338 Chap.4: The Duties of Superiours. Matth.ró.37. me ; he that loveth Father or Mother izip F,uE, above me, ere. they are to be loved, bur lets than Chrift ; for as minus malum, a let r evil, is called good in refped of a greater. fo minor dileEiio a lifer love, is called Hatred, in refped of major dilefiio, agreater love : for bonum quod impedit majtecbonum, in eo minus eft diligendsem, that goodwhich hinders a greater good, it left to be loved: and fo if Superiours prove a hindrance to keep us fromGod, our love to them mull give place to our love to God. Dan.3.18. 2. For the fecond Commandment, God the great Superiour took order, men should not bow to any Image : Ncbuchadonozor a Superiour, a Prince, conimandeth the contrary, and his Command is out oforder, for he commanded that every man fhould fall down before the golden Image,at the found of the Trumpet. There was a difobedience to his Command,which was no difobedience at all ; for difobedience Dan. 6. 9. is not but a i «, in order, when things are commanded in order , and Nebucbad- nezzar had tranfgreffed that order.Darm alto figned a Decree out oforder.For God commands that Prayer fhould be made to him,and Darius commands. that no Prayer be made to God for thirty days fpace.Daniel (contrary to the Kings Decree)prayeth toGod : the King brake order, and Danieldid nor. This was not difobedience in Daniel, but obedience to the fecond Commandment ;thedifobedience was in Darius. Joch. 9. r 5. 3., In the cafe ofthe third Commandment. TheGibeoniter obtain (though crafti- ly) a league with JoJhua, confirmed by folemn Oath, and he and theIfraeliter pre- ferred the religion oftheir Oath,before their overfight to the time ofSaul,who made the Ifraelites to break it ; but this was unlawful and irregular obedience,and there- fore the people were puuithed for breaking this order with three years Famine, and aSam. 21. 2. (even ofSaals font wereput to death for it. Mace. a. 49. 4. For the fourth Commandment. God commanded the Jews to fantlffte the 2.34. Sabbath. Antiochtu commandeth the prophaningofit. Mattathias and others difo- bey his Command and profpered, but Antiocbtu died miferably. So God gives com- mand for honourand maintenance of the Prietts. Ahab commandeth them to be r K1tg. r8.r3 (lain : but Obadiah obeyeth him not, but hid them in Caves by fifty and fifty, and he thought himfelf not difobedient. fee,beccaufe Maacah moth Commandment of Afa hd gone out ofher order, and Mother , yet we ping the Crown, 2 Chro.r5.16. which¡of right did not belongto her, he, taking occafion from her Idolatry,depofed her from her Dignity, without difobedience to this Commandment. The Scribes Mar and Pharifeer ( notwithltanding this Commandment) go out oforder, and fay, that th.[5.5. though a man honour not Father or Mother, ifhe affer to the Corkin, he Jhall be ex- cufed: but our Saviour condemns their breach ofGods Lawherein. Exo3.1.16. 6. In the fixth Commandment God faith, Thou jPialtnot kill. The King of Egypt 2 232. commands the Midwives tokill. Theydifobey and are rewarded by God. Pharaoh commands the people to rafttheir Males into the River,but Motes Parents keep himby r Sam.a2.1 7. Faith, and hid him three months, and were rewarded for ir. And Saulcommanded his Servants to kill the Priefts, but they refufed, and their refufal juftified. Here the Superiours went out of the line, and therefore no Obediencedue to them in there particulars. 2Sam.r r.r6. But on the other fide in obeying them out of order ; we fee that Joab is con- demned for putting Vriab in the front of the Battei to be flain,though it were upon Matth.2.r6. the receipt ofKing Davids Letters. So are the Souldiers for putting the Children Acts 23.2. to death at Herod: command. And the Minifter of Ananias for fmiting of St. Paul contrary to Juftice at the command ofAnanias. 2 Sam.r t.rr. 7. To the feventh Commandment. David having gotten BathJheba with child, commanded Vriab to have gone to her, that hemight have been thought to be Fa- aSam.16.22. Cher ofthe child, but he wouldnot obey. On the contrary, Abfalomwent into the Concubines ofDavid. 2 Kings 2r.3: 8. In the cafe of the eighth ; we feeno blame or imputation laid upon Nabob for denying his Vineyard to Ahab: but Ahab is threatned by Eliab the Prophet. p. In the ninth it is plainly recorded to Posterity for a grievous fin in the Elders r r. and Nobles that obeyed Jezebel in Nabothrcafe, in bearing falfe witnefs, or procu- ring force to do it against him. And in thofe that at the command (jibe high-Prieft Mark 14.50 bare false witnefs against our Saviour. w:
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