Governor, and we his subjects as to obligation, nor yet whether he shall punish the rebellious and disobedient: but he asketh our consent to obey him, and to be rewarded by him; for we shall neither be holy nor happy but by our own consent. Those, therefore, whom I have confuted in my treatise of policy, who say, 'God is not our King, till we make him King, nor his laws obligatory to us till we consent to them;' speaking, de debito, do not reason, but rave, and are unworthy of a confutation. ©

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Sect. 3. All men, therefore, are obliged to subject their understandings to the revealed wisdom of God, and their wills to his revealed will; and to employ all the powers of soul and body, and all their possessions, in his most exact obedience.

Subjection is an obligation to obedience. Where the authority and subjection are absolute and unlimited, there the obedience must be absolute and most exact. The understanding of our absolute Ruler is the absolute rule of our understandings. No man must set up his conceits against him, or quarrel with his government or laws. If any thing of his revelation or prescription seem questionable, unjust, or unnecessary to us, it is through our want of due subjection, through the arrogancy and enmity of our carnal minds. His will, de debito, must be the absolute rule of all our wills. So much secret exceptions and reserves as we have in our resignation and subjection, so much hypocrisy and secret rebellion we have. Our subjective obligation is so full and absolute, and our Ruler so infallible, just, and perfect, that it is not possible for any man's obedience to God to be too absolute, exact, or full. Nothing can be more certain, than that a creature, subject to the government of his Creator, of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness, doth owe him the most perfect and exact obedience, according to the utmost of his powers, without any dissent, exception, resistance, unwillingness, or neglect. d

Sect. 4. All obedience which rulers require of their subjects,

• Primus est Deorum cultus, Deos credere; deinde reddere illis majestatem suam reddere bonitatem, sine qua nulla majestas est: scire illos esse qui præsident mundo, qui universa, ut sua, temperant : qui humani generis tutelam gerunt.-Senec. Epist. 92.

d Nihil mihi videtur frigidius, nihil ineptius, quàm lex cum prolegomeno : Dic quid me velis fecisse; non disco, sed pareo.-Idem. Ep. 95. If men's laws must have so great authority, much more God's. Ex quo intelliges par est, eos qui perniciosa et injusta populis jussa descripserint, cum contra fecerint quod polliciti professique sint, quidvis potius tulisse quàm leges.-Cicero de Leg. 1. 2. p. 235. Multa perniciosa, multa pestifera sciscuntur in populis, quæ non magis legis nomen attingunt, quam si latrones, &c.-Id. Ibid.

or subjects give to any governors, must be in full subordination to the government and will of God.

For all powers, under the absolute Sovereign of the world, are derivative and dependent, and are no more than he hath given : they are from him, under him, and for him; and can no more have any authority against him, than a worm against a king, or than they could have being and authority without him. He that contradicteth this proposition, must take down God, and deify man, and so defy and conquer heaven, or else he will never make it good. As for the difficulties that seem to rise, by allowing subjects to prefer God's authority before their parents or princes; it belongeth no more to the clearing of the present subject that I resolve them, than that I resolve such as arise from our allowing subjects to disobey a justice or constable when he is against the king.

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Sect. 5. They that are obliged to such absolute and exact obedience, are obliged to use their utmost diligence to understand God's laws, which they must obey.

For no man can obey a law which he doth not know of, and understand. Subjection includeth an obligation to study our Maker's laws, so far as we must do them: indeed, those that concern others, we are not so much bound to know, as a subject to know God's laws for kings and pastors of the church; but for our own duty, we cannot do it before we know it. Those that are ignorant of their Maker's will, through unwillingness, contempt, or negligence, are so far disobedient to his government.

Sect. 6. There are many and great temptations to draw us to disobey our Maker, which every one is bound with greatest vigilancy and constancy to resist.f

He that is bound to obey, is certainly bound, to resist all temptations to disobedience. For that is far from absolute or true obedience which will fail, if a man be but tempted to disobey. Kings and parents will not accept of such obedience as this; they will not say, 'Be true to me, and honour me, and obey me, till you are tempted to betray me, and to reproach me, e Plutarch (de Tranquil. Anim.) saith, that it is one of Aristotle's sayings, "That he that believed as he ought, of the gods, should think as well of him. self as Alexander, who commanded so many men."-(P. 155.)

f Dicebat Thales, homines existimare oportere Deos omnia cernere, deorumque omnia esse plena, et tunc fore omnes castiores.—Cicero 2. de Leg. Athenodorus dicere prudenter solebat, ita cum hominibus homines vivere debere, acsi Deus retributor bonorum malorumque ultor, omui loco ac tempore actiones nostras intueretur, conspicereturque humanis nostrisoculis.—Fulgos. 1. 7. c. 2.

and rebel.' He that will be false to God, when he is tempted to it, was never true to him. No temptation can bring so much for sin, as God giveth us against it; nor can offer us so much gain, or honour, or pleasure by it, as he offereth us on condition we obey him. And that the world is full of such temptations, experience putteth past dispute; of which, more anon.

Sect. 7. No price can be offered by any creature, which, to a subject of God, should seem sufficient to hire him to the smallest sin.g

Sin hath such aggravations (which shall be opened anon) that no gain or pleasure that cometh by it, can counterbalance; there being no proportion between the creature and the infinite Creator, there can nothing by, or of, the creature be proportionable, or considerable, to be put into the balance against the Creator's authority and will. The command of kings, the winning of kingdoms, the pleasure of the flesh, the applause of all the world, if they are offered as a price or bait to hire or tempt a man to sin, should weigh no more against the command of God, than a feather in the balance against a mountain. All this common reason will attest, however sense and appetite reclaim.

Sect. S. No man can reasonably fear lest his true obedience to such a governor, should prove his final detriment or hurt; but if it did, it were nevertheless our duty to obey.h

1. No man can reasonably think that God is less able to reward, protect, and encourage his subjects in their duty, than any tempter whatsoever in their disobedience. And no man can think that he is less wise to know how to perform it: nor can any think that infinite goodness is less disposed to do good to the good, than any tempter whosoever can be, to do good to the evil. These things being all as clear as light itself to the considerate, it must needs follow that no reason can allow a man to hope to be finally a gainer or saver by his disobedience to his Maker, or to fear to be a loser by him.

2. But if it were so, obedience would be our duty still; for

8 Sic vive cum hominibus tanquam Deus videat: sic loquere cum Deo tanquam homines audiant.-Sen. Ep. 10. Chilon (in Laert. p. 43.) inquit, Damnum potius quàm turpe lucrum eligendum, nam id semel tautum dolori esse: hoc semper.

h Plus apud bonos pietatis jura quàm omnes opes valent.-Justin. Hist. 1. 3. Because God hath penalties to promote obedience, all religion is called, The fear of God." Laertius saith of Cleanthes, Cum aliquaudo probro illi daretur, quod esset timidus: at ideo, inquit, parum pecco. Fear is a preserving, cautelous passion, though it make not a good man of itself, but as joined with

the authority of God, as his propriety, is absolute, and he that giveth us power to require the analogical obedience of our horse or ox, though it be to our benefit only, and his hurt, yea, though it be in going to the slaughter, if he did so by us, could do us no wrong, nor give us any just excuse for our disobedience. For as sweet as life is to us, it is not so much ours in right as his, and therefore should be at his disposal.

Sect. 9. The breaking of God's laws must needs deserve a greater penalty than the breaking of any man's laws, as such. The difference of the rulers and their authority, puts this past all controversy; of which, yet I shall say more anon.

Sect. 10. What is said of the subjection of individuals to God, is true of all just societies as such, the kingdoms of the world being all under God, the universal King, as small parcels of his kingdom, as particular corporations are under a human king.

Therefore, kings and kingdoms owe their absolute obedience to God, and may not intend any ultimate end, but the pleasing of their universal Sovereign; nor set up any interest against him, or above him, or in co-ordination with him; nor manage any way of government, but in dependence on him, as the principle and the end of it; nor make any laws, but such as stand in due subordination to his laws; nor command any duty but what hath in its order a true subserviency and conducibility to his pleasure.

CHAP. X.

Of God's particular Laws, as known in Nature.

THE true nature of a law I have opened before. It is not necessary that it be written or spoken, but that it be in general any apt signification of the will of the rector to his subjects, instituting what shall be due from them, and to them, for the ends of government. Therefore, whatsoever is a signification of God's will to man, appointing us our duty, and telling us what benefit shall be ours upon the performance, and what loss or hurt shall befal us, if we sin, is a law of God.

Sect. 1. A law being the rector's instrument of governing, there can be no law where there is no government; and, therefore, that which some call the eternal law, is indeed no law at all, but it is the principle of all just laws.

The eternal wisdom and goodness of God, that is, the

Though Cicero's books De Legibus be usually read by us when we are boys, they are worthy the perusal of the wisest men, and fit for the edification and pleasure of the learned.

perfection of his nature and will, as related to a possible, or future kingdom, is denominated justice; and this justice some call the eternal law; but it is truly no law, because it is the will of God in himself, and not as rector: nor is it any signification of that will, nor doth it suppose any governed subjects in being from eternity; nor doth it make any duty to any from eternity: but all the laws which God maketh in time, and, consequently, which men make, which are just and good, are but the products of this eternal will and justice.

And whereas some say, that there is an eternal truth in such axioms as these, Thou shalt love God above all, and do as thou wouldst be done by, and the good should be encouraged, and the bad punished, &c.; I answer, God formeth not propositions, and therefore there were no such propositions from eternity; nor was there any creature to love God, or to do good or evil, and be the subject of such propositions: that proposition, therefore, which was not from eternity, was neither true nor false from eternity; for non entis non sunt accidentia vel modi. But this is true, that from eternity there were the grounds of the verity of such propositions when they should after be; and that if there had been subjects from eternity for such propositions, and intellects to frame them, they would have been of eternal truth.

Sect. 2. At the same time of his creation, that God made man his subject, he also made him some laws to govern him. k

For subjection, being a general obligation to obedience, would signify nothing, if there were no particular duties to be the matter of that obedience. Else, man should owe God no obedience from the beginning, but be lawless; for where there is no law, there is no obedience, taking a law in the true comprehensive sense, as I here do.

Sect. 3. All the objective significations, in natura rerum, within us, or without us, of the will of God, concerning our duty, reward, or punishment, are the true law of nature, in the primary proper sense.

Sect. 4. Therefore, it is falsely defined by all writers, who make it consist in certain axioms, as some say, born in us, or written on our hearts from our birth; as others say, dispositively there.

It is true that there is, in the nature of man's soul, a certain

k Quod (de magistra loquitur) cum dico legem, a me dici nihil aliud intelligi volo quàm imperium, sine quo nec domus ulla, nec civitas, &c.-Cic. de leg. 3, init.