A Sermon Preach'd Jan. 31. 1669. 39 Fourthly, We have the Duty ofall Governours, and the End of all Government ex- IV. prcfr; and that is, The punijhment rJj Evil-doers, and the Praifo of them that do well. Fifthly, We have the Motive that inforceth this Exhortation and Command. Sub- v. mit to them for the Lord!s faRe. • . . . There arc but two T erms m t he Text that reqmre Exphcatto~. _The one is, what is meant by e'flery Or~inanpe of Man. The other, what Force ltcs m that abjuring Exprefiion, For the Lord's fake. · As to the former; Every Ordinance of Man may be taken, either, 1 . For every Edifl and Conftitution, every Law and Command that iffues forth from thofe that are in Au thority over us. Called therefore an Ord'inancc of Man, becaufe invigorated by humane Authority. Or, . . 2 ., It may be taken for Magijlrates themfelves. And mdeed thus 1t ought to . be underftood in this place. And fo the fcnfe is this: Whatfoevcr lawful Form of Magiftracy or Governmen t you live Under, Submit your felvcs unto it. And it is here called an Ordinance of Man, Knn~ dv6f&l7.1vn, a11 humane D-eature; not as though Magiftracy were only an · hu~ane ~nvention, or a Creature of Man's making. For fo Saint Pettr fhou ld contradiCt Samt Paul, who tells us, Rom. 13. I. There are no Powen but of God: the Powers that be, a;e ordained of God. .And he thu:t rejijleth the Power, rejifterh the ordinance of God. But yet this Ordinance of God, is here called an Ordimcnce of Man, both becaufe it is appointed among Men, and for the good of Men; and bccanfe likewife the fevera l Forms of Government were at firfl:: modell'd, as hum:tne Prudence and Convenience diCtated. M.rgijfraey is an O;dinance of God, in refpeCt ofits o;iginttl Inftitution; but it is an Ordinance of Man, in refpeCt of its parti· cular Omftitution and Modification. Then :lS for the Motive, Submit your feives for the L~Jrd' s fake. This can bear no other fenfe, th:tn upon the Account of God,s Cemmand, as you would do an accep~ table Service to him. And it is tantamount to that other place, Rom. r3· 5. You muft needs be SubjeU, 1JIJt IJn/y fo; Wrath, i.e. for fear of the Prince's Wrath, and t he direful Effec:ts th<it may follow upon it in cafe of Difobedicnce, but alfo fl); Omfcicnce fake, i . e. becaufe of thole Obligations which liC upon Confcience from God,s Commands. For nothing can be done for Confcience fake, which is not done out of refpeCt to God's Authority, who is the only fitprcam Lord of Confcience, and hath fl:riCtly bound it to all Duties of Submiilion to hisUnder-afficers and Vicegerents upon E:u·th. So th:tt difobedicnce to the Ordinance of Man refts not there, but becomes Rebellion a9"ainft.God himfelf. Princes Rule by virtue of God's Commiffion and Authority; they arc his Lieutenants in the World, and therefore to difobey them, is to rebel againft that Sovereign and Divine Authority by which they reign. Hem:e therefore let us obferve; That Obedience to earthly Kings and GoVernours U a Duty we on't to them; and not to them only, bu~ to the Great King and Gfl1/ernour of Hea· ven and EJJrth. Submit )1JIIr felveJ for the Lords fake. Man was at firll: created after the Image and Similitude of God ; and one great part of that Im1ge conlill:ed in his Dominitm over the Creatures. But Kings in this plrticuhr, approach much nearer unto the Divine Rcfemblancc, and have fai;er ftrokes of this l ma~c drawn upon them than any other Men. They are raifed in Power and Sovere1gnty, not only over the brute and irrati~Jnal G-caturcJ, as other<> are; but over Mm them~elves, and are LIJ;ds of tho{e, who are LQrds of the IVOr!./. As Adam was theref0rc hke unto God, becaufe infcriour to none bnt him ; fo arc they. The ~mage of Div inity is fo confpicuous in tl~eir Dominion and Sovereignty, that upon thls very acc~unt al~ne, God takes them mto co-p:trtnerlhip of th:.tt Glorious Name, whereby hunfelf1s known, Pfa/. 82. 6. !have [aid, Ye a;e Gods. Whatfoever they be for other Endowments, whether Vertuous or Vicious, .Pafecntors, or Favourers of Religion; yet in refpeCt·of Sovereignty' and Dominion, they are the viliblc and lively Images and PourtraiCts of God upon Earth. Now as a contumely, or dilhonour done to the Image or Statue of a Man, re. dounds only to the difhonour of the Perfon whom it reprefents, (and therefore States, to punilh thofc who are either dead, or fled out of their reach, have been oftentimes knOwn to execute their PiCtures) fo it is here: Difobedience to the !..awful Magillrate, rcftells contempt upon God himfclf, whofe Image the Magiltrate IS: And by defpifing GIJv~mment, and [peaking evil of Dignities, they only invent a way how t~cy may rebel agarnlt, and depofe God in Effigi<· But
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