Against Resistance of Lawful Powers A SERMON PREACHED AT WHITE-HALL Novemb. V th 1661. By SETH WARD D. D. Chaplain to His Majesty Published by His MAJESTIE' 's Command LONDON Printed by Tho Roycroft for Iohn Martin Iames Allestry and Tho Dicas at the Bell in St. Paul's Church-yard MDCLXI TO THE Most High and Mighty PRINCE CHARLES the II. By the Grace of God King of England Scotland France and Ireland Defender of the Faith c. May it please Your Majesty IF when the present Service was with great Favour laid upon me by that most Reverend Person to whom I not onely ow Canonical Obedience but a free disposal of my Concernments I did not without fear address my self to the Undertaking and if now I make my humble approach into Your Presence with Diffidence and Trembling and without those Tokens of Ioy which would be agreeable to the Honour I have received in being by Your Majesty encouraged to make this Offering Your Majesty being as an Angel of God will graciously be pleased to discern that no Aversness from the service of Your Majesty and the Church Nor apprehension of Difficulty in what I was to undertake Nor fear of the Adversaries of the Truth have created these Passions in me but that they are wholly derived from other Causes For next to the greatend of all my hopes I shall not so earnestly snatch at any thing as the opportunities of serving God in that station he hath ordered for me in the Church of Christ in which service I apprehend the acts of Loyalty and Duty to Your Sacred Majesty and of teaching men so to be most eminently involved As for the easiness of this performance I am perswaded in my Conscience that to him who hath embraced Christianity in the true and genuine Spirit of itâ— and to those who without vile Affections and Carnal Interests shall apply themselves to know the Mind of God delivered in the Scriptures no one thing is more clear and evident or pressed more urgently by the Holy Spirit then is the Doctrine which I have delivered If there be such things as damnable Heresies the denial of Christ himself the Lord that bought us blessed for ever is not more truly an Heresie or a damnable Heresie then that Doctrine which doth encourage Subjects to despise Dominion and speak evil of Dignities We are not to maâ—vail if we have seen that after this grand Heresie had broken its way thorough the Consciences of men the sholes of others passed clear without control â— and that those Doctrines and Practises which in the purest Times were abhorred as most heretical and profane were made the marks of the greatest Godâ—iness and instances of the highest attainments in Religion But on the other side it is considerable that in the late days of darkness and of gloominess God did not leave this Truth without witness but amidst all the Blasphemies wherewith Your Glorious Father now with God was in the day of His Calamity blasphemed even Rabshakeh was driven to acknowledge that the Doctrine of Resistance was a Mystery concealed from the Prophets the Apostles and Primitive Christians and reserved to be revealed in our Times upon whom the ends of the World are come And that our teaching Souldiers who taught the Nation with Briers and Thorns as Gideon did the men of Succoth not able to resist the Spirit speaking in the Apostles were wont to resort to this foolish Refuge that the Doctrine of Obedience was a present Truth an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not to continue abusing the Saying of St. Peter as they did other Scriptures to their own Destruction As for the Adversaries of the Truths which I have delivered either on the one hand or the other how great soever they may appear in their own Eyes or in the Eyes of their Admirers I humbly conceive it may be no Transgression of the Lines of Modesty if I shall freely profess that they are not terrible in mine no man hath more reason then my self to be laid low on the consideration of days and years withdrawn from that Study whereunto I had been consecrated yet after what hath been spoken me thinks in this Cause I should not fear My fear hath been that in a Cause of so great consequence so clear so nobly handled by the greatest Worthies of the Church of England I should not finde any thing to be tolerably spoken before the greatest and most revered Judgment under Heaven And I now tremble to think that such Failings as in the current of Pronuntiation might disappear being now brought to view the Present which I tender may instead of an Offering be an Offence My fear hath been and still is lest the Truth of that Gospel wherein I stand should any way suffer prejudice by the Weaknesses and Disadvantages wherewith it hath been delivered but we have a gracious God and Your Majesty is gracious I am not ignorant how much the true Cause of God in the World which is truly stated to lie against the Carnal and Spiritual wickedness of men is entrusted in the hands of Princes I know likewise and am assured that if men be taught or brought to believe that the utmost hazard of the greatest Transgressions is onely the loss of a few days or years of life such as they finde it it will be impossible for humane Laws to give check to the unruly Lusts of men or for Society to consist Knowing this and knowing likewise the Scandals laid upon Religion I have proposed in all humble sincerity to lay before Your Majesty the true state of these matters to separate the pretious from the vile the sincere spirit of Religion from the adulterate pretenses of it and if it should please the Authour of Religion and Government so far to bless my poor endeavours by unaffected and unstrained Arguments to do right to the Doctrine of our Church and render our Religion lovely in Your Eyes to represent to Your Majesty how much You have been favoured of God who hath so far wedded Your Concernments and interwoven his Interests with Yours and of how great Concernment it is to Your Majesty to endeavour the settlement of the true Religion and to exert that Power wherewith You are entrusted to the eradication of Atheism and Prophaneness and to the pulling down of the strong Holds of Satan That this Resolution is deeply fixed in Your Bosom God hath put into the Heart of Your Majesty to declare may the same God be pleased to perform this great and true Work of Reformation by Your Hand may Wickedness be rooted out and all things that are generous and praise worthy flourish in Your time may Your Majesty live many happy and glorious days upon Earth and be afterwards crowned with Glory and Immortality So prayeth Your Majestie 's most humbly devoted Chaplain SETH WARD ROM XIII 2. And they that resist shall receive to themselves Damnation AMongst all the Stratagemes of the Devil tending to the undermining
of Religion and the subversion of the Souls of men though there cannot be any more unreasonable yet there was never any more unhappily successfull then the creating and fomenting an Opinion in the world that Religion is an enemy to Government and the bringing Sincerity and Zeal in Religion into jealousie and disgrace with the Civil Powers It was by this Jealousie blown into the heads of the High-Priests and the Sanhedrim amongst the Iews and of Herod and Pontius Pilate that Christ himself the Captain of our Salvation the Authour and Finisher of our Faith was accused condemned and executed on a Tree By this the Apostles were haled before the Governours of Provinces forced from one City to flie unto another for this they endured bonds and imprisonment and sundry kindes of death It was through this Fancie that the Christians for three hundred years together endured the rage of Heathen Emperours being destitute afflicted and tormented Our Lord Christ was traduced as an enemy to Caesar a man refractory to the Roman Laws and a Non-conformist to the Religion and Laws of his Country The Apostles were charged as disturbers of the publick peace with turning the world upside down The Primitive Christians were accounted Enemies to the Common-wealth adverse and malevolent to the Empire and the Christian Religion it self was bruited and surmised to have something in it offensive and dangerous to the Civil Government as appears not onely by the Edicts of Heathen Emperours but also by the Apologies of Clemens Alexandrinus in his fourth Book Iustin Martyr Tertullian Athenagoras c. Neither was it thus onely of Old before the Roman Empire was become Christian but even since the time of Constantine down to our Fathers days nay to our own we shall finde the Devil still managing the same pretense carrying on the same Anti-Christian Mysterie of Iniquity which began to work in the time of our Lord Christ and his Apostles Those that profess to know the Arcanum Imperii and publickly proclaim themselves to the world to be qualified for Molders of Common-wealths and Dictatours to Princes are the Writers of Politicks Machiavel abroad and others nearer home some of these pretending Discoveries of things unknown to all our Fathers if they be strictly analysed will be found to resolve their whole Mysterie into this one pretense that Religion in the height and exaltation of it is prejudicial to Policy and that to be a thorow-paced a sincere and zealous Christian is to be dangerous to the State As the remedy for which evil they have thought fit and necessary to enervate the Principles of all Religion so far as to remove the Doctrine of Cood and Evil the Immortality of the Soul the Rewards and Punishments of the world to come that so Religion may appear wholy to derive from Policy How destructive these Doctrines are not onely to the Souls of men in reference to the world to come but to the Interests of this life the regular and secure acquisition and enjoyment whereof are entirely derived from the great and everlasting Ordinance of Government I am not now called to speak But surely it cannot be unnecessary to endeavour to state this Question to search into the grounds of this pretense to examine thorowly from whence all this clamour these fears and jealousies whence all this mighty scandal hath arisen The Gospel of our Saviour is not like the Alcoran which hates the light and abhorrs a strict examination of the Principles whereon it stands When the Iews contended with our Saviour and opposed his Doctrine he defired to bring the matter in question to a rational decision Iohn x. The Question there was Whether he were the Son of God And he propounds them this fair 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Verse 37. If I do the works of my Father believe me if I do not believe me not And I verily as a Minister of Christ though the meanest of ten thousand am bold in the power and through the evidence of the Truth of the Gospel to say Let the Adversaries of Religion search and look let them employ their Wit their Industry their Logick if any thing can be found in the Principles of Christianity prejudicial to the power of just and lawfull Magistrates Nay moreover if it be possible for Men or Angels to state the rights of Civil Government upon clearer and firmer Principles to secure them by more powerfull Obligations to urge them upon men by more efficacious Motives of Rewards and Punishments then those are which the very Foundations of Christianity do expresly propound then let the Gospel and the Ministers of it endure all that contempt and obloquie which these men desire to cast upon them As for the Foundations of our Religion there are those that tell us that Christianity is founded upon Cephas which is indeed by interpretation a Stone but the Apostle tells us Eph. ii 20. that we are built upon the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Jesus Christ himself being the chief Corner-stone wherefore by these the present Question is to be decided If any men at any time taking upon them the Sacred name of Christians have swerved from the rule of their Profession and acting contrary to the Spirit of Christ have made that Holy Name to be blasphemed it is reason that they be esteemed the utter Enemies of Christianity and that they themselves should bear their Condemnation but to charge their Exorbitancies upon that Profession which they have profaned and injured is such an injustice as cannot consist with Moral Honesty or Philosophical Ingenuity So then hìc Rhodus hìc saltus As Saint Paul 1 Cor. xv 14 17 20. concerning the Resurrection of Christ If Christ be not risen our Preaching is vain and your Faith is vain but now is Christ risen so I If within the compass of those Foundations which I have mentioned be found any colour or shadow of licence for any person whatsoever upon any pretense whatsoever to entrench upon the power of lawfull Magistrates if any Warrant at all for open Rebellion or privy Conspiracies for Murthering or deposing of Princes or absolving Subjects from their Allegiance then let Kings cease to be our nursing-Fathers and Queens to be our nursing-Mothers let David look to his own house let the light of our Eys the breath of our Nostrils the Restorer of Religion the Defender of our Faith look rather first to defend himself It will then be reasonable to expect that the Kings of the earth should stand up and the Rulers take Councel together against the Lord and against his Christ that they should break their bonds in sunder and cast their cards from them then our Preaching is vain and your Faith is vain But now indeed the Case is otherwise and that evidently What the Laws of men could never do with all their Temporal Rewards and Punishments in that they are weak that Christianity in the true Spirit of it performs to the utmost height that is
made good upon the Principles of Christianity I. As to the former of these I shall onely say that the Argument brought against this interpretation doth in truth exceedingly confirm it The Allegation is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used in Scripture for Temporal Iudgment The place produced is 1 Cor. xi 29. He that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 damnation to himself where the Apostle seemeth to explain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the following words Verse 30. For this cause many are weak and sickly and many sleep viz. by Temporal Iudgments And indeed this is true but these things likewise ought to be observed 1. First that the same Penalty is denounced in the Gospel to those who resist Authority and to those that are guilty of the body of Christ 1 Cor. xi 27. and trample upon the blood of the everlasting Covenant 2. That neither Ananias and Sapphira nor yet the Corinthians were by their temporal Iudgments exempted from eternal 3. And lastly that seeing the great difference betwixt the Legal and Euangelical dispensation did consist in this that the express Promises and Threatnings under the Law were temporal and under the Gospel eternal if God shall under the Gospel besides eternal punishments due to every Sin add moreover to some particular sins the threatnings of temporal Iudgments let these men consider what advantage they have gotten and what can more be devised to contribute to the aggravations of such a sin I shall say no more to the first Question nor to that part of the Text which concerns the damnation of Resisters precisely considered but shall apply my self to the resolution of the second II. It is impossible in half an hour to speak concerning all those pretenses for resâ—stance of Magistrates which being raised by Satan and made use of by the children of disobedience are falsly charged upon Religion I shall single out some of the chief of them and examine them by the Law and the Testimony by the Old and New Testament adding to them as occasion requires the judgment and practise of the Primitive Christians and afterwards make a brief Application Those which have given the greatest scandal as having troubled the Christian world and almost turned it upside down are reducible to the two Heads of â—eligion and Civil Affairs First Those which refer to Religion are such scandalous Tenets as these I. That Erroneous suppose Heretical or Idolatrous Powers may be resisted especially if they endeavour to force men to their own Religion II. That Christian Magistrates have no power in matters of Religion viz. None 1. In religious Causes 2. Over religious Persons By Orders Over religious Persons By personal Gifts Secondly Those which refer to matters Civil are reducible to such as these I. Harsh Administration II. Pretenses of Competition of power and the like Now I shall not be afraid or backward to acknowledge that if any one of these Tenets be agreeable to the Principles of Christianity or to the practise of the Primitive and purest Christians who are to be presumed to have known the minde of Christ and his Apostles then we are to admit that there is reason in what is alledged to create a Iealousy upon Religion For 1. If Erroneous Heretical or Idolatrous Magistrates may be resisted because they are so or because they joyn opprâ—ssion of Godly men unto their Errour in Religion how can any Kingdom stand These are matters wherein every man makes himself a Iudg and it is not material whether he judge righteous or unrighteous judgment the matter once stated in Thesi that in such Cases men may resist the Hypothesis is easily made and men let loose to act according to their proper Apprehensions or the Pretenses of those who have power with them What shall be done when at the same time a Prince shall be judged by one part of his Subjects Heretical and prophane for departing from Superstition and vindicating his power from unjust Vjurpations over it while another part shall judge him to be Superstitious and will never believe him to abhor Idols so long as he will not commit Sacrilege What shall be done while some conclude him to be irreligious because he will not worship Images others Idolatrous because he kneels at the Communion and both esteem him an Oppressour because he restrains their Zeal and hinders them from that excess of Riot which they pant after to the devouring of one another Supposing this Tenet to be true it is indeed evident no Government can be But now what Colour can there be to charge this Tenet upon Christianity Doth the Old or New Testament give any occasion to this Doctrine Is it countenanced 1. by Moses or 2. by the Prophets or 3. by our Saviour or 4. by the Apostles 5. That Cloud of Witnesses the Noble Army of Martyrs did they give Testimony to this Assertion or to the contrary I may not insist a word to each of these 1. Moses was so far from the Doctrine of Resistance that notwithstanding the hardness of Pharaoh's heart the cruelty of the Bondage the weakness of the Egyptians by Plagues the numbers of Israel six hundred thousand and three thousand five hundred and fifty fighting men above twenty years old besides the Tribe of Levi yet he would not lead them into the promised Land without Pharaoh's positive and express consent to their Departure 2. As for the Prophets in the third Chapter of Daniel we finde three of God's Children put to the trial the fiery trial of this Doctrine by Nebuchadnezzar an Idolater and a Tyrant acting highly under both those Capacities together They were cast into the fiery Furnace because they would not worship the golden Image which he had set up And in the sixth we finde Daniel thrown into the Lion's den onely for praying to the God of Israel Let us consider their Behaviour did they resist or mutiny or labour to alienate or discontent or by denouncing threats or terrours to discourage Subjects from Obedience How had they been instructed by their Prophets Ieremy 2 Chron. xxxvi 13. had taught them that Zedekiah had turned from the Lord God of Israel in rebelling against Nebuchadnezzar who had made him swear by God and that they ought to seek the peace of the City whether they were carried Captives and to pray unto the Lord for it Jer. xxix 7. And therefore the three Children in the third of Daniel onely refer themselves to God for deliverance and Daniel in the midst of the Lion's den prays heartily for Darius O King live for ever Dan. vi 21. 3. In the next place let us consider the Case of Christ and his Apostles and see whether any such Tenet may be collected from their Doctrine or Practise their Speeches or their Actions As for what concerns our Lord Christ I have had the Honour formerly in this place more at large to vindicate him from such aspersions He paid Tribute at
the expense of a Miracle Mat. xvii 27. He submitted himself to all the Powers that were over him to the Sanhedrim and their Delegates to Herod to Pontius Pilate he submitted himself to death by an unjust Sentence even to the bitter and accursed death upon the Cross Philip. ii 8. This was his Practise as for his Doctrine He taught men to render to Caesar the things that were Caesar's Mat. xxii 21. He acknowledged Pilate's power to be from above John xix 11. He rebuked Peter for smiting with the sword and told him that those that take the sword shall perish by the sword Mat. xxvi 52. He taught his Disciples to pray for them which should persecute them Mat. v. 44. And the utmost permission which he gave them was when they were persecuted in one city to fly unto another Matth. x. 23. 4. As for the Apostles They taught men to obey them that have the rule over them Hebr. xiii 17. to submit themselves to every Ordinance of man 1 Pet. ii 13. to do all things without murmuring or disputing Philip. ii 14. to pray for Kings and all that are in Authority 1 Tim. ii 2. Saint Peter hath told us that such as despise Dominion and speak evil of Dignities are in an especial manner reserved to â—udgment 1 Pet. ii 9 10. and Saint Paul in my Text that they shall receive Damnation This Doctrine they Sealed with their blood Saint Peter according to Ecclesiastical Tradition was crucified and Saint Paul beheaded Iames the son of Zebedeus slain with the sword c. Now as for the Powers to which all these Instructions and Behaviours did refer they were for Idolatry and Tyranny and Persecution Humani generis portenta If it be objected that All these submitted because they were not able to resist the Answer upon Christian Principles might be that He which restrained the Flames and stopped the mouths of â—ions could have given his servants power to resist that Christ could have prayed his Father who would have given him more then twelve Legions of Angels for his relief that the Apostles who wrought mighty signes and wonders could have rescued themselves had it not rather pleased the great Ordainer of Powers by their submission to ratifie and establish the Doctrine of Obedience 5. But the belief and practise of the Primitive Christians will satisfie this Objection even to common Sense and Reason The Instances in this kinde are infinite where Christians abounding in numbers being in Arms and abundantly able to make resistance have chosen with the expense of their lives to yield obedience to Idolaters persecuting them for their Religion I shall name but two Examples Tertullian tells the Emperour that his Cities Islands Castles Councils Armies Regiments and Companies the Palace the Senate the Courts of Iudicature were filled with Christians and yet they submitted to persecution And we read that the Thebaean Legion consisted of six thousand six hundred sixty and six persons every man Christian when they submitted to the Decimation of Maximinian for Religion I shall say no more to the first Pretense II. Now the second is like unto it alike prejudicial to Government alike false and scandalous to Religion An House or Kingdom divided cannot stand and God is not the Authour of Confusion but of Peace and that especially in Religion If none have this power to order matters of Religion there must be Confusion if any other beside the Supreme Magistrate there will be Division The inevitable Inconveniences of the exemption of religious Things and religious Persons from the power of the Magistrate are abundantly set forth by such as would improve them to the disadvantage of Religion And indeed to go about to deny or to diminish the dismal Consequences of such Pretenses were to endeavour to put out the eyes of all the men of Reason and Experience in the world My present Duty is to enquire what relation these Pretenses have to the Principles of Christianity and that First As to religious Causes Secondly As to Ecclesiastical Persons Thirdly As to holy or gifted Brethren as they style themselves Now in order to a resolution in these Enquiries I shall as a Lemma humbly propose one Observation It is this That whereas there are two things whereon all Political administration doth depend 1. Concerning the Rights and Bounds and Regulation of Sovereign Powers 2. Concerning the Duties and Obedience of Subjects we finde both Christ and the Apostles frequently labouring to settle in the Consciences of men that part which concerns Obedience but no where restraining or limiting or particularly regulating the Office of Sovereign Powers but leaving them to those general Rules which concern the Account and Duty of all men in their several stations and to the terms whereupon the Providence of God was wont to settle the Princes and Governours of the Worldâ— Let the rights of Caesar be what they will in reference to Tribute or other matters Christ will not determine them This he will those things which belong to Caesar according to Ius Gentium must be rendered to him He doth not examine Pilate's power in Case of Blasphemy or Treason but acknowledges it and submits He falls not upon sifting or examining the power of the Sanhedrim either their original power or the power left them by the Romans They sit in Moses Chair c. Whatsoever therefore they bid you do do it Matth. xxiii 2 3. And so likewise the Apostles they seem to be unconcerned as it were in the governing part of Civil Policy No word is found in all their Writings enquiring into the Rights of the Romane Emperours who were sovereign or limiting the Exercise of their Power Onely thus much they take for certain such as they were they were ordained of God And they spend all their labour in founding deeply and firmly establishing that other part which concerns Obedience From this Observation it will follow That whatever Things or Persons were not before the times of Christ and his Apostles exempt from the power of the Magistrate are not by the Foundations and Principles of Christianity exempted Non eripit mortalia qui regna dat coelestia And it will onely remain for us to enquire what was the maner of the Nations of the World and of God's peculiar people in reference to these Particulars before and at the Times of Christ and his Apostles To which if we shall add the practise of the best and most antient Christian Emperours I know not what more can be desired to clear the present Argument I suppose it needless to put in a Caution that while we speak of the Magistrate's power to order matters of Religion we do not entitle him to the Priest's Office the Spiritual Fuâ—ction or the Execution of it in preaching the Word administring the Sacraments exercising the power of Ordination or of the Keys c. Blessed be the Lord God of our Fathers who hath put it into our Sovereign's