548 An Expofition upon Chap. i 3, S's Wrath fignifies that punifh- ment or revenge mentioned verfe 4. be- caufe it proceeds from the wrath or an- ger both of God and the Magiftrate, which becaufe men can no otherwife avoyd then by fubjeaion , therefore here is the neceflìty of fubjeaion. But efpecially [for confcience fake,] which words have fundry interpretations, all true,but not all fit to the text : Some by confcience underhand the light of na- turall realen, which teacheih us to ren- der every man his due, as Liranws Or the confcience of fuels leones asdifobe - ' dient perlons may fall into , through their difobedience, as Tolet thinketh. Or the confcience of other men, that it be not hunt by example or our obftinacy againft Rulers, as Erafmus. Or the con- fcience of fuels benefits as we receive by the means of Rulers, whereof in verfe 4 Or thus, it is againfl confcience to refill fuch Eenefa &ors asprotea the good, and punifh the evill doer as Chryfofiome. Or the pricke that cloth Bing the confcience of rebellious per- Ions. Now there be two things which doe (like furies) fling the confcience of fuch : Firft, the contempt of the good ordinance of God. Secondly, ingrati- tude towards Rulers, which made all mankinde beholden to them. Thus 'e- ter Martyr : but .Mailer Beza, and Fifcator do interpret it, De meta Dei & confcientia precepti, becaufe God bath ordained Rulers, and commanded fubje &ion, therefore we cannot with a good confciencedefpife or refill them. Albeit I would not willingly call off any of thefe interpretations, yet for divers circumflances of the text, I doe rather incline to that of Chryf o ffome, and the lafl of M. Beza, as the higheft and . fittefl, becaufe he had fpoken of Gods ordinance, and the good ufe of Rulers, in regard whereof, there is confcience to be made of fubjeaion to the Magi - firate. T z at. Let us now heere what Doeirines mile from the words thus opened ? S t L. That to give fubjeaion to Rulers is no indifferent thing to bee done at our pleafure , as a thing at our owne eltaion : we are bound to be fubje&, as either we will efcape punifh- ment, or keepe our confcience unto God ward uufpotted. If we be not fub- je&, we incurre Gods wrath, we make fhipwracke of a good confcience, two of the greateff evils, and therefore wee muff needs be fubje&, by which means, we (hall enjoy Gods favour, and the peace of a good confcience, which are two of the chiefeft good things. Se- condly ,were we lure to avoid both the wrath of God, and the punifheuent of the Rulers, yet we ought to be fubje l unto them, that we may prefervean un- corrupt confcience , which is a farre greater benefit then to avoyd corporali pain. Thirdly, our externall obedience is not fufficient, unleffe it be joyned with fubje&ion of confcience : not to fpeak evill with our tongues,nor with our hands to refill: the Magiftrate, is then a Chriflian a &ion, when in our confcience we reverence Rulers. As this reproves fuch people that are fub- jea not in fingleneffe of heart, but with eye -fubje&ion : fo it exhorts us in per- forming fubjeaion,not to let our mem- bersaworkeonely, but to do our duty to fuperiours of confcience to God ; otherwife there may be fruit of our fubje&ion unto Rulers, but noue to ourfelves before God. T r ns. Rut may it be rightly collelted from this text, that the Lames of men do as trwely, ab folutely,and properly, binde oureonfcicnce,as do the Lanes of God ? S t L. No verily : this is the pre- rogative of God, that he is alone the Law=giver to the confcience, James z. There is a Law giver, even God. God alone is the Lord of the confcience, i for he made it, z he governes it, 3 and he alone is able to lave or defiroy it, for breach of his lawes : and therefore his lawes have abfolute and proper power to binde the confcience of fuch as break them, to finne and damnation. Whereas urns lawes do binde our confcience, it is not through any power of themfel ves, but by virtue of Gods Law, com- manding us to be fubje& unto them; and of the things commanded, being agreeable Doubt, Solution.
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