proceeded no lesse severely against Rebels But most strict is that Law of God promulged by the mouth of the Apostle Therefore whosoever resisteth the Power c. resisteth the Ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation that is as all Divines expound it temporall here and without repentance eternall hereafter And as for those that doe calumniate and derogate from the Power c. of Princes here by their seditious words and scandalous writings although perhaps they may escape the hands of men yet they shall never avoid the judgements of God from whose all-seeing eye of Providence nothing can bee hid against whose omnipotent Power nothing can resist and by whose most just judgements no wickednesse can goe unpunished No lesse wittily then pithily St. Ang. For whereas the doctrine of the Apostle doth make mention of these earthly powers he doth insinuate into our apprehensions even the parts of the heavenly judgement For whenas hee doth enjoyne us to obey the Lawes of the world hee doth necessarily admonish us to take heed of the world to come If thou wilt not saith he feare the Powers doe that which is good which is as much to say If thou wilt not fear the judgement to come then eschew evill and doe good whilest thou art here Therfore we ought to take heed performe the first forme of this Constitution which wants the lawes of this life that we may exclude keep from us that fore-judgement of eternall death in the other life because those whom this temporall punishment doth not take hold of here there that eternall punishment wil follow with insufferable torment hereafter Amongst other examples of the judgements of God upon rebellious gainsaying and disobedient Persons we have that dreadfull and horrible example of Corah Dathan and Abiram in the holy Scriptures which the Spirit of God sets downe as a warning to us that we fall not into the like contradiction lest wee fall into the like condemnation Of whom Optatus Milevitanus writing against the Donatists who did refuse to obey their Magistrates as too many of the Smectymnuan rout Antipodian state doe now amongst us thus delivers himselfe Schisma summum c. That Schisme is a great evill you your selves cannot deny and yet without the least feare you doe imitate your most desperate Ring-leaders Corah Dathan and Abiram nor will you set before your eyes or once take it into your hearts that this evill is both prohibited by the word of God and revenged with a most grievous judgement And a little after The Congregation of Ministers and the Sacrilegious multitude that was soon to bee confounded did stand with their inter dicted and forbidden Sacrifices time for repentance was denied and withheld from them because their fault was such as it deserved no pardon A command of hunger was laid upon the earth which presently opened her greedy jawes upon them that caused division amongst the people and with an insatiable mouth did swallow up the contemners of Gods word In a moments space the earth clave asunder to deuoure those fore-named separatists it did swallow them up then was closed againe upon them And lest they should seeme to receive a courtesie by their soddain death as they were not worthy to live so they were not vouchsafed to die Upon a suddaine they were cast into the prison of Hell and so buried before they were dead St. Aug. having occasion to speake of the same Separates cap. 29. of the wonders of the holy Scripture speaks to the same purpose cap. 30. of the same book he doth thus enlarge his Meditations Again the next day the whol multitude gathered themselves together against Moses and Aaron as guilty of blood and would have slain them in revenge of those that were killed But here both Moses and Aaron come before the Tabernacle of the Congregation and again the wrath of the Lord went forth and raged amongst the rebellious people And againe Aaron at the command of Moses filling his Censer with fire from off the Altar ran into the midst of the Congregation and standing between the living and the dead the plague was stayed A just judgement inflicted on both that they who did inwardly burne with the fire of Anger against their lawfull Princes should now outwardly perish with the burning flame of most deserved vengeance he that in his heart had forgiven the offence of his brethren by his footsteps others being defended the fire from Heaven durst not consume But they that died of the plague that day were 1400. whom the wrath of the Lord consumed Wherefore to draw to a conclusion as the Apostle admonisheth and comandeth We must needs be subject not only for wrath but also for Conscience Because as S. Peter saith this is the will of God that with well doing wee may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men as free not using our Liberty for a cloake of maliciousnesse but as the servants of God For although as S. Aug. hath it we are called to that kingdom where there shall be no such powers yet while wee live here in our journey thither untill such time as wee shall come to that Age where there shall be an annihilation ceasing of all Principalitie and Power let us cheerefully and willingly undergoe our condition according to the order of humane things not dealing feignedly and hypocritically and so doing we shall not so much obey man under whose command we are as God who doth command us to be obedient to them Therefore to use S. Peters words He that will love life and see good daies let him refraine his tongue from evill and his lips that they speake no guile let him eschew evill and doe good let him seeke Peace and ensue it Let him beare in mind that commandement of God Thou shalt not revile the Gods nor curse the Ruler of thy people And not forget the councell of the Preacher Curse not the King no not in thy thought for a bird of the ayre shall carry the voice and that which hath wings shall tell the matter But let him embrace the councell of king Solomon not only the wisest of Kings but of all other men My son saith he feare thou the Lord and the King and meddle not with them that are given to change for it is our Saviours saying who is truth it selfe and ought to be beleeved before all our pretended Reformadoes whosoever shall take up the Sword especially against Gods annoynted contrary to the word of God shall perish with the Sword And thus having gathered certaine flowers out of the garden of Divinity Philosophy History and Policy to make a Crowne for Royalty and a nosegay for Loyalty there wants nothing now but that same thread of Charity which the Apostle casseth {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the bond of perfection to constringe and binde
kept in the course of this life and that he is not to be subject to the higher powers to whom for a time the government of temporall things is concredited And a little farther If any man therefore think that because he is a Christian he is not to pay custome tribute or due honour to those higher powers to whom those things of right doe appertaine he is in a great errour But this rule is to be observed which the Lord himself prescribed that we give unto Caesar the things that are Caesars and unto God the things that are Gods S. Jerome whose sentence is inscribed among the Canons saith thus If it be good which the Emperour or Magistrate commands obey the will of him that commands but if it be evill answer him out of the Acts of the Apostles It is better to obey God then men S. Chrysostome upon the words of the Apostle Let every soule submit himselfe to the higher powers thus descants {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Although thou beest an Apostle although an Euangelist although a Prophet or whatsoever else thou beest thou must submit S. Ambrose thus expresseth himselfe I could grieve I could weep I could mourne my teares are weapons against the armies and soldiers of the Goths for such are the weapons of a Priest Otherwise I neither ought nor will resist Bernard to Lodowick King of France writes in this manner But whatsoever it shall please your Majesties mind to doe we that are the sonnes of the Church cannot in the least dissemble the injuries contempts and scorn even to the trampling under foot of our mother c. And a little after But we will stand out and fight even to the death if necessity shall require for our mother but with such weapons as are lawful for us to use Not with swords but with words not with shields but with prayers and tears to God And in another place If the whole world should conspire against me to make me attempt any thing against Royall Authority yet I would feare God and would not dare to doe any thing rashly against the King that is ordained by him For I well know where I have read Whosoever resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God c. Amongst later Writers Cardinall Cajetan thus Comments upon Saint Paul After that the Apostle had instructed the Romans about the use of the body affaires of the world and the gifts of God he doth now prosecute his instruction about the use of liberty in respect of Princes For he gives them a caution lest by reason of the liberty which they had obtained by Christ they should think themselves to be exempted from the power of Secular Princes And to this end he doth instruct them that they should be subject to Secular Powers And whereas he ought to have said Every man he doth more significantly say every soule that so we might understand not only our estates not onely our bodies but even our souls ought to be subject to temporal Kings in those things which they may lawfully command And in saying All or every he excepteth none See how the Fathers doe with one consent Vote that we must give obedience to Kings although they be wicked in all things that are not unlawfull That honour tribute obedience and the like must be given to lawfull Princes and that there is no other remedy against their violence and injustice but prayers and teares to Almighty God What doe we think that they were destitute of strength that they could not oppose one power with another or repell one injury with another Were they so stupid and ignorant that they did not understand what power was in the Pope or People to reduce their Kings into good government They wanted neither power to resist nor forces to rebell if we dare give credit to Tertullian who yet is of sufficient authority and antiquity to be beleeved even without our assent thus writing in his Apologie against the Gentiles But far be it that either the children of God should be exempted from the furie of man or that they should grieve to suffer in that thing wherein they are tryed For if we would take upon us to be open and professed enemies doe you think that wee could want money or men Are we not more in in number then the Moores and Marcomanns the Parthians themselves or the Gentiles how great soever they be let them be but of one place and of their neighbours adjoyning unto them yea then of the whole world besides We are but of yesterday and yet we have filled all places among you your Cities Islands Cittadels Burroughs Assemblies your very Camps your Tribes of the common people Decuries of the Judges Palaces Senats Judicatories onely we leave your Temples to your selves for what war have we not been fit and ready to manage even with fewer forces who thus willingly suffer our selves to be put to death if that we were not disciplined by our Religion that it is more lawfull for us to be killed then to kill Thus far Tertullian with whom S. Augustine is not discrepant you may find his sentence to be registred among the Canons in these words Julian was an Infidel and unbeleeving Emperour was he not likewise an Apostate an enemie an Idolater yet the Christian soldiers served under this unbeleeving Emperour When they came to the cause of Christ they did acknowledge none but him that is in heaven when he would have them to worship Idols and to sacrifice then they did prefer God before him but when he said unto them Lead forth the Armie go against such a Nation they did presently obey him They did distinguish the Lord eternall from a Temporall Lord and yet they were subject unto their Temporall Lord for their eternall Lords sake When Jovianus after the death of the fore-named Julian was elected by his armie to be their Emperour and he refusing began to speake in these words unto them I cannot seeing I am a Christian command such men nor take the Government upon me of Julians Armie which he hath imbued with such venemous precepts and pernicious discipline Which and words of the like nature when the Souldiers had heard they began to shout with one acclamation and say O Emperour let not your minde be troubled with such doubtings nor yet wave the command of us as if we were prophane and wicked for you shall finde both Christians of us and men disciplin'd in piety to doe you service From which recited places it may appeare that it was no such difficult matter for the Christians in the Primitve times to have coërced their Emperours by whom they were miserably afflicted and most cruelly used if it had beene lawfull for Subjects to rise up against their Princes But if those forementioned fathers endued with no lesse science then conscience and furnished with as much
he includes all of all orders and states all sexes and conditions As if hee should have said All whatsoever they be that do live in a Common-wealth must submit themselves to the supreme Magistrate that is the head of that Common-wealth So that in the Apostles precept we have not onely implyed the qualities of their persons that are subjects but we have also expressed the nature of their duties viz. Subjection and obedience We shall not need to goe farre then to search after the duty of Subjects to their Prince the Apostle he hath done it to our hands it is Obedience And so the Augustane Confession in the 16. Article doth acknowledge it The first Commandement of the second Table which as the Apostle speaks is the first Commandement with promise doth set forth this duty by the name of Honour For So we read it in the Decalogue Honour thy father and thy mother that thy dayes may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee Exod. 20.12 Where by father according to the unanimous consent of all Divines we are to understand not onely our naturall father that did beget us but our spirituall Father also that doth teach us and our Civill father likewise the King who is Pater patriae the Father of our Country that doth protect us And then by honour which we are commanded to yeeld to this Father we are to conceive all those duties which are comprehended in it Now the Politicians doe tell us that this name of Honour doth consist of sixe severall members which doe imply as many severall duties which every Subject is bound to performe to the Prince his head viz. Agnition Reverence Love Obedience Gratitude and Equity The first member wherein this honour doth consist and the first duty which every Subject is to performe unto his Prince is Agnition that is an acknowledgement of Gods Ordinance in the office of the Prince For God will have his owne Ordinance to be acknowledged in the Civill Magistrate and that we doe conceive of him as constituted by God seeing that as the Apostle speaks there is no power but of God and the powers that be are ordained of God After which manner did the woman of Tekoah conceive of King David when as she being sent by Joab to intercede for Absolom that he might returne from his banishment into the Kings favour For as an Angel of God saith she so is my Lord the King to discern good and bad And a little after My Lord is wise according to the wisdome of an Angel of God And so did Mephibosbeth esteem of him when as he did compellate him with the same title But my Lord the King is as an Angel of God Which agnition and acknowledgement of Gods ordinance in him is a notable meanes to stir up our obedience to him The second member wherein this honour doth consist is Reverence when as Subjects look upon their Prince not onely as a man but as a man of God and reverence not so much his person as his office For the King is Gods legat and his Vicar presenting his person And therefore Saint Peter when he exhorts to the feare of God he doth annex the honour of the King as if there can be no true feare of God without due reverence to the King who presents Gods person For which cause Solomon the wisest of men richest of Kings doth joyne the feare of God and the King together the King for presenting Gods perion is called God not {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} as Plato styles him as a God amongst men but {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} an earthly God being Gods Minister Yea as the Prophet David and before him Moses God himselfe Yea to goe farther God himselfe doth so call him Ego dixi I have said it Ye are Gods Which yet we must not understand as if they were so {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} indeed but {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} in name not {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} by nature but {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} by office And so much the very heathen did acknowledge For it is reported of Philip of Macedonia that he was wont to say that a King ought to remember that he being a man doth discharge the office of God and the office which he doth execute is from thence named {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} a power like unto Gods Whence it is that S. Augustine saith the King bearing the image of God ought therefore to be reverenced if not for himselfe at least yet for his office sake The third member wherein this honour doth consist is Love And it is another duty of Subjects to love their Princes Not onely for their office which they in the name and place of God do undergoe but for the manifold benefits and commodities which they receive from them by their happy government Thus was King David accepted in the eyes of all the people whither soever he was sent Kings as you heard are Patres patriae Fathers of their Country and therefore Subjects ought to respect them with a filiall love even as children do love their fathers A fourth member wherein this honour doth consist is Obedience Subjects must willingly and readily yeeld obedience to all the just and honest commandes of their Princes which do no wayes repugne the lawes of God They must not onely acknowledge Reverentiam Subjectionis a reverence of Subjection but they must also give them obedientians jussionis an obedience to their just commands For as Saint Chrysost 〈◊〉 observeth a people that obeyeth not their Prince is like to them that have no Prince at all yea and in a worse estate for you cannot call that a Kingdome where the King is neglected and his Laws not observed He seemeth to mee to have lost his Kingdome saith the Philosopher who hath lost his due obedience from his Subjects And therefore Subjects must obey their Prince not onely for feare of wrath that is to escape punishment if they neglect their duty but also for conscience sake as the Apostle teacheth because God commands them The fift member wherein this Honour doth consist is Gratitude Subjects are bound by way of thankfulnesse to honour their Princes if it were for no other reason but because they do dayly enjoy the benefits of peace prosperity and protection by them Which gratitude must expresse it self by two other virtues as necessary as it self and without which it cannot subsist and they are these Verity and Justice Verity in acknowledging what great blessings favours and emoluments they receive by them and Justice in endeavouring to make satisfaction and compensation for them And for this cause it is that they pay them Tenths Subsidies Customes and Tributes without which not the King onely but the Kingdome also
knowledge as zeale had thought it lawfull either for the Pope or the People or any other men to regulate their Princes as they thought fit without all question they would never have suffered themselves and the whole Church of God to bee so cruelly oppressed by those wicked Emperours But as they did most freely reprehend their vices so they would at least have admonished them of their office if they had beene wanting to it But when they knew that Kings as have beene formerly not onely touched but oftentimes urged have onely God to be their judge and their avenger hence it is that they did only flee to him and piously and happily implore his aid These things saith Nazianzen did Julian meditate and deliberate as those that were witnesses and co-partners of his secrets have imparted and divulged to the world yet hee was restrained by the Ordinance of God and the teares of Christians which were then many and shed by many seeing they had no other remedie against their persecutors The like may be said of divers other wicked Princes who have either beene taken away by the singular providence of God or at length reduced to a better minde for God who is the Father and Judge of all alike doth oftentimes most justly send ungodly Princes unto a people for the punishment of their sins although they minding nothing lesse than the justice or purpose of Gods wil doe most unjustly Shall there be any evill in the City saith God by the Prophet Amos which the Lord hath not done But no sooner doe Subjects repent them of their sins and depart from their evil courses but God In whose hands the heart of Kings is and which way soever it pleaseth him as the rivers of waters he doth incline it according to his great goodnesse and singular mercie wherewith he is affected towards afflicted Penitents makes those wicked princes either cease to be or to bee tyrants Vengeance is mine saith the Lord I wil repay it This is the onely fort and sure defence against all injuries of wicked Kings they are the weapons that are to be taken up against ungodly Princes and this lastly is the most expedite way to pessundate all Tyranny But then you will say If the King should make aprey of his Subjects and impose greater taxes on them and exact more grievous Tributes and Customs on them oppressing all and every one of them with his Tyrannicall power shall we not in this Case resist and oppose him For answer of this I must tell you if we will be as we professe our selves to bee Christs Disciples and obey his word which we desire at least pretend above all things to be sincerely preached unto us wee must not resist him Now what saith Christ But I say unto you that yee resist not evill c. Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ being King of Kings and Lord of Lords as he is stiled in holy Scripture yea and the sonne of Kings according to the flesh being of the seede of David yet lest he should give offence though he were free payed Tribute to Caesar For so wee finde him discoursing with Peter The Kings of the Earth of whom doe they take Custome or Tribute of their owne Children or of Strangers Peter saith unto him of Strangers Jesus saith unto him then are the Children free Notwithstanding lest we should offend them goe thou to the Sea and cast an booke and take up the fish that first cometh up and when thou hast opened his mouth thou shalt finde a peece of money that take and give for thee mee Hereupon Bernard to Henry then Arch-bishop of the Senones thus elegantly writeth Let every Soule bee subject to the higher Powers If every Soule then yours who doth except you from the universality If any endeavor to deceive you hearken not to their Councols who seeming to be Christians hold it yet a disparagement to them to follow the Deedes or observe the Words of Christ their Master And a little after These things saith he doe they but Christ he did both bid otherwise and did otherwise Give unto Caesar the things that are Caesars and unto God the things that are Gods What he spake with his tongue hee performed with his hand as he taught so hee wrought The maker of Caesar did not deny to pay tribute to Caesar for he gave an example to you that you should also doe the like And a little farther he saith to this purpose Doe you contemne the saecular power None was more saecular then Pilat before whom our Lord stood to be adjudged Thou couldst have no power saith hee over me if it were not gâ—ven thee from above even then did he speake by himself and in himselfe shew what afterwards he did by his Apostles in his Church That there is no power but of God and that hee that resisteth the Power resisteth the Ordinance of God Before Bernard St. Ambrose wrote to the same purpose If the Emperor demands tribute we doe not deny it the lands of our Church do pay him tribute If he requires our fields he hath power to lay claim unto them none of us doe interpose or withstand him The Collation of the people may redound to the poore let them not conceive displeasure about our fields let them have them if they like them I doe neither give them the Emperor nor deny them And againe I was commanded by the Court officers and tribunes to make a speedy surrender of the Church they alleaging that the Emperor doth but use his right in demanding it for as much as all things are in his power I made this answer that if hee did require of me what was mine owne to give viz. my ground or my goods or any thing of the like nature this my right I would not deny him although even those things of mine are the poores also Very excellently St. Ang. But whereas the Apostle saith Wherefore yee must needes bee subject it is as much as if hee should have said there is a necessity for this life that we be subject not resisting if they will take any thing away from us in that they have power given them over our temporall things Now then if it were not lawfull for subjects without sin to resist their kings when they did exact unjust tributes of them and by violence take away their estates from them much lesse may we deny to Princes just tributes other things of the like nature which are requisite and necessary for the safety of the Common-wealth and cannot bee denied without its certaine ruine and the great hazard of the whole Christian Policie In the law of Moses we reade that the Man that would doe presumptuously and would not hearken to the Priest that stood to Minister before the Lord or unto the Judge even that man was to be put to death And since by the Lawes of men they have