cannot therefore but be thought that Obedience and Subjection unto Government should be His Will since otherwise He would not have contrived sufficiently for the maintenance and support of it We cannot think that God would Institute Government and then leave Men at liberty whether they would Obey and Submit to it or not And Thirdly He hath made this His Will and our Duty for the credit of His Holy Religion As there cannot be a greater dishonour to Religion than its inconsistancy with Government as hath been hinted already so there can scarce any thing more Endear it to the World and gain Credit and Reputation to it then to see its Principles Assert and its Professors Practice a Hearty Regular Subjection and Obedience thereto Men will by this see that it Designs the present as well as future Great Happiness of all and be convinced that God hath no other Design in it then the Universal Good of all Mankind Kings will become its Nursing Fathers and be tender of it as that which Secures their Crowns Establishes their Thrones and is the surest Firmament of their Soveraignty and Power And all Wise Men will Admire and Adore the Goodness of God in it and become Votaries to that upon which they see the Peace and Happiness of the World so very much to depend and according to the Text by this means it will Triumph over this worst Objection against it and put to Silence the Ignorance of Foolish-Men Fourthly And now I proceed to make some Inferences from these things by way of Application which was the last thing proposed And First I take occasion hence to Infer Who only are true Christians in this Case of Subjection and who are not and with respect to our selves who are Truly Protestants and who only pretend themselves such I have Intimated already how strictly Christianity engageth all Men to be Subject to Government and that it is a Reproach and Scandal to it to be thought otherwise I further now add that the Church of England Asserts the same and that upon the same Principles too that the Reformation as to this was only paring off the Excresscencies and Usurpations of the Papal Supremacy over the Regal Power and Prerogative in this Kingdom and that as it was managed not by Tumult and Popular Noise and Fury but by the Royal Power and Favour so it supports it self only by the same and owns that Dependence upon it and enjoins that Subjection to it that it is most certain Christian Religion did own and did pay in all the Primitive and Purest Times of it This is the temper of our Reformation and these are the Principles upon which it was managed and by this we may learn to Determine who are Truly Friends to it and in the Modern Phrase who are the True Protestants and who are not so We have been slinging Names at one another a great while and a great Contest there hath been who stick closest to the Interest of Protestant Religion and to the Reformation the Church of England and Her Sons or the Variety of Dissenters from Her we are all at one stroak Discarded from being Protestants and must pass for Papists in Masquerade and Popishly affected and some Hot Men will undertake to shew you step by step our Advances towards Popery But all Ranks of our Dissenters must be allowed the Name of True Protestants yea although some have neither Church nor Priests nor Sacraments nor any thing like Christian Religion but only the Name and the Confidence to call themselves so We have often told our Hot Brethren of their Symbolizing with Rome both in their Principles and Practices in the Case of Subjection to Government we are ready at any time to Justifie one part of the Charge and to draw a Parallel between them and they are pleased it seems to Justifie our Charge and save us any pains in the Second The late Horrid â—ebellion and Murthering one of the best of Kings because He was not for their Turn their Ungovernable Temper and Attempts of Rebellion since the Restauration and this Conspiracy against the Life of the King upon the very same Reasons for which they Barbarously Murther'd the Father will be Evidences clear enough to let all the World see who have Transcribed the Doctrines of the Papists who Practice upon their Principles and that if we must pass for Papists in Masquerade we know well enough who are Protestants only in Masquerade There hath been a great deal of Artifice used of late to wash the Guilt of the late Rebellion and the Bloody Consequences of it off themselves and to fix it upon Papists and all the stories possible have been Muster'd up to shew their Influence upon all those things they have been contented to have been reputed their Tools and would choose to be called Fools it seems rather then Knaves Were the present Age so Silly and Credulous as to be Imposed upon by this pretence which all the World knows to be False and only an Act of present Pageantry and Fraud yet I do not see how it would much advantage the Cause of these Men. It plainly acknowledges what their Principles and Inclinations are and what they are ready prepared to do when cunning Men offer them an occasion and manage them there is no competition here between these Two Parties about Honesty only which is the more Subtil and Cunning though for my part I think they might as easily compremise this Dispute as the other It is in this Case just as it is with the Faulkonor and his Hawk the Inclination of the one makes it as ready to Kill the poor Partridg as the other Desires it should only perhaps he can advantage this Inclination and direct it better to compass the Design and were this a Crime I do not see what great need there were to contend about the Guilt of it if I do that which my own Will Nature strongly incline me to I know not that I am e're the less Guilty because I have Accomplices or Directors in it no Man could ever manage a Hawk to such a purpose were not his Nature bent that way and all the Art and Pains in the World shall never make a Pidgeon to do it But did their Arts of Colour and Extenuation c. signifie any thing to clear them in that I would fain know how they think to be cleared from the Guilt of pursueing the same Methods unto and Conspiring the Execution of the same thing again now Unless this also be another Popish Design If Men had been so weak as to be Cajowl'd by their Artful Pretences and Pallations for what hath been yet what Artifice shall be used now by this repeated Instance of their Principle and Temper they preclude all ways to their Vindication all Men see now what the Beast is notwithstanding his Visor or his pretended alteration of Nature the Lady shews herself a Cat when the Mouse appears the Royal Hart it seems
from it that there is not a more excellent and certain way to credit our Holy Religion and to take off all Objections and scandals against it than the Holy and Good the Exemplary and Virtuous Lives of those that profess it This is that Adorning the Doctrine of our Saviour that the Scripture calls for and in the common Estimation and Eye of the World will signifie more than Ten Thousand of the best Arguments we can ever urge for it I pray God give us all Grace to consider it and to comply with the purpose of it But the Notion of Well-doing here is that Honest and Regular that Ready and Consciencious Subjection to Government that he had pressed in the preceding Verses Submit your selves to every Ordinance of Man for the Lords sake And then St. Peter's words may be thus Paraphrased whereas your Religion is Aspersed as an Enemy to Government and your selves Persecuted as Disobedient and Seditious Persons be sure you take care by your Submissive Obedient Temper your Respect and Honour to your Governors both Supream and Subordinate your ready Obedience to their Ordinances and Laws to let the World see how falsly these things are objected against you and how unjustly your Religion is Aspersed with Favouring or Influencing any such Practises There is another very considerable way of clearing Christian Religion from this Scandalous reflexion and it is one way that the Ancient brave Apollogists have taken in their noble Defences of it and it may not be very Impertinent to take notice of it And that is to appeal to the known Doctrines and Principles of it and challenge the World to Instance in any one saying in the New Testament that the utmost Art and Subtilty of Man can Interpret to any such purpose whether there be the least hint or encouragement given to Rebellion or any thing that can warrant the least undutiful carriage towards our Governours Or rather to say whether there be not directly the contrary whether there be not the utmost said there to secure all Princes from any fear of being Rival'd in their Power or Intrenched upon in their Prerogative by Christ or any of his Votaries And whether there be not enough asserted there to assure Government and to engage all Persons to Subjection upon better Arguments and stronger Reasons then any yet were ever made use of before for here the Reason of Subjection is laid deep and charged immediatly upon the Consciences of Men resistance is declared to be resisting the Ordinance of God and Damnation is expresly Threatned against it Obedience is not only Recommended upon the great Advantages of Quietness and Peace of Happiness and Order that result to the World from it nor backed with the Sanctions of Temporal Punishments to those that Rebel but it is pressed upon Reasons of Conscience and Duty to God and the danger of incurring that Eternal Damnation that is prepared in Hell for the Disobedient and Lawless Now this is one good way of Vindicating Christian Religion from this Aspertion and sufficient to convince all Considering-Men how invidiously and unjustly it is cast upon it and there is no reason to doubt but St. Peter knew this as well as any Man and yet this is not the Method that he prescribes in this Case but Well-doing he would have those Excellent Lessons of Obedience and Subjection that are in the Precepts and Doctrines of Christianity Transcribed into the Lives and Exemplified in the Practices of all Christians as the best way to clear Christian Religion from this Aspersion that the Ignorance of some Men cast upon it And it is certainly the most Effectual way For First All Men have not Parts to Examine what the Principles of a Religion are or to Understand what the Natural Consequences from them be and many that can do this yet are Idle or cannot spare time to do it and all these will go that near way of Judging a Religion to be such as they behold the Professors of it to be Secondly Actions are commonly and popularly more Convictive then Principles and Professions Quid verba audiam cum foeda videam said he in the Comedy and 't is the Temper of most Men. Kings will be better pleased and satisfied with the Quiet and Peaceable Lives of their Subjects their chearful Obedience to their Laws and their ready Compliance with their Pleasure then with all the fine Formal Caresses and Protestations of Loyalty and Love And I wish some Men of late had not given them too great cause to conclude that Mens Practices and Professions do not always go together Men it seems may fill the World with loud Protestations of their Loyalty and call God to Witness they mean nothing but the Honour and Safety of the King and yet at the same time be Conspiring against both they may seem wonderfully Sollicitous for His Life and Safety and fill all places with their Fears of His Danger even then when they are Complotting how to Intrap Him they may make Votes to Revenge His Death to the uttermost upon others when they are Designing to effect it themselves and cry God forbid that such a thing should happen when they mean only that any should Murther Him but themselves and in a word they may tell God and Man as many have done in their Canting Prayers and Protestations that all their dear Liberties and Properties and their dearer Gospel and Religion hang upon the single Thread of the King's Life and yet at that very Instant be Resolving to Cut that Thread off And Thirdly I must needs say to the Dishonour of some Men that they have Robbed Christian Religion of this way of Defending it self and Defeated the Effect of this Appollogy for it The Champions of Popery to their Eternal Shame have told the World that though these are the open Principles of Christianity and this the plain and express Doctrine of the New Testament that it might curry favour with the Roman Emperours yet there was a secret Cabala and Tradition to the contrary that while they were Weak it was fit such things should be said but when they got Power and Strength and their Religion was Invaded they might then stand up take Arms and Right themselves upon Princes and that the good of the Church and the Interest of Religion would not only Expiate but Legitimate and Justifie whatever was done for the Promoting of them A pretence then which never any reflected a fowler Reproach upon Christs Holy Religion But I do not much wonder that they that can so palpably pervert the Truths of Christianity do sometimes make bold with the Honour of it too that they that can Out-face a plain Doctrine of the New Testament with a pretence of an Oral Tradition in other Cases go about to Justifie their Unchristian Doctrines and Practices with the like Artifice and Fraud in this But I should not be Just should I leave this Reproach only upon them there are Protestant-Jesuits it seems
Government and Persecution Lived in those Ages they would have known better what these things mean then to Asperse the Mildest Government and the most Gracious Prince and the greatest Favour that ever was shewed to Obstinate Ungovernable Men under the same Names now Were it Christian or Lawful to Wish Punishment to any Men I would only Wish this to these that they were but to Live abroad a while under the Kings and Government of any of our Neighbour-Nations I do not doubt but they would soon Learn as Heartily to Wish they were under their own again as now they have Cause would they Consider duly to Rejoyce and Bless God that they are so But I Urge no other Consideration now but the Reason of the Text which is the Honour and Credit of our Religion which so much depends upon this as hath been hinted the Reformation hath many sore Enemies and so have we too that watch greedily for any little thing to Asperse us with and Triumph at the appearance of any and know full well how to Magnifie Improve the least thing to our Dishonour It Concerns us therefore to be so much the more Careful to Defeat their Expectations to Adorn our Holy Profession by this Instance of Well-doing to such a Pitch that Envy may Burst it self for Rage at its Disappointment Let me beg Men to consider what a Religion they Profess one that is truly Christian in this Point What a Church they call themselves Members of a Church that hath always been Famous for Loyalty and once we know Martyr'd for it what a Shame then must it be for any of us to be Ungovernable and Disloyal Quarrelling with our Superiors and perking up against Government upon every little trifling Reason How certainly shall we hereby forfeit all the Blessings we can expect from our Religion and incur that Damnation that it Threatens to all that are Trayterous and High Minded Factious and Unruly and Movers of Sedition either in Church or State How much better were it to be Loyal and Faithful to our Prince Obedient and Subject to our Laws how much better were it for him how much more acacceptable unto God what a Service to our Religion and consequently to our Selves both at present and in the great Day when the Accounts of all Men must be made up and their Great and Eternal Fates Setled and Adjusted To this purpose there are Three or Four things which I would Recommend unto Men had I time First To Rid themselves of all those ill Opinions that are so naturally productive of Rebellion and Undutifulness to our Governours there are many of these Adopted even into the Creeds of most of those to whom these Discourses are most needful By these Men are fit and ready prepared for Rebellion whenever a Temptation is offer'd to them and I will never wonder if they imbrace it better is not to be expected from ' em It is possible a Man may believe very ill and yet live tolerably well and we see some Mens Hearts are better than their Heads but certainly such Men act upon mighty Disadvantages and in this truly upon such as are next to insuperable False Principles will influence Men's Practices especially in this Instance and they always may do so such Men are always under a Temptation but when Oppertunity and Interest Unite with Principle then the Temptation is Invincible We see that Interest alone is able to Debauch most Men's Consciences and doubtless hath made many Rebels who were otherwise well perswaded and inclined too but when a Man's Conscience I mean his Perswasion Joyns with Interest and warrants the Lawfulness of Rebellion as well as the other doth suggest the Expediency and Advantage of it there is nothing of good to be expected from such a Man if he do not actually Rebel it is only for want of Oppertunity or Strength to do so Secondly To take heed of all those things that lead to Rebellion and which I will call Practical Dispositions to it It is rarely seen that Men Jump into Treason and Rebellion on a sudden It is in this as it is in most great Instances of Vice the Mind starts and boggles at them at first but they are Trayned in by little steps and degrees and pass such Stages before they arrive to the confidence of ventring upon them It is certainly thus almost always in Cases of Rebellion and perhaps this may be one of the Reasons upon which it is compared to Witchcraft by the Prophet none commence Witches on a sudden but are Trayned into it by Art and intermedial Vices first the Feces of Envy and Malice and next the gratifying these in some defin'd Instances and then the using some strange and Antick Rites from which some extraordinary effects either do or are fancied to proceed from whence a belief of being able to doe any thing insinuates it self and at last the fatal Contract is Sealed and the poor Soul Commenceth Devil before its time Thus it is in the Methods of Rebellion first Men entertain Fears and Jealousies and their Minds are amused with Feigned Portents and lying Wonders which ill Men Interpret as they please then they keep Company with Turbulent and Discontented Persons and form themselves into Clubs and Cabals and hear their Governors Aspersed and Lessen'd and all the Stories that can be rallyed up of their Weakness or ill Conduct aggravated Then things appear amiss both in Church and State and Consults are held for the Redress of them Means are proposed and Debates are had and Men begin to think themselves Wise and great States-Men Fancy presently how bravely they could Govern and much better then those that do And then the bewitching thoughts of Honour and Grandure of Wealth and Greatness that would accrue to them were the present Governours removed Insinuate themselves and perhaps the way to this appears easie too And then the Man begins to appear in Publick and is seen in Riotous Tumults and Heads Factions against the Government and by that means is harden'd into more daring Actions and then finding himself cryed up for a Noble Patriot and Defendor of the Peoples Liberties Jumps into downright Treason and having drawn the Sword against his Prince throws away the Scabberd and resolves to finish his Traytorous Purpose or Die in it And doubtless many Men have arrived at this at last who little Thought of any such thing at their setting first out it is good therefore to take heed of the beginnings of Evil and to Fear Imbarking on that Sea from whence it is so very difficult to Return Thirdly To beware of entertaining Differences about Religion especially of entring our selves into any Society of Dissenters and those that Separate from the Established Religion among us How naturally Differences about Religion are productive of Disorders in the State and how strongly Faction in the Church disposeth Men to Rebellion against the Government hath been sadly Experienced by this poor Nation and