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A53752 A plain sermon preached to a country congregation in the beginning of the late rebellion in the west published for the instruction of country people in their duty to the King, and the refutation of some slanderous reports raised upon the preacher / by Vin. Owen. Owen, Vin. 1685 (1685) Wing O832A; ESTC R20886 19,128 36

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Concerning which there is no doubt but by every Soul the Apostle means every man by an usual Synecdoche It is possible indeed that the Apostle did make choice to speak thus putting the Soul for the man to intimate that our subjection to the Higher Powers should be from the Heart and Soul free ready cheerful not by constraint which is bruitish not meerly Passive but in all lawful things Active but it matters not whether he did so or not for it is evident enough from other places of Scripture that it ought to be so that which the Apostle teaches concerning the subjection or obedience of Servants to their Masters Eph. 6.6.7 and Colos 3.23 being applicable with advantage to the subjection of all Inferiors to the Higher Powers That which I think my self concerned to note is That all Persons without exception of any ought to be subject to the Higher Powers Let every Soul saith the Apostle an expression that includes all and excludes none And thus any unprejudiced man of common fences one would think must understand it for besides the force of the expression it self every Soul the Apostles words afterwards whosoever resisteth the Powers and they that resist and wilt thou not he afraid of the Power And he is the Minister of God to thee c. seem to be used on purpose to direct every one that is not a Higher Power or Ruder to take the precept as given to himself And yet notwithstanding this the Popes of Rome and their Adherents for several hundreds of years have made bold so to distinguish and limit the Apostles words as to exempt themselves and all their Clergy from subjection to the Civil Powers But what Warrant they have from God to do thus I am altogether ignorant We know that our Blessed Saviour owned the Power of the Roman Emperor and those that were in Authority under him and submitted himself to it without pleading any exemption For thus he answered Pilate when he spake to him of his Power Thou couldest have no Power at all against me except it were given thee from above Joh. 19.11 And we are sure that when the Apostles were brought before Principalities and Powers for their faith sake they never excepted against their Power but defended themselves and their Doctrine before them yea St. Paul did plainly own their Authority and it is written for our Instruction in this point Act. 25.10 11. I stand saith he at Caesars Judgment Seat where I ought to be judged mark that If I be an offender or have committed any thing worthy of death I refuse not to dye I appeal unto Caesar Which Appealing unto Caesar was a plain owning of his Authority over him For the Liberty of Appealing to the Roman Emperor was a priviledge granted only to them that were free Citizens of Rome and the Apostle could not claim this but by owning himself a Citizen of Rome and therefore a subject to the cheif Governor thereof It is no less certain that the Holy Fathers and Bishops of the Church yea and of Rome too for above six hundreds years after Christ did not only acknowledge themselves subject to the Civil Powers but did declare that they and all men whatsoever were bound to be so St. Chrysostom upon the Text says that not only Seculars but Priests and Monks are to be subject and although thou beest an Apostle or an Evangelist or a Prophet for this obedience to be sure will not destroy thy piety And if we may believe a Bishop of the Roman Church of late years as we reasonably may other ancient Fathers as Euthymius Theoderet Theophylact c. and all the Greek Doctors do agree with him And Gregory surnamed the Great Bishop of Rome doth so expound the Text. And Saint Bernard many years afterwards in his Epistle to a Bishop said thus Every Soul saith the Apostle then must you also speaking to the Bishop of Senona be subject who hath exempted you He that doth offer to exempt you doth but offer to deceive you And therefore let not the Church of Rome boast of her sincere delivering to men the truly Ancient Catholick and Apostolick Doctrine Let no Papist boast of their Loyal Principles or Practises or charge any Protestants with Seditions and Traiterous Doctrines with disloyal Treasonable and Rebellious Practises as confidently as if they themselves were innocent for besides what has now been discoursed I doubt not to say and do say it upon the Faith of a Christian That I know no Seditious or Rebellious Principle no Doctrines distructive to Goverment entertained and asserted by any called Protestants but the same have been asserted and taught by some Bishops of Rome and their Adherents But thanks be to God that the Church of England can be charged with no such mischeivous and damnable Doctrines whose Doctrine I am sure I have now taught you and as I do stedfastly believe it to he the Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles so I doubt not but by Gods Grace I shall continue in the belief of it to the end of my Life Thus have I explained the words of my Text and I hope clearly and profitably with respect to the unhappy circumstances that this Kingdom is at present under And now to conclude this Discourse in as few words as may be Not to trouble you with Complaints of the little Sence which many men have of their Duty to the Higher Powers which every wise and good man cannot but observe and be sadly and sorrowfully affected with Let me in short propose some few Questions to you and if it be possible to oblige you thereby seriously to consider what it is that so indisposes some to use no harder a term to honour obey and serve our present Lord the King that they can hardly endure to be told that they ought to do so Have any among you so little Knowledge of the Gospel after so many years enjoyment of it as to think what has now been delivered to be no part of the Gospel which Christs Ministers ought to Preach Are you so little able to distinguish between true Christian Protestant Doctrine and Popery as to call the Preaching of Subjection to the Higher Powers Popery have you had the Holy Scriptures so many years in your Hands in your own Language and pretended to make them and them only the Rule of your Faith and Practise and can you be ignorant of or will you reject the truths now delivered out of them and writted so plainly in them that none but those who will shut their eyes can avoid seeing them Hath St. Paul so little credit with us when he tells us That there is no Power but of God and the Powers that be are ordained of God that we will not believe him or can we possibly fasten any other sence upon his words but this that it is God that makes Kings and not men That whatever they are as to their Personal Qualifications Abilitys for Government or Religion