Ans. But we must know that political government is not founded upon religion ; that if a prince be not religious, he is no king ; but it is founded upon nature and free election, so that the heathen that have no religion, yet they may have a lawful government and governors, because it is not so built upon religion ; but where that is not, yet this may be, and God's appointment to uphold the world. So that, let the king be anything or nothing for religion, he is a lawful king.
Ohj. But it is further objected, that they succeed Christ, &e., and he was the Lord of the world, and they are the vicars of Christ ; and therefore they may dispossess and invest whom they will.
Ans. But you must know, Christ as man had no government at all : but Christ as God-man, mediator ; and so he hath no successor. That is in- communicable to the creature. Christ as man had no kingdom at all, for he saith, ' My kingdom is not of this world,' John xviii. 36. And St Aus- tin saith well, ' Surely he was no king, that feared he should be a king' (/t). For when they came to make him king, ' he withdrew himself and went away,' John vi. 15. And now Christ governs all things in the church. How ? As God, as mediator, as God- man ; not as man, but as God- man ; and so he hath no substitute. They are all vain, impudent allegations, as if all were theirs, because all is the church's to dispose ; and the pope takes himself virtually to be the whole church.
' All things are ours.'
Case 3. Doth not this hinder bounty ? It is mine, and therefore I do not owe any bounty unto others ; as Nabal said, ' Shall I give my bread, and my water, and refreshing,' &c., 1 Sam. xxv. 11. He was too much upon the pronoun ' mine.'
Ans. However all that we possess is ours in law, yet in mercy many times it is the poor's, and not ours. The bonds of duty, both of humanity and religion, are larger than the bonds of law. Put case, in law thou art not bound to do so, yet in humanity, much more in Christianitj^, thou art. That that thou hast is the church's, and the poor's, and not thine. It will
* That is, ' uncontrolled ' = of choice. — G, f That is, ' naughty ' == wicked. — G.
A cheistian's chakter. 17
bo no pica at the clay of judgment to say, it was mine own. Thou mayost go to hell for all that, if thou relieve not Clirist in his members. There- fore ' all things are ours ' now, not to possess all we have, but to use them as he will have them used, that gives them. And when Christ calls for anything that is ours, we must give it. And though we be not liable to human laws, if we do not, yet we are liable to God's law ; and alms and works of mercy, is justice in God's account ; for we ought to be merciful to Christ's. And in the royal law, the works of love and mercy are jus- tice, and we withhold good from the owners, if we be not merciful. For in religion, the poor, that hj God's providence are cast on us to be provided for, have a right, and that which we detain from them is theirs. And therefore, as St Ambrose saith very well, ' If thou hast not nourished one, howsoever in the law thou art not a murderer, yet before God thou art' (i). It is a breach of that law, ' Thou shall not steal,' not to relieve. The veiy denial of comfortable alms is stealth in God's esteem ; and therefore, though ' all be ours,' yet it is so ours, as that we must be ready to part with it when Christ in his members calls for it ; for then it is not ours.
Cme 4. Again, here is another question ; if all be ours, we may use a Uborty in all things, what, and how we list, because all is ours.
Ans. I answer: The following are good consectaries hence. 'All is ours ; ' and therefore with thankfulness we may use any good creature of God. ' All is ours ; ' and therefore we should not be scrupulous in the creatures, we should not superstitiously single out one creature from an- other, as if one were holier than another. ' All is ours ; ' and therefore with a good conscience we may use God's bounty. But hereupon we must not take upon us to use things as we list, because ' all is ours.' There is difference between right, and the use of that right. God's chikh'en have right to that which God gives them, but they have not the use of that right at all times, at least it may be suspended. As for example, in case the laws forbid the use of this or that, for the public good of the nation. Also in case of scandal. A man hath right to eat, or not to eat ; but if this eat- ing ' offend his brother,' he must suspend the use of his right. ' Whatso- ever is sold in the shambles, that eat,' saith St Paul, ' asking no question,' 1 Cor. X. 25 ; that is, freely take all the creatures of God, without scruple. ' For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof,' Ps. xxiv. 1. God, out of his bounty, spreads a table for all creatures, for men especially. ' The eyes of all things look up unto thee, and thou givest them meat in due season,' Ps. cxlv. 15, 16. ' The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.' Make no scruple therefore. But mark, in verse 28, he restrains the use of that liberty upon the same text of Scripture : ' But if any man say. This is offered to an idol,' and take offence, ' eat not, for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake ; ' till he be better satisfied. ' For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.'