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A86986 A sermon preached at St. Bartholomevvs the lesse in London, on the xxvii. day of March 1642; being the day of the inauguration of our soveraigne lord King Charles. By William Hall. Minister of that parish, and now thought fit to be published. Hall, William, d. 1662. 1642 (1642) Wing H446; Thomason E142_14; ESTC R7921 15,614 43

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ordinati because they are ordained of God as S. Paul in expresse tearmes Rom. 13.1 ordeined they are not only permitted but established by providence by precept it is the same reason which our Saviour himselfe gives of this title Joh. 10.34 he calleth them Gods saith he to whom the Word of God came that is cui speciale venit dominandi mandatum to whom the speciall Word of God came to give them power to rule there is no authority but is from God he is not only the permitter but the author of it All Magistracy is Gods Ordinance Should we seek to the fountaine and originall of all power we shall find God Almighty investing man with a threefold power at the first First with that which is called liberum arbitrium free will he erected in Man a Magistracy and power over himselfe ut {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} pre esset {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the leading rationall part of the Soule he made the Leader and Commander over the inferiour appetite hee made man Master and Governour of himselfe till his fall overthrew that internall Magistracy Secondly he gave a second power of man over the creatures that he should be Lord of them Dominamini animalibus terrae rule ye over the beasts of the earth Gen. 2.8 Thirdly he at that time gave a power of man over man which when there were but two persons could only be potestas maritalis in uxorem the power of the husband over the wife the Magistracy could only appeare in that and in that it did Gen. 3. ●6 But as the World increased so did this power extend it selfe First in potestatem Patriam into the paternall power of parents over their children Then secondly in potestatem herilem into the power of Masters over Families and as humane society multiplied so did God by the light of nature imprint in man a knowledge of the necessity of Order and Government he taught them by their own bodyes that some members must be superior to others and from the Bees and Cranes Men learned to choose a Ruler over them Indeed we find Magistracy implicitely instituted by that peremptory Law Gen. 9.6 That whosoever shed mans bloud by man should his blood be shed Now that any man should promiscuously at his own pleasure execute the Law upon a murderer without warrant would make him still a murtherer and introduce confusion It must therefore suppose a Magistrate who should have power to execute this Law upon offenders Rulers then are all of Gods appointment they stand by vertue of his Ordinance be there different ways of administration of Power different States and formes of Government yet are they still from the same author Ecclesiasticall and Civill governements Monarchies and Democra●ies hereditary Crownes and Magistrats chosen by suffrage of the People Kings and Parliaments all are ordained by him For his providence doth variously call the sons of men to authority and orders severall formes of exercising Magistracy Thus in that people Which he had taken into his owne speciall immediate care he ordained various ways of Government by Captaines as Moses and Joshua by assistance of a Counsell of 70 Elders by Judges and then by Kings and so mediatly in severall Common-wealths he ordaines severall Magistracies though not by his owne immediate appointment yet by the agreement of men such as shall best consist with the constitution of the People and upon all those he hath stamp'd the character of his authority they are not rashly to be disobeyed or altered they are Gods by his ordination Yet there are scruples raised against this third reason that all Magistrates are called Gods because ordeined by him for some would take away the foundation of it Surely say some Objectors all Magistrates and their power cannot be from God 1 Object For first they are his own words by his Prophet Hosea 8.4 They have set up Princes but not by mee they have made Princes but I knew it not Solu It is true indeed God speaking there of the rending of the Kingdom from the son of Salomon by Jeroboam saith that they have set up Princes but not by him and yet himselfe tels Jeroboam by his Prophet Ahijah Behold I will rend the Kingdome out of the hands of Salomon and will give the ten Tribes to thee 1 King 11.31 In one place God saith the people had done it in another himselfe had done it surely then the rending of the Kingdome was from God as a just revenger for the sins of Salomon the rebellion of the people without consulting with him was not from him Jeroboam's power was from him though not the peoples rebellion and revolt still all authority finds him for the author and therefore they are called Gods 2 Object But secondly they cannot all bee ordeined of God and so be stiled Gods for that reason for then would all the worst and most tyrannicall governments claime God for their Patron hath he ordeined Tyrants and made them Gods on earth Did he appoint Nimrod and Pharaoh Did he set up the Babylonian and Persian Tyrants Did he authorize the Mahumetane Sultuns and set up Governements that prove scourges to the sons of men Solu To answer this we must first know that all tyranny is the corruption of Government it is not that sound and lawfull authority of which God is the author Government and Governors have all their degenerations and corruptions as Politique Writers describe them and these are not from God but from the vices and wickednesse of men permitted by him for their punishment There are three things which must be considered in all Governments in every Ruler There is first ipsa potestas the power it selfe and this is by the Will and Ordinance of God in whose hands soever it is for by him Kings raigne and though in anger he gives a King yet still he gives him Hosea 13.11 Secondly there is acquisitio potestatis the obteining of this power this may often be by usurpation by corrupt unlawfull meanes and of this God is not the author he may permit evill Governors by forceable or unjust meanes to get that power into their hands unlawfully which himselfe hath lawfully constituted Thirdly there is Executio potestatis the execution and use of that power which if it be abusive exceeding the limits of Iustice can no way be ascribed to him but to the wickednesse of men Tyrannicall oppression establishment of superstition and errour by a lawfull though an abused power have no relation to Gods ordinance they find no support or authorization from him Yet those who execute them still quoad potestatem in respect of their power are from him they are ordeined by him and in that respect are called Gods in Scripture We must yet adde a fourth reason why Magistrates are called Gods and that the best and most proper quia Deum imitari debent because they are or should be like God himselfe in their actions and qualities