God, and hath no fuperior Tribunal but God's to account to, and thus ac cording to the Prophet Daniel, the most High rules in the Kingdoms of Men, because as Lord of all the Lords, and King of all the Kings of the Earth, he rules by their Ministry,and they rule by his Authority; And hence in Scripture they are said to be the Minifters of God, Rom.13.6. The Chrifts or anointed of the Lord, Ifa. 41. 5. And are ftyled Gods, and the Children of the most High, Pfal. 82. 6. And hence alfo they are said to act in God's Stead, and to judge not for Men but for God, 2 Chron. 19. 6. And their Kingdoms are faid to be given them by God, and they to be advanc'd to their Thrones by God, 2 Dan. 21.

37.

Since therefore all fupreme Powers are ordained and commiffioned and authorised by God, it hence neceffarily follows, that to refufe Subjection to them is no less than open Rebellion against God himself; for Kings in their feveral Provinces, are the Vice-Roys of the Almighty Sovereign of the World, and therefore as he who denies Şubjection to the King's Vice-Roy affronts the Authority of the King, fa

they

they who deny Subjection to the King, brave and affront the Authority of the King of Kings, for fince it is by God's Authority, that the King rules, 'tis God's Authority that they refufe to be ruled by, for whatsoever the personal Qualifications of Princes are, we ought to confider that the Character they bear is Divine, as being a Ray and Reprefentation of the great Majefty above 3 and therefore 'tis not fo much to them that we are obliged to bow down as to the Divine Image which they bear about them, fo that like Ambaffadours they derive not their Honour from themselves, but from the Sovereign Majesty which they represent and perfonate, and the Veneration we render them like that which Mofes paid to the burning Bush, is not fo properly rendred to them, as to the Divinity in them; whether therefore they are good or bad we are obliged to refpect them as the fupreme Vicegerents of God in the World, and to confider their Perfons as confecrated with the Divine Majesty which robes and invests them, and herein confifts the Force of the Apostle's Reason, for the Powers that are, are ordained of God.

And

And now having given you an Account of the Duty in the Text, Let every Soul be fubject to the higher Powers, I fhall crave leave briefly to enforce it, by fome other Motives and Confiderations befides that which the Apostle Bere urges, viz. That the Powers that are, are ordained of God.

First, Confider, that upon our duti ful Subjection to our Prince, depends our temporal Happiness and Welfare; for as without Government there can be no Society, fo without Obedience there can be no Government; and fo long as Men are indifpofed to obey, the Government must be a Burthen to them, and they to the Government; and whilst the Rulers and Subjects instead of being Supports are Oppreffions to one another, they are in the ready way to diffolve and fly in Pieces, and what can the Consequence of this be, but an over-flowing Deluge of Miferies and Confufions, of the Truth of which, we of this Nation have not many Years ago made a woful Experiment; for when through our restless Impatience of Subjection, we had pull'd down our lawful Sovereign from his Throne, and unhing'd the ancient Frame of our Government,

vernment, what was the Iffue of it but Oppreffion and Slavery, and endless Confufion? For when once we had unfixt our felves from our proper Centre, how did we roul through every Form of Government, ftill addreffing to each for Relief and Eafe? And when we had moved every Stone, and raifed it to the Top of the Hill, it ftill came tumbling down again upon us; fo that ours, like Sisyphus his Labour was like to have no other End, but various, restless, and endless Calamity, till at last, God took Pity on us, and refetled us on our ancient Foundations; fo that had it not been for this late fhameless and barefac'd Rebellion, by which if God had not been more merciful to us, we had hurl'd back our selves again into our old Confufions, I could never have imagined we could have been fo abandon'd of our Reason, as in the fame Age to act over the fame Tragedy again; but if as a juft Punishment of our Sins, God should permit us to be fo far infatuated, as to fell our Liberties again, for Fear of being enflaved, to fight against the Principles of our Religion in the Defence of it, to rip up the Bowels of our native Coun

try

try to preferve it; and in a Word, to go to cross or pile with a Company of beggarly Male-contents for our own Eftates and Fortunes, and run our felves into prefent and certain Mischiefs, to prevent future and contingent ones ; if these things, I fay, fhould happen again, which God forbid, a very fmall Prophet may eafilyforetel the woful confequence of it; and when we fhall fee our Fields ftrewed over again with the Carkaffes of our Friends and Relations, our Cities, Towns and Countries, laid wafte by an unnatural War, and fhall come to caft up our Accounts, and to reckon all the Blood and Treasure we have spent, only to purchase Confufion or Slavery, then we fhall remember perhaps with Tears in our Eyes, that it was nothing but a Surfeit of Happiness that caufed our Mifery. But, beloved, I hope better things of you, and of the Wisdom and dear-bought Experience of the Age; if therefore we would be fecured from these publick Calamities, let us render to our Prince all dutiful Subjection, the least Defect of which is an apparent Advance towards Ruin and Confufion.

Secondly,