Heaven upon earth in the serene tranquillity and calm composure, in the sweet peace…

So then every one of us shall give an account of himself, (not another for him) to God; and Gal. 6. v. 4, and 5. But let every man prove his own work, a•d then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another; For every man shall bear his own burden; And 1 Cor. 3. v. 8. And every man shall receive his own reward, according to his own Labour: And indeed these Teachers by their flattering the Sovereign Powers, put them to make a very heavy reckoning & by their pretending to gratify them, lay on them a great and insupportable burden; Which, when well considered, will be found very much to embitter all the sweet of that exorbitant, and incompetent power granted to them. I would have none to think, that by any thing said, I design in the least to derogate from lawful Authority and the civil Magistrate any thing that is due thereunto, God forbid I should; I heartily acknowledge Magistracy to be the ordinance of God; Rom. 13. v. 1, 4. And Magistrates to be by Office Ministers of God to us for good; to whom, for begetting and maintaining a just awe, dread and veneration of them, he hath imparted and communicated some of his own names, or stiles, calling them Gods, even such as are¹ his Lieutenants, Vicegerents and▪ Representers on earth; and would beseech, and obtest that all of us may render, as unto God the things that are Gods, so to Cesar the things that are Caesars. ²As to fear God so to honour the King; that every soul be subject to the higher ³powers, subject not only for wrath, but for conscience sake. That we all submit our selves to every ordinance of man for the ⁴Lords sake, whether it be to the King, as Supreme, or unto Governors, as unto them ⟨image 13⟩