1Jrtty to (['\..ulers. Anf"'· The word [obligation J being Mcraphorical, mutt in controvcrfie be explained by its pro- An[w. per terms: The Law dmh hrfi conjiituere debitum obedienti£, & propter inobcditntiam debit~tm pctn.e. Here then you mull ditlingui{h, I· Between ObligatioN. in· foro confoienti.e , cind in foro bumano: 2 , Between an obligation ad prenamby that Law of man, and an obligation ad patiendz•m by another Divine Law. And fo thean(wcr is this: r.Jf the Highn Powers r. g. forbid the Apofiles to preach upon pain of death or fcourging, tbe duenefs both of the obedience and thepen~lty is really nu!J, in point ofConfcience, howt.ver in f oro humt~uo they are both dut; (hat is, fo blfiy reputed in that Court : Therefore the Aponles are bound to preach notwithllanding the prohibition, and fo far as God alloweth they may rclifi the penalty, that is, by flying: ;For p~operly there is neither dtbitum Dhtdienti.e nee pan.e. 2. But then God himfe-lf obligeth tl)cm not to reji(f the higber power!, Rom. I3· r, 2, 3· and in their p,atimce to pflffejf thei)· foul!. So that from this command of God there is a rrue obligation ad paticndum, to patient fuffcring and 1ton·rrfif1ance, though from the Law of man ag 3 infi their preaching, there was no true obligation aut ad obcdiwti-1m, am ad pamam. This is the true rcfolmion of this Sophifm. 9· 65. Dird! 34· It·iJone of the m()ft nudfitl dmirJ toGovernour1, for thofe that have a call and Dirc{i. 34• opportunity ( &J their Pafiors) totell thern wif~ly and J.ubmiflively of tbofi fint wb~cb are thegreattft en:- Vetus efi ~c:· mies to tiJdr {oult, and not the {mllllcft e1rcrmes to thnr Govcrnmtnt and the publtclt peace. All Chn- rumqae. dl– fiians wiWconfcfs, that fin is the only forfeiture ofGods proteCTion, and the caufe of hisdifpleafure, ?um,Mtfert~ :.~nd conftquently the only danger to the foul, and the greatefi enemy to the Land: And that the v~~er~~~ic;~~ fins ofJ'ulers, whcthcrpcrfonal, 'or in !heir Government, have a fu more da~gerous influence upon the tur. Grorius publick !late, than the tins of orhermen. Yea, the very fins which upon true repentance may be dt_Im_F·.P·24r. pardoned as to the everlafiing puni01ment, may yet be unpardoned as to the publick ruine of a Kr 1mcrpl don– flare: As the fad infiance of M~uaffeh !heweth, 2 Kings 23· 26. N~twithftanding the Lord turned 11ot cj0~2 no~d ul: from tbe fiercotcfl ,f his grc:~t rrrath, wherewith hi! anger 'RI.Ji kindled ag&injf Judah 1 becaufe of all opti~a: is the prvvocationi that Manaffeh IJ.ld provo~d him wjthal. 2 Kings 24• 3, 4• Surely at the Command~ oneof Soto;s nunt of the Lord came this ttpon Judah, to remove them out of hir fight for the finr of Manaffeh ac· Sente~ces ~1 carding to all tb.Jt be did, and a/fo"for the i~tnocem blood th.1t h_e jhed (for he fib'ed Jerufilem with in- ~~';:~r~~o~~~~ nocent blood ) n·hicb the •Lord rvould nQt pardon. And yet thts was after J ofiah had R.tfurmed: So ahornd vi!· Solomons fin did caufe the renting of the ten Tribes from his Sons Kingdom. Yea, the bearing wirh hny.of th~ the High Placu wis a provoking fin 1 in Kings that orherwife were upright: Therefore fin being the Jdunes v.:htch fire in rhe Thatch, the quenching of it mufi needs be an ad: of dury and fidelity to Governoun: ~~ ~~~;~td And thofe that tempt them to it, or footh and flatter them in ir, are the grearefi enemies they have. Injlr 11 tf. in A;· But yet it is not every man that mu"fi reprove a Governour, but thofe that have a CaU and Opportuni~ wuf' Jtfuir. - ty; nor rnufi it be done by rhern imperi.oufly or reproachfully, or publickly to their diChonour, but P4€· s,6q,8., privately, humbly, and with love, honour, reverence and fubmiffiveOefs. ~~ig;ogr~;t • men and :Princes in thole opinions :tnd !im which plcafe them, 2nd to be Of\ "tltat fide that their liberty requirc:th, to keep their favour tO the Society. So Maff~iu~ !._~· c. r r. in vira ipjiiU Loyol<~', Alex~~td. Sevmu fo ~rcatly hated flatterers, that LaiT!pridiiiS faith, Si– quis .caput Aex_iffet ~ut_ blandm_s ~liqu~d dixiffi!t , uti. a~ot.aro_r, vel abjtciebat~r, fi lo~1 cjus q~a!ita.s .Pa~eretur; vc:l ri~~~~tur ineemi nrhr~no, fi eJUS dtgnttJs _gr:W!Ort _fubpcerc non po~et lnJUna:. . ~emt 2d. Attdam p~Ct V!Cl0~1amMarullus po:t~ CJUS temporis egrcgms, compofimmquc m adutarton(m rannen recnwrt: In quo ubr Att1la per mterpretcm_ ~cg':lOVIt fc Ccum &: d1vma flirpe ortum \":lllit'limc przdic:tri, afpernatlt> faaik~.r adulationis impudenti:uu, cum aut~re carmen ~xun _Julk·r;ar: A qua fcveritate fubinde tern.. peravit, ne fcriptores cl:teri a b.udibus ipfius celebrandis wrerentur. CaUJmacb. Exp. m Attlla. P•35J• - 9· 66. Object. But great men have great Spiriu, and ~re impatient 9[ reproof, a1Jd I amnol bound ObjdJ, to that wbicb wiU do nog,ood but ruim me. A~t[w. 1. It is an abu{e of your Superiours, to cenfure them to be fo proud and bruiti£h, as not to .AH[w. C0Jltider that they are the fubjed:s of God, and have fouls to five or lofeas well as others : Will you judge _!?hardly of them before tryaI, as if they were far worfe and foolifher than the poor, and take this abufe of them to be an (Xcu{C for your other fin? No doubt there arc good Rulers in the world, that wil.l fay to ~hrifis Minificrs, as the Pri~ce Elector Palatine did _to PitifcJH, charging him to tell M~ldJ. Atl.tm. him plamly of h1s faults, when he chofe h1m to be the Paftor aultc1u. 2· How know you before ;,, 1 :it. Barlh. hand what fucccfs your words will have? Ha.th the Word of God well ma1;1aged no power? yea, to Pitifci. make even bad men good? Can you love your Rulers, and yet give up their fouls in defpair, and all for fear of fuffcring by them? 3· What if you do fuffcr in the doing of your duty> Have you not learned to ferve God uppn fuch terms as thofe? Or do you think it will prove it to be no duty, be- 'aufc it will bring fuffcring on you? Thefe rei(ons favour not of faith. 9· 67. Dirc:d:.35· Thi-nlznot that it it f!Hl.twful to obey in tvery t~ing which is unlawf~tUy corn~ Diretf. 3S• mandcd. lt may in many cafes be the fubJeCXs duty, to obey the Magdlrate who finfully commandeth him. f or all the Magiftrares fins in commanding do not enter into the mat!cr or fubfiance of the thing commanded: If a Prince command me to do the greatefr duty, in an ill dcfign, to fame ti::lti01 end, it ishis fin fo to command, but yet that command mull be obeyed (to better ends). Nay, the matter of the command may be linful in the: Commander, and not in the obeyer. IfI be corn~ manded without any juH reafon to hunt a feather, it is his 'n that caufeldly commandeth me fo to lofe my time: and y« it may be my fin to di[obey it, while the thing is lawful : Elfe fervants and children rnufi pr~ve all to be nerdjUl as well as lawful which is commanded them before they muft obey_. Or the wrnmand may at 1 he fame ~ime be evil by accidrnt, and the obedience good by accident and prrfe: very goed accidents, con{ que-nee or effects, may belong to our Obedience, when the accidenu of the command it felf are evil. I <ould gtve you abundance of inflances of thefe things. 9· 68.
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