Monarchs before and since Christ to restraine Princes from protecting and promoting the true Worship of GOD within their Realmes Neither hath the Man of sinne more grosely betrayed his Pride and Rage in any thing than in abasing the honor and abusing the power and impugning the Right of Princes by deposing them from their Seats and translating their Kingdomes to others by absoluing their Subiects from all allegeance and giuing them leaue to rebell by setting his feete in Emperors necks and spurning off their Crownes with his shooe by making them his Bailiffes and Sergeants to attend and accomplish his will and not to meddle with supporting the Trueth or reforming the Church but as hee liketh In all which he hath shewd himself like himselfe to yoke whom God hath freed and to free whom God hath yoked to deiect whom God hath exalted and to erect whom God hath humbled to chalenge what God hath reserued and to crosse what God hath commaunded Yet must not Christian Princes for all this neglect their charge to preserue Gods Heretage Their Scepters and Thrones allowed them by God are proofes that they may and must make Lawes and execute Iudgement as well for godlinesse and honesty which by the Apostles rule are within the charge and compasse of their commission As for peace and tranquilitie from obseruing this no man may draw them since for neglecting this no man shall excuse them They must not be carefull in humane things and carelesse in Diuine God ought to be serued and honoured by them that is by their princely power and care as much afore men as his truth and glory excelleth the peace and welfare of men It wanteth many degrees of a Christian Gouernment to looke to the keeping of things that must perish and to leaue the soules of men as an open prey to Iniquitie and Impietie Of righteous Iudgement which the Royall Throne wherein Princes sit being Gods Seate puts them in minde to execute much might be saide did not the Time prefixed straighten and hasten me to make an end It shall suffice therefore to admonish that Princes themselues no lesse then other sent and authorized by them doe execute the Iudgements not of Man but of the Lord and in that respect as the Seate is Gods wherein they sit so it must bee guided by Gods Lawe and they must imitate Gods steppes who sitteth and iudgeth in the middest of them and with whome is no leuitie partialitie nor iniquitie They must heare indifferently discerne wisely and pronounce vprightly Their eares must not lie open or easie to false and priuie accusers If it be enough to accuse who shall be innocent Their hearts must not be carried with corrupt affections If preiudice be Iustice who shall be acquited Their handes must not be armed or aggrauated with priuate Reuenge If secret mislike may measure punishment who can be safe By Iustice is the Throne established which neither stoppes the eare fireth the heart nor loadeth the hand without or aboue desert To conclude since it pleased God not long since to take from vs to his heauenly rest a Prince that with great moderation and wisedome swayed the Scepter of this Realme 45. yeeres supporting trueth and peace amongst vs maugre all her opposites and enemies Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ that hath magnified his mercies so much towards vs as to place in the Throne of this Land after hir the rightfull Heire of her Crowne and a King most worthy to succeede her as nothing inferiour to her in knowledge prudence magnanimity bountie mildnes of disposition zeale of true religion and resolution to doe Iustice and Equitie and hath matched him with a most noble Spouse of so rare giftes graces vertues as our most gratious Lady and Queene heere present is And GOD graunt they both may long sit on their Thrones in all holinesse and happinesse of life to their perpetuall honour and our continuing comfort and their Princely Progenie after them euen all the dayes of heauen if it so please God to the glorie of God the Father the Sonne and the Holie-Ghost to whom the only wise inuisible and immortall King of all worlds be all power and praise now and for euer AMEN Printed at London by V. S. for Clement Knight dwelling in Paules churchyard at the signe of the holy Lamb. 1603. Rom. 13. Psal. 82. Iohn 10. Luke 21. Numb 23. Exod. 7. Reuel 19. Psal. 45. Hebr. 1. Reuel 19. Numb 11. 1. Sam. 10. 1. Kings 3. Prou. 8. Prou. 21. â—rou 16. Prouerb 16. Prouerb 20. Psal. 105. 1. Sam. 24. 26. Exod. 22. Ecclesi 10. 1. Sam. 24. 1. Kings 19. Esa 45. 1. Kings 1. 2. Kings 11. 2 Kings 23. Iudges 9. Rom. 13. Rom. 13.5 Rom. 13.2 Rom. 13.3,4 Deu. 17. Epist. 50. Id. con Cresc l. 3. ca. 5 1s Prouerb 16. Psal. 101. Math. 10. Luke 10. Zenop. Cyripaideias li. 8. Ethicorum l. 8. ca. 12. Esa. 49. Rom. 13. v. 4. Genes 43. Genes 49. 1. Sam. 24. 2. Sam. 9. 2. Sam. 14. 2. Sam. 24. 1. Kings 1. Rom. 13.6 Mat. 22. Esay 44. Rom. 13.3,4 Psal. 8. Psal. 21. Psalm 2. Psal. 76. Psal. 21. 1. Timoth. 2.
exception vseth but a delusion saith Bern. For who can loose where God hath bound Nether is this an Exhortation to obedience but a plaine Iniunction you must saith Paul be subiect not only because of wrath but also for conscience sake You must importeth a necessitie for Conscience declareth a dutie to God the danger of resisting being as great as the comandement of Obeying is strait Whosoeuer resisteth power resisteth the ordinance of God they that resist shall receiue to themselues Iudgement Dare anie man promise vnto himselfe successe and protection in Conspiracie and Treason when the spirit of God so plainly thretneth Ruine and Condemnation to all that resist whosoeuer they be They which would not learne by other mens falles what it is to vndermine Princes Thrones and Crownes let them feele by their owne smart that Gods Arme is most mighty his Mouth most true denouncing Iudgement to al Resisters As al persons must obey Princes so al goodnes must be supported by them al euil punished Do well saith the Apostle so shalt thou haue praise of the power But if thou do euill feare for he beareth not the Sword in vaine he is Gods minister to take vengeance on him that doth euill not this or that euil but any maner of euil The Sword is equally authorized against all kinde of euill that may be discerned and iudged by Man Wherefore God giuing the King not as a priuate person but as a publique Gouernor his Charge saieth The King sitting on the Throne of his kingdome shal write this Law in a booke or cause it to be written and shall reade therein all the dayes of his life that he may learne to keepe all the wordes of this Law and these ordinaunces for to doe them Kings as Kings saith Austen serue god in doing that for his seruice which none but Kings can do to wit by making Lawes to command that which is good and prohibite that which is euill not in ciuill affaires onely but in matters also touching diuine religion Princes then by their office are Keepers Supporters of the whole Law of euery word or thing therein contained and consequently Punishers of all euill committed against any parte of Gods Law So that the safegard of godlinesse and honesty pertaineth to their places as much as the maintenance of peace and tranquility To which end God hath allowed them power ouer the goodes lands bodies liues of their subiects and what priuate men may not touch without Theft and Murder that Princes may lawfully dispose as Gods Ministers taking vengeance on them that doe euill The wrath of a King is the Messenger of Death saith Salomon which is not spoken of tyrants oppressing the iust but of Powers reuenging the wicked Earely saith Dauid wil I destroy all the wicked of the Land that I may cut off all the workers of iniquitie from the Citie of the Lord not making an hasty vow to bathe his hands in bloud without mercy but an holy promise to God to execute his Lawe without fauoring impietie The greatnesse of the power which Princes haue receiued from God resembling his Image leadeth vs to the greatnes of the Honour they must receiue from men in partaking with gods homage The one is Gods ordinance as well as the other for God hath not put Princes in his place and giuen them his power to be despised or disobeyed but to be honoured and serued as his Lieutenants and Vicegerents here on earth And if it be truely said of vs who haue the word of Christ in our mouths he that receiueth you receiueth me and he that despiseth you despiseth mee howe much more rightly is it said of them that sitte in Gods seate and beare the Sword he that resisteth or dishonoureth them resisteth and dishonoreth the ordinance of God to his owne confusion in this life where Princes are permitted to reuenge the wrongs doone to them and in the next where God euerlastingly punisheth the contempt of his Ordinance What kinde of honor is due to Princes is shortly deliuered in that commandement Honor thy Father They are Fathers by Gods Law that haue or should haue fatherly care ouer vs whether it be to ayde vs in the things of this life as masters and teachers or to guide vs the true way to heauen as pastors and ministers or to keepe vs in peace and godlinesse as Magistrates and Princes God giuing Princes that name because they should be as vigilant for the good of those that are vnder their charge as parents are for their children and receiue the same honour and seruice for their paines which are due to parents from their naturall children if not greater The very heathen Philosophers saw so farre and confessed so much 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A good Prince nothing differeth from a good Father And Aristotle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Kingdome would be or should be a fatherly gouernment God by his Prophet confirmeth the same where he saith to his Church Kings shall be thy nurcing Fathers and Queenes thy nurcing Mothers The Apostle in this place nameth three things due to Princely dignitie Subiection Honor and Tribute teaching vs that Princes must be obeyed with conscience Reuerence and Recompence with conscience acknowledging they are ordained of God whose will is always the only sure ground of a good conscience It is therfore sin to despise or refuse their Lawes commaunding that which is good likewise to resist or reproch their power punishing that which is euill euen in our selues In the one appeareth Gods will directing our outward actions heere on Earth in the other Gods hand reforming our vices whiles here wee liue and since in either we must obey for conscience in neither can wee resist without euident contempt of Gods ordinance Howbeit when Princes cease to command for god or bend their swords against God whose Ministers they are we must reuerence their Power but refuse their willes It is no resistaunce to obey the greater before the lesser neither hath any man cause to be offended when god is preferred Yet must wee not reiect their yoke with violence but rather endure their Swordes with patience that God may be Iudge betweene Prince and People with whome is no vnrighteousnesse nor respect of persons Reuerence due to Princes must come from the whole man and haue the whole man that is it must haue the loue of our harts the prayer of our lips and the submission of our bodies They are Gods Ministers for our wealth They must therefore be loued euen from the hart We must loue their places appointed by god to partake aswel with his honor as with his power We must loue their Persons giuen vs of God insteede of Parents and doing that for vs which naturall Parents cannot do Wee must loue their paines procuring vs greater benifits then any we can yeeld to them and so leauing vs stil their debtors when