Selected quad for the lemma: world_n
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A46764
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The title of an usurper after a thorough settlement examined in answer to Dr. Sherlock's Case of the allegiance due to sovereign powers, &c.
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Jenkin, Robert, 1656-1727.
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1690
(1690)
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Wing J573; ESTC R4043
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113,718
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92
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they could not have done if they had look'd upon either of them as invested with God's Authority and yet this they must have been invested with if full Possession could obtain it For they were as fully setled in their Provinces as Severus was at Rome nay more fully because the Senate and People of Rome were zealous for their Interest and hated Severus and would have taken the first Opportunity of joyning with either of them against him But Severus was the Lawful Emperour and therefore the Christians knew That their Allegiance was due only to him in whatever part of the Empire they lived And they never acted against him nor sided with Niger or Albinus tho they were under their Power and lived in the Territories which they had possessed themselves of which were those where Christianity most flourished For Greece and all the Eastern part of the Empire were under the Dominion of Niger as Britain and Gaul were under Albinus and besides Polycrates and many famous Men in Greece it is enough to say That Irenaeus the Disciple of S. Polycarp was Bishop of Lyons at that Time But it is needless to mention Particulars this was the Doctrin and Practice of the Catholick Church in that Age to submit to him as Emperour who was chosen by the Senate and therefore Lawful Emperour not to those who had set up and strengthened themselves in their Usurpations tho otherwise their Government most desirable For we must give Tertullian leave at least to understand a Matter of Fact of his own Time in a case so notorious as this since the Correspondence was so great between all Churches in those Days by their Communicatory Letters and other ways of Intelligence that if any one Church had acted differently from the rest in a thing of so general and so mighty concernment so considerable a Man as Tertullian could not have been ignorant of it especially after he had informed himself in all Particulars necessary in order to write an Apology for the whole Christian Church And it was not in his Temper to have dissembled it at least he would never have said so peremptorily That the Christians alwaies kept themselves true to their Allegiance which they acknowledged due only to the Rightful Emperours upbraiding at the same Time the Heathens for a contrary Practice The Heathens were of themselves too violent Enemies to need any such Advantage as this must have given them if it could have been disproved and Tertullian instead of making their Apology must have exposed the Christians to further Contempt and Hatred by such a Defence as must have been notoriously false in the most Tender and Important Part of it To have told the World that the Christians never owned any other Emperour than Severus but a few Years after while there were yet some Remains of these Factions which he taxes the Heathens withal had been a strange Apology when the whole Empire could have witnessed against him if it had been false The Persecutors of that Time were too cunning and too cruel to be thus perswaded or affronted rather by what they must needs have known to be false if it had been so And not content to have said this in a General Apology to repeat it again in his Book written to Scapula Governour of the Province of Africk upon the same Subject had been to expose the Christians to the utmost Reproach and Infamy as well as Torments And what Credit could he expect in any thing he had said besides if he had plainly lyed in a thing which was fresh in every Man's Memory This had been not to defend but to betray the Christian Religion Tertullian could not be guilty of so much Folly as to think to impose upon the World at this Rate or of so much Baseness as to attempt it if it had been possible It is pretty well agreed among Learned Men That he was no Natural and a little Acquaintance with his Practice and his Writings would easily make one believe That he would sooner have excepted all those Churches by Name that had acted otherwise and have renounced their Communion or that he would rather have separated from all the Churches in the World than have made such an Apology as his must be if this part of it were false This I have insisted upon the more because some Men when they have nothing else to say to those ample Testimonies for the Passive Obedience of the Primitive Christians out of Tertullian in this and some other Particulars make no Scruple to deny the Matter of Fact Which must suppose either that he was mistaken or that he wrote what he knew to be false But Mistaken he could not be in a thing so visible and notorious especially in that Age when the Church acted unanimously as one Body and Society of Men And to say he falsified in things of this Nature that his Enemies to whom he directed his Apology and all the World besides must needs know to be false is to take away the Credit of all History unless Tertullian be the only Man that must not be believed when he writes of things of his own Time and of his own Knowledg and with all possible Circumstances of Credibility The last Instance shall be that of the Christians under the Tyrants or Usurpers Maximus and Eugenius (a) Onuph Panvin lib. Fast 3. Maximus held his Usurpations five Years and two Daies and Eugenius near two Years (b) Paul Diacon l. 13. And both were much superior to Theodosius in every thing but the Goodness of his Cause and it was by a wonderful Providence that they were vanquished by him (c) Sozom. l. 7. c. 13. Socrat. l. 5. c. 11. Theod. l. 5. c. 12. Maximus after the Murder of Gratian was in full Possession of the Western Empire For Valentinian left Italy and fled to Thessalonica with his Mother and Probus the Praefectus Praetoriiâ— So that Maximus had the Government of all the West in his Power S. Ambrose was at that very time persecuted by the Empress Justina she being an Arian and Maximus pretended to make War upon her Son Valentinian in his behalf yet no (d) Ambros epist l. 7. ep 56. Man was more against the Proceedings of Maximus than S. Ambrose and in the Negotiations he twice had with him he maintained Valentinian's Cause with all the Freedom and Courage that became a Christian Bishop (e) Bishop of Sarum's Pastoral Letter p. 13. I know we have been told That all the Bishops of the West not excepting the Great S. Martin who was called the Apostle of France made their Applications to Maximus and followed his Court as much if not more than they did any Princes of that Age. But it is worth taking notice of That these Bishops are much blamed for it by Sulpicius Severus he says they were notorious for their base and servile Flattery (f) Certe Ithacium nihil pensi nihil sancti habuisse definio Fuit enim
in setting out Ch. 1. Can. 1. and describing the Deity and Dignity of our Saviour Christ by his Almighty Power and Universal Government of all the World as Heir of all things and Head of his Church Ch. 2. Can. 2. And therefore they first affirm that he created the World and gave the supreme Authority to Adam for his time and to the rest of the Patriarchs and chief Fathers successively before the Flood ordaining by the very Law of Nature that their Children and Off-Spring should fear reverence honour and obey them Ch. 6. Can. 6. After the Flood it was committed to Noah who by virtue of this Authority given unto him by Almighty God and also warranted by the Laws of Nature and Reason distributed the whole World among his three Sons and they again divided it among their Sons But Nimrod descended of Cham not contenting himself with the Patriarchal or Regal mild Government Ch. 8. Can. 8. ordained of God by the Laws of Reason and Nature became a Tyrant and Lord of Confusion And within few Ages after the Death of Noah's Sons their Posterity becoming dissolute batbarous and ungovernable cast off that Government which God had ordained and set up new Forms of divers kinds after their own Humours and Inventions Whereupon it is determined by the Convocation If any one shall affirm that the said Posterity of Noah's Children did well in altering either the Manner or Form of Civil Government which God had appointed by bringing in of Tyranny or factious Popularity or that it was lawful for such as then served God upon any Pretence to have imitated their Examples He doth greatly err Abraham with his Family being by God called out from among the wicked and idolatrous People of Chaldea Ch. 8 9 10. Can. 10. that Supremacy of Power which he had over his own Family was continued down to Jacob And tho afterwards this Authority was much weakened and diminished during the abode of the Chilldren of Israel in Egypt yet in Process of time according to Jacob's Prophecy the Scepter was bestowed on Judah In the mean time they were first governed by Moses and then by Joshua after a mild and temperate manner Ch. 11. Can. 11. After the Death of Joshua they had no constant Succession of Princes but God raised up Judges from time to time as Occasion required to deliver and to govern them But upon the Peoples impatience and importunity God appointed Saul for their King and lastly the Scepter came to the Tribe of Judah by David's advancement to the Throne Ch. 14. Can. 14. to which be was as truly called by God himself as Aaron was to the Priesthood And David 's Posterity had by God's Ordinance as Rightful an Interest to succeed him in his said Kingdom as either Aaron 's Sons had to succeed him in the Priesthood or Moses Joshua and the rest of the Judges notwithstanding that God himself did chuse and named them particularly bad in their Governments But after the Kingdom was thus become Hereditary Ch. 15. Can. 15. the Kings were as much obliged as ever to the Observation of those Laws which God had prescribed for them to govern by and that they might do this the better they had their Judges and Inferiour Magistrates which was no diminution of their Power but they thereby ordered their Kingdoms with such a temperate and fatherly Moderation as was most agreeable for the Government of God's People Then the Convocation shews by a brief recapitulation of the Particulars from the beginning of the World Ch. 16. Can. 16. that Kings by Gods institution have a Paternal Authority and that Subjects ow them the Obedience of Children to their Parenâ—s Ch. 17 18 19. Can. 17 18 19. And whether the Kings or supreme Governours were nominated and appointed immediately by God himself or succeeded by an Hereditary Right as in the Kingdom of Judah neither the Priests nor People had any share in conferring upon them their Regal Authority but this was immediately and solely from God The following Chapters and Canons to the 23d are spent in shewing and explaining the Authority of the Kings and supreme Governors among the Jews in Ecclesiastical Affairs and the Subjection and Duty of the Priests to them by which they were bound not to depose or rise up against them upon any account whatsoever And then by way of Objection against this Doctrin is brought the Example of Jehoiada's deposing Athaliah In answer to which it is said that the Right of Succession according to Gods own appointment was in Joash and that therefore Athaliah though she had sate six years on the Throne might lawfully be deposed as being still but an Usurper but that this ought not to be drawn into Example against a lawful King To obviate another Objection they observe Ch 25. Can. 25. that the Prophets under the Old Testament did often severely rebuke their Kings and sometimes anointed one King before the decease of another Thus David was anointed by Samuel in Saul's life-time to succeed him and Jehu was put into actual possession of the Kingdom of Israel by Elizeus and as God had commanded by the said Prophet he killed Joram before that time his Sovereign but then his Subject But these things were done by a direct and express Message from God and therefore were to be no Precedent to the Jews themselves much less to others unless God sent a Prophet with the same Order and Commission Another Objection is wont to be made against the Authority of Kings from Jer. 1.10 Ch. 26. Can. 26. which is likewise answered A fourth Objection might be raised from the Example of Otheniel Ch. 27. Can. 27. and more especially from the Example of Ahud who slew Eglon King of the Moabites to whom the Israelites had been Eighteen years in Subjection But these are shewn to be as extraordinary Cases as that of Jehu was But still another Difficulty arises for the Monarchical Government spoken of hitherto among God's own People Ch. 28. Can. 28. was mild and temperate but in other parts of the World the temperate and fatherly Government which Noah had prescribed unto his Off Spring and which God himself established afterwards amongst his own People was soon degenerated into Tyranny as we see by what the Scripture relates of Nimrod or into Republicks as amongst the Romans who rebell'd against their Kings and quite cast off Kingly Government and in like manner several Forms of Government were introduced in several other Nations In this Case the Convocation determins that tho it be sinful in them who by Invasion or Rebellion invert the Order of the World and set up degenerate Forms of Government instead of that temperate and fatherly Government which God has ordained yet when these Forms are thoroughly setled as that Tyrannical Government of Nimrod and the Bepublick of the Romans in Process of time were they must then be submitted to