Israelites commanded to kill the Canaanites What if some one of our number who undervalues his Life go and dispatch the Tyrant Melius pereat unus quam unitas you Romans know my meaning Once more my Brethren there is a Law and dictate of nature that will justifie us in resisting those that would take away our Lives Self-preservation is a Law above any humane Constitution By what Law must we die that have the Law of Nature for our Self-preservation which is equivalent to the Law of God And did not Cicero that great Commonwealths-man tell us that Salus Populi Suprema Lex If those Infidels that are appointed to cut our Throats will venture their Lives for such an Earthly Master shall we lay them down cowardly without doing any thing for our Heavenly Master for our Religion which he hath intrusted us with and will require it at our hands if we betray it and seek not to convey it to our Children And if we die without endeavouring it we may perish in the next world for perishing so tamely in this And thus I hope I have satisfied all scruples of Conscience And now I beseech you suffer a word of Exhortation Now is the time that God will redeem his People by our hands Now is the time that we must vindicate our Christian Liberty Now is the time that we must destroy those Romish Wolves that would devour the Flock of Christ What though we be in our selves but few in number Were not the people so by whom God delivered Israel by the hands of Joshua and Gideon What though our Enemies be many hath it not been known when one hath chased a Thousand and two put ten thousand to flight and may not the Roman Valour assisted by the Arm of Christ do more than the Jewish Besides though there be but this one Legion that are entirely Christians there are infinite numbers scattered up and down the Empire whose hearts are ASSOCIATED with us already and wait for such an opportunity as our stout resistance will give them Did not Pliny complain to Trajan that the Christian Assemblies were so great that their Heathen Temples were quite forsaken Et sacra Solennia diu intermissa Did not Tertullian many years since tell us that the Cities and Garisons and Camp were filled with Christian Souldiers and are there not great numbers multiplied now and ready to joyn with us And a later Doctor Cyprian a holy Martyr told us that our number is Nimius Copiosus and the numbers of such faithful brethren are much encreased rather than diminished since that time Be strong then and couragious be not afraid nor dismaid for Maximian nor all the multitude with him there are more with us than there are with him With them is the Arm of flesh with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battels Vp then and be doing ye mightie men of Valour fight the Lords battels and he will fight for you Do not basely cast away your lives like so many felo's de se sell them at as dear a rate as you can It better becomes the Roman Valour to dye like men in defence of their lives and Religion than ignominiously to have their throats cut like so many Swine by a bloudy Butcher If we perish in such a glorious enterpize yet we shall live in the records of the Ages to come and give the world a good example but if we survive we shall enjoy the honours and glories of the world Religion will flourish with us and the Church here on Earth be like that in Heaven no more Militant but Triumphant Such have been the Harangues of Dissenters in our latter Age and by them they have led on a multitude to Rebellion and destruction and to such an end our Author hath proposed the example of the Julian-Christians But there was not one of these Worthies of whom the world was not worthie durst mutter a syllable to such a purpose they had not so learnt Christ as to scandalize and defame him and his Doctrine as if they were enemies to Caesar We are Christians say they we have Christs Example before our eyes to teach us Obedience and Patience and his Command not to unsheath our Swords against lawful Authoritie neither in our own or his defence We value not the honours of this life but hasten to the glories of a better and in confidence of a speedie enjoyment of them we will not make resistance nor accept deliverance by any ungodly act And though we see the example of Crueltie before our eyes in the death of our Brethren that have been cut asunder and slain with the Sword we are readie to suffer as patiently as we hope to reign gloriously with them Now let any serious man among us judge which were the best Christians these Primitive Worthies who often took their lives in their hands to fight the battels of a Pagan and Tyrannical Emperour and patiently laid them down at last rather than make resistance against him or those Modern Zealots who will hazard their lives against a Christian and gracious Prince and by their resistance rather take away his life than live in obedience to him or surrender their own into the hands of God that gave it when God calls for it They who say of a Heathen Persecutor He is Gods Minister we must obey him not onely for fear but for Conscience sake he hath no power but what is given him from above for the punishment of our sins Or they that say This is the Heir come let us kill him and the Inheritance shall be ours If our Author be to be credited in any thing this which he says p. 68. is the plain truth of the matter The Julian Christians were in quite other circumstances than the first Christians were they were in full and quiet possession of their Religion when Julian came to the Crown and they should have undervalued it if they had not done their utmost to keep it whereas the poor Primitive Christians were born to persecution they neither knew better nor expected it And after a large flourish he sums up all in a word p. 71. The first Christians suffered according to the Laws of their Countrie whereas these under Julian were persecuted contrarie to Law We never heard that the Christians in Julian's time pleaded the Laws for their indemnite Nor had they any ground so to do more than the Thebaean Legion had For 1. No Law of Man could make void the Law of God of worshipping God onely And if as St. Augustine says he that disobeys the Praefect that he may obey the Emperour is guiltless so is he that disobeys the Emperour that he may obey God 2. There was no Publick Law that one Legion should be cut in pieces for being Christians by another yet this was their case They were commanded by that Tyrant Maximius to assist him in destroying the Christians But they answered We are Christians and
Commands of God for obedience to the Higher Powers From all which Premises I shall onely conclude as to my self That it is much more desirable to perish by the hands of a known Enemie to God and the true Religion than to out-live that Religion and by a successful resistance against the Ordinance of God to live in the enjoyment of Temporal wealth and Honours and to deserve this Epitaph to be engraved on my Tomb. Plorate quotquot estis Pacis vitaeque placidae Pertaesi Conservator optimi Populi pessimus Legum Libertatis Religionis Protector Post Oliverum Primus nulli Secundus Deperditae Respublicae Instaurator Regum timendorum tremendus Judex Regiae Stirpis Extirpator Perfidus Juris Consultorum Doctor Ignoramus Qui Consentientibus dissentit ab omnibus Orthodoxis Antiquis Modernis Qui Dissentientibus consentit omnibus Papistis Anabaptistis Regicidis Scrutator Majestatis oppressus à Gloria Inglorius obiit OF Passive Obedience IT is a very hard Case that when the Scripture injoyns such as are of the Ministry in this Nation to put the people in mind to be subject to Principalities and powers and the Canons of the Church to which we have subscribed oblige us four times in the year at least to manifest open and declare in our Sermons and Lectures That the Kings power within his Majesties Realms c. is the highest power under God to whom all men born within the same do by Gods Laws owe most Loyaltie and Obedience afore and above all Powers and Potentates on Earth that for so doing we should be reproached as Time-servers and such as advance an Arbitrarie power and that such Doctrine is calculated and fitted on purpose for the use of a Popish Successour and to make us an easier prey to the bloudie Papists p. 89. And all this by those men who are equally obliged by Oaths and Subscriptions to do the same as we Of these things the Author accuseth a learned Doctor who had affirmed in a Sermon I suppose and he quotes p. 8. That the Gospel doth not prescribe any remedie but flight against the Persecutions of the lawful Magistrate allowing no other means when we cannot escape between denying and dying for the Faith This is in p. 80. and p. 85. for saying That the Gospel by its own confession is a suffering Doctrine and so far from being prejudicial to Caesars authoritie that it makes him the Minister of God and commands all its Professors to give him and all that are in authoritie under him their dues and rather die than resist them by force Now to remove the prejudice of such as are of our Author's Judgment I shall first propose the Judgment of Mr. Baxter as a preparative to the more candid entertainment of what I shall propound concerning Passive Obedience P. 24 of the 4th part of Christian Directorie Direct 31. Resist not where you cannot obey and let no appearance of probable good that may come to your selves or to the Church by any unlawful means as Treason Sedition or Rebellion ever tempt you to it for evil must not be done that good may come by it But Sect. 61. it is objected If we must let Rulers destroy us at their pleasure the Gospel will be rooted out of the Earth When they know we hold it unlawful to resist them they will be emboldened to destroy us and sport themselves in our bloud as the Papists did by the poor Albigenses Answ All this were something if there were no God that can easilier restrain and destroy them at pleasure than they can injure or destroy you If God be engaged to protect you and hath told you that the hairs of your head are numbered and more regardeth his Honour Gospel and Church than you do and accounteth his Servants as the Apple of his eye and hath promised to hear them and avenge them speedily then it is but Atheistical distrust of God to save your self by sinful means as if God could not or would not do it Thus he that saveth his life shall lose it This Mr. Baxter speaks against Rebellion and unlawful Arms and Acts. To this purpose he quotes Grotius de Imperio p. 210. answering the like Objection viz. Mutato Regis Animo Religio Mutabitur That if the King change his mind the Religion will be changed also Answ In this case the onely remedie is in the providence of God who hath the hearts of all men in his hand but especially the Kings God worketh his ends both by good and evil Kings sometime a calm sometime a storm is most profitable to the Church If the King be of a perverse and corrupt Judgment it will be worse for him than for the Church But all this you will say is against unlawful acts and means which they that have the Laws on their side cannot be said to use To this Mr. Baxter answers p. 26. What power the Laws have they have it by the Kings Consent and Act. And it is strange impudencie to pretend that his own Laws are against him If any misinterpret them he may be confuted I suppose Mr. Baxter means by some other method than that of arguing as St. Augustine advised in the like case The Law and Ordinance of Government and especially of Monarchie is founded on the Law of God and Nature and no positive Laws or condescentions of Governours can make void the Law of God For though a righteous Prince will not violate those Laws which he hath consented to yet if he should it will not justifie those Subjects that shall violate the Law of God and Nature in resisting and rising up against him in Rebellion which would as it were argue great ingratitude to them who by Acts of Grace have obliged themselves for as St. Augustine observes our Prince like God himself becomes a Debtor to man Non aliquid à nobis accipiendo sed omnia nobis largiendo Not by receiving any thing from us but by promising all good things to us So it is a certain way to bring us all to Confusion if the King should be judged as a Criminal upon every transgression of the Law And I would ask those who would bind their Kings in such Fetters By what authoritie they would proceed against him and judge him would they erect another High Court of Justice or bring him from his Throne to the Block Would they arm the people again on pretence of fighting for their Laws and Liberties The end of those things we have seen to be the death of a most righteous Prince and the general destruction of the Subjects Wherefore I commend to you that of your Bracton Omnem esse sub Rege ipsum sub nullo fed tantum sub Deo And if he contradict himself in this the suffrage of Nature and the Laws of all well-governed Nations will condemn him which agree in this That Principi non est Lex posita there is no Law above the Prince that makes the Law and by
this Recognition declare so often as he doth particularly in p. 198. that the Succession of the Crown is the right of the whole Community their appointment their constitution and creature in Parliament Did he never read what is said by Grotius de Jure belli He says If a Kingdom descend by Succession an Act of Alienation is in itself null l. 1. c. 4. s 9. Which agrees with what Bishop Sanderson delivered before And Mr. Hunt himself says Grotius is more than ten witnesses and if you add the Bishops I think them of more value than a hundred In quâ tandem Civitate Catilina arbitraris te vivere saith Cicero you that make Hue and cry after such as write for Religion and Loyalty as if they were ready to banish themselves or prove felo's de se consider I pray under what Government you are and though you may escape the Magistrates wrath yet you ought to be solicitous 〈◊〉 you may escape the wrath of God to which you have made your self obnoxious I have but one Remark more on Mr. Hunt which is that he hath consulted another famous Author one Mr. Thomas White who being a Romish Emissary made it his business to continue our distractions This man wrote a Book entituled The Grounds of Obedience and Government And his Motto is Salus Populi Suprema Lex esto whereof I have given you the genuine sence already Now among many other Notes transcribed by Mr. Hunt from this Jesuitical Writer p. 158. he comes to answer the Objections of Divines concerning the Authoritie of Princes and non-resistance Vp steps the Divine saith he to preach us out of Scripture the Dutie we owe to Kings no less than Death and Damnation being the guerdons of Disobedience and Rebellion And p. 159. They will speak Reason too telling us that God by nature is high Lord and Master of all That whoever is in power receiveth his right from him That Obedience consists in doing the Will of him that commandeth and conclude that his Will ought to be obeyed till God taketh away the Obligation i. e. till he who is to be obeyed himself releaseth the Right Besides p. 160. They alledge that God by his special command transferred the Kingdom from Saul to David from Rehoboam to Jeroboam So that in fine all that is brought out of Scripture falleth short of proving that no time can make void the right of a King once given him by the hand of God Now mark what Mr. White says to overthrow the sense of these Scriptures The reason says he of THIS WEAK WAY OF ALLEADGING SCRIPTVRE is that when they read that God commandeth or doth this they look not into Nature to know what this Commanding or Doing is but presently imagine God commands it by express and direct words and doth it by an immediate position of the things said to be done whereas in Nature the Commands are nothing but the natural Light God hath bestowed on Mankind and which is therefore frequently called the Law of Nature Likewise Gods doing a thing is many times onely the course of natural second Causes to which because God gives the Direction and Motion he both doth and is said to do all that is done by them Now to the same end viz. to prove that Kingly Government is not from God but the People and therefore may be altered and resisted and in the same words for the most part doth Mr. Hunt deliver this black invention of Mr. White p. 144. The nature of Government and its Original hath been prejudiced by men that understand nothing but words and Grammar-divines that without contemplating Gods Attributes or the Nature of man or the reasonableness of moral Precepts have undertaken to declare the sence of Scripture and infer that Soveraign Power is not of Humane Institution but of Divine Appointment because they find it there written That by him Kings reign Imagining that when the Scripture saith God commands or doth this that God commanded it by express words or doth it by an immediate position of the thing done whereas in nature his Commands are nothing but the natural Light God hath bestowed on Mankind Likewise Gods doing a thing is onely the course of natural and second Causes to which because God gives Direction and Motion he doth both and is said to do all that is done Likewise Gods doing a thing is onely the course of natural and second Causes to which because God gives the Direction or Motion he doth both and is said to do all that is done All this is verbatim Mr. White So is his Raillerie in the same Phrase to bring an Odium on Divines that would prove Government out of the Scripture White calls them Grammar-Divines Verbal and wind-blown Divines p. 162. And Mr. Hunt calls them Men that understand nothing but Words and Grammar-divines Who saith Mr. White without Logick Philosophie or Morality undertake to be Interpreters of the Sacred Bible Who saith Mr. Hunt without contemplating Gods Attributes or the Nature of man or the Reasonableness of Moral Precepts have undertaken to declare the sense of the Scripture It is not strange to me having read a Defiance to the Royal Family to read the like against the Clergie But that the Scripture also should suffer and the uncertain and mutable Traditions and Effects of natural Causes be made equivalent with the immediate Commands of God in the Scripture though it be no new thing among Jesuits yet a true Protestant should abhor it The man is so angry that he hath done the ungrateful Bishops any right that he will have satisfaction right or wrong from the rest of the Clergie And though he call the younger sort onely Coxcombs yet his design is to bring the whole Clergy into contempt But any young Divine may draw such Conclusions out of the Premises as might exclude him out of the Society of all good and learned men 1. That to conclude from the sence of Scripture is a weak way of Arguing In this Mr. White and Mr. Hunt consent 2. That non obstante what the Scripture says of Divine Right of Soveraign Power it is not of Divine but Humane Institution 3. That Providence and the Effects of second Causes being influenced by God are of equal Authority with the Precepts enjoyned by the Word of God 4. That the Soveraign Power being but of Humane Institution may be resisted and is alterable 5. That they who mock the Messengers of God do go on to despise the Word of God and abuse his Prophets a sin which often stirs up the Wrath of God so as there is NO REMEDY And this I observe in the behalf of the abused Clergie 6. That having cast off our Loyaltie to our Governours and their Laws puts us in a fair way to cast off the Soveraignty of God and his Laws 7. That the worst of Papists and their most Atheistical Arguments are made use of by some that call themselves true Protestants against the express
Kindred who were never reported to design any such thing It had been most commendable in Constantius if as he provided a Royal Palace for the Education of his Kinsmen so being himself a Christian Emperour he had more carefully provided for their Christian Education That Age had as many Learned Bishops well skilled in all Humane Literature as any one before or since and yet Constantius permitted the Seeds of Superstition and Paganism to be sown in that rank Soyl as soon as those of Christianity and 't is no wonder if our corrupt nature being left at liberty prefer that Religion which is accommodated to its lusts to that which especially tends to the suppressing and extirpation of them And if Corn and Weeds be permitted to grow together in a fertile ground it is no wonder to see the weeds to outgrow the Corn. His Education AS soon as he was Seven years old he was committed to the Tuition of Mardonius an Eunuch by whom he was put to learn Grammar and Rhetorick in the publick Schools of Constantinople Nicocles a Lacedemonian taught him Grammar and the famous Turn-coat Ecebolius taught him Rhetorick Libanius the Heathen Philosopher had a famous School at that time in Constantinople whose Works Julian procured and read with great delight and in a little time becomes familiarly acquainted with him often frequenting his School and as the manner of the Grecian Scholars was he adventured to declaim publickly against the Christians and p. 4. our Author says he would dispute hard with his Brother in favour of the Heathen pretending that he only tryed how he could hold the weaker side of a Question He profited much in that sort of Philosophy which Iamblicus taught being a mixture of the Opinions of Plato and Aristotle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of which he calls himself a zealot and shewed great honour and kindness to Iamblicus These were the Masters which Mardonius his Tutor procured for him and were the Corruptors of his Youth for being of a light and desultory Wit and withal very industrious and inquisitive after knowledge he hastily imbibed such Principles as his Tutors instilled He tells us himself in his Misopogon what he learnt under this Mardonius which he relates to the Athenians The Names of Plato Socrates Aristotle and Theophrastus are much talked of with derision This old Man Mardonius having foolishly he speaks by Irony observed their dictates perswaded me being a Boy desirous to learn that if I would tread in their paths I should be better not onely than other men but than my self And I for what could I do else obeying my old Tutor cannot change any thing though I desire it never so much And I accuse my self that I did open a more free admission to all the Vices of that old Man For thus he taught me out of Plato That Man is worthy of Honour who offends not but he that deters others from offending is worthy of more than double Honour The first is profitable to himself alone the others to many that brings the Delinquent before the Magistrates and if he also joyn in punishing the injurious this is a noble and complete Citizen and may be called a Conquerour in the conflict of Vertue This and some other Moral Vertues wherein Julian perceived the generality of Christians to be defective as to their practice raised in him a great opinion of his Pagan Tutors and from Lectures of Morality he proceeds to learn more curious Arts. For After this Maximus an Ephesian Philosopher who was by Valentinian put to death for his Impostures and Magical Arts taught Julian to cast Nativities and make Divinations and initiated him to the Mysteries of Magick And as if he had not enough of those devilisbs Arts he sollicites a Journey to Athens pretending to see Greece and to be acquainted with their Schools where he grew into a familiar acquaintance with the best of the Heathen Philosophers of that Age which abounded with many that were excellent Moralists A Heathen Writer Ammianus Marcell l. 22. c. 3. says that Julian from the very first instructions of his childhood was given to the Worship of the Heathen Gods and Idols It is no wonder if having such Tutors he became zealously affected to the same This was his study while his Brother Gallus was living and as soon as he understood of his death which was an unnatural barbarous action and raised great prejudices against the Christian Religion he was greatly discontented and diligently inquired by those who were skilled in Curious arts what would become of him Twenty years together he dissembled himself to be a Christian and attained to great knowledge in that Religion but rather that he might know how to oppose it for as St. Augustine observes l. 5. c. 21. De Civ Dei Cujus egregiam indolem decipit amore dominandi sacrilega detestanda curiositas A sacrilegious and accursed Curiositie perverted his excellent wit However his proficiency in Christianity preferred him to be a Reader of the Holy Scriptures to the people and those Arguments of his which were learnedly and satisfactorily answered by St. Cyril Bishop of Alexandria do demonstrate his Knowledge both of the Old and New Testament for which he was admitted into Holy Orders Now how could Constantius expect but that Julian being put to such Nurses he should suck in such milk as they yielded Neglectis urenda silex innascitur agris His Apostacie is imputed to these three causes First To the levitie of his Nature Secondly To his love of Magical Arts. Thirdly To his ambition of the Empire When Gallus was put to death the Emperour had such informations that Julian conspired also against him that he resolved to put him to death also but by the intercession of Eusebia the Empress he was sent for to appear at Court and by her intercession and favour was not only preserved but within a short time declared Caesar and the Emperor to ingratiate him the more gave him his Sister Helena to Wise Before we give an account of his Actions while he was Caesar it will be convenient to give the Reader A Character of his Person and Disposition HE was of a middle Stature his Hair soft and hanged down his Beard long and sharp a full and rolling Eye comely Eyebrows and a streight Nose his Mouth somewhat large his Under-lip seemed divided his Neck fat his Shoulders broad and large and from the Head to the Foot his Members were proportionable and well joyned so that he was made both for Strength and Activitie Gregory Nazianzene who knew him at Athens gives this description of him That his Neck inclined forward his Shoulders often in motion that he had a wandring Eye and furious Aspect his Feet unstable his Nose and Lineaments of his Face were ridiculous and signified scornfulness in his Apparel sordid his Laughter was loud and frequent his Grants and Denials were without reason his Speech slow and interrupted his Questions hastie and