beeing once setled in your hearts considering how excellent a thing it is in the iudgement of the holy Ghost 2 Concerning the blessings which God hath promised to those that feare him they are so great that greater cannot he For what is it brethren that your heartes would or can wish or desire would yee be deliuered from all such enimies at home or abroad as do secke by subtiltie or crueltie to bereaue you of life of libertie of the truth yea and of God himselfe Then Feare the Lord saith the spirite and he will deliuer you out of the hands of your enimies 2. Reg. 17.39 Would yee haue your posteritie that they shall stand vp in your place successiuely to encrease and prosper Feare the Lord saith the holy ghost and it shall go well with you and with your children after you for evermore Deut. 5.29 would yee be strong against all assaultes of our spirituall enimies Feare the Lord and yee shall be so For as Salomon saith In the feare of the Lord is assurednesse of strength Prouerb 14. and the 26. verse Againe would yee be out of doubt which is the right and true waie among so great diuersitie of opinions as are now in the world Feare the Lorde and he vvill teach you in the vvaie that ye shall choose yea the secretes of the Lorde shall be among you if yee feare him and he vvill shevv you his couenant Psal 25.11.13 To conclude will yee be blessed that is to say in a state perfited with a gathering togither of all good thinges Feare God and yee shall be so For as Dauid saith Blessed are they that feare the Lord. Psal 112.1 For all this the greatest part of the world regard not to feare the Lord but haue their hearts filled with contempt of him whereof to consider the causes and remedies is verie needfull that we may take heed and giue obedience to this precept of S. Peter 1 One cause then why men feare not the Lord is the want of teaching and hearing the word of God by which as by an instrument sanctified to that purpose the Lorde distilleth his feare into the heartes of men This may be gathered out of Deut. 31. where Moses giuing charge to Iosua concerning the reading of the Law in the eares of the whole congregation of Israel sheweth also wherefore it was to be done namely that they might learne to feare the Lord their God vers 12.13 If then the publishing of the word be the meanes to learne men the feare of the Lord it must needs be that the want of this blessing is a reason why manie are destitute of the true feare of God For remedie wherof none other way can be found than for the minister diligently to teach and the people as diligently to heare the word of the Lord. 2 A second reason why men feare not the Lord is because their hearts are possessed with a strong imagination that it is in vaine to feare God This cause of mens not fearing the Lord the Prophet Malachie declareth Chapt. 3. for hauing spoken of certaine which feared not the Lord vers 5. he doth afterward shew their reason that perswaded them to set the Lord at naught and to giue out stoure words against him which was because in their corrupt iudgement it was in vaine to serue God and it was no profite to them that they walked humblie before the Lord of hostes vers 14. Against this pestilent perswasion which leadeth manie now adayes to the contempt of God a remedie of soueraigne effect is the consideration of those promises before propounded to them that feare the Lord which will be then more effectuall when we set before our selues in our minds as on a theatre or stage the persons of many that feared the Lord as of Abraham Ieseph Moses Dauid c. enioying part of these promises in this life and now fully possessed of the rest in the kingdome of God 3 A third matter where upon many take occasion to neglect cast away the feare of God is a grosse conceit of the nature of God inducing them to thinke that the Lord seeth not what men do in the earth and that they may do what they will for him After this sort the wicked in Iobs time surmised that God vvas so hidden vvith the darke cloudes that he could not iudge thorough them and therefore they despised him And so the vngodly in the dayes of David spake fiercely and the vvorkers of iniquitie vaunted themselues against God and all was vpon this perswasion That the Lord did not see it the God of Iacob did not marke it Psal 94. Against this enchantment that it may not preuaile in mens hearts to leade them away from the feare of God it helpeth much to consider that nothing is hid from the eyes of God Heb. 4. that he searcheth all heartes and vnderstandeth all the thoughts of the minde 2. Chron. 28.9 that it is a brutish follie to thinke that he vvhich planted the care should not heare and he vvhich formed the eye should not see Psal 94. which consideration if it be deepely imprinted in our minds it will make vs to see that the darke cloudes are no hinderance to the Lord but that he beholdeth all things even the verie purposes of the heart and therefore is the more to be feared 1. King the eight chapter and 39. 4 A fourth reason why men regard not the feare of God is because they see themselues others who are with out al true reuerence of the almightie to prosper well enough in the world whilest they that fear the Lord endure and passe through many aduersities troubles This reason of the wickeds contempt of God the prophet Dauid saw acknowledged Psa 73. For why as he saith because the vvicked come not in trouble neither are plauged vvith other men because there are no bandes in their death but they are lusty and strong therefore they glorie in their pride as in a golden chaine they talke presumptuously and they set their mouth against heaven That is to say they speake in defiance of God him selfe In like maner he saith of the vngodlie Psalm 55.19 that Because they have no changes therefore they feare not God To expell which poisoned conceits out of mens hearts there is not anie more conuenient remedie than to marke the vvaie of the vvorld vvherin vvicked men vvhich saie vnto God depart from vs haue vvalked and how they haue ben cut downe before their time vvhose foundation vvas as ariuer that ouerflovved Iob. 22. To consider with Dauid that the Lord hath set such wicked ones in slipperie places that the conceit which they haue of their prosperous estate is no better then the fansie of a dreaming man who in his sleepe imagineth himselfe and other to bee riche and in good case but when he a waketh he findeth it nothing so Psal 73. Briefly to consider that the lesse trouble they sustain here the more torment
worketh Againe I speake of that honouring of the prince which is a christian vertue and a worke of the spirit of sanctification not of that seruice whereunto many are brought by the spirit as they tearme it repressing vices They that are gentlemen by reason of their calling haue necessarily to retaine manie in their seruice to waite vpon them let them consider this well that I say If they feede and cloth their seruants well but teach them not the feare of God out of question they do nothing else but harten men and make them strong to rebell against their Prince Yee that are ministers also consider this well and let it make you diligent to instruct your flockes in the true feare of God Alas brethren are they not too many alredie which in hellish madnesse without all feare of God go about to bereaue out gracious soueraine of her life the whole realme of peace the gospel of passage Alas than why should ye also sinne against God and against your owne soules by increasing the number of rebellious and disloyal persons Ye will say peraduenture we do it not yes verely if yee teach not your people diligently the fear of the Lord. For vnlesse men haue their hearts possessed with the true feare of God they will not honor their Prince truely Honor the king Ye haue hither to heard me patientlie concerning the feare of God heare me nowe I beseech you concerning our dutie toward the king Saint Peters commandement is that kings and princes shoulde be honoured which that it maie be more forcible both to teach vs and also to win vs I thinke it needefull at this season after my rude and disordered maner to deliuer vnto you these foure especiall points 1 What it is to honor the king 2 Which are the partes of this honor 3 Of whom this honor is to be rendred 4 For what causes men are to yeld the same Honor in this place in the Greeke called Timè is a godly acknowleging and regarding of princes as the chiefest and chosen instruments of God for the maintenance as well of ciuill as of ecclesiasticall society Consider what I say To honour the king is first to acknowledge him for the annointed of the Lord and also for our annointed neither that by wordes alone but by such other meanes also as we are able accordingly as we read of the people of Israel in their receuing of Saul For they did not only showre altogether saying God sane the king but moreouer all the godlie despoled browght him presentes 1. Sam. 10.24 27. and they which did not so are noted by the spirit of God for wicked mē are held guilty of despising him before the iudgement seat of the almightie Moreouer we must make suchaccounte of them that we set not them a footestoole here in earth and other a throne to sit ouer them as the Papists make the King the vassal of their pope but we must vnfeinedly confesse them with S. Peter the chiefest persons to them giue the soueraigntie and preheminence here in this worlde assuring our selues that he is Antechrist which exalteth himself aboue them 2. Thess 2.4 To conclude we must not looke vpon them as vpon disguised Kinges browght forth on a stage or theater which beside their gaie garments and great wordes haue nothing in them aboue the common sorte but we must receaue them as the chiefest highest Ambassadours of God sent among vs with largest and most ample power and authoritie yea and suche power and authoritie as whereof the best the wisest the richest the godliest shall haue neede to maintaine them in outward societies whether ciuill or ecclesiasticall considering they are thereunto sanctified and sent of the Lorde whose onely blessing enableth euerie man to worke the good of his people 2. The partes of his honour which here is commanded by Saint Peter to be done vnto the Kinge are three to wit Reuerence Obedience and Paying of such tribute or other dewes or renenewes as belong to a person of that calling and dignitie Vnder the name of reuerencing the prince we vnderstande that men ought both to thinke honourablie of the prince to pray for him as also to frame and dispose all their outward gestures and speech in such sort that it may carrie with it and in it a signe of their vnfained subiection to such persons Of mens reuerend thinking of such we reade in the booke of the preacher chap. 10. where the wisedome of God in Solomō giueth charge on this wife Curse not saith he the king no not in thy thought For the bridling of our toong from all vnreuerende woordes against such Moses giueth a commandement Exod. 22.28 on this manner Thou shalt not saith he curse the ruler of thy people Whereunto adde that saint Peter 2. Epist 2.2.10.11 and saint Iude also do account them to be vngodly persons and bringers in of damnable heresie which speake ouil of those which are in dignity yea they account them as presumptuous persons daring to speake that in contempt of princes princely gouernement which the angels durst not speake against the verie deuill him selfe Of mans duty praying for princes we reade 1. Tim. 2. Of the reuerend gesture which we are to vse towards such persons we haue exáple in Nathan the prophet who made obeisance before king Dauid vppon his face vnto the grounde 1. Reg. 1.23 These are continuall and ordinarie rules and examples for the gouerning directing of our behauiour toward persons of that authority Some will say if it be so then did Elisha offende in calling Ichoram the murtherers sonne 2. Reg. 6.32 and our Sauiour him selfe in calling Herode a fox Luke 13.32 then also did the aforesaid Elisha breake the cōmandement of God in demeaning him selfe so towarde the said Ichoram that hee would not once haue looked vpō him had it not bin for regard that he had to the presence of Ichosaphat 2. Re. 3. the was Michaiah to be reproued for speking in manner of derision to Ahab 2. Chron. 18. Hereunto I answer how the precepts examples before set down bind vs and not the Lorde who maie sharpely controll the princes of this world for their misdoings also may vse the seruice of whome it pleaseth him in that behalse neither shall he sinne that hauing the extraordinarie commandement of the Lord speaketh so vnto them in Gods name which yet is no common rule for euerie bodie neither yet for him at all seasons For more cuidence herein I vse this familiar similitude if some great monarch hauing vnder him manie prouinces ech it own king as his lieutenant make it a common lawe that no person of what degree socuer within his dominion shall behaue himself vnreuerently in worde or decde against anie his lieutenants this letteth not but that the afore said monarch hauing knowledge and intelligence of anie his lieutenantes vngodly practises may him selfe commande whome hee thinkes good as Ambassadour
thē A wise king saith Salomon scattereth the wicked causeth the wheele to turne ouer them Neither can these things be performed and brought to passe without great care trauell costes counsell and danger on the princes behalfe by reason of the rebellious affections of mans nature where withal he is continually to striue both by rewards and and punishmentes In consideration whereof for so great paines and benefites to requite the prince againe not with honour and dutifulnes but with bloudshed rebellion or conspiracie can not but be a sinne vnmeasurablie sinnefull 3 Not to stand much on this point I will adioine but this one reason S. Paul Rom. 13. aforenamed vers 2. saith how They which resist and rebell against the higher powers get vnto them selues iudgement And what iudgement brethren meaneth he Verely the iudgement of Gods heauie plagues and of most shamefull death to carrie them out of this world and of vnappeaseable vengaunce to rest and knawe vppon them in that euerburning lake in the worlde to come These are not bugges wordes to fraye you alone but the verie and plaine trueth which the word will furthermore teach you As touching the state of such persons in the world to come what it shall be ye may take great aime hereby considering how it is hardly to be reade in the whole scripture where the patternes of Gods mercie toward sinners falling into euill are propounded that euer God suffred any of his elect ones after their effectuall calling to be carried of the deuill into this sinne of rebellion against the prince Adde hereunto that saint Paule reckoneth this enormity among those which whosoeuer committeth Shall not inherit the kingdome of heauen Tit. 1.16 Concerning their most fearefull punishments in this world marke the most certaine examples of the holy worde of God Korah Dathan and Abiram rebelled against Moses therefore They died not the cōmon death of all men but the Lord wrought a new thing so that the earth opened her mouth and svvallovved them vp vvith all that they had they vvent dovvne quicke into the pit All which was done to make vs vnderstand that such rebels prouoke not man but God him selfe Num. 16.29.30 Absolom the goodly though vngodly sonne of righteous Dauid rebelled against his father the king and therefore as hee rod vpon his princely mule vnder a great oake the verie boughes of the tree would not suffer so wicked a wretch to escape vnpunished but caght hold on his head And he vvas taken vp betvveene the heauen and the earth there hanging till Ioab his greate friend came thrust him through vvith three darts beside the vvounds vvhich ten other men the seruants of Ioab gaue him Yea so litle was the face of the kings sonne reuerenced because of his treason that he had none other sepuchre but a dung hil pit in the wood none other tombe or hearse but a ruinous heape of great stones cast vpon him 2. Sam. 17. Sheba the sonne of Bichri a man of Iemini rebelled against the same Dauid therefore the Lorde destroied him by the hands of them which were his friends For the men of Abel to whom hee fled for helpe at the counsell of a woman cut off his head and did cast it ouer the wall to Ioab 2. Sam. 19. Adde hereunto the examples of late traitors in this our owne Countrie as Sommeruile Throgmorton Babington their complices which like dunghill cockes entending to pearch vppon the head of this realme to the destruction thereof were iustly constrained to crowe their last vppon the gallowes The like O Lord we beseech thee bring vpon all the enemies of Elizabeth thine anointed but let peace be vpon the Israel of God and vpon all that vnfainedly seeke her true honour in the right feare of the Almightie Laus solt Deo