higher estate then God hath given or appointed unto them by ignorance I meane no unskilfullnesse in Arts or Sciences but the lacke of the knowledge of Gods blessed will declared in his holy Word which teacheth both extreamely to abhorre all rebellion as being the roote of all mischiefe and specially to delight in obedience as the beginning and foundation of all goodnesse as hath beene also before specified And as these are the two chiefe causes of rebellion so are there specially two sorts of men in whom these vices doe raigne by whom the devill the author of all evill doth chiefely stirre up all disobedience and Rebellion The restlesse ambitions having once determined by one meanes or other to atchieve to their intended purpose when they cannot by lawfull and peaceable meanes clime so high as they doe desire they attempt the same by force and violence wherein when they cannot prevaile against the ordinary authority and power of lawfull Princes and governours themselves alone they doe seeke the ayde and helpe of the ignorant multitude abusing them to their wicked purpose wherefore seeing a few ambitious and malicious are the authors and heads and multitudes of ignorant men are the ministers and furtherers of rebellion the chiefe point of this Sermon shall be aswell to notifie to the simple and ignorant men who they be that have beene and be usuall authors of rebellion that they may know them and also to admonish them to be ware of the subtill sugestions of such restlesse ambitious persons and so to flee them That rebellions though attempted by a few ambitious through lacke of maintenance by any multitudes may speedily and easily without any great labour danger or dammage be repressed and clearely extinguished It is well knowne as well by all histories as by dayly experience that none have either more ambitiously aspired above Emperours Kings and Princes nor have more pernitiously moved the ignorant people to rebellion against their Princes then certaine persons which falsely challenge to themselves to be only counted and called spirituall I must therefore here yet once againe briefly good people put you in remembrance out of Gods holy Word how our Saviour Jesus Christ and his holy Apostles the heads and chiefe of all true Spirituall and Ecclesiasticall men behaved themselves towards the Princes and Rulers of their time though not the best governours that ever were that you be not ignorant whether they be the true Disciples and followers of Christ and his Apostles and so spirltuall men that either by ambition doe so highly aspire or maliciously teach or most pernitiously doe execute rebellion against their lawfull Prince being the worst of all carnall workes and mischievous deedes The holy Scriptures doe teach most expressely that our Saviour Christ himselfe and his Apostles Saint Paul Saint Peter with others were unto the Magistrates and higher powers which ruled at their being upon the earth both obedient themselves and did also diligently and earnestly perswade all other Christians to the like obedience unto their Princes and governours whereby it is evident that men of the Clergie and Ecclesiasticall Ministers as their successours ought both themselves specially and before others to be obedient unto their Priuces as also to exhort all others to the same Our Saviour Christ likewise teaching by his Doctrine that his Kingdome was not of this world did by his example in fleeing from those that would have made him King confirme the same expressely also forbidding his Apostles and by them the whole Clergie all princely dominion over people and Nations and he and his holy Apostles likewise namely Peter and Paul did forbid unto all Ecclesiasticall Ministers dominion over the Church of Christ And indeede whiles the Ecclesiasticall ministers continued in Christs Church in that order that is in Christs Word prescribed unto them and in Christian Kingdomes kept themselves obedient to their owne Princes as the holy Scriptures doth teach them both was Christs Church more cleare from ambitions emulations and contentions and the state of Christian kingdomes lesse subject unto tumults and rebellions but after that ambition and desire of Dominion entred once into Ecclesiasticall Ministers whose greatnesse after the doctrine and example of our Saviour should chiefely stand in humbling themselves and that the Bishop of Rome being by the order of Gods Word none other than the Bishop of that one See and Diocesse and never yet well able to governe the same did by intollerable ambition challenge not onely to bee the head of all the Church dispersed throughout the world but also to be Lord of all the Kingdomes of the world Qex decr l. 3. tit 16. c. unic l. â— tit 9 c. 5. ün glessa as is expressely set forth in his owne Cannon Lawes most contrary to the doctrine and example of our Saviour Christ whose Vicar and of his Apostles namely Peter whose successour hee pretendeth to be after his ambition entred and this challenge once made by the Bishop of Rome he became at once the spoyler and destroyer both of the Church which is the Kingdome of our Saviour Christ and of the whole Christian Empire and all Christian Kingdomes as an universall tyrant over all And whereas before that challenge made there was great amitie and love amongst the Christians of all Countries hereupon began emulation and much hatred betweene the Bishop at Rome and his Clergie and friends on the one part and the Grecian Clergie and Christians of the East on the other part for that they refused to acknowledge any such supreame authoritie of the Bishop of Rome over them the Bishop of Rome for this cause amongst other not onely naming them and taking them for Shismatickes but also never ceasing opersecute them and the Emperours who had their See and continuance in Greece by stirring of the Subjects to rebellion against their Soveraigne Lords and by raising most deadly hatred und cruell warres betweene them and other Christian Princes And when the Bishops of Rome had translated the title of the Emperour and as much as in them did lye the Empire it selfe from their Lord the Emperour of Greece and of Rome also by right unto the Christian Princes of the West they became in a short spare no better unto the West Emperours then they were before to the Emperours of Greece for the usuall discharging of suâ—jects from their oath of fidelitie made unto the Emperours of the West their Soveraigne Lord by the Bishops of Rome the unnaturall stirring up of the subjects unto rebellion against their Princes yea of the sonne against the father by the Bishop or Rome the most cruell and bloody warres raised amongst Christian Princes of all Kingdomes the horrible murthers of infinite thousands of Christian men being slaine by Christians And which ensued thereupon the pittifull losses of so many godly Cities Countreyes Dominions and Kingdomes sometime possessed by Christians in Asia Africa Europe the miserable fall of the Empire and Church of Greece
roaring of a Lyon and the very messenger of death and that the subject that provoketh him to displeasure sinneth against his owne soule with many other things concerning both the authority of Princes and the duty of Subjects but here let us rehearse two especiall places out of the new Testament which may stand in stead of all other The first out of Saint Pauls Epistle to the Romans and the 13. Chapter Rom. 13. where hee writeth thus unto all Subjects Let every soule bee subject unto the higher powers for there is no power but of God and the powers that bee are ordained of God Whosoever therefore resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation For Princes are not to bee feared for good workes but for evill Wilt thou then bee without feare of the power Doe well so shalt thou have praise of the same for hee is the Minister of God for thy wealth but if thou doe evill feare for hee beareth not the sword for nought for hee is the Minister of God to take vengeance upon him that doth evill Wherefore yet must bee subject not because of wrath onely but also for conscience sake for for this cause yee pay also tribute for they are Gods Ministers serving for the same purpose Give to every man therefore his due tribute to whom tribute belongeth Custome to whom custome is due feare to whom feare belongeth honour to whom yee owe honour Thus farre are Saint Pauls words The second place is in Saint Peters Epistle and the second Chapter whose words are these Submit your selves unto all manner of ordinances of man for the Lords sake whether it bee unto the King as unto the cheife head either unto the ruler as unto them that are sent of him for the punishment of evill doers but for the cherishing of them that doe well For so is the will of God that with well doing yee may stop the mouths of ignorant and foolish men as free and not as having the liberty for a cloake of maliciousnesse but even as the servants of God Honour all men love brotherly fellowship feare God honour the King Servants obey your Masters with feare not onely if they bee good and courteous but also though they bee froward Thus farre out of Saint Peter By these two places of holy Scripture it is most evident that Kings Queenes and other Princes for hee speaketh of authority and power bee it in men or women are ordained of God and to bee honoured and obeyed of their subjects that such subjects as are disobedient or rebellious against their Princes disobey God and procure their owne damnation That the Government of Princes is a great blessing of God given for the Common-wealth especially for the good and Godly for the comforting and cherishing of whom God giveth and setteth up Princes And on the contrary part to the feare and for the punishment of the evill and wicked Finally that if servants ought to obey their Masters not onely being gentle but such as bee froward as well and much more ought subjects to bee obedient not onely to their good and courteous but also to their sharp and rigorous Princes It cometh therefore neither of chance and fortune as they termo it nor of the ambition of mortall men and women climbing up of their owne accord to Dominion that there bee Kings Queenes Princes and other Governours over men being their subjects but all Kings Queenes and other Governours are especially appointed by the ordinance of God And as God himselfe being of an infinite Maiesty Power Psal 1.6.16 and 45 6. c. and 47.2 and Wisedome ruleth and governeth all things in Heaven and Earth as the universall Monarch and onely King and Emperour over all as being onely able to take and beare charge of all Eccles 17. so hath hee constituted ordained and set earthly Princes over particular Kingdomes and Dominions in earth both for the avoyding of all confusion which else would bee in the World if it should bee without Governours and for the great quiet and benefite of earthly men their subiects and also that the Princes themselves in authority power wisedome providence and righteousnesse in government of people and Countries committed to their charge should resemble his heavenly governance as the Maiesty of heavenly things may be the basenesse of earthly things bee shadowed and resembled and for that similitude that is betweene the heavenly Monarchy PLACE = marg Matth. 18.23 and 22.12 and earthly Kingdomes well governed our Saviour CHRIST in sundry parables saith that the Kingdome of Heaven is resembled unto a man a King Psal 10.16 and 45. and 47.2 c. and as the name of a King is very often given and attributed unto God in the holy Scriptures so doth God himselfe sometime vouchsafe to communicate his name with earthly Princes terming them Gods Matth. 22.13 and 25.34 doublesse for that similitude of government which they have or should have not unlike unto God their King Psal 82.6 unto which similitude of heavenly government the neerer and neerer that an earthly Prince doth come in his regiment the greater blessing of Gods mercy is hee unto that Countrey and people over whom hee raigneth And the further and further that an earthly Prince doth swarve from the example of heavenly government the greater plague is hee of Gods wrath and punishment by Gods iustice unto that Countrey and people over whom God for their sinnes have placed such a Prince and Governour For it is indeed evident both by Scriptures and by dayly experience that the maintenance of all vertue and Godlinesse and consequently of the wealth and prosperity of a Kingdome and people doth stand and rest more in a wise and good Prince on the one part then in great multitudes of other men being subiects and on the contrary part the overthrow of all vertue and godlinesse and consequently the decay and utter ruine of a Realme and people doth grow and come more by an undiscreet and evill Governour then by many thousands of other men being subiects Thus saith the holy Scripture Eccles 10.16 Prov. 16. and 29. Eccles 10. Isay 2. Well is thee O thou Land saith the Preacher whose King is come of Nobles and whose Princes eat in due season for necessity and not for lust Againe a wise and righteous King maketh his Realme and people wealthy And a good mercifull and gracious Prince is a shadow in heat as a defence in stormes as deaw as sweet showers as fresh water springs in great drought Againe the Scriptures of undiscreet and evill Princes speake thus Eccles 10.16 Woe bee to thee O thou Land whose King is but a Child and whose Princes are early at their Bankquets Againe when the wicked doe raigne then men goe to ruine And againe Prov. 28. and 29. a foolish Prince destroyeth the people and a covetous King undoeth his Subjects Thus
Prophet Baruch saith unto Gods people being in this captivity Bar. 1.11 Pray you saith the Prophet for the life of Nabuchodonosor King of Babylon and for the life of Balthasar his Sonne that their dayes may bee as the dayes of Heaven upon the Earth that God also may give us strength and lighten our eyes that wee may live under the defence of Nabuchodonosor King of Babylon and under the protection of Balthasar his Sonne that wee may long doe them service and find favour in their sight Pray for us also unto the Lord our God for wee have sinned against the Lord our God Thus farre the Prophet Baruch his words which are spoken by him unto the people of God of that King who was an Heathen a Tyrant and cruell Oppressour of them and had beene a Murtherer of many thousands of their Nation and a Destroyer of their Countrey with a confession that their sinnes had deserved such a Prince to raigne over them And shall the old Christians by Saint Pauls exhortation pray for Caligula Claudius or Nero Shall the Jewes pray for Nabuchodonosor these Emperours and Kings being strangers to them being Pagans and Infidels being Murtherers Tyrants and cruell Oppressours of them and Destroyers of their Countrey Countrey-men and Kinsmen the Burners of their Villages Townes Cities and Temples And shall not wee pray for the long prosperous and godly raigne of our naturall Prince No stranger which is observed as a great blessing in the Scriptures of our Christian our most gracious Soveraigne no Heathen nor Pagan Prince Shall wee not pray for the health of our most mercifull most loving Soveraigne the Preserver of us and our Countrey in so long peace quietnesse and security no cruell person no tyrant no spoyler of our goods no sheeder of blouds no burner and destroyer of our Townes Cities and Countries as were those for whom yet as yee have heard Christians being their subjects ought to pray Let us not commit so great ingratitude against God and our Soveraigne as not continually to thanke God for his Government and for his great and continuall benefits and blessings powred upon us by such government Let us not commit so great a sinne against God against our selves against our Countrey as not to pray continually unto God for the long continuance of so gracious a Ruler unto us and our Countrey Else shall wee bee unworthy any longer to enjoy those benefits and blessings of God which hitherto we have had by him shall bee most worthy to fall into all those mischiefes and miseries which wee and our Countrey have by Gods grace through his government hitherto escaped What shall wee say of those Subjects may wee call them by the name of subjects who neither bee thankefull nor make any prayer to God for so gratious a Soveraigne but also themselves take armour wickedly assemble companies and bands of Rebels to breake the publique peace so long continued and to make not warre but rebellion to endanger the person of such a gracious Soveraigne to hazard the estate of their Countrey for whose defence they should bee ready to spend their lives and being English-men to robbe spoyle destroy and burne in England English-men to kill and murther their owne Neighbours and kinsfolkes their owne Countrey-men to doe all evill and mischeife yea and more too then forraigne enemies would or could doe What shall wee say of these men who use themselves thus rebelliously against their gracious Soveraigne who if God for their wickednesse had given them an heathen Tyrant to raigne over them were by Gods word bound to obey him and to pray for him What may bee spoken of them so farre doth their unkindnesse unnaturalnesse wickednesse mischievousnesse in their doings passe and excell any thing and all things that can bee expressed and uttered by words Onely let us wish unto all such most speedy repentance and with so greivous sorrow of heart as such so horrible sinnes against the Majesty of God doe require who in most extreame unthankfulnesse doe rise not onely against their gracious Prince against their naturall Countrey but against all their Country-men Women Children against themselves their Wives Children and Kinsfolkes and by so wicked an example against all Christendome and against whole mankind of all manner of people throughout the wide World such repentance I say such sorrow of heart God grant unto all such whosoever rise of private and malicious purpose as is meet for such mischeifes attempted and wrought by them And unto us and all other subjects God of his mercy grant that wee may bee most unlike to all such and most like to good loving naturall and obedient subjects nay that wee may bee such indeed not onely shewing all obedience our selves but as many of us as bee able to the utmost of our power ability and understanding to stay and represse all Rebels and rebellions against God our gracious Prince and naturall Countrey at every occasion that is offered unto us And that which wee all are able to doe unlesse wee doe it wee shall bee most wicked and most worthy to feele in the end such extreame plagus as God hath ever powred upon Rebels Let us make continuall prayers unto Almighty God even from the bottome of our hearts that hee will give his grace power and strength unto our gracious King Charles to vanquish and subdue all as well Rebels at home as forraigne enemies that all domesticall rebellions being suppressed and pacified and all outward invasions repulsed and abandoned wee may not onely bee sure and long continue in all obedience to our gracious Soveraigne and in that peaceable and quiet life which hitherto wee have led under his Majesty with all security but also that both our gracious King Charles and wee his subjects may all together in all obedience unto God the King of Kings and unto his holy Lawes load our lives so in this World in all vertue and godlinesse that in the World to come wee may enjoy his everlasting Kingdome which I beseech God to grant as well to our gracious Soveraigne as unto us all for his Sonne our Saviour IESUS CHRIST sake to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost one God and King immortall bee all glory prayse and thankes giving World without end Amen The second SERMON AS in the first Sermon of this Treaty of obedience of subjects to their Princes and against disobedience and rebellion I have alleadged divers sentences out of the holy Scriptures for proofe so shall it bee good for the better declaration and confirmation of the said wholesome doctrine to alledge one example or two out of the holy Scriptures of the obedience of subjects not onely unto their good and gracious Governours but also to their evill and unkind Princes As King Saul was not of the best but rather of the worst sort of Princes as being out of Gods favour for his disobedience against God in sparing in a wrong pitty the King Agag whom
such furious maintenances as is rebellion and of such Patrons as are rebels being ready not to dye for the true religion but to kill all that shall or dare speake against their false superstition and wicked Idolatry Now concerning pretences of any redresse of the Common-wealth made by rebells every man that hath but halfe an eye may see how vaine they be Rebellion being as I have before declared the greatest ruine and destruction of all Common-wealths that may be possible and who so looketh on the one part upon the persons and government of the Kings most honourable Counsellors by the experiment of so many yeares proved honourable to his Majestie and beneficiall to our countrey and countrey-men And on the other part considereth the persons state and condition of the rebells themselves the reformers as they take upon them of the present government he shall finde that the most rash and haire-brained men the greatest unthrifts that have most lewdly wasted their owne goods and lands those that are over the eares in debt and such as for their thefts robberies and murthers dare not in any well governed Common-wealth where good lawes are in force shew their faces such as are of most lewd and wicked behaviour and life and all such as will not or cannot live in peace are alwayes most ready to move rebellion or take part with rebells and are not these meete men trow you to restore the Common-wealth decayed who have so spoyled and consumed all their own wealth and thrift and very like to amend other mens manners who have so vile vices and abominable conditions themselves Surely that which they falsely call Reformation is indeede not only a defacing or a deformation but also an utter destruction of all Common-wealths as would well appeare might the rebells have their wills and doth right well and too well appeare by their doing in such places of the Countrey where rebells doe rout where though they tarry but a very little while they make such reformation that they destroy all places and undoe all men where they come that the child yet unborne may rue it and shall many yeares hereafter curse them Let no good and discreete subjects therefore follow the flagge or banner disployed to rebellion and borne by Rebells though it have the Image of the plough painted therein with God Speed the Plough written under in great letters knowing that none hinder the Plough more then rebells who will neither goe to the Plough themselves nor suffer others that would goe unto it And though some rebells beare the picture of the five wounds painted against those who put their onely hope in the wounds of Christ not those wounds who are painted in a clout by some lewd painter but in those wounds which Christ himselfe bore in his precious body though they little knowing what the crosse of Christ meaneth which neither Carver nor Painter can make doe beare the Image of the crosse painted in a ragge against those that have the crosse of Christ painted in their hearts yea though they paint withall in their flagges Hoc signo vinces by this signe thou shalt get the victory by a most fond imitation of the Poesie of Constantinus Magnus that Noble Christian Emperour and great conquerer of Gods enemies a most unmeete ensigne for rebells the enemies of God their Prince and Countrey or what other banner soever they shall beare yet let no good and godly subject upon any hope of victory or good successe follow such standard bearers of rebellion For as examples of such practises are to be found aswell in the histories of old as also of later rebellions in our fathers and our fresh memory so notwithstanding these pretences made and banners borne are recorded withall to perpetuall memory the great horrible murthers of infinite multitudes and thousands of the Common people slaine in rebellion the dreadfull executions of the Authors and Captaines the pittifull undoing of their wives and children and dis-inheriting of the heires of rebells forever the spoyling wasting and destruction of the people and countrey where rebellion first began that the children then and yet unborne might rue and lament it with the finall overthrow and shamefull deaths of all rebells set forth aswell in the histories of forraigne Nations as in the Chronicles of our owne Countrie some thereof being yet fresh in memory which if they were collected together would make many volumes and bookes but on the Contrary part all good lucke successe and prosperity that ever happened unto any rebells of any age time or Countrey may be contained in a very few lines or words Wherefore to conclude let all good subjects considering how horrible a sinne against God their Prince their countrey and countrey-men against all Gods and mans lawes rebellion is being indeede not one severall sinne but all sinnes against God and man heaped together considering the mischievous life and deedes and the shamefull ends and deaths of all rebells hitherto and the pittifull undoing of their wives children and families and dis-inheriting of their heires for ever and above all things considering the eternall damnation that is prepared for all impenitent rebells in hell with Sathan the first founder of rebellion and grand Captaine of all rebells let all good subjects I say considering these things avoyd and flee all rebellion as the greatest of all mischefes and embrace due obedience to God and our Prince as the greatest of all vertues that we may both escape all evills and miseries that doe follow rebellion in this world and eternall damnation in the world to come and enjoy peace quietnesse and securitie with all other Gods benefits and blessings which follow obedience in this life and finally may enjoy the kingdome of heaven the peculiar place of all obedient subjects to God and their Prince in the world to come which I beseech God the King of Kings grant unto us for the obedience of his Sonne our Saviour Jesus Christ unto whom with the Father c. The Fifth SERMON VVHereas after both Doctrine and examples of due obedience of subjects to their Princes I declared lastly unto you what an abominable sinne against God and man Rebellion is and what horrible plagues punishments and deaths with death everlasting finally doth hang over the heads of all rebells it shall not be either impertinent or unprofitable now to declare who they be whom the devill the first author and founder of rebellion doth chiefely use to the stirring up of subjects to rebell against their damnable suggestions avoyd all rebellion and so escape the horrible Plagues and dreadfull death and damnation eternall finally due to all Rebells Though many causes of rebellion may be reckoned and almost as many as there be vices in men and women as hath beene before noted yet in this place I will onely touch the principall and most usuall causes as specially ambition and ignorance by ambition I meane the unlawfull and restlesse desire in men to be of an