Exposition of Romans 13-16, Exposition of Romans · Chapter 1 · Verse 1
VERSE 1.—For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
IN theſe words is the firſt reaſon of the Precept: where we hauehave the Reaſon: and the Amplification.
The Reaſon is taken from the efficient cauſe, or Author, which is God: All powers are of God, ſet downe Negatiuely for the more force.
Thoſe things which hauehave God for the Author are to be acknowledged: But God is the Author of all powers; of Monarchies, Ariſtocraties, Democraties, and of thoſe which are ſubordinate vntounto them.
They are not of Satan, as Fanaticall ſpirits hauehave affirmed; neither hath mans reaſon the honour of this inuention; but the very wiſedome of God; whereby it appeares, that good lawes, and Magiſtracy are things diuine aforeign. Callimachus..
The Amplification is from the manner, how they are of God: they are ordained of God.
Not by toleration, as ſinnes and ſinfull men: nor as the puniſhments of ſinne, as famine, the ſword, ſickneſſe, wild beaſts: we may pray againſt theſe and oppoſe them; but we muſt pray for the Magiſtrate b1 Tim. 2.1, 2.and ſubmit to him: the Magiſtrate is by diuine ordination as a thing exceedingly beneficiall to the ſtate of Mankind.
Ordained: this word implyeth two things, Inuention; and Ratification: God inuented and deuiſed the order, that ſome ſhould gouerne, and the reſt obey; and hee maintaines and vpholds it.
Order is an apt diſpoſition of things equall and vnequall: which to be marſhalled together ſo as thereby they ſhould be accompliſhed, made perfect and durable, muſt needs be a worke of Gods ſingular wiſedome. Both the beauty and ſafety of the Vniuerſe, or whole world, is in order: If wee conſider the heauen and earth, the orbs, and ſpheares, the ſtarres wandring and fixed, the elements, the faculties of mans ſoule, the diuers members of the body and their vſe and ſituation, there is a moſt comely and vſeful order. So ſome to be rich, ſome poore, ſome high, ſome low, ſome of one quality and aptneſſe, ſome of another, and ſo to be arranged together, that they ſhould mutually reſpect, ſecond, and ſtrengthen one another, muſt needs be from a Diuine beginning: and from hence did the Philoſopher affirme that right, law, authority politicall, was nothing elſe but an order betweene the Citizens cforeign. Ariſt.. So are the three States of our land, the Lords Spirituall, Temporall, and the Commons, called ordines regni, the orders of the kingdome: So Mat. 8.9.
Ordained, that is ratified, conſtituted, confirmed, allowed, commanded, or any other word which you can inuent for the being and remaining of Authority and Gouernment.
As the order and motion of the Heauens is continued by the power of God, ſo is Magiſtracy and Authority. It were impoſſible that ſo many heads ſhould be ſubiect vntounto One, eſpecially if he be ſuch a one as Nero, if God did not bring it to paſſe. For the multitude, is bellua multorū capitum, a beaſt of many heads, and mobile vulgus, the common people are as wauering, as the ſea; ſo that he who rules the waues of the ſea, doth ouerrule the vnſtable multitude herein: Hence Dauid ſaith that it is God which ſubdueth (in order) the people vnderunder him dPſa. 144.2. Haroded Heb. foreign. Septuag.. The Diuell is ſuch an enemy to Magiſtracy; and our corrupt nature ſo contrary to rule and order, we being alſo of ſuch diuers, and contrary diſpoſitions; that if God ſhould not lay Dauids people flat on the ground before him, hee could neuer rule them.
God hath appointed, Doctrine. ordained, and in excellent order eſtabliſhed politics, and ſtates: Pro. 8.15. By me Kings reigne; and princes decree iuſtice. Dan. 4.25.32. The moſt high ruleth in the kingdome of men, and giueth it to whomſouer he will, Iohn 19.11.
The Diuell ſaith, Obiect. Luke 4.6. that all the Kingdomes of the world are his, and that he beſtoweth them and the power of them, as he will.
The Diuell is a lyer, Anſw. and the father of lyes, therefore hee is ſoone anſwered. The order of the common wealth of the Bees is not from him: much leſſe of reaſonable men.
1 Pet. Obiect. 2 13. Kings and Gouernours are ſaid to be the ordinance of man.
Of man, Anſw. is not to bee vnderſtood cauſally, but ſubiectiuely, becauſe it is executed by man; or obiectiuely, becauſe it is about the ſociety of man, or finally, becauſe it is for the ſingular good of man.
But ſome magiſtrates are wicked, Obiect. as Phocas who killed his Lord Mauritius and ſo inuaded the Empire. So the Turke, and Pope are tyrants and enemies to the Goſpell: are theſe of God?
There are three things to be diſtinguiſhed, Anſw. the power, the manner of obtaining it, and the vſe of it: eConſ. Toletū in loc. Annot. 3.the power is of God, be he a beleeuer, or an Infidell that hath it: but the vſe of it, if it bee euill, and the comming to it if it bee corrupt, is of our ſelues and of Satan.
The Pope if he be a Biſhop, is to be obeyed where hee is a Biſhop: the power is of God: But if hee attaine the chaire by bloodſhed, as Damaſus the firſt fSozom. hiſt. li. 6. c. 23., by compacting with the diuell, and doing homage to him, as Silueſter the ſecond gPlat. in Sil. 2. Faſciculus temp.; by ſubtilty, as Boniface the eight; and by bribery and vnlawfull ſuit, as almoſt all of them, as hiſtories record; this is of the Diuell.
If he be a temporall Prince, the Power is of God, and he is to be obeyed. So alſo of the Turke. God by theſe two taking vengeance on i…olatrous and wicked Chriſtians.
God giues the Kingdome of Heauen onelyonly to the Godly: but earthly kingdomes he giues as well to the wicked as to the godly. He which gaue the Empire to Auguſtus a ſweet and gratious Prince, gaue it to Nero a very monſter of men: he which aduanced Conſtantine to the Imperiall ſeate, who was the moſt worthy Emperour that euer yet the world ſaw: aduanced Iulian alſo a moſt damned Apoſtata. For as S. Auguſtine ſaith, Iniuſtū non eſt, &c. It is not vniuſt that wicked men ſhold receiue power ouer the world, that good mens patience ſhold be tryed, and euill mens wickedneſſe puniſhed. By the power giuen to the diuell, Iob was tried, that he might appeare to be righteous; Peter was tempted, that he might not preſume of himſelfe; Paul was buffeted, that he might not be puffed vp; and Iudas was condemned that he might hang himſelfe hAuguſt. tom. 6.1. de na. boni aduerſ. Man. ca. 32..
The vſe is both for Magiſtrates and people.
For Magiſtrates. Ʋſe.
1 Inſtruction; that they remember that they are men; that they vſe the authority for God, which they hauehave reciued from God; that they maintaine true religion, &c. that they muſt giuegive an account of their gouernment.
2 Comfort: The calling of a Magiſtrate is full of labour, and danger, ſo that the Imperiall robes hauehave bin accounted not worth the taking vp, for the cares which are wrapped in them: This is the condition of all, ſpecially of Proteſtant Princes, hauing the Diuell, and ſo many Ieſuites and Papiſts daily ſeeking their ſubuerſion: But good Kings and Princes may comfort themſelues; for they are ordained by God, and he will protect them, as the experience of famous Queen Elizabeth, and of our moſt mighty and gratious Soueraigne King Iames, doe manifeſtly declare.
For the Subiects and people.
1 That they vſe all reuerence to their Gouernours: The dignity of a King or Prince, is a kind of Diuinity. They differ not in ſubſtance from their Subiects, but in vſe, ſo much, that they are called gods in the Scriptures hExod. 22.28. Pſal. 82.1.6..
Wee muſt not thinke of them, looke on them, ſpeake of them, as of meere men, but as the Deputies, Lieutenants, Ʋicegerents, and magnificent repreſentations of the Maieſty of Almighty God: honouring them next vntounto God: and ſolo Deo minores: as thoſe who are onelyonly leſſe then God: For a King, Sic omnibus maior eſt dum ſolo vero Deo minor eſt, is ſo greater then all, while he is leſſe then the true God alone, as ſaid Tertullian iTertul. ad Scapulam. paulo poſt initium..
Many take a wretched liberty to taxe their Gouernours; It is meat and drinke to euill Subiects to ſpeake of the faults of their Princes kforeign. Thuci…ydes.: but be thou ware, for it is written, Thou ſhalt not reuile the gods, nor curſe the Ruler of the people lExod. 22.28.. Is it fit to ſay to a King, Thou art wicked? or to Princes, ye are vngodly? Iob. 34.18. It is not fit, but deſerues ſeuere puniſhment. Feare God, and the King: Pro. 24.21. 1. Pet. 2.17.
2 That they bee obedient: Hee that hath commanded vsus to obey our naturall parents, hath commanded vsus much more to obey our Princes, who are more worthy fathers. Hee that forbids murther, forbids diſobedience alſo: from which diſobedience comes all diſorder and confuſion in Church and Commonwealth.
Many mens conſciences ſticke at ſome things commanded by the ſupreme Magiſtrates, whoſe conſciences ſticke not to breake the peremptory commandement of God to obey the Magiſtrate.
3 That they bee thankefull for their Gouernours: They are the Breath of our noſtrils mLam. 4.20.. As the taking away of the breath is the death of the body, ſo the taking away of Gouernours is the death of the State. Dauid is called the Light of Iſrael n2 Sam. 21.17.. So are all good Kings to the Commonwealth, as the Sunne is to the world.
Some perhaps may thinke that to be left to our ſelues to doe that which is good in our owne eyes were beſt: But as ſeruants and children left to themſelues will ſoone ruinate the family; ſo ſubiects left to themſelues will ſoone vndoe the Commonwealth: The State of the Children of Iſrael was neuer worſe, then when there was no King in Iſrael, but eueryevery man did what was good in his owne eyes oJudg. 21.25..
Let vsus be thankfull for our good Lawes and Gouernours, and pray that God may continue them. Amen.