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SERMON XIV.

Preached in the Parish-Church of St. Mary, Lambeth, Oct. 25, 1761.

TIT. iii. 1, 2.

Put them in mind to be fubject to Principalities and Powers, to obey Magiftrates; to be ready to every good Work:

To Speak evil of no Man; to be no Brawlers, but gentle; fhewing all Meekness unto all Men

HIS is the firft Anniverfary of the Day, TH on which we loft, very unexpectedly, a Sovereign, under whofe juft and mild and prudent Adminiftration we had lived, in Freedom, Safety and Plenty, above thirty-three Years, The Mercy of Providence, unworthy as we are of it, hath filled his Place with a moft pious and gracious, amiable and respectable Prince; who hath hitherto given us Cause to hope, from his Government, for every Thing that we can with. Our joint Thankf givings have juft now, with the greatest Reafon, been offered up to God for fo important a Bleffing; together with our earnest Prayers, which indeed we repeat as often as we assem

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ble here, for his long Life and Profperity. But the most acceptable Expreffion of our Gratitude will be, to perform, every one of us, diligently the feveral Duties of loyal Subjects, that belong to our refpective Stations. And these the Paffage of Scripture, which I have read to you, comprehends fo fully, and ranges them in fo natural an Order, that explaining and enforcing the Precepts of it, as they lie there, will give a fufficient View of all that is incumbent on us in this Matter.

Put them in mind to be fubject to Principa lities and Powers, to obey Magiftrates. Thefe Phrases have the fame Meaning: only the Variety of them ferves to set forth the Obligation the more completely, and prefs it the more earneftly as indeed there are few, that deferve a greater Regard.

Human Kind, from early Ages, have lived collected into large Numbers: and our Nature and Circumftances plainly require, that we should. We experience an inward Propenfion to affemble and unite: and are by the Faculty of Speech peculiarly qualified for it. We have many Affections, and the Seeds of many Virtues, planted in us; which a more folitary Life would give us very little Room to exercise or cultivate: and many Wants and Neceffities belong to our Condition, which nothing can tolerably well fupply, but an extenfive Intercourfe of Man with Man. We cannot

cannot therefore either improve or enjoy ourfelves, as God defigned, but in Society and Society cannot fubfift, without a due Subordination of one Part of it to another; that is, without Government and Obedience. The Appetites, the Paffions, the Caprices of Men, would be always leading them to disquiet their Neighbours, if they were not restrained by Authority. And a publick Direction is further neceffary, both for Defence against external Dangers, and for establishing inward Order in the Community. For even the best meant Endeavours of each Particular for the general Benefit, would be almost always ineffectual, and often prejudicial, unless they were conducted by the general Wisdom. Then befides, the civil Power is eminently useful, by the Sanctions of its Laws, to what concerns us yet more nearly, the Reformation of our Morals, and bettering our Tempers. For though Rewards and Punishments have no immediate Efficacy to make a Change within : yet regulating our Behaviour will of course by Degrees contribute to mend our Hearts. Human Laws indeed cannot extend to all our Actions: but to many of the most material they can putting it out of Men's Power to do the Evil, which else they would, or stopping them short before they are gone far: faving fome by Fear *, making others wife by Experience, extirpating the Incorrigible; and obliging every one to fet all around him a Pat• Jude Ver. 23.

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tern of innocent and regular Living. But then laftly, as a right Belief in God, and his various Difpenfations towards Men, promotes, beyond all Things, both the Virtue and the Happinefs of Mankind; another chief Advantage of good Government is, that whereas without it, moft Men would either through Ignorance be deftitute of religious Principles, or by their own Folly, or the Fraud of others, led into abfurd and pernicious ones: it kindly makes Provifion for them of a rational Method of Instruction and Worship: not obtruding it on them by Force, but propofing and recommending it, which will always fuffice: and thus they are guarded, at once, from the dreadful Evils both of Impiety and Superftition; and carefully taught to difcharge the Duties, and bear the Afflictions, of human Life.

Government therefore being fo powerfully conducive to the Attainment of these most valuable Ends, which doubtlefs our Maker defigned to be attained, the Establishment of it in the World ought confequently to be regarded, as a most important Law of God and Nature, directly flowing from the Conftitution of Things. And what Reason teaches, Revelation expressly confirms: declaring, that the civil Power is the Ordinance of God; and They, who exercife it, His Minifters of Good to Men *; from which Premifes the Apostle's Conclufion in the fame Place is undeniable:

* Rom. xii. 1, 2, 4.

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Wherefore ye must needs be. fubject, not only for Wrath, but also for Confcience Sake *. Whoever then refufes due Submiffion to the Autho rity, which Providence hath placed him peaceably under; though we ought to judge of him as charitably as with Reafon we can, if he pleads Confcience for it; is, at least undefignedly, guilty of disobeying the Appointment of Heaven, in a Matter of the utmoft Confequence: to the Good of Mankind. I do not, by this, enjoin Obedience to whatever Power may start up, and maintain itself, in Times of publick Confufion, for a while, by the Sword: but to fuch only, as is fully and quietly fettled, andi acknowledged by the general Confent of the Community: Our Duty becomes fuch, in this! Cafe, only for the Sake of our common Good. And therefore, not they, who think they ought, and fay they would protect us, but they whoi can and do, are to be owned and obeyed. The Nature of the Thing, and the frequent Vi ciffitudes of human Affairs, requires abfolutely, that this be the Rule; and all the World: have ever admitted it, excepting a Handful of Country; who undoubtedly deferve both Pity and far as they go upon Principle; but whofe Notions, were they to fpread, would produce inextricable Confufion throughout the Earth.

Perfons in our own Age andEfteem, fo

And very happily Scripture is as clear in this Point, as Reason. There is no Power, faith

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* Rom. x 5.

St.

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