ordines regni vel Senatum civitatis at si istud non succedat qui est status necessitatis potest per se immediate procedere dando illius regnum alteri Orthodoxo principi vel primo victori Orthodoxo illud assignando ut Stephanus Papa transtulit imperium à Graecis ad Germanos Innocentius quartus interdixit regni administrationem Regi Portugaliae fratrem ejus substituens c. So likewise Cardinal Bellarmine doth teach That though the Pope as Pope may not usually yet that as Supreme Spiritual Prince he may for the good of souls dispose of Kingdoms as he thinks good take them away from one and give them to another Non potest Papa ut Papa ordinarie c. tamen potest mutà re regna uni auferre atque alteri conferre tanquam summus Princeps Spiritualis si id necessarium sit ad animarum salutem For you must know That in the Church the Ecclesiastick and the Civil Power are as in Man the Spirit and the Flesh and that Kingdoms and Governments are not immediately of God but of Men whereas the Power of the Bishop of Rome comes immediately from God Bell. de Rom. Pont. l. 5. c. 6. Vt se habent in bomine spiritus caro sic se habent in Ecclesia potestas politica Ecclesiastica regna non sunt immediate à Deo instituta sed ab hominibus Pontificatus autem à Deo immediate est institutus And so The Pope hath power to dispose of all temporal things belonging to all Christians in general Pontifex Romanus in ordine ad bonum spirituale habet summam potestatem disponendi de temporalibus rebus omnium Christianorum And according to that unlimited Power in the Head the Body of the Clergy enjoys great Priviledges They are above or at least equal to King and Princes and therefore not bound to obey them neither by Divine nor Humane right Ibid. Respectu clericorum non sunt principes superiores potestates ac proinde non tenentur clerici principibus parere neque jure divino neque humano nisi quantum ad leges quasdam directivas i. e. non obligatione coactiva And so The Goods and Estates of Clergy-men as well Temporal as Ecclesiastick are and ought to be free from Taxes and all duties to Princes and they themselves ought not to be judged by any Civil Magistrate although they do not observe Civil Laws Bell. de Clericis L. ◠c. 28. Non possunt Clerici à judice saeculari judicari etiamsi leges civiles non servent Bona clericorum tam Ecclesiastica quam saecularia libera sunt ac merito esse debent à tributis principum saecularium G. Yes I see your Pope is a petty God upon Earth his Power is not to be controul'd and whatever he doth his Almightiness and Infallibility will bear him out and make the thing good and just though it seem never so much otherwise But sure in this he is none of Christs Vicar the meek and humble JESVS would not so much as divide the Inheritance betwixt two Brethren much less dispose of whole Kingdoms he paid tribute to Caesar and acknowledged his Authority to be from above and we read no where that ever he gave any such power to his Apostles or their Successors as the Pope pretends to He told them indeed that they should be brought and condemned before the Tribunals of Kings and Princes but did no where tell them that ever Kings and Princes should be brought before their Pontifical Chairs to be judged and punished by them We read but of one that ever pretended to have the power of disposing of the Kingdoms of the World he that said All these things will I give thee Mat. 4.9 And except the Head of your Church will acknowledge himself to be his Surrogate he had best shew us how he came by the same Power But this Doctrine is so contrary to the example and Religion of our Lord Jesus Christ that it will be its own antidote you your selves are ashamed to own it openly and when it is known it is confuted P. I see we shall never agree as to particulars as long as you believe to have the Scripture on your side you 'll never yield to the Authority of our Church which you don't think to be infallible But in general by your own Confession ours is the best and the safest Church for you yield that a man may be sav'd in it whereas we utterly deny the same priviledge to yours Stapl. contr 3. quaest 9. 10. the Communion of the Church of Rome being absolutely necessary to the Salvation of all men Romanae Ecclesiae Communio omnibus est ad salutem necessaria You also grant that the Bishop of Rome is St. Peters Successor which is a great point And I believe you won't deny but that there is Miracles wrought in our Church which are unanswerable Arguments of the truth of its Doctrine These three are substantial points and will abundantly outweigh all the petty Objections you can bring against some parts of our Religion Pray consider of them at your leisure G. To my thinking they require no great consideration and there is no such weight in them as you fancy though you make great use of such woodden Arguments to seduce the simple yet to those that have but an ordinary competency of knowledge they seem very insignificant The first is comon to you with our Fanaticks they all confine Salvation every one to his own Sect and you and they together take advantage of our charity in that we don't exclude you out of Heaven you believe that you only shall come in it But Mr. Novator don't you trust to our charitable Opinions we may be mistaken for we pretend to no infallibility There was two Barques putting out to Sea both of them bound for Jerusalem one was rotten leaky and much out of order but the Master of it was a bold Man and of an imposing Spirit he would perswade the people that it was St. Peters own Barque that it was impossible it should sink and that all as many as would not come into it should certainly be drown'd and never come to the Holy Land The other Barque was sound and strong and well fitted for the Voyage the Passengers therein would tell those in the leaky one of their great danger and exhort them to stop the holes and put things in better order though they did not despair but that some of them might swim to shore upon some pieces of the Barque Now do you think this mans confidence would hold his sinking Ship upon the Water or that the compassionates hopes and wishes of the others would make their own sink Certainly uncharitableness is a very unfit mark to know Christianity and the true Church by But let me tell you that we have no hopes of you as you are Papists Those Articles wherein you differ from us shall greatly
that must not be confounded And first That not only your Ministers but even your People also are not subject to the Laws of the Civil Magistrate except they approve of them which is as much as not at all will too manifestly appear by those famous or rather infamous Books of Rutherford and Prynne The falshood of M. Prynns Truths Triumph 1645. p. 30. p. 25. Lex Rex and The Sovereignty of Parliament Moreover we have it in plain terms That the general Assembly is subordinate to no Civil Judicature whatsoever in a Book called The readiness of the Scots advance into England And Mr. Dury told the Parliament in a Sermon Settle but the Judicatories of particular Congregations and let the Thrones of the whole House of David be crecied and you shall find that the fruit of righteousness c. Isai 32.17 as much as to say Inthronize a Pope in every Parish and all will be well But secondly you are so far from being subject to the Laws of Princes that you will have them to be subject to yours This was one of the Propositions presented to the Assembly at Edinburgh Art 8. 1647. None that is within the Church ought to be without the reach of the Church Laws and excepted from Ecclesiastical censures but Discipline is to be exercised on all the members of the Church without respect or consideration of those adhering qualities which use to commend a man to other men All the Power the Pope claims over secular Princes is included in this one Article When once the Kirk hath decreed that any thing is Antichristian and must down or that some new device is according to the Pattern in the Mount and therefore must be establisht if the Magistrate dares to oppose it then cries the petty Pope Help ye the Lord against the Mighty as S. Marshall in a Sermon S. Marshal 1641. Curse ye Meroz for not helping the Lord against the Mighty Some Politicians saith he pag. 2. look which side shall prevail and stand Neuter but as Gideon said to the men of Succoth when they refused to give bread to the people Judg. 8.7 then will I tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness so I say to such if the Lord prevail he will do them Is it so indeed that they are cursed that help not the Lord against the Mighty Then Brethren as you desire to be freed from this curse and to obtain a blessing be exhorted to put forth your hand now to the help of the Lord. I pray look on me as one that comes among you this day to beat a Drum in your ears to see who will come out to follow the Lamb. Here was a Press-Master for the Synod Now here what Th. Goodwin said to the Parliament Tho. Good 1645. how that the Saints i. e. the Assembly and their Adherents must not be crost in their humour under pain of utter ruine after a long canting to shew that the greatest and highest Interest of Kings and Kingdoms on which their welfare or their ruine depends was the dealing well or ill with the Saints he gives these reasons for it 1. Their nearness and dearness to God p. 40. 2. The interest of the Saints in God the Governour and the priviledges which they themselves have vouchsafed them by God in ruling and governing this World p 42. and Providences of God therein And 3. the interest of Jesus Christ himself whose design and practise is and hath been to break all Kingdoms that do oppose him and oppress his Saints Here 's the Dickins and all I think for Papal Power But you must understand that all this was proved out of his Text Psal 105.14 He suffered no man to do them wrong yea he reproved Kings for their sakes Now Sir that your most Godly Party would make a pretty good title to the Goods of the wicked if they were in power Th. Palmer endeavour'd to clear when in the 15 and 16 pag. of his Sermon he made it his business to prove that wicked men who are out of Christ i. e. out of their favour have no proper right to the Creatures neither to the Sacraments and Ordinances nor to those Creatures that sustain life And then saith he pag. 17. when the Riches and Honours and Liberty given to the Saints and Gospel-times so long promised shall come then the wicked miseries of the wicked begin then shall their time of sorrow and sadness come in whereby he intimates that should once the Saints come to reign the Wicked would go near to be dealt with as Usurpers of what they possess as indeed many of them were when the Saints had power to plunder and sequester As for your absolving from Oaths I had rather charitably believe that you can do that too than judge you guilty of perjury for either of the two must be because many of your Ministers acted contrary to what they had sworn when they receiv'd Ordination or Institution from the Bishop that you won't deny And again they acted contrary to their Oath of Allegiance and made their people do so too and take an Oath contradictory to that your holy Covenant for though you pretended that it was to make the King happy and glorious yet 't was against your Allegiance being it was against his will and just Authority and besides that goodly pretence it self was an affronting his Majesty for you would make him to destroy the Church which by his Oath at least he was bound to preserve and maintain and you would have wrested his Regal Power out of his hand and left him only his Scepter to countenance you This is called Protestatio contraria facto when a man cuts anothers purse and swears that he doth him no wrong but whether you cut or untied the knot whereby you were bound to act otherwise than you did I leave it to your choice Pr. By and by I shall shew that your Citations signifie nothing but supposing they did yet that cannot prove what you intend them for because the Quarrel betwixt the King and the Parliament and the War that ensued thereon was upon a Civil account and if the people were in the wrong it was the Lawyers that mis-led them and not we But how many Holy Wars hath the Pope raised against Kings and Emperours meerly to establish or maintain that supreme Authority he claims over them This alone doth overthrow all you have said of your Papal Power Pa. Nay if you must have more proofs I 'll warrant you I can give you enough and therefore to confirm what I have said of your claiming a Pope-like Power I shall make it appear that it was you mis-led the people and made them rebel and that your War was a Holy War upon the account of Religion Mr. Leech tells his Auditors in a Sermon pag. 22. Jer. Leech 1644. Who is on my side let him cast down Jezabel of Rome down with her Idolatries and Superstitions down
Durell speaks as if there was hardly any difference betwixt you and the Church of England Bonasius Vapul 1672. p. 80. It may be worth saith he the consideration of those who are in Authority whether they may not enjoy Ecclesiastical Preferments who differ from their Brethren only in some few points of Discipline for as to the Essentials of Discipline I am not so quick-sighted as to find that we disagree c. But if it be so the more wicked you who have made crimes and enormities of a few indifferent points of Discipline What was it the terderness oâ— your Consciences that made a few Ceremonies to be Popery and Antichristianism so that upon their account you must call upon the people in Sion to war against Babylon Either you are the greatest Cheats in the World or else you differ from your Church at least in those points wherein as I have shewn you come so near to us chuse you which you please As for your loving and honouring the reformed Churches beyond Sea and the first Reformators of this I find no such thing in your Books but rather that you lov'd and honour'd your selves far beyond them all Mr. Dury in his Sermon to the Parliament upon these words Depart ye c. Isai 52.11 is pretty plain in it p. 5. I chose these words saith he because the destruction of Babylon and the deliverance of the Church out of it is the great work which God intends to accomplish by the Gospel in these latter times and because of the relation wherein we do stand to it for I conceive that God is not only working out our deliverance to bring us out of Babylon at this time c. Where could you have been worse than in Babylon before the good men in King Edward the fixth's time had done any thing towards a Reformation So you may hear him say at the 25 pag. None of all the Magistrates or Ministers of other Nations have ever given such an answer to this Call to come out of Babylon as you and we of the Ministry and this people have done for we have undertaken the Cause in the full extent thereof therefore we are in this employment nearer unto God than any others and he is more interest in us and in Scotland than in any other Nation whatsoever Two Witnesses more I hope will make the thing credible Mr. Boden in his Sermon Revel 18.6 Reward her as p. 9. c. saith 'T is no wonder that our forefathers did little or nothing against the Beast and the Babylonians for their eyes were blinded they could not see to work much less to fight but that we having clear visions and full discoveries made of the Beast and her abominations should sit still and be careless and suffer her for ever to play her beastly pranks is a most deadly shame and stain unto us And Mr. Tho. Goodwin in his foresaid Sermon Others had had the honour in the first Age of reforming p. 52. and we had been like blear-eyed Leah yet since we have been abundantly the more fruitful of Saints faithful and chosen And indeed the truth is you went so far beyond all other Reformers that you might well despise them as having done their work very imperfectly to what you did Pr. I took you to be but a Priest but I doubt you are a Jesuite too for you can turn other mens words to what sense you please I believe those good men meant no such thing as the interpretation you give to their words But whether they did or no 't is nothing to us we pin our faith upon no mans sleeve if they have said or done any thing amiss we utterly disclaim it We own the Kings Supreme Authority and we own the Doctrine of the Church of England and to prove the contrary by particular mens words as you have endeavoured to do is altogether lost labour because their Opinions is not the Rule we follow So that all your Quotations evince nothing of what you intended and you well deserve to be laugh'd at for having taken such a huge deal of bootless pains in repeating other mens words Pa. Very well 't is but making up your mouth and wiping of it and looking very demure and then you have done nothing and so you think you can abuse the world everlastingly But stay Sir dear-bought experience hath taught us that your goodly words are little to be trusted and you have approved your selves such incomparable Jugglers that we will see what you tell us before we believe it In the highest of your Rebellion you were for the King forsooth much more now he reigns Th. Palmer was Minister of the Army raised for King and Parliament as he stiles himself in the Title of his Sermon 1644. Mr. Beech at the Siege of Basing was fighting for the King pag. 24. We honour the King we fight for him we resolve though it cost us our lives we will have his love and his presence again And John Arrowsmith before the House of Commons calls him his Dear Sovereign 1613. p. 13. They saith he that brought our King into this Civil War are a Generation of scornful men that laugh at our Builders as Sanballat and his Complices did at Nehemiah What is this thing as ye do will ye rebel against the King a Generation which can neither find in their hearts to afford a good word of advice to our Dread and Dear Sovereign c. But 't is more than probable that by a worse than Jesuitical Equivocation you meant only a notional King the workmanship of your deceitful Brains for so we find a cunning distinction between the King and the Kings Person Tho. Case in his Sermon to the Court-Martial on 2 Chron. 29.6 7. And Jehoshaphat said unto the Judges Take heed what ye do c Tell them That though they had not a Jehoshaphat to give them that charge in his personal capacity yet they had him in his political capacity So Robert Austin D. D. printed a Book intending to prove 1644. That by the Oath of Allegiance the Parliament was bound to take up Arms though against the Kings personal command for the just defence of the Kings Person Crown and Dignity So you might be sure by such means ever to be for him and have him of your side whatever you did for so Mr. Burroughs prov'd by the same art pag. 27. That his most Loyal Party was not fighting against the King but for the King for the preservation of true Regal Power in the King and his Posterity and to rescue him from the hands of evil men who were his greatest Enemies And he said pag. 57. That the Saints and most Religious had ventured their Lives Fortunes Children and all for the safety of the King One would have taken him then for a great Royalist but that there was an unlucky Equivocation in the case The Scripture saith he pag. 28. bids us to be
subject to the Higher Powers it doth not bid us to be subject to the will of those who are in highest places But two or three specious words serv'd the turn this was chiefly to seduce the Kings own Friends if it were possible Those that had a Loyal Soul here was a bait for them you were fighting for to make the King great and glorious though 't was against his will and for his Authority against his Person and he was on your side in his Political though not in his Personal capacity and so if they lov'd the King they might join with you and no doubt but those goodly pretences deluded then many a well-meaning Soul But then if people were not for the King to be sure they would be for the Lord and upon that account they might and they must join with you for you were fighting the Lords Battels warring for Sion against Babylon this was the grand cheat whereby the Nation was deluded Had the Parliament-Officers gone about and told the people that the King encroacht upon their Priviledges and acted against the Fundamental Laws of this Kingdom the generality of men was not so well read in the ancient Statutes and Charters of this Realm as to know whether it was so or no and so 't is likely they had been very slack in engaging in a doubtful general But you knew well enough that the people would fight for God therefore you made him a party in the case and then called upon them to help the Lord against the Mighty to help to thrown down Antichrist and to set up Christ and those that came to your call were rewarded besides the holy Plunder with good words flatteries high and lofty titles they were the Saints the Godly the Chosen the Lambs Followers and the precious Ones and so you made them active in their wickedness by making their deluded Consciences to warrant their accursed doings Though the way was besprinkled with bloud yet that the people might not be deterred from doing Gods work T. Palmer p. 13. they were told that God had seen it good to bring Christ into the Kingdom that bloudy way and then who would be afraid of bloudshedding upon such an account But this hath been sufficiently proved when I spoke of your cruelties and made it appear that the War was Religious and not Civil and that for the good of Souls you may do what you lift as well as the Pope Now I desire only to mention a few more of your juggling tricks and then I shall endeavour to say somewhat in defence of those Authorities I have cited out of your Books p. 1 13 Mr. Palmer resolves that grand Query How shall I know that the Parliaments Cause is Gods Cause and those that join with them more Gods people than on the other side in this manner Alas it is the plainest thing in the world look to the words of Christ John 10.5 and 44. My Sheep know my Voice c. Now do but consider which of the new-raised Forces come nearest to this Rule who is it that submits to the Word and Rule of God who set up the work of Reformation who is desirous to preserve the people of God Was not he an excellent Casuist to make your pretences and doings an argument to prove that your War against the King was just Much like him that said it is and hath been the design and practice of Jesus Christ to break all Kingdoms that oppose him Th. Good 1645. p. 43. and oppress his Saints As much as to say that God pulled down the King because he opprest Christ and did not favour the Saints by which Rule the best cause is condemned if it be unsuccessful and well-fare the Turk and all the wicked as long as they prosper according to this we have seen before that Providence was your Guid and Captain it led you and did all things for you and so it came to pass that the worst of your doings were charged upon God Jehovah-Jireh pag. 65. The Prentices and Porters were stimulated and stirr'd up by Gods Providence thousands of them to petition the Parliament for speedy redress And Mr. Will. Jenkins in his Conscientious Queries and Submission to the then present Power 1651. useth only the Turkish Argument of good success to prove that the prosperous Rebels were to be obeyed as lawful Superiours and that by charging all that had been done upon God and Providence pag. 2. Whether the stupendious Providences of God manifested among us in the destruction of the late King and his Adherents in so many pitcht Battels and in this Nations universal forsaking of Charles Stuart and the total overthrow of him and his Army whether by these Providences God hath not plainly removed the Government from Charles Stuart and bestowed it upon others as ever he removed and bestowed any Government by any Providence in any Age Whether a refusal to yield Obedience and Subjection to this present Gouernment be not a refusal to acquiesce in the wise and righteous pleasure of God and a flat breach of the fifth Commandment Therefore he saith in his Humble Petition That he looks upon it as his duty to the then Authority to yield all active and cheerful Obedience in the Lord even for conscience sake as though their prosperous wickedness could give them a just title to their Usurpation Another would have it believed that the Saints were victorious because of Christ being with them and their having a Commission from him to act as they did Joh. Owen 1659. p. 22. saying That the Saints and the seeret ones shall work destruction and that this feeble Generation shall be as a Lion from the presence of Christ amongst them Christ saith he assigns that to them which is his own proper work let men take heed how they provoke this Lion for then be will not lie down until he cat of the prey and drink of the bloud of the slain As though it had been by the order and power of Christ that the Lion or the wild Beasts had filled all the Nation with bloud and slaughter Then in stead of teaching the people to obey the Precepts of the Gospel Charity Humility Meekness Obedience to the King c. you would have them mind the secret intentions of God and set forward that work which his Providence had begun as you said which was called Generation-work a phrase and a Doctrine still in use amongst you It is the duty of the Saints saith one to observe what the way of God is in the time of their Generation Jâ—r Burr 1643. p. 2. to see what Name of God is most conspicuous in his administration and accordingly to sanctifie that Name of his Nothing can be more pregnant with delusions and evil consequences than this Afterwards when in the carrying on of the designs in hand the Kingdom was filled with bloud and confusion that the people might not see how they were gull'd you
fell to prophecying promising them much happiness with many secret and glorious things after all their trouble so saith the same Author ibid. pag. 6. We shall see at last that the mercy God intended for us was worth all the troubles and bloud c. God hath many Promises to his Church to accomplish many Prophecies to fulfil many glorious things to declare many Mercies for his Saints to bestow and these stirs among us will make way for all And so Mr. Bond tells the Parliament Joh. Bond 1644. That the present work of Salvation and Reformation they had in hand was carried on in a mystery was a shadowed master-piece altogether made up of stratagems paradoxes and wonders and so the comfort is it shall be a great Salvation a Salvation from Babylon But this will suffice at present to shew that the people was deluded more ways than one and to give a warning to the following Generation that so they never be drawn into Rebellion by the same arts and pretences as their Fathers were It would be endless to rehearse all the equivocations jugglings and deceits as were used to seduce the people next time we meet perchance you shall hear more of them What I have said now is enough to prove that your words signifie nothing but what you please that your dissimulations are deep and specious and that you never want arts and evasions to plead innocency and salve your credit after the foulest doings and miscarriages Now you differ but a very little from the Church of England and you are for Obedience to the King whatever some of you may have said or done heretofore Very good That 's as much as to say That do you what you will you are resolved ever to be in the right and never to acknowledge your selves faulty in the least for fear of losing the repute of Infallibility But let it be considered 1. That I have proved what I charged upon you not by the words of the obscure and ordinary but of the most famous men of your Party who must needs have known the Tenets and Doctrines of your Sect and who were then and are still now cryed up and followed by your Disciples and Admirers 2. That those words of theirs I have cited were not taken out of Libels or prophane Books nor were spoken heedlesly in the heat of dispute but are to be found in their Sermons and were delivered out of their Pulpits in the powerfulness of Preaching as being the Word of God 3. That those Sermons were not preached in Country-Towns or to ordinary Congregations where any stuff preached after the tone and manner in use among you had been as good as the best but almost all of them before the Parliament where none but great men were admitted to preach and where to be sure they preached none but their best Sermons and moreover that those Sermons were printed with the names of the Authors and with License and Approbation 4. That 't is more likely they would then deliver their true Opinions and speak out what was in their hearts when they had the power in their hands and were free to speak what they pleased than now they are under fear and restraint and are fain to conceal or dissemble what they would then openly preach and proclaim 5. That they not only preached Sermons but they and their Disciples lived Sermons also your practice and Doctrine agreed excellently well what was preach'd was acted there was none of their good Instructions lost you approved what they said by doing accordingly and you generally own'd by a practical belief those Doctrines I have set down as yours out of your most approved Authors Lastly It is manifest by my Quotations that your Ministers rendred the last King odious to his people and preacht him out of his Throne and Kingdom but 't is no where to be seen that they ever preach'd this King into the favour of his people again or used their powerful eloquence to have him restor'd to his Right And since his return though you have given over printing yet most of you have kept up the Faction and in stead of crying peccavi have still endeavour'd to weaken the Church and draw Disciples after you and your Synods have never disclaimed those men who by their Preaching had kindled up the late Rebellion and the Preachers have never recanted their former Opinions but either justified or disguised them nay many of them own still the Obligation of that infamous Oath call'd the Covenant whereby they acted and warranted all their wickedness Therefore though the people may be excused having been deluded and imposed upon yet you the Ministers and Heads of the Faction can never with all the wit you have plead any thing that can justifie you from owning the worst of Popish Errours Now let our Judge speak if he pleaseth G. I confess I am somewhat amazed at what I have heard I never thought so much could be said for proving a Conformity betwixt Papists and Presbyterians in so many points but yet I will decide nothing nor make any reflections upon what you have said I 'll rather transcribe and print your discourse and leave the Reader to think and to judge as his own discretion shall advise him Only seeing that you are most chiefly agreed in denying the King that Supreme Authority which God hath given him and pretending a certain Power and Jurisdiction over him in ordine ad spiritualia for the good of souls or to phrase it aright for to advance Gods Cause and to set up Christ I shall set down some Texts of Scripture which plainly evince the contrary and then desire all Christians to yield a chearful and loyal Obedience until they have been told from Heaven that the Pope or Classis are impowered from God to act contrary to his Word in this particular First For the Authority of the Supreme Magistrate over all that live in his Dominions read Rom. 13.1 and 2. Let every soul be subject to the higher powers for there is no power but of God the powers that be are ordained of God whosoever therefore resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation v. 5. Wherefore ye must be subject not only for wrath but also for conscience sake Here you see that neither Pope nor Puritan is excepted but every soul is to be subject this was written when the Higher Powers were Heathen bloudy Persecutors of Christianity who endeavoured to destroy the Gospel and yet for all that they must not be rebelled against and their Authority must not be resisted Whosoever resisteth the power resisteth the Ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation and therefore we must be subject to them not only for fear of their anger but also for fear of Gods not only for wrath but also for conscience sake In Tit. 3.1 Put them in mind saith the Apostle to be subject to
principalities and powers to obey magistrates to be subject to every good work You see that good works and obedience to Magistrates are joined together and appointed to be equally prest upon the people by the Exhortations of Christs Ministers In the 1 Pet. 2.13 c. Submit your selves to every Ordinance of men for the Lords sake whether it be to the King as Supreme or unto Governours as unto them that are sent by him for so is the will of God that with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men as free but not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness but as the servants of God Fear God honour the King You see it is the will of God that with well-doing that is by obeying the King and his Governours we should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men who thought that Religion freed them from the yoke of subjection and that we should not make Christian liberty a cloak of maliciousness a pretence of Disobedience and Rebellion but as servants to God honour the King and submit our selves to him for the Lords sake Therefore it is a great impiety and hypocrisie to pretend Gods cause and interest for rebelling and disobeying when he bids us for his sake to obey and to be subject 2. That none must presume upon any account whatsoever to rebel against the Sovereign or Supreme Governour read Num. 16. at the 3. v. you shall find that Korah and his rebellious crew pleaded that the people was the Lords people and that they were holy every one of them and therefore say they to Moses and Aaron Why lift ye up your selves above the Congregation of the Lord But at the 32. v. The earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up and their houses and all that appertained to them And by that dreadful and unheard-of judgment God manifested how much he detests Rebellion that following Ages might beware of the heinousness of that crime So in 1 Sam. 24.5 and 6. Davids heart smote him because he had cut off Sauls skirt and he said to his men The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my Master the Lords Anointed to stretch forth mine hand against him seeing he is the Lords Anointed And c. 26. v. 9. David saith unto Abishai Destroy him not for who can stretch forth his hand against the Lords Anointed and be guiltless David was then Anointed King he was persecuted wrongfully by Saul Saul was rejected of God and he had most barbarously put to death the Priests of God and their whole families and yet because he was King over the people Who can stretch forth his hand against the Lords Anointed and be guiltless God as you see allows no pretence at all for Rebellion for that as I have shewn you Kings have their Authority from him By me Kings reign saith the Divine Wisdom Prov. 8.15 and therefore Solomon joins God and the King together as the objects of our respect and obedience Prov. 24.21 My son fear thou the Lord and the King and so Eccles 8.2 I counsel thee to keep the Kings Commandment and that in regard of the Oath of God 3. We are not to speak evil of the King but rather to pray for him in 22. Exod. 28. Thou shalt not revile the Gods that is Supreme Magistrates nor curse the Ruler of thy people Job 34.18 Is it fit to say to a King Thou art wicked and to Princes Ye are are ungodly So it was witnessed against Naboth by his false accusers That he blasphemed God and the King 1 King 21.13 and then he was stoned to death Whereby it appears that in Israel it was one of the greatest impieties to speak ill of the King As also it is commanded by Solomon Eccles 10.20 Curse not the King no not in thy thoughts c. And you may see what a black character the Apostles set upon those that despise Dominion and speak evil of Dignities in the Epistle of Saint Jude and in 2 Pet. 2.10 Now that it is our duty to pray for the King we have these examples 1 Sam. 10.24 when Saul was anointed the people cryed God save the King and so likewise when Solomon was anointed 1 King 1.39 But what need any more than this precept of St. Paul 1 Tim. 2.1 and 2. I exhort therefore that first of all supplications prayers intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men for Kings and for all that are in Authority for it is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour Lastly That we are to pay Tribute to Kings and Sovereign Princes read Rom. 13.6 and 7. For this cause pay you Tribute also for they are Gods Ministers attending continually upon this very thing Render therefore to all their dues tribute to whom tribute is due custom to whom custom fear to whom fear honour to whom honour If the Heathen Emperours were Gods Ministers and therefore to receive Tributes and Customs much more the Christian Kings that now reign over us Moreover we have the example of Christ himself who when he had not wherewithal to pay that Tribute which the Roman Kings had imposed upon the Jews was pleased to work a miracle for to get money to pay it withal Mat. 17.24 c. He that was and is King of Kings and Lord of Lords the God of Heaven and Earth pleaded no exemption from paying Taxes but bound this duty upon all his followers by his own example and thereby confirmed also that precept which he gave us when the Jews asked him whether it was lawful to pay Tribute to Caesar Mat. 22.21 of rendring to Caesar the things that are Caesars as well as to God the things that are Gods Now therefore let no Christian dare to go against these so many and so plain and express Scriptures in disobeying or resisting his King and Sovereign under pretence of Religion or of removing evil Councellors or of fighting for the Kings Authority against his Person or because the Pope or the Presbyterian Synod enjoin him so to do for the good of souls for the cause and interest of Christ and the Gospel for you see that God makes no reservations and allows of no distinctions or equivocations but bids every soul to be subject and threatens damnation to any that shall not And now Sirs I leave you to meditate upon what you have heard and I heartily wish it may do you good FINIS ERRATA In the first Part. PAge 4. line 25. for cryed read erred P. 11. l. 11. f. falsam r. falsum P. 22. l. 5. f. fanfie r. suffer In the second Part. In the Preface P. 3. f. are r. err Pag. 11. l. 19. add we P. 16. l. 7. add lost P. 26. l. 12. f. ever r. even P. 39. l. 25. f. then r. them P. 50 l. 7. r. did reach no further than the end of P. eadem l. 27. add it is P. 64. f. general r. quarrel P. 72. l. 8. f. subject r. ready