WHICH things considered, no man should offer to draw a parallel betwixt the late Revolution and the great rebellion, till he is able to demonstrate, That there is no difference between the doing no manner of hurt to the person of the King, and the executing him publickly as a malefactor; between the settling the crown upon his undoubted issue, and excluding the whole royal family from it without any other necessity than what arose from the guilt of those who excluded them; between the peoples asserting their own undoubted rights, and their invading the undoubted rights of their soveraign; between insisting upon the regular observation and execution of the established laws, and fighting for an alteration of them; between preserving the ancient constitution and utterly overthrowing it from the foundations; or in other words, between just and unjust; between right and wrong.
WHEREFORE, Brethren, let us stop our ears against those, whose doctrines open a door to disobedience and rebellion against lawful authority; and no less against those also who would insinuate that our present governours have no claim to the submission, which they acknowledge to be due to lawful magistrates. The powers which now are, are ordained of God; and ordained in mercy to us, for the security of our lives and properties and liberties, and of what we ought to value above all the rest, our most holy Religion. And heavy will be the condemnation of those, who shall refuse to submit to him who is the minister of God to them for good.
LET us therefore, laying aside all pride and contentions, all jealousies and discontents, set our selves to perform what we know to be our duty to him who is vested with the authority of God: not with eye-service as men-pleasers, not with murmurings as of necessity, but in singleness of heart and with a ready mind, as in the sight of God, as having his fear before our eyes, and remembring that he will bring us to a strict account not only for the sins committed immediately against himself, but for every offence against his substitute, who by him reigns and decrees justice.
IF we dread not the penalties of human laws; yet let us revere the ordinance of God. Let us consider by whom we have sworn; and let destruction from him be a terror to us. If there be any who dare bid defiance to that; let us mark such and turn away from them. Let us not be so weak as to imagine that they can have any real concern for religion, or the interest of their country, who can prevail with themselves, or would prevail with others, to violate the oath of God. We cannot surely be at a loss to conclude, what kind of spirits have taken possession of those men, who are not to be bound, no not with chains; who break in sunder the strongest bonds of government, and cast away its cords from them.