cheerful obedience of the bleffed virgin, fo highly favored by the Great God of nature, and the still more eminent inftances to the powers that be in the humble condescension of the bleffed Jesus, to the unjuft, and barbarous fentence against himself, by the established magiftrate, though only acting by a delegated power from a heathen emperor, evinces the exalted virtue of peaceable obedience, and condemns all poffible pretence for feditious, or rebellious enterprise. Chrift not only paid tribute, according to the established right of the reigning prince over a conquered people, but also in the perfon of his reprefentative, a stranger born, and a heathen by profeffion; he acknowledged the power and authority to be delegated by God, as being, for the time the governor of the province, and fubmitted patiently even to his fentence of a painful, and difhonorable death. It is needless to produce any further proofs of the uniform obedience of the most eminent characters to the ruling powers of the world, for peace and confcience fake, and on the principle of avoiding the greatest evil, both in their own conduct, and the confequence to the state from stubborn resistance, and rebellion; for could we fill a volume, with arguments to the purpose, the pattern of the divine Author of our religion, who is the power of God, and the wifdom of God, must render every other proof fuperfluous. All, therefore, who difdain to follow his example, and who either fecretly, or vi olently, oppofe the means of peace and order, which God, in his wifdom and goodness, hath appointed to prove our chriftian gratitude, and fubmiffion to his providential care of us, must be accounted worfe than Jews or infidels, and unfit to enjoy his future kingdom of peace and love, obtained for us by Chrift, through peace, and long fuffering; the peculiar place provided for all faithful, and godly fubjects, and where the turbulent, diffatified, and rebellious, Cc3 rebellious, can never expect to enter. God grant we may all be of the happy number of the former, and may have grace to ftrive to bring many of the batter to a jufter way of thinking, that we may equally partake of the riches of Chrift's redemption. To whom with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, be all praise and power for ever and ever. Amen. The Third Part of the Homily again Disobedience and wilful Rebellion. THE finful nature of all rebellion having been already proved by, or from holy fcripture, both in the first and fecond parts of this difcourfe, it may be profitable to proceed to fhew you, in the third place, (in order to deter mankind from yielding to this crime) how very bateful it is to the Almighty; what dreadful threatenings he hath denounced against it; and what fevere chaftifement await all thofe, who are engaged in either plotting, or abetting fuch ruinous meafures againft their fellow creatures; even diftreffes of the moft affecting nature here, and to many, endless mifery hereafter, in the kingdom of the grand rebel, and his difobedient angels, On the other hand, in order to encourage in his creatures a spirit of due fubjection and obedience, God holds out the choiceft of his temporal gifts, to those who cultivate the duties of obedient, faithful fubjects, even the fupreme bleffing of peace, and wordly comfort now, and through the riches of his mercy in Jefus Chrift, eternal peace and joy in the world to come. To convey a juft idea of the wickednefs of all rebellion, both towards God and men, it is the fouleft fouleft compound of ingratitude and cruelty. It must not be confidered in the light of a fingle fin, but viewed in all its terrible confequences, as the parent of robbery, murder, and every fpecies of crime and mifery that poffibly can be conceived. First, as a fin against Omnipotence; it is a breach of all God's holy laws, in ftriving to effect what he hath fo exprefly forbidden to be done. Secondly, it is the rankeft perjury, by breaking the oaths mén have made before God, to perform allegiance to the prince, or potentate, his Providence has chofen to be their ruler. And befides this double breach of folemn engagement, God is again moft heinously offended, by the additional difloyal, and blafphemous profeffion, which rebels employ to bind and confirm each other in their difobedience. Nay, they not only disturb the peace of the community, by unfettling the minds of the people from their industry, and honeft labor, in the common days of the week, by affociations, and conventions, but even the Lord's day is fcandaloufly profaned by their neglect of all due honour to that holy inftitution, employing the time of real devotion to God's fervice, in plotting and contriving their feditious projects, or in arming and marshalling for the deftruction of their countrymen. In fhort, the prominent feature of rebellion, is univerfal contempt of all religious ordinances, proceeding often to the most violent acts of horrible facrilege, both against God's place of worship, and even his holy word itfelf. And this the hiftory of former grievous times will fully prove to have been the fhocking practice of many who affected fanctity in an extraordinary degree, and boafted their defign of general reformation*. That The inconfiftency of the fanatics of former days, who were the moft defperate foes to all eftablished order, is worthy notice. For while their abfurd ideas of independency carried them fo far, as to allow of no other governor on earth, but Chrift, they were either That it opposes the first law of positive obedience to the Supreme has been moft fully ftated. The preference of mens own vain fancies and rebellious will, to the written will of God, is a no less manifeft infringement of the fecond commandment. The third must likewife be neceffarily disobeyed, by the confequent appendage of rafh and unlawful oaths and imprecations. The folemnity of the Sabbath is grofsly profaned by riotous and political meetings and caballing. The fifth is broken by the difgrace brought upon worthy parents and relations, by the rebellious practices of their diforderly connections. The fixth is woefully difregarded, fince fo ignorant, or perverfe, as to trample under foot the pofitive precepts of Chrift himself, refufing the very example of the Chief, to whom alone they thought allegiance due. Their affectation of religious motives, led them always to affirm, they fought the Lord in all their undertakings; but it is clear they fought him not, where be was to be found, or they would have liftened to the voice of pure his most holy word; they would have fought him in the hiftory of his own life and practice, as preaching peace, meekness, and contentment to every rank and order of men; and fhewing fubmiffion and obedience to all established power. Their conduct never could be more strongly ridiculed and reprobated, than in the following hiftorical anecdote:-When by fuperlative hypocrify, the ufurper had atchieved his own ambitious purposes, and found it neceffary to throw afide the tools of fanaticism, he commiffioned a witty partizan of his own tribe to difmifs the formal remnant of the mock parliament then fitting. Upon this peremptory demagogue's interrogation of, What are ye doing here ! the pious fpeaker of this ridicuTous affembly replied, That they were feeking the Lord. Then you may go elsewhere, (faid he) for to my certain knowledge the Lord has not been here these many years. And doubtless he was a good judge, how little the proceedings of those times partook of the divine influ ence, who was privy to the mystery of their management. So it ever was, and ever will be; the deep and crafty movers of fedition call from the dregs of the community, fuch inftruments as are useful for their work; idle, conceited, and difcontented perfons; fraudulent tradesmen, and ifliterate mechanics: in fhort, diffolute and defperate adherents, who in profpect of a change, (however terrible the general confequence) do promife themfelves fome benefit to their Thattered circumftances. If they fucceed, their inftigators ftep from behind the curtain, and triumph as the heroes of the tragic fcene. If they fail in their pernicious efforts, they are left to the fate to which ftupidity, or extreme audacity hath brought them. murder murder in every fhape, becomes the certain confequence of lawless infurrection. The feventh, is inevitably violated, by the fhameful disorders that are committed against decency and virtue. The eighth, is continually broken by the liberty taken in times of this defcription, with the property of every orderly member of the community. The ninth, which pofitively requires the moft faithful testimony in every cafe between mankind, is notoriously abused by false impeachments, and accufations of those that are not willing to join the general mischief. And the tenth, can hardly be supposed to be much noticed by those whofe principal object is actually to deprive their fellow-citizens of their property, and thereby realize the iniquity of unjust defire of their neighbor's goods. Thus rebellion wages open war with God and men, and men, and may be justly faid to contain the seven capital or deadly fins, viz. pride, envy, anger, covetoufnefs, idleness, fenfuality, and lafcivioufnefs. Firft ambition, which is the offspring of pride, is that which in imitation of fatan's original crime, prompts the inferior to difplace the lawful chief, and ufurp equality of power; to figure on fituations for which neither Providence of nature ever defigned or qualified them to destroy the beauty of order, and value of fubordination: and in truth to aim at filling in their own perfons, the very ftations they pretend to reprobale. As to the remaining fins, attending fuch ruinous effects, they are the infeparable effects of all rebellion. As to floth, debauchery, and extravagance, the ufual companions of diffolute manners, when men by their exceffes have reduced their patrimony and poffeffions, and are driven to defpair of ever retrieving their former fplendor; they are ripe for any innovation, and under the pretence of virtuous exertions and reformation, they become the most furious promoters of INSURRECTION. In fhort, rebels are evidently the worst of plunderers and affaffins ; because the most notorious thieves and crucleft 9. mur |