Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n
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A47255
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A dialogue between two friends occasioned by the late revolution of affairs, and the oath of allegiance by W.K. ...
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Kennett, White, 1660-1728.
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1689
(1689)
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Wing K300; ESTC R16675
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26,148
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42
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As 't is more safe and prudent to bear with a little uneasiness in a particular Member conditionally it endanger not the other parts than hazard the Health of the whole Body by churlish Physick to redress that Tollerable Inconvenience The Duties of Obedience the Gospel enjoyns is to lawful Authority not to illegal or imposed Jurisdiction not an Arbitrary Power It condemns not our desending our selves from apparent Ruine and Destruction and permits us to dispute our Rights with our Princes without that infamous Character of Rebels Besides Rom. 13. was written on purpose to confute that fond Opinion of the Jews before mentioned that they were so immediately in Covenant with God that no Foreiner had Authority to oblige them to obedience This the Apostle condemns by a positive Command to the contrary saying Let every scul be subject to the higher powers and withal shews them the Reasonableness of this Precept because the powers that be whether Pagan or Jewish are ordained of God inferring that they living under the Ordinance of God are obliged to be subject unto it Verse the Second he illustrates the heinousness of the sin of opposing Lawful Authority in the Execution of Legal Commands both from the Ordinance it self and the punishment due to the Transgression of it And perswades persons in these Christian Circumstances who were daily violating the Established Laws of the Empire patiently to suffer and quietly submit to the Legal Execution of the Laws Because opposition made by such persons was resisting the Ordinance of God the punishment of which is Damnation He farther Illustrates that this was the end why Rulers were Ordained their Business and chief Occupation being to punish such Violaters of the Laws as lived in an open Contempt and Transgression of them And therefore plainly tells them they must be subject there 's a necessity laid upon them not only for fear wrath compulsion or punishment the alone Obligations that had power to keep the Jews in Subjection but also for Conscience sake And for the same Reason enjoyns them to pay Tribute Render therefore to all their due tribute to whom tribute is due custom to whom custom fear to whom fear honour to whom honour From hence 't is clear and manifest the Apostle did not command those Christians to subject themselves to an unlimited or Arbitrary Power but to render Obedience to the express and publick Laws of the Empire because these Laws only could determine how much Tribute Fear or Honour Superiors challenged and Inferiors ought to pay The same Doctrine also St. Peter teaches 1 Epist. 2. where observing the Heathens distinguished not between the Jews converted to the Christian Religion and those which retained the Mosaic Principles who for the above-mentioned Cause became the most obstinate turbulent factious and seditious People imaginable upon all occasions exerting their utmost endeavours to raise Tumults and embroil the State in Civil wars The Apostle to dehort the Christians from the Belief and Practice of that wicked Principle earnestly perswades them not to follow the Example of that obstinate and head-strong People but by their regular and meek Behaviour quiet and candid Carriage to approve themselves to the Heathen Governours by submitting to the Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake That is Render all due Allegiance not only to Jewish but Heathen Governours even to Claudius Drusus in whose Reign the Ancients affirm this Epistle to be written though the Emperour Claudius were elected to the Imperial Throne by the Pretorian Band in opposition to the Design both of City and Senate This very Doctrine also St. Paul commands Titus to teach his Flock Chap. 3. ver 1. And those parallel places those most express and positive Commands Colos. 3. 18 22. Wives submit your selves to your own Husbands Servants in all things obey your masters are only Transcripts of this Doctrine For neither Wives nor Servants are obliged to obey or stigmatiz'd as disobedient for refusing to execute the illegal or wicked Commands of their Husbands and Masters Neither have the latter Power or Legal Authority to correct or punish such Disobedience Jac. If this be the Genuine Sense the Natural Signification of these places of Scripture how came the Primitive Fathers to interpret them in another Sense And why doth St. Paul affirm 2 Cor. 10. 4. that the weapons of Christians are not carnal Will. This is the very Doctrine those Fathers delivered as is evident from the Epistles of St. Polycarp and the Apologies of Justin Martyr Athenagoras and Tertullian to free the Christian Religion from those Aspersions of Sedition and Rebellion the Heathens accused it of and to justifie the Loyalty and Obedience of Christians to the Powers and Magistrates under which they lived Thus Till the Conversion of Constantine the Great to the Christian Faith the Evangelical Doctrine was always in opposition to the Established Laws of the Empire And in all Cases when the Divine Precepts were inconsistent with the Laws Established in the Empire the Christian Religion taught its Votaries quietly to submit and patiently to suffer the punishment due to the Transgression of these Laws without resistance or calumniating Language to take up their Cross and follow their Saviour This the Primitive Fathers did not only frequently inculcate to their Auditors but manifested their Doctrine as is evident from their Works very often by their own Sufferings But when the aforesaid Emperour had setled the Christian Religion and added the Civil Sanction viz. Established its Precepts as the Laws Imperial the Doctrine of the Gospel as to the suffering part was much altered In all former Mutations or Changes in the Government of the Empire the Christian Pastors constantly exhorted their Flocks to obey the Supream Powers not to calumniate or speak evil of Dignities but patiently to submit to the most barbarous Cruelties But when the Evangelical Doctrine and Discipline was Established by Law and Constantius the Emperour persecuted the Orthodox Clergy St. Hillary that Pious and Learned Father roundly tells the Emperour of his impious and unchristian Actions And when Julian Apostatized from the Faith banished the Gospel demolished the Churches and scoffingly told the Christians their Doctrine was to suffer an Eminent Man of that Age writ a Tract approved as Orthodox Doctrine by that Catholick and Renown'd Bishop Athanasius which tartly inform'd the Emperour That the Christian Religion when Established by Law allowed its Votaries to justifie their Rights and was not to be trampled upon ruined and destroyed to gratifie the Humour of an Ambitious and Idolatrous Prince That of St. Paul has no Relation to our present Discourse the Weapons there mentioned are no Shields or Bucklers against the Hostile Attempts of our Adversaries but such as the Church is invested with for the punishment of Criminal Members such as Excommunication Censures c. So that 't is clear and evident those places of Holy Writ that enjoyns Obedience to Superiors however express or emphatical in
full and ample a manner as if you had taken the Oath a Thousand times Neither indeed has the Supream Magistrate Power to absolve you from this Obligation And the Reason of this is manifest for the Daty of Allegiance does so mightily conduce to promote the Advantage and Happiness of the whole Society that the Publick in General of which the Supream Magistrate is but a part challenges so large a Concernment in it that 't is a manifest Wrong an apparent Injustice for a particular person though never so great to dispence with the undoubted Birthright of every Subject So that should the Oath be taken only in the first acceptation as you seem plainly to understand it viz. to have Relation only to the Safety and Preservation of the King's Person without an Eye to the Publick Welfare and Security the Oath in that Sense is not Obligatory but ipso facto void from the very imposing And the Reason of this is plain and obvious because all Oaths or Promissory Obligations that are contrary to our Duty to our God our Neighbour or our selves repugnant to Piety Justice or Charity are invalid and bind not Rei illicitae nulla obligatio is a Maxim so consonant to the Doctrine of the Gospel that no Christian I suppose has a face to deny it And that the Oath of Allegiance in your sense is Res illicita is easily manifested from several Topicks First From its Opposition to Piety and Destructiveness to Religion His Majesty to whom you have given this Oath of Fidelity is by Profession a Roman Catholick and qua talis he is obliged not only by the Principles of his Religion but sub poenâ of Excommunication Deposition yea Damnation to extirpate the Protestant Religion to the utmost of his Power and to propagate Superstition and Idolatry in its room Now your Notion of the Oath of Allegiance is both a License and Encouragement to such a Supream Magistrate actually to free himself from the Tyes of such Powerful and Terrifying Obligations by prosecuting the Business For when his Person and Government is secured under the penalty of Perjury and punishment of Rebellion against all Resistance and Opposition from the Publick what Block can hinder him from working out his Liberty setting up his Superstition Idolatry and approving himself to his Holy Father by subverting our Laws destroying our Religion and by severely punishing those who obstinately oppose his Arbitrary Proceedings Beside if the Oath of Allegiance viz. Not to take up Arms against the King upon any pretence whatsoever but to assist his Majesty with Life Limb and Terrence Honour be to be understood particularly of the King's Person by this Argument if a King degenerate to a Julian his Subjects are by all sacred Obligations bound to assist him with their utmost Abilities in demolishing the Temples and Houses of God exterminating their Religion burning their Bibles and banishing the Gospel from his Territories and by their endeavours to introduce Paganism and establish the Worship of Infidels Secondly The Oath of Allegiance in this Sense is not Obligatory because of its contrariety to Justice and Righteousness Politick Justice commands us to support as well as obey all the wholesom Laws of that Society we are Members of and the Divine Precepts enjoyn us to protect the Innocent relieve the Needy and defend the Oppressed which are Mandates very inconsistent with your Notion of the Oath of Allegiance for according to your Interpretation of that Obligation all Subjects are obliged to support and defend the Supream Magistrate in all his Proceedings as well when he oppresses the Loyal and Innocent as when he punishes the Guilty and Criminal as vigorously in his Encroachments upon the Liberties and Properties of the Subject if he please to invade them as in maintaining his own Just Rights and Prerogatives But Thirdly Whatsoever Plea or Objection may be made against the two former there is in the Oath of Allegiance taken in the aforesaid sense such an evident Repugnancy to that Eminent and Evangelical Duty Charity so frequently inculcated in sacred Scripture that that alone doth sufficiently evidence the Invalidity of the Obligation The Duties of Mercy and Charity are not only the Advice and Counsel of our Saviour but his express and positive Commands viz That we shew Mercy as our Heavenly Father is merciful that we deal by others as we would be dealt with in the like Circumstances Merciful not only to Mens Bodies the perishing part but chiefly to their Souls that are Immortal and must live for ever that we may as much as in us lies promote and set forward the salvation of all men not to detract from or add to the Word of God nor to comply with those that do it but uncorruptedly to teach it to our sons and our sons sons Now the Oath of Allegiance in the aforesaid acceptation can never be reconciled to this Doctrine for that Obligation whenever the Supream Magistrate pleases destroys Christianity confirms the Hobbian Principle opens a door to Popery Turcism Apostacy Atheism or what else that Magistrate shall please to introduce And whatever Objection may be produced against it from our sins viz. that they are as numerous and great as the Transgressions of Sodom unparallel and provoking as the Wickedness of Samaria that our obstinate contempt and voluntary abuse of his Evangelical Mercies cry aloud to Divine Justice at least to obscure and darken his Gospel if not totally to deprive us of it yet these can never justifie our Proceedings to future Ages or yield any pretence to a Plea to free us from our Duty of Christian Charity to the Infants of our Time and the Children yet unborn which doubtless are not criminals upon this account which notwithstanding will by this unparallel stupidity of ours under the Mask or Vizard of Loyalty be as by a fatal and peremptory Decree for ever deprived of the knowledge of the right worship of God and inevitably involve them into such a lamentable condition as will certainly render them either in defiance of God their Creator or in ignorance of a saving knowledge of their blessed Redeemer The Natural Consequence from the whole is That the Oath of Allegiance can only bind in the first sense when 't is in order to effect the second that is it only obliges us to protect and defend the Interest of the Supream Magistrate when his Interest is subservient to the welfare of the whole Society But if bigotted Zeal haughty Ambition or wicked Counsellors be so prevalent with the Prince as to obliterate his Duty to the Publick and upon private Picks and Humors destroy the Laws subvert Religion neglect all the Methods of Government and separate his own Happiness from the Safety and Welfare of the Publick the Oath in the former sense is void and inobligatory And the Reason of this Consequence is very plain because men are under former Obligations to the contrary For in the Baptismal Vow which is