Reformed Covenanter
Cancelled Commissioner
If the ministers of the civil power command thee to honour and glorify God, as God will be honoured, to defend (with thy person and goods) thy country against the enemies, to do such things as be for the wealth and benefit of thy country: thou art bounden to do it: for it is good, and God will have thee to do it. And if thou do it not, thou sinnest against God, and justly deservest the punishment not only of the power, but of everlasting damnation.
But if the ministers of the civil power command thee to dishonour God, to commit idolatry, to kill an innocent, to fight against thy country, to give or lend that thou hast, to such as mind the subversion and destruction of thy country, or to maintain them in their Wickedness, thou oughtest not to do it, but to leave it undone: for it is evil, and God (the supreme and highest power) will not that thou shouldest do it. The apostles in time of persecution did not only give us an example so to do, when the worldly powers would have had them to follow their proceedings, but also left us a lesson so to do.
God must be obeyed (say they) rather than men. And this lesson even from the beginning before it was written, was by the holy Ghost printed in man’s heart. When Pharaoh the tyranny commanded the midwives of the Egyptians, to kill all the male children that should be borne of the Israelites wives: think ye, he did only command them? No without doubt. Ye may be sure, he commanded not only upon threatened pains, but also promised them largely: and perchance as largely as those do, that being desirous of children, procure the midwives to say, they be with child, when their belly is puffed up with the dropsy or mole, and having bleared the common peoples’ eyes with processioning, Te deum singing, and bonfire blanketing, use all ceremonies and crying out, whilst an other bird’s egg is laid in the nest. But these good midwives fearing God (the high power) who had commanded them, not to kill, would not obey this tyrannical Pharaoh’s commandment, but left it undone.
For the reference, see:
reformedcovenanter.wordpress.com
But if the ministers of the civil power command thee to dishonour God, to commit idolatry, to kill an innocent, to fight against thy country, to give or lend that thou hast, to such as mind the subversion and destruction of thy country, or to maintain them in their Wickedness, thou oughtest not to do it, but to leave it undone: for it is evil, and God (the supreme and highest power) will not that thou shouldest do it. The apostles in time of persecution did not only give us an example so to do, when the worldly powers would have had them to follow their proceedings, but also left us a lesson so to do.
God must be obeyed (say they) rather than men. And this lesson even from the beginning before it was written, was by the holy Ghost printed in man’s heart. When Pharaoh the tyranny commanded the midwives of the Egyptians, to kill all the male children that should be borne of the Israelites wives: think ye, he did only command them? No without doubt. Ye may be sure, he commanded not only upon threatened pains, but also promised them largely: and perchance as largely as those do, that being desirous of children, procure the midwives to say, they be with child, when their belly is puffed up with the dropsy or mole, and having bleared the common peoples’ eyes with processioning, Te deum singing, and bonfire blanketing, use all ceremonies and crying out, whilst an other bird’s egg is laid in the nest. But these good midwives fearing God (the high power) who had commanded them, not to kill, would not obey this tyrannical Pharaoh’s commandment, but left it undone.
For the reference, see:
John Ponet on refusing to comply with tyranny
If the ministers of the civil power command thee to honour and glorify God, as God will be honoured, to defend (with thy person and goods) thy country against the enemies, to do such things as be f…
reformedcovenanter.wordpress.com
