thus Submit your selves to every humane Creature To this I say The Words Humane Creature are better understood of the Laws made by Humane Authority than of the Magistrates themselves For as the most high God and he only can give Being and Power to a Divine Law insomuch that no Power on Earth can create such a Law so Earthly Gods and none but they can create and give Power to an humane Law and Laws thus made are rightly called Humane Creatures or Ordinances of Men as our English expresses it And when Laws are thus made tho they should happen to be ill Laws as it sometimes happens to be so yet they must be obeyed either actively or passively because the Power Magistratical must not be resisted only the Error of an ill Law must be refused by all faithful Men especially in Matters of Religion as we have shewed before 4. This great Power which God hath given to Kings and Rulers of the Earth to make Laws is as I conceive the chief cause why they are called Gods Psal 82. 6. I have said ye are Gods and all of you are Children of the most High That is because of that resemblance which they have to God himself being decked with Power and Majesty to make and execute Laws in this lower World which concern the Children of Men as such 5. And as to the Form of Kingly Government for this is all that I can find in my Text Let us hear what God himself saith By me Kings reign and Princes decree Justice by me Princes rule and Nobles even all the Judges of the Earth What can be said more in this case If any shall say 't is not God but Wisdom that speaks these Words Prov. 8. 15 16. I answer it is Folly that makes the Objection for this Wisdom is the Voice of God because it is the Wisdom of God Kings are called the Lords Anointed And not only the Kings of Israel but even Heathen Kings also Isa 45. 1. Thus saith the Lord to his Anointed even to Cirus Now Cirus was King of Persia Ezra 1. 1. 6. If yet it be said that Government but not the Form of Government is of God but of human Choice c. I answer I speak not of a Government to be formed and not yet in being but of one established and therefore I say the distinction is dangerous But how shall it be a Power or Government without its Form Does God make an Ordinance or any thing else without Form If so what can you call it It is the Form that gives every thing to be or at least to be called what it is It 's bad venturing to say that God makes an Ordinance and leaves Man to form it as to the Essentials of it And seeing no Nation can long endure without Government nor that Government subsist without Form It seems necessary that both be acknowledged to be of God and consequently where the Form of Government is Regal or Kingly it is of God and as such to be had in Honour That God does by his Providence order and permit Men to transact order and settle the Mode of Government in Nations which yet are unsetled in that respect does not prove that the Form or Settlement when made is not of God or not to be esteemed so because in such an emergency the Voice of the People together with God's Providence must herein be acknowledged the Voice of God For thus in an ordinary way is that Saying true By me Kings reign and Princes decree Justice By me Princes rule and Nobles even all the Judges of the Earth It was the most high God which gave Nebuchadnezzar a Kingdom Majesty Glory and Honour Dan. 5. 18. who then may question his Regal Power to be of God It 's ill murmuring worse disputing worst of all to fight against God Surely if Nebuchadnezzar must have this Honour given to him as King even by Daniel that Servant of God because by the Almighty he was thus exalted altho otherwise he was a sinful Man a great Idolater it must needs resolve all doubts that may arise about the warrantableness of Kingly Government and all Christians Obedience to it with respect to all Kings under whom they live whatsoever If it be objected that some may usurp Kingly Government and some that have it may abuse it I answer Tho this be true yet it is nothing to the purpose for this is incident to all other Forms of Government And when God permits such things it 's usually for the Sins of the People as it is written For the Transgressions of a Land many are the Princes thereof Prov. 28. 2. He gave them a King in his Wrath But this was because Israel had rejected God and his Prophet Samuel Otherwise God had promised to give his People a King Numb 23. 21. Yea the Government of Moses himself was after a sort a Regal or Kingly Government Deut. 33. 4 5. If then it so fall out that Kings or other Rulers do oppress their Subjects I know no remedy for the Subject but Prayers and Tears that God would turn their own Hearts more to his Fear and the Heart of their Prince towards them For the Hearts of Kings are in his Hands And with patient Suffering and humble Supplication to seek for Favour For Rebellion must by no means be admitted For it is as the Sin of Witchcraft being against God as well as against the King because it is against the Ordinance of God And hence Tertullian well said The Christian knows that the Emperor is constituted of God And saith the Prophet I have delivered all these Countries into the Hands of Nebuchadnezzar Who then may take them out of his Hand Sure none but God who sets up one and puts down another as pleases him For he that gives can only rightfully take away and he doth so when Men abuse what he gives Mene Mene Takel Vpharsin God hath numbred thy Kingdom and finished it and given it to the Medes and Persians Dan. 5. 25 26. If it be objected from that Passage They have set up Kings and not by me that Kingly Government is of Man not of God I answer This rather proves the contrary for here a disorder only is reproved in the way of doing that which they could not do rightly but by him that is God They so set up a King as they rejected God that he should not reign over them 1 Sam. 8. 7. Hence it was that Samuel gave them that Reproof and Exhortation 1 Sam. 12. 20. Ye have done all this Wickedness yet turn not aside from following the Lord but serve the Lord with all your Heart But God did not deny them a King No but he had given them direction how to chuse them a King Deut. 17. 14 15 16. And most certain it is that of all Civil Governments which God hath set up in the World Kingly Government is the most frequent and permanent so far as the Scripture gives
the Children of Men. In a Word Faith apprehends or believes this God to be whatsoever his Word declares him to be which together with his works of Creation and Providence are the Intelligencers to Mortals his good Spirit also helping and illuminating all that heartily seek after him Howbeit this Faith is not of the same magnitude in all that have it but 't is of the same Nature To all that have obtained like precious Faith with us through the Righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 1. 1. To fear God is indeed a Duty incumbent upon all Men and not upon Christians only And for the better performance of this great Duty it is good to know the Cause why Mankind of all other Creatures is bound to fear God I say Mankind only of all sublunary Creatures for from other Creatures God expects not this nor do they pay it to him not having capacity and so no necessity on them to do it But they are subjugated to the Fear of Man who is placed over them as Supream Psal 86. 7 8. Gen. 9. 2. Indeed I do not find that this Fear and Dread of Man was upon the Creatures below him till after the Earth was accursed It is true a Dominion was given Man over them in his innocent Estate Gen. 1. 28. But that he should have ruled them with Rigour as now I find not but do conceive that the terrour of Man to the brute Creatures and their Disobedience to him are Effects of the Curse and its certain the Curse was the Effect of Sin But in these things let us not be too curious Now whether in case Man had not sinned he should have been obliged to fear God as now or whether he should have properly feared God at all may be enquired here To which it may be answered That seeing God had endued Man with excellent Reason and Judgment and yet put him in a mutable State and gave him notice that his state was such when he gave him a Law with a Penalty upon the Breach of it In the Breach of which he should surely dye Gen. 2. 17. It follows that Man was even then bound to Fear and to stand in awe of his Majesty from the beginning before Sin was upon him So that Sin is not the Original Cause of the Fear of God but his Bounty towards Man and absolute Sovereignty over him are the Grounds of it And hence we may learn how just how necessary it is for us who are of the fall'n race of Adam not only for that we are under these Original Obligations and for that the Covenant which we are under as Christians tho a Covenant of Grace yet is truly conditional whatever some murmur to the contrary to fear the God of Heaven and to stand in awe of his Majesty Behold therefore the Goodness and Severity of God! on them that fell Severity but towards thee Goodness if thou continue in his Goodness otherwise thou also shall be cut off Rom. 11. 22. Heb. 4. 1. But it is furthermore our Duty for that we are more subject to err than Adam was for all grant he had Free-will and Sufficiency of Ability to stand had he used it But tho some of us do hold we have a liberty of Will yet we must all confess our Power to be very small without intervening Grace either to resist Temptations or to do acts of Righteousness Not that we are sufficient to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God 2 Cor. 3. 5. There is a Distinction of Fear towards God much spoken of to wit a servile Fear and a filial Fear The first they would exclude from a Christian But if by servile Fear be intended no more than to fear God as a good Servant is to fear his Master I can see no reason to exclude it If I be a Master where is my Fear saith the Lord. Mal. 1. 16. It seems God's Servants must fear him But perhaps the meaning of the distinction is this By filial Fear is meant an holy Dread lest we do any thing that is evil or leave undone the thing that is good and by servile Fear is meant a Fear of Punishment only If this be it I shall say little to it believing whoever makes this distinction would have all Men and specially Christians to fear God so as to depart from all Evil and to do Good lest Judgment be the Portion of their Cup from the Lord. Fear God that is stand in awe of his Majesty worship and serve him and him only 1 Sam. 12. 14. Only fear the Lord and serve him with all your Heart Psal 45. 11. He is thy Lord and worship thou him Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve Mat. 4. 10. This is God's Right we must only pay it to him When Peter was put upon this Strait whether to please or fear Men when his Service to God was the matter in question his Speech was very frank and resolute Acts 4. 19. Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto Men more than unto God judg ye This then must ever become good Christians in matters of Religion to stick close to that which is right in the sight of God however it may be countermanded by Man The Condescensions of holy Paul were so wisely attempered as even then when he was made all things to all Men and paying his debt of Love to the Wise and Unwise so as to be without Law to them that were without Law and under the Law to them that were under the Law yet he was not without Law to God but under the Law to Christ he would not sin to please any nor do Evil that Good might come For the Fear of the Lord is clean the Beginning of Wisdom and that which must keep us company all our days else we lie open to the fiery Darts of Satan which will both hit and hurt where the Fear of the Lord is absent Therefore blessed is the Man that feareth always This is that Grace which held Joseph back from Uncleanness Nehemiah from Self-endedness in God's Service when others made it burthensom This did not I saith he because of the Fear of the Lord. Work out your own Salvation with Fear and Trembling saith the Apostle I trembled in my self that I might rest in the Day of Trouble saith the Prophet I exceedingly fear and quake said Moses I am so troubled I cannot speak said David And shall we not exceedingly fear and stand in awe of that Majesty which made these Pillars in the Church to tremble Beware of a stupid and careless Spirit for that will soon prove a revolting Spirit Jer. 5. 22 23. David makes that awful Fear of God an express Duty to all Psal 76. 7. Thou even thou art to be feared and who may stand in thy presence when once thou art angry Without a godly Fear no Service to God is
given to Swearing Lying Drunkenness and lascivious Talking as God knows a great Number of the Members of the Church of England are known to be such your Discipline seems to have no power in such Cases for thus saith one of your own Ministers Who minds Canon 109 that prohibits common Swearers common Drunkards notorious Whoremasters and Whores c. from the blessed Sacrament of the Lord's Supper Do not even Bishops hear Men swear a thousand Oaths and either do not or dare not use any Discipline against them But now if a good Man do not stand up and bow to the Altar at the Name of Jesus when the Creed is read because he dares not pay greater Reverence in a religious way to any Writing than he pays to the holy Scriptures If he dares not use the Sign of the Cross in Baptism nor sprinkle his Child c. then shall he be prosecuted as a great Sinner cast to the Devil and laid in Prison yea he is sentenced already For in Canon 6. thus we read Whosoever shall affirm that the Rites and Ceremonies of the Church of England are superstitious or such as Men who are zealously and godlily affected may not with any good Conscience approve them use them or as Occasion requireth subscribe unto them let him be excommunicated ipso facto and not restored until he repent and publickly revoke such his wicked Errors 4. Thus as we conceive the Discipline of Righteousness Mercy and Charity established by Christ is laid aside and a Mercenary Court set up holding the Traditions of Men instead of Christ's Institutions in Ecclesiastical Government who also live voluptuously upon the Sins of the People But as for the Reformation of evil Manners or the making Peace and Concord alas it is not sought for nor indeed expected from these Courts And as the Reverend Grosthead said at Rome when he saw all things ruled by Money so may I say of the Courts under consideration O Money Money what wilt thou not do there As for the opprobrious Language prohibited by the Canon we think it uncomely for any to use it tho we dissent from the Ceremonies themselves SECT IV. Concerning Imposing of Ceremonies 1. ALL Divine Ceremonies ordained by Christ or his Apostles we reverence and religiously observe and keep as they were delivered 2. That any Church since their days hath just power to make and ordain Divine Ceremonies to be any necessary parts of the Worship of God we see no ground to believe much less that such Ceremonies may lawfully be imposed under pain of Excommunication Banishment Imprisonment Loss of Estate and Life For tho it is certain God has given power to the Rulers of the World to make change or disannual Laws in point of Civil Government yet we believe all the Power on Earth cannot make one Institute or Divine Ceremony in Religion And therefore we cannot but think the Church of England erred from the Rule of Righteousness in decreeing Rites and Ceremonies which God has not commanded 3. For when we see how sharply fome were reprehended by St. Paul for bringing the Christian Churches in Galatia under some Legal Ceremonies which once had a divine Original and Use in the Church of God as Invaders of the Liberty wherewith Christ had made them free averring also That if they were subject to them Christ should profit them nothing Gal. 5. 1 2. We can see no ground to free the Protestants from Sin who either take up Scriptureless Ceremonies from the Papists or invent Ceremonies themselves but least of all when they force Men will they nill they to conform to such Ceremonies or else to be ejected and delivered up to Satan And surely it was very unreasonable for her Bishops to consent to a Law that pious Men only dissenting in these things from the Church of England should be banished or else hanged as Felons without Benefit of the Clergy And we humbly desire that the Severity of that Law may be considered and mitigated 4. But if it shall be said That the Ceremonies of the Church of England as the Sprinkling of Infants the Sign of the Cross in Baptism bowing to the Altar to name no more at present are not sinful then how shall we be ever able to reprove a Papist for using holy Water bowing to the Image of Christ c. Certainly if we must submit to the Ceremonies of the Church of England in her present Constitution we must submit to theirs too where they have power on their side to enforce them But he that shall impartially consider what a learned Protestant hath said of the Sinfulness of that one Ceremony of the Sign of the Cross in Baptism in his Book entituled Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies will see great cause to avoid touching with any such Inventions however they may be supposed to have had an harmless Use among Christians at the first But who sees not that when such Ceremonies have got the Reputation of Religion upon them and are forced on by humane Laws what incredible Miseries they have brought upon the Christian World How have they lorded it over Kings and Kingdoms over the Estates Liberties and Lives of Christians Who sees not that being thus set up they are sometimes more set by than sincere Faith and an holy Life as if all true Religion and Loyalty too were only to be judged of according to Mens Submission to those Humane Innovations For it is notorious even in this our Land that let a Man but conform to all the Ceremonies he shall live honourably let his Life be never so debauched almost But let a Man refuse these Ceremonies out of conscience to God because they are not from Heaven then he is Envy's Mark let his Life be never so just and harmless Such Effects should lead us to consider what the Causes are And because we are speaking of Ceremonies we crave leave to enquire What means the Ceremony of the Ring in Marriage Why are we forced not only to use it but to use it in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy-Ghost The Church of England blames the Papists for saying Marriage is a Sacrament but shall we then make a Sacrament of a Ring Sure you make the Ring as sacred in Marriage as you make the Water in Baptism Such Usages as these we fear give the Papists too much cause to use this Speech A Protestant is but a Papist scar'd out of his Wits It is not then any thing of Prejudice or Obstinacy which makes us to stand off from the Communion of the Church of England but an unfeigned Desire to serve God aright and a godly Fear lest by touching with these unwritten Traditions we should bring our Souls under Guilt in the sight of God Howbeit if any can convince us that the Church of England is justifiable in these things here objected we shall suspect our selves to be mistaken in other things which we here