The Bloody Tenant of Persecution for the Cause of Conscience, Part 4 · Chapter 127
CHAP. CXXVI.
Peace.
PAsse on (holy Truth) to that similitude whereby they illustrate that Negative Assertion: The Prince in the Ship (say they) is governour over the bodies of all in the Ship,An apt similitude discussed concerning the Civill Magistrate. but hee hath no power to governe the Ship or the Mariners in the Actions of it: If the Pilot manifestly erre in his Action, the Prince may reprove him, (and so say they may any Passenger) if hee offend against the life or goods of any, the Prince may in due time and place punish him, which no private person may.
Truth.
Although (deare Peace) wee both agree that civill powers may not injoyne such devices, no nor inforce on any Gods Institutions, since Christ Iesus his comming: Yet for further illustration I shall propose some Quaeries concerning the civill Magistrates passing in the ship of the Church, wherein Christ Iesus hath appointed his Ministers and Officers as Governours and Pilots, &c.
If in a ship at Sea,First quaerie: what if the … command the Mr. or Pilot to steere such a course which they know will never bring them to the harbour wherein the Governour or Pilot of a ship undertakes to carry the ship to such a Port, the civill Magistrate (suppose a King or Emperour) shall command the Master such and such a course, to steere upon such or such a point, which the Master knowes is not their course, and which if they steere he shall never bring the Ship to that Port or harbour: what shall the Master doe? Surely all men will say, the Master of the Ship or Pilot is to present Reasons and Arguments from his Mariners Art (if the Prince bee capable of them) or else in humble and submissive manner to perswade the Prince not to interrupt them in their course and duty properly belonging to them, to wit, governing of the ship, steering of the course, &c.
If the Master of the Ship command the Mariners thus and thus,2. Quaerie. If the Mr. of the Ship command the … thus, & the Prince command the contrary, who is to be obeyed? in cunning the ship, managing the …elme, trimming the saile, and the Prince command the Mariners a different or contrary course, who is to be obeyed?
It is confest that the Mariners may lawfully disobey the Prince, and obey the governour of the ship in the actions of the ship.
Thirdly, what if the Prince have as much skillIf the Prince have as much skill as the Mr. or Pilo, &c. (which is rare) as the Pilot himselfe? I conceive it will be answered, that the Master of the ship and Pilot, in what concernes the ship, are chiefe and above (in respect of their office) the Prince himselfe, and their commands ought to be attended by all the Mariners: unlesse it bee in manifest errour, wherein tis granted any passenger may reprove the Pilot.
Fourthly,4. Quaerie. I aske if the Prince and his Attendants be unskilfull in the ships affaires, whether every Sayler and Mariner, the youngest and lowest, be not (so farre as concernes the ship) to be preferred before the Princes followers, and the Prince himselfe? and their counsell and advice more to be attended to, and their service more to bee desired and respected, and the Prince to bee requested to stand by and let the businesse alone in their hands.
Fifthly,5. Quaerie. Whether the meanest saylor (in respect of his skill and service) be not to be preferred before the Prince himself in case a wilfull King and his Attendants, out of opinion of their skill, or wilfulnesse of passion, would so steere the course, trim sayle, &c. as that in the judgement of the Master and Seamen the ship and lives shall bee indangered: whether (in case humble perswasions prevaile not) ought not the Ships company to refuse to act in such a course, yea and (in case power be in their hands) resist and suppresse these dangerous practices of the Prince and his followers, and so save the ship?
Lastly,6. Quaerie. Whether if the Mr. of the ship gratifie the Prince to the casting away of the ship and Prince, &c. he be not guilty and … to answer? suppose the Master out of base feare and cowardise, or covetous desire of reward, shall yeeld to gratifie the minde of the Prince, contrary to the rules of Art and Experience, &c. and the ship come in danger, and perish, and the Prince with it: if the Master get to shore, whether may he not be justly questioned, yea and suffer as guilty of the Princes death, and those that perished with him? These cases are cleare, wherein according to this similitude, the Prince ought not to governe and rule the actions of the ship, but such whose office and charge and skill it is.
The result of all is this:The application in generall of the ship to the Church, &c. The Church of Christ is the Ship, wherein the Prince (if a member, for otherwise the case is altred) is a passenger. In this ship the Officers and Governours, such as are appointed by the Lord Jesus, they are the chiefe, and (in those respects) above the Prince himselfe, and are to bee obeyed and submitted to in their works and administrations, even before the Prince himselfe.
In this respect every Christian in the Church,The meanest Christian according to his knowledg and grace, to bee preferred before the highest who have received none or lesse grace of Christ. man or woman (if of more knowledge and grace of Christ… ought to be of higher esteeme (concerning Religion and Christianity) then all the Princes in the world, who have either none or lesse grace or knowledge of Christ: although in civill things all civill reverence, honour and obedience ought to be yeelded by all men.
Therefore, if in matters of Religion the King command what is contrary to Christs rule (though according to his perswasion and conscience) who sees not that (according to the similitude) he ought not to be obeyed?A true Minister of Christ ought to walk by another rule then the command of Civill Authority in Spirituall causes. yea, and (in case) boldly with spirituall force and power he ought to be resisted: And if any Officer of the Church of Christ shall out of basenesse yeeld to the command of the Prince, to the danger of the Church, and soules committed to his charge, the soules that perish (notwithstanding the Princes command) shall be laid to his charge.
If so then, I rejoyne thus: How agree these truths of this similitude with those former positions, viz. that the Civill Magistrate is keeper of both Tables, That he is to see the Church doe her duty. That he ought to establish the true Religion, suppresse and punish the false, and so consequently must discerne, judge and determine what the true gathering and governing of the Church is; what the dutie of every Minister of Christ is;Former positions compared with this similitude, and found to contradict each other. what the true Ordinances are, and what the true Administrations of them; and where men faile, correct, punish, and reforme by the Civill Sword: I desire it may be answered in the feare and presence of him whose eyes are as a flame of fire, if this be not (according to the similitude, though contrary to their scope in proposing of it) to be Governour of the Ship of the Church, to see the Master, Pilot, and Mariners do their duty, in setting the course, steering the ship, trimming the sailes, keeping the watch, &c. and where they faile, to punish them; and therefore by undeniable consequence, to judge and determine what their duties are, when they doe right, and when they doe wrong: and this not only in manifest Errour, (for then they say every passenger may reprove) but in their ordinary course and practice.
The similitude of a Physitian obeying the Prince in the Body politick;The similitude of the Magistrate prescribing to the Physician in civill things but the Physician to the Magistrate concerning his body. but prescribing to the Prince concerning the Princes body, wherein the Prince unlesse the Physitian manifestly erre) is to be obedient to the Physitian, and not to be Iudge of the Physitian in his Art, but to be ruled and judged (as touching the state of his body) by the Physitian: I say this similitude and many others suiting with the former of a ship, might be alleadged to prove the distinction of the Civill and Spirituall estate, and that according to the rule of the Lord Iesus in the Gospel, the Civill Magistrate is only to attend the Calling of the Civill Magistracie, concerning the bodies and goods of the Subjects, and is himselfe (if a member of the Church and within) subject to the power of the Lord Iesus therein, as any member of the Church is, 1 Cor. 5.