fidei but they are bound to another as propugnatores fidei that is to see that the Purity of Faith and Worship be preserved with that Solemnity and Decency of sacred Places sacred Things sacred Persons sacred Gestures as God hath prescribed and the holy Catholick Church hath practised and allowed The Preservation of the sacred Right and Prerogative royal is that secureth and preserveth the Right and Liberty of the Subject and it is the maintaining and preserving of God's and holy Church's Right that preserveth Kings and their Crowns Happy is the King who with David can say Psal. 26. 8. Lord I have loved the Habitation of thy House and the place where thine Honour dwelleth upon this he may with David confidently pray vers 9. Gather not my Soul with Sinners nor my Life with bloody men If the King's delight be in the Sanctuary of the Lord although Trouble fall upon him yet Help will come to him out of the Sanctuary that will save both him and his Crown Psal. 20. The highest Honour the greatest Happiness that ever David attained to was to bring back again the Ark of God to leave a great Treasure for building of the Temple 1 Chron. 13. 15. 28. and to raise the Church and establish the Worship and Order in it's height of Perfection 1 Chron. 24. 25 26. when he finished this Work he rejoyced more than ever Then he said Psal. 84. 10. A day in thy Courts is better than a thousand elsewhere it was better be a door-keeper in the house of the Lord than to dwell in the Tents of Wickedness It was this that made God send to his King Deliverance out of his Troubles Psal. 18. vers ult It was this that established his House and Kingdom for ever it was this that crowned him with a Crown of pure Gold here and of immortal Glory in Heaven Kings at their Coronation offer their Crowns Scepters and Swords to God at his Altar and receive them from thence the one Ceremony signifieth that their Sovereignty cometh to them immediately from God the other signifieth that they offer all first for the Service of God It is a Vow or Dedication of themselves and their Power for the Advancement of Gods Glory To this add that this is solemnly sworn by them to maintain the Purity of the Faith and Worship and the Priviledges and Rights of holy Church and lastly all is sealed with the receiving of the Sacrament off the Altar What then can free Kings from these Ties And how fearful a thing is it for them to be principal Actors or accessary to bad Counsels and Courses to give up a Church or to wrong Christ and his Rights There be a great many that practise Machiavel's Politicks affirming Princes are no more tyed to Church and Religion than as both of them are subordinate and subservient to the politick Government and good Temporal These are truly Atheists who Ierobâ—am like care not at all for God nor Religion who abuse them to their own private ends they may for a short time flourish but in the end God will root out them and their Posterity and their Memory shall be had in Execration as Pilate is remembred in the Creed and Iudas recorded in the Gospel There be others who seem more moderate whose Counsels are no less pernicious because they seem to speak in a favourable and more specious way like to the Devil transforming himself into an Angel of Light these advise Kings to maintain a Worship an Order a Church but that it is not best to be too sumptuous and prodigal in the Maintenance or endowing the Church richly nor is it necessary punctually and precisely to adhere to all Gods Ordinances and in some cases say they a Prince at some Times at some Exigences may give way to the undoing of some Ordinances of God and Christ he may permit some of the Beauty and Solemnity of the Worship to be eclipsed devest the Church and Church-men of some Priviledges and Rights which by immemorial Possession they and their Pedecessors have enjoyed and to which besides Dedication and Consecration the Church is by all positive Civil Law and Right entituled no less if not more than Noblemen Gentlemen Corporations or any Subject or Subjects whatsoever These Counsels for a time may prevail and the Church may be a little for a little time suppressed and depressed but if God have Mercy in Store for that Kingdom it will not continue long These Achitophels tell Kings that if Moses's ten Commandments the Apostles twelve Articles of the Creed and the six Petitions of the Lord's Prayer be preserved it skilleth not for other things whether Bishop or no Bishop whether good Christians preach and do ministerial Acts or only men in sacred Orders authorised by Consecration and Imposition of hands whether any Solemnity in the publick Worship or not whether in sacred Church consecrated or in a private House or Barn whether Christ have a Patrimony or his Servants be allowed only a Competency at the Disoretion of Lay-men c. These Counsels and Courses if they be not repented forsaken and the Church righted will prove destructive to Kings to their Crowns to their Posterity and to their Authors and Abettors King Saul for ought we read did not restrain nor pollute the Worship he found nor took from their Priests what was their due but it is manifest he did neglect God and his Church his Worship and his Servants had less Esteem of God's Servants than of any of his Subjects besides and yet this is punished with the Forfeiture of Crown and Kingdom to him and his Posterity and God provideth a man a King according to his Heart to right the Church to order the Service aright which established his Kingdom and Crown for ever The Church was the Alpha and Omega of his Government he consecrated the beginning of his peaceable Reign with bringing home the Ark he spent the most of his Reign in ordering and establishing the Service of God with it's Solemnity and ended his Life and Reign exhorting Solomon to do the like to build the Temple and leaving by Legacy a great immense Treasure consecrated to this purpose If any will look upon these Counsellors he will find that they have a mighty Zeal and Care of their own Honour and Wealth how much they remit their Zeal towards God and his House they intend it as much for themselves and what concerneth their private they will not willingly dwell but in Houses of Cedar and can see the Ark of God within Curtains this maketh them that they can suffer the Church to be spoiled if by her Spoils they or theirs can be enriched Christians they cannot be whatsoever they profess they are in a contrary a contradictory way to Christ of him it was said The Zeal of thine House hath eaten me up of them it is verified that their Zeal hath eaten up the house of God If these men can enjoy their own make
to the King his Sacred Sovereignty inviolably This I say made God in Scripture non obiter raro accidenter not in a passing way occasionally or rarely or accidentally to command this Duty of Loyalty and Obedience to Kings Sacred in their Functions in their Persons Almighty God hath in commanding this Duty in holy Writ kept the same course he kept in setting down Essentials and Fundamentals of Faith and Worship If any be pleased to be at the pains to observe it I doubt if they will find any thing so peremptorily and frequently commanded and with so much reason urged The Lord knew how averse corrupt man is to give to the Lords Anointed his due without the special Grace of God or an over-ruling strong Providence People cannot be kept in Subjection David magnifieth it as one of the highest and most powerful of Gods blessings towards him that he delivered him from the strivings of his People Psal. 18. 43. and as ingenuously he acknowledgeth that it is God alone who subdueth his People under him Psal. 144. 2. God accounteth Rebellion against them Rebellion against himself and ordinarily in Scripture you have God and the King inseparably joyned and the Duties to both enjoyned 1 Pet. 2. 17. Fear God Honour the King Prov. 24. 21. My Son fear thou the Lord and the King and meddle not with them that are given to change This is purposely done not onely to intimate the greatness of the Sin of Disobedience Disloyalty and Rebellion but also to express the near Alliance Kings have with God and the strait conjunction betwixt them and God that nothing intervenes to divide or sever them which God hath put together let none put asunder We have proved that God in the Law hath reserved to himself as his own right the Constitution of Kings We have proved sufficiently that this was not a priviledged case of Gods People under the Law because Solomon indefinitely and consequently universally averreth That all Kings reign by God in Christ. Because Saint Paul hath delivered the same truth That there is no Supreme Power but from God alone and so from him alone that he admitteth no Corrival to share with him Thus you have three Arguments for our purpose We come now to the fourth Which is this Scripture right down teacheth us that all Kings whatsoever have their Free-hold from Almighty God alone Of Pharaoh King of Egypt it is said Exod. 9. 7. I have raised thee up Elisha from God designed anointed and constituted Hazael King over Syria 2 King 8. 13. Here you see that the Kings of Egypt and Syria are no less of Gods making than the Kings of Israel Are not Pharaoh Abimelech Hiram Hazael Hadad no less honoured with the compellation of Kings than David Saul or Ezekiah Be they what they will Gods creatures they are and of his making onely Ier. 29. 9. God doth honour Nebuchadnezzar by naming him his servant His servant conceive it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by way of excellency The same compellation it is which God giveth to David a King according to his own heart Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon my Servant If what we have said cannot suffice let them turn over to Isai. 45. 1 2. Thus saith the Lord to his Anointed 'to Cyrus whose right hand I have holden to subdue Nations before him and I will loose the loyns of Kings to open before him the two leaved gates and the gates shall not be shut I will go before thee and will make the crooked places strait I will break in pieces the gates of brass and cut asunder the bars of Iron And I will give thee the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places that thou mayest know that I the Lord which call thee by thy name am the God of Israel A proof able enough to stop the Devils mouth What Cyrus was is well known he hath Iosiah's honour to be named well nigh an hundred years before he was born and named by his individual Name he is dignified with the Royal compellation of the Lords Anointed his Honour his work and all is from God and that immediately How much might be said if we pleased to insist to prove our point But leaving this I come to our fifth Argument which is That in the Book of God we are told Dominus dat aufert regna that there be no Kingdom but of his giving no Kings but of his making no King unking'd but by his doing We ended our last Argument with Cyrus we begun the proof of this with him too Esdr. 1. 2. It is recorded by the Holy Spirit Thus saith Cyrus of Persia the Lord of Heaven hath given me all the Kingdomes of the Earth and he hath charged me to build him an House at Ierusalem which is in Iudah You read the same 2 Chron. 36. 22 23. I am very inclinable to believe that Cyrus knew this charge from the Prophecy of Isaiah 44. 28. He is my shepherd and shall perform all my pleasure even saying to Ierusalem thou shalt be built and to the Temple thy foundation shalâ— be laid And again cap. 45. 13. I have raised him uâ— in righteousness and I will direct all his wayes he shall build my City and let go my Captives not for price nor râ—ward saith the Lord of Hosts If this will not rectifie the perverse rebellious Tenet of Puritan and Jesuit I despair of doing it I know they will tell me it is an extraordinary case this is their ordinary poor shift that serveth them in many cases if they would consider it aright they might see how careful God has been by extraordinary Works and Manifestations and reiterated Precepts and Practices ordinary to right their extravagant and extraordinary Tenets and Humours If they can be satisfied we refer them to Dâ—n 2. 19 20 21. And Daniel will teach them in the judgment of God that to give and remove Kings and Kingdoms is the sole and properly peculiar work of God When God had revealed to Daniel Nebuchadnezzar's Dream with the Interpretation of it he thanketh God and saith vers 20. Blessed be the Name of God for ever and ever for Wisdom and Might are his vers 21. And he changeth the times and the seasons he removeth Kings and setteth up Kings Again vers 37. He saith Thou O King art a King of Kings for the God of Heaven hath given thee a Kingdom Power Strength and Glory vers 20. and 21. He ascribeth the setting up and removing of Kings no less to God than Wisdom infinite and Omnipotency which are Divine Attributes incommunicable And vers 37. He vindicates this as proper and peculiar to the God of Heaven that Earth and earthly men can have no part in it Daniel in whom was the spirit of the holy Gods Daniel whom no secrets troubled Daniel in whom was wisdom like the wisdom of Gods reached not this high point to know that in the People was an underived Majesty to be derived to
if it be not blasphemous against God and the King to fix as in its first seat and receptacle an underived Majesty in the Community where there is not one of a thousand an intelligent and knowing man It is certainly high Treason against God and the King A world of Reasons to prove that Kings are independent from all and solely dependent from God may be brought from Scripture but because we intend brevity and haste to other things we point at some few to be considered and enlarged by the judicious Reader himself As first to whom can it be more proper to give the Rule over men than to him who is the onely King truly and properly of the whole World 2. Next God is the immediate Author of all Rule and Power that is amongst all his Creatures above or below why then should we seclude him from being the immediate Author of Government of Empire amongst men 3. Thirdly Man in the state of Innocency in his first Creation received Dominion and Empire over all the Creatures below Gen. 1. 28. Replenish the Earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the Sea and over the Fowl of the air and over every living thing that moveth upon the Earth Again after the Fall Gen. 9. 2. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every Beast of the Earth and upon every Fowl of the Air upon all that moveth upon the Earth and upon all the Fishes of the Sea into your hand are they delivered Can we be so stupid as to acknowledge the dominion over all the Creatures below is given to man immediately from God and to deny that the most noble and excellent Government by which man hath Power and Empire over men is not from God by his Institution and Constitution but by the Compact and Contract the Composition and Constitution of men 4. Fourthly To demonstrate their immediate derivation from God that their Power is immediately from him is more than apparent by this reason They who exercise the Judgment of God must needs have their Power to judge from God But so it is that Kings by themselves and their Deputies exercise the Judgments of God The Proposition is sure and is both confirmed and illustrated by considering how that Church-men are rightly said to have received their Ministerial Power from God and Christ because God by them reconciles the World to himself and saves mankind 2 Cor. 5. 17 18 19 20. 1 Tim. 4. 16. How is it imaginable that they can be said to judge in God's place and not receive the Power from God The assumption is as evident by express words of Scripture see Deut. 1. 17. 2 Chron. 19. 6. Let no man stumble at this that Moses in the one place and Iosaphat in the other speak to subordinate Judges under them this weakeneth no wayes our Argument for it is a ruled Case in Law Quod quis faâ—cit per alium faciâ— per se all Judgments of inferiour Judges are in the Name Authority and by the Power of the Supreme and are but communicatively and derivatively from the Sovereign Power 5. Fifthly Not onely their Power is of God their Iudiciaria potestas but the very Execution of it They are the Ministers of God in the execution of their Charge and Power ergo their Charge and Power is immediately from God All the testimonies of Scripture wherein they are called Gods confirm the Antecedent and especially those where the Supreme Governour is called the Servant the Minister the Angel the Publick Servant of God Doth not this Argument hold in the Ministry Doctors and Preachers of the Church discharging their Charge are called the Ambassadours the Legates the Ministers of God and from hence we conclude necessarily that the Ministry is from God and Christ. The Apostle Saint Paul Rom. 13. 4 5 6. calleth the Supreme Magistrate thrice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and pregnantly expresseth that the King in the execution of his Charge is doing Service to God vers 4. He is the Minister of God to thee for good But if thou do that which is evil be afraid for he beareth not the Sword in vain Again He is the Minister of God a Revenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil Again vers 6. For they are Gods Ministers attending continually upon this very thing The Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is well rendred attending continually and is in its nature Active and so looketh to the execution of his Charge properly In the Book of Wisd. cap. 6. 5. The Author attributeth to God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to Kings and Rulers the Ministery onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There can be no Argument better to prove that both their Sovereign Power and execution of it is from God than that properly and primarily God Almighty is King and all Kings related to him are onely equivocally so for he is Rex regum Dominus dominantium 1 Tim. 6. 15. Revel 1. 5. 21. 27. 19 20. 17. 14. He is King of Kings and Lords of Lords 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 truly so Kings upon Earth are only such 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more in Resemblance than Reality and betwixt the one and the other the Kings of Heaven and Kings on Earth no more proportion than is betwixt Heaven and Earth a thing finite and infinite For this cause Scripture Mark 10. 41. speaketh no better of Kings and Princes on Earth than that they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not so much truly men that have Empire and Rule as such that appear to be so from whence then shall we derive Sovereignty and Royalty but from that true Royalty and Sovereignty in God alone 6. Sixthly the Power and Grace by which they are inabled for so high a Charge and Employment is only from Almighty God then by necessary Consequence the Charge must be solely and only from him The Connexion is natural for in right Reason to whom can it be due to give a Charge of this Concernment properly but only to him who is able to give the Endowments and hability for that Charge Now that the Endowment is from God immediately the sacramental Ceremony of anointing sheweth it and that exactly they are called the Lords Anointed We need not use symbolical Arguments seeing the Schools allow them no convincing force the Holy Spirit hath given it to us in plain and natural Terms right down Of Otâ—niel the first Judge after Ioshua it is said Iudges 3. 10. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he judged Israel The like you have spoken of Saul after that he was anointed and appointed King of Israel 1 Sam. 10. 11. and elsewhere The same is said of David 1 Sam. 17. Very knowing men in Divinity interpret the Passage Prov. 20. 12. The hearing Ear and the seeing Eye the Lord hath made even both of them that the Facility to rule well and the Grace to obey
all the Bibles we have as yet seen our Bibles say Dixi dii estis I have said that is God himself ye are Gods filii Excelsi omnes and all of you are Children of the most high your Bibles or some as authentick as ours must say Diximus dii estis filii terrae omnes we the People have said ye are Gods and all of you sprung from us from the Earth We may say no more with Scripture Dominus dat aufert regna the Lord giveth and changeth Crowns and Kingdoms but it is the People that do it It must no more be thought upon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the Powers that be are ordained of God nay they are ordained of the People David was far mistaken who said Power belongeth unto the Lord. For Christ's Potestas data de super saying that Power is from above and by Donation from above we must have it changed unto a Potestas data de subter that all Power is given from below infinite more of this kind may be adduced Let me intreat our Brethren to consider how sacrilegious a thing it is to rob God of his Glory who hath said My Glory I will not give to another how tender he is of his divine Prerogative to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords not only by his Power over-ruling them but also effective endowing them with Royalty from above how dishonourable a thing it is to place it in so wrong a hand so base a prime Subject how they disgrace Kings and Sovereignty referring them to so base an origine how they put them in so ticklish and lubrick Condition that better being any thing than a King how by this mean they secure neither their Persons nor Functions nor either can be truly or appellatively sacred how they open a door to all disquiet in State in Church to all Sedition and Rebellion how they lead People on a way destructory to themselves nay to humane Society and consequently any Being at all how finally they serve the Prince of Disorder and run head-long and head-strong to Perdition from which good Lord deliver both them and us CHAP. XI Scripture by Examples teacheth us that Kings of Peoples making have not had God's Blessing but have ruinated their Makers IF any will look upon Scripture with ordinary Observation and Judgment it will appear that when people have presumed by themselves to set up a King of their own neither he nor they have been happy in that work There is reason enough for it how can a Blessing be expected when and where God and Christ are robbed of their Right and the People presumptuously usurp and sacrilegiously intrude upon them The first King the people of Israel had after that they were formed into a politick Body is Moses who Deut. 33. is termed King of Ieshurun To speak truly the Government then and till Saul's days was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God retaining the Government in his own hands and actuating it by his Deputies and Vice-Roys The People had no hand in making him King He was far from them when God sent him to be King over Israel That his Right was just his Government successful none will deny The next named King is Abimelech the base Son of Gideon and as basely created King too Israel did offer an hereditary Title of the Crown to Gideon after that he had vindicated them from the Tyranny and Oppression of the Midianites He did refuse it he knew that was not the right way of purchase nor Gods appointed time come Iudg. 8. 22. After his Death the Bastard is made King the first King we read of in Scripture who was the Creature of the People Iudg. 9. Consider how this Work is hatched perfected and what is the end of it He sets the work on foot by his alliance the men of Sichem to do for their own Bloud and Brood He useth an Argument that was strong enough in those dayes better that he one and alone should reign over them than the seventy Sons of Ierubbaal It seemeth that the World was not then so much out of love with Monarchy nor doated so much upon Aristocracy as we do now in this declining Age. A special mean to enable Abimelech for the Crown and to effect this unlawful Royalty they agree to enrich him with Sacrilege by spoiling their God's Temple and taking out of it threescore and ten pieces of Silver To make all sure a Covenant is made it is sworn too They were so much in love with this new Covenant that they called their God Baal Berith the Lord of the Covenant They will have God to own the Covenant or then they Idoled the Covenant so much that they would renounce God if he would not be Baal Berith the God of the Covenant What followeth upon all this Abimelech enriched by Sacriledge strengthened by his Alliance the Sichemites they bound to him not onely by the Bonds of Nature but by a tye of a Sacred Covenant a Vow interposed all Israel over-awed come to his side and the first Act of their Power and goodness is Murther they murther the seventy lawful Sons of Ierubbaal the engaged in mischief knew there was no safety but to take away the right Stock root and branch Yet God miraculously preserved Iotham not onely to denounce Gods vengeance against them both the men of Sichem and Abimelech the contrivers of this mischievous Plot but to see it executed You see then the first popular King I mean of the Peoples making beginneth his work I mean his purchase of the Crown with Sacriledge a Covenant and cruel Murther and innocent shedding of bloud Look upon the Success He is made he is constituted King with an uniform an universal consent an universal and uniform Consent is no sure Argument that the course so established is warrantable and approved by Almighty God Look upon more yet Abimeleeh becometh strong flourisheth reigned over Israel three years Iudg. 9. 22. well near Antichrists time of endurance he Kings it royally successfully Judge not then of a course by a speedy a universal a successful success to conclude it is Gods work and marvellous in our eyes It is hard to work great Works but with great Time our Nature is averse from that the Devil and the World do contribute their Wisdom and Power to impede a good Work It is not so in bad courses Moses could scarce discipline the People of Israel in the space of forty years in the School of the Wilderness to obey God but in forty dayes they were able enough to erect Idolatry and practise it The Apostle Saint Paul wondereth that the Galatians were so quickly turned from the truth of the Gospel But to reclaim them from their Errours was as toilsome and longsome pains and travels as a woman hath to bring forth a child Although Vengeance be delayed it will come at last it cometh with leaden feet but hath
Church and pray our Adversaries to shew us where the Church is in Plenty and Honour where Aristocracy is the Government In Scripture it is prophecied Ecce Reges erunt nutritii tui That Kings shall be the Nurse-fathers of the Church there is no word to that sense for any Government besides Monarchy If they make use of this Argument to prefer Aristocracy or Democracy to Monarchy there reasoning is not sure and concludes not no more than when I reason thus a man may walk without Legs of bone and flesh for he may walk on wooden Legs if he hath lost his Natural Legs with the blow of a Canon or by a Gangrene or he may walk upon Crutches if he be a Cripple Ergo wooden legs and artificial or Crutches are better than the natural legs and feet man is born with In brief no Society can subsist without Government the best of Governments is Monarchy and People cannot be happy except the King and Monarchy be proportioned to that height of Power Honour and Wealth as He be able to secure Himself and Subjects from all Mischief Iniquity and Disorder and the Good Safety and Happiness of the Subject is naturally and necessarily involved in the sacred Right and Prerogative of the King That whosoever conceiveth that the Good of the People can subsist with lessening and weakening the Right of the King is as if he should imagine to see the Branches of a Tree bud flourish and bring forth Fruit when they are broken o◠from the root or to see a River of running living Water divided from the Source and Fountain of living Water or to apprehend that the Ray of the Sun can inlighten when it is separated from the Body of the Sun Let never a King imagine his Happiness can subsist or consist without the Happiness Peace and Plenty of his Subjects and let not us that are Subjects imagine that we can be happy or preserve our Right our Liberty our Property if we account not the Lords Anointed the breath of our Nostrils and value his Right His Prerogative at a higher rate than our Lives These are by God and Nature so involved mutually one in another that without destruction to both they cannot be put asunder CHAP. XVII A King is bound to be as eminent in Sanctity as He is excellent and high in Power THere be a great many more of these new State-devised Principles with which our Antimonarchical Sectaries intoxicate the Vulgar as that Protection and Subjection are of equal extent That a mixture and temperature of the three proper Species of Government is the best of Governments which if it be not rightly understood is a most dangerous Position and in the sense many conceive it it is not Temperamentum Regiminis but Turbamentum That Plus vident oculi quà m oculus That Rex est universis minor singulis major That the Charter of Nature intitles us to our defence against Kings That Rex est propter populum That a King at his Coronation sweareth and covenanteth with his Subjects which if he perform not he is punishable dethronable That in a Monarchy The Legislative Power i◠communicable to the Subject and is not radically in Sovereignty in one but in more That Quod omnes tangit ab omnibus tractari approbari debet and a great many more all which by Gods help we shall examine in the subsequent Questions as every one of them offereth it self in its own proper place We now come shortly to point at the great Charge of the King as we have before proved the Excellency of his Sacred Charge and Person What we have said of the Excellency of Kings that they are the derivatives of God from him by generation his first-born God's upon Earth c. If it be rightly weighted it will humble them in the presence of God in their own esteem and not suffer them to swell in Pride it tieth them to a proportionable Sanctity and eminency in Holiness and Integrity as far in degree above the Ordinary as they are exalted in State and Honour above the Sons of men Isocrates writing to Nicocles saith to him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The sense is the same we have expressed already the higher in Honour they are tied to a higher perfection in Virtue Saint Austin saith well Tom. 8. enarrat in Psal. 137. Quantò sublimitas altior est tantò periculosior est Ideoque Reges quantò sunt in majori sublimitate terrenâ tanto magis humiliari Deo debent Kings as related to men are Gods in order to Almighty God they are frail and mortal men Psal. 82. 6. They are gods on Earth yet onely gods of the Earth and are no less if not more accountable to God than any other men whatsoever He trieth their works searcheth out their Counsels and if they judge not aright Horribly and speedily he will come upon them a sharp judgment shall be to them that are in High places Mercy will soon pardon the meanest but mighty men shall be mightily tormented Wisd. 6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. For he who is Lord over all shall fear no man's person neither shall he stand in awe of any man's Greatness for he hath made small and great and careth for all alike No Difference there is betwixt a Prince and a Peasant except only in this that as the Prince is higher than all so his Crime and Sin is above all and his Punishment will be proportioned to the like and answerable Height Princes being derived immediately from God and with that honour to be the first-born Children of God and Sons of the most high what Measure of Holiness what Degree of Righteousness is required in them so highly advanced They should be holy as their heavenly Father is holy They should be perfect as their Father in Heaven is perfect and this not only in their private Conversation as Christians but also in their publick Government as Fathers of the Kingdom and Nurse-fathers of the Church Nothing addeth more to the Disgrace of a wicked man than when we reflect upon him as descended from a noble and high Stem Solomon saith Prov. 16. 12. It is an Abomination for Kings to commit Wickedness and the fear of the Lord is the Glory of the King No Foundation of a King so sure as Obedience to him that made the King Nothing more dangerous in a King than Rebellion against God Happy are Kings when they resolve with David Psal. 85. 8. I will hearken what the Lord will say unto me But above all Kings are bound to advance Piety and that both in their private and publick Devotions and in their publick Government They ought to be more frequent in their private Devotions than any else and in the publick to be most reverent in their Gestures that their practice in Piety in Devotion in private in publick may be exemplary Regis ad exemplum totus componitur orbis This Duty they owe to God as professores
God and do not from this fear preserve the Right of God and his Church protect and promote the Ordinances of God and advance the Worship and its Solermity Nor will bad Counsellors excuse them in the Day of their Accounts nor will the Counsellors escape just Judgment and it is like God will make the same People a Rod to scourge them whom they have followed and given way to with the loss of a good conscience and offence against God As Princes the Sons of the most High and Vicegerents of Christ upon Earth are bound to Piety in their personal carriage above other and to procure and protect it in their publick Government so they are bound in their private and publick Conversation and Government to be excellently righteous The Derivative naturally resembleth its Primitive God from whom they are by immediate Derivation hath no pleasure in wickedness neither doth evil dwell with him Psal. 5. 4. Kings hold their Scepters from Christ The Scepter of Christ's Kingdom is a right Scepter He loveth righteousness and hateth wickedness Psal. 45. 6 7. They are by generation from the Father Psal. 89. They issue from the thigh of Christ Rev. 17. 14. 19. 14. They degenerate then if they be not righteous If Kings live and govern piously and justly their Thrones shall be established their Crowns secured and their Posterity be blessed Prov. 25. 5. By righteousness the Throne is established The good of this will redound to the whole Kingdom Prov. 29. 4. The King by Iudgment establisheth the Land but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it Foelix Respublica in qua qui imperat timet Deum See God's charge to Kings Ier. 22. 1 2 3. Execute ye judgment and righteousness and deliver the oppressed c. vers 4. For if ye do this thing indeed then shall there enter in by the gates of this House Kings sitting upon the Throne of David riding in chariots and on horses he and his servants and his people vers 5. But if you will not hear these words c. vers 7. I will prepare destroyers against thee c. David the King knew this Psal. 33. 16. There is no King saved by the multitude of an host How then vers 18. The eyes of the Lord are upon them that fear him upon them that hope in his mercy He practised it Psal. 61. 4. I will abide in thy Tabernacle for ever I will trust in the covert of thy wings The meaning is his constant purpose and practice should be holy and just and to advance Piety and Righteousness from this issueth that confidence he subjoyneth vers 6. Thou wilt prolong the King's life and his years as many Generations vers 7. He shall abide before God for ever O prepare Mercy and Truth which may preserve him See Psal. 72. wholly Prov. 20. 8. 29. 4 14. 16. 12 13. This Truth believed by Kings that they are immediately sent from God and Vicegerents upon Earth is a ground of great Confidence in God in their greatest Troubles which usually are great and frequent for as the tallest Cedars they are exposed to the Violence of greatest Tempests their only way is to run to God for Protection and Deliverance They may lay claim to it more than any God is the Principal they only Lieutenants and subordinate more favour is allowed to them greater Protection promised to them Psal. 89. 26. He that is the King shall cry unto me Thou art my Father my God and the Rock of my Salvation Also I will make him my first born David Psal. 44. 4. approacheth to God in this Confidence Thou art my King O God command Deliverance for Jacob. A Subject claimeth Protection from the King as his Due so may the King from his Lord and Master Solomon upon this ground that God had set him upon the Throne of David begged Government and Judgment to go out and in before his People 1 King 3. The Lord did not refuse it but in his Bounty supererogated what was fit for his more Magnificence God hath a secret and unknown way in directing and guiding Princes and no less admirable a way in guarding their Persons and delivering them out of all their Troubles Prov. 21. 1. The heart of the King is in the hand of the Lord as the Rivers of Waters He turneth it whithersoever he will Psal. 18. vers ult Great Deliverances giveth he to his King and sheweth Mercy to his Anointed c. The Heathen have acknowledged in Kings some Heroici impetus some strange and extraordinary Inspirations and Directions seconded with as admirable Successes and Protection that a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in them something extraordinary above that God in his ordinary Providence by Direction or Protection vouchsafeth upon others I refer you to read and meditate what you have written 2 Kings 19. 25 27. and Isai. 42. 1 27. and you will doubt no more of this Truth This day is this Truth fulfilled in our Ears we have before our Eyes such a wonderful over-ruling Direction and Protection of our Sovereign in this Rebellion that we must acknowledge it is the Lords work and marvellous in our Eyes Psal. 118. This Truth is a strong Motive to perswade Subjects to all Duty First to honour reverence and obey the King next to God and above all others The Fear of God and the King are immediately conjoyned and enjoyned together in Scripture Prov. 24. 21 22 23. My Son fear God and the King c. 1 Pet. 11. 17. Fear God honour the King See Tertullian to this purpose in the places we cited before and Gregory Nazianzen Orat. 20. which is a funeral Oration for Basil the great The Moral Law hath mixt to the duty we owe to God in the first Table placed in the first place Honora patrem Honour the King What Divinity then can it be which this miserable unhappy Age hath invented and vented that the Fear of God and the King are inconsistent and the best Badge of a Christian is to oppose the just and lawful Demands and Commands of Kings This is none of Christs his Apostles nor ancient Christians and Martyrs Doctrine What Christian heart can be so hard as not to mourn for this and cry out with that holy Martyr Polycarp Good Lord for what times hast thou reserved me Again this Truth that Kings are Gods Vicegerents sent by immediate Commission from him tyed us to maintain our Kings in Honour Wealth and Power proportioned to so high a Calling This the word Honora patrem honour thy Father naturally in the Diction and Dialect of the Scripture imports 1 Tim. 5. 17 21. Almighty God although his Immensity be attended with an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an able sufficiency and all Felicity yet hath he sequestrated and set a-part some persons peculiarly for his sacred Service some place for his publick Worship and some Quota of our Revenues and Industry that all men may acknowledge
His Sovereignty and their own Dependency from and Subordination and Subjection to him so it is the good will and pleasure of God that all Subjects should in Testimony of their Subjection to Sovereignty and in true Acknowledgment of their Supremacy contribute some of their Means for the Maintenance and honour of the King this is the Apostles Doctrine Rom. 13. 6. For for this Cause pay you Tribute also for they are Gods Ministers attending continually upon this very thing What can be more fully said They are immediately from God They are Gods Ministers for this Cause then we are bound to pay Tribute And let the for in the Frontispiece of the verse make you reflect your eyes upon that which goeth before and you will find it is not an arbitrary Right they have to this which is given upon them by a voluntary Compact or Grant or extorted by Fear the Apostle sheweth this we do not only for Wrath that is for fear of Punishment for in their Power it is to punish those who will not do this Duty but for Conscience sake This our Lord and Master both taught and practised paying Tribute to Caesar and commanding to render to Caesar the things that were Caesar's due to him as Caesar not by grant or compact from the People And Reason it self evinceth that this Maintenance should be proportioned to that high Degree and Measure as may preserve his Glory and Majesty that it be not lessened or contemned and as may sufficiently enable him to act and effect the happy works and Fruits of Royal Government to preserve all in Peace and Plenty See to this purpose Iustin Martyr Apolog. 2. and St. Chrysostom upon Rom. 13. passim This Doctrine that Kings are immediately from God and independent from all other Creatures whatsoever teacheth also that it is high Rebellion against God to oppose or resist the King This Consequence the Apostle thus deduceth Rom. 13. vers 1. The Powers that be are ordained of God vers 2. Ergo Whosoever therefore resisteth the Power resisteth the Ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves Damnation Pardon me to cite Chrysostom upon the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He that obeyeth not the King fighteth against God what do they then that come in Arms against him who by his Law hath established Obedience and not Resistance and the Apostle every where always and upon all Occasions endeavoureth this mainly that our Obedience to Kings is not arbitrary conditional or by compact but necessary and imposed upon us by God Holy Scripture is so careful we oppose not sacred Authority that it hath forbidden it in all it's kinds all it's degrees 1. We are not to think a bad Thought of them in our Hearts Eccles. 10. 20. 2. The Tongue is not to speak Evil of them Exod. 22. 28. Iud. 8. Consequently neither Pen nor Press are to write or print to their Disgrace and Disadvantage 3. We are not with Iudas to lift up our heel 4. David's Heart smote him when he smote Saul's Garment 5. The hand cannot stretch out it self against the Lords Anointed and the Actor be innocent 6. It is to fight against God for he that rebelleth against the King rebelleth against God He that blasphemeth the King blasphemeth God 1. Kings 21. The Prodigal in his Return acknowledgeth he sinned no less against Heaven than his Father God hath taken them in Societatem nominis in societatem numinis Psal. 82. 6. 7. The greatness of the Sin may appear that the greatest of Judgments fall upon Traytors and Rebels Scripture is plentiful in Examples of this kind and all Story witnesseth for it Remember the Story of Rudolph Duke of Suevia who sware Allegiance to Henry the fourth by Pope Hildebrand was loosed from his Oath but miserably died he and before his Death the right hand with which he sware was cut off and say he could to the Bishops This is the hand was lifted up when I sware Allegiance to my Emperour justly cut off for my Perjury and Rebellion for which you are to answer who put me upon this mischievous Course and Rebellion See Aventine and others infinite Examples may be alledged If they escape the Judgment of men by their scarce warrantable Meekness and Clemency God hath Executioners in store and ready for them He will revenge for his own Interest If the King will not do Justice against a Traytor God will make his own Friend do it and if that fail his own Breast or both of them This was Absalom's case 2 Sam. 18. 14. Thy Confederates will do it This was Sheba's case 2 Sam. 20. 22. Before an Executioner be wanting thy own hand shall do it This was Achitophel's case who hanged himself 2 Sam. 17. 23. And Zimri's case too 1 Kings 16. 18. If no man will do it Earth and Hell will do it This was the case of Korah Dathan Abiram and their Complices Numb 16. 23. This is the first Rebellion in Scripture recorded against Prince and Priest And take with you Optatus Bishop of Milevis's note upon it no Sin in Scripture recorded hath a Judgment parallel to this If all Creatures should fail to be Executioners God will do it by his immediate hand from Heaven Psalm 144. 8. To shut up this God allowed no Sanctuary for Treason and Traytors as is manifest in the case of Ioab pulled from the Altar and Justice done upon him Lastly seeing the King is sacred in his Person in his Power in his Royal Christian Prerogative it is high Sacriledge and Intrusion upon God and the King to rob him of any part of his Sacred Right The ancient Church did judge so Hosius writing to Constantius an Arrian Emperour saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This Holy Father and the whole Church in his time did account it a Theft and an Opposition to God and his Ordinance by Fraud or Force to cheat or extort from a King any thing due to his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his Empire his Sovereignty It was not dreamed of then that an Excellency could be set up against a Majesty or a Coordinate power erected with Sovereignty In the happy time of the Christian Church this was the greatest Robbery the highest Sacriledge the most violent Intrusion upon God and his Anointed The best and readiest way for all Happiness to a Kingdom is when the King considereth that his Greatness and Glory consisteth in the Happiness of his Subjects and proportioneth all his Actions and Government to their Peace and Plenty and the People on the â—ther part when they level their Intentions Actions Enâ—eavours and Obedience to preserve his Sacred Person His Sacred Right and Royal Prerogative Let none â—ivide those things God hath conjoyned When People are thus affected it will move Kings for the good of their People with Saul to be ready to sacrifice Ionathan or with Codrus to dye himself for the Safety of his People or with David in great Judgments from God
Hierarchy is Antichristian against Christ and his Scepter not being able because of their Ignorance to difference betwixt Christian Hierarchy and Romish Hieromonarchy Have not the Authors and Abettors of these Paradoxes in Divinity invented and vented as blasphemous Principles against the Lord 's Anointed in Policy Do they not magisterially determine that Kings are not of God's creation by authoritative commission but onely by permission extorted by importunity and way given that they may be a scourge to a sinful People Nor is this all these late distempers have produced Creatures not of Christ's making Ruling Elders who are adopted to be Ecclesiastical Persons with equal Power with men in holy Orders to decide and determine in matters of Faith Worship and in the exercise of the Power of the Keyes nothing kept from them but liberty to Preach publickly to baptize and to consecrate the blessed Eucharist Answerable to this find we not that they have erected a coordinate a coequal a corrival Power with Sovereignty and have made Regnum in regno two Sovereigns a thing incompatible with Supremacy and Monarchy the persecution of Episcopacy has been so hot and cruel that I dare say look upon all Persecutions recorded in Ecclesiastical Story none can parallel this if ye consider it as it is cloathed with all its circumstances and attended with its consequents Episcopacy after the most exact and sollicit Tryal is onely the Crime except you will add the Solemnity of the Publick Worship intended and attempted to vindicate God's Service from prophaneness and contempt and to restore it to its ancient true beauty to the shame of the Roman Church Men innocent men well deserving of the Church and Kingdom have been cast out their Estates seized their Houses rifled and plundered their Blood thirsted after their poor Wives forced to fly some into mountains and wilderness some by Sea some one way some another their poor Children forced to starve or beg at best O barbarous and inhumane Cruelty more beseeming Cannibals than Christians When the Lord's Prophets were hurt and wronged was the Lord's Anointed not touched Tell it not in Gath publish it not in the streets of Askalon lest the Daughters of the Philistims rejoyce lest the Daughters of the uncircumcised triumph The best of Kings in whom malice it self how quick-sighted soever cannot find any thing blame-worthy except it be a Crime to be too good and transcendently clement hath been forced to flie from his Palaces could not find Safety in that City enlightened and enriched by his royal Presence to the Admiration and Envy of the whole World His royal Consort necessitated for personal Security and in a prudential way to provide for strengthening her Lord the best of Husbands to flie beyond Seas That Royal Family those Olive-branches the Pledges and Hopes of our continuing Peace divided one from another and to this day remaining so His Revenues his Casualties seized by those have sent out Armies and Arms against him His Forts his strong Holds taken from him his Royal Navy employed to destroy him keep all Encouragement of Allies from him and to divorce personally if they could those royal Personages in whom we are most happy if we had Eyes to see it whom in Heart and Affection the Devil and his Malice cannot divide notwithstanding it hath been shrewdly endeavoured More of this kind might be added but of purpose I forbear it If we will consider what private men have gained since God and Religion have been wronged we will find we have made an unhappy Choice a miserable Change No man hath Protection or Direction by Law no known Law hath place we are all oppressed and tyrannically over-ruled by an arbitrary Power placed in a wrong hand all Religions if I may call Sects so are tolerated except the true Catholick Reformed Religion and all Heresies buried long ago in Hell are revived in number like to be more and in their nature more ugly than all recorded by Epiphanius and St. Austin our Sectaries agreeing only in the destructive part to make away Truth and the true Government to spoil Churches rob Christ of his Patrimony abrogate the Solemnity of the Worship destroy ancient Christian Monuments but in the positive not one agreeing with another Ephraim smiting Manasseh and Manasseh Ephraim and both of them against Judah Hath any now the Liberty of his Person are not the best of Subjects the best of God's Servants kept in Prisons like to Jeremie's Dungeon What Property is reserved Since Christ's Patrimony hath been despoiled who can say This I have They command what portion what quota they will and in the end he will be a Malignant at Pleasure that hath any thing to maintain this Rebellion If S. Austin were living now he might well say Quod non capit Christus hoc rapit fiscus What stately Houses have been spoiled What rich and princely Furniture hath been destroyed What Blood of Nobles and generous Gentry hath been shed More in this uncivil Rebellion in this short time than in many years in long continuing Wars in many Countries beyond Seas this Loss cannot be valued it infinitely surpasses all other Losses besides And yet give me leave to say it if we will look upon the Pressures and Sufferings of the Subject the only Effects we feel of this glorious so much talked of Reformation they will transcend highly all Grievances complained of in the successive Reigns of seven Sovereigns And the greatest of all Iudgments have fallen upon us that some sort with the Prophet Hosea We have no King because we feared not the Lord what then should a King do to us They have spoken words swearing falsely in making a Covenant thus Judgment springeth up as Hemlock in the Furrows of the Field Hos. 10. 3. 4. A Redress of these Disorders a Remedy of these Evils we need not to expect till we turn to God by Repentance and Moses and Aaron be again rightly seated in their Power their Place My Lord I have put Pen to Paper to right our gracious Sovereign to undeceive his Subjects making it appear that his Right is independent from man solely dependent from God that Monarchy is the most countenanced the most authorised Spece of Government by Almighty God that the conveyance of this Right is not by Trust from the People and have cleared what are Jura Majestatis the Prerogatives inherent in the Crown incommunicable to the Subject and how Sacred his Person and Charge is that they cannot be opposed are not to be resisted A task it is above my strength In the Imperial Law it is a crime mixt with Sacrilege to argue the Right and Power of the King nor was it allowed to every vulgar and ordinary Pencil to draw the Picture of Alexander the Great and we see what advantage the Seditious and Factious have made of the escapes of some Pens Notwithstanding I am necessitated to meddle with it with no less constraining and unavoidable necessity than that
made the young dumb Prince speak All men are tied to the maintenance of Sovereign Right none amongst men more than Church-men it is a necessary truth as aptly plentifully and purposely set forth in Gods Word as any else Prince and Priest were once joyned in one Person and are so tied that Alterius Altera poscit opem res conspirat amicè We find onely three Office-bearers anointed by God King Priest and Prophet who then more tied to maintain the Lord 's Anointed and his Right than Priests and Prophets God hath honoured Kings to be the Nurse-fathers of his Church nor when we reflect upon by-gone Story find 〈◊〉 that ever the Church had either Beauty Plenty or Progress but under Monarchy and view this day the condition of the Christian Church under any other Government than Monarchy and we will find her condition but sorry and poor It is the onely Government which is most conntenanced and magnified in Holy Writ And I dare to say that none or all of them who ever writ purposely of Politicks or in an Historical way laid down Political Maxims whether it be Plato in his fancied Republick or Aristotle in his Politicks or Cicero or Livie or Dionysius Halicarnasseus or Cornelius Tacitus or who besides either by Art or Story is most renowned this way have given us so fully so apertly the Right of Monarchy the true prescript of Government and perfect Rule of Obedience to the Subject The Ancient Fathers and Martyrs whilst Emperours were Heathenish and Persecutors have delivered this Doctrine pleaded the Sacred Royal Prerogative of Emperours and with other Truths have sealed this with their Blood Who can deny then but it beseemeth a Divine most of all men to maintain or write of this subject A wonder then it is that some Smatterers in Divinity writing in this subject do borrow Principles from old Poetical Fables and Toyes make premises and infer Conclusions not onely destructive of Monarchy but also contradictory to that Truth Scripture hath revealed Like to them are our Pettifoggers in the Law I reverence Learned Iureconsults who deserved well in this subject who cry out what have Church-men to do to dispute the King 's Right that belongeth to us who are versed in the Laws of the Kingdom and know what Power the Law alloweth the King what not these Ignaroes who are better versed in the Statutes and Acts of Parliament than in the Acts of Christ and his Apostles may even as well go about not to authorize the Book of God except it be warranted by their Law as to aver that the King hath nothing immediately from God nor no Sacred Right but what He hath by Law More learned Lawyers than they can be as Bodin Barclay and others have treated of this matter and made as good Vse of Scripture and Holy Fathers writing as any other Warrant besides It is more than evident then that no men are more obliged no men may be more fitted to maintain the Royal Prerogative of Kings than Divines But Officiis quis idoneus istis I confess my weakness my insufficiency and am forced to have recourse to a Patron worthy of it and able to maintain it I could hit upon no subject more worthy of so great a Personage as you are nor a Patron so worthy so enabled to maintain it and its poor Author as your Lordship Nobles are amongst Subjects the first-born the ennobled amongst the Romans had a badge of a Moon or Crescent in Plutarch's judgment not so much to signifie the instability or frailty of their Place and Honour as to put them in mind to be obedient and loyal to their Prince the Fountain of their high Dignity as the Sun is to the Moon for your high Nobility by a long continued race transmitted to you from most noble Ancestours to write or recite it were as to light a candle to add light to the Sun in his strength in his vertical point and that transmitted so from them and derived to you that in that whole Stem the Root and all Branches who inherited the Honour not any tainted with Disloyalty Nay their Honour is higher some of them have had the honour to dye in the highest Bed of Honour to lose their Lives and great State and Honour for Loyalty to Royalty This is nothing yet but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the splendour of Birth the glory due to those of whom you are descended Nam genus Proavos quae non fecimus ipsi Vix ea nostra voco True Nobility besides these requireth not onely the inheritance of Riches for that is but Antiquae inveteratae Divitiae as Athlary writ to the Senate of Rome with the inheritance of Honour for that it is a Body empty of a living Soul but it is to inherit the Noble Honour of Noble and Generous Ancestours Nobile saith Aristotle id est quod ex bono genere prodit generosum quod à sua natura non degeneravit Herein you all meet for Honour and Virtue do contest for the Excellency but Virtue truly hath the Eminency In you is verified that of the Lyrick Poet. Fortes creantur fortibus bonis Est in juvencis est in equis Patrum Virtus nec imbellem feroces Progenerant aquilae columbam Malice it self how ingeniously witty soever cannot prejudice you in this whose Piety is admirable whose Wisdom and Prudence is above Age above the ordinary and all your Equals a master of your Passions and so experienced in matters of State and Government that it is a wonder to them who know you and incredible to those that have not been eye and ear witnesses Your Heroical magnanimity speaketh it self in your Heroick Martial Acts admired not onely by excellent Commanders not onely for Courage but for Prudence and rare Government by which you gained so much that the valiant Annibals and Scipioes there would rather sacrifice themselves than expose You to Danger and yet you would not act the General but by doing the valiant Acts contemning Dangers and Death beseeming inferiour Officers but worthy of the greatest Caesar. Who can consider aright that more than admirable piece of Prudence in that Treaty of Cessation in such a time and such a case where You were so assaulted with two of the worst extremes of Opinions enraged both of them with the same degree of madness but must say that is true Cicero said de nat deor Nullus unquam magnus vir fuit sine afflatu divino The intelligent and better sort must confess that without a great mercy to us and more than ordinary Favour from God this could not have been effected The better sort are confident the happy Effects of that Work will make many Souls live and Your Honour live for ever These are the Load-stones of all the Honour the Love and Zeal which have necessitated me to take recourse to Your Honour's Patrocine that what is deficient in me and this poor trifling Treatise
ratio the most formal and compleat Eâ—â—ence of Government The third is Whether or not Sovereignty and Royalty be in a King by Conveyance of Trust fiduciary and conditionate issuing from the People by a Trust devolved upon him in that portion it pleaseth them to proportion In which will be evident that the Trust of Sovereignty and Government is by God devolved upon the King That all Sovereignty related to God is fiduciary and conditionate but related to the People is absolute The fourth is Whether or not by divine Institution any man or men some few or many have any co-ordinate co-equal or collateral Power with the Sovereignty of Royalty Or whether or not in any case or exigent a King can be subordinate In the Resolution of which Question fitly and conveniently will be discussed that In quo formale Imperii consistit that in which the essence of Sovereignty doth consist and without which it cannot subsist as that it is supreme perpetual and freed from all coercive and coactive Power which the Hebrews call Imperium majus the Politicks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The fifth and last is Whether or not in any case it is lawful for Subjects one any more or all to oppose a Prince Quaestio prima Whether or not the King be only and immediately dependent from God and independent from the Body of the People diffusive collective representative or vertual CHAP. I. The Affirmative is maintained the contrary Opinion is explained the Authors and Assertors some of them with their Differences are recited WE hold the Affirmative that the King is only and immediately dependent from Almighty God the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and independent in his Sovereignty and Power from the Community in what Notion soever you conceive it either as a diffusive collective representative or vertual Body The Jesuit and Puritan to depress Kings aver that all Power is originally radically and formally inherent in the People or Community and from thence is derived to the King In the explaining of this Proposition there is amongst those who lay this Foundation for the building of their Babel a great Latitude of Diversity Lately I read in one who is the Author of the Tract concerning Schism and Schismaticks pag. 29. We have believed him that hath told us that in Christ Iesus there is neither high nor low and that in giving Honour every man should be ready to prefer another before himself which saying cuts off all claim certainly of Superiority by Title of Christianity except men think that these things were spoken only to poor and private men Nature and Religion agree in this that neither of them hath an hand in this Herauldry of Secundùm sub supra all this comes from Composition and Agreement amongst themselves I have given you his words I should be glad to be mistaken and crave him Mercy But as I conceive him this Position is worse than any I know of the Jesuits or more moderate Sectaries both of them acknowledge a Necessity of Government is taught by Nature and Grace and that the Distinction of Superiority and Inferiority is the dictate of common Reason and Religion Otherwise neither Nature nor Religion may avoid Confusion or Destruction God who is the God of Order and not of Confusion is the Author of this Herauldry of Secundum sub supra in the whole Universe in Church in State Hath not God in the moral Law taught it Honora Patrem c. Honour thy Father c Do not St. Paul and St. Peter Rom. 13. 1. Pet. 2. 14. v. command this as the Will of God And did not our Saviour practise it and his Apostles after him and after them all the Christian Church You must take away humane Society in Church and State if you take away this Herauldry of Superiority and Inferiority Sure I am the Jesuits do hold that Government is ex jure naturae by the Law of Nature I hope our Sectaries think no worse in this point than the Jesuits I return to the Jesuit and Puritan who are very like-in this Tenet but give me Leave to say for as bad as the Jesuit is in my conceiving the Puritan is worse Let us make a parallel 1. First the Jesuit says that all Power civil is radically and originally seated in the Community or Multitude God having made it the Primum subjectum the first Subject in which it is seated The Puritan joyneth hands here with the Jesuit 2. Next both of them say it is from the Multitude by way of Collation and Donation to one as in Monarchy to some as in Aristocracy to many as in Democracy so that immediately it is from the People and mediately from God and not so much by Collation as by Approbation How the Jesuit and Puritan walk along in an unequal pace See Bellarmine l. de Laicis cap. 6. Suarez Defens Doctrinae Orthod contra Sectam Anglicanam l. 3. 3. Thirdly that the People may change Monarchy into Aristocracy or Democracy or an Aristocracy into a Monarchy or Democracy or è contrae which way you will for ought I know they differ not in this neither 4. But some of our new State-Divines do hold that this Power is derived to the King from the People Cumulativè or Communicativè non Privativè by way of Communication or Cumulation but not by way of Privation that is howsoever the People communicate this Sovereignty to the King by trust yet they denude not themselves of this Sovereignty To make it plain it is in their Opinion no otherwise than as when the King of England appoints a Lieutenant Deputy or High Commissioner of Ireland or Scotland he denudes not himself of his Royal Power but delegates them with Power and Trust for his Service If this be their mind for I cannot conjecture at any other and if they have any other Sense I wish they would make it plain the King is in a poor case by such a derived Power for then as the King of England giving to his Deputy or Deputies that power only cumulativè he cannot by Reason or Law seeing Potior est delegantis quam delegati authoritas that the Principal his Authority is more excellent than he delegate's nor can he be debarred from that right the Law of Nations giveth him Anticipatione concursu or evocatione by procognition his own proper entire Right or Evocation to determine or judge in any thing that concerneth that His Kingdom If they authorize the People so let any that hath common Sense judge in what Condition these new-state-divines do put Kings 4. They aver which maketh me the more inclinable to conceive that to be their mind which before we have expressed that the same Sovereign Power is Howsoever derived from the Community to the King in the people suppletivè that is that if the King be deficient in necessary Duties of Government for the good of the Church and State the People by their innate power may do
will read their Distinction in answering the very same Objection that Zacharias the Pope both in the Deposition of the one and Constitution of the other had a hand consensivè not authoritativè by â—a naked Assent not by authoritative interposing or Right in this Act. To shut up all this I refer you to one place by viewing of which you shall have explicitly three Iacobus Almayn Iohannes de Parisiis and Ockam all of them Doctors of Paris and breathing the same thing with the Patavin Doctor Marsilius Almayn hath it who writ for Ockam and in the words alledgeth Iohannes de Paris verbatim de Supr Pot. Eccles. Laic q. 2. c. 5. where with Ockam he grants that the Pope for Heresie may depose a King and the people for transgressing against the Commonwealth But that you may conceive all aright he saith Non licet Papae nec propter civile nec propter spirituale crimen deponere nisi de per accidens Et non pertinet ad Papam sententÃaliter deponere Imperatorem licet spectet sententialiter excommunicare finaliter per censuram Excommunicationis eos qui habent Authoritatem deponendi cogere ut illum deponant Et sic de per accidens deponit solummodo non directè The Sense is It is not proper nor lawful to a Pope to depose an Emperour either for any civil or spiritual Crime for Errors in Policy or Religion but only accidentally The Pope may sentence the Emperour with Excommunication but not with Deposition and so upon the bye may move the people or the multitude who have Authority over him to dethrone him And this is done by the Pope not properly but improperly not effectively but consecutively The like he subjoyns concerning the Emperours power over the Pope that if the Pope abuse the power he hath to the Disturbance and Hurt of the civil State the Emperour may forfeit his State confiscate his Goods and so indirectly make move and force those who have power above the Pope which in their Opinion is the whole Church or the Representative which is an oecumenical Council to depose the Pope and institute another To these I might add Gerson and others I refer you to Gerson's Considerations and amongst these that you will read the seventh I have insisted on this especially for two Reasons the one is that you may see these Tenets came not into the World with Luther and Calvin but were long before there was any Word of a Reformer Ioannes de Parisiis lived and taught at Paris in King Philip sirnamed Pulcher and Boniface the eighth's time about the year of our Lord 1296. Willielme Ockam an English born and Regius Professor in Paris who writ his Dialogue at the Request of King Philip and after his Death fled to the Emperour Lewis the fourth died as some think about 1320. Gerson Chancellor of the University of Paris lived in the time of the Council of Constance and died about 1420. And Almayn the first and chief Professor in Sorbon who took upon him the Defence of Willielme Ockam if you will believe Flaccius Illyricus wrote Anno 1512. a book against Cajetan for the Power of a Council above the Pope which was printed Coloniae 1514. All these were prior to Luther or Calvin Our Rabbies then have drawn these Doctrines out of their polluted Cisterns The other Reason is because some too charitably and to the prejudice of Verity interpret the Authors above cited and their Kinsmen If any man will take and hold them to the better Sense I will not be contentious though I profess I cannot see it yet will it appear otherwise that those are not the Tenets of the reformed Catholick Church but the Foppery of Popery See Thomas Aquinas 1. de regim princ c. 6. where he saith Si ad jus multitudinis pertineat sibi providere de rege non injustè ab eadem Rex institutus potest destitui si potestate regni tyrannicè abutatur in which Passage you have that people may make Kings unmake them in case of Tyranny This Book is suspected and for many just and pregnant Reasons not to be Thomas Aquinas's and therefore I refer you to the genuine Thomas 1 2. q. 90. art 3. q. 97. art 3. 22 ae q. 10. art 10. And if I be mistaken of his Sense blame one of his acutest Scholars who avers it Suarez l. 3. defens orth fid adv Sect. Angliae ca. 2. And long before Thomas Aquinà s Pope Zachary taught the French this Doctrine as you may read Avent l. 3. Annal. Boiariae Princeps saith he Populo cujus beneficio possidet obnoxius est Quaecunque n. habet potentiam honorem divitias gloriam dignit aâ—em à populo accipit plebi accepta referat necesse est Regem plebs constituit eundem destituere potest He practised this about the middle of the eighth Age and for ought I know is the first Divine or Pope of Rome either that said so or writ so Some charitably plead for him and shew how averse he was from giving his Consent that at first he writ to disswade them from wronging Childerick who had his Right from God and writ thus to wash his hands in Innocency I will not take pains to vindicate him I leave that Labour to the Popes parasites yet it is worth our noting that when Pipin and his Complices were about this Treason to rob Childerick of his Crown although all things were in him that might perswade to such a Course Childerick being but a weak King a silly man drowned and buried in ease and pleasures childless nor any near to him yet at this time notwithstanding of all those Circumstances the like whereof never I think occurred before so odious a Crime it was to depose and set a King by his Throne though alâ—o all France had almost conspired with him yet fearing that the whole Christian World would cry fie upon them for such an Impiety they had Recourse to the Pope that by a specious shew of his Holiness and the Authority of that holy Church this great Impiety and Treason might be countenanced and go current This President was made a leading case in after Ages both for popish and popular Usurpation to intrude nay to invade upon the Sacred Right of Sacred Kings Nay our Puritans have from hence learned to colour and lustre their ugly Treasons and Seditions with the Cloak of Religion and Righteousness With the intimating of another Opinion of some who make regal Power resident in the People and from thence derived to the King I will close this Chapter Some do hold that all Sovereign power is primarily and naturally in the universitate civium multitude from it derived to the King immediately and mediately from God Who intending the Good Peace and Safety of Mankind which cannot be obtained without preservation of Order hath commanded and by an inviolable Ordinance and Institution appointed all to submit and subject themselves to
School-terms in many places as namely de corrept grat c. 14. De Civit. Dei l. 4. c. 33. l. 5. c. 21. passim And to the very same purpose see Suarez lib. 3. contr Angl. Sect. err c. 2. although in his Application he erreth foully do teach us A thing may be said to be immediately from God three wayes 1. The first is when it is so solely from God as it is from no other and presupposeth no thing ordinary humane or created previous or antecedent before the obtaining of it Such was the Power Moses and Ioshua Saul and David had Such were the Apostles all of them were by God and Christ immediately instituted constituted designed to and invested with Power from above 2. The second way that any thing is said to be immediately from God is when the collation of the Power and investing of the Person in and with such Power is from God as the immediate Author and Donor although there be presupposed or interposed aliquod signum creatum some previous or antecedent Act humane or created The Power Apostolical in Matthias and appointing him to be an Apostle was immediately from Christ although some humane Acts did precede and were interposed before his Constitution as that the Apostles put two apart and did cast lots Neither of these two acts severally nor both joyntly had either vertually or formally in them that efficacy or efficiency to collate upon him the Apostolical Power and Preeminence A world of Instances may be made in this kind A man baptized by Baptism obtaineth Remission of Sins and the Grace of Regeneration yet none is so weak as to say that the immersion in or aspersion of Water effecteth or produceth these excellent Effects of Remission of Sins and Regeneration Lewis the twelfth King of Fraence authorized the Parliament of Paris when one of their number diâ—d or was removed to make choice of another in his place yet none will deny that the Authority and Power of a Judge and Senator is immediately collated upon the Person chosen by and from the King of France A King giveth to a well-deserving Servant the Favour to name any man fitted for Honour to be a Lord Baron or Earl after the Servant to whom the Trust is committed hath designed the Person or man he is made a Lord Baron or Earl Who is so stupid to aver that the Honour of a Lord Baron or Earl is from the Servant a fellow-subject immediately And who dare to deny the Honour is from the King the Fountain of all Honour This is easily discerned for when the act interposed and presupposed to the Production and working of such an Effect is such that of its own Nature it hath no natural Contingency with the effect produced but what it hath by some Resemblance or Constitution We must run to an higher and more eminent Cause of such a Work and Effect of which see more infra c. 13. where we prove that the interposing of an humane Act in the Constitution of a King as Election Succession or Conquest impedeth not the constitution and making of a King to be immediately from God 3. The third way is When titulo creato mediante a mans Right to any thing he hath power of by some ordinary humane Right or Title intervening by which he is invested with a just and full Right to that is collated upon him and the Approbation or Confirmation of this Right is immediately from God so that the possessour in possessing what he hath just Right recognosceth or acknowledgeth in the right of Propriety no Superiour but Almighty God Now to apply this for the first way we maintain not that Sovereignty is in a King immediately from God by extraordinary Revelation without any humane Act or Sign created intervening This was peculiar only to some few The second way we hold that all Kings really so are immediately from God for although some Signum creatum some humane and created act as Election Succession Conquest or what else in that kind is imaginable and possible interveneth to the Designation of the Person yet the real Constitution the Collation of Sovereignty and Royalty is immediately from God for the Act or Condition presupposed or interposed containeth not in it that power to collate Royal and Sovereign Power only by Gods appointment it is inseparably joyned with it or infallibly followeth after it so that it referreth to God as the proper donor and immediate Author As in Baptism if there be nothing repugnant in the Suscipient the baptized hath from God immediately Remission of Sins and Grace of Regenerrtion Or as in Sacred Orders the Designation of the person is from men and an humane Act but the Endowment with supernatural power to act do and exercise supernatural Acts is immediately from God and Christ Matthias his person was designed by the Apostles but Christ only made him truly and really an Apostle Just so in the Constitution of Kings Election Succession Conquest or what else is only Potestas designativa personae but the power of Royalty and Sovereignty is primarily formally and immediately from God That we may conceive things aright in this case we must distinguish three things 1. First The Sovereignty or Royal Power which is forma quaedam the specifick and formal Essence constitutive of a King 2. Next The Person of the King which is Subjectum the seat or that wherein this Sovereignty is inherent 3. Thirdly The Conjunction of the Sovereignty with the Person or the Application of Royal Power and Sovereignty to the Person The first that is Regal Power and Sovereignty is immediately from God and Christ. The second that is the individual Person taken absolutely in its specifick and individual Essence and Existence is from its natural Causes constituent But qua talis considered as a King and such a one that is as Supreme and Sovereign the Deputation or Designation of such an individual person for such a Power is by Election Succession Conquest or any other lawful way by which God in his Providence doth manifest it The third that is the joyning of the Authority to the Person is immediately from God and Christ. Election Succession or Conquest may be said in some Sense remotely and improperly to make or constitute a King although they are not the proper efficient and constituent cause of that Power To say in the third Sense that Sovereignty in the King is immediately from God by Approbation or Confirmation only it is too flat an Expression and doth not sort well with the magnifick Expressions of Holy Scripture as By me Kings reign Prov. 8. 15. The Powers that are are ordained of God Rom. 13. 2. I have said ye are Gods Psal. 82. 8. All Power is given from above John 19. God hath spoken it once twice have I heard it all Power belongeth unto the Lord Psal. 62. 11. According to this Opinion the Sense of those and other such places must be Kings have their
power from below from the People by Contract are ordained of men and only established by God and consequently we must change the Phrase The People have said you are Gods your Power is from below and Saint Paul's ordained of God is no better than confirmed or approved of God Nor is the Title or Right of a King better as related to God than the Title of what any man possesseth titulo humano orcato by humane Right by Contract or otherwise in Rents Moneys Revenues or what else is ordinary in the Commerce and Society civil of men In brief our Sense is The Royal Power and Sovereignty of the King is from God primarily formally immediately The Designation or Deputation of the Person is by Election Succession Conquest c. as Matthias was designed by the Apostles setting of him apart and the falling of the Lord upon him but the Apostolical Power and Preeminence was immediately and solely from Christ. The power of the High-priest-hood in Zadok was from God the Designation of the Person was from Solomon a pregnant proof and Illustration of this appeareth in Iephtah Judg. 4. 5 6 7. The Elders of Gilead and people by Covenant and Contract bring him home agree he be Judge and Governour and yet notwithstanding 1 Sam. 12. 11. The sending of Iephtah is no less given to God solely than the immediate and extraordinary sending of Ierubbaal Bedan and Samuel A Father begetteth the Child but God infuseth the Soul A Woman by her Choice and Consent designeth her Husband but the marital Power and Dominion is only from God for how can she confer or transfer that power which was never fixed in her nay by God and Nature she is to be ruled by her Husband It is more then than manifest that an humane Act may design the Person of a King and that the Power is conferred by God alone There is in true Judgement a main Difference betwixt Potestas deputativa designativa personae Regiae and Potestas collative potestatis Regiae betwixt Applicativum personae ad authoritatem potestatem and applicativum authoritatis ad personam Regis The first may be done by an humane Act as a mans hand may apply a Faggot to the fire but the other in our case is proper to God as the Fire only can make the Faggot burn It appeareth then clearly that Power may and doth come from God alone and immediately without extraordinary Revelation by the Voice of God of Angel or Prophet The Sense and Terms of our Tenet thus cleared we come in the next place to our Proofs from the Holy Scriptures in the first place God in Scripture by frequent pregnant and multivarious Expressions hath so vindicated to himself the making and constituting of Kings that he declareth fully that he will have none to share with him in this Work for he hath told us that Kings and their Sovereignty are by God of God from God that they are Gods The Children of the most High His Servants His Ministers His publick Ministers and Deputies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That their Throne their Crown their Sword their Scepter their Iudgment are Gods c. and hath expressed it in abstracto abstractly of their Royalty their Power and in concreto of themselves with a Connotation of their Persons to intimate that they and all in them their Power their Function their Charge their Person are of divine extract a Constitution of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and consequently to teach us that the Sovereign Authority of the King and the Person of the King both of them are sacred inviolable God in his Omniscience and Prescience did foresee that the Sons of Adam would be like to their Father in Transgression that nothing will content them but to be like God and before they fail they will justle him out of his Right run upon the Guiltiness of divine Vsurpation challenging to themselves the Prerogative of the Almighty Pope and People Anti-christ-like exalting themselves above all that is called God The Iesuit this day pleased for the Pope the Puritan for the People that he or they have underived Majesty by which they may enthrone or dethrone make or unmake Kings at their pleasure We begin first with the Law In which as God by himself prescribed the Essentials Substantials and Ceremonials of Piety and his Worship gave order for Justice and Piety so he commanded the appointing and constituting of the King to be reserved as a priviledged case a proper Prerogative for himself Deut. 17. 14 15. c. When thou shalt say I will set a King over me like as all the Nations about me Thou shalt in any wise set him King over thee whom the Lord thy God shall chuse A Law sufficient to prove our Conclusion that the King and his Power are originally and immediately from God dependent from him alone and independent from all others The Power and Sovereignty is expressed in the words Set over thee This Thee is collective and includeth all and every one so Scripture knew not this new state-devised principle That Rex est singulis major universis minor above every one severally but subordinate to all joyntly The person is expressed in concreto in the Words Whom the Lord thy God shall chuse Neither is it to be slightly passed by that so peremptorily emphatically and authoritatively it is right-down said Thou shalt in any wise set him King over thee c. Which peremptory Precepts dischargeth the People all and every one diffusively collectively representatively or in what capacity else is imaginable in them to intend attempt or practise the appointing of a King but to leave it entirely and totally to Almighty God Here we must take off some shifts which Iesuits Puritans and others make to elude this and other Texts of this kind 1. The first is That this was a priviledged case of the Iewish King So Suarez lib. 3. c. 2. defens orthod Fid. cont Sect. Angl. So Soto l. 4. de Instit. q. 2. art 1. So Navarrus cap. Novit Notab 3. num 33. 147. and many more as Abulensis and others The Sectary averreth the same Both of them strengthen their Argument by these Maxims Exempla specialia non valent ad inferendum regulam universalem imo solent esse exceptiones à Regula To the same purpose they adduce that Maxim of the Iurists Valet Argumentum à speciali ad inferendam regulam universalem or Exceptio firmat regulam in non exceptis The Sum and Sense is that extraordinary singular special and priviledged cases are not firm and valid antecedents to infer a general ordinary and ruled case that if we cannot make it appear that all Kings are from God by immediate Constitution the priviledged case of the Iews will infer no necessary Conclusion Suarez in the place above cited goeth a little further affirming that God amongst the Jews did reserve as peculiar to himself the election onely of the King but
that His Constitution or the collation of Royal Power was from the People properly immediately and that because the words run in the Text Deut. 17. 14 15. that the People shall set him King over them and him only whom the Lord they God shall chuse Bellarmine saith just the same To remove this first shift we deny both the one and the other We deny first that it was a proper case for the Jews to have their Kings immediately constituted and appointed by God The Scripture is for us that all Kings all Sovereign Powers are immediately from God Prov. 8. 15. By me Kings reign saith a King and the wisest of Kings and a King who had good reason to say so for if the People had right to constitute or make a King it had not been King Solomon but King Adonijah Adonijah durst say to King Solomon's Mother Thou knowest that the Kingdome was mine and that all Israel set their faces on me that I should reign 1 Kin. 2. 15. Solomon saith not of himself singularly That he reigned by God but indefinitely universally By me Kings that is all Kings reign The first two words Per me By me contain in them the Donor the Author the Efficient the Constituent of Kings and Sovereignty Possibly you will say this By me is spoken of Wisdom it is true but that Wisdom is to be taken 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not for an Accident or Quality but for something subsistent personally And this Solomon's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chochmach in the sense of the most Learned both Ancient and Modern is St. Iohn's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ioh. 1. 1. Saint Iohn's Word Christ the Son of God the brightness of his Glory and the express image of his Person Heb. 1. 2. The Text demonstrateth it for his Wisdom by which Kings reign is that Wisdom 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the right reading for the Original word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Kanan possedit nor will the Greek reading 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bring home the Arrains conclusion which the Lord possessed in the beginning of his way before his Works of old vers 22. Which was set up from everlasting from the beginning or ever the Earth was v. 3. The Wisdom by which Kings reign is the same that was created of all things Kings are from God the Father but by the Son as from the Father by the Son all Spiritual blessing in heavenly things come to us so the greatest of Temporal Blessings By him we have Kings the best Blessing here for without them neither Godliness nor Honesty 1 Tim. 2. 2. This Per is Christ's Preposition It is worth your notice taking that Solomon saith not By the People Kings reign had it been so you know who had been King and not Solomon Nor he saith not By the High-Priest Kings reign you know he was engaged in Adonijah's Treason no He saith not By Israel nor by Abiathar nor by Zadoc nor by David nor by Nathan Kings reign But there is a Per me which is exclusive of all and to whom onely it is proper and peculiar to make Kings and to make Kings reign Solomon excludes Pope and People State and Presbytery He vindicates the creation of Kings no less to Christ than the creation of things This â—er me by me imparts not a naked Permission as if Kings by importunity of People were given way to as some blasphemous mouths and Pens have said and written and that Monarchy of all Governments is the least acceptable to God and to People most inconvenient Ignorants or malicious or both they are who dare to say so Monarchy was the first Government God ordained in the World and is yet founded in paterno Why if it be otherwise was it promised to Ahraham as the highest pitch and reach of Temporal Blessings that Kings should come of him Why doth God Ezech. 16. upbraiding the multitude of the People reckon in the last place as the highest of his Favours Temporal That they prospered into a Kingdom Why doth St. Peter urge obedience to the King because that is the Will of God 2 Pet. 11. 15. Why doth St. Paul say that he is tibi in bonum for thy good and for my good and for the good of all Saint Paul's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Higher Power is nothing else but St. Peter's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the King that is Supreme So Chrysostom Ambrose Haymo and others interpret it and the Government then when Saint Paul writ that Epistle was Monarchical They be a cursed brood who do maintain that this per me Reges regnant This By me Kings reign is a per me iratum by me in anger to punish a stiff-necked and rebellious People The Queen of Sheba knew it was per me propitium By me in Mercy and was better taught and sounder in this point of Divinity than the great Gamaliels amongst our Sectaries for she saith to Solomon Because the Lord thy God Loved Israel to establish them for ever therefore made he thee King over them to do judgment and justice 1 Chron. 9. 8. This per me implieth then that they are of Gods making and in mercy Kings are given to us This per me by me implieth Kings are God's and Christ's Derivatives and that God and Christ are their Institutives from God the Father by the Son their Commission their Power their Sovereignty for this cause St. Paul calleth them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which word is very pregnant and signifieth an Ordinance by high Authority not revocable nor repealable In which sense it is usually read in classical Authors Sacred and Prophane So Sinesius useth the word in Epist. ad Theoph. So Aristotle in his Problems Sect. 28. 50. Lucilius Epigr. 2. So Appian in 2. and Plutarch in Marcello useth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for established Decrees of Sovereignty The word from which it is derived is so used Acts 28. Stephanus a Learned Graecian is of that mind that in this very place Rom. 13. 2. it signifieth so much The Emphasis of this per me is not yet fully explained That wonder of Piety and Learning Doctor Andrews Late Bishop of Winchester hath well observed that the Original is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bi in me and yet beareth well in me and per me the Preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beth signifying both So that the meaning is Kings are first in him and so come forth from him as that they are in him He parallels it a little with that passage in the Gospel My Father in me and I in him Christ in them as his Deputies They in Christ as their Author and Authoriser he by their Persons then by his Power The other two words of the Text Kings Reign contain in them the Charter the Donation Kings is in the number of many in the plural number Solomon although the wisest of men and Kings and King of Israel knew not this time what our new Doctors know that it was a priviledged
Sovereign Power is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is by God from God under God and God's Appointment irrevocable ordinance irrepealable The three last are the Apostles the first is Solomon's for the Septuagint read the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This variety and plurality of Expressions how Sovereignty is of God and Gods the Spirit of God hath used that none presume sacrilegiously to usurp upon God his Prerogative who hath reserved this peculiarly for himself that all Kings upon Earth should be his immediate Creatures and Deputies by his own Letters Patent authorized Our Adversaries have been much puzled with this Text if they give us a new Bible it is like enough either this Text will be left out or we will have a Gloss upon it to destroy the original Text. It hath so tortured them that I cannot tell you how many ways they have coyned to themselves to elude it I have observed five main ones which I purpose by by Gods Grace to examine and refute quaests 5. now I content my self to take off one in which they please themselves much They say the Apostle speaketh abstractly not concretely of the power it felf not of the person cloathed and invested with the Power it is an ignorant shift Barcley in his Book de Regno who hath deserved well of all Christian Monarchs hath learnedly and truly observed that Saint Paul writing to the Romans did keep the Roman usual Diction in this with whom it was customable and ordinary by Potestates powers in the Abstract to express the persons authorized with this power He refers his Reader to classical and good Authors as to Pliny lib. 29. c. 4. Iuvenal Suet. in Claudio c. 21. Modest. lib. 27. de Pignorib Vlpian lib. 17. SS penult de Aedil edict Tertullian contr gent. I content my self with the Dialect of Canaan in Scripture in which frequently Expressions in the Abstract express existents in the Concrete Col. 1. 16. By him were all things created that are in Heaven and that are in Earth visible and invisible whether they be Thrones or Dominions or Principalities or Powers By Thrones Dominions Principalities and Powers uncontrovertedly Angels are meant that the Expressions are abstract is clear as the Sun-shine To say Angels were created in abstracto is to send us to search after Platonick Idea's This instance it may be is too sublime let us see then if we can hit upon one nearer us and more fitting for the Purpose in hand I pray them to cast their Eyes upon St. Peter 2. Epist. 2. 10. where giving a Character of the man with whom we have to do he saith That they despise Government are presumptuous self-willed and not afraid to speak ill of Dignities The fellow of this you have Iud. 8. These filthy Dreamers defile the Flesh despise Dominion and speak ill of Dignities In which Passages the words in abstracto Government Dominion Dignities without any Doubt do express the persons of Governours Lords and Kings It is worth your notice taking to consider how zealous St. Peter and St. Iude were for the honour and due of Sovereignty the ray of Divine Majesty upon Earth that they speak so passionately and bitterly against such as professed themselves Christians and did speak Evil of Cajus Caligula Nero monsters of men O with what a zeal would they be inflamed if living now a days they did see what we see and hear what we hear the pretended Levites expressing their Zeal to God Religion Church and State by railing against the Lords anointed the best of Kings in the World The Fathers do use the word so too St. Austin epist. 48. saith Potestas humana saepe est divinae potestati inimica humane power is too often contrary to the Power of God Almighty The holy Father was not so bad a Divine as to think that Potestas in abstracto that Government which is Gods own Ordinance can be in Opposition or Enmity with God St. Austin then infallibly by the word Potestas Power meant him or them who are authorized with power from above If this doth not content our Adversaries I would entreat them to look upon St. Paul's Text and I hope they will find that St. Paul meant by being subject to higher powers to be subject to him who is invested with the Power Doth not he term them v. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rulers Higher Powers then and Rulers are with saint Paul equivalent terms Doth he not after call them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Ministers immediate and peculiar Servants of God v. 6. and even Nero himself is Gods Minister for thy Good Doth he not say v. 4. That he beareth not the Sword in vain which is non-sense if you conceive it of higher Powers in abstracto The like may be said of paying Tribute c. God did fore-see by his eternal Omniscience how apt man was to coin Distinctions to deceive himself and to wrong Gods Ordinance that mercifully to us he hath expressed in Scripture that both Sovereignty and the person cloathed with Sovereignty are of him by him and from him immediately and this that both the one and the other may be reverenced by us as sacred and inviolable The Apostle speaketh in abstracto Be subject to the Higher Powers The Powers that are are ordained of God He that resisteth c. Again the Spirit of God by Solomon saith In concreto with the Connotation of the Subject By me Kings reign I have said you are Gods c. What shall we judge then of this new-coyned Distinction to make a Difference betwixt the King and his Authority betwixt his personal Will and his Royal and Authoritative Will to pursue his Person with a Cannon-bullet at Edge-hill and to preserve his Authority at London or elsewhere These Fig-tree Leaves will not cover our Rebellion and Treason in the day of our Accounts before the Lord of Lords and King of Kings Remember his strait Charge Touch not mine anointed and do my Prophet no harm CHAP. III. The same Truth is proved by more Arguments from Holy Scripture THE Scripture hath not delivered any truth more purposely more apertly more frequently than this The Spirit of God knew well that if the Sacred Sovereignty of Kings be not preserved Religion Justice and Peace cannot be maintained This is the reason St. Paul gives to perswade us to pray for Kings That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty 1 Tim. 2. 1 2. It is observable that Solomon Prov. 8. speaketh first of the establishment of Government before he speaks of the Works of Creation to intimate it is better not to be at all than to be without Government For the same reason God fixed Government in the Person of Adam before Evah or any else came into the World and how Government shall be and we enjoy the happy fruits of it it is not conceivable except we preserve
Kings in what proportion they please by a fiduciary trust View the fourth Chapter of Daniel's Prophecy and there you will find it in four-squared Letters Nebuchadnezzar for a time is un-kinged how I pray you By the Watcher by the Holy One one sent by him from Heaven commanded by him to hew down the tree to cut off his branches shake off his leaves scatter his fruit vers 13. 14. And to what purpose is this That Nebuchadnezzar and all living may know that the most High ruleth in the Kingdom of men and giveth it to whomsoever he will and setteth up over it the basest of men vers 17. All this is the Decree of the most High vers 24. And Nebuchadnezzar was driven from men to live and eat with beasts till he should know that the most High ruleth in the Kingdom of men and giveth it to whomsoever he will vers 25. It was told to the proud King swelling in Pride in his Palace that the Kingdom was departed from him the Messenger was a Voice from Heaven vers 31. After his Repentance and acknowledging this Truth that Dominus dat aufert regna that God giveth and taketh away Kingdoms his Kingdom was established unto him his Counsellors and Lords sought unto him and excellent Majesty was added unto him Whosoever is not over-ruled with the Spirit of Errour and readeth and considereth these Passages aright must confess the Truth we maintain God open our eyes to see it and give us hearts to believe 〈◊〉 that Loyalty Royalty may have their Place and Right The same Truth is delivered to us again Dan. 5. 5. A hand from Heaven a miracle it is to confirm this Truth writeth upon the Plaster of the Wall that Belshazzar the King and his Nobles may inquire after it That God had taken the Câ—own from him He did not acknowledge that he did hold his Crown of the King of Heaven to this Ingratitude he added Sacriledge and prophaned the Golden and Silver Vessels of the Temple For these sins his Crown was taken from him So horrible a Sin is Sacriledge and in Kings especially that it will throw them into Contempt cast their Crowns into the dust and bring greater Judgments in the world to come if they repent not Nor can this Repentance be sound and saving without Restitution Here that rule of the Holy Father holds good Non dimittetur peccatum ni restituatur ablatum Daniel reading and interpreting this miraculous Writ recalleth to Belshazzar's Memory Gods dealing with his Father v. 18. O thou King the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy Father a Kingdom and Majesty and Glory and Honour what more can any conceive in a King than is here expressed And for the Majesty he gave him c. v. 19. mark it well it is not said that the People gave it he swelled in Pride was unkinged for a time till he acknowledged that the most high God ruleth in the Kingdom of men and that he appointed over it whomsoever he will v. 21. After this Daniel bringeth home his Application to Belshazzar prudently checking him that he had not made right use of that befell before his Father but had trode in the same way of Pride and added to his Fathers Sin the prophaning of Sacred things that for this cause he and his are extirpated Root and Branch The writing was Mene Mene Tekel Vpharsin The Sense is he was found Light in Gods-Ballance his Kingdom was numbred and finished and divided or given to the Medes and Persians Who in executing this Vengeance against an ingrate and sacrilegious King were nothing else but the Instruments the Axe and Rod of God as you may read Isaiah 45. and 44. 28. and Ier. 51. 11. Isaiah 13. 17. In the Passages adduced consider First who is the Author I mean not the Principal for without controversie it is the holy Spirit Daniel a man eminent and excellent in Court Credit and Preferment But this is not so considerable consider him therefore as one of the Prophets of most rare Endowments for Wisdom and extraordinary Revelations Secondly Next reflect your Thoughts a little how this Truth is manifested It is from Heaven but how I pray you By Dreams By Voice by a crying Voice by Writ from whom from the most high God from the holy one from the Watcher from the God of Heaven to whom To Nebuchadnezzar the Emperour of the Assyrians and Babylonians to Belshazzar his Son and all the way miraculous The Dream is forgotten to Daniel it is miraculously revealed with no less wonder interpreted It is written miraculously Interpreted and read as wonderfully and all this in the wise Dispensation of God that Kings and all may acknowledge that Kings and Kingdoms are of God Before this Truth be not known to Kings and all he will reveal it extraordinarily miraculously by Dreams by Voices by Cries by Writings from Heaven and that all may take notice of it the Dream is forgotten Magicians are sought to because they cannot find it out Death is decreed against them yet God will not have it to go unknown to his Servant he reveals it all the Empire take notice of it all admire it To confirm it yet more the King must live like a Beast till he believe he confess he profess this Truth This Truth is not once spoken but twice it is seen it is heard The Babylonians had forgotten it Belshazzar had slighted it neglected it When he his Counsellors his Lords are feasting carrowsing a finger from Heaven writes it None can read it Daniel is sought he reads it interprets it that all may take Notice of it The Father for not acknowledging this Truth but sacrificing to himself of a King is made a Beast but Repentance restores him The Son hath harder measure He is dethroned rooted out for ever And a way is made that Cyrus in his succeeding to the Empire may acknowledge that his Kingdom was of God which he did truly as we told before Where can you shew any Truth of this kind in Scripture so revealed so manifested by such miraculous extraordinary and admirable ways I think it is hard to hit upon a parallel to it God knew well before How apt we are to rob Kings of their due Right and Honour nay rather how prone corrupt man is to intrude upon God and invade his Right If any will be pleased to consider seriously Daniel's Prophecies What are they but Predictions that all Empires Kingdoms Majesty Royalty and Sovereignty are of Gods immediate Donation They are not disposed of by the composed Contracts of men but by the immediate hand and work of God All Ancients and Moderns for the most part acknowledge here in Daniel to be the clearest the most distinct Prophecies Predictions of the four great Empires If you will cast your Eyes upon the historical part of Daniel's Book there is no Truth which is so much treated spoken of as this Truth as that Kings and Kingdoms are dependent
synecdochical and tropical Speech it is so usually spoken Nor is it unusual to the Spirit of God in Scripture to speak this way for it is said 1 Cor. 6. The Saints judge the World Now it is certain that the Judgment of the Saints is only by approving or consenting to Christs Judgment which is his only authoritativ◠properly and their act in that great Judgment at the last day is only to approve or consent rather to the righteous Judgment of their Lord yet Scripture standeth not to say The Saints shall judge the World To judge by Authority is only proper to God the Father by the Son to whom the Father hath given all Judgment and this leaveth no place no Power to the Saints to dissent The like holdeth in the Instance proposed That this is to be conceived so which is our sixth Argument to confirm that Kings and their Sovereignty are immediately from God is more than apparent that Almighty God in Scripture vindicateth to himsel◠all the Acts real and imaginable which are necessary for the making of Kings If the Iesuit make much of the Letter of the Text Deut. 17. where it 's said The Lord should chuse the King and the People set the King over them Let us consider how the Practice interprets the Letter of the Law it is an infallible Maxim with Jurists Praxis optimus Legis interpres Practice is the best Commentary of Law and it is no less a ruled case that the first president is a ruling case to all following in that kind Come then take the first Instance in Saul the first elected and constituted King by the Tenor of this Law In the practice the Phrase is varied and turned over the Election is given to the People the Constitution to God 1 Sam. 12. 13. Behold the King saith Samuel whom you have chosen and desired and behold the Lord hath set a King over you This Election of the People can be no other but their Admittance or Acceptance of the King whom God had chosen and constituted as the words Whom you have desired imply Scripture telleth us that Saul's Election and Constitution was 1 Sam. 9. 17. when God said to Samuel Behold the man whom I spake to thee of the same shall reign over my people and when Samuel took a Viol of Oyl powred it upon his head kissed him and said Is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to be Captain over his Inheritance 1. Sam. 10. 1. Where you have Samuel as Priest and Prophet anointing doing Reverence and Obeisance to him and ascribing to God that he did appoint him Supreme and Sovereign over his Inheritance The same again is totally given to God 1 Sam 12. 13. The Lord hath set a King over you The Expression and Phrase is the same with that you have of Christ and his Kingdom Psal. 2. 6. I have set my King upon my holy Hill of Sion I am confident none will be so sacrilegiously impudent as to give to Church to man or Angel Creature or Creatures any share in any act of constituting Christ King over his Church and for his Church and in order to it over all the Kingdoms of the World By what is said of this first practice it is more than evident that God in that Law of making Kings Deut. 17. did vindicate as proper and peculiar to himself the Designation of the person of the King and the investing of him in royal Power and Sovereignty The People then were only to admit and accept of their King by God so designed and constituted and to yield all Reverence Obedience and maintenance necessary It was not arbitrary to them to admit or reject Saul so designed so constituted by God himself immediately reject him they could not Yet God in his wise prudent Dispensation of all things judged it expedient to complete and consummmate this Work by the Acceptation Consent and Approbation of the people Vt suaviori modo that by the smoother way he might thus encourage Saul to the undergoing of this hard Charge and make his People the more heartily without grumbling or scruple Reverence and obey him As by his Providence he doth all things powerfully so he disposeth of all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the good of man in a sweet and mild way This Admittance possibly added something to the Solemnity of Saul's investing but nothing to the essential or real Constitution as the Intimation of a Law which in Laws I think hath more Interest than this Admittance here it hath no Influence upon a Law made by supreme Power yet it is useful it Puts the Subjects in mala fide makes them inexcusable if they contravene Or this Admittance was and is as the Imperialists say truly of the Popes Confirmation of the elected Emperour good ad pompam but not requisite ad necessitatem Or if you will speak with the Romanists that the confirmation is of the Pope once elected is ad solennitatem not ad necessitatem for the Solemnity not simply necessary Or to come more near and with more certainty and truth it is like the Coronation of an hereditary King which is only for solemnity not for Necessity for before that Ceremony and Solemnity his Title is as good as after it and any act of royal Power and Jurisdiction done before his Coronation is as valid as any done as after his Coronation Or if you will it is like the Enthronization of a Bishop or installing of a Canon o◠Prebend in a Cathedral Church Scripture maketh this Good plentifully elsewhere for it punctually ascribeth all Acts essentially constitutive of Kings immediately to God In one full word the making of a King is given to God 1 Kings 3. 7. And now O Lord my God thou hast made thy Servant King instead of David my Father The providing of a King is given to God 1 Sam. 16. 1. I have provided me a King The King in a proper and peculiar way is called Gods King Psal. 18. 50. Great deliverance giveth he to his King God exalteth them Psal. 89. 19. I have exalted one chosen out of the People Not the People but God findeth Kings out ibid. vers 20. I have found David my Servant Neither Priest nor Prophet nor People really anoin◠Kings God anointeth them ibid. vers 20. With mine holy Oyl have I anointed him That we conceive them not to have their Prerogative from Pope or People Priest or Prophet not they but God adopteth them ibid. vers 27. I will make him my first-born That he may cry unto him Thou art my Father my God vers 26. To shew their nearer and straiter Alliance they are taken in societatem nominis numinis potestatis into a communion of his Majesty his Name Power it is said Psal. 82. 6. I have said ye are Gods To shew their Generation their Procreation their Derivation there is a dixi to this too I have said ye are all of you the Children of the most High
not terrae filii Cadmus off-spring sprung out of the Earth Kings then are not made provided chosen found exalted anointed adopted by Saints by People by Pope by Presbytery by any diffusive collective representative virtual Body of the Community but by and of God alone for their Power their Sovereignty they are dii 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Elohim the manner of Propagation Derivation Communication is by Filiation by Adoption they are filii Excelsi the Sons of the most High and for eminency above all they are the first born this is the Language of Canaan it is the Language of Ashdod to say that a King is minor universis singulis major Scripture Reason speak the contrary primogenitus the first-born is not above every Brother severally but if there were thousands millions numberless numbers he is above all in Dignity in Precedency in Power It is statuted by God in the beginning of the World that the younger Brother and Brethren all of them sub te erit appetitus ejus tu dominaberis illius Vnto thee or subject unto thee shall be his desire and thou shalt rule over him Gen. 4. 7. To return a little to the Practice of the Law in constituting David King you find it was not the diffusive the collective Body of Israel that found David chose him exalted him anointed him c. It was God alone it was not the Elders of Bethlehem his own City neither they nor the other knew of it 1 Sam. 16. 4. Nor were the Saints sharers in this work with God they knew nothing of it Psal. 89. 19. Nay not Samuel the Prophet had it been he it had not been King David but King Eliab It is worthy of our labour to take notice how the anointing of Kings is wholly attributed to God in Scripture and other Kings besides the Kings of Iudea are called The Lords Anointed Which is more than evident by what is before expressed the phrase of Scripture is very emphatical They are anointed with his holy Oyl the Act is his He anoints The holy Oyl is his He anoints with his Oyl this Oyl is sacred too it is not every Oyl but his Oyl and his sacred Oyl Sacred Oyl it is which how it can be so denominated and come from the People as its first subject and Seat its Origine and Source is not conceivable in Reason Sacred it is in three respects First from a sacred Fountain a sacred Efficient from God himself 2. Next for its sacred Influence upon the Person it makes the Person of the King Sacred 3. For its influence upon the Charge the Function his Power his Authority is Sacred too And both the Person and the Charge are Supreme which is most fitly resembled in the Sacramental Ceremony of Oyl put Oyl in whatsoever Liquor you will it swimmeth above in the surface Now all this is so intirely and solely given to God that neither Priest nor People Pope nor Presbytery have any part in it Psal. 89. 20. With mine holy Oyl have I anointed him God finds the Oyl and the hand to do it You will say Samuel's hand did it The Principle of the Law will take away this Scruple Quod quis facit per alium facit per se What one doth by another he doth that by himself Samuel was onely the Delegate God was the Principal and Delegant and in reason the Act must be referred to the Principal The Oyl was God's too not from the Apothecaries shop nor the Priest's Vial this Oyl descended from the Holy Ghost who is no less the true Olive than Christ is the true Vine Yet I pray you mistake it not to account it of the holy Oyl of Gratia gratum faciens Saving Grace as some Fanaticks and Fantasticks fondly imagine this is a sacred Oyl to make the Person and Function Sacred as we have said Our seventh Argument to prove that Sovereignty in a King is immediately from God and not from the diffusive collective representative or virtual Body of the Community is that all Royal Ensigns and Acts of Kings are ascribed to God If Kings were the Derivatives of the People and Community in whom is that fansied underived Majesty how comes it to pass that the holy Spirit hath not in any place or syllable of Scripture intimated it and how cometh it to pass that in such a particular way and enumeration all are given to God 1. Their Crown is of God by putting it on their head Isai 62. 3. The Royal Diadem is in the hand of the Lord. Psal. 21. 3. Thou puttest a Crown of pure Gold upon his head Hence it was that the Emperour's Coin of old was printed with an hand coming out of Heaven and putting it on their head The very Heathen did term them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as having and holding their Crowns from God Their Sword is God's and he girdeth them with it David Professeth so much Psal. 18. 39. For thou hast girded me with strength the Sword is the Emblem of strength unto the Battel See Iudges 7. 17. 3. Their Scepter is the Scepter of God Exod. 4. 20. and 17. 9. The Hebrew word Sebet signifieth no less Scepter than Rod. It is a miraculous one too We read onely of two miraculous Rods Moses's and Aaron's By Moses's rod what wonders were wrought in Egypt and what a Miracle was it that the rod of Aaron budded and none else of the twelve Tribes and for what purpose was it that God made both the one and the other miraculous Was it not to manifest to the World that the Sovereign Power of a King as Moses was King of Ieshurun and high Sacred Power of the High Priest and the Tribe of Levi were not by Derivation by Translation by Communication from the People but immediately independently from God himself He is well nigh out of his Wits that will make any thing miraculous the Work and Effect of the Multitude 4. Their judgment is the judgment of the Lord 2 Chron. 19. 6. Again 5. Their Throne is the Throne of God 1 Chron. 19. 21. The ancient Fathers and Councels used the same diction they called 1. Their Writings sacri apices 2. Their Presence sacra vestigia 3. Their Majesty sacra Majestas 4. Their Words their Commands divalis jussio The Law speaketh the same Language and whatsoever goods belonged to them they are called res sacrae See Brissonius his Lexicon lib. 7. in the Sacras Being that in Holy Scripture in reverend Antiquity and in the Law all their Ensigns all their Royal Acts their Persons their Right their Goods are denominated Sacred and given to God himself how can our new Statists against the expressions of the Holy Spirit of the Holy Fathers and of Jurists honour Kings no better but to call them Derivatives of the People Is this to ennoble them No truly it disgraces Kings it maketh them the basest Extract of the basest of Rational Creatures the Multitude the Community It is certainly untrue
Rulers both of them are of God immediately by the hearing Ear understanding the actual Obedience of the Subject and by the seeing eye the actual Government and Empire of the Sovereign the interpretation is according to the analogy of sacred and divine Truth If any be contentious to hold it is not the native Sense of the Text we will not contest or contend unnecessarily seeing we have plain places to the same Purpose David professeth and acknowledgeth that the Subjection of his People to him was the immediate Work of God Psal. 144. 2. The like see 1 Sam. 10. 26. when Saul was constituted King some despised him but those whose hearts God had touched followed and reverenced him 7. Seventhly where Sovereign power is as in Kings there is Authority and Majesty a ray of divine Glory But this cannot be found in people they cannot be the subject of it whether you consider them joyntly or singly If you consider them singly it cannot be for this is not to be found in every individual and according to our Antimonarchical Sectaries all by native Right are equally equal born with a like Freedom If it be not in the People considered singly it cannot be derived from them being considered joyntly for all the Contribution in this compact and Contract which they fancie to be humane Composition and voluntary Constitution is only by a Surrender of the native Right every individual hath in himself from whence then can this Majesty and Authority be derived Again where the Obligation is amongst equals by Compact and Contract Violation of the Faith plighted in the Contract cannot in proper Terms be called Disobedience or Contempt of Authority it is no more but a receding from and Violation of that which was promised as it may be in States or Cantons confederate Nature Reason Conscience Scripture teach that Disobedience to sovereign Power is not only Violation of Truth Breach of Covenant but also high Disobedience and Contempt That this Authority is in Princes it is evident by sense by Experience by Scripture by the Confession of the Heathen The passage we did alledge before proveth this 1 Sam. 10. 26. To that Passage add that cap. 11. that when Saul hewed a Yoke of Oxen in pieces and intimated that whosoever came not forth after him so it should be done as to his Oxen such was the Authority that the Text saith The Fear of the Lord fell on the People and they came out with one Consent 1 Sam. 11. 7. This is well expressed by Iob cap. 12. vers 18. He looseth the Bond of Kings and girdeth their Loins with a Girdle By the first Expression He looseth the Bond of Kings Iob meaneth that when God is to cast off Kings and to throw their Honour in the dust He looseth their Authority and bringeth them and it in Contempt By the other Phrase and girdeth their Loyns with a Girdle Iob intimateth that when he is to preserve Kings and their Rights that he strengthneth them with Authority and maketh people reverence them That this is the meaning you may conceive it by what he saith v. 21. He poureth Contempt upon Princes and weakneth the Strength of the Mighty By this Authority and Majesty Solomon invested in Royalty dissipated Adonijah and all his treacherous Complices The Heathen have observed that in Princes there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 something divine above the reach of man which cannot be derived from them If we may believe prophane Story this Majesty was so eminent in Alexander the Great that it was a Terrour to his Enemies a Power strong enough to compose seditious Counsels and Attempts a powerful Load-stone to draw the Counsels of his most experienced Commanders to imbrace and obey his Counsels his Commands Some Stories write that this Majesty was resplendent upon great Exigents in the Eyes of Scipio What was that which kept Pharaoh from lifting up his hand against Moses who charged him so boldly with his Sins denounced and brought so terrible so great Plagues upon him What was 〈◊〉 I pray you but this Authority and Majesty resplendent in him which was a curb to the Tyranny of his Malice and Power When Moses did speak face to face with God in the Mount and when he came down that his Face shined so that the People could not behold it till it was covered with a Veil what else was it but this resolendent Glory of Majesty Exod. 34. What else was it that repressed the Fury of the People enraged against Gideon for destroying their Idol but this Majesty Iudg. 6. And as by Gods Ordinance we set that the Fear and Terrour of man is upon all the Creatures living below Gen. 9. So what else can this Fear and Reverence which is innate in the Hearts of all Subjects towards their Sovereigns be but the Ordinance unrepealable of God and the natural Effect of that Majesty in Princes with which they are endowed from above 8. Eighthly this seemeth or rather is an Argument unanswerable to prove sovereign Power to be independently and immediately from above That Sovereign Power is armed with Pâ—â—estus vitae necis Power of Life and Death which cannot flow or issue from man for no man hath it None can lay claim to it but the living God the Author of Life who killeth and giveth Life again That Sovereign Power hath this power is so certain as it cannot be denied Gen. 9. in the restoring of the World after the Flood 1. First God reiterates the Blessing of increasing and multiplying v. 1. The same which in his Bounty he bestowed on Adam and Evah Gen. 1. 28. 2. Next he establisheth mans Sovereignty over the Creatures here beneath v. 2 3. 3. Thirdly he establisheth the civil Government v. 5 6. where first he challengeth the Power to himself in one main thing explicitly in the punishing or shedding of mans Blood to Death but implicitly in all Government for the parts of Government being all homogeneous of one kind we must refer all to one Origine which is God The words are v. 5. Surely the Blood of your Lives will I require at the hand of every Beast will I require it and at the hand of man and at the hand of every mans Brother will I require the Life of man In which words clearly it is told the Right is Gods primarily properly thrice in the words God vindicates it I will require it I will require it I will require it Lest any should think that God is to do it immediately by his own hand and not otherwise v. 6. it is added Who so sheddeth mans Blood by man shall his Blood be shed again for in the Image of God made he man Here is the Institution of Sovereignty and here the Sovereign is invested as Gods Deputy to punish the Slayer of man by Death I hope none will conceive it so that any man whatsoever may do this and is invested with this Power This were a mighty disorder and Confusion
that their heart is in the hand of the Lord as a Boat in the Rivers of Waters how God sendeth them in their Expeditions their Wars maketh them in his day his appointed day to set their face against Ierusalem or otherwise casteth his hook in their nostrils to bring them back with shame To this Argument may be referred that when God is to bless a People he sendeth them good Kings the Sons of Nobles when he is to scourge them naughty Kings weak children c. The Testimonies of Scripture for all these are infinite many and obvious which we remit to the Reader 's memory or dilligent search 10. Tenthly Nor is to be passed by that the Sovereign immense Majesty of God is expressed by stiling and denominating him King and his Supreme glory is represented by sitting on a glorious Throne See Isaiah see Daniel and the Prophets Let us beware then that we make not God a Derivative too of the People and a Creature of mens making 11. Eleventhly In the Scripture we read that onely three kinds of men were anointed Kings Priests Prophets Let any give an instance of a fourth besides those three It is granted of all that Priests and Prophets have Sacred Charges and are Sacred Persoâ—s of God's immediate making and Constitution why then shall not Kings have the same Prerogative to be immediately from God Sacred in themselves Sacred in their Charge by Divine Ordinance and Appointment 12. Lastly To close up this first part of our Proof from Scripture it is a strong Reason to perswade Sovereignty Authority and Majesty to be from God immediately and independently from any others in what consideration soever that the irreverence disobedience contempt rebellion or any wrong whatsoever offered to their Persons to their Authority is wrong and contempt offered to God himself See 1 Sam. 8. This made David say Who can touch the Lords Anointed and be innocent This made the Apostle say Rom. 13. 2. Whosoever resisteth the Power resisteth the Ordinance of God and they that resist receive to themselves damnation The like Phrase to the first you have of the Sacred Ministry in the Apostles 1 Thess. 4. 8. He therefore that despiseth despiseth not man but God When the People murmured against Moses and Aaron in the Law you have They murmure not against you but me The like you have in Samuel The result of all is That as the Sacred Ministry is by Collation immediately or independently from God although the designation of the Person may be by men and the Church so Kings may be personally designed and deputed to Royalty and Sovereignty by Election Succession Conquest or any other lawful possible way but their Sovereignty and Power is by Donation and Collation immediately and solely from God and refers to him as the only Donor and Author Again as the Person and Function of such as are lawfully invested with Sacred Power and in Sacred Orders is Inviolable and Sacred so are the Persons and Sovereignty of Kings Our order proposed in the beginning of this Treatise chargeth us now to produce our Proofs from Reverend Antiquity But I must beg leave of the Christian Reader to discover the weakness and wickedness of a new-devised trick of our Sectaries That the King is God's but not Christ's Vicegerent CHAP. V. All Christian Kings are dependent from Christ and may be called his Vice-gerents WHereas hitherto by express Scripture and by Arguments from thence by necessary consequence deduced we have proved That Kings and their Sovereignty are immediately dependent from God and dependent from no other Conceive it not so that hereby we seclude Christ and him considered not onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 personally as the Second Person in the Trinity but also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in his Capacity as God-man the Saviour and Redeemer of the World Our Sectaries have found out a quirk or trick rather of late to hold and argue That Kings are Gods not Christ's Lieutenants upon Earth Their purpose is the same in substance with the Romanists although they differ in something for the Romanists and Puritans both of them erect in every Kingdom another Sovereign not onely besides the true Sovereign but also above In this they agree and are like Sampson's Foxes who have their Tails knit together and do carry this Fire-brand to consume Church and State In one other they differ extremely for the Romanist and Iesuit will have it to be the Pope the Puritan and Sectaries fix this Sovereignty in the Presbytery We believe with warrant of Scripture and sound Antiquity that all Crowns and Scepters Kings and States are dependent from Christ the Son of God as he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God and man the Saviour of the World and Head of the Church We intend not at this time to discuss that curious Question Whether or not by Hereditary Right Christ was born King of the Iews We are speaking at this time of Christs Kingdom as the Head of the Church in order to all the Kingdoms of the World The Kingdom we speak of is not what was due to him as the Son of David but as he was the Saviour and Redeemer of David and all the World The right to which he had by Hypostatical Vnion and his perfect Merit and plenteous Redemption Some very Learned men do hold that Christ was not entitled to this Kingdom till his Resurrection and that then he had Ius quaesitum as the Jurists speak There is not much danger to hold this or deny it but with reverence to their great Parts and humble submission to better Reasons I dissent from them and do think however it may be granted that then he came to exercise it fully and perfectly or if you will that a new Title and Right did accrue to him that what he had before by Hypostatical Vnion onely now he had it by another supervenient Right of Merit and so had it duplioi Titulo as Saint Bernard saith of him in another case yet for any thing I could yet see I am of the mind from the first instant and moment of his Incarnation as God-man the Head of his Church By the grace of Hypostatical Vnion he was King of Kings and Lord of Lords It cannot be denied that while he was in the form and state of a Servant in statu 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the state of Humiliation as by the no less mysterious than admirable and wise Oeconomy of God the Glory of his Deity did not conspicuously and ordinarily shine thorow the veil of his Flesh no more did this Majesty and Glory of his Sovereignty and Kingdom shine forth to the Eyes of men God in his unsearchable Wisdom having appointed that the Kingdom of God should not come with observation and that the Iews might be rectified in their judgment who did not expect a spiritual King and Deliverer but a Messiah to reign temporally over them and by him to enjoy all external Plenty Peace and
Happiness Nevertheless such was the merciful and bountiful dispensation of God in this cloudy and dark Oeconomy that sometimes thorow the thick and dark cloud of his Flesh and Infirmity some little rayes of his immense Majesty did appear as in his miraculous Operations even so in the same manner at many times and by many acts his Sovereignty was manifested and that he was truly King it was evidenced At his Birth The Wise men who came from the East worshipped him in his Swadling-clouts They are in Scripture and by the constant not interrupted course of the Church to this day commended for it In his Ministry he entred Ierusalem in Royal Pomp His Disciples and a great multitude did him obeysance gave him Royal Honour and when the Iews grumbled at it he told them that it was not onely just but necessary That if they and the People did hold their Peace the Stones would proclaim him King and do him Royal Homage In his Arraignment when he is to lay down his Soul for his Sheep he avouched himself before Pilate a King Pilate demands the Question Art thou a King Pilate understood not any Kingdom in his Question but a temporal one a Spiritual Kingdom in his conception was a meer Notion Fancy Chimaera Christ without dissimulation equivocation or mental reservation ad mentem interrogantis answereth he was a King Matth. 27. 11. Mark 15. 2. He had it written upon his Cross. Buried He had his Grave sealed as a King These things thus premised we come to prove that Kings are Christs Vicegerents and Lieutenants upon the face of the Earth 1. Our first proof is the place we insisted much in before Prov. 8. 15. by what is said it is more than apparent that By me Kings reign hath this Sense By me Wisdom the Son of God the Word that was made Flesh Kings reign you may find many Reasons by reviewing the most learned and most pious Bishops Sermons Dr. Andrews whose Memory shall ever be in everlasting Benediction 1. First Prov. 30. 4. This Wisdom is called the Son of God 2. Next this preposition Per By it is the proper and peculiar preposition of Christ. 3. Thirdly it is not very congruous that as by Christ we have all Blessings spiritual in heavenly things so by him we have Kings his Derivatives constituted the best and most eminent of temporal Blessings 4. Fourthly Christ he is Wisdom and by him all Blessings issuing from Mercy Kingdoms subsist more by Wisdom than by Power why shall we not then from this Wisdom establish Kings and their Sovereignty The proper Work of Wisdom is ordinare to order and to establish Order Why then shall not all Monarchy refer its Origine to this Wisdom 5. Lastly the original word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bi is both in me per me in me and by me to intimate as we said before that Kings are first in him and so come forth from him and yet come so forth from him that they are in him Christ in them as his Deputies They in him as their Author and Authorisâ—r He by their Persons They by his Power 2. Our second Proof we bring from that Scripture averreth that Christ is not only King of his Church but in Order to his Church King over all the Kings and Kingdoms of the Earth Christs Kingdom over his Church Psal. 11. 6. 15. in these words expressed I have set my King upon my holy Hill Sion Over the whole World in these Words v. 8. I shall give thee the Heathen for thine Inheritance and the uttermost parts of the Earth for thy Possession which is not to be scantled by conceiving it only of the calling of the Gentiles to the Communion of his Church but also of his Sovereignty over all the Earth and Kings of the Earth This Ordinance is by Appointment and a decree irrepealable v. 7. I will declare the Decree The words I shall give thee demonstrate that this potestas is not aeterna interna that eternal Power which is inseparable from him as God but data externa a given and bestowed Power which is not conceivable in Christ but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as man or God-man our Saviour and Redeemer 3. A third Proof may be this that as this was foretold by Prophecy so in the Fullness of time it was really effected and accomplished Matth. 28. 18. Our Saviour saith All Power is given to me in Heaven and in Earth The word Given sheweth this Power is fixed in that Capacity by which he is our Saviour all Power in Heaven and Earth universally is expressed all Power and by Distribution exegetically amplified all Power in Heaven and Earth which will not admit nor permit that we exclude Sovereignty in Kings Vbi Lex non distinguit nemo distinguere debet Let our Adversaries shew where Kings and their Crowns are exempted or excepted from this all Power in Earth 4. Fourthly the Apostle St. Paul Heb. 1. 5. telleth us that God hath appointed the Son by whom he hath spoken to us in the last days Heir of all things If this Inheritance be not over Kings we are infinitely mistaken and if Kings refer not their Right to him as Donor they have no just Title 5. Fifthly The Scripture to take away all Cavils hath given us this Truth in terminis terminantibus in plain and express Terms Revel 1. 2. Jesus Christ the faithful Witness the first begotten of the dead is The Prince of the Kings of the Earth that again cap. 11. 27. He ruleth them with a Rod of Iron That this is meant appliable at least to Kings see and read it Psal. 11. 9. Revel 19. 12. On his head you have many Crowns an Embleme of his Sovereignty over all Kings and that all are his Deputies his Substitutes To what is said add that of St. Paul 1 Tim. 6. 15. He is the only Potentate the King of Kings and Lord of Lords That The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a note of Excellency Revel 17. 14. The Lamb he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings Revel 19. 16. And he hath on his vesture and on his Thigh a name written King of Kings and Lord of Lords Observe the words attentively How characteristically this Power is given to the Lamb to Iesus to the faithful Witness That it is written on his Thigh on his Vesture which qualifie this Power as his Due as he is the Head and Saviour of his Church It is worth your notice taking that this name is written upon his Thigh that we may learn two things the one is That this Power is fixed in Christ-man The other is That all Kings are De femore Christi from him by Generation Reason pleadeth for this Truth 1. First what is more suitable and convenient than that all Kings of all Ages should issue from him who is Rex saeculorum A King whose Kingdom endureth throughout all Ages It is the highest Dignity of Crowns to hold of this Crown
and Mary than of Christ and that they out of their Fear and Weakness not able to do better did flee Herod and his malicious intent If any think so let him consider that he hath not learned as yet that all Christ's Actions and Passions are full of Mysteries and nothing acted or suffered by him in which there was not an over-ruling wonderful Providence of God in Mercy and Wisdom and withal let him consider that all his Acts and Sufferings are our Instructions But leaving this Did he not in his Ministry teach and practise it Teach it when he commanded to render to Caesar the things that are Caesars when he convinced the Iews who would gladly have shaken off Caesar and his Right arguing that they were by God's Law bound to pay Caesar Tribute because he was their King and this he proved by their Coin which with all sound knowing Politicians is inter jura Majestatis which was printed with Caesar's Face and Superscription Again in his Death Did not our Saviour Christ acknowledge Pilate's Power that is the Roman of which he was Deputy to be from above Did he not rebuke Peter who with his Sword would have in a Defensive way saved him from those bloudy Persecutors Did he not tell him He that killeth by the Sword shall perish by the Sword that is Peter although thou think thou hast a good cause that thou wilt defend me and by resisting open force preserve me thy Master thy Saviour deceive not thy self it is not lawful by Arms in the best Cause for my Cause for my Life to resist Lawful Authority if thou kill in my Defence thou art worthy to suffer Death by the Sword by him that beareth the Sword not in vain When Peter over-reached himself in this distempered zeal cut off Malchus his Ear Christ before that Offence should have been done by any of his in his company for his Cause will be at the pains to cure this wound miraculously Would God Pope and Papeling Jesuit and Sectary Puritan and Presbyterian would fix their hearts upon these Practices of Christ by a singular Wisdom of God so clearly and fully recorded practised in Christ's Nativity Childhood practised and taught in his Ministry practised and taught when he was a dying when he was looking Death in the face at which time the most sinful man will neither dissemble nor temporize I doubt much if in any act of Christ during his coming into the World and his going home again to his Father you can instance any to parallel this to exceed it sure I am you cannot And what I pray you can the Pope challenge more than to be Minister Evangelii a Minister of the Gospel as our Lord was Circumcisionis of the Circumcision He shall never be accounted with me the true Vicar of Christ who teacheth contrary to Christ and practiseth contrary to his Practices Me thinketh he looketh more like and hath nearer alliance with the man mentioned 2 Thes. 2. Who exalteth himself above every thing is called God It is very considerable likewise that in the Apostolical Creed which is so full so brief and nothing in it but what is necessary to be believed to Salvation that I say in this short Creed Pontius Pilate whose memory is accursed by the Spirit of God which ruled his Church in setting this down is recorded It is not for his Honour certainly but for our good and edification that there it is said Christ suffered under Pontius Pilate that we may learn if we expect Salvation by Faith in Christ we must submit to Authority by obedience to what they command if it be lawful and submitting humbly and suffering if Authority urge that which is unlawful and against God And that this we are bound to although the Magistrate be as opposite to Christianity as a Heathen and the Cause for which we suffer be for Christ and his Church We will never help Christ nor his Church by Arms against Authority or Religion by Rebellion If our Sectaries give us a new Creed it will concern them near with the expunging of Christs descent to Hell and the Communion of Saints to raze out this He suffered under Pontius Pilate If their Practices be so contradictory to Christ's they cannot but consequutivè by consequence be destructory of the Christian Faith where the Reward of those are to be expected you know too well It were better for you not only to expunge Christ's Descent into Hell but to annihilate Hell it self which by a close Committee you may resolve upon if your omnipotent power can be able to do it I mean your fansied coordinate power which you have of late erected against Sovereignty fixed in the Lord 's Anointed as in the Church you have erected Altar against Altar God open your Eyes to see your monstrous Sins and Errours and to give to you and to us all true Repentance that the fearful vengeance of God overtake us not and in the World to come be forced by sensible eternal and horrible pains to acknowledge the Truths which now we reject although plainly in Scripture declared in the most Authentick Apostolical Creed determined and by the current and not interrupted suffrage of the Fathers above seven hundred years believed Lord have mercy upon us and turn his Wrath and fearful Indignation from us I dare not to express what I fear when I look upon these outrages committed against Sacred Truth How God and his Word are abused His Sanctuary defiled His Ordinances repealed Mischief framed by the Law Sacred Persons violated and the Lords Anointed fearfully rebelled against My resolution is to dissolve unto Tears and Prayers and with my Master say daily say hourly Lord forgive them for they know not what they do The weakness of this Assertion that Kings are not Christ's Vicegerents we have as we hope sufficiently proved It is high time now to discover the wickedness of it The purpose they have by this and the like Assertions is to reserve the managing of all Religious Affairs in their largest latitude to themselves vindicating it as peculiar and proper quarto modo to their Conventicles Presbyteries and Assemblies This Sovereignty they make so Sovereign and Independent that all Kings and Sovereigns whatsoever must submit to it This Sovereignty Ecclesiastical may restrain and constrain the King at pleasure It may repeal his Laws correct his Statutes reverse his Judgments It may establish its own urge Obedience Cite Convent and Censure in case of Disobedience And if they be not of Power to execute what they decree they may call for or command the help and assistance of the People in whom is that underived Majesty and to this purpose may promise covenant swear to stand to the maintenance of their Fancies against all whatsoever and to defend each another contra omnes mortales with their Goods Lands Fortunes Honours Lives to admit no divisive motion which is real and to be such if the Authority of this Church declare it
Kingdom Power Strength Glory and Majesty More absurd is that that they with brazen-face affirm this Majesty in a King is derived onely cumulativè communicativè so that the People are not devested of it but that in certis casibus in some cases which if they be not real People shall fansie them at pleasure this same Sovereignty and Majesty is resumable An old Philosopher would laugh at him who would presume to say that a matter passive actuated and perfected by Union with a Form could at pleasure shake off that specifick and individual Form and marry it self to another they may with as good reason say that a Husband hath Marital Power from his Wife and to gratifie that Sex with which they are very prevalent they may endow every Wife with that Power to resume her Freedom and to marry to another at pleasure A third reason against this Paradox in State and Divinity is this there is no warrant in Scripture nor doth Nature teach that God hath fixed all Government Sovereignty and Majesty in the Community as in its prime and proper subject The fittest opportunity to evidence this Right and Prerogative of the People was certainly when Saul was anointed and appointed the first King of Israel Till this time God did retain the Government in his own hands and actuated it by the hands of Moses Ioshua c. as his Viceroyes and Deputies the Text of Scripture is plain in this 1 Sam. 8. 7. God saith to Samuel They have not rejected thee but me Again 1 Sam. 10. 18. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel I brought Israel out of Egypt and delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians and of them that oppressed you Verse 19. And you have this day rejected your God who himself saved you out of your adversities and tribulations and ye have said unto him nay but set a King over us Again 1 Sam. 12. 12. And when you saw that Nahash the King of the Children of Ammon came against you ye said unto me nay but a King shall reign over us when the Lord your God was your King To these passages joyn Gideon's words Iudges 8. 23. When they offered the Kingdom hereditary to him and his Posterity he replied I will not rule over you neither shall my Son rule over you The Lord shall rule over you These places prove clearly a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God's ruling of this People by his substituted Deputies When this extraordinary way and peculiar to this People onely was to cease and a King to be established over them like to the Kings of other Nations it was most opportune and high time to declare this Native inherent right of the People in whom is this National and fancied underived Majesty and to leave them by their right to transfer their right upon him whom they judged most fitting and able to be King But here Ne mu Lucilianum not one syllable for it not the least insinuation Nay you have point blank the contrary a virtual destructory of this imagined and conceited Right as at large before we have expressed and cleared for Scripture vindicateth to God as proper and peculiar to himself the Designation of the Person of Saul and the collation and bestowing of Royal Sovereignty It is worth your notice that Scripture recordeth that after he was designed and declared King The Spirit of God came upon him which without wronging the letter of the Text may be interpreted of God's Grace enabling him for the charge The very Heathen did acknowledge that in Kings there was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 something from above bestowed above the ordinary stream of Endowments incident to man which how it may subsist with a derivation of all their Majesty and Power from the multitude let them judge who have not made a Divorce betwixt themselves and sound Reason and Judgement By no means let us neglect to observe that God when he designed Saul to be King collated upon him Royalty he left no other act to his People but to admit him which was not left to their voluntary determination to admit or reject him at pleasure Nor is that to be over-leap't that God would not allow them by compact and contract to make their own conditions to limit and enlarge their King at pleasure but gave himself to the subject jus Regis the Law of the King to which the Subjects were to submit in the hardest case He prescribed Lex imperandi a Law and Rule to Kings to rule and reign by Deut. 17. But at the admittance of Saul he giveth Legem parendi the Subject a Law of Obedience and Patience 1 Sam. 8. which is so peremptory in the extremest acts of Tyranny and Oppression that no other Remedy is left but Prayers and Tears Patience and crying to the Lord in the day of Trouble and Oppression Of this by God's Grace more hereafter qq 3 4 5. A fourth Argument against this popular Errour and Deceit is this if all Sovereignty and Supreme Power were originally inherent in the People and from thence derived to the King then undoubtedly Democracie were the best of all Governments The reason is pregnant that spece and kind of Government which cometh nearest to its original must be sounder and more perfect but Democracie which is the Government of many cometh nearer to the multitude than Aristocracie where some few of the better sort or than Monarchy where one hath the Supremacy and Government The nearer to the Fountain the Stream runneth more pure and clear This Argument cannot well be taken off and it is a strong Argument changing the terms in the assumption for Monarchy it proyeth the excellency of Monarchy above all Governments because it approacheth nearest to the Government of God and God himself who is the Author of all Government as the Argument before is made the Conclusion is most false because howsoever all Writers of Politicks in many things concerning Policy differ as much amongst themselves as Clocks or our Sectaries yet all unanimously accord and agree in this that of all Government Democracie and popular Government is the worst and do prefer Aristocracie to it by many stages which likewise enforceth our Argument for the excellency of Monarchy for the farther you recede from Monarchy as in Democracie the worse the Government is and the nearer you approach to it as in Aristocracy the Government is the better Some have a nearer approach to one than many and many are at a greater distance with one than some few which things duely considered and rightly pressed will bring home the Conclusion that Formalis completa gubernandi ratio est in Monarchia the proper specifick formal and complete essence of Government is in the Sovereignty of one Review and consider all Politicians whom you will they will grant that Suprema potestas est in indivisibili posua â—upremacy and Sovereignty is an indivisible and undivided Entity How can you share it then amongst more or many Nay
that Power and in no case no exigent had any Power over or above the Prince If what is said be not sufficient let us remember the Story of Valentinian the Emperour when by the Army he was declared Emperour they earnestly begged 〈◊〉 him to joyn Valens his Brother with him in the Empire His answer was ut me ad imperandum eligereti◠in vestra situm erat potestate O milites at postquam me elegistis quod petitis in meo est arbitrio non vestro Vobis tanquam subditis competit parere mihi quae agend◠sunt cogitare O Souldiers before you did make choic◠of me to be Emperour it was in your Power but the Choice being made that which you now desire is in my Power not in yours It is your part and Duty as Subjects to obey it is in my Power to determine upon what is fit for the Government If all we have said cannot work upon our new Statists to forsake their Errour we pray them to consider whether or not this ground laid will not authorize the Corporations and Shires upon male-administration of the Trust committed to their Commissioners in the House of Commons or upon Jealousies and Fears to resume and make void that Trust committed to them and warrant them in case of Defailance to do better for themselves and Country Sure I am Buchanan one of their greatest Authors holds that if a Parliament determine in a matter of Law it can establish nothing but a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a preparatory precognition and that the Influence of a legislative Power is not till it be approved and admitted by the Community The Observator fearing this Tenet of Buchana may make void the Orders of the House leaving here his Master and averreth That the Right of the Gentry and Commonalty is entirely in the Knights and Burgesses of the House of Commons and will have their Orders irrevocable A wonder it is that they are so favourable in their own case and so unjust and unequal in the Kings case for if it were granted which is most false that all Power in the King were by Trust devolved upon him from the People what is the Reason of the Difference that he shall not have that Right as entirely as irrevocable as the Commissioners of Counties and Corporations Reason pleadeth more for this in the King than them for otherwise neither Sovereignty nor the person of the Sovereign can be secured nor any act of Government certain but mutable at the pleasure of an erring and inconstant Multitude If any will seriously consider they will find that what they take from the King they give to their Feoffees of Trust to Tables to Parliaments These in case of Necessity have an arbitrary Power the Prince in no case can have it exercise it Those have the entire right of the Community devolved upon them and the people are totally divested of their native Right the King hath his only in a fiduciary way some part is habitually reserved that in some Cases the People may resume it may practise it So in their Church it is not lawful to a Clergy-man to meddle in secular Businesses Their Clergy if they be worthy of name may do meddle in all Treaties of Peace Councils of War in Commissions for reversing fundamental Laws of Church and State in other Kingdoms This their practise is Protestatio contra factum it giveth a Lye to their Profession I think verily in after ages it shall scarce be believed that amongst Christians and such as would be accounted the best of Christians such Paradoxes could be maintained and such monstrous Practises acted with such sacrilegious robbing of Prince and Priest of their sacred Right It is high time for Prince and Priest to strengthen one another and neither of them to think that by making the other à publici odii victima a Sacrifice to malignant Malice to preserve himself It is high time for the People to consider how by such Doctrine and Practises they are plunged in such a bottomless Gulf of Miseries of Calamities that none but dextera excelsi the right hand of the Lord can rescue can deliver them How an arbitrary tyrannical civil Power is put upon them and established in the wrong hand that they dare not pretend to Liberty of Person or propriety of Goods How such a Tyrannical Antichristian Hierarchy of some few Patriarchs Lords over their Consciences make them run into Rebellion and kill both Body and Soul If these things these most fearful of all Judgments cannot awake us it is like we are given over to destruction more for the Terrour and Example of others than that we can expect to see the Glory and Mercy of God return again upon this Church and State Lord of his mercy make us turn to him timely by Repentance that he may turn to us in mercy make his Face shine upon us that we may be saved To return to our purpose In fine Let us still give it to them that Sovereignty is in a King by Derivation from the People and the Conveyance is by Contract or Covenant But then I demand how can this Contract be made void It must be made void either by mutual consent or by a legal Sentence and Iudgment That a Contract may be made void mutuo contrahentium assensu by a mutual accord and consent of the Parties Contracters in Law it holds the ground is Quibus modis contrahitur contractus iisdem dissolvitur and the main thing and binding force in a Contract is the consent of both The refiling of one Party Contractor is not sufficient to void the Contract Necessarily then it is required that both King and People consent to make the Contract void whether a King may do this or not you shall hear more in the following questions The People alone cannot do it This contract as yet is not made void by Royal consent if it be you must make it appear authenticis Tabulis upon evident and written Records I confess e're I put you to these pains I desire you first to produce Tabulas contractûs this Contract which in Law must be evident and faithful and when you do it in any of his Majesties Kingdoms you shall have me to plead for your pretended Right Well then I hope you will not say you have his Majesties Royal Assent although good and wise men regrate that by real deeds out of zeal to Peace and more than fatherly indulgence he hath indulged to your Favours which lessen his Prerogative and which without intrusion upon his Sacred Right you cannot enjoy if Scripture be either the Law or Umpire to determine in this case Seeing I say His Majesties consent to void this Contract cannot be alledged or made appear and the Law determines that De non apparentibus non existentibus eadem ratio or Quod non apparet in jure non est you must have a legal Sentence A Legal Sentence cannot be had without a
a worse an unlawful hand The Effects are more bitter the Charge is infinitely above all we or our Predecessors did complain of in many past Ages the pressures are intended and multiplied and total ruine to the Kingdom is threatned onely this difference is observable that where before with a less bountiful Duty Religion and Royalty Justice and Peace might have been maintained nothing could be obtained to strengthen Sovereignty but now we are become so lavish so prodigal we give twenty ten five parts of our Goods our Revenues spare not our Jewels our Ear-rings to make up a molten Calf so apt so prone is our corrupt Nature to a wicked course And whereas before we were like Rachel in the streets in our shops crying we are undone with Subsidies Monopolies c. saying with Micah we are robbed of our Silver which either we made or were to make our god now in pressures voluntarily undergone which infinitely transcend all pressures before seen or felt we are as speechless as the unworthy Servant in the Gospel In this we are not unlike to little children who when they fall of themselves and hurt themselves pitifully cry not at all but if any touch them and they fall wth little or no hurt they cry out bitterly You see then how easie it is upon this ground maintained by our Sectaries our Adversaries to disquiet State and Kingdom to unking Kings at pleasure And that it is so would to God the Lecture is read to us this time in the deplorable state of this Kingdom did not with much grief and sorrow make it appear to the least-seeing Eye and did not cry it aloud in the deafest Ear. That the best of Kings most pious and just in themselves and of sweetest temper are liable to these mischiefs this black day of ours confirmeth it by-gone Stories evidence it Was there ever a meeker a milder Governour upon Earth than Moses the meekest of men sensible of no injury done against himself zealous of wrongs done to God and quick enough when Aaron was wronged Was there ever a greater Treason hatched and set on foot against any than him Corah Dathan and Abiram with two hundred and fifty Princes of the Congregation lead the People to Sedition then to Rebellion telling him in his Face he and the Tribe of Levi took too much upon them God to vindicate Sacred Sovereignty did interpose by a miraculous way never heard of before that the Heads are swallowed up living in Body and Soul into Hell a fearful Example the first Rebellion we read of and so exemplarily punished that Optatus Bishop of Milevis writing against Parmenian observeth that the like is not to be found to be read again in Scripture To Moses add David not onely a man but a King according to God's heart and one as apt and inclinable to pardon offences committed against his Person that the like you find not except it be the Example we have this day before our Eyes yet what Treasons were intended acted and attempted against him Scripture doth plentifully record Zedekiah was not one of the worst Kings of Iudah yet was he so over-ruled or over-awed rather by his Lords and Councellours that he confesseth of himself The King was not he that could withstand them that he was forced to deliver up Ieremiah the Servant and Prophet of God into the hands of their Power and Malice Many more may be adduced Augustus the sweetest of Heathen and Roman Emperours Titus the love and delight of mankind were tossed and beaten with the same Tempests It is infallibly then certain that the best of Kings cannot be secured where this Tenet of our Adversaries is maintained especially when Divines do preach it as a Truth revealed from Heaven to aver that Rebellion is obedience nay a necessary Duty which God commandeth and Jurists and Lawyers hold it is consonant to Justice the established and practised Laws and Customs of the Land the Divine secureth their Consciences and the Jurist their Estates and Persons that they are put out of all fear of Evil here or in the Life to come They will find at last that those blind Guides with their People misled will fall in the ditch God have mercy upon the poor multitude who are deceived the Deceivers have need of great Repentance before they can have mercy with God or should find it with the King What a fearful thing it is to put Princes and the best of Princes most usually under this Tyranny that the People may lord over them needeth no other confirmation but to consider a multitude in its nature which is either the cruellest or tamest of Beasts Quod non audent singuli audent universi Livie telleth us that this is the natural temper and constitution of a multitude Vt serviat humiliter aut dominetur superbâ—â— Libertatem quae media est nec spernere modicè nec habere sciunt Et non fermè desunt irarum ministri indulgentes qui avidos atque intemperantes plebeiorum animos ad sanguinem caedes irritant We need not English it the Expression is full in what we have said In sum by these new-devised State-principles no Kingdom no State can be long in quiet in peace no Kings no Governours can be secured by these Maxims we may change Kings and Governours as often as Moons learn the Policy of the Goths and practise it too that if we be not successful in War or have not a plentiful Year or be troubled and infested with any Tempest more than ordinary all may be laid upon the misfortune demerit or mis-government of the King and he Ionas-like thrown into the Sea to appease the Tempest another enthroned to live and reign no longer than we please A goodly Tenure for a Kiug Another Argument I bring against this Paradox which is this by this Principle if it hold good all Title to a Kingdom by right of Conquest is made void for this cannot be said to be derived from the Community by contract and voluntary consent Notwithstanding Scripture is clear and full for the lawful Title of a Sovereign by Conquest Otherwise we must deny David's Title over Aram and other Neighbour conterraneous Kingdoms to Israel God by his Prophet Ieremy commanded submission subjection and obedience to Nebuchadnezzar and enjoyned them to pray for him and for Peace to his Government I hope none will deny his Right to be just and that by no other Title than Conquest Our Saviour did submit to Caesar's Government over the Iews paid Tribute and by his Ius Regale his Royal Prerogative of Coin proved Caesar's just Title that he silenced the Iews as much at that time miscarried that by their Native Liberty and God's special Favour they were not to submit to any stranger as we are now adayes upon our fancied Conceits The Jesuits will not deny that Conquest by War is Iustus modus acquirendi Imperium a right way to come by a Crown if the War be justly waged and
the first sense every man is born free in the second sense some onely by misdemeanour or misgovernment are restrained from the liberties of free Subjects In the third sense no man is born free but subject to his Father and to his Father's Father his Father's Sovereign so that all are born tyed to Obeisance and Duty of Allegiance and seeing Christ fulfilled so all righteousness that he subjected and submitted himself to his Parents and to Caesar too we must deny to be Christians if we deny that we are born under the tye of Allegiance Of these three enough we haste to consider some more of their Popular Maxims and Sophisms CHAP. XIII The Maxim Quod efficit tale est magis tale or Propter quod unumquodque tale ipsum magis tale or Constituens constituto potior is examined ROssaeus and Brutus and after them the Observator have abused this Maxim infinitely to the great abuse and wronging of Sovereignty and to advance the Subject above the King the disorderly rout of the multitude above the Lord 's anointed The Observator enunciates it thus Quod efficit tale est magis tale that which maketh any thing such or such is in it self much more such or such he assumes but the People make the King give him all the Power and Majesty he hath Ergo the people are above the King c. Aristotle pronounceth the maxim thus Propter quod unumquodque est tale illud ipsum est magis tale Rossaeus Brutus Bouchier and others give us it thus Constituens constituto potior the Constituent is more excellent than the constituted but the People are Constituents of Royalty Ergo c. Howsoever they differ in the Expression they agree in the Sense let us examine it It were fitter to reserve this to our fourth Question but seeing the Observator maketh it his first Ground we resolve to shew the weakness of it here We premise this although we would grant their major their Maxim in the greatest and most vast Latitude of their Conception the Argument concludes not against us for the Assumption is as false as Falshood it self we have proved that the people in no notion imaginable whether diffusively or collectively or representatively taken are either the Efficients or Constituents or Donors or Authors Sovereignty or Sovereigns we might therefore without hurt to the Cause we maintain grant their Maejor their Maxim Yet that we may undeceive the simpler sort we will a little scan the Truth and proper Sense of the maxim and major It is no less truly than usually spoken Qui versatur generalibus versatur dolosè there is no readier a way to deceive the ignorant and little knowing people than by abusing general Maxims which are current extending their Force farther than they can reach If Commons and almost all even of better place and understanding were not too violently zealous for and impatient of Instrusion upon or Violation of their supposed Rights and Liberties and were not by the Corruption of Nature too too apt and facile to entertain Suggestions which are plausible to their Fancy and Humour and withal were not wanting to themselves in Moderation they could neither trust nor magnifie so much such specious deluding and deceiving Sophisms nor would they so madly and closely adhere to their Masters and Teachers of such Doctrines as to be inflamed with Fury to become mad in Impiety and Rebellion with such Impetuosity that they cease not till they become their own Instruments to ruine themselves totally and to bring upon themselves the imaginary and groundless Evils that they most fear from others Philosophy teacheth us that all such general Maxims must be bounded and limited with their own true Limitations and Qualifications otherwise they conclude not necessarily firmly I learned of Aristotle in the School that this maxim Propter quod unumquodque est tale illud ipsum est magis tale requireth necessarily before it bring home the Conclusion two Conditions 1. The t'one is Vt utrique insit that what you are to conclude be both of them in the efficient and effect 2. The t'other is Vt recipiat majus minus that that is really in both and predicated of both have such a Latitude that it hath a Capacity of more and less Without these Limitations the Maxim will conclude too much which in right Logick is the equivalent of that to conclude nothing Seeing we intend a popular way that the shallowest may understand it let us prove what we say by Instances to the contrary by examples to the contrary It is against Sense and Experience to conclude This maketh such a thing such Ergo it self is much more such for by the same way I reason What maketh any thing drunk that is much more drunk but Wine maketh a man drunk Ergo Wine is much more drunk This concludes not the reason is because a man may be drunk but Drunkenness is neither inherent in Wine nor accident to Wine This is taken off then by that Limitation Vâ—rique non inest Again Scintilla ignis ab ictu silicis a little Spark of Fire from a Flint-stone falling into a Magazine of Powder putteth the whole Magazine into a Fire and that the Town or Castle will it follow hence Ergo that little Spark of Fire from the Flint is a greater Fire than when a whole City is a Fire I know to this may be answered a greater Fire it is when the Castle is in Fire but no more Fire the Difference being only in degrees of Extension not of Intension as Philosophers speak next that the scintil from the Flint-stone is magis tale more so than the City inflamed or the Castle incensed because it is so effectivè formaliter both formally in it self and effectively the cause of the other the other set on fire by it is only formaliter formally so because this is not so easily intelligible by every ordinary Reader I speak more plain The Parliament cannot like these Maxims of the Observators and if they see and judge right they must make an Order against them and this especially for by this Ground it will follow inevitably and necessarily that the Counties and Corporations of England may make void all their Commissions given to the Knights and Burgesses of the house of Commons and send others in their place Nay more will follow that they cannot make orders and Laws but that the Counties and Corporations may make much more undo what they do repeal what they establish establish and enact the contrary Frame the Argument The Constituent is better and higher in place and dignity than the constituted but the Counties and Corporations are the Constituents of the Knights of Shires and Burgesses in the House of Commons Ergo they may void their Commissions Ergo they may change the Commissioners send others in their place Ergo they may repeal their Orders establish other Laws contrary and contradictory to theirs c. and many more Absurdities may be
the Community conceived without Government all as equal endowed with Natures and native Liberty of that Community can have not power over the Life of another and so your Maxim may be turned home again upon your self for if the People be not tales such by Nature as have such Power they cannot constituere tales make such that is Kings endowed with such Power But sure it is as it is said they have not power of Life and Death to take away their own Life or anothers Ergo it must be from God the living God the God of Life Seeing you make so good Use of your Logick give me leave to practise Logick upon a more sure Maxim which is this omnis effectus est in efficiente vel eminenter vel formaliter whatever is in the Effect that must be in the Efficient either formally or in a more eminent and superlative way But there is something in a King which is not in People either eminently or formally Ergo the People are not the Efficient and constituent of a King The minor and the assumption is clear The King hath the Power to take away the Life of man which is not in the People whether you take them severally and singly for no man hath Power or may kill himself or whether you take them joyntly for if none hath power over his own Life much less over his Neighbour's and your grounds besides presuppose that all men are equal amongst themselves That the Sovereign hath this Power who is so mad as to deny it Gen. 9. Rom. 14. He bears not the Sword in vain Lastly this Maxim quod efficit tale est magis tale constituens constituto potior holdeth well with our tenet Thus he that maketh Kings and endoweth them with Power is much more a King himself and hath much more Power But God and Christ make Kings Ergo. The Assumption is clear for God is King of Kings and Lord of Lords to him all Power belongeth here then utrique inest and for the other recipit magis minus it is certain for the Power of all Kings upon Earth that ever was are or shall be have no more measure and proportion to his Power than a drop of Water to the Ocean his Power is like the light of the Sun their Powers but a borrowed Light like to that in the Moon and Stars The King's Power related to God is not univocal it is onely equivocal or analogical and that to be doubted of too for Philosophy telleth us finiti ad infinitum nulla datur proportio It is more than apparent then that this Maxim is onely abused by the Deceivers of this Time to make themselves and the People both of them miserable And the Maxim will conclude that the Sheba's and Shimei's these Authors and Incendiaries of Rebellion are more miserable and shall receive if not in this Life yet in that is to come without extraordinary repentance a greater condemnation for they kill both Body and Soul They make the simpler sort of People miserable by setting them on upon rebellion against God and his Anointed to the destruction of State Soul and Body temporally and eternally to the reproach and disgrace of Christian Catholick Reformed Religion and infallibly by necessity of consequents and necessity of consequence they make themselves most miserable for quod efficit tale ipsum est magis tale CHAP. XIV Other grounds of the Iesuit and Sectary are removed and disproved as that that neither Scripture nor Nature determines the specification of Government nor do they intimate why this man more than the other or he than a third or these more than those should have the Power of Government And that great one is taken out of the way whereby the variety and difference is found in several Monarchies It is more than apparent say they that Monarchy is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the voluntary composition and constitution of man OUR Sectaries have borrowed as we told you before their great Ordinance of battery against Sovereignty from the Jesuits Magazine any who is read in them knoweth well enough how they triumph in those Arguments crying out till they be hoarse again 1. First Neither Scripture nor Nature teacheth that Monarchy Aristocracie and Democracie or any other imaginable spece and kind of Government is the necessary Government of Humane kind and society but that the specification and determination is Arbitrary and of the constitution of man To this same purpose is that other Neither the Law of God nor Nature demonstrate why this man more than the other he than a third why these more than those should have the Sovereign Power 2. Another great piece of Battery is that that there is such a multiplicity of variety and differences of Kings and Royal Power in the Kings of the World look say they upon Spain France Britain c. that this must necessarily argue Kings are of Peoples making and their Power is in that portion and proportion as it pleaseth the People to entrust them 3. The third is All Humane Societies are perfect Republicks and as they have in them originally a Power to appoint their Government and Governours so they have a Power to preserve themselves and in case of mis-government they may resume their Natural Native and Original Power rectifie by themselves what is amiss otherwise it must be that God and Nature have left them remediless The first two we will handle in this Chapter the last in the ensuing To answer the Jesuit first in gross to all however he be wary enough in all his courses yet in pressing these Arguments against Monarchy to prove that Monarchy is by Humane Institution and Constitution and not by immediate collation from God he is not so prudent for mutatis mutandis with a little change losing nothing of their force these Arguments 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 retorted and turned home upon the Jesuit will bring home the Conclusion that the Pope is not of Divine Institution hath not infallible and universal Jurisdiction but is somewhere and by some censurable in case of mis-government First I pray you is it demonstrable by the letter of Scripture or by necessary and evident Consequences and Consequents deducible that the Pope of Rome ought and should be Universal Monarch of the Christian Militant Church Christ's Vicar in the External Government in the Church the true Successour to the ordinary Power and Place of Saint Peter and secured from all Errour in Points of Faith Worship and Manners That ever Saint Peter himself had so much neither Scripture nor Antiquity speak for it nay they speak the contrary And if it were granted to Saint Peter where have we warrant in Scripture or sound Antiquity that the Pope of Rome and none else is the true and lawful Successour of St. Peter We will allow them that if by Antiquity they can make it appear that it is so we will yield what they demand But as they frame the Argument
the one way of Episcopacy nor the other way of Presbytery nor the third of Independency nor any other way imaginary or imaginable in the Church we must therefore some other way satisfie him Then let me entreat him to consider what Variety and Difference is found in oeconomical Government if he will look upon the exercise either of marital or paternal Power View it if in different Kingdoms in diverse Nations he find not and acknowledge a great immense Variety or will he look upon both at home not almost one Family uniform and alike with another and that according to the various Temper of Fathers and Husbands their different Abilities some being more indulgent some more rigorous some keeping the equal mean Some being more intelligent knowing and prudent some of less Knowledge Prudence and Government The Observator will find some wives like Sarah with Reverence and Submission calling their Husbands Lord some Michols lording over their Husbands some Fathers like Eli too too indulgent to their Children others like Iob happily and piously breeding his Children and sacrificing for them when they are feasting In brief look upon the oeconomy of all Families within your Knowledge and you shall find that in Government not one looks like another Doth it then from hence follow necessarily that paternal or marital Authority is not from God and Nature but appointed at the pleasure and Constitution of men The result of all is this That seeing in things natural things moral things ecclesiastical and spiritual and in things oeconomical this accidental and supervenient Variety in their exercise destroyeth not the true Essence and inseparable Essentials of the things themselves but naturally they are uniform and equally the same So in the different Monarchies of the World the Disparity and Difference of the exercising of monarchical power which is accidental maketh them not specifically and essentially different and diverse What these prime radical essential Constitutives of Monarchy are it will be proper to express quaest 4. We content our selves with three which are agreed upon to be in all Speces of Sovereign Power whether Aristocratical Democratical or Monarchical The 1. First is that it is Potestas suprema that it is subordinate to none but Almighty God dicit negationem superioris in terris it admitteth no coordinate collateral coequal or corrival Power 2. Next it is Perpetua potestas a perpetual Power He cannot fall from his Sovereignty but whilst he lives he is the Lords Anointed 3. Thirdly the Power of all Monarchs and of every Monarch is Legibus soluta subject to no over-ruling Power of man Conceive it not so that Kings are free from the direction of and obligation to the Law of God Nature and common Equity but from Coercion humane or any humane coactive Power to punish censure or dethrone them The Hebrews call these and what particulars come within their verge Majus Imperium the Greeks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and where those are equal in all Monarchy no accidental variety can change the nature of Monarchy in all and every one of them As for other particulars virtually and naturally included in these three howsoever in actu signato in their first capacity they be propriè propriissimè radically and properly in Sovereignty and in Monarchies yet in actu exercito in the exercise of them they may be entrusted to the Subject Ita ut non defluat radix supremae potestatis so that they have it onely by Delegation and Trust communicativè by communication not privativè not so that these Delegates are invested so with it as the King is totally divested Who can deny but Iudiciaria potestas the Power to judge in all Causes Criminal Civil which concern the Subjects and Kingdom is inherent essentially in the Crown and Scepter of the King and the King to ease his burthen and that Justice may the more readily and easily be done intrusteth his Judges with it And here is not the Trust less and more as it pleaseth the King to give it Is it not different in some onely for such and such Cases and Causes in others for some others different And doth there not lie to the King extrema appellatio the last Appeal or if that be not to make Justice more expedite is there not the equivalent reserved that the Party hurt may by Petition and humble Remonstrance make his Case and Cause evident to the King that he in his Sovereignty may redress what is wrong and punish the Judge abusing his Trust By which it is more than apparent that this and the like Restraints the King putteth upon the exercise of his Native Power is onely ad minuendam solicitudinem not ad minuendam Majestatem to facilitate his Charge and not to denude or disrobe himself of that Sacred Right and Prerogative God hath given to him as his Vicegerent upon Earth Again it is not slightly to be passed by that there be many Kings many times too indulgent Fathers to their People and Subjects who give away too much of their Sacred Right which when Subjects have come at being more than they should zealous of their Liberty will not part with it again but detain it sacrilegiously If a man could be allowed to speak truth in this distempered Age it may be said without sin against God or crime of laese-majesty against King or People that where Monarchy has been too much straitened and weakened by loss of its natural and native Prerogative it hath been done by imprudent at least inconsiderate acts of too good Princes and of voluntary concession and in the end as they prove derogatory to Sovereignty so they prove destructive to the Peace and Protection the Liberty and Propriety of the Subject Review all the Grants of Princes in this kind and you shall find upon Authentick Record that they be meer Concessions of grace If as much could be shewn upon as faithful and unquestionable Record to prove our King a pactional and conventional Prince your Plea should be more specious in the Eyes of the World And if you could by authentick Evidence make it appear that such bounds and limits are put to Sovereignty as it is more than manifest that what you claim is by acts of voluntary Humanity you should do somewhat which probably would take the People more but I must tell you withal you totally destroy Monarchy and must say right down our gracious Sovereign is no Monarch which is against Reason Sense all Records extant and the universal testimony of all knowing men in other Kingdoms and States It is great Discourtesie to change Princes acts of grace bestowed upon Subjects into acts of Duty and Debt nor is it a ready way to obtain more grace to prove unthankful and not acknowledge prior graces received Lawyers and Jurists do tell you that from actus humanitatis voluntatis from acts of Courtesie and voluntary Concession you may not reason to conclude actum necessitatis an
act of Necessity and Debt this is a Paralogism in Law Lastly Is it not more than known that People are so corruptly disposed against and opposed to Government that they are ready to slip the collar and to shake off at least to weaken the yoke of Government From hence it issueth that subtil men wait opportunities to cheat good and weak Princes out of their Rights and Prerogatives And is it not seen that wise and able Princes being plunged into inevitable and unavoidable Difficulties to obtain Subsidies and Assistance of their Subjects to extricate themselves out of such Labyrinths are forced to suffer their Rights to be wrested out of their hands and to make sale of them Both Statutes and Stories witness this truth plentifully The truth is they are ill made away and a great deal worse kept away Necessity may be some excuse for parting with them but it is Sacrilege in Subjects to detain them It cannot subsist with the Rules of good Policy and Government to trench so upon the Prerogative of the King as to disable him from doing his Charge to protect and govern his Subjects in Peace and Safety An impotent King is the same with no King where in the Book of Iudges it is so oft repeated when Idolatry rapine Blood and Oppression abounded that in those dayes there was no King in Israel none is so blockish to conceive that God's People lived under an Anarchy but the Phrase importeth two things first that they wanted the most excellent of Governments they had no King no Monarchy next that the then Government was so weak and weakened that it could neither repress nor censure disorders of the highest Enormity and that whole Book is a full Commentary that Aristocracy is defective to effect or work the proper Works and Effects of perfect Government for you shall find universally in the whole Book that while the People were governed by the Sanhedrim the Princes of the Tribes and Fathers of the People c. the People went a whoring after other gods then God to punish them delivered them into the hands of their Enemies then they cryed to the Lord in the day of their distress and then the Lord raised up to them a Sophet a Judge a Deliverer who under God as his Viceroy had Iura Belli Pacis Sovereign Power in War and Peace a very observable thing to prove the excellency of Monarchy and the weakness and defects of Aristocracy whose mis-government could not be rectified but by placing the Sovereignty in one Read and consider the whole Book and you will find it true what we say To give you one for all referring the rest to your own search and trial read the second Chapter of that Book which in the opinion of the most Learned is a brief summary of the whole state and condition of that People from the first time of that story to Saul and David's dayes and particularly read what you have Vers. 17 18. They would not hearken unto their Iudges but they went a whoring after other gods and bowed themselves unto them they turned quickly out of the way which their Fathers walked in obeying the Commandments of the Lord but they did not so And when the Lord raised them up Iudges then the Lord was with the Iudge and delivered them out of the hand of their Enemies all the dayes of the Iudge And see what followeth Vers. 19. And it came to pass when the Iudge was dead that they returned and corrupted themselves more than their Fathers in following other gods c. They ceased not from their own doings and from their stubborn way To conceive these words right you must observe that the word Iudges verse 17. and the same word verse 18. is not used in the same sense the reason is evident for of the first Judges vers 17. it is expresly said The People did not hearken to them but they went a whoring after other gods c. These Judges were the ordinary Judges the Sanhedrim the Princes of the twelve Tribes the Fathers of Families c. The Judges mentioned vers 18 19. are the Judges extraordinarily raised by God Othniel Ehud c. So the word raised imports Again these Judges became Judges after their going a whoring and after their misery and slavery for Sin Thirdly of these Judges it is said that not onely they delivered the Israelites from their bondage but that during their dayes the People continued in the right service of God Fourthly that after their Death they ceased not from their doings and from their stubborn way which things are far different from the Condition of the Judges mentioned vers 17. Lastly it is not to be passed by that emphatically it is said that God was with the Iudges whom he raised up more blessing Monarchy than Aristocracy because more warranted and liked by God than any other Government whatsoever Observe it well that under the Iudges the Aristocracy the people went a whoring and when the Judge raised up by God died and the Government returned again to be Aristocratical the Text saith that they ceased not from their doings and from their stubborn way Add to this that Abimelech knew it to be a powerful Argument to perswade them to make him King that Monarchy was better than Aristocracy It was better one reign over them than seventy Forget not withal that in all the Disorders mentioned in the last part of the Book the Reason is not given for want of Government but want of a King in Israel of this more Quaest. 2. To return to our purpose by what we have alledged it is clear that Sovereignty weakened in Monarchy or Aristocracy cannot do it's work and is in the next place and Condition to Anarchy and Confusion When Zedekiah was over-lorded by his Nobles he could neither save himself nor his People nor Prophet and Servant of God Ieremiah nor could David punish Ioab when he was over-awed by that Power he himself had put in his hands To weaken the head is to distemper the whole Body wherefore I doubt not to affirm but if any good Prince or his royal Ancestors have been or are cheated out of their sacred Right by Fraud or Force he may at the fittest Opportunity when God in his wise Providence offereth the occasion resume it Much more lawful it is for Kings to do this when Subjects have used or abused rather such Concessions of Grace to the hurt of Sovereignty and the good of the Subject Let us never seed our selves in a foolish Paradise to think the Subject can be secured where the sacred Prerogative of the King is injured Contractatio rei alienae what a Sin it is the Law decides determines Contractaetio rei alienae sacrae what a Sin it is Scripture telleth us it is Sacriledge and Intrusion upon Almighty God himself no less than when a Kings Ambassadour is violated by a Foreign Prince Our Saviour hath taught us it is not fit to cast
Pearls and precious Stones you know to whom I have a better Opinion and Esteem of all the Kings Subjects It is a poor and ignorant shift that some Pettifoggers Smatterers in the Law use to wrong the sacred Prerogative of Kings acknowledging no more for the royal Prerogative nor what they say the Law municipal of the Kingdom hath determined I do not speak this to reproach intelligent Jurists and reverend Judges whose places and parts I reverence as much as any accounting the knowledge of that Science next to Divinity and far more excellent and useful than all others besides I acknowledge none have written more divinely almost nor rationally in maintenance of the sacred Right and Person of Kings than some excellent and eminent in the Knowledge of the Law as Bodin Barcklay Blackwood â—nd others to whose Travels in this Subject we owe much but for these other Sâ—ioli they cannot distinguish betwixt a Statute declarative and a Statute consâ—â—tutive What is found in the Statutes of the Kingdom concerning the Prerogative they only declare Prerogative to the Subject and add a Sanction penal in case of Violation they do not determine it God Almighty hath by himself declared it We would laugh at him in the School of Divinity who would but mutter that the Decalogue was not a Law till God wrote it with his own Finger in two Tables in mount Sinai gave it to Moses and Moses intimated it to the people What is morally natural in it is Lex naturae the Dictate of Nature by the finger of Nature written in the minds and Hearts of all and what is positivum morale positively moral was from the Beginning so known and practised by the Church from Adam to Moses when David commanded what share of the Spoil those should have who were the reserve to preserve the Stuff Scripture calleth this Ordinance a Law made by David to last for ever yet we know this was God's Ordinance before the Law The very like is in Statutes and Acts of Parliament declaring the royal Prerogative of a King that the Subject may the better know it be put in malâ fide if he violate it and know what Judgment he is to expect Lastly to shut up all this Discourse let us intreat the impartial Reader to cast his Eyes upon all Story domestick and Foreign and especially domestick and if they find not the worst Bargains ever Subjects made was at any Rate to purchase a possession of the sacred Rights of Kings sometimes it hath been no better than occidisti possedisti it hath been purchased with a great deal of Blood The Market hath been made by Sedition Rebellion Rapine Murder plundering God and man and sometimes regained again to its right Owner but at as dear a Rate and Price It is in Morals as in Naturals Omne corpus quiescit in suo loco an Element without its place hath never Rest nor the World good by it's Operation and Influence till it be replaced and seated in it's right Locality God hath commanded not a date but a reddite not a giving unto Caesar of his Right but a rendring not only as due but if it be with-holden or with-drawn to restore him it The Stories of these Kingdoms have too many real Proofs of this Truth I forbear to cite them or to refer you to them I wish of these days and others like them that they be never known nor read of hereafter Excidat illa dies c. But seeing I treat of this purpose divinely give me leave to speak Gods Truth to you as becometh Gods Servant and a good Subject Till those Kingdoms be purged of Sacriledge so highly committed against God by wronging his Anointed and his Church and both of them restored to their sacred Right we need not expect true and solid Peace nor the true and effectual Blessings of God Let us fancy to our selves this or that Accommodation for Peace if God be wronged in his Anointed and Church we add only Fewel or Oyl to the Fire Almighty and merciful God the God of all Spirits put it in the Hearts of all Christians and Subjects to honour him and in him and for him his Anointed and Church rendering to God what is God's and to the King what is the Kings that there may be a Blessing in these Kingdoms in our Ierusalem there may be Peace within her Walls and Prosperity within her Gates that the Crown which he hath put upon the head of his Anointed our Sovereign may flourish with him and his Seed for ever and we and our Posterity may live in Godliness and Honesty under him and them till the coming of our Lord when he they and we shall receive that immortal Crown of eternal Glory which the King of Kings Lord of Lords and chief Bishops of our Souls hath laid up for all them that fear him Amen CHAP. XV. Wherein is examined the Iesuit's Maxim That every Society of Mankind is a perfect Republick and consequently the Community may supply and rectifie the defects and errours of Sovereignty And the Puritan's too That if there were not such a Power and Super-intendency in People to supply God had left man remediless THE Jesuit and Puritan although they differ in their Expressions agree well in the Sense and intend both of them one Conclusion How this Argument 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be retorted upon the Jesuit against his Numen terrenum the Pope we told in the preceding Chapter only now let the Jesuit give me leave to ask him how a Republick is conceivable is imaginable without a Governour or Governours and People governed How can a Society be imagined without Order and how Order without Priority and Posteriority When the Jesuit then saith that every Society of men is a perfect Republick and every perfect Republick must have within it self as much Power as may preserve it self from Ruine and right what is amiss he must necessarily by this Society of men and Republick mentioned in the Premisses understand only the Community of the People and Subject in an abstracted Notion from the Sovereign Governour or Governours otherwise concludes nothing at all to purpose And here let me intreat the Jesuit or Puritan to tell me where ever he read the word Civitas or Republick ascribed to a multitude a disorderly rout where there is no Governour It is alike to conceive a politick Body without a Governour as to conceive the natural Body without a Head We pardon the Jesuit and Puritan to give us new Tenets in Policy seeing they are so bold with God and his Church to give us new Tenets in Divinity Again it is worth our observing that when our Adversaries come to shew where this Republick is where this Superintendent Power is seated they differ and vary infinitely It is no wonder to hear the Builders of Babel speak with different Tongues we are hopeful God in his mercy will scatter them upon the Earth and cast down this Babel The
or State who that hath read Scripture or by Experience hath remarked the Temper and Constitution of the Multitude can believe that Almighty God hath committed such a Trust to them Is there one of a thousand if you trust Iob or Solomon amongst them of understanding Was ever any act done by them but in a tumultuary way And is not their Reformation attended with Fury and Violence Impiety against God sacred Persons sacred Places sacred Things Have not these mis-called Reformations been acted prosecuted with open and crying Injustice not only against innocent but well deserving men Secondly I desire them to shew me in Scripture or in Ecclesiastical and authentick Story any popular Reformations of Church or State happy and successful what they alledge in this last Age are the Instances controverted and till they give instances extra propositum not questioned by their Favour they only beg the Question When God established both Policy and Church after the Deliverance of his People from the House of Bondage he would not do it but by Moses his Sovereign Viceroy King of Ieshurun Deut. 33. Ioshua did the like Ios. 24. The Judges raised by God as they delivered the people from their Slavery so they rectified what was amiss in Church and State What Desolations were there in Church and State in Saul's Reign Both State and Church in the Solemnity and Sincerity of the Worship in the days of David came to their Zenith to their highest Perfection aâ—d Beauty Read you I pray you of any doing in it but by David the King with the Advice and Direction of some Church-men Afterwards when it was corrupted who made the Reformation None but he who was King or Sovereign as Ioash 2 Chron. 24. Ezechias 2 Chron. 29 30 31. Iosias 2 Chron. 34. 35. Ezra Esd. To make Covenants against King or Sovereign pretending or intending if you will so the Reformation of Religion where read you it The first Covenant of a people formed into a politick Body is that you read Exod. 34. Had either the Community the collective or representative Body any other hand in it than to obey as Moses King of Ioshurun commanded Ioshua made another Iosh. 24. consider the place and see if either Tables or Parliament framed it urged it You have another 2 Chron. 15. but it is done and pressed by the royal Authority of Asa the King You have another 2 Chron. 34. but it is the Act of Iosiah the King The like you read of Esdra Esd. 10. If any object the Covenant of Iehojada in the Non-age of Ioash Let them be pleased to remember that this was the High Priests act not as High Priest but as Governour to the King By the same Power he did it by which he dethroned Athaliah armed the Subjects and enthroned Ioash Shew me one Covenant in the book of God which was made without the King except it be a Covenant with Hell and Death or as Iudas covenanted with the Iews to sell and betray his Master Or such a Covenant as the Prophet Hosea speaketh of Chap. 10. vers 3 4. For now they shall say we have no King because we feared not the Lord what then should a King do unto us They have spoken words swearing falsely in making a Covenant thus Iudgment springeth up as Hemlock in the furrows of the field Lastly Reflect upon Popular acts invading Sovereignty and attempting Reformation and you will find them as sinful as little successful as Kings of Popular Election It is recorded in Exodus that Moses the Sovereign of the People of Israel being absent forty dayes in the Mountain with God the People notwithstanding that they had lately sworn a lawful Covenant forced Aaron to make them Gods a molten Calf and forsake the true and living God Exod 11. Here you have a glorious popular Reformation in Religion Take another Reformation in the State and see if it be better The People of Israel living under the happy Government of David by the suggestions of Absalom and his fellow-Traytors possessed a Prejudice of David and his Government that Justice was not done and the State might be better ordered assemble without Warrant of the King a Treason if any thing else if we look on Scripture to Absalom under pretence of a Vow shake off David and acknowledge themselves Subjects to Absalom the Traytor the Usurper 1 Sam. 15. The ten Tribes after the death of Solomon supplicate Reboboam for a Redress of their Grievances not answered to their mind rebel against Rehoboam To strengthen their Kingdom and Policy they set up a new Religion make new Priests of their own Their Religion is the same their Fathers attempted in the Wilderness Exod. 32. and this is the second glorious Reformation of Calvesworship what was the issue I pray you it pursued them to their utter extirpation What can be said oâ— that abominable act of the Iews who to save themselves condemned Christ Are not Communities subject to dangerous Inclinations from private Incitements Are not their Representatives subject to mis-leading Factions and ambitions of private ends They are too much transported with the love of a popular estate who can so over-rule their Understandings as to force themselves to think that Communities or their Representative bodies are not molested or transported with corrupt judgments and affections for private ends To conclude Seeing then to establish the People to be the last and best Remedy to rectifie all Errours in State in Church establisheth so many Absurdities and Paradoxes and hath no warrant by Scripture sound Reason or Experience we can neither believe it nor approve it for to aver and affirm that a Community diffusive collective or representative is a perfect Republick to preserve it self and to right what is amiss abstracting the notion of a Republick from the Sovereign Governour or Governours is a notion not imaginable nor ever used by any who ever wrote or spoke right in Policy It secureth the multitude from Errour both in matters concerning Church and State There is neither Precept nor Practice in Holy Writ to warrant that the multitude have such a superintendent Power above their Sovereign Nay Scripture commandeth us the contrary not to assume this Power or to resist the Higher Powers under no less pain than Damnation This Maxim resolves into infidelity that we trust not God can do it or will do it and into Impatience that we will not wait patiently till he do it Christian obedience and Sobriety teacheth us to reserve the rectifying of the Sovereign and his Errours in Government to God himself We must not serve God against his Will nor without an express Warrant for our doing so By doing as our new Statists warrant us we run into Rebellion and lose a good Conscience in dutiful obedience and humble submission and prejudice God of that glory he expects by our tryals We must not do evil that good may come of it nor upon pretences of good intentions and good effects
to follow upon such courses prove our selves to be proud Masters and forsake to be Gods humble Servants In all Deliverances God bestowed upon his own People in his wonderful Providence he effected them either by his own immediate hand or by some other hands not permitting or allowing to his People any share in the work foreseeing how we would make it if it had been otherwise a bad president for rebellious courses Popular Reformations are neither warrantable nor successful The multitude are most of all unfitted for preserving Church or State In Scripture we have no Reformations recorded but only such as have been acted by the authority of the Sovereign Many popular tumultuary courses we find attempted and effected by the People to the hurt and ruine of Church and Commonwealth Wherefore let every one and all of Subjects be subject to Superiour Powers in obedience to that is good and in Patience suffering what is evil waiting patiently till God in his appointed time send relief and deliver his Church and us from pressing and oppressing Evils CHAP. XVI Wherein is examined that Maxim Salus Populi Suprema Lex esto And the other That the People may be without a King but a King cannot be without People THis vulgar Maxim Salus Populi Suprema Lex esto was one of the Laws of the XII Tables It was made for a Democracy and hath in it a good and warrantable sense if it be rightly taken in its proper meaning But as it is abused and perverted by our Miso-monarchical Statists and Sectaries it hath been the Mother of much mischief The Sectaries who abuse it understand it so largely at least make the People conceive so that all Government and Superiority in Governours and Superiours is primely nay only for the Subjects and Inferiour's good This holds not for some Government and Governours are by God and Nature appointed for the mutual and inseparable good of the Governour and Governed of the Superiour and Inferiour as in maritali regimine in paterno as in the marital and fatherly Government Some Governments are primely principally and properly for the good of the Superiour and Governour as in herili dominio in the Government of a Lord and Servant where the good and benefit of the Servant is but secondary and consecutively intended it is not the principal end but the external and adventitious as the gain that cometh to a Physician by his Practice is not the proper internal and principal end of his Art Science and Practice but consequitur ad medicinam it followeth and attendeth his Skill and Practice What can our Adversaries say of a Title acquired to a Kingdom by lawful Conquest That such a Title is good and a King may be lawful King by Conquest meerly without the consent of the People is so evident in Scripture as it cannot be denied In this case the good and benefit of the Conquerour is the prime thing and principal The Conquerour may dispose of it at pleasure for his own good as Solomon did give Cabul to Hiram Moreover according to the Jesuit's and Puritan's grounds as a man may render himself totally under the Power of a Master without any conditions or limitations or bounds whatsoever why may not the Body of a People do the like to have Peace and Safety surrender themselves fully into the Power of a King May not a Lord of many great Mannors and Lands if the Laws of the Countrey do not forbid it admit no man to live and gain by living within his Territories and Countreys but upon condition of a full surrender of himself his Posterity and all belonging to him into his Lords power Doth not Tacitus tell us that anciently amongst the Germans every Head of the Family was Father King and Priest and that all the Tenants of his Territories had no more corn for meat no more number of Flocks no more for use of cloaths than it pleased their Lord to allow them Suam quisque familiam suo penates regis frumenti modum dominus aut pecoris aut vestis colono injungit servus hactenus patet May not a disorderly multitude without order and government or any subordination at all this is impossible but let us take it as probable because imaginable conceiving Safety and Good to themselves totally surrender themselves into the power of one to rule over them hereditarily Or may not a people in a formed and framed politick Body upon the Receit of a great Benefit as Deliverance by one from a mighty Oppression surrender themselves thus totally to their Deliverer and his Successors It is not improbable that the Israelites did offer some such Condition to Gideon and his Posterity for the great Deliverance they had from the Midianites by his Sword Iudges 8. Did not the Campani in this way if we may trust Livie subject themselves totally to the people of Rome Populum Campanum saith he in the words of their chief Heads Vrbemque Capuam agros delubra deûm divina humanaque omnia in vestram P. C. ditionem dedimus O noble Senators we surrender and give up unto your Dition and Power the people of Campania our City Capua our Lands the Temples of our Gods and what divine and humane things are ours By what is said it is more than apparent that this Salus populi suprema lex esto Let the Good and Safety of the People be the supreme Law is not an universal Dictate of Nature a paramont Law which is universally verified of all Government and Governours This Speech is as much abused when by these new Statists it is applied to Monarchy I most heartily grant that the Preservation of the Peace and Safety of Subjects and People is the prime end in the Constitution of all Government but it is not the sole and adaequate end The complete adaequate and perfect end of Government in Monarchy is Salus Regis Populi the Safety of King and People Notwithstanding the Safety and Good of the people may be called the prime and principal end in the Constitution of Monarchical Government because it is most agreeable with the joynt Interest of King and People It is a word exceeding well beseeming a King to say Salus Populi suprema lex esto let the Safety of the People be the Paramont Law There is no Doubt that the King ought to proportion all his Laws to this end this is just this is necessary this is honourable this is advantageous to the King who that is wise will not provide as much as he is able for the Good Safety Plenty and Peace of those in whose happiness is his Glory and in whose Destruction his own is involved And on the other hand it becometh Subjects well to say Salus Regis suprema lex esto and to proportion all their Obedience Endeavours and Actions for the Safety Honour Power Happiness and Glory of their King It is impossible the Subject can have Peace or Safety where the Sovereign and his
of every individual and particular Person singly for our good from God they are sent for our good to us they come If Kings were not we should be as the Fishes of the Sea the greater destroying the smaller or as the Beasts of the Forest the strong destroying the weaker Hab. 1. 14. Saint Chrysostom explaining these words 1 Tim. 2. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Where the Apostle saith that we may live a quiet and peaceable life that is to say saith the holy Father Our Security subsists in their Safety It is worthy your notice taking that in the Book of Iudges where it is recorded that all disorder was in the Church and State the reason is so often given and repeated Because in those dayes there was no King in Israel you read it cap. 17. 6. 18. 1. 19. 1. 21. 25. Which words import not simply that there was no Government in those dayes none can be so stupid to imagine it but the Spirit of God intimateth two things to us 1. The one is that they wanted Monarchy the most excellent of Governments 2. The other is that the Government then Aristocratical was so weakened that in Church and State nothing was sound the grossest Enormities did abound and there was no strength in Authority to right it Review the story There was no King this time and consequently there was all mischief this time and therefore a fit time to shake off the old and bring in a new Religion Micah and his old doting Mother will have a Religion of their own an Idol of their own a trencher-Chaplain of their own there is nothing to let it No matter for sacred Orders if a Levite may be had it is better otherwise it skilleth not much The reason is given in the Text In diebus illis c. in those ill dayes there was no King in Israel I wish we were so happy that these Times of ours had no resemblance with that time Well but it is no great matter for Religion if every man can enjoy his Liberty his Honour his Peace live in Safety what is Religion to us If this be Religion these Times want not Professours too too many It will not rest here although every man have liberty or licence rather in Anarchy to have and to profess what Religion he will the same Scripture telleth us where no King is Rapine and Spoil will be where no King is plundering will be good Justice every man's Lands Revenues and Chattels may be fortiter occupantis the stronger may disseize the weaker you shall have the Tribe of Dan to spoil too Nor is this all The men of Gibeah will abuse the Levite's Wife nay do it avowedly abuse her to death it is no great danger to act and do what mischief you will where no King is No man's Soul Wife Life or Goods can be secured where no King is Idols may be erected Murder may be acted and allowed Men robbed of their Goods and all this good Service for the glory of God and the good Cause Consider again how universal these Mischiefs are you have a Micah a private man Gibeah a City Dan a Tribe all out of order and course Religion is defaced Justice is abused Honesty and Civil moral Conversation is shaken off Dishonesty Impiety Uncleanness are avowed Again consider Micah was at Mount Ephraim in the midst of the Land Gibeah was at one end of the Countrey and Dan at the other so that these Mischiefs were not confined to one corner but were spred over all the Land And seeing Scripture repeats it let us repeat it too all these Disorders all these Mischiefs were because in those dayes there was no King in Israel Turn it over again No better way to keep Religion sincere and incorrupt mens Lives and Wives Honour Goods and Possessions in Safety to secure them from Murder Abuse Oppression than by Kings No doubt Priests there were then but either they would not serve at all or then the Priests were over-awed by the disorderly and sinful multitude Hos. 4. or did prescribe their Text give them Commentaries taught them what to say what to preach No doubt in those dayes Judges they had but Justice was not done or if done at pleasure otherwise Judges were posted and signed with a nigrum theta marked to be stoned by a rascally multitude Though Priests be in the Church and Judges be in the Land they are not able to guard the Publick or Private from wrong wherefore it is most consonant with Scripture to say Salus Regis suprema Populi salus the Safety of the King and his Divine Royal Prerogative is the safest Sanctuary for the People Vbi non est gubernator populus corruet so readeth St. Hierom Solomon's words I refer my self in this to the Consciences and Experience of the King's Subjects what hath been the security or comfort they have had in Person State or Goods since the Lords Anointed the best of Kings hath been wronged O if they durst speak O if they would speak The Prophet Hoseah cap. 3. 4. threatneth as the greatest of Judgments in this world That the children of Israel shall be many dayes without a King Listen I pray you to what followeth and without a Prince that is there shall be no Nobility and what more and without a Sacrifice that is there shall be no Religion no true Priest The same Prophet cap. 10. 3. sheweth they shall have no King because they feared not the Lord. The Prophet Ieremy Lam. 11. 9. lamenteth first that their Kings were captives then that they had no Nobility for their Princes were captives too then the Law is no more Justice is gone with the King and then the Prophets find no Vision from the Lord Religion is gone too Will not all this lead us to better thoughts a better esteem of Salus Regis of the Safety of the King the preferring of his Divine Right and Royal Prerogative It may be our Zealots account those Prophets no better than Court Parasites Cyprian or some other ancient Author masked under his Name summeth up shortly but pithily the happiness of People in a King de 12 abusionib Saeculi cap. 9. in fine Est pax populorum tutamen patriae immâ—nitas plebis munimentum gentis cura languorum gaudium hominum temperies aeris serenitas maris terrae foeâ—unditas solatium pauperum c. The words are plain enough they need no interpretation What mean they then who magnifie this Maxim Salus Populi suprema Lex esto Let the Safety of the People be the Supreme Law to call it in a narrow sense abstracting à salute Râ—gis from the safety of the King The transcendent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of all Politicks the Paramont Law that giveth Law to all Laws whatsoever that the Law of Prerogative it self is subservient to this Law and were it not conducing thereunto it were not necessary nor expedient Some more superlatively excessive commendations the
If a Canker be in Hand or Foot before it Gangrene the whole Body we will condescend to the cutting of them off In this sense which we have explained Salus populi suprema lex esto is a Law that hath no Iniquity in it but hath a good just and equitable Sense Yet it is not to day onely or yesterday that this Maxim hath been abused to work much mischief This mis-understood Principle or Law put Christ to death The Scribes and Pharisees High-Priests and Sanhedrim avouched It was necessary that one should dye for the People the High-Priest spoke it not knowing how in a Prophetical sense it was necessary but meaning that Salus populi required it the whole Land and all of them were in danger And in this case with the influence of this Law it was enough to alledge their authority and unanimous coâ—sâ—nt They were not tied to proofs They had a Law of which they were Interpreters or if not they had a Legislative power by which for Salus Populi Christ must dye When Pilate found him innocent their answer was sufficient If he were not a Malefactor we would not have delivered him unto thee Salus populi or nothing else was the Law the Paramount Law the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of all Politicks to which Pilate's Power delegate from the Romans was subservient But what was the effect of this work wrought by this Paramount Law It wrought the utter extirpation of them and their Posterity The over-ruling voices of the High-Priests Scribes and Sanhedrim forced Pilate to crucifie the God of Glory against his heart his Conscience This was high Injustice in him he acknowledged Christ's Innocency and knew that for Envy they delivered him up Ioh. 19. 6. Matth. 27. 18. He knew besides that without his Authority he could not be condemned If we could or would seriously look upon this Example and make right Use of it it would deter us from making too much of such deceitful and deceiving Maxims which in the end will lead us to our total destruction and overthrow It was this Salus populi that made Saul to spare against Gods command Agag and the Amalekites It was this that seduced Zedekiah made his Lords over-rule and over-awe him and clap up Ieremiah in the Dungeon It is a great mistake in which a great and Learned man in this Age doth gather from the words of a King to his Nobles Behold he is in your power for what is the King that he can do any thing against you That the Kings of Iudah by some Power equal to them or above them might be counter-manded The expression is de facto not de jure intimating that the good King was so over-awed by his Lords that he could not protect the Lords Servant the Prophet Ieremiah although he knew he was bound to it and willing too When a good King is put in such a case the state of King and Kingdom are in greatest danger There is enough said to discover the grand Impostures of this abused Maxim Salus populi suprema lex esto for by what is said it appeareth 1. That it is not to be conceived in that large sense as if all Governours and Government were principally for the good of those are governed it holds not in Marital nor Despotical nor in Royal Government by Conquest 2. Next it taketh as granted in the sense of our Adversaries that the compleat and adequate end of Government is Salus populi which is an Errour for it is Salus Regis populi and Salus Regis hath the first place without which Salus populi cannot be It hath the Prerogative like to the first Table and Salus populi as the second To destroy the Prerogative and Royal Power is to bring ruine to our selves 3. Thirdly it is spoken in ordine ad alias Leges non ad Regem in order to other Laws not to prove the King the Extract of the People or that by them he is coerced But that in case of extreme necessity the King for his own and the Kingdoms Safety may break thorow all other Laws as he thinketh fit in his Discretion to preserve himself and Kingdom 4. Fourthly in the sense our Adversaries use it it cannot but disquiet King and Kingdom upon real or fancied Fears and Jealousies 5. Fifthly misapplied and misunderstood it hath been the Mother of much mischief 6. Lastly let every Subject and Christian within his Majesties Kingdoms consider and remember how he is bound by Nature and Grace to Salus Regis to maintain the Kings Right Priviledges and Prerogatives besides that all of any Quality and the better sort have taken an Oath to maintain it With which how any can dispense I profess I see not I know not We need not spend much time or pains in taking off that other abused Principle A King cannot be withâ—ut the People but the People may be without a King with its Consequence Ergo the People are more excellent than the King for what is already said taketh away the strength of this Argument and Consequence for if they will resolve their Antecedent thus or frame their Argument thus The People may be without a Governour or Government Ergo c. The Antecedent is most false and so can bring home no Conclusion at all We have proved already better not to be at all than to be without Government and for this cause God fixed Government in one and appointed a Governour before ever there were People in the World to be governed Cicero doth tell us this lib. 3. de Legibus Nihil porro tam aptum est ad Ius conditionemque Naturae quam Imperium sine quo nec domus ulla nec civitas nec geâ—s nec hominum universum genus stare nec rerum natura omnis nec ipse mundus potest I know what the Sectary and Jesuit will rejoyn the People may be under Aristocracie or Democracie in a happy condition Ergo without Monarchy or a King I do not blame Aristocracie or Democracie as unlawful Governments God sorbid for then all their acts of lawful Government could not chuse but be sinful but that they are univocal species of Government with Monarchy I can never be induced to believe as by Gods Grace we will demonstrate it Quaest. 2. Governments they are but defective If man had never fallen into Sin Aristocracie had never been known nor Democracie seen in the World nor were they at first It was the corruption of Monarchy produced them into the world Monarchy by God in Scripture is much countenanced magnified of Aristocracie or Democracie you have not one Word in Holy Writ to commend them That a People under Aristocracie or Democracie may have some tolerable subsistence I deny it not but that they can be in an happy condition I doubt of it especially for the Church whose condition can never be happy under any Government but Monarchy for proof I appeal to all by-gone Ages in the Christian
to be powerful Intercessors with God to remove his Plagues to say Quid meruere oves what have the poor sheep done smite me and my Fathers house 2 Sam. 24. Like to the good shepherd to lay down his life for his sheep Ioh. 10. And this will work â—in the People such zeal and affection to their Sovereign that they will be ready to lose Lands Riches Honour Life before their King suffer in Honour in his Sacred Power Sacred Right and Sacred Person If the Head â—e well the Body fareth the better and when the Body is in good health and constitution the Head is the better less trouble no pain For proof of this I refer you to that noble passage of Iustin Martyr cited before quaest respons ad Orthod q. 138. Read the whole passage it is an expression in de propria in a convenient and proper place In Sum the Result of all is that from this truth that Kings are immediately from God and Christ independent from all others there issueth a great many excellent and useful Corollaries as first That the excellency of their Dignity is not a motive if it be well weighed to make them swell Lucifer-like in Pride for the weight of their great and difficult Charge will force them of all men to be most humble Officiis quis idoneus istis Their Crowns are dependent from Christ and his Crown and truly considered are onely Crowns of thorns such as Dionysius said an understanding man would not take up if it were lying at his feet Secondly as Kings are nearer to God than any Creatures in the low Universe so are they tied to approach nearest to him in Holiness and all Humane and Christian Perfection Thirdly they are bound to all care endeavour and zeal for Christ's Glory his Truth the Sincerity and Solemnity of his Worship and that not onely as men and Christians but as Kings and Fathers of the State and Nurse-fathers of the Church Fourthly howsoever exempted from Humane Law and coercion yet they are to live and reign according to the Law and Prescript of God and Christ which if they transgress they shall receive Punishment proportionable to their high Dignity and according to their Demerit for betraying the high Trust put upon them Fifthly Although the Royal Right be not founded in saving holiness and sanctity but is sacred in another respect by a delegate Power and Trust yet the way to secure their Crowns their Posterity in the Right transmissible from them and to make their Kingdoms happy is to live piously in Private and Publick Devotions and to intend at first and do it most in their Sacred Government Sixthly next to Almighty God the highest Honour Reverence and Obedience is due to him Seventhly and Maintenance from their Subjects proportioned to their high Dignity and to inable them to act and do what is necessary and expedient for God's Glory the good of the Church and Peace Plenty and Protection of the Subject Eighthly to resist him oppose him in thought word or deed is Rebellion against God himself Ninthly it is high Sacrilege and not onely Royal but Divine Usurpation to trench upon the Kings Sacred Right To shut up all that concerneth this first Question I humbly beg pardon to intreat in all reverence my Lord the King to look upon a Speech of St. Augustine worthy of the reading and meditation of all and the best of Christian Kings he will find it Tom. 5. lib. 5. de Civ Dei cap. 24. which verbatim is thus Reges foelices eos dicimus si justè imperant siâ—inter linguas sublimiter honorantium obsequia nimis humiliter salutantium non extollantur sed se homines esse meminerint suam potestatenm ad Dei cultum maxime dilatandum Majestati ejus famulam faciant si Deum timent diligunt colunt si plus amant illud regnum ubi non timent habere consortes si tardiùs vindicant si facilè ignoscunt si eandem vindictam pro necessitate regendae tuendae Reip. non pro saturandis inimicitiarum odiis exerunt si eandem veniam non ad impunitatem iniquitatis sed ad spem correctionis indulgent si quos asperè aliquando coguntur decernere misericordiae lenitate beneficiorum largitate compensant si luxuria tantâ— eis est castigatior quanto possit esse liberior si malunt cupiditatibus pravis quam quibuslibet gentibus imperare si haec omnia faciant non propter ardorem inanis gloriae sed propter charitatem foelicitatis aeternae si pro suis peccatis humilitatis miserationis orationis sacrificium Deo suo vero immolare non negligunt Tales Christianos principes dicimus esse foelices interim spe postea re ipsa futuros cùm id quod expectamus evenerit O golden expressions worthy to be set in Letters of Gold with most precious Stones and Diamonds and then put upon all Royal Crowns It is a short but a thousand-fold better expression of what we have said Plato Aristotle Cicero Xenophon in his fancied Cyropaedia had never the like it is worth all they have said all they have written on this subject in this kind Let me add a word or two to our selves who are Subjects Let us learn to give to the Lord 's Anointed his due if we will approve our selves good Christians like to our Master the Lord Iesus Christ like to his Apostles like to the ancient and holy Fathers and Martyrs of the Church Let us never deceive our selves like to the Iews who claimed to be the Sons of Abraham when they wrought the Works of their Father the Devil Ioh. 8. Let us not shame our selves and Reformed Catholick Religion by turning Religion into Rebellion and Faith into Faction and deter all Kings in the Christian World to come to the Profession of Reformed Truth and Communion of our Church And that this may be done the more successfully Let us all pray LOrd hear our King in the day of trouble The Name of the God of Jacob defend him Send him help out of the Sanctuary and strengthen him from Sion Remember all his Offerings and accept his burnt Sacrifices Give him according to his own Heart and fulfil all his Councel that we may rejoyce in thy Salvation Teach us his Subjects to fear thee and the King and not to meddle with them are given to change Continue the Loyal in Revâ—rence Obedience and Subjection Reduce the Sons of Belial to their Obedience make thy Spirit fall upon all that we may say thine are we O King and on thy side that the Peace and Beauty of thy Sion may be restored thine Anointed with his Sacred Right re-seated upon his Throne the bleeding wounds of the Land may be bound up the Peace of the Kingdom re-established 〈…〉 soever else is disjoynted may be set aright Do it do it good Lord not for us or for our merits but for thy Names sake the All-sufficient merits of thy Son and 〈…〉 of our Lord and Saviour IESVS CHRIST And let everâ— good Christian all loyal-hearted Subjects who pray for the Peace of Sion and building up of the walls of Ierusalem say Amen Soli Deo Gloria FINIS Eurypides in Bacch Idem ibidem Plutarch Lactant. de ira Dei cap. 1. Rom. 13. Plutarch Xenophon in Cyropoedia lib. 8. l. 16. in qualibet de Episc. Cleric C. Theod. Iustinian Novel 42. Trismegistus apud Lactantium l. 2. Instit c. 16. Gr. Naz. Orat. de mod in disp servanda Plutarch in Probl. Prob. 72. Cassiod l. 8. Var. c. 19. 1 de nat anim c. 1.