56. Pietie and Prudence the Remeâ—de of their Difficulties 59. 2. People the Subject of Government 62. Man is most obliged and most disobedient 64. Gods Church most easily governed 66. Kingâ— governing of themselues 67. Of their Courts 69. 3. The fruite of good Government Peace 73. Of the fruits of Peace 74. Of Warres 78. The Puritie and peace of true Religion their greatest task 81 It is the greatest blessing of Mankinde 82. No Mixture with a true Religion 84. Reconciliation with a false religion is impossible 85. Confusions of Holland 86. Domage of schisâ—â—es 89. Three sorts of Kings 1. Of Gods King 90. 2. Machiavells Tyrant 91. 3. Of the Popes Vassall 97. The pourtrate of â— perfect King 98. Tyrants both affright and are affrighted 102. Peoples hearts a Kings greatest conquest 102. Their loue his best Guard 103. An happie land 105. Scotlands happinesse 106. Great Brittaines Happinesse 107. Speach to the Nobilitie 108. To the colledge of Iustice. 108. To Edenburgh 108. Aprayer for the King 109. For the Queene 109. For the Prince 110. For the Subiects 110. True Thanksgiving is true oâ—â—dience 111. ERRATA Pag. Lin. â—ault Mend. â— in Marg. Peremptores Paâ—eicidâ—â— 44. â— doe more Doe no more 47. 2. the their â—â— â—1 is best is most 76. 21. more dele 86. 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A LOOKING GLASSE for Princes and people Deliuered first in a Sermon of thanksgiuing for the Birth of our hopefull PRINCE CHARLES c. In the great Church of EDINBVRGH c. The Preface REIOYCE in the LORD yee righteous saith the Prophet for praise is comelie for the vpright I presume so farre of your Christian affection Dearly beloued in the Lord that I need not exhort you to joy The cheerefulnesse of your Countenance testifies the great joy of your heart so that it shall onely be necessar to direct you in the vse and expressing of so just and great a ioy The Lord hath blessed vs in great mercie with the birth of a Prince on Saturnday last and refreshed vs yesternight with these good tydings That blessing hath manie blessings in it A Child a Male Child and a first borne Male Child that came to perfection A Sonne to a Father that hath no Brother the apparent Heire of all these three Kingdomes and I may say The first borre Heire that euer They had Some Histories wrongouslie affirme that some Kings were Monarchs of this whole Yle and that same errour did creepe in the Councels speaking of Primats But the first spake as they affected and the other followed that errour in simplicitie They borrowed that style of a Monarch of the whole Yle from Severus time and tooke the march of it from his wall Some haue beene borne Heires of seuerall Kingdomes in it but till now wee finde none borne Heires of them altogether and that to a King standing in the iust title and peaceable possession of them all These are Gods great mercies to vs and the greater if wee consider what our sinnes deserue They cry for judgement and our Conscience tells that wee deserue it more than other Nations that are scourged beyond Sea but behold when hee might showre downe deserued plagues Hee sendeth vs vndeserued Blessings Gods worship hath two odde solemnities of Fasting and Thankesgiuing but it is more pleasant to haue the occasion of solemne thankes for Blessing receiued than of mourning for plagues imminent or incumbent And better to heare now our Drummes in the streete and Canons in the Castle by their sound calling vs to these joyfull meetings than to heare them in the feates of Warre There is no Affection so pleasant to the heart as Ioy it was created in vs as a power to make vse of good When the heart hath desired and hoped for good it cannot but rejoyce at the obtaining of it and in all these actions about good it abydeth most gladly in it selfe Wee brought euill in the World by sinne and so a necessitie of sorrow In griefe the heart is closed within it selfe and hath a selfe-consumption for its owne folie No temporall good entreth into our heart but the joy for it filleth it and then it delyts to dwell in that Ioy as the owne Element and dilateth it selfe to vtter that joy conceiued As the Eare is opened wyde to heare good and the Eye to see it so the Heart to enjoy it and the Mouth to expresse that Ioy. And what better expressing than to powre out our heartes on GOD by thankesgiuing That as Hee is the Author of our joy so it may returne to Him againe A well expressed Ioy maketh a sweete Sacrifice to GOD and bringeth downe a new blessing but excesse of joy eâ—anishing in fleshlie insolencies and not reflecting on GOD prouokes him whom we should please Such was the rejoycing of Pagans in their solemnities but Gods Word directeth vs better Wee ought therefore to praise Him for the Blessing receiued and pray for a blessing to that Blessing that his Mercie there in may euery way appeare And because of our selues wee cannot doe this as wee ought let vs call on the Author of the Blessing and craue such direction from his Word that in this solemne and publicke Ioy wee may approue our selues to Him The Text. Psal. 72. 1. Giue the King thy judgements O GOD and thy righteousnesse vnto the Kings Sonne 2. Hee shall judge thy people with righteousnesse and thy poore with judgement 3. The Mountaines shall bring peace to the people and the little hills by righteousnesse The first part K. DAVID a Suter LOOKE not Beloued in the Lord for a ful explication of euery part of this Text with their doctrines and vses as wee doe in Sermons but onely for such points as this occasion craueth In summe it containeth a prayer of King Dauid for his Sonne Solomon and offereth three things to our consideration The Suter who prayeth is King Dauid Next for whom hee prayeth it is for Solomon And thirdlie the thinges that hee suteth which are three First the Gift of Kinglie wisedome verse 1. 2. The vse of that Gift in righteous Iudgement verse 2. And thirdlie the fruite of that Gift so vsed Peace and Tranquillitie verse 3. For the first the Suter is King Dauid a Father for his Childe a King for his succeeding Sonne and a Prophet for one that GOD was to blesse Nature might moue him as a Father to seeke the good of his Sonne and Civilitie as a King a greater Father of a Kingdome to seeke the good of his Successour But as a Prophet hee is moued diuinly to sute that which GOD had showne him hee was purposed to doe In the first two respects hee had an ordinary grace as a Father and a King to seeke this Blessing In the thrid hee had an extraordinarie gift to augment the former two beeing priuie to Gods mind in this particular Therefore it is not onelie a Prayer but a Blessing The one suting
Gods institution Man had his owne ends of vaine glorie Auarice Reuenge c. But as GOD was therein punishing sinne so also prouyding Order among men and therefore hee taketh with â—rincipalitie as his owne ordinance By mee Kings reigne and Princes decree Iustice. There bee sundrie wayes to come to a Kingdome The suffrages of people in Election Victories in Conquest Birth in Succession But GOD is the Authour of Magistracie who giues Kingdomes and transferres them at his pleasure That Kings are it is the diuine Law written in the hearts of men But that such or such a man is a King is by diuine â—rouidence They are the most eâ—inent and conspicuous Thinges in the World Their beginning course and end seeâ—es to some to be of Fortune And such as contemne that blind idole ascriue them to Fate an imaginary necessitie beside the will of GOD and Man but diuine Providence disposeth all humane Kingdomes Man by sinne hath drawne on manie Necessities but GOD hath appointed lawfull Callings as their Remeede and Supplie and if wee compare him to a Body they goe in foure sorts The first is of Callings absolutlie necessar for our Beeing as Husbandrie and Pasturage the two Legges whereon the great body of man standeth Wee are of the earth wee walke on it and liue by it and these two Callings draw the substance out of it in Fruites and Fleshes for our necessitie The profit of the Earth is for all The King himselfe is serued by the Field The second is of such Callings as beside Necessitie haue great Profit for our well beeing as Crafts and Merchants these are busie about the fruites of the former Callings the first perfecting them by Arte the other changing these fruits of Nature and Arte these are as the two Hands in this great Bodie The third is of such Callings as beside Necessitie and Profite haue also Ornament for our better Being These are as the Heart of this Bodie in liberall Sciences and Professions c. They frame and fashion the Soule which is the Man and make him a Man properlie The fourth is of such Callings as beside Necessitie Profite and Ornament are for human Perfection for our best Beeing in this life that is Principality Gouernement as the Head in the ciuill Body perfecting it with humane excellencie But the Pastorall calling answereth all these respects spirituallie GOD made all this plaine in the beginning First he gaue Adam a Being then appointed him Maintenance and a Law to lead his life And when hee fell his first businesse was tilling of the ground by Cain and pasturage by Abel as meanes to helpe the difficultie of maintenance that came by the curse layd vpon the â—arth for his sins Thereafter came the inuention of Mechanicke Trades to make vse of the fruites of these two simple Callings and Gouernement came in also in the owne degrees and periods Lastly when men were sensible of their miserie spirituall temporall and from that sense Seth called his son Enosh that is Miserable or Calamitous â—hen Religion was solemnlie exercised by in-calling on the Name of the Lord. They found such miserie as neither humane Inuention Industrie nor Gouernement could helpe therefore took them aboue all to the Religious worship of God that he wold mitigate the just curse by his supervenient Blessing and leade them to a better Paradyse than they had lost Three sorts of Gouernement were in Adam The Husbandlie gouernement ouer Eua his wyfe The fatherlie ouer his Children and the Princelie ouer all mankinde so long as hee liued The first was more a bond of loue with his Wife another himselfe The third was a sort of authoritie as a Superiour ouer inferiours And the second was mixed of Loue and Authoritie As mankind increased so GOD drew out the Lyne of principalitie in Families Townes and Countries c. which are both seuerall partes of Principalitie and Images of it to testifie that mankind cannot well subsist without Gouernement Euerie man carieth the image of it in himselfe hee hath a bodie of many parts and euerie part hath the owne temper and forme to bee a seate or instrument of some power in him The Soule likwise hath diuersitie of powers to vnderstand remember will c. And yet notwithstanding of this diuersitie they haue all such a respect vnto other that they submit themselues to a gouernement for the good of euery one seuerally and of the whole man in which respect wee may call Man A little Kingdome Gouernement then is of absolute necessitie without which neither House nor Citie nor Nation can stand no not the nature of things nor the world it selfe For what is a multitude of people without it but a liuelesse and confused masse They are not set to work in their seuerall callings neither haue they fruite of their labours neither vse nor enjoying of their fruites But Gouernement as a vigorous life quickeneth all giues a beautie to the bodie and a sort of abilitie to euerie particular member It is principallie in the head and from thence floweth to euerie member to enable it for its own office I need not to inlarge this point This Citie other places of this Kingdome that were sometimes quickened and warmed civillie by the presence of Kings are now in a languishing Widow-hood because of the farre distance of that warming Sunne Principalitie maketh a great relation in mankind It is the Head and such an Head as receiuing due respects from other Callings imployes it selfe againe to their good They sustaine it by their offices and labours and it recompenceth them with a mutuall sustaining in that it prouydeth for them both libertie to labour in their Callings and peace to enjoy the fruite of their labours without which the better their Lotte be the greater crosse if it bee pulled away by warre or oppression It is Gods Wisedome to rule man by Man and to set vp some of Mankind aboue the rest Thogh Kings be of the same kind by Nature yet their degree and Spirit make them seeme to be of another kind that the mutuall dueties of commanding obeying may be the more distinct And then to make them the more pleasant he hath bound these far distant degrees in the bond of one kind Kings command their Inferiours louinglie as their owne kind Inferiours obey Kings willinglie as their owne kind The communion of the kind distinguished by God in degrees keepes that Relation contentedlie The Head the Hands and the Feete differ in their places offices yet are all one flesh in one Bodie The Head commandeth them not rigorouslie neither doe they obey it grudginglie but all their Offices are done in loue to other The disposing of these places and degrees are absolutely in Gods hand and hee commands euery one to apply themselues to other according to their place This is the Finger of God to make
paterne to work himselfe to in the vse of that Wisedome The compleate furniture beginneth at the Spirit of the Lord and is specified in the Spirit of counsell and might the Spirit of knowledge and closed with the feare of the Lord or true pietie The hight of their place exempts them not from this dependance but subiecteth them the more to it the heavier their but then bee the greater neede haue they to seeke Gods helpe Their businesse seemeth to stay devotion but the necessitie is a spurre to prayer The more businesse the more necessitie of helpe and the more felt necessitie the greater earnestnes with God for a blessing Davids a does made him not forget his devotion but hee keeped his day lie dyet thereof Seven times a day doe I praise thee because of thy righteous Iudgements God hath ever noted religious and devote Kings with excellent Blessings in their Governement This makes mee remember a grosse impietie in the Consistorie of Rome When the Pope is absent the oldest Cardinall prayes vnto God to blesse their adoes but when hee is present hee praves none at all Let no man sayeth their Cardinal Think it strange if the Pope pray not for the assisting grace of Gods Spirit because it is likelie he prayed before he came thither Besides it hath beene observed that because of the presence of the most glorious Vicar of Christ who is thought to bee assisted by the grace of the Spirit that Ceremonie is not keeped as in other places and that not to withdraw any thing from due devotion but to signifie a more holie and sacred mysterie So that the imploring of Gods assistance is but a Ceremonie to them That is a mysterie of iniquity to thinke any man exeemed from a necessity of praying vnto God for a blessing to his a lâ—es What is it but to tell that the Pope is a god and needeth not implore Gods assâ—stance As though Gods presence were superfluous where that pretended god presideth Or shall wee say That God maketh him proclaime himselfe the man of sinne by so profaine a misregard of God in his weightiest adoes Their Canon Law inioynes their Clergie to blesse their meate and hath not their Consistorie affaires greater necessitie of a blessing It was the height of Pelagius pride to bidde God adien for hee had no neede of his helpe And what other doeth the Pope Hee contemneth the preaching of the Word as a base service though it bâ—e indeede the most Apostolicke and thinketh the Consistoriall affaires onelie worthie of his greatnesse If therefore hee be so profaine in that hee counts most weighty What devotion hath hee in lesser matters Since they haue left off to preach no wonder they cease to pray and their style to Princes that was to blesse request exhort is turned now in a mandamus volumus to command and will Bernard feared this pride in his Scholler Eugenius and Bellarmine exponeth it rightlie that the businesse of the Court of Rome would stay devotion in him If hee condemnes that slacknesse in Eugenius why reproved hee not that grosse Impietie in Paul the fift whom hee saw act it in the Consistorie But the older Popes had more devotion and acknowledged that in their adoes his grace was to bee implored without whom wee are no where without perrill and sinne The second necessar vertue is Prudence There is no creature more vnrulie than man and the more reasonable in nature the more vnreasonable in his actions turning the quicknesse of vnderstanding to plot and practise wickednesse Hee is more vntractable than the Beastes impatient of equitie but more of servitude and in a naturall blind loue of libertie he hateth them that governe As for the multitude it is called a Beast of many heads but voyde of Iudgement they measure all things more by the events than causes and the events by gaine or losse Their knowledge is rather a guessing than Science the vulgar opinion maketh all the Topicks of their Logicke and the fashion of the world is all their morall wisedome they know nothing but extremes Hosanna or crucifie extreme loue or hatred without moderation They are credu lous of all surmises and expone all to the worst sense They are so desirous of Novelties that Providence is counted Lazines but headie-violence is taken for Courage They are the basest part of the Kingdome yet they craue greatest consideration The terrour of Princes to hemme in their absolute power And a raging sea that cannot be stilled by force but must bee sailled by the Carde and Compasse of prudence if Princes would eschew ship wrack Therefore there is no morall vertue more necessaâ— to Kings than Prudence and that amongst other studies to enable them to governe they studie the disposition of their people and speciallie of such as they trust with their affaires Nations Families and Callings haue their owne complexions as well as particular men and will change with times and occasions by prosperitie or adversitie a peaceable or a severe governement and it is a part of fatherlie prudence to know the temper of his Sonne So David led his people in the integritie of his heart and according to the discretion of his hands This Prudence leadeth Princes to Moderation a speciall piller of their Thrones Extremities are onelie necessar in extreme cases which cannot fall oft to them in respect of the eminencie of their power If Rehoboam had followed the moderation of the Auncients hee might haue keeped the ten Tribes to the house of David Mans rashnesse and peremptorie courses make way to a precipice which hath no evasion but ruine Moderat Governement hath ever proven durable but violence is a degree to tyrannie and overthrowes it selfe Moderation is both Gods command and ever followed with his blessing and most powerfull to rule man who is a reasonable creature but violence is forbidden and abhorred of God and punished with selfe-ruine Wisedome then is as necessar to King as reason is to a man It is his greatest habilitie inlarging his heart to conceiue and direct things aright as hee conceiveth them Hee compasseth his affaires in his minde and levels all to the best end It is in him the Image of the Auncient of dayes who hath all thinges ever present and disposeth them sweetelie and powerfullie Thereby things past are made present by remembrance things to come are present by fore-sight and present things by that vniversall view are rightly ordered and applyed to their circumstances And so the King by wisedome stablisheth the Land Of the subject of Governement Gods people Thy people the Poore BVt whom shall the King iudge Thy people a people gathered in a Societie and by Gods providence subiected vnto him And thy people even the Church of God for the time and his choyse of mankind Hee had blessed them with true Religion and the meanes of grace to incline them to
righteousnesse amongst themselues and yet for all this they haue neede of civill Governement The best man hath some remanent Corruption and in the best particular Churches are some who haue not the power of Religion nor are disposed for righteousnes Herein appeareth mans vnrulines Gods mercy supplying it with Governement And the happinesse of such Kings as rule the people of God This is mans vnrulinesse that though hee bee reasonable and of one stocke in Adam and of one condition in sinne which should make him to loue his Neighbour yet wee are most vnreasonable and inhumane to other Neither the bands of common nature nor common miserie no not of Religion can make vs liue in righteousnesse It was truelie said That the necessitis of many Physitians in a Citie argued great intemperance in a people So the necessity of Magistrates argueth great vnrighteousnes amoÌ„gst men If we had stood in Innocency as wee were created wee had beene to others as harmelesse Lambes and gallesse Doues our pure minde tooke light of God fully our Will followed that Light freelie and our Affections and the whole man went one way to obey him But by our fall that furnishing is lost and that harmonie broken our mynde taketh not Gods Light our will and affections miscarie the whole man violently wee breake to God and so cannot doe a duety to man That fansie of some Schoole-men of a meere and pure Nature is a pernitious errour that ignorance and concupiscence were the conditions of that Nature and that man in his first estate would haue beene caried to the desire of sinfull things This obseureth the integritie of our creation the miserie of our fall and Gods mercie restoring vs In our innocencie we had no disposition to sin our originall righteousnesse was a sweete applying of everie power in vs to another and all of them to God But now beeing voyde of that originall iustice and full of iniquitie wee are like vnreasonable creatures Man is in honour and vnderstandeth not hee is like a beast that perisheth As the greater Beastes devour the smaller and ravening fowles prey vpon the weaker and greater fishes eat vp the lesser So everie man as hee hath a gift aboue his Neighbours vseth it to their hurt The wise man turneth his wisedome to intrappe the simple the mightie man his power to oppresse the weaker and the rich man maketh his riches as feete and hands to fulfill his evill purpose against the poore So though it would seeme an easie thing for a King to rule a multitude of reasonable men brought vp in civilitie and Religion yet it is a matter of great difficultie Therefore one said right That Kings ought to bee Pastours and that because they rule men who are led by brutâ—sh affections This is a Glasse for mans infirmitie That hee is the most disobedient creature the will of God is an eternall Law the cause and rule of all equitie and reason thereby hee disposeth his owne actions and giveth the extract of it respectiuely to creatures and all of them except man obey that Law according to their power This power is specified in their essentiall formes and these formes are the immediate cause of their working and Character of their worke Mans disobedience is the greater because he hath the most excellent forme is best obliged and best furnished he hath a reasonable Soule and the greatest extract of Gods eternall Law both wriâ—en in his heart and revealed to him in Scripture Hee alone hath a Conscience to charge him with obedience in the Name of God As a Center hee is compassed with obedient creatures If he looke aboue hee seeth the Angels keepe their celestiall Law in loving adoring and imitating God if beneath hee seeth all creatures keepe their Law the fruite of their obedience is his comfort and if they altered their course but a short space hee would perish And yet notwithstanding of the excellencie of his forme the riches of his furniture and his compassing with a cloud of so many obedient witnesses hee remaineth still vntractabâ—e Secondly herein is Gods great mercie to man that hee leaveth him not in this disorder Hee knoweth that hee would be as a beast pushing and goaring other therefore he hath set vp Magistracie as a soveraigne remeede of that furie and given it power to secure the weake from the injuries of the mightie wisedome to saue the simple from the snares of the craftie That if the great sort will abuse their power in tyrannizing over the weake they may finde in Kings a power to controll them The greatnesse of Kings aboue their Subjects is both a staffe to the weaker to leane to and a bridle to restraine the outrages of the mightie as the Prophet expresseth Defend the poore and fatherlesse doe Iustice to the afflicted and needie deliver the poore and needie ridde them out of the hand of the wicked This vindicating power of Princes is as great a blessing to the oppressours whom it restraineth as to the poore who are rescued Thirdly this is the happinesse of Kings that rule over Gods people that their lotte is fallen pleasantly in Gods inheritance They who reigne over Barbarians are Kings over beastes rather than men and they who rule over civill Countries where true Religion is not are Kings but of men but they whose Kingdome is a particular Church to God are Kings over Kings or Christians more than men and their common Subjects by grace haue more true worth than such Kings as are over Barbarians because wee are a royall Priest-hood The one reignâ—th in a Paradise the other as in a barren Wildernesse This excellencie hath also an easinesse with it to overcome mans natiue vnrulinesse for Gods Scepter bringeth people to obedience as this Prophet acknowledgeth It is God that subdueth my people vnder mee When mans rudenesse is broken with a true Religion it is most plyable to authoritie as to the ordinance of God hee both commands and alloweth that obedience and disposeth people thereto willinglie Numa by Religion plyed his rude Romans more to the offices of Warre and peace than Romulus austere governement If a false Religion did this in Pagans what shall the true Religion and the grace that accompanieth it worke in Christians It is farre more easie to rule good people than badde because there is none so rebellious to Authoritie as those who rebell against their own reason a good man is more obsequious to Princes than a Russian The godly doe feare Princes more than they are to bee feared of Princes but no bands can keepe the wicked in order True Religion binds vs to God and the grace of it is our greatest perfection in this life and that partaking of the divine Nature maketh vs the more respectuous to Gods ordinance Where that is not Lawes Rewards and Punishments are but weake motiues but where it is they neede not a Law The
of religious worship so is He onlie Directour and Iudge of it Next Pastors are not Iudges but Indices or interpreters to point out that that God hath set downe in his Word Thirdlie Princes are neither Iudges nor â—ndices but Vindices or Promoters of true Religion They are neither the Rule nor exponers of it but Vrgers of men to doe according to the Rule proponed of God and exponed by faithfull Pastors Constantine the great made this distinction to Church-men God hath made you Bishops of the inward things of the Church but hee hath made mee Bishop of the outward things That is ye haue a calling to discerne betweene Truth and heresie in doctrine hurtfull or wholesome in worship or maners To preach the word minister the Sacraments and lead people in religious Worship to deale with the Inner Man and instruct the Conscience in the Truth But my place is to maintaine Religion in the Professors and their maintenance to deale with the outward Man and to see that my Subiects worship and obey God according to the Rule that hee hath given and yee point out of his Word All his businesse about the Councell of Nice was nothing but a Commentar of that distinction hee saw the Church poysoned with the Heresie of Arrius and rent with the Schisme that followed therevpon And not beeing able of himselfe to iudge and determine these questions hee conveened the most learned and godlie Church-men to whom that inquitie appertained and when they had determined the matter hee repressed the Heresie that they damned and maintained the Truth that they proponed So Theodosius the great curbed the Macedonians in the Councell of Constantinople Theodosius the younger the Nestorians by the Councell of Ephesus And Marcianus the Entychians by the Councell of Chalcedon And when the Nestorians raised vp their head againe Iustinian curbed both them and Pope Vigilius their Patrone both by a Councell and by his Edicts against their tria Capitula the summe and marrow of Nestorianisme Synods and Councels assembled in the Name of the Lord are as Counsels to Kings in matters of Religion and the Word of God is to rule both Princes and Synods So though David was a Prophet yet hee did nothing of himself in Gods house but with consent and advyse of Gad the Seer and of Nathan the Prophet for so was the Commandement of the Lord by his Prophets He had Gods command for the warrant of his Command And Iehoshaphat sent through the Cities of Iudah and they taught the People and had the Booke of the Law of the Lord with them This was their Directorie Concerning the extent of their power some Princes got wrong of others and some did wrong to themselues They got wrong most of the Pope who after hee affected Antichristian greatnesse closed vp Kings within civill affaires and counted them but profaine Laickes who had no intresse in matters Ecclesiasticke If they medled with Investitures of Benefices it was called Simonie and oppressing of the Ecclesiasticke libertie And the discharge of that duetie which God hath founded in their Thrones and Scepters was called the Henrician heresie and a fighting against God On the other part they bewitched Princes by the show of Canonizing This was a deepe policie by the hope of that baite to steale from Princes their authority as the best way to that Canonizing and to turne them Babes in this life vnder hope to bee Saintes after death It was too superstitious simplicitie for that hope to disgrace themselues and their places by surrendering their power to the Beast He knew that Princes were ambitious of honour and there was none greater than they had alreadie except it were to bee sancted Hee perswaded them that there was no way to that honour of sancting but by his Canonizing who had the Keyes of Heaven at his Girdle Therefore when Princes were tickled with that Ambition they cared not how baselie they prostitute themselues and their dignitie to him for that Imaginarie Advancement Or rather shall wee say that God in this politicke abusing of Princes was discovering a part of the Mysterie of iniquitie For about thâ—se times when Kings were made Sainctes the Popes were Monsters In the ninth and tenth Ages Ignorance reigned in the Church barbarous Crueltie in Popes everie one disgraced his Predecessour and abrogat his Ordinances then Princes abhorring that wickednesse were the more stirred vp to Pietie and so comparatiuelie they seemed to be Saincts in respect of these monstruous Popes It was the complaint of these times That it was easier to finde many Lay-men turne good than one religious man grow better And that it was a rare fowle on earth to find one ascend but a little aboue the degree that he hath taken in Religion The Chaire of Peter was some time broodie of Saincts but then it became so barren that it brought out none but Monsters and that justlie for the Popes loathed that Chaire and affected the Throne of Princes And holinesse beeing banished that Chaire found her place more in Princes than Popes This was Gods Iustice that since Popes would bee Kings that Kings should bee counted Saincts And yet both of them were but vsurpers for neither did God admit these Saincts in Heaven for intercessours whom the Popes thrust on him neither did hee allow the Popes kingdome which hee threw from Princes Againe some Princes wronged themselues concerning Religion that in Policie Superstition Neglect For Policie some of them harboured Religion in their Kingdomes but abused it politicklie to their owne ends They measured it by the persons of Preachers and seeing them in worldlie things the meanest of their estates did thinke as baselie of Religion it selfe so served themselues of it as the fairest colour to lustre their foulest purposes Iehu in shew was zelous for God but indeed all his zeale was to stablish the Crown of Israel in his own house So soone as hee obtained that end his zeale for God was quenched and he followed the idolatrie of Achab It was the Authoritie of Achabs house not their Idolatrie that made him zealous So Ieroboam followed the counsell of his owne heart in making two calues and sparing the peoples paines in going to Ierusalem But indeed he cared neither for Gods glorie nor the people but for stablishing his owne house Hee pulled the hearts of the People from God and from the house of David So Iulian when he thirsted for the Impyre he gaue vp his name among the Cleargie and frequented the Assemblies of Christians to mak him mor acceptable to people as Basile obiecteth vnto him So Mahomet made himselfe great by the colour of Religion though hee neither beleeved nor keeped these Precepts which he fained to bee of God and the Popes seeking a Monarchie haue vsed Religion for a cloake as Leo the tenth in his last words tolde
Atheists call it a libertie of conscience which is nothing but a passe-port to runne to hell For what a worse death is there to the Soule than the libertie of errour But God calleth it An halting betwixt God and Baal and grosse Atheisme in the want of Gods feare The people that were sent to dwell in Samaria worshipped the Lord and the gods of their owne Nations they thought themselues sure in that pluralitie of gods and libertie of worshippe but the Scripture saith They feared not God at all The Papists fall in that same sinne they haue multiplied gods with the true One. Beside God they haue their gods and goddesses and they honour their cannonized Saincts as the Pagans did their Apotheosedmen and their Pope vsed it more eminently in calling the blessed Virgine a goddesse when he is suteing timber to build her Church at Loretto But their patrone granteth that these names savour of Paganisme and desireth them to bee a mended in his Bookes and as for the worship given to them another granteth that hee saw no difference betwixt their opinion of the Saincts and that that the Gentiles held of their gods Varro boasteth that he appointed to the gods their offices sacrifices what else are the Rituals ceremonials of the Papists but that same busines vnder other names The Kings of Egypt granted libertie of Religions to their people and that in a fleshlie policie that while everie faction courted them for favour they might keepe all factions obnoâ—ious to them And Iulian at his entrie gaue the like libertie to Iewes Gentiles and Christians with the same spirit he rendred the Churchs to damned Hereticks and opened the Temples to devils Many Christian Princes haue a slayed reconciliation of Religions but God never blessed that worke in their hand Constantius made his Typus Heraclius his Ecthesis Zeno his Henoticon and Charles the fift his Interim but all of them kindled the fire more than quenched it They found the truth of the olde proverbe Isthmum perfodere to digge through the Isthme which was spoken of workes neither lawfull to attempt nor possible to doe And though some proud kings therby assayed to correct Gods creation in ioyning Seas which he had distinguished yet they wer omâ—nouslie forced to desist So others haue laboured to reconcile the true and false Religion which hee hath made irreconcilable but their labour to this houre was ever in vaine It seemeth but a small matter for condescending to cast one letter in the midst of a word and turne homoousios in homoiousios that is the same-substance in the like-substance yet that one Letter overthrâ—w the Article of the Divinitie of Christ. And when Basile in the end of a prayer said in the holie Spirit for with the holy Spirit great offence was taken by the people therefore hee advised Amphilochius to examine not onelie words but syllabs and letters in Divinitie So hard it is to worke a condescending even by the smallest alteration Some reformed Churches haue found woefull fruites of such libertie and hee proues now a true Prophet who said That libertie of prophecying in Preachers and of professing in people would shake Religion in Holland They began modestlie with some fiue disputable points as the small end of the wedge to make way for grosser heresies And if God had not put in the heart of K. Iames to devise and Prince Maurice to effect their curbing by the Councell of Dort their heresies ere now had overflowed that Land But God hath justified that prudent foresight of K. Iames since they haue declared what theÌ„ they denyed They haue taken Socinus by the hand whom I may call as one did Origen hydriam omnium haereseων a masse or surviving monster of all heresies And to mitigate the horrour of these opinions they are pleading for favour to the Socinians as men that either erre not or if they doe they are excusable and not to be censured because forsooth their errours touch not the foundation They layed the seeds of these Apologies covertly long since but now they are discovering to the world that their grounds are the overthrow of the grounds of Religion Their rule is to preach and professe what they please without censure Mans originall miserie in originall sinne they call with Pelagius figmentum Augustini or Augustins dreame and the efficacious working of the holy Spirite applying grace to vs they call figmenta Calvini Calvins dreames In the matter of free-will they follow the Pagans as it is pleaded by Cicero Hee was so hote in that cause that not beeing able to conceiue how Gods Prescience and mans Free-will could stand together for maintaining of Free will hee denyed both Gods Prescience and Divination And rather then these two should stand hee denyed a Deitie His arguments taken from Lawes Rewards Prayers and Exhortations c. to proue the absolutenesse of Free-will Pelagius hath borrowed from him Socinus from Pelagius and they from Socinus So in end vnder colour of Trueth according to godlinesse they come to the naturall Religion of Pagans the common Rendevous of all defections from the Truth Thus after long gadding they proue that Socinus is transformed in them as Ierome said That Basilides was transformed in Ioviâ—ian and that both in sense and style For they affirme that they teach otherwise than heeretofore was beleeved So said hee before them that his opinions of Christ were hid from others and that the true meaning was not knowne of all the Interpreters that are extant And againe our opinion is vnheard not onelie in our time but also in many Ages before And more fullie with disdaine of the Fathers Wee ingenuously confesse that our sentence of Christs Nature and Essence is contrair to all interpreters of Scripture who are come to our time Moreover hee professeth the noveltie of it in his Vncle who first proponed the opinion which hee imbraceth of Iesus Christ and telleth vs the way how hee got it was by Revelation This is like his friend Puccius who affirmed that his opinion of vniversall salvation was revealed to him by God This plat-forme of his divinity is for Epicures and that not farre from Origens mercie to pleade for Sathan Annihilation if not Salvation What grace could this plat-former of Religion haue who refused to bee baptized and when a zealous Preacher challenged him for that hee was not baptized nor would not bee baptized hee answered like a novelling opiniator That what hee thought of Baptisme hee would leaue it to his owne thoughts Sureâ—t is that one who refuseth to be initiate in Christ by sacred Baptisme is not a fitte instrument to reforme Christian Religion After this same manner spake the olde Arrians of whoÌ„ Lyrinensis sayeth That they overthrew well grounded Antiquitie by wicked noveltie and that the ordinances of the Ancient were violate
while the desire of profaine and new curiositie cannot containe it selfe within the marches of sacred and pure Antiquitie And they speake directly like the Pelagians by vs as Authours as beginners and expounders condemne the things that yee held afore and hold these things that yee condemned cast away your auncient Faith and receiue another And what faith I shrinke to speake it they are so proud that I thinke they cannot so much as bee rehearsed let bee refuted without some guiltinesse in like manner Abelardus said All men thinke so but I thinke not so And Bernard posed him iustlie What then art thou Tell vs what is that that seemeth to thee and to none others What hath the Law What hath the Prophets and Apostles or Apostolicke men preached vnto vs but that that thou onelie denyest And Hilarie speaketh like an Orthodox These things I haue beleeved by the holy Spirit so that beyond this Faith of our Lord Iesus Christ I cannot bee taught And a little aboue I hold fast that that I haue received neither doe I change that that is Gods I demand of them as Pacianus did the Novatians VVho teacheth so Did Moses or Paul or Christ No none of these Who then Novatian commanded it after three hundreth yeares So I may say That Socinus hath both invented new heresies and renewed old heresies after a thousand fiue hundreth and eightie yeares And I charge them as Ierome did Vigilantius If any before thee hath received this thy Interpretation let it bee true thou sayes But if the Church of God never heard of such wickednesse and Sathan hath spoken by thee then repent in sack-cloth and ashes and wype away such great wickednesse by continuall teares This is the damnable fruit of liberty of prophecying and professing after that God hath blessed a Church with a bodie of sound Doctrine according to the paterne of wholesome words The mindes of people are shaken from the Truth made susceptible of any opinion and inclinable to the worst When Arianisme and other errours had shaken the Church for a time the ambiguous mindes of people received Mahumetisme greedily For keeping of true Religion it is necessar to keepe Peace in the Church Schisme bringeth heresie and these two renting the Church doe rent the state also The Church and state are twins and their peace and trouble are inseparable Some Politickes haue advysed Princes to foster dissentions in the Church as a way to make the Impyre floorish So did Themistius to Valens the Emperours but hee found confusion in the end And Iulian allowed Heretickes to vexe and trouble the Church because he thought these dissentions a speciall meanes to put Christian Religion out of the world When Peace is keeped in the Church the state flow risheth but where it is neglected horrible confusions follow as well in state as in Church The Schisme betwixt the Greeke and Latine Churches could never reconceale and the Greeke Emperour lost the hearts of the people for too much inclining to the Pope The divisions of Germanie are most by schismâ— and the disputes of their Theologues turne the Courts of Princes in factions The thrusting of Gregories Liturgie on Spaine devided the hearts of people from their King and amongst themselues for alâ— beit things were good yet change of custome doe more hurt by noveltie then helpe by profite as Augustine well observeth When affections accord men may well brooke other in diversities of opinion but the renting of affection the marrow of Schisme breaketh vnitie of opinion also By nature wee are averse from the Gospel but if a stumbling blocke bee layed in our way our aversnesse findeth a reason for it selfe The kinglie Prophets practice is good heerein Pray for the peace of Ierusalem let them prosper that loue thee Peace bee within thy walls and prosperitie within thy Palaces Of three sorts of Kings 1. Of GODS King BEfore I leaue these verses suffer mee to present to you three sorts of Kings Gods King Machiavells Tyrant And the Pops Vassall First a good King whom wee call gods King comes to his Throne in Gods mercie both to himselfe and to his people as David and Solomon c. Secondly in his Disposition hee is religious to acknowledge his placeing on the Throne not to come of man or Fortune but of God His exalting aboue man maketh him not forget his subiection to God but by heartie devotion hee doth homage to him daylie both for the Crowne hee holdeth of him and for gifts to vse it His businesse is not with people alone but with God to enable him for governement Hee thinkes that a Tyrants verdict si libet licet if thou like it is leasome and knoweth that to whom more is leasome than to others they can easelie will more than is leasome Thirdlie in his governement hee is wise by Rehoboams folie Hee leaneth not to his owne wit or to the counsell of these who are of his owne yeares but labour th 〈…〉 to doe Gods worke with Gods wisedome Therefore heâ— readeth and meditateth his Word and with David maketâ— his Commandements the men of his counsell Hee knoweth nothing in his governement will bee acceptable to God â—ut that which agreeth with his word As hee holdetâ— his Kingdome of Gods will so in ruling it he followeth his revealed will that hee may abide in his favour Fourthlie in his account of his people hee counteth them not slaues but free men even Gods people to iudge thy people and that by Creation Redemption and Covenant Hee knoweth that Gods right to them is first and more than his and that his power over them is not absolute but delegat for which hee must bee countable to God Hee counteth them as his Children as David spake to Israel Hearken my Brethren and people Hee looketh not so much to that relation of domination and subiection as to that sweeter relation of Father and Sonne Hee rejoyceth as much in the name of a Father as of a King and sweyeth the kinglie Scepter in a fatherlie loue Fiftlie in his ends By all meanes hee seeketh the wealth and peace of his Subjects as his joye and glorie But hee counteth their divisions amongst themselues or their hatered of him as greevous wounds Hee craveth their hearts more than their goods and counteth their loue his best Guard vnder God 2. Of Machiavells Tyrant BVt Machiavell or rather Sathan in him hath drawne vp the Portrate of a Tyrant vnder the Name of a Prince and that contrare to all the pointes of my Text. First hee directeth his Prince for his entrie not to care how hee come to a Kingdome so that hee may haue it Truth or false-hood right or wrong craft or crueltie blood or poyson c. All are alike to him if they furder his end Hee looketh not to God and Providence but to Fortune and his owne fleshlie
wicked idolaters and of Iudah onlie two were exceeding good Ezekiah and Iosiah sixe were praised in part and reprooved in part as Asa Iosaphat Ioaz Amasah Vzzah and Iotham And all the rest were idolaters as the Kings of Israel The praise of good Kings is that they know the Truth and serued God accordinglie They were zealous for his glorie destroying idolatrie and holding it out of their Kingdomes they maintained the worship of God according to his Truth and gaue neither toleration nor libertie of false Religions to their Subiects but astricted them by Lawes to worship him aright went before them in a royall example They sought not themselues but Gods glorie and he recompenced them againe by his blessing on their persons and government and making their Names to flowrish in benediction But the idolatrous Kings were contrare they forsooke the true God themselues and permitted a miscellanie Religion to their people Therefore his curse was on them and their government Hee wrote their Names in the dust and made them vyle to the posteritie as may be seene in Histories Heere is a looking Glasse for Christian Princes Popish Kings though they bee in the Church yet they are like the Kings of Israel in idolatrie as Ieroboam with the Calues at Bethel But Kings in reformed Churches are like the Kings of Iudah who haue God among them in the Arke of his testimonie and true Religion and it is their safetie to follow David Ezekiah and Iosiah in the maintenance and practise of true Religion This is a better exemplar than the Cardinals When for a fashion he hath set downe the example of some good Iewish and Christian Princes hee subioynes the Legend of some canonized Kings who got that honour when Ignorance and Idolatrie prevailed in the Church That looking to that Glasse of the Popes forging hee may steale the hearts of Princes from God to superstition I would aske if Ioseph Moses David c. before Christ and Theodosius Tiberius the younger c. were not as holy as Vencesâ—aus Leopoldus and other canonized Kings If they were wherefore are these canonized and not the other A good King setteth God before him as his end and true happinesse in his fauour hee counteth his earthlie Kingdome neither his eâ—d nor a way to the right end but seeketh the Kingdome of Heauen aboue the other and that by the way of godlinesse and righteousnesse It is a well grounded Throne that standeth on these two pillers Godlinesse maketh men eternall it is his Image that never dyeth and maketh their persons and workes acceptable to him without it as no man can see him so with it vndoubtedlie they shall enjoy him for euer No Iewell nor Dyamount shineth brighter in the Crownes of Kings than true godlinesse Righteousnesse is another Pillar the proper worke of the Throne and Gods worke in Kings who sit in it for the heart of the King is in the Lords hand and hee sweyeth it whither hee will It is a just thing with GOD to maintaine the Throne his owne ordinance when righteousnesse his will and work doe both liue in it and issue from it And what are good Kings on Thrones but God in them iudging the World God standeth in the Congregation of the mightie and hee iudgeth among Gods Hee delighteth to rest where hee reigneth and ruleth with delight A righteous King sitting on his Throne is a more pleasant sight than Solomons that more for his invisible Attendants than for his visible Before him standeth Affabilitie as a Porter to giue accesse to the plaints of the afflicted Injuries choppe the hearts of the oppressed and they runne to Princes for helpe And they are set vp in their greatnesse not to neglect the oppressed but to heare their complaints It was a fault in the Kings of Persia not to admitte any to their presence but such as were called vpon it made oppressours bolde and the oppression of the poore incurable But it was commended in another King who gaue justice to an oppressed woman who told him freelie That if hee had not leasure to iudge he should not reigne And Traian was honoured with a Statue because beeing on horse and going to battell hee stayed till hee did Iustice to an oppressed Widow When affabilitie as a Porter hath made way to the oppressed then loue of the people in the Kings heart as a Master of requeasts taketh the complaint in hand and calling Wisedome and Prudence to counsell they consult to doe right according to the cause Before his Throne stand Courage Clemencie Courage to proceede according to Iustice and Clemencie to temper some times the strictnesse of Iustice Clemencie remoueth Severitie least it turne to Crueltie and Courage remoueth too great Indulgence least it breed in People a libertie to sinne and contempt of Princes Clemencie can pardon small faultes but great sinnes and effronts of Authoritie would bee punished else it is not Clemencie but Crueltie On either side of the Throne two Sergents stand Power and Diligence Power to execute the sentence pronounced which careth as little the difficulties that may follow execution as Iustice did the respect of persons And Diligence doth all with such convenient speed as the nature of the matter and the honour of the Prince requireth At the backe of this Throne leaneth Peace and Prosperitie Peace among the whole Bodie while everie one getteth his right and is secured in it And Prosperitie as Gods blessing following that his own worke of a wife and righteous government As a good King seeketh Gods favour aboue all so nixt therevnto the loue of his people The heart is the Man and among all affections loue caries the heart and captiues man Hatred and Feare are troubling passions and separate the heart from their object but loue applies it selfe ioy fullie and draweth the whole Man to that it loueth The best conquest of their loue is by goodnesse Loues proper obiect and there is no heart so hard as to hold it selfe from these in whom true goodnesse shineth Wee may compell men to feare but cannot moue them to loue vs but by sweete motiues the bond that commeth by compulsion is vnpleasant to the parties it is soone broken and when it leaveth off is turned in hatred but the band of loue is both pleasant and firme Fatherlie loue in a King to his people and loue in them to him againe is a sweete relation and maketh their mutuall dueties both easie and pleasant Moses preferred the people to himselfe Spare them O Lord but raze my name out of the Booke of life And David offered himselfe to bee punished for the people I haue sinned but these sheepe what haue they done Next to the loue they send vp to GOD this descending loue to their people maketh them carefull of their peoples good When hee loueth his people he hath conqueshed their heart absolutelie
for no affection either deserveth or findeth more recompence than loue Thereby hee is Master of their bodies and goods and Constantius iustlie boasted that hee had more money in his Treasures than Diocletian because hee had his peoples favour Princes are oft-times vniustlie hated yet not loved except they loue their Subiects but if they hate them and be terrible they are repayed in the same kind VVhosoever affrighteth many is affrighted of many againe for so God by nature hath appointed that what is great by feare of others is full of feare it selfe The Lyon that affrighteth all Beasts is affrighted at the crowing of a Cocke and cruell Beasts are amazed with cryes and sounds in the Forrest so what ever terrifieth others doeth tremble it selfe A tyrants government râ—steth not and the feare hee worketh on others returneth on himselfe and maketh him a Center both of their hatred and feares who are affrayed of him Hee is in a continuall and dangerous warre and neither sure before nor behind nor on either fide neither hath hee peace within because hee is ever affrayed But wheÌ„ Princes exerce their power in loue are easie for accesse readie to heare the plaints of the poore they are loued of all defended and honoured as Gods Vice-gerents All men will desire a long life to them bestow their owne lives for their preservatioÌ„ So he dwelleth in great safty who dwelleth in the hearts of his Subiects As many loving hatrs so many open eares to heare eyes to see and hands to avoyde his griefe and procure his good The Bees defend their King and count it their glorie to die for him so are loving and beloved Subiects to a loving and beloved King Hee is as a Center in his Kingdome and all giftes and callings as a circle about him hee sendeth out a royall influence to everie part of that large Circle which is augmented by his loue And that influence and loue doeth civilic perfect the gifts of his Subiects This is recompensed with the loue and service of millions of the people who the more cheerefully bestow themselues their gifts for him because of his loue It is pleasant to see this mutuall respect betwixt such an Head and such a Bodie but more ioyfull for themselues to find it betwixt them His loue and royall vertues procure both the good-will of his people and Authoritie The first is their strongest Affection the other a great Opinion of their Kings excellencie composed of reverence and feare of his offence All these preserue both the Persons and Maiestie of Kings aâ—d barre contempt which vndermines the authoritie of Maiestie and Empyres Conspiracies are the most fearefull convulsions of a Kingdome and there is no better humane guard against them than the loue of people for Traitors seeke this as a speciall ground if their treason can bee acceptable to Subiects But where Princes are loued of their people none dare conspire against them because they will finde as many severe Avengers as loving Subiects But wee may take more briefelie the description of a good King from S. Austine after his long discourse of providence over Kingdomes VVee doe not count Christian Emperours happie saith hee because they did reigne long or left their Sons heires of their Empyre For such common blessings some worshippers of idoles haue received who pertaine not to the Kingdome of God to which these Christians appertaine And this was done of Gods great mercie least the faithfull should count thâ—se worldlie dignities the chiefe good But wee call them happie if they governe iustlie if they bee not puffed vp with flattering tongues and base attendents but remember that they are men if they make that power a servant to God to enlarge his worshippe If in their owne persons they feare loue and worship God and loue that Kingdome of Heaven most wherein they will haue no Competitours If they revenge slowlie and pardon hastily If Leacherie and other lusts bee so much the more restrained in them as they haue the greater libertie if they had rather rule their owne lust than Nations And if they doe these things not for loâ—e of vaine glory but the loue of eternall happinesse If for their sins they offer to the true God a sacrifice of humility pietie and prayer Such Christian Kings wee say are must happie An happie Land WEe may also raise heereof the description of an happie Land that happinesse is not in the situation lying convenientlie to the Sunne or to haue rich Mines of gold and silver with all sort of rare fruites commodities c. The best soyles for the most part are inhabite by worse people Turkes and Mahumetanes dwell in that Land which God gaue as a blessing to Israel and Pagans haue the choise parts of the world to tell vs that the happinesse of people is not in the goodnesse of a soyle and that the godlie haue not their byding Citie on Earth But that is the happinesse of a Kingdome where the Sunne of righteousnesse shineth and the Mynes and Treasures of the grace of Christ are discovered where Christ the desire of Nations and the glorie of Israel doth gather and rule his Church where hee setteth vp his Throne in the heartes of their Rulers and maketh them to authorize by Law and professe and practise in their owne person the true Religion VVhere the people ladened with these mercies know their time and the things that concerne their Peace The glorie of Canaan was not for that it flowed with milk and honey but for the Arke of God that abode in it and the glorie of Ierusalem was not in statelie buildings but because God was knowne in it and said heere will I dwell This is the estate of everie Kingdome where Christ ruleth by his Gospel Behold a King shall rule in righteousnes and Princes shall rule in Iudgement And what shall be the fruite The worke of righteousnesse shall be peace and the effect of righteousnesse quietnesse and assurednesse for ever And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation and in sure dwellings and in quiet resting places The eyes of the Lord is on such a Land from the beginning of the yeare to the end Happie is that people that is in such a case yea happie is that people whose God is the Lord. The Conclusion I Close with the two maine vses of this Exercise to wit Praise Prayer Of Praise to thank God that he hath given to the King his hearts Desire and hath not with-holden the request of his lippes That he hath prevented him with the blessings of his goodnesse and made him exceeding glad with the light of his Countenance That hee hath blessed these Kingdomes with a Prince and apparant Heire to these Thrones God hath verifyed on this I land that which Fables fained of the happie or fortunate Isles though we lye in a cold Climate farre from the Line yet for our
for that end 1. Schoole-men 2. Canonists 61. 3. Casuists 4. Orders 5. Iesuits 6. Nâ—reans 65 Ch. 14. 2. Their Recrimination 66. Ch. 15. 3. Their Tergiversations and Schifting 72 Ch. 16. 4. Their Ludification of Kings 1. Of pretended loâ—o 78. Ch. 17. 2. Of fained Limitations 80. Ch 18. 3. Of futill Distinctions 90 Ch. 19. 5. Of glorious Titles given to Kings 91. Ch. 20. 5. Of canonizing of Kings The fourth part Of their madnesse in Vsurpation Ch 21. 1. Their ignorance of the powers civill and Ecclesiasticke 94. Ch. 22. 2. The fruits of their madnesse 1. irritation 106 Ch. 23 2. Exact inquirie of the matter 109 Ch. 24. 3. Discoverie of Antichrist 111. Wrong supputation bred their fancie of Antichrist 112. The Impyre is removed 113. Antichrist is come And the Pope is hee 122. Ch. 24. 4. Of their destruction Begun Perfected 124 Their oppression of Protestants doeth hasten it 129. Ch. 26. Now-Rome is incurable 131. Ch. 27. Of their treacherous practises First in France 136. Ch. 28. 2. Their attempts in Venice 142. Ch. 29. 3. In great Britaine 148. Ch 30 The troubles of Europe are of the Pope 152. Hee intendeth the rooting out of Protestants Their policie 154. Periurie 156. Oppression 158. Their matchlesse crueltie at Magdeburge 159. They vrged a godlesse forme of abiuration 160. Their fleshlie confidence 160. Their prophecie of our imminent ruine 162. But let them take heede to themselues 163. Ch. 31. That Now-Rome will not reconceale 164. They minde not common Peace 171. But our destruction 170. No reconciliation A tolerable condescending 171. Conclusion A conclusion Exhortatorie to Princes 172. The Popes Dittay and doome of God 173. It is faceable to Princes 177. Begunne in part And shall bee perfected in Gods time 177. Faults escaped of the Vindication Pag. Lin. Fault Read 33 24 old of old 32 32 and Dele 41 21 great great part 47 34 Proscription Prescription 62 22 must bee may bee 80 27 a penaltie appealing to 96 18 her not her parents 261 28 but Dele Ibid. 31 biddes but biddes A LOOKING GLASSE for Princes and Popes OR A vindication of the Sacred Authoritie of Princes from the Popes Antichristian Vsurpation CHAP. I. In What respect this Vsurpation agreeth to Rome THE challenge which I made in my Sermon of the Popes Vsurpation over Princes craveth a more full and presse deduction than a Sermon could suffer which now in this subsidiarie discourse by Gods grace I intend to performe And first wee shall consider on VVhat Age or respect of the Romane Church wee fasten this Vsurpation and then the Vsurpation it selfe For the first the Church of Rome commeth in fiue severall periods though some haue casten it in seven In the first three hundreth yeeres she was Ecclesia puâ— ra a pure Church professing the Trueth purelie and the most part of her Bishops sealed it with their blood in Martyrdome At what time little or no regard was had of her as their owne Aeneas Sylvius confesseth In the next three hundreth yeeres finding rest from persecution shee became Ecclesia ambitiosa an ambitious Church tickled with pryde and desire of Vsurpation Then Leo the first roared and stretched out his skirts and Innocent and his followers incroached on the Affricane Fathers but when shee found her selfe respected for the priviledge of the Citie the Mother and Seate of the Empyre the number of her learned Clergie and multitude of Martyrs she began to usurpe vpon other Churches Then shee thrust her hand in everie businesse and turned all medling to her gaine The brotherly correspondence of other Bishops by Letters was turned in arguments of Supremacie and iurisdiction The imploring of helpe against Heretickes in formall Appellations Her advise given to them was counted absolute commands and her arbitrarie decisions of questions submitted freely to her were called Decreets of an ordinar Iudge Baronius Anachronismes gaue a lustre to these forgeries in the eyes of the ignorant for everie where in the first Ages hee recordeth thinges as then done which the Church knew not for seven or eight Ages Cyprian cleareth this for his time writing to Cornelius That thy brother-hood may bee informed This dasheth their tyrannie for fraternitie excludeth Supremacie and Instruction destroyes their pretended Iurisdiction In the third period shee was Ecclesia insidiosa lying in waite to effect that supremacie which before shee affected for though shee got a great effront of the Affrican Fathers yet in a Romane pertinacious humour shee vrged the purpose till shee got the name of vniversall Bishop And rather then they want it Boniface the third will take it of Phocas a Parricide They saw the Impyre weakened by the incursion of Barbarians and Factions within and stirred their time for their purpose In the fourt hundreth yeares shee was Ecclesia seditiosa a seditious Church for hauing trodde downe the Church there remained nothing for her Conquest but the Impyre And Sathan involving all in the darknesse of ignorance and Superstition fitted the mindes of â—rinces and people to bee abused Then Hildebrand brake the Maiestie of the Impyre in Henrie the fourth and succeeding Emperours which to this day it could never recover In the fift three hundreth yeares shee is Ecclesia perniciosa a pernicious Church Shee will neither reforme her selfe nor suffer Reformation of her Heresies and wickednesse In which respect shee is become the habitation of devils and the hold of every vncleane spirit and God calleth vs to forsake her Come out of her my people In respect then of her sedition and pernitiousnesse shee vsed this Vsurpation and beareth the name to bee called Popish Poperie in it's proper Nation is a pest in the Catholicke Church and a plague of God sent on them who would not receiue the truth to bee saved thereby And therefore God gaue them over to this stroÌ„g delusion It is not the Catholicke Church but a Faction in the Church Neither is it a Religion but a Schisme and an Heresie taking the name from the Popes the head and the heart of that hereticall and schismaticall Faction They grant themselues that the Name Papa was first common to any reverend Clergie Man thereafter it became peculiar to Bishops as may â—eâ— seene in the writtes of Cyprian Ierome Augustine c. But in the end Gregorie the seventh helde a Synode at Rome and statute ut nomen Papae that the name of the Pope should bee the onely name of the Christian world And that no man should take it to himselfe or giue it to other but hold it proper to the Bishope of Rome And though Bellarmine bee offended that wee call them by the name Papists yet others are not ashamed of that name but glorie in it as Lorinus Wee are neither afrayed nor ashamed to bee called Papists And Baronius more fullie The Heretickes can not honour vs with a greater Title of glorie than when they call vs Romans
vessell but treene priestes Minister in golden vessell So wee may say that of old golden Popes were subiect to Emperous But now idole and treene Popes usurpe on Emperours If Gratian affirme rightly out of Ierome that to obey Princes is a demonstration of faith it will follow that the Popes Usurpation over them is a demonstration of persidie The olde Popes spake and did like Protestants and Christians in this point But the later Popes haue taken vp an Antichristian style and practice CHAP. X. Of their exceptions against the Practise of the primitiue obedience THis practice of the former times torments them and therefore they preasse to elide it by fiue shifts The first is That the Apostles and Fathers of the first times had the same right but lacked power to vse it and were affrayed to make sturres in the Estate I might answere Bellarmine with his owne words That it is rediculous to giue a right and not a power to vse it And the forenamed blasphemies of Suarez Bertrandus Rodericus serue to stoppe their mouths But I answere directlie That this exception is false in it selfe for these first times had sufficient power to represse enemies but had no will So Tertullian Wee are strangers and haue filled all your places your Townes Yles Castles Villages meetings your Camps Courts Palaces Senat and Market Wee haue left to you the Temples onelie If wee had taken from you such a multitude the losse of many Citizens had confounded your Impyre and had punished you with destitution Doubtlesse you had beene ashamed at your solitude In like manner Eusebius telleth that innumerable multitudes of Christians assembled euery where even in the time of Diocletian And in another place That Diocletian and Maximinian saw that almost all mortall men forsooke the worshippe of the gods and ioyned themselues to Christians And most clearelie Augustine Although Christs citie had infinite multitudes of people yet shee fought not against her wicked persecuters c. And Iulians instance is peremptorie both for the obedience of Christians their power For the first he was an Apostate hee persecuted the Christians and specialie Athanasius whom hee called the enemie of the gods he charged the Religion with madnesse that it destroyed all Hee discharged Schoole-masters to expone Greek Authours to Children vnlesse they would worshippe these gods whom the Poets and Philosophers did worshippe As Augustine observeth Confess lib. 8. cap. 5. Hee tooke away violentlie the Christians riches and said scoâ—finglie he would helpe them to obey their wonderfull Law in making them readie to goe to Heaven Hee mocked the people of Alexandria that they vvere so farre degenerate as to serue the Hebrewes whose fathers in Egypt were slaues to theirs Heere was a matter to provocke the Christians And next for their Forces they were most powerfull for Constantius before him had cassered all the heathen from the wars and setled thein Villages or Pages neere vnto wells wherefra they are called Pagani or Pagans vnto this day So they had force enough when the remnant bodie of the Armie were all Christians And for Captaines they had Iovian who succeeded him and Valentinian whom hee banished for refusing to offer incense to idoles and other religious Captaines to set vp against him and yet there was not in all his Reigne any such atempt They bare their crosse patiently and left the flying cloud to Gods punishment Next this exception chargeth the Primitiue Church with many faults As Ignorance that they knew not their right And Feeblenesse that they drust not vse it Of Prevarication that they neglected to plead that greatest Article of Faith And of Infirmitie that they neither knew the right nor had power to maintaine it And so putteth it many degrees behind the Church in latter times And if they commend their wisedome in ceasing from the vse of their power for feare of sturres that convinceth them for there was as great sturres in Hildebrands time as would haue beene before if Christians had vsed their power And what sturres see wee presentlie in Europe for the vrging of their Monarchie It were wisedome in them to follow Augustines counsell which they haue put in their Canon Law that Correction cannot bee profitable but when hee who is corrected hath not a multitude ioyned vnto him This shift discovereth them that they want not will but power and occasion to worke mischiefe and that the peace they gaue to Princes and Protestants is but rebus stantibus ut nunc Some times they turne their fâ—ct in a right some times their power and so proclame to the world that crueltie not equitie ruleth them Their second shift is that these first times called them more to Martyrdome than to represse Princes But that convicteth them also for if these auncients did well in suffering rather than to raise vproares Why doe not they the like It is onelie their earthly minde that teacheth them this Martyrifugium by Regicidium to flee Martyrdome by massacring Kings And by their owne confession they choose to bee milites potius quam Martyrs Souldirs rather than sufferers and so haue neither that same Religion that these Auncients had nor that same disposition Their third shift is from Merite That these Auncients were not oblidged to obey infidell Princes so that their obedience was meritorious and that they who did the worke manfullie in resistâ—g Princes doe no lesse merite It is a strange nâ—erite that hath such a latitude in one thing both to obey and disobey And more that the command to obey these Princes was not ordinar to bind at all times but extraordinar as the command given to the Israelites to borrow silver and gold of the Egyptians But the Apostles giue commandements for obedience binding all persons and at all times And it is as strange how they who boast of Merites and haue devised Counsels to inlarge the matter of Merite and Supererogation doe shift so great a command of patient suffering where according to their Doctrine they may haue great Merite Their fourth shift is that there was no matter or subiect of the vse of their power because then there was no Christian Emperours But Bellarmine refuteth this because there was then Philippus a Christian Emperour Lucius a Britaine King and Donald the first Christian King of this Nation There was no such processing of these Christian Princes as now Shall wee thinke that infidell Princes were a guard to these Christian Princes Or rather that Rome is now become insolent to abuse Christian Princes more because their number is now greater in Europe Their last shift is made by Alcaser the Iesuite That these Fathers did dissemble in a private habite This is like Bellarmines censuâ—e of Gregorie the first that his subiection to Maurice the Emperour was partly compelled of humilitie partlie of necessitie and that it was not of due but compelled VValdensis also
in loue they were comfortable to other as in Constantine and Sylvester Maurice and Gregorie c. But when they rubbed one other both Churches and Policie smarted They had sundrie other rubbes in former times but never one like that The Emperour thought that the question was no lesse than the standing or ruine of the Impire And Gregorie thought lykewise of the standing or ruine of the Church The Emperour pleaded Prescription because from the dayes of Charles the great vnder threescore Popes and moe it was in vse And Necessitie because by loosing the Investures hee would lose a great of the Impyre for when Charles the great gote that priviledge the Pope and Prelats were poore But thereafter both Kings and Emperours enriched the Church because they had the investiture in their owne hands Besides when Princes had investitures scarcely could Prelates be keeped in Subjection but if they were put in the Popes hands they would make many Enemyes in the Impire so Onuphrius stateth the question But in the multitude of so many Historians affected to one of the parties this much may bee gathered That the Emperour beside his personall faults gaue occasion to Hildebrand to make some sturre Hee abused the power of investiture in passing by the voice of the Church and giving Prelacies and Dignities to the vnworthie whom flatterie or bryberie or such by respects commended vnto him Hee gaue them as rewards for bygone service or ingagements for service to come And at his Court Church benefites were either saleable or exposed to prey Heereof Hildebrand tooke occasion to worke that hee had long desired hee made a strong faction both of Church men and Politicks against the Emperour and draue him in that strait to make such a foule agreement at Canusium as no man can patiently reade of and thereafter put all Europe in dissention and blood They divyded the trueth and each of them had both right and wrong on his side The Emperour had right to the Investitures but erred foully in their abuse and brought in ignorant and fleshlie men in the chiefe places of the Church who overthrew both Religion and State The Pope had iust cause to quarrell that abuse but no right to clame the investitures and farre lesse to oppose seditiously and trode downe the Emperour This was a consequent of too large dotations The Dotars were Patrons of the Church rent and some abusing the Patronage did marre the spiritualitie of the entrie of the Pastours So the Benefice drew the office after it and the Investiture the Daughter of Donations bred this strife and corrupt entrie in some But wise Princes haue made some provision against such corruption in giving the Church her place in election and it is best when Church and Patrons goe together The mysterie of iniquitie was then comming to rypenesse and Sathan had provyded one to hatch that egge of Antichrist whose seedes were layed in the Apostles times and that omnious accident in Rome of a Bird that layed an egge with a Serpent was so expounded by many that the Apostolicke Sea had hatched the Cokatrice egge and brought out a Serpent to destroy the Impyre Wee may passe the things imputed to him by his enemies As his fornication with Mathildis the great vrger of Chastitie to bee familiar with that Countesse lik Cremensis the Popes Legate vrging Chastity in a Synode at London was found at night in a Borthell Or his impietie in casting the Hostie in the fire Or his Nacromancie whereof hee gaue a proofe in that Response That an vnjust King would bee killed that yeare hee tooke this to be Henrie the Emperour but it fell on Rudolph the Vsurper But even his friends charge him with great sinnes As his dissimulation stirring vp Rudolph in Germanie while Henrie the Emperour was at Rome fulfilling his injoyned pennance His idolatrie in incalling the Apostles and blessed Virgine and commanding them speedilie to execute his decreete against the Emperour VVhen hee saw that this made him odious to men he devysed some courses to mitigate their hatred Hee sent Apologeticke Letters to excuse him to all men and pretended the zeale of God in defending the liberties of his Church which was nothing but a fleshlie pride of his owne broyling Nature Hee tooke the lesson from Stephanus who sat a little before him in the Chaire beeing a Brother of the house of Lorraine and offended with the Emperour for hurting of his House hee tooke that Gentilitious enimitie into Peters Chaire and made it Peters quarrell And his Successours finding it there followed it out as the cause of the Church Even as they tooke in the Armes and â—nsignes of their Families Next he pretended great puritie and holinesse and vrged the Chastitie of the Cleargie This was a faire colour both to cover his too â—reat homlinesse with the Countesse Machildis to make the world think that all was good that came from such an one but it was a libertie proclamed to Church men for sundrie of them yeelded to want one wife that they might meddle with many Hereby Europe was filled with troubles and the Sacraments ministred by married Priestes were trod vnder â—â—ote This was to vrge and promone the doctrine of divels But his third and most politick devyce was the holie warre which iustlie may bee called a profaine warre Hee made faire pretexts to recover these places where Christ was borne And lived and wrought our salvation And to make the matter more plausable they fained that Petrus Eremita got a Letter from Heaven written by Iesus Christ to stirre vp Christians to that warre though others are shamed of that fiction and said Hee got it by Revelation The motiues were as powerfull â—o a superstitious Age. They offered to all that would goe to that warre First Securitie from all troubles vnder the Apostolicke protection Secondly Exemption from all pennence Likwise the going to that warre shal be reputed for all Pennance Thirdlie Remâ—ssion of all their sinnes For their wages who are in that warre they shall receiue pardon of all their sinnes Lastlie Life eternall what ever their former life hath beene This hee learned of Mahumet who bade his fellowers defend his Religion by force promising Paradise to good warriours whether they were killed or not In all this businesse of the profaine holy warre they obtained their ends both over Church and Policie Over the Church they sought to establish their Monarchie over the Patriarkes of the East as they had done in the West Over the Policie because they diverted peoples mindes from prying in their tyrrannie over Princes and gaue them another matter of talking They found an errand to send away the most wise and valorous Spirits of whom they feared greatest opposition at home as Gottofred the chiefe Counceller and commander of the Empâ—rours Arâ—ies That emptying the land of such spirits they might securelie encroach on
emptie Kingdomes And all ranne to their maine purpose to proue their supperiority over Princes in that they vrged them to vow a iourney in Syria and forced them to obey vnder the feare of excommunication And so in this new devised fansiâ— of an holie warre vsurped an absolute dominion over their consciences and crownes At his death he repented the wickednesse of his course as Sigebert and others testifieth when hee was at the last gaspe hee called to him a Cardinall whom hee loved much and confessed to God that hee had sinned greatly in his pastor all charge and by Sathans instigation had stirred vp hatred and wrath against mankind And therefore sent the foresaid Confessour to the Emperour and Church to get pardon Not withstanding of this declaration yet they denie that Repentance saying That Sigeberts lie of Gregories repentance for persecuting of the Emperour is elided Comentum Sigeberti de paenitentia Gregorij de eo quod Henricum fuerit persecutus eliditur And they affirme that hee dyed ratifying his former violence This is the impâ—nitent pertinatious humour of the Roman Church they will neither repent themselues nor let it be knowne that their predecessiours repent their wickednesse least they should grant the Pope may erre and their Successours bee forced to forsake the wickednesse of their Ancestours As they cannot shew vs a Practice before Hildebrand so not any sanction of counsell before the Laterane in Innocent the thirds time Bellarmine calleth it maximum celeberrimum concilium because it was all for the Popes Monarchie But that statute proues the noveltie of vsurpation for if it was a constant practice before what needed it then a sanction But the truth is the practice was new and craved a confirmation by a posteriour sanction A lawlesse practice craved a lawlesse order first to doe and then by law to confirme it as right a direction which Machiavell giveth to his tyrant That Councell ought to be called as well as the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or a councell of Brigands wherein they were both judge and partie to confirme their owne tyranie This was a fitte time to worke such wickednesse because great darknesse had over whelmed the Church in those Ages And their Cardinall cryeth out on these times Behold an vnhappie Age wherein are no famous Writters no Councells And Sigebert expresselie This noveltie was not as yet risen in the World And when Bardas had erected Schooles in Constantinople they could not finde so many learned men as to teach in them And in a conference betweene the Greeke and the Romane Church many things were done ignorantlie and confusedlie because there was but one Interpreter for all the Colloquutors The Histories then writteÌ„ were full of visions aparations of spirits translations of Relicts to tell that the Religion was dead in the living when the living were seeking pietie and devotion from the dead Therefore this doctrine is justie called by the iudicious Doctrina Hildebrandina an Hildebrandine doctrine because Hildebrand was the perfecter of it And though they would fetch it from former times yet they say as much as wee when they call him the most keene defender of Ecclesiasticke libertie And Onuphrius calleth him the onelie defender of all the Ecclesiasticke libertie And when as a Dictator hee set downe his Dictatus as a platforme of that tyrannie hee declared that it was his owne device Wee neede no more against them than Baronius arguments in his long digression against the Monarcâ—ie of Sicile From the weakenesse of the Charter From the noveltie that it was vnheard in the Church That the Authoritie of the Apostolick Sea was pretended against itselfe That there could not bee two Monarchs in the Church because of a deformitie of that bodie All those arguments doe militate more for vs against the Popes Monarchie But Tertulian his challenge is pertinent for vs. Where is Religion Where is Reverence aue to the Auncieunts You haue everie way renounced them You praise ever Antiquitie and yet yee liue newlie Whereby it is manifest while yee depart from your forefathers institutions that yee doe keepe the things which ye ought not since yee keepe not the things which yee ought I close this point of the Noveltie of their Vsurpation with Optatus Milevitanus as hee spake of the Donatists question Yee say it is leasome wee say it is not leasome betweene your leasome and our no leasome the mindes of people stagger so say wee to the Papists Yee say the Popes may depose Kings wee say hee may not Let Scripture bee Iudge betweene vs as the onelie Testament of our Father as that same Optatus speaketh And ex abundanti wee offer the challenge not for six hundreth yeares onelie as reverend Iewell did in Dogmaticke points but for a thousands yeares Ye haue neither Dogmatical positions nor assasinate practices before Hildebrands time Neither haue yee sanction of Councels before that Laterane Councell vnder Innocent the third This is farre from true Antiquitie for that is true that is first and that is first that is from the Apostles And that Martyre said right Christ is my Antiquitie But least they bee thrust from all notion of Antiquitie wee shall grant them such as the â—esuite Turselline clames to the transporting of the Virgines Chamber from Nazareth to Dalmatia and from thence to Loretto Hee calleth that fablous miracle an auncient faith And yet when hee commeth to the proofe hee findeth nothing of that transport in the first aâ—d thirtteenth hundreth yeares Such Antiquitie is but Noveltie We haue proved our proscription against this Noveltie that ab initio non fuit sic It was not so from the beginning If Panciroll had medled with divine remarkes hee might haue put among his Vetera deperdita the humble obedience to Princes lately left off by Popes and their proude Usurpation over Princes among his nova reperta CHAP. XII Of the causes of this Vsurpation IT is a matter of astonishment to judicious men to consider either the insolencie of Popes in affecting or the weakenesse of Princes in suffering such Vsurpation and some â—esuites also haue professed no lesse that olde Emperours and states of the Impyre were foolish Who suffered their mouths to bee wyped by Popes By this wondering they make a greater wonder to the world because they maintaine and pursue that same quarrell at whose iniquitie they wonder But the reasons of it are these especiallie First an universall corruption in all Estates and everie one winking at the sinnes of other Princes preferred ignorant and wicked men to bee Popes and Prelates And winked at the corruptions they brought in the Church in Doctrine worshippe and manners And Popes on the other hand winked at the grievous sinnes of Princes The Popes to make them strong against Princes gained their Cleargie not onelie by pleading their Immunitie from Princes but likewise giving
Bellarmines nicenes of potestas in temporalibus non potestas temporalis Carerius calleth him and other mitigators by the name of profaine politicks so doe the two Bozii and Azorius professeth a simple mislike of their mitigations Mihi non placet modus loquendi quo utuntur Victoria Sotus Bellarminus In iure enim Can absolutè simpliciter dicitur c. I like not the manner of speach which Victoria SoTus Bellarmine c. Doe vse to insinuat that the Pope hath onelie spirituall power and not a temporall And Sixtus the fifth was so angrie at Bellarmine for his distinction of direct and indirect power that hee was minded to cause burne all his Bookes as Barcklay obiecteth to him And when hee commeth to answere that part of Barcklayes Booke hee passeth it in silence Wherevpon Barcklayesâ—onne â—onne in his replye to Bellarmine taketh that silence or preterition of so weightie a challenge for a confession Like to the Remonstrants in our time â—hen they are challenged of Socinianisme about the state of the dead and desired to declare themselues heerein they passe that weightie challenge with silence and neete it with an impertinent Recrimination which is in effect a taking with that imputation silence in such a case is to plead guiltie CHAP. XIX Of their fourth Ludification of Kings In glorious Titles FOurthlie they mocke Princes with glorious Titles So Charles the Great gote the name Christianissimus And King William of Scotland was called Defensor Ecclesiae Defender of the Church which stile the Councell of Mentz had long before given to Ludovicus And Iames 4. of Scotland was called Protector Christianae religionis protector of the Christian religion by Iulius the second Henry eight of England was called defensor fidei defender of the faith by Leoâ—0 â—0 Ferdinand was called Rex Catholicus the Catholicke King which Alfonsus many ages before him had vsed And the Helvetians were called Defensores libertatis Ecclesiasticae Defenders of the Church libertie by Iulius the second The ground of such denomination was some benefite receaved Charles inlarged their patrimonie King William inriched their Church with the Abbacie of Aberbrothoke Henrie the eight wrote against Luther The Helvetians at Iulius the seconds desire scattered the Councell of Pisa when it was gathered to reforme the Church And Ferdinand was fiâ—te for their purpose by his Catholicke Monarchie to build their Hierarchie The end of this denomination was to proue their Superioritie over Princes and please them with that Title while they were pulling their honours from them and to ingage them more to a base subjection But there is also some presage heerein for these Titles were some-what Propheticall that the Kings of these Kingdomes should â—eâ— in Gods tyme reformers of the Church to purge her from that superstition which raigned in her when these titles were given them For even Caiaphas serving his owne humour and preiudice will some-tymes Prophetically light vpon a trueth It hath also proven true in some part The Kings of England proue now defenders of the Ancient and Apostolicke faith So the Kings of Scotland proue also defenders of the Church and France and Spaine will follow in that same worke in Gods tyme. This is like another conceate when the Pope sendeth to Princes Roses or Swords consecrate in the day of Christs Nativitie So Pius the second sent a sword to King Iames the second of Scotland And Sixtus the fifth sent another to the Prince of Parme for to overthrow the Hollanders c. Tiberius gaue great honours to Seianus while he feared his greatnesse and plotted his ruine So the Pope sendeth childish toyes to please Princes while hee pulleth their honour and power from them CHAP. XX. Of their last Ludification In Canonizing Kings LAstlie they mocke Princes by Canonizing and a long list of the Names of canonized Kings is set out as a Glasse to them to looke in but in effect to let them see their reward if they will serue the Pope They haue learned it from the olde Senate with whom divinitie was weighed with humane pleasures as sayeth Tertullian For except God pleased man hee was not made a God and man was propitius to God And as it now practised amongst them it is but a noveltie and their Patrone bringeth not a practise of it before the eight age The Church till then was destitute of canonized patrons and had none in Heaven but Iesus Christ for their Advocate First sayeth hâ—e they were worshipped by custome and thereafter came formall canonizing But when Idolatrie grew they ioyned patrons to him as though hee alone sufficed not And this conceate they turned also to Kings and sancted them at their pleasure as they found them superstitious in religion or obsequious to Rome Augustine observed that Aesculapius was made a God but not the Philosophers because men felt the benefite of bodily health by medicine but not the health of their soule by Philosophie and hee avouched that Plato was more worthie to bee deifyed than any of their gods So Popes being sicke of ambition and avarice canonized such Kings as cured their diseases No good and auncient Pope did so but when they turned monsters and were fardest from God they tooke on them to make Gods by canonizing they resigned holinesse to Kings or rather declared that they were more holy than themselues They distribute their charitie with discretion and gaue to Kingdomes their kyndlie titular Kings the pride of Spaine and policie of Italie either affoorded not or admitted not many such Saints but the simplicitie of the Transalpine people was more plyable to the Popes they filled them with Saints while at Rome they were drowned in Atheisâ—e I demaund if these canonized Kings â—â—â—e holyer than Melchisedecke Moses David Ezekiah Iosiah before Christ Or then Constantine Theodosius after him I thinke they will not call them so If they were not why are they canonized and no the other Why suffer they these who are honoured by Scripture and true histories to stand amongst the people without respect while as the other are in the Roll of Heavenlie Advocats and honoured with Temples Dayes Altâ—â—s Services c And if these other bâ—e holyer as they aâ—â— indeede why is the Church defrauded of their intâ—â—câ—ssioâ— They are lyke their forefathers the Romans who apotheosed manie wicked men but did not so to Cato of whom Velleius sayeth that he was in all things nearer to gods than men and that hee was free of all humane vices Neither did they referre in the number of their gods Sâ—ipâ—o Nasâ—ca their high Priest whom Augustine calles better than all the gods So of some of the Popes gods the common speach is verified that manie mens bones are worshipped on earth whose soules are tormented in hell But heerein the Popes would proue their superioritie over Princes for hee that deifies setteth himselfe aboue that that is deified
They would reallie be Kings and therefore pleased Kinges in making them titular and imaginarie Saincts But it is no Divinitie that is subiect to men and that mutuall protection is ridiculous when gods keepe living men and men keepe the statues of dead gods So they know nothing about Kings but the two extermities of Excommuication or Canonization If Kings serue them baselie they shall bee deified by canonizing If not they shall bee damned to hell But there is no truth in any of these and both of them argue an Antichristian presumption in Popes They vsurpe over Kings in casting them downe and setting them vp at their pleasure and over God himselfe in making gods and thrusting them on him as intercessours I close this point with Cicero wondering at Romulus Apot heosing For though times of ignorance made men gods yet it was wonderfull in the midst of learning men were so exalted but hee satisfieth himselfe in that none but Rome counted Romulus a god and that when shee was little and bâ—ginuing So it was no wonder in the middle Ages of darknesse to see Rome canonize men but now in so great a light of the Gospel and in the Contest with Rome for her Idolatrie to see her multiplie her â—utâ—ar gods it is wonderfull But wee may content our selfe with Cicero Who taketh these to be gods but Rome a that noâ— in her minorite beginning but in her maioritie and declining to destruction I intreat you therefore with Augustine to consider of this your Pagan impietie if your minde so long drunk with errours suffereth you to thinke of anie wholesome thing And this much of their cloakes of shame or their Spider-web-covertures of their open tyrannie The fourth and last Section Of their foolishnesse and madnesse manifested in their fruites CHAP. XXI Of their affected ignorance in the consideration of the two great powers Civill and Ecclesiasticke THeir foolish madnesse is plaine if wee consider their course and their fruites that follow Their folie considered not aright these two powers civill and spirituall and their ignorance was rather affected than simple to make greater way to their violent pride God ruleth the world by two distinct powers Civill and Ecclesiasticke For Religion must bee in the Republicke and the Republicke must bee in Religion sayeth Optatus The Church and Common-wealth are as the two Estates and everie one of them hath its owne full power and authoritie in thinges that concerne it They are both of God and none of them is that way more worthie than the other as to subiect the other to it Neutra potestas est altera eo sensu dignior ut alteram sibi subijciat utraque enim est in suo genere prima ab altera independens Each of them in its owne kind is prime independent from other But yet they are distinguished from other in their endes Taske and meanes for that end They haue both God for their Authour and generallie the good of mankind for their end but their proper ends are different For the spirituall power leadeth onely to a spirituall and eternall good whereas the civill absolutlie looketh first to an humane temporall good All mankind lyeth flatte on the Earth notwithstanding of all other Callings But the Pastorall calling pulleth him from the earth and lifteth him to Heaven The Taske of the Spirituall is the preaching of the Word ministration of Sacraments and the vse of the Keyes of the Kingdome of Heaven directing mens consciences in the will of God and correcting them Ecclesiastickly For which cause the Pulpit is called the Tribunall of the Church because therein Pastors doe publish more glorious I awes than the Praetor The taske of the civile power is notoure in thinges Civile and for Religion it is appointed of God to defend the Church and trueth in it Indite and gather Councels and ratifie their Canons to abrogate superstition and idolatrie to provide Pastors with houâ—st maintenance and maintaine their provisions against the Sacrilegious In a word the power of the Church is not temporall but spirituall not a coactiue but a directiue power And the power civile is not spirituall but humane not directiue but coactiue to see all these spirituall dueties performed in their Kingdomes God hath not set them vp as contraire and opposite but as diverse and that for agreement and mutuall helpe to make vp an Harmonie of governement in mankinde These two powers cannot compete to any one person It is neither lawful nor seemlie for Princes to preach baptize communicate people excoÌ„municate delinquâ—â—ts c Neither is it tolerable in Pastours to denounce warre lead Armies shedde blood and swey a coactiue power Ambrose b riddeth the marches clearelie Wee pay sayeth hee to Caesar the things that are Caesars and to GOD the things that are Gods The tribute is Caesars and not denyed The Church is Gods and ought not to bee adiugded to Caesar because Gods Church cannot bee Caesars right Which none can denie is spoken with the honour of the Emperour For what is more honourable than that the Emperour be called the Sonne of the Church For a good Emperour is within the Church and not about the Church And in another place Divine things are not subiect to the power of the Emperour And thereafter places pertaine to the Emperours but Churches to the Priests The right of the publick walls is committed to thee not of the sacred so sayeth he to the Emperour who craved the Church to bee delivered to the Arrians Athanasius and Ambrose speake distinct lie That Princes are in the Church by profession and possession of grace and so the Sonnes of God and of the Church They are not over the Church for her direction but for her protection her Parents but her Nurce-Fathers Wise Kings ever granted the different power and interesse in things civill and Ecclesiasticke That in the first they were Lawmakers but in the second were directed and admonished themselues In the first they had a power both to make and allow Lawes for the publicke good in the second they are preservers of Lawes not to decerne therein with authoritie But to order matters Canonically according to the Lawes of the Church The Church first discerned Trueth from Heresie and then decerned And Princes ratified their decrets Pastours decrets according to the trueth obliged mens Consciences to follow the truth and Princes outwardlie inioyned the People to follow a knowne truth Though these two powers or callings simplie considered bâ—â— not subiect to other yet there is a sort of mutuall subordination in the persons that are cloathed with them Princes are aboue Pastours in respect of civill Eminence of outward governement and compulsion to do their duetie as Pastours though not in the intrinsecall direction And Princes are subiect to Pastours in respect of the informing and directing of their consciences in Religion The one is subiect
provision of some hundreth at their pleasure Henrie the third in a survey of the Church-rents found sixtie thousand merkes sterling to bee provided for Romanes Wherevpon with his Nobles hee supplicat Innocent the fourth at the Councell of Lions to ease that burthen They got faire promises but their burthen doubled ' For a new survey within six yeares found tenne thousand merkes more was yearelie assigned vnto them They whipped Henrie the second by Discipline as a Boy for Beckets punishment and canvased King Iohn so fearefullie that hee found no rest at home but sought desperate courses with Mahumetan Princes and in end was forced to resigne his Kingdome to the Pope and take it holden of him and lastlie was poysoned in the Eucharist Navarre also found the like crueltie and when their King was excommunicate and cast out of his Kingdome by Iulius the second his Subiects deserted him when hee was invaded by Ferdinand But their first blowes came from these abused Nations Everie people hath their owne Genius I meane neither of the Platonicke conceats of attending Spirits nor Paredri Daemones but a Gentilitious disposition of a Nation It is not mortall with persons and therfore neither so soone irritate nor appeased Persons lay their quarrels at their death but the surviving Genius or Spirit of a Nation liveth longer than persons and in the owne time doeth resent olde iniuries and revenge them Therefore long oppressed Germanie finding a light in Luthers time gaue such a blow to Antichrist that hee could not as yet cure It had beene good if they had not run on the other extremitie about Church maintenance but they fearing that the Cleargie would againe abuse authoritie did spoyle the Church of her Patrimonie and defyled the the reformation of Religion with horrible sacriledge As Germanie began so England followed and shook off his yoak vnder Henrie the eight brought foâ—rth at last that great and ever-memorable fact which overcome with oppression for manie Ages shee had conceived with great sorrow And what ever personall disposition they alledge to haue beene in Henrie the eight yet GOD had his hand in the worke And though hee had not beene at all yet God would haue provided him meanes to doe that that was done Therefore in the reformation of England we should not looke to the time of Henrie alone but to fiue or six Ages preceeding wherein that Kingdome was long grievouslie oppressed by the Popes but the fulnesse of the Popes cup and Gods iust anger to breake his power in that Kingdome did meete together in that time In like maner the King of Navarres Posteritie payed the Pope home againe for his excoÌ„munication they were stirred vp with privat hatred syded with them who coÌ„spyred against the Sea of Rome By their forwardnesse the truth was first spread abroad in France and to this day they haue beene shaking France from the obedience of Rome and who knoweth but some branch of that stemme shall helpe to giue the Pope his fatall stroke in France also Let vs heare from a bygot Papist what vantage Pops haue made by their tyrannie over Kings Event us rerum sayeth hee satis docent nihil proficere Pontifices dum hac via incedunt The event hath clearelie proven to this day that the Popes haue profited little while they walke in this high slipperie and steepe way But they rather make broyles schismes and wars in Christian Nations then propagate the Faith of Christ c. And when hee hath reakoned out the pernicious course of Gregorie the seventh against Henrie the Emperour of Boniface the eight against Philip of Iulius the second against Lodowicke the twelth of Clement the seventh and Paul the third against Henrie the eight of Pius the fifth against Elizabeth c. Then hee inferres Did not all these Princes contemne and mocke the Papall Impyre as an intolerable pride nonne hi omnes Principes papale illud Imperium ut meram arrogantiam riserunt And concludeth that that tyrannie was the cause of the overthrow of Poperie And in another place hee affirmeth that the strength of the Protestants in France and Britaine is hatched of the miserable heate of the Popes temporall power This testimonie is true and out of their owne bosome This is like the ruine of olde Rome shee forced out her tyrannie on farre Countries and her furthest extension met with the greatest opposition of mightie Nations and had in it the period both of her furthest reach and the beginning of her ruine as the sea marke is both the point of the highest flowing and the beginning of the ebbe So when she streached out her selfe to Britain Saxonie Persia c. In Gods time shee beganne to find her stresses there was compelled to call home her Legions to guard her head and heart Italie and Rome it selfe from the incâ—ersion of the Barbarians So now Rome stretching out her ambition to farre Countries hath found her curbing to beginne there and in Gods time by reformation which is her consumption shee will bee put to the defence of her Antichristian Seate which in end shall fullie bee destroyed This is the measure of his cup Hee is called the child of perdition first actiuelie because hee destroyeth mens Soules by herefie and their bodies by persecution and soundeth nothing but destruction Santarellus the Iesuite discovered a secret when citing the Apostles text that hee had power to Edification but not to destruction hee left out the word of Edification to tell that the Popes power is onelie for destruction And though he was justlie censured by the Sorbone yet their practice goeth broad according to his reading and they inculcate for that same end the words of Ieremie I haue sent thee to roote out and destroy Next hee is the childe of perdition passiuelie because God will destroy that Destroyer Doe to her as shee hath done to other It is his doome that Kings shall eate vp her flesh and burne her with fire And yet he is so blinded that hee falleth in controversies with Kings and by that provocation sharpeneth them as Gods instruments to his owne destruction But in this time their prevailing against the Protestants seemeth to stay the course of their destruction But indeede it is a furtherance of it God is iustlie punishing Protestants for their contempt and abuse of the restored Light And their sinnes are now greater than in the time of darknesse Yet the Pope also therein is filling his cup and like Pharaoh hardning his heart both to hold Gods people in thrall and to pursue them when they depart God hath charged his people to come out of Babel and manie haue alrea lie obeyed This inrageth the Pope for hee seeth that his lies and deceit by Iesuits and Emissaries cannot recall them who haue departed from him therefore hee vseth the force of Armes to destroy them and in so doing hasteneth his owne
worke Baronius called it Divinum consilium a divine counsell So bee like these troubles of Germanie are a divine counsell with them With this vsurpation over Princes hee intendeth mainlie the rooting out of Protestant Religion and for that end stirred vp both France and Austria against the Protestants which wee may perceiue in his Resolutions and practice His Resolution is with Innocent the third to destroy the rising trueth This hath ever beene in following Popes and fullie concluded in Trent The Cardinall of Lorraine reveales the Conclusion of Charles the ninth Philip the second and the Pope was ad exstirpandas Germaniae haereticos novam toto Imperio formam instituendam ex prescripto Pontificis and is confident that the Heretickes beeing assaulted both at home and abroad shall be killed as beastes by Dogges sent amongst them and no wayes esâ—hew the snares And againe seeing there is so great a confederacie and power against Hereticks both the Pope and Cardinals doe exspect shortlie so great a mischiefe on them as shall double the ioy for the Massacre of Paris As for the Germanes hee sayeth that nothing is to bee feared from these improvident beasts who know not their strength but shall perish before they perceiue their danger And againe That they are so imprudent and senselesse that they never minde to repell a common danger by common force but everie one labours to defend their owne privatlie And thereafter There they are so stupide that they know not their owne danger till they bee overthrowne This is the opinion of the Pope and his Cleargie of the Germanes which imboldneth them to abuse Germanie as they doe To effectuat this end they haue consederate the Emperour Pope Spaine Bavere and the holy League as they call it even as the Pagan Priests stirred vp the Emperours to persecution and contribute large money to their Armies So now doeth the Pope and his Cleargie in the persecution of Protestants Their wayes to worke this end are Policie periurie and oppression Their policie first they pretend civill causes to hide the other plot of persecution and yet the Emperour discoverth it in his Letter to the King of Spaine That their businesse concerned the conservation of the holie Faith and the standing of their House And it is manifest that long before the sturres of Boheme they were persecuting the Protestants in Westphalieâ—614 â—614 in Silesia 1614. and 161â— in some imperiall Cities as Ulme Aken Wesell 1614. in Donawerda 1617. in the Volteline Stiria and Bohemia it selfe 1618. And the Bohemian wars were occasioned by these persecutions when they were driven to that desperate state in Religion as to seeke the protection of some foreraine Prince Their second policie They divided the Protestants and drew a part of them on their side as Charles the fifth did at the Smalcaldicke war and they boast of it that the Protestants are so loose that many of them fight on the Papists side In all their meetings they pressed to draw the Lutherans from the Calvinists as they call them and vsed that speach Sicut Catholicus sic Lutheranus promifing as great quetnesse to the Lutheran as to the Papist that when they had broken vs by the Lutherans they might destroy them also Some of them contemned the D. of Saxe as a man of no Spirit but the most part feared him for his great power and therefore first â—ngaged him by the offer of Lusatia Next they held him on to bee Executor banni Imperialis And lastlie they fed him with the title of Vicarius Imperij All this was to guâ—l him as Charles the fifth did to Maurice his predecessor So their secret correspondence reveales that they studied by all meanes to please him that at least iâ— sâ—ow hee might bee satisfied Thirdlie in all meetings they ever treated of peace to make the Protestants carelesse And while they were busiest in warre they protested most they were seeking the publick peace and when Armies were gathered on both sides they fained a Cessation of Armes to make Protestants disband their forces which beeing done the Papists with their standing Armies seased on some Provinces as the Palatinate Lastlie as they confounded Religion and policie so in policie they confounded the quarrell of the house of Austria with the quarrell of the Impyre This was the rypenesse of a long plotted persecution for the Papists learned of Severus Canals the arte of Intelligence and myning Hee found them about the walls of Bizantium and brought their Copie in this Land to his Dyke betwixt Forth Clyde They went so alongst the roote of it that all Forts were advertised in an halfe houre what the enemie was doing and where hee assaulted So the Iesuites turned their vniversall intelligence whereof their rules giue a direction to worke mines in all the reformed Churches beyond Sea In France Boheme Silesia Moravia Uolteline Westphalie c. Princes were irritate People were miscontent the Papists fretted at the prosperitie of the Protestants and Protestants abridged of their owne wonted liberties in Religion and debarred from publicke imployments and defrauded of the course of Law c. Such a broyling disposition was like powder layed aboundantlie in mines that lacked nothing but firing In Boheme was their head-mine because of the electiue Kingdome and the exasperate minds of people for their crossing in Religion Thervnto the Iesuits layed the match of a new oppression to force the fire of defence They both sought and wrought this occasion of the Bohemianes the meeting of all their Provincials at Rome was to devise how to vse their opportunitie which they had long exspected So soone as Boheme fired their mines played in all places at once so that none could either helpe another as they were wont nor saue themselues Thus the Protestants were at one time everie where oppressed Secondlie their periurie is manifest For they come directlie against their promise confirmed by oath The Pacification of Passau was solemnelie ratified at Augsburg And the Emperour Rudolph and Mathias confirmed the liberties of Boheme by Letters reversall which in electiue Kingdomes are strong obligements of Princes and haue the force of mutuall contracts And Ferdinand the second by the like Letters declarations and Edicts confirmed the same But most solemnelie by his oath at his Coronation did sweare to maintaine both the Sacred and civill peace of the Impyre That hee would keepe the Electours Princes c. in their possessions dignities and rights That hee would keepe friendship and good correspondence in the Impyre and not bring strange forces in it That he would iniure or offer violence to no Elector nor Prince of the Impyre That hee would not proscriue any vnheard or without a cause That hee would not labour to turne the Imâ—yre hereditarie to his house And finallie that if hee did any thing beside or contraire to his Capitulation it should
of causes in his minde with equitie and puritie in his affections and yet wanting authoritie his sentence hath no weight nor his worke any efficacie But God hath joyned all these three in this Kinglie gift as their place is aboue privacie so are their eyes to see and their heartes aboue these base and perverting Passions and they are cled with supreme authoritie to giue life and power to their words They haue both a Mouth to pronounce and an Hand to doe for where the word of the King is there is power Iethros counsell to Moses hath all these Chuse said he men of courage and that because their administration will encounter many rubs of miscontent humours which they cannot through without Courage Next men that feare God because that is a Bridle to keepe them from ill and a Cordiall for faintnesse Thirdlie men that loue the Truth that is haue Veritie in their minde Veraoitie in their word and Sinceritie in their actions that Heart Tongue and Hand goe all one way And lastlie men that are not greedie because it is impossible for an avaricious man either to bee iust in private Bargans or righteous in Iudgement God hath stablished that Soveraigne power amongst men for three speciall reasons The first is the vniust and selfish disposition of man Wee are all in societies ought to seeke the good of the common and of our Neighbours but selfe-loue turneth euery man into himselfe It killeth in vs the loue of the common and of our Neighbour and suckes in our owne particular good with the hurt of them both God hath written this law in our hearts and in his word Doe to other as thou would be done to and hath given vs a Conscience to checke vs for the breach of that law But the violence of selfe-loue caries vs away against both Law and Conscience Therefore there must be without vs an Iustice clad with a coactiue power to represse that corruption that Conscience cannot mend This correcting Iustice God hath primelie seated in Princes So there is a necessitie of a living Law armed with authoritie to vrge the Observation of the written Law This is Gods arrest on mans corruption For the power of Kings and the force of the Sword and the instruments of the Burrio the Armes of Souldiers all the Discipline of Rulers are not appointed for nought For when men feare these thinges both the wicked are dauntoned and the Godlie liue more peaceablie among the wicked Innocen cie is safe among the vnrighteous that while their desires are bridled by the feare of punishment their will may bee healed by calling vpon God The second Reason is from our Lotte God hath given everie man his Lotte and fenced everie part of it from the Iniurie of his Neighbour with commands Hee hath fenced our Honour with the fift Command Thou shalt honour thy Father and Mother Our life with the fixt Thou shalt not kill Our Chastitie with the sevent Thou shalt not commit adulterie And our Goods by the eight Thou shalt not steale c. These Commands are like Marches in a field divyded to a Commonalitie whereof everie one hath his portion designed vnto him But man who can never bee content with Gods appointment is given to passe these Marches and incroacheth vpon his Neighbour to hurt him in his goods name c. Therefore God hath set Princes as Wardens of these Marches to see that they bee keeped as his Providence hath fixed them and everie mans Lotte secured by the ministration of iustice which is nothing else but a perambulation vpon the Lottes and Marches of people What are Kingdomes without Iustice but great robberies And by the iust governement of Kings wee possesse and brooke peaceablie our possession This is Gods Guarde on everie mans Lotte The third Reason is for settling inumerable and endlesse questions for everie calling hath the owne gift for it's worke and righteousnesse is the gift and accomplishment of Kings and God hath given them power as an Usher of that righteousnesse to make way for it through the bodie of their Kingdomes Right and Equitie are a straight Line and beeing rightlie applyed make a cleare difference in mens causes betweene Contentment and miscontentment Peace and oppression c. But mans affaires furnish many questions to his contentious humour and the least circumstance maketh a new case and every case altereth the state of the Question It is impossible to write such Lawes as can either meete with all cases or decide all questions That same question the day may bee diverse the morne by the smallest change of place Person or Time For this cause God hath sette Kings as living Lawes in respect of the habite of Iustice in them and speaking Lawes to expresse that Iustice by word Edicts And doing Lawes to apply the generalitie of the Law to everie particular by execution It was said of olde That the Common-wealth could not bee governed without wrongs so natiue to man is iniquitie And therefore the best Remeed is Iustice without which said an other Proverbe Iupiter himselfe can not reigne Iudgement is justlie put in the hand of Princes because their place setteth them aboue outward things that may corrupt or passions within that may bee corrupted They are aboue honour riches c. And so neede not be ambitious of honour nor greedie of goods And within foure things especiallie pervert Iudgement feare of Hurt hope of Gaine hatred of Boes loue of Friends Where these rule the Ballance is deceitfull persons causes are confounded together They see the right of their Foe as a wrong and the wrong of their Friende as a right What ever Iudge puttethon the person of a â—riend or Fâ—e in Iudgement hee layes aside both the person and Conscience of a Iudge But righteousnesse seated in the heart of Princes purgeth them of these base affections within and secureth them from these temptations without There is no temper nor disposition of it selfe more capable of Equity or more able to pronounce execute Iudgement aâ—ight Of Princes care of Religion THis much for the necessitie of Iustice The extent of it is not to bee restrained to civill things alone as though Princes might not meddle with Religion but God hath given them an interesse therein For if the proper worke of Iustice giue everie one his due then surelie that must bee her first taske to see God get his due and so Religion commeth within her compasse as the first and maine taske The Kings of the Earth serue Christ when they make Lawes for Christ and heerein they serue God if in their Kingdomes they command good and forbid evill and that not onelie in things pertaining to humane Societie but also in divine Religion In matters of Religion three parties haue interesse First GOD hath absolute power as Hee is the onelie Author and Obiect