Lex Rex, Question 35
QUEST. XXXV. Whether or no the sufferings of the Martyrs in the Primitive Church militate against the lawfulnesse of defensive wars?
ROyalists think they burden our Cause much with hatred, when they bring the Fathers and ancient Martyrs against us. So the P. Prelate extracted out of other Authors, testimonies for this,Sacr. sance. 6. pag. 74, 75, 76. The Doctors of Aberdeene in their Duplyes. and from I. Armagh, in a Sermon on Rom. 13. pag. 20, 21. So the Do. of Aberdeene. The Prelat proveth from Clem. Alexand. l. 7. c. 17. That the King is constituted by the Lord. So Ignatius.
Answ. 1. Except he prove from these Fathers that the King is from God onelyonly and immediately, he proveth nothing.
Obj. 2. Iren. l. 5. adv. haer. c. 20. proveth that God giveth Kingdomes, and that the devill lied ▪ Luk. 4. and we make the people to make Kings, and so to be the children of the Devill.
Answ. If we denyed God to dispose of Kingdomes, this man might alledge the Church of God in England and Scotland, to be the sons of Satan. But Gods Word, Deut. 17.18. and many other places make the people to make Kings, and yet not devils. But to say that Prelates should crowne Kings, and with their foule fingers anoint him; and that as the Popes substitutes, is to make him that is the sonne of perdition, a Donor of Kingdoms, also to make a man with his bloodie sword to ascend to a throne, is to deny God to be the disposer of Kingdoms, and Prelats teach both these.
Obj. 3. Tertul. Apol. c. 30. Inde est Imperator, unde & homo, antequam imperator, inde potestas illi, unde & spiritus: God is no lesse the Creator of Soveraigntie, then of the soul of man.
Answ. God onelyonly maketh Kings, by his absolute soveraignty, as he onelyonly maketh high and low, and so onelyonly he maketh Mayors, Provosts, Bailiffes, for there is no power but of him, Rom. 13. Ergo, Provosts and Bailiffes are not from men. The Reader shall not be troubled with the rest of the testimonies of this poore Plagiarie, for they prove what never man denyed, but Prelats and Royalists, to wit, that Kings are not from Gods approving and regulating will; which they oppose, when they say, Sole Conquest is a just title to the Crowne.
But they deserve rather an answer which Grotius, Barclay, Arnisaeus, and Spalato alledge, as
Obj. 1. Cyprian Epist. 1. Non est fas Christianis, armis, ac vi tueri s… adversus impetum persecutorum, Christians cannot by violence defend themselves against persecutors.
Answ. If these words be pressed literally, it were not lawfull to defend our selfe against murtherers; but Cyprian is expresly condemning in that place, the seditious tumults of people against the lawfull Magistrate.
Obj. 2. The Ancients say he was justly punished who did rend and teare the Edict of Dioclesian and Maximinus, Euseb. l. 7. Hist. Eccles. c. 5.
Answ. To rend an Edict is no act of naturall self-defence, but a breach of a positive commandment of the Emperors, and could not be lawfully done, especially by a private man.
Object. 3. Cyprian Epist. 56. Incumbamus gemitibus assiduis & depr…cationibus crebris, haec enim sunt munimenta spiritualia & tela divina quae protegunt: And Ruffinus, l. 2. c. 6. Ambrosius adversus reginae (Iustinae Arianae) …urorem non se manu defensabat aut telo, sed jejuniis continuatisque vigiliis sub altari positus.
Answ. It is true, Cyprian reputed prayers his armour, but not his onelyonly armour. Though Ambrose, de facto, used no other against Iustina; the places say nothing against the lawfulnesse of selfe-defence. Ambrose speaketh of that armour and these meanes of d… fence, that are proper to Pastors, and these are prayers and teares, not the sword; because Pastors carry the Arke, that is their charge, not the sword, that is the Magistrates place.
Object. 4. Tertullian Apolog. c. 37. saith expresly, that the Christians might for strength and number have defended themselves against their persecutors, but thought it unlawfull. Quando vel una nox pauculis faculis largitatem ultionis po et operari, si malum malo dispungi penes nos liceret, sed absit ut igni humano vindicetur divina secta, aut doleat pati, in quo probetur. Si enim hostes extran…s, non tantum vindices occultos agere vellemus, deesset nobis vis numerorum & copiarum?
Answ. I will not goe about to say that Tertullian thought it lawfull to raise Armes against the Emperour; I ingeniously confesse Tertullian was in that errour. But, 1. something of the man.T…tull…an in an errour. 2. Of the Christians. Of the man. Tertullian after this turned a Montanist. 2. Pamelius saith of him, in vit. Tertul. inter Apocrypha numeratur—excommunicatus. 3. It was Tertullians error in a fact, not in a question, that he believed Christians were so numerous, as that they might have fought with the Emperours. 4. M. Pryn doth judiciously observe, 3. part. soveraigne power of Parl. pag. 139, 140. He not onelyonly thought it unlawfull to resist, but also to flee, and therefore wrote a booke de fuga, and therefore as some men are excessive in doing for Christ, so also in suffering for Christ; Hence I inferre, that Tertullian is neither ours, nor theirs in this point; and we can cite Tertullian against them also, Iam sumus ergo pares. Yea Fox in his Monum. saith, Christians ranne to the stakes to be burnt, when they were neither condemned, nor cited. 4. What if wee cite Theodoret, fol. 98. De provid. Who about that time say that evill men reigne, foreign through the cowardlinesse of the subjects; as the Prelate saith of Tertullian, I turne it, if Theodoret were now living,The ancient Chr…sti…ns did rise in Armes against persecuting Emperours. he would goe for a Rebell. About that time Christians sought help from Constantine the Great, against Lycinius their Emperour, and overthrew him in battaile. And the Christians being oppressed by the King of Persia their owne King, sent to Theodosius to help them against him. 2. For the man▪ Tertullian in the place cited, saith, The Christians were strangers under the Emperour. Externi sumus, and therefore they had no Laws of their owne, but were under the Civill Laws of Heathen, till Constantines time; and they had sworne to Iulian as his souldiers, and therefore might have, and no doubt had, scruples of conscience to resist the Emperour. 2. It is knowne Iulian had huge numbers of Heathen in his Armie, and to resist had beene great danger. 3. Wanting Leaders and Commanders, (many prime men doubting of the lawfulnesse thereof) though they had beene equall in number, yet number is not all in warre, skill in valorous Commanders is required. 4. What if all Christians were not of Tertullians minde. 5. If I would go to humane testimonies, which I judge not satisfactory to the conscience, I might cite many; The practice of France, of Holland: The Divines in Luthers time, as Sleidan. 8. c. 8.22. resolved resistance to be lawfull. Calvin. Beza, Pareus; the German Divines, Bucanus, and an hoast might be produced.