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this was actually done, the only answer that could be given to any of them, is obviously the following:-" If you allow that Cæsar is now the master of your country, which you plainly do by submitting to the circulation of his coin, an evident proof of his sovereign power; you must.allow that he has a right to some tribute or other, in that coin which bears his own image and superscription. He is now in actual possession, his government is peaceably established, it is the government under which you live and under which you are protected. Render, therefore, to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's."-(As quoted in Dean Tucker's Treatise on Government.) But though Jesus said the words under consideration to the subjects of the Roman government, he no where told them they were bound to have Cæsar for their chief magistrate. The most his language intends simply being, that while they allowed him to occupy this situation, they were bound to support his government.

22. Let it be imagined, Jesus had said,-Cæsar's is an unlawful government, and ought to be superseded by a lawful one, you are therefore only bound to pay taxes until this is done. It is quite clear such a declaration would either have been treated with contempt; or if it had excited a popular commotion, that the Roman government would probably have had no difficulty in suppressing it, though it might have cost the lives of thousands. And it is also evident, that the promulgation of a new religion, or a great change in an old one, is best effected in time of peace. Had Judea, therefore, been given up to all the horrors of a civil war, the designs of Heaven with regard to the promulgation of the gospel would have been to a considerable extent frustrated. But what sort of persons were they who put the question? They were the chief priests and scribes who had watched Jesus, and sent forth spies which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words; that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.' Persons so actuated, were evidently some of the last that might be expected to regenerate their country, even had the opportunity been a favourable one. And so far from its being the intention of Heaven to assist the Israelites in the attainment of such an object, they were about to cease being a separate nation, or even a distinct province of a nation, for the unspeakable wickedness of which they had been and were guilty. Properly to appreciate the tendency of our Lord's words, three parties are to be considered

His hearers;

Their fellow subjects;-and

The Roman government.

We thus see that Jesus addressed himself to an extremely small part only of an immense whole. Had he had occasion to address the entire population of the empire, very different language

might have been used. And even this would have been dependent on circumstances; for if such population were so demoralized as to be unable to establish over themselves a better government than Cæsar's, the advice might have been,-Reuder unto Cæsar, &c. If, on the contrary, they had been capable of appointing a righteous government, the advice we may expect would have been :-It is now time to leave off rendering to Cæsar the things which were Cæsar's, and to appoint over yourselves that form of government, which alone accords with the will of the Most High.

23. That nothing could be farther from our Lord's intention than to sanction the Roman government, or any of its lawless acts, thus appears. The sacred historian tells us, that Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, said unto them' in reference to Jesus, 'Ye have brought this man unto me as one that perverteth the people; and behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man, touching those things whereof ye accuse him. No, nor yet Herod, for I sent you to him; and lo nothing worthy of death is done unto him.' The principal part of the charge was as follows:-His accusers said, 'We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Cæsar, saying that he himself is Christ a king.' The very passage under our consideration, evinces the falsity of the accusation. Here are two principal magistrates consenting that an innocent person shall be murdered, for no other reason than because lawless men require it. Pilate and Herod of course perfectly knew the temper of the government at Rome, and that they might act as they did. One of these very respectable magistrates insults the accused, the other three times over begs his accusers to let him off. It has been recently observed, that the Gentile nations necessarily including the Roman nation, were at the Christian era governed by the law of nature. It cannot be imagined, that at the same moment the Lord Jesus was republishing such law (as the rule of conduct for the whole world;) and about to give it the most solemn sanction it could have, his own death ;-he in any manner ratified the establishment or maintenance of the Roman government, upheld altogether in opposition to this holy law and which allowed to be perpetrated under its rule, the deed just alluded to, the most unholy the annals of the world contain: it being remembered, that this is only an example of the whole conduct of the Roman government. Dr. Mosheim, speaking of the Roman people at the Christian era, says, though they had not lost all shadow of liberty, they were yet in reality reduced to a state of servile submission to Augustus Cæsar; who by artifice, perfidy, and bloodshed, had proceeded to an enormous degree of power and united in his own person the pompous titles of emperor, sovereign, pontiff, censor, tribune

of the people, proconsul;-in a word, all the great offices of the state.-(Eccl. Hist.)

24. The words of our Lord-Render unto Cæsar, &c.—were addressed to particular persons-related to them only-in the peculiar situation in which they were placed—and have therefore no reference whatever to all mankind; any more than has Paul's injunction to Timothy. (18.)

25. If the emperor of Russia, not being yet satisfied, brings forward the quotation from Paul, it may be thus replied to him: -You can find nothing in the Bible that will support your pretensions. If you insist that every word of it, from the beginning of Genesis to the end of Revelation does support them, every adult male Russian can say the same thing. For any one or more than one passage to serve your individual purpose, there must be something in it of private interpretation. But not a single syllable of the kind is to be found.

26. Joshua producing the Book of Deuteronomy, and urging it as an authority for the Israelites being under his control, would have been unanswerable. But if any thing in the Bible can be produced as a warrant for your assuming and holding the chief magistracy, the dealings of Heaven with mankind would be as follow. In one part of the sacred volume a rule is laid down, by which every man, whatever relation of life he desires to attain, must be governed, i. e. the divine law. And, notwithstanding this, other rules are to be found, whereby any man, in any country or any age, can set the preceding at nought; and establish himself as the chief magistrate of his nation, if he has the power. That were this truly so, the great end mankind would attain by having a revelation from Heaven, would be to be set all over the world, and in all ages, quarrelling with each other; as every man, in every nation and every age, might allege he had a right to be the emperor of his country, and thus there would be none to be governed. And thus much for the emperor of Russia.

27. Paul's words refer to powers and not to individuals, and obviously, therefore, signify no more than this:- Let every soul be subject unto the Roman government; not, therefore, to some individuals more than to others, but, as has been intimated, to certain individuals, because they were allowed by the Roman people to constitute the government. For there is no government but of God. The existing one, as well as all others that ever have been, are, or shall be, in the world, were, and are, ordained of God. A lawful government is that only which is sanctioned by Heaven :- those that are unlawful are only permitted by it, as are all unlawful acts. (vi. 175.) If a nation will not establish a government in the way Heaven has pointed out, it is its own fault. Paul, who says to the Romans, Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers,'

says to the Ephesians, Let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself.-And the wife see that she reverence her husband.' These three commands are of universal obligation. As, therefore, it is incumbent for men collectively to appoint a righteous government and laws, so it is for them individually to choose fit wives, and for women to marry suitable husbands. But if men in any nation or age allow their rulers to be improperly appointed, or make a wrong selection of their wives, or women choose unsuitable husbands, the divine law is immutable; and says to the governed,-'Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers,' as it directs men to love their wives, and women to reverence their husbands. And thus, we see how government and marriage are ordained of God.

28. Suppose an adulteress to produce the following, just quoted, to her husband;- Let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself;' the man's answer obviously may be,—It is undeniable that the general rule is for husbands to love their wives as themselves, but you have forfeited all claim to my love. If lawful rulers produce to those they govern, Let every soul,' &c., the answer may be,-It is undeniable that the general rule is for the governed to obey their rulers; but as the appointment of all fulers, in all countries and all ages, conformably with the will of God, is in the whole of the governed, we shall supersede you; not because you have failed to do the best in your power, but because we consider those whom we intend to appoint, more competent. Suppose unlawful rulers to produce the passage, the answer may be ;-It is undeniable that you are our rulers,-equally so, that you have no right to govern:-all that we desire is, to establish that kind of government which alone accords with the divine will. To educe this glorious purpose, we shall be very glad of your co-operation. If you can convince us that we do not understand what is a lawful government, what are the lawful means of superseding you, or that you have any right to rule; we shall readily listen, being anxious only to do that which is lawful in the sight of Heaven.

29. It is not improbable that the Christian converts at Rome inquired, whether their profession of Christianity had in any manner released them, from the obligations they were under as subjects of the Roman government. Paul intimated to them, that the gospel, so far from lessening the obligation of the governed to their rulers, makes that, and all other parts of human duty, if possible, more imperative. The quotations from our Lord and Paul, were binding by the divine law so long only, as the majority of the governed chose to permit their rulers to hold the offices they did. The passage from Paul, like that of our Lord's, was addressed to particular persons,

related to them only,--in the peculiar situation in which they were placed, and it has, therefore, no reference whatever to all mankind.

30. Let us see what would be the consequence of applying Paul's language to the Romans,-generally. On such a supposition, those who can obtain the reins of government of a nation, by any deeds however iniquitous, have an equal right to obedience, as an administration deriving its authority in strict accordance with the divine will. Suppose the French to invade Spain if the former can, at the point of the bayonet, establish themselves as the governors, every Spaniard is bound to yield obedience to them. If, again, certain of the Spaniards can supersede the French, and establish themselves as rulers exclusively, wholly regardless of the rights of the rest of their countrymen; the latter are bound to obey their new masters as they before were the French. And if, again, any party of these governed Spaniards can effect another revolution, and establish themselves exclusively as masters; those who lately governed, and all other Spaniards, are bound to obey the newly established government. But the bare statement of what is here advanced, carries with it its own refutation. The invasion of the French, and the two usurpations of the Spaniards, were utterly illegal. Under every imaginable combination of circumstances, all that righteous men have to do, is, if their government is lawful, to support it; if unlawful, to supersede it:-in the latter case, waiting only for a suitable occasion. All, however, that is requisite on the supposition we are combating, is, that by fraud, violence, or a union of these, any persons whatever, whether natives or foreigners, if they can only obtain the reins of government of any nation, in any age, may require obedience as a right; and to all who in any way oppose them, produce as their authority, words addressed under peculiar circumstances to particular persons; and which it may be right to apply to an existing government, or act in a way exactly the reverse; so that as to the same constitution, they should be rigorously obeyed on the 1st of January, and utterly opposed on the 1st of July. It may, says Dr. Paley, be as much a duty at one time to resist government, as it is at another to obey it: -to wit, whenever more advantage than mischief, will in our opinion, accrue to the community from resistance.-(Mor. Philos.) If Paul's words are to be taken literally and as applicable at all times, it is obvious that an unlawful government could never be superseded. Had it been said by Paul,'Thou shalt not commit adultery,' this command, though addressed only to particular persons, applies to all human beings, and is irrespective of all contingencies; adultery being ever unlawful-ever a crime of great malignity.

31. Heaven directed the Israelites as follows,Both thy

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