were their Servant yet no good Subject who duly reverences the King will account him so His Servants we are to whom we Obey If he then be a Servant to the People he is bound to obey them and then they are superiour to him not he to them But this is a Contradiction to Authority and Government To govern is the Office of a Superiour and the Exercise of Authority but a Servant as such is subject to Authority and does not bear it They who would have the Prince accounted the common Servant would themselves be esteem'd the uncontroulable Masters of the People when they are but in the Service of the Prince According to the true Character of Pride which is always disposed to deny and with-hold the Honour due to another and to assume also more than is due to it self And if the Honouring of the Governour requires that we do asscribe and yield to him all that Authority and Power which of Right belongs to him it manifestly forbids all Endeavour to make it less than it is As due Reverence and Love must give all that Authority which the Law and Constitution of the Government allows so it must be far from endeavouring that this should allow less than it does It is Irreverence to invade his Right against Law and also to invade the Law it self which establishes it There is in both these things an Opposition to his Authority and a manifest Contradiction to the Subjects Duty They both proceed from an irreverent undutiful and rebellious Disposition of Mind The one Sort of Wickedness is like that of a Thief or Robber who deprives a Man of the Possession of his own The other is that which the Holy Scripture curses under the Name of Removing a Neighbour's Land-mark And it is very evident that this Wickedness is the worst of the two and much the greater Wrong to a Neighbour The former invades the Possession this the Right the one takes away the present Use the other endeavours to deprive him of the Use of it for ever The one takes but the Crop or a Part of it but the other takes away the Land too Nor does it at all lessen the Guilt of this later Case that the Consent of the Prince is gain'd to the Diminution of his Authority There may be such a thing as a forced constrain'd Consent as when a Man invaded by two Evils one of which he must needs suffer therefore chuses the least A Prince may be brought into such Straits as to find it necessary to let go a Part that he may not lose the whole But it is a guilty thing to impose upon him in such a Necessity As it is an Injustice to impose upon the Necessity or Ignorance of an equal or inferiour Neighbour in our Dealings with him So 't is Injustice together with Irreverence to impose thus upon the Necessities of a Superiour But especially is it guilty to bring the Prince under such Necessity and then to make use of it against him which is the usual Method of those who seek to undermine and lessen his Authority Their Policy is to find out Ways to bring him to the Danger of losing his Crown perhaps to a foreign Enemy and then to with-hold the Assistance necessary to the Defence of it unless he will part with some of the Jewels of it to them which is certainly contrary to the Honouring of the King In due Reverence and Honour of the King we must ascribe and yield to him all that Power and Authority which is his Right and Due And we must be directed to determine what is so by the Law and Constitution of the Government we are under which is as it were the Land-mark or Boundary of Right between one and another through the whole Community And to know what the Law and Constitution allows we must learn this from those who are Professors of and Learned in the Laws And if they happen to differ in their Opinions of the matter so as to ascribe some of them more and some less Authority and Power to the Prince a reverent and dutiful Disposition of Mind which is desirous to give all that is due will follow those who ascribe the more But those who want a due Reverence for the Prince and are rather desirous to yield him as little Authority as they can will be sure to follow those that ascribe the less Which is certainly a Transgression of our Duty in this Matter and that which no tender Consciences will allow 2. To Honour the King or Governing Power includes and requires Obedience and Subjection to his Laws If we own his Authority in Word and Principle but do not obey his Laws we deny it in Practice This therefore must needs be included in the due Honour and Reverence of him As it is an Exercise of Authority to make Laws so 't is an Instance of acknowledging that Authority to obey and be subject to them We are bound to this by the Law of God which says Let every Soul be subject to the higher Powers Rom. 13. If his Laws are manifestly contrary to the Law of God and so they cannot be actually obey'd yet we must preserve a humble and submissive Disposition and quietly suffer the Penalties which are imposed upon us by Law This is that which the Apostle Peter commands 1 Pet. 4. 15. Let none of you suffer as an Evil Doer or as a Busie Body in other Mens Matters but if a Man suffer as a Christian let him not be asham'd The Apostle intimates there would be occasion for them to suffer as Christians or meerly for being such which could come to pass by no Law but a very contrary one to the Law of God And he exhorts them however to suffer meekly and patiently if this should be their Case according to the Example of our Master Jesus And if we must patiently and quietly bear the Penalty of evil Laws this forbids the doing any thing contrary to the Reverence and Honour of the Prince to get rid of those Laws It forbids the murmuring against him the reviling of the Magistrate the Endeavour to lessen his Reputation and Esteem among the People and the making Parties against him in order to byass and constrain him to alter those Laws This is the Spirit of Faction which is undutiful disobedient and rebellious If the Prince cannot be fairly and dutifully perswaded the Subject must not endeavour to force him to alter even an unjust and wicked Law Without doubt the Magistrate has Power to make Laws in matters left indifferent and which are not expresly and particularly determin'd in the Law of God All the best and most religious Governments of the World have understood so and practised accordingly and it is a new and false Opinion which holds the contrary If the Magistrate can command nothing but what is commanded in the Law of God he can make no Laws at all has no Legislative Power but all he has to do is
THE HONOUR Due to the Civil Magistrate Stated and Urg'd IN A SERMON Compos'd for the Day of Thanksgiving For the happy Discovery of the Late Horrid and Execrable Conspiracy AGAINST His Majesties Sacred Person and Government By THEOPHILVS DORRINGTON London Printed for John Wyat at the Rose in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1696. ADVERTISEMENT THE materials of the following Discourse are Thoughts which have a long time taken possession of my Mind upon a good consideration of the Duty therein urg'd and of the Behaviour of the World with Relation to it The Occasion of putting them now together was The Happy Discovery of the late Wicked and Detestible Conspiracy against the Life of Our KING whom may it please God long to preserve and by consequence against our Peace Liberty and Religion and the Welfare of Europe It was at first design'd for a Sermon and in particular for the Day of Thanksgiving to Almighty God for that Discovery to which I intended it should have been somewhat more expresly accomodated in an Application at the End To be sure the best way of expressing our Thankfulness to Almighty God for having so wonderfully again preserved our Good KING is to study and practice all that Duty which God requires we should pay to the KING But having had no opportunity to use the Discourse in that way by reason of my uncertain Circumstances at present I have resolv'd thus to Publish it Thus it came to pass that it is in such a Method And the Duty is here Stated and Vrg'd as becomes a Sermon from the Intimations of Holy Scripture concerning it and the whole Discourse is chiesly grounded upon Principles of Religion Being then after this manner at first composed I was willing to let it go with this Character Because the greatest Reverence and Regard is certainly due to Religion and to what is firmly and necessarily connected with the Principles and Precepts of it All That therefore may with great Reason have a mighty force and power upon Men. I heartily pray that this Discourse may as much as is necessary revive this Happy and Important Instance of Religious Practice amongst us to the Honour of our Holy Religion the Obtaining the Divine Favour and Blessings upon the Nation and the Promoting the Tranquillity and Prosperity of our Good KING and his People To which Ends I am sure this Practice will mightily conduce THE HONOUR Due to the Civil Magistrate 1 Pet. 2. 17. later part Honour the King ALL the Rules of Religion are design'd to promote the Happiness of Mankind and this we may very reasonably believe of them since they were all contriv'd by that Good and Just and Wise Being who created us Those Laws which tend to form us into orderly Societies and direct the Behaviour of Men towards one another if they were universally observ'd would certainly produce all that Advantage and Happiness which can be deriv'd from Society and Communion with one another While we perform what is made our Duty towards other Men this is not only for their Good and Advantage but tends to our own too As it is for the benefit of the World that the Great Universal Governour the Lord of Hosts has appointed Governments among Men and this as the Apostle says is an Ordinance of God for Good so 't is for the Benefit of the World that those Governments be duly Honour'd and Obey'd This is not only to the Advantage of those that govern but also to theirs who are govern'd And most certainly a Man may out of Love to his Country and from a hearty Concern for the Welfare even of the People urge them as the Apostle in our Text. does to Honour the King I shall therefore in this Discourse propose what Honour must be paid to the King and offer those Arguments which ought to induce us to it We have in this Text an evident and express Comand to Honour the King By the King is meant the Person or Persons who bear and execute the supream governing Authority of whatever Nation The Precept here supposes a single Person because the People whom the Apostle wrote to were under such a sort of Government but it does not at all oblige or require that all Government should be manag'd by a single Person The Duty of Subjects to the King or Governour is comprehended here under the same Word which directs the Behaviour of Children towards their Parents in the fifth Commandment Of which Command this Precept in our Text is a Branch The Septuagint translate the Hebrew Word in that Command by the same Greek Word which the Apostle uses here And the Apostle Paul expresses that which is required by the Fifth Command by the same Word which the Septuagint use in Eph. 6. 2. From what is requir'd then in several Places of Scripture to be paid by Children to their Parents we may learn how the Civil Magistrate is to be Honour'd And as Children must reverence and respect must love and obey must assist and cherish their Parents as there is occasion so must Subjects demean themselves towards their Prince It seems very well said by some Learned Men That there is a peculiar Fitness and Propriety of Speech in using the Word Honour in that Command rather than Love or Fear though our Parents are to be lov'd and also reverenced or feared Because say they He that Loves does not always reverence and observe And he that Fears does not always Love but he that Honours doth both Reverence and Love It is the best general Account then that we can give of the Meaning and Extent of this Precept to say It includes all that which a reverential respectful Love or a kind and loving Reverence does require and would exercise it self by This I shall now represent as well as I can so briefly do it in the following Particulars 1 The Subjects must acknowledge and allow all that Authority and Power in the Prince which of Right belongs to him This I think is of it self very evident to be included in the Command to Honour the King And that it does belong to it Solomon intimates in those Words My Son fear thou the Lord and the King and meddle not with them that are given to change Prov. 24. 21. We must neither in Principle deny nor in Practice oppose or contradict nor any ways endeavour to undermine or lessen the Authority which belongs to the Governour We must treat him with Respect as a Superiour and prefer him and his Interests before our selves and our own Every Subject must esteem him superiour to himself therefore all must esteem him superiour to all If he be higher than every Part of the Community beside himself he is higher than the whole It is a dishonourable Opinion of the Governour to account him a Servant of the People Though a good Prince will as we to our Comfort find at present entirely give up himself to promote the Happiness of the People under him as if he
will always good Subjects think the same concerning their Prince If a Prince oppresses and destroys his People this is as if a Man should cut off his own Legs with his Hands or one Hand with the other If the People set themselves against the Prince and destroy the Government this is as if the Hand should cut the Throat or if that could be done should separate the Head from the Body As our Forms of Prosecuting Malefactors reckon a Fact to be committed against the Crown and Dignity of the Prince which was immediately done only against the Interest and Welfare of some particular Subject So will the Subject if he rightly understands himself account That what is attempted or done against the Prince is really in its Tendency and Consequences against the Interest of the People too While we duly Reverence and Honour the Prince and render to him what is due from Subjects he will have it in his Power the better to keep us at Peace among our selves to hinder the Subjects from injuring and persecuting one another and to force all in their several places to discharge their Duties diligently and faithfully and be the more useful and serviceable to the good of the Community And this must also render him the better able to Defend us against those Forreign Enemies that seek our Destruction 'T is certain that if the People by their ready and generous Assistance make him great and considerable in the World they make themselves so too If they inable him to do great Actions against their Enemies and thereby raise his Honour and Renown they raise their own Glory and Renown also All the World knows the Prince in his Person is but one and cannot do any great matters without a great Assistance from his People and so a large share of the glory of his Actions must redound to the People who assist him to do them Their Might their Riches their Wisdom and Valour and their laudable Affection and Esteem for their Prince will therein gloriously appear to their Immortal Honour Which may teach us what to think of those Subjects who care not how Little and Contemptible the Prince and Nation are Abroad so they may but hugg the humble Glory of setting themselves up above their Fellow-Subjects at Home If Subjects will set themselves against the Interest and Authority of the Prince and grow Disobedient and Ungovernable none but fatal and unhappy Consequences can attend this If any of his Subjects will have an Interest separate from and inconsistent with His they make it his Interest to suppress and destroy theirs If they will be jealous of him without ground they give him good ground to be jealous of them If they oppose his Interests he must defend them as well as he can Not only for his own sake but for the sake of the Common Welfare and Tranquility This is in him due not only to the grand Law of Self Preservation which he must be allowed to follow as well as others but also to the Publick Benefit and Peace which will necessarily go to wrack whenever the Government is weakned or thrown down To be sure he must in that Case be disabled from Serving and Securing it which is his Duty always to endeavour to do And a good Prince must needs desire earnestly to have it always in his Power to promote the Publick Welfare They that oppose the Authority of the Prince with a bare Face and a manifest Discovery of their Design and against apparent standing Law are commonly with ease Supprest when their Projects come to light because they can seldom if ever especially against a good Prince make their Party Considerable and Strong But then they bring upon themselves the displeasure of the Government and meet with Ruin from that which was Ordained for their Happiness and Protection But the more dangerous Opposition and that which carries the mischievous and ill Consequences further is when any seek to undermine his Authority and Government by secret and concealed Arts and colour their wicked Designs by specious and plausible pretences Perhaps they may find out ways to use even the Law it self against the Authority and Power of the Prince and may manage their Designs so well that he cannot Defend himself against them without straining the Law to the utmost Rigour or without some Encroachment upon it And what shall a good and a just Prince do in so unhappy a Case The Support of Government with the Advantages of it for the Common Good together with his own Preservation tempt him strongly to make some breach upon the Laws The Arbitrary and undutiful Carriage of these Subjects constrain him to some Arbitrary and Irregular Proceedings against them And tho in that Case they will not sail to Clamour loudly against him yet is the blame of what is done most justly due to them and they are the Causes of all the Evill that follows If he be guilty in this they are more guilty they are the Agressors and the first Spring of the Mischief If any Case will allow the resisting Evil with Evil it is this and I must needs say I think it hard if not impossible to prove that this Case does not justifie some Irregular Proceedings in the Prince That Rule may take place here That the Welfare of the People the Community is the Supream Law and may over-rule any other And the Support of the Government is absolutely necessary for the Welfare of the People But in this Case the Government cannot Support it self nor can it be for good to other Subjects unless it be evil to these It cannot prevail against them for the good of the Whole unless according to the Supream Law it makes some breach upon Inferiour and less Important Laws And it chuses the least of two Evils in doing so as the Destruction of a few Men of ill Principles and Designs must needs be a less Evil than the Dissolution and Overthrow of Government which must be attended with the Ruin of a great many and those the good as well as bad If the fair pretences of such Men make their Party very strong they may perhaps be able to make Head against the Prince and then the matter may break out into a Civil War which is always an unspeakable Misery and brings a world of Woes and Calamities to a Nation let which Side soever get the Victory War puts Law and Property and Religion all that is dear to us and which these troublesome Men pretend they would secure into the Hands of the Rude Soldier makes all things subject to the Law less Sword and does certainly expose them to the greatest danger of being Lost for the sake of an uncertain Security While the Conflict lasts the greatest Tyranny and the most irregular and arbitrary Proceeding which is that of the Soldier is every where exercised And they who would not afford the Prince the necessary Assistance to Support the Honour of the Nation or the