man nor shal be vnto vvhom heapes of euylles are not conioyned immediatly after his byrth Yee the greatest estates are incombred vvith the greatest euyls The meane subiect enioyeth more quietnesse hartes ease then their Lordes and sléepe soundlye in their pleasaunt beddes whyles their Lordes passe the long nightes with open eyes in consuming cares and thoughts Which moued Xenophon to saye Peace is an especiall blessing but the least part thereof redoundeth to Kinges and vvarre is a great curse vvhereof Kings are the greatest partakers And to the ende that subiectes maye lyue in quiet rest the good Magistrate susteineth many long iourneyes daungerous conferences and chargeable Ambassageons Let vs therefore loue and blesse the Magistrat with tongue hart vnto whose power and dignitie there are ioyned so many peryls and daungers We maye adde vnto the premisses greater inconueuiences which maye and offer doo aryse by emulation enuie amongst men in great aucthoritie as happened betwéene Darius and Cyrus Sylla and Marius Pompei and Caesar It commeth to passe also nowe and then that among thyrtie or fortie Colleges in administration of the coÌ„mon wealth there are scarce two that are lynked together in perfite friendshyp respect the publique profit And sometyme those carie the chiefe swinge that saye and do all things after their owne selfe wyll and luste not admytting any mans counsayle and if any of a good meaning dissent from them they either banish them or destroye them Alexander the great when he was dronke murdred Clitus that had deserued verie well of the whole Empyre because hee dealt with him plainely and faithfully Caligula and Domitianus Nero executed many noble and verteous counsaylers and so dyd Caracalla and amongst others that famous vpright Lawier Rapinianus because he woulde not excuse Parricyde Moreouer we maye sée oftentimes that which is more lamentable howe many Parentes destroye theyr Chyldren many Children their Parentes through ambicious desyre of a Kingdome and for the same cause the brother to sley the brother Adonius was wont to saye That to obtaine a kingdome be vvould burne his owne Cittie his father and mother Whereof Xenophon wryteth notably after this manner The amitie and friendshippe that is betweene the Parent and the Childe the brother and brother the husbande and vvife is most constant and faithfull And if vve vvyll consider the matter dyllygently vve shall finde the same fast and firme betweene priuate persons but wauering and vnconstaunt amongst those that be in rule and aucthority vvhyles many Princes haue murdred their naturall sonnes and againe many haue beene murdred of their sonnes the brother to haue destroyed the brother and the wife her husband And finally many haue oppressed theyr fellowes and companions vnto whom they shewed a friendly face and countenaunce Histories of all tymes doo testify these thinges with great store of examples SolymaÌ„ne the twelfth Turkish Emperor who besieged Vienna An. Do. 1529. and gaue theyr 21. terryble assaultes murdred his sonne Mustapha suspected to aspyre vnto the Empyre And Selym father to Solymanne poisoned his father and so obtained the Empire An. Do. 1512. The two Brethren Polynices and Etocles slewe one another in that warre which themselues moued for dominion and rule Antonius Bassianus Caracalla murdred his Brother Geta hanging about his mother Iullo her necke crying Helpe helpe mother for I dye the death And the mother was not onely sprinkled with her soÌ„nes blood but also receaued a wounde in her hande Domitian also poysoned his brother Titus Vespasianus that notable valiant Captaine Iulius Caesar perished with the daggers of Cassius and Brutus whome hee had aduaunced to great aucthoritie and accoumpted his faythfull friends Wherby this Epitaph was afterward ingraued on his Toumbe Haue I therefore preserued them to destroy mee And Moses the sixt Turkish Emperour slew Orcanes his brothers sonne and so set the Crowne vpon his owne head And to come to our owne Realme letting therein passe both Bryttons Daines and Saxons we maye finde therein many myserable and Tragical examples For Wylliam Rufus the seconde King of Englande after the Conquest eyther by mallice or mysaduenture was slaine in the new Forest as he was hunting by Walter Tyrrell with the shotte of an Arrowe Robert Duke of Normandie eldest sonne to Wylliam Conqueror depriued of his inheritaunce of Englande by the sayde Wylliam Rufus his seconde Brother and after by Henrie his youngest Brother hauinge both his eyes put out myserablye imprisonned in Cardlyffe Castell where he dyed Lykewyse the most lamentable case of Wylliam Rycharde and Marie chyldren of the sayde Henrie drowned vpon the Sea. And king Richarde the first slaine at a quarell in his chiefe prosperitie Also king Iohn his brother as some saye poysoned besydes these the cruell murder of Edwarde and Richarde the sonnes of Edwarde the fourth by their owne Unckle Richarde Duke of Glocester was most monstrous and vnnaturall whereby we maye sée that no Nation nor kingdom wanteth râ—wfull and tragicall examples Last of all looke vpon the Ecclesiasticall regiment and state of the Church you shal finde therin also so many great and gréeuous inconueniences betwéene the shepheard the shéepe that you cannot tell which waye to turne you And fyrst to speake of the Pastors we see and heare of many that ignorauntly or maliciously corrupt the doctrine of the essence and vvyll of the lyuing God of sinne of the lawe of grace of good workes of repentaunce of inuocation of the true vse of Sacraments of ChristiaÌ„ lybertie of mariage of Magistrates c. Such Pastors and Shepheardes haue bene alwayes since Cains tyme euen to this our age Such are called of Christ theeues and murderers who with their false doctrine do not onely steale the hartes of the hearers and drawe them from the lyuing God with their subtyle practises as Absolon dyd the people from his Father but they murder also the soules of their hearers and throwe them into euerlasting destruction That monster Arius who powred out his bowelles when he sate at the stole reuiueth againe in Hungarie and Polonie And besides many theeues of the soule which Italey bréedeth being as it were another Africk in these kinde of monsters the scholers of Martion are most plentifull who with the Saduces deny the immortalyty of the soule and the resurrection of the flesh In Italye Germany Fraunce Spayne west India there are great swarmes and droues of a new and straunge kind of cattell vnknowen to our forefathers the Mounkyshe lesuites or rather to tearme them truly the Esauits who weery of the honorable name of Christians tremble not to commyt blasphemy and spirituall robbery in assuming that to them which is proper to Iesus only to vvitte to be a Sauiour In this our countrey the Annabaptists and fellowshippe of loue begunne to graffe plant but Gods name be praysed therfore by the dylligence of the minysters and magistrates they
prisoner hee sent her home vntouched vnto her owne hushande But in trate of tyme he became eruell and prowde and wher the Gretians wonne Bizantius he viol ently tooke an honaurable Cattizens Daughter and being awaked soddainlye with some feare out of his vnquiet dreame he murdred the séely woman souÌ„dly sléeping by t is side And also after warde moued with Ambicion hee attempted a secréete league with the Persians wherein it was concluded the he shoulde take Xeixes daughter to wyfe that being â—yded by the Persians hee myght obtayne the kingdome of Greece and vnite the same to the Monarchie of the Persians Wherof when the Senate at Tâ—ebes had intellygence they called him home from Bizantium and when as in the first examination he sawe all the matter dysclosed he brake from them and fledde into the Temple as a sanctuarie Wher he also confessed his faulte and was adiudged to be shutte vp there to perishe with famine and hunger And his Mother Alâ—ithea brought the first stone to wall vp the gates of the Temple And in lyke manner this Hunter caught Alexander the great endewed with many excellent vertues especially valiaunt in the fielde and mercyfull in victorie For he being inuincible in so many battayles was at the last himself vanquished with women and veine euen as the Prophete Daniell foretolde that the Macedonian King shoulde bee lyke a Leoparde whithe is not commonly taken with the snares and arrowes of hunters for by meanes of his greate swiftnesse he escapeth them all but only with wyne and venery The miserable ende of such worthy wyghtes is so much more pittâ—full because it sheweth the unbeeillitie of mannes nature and that not onely good Fortune as they call it is vnstable but also vertue it selfe not to be dnrable in heroicall natures but oftentymes soddainly and in the myddle of their course forsaketh them Let all men therefore that be in office and aucthoritie beséeche God continually to direct and gouerne their enterprises and let them alwaies thinke that soddaine conuersions and mutations maye followe according to that saying Great estates sall in a moment and God punisheth mischiefe and wickednesse Thirdlie this Author of so many euylles and mischiefes euen sathan the deuyll is named by a metaphor in the holy scripture a Fowler For when he séeth his sleightes in hunting not to preuayle he applyeth him selfe so to fowling Which although it be a laborious and an ydle practise oftentymes yet this fellowe contempneth all diffycultie and approueth the matter Hée prepareth him a fayre floure and oftentimes casteth corne there that the birds may accustome themselues to the place Hee forceth not much for the losse of some labour and charges For according to the saying He that wyll gayne haue may not seeke al cost to saue The byrds happely flye away now and then with the corne but if they once be taken in the snare they acquyte the Fowlers charges He vseth diuerse meanes and wayes to take the simple byrdes For he eyther casteth corne vppon his floore or layeth nettes or setteth lymetwygges or else geeth a byrdebattyng Besides these he somtime setteth same birdes in cages who with their sweete singing allure the birdes in the bushes to approche nighe vnto them whereby they are easily deceyued and taken And sometyme the Fowler him selfe vseth an instrument and whyslleth swéetely expressing the noyse chirping of birds wherewith they are beguyled and intangled in the lyme twigges In all these feates the deuyll is verie skylfull but his chiefe pollycie in fowling is to take birds with those that be tame and sing pleasauntly With the swéete singing of such a birde mamed Berseba this fowler tooke that bewtyfull birde Dauid endewed with wisedome fortitude and many other excellent vertues whose winges were so fastened in his lymetwigges that he defyled another mannes wyfe and procured her husbande to bee murdered By that birde Pharaos daughter and other straunge women he tooke Salomon the wyse euen in his olde age who was so entangled and wrapped in the lymetwigges that vnto filthy pleasures he added the worshipping of Idolles And by the birde Dalila he caught an Eagle that sometyme dyd flye verie hyghe and had often broken the fowlers netie Sampson I meane that strong and couragious wight If any man lust to see the lyke dealings of the deuyll with Kinges and Princes of our owne Countrey let him peruse the Mirrour of Magistrates which wyll yeelde plentie of examples in that behalfe Since the Conquest the deuyll hath preuailed mightily against the mighty that waye and amongst the rest call to minde that bewtisull birde King Edwarde the fowrth taken with three Concubines who were lyuely and in their collours set out by the King him selfe to wyt one of them for her myrth the other for her crafte the thirde for the holyest harlotte within his Realm as one whome no man coulde gette out of the Churche to any place sauing to his bedde Was it not lamentable that the King was so cleare eyed to sée them and so blinde to discerne him selfe for if they were his whores what coulde he be but a whoremonger but this carnall iest was turned into weeping vppon his seelye Children who tasted of the whyp sor their Fathers wickednesse Howe much more laudablie dyd King Henrie the fifte behaue him selfe of whome it is written that as soone as he came to his kingdome he called his Counsaylers togeather and commaunded the Clergie sincerelie and truely to preache the worde of God and to liue accordingly The laye men he wylled to serue God and obey their Prince and aboue all thinges to auoyde the breache of Matrimonie the vaine vse of swearing and wylful periurie for the which his vertuous inclination God gaue him a happie and vyctorious raigne whose blessings ought to moue al English men in dignitie and aucthoritie to followe his vertues as the plagues and curses which fell vpon king Edwards dyscent ought to diswade them from expressing his vices Fowrthlie this enemie of mankinde Sathan the deuyil is called in the holie scripture a Gleade or Kyte who hath long clawes tallauntes wherewithall seasoning vpon his praye he so presseth and peerceth it that it dyeth in a moment And with his long beake and crooked byll all to renteth the flesh and â—hopping the same vp doeth by meanes of his hote stomacke digest by and by euen the rawest morsell Aristotle wryteth that there is a naturall enimitie betweene the Kite and Rauen and that the Kyte is both stronger and swyfter and therefore commonlie spoyleth the Rauen of his praye Euen so this infernall kyte fyghteth oftentimes with blacke Rauens euen cruell Tiraunts taketh from them all that they haue So he spoyled Pharao Caligula Nero Sinnacherib king Richarde the thirde of all their force and power wherein they hauinge affiauhoe dyd commytte many things most vngodly And as the Kyte houereth too and frâ—â— in the ayre
mercy of our heauenly Captaine toward his faythful seraunts and souldiours Philosophie is mute and dumme in these matters and if at an aduenture it happen to vtter some golden sentence of Gods mercy loue toward mākind yet it kéepe not holde handfast constantlie but in the ende declineth to a dubitation or an vtter deniall of the same Antilochus wylled menne to ascribe al thing to Gods prouidence VVho oftentimes aduaunceth poore to their deserued degree of dignitie honor and throweth down the high and mightie These such lyke sentēces of Gods prouidēce are scattered in the writings of Ethnicks which for a tyme delight mens mindes but they are not built vpon any sure foundation For they neuer knew God as he hath reueled him selfe in his sonne by his worde they doubte in their prayers whether God heareth them as Euripides in the person of Hecuba cryeth out and sayth O you Gods I call vppon impotent and slouthfull helpers But the worde of God conteyned in the olde and newe testament doth effectuallie and truly describe vnto vs the liuing God reueled in his onely sonne Iesus Christe who commaundeth vs to call vppon the heauenly Father in his name with boldnesse and trust without any trembling or doubting for that through him his heauenly Father is wel pleased with vs we may then speak thus vnto him Thou O God art the Creator and conseruor of heauen and earth thou art also the Father of our Lorde Iesus Christe who was borne suffered dyed and rose againe for the iustification of mankinde Thou sendest thy holy ghost into our harts who kindleth in vs by the sounde of thy holye worde true fayth and spirituall motions agreeable to thy holy wyll thou art my hope and strength thou doest couer mee vnder thy winges thou doest keepe mee with thy holy Angelles thou dost heare mee and deliuer mee thou art with mee in this my tribulation out of the which in thy mercie thou wylt delyuer mee yea and glorifie mee thou wylt aduaunce mee from aduersitie to prosperitie thou wylt satisfie mee with long lyfe If the same maye tender to the setting foorth of thy honour and glorie and to the profite and furtheraunce of thy holy Church This confidence and liberty of spéech wee maye vse with our Captaine but not in respect of our owne worthinesse for this cheerefulnesse and courage of minde wee maye conceaue through our raunsome once satisfied and through the continuall intercession of the Sonne of God who dyed and rose againe for all penitent sinners We our selues bring nothing for fayth is also the gyfte of God kyndeled in our hartes by the holie ghoste through the preaching of the gospell Let vs then place and oppose this promise of GOD togeather with the death and intercession of his sonne Christe through fayth and true repentaunce against all doubting and vnworthinesse of our selues and let vs flee awaye and appeale from God being angrie with vs for our many and greeuous offences vnto God most louing and mercifull turned and reconcyled vnto vs through the passion resurrection and intercession of his deare and onely sonne Iesus Hereof commeth that stoute and valyaunt harte of Christians that they feare not although the earth gape and open her mouth the Element doo fall vppon them and the waues of the Sea woulde seeme to ouerflowe them according as Dauid wytnesseth The sound of many waters and of the waues of the Sea are strong and mighty but the Lord aboue is stronger and mightier Iulian the Reneger was for a time of great power and strength but hee being vanquished at a fielde foughten in Persia was enforced to yéelde the honour of the victorie to this Captayne and with a lowde voyce sayde Thou hast gotten the victorie of mee O thou Galilaean Apries King of Egipt who put the Prophete Ieremie to death said That no power neyther of God nor man was able to take his kingdom from him hee had so firmelie established his Scepter and Crowne But our myghtie Captaine who hath power ouer all kingdomes of the worlde spoyled him of his kingdome and strangled him by the handes of Amasis his Courtyer Neoptelemus the player of Tragedies being demaunded what sentence hee had obserued as most notable in Aeschilus Sophocles and Euripides aunswered that he founde in them nothing woorthye so great admiration But hee rather accoumpted it a thinge memorable that hee sawe with his owne eyes King Phillippe of Macedon at the mariage of his daughter Cleopatra in the most noble assemble of the world honoured as a great God and the next day after ryding in the Tylte or Theatre miserably murdred and contempned And Herodus Agrippa who stopped not the flattring mouthes of such as named him a God but fedde and delighted him selfe with the same perished immediatly with corrosion of his Intralles and lowsie sicknes Surely all humaine power is no better then glasse whiche whē it is most bright and cleare is then the soonest brokē for rashnesse procureth speedy spoyle God alwaies resisteth the prowde Let vs not then feare mans power which when it is at the highest and in his pride then is God able yea and often indeede ouer turneth the same with the leaste blast of winde ⧠The sixt Chapter describeth the Armie and warlyke power of our heauenlie Captaine in this conflicte and battayle The. 6. Chap. THIS our Heauenly Captaine hath many glorious names in the holye Scripture but amongst other he is named the Lorde of Hostes Which tytle albeit it be common to the thrée personnes in Trinitie yet because the Sonne of God was sent to vanquishe and breake the power of the deuyll and to redeeme mankinde this honourable name is properlie and for the most part geuen vnto him as in that Psalme VVho is this King of glorie the Lorde God of Hostes is the king of glorie In the which place without all doubte Christe the King of glorie was signified whereof the Arke of Couenaunt was a testimonie and witnesse And the Prophete Esay sayth That the Lorde God of hostes dwelleth in Syon which sentence is to bee vnderstoode of our sauiour Christ This most noble tytle is geuen vnto him because hee is the cheefe Emperour and Captaine in the Cittie of God againste the Cittie of the Deuil For he is the onely head of all celestiall and terrestriall powers the moste strong and mighty defendor and is therefore named in the Psalme A God that is strong and mighty in battale He is not ydle then but fighteth valyantlie hee is neuer ouercome but but alwayes ouercommeth he neuer flyeth but euer tryumpheth and that not so muche for his owne cause as for the Cittie and Church of God and therfore the Prophet ascribeth vnto him the chéefe souerainty saying Blessed be the name of his glorie for euer and let the whole earth be filled with his maiesty Nowe although this our Captaine
concludeth according to his promise that God careth for his faithfull seruantes that he respecteth them and wyll defende them as the Prophete sayth The Lorde wyll blesse the righteous and with fauour wyll compas him as with a sheelde And vpon this grounde hee comfortablie concludeth in another place The workes of his handes are trueth and iudgement and al his commaundementes are faithfull confirmed for euer In the dayes of Ezechias when Hierusalem was besieged the minde of the good King was vexed and assaulted with many fierie dartes of the deuyll and he was enforced to heare the blasphemies of Rabsaces against the lyuing god But hee fledde to Gods promises vttered vnto him by the holye Prophets and so opposed a vndoubting faith against all those mightie temptations assuring himselfe the God knoweth his owne shéepe and that no power shal be able to wring them out of his hande and that hee wyll be present with them euen vnto the ende of the worlde Wee must also haue an Helmette to defende our selues with all for the enimie doth especiallie seeke to hytte and hurte our heade and therefore we must put on a Helmette euen the helmette of Saluation This is also named the Hope of Saluation for that as in this present lyfe wee receyue Gods promises and applie them vnto vs by faith euen so is hope a stedfast wayting of delyueraunce out of these worldlie myseries In this hope Saint Paule fought a good fyght And hope of eternall lyfe is the ground of all consolations and therefore it is aptlie called an Helmette Those therefore that come into the fielde with this Armour gette the victorie and such as are without this eyther fight not at al or else are easily and soone ouerthrowne Hope doeth excéedinglie comfort vs amongst the myseries and troubles of this worlde and commaundeth vs to be of good corage in hope of the glorie in the lyfe to come And as the Apostle sayeth Suffereth vs not to be ashamed With this Helmette Saint Stephen armed his heade when hee was stoned And with the same were all holy Martyrs armed who susteyned with inuincible patience the sharpe and bitter torments of cruell Tyrauntes hoping for the euerlasting Crowne of glory which God hath promised to all such as perseuere faithfull vnto the ende The profite of this doctrine consisteth in a spiritual application As the Sheeld therefore doeth not onely defende the heade but also other partes of the body euen so true fayth doeth not onelye strengthen the minde but confirmeth all other Christian vertues For fayth is ground of our Religion and hath his place also throughout the whole buylding And whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne It is the instrument whereby faythfull men repell all the fierie dartes of the deuyll as the holie Apostle and Euangelist wryteth This is your victorie vvhich ouercommeth the vvorlde euen your faith So that whyles fylthie lustes and vaine pleasures do inuade vs on the one syde and carkes and cares on the other syde or else when the spirite of error bloweth in our tyckle eares All these thinges I saye wee shall easilie auoyde withstande if we heare Gods worde often tymes if we arme vs with fayth And it is truelie sayde of an auncient Father That through faith in the daye of doome vvee auoyde many sinnes And these are those kindes of Armour wherewithall we couer and defend our selues now the Apostle specyfieth those wherewith we offende our enemyes And as those sortes of armour spoken of alredie are not of iron and brasse but spirituall as Trueth Iustice Faith and Hope is euen so to vanquishe the enemie our armour is not carnall but spirituall And of that kinde hée nameth fyrste the sworde of the spirite because the holy ghoste is working through the worde For the worde of God is effectuall and more pearcing then any two egged sworde And againe the Gospell is the powre of saluation to euery one that beleeueth This word our sauior Christ vsed againste the Deuill and ouercome him Let vs then be armed after the example of Christe not onely against spirituall temptations but also againste heretickes as Maniches Arrians and Anabaptists who are put to flight by the worde of god This spirituall sworde must be sharpened with daylie meditations hearing and learning of Gods worde and must all wayes be redie and in our hande which as an auncient Father saith Deuideth that parte of the soule vvhich serueth affections and mortyfieth the lustes of concupisence The other Armour wherewith wee encounter and vanquish the enimie is dayly and ardent Prayer whereby not onelie the power of sathan but also the cruell malice of tyrauntes is restrayned and brydled This must therefore be added as the perfection of the rest wherein we desyre of God that he woulde assyst vs in this conflyct and geue vs courage and victorie according to his owne precept and promise Call vpon me in the day of thy tribulation I wyll heare thee and thou shalt glorifie me And againe Hee shall call vpon me and I wyll heare him and delyuer him and wyll shewe vnto him my saluation So Christ in that his agonie a lyttle before hee suffered his Passion wherein hee had a terribie conflicte with sinne and Gods indignation prayeth most earnestlie and exhorteth his Apostles to watch praie Which kinde of worshippe and seruice is so acceptable to God that euen when we beginne our Prayer it is by and by hearde For so sayth the Angell From the beginning of thy prayers the vvorde vvent out and I am come to shew it vnto thee And It shall come to passe that before they call vpon mee I vvyll heare them Upon which sentence two learned men commencing haue vttred two comfortable sentences The one sayth thus God is allvvaies more desirous to giue then man to receyue the other God giueth allvvaies more liberally then man desireth as vve may see in the penitent theefe vvhose prayer vvas that Christe vvould remember him vvhen he came into his kingdome and receyueth a gratious aunsvvere that he shoulde be with him that daye in Parradise Let man therfore be ashamed of his sluggishnes seeing God wyll giue more then man would receyue and more pittieth his miserie then himselfe calleth for his helpe and mercie Hytherto haue you hearde howe the Apostle Saint Paule an experte souldiour or rather a Captaine vnder Christe woulde haue the Christian man to be appointed and armed in this spirituall warfare Nowe let vs consider also howe the other Captaine Dauid trayneth vp his youâ— souldiour and after what sort hee pâ—tcheth his Campe and ordreth his batrayle And we ought to be the more attentiue herein for that of his owne experience he founde and tryed his Armour to be of proofe and such as coulde not be pierced Besides that he was not onlie a Prophete but also a Prince and