A SERMON AT THE SOLEMNIZING OF THE HAPPIE Inauguration of our most gracious and Religious Soueraigne KING IAMES Wherein is manifestly proued that the Soueraignty of Kings is immediatly from God and second to no authority on Earth whatsoeuer Preached at Paules Crosse the 24. of March last 1608. By RICHARD CRAKANTHORPE Doctor of Diuinitie LONDON Printed by W. Iaggard for Tho Adams dwelling in Paules Church-yard at the signe of the blew Bell. 1609. TO THE RIGHT REuerend Father in God THOMAS Lord Byshop of LONDON my Honourable good Lord all Grace Prosperity and Happinesse THE manifolde and waighty Ecclesiasticall affaires wherein your Lordshippe is daily imployed and many times wearied partly in aduancing the sincere profession of Gods holy truth and partly in maintaining the happy tranquility of this most renowned Church haue often occasioned me to remember the words complaint of that learned father S. Augustin Though besides those innumerable Ecclesiasticall cares which hee sustained and of which he said that almost none would beleeue them but such as had experience of them he was daily incumbred also with the iudiciall hearing of verie many secular causes for which as he saith he was daily with al reuerence attended and saluted by the people yet some in that age most vniustly blamed both him other Bishops as being desidious and like the Pharisees tying heauie burthens on other mens shoulders which themselues would not touch with their litle fingers who can possibly escape that censure if the indefatigable industry toile of S. Augustine could not quit him thereof He then with a most serious and solemne protestation answered I call Iesus Christ to witnesse vpon my soule that I had much rather giue my selfe to reading praying and other spirituall exercises yea to daily handy-workes then indure the most tumultuous perplexities of other mens causes about their secular businesses either iudicially to end them or by perswasion to preuent them The cogitation heereof had almost perswaded me not to withdraw your Lordshippe so much as to the viewe of these my slender labours but that the seuerall bandes of duty which I owe vnto your Lordship ouer-swayed with me heerein at the last For hauing not onely beene called as from little Zoar to Ierusalem by that message which to me was no other then the voice of God though some younger Samuels may perhappes mistake it to bee Elias voice but further also in that straitnesse of time extraordinarily encouraged by your Lordship to this seruice the fruit of my labours therein if it be any I iudged it my duty to present to him by whose Authoritie and appointment they were first vndertaken Againe seeing my heartie and sincere desire heerein was to testifie my vnfaigned loue first to Gods truth and then to the peace of our Ierusalem in both which I expect no lesse then the seuerest censures of two in themselues opposite and both of them very rigorous aduersaries who contrary to the Apostles rule either follow not the truth or follow it not in loue I was emboldened in both these to intreat protection vnder your Lordships name as one who liuing vnder your Lordships both publicke and Domesticall gouernment haue and do daily see manie assured experiments of your Lordships zeal to the one and prudence ioyned with great moderation in the other Besides I must and do with thankefulnes acknowledge which I haue often heeretofore gladlie recounted a good part of that light with which God hath in mercie vouchsafed vnto me to haue bin receiued frō that faire burning lamp which many years in our Vniuersitie your L. verie often and happilie helde forth vnto vs then especiallie when in the last yeares of our late Soueraigne in those as some thought declining daies wherein the children of Babylon vpon some vainly conceiued hopes I know not what began somwhat insolently to insult At which most needfull time it cannot bee forgotten how the religious constant godly zeal of your L. being one most eminent in that place did animate incourage many others my selfe among the rest who then sat at the feet of Gamaliel and who by those words vttered in fittest time by the tongue of the learned found in our selues how truly the Wiseman saide The words of the wise are like goads and like nailes fastned by the maisters of the assemblies If in these respectes I present this small pledge of my dutie to your Lordshippe and with a willing heart offer this mite vnto the Lords Treasury let me in excuse of the slendernesse thereof vse those fit words of S. Ierom. Euery man offers in Gods Tabernacle according to his ability some offer Gold and Siluer and precious stones others bring Silke and Purple and Scarlet and fine linnen Nobiscum bene agitur si obtulerimus pelles caprarum pilos Howsoeuer it bee I gladly submit it to your Lordships graue wisedome and to the Church of God euen in those most submissiue words and maner which I long since learned of the most learned S. Austen and which beeing heere expressed in all my speeches and writings I earnestly desire to be vnderstood Domine Deus Quaecunque dixi de tuo agnoscant tui Si qua de meo tu ignosce tui Blacke Notley in Essex May 15. 1609. Your Lordships Chaplaine in all duty most humbly to be commanded RICHARD CRAKANTHORPE 2. CHRON. CHAP. 9. Verse 5. ANd shee saide to the King It was a true word which I heard in my owne Land of thy sayings and of thy wisedome 6. Howbeit I beleeued not their report vntill I came and mine eyes had seene it behold the one halfe of thy great wisedome was not tolde mee for thou exceedest the Fame that I heard 7. Happy are thy men and happy are thy Seruants which stand before thee alway and heare thy wisedome 8. Blessed bee the Lord thy God which loued thee to set thee on his throne as King in stead of the Lorde thy God because thy God loucth Israell to establish it for euer therefore hath he made thee King ouer them to execute Iudgement and Iustice. 9. Then she gaue the King six score Talents of Gold and of sweet Odours exceeding much and precious stones THe solemnity of this most ioyfull day and happy opportunity which God hath giuen vs to celebrate the same to the glory of his holy name to the honour of our most Religious Soueraigne to the comfort of vs and all his loyall Subiectes but to the confusion of those sonnes of Beliall who hauing euill will at Sion repine and pine away to see the peace and prosperity of this most flourishing church and kingdome and to heare of the myrth and melodie in our streets this day hath mooued me to make choice of these wordes of the Queene of Sheba to King Salomon wherein euery one may see both a fit correspondence to our Salomon and a woorthy example of that loue wee all owe to
Angell of the Lorde according to the aboundance of that admirable and Diuine wisedome wherewith God hath extraordinarily filled his Royall heart hath firmely setled and established the Arke of the Lord vpon those holy Mountaines of Sion on which euen from the most pure and primitiue dayes of the Church and from the Apostles themselues it had euer rested Which if their fancy might haue preuailed had long since not onely beene remooued from Sion but placed also as did the Philistims place it 1. Sam. 6 11. most basely and totteringly and disgracefully euen set vpon a Cart. In the happy establishing whereof though some fewe as the Eckronites haue bin iustly smitten of the Lord because they neither had right nor bare sincere loue to the Arke of God whose cure also hath beene sought that with most tender and fatherly care and compassion but such is the zeale of opposition and predominancy of Popularity and contentious humors that by no demonstrations of reason will they be perswaded no not when they are indeed perswaded by no authority will they be mo◅ed no not by that Sacred and Soueraigne which God himselfe hath appointed in many of those affaires to bee the very Canon and rule of right though some fewe of these I say may repine heereat yet shall it euer be the honour yea the felicity and safety also of our Soueraigne to haue those holy Aarons to support his Princely hands and this shall euer be reckoned as a speciall and as it is in truth euen a rare blessing of God vpon this Church and Kingdome by all those whosoeuer not in shew but in sincerity and truth wish to see peace in Sion and prosperity in Ierusalem I must in silence passe by many other and great blessings which by the meanes of our SALOMON are heaped vpon vs. But let my tongue cleaue to the roofe of my mouth if I forget that one most memorable happinesse which wee all receiued by him on that fift of Nouember That one day shall be for euer a most glorious Tro haeum and euerlasting Monument both of his most blessed and vnspeakable Wisedom and of the infinit blessings which by him we haue all receiued By it wee enioy not onely our Goods our Lands our Liuings our Liberty our Religion but euen this that we liue and breath this day we owe it to him and to his wisedome It was not the Loue nor Loyalty of his though most louing and Loyall Subiects which preuented that sudden and secret blow that should at once haue dispatched and blowne vp all It was not the Prudence and vigilancie of those thrice-Noble woorthies of King Dauid the Golden pillers of Israel though a most wise and a most Honourable Senate All may and all willingly doe disclaime the praise of that day The whole honour of that most wonderfull and withall most happy deliuerance must bee giuen first to thee O most glorious and most gracious God and next after thee to thine annointed alone Thou didst fill his hart as thou didst sometime the hart of thy holy Prophet Daniel with wisedome frō aboue to Discouer the deepe and secret thinges and to know what is in darknesse And he being full of thy Spirit to the endlesse comfort of this Empire and of all his loiall subiectes discouered indeede that darke and secret speech that darke and secret Vaut that darke secret and hellish treason so kept off that imminent blow which would haue proued fatall to him to vs and to all his kingdomes The happinesse of that day of thy wisedome O gracious King our Histories and Chronicles shal commend our Lawes and Statutes shall record to all eternity Euery Citty Towne and Village euery Church in this Land euery degree of thy people from the tallest Caeder to the very Shrubbe shall sing and sound foorth thy Noble praise And as the Israelites did in honor of Iosiah euery Tribe and family shall praise thee apart and their Wiues apart The royall and princely Tribe of Iuda shall prayse thee apart and the holy Tribe of Leuie shall praise thee apart The Nobility shall praise thee apart the Gentry Commons shall praise thee apart The Students of a◅professions shal praise thee apart the Men of Warre and the Men of Peace shall praise thee apart yea euery House euery Family throughout all Israell shall praise thee apart We in this age will speake of thy praise to our Children our Children to their Childrens Children vnto all generations And if it were possible that we or our posteritie could bee silent herein yet the Magnificent and princely buildings and Monumentes in these two famous and renowned Citties the very wood and wals of these houses stones in these streets euen with their dumb eloquence would sing aloud and sound foorth thy Noble praise all which in their kinds are pertakers of that happines which vnder thee and by thee we then all receiued Iudge now with your selues if besides many and great blessinges which I haue purposely omitted for these so great and indeed inualuable blessings which by the happy meanes of our SALOMON we doe enioy we may not all most iustly say to him as did the Queene of Sheba to King Salomon Happy O King are thy people and happy are thy Seruants Shall I further here adde whereof this Queene is silent in that King of Israel that the wisedom of our SALOMON is an happinesse not onely to his owne people and Subiectes but euen to strangers also The gracious beames there of like those of the Sunne spreading themselues to far and forraine Countries yea to the vtmost Coastes of this and the other world To omit many other and euident proofes hereof euen that which beeing the chiefe if time would suffer ought not to bee omitted that with such constancy and zeale himselfe holds forth a glorious Lampe of Piety and true Religion vnto all Christian Kings and kingdomes performing heerein that which Gods spirite hath noted as the greatest part of wisdome the more wise the King was the more he taught them knowledge caused them to heare But omitting these let the honourable expedition now happily intended for Virginea be a witnesse enterprised I say not auspicijs but by the most wise religious direction and protection of our chiefest Pilot seconded by so many honorable and worthy personages in this State and kingdome that it may iustly giue encouragement with alacrity and cheerefulnesse for some to vndertake for others to further so noble so religious an attempt I may not stay in this straightnes of time to mention much lesse set forth vnto you the great and manifold benefits which may redound to this our so populous a Nation by planting an English Colony in a Territory as large and spacious almost as is England and in a soyle so rich fertill and fruitefull as that besides the sufficiencyes it naturally yealds for it selfe may with best conuenience supply some of the greatest
faile nor fall away is that very same Babylon which is the mother of Idolatries and all abhominations which shall most vndoubtedly receiue those iudgements of desolation eternall condemnation from the Lord. What a wofull and miserable thing is it then to bee a Papist a member of the Church of Rome or which is all one of Babylon Especially seeing God himselfe hath foretolde Apocalipse 18 4. that they who pertake of her sinnes shall receiue also of her plagues And againe Apocalipse 14 9 10. If any receiue the marke of the Beast that is subiection vnto him the same vnlesse hee repent and goe out of Babylon shall drinke of the Wine of the wrath of God and bee tormented in fire and Brimstone before the holy Angelles and before the Lambe Thinke now with your selues what a blessing and happinesse wee do all inioy who vnder the most Religious raigne of our Soueraigne are freed and secured from that Iron and more then Babylonish Captiuity who in aboundance of peace and tranquility liue to serue God in Bethel and at IERVSALEM in the house of God and Citty of peace not in BETH-AVEN not in BABYLON in the house of vanity of confusion and vtter desolation Let me say yet one thing more whereas the Spirite of God hath fore-told that sundrie Kings and Kingdomes loathing and detesting the abhominations and Idolatries of Babylon which is confessed to bee Rome shall not onely forsake the Whore but hate her and make her desolate and naked and burne her with fire which Prophesie is in part begunne to bee fulfilled but in due time shall be fully accomplished Though I am no Prophet nor sonne of a Prophet that I can deuine yet as one of those who expect and pray for the performance of Gods promise and full deliuerance of all his people from that miserable thraldom crying How long Lord holy and true doest thou not auenge our blood It may well I say be hoped considering the piety Zeale and magnanimity of our most Religious Soueraigne that either himselfe or some of his most happy and Religious off-spring shall be the very Generall the first and chiefe Leaders of the Armies of the Lord of Hoastes against Babylon and so not onely giue cause to all the people of God with endlesse ioy to sing that triumphant song for the ruine thereof foretold by the Apostle Apoc. 18 20. O heauen reioyce of her and ye holy Apostles and Prophets reioyce for God hath giuen your iudgement of the Whore but purchase also to themselues that blessing and happinesse which God hath promised d wil vndoubtedly performe to the ruinaters destroyers thereof O daughter of Babylon wasted with misery happy shal he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast serued vs Blessed shall hee bee which taketh thy children dasheth them against the stones To this blessing of Piety and Religion let me adioyne another of neerest affinity and which is also a speciall meanes to continue the former happines vnto vs to wit the peaceable and happy setling of the Ecclesiasticall gouernment and affaires of our Church Would to God that tumult in the Church might neuer be remembred but buried in eternall obliuion which the new Donatists of this age haue made who like those in Saint Austens time can abide no spot nor wrinckle in the Church who cry vnto others Depart depart ye go out from thence and touch no vnclean thing or stand apart and come not neare vs wee are holier then you and who glorying as S. Austen sheweth in these words of the Apostle Take away euill from among you Ad sacrilegium scismatis occasionem praecisionis vsurpant They abuse those Apostolicall words to make a Scisme which is Sacriledge and for an occasion of Praecision of cutting off and seperating themselues from the true Church of God which by a late learned man is condemned for Diabolicall though otherwise a man liue an Angelicall life But alas it is too apparent to the world the church which hath felt the smart thereof hath grieued and groned to see her owne children whom she hath nourished and tenderly brought vp to rebell against her and with Corah Dathan and Abyram to go apart and make a faction against Moses and Aaron and with disdainefull insolency to say vnto them Moses and Aaron ye take too much vpon you seeing all the congregation is holy wherefore lift ye vp your selues aboue the congregation of the Lord. Nay though the Church out of the tendernesse of a mothers compassion would willingly couer and conceale all these wronges yet are they too well knowne in Gath and published in the streets of Askalon and the vncircumcised Philistims by these mens occasion haue and do daily blaspheme the name of God and his glorious truth and Gospell which we do professe who reioycing in our discordes and saying among themselues There there so would we haue it do euen laugh and triumph to see how those who should haue turned their edge against Amalecke and Babylon the enemies of the Lord haue bin most sharpely whetted and seditiously backed also to wound their owne mother and those who in the church are like Eliah the very Chariots and Horsemen of Israel It is not my purpose at this time to intreat eyther of the dignity or of the Diuine and Sacred authoritie of those most reuerend Fathers of the Church which in another very learned and Academicall assembly I haue some yeares since at large demonstrated to haue an assured and vndeniable warrant not onely from all antiquity and the renowned practise of the whole Primitiue Church but euen from the Apostles themselues and from the diuine institution and ordinance of the Lord. Nor is it my purpose at this time to make euident vnto you how that Imperious nay rather Imperiall presbiteriall Consistory which those new builders had fancied besides that it wants all ground of Scripture and of Antiquity is in truth and in experience would prooue a very Seminary of sedition and a Sanctuary to euery turbulent and seditious Gracchus both in Church and kingdome Nor was it possible that a fancy so repugnant to Scriptures Fathers and all Antiquity so contrary to the peace and Tranquility both of Church and kingdome could euer haue found like entertainment if the maintainers and abetters thereof had not bin guided nay blinded with two most dangerous affections both for Church and Common-wealth affectation of Singularitie and of Popularity That which I would onely mention at this time is the great blessing which by the happy meanes of our Salomon we now enioy who seeing and grieuing to see a rent in Gods Church himselfe like Phinees stood in the gap and with more then Princely Clemency and Moderation made vp the breach appeased those affaires and remoued that shame and reproach from Israel which the vnquietnesse of contentious spirits had brought vppon it Who being wise as the
in duty ought first to bee performed by the Apostles and their successours let the holy Apostle or the Spirite of God by his mouth speake and determine Let euery soule saith he be subiect to the higher powers which himself in that place expounds to bee those seculare Kinges and Princes who beare the Sword and to whom tribute is due Now this precept was directed and giuen to the whole Church of Rome euen at that time also when Saint Peter by their Doctrine was Bishop of Rome and therefore the spirit of GOD commaunding euery Soule particularly in that Church to bee subiect to the secular powers and Princes without all doubt inioynes obedience and subiection euen to S. Peter himselfe and to all his successours yea much rather vnto them who were to be Ensamples to the rest both in word and in conuersation A truth so cleare that Claudius Espenseus one of their owne and a learned Bishoppe not onely confesseth thus much but confirmes it further out of Theodoret Theophilact Oecumenius and others specially out of Saint Chrysostome who expresly mentions the Apostles themselues to be included in that precept Etiam si Apostolus sis though you bee an Apostle though an Euangelist though a Prophet and which I thinke will reach to the Pope Etiam si quiuis alius fueris or what else soeuer you bee euery Soule must be subiect to those higher and secular powers Or if any notwithstanding this euidence of truth and such a Cloud of witnesses wil yet exempt either the Pope or any other from this duty it may most iustly be replyed vnto him with the wordes of Saint Barnard in his 42. Epist Si omnis anima et vestra If euery Soule bee subiect then must yours Who hath exempted you from this vniuersality Si quis tentat excipere conatur decipere If any goe about to exempt you he goeth about to deceiue tempt you And again do ye despice seculare powers Seculiarior nemo Pilato none was more secular then Pilot before whō Christ himselfe stood to be Iudged and of whom he confessed Potestatem super sefuisse caelitus ordinatam That Pilate had power ouer him and that giuen from God What in duty then ought to bee done for the whole time of the New Testament by this example of Christ and precept of Gods Spirit is most euident And as subiection is commaunded by God so was it practised and performed by the Apostles by the primitiue Bishops yea euen by the Popes themselues for many hundreths of years together For the first three hundreth yeares after Christ while Kings and Emperours were Paganes and Persequutors of the Church it is confessed both by Bellarmine and Carerius that for all that time the Apostles and Bishops of Rome were subiect tō Emperours as all other Christians were and this subiection was both De iure de facto both indeede performed and in right to be performed What And shall wee thinke which they without all shame would perswade that their conuersion to the faith was the ouerthrow and aeuersion of their temporall dominions And that the gaine of Christ was the losse of all their Crownes and Kingdomes Nor onely so but that of Soueraignes they became subiects euen to those who before while they were Paganes were de iure facto subiect vnto them I will not say what an effectuall dissuasion this might haue beene vnto them and others also neuer to haue embraced the Fayth What a motiue it may yet bee to turne Heathen and Paganes againe I will not enforce that true Maxime approoued both by Bellarmine and Carerius Lex Christiana neminem suo iure et dominio priuat Christianity depriues no man of his right nor of his dominion as is confessed in that Hymne of Se◅lius Non cripit mortalia qui regna dat caelestia O wicked King Herod why art thou affraid of Christ He giues an heauenly Kingdome he takes not away an earthly he perfects vs in that want he depriues vs not of that we had Consider of many but some few examples those euen of the Popes themselues who haue testified and recorded their subiection to Christian Emperors With what lowlinesse and humility did Pope Leo the first foure hundreth and odde yeares after Christ sue vnto the Emperor Theodosius the younger that he would call a generall counsell in Italy and yet preuailed not How submissiuely did hee againe entreate the like of Marcianus the Emperour I beseech our Lord Iesus Qui regni vestri est author rector Who is the Author and Ruler of your kingdome that ye would not suffer the ancient Faith Quasi dubiam retractari To be called into doubt and question againe Illudque potius iubeatis and that ye would rather commaund the decrees of the Nicene Counsell to be kept How religiouslie doth he professe his subiection and obedience to the same Emperour I haue willingly saith the Pope added my consent or sentence Quia omnibus modis obediendum est pietati vestrae religiosissimaeque voluntati Because by all means we must obey your sacred and religious will Pope Gregory the great is euen admirable in this point Who am I that speake to my Lord but Dust and Ashes said he to the Emperor Mauritius It well beseemes a religious Prince Vt ista sacerdotibus praeciperet to commaund Bishops in such matters And that particular was an Ecclesiasticall cause also betwixt Pope Gregory himselfe and Iohn Bishop of Constantinople in which the Pope confesseth that it well beseemed a Christian Prince to command not onely other Bishops but euen the Bishop of Rome himselfe And as it was fit for the Emperour to commaund so the same Pope iudged it his duty and fit for him to obey Vobis obedientiam praebere desidero I am desirous to yeald obedience vnto you I am subiect to your commaund Ego dominorum iussionibus obedientiam praebens I am obedient to the commaunds of my Lord and of the Emperour How often and vsually doth he giue the Emperour those Titles which are witnesses of his loyalty and subiection vnto him My Lord my gratious Lord my sacred Lord and the like And such were Popes sixe hundereth yeares after Christ at which time this Pope Gregory liued To these I wil adioyne but one more Leo the fourth who liued aboue eight hundreth yeares after Christ. Whose loyall subiection to two Emperors Lotharius and Lewes his Son their own Canon Law hath for euer recorded First to the Father Lotharius this Pope most solemnly promised that as much as in him lay he would for euer euery way be obedient to his and his predecessors Imperiall praecepts Afterwards when complaint was made to Lewes the sonne of some disorders in the Popes gouernment this Leo the fourth writ vnto him in this manner If we haue done ought amisse