first Reformers of our Church had more Wisdom and Moderation than to Condemn their Brethren of the Reformed Churches beyond the Seas when both Luther and Calvin justified Defensive Arms. And surely every wise and considerate Reader must needs Laugh at the palpable Folly and Weakness of this Author to infer from these Injunctions and Canons that Passive Obedience was the Characteristical Mark of the Church of England in those days He is Pur-blind with Prejudice and so now the Sun shines bright and clear he is better pleased with the Owl-light of his own Imagination Surely we receive these Injunctions and Canons as the beginning of Reformation with Hearts full of Joy And I am fully of Opinion that Henry VIII began at the Root when he renounced the Pope's Supremacy But let us hear the Doctrine of the Injunctions and Canons In the Infancy of the Reformation under Henry VIII for there I begin the Restoration of Religion to her purity in this Kingdom as Dr. Burnet doth Anno 1536. Injunctions were Issued out The first of which is That every Man that hath Cure of Souls shall for the Establishing and Confirmation of the King's Authority and Jurisdiction sincerely declare manifest and open for the space of one quarter of a Year next ensuing once every Sunday and after that at least wise twice every Quarter in their Sermons and other Collations That the Bishop of Rome's Vsurped Power and Jurisdiction having no Establishment or Ground in the Law of God was of most just cause taken away and Abolished And that the King's Power in his Dominions is the Highest Power and Potentate under God to whom all Men within the same Dominions by Gods Command owe most Loyalty and Obedience afore and above all other Potentates on Earth I am so far from disowning any of this that I wish it had been every Week published in every Market Town in the Reign of King James II. We always abhorred the Usurpations of the Bishop of Rome And we always owned the King's Lawful Power and Authority But we say that if a King is resolved to Subject us to a Forreign Power and to Dispense with all Laws made for our Security Liberty and Property and the Established Religion we may hinder him from Cutting our Throats and Defend our selves And this is neither Râ—bellion nor Resistance properly so called but Natural Self preservation against the Freaks and prodigious Melancholy Fits of a raging and beastly Tyrant who with greatest Ingratitude would devour Friends as well as Foes But let us see his Inference p. 5. Now if the King be above all other Powers then he cannot be Accountable to any other Power and so ought not to be Resisted Answ He that resists the Lust of a Tyrant resists no Power as hath been said often because neither God nor Man gave him such Power And though the King is above all Power and it is not for me to meddle with the King's Prerogatives or the Parliaments Priviledges yet I may safely say He is not above Law which makes him King as I shall shew anon out of the Fragments of Mr. Hooker's Eighth Book And it is a Sentence worthy to be written in Letters of Gold which I find 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sect. 5. p. 31. with me King Charles the First mentioned More than the Law gives me I would not have and less the meanest Subject should not And let me remind the Author that he saith in the Preface that he only doth the office of an Historian and intended not to promote any Disturbance But here and elsewhere he cannot forbear his own Inferences how unreasonable so ever they be Again he saith The Injunctions of the Lord Cromwell Edward VI. and Queen Elizabeth plainly distinguish the Claim of the Pope from other Claims implying That our Church always believed that her Princes Power was derived immediately from God and that they were Superior to all their Subjects either Singly or Collectively and so were not accountable to them but only to God Answ No Mans private inferences and Opinions are the Doctrines of the Church The Injunctions and Canons have left such a Latitude that both Sides approve Likeas the 17th Article is of such a latitude that both Calvinists and Arminians subscribe with Cheerfulness and a good Conscience And this I take to be great Wisdom in our first Reformers I wish those Bishops that Succeeded them had been as wise at all times For let this Author imagine what he pleaseth private Opinions when urged as Doctrines of the Church or made Characteristical Marks of the Church have been the cause of all Disturbances in the Christian World We all believe that the King's Power is of God but that any one form of Regiment is derived immediately from God is no Doctrine of our Church nor of any Church and is the first falshood in political Government as I have shewed elsewhere All Kings receive their power Mediately by the People And Mr. Hooker faith tho he is singulis Major yet he is universis Minor But my opinion is this is according to the Constitution of every Kingdom though no People can give away the right of Self-preservation I am weary of this Cuckow tune always the same thing In short the Canons of the Church of England are Innocent in this matter And I would justifie our Church but the Guilt of some and the Peevishness of others will not suffer me And such as these may call me an Apostate and Presbyterian perhaps only because they are ashamed to confess their own Guilt I profess my self as true a Son of the Church of England as any Man in England And I always was and am at this day for Monarchy Epscopacy and Liturgy as Established by Law And I humbly submit in all things of Order Decency and Government to the Fathers of the Church and to the King and Parliament And let Men sunk in Prejudice say what they will this was always the Judgment of the Protestant English Church If our Governors think fit to change things in their own nature changeable every Subject is bound in Conscience to Obey If they think not fit be things as they are I am contented Now as for the Canons of the year 1640 I confess they have a spice of Innovation And I say I hope without offence to any Impartial considerer of those days That Arbitrary Power began to creep upon us And Arch-bishop Laud and his Party nor the Puritans and their Party are not to be justified in all things And here I make my Appeal to Rushworth's Collections or any other impartial Record of those times But I think the Author had better have buried these things in Silence For how they tend to the Credit of the Church of England I do not understand and I need not descant upon them Let us go on to Chap. III. which contains the Doctrine of the Homilies Here I shall not say with Mr. Mountague Appeal p. 260. I will admit the
Homilies as containing certain Godly and wholsom Exhortations but not as publick Dogmatical Resolutions Confirmed of the Church of England They have not Dogmatical Positions or Doctrines to be propugned and subscribed in all and every point They may seem to speak somewhat too hard and stretch some sayings beyond the use and practice of the Church of England But with this Author I will account them admirable Sermons made by our first Reformers as the Body of practical Divinity and the Confutations of the Errors and Idolatries of the Church of Rome c. And by the way I am Glad that the Homilies are allowed to confute the Idolatries of the Church of Rome Because not long since divers for Passive Obedience and Non-resistance denied that there was any Idolatry in the Church of Rome to the great Scandal of our Mother the Church of England This premised I affirm that if Mens thoughts may be known by their words Dr. Welw Letter to Mr. March p. 10. might well say That Passive Obedience in the narrow sense we take it in was not so much as thought on at the time of publishing the Homilies First Because the words Passive Obedience are not in the Homilies Secondly Because they do not state our Case which is this If a King is resolved to destroy the Religion by Law Established and Liberty and Property and will rule by the Sword contrary to the Fundamental Laws of the Kingdom whether in this case Defensive Arms are not Lawful Now we say the Compilers of the Homilies never condemned this Neither are the words Defensive Arms are Vnlawful in the Homilies Thirdly because in those days the Writings of many Divines of the Foreign Reformed Churches in which Defensive Arms were Justified were approved and publickly printed and owned by the Universities or at least not publickly Censured As Calvin's Institutions all Luther's Works and the Writings of Peter Martyr c. And we say that in popular Sermons fitted to the Capacities of the Common people many zealous and hyperbolical Expressions may be allowed and favourably Interpreted especially against those horrid Crimes of Sedition and Rebellion which yet would scarce pass in Dogmatical Decisions For these latter require dry Reason and plain Scripture without Rhetorications or Metaphorical Expressions Allusions or Illustrations I will put a Case Suppose the Late King should have sent three or four Officers of his standing Army to a Nobleman's House with a Commission or Command to cut the Throats of his Children Wife and his Own and these Officers should have such wicked Hearts as to endeavour to accomplish this Villany If in this case the Nobleman may defend himself by force of Arms against these Cut-throats and call in his Neighbours to help him then those phrases in the Homilies In no case to Resist In any case it is not Lawful we may not in any wise withstand Violently c. must admit of the sense that I put upon them And most assuredly those Blessed Authors of Reformation abhorred such bruitish Tyranny And if this Author will not recant this disinal Doctrine in the vast extent thereof he must be in a deep Melancholy and fitter for Dark Rooms than to Converse with Humane Society Again I must confess that the most barbarous impudent and brazen-fac'd Murder of our Royal Martyr King Charles the First a Prince of most excellent Virtues and of ever blessed Memory could do no less than provoke every Loyal Subject in Parliament to make a most Severe and Zealous Declaration about taking Arms against the King But I believe in my Conscience this Declaration never intended to Enslave us or never affirmed that if the King will cut our Throats we may not defend our selves by the Law of Nature So that my Interpretation must take place that the Phrases are not meant absolutely in the utmost Extremity For this would be to suppose that the People of England had chosen for their Representatives in Parliament men resolved to make them Slaves and not to preserve Liberty and Property This with the Distinctions before used is a sufficient Answer to any Man who hath no mind to be Obstinate and Cavil but contends for Truth not for Victory Not to say that Bishop Jews and without pretence of Contradiction Dr. Bilson acknowledged Defensive Arms Lawful in some case in those very days and when he purposely handled the Subject or Controversie Observe also the time when the Homilies were made They were composed in the happy Reigns of Edward VI. and Queen Elizabeth in whose days there was no fear of Popery or Arbitrary Power on their parts though some Besorted Priests and People that hated to be Reformed might Rebel against Moses and Aaron and desire to return back into Aegyptian Bondage and Slavery And the Homilies were made chiefly to perswade such to Peace and Obedience to their Lawful Superiors whom God had set over them and to shew them the Heinousness of Rebelling against them And may now with much profit be read to perswade all good Christian people of England to Honour Reverence and Obey King William and Queen Mary whom God's most Gracious providence hath placed on the Throne I descend to Chapter IV. which contains the Doctrine of the Liturgy Though I do not equal the Liturgy with the Word of God nor take it to be absolutely unalterable nor doth the Church yet I am of this Author's mind That it is the most excellent Body of publick prayers that the World owns Or as I have elsewhere expressed my self It I should say that there is no Church on Earth which Worships god and Christ with greater Purity Majesty Reverence and expressions of Devotion than the English Protestant no Man could confute me Particularly no Church in the World Prays more Zealously for Kings and Governors And what this Author produceth out of the Liturgy was never disputed by any of us We profess that God is the only Ruler of Princes we pray that God would deliver us from all Sedition privy Conspiracy and Rebellion we say that King William and Queen Mary are God's Minisâ—ers and we beg of God that all their Subjects duly considering that they have God's Authority may faithfully Serve Honour and humbly Obey them according to God's blessed Word and Ordinance and we pray God that the King may cut off all such workers of Iniquity as turn Religion into Rebellion and Faith into Faction and we beseech God to accept of our unfeigned Oblation of our selves vowing all Holy obedience in thought word and work unto the Divine Majesty and promising in him and for him all Dutiful Allegiance to his Anointed Servants and to their Heirs for ever But what is all this to Passive Obedience This Author cannot be so Ignorant as not to know that all Learned Divines of what Perswasion soever own this Insomuch that I must needs say that as greatly as he pretends to the meekness and peaceableness of a Christian Spirit he hath foully transgressed the Rule
with all Laws and is resolved to Rule Arbitrarily and will hearken to no Petitions c. And thus having premised these general Rules for our plain Understanding I descend to the particulars of this History And first I will consider his Preface He begins thus Having always thought that the Doctrine of Passive Obedience or Non-resistance of our Lawful Superiors had been a Doctrine founded in the Holy Scriptures recommended to the Christian World by the Precepts and Examples of our Blessed Saviour and the Practice of his more immediate Followers which Copy the Church of England hath exactly Transcribed to whose Immortal Glory it must be said that she alone in contradistinction both to Papists and Dissenters hath asserted the Principles of Obedience to Princes as the best Ages of Christianity own'd and practised it Answ This Author's Thoughts are no Rule for us to live by And I make no question if he will lay aside Prejudice but that he will see reason to change his mind and to acknowledge that Passive Obedience in his sense is no Doctrine founded in the Holy Scriptures c. And that the Church of England hath transcribed no such Copy as he speaks of For it would be not the Immortal Glory but the Everlasting Shame of the Bishops and Clergy to justifie such Doctrine as must necessarily bring Slavery upon their Native Country As if Christ came into the World not to save mankind but destroy it and God had left all Political Society to be a Prey to Wolves For so Tyrants are called Obj. The matter of Fact as to the first Ages of Reformation is denied So the Author brings us in objecting while some affirm that the Tenet is no older than Arch-bishop Laud and was introduced by a few Court-Bishops the better to make way for the attaining and establishing of their own Grandeur Answ We say that the Doctrine of Passive Obedience in this Authors sense was not taught by the first Blessed Reformers and that it began about the latter end of the Reign of King James the First as we hope to prove in the following Discourse And we fear Temporal Interest and somewhat of the humour of Diotrephes who loved to have the Preheminence more than Zeal to propagate the Truth of the Gospel brought into the Church this and some other like Doctrines to which we say our first Reformers were wholly Strangers Obj. The Doctrine of Passive Obedience cannot be unseasonable since no Government can be safe without it Answ Some Men have a great fondness for their own Opinions Is there any Kingdom State or Government in Christendom that thinks as this Author Writes And must his Ipse Dixit suffice For he offers no Reason Is there no way to avoid Faction Sedition and Rebellion but by teaching Men to deny their Senses and be calm like innocent Lambs while the most Barbarous Papists would cut their Throats and ruine their Posterity What if Lewd Libellers as Parsons the Jesuit Milton c. Traduce the best of God's Anointed And what if Rebels Murder the best of Kings must not therefore the Innocent defend themselves Was David Wicked for defending himself by force of Arms against the Tyranny of Saul because Absalem was a Rebel and exposed his Fathers admirable Reign It is the Cause makes a thing Just or Unjust Every Sophister may see the Fallacy of such Arguments I am sure Passive Obedience was so unseasonable in our days that it had almost Ruined the most Glorious National Church upon Earth and threatned Laws Liberty and Property Such advantage had the impudent Jesuits made of it Obj. Did we seriously study the Laws of Providence and consider the indispensible Obligation said on us of taking up the Cross Did we remember that Affliction is the Churches Portion and that not the least Evil may be done to procure the greatest Good this Doctrine would be more easily Believed and more readily Embraced Answ God's Providence and Human Prudence are not Inconsistent But God requires of us the use of Means to deliver our selves out of Affliction And we say in some case it is so far from being Evil that it is a most Heroick Vertue when God inspires the Nobles of a Nation to throw off the Yoak of Universal Oppression And though Affliction is the Churches portion yet if God gives us Halcyon days or in our Distress we have opportunity to free our selves from Aegyptian Task-masters it is both Sin and Folly to continue in Bondage Obj. This is the Doctrine of Hobbs and Parsons the Jesuit That Power is Originally in the Body of the People that the Foundation of all Government is laid in Compact and that the breach of Conditions by one Party dispenseth with the Duty of the other though confirmed with Sacraments Oaths and reiterated Promises Answ That all Government is a Trust and founded in Covenant I have elsewhere proved And though we say that all Power is of God yet the Limitation Qualification and Designation of the Person or Soveraign and the Form of Regiment is an Ordinance of Man And we affirm that if our Prince suffers in a good Cause as in a Rebellion we are bound to Suffer with him And this is not Hobbism But if Hobbs owns some Truths that we and all wise Polititians and most Reformed Divines own is Truth the worse What if the Devil said Jesus thou Son of God must not we say so likewise Leave off these foolish Imputations As for the Papists as a Learned Divine hath observed they hold and practise against this and for this and beyond this as they see they may serve their own Turns In their Practice especially of late they have laboured to infuse into the People yea and into Princes an opinion of their Absolute Power as conceiving it for the present most conducing to their ends who have preached up that all is the King 's that his Will is our Law that all Grants are but Acts of Grace that whatsoever he Commands must be obey'd either by Doing or Suffering Of a like nature is that childish Insinuation if not willful Calumny that we are not obedient to our Soveraign because he is God's Vice-gerent and because God hath obliged us to be subject not only for Wrath but for Conscience sake And that we are Obedient and Loyal only because our Compliance advanceth our Designs c. This is a Machiavellian trick and unworthy of a Disputant Sir I beseech you consider that we are about a case of Conscience of greatest concern to the whole Kingdom and use Arguments or relate Authorities and do not act the part of a Slanderer instead of an Historian For we take our selves to have as good a Conscience in this matter as you be you who you will And if we know our own Hearts had no design in this great Revolution but delivering our selves and our Posterity from Popery and Slavery So much for the Preface Let us go on to the Introduction And here I agree with
of Christian Charity which commands to think no Evil by insinuating that we allow of Seâ—ition Conspiracy Rebellion Faction c. And because he finds these words in the Liturgy he infers that the Liturgy is for Passive Obedience But the very mentioning of this is sufficient Commation and shews that the Author had more Zeal than Knowledge And pray Reader observe that the Words Passive Obedience asserted and Defensive Arms condemned or the like are not once to be sound either in the Articles or in the Injunctions or Canons or in the Homilies or in the Liturgy From whence I infer that it was not the Doctrine of the first Reformers much less a Characteristical mark of a Son of the Church of England To answer all his Authorities were endless tho I think many of them are nothing to the purpose And the General Rules prescribed in the beginning of this Discourse will suffice and the Learned Reader may make Application of them without Difficulty Wherefore I shall only observe what the Author confesseth of the Meek Wise and ever renowned Hooker p. 29. In this i. Q. Elizabeth's Reign Mr. Hooker published his Judicious Books of Ecclesiastical Polity From the first of which it must be confessed it is observed that he lays the Foundation of Government in Agreement he herein following the Schools too strictly c. And here by the way he tells us that Aristotle was a great lover of Democracy But I think he wrongs the Great Philosopher For he seems to me to be a lover of Monarchy though I confess he seems to like an Elective Kingdom See his Book of Polities especially Book III Chap. 14. But be it as it will we are sure Aristotle the School men and Mr. Hooker are all ours in this Controversie And if Mr. Hooker's Eighth Book be Authentick as Published by Dr. Gaudon Bishop of Exeter I desire no better Authority See p. 190 c. He mentions and approves the old Axiom Attribuat Rex Legi quod Lex attribuit es And again Rex non debetesse sub homine sed sub Deâ— Legâ— Thirdly Whereas it is altogether without reason that Kings are judged to have by virtue of their Dominion though greater Power than any yet not then all the States of those Societies conjoyned wherein such Soveraign Rule is given them there is not any thing hereunto to the contrary by us affirmed no not when we grant Supream Authority to Kings Because Supremacy is not otherwise intended or meant but to exclude partly Forreign Powers and partly the Power which belongeth in several unto others contained as parts in that Politick Body over which those Kings have Supremacy c. It hath been declared already in general how 〈…〉 blished Dominion is where the Law doth most Rule the King c. Again p. 192. Every Independent multitude before any certain form of 〈◊〉 Established hath under God Supream Authority full Dominion over it self even as a man not tied with the Band of Subjection as yet unto any other hath over himself the like power c. And p. 103. That which we speak of Kings shall be in respect of the State and according to the nature of this Kingdom where the People are in no Subjection but such as willingly themselves have condescended unto for their own most behoof and Security In Kingdoms therefore of this Quality the Highest Governor hath indeed Universal Dominion but with dependency upon that whole intire Body over the several parts whereof he hath Dominion So that it standeth for an Axiom in this case the King is Major â—â—gulis univerâ—is Minor c Again p. 195. The Axioms of our Regal Government are these Lex facit Râ—gem Rex nihil potest nisi quod jure potest I hope no man for the future will deny that Mr. Hooker is of my Opinion that all Government is Founded in Covenant I have other Authors whom I shalt reserve till I have further Occasion I shall at present only desire two things of this Author First I beg of him to shew how all Kings have received Power immediately from God For I cannot apprehend his meaning Secondly In what manner the Laws of Providence of which he speaks are to be understood in Governing the Kingdoms of the Earth Let him plainly and sincerely declare his Judgment in these two Propositions and then we may possbly come to a right Understanding For verily these Notions seem to me like Aristotle's Occult Qualities or to border upon Enthusiasm And now to conclude I am so confident of the truth of â—y Principles that I have and will Sacrisice all that is dear to Man for them I am sure they tend to the Glory of God the propagation of the true Religion the Honour and Safety of the King and Royal Family and the happiness and welfare of my Native Country And if we may judge Principles to be true by their good Fruits we see the generality of the Nation very well pleased Fearing God and Honouring the King And if we have any Murmurers they are declared Papists or Souls seduced and corrupted by the false Principle of Passive Obedience or Discontented Lewd and Ungovernable Men for all other Protestants give God and the King thanks for this Deliverance And though we have the vast Charge of a French War and great and sore Inconveniencies that attend divers particular Persons thereby yet no man of Sense can be ignorant that War cannot be maintained without Money And therefore all Protestant Subjects and good Christians bear the Charge freely without any Discontent hoping and praying that God would give Success to his Majesties Armies and Naval Forces and that he would abate the Pride of that Monarch who hath been the Scourge of Christendom And though I will not say that this Author designed to move Sedition by this History yet if he could not satisâ—e his own Conscience and Swear Allegiance to King William and Queen Mary I think he might have spared his great pains in this numerous Collection of Testimonies For surely this History doth not tend to the Reputation of some of the late Doctors of the Church of England and I have shâ—â—ed that the first Reformers preached no such Doctrine Insomuch that I could imagine the Author of this History to be some Subâ—le Jesuit personating a Protestant on purpose to expose the Nakedness of late Divines who through Prejudice insensibly prepared the way to that which I am sure they Abhorred Popery and Arbitrary power But this which hath been the Bâ—ne of the King and Nation and the Incendiary of all parties is now out of Doors And we have a Gracious Soveraign whom God hath raised upon our great Distress in pitty to his People and Mercy to this Land When the Popish Enemy would come in like a Flood the Spirit of the Lord hath lift up a Standard against him And our Prince is our Deliverer from heavy Burthens our Reformer of great Corruptions the Physician of a Diseased Church and State And if some little Men Murmur against Moses and Aaron like Corah and his Company It is because they prefer Egyptian Onions to the Dainties of Canaan I hope the time is at hand when Men may use this speech in England concerning the State The Lord bless thee O Habitation of Justice And concerning the Church The Loâ—d bless thee O Mountain of Holiness And it was the prayer of a good Man that this Parliament the repairer of Breeches the restorer of Paths to dwell in by Loyalty to their Majesties Fidelity to the Kingdom and Zeal to Religion may be the joy of many Generations And I perswade my self that he Loves and Honours the King most and fixeth the Crown Immoveably upon him and his Posterity that wisheth and endeavoureth for these things though he renounce Passive Obedience I am very sensible that they who justifie a King's Proceedings are in no great danger tho they Err. But he that speaks against Tyranny if he slips in the least hath presently Adversaries that aggravate his humane Frailties For who Errs not in some things Again Truth in this Controversie must be handled with all care and circumspection imaginable lest we give Offence Whereas they who plead for the King though never so weakly are bold and never Condemned for careless Expressions I may run great hazard in speaking freely though it be Truth But I think a slavish Life is not worth enjoying I am for no Peace with Rome But may God's Church and the English Government for ever prosper And I shall end with the saying of St. Augustin Domine Deus quaecunque dixi de tuo agnoscant tui Siqua de meo tu ignosce tui Amen FINIS