THE authority of the supreme magistrate must of necessity be exercised by many subordinate officers: and to dishonour or disobey these, is, in effect, to dishonour and disobey him, by whose commission they act. And tho' it be for the interest of the publick, that they should account for wilful abuses of the power committed to them; yet all unreasonable clamours against them, are of dangerous consequence to the government, and do indeed threaten the soveraign himself, who may be mortally wounded thro' the sides of his ministers.
IT has been before observed, that the laws of God, and of the land, are the measures of submission and obedience to the King. Wherefore no one ought, from what has been now said, to infer, that in limited monarchies, where part of the legislative authority is lodged in the body of the people, the subjects are obliged to obey any edicts of the prince not agreeble to the laws enacted by the whole legislature. In this case, since the power of the people is so far coordinate with that of the prince, that without them no new laws can be enacted, nor former laws abrogated; they may justly require to be governed by the laws made with their own consent, and by no other. And should this right of the people be set aside, and no redress obtained upon their humble petitions and representations; the prince must take to himself the blame, if they have recourse to other means absolutely necessary for the preservation of their constitution. On the other hand, it is incumbent on the people to see, that their grievances are real, and not pretended; that their complaints are founded not upon meer surmises and jealouses, but upon notorious facts; and that while they are asserting their own right, they do not invade that of their soveraign, nor make any thing matter of demand, but the restoring and securing to them what is their due, by laws already established.
MOREOVER, since God is the supreme Monarch of the universe, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords; since his power alone is unlimited and irresistible; and by consequence, the primary and most proper object of men's fear; it is manifest, that no human laws whatsoever, can bind men to act contrary to the divine. Nothing can be more unreasonable, than to obey God's vice-gerent in opposition to God himself, and to suffer the fear of a less power, to prevail against the fear of a greater. The text teaches us, in the first place, _to fear the Lord_, and then _the King_. Should the King command not to fear the Lord, it is better to endure all that he can inflict, than to do what he commands? We are indeed commanded[B], _to render to Cæsar the things that are Cæsars_; but we cannot without impiety withhold from _God the things that are Gods_: that we may render to _Cæsar_ more than is his due. The Apostles, when they were reprimanded by the high-priest for not obeying the charge given them by the _Sanhedrim_, to teach no more in the name of Jesus, answered plainly, that they [C]_ought to obey God rather than man_. And a disciple of St. _John_ being brought before the magistrate for Christ's name sake, answered to the same purpose; "[D]We are taught to pay to the powers and authorities ordained of God, all due honour, excepting such only as would be hurtful to us." For to Christians, that honour and obedience must needs appear hurtful, which, tho' it may screen them from the displeasure of an earthly governour, who can kill the body only, will draw upon them the wrath of God, who can destroy both body and soul in hell.