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A64271 Obedience and submission to the present government, demonstrated from Bishop Overall's convocation-book Taylor, Zachary, 1653-1705. 1690 (1690) Wing T597; ESTC R2448 6,580 24

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as had no Relation to it the History of the Kings of Israel does amply Testify In all which Cases since it was GOD's doing the Dethroned Prince could have no Pretence unto the Subjects Allegiance All that I will Note hence is That the Line of Descent in an Hereditary Kingdom may be Interrupted and yet the Law of Succession not Violated Secondly I Remark That a Sovereign may be Devested of his Power which he receiv'd from GOD and Decline into the Inferiour Condition of a Subject This is plain from the Kings of Israel and Judah who of Independent Monarchs became not only Tributary but Subjects to the Kings of Babylon and being Subjects whatever other Duty might yet Allegiance could no way be due unto them that being in general peculiar only to a Sovereign Prince not Dependent on or Tributary to another This is Confirm'd and Improv'd from the Convocation-Book which in the Case of Jehu intimates That his former Prince became his Subject Ch. 25. p. 40. and both he and Ahud are excused from Guilt in laying violent Hands upon their Liege-Lords in that tho' they had been Subjects yet before the Commission of the Fact they were Advanc'd to be Judges Princes and Rulers of God's People C. 27. p. 53. I will make no Corollary from hence because of the Reverence that I bear to all such Heads as ever wore a Crown I therefore hasten to the Last Observation which is Thirdly That when a Prince is thus Devested of his Power from GOD and another Advanc'd to his Throne our Legal Allegiance may justly be Claimed by the Possessor We have been told this from our Law-Books again and again and now you shall hear the Decision of it from the Convocation-Book which taking Notice C. 28. p. 56. of the strange Variations of Governments in its Forms and Governours in their Persons whether by Usurping Nimrods or Traytorous Phocas's gives hereunto this Satisfaction p. 57. That when either Ambitious Kings by bringing any Countrey into their Subjection or Disloyal Subjects by their Rebellious Rising against their Natural Sovereign have Established any Degenerate Form of Government viz. Aristocratical Democratical c. amongst their People The Authority either so unjustly gotten or wrung by Force from the True and Lawful Possessor being always Gods Authority and therefore receiving no Impeachment by the Wickedness of those that have it is ever when any such Alterations are throughly Settled to be Reverenc'd and Obey'd and the People of all sorts as well of the Clergy as of the Laity are to be subject unto it not only for Fear but also for Conscience sake Here you may see that upon a Revolution from the worst of Circumstances Usurpation and Rebellion Obedience to the Establishment is acknowledg'd Due And sure I am That Malice it self cannot be so bitter as to think the present Settlement Parallel to this Representation For First Here was no Ambitious Monarch but a Prince that had a Just Cause of War on the Account of the Pretended Prince of Wales which whether he was Real or Supposititious since he had not that Satisfaction which was but Equitable as he Demanded he might Appeal to GOD to Decide the Truth and Justice of it by the Sword And Secondly As for those who did Desert King James thus much may be said for them That they could not with a Safe Conscience Assist him in that War because they Esteem'd it on his Side Unlawful and therefore they were Oblig'd at the least to Lay down their Arms. Thirdly The Monarchy is not Degenerated into a baser Form We have the same Constitution the same Laws the same Liberties or Greater than we had before and therefore if in want of all these we ought to yield as the Book asserts Obedience in the Enjoyment of them we ought to add unto it Thankfulness All that can be mov'd hereupon is When a Government may be said to be Settled And with Submission I cannot but conceive That the Government is Settled when the Crown with all its Dignities Prerogatives Administrations Authorities Revenues c. are generally Recogniz'd and Personally Enjoy'd which must be supposed to be when all Places of Power and Trust of Royalty and Importance are in the Sovereign's Hands and wholly at his Disposal For to say Because there are Foreign Wars or Secret Plots that the Crown is not in full Possession since there always was and always will be Discontented Parties at home and Politick Machinations abroad that either Actually do or Craftily design to Disturb the Peace so that we cannot but acknowledge that to be a Real Establishment which hath the Countenance of Laws and Parliament to Own and Confirm it Thus since GOD hath been pleased to Devest the Late King James of that Authority which he had once Committed to him and Transferr'd it into anothers Hands both Clergy and Laity according to the Doctrine of the Church of England ought to Reverence Obey and be Subject to it not only for Wrath but also for Conscience sake I have almost Flatter'd my self so as to Believe the most moderate Persons will Subscribe what I have said if I could but Produce any Moral Evidence that this was GOD's Doing To Answer whose Expectations I will Search after such Criterions as may Evince the present Revolution to be the Will and Pleasure of Almighty GOD. I therefore before hand declare my Aversion to such Doctrines as have not long since been Censur'd by one of our ●lourishing Universitys wherein Success Aproduc'd for an Argument of the Divine Aprobation of such Means Methods and In●●ments as are concern'd in a Revolution But then I must assume That GOD's Providence in permitting is a sufficient Indication of his Will and Pleasure as to the Event which whether He designs it that he may thereby Punish the Sins of his People or that he may Protect the Peace of the Church is above my Capacity to Determine But since Prophecy hath ceased sure I am that nothing but his Providence is Vocal to us and such strong Arguments may we produce from it especially where we can find a Parity of GOD's Proceeding as will not with Ease or Ridicule be Eluded I cannot therefore but observe and that from this Convocation-Book C. 24. p. 47. That even the Success of Divine Benedictions are to be left to the Disposition of GOD's Heavenly Providence which is there ascribed to the very Reason why David tho' already Anointed King was not Advanc'd to the promis'd Crown till Saul's Death Whence sin● a Prediction tho' Divine is not suffici●● Ground to proceed upon until GOD's ovidence does interfere I cannot restraimy Pen from moving this Query viz. Whether the manifest Interpositions of a Gracious Providence that tends to the promotion of GOD's Honor and the Establishment of his Church without which Predictions themselves are not rashly to be Executed be not to us now that Prophecy is ceas'd a Justifiable Ground for any Rational Man to Act upon especially when
OBEDIENCE AND SUBMISSION OF THE Present Government DEMONSTRATED FROM Bishop Overall's Convocation-Book LONDON Printed for Robert Clavel at the Sign of the Peacock in St. Pauls-Church-Yard 1690. OBEDIENCE AND SUBMISSION To The Present Government c. THAT those of the Church of England who have taken the Oaths to Their Majesties KING William and QUEEN Mary have Deserted their Principles about Allegiance and Government is the common Reflection cast upon them by some whom either Malice or Ignorance does Dispose to Reproach 'em But since Bishop Overall's Convocation-Book appeared they now Plead Reason and Authority to Justify the Scandal and pretend that they have got a whole Convocation of Unprejudic'd and Learned Men who have Unanimously Condemned the late Submission and such as being far removed from any Temptation are the fittest and most fair Judges that we can be Determined by tho' their Proceedings not having the Royal Confirmation which is absolutely necessary for Canons does as some think very much if not altogether invalidate their Authority and makes 'em as insignificant as the last Convocation we heard of I thought therefore I might do some Service to the Church and its Members if I could in some Measure Vindicate It and Them by proving that their Compliance with the present Settlement has not in the least deviated from the Doctrine of the Church of England as it was Profess'd and Taught in that Convocation I shall begin therefore with laying down the Doctrine about Government and Allegiance in Four Propositions extracted out of the Convocation-Book to which may be Reduced whatever almost can be pretended in this Controversy And they are these First That the Power of Kings was Originally Patriarchal Deriv'd from GOD and not from the People C. 2.6 13. For tho' Kings are or ought to be bound up and Limited in the Exercise of their Power by Laws C. 15. yet that proceeds from GOD and Nature who never intended Princes to be such Leviathans whose wilful Pleasure should be Laws but Parents of their Countrey Impowered from Above to Maintain the Native Liberty and Property of their Subjects as of their Children For the Conceit of Absoluteness never did or could prevail in any State but where Superstition or Ignorance blinded Mens Reasons as in Turky and most of the Eastern Empires or Parasitical Flattery and the naked Sword Maintain the Arbitrary Usurpation as it is in a Neighbouring Kingdom Second Prop. That Descent in Hereditary Kingdoms is the ordinary Way whereby a Right and Title to the Crown is Claimable I say Prov. 8.15 is the ordinary Way For since Kings Rule by GOD it is only as the Convocation-Book saith The Lord who both may and is able to overthrow Kings or Emperors notwithstanding any Claim Right Title or Interest which they can Challenge to their Countries Kingdoms or Empires pag. 53. Third Prop. That no Violence is to be used to Kings from their own Subjects for any Irregularities that they commit C. 22. For the Doctrine of Passive Obedience to a Government Established by Law whether the PRINCE be Limited and Sworn to Govern by Laws Chosen by the People and Enacted with his Consent or the PRINCE be Absolute and his will sufficiently Declared be the Law is of absolute necessity to the Support of any Government and they who deny that can never clear themselves from the Suspicion of some Designs against this Fourth Prop. That having sworn Allegiance to a Prince we cannot without the Dreadful Guilt of Perjury transfer our Allegiance whilst he continues to have an Authoritative Right and Title to the Crown C. 36. I say an Authoritative Right and Title because the Case may so happen that these being separated the Claim of Right without the Authority cannot Challenge our Allegiance as in the Case of the Kings of Israel and Judah that were led Captive by the Babylonians who they surviv'd in Babylon and some of them out of Confinement yet as it appears from Jeremy's calling for the Peoples Prayers and Obedience to the Babylonish Kings could lay no Claim to the Allegiance of their late Subjects The Reason of which is Because it is the Authority which is GOD's that Commands our Allegiance and tho' no Mortal can separate this Authority from the Person invested with it yet GOD can of which more hereafter and if he do transfer it to another wherever it is plac'd it calls for our Allegiance This is the Sum I think of what can be pretended in the present Controversie To Reply to which I will not Expatiate on what hath been abundantly offer'd by others but Confine my self as much as possible to the Convocation-Book that the Impartial Reader may judge which side the Jurors or Non-Jurors the Old Established Doctrine of the Church of England does countenance And as to the First Proposition That Government in general whether Monarchy or any other Form derives it's Authority from GOD the Author of Nature and consequently of Humane Society and not from the People tho' their Consent be ordinarily necessary to the Constitution both of the Form of Government and the Persons Governing is that which is to be the Ground-Work of the whole Discourse and therefore in the first Place to be admitted which I the more Confirm by observing from the Right Reverend the Author First That all Kingdoms are now what was more peculiarly appropriated to the Jewish Nation in their First Constitution in some sort Theocracies wherein GOD according to His own Pleasure takes away Kings and setteth up Kings For C. 35. P. 83. GOD being the Universal Lord and Ruler over all the World the whole World is His Universal Kingdom in the Government whereof He useth the Ministry of Civil Magistrates as well in other Countries as amongst His own peculiar People Israel without any Desert of theirs but as in His Heavenly Providence He thinks it most convenient p. 84. Howbeit He does not leave them at Liberty to do what they list but holds Himself the Helm of every Kingdom and useth their Services in such sort as be they Good or Bad and their Designments Holy or Wicked He ever makes them the Executioners of His own Just Judgments Will and Good Pleasure according as He is minded to Punish any Kingdom People or Countrey And this He does by reserving to His Providence the Prerogative of the Designation of the Person whom He intends for His Vice-Gerent and that even in Hereditary Kingdoms 1 Chro. 3.25 as Adoniah who was Solomon's Elder Brother and Anointed by Abiathar to succeed his Father so his great Disappointment may be an Instance Nay GOD sometimes for the only design'd Usurpation of a Prince whose Title and that in an Hereditary was altogether Indisputable does deprive him of the Government in Part or Whole and will not allow him so much as to Endeavour the re-gaining of it which was the Case of Rehoboam And how oft he has Extinguish'd the Line Royal and Advanc'd to the Crown such