ii, 5, for which causes the
Lord denounces fearful wrath and judgments against him, Hab. ii, 7-14),
having no other right to the most part of his dominions, than the Lord's
providential disposal, which sometimes makes "the tabernacles of robbers
prosper; into whose hand God bringeth abundantly;" Job xii, 6. "And for
their sins gives _Jacob_ to the spoil, and _Israel_ to the robbers;"
Isa. xiii, 24. "And giveth power to the beast, to continue forty and two
months, and to have power over all nations;" Rev. xiii, 5, 7. So that,
by looking into the divine law, which determines every one's due,
according to their just character, and of which they could not be
ignorant, they might see that he had a just title to all that was due to
an usurper, idolater and murderer. That the _Jewish_ coin did bear
_Caesar's_ image, could be no evidence of his being their lawful
sovereign, seeing it is most common for the greatest usurpers and
tyrants to stamp their image upon the coin of the nations they tyrannize
over. And though it be granted that the _Jews_ had, by this time,
consented to _Caesar's_ usurpation, yet that could not legitimate his
title, nor warrant their subjection to him for conscience sake, seeing
they could not consent to his authority, but in express contradiction to
the many plain and positive scripture precepts, given by God unto them,
as has been seen above.
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