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book_n	king_n	law_n	see_v	2,683	5	4.1564	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66602	The vanity and falsity of the history of passive obedience detected Wherein is briefly demonstrated, that the first reformers were far from maintaining it in the author of that history and his party's sence. As also it is plainly evinced that it cannot be deduced from the homilies, articles, injunctions or canons, liturgy and bishops of the primitive English Church. And all the specious pretences he makes for it are fully answered. By Tim. Wilson, M.A. and rector of the Kings Noth in Kent. Licens'd according to order.	Wilson, Timothy, 1642-1705.	1690 (1690)	Wing W2952; ESTC R217174	15,141	14

first Reformers of our Church had more Wisdom and Moderation than to Condemn their Brethren of the Reformed Churches beyond the Seas when both Luther and Calvin justified Defensive Arms. And surely every wise and considerate Reader must needs Laugh at the palpable Folly and Weakness of this Author to infer from these Injunctions and Canons that Passive Obedience was the Characteristical Mark of the Church of England in those days He is Pur-blind with Prejudice and so now the Sun shines bright and clear he is better pleased with the Owl-light of his own Imagination Surely we receive these Injunctions and Canons as the beginning of Reformation with Hearts full of Joy And I am fully of Opinion that Henry VIII began at the Root when he renounced the Pope's Supremacy But let us hear the Doctrine of the Injunctions and Canons In the Infancy of the Reformation under Henry VIII for there I begin the Restoration of Religion to her purity in this Kingdom as Dr. Burnet doth Anno 1536. Injunctions were Issued out The first of which is That every Man that hath Cure of Souls shall for the Establishing and Confirmation of the King's Authority and Jurisdiction sincerely declare manifest and open for the space of one quarter of a Year next ensuing once every Sunday and after that at least wise twice every Quarter in their Sermons and other Collations That the Bishop of Rome's Vsurped Power and Jurisdiction having no Establishment or Ground in the Law of God was of most just cause taken away and Abolished And that the King's Power in his Dominions is the Highest Power and Potentate under God to whom all Men within the same Dominions by Gods Command owe most Loyalty and Obedience afore and above all other Potentates on Earth I am so far from disowning any of this that I wish it had been every Week published in every Market Town in the Reign of King James II. We always abhorred the Usurpations of the Bishop of Rome And we always owned the King's Lawful Power and Authority But we say that if a King is resolved to Subject us to a Forreign Power and to Dispense with all Laws made for our Security Liberty and Property and the Established Religion we may hinder him from Cutting our Throats and Defend our selves And this is neither R●bellion nor Resistance properly so called but Natural Self preservation against the Freaks and prodigious Melancholy Fits of a raging and beastly Tyrant who with greatest Ingratitude would devour Friends as well as Foes But let us see his Inference p. 5. Now if the King be above all other Powers then he cannot be Accountable to any other Power and so ought not to be Resisted Answ He that resists the Lust of a Tyrant resists no Power as hath been said often because neither God nor Man gave him such Power And though the King is above all Power and it is not for me to meddle with the King's Prerogatives or the Parliaments Priviledges yet I may safely say He is not above Law which makes him King as I shall shew anon out of the Fragments of Mr. Hooker's Eighth Book And it is a Sentence worthy to be written in Letters of Gold which I find 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sect. 5. p. 31. with me King Charles the First mentioned More than the Law gives me I would not have and less the meanest Subject should not And let me remind the Author that he saith in the Preface that he only doth the office of an Historian and intended not to promote any Disturbance But here and elsewhere he cannot forbear his own Inferences how unreasonable so ever they be Again he saith The Injunctions of the Lord Cromwell Edward VI. and Queen Elizabeth plainly distinguish the Claim of the Pope from other Claims implying That our Church always believed that her Princes Power was derived immediately from God and that they were Superior to all their Subjects either Singly or Collectively and so were not accountable to them but only to God Answ No Mans private inferences and Opinions are the Doctrines of the Church The Injunctions and Canons have left such a Latitude that both Sides approve Likeas the 17th Article is of such a latitude that both Calvinists and Arminians subscribe with Cheerfulness and a good Conscience And this I take to be great Wisdom in our first Reformers I wish those Bishops that Succeeded them had been as wise at all times For let this Author imagine what he pleaseth private Opinions when urged as Doctrines of the Church or made Characteristical Marks of the Church have been the cause of all Disturbances in the Christian World We all believe that the King's Power is of God but that any one form of Regiment is derived immediately from God is no Doctrine of our Church nor of any Church and is the first falshood in political Government as I have shewed elsewhere All Kings receive their power Mediately by the People And Mr. Hooker faith tho he is singulis Major yet he is universis Minor But my opinion is this is according to the Constitution of every Kingdom though no People can give away the right of Self-preservation I am weary of this Cuckow tune always the same thing In short the Canons of the Church of England are Innocent in this matter And I would justifie our Church but the Guilt of some and the Peevishness of others will not suffer me And such as these may call me an Apostate and Presbyterian perhaps only because they are ashamed to confess their own Guilt I profess my self as true a Son of the Church of England as any Man in England And I always was and am at this day for Monarchy Epscopacy and Liturgy as Established by Law And I humbly submit in all things of Order Decency and Government to the Fathers of the Church and to the King and Parliament And let Men sunk in Prejudice say what they will this was always the Judgment of the Protestant English Church If our Governors think fit to change things in their own nature changeable every Subject is bound in Conscience to Obey If they think not fit be things as they are I am contented Now as for the Canons of the year 1640 I confess they have a spice of Innovation And I say I hope without offence to any Impartial considerer of those days That Arbitrary Power began to creep upon us And Arch-bishop Laud and his Party nor the Puritans and their Party are not to be justified in all things And here I make my Appeal to Rushworth's Collections or any other impartial Record of those times But I think the Author had better have buried these things in Silence For how they tend to the Credit of the Church of England I do not understand and I need not descant upon them Let us go on to Chap. III. which contains the Doctrine of the Homilies Here I shall not say with Mr. Mountague Appeal p. 260. I will admit the

of Christian Charity which commands to think no Evil by insinuating that we allow of Se●ition Conspiracy Rebellion Faction c. And because he finds these words in the Liturgy he infers that the Liturgy is for Passive Obedience But the very mentioning of this is sufficient Commation and shews that the Author had more Zeal than Knowledge And pray Reader observe that the Words Passive Obedience asserted and Defensive Arms condemned or the like are not once to be sound either in the Articles or in the Injunctions or Canons or in the Homilies or in the Liturgy From whence I infer that it was not the Doctrine of the first Reformers much less a Characteristical mark of a Son of the Church of England To answer all his Authorities were endless tho I think many of them are nothing to the purpose And the General Rules prescribed in the beginning of this Discourse will suffice and the Learned Reader may make Application of them without Difficulty Wherefore I shall only observe what the Author confesseth of the Meek Wise and ever renowned Hooker p. 29. In this i. Q. Elizabeth's Reign Mr. Hooker published his Judicious Books of Ecclesiastical Polity From the first of which it must be confessed it is observed that he lays the Foundation of Government in Agreement he herein following the Schools too strictly c. And here by the way he tells us that Aristotle was a great lover of Democracy But I think he wrongs the Great Philosopher For he seems to me to be a lover of Monarchy though I confess he seems to like an Elective Kingdom See his Book of Polities especially Book III Chap. 14. But be it as it will we are sure Aristotle the School men and Mr. Hooker are all ours in this Controversie And if Mr. Hooker's Eighth Book be Authentick as Published by Dr. Gaudon Bishop of Exeter I desire no better Authority See p. 190 c. He mentions and approves the old Axiom Attribuat Rex Legi quod Lex attribuit es And again Rex non debetesse sub homine sed sub De● Leg● Thirdly Whereas it is altogether without reason that Kings are judged to have by virtue of their Dominion though greater Power than any yet not then all the States of those Societies conjoyned wherein such Soveraign Rule is given them there is not any thing hereunto to the contrary by us affirmed no not when we grant Supream Authority to Kings Because Supremacy is not otherwise intended or meant but to exclude partly Forreign Powers and partly the Power which belongeth in several unto others contained as parts in that Politick Body over which those Kings have Supremacy c. It hath been declared already in general how 〈…〉 blished Dominion is where the Law doth most Rule the King c. Again p. 192. Every Independent multitude before any certain form of 〈◊〉 Established hath under God Supream Authority full Dominion over it self even as a man not tied with the Band of Subjection as yet unto any other hath over himself the like power c. And p. 103. That which we speak of Kings shall be in respect of the State and according to the nature of this Kingdom where the People are in no Subjection but such as willingly themselves have condescended unto for their own most behoof and Security In Kingdoms therefore of this Quality the Highest Governor hath indeed Universal Dominion but with dependency upon that whole intire Body over the several parts whereof he hath Dominion So that it standeth for an Axiom in this case the King is Major ●●gulis univer●is Minor c Again p. 195. The Axioms of our Regal Government are these Lex facit R●gem Rex nihil potest nisi quod jure potest I hope no man for the future will deny that Mr. Hooker is of my Opinion that all Government is Founded in Covenant I have other Authors whom I shalt reserve till I have further Occasion I shall at present only desire two things of this Author First I beg of him to shew how all Kings have received Power immediately from God For I cannot apprehend his meaning Secondly In what manner the Laws of Providence of which he speaks are to be understood in Governing the Kingdoms of the Earth Let him plainly and sincerely declare his Judgment in these two Propositions and then we may possbly come to a right Understanding For verily these Notions seem to me like Aristotle's Occult Qualities or to border upon Enthusiasm And now to conclude I am so confident of the truth of ●y Principles that I have and will Sacrisice all that is dear to Man for them I am sure they tend to the Glory of God the propagation of the true Religion the Honour and Safety of the King and Royal Family and the happiness and welfare of my Native Country And if we may judge Principles to be true by their good Fruits we see the generality of the Nation very well pleased Fearing God and Honouring the King And if we have any Murmurers they are declared Papists or Souls seduced and corrupted by the false Principle of Passive Obedience or Discontented Lewd and Ungovernable Men for all other Protestants give God and the King thanks for this Deliverance And though we have the vast Charge of a French War and great and sore Inconveniencies that attend divers particular Persons thereby yet no man of Sense can be ignorant that War cannot be maintained without Money And therefore all Protestant Subjects and good Christians bear the Charge freely without any Discontent hoping and praying that God would give Success to his Majesties Armies and Naval Forces and that he would abate the Pride of that Monarch who hath been the Scourge of Christendom And though I will not say that this Author designed to move Sedition by this History yet if he could not satis●e his own Conscience and Swear Allegiance to King William and Queen Mary I think he might have spared his great pains in this numerous Collection of Testimonies For surely this History doth not tend to the Reputation of some of the late Doctors of the Church of England and I have sh●●ed that the first Reformers preached no such Doctrine Insomuch that I could imagine the Author of this History to be some Sub●le Jesuit personating a Protestant on purpose to expose the Nakedness of late Divines who through Prejudice insensibly prepared the way to that which I am sure they Abhorred Popery and Arbitrary power But this which hath been the B●ne of the King and Nation and the Incendiary of all parties is now out of Doors And we have a Gracious Soveraign whom God hath raised upon our great Distress in pitty to his People and Mercy to this Land When the Popish Enemy would come in like a Flood the Spirit of the Lord hath lift up a Standard against him And our Prince is our Deliverer from heavy Burthens our Reformer of great Corruptions the Physician of a Diseased Church and State And if some little Men Murmur against Moses and Aaron like Corah and his Company It is because they prefer Egyptian Onions to the Dainties of Canaan I hope the time is at hand when Men may use this speech in England concerning the State The Lord bless thee O Habitation of Justice And concerning the Church The Lo●d bless thee O Mountain of Holiness And it was the prayer of a good Man that this Parliament the repairer of Breeches the restorer of Paths to dwell in by Loyalty to their Majesties Fidelity to the Kingdom and Zeal to Religion may be the joy of many Generations And I perswade my self that he Loves and Honours the King most and fixeth the Crown Immoveably upon him and his Posterity that wisheth and endeavoureth for these things though he renounce Passive Obedience I am very sensible that they who justifie a King's Proceedings are in no great danger tho they Err. But he that speaks against Tyranny if he slips in the least hath presently Adversaries that aggravate his humane Frailties For who Errs not in some things Again Truth in this Controversie must be handled with all care and circumspection imaginable lest we give Offence Whereas they who plead for the King though never so weakly are bold and never Condemned for careless Expressions I may run great hazard in speaking freely though it be Truth But I think a slavish Life is not worth enjoying I am for no Peace with Rome But may God's Church and the English Government for ever prosper And I shall end with the saying of St. Augustin Domine Deus quaecunque dixi de tuo agnoscant tui Siqua de meo tu ignosce tui Amen FINIS