A SERMON Preached at Reading Feb. 25. 1672. AT THE ASSIZES There holden for the County of BERKS Before the Right Honourable Sir EDWARD TVRNER Knight and Baronet Lord Chief Baron And Sir EDWARD THURLAND Knight One of the Barons of His Majesties Court of Exchequer By JOSEPH SAYER B. D. Rector of NEWBVRY LONDON Printed for Henry Brome at the Gun at the West-end of St. Pauls MDCLXXIII Rom. 13. part of the 5th Verse Wherefore ye must needs be Subject IT was not without great cause that the first Preachers of the Gospel viz. the blessed Apostles did insist so very much upon and did press with so much earnestness the Inferiours duty to his Superiour For they having preached a liberty in Christ Jesus some licentious Spirits began thereupon to think themselves free from all acts of service and obedience to their Governours thus abusing their Christian freedom to the great scandal and reproach of the Christian Faith by making it a pretence for the flesh Hence the Apostle St. Peter gives a large Exhortation in these words 1 Pet. 2.12 13 14 15 16. Submit your selves to every Ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether it be to the King as Supreme or unto Governours as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil doers and for the praise of them that do well that in so doing you may have your conversation honest among the Gentiles that whereas they speak evil of you as of evil doers they may by your good works which they shall see glorifie God in the day of visitation For so is the will of God that by well-doing you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men As free and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness but as the servants of God In which words the Apostle plainly insinuates that there is no such inconsistency between the Magistrates Authority and our Christian Liberty as some might think there was That they might yea and ought to maintain the one and yet withal submit to the other That it were a shameful abuse of our Liberty and a very great dishonour to our Christian Profession under pretence of being Christians to refuse to do the duty of Subjects That Christ meant not to erect a Kingdom that should destroy or but disturb the Kingdoms of this World but to confirm them rather by injoyning Obedience upon stricter obligations and severer penalties than were formerly thought of such as are the declared will and pleasure of Almighty God under the penalty of his eternal wrath and damnation That the Liberty to which he calls the Subjects of his spiritual Kingdom is a Liberty like his Kingdom 't is a spiritual not a sensual freedom 't is a freedom to serve God not a freedom from the service of men That Christians as being all spiritual Kings are to rule over their own lusts and not live according to their lusts denying Subjection and Obedience unto Temporal Princes for that were to make their Liberty become a cloak for their maliciousness or their covetousness or licentiousness And as the Apostle St. Peter so his dear Brother this most blessed Apostle St. Paul not only charges it on his son Titus that he should put men in mind to be subject to Principalities and Powers and to obey Magistrates Tit. 3.1 but he does it also himself in this Chapter Rom. 13.1 Let every soul be subject to the Higher Powers And not only minds them of their duty but presses it with such variety of Arguments that in the whole Book of God there is scarcely any one duty that is prest with so much instance and importunity as this is Which does argue both the great necessity of the thing and our averseness thereunto that by Nature i. e. Nature corrupted we can brook no Government for who is willing to be ruled and yet bear it we must a necessity is laid upon us we must needs be subject and that for these reasons Because 1. If we respect the Original Fountain or Efficient Cause of Government it has God for its Author That 's the Apostles first Argument for Subjection and Obedience to all Humane Authority taken from the Author Founder Instituter and Ordainer of such Authority Rom. 13.1 There is no Power but of God The person ruling may be sometimes such a one as that we cannot say he is of God God by his Prophet Hosea does complain of some Rulers They are set up Hos 8.4 but not by me their way of coming to the Government is by such means as God prohibits And the use of the Power may be as bad as the coming by it as in King Jeroboam who abused his Authority in making Israel to sin 1 Kin. 14.16 14.16 But the Power it self is always of God and he that comes to it lawfully is sent of God and therefore to such we must needs be subject For shan't we own that Power that has God for its Author Rom. 13.4 Magistracy is the Ordinance of God Magistrates are the Ministers of God therefore it is our duty to be subject to it and them This is the Apostles first Argument for Subjection and Obedience to Authority taken from the Author of it 2. A second Argument is taken from the advantage and comeliness of order whence God himself has his Title 1 Cor. 14.33 40. He is the God of order He is the Author not of confusion but of peace And he has declared it to be his will that all things be done decently and according to order which is the beauty of Nature the ornament of Art and the harmony of the World without which it can no more subsist than the body can without a due temperament of the humours Now the Powers that be Rom. 13.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are ordained of God God has ordered them as they are He has not only ordained them i. e. instituted and appointed them as we commonly understand the word but by him they are set in order and disposed into several ranks as it more properly signifies He sets up Kings in the highest place giving them the Supremacy and under them he sets up Judges Governours 1 Pet. 2.13 and subordinate Officers to facilitate that work by the assistance of many which would otherwise prove too heavy for any one mans undertaking 3. A third Argument is taken from the evil of sin that is contracted by disobeying Not to obey the Power is to sin against Almighty God 'T is a violation of the Command of the Supreme Law-giver Whosoever resisteth the Power Rom. 13.2 resisteth the Ordinance of God In opposing the one he rebels against the other He is a Rebel against God that rises up against his Prince or makes any opposition to the Governours that are sent by him The confederacy of Corah and his Complices against Moses and Aaron Num. 16.11 is called a gathering of themselves together against the Lord. 4. A fourth
but by serious and judicious Writers as particularly Bishop Andrews upon the Text between 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word that might have been used and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word which our Saviour rather chose to use the one takes in whatsoever is contained in the other and does withal imply a readiness a frankness and a cheerfulness in the Giver Princes are ordained of God for the good of those committed to their charge Rom. 13.6 they attend continually on this very thing and for this reason pay we Tribute to them as in the next Verse after my Text. They defend us from Enemies abroad they suppress Robbers and redress injuries at home The administration of Justice the security of our Lives the quiet and peaceable possession of our goods are from them under God Men look a skew on the Incomes of Princes but consider not their vast Expences Judges Councellors Officers of State a continual Guard sending forth Embassadors Rewards to the well-deserving for universal incouragement the maintaining of Navies by Sea and Armies by Land according as need requires and infinite the like occasions cannot be discharged without great Treasure which is the ornament of Peace and Sinews of War Beside that a King ought to be maintained as a King and his great care does deserve a very great reward 'T was an Adagial Saying among the Jews which our Saviour brought into his Gospel Luk. 10.7 Luc. 10.7 that The Labourer is worthy of his Hire And to detain the Labourers Wages to defraud him of his Hire has been ever reckoned as a sin of the first rank and of the highest degree The Apostle St. James calls it a crying sin Jam. 5.4 Jam. 5.4 The Prophet Jeremy denounces a Wo against him that uses his Neighbours service without wages Jer. 22.13 Jer. 22.13 Mal. 3.5 And in Mal 3.5 God has threatned that he will be a swift witness against those that defraud the Hireling in his wages Custom and Tribute are the Kings Wages for the Work he does us they are the Hire of his service God has appointed him his Work Rom. 13.4.6 7. and has assigned him his Wages also To defraud him therefore of it is a kind of theft yea the highest degree of theft worse than picking of Pockets or rifling of Houses or robbing on the High-ways 't is a theft from the whole Kingdom which may be and is many times indangered by it The Kings business is to defend us but if we defraud him of his due we disable him from it And surely if men did but consider what are the cares and troubles what the toils and labours of that high and sacred Calling how many sharp thorns are interwoven in every Crown they would find very little cause to envy the Prince his due A conscientious care ought to be taken in the levying of Taxes that the rich mans burthen be not carelesly or wilfully laid on the weaker shoulders of the poor But whatsoever is their just proportion must be paid even by the poor if they are able and that out of conscience not grudgingly or of necessity but of a ready mind and with Christian cheerfulness considering that it is not the greediness of Princes to impose Taxes for the gratification of their own will and pleasure but it is the holy Ordinance of God for the common good and safety both of Prince and People and that it were a most unequal and most unreasonable thing to expect the benefit of Government and Laws and not be willing and ready to contribute toward their maintenance 3. We are to honour those in Authority by affording them our best assistance the assistance of our Prayers and Persons 1. We must afford them the assistance of our Prayers and those strengthned and made effectual by a sober just and holy conversation 'T is injoined us by St. Paul 1 Tim. 2.1 2 1 Tim. 2.1 2. that Supplications Prayers Intercessions and giving Thanks be made for all men but especially for Kings and all that are in Authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty But to what purpose is this injoined to wicked men for we know that God heareth not the prayers of sinners Joh. 9.31 Joh. 9.31 And If I regard iniquity in my heart God will not hear my prayer Psal 66.18 Psal 66.18 Yea the Sacrifice or Prayer of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord Prov. 15.8 Prov. 15.8 Therefore to the fervency of our Prayer that it may be effectual we must join godliness and honesty for otherwise while we seem to pray devoutly for our Prince and in the mean time live ungodly and dishonestly our profane and wicked lives make our Prayers of none effect our Prayers will not avail so much to preserve him as such lives will be of force to undo him It is no unusual thing for the Subjects sin to be the Princes ruine so the Prophet told the Children of Israel when God had first given them a King 1 Sam. 12.25 If you still do wickedly you shall be consumed both you and your King And they found the proof of it in the loss of the best King that ever they had 2 Chron. 35.24 28. I mean Josiah that excellent Prince who in the prime of his days was cut off for those sins that were not his but his peoples He had brought them to their Prayers but those Prayers could not be heard for the cry of their sins 2. We must afford them the assistance of our Persons We must not think much to expose our own Lives for the desence and preservation of theirs We must strive to the very utmost of our power and with the utmost peril to our selves to preserve and to defend their Persons and with their Persons all their Rights and Royalties all their Dignities and Prerogatives We are not to seek our own 1 Cor. 10.24 but every one anothers wealth yea to lay down our lives one for another 1 Joh. 3.16 We must be ready to do this for any one but especially for those that have Authority over us whose life and prosperity is of greatest moment and concern both to our selves and to the whole Nation Thus the people in Davids time were ready upon all occasions to stand between him and danger In the War against Absalom when they drew out into the field they engaged him by all means to abide in the City for said they Thou art worth ten thousand of us 2 Sam. 18.3 And when afterwards in those Wars against the Philistines King David was in danger of being slain by Ishbi-benob who was Brother to the great Goliah of Gath Abishai stept in and succoured him 2 Sam. 21.16 17. hazarding his own life to save the Kings and not only so but the whole Army of Israel made a vow among themselves that the King should go no more into Battail for fear of Quenching
of all Religion Justice and Charity Now in all these several instances we are obliged to yiâ—ld Obedience though secured from any penalty that might ensue upon our not obeying The addition of a penalty to the preceptive part of the Law being to extort Obedience from the careless and unconscionable the good man needs it not It pertains not to the essence of a Law that a penalty be joined with it the form thereof consisting not at all in the Minatory but in the Mandatory part of the Law it being of equal force on the Conscience when it comes naked and disarmed of any punishment to inforce Obedience as when drest up with all the terrours of a most severe and grievous infliction And he who fears the Lord and makes Conscience of what he does will be obedient for Gods sake though he stand out of danger or fear of any punishment from man Lastly As in things lawful 't is our Duty to yield an active Obedience to what the Magistrate is pleased to command so to their punishments we are to yield a passive Obedience In both these we have the example of Gods ancient people in the profession and promise of their Obedience to Joshuah Josh 1.16 17 18. All that thou commandest us we will do and whither soever thou sendest us we will go According as we hearkned unto Moses in all things so will we hearken unto thee And whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy Command and will not hearken to thy words in all that thou commandest him he shall be put to death But for this part of passive Obedience as the Apostle says What glory is it 1 Pet. 2.20 1 Pet. 2.20 if when you be buffetted for your faults ye take it patiently There is a higher degree of passive Obedience in submitting to suffer for the not doing of those things in which we cannot with a good Conscience yield an active Obedience If you can find in your heart to suffer thus for a good Conscience and if when you suffer thus you take it patiently this is acceptable before God says the same Apostle in the latter part of that Verse Thus did Christ himself as it follows in the next Verse 1 Pet. 2.21 and thus all good Christians after his example they will not only bear those punishments which they justly suffer for their faults but when punished without cause and against all rules of Justice they will put up all such wrongs with patience when imposed by lawful Authority There is one only case wherein the Magistrates Command ought not to be obeyed and that is when he commands things contrary to what Gods Word has plainly commanded But there is no case wherein his Power or Person may be resisted by force of Arms or affronted with railing expressions A King is one against whom there is no rising up Prov. 30.31 Prov. 30.31 He may not be contradicted not so much as with a sawcy word in what he does to our displeasure Eccles 8.4 Eccles 8.4 Where the word of a King is there is power and who may say unto him What dost thou 'T is expresly charged upon us Not to revile the Gods nor to curse the Ruler of the people Exod. 22 28 Exod. 22 28. which the Apostle in his quotation of it does thus explain Acts. 23.5 Act. 23 5. Thou shalt not speak evil of the Ruler of the people Evil ought not to be spoken of him no not though he do evil Christians ought to suffer as did Christ their Saviour in whose steps they ought to tread who when he was reviled he reviled not again and when he suffered he threatned not Pet. 2.23 1 Pet. 2.23 Whosoever they are that shall presume to do the contrary that holy Apostle is so far from allowing them the glorious Title of Christians that he will not own them to be men They are Monsters without Reason as well as void of all Religion They that speak evil of Dignities 2 Pet. 2.10 12. and despise Government says that blessed Apostle are natural bruit beasts made to be taken and destroyed as not fit to live in any civil society Their doom there follows They shall receive the reward of their unrighteousness 2 Pet. 2.12 13. and shall utterly perish in their own corruption Notwithstanding all which some men are never well but when they are taxing their Governours and faulting the Government It is meat and drink to them to be speaking of the errours and miscarriages of their Princes many times finding fault when there is no fault truly to be found or if there be a fault publishing it to all they meet and by adding aggravations of their own devising making it seem worse than indeed it is this is the next step to Rebellion He that rails at his Prince would resist him if he durst and by speaking ill of his Government he but stirs up his fellow-subjects to wish and when occasion serves to assist him in its overthrow If a Prince do that which is unjust or unbecoming 't is not for his Subjects sawcily to upbraid him with it or reproach him for it said Elihu in Job 34.18 Job 34.18 Is it fit to say to a King Thou art wicked or to Princes You are ungodly No it is not fit it is very unfit and what deserves a very smart return of punishment By the Law of God He that cursed his Father or his Mother was to be put to death Exod. 21.17 Exod. 21.17 And can he deserve less punishment that shall dare to curse the King who is Pater Patriae Father of his Country He is much more worthy of it C ham was cursed by his Father and that curse was ratified by God for uncovering his Fathers nakedness but blessed were Shem and Japhet for covering their Fathers nakedness which their Brother had discovered and derided They had their Fathers blessing and the blessing of their heavenly Father they were blessed on Earth and are blessed in Heaven 'T is our Duty to do the like to conceal that which we cannot justifie and what we cannot conceal to excuse as far as lawfully we may without sinning against Almighty God by denying the fact or defending the evil of it These are all plain Scripture-Rules and they who walk according to these Rules Gal. 6.16 Peace be on them and on the Israel of God But whosoever they are that shall presume to teach or do the contrary be they never so great Gen. 49.6 and seem never so good Into their secret let not our Soul come FINIS
Argument is taken from the evil of punishment that is incurr'd by disobeying They that resist shall receive to themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 13.2 judgment or as we render it damnation i. e. according to the ordinary course of Gods Providence they shall receive some grievous punishment here in this World Prov. 17.11.24.22 A cruel Messenger shall be sent against them and their destruction shall come suddainly God for the most part being more quick and more severe in revenging those Injuries and Indignities that are offered to his Deputies his Lieutenants his Vicegerents here on earth than those greater and more hainous crimes that are committed more immediately against Himself He has declared it to be his will Deut. 17.12 13. that if any man will do presumptuously and will not hearken to the Priest and to the Judge that man shall die and so evil shall be put away from Israel and so the people shall hear and fear and do no more presumptuously We now live in an Age when 't is scarce thought to be a sin not to hearken to the Judge or to the Priest but you see how God accounts it and what provision he has made for such sinners even temporal destruction that man shall die i e. he ought to be put to death And since God has declared it to be sin he that dies in it without repentance shall in the world to come suffer death everlasting that 's the full import of the phrase They shall receive to themselves damnation An instance whereof we have in Corah and his Complices who for their stubborn and seditious carriage towards Moses and Aaron Num. 16.30 Psal 55.15 went down quick into Hell 5. A fifth Argument is taken from the end for which Magistracy was ordained viz. the benefit of Humane Society the good of all Mankind that by an equal distribution of rewards and punishments Peace may be preserved Mens rights defended Religion protected Vertue incouraged and Vice supprest This is what 's contained in the two Verses next immediately preceding my Text Now from all these several reasons we have here the Apostles conclusion in my Text That Subjection to Authority is the Christians Duty All these things considered we must needs be subject 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is a necessity of being subject The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly signifies to be subordinate It extends both to the State of Subjection and to the exercise of the Subjects Duty as St. Chrysostom well observes And as to Duty it includes whatsoever Duty or Service may be challenged by Superiours at the hands of Inferiours It is required that we observe the order wherein God has set us and that we walk orderly that we keep to the station of Subjects and that we do as does belong to Subjects But to speak more distinctly these particular Duties are included in this general In the first place 1. Being a Subject to keep the rank of a Subject to be content with our own station cheerfully to submit our selves to that state and condition of life to which God in his good pleasure has designed and appointed us Phil. 4 11. I have learnt says holy Paul in whatsoever estate I am therewith to be content 1 Cor. 7. And Let every man abide in that calling wherein he is called with God says the same Apostle two or three times in one Chapter The better to understand his meaning there you may do well to observe that the Corinthians 1 Cor. 1.3 being as yet but Carnal as the Apostle tells them having generally more of the Flesh than of the Spirit more of lgnorance and Corruption than of Grace and Knowledge mistook their Christian Calling to be an exemption from the Duties of other Callings as if their Liberty in Christ Jesus had cancelled all precedent Obligations both of nature and voluntary agreement 'T is that which I intimated before in the entrance of this Discourse The Husband would put away his Wife the Wife reject her Husband Children disrespect their Parents Servants disregard their Masters and themselves become too masterly In a word all persons of what rank or condition soever were apt to break the bonds of those relations in which they stood obliged one to another all under this pretence and on this ground that Christ by the introduction of his Gospel and their reception of it had made them free Now in this passage the holy Apostle St. Paul does designedly correct this errour principally indeed and as the present Argument led him in the particular of Marriage but with a further and more universal extent to all states and conditions of life The sum of what he says is this that they who are any way related unto others notwithstanding that they are Christians must still own their relations and continue to perform all Offices suitable though the persons to whom they bear those relations are meer Pagans Infidels Heathens and Unbelievers The Wife must be contented with the condition of a Wife and as a Wife she must behave her self to her Husband though an Infidel The Servant must content himself with the condition of a Servant and as a Servant must behave himself towards his Master though an Unbeliever And in like manner a Subject must content himself with the condition of a Subject and as a Subject must behave himself towards his Sovereign though a Pagan though a Tyrant though a Persecutor the relation which they had to Christ being not designed to weaken and make void but to strengthen those relations in which they stood obliged one to another whether natural or induced by contract and agreement The general Rule to this purpose he conceives in form of an Exhortation That every person whatsoever notwithstanding that relation which he bears to Christ and the freedom which he has by him should abide in that station wherein God has placed him keep himself within the bounds and limits thereof and with a quiet and religious care cheerfully and contentedly undergo the Duties that pertain thereto 1 Cor. 7.17 In few words As God has distributed to every man and as he has called every man so let him walk And for fear lest his Exhortation to this purpose being unsuitable to what they were very much inclined to might be less heeded than 't was necessary it should that he might recommend it so much the more both to their observation and practice he does inforce it a second time 1 Cor. 7.20 Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he is called And again once more Brethren let every man wherein he is called therein abide with God 1 Cor. 7.24 This the Learned and most Judicious Dr. Sanderson has observed to be the scope and drift of the place and the design of all these several Instructions Precepts or Exhortations You have the like Precept from the Apostle elsewhere Study to be quiet and meddle with your own business