Truth Held Forth and Maintained, Part 1 · Chapter 20
CHAP. XX. Concerning Powers.
ALL Power is of God, either by commiſſion or permiſſion; Let every Soul be ſubject to the higher Power, for there is no Power but of God the Powers that be are ordained of God, Rom. 13.1. The Apoſtles words are very weighty, for all to Conſider, and not to do as many ſay, that if they live where Governours and Rulers are, they muſt be ſubject to their Laws, which (they ſay) are ordained of God, for the benefit of Church and State, otherwayes (ſay they) we cannot be ſubject to all Powers which are ordained of God. Now this I do believe, that all Powers which are to keep down ſin and evil, that they are ordained of God, but for any to think that the holy Apoſtle did include the Powers of Darkneſs, to be ordained of God, is groſs Ignorance in them that ſo believe; for all the Powers of Darkneſs are of the Devil, who is the Father of all Unrighteouſneſs; and God never ordained the Devil, nor any of his Dark Towers, which rule in the Children of Diſobedience, of whom ſome have aſſerted to me, That God made the Devil, as he now is a Devil; but its through Diſobedience to God, and Obedience to the Power of the Devil, men come to grow into ſuch groſs Ignorance, that they will venture to the hazard of their ſouls, to ſay that which they neither know nor underſtand; for the Powers of Darkneſs, which God permits to rule in the Children of Diſobedience, are for a tryal of his Peoples Faith, who are not to ſubmit in active obedience to the dark Powers of the Earth, among unrighteous men, which cauſe the righteous to ſuffer for the Truth of God, and Teſtimony of Jeſus, which if any refuſe Obedience to ſuffer for the Truth of God, and Name of his Son Jeſus Chriſt, they cannot be his Diſciples; for he that is not willing to part with his Life for the ſake of Chriſt, can never be made partaker of his heavenly Riches in the Life to come; for he that denyeth Crhiſt before men, he will be denyed of Gods Kingdom by Jeſus Chriſt in the World to come; ſo that the Righteous are not to be ſubject, in active Obedience they are to ſubmitt, and that for Conſcience ſake, well knowing that their reward will follow in heavenly Riches of Gods Kingdom, where the Wicked ſhall never come. So all Powers that be, are of God, who permits the Devils Power, in unrighteous men, for a tryal of his Peoples Faith, and that he may gain honour to his ovvn Name, through their damnation, which fullfils the Apoſtles ſaying, Let every ſoul be ſubject to the higher Power, for there is no Power but what is of God, either by commiſſion or permiſſion; for the Power of the Devil, God doth permit in unrighteous men, whoſe Power the rightous are not actually to obey; for if they ſhould actually they any unrighteous Power, in ſo doing they reſiſt the Ordinance of God, and to themſelves receive Damnation, Rom. 13.1…. which according to the Apoſtles words, no man is actually to obey any Power, ſave the Power of God, which is ſaving to them, that through Faith live in Obedience to his Truth, according as the holy Apoſtle did or example, who hinſelf was accounted one of the grea…eſt Tranſgreſſors of mens Laws, in that he was not in …ctual Obedience to any of their dark Powers, which …ere then in his time, for which cauſe he himſelf ſuffered … the Name of Jeſus, through whoſe Power his People …ome to be redeemed from all actual Obedience to the …eviles Power, which rules in Unrighteous men, which …ould force People from their Obedience to God, which …ermits the Diſobedient to wrêſt the holy Scriptures to …eir own Diſtruction, in which ſtate they would bind … others to believe in their Anti-Chriſtian Faith, that … is of God, and that if any man reſiſt their Power, that … reſiſteth the Ordinance of God, and to himſelf receives …amnation, which is the very way of promoting the Kingdom of Anti-Chriſt, through whoſe Power many weak People are ſeduced from the true Faith, and have diſtruſted in the Power of God, by their actual Obedience, of conforming to the dark Powers of the Devils ſetting up in wicked men; but the day will come, which haltens towards the wicked, whom the Lord by his mighty Power will overthrow; for all power is committed unto him, whoſe power is over the power of the Devil, which the power of God ſuffers to rule, that he may ſee who will ſerve him, the God of all Truth, which permits the Devil to ſet up and pull down, even to the making waſte o… one another, but they that truly ſerve the Lord, ſhall ſtand forever; for he is God and Lord over all, whoſe almighty Power ſuffers one dark Power to pull down one, and to ſet up another, until his time comes, whoſe right it is to rule in Truth and Righteouſneſs in the heart of every man and woman, and in the mean time, they that rule for God, are not a Terror to good works, but to the evil; for they are the Miniſters of God for the Peoples good, that they that do evil might be afra…d; for he bareth not the Sword in vain, but is the Miniſter of God, and a Revenger to execute wrath upon them that do evil, Rom. 13.3.4. Wherefore ye muſt needs be ſubject, not only for Wrath, but alſo for Conſcience ſake, Verſ. 5. and for this cauſe pay you Tribute alſo; for they are Gods Miniſters, attending continually upon this very thing, Verſ. 6. Render therfore their due, Tribute to whom Tribute is due, Cuſtom to whom Cuſtom is due, Fear to whom Fear is due, Honour t… whom Honour is due; owe no man any thing, but love on another, Rom. 13.7, 8. Now them that are faithfully in Obedience to the Power of Gods gift of Grace by Jeſus Chriſt, they fear the Lord, and work his Righteouſneſs through which they live in the love of God towards all men, which is the fullfilling of the Law, Verſ. 8. in which ſta…e o… true love they render to all men (rich and poor) vvhatever the Lord requireth of them to do; for their obedience is to the power of his own ſpirit, which leads every Juſt and upright man in Power, to rule for Gods Honour, through which they have Dominion over the evil Doers, and praiſe unto them that do well, ſuch Rulers bare not the Sword in …aine; but he that reſpects the Perſon of any man, in Juſtice and Judgment, is a Tranſgreſſor of Gods holy Law, & is convinced of the Law, as a Tranſgreſſor, Jam. 2.…. for they that rule for God, do no unrighteouſneſs in Judgment, neither do they reſpect the Perſons of the Poor, nor honour the Perſons of the Mighty, but in Righteouſneſs judge they their Neighbour, Lev 19.15. for they hear the ſmall, as well as the great, without reſpecting the perſons of either, thereby they do not fear the face of any man, for the Judgment is the Lords, which if there be any thing too hard for them they are to wait on the Lord, who in his own due time will manifeſt the truth of the Cauſe, by which they may come to render true Judgment, according to the mind of God, Deut. 1.17. but if they reſpect mens Perſons, and wreſt Judgment, and receive Gifts, then they are out of Gods way, and rule not for his Honour, but for their own Honour, and ſelf-ends among men; for a Gift blindeth the Eyes of the Wiſe, and cauſeth them to pervert the words of the Righteous Dan. 6.19. Now that Honour which is of Hand, Hat and Knee, to each other, it is not of God, for the Honour of God dwelleth in the heart of every faithful man; which is faithful to what the Lord hath …mmitted to his charge; for it is the Lord that ſearcheth the heart, and tryeth the reigns of the heart, and declareth unto man what is his thoughts; which no man can know by the Hat, Hand, and Knee of another, for which Honour they have no expreſs command from God, nor example from his Servants in dayes paſt, who in their day did render Tribute, Cuſtom, Fear and Honour in its right place, which at all times doth not belong to one and the ſame Perſon, but as he appears for Gods cauſe, is there Honour due to him, as in the caſe of Paul before Feſtus and Agrippa, the one appearing in the truth of Pauls cauſe, and the other by Paul almoſt perſwaded to be a Chriſtian, which Noble Principle in them, was worthy of Honour from Paul, Act. 26.2.28, 31. 32 and divers other inſtances do the holy Scriptures afford, of that noble Spirit appearing in man of outward Power, whom they of this Generation eſteem as Heathens, but be what they will, or whatſoever they were, the Lord and his People well know, that them ſo eſteemed, their works towards the Lords People in their day, do condemn the works of many men towards the People of God in this day, which do give Honour unto them, unto whom it doth belong, and not to honour them which honour not the Lord; for they whoſe works bring no honour to the Name of the Lord, they are not to be honoured by his People; for Old Age to many is lengthened out by many dayes, that the condemnation, of him that fears not God, and works not his righteouſneſs, may be the greater; for though the Wicked may live to a hundred years, ſo living and ſo dying, they are accurſed … but the Hoary Head is a Crown of Glory, if it be found in the way of Righteouſneſs, Prov. 16.31. By which we ſee and know, that God hath no reſpect for them that live not in the way of his Truth, for Old Age is as a Judgment to ſome, which deſire to dye, becauſe of outward Troubles in Body, and Horror of Conſcience for their evil Deeds, but Death as an addition to Gods Judgments from ſuch flyeth away, others again, for their unrighte ous living in ſin and Rebellion againſt God, are (by his Juſt Judgments) cut off in the midſt of their days.
And as to ſuch Rulers that trouble the People of God from day to day, and from time to time, they may read their Portion Luke 16.19, to 24. but the People of the Lord cannot be brought into bondage by the Power of unrighteous Laws, made by wicked men, to enſnare and hinder the faithful of their Obedience to God, who doth abhor the dark Works of unrighteous Rulers, whoſe wicked Works againſt the Lords People, are done in pretence of ſome ſervice for God, when that they are altogether for the ſervice of Anti-Chriſt, and the promoting of the Devils Kingdom, which the Lords People, by the Power of God, are kept and preſerved from touching, taſting or handling with any unclean thing, well knowing, that the Wages of Sin is Death, but the gift of God is Life Everlaſting; ſo then Death remains in the unrighteous Powers of Wicked and Ungodly Men, who, Balaam like, love the Wages of Unrighteouſneſs, which the dumb Aſs declared againſt, when he forbid the madneſs of the wicked Prophet, who had forſaken the right Way of the Lord, to obey the dark Power of an Earthly Ruler; So the portion of Balaam will be the Inheritance of them that do not obey the Power of God by Jeſus Chriſt, whoſe Power is the higher Power, unto which every ſoul is to be ſubject; for his Power is ordained of God, and there is no other Power, but the Power of God, which is by Jeſus Chriſt, whom all men are commanded to obey; for by and through his Power are the faithfull ſupported in all their Sufferrings for his Truth, which is the Condemnation of all unrighteous Judges.