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A47398
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Of obedience for conscience-sake a sermon preach'd at the assizes held at Warwick, August the 7th, 1683 / by Jonathan Kimberley ...
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Kimberley, Jonathan, 1650 or 51-1720.
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1683
(1683)
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Wing K479; ESTC R8434
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18,646
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34
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over us God will punish us for it and therefore in Conscience we are bound to submit to them always and to obey them actively where God does not interpose to the contrary for even those Humane Statutes which are agreeable to the Divine oblige the Conscience by vertue of the Divine Command which requires this duty of us as we are Subjects of God and the King agreeable to that of the Father Bernard 1 Bern. de Praec Dispen c. 12. Sive deus sive homo vicarius Dei mandatum quodcunque tradiderit pari obsequendum est cura pari reverentia deferendum ubi tamen deo contraria non praecipit homo with which I shall conclude this point We are equally bound in Conscience in the same kind of obedience although not in the same degree to observe the Laws of God and the King if the latter are not repugnant to the former Coroll 3. No pretences of Conscience or Religion can authorize our resistance of the lawful Powers which God hath set over us The usual cases that are alledg'd by Antimonarchical Writers wherein they hold it lawful to resist Authority are either Tyranny Insufficiency or Impiety in the Governours and they say that in these cases it is lawful nay a duty to oppose and destroy them But if this Doctrine were true what Prince could be safe in the Throne or what People quiet and secure in their enjoyments How many good Princes some as just and righteous as ever held a Scepter have been branded with one or all these marks by restless and seditious Spirits What action of State can be so order'd that either Ignorance or Malice will not bring under one of these heads Every execution of Justice every demand of Tribute or supply of Money upon any occasion shall be called Tyranny Every unfortunate event shall be charg'd upon insufficiency Any Religion that is own'd by the Prince and setled in the State be it never so holy and pure shall by them of another Sect be proclaim'd Impiety And thus upon every turn the Monarch is liable to be dethron'd and if he goes about to maintain his ground he is call'd a Tyrant and so to be destroy'd But blessed be God the true Religion allows of no such practices he that looks into the Gospel will find that our Saviour has told us that his Kingdom was not of this World that the Religion he establish'd was a meek peaceable and suffering Religion promising especial rewards to those who leave Houses or Lands to lay down their lives for Christ's sake It sets before us the example of our Saviour who was made perfect through sufferings and we are commanded to follow his example in patient suffering for the truth if it please God to call us to it As this was the Doctrine of the Gospel so I have shewn you that it was the practice of the first Publishers of it and their successors they never knew what it was in the Primitive times of Christianity to oppose expell or destroy any Pagan Persecuting Arrian or Apostate Emperour they knew not yet what it was to take up other Arms against their Governours than their Prayers and their Tears that they might live peaceably and quietly under them in Godliness and Honesty 1 Greg. Naz. Orat. 1. in Jul. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But how different is this from the carriage of many in our days who would be thought to be the strictest if not the only followers of Christ whose pretences to Religion make way to Rebellion and their Faith intitles them to Faction If S. Paul had wrote after their manner or to please them he must have chang'd the stile of his Injunction and instead of commanding to submit have perswaded them to be stubborn and disobedient for Conscience-sake instead of exhorting them to make Prayers and Supplications for Kings and all in authority that they enter into Leagues Covenants Associations against them and under a shew of Religion destroy those that would live peaceably and quietly in the Land To submit after the example of our Saviour say they would be the ready way to be destroy'd and Prayers and Tears the ancient Christian Armour against Persecutors are now no better than Mountebank Receipts as the late Apostate Author of the Life of his elder Brother Julian calls them terms fit only for a Scaffold or a Pillory and might from thence well enough sound from the Author better I 'm sure than from the Press or Pulpit these Receipts say they are now ineffectual to cure the distempers of the Government and therefore they hope they may be excused if they use some more violent remedies and destroy the Peace and Government to establish Anarchy and Confusion which they call Godliness and Religion Nay furthermore the same Author and his Party tell us and we are beholden to them for the discovery for it is a Mine newly sprung against the Government that we have Law on our sides now and 't is current doctrine with them that where the King persecutes against Law he may be oppos'd and destroy'd In answer to which vain and impious Plea for so it has been fully made appear to be in the Life of Jovian I would propose this dilemma to such persons who think they may resist if a good Authority Persecutes them against Law and desire their answer Did our Saviour suffer against Law or according to Law If according to Law what made Pilate to pronounce him Innocent and declare that he found no cause of death in him Mat. 27.23 24. Luke 23.4 Jo. 18.36 38. If against Law why did he not resist He did not want strength for he could with a word speaking have called down Power enough from Heaven to have destroy'd his Persecutors against Law and certainly if he intended any such liberty for Christians he would not have given such an example by his sufferings to the contrary and oblig'd all his Disciples Mar. 16.24 25. Jo. 12.26 1 Pet. 2. c. 19 20 21 22 23. by an express command to transcribe the Copy he had set them and follow his example So that upon the whole we must conclude that either our Saviour died as a Malefactor according to Law or else that he suffering against Law did too tamely submit betray'd his followers and his example is not to be imitated by us either of which are little less than blasphemous and fit for none but a Julian or the Author of his Life to affirm And thus much shall suffice for the Propositions and Corollaries What remains But that we all apply our selves to endeavour the support of the Government and in our several places and stations study to keep a good Conscience and faithfully to discharge that trust which God and the King have committed to us You my Lords and All that are in Authority by a steady and impartial execution of Justice and all of us by a Conscientious submission to our Prince and obedience to his Laws Let us be thankful to God who has establish'd so just and rightful a Government among us and hath set so gracious a Prince to rule over us who as he had greater injuries than any of his Predecessors to forgive so God endued him with a Clemency fitted for the same Although he might justly have resented the evil carriage of his Subjects towards him in the days of his Exile yet at his return he was ready to forget all to receive them as Friends who had been so bitter Enemies and in much mercy to forgive them more than they could expect or deserve God grant that they may be truly sensible of it and thankful and obedient to God and the King for it He still treats his Subjects with the kindness of a Father Whose Oxe hath he taken Whose Vineyard hath he coveted Or whom doth he in any kind oppress He is pleas'd to oblige himself to walk by the same Law with his Subjects and if at any time he steps beside it of his own motion 't is to abate the rigour and severity of it And indeed the yoak of his Government is so easie and gentle that it tempts some I fear to grow wanton under so light a burden and to endeavour to cast it off from their Necks Strange it is that men should be so careless and disingenuous as to neglect to be thankful for nay to abuse both God's and the King's mercies by sinning against the one and by murmuring and conspiring against the other To conclude then if we are sensible of the blessings we enjoy in the liberty of the true Reform'd Religion in opposition to Superstition and Profaneness if we are truly sensible of the blessings of Government in general in opposition to Anarchy of a good and gracious Government in opposition to Tyranny let us be heartily thankful to God who has wonderfully deliver'd our King from the hands of violent and bloody men Sons of Belial that conspir'd against him that he has hitherto preserv'd his Church from the insolent incursions of Sacriledge and Profaneness and the whole Kingdom from Blood and Devastation If therefore Decency and Order in the Church and State be better than Anarchy and Confusion If Liberty and Property be better than Oppression and Tyranny If Peace be better than War and Life than Death let us be thankful and Obedient that it may be well with us and our Posterity Let us fear God and the King and meddle not with those that are given to change let Judgment run down like water and Righteousness like a mighty stream that the Throne may be establish'd our Religion defended our Lives secur'd and our Peace continu'd And let us all in an especial manner put up our hearty Prayers and Supplications to God for the King and for all that are in Authority that God would direct and defend them and that under them we may lead peaceable and quiet lives in all Godliness and Honesty FINIS
the Minister of God so that although his Treasonable thought may be conceal'd from the one yet he knows it cannot escape the knowledge and judgement of the other This is the greatest security that any Prince can have from any Subject that he looks upon Obedience as a necessary duty commanded by God and that so long as he has the fear of God before his eyes he cannot but reverence his Vicegerent upon Earth Where Allegiance is founded on Religion and Loyalty proceeds from Conscience it is the same in all times and places it commands our Prayers for the King and those in Authority in private as well as publick that we neither reproach them secretly in their prosperity nor revile them openly in their adversity that we be ready with our Hands and Purses with our Lives and Fortunes to establish the Throne to oppose the Enemies of God and the King This is that Obedience which deserves encouragement here but if attended with other Vertues will certainly meet with a reward hereafter We proceed now to the Corollaries 1 Coroll It follows from hence that neither an Atheist nor a vicious person can be a good Subject from any good ground 1 Plato lib. 10. de leg 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plato in the beginning of his Tenth Dialogue of Laws lays down this Divine Rule He that believes the Gods to be according to the Laws will not be guilty of any evil in word or deed i. e. in Scripture language he will render to every one their due to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things which are Gods and without this belief I know not what can with-hold any man from committing the greatest villanies provided they may be done with secresie and impunity here Men may pretend to a sense of Honour of Moral Gallantry and Honesty that may secure them from the violations of Natural Laws and the Laws of Society and that this may render them as capable of being good Subjects and good Men as the apprehensions of an over ruling Deity and all the Sanctions of Divine Laws and terrours of Conscience I would only ask this question of such Moraelists What is the chief end they propose to themselves for every man must have some ultimate end to which all his actions are to be directed Now these persons deny any thing of futurity and so it must be something here Is it therefore either Honour Riches or Pleasure the summ of what this World affords which soever then of these is the end propos'd all things are to be directed to it and what should hinder such a Person from committing the greatest impiety rather than be defeated of his end If Honour or Popular Applause be the end they aim at and if they suppose as too many of late have thought that the ready way to it is by opposing the King and ruining the Church and State who knows whether they may not with Brutus pursue it to the expulsion of the King and overthrow of the Monarchy or may not kindle a fire in the Temple with Erostratus to get a name If riches be the game they hunt after what should hinder them from running upon desperate attempts to enrich themselves and to repair or increase their fortunes if they have opportunity out of the Publick Treasuries to become Robbers of God and the King to enrich themselves since they deny the Being of the one I know nothing that can secure from them if they have power the Prerogative or Possessions of the other If Pleasure be their Deity and they are wholly devoted to it what should keep them from sacrificing all things which stand in their way to it This renders men of such tempers not only useless but dangerous to any Society for if the Government should be uneasie to them put any restraint upon them in this particular what should hinder them if they have conveniency from endeavouring to cast off the Restraint and the Government together in hopes of more Liberty more Pleasure in another If we propose these questions to an Atheist and press him to declare the ultimate end of his actions and the first principle of his Obedience to his Governours if he settles not upon the apprehensions of a God and the dictates of Conscience he must at last bottom either on Self-interest or on Chance and Casualty for his Obedience and how far such Subjects acting from such principles are to be trusted may be gather'd from what hath been said and has also too lately and too dearly been experienc'd than ever I hope to be rely'd upon again Furthermore he that professes he knows God but in his works denies him is abominable and disobedient too The Practical Atheist is little less dangerous to Government than the Speculative one He that in words owns the Being of a God but at the same time dare live as if there were none may be ready with the Traytor Judas who bore the like badge of profession to seize his Vicegerent with a Hail Master and betray him with a Kiss Highly reasonable then was that observation which Cyrus made of his Subjects or Xenophon for him 1 Xenoph. de Cyr. Inst l. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. That he found those to be his best Subjects most Loyal and most Peaceable who were most Religious And it has been the prudence of all Law-makers in the first place to take care for the setting of Religion as the foundation of Government supposing that Loyalty is only steady when settled on Piety and that Obedience only hearty which proceeds from Conscience Coroll 2. We are oblig'd in Conscience to submit to the Laws of the Magistrate For if we must be subject to them for Conscience-sake their Laws must be suppos'd by vertue of that command to lay an obligation on our Consciences and at this time when this precept was given and a long time after 2 Just Instit lib. 1. Tit. 2. s 6. quod principi placuit legis vigorem hal â—iâ— the will of the Prince having the force of a Law it must be the same thing to be enjoyn'd to submit to his Laws as to him in point of Conscience I have not time neither would it be needful if I had to answer particularly all that is alledg'd against this position by those Champions for a pretended Conscience against the lawful power of Magistrates and that use their mistaken liberty for a cloak of maliciousness I shall only lay down thus much in thesi That he who is the immediate and direct Lord of Conscience hath in Scripture Charter committed to his Vicegerents on Earth an indirect power over the same and he who has set us free from the Jewish Ceremonies as essential parts of Worship hath committed a power to man to make humane Ordinances and 1 1 Pet. 2.13 has commanded all to submit to the same and that for the Lord's sake If therefore we refuse to obey those that have rule