faith patience courage When there was deliberation at Rome about the demolishing of Carthage * Sinenda est Carthago ut ejus metu disciplina à majoribus tradita jam Laba cens rest ituatur Appian de bellis puntcis let it stand saith Scipio least the people of Rome should want an occasion or object whereon to exercise their valour God could soone annihilate his Churches enemies but let them live saith God let them doe their worst they shall but be for the exercise of my peoples wisdome faith zeale constancy courage and whole panoplie of grace 3. For the further illustration of his owne Glory And yet God hath a further end in permitting this then his peoples exercise and tryall and that is The illustration of his owne glory by the crafty and cruel attempts of the Churches enemies that the glory of his wisdome and power in the preservation and prosperity of his Church might be the more illustrious Archimedes had never been so famous if the City where he dwelt had not been so long so violently besieged and a long time preserved onely by his meanes If the Church of God the city of the habitation of his holinesse should not often be surrounded with enemies besieged with difficulties and oppositions the wisdome and power of God in preserving and prospering his Church would never be so glorious therefore the Lord suffers the Adversaries of his Church to designe and indeavour by craft or cruelty or both to hinder any worke that tends to the Churches good gives them leave to plot and conspire against his Church and lets them say They shal not know nor see til wee are in the midst of them c. The Doctrine applyed 1 By way of Commemoration And now if ever Text were verbum diei as the vulgar Latine reades it or verbum super rotas as some others Surely this Truth this Text is such Every word of this Text is a Wheele of that triumphant Chariot Pro. 25 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mercer in which our Church and State this day glories over a designe of our Adversaries against us fraught with all the subtilty and cruelty that hell it selfe was able to infuse into it This day thirty seven yeares was this Scripture fulfilled in England This day thirty seven yeares the King then sitting upon the Throne had summoned the Peeres and Commons of this Kingdome to an Assembly of Parliament The intent of that meeting as was hoped by Gods people and feared by their enemies was to surround Ierusalem and the Temple with walls and bulwarkes to secure the Church the true Religion and worship of God with needfull healthfull Lawes this was the worke intended Wherefore should a Parliament meet but for that worke and our Adversaries said they shall not know neither see till we are in the midst of them and slay them and cause the worke to cease And our Adversaris Our Adversaries Who are they Consider and then judge Who are they that when time was filled their loathsome Prisons with the bodies of our fore-Fathers Made our land drunk with the bloud of Martyrs In the space of lesse then 4. yeares sacrificed the lives * Balthaz Hol. in Chron. Osiand Cen. 16 Histor Eccles Anno 1555. of 800. Innocents unto their Idols And ever since God hath put a stop to those bloudy outrages have travailed with nothing but Englands destruction now these Fourescore yeares Who are they that have made so many desparate stabbes at the breasts of our Prineces so many deadly blowes at the heart of the State given life and vigour to so many insurrections and rebellions in the bowells of the Kingdome Are they not the Papists It is easie then to point out these Adversaries The Papists they are our Adversaries so they have beene so they are so they will be as long as Christ is ours his Gospell ours the Reformed Religion ours Sooner shall a man finde honey and balme in the nests of Aspes and the Dennes of Dragons then wee true friendship and peace with Papists Said Sooner shall East and West meete and kisse the Arke and Dagon Hierusalem and Babylon Christ and Belial cease to be Adverse then they cease to be our Adversaries These were these are our Adversaries And our Adverssaries said These our Adversaries had had many a saying to us they had said in eighty eight a Psal 83 4. Come and let us cut them off from being a Nation that the name of England may be no more in remembrance They had said as Moab b 2 Kin. 3 2◠Up Rome to the spoyle presuming the victory was theirs before the fight And when that Saying was disappointed yet they said there was a day a comming which should pay for all that was the day of Queen Elizabeths death concerning which their Balams prophesied c Parsons ans to the libell of Eng Iust p. 176 181. That by the uncertainty of the next heire the Kingdome was in a despeat case in the greatest misery that ever it was since or before the Conquest and farre worse then any Countrye in Christendome d Cujus sepulchrum velut totius Regni voraginem naufrrgium tanquam sub oculis contemplemini Ingentes moles tempestatum conturbationum cruentorum imbrium conglomeratas nubes vestris impendere cervicibus despicietis Vndiquaque Anglia in praedam expetitur expectatur Weston de triplici hominis officio in perorat ad Academ That Clouds of blood hung over England which waited but her dissolution for their dissolving that upon her death England would be a common prey and her tombe would be Englands grave This our Adversaries said then and from these sayings issued all that prodigious variety of murderous complotments against the sacred person of that ever honoured Queen The miracle of her Sex the glory of her Age the astonishment of the World But the silver line of her pretious life being hid in the hollow of Gods hand from all their desperate assassinates she full of yeares and more full of honour went to the grave in peace and God who frustrates the tokens of the Lyars Isa 44.25 and makes Diviners mad contrary to the hopes and confidences of our Adversaries brought in a peacefull King and established his Throne in peace What Say our Adversaries now are they not so ashamed and confounded in their former disappointments as they can open their mouths no more No they are saying still the malice of our Adversaries is as uncapable of disheartning as Balaam was in his attempts of cursing Israel Let God appeare never so often against them let the Angell of God stand with a drawn Sword in his hand they will on yet again our Adversaries said c. What Pharaoh said to his Servants that our Adversaries said one to another Exod. 1. Come let us deale wisely our former projects against this people have bin too shallow and open our
of great persons If any begun to tartle or be troubled at the matter what was their present answer My Lord Bishop doth thus and thus and my Lords Grace of Canterbury doth thus and thus The Knights of the most noble order of the Garter bow Versus Altare A C. Speech in the Starre-Chamber p 47 towards the Altar at their installement His Majesties Chappell is thus and thus adorned By these the like pretences casting a mist before the peoples eyes that some did not others durst not see any thing tending towards the altering of Religion Our adversaries said they shall neither know nor see His third Rule His third Rule is this That arch Heretickes and such as are teachers of Heresie must be banished the Common wealth at once if it may safely bee done but if not by degrees It is easie to know who are the Iesuites Arch-Heretickes the most active orthodoxe Protestants For the rooting out of such the Iesuite prescribes a method of twelve or thirteene steppes Cout Pol. lib. 2â— c. 18. §. 6. For which though well worth the relating I referre you to his book least this discourse should swell to much Only in summe Let me shew you how their operation hath beene according to this Rule The Arch-Heretickes and Teachers of heresie in England have beene counted the Puritan Preachers though they teach nothing but consonant to Scripture and the publike Doctrine of the Church yet they are the teachers of heresie and being too many to root out 〈◊〉 once it must be done by degrees that it may effected with more ease and lesse noise and therefore First east all those out of the ministery that will not be punctuall and full conformists to the old Ceremonies Next because there were a company of conformable Puritans as themselves stiled them they procure an edict for recreations upon the Lords Day and this must be published by Ministers that such as could stand under the ceremonies though groaning for the burden might fall and be broken in peâ—ces under this And yet because some men suspected of Puritanisme might have a latitude here bey ond their brethren They have a third engine â—nd that is injoyning new Ceremonies and adorations that if any could swallow the book yet they might discover cast them out by straining here To this they adde a fourth Prayers and Proclamations to be read against our brethren the Scotts And their last and greatest engine which was like the powder plot against the godly ministery of the nation to blow up the reliques of them at once was the oath for Episcopacie By these successive stratagems they made account utterly to extirpate those Arch-Hereticks As it was somtimes said to Elijah 1 King 19. Him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Iehu slay-and him that escapeth the sword of Iehu shall Elisha slay So had they said Him that escapeth the dint of the Ceremonies shal the book of sports slay and him that escapeth the book of sports shall the new injunctions slay and him that escapeth the new injunctions shall the proclamations slay and him that escapeth the proclamations shal the oath slay And this by degrees and pauses that they shall neither know nor see till we slay them and cause the work to cease His fourth Rule The fourth rule is this That those which are adversaries to the true Religion which with him is Popery be put by their dignities places offices I think none here is such a stranger in England but from his own knowledg can wiâ—nesse this The bestowing of all offices the collating of benefices the election of Masters and fellowes of Colledges in both Vniversities who had the over-ruling hand in them all the power of mandamus but Canterbury and his faction And whom were they conferred upon Vsually Men infamous for and a So Leontius Bishop of Antioch a dissembling concealed Arrian was observed to disrespect all Orthodox men and preferr no one in the Church but such as enclined to Arrianisme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Theod. 2 24. Quis enim non facilè Pruitanos in Anglia redigâ—â— in Or â—inem si Episcoâ—or m approbationem ab tis ex torqueat Contz vbisupra paragrap 9 impudent in Arminian and Popish opinions Protested Arminianisme and bold faced Popery the only speedy unerring way to Church preferment His fifth rule is To make the Protestant Religion odious by laying load upon such tenents as are most subject to harshest constructions In this our adversaries have not bin sparing Quot plaustra convitiorum have they poured out upon some doctrines of our Religion specialy the points of grace The pulpits of Italy and Rome never spitt more gall and venome against the doctrines of Election free grace justification by faith perseverance c. nor never sweat more to exaggerate the seeming absurdities which carnall men would draw from them then some of ours have done His sixth rule is To foment the quarells that are among the Protestants and strengthen that party that is nearest compliance with Rome And here the wretch hath the unhappines to prescribe one thing as the proper meanes of Englands cure For who saith he might not easily reduce the Puritans of England into order you know what the Iesuits reducing into order is if he could extort from them an approbation of the Bishops And had they not attempted and almost effected this They had made us their slaves before and were they not about to make us swear we would be so for ever Certainly though nothing but Episcopacy floated in the surface of that â—ath yet Popery was in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the c. of it oâ— reducing the Puritans of England into order sensu Pontificio His seventh rule His seventh is this That all private Conventiles and publick meetings must be forbidden For private Conventicles you all know that to meet together to pray or to conferre which with them was a Conventicle was Peccatum irremissible A man might at a better rate almost answer any thing then such a meeting For publick meetings The ancient laudable exercising of prophecying I mean not in that sence the word is lately taken for private spirits to interpret Scripture but prophecying by men in office peculiarly gifted and called to that work these are banished The publick and most frequentod lectures blasted Publick fastes by consent of Ministers which had of long time bin used in many parts of the Kingdome were become piacular A sermon at next Church the forbidden fruit when they had none at home or worse then non Our adversaries have bin but too diligent to suppress not only private CoÌ„venticles but publick Assembl His eighth rule The eighth meanes is By severity of Lawes and punishments to compell the obstinate unto duty and yet the rigour of the Law must be slowly drawn out and not against all but only such as be most dangerous Now what severity not only Ad summum
christiano c. 2â— Papistry saith he can neither stand with peace nor piety The State therefore that would have these things hath just cause to suppresse it But what course is to be taken for the suppressing of it Shall wee take that course for the suppressing of popery which some of theirs prescribe for the suppressing of the truth Decretum fuit in consiliis Toletanis c. They made decrees in some of their counsels That every King before he bee installed should sweare among other things That hee would permit no man to live in his Kingdom that is not a Roman Catholick but will pursue all Hereticks with the sword I know it is disputed among Divines Whether it be lawfull to use compulsory meanes in matters of Religion And no lesse among Politicians whither it would bee successefull I shall neither take upon mee to determine those disputes Nor direct the wisdome of the great councell of the kingdome in a course for suppressing popery Only in briefe the meanes to be used to this end are either sacred or civill Acts of Religion or of State For religious meanes I conceive that as the re-establishment of Popery in Queen Maries dayes was an Act of State and of the whole Kingdome assembled in Parliament so if the State the Parliament now assembled would please to indict some Day or dayes of solemne Nationall professed humiliation for that sinne of the Nation which as farre as I could ever learne was never yet done it might bee a happie meanes to expiate that sinne and to purge the Land from that bloud of Martyrs which it yet groanes under and would blessedly prepare the heart of the Nation for a more thorow perfect Reformation We observe it in particular persons that if they slide out of profane and sinfull wayes into wayes of more retirednesse without any evidence of a sincere and proportionable Humiliation That Reformation seldome proves lasting or saving I know not why the same may not bee verified in Nationall Reformations And among other things which possibly might bee causes why the wrath of the Lord was not removed from Hierusalem notwithstanding Josiah's so glorious Reformation this may bee one because the Land was never humbled for the Idolatries or Bloudsheds of Manasses but looked upon the reformation as sufficient without humiliation which verily hath been Englands course to this day we have blessed our selves in a kinde of Reformation But never tooke to heart the Idolatrous and bloudy Lawes enacted by our forefathers to bee humbled for them Next to this as a second meanes for the suppressing of Popery I would subjoy ne the casting out from among us of all appearances of Popery every that lookes like Rome every thing of which the Papists may say this you borrowed from us True it is the Israelites by Gods expresse commandement borrowed of the Aegyptians Iewels of silver and Iewels of Gold but when they imployed those Egyptian Iewels to Egyptian worship and turned their Egyptian gold into an Egyptian God you know what followed I condemne not every thing received from Rome as simply evill But certainely as long as the Papists see any such things among us in our publike worship They will but scorne us and our Religion as imperfect and unable to furnish us in the service of our God without being beholding unto them The third Meanes is To ridd the Church of scandalous Ministers that what by their corrupt doctrine what by their abominable lives have exceedingly hardned the Papists against our Religion and strengthened them in their owne Fourthly By complying as neare as possible may be with other reformed Churches in all things The resolution you have put on for uniting with the Church of Scotland is one of the blessed'st things for the utter subversion of popery that hath beene since the first reformation And lastly Plant a faithfull painefull powerfull Ministery through the Kingdome And give maintenance and incouragement answerable But O Lord in such a corrupt State of Clergie and Universities where shall we finde faithfull men to plant the Nation with The harvest is great the labourers few O pray yee the Lord of the Vineyard to send forth labourers into his harvest To give the word that great may be the multitude of them that preach it As for Civill meanes of rooting out Popery I shall wholly leave them to the Councell of the State Only one thing more let me adde which I cannot without sinne forbeare If ever you would root popery out of Englâ—nd with the uttermost of your vigour prosecute the affaires of Ireland If Popery prevaile to the suppressing of the true Religion there Doe not thinke you can prevaile to suppresse popery here I know your Domesticke affaires are great your occasions of expences vast yet I remember what the Historian saith of the Roman State There was nothing did more evidence the greatnesse of their spirits then that at such a time as Hanniball was even Ad portus Their treafure exhausted by long Warres Their Armies routed diverse times The State at the lowest ebbe that ever it was in Yet even then when a mighty Warre lay upon their backes They did not remit the care of any affaires though never so remote from them And nothing did more make Hannibal despaire of taking Rome Then that he heard supplies of Souldiers were sent out of the Citie into Spaine even then 〈…〉 22. c. 3â— when he with his whole army lay before their walles I know not whither any thing would more please God or procure a blessing upon your affaires at home I am sure scarce any thing would mâ—â—e dant your adversaries at home and abroad then to see you at such a time as this sending supplies into Ireland And you my brethren the rest of you that stand before Exhortatiâ—â— the peoplâ— the Lord this day Withdraw not your assistance from the honourable Houses of Parliament in that or any other worke so just Honourable and pious You see they meete with opposition from their adversaries impossible it is it should be otherwise Oh let them not meete with discouragment from their friends from their brethren No question it was worse to Nehemiah to heare Iudah say The strength of the bearers of burdens is decaied and there is so much rubbish wee cannot build the wall Then it was to heare the adversaries say We will come upon them and they shall neither know nor see till we are in the midst of them and play them and cause the worke to cease That which the adversaries said was no more then he looked for But this of Iudah was unexpected O let not London say let not England say The strength of the bearers of burdens is decaied The expences of the Irish warre and of the English affaires are such a burden wee can beare no longer our strength is decaied wee cannot build the wall the worke must cease I know your burdens this way have been great and in this City farre
owne likenesse in the shape of one of those beasts that Daniel saw in his vision that had three ribs in the mouth of it and they sayd unto it arise devoure much flesh Dan. 7.5 You may trace the monster foot by foot from Abel unto this present in steps of blood The persecutions of the Jewish church under Pharoah Nebuchadnezar Antiochus and of the christian church vnder the heathen and after them the Arrian Emperors and Bishops since them vnder Antichrist on the one side and the Turk on the other are so knowne I need not mention them but this they all declare that the indeavoures of the adversaries have alwayes bin by cruelty to cause the worke to cease And indeed if wee consider those floods and seas of blood which in the successive persecutions of the church have beene exhausted wee may wonder the church is not quite extinct save onely the bloud of Martyres extra venas is not cruor but semen and by the irradiation of the sunn of righteousnesse becomes miraculously fruitfull to the producing of a new succession of Saints But to trace the adversaries of the church in their craft t Secondly of the oraft of headversaries which are severall Prov. 30.19 hic labor hoc opus they are serpentina soboles the seed of the serpent and as the way of the serpent upon a rocke is unknowable so are their wayes of undermining the church yet as farre as either in history or scripture I may I shall trace them and give you a breife veiw of the severall arts and crafts whereby the adversaries of the church have sought to hinder their proceedings and cause the work to cease First The first design that ever was against the Church of which we reade in Scripture is that of Pharaoh and his Councellors Exod. the first Come let us deale wisely with them and what is the result of this consultation not to deny them presently the liberty of their Religion we take away but by burdening and oppressing them in their liberties and estates to breake their hearts and imbase their spirits that they should have no heart to minde Religion or any thing because of their great anguish and affliction a designe that hath bin practised against the church of God many a time Thus the Persian Tyrant thought to have subdued the spirit of Hormisdus that noble christian He would not kill him but enthrall him Turne him out of his possessions throw him from his honour give his wealth diguitie wife to the basest of his slaves Turne him naked our of dores to keepe Mules in the Wildernesse by this meanes thinking to choke and smother that holy fire God had enkindled in his heart And this is the art of the great Turke at this day though he pretend to let the Christians in Greece and those countries under him enjoy their lives and their religion yet so heavy is his yoake upon them that they have little joy of their lives and for the most part as little care of their religion scarce any thing more than the name of Christ generally to be found among them Second The second art whereby the adversaries of the church have sought to prejudice it hath beene by procuring matches and mixtures of some of the members of the church and some of their owne that were Idolaters This was the art of Balaam when hee saw hee could no otherwise fasten a curse upon the Israel of God he gave the King of Moab councell to ensnare the men of Israel with the daughters of Moab whereby they were drawne not onely to corporall but to spirituall adultery The history of this you have Num. 25 1 2 3. The people began to commit whoredome with the daughters of Moah and the people did eat of their sacrifices and bowed downe to their gods and Israel joyned himselfe to Baal-Peor And that this was the plot of Balaam is cleare Numbers 31.16 These caused the children of Israel through the councell of Balaam to commit trespafle against the Lord It was Balams councell this and wicked councell it was This mixing with unbelievers hath bin ever looked upon as a thing of dangerous consequence to the Church of God which is the reason that Nehemiah was in such a heat of indignation against the people for this thing Nehe 13.25 26. ver I contended with them and cursed them and smote certaine of them and plucked off their haire and made them swear by God saying you shall not give your daughters to their Sonnes nor take their daughters unto your sonnes did not Salomon King of Israel sin by these thinge yet among many Nations there was no King like him who was beloved of his God Neverthelesse even him did outlandish women cause to sin Great dangers the Church of God is exposed unto by this designe First of being corrupted by this meanes and drawne from the true Religion which is the very reason why God forbad such marriages in the old law Deut. 7.4 For they will turne away thy sonnes from following me that they may serve other Gods so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you and desroy thee suddainely And sad experience of this sad effect and consequent of marrying with Idolaters and those that are enemies to the Church The Church of God hath had not only in Salomon whose heart his jdâ—â—â—â—rous wives turned away from God and so captiâ—â—ted that he did publiquely tolerate their idolarour worship 1 Kings 11.4 When Salomon was cold his wives turned away his heart after other Gods and vers 7. Then did Salomon build an high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moah and for Moloch the abomination of Ammon and likewise did he for all his strange wives and sacrificed to their Gods Nor onely in Iehoram the Son of Jehosaphat the reason of whose deflection from the practice of his father and the principles of his education unto Idolatry is rendered by the holy ghost this for the daughter of Ahab was hie wife 2 King 8.18 Nor onely in other of the Kings of Israel and Judah but even in christian Kings and Princes when they have matched though not with Pagans and Heathens but with such as have professed the christian Religion onely not in purity Valens the Emperour was at first a true Orthodox Professor but being married to an Arrian Lady she soone insnared him with her flatteries and captivated him to the same heresie with her selfe and he proved a most bloudy persecutor of the true Orthodox Church Theod. 4.11 Or secondly If there be such establishment of heart in the truth that the unbeliever dares not attempt to draw the believing yoak-fellow from the true Religion or attempts it but in vaine This inconvenience yet followes thereupon that the unbeliever will as much as they can viis et modis promote the false Religion and subvert the true The Church of God had experience of this in Justinian the Emperour Evagr. 4.10 whose
wife Theodora addicted to the heresie of Eutyches did no lesse foster encourage promote and reward the teachers maintainers of that heresie than the Emperor did the true orthodox professors yea prevailed so farr with her husband as to make Severus a chief leader of the Eutychian faction Bishop of Constantinople Thirdly By this meanes not only the present age but posterity is indammaged For put case the unbelieving party doth survice there is danger least the children specially if young should by the authority of an Idolatrous father or rhe perswasion of an Idolatrous mother to be drawn away from the true Religion An instance of this we have in Valentinian the younger whose father dying and leaving him in the tutelage of Justina his mother who was an Arrian though all the time of her husbands life shee had concealed ir Socr. 5.2 Theod. 5.13.14 Sozom. 7.13 knowing her husbands zeale for the Orthodox Religion she taking the advantage of her husbands death and the tender and flexible age of her son to advance the Arrian faction easily corrupted him that he was scarse warme in his throne but he falls a persecuting the true Religion These and many other inconveniences have bin observed to attend such kinde of mixtures betweene the Church and their adversaries which the adversaries are not ignorant of and that is the reason sometimes they are so willing to offer their daughters in marriage to the members of the church 1 Sam. 18.21 but it is onely as Saul gave Michal unto David that she might be a snare unto him Third The third Art whereby the adversaries of the church have endeavoured the ruine and over throw of Religon is by covering their intent to alter religion with a pretence of publick emollument So Jeroboam to cover his Idolatrous projects pretends the peoples ease It is too much for you to goe up to Jerusalem 1 King 12.28 a great journey a great charge you may serve God nearer and better cheape at Dan and Bethell as if he meant not to alter Religion but only to let them have it with more ease and bettex accommodation Like that of some of late time For people to heare two Sermons a day it is too much one well heard and remembred is enough For young folke to be kept from sports on the Lords Day it is too much It is too much for you to goe up worship at Ierusalem The like pretence was sometimes used to Theodosius justly called Great who having abolished in Egypt their Heathenish sacrifices and forbid their Idolatrous worship upon paine of consiscation and death the people fearing the omission of their accustomed superstitions would make the River Nilus whom they honoured as a God keep in his streames and not water their land as in former yeares began to mutinie and things tended to sedition whereupon the President of the Countrey wrote to the Emperour beseeching him for once to please the people by conniving at their Idolatry To whom he answered It is better to continue faithfull and constant unto God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Soz. 7.20 then to preferre the overflowing of Nilus and the fruitfullnesse of the earth before piety and godlinesse Nay I had rather Nilus should never flow then to have it raised by sacrifices and inchantments A brave resolution and becomming a true Christian Prince Let people be pleased or displeased come losse come gaine let truth and godlinesse be maintained A fourth fraud or art whereby they endeavour to supplant the Church is By counterfeiting a friendly compliance with the Church of God as if they meant to help and farther the businesses thereof when in truth they intend nothing but to overthrow and hinder all So the Adversaries Esra 4. When the people of God were about rebuilding the Temple the Adversaries came and offered to joyne with them vers the second Let us build with you for we seek your God as you doe When they intended nothing more then to betray them This was the great art of the Adversaries in the Apostles dayes when many false bretheren joyned themselves to the Church Galat. 2. meerely to spy out their liberty and many false Apostles that seemed to preach Christ with abundance of zeale and forwardnesse but it was only that they might withdraw Disciples from the true Doctrine and Apostles of the Lord Iesus and fill the Church with rents and schismes as they did the Church of Corinth Thus the Arrians would often counterfeit themselves Orthodox men and mingle themselves with Orthodox professers that they might with lesse suspition spâ—ead the poison of their errors That good Prince Constantine the Great was much abused by that Generation in this kind his great admirer Euschius confesseth he retained neare him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euseb de vita Constantin 4.54 Sceleratos Nebulenes qui simulaverunt Religionem Christeanam Specially one potorious one who had bin Chaptain to the Emperours Sister and by her dying was commended to the Emperour and received into his Family and though all the time of Constantine the great he kept his poison hid yet no sooner was he dead but he began to play his pranks First inveigling the chiefe Gentlemen of the Emperours bed chamber then some of the rest after these the Empresse and soon after the Emperour himselfe winning them all to the Arrian heresy who if in Constantines time he had not complyed with the Orthodox party he had never had the accesse to Constantine and so never this opporrunity of spreading that heresie This is a trick not unusuall with Rome I have heard that the Jesuites have a practise of running over to the Lutheran Church I find a passage in Frantrius that may give some credit unto this Oracula Sacra 129. p. 842. pretending to be converts and to build with them but it is only to keep up that bitter contention that is between the Calvinists and the Lutherans the virulency whereof is much fomented by these râ—negado Iesuits The first way is To ingratiate themselves to Kings and Princes with much officiousnesse and pretended care of their profit and honour that so being potent with the Potentates of the earth they may have the more power to doe the Church a mischiefe So the Adversaries of the Iews pretended that in duty and conscience they could doe no lesse then complaine of the Iewes to King Artaxerses Ezra 4.14 Now because we have maintenance from the Kings pallace and it was not meet for us to see the King dishonoured we have sent and certified the King Wretches that cared no more for the Kings honour then a straw only pretend this that they might the more easily draw out the Kings power for the suppressing of the Church So Haman Esth 3.8 seemed to mind only the Kings profit when his mind is only set upon the Iewes destruction It is not for the Kings profit to suffer them So the Iewes themselves in prosecuting and murdering the Lord Christ pretend
a true observation of some b D. Day upon 1 Cor. 16.9 that the nearer any are unto a conjunction in matters of Religion and yet some difference retained the deeper is the hatred as he observes a Iew hates a Christian worse then he doth a Pagan or a Turke a Papist hates a Protestant worse then he doth a Iew and a Formalist hates a Puritan worse then he doth a Papist No such hatred under Heaven saith he as that between a Formalist and a Puritan Now Truth being one the true Religion one and this the possession and profession of the true Church this inrageth all the world against it Pagans Iewes Turks Papists Formalists that as they every one Idolize their owne Religion and opinion and seeke to suppresse each other so they all combine to suppresse the true Religion to keepe that from flourishing from shining forth in it's originall beauty and glory And then secondly are full of craft 2 Craft The seed of the Serpent for so God cals them Gen. 3.15 thereby lettingâ—us know That as the Serpent was moae subtill then any beast of the field Genes 3.1 So the Adversaries of the Church are more subtile then all the men of the world whereas the Church of God they are the Seed of Iacob Psal 22.23 * Gen. 25.27 He was a plaine man Sine fraude fuco and so are his Seed Prudentiam habent fraudulentiam horrent but their Adversaries they are full of a Psal 83.3 Ioâ— 15.35 Psal 10.7 Psal 119.110 craft therfore sometimes in Scripture called Foxes b Cant. 2.15 Luk 13.12.3 Cruelty 3. And as full of cuelty as craft therefore in Scripture proclaimed bloudy as well as c Psal 55.23 deceitfull men And in that respect compared to d Psal 22.12 13 16 21. Lyons Bulls Doggs Vnicornes e Mat. 10.16 Act. 20.19 Wolves The Churches enemies are men of cruell bloudy dispositions such as was Francis the first of France whose rage against the truth of God and the Reformation in Luthers time was so bloudy that he did in a solemne assembly protest If he knew any part of his body infected with that contagion of Lutheranisme hee would presently teare it from him Si quam sui Corporis partem istâ Contagione sciret infectam revulsurum illico nelongiùs serperet Sleid. com lib. 9. that it might spread no further Or that of the Germain Count Felix of Wartenburge A memorable thing fell cut anno 1550. Divers Noblemen being at Supper together threatning hotrible things against the Professours of our Religion among the rest Count Felix of Wartenburge a great Warriour and that had bin in place of command under Maximilian the Emperour said he hepâ—d ere he died to ride up to the spurrs in the bloud of the Lutherans but being smitten by God that very night he fell a bleeding in that violent manner that his blood choaked him and he dyed Flac. Illyr So let all thine enemies perish ô Lord and give them blood to drinke for they are worthy Who he said hâ—ped ere he dyed to ride up to the spurrs in the bloud of the Lutherans These are the dispositions of them all * Prov. 27.29 for as face answers to face in water so the heart of man to the heart of man Now looke upon the Adversaries of the Church thus as full of innate craft cruelty malignity against the Church of God and the true Religion and what can you expect but that they should by all deceitfull bloudy wayes hinder and oppose any worke that tends to the stablishment and promoving of the Churches good But if you adde to this a Reason drawne from the power of Satan in the hearts of the Adversaries the mighty power that Satan hath in the hearts of the Churches enemies to every one of whom it may be applyed which Peter said to Ananias Satan hath filled thy heart yea Satan hath not onely filled them but as the Holy Ghost in one word tels us Ephes 2.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ioh. 6.44 is continually active and mighty in them And againe tels us they are as spontaneously subject to his power and motions That native malignity craft cruelty that is inherent in the Churches Adversaries is principle enough to carry them on in designes against the Churches good though Satan should never incite them and that power and energy of Satan in them is enough to carry them in that way though there were no such naturall disposition But when both meet a strong propension of nature in themselves and a mighty energeticall power of Satan over them needs must they with most impetuous violence be carried on by any craft or cruelty 3. Reason from Gods permitting this 1. For his people Tryall no matter what or how to hinder all that tends to the Churches good They having an actâ—vity of their owne that way and Satan who is mighty in them acting them that way too True it is God could restraine the rage of his Churches Adversaries bind downe the malignity of their natures though he leave it in them with a band of brasse or iron as the stump of that tree in Nebuchadnezars vision and retund even the Devills owne malice But it pleaseth the wisedome of God to give scope thus to the malice of Satan and his instruments and that both in reference to his people and to himselfe To his people First for their tryall the reason the Apostle gives why the Lord permits heresies in his Church may let us see why the Lord suffers other opposition against his Church 1 Cor. 11.19 a Vt qui probati sunt haeresoes fermento se non in ecerunt manifesti fiant in Nobis Profiâ—iant in cognitioâ—e cluceant in confessione o len luntque sidem suam constantian veritatem opera ut glorificetur Pater noster qui in coelis est Cram. Haeresiolog There must be also heresies among you that they which are approved may be made manifest among you b Cum Ecclesia pace conâ—ordiâ fruitur nec afflictione extrinseâ—ùs aut dissensione intrinsecùs laborat qui Christi sunt non agnoscuntur vixque seipsos invicem dignoscunt quia prosperitatis tempore facile est Deo â—ervire Camer in Joh. 6. Who will not owne the Churches cause when it prospers meets with no opposition c Ioseph Antiq. l. 11. c. 8. 2 For his peoples exercise The Samaritans were wont to challenge kindred of the Iewes when the state of the Iewes flourished but when it was afflicted then disclaimed them Many will imbarke themselves in the Churches cause in a calme that with the Souldiers in the Acts will fly out of the Ship in a storme Therefore that his owne which are approved may be manifested God suffers Satan and his instruments to oppose to use all their craft and cruelty to hinder his Churches good And not onely that his people may be tryed but also exercised in swisdome
for setling true Religion and repressing Popery And as Pilat came upon the Galileans when they were sacrificing and mingled their bloud with their Sacrifices And as the Adversaries heare made account to come upon Nehemiah and his builders and temper their morter with their blouds so did ours plot to come upon our Law makers they shall write no Lawes but in their owne blouds And Oh Lord if this plot had taken What a * That which P. Valderama fables concerning Ignatius his Lodgings indeed would have bin true of these builâ—ings Cum priâ—â—um proposuit apud se militarem vitam abdicare Do nus in quâ tum sâ—â—t â—ota contren uâ—t parâ—etes ejus concussa suerant ligâ—a omnta trabes concreâ—uerunt Quemadâ—â—dum accidit cum in Montâ— aliquo Sulpâ—u eo â—â—neum os aâ—eritur Flammae exinde erumpere iâ—cipiunt fic c mille Terrores mille Pavores mille edium inceudia consequuâ—a fuerint Nu us un quâ—n Aetea out ignâ—us mons paria secit Vesuvius what an Etna had this place bin What an Aceldama what a Golgotha had this Land bin What a Chaos had this Church and State bin how had our Lawes Liberties Religion bin swallowed up in that Fiery gulph and buried in those ashes How would that man of sinne that sonne of perdition have satiated his thirst of blood in the archivements of this Day and have looked upon those piles of mangled dismembred bodies and that horrid face of death such as was never seene before with as much content as Haniball did upon a pit full of the bloud of Men when he cryes out O formosum spectaculum Or Valesus the Asian Proconsul when trampling over the carcasses of 300. Men whom hee had slaine he cryed out O rem regiam Or that Queene who when shee saw some of her Protestant subjects lying dead and stripped upon the Earth cryed our The goodliest tapestry that ever shee beheld Many goodly bloudy sights hath Antichrist glutted his cruell mind with The Funerall piles of England in Queen Maries dayes The Massacre of France The warres of Germany The butcheries of Ireland Goodly sights in the eyes of Antichrist But to have seene a whole Parliament and therein the peace and Religion of a whole Kingdome blowne up in a moment Thuarus writes that the Pope caused the Massacre of Paris to bee painted in his Pallace surely had this Plot succeeded it should have been * For though the plot succeeded not yet F. Garnet had the honour to have his picture set among the reit of Romes Saints in the Iesuites Church at Rome Voluisse sat est Gir. 1. Apol. contra Iesuitas portraied in his Holinesse Chappell or Oratory And how came it to passe that it succeeded not Was there any thing wanting either in the wills or endeavours of our Adversaries No our Adversaries said They shall not know nor see till wee are in the midst of them and slay them Nor did we till that very night that Morning the fatall blow should have been given And then it was not any State vigilancy or prudence but meerely divine providence that brought to light this worke of darkenesse The particular acts of which providence I need not instance you know the Story and all that know it will acknowledge That if ever the arme of GOD were revealed in any deliverance it was in this onely that by all which hath beene spoken our hearts may bee raised to the higher straine of thankfullnesse Let me as I have set before you the subtilty and cruelty of our adversaries in the invention of this Treason present unto you the mercy of God in the prevention of it O how freely did God deliver us from the bloudy intendment of our Adversaries Many Deliverances hath God wrought for our Selves for other Churches for his Church in former times but was there ever any so free as this Esth 4.16 God delivered his Church from the bloudy conspiracie of Haman A worke of astonishing power and mercy But what Prayers what Teares what Fastings and Wrestlings did it cost Esther and Mordecai and the whole Church ere they could obtaine that Deliverance It was a gracious Deliverance GOD wrought for his Infantile Church in rescuing Peter from the hands of Herod but it was wrought by aboundant importunity uncessant Prayer Act. 12.5 Prayer was made without ceasing of the Church unto GOD for him But this Deliverance came not upon the wings of our prayers but Gods free mercy wee knew not our danger and therefore could not make Deliverance the subject of our Prayers Masses were said in Rome for the good successe of the Catholicke designe but no Prayers in England for our Deliverance from their Treason and yet wee delivered admirable Mercy A people to be delivered by their God before they seeke Deliverance 2. And delivered so fully You know the Plot was laid for a full destruction to cut off every Person in that Honourable Assembly to blow them all up teare them all in peeces and in and with them the whole Nation But see how fully God prevented their mischievous designe That not a limbe of any one of them was shaken not one bone broken The Deliverance was like that of the three Children in the fiery fornace There was not so much as a haire of their head sindged neither did the fire so much as take hold upon any of their Garments neither was there so much as the sent thereof upon them Like that of Hierusalem from the fury of Senacherib who comming up against the Church full of pride and rage intending nothing but to breake in peeces and destroy saith GOD He shall not come up against this City nor shoot an arrow there So said the LORD to our Adversaries You shall not come up against this Assembly nor fire one corne of Powder nor shed one droppe of bloud there where they intended to have filled all with bloud and fire O admirable Deliverance Hath GOD delivered Germany thus Is Ireland thus delivered O England England The ashes of Germany The bloud of Ireland proclaime thy Deliverance this day glorious in the fulnesse of it 3. And not onely in the fulnesse of our Deliverance but in the confusion of our enemies whom God tooke this day in their owne Pits and snares And the plot they had laid to blow us up did recoyle and blow up themselves God turned it to their owne destruction That which they had designed for the advantage of their Catholike cause and Religion a good cause and a good Religion that must bee advanced by such sinfull devillish wayes hath been the greatest disadvantage to their cause All the streames of Tyber will never wash off that blot of just infamy which this Treason hath fastned on them till Babylon sinke like a Mil stone into the bottome of the Sea it will never be washed off This was the Lords doning This turning the Wheele upon our Adversaries this bringing their mischiefe
jus to the highest apex of the Law but even Supra jus beyond the extent and rigour of the Law hath bin used to such as stood in the way of their great designe let the walles of their high Commission speak Our Chronicles report That when our forefathers demollished the Abbies they found in their walles and vaultes and pondes heapes of sculles and bones the monuments of their Smoothered crueltyes I doubt not but the abolishers of that high Commission have found as manifest evidence of their cruell practises heapes of the bloud of innocents whose skin hath bin flead from of them and their bones broken and they and their families chopped in pieces as flesh for the cauldron Micah 3. And this fruit they reaped of their severity managed with this art which the Iesuit promised Itaque reformatio quae provectos non ad juvat aetatem tamen puenlem Catholicam reddet That though compulsory Reformation could do no good upon old standers yet it would render the younger sort Catholicks His ninth rule The ninth meanes and as he saith of all the rest most effectuall is That such as are in authority do religiously practise and maintaine integrity of life and purity of manners The reformation of Religion that is the introducing of Popery into a reformed Church will go on very slowly and prove very difficult unlesse the Prelats and Doctors shall outshine the whole Common wealth not only in innocency but in reputation and fame of integrity And certainly this rule they had conned some of them Ad amussim or else they could never have obtained so farre upon the heart of our Soveraign as to leave the disposing of all Church affaires wholly unto them * The Arts of Dissembling Heretikes have for the most part been Excellently skilled in Sometimes a good Prince hath been overreached by it Quem ubi vident constanter Religioni adhaerentem non adeò temerari sunt ut directè caluÌ„nientur traducant apud cum Orthodoxam Religionem sed occasiones commodas accipiunt quibus deplorent turbatam pacem Ecelesiae hortantur Prineipem ad eam restituendam id facilè esse dicuÌ„t auferatur modo Contentionis studium quod dissidium non sit in rebus Magni Monumenti sed exigui Pondexis c. Vedell de Prud. vet Eccles l. 2. c. 5. See the Ep. Ded. of the relation of the Conference between a Iesuit W. L. fol. penult If they had not in his eye demeaned themselves as the only Saints upon earth as incarnate Angels men wholly composed of devotion to God compassion to his Church greif for the rents and breaches of it zeale for the peace and good of it what but this should prevaile with our soveraign to abandon this Church into the hands of that faction I know not But undoubtedly it stands not with reason That a Protestant Prince should knowingly and willingly give way to the re-establishing of the Popish Religion therein Ipso facto divest himself of his supremacy and lay his head at the Popes feet for him to kick of the Crown from his Royall brow with a spurne of his disdainfull foot at pleasure But why the Bishops specially such of them have bin observed to wish well to Popery Abincunabulis should contrive and carry on such a plot some reason may appeare For could th y once have obtained this That Popery should have triumphed over the reformed Religion The Miter would soon have trampled upon the Crown Haec enim est veritas saith Bellarm. a Haerc enim est vâ—â—â—tas quicquid iâ—trocuxeâ—t consueâ—â—â—o Episcopâ—s est Pater Pastor Doctotam Principâ—s quam reliquâ— populi Et se cundum haec Nomâ—â— PRINCEPS SVBDITVS esse DEBET suo EPISCOPO NON EPISCOPVS PRINCIPI Bellarm de officio Principis Christ l. 1. c 5. This is the truth what ever custome hath introduced that the Bishop is the father and pastor and Doctor as well of the Prince as of the rest of the people And according unto these appellations the Prince ought to be subject to his Bishop and not the Bishop to his Prince Vnusquisque saith b Vnusqu sque Rex subditus est suo Episcopo in Soiritualibus nisa à Pontifice eximatur Suarez defens fid l. 3. cap. 17. sec 18. Suarez Every King is subject to his Bishop in spiritualibus unlesse he be exempted by the Pope A brave world this had bin for the Prelacy and the whole Clergy too To have bin exempted from the power of Lawes and civilly dicature c Leges non obligant Clenicos ex vi Iurisdictionis Laicae nec POSSVNT Reges obligare Clericos Legibus illis peculiariter impositis Id. l. 4. c. 〈◊〉 sec 16.17 Leges non obligant saith Suarez again The law doth not binde the Clergy by vertue of any Laick jurisdiction neither can Kings binde the Clergy by laying any speciall Law upon them and againe d Pesona Ecclesiasticâ— gaaudent immanitâ—te siâ—e privi egio fort nâ—â— solum in Criminibus Ecclesiasticis sed civilibus Id. ea 15. Sect. 1. Ecclesiasticall persons are priviledged in Court not onely in case of ecclesiasticall but of civill crimes An immunity which a corrupt Clergy would be glad of And therefore though there can be no reason conceived why a Prince professing the Protestant Religion should decline to Popery Yet you see there is reason why a proud Prelacy and a corrupt Clergie should under-hand indeavour to bring it in and you see the method and wayes whereby they may compasse their designes and neither Prince nor people know nor see These were their pract ses for many late yeares you all know let any ingenous spirit judge of their intentions I have onely let you see from whose quiver they have drawne their shaftes judge by that of the marke whereat they aymed You have seene whose heifer it is they plowed with judge by that of the seed they would have sowne If they never knew that a Iesuite had delivered these Rules for the altering of Religion in a Christian state they were very unhappie in complying so exactly with them when they did not know them And what can wee thinke but that they were acted by the same Genius or the same Angelus informans that the Iesuite was when he penned them But if they did know as iâ— is most probable they did that these were the rules this the art delivered by a Iesuite for the subverting the true reformed Religion and the introduction of popery againe and yet did knowingly and de industria conforme to them and made proofe of them what can wee thinke was their intention but to alter our Religion They had said they shall not know nor see till we are in the midst of them and cause that worke to cease But blessed bee the Lord who hath not given us up as a prey unto their teeth Blessed bee the Lord that by the hand of this Parliament hath
greater then in other places of the Kingdom and are like to continue still For though I hope it is not in the purposes of God to destroy England nor to destroy London yet I have thought sometimes The purpose and intent of God hath beene to humble and attenuate London and England For Englands long continued peace had abundantly increased Englands wealth and the abundant creased of Englands wealth had proportionably increased Englands pride The age before us knew not that excesse of bravery in clothes and utensils that we were growne unto And the generation growing up was like to exceed us in both God saw us labour so dangerously of a plethory as his wisdome and love judged it needfull to abate and exhaust our fulnesse at least so much as is super fluous and not matter of subsistence but matter of pride unto us which if we can willingly and chearefully resigne up to the disposall of God we may possibly thereby obtaine and secure our lives Lawes Religion the things that are or should be dearest to us But if we hugge our wealth when God would have us let it goe Take heed we lose not that and all the rest Me thinkes I reade it in the footsteppes of God towards England God hath said I will abate the wealth and pride of England Me thinkes the succession of these three warres within these few yeares which comes not without the speciall providence of that God who ruleth in the kingdomes of men the expences of all which must lye upon England speaks it That the purpose of God is to abate the pride and wealth of England And me thinkes we should say as Mephibosheth did 2 Sam. 19.30 Yea let him take all for as much as my Lord the King is returned againe in peace to his owne house might we but see our Soveraigne Lord the King brought in peace againe to his owne house and to His Houses of Parliament Might we but see the King of Kings upon his holy hill of Zion Christ in his beauty on his Throne The Church reformed truth and peace established let him take all I perswade my selfe every honest heart that is loyall to God to the King to the publicke weale would willingly speake it and seale it did not our adversaries by their crafty insinuations indeavour to divide as much between the Parliament and people as they have done betweene the King and Parliament That would faine perswade the people of this Nation with the Ape in the emblem to cut in under the arme of the tree whereon they sit and plunge themselves into a gulph and sea of misery To this purpose as they have tolde his Majestie so now they tell the people That the Parliament will alter Religion A charge like that of Rabshakeh against Hezekiah and as true When he would perswade the people God would not helpe them because Hezekiah had altered Religion Isaias 36.7 If thou say to me we trust in the Lord our God is it not he whose Altars high places Hezekiah hath taken away sayd to Iudah and Ierusalem you shall worship before this altar Truth is This is all the alteration of Religion the Parliament hath made They have taken away the high places and Altars that they have done intended to proceed to command all worship to be according to the rule of Gods word To say to England you shall worship according to this rule And this is he great crime of altering Religion My brethren be not deceived â—â—â—eâ—â—tio Perseâ—riva oâ—ruptiva As in naturall so in civill and morall things there is a double alteration There is a perfective alteration And there is a corruptive alteration To alter Religion so as to corrupt Religion was the plot and work of the Popish Prelats and their faction To alter their alterations to antiquate their innovations to reduce Religion to its pure originall perfection which cannot be done without alteration of some thing introduced that was the purpose and work of the Parliament and for this it is our adversaries crie against them They will alter Religion I but then the Parliament will alter the government of the Kingdome Yes Just like as they altered Religion As in Religion such alterations as tend Ad perfectionem are not to be condemned So likewise in Polity and civill government Plato tells us That in all Common-wealths upon just grounds there ought to be some changes And that Statesmen therein must beehave themselves like skiâ—fâ—â—l Musicians Qui artem Musices non mutant sed Musices modum But they do things without his Majesties consent I that is our greif and our adversaries triumph That our adversaries have so farre prevailed upon the heart of our soveraign as to perswade him to with draw first his presence then his assent from the great Councell of his Kingdome And thereby force them Either to do things without the consent of our soveraign Or else do nothing but sit still and expect their owne the Kingdomes ruine And in such a case is it so high acrime to determine things necessary for the safety of King and Kingdome without consent of his Majestie when it cannot be obtained I have read that the Persian Monarches were wont to call the Peers and Presidents of their Provinces to Councell but giving them no freedome nor liberty of Councell For every one of them had 〈◊〉 plate or tile of gold to stand upon in the Councell house and if he gave councell that the King thought well of Kecker Polit. the plate of gold was given him for a reward but if he delivered any thing contrary to the Kings minde Valer. Maxim l. 9. c. 5. Flagris caedebatur And one writes that Xerxes in his expedition against Greece called his Princes together and spake to them to this purpose Least saith he I should seeme to follow only my owne Councell I have assembled you and now do you remember that it becomes you rather to obey then advise Our adversaries would faine have it so with the Peers and Parliament of England and have a long time bin labouring to perswade his Majestie it ought so to be and would make the like impression upon the people now But you my brethren beware of their insinuations and know That they that devide between his Majestie and Parliament or between Parliament and people are the greatest enemies of King people and Parliament This is the first time that ever loyalty to the King was set in opposition to fidelity to the Parliament The first time that ever it was thought possible to draw the English Nation to desert their Parliament under the notion of adhering to their King Oh let not this age beare the date of such infamy Did ever Parliament do more for the Lawes and liberties of the Nation with more danger and detriment to themselves And will you when they have need of you leave them well here is our comfort God hath not left God will not leave his cause 1. Kings 8.57.58.59.60 his work his people 1. Kings 8. The Lord our God be with us as he was with our fathers let him not leave us nor forsake us that he may encline our hearts unto him to walke in all his wayes and to keep his commandements and his Statutes and his Iudgements He even he maintaine the cause of his servants and of his people Israël at all times as the Matter shall require that all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is none else FINIS