The Governance of Virtue, Part 2 · Section 22
Againste rebellion and disobedience.
IF the deuill that old enemy of mankind and troubler of all good orders goe aboute to put in thy head, that the maiestrates and hye powers do not their duty in the right gouernmente of a cō mon weale, but to muche cruellye oppresse thyre subiectes and that therefore thou maist iustly ryse and rebell agaynst them, and take vponupon thee of thine owne priuate authority to redresse thinges that are amys in the commone w eale take heede that thou by no meanes consentest to his most suttle and wicked temptations, wherby he goeth about to throw thee into euerlasting dampnation both of body and soule, beside the shameful death, that thou shalte hauehave in this worlde, and the losse of all that euer thou hast, but content thy selfe with thy vocation▪ laboure diligently and quietly for thy …uing, study to maintaine peace, pray for the highe powers, th…k that crosse to be layde vponupon the… for thy distres, amēd thy life, humbly lamēt thy cause to God which will not leaue thee succour…s, and defend thy self againste Satan, and al his craftye suggestions, with these scriptures folowing.
☞ Sentences out of the olde Testament.
THou shalt be ouer my house, and accorGe. 4. ding to thy word shall al my people be ruled.
Thou shalt do what soeuer they say vntountoDeut. 17 thee that …e rulers ouer the place, which the Lorde hath chosen.
Al that thou hast commaunded vsus, saydIosue▪ … ▪ the people to Iosue, we will do and whether so euer thou sendst vsus we will go.
Who so euer he be, sayth God, that doth disobey thy mouthe, and wil not hear ken vntounto thy woordes, in al that thou cō maundeste him, let him dye.
The Lord hath heard your murmuringsExod. 16 sayth Moyses, which ye murmur agaynst him. For what are we? (he speaketh of him selfe and of Aaron) your murmurings are not against vsus, but against the Lord.
They hauehave not caste thee awaye, but1. Reg. 81▪ me (sayde God to Samuell) that I should not reigne ouer them.
Beholde to obey is better then sacrifyce1. Reg. 15 and to harken is better then the fat of ram mes. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcrafte, and stubbernes is as the wickednes of idolatry.
By me, kinges raigne, by me Princesrou. 8. make iust lawes. By me Lords bear rule, and al Iudges of the earth exercise iudgement.
Where no ruler is, there the people decay,rou. 12 but where as many are that can geue counsel, there is wealth.
The kynges displeasure is a messengerro. 16 of death, but a wise man wil pacify hym. The chereful countenaunce of the kyng, is life, and hys louyng fauor is as the eue ning dew
The king oughte to be feared as the roringro. 20 of a Lion. Who so prouoketh him vn to anger, offendeth against his own soule. My son feare thou the Lorde and the king, and kepe no company withthem that slide backe from his feare. For their destruction shall comsodenly. And who knoweth the aduersyty that may come from thē both.
Wish the king no euel in thy thoughte,Eccle. 10 and speake no hurte of the noble man in thy priuy chamber.
For a byrde of the ayre shall betraye thy voice, and with her feathers shall shee bewray thee.
Whosoeuer wil not fulfill the lawe of1. Esdr. 7 God. and the kinges law, let him hauehave his iudgment without delay, whether it be vn to death or to be rooted out, or be condemned in goods, or to be put into prison.
The kinge is ruler ouer sea and lande3. Esdr. 4. and hathe dominion of all thinges, & loke what he commaundeth is done. The common people▪ and the rulers are obedient vntounto him.
☞ Examples out of the olde Testament.
GOd did strike Miriam with moste greuousNum. 12 and horrible leprosy, because she murmured against her lawful magistrate Moyses.
God plagued the Israelites for murmuringeNum. 21 against his seruaunt Moyses, wt stinging serpents which stong them vntounto death.
Corath, Dathan, and Abiron, becauseNum. 16 they did not obeye Moyses Gods magisstrate, but disdained that he should raigne ouer them, althoughe appointed of God, were swalowed vp of the earth, both they, their wiues, their children, and all their goodes. They went down aliue vntounto …el, and the earthe closed vponupon them, and they perished from among the congregation.
Absolon king Daulds sonne made anReg. 15 insurrection against his Father, and thorowe the councaile of wicked Achitophel, wrought most vilany against his fathers honoure. What folowed? Was not Absolon miserably slaine? Did not his vntrusty counselor hang him self, were there not also xx. M. men slaine in battaile, that tooke Absalons part.
Seba the son of Bechey had his he…d cut of, because he conspired against kinge…. Reg. 22. Dauid, and disswaded the people from du… obedience to their liege soueraigne Lord.
Baasa the sonne of Abia conspired a…. Reg. 15. gainst Nadab king of Israel, slewe him, & raigned in his steade. But in hat folowed… though Baasa in the sight of the world dy ed no shameful death, yet died he in the dis pleasure of God, and afterwarde all hys succession with all his frendes and kinsfolkes were al destroyd, so that ther was not one left aliue.
Zimry conspired against Ela king of Israell,3. Reg. 15. slew him and raigned in his steade. But shortly after he was driuen to suche misery and straytes that he fledde into the kings pallace at Thirza, and settng it on a fyre brent himselfe, and so wretchedlye ended hys lyfe.
Sentences out of the new Testament.
Let eueryevery soule submit himselfe vntounto y• Rom. 13aucthority of the higher power For there is no power but of God. Thepowers that be are ordeined of God. Who soeuer therfore resysteth the power, resisteth the ordi nance of God, but they that resyste shall get to themselues dampnacion. For rulers are not fearefull to them that doo good, but to them that do euil. Wilt thou be without feare of the power. Doo well then & so shalt thou be praised of the same. For hee is the minister of God for thy wealth. But if thou donst that which is euill, then feare. For hee beareth not the sword for noughte. For he is the minister of god to take vengance on him that doth euill. Wherfore ye must nedes obey not onelye for feare of vengeaunce, but also because of conscience. And euen for thys cause paye ye tribute. For they are Gods ministers, seruinge for the same purpose. Geue to eueryevery man therefore his duty tribute …o whō tribute belongeth, custome to whom custome is due, feare to whom fear belongeth, honoure to whom honour pertaineth.
I exhort that aboue all things prayers,Tim. 2 supplications, intercessions and geuinge of thankes be had for all men, for kinges & for all that are in authoritye, that we may liue a quiet and a peaceable life, withall godlines and honestye. For that is good & accepted in the sight of god our Sauyour, whiche will hauehave all men to be saued, and to come vntounto the knowledg of the truthe.
Warne them, that they submit them…it. 3. selues to rule and power, that they obey the Magistrates, that they be ready to doo eueryevery good work, that they speake euill of no man, that they be no fighters, but gentle, shewing all meekenes vntounto all men.
Submit your elues vntounto all maner ordinancePet. 3 of man for the Lordes sake, whether it be vntounto the king as vntounto the chiefe head, either vntounto rulers as vntounto them that are sent of him for the punishment of euill dooers, but for the praise of them that doo wel. For so is the will of god, that with well doing ye may stop the mouthes of folish and ignoraunt men, as free, and not as hauing the liherty for a cloke of malyciousnesse, but euen as the sernauntes of God.
Honour all men, louelove brotherly felow ship, feare god, honour the king.
Wicked are they and damned shal they2. Pet. … be, that despise authority, and …eare not to speak euil of them that excel in honour.
Examples out of the new Testament.
MAry Christes mother and IosephLuk. 2. her husbande, obeyed the Emperours commaundement, and went into their citie Bethelem to be taxed.
Christe payed tribute to Cesar both forMath. 1 him self and for his disciples, and willed o ther so to do.
Christe euen vntounto the death obeyed theMath. … temporall rulers.
The Apostles of Christ were obedient to the higher▪ powers and taught other so to be.
Saint Paule willinglye obeyed the publique Magistrates, Felix & Festus. &c
Theudas and Iudas of Galile were two sedicious persons. The one boasted to doo greate thinges and so allured muche people to follow him, the other councelled the Iewes by no meanes to pay tribute to Cesar, but to mayntayne theyr olde liber ties, and by this meanes moued greate sedicion among the people.
What became of them, were they not put to death, and so many as folowed th… eyther slayne or els scattered abroad, and so brought to nought. We read not in all the holy scriptures that anye traytour or notable sedicious person hath at any time …scaped without notable and famous punishmente. God can not suffer his magistrates to be disobeyed, his cōmon weales to be disturbed hys polytyqne or cyuyl… lawes to be contēned his godly and honest orders to be broken. Whosoeuer attempteth any such wickednes, God wil be a uenged of him, as it is euidente not onelyonly in the holye Scriptures, but also in prophane histories.