authority over me or not; but this is too great an abfurdity to be true.

Secondly, The province or relation of the governour, is the rule or measure of his authority, both with refpect to perfons and things. For, as authority admits of degrees, both with refpect to perfons and things, one man having a greater authority with refpect to things, and more extenfive with refpect to perfons, than another; as the King of Great Britain hath a greater and more extenfive authority than the Lord Mayor of London; fo this difference is wholly founded in the different relations, in which they stand to those they have that authority over; for otherways, every petty-conftable would have as much authority as the King. Every petty-conftable hath a measure of authority; but that authority, as it is founded on, fo it is confined to his relation, and when his relation ceafes, his authority ceafes with it. And if he fhould affume a power beyond his relation, either with refpect to perfons or things, as this would be acting out of his province, and doing that which he hath no authority to do; fo the perfons, to whom that power was directed, would not be obliged, in confcience, to pay active obedience to it. The cafe is the fame, with refpect to all governours; for as their authority is annexed to, and founded in their relation, fo it is wholly confined to it, both with refpect to perfons and things. And as all magiftrates are the guardians of human fo. ciety, fome in a greater, and fome in a lefs de gree; fo their authority can extend only to fuch things wherein the good or hurt, the fafety or danger, of that fociety doth confift; for as this is their only and peculiar province, fo their au thority is confined to it, and cannot be extended to thofe things which are foreign to that relation, Befides,

Befides, if the province or relation, in which governours are placed, is not the rule and measure of their authority, then we are utterly at a lofs to know in what cafes we are obliged, in confcience, to pay active obedience to their commands, and in what not; and confequently, for ought I know, it may be my duty to obey every command which is laid upon me by my governours, tho' they command me to practile the greatest fin, because wherefoever, and in whatfoever, there is authority to command, there must be an obligation to obey; but this likewife is too abfurd to be true.

If it fhould be here replied, that it is our duty to obey all the commands of our governours, except those which contradict the commands of God, and that in fuch cafes our obligation to obey our governours ceafes, because we are under a fuperiour obligation, and confequently cannot be obliged to practise any thing that is finful, tho' our governours fhould lay fuch.commands upon us. I anfwer, the authority of the magiftrate is the authority of God, because it is originally derived from him, and confequently there can be no authority fuperiour to it.

And

therefore if, in these cafes, the magiftrate hath any authority to command, we are under an obligation to obey, because our obligation to obe, dience is founded on that authority; and confe quently must be as extenfive and univerfal, as that authority upon which it is founded; and fuch commands, in this cafe, would not contradict, but fuperfede or make void the commands of God; like as the gofpel of Chrift did not contradict, but fuperfede or make void the Mofaick law. But the magiftrates commands do not fuperfede or make void the commands of God confequently our non-obligation to obedience, in fach cafes, is not founded upon our obligation to # fu

a fuperiour authority (there being in fact no fuch thing) but only upon the magiftrate's laying fuch commands upon us, as they have no authority to do. From the foregoing obfervation, I infer,

First, That the principle fo often laid down, viz. that it is the duty of fubjects to pay active obedience to all the commands of their governours, except those which run counter to the commands of God, is an erroneous principle; for if our obligation to obedience, be founded in the authority or right of commanding in the lawgiver; and if the rule or measure of the authority of governours, be the relation in which they ftand; and if governours are the guardians of human fociety, by fecuring every one's property, and keeping every one in the quiet poffeffion of their own; and if this is their only and peculiar province; from hence it will unavoidably follow, that if governours command or forbid that wherein the advantage or disadvantage of human fociety is not at all concerned, as this is acting out of their province, and doing what they have no authority to do; fo their fubjects can be under no obligation to pay active obedience to fuch commands, whether those commands run counter to the commands of God or not. I infer,

Secondly, That if the civil magiftrates, fuch, fhould take upon them to rule Chrift's fubjects, by making laws to direct their behaviour and conduct in Chrift's fervice, as this would not be only an acting out of their own province, by do, ing that which they have no authority to do, but allo taking upon them to govern the fervants of another master; fo the fubjects of Chrift's kingdom would be under no obligation (any other than that prudential one before-mentioned of chufing the lefs evil) to pay active obedience to fuch laws; becaufe, where there is no authority to command, there can be no obligation to obey. I obferve,

Secondly,

Secondly, That as the body of chriftians have but one common head, viz, Chrift Jefus, fo all the members of that body, as fuch, ftand upon a level in point of authority; all of them being brethren in the fame family, fellow-members of the fame body, and fellow-fervants to the fame mafter. And Chrift, the Lord and head of this house, hath been fo far from taking in any of the members of this family to be sharers with himself in the government of it, or from giving a right of dominion to one member over another, in his kingdom, that on the contrary, he hath ftrictly forbid any fuch authority to be exercised in his church, Luke xxiii. 25, 26. The kings of the Gentiles exercife lordship over them, and they that exercife authority upon them, are called benefactors; but ye shall not be fo. But be that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth ferve. Chriftians, confidered as men, united in human fociety, may be invested with civil authority, or with authority in civil things, for the good and benefit of fuch focieties; but chriftians, confidered as chriftians, or as members of the body of Chrift, can have no authority, properly fo called, over one another, in religious things, or in things relating to christianity; and confequently, where there is no authority to command, there can be no obligation to obedience.

As to the paftors in Christ's church, they stand in the relation of minifters or fervants, and not in the relation of mafters or governours of Christ's people; and confequently there is no authority lodg'd in them, from that relation, to rule Chrift's fubjects, by making laws to direct their behaviour and conduct in Chrift's fervice; and therefore, if they fhould, at any time, take upon them to make laws, as aforefaid, Chrift's people are not obliged, in confcience, to pay active obedience to them; becaufe, where there is no authority to com

mand,

mand, there can be no obligation to obedience, as I obferved before.

If it fhould be here objected, first, that the paftors in Chrift's church have an authority over the people committed to their care, and that their people are bound in confcience to yield obedience to fuch laws, as they, by virtue of that authority, have a right to lay upon them; according to the teftimony of St. Paul, Heb. xiii. 17. Obey them that have the rule over you, and fubmit yourselves; for they watch for your fouls, as they that must give an account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief, &c. I anfwer, It is a piece of juftice due to the Apoftle, to interpret his words in fuch a fenfe, as is agree. able with, and not contradictory to the precepts of Christ. And therefore when he charged the believing Hebrews, To obey them that had the rule over them, and to fubmit themselves, he cannot, in reason, be supposed to intend any more than this, viz. that they should fubmit to, and follow the inftructions and admonitions of their paftors, in all thofe things which they, from the gofpel, fhould make appear to be their duty; that they fhould obey, not the commands of their pastors, but the commands of Chrift, which these pastors, according to their office, acquainted them with, and preffed upon them. As to the term ruler (as it is expreffed in our tranflation) which in this, and other places of the New Testament, is applied to the pastors in Chrift's church; the * Bishop of Bangor hath fhewn, that the word, in the original, doth not fignify a ruler in the most proper fenfe, which implies a law-giver, but only a teacher or guide; as may be feen in his anfwer to the reprefentation of the committee of the lower houfe of convocation, page 60, 61.

Dr. Benjamin Headley.