hath to Pauls and that the daughter may be somewhat like the mother Ezech. 16. 44. As is the mother so is the daughter though the table doe not stand end-wayes an as Altat but with the end to the wall Well yet a rayle must be made about it to infinuate into the peoples mindes an opinion of some extraordinary sanctity in the Table more then in other places of the Church as the Pew Pulpit or Font. Yet all this may seeme tolerable and without danger Well the like is done in other places But this growes further on in many places adorations practised to this new Altar-God yea pleaded for in pulpits and in printed books yea that in sundry Colledges in the Universities the seminaries and seed plotts of learning and Religion so farre pressed as the exemplary practises of those that bee the Heads or Superiors there may any way draw and induce the inferior Students to their imitation either through feare of displeasure or for hope of preferrement Which how perillous it is tending to corrupt the whole land with superstition and Idolatry every one may see Well now what 's the next Thus farre wee now see Popery like a thiefe stollen in upon us step by step when wee as men asleep in our beds suspected no danger And perhaps the next degree will bee the placing of their God-Almighty in the Host or Pix visibly and conspicuously upon the Altar and a Masse with the piping of the Organs chanted unto it as the Israelites did about their Calfe Exodus 32. Therefore doth it not concerne Gods Ministers and people too even from the highest to the lowest as one man to stand out against this creeping gangrene that having begun but in the least member never ceaseth creping till at length it hath prevailed over the principall parts so brought death to the whole body and this such a death as kills the soule and bringe us all backe againe under the most intollerable yoake and bondage of Satan and Antichrist from the which the Lord had so mightily and mercifully delivered us Thus much of the feare of the Lord. Come we now to the next point which is the feare of the King In which we are to observe 1. The kind of this feare 2. The order of it next to the feare of the Lord 3. The Connexion of it with the feare of the Lord being so combined that the one cannot stand without the other First then for the kind of this feare I told you in the opening of the text that it is a Civill feare differing from the feare of the Lord which is a religious feare and so a part of his worship and consequently incommunicable to any creature Yet so as I told you there is a similitude betweene this Civill feare to the King and that religious feare of the Lord. As 1. as the true feare of the Lord comprehends in it all duties and services due from us to God so the feare of the King contaynes all duties due from Subject to their King 2. as the feare of the Lord is a filiall feare so the feare of the King 3. As the feare of the Lord is a feare of adherency so the feare of the King Of these in order and of the points of instruction thence arising Every true Subject and every true servant of God ought to feare his King that is performe all duties and offices whatsoever due from a subject to his Prince For the opening hereof wee must know that the feare of the King containes all duties of a Christian Subject to his King For that which is sayd here Feare the Lord and feare the King is expressed by Peter thus Feare God Honour the King As in the fifth Commandement Honour thy Father and thy Mother Here as by Father and Mother all Superiors that stand in a bond of relation to inferiours as Parents Masters Magistrates Ministers and above all the chiefe Magistrate the Prince is meant so under this word honor all kindes of duty and service due from all inferiours to their Superiours respectively are comprized This is expressed also by Peter Submit your selves to every ordinance of man for the Lords sake whither it be to the King as Supreme or unto Governours as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evill doâ—rs and for the prayse of them that doe well This is yet more fully and amply set downe by the Apostle Paul Rom. 13. Where this doctrine is not only prooved but pressed and confirmed by many strong reasons First the doctrine is propounded in the duty injoyned vers 1. Let every soule bee subject to the higher powers The Precept is universall to every creature not Pope nor Cardinall nor Prelate excepted All living under the Kings Dominion must bee subject to the King And the reasons are there rendred 1. Because those higher Powers are of God So as hee that resisteth the Power resisteth the Ordinance of God Secondly the penalty upon rebells They that resist shall receive to themselves damnation Rebells shall not escape eyther the just hand of man or of God whose ordinance is resisted in resisting of the power Thirdly from the excellent office that the Powers doe beare which is to execute justice and judgement betweene Subjects For Rulers are not a terrour to good works but to the evill And as he rewards the evill with punishment so the good with prayse For wilt thou not be affrayd of the power Doe that which is good and thou shalt have prayse of the same For hee is the Minister of God to thee for good but if thou doe that which is evill bee affrayd for hee beareth not the sword in vaine for hee is the Minister of God a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evill Fourthly there is a necessity of this subjection vers 3. Wherefore ye must bee subject not only for wrath but also for conscience sake So as if feare of wrath be not a bond strong enough yet conscience is which will dispense with no man For Gods ordinance bindes the Conscience Fifthly from the end of paying tribute vers 6. For for this cause pay yee tribute also For what cause That is for they are Gods Ministers attending continually upon this very thing That is for the execution of justice in punishing the evill in praysing and countenancing the good And hereupon the Apostle reinforceth his exhortation as an use of the point Render therefore to all their dues tribute to whom tribute is due custome to whom custome feare to whom feare honour to whom honour Againe to the former reasons expressed by the Apostle wee may adde one more answerable and correspondent to that fore-alledged of our obedience unto God for as I said in all things the feare of the King holds a resemblance with the feare of the Lord as being the most exact and perfect patterne of it even as God is the best patterne for a King and
man but as it is indeed the Word of God When a sonne heares the counsell of his Father that is wise loving kind true and powerfull to make good what he saith it drawes on and commaunds attention Such a Father is God infinit inall his Attributes Secondly to heare as a son makes for fervent affection in loving imbracing and highly esteeming the Word of God The reason that many men doe not receive the Word of truth in the love of it is because they are none of his sons They are as Ahab they heare the truth at the Prophets mouth but they hate him and the truth As Christ said to the Iewes when they boasted that God was their Father and they were Abrahams children If God were your Father you would love me And if Abraham were your father you would doe his workes for hee rejoyced to see my day It is therefore a son-like affection that intertaines Gods Word with love whither hee checke or whither hee cherish whither hee threaten or comfort 3. To heare as a sonne is an inducement to frequent meditation of the Word heard As Prov. 7. 1. 2. 3. My sonne keepe my words and lay up my Commaundements with thee Keepe my Commaundements and live and my Law as the apple of thine eye Bind them upon thy singer write them upon the table of thine heart For the instructions of such a Father are so many Iewels As Prov. 1. 1. 9. an ornament of grace to thy head and chaines about thy necke yea a crowne of glory Prov. 4. 9. Now a man will alwayes bee minding his treasure where his Iewels bee Where the treasure is the heart will bee saith Christ. 4. To heare Gods Word as his sonne makes for diligent observation and obedience This is the true try all of Sons if they observe their Fathers commaundements If I be a Father saith God where is mine honor Our Fathers honor is our following of his counsells and obeying his Commaundements Vse 1. For tryall of our Son-ship by these former signes and markes by our reverend attention in hearing as to gods owne Word by our fervent love in intertaining his Word by our frequent meditation of it and by our diligent observation As Zach. 6. 15. 2. For instruction this is the maine duty of a Christian to bee most carefull of his behaviour and frame of spirit about the hearing of Gods Word And therefore Christ often admonisheth his disciples Take heed how ye heare and Take heed what ye heare For according to our hearing is our soule indueth with faith and seasoned with grace and illuminated with sound and saving knowledge of Christ and the whole course of our life regulated and framed 3. And lastly for reproofe and conviction those as no Sons of God but enemies and rebels that hate and despise Gods Word in the powerfull Ministry of it and doe with might and maine labour to oppose and oppresse it Such plainly shew themselves whence they come namely as those mysts and foggs from the bottomlesse pit which darken the cleare light of the Sun and Starres so doe these overclowd the beames of the Gospel that they cannot shine forth to the Church of God Or they are those froggs uncleane spirits out of the mouth of the Dragon and Beast and false Prophet whose croking cryeth downe the voyce of Gods Ministers and which doe corrupt the pure streames of the waters of life by their filthinesse In a word these are the limbs of the Beast even of Antichrist taking his very courses to beare and beat downe the hearing of the Word of God whereby men might bee saved like to the Iewes of whom the Apâ—stle sayth who both killed the Lord Iesus and their owne Prophets and have persecuted us and they please not God and are contrary to all men Forbidding us to speake to the Gentiles that they might be saved to fill up their sinnes aâ— way for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost And surely the wrath hangs over the heads of these men which must needs sease upon them ere long if they speedily repent not whereof there is little hope But leave wee them and come we to the matter of the exhortation Feare thou the Lord c. Whence the point is 1. That it is the duty of every true Christian to feare the Lord and this with a filiall feare as is implyed in this word My sonne feare thou the Lord. This filiall feare is used in Scripture for the whole worship and service of God and comprehends in it all vertues and graces of Gods spirit As Eccles. 12. 13. Let us heare the end of all Feare God and keepe his Commaundements for this is the whole man that is the whole duty which God requireth of his children So Deut. 6. 13. Thou shalt feare the Lord thy God and serve him and shalt sweare by his name And Esa. 29. 13. Their feare towards mee is taught by the precâ—pt of men that is the worship and service they performe unto me is taught by mans precepts Which is that â—aine worship whereof Christ convinceth the Pharises In vaine they worship me teaching for doctrines the Commanâ—ements of men And Acts 10. 35. In every nation hee that feareth God and worketh righteousnesse is accepted of him Thus by these places wee see how the true feare of the Lord is taken for the whole worship and service of God both internall and externall and so for every grace of Gods Spirit in us as faith hope love and the like Reasons of this point 1. Because the true feare of God is a fundamentall grace and respecteth all the Commaundements of God as the object of it As Psal. 112. 1. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord he delighteth greatly in â—is Commaundements 2. Because where God is not truly worshipped there is no feare of God As in Esay 29. 13. This people draw neere me with their mouth and with their lips doe honour me but they have remooved their heart farre from me And the reasonis added Their feare towards me is taught by the precept of men 3. Because where other vertues be not the reason is because true feare is not Which argues that true feare of God is inseparably combined with other graces As Rom. 3. 10. 18. the Apostle reckoning up a bead-row of iniquities concludes with this reason There is no feare of God before their eyes So Mal. 3. 5. I will come neere to you to judgement and will bee a swift witnesse against the Sorcerers and against the adulteâ—ers and against false swearers and against those that oppresse the hireling in his wages the widow and the fatherlesse and that turne aside the stranger from his right Well what 's the ground of all this wickednesse It is there added And feare not me saith the Lord of Hoasts 4. Because holy feare is the seasoning and salt of every vertue and of the whole worship of God As Psal. 5. 7. In
thy fâ—are will I worship towards thy holy Temple So Psal. 2. 11. Serve the Lord in feare Which I say is such a feare as hath in it faith love affiance and other graces 5. Lastly wee are bound to performe all obedience to God in a holy feare by vertue of the Word of God as the rule and of the Covenant God hath made with us in his Word and we with him Gods Law is so the rule of our feare and obedience to God as it is death to feare or obey him otherwise then hee hath commaunded us in his Law Els it is rebellion not obedience will worship not service to God And this wee are bound to by mutuall Couenant 1. God binds himselfe to be our God and King by Covenant in his word as Exod. 20. Secondly wee bind our selves by a reciprocall Covenant as in our Baptisme to bee his Servants and to serve him as hee hath commaunded in his Law Vse of this point is first for reproofe and conviction of the whole Romane Synagogue as being altogether devoyd of the true feare of God and consequently is no true Church of Christ â—…one of the Kings Daughter none of his spowse Why For all her feare towards God is taught by the precept of men her service of God is a Masse of Idolatry and Superstition Will-worship of mans invention and therefore though they draw neere to God with their lipps yet their hearts are farre from him And so in vaine they worship him nay they worship the Devill and not God as the Apostle sheweth 1. Cor. 10. 20. For all Idolatry as that of the breaden god in the Masse is the worship of the Devill They will say they worship God in the Host So did the Pagans plead for themselues that they worshipped God in their Idols Yet saith the Apostle I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to Devills and not to God And God disclaimes all worship of Him that is not according to His Word and He abhorres such presumptuous worshippers as those that doe not feare him So as secondly heere are justly reprooved those men as wanting the true feare of God who in these dayes shew themselves Antichrists Factors both in teaching practising and pressing new Formes of worship Secundum usum Sarum and setting them up againe in Churches as Altar-worship Iesu-worship Image-worship Crosse-worship and the like A plaine evidence that these men what ever they most hypocritically pretend and would bee accounted as a new kind of Saints dropped downe out of the cloudes as most holy and devoute persons have no true feare of God in them Yea their hearts are far from God Their feare is more towards an Altar of their owne invention towards an Image and Crucifix towards the sound and sillables of Iesus then towards the Lord Christ. For did they truely feare Christ they would not as they doe so desperately and furiously persecute him in his faithfull Ministers and members and make havocke and turne upside-down the very glory of Christ's Kingdome in the Ministery of His Word and power of Religion and purity of his worship which they altogether trample under and defile with their Wolvish feete Therefore forasmuch as they set up and teach a false feare and worship of God in the Churches I saith the Lord will proceede to doe a marvellous worke among the people even a marvellous worke and a wonder for the wisedome of their wise men shall perish and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid And v. 16. Surely your turning of things upside-downe shall bee esteemed at the Potters clay But of these more in their proper place A 2. 〈◊〉 â—s for instruction to teach us wherein the true filiall feare of God consisteth namely in the true worship and service of God internall and externall according to the exact forme and prescript of his Word Not to swerve one haires bredth from it Againe that true feare of God stnads in an universall obedience to all and every of his Commandements not onely those of the first Table but those of the second nor onely those of the second but those of the first So as Thirdly this may condemne two sorts of grosse Hypocrites 1. Those that seeme exact and punctuall in observing the Commandements of the second Table they are no Adulterers no Drunkards no inordinate livers they are not notorious offenders and what then Hereupon they applaud themselves and would be esteemed of the World good Christians and with the Pharisee thanke God that in these things they are not as other men Extortioners Vnjust c. They live peacably with their Neighbors they pay every man his owne and the like But what 's all this without the feare of God Where is their Piety and Love to God expressed in the duties of the first Table Are they willingly and grosly ignorant of the knowledge of God Doe they hate contemne neglect his words Doe they despise his faithfull Ministers Doe they speake evill of the Way and Profession of Godlinesse Doe they profane the Lords Sabbaths Yea doe they comply with Idolaters in their Altar-worship and Iesu-worship and the like and yet would they bee accounted good honest men Can they be honest and good men that are enemies of God and of the Profession yea and name of holinesse and of the power of Religion and of the true Saints and servants of Iesus Christ Can they be good Christians which are enemies to the Crosse of Christ whose end is damnation whose God is their belly and which minde earthly things On the other side there is another sort of Hypocrites who place all their Religion in the outward performances and duties of the first Table professe a great deale of Religion would seeme very devout but yet are like the Pharisees who under a colour of long prayers devoure Widowes houses Of these Hypocrites there are two sorts 1. Of them that are all for outward formality but their hypocrisie bewrayeth it selfe two wayes First in that though they seeme very devoute in frequenting the Church yet it is in a false way mingling mens devices of will-worship with Gods Ordinance in dividing the Lords day betweene God and the Devill allowing to God onely two houres of the day for his publike worship and the rest of the day to the lusts of men Secondly in that they place all the service of God in reading of long Prayers and thereby exclude Preaching as unnecessary And yet they make no bones of oppressing Gods people and the Kings good Subjects with burthens intollerable to bee borne The second sort is of them that will seeme Religious and to give God his due but make no conscience of giving to all men their due they will make no scruple of Lying of over-reaching in bargaining of living in some secret raigning lust of oppressing of defrawding and the like These are so much the more to be abhorred because by their meanes Religion and the name of
shew your selues like those faithfull servants of David sticke close to your King and if any danger come neere his sacred Person step betweene and let the losse of your owne precious life rescue and secure his who is worth ten thousand of us And so much for this point The next point ariseth from the order of these words Feare thou the Lord and the King That is First Feare the Lord and then the King It imports thus much That all our obedience to Kings and Princes and other Superiors must be regulated by our obedience to God Wee must so obey men as wee doe not there in trench or dash upon Gods Commandement God must first be served Therefore in all Commandements of man wee must consult with Gods Commandements or Law that it be not repugnant unto it This is also intimated in the order of the two Tables the First concerning our duty to God and the Second to our Neighbour And Christ tell that Questionist in the Gospel This is the first and great Commandement to wit to Loue God with all our heart and the second is like unto it Thou shalt loue thy Neighbour as thy selfe And the like orders it set downe 1. Pet. 2. Feare God Honour the King First feare God And this stands with good reason For First the King is Gods Minister and Vicegerent and commands as for God so from God and in God So as it is his office to command nothing against God Secondly If Princes shall commaund any thing against God and his Law then we must remember that we are Gods servants too and therefore must obey man in nothing that stands not with our obedience first to God For this cause the same word of God is a rule both for the King how to cary himselfe in governing and for every Subject how to cary himselfe to the King and first unto God Thirdly otherwise to obey or feare man before God and so above or against God is to make an Idol of man in placing him in a throne above God This is that feare of man which bringeth a snare Pro. 29 25. but who so putteth his trust in the Lord shal be safe So as the feare of man which brings a snare argues a failing of faith in God And this is a plaine defection and falling from God when man is obeyed against and above God The vse hereof is manifold 1. For reprehension 2. For Instruction 3. For Consolation 1. For reprehension of refutation of these that so advance mans ordinances and commandements as though they be contrary to Gods Law and the funda mentall Lawes of the State yet so presse men to the obedience of them as they hold them for no better then Rebells and to deserue to be hang'd drawne quartered that refuse to obey them And the chiefe Masters of his Mystery are the Iesuites in their blind obedience and they have gotten too many Doctors to bee their Disciples and broachers of this new Doctrine New I call it because it is flat contrary both to the expresse Scriptures and to the judgement of all Divines in all ages of the Church And because this their doctrine is So briefe now adayes I will set downe some Examples of the ancient Doctors judgement in this point And I will relate them out of Gratian himselfe As out of Augustine It is not alwayes evill not to obey the Commaundement when a Lord commaundeth those things which are contrary to God Then he must not be obeyed And Hierome If a Lord command those things which are not contrary to the holy Scriptures let the Servant bee subject to his Lord but if hee commaund contrary things let him obey rather the Lord of his Spirit then of his body And a little after If it bee good which the Emperour commaundeth execute the will of the Commander If evill Answer It behooveth to obey God rather then men And this also concernes Servant to their Masters and Wives to their husbands and children to their Parents that they ought in those things onely to obey their masters and husbands and parents which are not contrary to Gods Commandements And Ambrose Iulian the Emperour although he were an Apostate yet he had Christian Souldiers under him to whom when hee said bring forth your army for the defence of the Commonweale they did obey him but when he sayd unto them Draw out your weapons against the Christians then they acknowledge the Emperour of heaven Againe Aug. Hee which resisteth the Power resisteth the Ordinance of God But what if that be commanded which thou oughtest not to obey Here surely regard not the Power Observe the degrees of humane Lawes If the Substitute shall commaund that which ought not to bee done Yet if the Proconsul command the contrary thou doest not contemne the power if thou choosest to obey the greater Nor ought the lesser bee angry if the greater bee preferred Againe if the Consul himselfe commaund one thing and the Emperour another If the Emperour commaund one thing and God another what thinkest thou the greater power is God Pardon O Emperour Thou threatenest a prison He hell Here then thou must take thy faith as a Shield wherein thou mayst quench all the fiery darts of the enemy And another Father If any consent to anothers error let him know he is to be judged as equally culpable with him And Isidor If any forbid you that which is commaunded of the Lord or againe commaund that to be done which the Lord forbiddeth let him be execrable to all that love God Also hee that ruleth if hee either prescribe or commaund any thing besides the will of God or besides that which hee evidently commandeth in the holy Scriptures Let him bee accounted as a false witnesse of God or a sacrilegious Person When therfore the people are excommunicated even because they cannot bee compelled to evill then they are not to obey the sentence because according to that of Gelasius neither with God nor with his Church doth a wicked sentence bind any man So in Gratian. I will adde one more out of Bernard O spouse of Christ so obey man as thou offend not the will of God In evill workes never be obedient Do not obey in evill any Power although penalty compell if punishments be threatned if torments bee set before thee It is better to suffer death then to fulfill wicked commands It is better for a man to bee killed then to be adjudged to eternall damnation So Bernard I shall need to say no more to convince the novell impiety of those who doe with all rigor impose and the sinfull infirmity at least if not base cowardise of them that obey such commaunds as not only Gods word but even their owne Consciences tell them they ought not to doe Blush then and be ashamed O all ye Iesuiticall novell Doctors that suspend excommunicate persecute with all fury Gods faithfull Ministers and all because they will not they