conscience; if he be not persuaded as they are, let him charitably dissent, and leave that government, and adhere to his own communion if you be not of their mind, they will be served by them that are; they will not trouble your conscience, and you shall not disturb their government. But when men think they cannot enjoy their conscience unless you give them good livings, and if you prefer them not you afflict their consciences, they do but too evidently declare that it is not their consciences but their profits they would have secured. Now to these I have only this to say, that their conscience is to be enjoyed by the measures of God's word, but the rule for their estates is the laws of the kingdom; and "I shew you yet a more excellent way;" obedience is the best security for both, because this is the best conservatory of charity and truth and peace. Si vis brevi perfectus esse, esto obediens etiam in minimis, was the saying of a saint; and the world uses to look for miracles from them whom they shall esteem saints but I had rather see a man truly humble and obedient, than to see him raise a man from the dead,' said old Pachomius. : But to conclude: if weak brethren shall still plead for toleration and compliance, I hope my lords the bishops will consider, where it can do good, and do no harm; where they are permitted, and where themselves are bound up by the laws; and in all things where it is safe and holy, to labour to bring them ease and to give them remedy: but to think of removing the disease by feeding the humour, I confess it is a strange cure to our present distempers. He that took clay and spittle to open the blind eyes, can make any thing be collyrium; but He alone can do it. But whether any human power can bring good from so unlikely an instrument, if any man desires yet to be better informed, I desire him, besides the calling to mind the late sad effects of schism, to remember that no church in christendom ever did. it. It is neither the way of peace nor government, nor yet a proper remedy for the cure of a weak conscience. I shall therefore pray to God, that these men who separate in simplicity may by God's mercy be brought to understand their own liberty, and that they may not for ever be babes and neophytes, and wax old in trifles, and for ever stay at the entrances and outsides of religion; but that they would pass in interiora domus, and seek after peace and righteousness, holiness and justice, the love of God and evangelical perfections; and then they will understand how ill-advised they are who think religion consists in zeal against ceremonies, and speaking evil of the laws. My lords and gentlemen, what I said in pursuance of public peace and private duty, and some little incidences to both, I now humbly present to you, more to shew my own obedience than to remind you of your duty, which hitherto you have so well observed in your amicable and sweet concord of counsels and affections, during this present session. I owe many thanks to you, who heard me patiently, willingly, and kindly; I endeavoured to please God, and I find I did not displease you : but he is the best hearer of a sermon who first loves the doctrine, and then practises it; and that you have hitherto done, very piously and very prosperously. I pray God to continue to direct your counsels so that you in all things may please Him, and in all things be blessed by Him, that all generations may call you blessed' instruments of a lasting peace, the restorers of the old paths, the patrons of the church, friends of religion, and subjects fitted for your prince, who is just up to the greatest example, and merciful beyond all examples; a prince who hath been nourished, and preserved, and restored, and blessed by miracles; a prince whose virtues and fortunes are equally the greatest. SERMON V A SERMON PREACHED AT THE OPENING OF THE PARLIAMENT. 1 SAM. xv. 22, 23. Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. In the world nothing is more easy than to say our prayers, and to obey our superiors; and yet in the world there is nothing to which we are so unwilling as to prayer, and nothing seems so intolerable as obedience: for men esteem all laws to be fetters, and their superiors are their enemies: and when a command is given, we turn into all shapes of excuse to escape from the imposition: for either the authority is incompetent, or the law itself is statutum non bonum, or it is impossible to be kept, or at least very inconvenient, and we are to be relieved in equity; or there is a secret dispensation, and it does not bind in my particular case, or not now; or it is but the law of a man, and was made for a certain end; or it does not bind the conscience, but 'twas only for political regards; or, if the worst happen, I will obey passively, and then I am innocent. Thus every man snuffs up the wind, like "the wild asses in the wilderness" and thinks that authority is an encroachment upon a man's birthright; and in the mean time never considers that Christ took upon Him our nature that He might learn us obedience, and in that also make us become like unto God. In His justice and His mercy He was imitable before; but before the incarnation of Christ we could not in passive graces imitate God who was impassible: but He was pleased at a great rate to set forward this duty; and when Himself became obedient in the hardest point, obediens usque ad mortemTM, and is now become to us the author and finisher of' our obedience, as well as of our faith,' admonetur omnis atas fieri posse quod aliquando factum est". We must needs confess it very possible to obey the severest of the divine laws, even to die if God commands, n [See vol. vi. p. 525.] 1 ' [Job xxiv. 5.] m [Phil. ii. 8.] because it was already done by a man; and we must needs confess it excellent, because it was done by God himself. But this great example is of universal influence in the whole matter of obedience: for that I may speak of that part of this duty which can be useful, and concerns us; men do not deny but they must obey in all civil things, but in religion they have a supreme, God only, and conscience is His interpreter; and in effect every man must be the judge whether he shall obey or no. Therefore it is that I say the example of our Lord is the great determination of this enquiry for He did obey and suffer, according to the commands of His superiors under whose government He was placed: He "gave His back to the smiters, and His cheeks to the nippers°;" He kept the orders of the rulers, and the customs of the synagogues, the law of Moses and the rites of the temple; and by so doing He 'fulfilled all righteousness P. Christ made no distinctions in His obedience, but obeyed God in all things, and those that God set over Him in all things according to God, and in things of religion most of all; because to obey was of itself a great instance of religion: and if ever religion comes to be pretended against obedience in anything where our superior can command, it is imposture: for that is the purpose of my text, "obedience is better than sacrifice." Our own judgment, our own opinion is the sacrifice seldom fit to be offered to God, but most commonly deserving to be consumed by fire but take it at the best, it is not half so good as obedience; for that was indeed Christ's sacrifice, and (as David said of Goliath's sword, non est alter talis) there is no other sacrifice that can be half so good: and when Abraham had lifted up his sacrificing knife to slay his son, and so expressed his obedience, God would have no more; He had the obedience, and He cared not for the sacrifice. By sacrifice here then is meant the external and contingent actions of religion; by obedience is meant submission to authority, and observing the command. Obedience is a not choosing our duty, a not disputing with our betters, not to argue, not to delay, not to murmur; it is not this, but it is much better; for it is love, and simplicity, and humility and usefulness, and I think these do reductively contain all that is excellent in the whole conjugation of christian graces. My text is a perfect proposition, and hath no special remark in the words of it; but is only a great representation of the most useful truth to all kingdoms and parliaments and councils and authorities in the whole world: it is your charter, and the sanction of your authority, and the stabiliment of your peace, and the honour of your laws, and the great defence of your religion, and the building up and the guarding of the king's throne: it is that by which all the societies in heaven and earth are firm; without this you cannot have a village prosperous, or a ship arrive in harbour: it is that which God hath bound upon us by hope and fear, by wrath and conscience, by duty and necessity. Obedience is the formality of all virtues, and every sin is disobedience. There can no greater thing be said, unless you please to add, that we never read that the earth opened and swallowed up any man alive, but a company of rebellious disobedient people, who rose up against Moses and Aaron, the prince of the people, and the priest of God. For obedience is the most necessary thing in the world, and corruptio optimi est pessima; disobedience is the greatest evil in the world, and that alone which can destroy it. My text is instanced in the matter of obedience to God; but yet the case is so, that though I shall in the first place discourse of our obedience to man, I shall not set one foot aside from the main intention of it; because obedience to our superiors is really, and is accounted to be obedience to God, for they are sent by God, they are His vicegerents, His ministers, and His embassadors. Apostolus cujusque est quisque, say the Jews, 'every man's apostle is himself;' and he that heareth or despiseth you,' said Christ, heareth or despiseth Mes and the reason is very evident, because it is not to be expected that God should speak to us by Himself, but sometimes by angels, sometimes by prophets, once by His Son, and always by His servants. Now I desire two things to be observed. First, we may as well perceive that God speaks to us when He uses the ministry of men as when He uses the ministry of angels ; one is as much declared and as certain as the other. And if it be said, a man may pretend to come from God, and yet deliver nothing but his own errand; that is no strange thing: but remember also that S. Paul puts this supposition in the case of an angel, "if an angel preach any other gospel ;" and we know that many angels come like angels of light, who yet teach nothing but the ways of darkness. So that we are still as much bound to obey our superior as to obey an angel: a man is paulo minor angelis", a little lower than the angels; but we are much lower than the king. Consider then with what fear and love we should receive an angel, and so let us receive all those whom God hath sent to us, and set over us; for they are no less less indeed in their persons, but not in their authorities. Nay the case is nearer yet; for we are not only bound to receive God's deputies as God's angel, but as God himself: for it is the power of God in the hand of a man, and "he that resists, resists God's ordinance." And I pray remember, that there is not only no power greater than God's, but there is no other; for all power is His. The consequent of this is plain enough; I need say : |