Selected quad for the lemma: prince_n
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B12557
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The two-folde tribute or two speciall duties commanded by our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ to be rendred: the first of subiects to their Cæsar, the second of Christians to their God: for the better furtherance of the one in his regall dignitie, and of the other in his Eulangelicall ministerie. Explaned in two sermons and now published. Anno. 1613. By Richard Eburne
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Eburne, Richard.
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1613
(1613)
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STC 7474; ESTC S113959
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88,252
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106
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wicked men In this sense saith God I the Lord forme light and create darknes Isai 45. 7. I make peace and create euill and the Prophet of God Shall there be euill in a citie that is punishment for euill Amos. 3. 6. and the Lord hath not done it And in this sense wee must vnderstand that as a good King commeth from the right hand of Gods mercy so an euil from the left hand of Gods iustice For the sinnes of the people hee giueth an euill Prince I gaue thee a King in mine anger and hee maketh the hypocrite to raigne For the sinnes of the people hee suffereth Hose 13. 11. Iob. 34. 30. a good King to fall as appeares by Dauid numbring the people For the sinnes of the people he taketh a good 2. Sam. 24. 1. Prince cleane away according to that of Salomon For the transgressions of the land there are many Princes thereof and Prou. 28. 2. yet more is that which Samuel threatned If yee do wickedly ye shall perish both ye and your King According to these it 1. Sam. 12. is as I take it that Ashur is called the rod of Gods wrath and the staffe in their hands his indignation That God termeth Isai 10. 5. Nebuchad his seruant Cyrus his annointed That Ier. 27. 6. Attila King of Gothes and Vandales that somewhiles sacked Rome called himselfe Flagellum Dei that is The scourge of God and Tamberlaine himselfe Iram Dei that is the wrath of God Since therefore euery Prince euery King both good and bad is of God either as a blessing or as a plague as S. Peter commandeth seruants to be subiect to their masters 1. Pet. 2. 18. not onely If they be good and curteous but also to the froward so I aduise and so I acknowledge all subiects ought to bee subiect and obedient to their Princes with all feare and reuerence not onely being good and gratious but also though they be cruell and wicked and in so doing they shall best make it appeare that they obey and doe their dutie in singlenes of heart and for the Lords sake Motiue 2 2. The next consideration is of the hainousnes of disloyalty of disobedience rebellion treason c. Against The hainousnes of disloyalty Caesar The greatnes of which crime though but sleightlie considered is of no small force to retaine euery man within the bounds of his dutie For whereas a well gouerned peaceable kingdom resembleth the frame of the world yea the kingdome of heauen where the holy Angels and blessed Saints glorifying God day and night liue in blisse a rebellious seditious and disloyall people resemble not onely the Chaos but euen hell it selfe where is no order but euerlasting horrour and confusion So that well saide the Greeke Historiographer In Rebellion is all kinde of euill Thucidides For it is not one sinne but the sinke of all sinnes and the sea of all mischiefes would you see at once the seuen capitall sinnes This is as one obserueth very well the verie channel whence they do flow For is not ambitious Pride or proud Ambition the first sparkle of that fire Doth not Enuie blow the coale Doth not Wrath daily encrease the flame And come not at length all things thereby into the noisome ashes of Sloth Gluttony and Drunkennes Farther Peacemakers are blessed why They shall be called saith our Math. 5. 9. Sauiour the children of God Cursed therefore are Peace-breakers and aboue all they that breake the publique peace they are and they must be called the Children of the Diuell If it be sweet and comely to die for the country a Seneca Maxime among the very Heathen what is it then but odious but ignominious and loathsome to seeke the hurt and Exod. 20. ruine of the country and if to honour and obey the Father of our flesh the parents of our being bee a thing commendable and gratefull with God and man what may the dishonour and disloyaltie done to the Father of the Country and parents of our well beeing be but abhominable and hatefull vnto all The fact of the Gyants in the olde world that attempted to fight against God hath euer beene held a famous impiety but that sinne doe all they commit that either secretly as Traitors or openly as Rebels oppose against the Prince for saith the Apostle hee that resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God In other sinnes among men the purpose or intent so Rom. 13. 1. The intent of euill in this case punishable there doe no act follow is nothing but in this sinne not God onely but also man takes such notice thereof that the olde Prouerbe Thought is free hath no place For as God expressely forbids euen such thoughts of heart Eccl. 10. Curse not the King no not in thy thought for marke wel the reason the foules of the Heauen shall carry thy voice Eccles 10. 20. Wisd 20. 1. and that which hath wings shall declare the matter By which we are taught that hee who caused the dumbe beast speaking with mans voice to forbid the foolishnes of the Prophet 2. Pet. 2. 16. hee who discouered Bessus his parricide by the chattering of swallows euen hee can cause any foule of Heauen Plutarch and any creature vpon earth to reueale and reuenge mutinous seditious and trecherous thoughts against Caesar so Wisd 5. 17. euen the lawes of men both ancient and moderne both ciuill and common punish it as well as the fact and that with death Whereof but that I may not forget the righteous and most deserued execution of them that laid the powder and would haue lighted the match in the late monstrous Gunpowder treason who though they did but Gun-powder treason 1605. intend the mischiefe and it as God would touched not any yet died for it what hath beene practised or enacted at home not to relate wee may haue besides that ancient story diuine related and approued by the spirit of God I mean the attainder of the two Eunuches Hest. 2. That went about and were contriuing how to lay hands on the King Ahashuerosh in whose inditement though there was no Hest 2. 21. fact found but only a will a purpose a plot to haue done it yet they died for it and died as iustly as Mordecai was iustly honored and highly rewarded for the discouery we may haue I say out of the French Annales a notable president French Annalls or two As of that Norman Gentleman who confessed to a Fryer that he had had a thought to kill Francis the first of that name Who though hee had changed his mind repented his intent and asked pardon for the crime yet the frier reporting it vnto the King and the King referring it to the Parliament of Paris was by the graue senate of that high court condemned vnto death And wheras in most cases the law of nations excuseth mad men frō
plentifullie and admirably And sith as God himselfe saith This is the very honour that he expecteth at our hands sith as the Kingly Prophet telles vs it pleaseth God better then the oblation of many Psalm 50. 23. fatted beasts or the smell of much incense and sith as the Apostle S. Paul teacheth vs this euen this giuing of thanks 1. Tim. 2. 3. for all men and namely or specially for Kings is a thing good acceptable in the sight of God our Sauiour let euery one of vs in particular say with Dauid quid retribuam Domino Psalm 116. 12. c. That is What shall I render vnto the Lord for all the benefits he hath done vnto me and namely in placing ouer me so good so gratious and so worthy a King and resolue with Dauid I will take the cup of saluation and call vpon the name of the Lord I will offer to him the sacrifice of thankesgiuing And let vs all say as the Queene of Sheba 2. Chron. 9. 8. did concerning King Salomon 2. Chron. 9. Blessed bee the Lord thy God O King which loued thee to set thee on his throne in the stead of the Lord thy God because thy God loueth our land to establish it for euer therefore hath hee made thee King ouer vs to execute iudgement and iustice The second generall part HItherto haue I shewed you beloued in the Lord our dutie to Caesar consisting in sixe things viz. Feare Honour Obedience Tribute defence and Prayer Now let vs consider also according to my promise as God shall assist and time permit me some motiues and inducements to this duty And to that purpose that we may neuer slide either by the corruption of our owne heart or the perswasion of men or suggestion of the Diuell I will since the wisest either of Kings or men affirmeth that a threefold cable is not easily broken shew you a fourefolde corde which may well kept and obserued euer hold the whole heart Eccles 4. 12. and soule of euery subiect in loue and Allegiance to his Soueraigne the seuerall twists whereof are these viz. 1. The ordination of Caesar 2. The haynousnesse of the crime of disloyalty against Caesar 3. The punishments of that sinne 4. The rewards of Loyalty and dutifulnesse to Caesar Motiue 1 1. Concerning the former of these neither any wicked spirit nor mortal man nor Heauenly Angell but God himselfe The Ordination of Caesar is hee that ordaineth Caesar to bee Caesar and setteth him vpon his throne This is euident by many proofes of holy Scripture generall and particular Generall partly negatiue and partly affirmatiue 1. Negatiue as where Christ saide vnto Pilate Thou Ioh. 19. 11. couldest haue no power at all against mee except it were giuen thee from aboue And the Apostle vnto vs all There is no Rom. 13. 1. power but of God To whom agreeth the Psalmist when he singeth thus Promotion commeth neither from the East nor Psal 75. 7. from the West nor yet from the South And why For God is the Iudge He putteth downe one and setteth vp another 2. Affirmatiue for By mee saith the vncreated wisedome Prou. 8. 15. of God doe Kings raigne and Princes decree iustice The name of God be praised saith Daniel the Prophet chap. Dan. 2. 21. 2. for Wisedome and strength are his He changeth times seasons he setteth vp Kings and taketh them away And the blessed Apostle in the place before alleaged telleth vs directly that The powers that bee are ordained of God To Rom. 13. 1. these we may adde the words of the wiseman speaking to all rulers in this sort Giue eare ye that rule the nations and Wisd 6. 23. glory in the multitudes of people for the Rule is giuen you of the Lord and power by the most high Particular which do consist in God his immediate designement of diuers vnto kingdomes as of Saul whom by the hand of Samuel he annointed to be Head ouer his 1. Sam. 10. 1. people and whom by the same Prophets mouth he testifieth to the people that he had chosen to be King ouer them Of Hazael and of Iehu appointing his seruant Elijah to Vers 24. 1. Kin. 19. 15. 16 annoint the one of them King ouer Syria the other ouer Israel According wherunto Daniel telleth Nebuchad that great King of Babel which yet knew not God That the Dan. 2. 37. God of Heauen had giuen him a Kingdome power strength and glorie and had deliuered not the men onely that dwelled on the face of the earth but also the very beasts of the field and the foules of the heauen into his hand and made him ruler ouer them all Likewise for Salomon the sonne of Dauid the Queene of Sheba can tell vs that it was the Lord 2. Chron. 9. 8. God of Israel that had set him on his throne in his steed to be King ouer his people and both for Salomon and Dauid his Father Dauid himselfe the man after Gods owne heart doth most plainely testifie in this sort The Lord God chose mee 2. Chron. 28. 4. before all the house of my Father to bee King ouer Israell for euer among all the sonnes of my Father he delighted in mee to make me King ouer his people and euen so of all my sonnes hee hath chosen Salomon my sonne to sitte vpon the throne of the Kingdome of the Lord. Thus it is most manifest that Caesar is ordained to be Caesar by God and therefore vnto him as vnto the ordinance of God wee ought to yeeld whatsoeuer is Caesars lest in reiecting him we reiect God Obiection That this is so of all good Princes all goodmen wil easily grant But since that an euill Prince is a great euill an extreame plague it is a question with some how such a one can be of God or be said to be set in place by God who is the spring from whence all goodnesse and onely Iam. 1. goodnes doth flow Answere Though the particulars before recited doe sufficiently prooue not onely the good but euill Princes also to bee Gods ordinance For who are euill if Saul if Hazael if Nebuchadnezzar were not and the generals extending to all do necessarily comprehend both good euill Yet farther and more fully to cleare this doubt wee must vnderstand beloued in the Lord that there is Malum culpae and Malum Poenae an euill of crime and an euill of paine The euill of crime is sinne the euill of paine is the punishment of sinne the euill of crime is not of God God being all sufficient needs it not beeing most holy commands it not being most righteous approues it not in a word hee hateth accurseth it in all in this world and in all the impenitent will condemne it eternally in the world to come But the euill of paine being the punishment of sin is thrown from the throne of God vpon the heads of