A supplement to The Morning-exercise at Cripple-Gate, or, Several more cases of conscience practically…

The second is concerning the Latitude and extent of Children's obedience, in all things, [Greek or Hebrew] in my Text. We cannot imagine this is so universal and absolute as Obedience to God; or that the obligation lies in any thing beside the mind of the supreme Governor of Heaven and Earth, or dissonant to the holy will of our Lord; for only that obedience is required which is well-pleasing and grateful unto him. So that the Power demanding it must have a warrant from him: unless we should embrace the horrid opinion of the daring Atheist in his Leviathan^†, who impiously affirms, that if a Christian be commanded by his lawful Prince or Sovereign (whose authority was first paternal) to say he doth not believe in Christ, it is lawful to obey: which atheistical tenet doth either post-pone the command of God to the command of man, which is most abominable: or, without further enquiry doth account it a divine precept, which would prefer an hellish error to the Heavenly verity, overturn the whole Christian institution, and set up diabolical adoration^‖. 'Twould introduce an infallible spirit in all Civil, as the Papists pretend to have in their Ecclesiastical Government, yea, quite exterminate all regards of Conscience, and raze out the common notions of good and evil: whereas all subjection which is not of faith, i. e. agrees not with the judgment of Conscience, propounding it's dictates under the reason of the Divine will, is sin^(x). God is only arbitrary and absolute Lawgiver^(y). And as Constant. the Father of Constantine the Emperor affirmed, they could not be faithful Subjects unto him, who easily contemned God and their Conscience: neither Children be truly obedient to their Parents, who do so. Our obedience then ought to be only in all things acceptable to our supreme Lord and Master. And therefore the Apostle hath elsewhere expressed the command to obey in the Lord^(z), which is the same, as unto the Lord, and unto Christ, fearing God ^(a)