unquestionable Maxim of our Holy Religion That we must not do evil that good may come 4. Conscience in this case which is but an irregular Passion and may rather be called Self-conceit or sullen Perswasion becomes a most daring Champion and that Cause is most likely to succeed wherein she is sworn of the Counsel or made use of in the Execution Hence both Ambitious Princes and Rebellious Subjects in their Foreign Invasions or Civil Wars still either in pretence or Truth have Painted Conscience and the Glory of God on their Ensigns thinking it sufficient to Excuse their outrages with the pretext of Godliness Some of you I know have read of the Holy War carried on by the blind Zeal of Christendom against the Saracens some have heard of the Holy League in France many of you of the Spaniards Invincible Armado Equip'd at the Request of his Holiness for the Propagation of the Faith most of you are sensible that there was lately a Solemn League and Covenant set up in this Kingdom for the Glory of God and we are at this day freshly Alarm'd with the Report of an Association These Proceedings are not to be wondred at since Religion hath ever by Experience been found first lyable to be deprav'd by ill Men then to be made a stalking Horse for the carrying on the most Impious Enterprizes Our Lord himself fore-told as much and this Mystery of Iniquity began to work in the Children of Disobedience at the very dawning of Christianity The first Hereticks and Schismaticks that sprung up in the Church Men that boasted of their Knowledge of the Divine Will as much as any among us ever did arrogating to themselves the Name of Gnosticks i. e. as the word imports Knowing Men who as they thought were fully acquainted with the Doctrine of God Yet among many other freakish Opinions deny'd Subjection due to the Magistrate and are describ'd as such by St. Jude Filthy Dreamers who defile the Flesh despise Dominion and speak evil of Dignities 5. The Christian Religion is first pure and then peaceable as St. James teacheth us intimating that the Purity of it being first lost or renounc'd nothing but Confusion and Disorder can be expected to follow from whence it has often come to pass that Men of Corrupt Minds perverse Sons of Belial have set up Religion to countenance their Rebellion and Christianity hath been frequently drawn in to bear a part in the most Bloody Tragedies that ever were Acted upon the Stage of the World Thus it hath been from the beginning and will continue thus to be notwithstanding our Blessed Lord and his Holy Apostles took the greatest care imaginable both by Example and Doctrine to prevent these Mischiefs St. Paul among the rest intending in these words now read either first as some imagine to overthrow that Rebellious Principle of the Gnosticks just now mentioned Despising Dominion and speaking evil of Dignities and to prevent its further growth among the new Converts at Rome Or Secondly as Grotius conjectures to obviate that plausible Argument which the Jewish Christians might possibly be ready to draw from that passage of Moses viz. Thou shalt in any wise set him King over thee whom the Lord thy God shall chuse one from among thy Brethren shalt thou set King over thee thou mayest not set a stranger over thee which is not thy Brother from whence they might gather that the Emperour being not their Brother not of the Seed of Jacob but a Stranger they were not obliged to Obey him Or Thirdly as some think to let the Roman Christians rightly understand his Doctrine and their own Duty namely that what he had before in this Epistle delivered concerning Christian Liberty was not to be stretch'd so far as to excuse their Subjection to the Temporal Magistrate Upon some one or more of these Accounts the Apostle reads them their Lesson here in the Text of which I shall give you the Explication and thence fully set forth the Nature of Subjection which is all I aim at at this time 6. The Grammatical form of the words is Imperative 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and by Consequence the words are Praeceptive importing a Duty properly so called unto which we are indispensably Oblig'd and which the Apostle more peremptorily presses in the 5 th Verse following Wherefore ye must needs be subject there is a Necessity laid upon you all The Romish Divines tell us that this is only Prudential Advice suited to the present Condition of the Christians who were then few and poor and unable to make resistance therefore was it unseasonable for them to exasperate the Emperour but their Interest rather and Wisdom to sit down patiently under Persecution waiting a more favourable time of asserting their Civil Rights and Liberty of Conscience and of pulling down that Cruel and Arbitrary Government of Nero. This Gap was first opened by the Papists through which many even Protestants in Profession have entred into the Field of Rebellion choosing rather to become Companions with those unruly Beasts in the Transgression than to be confin'd within the compass of Sobriety and the Peaceable Principles of the true Christian Philosophy But what I pray ye is or can be the meaning of those words Ye must needs be subject Not only for Wrath or fear of Punishment that is indeed a Prudential Motive fit for every reasonable Man to consider for his Worldly Interest but also for Conscience sake that 's without Question a Divine Evangelical one fit for every Christian to weigh in order to his Spiritual Interest Conscience I say towards God not for his own sake only but as St. Peter implies for the Lords sake in Honour and Obedience to the Law of God Let every Soul No Mortal Man is exempted neither Bishop nor Priest nor Subordinate Magistrate nor five hundred Princes of the Congregation Men of Renown Assembled no nor all the People of the Land Combin'd and Associated together can hold themselves excused Every Soul This Expression is borrowed from the Jewish Writers with whom it is very familiar to call Man Soul as indeed 't is not an unusual Idiom in our own Language that being a principal part Synechdochically put for the Man himself So that when St. Paul says Let every Soul 't is equivalent as if he should have said Let every Man or rather if we would render it to the full Let every living Man For so much the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 denotes which most commonly in Scripture Language signifies the Life the Animal Life that Life which is common to him with the brute Beasts or else the Life relating to our Natural and Temporal Concerns Whence St. Paul opposes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Natural Man to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the Spiritual Man From whence I draw this Conclusion that every true and sincere Disciple of Christ although he may and ought to preserve his Reasonable Soul his Conscience pure and
are indeed often told that this is not to Preach Jesus Christ and him Crucified whereas I make no Question but that he who Teaches any Christian Duty does the work of an Evangelist Preaches Jesus Christ and him Crucified Time was when they only were taken for Soul-saving Preachers who as Aaron perswaded the Israelites to break off the Golden Ear-rings which were in the Ears of their Wives of their Sons and of their Daughters had a dextrous way of wheadling their Disciples to fling their Silver Thimbles and Bodkins into the Fire of our Civil Contentions From whence came out two Molten Calves Slavery drest up in the Habit of Liberty and Property and Hypocrisie lurking under the Disguise of Conscience and Religion Vnto these two Idols were the People forc'd to fall down and Worship It was the same time when they only were esteemed Gospel-Teachers who went to Market for the Subject of their Sabboth-Sermons as the Dissenters most Judaically but Ignorantly call the Lords Day who took their Texts out of the Diurnals and by the help of some Passages of Holy Scripture mis-applyed and Profanely abused brought forth just such another Monster as Mahomet did out of the Law and the Gospel scil A Bloody and Tyrannical Government and an Ill-favour'd Religion which the Church of God never before saw In fine they only were acknowledged the Faithful Dispensers of the Word who were Trumpeters of Sedition and turn'd this Kingdom into War and Blood and Confusion and Anarchy a Work as Diametrically Opposite to the Office of a Minister of Jesus Christ and to the Nature of the Gospel as Light is to Darkness But we silly Wretches as we are who Instruct the People unto Modesty and Patient Submission unto the Higher Powers as our Lord and his Apostles did to rest content with that form of Government under which they are born and bred must needs be represented as a sort of Men that know not or will not Preach Christ and the Faith of Christ although we speak no other things than what the Law and the Prophets and the Scriptures of the New Testament have said before us and enjoyned us to Preach even such things which being indeed to the Dissenters a stumbling-block and to the Factious Politician Foolishness but I am fully perswaded if carefully learnt and Conscientiously practised will accompany Salvation For my own part I desire no fairer play as to the Subject though not as to the Management of these Sermons than that what I have here wrote may be Impartially scann'd and as it shall be found to savour of the Gospel-Spirit let my Character and Entertainment be accordingly which is all Courteous Reader and what I may justly expect from thee Thomas Gipps Sermon I. Rom. 13. Ver. 1. Let every Soul be subject to the Higher Powers for there is no Power but of God the Powers that be are Ordained of God THERE is nothing under the Sun but is lyable to Alteration the best and purest things ordinarily in the Change degenerating into the filthyest and most unsavoury This Observation holds good in Morals as well as Naturals and even the Revelations of God himself when abus'd to loose and ambitious Ends when corrupted by the false glosses of deceitful Men prove most destructive to the Peace and Welfare of the World Hence it comes to pass that Wâ—rs Commenced upon the Account of Religion and carried on under pretence of Conscience have evermore been the bloodyest seldom or never ceasing but in the utter Ruine of one side 2. And for the same Reason Disobedience to Authority and Rebellion against the Prince when grounded on the mistaken Doctrines of the Gospel are usually found most Obstinate the Plague of the Common-wealth and an incurable Disease When Conscience under a mistake leads the Van no Projects of Peace will please but what she approves of When the Glory of God is writ upon the Banners no Conditions are hearkened to but what she propounds When the Defence of the Gospel is taken up in Opposition to the Civil Magistrate no terms of Agreement will be accepted unless every point be gain'd exactly Conform to that Enthusiastical Model to those conceited Schemes of Divine Worship which every Zealous Bigot lays down for the undoubted Law of the Gospel Conscience is the most Formidable Invader of the Rights and Properties of the Subject of the Power and Soveraignty of the Supream Magistrate And when she gives the Signal to Battel the word is Spare neither great nor small Neither Prince nor People neither things Sacred nor Profane escape her Fury but all lye prostrate and truckle to her Arbitrary Commandment Whilst there are any left to make Head against her she will never put up her Sword her very Mercies are Cruel She will never give over the pursuit till glutted with the Blood of her Adversaries her self bursts asunder into Faction Heresie and the most Irreligious Separations When the Number of such as have been Slaughtered in an Holy War shall be reckon'd up it will possibly be found that Interest and Passion and Revenge and Civil Faction have slain their Thousands but Conscience her Ten Thousands How this comes to pass is not difficult to discern An Opinion of our own Holiness begets in us Spiritual Pride or rather Fleshly Wisdom and Confidence Obedience to God is a most Powerful Motive pushing us on unto the most dangerous and desperate Enterprizes The Propagation of the Kingdom of Christ oft-times makes us forget our selves to over-look the means and to think that the Goodness or Innocence of our Design is sufficient to Sanctifie the Villany and to Justifie the undertakers To Defend the Purity of the Gospel is thought as indeed it is if rightly manag'd a Glorious work it appearing to most of us the greatest instance of gratitude we can return to God namely to advance the Excellent Glory of the Divine Nature Besides the Conversion of Men yea even the compelling them by force to renounce their Errors and to embrace the Truths of the Gospel seems at first blush a Noble and Heroick piece of Christian Charity worthy the Zeal and Pains of every one to effect as well in his Enemy as Friend Upon these general but for the most part misapply'd Principles many Ignorant Consciences full of Zeal and sudden flashes of Spiritual Light like Paul in his Journey to Damascus are indeed struck blind with the abundance of Revelation and Knowledge falsly so called And from thence forward know not neither care nor will give themselves leave to consider what course they are taking for the compassing these great Ends neither will suffer others to take them by the Hand and Conduct them to the Infallible Oracles of God where they may understand what it is which God would have them do satisfying themselves with the uprightness of their remote intentions but winking at the Iniquity of the means pursuant thereto Although it is an Eternal Rule of right Reason and an
for a Curb to the Sinner and not for a Punishment to the Righteous since the Wisdom and Goodness of God has therefore Ordained all of us unto Subjection to Magistrates and made it our indispensable Duty yea our Interest and Security so to be And in particular since we Preachers of the Gospel are Commanded to put you in mind that ye be subject to Principalities and Powers and that ye Obey Magistrates I make no more Account of these spightful Insinuations than I would of the Drunkards Songs or the Atheists Witticisms that are so plentifully in these days exercis'd upon us for no other Reason that I know of but because we tell them the Truth We are indeed by the more cunning part of the Enemies of the Government in a cooler manner blamed for making Princes Gods as if they immediately came down from Heaven which looks like a piece of high Presumption and Sacriledge And 't is true we do so in some sort God himself having vouchsafed that Title of Honour to them and our Lord confirmed it Besides St. Paul in my Text fetches them from Heaven telling us they are of God or from God that they are Ordain'd of God I cannot pass by observing on the other hand how that God condescends also to assume the Titles of Earthly Governours the word King and Prince Lord and others of the like sort being frequently attributed to him in Holy Scripture And whereas God by way of Excellence is styled King of Kings nevertheless the Prophet Daniel scrupled not to give the same Appellation unto Nebuchadnezzar also So frivolous in my judgment is that Exception of a Learned Man against Soveraign Princes assuming Divine Titles They are therefore called Gods because they resemble God in Supream Power And as Man is said to have been Created in the Image and likeness of God because of his Dominion over the Creature according to the Opinion of some Learned Men so may the Prince be said to bear the Image and likeness of God in a special manner upon the Account of his Soveraignty over the People In fine there being you see so near an Affinity between God and the King 't is not to be wondred that we make so great a difference between the Prince and the Subject And in our Discourses lay upon you the same burden of Reverence Obedience and Non-resistance as St. Paul before us has done teaching no other Doctrine than what the Holy Ghost has warranted and Commanded us to Teach That ye be subject to the Higher Powers which are of God that they who resist resist the Ordinance of God And oh that ye would lay to Heart that terrible Punishment which awaits all Rebellious and Disobedient Subjects They that resist shall receive to themselves Damnation But after all is said the Grand Debate will be How shall we be satisfied who is this Higher Power among us and in whom that Soveraignty rests to whom Subjection is due Especially in this mixt Monarchy where not only the greatest share of the Property but a considerable part of the Legislative Power is in the People For Answer I say that this notwithstanding the King is the Higher Power that Ordinance of God in the Defence of whose Person and Authority this Discourse is intended Or do I say it only Does not the Municipal Law of the Land say as much And this is I am certain I speak it with somewhat more than ordinary Confidence an Universal an Infallible way of knowing the Supream Power in order to our Non-resistance according to the Doctrine of the Gospel viz. He that beareth not the Sword in vain in whom alone the Military Power remains He whose Person is inviolate whose Life is Sacred whose Power cannot be taken from him Legally without his consent who is Accountable to none but God for any Misgovernment and these are His Majesties Prerogatives even by the Political Contract the express Statute-Law of the Realm he is that Higher Power St. Paul speaks and I have been Discoursing of if there be any such thing as an Higher Power among us Nay I shall further add though I will not positively affirm it submitting my self herein to better Judgments That Prince who is not responsible to the People is in effect the sole Soveraign Power if he pleases to Usurp and Exercise it Nor can the Subject Conscientiously resist him For I cannot apprehend that any resistance can be Lawful in point of Conscience that is forbidden by the Positive Law of the Land which is our Case in this Nation Though the Prince may be culpable in the sight of God for so doing yet the Subjects cannot be Justified in Rebelling when the Law has taken from them that Liberty and Power Common Reason and Equity the Law of Nature and the Original of Government and extream Necessity will by no means Justifie such violent Attempts upon the Supream Magistrate It is one main ground of Political Government to deprive the Subject from being his own Judge and Assertor of his own Priviledges Without this Fundamental Principle there will be only the Name and Shadow of Government when as really 't is but meer Anarchy If the Subject might be permitted to fly in the Face of Authority and to Assault him when ever he apprehends himself injur'd we should but be Populus virorum an Independent Herd of Licentious and ungovernable Men not Corpus Politicum not a Compact Body of Citizens United together in Peace Order and Subordination But it is commonly Argued Is not the Prince Oblig'd to Govern by Law and if he transcends that Power by Invading the Peoples Liberty and Property are we bound to Obey him I Answer He is Oblig'd but the Obligation is between God and his own Conscience God only is the Revenger of the Breach of the Coronation-Oath though the Peoples Liberty and Property and the Laws are the subject-matter of it Secondly I grant that in the Case put we are not bound to Obey him but we are bound patiently to suffer not actively to resist Thirdly I am of Opinion but speak it still with Submission that the King being by all sober understanding Men acknowledged the King of Right before he gives the People that Assurance of his Governing by Law that that Oath is therefore a voluntary Act of Grace unto which he is not Oblig'd by the Fundamental Constitution For if so he could not Exercise the Supream Governing Power before the Oath was taken which yet neither he nor his Predecessors were ever thought uncapable to do Supposing then that the Prince would not give to the People this Assurance I ask whether he is then Oblig'd to Govern strictly by the present Law 'T is my Judgment he is not Obliged He ought indeed the Law of God and Nature and the first Reason of Government requires him to Rule with regard to the good of the Governed yet that he is strictly ty'd unto the particular Methods of Government declared
their own misery and bereaving us all of our present happiness by too careful a providence of future troubles whereas Wisdom its self has said that we must not take care of to morrow and sufficient to the day is the evil thereof And why forsooth should we for discharging our Duty be thus malitiously slandered as Hypocrites and Court-flatterers Did Paul flatter Nero in his Epistle to the Romans It cannot be imagin'd Did Peter flatter all the Princes and Magistrates in Pontus Asia Galatia Cappadocia and Bithynia to the Christians of which Provinces he wrote as you learn in the Preamble of that Epistle It cannot be suppos'd Did Paul here in the Text put Titus upon that Unchristian Servile that Unmanly art of Flattery It cannot be thought Or was our blessed Saviour himself a Flatterer when he bids the Jews give unto Caesar the things that are Caesar ' s Surely none will dare to harbour so mean so Blasphemous thoughts of the Son of God In fine were all the Bishops Priests and Holy Men of Old that laid down their Lives for the Faith Parasites Was Tertullian a Sycophant who Apologizing for the Christians thus boasts on their behalf We Christians adore the Righteous Judgment of God who has Ordain'd the Emperor to Govern the Nations We Christians are Enemies to none no not to the Emperor who is appointed Ruler over us by God and 't is our duty to Love Reverence Honour and wish him Prosperity We Christians in the first place Reverence and Obey God and next unto him the Emperor Is this Flattery Was this an unfaithful Representation of the Christians Loyalty in those Days In no wise To make an end of this Apology If the Primitive Fathers and Noble Martyrs if the Holy Apostles if the Blessed Jesus were Sycophants then O my Soul come not thou into their Secrets Mine Honour be not thou United to their Assemblies who whilst we are labouring for Peace make themselves ready for Battel I had much rather be reckoned among those Hypocrites and to have my Portion with those Glorious Transgressors This short Defence of my self and Brethren will not I hope be accounted unseasonable nor can it be look'd upon as impertinent to the Text if it be well considered as no question it will be by so Judicious an Audience If then it be right in the sight of God to Obey Man rather than God to follow the People in their Turbulency rather than the Apostles Canon of putting them in mind to be subject to Principality c. Judge ye Sermon III. Titus 3. Ver. 1. Put them in Mind to be subject c. IT must be confess'd that all Parties among us acknowledge in general Obedience due to the Supream Magistrate but in the mean time are so miserably Divided in Opinion in what Person or Persons the Supream Power is Lodg'd that as our Lord Prophetically describing the Heresies and Divisions of the Church fore-tells that one Separation would cry loe here is Christ another loe he is there Even thus it fares with us at this day as to the Higher Power We are not yet agreed among our selves to whom the Supream Authority of the Nation belongs nor by Consequence know how far Non-resistance of the Prince in our present Constitution is Obligatory Those who of late have wrote on this Argument have so unmercifully tormented the Doctrine of Subjection with distinctions that 't is as hard to come to the knowledge of our Duty what Governours we are to obey where and when how and in what Case in what sense and degree Resistance is Unlawful as 't is to find the true Doctrine of the Gospel in the School-men or to direct the Conscience in the Practice of Holiness out of the Jesuits Morals This Evangelical Precept is so strangely Wire-drawn brought into so narrow compass that I cannot apprehend what tye can be laid upon the Subject since 't is impossible but upon some pretence or other a Factious Spirit may still alledge something to Justifie his Rebellion For most of these Disputers about the Nature of our Government do still centre and agree upon this one Pestilent and Ruining Principle That the People by the Law of Nature by the first Reason of Government by a Moral transcendent Power not express'd but necessarily implyed in every Political Constitution are their own Judges what their Rights and Priviledges are when Property is Invaded when Religion is in danger to be Subverted when Liberty of Conscience is Violated and when their Civil and Spiritual Interests may forcibly be maintain'd How of late was Obedience to the Higher Powers run down with full Cry forc'd to skulk and pass along the Streets in Masquerade And sometimes to Attire her self in the Harlotry and Disguise of Rebellion its self So that an inquisitive Man would have been puzzled to discover her as much as Diogenes was to find out an Honest Man or Elijah another besides himself that had not bowed the Knee to Baal The Matter is Blessed be God somewhat amended among us in appearance Yet because 't is to be feared that there are still many tainted with Factious Principles a very little of which like the Leaven of the Pharisees is able to Leaven and Corrupt the whole Lump since many ignorant People know not which way to turn themselves nor whose Servants they are whom they ought to Obey I shall now proceed farther on the Argument of Non-resistance and endeavour to resolve two other Queries relating thereunto The first of which is What if the Supream Power sets up Idolatry What if he become an Enemy to Godliness a Betrayer of the true Reformed Religion of the Nation Still I Reply he is thy Natural Leige Prince and the Ordinance of God When the Citizens of Delphi upon the approach of Xerxes in his Formidable Invasion of Greece Consulted the Oracle what course they should take for the preservation of their Religion their Sacred Reliques They received this Answer God is able to provide for the Security of his own Honour and Worship 'T is not unlikely those wretched People were more sollicitous about the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those Rich Presents and Inestimable Treasures which had been sent to the Idol by Croesus and other Superstitious Princes more than for the Honour of God And so I fear 't is with most among us whatever Zeal they make shew of for the Preservation of Religion and the Glory of God the care of their Wealth and Estates is at the bottom of all which indeed they are not ashamed in their Discourses many times to own But whatever it be and though the Oracle of the Devil seems to deny that People Liberty of using Lawful means for the Security of their Religious Treasure for certainly 't was Lawful for them to defend both against the Power and Avarice of an Invader either by hiding it in the Earth or removing it into a more safe place which was the only Question put to the