religion. What our Saviour thought of their traditions, what of the law and the prophets, you have heard. The Christian church likewise has the Apoftles and Evangelifts; they have alfo too many traditionary doctrines, which have no foundation in Holy Writ: what are we to do then? Do we want better authority than that of our Saviour to reject the traditions of men, and to hold fast the doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets of the Gospel; that is, as St. Jude exhorts us, to contend for the faith once delivered to the faints?

DISCOURSE LXII.

ROMANS xiii. 1.

Let every foul be fubject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

WE have, in this and the following verses, the duty which fubjects owe to their temporal governors, both taught and maintained by feveral reafons and arguments: the fenfe and propriety of which arguments clearly to understand, it will be neceffary for us to confider the circumftances of the time, and place, and perfons here concerned.

There is no appearance in the Gospel that our Saviour intended to make any alterations in the civil governments of the world. He came upon another errand, of quite a different nature: he never purposely enters upon the fubject of government, that being no neceffary part of his doctrine; but treats of it only as he was led by particular occafions.

In the twenty-fecond chapter of St. Matthew, we find a captious queftion put to him by the Pharisees, Whether it were lawful to pay tribute to the Roman Emperor, or not? The question arose from

hence there was at that time a fect among the Jews, who held it to be unlawful to pay any tribute to the Roman Emperor, or to yield any obedience to his laws. The author of this opinion was Judas of Galilee; who, when the Roman Emperor ordered the nation to be taxed, raised upon that account a great rebellion; perfuading the people to stand by their liberties, and not to fubmit to fuch a mark of flavery, as paying of tribute. The fate of this man is related fully by Jofephus; and is mentioned likewife by Gamaliel in Acts v. 37. After this man rofe up Judas of Galilee, in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished, and all, even as many as obeyed him, were difperfed. But though they were for the present difperfed, yet by degrees they gathered ftrength, and were the authors of many troubles; and in the reign of Claudius were ftrong enough to ravage and destroy many places in Samaria. Their pretence for freedom was, as we learn from St. Chryfoftom, that they were the fervants of the Lord, and therefore owed no fubjection to any human creature; that they were the freemen of God, and ought not therefore to be the flaves, or the subjects of men. This fect went by the name of Galileans; the author of it being of that country, as likewife many of his followers.

Now it is well known that this was a name by which the Chriftians went in the firft ages: they are mentioned under this name by feveral heathen writers; and that it was in ufe among all who fpoke contemptuously of Chrift and his religion, even fo late as in Julian's time, we learn from his writings

still remaining, where he often fpeaks of the Chriftians under the name of Galileans. And hence it came to pass, that the Chriftians going by the name of Galileans were generally thought by the heathens to entertain the fame opinions with the fect of that name; that is, they were taken to be men of feditious principles, who refufed obedience to earthly princes, and were for fetting up an independent government of their own. Thus when Tertullus the orator accufes St. Paul, he charges him with being a peftilent fellow, a mover of fedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the fect of the Nazarenes, Acts xxiv. 5. Of this calumny we find the unbelieving Jews alfo making their advantage against the Chriftians; for thus they accuse them to the magistrates of Theffalonica, Thefe who have turned the world upfide down are come hither alfo, Acts xvii. 6.

Upon this ground then it was that the Pharifees put that infidious queftion to our Saviour, Is it lawful to pay tribute to Cæfar? hoping, no doubt, to have found fomething whereof to have impeached him before the Roman governor. The collectors of tax feem likewife to have had the fame jealousy concerning our Saviour, when in the feventeenth of St. Matthew they inquire of St. Peter, whether his Mafter would pay tribute, or no? for it is probable by their question that they took our Lord for one of the new teachers, who fet up in defiance to the Roman Emperor: to which St. Peter anfwers, Yes. And our Saviour, though he intimates that he ought to have been exempted from paying tribute, yet, knowing what suspicions there were concerning him,

and what use would have been made of his refufal, orders St. Peter to go to the fea, and cast an hook, and take the fish that fhould come up, and open his mouth, where he should find a piece of money: That take, fays he, and give them as tribute for me and yourself, left we should offend them.

Now, though our Saviour's business was either to limit or to enlarge the civil governments of the world, yet this scandal which he and his difciples lay under, urged both him and them to vindicate themselves, and to teach their followers fuch obedience and fubmiffion to the higher powers, as might leave no pretence for fuch an accufation: accordingly our Saviour having drawn a confeffion from the Pharifees, that the tribute-money belonged to Cæfar, anfwers, that they should render to Cæfar the things which were Cæfar's.

That the Apoftles likewife had reference to the fame scandal in preffing obedience of all kinds upon their disciples, whether confidered as fubjects, or fervants, or wives, or children, is evident from hence, that they almost always close their inftructions of this fort with this argument, That the word of God be not blafphemed or evil Spoken of: an argument which in its own nature has no nearer relation to civil obedience than to any other good work; and it is as proper to exhort men to temperance and fobriety, to charity, and other the like virtues, that no scandal may be brought on the Gospel, as it is to exhort them to obedience to their fuperiors. This motive therefore being almost ever urged in the cafe of obedience, fhews plainly that the Chriftians were liable to reproach in this cafe more than any