declared by our known Laws to be an Empire governed by one supreme Head and King having the Dignity and Royal Estate of the Imperial Crown of the same Vnto whom saith the Statute a Body politick compact of all sorts and degrees of people divided in terms and by names of Spiritualty and Temporalty been bounden and owen to bear next to God all natural and humble Obedience See 24. Hen. 8. c. 12. Now in every true Monarchy and Empire the Supreme Majesty and Authority is in the Person of the King as in its proper Genter whom therefore all in their right wits must needs acknowledge with Tertullian à Deo secundum quicquid est à Deo consecutum solo Deo minorem Next under God over them having whatever he is from God and inferiour unto God only and by consequence to have on earth Nec superiorem nec parem neither superior nor equal for as that Father speaks pertinently Ea est Summi conditio ut nihil aliud adaequet nedum superet That is the nature of a Supreme and Chief to have no Competitor much less one above it self And what is more obvious to this purpose then the publick acknowledgements required of the Subjects of this Realm in those two famous Oaths the one of Supremacy the other of Allegiance As for that of Supremacy made first in the time of King Henry the Eighth because it is but short I will here insert it The Oath of Supremacy I A. B. do utterly testifie and declare in my Conscience that the King's Highness is the only Supreme Governour of this Realm and of all other his Highness Dominions and Countries as well in all Spiritual and Ecclesiastical things or causes as Temporal and that no Foreign Prince Person Prelate State or Potentate hath or ought to have any Jurisdiction Power Superiority Preheminence or Authority Ecclesiastical or Spiritual within this Realm and therefore I do utterly renounce and forsake all Foreign Jurisdictions Powers Superiorities and Authorities and do promise henceforth I shall bear faith and true Allegiance to the Kings Highness his Heirs and lawful Successors and to my power shall assist and defend all Jurisdictions Priviledges Preheminences and Authorities granted or belonging to the King's Highness his Heirs and Successors or united and annexed to the Imperial Crown of this Realm So help me God and by the Contents of this Book In which Oath he that runs may read that whoever takes it declares sincerely 1. That the King is the Supreme Governour of this Realm and all his other Dominions and that in all Causes 2. That he is the only Supreme Governour 3. That no Foreign Power hath or ought to have any Jurisdiction or Authority within this Realm 4. That he doth therefore utterly renounce and forsake the owning of or appealing unto any such 5. That he doth promise from henceforth not only Faith and true Allegiance to the King his Heirs and lawful Successors but to his power to assist and defend all the King's Prerogatives And Lastly That he doth Recognize the Crown of this Realm to be an Imperial Crown i. e. such which as to the coercive part is subject to no man Now for the farther illustration of this it is to be noted that Queen Elizabeth Queen Eliz. Injunct of Blessed Memory in her Injunctions to take away the scruples of some well meaning Subjects concerning the intendment of this Oath 1. denyes it to be the challenging Authority and Power of Ministry and Divine Service in the Church And 2. declares it to be no other than what was of antient time due to the Imperial Crown of this Realm that is as she proceeds under God to have the Sovereignty and rule over all manner of persons born within these her Realms Dominions and Countries of what Estate either Ecclesiastical or Temporal soever they be so as no other Foreign power shall or ought to have any Superiority over them Of the same nature and to the same effect is that which is recorded in the 37. Article of the Church of England agreed on Anno 1562. and established by Law Arti. 37. An. 1562. The Queens Majesty hath the chief Power in this Realm of England and other her Dominions unto whom the chief Government of all Estates of this Realm whether they be Ecclesiastical or Civil in all causes doth appertain and is not nor ought to be subject to any Foreign Jurisdiction Unto which this Explication is immediately annexed Where we attribute to the Queens Majesty the chief Government by which Titles we understand the mindes of some dangerous folks to be offended we give not our Princes the Ministring either of Gods Word or of the Sacraments the which thing the Injunctions also lately set forth by Elizabeth our Queen do most plainly testifie but that only Prerogative which we see to have been given alwayes to all godly Princes in Holy Scriptures by God himself that is That they should rule all Estates and Degrees committed to their charge by God whether they be Ecclesiastical or Temporal and restrain with the Civil Sword and stubborn and evil doers To all which I will only add that both in the Injunctions of Queen Elizabeth Queen Eliz. Injunct Can. 1. K James and the Constitutions and Canons of King James since allowed and ratified by King Charles the Martyr and our Gracious Sovereign now reigning over us All Ecclesiastical Persons having cure of Souls and all other Preachers and Readers of Divinity-Lectures are obliged to the uttermost of their wit knowledge and learning purely and sincerely wiâ—hout any colour or dissimulation to teach manifest open and declare four times every year at the least in their Sermons and other Collations and Lectures That all Vsurped and Foreign Power forasmuch as the same hath no establishment nor ground by the Law of God is for most just causes taken away and abolished and that therefore no manner of obedience and subjection within his Majesties Realms and Dominions is due unto any such Foreign Power but that the Kings Power within his Realms of England Scotland and Ireland and other his Dominions and Countries is the highest Power under God to whom all men as well Inhabitants as born within the same do by God's Laws owe all Loyalty and Obedience over and above all other Power and Potentates in the Earth The other Oath of Allegiance made at the Sessions of Parliament in the Reign of King James immediately after the Powder-Plot is over-long to be here recited And therefore I will only observe that the Sum of it is An hearty acknowledgement and declaration The sum of the Oath of Allegiance That our Sovereign Lord King Charles is lawful and rightful King of this Realm neither deposable by the Pope nor by any other and That we will constantly bear to him his Heirs or Successors that Faith and true Allegiance which becometh Subjects defending him and them to the utmost of our power against all Conspiracies and Attempts
whatsoever which shall be made against his or their persons their Crown or Dignity and use our best endeavours to disclose them and make them known It is we see undoubtedly evidenced from our most publick Declarations and acknowledgements that the Sovereignty and Supremacy is seated in the King's Majesty only And therefore For any persons to challenge or plead for a superiority over or co-ordination and equality of power with the Kings Majesty is notorious usurpation And For any of his Subjects or all of them together to resist or fight against the King their only Supreme Governour can never by the wit of man be reasonably excused or defended from the crime of Rebellion yea as the case stands with us a Rebellion grounded on and accompanied with horrid perjury Which are points certainly to be religiously and severely pondered on by all and every one of those who had an hand or share in the late unnatural War that by their repentance they may procure pardon and peace of Conscience from the King of Kings whose Authority is violated in the affronting of his Vice-gerents But hitherto we have considered of Supreme Power in the General and in whom it is seated amongst us in particular it may be requisite now to suggest somewhat of the extent of this power as to Religion and Religious persons which shall be the work of two farther propositions 6. Then The King's Majesty hath a coercive power about the matters of Religion Bishops and Priests indeed as an excellent Author speaks are the great Ministers of Religion but Kings are the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the great Rulers and Governours of it Religion is ministred by persons ordained and appointed to that service but yet Govern'd by the Supreme Magistrate 1. If it be well considered how great an influence Religion hath into the happiness and the neglect of it into the misery of Polities and Commonwealths we must certainly conclude that either the care of it belongs unto Kings or they want the best means of obtaining the end of Government the peace and happiness of their people A considerable influence true Religion hath on people to make them loving and charitable just and honest and therefore Plutarch well call'd it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Cement of every Society and bond of Legislation It is that which lies at the bottom of an Oath which the Apostle calls the End of all Controversie i. e. the last resolution among men An appeal unto God which without Religion were a vain matter Nor is there any security for a Ruler against Treasons and Conspiracies like to the fear God and true Religion obtaining among his Subjects But whatsoever opinions are entertain'd in the name of Religion are not without effect Suetonius observes of Tiberius that he was Religionis negligentior quippe persuasionis plenus cuncta fato agi Careless of Religion because full of this perswasion that all things come by destiny Nor indeed can it be well imagined men should be over-careful either of serving God or their Prince or doing any vertuous action that drink in this perswasion That if men are bad they are so unavoidably and if good they are so necessarily and fatally inclined and determined to be and therefore Plato wisely pronounced that such are not to be suffered in a Commonwealth who teach God to be the cause of sin and we know too well what malignant influence other Opinions also espoused for Religion have been and are daily of to work all manner of confusion such Principles I mean as these That Dominion and Authority is founded in Grace That evil and Heretical Princes lose and fall from their Authority That Kings are but the Ministers and Executors of the Popes or Parliaments or Presbyters or peoples Decrees That all things ought to be common That inferiour Magistrates may reform things supposed amiss against the will of the Supreme That men are to act according to the impulses of the spirit within them which they can give no reasonable account of That Oaths are in themselves unlawful and forbidden to Christians These and the like Principles of Religion as they are esteemed by some and have been furiously prosecuted by the Zealots of several parties have given evidence enough how intolerable they are in a well ordered Government But besides this energy and power either of the true Religion to dispose persons to live together happily or of whatever is entertain'd under the notion of Religion to drive men on fervently to prosecute it God himself blesseth or punisheth Kingdoms and Nations according to their care and neglect of Religion The very Heathens have observed this Dii multa neglecti dederunt Hesperiae mala luctuosae saith Horace And Livie remarques in the general Omnia prospera eveniunt colentibm Deos adversa spernentibus Godliness 1 Tim. 4. saith the Holy Scripture hath the promises of this present life as well as of that to come S. Mat. 6.33 Seek ye first the Kingdom of God saith our Blessed Saviour and his righteousness and other things shall be added to you And it is clearly legible throughout the Old Testament how an happy fruitful peaceable and victorious state is promised upon the condition of Piety and the contrary threatned to impiety Hence is that of Solomon Prov. 14.34 Righteousness exalteth a Nation but sin is a reproach a ruine to any people And upon this is that expostulation grounded 2 Chron. 24.20 Thus saith God why transgress ye the Commandments of the Lord that ye cannot prosper because ye have forsaken the Lord he hath also forsaken you Unless therefore the Supreme Magistrate have power about the matters of Religion he wants the main thing necessary to the end of his office the happy Government of his people This is no trivial argument 2. Parents without question have a Power and ought therefore to have a care of bringing up their Children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord Ephes 6.4 i. e. teaching instructing and disciplining of them in the matters of Religion Gen. 18.19 I know Abraham saith God that he will command his children and his houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord. Now what belongs to Parents in their Family is not to be denied to him who is Pater Patriae the Father of his Countrey in his Dominions Judges 5.7 2 Chron. 29.11 Apud Gerarenses commune Regum nomen erat Abimelech i. e. Pater meus Rex Gen. c. 20 21 26. Rivet in Decal For thus Deborah was call'd a Mother in Israel and Hezekiah a Father yea and that of the Priests too for them he calls his sons And therefore the fifth Commandment which bids us to honour our Father and Mother is understood not only of natural Parents but political likewise i. e. of Governours and Superiours An houshold as Aristotle observes is a kinde of little Commonwealth and a Commonwealth a great houshold 3. Kings being God's Vice-gerents 't is very incongruous and unseemly that they
of the Apostle Rom. 14.23 He that doubteth is damned if he eat because he eateth not of Faith for whatsoever is not of Faith is sin The Apostle speaks of one that is not satisfied about the abrogation of those Laws of God which made a difference between meats clean and unclean or which forbad the eating of things offered to Idols under the guilt of Idolatry This is St. Paul's doubter and of such an one he saith If he eat when he doubts that God hath forbidden him he is damned because he eats not of Faith i. e. he ventures upon an act which he knows not but he shall sin grievously in the doing of for whatsoever a man doth without this Faith i. e. without this perswasion of the lawfulness of it as hath been shewed in the first part of the fore-going discourse it is sin unto him The case he speaks of was very weighty On the one hand there was the supposal of the Law of God forbidding to eat and on the other hand nothing to weigh against it for no Authority had here interposed in the case And therefore for him to venture on the breach of a certain command of God as he fears without any other warrant then the gratisying of his appetite or complying with others cannot be other then a sin For to venture upon what we know not to be lawful is to declare a willingness to admit of what is unlawful to adventure on a sin When therefore it is determined that if there be only a doubt of the matter the command or law of Authority should be actively obeyed the meaning is that Authority is a sufficient reason to move us first to lay down the doubt to doubt no longer and then to betake our selves to obedience and thus we keep to our rule we are perswaded of the lawfulness of what we do in these circumstances He that will state the case aright when the Powers require what he doubteth of Must weigh the plain command of God to obey his Superiour in all lawful matters the vertue and goodness of obedience and the evil and scandal of disobedience impartially in the scale against the single doubt he retains on the other hand and if he do thus with a few grains of modesty and humility and distrust of his own private judgement in reverence unto that of publick Authority there is little question but he will soon be perswaded to an active obedience But many there be in our age who say They dare not do this or that which Authority injoyns because they doubt whether it be pleasing unto God or no but they never put the question on the other hand How am I assured but my disobedience unto Authority in this matter is my sin and certainly displeasing unto God How am I assured that the motives upon which I proceed will warrant my disobedience Is it as certain to me that God hath forbidden the thing commanded as I am sure he hath commanded me to obey in every thing lawful and if it be not so certain how can I acquit my self in chusing the weaker more uncertain and so unsafer side There are 't is true some Scripture expressions that I sometimes fancy to favour me but many wise and godly men are of opinion another meaning may be in them then I have supposed how therefore can I justifie my immodesty and rashness in leaning to my own understanding but upon very weighty and pressing motives Few there are that reason thus on the behalf of Authority and its injunctions against their private doubts and scruples but spend rather their whole time and zeal in strengthning their prejudices doubts and scruples against that Authority which ought to over-rule them I will shut up this point with the words of two Reverend Authors their very enemies being judges It is in the general more safe Bishop Sanderson de consc prael 6. page 229. saith one of them for a person to judge himself obliged to obedience where he is not then to judge himself not obliged where he is For seeing saith he that men through the innate pravity of their heart more often sin by too much boldness then by too much fear and we are all more ready then we should to give liberty to the flesh and shake off every yoke Unless we shall before-hand set down this firm resolution of minde that we ought to obey those Laws which are not evidently unjust the wisdom of the flesh back'd with the subtlety of the Serpent will be apt to suggest those excuses to us which may often hinder us herein from doing ovr duty And Bishop Vsher Obed. of Subj p. 138 139. Men of sound judgement saith the other have alwayes been of the minde that the Authority of such as God hath placed over us should be esteemed so inviolable that unless the thing by them commanded did certainly and evidently appear to be unlawful we ought to yield obedience thereto and not to suspend or defer the doing thereof upon every idle scruple that may come into our heads much less do otherwise then we are commanded because we imagine we have better reason to lead us otherwise But then Acts 4.19 5 29. Ipsos humanarum rerum gradus adverte Si aliquid jusserit curator faciendum non tamen si contra proconsul jubeat aut si consul aliquid jubeat aliud imperator Non utique contemnis potestatem sed eligis majori servire nec hinc debet minor irasci si major praelatus est St. Aug. de verbis Domini Sâ—rm 6. Valde perversum est profiteri te obedientem in quo nosceris superiorem propter inferiorem id est divinam propter humanam solvere obedientiam Epist 7. 4. If after due caution and impartial examidation of the case the Laws of Authority shall appear evidently to be cross and contrary to the Laws of God opposite to his commands and prohibitions it is our duty here as the Apostles speak rather to obey God then men And this is manifest from the consideration of the subordination of all powerâ— unto God God only is absolutely supreme and all else are ordained by him hold of and under him Now therefore as in the powers of humane Society the greater is still preferr'd before the less the Supreme before the Subordinate so must God aboue all and against all and as St. Bernard saith excellently 'T is a strange perverseness for any one to profess himself obedient in that wherein he is know to dissolve a superiour for an inferiour that is a divine for an humane obedience We ought not therefore to obey any power commanding us to believe or do what God hath forbidden us or forbidding us to believe and do what God hath commanded us for we are all of us first obliged to God for our being and preservation as his creatures and devoted unto God in a solemn Vow and Covenant as Christians God's power is greater over us and his interest greater in us and our dependence more upon God and our engagements first and more unto him Tu carcerem illo Gehennam minatur S. Aug. Our obedience unto him is necessary and indispensable and his punishment for disobedience is most dreadfully formidable Much more might be spoken to this effect namely to declare that the commands of any Authority which are plainly opposite unto God's cannot challenge an active obedience from us But then we must remember that there is another kinde of obedience which Divines usually call passive becomes our duty Where we cannot 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 obey actively without sin Titus 3.1 we must yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is keep the rank and order of good Subjects under the Principalities aad Powers appointed over us we may not oppose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 resist or rebel but in all cases either do what is commanded us or patiently undergo what penalties are inflicted on us And 't is the patience proper to our Christian calling wherein we are to tread in the steps of the Blessed Jesus See 1 St. Pet. c. 2. Thus to suffer even in and for well doing committing our selves and our cases unto God who judgeth righteously Now the reasonableness of this passive subjection is apparent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Grot. in Mat. 26. c. ver 52. because without it there can be no end of Controversies Contentions and Injuries Somewhere we must needs stop Ne effraeni licentia detur locus We must reverence some as unaccountable to any but God himself whose errors and miscarriages therefore are to be reserved unto God's Judgement only unless we will open a door to an infinity of wickedness to all manner of licentiousness For if once it be permitted unto Subjects to revenge their conceived injuries upon Authority Omnia erunt tumultu plena Nulla legum nulla judiciorum Authoritas All places will be fill'd with tumult nor will there be any Authority left to Laws or Judgements because the grieved person he against whom the determination at any time proceeds will steer some other course and attempt by Arms and violence to assert and vindicate his cause We must therefore sit down satisfied with the old resolution 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euripid quietly to suffer the mistakes and follies of our Rulers having indeed no power to redress them without a farther inconvenience without implunging our selves in the Devils Circle an endless round of confusion whilst we profess our selves subject unto Authority and yet at the same time subject that Authority to our selves THE END