I add this so distinctly, lest any should misapply Mr. Rich. Hooker's doctrine aforesaid, Eccl. Pol. lib. viii. p. 223, 224. "As for them that exercise power altogether against order, though the kind of power which they have may be of God, yet is their exercise thereof against God, and therefore not of God, otherwise than by permission, as all injustice is.—Usurpers of power, whereby we do not mean them that by violence have aspired unto places of highest authority, but them that use more authority than they did ever receive in form and manner, before mentioned.—Such usurpers thereof, as in the exercise of their power, do more than they have been authorized to do, cannot in conscience bind any man to obedience."
Lest any should gather hence that they are never bound in conscience to obey their parents, their king, their pastors, in any point wherein they exercise more power than God gave them, I thought meet to speak more exactly to that point, which needed this distinguishing. For the ground is sure that There is no power but of God;[384] and that God hath given no man power against himself, his laws and service; but yet there are many cases in which God bindeth children and subjects to obey their superiors, in such matters as they did sinfully command.
7. It greatly concerneth all sober christians therefore to be well studied in the law of God, that we may certainly know what those things are which God hath absolutely forbidden us to do, whoever command them, and to distinguish them from things that depend on mutable accidents; that as the three witnesses and Daniel, Dan. iii. vi. we may be true to God whatever we suffer for it; and yet may obey men in all that is our duty to them.
Thus the apostles knew that no man had power from God to silence them, or persecute them for the gospel. Therefore they would not obey those that forbad them to preach; and yet they would appear before any magistrate that commanded them, and obey their summons; and so we may do even to a usurper, or a private man.
8. The principal and most notable case, in which we must obey when a ruler sinfully commandeth, is, when the matter which he commandeth is not such as is either forbidden us by God, or out of the verge of his place and calling at all to meddle with and command, nor yet such as is destructive of our duty to God; but such as in general belongeth to his office to determine of according to God's general rules; but he misseth it in the manner and goeth against those rules; yet not so far as to destroy the duty we owe to God, or the end of it.
For instance, it is not in the ruler's power to determine whether there shall be preaching or none, true doctrine or false, &c. But it is in his power to regulate the circumstances of time, place, &c. (next to be recited). Now if he do these to order, unity, and edification, I will obey him formally and fully for conscience sake. If he so do it as is destructive to the end, (as is aforesaid,) as to say, You shall meet only at twenty miles' distance, or only at midnight, &c. I will obey him no further than necessity and the common good requireth me. If he do it only with a tolerable inconvenience, (as to say, You shall meet no where but in the open fields, &c.) I will obey for conscience sake, as I am in general a subject bound to honour the magistrate; but not as he nameth an unmeet circumstance, in that respect my obedience shall be but material.
I need not handle it as a distinct question, Whether pastors are to be believed or obeyed any further than they show a word of God revealing and commanding the particular thing? Divine faith and obedience is one thing, and human is another. 1. If as a preacher he shall say, This is God's word, believe it and obey it as such, you must believe with a human faith that it is liker that he knoweth what he saith, than you do, (unless, (1.) You see evidence; (2.) Or the consent of more credible persons to be against him, and then you are not to believe him at all). Even as a child believeth his teacher in order to learn the things himself, so you are so far to take his word while you are learning to know whether it be so or not. But not to rest in it as certain, nor to take your belief of him and obedience to him, to be a believing and obeying God formally, though a duty.
[383] Eph. v. 24; Col. iii. 20, 22; Rom. xiii. 1-6.
[384] John xix. 11; Rom. xiii. 1.