ordinance of men by and by great troubles are raised vp partly by seditious men partly by slanderers as though the whole obedience of men were at once taken away and ouerthrowne Therefore that none of vs may stumble at this stone first let vs consider that there are two sorts of gouernment in man the one spirituall whereby the conscience is framed to godlinesse and to the worship of God the other ciuill whereby man is trained to the duties of humanity and ciuility which are to bee kept among men They are commonly by not vnfit names called the Spirituall and Temporall iurisdiction whereby is signified that the first of the two formes of gouernment pertaineth to the life of the soule and the later is occupied in the things of this pâ—esent life not onely in feeding and clothing but in setting â—orth of lawes whereby a man may spend his life among men holily honestly and soberly For that first kind hath place in the inward mind this later kind ordereth onely the outward behauiours The one wee may call the spirituall Kingdome the other the ciuill Kingdome But these two as we haue diuided them must bee either of them alway seuerally considered by themselues and when the one is in considering wee must withdraw and turne away our minds from the thinking vpon the other For there are in man as it were two worlds which both diuers Kings and diuers Lawes may gouerne By this putting of difference shall come to passe that that which the Gospell teacheth of