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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 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
no power but of God the powers that be are ordain'd of God whosoever therefore resisteth the powers resisteth the Ordinance of God Now that Resistance is an Affront thereunto I think none will deny for it is to overthrow what God himself hath Establish'd to pluck up what he hath Planted and to make void as much as in us lies the Providence of God in the Government of the World It was Gamaliel's Argument to the Councel that they should not evil intreat the Apostles Acts 5.39 lest haply they should be found to fight against God The like caution may be given in this Case that no Man ought to offer the least resistance to Civil Authority nor so much as lift up a hand or singer against those whom God hath set over them lest haply they be sound at length to sight against God in the Person of his Vicegerent For our Saviour's way of Reasoning which he useth in another Instance for vindicating the Mission and Authority of his Apostles holds good here He that despiseth you despiseth me and he that despiseth me Luk. 10.16 despiseth him that sent me In like manner he that offers resistance to the Power or Person of the Sovereign doth in that very Act resist the Ordinance of God and he that resisteth a Divine Ordinance may be said to resist God himself who is the Sole Author and Institutor thereof and what a Man may expect after such an Affront I need not tell him Rom. 13.2 for the Apostle doth They that Resist shall receive to themselves Damnation § 2. Resistance is the breach of a Divine Command and in that respect the Abettors thereof can't be Guiltless Is not Obedience and Subjection to Civil Authority made our Duty and prest upon us frequently in Holy Writ as well in the Old Testament as the New The particular Places to this purpose are so well known that I need not repeat them at large that of the Text is sufficient at present Now it is granted on all hands that a Divine Command reacheth the Conscience God therefore having given us an express command for Subjection hath thereby made it our Duty and having given us an express Prohibition against Resistance hath made that a Sin and consequently matter of Conscience to every Christian For Conscience must evermore have a Divine Command for its Direction and Guide for its Rule and Warrant to Act by otherwise 't is not Conscience but something else that deserves a worse Name Now consider a thing becomes never the more Lawful or Unlawful in it self because it is grown a Custom and Fashion with some Men to plead Conscience for or against it except you will grant that Conscience is Infallible in all Men alike or that a Man can't do amiss or go wrong that pretends to follow the Dictates of his Conscience for then when two Persons Act directly contrary to one another both may be said to be in the right if they do but follow their Consciences the one in doing the other in Forbearing what they are commanded Conscience then being so variable is no Rule at all much less an infallible Rule but stands in need of one that is so for want of which it hath been greatly mistaken therefore that only becomes necessary to be done which God hath commanded and that only Sinful and Unlawful which he hath forbidden Now let us bring this home to the Case in hand By this Rule all Seditious Practices and violent Attempts against the Government being forbidden by God are as much Sins as any Act of Prophaness and Impiety whatsoever and are never the more Warrantable because some Men have pleaded Conscience in Defence thereof and disguis'd their Faction under the Veil of Religion Well therefore may we apply that of the Apostle Acts 4.19.5.24 which hath been so oft urg'd against this very Duty Whether is better to be Obey'd God or Man judge ye So in this matter Whether ought to be most obeyed God who commands Subjection and forbids Resistance or such Turbulent and Disaffected Persons who plead Conscience against every thing they dislike and pretend Religion to the neglect of this Duty in opposition to a positive Precept and Divine Command The Text tells us against a King there is no Rising up that is as I have already told you there ought to be none Had the People but the tenth part as much for Resistance as here is against it no Government would be quiet nor Kings suffer'd to sit long upon their Thrones when yet they are in so much danger from the Patrons of Faction and Sedition notwithstanding all the Provision which God himself hath made for their Security This will further appear if we consider the Inconsistency of it to our Christian Profession Wherefore § 3. Resistance or Opposition to Civil Government is contrary to the Doctrine of Christ Examples of the Apostles and the whole Genius and Design of the Gospel The Doctrine of Christ is well known and hath been sufficiently vindicated upon this Occasion It recommends to its Professors all those admirable Vertues and Graces which are inconsistent with a fierce and violent temper of Mind It Enjoyns us to pray for our Enemies and bless our Persecutors tho we suffer wrongfully to bear it patiently to do Good for Evil instead of returning it to take up the Cross rather than the Sword for which Peter was so sharply rebuk'd by his Master and Ours Now there can be no Resistance but something of Revenge must prompt to it and be mingled with it Now if by the Laws of our Religion we are forbid Revenge or the returning of Wrong towards our Equals and Inferiours much more towards our Superiours For if Love and Charity is due to the one Faith and Loyalty being superadded thereto is due to the Other And if to suffer tho wrongfully be a Duty be sure wrongful Resistance is no less a Crime Now all Resistance is of this kind for want of a Lawful Authority to bear it out § Then for the Example of Christ this was nothing else but a Praxis upon his own Doctrine instructing them therein as well by his meek and gentle Behaviour as by his admirable Counsel and Advice Though his Cause was the most Just and Righteous and himself the most innocent Person in the World tho his Enemies were the most Cruel and his Sufferings the most Severe attended with all the Circumstances of Ignominy and Reproach yet the great Saviour of the World and Exemplar of us Christians was so far from offering at Resistance or any thing like it that he did not utter so much as a threatning Word nor make shew of the least Murmuring or Discontent Isaiah 53.7 But as a sheep before the Shearers is dumb so he opened not his Mouth saith the Evangelical Prophet Who when he was reviled reviled not again when he suffered he threatned not but committed himself to him that judgeth Righteously Peter 2.23 saith