is sufficient for any mans salvation without the blasphemous expositions of these times So in the point of obedience unto Kings a maine principle in Christian doctrine without which no man shall enter into the Kingdome of heaven it is very plentifull and plaine among the rest this is one Where the word of a King is there is power The word of a King IT is as the roaring of a Lion It is Divalis jussio say the councells Eloquium divinum est in ore regis saith Salomon and Barclay cites three fundamentall lawes in Scotland in honour of the word of a KING Si quis in alterius quam regis verba juraverit capitale esto Si quis in jussu regis without his word homines in armis habuerit morte crimen expiatur Solius Regis nomine jus onme redditur conventus judicatur concilia convocanter But I chose rather to apply my selfe to Gods Word and then will prove the power of the word of a King There are two powers of Kings plaine in two places of Gods Word the first is Potestas What hee may and ought to doe in equitie That is set downe In capite volum Deut. 17. The second is Potentia jus impunitatis what he may doe and yet may not be questioned by his subjects for so doing This is in 1 Sam. 8.12 and to the 19. The former is his owne rule as he will answer God if he transgresse the latter is his peoples rule for their obedience The former power what is religious and just towards God and his people his grave Divines and skilfull Lawyers who are about his person are bound to explaine The one to rehearse Otho Frigensis his sentence to him or such like concerning the day of judgment Cum horre dum sit omni mortali incidere in manus dei viventis Regibus tamen eo erit horribilius quo ipsi caeteris possent peccare liberius They should be informed that Kings come from Christs owne thigh Apoc. 19. On his thigh is written King of Kings and Lord of Lords That they come from the thigh of God their government ought to bee paternall and easie to use his subjects as his owne Children as God useth man that they ought not to weare Reheboams fingers much lesse his Fathers loynes but Abrahams yea Christs loynes more compassionate and kinde to his people under the time of Christiâ—nitie then before That their Scepters are not given them to dish out the braines of their innocent subjects but that it was derived from Davids sheep-hooke to lead his people by the waters of comfort that the people are not to be goared with whips and Scorpions and intolerable taxes and oppressions but to be led like sheepe by the hands of Moses and Aaron That they are anointed with oyle in token to make glad the hearts of all their subjects not besmeare them ore with Vineger And not only religion but also in Policie his Councellours and Lawyers are bound in Conscience to exhort him to keep within the bounds of equity and imperrall right Catose counsell oft repeated to him Potentes parce uti debere potestate ut diu possint They ought to advise him that few Lawes whether in Church or Common wealth are admirable preservatives both of Kings and kingdoms The government of the Iewes had not continued long under the Ceremoniall Law the burden too heavie for them to beare had not God watched over them with severe judgements And if many Lawes be enacted and those not closely united to reason but only depending on the placitum of the Law-maker if also thereby he tye both their Consciences and purses to which the Consciences of most men are tyed it is not morally possible but such a kingdome by the malice of men will shortly after bee confounded They ought to informe that he ought to rule more Turcico His people are not mancipia nor more valdesiano they have possessions under him neither 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without fault in the subject to be in his power But that his subjects are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in subordination and subjection only That a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump a little oppression makes all his subjects source especially if the people bee aforehand seasoned with the leaven of the Pharisees with hypocrisie who have nothing of Religion ssave names of faith and tread-water-grace inspirations markes of Election of their owne choosing reprobating all besides themselves even Kings if they please them not having the forme of godlinesse but denying the power thereof even the power the Kings The power they are bound to advise the King of who are imployed about his person Wee who have to deale with the people are bound to deliver his secundam power nifi impunitatis who may say unto the King if he doe amisse What doest thou Kings are not to be questioned The first wee finde in this sacrilegious forme to Moses a Deputie no King was Corah and his complices and as their way was not the common way of obedient subjects so neither was their death the common death of men For say they could charge Moses and Aaron with intrusion into their rights must the form needs be by the way of question interrogative Cur elevamini there are many other wayes to have done it more meekely and if you marke it it is no ordinary quare lamma but an imperious terme umaddans what is the reason Ephori like we require an account of the administration of the Common wealth This saucy forme of questioning the Jewes kept till our Sauiours time Is not this the Carpenters sonne Is it lawfull to pay tribute unto Caesar who made thee a ruler over us It was the Donatists forme in Saint Augustine Quid nobis imperatores It is the Popes forme It is the Presbyterians-factious form It is the devils form of coming to Kings with insolent questions Quid agis we expect satisfaction not the word of a King only for what hath bin governed amisse Quanquam dignus sit haec contum lia c. Here in the Text is an answer as large though not as unreasonable and that in the same way by way of question Who may say unto him 1. Quis e clero 2. Quis ex optimatibus 3. Quis e Magistratibus regni 4. Ques e Populo may dare say to Him Him annointed with oyle for supremacie and continuance in his Throne Him unctum but Christum Domini Him Not man but God what subject what profane person what mortall man may dare say unto him What doest thou I. Quis e Clero WHo of all the Church for matters of Religion or Sacriledge may question the authoritie of a King Begin wee with our Lord and Master of Religion our Saviour Christ hee suffered not Saint Peter to resist the Magistrate Saint Austin reprehends both Moses and Saint Peter Contra Manich ille fraterno hic domanico amore peccavit nec pro fratre
the KING what doest thou Were it not thinke you a very ungratefull sight to behold a Bull or an Vnicorne pushing at the Lion or the Falcon to seize upon the Eagle So and much more unseemely were it for the Princes of the Land to question their naturall King or to reprehend his government otherwise then by advise and humble intreatie And here I have no minde at this time to undervalue the persons and honours of the Princes of the Land though but in a comparative way in that the people will conceive all spoken absolutely which may be delivered by way of comparison and with the King only pro quo caeteri c. And so have their lives in no honour And their deaths in contempt and derision a fault too generall in this kingdome at this day John a Prince â—n Israel slew his Master he had peace because he had a Commission saith Iustin Martyr But had Zimri peace that slew his Master David a Prince under Saul tooke up foure hunddred men but with no intent to oppose the person of Saul but to preserve himselfe And Hugo Grotius grants that to have beene lawfull under the government and law of the Iewes which is not under the law of Christians we being bound to more perfect patience and obedience in regard of better promises concerning another kingdome so that David case is no president for us moreover there is no necessitie to thinke that David intended so much as a defensive war against Saul but rather as the Iewes under Antiochus to depart into the wildernesse and defend himselfe against the wild beasts or to take some townes of the Philistims untill the day of the death of Saul Thus dum timuit oleum servavit inimicum All that David did when he could have cut his throate was that he cut off the skirt of his garment and even of this he repented percussit eum cor ejus And it is this day a tradition amongst the Iewes saith Lyranus that David was punished in his death respectively to this sinne that no clothes could keepe him warme quia oram vestis Sauli abscidit in vestibus quibus opertus erat non calefiebat There is ground for this in the booke of Kings But whether true or no ficta arguunt the morall is good Princeps non est austeroris verbiense faedandus nec vel ultimae super fluae actionis corum quasi finbriam vituperando decorpere presumâ—mus Absalom a Prince Davids sonne rebells with the rairest pretence that both Religion and Justice could make for him forsooth that neither were duely executed in the land he would doe it yea and that speedily in the gates of the Citie but marke his end suspensus erat quasi in patibulo he was gibbeted without a Hangman transfixus tribus sagittis 1. For disobedience to his naturall Father 2. For opposing his naturall Soveraigne 3. For spoyling both Church and state under shew of Religion and Justice even when he lay with his Fathers Concubines upon the house toppe And let all the enemies of the Lord the King bee as the young man is 3. Quis e Magistratibus regni May say unto the King what doest thou A vinculis delictorum liberi sunt reges saith Saint Ambrose and Saint Austin to moderate the zeale of any inferour Magistrate affirmes if they command any thing it is not to command but a presumption and obedience to them proficiet ad paenam non ad premium quam ad contumeliam pertinet creatoris ut contempto Domino colamur serai spreto imperatore adorentur comites No counsell or Sanedrim could lawfully question Moses who was no King but Legatus Dei. Howsoever Philo in honour of him stiles him King There is no question but the generall counsell of a kingdome is the most incomparable medium of preferring both King and people that the reason of man can possibly invent But then the power of it must be onely directive not coercive For I would aske by what law by the Kings No man is bound to give a prejudiciall judgement against himselfe and if any equall have no power over an equall much lesse an inferior over a superior Lawes made by the King are not Buchanans to tye him down under the judgement and censure of his people but they are Organs or instruments of the power that governeth at once thereby to reach the whole people not coactively to binde the legislator for the K. In whom humane power doth reside is a person that cannot by his owne power be controlled much leste by the power of any subject moreover every active abilitie whether in nature or in morals is per se cause or principall of alteration corruptively in another body not in the body in the which it selfe resides Wherefore if Divines or Lawyers affirme obligation in Princes to their laws they teach herein only the bond of conscience They are not Idonei judices they appeale straight to God Tibi soli peccavi But to put an end to all questioning of Kings by any under Magistrate whatsoever I require an answer to the Law of God in these following questions Who questioned Saul for slaying the Priests did the Sanedrim who questioned Salomon for his revolt to Idolatry did the Sanedrim who questioned Ioram a Paracide and 6. times a murtherer of his Nobles did the Sanedrim who Ioas for his Idolatry and slaying the High Priest did the Sanedrim who questioned Theodosius for murthering 6000. innocent soules who questioned Constance Valens Julian the Apostate who traduced their persons and dignities who offered them tumultuous affronts unlesse wee will skill more in Religion then the former part of the Jewish and Christian world Desinamus ogganire plura reges percontari Remember that of Cicero Regum haec sunt imperia animadverte edicto pare preter rogitatum si loquare moriere And that of the Persian King mementote parendum vobis esse magis quam suadendum even the fundamentall lawes of this kingdome are by chance or good providence plaine for the unquestioned power of the King by any lower Magistrate Thomas of Walsingham speakes from a Parliament held at Lincolne An. 130. That the King of England from their preeminence and custome at all times have not to answer before any Judge either Ecclesiasticall or civill And Henry or Brachton cites a fundamentall of this land that if any thing bee to bee obtained of the King Cum breve non currat contra Regem there is nothing left to them but intreatie and prayers that hee would correct himselfe which if hee please not to doe it is enough that he expect the Lord from heaven as his only revengers De Chartis Regis facta Regum nec justiciaris nec privatae personae debent disputare For certainely if there be in a Common-wealth a reluctancie between two governments each watching its advantage and prioritie it cannot be but as Esau and Iacob strugled in the wombe so these in
nec pro Christo itaque nec pro Christi Religione est adversus principes machinandi locus Baronius to the yeare of Christ 350. saith that in the purer times of Christians non cogitaverunt de vindicta for saith Tertul. If malum malo dispungi were lawfull in Christians Nos implevimus castra urbes oppida c. wee had all the Garrisons and fortes of the kingdome una nox pauculis faculis wee could have lighted our cruell Tyrants to their graves Saint Basil gave up the Towne to Iulian the Apostate even when they might have defended themselves against him he rather by teares and prayers beseecheth him to spare the Christians Famous is Saint Ambrose in his obedience to Theodosius Suadeo rogo hortor admoneo no more to a King Ego in te contumaciae animam non habeo sed habeo timoris and when Valentine demanded his Church he answers the King that by right thou canst not take away the house of a private man neither can be and thinke you by your power to take away the House of God yet marke imperatori non done sed non nego tradere basilicant possum sed pugnare non debeo volens nunquam jus deseram coactus repugnare non novi dolere potero potero gemire aliter nec debeo nec possum resistere But excelling all these is the practice of holy Samuel towards Saul who was neither Priest nor Christian I Sam. 15. when Sauls kingdome was rent from him decreto divino hee requested Samuel to stay and intreat God for him No Perjecisti Sermonem domini projecit te dominus ne sis Rex super Israel Saul catcheth at him and rent his mantle Samuel replies The Lord hath rent the kingdome of Israel from thee this day Then saith Saul I have sinned honour me I pray thee before the Elders of my people Here Samuel stayed and returned and followed after Saul The vices of Idolatrie of a King may not be remonstrated or declared down to the people by any member of the Church of God we must honour him before the people and Elders in Israel Yea though he rend off our mantles from our backes although hee deprive us of all our revenewes we must with St. Bernard say if all the world should importune me to dishonour the person of Lodovicus for his sacriledge Ego tamen Deum timerem Oh that our popular Clergie either would or could looke beyond Luther They might then learn more manners towards Kings from Irenaeus Tertullian Chrysostome Basil and to qualifie their ignorant zeales or their malicious knowledge Let them take one rule for all to speake honourably of the persons of KINGS from Nazianzen in his discourse with Constans the Arrian He doth not proclaime him Pharaoh or an Idolater or quod quidam fecit That Tophet is prepared of old and for the King I dare not begin to reckon opus erit viatico But benignifica natura tua Domine Auguste intelligit singularis admirabilis sapientia tua aequum videri debet sanctitati tuae gloriosissime Auguste dignantissime imperator sancte Rex loquuturus sum tecum cum honore regni fideitus and these honourable termes to an Arrian And 4. hundred Fathers of the Church spake no other language at Ariminum to an Arrian But the Church of God is as the Jewish Temple twice built And as at the latter raising of it the old men who had seene the glory of the former wept in memory of it for I doubt not but the grave Divines in this and other Churches who have seene the glory of the former part of the Church in the writings of the fathers doe weepe to see it in this latter age built up indeed of specious names and outsides of Religion but all operative faith devotion Chastity Temperance Patience Obedience even to Kings is made a question The Pope he lead is in the front of the latter part of the Church against the right of the Kings Hee that in former times sware in eo per quem reges regnant He whom the Florentine History can informe that his supremacie was not derived from an obscure place of Scripture or two But from the Emperours removing his Court from Ravenna since which time not Kings but Popes are Gods and the Societie of Jesus that slaughter-House of Kings can change a Text for his holinesse My sone feare thou God and the Pope Church-men are exempt from the power of Kings saith Samuel Sa. A Iesuite A Roman Catholike rebelling is no traytor saith the same Samuel Sa. Sexcentis versibus eorum impuritas traloqu nemo potest in so much as t is a proverb in Quiccardine it is the propertie of the Church to hate the King There is in these latter times another faction against the King who cry but with the Donatists Quid nobis imperatori And as the Papists Dominus Deus noster papa so these Dominus Deus noster consistorium presbyâ—erianum But that you ever sufficiently detest that kind of government I will give you one of their phrases from the Bishop of Winchester their Church say they is the house or rather their private houses the Church and the Common-wealth but the hangings now the hangings must be made fit for the house not the house for the hangings And if the King and his Princes be too high for their holy house they must cut them shorter and with the help of an Anabaptist lay them even with the ground But we have as yet no such rebellious custome nor I hope ever shall nor the Churches to God Let the Clergie for their obedience imitate holy Samuel to Saul Eliah to Ahab who by speciall commission told him not his people of his sinnes Imitate Jeremie in the prison Daniel in the denne Amos strucke through the Temples Zacharias murthered betweene the porch and the Altar Christ our Master under Herod Tiberius suffering under Pontius Pilate the Apostles under Caligula Claudius Nero Domitian Saint John in a Tubbe of Oyle Christian Bishops for many hundred yeares under Tyrants Idolaters Atheists none of all these reviled their Princes while they were alive Last of all remember that Saint Bernard Fidem â—onorum amissione exilio morte non prodam terramincolo quasi semper migraturus And Saint Chrysost In Epistola ad Cyrac will the King or the Queene banish me The earth is the Loras and the fulnesse thereof will hee cutt me in peeces I can remember Esay will hee cast me into the Sea Ionas If into the furnance The three Children If to the Lions Daniel If stone me Saint Stephen If behead mee Saint John Lastly for I dare not rebell will hee take away my whole estate and substance from mee that of Iob nudus exivi ex utero matris meae nudus revertar This for the Church Quis e clero if like the Primitive Fathers may say unto the King Quid agis What doest thou 2. Quis ex optimatibus regni May say unto
of the subjects for rights they have have passed from them to former Kings in consideration of such priviledges it is both honourable and just that they be recompenced or restored back again Seventhly what if he violate the conditions propounded to him and his predecessors upon his entrance to the Crown may not the people question him for that Not so far I believe as is commonly thought summum imperium conditionatum may very well bee conseniasanea and not opposites In the Persian kingdome hee is sworne to the laws of the Persians which ought not to alter and yet none may question him if he violate these lawes In the Jewish government wherein Kings were absolute and uncontroleable by their subjects there were some cases conditions in which jure he had no power to Iudge as de Tribu de pontifice de propheta as is plain Ier. 38.5 yet although these conditions were delivered by God Himselfe if the K. as appeares in many places of the book of Kings and Chron. did intermeddle it was not in the power of the Iewes to question or derrive him of his government But what if it be a condition that if he breake these laws he shall ipso facto void his kingdom as it hath bin in some States This will be found a most prejudiciall condition both to King and people for wee living in this world not by mathematicall demonstrations where there is no medium between rectum â—â—rium but by morall rules where there are many formae interjectae between rectum curvum vice and vertue Some vertuous actions comming neere vice are deemed vitious and some vicious comming mere vertue are reckoned vertuous it will bee very hard to know what when a King punctually keeps al his conditions but at the pleasure of a prevailing faction in the people he will be judged either directly or by consequence to have broken the conditions on which his kingdome depends this kinde of government must be very doubtfull and destructive to a Common-wealth Lastly may not the people come unto the King with quid agis if he intend and threaten to destroy the whole State as Nero and Caligula or if he intend to give up himselfe and his kingdome without the subjects consent not only in Patrocinium but in ditionem to another Prince In both these cases ex hypothesi that there hath been no rebellion in the subject and then the cases are morally impossible Grotius Barclay and Abbas Winzelus are of opinion that the Law of nature doth return unto the people again both for to defend themselves and elect againe But the holy Abbat is of a better opinion that the Law of Nature is not alwayes to be resumd by Christians especially here where it cannot be taken but with many inconveniences and uncertainties both from our not knowing what is a full intention and for defect of a lawfull Judge and in regard of appeales to other Nations and beside these a breach of many Lawes of Christianitie His advice is rather than to injure our Christian profession to betake our selves to fasting and prayers and removing from us our particular lusts and wickednesse provided thus for death expect Gods providence who never failes religious men and kingdomes in this generall preparation for death either God may turne him and his armies from us put a hooke in his nostrills or else confound his person with some sudden judgement even Lice may consume his unnaturall bowells or if not non â—â—cet sed purgat Saint Ambrose hee doth but hasten us to a better kingdome an everlasting one in heaven Durus est Sermo sed tulit Iudeus fâ—rat Christianus Now in the name of Religion in the name of the peace of the Common-wealth and the honour of the King let me aske you these questions You that come up so boldly to the face of a King for the Relion who should clamare a facie ejus are yee sure the Religion yee question him for is the right Religion are yee sure your inspirations are not from the Devill are yee sure your Ministers are both for learning and manners such as in whom yee may conside in a matter that so concernes your soules And that they doe not humour you contrary to their owne consciences out of respect to preferment in the Church which at another time either their povertie in parts or poverty in manners could not attaine Are ye sure that those that from your Pulpits declaime so fervently against superstition and Idolatry have not themselves beene leaders in that which they now condemne in others and so cannot bee fitt Iudges what is Idolatry Or else themselves are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Againe are yee all of one Religion that the King may satisfie you all at once If yee be not all of one Religion tell us how many your are of if you can And if you should chance to be one Religion at any time hereafter are yee sure to continue in it That the King may not bee troubled Burgundians like to establish a new Religion once every yeare for you If you be not certaine of all these as I am sure you are not how dare yee certainely confound King Church and State for an uncertaine Religion Again for your Policy and civill government are ye certaine of the fundamentall lawes of the land Are ye sure ye cannot digest an Arbitrary government under the notion and terme of fundementall lawes It is not an impossible thing in nature that are ye sure if the King be not absolute and sole judge of fundamentall lawes to be freed from avarice and ambition in the interiour Iudges and Magistrates two inseprable vices in Aristocracy Both which are satisfied in a King ambition in that he is summu Avarice in large estate Are yee sure of the same Senate alwayes and if you be extreme now time may come when others may be as extreme now time may come when others may be as extreame and so the kingdome hurried betweene two extreames the peoples rule being to run from one extream unto another Lastly are ye sure if ye put any more insolent questions to the king you may not turne a meek and pious King as ever sate upon this Throne into a Tyrant A learned Church as ever any in this Kingdome or else where into ignorance Aflourishing stat as any in the Christian world into a confusion a long and happy peace into as long and unhappy warre a fulnesse into famine your wives to widdowes your children to Orphants your selves into your grave and you leave this nation behind you a Desolation a hissing a reproach a by word to the nations round about us And now God forgive mee if in this discourse I have not intended rather the liberties and rights of the subject then the prerogative of the King I remembred all this while what Saint August saith Tolle Iura Regum et quis potest dicere haec volla mearst take away the Kings sole and absolute government and who can secure his own life and estat they must needs be subject to a thousand alterations I besech you therefore by your deare and many Children by the antient Protestant Religion by the antient and fundamentall lawes in this land for obedience King sit down with prayers and tears for these many distractions Saint Bernards way non scuta sed fletu reparate rempub Amend your lives be charitable and kind on to another fit downe togither in peace under your vines as people who hope hereafter to fit downe in the kingdom of heaven In a word feare God honour the King neither people nor Church nor Nobility nor inferiour Magistrate of the land lay unto the King by the way of rebellious contradiction What doest thou FINIS