Discontent CHAP. XXI OF REBELLION FIRST It is not in my purpose to reckon vp the seuerall opinions of men in this argument neither to discourse at large herein but onely to report my owne Iudgement and that which I think is answerable in this question to Religion and holy reason For if this controuersie were disputed according to the Pollitique practise of time and not by the rules of Religion and reformed iudgement it would be then verie controuersall and require large circumstance because the Matchiuells of these times diuersly disagree in their seuerall iudgements but if men desire onely to satisfie conscience to such men the testimonie of God is sufficient which ought to square the practises of all degrees of Christian men and to determine all controuersies be they neuer so important But this tryall hath not alwaies authority in gouernement meerely pollitique for Religion and Pollicie are two diuers or rather in full opposition and that many times in the practise of State is commendable which in the iudgement of Religion is most damnable because they conspire not one but disagreeing ends neither can the quarrell of these two be euer reconciled but onely by these conditions that Piety may command Pollicie and that such Pollicie may bee onely in Christian States allowable as may be seruant to the worke of holinesse and iudged lawfull by the sentence of true Religion And if these respects had regard in Christian States then should not Christendome haue had that dishonourable imputation to bee reputed of the barbarous Nations vnfaithfull and full of dishonourable practise wherein the Popes haue especially abused the Christian Faith who vnder the outward face of holinesse haue contriued and effected Conspiracies and Treasons of most horrible report and such as neuer were the like by men or diuells inuented Secondly And these euill Ministers doe arrogate to themselues authority which they would deriue from God not onely to license Rebellion in a Christian State but also to command it vpon paine of damnation a power which neuer any Christian Prince durst challenge and a pollicie whereby they haue principally inriched themselues with wealth and dignities taken at the spoyle of Christian Princes and wherewith he doth yet vnderprop the falling state of his Empire And this how vnequall it is with Gods Word may appeare to any iudgement there being no example in the Storie of the Bible for his imitation where any Priest did euer challenge any such soueraigne authority Thirdly And in respect of State practise there was neuer any thing more dishonourable then for Princes and free States to enter voluntary into a seruitude so base slauish taking their honours from their owne heads to dignifie their mortall enemy and to feed his ambition which like Hell cannot be satisfied who hath euer fed vpon the bowels of their wealth and on the blood of Saints and doth glorifie himself in the spoile of Christian Princes and thus will doe vntill God shall please to destroy him with the breath of his displeasure Fourthly The example of K. Dauid may suffice to conclude against this doctrine who notwithstanding he had Gods promise to inherit the kingdome of Israel being by the Prophet anointed by which God did crown him King and knowing moreouer that God had forsaken his master Saul hauing taken his good Spirit from him whereby he was Anathemate and interdict by the sentence of God himselfe yet did not Dauid for all this conspire against his master Saul but onely sought to secure his life by withdrawing him from the kings presence who hee assuredly knew did seeke after his life And when opportunity was offered him so fit as that he at one stroake might both haue reuenged the iniuries of his greatest Enemy and vpon such an Enemy as stood betweene him and a Kingdome yet would he not destroy him being vrged thereto by the earnest perswasion of his follower but withstood both them and opportunity induring the trouble of his Conscience for presuming to cut off not his Masters head but the lap of his garment only Fiftly Another time Saul pursuing after Dauid to destroy him was found by Dauid and Abishai sleeping with his speare at his head as if occasion should haue led Dauid to an opportunity most fit and thus haue perswaded him See here is thy enemy sleeping and here is a weapon to destroy him which aduantage when Abishai would most gladly haue imbraced he was disswaded by Dauid with this answere Destroy him not for who can lay his hand vpon the Lords Anointed and be guiltlesse whereby hee concludeth it to be impossible for any man whosoeuer to conspire the death or dammage of his soueraigne with the testimonie of good conscience And this opinion of King Dauids is aduerse to the practise of the Romane State which hath often laid their hands of blood and death vpon the Lords annointed neither haue they euer done as Dauid did denie the offer of fit occasion to reuenge wherein they are answerable to their Italian prouerbe If thy enemie be vp to his knees in water reach him thy hand to helpe him But if hee stand vp to the Chinne set thy foot vpon him to destroy him Sixthly Now if King Dauids example and authority will not serue because he was but Man I will then produce his witnesse who was both God and Man the Lord Iesus who commanded the Iewes to giue obedience to Caesar in all those duties which respect Soueraignty though Caesar did not acknowledge the Iewish Religion but rather did persecute that profession Neither did he perswade rebellion against the Romane state though in his diuine wisedome he did foresee that the Kingdome of the Iewes which he so much loued should be vtterly wasted by the power of the Romanes whereby hee would teach vs that as by God onely Kings do Reigne so by him onely are they both supported and as he shall onely please are they displanted and deposed from their dignities Seuenthly It is euident then by the testimonie of them who are most holy and absolute that no earthly man by the authority of his place hath or can giue license to conspire against any Soueraigne power whatsoeuer and the reason is because there is no power but from God and the powers that be are ordained of God and therefore to resist that power is to withstand God and his ordinance and to condemne the forme of Gods gouernement And such are all they who goe about to translate authority where God hath not giuen it and to throw downe and depose them whom God hath established and such are all they who either plot or practise Rebellion Conspiracie or Treason or that can giue allowance thereto Traitors they be to God Traitors to their Prince Traitors to their Countrie and to themselues Traitors whom God will withstand as Traitors and iudge as
witnesse of his conscience yet did take it and therefore Stephen by dissembling saued his life which the other by plaine expressing himselfe lost So that both these though they conspire one end yet in themselues are they very diuerse the one with a manly resolution and with the witnes of his blood profest himselfe and his resolution the other by swearing and for swearing to banne and disclaime that which in his purpose was the marke whereto hee shot himselfe and his euill pollicies the one ending all opposition in his owne voluntary death the other by subtilty continuing his euill life that life being the death of many the deare Children of God 13. Another highly in the Kings fauour and most worthy of high fauour was the Lord Cromwell a man so resolute in the worke he had begunne as neuer any did pursue a holy businesse with better Spirit who notwithstanding the greatnesse of his enemies who after the fashion of all Courts enuie such most vnto whom the Prince is most gratious and then most when the degrees of honour are deriued vpon any of meane beginning yet so could this man rule the prosperity of his fortunes as neither in generall opinion was he thought proudly to delight them nor yet not to vnderstand what those honours were which the Kings fauour had giuen him So aduised was he in the passage of his honourable life as that use which seeth the least aduantage could neuer finde iust occasion though occasions were sought to scandalize his reputation in the generall opinion of good men And howsoeuer God did suffer the euill of his enemies to preuaile ouer his life yet neuer to the death of his honourable remembrance to whose Godly care all the louers of Religion in Christendome are beholding especially the English Nation he being a principall instrument whereby the King was moued to reforme Religion 14. In this mans time the Religious then liuing had great hope of prosperity in their holy cause aswell in respect of his diligence to that end directed as also of the Kings inclinable nature which did seeme to consent with the honourable desires of the Lord Cromwell intertaining him in all fauourable regard giuing him names and places of high honour whereby his godly cares went the better forward hauing the strength of the Kings authority which he applyed to no other end but that God might receiue honour in restoring the truth of his seruice and that the king might not receiue dishonour in abādoning the protection of faith whereof God by the sentence of his enemie had made him defēdor And this good cause did this good man prosecute with the best strēgth of his indeauor not regarding his life more then God that gaue it nor the honours of his life more then the honors of his king from whose boūty his honors were deriued 15. Thus we see the diuersity in the king whereby he grew remisse in following this holy care which was because of the diuersitie of opinions in those men whom the king most trusted in the state he suffering himself to be driuen against the currant of his owne streames by the violence of other mens perswasions 16. And here is offered a large consideration of the Kings Nature who notwithstanding his great spirit and his many other honourable deseruings he had this infirmitie That he would be induced to doe those things which were much disagreeing in themselues and to goe forward and backward in one course and suffer himselfe to be moued whether the violence of other mens affections would carrie him sometime for sometimes against Religion and by this he gaue an open demonstration of the weakenesse of his nature For there is no alteration in a State that is not dangerous and then is the danger most when the greate ones great in authority and neere in the fauour of the Prince deuide themselues For difference if it be not compounded by the awfull Maiesty of the Prince it will growe to faction by consequence to open breach And though the Prince so gouerne that they dare not come to open difference yet will they worke by conspiracie and secret practise the confusion of each other For where faction is there can be no assurance men wil seek to assure themselues though it be by the fall of others And this euill is best preuented by the prouidence of the Prince who when hee seeth deformity in the body of the State and that of necessity there must bee alteration to make such choice of instruments as best loue the cure least otherwise in steade of physicke they administer poyson and so not cure but destroy the body diseased 17. And this was the Kings error who though his purpose to reforme was good yet the course he tooke was not good making ill choice of particulers to whose trust he commended that businesse some of them being Protestants some Papists so that the King may bee said to build with one hand and to cast downe with another to reforme Religion and to deforme it againe And therefore this aduice I dare giue the best Prince in the world Let those you loue best and trust most be one in themselues and one with their Soueraigne and worke not vpon the foundation Truth by contrarie meanes for hee that so buildeth buildeth Babel that is confusion and not the walles of Ierusalem Obseruations Diuine Pollitique Morall FIRST to intertaine and beginne a Religious worke is both an honourable and a holy attempt but to finish it is more because it is possible that vnworthy men may vndertake and retire But Pietie is not Pietie if not constant For no vertue is rewarded but perseuerance Secondly To faint in the prosecution of a Religious cause is of all cowherdice the most shamefull and recreant because in all such quarrells God is our Generall and doth arme his souldiers in compleate security Thirdly A Prince that hath many about his person cannot but must haue much difference in their quallities his pollitique parte is to obserue and iudge the difference and to distinguish them to such seruice in the State as may make them emulous to exceede and not enuious to extirpe the prosperities of one another Fourthly It hath beene thought good Pollicie that in a Senate or Counsell of State it were good to haue men of opposite Iudgement because it doth prouoke both factions from exact declaration of their best indeauours This in a state meerely pollitique may haue pretence but in a Religious State it hath none because it is impossible to goe to one God in one truth by contrarie steppes Fifthly It were dishonourable and dangerous for a Prince that hath his state free and in quiet to dissemble or to deuide himselfe to contrarieties because hee that doth not declare himselfe certaine to one doth remaine suspected of all and doth giue a generall hope to generall varieties Sixthly The errour and vice is greater in
of his former strength And considering also the honour the Kings of England had got by the conquest of France the strong emulation of those two Neighbour Nations being both of them enuious of one anothers reputation and greatnesse the English being euer fortunate in those French quarrells and the French most desirous to suppresse the growing reputation of the English And therefore it may seeme at this time was offered an occasion to the French to recouer their reputation in Armes and to repossesse those places which the English then held in France yet for all these occasions so fortunate was the King and his people as no mis-fortune at that time did disaduantage our Nation God protecting it against the euill and beyond the expectation of all men 19. And lastly the King sending his Embassadours to all Christian Princes to giue them satisfaction for that he had done was a care very Princely and Christian for by this he preuented the many slanderous constructions that otherwise would haue censured him he himselfe by his Embassadours declaring the true purpose of his enterprize And this was a demonstration that the king reputed such whom he desired to satisfie as his kingly Brethren and that all of them being powers immediately vnder God in their owne Christian Kingdomes it was reason he should giue them a Christian satisfaction that he proceeded not in these diffrences without the perswasion of Learned and Religious iudgement neither was it euill order in the King to haue first effected what he ment and then to satisfie opinion For if hee had sent for their aduise before hee had attempted it he had then lost the honour of the enterprise and had either tied himselfe to the pleasures of other men or else haue opposed against them all the first had bene dishonorable the other very dangerous CHAP. IX In what State King Henrie left his Kingdomes to the next Defendor of the Faith King Edward the Sixth FIRST it may seeme strange to him that shall reade this Historie to consider the state of Religion in this last time of King Henries Reigne Religion lying then as it were in equall ballance inclinable to be sweighed according as shall please the next succeding Prince to fauour it For as yet Religion was not reformed but onely a preparation made for reformation the King hauing taken from the Pope his Supremacie and his vniuersall authority but not the number of his idle ceremonies insomuch as the Pope may be said to haue his head then broken in loosing his authority but his taile yet vnperisht reteining still the number of his fabulous obseruances And if I were demanded what was the Religion then profest in England I could not giue it name being no better then a Farrago or a Religion compounded of many diuers the State being yet vnsetled and but mouing to a reformation for both that of the Papist and this of the Protestant indured like extremities Secondly And the reason was because the lawes then in force were occasioned by men diuers in opinion yet neere in the greatnesse of place either part persecuting or prosecuting according to their seuerall affections So that men zealous in any profession of Religion were in danger of Law and such onely secure that made their conscience yeeld to generall practise and opinion whereby the best and most conscionable had least fauour in the iudgement of those lawes whereby the Common-Wealth did often lose her most vsefull members to the detriment of State and against all aduice both of pollicie and pietie Thirdly For that the King was of himselfe otherwise inclined may appeare both by the testimonie of them neere his person as also by the witnesse of his owne words as in particuler to Bruno Embassadour from Iohn Fredericke Duke of Saxonie to whom imploring his aide against the Emperour hee answered that if the quarrell betweene him and the Emperor were onely for Religion he should then stand to it stoutly and hee would in that quarrell take his part Fourthly It may appeare also by the kings dislike of such men as had withheld his forwardnesse to reforme as in speciall Stephen Gardiner whom the king now found to contriue against him and to haue haled him on to those ends he most disliked And therfore the King before his death did withdraw his fauour from him And howsoeuer he forgaue him the forfeit of his life yet did hee for euer after discountenance him causing his name to bee rased out of the number of Executors to whose trust hee had commend the execution of his last will Besides the repentance and sorrow the King made for the Lord Cromwells death whom he had found so faithfull and fit for this businesse as neuer any Prince was better furnished the King finding the want of so choice an instrument would often in griefe of words say hee wanted his Cromwell in so needfull a businesse as he had vndertaken Fifthly And therefore assuredly the king had good affection to reforme the enormious abuses of the Church and to haue purged it from all Idolatrous seruice But God reseruing that for the honour of Prince Edward the next Defendor accepted of the Kings good purpose And that God who gaue him will to desire well and his sonne the honour to finish well gaue them both we trust his grace to die well to breath their soules into his hands of mercie And in these tearmes did the king leaue the state to the next Defendor his Princely Sonne a state full of storme and great businesse hauing entred so farre into an honourable passage as that the Prince who was to inherit his Fathers cares could not in the termes of honour but second the most honourable attempt of his Father Sixthly It may bee demanded now whether King Henrie according to his new stile did defend the Catholike Faith or not and in what particulars he best defended it For it may be obiected that the King not hauing reformed Religion but only in some few particulars hath not merited the honour of his stile because the Catholike Faith was not so defended in his time and in his kingdome but it indured much affliction To this I answer that howsoeuer the king did faile in the maine execution of his office yet cōsidering the greatnes of his attempt he hath wel deserued euerlasting memorie to be recorded the first Christian king Defendor of the Faith the first that with honour victory dated to oppose himself against the spiritual power of the Popes if we consider the danger of his attempt we shall finde it an act of great spirit consequence and such as may worthily compare with the deeds of antient Romanes which were of most admiration and wonder Seuenthly And in these two particulars hath he principally defended the Catholike Faith First in taking from the enemie of Faith authority
worke no creature is able certainely to determine what will be before it be all things in respect of humane indgement being iudged by their euents and not otherwise Secondly and therefore is calculating and the iudgement of Astrologie vncertaine and a very mockery hauing neither lawfulnesse nor Truth to giue it authority And though the Diuiner sometime hit the truth hee doth it not by any certaine direction but by hap and at peraduenture and so the blinde may hit the Butt and the reporter of many lies may fortune to tell a truth Thirdly and this false fore-iudging is of ordinary custome in the vse of all worldly affaires euery man almost aduenturing to Iudge before hand of euery accident and to determine how God shall determine of such and such occasions whereby they would tie God to a necessity and that needs hee must doe that which in their weake iudgement they imagine will bee done But God who is most absolute and able to doe whatsoeuer shall please himselfe deludeth the vaine imaginations of men and out of the greatest vnlikelihoods can hee frame that which is most desired and least hoped neither is hee as man to iudge by apparance or by the consequence of humane reason but out of death can he raise life out of miserie mercie and in the greatest expectation of warre blood and persecution can he giue peace safetie and preseruation Fourthly Wee haue happie instance of this in the fortunes of the Kings Maiestie that last was King Iames our Souereigne whom God most gratiously and beyond all expectation did protect making him fortunate to the honour of his owne name and for the happinesse of these Nations combining by him two euer disagreeing nations in the neerest bonds of Loue and Brotherhood And this did God make prosperous beyond our hopes and beyound the euill desires of them who loued vs not For if we remember the latter time of Queene Elizabeths reigne and the hard condition of those times we shall then finde how much the mercie of God hath exceeded our hopes and how much the generall opinion was deceiued in the construction of that euent men generally expecting the miserie of warre and ciuill strife when God did reach vs his mercie and the large demonstration of his loue Fifthly And in truth in respect of likely hood both Nations England and Scotland had reason to haue feared more and hoped lesse then happened it being not likely to succeed as it did and that a people inueterate in quarrell and warlike contention should in such peaceable manner shake hands and conspire mutually one thing which for many hundreds of yeares before did euer disagree which is more in a matter so important as was the vniting of both kingdomes in the gouernement of one absolute Souereigne Neither was it likely there wanted then the practise of forreigne States especially of such as enuied our prosperity and loued vs not which might trauell to hinder this happie coniunction whereby our strength became double so much as before and therefore our enemies would couet rather to suppresse than to inlarge vs least we hauing the kingdome of Scotland to assist vs which before was commonly either enemie or newter might proue vnresistable in the fortune of warre who before we had it were so often Conquerours Sixthly And this assuredly was a matter very considerable for them to preuent and such as the Pollitique wisedome of States men would carefully apprehend For in the disoretion of State affaires it is better and of lesse difficultie to preuent the augmentation of our enemies power then when it is augmented to scatter it And those things in the opportunity of their times are of easie reach which afterwards in a time vnfit proue vnaccessable not within our compas and this Iudgement could not want in them who most carefully search the secrets of all pollicie and trauell their wits to apprehend and contriue all aduantages yet notwithstanding all these occasions which in common iudgement might haue letted the Kings peaceable entrance into this Kingdome did God bring him vnder the protection of his fauour in security and peace and with generall acclamation binding the enuie of all opposition and making his enemies shew themselues his friendly entertainers the antiēt enemies of this kingdom to congratulate his Kingly inheritance And this did God with such admirable demonstration of his fauour as that his Maiestie and his Subiects of both kingdomes haue good cause to remember it for euer most thankefully whose life God did wonderfully preserue and whose fortunes hee did highly aduance leading him thorow many difficulties and dangers to a faire inheritance to inherit the obedience and faithfull seruice of a people faithfull fortunate and assured whom his predecessors the Kings of Scotland did euer most feare as their most able enemie whom his Maiesty euer found his most trusty and assured Subiects and this was done with such prosperity and forward successe that the report of the Q. death was scarce named in our neighbour kingdomes but this report of the kings peaceable entrance was farre off generally knowne the good newes of the kings entring outstripping the euill newes of the Queenes death to the comfort of all good men and to the admiration of all men Seuenthly neither was there need as it was thought that the King and his Subiects of Scotland should for this cause haue put themselues into the hazard of vncertaine warre whereby the Kings right might haue indured wrong and Truth haue stood at the discretion of warre which had bene very dangerous and that which our enemies most hoped but the happie issue was otherwise for neither was there any to lift vp his daring hand to resist his Maiestie neither had the King any vse for weapons but onely wore them for ornament and to giue names of honour to such men whom hee thought did or might deserue them Eighthly And thus did God giue vs life when we feared death peace when we feared warre a king when we had none a Prince a Patron and a most noble Defendor of the Catholike Faith vnder whose protection we enioyed peace plenty security And therfore happie were we in his gratious gouernment and happie was his Maiesty whom God found worthie to succeed in the royall seate and in the holy cares of that most famous Defendress of the Faith Queen Elizabeth CHAP. XXXIII Of the Kings defending the Catholike Faith in Scotland before he was King of England FIRST there is nothing of our owne wherein wee may iustly glory but in well-doing because when we doe any work of Grace the Spirit of God moueth in vs and prouoketh vs to holy exercise And therein onely we may worthily esteeme of our selues because we are accepted of God and vsed as his holy-instruments And in this had the Kings Maiestie much to glory
multiplicity of Religions For it is al one to deny God and to denie his seruice and Idolatrie is aswell in false worship as in no worship For as God is one but one so there is one Religion and but one whereto all creatures owe their obedience And that men might not preuaricate or alter the forme of Gods seruice hath God himselfe prescribed vs a precise forme how and in what forme wee should serue him damning all diuersity to this his owne order wherewith he is onely pleased and wherewith he is alway pleased Thirdly the reason then why Religion is thus deuided in the Christian world is the many seueral constructions of Gods Word whereby it is both diuersly and doubtfully vnderstood euery man adhering to that sence of Scripture as to his iudgement doth seeme most resonable And from hence it is that these two maine diuisions of Religion the Protestant and the Papist subdeuide themselues againe into many differences especially the Religion of Poperie For proofe whereof we may remember that the Church of Rome hath deuided itselfe into so many quarrel some disputations that searce two Colledges conspire one truth after one manner Nay and the best learned among them contradict and haue damned the opinions of one another this hath bene well declared by many arguments of sufficient proofe in the Learned writings of a Reuerend Doctor of this Church and which is now very lately declared by their own disagreements concerning the lawfulnesse of taking the Oath of Allegiance in which Controuersie the Pope and his great Cardinall Bellarmine oppose against their Arch-Priest Master Blackwell Fourthly It is also worthie of memorie that diuers of them in Queene Elizabeths time being prisoners at Wisbitch were deuided with so much hatred as might seme implacable the quarrell being for superiority betweene the Iesuites and Secular Priests began at Wisbitch but sithence spread ouer all Christendome neither doe I thinke will euer peaceably be compounded a matter rare that men professing one Religion and one Faith prisoners in one place and being by the Law dead men and onely continued there by the mercie of a gratious Prince should thus bitterly contend about priority and greatnesse of place And therefore it is most euident that in that Religion of Poperie wherein they so much boast of vniformity and generall consent there are many Sects and many bitter disagreements Fifthly and for the Protestant Religion whereof I esteeme most reuerently that also is full of much diuersity the vaine glorious spirits of men disturbing the peace of that Church which hath flourished with much prosperity And these diuersities like a ciuill warre and therefore a dangerous warre haue more indammaged the cause of Religion then all the other enemies in the world euer could doe which by reason of singularity and strange doctrine with which the grosse numbers of people are wonderfully contented they haue got a false reputation in the world of holinesse and thereby draw from the vnity of the Church numbers of the basest sort of people Sixthly It were needlesse to reckon vp the seuerall names of these Scismes they are to well knowne in this Nation whose peeuish obstinacie hath bene such as that neither Law nor mercy neuer yet could reclaime And whereas it is obiected by the enemies of our Faith that because of these diuersities therefore our Religion is not good I answer the argument is sencelesse because as I haue proued this diuersity is in all Religions and in theirs most who most obiect against vs. Againe wee all know that the Church of the Iewes was the true Church of God yet in that Church also was there much diuersity for the Sadduces did denie the resurrection which is a fundamentall point of Religion whereas our greatest differences are onely for circumstance and order And therefore this their argument of diuersity doth not conclude against the truth of Religion for the corne may bee good which lyeth mingled with Chaffe and so must the Church of GOD lie vntill the day of Iudgement when as Christ shall come with his Fanne and Seauer the good bad which in the meane time must lie in one heape in one Church and in one profession or name of Religion Seuenthly in this respect of vnity did the King most noblely defende the Catholike Faith disclaiming the enemies on both hands the proud Papist and the peeuish Puritan and like a most Christian Catholike King he directed himself to Iesus Christ placed as hee was crucified betweene these two Thieues who like two extremities Neighbour this most vertuous meane And let it be the prayers of euery true Christian that his Maiesties posterity for euer may thus direct themselues to the Lord Iesus only who only is the way the truth and life itself And let neuer any Caesar of this Empire incline their fauour to either of these crucified thieues for though they hang with Truth yet are they not true And that Religion which is but neere the Truth of the Catholike Faith is not that Truth for as God is so is Truth and so is the faith of holy Religion one and but one with out all duplicity or difference The Conclusion THVS I haue briefly and but sparingly reported the honourable deeds of the Defendors of the Catholike Faith wherein if I had bene iust and had related at full the number of their Princely deseruings in this kinde I should haue vndertaken a businesse of infinite paines and haue made this volume larger then the patience of these times allow to profitable writings I haue therefore extract from the number of their deeds such particulars onely as may abundantly serue to honour the memorie of their names And this trauell most Noble Prince I present to your Highnesse consideration not because I presume of any worth in my part of this businesse but because the knowledge thereof doth principally concerne the dignity of your High place wherein will appeare to your Gratious presence the view of your most Princely Predecessors and how farre they trauelled themselues for the aduancement of holy Religion defending it with resolutions constant and prosperous And wherein your Highnesse may behold what care this Christian Kingdome hath had for the Christian Faith and what care it doth expect in the hope of your Maiesty and in your posterity for euer Amen FINIS What Time is The Iudgement of Philosophy Gen. 1. 1. The Creation of Man All things giuen to Man The world diuided by Religion One God one Truth The reason of Multiplicitie of Religions The first schisme Gen. 4. 3. Gen. 4. 8. Caine the Father of Scisme The first alteration of Time Time the worse for time Gen. 6. 13. The first desire of Empire The foure Monarchies The state of the Church in the old world Gods Iudgements doe correct and not destroy God altereth the tâ—nâ—r of our Obligation The happie
depend vpon the prosperity of the Church for in all true Christian Kingdomes the Church and the Common-Wealth are Children of one and the same Parent and though the Church be the older and of better inheritance yet a Christian Common-Wealth is a Childe of the same Father and hath a younger brothers portiō in the partage of Gods blessings the one inheriting felicity eternity the other felicity but not eternall And therefore whatsoeuer doth concerne the Church principally doth concerne the Common-VVealth likewise in a subordinate degree and those things which aduance a Christian State cannot derogate from the honour of the Church And this is true and onely true in holy and Religious Common-VVealths but not in such States where the Church is disinherited of Prioritie and birth-right and where the chiefe respect is had to Pollicie only and not to Piety Secondly The importance of these statutes in respect of the Church may be considered in this that the Popes quarrell with the Q. and the State was for Religion onely because the Church of England had cast off that obedience which formerly it had vnworthily giuen to the Popes wherby the Popes greatnesse and reputation in England was not only weakened but also his other priuate ends of aduantages and reuennewes were taken from him And therefore considering the quarrell was for the Religion profest in England the defence of the quarrell on the Churches behalfe must needs very much concerne it Thirdly Againe many of the particular branches of those statutes had principall respect to the benefit of the Church and to remoue all such euill meanes as might any way corrupt and abuse the consciences of men in the case of Religion the Church hauing found much inconuenience by the continuall intercourse of English Romish passengers passing from England to Rome and from Rome to England whereby the English Church lay open to all the Popes perswasions and whereby the ignorant and baser sort of people were withdrawne from their Christian beliefe from the dutie of their naturall allegiance And therefore to preuent this inconuenience was a care most considerable for the Church and which directly tended to the aduancement of true Religion Fourthly There be also many other respects which in these Statutes directly intend the benefit of the Church all which may appeare most euident to any iudgement that shall with impartiall eyes peruse them Fifthly And in truth there is nothing in a true Christian Common-Wealth that can onely direct it selfe to the benefit of State only but that Religion must withall be respected the care of State being but the bye and Religion the maine of euery Christian intendment And therefore oftentimes euen in those things which seeme most properly to concerne the State is Religion in them most regarded the care of State in respect of Religion being like the care of our bodies or which holy men care but so onely as for the houses of their soules and because of communicating those necessarie seruices which necessarily depend of each other These Statutes then were of most importance for the Church that being the most respected end whereto they were principallie directed Sixthly In respect of the Common-Wealth also were these statutes verie considerable and of speciall importance and namely in these particulars that the enemies of the State hauing made dangerous attempts to innouate and alter the State it behooued them to whose wisedomes the care of State was committed to vse the best preuentions they could to hinder the like occasions and therfore were these statutes deuised both to cut off the euill members already corrupted in the Common-wealth and also to preuent all such future occasions Seuenthly Againe there is no Protestant State in the world which hath not found the dangerous inconuenience of Iesuites and Popish Priests nursed in Seminaries beyond the Seas these men like so many euill spirits conueighing their treasonable temptations to sillie men least able to resist whereby many great and dangerous Rebellions haue bene occasioned and whereby many damned and most dangerous attempts haue bene made against the liues of Christian Princes Eighthly And for this consideration were the Iesuites banished France for thát memorable villanie of theirs attempted on the person of the French King memorable it may be for the horror of the deed and for circumstance of persons a Franciscan Frier acting and a Christian Prince suffering it and memorable for that a Pope in publike Orations did allowe the deede and commēd the doer canonizing him for holy happie whose fact without repentance was most wicked and damnable daring to do more then holy K Dauid to lay his murtherous hands vpon the Lords Anointed Ninthly And as this is a respect considerable in all States so in no place more then in the English Nation this Kingdome hauing had many like attempts and hauing many such attemptors who haue dared to enterprise such treasons as all the world nor all the time in the world is not able to produce the like And therefore to prohibite these Runnagate Traytors to returne more dangerous Traytors then they went and to infect the whole with the Leprosie of their vngodly positions and doctrines was a care which much regarded the peace the prosperous estate of this Kingdome Tenthly By these statutes the Policie of the Romish Church was preuented For it hath euer beene and yet is the Politike wisedome of that state to send out these their Intelligencers their Priests and Iesuites into all nations who by confessions other secret workings vnderstād almost the secrets of all States then like Bees to their Hiue or Spirits to their hell send or bring all the vse of their trauells to the Seate of Rome whereby the Popes haue euer had vnderstanding in the most secret affaires of State almost in all Nations And this is so behouefull for his greatnesse as with this he may be said to moue the bodie of his greatnes neither without this could he support himselfe in such estimation as he is For when the practise of any Prince is working against him he hath timely vnderstanding of it by these his carefull Intelligencers and by that meanes he is the better able to worke his owne safetie and to preuent the intendments of his aduersaries Eleuenthly And therefore was this of speciall consideration for the state to exclude them the Land who are the betrayers of our State Secrets to our greatest enemies There are these and many other respects which make it most behoouefull for the peace and prosperous estate both of the Church and state of England to banish the land of these vngodly practisers to bring them their aydors abettors and receiuers within the compasse of treason because their practise is treason and they themselues most dangerous Traytors dangerous to men dangerous to the soules of men dangerous to mens estates
and dangerous to the States of Kingdomes and great States in the politike practise wherof they are much more learned then in the iudgement of Diuinitie and Christian Religion Obseruations Diuine Pollitique Morall FIRST Religion doth not deny her speciall Ministers the Clergy the knowledge of the very secrets of Policie or rather the Church in these times hath a necessity that doth require such knowledge because there are many enemies that present themselues against the peace and prosperitie of the Church which could not be resisted with victorie but by more then common discretion yet it is one thing to know and preuent and another to trauell in vnlawfull Politique designes Secondly The Romane State doth support the body of her greatnes vpon this particular Policie that by her Priests and Iesuites she can discouer all States This in the discretion of State is such a strength as that she might be thought inuincible but that God doth fight against her Thirdly hee that intrudes himselfe into such businesse wherein both his profession and his particular cause would make him a stranger is iniurious to himselfe and others to himselfe because hee must neglect his owne particular to others because he doth vndertake that cause wherein he is or should be ignorant CHAP. XXVIII Of the Christian care Queene ELIZABETH had to defend certaine Christian Princes and their STATES FIRST it is euerie ones care to prouide for themselues and to labour the aduancement of their own prosperous fortunes but few there be who care for other men or that labour in the trauell of other mens affaires And among all the sorts of men these few are the best for by this demonstration of Charitie they approue themselues to bee good men and Christians good men by the Law of Nature and good Christians by the Law of grace This Charitable communicating of giftes and benefits being commanded and commended before all earthly regards And therefore he that with true Christian respect loueth his neighbour keepeth halfe the Law and he that loueth God keepeth it all yet he that made this Lawe could thus expound it that no man can obserue all the Lawe vnlesse he first obserue the halfe neither can any man giue God his dutie who first will not giue his Loue to his Neighbour which is not giuen vnlesse wee declare it in our exercise of such charitable offices as we haue power to doe and as the necessities of our Christian brethren may require them Secondly and this is the dutie of euerie Christian man of what estate soeuer it is also the dutie of euerie Christian kingdome to support one another in their iust quarrels and to communicate to each other their generall commodities And howsoeuer in many states of Christian name this strictnesse of conscience is not regarded yet in the best it is and in all it ought to be for the puritie of Christian Religion is of that excellent purenesse that no staine can be in the vse thereof without dishonourable imputation And we all know that in the practise of heathenish and barbarous Common-Wealths are many things very commendable which in a Christian State would appeare most odious because in those States they respect greatnesse only and there any thing is allowable that may helpe them forward But where goodnesse and vertuous name is desired there men neglect the offer of all euill occasions and embrace that onely for lawfull and good which in the iudgement of good conscience is approued lawfull and good Thirdly And in these heauenly respects of Christian commiseration we haue good cause and so haue many Princes in Christendome to remember Queene Elizabeth most mercifull and compassionate who did euer entertaine the extremities of distressed Christian Princes and whose hands were euer armed with valour and victory to support them in their kingly reputations to defend them from the iniuries of their ambitious powerful enemies But because the number of her princely deseruings in this kinde were many and to report them would require large circumstance I will therefore make choise onely of some particulars of best memorie and of most importance such as being knowne may reduce to memorie the glory and greatnesse of the Queenes actions And the honour which the name of England hath got in being gouerned by a Ladie of so matchlesse a reputation Fourthly And as that neerest to vs in respect of weighty consequence I remember Scotland first a kingdome which before her time neuer stood assured to the fauour of England but what by reason of their naturall discord and because of the combination betweene the kingdome of France and it that nation hath euer bene suspected of ours and we of them and therefore both of vs haue euer commonly stood in the tearmes of lealousie and both our Nations haue had regardful eye to the proceeding of each other yet with such wisedome could those times order their affaires of State as that these their disagreements were not hazerdous to the fortunes of either kingdomes but continued for respects of Pollicie insomuch as the Warres of Scotland with vs were rather emulations than VVarres and ours with them were rather for manly exercise than any desire to subuert or vtterly ouerthrow the bodie of that State And in truth it cannot be imagined two Nations so neere as they are how euer made friends by allyance or other friendly entertainements could liue without giuing of offence to one another nor without many spitefull and hot contentions these two Kingdomes in one Isle being like two wiues in one house vnder one and the same husband euer being in ciuill displeasure for superiority neither could these displeasures be euer ended but as God hath done it making of these two Nations one Monarch the which like one wife without competitor he hath wedded to one husband the Kings Maiestie that last was and to his posterity for euer by whom the emulation strife of these euer disagreeing natiōs is for euer compounded Fifthly In the glory of which deed Queene Elizabeth hath a greater part than any Prince in the world because in her life time she did so much in that Kingdome for the safetie of the King and that State as might well declare both her power and her princely care for that Christian Prince and his Kingdome defending her Kingly Sonne our Kings Maiestie in the right of his Kingdome and in the truth of his Christian Religion against all the enemies of his life and State and therefore hath shee the greater glory in defending a Christian King and his Nation in their best quarrell and against their greatest enemies and yet hath shee better deserued in leauing a Kingdome better then that to the King and to his posterity for euer Thus did the power of the Queene defend that Nation which the power of her predecessors had many times offended she recompensing at once the