Exposition of Romans 13-16, Exposition of Romans · Chapter 1 · Verse 1
VERSE 1. Let eueryevery ſoule be ſubiect to the higher Powers:—
IN the latter end of the twelfth Chapter hee ſpake againſt Reuenge; now leſt any infer…e, therefore not lawfull to vſe the Magiſtrate in caſes of wrong: Saint Paul ſeaſonably adioynes a commandement to be ſubiect to Magiſtrates, and ſo, not publique but priuate Reuenge to be vnlawfull.
This firſt part containeth two things: firſt a Precept: ſecondly, Reaſons of obedience thereunto.
The Precept peremptorily ſet downe in theſe words; hath the Thing, Subiection: and the Perſons, which are two, yeelding ſubiection, EueryEvery ſoule: and to whom it is to bee yeelded, which are ſet downe, Powers: and diſtinguiſhed, Higher Powers.
To begin with the Expoſition of the laſt words firſt.
Powers: Not Angels (though the Greeke word aforeignmay be ſo conſtrued elſewhere) but Magiſtrates, nor Eccleſiaſticall Magiſtrates properly, but ciuill Magiſtrates, whoſe is the Sword, and to whom Tribute is due.
Ciuill Magiſtracie is an Ordinance of God for the puniſhment of euill doers, and for the praiſe of them that doe well, 1. Pet. 2.14.
He ſaith not, To Emperours, Kings, &c. but Powers, naming the Thing, not the Perſons: becauſe, though the Officer may be wicked, and in regard of his perſon be vnworthy of reſpect, yet the Office is to be honored and reſpected: and the Power alwayes to be obeyed.
Powers, in the plurall, For there are diuers kinds. A Monarchie, an Ariſtocratie, a Demoeratie, when one alone, when ſome of the beſt, when the people, or moſt part rule all things; vnderunder which of theſe ſoeuer wee liue, wee muſt bee ſubiect thereunto.
Higher: foreign, which are, foreign, in authoritie, as it is tranſlated 1. Tim. 2.2. that is, high or excellent Authority: For there are Powers from God which are more meane, and not ſo general and publike, as of Fathers, Maſters, &c. which are not meant in this place.
And not onelyonly to the Supreame Magiſtrate, but vntounto all Gouernours ſent and appointed by him, as Saint Peter expounds b1. Pet. 2.13.14..
Be ſubiect. The word ſignifies an orderly ſubiection; and implies, the reuerence of the heart, reſpectfull language and geſture, obedience without reſiſting, &c. A Subiection willing, and in due manner.
EueryEvery ſoule. Soule for the whole Man by a Synechdoche, he being ſo called from his moſt noble part: The Magiſtrate hath moſt power ouer the bodies of their Subiects; but Soule is named, eyther by an Hebraiſme, or to ſhew the manner of the obedience required, that it muſt be ex animo, euen from the very ſoule.
EueryEvery ſoule. No exemption of any who enioy the benefit of the lawes in the Common-wealth, of which they are members, vponupon any pretence whatſoeuer, in regard of Eccleſiaſticall calling, or otherwiſe.
All which liue vnderunder any ciuill Gouernment, Doctr. muſt vntounto the Gouernours yeeld obedience and ſubiection, Matth. 22.21. Render vntounto Caeſar the things which are Caeſars, Titus 3.1. Put them in minde to be ſubiect to Principalities and Powers, and to obey Magiſtrates, 1 Pet. 2.13, 14.
This obedience is to be limited, in things lawfull, Obſer. and not contrary to the word of God.
The Magiſtrates in the Apoſtles time were enemies and Perſecutors, and yet hee requires ſubiection to them; Ʋſe 1 and Titus is charged to put the people in continuall remembrance of it: much more are wee to preach obedience to the godly and religious Magiſtrates.
Muſt Nero be obeyed, and ought not much more King Iames, a Defender of the Faith, a Nurſing Father of the Church?
The Goſpell doth in ſome ſort meddle with obedience to the Ciuill Magiſtrate. Ʋſe 2 I ſay in ſome ſort, as that it is lawfull to be a Magiſtrate, and that he may and ought to be obeyed; For we muſt hauehave the teſtimony of the Word of the lawfulneſſe of theſe things.
But to ſet downe lawes of ciuill buſineſſe, of Contracts, of Succeſſions, of Conueyance of Lands, of Pleas, of Puniſhments, of Warre, &c. in the Common-wealth; or of the times of meeting for the ſeruice of God, or of reading of the Scriptures, or of Garments or Geſtures to be vſed in the Adminiſtration of holy things &c. in the Church; it belongs not to the Goſpell in particular, to enact; but theſe things are to bee directed by reaſon, being not contrarie to the Word.
The calling of the Phyſitian or Carpenter, is lawfull by the Goſpell, and it requireth of them that they ſhould deale conſcionably: but what drugges, or what courſe of preſcribing the one ſhould vſe in eueryevery diſeaſe: or what plot, or tooles the other ſhould vſe in building, the Goſpell determines not; but theſe are left to the iudgement of right reaſon: So for particulars in Church or Common-wealth.
Moſes had the execution of all gouernment, both Ciuill and Eccleſiaſticall among the Iſraelites, and performed it in his owne perſon. Iethro his father in law ſeeing it, tells him that the thing which hee did was not good cExod. 18.17., and aduiſeth him to a courſe much more conuenient. In giuing ſentence, and iuſt determining of Suites, Moſes ſaw more then Iethro; but in the orderly and more eaſie proceeding therein both for Moſes and the people, Iethro ſaw more then Moſes by reaſon and experience.
Hee which readeth the Gospell as a booke of State Policie, or a booke of Statutes, abuſeth it: For the principall ſcope of the Goſpell, is to reueale the will of God concerning Remiſſion of ſinnes by faith in Chriſt, and in the Generall to exhort to a righteous conuerſation.
The Browniſts therefore and others, are greatly to bee blamed, who abſurdly deny and contemne all Canons and Constitutions concerning order, which are not in ſo many words ſet downe and commanded in the Goſpell: but of this more in the next Chapter.
Here are to be reproued the Donatiſts, Ʋſe 3 who tooke away the Authoritie of Ciuill Magiſtrates, expounding this place onelyonly of Eccleſiaſticall Gouernours, whom Saint Auguſtine confutes dAug. l. 1. cont. epiſt. Parm. c. 7..
Alſo the Anabaptiſts, and Libertines, they being ſo called for vrging a libertie in outward things, who deny the vſe of a Magiſtrate, among Chriſtians, to be lawfull, and which in the memory of our Fathers, armed the rude multitude in Germany againſt their Magiſtrates and Princes.
Alſo the Popiſh Clergie, who from the higheſt to the loweſt of them, hold themſelues not bound and ſubiect to the Ciuill Magiſtrate, but in all criminall cauſes appeale to their Ordinary, and are not puniſhable, vnleſſe they bee firſt degraded, and ſo deliuered to the Secular power.
But the Apoſtle ſaith, EueryEvery ſoule, and Saint Chryſoſtome eChryſoſt. in locum.expounds, If thou be an Apoſtle, an Euangeliſt, a Prophet, or whatſoeuer thou art, thou muſt be ſubiect; and, theſe things are commanded to all, both Prieſts and Monkes, and not only to Seculars.
S. Bernard fAd Henric. Ep. Sen. epiſt. 42.alſo to a Biſhop writeth of this matter thus: Si omnis anima, & veſtra: Quis vos excepit ab vniuerſitate? Si quis tentat excipere, tentat decipere: If eueryevery ſoule, then yours; who excepted you from this vniuerſalitie? He which attempteth to except you, attempteth to deceiue you.
The prieſts of the olde Teſtament were ſubiect to their Kings: our bleſſed Sauiour ſubmitted himſelfe. So Paul, Act. 25.10, 11, 12. and yet the Pope intolerably vſurpeth, and his Biſhops, ouer Emperours and Kings.
The Emperours, Henry the fourth, Henry the fifth, Frederick the firſt, Otho the fourth, Frederick the ſecond, and Conradus his ſonne, were depoſed by Popes. And of the Inſolencie of Biſhops contrary to this precept, doe our owne Chronicles make mention; as of Becket againſt Henry the ſecond; Longchamp againſt Richard the firſt; S. Hugh of Lincolne, Sainted for his treaſon againſt King Iohn, and Henry the third his ſonne: This was that good Sir Hugh, whoſe day was the ſeuenteenth of Nouember, in whoſe ſtead the Coronation of Queene Elizabeth was placed, at the which the Papiſts ſtormed.
The perſons of all Clericks are to be ſubiect to the ciuill Magiſtrate: Emperors, Kings, and Princes I confeſſe, hauehave endowed Clergy men with many Immunities long agoe; and in this land ſtatutes hauehave beene made for the priuiledge of Clergy men gAnni. 14. Edw. 3. c. 1. et 1. Rich. 2. c. 3., by which priuiledges they are not exempted from the bond of ſubiection, but from certaine taxations, or impoſitions of ſeruice: as from warfare, from watching and warding, and ſuch like. For no King can make void the bond of the obedience of his ſubiects, no more then a father can diſcharge his ſonne, or a husband his wife.
The Goſpell taketh not away ciuill authority but rather ſtabliſheth the ſame, Ʋſe 4 ſo that a King Popiſh, is but halfe a king, in compariſon of a king Proteſtant, who vnderunder Chriſt ſupremely gouerneth ouer all perſons, cauſes and things within his dominions, according to the Goſpell.
It is neceſſary for the people to vnderſtand that the Goſpel conſtituteth not new gouernments, but commandeth to reuerence and obey them that are.
The froward peruerſneſſe of ſome, vnderunder a pretence of conſcience refuſing to ſubmit vntounto the reaſonable conſtitutions of authority, hath cauſed the Goſpell to be diſgraced as a profeſſion denying obedience to Magiſtrates; let all be ſubiect, that we may win due credit to the religion we profeſſe.