Page images
PDF
EPUB

to be new converts and profelytes from epifcopacy, under which they had long temporifed, opened their mouths at length, in show againft pluralities and prelacy, but with intent to swallow them down both; gorging themfelves like harpies on thofe fimonious places and preferments of their outed predeceffors, as the quarry for which they hunted, not to plurality only but to multiplicity; for poffeffing which they had accused them their brethren, and afpiring under another title to the fame authority and ufurpation over the confciences of all men.

Of this faction, diverse reverend and learned divines (as they are ftyled in the philactery of their own titlepage) pleading the lawfulnefs of defenfive arms against the king, in a treatife called "Scripture and Reafon," feem in words to difclaim utterly the depofing of a king; but both the Scripture, and the reasons which they use, draw confequences after them, which without their bidding, conclude it lawful. For if by Scripture, and by that especially to the Romans, which they most infist upon, kings, doing that which is contrary to Saint Paul's definition of a magiftrate, may be refifted, they may altogether with as much force of confequence be depofed or punished. And if by reason the unjust authority of kings "may be forfeited in part, and his power be reaffumed in part, either by the parliament or people, for the cafe in hazard and the prefent neceffity," as they affirm p. 34, there can no Scripture be alleged, no imaginable reafon given, that neceffity continuing, as it may always, and they in all prudence and their duty may take upon them to foresee it, why in fuch a cafe they may not finally amerce him with the lofs of his kingdom, of whofe amendment they have no hope. And ifone wicked action perfifted in against religion, laws, and liberties, may warrant us to thus much in part, why may not forty times as many tyrannies, by him committed, warrant us to proceed on reftraining him, till the restraint become total? For the ways of juftice are exacteft proportion; if for one trespass of a king it require fo much remedy or fatiffaction, then for twenty more as heinous crimes, it requires of him twenty-fold; and fo proportionably, till it come to what is utmost among men. If in these pro

22

ceedings

ceedings against their king they may not finish, by the ufual course of juftice, what they have begun, they could not lawfully begin at all. For this golden rule of juftice and morality, as well as of arithmetic, out of three terms which they admit, will as certainly and unavoidably bring out the fourth, as any problem that ever Euclid or Apol lonius made good by demonftration.

'And if the parliament, being undepofable but by themfelves, as is affirmed, p. 37, 38, might for his whole life, if they faw caufe, take all power, authority, and the fword out of his hand, which in effect is to unmagiftrate him, why might they not, being then themselves the fole magiftrates in force, proceed to punish him, who, being lawfully deprived of all things that define a magiftrate, can be now no magiftrate to be degraded lower, but an offender to be punished. Laftly, whom they may defy, and meet in battle, why may they not as well profecute by juftice? For lawful war is but the execution of juftice against them who refufe law. Among whom if it be lawful (as they deny not, p. 19, 20,) to flay the king himfelf coming in front at his own peril, wherefore may not juftice do that intendedly, which the chance of a defenfive war might without blame have done cafually, nay purposely, if there it find him among the reft? They afk, p. 19, "By what rule of confcience or God, a ftate is bound to facrifice religion, laws and liberties, rather than a prince defending fuch as fubvert them, fhould come in hazard of his life." And I afk by what con science, or divinity, or law, or reafon, a state is bound to leave all thefe facred concernments under a perpetual hazard and extremity of danger, rather than cut off a wicked prince, who fits plotting day and night to fubvert them. They tell us, that the law of nature juftifies any man to defend himself, even against the king in perfon: let them fhow us then, why the fame law may not justify" much more a ftate or whole people, to do juftice upon him, against whom each private man may lawfully defend himself; feeing all kind of juftice done is a defence to good men, as well as a punishment to bad; and juftice done upon a tyrant is no more but the neceflary felfdefence of a whole commonwealth. To war upon a king,

X 4

tirat

:

that his inftruments may be brought to condign punishment, and thereafter to punish them the inftruments, and not to fpare only, but to defend and honour him the author, is the ftrangeft piece of juftice to be called chriftian, and the strangest piece of reafon to be called human, that by men of reverence and learning, as their ftyle imports them, ever yet was vented. They maintain in the third and fourth fection, that a judge or inferior magiftrate is anointed of God, is his minifter, hath the fword in his hand, is to be obeyed by St. Peter's rule, as well as the fupreme, and without difference any where expreffed and yet will have us fight against the fupreme till he remove and punish the inferior magiftrate (for fuch were greateft delinquents); whenas by Scripture, and by reason, there can no more authority be shown to refift the one than the other; and altogether as much, to punish or depofe the fupreme himself, as to make war upon him, till he punish or deliver up his inferior magiftrates, whom in the fame terms we are commanded to obey, and not to refift. Thus while they, in a cautious line or two here and there ftuffed in, are only verbal against the pulling down or punishing of tyrants, all the Scripture and the reafon, which they bring, is in every leaf direct and rational, to infer it altogether as lawful, as to refift them. And yet in all their fermons, as hathby others been well noted, they went much further. For divines, if we obferve them, have their poftures, and their motions no lefs expertly, and with no lefs variety, than they that practice feats in the Artillery-ground. Sometimes they feem furioufly to march on, and prefently march counter; by and by they stand, and then retreat; or if need be can face about, or wheel in a wholebody, with that cunning and dexterity as is almost unperceiveable; to wind themfelves by fhifting ground into places of more advantage. And providence only muft be the drum, providence the word of command, that calls them from above, but always to fome larger benefice, or acts them into fuch or fuch figures and promotions. At their turns and doublings no men readier, to the right, or to the left; for it is their turns which they ferve chiefly: herein only fingular, that with them there,

[ocr errors]

is no certain hand right or left, but as their own commodity thinks beft to call it. But if there come a truth to be defended, which to them, and their intereft of this world feems not fo profitable, ftraight these nimble motionifts can find no even legs to ftand upon; and are no more of ufe to reformation thoroughly performed, and not fuperficially, or to the advancement of truth (which among mortal men is always in her progrefs) than if on a fudden they were struck main and crippled. Which the better to conceal, or the more to countenance by a general conformity to their own limping, they would have Scripture, they would have reafon alfo made to halt with them for company; and would put us off with impotent conclufions, lame and fhorter than the premises. In this pofture they feem to ftand with great zeal and confidence on the wall of Sion; but like Jebufites, not like Ifraelites, or Levites: blind alfo as well as lame, they difcern not David from Adonibezec: but cry him up for the Lord's anointed, whofe thumbs and great toes not long before they had cut off upon their pulpit cushions. Therefore he who is our only king, the root of David, and whofe kingdom is eternal righteoufnefs, with all thofe that war under him, whofe happiness and final hopes are laid up in that only juft and rightful kingdom (which we pray inceffantly may come foon, and in fo praying wifh hafty ruin and deftruction to all tyrants) even he our immortal King, and all that love him, muft of neceffity have in abomination these blind and lame defenders of Jerufalem; as the foul of David hated them, and forbid them entrance into God's houfe, and his own. But as to thofe before them, which I cited firft (and with an eafy fearch, for many more might be added) as they there fland, without more in number, being the beft and chief of proteftant divines, we may follow them for faithful guides, and without doubting may receive them, as witneffes abundant of what we hereaffirm concerning tyrants. And indeed I find it generally the clear and pofitive determination of them all, (not prelatical, or of this late fac tion fubprelatical) who have written on this argument; that to do juftice on a lawlefs king, is to a private man unlawful; to an inferior magiftrate lawful: or if they

were

were divided in opinion, yet greater than these here alleged, or of more authority in the church, there can be none produced. If any one fhall go about by bringing other teftimonies to difable thefe, or by bringing these against themselves in other cited paffages of their books, he will not only fail to make good that falfe and impudent affertion of thofe mutinous minifters, that the depofing and punishing of a king or tyrant "is against the conftant judgment of all proteftant divines," it being quite the contrary; but will prove rather what perhaps he intended not, that the judgment of divines, if it be so various and inconftant to itself, is not considerable, or to be esteemed at all. Ere which be yielded, as I hope it never will, these ignorant affertors in their own art will have proved themselves more and more, not to be proteftant divines, whofe conftant judgment in this point they have fo audaciously belied, but rather to be a pack of hungry' church-wolves, who in the fteps of Simon Magus their father following the hot fcent of double livings and pluralities, advowfons, donatives, inductions, and augmentations, though uncalled to the flock of Chrift, but by the mere fuggeftion of their bellies, like thofe priests of Bel, whofe pranks Daniel found out; have got poffeffion, or rather feized upon the pulpit, as the ftrong hold and fortress of their fedition and rebellion against the civil magiftrate. Whofe friendly and victorious hand having rescued them from the bishops their infulting lords, fed them plenteously, both in public and in private, raised them to be high and rich of poor and base; only fuffered not their covetoufnefs and fierce ambition (which as the pit that fent out their fellow locufts hath been ever bottomlefs and boundless) to interpofe in all things, and over all perfons, their impetuous ignorance and importunity.'

« PreviousContinue »