DISCOURSE XIII.

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ROMANS xiii. I.

Let every Soul be fubject unto the higher Powers. For there is no Power but of God: The Powers that be are ordained of God.

E have, in this and the following Verses, the Duty which Subjects owe to their temporal Governors, both taught and maintained by several Reasons and Arguments: The Senfe and Propriety of which Arguments clearly to understand, it will be neceffary for us to confider the Circumstances of the Time, and Place, and Perfons here concerned.

There is no Appearance in the Gospel that our Saviour intended to make any Alterations

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Alterations in the Civil Governments of the World. He came upon another Errand, of quite a different Nature: He never purposely enters upon the Subject of Government, that being no neceffary l'art 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 Question put to him by the Pharifees, Whether it were lawful to pay I ribute to the Roman Emperor, or not? The Queftion arofe from hence : There was at that Time a Sect 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 ftand by their Liberties, and not to fubmit to fuch a Mark of Slavery, as paying of Tribute. The Fate of this Man is related fully by Jofephus; and is mentioned likewise by Gamaliel in A&ts v. 37. After this Man rofe p Judas of Galilee, in the Days of the Taxing, and drew away much People after him: He Walfo perified, and all, even as many as obeyed

him, were difperfed. But though they were for the prefent difperfed, yet by Degrees they gathered Strength, and were the Authors of many Troubles; and in the Reign of Claudius were strong enough to ravage and destroy many Places in Samaria. Their Pretence for Freedom was, as we learn from St. ChrySoftom, that they were the Servants of the Lord, and therefore owed no Subjection to any human Creature; that they were the Freemen of God, and ought not therefore to be the Slaves, or the Subjects of Men. This Sect 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 first Ages: They are mentioned under this Name by feveral Heathen Writers; and that it was in Ufe among all who spoke 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 Christians going by the Name of Galileans were generally thought by the Heathens to entertain the fame Opinions with the Sect of 24 that

that Name; that is, they were taken to be Men of feditious Principles, who refused 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 Sedition among all the Jews throughout the World, and a Ringleader of the Sect of the Nazarens, 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 Magiftrates of Theffalonica, Thefe who have turned the World upfide down are come bither alfo. Acts xvii. 6.

Upon this Ground then it was that the Pharifees put that infidious Question to our Saviour, Is it lawful to pay Tribute to Cæfar? hoping, no Doubt, to have found something whereof to have impeached him before the Roman Governor. The Collectors of Tax feem likewise to have had the fame Jealoufy concerning our Saviour, when in the seventeenth of St. Matthew they inquire of St. Peter, whether his Mafter would pay Tribute, or no? for it is probable by their Queftion that they took our Lord for one of the new Teachers, who fet up in Defiance

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to the Roman Emperor: To which St. Peter answers, Yes. And our Saviour, though he intimates that he ought to have been exempted from paying Tribute, yet, knowing what Sufpicions there were concerning him, and what Ufe would have been made of his Refufal, orders St. Peter to go to the Sea, and caft 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, lest we should offend them.

Now, though our Saviour's Business was not either to limit or to enlarge the Civil Governments of the World, yet this Scandal which he and his Disciples lay under, urged both him and them to vindicate themselves, and to teach their Followers fuch Obedience and Submiffion 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, answers, that they should render to Cæfar the Things which were Cæfar's.

That the Apostles likewife had reference to the fame Scandal in preffing Obedience of all Kinds upon their Difciples, whether

confidered