Baxter - BJ1441 B3 1673

:Duty to our '1Z!tlers. are Gr.d1 Minijhrt, attmding cominuaVy on thU.very thing. And none of your Goods or Cabins will be faved, if by your Covcwufnels the Ship fhould perifh. Dirc/1. 31· 9· 6o. Direct. 3 I• R•fifl not, "'h"' you cannot allHa/Jy obey : And ltt no appearance of probable Bilfo;, of s~bgood that might comt la your fllvtt or the Church by any Uillawful means ( ar Trtafon, Sedition or R.e– .ftli..J-. 2J6. btUion ) tvcr tempt you to it. For evil mufi: not be ciont that good may come by it. And all evil [ Pn~'h' have means are but palliate and deceitful Cures, that feem to help a little while, but will leave the m:i.la– ~~~llr~~ ,~;firm dy more pcrillous at lafi, ·than it was before. As it is poffible that lying or perjury might be ufed Jlr~achrr,, bur to the fecming fer\' ice of a Govcrnour at the time, which yet would prepare for his after danger ro receive by teaching men perfidioufncfs; even fo Rebellions and Treafons, may feem at pref~nt tO be ver,Y ~uch 'r ~'J conducible to the ends Of a people or party that think themfclves oppre£1 : But in the end it will leave .,c;lj g~ve !he~ them much worfc than it found them. hba·y for th~ir pr...-aching, :tnd fecuriry for their pcrfom: And if Princes refufe fo to do, GO(ls labourers mufi go forward with th:tt which is ccmmand~d 1 hem from He:;.ven ; nut l?y di!lurbi~g.Princei from theirThrones, nor inv:tdmg their Re:~.lms, . 2~ your Ho!_.,. F3ther doth~ 2•·d d,f.n 1 ~ h he m:ty Co; bur by mJldly fu\;mx;ung rhemfd\·es to the pcw~rs on earth, :and meekly fuAlrmg for the defmce of the Tru.h whlt they illall jnflill. ] So he, Objdl. 9· 6 I." ObjcCl. Bnt if we muft let Rt<ltrJ d.j!rey Uf at thtir pltafure, the GoJPtl "'iU bt rooted cUl of the •arth : When thry ~(.now that "'e hold it unlawful to rt[if/ them, they wiQ be tmboldned to dejlroy "'• and jport thrmfrlvu in our blood: As tbe Papift• dUi by tht poor Albigcnfes, &c. AnfrP. Anfw. All this did lignifie fomething if there were no God, that can eafilier refirain and defiroy ·them at his plcafurc, than they can detlroy or injure you. But if there be a God, and all the world is in his hand, and with a word he can fpeak them all into dufi; and if this God be engaged to pra– ted you, and hath told you that the very hairs of youi-hcad arc numbered, and more regardeth"hi.s Hvnour, and Gofpcl and Church than you do, arid accounteth his fervants as the apple of his eye, and hach promifed to hear them and avenge them fpcedily, and forbid them to avenge thcmfelves ; then it is bllt athcifiical dill:rufi of God, to fave your felves by finfu\ means, as if God either could not, or would not do it. Thus he that faveth his life fhalllofe it. Do you believe that you are in the hands ofChritl, and that men connot touch you but by his pcrmiflion: and that he will turn all your fulf<rings to your exceeding blnc~t? and yet will you venture on fin and Hell to fcape fuch fulfcrings from men. Wolves, and B~ars, and Lyons that fight moll for themfelvcs, are hated and dctlroyed by all, fo that there are but few of them in the Land: but though a hundred lheep will run before a little Dog, the mafier of them taketh care for their prefcrvation. And little Chil– dren that cannot go out of the way from a Horfe or Cart, every one is afraid of hurting. If Chri– fi:ians behaved themfelves with that eminent Love, and l;..owlinefs, and Meckncfs, and Patience, and Hnmlefnefs as their Lord hat~\ taught them and required, perhaps the very cruelty and malice of their enemies would abate and relent, and when 11 man1 wayts plet~[e God, ht woHid make hi.t tnt· mie1 to be at peace ttith him: But if not, their fury would but hafien us to our Joy and Glo• ~'ov. t6·7· ry. Ytt note, that I fpeak all t[1is only •gainj! Rebellion, and unlawful Arms and Acts. Direll. 32 • y. 62. Dircd-. 32. Obey illjeriour M11gijiratet according ttJ tHt a~tthorily derived ttJ them{tom the S11· prcam 1 but never againft 1ht Suftream from whom it Uderived.The fame reafons which oblige you to obey the pcrfonal commands of the King, do ltind you alfo to obey the lowefi Confiable or other Officer; for they Clte necelfary inftruments of the"Soveraign Power, and if you obey not thero, the obedience of the Soveraign fignifieth almotl nothing• . But no man is bound to obey them beyond the meaft<re of their authority ; much lcfs agai11jf tbofe that give them their authority. v· l1 H ~· 63. Direct. 33· No httmane Pmer is at aQ to be obeytd againft God: For tb•y have no po"'tr but R:,~r . ." 3:, ~~ what they receive from God; And aU that Ufrom Him, is for Him. He give1h no power agai11jf Him· l:4. ftlf. He ;, the fi•ft efficient, the chief Jirigent, and ultimatt final caufe of aU. It is no act of Au· Rom. n. ~6. thority, but Refiflance of his Authority, which contradi6tcth his Law, and is againfi him. All hu· mane Laws arc fiebfervient to his Laws, and not co-ordinate, much lefs [upcriour. Therefore they are ipfo fallo null, or have no obligation, which are againtl him: Yet is not the Office it felfNull, when it is in feme thmgs thus abufcd ; nor the Magtfirates power null as to other thmgs. No man muft ~i :al~quid commit the leafi fin againfi God, to pJcafe the greatefi Prince on earth, or to avoid the greatefi cor– Julfcnt Pro.- poul fuffering. Luke I 2· 4• Fear not them that can kiU the b~dy, and after that have no more that they j~~~! '1~~~~d can da : but fear him who i1 able to dtftroy both body and fo!IJ in HeU; yea, I fay unto you, fe~r him. rat.:Jr, nWlActs 5• 29· Whether we o~tght toobey God ~athtr. than m_en~Ju_dt.e ye. Heb. Il· 27· Not fearmg the quid ?ubim- "M"atb of tbe King: fur be endured, 111 fee~ng htm that t1 rnvifible. Ver. 35· Others were tortured not :~~ :~~~~?n· accepting.deJivtrance, &c. Dan. 3· r8. Be it ~nown uNto thee 0 King, that we wiU nut ferve thy Godt, clle pferviennor worfh•P tbt Golden Image, &c. . ~u~i~dE;~~erator, :aliud jubc~n Deus , quid judic:uur ? Moaj~r p:~tefias Dens : da veni:am 0 lmperacor. ANgu.,1. dt Vrrb. DtJ:tliJ. !rlattb. Smn. 6, Obj,ll. 9· ~4· ObjcCl. Tf ''" art not obliged to obey, "'' art not obliged to fufftr : For thf La"' obligllh primarily u ~bui~ence, and ?nly fecanda~ily ad pcenarn, f?r ~an~ of o~edience: 1herefore where tbere H no primtrry obltg11uon to obedunce, there u no fecundary ohhgauon to Junifhment.

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