This raises the
character
of king very high indeed !
Rehearsal - v1 - 1750
)
is that
by
which s Absalom
tole the hearts of
were
320
The REHEARSAL.
1
too late, when he issu'd his di cleration of May 5, 1 642 fcfl down in Lord Clarendons history ,Vol. I. p. 408. whereTM he attributes the chief cause of those trouble. ' to these ,c9 ry papers, which, fays he, was before the high and royrl aignity wherein God bad plac'd kin:, to tab: no. 'ire os'
[For which reason they noticed off his hie,*/! ] but he adds, Notwithstanding bis mijesty's earnest dc jlre Jo osten,
departing
in vain, press d for a reformation. His defire ! Why
?
It was his offxe to have reform d it j and his
from that pewer wherewith God had invested him, and
becoming a petitioner to his subjects for jus ice, was realty
a divesting of himftlf, and a betraying of the authority cl Gcd, which he bore. But there were faults in others, as he goes on in the faid declaration, That whilst the fresfes
swarm d with, end every day produc'd new tracts against the cste,b! ij/Sd government of the church and state, mest mm wanted the courage or the ccvsciince to . write — [that
is, in opposition to them] either to preserve the minds of his good iubj,cis from such inferiors, or restore and recover tbsm when they were infected. And the objcctian was then, as now ; they are nasty, scoundrel papers, and it is below any man of charactcr to engage with them ! It was below the king to take notice, or the clergy to answer, for sear of dirtying their fingers, or defiling their cka- racters ! And so they were both brought below in deed !
But I go on :
upon this point, but of the whole nation in peirHamcnt ailembl'd, 13 Car. 2. c. 1. which fays, " That the growth and encrease of the late troubles and disorders did, in a very great measure, proceed from a multiture of seditious sermons, pamphlets, and speeches, daily preached and published with a transcendent boldness, defaming the person and government of your majesty, and your royal father; wherein men were too much en couraged : And above all, from the wilful mistake of the supreme and lawful authority ; whilst men were for ward to cry up, and maintain those orders and ordi.
It was not only the
thoughts
of the
king
nances, oaths and covenants, to be afls legal and war rantable,
The
REHEARSAL,
5zr Tamable, which in themselves had not the least colour of
law or justice to support them ; from which kind of di stempers, as the present age is not wholly freed, so po sterity may be apt to relapse into them, if timely remedy
be not provided. "
Now, countryman, my labour has been, in the sirst
place, to give a true notion of the supreme and law ful authority, to the mislake of which the parliament
ascribes, above all, the cause of our late confufiom. And, in the next place, to encounter our scandalous pampble teers, who had the second part in our rebellions, by the o-
pinion of two kings and parliament.
And if in this I have been the scavinger of the church,
as the Observator calls me, I will condescend yet loivir,
if I may
the truth of God, the authority of his church, and the rights of the crown ; wherein consist the true liberty and
be serviceable, in to vindicate any capacity,
property of the subject ; and
The peace and happiness of England; which Gcd fend.
From gs&t. July 28, to &at. Aug. 4. 1705. N° 53.
Divine right in government acknowledged by all ; even • by the whigs. Their plea of vox populi, vox Dei, exa min'd to the bottom.
Ccun. '\T A M fully convine'd, master, that all the schemes
of are and contradic popular government nonsens
tion in themselves, and the destruction and ruin of man kind, without end or ranedy in the effect. But there i• something still I am not so clear in, that is what you call
jure divino, by which you fay kings hold their crowns ; can they hold by no less a tenure than a di vine right ? .
R. There is but divine and human right, aud if it be not the one, it must be the other.
C. Is there no human right can found government ?
P 5 R. What-
government among human authority.
men cannot be derived from meer
The REHEARSAL.
322
R. Whatever founds government must be superior to
and above it. Government must derive its original and whole authority from and must be accountable to
and dissolvable at its pleasure whenever thinks sit.
Now human cannot be superior to human, therefore
This so very obvious, that all governments whatever,
of whatever sort, and among all nations and religions do
pretend to divine right.
C. What! our whigs and cottunonusecilth-Tnen do they
pretend to divine right, when they found all govern ment in the people?
R. Yes, they do, their maxim vox populi, vox Dei, that the voice of the people the voice of God that whomsoever the people set up set up by God, God's anointed, vicegerent, Sec.
told thee before Num. 37. of the heathen notion of government, that they pleaded divine right, but not knowing the holy scriptures they grop'd in the dark after
they Jailed their kings to have been begotten some God or other, and so to be heroes of race superior' TO .
other men, and they deify their kings. They gave out, that their laws were reveafd from heaven, this or that God, to their legiflators, ofwhich several instances are there given, in several nations. This was their way of com ing ata divine right and authority in their governors.
So that here, on all hands, consess'd, that no go vernment can stand without divine original, right and authority for what else can give one man power over another, over his life, liberty, and property What else but divine authority can give this when, as Mr. Lock consesses, no man has ponucr over his own life, and con sequently cannot grant that power to another nor can give to any other an absolute power over his liberty or
property, to maintain which, being the end, as he fays,,
of men's entering into society, consequently, as he insers, «tt maa can give power to another to infringe these; which
;
is; ! it so
a
I
; is
?
a
is is a
it is
is
'a ? by
d
it,
it ;
by
a
a
by it,
it,
it,
TBc REHEARSAL. m
tte thinks would put him, and, by the fame rea on, all mankind, into a worse condition than if they were alt in the supposed independent state of nature ; all whigh I have fully shewed from him, Num. 38- Besides that it was ut
terly impojsible for any government to have been set up by the free vote of every individual, which is his fgundation,
and of all our republican schemes.
So that if I should allow their maxim of vox populi,vo>c
Dei, if by the voice of thepeople is meant theveice of all the' people in any nation, of e*ery individual, fairly and truly
I need not be afraid of the divine right of any such act of
collected, without fear, force, or any other collufion ;
the people, since they never did any act whatever, front! the beginning of the world, much less so material an act as the contriving and erecting of government, by any such.
free and unanimous consent.
And if any nation, especially in England, they should
oil so agree, to a man, I would allow it to be the voice of God indeed ! since nothing but a miracle could effect it, and it would be the sirst instance of it since Adam.
C. You have the whigs fast, for ever fast, ty'd hand and foot, upon that foolish notion of the consent of every individual, which never was aftfd, or ever could be given ; and yet, at the fame time, they cannot go off
from such zfupposttion, however senseless, to- found their beloved poiver of the people ; and that nc• man's life, li berty, or property, can be taken from him, but by his- own consent, forsooth
his reputation, or would be thought to know common fense. Let it be eccho'd and cuckoo Vby Tutchin and De Foe till it become a shame even to them! and let the nation be res cued from this witchcrasst of Belial, which, has set us at
! this is made evident to the un
derstanding of a footman or porter ; so that I suppose it will never be set up any more by any man that values
cutting of throats for liberty and property !
But now, master, I would go a little further with thee.
It has been objected to me, that in histories, and even \m the holy script ures,\t is -often faid, the people did so and sor fet up. such a- one to hiking, and the like. What shall I
P 6. seyr
324
The REHEARSAL.
fay to this ? Will you allow the •voice of the people here to be the voicc of God?
R. By that phrase of the people, or all'the people, is not meant every individual, but the greater part, as when a thing becomes very general among the people. Thus,
Num. xvi. 41 .
It is faid, That all the the congregation of
children of Israel murmured against Moses, Sic. Whereas
it is plain, that many were on Moses's side. And it is
faid, 2 Sam. xvi. 15, 18, That all the men ofIsrael came
to Jerufalem and chose Absalom. Whereas many were with David, and fled with him, and at last overcame the
rest. And of those that remained with Alsalom, there werefriends of David who consented not to the deed of the rest. It is faid, Ifai. xxxvii. 36. That the angelsmote in the camp of the Assyrians 1 85000 ; and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they wcre all dead men. Where by the word all can only be meant a great many, and that there was a very general flaughter ; for the rest
of the army returned.
Thus for the voice of the people, thus understood, that
is, of the generality of the people, bung the voice of God, we sind, that Belialhad put that notion into the heads of hissons, whom he stirred up, to vindicate their liberty against David, the best king ever they had, and to set up his son, a vain, young man, in his stead, as Heshai speaks,
in the language, we must suppose, that then prevailed among these Rebel. ', 2 Sam. xvi. 1 8. Nay, but vehom the Lord, and this people, and all the men of Israel cheese, his
be, find v. ith him will I
will Iwe have of vox pofuli, vox Dei. That whom the
siance
people chose,
we must conclude, that God did choose- After this, ten parts of twclve of the people, who art
called all Israel, boufeofDAyid,
1 Kin. xii. 16. rE bell'd
the as it is faid, ver. 19 andchoseanew king for themselves ; and yet all even of the ten tiiks
were not in this conspiracy, tho' it be faid all Israel; for we sind 2 Chron. xi. 13, 14, 15. That the priests and the hevites thatswere in all Israel resorted to him (their le? ui-
ful hereditary king) tut of all their coasts; sir the Levitts
ahide. This is the sirst in-
against
The REHEARSAL.
325
left their suburbs, and their posses/ions, and eame to Judah *a. nd Jerufalem. And not only these priests and Levites, but as it is faid, ver. 16. And aster them, out of all the
tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the Lord God
of Israel, came to Jerufalem So they strengthened the
kingdom ofJudah.
From this time forth, the ten tribes became a distinct
kingdom, and their kings were elective by the people,
(the rule of hereditary succession continuing in Judah) and whether the voice of the people, in this case, was the voice
of God, is determined by the mouth of God himself. Has.
up kings, but not mt, have viii. 4. They haveIset by they
knew it not .
But to conclude this point, was the voice of the people
the voice of God, when they preserr'd Barabbas to our blessed Saviour, and cry'd crucify him, crucify him? And it is faid, Luke xxiii. 23. And the voice of them prevailed, that is, with Pilate to condemn our Lord. Was the voice
of the people then the voice ofGod?
Go thro* all histories and instances, you will sind it oftener the voice of the devil, especially in matters of go vernment ; for God ordained the people to be governed; and when they usurp the office of being governottrs, they invert the institution of Gc•/, and are actual rebels against
him, and inlist themselves under the banner of Belial ;
whose service (instead of God's) they take to be perfect fREEdOM.
The holy scriptures give us the history of two king doms, that of 'judah, which was hereditary to the house of David, and that of the ten tribes, which was by the voice of the people. In the sirst the right of succession be
ing preserv'd, the people were in quiet, and the kingdom prolper'd, until the Babylonish captivity. But in the other, where little regard was had to succession, what else is to be met with but seditions, murders and destruction ?
Baa/ha conspir'd against his master, and being made king by the people, destroy'd all the posterity of Jeroboam, the people's king. Thus Zimri served Elam and was
killed himself seven days after. Omri again chosen by
mn de princes, and
326
The REHEARSAL.
all the people, and then Tibni and the people were divided - K. Zacharias was destroy 'd by Sballum, Sballum by Me- nabem, Sec. And as these kings mounted the throne by blood of their predecessors, and were not removed with out blood, so the people that chest them were continually
butchering and destroying one another.
From &at. Aug. 4, to &flt. Aug. 11, 170 y. N° 54.
1. The neceffity if a divine right in government. No di vine right in the pretences of the whigs ane/ heathens, the' they consirm it. 2. Some account of the heathens
deifying their kings. 3 . The original of government was among the angels in heaven. 4. And what the rebellion of Luciser was.
(1. ) Coun. 'XT O U have given me full fatisfaction, maf- X ter, as to the weak pretence of the popular orators, to any divine right in the people, either towards the foundation, or alteration of government . You have
shewed how it is exploded in holy scripture, as the princi ple of Belial, who has instill'd it into mankind, under the notion of asserting their liberty, which is, their liberty
from the institution of God; all of whom that are thus per suaded, are, as the holy scripture calls them, sons of Be lial, and directly rebel against God, that is against his in-
stitution.
You have shewed that a divine right is neceflary to
found and support government among men ; and the pre
tence of the people to strong confirmation of it, and shews, that even in their own sense divine right ne
cessary.
The pretence of the heathen likewise great confirm
ation of this but their plea of their laws having been
ven from heaven, and their kings being begotten Godsr
fable and superstition and their deifying and worfiip- ing their kings was wild idolatry*
These
is
;
it,
,
is
a a
by
is
gi
is a
The SHEARS AiL.
327 These dr/honour the great God, and the wxptpali cru-
cisy'd Christ.
Therefore I have done with them, I'm sure there can
be no divine right here.
But now, master, where shall we sind it ? When did
government begin ? and by whom ? that we may know whether its original was divine or not. I want some in struction in these things.
(2. ) J3ut before you give me an answer to this, pray tell me, were these heathens such dolts, (vxhfilly sellows, as to believe their kings, whom they faw die before their eyes, to be all God Almighties ? I have heard much of the -wisdom of the heathen, and of the fame of their phi- Infipbers.
R. They were wifi men, and not such dolts as you
imagine. They acknowledged one supreme Being Sove reign over all, and spoke as great things of him as we
tan- This supreme God they called Jupiter, tho' some times they gave even that name, in high flattery, to some
with distinction of Jupiter of this or that
ef their kings,
pace. But then they imagined that this supreme God de
puted others under him to govern in their several pro
vinces, as Æolus to command the •winds, Neptune the fia, Vulcan the fire, and so forth. These they called Dii medioxumi, lesser Gods, who stood in the middle be
twixt the supreme God and men, and governed under him, and over them.
Then they had their tutelar Gods and their Lares, and genius' who they suppos'd prefided over such and such*
countries, cities, families, and particular persons.
Now was among these lesser Gods that they ranged their kings, who had lived vertuoufly, and done great
things for them. And indeed their Gods, as Bacchus, Neptune, Hercules and others, were men that had been. &ffld, after their deaths, for remarkable things that they had done of which their stories still remain in the heathen authors.
Bat they had not foolish thought, as, that they iould make a man to become the supreme Being, which
h«-.
so
a
;
's, it
The REHEARSAL.
328
he was not before their apotheofis, or declaring him I \ God.
Your wonder at the heathen will abI
ate, when you («
kings called Gods in holy scripture.
Gods. And revile not the Gods, nor speak evil of the ndtr of the people. And our blessed Saviour gives the reason why they are called Gods, because unto them the word (that is the commijsion of God) came to be the rulers ofthe
people. Joh. x. 35. And they who bear God's office, by commixsion from him, bear likewise his name. And Chris
owned the power of Pilate against himself to be given him from heaven. Joh. xix. 1 1.
C. This strikes-us with great astonishment !
This raises the character of king very high indeed ! that they stand before us, in the person of the great God himself, and are Gods to us. And can the people create Gods! Are kings called any where in scripture the anointed of the
people, or the deputies, vice-gerents, orJubstitutes of the people? No, they are called God's anointed, and HIS
vice-gerents : So that to rebel against them is to rebel against the most high God, who has made them Gods. They are the ordinance of God, therefore to refift them is to refist the ordinance of God, and is pronounced to be dam nation. Rom. xiii. 2. and therefore, That we must needs
have ye en /aid
be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. All this is now very plain to me, and the authority un
deniable. But still, master, I would have you help me into thefact, to see how, and where, and by whom this
thing called government was sirst instituted, that we may view it from its very original, and so deduce it down wards to us at this day ; for tho' we are obliged to give absolute credence to what is deliver'din holy scripture,that
government is the ordinance of God ; yet if the fact appears plain to us, it confirms us the more, and makes us fubicit to the authority with greater alacrity, conviction of rta-
fan. (3. ) R. What you desire of me is an history of govern ment from the beginning ; wherein we shall have occasi on to mention that of rebellion also.
z
And
straining
The REHEA RSAL.
329 And for the original of both of these we must go as high
as beamen ; for there they both began.
When God created the angels he distributed them into
an hierarchy of higher and lower orders. He made an gels, arch-angels, cherubims, ferafhims, dominations, prin
•
cipalities, powers, &c.
C. ' Was there government among these ? What need of gevermnent before there was fin's Government and laws are made to restrain the wicked. But where there are no veicked, there needs no government or laws.
JZ. There are other ends of government besides re
of wickedness ; there can be no order without government. The words principalities and pewers imply government. They are government, there can be no prin
cipality or power without government. Heaven and earth arc called one family, of which Christ the head. Eph. iii.
There can be no family and a head without govern ment. It is faid Eph. i. 21. That Christ is exalted far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, not only in this world, but also in that
which is to come. So that here you see there is domini on, that government in heaven. And there no fin there now.
C. This clear. Now, master, go on.
15.
R. The hierarchy or government in heaven having been established by God from the beginning, principal
post of very high dignity was assigned to Lucifer but he not being content with his own principality, aspired higher, and so broke in upon the hierarchy.
C. How does this appear thought Lucifer had de signed to be God, and had made an attack upon him, to
d,pofe him, and reign His stead.
R. The person of God far exalted above the attempts
of angels, as well as men, and to invade his person thought too foolish for much more for an angel of heaven. The y? » of Lucifer and his angels was aspir ing to higher rank in the hierarchy than that in which God had plac'd them, and so was an immediate revolt from under the government of their superior angels but in
conse
(4. )
a
in a
is
;;
a
is
is a
? I
is, is
f~
330
The REHEARSAL.
consequence it was a rebellion against God, who had in-
stitutedtkoit orders of angels. There is no other way of
rebelling against God, but by oppofing his institutions ; for, as I faid, his person is not only above the reach, but out
of the fight, and above the understandings of angels, as well as of men.
Hence likewise will follow, that there is no rebellion whatever but against God ; for all order and government on earth, as well as in hea•ven (as we shall see in the sequel of this inquiry) being the positive institution of God, conse quently all disobedience to government, or rifing up against
i^t, is a rebellion against God the institutor ; as Moses faid to Korah, What is AArON that you murmur against him ? Your rebellion is against the Lord. Num. xvi. 1 1. As if a
servant mutiny against his fellcw-servant, and will not obey the orders of the steward, his rebellion is against
the master of the family ; and the consequence, if suffer
ed to go on, must prove the dissolution of the family,
and so may be faid to be an attempt against the master himself.
C. But how does it appear that the rebellion of Lucifer and his angels was for an higher rank in the hierarchy of heaven than was allotted them ?
Jl. St. Jude tells us, ver. 6. The angels who kept not their first estate (or principality as our margin reads the word 'A^))r which signisies government but left their ovun hahitation (eueqlqgeon that house or station allotted them) He hath reserved in everlasting chains, under dark
ness, unto thejudgment the great day.
keeping to their first estate or station crime the reserving in chains, &c. that crime.
Where their not nam'd as their the punishment for
The like description given Isai. xiv. 12. How art thou fallen from heaven, Lucifer, sen the morning For thou hast said in thine heart, will exalt my throne above the stars God will be like tke most
High. This was spoke of the king of Babylon, way 0/ allusion to the pride of Lucifer, which was only to be like the most High, not to dethrone him, but to be above the
of
O is
of
• ■/
Iof by
is is
)
;
is
it,
The REHEARSAL. 331
that the angels of God, as the bishqps of the rhurch are called stars and angels, Rev. 20. Tie seven Qars are the angels ofthe churches.
lars,
Gregory the great, bishop of Rome, who died in the 7th century, apply'd this text of Isaiah to 'John then bishop of Constantinople, who was the />yr that set up: for universal bishop telling him, that the bishops of the church were the
(lars of
above all these, he did imitate the pride of Lucifer.
Goct', and his to advance his throne seeking
What Isaiah called stars, Exekiel calls stones of fire, and makes the like allusion to describe the pride of the
ting of Tyrus. Thou art the anointed cherub thou wast upm the holy mountain of God thou hast walked up and douvn in the midst of the stones of fire —Thine heart wast lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wis-
etotn by reason thy brightness, Ezek. xxviii. 14, 17.
C. am fatisfy'd that government was sirst instituted in heaven among the angels of God, and that the sirst fin was
the revolt of Lucifer and his rebel-angels, to the distur
bance of that hierarchy, appointed God.
-At our next meeting, hope you will shew me,
how government began upon earth among men. And thence go on to shew the deduction of from that be
ginning, to this day. Which you can perform with clearness, will be of great use to the world but to
no place more than our England.
From
i
it
is,
I if
;
it,
i.
by
I
of
;
;
by
332
The REHEARSAL. i
From ctat. Aug. 1 1, to &at. Aug. 18, i 705. N° 55.
1. The oricinal state os nature sbewd to be a ftzte of government and subjection, not of independency. 2. St. Paul of a different opinion from Mr. Lock, as ts AdamV right by creation. 3. The sirst government
by institution, as well as nature. 4. A vindication of the sifth commandment from the trifling of Mr, Lock. An advertisanent. Concerning Sandwich. The Review, and experiment.
Counts Come now to hear, master, how government fae- JL gan among mankind ; and how it has been d, • dued to us from the beginning ; for that is the point we
are chiefly concern'd in.
R. The erecting of government among the spirits of heaven, and the sirst rebellion against it there, will be of
mighty use to us, in our inquiry after the nature of go-
vernment, and rebellion among mankind. Therefore the first of our six homilies against rebellion, begins with this revolt of Lucifer and his angels, as thesource and spring
of all rebellion among men.
(1. ) Government is dependency, when one depends upon another. It issuperiority, when one is superior, and an other inferior. Therefore they who wou'd have the ori ginal of government in the people are oblig'd to suppose a
of independency among all mankind, when no man in the world had any dependence upon any other man; and when no man wassuperior to another. This they call the siate of nature. And if such a state cannot be shew'd their whole scheme falls to the ground.
But they happen'd ill to call this the state of nature, a- mong a race of mankind, who all came into the world by generation. And nature has imprinted nothing more
strongly upon all mankind, than the duty and dependince ofchildren towards their parents, and the superiority of
parents over their children. And where either parents or
state
The REHEARSAL.
333 Or children ofsend against this law ofnature, the parents
not taking care of, and providing for their children ; or the children in not returning duty and obedience to their parents ; such are call'd un-natural. This is the com- . mon sentiment of all mankind : therefore this supposed in dependent state of mankind must be look'd for among the prœ-adamites. Or, we must suppose a shower of men dropping out ofthe clouds, without fathers or mothers, all upon the level. Or, that men were created in multi- ' tudes, like the beasts, hirds, fi(h, and fowl. And then indeed two men created at the same time, and not de- due'd the one from the other, wou'd be independent as to
nature. But without that, the independent^? ^ can not be the state of nature; but directly contrary to it.
(2. ) Now, countryman, letus observe, how Gorfdesigning man for government, express'd it in the occonomy of his creation, and founded it in very nature. To obviate these
salsely suppos'd pretences of the natural state, he created
but one man ; and did not create the woman at the fame
time, lest she might have pleaded independency ; but made her afterwards out of the man ; which shew'd her depen dency upon him : and she was made for his use, as an help meet for him. The apostle argues the authority of the man over the w/oman, from his being sirst created,
l Tim. ii. 12, 13. suffer
not a woman to teach, or to usurp authority over the man, but to be in filence. For
Adam was first formed, then Eve.
C. Our renown'd Mr. Lock, in his two treatises of go
vernment, which you have before taken notice of, laughs
at this argument. Which having been urg'd by Sir Rob. Filmer, Mr. Lock answers hook I. chap. iii. p. 19. That this argument will make the lion have as good a title to it
(the government) as he (Adam) and certainly the ancient- er, fays he.
R. Cou'd this pass from a school-hcy ? It is answer'd
like-a merry-andrew. Besides the utter contempt of, and
burlesquing the holy scriptures. But we must suppose Mr. Lock (like the rest of our common-wealth -men ) little con
verfant in those sacred oracles ; where they can sind no thing
334 The REHEARS AL. I cannot
thing favouring their papularschemes, otherwise
think that Mr. Lock, who pretended to sobriety* and a character ; would have attack'd the argument of the apt-
silt, in the person of Sir Rob. Filmer, if he had known it. (3. ) But to go on. I urge not nature alone for the
foundation of government : only I have gone thus far up on the argument of nature, to shew, that thestate of na
ture, which our vnhigs set up and recur to upon all oc
casions, was not a state of independency, as they wou'd
have it.
Now I proceed to shew, that God did not leave it
wholly to nature, though the arguments from nature were
strong against the state of independency : but he likewise
added his positive command and institution for government, betwixt Adam and Eve, before there were any other of
mankind in the world, faying- to Eve, Gen. iii.
defire /hall be to thy husband, and he shall rule truer tbee. Or, as our margin reads it, tboushall hesubject unto him : Or art commanded to be under obedience, as the apostle-
words Cor. xiv. 34. that there was no of in C. exceeding plain, state
dependency then. And that, both from nature, and the positive institution of God: otherwise Eve might have
with Adam, and claim'd the breeches, as some
disputed
ef her daughters have done since.
But now, master, when children were born to Adam,
how did go then
R. have told you before, that there no dictate of
nature more impress upon us, than the obedience of
your parents in all things, Colosl'. iii. 20. And this called thestrst commandment ivith promise, Eph. vi. 2. And the promise remarkable, that may be null -with
thee, and that thou mayest live long upon the earth. fay this remarkable, considering that in this command our
duty to our governors contained, who are our political fathers; and our rebellion against them, and taking the sward, will cause US to perish by the sword, and shorten
our
besides the frequent commands
children to their parents
of God in holy scripture for the fame as children obey
1 6. Thy>
is
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is
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is
it
'
:
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I
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;
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is 1
The REHEARSAL.
355 »ur days. And this is even a natural consequence, be
sides the tbreatning of God, and his promise, that \tshall be nvell with us, if we be obedient.
God expresses his own authority over us, by what we owe to our natural fathers. As he fays, Mai. i. 6. If I be a fatber, where is mine honour ?
(4. ) C. Mr. Lock thinks, or at least fays, that the pow er of the mother was equal to that of the father over
the children. And thence wou'd persuade us, that no thing of government is included in the $th command. He fays, book I. chap. vi. p. 76. that the fifth command was
so far from establishing the monarchical power of the fa ther, that itset up the mother equal with him. Then he quotes a great many texts where children aIre to honorfa
to that of the father's over their children.
R. No doubt there is honour and obedience due from
children to their mother, as well as to their father ; but to the mother in subordination to the father. So that if their commands shou'd interfere, that of the father must take place.
is that
by
which s Absalom
tole the hearts of
were
320
The REHEARSAL.
1
too late, when he issu'd his di cleration of May 5, 1 642 fcfl down in Lord Clarendons history ,Vol. I. p. 408. whereTM he attributes the chief cause of those trouble. ' to these ,c9 ry papers, which, fays he, was before the high and royrl aignity wherein God bad plac'd kin:, to tab: no. 'ire os'
[For which reason they noticed off his hie,*/! ] but he adds, Notwithstanding bis mijesty's earnest dc jlre Jo osten,
departing
in vain, press d for a reformation. His defire ! Why
?
It was his offxe to have reform d it j and his
from that pewer wherewith God had invested him, and
becoming a petitioner to his subjects for jus ice, was realty
a divesting of himftlf, and a betraying of the authority cl Gcd, which he bore. But there were faults in others, as he goes on in the faid declaration, That whilst the fresfes
swarm d with, end every day produc'd new tracts against the cste,b! ij/Sd government of the church and state, mest mm wanted the courage or the ccvsciince to . write — [that
is, in opposition to them] either to preserve the minds of his good iubj,cis from such inferiors, or restore and recover tbsm when they were infected. And the objcctian was then, as now ; they are nasty, scoundrel papers, and it is below any man of charactcr to engage with them ! It was below the king to take notice, or the clergy to answer, for sear of dirtying their fingers, or defiling their cka- racters ! And so they were both brought below in deed !
But I go on :
upon this point, but of the whole nation in peirHamcnt ailembl'd, 13 Car. 2. c. 1. which fays, " That the growth and encrease of the late troubles and disorders did, in a very great measure, proceed from a multiture of seditious sermons, pamphlets, and speeches, daily preached and published with a transcendent boldness, defaming the person and government of your majesty, and your royal father; wherein men were too much en couraged : And above all, from the wilful mistake of the supreme and lawful authority ; whilst men were for ward to cry up, and maintain those orders and ordi.
It was not only the
thoughts
of the
king
nances, oaths and covenants, to be afls legal and war rantable,
The
REHEARSAL,
5zr Tamable, which in themselves had not the least colour of
law or justice to support them ; from which kind of di stempers, as the present age is not wholly freed, so po sterity may be apt to relapse into them, if timely remedy
be not provided. "
Now, countryman, my labour has been, in the sirst
place, to give a true notion of the supreme and law ful authority, to the mislake of which the parliament
ascribes, above all, the cause of our late confufiom. And, in the next place, to encounter our scandalous pampble teers, who had the second part in our rebellions, by the o-
pinion of two kings and parliament.
And if in this I have been the scavinger of the church,
as the Observator calls me, I will condescend yet loivir,
if I may
the truth of God, the authority of his church, and the rights of the crown ; wherein consist the true liberty and
be serviceable, in to vindicate any capacity,
property of the subject ; and
The peace and happiness of England; which Gcd fend.
From gs&t. July 28, to &at. Aug. 4. 1705. N° 53.
Divine right in government acknowledged by all ; even • by the whigs. Their plea of vox populi, vox Dei, exa min'd to the bottom.
Ccun. '\T A M fully convine'd, master, that all the schemes
of are and contradic popular government nonsens
tion in themselves, and the destruction and ruin of man kind, without end or ranedy in the effect. But there i• something still I am not so clear in, that is what you call
jure divino, by which you fay kings hold their crowns ; can they hold by no less a tenure than a di vine right ? .
R. There is but divine and human right, aud if it be not the one, it must be the other.
C. Is there no human right can found government ?
P 5 R. What-
government among human authority.
men cannot be derived from meer
The REHEARSAL.
322
R. Whatever founds government must be superior to
and above it. Government must derive its original and whole authority from and must be accountable to
and dissolvable at its pleasure whenever thinks sit.
Now human cannot be superior to human, therefore
This so very obvious, that all governments whatever,
of whatever sort, and among all nations and religions do
pretend to divine right.
C. What! our whigs and cottunonusecilth-Tnen do they
pretend to divine right, when they found all govern ment in the people?
R. Yes, they do, their maxim vox populi, vox Dei, that the voice of the people the voice of God that whomsoever the people set up set up by God, God's anointed, vicegerent, Sec.
told thee before Num. 37. of the heathen notion of government, that they pleaded divine right, but not knowing the holy scriptures they grop'd in the dark after
they Jailed their kings to have been begotten some God or other, and so to be heroes of race superior' TO .
other men, and they deify their kings. They gave out, that their laws were reveafd from heaven, this or that God, to their legiflators, ofwhich several instances are there given, in several nations. This was their way of com ing ata divine right and authority in their governors.
So that here, on all hands, consess'd, that no go vernment can stand without divine original, right and authority for what else can give one man power over another, over his life, liberty, and property What else but divine authority can give this when, as Mr. Lock consesses, no man has ponucr over his own life, and con sequently cannot grant that power to another nor can give to any other an absolute power over his liberty or
property, to maintain which, being the end, as he fays,,
of men's entering into society, consequently, as he insers, «tt maa can give power to another to infringe these; which
;
is; ! it so
a
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it is
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it ;
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TBc REHEARSAL. m
tte thinks would put him, and, by the fame rea on, all mankind, into a worse condition than if they were alt in the supposed independent state of nature ; all whigh I have fully shewed from him, Num. 38- Besides that it was ut
terly impojsible for any government to have been set up by the free vote of every individual, which is his fgundation,
and of all our republican schemes.
So that if I should allow their maxim of vox populi,vo>c
Dei, if by the voice of thepeople is meant theveice of all the' people in any nation, of e*ery individual, fairly and truly
I need not be afraid of the divine right of any such act of
collected, without fear, force, or any other collufion ;
the people, since they never did any act whatever, front! the beginning of the world, much less so material an act as the contriving and erecting of government, by any such.
free and unanimous consent.
And if any nation, especially in England, they should
oil so agree, to a man, I would allow it to be the voice of God indeed ! since nothing but a miracle could effect it, and it would be the sirst instance of it since Adam.
C. You have the whigs fast, for ever fast, ty'd hand and foot, upon that foolish notion of the consent of every individual, which never was aftfd, or ever could be given ; and yet, at the fame time, they cannot go off
from such zfupposttion, however senseless, to- found their beloved poiver of the people ; and that nc• man's life, li berty, or property, can be taken from him, but by his- own consent, forsooth
his reputation, or would be thought to know common fense. Let it be eccho'd and cuckoo Vby Tutchin and De Foe till it become a shame even to them! and let the nation be res cued from this witchcrasst of Belial, which, has set us at
! this is made evident to the un
derstanding of a footman or porter ; so that I suppose it will never be set up any more by any man that values
cutting of throats for liberty and property !
But now, master, I would go a little further with thee.
It has been objected to me, that in histories, and even \m the holy script ures,\t is -often faid, the people did so and sor fet up. such a- one to hiking, and the like. What shall I
P 6. seyr
324
The REHEARSAL.
fay to this ? Will you allow the •voice of the people here to be the voicc of God?
R. By that phrase of the people, or all'the people, is not meant every individual, but the greater part, as when a thing becomes very general among the people. Thus,
Num. xvi. 41 .
It is faid, That all the the congregation of
children of Israel murmured against Moses, Sic. Whereas
it is plain, that many were on Moses's side. And it is
faid, 2 Sam. xvi. 15, 18, That all the men ofIsrael came
to Jerufalem and chose Absalom. Whereas many were with David, and fled with him, and at last overcame the
rest. And of those that remained with Alsalom, there werefriends of David who consented not to the deed of the rest. It is faid, Ifai. xxxvii. 36. That the angelsmote in the camp of the Assyrians 1 85000 ; and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they wcre all dead men. Where by the word all can only be meant a great many, and that there was a very general flaughter ; for the rest
of the army returned.
Thus for the voice of the people, thus understood, that
is, of the generality of the people, bung the voice of God, we sind, that Belialhad put that notion into the heads of hissons, whom he stirred up, to vindicate their liberty against David, the best king ever they had, and to set up his son, a vain, young man, in his stead, as Heshai speaks,
in the language, we must suppose, that then prevailed among these Rebel. ', 2 Sam. xvi. 1 8. Nay, but vehom the Lord, and this people, and all the men of Israel cheese, his
be, find v. ith him will I
will Iwe have of vox pofuli, vox Dei. That whom the
siance
people chose,
we must conclude, that God did choose- After this, ten parts of twclve of the people, who art
called all Israel, boufeofDAyid,
1 Kin. xii. 16. rE bell'd
the as it is faid, ver. 19 andchoseanew king for themselves ; and yet all even of the ten tiiks
were not in this conspiracy, tho' it be faid all Israel; for we sind 2 Chron. xi. 13, 14, 15. That the priests and the hevites thatswere in all Israel resorted to him (their le? ui-
ful hereditary king) tut of all their coasts; sir the Levitts
ahide. This is the sirst in-
against
The REHEARSAL.
325
left their suburbs, and their posses/ions, and eame to Judah *a. nd Jerufalem. And not only these priests and Levites, but as it is faid, ver. 16. And aster them, out of all the
tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the Lord God
of Israel, came to Jerufalem So they strengthened the
kingdom ofJudah.
From this time forth, the ten tribes became a distinct
kingdom, and their kings were elective by the people,
(the rule of hereditary succession continuing in Judah) and whether the voice of the people, in this case, was the voice
of God, is determined by the mouth of God himself. Has.
up kings, but not mt, have viii. 4. They haveIset by they
knew it not .
But to conclude this point, was the voice of the people
the voice of God, when they preserr'd Barabbas to our blessed Saviour, and cry'd crucify him, crucify him? And it is faid, Luke xxiii. 23. And the voice of them prevailed, that is, with Pilate to condemn our Lord. Was the voice
of the people then the voice ofGod?
Go thro* all histories and instances, you will sind it oftener the voice of the devil, especially in matters of go vernment ; for God ordained the people to be governed; and when they usurp the office of being governottrs, they invert the institution of Gc•/, and are actual rebels against
him, and inlist themselves under the banner of Belial ;
whose service (instead of God's) they take to be perfect fREEdOM.
The holy scriptures give us the history of two king doms, that of 'judah, which was hereditary to the house of David, and that of the ten tribes, which was by the voice of the people. In the sirst the right of succession be
ing preserv'd, the people were in quiet, and the kingdom prolper'd, until the Babylonish captivity. But in the other, where little regard was had to succession, what else is to be met with but seditions, murders and destruction ?
Baa/ha conspir'd against his master, and being made king by the people, destroy'd all the posterity of Jeroboam, the people's king. Thus Zimri served Elam and was
killed himself seven days after. Omri again chosen by
mn de princes, and
326
The REHEARSAL.
all the people, and then Tibni and the people were divided - K. Zacharias was destroy 'd by Sballum, Sballum by Me- nabem, Sec. And as these kings mounted the throne by blood of their predecessors, and were not removed with out blood, so the people that chest them were continually
butchering and destroying one another.
From &at. Aug. 4, to &flt. Aug. 11, 170 y. N° 54.
1. The neceffity if a divine right in government. No di vine right in the pretences of the whigs ane/ heathens, the' they consirm it. 2. Some account of the heathens
deifying their kings. 3 . The original of government was among the angels in heaven. 4. And what the rebellion of Luciser was.
(1. ) Coun. 'XT O U have given me full fatisfaction, maf- X ter, as to the weak pretence of the popular orators, to any divine right in the people, either towards the foundation, or alteration of government . You have
shewed how it is exploded in holy scripture, as the princi ple of Belial, who has instill'd it into mankind, under the notion of asserting their liberty, which is, their liberty
from the institution of God; all of whom that are thus per suaded, are, as the holy scripture calls them, sons of Be lial, and directly rebel against God, that is against his in-
stitution.
You have shewed that a divine right is neceflary to
found and support government among men ; and the pre
tence of the people to strong confirmation of it, and shews, that even in their own sense divine right ne
cessary.
The pretence of the heathen likewise great confirm
ation of this but their plea of their laws having been
ven from heaven, and their kings being begotten Godsr
fable and superstition and their deifying and worfiip- ing their kings was wild idolatry*
These
is
;
it,
,
is
a a
by
is
gi
is a
The SHEARS AiL.
327 These dr/honour the great God, and the wxptpali cru-
cisy'd Christ.
Therefore I have done with them, I'm sure there can
be no divine right here.
But now, master, where shall we sind it ? When did
government begin ? and by whom ? that we may know whether its original was divine or not. I want some in struction in these things.
(2. ) J3ut before you give me an answer to this, pray tell me, were these heathens such dolts, (vxhfilly sellows, as to believe their kings, whom they faw die before their eyes, to be all God Almighties ? I have heard much of the -wisdom of the heathen, and of the fame of their phi- Infipbers.
R. They were wifi men, and not such dolts as you
imagine. They acknowledged one supreme Being Sove reign over all, and spoke as great things of him as we
tan- This supreme God they called Jupiter, tho' some times they gave even that name, in high flattery, to some
with distinction of Jupiter of this or that
ef their kings,
pace. But then they imagined that this supreme God de
puted others under him to govern in their several pro
vinces, as Æolus to command the •winds, Neptune the fia, Vulcan the fire, and so forth. These they called Dii medioxumi, lesser Gods, who stood in the middle be
twixt the supreme God and men, and governed under him, and over them.
Then they had their tutelar Gods and their Lares, and genius' who they suppos'd prefided over such and such*
countries, cities, families, and particular persons.
Now was among these lesser Gods that they ranged their kings, who had lived vertuoufly, and done great
things for them. And indeed their Gods, as Bacchus, Neptune, Hercules and others, were men that had been. &ffld, after their deaths, for remarkable things that they had done of which their stories still remain in the heathen authors.
Bat they had not foolish thought, as, that they iould make a man to become the supreme Being, which
h«-.
so
a
;
's, it
The REHEARSAL.
328
he was not before their apotheofis, or declaring him I \ God.
Your wonder at the heathen will abI
ate, when you («
kings called Gods in holy scripture.
Gods. And revile not the Gods, nor speak evil of the ndtr of the people. And our blessed Saviour gives the reason why they are called Gods, because unto them the word (that is the commijsion of God) came to be the rulers ofthe
people. Joh. x. 35. And they who bear God's office, by commixsion from him, bear likewise his name. And Chris
owned the power of Pilate against himself to be given him from heaven. Joh. xix. 1 1.
C. This strikes-us with great astonishment !
This raises the character of king very high indeed ! that they stand before us, in the person of the great God himself, and are Gods to us. And can the people create Gods! Are kings called any where in scripture the anointed of the
people, or the deputies, vice-gerents, orJubstitutes of the people? No, they are called God's anointed, and HIS
vice-gerents : So that to rebel against them is to rebel against the most high God, who has made them Gods. They are the ordinance of God, therefore to refift them is to refist the ordinance of God, and is pronounced to be dam nation. Rom. xiii. 2. and therefore, That we must needs
have ye en /aid
be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. All this is now very plain to me, and the authority un
deniable. But still, master, I would have you help me into thefact, to see how, and where, and by whom this
thing called government was sirst instituted, that we may view it from its very original, and so deduce it down wards to us at this day ; for tho' we are obliged to give absolute credence to what is deliver'din holy scripture,that
government is the ordinance of God ; yet if the fact appears plain to us, it confirms us the more, and makes us fubicit to the authority with greater alacrity, conviction of rta-
fan. (3. ) R. What you desire of me is an history of govern ment from the beginning ; wherein we shall have occasi on to mention that of rebellion also.
z
And
straining
The REHEA RSAL.
329 And for the original of both of these we must go as high
as beamen ; for there they both began.
When God created the angels he distributed them into
an hierarchy of higher and lower orders. He made an gels, arch-angels, cherubims, ferafhims, dominations, prin
•
cipalities, powers, &c.
C. ' Was there government among these ? What need of gevermnent before there was fin's Government and laws are made to restrain the wicked. But where there are no veicked, there needs no government or laws.
JZ. There are other ends of government besides re
of wickedness ; there can be no order without government. The words principalities and pewers imply government. They are government, there can be no prin
cipality or power without government. Heaven and earth arc called one family, of which Christ the head. Eph. iii.
There can be no family and a head without govern ment. It is faid Eph. i. 21. That Christ is exalted far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, not only in this world, but also in that
which is to come. So that here you see there is domini on, that government in heaven. And there no fin there now.
C. This clear. Now, master, go on.
15.
R. The hierarchy or government in heaven having been established by God from the beginning, principal
post of very high dignity was assigned to Lucifer but he not being content with his own principality, aspired higher, and so broke in upon the hierarchy.
C. How does this appear thought Lucifer had de signed to be God, and had made an attack upon him, to
d,pofe him, and reign His stead.
R. The person of God far exalted above the attempts
of angels, as well as men, and to invade his person thought too foolish for much more for an angel of heaven. The y? » of Lucifer and his angels was aspir ing to higher rank in the hierarchy than that in which God had plac'd them, and so was an immediate revolt from under the government of their superior angels but in
conse
(4. )
a
in a
is
;;
a
is
is a
? I
is, is
f~
330
The REHEARSAL.
consequence it was a rebellion against God, who had in-
stitutedtkoit orders of angels. There is no other way of
rebelling against God, but by oppofing his institutions ; for, as I faid, his person is not only above the reach, but out
of the fight, and above the understandings of angels, as well as of men.
Hence likewise will follow, that there is no rebellion whatever but against God ; for all order and government on earth, as well as in hea•ven (as we shall see in the sequel of this inquiry) being the positive institution of God, conse quently all disobedience to government, or rifing up against
i^t, is a rebellion against God the institutor ; as Moses faid to Korah, What is AArON that you murmur against him ? Your rebellion is against the Lord. Num. xvi. 1 1. As if a
servant mutiny against his fellcw-servant, and will not obey the orders of the steward, his rebellion is against
the master of the family ; and the consequence, if suffer
ed to go on, must prove the dissolution of the family,
and so may be faid to be an attempt against the master himself.
C. But how does it appear that the rebellion of Lucifer and his angels was for an higher rank in the hierarchy of heaven than was allotted them ?
Jl. St. Jude tells us, ver. 6. The angels who kept not their first estate (or principality as our margin reads the word 'A^))r which signisies government but left their ovun hahitation (eueqlqgeon that house or station allotted them) He hath reserved in everlasting chains, under dark
ness, unto thejudgment the great day.
keeping to their first estate or station crime the reserving in chains, &c. that crime.
Where their not nam'd as their the punishment for
The like description given Isai. xiv. 12. How art thou fallen from heaven, Lucifer, sen the morning For thou hast said in thine heart, will exalt my throne above the stars God will be like tke most
High. This was spoke of the king of Babylon, way 0/ allusion to the pride of Lucifer, which was only to be like the most High, not to dethrone him, but to be above the
of
O is
of
• ■/
Iof by
is is
)
;
is
it,
The REHEARSAL. 331
that the angels of God, as the bishqps of the rhurch are called stars and angels, Rev. 20. Tie seven Qars are the angels ofthe churches.
lars,
Gregory the great, bishop of Rome, who died in the 7th century, apply'd this text of Isaiah to 'John then bishop of Constantinople, who was the />yr that set up: for universal bishop telling him, that the bishops of the church were the
(lars of
above all these, he did imitate the pride of Lucifer.
Goct', and his to advance his throne seeking
What Isaiah called stars, Exekiel calls stones of fire, and makes the like allusion to describe the pride of the
ting of Tyrus. Thou art the anointed cherub thou wast upm the holy mountain of God thou hast walked up and douvn in the midst of the stones of fire —Thine heart wast lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wis-
etotn by reason thy brightness, Ezek. xxviii. 14, 17.
C. am fatisfy'd that government was sirst instituted in heaven among the angels of God, and that the sirst fin was
the revolt of Lucifer and his rebel-angels, to the distur
bance of that hierarchy, appointed God.
-At our next meeting, hope you will shew me,
how government began upon earth among men. And thence go on to shew the deduction of from that be
ginning, to this day. Which you can perform with clearness, will be of great use to the world but to
no place more than our England.
From
i
it
is,
I if
;
it,
i.
by
I
of
;
;
by
332
The REHEARSAL. i
From ctat. Aug. 1 1, to &at. Aug. 18, i 705. N° 55.
1. The oricinal state os nature sbewd to be a ftzte of government and subjection, not of independency. 2. St. Paul of a different opinion from Mr. Lock, as ts AdamV right by creation. 3. The sirst government
by institution, as well as nature. 4. A vindication of the sifth commandment from the trifling of Mr, Lock. An advertisanent. Concerning Sandwich. The Review, and experiment.
Counts Come now to hear, master, how government fae- JL gan among mankind ; and how it has been d, • dued to us from the beginning ; for that is the point we
are chiefly concern'd in.
R. The erecting of government among the spirits of heaven, and the sirst rebellion against it there, will be of
mighty use to us, in our inquiry after the nature of go-
vernment, and rebellion among mankind. Therefore the first of our six homilies against rebellion, begins with this revolt of Lucifer and his angels, as thesource and spring
of all rebellion among men.
(1. ) Government is dependency, when one depends upon another. It issuperiority, when one is superior, and an other inferior. Therefore they who wou'd have the ori ginal of government in the people are oblig'd to suppose a
of independency among all mankind, when no man in the world had any dependence upon any other man; and when no man wassuperior to another. This they call the siate of nature. And if such a state cannot be shew'd their whole scheme falls to the ground.
But they happen'd ill to call this the state of nature, a- mong a race of mankind, who all came into the world by generation. And nature has imprinted nothing more
strongly upon all mankind, than the duty and dependince ofchildren towards their parents, and the superiority of
parents over their children. And where either parents or
state
The REHEARSAL.
333 Or children ofsend against this law ofnature, the parents
not taking care of, and providing for their children ; or the children in not returning duty and obedience to their parents ; such are call'd un-natural. This is the com- . mon sentiment of all mankind : therefore this supposed in dependent state of mankind must be look'd for among the prœ-adamites. Or, we must suppose a shower of men dropping out ofthe clouds, without fathers or mothers, all upon the level. Or, that men were created in multi- ' tudes, like the beasts, hirds, fi(h, and fowl. And then indeed two men created at the same time, and not de- due'd the one from the other, wou'd be independent as to
nature. But without that, the independent^? ^ can not be the state of nature; but directly contrary to it.
(2. ) Now, countryman, letus observe, how Gorfdesigning man for government, express'd it in the occonomy of his creation, and founded it in very nature. To obviate these
salsely suppos'd pretences of the natural state, he created
but one man ; and did not create the woman at the fame
time, lest she might have pleaded independency ; but made her afterwards out of the man ; which shew'd her depen dency upon him : and she was made for his use, as an help meet for him. The apostle argues the authority of the man over the w/oman, from his being sirst created,
l Tim. ii. 12, 13. suffer
not a woman to teach, or to usurp authority over the man, but to be in filence. For
Adam was first formed, then Eve.
C. Our renown'd Mr. Lock, in his two treatises of go
vernment, which you have before taken notice of, laughs
at this argument. Which having been urg'd by Sir Rob. Filmer, Mr. Lock answers hook I. chap. iii. p. 19. That this argument will make the lion have as good a title to it
(the government) as he (Adam) and certainly the ancient- er, fays he.
R. Cou'd this pass from a school-hcy ? It is answer'd
like-a merry-andrew. Besides the utter contempt of, and
burlesquing the holy scriptures. But we must suppose Mr. Lock (like the rest of our common-wealth -men ) little con
verfant in those sacred oracles ; where they can sind no thing
334 The REHEARS AL. I cannot
thing favouring their papularschemes, otherwise
think that Mr. Lock, who pretended to sobriety* and a character ; would have attack'd the argument of the apt-
silt, in the person of Sir Rob. Filmer, if he had known it. (3. ) But to go on. I urge not nature alone for the
foundation of government : only I have gone thus far up on the argument of nature, to shew, that thestate of na
ture, which our vnhigs set up and recur to upon all oc
casions, was not a state of independency, as they wou'd
have it.
Now I proceed to shew, that God did not leave it
wholly to nature, though the arguments from nature were
strong against the state of independency : but he likewise
added his positive command and institution for government, betwixt Adam and Eve, before there were any other of
mankind in the world, faying- to Eve, Gen. iii.
defire /hall be to thy husband, and he shall rule truer tbee. Or, as our margin reads it, tboushall hesubject unto him : Or art commanded to be under obedience, as the apostle-
words Cor. xiv. 34. that there was no of in C. exceeding plain, state
dependency then. And that, both from nature, and the positive institution of God: otherwise Eve might have
with Adam, and claim'd the breeches, as some
disputed
ef her daughters have done since.
But now, master, when children were born to Adam,
how did go then
R. have told you before, that there no dictate of
nature more impress upon us, than the obedience of
your parents in all things, Colosl'. iii. 20. And this called thestrst commandment ivith promise, Eph. vi. 2. And the promise remarkable, that may be null -with
thee, and that thou mayest live long upon the earth. fay this remarkable, considering that in this command our
duty to our governors contained, who are our political fathers; and our rebellion against them, and taking the sward, will cause US to perish by the sword, and shorten
our
besides the frequent commands
children to their parents
of God in holy scripture for the fame as children obey
1 6. Thy>
is
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is
I It it,
is
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:
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;
it it
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The REHEARSAL.
355 »ur days. And this is even a natural consequence, be
sides the tbreatning of God, and his promise, that \tshall be nvell with us, if we be obedient.
God expresses his own authority over us, by what we owe to our natural fathers. As he fays, Mai. i. 6. If I be a fatber, where is mine honour ?
(4. ) C. Mr. Lock thinks, or at least fays, that the pow er of the mother was equal to that of the father over
the children. And thence wou'd persuade us, that no thing of government is included in the $th command. He fays, book I. chap. vi. p. 76. that the fifth command was
so far from establishing the monarchical power of the fa ther, that itset up the mother equal with him. Then he quotes a great many texts where children aIre to honorfa
to that of the father's over their children.
R. No doubt there is honour and obedience due from
children to their mother, as well as to their father ; but to the mother in subordination to the father. So that if their commands shou'd interfere, that of the father must take place.
