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
in the prime foundation of order 3. The supreme and chief Power can be but one whether seated in a single Person or in more the supreme Power still is but one not in reference to the subject of it but in respect of the power it self and the actions of command and judgement thence proceeding Governments are commonly distributed into their kindes according to the difference of their supreme Powers If the higher Power be one single Person it is call'd a Monarchy i. e. the Government of one If the higher Power be more then one 't is either in the Chief and Nobles and then 't is call'd an Aristocracy i. e. the Government of the best men the more excellent and noble or else in the People and then 't is called a Democracy i. e. the Government of the People a Common-wealth Now whereever it be placed there must be granted to be but one Supreme and Chief where for order sake all Subjects must needs rest and to whose decision they must necessarily submit as final and terminative in the case Were there more then one Supreme their Laws and Commands might be contrary and so the judgement and execution impossible One may call to the Church another at the same time to the Camp and a third at the same time to the Court and one will punish for disobeying him the second for disobeying him and the third also for disobeying him And from hence must needs follow as a discord and division in the Supreme So also among the Subjects one Faction for this another for that c. Now Impossibilities Contradictions and Principles of division in Government must necessarily be avoided And here those Axiomes of our Blessed Saviour take place No man can serve two Masters and A Kingdom divided against it self cannot stand We may as well suppose two supreme Wills appointed by God in chief to govern a man two Heads for a body two Suns in the Firmament yea two Gods in the world as two Supremes in an orderly Government And therefore 4. Whoever be the Supreme all others must of necessity be subject some-wayes dependent on him deriving from him or subordinate to him It belongs as Philo the Jew speaks Lib. de creat Principis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to him that hath the highest and greatest place in Government to choose such assistants as shall rule together with and under him in the administration of those things which concern the publick utility the common good 1 Pet. 2.13.14 To the King saith St. Peter as Supreme or to Governours as sent by him i. e. by the King as Supreme or Principal for the punishment of evil doers and the praise of them that do well Could the Supreme and Principal do all himself and be every where present in his own person other Governours were needless but that being in great Provinces impossible he must send forth his Deputies and appoint his Vicars and Substitutes I will exemplifie this by the instance of Moses Deut. 33.4 5. Moses saith the Sacred Text commanded us a Law even the Inheritance of the Congregation of Jacob and he was King in Jesurun when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together We have here Moses the principal Law-giver and King in Israel Supreme under God and we have withal the Princes and Heads of the people and that these were under Moses and chosen by his appointment we are elsewhere instructed Moses did indeed lead and judge Israel a while alone but necessity inforced him in the end to profess unto them Deut. 1.9 to 18. I am not able to bear you my self alone How can I my self alone bear your cumbrance and your burden and your strife Take you wise men and understanding and known among your tribes and I will make them rulers over you So saith the Text of Moses I took the chief of your tribes wise men and known and made them heads over you captains over thousands and captains over hundreds and captains over fifties and captains over tens and officers among your tribes And I charged your judges at that time saying Hear the causes between your brethren and judge righteously between every man and his brother and the stranger that is with him and the cause that is too hard for you bring it unto me and I will hear it We see here the whole subordination in Government is order'd and appointed commission'd and sent from Moses the Supreme and to him subjected He gives the charge they must conform to and reserves the last appeal to himself So that the Supreme hath not more need of subordinate Magistrates for his help and assistance than they have of him as their Head of influence life and motion Upon this account Saint Paul is bold to tell Festus the Governour sitting on the Bench at Caesarea Acts 25.6 10 11 who had commanded him to be brought before him I stand at Caesar's judgement-seat I appeal unto Caesar He knew that Festus was but commissioned by him sent by him to that place of Judicature and therefore from him he appeals unto Caesar as the Supreme Subordinate Magistrates are necessary instruments for the Supreme to govern by but their dependence upon and subjection to the Supreme is ever to be acknowledged for by him are the bounds and limits of their respective Jurisdictions determined and to him they are accountable Inferiour powers compared to the Supreme and the People are like the Genus subalteruum in Logick which is a species in reference to the summum Genus but in reference to the species contained under it a Genus it self In like manner inferiour Magistrates in reference to the People under theâ—r Authority are a ruling Power but in reference to the Supreme no other then the people are to them that is in plain terms Subjects themselves This is the Profession of the Centurion in the Gospel St. Luke 7.8 I also am a man set under authority having under me Souldiers and I say unto one go and he goeth and to another come and he cometh and to my servant do this and he doth it I saith he have souldiers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 under my self so far he was a Commander and Governour and they to be subject and obedient to him as such but then saith he farther I my self am 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ordered and ranked under authority and so a Subject also i. e. subjected to the authority above him as his Souldiers and Servants were subjected unto his authority These Propositions spoken to are all demonstrable relying upon the evidence of natural reason and policy and are but the plain English of the Scripture distinction between Principalities and Powers the King as Supreme Tit. 3.1 and Governours sent by him But now to pass à Thesi ad Hypothesin to that particular wherein we are more nearly concerned I add 5. The supreme Power over us is questionless the King's Majesty The Government of England is no question Monarchical
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