naturally nothing else but the breach of that obli- CHAP. XIV. gation; it follows, that by the sin of treason that law is broken which preceded the civil law, to wit, the natural, which forbids us to violate covenants and betrothed faith. But if some sovereign prince should set forth a law on this manner, thou shalt not rebel, he would effect just nothing. For except subjects were before obliged to obedience, that is to say, not to rebel, all law is of no force. Now the obligation which obligeth to what we were before obliged to, is superfluous. punished not by the right of war. 22. Hence it follows, that rebels, traitors, and And therefore is all others convicted of treason, are punished not the right of soveby civil, but natural right; that is to say, not as reignty, but by civil subjects, but as enemies to the government ; not by the right of sovereignty and dominion, but by the right of war. 23. There are some who think that those acts Obedience not distinwhich are done against the law, when the punish-guished into ac ment is determined by the law itself, are expiated, tive and passive. if the punished willingly undergo the punishment; and that they are not guilty before God of breaking the natural law, (although by breaking the civil laws, we break the natural too, which command us to keep the civil), who have suffered the punishment which the law required; as if by the law the fact were not prohibited, but a punishment were set instead of a price, whereby a license might be bought of doing what the law forbids. By the same reason they might infer too, that no transgression of the law were a sin; but that every man might enjoy the liberty which he hath bought by his own peril. But we must know, that the words of the law may be understood in a twofold sense. The one as containing two parts, (as Obedience not guished into ac CHAP. XIV. hath been declared above in art. 7), namely, that of absolutely prohibiting, as, thou shalt not do rightly distin- this; and revenging, as, he that doth this, shall tive and passive. be punished. The other, as containing a condition, for example, thou shalt not do this thing, unless thou wilt suffer punishment; and thus the law forbids not simply, but conditionally. If it be understood in the first sense, he that doth it sins, because he doth what the law forbids to be done ; if in the second, he sins not, because he cannot be said to do what is forbidden him, that performs the condition. For in the first sense, all men are forbidden to do it; in the second, they only who keep themselves from the punishment. In the first sense, the vindicative part of the law obligeth not the guilty, but the magistrate to require punishment; in the second, he himself that owes the punishment, is obliged to exact it; to the payment whereof, if it be capital or otherwise grievous, he cannot be obliged. But in what sense the law is to be taken, depends on the will of him who hath the sovereignty. When therefore there is any doubt of the meaning of the law, since we are sure they sin not who do it not, it will be sin if we do it, howsoever the law may afterward be explained. For to do that which a man doubts whether it be a sin or not, when he hath freedom to forbear it, is a contempt of the laws; and therefore by chap. 111. art. 28, a sin against the law of nature. Vain therefore is that same distinction of obedience into active and passive; as if that could be expiated by penalties constituted by human decrees, which is a sin against the law of nature, which is the law of God; or as though they sinned not, who sin at their own peril. RELIGION. CHAPTER XV. OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD BY NATURE. 1. The proposition of the following contents. 2. Over whom God is said to rule by nature. 3. The word of God threefold; reason, revelation, prophecy. 4. The kingdom of God twofold; natural, and prophetic. 5. The right whereby God reigns, is seated in his omnipotence. 6. The same proved from Scripture. 7. The obligation of yielding obedience to God, proceeds from human infirmity. 8. The laws of God in his natural kingdom, are those which are recited above in chapters II. III. 9. What honour and worship is. 10. Worship consists either in attributes or in actions. 11. And there is one sort natural, another arbitrary. 12. One commanded, another voluntary. 13. What the end or scope of worship is. 14. What the natural laws are concerning God's attributes. 15. What the actions are whereby naturally we do give worship. 16. In God's natural kingdom, the city may appoint what worship of God it pleaseth. 17. God ruling by nature only, the city, that is to say, that man or court who under God hath the sovereign authority of the city, is the interpreter of all the laws. 18. Certain doubts removed. 19. What sin is in the natural kingdom of God; and what treason against the Divine Majesty. lowing contents. 1. We have already in the foregoing chapters, CHAP. XV. WE proved both by reason and testimonies of holy The proposi writ, that the estate of nature, that is to say, of tion of the folabsolute liberty, such as is theirs who neither govern nor are governed, is an anarchy or hostile state; that the precepts whereby to avoid this state, are the laws of nature; that there can be no civil government without a sovereign; and that L CHAP. XV. they who have gotten this sovereign command, must be obeyed simply, that is to say, in all things which repugn not the commandments of God. There is this one thing only wanting to the complete understanding of all civil duty, and that is, to know which are the laws and commandments of God. For else we cannot tell whether that which the civil power commands us, be against the laws of God, or not; whence it must necessarily happen, that either by too much obedience to the civil authority we become stubborn against the divine Majesty; or for fear of sinning against God we run into disobedience against the civil power. To avoid both these rocks, it is necessary to know the divine laws. Now because the knowledge of the laws depends on the knowledge of the kingdom, we must in what follows speak somewhat concerning the kingdom of God. Over whom God 2. The Lord is king, the earth may be glad is said to reign: thereof; saith the psalmist, (Psalm xcvii. 1). And again the same psalmist, (Psalm xcix. 1): The Lord is king, be the people never so impatient; he sitteth between the cherubims, be the earth never so unquiet; to wit, whether men will or not, God is the king over all the earth; nor is he moved from his throne, if there be any who deny either his existence or his providence. Now although God govern all men so by his power, that none can do anything which he would not have done: yet this, to speak properly and accurately, is not to reign. For he is said to reign, who rules not by acting, but speaking, that is to say, by precepts and threatenings. And therefore we count not inanimate nor irrational bodies for subjects in the king dom of God, although they be subordinate to the CHAP. XV. divine power; because they understand not the commands and threats of God: nor yet the atheists, because they believe not that there is a God; nor yet those who believing there is a God, do not yet believe that he rules these inferior things for even these, although they be governed by the power of God, yet do they not acknowledge any of his commands, nor stand in awe of his threats. Those only therefore are supposed to belong to God's kingdom, who acknowledge him to be the governor of all things, and that he hath given his commands to men, and appointed punishments for the transgressors. The rest we must not call subjects, but enemies of God. God threefold; 3. But none are said to govern by commands, The word of but they who openly declare them to those who reason, revelaare governed by them. For the commands of the tion, prophesy. rulers, are the laws of the ruled; but laws they are not, if not perspicuously published, insomuch as all excuse of ignorance may be taken away. Men indeed publish their laws by word or voice ; neither can they make their will universally known any other way. But God's laws are declared after a threefold manner: first, by the tacit dictates of right reason; next, by immediate revelation, which is supposed to be done either by a supernatural voice, or by a vision or dream, or divine inspiration; thirdly, by the voice of one man, whom God recommends to the rest, as worthy of belief, by the working of true miracles. Now he whose voice God thus makes use of to signify his will unto others, is called a prophet. These three manners may be termed the threefold word of |