ntals of religion, and of the
covenant with the people. Many examples of this may be brought from
scripture. I shall give but one. King Asa entered solemnly into
covenant with God and the people. After that, he falleth in gross
transgressions and breaches. He associated himself and entered into
league with Benhadad, king of Syria, an idolater; he imprisoned Hanani,
the Lord's prophet, who reproved him, and threatened judgment against
that association, and at that same time he oppressed some of the people:
and yet, for all this, they neither laid him aside, nor accounted him an
hypocrite.

3. Private persons should be very circumspect about that which they do
in relation to the authority of kings. It is very dangerous for private
men, to meddle with the power of kings, and the suspending them from the
exercise thereof. I do ingenuously confess that I find no example of it.
The prophets taught not such doctrine to their people, nor the apostles,
nor the reformed kirks. Have ever private men, pastors or professors,
given in to the estates of a land as their judgment, unto which they
resolve to adhere, that a king should be suspended from the exercise of
his power? And, if we look upon these godly pastors, who lived in king
James's time, of whom one may truly say, more faithful men lived not in
these last times: for they spared not to tell the king his faults, to
his face: yea, some of them suffered persecution for their honesty and
freedom, yet we never read nor have heard, that any of these godly
pastors joined with other private men, did ever remonstrate to
parliament or estate as their judgment, that the king should be
suspended from the exercise of his royal power.

II. It is clear from this covenant, that people should obey their king
in the Lord: for, as the king is bound by the covenant to make use of
his power to their good; so, they are bound to obey him in the Lord in
the exercise of that power. About the people's duty to the king, take
these four observations.

1. That the obedience of the people is in subordination to God; for the
covenant is first with God, and then with the king. If a king command
any thing contrary to the will of God--in this case, Peter saith, "it is
better to obey God, than man." There is a line drawn from God to the
people, they are lowest in the line: and have magistrates inferior and
supreme above them, and God above all. When the king commandeth the
people that which is lawful, and