The history of passive obedience since the Reformation

SECT. VIII.

Among these domestick Champions of the King, and the Truth, it may not be amiss to reckon an eminent Foreigner (if I may call Isaac Casaubon so, who lived some Years in this Kingdom, and dyed here, one of the Glories of his Age; before he came into England, he just after the Quarrel between the Pope and the Re∣publick of Venice, * 1.1 printed a Discourse, De Libertate Ecclesiastica (or rather but a part of a Discourse); for whereas he promises Eleven Chapters, the first three are not entirely printed, the rest being stopt at the Press by Order of the French King; tho as imperfect as the Book is, Goldastus hath thought it worth a place in his Col∣lections) and in it he shews, that the true Church of God never usurp'd the Rights of Kings, * 1.2 while the Popes spoil Kings of their Liberty and their Majesty too;

for under them it sometimes hap∣pens, that Kings may be safe, but they can never be secure; for they so value this Liberty, that to defend it they tumble all things upside down, mingle Heaven and Earth, things sacred and pro∣fane:—And whereas our holy Master's Precepts ought not to be contradicted, since he hath joyned his Example to his Com∣mands, and recommended to us the Love of our Enemies, Sub∣jection to the Powers ordained of God, * 1.3 and Obedience to them for Conscience sake; they to build up, and to confirm this Liber∣ty (unknown to the Primitive times) do every where inkin∣dle Wars, become a Terror to Kings and Princes, dispense with

their Subjects Allegiance, and arm them against their own So∣vereigns, and pretend, that to violate all Laws divine and human, is a holy undertaking, and most acceptable unto God. — As ifby an ill management of supreme Authority, * 1.4 the Authority were forfeited. — And if once Princes shall suffer the Foundations of their Government to be shaken in the minds of their Subjects, their Government and Empire must of necessity reel and totter, and fall into the dust.—God commands all orders of Men to render to Cesar the things that are Cesar's; * 1.5 and, let every soul be subject to the higher powers, &c. therefore Gregory Nazianzen says, that the Civil Magistrate doth reign together with Christ; nor does it make any difference, that some Kings arrive to the Throne by hereditary Succession, others by Election, a third sort by Con∣quest; for tho God in the establishment of a King (as in the Ordination of a Priest) uses the Ministry of men; yet it is impi∣ous, not to acknowledg, that the Dominion and Power is receiv∣ed originally from God: By God Kings reign, as the holy Scrip∣tures in almost infinite places do testifie. * 1.6—The Primitive Christians did so use the World, as those that used it not, as S. Paul advises; for while their Zeal for Piety was flagrant, while the Innocency of their Manners, their mutual Love and Affection, their unfeigned Humility, * 1.7 their constant Meditation on the Joys of Heaven, their Fidelity and Obedience to their Princes, as far as their Conscience would give them leave, lastly, their incomparable Constancy, in suffering all manner of Tor∣ments for the true Religion, made them every day a Spectacle to the whole World, they ravish'd their very Enemies to admire them and their Virtues; these were the beginnings of Christiani∣ty; this the infant Age of the Church, whom Tortures made hap∣py, Infamy glorious, the Contempt of Gold rich, and the Crown (not of a Kingdom, but) Martyrdom made august.

And as Truth is the same in all Climates, so was this learned Man, in whatsoever place Providence fixt, for, when he came in∣to England, he had the same Notions, as fully appears by his Epi∣pistle to Fronto Ducaeus, written Ann. 1611. wherein, discoursing of S. Gregory Nazianzen's Observation of old, that Mens. preposterous Zeal had destroy'd their Charity; he adds: But Good God! * 1.8 Had the Father lived in our Age, what Complaints would he have made? To see so many Men, acted by a preposterous Zeal, under the pretext of Religion and Piety, most wickedly, and irreligiously, not only break the Peace of the Church about Trifles; but undertake Rebellions, Treasons, most

cruel Massacres of innocent People, overthrowing of lawful Governments, and the Murther of Princes:—this is your privilege at this time of day, (as he addresses himself to the Roman Catholicks) that not only the grave Citizens and Senators of a Nation assembled in a general Conven∣tion (tho what they should do of this kind is unlawful), but even the Mobile assume to themselves a Power of Abdicating Kings, forfeiting their Kingdoms, and giving them to whom they please, and of abolishing all Laws under the pretext of Piety; which Villany no Religion (tho never so profane and impious) except yours (meaning the Popish) ever allows, * 1.9 or hath ever formerly allowed. Garnet's chief Crime was, that he had either forgotten or neglected S. Paul's Advice, consenting to the doing of evil, that good might come thereof;—this he ought not to have done, had he demonstrated himself a true follower of Jesus Christ; for what Precept or Example bad he of our holy Saviour for his so doing? Who was a Lamb without blemish, — and reprov'd the preposterous Zeal of James and John, the Apostles with, You know not what spi∣rit you are of, i. e. You think your Zeal is commendable, which hates the Samaritans, and would destroy them; but I do not require such a cruel, sanguinary, and destructive Zeal from my Followers; what I require is Charity, that is Patient, Edifying, and which covers a multitude of Sins; this I approve of, and this I would have practised by those, to whom I am to leave my Peace:—This he would not have done, had he re∣membred, * 1.10 how severely our holy Saviour chastised Peter, when he rashly cut off Malchus's Ear.—But Zealots are very seldom removed from their purposes by any consideration of Laws, either divine or humane; whatever School teaches this Doctrine is not Christian, it is the School of Antinhrist, and of Satan, for the Devil was a Murderer from the beginning, * 1.11 a true Abeddon and Apollyon; but the Doctrine of our holy Saviour Jesus Christ is perfectly contrary to this; for he prescribed no other remedy to his Disciples against all manner of Injuries, but Flight, Patience, and Prayers; that rejoycing in hope, being patient in Tri∣bulation, and praying continually, as the Apostle advises, they might triumph over all their Adversaries: These were the only Arms that the Apostles used, wherever they laid the foundations of the Gospel; these were the only Weapons which the Fathers of the ancient Church only knew; no man took Arms, or raised Rebellion against his Prince; these were the fruits of the Hildebrandine Doctrine, which flyes at the Crowns of Em∣perors, Kings, and Princes, &c.

Notes

• * 1.1

  An. 1607.
• * 1.2

  Ad Lect. p. 6. Pag. 12.13.
• * 1.3

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• * 1.4

  Pag. 17.
• * 1.5

  Pag. 69.
• * 1.6

  P. 102, 103.
• * 1.7

  ☜
• * 1.8

  Pag. 82 Lond. 1611.
• * 1.9

  P. 100, &c.
• * 1.10

  P. 104, 105.
• * 1.11

  ☞