of the Church to this purpose as the Kings of the Jews had a Copy of the Law so now our Kings the Book of holy Scriptures committed to them at their Inauguration That as the King of the Jews was Custos utriusque Tabulae the keeper of both the Tables so ours also Custos utriusque Testamenti the keeper of both the Testaments Secondly the Preserver of our Peace 2. The Preserver of our peace preventing by his Wisdome or suppressing by his Power all Insurrections at home and withstanding and repulsing all Invasions from abroad Ver. 23. Hence it is that in the 34 of Ezech. the King is called the Shepheard of his people the Shepheard as pascere to Feed them regere to Guide them so tueri too to defend them to defend one from the other and all from the Wolfe Ver. 20. one from another the Leane from the Fat the poore from his Oppressor and all from the Wolfe the Wolfe the Enemy without the Fold the Enemy without the Kingdome In that 1 Tim. 2.2 we are commanded to pray for Kings Why that we may live Heremon kai ' Esuchion Bion a peaceable and quiet Life Heremon Bion a peaceable Life free from Civill Dissentions and ' Esuchion too a quiet Life safe from Forraigne Invasions This then is the King also ad nos to us the preserver of our peace 3. The Protector of our Laws as the Sunne is the Fountaine of Light The protector of our Laws so the King the Fountaine of Justice the Magistrates in the State like the Starres in the Heavens the Starres borrow their lustre of Light from the Sunne and the Magistrates their power of Justice from the King the Rule of which Justice are the Laws So that if any Magistrates shall violate the Laws they eclipse the Kings Justice and cast dishonour upon his Throne Which Indignity to revenge he hath the Sword committed to him by God and is appointed Vindex malorum Rom. 13.4 to take vengeance on them that do evill and this protection of our Laws is the preservation of our peace and defence of Religion the glory of both This then is the King ad nos to us the Defendor of the Faith and to that end especially he hath Huperochen his Excellency the preserver of our peace and to that end especially he hath ' Exousian Power the Protector of our Laws and to that end especially he hath ' Archen Principality or Governement or put them altogether as in good Kings they are ne're asunder he hath Excellency Power Principality for the Defence of the Faith the preservation of the Peace and the protection of the Laws of his Kingdom That the King is in se in himselfe this he is ad nos to us Now on our part is due to the King a full maintenance of his Royall Estate a full Maintenance is due non donum sed debitum not a Gift but a Debt For this cause pay you Tribute also so Saint Paul Rom. 13.6 from which Tribute Aquinas Comment in Rom. 13. though Aquinas will have the Clergy exempted ex privilegio Principum by the priviledge granted them from Princes for indeed no Man can remit a Debt but he to whom the debt is owing yet he confesseth it hath equitatem quidem Naturalem truely a Naturall Equity for it is Equity indeed if we will have our Faith defended our Peace preserved and our Laws protected that then the Excellency Power and Principality of the King should be maintained To see a Man stand bare headed we account an ordinary and usuall Signe of Subjection and what is it think we then to see a State bare headed the Prince who is the head kept bare not onely denuded of his power and Aurhority but also of his meanes and maintenance But what is the Subject excluded may not he stand up in the defence of the Faith the preservation of the peace and the protection of the Laws Yes rise up he may but with his King not against him for against him there is no rising up But what if the King neglects nay seduced by his evill Councellors opposeth the sincerity and truth of Religion may not the Subject then stand upon Religions guard and Defend the Faith even against the King himselfe Judg. 6. v. 31. Here I might answer as Joash did Let Baal pleade for himselfe let wicked Kings Patronize their owne Cause Thanks be to God we have no cause to complaine of our Kings wickednesse but of our own and so need not I pleade for evill Kings since God hath given us so good and gracious a King But because this is that which many pretend to countenance their unlawfull Armes I Answer That in case a King neglects nay seduced by evill Councellors opposeth the sincerity and truth of Religion the Subjects may not rise up against the King Vi Armis with Force and Arms but Precibus Lachrymis with Prayers and Teares the Weapons with which the ancient Christians overcame the cruelty of their Persecutors according to that of Saint Bernard Bernard Epist 221. Stabimas pugnahimus usque ad mortem si ita oportuerit We will stand to it and fight even unto Death if need be But how why heare the Father non scutis Gladiis not with Shields and Swords sed precibus fletibus ad Deum with Prayers and Teares unto God The Subject then may defend by Petition to the King and Prayers for the King By Petition I say to the King yet not as Caesars Captaine Petitioned the Roman Senate as Plutarch Relates it with his Hand upon the Pummell of his Sword that if they would not grant it that should give it And in case the King will not Grant not Reade not Receive a Petition then Vince serendo ouercome by suffering And if it be the Truth of the Gospell a Man stands for so that the goodnesse of the Cause will beare him out he must not refuse to undergoe goe Death it selfe and so obtaine a Crowne of Martyrdome to be a Martyr himselfe by Christian Patience not Martyr the State by Civill dissentions King Solomon was chosen by God to build the Temple because he was a King of Peace 1 Cron. 2. Sure then Beloved whatsoever Men may pretend God hath not chosen them to reforme the Church who are Men of War yea War against their King against a Solomon too War against a King of Peace To raise a Civill War is certainely to exalt Satans Kingdome and not Gods or the King every where as too sad experience tells us to settle vile Profanation no where to settle true Religion And if Petitions to the King will not prevaile we must use Prayers to God for Solomon tells us The Kings heart is in the hand of the Lord not in the power of the People and he turneth it whethersoever he will He can move evill Princes to good in mercy to his People as he did Belshazzar and Darius as
in doing the evill they Command so nor may we rise up against them when they Command that which is evill And this is the Summe of Gods Truth and the Saints Practise in this case of Subjection to wicked Kings This to remove Prejudice and Misunderstanding now ad Rem 1. No Cause can justifie the Subjects taking up Arms against their King 1. No cause can justifie arms against the King We must know Satan deceives not more than when an Angell of Light and Rebellion prevailes not more than when it's pretence is Religion and Justice See that one Example of Absolon 2 Sam. 15. He steales away the Hearts of the People and how that Vers 6. First he possesseth them with an evill opinion of the King Vers 3. that he neglects the execution of Justice and then insinuates into them Vers 4. That if he were made Judge in the Land not yet seeming to ayme at the Crown he onely desires to be made a Judge in the Land them the times should be better If any Man had any suite or cause if he came unto him he would doe him Justice Vers 5. c. And then condescended to a winning Affability with the People he raiseth a most unnaturall Rebellion which he colours over not onely with the faire Pretence of executing Justice but also of preserving Religion and therefore he offers Sacrifice before the People And the better to countenance his Rebellion he makes use of Achitophell the great Councellor and others of the Nobles of Israel And if we look upon King David he good Man is put to as great straits as King Charles He is driven from the great City Jerusalem he is forc't to fly a farre off and glad that he can be furnisht with provision at Mahanaim at the bounty of his better Subjects And being at this distance he Assembles what Forces he can rayse and sends them out to suppresse the Rebellion of Absolon who as he brought upon the Kingdome the misery of a Civill War so upon himselfe the confusion of an unnaturall Sonne and a Rebellious Subject Here let me say to King Charles what Cushi said to King David since their case is not much unlike when he brought the News of the Victory 2 Sam. 18.32 Let the Enemies of my Lord the King and all that rise up to doe thee hurt be as that young Man is But that a pretended Cause how specious soever should justifie Arms against the King no Man will beleive Therefore I must goe a great way farther and draw the Cord much longer and make it appeare that no Cause how just soever truely and indeed can justifie the Subjects taking up Arms against their Soveraigne What cause more Religious than that of Religion What cause more Just than that of Justice it selfe Yet neither for the Profession of Religion nor for the execution of Justice may Subjects take up Arms against their King This is evident Ashur is the Rod of Gods anger yet must Israel be subject Nebuchadnezzar his scourge yet must Judah submit and be so farre from raising Arms against him that they must pray for his Peace Jer. 29.7 In that 1 Tim. 2.1 Prayers are commanded to be made for Governours who were they not Christians but Heathens In that 1 Pet. 2.13 Honour the King Who was that Constantine the good No but Nero the Cruell And sure where God Commands Prayers to be made for Kings Horour and Obedience to be given to Kings he takes away taking up Arms against Kings though such as Nebuchadnezzar such as Nero Idolatrous and Cruell Blessed are they saith our Saviour who suffer persecution for Righteousnesse sake for their's is the Kingdome of Heaven Math. 5.10 not Blessed are they who rayse Rebellion for Righteousnesse sake that theirs may be the Kingdomes of the Earth And againe Vers 44. Love your Enemies blesse them that curse you and pray for them which despightfully use you and persecute you and the reason is ut Filii sitis That ye may be the Children the Children of whom Filii hujus seculi Children of this World no Flesh and Blood cannot endure this they are for another Way a Way of Opposition a Way of Rebellion but Filii Patris vestri qui est in Caelis the Children of your Father which is in Heaven If then to love our Enemies to Blesse them that Curse us to doe good to them that here us and to Pray for them who despightfully use us and persecute us be Godly Spirituall and Heavenly then to have bitter Envyings and Strifes in the Heart to rayse Civill Dissention and Division in the State is Earthly Sensuall and Divellish as S. James speaks ch 3. v. 15. S. Peter in 1 Ep. c. 2. v. 18. He admonisheth Servants to be subject to their Masters with all Feare not only to the Good and Gentle Alla kai tois skoliois but also to the Froward so our English pravis the wicked so Beza duris hard or cruell so Tremelius And if Servants must obey wicked and cruell Masters then must Subjects obey Wicked and Cruell Kings for the same relation that the Servant hath to his Master the same hath the Subject to his King And Beza's note here concerning the Servant may not unfitly be applyed to the Subject That though his condition seem in this case very grievous yet his subjection shall be so much the more accoptable to God si voluntas ipsius plus valeat quam Dominorum injuriae If the good pleasure of his will more prevaile with them than the injury's of their Lords Again in Rom. 12.19 Dearely beloved saith Saint Paul avenge not your selves If we may not avenge our selves upon our Equalls much lesse upon our Superiours and least of all that is not at all on him who is Supreame Comment in locum Ergo affligemur inulti shall we then be tyrannized over without Revenge Musculus makes the Objection and gives the answer adjecta est saith he hujus gratia assertio illa ego rependam For this cause is that Assertion added I will repay saith the Lord and a fearefull thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God Heb. 10 11. and ideo horribilius Regibus therefore the more fearefull for Kings because they have him alone to be their Judge and quid credimus judicem illum si non ultorem as Tertullian speaks Wherefore doe we beleive him a Judge if not a Revenger As for Kings then God will punish them Autocheir with his own hand which David knew well when he answered Abishai moving yea inciting him to slay Saul or suffer Saul to be slaine with a Deus percusserit God shall smite him but as for himselfe he would not stretch out his hand against him 1 Sam. 2.6.10.11 I could heape up Texts of Scripture to confirme this Truth but this one sentence of my Text may suffice where we have it propriis terminis a thing now a dayes so
so contempt of the King Gods Vicegerent is contempt of God who ordained the King For in the chain of order one linke still depends upon the other Saint Basils advice then is good That we give Honour Tois men calois hws tw thew tois de cacois dia ton theon to godly Kings as to God to wicked Kings for God Though Kings themselves then be evill yet must we reverence Gods Ordinance and not resist but suffer their Commands to be fulfilled either a nobis or de nobis a nobis in Active obedience if lawfull de nobis in Passive if unlawfull we must take up not a Sword of resistance but a Buckler of patience and if occasion be we must maintaine Truth and Justice morte rather than marte by suffering rather than by resisting For qui insurgit in Christum Domini insurgit in Dominum Christi He that riseth up against the Anoynted of the Lord riseth up against the Lord of the Anoynted Monarchomachoi are theomachoi fighters against the Kings are fighters against God Therefore howsoever we respect the Royall Person as Man we must Honour Feare and Obey him as King For therefore are Kings called Gods as Brentius well upon Joh. 10. non quod natura sint Dii sed quod officium eorum ordinatio sit divina Not because they are Gods by Nature but because their Kingly Office is Gods Divine Ordinance Since the King then is per Deum by God we must Honour Feare and Obey him propter Deum for God which is the Charecter of a good Christian as well as a good Subject who doth arcessere rivum fidelitatis a fonte pietatis draw the streame of Loyalty from the Fountaine of Piety and where Loyalty is the Daughter of Religion like Naomi and Ruth they are inseparable When Saul was made King though the Sonnes of Belial did despise him yet they whose hearts God had touched say the Scriptures 1 Sam. 10.26 they followed after him They did not then look upon him as the Son of Kish but as the King of Israel as after David looked upon him not as his Persecutor but as his Soveraigne and therefore though cruell and impious yet did he Honour him propter Deum as the Lords Anoynted And thus have I done with the first word Rex a King having shown you 1 Quid what a King is 2. Per quem by whom he is King Quid in se what a King is in himselfe Huperoche ' Exousia ' Arche Excellency Power and Principality which require of us Honour Feare and Obedience Quid ad nos what he is to us the defender of our Faith the preserver of our Peace and the protector of our Laws which require of us a full maintenance of his Royall Estate This for the quid 2. The per quem answered with a per me where non vox hominum sonat it is not the voyce of Man but of God by him Kings Reigne who looseth the bond of Kings and guirdeth their loynes with a girdle Job 12.18 This the Summe of what hath been delivered I should now speak of that which followes against whom there is no rising up But of these Words when opportunity shall be offered Give me leave to adde a word or two which shall neither be propter nor ultra tempus beside or beyond the Time Beloved Elijahs small Cloud hath now overspread the whole face of the Heavens with a Storme The not long since Tumults have overspread the whole Kingdom with a Civill War and we must now know Stormes come not but by Vapors so that if the Storme of Gods Judgements fall down upon us the Vapours of our filthy Sinnes have first ascended take away the Vapors the Storme will cease take away our Sinnes Gods Judgements will be removed We attribute the continuance and encrease of our miseries to the raging malice of the Adversary who like Jehu drives furiou ly and what conditions of peace are offered yea what Articles concluded he casts them behinde his back But indeed we ought to look within our selves and if we desire peace with Men we must first make our peace with God and having made our peace with him we need not feare the Enmity of Man God shall be to us what he was to David Ps 62. our Rocke and our Salvation our Defence our Refuge and our Glory And if he be our Rock what Storme shall shake us if our Salvation what trouble shall deject us if our Defence what Weapon shal Wound us if our Refuge what Enemy shall pursue us if our Glory what Tongue shall disgrace us Feare we not then the power or violence of the Adversary feare we not his great strength It is a remarkeable passage which History relates concerning Phocas who when he had slaine his Master the Emperour Mauritius he strengthened himselfe with strong forces fortified himself about with strong Walls and when he thought himselfe secure from the Enemy without he heard a voyce in the Night saying to him The Enemy that is within that shall destroy thee meaning his rebellious sin the Application is easie We may blessed be God say with holy David Ps 21.2 In virtute tua Domine The King shall rejoyce in thy strength O Lord exceeding glad shall he be of thy Salvation The King shall rejoyce in thy Strength not in the strength and number of his people not in the valour and prowesse of his Captains but Virtute tua Domine in the might of the Almighty for that is Virtus ad Salutem that Strength brings Salvation in which Salvation great shall be our Kings Joy great shall be his Glory and his Honours v. 5. Now Regis ad exemplum let not us place our Strength in an Arme of Flesh which like Jeroboams hand shall suddenly wither and bring inevitable ruine upon us but let us rely upon the Arms of the Almighty which are Everlasting Deut. 33.27 strecht out to all Eternity as for the Defence of his Anoynted so for the Safety of all those who repose their whole trust and Confidence in him Let others thinke Force of Arms whereby they offend God no lesse than their King the way to reforme and repaire all my advice to you is that if you desire the Times should mend you would first mend your selves and to that end in unfaigned humiliation betake your selves to God with Prayers and Tears least your Darkenesse be without Light your Judgement without any Beams of Mercy Sue to God for a Treaty of Peace for your Soules first and then for the Kingdom sending forth Legationem Lachrymarum as Gregory calls the weeping of a Penitent an Embassage of Teares to which God will assuredly give a gracious audience Now that our State like Noahs Ark is tossed upon the waters of Civil Dissentions send out the Dove of humble Prayer and though it return into your bosomes as the Dove into the Ark empty yet send it out again and at length it wil bring in the Olive Branch