Of Sweari1;?; Obediwce to Mm. that 1•It is not hw[ul to f\vear obedience to anVfurper Civil or Ecclciilfl:ical, in l!.citk & b:mtjliJ ; Becaute it is a fubjcCting our fdvc:s to him, and an acknowledging thar authority which he hiHh nor; For we can (wear no further to obey the King himfdf bur in tbi;tgJ lallful and JHmcjt: Aad to d; fa by i11 Ufurper is an injury ro the King, and unto Chrilt. 2 , But ifrhe King himfelf Oul\ command us to [wear obc:di(nce to a [ttbordiJtatt Ci:JilV{urpcr, he thcreLy cea{crh to be an llfurper, and rrceiverh autbority, and ir becomcth our dury. And it he that was an Ecclc}iafticJJl VJ~trpcr, quMd pcrfonam, that had no true Call to a La11-{ul Office 1 f1)-t!l after have a Call, or if any thing fall out, which fhall make it our duty to C:mjCnt and C.zli bim then the impediment from his V{urp3tion is removed. , 3· lt is not lawful, though the Civil Magiltratc command us, ~o f~c6r obcdimce (Ven in licilh & homjlU, to fuch an llfurpcr, whofe Offi_cc it {e:l{ is unlanful, or forb1ddcn by ChriH, M he i& f'n~·h an Officer. No Protdlant thinkcth it lawful to {wear obedience to r_hc: Pop.t as Pope : nor do any rhat take La;•-E!dus to be an unlawful Office 1 think it lawful to {wear obldlcnce ro tbcm as fuch. . 4 . lf one that is in an unlarvful Ecclcfiaftical Office, be alro at once in another that is l.zw[JJI, we may fwear obedience to him in rcfpctt of the Lawful Office. Sci it is Lawful to fwcu ube· dience to the Pope in Italy, as a 'TemporJl Prince in his ow11 Dominiom : And ro a C:ndinal, ( as R.ichelicu, Mn:,ari~~t, Ximenes, &c.) as \he Kings Nlinijfer, cxercifing a power derived from him : So it is lawful for a Tenant, where L1w and Cuftome required~ it, to fwrar fidcliry to a Lay El· dcr, as hi; La11dlordor 'temporal Lord and Maftcr. And fo the old Non·conformitls, who thought the Englifi1 Pr<lacy an unlawful Office, yet maintained that it i! Lawful to take · the Oith of Ca– nonical obedience, b.ccaure the.y thought it was impofed by th.t King ~ud Ll\vs, and 'I hat we fwear to them not as Officets claiming a Divine Right in the Spiritual Government , bur as Or.. .dinaries, or Officers made by the King to cxercife fo much ofEccleliaHical Jurifdiction under him, as he can delegate; according to the Oalh of Supremacy, in which .we all admowledge the King · to bt Suprcam in all EccldisJlical Cauft;s, that is, Not the Suprcam PaHor, Bifhop or Spirirual - Kty-bearn or Ruler, but the Suprearn Civil Ruler of the Church, who hath the power of the Sr:tord, and of determining all things extriHjick., to the Paftoral Ot1ice ; and fo of the Coercive Govemment of all P.illors and Churches, a~ well as of other Subjt.ds. And if Prelacy were proved never fo unlawful, no doubt bur by the Kings Command we rnay fwear or perfOrm formal obc· dic:nce to a Prdare as he is the Kings Officer. Of the Non-confOunifi$ jlldgcment in this, nad Bradjhaw againfi C•m1r 1 &c. 5• But in fuch a cafe no Olth to Inferiours is lawful without the Confcnt of the Soveraign pow– er ; or ar leafi againlt his will. 6· Though it be a duty for the flock to obey ever) Pru0ter, yet if they would make all the people [wear obedience to them , all wife and confcionable Chrillians ihould diiftm from the in.. trodudion cf fuch a cullrune, and deny {uch Onhs as far as lawfully they may : that is, I• If rhc King be agai11jl it, we mull: rej1t[e it. '· If he be mut,.al or mcerly p1tlive in it, we mull rcfufe unle!S fame apparent ncccffiry for the Churches good require it. 1. Bccaufc it favoureth of Pride in fu·ch Presbyters. 2· Bccaufe it is a r.cw Cuftome in the Church, and contrary to the antient practice. 3· It is not only wiJIJuld any authority given them by Chrifi, .that they exact fuch Oaths, but , aHO comrary to the great humili1y, latrl~ncfs and condc[cenfion, in which he dc[cribeth his Minittcrs ~b~, 22 4,ro. who mufi br.: Great, by being the forvants qf aU. , ' · u e 22·2.~, 4• And it tcnde<h to corrupt the C\e.rgy for the futur<. M>rk 9 . 35 .'· 5• And fuch new impofitions give JUfi reafon to .Princes and to the People to (ufptct, that J Pet· f, 1, 3• ·the Presbyters are afpiring after fomc inordinate cxalration, or have forne ill project for the ad· 1 Cor. 9· 19. :vancfffiC11t of themfelves. ~ ~or.4. : · 7· But yet if it be not only their. own ambition which impofeth it, but either the. King or. •· • and Lawt contmai/d it, or necdluy nqu1rc it for the avoidance of a greater evil, it may be Law.. ful and a dHty to take an Olth of Obedience to a LawfNI Prtsbym or Bifhop. Becaufe z.It is a .(;# duty to Obey them: z. And it is net forbidden us by Chzift to promife or fwear to do our duty ( even when they may lin in demanding (uch an Oath. ) ' 8. If an Office be Lawful io the elfcntial parts, and yet have unlawful integrals, or adjuncts, or be abufcd in exmife, it will not by fuch additions or abufes be made unlawful to fwear Obe– dience to the Officer as (uch. 9• If one Presbyter or B:!hop would ma~e another Presbyter or Bi£hqp to fwcar obedience to him without authority, the Cafe is the fame as of the ~furpcrs before mcmioncd.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=