impracticable The Parallell is too apparent to need more words We ought therefore to give our continual Thanks to Almighty God for his great Mercy as well in this as in the other Case that he has plac'd us in a Countrey whose Happy Situation has exempted us so long from falling under any such difficulties Page 6. rather then wilfully to apply these Instances of forbearance in such Cases of Necessity to our careless Negligence and plead the Examples of our Neighbours Miseries in justification of our own Wantoness Before I proceed to the next Paragraph give me leave to Condole with your Lordship the decay of your Memory I Remember in your Enquiry into the Measures of Submission to the Supream Authority about a year ago you tell us 't is unreasonable to Conclude Measures of Submission §. 6. from the Possession of a Supream Power by any Person or Family that it is the Will of God it should be so because this would justifie all Vsurpers when they became successful But to pass this over you will not there allow of any Conclusions to be made with Relation to any particular Government from the Examples either in the Old or New Testaments but say Ibid. §. 8. It is clear that all the Passages in the Old Testament are not to be made use of in this matter of neither side and as for the New Testament all that is in it upon this Subject Ibid. §. 10. imports no more then that all Christians are bound to Acquiesce in the Government and submit to it according to the Constitution that is setled by Law so that no general Considerations from any Passages Ibid. §. 11. either of the Old or New Testaments ought to determine us in this matter But you here forget your own Maxim Examples of this kind I perceive are fashionable Arguments and Passive Obedience is again Orthodox provided always it be Extensive enough and carry'd to reach Vsurpers and Conquerors in prejudice to the Rightful Kings These My Lord are dangerous Passages which an ill-man may improve to such a Scandal as this that you square your Doctrine by the Rule of Convenience and draw a Scheme of Divinity according to a Model of Politiques which may be Vary'd and Chang'd as the Circumstances of publique Affairs and Interest require Accordingly he may urge That when you Writ your Measures of Submission you foresaw it convenient to Explode the Bible because it would be difficult to draw us into the necessary intended Rebellion whilst we had the Word of God to guide us The Scriptures teach us by Example as well as Precept That Kings are God's Vice-Gerents on Earth and therefore to be Honour'd and Obey'd in all things Lawful But that Rebellion in any case is like the sin of Witchcraft but now when the Turn is serv'd and the Case alter'd you here direct us again to them with this necessary Caution That we wholly forget we have still a King and apply all the Instances of Obedience to an Unjust Possessor as if we had been Laps'd into a state of Nature and every man had had an equal Right to Ascend the Vacant Throne If this be not playing with and wresting the Scriptures he prays God it be not to your Destruction he knows not what is All this may be said and more But I will return to your Argument where the only business will be to enquire whether any Example you here produce will reach to the Case of Possession only under our Circumstances In order to this I must remind you of the Restrictions I above Noted under which and such like Possession may be allow'd a Title of Right We must also consider that the Jewish Government was a Theocracy as well as a Monarchy so that in all doubtful Junctures of publique Affairs they might have recourse to God himself for advice by means of the Prophets and of the Vrim and Thummim Whenever therefore we find in that state any Unaccountable Revolutious not reprov'd we may reasonably Conclude that God had fore-signify'd his Approbation of it and this the rather because we generally may Observe that a Priest or a Prophet chiefly promotes it There is this further difference between the Constitution of Our Government and that of the Jews whereby the Examples from them are not conclusive to us That whereas this Crown descends by an Haereditary Right That did not For sometimes the Aged King declar'd his Successor before his Death Thus David gave his Kingdom to Solomon 1 Kings 1.34 2 Chron. 21.3 and Jehoshaphat to Jehoram But more usually the Jews Elected that Person to be their King whom God by his Prophets had destin'd to that High Office pursuant to His Express Command by Moses Deut. 17.15 that they shall in any wise set him King over them whom the Lord their God shall Choose Accordingly in the first great Rupture in the Government Pag. 8. where the ten Tribes wholly Revolt from Judah the Prophet Ahijah gives ten of the twelve pieces of his new Garment to Jeroboam with this assurance that the LORD would rend the Kingdom from Solomon 1 Kings 11.31 tho not in his yet in his Son's Reign and give ten Tribes to him and thus when Rehoboam took violent Counsel and Answer'd the People of Israel roughly 1 Kings 12.13,15 we are told that the Cause thereof was from the LORD in performance of his word by this Prophet and afterwards he expresly forbids the Subjects of Rehoboam to fight against their Brethren the Children of Israel 1 Kings 12.24 because this thing was from HIM The like is remarkable in other Instances So that in all the Revolutions that happen'd there Possession without doubt might be presum'd to give a just Right And indeed this is not only true in Relation to the Jews but is in it self Universally so as appears from the Nature and Reason of the thing for wherever a Monarchy is Elective if the Throne be fill'd whether by Force or Cunning Allegiance may be due because tho some of the Community may be said to be injur'd by the Usurpation yet none is dispossess'd of a Preceding Right where none is Dethron'd Where therefore none had a preceding Right to Allegiance it is payable to any but to whom so properly as to him who has given the greatest Evidence at least of the Majority of Electors since they had strength and Interest enough to Seat him in the Throne beyond the Reach of his Opposers But all this is nothing to our Case we know the Person who is Dispossess'd to whom our Allegiance as is confess'd by all was once due and that he is still in being and calls upon us for the performance of this Duty the only Objection you here offer against him is that he is unfortunately Dispossess'd by the force of a violent Intruder but who was ever yet adjudg'd punishable for a meer Misfortune These Considerations alone well apply'd would be
a sufficient Answer to all that can be urg'd from the Examples you have brought for our present submission to a King without Right But least this should seem too general I will descend to particulars and show you wherein every single instance you produce is defective The Case of Athaliah comes near your purpose Her Reign was undoubtedly an Usurpation because not being of the seed of David Page 8. she broke into the Government contrary to the promise of God Director of the Succession to him 2 Sam. 7.16 that His House and His Kingdom should be Established for ever She took the proper method too to maintain her Usurpation for she made way to the Throne through blood and slew as was believ'd all of the seed Royall who could pretend any Right to the Crown 2 Kings 11.1 2 Chr. 22.10 So that the people through Ignorance might pay Obedience to Her But your Lordship may observe that this is a very Melancholly History for any Vsurper to reflect on For those who were privy to the conceal'd Infant King and knew to whom their Allegiance was due probably never gave it to any other For we find that Jehoiada the Priest does not as was usual in such extraordinary occasions receive and declare a particular Command from God in this affair but he insists only upon the forecited Promise of God to David This the whole Assembly judge Authority sufficient to own Joash King 2 Chr. 23.3 the only instance that I remember of like nature without an immediate Message from God even before he was Anointed or Athaliah put to death For it it is observable in this Relation that Jehoiada in his Consultation with the Rulers calls him KING 2 Kings 11.7,8,11 2 Chr. 23.7,10 As if no room had been left for Election since he was the Only person remaining of the Line and therefore alone qualify'd for their Choice Farther yet all the Congregation made a Covenant with the King which you take to be Equivalent with swearing Allegiance to him in the House of God whereas he was brought forth to be Crown'd and Anointed Compare 2 Chr. 23.3 with 10. and 2 Kings 11.4 with 12. However this is undeniable that as soon as their Lawful King was thus publiquely known neither Priest nor People held themselves oblidg'd by their Allegiance to Athaliah but instantly upon her first appearance they execute a just Revenge upon her and Sacrifice the Bloody Tyrant to this Infant Rightful King Upon the whole matter My Lord 2 Chr. 23.21 2 Kings 11. I can see but very little Temptation from hence for any to insist upon Possession against Right when the Priests thus inform us by this Example without any Imediate command from God which shows it to be agreeable to his ordinary positive Laws that we must when the Rightful Sovereign becomes a Competitor for his own Throne endeavour to pull down the unjust Possessor Then which nothing can conclude more strongly against your Assertion For certainly since there is such a natural Tye between Subjects and their Kings it must be contrary to all the Laws even of Common Honesty to promise Faith to one whom if this occasion require and they know not how soon it may happen they are pre-engaged to destroy Page â—0 § 6. The next Instance would be of considerable service to the Cause had you prov'd that the Righteous Heir was known and Claim'd his Right you must add that too and that the Debate which the Pharisees kept up was not only Negatively against a Forreign Authority but also positively for some Person publiquely known to be that Righteous Heir This indeed would conclude somthing and reach our Case Page 9. But the Task is too hard to be undertaken since that Positive Law which Excludes all Aliens Commands also to make Him their King whom God shall Choose Deut. 17.15 So that God's Designation of the Person and the Peoples Election are Precedent to any Right and must be made out before any Righteous Heir according to this Law can appear Besides our Saviour does not answer to a question of Allegiance but of Tribute only which is indeed a good Argument for our payment of those heavy Taxes that are Luke 20.22 and must be laid upon us but who has hitherto scrupled to do this But let our Saviour's answer to this Ensnaring Question be Extended to the utmost it will amount to no more then this That they should Acquiesce under the Roman Usurpations For the annexed Command Luke 20 25. To give to God the things that are God's may be reasonably thus Interpreted That since God vouchsafed to be their King they should reserve their Entire Obedience and Allegiance to him and to a King of his appointment which was the Debate the Pharisees kept up This Interpretation seems the more probable Luke 20.26 because both the Pharisees and Herodians Marvelled at his Answer wherein he had so equally divided and reconciled the matter in dispute between them that they were both satisfy'd and held their peace However this is Evident that God long before this Revolution had declar'd by the Prophets that at the coming of the Messiah the whole Constitution of the Jewish Government should be Dissolv'd And chang'd from a Temporal particular Kingdom to a Spiritual Universal Monarchy under Christ the King Who then should endeavour to maintain this Government fore-ordain'd by God to Dissolution and thereby resist his Will But I hope We are not yet determin'd for destruction at least I have not heard of any such Revelation notwithstanding the Face of publique Affairs looks so very gloomy before us The two next Paragraphs are grounded upon the Revolutions in the Roman Empire which was never yet call'd Haereditary Page 11. §. 7. and Page 13. §. 8. And therefore as they have no Relation to us so I will say no more to 'em then this that however the Election of the Emperours was extorted by force yet certain it is there was always an appearance of an Election and something like a Consent was always obtain'd from the Senate and People who had the only Right to confer this Honour upon them And they all Acquiesc'd in these unfair Elections This alone was sufficient reason and Obligation for all private Persons who had no such Right of Electing not to trouble themselves with Enquiries into Titles But farther the Empire being thus Elective Page 12. whenever an Emperour was Dethron'd all his Right fell with him and none could Claim by Descent from him So that all the Primitive Christians might safely swear the Military Oath to the Possessour of the Empire Page 13. after they had been Absolv'd from that to the former by his death Yet it does not appear and I believe them so good Soldiers in every respect that methinks your Lordship would much blast their Courage as well as Fidelity should you affirm that ever they Deserted their unfortunate