by our own confent. Those therefore (whom I have confuted in my Treatife of Policy) who fay, God is not our King till we make him King, nor his Laws obligatory to us till we confent to them, fpeaking de Debito, do not reafon but rave, and are unworthy of a confutation. 1.3. All men therefore are obliged to fubject their Underftandings to the revealed Wisdom of God, and their Wills to his revealed Will, and to employ all the powers of Soul and Body, and all their poffeffions, in his moft exact obedience. Subjection is an obligation to obedience. Where the Authority and Suljection are alfolute and unlimited, there the obedience must be abfolute and moft exact. The understanding of our abfolute Ruler is the abfolute rule of our understandings. No man muft fet up his conceits against him, nor quarrel with his Government.or Laws. If any thing of His revelation or prefcription feem queftionable, unjuft or unneceffary to us, it is through our want of due fubjection, through the arrogancy and enmity of our carnal minds. His Will, de Nihil mihi videtur Debito, muft be the abfolute Rule of all our Wills: fo much frigidius, nihil in- fecret exceptions and referves as we have in our refignation eprius, quam Lex and fubjection, fo much hypocrifie and fecret rebellion we cum prolegomeno: Dic quid me velis have. Our fubjective obligation is fo full and abfolute, and feciffe; non difco, fed our Ruler fo infallible, juft and perfect, that it is not possible pareo. Senec. ep.95. for any mans obedience to God to be too abfolute, exact or If Mens Laws must full. Nothing can be more certain than that a Creature, fubhave fo great authovity, much more Gods. ject to the government of his Creator, of infinite Power, Ex quo intelliges Wisdom and Goodness, doth owe him the most perfect and par eft, cos qui per- exact obedience, according to the utmost of his Powers, niciofa & injufta po- without any diffent, exception, refiftance, unwillingness or pulis juffa defcripferint, cum contra fe neglect. cerine quod polliciti .4. All obedience which Rulers require of their Subje&is, or profeffique fint,quid- Subjects give to any Governours, must be in full fubordination to vis potius tuliffe the government and will of God. quam leges. Cic. de For all Powers under the abfolute Sovereign of the world, leg.l. 2. p. 235. Multa perniciofa, are derivative and dependent, and are no more than he hath multa peftifera fcif- given: they are from him, under him, and for him; and can cuntur in populis, no more have any authority against him, than a Worm quæ non magis Legis against a King, or than they could have Being and Authority quam fi latrones, &c. Without him. He that contradicteth this Propofition, muit take down God, and Deifie Man, and fo defie and conquer Romen attingunt, 11. ibid. Heaven, Heaven, or else he will never make it good. As for the diffi- Plutarch de Tranculties that seem to rife by allowing Subjects to prefer God's quil. Anim. faith, that it is one of AriAuthority before their Parents or Princes;, it belongeth no ftotle's fayings, Thar more to the clearing of the prefent fubject that I refolve herbat believed as he them, than that I refolve fuch as arife from our allowing ought of the gods, Subjects to disobey a Juftice or Constable when he is again Should think as well of himself as Alexanthe King. der, who commanded 0.5. They that are obliged to fuch abfolute and exaci obedience, are obliged to use their utmost diligence to understand God's Laws, which they must obey. For no man can obey a Law which he doth not know of, and understand. Subjection includeth an obligation to study our Maker's Laws, fo far as we muft do them: Indeed thofe that concern others, we are not fo much bound to know (as a Subject to know God's Laws for Kings and Paftors of the Church), but for our own duty we cannot do it before we know it. Those that are ignorant of their Maker's Will through unwillingness, contempt or negligence, are so far difobedient to his Government. so many men. p.15.5. 1.6. There are many and great temptations to draw us to Dicebat Thales, Hodifobey our Maker, which every one is bound with greatest vigi- mines exiftimare oplancy and conftancy to refift. ortere Deos omnia. cernere, deorumque omnia effe plena, & tunc fore omnes Caftiores. (ic. 2. de Athenodorus dicere norum malorumque He that is bound to obey, is certainly bound to refift all temptations to difobedience. For that is far from abfolute or true obedience which will fail, if a man be but tempted to difobey. Kings and Parents will not accept of fuch obedience Leg. as this, they will not fay, [ Be true to me, and honour me, prudenter folebat, ita and obey me, till you are tempted to betray me, and to re- cum hominibus homproach me, and rebel.] He that will be falfe to God when nes vivere debere,acfi he is tempted to it, was never true to him. No temptation Deus Retributor bocan bring fo much for fin, as God giveth us against it, nor can ultor, omni loco ac offer us fo much gain, or honour, or pleasure by it, as he of- tempore actiones nofereth us on condition we obey him. And that the world is ftras intueretur, confull of fuch temptations, experience putteth paft difpute, (of which, more anon.) -0.7. No price can be offered by any Creature, which to Subject of God should feem fi fficient to hire him to the smallest fin. Sin hath fuch-aggravations (which fhall be opened anon) that no gain or pleasure that cometh by it can counterballance. There being no proportion between the Creature K 2 and a fpicereturque huma nis noftris oculis. homines audiant Sen. Chiion (in Laert. p. and the InfiniteCreator,there can nothing by,or of theCreature Plus apud bonos pie- 1.8. No man can reasonably fear left his true obedience to fuch a Governour should prove his final detriment or burt: but if Cleanthes, Cum ali I. No man can reasonably think, that God is less able to Because God bath penalties to promote obe- reward, protect and encourage his fubjects in their duty, than dience, all Religion is any Tempter whatsoever in their difobedience. And no man called, The fear of can think that he is lefs wife to know how to perform it: nor God. Laertius faith of can any think that Infinite Goodness is lefs difpofed to do good quando probro illi to the good, than any Tempter whofoever can be to do good daretur, quod effet to the evil. These things being all as clear as light it felf to timidus: At ideo, in the confiderate, it must needs follow, that no reafon can allow quit, parum pecco, a man to hope to be finally againer or faver by his disobediFear is a preferving cantelons paffion, ence to his Maker, or to fear to be a lofer by him. though it make not a good man of it felf but as joyned with Love. 2. But if it were fo, obedience would be our duty ftill: for the authority of God, as his propriety, is abfolute; and he that giveth us power to require the analogical obedience of our Horfe or Ox, though it be to our benefit only, and his hurt, yea though it be in going to the flaughter, if he did fo by us could do us no wrong, nor give us any juft excufe for our difobedience. For as fweet as life is to us, it is not so much Ours in right as His, and therefore should be at his difpofal. 1. 9. The breaking of Gods Laws must needs deferve a greater penalty, than the breaking of any Man's Laws, as fuch. The difference of the Rulers and their Authority puts this past all controverfie; of which yet I fhall fay more anon. 1. 10. What is faid of the subjection of Individuals to God, is true of all just Societies as fuch, the Kingdoms of the world being all under God the univerfal King, as fmall parcels of his Kingdom, as particular Corporations are under a humane King. Therefore Kings and Kingdoms owe their abfolute obedience to God, and may not intend any ultimate end, but the the pleafing of their univerfal Soveraign; nor fet up any intereft against him, or above him, or in coordination with him; nor manage any way of Government, but in depcndance on him, as the Principle and the End of it; nor make any Laws, but fuch as ftand in due fubordination to his Laws; nor command any duty but what hath in its order, a true fubferviency and conducibility to his pleasure. СНАР. Х. of GOD's particular Laws as known in Nature. T He true nature of a Law I have opened before. It is Though Cicero's books not neceffary that it be written nor fpoken; but that de legibus, be ufually it be in general any apt [fignification of the Will of the read by us when we Rector to bis fubjects, inftituting what shall be due from them are boyes, they are worthy the perusal of and to them, for the ends of Government.] Therefore whatfo- the wifeft men, and ever is a fignification of Gods will to man, appointing us our du- fit for the edification ty, and telling us what benefit shall be ours upon the perfor- and pleasure of the mance, and what loss or hurt shall befall us, if we fin,is a Law of God. 1.1. A Law being the Rectors Inftrument of Governing, there can be no Law where there is no Government: And therefore, that which fome call, The eternal Law, is indeed no Law at all; But it is the Principle of all juft Laws. The Eternal Wisdom and Goodness of God (that is, the Perfection of his Nature and Will) as related to a Poffible, or future Kingdom, is denominated Justice: And this Justice fome call the Eternal Law: But it is truly no Law, because it is the will of God in himfelf, and not as Rector; nor is it any fignification of that Will, nor doth it fuppofe any governed fubje&is in being from Eternity; nor doth it make any duty to any from Eternity: But all the Laws which God maketh in time, (and confequently which men make, which are juft and good) are but the Products of this Eternal Will and Justice. And whereas fome fay, that there is an eternall truth in fuch Axiomes as these [Thou shalt love God above all, and learned. do as thou would't be done by, and the good should be incouraged, and the bad pufhed, &c.] I answer, God formeth not Propofitions; And therefore there were no fuch Propofitions from Eternity: Nor was there any Quod (de magiftratu Creature to love God, or to do Good or Evil, and be the Jequitur cum dico fubject of fuch Propolitions: That Propofition therefore legem, a medici ni- which was not from Eternity, was neither true nor false hil aliud intelligi vo from Eternity; for non entis non funt accidentia vel modi. lo quam imperium, fine quo nec domus But this is true, that from Eternity there were the grounds ulla, nec civitas, &c, of the verity of fuch Propofitions when they should atter be: Id, de leg. 3. init. And that if there had been fubjects from Eternity for fuch Propofitions, and Intellects to frame them, they would have been of Eternal truth. . 2. At the fame time of his Creation that God made Man bis futjeci, he also made him fome Laws, to govern him. For, fubjection being a general obligation to obedience, would fignifie nothing, if there were no particular duties to be the matter of that obedience. Elfe Man fhould owe God no obedience, from the beginning, but be Lawless; for where there is no Law, there is no Obedience: (Taking a Law in the true comprchenfive fenfe, as I here do.) D. 3. All the objective fignifications in natura rerum, within us or without us, of the Will of God, concerning our Duty, reward or punishment, are the True Law of Nature, in the primary proper fenfe. .4. Therefore it is falfly defined by all Writers, who make it confift in certain axioms (as fome fay) born in us, or written on our hearts from our birth; (as others fay) difpofitively there. It is true, that there is in the nature of Mans Soul a certain aptitude to understand certain Truths, as soon as they are revealed, that is,as foon as the very Natura rerum is obferved: And it is:true, that this difpofition is brought to actual knowledge, as foon as the minde comes to actual confideration of the things. But it is not true that there is any acval knowledge of any Principles born in Man: Nor is it true, that the faid Difpofition to know is truly a Law; nor yet that the actual knowledge following it, is a Law: But the difpofition may be called a Law Metonymically, as being the aptitude of the faculties to receive and obey a Law; as the Light of the Eye, |