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A39241
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The doctrine of passive obedience asserted in a sermon preach'd on January 30, 1684 / by James Ellesby ...
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Ellesby, James, b. 1644 or 5.
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1685
(1685)
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Wing E537; ESTC R11960
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23,468
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38
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the Apostle Now the more we resemble our meek and humble Saviour in our Comportment under Sufferings and Injuries the greater assurance we have of being his Disciples indeed this will entitle us to the Adoption of Sons and make us Heirs with him of the promised Reward § Add to the Example of Christ that of his Apostles who were in all respects admirable Followers of the Blessed Jesus instead of revenging their Sufferings or resisting the Powers under which they suffered they on the quite contrary rejoye'd in Affliction and gloried in Tribulation they accounted it an Honour to tread in the steps of their great Master and to be so evil intreated by the World for His sake Now 't is not only the Cause but the Manner of Suffering or our Behaviour under it that makes our Sufferings like those of Christs for let our Sufferings be upon what account they will whether Civil or Religious 't is our Patient and Submissive Demeanour under them that makes them Christian Sufferings and to resemble those of our Blessed Redeemer nay the Manner of Suffering is every whit as much to be regarded as the Occasion for a Man may suffer in a good Cause after a bad manner and thereby lose the Reward of his Sufferings for want of Faith and Patience to support and carry him through Again He that suffers in an ill Cause may become so Sensible of his Fault and Penitent withall as to find Pity from Man and Pardon from God whereas the best Cause can never justify the impatient murmurings and discontent of its froward Martyrs or peevish Confessors § To this purpose let us consider a while the Example of the Primitive Christians how they behav'd themselves under all their Persecutions and we shall find them Followers of the Apostles as they were of Christ and thereby prov'd themselves no less his Scholars and Disciples than they We find them made up of Patience and Submission Meekness and Long-suffering they underwent the greatest Rage sharpest Torments and severest Persecutions that could be yet with an Apostolical temper and Christ-like frame and disposition of Mind amid'st all the Cruelties threatned on the one hand and inflicted on the other we find nothing could provoke them to a Disturbance we read of nothing they did in way of Revenge or Despite to their Governours and notwithstanding the late disingenious Representation of the Christians in Julian's Time yet from the best Account we have given us of that and the Preceding Ages we are assur'd that the Patience of the Christians was equal to the Rage of their Adversaries and their Constancy and Resolution in bearing Injuries was greater than that of their Enemies in the inflicting of them Nay their Sufferings were rather cause of Joy and Triumph than of Quarrel and Revenge Magis damnati quam absoluti gaudemus Tertul. ad Scapul said the most Ancient of all the Latine Fathers We are more chearful at the news of our Condemnation than of our Acquittal or Absolution Now their willingness to suffer and forwardness to submit is an Argument they were much better Christians than the generality of those who think themselves in the uppermost Form in Christ's School and yet have not taken out this Lesson What kind of Weapons those were which the Primitive Christians opposed to all the Abuses and Outrages of their Adversaries is very well known They made use of no Offensive Arms against the very worst of Princes nor any other Defence than that of Prayers and Tears Apologies and Supplications aliter nec debeo nec possum resistere says the Warlike Bishop of Milan According to the Principles of their Religion they could not make any other Defence they were not permitted any other Resistance And therefore one great Topick they insisted on in their Apologies for themselves and their Religion was this That it was the greatest friend to Government in the World it no ways countenanc'd Sedition nor encourag'd to Rebellion but on the contrary kept Subjects within the strictest bounds of Obedience made them Loyal to the Prince and Faithful to the Government and bound it as a Duty upon their Consciences so to be It taught them to respect their Governours as God's Ministers and Vicegerents upon Earth to acknowledge with our Saviour that they receiv'd their Power from above and to behave themselves under it accordingly Furthermore that you may see how shy they were of Resistance and at what a distance they kept from this Sin they were wont to put up Publick Prayers and I dare say they never said them backward in Private for the Life of the Emperour Safety of his Person and Success of his Arms tho in so doing they did but pray for their greatest Enemies Persecutors and Slanderers and a continuance of all those Calamities which they daily suffered and groan'd under Objection This in a great measure Some will acknowledge to be true but not upon the Principles of Conscience and Religion 't is true say they the Primitive Christians did not resist but it was because they durst not Deerant vires saith Bellarmine they wanted Strength and Numbers to oppose and go through with it if they had begun and therefore it was Prudence in them to sit still and be quiet and make the best they could of an ill Bargain as having no hopes to better it by Resistance Answer This Objection or Pretence carries a great deal of Untruth along with it and no less Ill Will and Disaffection toward Governours but in reality is no better than a Jesuitical Fiction made use of by that Order of men who make Lyes their refuge when they find the plain Truth is not for their turn to support their wicked Doctrine of taking up Arms against the Prince at the command of their Church For if any credit may be given to Primitive Antiquity and the General History of those Times the Christians then had both Arms and Armies They wanted not Force to Defend themselves and Oppose their Governours if they had had a mind to it For the chiefest part of the Empire was then turn'd Christian who made up partom poene majorem the greatest Number almost in every Town and City saith Tertullian whose account is very well known and daily cited upon this Occasion Moreover if they had been inclin'd to Resistance or thought it Lawful might not the Desperatoness of their Case have supply'd the defect of their Numbers which sometimes carries men a great way and inspires them with Courage and Resolution beyond that of their Enemies considering withall their Condition could not well be worse than it was had they failed in their Attempt and fallen short of Success for let what would happen they could but Dy and it was more Honourable for Souldiers especially to dye in the Field than at a Stake or Gibbet and more satisfaction to sell their Lives as dear as they could than to have them torn away from them by all imaginable Torture and insulting
the other to forbear Revenge upon an Injury offer'd or put up an Affront with Patience and requite it with Kindness This to a man of more Honour than Conscience sounds Low and Mean appears Base and Ignoble and yet no Duty can be more Christian than This. Now if it is not warrantable to oppose any of these Worldly Considerations to the greater Obligation of Conscience in matter of forgiving Enemies and passing by Injuries no more ought we to object against the Duty in Hand upon any Politick Motive or Consideration whatever Doth our Religion oblige us to bear and endure so much from one another and nothing at all from our Rulers to lay aside Malice and Revenge Hatred and Ill Will towards our Equals and Inferiours and not to do the like towards our Superiours and those whom God in his Providence hath advanced so much above us This Non-resistance therefore being enjoyn'd by Christ becomes as much our Duty towards our Governours as the Other of Forgiveness is our Duty to each other § From the Doctrine let me desire you to turn your Eyes once more upon the Example of Christ and mark his Behaviour a little more narrowly As he was no Hector to return an Affront immediately or as soon as it was offer'd so neither did he set up for a Champion or Patriot of his Country against his Duty to the Roman Emperour he never espoused the Cause of the Jewish Religion to promote a Faction or carry on a Party against the Government He would not Assert the Liberties and Priviledges of his Country-men tho they enjoy'd them by a Divine Grant in prejudice to Caesar's Authority or to the Interrupting of the Publick Peace so great a Friend he was to the Quiet of the World and so little Encouragement did he give to the Disturbers of it The Romans had many good Laws to be govern'd by and great Priviledges belonging to them insomuch as it was not lawful to bind a Roman Act. 22.25 or beat him with Rods like an ordinary Malefactor as in the Case of St. Paul Yet the Primitive Christians many of whom were Romans and born to those Priviledges which others purchas'd never laid claim to any of them to the Prejudice of their Duty towards the higher Powers but chose to suffer and part with all even to Life it self which alone is sufficient to weigh down all the Rest rather than save either the one or the other by Resistance If then the great Concern of Life ought not to exempt us from Subjection then surely no other Conveniencies or Advantages relating thereunto can possibly do it For are we not commanded to part with Lands and Livings Friends and Relations rather than Deny Christ or any part of his Religion as this of Subjection to Governours is and a considerable part too And how Extravagant soever such a piece of Self-denyal may be look't upon in or by the World yet this should not Move a Christian who hath a Soul to be concern'd for of more worth than the whole World and all the Honours and Advantages thereof put together This for certain will secure our Condition with respect to a Future State whatever may happen or fall out in This whenas all our Losses and Sufferings in this World shall be abundantly made up with a rich Recompence of Reward and a far more Exceeding and Eternal weight of Glory wherefore Christians comfort one another with these Hopes But secondly § 2. To put the matter out of all doubt Resistance is Unlawful according to the Laws of the Land For the Wisdom of our Princes and Loyalty of our Parliaments have sufficiently provided against Taking up of Arms against the King or his Ministers and to This the whole Nation have Sworn and given their Assent once already by their Representatives and every man doth it over again in his own Person as oft as they are admitted to any Publick Employment either in Church or State Our Laws are accounted in all respects as Loyal as our Religion and I make no question but the Professors of that Honourable Science are better able to vindicate them herein than I can possibly do Yet thus much is evident to all that have but the least insight into the Constitution of our Government that no Nation under Heaven hath been more Sollicitous for their Sovereigns Honour and Safety none more tender of their Princes Reputation and Government than Our Own and therefore no Country hath better Laws and no Laws make better Provision either for the Prince or People than these of the English Nation Our Constitution is the Happiest and Safest both for the One and the other if we had but Eyes open to see it and Hearts thankful enough to Acknowledge it as we ought No War can be justifiable but what is begun and carried on by a Lawful Power and the People of England will always want that in their taking up Arms against their Prince for the Law hath made all Resistance of this Nature Illegal by acknowledging the Power of the Sword to be solely in the King so that no man hath Power or any Pretence of Power now to take up Arms but by the Royal Authority which be sure the King will never Commission against himself or if he should the Grant is void in its own Nature as being inconsistent with the Essentials of Sovereign Power which cannot be Sovereign unless it be Irresistable too and such is that Power which our Kings are invested withall and which the People do Recognize every time they take the Oath of Allegiance and Supremacy and declare their Abhorrence of that Traiterous Position Of taking up Arms against the King c. Or any that are Commissioned by him § 3. The Methods of Resistance and Open Force let the Enemies of Passive Obedience say what they will are the most Unsafe and Impolitick Course we can take for the Preservation of Liberty and Property which will appear if we consider § 1. War Civil War especially is one of the most Formidable Violations of Publick Laws and Liberty for under pretence of taking up Arms for the Rights and Priviledges of the Subject they do hereby but Invade those of other men and Hazard their own Now the open Breach of the Laws is no good Method for attaining their End the exposing our Liberties to the chance of War is the worst course we can take to Preserve them and the Invading other mens Properties but an ill way of Securing our own For this makes every man guilty of that Crime which he is jealous of in his Prince namely the becoming Illegal Vnjust and Oppressive Regardless of the Commonweal and Publick Good This makes Subjects more Arbitrary than the most Absolute Monarch and Popular Fury of much worse consequence than any unbounded Tyranny whatsoever insomuch as the Remedy proves alwayes worse than the Disease and Ends many times in the open Shame and just Punishment of the first Authors and Abettors thereof