Men are gods, or, The dignity of magistracy, and the duty of the magistrate…

¹But take notice, I say, Magistrates must be obeyed in their lawful commands. If a King (saith our Civil Law) giveth laws out of his Territories, he is not to be obeyed. And it Magistrates command what God for biddeth, they give laws out of their own Dominions, and therefore saith the Divine law, they are not to be obeyed. God indeed is to be obeyed universally and unlimitedly, intuitu voluntat is, upon, the bare sight of his will; but I must examine the laws of men by the laws of God, and if they dissonant and disagreeing to Gods laws, I must be disobedient to their laws. No meer mans Ipse dixit is sufficient, Acts 6.29. We ought to obey God rather then men. The men of Calicut say some, will do whatsoever their Emperors command, though it be to worship the Devil, as some write they do; but we must observe the order of commands, Fear God, is before Honour the King, 1 Pet. 2.17. And again, My son, fear the Lord and the King, Prov. 24.21. And Eccles. 8.2. My son keep the Kings command, and that because of the Oath of God; ²which latter words, And that because of the oath of God; are not only a reason, but as is excellently observed, a limitation to the precedent Exhortation; They are a reason or enforcement: It is necessary to give obedience to Magistrates, not only out of fear towards them, because of their sword; but out of conscience towards God, because of his vows that are upon us, Rom. 13.5. ⟨p. 225⟩and so it seems to relate to some Covenant and Oath of fidelity, which was taken by the people towards their Princes, 1 Chron. 11.3. Isai. 19.18. And surely Oaths to Magistrates are to be kept, though some slip Oaths as easily as the Monkeys do their collars; and like the man possessed with the Devil, break all those bonds asunder. God will have a time to make inquisition for perjury, when his roll of curses ten yards long, and five yards broad, shall rest in the house of him that for sweareth himself, and destroy it