Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n
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A30816
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The necessity of subjection asserted in an assise-sermon preached in the Cathedral Church at Sarum, July 17, 1681 / by John Byrom ...
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Byrom, John.
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1681
(1681)
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Wing B6408; ESTC R2657
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11,598
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34
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be thought as averse in their Principles as the never-to-be-united Poles of Heaven shall we therefore Exalt moving dirt for man is no better to the Soveraignty of God and vest it with a power which is the sole prerogative of Omnipotence God as he is the Creator and Preserver of men hath a just and unquestionable Dominion over them and this his Dominion he in part transfers to Soveraign Princes that order might be preserved in the world and that the Inhabitants thereof might lead a quiet and peaceable life in all Godliness and Honesty 1 Tim. 2.2 The Crowns which encompass their royal heads are the entire gift and donative of Him who is encircled for ever with an eternal Crown of glory and this is most plain from our Apostles words which alone confound these Babel-builders and break in pieces all their Arguments There is no power says he at ver 2. of this Chapter but of God the powers that be are ordained of God whoever therefore resisteth the Power resisteth the Ordinance of God and again v. 4. He beareth not the Sword in vain for he is the Minister of God And inasmuch as Corah and his Seditious followers rebel'd against their lawful Governour it is said by the Holy Ghost that they were gathered together against the Lord Numb 16.11 which plainly intimates that Dominion is founded and established by God he accounting this Faction against Moses his Representative as form'd against Himself and it is further confirm'd by that Heavenly wisdom which cannot err Prov. 8.15 16. By me Kings Reign and Princes decree Justice by me Princes rule and Nobles even all the Judges of the earth Seeing then the Authority of the lawful Magistrate descends from the Soveraign Lord of all things how can the Violators and Opposers thereof be excused from the monstrous crime of lifting up the head against him that gave it and making an assault upon the very Godhead do they not in effect rebel against Heaven it self who rebel against Him whom Heaven has set up the anointed of the Lord is not Magistracy according to our Apostle's express words an Ordinance of God and therefore sacred and inviolable not to be blasted by venemous breath or to be touch'd by the unhallowed arms of Sedition If the sons of Faction and Disloyalty would weigh and ponder this if they would consider as they ought the Divine original of Government they would soon discern the necessity of Subjection Opposition against the lawful Powers upon earth for from Him their Authority proceeds being level'd at a distance against the greater one in Heaven II. The necessity of Subjection will further appear from the Doctrine and Practice of Christ and his Apostles although the Holy Jesus is the great and everlasting God God blessed for ever yet like the meanest of humane Race he subjected Himself to the Dominion of men although he had the immortal Scepter of Heaven and an immarcessible Crown of endless Glory yet he yielded submission to the frail Scepters and the fading Crowns of the earth witness the whole course of his life which he led with so much Meekness and Obedience that his implacable enemies the Jews could not find whereof to accuse him The Pharisees in particular endeavoured to ensnare Him in this matter and therefore as flatteringly as insidiously say Master we know that thou art true and teachest the way of God in Truth neither carest thou for any man for thou regardest not the person of men St. Matt. 22.16 Thus by giving him the specious Title of Master and such soft and pleasing words which in their opinion might be grateful unto him they thought to induce him to speak as they would have him i. e. Factiously for under this fair Covert disguising a black and villanous Design they demanded of him whether it was lawful to pay tribute to the Roman Emperour unto which having seen a peny which by their confession was stamp'd with Caesars Image he gave this unexpected but loyal reply Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesars and unto God the things that are Gods St. Matt. 22.21 But to make the matter unquestionable when himself was demanded Tribute the imposition whereof is an evident token of Soveraign Authority and the payment as evident a token of Subjection he refused it not but wrought even a miracle to do it at last drawing nigh to his mournful death the Sun of Righteousness being to set in blood he gave a never-dying instance of his peaceable Submission the occasion was this he being apprehended by a multitude of People which Judas brought a multitude armed with Swords and sharper Revenge St. Peter in the heat of his Passion drew and with an unhappy success cut off the High Priests servant's ear the Holy Jesus resented this unlawful action so much that he sharply and severely rebuked him for it and plainly told him that they who without deriving any Authority from him that bears the Sword will yet presume to use it shall find it fatal to their own ease and quiet they shall fall themselves by it and further continues he Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father and he will presently give me more than ten Legions of Angels St. Matt. 26.53 Cherubim and Seraphim and all the mighty host of Heaven were entirely at his Devotion and Command and yet that He might give no colour or umbrage of opposition he called them not to his Assistance and so being brought before Pontius Pilate he neither disclaim'd nor opposed his Authority but was obedient in the highest degree obedient to the painful and infamous death of the Cross. Now our Saviour that was thus submissive hath left these commands upon Record Learn of me St. Matt. 11.29 and very often follow me St. Matt. 4.19 St. Luke 5.27 from whence there is an indispensable necessity to follow his example and he being obedient to the supream Magistrate the same indispensable necessity lies upon us to be obedient also In his steps did his Primitive followers afterwards tread as is evident from what is Recorded of them by St. Luke in the Acts of the Apostles and by Ecclesiastical Writers I shall instance at present but in one namely St. Paul both because he was the Penman of my Text and likewise brought up in a Religion that discountenanced 't is true all manner of Rebellion but it was of a warm Spirit He as it is recorded in Acts 9. was Converted to Christianity by the miraculous appearance of the Blessed Jesus his journey to Damascus becoming to him the way to Heaven after which his happy Conversion he gained many Proselytes to the Christian Faith confounding the obstinacy of the stubborn Jew the Philosophy of the learned Greek and the strength of the powerful Roman but amongst all that he acted or spoke in order to bring them to the obedience of God he never utter'd a syllable that countenanced their disobedience to man For an orderly subjection to the Powers on earth
is not destructive of that which we owe to the greater one in Heaven the former is founded upon eternal Reason as well as the latter and so it would be highly incongruous that one should abolish the other he therefore was so far from pulling down the Thrones of Kings from weakning or diminishing their Power and Authority that as occasion served he vindicated their cause both by Precept and Example As to his Personal behaviour herein we find such instances of his loyalty and obedience that they cannot be deny'd by the greatest Patrons of Anarchy and Confusion when he was brought by the malicious Jews before the Tribunal of Gallio then Deputy of Achaia he offer'd not to question the Authority of his Judge or to refuse submission to him and in truth if a Superiority over others as some impiously pretend was not consistent with that Religion which St. Paul professed he would never have waved this so fair an opportunity of declaring his mind about it after this he was brought before the Jewish Sanahedrim before Felix Festus and Agrippa to each of whom he was very respectful and shew'd great signs of Reverence particularly when the Governour Faelix did but beckon to him to speak he immediately comply'd with his silent Command and further told him that he answer'd with more joy and chearfulness than ordinary because he was to plead before a person that for many years together had exercised judicial Authority when he was summoned before the judgment Seat of Festus the first offer he made in his own defence was to clear himself of the Calumny of Faction and Rebellion whereby we may see what sentiments he had concerning the Rights of the Civil Magistrate when he made it his first and chiefest care to publish to the world that he had not violated any of them Neither says he against the law of Jews neither against the Temple nor yet against Caesar have I offended any thing at all Acts 25.8 Once 't is true when the High Priest Ananias commanded that they who stood by should smite him on the mouth Acts 23.2 he rashly return'd the opprobrious Title of whited wall v. 3. But no sooner did he know to whom he had spoken thus dishonourably but he charges it wholly upon his ignorance I wist not says he brethren that he was the High Priest v. 5. and afterwards to shew how sensible he was that none should speak evil of Dignities he cites a Text out of the Law to that purpose Thou shalt not speak evil of the Ruler of thy People Exod. 22.28 Thus our Apostle as to his personal behaviour never offer'd to entrench upon the Rights of Government but into what Nation or Countrey soever he came that Nation and Countrey had clear and undoubted proofs of his Subjection and we are all of us obliged as well in this as in other things to transcribe his excellent example as himself speaks your selves know how ye ought to follow us for we behaved not our selves disorderly among you 2 Thess. 3.7 Neither did his Doctrine disagree in the least from his life and manners his words as vehemently persuading to obedience at his practice in his Epistle to Titus the chief and principal Bishop of Crete he commands him to put the People in remembrance of this their Duty Put them in mind to be subject to Principalities and Powers to obey Magistrates Ch. 3. v. 1. In short nothing can be more plain than the words of my Text which he pursues in the greatest part of the Chapter and says particularly ye must be subject not only for wrath but also for conscience sake v. 5. which in truth is the more remarkable because enjoyn'd the Romans who then groan'd under the almost insufferable burden of Cruelty and Oppression They had at that time such a Prince who acted the Stork among them beyond if possible the intent of the Fable and the utmost of what was design'd to be represented by it such a Prince who behaved himself so barbarously whilst alive that at his death there was an universal joy among the People Pars Tiberium in Tiberim c. says Suetonius In vitâ Tib. par 5. some cryed away with him to Tiber others prayed that no other place might be assign'd him among the dead but that which was given to the wicked and others threatned to expose his dead body upon the Gibbet being enraged at the remembrance of his former Cruelty and late Bloodiness and yet for all this they must be subject 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pag. 189. Edit Sav. Exc. Et. it being part of the Christian yoak to submit to that other also of subjection St. Chrysostom commenting upon the Text leaves this memorable gloss upon it thou must be subject says he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Whoever thou art although thou art an Apostle although thou art an Evangelist although thou art a Prophet and Tertullian in his Apology tells us that all the Arms which the Primitive Christians used under the pressures of the severest Prosecutions were tears only and humble intreaties They thought it then an honour as indeed it was to suffer not to destroy and murder for Christ. And now if after all this any man will doubt whether subjection is due to his lawful Prince and to them who are deputed by Him he may as well doubt whether the examples of Christ and his Apostles are to be followed for they paid it he may as well doubt whether the Scripture be true for that enjoyns it but no one I hope that pretends to the Name of Christ will question the latter therefore he has no reason to doubt of the former III. The Necessity of Subjection is also evident from the nature of Rebellion which is in it self damnable and destructive of Salvation The first disobedience of this kind that ever actually appear'd was form'd and contriv'd by the Apostate spirits in Heaven Pride and Ambition so swel'd their minds beyond their just and natural proportion that they grew big with the most deformed and mis-shapen of all Monsters with unnatural Rebellion against the Lord their God but they found it so hazardous to themselves in the event that they were forced from the joys and happiness of Heaven the Morning Stars fell devested of their radiant glory they fell from immarcessible light to the Regions of eternal darkness and what do we think will become of them who treading in their steps rebel against Gods Vicegerent upon earth 't is easie enough to foretel the sadness of their punishment from what our Apostle says in v. 2. of this Chap. they that resist shall receive to themselves Damnation Nay to shew Gods just Indignation against this Sin he punished it even here in such a manner that was never before seen or heard in Israel Numb 16.32 the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up Dathan and his factious Accomplices and it is not to be doubted but they afterwards went from one deep