SER. CXXXVIII.]

Of an Unchristian Spirit.

31

midable rebellion, in favour of a bigotted member of that communion. How then fhall we fupport, and ftrengthen effectually, an establishment, fo effential to our happiness? By hearty and active loyalty, honest and difinterested public spirit, firm and friendly union; but above all, by serious repentance, and amendment of our ways, with fervent prayers to the great difpofer of all things for his protection. And may it please him to deliver us, in time to come, as, bleffed be his name, he hath in time paft; not for our righteoufness, but for his own mercies fake; to break the power of the ungodly and malicious*; abolish perfecution, tyranny and injustice, amongst men; and graciously haften the promised time, when the wolf fball dwell with the lamb, and the leopard lie down with the kid: when none shall hurt or defroy in all his holy mountain; for the earth fhall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the Seat.

* Pfal. X. 17.

+ Ifa. xi. 6, 9.

SER

SERMON CXXXIX.

THE DUTY OF SUBJECTION TO THE PUBLIC MAGISTRATE; AND THE SIN OF SPEAKING RASHLY OF THE POWERS THAT ARE.

Preached in the Parish Church of St Mary, Lambeth, October 25. 1761.

TIT. iii. 1, 2.

Put them in mind to be fubject to principalities and powers, to obey magiftrates; to be ready to every good work:

To Speak evil of no man; to be no brawlers, but gentle showing all meeknefs unto all men.

THIS

HIS is the first anniversary of the day, on which we lost, very unexpectedly, a fovereign, under whose just and mild and prudent administration we had lived, in freedom, fafety and plenty, above thirty-three years. The mercy of Providence, unworthy as we are of it, hath filled his place with a most pious and gracious, amiable and respectable prince; who hath hitherto given us cause to hope, from his government, for every thing that we can with. Our joint thankf givings have juft now, with the greatest reafon, been offered up to God for so important a bleffing; together with our earneft prayers, which indeed we repeat as often as we affemble here, for his long life and prosperity. But the most acceptable expreffion of our gratitude will be, to perform, every one of us, diligently the feveral duties of loyal fubjects, that belong to our respective stations. And these the paffage of scripture, which I have read to you, comprehends fo fully, and ranges them in so natural an order, that explaining and enforcing the precepts of it, as they lie there, will give a fufficient view of all that is incumbent on us in this man.

ner.

Put

Put them in mind to be fubject to principalities and powers, to obey magiftrates. Thefe phrafes have the fame meaning: only the variety of them serves to set forth the obligation the more completely, and press it the more earnestly: as indeed there are few, that deferve a greater regard.

:

Human kind; from early ages, have lived collected into large numbers: and our nature and circumftances plainly require, that we should. We experience an inward propenfion to affemble and unite: and are by the faculty of speech peculiarly qualified for it. We have many affections, and the feeds of many virtues, planted in us; which a more folitary life would give us very little room to exercise or cultivate and many wants and neceffities belong to our condition, which nothing can tolerably well fupply, but an extenfive intercourse of man with man. We cannot therefore either improve or enjoy our felves, as God defigned, but in fociety and fociety cannot fubfift, without a due fùbordination of one part of it to another; that is, without government and obedience. The appetites, the ́paffions, the caprices of men, would be always leading them to difquiet their neighbours, if they were not reftrained by authority. And a public direction is further neceffary, both for defence against external dangers, and for establishing inward order in the community. For even the best meant endeavours of each particular för the general benefit, would be almost always ineffectual, and often prejudicial, unless they were conducted by the general wisdom. Then befides, the civil power is eminently useful, by the sanctions of its laws, to what concerns us yet more nearly, the reforma tion of our morals, and bettering our tempers. For though rewards and punishments have no immediate efficacy to make a change within: yet regulating our behaviour will of course by degrees contribute to mend our hearts. Human laws indeed cannot extend to all our actions: but to many of the most material they can: putting it out of men's power to do the evil, which else they would, or stopping them short before they are gone far: faving fome by fear*, making others wife by experience, extirpating the incorrigible; and obliging every one to fet all around him a pattern of innocent and regular living. But then lastly, as a right belief in God, and his vaVOL. IV.

E

* Jude, verse 23.

rious

rious difpenfations towards men, promotes, beyond all things, both the virtue and the happiness of mankind; another chief advantage of good government is, that whereas without it, moft men would either through ignorance be deftitute of religious principles, or by their own folly, or the fraud of others, led into abfurd and pernicious ones; it kindly makes provifion for them of a rational method of inftruction and wor fhip; not obtruding it on them by force, but propofing and recommending it, which will always fuffice; and thus they are guarded, at once, from the dreadful evils both of impiety and superstition; and carefully taught to discharge the duties, and bear the afflictions, of human life.

Government therefore being fo powerfully conducive to the attainment of these most valuable ends, which doubtless our Maker defigned to be attained, the eftablishment of it in the world ought confequently to be regarded, as a most important law of God and nature, directly flowing from the conftitution of things. And what reafon teaches, revelation expressly confirme; declaring, that the civil power is the ordinance of God; and they, who exercise it, his minifiers of good to men*: from which premifes the Apoftle's conclufion in the fame place is undeniable; wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for confcience faket. Whoever then refuses due fubmiffion to the authority, which Providence hath placed him peaceably under; though we ought to judge of him as charitably as with reafon we can, if he pleads confcience for it; is, at least undefignedly, guilty of disobeying the appointment of Heaven, in a matter of the utmost consequence to the good of mankind. I do not, by this, enjoin obedience to whatever power may ftart up, and maintain itself, in times of public confufion, for a while, by the fword; but to fuch only, as is fully and quietly fettled, and acknowledged by the general consent of the community. Our duty becomes such, in this cafe, only for the fake of our common good. And therefore, not they who think they ought, and say they would protect us, but they who can and do, are to be owned and obeyed. The nature of the thing, and the frequent viciffitudes of human affairs, requires abfolutely, that this be the rule; and all the world have ever admitted it, excepting a handful

of

* Rom. xiii. 1, 2, 4.

† Rom. xiii. 5.

SER. CXXXIX.]

To the Public Magiftrate, &c.

35

of perfons in our own age and country; who undoubtedly deferve both pity and efteem, fo far as they go upon principle; but whofe notions, were they to spread, would produce inextricable confufion throughout the earth.

And very happily fcripture is as clear in this point, as reafon. There is no power, faith St Paul, but of God; the powers that be, the feveral governments actually fubfifting in each nation, are ordained of God. Whofoever therefore refifleth the power, refifteth the ordinances of God*. Again, St Peter directs all Christians to fubmit themselves to every ordinance of man, every human establishment, for the Lord's fake: for fo is the will of Godt. And accordingly they did fo from the beginning of the gofpel; and amidst as many ufurpations and bad titles, in the Roman empire, as the history of any nation hath ever recorded, followed no other maxim, than that of obeying faithfully the authority, to which the Wisdom of Heaven, fuperintending all things, from time to time fubjected them. But when perfons have owned a government, not only by receiving and claiming the benefits of it, but by taking folemn oaths to it, and joining in public prayers for its preservation: one or both of which I prefume we have all done, these additional ties render difloyalty afterwards, grofs perfidy and abandoned profligateness.

We cannot then reafonably doubt, to whom our fubmiffion is due; and we can feldom, if ever, doubt, at least in any point that will affect our practice, how far it is to be carried. If our fuperiors command us to do any thing, which we cannot lawfully, we ought to obey God rather than men ‡. But otherwife we are to act as they require us; and if they treat us hardly, or manage the concerns of the nation wrongly, we are to bear it with patience. For confider; the affairs of government are always numerous and difficult; fometimes uncommonly intangled and perplexed. They, who manage them, are liable to the fame mistakes, fubject to the fame paffions, and exposed to more temptations, than other men. Therefore not only miscarriages and ill accidents will happen; but neglects and failures, partialities and grievances, must be expected in the behaviour of public perfons, as well as private. And whoever will not fit down contented under fome things of this E 2 fort, † 1 Pet. ii. 13, 15.

Rom. xiii. 1, 2

A&is v. 29.