non vult cogitur sed cum intrauerit iam volons pascitur He that is compelled is compelled against his will to enter but when he is entred he is fed willingly The Lord for his mercy sake by the power of his word draw all Christs flocke to vnity in Religion and giue to all Kings faithfull hearts to fauour and follow the same and specially O Lord blesse from Heauen thy deare seruant our dread Soueraigne giue him all graces and gifts sutable for his Princely calling knit his heart vnto thee that he may euer feare thy name and let all them that loue the Gospell of Iesus Christ night and day pray God saue the King Spiritually CHAP. XI Thirdly God saue the King Politically AND to induce all loyall subiects to this acceptable and dutifull seruice many causes concurre both diuine and ciuill whersoeuer we turne our thoughts which may englad our hearts and moue them to burne in affectionate flames in the oblation of this deuotion For vnder him we leade a peaceable and a quiet life free from forraine feares or domesticall troubles that we may say by his gracious gouernement in our Lard Mercy and Truth haue met together Righteousnesse and Peace haue kissed each other And againe with the Psalmist The Scepter of thy Kingdome is a Scepter of righteousnesse thou louest righteousnesse and hatest iniquitie wherefore God euen thy God hath annointed thee with the oyle of gladnesse aboue thy fellowes We haue and heare peaceably and plentifully the welcome tidings of the Gospell the voyce of the Turtle is heard in our Land enioying a setled peace among our selues and with other Nations hauing trafficke and commerce with them a soueraigne benefit to inrich these Realms The admirable peace plenty and prosperity by a Christian and politicall gouernement his Highnesse People doe enioy hath made other Nations enuie our felicity The French haue sworn that this Land in respect of peace and plenty long continued was the Land of Promise and their Kings hitherto haue had Moses punishment to stand vpon their Towers as he vpon Mount Nebo to see the clifts of this Canaan but not permitted to enter that we see that verified which Salomon long agoe deliuered A King by iudgement maintaines the Country or with wisdome her selfe A wise King is the stay of the People or to speake of our Soueraigne in the words of the Princely Prophet The Lord chose Dauid his seruant c to feed his People in Iacob and his inheritance in Israel so hee fed them according to the simplicity of his heart and guided them by the discretion of his hands So that wee find the saying of Cominaeus true Foelix resp in qua qui imperat timet Deum That is an happy Common-wealth in the which the King feares God or with Salomon Blessed art thou O Land when thy King is the sonne of Nobles and much more of noble vertues How happy was the Throne of Gouernement how successefully Religion propagated when vertue honouring Constantine was inthroned The like in other Christian Emperours then Iustice was exalted vertue rewarded piety inlarged vice punished superstition discouraged Of all temporall blessings none more incomparable then to be blest with a good and godly King Woe to thee O Land when thy King is a Child saith Salomon vnable and vnapt for that high function the Art of Arts and Office of God farre more intricate and difficult then any other kind of ministration on Earth But thankes be giuen vnto God who hath giuen vnto vs a pious prudent and peaceable King experienced in the regall Art yea learned in all good Arts indowed with iudgement prowesse wisdome bounty iustice temperance clemency and compassion who may truly say with the Orator Natura me clementem fecit resp seuerum postulat sed nec natura nec resp crudelem efficiet Nature frames him merciful the Common-wealth requires seuere yet neither nature or Common-wealth can make him cruell that I may apply that to his praise which the Poet appropriated to Caesar Ouid de pont Eleg. 3. Est piger ad poenas Princeps ad praemia velox Quique dolet quoties cogitur esse ferox A Prince to punish slow yet swift to giue And when he must be cruell much doth grieue Yet he keepes a golden meane in the mixture of Mercy and Iustice that his Tribunall is not like to Cassius Tribunall Reorum Scopulus Neither a Rocke or refuge to the guilty Malefactors but spares some in mercy and for example cuts off others in Iustice Truncatur artus vt liceat reliquis securé viuere membris And which is great praise in a Prince and powerfull to doe much good in the politicke body is the edification of his Maiesties examplar life acknowledged by his owne enemies the Papists and forcible to moue his subiects to imitation for the people like Labans sheepe conceiue by the eye and are obseruant of Princes vertues or vices and as Claudian to the Emperour Honorius Vt te totius medio telluris in orbe Viuere cognoscas cunctis tua gentibus esse fact a palam They act their Princely part vpon the open Theater of the world and oftentimes taxed by the secret censures of malapert and malignant spirits when they are free from any faulty reprehension as Cymon at Athens taxed that he dranke wine Romans find fault with Scipio for his sleepe with Pompey for scratching of his head And indeed deminitiue faults in Princes are counted superlatiue because of the publike example for sinne is made worse three wayes 1. Ratione loci 2. Ratione Temporis 3. Ratione personae In respect of place time and person which commits it In sayling saith Agapetus the error of an old ordinary shipman causeth little detriment but the error of the Steers-man or Pylot hazards the whole voyage So the euill examples of great persons draw multitudes and their errours cause terrours and troubles to the Common-wealth Quic quid delirant reges plectuntur Achiui Yet euer was there such a flattery of the Regall Scepter that sometimes vices passed for vertues and few there be that dare with that bold Pirate tell Alexander because I doe it in a Fly-boate I am called a Pirate thou doest the like in a great Nauy and called an Emperour But herein let our enemies be iudges that our Soueraigne may truly say with Leonidas Nisi te fuissem melior non essem Rex As farre aboue all in vertue as he is aboue them in place for though Popes vsually are praised for their goodnes when they surpasse not the wickednesse of other men as the Historian tels vs yet our gracious King may in the integrity of his vpright life boldly and truly say with good and iust Samuel Behold here I am beare record of me before the Lord and before his Annointed whose Oxe haue I taken or whose Asse haue I taken or whom haue I
thy truths sake Be euer thankefull to God and then he will euer be mindfull of you to blesse you the Lord will increase his graces towards you euen toward you and your children therefore praise the Lord from henceforth and for euermore for he hath not dealt so with euery Nation and if our deseruing were put into the lottery of other people wee should bee rewarded with a blanke Gods loue and gracious fauour to vs is ignis accendens fire to set vs on fire Let our thankefulnesse to God be ignis accensus a fire flaming to God in all zeale loue duety thankes seruice and deuotion God hath set England as it were vpon an hill a spectacle to all Nations strengthened by sea and land ad miraculum vsque to the admiration of all people blessed it with an extraordinarie peace prosperity of long continuance we are the worlds enuie let vs not become their declamation Nothing but our vnthankefulnesse to God our licentiousnesse in life our disobedience to his Word our securitie in sin our contempt of good meanes and mercies offered can worke our ouerthrow and these if we doe not drowne them quickly in the riuers of repentance so one may breed and bring our wofull downefall The Lord hath blessed this land with great and gracious blessings in it the golden bels of Aaron are powerfully rung the word by faithfull teachers mouingly deliuered Oh let our perpetuall prayers praises and thanks ascend to heauen because Gods graces and mercies plentifully descend to earth Et si desint gratiae quia nos ingrati If any grace be wanting it is because we want grace to be thankefull for this our happy gouernment hauing a prosperous peace and that which is the procurer of peace with God and men that blessed passage of the Gospell Si totum me debeo pro me facto quid debeo pro me refecto saith a Father If wee owe God our selues for our creation what doe we owe vnto him for our regeneration preseruation and saluation We therefore that haue tasted of the great cup of Gods mercy let vs with Dauid take the cup of saluation giue thanks and praise the name of the Lord let vs praise God for these aboundant mercies and euer pray vnto him to preserue the happy instrument of manifold benefits and blessings to vs our most dread and deare Soueraigne duty bindeth vs to this taske our owne welfare mooues vs to this duety for his prosperity is our tranquillity his safety is our felicity the blessing redounds to vs and if he should miscarry which God forbid we should be partakers of his misfortunes Therefore be alwaies obedient and diligent to serue our royall Head golden in all vertues and princely perfections in all loyall and Christian dueties louing his Highnesse in our hearts which is the best earthly defence for a King Inexpugnabile munimentum est amor ciuium saith Seneca The loue of the people is an inuincible munition and as that great Rabbi of pollicie Machiauel hath set it downe for a sure rule Contra regem quem omnes magnifaciunt difficilis coniuratio oppugnatio irruptio Against that King whom all highly esteem and reuerence conspiracy or treachery is very difficult or if attempted seldome succeedes Let vs bee in pace Lepores but in praelio Leones in peace like Hares timerous to offend his Grace in any way of disobedience but like Lions fight for him against all his enemies with an vnwearied courage vndanted magnanimity ioyning with our fighting hands our feruent prayers to God like faithfull Israelites against all rebelling Amalekites Oratio coelos penetrat hostes in terravincit saith Origen Prayers pierce heauen and ouercome enemies on earth plus precando quam praeliando more by praying then by fighting Dauids encountring with Goliah in the name of the Lord was more powerfull then his fling and fiue stones Let vs make it one part of our daily praiers to God to keepe our King as the apple of his eye and hide him vnder the shadow of his wings to saue him from all enemies bodily or ghostly to consume them in his wrath consume them that they bee no more let them know that God ruleth in Iacob euen vnto the ends of the world beseeching God of his great mercie euer to prosper this most peaceable and puissant Monarchie of great Brittaine Arise vnto it as vnto thy resting place Turne not away thy face from thine Anointed who hath now happily to our immeasurable ioy worne the imperiall Diadem of great Brittaine these 15. * yeares Many more happie and prosperous yeares wee pray to be continued prolong his daies O Lord as the daies of heauen and grant that his Highnesse and his Princely posterity may in these kingdomes reigne so long as the world endureth Enlarge and enrich his royall heart with all Regall gifts and Diuine graces sutable for his high calling Saue and defend him from the tyranny or treachery of all forraine and Antichristian power and from the plots and proiects of domestical aduersaries Let them couer themselues with their confusion as with a cloake Blesse his most gracious spouse and bedfellow Queene Anne let thy Angels O Lord encampe about her to guide guard her in a safe protection and euer continue thy most heauenly hand of benediction vpon the high mighty Prince Charles the famous Prince of Wales the second ioy of great Britaine Lord looke vpon him from heauen Giue thy iudgements vnto the King and thy righteousnesse vnto the Kings Sonne Teach him O Lord in his tender yeares like a good Iosias to learne and loue thy true religion the way to winne the eternall Crowne of life Be gracious O Lord to the County Palatine of Rhene Fredericke Prince Elector and to his most vertuous and gracious wife Princesse Elizabeth with their Princely progenie O Lord preserue them with thy mightie and out-stretched arme giue them a most happy peace and prosperity in a Princely honor felicity all the daies of their liues O Lord scatter the deuices of the crafty that their hands may not accomplish any wicked thing they do enterprise Confound all them that haue ill will at Sion that repine at the peace of the Church the welfare of great Britaine the prosperity of his Maiesty his royall progenie that howsoeuer they haue shift of faces and maske vnknowne yet let vs pray that that stone which is cut without hands may breake the Images of such Traitors in peeces giuing him victory ouer all his enemies Cloath them all with shame but vpon him let his Crowne flourish and grant him an happy multiplication of many prosperous yeares to renew with many returnes these our cordiall and annuall Ioyes long to sit vpon his Throne and make his foes his footstoole And let high and low rich and poore young and old yea let Heauen and earth
the olde law who as they say by vertue of their Priesthood haue deposed and depriued Kings from their seates which power they labour to deriue and appropriate to the Popes office I will name but two of them in two examples 1 Cardinall Allen alleadgeth Azarias the high Priest who with â—o other Priests put downe Ozias smitten with leprosie by force out of the Temple and depriued him of his regall authority Ergo say they it is lawfull for the high Priest that is the Pope to driue hereticall Kings that is spirituall Leapers out of the Temple of Gods Church and Territories of their kingdome by excommunication which is a separation and then by deposition which is a finall depriuation of them and deputation of some other Regent as Azarias committed the kingdome to be then gouerned by Iotham his sonne Wee answere as some of our Church haue answered That Azarias did not depriue Ozias of his regall power for he held it to his dying day onely his sonne Iotham as a kinde of Viceroye was surrogated because the immediate hand of God had smitten him with leprosie for his leprosie he was punished to liue apart a priuate life not to be depriued of his inheritance Ambition couetousnesse yea all sinne is a leprosie hath not the Pope such a contagion why then he may as well be depriued of his Miter being a grand sinner and so a great leaper as any other Indeed Ozias or Vzziah greatly sinned in presuming to vsurpe the Priests office transgressing against the Lord in going into the Temple to burne incense vpon the Altar of incense and Azariah with the other Priests withstood Vzziah the King telling him it pertained not to him to burne incense but to the Priests the sonnes of Aaron consecrated to offer it and was smitten of the Lord for it with leprosie and so liued apart according to the Law yet still was King in esse though not in execution 2 Cardinall Bellarmine alleadgeth Iehoiada the High Priest who commanded Athalia the Queene to bee slaine and Ioash to succeed implying an inference that so it is lawfull for Popes to doe the like We answer that Athalia an vsurper and murderer killing all the royall seed excepting only the secretly preserued Ioash the vndoubted heyre of the Crowne beeing proclaimed and annointed King with a generall consent of all Iehoiada by the authority of the King and not as High Priest but rather tanquam regis patruus Protector as his Kinsman and Protector the King being in his minority seauen yeares olde and Iehoiada being his Allye hauing married the Kings Anâ— and so bound by the Law of Nature and Nations to defend the Kings right and to reuenge the tyranny of a bloudy Queen against the Kings killed progeny and Iehoiadaes commandement was confirmed by the Kings authority and with the common consent and Counsell of the land not as being High Priest but as chiefe of his Tribe to reuenge the crying bloud of the royall offspring murthered by vsurping Athalia to depriue her of her vsurped regiment and life what is this to depose a lawfull King by the authority of the Pope Kings shall anguste sedere as Tully said to Caesar haue quaking Scepters vnquiet seates and narrow limits if the Pope haue power to depriue them of their power state But to passe ouer other the like examples alleadged by Romanists in this kinde I will touch those foure things which they obiect and say doe dissolue regall right and make Kings who are culpable of such faults to forfeit their Crownes 1. Tyranny 2. Infidelity 3. Heresie 4. Apostacy The Popish assertions heerein runne in the affirmatiue that all or any one is sufficient to depriue a King of his Crown The opinions of Protestants run in the negatiue that none of these are sufficient to make a King forfeit his dignity and Diademe To begin with the first Tyranny doth not cut off a King from his soueraignty Who a greater Tyrant then King Saul who hunted after Dauids soule to take it yet who was so faithfull among all his seruants as Dauid confessed by Sauls owne mouth To be more righteous then he for thou hast rendred mee good and I haue rendred thee euill yea this Saul such a tyrant that he commanded Doeg to fall vpon the Lords Priests and Doeg at his commandement flew sounescore and fiue persons that did weare a linnen Ephod and did smite Nob the Priests City with the edge of the sword both man and woman childe and suckling oxe and asse and sheepe with the sword Yet Dauid no priuate or plebeâ—an subiect but a man by Gods commandement designed for the Kingdome cheefe Captaine and Coronel of Sauls Army and heire apparent to the Crowne and hauing opportunity to depriue Saul of his life and importunity of his followers to doe the deed yet heare his voice The Lord keepe me from doing that thing vnto my Master the Lords Annointed to lay my hand vpon him for he is the Lords Annointed and the same Dauid to Abishai Destroy him not for who can lay his hand vpon the Lords Annointed and be guiltlesse O heauenly voice of holy Dauid how different are Popelings from Dauids resolution Occasionem victoria Dauid habebat in manibus incantum securum aduersarium sine labore poterat iugulare advictoriam opportunitas hortabatur sed obstabat Diuinorum memoria mandatorum non mittam manum in vnctum Domini repressit cum gladio manum dum timuit oleum seruauit inimicum As most elegantly and excellently writes Optatus Dauid had a present occasion of security of victory and might without any difficulty or danger haue killed his vnkind and vnconsiderate enemy opportunity might haue pressed him to it but the remembrance of Gods commandements stay his hand Touch not my Annointed This keepes backe the hand and sword and fearing the regall oyle fauours a dismall enemy Now Tyranny may be of two kinds either of vsurped regiment and dominion without any ciuill title and interest hauing no titular foundation but violent vsurpation and herein subiection is not necessary Quoad obedientiam if Quoad Sustâ—…ntiam Herein patience more requisite then obedience 2 Kind is when ordinary and lawfull power degenerates into tyranny and cruelty by abuse and herein Papists giue liberty Tyrannum occidere licet It is lawfull to kill a Tyrant contrary to Dauid God forbid that I should lay mine hand vpon the Lords Annointed 1 Sam. 26. 11. Meaning Saul a Tyrant by abuse but not by vsurpation but we haue handled this before and therefore leaue it 2. Infidelity doth not depriue a King of his regiment Oh but replies the Papist All title to Dominion hath foundation in the grace of Iustice Charity and Piety so that by impiety or infldelity they make forfeiture of their authority Answer It is prouidence not grace that disposeth ciuill titles grace not prouidence that makes them
with your Graces and Honors defence as with precious stones built vpon the chiefe corner-stone Rocke Christ Iesus though flouds from the Sea of Rome should come or the windes of wicked Iesuites blow vpon this booke with their infecting breath and would beate it downe with a storme of words yet Non cadet quia fundatur super petram I feare to be tedious and therefore in all dutifull and submissiue reuerence I cease my hand yet my heart till death shall neuer cease to pray for all your prosperous happinesse and heauenly successe in your holy and high affaires for the Church King and Country for which Diuine blessing shall be duely and daily powred forth the poore deuotions of your Graces and Honours most humble seruant Samuel Garey Ad Gloriam Dei Sionis gaudium malorum luctum MAgnae Britanniae immortales Gratiae Pro salute Britanniae quinto Nouembris Ab horrenda proditione Anglo-Papistarum Qui pul vere bombardico Parliamenti domum Euertere sunt machinati Hoc Aniuersario commemorantur In libre diligenter exara illud erit in die nouissime in testimonium vsque in aeternum Esa 30. 8. Amphitheatrum Scelerum OR The Transcendent OF TREASON For the 5. day of Nouember Sonne of Man write thee the name of the day euen of this same day for the King of Babel set himselfe against Ierusalem this same day Ezech. 24. 2. CHAP. I. AS Moses did speake in another kinde to the people of Israel Enquire now of the dayes that are past which were before thee since the day that God created man vpon the earth and aske from the one end of Heauen vnto the other if there came to passe such a great thing as this or whether any such like thing hath beene heard So I may say Enquire of the Times past and search the Records of all Antiquities and you cannot finde such a damnable and diuellish proiect the very modell of all mischiefes and Miscellan of all massacres the intended Powder-plot the Quintessence of all impiety and confection of all villany the like neuer de ficto much lesse de facto in which these prodigious and barbarous monsters not men but loathsome lumpes of mire and bloud in whose proditorious brests the spirits of all expired traytors by a kinde of Pythagoricall transmigration were inclosed intended to haue destroyed the obiects of Englands earthly glory the glory of succession yea succession it selfe to extinguish the whole light and life of the land vno actu tactu ictu by one blow and blast of powder Tollere Rem Regem Regimen Regionem Religionem Furious Phaetons in one day yea howre with a dismall fire-worke to burne all to ashes of a glorious Monarchy to make an Anarchy to offer our most gracious King royall Queene vertuous Prince and hopefull Progeny with right Noble personages of honourable place and birth the reuerend Cleargy with all the rest of that wise and flourishing assembly to offer them all as a quicke and liuing sacrifice not powdered with salt or salted with fire as our Sauiour but salted with powder to make such an Holocaust or burnt offering as should be the general martyrdome of the Kingdome to bereaue vs of our Eliat and Horsemen of Israel and take them away in a whirle-winde and chariot of fire Quot mortes in vna morte How many deaths in such a death to cut off caput caudam head and tayle branch and rush Prince Priest and people from our Israel in one day Quomodo inaudito potuit manus impianisu Tam dirum fabric are nef as Respublica in vno Funere tollenda est vno tumulanda sepulchro With such an hellish deed for to desire To bury King and Kingdome in a fire How ought the heauenly and happy deliuery from such an horrible and hidcous Tragedy excite all continually to thanke and magnifie our most mercifull God for such a miraculous preseruation And though the crying sinnes of the Land had deserued such a Doomesday of fire yet the Lord in mercy hath deliuered it from that desolation and secured by his outstretched arme of power and pitty the Royall Head and loyall members of great Britanny from his and our enemies who tooke crafty counsell against thy people and consulted against thy secret ones They said Come let vs cut them off from being a Nation and let the name of Israel be no more in remembrance but they perished at Endor and were dung for the Earth Shall such wondrous workes as these be knowne in the darke and thy righteousnesse in the Land where all things are forgotten Can such a deliuerance from such a dismall danger so villainous in the Agents so dolorous for the patients so craftily contriued so eagerly pursued so neerely effected the watch of a night and turning of an hand betweene vs and so deadly desolations can such a gracious worke be euer buried in obliuion Indeed it was Israels error whose prayers and praises ended so soone as they had passed the Red Sea and shall we that haue escaped not that Red Sea of water but a Red Sea of fire shall wee end our prayers and praises to God because that danger is past Oh how vnworthy shall we be of future fauours if so vnthankefull for past blessings And truly herein the Land is faulty in forgetting these benefits in a cold and not continuall acknowledgement of their humble thankefulnesse to God for these and other vnspeakable benefits And at the first all peoples hearts did burne within them like those two Disciples when they did but talke of the Powder Treason admiring and acknowledging the infinite mercies of God in the preuenting this most abhorred massacre and with heart and voice magnified the Lord with Dauids Psalme If the Lord had not beene on our side may Israel now say If the Lord had not beene on our side when men rose vp against vs they had then swallowed vs vp quicke when their wrath was kindled against vs. Praised be the Lord which hath not giuen vs as a prey vnto their teeths but a few yeeres being past they beginne to slacken this duty and are cold in praysing God for so blessed a deliuerance Perchance pondering Parsans words Will you neuer giue ouer saith he your clamors and exaggerations The Powder Treason the Powder Treason No we should neuer giue it ouer to poure foorth our perpetuall praises to God for protecting vs from so prodigious a plot and practise Our Eucharisticall deuotion to God for the preuention of the downefall of the Land should not be so momentary and like a morning dew as if the renued remembrance of so great deliuerance should become wearisomenesse vnto our spirits or the wonderment of the Lords mighty worke being past our gratulation to God should be out of dare vnseasonable and more then halfe forgotten No the deliuery from this flagitious and most bloody designement as it
the Ablatiue of grace A Bishop or Priest should be no striker or fighter no warrior no man of bloud no tutor to Traytors no teacher of rebellion to publish doctrine of King-killing Oh but will some Iesuite reply It is abhominable to kill a King marke their euasion or equiuocation but a King excommunicated or at least deposed by the Pope is no King no King in popery then if he command take him by the throat presently In hunc Tarba 〈◊〉 â—…sa They will haue some desperate Rauilliacke Chastell or Gerard to touch the Lords Annointed Iesuites will compasse Sea and land Sollicitando pollicendo as Simo chargeth Crito in the Comedie solliciting promising and perswading no obedience is to be giuen to Kings excommunicated or deposed as Parsons and Campian did after the Bull of Pius the fift and what followes Rebellion in the North. Haec Cornua quibus ventilabis Israel These are the hornes which proceed from Papall Bulles rebellion treason which if at any time it succeeds according to their expectation they triumph in it and say Hic digitus Dei est It was the Lords worke and as Salomon of the wicked They reioyce in doing euill imitating Dyonisius who after the robbing of a Temple finding the winde and weather fauourable to his shippes burst foorth into this hellish voice Ecce dij approbant sacrilegium Behold the gods approue of our sacriledge but let them know that at last though perchance too late they shall finde and confesse Nec surdum nec Tiresiam quenquam esse deorum God is not deafe or blinde he sees all sin Abhors all sinners who delight therein And therefore you of the Church of Rome who are or should be guides for the blinde iustructers of them who lacke discretion teachers of the vnlearned hate and abhorre your former doctrine the doctrine of Deuils in teaching disobedience to Gods Annointed or to be your selues actors authors or fautors of so abhominable practises as King-killing for know this Religion with bloud builded will be in bloud buried and that voice from heauen concerning this Babilon shall bee verified Reward her euen as she hath rewarded you and in the cup that she hath filled to you fill her the double For the Lord will condemne this great whore which corrupts the earth with her fornication and auenge the bloud of his seruants shedby her hand And you who style your selues Lay-Romane-Catholikes behold the persons plotters of this treason brought to a miserable confusion Consider ortum scelerum obitum sceleratorum the birth of their treason the death of these traytors God confounding both scelera sceleratos the actors and their actions Gods eyes are pure and abhorre such practises and likes not such who walke in the counsell of the vngodly for both the workes and the way of the wicked shall perish As for the final and eternall doom of the Iudge of quicke and dead vpon these dead Malefactors it belongs not to vs to search after it and say with Gregorie Diuina iudicia nesciuntur non audacisermone discutienda sunt sed formidoloso silentio veneranda Gods iudgements are vnknowne to vs and are not rashly to be spoken of but with fearefull silence to be reuerenced he will haue mercy vpon whom hee will haue mercy They that were apprehended satisfied Iustice on earth yet mixed with mercy so that for the persons I haue no more to say but end this in the Apostles wordes Now these are examples to vs to the intent wee should not lust after euill things as they lusted and are written to admonish vs to beware of sinne and aboue all such capitall and crying sins as these Sequitur Rebelles vltor à tergo Deus Gods plagues and punishments hang ouer Rebels heads Ex vitio alterius sapiens emendat suum and therefore let others harmes make all beware to flie from this sinne of treason as from a serpent CHAP. VIII 3. The Causes THE motiues or inducements which prouoked these Practisers and Conspirators to inuent this Tragedy was onely and meerely religion they were no bankerupt persons or discontented vpon occasion of any disgraces done vnto them for then it might haue seemed a worke of reuenge but it was onely as they confessed the cause of religion which moued them to this Treason A deplored and desperate religion which must stand for a stawking-horse to practise rebellion This colour of religion like the Fowlers glasse and feather serues to draw some within the reach and net of treason to lay snares to catch the children of God and bring them to destruction Grace vses no sword Faith no knife the Church no bloudy tooles Non mactando homines Christumque fidemque docere Ecclesia arma ara non laniena macelli The Church by force the faith did neuer plant Her Altar-prayers her Armes she shambles want But the Church of Rome vses these tooles when their prayers can doe no good they fall to weapons and would seeme to doe the Lords worke in the destroying of the Lords people farre better were it for them to follow the counsel of Elias to try themselues whether they be Baals Prophets or no to call vpon the name of their God to prepare a sacrifice and see if the Lord will send a fire from heauen as hee did for Elias to manifest the trueth of their cause and religion but their prayers are so bad inuocating dead Saints and adoring dumbe Images that though they cry like Baals Priests from morning vntill noone not a voice or word can they get from their woodden gods no fire from heauen then they will fetch fire from hell the hope of the plantation of their Romish religion shall be the ruine of an whole nation for Non stetisset nostra Troia si cecidisset noster Priamus for our Land could not haue stood happy if our Priamus Prince Peeres and Parliament had beene destroyed as they intended And indeed a long time these Pope-Catholike men haue vsed a pretence of religion by which goodly vizard they haue practised most horrible butchery cruelty and abhomination It is lamentable which is of late reported of Ferdinandus Mendoza a Spanish Catholike who with his cruell company in Westphalia spared neyther sexe nor age no not them which submitted themselues ripping vp womens bellies taking out their infants and hung them about their Mothers neckes compelled the men with long famine to eat their owne children with such brutish butchery as is abhominable And so the Pope when he sent his secular armes the Spaniards among the Indians vnder a faire errand to winne them to religion they vsed them in an heathenish yea hellish cruelty rosted them with fire worried them with dogs c. so that in forty yeares space they destroyed as some write fifteene millions of men that is 150 hundred thousand wasted and vnpeopled fiue times as