§. 45. Direct. 21. Set your selves much more to study your Duty to your Governors, than the duty 1of your Governors to you: as knowing that both your temporal and eternal happiness dependeth much more upon your selves than upon them. God doth not call you to study other mens duties so much as2 your own. If your Rulers sin, you shall not answer for it: but if you sin your selves you shall. If you should live under the Turk that would oppress and persecute you, your souls shall speed never the worse for this: It is not you but He that should be damned for it. If you say, But it is we that should be oppressed by it, I answer, 1. How small are temporal things to a true believer, in comparison of eternal things? Have not you a greater hurt to fear, than the killing of your bodies by men? Luke 12. 4. 2. And even for this life, do you not believe, that your lives and liberties are in the power of God, and that he can relieve you from the oppression of all the world, by less than a word, even by his will? If you believe not this, you are Atheists: If you do, you must needs perceive that it concerneth ⟨p. 20⟩you more to care for your duty to your Governors, than for theirs to you: and not so much to regard what you receive, as what you do; nor how you are used by others, as how you behave your selves to them. Be much more afraid lest you should be guilty of murmuring, dishonouring, disobeying, flattering, not praying for your Governors, than lest you suffer any thing unjustly from them. 1 Pet. 4. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. Let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evil doer, or as a busy-body in other mens matters; yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on this behalf—If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, ye are happy.—Live so that all your Adversaries may be forced to say as it was said of Daniel, Dan. 6. 5. We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the Law of his God. Let none be able justly to punish you as drunkards, or thieves, or slanderers, or fornicators, or perjured, or deceivers, or rebellious or seditious, and then never fear any suffering for the sake of Christ or Righteousness: Yea though you suffer as Christ himself did, under a false accusation of disloyalty, fear not the suffering nor the infamy, as long as you are free from the Guilt.
§. 45. Direct. 21. Set your selves much more to study your Duty to your Governours, than the duty 1of your Governours to you: as knowing that both your temporal and eternal happiness dependeth much more upon your selves than upon them. God doth not call you to study other mens duties so much as2 your own. If your Rulers sin, you shall not answer for it: but if you sin your selves you shall. If you should live under the Turk that would oppress and persecute you, your souls shall speed never the worse for this: It is not you but He that should be damned for it. If you say, But it is we that should be oppressed by it, I answer, 1. How small are temporal things to a true believer, in comparison of eternal things? Have not you a greater hurt to fear, than the killing of your bodies by men? Luke 12. 4. 2. And even for this life, do you not believe, that your lives and liberties are in the power of God, and that he can relieve you from the oppression of all the world, by less than a word, even by his will? If you believe not this, you are Atheists: If you do, you must needs perceive that it concerneth ⟨p. 20⟩you more to care for your duty to your Governours, than for theirs to you: and not so much to regard what you receive, as what you do; nor how you are used by others, as how you behave your selves to them. Be much more afraid lest you should be guilty of murmuring, dishonouring, disobeying, flattering, not praying for your Governours, than lest you suffer any thing unjustly from them. 1 Pet. 4. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. Let none of you suffer as a muderer, or as a thief, or as an evil doer, or as a busi•-body in other mens matters; yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorifie God on this behalf—If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, ye are happy.—Live so that all your Adversaries may be forced to say as it was said of Daniel, Dan. 6. 5. We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the Law of his God. Let none be able justly to punish you as drunkards, or thieves, or slanderers, or fornicators, or perjur•d, or deceivers, or rebellious or seditious, and then never fear any suffering for the sake of Christ or Righteousness: Yea though you suffer as Christ himself did, under a false accusation of disloyalty, fear not the suffering nor the infamy, as long as you are free from the Guilt.
- 1Direct. 21.
- 2Bad people make bad Governors: In most places the people are so wilful and tenacious of their sinful customs, that the best Rulers are not able to reform them. Yea many a Ruler hath cast off his Government, being wearied with mutinous and obstinate people: Plato would not meddle with Government in Athens, Quia plebs aliis institutis & moribus assueverat. Laert. in Platone: and many other Philosophers that were fittest for Government, refused it on the same account, through the disobedience of the people.Bad people make bad Governours: In most places the people are so willful and tenacious of their sinful customes, that the best Rulers are not able to reform them. Yea many a Ruler hath cast off his Government, being wearyed with mutinous and obstinate people: Plato would not meddle with Government in Athens, Quia plebs aliis institutis & moribus assueverat. Laert. in Platone: and many other Philosophers that were fittest for Government, refused it on the same account, through the disobedience of the people.
