Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n
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A39241
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The doctrine of passive obedience asserted in a sermon preach'd on January 30, 1684 / by James Ellesby ...
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Ellesby, James, b. 1644 or 5.
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1685
(1685)
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Wing E537; ESTC R11960
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23,468
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38
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the other to forbear Revenge upon an Injury offer'd or put up an Affront with Patience and requite it with Kindness This to a man of more Honour than Conscience sounds Low and Mean appears Base and Ignoble and yet no Duty can be more Christian than This. Now if it is not warrantable to oppose any of these Worldly Considerations to the greater Obligation of Conscience in matter of forgiving Enemies and passing by Injuries no more ought we to object against the Duty in Hand upon any Politick Motive or Consideration whatever Doth our Religion oblige us to bear and endure so much from one another and nothing at all from our Rulers to lay aside Malice and Revenge Hatred and Ill Will towards our Equals and Inferiours and not to do the like towards our Superiours and those whom God in his Providence hath advanced so much above us This Non-resistance therefore being enjoyn'd by Christ becomes as much our Duty towards our Governours as the Other of Forgiveness is our Duty to each other § From the Doctrine let me desire you to turn your Eyes once more upon the Example of Christ and mark his Behaviour a little more narrowly As he was no Hector to return an Affront immediately or as soon as it was offer'd so neither did he set up for a Champion or Patriot of his Country against his Duty to the Roman Emperour he never espoused the Cause of the Jewish Religion to promote a Faction or carry on a Party against the Government He would not Assert the Liberties and Priviledges of his Country-men tho they enjoy'd them by a Divine Grant in prejudice to Caesar's Authority or to the Interrupting of the Publick Peace so great a Friend he was to the Quiet of the World and so little Encouragement did he give to the Disturbers of it The Romans had many good Laws to be govern'd by and great Priviledges belonging to them insomuch as it was not lawful to bind a Roman Act. 22.25 or beat him with Rods like an ordinary Malefactor as in the Case of St. Paul Yet the Primitive Christians many of whom were Romans and born to those Priviledges which others purchas'd never laid claim to any of them to the Prejudice of their Duty towards the higher Powers but chose to suffer and part with all even to Life it self which alone is sufficient to weigh down all the Rest rather than save either the one or the other by Resistance If then the great Concern of Life ought not to exempt us from Subjection then surely no other Conveniencies or Advantages relating thereunto can possibly do it For are we not commanded to part with Lands and Livings Friends and Relations rather than Deny Christ or any part of his Religion as this of Subjection to Governours is and a considerable part too And how Extravagant soever such a piece of Self-denyal may be look't upon in or by the World yet this should not Move a Christian who hath a Soul to be concern'd for of more worth than the whole World and all the Honours and Advantages thereof put together This for certain will secure our Condition with respect to a Future State whatever may happen or fall out in This whenas all our Losses and Sufferings in this World shall be abundantly made up with a rich Recompence of Reward and a far more Exceeding and Eternal weight of Glory wherefore Christians comfort one another with these Hopes But secondly § 2. To put the matter out of all doubt Resistance is Unlawful according to the Laws of the Land For the Wisdom of our Princes and Loyalty of our Parliaments have sufficiently provided against Taking up of Arms against the King or his Ministers and to This the whole Nation have Sworn and given their Assent once already by their Representatives and every man doth it over again in his own Person as oft as they are admitted to any Publick Employment either in Church or State Our Laws are accounted in all respects as Loyal as our Religion and I make no question but the Professors of that Honourable Science are better able to vindicate them herein than I can possibly do Yet thus much is evident to all that have but the least insight into the Constitution of our Government that no Nation under Heaven hath been more Sollicitous for their Sovereigns Honour and Safety none more tender of their Princes Reputation and Government than Our Own and therefore no Country hath better Laws and no Laws make better Provision either for the Prince or People than these of the English Nation Our Constitution is the Happiest and Safest both for the One and the other if we had but Eyes open to see it and Hearts thankful enough to Acknowledge it as we ought No War can be justifiable but what is begun and carried on by a Lawful Power and the People of England will always want that in their taking up Arms against their Prince for the Law hath made all Resistance of this Nature Illegal by acknowledging the Power of the Sword to be solely in the King so that no man hath Power or any Pretence of Power now to take up Arms but by the Royal Authority which be sure the King will never Commission against himself or if he should the Grant is void in its own Nature as being inconsistent with the Essentials of Sovereign Power which cannot be Sovereign unless it be Irresistable too and such is that Power which our Kings are invested withall and which the People do Recognize every time they take the Oath of Allegiance and Supremacy and declare their Abhorrence of that Traiterous Position Of taking up Arms against the King c. Or any that are Commissioned by him § 3. The Methods of Resistance and Open Force let the Enemies of Passive Obedience say what they will are the most Unsafe and Impolitick Course we can take for the Preservation of Liberty and Property which will appear if we consider § 1. War Civil War especially is one of the most Formidable Violations of Publick Laws and Liberty for under pretence of taking up Arms for the Rights and Priviledges of the Subject they do hereby but Invade those of other men and Hazard their own Now the open Breach of the Laws is no good Method for attaining their End the exposing our Liberties to the chance of War is the worst course we can take to Preserve them and the Invading other mens Properties but an ill way of Securing our own For this makes every man guilty of that Crime which he is jealous of in his Prince namely the becoming Illegal Vnjust and Oppressive Regardless of the Commonweal and Publick Good This makes Subjects more Arbitrary than the most Absolute Monarch and Popular Fury of much worse consequence than any unbounded Tyranny whatsoever insomuch as the Remedy proves alwayes worse than the Disease and Ends many times in the open Shame and just Punishment of the first Authors and Abettors thereof
THE DOCTRINE OF Passive Obedience Asserted in a SERMON Preach'd on January 30. 1684. By James Ellesby M. A. Vicar of Chiswick in Middlesex For Rulers are not a Terrour to good Works but to the Evil Wilt thou then not be afraid of the Powers Do that which is good and thou shalt have praise of the same Rom. 13.3 LONDON Printed for William Crooke at the Green Dragon without Temple Bar. 1685. TO THE READER THIS Discourse was sent to the Press the Munday after it was preach'd Feb. 2. and part of it printed before the much lamented Death of his late Majesty of most Dear and Happy Memory the Intent whereof was not to flatter Princes into an Abuse of their Power or make them more Absolute than the Law hath done a Calumny which some are apt to fasten on the Doctrine of Passive Obedience but to teach Subjects their Duty to Governours upon all Occasions and instruct them in the Principles of Subjection according to the Laws of the Land and Rules of the Gospel wherein I have had regard to those Persons who make shew of a more than ordinary Zeal for Religion yet are apparently defective in the two great Duties of Charity and Loyalty to make them those Compleat Christians they would be taken for This Sermon with another of the like nature was at first preach'd some Years ago now what pass'd for good Doctrine against one sort of men then I hope will not be thought otherwise now for Truth doth never alter nor vary with the Times whatever the Professours of it may do I hope in God seeing our Present Sovereign hath been pleased to declare to the infinite satisfaction of the whole Kingdom his Royal Intention to Govern and continue things as they are now Settled and by Law Establish'd we shall have no reason to cherish any Fears and Jealousies but rather to bless God for inclining his Royal Heart so Graciously toward this poor Church and State Therefore instead of carrying on their old Discontents and Factions against the Government People ought to Own and Submit to the good Providence of God who hath preserv'd his Majesty that now is from so many imminent Dangers and brought him to the Throne in Peace and Safety notwithstanding all the Attempts and Oppositions that have been made to the contrary Let us then perform the Duty of good Subjects in yielding that Obedience and Subjection which we owe to our Lawful Prince and of good Christians in praying for a Blessing upon his Royal Person and Government that he may Reign long and happily over us and we may lead Quiet and Peaceable Lives in all Godliness and Honesty under him Feb. 9. 1684. Amen PROVERBS 30.31 And a King against whom there is no Rising up THESE Proverbial Sayings of the Wise man carry their own Sense and Context along with them and are collected together without any great Order or Dependance upon one another In the beginning of this Chapter we have Agur's humble and modest Wish for a contented mediocrity preferrable to both Extreams of Poverty and Riches The remaining part is spent in the observation of some remarkable Qualities peculiar to several sorts of Creatures The last here mentioned takes notice of four things which are Comly and Majestick in their Going a Lyon which is strongest among Beasts and turns not away for any a Greyhound a He-Goat and a King against whom there is no rising up I shall not spend time in giving you an account of the various Readings and Opinions of Interpreters upon these Words but preferring our own Version as the most generally received I shall only observe that the first and last of these the Lyon and the King have their particular Characters annext to them a Lyon which is King among Beasts is so strong as he neither Fears nor Turns away from any thing and a King he is so Sacred among Men as no Man ought to Rise up or Turn against him The former is generally fear'd for his great Strength and undaunted Courage and the latter no less to be Reverenc'd for his Sacred Character and Supream Authority By a King here we are to understand a Sovereign Prince one invested with the Supream Power of a Nation and not such Titular and Precarious Princes as were the Kings among the Lacedemonians or those under those Romans Qui non proprio sed precario jure imperabant in the Words of Grotius who had little of Royalty belonging to them beside the Name and Ceremony at most were but Kings upon Courtesie and reign'd at the Pleasure of the Senate and People But by King here is meant such a one as Solomon himself was the supposed Author of these Words under the name of Agur one who is acknowledg'd Sovereign in his Kingdom who holds his Crown Independant on any but God as having no Equal much less Superiour upon Earth And such a one as this the Laws do acknowledge our King to be when they call his Crown an Imperial Crown resembling that of the Roman Emperours which was Absolute and Independant when they Entitle him upon all Occasions Our Sovereign Lord the King when they account his Person Sacred and Inviolable which cannot be but in respect of his Authority which must therefore be Divine in its Original and Inseparable from his Person when they affirm he is Legibus Solutus free from the Coercive Power of the Law and enjoyn us to pray for him as Supream in all Causes and over all Persons throughout his Majesties Realms and Dominions Against such a King as this there is no Rising up that is there ought to be none No Force or Violence no Opposition or Resistance can lawfully be made against a Sovereign Prince who receives his Power immediately from God and therefore to him alone can be accountable for it From the Words thus open'd you may easily ghess at the Subject Matter and Intent of my ensuing Discourse which will be to prove and if possibly convince you of the great Sin and Danger of Resisting a Supream Lawful Authority wherever it is lodg'd either in one or more and upon what Account it becomes utterly unlawful so to do § Now that Resistance of this nature is a Sin I am throughly satisfied and the Reasons why I believe so are such as follow § 1. Because it is an Affront and Violation offered to a Divine Ordinance and that Government is a Divine Ordinance I might prove at large from the Testimony of all Nations concerning it from the joynt Confession of the whole Christian Church Primitive and Reform'd and in particular by that of our own together with the Laws of the Land which do acknowledge and suppose as much But however there is less need of insisting upon these because the Apostle St. Paul doth expresly affirm it and this he doth by a Spirit of greater Infallibility than that of Rome or any other Sect or Party of Men who have taught the contrary Rom. 13.1 2. There is