Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
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A67559
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Against resistance of lawful powers a sermon preached at White-Hall, Novemb. Vth, 1661 / by Seth Ward ...
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Ward, Seth, 1617-1689.
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1661
(1661)
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Wing W812; ESTC R10700
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22,608
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47
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heart to be tender of the rights of the Church as of the Apple of his Ey This is a Calumny insisted on generally by almost all our Adversaries but it is too rude and gross to be spoken to in this place Rather let us see whether the Sovereigns among all people Heathen Iews Christians have not claimed and exercised power in all Causes over all Persons as well Ecclesiastical as Civil 1. For Causes The New Testament sometimes divides the Gentiles into Greeks and Barbarians sometimes into wise and unwise according to which division the Romanes are I suppose reckoned under the Greeks from whence they were mostly extracted and with whom they contended in Civility Briefly 1. the Greeks 2. the Romanes 3. the Barbarous Nations did alwaies exercise such a power 1. Aristotle the greatest among the Greeks tells us that the first and principal Thing in a Common-Wealth is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And accordingly if we consult the Fragments which are left us of the Laws of the most antient Grecian Common-Wealths we shall finde nothing so frequent as the Ordinances concerning their Religion 2. Amongst the Romans Cicero the wisest saith that Religion is the Foundation of Humane Society as in truth it is To say nothing of the Ordinances of Numa the Ius Pontificium c. the Titles of the Twelve Tables are many of them concerning Religion 3. As for the Barbarous Nations I shall not multiply Testimonies nor go beyond the line of Scripture In the third of Daniel we finde an Edict of the King of Babylon enjoyning all People Languages and Tongues to commit Idolatry Verse 4 5. And by and by another Edict that no man should speak amiss of the God of Shadrach Mesech and Aâ—ednego Verse 29. In the sixth we finde Darius the Persian by the advise of his Council signing a Decree against petitioning for thirty days any God besides himself Verse 9. and shortly another that all men should tremble and fear before the God of Daniel Verse 26. In the third of Ionah the King of Nineveh and his Nobles proclaim a publick Fast. In the first of Ezra Cyrus puts forth an Edict to build the Temple at Hierusalem In the fourth Artaxerxes reverseth it In the sixth Darius re-inforceth it I suppose it is now evident that Greeks and Barbarians did exercise this power To think to elevate the force of these Instances because all these were Strangers from God and aliens from the Common-Wealth of Israel is to mistake the purpose for which they are alledged However it was not thus among the Kings of the Nations only but among the holiest and wisest of the Governours and Kings of Israel and Iudaea who for abolishing false Worship and ordaining the true are often highly commended by the Holy Ghost in the Scriptures The time would fail me to speak distinctly and particularly of the Ordinances concerning Religion which were made by Moses Ioshua David Solomon Asa Iehosaphat Hezekiah Manasses also and Iosiah concerning whom the Scripture gives these Characters Moses was the man of God Joshua the servant of the Lord. David a man after God's own heart There was none like unto Solomon Asa his heart was perfect with the Lord. The Lord was with Jehoshaphat Hezekiah did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. Manasseh was heard of God Josiah did that which was right and his Goodness was recorded Now the Acts of every one of these concerning the Worship of God and matters of Religion are recorded and applauded in the Scriptures For these all ordered and regulated Services and Sacraments and Covenants with God they erected Altars and Tabernacles and Temples and dedicated them to the Lord they destroyed Idolatry reformed abuses in God's Worship settled both the standing Worship of God and occasional Thanks-givings and Humiliations to omit other matters The whole Aaronical Ministery which consisted in Ceremonies and Sacrifices Typical and Carnal Ordinances was not ordered by the hand of Aaron but of Moses who was King in Iesurun The Tabernacle and Temple-service which beside the Mosaical Institutions consisted of Spiritual abiding Ordinances was instituted by David who being the sweet Singer of Israel and acquainted more then ever any man for ought appears with the ways and helps of lifting up the Heart to spiritual intercourse with God to that end appointed the use of Musick in the Church and without fear of stinting the Spirit he prescribed Set-forms of Praise and Prayers for the use of the Temple and ordered the Service for every day A Psalm consisting partly of the one hundred and fifth ninety sixth and one hundred and eighteenth he first delivered to Asaph and his Brethren at the reduction of the Ark from the house of Obed-Edom 1 Chron. xvi 7. And divers other Psalms were composed by him for the Service of the Church And what he had ordained Solomon put in practise In the fifth Chapter of the second Book of Chronicles we finde the pattern of the Service of this Time and Place the Sons of Asaph Heman and Ieduthun arrayed in white Linen with musical Instruments praising the Lord saying For he is good c. viz. reciting the one hundred and eighteenth Psalm and in token of God's acceptance a Cloud filled the house The one hundred thirty and sixth Psalm likewise was wont to be sung in Thanksgivings So we finde also Hezekiah and Iosiah praising the Lord in the words of David and Asaph Thus stood the matter under the Law the ordering of matters of Religion was not exempted from the Supreme Power Hezekiah varied from Moses his Law and was blameless Neither was it otherwise in the best and purest Times under the Gospel It had been but a slender invitation to the Emperours to become Christian if by submitting to Christianity they must lose so considerable a part of the Sovereign Power enjoyed by all their Predecessours and be thereby exposed inevitably to Seditions and Rebellions upon every Frantick eruption of religious Melancholie The Primitive Emperours understood themselves otherwise and so did the Christians under them I may not stand to recite the Annals of the Church If Constantine had not interposed for the composing of the Arrian Heresie what had become either of Government or Religion The drawing up of Canons for the regulation of Religion was by our LORD committed to the Apostles and their Successours the Bishops and other Ecclesiastical Persons but that these Canons should be enforced as Laws by temporal Penalties it was by the sanction of Civil Powers In the second Oecumenical Council the Fathers assembled at Constantinople beseech Theodosius the Elder to ratifie the Decrees of that Synod Thus we finde Iustinian establishing the Homo-Canonicon or Code of the Vniversal Church consisting of the Canons of the four first General and five antient Provincial Councils and commanding them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be kept as Laws Briefly
the expense of a Miracle Mat. xvii 27. He submitted himself to all the Powers that were over him to the Sanhedrim and their Delegates to Herod to Pontius Pilate he submitted himself to death by an unjust Sentence even to the bitter and accursed death upon the Cross Philip. ii 8. This was his Practise as for his Doctrine He taught men to render to Caesar the things that were Caesar's Mat. xxii 21. He acknowledged Pilate's power to be from above John xix 11. He rebuked Peter for smiting with the sword and told him that those that take the sword shall perish by the sword Mat. xxvi 52. He taught his Disciples to pray for them which should persecute them Mat. v. 44. And the utmost permission which he gave them was when they were persecuted in one city to fly unto another Matth. x. 23. 4. As for the Apostles They taught men to obey them that have the rule over them Hebr. xiii 17. to submit themselves to every Ordinance of man 1 Pet. ii 13. to do all things without murmuring or disputing Philip. ii 14. to pray for Kings and all that are in Authority 1 Tim. ii 2. Saint Peter hath told us that such as despise Dominion and speak evil of Dignities are in an especial manner reserved to â—udgment 1 Pet. ii 9 10. and Saint Paul in my Text that they shall receive Damnation This Doctrine they Sealed with their blood Saint Peter according to Ecclesiastical Tradition was crucified and Saint Paul beheaded Iames the son of Zebedeus slain with the sword c. Now as for the Powers to which all these Instructions and Behaviours did refer they were for Idolatry and Tyranny and Persecution Humani generis portenta If it be objected that All these submitted because they were not able to resist the Answer upon Christian Principles might be that He which restrained the Flames and stopped the mouths of â—ions could have given his servants power to resist that Christ could have prayed his Father who would have given him more then twelve Legions of Angels for his relief that the Apostles who wrought mighty signes and wonders could have rescued themselves had it not rather pleased the great Ordainer of Powers by their submission to ratifie and establish the Doctrine of Obedience 5. But the belief and practise of the Primitive Christians will satisfie this Objection even to common Sense and Reason The Instances in this kinde are infinite where Christians abounding in numbers being in Arms and abundantly able to make resistance have chosen with the expense of their lives to yield obedience to Idolaters persecuting them for their Religion I shall name but two Examples Tertullian tells the Emperour that his Cities Islands Castles Councils Armies Regiments and Companies the Palace the Senate the Courts of Iudicature were filled with Christians and yet they submitted to persecution And we read that the Thebaean Legion consisted of six thousand six hundred sixty and six persons every man Christian when they submitted to the Decimation of Maximinian for Religion I shall say no more to the first Pretense II. Now the second is like unto it alike prejudicial to Government alike false and scandalous to Religion An House or Kingdom divided cannot stand and God is not the Authour of Confusion but of Peace and that especially in Religion If none have this power to order matters of Religion there must be Confusion if any other beside the Supreme Magistrate there will be Division The inevitable Inconveniences of the exemption of religious Things and religious Persons from the power of the Magistrate are abundantly set forth by such as would improve them to the disadvantage of Religion And indeed to go about to deny or to diminish the dismal Consequences of such Pretenses were to endeavour to put out the eyes of all the men of Reason and Experience in the world My present Duty is to enquire what relation these Pretenses have to the Principles of Christianity and that First As to religious Causes Secondly As to Ecclesiastical Persons Thirdly As to holy or gifted Brethren as they style themselves Now in order to a resolution in these Enquiries I shall as a Lemma humbly propose one Observation It is this That whereas there are two things whereon all Political administration doth depend 1. Concerning the Rights and Bounds and Regulation of Sovereign Powers 2. Concerning the Duties and Obedience of Subjects we finde both Christ and the Apostles frequently labouring to settle in the Consciences of men that part which concerns Obedience but no where restraining or limiting or particularly regulating the Office of Sovereign Powers but leaving them to those general Rules which concern the Account and Duty of all men in their several stations and to the terms whereupon the Providence of God was wont to settle the Princes and Governours of the Worldâ— Let the rights of Caesar be what they will in reference to Tribute or other matters Christ will not determine them This he will those things which belong to Caesar according to Ius Gentium must be rendered to him He doth not examine Pilate's power in Case of Blasphemy or Treason but acknowledges it and submits He falls not upon sifting or examining the power of the Sanhedrim either their original power or the power left them by the Romans They sit in Moses Chair c. Whatsoever therefore they bid you do do it Matth. xxiii 2 3. And so likewise the Apostles they seem to be unconcerned as it were in the governing part of Civil Policy No word is found in all their Writings enquiring into the Rights of the Romane Emperours who were sovereign or limiting the Exercise of their Power Onely thus much they take for certain such as they were they were ordained of God And they spend all their labour in founding deeply and firmly establishing that other part which concerns Obedience From this Observation it will follow That whatever Things or Persons were not before the times of Christ and his Apostles exempt from the power of the Magistrate are not by the Foundations and Principles of Christianity exempted Non eripit mortalia qui regna dat coelestia And it will onely remain for us to enquire what was the maner of the Nations of the World and of God's peculiar people in reference to these Particulars before and at the Times of Christ and his Apostles To which if we shall add the practise of the best and most antient Christian Emperours I know not what more can be desired to clear the present Argument I suppose it needless to put in a Caution that while we speak of the Magistrate's power to order matters of Religion we do not entitle him to the Priest's Office the Spiritual Fuâ—ction or the Execution of it in preaching the Word administring the Sacraments exercising the power of Ordination or of the Keys c. Blessed be the Lord God of our Fathers who hath put it into our Sovereign's