hearing of the uproar at London sent two of her Councellors to see what the matter was the deceivers all three were apprehended and arraigned as stirring up sedition against the Queen and designing to destroy her to murther her Councellors and Bishops to bring in their new King and trans-form all things in Church and State to their own fancies Hacket the King was executed and dyed blaspheming Coppinger in a fury pining himself with hunger at last beat his own brains against the wall and dyed Arthington upon his repentance obtained mercy of the Queen Such abominable courses carried on under pretext of Heroick motions and rare excitations of the Spirit should make the fearers of God very cautelous against the Principles of this man which lead this way For he asserts There needs no standing upon an external call if men think they have this internal call to use the Sword for vengeance against Apostate Magistrates all and sundry such as he reckons they are in this time Napht. p. 24. Any party of private men may according to his mind rise up in a Phineas like fortitude against not only Princes but all the Primores Regni becoming Patrons of abominations to execute Judgement upon them Napht. p. 22. and to reform an Apostate Church their zeal c. is a sufficient call without further If such Doctrines passe for current and good coine and if our people be so principled it were better living under the great Turk where no man is to losse his life but by Law then in Scotland where all Magistrates and others shall be proclaimed lyable to the fury of any private persons who can pretend rare and Heroick excitations of the Spirit to zealous executing justice upon men whenever they thus animated think there is cause For this man proclaims these inward excitations as a sufficient call without any other external call But this man seing the mischief of his evil Doctrine though he is loath to part with it would gladly add some Salvo if he could for saith he p. 24. We held not such instances viz. as that of Phineas as regular Precedents for all times and persons universally That is well said but where is the caution that is put in against any that will pretend Heroical excitations by the Spirit as a sufficient call He hath opened a door but how will he close it again It is easie to raise the Devil but not so easie to lay him again the man would say something to satisfaction if he could set down certain rules to bar a heady people under a pretence of Phineas-like motions and excitations to arise upon every occasion to confound all But as he cannot do this so doth he not attempt it he cannot give any remedy against confusion in all cases having proclaimed this libertinisme to private persons upon pretence of Heroick excitations of zeal c. to rise up against all Powers above them for they are made Judges in their own private discretion when it is fit to fall in hand with such irregular practices And when it is that such Heroick excitations are upon their Spirits and when it is that matters are so far out of order that they cannot be amended without their violent interposing and pulling down of Powers all this is referred to private persons private discretion and if this mans party were posessed in Power upon their principles another party perhaps of Quakers Ranters c. could easily start up and plead their impulses from above to rectifie the corrupted and collapsed estate of affairs and to reform and punish offenders So there shall be no end of confusion when these are got into the saddle others shall met to them in that same measure erranti nullus terminus there shall be a progress to confusion in infinitum And never shall people when they mind changes want the pretexts of corruption in Rulers and in all besides themselves and will lay hold on any probable capacity which qualifies them for exercise of Justice against all not of their way And although they be not in probable capacity to take the fields or leavy Armies yet they will go so far in executing justice upon all Magistrates Phineas-like as upon patronisers p. 24. of abominations as he sayes all our Magistrates of all degrees are now for he tells us p. 18. They ought without doubt be suppressed by all meanes n. b. by all meanes if there be no probable capacity for armies a dag or a dagger a pistol or poisoned poinard a Spanish-fig or some secret applications may do the business with some great ones And any Heroick Saint may be in probable capacity for such matters these are amongst the generality of any means usable for suppressing Powers it is all one matter if Justice be execute and the evil removed whatever way it is all one as Phineas did it with his Javelin and God should be praised when justice is executed on adversaries an apostat Church such as now is reformed Of this no more shall be said But we are to pray that the life of our dread Soveraign may be bound up with the Lord his God in the bundle of Life and also that the same great and good God may be a shield and buckler to his servants who desire in honouring the King to fear him the King of Kings above all against the generation of men of blood and violence who bewray their ungodliness too much in daring to seek patrociny for villanous assassinations from the holy Scriptures of God But behold how the man wrings his wit to work out Napht. pag. 21 23 24 25. an Apologie for the seditions from Phineas example he tells us Phineas was but a private man that he had no extraordinary calling to execute judgement only he had heroical motions and zealous excitations to it and that God who is the same yesterday and to day and for ever and hath the residue and plenty of his Spirit to pour out upon meer private persons may by giving them such or the same Spirit of zeal magnaminity and courage sufficiently call them by his breathings upon them to execute justice on adversaries and to reform an apostate Church c. and when it is so we should not condemn but honour Gods instruments for if they did not step in to act impiety would quickly gaine an universal empire to the extermination of all goodness To all which we say 1. As to the person Phineas from whose actings Patrociny is â—ought for justifying the violence of private persons against the Magistrate and their usurping over him as Judges to punish him it is much doubted if he was a meer private person he was the high Priests son a chief Priest himself and afterward he became high Priest himself he was a singular person and a Prince in his tribe employed with other Princes by Gods people in great Embassages both in Peace and in War Numb 31.6 Josh 22.31.32 he was one of the great Council of the people of
Nec Samson saith he aliter excusatur quod seipsum cum hostibus ruina domus oppressit nisi quod latenter Spiritus sanctus hoc jusserat So he is accounted amongst heroick Believers Heb. 11.32 And of his fact Bernard saith lib. de precept dispensatione Si defenditur non fuisse peccatum privatum habuisse à Deo consilium indubitanter credendum est 2. Phineas had not only a large reward of his fact Numb 25.12 13. but an ample approbation of it Ps 106.31 It was accounted to him for righteousness i. e. as a righteous action both as to the intention of it Gods honour and as to the ground and warrand of it Gods direction God does not approve or remunerate any action which one way or another he doth not command there are none of these extraordinary actions mentioned in Scripture but either Gods stirring men up to the same or his approbation of the same one way or another is noted See Judg. 3.10 and 5.7 and â—0 23 and 3.9.15 and 2.16.18 he raised up stirred up mens spirits or afterward approved them expresly in these actions As for the private persons which this man will have to take the punishing Sword in their hand against all Magistrates as they cannot pretend extraordinary special commands So the real rebukes of God given them proclaims they have not his approbation 5. Divines have given it as a good rule Opera liberi spiritus non sunt exigenda ad regulas communes nec trahendâ— in exemplum vitae If once men come to make rules of the actions specially warranded beyond the common rule of the Word where will they stand As to instance this same example of Phineas If they will go on to presse the imitation of it 1. They must say that even when the Magistrate is godly and zealous and willing to execute judgement as Moses and the great Council were private persons may do it without them and not wait their warrand as they think Phineas did not 2. That any private person may go to mens Tents or Chambers and stab them without any legal Processe which Phineas they will say used not 3. That if such things be done inconsulto pro Magistratu such as Moses was yet the doer must not be challenged as Phineas was not challenged by Moses 6. The Libeller striving to parallel the Acts of his party which he justifies and incites unto with Phineas his act as he dare not say the acts which he justifies and instigates unto are extraordinary but only heroical so he asserts Phineas act was not extraordinary nor upon extraordinary warrant but heroical and imitable by others who may have such measures of zeal as he had He should in order to this laboured to have set some distinction betwixt heroical and extraordinary acts but this he doth not only labours to jumble the matter and speaks so confusedly that as others cannot understand him so he gives evience he did not understand himself in this matter only something he would gladly say to encourage men to irregular actions under the pretence of Phineas fact But the man if he would might have known the distinction betwixt extraordinary and heroical acts Philosophers and Divines too distinguish betwixt heroical vertues with the acts suitably thereto and common vertues and their acts 3â— pars Thomae qu. 7 art 2ª ad 2 m â— and aggree in this that there is no difference between heroical vertues and virtutes communiter dictae nisi secundum perfectiorem modum A heroick act doth not deviate from the rule of a common vertue but only proceeds from a more intense disposition to a high pitch of vertue and of the acts thereof but yet keeps within the bounds of the ordinary rule of such or such a vertuous action But an extraordinary action goes beyond any ordinary rule of common reason or divine Word as that Abraham should kill Isaac without any hatred of him or cause in him was an act of extraordinary obedience to a special mandate of God Albeit the love that is due to God above all and the respect due to his Sovereignty should incline to obey whatever he enjoyns yet the particular act of slaying his harmlesse child meerly upon the declared will of God was an extraordinary act of obedience not comprisable within the lists of common vertues that direct our actings toward men under God Extraordinary actions are such as are done upon special mandate of God and are not within the compasse of ordinary acts of obedience according to the rule that is set Men may have heroick motions and actions within the bounds of an ordinary calling as sometimes though they have extraordinary calling they may want heroical motions Luther had no immediate nor extraordinary calling to reform the Church but within the bounds of ordinary calling he had special excitations of Gods Spirit and was elevated unto heroick actings for Gods glory in an exceedingly corrupt and collapsed state of the Church Peter had an extraordinary calling and immediate yet he wanted sometimes heroical motions and actions as when he dissembled Gal. 2. Phineas had not only excitations of zeal and heroical motions but supposing him a meer private Person he is to be looked upon as having extraordinary calling from God which is fully enough insinuated both by Gods approving and rewarding him Numb 25. and he rewards not our will-service nor approves it but what he hath enjoyned himself and also by Ps 106. where it is said emphatically it was imputed to him for righteousness though judging according to ordinary rules it might be imputed to him for sin supposing him a meer private man Yet having Gods warrand whose will is the rule of righteousness the deed was imputed to him for righteousness 7. Great gifts secret impulses heroical motions do not as this man suggests give men sufficient call to go beyond the ordinary rules God hath set to men in their callings though they dispose them to act eminently in their callings yet cannot give a new or another calling Every calling a man hath to any work God sets him about must be either mediate or immediate there is no midst betwixt these two as there is not between contradictories If men be not called to a work by the intervention of men and their allowance they must plead an immediate calling from God And we would gladly hear if this man will allow the private persons whom he instigates to insurrections against Magistrates an immediate calling by vertue of their secret impulses and excitations for we are sure they have no mediate ordinary calling If he will go on to say that great gifts of zeal c. great excitations and impulses allows people to desert their own calling and state like these spirits Jude 6. that kept not their first estate but left their own habitation and to intrude upon the Magistrates office alwayes when they think there is cause without an external vocation from men Where will he rest till he
his Acts of violent resistance and vindication of liberty according to the Covenant And in reference to the case of the Nation in these Times the man is so far transported as to teach the people That their liberty is so far lost that they are reduced to the condition of a most insupportable and unnatural conquest which should be a most just cause and provocation to all ingenuous Spirits and good Patriots to undertake the asserting of their own liberty upon the greatest peril Page 116. And that the pressures and grievances of the Nation by reason only of that Court of Commission for executing the Laws anent Church matters do far exceed all the pressures and injuries of that Spanish inquisition whereupon the United Provinces have justified and approved their revolt from the King of Spain Page 126. So that this mans design is clear from his words to dissolve and confound this Kingdom to move them who will be taken in his snare to renounce Allegiance to the King to revolt from him as having better cause then the United Provinces had to revolt from the King of Spain to combine themselves in new Societies to their own mind they being now relapsed into their primaeve liberty and the obligation to the Government being loosed and that every man and every Party as they find themselves strong enough should upon their own discretive judgement of what is their due civil Liberty as well as what is right Religion and upon their greatest peril undertake not only violent resistance of all powers above them but valiant vindication of Religion and Liberties and reforming what they think amisse vi armis even to the punishing all and whatsoever person that will oppose them in their way The particulars shall be after spoken to but now more generally we consider his fundamental Doctrines of confusion That the true ends of instituting civil Government are the true happiness of People here and hereafter and the glory of God and that Magistrates and Governours are oblieged to prosecute these ends no judicious Christian will question All the question is anent the Duty of the fearers of God in the case of the perversion of the ends of Government by these in whose hand it is whether when this perversion is manifest the band and tye to the Government ceaseth as to the persons injur'd thereby and whither this be the case as matters are now stated that private persons or any number of them are for the present suppos'd perversions of the ends of Government disoblieged from all tyes to the same and relaps'd into their primaeve liberty and priviledge to combine in Societies which are to their mind as at first they did associate themselves in the political bodies whereof now they are members for their own good and preservation As for the general position or affirmative resolution to the former question it is undoubtedly both unchristian and unreasonable When was there at any time greater perversion and straying from the ends of Government then was in the times of many of the holy Prophets of God and in the times of Christ his holy Apostles and the primitive Christians who were both replenish'd with much light to know their duties and much zeal to act for the honour of God against all perils and dangers whatsoever lying in their way Government was perverted by manifest Idolatry and horrid Tyranny many monsters of men possessing the thrones of Soveraignty yet look over all the sacred Writings of the holy Prophets look to the history of the life and actions of Christ and his Apostles or to the history of the great Lights of the primitive Church for many hundreds of years and see if any of the teachers taught such doctrine that in case of the manifest perversion of the ends of Government people did relapse into their primaeve liberty and priviledge to combine with whom they pleased to forsake the union with these political bodies with which they were conjoyn'd or that they were liberated from the obligation and band to the civil order and Government under which they were or if that was the sense of any of the godly zealous Christians and fearers of God in these times who alwayes keeped themselves pure from sinning against God refusing obedience unto mens unlawful Commandments but the Doctrine of these new Christians never came in their hearts that they should make secessions from the civil Societies wherein they lived so long as they keep'd within the bounds over which such or such Government was and account all their obligation to abused Government dissolved Yea upon the contrary as there are never to be found amongst the people fearing God any such rentings of the States and Common-wealths they lived in approven of God or injoyn'd by his Prophets in his name So in reproving sins and menacing judgements against these in Authority albeit they grievously abused their places yet the Prophets Apostles and Christ also studied to preserve respects to the Soveraignty and Powers set over People and while they warn'd all from the highest to the lowest to amend their wayes they guarded against seditious dissolutions of the Common-wealth on any pretext never prescribing rebellion and revolting the greater sin as the cure of Tyranny or irreligiousness in the Actings of Powers What abusers of Government and perverters of the ends thereof were Tiberius Claudius Nero Domitian c. yet Christ will have Caesars due given him and his Apostles presse subjection to them Honor to be given them Tribute to be paid to them Prayers to be made for them not for destroying them and their Government but for preserving their Persons and sanctifying their hearts that they might govern rightly and peaceably a Prayer Point-blank contrary to endeavours to disturbe their Kingdoms by seditious courses to dissolve and dissipate them and to take vengeance on their persons So that they must needs be the disciples not of Christ or Paul or Peter but of Judas of Galilee and of Theudas Acts 5.36 37. who upon account of perversion of Government teach any part of the people to dissolve and confound the Societies whereof they are members and that the obligation being loosed from the Government they may break off from it and erect themselves in new Combinations and Societies with whom they think best If this may passe for good divinity the grand enemy shall never want opportunity of casting Fire-balls in humane Societies and working confusion and every evil work But as this position is very dissonant from Religion so it is no less to sound reason for it hath a clear tendency to the breaking and crumbling in pieces of all humane political Societies all Commonwealths and Kingdoms of the World which no wit of Man can preserve from dissolution if once this Principle be drunk into the hearts of People and sink there For by this mans opinion the judgement of the perversion of the ends of Government in tyranny oppression c. is alwayes put over to the
of these who were either sold Slaves or saved in War and parting with their liberty for saving their lives then a Magistratical or Kingly power ought to claim over subjects not of such a condition albeit cruelty should be according to Divine Law avoided by any invested with any of these powers 3. In that the person that hath domination or Masterly-power as was ordinarily of old albeit we have scarce a shaddow of that power which Masters then had over Slaves absolutely surrendring their liberty to them hath the Slaves in subjection to him more out of fear and constraint then love or delight but a King or Magistrate hath his inferiours under him in a civil free liberal voluntary and loving subjection knowing that in the Government their good is aimed at by the Ruler more then his own and his subjects will not or ought not for his good and honour which is inseparably connexed with their own good spare to expend Life and Fortunes or what they are or have as publick necessity requires Yet though there be these differences betwixt the Dominative or Masterly and the Royal or Magistratical Power the inferiors subjection in suffering even wrongfully if God permit in his Providence the power to be so abused is no lesse under the one Power then under the other by vertue of Divine Law Subjects are Sons to the Soveraign their Father and Nurse-father to the Church of God but they are also Sons that do under God serve him though they be not Slaves It is ordinary in Scripture not only to find conquered People called Servants to the Conqueror as 2 Sam. 8.14 they of Edom became Davids servants but also ordinary Subjects to Kings were called Servants to them not only their menial Servants nor only their Guard nor their Officers onely but generally their Subjects were called Servants and the King their Lord as Davids Subjects warring against the Ammonites 2 Sam. 11.24 are called his Servants 1 Kings 12.4 We will serve thee saith Israel to Rehoboam i. e. we will be Subjects to thee Subjects for the publick good the Honour of the Prince whom they term their Soveraign Lord and for every ones private good are Servants to the Prince in a free voluntary ingenuous loving way they are his Servants as willingly and chearfully subordinate to him as their Soveraign although he also be in a sense their Servant not in relation of an inferiour to his superiour for so the Magistrate is only the Minister of God for the Peoples good and never called their Minister but in relation of the meanes to the end he is their Servant as Angels are ministering Spirits for the heirs of Salvation And Ministers of Christ are Ministers and Servants to the People though in regard of their official power they are not subject to the People but rules over them according to Christs Gospel Thus we see subjection without violent resistance in case of wrongful suffering is the duty of all inferiours toward their several correlatives Neither hath it any weight to make disparity of the cases the sufferings to which Children or Servants are to submit without violent resistance as but corrections or buffetings not tending to death or mutilation but the subjection required to the Magistrate who bears the Sword when he abuseth the same imports suffering death if he proceed so far which is the greatest evil of punishment and which is not eligible where lawful self defence is at hand For 1. the grounds that such men go upon for private persons violent resisting the Magistrate viz. the abuse of his power if they hold good will as effectually evince a non-subjection and violent resistance to Parents Masters c. abusing their power which is contrary to the Scripture and if the abuse of power by Fathers or Masters warrands not violent resistance against them how should it warrand the same against the Magistrates unjust violence 2. Aâ— death is not so no punishment unjustly inflicted is eligible where lawfully it can be warded off But this is the state of the question if private persons may lawfully violent the Magistrate abusing his power If in greater evils unjustly inflicted there is alwayes a liberty for inferiors violently to re-offend the Powers above them why not in lesse evils too these gradual differences of inflicted evils cannot make such variation in the point of duty seing the ground holds equally strong if a man may resist the Magistrate for abuse of his Power he may do so also against his Father or Master on the same ground and if he may not so deal with them he may not deal so with the Magistrate neither Again our Lord and Saviour did foresee and foretell his Disciples that they were to meet with persecution from the Powers of the world for truth and righteousnesse sake And Mat. 5.10 pronounceth them blessed who are persecuted for righteousnesse sake and who are persecuted and reviled falsly for his sake asserting that their reward is great in Heaven So 1 Pet. 4.14 If ye suffer for righteousness sake happy are ye c. v. 17. It is better ye suffer for well doing then for evil doing c. In such Texts there is a commended suffering for Christ and righteousness sake having the encouragement of a promise of reward consequently it must be a sort of commanded suffering seing God commends and rewards nothing but what he commands it is a suffering contradistinct from suffering for evil doing submission to suffering for evil doing is out of all question a duty because in that case the resistance is a sinful resisting of the Ordinance of God and of these who are invested with that Ordinance of Magistracy while they lawfully use it But there is a further matter commended or enjoyned in these Scriptures even a cleanly submission to suffering in and for well doing when God in his Providence permits Rulers so to abuse their power which passive subjection or submission is not grounded on the Rulers abuse of his Power through his corrupt will but upon the peculiar command of God enjoyning submission in such cases to prevent sedition and confusion The Author of Lex Rex quaest 30. jeers at passive obedience as a chimaera as a dream and as involving a contradiction And he thinks he speaks acutely in saying God never gave to any a command to suffer for well-doing nor at all to suffer suffering depending on the free-will of another without us and not on our own free-will and so not falling under any command of God to us but he reasons very sophistically inferring that because meer suffering which necessarily depends on the action of another is not commended to us therefore subjection to suffering or passive obedience is not commanded when the Magistrate inflicts suffering It is impossible indeed that meer passion as to be whipped to be hanged or headed should be the object of an affirmative or preceptive command of God though the Magistrate may have a command to inflict
breaking the Scepters of Kings to be remembred and sayes such a thing had the approbation of divine Providence of his Word and of his People animated thereto by himself Albeit his speech be subdolous and double-faced leaving it doubtful of what times he speaks wherein this memorable instance of murthering Kings and dethroning them is to be found at the time of Reformation whereat he seems to hint no such thing was there yet it is too palpable he points at the horrid instance of the murther committed upon the sacred Person of our late King by the vile and desperate Sectaries the instance saith he of the times we now speak of is worthily recorded another instance in the times of first Reformation of such murther we know not But it is most falsly and wickedly said whether that particular be meant or not that Gods Providence or Gods Word approves the murthering or deposing of Princes or that he thereunto animates his people Gods Word never warranded any Subjects to take the Sword to destroy their Soveraigns or to adjudge them to death under any pretence they not being their Judges above them but under them and what Gods Word approves not his Providence doth not approve although he may and doth in his holy Providence permit many things to be which he approves not in his Word which is our rule and not his Providence And to say God animates his people to such horrid actions is blasphemy making God the author of sin he animates none to any thing that is against his Word the ordinary rule of our walking albeit extraordinarily he may stir up the spirits of some to actions not according to the ordinary rule as in the times of the Judges but they were sure of their warrand from him the like whereof none have ground to wait for now But God save the King from such people so animated as this man would have them he may call them the people of God that carry such murthering-hearts towards Princes but it is to be feared God will say to them Depart from me I know you not One of Naphtali's commended Pseudomartyrs the Apology labours to produce many instances of the Parliaments of Scotland punishing Princes for their enormities all which he sets forth as laudable and imitable presidents and examples Yet the most that all of them amounts to is nothing but the insurrection of Nobles Proceres as Buchannan calls them against the Kings and violent oppressions of such of them as have been flagitious and tyrannous such were several of them as it happens every where and was so in Judah where were more evil Kings then good by far But neither Buchannan nor this Apolog. can produce any one instance of our lawful Parliaments or Peoples taking on them in a judicial way in cold blood and under forms of process to punish or destroy their Kings howsoever evil Whatever insurrections have been wherein Kings have perished and not a few people also as oft-times the cure of Tyranny is worse to the people then Tyranny it self Minori cum periculo tyrannus toleratur quam ejicitur yet God hath since the foundation of our Kingdom to this day preserved our Parliaments and People from such a way against their Kings even when they were under Paganisme for some ages even when Popery did over-grow the Land choaking and darkening the light of the Gospel after it was come amongst us and when the Land was in many ages under much barbarity it never came in the hearts of Parliaments or People to sit as Judges on their Soveraigns in cold blood and advisedly with forms of Process to attempt their destruction however evil they were The more shame do they cast upon these who in the fair day-light of the Gospel endeavour to poison souls with such a Doctrine of devils or who instigate to or approve of such wayes against the Powers ordained by God But to pull out this Libeller and his Complices from the Sanctuary of the Word of God which he sayes does approve the destroying of Princes and makes void their exemption and impunity as to men their Subjects Let it be considered what colour there is for this horrid Tenet from the Word of God A little we must reflect upon his Magazine whence he borrowes all his stuffe printing that pretious matter that is there over and over again under different shapes L. R. quest 26. is bold to say That the Sanhedrim might and should have put David to death for the matter of Vriah For sayes he he sees no exception God makes in the Law of great or small but the murtherer should be put to death according to Gen. 9.6 Numb 35.30 31. and if men make difference be craves leave to say à facto ad jus non sequitur and though it be an humane politick constitution that the King be free of all coaction of Law because it conduceth for the peace of the Common-wealth Yet if we make it a matter of conscience I see no exception that God makes the persons of the Great must not be excepted Deut. 1.17 1 Chron. 19.6 7. Levit. 19.15 So also P. 348. and 428. and 238. And often elsewhere he will have the estates executing the moral Law as he calls it on the King and punishing him not only resisting him And why because he sayes most Thrasonically P. 460. I have unanswerably proved that the Kingdom is superior to the King and the people may be their own Judge in the Tribunal of necessity To which we say 1. What should he mean to make it conducible to the Peace of the Common-wealth that the King be free of the coaction of Law and yet not so if it be made a matter of Conscience Is the preservation of the Peace of the Common-wealth no matter of Conscience to him or Is not the constitution freeing the King from coaction of Law for that end warrandable 2. It is good that this Metaphysical Statist was no chief Priest or Levite or such a member of the Sanhedrim in Davids time for he would certainly have afforded a corrupt exposition of the Law in reference to the King that he might be cut off What sots or cold-rife senselesse men were the Priests and the Prophets of that time who did not instigate the Sanhedrim to execute the moral Law on David that wrath might be turned away from the Land this man could in his sublime speculations have instructed the Sanhedrim better in their duty and could have told them that albeit David was not bound to draw his Sword against himself yet the Judges under him should not accept his person because he was a great man he could have told them the Sanhedrim is above the King to punish him as well as another man for his sin and in point of Conscience and by Gods Law they were bound to do it 3. He utterly mistakes the meaning of the Word of God Gen. 9.6 as for the other Texts they clearly concern Magistrates only
reason that these who are Plaintifes shall be judges of the Party they complain of more then the party or Prince Judge to them Is not this a perversion of all judgement that in one and the same body politick the accuser and Judge shall be coincident in the same persons or person And they shall use the punishing Sword over all Rulers to whom God never committed it the notions of original fountaine virtual royalty in the people which they may render formal effectual and actual when they see fit are but high flown unregardable fancies of the masters of confusion All magistratical Authority is originally and fountally in God alone whose Minister the Magistrate is and not the peoples although for the peoples good whatever interests people may have in instrumental application of the power to such or such persons sometimes Government is not in the people virtually though wrongously sometimes they usurp it No man hath the Power of the Sword over his own life nor over the life of his neighbours as he is a private man not invested with magistratical Authority and so cannot transmit that to another which he hath not himself None have this avenging Power of the Sword over mens lives but the Magistrate alone whom people by Gods law are bound to choose if they want one in their Societies and Combinations but whomever they designe they do not empower him it is God by his Ordinance that doth this the Power is from God not from them albeit the application of the person to the Power or of it to him be instrumentally and dispositively by the peoples act where they have liberty for such acts 5. Though it be true that all Covenants and Contracts amongst men embodied in a Society brings each of the contracters under a Law-claim in case of failing coram Judice proprio before his own and competent Judge yet it is not true that any Contracts betwixt man and man in one and the same Society gives the party keeping contract coactive Power over the party breaking it is true the Judge hath a coactive Power to lay forth in behalf of the keeper against the breaker but that is not the keeper his coactive Power but the Judges employed for his good the one party is not Judge of the other but the Magistrate is Judge over both Now there is no Judge over all Magistrates nor the supreme Magistrate before whom a complaining people can plead wrong done to them This complaint lyes before God only to take order with it And it must needs be a strange assertion to say as some do that it leads Kings to Atheisme to tell them They are countable to God only whereas this leads them genuinly to stand in awe of God and the lesse fear they have from men to be in greater dreador of more terrible strokes from God if if they do wrong ordinarily where there is much fear of mans punishments there is lesse fear of Gods but when it is told Princes the more exemption they have from man the more terribly will God handle them if they do wrong this may make the highest and stoutest hearts to tremble at the dreadful vengeance by the hands of the living God which will strike a deeper stroke then creatures can 6. To provoke people to go about the medling with the advancing Religion actibus Imperatis which is the Magistrates part and not only actibus elicitis is but a ruining of all order God hath set the imperate acts for advancing Religion are not to be done but by these to whom God hath given the Empire It is not his will that people run out of their rank and calling to serve him more then it was his will that Saul or Vzziah offered sacrifice or incense the works were good in themselves but the workers were not warranded to do the same extraordinary necessities are more easily pleaded then justified as ground sufficient for actions whereto there is no extraordinary call If Magistrates be deficient as to their imperat acts in advancing Religion private persons are sufficiently discharged if they keep themselves pure and do what possibly they can for advancing Religion in their private capacities and by their elicit acts Nor shall they be involved in guiltiness for not intruding in the Magistrates office or doing his duty wherein he hath failed If a mans eyes be put out his ears or other senses will go as far to supply that defect for the good of the body as may be yet cannot help the body by elicit acts of seeing So whatever length private persons may go for the good of the body they must not go to exercise and exert formally acts Magistratical upon whatever pretence of extraordinary need which will never be wanting to a people enflamed with a seditious spirit August Lib. 2. contra literas Petiliani Auferenda idola non potest quispiam jubere privatis Lact. instit S. 20. Defendenda est Religio a privatis omnibus non occidendo sed moriendo c. It is a dangerous and destructive tenent to be held forth to be believed by people That in all cases whither concerning Religion or Liberty when they account the Magistrate to pervert the Government that they are eatenus and so far even as they had no King and that the royalty hath recurred to themselves and they may act and exercise it formally as if they had no King at all which is the express Doctrine of L. R. p 99.100 And more intolerable is Naphtali who grants this not only to the body of the people and inferiour Magistrates but to any the least meer private part of the people against the whole body and against all Magistrates supreme and subordinate Where or when shall confusions end if these Doctrines have faith or free passage CHAP. IV. Anent the following of Phineas fact of heroick or extraordinary impulsions and concerning some courses taken at our first Reformation and their exemplariness THat every man should walk in his own calling with God 1 Cor. 7.20 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 love the honour to be quiet and do his own business 1 Thes 4.11 yea ambitiously contend as the word bears it so to do is agreeable to the mind and will of the God of Order it is a godly ambition to act within the precincts of our own calling but Sathan striving to make men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 disorderly and unsubject to these whom God hath set over them under several colours of extreme necessity the lawfulness of the matter of actions in themselves the goodness of ends and intentions the want or deficiency of others to do the work mens own probable capacity to do it doth often drive men out of their ranks and stations to act such things whereof God will say I never required them at your hands in your hands they are evil quia ego non jussi and because sometimes God hath given extraordinary callings or incited men by
his Spirit with heroical motions to such acts as were not according to ordinary rules of procedure thence they would bring warrand for their irregularities and for going out of their line This vain Orator Naph p. 21 22 23 24 25. catches hold on the instance of Phineas Numb 25.7 8. executing justice upon an Israelitish Prince and will have that a precedent for any private persons such as lately did rise under colour of high pitches of zeal and fortitude whereto they are incited as he sayes by Gods Spirit to execute justice upon all the powers and people of the Land they being fallen in such a fearful apostatic as keeping the true protestant Religion to vary from them in the external ordering of the Ministry of the Church and embracing that way and order against which there is no command of Christ yea for the consonancy whereof to his word much and very much may be said and hath been And although he cannot but see the dreadful consequences of extracting a general rule for these times out of such an example yet though he turns himself Proteus-like into many shapes distinguishing about heroick and extraordinary motions denying Phineas act to be extraordinary but only heroical talking much of good intentions warrandableness of the work in it self deficiency of others in doing it and of Gods power to give rare heroick incitations c. he cannot by any thing he sayes put a sufficient bar against confusions under such pretexts but he opens a door he cannot close again And the result of all is to fasten the last insurrection upon the holy spirit of God to justifie their attempts against all Authorities in the Land and to assert they were no more to be condemned as Traitors then Phineas should be for his executing judgement seing they were led with the same spirit and had as good warrand as he And the design further is to inflame people again to the like courses under the like pretences for justifying the same When this mans discourse concerning Phineas fact and the exemplariness thereof and concerning pretended extraordinary or heroick incitations he talkes of was first looked upon men of any judgement consider'd that as the former bloody insurrections were endeavoured to be justified by him so he was laying down grounds for some merciless massacre or horrid assassinations on persons in power and others if any people might be found so deserted of God as to be serviceable to him in that wickedness for now no man can have security of his life if any private persons be allowed under Phineas cloak to come and cut the throats of all whom this man will point forth as black Apostats Such deeds must be fatherd upon the holy Spirit of God and his excitations to zeal which are held a sufficient calling though that so called zeal will prove no other but a corrupt lust proceeding from another spirit And we must forsooth when these men will have us so do own these irregularities as being from God and say He is employing the weak things and foolish of the world to confound the mighty and wise and must not condemn them as Vsurpers or Intruders although they be but meer private men more then we would have done Phineas in his fact Thus he What great Villanies have been under such pretences carried on in the world by persons taking their heroical motions and excitations of zeal for a sufficient calling to their irregular actions which is the direct Doctrine of this man the World knows well How the Munster madness was carried on under extraordinary shewes of zeal is known and how also God confounded that way The murthers of the two Kings Henries of France the third and fourth have been famous or infamous in this last age by the cruel hands of two Zelots inflamed by seditious Predicants and Jesuits they fell The assassinates actions were cryed up by such as set them on against these Neroes of the time as these Kings were called by them as actions most heroically zealous most Phineas like proceeding not from common vertue or grace sed à dono speciali Spiritus Sancti proh nefas And they taught that it was of God to excite these miscreants to cut the Basilick vein as they spake to prevent the State and Churches falling into a burning feaver And to come neerer home the remembrance of the Gun-powder Traitors who attempted at one blow to destroy King James and all his Family and Parliament is yet recent a deed which wanted nothing of the high commendation of an heroical and Phineas-like fact amongst the Zelots of the antichristian party but that it wanted successe which marred all Further in the time of Queen Elizabeth of England Anno 1591. Some male-contented Presbyterians being taken in the head with the same fancy of Heroical motions of zeal as a sufficient calling to attempt something beyond rule in the desolate and colapsed estate of the Church as they call'd it began first to question and propose it as a case of conscience If in such a case God might not give such high measures of zeal fortitude courage and rare excitations of his Spirit to meer private persons against oppressing powers which might be a sufficient call to attempt somewhat against Magistrates not suiting ordinarily rules and committing the event to God The men were Arthington Coppinger and Hacket the chief of the three as they were all marvelous zealous for the discipline So this third having debauched his estate surpassed in zeal this way perhaps looking for some reparation by it and was as the History tells us a man of highest pretences of the internal unction of spirituality and of pure zeal and one who could ex tempore pray to admiration The godly Ministers who were of their perswasion in matters of discipline for the most part disliked and disswaded them from their course albeit some too furious entertained and encouraged them After this they went to action Hackets two complices went to the most open and publick streets of the City of London declaring to them that Hacket who was to be found at his lodging in one Mr. Walkers in Cripple-gate was sent of God to represent Jesus Christ on earth with his fan in his hand to separate the pretious from the vile and to erect the holy discipline in all Europe they having a great concourse of people flocking about them declared themselves to be his extraordinary Prophets the one to preach vengeance to them who would not obey them the other to preach mercy to all who would obey them And in the great concourse of people they ceased not to cry repent repent O England and embrace the Gospel and opportunity of Reformation As for the Queen they cried she had fallen from her right to the Kingdom And that most of her Councellours were but betrayers of the Kingdom And all their doctrines they set forth with terrible imprecations against themselves if they spake not truth The Queen being at Greenwich and
confound all within Church and State If such gifts and impulses be sufficient call for intruding in the office of the Magistrate to execute justice why is it not also sufficient for the office of the Ministry without call from men externally And thus Anabaptists Enthusiasts Photinians and the like denying the necessity of external call to the Ministry avowing gifts and excitations to be a sufficient call shall gain the day a man may take the honour of a Ministry to himself without waiting mans call as well as the honour of Magistracy a self-called-Magistrate and a self-called Minister are very sib together And how shall the Libeller refuse to admit women to baptize children in case of necessity the thing it self being good and for a good end and there being none other to do it and the exigence great or how will he hold back any private persons from preaching and ministring all Sacraments though they have no external call It is easie to pretend as great need for this as for intruding into the Magistrates office 8. It is in vain for this man to tell us that Gods hand is not shortened and he hath plenty of the Spâ—rit to give and is the same yesterday and to day and for ever and can give such gifts and excitations and such allowance in acting as Phineas had For our question is not anent Gods power or what he may do we adore that glorious Majesty who doth what he will in heaven and in earth and can do above all we can think But our question is if now after that the Canon of holy Scripture is perfected sealed and consigned we have warrand to look for any extraordinary persons having Gods secret and special mandates to do works which any ordinary calling they have by allowance and approbation of men according to the rules of common reason and the word doth not interest them in such as Phineas act supposing him a private man is to be esteemed The man falls out in wishing that all Gods people were as Phineas and had the same Spirit of holy Zeal that by removal of the cause his fierce anger against this poor Land might cease We shall easily concur with him in wishing and praying that Gods people may be filled with zeal to his Glory as Phineas was but not that they should have that same exercise of zeal that he had nor follow his fact unlesse they could be certified of their warrand and calling to do so as he was The Apostles of Christ are to us examples of zeal for God in their Ministery but who will say that the acts which they zealously did by vertue of their extraordinary calling are for our imitation albeit their zeal be Peter in zeal to Gods honour killed Ananias and Saphira who lied to the holy Ghost Shall therefore Ministers slay men that deal deceitfully with God or shed their blood the zeal was imitable but not the fact the fact is not justified meerly by the zeal that puts on to it but by the calling and warrand To follow all the facts of them who have been truly zealous for God is indeed a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an evil zeal like the zeal of the disciples Luke 9.54 Who knew not of what Spirit they were Peter Martyrs word speaking of imitation of extraordinary examples of zeal and facts done that way Loc. comâ— Clas 2. cap. 9. is good Nobis cavendum est ne illa quae vehementer extraordinario cupimus aliquo exemplo Majorum velimus constabilire cum inusitata volumus aggredi contra ordinaria Dei praecepta non est satis exempla produxisse Majorum sed excutiendus Spiritus quo ducimur ne spâ—cioso quodam praetextu carnis affectum prudentiam sequamur And Perkins on the Creed pag. 194. sayes well If a man be zealous for Christ he must be zealous within the compasse of his Calling and not be zealous first and then look for a Calling but first look for a Calling and then be zealous Which thing if Peter had marked he would not have dealt so rashly in drawing his sword and smitting for being without compass of his Calling he could not but do amisse But yet this man urgeth Nap. p. 24 impiety shall quickly gain an universal Empire to the extermination of all goodness if for fear of accidental hazards vertue and vertuous actions of private persons shall be utterly neglected Ans None offers to hinder vertue and vertuous actions of private persons but only their vitious usurpations upon the Magistrate no evil should be done either that good may come of it or a worse evil prevented the exercise of the Magistrates office in executing judgement is good being done by him but it is evil being done by a private person that hath no calling so to do every man hath not a calling to do all good but only that good which is competent to him in his calling to do when iniquity is like to prevail it is my part who am a private person to mourn for it to pray against it to use fraternal loving warnings to others as I have occasion and to keep my self pure from pollutions in so doing I may sit down with contentment referring the remedy of evils to God in his own way and time but to break Gods order by intruding into publick places and the actions of Magistrates for preventing or remedying impiety is but to cure one sin by another And when we have invaded the Magistrates place being private persons others will do the like to us and there shall be no end of confusion Fearers of God would not listen to the charmes of vain talkers but beware of removing the ancient limits God hath set of mens callings were it for prevention of greatest idolatry or wickedness nothing that is either evil in it self or evil as circumstantiated in our hands from whom God hath required no such thing is to be done Will ye speak wickedly for God and talk deceitfully for him Job 13.7 But this Libeller insists upon the matter of private mens usurping the Magistrates place not only in the first part of his Book speaking in reference to our first Reformation and Way of it which he brings to justifie present insurrections but in the latter part p. 151.152 he will have private men taking the punishing and reforming sword in their hands against all Magistrates and sayes expresly people of inferior degree may step forward to occupy the places and assert the interests which wicked Rulers have forfeited and deserted And this he sayes is according to the Covenant where they swear in their places and callings to endeavour reformation c. which clause he sayes is to be taken not restrictively but as he speaks the clause is exegetick and ampliative and that the sense is that if others in their respective places concur in advancing the work every one shall confine himself to his own place and calling but if these in higher employment fail in their oath