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A25703 An apology for the Protestants of France, in reference to the persecutions they are under at this day in six letters.; Apologie pour les Protestans. English. L'Estrange, Roger, Sir, 1616-1704. 1683 (1683) Wing A3555A; ESTC R12993 127,092 130

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has committed to them the Administration or Rule And upon that score it is they pray to God for their own King and for all other Princes That he would give them his holy Spirit and all Graces requisite to well Governing Is this the stile of a seditious People Enemies to Monarchs and Monarchy Since therefore the Confession of Faith and form of Common-Prayer speaks the mind of the whole Body of the French Protestants it will be needless to quote the Sermons and Writings of their particular Ministers yet because I observe to my great grief there are many here cry down the incomparable Calvin as if in this point of obedience to Monarchs he were not very sound I must needs read to you what he has said upon that subject in his excellent Institution It is in his fourth Book Chap. 20. where after he has shewed Sect. 22 23 of this Chapter the Duty of Subjects towards Princes and Magistrates which he makes consist in having a profound Reverence for them to observe their Commands with a perfect submission to pay such Taxes and Rates as they put upon them to offer up Prayers and Thansgivings to God for their Prosperity and when he has there proved by Scripture That we cannot resist the Magistrate without resisting God who is prepared to defend them he considers Sect. 24. That there are many who fancy we owe not this respect and obedience but to good Princes and so may despise the wicked and shake off the yoke of Tyrants This Maxim he confutes as a most pernicious error in the following Sections of which I shall here give you a taste The Word of God obliges us to submit not only to the authority of Princes that use us well but in general to the Dominion of all those after whatever fashion that exercise Sovereign Power though they perform nothing less than the Duty of a Prince For however the Lord assures us that Magistrates are the Bounty of his Grace set up for the conservation of Men and that therefore he sets them bounds within which they ought to keep yet he declares at the same time that whatever they prove they hold their Power of him that they who seek the publick good in their Sovereign Administration are the lively Images of his Goodness that they which rule with violence and oppression were raised by him to the Throne for a Scourge to a sinful people but that the one and the other are equally invested with that Sacredness of Majesty which he has stamped upon the Forehead of all lawful Authorities I shall insist upon this point which the Spirit of the Multitude does not so easily conceive to wit that this admirable and Divine Authority that the Lord by his Word confers upon the Ministers of his Justice remains no l●ss with a Man that is never so wicked or unworthy of all honour if once he be raised to the Sovereign Power so that his Subjects ought no less to Reverence him in regard of Allegiance due to Sovereigns than if he were a good King First I would have it carefully observed the special Providence of God in bestowing Crowns and setting up Kings of which we are so often told in Scripture It is God says Daniel that removeth Kings and setteth up Kings And speaking elsewhere to Nebuchadnezz●r Thou shalt be says he to him wet with the Dew of Heaven till thou know that the most High Ruleth in the Kingdom of Men and giveth it to whomsoever he will We know well enough what a kind of King this N●buchadnezzar was who took Ierusalem He was an Usurper and an accomplished Villain Nevertheless the Lord assures us in Ezekiel that he had given him Egypt as a Reward for the Service he had done him in the mischief he did to Tyre And Daniel says to the same King The God of Heaven has given thee a Kingdom Power and Strength and Glory and wheresoever th● Children of Men dwell the Beasts of the Field and the Fowls of the Heaven has he given into thine hand and hath made thee Ruler over them all He says also to Belshazzar this King's Son The most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy Father a Kingdom and Majesty and Glory and Honour and for the Majesty that he gave him all People Nations and Languages trembled and feared before him Whenever we find God has set up any man to be King let us call to mind the heavenly Oracles which appoint us to Honour and Fear the King and then we shall not fail to bear Respect even in the persons of Tyrants to this mighty Character wherewith God has been pleased to honour them Samuel telling the People of Israel what they were to suffer from their Kings uses these words This will be the manner or Right of the King that shall Reign over you He will take your Sons and will appoint them for himself for his Chariots and to be his Horse-men and some shall run before his Chariots And he will take your Daughters to be Confectionaries and to be Cooks and to be Bakers And he will take your Fields and your Vineyards and your Olive-yards even the best of them and give them to his Servants And he will take the tenth of your Seed and of your Vineyards and give to his Officers and to his Servants And he will take your Men-servants and your Maid-servants and your goodliest Young-men and your Asses and put them to his Work He will take the tenth of your Sheep and ye shall be his Servants Doubtless Kings have no Right to deal thus those that the Law so carefully directs to Moderation and Temperance But Samuel calls this the Right of the King over the People because the People are under an indispensable Obligation to submit and are not allowed to resist as if the Prophet had explain'd himself after this manner The mismanagement of Kings shall come to this height and you shall have no right to oppose it your part must be to take their Commands and to obey them Calvin after this produces a long passage out of Ieremiah where great punishments are denounced against all those that would not submit to the Government of Nebuch●dnezzar who originally was but an Usurper as wel as a Tyrant And he concludes that we ought to reject these seditious thoughts That a King ought to be handled as he deserves and that there is no reason we should behave our selves as Subjects towards him if he carries not himself like a King towards us After which he most substantially answers the Objections which unquiet Spirits are used to make against this Doctrine And now I leave it to reasonable Men to judge whether it be not the greatest Injustice to this excellent Person to declare to the World That he was an Enemy to Kings They that followed him have after his example all taken the same side upon this subject No doubt you have read what their great Salmasius has writ in defence