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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95843	The supreme povver of Christian states vindicated against the insolent pretences of Guillielmus Apollonii, or A translation of a book intituled, Grallæ, seu vere puerilis cothurnus sapientiæ, &c. Or, the stilts, or most childish chapin of knowledge upon which William Appolonius of Trever, and minister of the church of Middleburgh boasts, among such as are ignorant, in his patcht rhapsodies, which hee set forth concerning supreame power and jurisdiction in matters of religion. Against the book of the most famous Dr. Nicholaus Vedelius, intituled Of the episcopacy of Constantine the Great.; Grallæ. English.	Vedel, Nicolaus, 1596-1642,	1647 (1647)	Wing V168; Thomason E388_5; ESTC R201503	255,312	305

fact not the effect of the Apostles so that hee who is ordained and confirmed is the same after that he was before imposition of hands But the Apollonians bragge that they are Christs Embassadors This is an arrogant untruth for they have not obtained the gift of teaching in the Church after that divine and spirituall manner that Christs Legates did of old but by humane gifts and humane calling which according to Gods and Christs generall institution serve the now decayed Church that wants these gifts in which shee excelled under the Apostles You are Gods Embassadors and the Churches Patrons to whom for ever by speciall command the care of the Church under Christ is committed Which not to undertake is hainous impiety and to take it from you is sacriledge and now what I have said to the secular Nobility I also say to you that are Religious Ministers Contemne the boldnesse of Apollonius and his fellows for they are seditious and desire innovation They goe about to raise among themselves the Papall Hierarchy to the overthrow of your Honour they hunt after worldly glory and would have you lose the true honour of Christ All honour is due properly to Gods Word not to you Your Calling should put you in minde of your Ministery and burthen not of command and ruling Which of you will bee so proud with Apollonius as to bragge of an inseparable subjection under Christ so that hee truely heares Christ that heares you Let Apollonius be ashamed to bee so often convicted of falsehood that hee is so infabibly subordinate to Christ as if his authority with Christs were the same Lisien rather to Christ the Lord of the whole Church who by command and examples hath taught you not to seek after the Kingdomes of this world much lesse by the Church Apollonius seeks both to wit dominion in the Church and by the Church over Magistrates and the world too Christ said that Kings and Lords were to beare rule but not you Yet hee hath not driven out of the Church the higher power which is exercised with authority but hath forbid you to meddle with that which God hath granted to Magistrates The Pope hath so corrupted this command of Christ that by wresting of it hee first stript Princes of their authority in the Church and then from their temporall Dominions and so procured to himself the dominion of the Church then of the whole World This is it which Apollonius borrows of him Hee debarres Princes from having any authority in the Church from which Christ never debarred them On the contrary hee affects dominion and power over the Church and State which Christ never gave him but plainly forbid him Bee not therefore followers of Apollonius and his Disciples Christ and his Apostles were indued with supreme authority and what the Magistrate doth now by the Sword that could they doe by words and threatning that is to say kill and punish corporally They had power and aptitude to command all in the Church but not to obey notwithstanding they so ruled the Church that they both governed and were governed they taught and were taught they ordered and were ordered they sent and were sent Finally there was none of these things they did much affect for which these proud and contentious spirits strive as it were for Religion it selfe Stephanas and her family served the Church with their goods these were but vulgar people and as they called them Laicks yet Paul wills the whole Church which excelled in so many spirituall gifts to bee subject to them and such as they were for that work How farre was that government from this of Apollonius on whom the Christian Magistrate had beaped all sorts of benefits yet teacheth that hee must not bee subject to them but they to him that hee must not honour but contemne them ●ar 1. p. 30.31 for bee accounts him wicked and a Simonaick out of his Calderwood that shall adscribe any power over the Church to any man for his bounty and charges on the Church Which is a manifest blasphemy both against the Apostle and the Magistrate which neverthelesse these Walachrians esteem as a fine and choise sentence But they say that Christs Kingdome is not of this World Luk. 17.21 I grant it if they mean his internall Kingdome which Christ saith is within us But for externall things which serve for the building up of that Kingdome Christ never taught they were not of this world and surely hee had done that which was far from the nature of his Kingdome when making a whip of coards hee vindicated the purity of Divine worship Yea that Counsell which is given to Kings and Princes of the New Testament to Kisse the Sonne had been in vain but that I may not use my own words longer In comment Deut. 13.5 Let Calvin speak who thus writes God can be without the help of the Sword for the defence of Religion hee wills it not but what wonder is it if God commands the Magistrate to bee the revenger of his glory who will not have thefts whoredomes drunkennesse exempted from punishment nor suffer them In lesser faults it shall not bee lawfull for the Judge to cease when the worship of God is overthrown and all Religion shall so great a sin be cherished by connivence c Besides what can bee more prodigeous but it s in vain to contend by reasoning when God hath once pronounced what hee will have done Wee must necessarily yeeld to his inviolable decree Yet it is questioned whether or not this Law belongs to Christs Kingdome which is spirituall and farre different from earthly Empires And indeed there be some otherwise good men who think that our condition under the Gospel is not like that of the ancients under the Law Not onely because the Kingdome of Christ is not of this world but also because Christ would not have his Church in the beginning to bee established by the Sword but whilst Kings in promoting of Christs Kingdome doe consecrate their owne work I deny that therefore the nature of it is changed And although maugre all worldly power Christ would have his Gospell to be proclaimed by his Disciples whem hee exposed as sheepe among Wolves having no other Armour but his Word yet hee did not tye himselfe to an eternall Law but that hee might force even Kings to his obedience and tame their violence and of bloody persecutors make them Patrons and Guardians of his Church In the beginning Magistrates exercised their tyranny against the Church because the time was not yet come that they should Kisse the Sonne and laying aside their violence should become Nursing Fathers to that same Church which they persecutediaccording to Isaiahs Prophesie which doubtlesse hath reference to Christs com●ing Nor is it to no purpose that Paul bids us pray for Kings and all that bee in authority hee gives a cause to wit That under them wee may live quietly in all godlinesse and honesty As

him nothing is more ancient then to extoll the outward businesse of the Ecclesiastick Ministery for holy spirituall and divine among men * Part 1 p. 116 p. 119. So that every where hee cries out these affaires do belong to heaven not to earth and that the externall things of the Church reach unto the soule and lastly to bee of such a sublime nature that it is impossible the art of Ecclesiastick jurisdiction should be exercised by the authority of the Magistrate so that as often as mention is made of the * Choragium Ampullantur dressing of Church matters they in proud and haughty words affirme that sacred things are not to bee touched Of which notwithstanding there is nothing so high and difficult which is not easie enough to him that is but indifferently exercised For these are preaching and publick Prayer the outward administration of the Sacraments the making of Laws for the outward order of the Church the greater and lesser censure whereof this is by suspending from the Lords Supper that by separation from the whole body of the Church by the uttering of certain words Lastly Election and confirmation to Ecclesiastick Offices All which affaires at this day are known to be performed by ordinary gifts oftentimes in a humane and perverse way even by such who being void of all Christian vertues are laden with nothing else but wickednesse that Apollonius may obtrude superstition after a Popish manner when hee searcheth after such abstruce mysteries of spirituality in the outward works of Ecclesiastick dressing that hee might make men think that what is performed by the Ministeriall function of the Church is of a higher nature then mans capacity can reach unto Whereas the whole dignity of these things as they are performed at this day depends from Christs generall institution and from the common Law of Order Out of these lurking places being driven after the Popish manner he flies to Ecclesiastick Vocation and chiefly to confirmation by imposing of hands which though at this day it be defiled and variously spotted shewing no effects of spirituallity in those on whom it is conferred Yet hee would faine perswade us that it is of wonderfull efficacy for conferring of spirituall right and spirituall prerogative to performe the sacred Offices of the Church that it hath such a speciall prerogative so that hee accounts him * Part 1. p. 87. p. 71. sacrilegious whosoever being destitute of the rights of Vocation and Ecclesiastick Confirmation will offer to put his hand to those internally externall affaires of the Church which hee illustrates by the example of King Uzziah struck with Leprosie Out of which principles at last springs up the speciall Church-Government which though every man may see it to bee in the world and to bee exercised by too worldly meanes and that by them who after confirmation are oftentimes more carnall than any Lay-men yet hee will have us beleeve that this Government is not o● this world not earthly but heavenly spirituall holy independent from any worldly power in it selfe absolute and as it were of its own * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 power by reason of the inseparable subjection of Church-men to Christ as his Legates Whence belongs to them this right to hee Governours Captaines Pastors Fathers under which titles it is lawfull onely for them to proceed to Governe to feed to give laws to punish and that imperiously with power and authority Part. 2. p 323. in the formalities of the Church Whence hee makes a rupture irreparable between the power or government of Magistrates and of the Church Part. 1. p. 91. 93. p. 9● Because they are so different in the subject end and meanes that he thinks heaven and earth will be confounded if the Magistrate should offer to touch the internall things of the Church For hee will not allow the secular power to bee in but onely about the Church which medleth with the circumstantialls of the Church onely as a separable accident which the Church may easily want and did want under the Apostles and time of the first Reformation So that as hee assevers the Christian and godly Magistrate hath no more to doe with Church-affaires then the wicked hath in respect of right except in cases extraordinary when the whole Clergie wants reformation but yet on this condition too that the judgement of this matter bee left to the Church-men But if the Magistrate should meddle with any thing which hee calls formally Ecclesiastick besides these cases hee cryes out openly that sacriledge and robbery is committed that the rights of Christs Spouse are violated for which Christ shed his blood yea that the state of the Church was happier under the crosse because of her free jurisdiction which then shee used then now if the Magistrate offer to intermeddle with the Church-affaires so that indeed hee counts no better then Gibeonites the religious Magistrates who were not to serve in but about the Sanctuary and were not to meddle with or touch any holy thing but being tide to servile obedience in furnishing necessaries were bound perpetually to acknowledge their fraud and prophanenesse Out of so many naughty rootes of Popery it is no wonder if in Apollonius and some of his followers this fruite proceed not onely in speaking evill of secular Rulers as often as they seeme to Clergie-men to stumble upon the rights of the Church but contrarily they dare in secular affaires prescribe to and command the Magistrate by their Pastorall authority so that no Catechisme seemes to them more holy than that they assure one another that the secular Magistrate is simply to bee debarred from all things which they account Ecclesiasticall and that they are not to be admitted into the meanest part of their modern Ecclesiastick spirituality so faire as they performe the Office of a Magistrate the top of which spirituallity if elsewhere they seem to touch that they must bee resisted with might and maine as profane men either directly or if strength bee wanting indirectly and cunningly Per cuniculos in their private or publick declamations to the people Sure Apollonius seemes in this work to sound the Alarum and by his example to stirre up turbulent Ministers to bee bold upon the Magistrate when opportunity serves and to shake off one time or other their vile and violent yoke I doubt not but such kinde of vermine lurke else-where but dull and as it were sticking fast in their shell of which notwithstanding none doth cherish such dastardly spirits Puliatus but that if this Black coat and rude Wallachrian shall finde good successe in a short time great store of such Zelots will every where appeare I will no more prophesie but now will produce the acts of Apollonius and his fellow Walachrians set out not a few years since which will teach us that long agoe they were resolved and purposed first to prescribe a Law to the Civill Magistrate in

conclude whereas both the Antecedents and Consequents and the whole context of Christs words doe shew that in this place hee did not institute a judiciall but a brotherly and charitable duty in the Church and that by the name of Church here hee understands all and each member of the Church It is ridiculous that the Walachrian Stilt-Walker with the Papists should be understood here who out of nothing or the ragges of old Popery which at length begot Antichrist hath gone about to erect so glorious and eminent a judiciall Ecclesiastick power to which Kings Princes and all worldly Potentates by divine and speciall right ought to submit themselves He brings elswhere other Reasons for his thunder of excommunication but I will not trouble my self to refell them lest I should mispend good houres whereas the understanding Reader may easily perceive of himself that now the power of the Keyes being taken away with that place Matth. 18. Tell the Church all his Reasons will of themselves fall to the ground There remaines only one main argument one which he spends almost 15. pages of his patched peece his Argument is this Part. 2. pag. 6. The Apostle saith hee writing to the whole Church of Corinth wills and commands that they being all assembled should deliver over to Satan the incestuous man 1 Cor. 5.4 5. Therefore the right and power of excommunicating contumacims sinners belongs to all particular Churches For as in his Assumption he is very liberall so hee supposeth that to deliver over to Satan is nothing else then after his manner to excommunicate Where first observe his fraud in making this Argument For thus he propounds it as if the Apostle had granted to that particular Church power to give over to Satan that Incestuous Corinthian simply Which being granted hee foresaw that this Argument would carry some shew of truth But this Walachrian Impostor deludes his Reader as he useth Because the Apostle doth not simply grant this power to the Church of Corinth for he wills though absent in body yet by the presence and assiance of his power and Spirit the Incestuous man to be delivered to Satan whom already he alone had adiudged to Satan as he himselfe witnesseth These things being cleared thus I will aske of the Stilt-walker What Logick hath taught him so to reason Paul gave power to one Church to excommunicate with the assistance of his Spirit and of his power Ergo Every Church can doe this by it selfe and without Pauls assistance or of his Spirit Here is no sequence and it is all one as if he would say the particular Church of Jerusalem with the assistance of the Apostles prescribed to all other Churches a Law to abstain from blood and things strangled Ergo the Consistory of Middleburgh at this day hath the same power over the other Churches Which consequence I know the Classes of Zealand will not admit yet they would easily grant this if in their Consistory in stead of Apolonius one Paul were president or any other Apostle But saith he the Apostle for this reason reproved the Corinthians that they had not removed the incestuous person And therefore it is plain that it was in their power to have removed that wicked man I answer this cannot be evinced out of that place of Paul because the words import no such matter He reproves them that they were puft up and did not rather mourn● that he that had done this deed might be taken away Which forme of speech is all one as if he that hath been long and dangerously sick should be reproved by the Physitian for being so secure and carelesse in removing his disease For there were many things which the Corinthians might have done of themselves in removing of this great evill They might have signified this offence to Paul by letters and sought his advice and the assistance of his Spirit that that wicked man might be taken away But the Corinthians neglected all this in which respect they were not without cause sayd to be puffed up not to have mourned that he might be taken away who committed this wickednesse But saith Apolonius Paul warnes the Corinthians that they purge out the old leven And in the end of the chapter commands that they would cast out the incestuous person and judge of his ejection Ergo this was an ordinary act and in their power I answer that the Antecedent is not simply true for what the Apostle speakes of leven is not of removing the incestuous person but in these words he doth in generall onely exhort them to a good life as the Text sheweth Secondly Let us grant this that the Apostles words are meant of removing the incestuous person by what Logick again will hee evince that the busines which the Apostle enjoyns to the Corinthians was simply committed to be done by them as an ordinary act altogether in their power The Context shewes no so such thing but quite contrary He grants them power to judge but not without his own judgement hee will have them cast out this party but not without the assistance of his power and spirit because therefore the Corinthians could do many things concerning the outward circumstances of this act which Paul being absent could not doe therefore he himselfe enjoyned this action to them For they might have reproved him verbally and used many Imprecations against him they might have separated themselves from him all which things and perhaps more in exercising of this act did meet together but for the internall vigour of this act they of themselves could not produce or touch for it depended from the power of the Keyes by which Christ promised that should be ratified in heaven whatsoever the Apostles should here on earth determine concerning sinners the truth and effect of which promise because men had then found divers times by experience frō hence it was that this censuring power of the Apostles whether they exercised it alone or with the Church was alwayes and not without cause horrid and terrible not only to them who were to be cōverted but also to the refractory whose blasphemies he might have easily curbed as Paul speakes of Hymenaeus and Alexander 1 Tim. 1.20 Surely if the delivering over to Satan had been nothing else then a verball thunder out of the pulpit as at this day refractory men being thus excommunicate would have learned to blas pheme more as may be seen in Julian the Apostate and others after the Apostles departure and in divers at this day But saith the Stilt-walker it is not likely that Paul being absent could deliver over the incestuous man to Satan This is surely ridiculous in so great a Doctor who out of the History of Naaman 3 King 5. might have learned that the men of God furnished with the gift or Miracles did exercise their gifts not only neere at hand but also a farre off for Elisha cured Naaman being farre off from him why then could not Paul do the

will be made branches stones trees chickens sheep fish fruits grasse corn and what not Of Preachers and Church-men there will be made not onely Kings Pastors Captaines Housholders as they will have but servants wolves dogs pillars stones bell-ringers pipers walls flames candle-sticks fires and many more to which the Holy Ghost compares them So that if hee should shake the budgets of most abstruse Divinity he cannot compose these things but he shall be laughed at by all This is his errour in that he will out of figurative speeches draw literall conclusions as if out of painted gold he would make a reall crowne of gold Much of this kind he spreads every where chiefly Part 2. p. 28. he doth plainly dispute for the Kingly censuring power of Church-men For saith hee the jurisdiction of the Church is called the right of the keyes and the Churches key is called Davids key which was regall whence he concludes That the jurisdiction of the Church is regall I answer These things are spoken figuratively and to be ascribed to Christ onely if they be taken properly not to the moderne Church which properly wants the keyes of heaven as I shewed elsewhere The chiefe errour is in this that with the Pope he makes of the keyes the Scepter and regall Crowne If all be Kings that have the right of the keyes then the Key-bearers of Temples Cities Hospitalls of Bedlems and of all Cells shall be Kings And whereas he saith that Davids and Christs key is regall and that therefore such is the key of the moderne Church it is all one as if I should say there was a King who carried the keyes of the City therefore all are Kings afterwards who carry those keyes How false this is appeares in Peter who first and properly received these keyes and yet he was a poore Fisher-man not a King Surely if Apollonius had Peters true key yet Christ would forbid in him all Kingly state and pride Mat. 20. saying The Kings of the earth beare rule but it shall not be so with you But Mat. 18. Christ gave to the Church power of judicature which saith he is kingly I answered elsewhere that in this place Christ did not bestow on the Church the right of judicature but only to intercede and to compose differences For the power of judging one to be a Publican or Heathen he gives properly to a Brother not to the Church and so every private man should have regall power Truly if all be Kings that judge there will be innumerable Kings in the same kingdome If Apollonius play not the foole he was a King long since because he carried the keyes and judged many things after his manner His chief argument is out of that place Mat. 28. Christ sending his Disciples to preach speaks first of his regall power saying All power is given to me in heaven and in earth he concludes also from his regall power saying I will be with you till the end of the world thence he gathers That the power not onely of Christ but also of the Church and therefore of Ministers is regall O wonderfull Lindanus indeed and other Papists are ridiculous in their devices but what Jesuite at this day is there of any braine who will not burst with laughter when he shall see and think of these Apollonian scientificall demonstrations to wit that Calvinists by such fictions doe seek after power to reigne in the Church which they have hitherto execrated in the Pope Christ the King of Kings speaking before and after of his Kingly power commanded the Apostles to teach and baptize Ergo he made them Kings and indowed them with Kingly power If Apollonius were as quick-sighted in both his eyes as Lynx he could not see this consequence He reasons thus out of his foolish Dialectick As often as Kings speaking of their Majesty command their Heralds to publish their will and Letters Patents they presently of Heralds become Kings that Herald were worthy of Hellebore who would thus conclude especially if the King in plaine termes should tell his Messenger Although my other servants may command and domineere in their Offices yet I forbid thee to do so neither will I permit thee to reigne for this is the sense of Christs words Mat. 20. The Kings of the Nations beare rule but it shall not be so with you So we need not stay any longer in the Walachrian devices whereas we may every where see that the Pope and Apollonius are both of one minde to wit that they have regall power howsoever Christ and the whole Scripture contradict it but by a Jesuiticall quirk he tells us that their power is not secular carnall or despoticall for these husks he leaves for the Magistrate reserving to himselfe the pure flower of spirituality but Ecclesiasticke holy and celestiall which because it proceeds not from the speciall sanctity of their Church-Discipline as the object nor from the dignity of modern vocation as I have now shewed we must henceforth search into the other lurking holes of the Walachrian Church sanctity least these rattle-mice hide themselves any longer in their under-ground caves of spirituality Therefore having overthrowne the chiefe foundations of the Walachrian sanctity and dominion which are the spirituality of their moderne Discipline and the mysticall sublimity of their calling now I will pursue the Arguments which the Stilt-walker still useth to purchase authority to himselfe among the ignorant which with the Papists he borroweth from the Epithetes and names given to Preachers in Scripture by which he strives to establish his regall majesty in the Church in this playing the canvasse Merchant with Papists which that the Reader may see I will first in generall point at three of his ordinary fallacies 1. In that the most titles are figurative and metaphoricall Fallaciae in titulis out of which he raiseth literall conclusions by which he must needs fall into a thousand absurdities for if this be admitted in Divinity that every one interpret as hee pleaseth figures similitudes and metaphors which are found in Scripture there will be nothing certaine but we may infer any thing out of any thing by this reason I may easily of Apollonius and his other Preachers make stocks stones yea brute beasts for Church-Doctors are called in Scripture Pillars Foundations and watchfull Dogs now we know that Pillars are made of stocks and stumps of trees Foundations of stones and that Dogs are brute and impudent beasts whence the folly of old Papists appears who have erected their whole Hierarchy out of parabolicall and figurative Scripture phrases as famous Marnixius hath merrily demonstrated and because he could find no other new way to set up his regall power therefore the VValachrian Papist walks altogether in his Predecessors foot-steps Apollonius his other errour is that of indefinite Propositions he makes exclusive and understands simply what is spoken respectively this he borrowed also of the Jesuites for Bellarmine commonly thus concludes Christ gave

not I will make thee a God to Moses but contrarily I will make Moses a God to thee whence wee see that God from the beginning did not purpose to commit the supream care of the world and of the Church to church-men but to secular Magistrates for hee knew that things would not be well guided by church-men as appears by Aaron who when Moses was absent but 40. dayes was of such a soft and effeminate spirit that presently upon the prayers and menaces of the people turned the whole worship into Idolatry this was the cause that when Christ was asked of the Apostles concerning government hee permitted it to Magistrates but denied it precisely to church-men so that in this famous title of God all church-men are subject to the civill powers and all civill powers are to rule the church-men for these are called only Angels but they gods who will not confesse men to bee subordinate to Gods and Gods to have superiority over men I doubt not but Apollonius will here murmur with himselfe that the Prophet did so unwisely bestow this title upon Magistrates when out of the principles of Walachrian divinity this title of God belongs rather to church-men than to Magistrates for these as sheep should be subject to their ecclesiastick pastors Magistrates are only earthly Kings but cleargy-men are beavenly Magistrates are Legats of God the Creator church-men of Christ the Mediator exalted lastly Magistrates are carnall and worldly but churchmen are spirituall and holy who seeth not from hence that churchmen come neerer to God than Magistrates and that therefore the name of God belongs more justly to them So that wee need not doubt but in time the Stilt-walker will mend this magnificat as his predecessor the Pope did who not being content with the titles of Bishop pastor and president in which the Walachrian for the time rejoyceth hath assumed to himselfe also the title of God so that now hee is stiled our lord god the Pope but that our proud Ministers may not rise to this height among protestants I hope the Magistrate will take care whilst hee shall consider that hee alone by divine gift and right doth possesse this title of God which bee cannot without sacriledge impart to Ministers by which also is admonished that hee is subject to none but to God only and that there is nothing so spirituall so holy and so heavenly under his jurisdiction if it be humane but that it is subject to his power which will more appear by that famous place of Paul where not only hee is honoured with the name of God but also is endowed with the priviledge of Divine preheminence Among other elogies 2 Pet. 2.13 Rom. 13 1 that is notable one which is given to the Magistrate by Peter and chiefly by Paul where the great dignity of the civill power upon earth is described which hee placeth in three 1. That there is no supereminent power armed with the sword which is not subordinate to God and by him ordained for he saith that all powers which bear the sword are ordained by God and hee that resisteth them resisteth the Ordinance of God therefore every such by what name soever it is called bearing the sword hath God for its author so that the Apostle doth not permit any man to enquire who or what hee is that useth this power nor how hee hath attained to it nor indeed how hee useth it but absolutely commands to give obedience civill whether to the King as chiefe or to governours it was then known to the Apostles that the Emperors by fraud and violence invaded the Empire and that they used their power tyrannically against Christians so that if this generall rule had suffered any exception he would have mentioned it but both the Apostles do absolutely make this law That whosoever possesseth the sword he is ordained by God nor must any doubt of his power This did Abraham and Isaac well understand when they came within the jurisdiction of Abimelech Perhaps the fear of God is not in this place They doubted of the Kings piety and justice but yet they prepared themselves to obey even till death They will kill me for thy sake say they Thou shalt say thou 〈◊〉 my sister So Pompey when he went out of his own ship into the King of Egypt's barge in which he was treacherously murthered he rehearsed this sentence Whosoever entreth into the house of a Tyrant he is his servant though he entred a filee-man This then is sure wheresoever there is a superior power bearing the ●●●●d no man ought to enquire how he hath obtained it which is the form of it how he useth it at least not too curiously o● with an intent to resist For however the faults of his government are not from God but are displeasing to him yet the civil order is still from God So that whosoever out of his own private motion resisteth this he resisteth God himself and hasteneth vengeance upon himself The other is That he subjects every soul to the higher Powers Origen ●y every soul understands the Naturall man but he trifles Paul understands every man which in Scripture is ordinary Act. 3. 27 for every man hath a soul Now the Apostle said rather every 〈◊〉 then every body because men in respect of their bodies differ much but in respect of their souls they are all uniform Whence Chrysostome upon this place Though he be an Apostle though a Prophet though an Evangelist this subjection doth not overthrow piety Whence in appears that no man upon what pretence soever who is under anothers jurisdiction can free himselfe from the government of the Civil Magistrate whether he be Clergy or Lay rich or poor learned or unlearned no condition excuseth him from obedience These named famous Patriarks and as it appeared afterward more excellent then King Abimilech himself yet confessed humbly that even to death they were subject whilst they were under his jurisdiction Who more worthy then Christ yet he subjected himself to Caesar and Pilate impious Magistrates It is then an unworthy thing for any man to exempt himself from the Civil power under pretence of sanctity or religion or any prerogative for this is flat repugnant to Pauls generall maxime That every soule should be subject none excepted The third thing is That he commands subiection in all and obedience to Magistrates so that he will not have them resisted not only for punishment but also sor consoience because he that resisteth the Magistrate resisteth the ordinance of God and hasteneth judgement against himself which to do is against a good conscience All these are emphaticall and shew how absolute the Civil power is over all and in all things because absolutely it commands all without exception to be subject and absolutely commands subjection without any restriction Wherefore if there had been so many cases in which subjection was not to be given to Magistrates suppose in spirituall and ecclesiastick matters