Parallels Censures, Letter 1 · Section 15
The Fiftenth Section.
The next point is your Fourth wherin you do vsus open injury, viz.
4. In holding that Princes have no more to do in eccleſiaſtical cauſes then one of you in a particular congregation: theſe are your wordes.
Mr. Ber. I challeng you in this particular imputation, to be either a malicious or an ignorant ſlaunderer: For eyther you know not what we teach concerning Princes Authorityes, & ſo ſlaunder vsus ignorantly: or if you know our judgmēt in that matter you ſlaunder vsus malitiouſly. Remember that the Prophet in the Pſalmes complayneth that his enemyes digd pits for him, laid ſnares, grinnes & nets in his way to catch him ynawares & to bring evil vppon him: are you now become ſuch an enemy vntounto vsus? doe you think by calling into queſtion the Supremacy of Princes imputing therin treaſon to vsus to catch vsus in a ſnare, & cauſe vsus to fal into the pit? if this be your courſe, thus to hunt the Soules of men, look vntounto your ſelf, therin you manifeſt litle grace to me: but let vsus heer the cauſe you impute to vsus. you ſay we hold that princes have no more to do in eccleſiaſtical cauſes then one of vsus in a particular congregaciō: I ſay for myne owne part, & I think I may ſay it for al the brethren of our Church, that herin you do shamefully belie vsus: I wil therfor manifeſt what we hold & teach concerning Princes Supremacy.
1. Firſt, wee teach & hold according to the Scriptures that Princes & civil Eſtates are the Lords bleſſed ordinance, Rom. 13.2.
2. Secondly, that every Soule ought to be ſubject vntounto the civil Magiſtrates of what eſtate & condition ſoever they be, Rom. 13.1. Tit. 3.1. 1. Pet. 2.13.
3. Thirdly, that we muſt abſolutely ſubmit vntounto the civil Magiſtrate eyther to do his lawful commaundements, or to ſuffer his vnlawful punishments: by conſequence from the former places.
4. Fourthly, that it is vnlawful for any ſubject to make inſurrection or rebellion againſt the civil Magiſtrates: by conſequence from the former places.
5. Fifthly, that it is the Magiſtrates office to be the keeper of both the tables of the cō maundemēts: both to abolish Idolatry & al falſe wayes, alſo to forbid & punish al vnrighteouſnes as alſo to commaund & cauſe al men within there Dominions to walk in the wayes of God, being fitted & prepared therevnto: and that by the examples of David, Ioſaphat, Hezechiah, Ioſiah, Nehemiah, Roman. 13.4.5. Pſalm. 101. toto. and 132. 2-5.
6. That a Prince hath powre in a particular viſible Church, to punish any wickednes any one committeth: and to cauſe that viſible Church to aſſume & practiſe any truth Gods word teacheth: ex praecedentibus: now this is more authority then any one particular member hath.
7. VVee teach notwithſtanding that Princes if they wilbe ſaved muſt bee members of a true viſible Church, & muſt walk ther in the obedience of Gods Commaundements & ordinances, ſubmitting to the cenſures for the reformation & ſalvation of his ſoule, as well as to the preaching to the VVord, adminiſtration of the Seales of the covenant, prayers, &c. bicauſe God hath appointed but one way to ſave the Soules of Princes and Subjects.
8. If civil Magiſtrates be by cenſures caſt out of the true viſible Church, yet they are ſtil to be accounted Gods ordinance, ſtil to bee obeyed in the L. ſtil to be ſubmitted to in regard of their punishment, no rebellion or inſurrection to be made againſt them by any of the Church whatſoever: but prayer to bee made for them inſtantly and dayly.
Now Mr. Bern. ſtop your mouth & ceaſe ſlaundering, & take away the poyſon from vnderunder your Tong.
Paralleles, Cenſures, Obſervations, aperteyning to the fiftenth Section.
I deſire heer that the reader would obſerve carefully: that although Mr. Bern. in his Lettre to Mr. Hel. had charged vsus with this ſlaunderous vntruth concerning our diſloyalty to Magiſtrates: yet I having written this Lettre vntounto him, he in this his book ſayeth not a word to this Section of my lettre: whereas if he had dealt vprightly he should have cleered vsus in that particular of diſloyalty, wherein he chardged vsus falſely: but like a ſubtil adverſary he thought to bring vsus into diſgrace & hatred by al meanes, & wherein he ſaw vsus approvable therein he craftily forſaketh vsus: & leaveth vsus to the obloquy of the world, which vſually lay this falſe imputation of diſloyalty vppon vsus: wel let Mr. Bern. & al men know, eſpecially al lawful civil Magiſtrates of what degree ſoever, that the Churches of the Seperation are in their judgments as ſound, & in their harts as loyal & dutiful vntounto Princes & civil States, as the beſt prelate of England, & that the more popelike they are the more trayterous they wil prove vntounto the civil Magiſt. & that if they bee let alone, they with the Pope at the length wil take vppon them: Petrus dedit Petro, Petrus diadema Radolpho, & cauſe the Emperor to hold the ſtirrop.