Church when the Arrians were favoured above the Orthodox One party separating from the other and the fautors of that blasphemy persecuting the true believers with unchristian cruelty I need not mention the lamentable broyles which ruined Germany by the rage of the Anabaptists These calamities have and do and will follow if the foundations of doctrine be destroyed And no doubt the like evills must be expected upon destroying the foundations of Government It was well said men had better live where nothing is lawfull than where all things are and a bramble Government is better than none Tyranny makes any Kingdom a kind of Purgatory but Anarchy makes it a very Hell nay what if I say even Hell abhors it for that place of torment admits of some order and there we meet with a Prince of the Devils Take away the exercise of Authority and you introduce confusion Bring down the Soveraign power and every Peasant will make himself King The ordinary rabble are so mad-headed that if affairs be left to their management piety and honesty will both suffer Religion and justice will be turned out of doors 'T is not in vain the Scripture four times repeats In those days there was no King in Israel Since the reason of recording it so often may be gathered from the places where it is found When that people had no setled Government every man was a Law-giver to himself and never did they Commit more wickedness or endure more misery Micah steals his Mothers money part whereof when restored is made into an Image and the man gets an house-full of Gods what is the reason In those days there was no King in Israel Judg. 17.6 Micahs house is robbed by the Danites and those Children of Dan worship this Image How came this Idolatry In those days there was no King in Israel Judg. 18.1 The Levites Concubine is abused to death when was this gross uncleanness In those days when there was no King in Israel Judg. 19.1 Israel and Benjamin quarrel because the adulterers escape unpunished 40000 Israelites are slain and the tribe of Benjamin reduced to 600 and that calamity proceeded from the same ground In those days there was no King in Israel every man did that â—hich was right in his own eyes Judg. 21.25 But what need we travell as far as Canaan when poor England hath experienced these fatall mischiefs It is not beyond the reach of our memories to recollect sad Evidences of this truth Our Kingdom was once the wonder of its friends and the terror of its enemies and so continued while the foundations were unshaken but violent hands were laid upon them by Ambition and Faction A company of Male-Contents like so many Jehues drove on their designs with such fury that the Sword prevailed above the law the people I am sorry to say it were preached into rebellion Loyall subjects were the only Malignants and God could not be served if Caesar were obeyed How many lives and estates were sacrificed to the popular fury Lords and Commons fell by thousands till at length that Incomparable Prince and Blessed Martyr laid his neck upon the block Infandum jubeo renovare dolorem The body of the Kingdom had surfeited of peace and plenty and our state-empyricks knew no cure but to cut off the head Possibly there were some grievances to be redressed some corruptions had perhaps crept into Church and Commonwealth was this the way to give ease for the one or to root out the other It is strange that the shrinking of a Beam or the jutting of a wall can no way be helped but by pulling down the house This is to avoid a lesser evill by admitting a score of greater A score did I say that number is too small their name is Legion for they are many So we found them and groaned under them for severall years till the Almighty providence repaired our ruines and set up our pillars in their places again God grant they may stand firm against all the attempts of dangerous underminers But since there is a possibility of an iniquity in and a misery followeth the destroying these foundations no marvel if each pious soul bethink it self of its own duty and often ask the Psalmists question If the foundations be destroyed what can the righteous do And so I pass to the second generall part of the text 2. The Interrogation which may be looked upon 1. As vox reflectentis The voice of one searching into the true grounds of this dreadfull misery Which seems more probable because several translations render it in the praetertense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so the septuagint and our Liturgy-Psalms what hath the righteous done David was satisfied Gods Judgements are deserved before they be inflicted The vapours of sin cause the showers of sorrow Lament 3.33 He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the Children of men And because we may sometimes read malum in malo the evill we do in the evill we suffer it is worth a serious search how our fault and our correction suite that the Quaery may be soon resolved if the foundations be destroyed what the righteous hath done Why should not we then who have shared in the misery be as diligent in the duty The task will be easie For if our calamities were written in blood our sins have been graven with the point of a Diamond Disobedience to Authority in Queen Elizabeths days 1 Kings 18.44 was like the cloud seen by Elijahs servant about the bigness of a mans hand which in process of time growing greater and greater Eccles 11.3 overspread the face of our heavens and if the clouds be full they will empty themselves these did and in so violent a manner as to beat down all before them Little shelter could be found from that storm Nor could it be otherwise imagined when our own hands by uncovering the house had exposed it to the weather well might the posts be rotted and the building fall And when we have thus enquired into the cause how can we reflect upon it without aking hearts and moistened eyes bewailing our misery sinfulness and imprudence which leads me to the second notion 2. As vox deplorantis the voice of a Mourner And this will agree with both Translations With the old what hath the righteous done so it is vox deplorantis peccaium with the new what can the righteous do so it is vox deplorantis impotentiam 1. Vox deplorantis peccatum a Lamentation for the sin The best grieving for the afflictions of Joseph is first to grieve for the sins of Joseph Men can never be truly affected with their punishments till they be rightly apprehensive of their wickedness And observe the phrase it is what hath the righteous done not what hath the righteous suffered To convince us the Psalmist had an eye at the malum culpae as well as the malum paenae that he wept for the crime committed as well as for the misery
Simon Magnus to oppose Simon Peter from whom all the Hereticks of later date derive their pedigree He to raze the foundations while the Church was but yet in building contradicts three main points of Christian faith The Trinity of persons Christs passion and Mans future resurrection In Domitians time Elion and Cerinthus broached their pernicious opinions against the Divinity of our blessed Saviour the occasion if good Authors may be credited why St. John then alive published his Gospel The Gnosticks had already got head men of such abominable principles and flagitious practices that a modest tongue and a chast ear cannot with Civility admit the naming them In following ages these Hereticks became more numerous and thereby more mischievous How mightily the Arrian blasphemy prevailed all Church-Histories witness St. Hieromes expression though it savour of Rhetorick may be allowed without any great Hyperbole Ingemuit totus mundus et miratus est se factum esse Arrianum The world groaned under its burden and admired to see it self devoted to Arrius Nay so far were the Doctors of the Church seduced that Athunasius alone stickled considerably for the Orthodox Doctrine there was Vnus Athanasius contra totum mundum et totus contra unum Athanasium It would be tedious to trace the footsteps of these destroyers to our days Were all books burnt were all records of former times lost could we betray our selves into such incredulity that nothing which our Fathers have delivered would gain our belief yet if we will take up short of the madness to distrust our eyes and ears we shall soon perceive a possibility of this mischief Which of us are strangers to the Quakers plea of perfection and preferring Enthustasticall revelations above the Holy Scriptures Who knows not that the Anabaptists to defend their not baptizing infants implead the doctrine of Originall sin Some have taken pains to rob the soul of its happiness immediately after death and to lull it asleep with the body till the general resurrection Others would disprove the sufficiency of Christs sufferings and a third sort would devest both Him and the Holy Ghost of their Godhead These things through the licentiousness of the Press are exposed to publick view and made too manifest to be concealed Pass from the foundations of doctrine to those of Government And have we not seen a possibility of their destruction We have lived in those days when the voice of laws could not be heard for the clashing of armour when men defended their Soveraign by invading his Authority and fought for their King with Swords drawn against him when they put Him in prison to establish Him in his throne and to make Him glorious cut off his head And how came these things to pass Satans agents are subtle they do 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in St. Judes phrase v. 4. furtim intrare steal in among well meaning Christians and with good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple St. Austin declaring how Hereticks destroy the foundations saith it is done In conventiculis suis ubi parvulos et interioris lucis ignaros non lacte nutriunt Rom. 16.8 Aug. in loc sed venenis necant In their Conventicles and private meerings where these crafty chapmen instead of nourishing their ignorant hearers with the sincere milk of the word poison their souls with erroneous doctrines Whether or no our miseries have happened by the same means let sober men judge and if these courses be continued what the issue will be all lovers of peace and truth tremble to think Certainly the foundations destroyed we can neither hope to be holy nor happy not holy for this very supposition doth imply 2. The iniquity of it It is a wicked thing if the foundations be destroyed Can any thing be more notoriously evill than the destroying that faith which Christ and his Apostles preached to the world the truth whereof those Apostles sealed with their blood and for the defence of which we ought 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 summis viribus certare Jude v. 5. earnestly to contend for the faith which was once delivered to the Saints Besides corruption in Doctrine is usually attended with debauchedness in conversation Truth and Holiness stand or fall together some Arch-Hereticks indeed seemed very pious for a while till their opinions met with considerable entertainment Devotion like a Crutch must support them while weak when their legs are strengthened they throw it away The first and main opposers of truth were known to be men of flagitious lives Witness the laseivious carriage of Simon Magus with his Helena of Montanus with his Prisca and Maximilla the strange uncleaness of the Nicolaitans and the abhominable obscoenity of the Gnosticks particularly recorded by Epiphanius And no marvell if our practices are irregular when our Judgements are perverted if we turn Gods grace into lasciviousness when we come to deny the Lord that bought us Look we upon the foundations of Government and the derstoying them will appear a manifest wickedness God hath implanted in mans nature an inclination to live sociably Without laws there can be no societies because there can be nothing of order and rule He is the Author of power and dominion By me Kings reign Prov. 18.15 God sets the Crown upon a Princes head and puts the Scepter into his hand to whom thus exalted he hath commanded our subjection and reverence Let every soul be subject to the higher powers Rom. 13.1 and charged upon us a conscientious obedience in all things lawfull ye must needs be subject not only for wrath but also for conscience sake v. 5. so that hence it follows They who endeavour the subversion of laws or resist the Authority of their Kings whose the laws are sin expresly against the word of God Which shews the iniquity of destroying the foundations And then no doubt we shall soon find 3. The misery or calamity which attends it implyed also in this supposition if the foundations be destroyed And truly what can we expect from sin but misery Heresies have done the Church more harm than persecutions The one hath scratched her face but the other hath gnawed her bowels The one hath sometimes put her into a feavour the other hath preyed upon her like a Gangreen it is the Apostles word 2 Tim. 2.17 But among those mischiefs which are inseparable attendants upon the prevalency of errors there is none more injures Christs mysticall body than the schismes and factions they directly occasion Truth is the parent of peace and concord while there is one faith there will be one spirit Error is the unhappy Mother of strifes and divisions Experience convinceth that difference in judgement will breed distance in affection and distance in affection will interrupt brotherly Communion As schisme disposeth to Heresie so doth Heresie to schisme nor can we imagine there should be a closuâ—e in devotions where there is not an agreement in opinions What grievous confusions happened in the
God for so many dayes and still he continues in the course of his devotions the case of the * Acts 5.40 42. Apostles when prohibited to preach Christ Jesus yet were they not afraid to speak boldly in his name But then we must remember those things were simply unlawfull Worshipping Images a plain breach of the second Commandement neglect of prayer a sin both against the first and second and the not preaching contrary to the very precept given to those particular persons Ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea c. Acts 1.8 So then before we deny our active obedience it is fit we be well satisfied the things are indeed unlawful for which we deny it Fancy or opinion will not serve the turn Nay a mis-informed conscience will not secure us from guilt because that mis-information is in it self a sin But if upon good ground we find they are such then Rule 3. In case unlawful commands be laid upon us we must quietly submit to those penalties which are appointed by the Laws of our Princes And this is the true passive obedience As sin must not be committed so suffering must not be declined It is true shall God afford a way of escape so as liberty or life may be secured without violating our conscience we may thankefully accept it but if not we are engaged to submit unto bonds imprisonment and death it self Thus the three Children though they would not worship the Image Dan. 3.21 Dan. 6.16 refused not to be cast into the fiery furnace Thus Daniel though after the decree continuing his supplications submitted to be thrown into the Den of Lions and the Apostles though they desisted not from preaching Acts 5.41 In Orat. cont Gracos pag. 144. Edit Morell yet took they their punishment patiently rejoycing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his Name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was Tatianus his answer when commanded to deny his God It is the onely thing I shall refuse to doe but though I must not be perswaded to it I can be content to die for it And Tertullian discoursing how the Christians entertained those severe sentences pronounced against them In Apolog. cap. 50. Sententiis vestris gratias agimus cum damnamur à vobis à Deo absolvimur We thank you saith he for them because when condemned by you we are absolved by God And certainly this is the true way of learning our Saviours lesson Luke 21.19 In your patience possess ye your souls Which will make way for the fourth Rule Rule 4. We are not upon the account of any unlawful commands to rebel against our King God hath not in any case allowed it and it is directly contrary to that passive obedience which we are engaged to exercise Solomon tells us of a King against whom there is no rising up Prov. 30.31 For him we may and ought to rise against him we may not Wars tumults seditions or the fomenting these upon what pretence soever by Subjects against their Soveraign are utterly against the word of God The peoples duty is subjection and Princes are accountable to God alone it is not for us to usurpe his place to correct or punish them at our pleasure My Son fear thou the Lord and the King and meddle not with them that are given to change Prov. 24.21 cum seditiosis so some Translations render it with the seditious Rebellion is a most grievous sin and it is impossible a Rebel should ever be reconciled to God without a very great measure of repentance The Apostle hath entailed damnation upon them Whosoever resisteth the Powers resisteth the Ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation In Apolog. cap. 37. Rom. 13.2 Tertullian applauding the quietness of Christians under their Heathen Governours shewes plainly that if they durst be Rebels they might easily be Conquerors or if not Conquerors the Prince would have so many fewer to defend him they filling the Streets and Cities and Armies and concluding against such pernicious practices tells how willingly they were slain that they durst not have a thought of rebelling but on the contrary nunc pauciores hostes habetis prae multitudine Christianorum Now saith he the number of our enemies is so much the less by how much the number of Christians is the greater I have run through the doctrinal part of the Text and shewed you wherein this Honour to the King consists and upon what grounds it is due with some Rules to direct you in your obedience to their commands Let me conclude all with a short Application And the use I insist upon shall neither be a reproof of former neglects Vse men love not to have their sore places rubbed too hard nor of humiliation for former errors God knows that is too proper for a 30 of January but of exhortation to duty and to the duty in the Text If you be Christians you are obliged to this which is the duty of Christians if the servants of God you are bound to be ruled by the word of God Yea let me say we have greater reason than those who lived in the infancy of the Church Their Princes were persecuting Heathens ours is a Christian King Nay we have a stronger engagement upon us than to an ordinary Christian King if we reflect upon what God hath done for him and for us in him And here let me but remind you of two things 1. He is a King whom God wonderfully preserved to bring unto his Throne Covering him from the dangerous attempts of his enemies under the shadow of his own wings It is not fit we should forget what snares were laid to entrap him before the barbarous murder of his Royall Father what tempting offers were made to betray him after his escape from the defeat at Worcester How particular a Brovidence attended him in forreign Countries during his tedious exile But with all imaginable thankfulness are we to commemorate the wonderfull goodness of God who kept him unchangeable in his Religion amidst the plausible allurements of his Popish friends and the detestable ingratitude of his pretended Protestant Subjects Large promises were made by the one in case he would countenance their Superstitions and the cunningest contrivances were laid by the other to support their unjust interests Yet God kept him untainted by the first and rendred him secure from the latter disappointing them in our own devices For 2. He is a King after such preservation brought to his Kingdom by Gods miraculous power It is true the hand of heaven may be seen in all things but in some more visibly than in others I could almost say few passages of Providence have been more strangely remarkable than this whereof we speak To give you a short account of it Notwithstanding the variety of interests abroad in the Kingdom notwithstanding the multitude of foes we may easily imagine he had some drawn to be so