THE REAL CHRISTIAN IS CONSCIENTIOUSLY A DUTIFUL SUBJECT TO THE KING AND HIS GOVERNMENT

He that said, “fear God,” immediately added, as one evident proof of the reality of his godly fear, “honour the king.” Being chief magistrate, the king is God’s first temporal minister, who is to bear the sword of justice and judgment, “for the punishment of evil-doers, and for the praise of them that do well.” The Christian then, living like a Christian, has no just cause to fear a wound. We are commanded by God to reverence those who act under the king, for these ends; how much more then are we bound to regard himself! And if the Christian be concerned for his country, he cannot be unconcerned for his sovereign, who is more deeply interested in its welfare than any other man.

He prays publicly and privately for his king, for his family, and for all that are put in authority under him. It is his wisdom, interest, principle, and duty, thus to pray; because their prosperity is not only connected with his own, but their downfall would occasion the worse of hazards to millions of people. He who countenances strife and sedition, can no more be a true and benevolent Christian than a real patriot and subject; for, by these, confusion, rebellion, rapine, and murder, may overspread a land, to the general destruction, and to the reproachful hinderance of godliness and piety. I can find examples of pardon for the most atrocious private sins, in the Bible; but I do not recollect one instance of God’s mercy extended to the public crime of rebellion. Indeed, the same word is used in the original both for rebellion and for apostacy from God; and probably because they are almost one and the same thing. Rebellion is an aggregate evil, inducing and involving every other wickedness, and is precisely that offence of the first magnitude, which ruined the fallen angels, and through them brought misery and mischief into this world, as well as occasioned the irreparable sorrows of eternity.

A true Christian values private, public, and religious peace at too high a rate, ever to sacrifice it to the caprices and suspicions of selfish parties and worldly politicians. Corrupt as the world now is, he is thankful for the civil and religious liberty he enjoys, esteeming it a wonderful providence to him as a Briton, above all other men; and therefore he is not captious and querulous because governors are frail mortals like himself, and consequently cannot possibly please every one, nor be absolutely perfect in all things.

In cases of real oppression, the Christian hath a better God to go to than his own passions, or the violences of sinful men, or the evil god of this present evil world, who kindles those violences and passions by his own. He doth not rave, but pray; not swear and curse, but bless; not strive to cut throats for his own self-will, but to subdue his own heart first to the will of God, and to soften the hearts of others by temperance of conduct, kindness of reason, and innocence of life. “And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye; and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts.”

The word of God is the Christian’s rule of politics; not the false, fanciful, ignorant, and impracticable speculations of men, who know not their own hearts, and who, deriving all from their own stock, could not have true wisdom or grace, and consequently could not truly and really govern themselves. Whatever principles, temper, and conduct, cannot be “sanctified by the word of God and prayer,” are absolutely unholy to a Christian, and strictly to be avoided by him.

—Submitted

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