undutifulnesse will needs transferre this right of ruling Gods Church unto a Parliament of Lay-men the King shall be denuded of what God hath given him and the people shall be indued with what God and all good men have ever denyed them I deny not but the Parliament men as they are most noble and worthy Gentlemen so many of them may be very learned and not a few of them most religious and I honour the Parliament rightly discharging their duties Hugo de Sancto Vict. lib. 2. de sacr fid par 2. cap. 3. Laicis Christianis fidelibus terrena possidere conceditur clericis verò tantùm spiritualiâ— committuntur quae autem illâ— spiritualia sunt subjicit c. 5. dicent omnis ecclesiastica administratio in tribus consistit in sacramentis in ordinibus in praeceptis Ergo Laici nihil juris habent in legibus praeceptis condendis ecclesiasticit as much as their modesty can desire or their merit deserve neither doe I gain-say but as they are pious men and the greatest Councell of our King so they may propose things and request such and such Lawes to be enacted such abuses to be redressed and such a reformation to be effected as they thinke befitting for Gods Church but for Aarons seed and the Tribe of Levi to be directed and commanded out of the Parliament chaire how to performe the service of the Tabernacle and for Lay men to determine the Articles of faith to make Canons for Church-men to condemne heresies and define verities and to have the chiefe power for the government of Gods Church as our Faction now challengeth and their Preachers ascribe unto them is such a violation of the right of Kings such a derogation to the Clergy and so prejudiciall to the Church of Christ as I never found the like usurpation of this right to the eradication of the true religion in any age for seeing that as the Proverb goeth Quod medicorum est promittunt medici tractant fabrilia fabri what Papist or Athiest will be ever converted to professe that religion which shall be truly what now they alleadge falsely unto us a Parliamentary religion or a religion made by Lay men with the advice of a few that they choose è faece Cleri I must seriously professe what I have often bewayled to see Nadab and Abihu offering strange fires upon Gods Altar to see the sacred offices of the Priests so presumptuously usurped by the Laity and to see the children of the Church nay the servants of the Church to prescribe Lawes unto their Masters and I did ever feare it to be an argument not onely of a corrupted but also of a decaying State when Moses chaire should be set in the Parliament House and the Doctors of the Church should never sit thereon therefore I wish that the Arke may be brought backe from the Philistines and restored to the Priests to be placed in Shilo where it should be and that the care of the Arke which King David undertooke may not be taken out of his hands by his people but that he may have the honour of that service which God hath imposed upon him For 3. Opinion Of the Oâ—thodox Quia religio est ex potioribus reipublica partibus ut aâ—t Aristot Polit. l. 7. c. 8. ipsa sola custodit hominum inter se societateâ— ut ait Lâ—ctant de ira Dei cap. 12. Veritura Troia perdidit primum Deos. 3. As nothing is dearer to understanding righteous and religious Kings then the increase and maintenance of true religion and the inlargement of the Church of Christ throughout all their Dominions so they have at all times imployed their studies to this end because it is an infallible maxime even among the Politicians that the prosperity of any Kingdome flourisheth for no longer time then the care of religion and the prosperity of the Church is maintained by them among their people as we see Troy was soone lost when they lost their Palladium so it is the truest signe of a declining and a decaying State to see the Clergy despised and Religion disgraced and therefore the provision for the safety of the Church the publique injoying of the Word of God the forme of Service the manner of Government and the honour and maintenance of the Clergie are all the duties of a most Christian King which the King of Heaven hath imposed upon him for the happinesse and prosperity of his Kingdome and whosoever derive the authority of this charge either in a blinde obedience to the See of Rome as the Jesuites doe or out of their too much zeale and affection to a new Consistory as the late Presbyterians did or to a Lay Parliament as our upstart Anabaptists and Brownists doe are most unjust usurpers of the Kings right which is not onely ascribed unto him and warranted by the Word of God but is also confirmed to the Princes of this Land by severall Acts of Parliament Therefore the Tyrians châ—yâ—â—d their gods lest if they fled thâ—y should be destroyed to have the supremacie in all causes and over all persons as well in the Ecclesiasticall as in the Civill governement which being so they are exempted thereby from all inforcement of any domesticall or forraigne power and freed from the penalties of all those Lawes both Ecclesiasticall and Civill whereunto all their Subjects Clergy and Laity Q. Curtius de rebus Alexand. Joh. Beda p. 22 23. and all inferiour Persons and the superiour Nobility within their Kingdomes are obliged by our Lawes and Statutes as hereafter I shall more fully declare Therefore it behoveth all Kings and especially our King at this time seriously to consider what prejudice they shall create unto themselves and their just authority if they should yeild themselves inferiour to their Subjects aggregativè or repraesentativè or how you will or liable to the penall Lawes for so they may be soone dethroned by the unstable affection and weake judgement of discontented people or subject to the jurisdiction of Lay Elders and the excommunication of a tyrannous Consistory who denounceing him tanquam Ethnicum Matth. 18.17 may soone adde a stranger shall not raigne over thee Deut. 17.15 and so depose him from all government For seeing all attempts are most violent that have their beginning and strength from zeale unto religion be the same true or false and from the false most of all and those are ever the most dangerous whose ringleaders are most base as the servile warre under Spartacus was most pernicious unto the Romans there can be nothing of greater use or more profitable either for the safety of the King How necessary it is for Kings to retaine their just rights in their hands the peace of the Church and the quiet state of the Kingdome then for the Prince the King to retaine the Militia and to keepe that power and authority which the Lawes of God and of our Land have granted
to and intayled upon him in his own hands unclipped and unshaken for when the multitude shall be unbridled and the rights of the Kings are brandished in their hands we shall assuredly tast and I feare in too great a measure as experience now sheweth of those miserable evils which uncontrouled ignorance furious zeale false hypocrisie and the mercilesse cruelty of the giddy-headed people and discontented Peeres shall bring upon us and our Prince But to make it manifest unto the world what power and authority God hath granted unto Kings for the government of the Church and the preservation of his true religion we find them the worst men at all times and in all places that mislike their government The Kings that maintaine true religion make their Kingdoms happy and reject their authority and we see those Churches most happy and those Kingdomes most flourishing which God hath blessed with religious Kings as the State of the Church of Judaea makes it plaine when David Ezechias Josias and the other virtuous Kings restored the religion and purified that service which the idolatry of others their predecessours had corrupted and we know that as Moses * Exod. 14.31 Numb 12.7 8 Deut. 34.5 Josh 1.1 2. so Kings are called the servants of God in a more speciall manner then all others are that is not onely because they serve the Lord in the government of the Common wealth but especially because he vouchsafeth to use their service for the advancement of his Church and the honour of his sonne Christ here on earth or to distribute their duties more particularly we know the Lord expecteth The double service of all Christian Kings and so requireth a double service from every Christian King 1. The one common with all others to serve him as they are his creatures and Christians and therefore to serve him as all other Christians are bound to doe 2. The other proper and peculiar to them alone to serve him as they are Kings and Princes 1. As they are Christians In the first respect they are no more priviledged to offend then other men but they are tyed to the same obedience of Gods Lawes and are obliged to performe as many virtuous actions and to abstaine from all vices as well as any other of their Subjects and if they faile in either point they shall be called to the same account and shall be judged with the same severity as the meanest of their people and therefore Be wise O ye Kings Psal 2.10 be learned ye that are Judges of the earth Serve the Lord in feare and rejoyce unto him with reverence for with God there is no respect of persons Rom. 2.11 Psal 149.8 but if they doe offend he will binde Kings in fetters and their Nobles with linkes of iron and we dare not flatter you to give you the least liberty to neglect the strict service of the great God In the second respect 2. As they are Christian Kings and that is twofold the service of all Christian Kings and Princes hath as I told you before these two parts 1. To protect the true religion and to governe the Church of Christ 2. To preserve peace and to governe the Common-wealth For 1. It is true indeed that the Donatists of old 1. To protect the Church the grand fathers of our new Sectaries were wont to say Quid Imperatori cum Ecclesia what have we to doe with the Emperour Aug. cont lit petil l. 2. or what hath the Emperour to doe with the Church but to this Optatus answereth that Optat. Melivet lib. 3. Ille solito furore accensus in haec verba prorupit Donatus out of his accustomed madnesse burst forth into these mad termes Prima omnium in republ functionum est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist l. 7. c. 8. for it is a duty that lyeth upon all Princes because all both Christians and Pagans ought to be religious as I shewed to you before not onely to be devout but also to be the meanes to make all their Subjects so farre as they can to become devoted to Gods service as the practice of those Heathens that had no other guide of their actions then the light of nature doth make it plaine for Aristotle saith Aristot Polit. l. 3. c. 10. that Quae ad Deorum cultum pertinent commissa sunt regibus magistratibus those things that pertaine unto the worship of the gods are committed to the care of Kings and civill Magistrates and whatsoever their religion was as indeed it was but meere Superstition yet because Superstition and Religion hoc habent commune doe this in common Vt faciant animos humiles formidine divum Therefore to make men better the more humble and more dutifull the transgression thereof was deemed worthy to receive punishment among the Pagans and that punishment was appointed by them that had the principall authority to governe the Common-wealth The chiefâ— Mâ—gistrates of the Heathens had the charge of religion as the Athenian Magistrates condemned Socrates though he was a man wiser then themselves yet as they conceived very faulty for his irreligion and derision of their adored gods And Tiberius would set up Christ among the Roman gods though the act added no honour unto Christ without the authority and against the will of the Senate to shew that the care of religion belonged unto the Emperour or chiefe Magistrate and therefore as the Lord commanded the Kings of Israel to write a copie of his Law in a booke Deut. 17 18 19. and to take heed to all the words of that Law for to doe them that is not onely as a private person for so every man was not to write it but as King to reduce others to the obedience thereof so the examples of the best Kings both of Israel and Juda and of the best Christian Emperours doe make this plaine unto us Josh 24 23. for Ioshua caused all Israel to put away the strange gods that were among them The care of the good Kings of the Iewes to preserve the true religion and to incline their hearts unto the Lord God of Israel Manasses after his returne from Babylon tooke away the strange gods and the Idols out of the house of the Lord and cast them all out of the Citie and repaired the Altar of the Lord and commanded Iuda to serve the Lord God of Israel And what shall I say of David whose whole studie was to further the service of God and of Iehosaphat Asa Iosias Ezechias and others that were rare patternes for other Kings for the well government of Gods Church and in the time of the Gospell Quod non tollit praecepta legis sed perficit which takes not away the rules of nature nor the precepts of the Law but rather establisheth the one perfecteth the other because Christ came into the world non ut tolleret jura seculi sed ut
Martyn Travers Throgmorton Philips Nicholls and the rest of those introducers of Out-landish and Genevian Discipline first broached these uncouth and unsufferable tenets in our Land in the Realme of England and Scotland and truely if their opinions had not dispersed themselves like poyson throughout all the veines of this Kingdome and infected many of our Nobility and as many of the greatest Cities of this Kingdome as it appeareth by this late unparallâ—'d rebellion these and the rest of the trayterous authors of those unsavory bookes which they published and those damnable tenets which they most ignorantly held and maliciously taught unto the people should have slept in silence their hallowed and sanctified Treason should have remained untouched and their memoriall should have perished with them But seeing as Saint Chrysostome saith of the Heretiques of his time that although in age they were younger yet in malice they were equall to the ancient Heretiques and as the brood of Serpents though they are of lesse stature Our rebellious Sectaries farre worse then all the former Disciplinarians yet in their poyson no lesse dangerous then their dammes so no more have our new Sectaries our upstart Anabaptists any lesse wickednesse then their first begetters nay we finde it true that as the Poët saith Aetas parentum pejor avis Tulit nos nequiores These young cubbes prove worse then the old foxes for if you compare the whelpes with the wolves our latter Schismatickes with their former Masters I doubt not but you shall finde lesse learning and more villany lesse honesty and more subtilty hypocrisie and treachery in Doctor Burges Master Marshall â—â—se Goodwin Burrowes Calamy Perne Hill Cheynell and the rest of our giddy-headed Incendiaries then can be found in all the seditious Pamphlets of the former Disciplinarians or of them that were hanged as Penry for their treasons for these men doe not onely as Sidonius saith of the like apertè invidere 〈…〉 â—pâ—sâ— abjectè fingere serviliter superbiro openly envy the state of the Bishops basely forge lyes against them and servilely swell with the pride of their owne conceited sanctity and appâ—â—â—ut ignorance but they have also most impudently even 〈◊〉 their Pulpits slandered the footsteps of Gods Annointed and to brought the abhomination of their transgression to stand in the holy place they have with Achan troubled Israel and tormented the whole Land yea these three Kingdomes England Scotland and Ireland and for inciting provoking and incouraging simple ignorant poore discontented and seditious Sectaries For which their intolerable villanies if I be not deceived in my judgement they of all others and above all the Rebels in the Kingdome deserve the greatest and severest punishment God of Heaven give them the grace to repent to be Rebels and Traytors against their owne most gracious King they have not onely with Jerusalem justified Samaria Sodome and Gomorrah but they have justified all the Samaritanes all the Sodomites all the Schismaticks Hereticks Rebels and Traytors Papists and Atheists and all that went before them Iudas himselfe in many circumstances not excepted and that which makes their doings the more evill and the more exceedingly wicked is that they make religion to be the warrant for their evill doings the packe-horse to carry and the cloake to cover all their treacheries and thereby they drew the greater multitudes of poore Zelots to be their followers And therefore seeing it is not onely the honour but also the duty as of all other Kings so likewise of our King to be as the Princes of our Land are justly stiled the Defenders of the Faith and that not onely in regard of enemies abroad but also in respect of those farre worse enemies which desire alteration at home it behoves the King to looke to these home-bred enemies of the Church and seeing the King though never so willing for his piety and religion What Gods faithfull servants and the Kings loyall Subjects must doe in these times 1. To justifie the Kings right never so able for his knowledge and understanding yet without strength and power to effect what he desires cannot defend the faith and maintaine the true religion from the violence of Sectaries and Traytors within his Kingdome it behoves us all to doe these two things 1. To justifie the Kings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his authority and right to be the supreame governour and defender of the Church and of Gods true religion and service both in respect of Doctrine and Discipline and that none else Pope or Parliament hath any power at all herein but what they have derivatively from him which I hope we have sufficiently proved 2. 2 To assist Him against the Rebels To submit our selves unto our King and to adde our strength force and power to inable his power to discharge this duty against all the Innovators of our religion and the enemies of our peace for the honour of God and the happinesse of this Church and Common-wealth for that power which is called the Kings power and is granted and given to him of God is not onely that heroicke vertue of fortitude which God planteth in the hearts of most noble Princes as he hath most graciously done it in abundant measure in our most gracious King but it is the collected and united power and strength of all his Subjects which the Lord hath commanded us to joyne and submit it for the assistance of the Kings power against all those that shall oppose it and if we refuse or neglect the same then questionlesse whatsoever mischiefe idolatry barbarity or superstition shall take root in the Church and whatsoever oppression and wickednesse shall impaire the Common-wealth Heaven will free His Majestie and the wrath of God in no small measure must undoubtedly light upon us and our posterity even as Debora saith of them that refused to assist Barac against his enemies Curse ye Meroz Judg. 5.23 curse bitterly the Inhabitants thereof because they came not forth to helpe the Lord against the mighty CHAP. VIII Sheweth it is the right of Kings to make Ecclesiasticall Lawes and Canons proved by many authorities and examples that the good Kings and Emperours made such Lawes by the advice of their Bishops and Clergie and not of their Lay Counsellors how our late Canons came to be annulled that it is the Kings right to admit his Bishops and Prelates to be of his Councell and to delegate secular authority or civill jurisdiction unto them proved by the examples of the Heathens Jewes and Christians OUt of all this that hath been spoken it is more then manifest that the King ought to have the supreme power over Gods Church and the government thereof and the greatest care to preserve true religion throughout all his Dominions this is his duty and this is his honour that God hath committed not a people but his people and the members of his Son under his charge For the performance of which charge it is
the Lord himselfe had beene on our side and made our very enemies the Papists to become our friends and to hazard their lives and fortunes according to their duty to preserve the Crowne and Dignity of their King as God most wisely disposeth of things when he produceth light out of darkenesse and against their wills support our true Protestant religion from being quite defaced by these mercilesse enemies we might well feare what destruction would have come upon us And therefore considering the bitter writings of their Prophets old and new being fuller of gall and venome against Christian Kings then can be found in the bookes of the Jesuites and considering the wicked practices and this unparalleled rebellion of these new Proselytes and the loyalty of those that heretofore received least favour from the Church and not much from the State Tell me I pray you which of these deserve best to be suffered in a Protestant Church they that maliciously seeke her ruine or they that unwillingly support her from falling for my selfe I will ever be of the true Protestant faith yet for this loyalty of the Papists unto their King I will ever be in charity and rest in the same hope though not in the same faith with them and I doubt not but His Majestie will thinke well of their fidelity But as S. Bernard saith Non est meae humilitatis dictitare vobis it is not for me to prescribe who are most capable of grace or who best deserveth the Kings favour when his Princely grace presupposeth a sufficient merit but in humility to set downe mine owne opinion in this point of toleration with submission to the judgement of this Church wherein also I humbly desire my reader not to mistake me as if I meant such a publique and legall toleration as might breed a greater distraction in a Kingdome then the wisedome of the State could well master and raise more spirits then they could lay downe Grand Rebellion p. 5â— 6. but such as I have exprest in my Grand Rebellion that is a favourable connivence to injoy their own consciences so long as they live in peace and amity with their neighbours but without any publique exercise of their religion which can produce nothing else but discord distraction and destruction to that Kingdome where two religions are profest in Aequilibrio with the same priviledges and authority These and many more are the rights of Kings granted them by God for the government of his Church which they are to looke unto and to protect in all her rights service maintenance ordinances governours and the like if they looke that God should blesse and protect them in their wayes dignities and dues because it is their duties and the first charge that God layeth upon them Esay 49.23 to be nursing fathers unto his Church for God knew the Church should have many enemies intus est equus Trojanus and they are the worst that are nearest unto Kings and doe with Judas kisse with faire words and Machiavilian counsels betray both Church and King and in the end destroy themselves for who deceived Absolon though rightly but his own Counsellor who betrayed Ahab and that most wickedly but his lying Parasites and who overthrew Rehoboam and that foolishly but his young favourites * Which thing is purposely set downe in the holy Scripture to be a cave 〈◊〉 for all Kings not to rely too much upon young Counsellors not that wisedome and prudence are intayled to old age and inseperable from gray haires or divorced from greene heads but because commonly experience is the fruitfull mother of these faire issues and the multitude of yeares teacheth wisedome for otherwise there may be delirium senectutis the dotage of old age as well as vanitas juventutis the folly of youth and as Elihu saiâ—h Great men are not alwayes wise neither doe the aged understand judgement but as Solomon saith Wisedome even in youth is the gray haires and an undefiled life is the old age as we see young Ioseph was the wisest in all Egypt Solomon Daniel and Titus how wise how learned and how religious were they in their younger yeares So Alexander Haniball Scipio in the feates of warre Lucan Mirandula Keckerman and abundance more in all humane learning that were but Neophuti annis yet were egregij virtutibus young in yeares yet very admirable for their worth And Princes doe most wisely when they make such election especially when they are inforced to call men to places of labour and industry they must have some regard to the bodies as well as to the mindes of their servants and chuse men of younger yeares though not to be their favourites but their confidents according to the French distinction as His Majestie hath lately made choice of one noble servant who is as Nazianzen speakes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gray in the minde though yellow in the head and supplying in all manner of excellent parts what may be conceived wanting in yeares whose name so much already catched at by envy I shall ever reverence though now I purposely passe it over in silence and whom may the Church feare most of all but her dissembling friends that are in most favour with Kings and therefore seduce them soonest insensibly to wound the Care and neglect the Charge that is laid upon them because as S. Bernard saith Longè plus nocet falsus Catholicus quam si apertus appareret haereticus those eare-wigs are most pernicious whose counsels seeme to be most specious when they are but as the spirit of darkenesse appearing like an Angel of light when they say God indeed must be served and the Word must be preached but whether Bishop or no Bishop whether in a sumptuous Church or private house whether by an esteemed Clergy or a poore meane Ministrie in this manner or in another fashion it skilleth not much Kings may well enough give way to spare that cost to lessen that revenue and to pull downe these Cathedrals especially to give content unto the people and to defray the expensive charge of the Common-wealth But these counsels will not excuse Kings in the day of their account therefore let them take heed of such Counsellors and when they heare them begin to speake against the Church though they be-guild their beginnings never so slily let them either stop their eares with the Cockatrice Psal 58.5 that will not heare the voyce of the charmer charme he never so wisely or let them answer as our Saviour answered their grand instructor Matth. 4.10 Vade Satana non tentabis for it is most true that Qui deliberat jam desivit he that listens to them is halfe corrupted by them and so they may prove destructive both to themselves and to their posterity for as nothing establisheth the Throne of Kings surer then obedience to God so nothing is more dangerous then rebellion against God with whom there is no respect of persons Rom. 2.11
thee out of a land that flowed with milke and hony out of those houses that were filled with all manner of store into a land of misery into houses of sorrow that are filled with wailings lamentations and woes when we see the faithfull City is become an harlot our gold drosse and our happinesse turned to continuall heavinesse But as the Rutilians considering what fruit they should reape by that miserable warre wherein they were so farre ingaged cried out at last Scilicet ut Turno contingat regia conjux Viâ—gil Aeneid l. 12. Nos animae viles inhumata infletaque turba Sternamur campis we undoe our selves our wives and our children to gaine a wife for Turnus so our seduced men may say we ingage our selves to die like doggs that these rebells may live like kings who themselves sit at ease while others indure all woes and doe grow rich by making all the kingdome poore and therefore ô England quae tanta licentia ferri lugebit patria multos when as the Apostle saith 2 Tim. 3.13 evill men and seducers wax worse worse deceiving being deceived for God is not mocked but whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reape for Gal. 6.7 though we for our sins may justly suffer these and many other more miseries we doe confesse it yet the whole world may be assured that these rebells The Rebells sure to be destrâ—yed the generation of vipers being but the rod of Gods fury to correct the offences of his children such seeds of wickednesse as they sow Contemptrix superum savaque avidissima cadis violenta fuit scires è sanguine natam can produce none other harvest then ruine and destruction to all these usurping kings and traytors who thinke to please God by doing good service unto the Devill and to goe to Heaven for their good intention after they are carried into Hell for their horrid Rebellion God Almighty grant them more grace and our King more care to beware of them and when God doth grant him rest with David 2 Sam. 7.1 on every side round about him to restore his Bishops and Clergy to their pristine station that when these bramble rods are burnt and these rebels fallen the King and the Bishops may still stand like Moses and Aaron to guide and governe Gods people committed to their charge And thus I have shewed thee ô man some of the sacred rights of royall Majesty granted by God in his holy Scriptures practised by Kings from the beginning of the world yielded by all nations that had none other guide but the light of nature to direct them I have also shewed thee how the people greedy of liberty and licenciousnesse have like the true children of old Adam that could not long endure the sweet yoke of his Creator strived and strugled to withdraw their necks from that subjection which their condition required and their frowardnesse necessitated to be imposed upon them and thereby have either graciously gained such love and favour from many pious and most clement Princes as for the sweetning of their well merited subjection to grant them many immunities and priviledges or have most rebelliously incroached upon these rights of Kings wresting many liberties out of the hands of government and forcibly retaining them to their owne advantage sometimes to the overthrow of the royall Government as Junius Brutus and his associates did the Kings of Rome sometimes to the diminution of the dimidium if not more then halfe his right as the Ephori did to the Kings of Lacedemon but alwayes to the great prejudice of the King and the greater mischiefe to the Common-wealth because both reason and experience hath found it alwayes true that the regall government or Monarchicall State though it might sometimes happen to prove tyrannicall is farre more acceptable unto God as being his owne prime and proper ordinance most agreeable unto nature and more profitable unto all men then either the Aristocraticall or Popular government either hath or possibly can be for as it is most true that prastat sub malo principe esse quà m sub nullo it is better to live under an ill governour then where there is no government so praestat sub uno tyranno vivere quà m sub mille it is better to be under the command of one tyrant then of a thousand as we are now under these Rebells who being not faex Romuli the worst of the Nobility but faex populi the dreggs of the people indigent Mechanicks and their Wives captivated Citizens together with the rabble of seduced Sectaries have so disloyally incroached upon the rights of our King and so rebelliously usurped the same to the utter subversion both of Church and Kingdome if God himself who hath the hearts of all Kings in his hand and turneth the same wheresoever he pleaseth had not most graciously strengthned his Majesty with a most singular and heroick resolution assisted with perfect health from the beginning of their insurrection to this very day to the admiration of his enemies and the exceeding joy and comfort of his faithfull Subjects and with the best ayde and furtherance of his chiefest Nobility of all his learned and religious Clergy his grave and honest Lawyers and the truly worthy Gentry of his whole Kingdome to withstand their most treacherous impious barbarous and I know not how to expresse the wickednesse of their most horrid attempts so thou hast before thee life and death fire and water good and evill And therefore I hope that this will move us which have our eyes open to behold the great blessings and the many almost miraculous deliverances and favours of God unto his Majesty and to consider the most horrible destruction that this warre hath brought upon us to feare God and to honour our King to hate the Rebells and to love all loyall Subjects to doe our uttermost endeavour to quench this devouring flame and to that end with hand and heart and with our fortunes and with the hazard of our lives which as our Saviour saith shall be saved if they be lost to assist his Majesty to subdue these Rebels Luk. 9.24 to reduce the Kingdome to its pristine government and the Church to her former dignity that so we may have through the mercy of God peace and plenty love and unity faith and true religion and all other happinesse remaineing with us to the comfort of our King and the glory of our God through Jesus Christ our Lord To whom with his father and the holy spirit be all honour thanks prayse and dominion for ever and ever Amen Amen Iehovae liberatoni FINIS
and faithfully discharged brings most glory unto God and the greatest honour to all Kings when it is more to be with Constantine a nursing father to Gods Church then it is to be with Alexander the sole Monarch of the known world I will first treat of their charge and care and the power that God hath given them to defend the faith and to preserve true religion And 1. 1. Care of Kings to preserve true Religion Aug. de utilitate credendi cap. 9. Religion faith a learned Divine without authority is no Religion for as Saint Augustine saith no true Religion can be received by any meanes without some weighty force of authority therefore if that Religion whereby thou hopest to be saved hath no authority to ground it selfe upon or if that authority whereby thy Religion is setled be mis-placed in him that hath no authority at all what hope of salvation remaining in that Religion canst thou conceive but it is concluded on all sides that the right authority of preserving true religion must reside in him and proceed from him by whose supreme power and government it is to be enacted and forced upon us To whom the charge of preserving religion is commited and therefore now the question is and it is very much questioned to whom the supreame government of our Religion ought rightly to be attributed 3 Opinions whereof I finde three severall resolutions 1. Papisticall which leaneth too much on the right hand 2. Anabaptisticall which bendeth twice as much on the left hand 3. Orthodoxall of the Protestants that ascribe the same to him on whom God himselfe hath conferred it Opinion 1 1. That the Church of Rome maketh the Pope solely to have the supreme government of our Christian Religion is most apparent out of all their writings Vnde saepè objiciunt dictum â—lâ—su ad Constantium Tibì Deus impertum commisit nobis quâ— sunt ecclesiastica concredidit Sed hâ—c intelligitur de executione officij non de gubernatione ecclesiae Sicut ibi manifestum est cum dicitur ne que fai est nobis in terris imperium tenere neque tibi thymiamatum soâ—rorum potestatem habere i e. in pradicatione Evangelij administratione Sacramentorum similibus and you may see what a large book our Countrey-man Stapleton wrote against Master Horne Bishop of Winchester to justifie the same And Sanders to disprove the right of Kings saith Fatemur personas Episcoporum qui in toto orbe fuerunt Romano Imperatori subjectas fuisse quoniam Rex praeest hominibus Christianis verùm non quia sunt Chrstiani sed quia sunt homines episcopis etiam ea ex parte rex praeesset So Master Harding saith that the office of a King in it selfe is all one every where not onely among the Christian Princes but also among the Heathen so that a Christian King hath no more to doe in deciding Church matters or medling with any point of Religion then a Heathen And so Fekenham and all the brood of Jesuites doe with all violence and virulencie labour to disprove the Princes authority and supremacy in Ecclesiasticall causes and the points of our Religion and to transferre the same wholly unto the Pope and his Cardinals Neither doe I wonder so much that the Pope having so universally gained and so long continued this power and retained this government from the right owners should imploy all his Hierarchie to maintaine that usurped authority which he held with so much advantage to his Episcopall See though with no small prejudice to the Church of Christ when the Emperours being busied with other affaires leaving this care of religion and government of the Church to the Pope the Pope to the Bishops the Bishops to their Suffragans and the Suffragans to the Monkes whose authority being little their knowledge lesse and their honesty least of all all things were ruled with greater corruption lesse truth then they ought to be so long as possibly he should be able to possesse it But at last when the light of the Gospell shined and Christian Princes had the leisure to looke and the heart to take hold upon their right the learned men opposing themselves against the Popes usurped jurisdiction have soundly proved the Soveraigne authority of Christian Kings in the government of the Church that not onely in other Kingdomes but also here in England this power was annexed by divers Lawes unto the interest of the Crowne and the lawfull right of the King and I am perswaded saith that Reverend Archbishop Bancroft had it not beene that new adversaries did arise Survey of Discip c. 22. p. 2â—1 and opposed themselves in this matter the Papists before this time had been utterly subdued for the Devill seeing himselfe so like to lose the field How the Devill raised instruments to hinder the reformation stirred up in the bosome of Reformation a flocke of violent and seditious men that pretending a great deale of hate to Popery have notwithstanding joyned themselves like Sampsons Foxes with the worst of Papists in the worst and most pernicious Doctrines that ever Papist taught to rob Kings of their sacred and divine right and to deprive the Church of Christ of the truth of all those points that doe most specially concerne her government and governours and though in the fury of their wilde â—eale they do no lesse maliciously then falsly cast upon the soundest Protestants the aspersion of Popery and Malignancie yet I hope to make it plaine unto my reader that themselves are the Papists indeed or worse then Papists both to the Church and State For 2. As the whole Colledge of Cardinals Of the Anabaptists and Puritans and all the Schooles Opinion 2 of the Jesuites doe most stiffely defend this usurped authority of the Pope which as I said may be with the lesse admiration because of the Princes concession and their owne long possession of it so on the other side there are sprung up of late a certaine generation of Vipers the brood of Anabaptists and Brownists that doe most violently strive not to detaine what they have unjustly obtained but a degree farre worse to pull the sword out of their Prince his hand and to place authority on them which have neither right to owne it Where the Pâ—ritans place the authority to maintaine religion 1. In the Presbyterie nor discretion to use it and that is either 1. A Consistory of Presbyters or 2. A Parliament of Lay men For 1. These new Adversaries of this Truth that would most impudently take away from Christian Princes the supreme and immediate authority under Christ in all Ecclesiasticall Callings and Causes will needs place the same in themselves and a Consistorian company of their own Faction a whole Volume would not contain their absurdities falsities and blasphemies that they have uttered about this point I will onely give you a taste of what some of the chiefe
the King how presumptuous then and injurious unto our King and prejudiciall to the Church of Christ was the faction of this Parliament without the Kings leave and contrary to his command to undertake the nomination of such a packe of Schismaticall Divines for such a Synod as might finally determine such points of faith and discipline as themselves best liked of let all the Christian world that as yet never saw the like president be the Judge and tell us what shall be the religion of that Church where the Devill shall have the power to prompt worldlings to nominate his prime Chaplaines Socinians Brownists Anabaptists and the refuse of all the refractary Clergy The quality of the Synod call men that seeme learned in nothing but in the contradiction of learning and justifying Rebellion against their King and the Church to compose the Articles of our faith and to frame a new government of our Church I am even ashamed that so glorious a Kingdome should ever breed so base a Faction that durst ever presume to be so audacious and I am sorry that I should be so unhappy to live to see such an unparallel'd boldnesse in any Clergy that the like cannot be found in any Ecclesiasticall Historie from the first birth of Christ's Church to this very day unlesse our Sectaries can produce it from some of the Vtopian Kingdomes that are so farre Southward In terra Incognita beyond the Torrid Zone that we whose zeale is not so fiery but are of the colder spirits could not yet perfectly learne the true method of their Anarchicall government or if our Lawyers can shew us the like president that ever Parliament called a Synod contrary to the Kings Proclamation I shall rest beholding to them produce it if they can credat Judaeus apella non ego The third thing requisite to a King for the preservation of true religion and the government of Gods Church 3 An authority and power to guide the Church and to uphold the true religion is power and authority to defend it for though the Prince should be never so religious never so desirous to defend the faith and never so well able in his understanding so well furnished with knowledge to set downe what Service and Ceremonies should be used yet if he hath not power and ability which doe arise from his right and just authority to doe it and to put the same in execution all the rest are but fruitlesse embryoes like those potentials that are never reduced into actions Psal 129.6 or like the grasse upon the house top that withereth before it be plucked up But to let you see that Kings and Princes should have this power and authority in all Ecclesiasticall causes and over all Ecclesiasticall persons we finde that all Ages and all Lawes have warranted them to doe the same 1. Reg. 2.27 35. Jerem. 26. for Solomon displaced Abiathar and placed Zadoc in his roome Jeremy's case was heard by the King of Israel Theodosius and Valentinian made a Decree that all those should be deposed which were infected with the impiety of Nestorius How all Kings and Emperours exercised this power over the Church and Justinian deposed Sylverius and Vigilius and many other Kings and Emperours did the like and not onely the Law of God whereof the King is the prime keeper and the keeper of both Tables but also the Statutes of our Land doe give unto our King the nomination of Bishops and some other elective dignities in the Church the custody of the Bishops Temporalties during the vacation the Patronage Paramount or right to present by the last lapse and many other furtherances and preservatives of religion are in terminis terminantibus deputed by our Lawes unto the King and for his care and charge thereof they have setled upon him our first fruits Tenths Subsidies and all other contributions of the Ecclesiasticall persons which the Pope received while he usurped the government of this Church these things being due to him that had the supreme power for the government And therefore seeing the examples of all good Kings in the Old Testament and of the Christian Kings and Emperours in the New Testament and all Lawes both of God and man excepting those Lawes of the Pontificials that are made against the Law of God and all Divines excepting the Iesuites and their sworne Brethren the Presbyterians do most justly ascribe this right and power unto Kings Cassâ—â— de â—â—caâ—â— l. 1. â— â— I may truly say with Cassianus that there is no place of audience left for them by whom obedience is not yeilded to that which all have agreed upon nor any excuse for those Subjects that assist not their Soveraigne to inable him to discharge this great charge that is laid upon him What then shall we say to them that pull this power and teare this prerogative out of the Kings hand and place it in the hands of mad men Pâ—l 65.7 How thâ— Disciplir 〈◊〉 the King of this right as the Prophet epithets the madnesse of the people for that furious Knox belcheth forth this unsavory Doctrine That the Commonalty may lawfully require of their King to have true Preachers and if he be negligent they themselves may justly provide them Knox to the Commonalty fol. 49 50 5â— maintaine them defend them against all that oppose them and detaine the profits of the Church Livings from the other sort of Ministers a point fully practised by the English Scotizers of these dayes and as if this Doctrine were not seditious enough and abundantly sufficient to move Rebellion Goodman publisheth that horrible tenet unto the world that it is lawfull to kill wicked Kings which most dangerous and more damnable Doctrine Deane Whittingham affirmeth to be the tenet of the best and most learned of them that were our Disciplinarians What true religion teacheth us But when as true religion doth command us to obey our Kings whatsoever their religion is aut agendo aut patiendo either in suffering with patience whatsoever they doe impose or in doing with obedience whatsoever they doe command Religion can be no warrant for those actions which must remaine as the everlasting blemishes of that religion which either commanded or approved of their doing I am sure all wise men will detest these Doctrines of Devils and seeing it is an infallible rule that good deserveth then to be accounted evill when it ceaseth to be well done it is apparent that it is no more lawfull for private and inferiour persons to usurpe the Princes power and violently to remove Idolatry or to cause any reformation then it is for the Church of Rome by invasion or treason to establish the Doctrine of that See in this or any other forraigne Kingdome because both are performed by the like usurped authority Yet these were the opinions and practises of former times The old Disciplinarians when Buchanan Knox Cartwright Goodman Gilby Penry Fenner
requisite for us to know that God hath granted unto him among other rights Two speciall rights and prerogatives of the King for the government of the Church these two speciall prerogatives 1. That he may and ought to make Lawes Orders Canons and Decrees for the well governing of Gods Church 2. That he may when he seeth cause lawfully and justly grant tolerations and dispensations of his owne Lawes and Decrees as he pleaseth For 1. To make Lawes and Canons 1. Not onely Solomon and Jehosaphat gave commandement and prescribed unto the chiefe Priests and Levites what forme and order they should observe in their Ecclesiasticall causes and method of serving God but also Constantine Theodosius Justinian and all the Christian Emperours that were carefull of Gods service did the like and therefore when the Donatists alleadged that secular Princes had nothing to doe to meddle in matters of religion and in causes Ecclesiasticall S. Augustine in his second Epistle against Gaudentius saith Aug. l. 2. c. 26 I have already proved that it appertained to the Kings charge that the Ninivites should pacifie Gods wrath and therefore the Kings that are of Christ's Church do judge most truly that it belongeth to their charge to see that men rebell not without punishment against the same Idem ep 48. ep 50. and Bonifaâ— because God doth inspire it into the mindes of Kings that they should procure the Commandements of the Lord to be performed in all their Kingdomes for they are commanded to serve the Lord in feare and how doe they serve the Lord as Kings but in making Lawes for Christ as man he serveth him by living faithfully So they are called the Kings Ecclesiasticall Lawes but as King he serveth him in making Lawes that shall command just things and forbid the contrary which they could not doe if they were not Kings And by the example of the King of Ninive Darius Nebuchadnezzar and others which were but figures and prophesies that fore-shewed the power duty and service that Christian Kings should owe and performe in like sort to the furtherance of Christs religion in the time of the New Testament when all Kings shall fall downe and worship Christ Psal 72.11 and all Nations shall doe him service he proveth Aug. cont lit Petil. l. 2. c. 92. that the Christian Kings and Princes should make Lawes and Decrees for the furtherance of Gods service Idem in l. de 12 abus grad grad 2. even as Nebuchadnezzar had done in his time And upon the words of the Apostle that the King beareth not the sword in vaine he proveth against Petilian that the power and authority of the Princes which the Apostle treateth of in that place is given unto them to make sharpe penall Lawes to further true religion and to suppresse all Heresies and Schismes And so accordingly we finde the good Emperours and Kings have ever done The good Emperours have made Lawes for the government of the Church for Constantine caused the idolatrous religions to be suppressed and the true knowledge of Christ to be preached and planted amongst his people and made many wholesome Lawes and godly Constitutions to restraine the sacrificing unto Idols and all other devillish and superstitious south-sayings and to cause the true service of God to be rightly administred in every place saith Eusebius Euseb in vita Const l. 2. 3. And in another place he saith that the same Constantine gave injunctions to the chiefe Ministers of the Churches that they should make speciall supplication to God for him and he injoyned all his Subjects that they should keepe holy certaine dayes dedicated to Christ and the Sabboth or Saturday which was then wont to be kept holy and as yet not abrogated by any Law among the Christians he gave a Law to the Ruler of every Nation that they should celebrate the Sunday Idem de vita Constant l. 1. 3. 4. c. 18. or the Lords day in like sort and so for the dayes that were dedicated to the memory of the Martyrs and other festivall times and all such things were done according to the ordinance of the Emperour Niceph. in prafation Eccles hist Nicephorus writing of the excellent vertues of Andronicus sonne to Immanuel Palaeologus and comparing him to Constantine the Great saith thou hast restored the Catholique Church being troubled with new opinions to the old State thou hast banished all unlawfull and impure doctrine thou hast established the truth and hast made Lawes and Constitutions for the same Sozomenus l. 3. c. 17. Sozomen speaking of Constantines sonnes saith the Princes also concurred to the increase of these things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shewing their good affections to the Churches no lesse then their father did and honouring the Clergy their servants with singular promotions and immunities both confirming their fathers Lawes and making also new Lawes of their owne against such as went about to sacrifice and to worship Idols or by any other meanes fell to the Greekish or Heathenish superstitions Theodoret tells us that Valentinian at the Synod in Illirico did not onely confirme the true faith by his royall assent but made also many godly and sharpe Lawes as well for the maintenance of the truth of Christ his doctrine as also touching many other causes Ecclesiasticall Theodor. l. 4. c. 5 6 7. and as ratifying those things that were done by the Bishops 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he sent abroad to them that doubted thereof Distinct 79. 〈◊〉 dâ—â— Honorius at the request of Boniface the first made a Law whereby it might appeare what was to be done when two Popes were chosen at once by the indiscretion of the Electors Martianus also made a Statute to cut off and put away all manner of contention about the true faith and religion in the Councell of Calcedon The Emperour Justinus made a Law that the Churches of Heretiques should be consecrated to the Catholique religion saith Martinus Poenitentiarius And who knowes not of the many Lawes and Decrees that Iustinian made in Ecclesiasticall causes for the furtherance of the true religion for in the beginning of the Constitutions collected in the Code of Iustinian the first 13 titles are all filled with Lawes for to rule the Church where it forbiddeth the Bishops to reiterate baptisme L. 1. tit 5. L. 1. tit 7. Novel 123. c. 10. Novel 58. Novel 137 c. 6. to paint or grave on earth the Image of our Saviour And in the Novels the Emperour ordaineth Lawes of the creation and consecration of Bishops that Synods shall be annually held that the holy mysteries should not be celebrated in private houses that the Bishops should speake aloud when they celebrate the Sacraments of Baptisme and the Eucharist and that the holy Bible should be translated into the vulgar tongue and the like And not onely these and the rest of the godly Emperours that succeeded them but also
Ariamirus Wambanus Richaredus and divers other Kings of Spaine did in like manner And Charlemaine who approved not the decisions of the Greekish Synod wrote a booke against the same * Intituled A Treatise of Charlemaigne against the Greekish Synod touching Images whereby the King maintained himselfe in possession to make Lawes for the Church saith Iohannes Beda of which Lawes there are many in a booke called The capitulary Decrees of Charles the Great who as Pepin his predecessor had done in the Citie of Bourges so did he also assemble many Councels in divers places of his Kingdomes as at Mayens at Tours at Reines at Chaalons at Arles and the sixt most famous of all at Francfort where himselfe was present in person and condemned the errour of Felician and so other Kings of France and the Kings of our owne Kingdome of England both before and after the Conquest as Master Fox plentifully recordeth did make many Lawes and Constitutions for the government of Gods Church But as Dioclesian The saying of Dioclesian that was neither the best nor the happiest governour said most truly of the civill government that there was nothing harder then to rule well * That is to rule the Common-wealth so it is much harder to governe the Church of Christ therefore as there cannot be an argument of greater wisedome in a Prince nor any thing of greater safety and felicity to the Common-wealth then for him to make choice of a wise Councell to assist him in his most weighty affaires Tacitus Annal. lib. 12. saith Cornelius Tacitus So all religious Kings must do the like in the government of the Church and the making of their Lawes for that government for God out of his great mercy to them and no lesse desire to have his people religiously governed left such men to be their supporters their helpers and advicers in the performance of these duties and I pray you whom did Kings choose for this businesse but whom God had ordained for that purpose for you may observe that although those Christian Kings and Emperours made their Laws as having the supremacy and the chiefest care of Gods religion committed by God into their hands yet they did never make them that ever I could reade with the advice counsell or direction of any of their Peeres or Lay Subjects but as David had Nathan and Gad The good Kings and Emperours made their Lavves for the government of the Church onely by the advice of their Clergy Nebuchadnezzar had Daniel and the rest of the Jewish Kings and Heathens had their Prophets onely and Priests to direct them in all matters of religion so those Christian Kings and Princes tooke their Bishops and their Clergie onely to be their counsellors and directors in all Church causes as it appeareth out of all the fore-cited Authors and all the Histories that doe write thereof and Justinian published this Law that when any Ecclesiasticall cause or matter was moved his Lay officers should not intermeddle with it A good Law of Iustinian but should suffer the Bishops to end the same according to the Canons the words are Si Ecclesiasticum negotium sit nullam communionem habento civiles magistratus cum ea disceptatione Constit 123. sed religiosissimi Episcopi secundum sacros canones negotio finem imponunto For the good Emperours knew full well that the Lay Senate neither understood what to determine in the points of faith and the government of Christ's Church nor was ever willing to doe any great good or any speciall favour unto the Shepherds of Christ's flocke and the teachers of the true religion because the Sonne of God had fore-told it that the world should hate us John 15.19 that secular men and Lay Senators should commonly oppose crosse and shew all the spite they can unto the Clergy of whom our Saviour saith Matth. 10.16 Behold I send you forth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as sheepe in the midst of wolves Whence this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 great distance between their dispositions being observed it grew into a Proverb that Laici semper infesti sunt Clericis How the Laity love the Clergie And Doctor Meriton in a Sermon before King James observed this as one of the good favours the Clergie of England found from our Parliaments since the reformation when many men first began to be translated from the seat of the scornefull to sit in Moses chaire A very memorable act Anno 39. Eliz. cap. 4. and to prescribe Lawes for Christ his Spouse to make an Act that all wandering beggars after their correction by the Constable should be brought to the Minister of the Parish to have their names registred in a booke and the Constable used to give to the Minister 2d for his paines for every one so registred but if he refused or neglected to doe it the Statute saith he should be punished 5 for every one that should be so omitted where besides the honourable office I will not say to make the Minister of Christ a Bedle of the beggars but a Register of the vagrants you see the punishment of one neglect amounteth to the reward of thirty labours therefore all the Christian Emperours and the wisest Kings considering this great charge that God had laid upon them to make wholesome Lawes and Constitutions for the government of his Church and seeing the inclinations of the Laity would never permit any of these Lay Elders and the Citizens of the world to usurpe this authority to be the composers contrivers or assistants in concluding of any Ecclesiasticall Law That the Laity should have no interest in making Lawes for the Church untill the fences of Gods vineyard were pulled downe and the wilde Boare out of the forrest the audacious presumption of the unruly Commonalty ventured either to governe the Church or to subdue their Prince since which incroachment upon the rights of Kings it hath never succeeded well with the Church of Christ and I dare boldly say it fidenter quia fideliter and the more boldly because most truly the more authority they shall gaine herein the lesse glory shall Christ have from the service of his Church and therefore Be wise ô ye Kings And consider how any new Canons are to be made by our Statute 25. Hen. 8. Ob. Ob. But then it may be demanded if this be so that the Laity hath no right in making Lawes and Decrees for the government of Gods Church but that it belongs wholly unto the King to doe it with the advice of his Bishops and the rest of his Clergy then how came the Parliament to annull those Canons that were so made by the King and Clergy because they had no vote nor consent in confirming of them Sol. Sol. Truely I cannot answer to this Objection unlesse I should tell you what the Poet saith Dum furor in cursu currenti cede furori Difficiles aditus impetus omnis
especially considering that the discharging of those good duties to give counsell to doe justice to relieve the distressed and the like are more acceptable recreations unto them as it was meate and drinke to Christ to doe his fathers will then the other fore-named exercises are or can be to any others and considering also John 4.34 that where the Bishop or Pastor hath great affaires and much charge he may have great helpes and much aid to assist him You will allow us an houre for our recreation why will you not allow us that houre to doe justice 2. If you say they are spirituall men and therefore cannot Ob. 2 have so great a care of the temporall State and Common-wealth I answer that as now the Common-wealth is the Church Sol. 1 The ability of thâ— Clergy to manage civill affaires and the Church is the Common-wealth and have as good interest therein and better we hope then many of the Common-wealth have in the Church and they should be as able to understand what is beneficiall to the Common-wealth as any other for Ignatius saith Ignat. epist ad Ephes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Kings ought to be served by wise men and by those that are of great understanding 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not to be attended upon by weake and simple men and if Kings must be served by such men then certainly the service of God is not to be performed by Weavers and Taylors and others like Jeroboams Priests but it will require men of great abilities learning and understanding in all businesses whatsoever such as are indeed well able to discourse De quolibet ente And they have very unprofitably consumed themselves with their time in their head pain vigils and heart-breaking studies in traversing over all the Common-wealths of the world The Clergy of better ab lities to benefit the Common-wealth thâ—n many others that now swâ—y it if they have learned nothing whereby they may benefit their owne Common-wealth or doe understand lesse what belongeth unto the good of their Countrey especially in matters of equity and right then illiterate Burgesses and meere Chapmen for if you reade but the bookes of the Prophets you shall finde how plentifull they are in the precepts of peace in the policies of warre and in the best counsels for all things which concerne the good of the Common-wealth and doe not the Divines reade the Histories of all or most other Common-wealths how else shall they be inabled to propose unto their people the example of Gods justice upon the wicked and his bounty and favour unto the observers of his Lawes throughout all ages and in all places of this world and will you deprive the King of the assistance of such instruments for the government of his people The imployment of the Bishops in civill affaires is the good of the Common-wealth that are stronger then any one man can rule and would quickly despise Heaven and destroy the earth if their consciences were not awed with religion or would you damme up the channels of those benefits that should flow from them to the Common-wealth for it is not the addition of any honour to the calling of a Bishop but the Kings interest and the peoples good that is aymed at when we assert the capacity of the Clergy to discharge the offices of the most publique affaires Petrus Blesensis ep 84. because as Petrus Blesensis saith it is the office of the Bishops to instruct the King to righteousnesse to be a rule of Sanctity and sobriety unto the Court to mixe the influences of Religion with the designes of State and to restraine the malignity of the ill-disposed people and all histories doe relate unto us that when pious Bishops were imployed in the Kings Counsells the rigor of the lawes was abated equity introduced the cry of the poore respected their necessities releived the liberties of the Church preserved pride depressed religion increased the devotion of the Laity multiplied the peace of the Kingdome flourished and the tribunals were made more just and mercifull then now they be And therefore the sacred histories doe record of purpose how the people of God never adventured upon any action of waight and moment before they had well consulted with the Preists and Prophets as you see in the example of Ahab No Nation attempted any great matter without the advice of their Priests that was none of the best Kings yet would not omit this good duty and such was the custome of all other Countries wheresoever there was any religion or reverence of God Quae enim est respub ubi ecclesiastici primum non habeant locum in comitiis publicis de salute reipub deliberationibus for which is that Common-wealth where the Ecclesiasticall persons had not the first place in all meetings and publique consultations about the welfare of the Common-wealth as in Germany the three spirituall Electors are the first in France the three Ecclesiasticall persons were the first of all the Peeres in England till this unhappy time the two Archbishops and in Poland as many were wont to have the chiefest place and not unworthily quia aequum est Apud Euseb Paphilum l. 11. antestent in concilio qui antestant prudentia nec videtur novisse res humanas nisi qui divinas cognitas habet Strabo l. 4. Caesar de bello Gallico lib. 6. as the Indian said unto Socrates and therefore the Chaldeans the Egyptians the Grecians the Romanes the French and the Britons thought it alwayes ominous to attempt any notable thing in the Common-wealth without the sad and sage advice of their Priests and Prophets for they knew the neglect of God was never left without due revenge and though their false gods were no gods yet the true God was found to have beene a sharpe revenger of the contempt of the false gods because that to them they were proposed for the true gods and they believed them so to be as Lactantius sheweth and therefore all antiquity that bare any reverence to any Deity shewed all reverence and respect unto the teachers of his religion but now men desire to throw learning over the Barre because it should not discover the ignorance of the Bench or rather piety is excluded because it should not reprove their iniquity And the Clergy must not sit on the seat of judgement that the Laity may doe injustice without controule or perhaps revenge themselves upon their Ministers on the Bench for reproving their vices in the Church so the Devill gaineth whatsoever piety looseth by their depression 2. As the Clergy-men are as able 2. The desire of the Clergy to do good to the State so they are as willing and as carefull to provide for the good of the State as any other for themselves are members of the Common-wealth and they are appointed by God to be watchmen and over-seers to fore tell what mischiefes or felicities are like to
any of these Sects that may be commorant within his Kingdomes Touching which I say that besides dissembling hypocrites and prophane worldlings that have no faith nor any other religion but the shadow of that religion whatsoever it is which is profest wheresoever they are Foure speciall sorts of false Professors 1. Jewes there may be in any Kingdome Jewes Turkes Papists Puritans and the like or to call them otherwise Idolaters Heretiques Schismatiques c. And 1. For the Jewes though they have many things in their religion which will ever alienate them from the Papists yet they have free leave to use their ancient Ceremonies in Rome Whitak against Campian translated by Master Stocke p. 311. saith Doctor Whitaker and it is well knowne that many pious Princes have permitted them to dwell and to exercise their owne religion in this Kingdome the old Jurie in London is so called because it was allotted for their abode and the Lawes of many Christian Emperours have in like sort permitted them to do the like in their Dominions With what cautions the Jewes are to be suffered Deut. 7.3 Exod. 23.32 Doctor Covell c. 14. p. 199. but with those cautions and limitations that Moses prescribed unto the Jewes to be observed with the Heathens and Idolaters that dwelt amongst them that is neither to make marriages with them nor to communicate with them in their religion And S. Augustine is reported to be so favourable towards them that he alleadgeth severall reasons for their toleration As 1. 1. Reason for their toleration That above and before others they had the promise of salvation and therefore though some of the branches be cut off and the case of the rest be most lamentable yet not altogether desperate and incurable Rom. 11.24 25 if we consider what the Apostle setteth downe of their conversion and re-unition unto the good right olive tree 2. That the Prophet David speaking of them made that Reason 2 prayer unto God Slay them not O Lord Psal 59.11 lest my people forget it but scatter them abroad among the Heathen and put them downe O Lord our defence for many excellent ends as first that their being scattered among the Christians might shew both the Clemency and severity of God towards us mercy and clemency and towards them justice and severity which may likewise happen unto us if wee take not heed as the Apostle bids us Rom. 11.20 Wee may not force the Jewes to beleeve Be not high-minded but feare and secondly that being among the Christians they might the sooner at all times by their charity and prayers be reduced the more willingly to imbrace the faith of Christ when as unwillingly wee may neither compell them nor take their children to be baptized from them And therefore as the Princes of this Realme for divers causes hurtfull to their State have banished them out of their Dominions so if they see good cause to permit them as time may change the condition of things they may do as by their counsell they shall be advised either the one or the other to receive them or reject them without offence because we find no speciall precept or direction in Gods Word either to banish or to cherish them in any Kingdome 2 Turkes 2 For the Turkes the reasons are not much unlike though something different and in my judgement no lesse tolerable then the other because somewhat neerer to the Christian faith therefore I leave them to the Lawes of each Kingdome to do as the wisedome of the Prince shall thinke fit 3. Papists 3 For the Papists the case is farre otherwise with them then either with the Turkes or Jewes because 1 They professe the same faith quoad essentialia the same Creedes the same Gospell and the same Christ as we do 2 It is not denyed by the best of our Divines but that they together with us do constitute the same Catholicke Church of Christ though they be sicke and corrupted yet not dead and we strong and sound yet not unspotted members of the same as I have more fully shewed in my booke of the true Church 3. Popist 3 It is not agreed upon by all our Divines that they are idolaters though they be in great errours and implunged in many superstitions because every Church in errour though never so dangerous is not so desperate as that Church which is Idolatrous or be it granted which some of our Protestants will not admit that they were Idolaters Carol. Sigon l. 5. c. 11. p. 174. yet seeing not only seaven speciall sort of heresies as 1 the Sadduces 2 the Scribes 3 the Pharises The Hemero-baptists such as baptized themselves every day 5 The Osseni which Josephus calleth Essai 6 The Nazarites And 7 the Herodians whereof some denied the resurrection and the being of Angels and spirits but also Idolaters and heathens that knew not God but worshipped the Devill insteed of God were not inhibited to dwell and inhabit among the Jewes of whose Religion notwithstanding God was as carefull to preserve the purity of it and as jealous to keepe them from Idolatry as of any Nation that then or ever after lived upon the earth it is no question but if it please the King permission may be granted them to exercise their owne religion not publikely and autoritative equally with the Protestant but quietly and so as I have shewed in my Grand Rebellion Grand Rebell c. 1. p. 5. 6. for I am not of their faith which hold it more safe and lesse dangerous to be conversant with the Turkes or Jewes and to have more neerenesse with them then with an Idolatrous Church that professeth Christ because that where the greater distance is from the true religion there the lesser familiarity and neerenesse should be in conversation and the greater distance in communion therefore as the wrath of God was kindled against the Israelites because they had the Jewes their owne brethren The least familiarity in conversation where there is greatest distance from truth in greater detestation then the Idumeant or the Egyptians whose idolatry must needs be farre greater and their Religion farre worse in their owne judgement then that of the Jewes so we may feare the like anger from God if we will be so partiall in our judgement and so transported with disaffection as to prefer a blasphemous Turke or an impious Jewe before those men though ignorantly idolatrous that do with all feare and reverence worship the same God and adore the name of Christ as we do And we read that the Emperour Justinus a right Catholique Prince as Bishop Horne calleth him Bishop Horne against Fekenham Iustinus gave a toleration to the Arians at the request of Theodoricke King of Italy granted licence that the Arians which denied the Deity of our Saviour Christ and were the worst of Heretiques and therefore worse then any Papist should be restored and suffered to live after
their owne orders and Pope John for the peace and quietnesse of the Catholique Church requested him most humbly so to doe which he did for feare of Theodoric that otherwise threatned the Catholiques should not live Ob. But you will say the fatall successe that that befell to King Davids house for Solomons permission of divers religions to be divided into two parts and the best ten Tribes for two to be given unto a stranger and the principall care of a pious Prince being to preserve pure religion Deut. 17 18 19. which is soone infected by Idolatrous neighbours do rather disprove all toleration then any wayes connive with them that are of a different religion and if we read the Oration of the league to the King of France wherein that Orator numbereth their victories and innumerable successes whilest they had but one religion and their miseries and ill fortunes when they fostered two religions it will appeare how farre they were from allowing a toleration of any more then one religion in one Kingdome Sol. The true cause of renting Solomons Kingdome Ps 106.35 Yet to this it may be easily answered that Solomons Kingdom was not rent from his posterity for his permission of idolaters to dwell in his Kingdome which the Law of God did not forbid but for that fault which his father taxed the Jewes with they were mingled among the heathen and learned their workes for his commixtion of alliances with strangers and the corruption of true religion by his marrying of so many idolatrous wives and so becomming idolatrous himself and thereby inducing his subjects the Israelites to be the like and for the Oration of the league there is in that brave Orator want of Logicke ignoratio eleuchi non causae ut causae for you know what the Poet saith Careat successibus opto Quisquis ab eventu facta notanda putat and we must not judge of true causes by the various successe of things and I may say it was not the professing of one religion but the sincere serving of God in that true religion which brought to them and will bring to others prosperous successe against the infidels neither was it the permitting of two religions or to speake more properly the diversity of opinions in the same religion but their emulation and hatred one against another their pride and ambition and many other consequences of private discords might be the just causes of their misfortunes 4. For the Puritans Brownists Anabaptists Heretiques 4. Puritans and Schismatickes that are deemed neither Infidels nor Idolaters but do obstinately erre in some points of faith as the Arians that denied the Divinity of Christ and the Nestorians that denied repentance to them which sinned after baptisme and the like pernicious heresies though not all alike dangerous or do make a Schisme or a rent in the Church of Christ as the Donatists did in Saint Augustines time and the Anabaptists and Puritans do in our dayes I say these are not to be esteemed and expelled as deadly enemies but to be suffered and respected as weake friends if they proceede not to be turbulent and malicious who then may prove to be more dangerous both to Church and State then any of the former sort that professe their religion with Peace and quietnesse What wrong Professors are chiefly to be suffered for it is not the Profession of this or that religion but the malice and wickednesse of the professer that is the bane and poyson of the Church wherein it resteth for what is diversity of opinions in the Church of God but tares among the wheat and our Saviour sheweth that the tares should not be plucked up Matth. 13.29 but suffered to grow with the wheat to teach us that in respect of externall communion and civill conversation Why to be suffered either for the exercise of the godly or in hope to convert the ungodly all sorts of Professors may live together though in respect of our spirituall communion and exercise of our religion the Heretique shall be cast forth and be unto me tanquam Ethnicus Publicanus with whom notwithstanding I may converse as our Saviour did with hope that I may convert them unto him which could never be done if they should be quite excluded our company and banished from all holy society And therefore as the prudent Prince seeth the disposition and observeth the conversation of any Faction and the turbulency of any Sect so he knoweth best how to advice with his counsell to grant his toleration to them that best deserve it not so much in respect of the meliâ—rity of their religion as their peaceable and harmelesse habitation among their neighbours without rayling against their faith or rebelling against their Prince And thus as the case now standeth I see not any Sect or any sort of Professors that for turbulency of spirit madnesse of zeale and violency of hatred and persecution to the true Protestants are more dangerous to the true religion and deserve losse favour from their pious Prince then these Anabaptists Brownists and Puritans that have so maliciously plotted and so rebelliously prosecuted their damnable designes to the utter ruine both of Church and State Doctor Covell cap. 15. p. 212. His description of the Puritans Doctor Covell long agoe when they were not halfe so bad as they be now saith they pretend gravity reprehend severely speake gloriously and all in hypocrisie they daily invent new opinions and runne from errour to errour their wilfulnesse they account constancy their deserved punishment persecution their mouthes are ever open to speake evill And to confirme this description reade what King JAMES writeth of them in his Basilicon Doron p. 160. 161. and in the Historie of the conference at Hampton-Court in anno 603. p. 81 82. they give neither reverence nor titles to any in place above them in one word the Church cannot feare a more dangerous and fatall enemy to her peace and happinesse a greater cloud to the light of the Gospell a stronger hand to pull in barbarisme and poverty into all our Land a more furious monster to breed contempt and disobedience in all estates a more fretting canker to the very marrow and sinewes of this Church and Kingdome then this beast who is proud without learning presumptuous without authority zealous without knowledge holy without religion and in briefe a most dangerous and malicious hypocrite and were therefore banished from amongst us in the dayes of Queene Elizabeth but now deserve it farre better being more dangerous because farre more numerous * Huc usque and therefore I cannot say with S. Bernard Aut corrigendi ne percant aut coercendi ne perimant for in our judgement they are incorrigible and in their owne opinion they are invincible having by lyes and frauds gathered so much wealth and united such strength together Our factious Puritans bitterer against Kings then the Iesuites that except
most unjustly wrest out of his hands and under the shew of humble Petitioners to become at last proud Commanders for as one saith They whom no deniall can withstand Seeme but to aske while they indeed command 3. His Assistants learned honest and religious 3. For the persons that warre with him they are the cheifest of the Nobility all the best Gentry that hazard their lives not for filthy lucre for the Kings Revenues being so unjustly detained from him they are faine to supply his necessities and to beare their owne charges and the poore common Soldiers are nothing wanting to doe their best endeavours neither need they to feare any thing because 4. The King hath a just right to give them full power and authority to doe execution upon these Rebells as I have proved unto you before 4. His authority sacred and unquestionable And therefore the result of all is that the Parliament side under the pretence of Religion fighting if not for the Crowne yet certainely for the full power and authority of the King who shall have the ordering of the Militia that is What the pretended Parliament is who shall have the government of this Kingdome which is all one as who shall be the King they or King CHARLES and which is the very question that they would now decide by the sword in taking away our goods are theeves and robbers in killing their brethren are bloudy murderers and in resisting their King are rebellious traytors that as the Apostle saith purchase to themselves damnation when as the Prophet Esay speaketh of the like Rebells being hardly bestead and hungry Esay 8.21.22 as I beleeve thousands of them are in London and other rebellious Cities they shall fret themselves and curse their King and their God and looke upward as I feare many of them doe curse the King with their tongues and God in their hearts and they shall looke unto the earth and behold trouble and darknesse dimnesse and anguish and they shall be driven to darkenesse even to utter darkenesse where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Matth. 8.12 if by a true repentance they doe not betimes rent their hearts and forsake their fearefull sinnes And the Kings side in this warre doing no further then the King gives Commission do no more then what God commandeth and therefore living they shall be accounted Loyall Subjects worthy of honour and dying they shall be sure to be everlastingly rewarded CHAP. XIII Sheweth how the first government of Kings was arbitrary the places of Moses Deut. 17. and of Samuel 1. Sam. 8. discussed whether Ahab offended in desiring Naboths Vineyard and wherein why absolute power was granted unto Kings and how the diversities of government came up 2. Part of the regall governement in the time of peace 2. HAving thus shewed you Potestatem ducendi the Kings right and power of making warre it resteth that I should speake De potestate judicandi of his power and right of judgeing and governing his people in the time of peace touching which we finde none denying his right but all the difference is about the manner where Master Selden in his titles of Honour p. 15. 1. I finde Master Selden rejecting as ridiculous the testimony of Justine which saith Populus nullis legibus tenebatur sed arbitria regum pro legibus erant That the first government of Kings was arbitrary the people were kept under by no Lawes but the will of their Kings was all the Law they had but as oportet mendacem esse memorem so it behoves him that opposeth the truth to be very subtle and very mindfull of his owne discourse otherwise a meaner Scholler having such advantage as the truth to assist him may easily get the victory for though he goeth about to consute the reason that some alleadge for the denyall of those times to be governed by any Law because the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not to be found in all Homer Homer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in hymnis ad Apoll. but wheresoever he speakes of Justice he expresseth the same by the word Themis and saith that this is false which he proveth from Homers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and sheweth that there were Lawes before Homers time from Talus his Lawes that were written in brasse in the Isle of Crete Ioseph advers Appion l. 5. yet all this may be answered and Justines opinion prove most true for Talus his time must needs be uncertaine Plutarch in lib. de Hero and by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Homer meanes the just measure of riming but never useth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the set Law of living besides there were many ages and many Kings before Homers time and before Talus Minos Radamantus or any other Law-maker that you reade of Moses was the first that I finde either giving Lawes or inventing Letters and yet there were many Kings before Moses Gen. 14.1 2. nine Kings named in one Chapter and what Lawes had they to governe their people besides their owne wils and therefore Master Selden vi veritatis victus confesseth that in the first times in the beginning of States there were no Lawes but the arbitrements of Princes as Pomponius speaketh and pag. 4. Pompon de origine juris ff l. 1. § 2. he saith the people seeing the inconveniences of popular rule chose one Monarch under whose arbitrary rule their happy quiet should be preserved Iosephus regnū appellat imperium summum unius hominis non ex lege sed ex arbitrio imperanti◠Antiquit l. 4. where also you may observe his great mistake in making the Monarchie to spring out of the Democracie when as I have proved before the Monarchicall government was many hundred of yeares before we heare mention of any other forme of government but in any governement Doctor Saravia saith and he saith most truly Quisquis summum obtinet imperium sive is sit unus rex sivè pauci nobiles vel ipse populus universus supra omnes leges sunt Saravia de imperand autor l. 2. c. 3. ratio haec est quòd nemo sibi ferat legem sed subditis suis se legibus nemo adstringit huc accedit illa ratio quòd neque suis legibus teneri possit scil rex cum nemo sit scipso superior Barclaius l. 3. c. 16. nemo à seipso cogi possit leges à superiore tantum sciscantur dentūrque inferioribus And so Arnisaeus saith and proveth at large Arnis l. c. c. 3◠p. 49 50. Majestatis essentiam consistere in summa absoluta potestate that the being of Majestie and Soveraignty consisteth in the highest and most absolute power Irvinus cap. 4. p. 64 65 And Irvinus alleadgeth many testimonies out of Aristotle Cicero Vlpian Dio Constant Harmenopolus and others to prove that Rex legibus non subjicitur And
the good Husbandman had no sooner sown his pure Wheat but immediately Inimicus homo the evill and envious man superseminavit zizania sowed his poysonous Tares amongst them so God had no sooner thus honoured his servants but presently the Devill which is * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 4.4 the god of this world began to throw dirt in their faces and to deprive them of both these honours for 1. He stirred up ignorant men of small learning but of great spirits of no fidelity but of much hypocrisie that as Pope Leo wrote unto Theodosius Leo papa Epist 23. Privatas causas pietatis agunt obtentu and under a faire pretext did play the part of Aesop's Fox who being ashamed that his taile was cut off began to inveigh against the unseemly burthensome tayles of all the other Foxes What the factious Preachers pretended and to perswade them to cut theirs off that so by the common calamity he might be the better excused for his obscenity for so they cried downe all Learning as prophane they railed at the Schoolmen they scorned the Fathers and esteemed nothing but that nothing which they had themselves and although they professed to the Vulgar that they aimed at no end but the purity of the Gospell they desired nothing but the amendment of life and reformation of Ecclesiasticall Discipline and hated nothing but the pride and covetousnesse of the Bishops and the other dignified Prelates which stopped their mouthes and imprisoned the liberty of their conscience yet the truth is that because their worth was not answerable to their ambition to enable them to climbe up to some height of honour their envy was so great that they would faine pull downe all those that had ascended and exceeded them And therefore with open mouthes that would not be silenced they exclaimed against Episcopacie and as the Apostle faith spake evill of Dignities imploying all their strength like wicked birds to defile their owne nests to disrobe us of all honour and to leave us naked yea and as much as in them lay What the Factious ayme at to make us odious and to stinke as the Israelites said to Moses in the eyes of the people Then 2. As Plutarch tells us Plutarch in lib. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that a certaine Sicilian Gnatho and Philoxenus the sonne of Erixis that were slaves unto their gutts and made a god of their bellies to cause all the other guests to loath their meat that they alone might devoure all the dainties did use Narium mueum in catinis â—mungere so doe these men spit all their poyson against the revenues of the Bishops and that little maintenance that is left unto the Ministers and are as greedy to devoure the same themselves as the dogs that gape after every bit they see us put into our mouthes for so I heard a whelpe of that litter Doctor Burges making a bitter invective in the House of Commons against Bishops Deanes and Chapters and the greatnesse of their revenue and concluding that all they should be degraded their meanes should be sequestred and distributed all without any diminution of what they now possessed but with the restitution of all Impropriations unto himselfe and the rest of his factious fellow Preachers which speech as it pleased but few in the latter clause so no doubt it had fautâ—rs enough in the former part when we see this little remnant of our fore-fathers bounty this testimony of our Princes piety is the onely mote that sticks in their eye the undigested morsell in their stomacks and the onely â—ait that they gape after for did our King yeild this garment of Christ to be parted among their Souldiers and this revenue of the Church to be disposed of by the Parliament I doubt not but all quarrels about the Church would soone end and all other strife about Religion would be soone composed What many men would willingly undergoe to procure peace But would this end all our civill warres would the unbishoping of our Prelates bring rest unto our Prince and the taking away of their estates settle the State of the Common-wealth and bring peace and tranquillity unto this Kingdome If so we could be well contented for our owne parts to be sacrificed for the safety of the people for though we dare not say with Saint Paul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 9.6 that we could wish our selves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or seperated from Christ for our Country-men yet I can say it with a syncere heart that I beleeve many of us could be well contented our fortunes should be confiscated and our lives ended so that could procure the peace of the Church which is infinitely troubled redeeme His Majesties honour which is so deepely wounded and preserve this our native Country from that destruction which this unparallel'd Rebellion doth so infallibly threaten The abolishing of Episcopacie would not satisfie the Factious but the truth is that the abolishing of Episcopacie root and branch the reducing of the best to the lowest ranke and the bringing of the Clergie to the basest condition of servility to be such as should not be worthy to eat with the dogs of their flocke as Job speaketh will not doe the deed because Iuven. Sat. 2. as the Satyrist saith nemo repentè fit turpissimus but as vertues so vices have their increase by use and progression primum quodque flagitium gradus est ad proximum and every heynous offence is as an iron chaine to draw on another For as Seneca saith Seneca de Clem. lib. 1. nunquam usque adeo temperata cupiditates sunt ut in eo quod contigit desinant sed gradus à magnis ad majora fit spes improbissimas complectuntur insperata assecuti our desires are never so farre temperated that they end in that which is obtained but the gaining of one thing is a step to seek another And therefore cùm publicum juâ— omne positum fit in sacris Plato de legibus lib. 12. as Plato saith how can it be that they which have prophaned all sacred things and have degraded their Ministers should not also proceed to depose their Magistrates if you be diffident to beleeve the same let the Annals of France Germany England and Scotland be revised and you shall finde that Charles the fifth was then troubled with warre when the Bishops were turmoyled and tumbled out of their Seas Scoti uno eodémque momento numinis principis jugum excusserunt nec justum magistratum agnoverunt ullum ex quo primum tempore sacris sacerdotibus bellum indixerunt and the Scots at one and the selfe-same moment did shake off the yoke of their obedience both unto their God and to their King neither did they acknowledge any for their just Magistrate after theâ— had once warred against Religion and religious men which were their Priests and Bishops saith Blacvodaeus
c. 16. and confirmed unto him by Act of Parliament yet upon his death-bed confessed he had no right thereunto as Speed writeth 4. Because it was determined by all the Judges at the Arraignment Reason 4 of Watson and Clerke 1. Jacobs that immediately by descent his Majestie was compleatly and absolutely King without the Ceremony of Coronation which was but a royall ornament and outward solemnization of the descent And it is illustrated by Hen. 6. Speed l. 9. c. 16. that was not crowned till the ninth yeare of his reigne and yet divers were attainted of High Treason before that time which could not have beene done had he not beene King And we know that upon the death of any of our Kings The right heire to the Kingdome is King before he is crowned his Successor iâ— immediately proclaimed King to shew that he hath his Kingdome by descent and not by the people at his Coronation whose consent is then asked Why the peoples consent is asked not because they have any power to deny their consent or refuse him for their King but that the King having their assent may with greater security and confidence rely upon their loyalty Respect 2 2. As the Kings of Israel had full power and authority to make warre and conclude peace to call the greatest Assemblies as Moses Joshua David Iehosaphat and the rest of the Kings did to place and displace the greatest Officers of State as Solomon placed Abiathar in Sadoc's roome 2. Chron 19.11 and Iehosaphat appointed Amariah and Zebadiah rulers of the greatest affaires and had all the Militia of the Kingdome in their hands The absolute authority of the Kings of England Coke 7. rep fol 25. 6. Pâ—lyd Virgil. lib. 11. Speed Stâ—w c. so the Kings of England have the like for 1. He onely can lawfully proclaime warre as I shewed before and he onely can conclude peace 2. There is no Assembly that can lawfully meet but by his Authority and as the Parliament was first devised and instituted by the King as all our Historians write in the life of Hen. 1. so they cannot meet but by the Kings Writ 3. All Lawes Customes and Franchises are granted and confirmed unto the people by the King Rot. Claus 1. R. 2. n. 44. Smith de repub Angl. l. 2. c. 4. c. 5. 4. All the Officers of the Realme whether Spirituall or Temporall are chosen and established by him as the highest immediately by himselfe and the inferiour by an authority derived from him The absurdities of them that deny the Militia to the King 5. He hath the sole power of ordering and disposing all the Castles Forts and strong Holds and all the Ports Havens and all other parts of the Militia of this Kingdome or otherwise it would follow that the King had power to proclaime warre but not to be able to maintaine it and that he is bound to defend his Subjects but is denied the meanes to protect them which is such an absurdity as cannot be answered by all the House of Commons 6. The Kings of Israel were unto their people their honour their Soveraignes their life and the very breath of their nostrils as themselves acknowledge and so the Kings of England are the life the head and the authority of all things that be done in the Realme of England Smith de Repub. l. 2. Cambden Britan p. 132. supremam potestatem merum imperium apud nos habentes nec in Imperii clientelâ sunt nec investituram ab alio accipientes nec praeter Deum superiorem agnoscentes and their Subjects are bound by oath to maintaine the Kings Soveraignty in all causes and over all persons as well Ecclesiasticall as Civill and that not onely as they are singularly considered but over all collectively represented in the body politique for by sundry divers old authentique Histories and Chronicles it is manifestly declared and expressed that this Realme of England is an Empire and so hath beene accepted in the world In the Pâ—eface to a Staâ— 24. Hen. 8. c. 12. governed by one supreame Head and King having the dignity and royall estate of the Imperiall Crowne of the same unto whom a body politique compact of all sorts and degrees of people divided in termes and by names of spiritualty and temporalty have beene bounden and owen to beare next to God a naturall and humble obedience 3. As the duty of every one of the Kings of Israel was to be Respect 3 Custos utriusque tabulae to keepe the Law of God and to have a speciall care of his Religion and then to doe justice and judgement according to the Law of nature and to observe all the judiciall Lawes of that Kingdome so are the Kings of England obliged to discharge the same duties 1. To have the chiefest care to defend the faith of Christ The duty of the Kings of England and to preserve the honour of Gods Church as I shewed before 2. To maintaine common right according to the rules and dictates of nature And 3. To see the particular Lawes and Statutes of his owne Kingdome well observed amongst his people To all which the King is bound not onely virtute officii in respect of his office but also vinculo juramenti in respect of his oath which enjoyneth him to guide his actions not according to the desires of an unbridled will but according to the tyes of these established Lawes neither doe our Divines give any further liberty to any King but if he failes in these he doth offend in his duty 4. As the Kings of Israel were accountable for their actions Respect 4 unto none but onely unto God and therefore King David after he had committed both murder and adultery saith unto God Psal 51.4 Tibi soli peccavi as if he had said none can call me to any account for what I have done but thou alone and we never read that either the people did call or that the Prophets perswaded them to call any of their most idolatrous tyrannicall or wicked Kings to any account for their idolatrie The kings of England accountable for their actions onely to God tyrannie or wickednesse even so the Kings of England are accountable to none but to God 1. Because they have their Crowne immediately from God Reason 1 who first gave it to the Conquerour through his sword and since to the succeding Kings Smith de repub l. 1. c. 9. by the ordinary meanes of hereditary succession Reason 2 2. Because the oath which he takes at his Coronation binds him onely before God who alone can both judge him and punish him if he forgets it Reason 3 3. Because there is neither condition promise or limitation either in that Oath or in any other Covenant or compact that the King makes with the people either at his Coronation or at any other time that he should be accomptable or that they should question
of them have belebed forth against the Divine Truth of God's Word and the sacred Majesty of Kings Calvin in Amos cap. 7. Master Calvin a man otherwise of much worth and worthy to be honoured yet in this point transported with his own passion calleth those Blasphemers that did call King Henry the Eighth the Supreme Head of this Church of England Stapâ—â— cont â—â—dorn l 1. p. 22. and Stapleton saith that he handled the King himselfe with such villany and with so spitefull words as he never handled the Pope more spitefully and all for this Title of Supremacy in Church causes and in his 54. Epist to Myconius he termeth them prophane spirits and mad men that perswaded the Magistrates of Geneva not to deprive themselves of that authority which God had given them Viretus is more virulent for he resembleth them not to mad men as Calvin did but to white devils because they stand in defence of the Kings authority and he saith they are false Christians though they cover themselves with the cloak of the Gospell How Viretus would prove the temporall Pope as he calleth the King vvorse then the spirituall Pope affirming that the putting of all authority and power into the Civill Magistrates hands and making them Masters of the Church is nothing else but the changing of the Popedome from the Spirituall Pope into a Temporall Pope who as it is to be feared will prove worse and more tyrannous than the Spirituall Pope which he laboureth to confirme by these three reasons Reason 1 1. Because the Spiritual Pope had not the Sword in his own hand to punish men with death but was fain to crave the aid of the Secular power which the Temporal Pope needs not do 2. Because the old Spirituall Popes had some regard in their Reason 2 dealings of Councels Synods and ancient Canons but the new Secular Popes will do what they list without respect of any Ecclesiasticall Order be it right or wrong 3. Because the Romish Popes were most commonly very Reason 3 learned but it happeneth oftentimes that the Regall Popes have neither learning nor knowledge in divine matters and yet these shall be they that shall command Ministers and Preachers what they list and to make this assertion good he affirmeth that he saw in some places some Christian Princes under the title of Reformation to have in 10 or 20 yeares usurped more tyrannie over the Churches in their Dominions then ever the Pope and his adherents did in 600 yeares All which reasons are but meere fopperies Viretus his scandalous reasons answered blowne up by the blacke Devill to blast the beauty of this truth for we speake not of the abuse of any Prince to justifie the same against any one but of his right that cannot be the cause of any wrong and it cannot be denyed but an illiterate Prince may prove a singular advancer of all learning as Bishop Wickham was no great Scholler yet was he a most excellent instrument to produce abundance of famous Clerks in this Church and the King ruleth his Church by those Lawes which through his royall authority are made with the advice of his greatest Divines as hereafter I shall shew unto you yet these spurious and specious pretexts may serve like clouds to hide the light from the eyes of the simple So Cartwright also T. C. l. 2. p. 411 that was our English firebrand and his Disciples teach as Harding had done before that Kings and Princes doe hold their Kingdomes and Dominions under Christ as he is the Sonne of God onely before all worlds coequall with the father and not as he is Mediator and Governour of the Church and therefore the Christian Kings have no more to doe with the Church government then the Heathen Princes so Travers saith that the Heathen Princes being converted to the faith receive no more nor any further increase of their power whereby they may deale in Church causes then they had before so the whole packe of the Disciplinarians are all of the same minde and do hold that all Kings aswell Heathen as Christian receiving but one Commission and equall authority immediately from God have no more to doe with Church causes the one sort then the other And I am ashamed to set downe the rayling and the scurrilous speeches of Anthony Gilby against Hen. 8. Gilby in his admonition p. 69. Knox in his exhâ—ta iâ—n to the Nobility of Scotland fol. 77. and of Knox Whittingham and others against the truth of the Kings lawfull right and authority in all Ecclesiasticall causes For were it so as Cartwright Travers and the rest of that crew doe avouch that Kings by being Christians receive no more authority over Christ his Church then they had before * Which is most false yet this will appeare most evident to all understanding men that all Kings aswell the Heathens as the Christians are in the first place to see that their people do religiously observe the worship of that God which they adore and therefore much more should Christian Princes have a care to preserve the religion of Jesus Christ The Gentile Kings preservers of religion For it cannot be denyed but that all Kings ought to preserve their Kingdomes and all Kingdomes are preserved by the same meanes by which they were first established and they are established by obedience and good manners neither shall you finde any thing that can beget obedience and good manners but Lawes and Religion and Religion doth naturally beget obedience unto the Lawes therefore most of those Kings that gave Lawes were originally Priests Synes ep 126. Vide Amis part 2. pag. 14. Ad magnas râ—spubl utilitates retinetur religio in civitatibus Cicero de divin l. 2. and as Synesius saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Priest and a Prince was all one with them when the Kings to preserve their Lawes inviolable and to keepe their people in obedience that they might be happy became Priests and exercised the duties of Religion offering sacrifices unto their gods and discharging the other offices of the Priestly function as our factious Priests could willingly take upon them the offices of the King or if some of them were not Priests as all were not Law-makers yet all of them preserved Religion as the onely preservation of their Lawes and the happinesse of their Kingdomes which they saw could not continue without Religion But 2. In the Parliament 2. The wisedome of our grave Prelates and the learning of our religious Clergie having stopped the course of this violent streame and hindered the translation of this right of Kings unto their new-borne Presbyterie and late erected Synods There sprang up another generation out of the dregs of the former that because they would be sure to be bad enough out of their envy unto Kings and malice unto the Church that the one doth not advance their unworthinesse and the other doth not beare with their
deleret peccata mundi not to take away the rights of the Nations but to satisfie for the sinnes of the world the best Christian Emperours discharged the same duty The care of the good Emperours to preserve the true religion reformed the Church abolished Idolatry punished Heresie and maintained Piety especially Constantine and Theodosius that were most pious Princes and of much vertues and became as the Prophet foretold us Esay 49.23 nursing fathers unto Gods Church for though they are most religious and best in their religion that are religious for conscience sake yet there is a feare from the hand of the Magistrate that is able to restraine those men from many outward evils whom neither conscience nor religion could make honest therefore God committed the principall care of his Church to the Prince and principall Magistrate Who defended thâ—s truth And this is confirmed and throughly maintained by sundry notable men as Brentius against Asoto Bishop Horne against Fekenham Jewell against Harding and many other learned men that have written against such other Papists and Puritans Anabaptists and Brownists The Papists unawares confesse this truth that have taken upon them to impugne it yea many of the Papists themselves at unawares doe confesse as much for Osorius saith Omne regis officium in religionis sanctissimae rationem conferendum Osortus de relig p. 21. munus ejus est beare rempubl religione pietate all the office of a King is to be conferred or imployed for the regard and benefit of the most holy religion and his whole duty is to blesse or make happy the Common-wealth with religion and piety Quod enim est aliud reipublicae principi munus assignatum quà m ut rempubl florentem atque beatam faciat quod quidem nullo modo sine egregiâ pietatis religionis sanctitate perficitur For though we confesse with Ignatius that no man is equall to the Bishop in causes Ecclesiasticall no not the King himselfe that is in such things as belong to his office as Whitaker saith Whitak resp Camp p. 302. because he onely ought to see to holy things that is the instruction of the people the administration of the Sacraments the use of the keyes of the Kingdome of Heaven and the like matters of great weight and exceeding the Kings authority The Kings authority over Bishops yet Kings are above Bishops in wealth honour power government and majestie and though they may not doe any of the Episcopall duties yet they may and ought lawfully to admonish them of their duties and restraine them from evill 1. Chron. 28.13 2. Chron. 29. 1. Reg. 2.26 and command them diligently to execute their office and if they neglect the same they ought to reprove and punish them as we reade the good Kings of the Jewish Church and the godly Emperours * As Martian apud Binium l. 2. p. 178. Iustinian novil 10. tit 6. Theodos jun. Evagr. l. 1. c. 12. Basil in Concil Constant 8. act 1. Binius tom 3. p. 880. of the Christian Church have ever done and the Bishops themselves in sundry Councels have acknowledged the same power and authority to be due and of right belonging unto them as at Mentz anno 814. and anno 847. apud Binium tom 3. p. 462. 631. At Emerita in Portugall anno 705. Bin. tom 2. p. 1183. and therefore it is an ill consequent to say Princes have no authority to preach Ergo they have no authority to punish those that will not preach or that doe preach false Doctrine This truth is likewise apparent not onely by the testimony of Scripture and Fathers but also by the evidence of plaine reason because the prosperity of that Land which any King doth governe Reason confirmeth that Kings should take care of religion without a principall care of religion decayeth and degenerateth into Warres Dearthes Plagues and Pestilence and abundance of other miseries that are the lamentable effects and consequences of the neglect of religion and contempt of the Ministers of Gods Church which I beleeve is no small cause of these great troubles that we now suffer because our God Psal 35.27 that taketh pleasure in the prosperity of his servants cannot endure that either his service should be neglected or his servants abused CHAP. VII Sheweth the three things necessary for all Kings that would preserve true Religion how the King may attaine to the knowledge of things that pertaine to Religion by his Bishops and Chaplaines and the calling of Synods the unlawfulnesse of the new Synod the Kings power and authority to governe the Church and how both the old and new Disciplinarians and Sectaries rob the King of this power THerefore seeing this should be the greatest care that brings the greatest honour to a Christian Prince to promote the true religion it is requisite that we should consider those things that are most necessary to a Christian King for the religious performance of this duty And they are Three things necessary for a King to preserve the Church and true Religion 1. A will to performe it 2. An understanding to goe about it 3. A power to effect it And these three must be inseparable in the Prince that maintaineth true religion For 1. Our knowledge and our power without a willing minde doth want motion 2. Our will and power without knowledge shall never be able to move right And 3. Our will and knowledge without ability can never prevaile to produce any effect Therefore Kings and Princes ought to labour to be furnished with these three speciall graces The first is a good will to preserve the purity of Gods service 1. A willing minde to do it not onely in his House but also throughout all his Kingdome and this as all other graces are must be acquired by our faithfull prayers and that in a more speciall manner for Kings and Princes then for any other and it is wrought in them by outward instruction and the often predication of Gods Word and the inward inspiration of Gods Spirit The second is knowledge 2. Understanding to knâ—w what is to be reformed and what to be retained which is not much lesse necessary then the former because not to runne right is no better then not to runne at all and men were as good to doe nothing as to doe amisse and therefore true knowledge is most requisite for that King that will maintaine true religion and this should be not onely in generall and by others but as much as possible he can in particulars and of himselfe that himselfe might be assured what were fit to be reformed and what warranted to be maintained in Gods service for so Moses commandeth the chiefe Princes to be exercised in Gods Law day and night because this would be a speciall meanes to beatifie or make happy both the Church and Common-wealth The Kings neglect of religion and the Church is the
for the least medling in these civill affaires doe not onely suffer their owne Preachers to straine at a gnat but also to swallow a Camell when M. Henderson Marshall Case and the rest of their new inspired Prophets shall sit as Presidents in all their Counsels and Committees of their chiefest affaires and consultations either about Warre or Peace or of any other civill cognizance how those things can be answered to deny that to us which they themselves do practice I cannot understand when as the light of nature tels us Quod tibi vis fieri mihi fac quod non mihi noli Sic potes in terris vivere jure poli * Vnde Baldus jubet ut quis in alios non aliter judicet quà m in se judicari vellet And therefore when as there is no politique Philosophy no imperiall constitution nor any humane invention that doth or can so strictly binde the consciences of men unto subjection and true obedience as the Doctrine of the Gospell and no man can perswade the people so much unto it as the Preachers of Gods word as it appeareth by this Rebellion perswaded by the false Preachers because the Principles of Philosophy and the Lawes of many nations do permit many things to be done against tyrants which the Religion of Christ and the true Bishops of Gods Church do flatly inhibit How requisite it is for Kings to delegate civill affaires unto their Clergie it is very requisite and necessary for all Christian Kings both for the glory of God their owne safety and the happinesse of the Common wealth to defend this their owne right and the right of the Clergie to call them into their Parliaments and Counsels and to demise certaine civill causes and affaires to the gravest Bishops and the wisest of the ministers and not to suffer those Rebellions Anabaptists and Brownists that have so disloyally laboured to pull off the Crowne from their Kings head to bury all the glory of the Church in the dust to bring the true Religion into a scorne and to deprive the King of the right which is so necessary for his safety and so usefull for the government of his people that is the service of his Clergie in all civill Courts and Councels And as it is the Kings right to call whom he pleaseth into his Parliaments and Councells That it is the Kings right to give titles of honour to whom he pleaseth and to delegate whom he will to discharge the office of a Civill or Ecclesiasticall magistrate or both wheresoever he appoints within his Realâ—â— and Dominions so it is primarily in his power and authority and his regall right to give titles of honour and dignity to those officers and magistrates whom he chooseth for though the Barbarians acknowledge no other distinction of Persons but of Master and Servants which was the first punishment for the first contempt of our Superiors Gen. 9.25 therefore their Kings do raigne and domineere over their Subjects as Masters do over their servants Saravia c. 28. p. 194. and the Fathers of families have the same authority over their Wives and Children as over their slaves and vassals and the Muscovites at this day do rule after this manner neither is the great Empire of the Turke much unlike this government and generally all the Easterne Kingdomes were ever of this kind and kept this rule over all the Nations whom they Conqâ—ered and many of them do still retain it to these very times Yet our Westerne Kings whom charity hath taught better and made them milder and especially the Kings of this Iland The mild government of our Kings which in the sweetnesse of government exceeded all other Kings as holding it their cheifest glory to have a free people subject unto them and thinking it more Honourable to command over a free then a servile nation have conferred upon their subjects many titles of great honour which the Learned Gentleman M. Selden hath most Learnedly treated of and therefore I might well be silent in this point and not to write Iliads after Homer if this title of Lord given by His Majesty unto our Bishops for none but he hath any right to give it did not require that I should say something thereof Of the title of Lord touching which you must observe that this name dominus is of divers significations and is derived à domo as Zanchius observeth where every man is a Lord of that house and possession which he holdeth and it hath relation also to a servant so that this name is ordinarily given among the Latinists to any man that is able to keep servants and so it must needs appeare how great is the malice I cannot lay the ignorance when every school-boy knowes it of those Sectaries that deny this title to be consistent with the calling of a Bishop which indeed cannot be denyed to any man of any ordinary esteeme But they will say that it signifieth also rule and authority and so as it is a title of rule and Dominion it is the invention of Antichrist the donation of the Devill and forbidden by our Saviour where he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke 22.25 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 16.30 that is in effect be not you called gratious Lords or benefactors which is the proper signification of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 therefore these titles of honour are not fit for the Preachers of the Gospell to puffe them up with pride and to make them swell above their brethren It is answered That there is a double rule or dominion that if our Saviours words be rightly understood and his meaning not maliciously perverted neither the authority of the Bishops nor the title of their honour is forbidden for as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a title of dominion so it is fit to be ascribed to them unto whom the Lord and author of all rule and dominion hath committed any rule or government over his People and our Saviour forbiddeth not the same because you may find that there is a double rule and dominion the one just and approved the other tyrannicall and disallowed and the tyrannicall rule or as S. Peter saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Peâ— 5.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the domineering authourity over Gods inheritance both Christ and his Apostles do forbid but the just rule and dominion they deny not because they must do it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the son of man doth it so the manner of their rule 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Kings of the nations rule with tyranny he prohibiteth but as the servants of Christ ought to rule with charity not with austerity with humility and not with insolencie he denieth not and so he denyeth not the name of Lord as it is a title of honour and reverence given unto them by the King and ascribed by their people but he forbiddeth an ambitious aspiring to it and a proud carriage
in all other actions the end is the marke that is aymed at The end of every Law is chiefly to be respected and this end is no other then the publique good of any society for which the Law is made if the King which is the sole Law-maker so as I shewed in my Discovery of Mysteries seeth this publique good better procured by granting dispensations to some particular men doth he not performe thereby what the Law intendeth and no wayes breake the Law of common right as if a mans absence from his proper Cure should be more beneficiall to the whole Church then his residence upon his Charge could possibly be Reasons of dispensations as when his absence may be either for the recovery of his health or to discharge the Kings Embassage or to doe his best to confute Heretiques or to pacifie Schismes or to consult about the Church affaires or some other urgent cause that the Law never dreamt of when it was in making shall not the King whom the Lawes have intrusted with the examination of these things and to whom the principall care of religion and the charge of all the people is committed by God himselfe and the power of executing his owne Lawes have power to grant his dispensations for the same Certainly they that would perswade the world that all Lawes must have such force that all dispensations are transgressions of them as if generall rules should have no exceptions would manacle the Kings hands and binde his power in the chaines of their crooked wils that he should not be able to doe that good which God and right and Law it selfe do give him leave and their envy towards other mens grace How God doth diversly bestow his gifts is a great deale more then either the grace of humility or the love of truth in them for doth not God give five talents to some of his servants when he gives but one to some others Matth. 25.15 and did not Joseph make Benjamins messe five times so much as any of his brethrens and have not some Lords 6 or 8 Gen. 43.34 or 10 thousand pounds a yeare and some very good men in the Common-wealth and perhaps higher in Gods favour not ten pounds a yeare and shall not the King double the reward of them that deserve it in the Church of God or shall he be so curbed and manacled that he shall neither alter nor dispense with his owne Law though it be for the greater glory unto God and the greater benefit both to the Church and Common-wealth Besides who can deny but that some mens merits vertue paines and learning are more worthy of two Benefices then many others are of one and when in his younger time he is possessed of a small Benefice he may perchance afterwards when his yeares deserve better farre easier obtaine another little one to keepe with it then get what I dare assure you he would desire much rather * For who would not rather chuse one Living of a 100l a yeare then two of 50l a piece one Living of equall value to them both and shall the unlearned zeale of an envious minde so farre prejudice a worthy man that the Kings lawfull right shall be censured and his power questioned and clipped or traduced by this ignorant Zelot I will blesse my selfe from them and maintaine it before all the world that the Kings dispensations for Pluralities Non-residency and the like Priviledges not repugnant to common right are not against Law nor the giving or taking of them upon just causes against conscience but what the violence of this viperous brood proclaimeth an intolerable offence we dare warrant both with good reason and true Divinity to be no sinne no fault at all but an undoubted portion of the Kings right for the greater benefit both of the Church and State and the greater glory unto God himselfe And therefore most gracious King we humbly desire your Majestie The Authors Petition to His Majestie suffer not these children of Apollyon to pull this flower out of your royall Crowne to abridge you of your just right of granting dispensations for Pluralities and Non-residency which the Lawes of your Land doe yet allow you and which they labour to annull to darken the glory of Gods Church and to bring your Clergy by depriving them of their meanes and honour into contempt lest that when by one and one they have robbed you of all your rights they will fairely salute you as the Jewes did Christ Haile King of the Jewes when God knowes they hated him and stript him of all power I speake not of his Divinity either to governe them or to save himselfe 3. As the King hath right and power to grant his dispensations both of grace and of justice of grace when it is meerely of the Kings Princely favour as in legitimations and the like and of justice when the King findeth a just cause to grant it so likewise it is in the Kings power and right to remit any offence that is the mâ—lct or penalty and to absolve the offender from any or all the transgressions of his owne Lawes from the transgression of Gods Law neither King nor Pope nor Priest nor any other can formally remit the fault and absolve transgressors but as God is the Law-giver so God alone must be the forgiver of the offence Mar. 2.7 so the Jewes say who can forgive sins but God onely Yet as God which gives the Law can lawfully remit the sinne and forgive the breach of the Law so the King which makes these positive Lawes cannot be denyed this power As David pardoned Absolon and Solomon Abtathar to pardon when he seeth cause or is so pleased the offenders of his Lawes as you see they do many times grant their pardons for the most haynous faults and capitall crimes as treasons Christ biddeth that the tares should grow Matth. 13.30 And the Apostle saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there must be heresies therefore there must be a toleration of divers Sects 1 Cor. 11.19 murders felonies and the like And if they may grant their pardons for the breach of the Law and remit the mulct imposed for the transgression thereof it is strange if they should not have right to dispense with whom they please when they see cause from the bond of the Law and therefore we are to discusse how farre the King in these Lawes of the Church may give exemptions and tolerations unto them whose consciences cannot submit themselves to the observation of the established Lawes for seeing all men are not of the same faith nor doe professe the same religion and it is the nature of all men to dislike that which themselves will not professe and if opportunity serve to root out that which they dislike it is requisite it should be shewed how farre a prudent and a pious Prince may grant a toleration the Law in terminis not forbidding it unto
for he expecteth that as he made Kings his Vice-gerents so they should feare him preserve the right of his Church uphold his service defend his servants and do all that he commandes them entirely without taking the least libertâ—â—or feare of the people to dispense with any omission of his hâ—nour or suffering the hedges of his Vineyard the governours of his Church to be troden downe and torne in pieces that the beasts of the field may destroy the grapes and defile the service of our God Therefore to conclude this point let all Kings doe their best to hinder their people to corrupt the Covenant of Levi Malath 2. â— which is a Covenant of Salt that is to indure for ever let them remember Moses prayer Blesse Lord his substance Deut. 33.11 and accept the worke of his hands smite through the loynes of them that rise against him and of them that hate him that they rise not againe and let them alwayes consider Psal 35.27 that God taketh pleasure in the prosperity of his servants CHAP. XI Sheweth where the Protestants Papists and Puritans doe place Soveraignty who first taught the deposing of Kings the Puritans tenet worse then the Jesuites Kings authority immediately from God the twofold royalty in a King the words of the Apostle vindicated from false glosses the testimony of the Fathers and Romanists for the Soveraignty of Kings the two things that shew the difficulty of government what a miraculous thing it is and that God himselfe is the governour of the people 2. The duty of the King in the government of the Common-wealth 2. HAving set downe some particulars of the Kings right in the government of Gods Church it resteth that I should shew some part of his right and duty to serve God as he is a King in the government of the Common-wealth touching which for our more orderly proceeding I will distribute my whole discourse into these five heads Five points handled 1. To justifie his right to governe the people 2. To shew the difficulty of this government 3. To set downe the assistants that are to helpe him in the performance of this duty 4. To distinguish the chiefest parts of this governement 5. To declare the end for which this government is ordained of God 1. Point 1. Where the Protestants place Soveraignty 1. We say that the Kings Soveraignty or royall power to governe the people is independent from all creatures solely from God who hath immediately conferred the same upon him and this we are able to make good with abundance both of divine and humane proofes and yet we finde the same adversaries of this truth though with a farre lesse shew of reason that we met withall about the government of Gods Church For 2. In whom the Papists do place Soveraignty 2. They that are infatuated with the cup of Babylon the Canonists and some Jesuites doe constantly averre that summum imperium the primary supreame power of this government is in the Pope 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 absolutely and directly The Pope's sad Message to Hen. 3. Imp. Quem meritum investivimus quare immeritum non devestâ—amus quia ad quem pertinet institutio ad eundem pertinet destitutio as he is the Vicar of Christ who hath all power given him both in Heaven and earth from whom it is immediately derived unto his Vicar and from him to all Kings mediately by subordination unto him so Baronius Carerius and others But Bellarmine and the rest of the more moderate Jesuists say that this imperium in reges the Popes power over all Kings and States is but indirectum dominium a power by consequent and indirectly in ordine ad bonum spirituale as the civill State hath relation to religion and this great Cardinall lest he should seeme sine ratione insanire doth as the Heretiques did in Tertullians time Caedem Scripturarum facere ad materiam suam alleadge 22 places of Scripture mis-interpreted to confirme his indirect Divinity and as Potiphars wife he produceth very honest apparell but to prove a very bad cause and therefore attributing to the Pope by the greatnesse of his learning and the excellency of his wit more then he could justifie with a good conscience he was so farre from satisfying the then Pope that he was well nigh resolved to condemne all his workes for this one opinion and Carerius undertooke his confutation ex professo Carerius lib. 1. cap. 5. and taxeth him so bitterly that he putteth him inter impios haereticos which he needed not to have done because the difference is onely in the expression when the Pope by this indirect power may take occasion to king and unking whom he pleaseth and doe what he will in all Christian States 3. 3. Where the Puritans place the Soveraignty Majestas regia sita est magis in populo quam in persona regis Parsons in Doâ—â— man The Anabaptists and Puritans either deny all governement with the Fratricelli and all superiority by the title of Christianity as the Author of the Tract of Schisme and Schismaticks or doe say that originally it proceedeth and habitually resideth in the people but is cumulatively and communicatively derived from them unto the King and therefore the people not denuding themselves of their first interest but still retaining the same in the collective body that is in themselves suppletivè if the King in their judgement be defective in the administration or neglect the performance of his duty may question their King for his mis-government dethrone him if they see cause and resuming the collated power into their owne hands againe may transferre it to any other whom they please Which opinion if it were true would make miserable the condition of all Kings and I beleeve they first learned it from the Sorbonists The Sorbonists first taught the deposing of Kings and why who to subject the Pope to the community of the faithfull say that the chiefe spirituall power was first committed by Christ unto them and they to preserve the unity of the Church remitted the same communicatively unto the Pope but suppletively not privatively or habitually devesting themselves thereof retaining the same still in themselves if the Pope failed in the faith of the Church and therefore he was not only censurable but also deposable by the Councell if he became an heretique or apostated from the religion of Christ and to make this both the more plausible and probable they alleaged how Kings were thus eligible Buchan de jure regni p. 75. 91. and likewise deposable by the community of the people for out of this Buchanan saith Romani Pontifices longè regum omnium conditione superiores legum tamen poenis haud eximuntur sed eos quanquam sacrosanctos Christianis omnibus semper habitos Synodus Basiliensis communi ordinum consensu senatui sacerdotum obnoxios esse pronunciavit that is in briefe the Popes are
people So Arnisaeus saith Arnisaeus de jure Majest l. 2. c. 1. p. 214. Majestatis potestas omnis consistit vel in defendenda repub vel in regenda all the power of royalty consisteth either in defending or in governing the Common wealth according as Homer describeth a perfect King Homer Iliad γ. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And so you see the two principall parts of the Kings government are the Offices 1. Of a Captaine in the time of Warre 1. Ducis in bello gerendo 2. Iudicis in jure reddendo 1. Part. In the time of Warre Ordo ille naturalis mortalium paci accommodatus hoc poscit ut suscipiendi belli autoritas atque consilium apud principes sit Aug. cont Faust l 22. Arnis l. 2. c. 5. p. 345. Plato de legib lib. 2. Arnisaus lib. 2. cap. 5. p. 345. Luc. 14.31 Vers 32. 2. Of a Judge in the time of Peace 1. Then it is the proper right of the King and of none but the King or he that hath the regall and supreme power to make warre and to conclude peace for Plato in his Common-wealth ordained that Si quis pacem vel bellum secerit cum aliquibus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Julian Law adjudgeth him guilty of High Treason Qui injussu principis bellum gesserit delectúmve habuerit exercitum vel comparaverit that either maketh Warre or raiseth an Army without his Kings command And to this part of the regall government which consisteth in the Militia in Armes for the defence of the Kingdome pertaineth 1. The proclaiming of Warre which our Saviour properly ascribeth unto the right of Kings when he saith not what State or Common-wealth but What King going to warre with another King c 2. The concluding of Peace which our Saviour ascribeth also unto the King in the same place 3. The making of leagues and confederacies with other forraigne States Aristot polit l. 7. c. 8. 4. The sending and receiving of Ambassadors 5. To raise Armes and the like which the Lawes of God and of all Nations justifie to be the proper right of Kings Arnis l. 2. c. 1. and to belong onely unto the supreame Majestie Judges 11.11 But then you will say did not the Judges Moses Joshua Gedion Jephta Barac Sampson and the rest make warre and yet they were no Kings Why then may not the Nobles make warre as well as Kings I answer that they doe indeed make warre and a miserable wretched warre but I speake of a just warre and so I say that none but the King or he that hath the Kings power can doe it for though the Judges assumed not the name of Kings nor Captaines sed à potiore parte vocati sunt judices but from the sweetest part of the royall government were termed Judges yet they had the full power ducendi judicandi populum both of warre and peace saith Sigonius and so the men of Gilead said unto Jephthe veni esto princeps noster and they made him their head by an inviolable covenant Deut. 33.5 And of Moses it is plainly said He was King in Jesurun and when there was no Judge it is said there was no King in Israel Judges 17.6.18.1.19.1 for I stand not about words when some were called Kings for the honour of the people and yet had no more power then Subjects as the Kings of Sparta and others had not the name of Kings and yet had the full power of Kings as the Dictator and the Emperour and the great Duke of Muscovie and the like But when a warre is undertaken by any Prince how shall we know which party is in the right for to make an unjust warre cannot be said to be the right of any King yet as the Poët saith Lucan lib. 1. Quis justius induit arma Scire nefas summo se judice quisque tuetur Every one pretends his cause is just he fights for God for the truth of the Gospell the faith of Christ and the liberty and Lawes of his Countrey how then shall those poore men that hazard their lives and their fortunes yea and soules too if they warre on the wrong side understand the truth of this great doubtfull and dangerous point I answer all the Divines that I reade of speaking of warre Dambo ◠d in praxi criminal cap. 82. doe concurre with what Dumbauderius writeth of this point that there must be foure properties of a just warre 1. A just cause Foure properties of a just Warre 2. A right intention 3. Meet Members 4. The Kings authority Sine qua est laesa Majestas without which authority the Warriours are all Traytors And I would to God our Rebels would lay their hands upon their hearts and seriously examine these foure points in this present Warre 1. What cause have they to take Armes against their King 1. A just causes and to kill and murder so many thousands of their owne Brethren they will answer that they doe it for the defence of their Liberty Lawes and Religion but how truly let God himselfe be the Judge for His Majestie hath promised and protested they shall enjoy all these fully and freely without any manner of diminution and we know that never any rebellion was raised but these very causes were still pretended And therefore 2. Consider with what intent they doe all this 2. A right intention and I doubt not but you shall finde foule weeds under this faire cloake for under the shadow of liberty and property they tooke the liberty to rob all the Kings loyall Subjects that they could reach of all or most of their estates and to keepe them fast in prison because they would not consent to their lawlesse liberty and to be Rebels with them against their conscience And under the pretence of Lawes they aymed not to have the old Lawes well kept which was never denyed them but to have such new ones made as might quite rob the King of all his rights and transferre the same unto themselves and their friends so he should be like the King of Sparta a royall slave What Lawes and Religion the Rebels would faine hav◠and they should be like the Ephori ruling and commanding Subjects And for the religion you may know by their new Synod which are a Synod not of Saints but of Rebels what religion they would faine have not that which was profest in Q. Elizabeths times that was established by the Lawes justified by the paines and confirmed by the bloud of so many worthy men and faithfull Martyrs but a new religion first hatched in Amsterdam then nourished in New England and now to be transplanted into this Kingdome 3. Meete Members 3. Who are the persons that are imployed in this warre he first of all that is the more disloyall because he was a person of honour that had so much honour conferred upon him by His
cause lest we should think it lawfull to swallow a Camell because we are able to streane a gnat and let us not be afraid where no feare is and think those things sinfull that are most lawfull A heavy judgement upon this Nation by mistaking sinnes 6. From perplexity which is a heavy judgement of God upon the wicked and hath now lighted very sore upon many of the Inhabitants of this land who thinke it Popery to say God blesse you and judge it idolatry to see a Crosse in Cheap-side 6. If it be of perplexity when a man is close as he conceives betwixt two sinnes where he seeth himselfe vnable though never so willing to avoyd both let him peccare in tutiorem partem which though it takes not away the sinne yet it will make the fault to be the lesse sinne as the casting away of the corne which is the gift of God and the sustenance of mans life is an unthankfull abuse of Gods creature Act. 27.38 yet as S. Paul caused the same to be cast into the Sea for the safeguard of their lives so must we doe the like when occasion makes it necessary as now rather to kill our enemies the Rebells though we should think it to be ill then suffer them to wrong our King and to destroy both Church and Kingdome because that of two things which we conceive evill When things are to be judged inevitable and are not both evitable the choice of the lesser to avoyd the greater is not evill but they are then to be judged inevitable when there is no apparent ordinary way to avoid them Hooker Eccles pol. l 5. p. 15. because that where counsell and advice doe beare rule we may not presume of Gods extraordinary power without extraordinary warrant saith iuditious Mr Hooker 7. If it be of too much humility 7. From too much humility which is an error of lesse danger yet by no meanes to be fostered lest by gathering strength it proves most pernitious they should pray to God to preserve them from too much feare Multos in summa periculamisit venturi timor ipse mali Lucan l 7. for though as S. Gregory saith bonarum mentium est ibi culpas agnoscere ubi culpa non est yet as J said before it is a heavy Iudgement and a want of Gods grace to be afraid where no feare is and it makes men to commit many sins many times for feare of sinne And thus having rectified our conscience in the understanding of all these things we are bound by the commandement of God to be obedient unto the commands of our King for it is a paradox to say Christians are free from the Lawes of men Act. 15.20 Rom. 13.2.3 1. Peter 2.13 because it was a human law touching things strangled blood and the Apostles doe exact our obedience unto human lawes even the Lawes of Heathen and Idolatrous Emperours and therefore being bound to obey them they cannot be freed in conscience from the Religion of them and so Dr Whitaker saith that as the Lawes of God must be simply obeyed without any difference of time place and circumstance so must the Lawes of men be obeyed as the circumstances doe require for example he that is a Roman and liveth at Rome must obey the Roman Lawes and he saith that the authority of the Magistrate which is sacred and holy cannot with any good conscience be contemned because it is the commandement of God that we should obey them Whitaker contra Camp p. 258. Ob. and this saith he doth binde the conscience when as the Apostle saith he is to be obeyed for conscience sake But you will say what if the King forbids me to doe what God commandeth as the high Priest did to the Apostles or commandeth me to doe what God forbiddeth as Julian did unto the Christians and Nebuchadnezzar to the three children We have often answered that in such a case Sol. it is better to obey God then man for it is sometimes lawfull not to obey Act. 5.25 but it is never lawfull to resist Ob. What if he compells us by force and violence to doe what God forbids us to do if he play 's the Tyrant violates our Laws and corrupts the true Religion with Idolatry and superstition may we not then as our forefathers did heretofore unto Chilperick King of France to Richard the second of this Kingdom and others bridle them and Depose them too if they will not be ruled by their Great Councell the Parliament I. â—â—gus â—â—â—saeus de â—â—thor princi 〈◊〉 Pop. I answer first Non spectandum quid factum sit sed quid fieri debuerit we are not so much to regard what hath been done as what ought to have been done as Arnisaeus proveth at large and sheweth most excellently with a full answer to all the articles that were alleadged against those Kings how unjustly they were handled and deposed contrary to all right and I wish that book were translated into English 2. Of our passive obed 2. I say that when our active obedience cannot be yeelded our passive obedience must be used for were our Kings as Tyrannicall as Nero as Idolatrous as Manasses as wicked as Achab and as Prophane as Iulian yet we may not resist wheÌ„ as Arnisaeus proveth by many many examples Idâ—m cap. 3. p. 68. that the Rebellion of Subjects against their King doth overthrow the order of nature and Justinian saith quis est tantae autoritatis ut nolentem principem possit coarctare but in such a case we must doe as all the Saints did before us not as the Heathens which thought them worthy of divine honour Cicero pro Milone Seneca in Hercul fur which did kill a Tyrant and said with Seneca victima haud ulla amplior Potest magisque opima mactari Iovi Quà m Rex iniquus But Christ and his Apostles suffered but never resisted the lawfull Magistrate as Christ himselfe suffered under Pontius Pilate a most wicked Magistrate and registred in the breviary of our Faith that we might never forget our duty rather to suffer then to resist the authority that is from Heaven and as Saint Ambrose answered the Emperour that would have his Church delivered to the Arians I shall never be willing to leave it coactus repugnare non novi if I be compelled I have not learned to resist I can grieve and weep and sigh and against the Armes and Gotish Souldiers my teares are my weapons for those are the Bulworkes of the Priest who in any other manner neither can neither ought he to resist so must all Christians rather by suffering death then by resisting our King to enter into the Kingdome of Heaven But 't is objected by our Sectaries Ob. The Author of the Treatise of Monarchy p. 31. Sol. The Law provides that the King should not be circumvented and wronged that His Majesty confesseth there is a