plentifullie and admirably And sith as God himselfe saith This is the very honour that he expecteth at our hands sith as the Kingly Prophet telles vs it pleaseth God better then the oblation of many Psalm 50. 23. fatted beasts or the smell of much incense and sith as the Apostle S. Paul teacheth vs this euen this giuing of thanks 1. Tim. 2. 3. for all men and namely or specially for Kings is a thing good acceptable in the sight of God our Sauiour let euery one of vs in particular say with Dauid quid retribuam Domino Psalm 116. 12. c. That is What shall I render vnto the Lord for all the benefits he hath done vnto me and namely in placing ouer me so good so gratious and so worthy a King and resolue with Dauid I will take the cup of saluation and call vpon the name of the Lord I will offer to him the sacrifice of thankesgiuing And let vs all say as the Queene of Sheba 2. Chron. 9. 8. did concerning King Salomon 2. Chron. 9. Blessed bee the Lord thy God O King which loued thee to set thee on his throne in the stead of the Lord thy God because thy God loueth our land to establish it for euer therefore hath hee made thee King ouer vs to execute iudgement and iustice The second generall part HItherto haue I shewed you beloued in the Lord our dutie to Caesar consisting in sixe things viz. Feare Honour Obedience Tribute defence and Prayer Now let vs consider also according to my promise as God shall assist and time permit me some motiues and inducements to this duty And to that purpose that we may neuer slide either by the corruption of our owne heart or the perswasion of men or suggestion of the Diuell I will since the wisest either of Kings or men affirmeth that a threefold cable is not easily broken shew you a fourefolde corde which may well kept and obserued euer hold the whole heart Eccles 4. 12. and soule of euery subiect in loue and Allegiance to his Soueraigne the seuerall twists whereof are these viz. 1. The ordination of Caesar 2. The haynousnesse of the crime of disloyalty against Caesar 3. The punishments of that sinne 4. The rewards of Loyalty and dutifulnesse to Caesar Motiue 1 1. Concerning the former of these neither any wicked spirit nor mortal man nor Heauenly Angell but God himselfe The Ordination of Caesar is hee that ordaineth Caesar to bee Caesar and setteth him vpon his throne This is euident by many proofes of holy Scripture generall and particular Generall partly negatiue and partly affirmatiue 1. Negatiue as where Christ saide vnto Pilate Thou Ioh. 19. 11. couldest haue no power at all against mee except it were giuen thee from aboue And the Apostle vnto vs all There is no Rom. 13. 1. power but of God To whom agreeth the Psalmist when he singeth thus Promotion commeth neither from the East nor Psal 75. 7. from the West nor yet from the South And why For God is the Iudge He putteth downe one and setteth vp another 2. Affirmatiue for By mee saith the vncreated wisedome Prou. 8. 15. of God doe Kings raigne and Princes decree iustice The name of God be praised saith Daniel the Prophet chap. Dan. 2. 21. 2. for Wisedome and strength are his He changeth times seasons he setteth vp Kings and taketh them away And the blessed Apostle in the place before alleaged telleth vs directly that The powers that bee are ordained of God To Rom. 13. 1. these we may adde the words of the wiseman speaking to all rulers in this sort Giue eare ye that rule the nations and Wisd 6. 23. glory in the multitudes of people for the Rule is giuen you of the Lord and power by the most high Particular which do consist in God his immediate designement of diuers vnto kingdomes as of Saul whom by the hand of Samuel he annointed to be Head ouer his 1. Sam. 10. 1. people and whom by the same Prophets mouth he testifieth to the people that he had chosen to be King ouer them Of Hazael and of Iehu appointing his seruant Elijah to Vers 24. 1. Kin. 19. 15. 16 annoint the one of them King ouer Syria the other ouer Israel According wherunto Daniel telleth Nebuchad that great King of Babel which yet knew not God That the Dan. 2. 37. God of Heauen had giuen him a Kingdome power strength and glorie and had deliuered not the men onely that dwelled on the face of the earth but also the very beasts of the field and the foules of the heauen into his hand and made him ruler ouer them all Likewise for Salomon the sonne of Dauid the Queene of Sheba can tell vs that it was the Lord 2. Chron. 9. 8. God of Israel that had set him on his throne in his steed to be King ouer his people and both for Salomon and Dauid his Father Dauid himselfe the man after Gods owne heart doth most plainely testifie in this sort The Lord God chose mee 2. Chron. 28. 4. before all the house of my Father to bee King ouer Israell for euer among all the sonnes of my Father he delighted in mee to make me King ouer his people and euen so of all my sonnes hee hath chosen Salomon my sonne to sitte vpon the throne of the Kingdome of the Lord. Thus it is most manifest that Caesar is ordained to be Caesar by God and therefore vnto him as vnto the ordinance of God wee ought to yeeld whatsoeuer is Caesars lest in reiecting him we reiect God Obiection That this is so of all good Princes all goodmen wil easily grant But since that an euill Prince is a great euill an extreame plague it is a question with some how such a one can be of God or be said to be set in place by God who is the spring from whence all goodnesse and onely Iam. 1. goodnes doth flow Answere Though the particulars before recited doe sufficiently prooue not onely the good but euill Princes also to bee Gods ordinance For who are euill if Saul if Hazael if Nebuchadnezzar were not and the generals extending to all do necessarily comprehend both good euill Yet farther and more fully to cleare this doubt wee must vnderstand beloued in the Lord that there is Malum culpae and Malum Poenae an euill of crime and an euill of paine The euill of crime is sinne the euill of paine is the punishment of sinne the euill of crime is not of God God being all sufficient needs it not beeing most holy commands it not being most righteous approues it not in a word hee hateth accurseth it in all in this world and in all the impenitent will condemne it eternally in the world to come But the euill of paine being the punishment of sin is thrown from the throne of God vpon the heads of
punishment madnes it selfe being so great a plague yet when Capito a man raging mad drew his sword vpon Henry the son of Francis the King aforenamed he was therfore executed So great detestation is there in the harts of all good subiects of the least shew of violence to the Lords anointed Motiue 3 3. Which laid open Let vs come to the third motiue and marke the punishment of treason and disloyalty as apparant as any of the former that there is punishment ready The punishment of such sinne prepared for such it appeareth by that of the Apostle They that resist shall receiue to themselues damnation Of the greeuousnes Rom. 13. 2. of the iudgment we may be assured by the heynousnes of the crime Farther since the law requireth that offendors pay life for life eye for eye tooth for tooth hand for hand foot for foot burning for burning wound for wound stripe for Exo. 21. 23. 24. stripe c. What wounds what burning is he worthy to endure that is guilty of this crime How many feet how many hands how many eies how many liues is he worthy to lose which offendeth those feet of whom so many thousand feet those hands of whom so many thousand hands those eies of whom so many thousand eyes that life whereon so many thousand liues depend But because hee hath not so many feet so many hands so many eies so many liues therefore is he punished of God and man 1. Of man in house in lands in offices in death in buriall in name and in posterity I neede not giue instances of these Who knowes not that houses lands and preferments are taken from such that paines and torments are laide vpon such Hest 8. 1. 2. Sam. 16. 3. 1. King 2. 26. Ier. 22. 18. Prou. 10 7. Bb. Ch. Ser. in Psal 105. p. 60. that a violent and terrible kind of death is prepared for such that buriall is denied vnto such and their name is infamed and their blood tainted And as one hath saide excellently well well worthy are they to feel the full measure of Vengeance vpon earth and to incurre an vniuersall detestation among men to haue all the hatred of the earth powred vpon them and theirs to be the outcasts of the common wealth and the Maranathaes of the Church yea and their names for euer to be an abhorring to al flesh nothing in this kind is too much 2. Of God such are also many times punished howsoeuer By God for a time they may or doe escape the hand of man and that externally internally and eternally Externally by meanes which man cannot vse The nation 1. Eternally and kingdome saith God by his Prophet Ieremy which will not serue Nebuchadnezzar King of Babel the same Ier. 27. 8. nation will I visit with the sword and with the famine and with the Pestilence So punished hee Miriam for murmuring Numb 12. 10. against Moses with leprosie as white as snow Corah Dathan and Abiram for open rebellion with the earths et 16. totum opening her mouth and swallowing vp quicke them and all that they had and Absalon with his owne mule to draw him his owne hear on a great thicke oake to hang him 2. Sam. 18. 9. Internally hee punisheth such with the sting of a guilty conscience A good Conscience saith Salomon is a continuall feast But such as will not obey for conscience sake 2. Internally Prou. 15. 15. Rom. 13. 5. 1. Pet. 2. 13. such as will not submit themselues for the Lords sake are by the Lord depriued of this good and tormented with an euill conscience And that this is a fearefull punishment we may learne of the wise man who saith A fearefull thing Wisd 17. 10. it is when malice is condemned by her owne testimonie which saith another is more then a 1000. witnesses and a Conscience that is touched doth euer forecast cruell things This sting of conscience bee those Furies whereof the Poets those accusing thoughts whereof the Apostle that Rom. 2. 15. neuer dying worme whereof the euangelicall prophet and Christ himselfe in the Euangell doe speake that booke Isai 66. 24. Mar. 9. 44. Reuel 20. 21. whereof Saint Iohn saith that it shall be opened when the earth and heauen shall flie away from his face that shall sit on the great throne This when they are abroade makes Leuit. 26 36. them shake at the fall of a leafe This when they bee within maketh them flie though none pursue them This writing Prou. 28. 1. Dan. 5. 5. in their hearts like the handwriting which Belshazzar saw vpon the wall when they are in the height of their pride will cause their countenance to be changed and their knees to smite one against another This if they cut but the lap of the Princes garment will touch them at the heart This as it 1. Sam. 24. 6. Gen. 4. 13. did Cain for his brothers blood will much more for their lieges life if it be annoyed or shortned by them make their owne hearts to thinke and their own mouthes to say that Their sin is greater then that it can be forgiuen them This as Math. 27. 34. it did Iudas will make their soules to abhorre the reward of iniquitie their hands to cast it downe and their tongues to proclaime that they haue betrayed innocent blood This though like Iudas they had faith to worke miracles or like Ahitophell they can giue counsell as if one had asked at the oracle of God will make their owne hands to dispatch Acts 1. 18. 2. Sam. 16. 23. them of their wicked life and to end their sinfull and accursed daies These Iudgements of God are fearefull and who trembles not to heare them Yet know beloued there 3. Eternallie is another more grieuous then any of these yea more intollerable then all these and that is Gods eternall iudgement the fire of hell which such without repentance and great repentance shall not escape Lucifer for rebellion fell from heauen Adam for disobedience Genes 3. 24. Ephes 2. 3. was cast out of Paradise and such for disloyalty shall be shut out of the kingdome of God Yf it seemed greeuous 2. Sam. 14. 32. vnto Absalon lying in Ierusalem not once in two yeares tearme to see King Dauids face how greeuous shal it be for all rebels traytors c. dying without repentance neither to come into the new Ierusalem nor to see the face of God for euer And if it be a greeuous thing to lye fettered in a prison for a few daies oh how greeuous will it be for the vngodly of whom rebels traitours malignant subiects c be in the first rancke to bee turned into hell and there to lye bound hand and foote in euerlasting Iud. vers 6. chaines vnder darkenes world without end Wouldest thou know the sharpnes of these paines Christ telleth thee they goe into sire and what paine
a patterne of the great God from whom our whole estates our lawes to liue by and all our comfort in our seuerall courses doe proceed 2. Of our selues That we may leade vnder them a quiet 2. Of our selues 1. Tim. 2. 2. life without any insurrections at home and a peaceable life without any inuasion from abroad in all godlinesse that it may bee said of our land as Iacob once said of Bethel Genes 28. 16. Surely the Lord is in this place and this is none other but the house of God and in honestie that the name of the Lord be not blasphemed among the Gentiles among the Mahumetanes among the Papists and other enemies of the Gospell through vs but that as Christ said Our light may so shine before men that they may see our good Matth. 5. 16. workes and glorifie for them our Father which is in heauen This dutie being thus necessarie let vs performe it Pray Prayer is needfull we for Caesar It is needfull for him easie for vs and profitable for both He needs our prayer and therefore as Darius highly respected the sacrifices and prayers of the Esra 6. 6. Priests of Israel for his life and for his sonnes so let vs assure our selues our Cyrus doth no lesse what say I no lesse doth much more desire our prayers for himselfe and his Queene for the Prince and the rest of their royall issue I need no better nor other argument of his Maiesties desire in this behalfe then his special Edict for obseruation of this day the 5. of August which of purpose in his holy zeale and pious deuotion he hath consecrated during his whole life thoroughout all his dominions vnto prayer and thanksgiuing for him and his Let euery one therefore that loueth Caesar pray for him This is a dutie with great facilitie to bee done If thy Easie purse bee so poore that it can pay no tribute to Caesar if thy bodie bee so feeble that it can doe nothing for the defence of Caesar yet if thy heart be not leaud and wicked if thy mind be not deuoid of all pietie and Christian dutie thy tongue may and thy heart will daily and often publikely and priuately pray for Caesar Pray we then for him it is very profitable for both The Profitable prayer of a righteous man as saith S. Iames and shewes it by the example of Elias chap. 5. auaileth much with Iames 5. 16. God if it be feruent It helpes when all other helpes doe faile against all calamities against sicknesse against death against enemies and what not By it was Peter deliuered Act. 12. Isni 38. Iosh 3. 10. 12 1. King 4. 33. out of prison Hezekias restored to health Israel had the victorie by it the waters of Iordane were diuided the Sunne stood still the dead were raised to life and the liuing haue been saued from sundrie dangers If Paul exhorted 1. Tim. 2. 2. to pray for Nero for he was Caesar when Paul so wrote a man so wicked that he murthered his mother that bare him slew his Tutor that bred him and was natures monster If the Prophets Ieremie and Baruch commanded Ier. 29. 7. Baruch 1. 11. 2. King 24. to pray for the life of the King of Babel who yet had wasted Iudea with fire and sword besieged and taken Ierusalem burned the Temple slaine and caried captiue of 2. Pet. 1. 21. the people innumerable c. What would that holy spirit by whom both the Prophets and Apostles did write that English Scottish Irish and others vnder the subiection or protection of his most gratious Maiestie should do for this our good our godly our religious most vertuous King who hath established peace among vs vnited the deuided confirmed the Gospell and adorned the Temple of the Lord amongst vs Let vs therefore pray for his excellent Maiesty and for his that God would build his house as the house of Dauid establish his throne as the throne of Salomon make their daies vpon earth as the daies of heauen And not only let vs pray which respecteth the time present We must also render to god praise and thankesgiuing Heb. 13. 15. and to come but also for that is a principall part of prayer and respecteth likewise the time past which wee ought not to forget let vs praise God Let vs offer vnto him the fruite of our lippes confessing his name Let vs present vnto him the sweet odours and spirituall incense Psalme 50. of our hearts remembring his benefits Let vs render vnto him the sacrifice the true liuely and most acceptable sacrifice of praise and thanksgiuing extolling his vnspeakeable mercy and goodnesse vnto vs and our Nation First in driuing farre from vs all those euils and dangers which our hearts did feare and our enemies did hope at the setting of that * Queene Elizabeth Causes why to be thankefull most Orient Starre which long before had shined ouer vs would fall vpon vs. 2. In preparing for vs and placing ouer vs not a child but a man yea a mirrour of men not a meane Prince but a mightie Potentate not a Captaine but a king that had long before learned to hold the Scepter and by the experience of many yeeres had gotten skill to guide the raines of regall regiment 3. In bringing to vs not an enemie but a friend not an hater but a louer not only a fauourer but a furtherer but a learned a zealous and mightie defender both by word and sword of the ancient and apostolike the holy and catholike religion long since planted amongst vs. 4. In preseruing among vs and before he came among vs as this day beareth witnesse the life and person of him his annointed and our Soueraigne from the malice and furie the snare and violence the sword and assault of all rebels and traitors of all enemies and wicked ones which either priuily or openly at home or abroad haue wished intended or attempted any euill vnto his soule 5. In a word in powring vpon vs so many so great so diuers and so excellent benefits and blessings both spirituall and temporall the summe whereof my tongue cannot easily tel much lesse can my heart conceiue the greatnesse and worthines of them which wee by meanes of his Maiesties happie hopefull peaceable and pious reigne ouer vs doe abundantly enioy If it bee our dutie for euery benefit wee receiue at the 1. Tim. 4. 4. hand of God if we ought euen for the meate that we eate and for the cloathes that we put on and for whatsoeuer other particular blessing or good thing we receiue of God and what haue we which we haue not of him receiued 1. Cor. 4. 7. to render vnto him praise and thanks to laud and magnifie his name how much more for these so many so manifold and inestimable benefits vpon his Maiestie for vs and vpon vs by his Maiestie powred and bestowed
you perfect that you may in these and all other duties performe from time to time that which is wel-pleasing in his sight Beseeching the same God through the merits of his dearest sonne by the operation of his holy and all sanctifying spirit so to rule our hearts and worke in vs that we being holy and acceptable in his sight and our prayers feruent and faithfull they may pierce the heauens and so preuaile with God as they may thence bring iudgements as fire vpon Caesars enemies but as the dew of Diuine grace blessings manifold vpon Caesar and his true subiects That so his most sacred Maiesty may long religiously and happily raigne ouer vs heere on earth and that in the ende and without all end hee with vs and we with him may liue and raigne together in the euerlasting kingdome of Heauen Amen FINIS A SERMON PREACHED AT HENGSTRIDG IN THE COVNTIE OF Somerset the 16. of August vpon Matth. 22. 21. CONCLVDING A FORMER SERMON Preached there the fifth day of August vpon the same text By RICHARD EBVRNE Vicar there PROVERB 20. 25. It is a destruction for a man to deuoure that which is sanctified and after the vowes to enquire London Printed by Felix Kyngston for William Welby 1613. To the Reader COurteous and Christian Reader I had a purpose to haue seconded my first labour The Maintenance of the Ministerie in such sort as it might haue satisfied thine expectation and that title at full but partly discouraged by want of time and meanes fit for a worke of that waight partly detained by hope that as I had heard some one farre more able and ancient would ease me thereof I do for the present present thee againe with this sermon which as a supply to my former treatise may so much further thee if thou take some small paines in perusing and conferring both that by both thou maist haue as it were one sufficient volume of this Argument and I the lesse neede heereafter to labour any farther therein If thereby I preuaile with thee so much that thou acknowledge the same for truth and conforme thee to the practise I haue a great part of my desire or if I may but occasion some or other more learned and able to performe what I haue but rudely informed I shall account my labour not wholly lost I haue abounded in quotations and other mens obseruations for Ornament to the worke Authoritie with the learned direction to the vnlearned and protection for my selfe which if thou vse well will informe thee at full that I am neither alone nor from the ancient nor with the worst Touching the Argument or subiect of my labour in this my Sermon if any shall thinke it not so fit for the pulpit as the pen let him know There can bee no more fault in me to preach thereof then in Moses in the Prophets and in the Apostles so oft so much and so diuersly to speake and write thereof They feared not as * Rulling Decad. lib. 5. Serm. 10. one well notes of Moses lest in handling that matter they should be accused of greedy desire or couetousnes neither need I. That imputation may with better right and reason be retorted vpon them which after all our preaching and teaching of doctrine so necessary vrged so oft by so many in so sound and effectuall manner as might make euen the stones of the street to heare an heart of Adamant to relent and a brow of brasse to blush at this sinne and for all our preaching and publishing of other doctrines most holy most necessary most sweet and comfortable for which they are not able to yeeld vs sufficient recompence with all 1. Cor. 9. that they haue for what are their carnall things to our spirituall Doe yet suffer vs to liue in all needinesse and contempt and making due prouision and supply for the wants of the meanest of themselues passe by vs as not worthie the looking on Touching the meanes by which our distresses wants may be releeued it may happily seeme hard or strange to some that I intimate the off-cutting of customes prescriptions exemptions c. But whoso shall well and thoroughly consider of this businesse shall well perceiue that if euer there be a sincere intent and setled purpose to effect this so holy so necessary so iust and so great a worke it must this way and none other be effected For whereas our estate cannot bee bettered but either by restoring vs that which indeed and properly is our owne which once wee had and which was vnaduisedly and vniustly taken from vs or else by allotting and bestowing vpon vs some things that we neuer had To expect the latter that is that we should haue either sufficient stypends added in all places where need is vnto that which we already haue or that our gentlemen patrones or parochians should lay vs out so much of their fineable lands and temporall liuings as might increase our gleeb in that measure as might supply the want and roome of our tithes by their customes prescriptions c which held is neither probable possible nor reasonable It resteth therefore that by the meanes which I haue mentioned especially this must if euer be effected Thence is the maine cause of the disease and euill and thence according to the old Maxime Sublata causa tollitur effectus must come the cure and remedy much helpe I grant may be had by Impropriations but neither can they wholly be restored nor is the hurt they doe so great so common and generall as of the former Doth it seeme improbable that euer this great good worke should be effected and as a case desperate a matter past hope This may doe so to some but to me it doth not For first when I consider that it is much easier to repaire some Churches then to endow all and yet doe perceiue that time hath beene that all our Churches the whole land thorough haue beene indowed both with conuenient gleebe and their full tithes in kinde I perswade my selfe if we had that true zeale to the Church and vnfained loue to religion that the first Christians which so endowed our Churches had that the ruines rents and maymes of our Churches might with facility and celerity enough be repaired and amended the rather for that as in ruines and rubble of old buildings there resteth in the place matter conuenient and sufficient for performance thereof 2. When as I doe finde that for long agoe in time of darkest popery one man alone one bishop of the land I mean that famous Bishop Grosthead then Bishop of Lincolne could and did obtaine of the Pope being yet scant his friend power and authority both to institute vicaridges in Churches impropriate where none were and where such were as seemed too slenderly prouided of sufficient allowance to augment the same as to him should seeme expedient The coppie of which letters papall I haue for the worthines thereof as in