state of Innocency one Man should have rul'd over another Aquinas doth dispute p. 1 9 96. ar 4. and he doth conclude Affirmatively Our condition saith he in the state of Innocency was not more worthy and noble than the condition of Angels in Heaven amongst whom one Order is call'd Dominions Colos 1. 16. The unreasonable Creatures have their King The Lyon is a King amongst the Beasts the Eagle amongst the Birds the Whale amongst the Fishes the little Bees are not without their King Seneca tells us that the King of the Bees hath the largest Bed-chamber placed in the midst and the safest place That this King doth not work at all but according to its just State lives upon the Labours of others When their King doth dye the whole Swarm goeth forth to chuse their King and will admit of no more than one The King they chuse doth excell all others for Beauty and Proportion as Saul the first King that the people of God had was higher than all the people by the head Of all the Bees the King alone doth want a Sting Telum detraxit iram ejus inermem reliquit He took away his Dart and unweapon'd his Anger and so Nature left him an Example to the great Kings of the Earth But not to look so high as Paradise or what is done amongst the Angels in Heaven nor yet so low as to the unreasonable Creatures let us look upon our selves and where we now are and then we must conclude with Luther Politia est necessarium remedium corrupt e naturae Government is necessary Physick for our corrupted Nature Judg. 17. 6. In those days there was no King in Israel but every man did that which was right in his own Eyes To understand that Text of the happy and flourishing condition of those times was an interpretation put upon that Text by a learned Man in the heat of our Rebellion and in my eye it was like Simeon and Levi putting the poor Sichemites to death when they were sore and unable to make any resistance The words immediately before the Text will tell you that it is to be understood of the great unhappiness of that Hour and People Micah had an House of Gods and made an Ephod and Teraphim and consecrated one of his Sons who became his Priest and this Idolatry and Confusion is charg'd upon this In those days there was no King in Israel none to restrain or punish Wickedness The necessity of Dominion and Government our Happiness that it dwells in Caesar that we live under Monarchy and not Populacy I presume ye are all fully satisfied in especially after so bitter an Experience we have had 1. Our Duty unto Caesar is the great business of the first part of my Text Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's What are Caesar's Dues and Rights that is the question to be determined to which I answer 1. Honour is due to Caesar 1 Pet. 2. 17. Honour the King To honour and reverence his Person to bow our selves when we come into his Presence Thus Absalom bowed himself with his face to the ground before the King 2. Sam. 14. 33. This Honour we give unto our Superiours but there are Degrees in it The lowest Reverence and Obeisance is due unto the King To honour him in speaking his Vertues and just Praises not at Court and in his hearing that might be dangerous to the King The Applause that was given to Herod for his eloquent Oration cost him his Life Acts 12. 22 23. That would savour of Flattery or some ambitious Design in the Speaker But in our private Conferences to speak of his Wisdom of his Glemency of his Vigilancy in Government whereby we may provoke and stir up one another to Thankfulness to God and Love unto our King To honour him in concealing and silencing his Faults and Infirmities for Kings are Men while Gods and Men are frail and weak and Kings do meet with greater temptations than others do Peccavit David quod solent Reges sed flevit sed paenitentiam gessit quod non solent Reges so St. Ambrose tells us When Nathan the Prophet was sent to David by God to tell him of his Sins he did it with a great deal of modesty and reverence to the person of the King relates to him a Parable in which as in a Glass he did at length shew him his own Face 2 Sam. 12. Without a Commission let no Man touch or mention the Sins of Kings they are our Fathers and our Father's nakedness should be cover'd as Shem and Japheth dealt with their Father Noah Gen. 9. 2. A second thing that is due to Caesar is our Prayers 1 Tim. 2. 1 2. I exhort therefore that first of all Supplications Prayers Intercessions and giving of Thanks be made for all Men for Kings especially and by name for Kings the Kingdom and Church depend upon them Regis ad exemplum When Constantine the Emperour embrac'd Christianity then it flourished and was in honour and reputation Not only for Christian Kings but also for Heathen and Pagan Emperours the Christians were wont to pray so Tertullian tells us Oramus pro omnibus imperatoribus vitam illis prolixam imperium securum domum tutam exercitus fortes senatum fidelem populum probum orbem quietum quaecunque hominis Caesaris vota sunt The Prophet Jeremiah when the Children of Israel were in Captivity in Babylon writes unto them and counsels them to pray for the peace of that City for in the peace thereof ye shall have peace Jer. 29. 7. King Darius desired the Prayers of the Jews for his Person and for his Children Ezra 6. 10. That they may offer Sacrifices of sweet savours unto the God of Heaven and pray for the life of the King and of his Sons Not only the danger but also the great difficulty that is in Government doth highly engage us to pray especially for Kings Galba as Tacitus says when he was crowned King said unto his Soldiers It is now the sixth day since I was stiled Caesar Sive optandum sive timendum hoc nomen erat He knew not whether the Title was to be desir'd or fear'd It was the custom of the Persians on the day before the Inauguration of their Kings to present them with a Banquet of Sweet-meats mingled with bitter Turpentine and Wine with Gall by which Ceremony they were admonish'd of the true nature of Crowns and Scepters And not to wander so far from home King Henry the Seventh in all his Buildings made this his Emblem A Crown in a Bush of Thorns At his first entring into his Throne there was a Sickness call'd The sweating Disease the people look'd upon it as prophetical that he should find a difficult and laborious Reign What difficulties nay what dangers hath not our present King both felt and seen Of all Men Kings do stand in need of Prayers and it is our duty to pray constantly and
THE TRUE Christian-man's Duty BOTH TO God and the King Deliver'd in a SERMON Preached in the TEMPLE-CHURCH On Sunday November VI. 1670. By RICHARD BALL D. D. Chaplain in Ordinary to His Majesty LONDON Printed by A. G. and J. P. for John Playford at his Shop near the Temple-Church 1682. TO THE TWO Honourable Societies OF THE TEMPLE HAving lately read in print these Lines A Tantivy-Preacher in the Temple upon that Text Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's said What is Caesars What things I answer Caesar shall have your Goods your Lands your Wives your Children your All all is Caesar's But some may say quoth Tantivy-Preacher fitter to preach at Tyburn than the Temple If Caesar shall have all then what shall God have I answer quoth he God shall have your Souls But as for your Bodies your Lands your Goods your Lives your Children and your Wives they are Caesar's To this strange and unexpected Charge I return these Answers That I have had the honour to preach in the Temple these 20 Years and more but never did I hear such words to be spoken there Besides it is not probable that those two honourable and learned Societies who understand and love their Proprieties so well should tamely and silently pass by such Divinity As for my own person against whom I am told several ways that this Charge was intended I did call to mind that I did once preach upon that Text Give unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's and upon a search I found that the Sermon was preached November 6. 1670. so long it hath slept quietly and should have slept on still had it not been thus awaken'd of which Discourse I here present you a true Copy not adding not diminishing not changing one word If any man will shew me wherein I have erred I will embrace him for a Friend not forgetting that great St. Augustine hath his Retractations God bless it to the Reader so prayeth Your real Servant Titular Master RICHARD BALL St. MATTHEW XXII 21. Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things which are God's MY Defence for the choice of this Text if you think there doth need any would be enough to tell you that it is part of the Gospel for this day upon which the ancient custom was to preach My Defence is greater while I remember that the Parliament is now sitting a time in which Caesar useth to be remembred and presented with Gifts My Defence is higher yet if you look back no farther than to yesterday the Fifth of November in which both Caesar and God were strangely forgotten I am to speak this day for Caesar I am to speak this day for the God of Caesar the King of Kings Non est tutum de regibus loqui It is not safe to speak of Kings to speak too little is called Popularity to speak too much is called Flattery To speak of God is both dangerous and difficult Periculosum est de Deo etiam vera dicere His name is ineffable Veriùs cogitatur quà m dicitur quem totum omnia nesciunt metuendo sciunt saith St. Augustine He is more truly thought than spoken of whom fully all things are ignorant of and yet by fear and trembling know him To speak both of Caesar and of God only in reference to our giving Render unto Caesar and unto God There is nothing more unpleasing to the Nature of Man than to hear of giving we are for receiving we are for taking I would to God we were not for defrauding I would we were not like the Sons of Eli with our Flesh-hook in our hand taking by force and violence You see with how many difficulties my Text encompasseth me The Text is an answer given by our Saviour to a dangerous Question propounded to him by the Disciples of the Pharisees and the Herodians the Question was this Is it lawful to give Tribute to Caesar or not About the Birth of our Saviour Augustus Caesar lays a Tax upon the whole World Luke 2. 1. which being a new Imposition prov'd a matter of Dispute and Question Judas of Galilee he was against the Tax and much people sided with him they look'd upon that opinion as the cheapest if they had been able to defend it The Jews were Abraham's Seed a free-born People never in Bondage to any Man and to maintain their Liberty they made an Insurrection But in this attempt Judas perished and the people who follow'd him were scatter'd Herod who was one of Caesar's great Creatures and Courtiers he and his Followers called Herodians were not only for the present Tax but for whatever Caesar should please to impose Divisum imperium cum Jove Caesar habet was the Herodians Song not sung only as a piece of Poetry as we commonly say Pictoribus atque Poetis Painters and Poets are bold Men and may do any thing but seriously and in earnest Petronius would have brought the Image of Caligula into the Temple and would have had not only Tribute but also Sacrifice for Caesar Thus as in Disputes it commonly fares some are for too little others for too much and the truth lies between them unseen of either This Question was brought to our Saviour to entangle him so the Text expresly tells us Matth. 22. 15. and indeed there was a double Snare in it If to please the people he appear'd an Enemy or a doubtful Friend to Caesar's Tribute he would have been look'd upon as a seditious person an Enemy to Caesar a dangerous person to be suffer'd to live If to please Caesar he declares himself for the Tax presently he incurs the Odium the hatred of the people which is as bad as half a Death He that must be their Messias must break the Roman Yoak secure their Estates deliver them from Taxes and Tributes and Impositions all new Names but all signifying the same thing Money which the Jews then and to this very day love too well and I would to God we Christians did not This double Snare our Saviour wisely breaks Shew me saith Christ the Tribute-money and they brought unto him a Peny Then saith he unto them Whose is this Image and Superscription They say unto him Caesar's Then saith he unto them Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's He would neither flatter the people by denying Caesar what was due to him nor flatter Caesar by giving him what was due to God but guides both them and us to be good Subjects and good Christians Which are the two main points in this Text. Our duty to Caesar Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's Our duty unto God And to God the things that are God's Our duty enjoin'd us unto Caesar doth clearly suppose that there must be a Caesar a King one that is Supream Whether in the
fervently for our King God save the King which was the first Prayer made for Saul the first King that the people of God had over them 1 Sam. 10. 24. 3. To Caesar Obedience is due Obedience to his just and innocent Laws 1 Pet. 2. 13. Submit your selves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake whether it be to the King as Supream When in the Parable the Trees went forth to anoint a King over them when the Olive-tree the Fig-tree the Vine all refused the Crown when they came to the Bramble and desired that to reign over them the silly and inconsiderable Bramble had so much sence and wit as to tell the Trees what they should expect If in truth ye anoint me over you then come and put your trust under my Shadow and if not let Fire come out of the Bramble and devour the Cedars of Lebanon Judg. 9. 15. When the Bramble shall be made a King the Cedars of Lebanon must either stoop to it or be devoured the Cedars the best and noblest must lie down in the shadow of a Bramble when that is King This Obedience though to God himself was very troublesom to Man in Paradise let no Man wonder to see how unquiet he is to give obedience unto Kings I. Some there are that would be exempted from this obedience to Kings as being above it Josephus tells us l. 13. of the Antiquities of the Jews that the Pharisees in the days of Queen Alexandra got all the Power into their own hands she had the Name and Title of Queen but they had the Power You know whose voice it was Ego Rex meus The mark of Antichrist which was deliver'd to me when I was young was one who exalted himself above all that is called God 2 Thes 2. 4. that is above Kings they are called Gods Have we not such a Clergy in the Bowels of this Kingdom the Presbyterians I mean they would have a King whom they might excommunicate a King whom they might rule and govern and until they shall have such a King they are resolv'd to have a tender Conscience that is a Conscience which no King shall ever rule and govern let his Command be what it will never so just and innocent To cure this Distemper that Text would be consider'd Rom. 13. 1. Let every Soul be subject to the higher Powers Si omnis vestra saith St. Bernard speaking of the Clergy II. Others there are who limit their Obedience to the person commanding who think that Obedience is due only unto God and vertuous Kings Si causa Christi ecclesia id exigat Kings and Emperours may be Deposed saith Bellarmine l. 1. de trans Rom. Imp. c. 12. This Power he gives unto the Pope In our Solemn League and Covenant there is as clear a limitation set to our obedience to the King Alexander great in Wit as well as Valour tells us that he had two Friends Ephestion and Craterus one of them he said lov'd Alexander the other lov'd the King but these Men are resolv'd not to love the King if they cannot love Alexander If his Person does not please them they will despise his Office and Government It was to Tiberius Caesar that Christ would have this Tribute paid I shall not need to say any more of that III. Others there are who neither regard the Religion of the King nor any Religion at all but they limit their obedience to the meekness and gentleness of his Government Let Rehoboam the King speak roughly to the people and presently they do renounce him and their Allegiance 1 King 12. 16. To your tents O Israel now see to your own house David When the Tax was high Judas of Galilee throws off his obedience and takes advantage of the discontented people every Man being but too tender and sensible of his Money but he perished and his Followers were scatter'd Acts 5. 37. Rebellion does not always prosper and leave Men rich IV. Some limit their Obedience to the time of their weakness and paucity in number but when they are grown strong and numerous then they think that Providence has given them a discharge and that it were not only folly but ingratitude against God to be any longer subject This Divinity was not known among the Christians in St. Cyprian's time Nemo nostrum quamvis nimius copiosus est noster populus reluctatur Let us banish all these limitations in our obedience to Kings and let every Soul be subject to the higher Powers and that under God is Caesar's 4. To Caesar we owe our Money about that the Question is here propounded concerning Tribute and the Peny that had Caesar's Image and Superscription upon it our Saviour bad them give to Caesar Here lieth the great difficulty Honour Prayers Obedience these cost us nothing and we easily give them to Caesar but our Money it is as dear to us as our Blood as our Life so we find Money called Luke 8. 43. The poor sick Woman had spent all her Living upon Physicians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all her Life that is all her Money whereby her Life was supported and maintained God complains of the Princes of Israel who did pluck off the Skin from the People and their Flesh from off their Bones and did break their Bones and chop them in pieces as for the Pot and as Flesh within the Caldron Micah 3. 2 3. which was nothing else but the taking of the Money from the people by Taxes and Impositions The Text shews us not only the cruelty of those Princes but also how dear our Money is He that takes it from us doth tear our Flesh from our Bones and breaks our Bones to suck out the Marrow Yet to Caesar there is a Tribute and a Custom due and paid it must be Rom. 13. 7. Render to all their dues Tribute to whom Tribute is due Custom to whom Custom Besides these ordinary and daily Payments there are extraordinary occasions caused by War from abroad from a seditious and rebellious Spirit within our Bowels both which call for Soldiers and Soldiers for Pay Menahem levied a thousand Talents of Silver at one time and made every rich Man pay fifty Shekels of Silver 2 King 15. 19 20. Tacitus tells us that the Evils in Government are to be quietly born Quemadmodum sterilitatem aut nimios imbres naturae mala I know this seems to be cold comfort Let me present unto you something that is more pleasing by telling you that those Moneys which are given to a King are like those Vapours which ascend from the Earth and are turn'd into Clouds which do return Showers upon the Earth again From him we enjoy our Possessions in quiet a free open Sea Peace within our Walls he is the Defender of our Lives as well as of our Faith and Religion The people growing weary and complaining of the Tax that Solomon had laid upon them lost their Religion and Jeroboam