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A29916 Monarchy maintained in a sermon preached at St. Anne Blackfryers / by Titus Bruce ... Bruce, Titus, b. 1654. 1682 (1682) Wing B5221; ESTC R2486 8,581 28

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Condemnation I cannot here omit the Observation of St. Austin that at the Creation where God brought forth all other Creatures in abundance storing all the Earth with many Individuums and Particulars of the same Species as many Beasts many Birds and the like he made but one man and determined all the rest should flow from his Loins and so acknowledge him their Chief and Principle and so from him a lineal Descent should be derived by primogeniture in whose hands should rest the Government of all the rest So that we see Monarchic Government is by God's own order the most natural When men began to multiply upon the face of the Earth and became as the Stars of Heaven or as the Sand upon the Sea-shore for multitude for the better peace and tranquility of the World and the free course and Administration of Justice God's Providence was pleased to elect some particular Persons to govern the several Provinces and Dominions of the Earth He suffered not all the great men in any place to have an equal share in Authority and Power least that Aristocracy should have bred Emulation which is commonly the Parent of Discord he was much further from letting all the People enjoy a Parity lest their Democracy should have brought in Confusion But he exalts the horne of his anointed he disposes the rest in subordinate Offices under him thereby maintaining so blessed a Consort here below as that it is an imperfect shadow of that blessed Harmony which is above And upon these Persons thus exalted God hath bestowed an especial Character to secure them from any dangerous Conspiracies Touch not mine anointed saith David Chron. 1.16 my Messias saith the Original as if the Brow of Majesty were the nearest Draught and liveliest representation of Almighty God Hence it is that they were honoured in the purest times by the best of Christians with such Appellations as did befit their greatness their words Divalis jussio the audible Voice of God their presence Sacra vestigia the clearest foot-steps of the Deity This Primitive Doctrine would still be believed and practised were it not for some who creep into Pulpits as customary Birds at the time of the year into hollow Trees where out of a zealous ignorance they dare declaim against all Authority as Anti-christian all Antiquity as Heretical all moral Learning as in it self Damnable which I must confess is the best Plea for their own ignorance These are Jeroboam's Calves set up at Dan and Bethel to hinder People from going up to the House of the Lord where the true Exposition of the Law would teach them their Duty It is the Apostle's advice to his Son Titus 3.1 Put them in mind to be subject to Principalities and Powers and to obey Magistrates for indeed all Authority descends from God and our Superiors bear the Image of the Divine Power There is no sin in the World which God hath punished with so great Severity and high Detestation as that of Rebellion For the sin of Idolatry and other Crimes God hath sent the Sword the Pestilence and the Famine but it was never heard that the Earth opened and swallowed up any but only Rebels against their Prince Quibus dum non essent digni vivere saith Optatus nec mori concessum est not deserving to live they were not vouchsafed to dye Sepulti sunt priusquam mortui they which had made a Separation from their Fathers were not suffered to be gathered to their Fathers but go down quick to Hell To what hath been said I shall only add the consent of the Primitive Church and the Testimony of the ancient Fathers and by that I hope I shall clearly prove my first Proposition viz. that Soveraign Power is an Ordinance of God In the days of old before Religion was adulterated as Eusebius tells us the Reverend Fathers in the Primitive times were wont to bless the patience of their Christian Souldiers bless them for their Loyalty bless them for their Service which they performed to their most cruel Blood-sucking Persecutors when they behaved themselves like the stoutest Champions in the Causes of their Emperors under whom they were more likely to suffer Death than to receive a Reward they were encouraged with an Euge sic decet Christianos well done now ye shew that ye serve the Lord of Heaven by obeying his Vice-Roys his own Ordinance here on Earth When our Saviour Ascended into Heaven he left the holy Spirit as a Legacy to his Church to guide it into all Truth I hope St. Peter and St. Paul were true and sound Divines And we find both these affirming that Soveraign Power is of God But we are faln into the dregs of time wherein we have some who through ignorance and impudence dare assert that had these Apostles lived in these times when Christians knew their own strength they would have taught the Church another Doctrine Blasphemous Wretches can they not be content to wrest the Scripture to their own Damnation but must they lye against the holy Ghost and make the holy Spirit of God in whom there is no shadow or shew of turning to be byass'd by interest and to serve the times Never Mussel-man yet thought so of Mahomet or Heathen of the course of Nature If we consider the Writings of the Heathens we shall find that they attribute more to their Princes than many professing Christianity are willing to acknowledge Plutarch tells us Principes sunt Ministri Dei à Deo constituti Tacitus Minime ambigendum est imperium à Deo habere Principes Princes are the Ministers of God and are constituted by him saith the one and it is not to be doubted but that they receive their Power from God saith the other St. Austin is still more clear Lib. 5. De Civ Dei Cap. 25. Non tribuamus dandi Regni atque imperii potestatem nisi Deo vero which the Apostle may interpret for us the Powers which are ordain'd of God St. Irenaeus tells us Cujus jussu nascuntur homines hujus jussu Reges constituuntur he that saith unto them Live gives them Power likewise to Reign To what purpose should I add more but only that by which St. Peter characterizes the Separatists of his time 2 Pet. 2.10 which may not unfitly be applied to ours they despise Government Presumptuous are they Self-will'd and are not afraid to speak evil of Dignities I know not whether I may call St. Jude's Epistle a History of those times or a Prophecy of these he tells us of men crept in unawares who separate themselves dissatisfied murmuring Persons and disobedient But I pass to the second Secondly We ought not to resist I presume none present will be so impious as to deny but that the Sacred Scripture is the Rule both of our Faith and our Obedience The Apostle advises that we should desire the sincere Milk of the Word that we may grow thereby But alas some Persons have rub'd over these Breasts