under to preserve and chearfully to give to all their Dues in respect of Love Honour Fear Tribute Custom c. God is to have the things which are God's Princes the things which are theirs and all Men as well those that are not Christians as those that are must have that Love and Honour which is their Due even from the Servants of Christ Thus then we approach the Text which calls upon us to Honour all Men Love the Brotherhood to Fear God and to Honour the King In which Directions is briefly contained the whole duty of a Christian Man As 1. His Duty in general to Mankind Honour all Men. 2. His particular Duty to the Church of God Love the Brotherhood 3. His special Duty to Almighty God Fear God 4. His Obedience to the Higher Powers Honour the King In opening these Words we shall consider the genuine import of them 1. Honour all Men. 1. The Word Honour here according to the Greek may be understood thus Esteem all Men highly value all Men at an high Price or count them precious And hence Tremelius reads the place Omnem Hominem in Honore habite have all Men in high Esteem or Honour And in this Direction is implied that lowly and gracious Spirit that friendly and amicable Temper which all Christians should have and evidence towards Mankind for he that is not of a lowly Spirit cannot Honour all Men. 2. By All Men we must not here admit of the exception of any Man as such but forasmuch as they are all the Off-spring of God it is the Will of God that a due esteem be given to them all as the most noble part of his Creation under the Sun And but a little lower than the Angels Psal 8. 2. Love the Brotherhood By Love here we may safely understand a more special kind of Love than that which we owe to all Men which is well expressed in the 2 Epist of John Whom I love in the Truth for the Truths sake which dwelleth in us Hence some of our Translators render the Words thus Love Brotherly Fellowship And the Rhemists tells us that This Speech often commendeth the Vnity of all Christians among themselves 3. Fear God The Original imports an awful dread or such a Fear as causeth Trembling and 't is the same Word used Mat. 10. 28. where it is evident such a Fear is intended But rather fear him which is able to destroy both Soul and Body in Hell By the Fear of God therefore in this place we must understand the dutiful Observance of his revealed Will for so the Fear of God is sometimes taken as ever we expect to see his Face with Comfort and here the Fear of Man is excluded because it brings a Snare Prov. 29. 25. and is a fatal prevention to the Service of God 4. Honour the King 1. The Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 does not barely signify Honour or Esteem in this place but a magnificent or splendid kind of Honour for so hath the Lord ordained for his Vicegerents giving them the Title of Gods in Psal 82. 6. 2. It is carefully to be considered what King is immediately meant in our Text he could be no King of Israel for the Kings of Israel had failed long before this Epistle was written and tho Christ was born King of the Jews yet he did not enter upon his Regality with respect to the Government of that nor any other Nation but plainly tells us His Kingdom is not of this World Nor did the Apostle speak of any Christian King for as yet None of the Princes of this World knew Christ 1 Cor. 2. 8. The King therefore here immediately intended was an Heathen King the King of the Romans who at that time as Historians relate was both of very wicked Life and Idolatrous in his Religion calling himself Pontifex Maximus as being chief about the Worship of Jupiter And yet S. Peter will have him honoured even by those who had put themselves under the Yoak of Christ their Heavenly King And St. Paul expresly requires the same Rom. 13. 1. Wherefore from the Text thus explained we should learn these four things I. That Christians must by no means be of an haughty scornful nor wrathful Spirit towards any Man but of an humble and gentle Behaviour to pay the Debt of Honour to all and to esteem them precious II. Brotherly Fellowship Love and Concord are to be sought for and maintained by all Christians one with another as such III. Christians must have an awful Fear of God before their Eyes that in Matters of Religion they may serve him only and not provoke him by sinful Courses nor by the Fear of Man IV. Christians are bound by Gospel-Rules to be good Subjects to Princes to honour their Persons and conscienciously to obey their Authority These Propositions do harmonize with the Doctrine which is according to Godliness For the First That Christians must by no means as they tender their claim to the venerable Title of Christian and to any part in the Kingdom of Christ be of an haughty scornful or wrathful Spirit against any Man is a Doctrine needful to be proclaimed by an heavenly Herald by the Voice of an Archangel even to that part of the World called Christendom For who can sufficiently bewail the almost utter Absence of this gracious Spirit which abounded in the Author and first Professors of Christianity and the undeniable Appearance of a Spirit of a quite contrary nature at this day in all parts of the World where Christ is named From whence come Wars and Fightings Come they not hence even from Pride as it is written Prov. 13. 10. Only by Pride cometh Contention What greater Injuries Indignities and Dishonours can be offered by Mortals one towards another than are amongst the several Orders professing Christianity yea very often by Men of the same Order one towards another So very far are the generality of Christians from obeying the Voice of our Text. And look how far they are gone from the Spirit of Humility and Tenderness which leads all that have it to esteem Mankind very precious so far they have lost the Christian Religion as will appear in proving the first Proposition To which purpose 1. We shall give precendency to our Lord Christ who perceiving an haughty Spirit peeping forth in his chosen Disciples even then whilst the very Mirror of Meekness and Humility was before their Eyes does solemnly denounce unto them and in them to all Christians that except they were converted and became as little Children they should by no means enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Luke 18. 15. And therewithal gives notice of a Wo impending or coming upon the World from that Spirit of Pride and Ambition in this so early an appearance of it which yet notwithstanding seems to have over-run the Church in all Ages to the Scandal of Religion But would so small a Fault in the chosen Disciples as it may seem in
must be obeyed in Things religious tho the Princes of the Earth say Nay And to this agrees the holy Psalmist Psal 119. 23. Princes sate and spake against me that is they sat on the Throne and dereed Things against him But thy Servant did meditate in thy Statutes He would not depart from the Ways of God tho he was persecuted Psal 119. 161. Princes perfecuted me without a cause but my Heart standeth in awe of thy Word But here it may be fit to obviate an Objection It will be said Tho it is true that all that fear God are bound thus to obey God and not Man in Matters of Religion and to suffer patiently rather than to sin yet whether in Things indifferent which are neither commanded nor forbidden if Princes here make ufe of their Authority Christians are not bound to obey actively As for Example about the Place of Worship c. To this it may be answered Seeing God has forbidden no Place if that were all the Business he were a mad Man that would not actually obey and consequently he is bound to obey Authority in every Case that is like it as thus It is a Duty for a Nation in a time of common Calamity to humble themselves by Fasting and Prayer and doubtless 't is best this be done at the same time and none so fit to order this as the Magistrate If therefore Authority command the tenth twentieth or thirtieth Day of such a Month for such a Service I doubt not but he should be guilty of Sin that should in this refuse such Time meerly because it is appointed by the Magistrate's Authority And if there be an hundred Cases of this kind the same Answer must be given in them all for ought I see or else under pretence of fearing God we shall dishonour the King which is a Sin of an high Nature Tho Christians be Subjects to Princes yet Princes are Subjects to God and in the Sphere where God has set them can do nothing more pleasing to him than to promote the Interest of Religion by discountenancing Prophaneness and Irreligion and by giving Encouragement to the Lovers of it But then as they are Subjects to Christ they are Fellow-Servants with their Subjects yea the Angels think not themselves too high to be called so Rev. 19. 10. and therefore must with their Subjects be obedient to one Lawgiver even Jesus and not assume Power to make Laws for the Consciences of Men in Religion nor to force them to go beyond their Knowledg and Faith in Things of that kind seeing what is not of Faith is Sin and we must every one give an Account of himself unto God 5. The last Particular I shall insist upon as necessary to the true Fear of God is to avoid Covetousness and Worldly-mindedness Covetousness is said to be Idolatry And he that is a covetous Person makes little further use of Religion than to be a Cloak for his Iniquity he fears not God he serves not the Lord Christ but his own Belly for this he preaches for this he prays and without this he will do neither These are the Men that make Merchandize of the Word of God supposing as the Apostle saith that Gain is Godliness I meet with a notable Passage in our English Chronicles in the sixth Century 't is said The Clergy of Britain set all their Mind to serve God and not the World the Heart and not the Belly Wherefore then were they had in great Reverence and Honour But as they encreased in earthly Treasure so they decreased in heavenly Treasure Fab. Chron. 5 part cap. 134. Let all that fear God beware of this evil Disease especially such as are Ministers of Christ No Man can serve two Masters ye cannot serve God and Mammon saith our Saviour Mat. 6. 24. Thus much of the Fear of God let us now consider the Debt which we owe to our King Honour the King Altho by the Order of our Text we are to speak of this weighty Subject in the last place yet it is not the least part of our Duty For as the ancient Christians were wont to speak so it remains an eternal Truth That as God is above the Emperor so none other is above the Emperor but God And consequently our Duty next to Almighty God is to our Prince as we see here in our Text the Honour of the King is provided for next to the Fear of God We have already shewed in the opening of the Words that the King here meant or immediately spoken of was an Heathen King and a great Idolater in his Religion and yet the Holy-Ghost does here oblige all Christians even of the highest Rank to honour such Kings Peter himself and consequently all his Successors not excepted for indeed he had learned this Obedience of one higher than himself even Jesus Christ and therefore must needs recommend the same to all Christians And hence the Doctrine is Doct. IV. All Christians are bound by Gospel-Rules to be good Subjects to Princes to honour their Persons and conscienciously to obey their Authority 1. To evince this great Truth it may be needful to shew That Kingly Power or Government is of God Not in the Sence prophanely objected by some Writers wherein Plagues Diseases and Punishments are of God for the Apostle Paul doth expresly contradict such an ungodly Exposition Rom. 15. 1 c. wherein he avers even of the same Kingly Power spoken of by Peter That it was ordained of God that the Magistrate was God's Minister to the Christian Man as well as any other for Good to execute Wrath upon him that does Evil. Which Word Minister refers evidently to him that bears the Sword of Justice and not to the Power only which yet he affirms to be of God and confirms it by this Argument For there is no Power but of God the Powers that be are ordained of God And this is the only comfortable Ground of Obedience to the higher Powers to be well satisfied in this that whether it fall out our Obedience shall be active or passive yet therein we conform our selves to the Will of God or to his Ordinance And he that shall resist the Power does resist the Ordinance of God 2. That Kingly Government is of God as clearly if not more clearly than any other Form of Government is very plain from the Text it self considered with the Context vers 13 14. Submit your selves to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake whether it be to the King as supreme or unto Governours as unto them that are sent by him c. Where Supremacy over all Persons in Things Civil is so clearly given to the King by God himself even over Governours as well as the People governed that it must in no wise be denied 3. If it be objected that tho the Power Magistratical be of God yet the Form or Mode of it is of Man because according to the Greek 1 Pet. 2. 13. may be read
of the Commission given to Ezra by Artaxerxes that these Things are evident 1. That the King did not himself embrace the Religion of the Jewish Nation but retained still his former Religion for tho he did fear the God of Israel yet he never calls him his God but the God of Heaven and the God of Ezra c. 2. That God had by a special Providence and Motion from himself disposed the Heart of the King of Persia to give free Liberty to the Jews which were Captives in his Dominions to go forth to serve their God vers 13. I make a Decree that all they of the People of Israel and of his Priests and Levites in my Realm which are minded of their own free Will to go up to Jerusalem to go with thee to do whatsoever shall seem good to them after the Will of your God 3. The King does not only give a present Supply to Ezra as a Free-Will-Offering to the God of Israel vers 15. but also provides for his necessary Supply for the future out of the King's Treasury vers 20. 4. The King fearing the Displeasure of the God of Israel against himself and his Sons does require Ezra that whatsoever was required by the God of Heaven should be diligently done 5. The King also empowers Ezra to set Magistrates and Judges over the People and in so doing gave Ezra a Magistratical Power or made him a Magistrate and so gives Order that whosoever would not be obedient to him should be punished vers 25 26. This is the Sum of the Commission given to Ezra by the King of Persia In all which nothing appears that any of his Subjects should be compelled to alter their Religion nor be forced to be all of one Religion But a free Liberty is given to the Jews as well as to others to serve their God according to his Law and a Restraint laid upon them that would hinder them And Ezra is empowered indeed to punish those that were under the Law of Moses according to that Law if they would not do it and such as withstood his Authority as a Magistrate which he received from the King were to be punished by the Law of the King of Persia who had the Power of Life and Death in his hand which the Jewish Nation had not at this time 6. We may learn hence that it is indeed a blessed Thing for all Kings to fear the God of Heaven and to advance the Interest of Religion in their Dominions and it is as evident that Religion must always be setled according to the Law of God with the greatest Care that may be and none punished for keeping the Law of God but for breaking the Law of God and the Law of the King which did concur with the Law of God Here were great Punishments assigned and yet not to be insisted on too rashly in the Times of the Gospel nor in Cases purely Evangelical or of the Christian Religion as it is dignified above the Principles of common Reason and Morality In these Cases I cannot see how it should be in the power of Magistrates to compell any against their Will seeing it's God not Man that makes Christians Ephes 2. 10. We are his Workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good Works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them And God gives none the Privileges of his Children until they be his Children nor are they his Children till they be born not of Blood nor of Flesh nor of the Will of Man but of God John 1. 12 13. 7. Nor must we deny but acknowledg that God's Vicegerents are authorized by the Almighty to be Keepers of both Tables so as to defend his Sovereignty and to encourage true Religion against Atheists and Idolaters that worship a Creature instead of the Creator for so it is written Job 31. 26 27 28. If I beheld the Sun when it shined or the Moon walking in Brightness and my Heart hath been secretly enticed or my Mouth hath kissed my Hand this also were an Iniquity to be punished by the Judge for I should have denied God that is above Now let us write or desire the Lord to write the Words of our Text in our Hearts Honour all Men Love the Brotherhood Fear God Honour the King Surely that Christian that shall make it his Business to do these things heartily shall be acceptable to God and approved of Men there shall be no occasion of stumbling in him But if Christians be too busy to inspect Matters of State or to meddle with those that contrive or project any thing to the disturbance and subversion of the Government in the Kingdoms where they live they shall never be able to recommend their Religion be it never so good in it self to the acceptance of their Governors nor to obtain from them to be Nursing-Fathers to it but shall certainly expose themselves to the Displeasure of God as well as to the Wrath of Princes And God himself will vindicate the Honour of his Ordinance of Worldly Government against all that despise it as well as against all that abuse their Power in it for there is no Respect of Persons with God Rom. 2. 11. Let me therefore exhort you my Brethren as you know it has been my manner these thirty Years to follow Peace with all Men and Holiness to study to be quiet and especially in troublesom Times to fear the Lord and the King and meddle not with them that are given to change Prov. 24. 21. Many have undone themselves by itching after Changes in Worldly Government God only knows what is best for you and for the Nation They that are weary of this are soon weary of that few know what they would have and who is able to devise any thing that will please all Humors and suit all Interests Bless God for your Prince and for the Peace you have enjoyed under him and pray for him and for all that are in Authority that under them if the Will of God be so you may lead quiet and peaceable Lives in all Godliness and Honesty They that will not pray for all that are in Authority do not fear God for they contemn his Word 1 Tim. 2. 1. They do not love and so they cannot honour the King You are at present under Sufferings for the consciencious performance of what you believe to be your Duty towards God in Matters of Religion humble your selves under the mighty Hand of God and suffer patiently what Trials it shall please God to exercise you under that as our Apostle hath it 1 Pet. 1. 7. the Trial of your Faith being much more precious than that of Gold that perisheth tho it be tried with Fire might be found unto Praise and Honour and Glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ I say no more the Lord direct you AMEN NOW if it shall please God to bring this faithful tho unpolished Discourse to his Majesties Royal Hand I do hereby
given to Swearing Lying Drunkenness and lascivious Talking as God knows a great Number of the Members of the Church of England are known to be such your Discipline seems to have no power in such Cases for thus saith one of your own Ministers Who minds Canon 109 that prohibits common Swearers common Drunkards notorious Whoremasters and Whores c. from the blessed Sacrament of the Lord's Supper Do not even Bishops hear Men swear a thousand Oaths and either do not or dare not use any Discipline against them But now if a good Man do not stand up and bow to the Altar at the Name of Jesus when the Creed is read because he dares not pay greater Reverence in a religious way to any Writing than he pays to the holy Scriptures If he dares not use the Sign of the Cross in Baptism nor sprinkle his Child c. then shall he be prosecuted as a great Sinner cast to the Devil and laid in Prison yea he is sentenced already For in Canon 6. thus we read Whosoever shall affirm that the Rites and Ceremonies of the Church of England are superstitious or such as Men who are zealously and godlily affected may not with any good Conscience approve them use them or as Occasion requireth subscribe unto them let him be excommunicated ipso facto and not restored until he repent and publickly revoke such his wicked Errors 4. Thus as we conceive the Discipline of Righteousness Mercy and Charity established by Christ is laid aside and a Mercenary Court set up holding the Traditions of Men instead of Christ's Institutions in Ecclesiastical Government who also live voluptuously upon the Sins of the People But as for the Reformation of evil Manners or the making Peace and Concord alas it is not sought for nor indeed expected from these Courts And as the Reverend Grosthead said at Rome when he saw all things ruled by Money so may I say of the Courts under consideration O Money Money what wilt thou not do there As for the opprobrious Language prohibited by the Canon we think it uncomely for any to use it tho we dissent from the Ceremonies themselves SECT IV. Concerning Imposing of Ceremonies 1. ALL Divine Ceremonies ordained by Christ or his Apostles we reverence and religiously observe and keep as they were delivered 2. That any Church since their days hath just power to make and ordain Divine Ceremonies to be any necessary parts of the Worship of God we see no ground to believe much less that such Ceremonies may lawfully be imposed under pain of Excommunication Banishment Imprisonment Loss of Estate and Life For tho it is certain God has given power to the Rulers of the World to make change or disannual Laws in point of Civil Government yet we believe all the Power on Earth cannot make one Institute or Divine Ceremony in Religion And therefore we cannot but think the Church of England erred from the Rule of Righteousness in decreeing Rites and Ceremonies which God has not commanded 3. For when we see how sharply fome were reprehended by St. Paul for bringing the Christian Churches in Galatia under some Legal Ceremonies which once had a divine Original and Use in the Church of God as Invaders of the Liberty wherewith Christ had made them free averring also That if they were subject to them Christ should profit them nothing Gal. 5. 1 2. We can see no ground to free the Protestants from Sin who either take up Scriptureless Ceremonies from the Papists or invent Ceremonies themselves but least of all when they force Men will they nill they to conform to such Ceremonies or else to be ejected and delivered up to Satan And surely it was very unreasonable for her Bishops to consent to a Law that pious Men only dissenting in these things from the Church of England should be banished or else hanged as Felons without Benefit of the Clergy And we humbly desire that the Severity of that Law may be considered and mitigated 4. But if it shall be said That the Ceremonies of the Church of England as the Sprinkling of Infants the Sign of the Cross in Baptism bowing to the Altar to name no more at present are not sinful then how shall we be ever able to reprove a Papist for using holy Water bowing to the Image of Christ c. Certainly if we must submit to the Ceremonies of the Church of England in her present Constitution we must submit to theirs too where they have power on their side to enforce them But he that shall impartially consider what a learned Protestant hath said of the Sinfulness of that one Ceremony of the Sign of the Cross in Baptism in his Book entituled Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies will see great cause to avoid touching with any such Inventions however they may be supposed to have had an harmless Use among Christians at the first But who sees not that when such Ceremonies have got the Reputation of Religion upon them and are forced on by humane Laws what incredible Miseries they have brought upon the Christian World How have they lorded it over Kings and Kingdoms over the Estates Liberties and Lives of Christians Who sees not that being thus set up they are sometimes more set by than sincere Faith and an holy Life as if all true Religion and Loyalty too were only to be judged of according to Mens Submission to those Humane Innovations For it is notorious even in this our Land that let a Man but conform to all the Ceremonies he shall live honourably let his Life be never so debauched almost But let a Man refuse these Ceremonies out of conscience to God because they are not from Heaven then he is Envy's Mark let his Life be never so just and harmless Such Effects should lead us to consider what the Causes are And because we are speaking of Ceremonies we crave leave to enquire What means the Ceremony of the Ring in Marriage Why are we forced not only to use it but to use it in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy-Ghost The Church of England blames the Papists for saying Marriage is a Sacrament but shall we then make a Sacrament of a Ring Sure you make the Ring as sacred in Marriage as you make the Water in Baptism Such Usages as these we fear give the Papists too much cause to use this Speech A Protestant is but a Papist scar'd out of his Wits It is not then any thing of Prejudice or Obstinacy which makes us to stand off from the Communion of the Church of England but an unfeigned Desire to serve God aright and a godly Fear lest by touching with these unwritten Traditions we should bring our Souls under Guilt in the sight of God Howbeit if any can convince us that the Church of England is justifiable in these things here objected we shall suspect our selves to be mistaken in other things which we here