confiderable in this Duty, viz. the Object of it, viz. the higher Powers; by which its evident we are to understand the Perfons of fovereign Princes and Governours, and not the Laws and Conftitutions,as fome of ourRepublican Doctors pretend,for thisEpiftle was writ either under Claudius or Nero, whofe Wills were the only Laws they governed by, and yet these were the higher Powers to whom the Apoftle requires our Subjection; and those whom he here calls the higher Powers in the third Verse he calls the Rulers, and in the fourth Verfe he tells us that this higher Power is the Minister of God, and a Revenger to execute Wrath upon him that doeth Evil, which must neceffarily be meant of the Governours, and not of the Laws and accordingly St. Peter thus explains it, 1 Pet. 2. 13. Be fubject to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's Sake, whether it be to the King, as rapézorts, Supreme, which is the very Word that is here used for the higher Powers, fo that by the higher Powers here must be meant the Perfon or Persons that are vefted with the fupreme and fovereign Power; for that in every Natition there should be a fovereign Power

is as indispensably neceffary as that there should be a Government; for wherever there is any Government there must be a laft Appeal, otherwife no Difference or Controverfie can ever be finally decided; and wherever the laft Appeal is, whether it be to a King, a Senate, or the Majority of the People, there must be abfolute and fovereignPower from which there canbe no farther appeal, and against which there can be no oppofition or refiftance for

to talk of a fupreme Power which is not unaccountable and irrefiftible is Nonfenfe, for whatsoever Power is liable to be called to Account or refifted, hath a Power that is fuperior to it, and fo cannot be fupreme; And accordingly the Apostle declares in the Verse enfuing my Text, that whosoever refifteth the Power, refifteth the Ordinance of God, and that they that refift shall receive to themselves Damnation. Now the fupreme Power to which we of this Nation owe Subjection is the King, whom our Laws do declare and recognize to be our supreme and Sovereign Lord, for fo, for Inftance the Statute of Præmunire declares, that the Crown of England is in no earthly Subjection,

but immediately fubject to God in all things touching the Regality of the fame, and 25 H. 8. 21. makes this Recognition to his Majesty, That his Grace's Realm hath no Superiour under God but only his Grace, and that next unto God they owe him a natural and humble Obedience and in other Laws it is declared to be high Treason to levy Arms against the King either within or without the Realm, and that it is unlawful for both or either Houfes of Parliament to raise or levy War offenfive or defensive against his Majefty or his Heirs and lawful Succeffours, and that it is not lawfnl upon any Pretence whatsoever to take Arms against theKing,and that we are to abhor that traiterous Pofition of taking Arms by his Authority against hisPerfon, or against those whoare commiffion'd by him; by all which it is abundantly evident who this higherPower is among us, to whom we are to render our Subjection.

Having thus explained the Terms of the Duty, I proceed in the next Place to the Reafon of it, for the Powers that are, are ordained of God.

All Sovereign Princes do derive their Power and Authority from God, whose Almighty Providence doth more pecu

a

liarly concern it felf in the Disposal of Crowns and Scepters, and doth influence all fecond Causes to confpire in the Advancement of fuch Perfons to Empire, as he himself has first chofen and approved, for there is no Person can have right to govern in God's Kingdom under him, unless it be by Commiffion and Authority from him; and indeed to derive the Authority of fovereign Princes from any other Head but God, is in Effect to deny him to be the fupreme Governour of the World, which those Perfons would do well to confi der who make the People the Fountainj of regal Authority; for as on the one Hand, if it be by God's Authority that Kings reign, it is God that governs by them, and not the People, fo on the other, if it be by the Peoples Authority, it is the People that govern by them and not God, if it be the Choice of the People that makes their Prince without any Commiffion or Authority from God, then it is certain that Princes are the Peoples Vicegerents and not God's, but now in all Governments the fupreme is the Fountain of all inferiour Authorities, and if there be any Authority within its Jurifdiction that

is not from it, and dependent upon it, it must be coordinate with it, and then it cannot be fupreme, how then can God be fupreme Governour of the World, when there are other coordinate Authorities with him that are indépendent from him, and that owe not their being to him? The Peoples Choice therefore even in Elective Governments, can fignify no more than the bare presenting of a Perfon to God, to be authorized his Vicegerent by him, who if their Choice be just and lawful, is fuppofed to direct them to it by his Providence, and confequently to confent to and approve it, and thereby to authorize the Perfon fo prefented, for Sovereign Authority in the Abstract is ordained and instituted by God, but abftracted Authority cannot govern without a Perfon vefted with it, and to veft him with it, he must not be only applied to the Authority, but the Authority must be applied to him; but now where the People have a right to Ele&tion, they can only apply the Perfon to the Authority, but 'tis God's Confent and Approbation which applies the Authority to the Perfon, who thereupon commences fupreme under

God,