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Whether the spirituall and ci∣uill magistrate ought not to be obeyed, chiefly when the things that they commaund are not a∣gaynst God?
WE wyll héere make a* 1.1 difference betwene the Ciuill and the spiritu∣all Magistrates. For the teachers and go∣uernors of the Church are ministers, and not Lords to exercise
a gouernement lyke kings, prynces or noble men, and we ought to obey them as the Ministers of Chryste, so long as they bée hys, preache hys worde, and execute the Christian ministerie. And so Paule teacheth with these wordes: VVee beseeche you brethren, that you* 1.2 will know them which labour amongest you, and take the charge ouer you in the Lorde, and instruct you, that you honor them throgh loue for their works sake, and haue peace with them. And againe:* 1.3 Obey those which haue the ouersight of you, and submyt your selues: for they watch for your soules, as they that must giue accountes, that they may do it with ioy. Likewyse Chryst sayth to his Apo∣stles: He that heareth you, heareth me.* 1.4 And he manyfestly forbiddeth his Apo∣stles to rule as Ciuill Magistrates, John. 13. Reade more of this, Math. 18. and. 20. Luke. 22. where you shall ma∣nyfestly finde, that our Lorde saythe: The kings of the Nations reigne ouer them: and those which exercise autho∣ritie ouer them are called gracious lords: but it shal not be so with you. And ther∣fore
the ciuil power which the Bishops and gouernors of the Churche exercise, hath no groūd or authoritie in the word of god, neither hath Chryst at any time commaunded them to vse bothe the swordes. Saint Peter in the sixt of the Actes speaketh of him self and the other Apostles thus: It is not conuenient that we should leaue the worde of God, and serue Tables, that is to say, giue our¦selues to the féeding of the poore. &c. And yet it is more lyke that the Apostles woulde take charge & care for the poore, than to take vpon them gouernemente and ciuill authoritie, onlesse they had knowen the same to bée agaynst the commaundement of God. And therfore doubtlesse if suche power had ben offe∣red vnto them, they would neuer haue receiued it. And besides this experience teacheth vs nowe in our age, that these two can not be ioyned togither. Yet let the christians submit thēselues to these magistrates, so long as they cōmaunde not things contrary to god, & yet if they do, they may not therfore stir cōmotiōs, but do that which god hath cōmaunded.
Touching the Ciuil power, as kings* 1.5 Emperours, Princes, Counsellors, Magistrates, and all other lyke, which exercise any publique office, by what name soeuer they bée called, wée are bound to obey them by the worde of God in all things that are not contra∣rie to God: yea God threatneth ven∣geaunce agaynst all those that are dis∣obedient, stubborne, and rebellious a∣gaynst the Magistrates. Moreouer wée are taughte by Gods worde, that the Magistrate is ordeyned of God, and is for hys sake to be honored, and to be acknowledged in hys Ministers, ordei∣ned for the wealth of good men, but for the punishment of euill men: and that wée muste loue them as fathers, ge∣uing vnto them their due honor, tribute loyaltie, faythfulnesse, and other bodi∣ly seruices which appertayne vnto thē, and that with a good hart and wil faith∣fully. And thus are we taughte by the worde of God, Math. 17. and 22. and 1. Peter. 2. Romanes. 13. and Titus. 1. And in the Epistle to Timothe Paule commaundeth that wée make faythfull
prayers vnto God for those which haue the gouernemente ouer vs. And euen as the Apostles for Gods cause were obediente vnto the Magistrates, so is it méete that Byshoppes and those which gouerne in the Churche, as tea∣chers and preachers, bée obedient to the Ciuill Magistrate also, like as Jere∣mie in his firste Chapter teacheth: but yet in suche sorte as they teache the worde of God fréely, But if any wyll not thus doo, then let them reade the se∣conde Epistle of Sainct Peter, the se∣conde Chapter, and the Epistle of S. Jude, and sée what the Apostles doo thinke and iudge of suche. And agaynst those which resiste their Magistrates, and so become worse than théeues or murtherers, many sharpe thinges are written in the holy Scripture, and in the Prouerbes of Salomon.
Whether the magistrat ought to bee obeyed if he publishe, set foorth, or commaund any thing contrary to the vniuersal church of Chryst?
WE muste héere agayne* 1.6 make a difference be∣twéene the true Chri∣stian Churche, and the false, bearing onely the name and tytle therof. For that Churche which is called, and is in very déede the true vniuersall Church of Chryst, is that company of the faythfull whiche rightly beléeue in Chryste, putting all their trust in God, throughe Chryste, geuing eare onely to him in his holy worde, séeking all things in hym, and seruing him in ho∣lynesse and righteousnesse. And agaynst this Churche can no Magistrate decrée any thing, but if they chaunce to doo, then doo the faythfull knowe, that it is
better to obey God than man. In déede at the beginning, and in the tyme of the Primatiue Churche Kinges and Emperours concluded & set foorth ma∣ny gréeuous things against the Christi∣ans, but thē they which otherwise in al bodily seruices were contente to bée o∣bedient vnto their Magistrates, dyd in déede disobey them in the things which appertayned to their faythe, for they would neither woorshippe their Idols, nor doo sacrifice in their Temples, or communicate with them in their Reli∣gion: and for thys cause many of them were put to death. Yet GOD in the ende maruellouslye punyshed those Magistrates, as Eusebius and Orosius doo testifie in their Histories. And wée haue a manifest and an excellent exam∣ple of this matter in the seconde, thirde and sixte Chapters of Daniell. And in the Historie of the Machabées, and the* 1.7 Actes of the Apostles.
Furthermore the Churche which is called Chrystes Churche, and is not so in déede, hathe in it none of those things whiche it oughte for to haue, for they
neither truste in God, nor in Chryste, nor in his woorde, but put their con∣fidence in other matters, and make diuerse Lawes and Customes of Reli∣gion, and the seruice of GOD con∣trary to Gods woorde, and hauing a∣mong themselues insimte Sectes, yet wyll they bée called the Catholyke Churche. And in thys Churche the godly Magistrate hathe power and au∣thoritie to make and ordeyne Lawes and Statutes for the abolyshing and taking away of those thinges whiche are ordeyned contrary to the wyll and woorde of almightie GOD. For Da∣uid, Salomon, Josaphat, Ezechias, Josias, Constantinus, and other godly Princes are euident examples héereof. Therfore when the Magistrate for the profite and reformation of the Church, dothe ordeyne Statutes and Lawes agreable to the woorde of GOD, they ought moste diligently to bée obeyed of al men, yea and if nede require, the ma∣gistrate must bée assisted in them: and those which will not so doo, but resiste their Magistrates, shall bée most sharp∣ly
punished of GOD. But the Popes and Prelates of the Romish Church, to the ende they may defend and main∣tayne their honours, pryde, ryches, pleasures, and horrible wyckednesse, haue hither vnto persuaded with Prin∣ces, Noble men, and Magistrates, yea and by force haue héerevnto constray∣ned them, that they shoulde beléeue, that the lawes and reformations whi∣che touched their Pontificall state, were cleane contrary to the holy chur∣che, God himselfe, and all equitie and Justice. And by this meanes they dyd not onely mayntayne their pompe and pryde, but dyd also dayly encrease the same, when as yet rather it had béene their partes to haue called them selues to accountes, and to haue considered di∣ligently the state of the Churche, and of the afflicted Christendome, and so to prouyde for the same, and not onely to exhorte the Magistrates, but also to helpe them, and further them in the reformation hereof, and for the spéedier redresse to beginne euen wyth them∣selues. For these are the laste tymes,
and the indgemente of the Lorde, (in the whiche they ••. all render a moste sharpe accounte,) is not farre off. And blessed are those whome the corrupti∣ble trashe of thys lyfe dothe not lette, but that they may readily prepare them selues agaynst his com∣ming, when he shal iudge bothe the quicke and the deade.
The spiritual Magistrates.
1. Thessa. 5
Hebr. 13.
Luke. 10.
The ciuill Magistrate.
The magis∣trate can cō∣maunde no∣thing contra¦rie to the churche of Chryst.
The godly•• Magistrate may make lawes and decrees a∣gainst the false church▪