c. 16. and confirmed unto him by Act of Parliament yet upon his death-bed confessed he had no right thereunto as Speed writeth 4. Because it was determined by all the Judges at the Arraignment Reason 4 of Watson and Clerke 1. Jacobs that immediately by descent his Majestie was compleatly and absolutely King without the Ceremony of Coronation which was but a royall ornament and outward solemnization of the descent And it is illustrated by Hen. 6. Speed l. 9. c. 16. that was not crowned till the ninth yeare of his reigne and yet divers were attainted of High Treason before that time which could not have beene done had he not beene King And we know that upon the death of any of our Kings The right heire to the Kingdome is King before he is crowned his Successor iâ— immediately proclaimed King to shew that he hath his Kingdome by descent and not by the people at his Coronation whose consent is then asked Why the peoples consent is asked not because they have any power to deny their consent or refuse him for their King but that the King having their assent may with greater security and confidence rely upon their loyalty Respect 2 2. As the Kings of Israel had full power and authority to make warre and conclude peace to call the greatest Assemblies as Moses Joshua David Iehosaphat and the rest of the Kings did to place and displace the greatest Officers of State as Solomon placed Abiathar in Sadoc's roome 2. Chron 19.11 and Iehosaphat appointed Amariah and Zebadiah rulers of the greatest affaires and had all the Militia of the Kingdome in their hands The absolute authority of the Kings of England Coke 7. rep fol 25. 6. Pâ—lyd Virgil. lib. 11. Speed Stâ—w c. so the Kings of England have the like for 1. He onely can lawfully proclaime warre as I shewed before and he onely can conclude peace 2. There is no Assembly that can lawfully meet but by his Authority and as the Parliament was first devised and instituted by the King as all our Historians write in the life of Hen. 1. so they cannot meet but by the Kings Writ 3. All Lawes Customes and Franchises are granted and confirmed unto the people by the King Rot. Claus 1. R. 2. n. 44. Smith de repub Angl. l. 2. c. 4. c. 5. 4. All the Officers of the Realme whether Spirituall or Temporall are chosen and established by him as the highest immediately by himselfe and the inferiour by an authority derived from him The absurdities of them that deny the Militia to the King 5. He hath the sole power of ordering and disposing all the Castles Forts and strong Holds and all the Ports Havens and all other parts of the Militia of this Kingdome or otherwise it would follow that the King had power to proclaime warre but not to be able to maintaine it and that he is bound to defend his Subjects but is denied the meanes to protect them which is such an absurdity as cannot be answered by all the House of Commons 6. The Kings of Israel were unto their people their honour their Soveraignes their life and the very breath of their nostrils as themselves acknowledge and so the Kings of England are the life the head and the authority of all things that be done in the Realme of England Smith de Repub. l. 2. Cambden Britan p. 132. supremam potestatem merum imperium apud nos habentes nec in Imperii clientelâ sunt nec investituram ab alio accipientes nec praeter Deum superiorem agnoscentes and their Subjects are bound by oath to maintaine the Kings Soveraignty in all causes and over all persons as well Ecclesiasticall as Civill and that not onely as they are singularly considered but over all collectively represented in the body politique for by sundry divers old authentique Histories and Chronicles it is manifestly declared and expressed that this Realme of England is an Empire and so hath beene accepted in the world In the Pâ—eface to a Staâ— 24. Hen. 8. c. 12. governed by one supreame Head and King having the dignity and royall estate of the Imperiall Crowne of the same unto whom a body politique compact of all sorts and degrees of people divided in termes and by names of spiritualty and temporalty have beene bounden and owen to beare next to God a naturall and humble obedience 3. As the duty of every one of the Kings of Israel was to be Respect 3 Custos utriusque tabulae to keepe the Law of God and to have a speciall care of his Religion and then to doe justice and judgement according to the Law of nature and to observe all the judiciall Lawes of that Kingdome so are the Kings of England obliged to discharge the same duties 1. To have the chiefest care to defend the faith of Christ The duty of the Kings of England and to preserve the honour of Gods Church as I shewed before 2. To maintaine common right according to the rules and dictates of nature And 3. To see the particular Lawes and Statutes of his owne Kingdome well observed amongst his people To all which the King is bound not onely virtute officii in respect of his office but also vinculo juramenti in respect of his oath which enjoyneth him to guide his actions not according to the desires of an unbridled will but according to the tyes of these established Lawes neither doe our Divines give any further liberty to any King but if he failes in these he doth offend in his duty 4. As the Kings of Israel were accountable for their actions Respect 4 unto none but onely unto God and therefore King David after he had committed both murder and adultery saith unto God Psal 51.4 Tibi soli peccavi as if he had said none can call me to any account for what I have done but thou alone and we never read that either the people did call or that the Prophets perswaded them to call any of their most idolatrous tyrannicall or wicked Kings to any account for their idolatrie The kings of England accountable for their actions onely to God tyrannie or wickednesse even so the Kings of England are accountable to none but to God 1. Because they have their Crowne immediately from God Reason 1 who first gave it to the Conquerour through his sword and since to the succeding Kings Smith de repub l. 1. c. 9. by the ordinary meanes of hereditary succession Reason 2 2. Because the oath which he takes at his Coronation binds him onely before God who alone can both judge him and punish him if he forgets it Reason 3 3. Because there is neither condition promise or limitation either in that Oath or in any other Covenant or compact that the King makes with the people either at his Coronation or at any other time that he should be accomptable or that they should question
of them have belebed forth against the Divine Truth of God's Word and the sacred Majesty of Kings Calvin in Amos cap. 7. Master Calvin a man otherwise of much worth and worthy to be honoured yet in this point transported with his own passion calleth those Blasphemers that did call King Henry the Eighth the Supreme Head of this Church of England Stapâ—â— cont â—â—dorn l 1. p. 22. and Stapleton saith that he handled the King himselfe with such villany and with so spitefull words as he never handled the Pope more spitefully and all for this Title of Supremacy in Church causes and in his 54. Epist to Myconius he termeth them prophane spirits and mad men that perswaded the Magistrates of Geneva not to deprive themselves of that authority which God had given them Viretus is more virulent for he resembleth them not to mad men as Calvin did but to white devils because they stand in defence of the Kings authority and he saith they are false Christians though they cover themselves with the cloak of the Gospell How Viretus would prove the temporall Pope as he calleth the King vvorse then the spirituall Pope affirming that the putting of all authority and power into the Civill Magistrates hands and making them Masters of the Church is nothing else but the changing of the Popedome from the Spirituall Pope into a Temporall Pope who as it is to be feared will prove worse and more tyrannous than the Spirituall Pope which he laboureth to confirme by these three reasons Reason 1 1. Because the Spiritual Pope had not the Sword in his own hand to punish men with death but was fain to crave the aid of the Secular power which the Temporal Pope needs not do 2. Because the old Spirituall Popes had some regard in their Reason 2 dealings of Councels Synods and ancient Canons but the new Secular Popes will do what they list without respect of any Ecclesiasticall Order be it right or wrong 3. Because the Romish Popes were most commonly very Reason 3 learned but it happeneth oftentimes that the Regall Popes have neither learning nor knowledge in divine matters and yet these shall be they that shall command Ministers and Preachers what they list and to make this assertion good he affirmeth that he saw in some places some Christian Princes under the title of Reformation to have in 10 or 20 yeares usurped more tyrannie over the Churches in their Dominions then ever the Pope and his adherents did in 600 yeares All which reasons are but meere fopperies Viretus his scandalous reasons answered blowne up by the blacke Devill to blast the beauty of this truth for we speake not of the abuse of any Prince to justifie the same against any one but of his right that cannot be the cause of any wrong and it cannot be denyed but an illiterate Prince may prove a singular advancer of all learning as Bishop Wickham was no great Scholler yet was he a most excellent instrument to produce abundance of famous Clerks in this Church and the King ruleth his Church by those Lawes which through his royall authority are made with the advice of his greatest Divines as hereafter I shall shew unto you yet these spurious and specious pretexts may serve like clouds to hide the light from the eyes of the simple So Cartwright also T. C. l. 2. p. 411 that was our English firebrand and his Disciples teach as Harding had done before that Kings and Princes doe hold their Kingdomes and Dominions under Christ as he is the Sonne of God onely before all worlds coequall with the father and not as he is Mediator and Governour of the Church and therefore the Christian Kings have no more to doe with the Church government then the Heathen Princes so Travers saith that the Heathen Princes being converted to the faith receive no more nor any further increase of their power whereby they may deale in Church causes then they had before so the whole packe of the Disciplinarians are all of the same minde and do hold that all Kings aswell Heathen as Christian receiving but one Commission and equall authority immediately from God have no more to doe with Church causes the one sort then the other And I am ashamed to set downe the rayling and the scurrilous speeches of Anthony Gilby against Hen. 8. Gilby in his admonition p. 69. Knox in his exhâ—ta iâ—n to the Nobility of Scotland fol. 77. and of Knox Whittingham and others against the truth of the Kings lawfull right and authority in all Ecclesiasticall causes For were it so as Cartwright Travers and the rest of that crew doe avouch that Kings by being Christians receive no more authority over Christ his Church then they had before * Which is most false yet this will appeare most evident to all understanding men that all Kings aswell the Heathens as the Christians are in the first place to see that their people do religiously observe the worship of that God which they adore and therefore much more should Christian Princes have a care to preserve the religion of Jesus Christ The Gentile Kings preservers of religion For it cannot be denyed but that all Kings ought to preserve their Kingdomes and all Kingdomes are preserved by the same meanes by which they were first established and they are established by obedience and good manners neither shall you finde any thing that can beget obedience and good manners but Lawes and Religion and Religion doth naturally beget obedience unto the Lawes therefore most of those Kings that gave Lawes were originally Priests Synes ep 126. Vide Amis part 2. pag. 14. Ad magnas râ—spubl utilitates retinetur religio in civitatibus Cicero de divin l. 2. and as Synesius saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Priest and a Prince was all one with them when the Kings to preserve their Lawes inviolable and to keepe their people in obedience that they might be happy became Priests and exercised the duties of Religion offering sacrifices unto their gods and discharging the other offices of the Priestly function as our factious Priests could willingly take upon them the offices of the King or if some of them were not Priests as all were not Law-makers yet all of them preserved Religion as the onely preservation of their Lawes and the happinesse of their Kingdomes which they saw could not continue without Religion But 2. In the Parliament 2. The wisedome of our grave Prelates and the learning of our religious Clergie having stopped the course of this violent streame and hindered the translation of this right of Kings unto their new-borne Presbyterie and late erected Synods There sprang up another generation out of the dregs of the former that because they would be sure to be bad enough out of their envy unto Kings and malice unto the Church that the one doth not advance their unworthinesse and the other doth not beare with their
to and intayled upon him in his own hands unclipped and unshaken for when the multitude shall be unbridled and the rights of the Kings are brandished in their hands we shall assuredly tast and I feare in too great a measure as experience now sheweth of those miserable evils which uncontrouled ignorance furious zeale false hypocrisie and the mercilesse cruelty of the giddy-headed people and discontented Peeres shall bring upon us and our Prince But to make it manifest unto the world what power and authority God hath granted unto Kings for the government of the Church and the preservation of his true religion we find them the worst men at all times and in all places that mislike their government The Kings that maintaine true religion make their Kingdoms happy and reject their authority and we see those Churches most happy and those Kingdomes most flourishing which God hath blessed with religious Kings as the State of the Church of Judaea makes it plaine when David Ezechias Josias and the other virtuous Kings restored the religion and purified that service which the idolatry of others their predecessours had corrupted and we know that as Moses * Exod. 14.31 Numb 12.7 8 Deut. 34.5 Josh 1.1 2. so Kings are called the servants of God in a more speciall manner then all others are that is not onely because they serve the Lord in the government of the Common wealth but especially because he vouchsafeth to use their service for the advancement of his Church and the honour of his sonne Christ here on earth or to distribute their duties more particularly we know the Lord expecteth The double service of all Christian Kings and so requireth a double service from every Christian King 1. The one common with all others to serve him as they are his creatures and Christians and therefore to serve him as all other Christians are bound to doe 2. The other proper and peculiar to them alone to serve him as they are Kings and Princes 1. As they are Christians In the first respect they are no more priviledged to offend then other men but they are tyed to the same obedience of Gods Lawes and are obliged to performe as many virtuous actions and to abstaine from all vices as well as any other of their Subjects and if they faile in either point they shall be called to the same account and shall be judged with the same severity as the meanest of their people and therefore Be wise O ye Kings Psal 2.10 be learned ye that are Judges of the earth Serve the Lord in feare and rejoyce unto him with reverence for with God there is no respect of persons Rom. 2.11 Psal 149.8 but if they doe offend he will binde Kings in fetters and their Nobles with linkes of iron and we dare not flatter you to give you the least liberty to neglect the strict service of the great God In the second respect 2. As they are Christian Kings and that is twofold the service of all Christian Kings and Princes hath as I told you before these two parts 1. To protect the true religion and to governe the Church of Christ 2. To preserve peace and to governe the Common-wealth For 1. It is true indeed that the Donatists of old 1. To protect the Church the grand fathers of our new Sectaries were wont to say Quid Imperatori cum Ecclesia what have we to doe with the Emperour Aug. cont lit petil l. 2. or what hath the Emperour to doe with the Church but to this Optatus answereth that Optat. Melivet lib. 3. Ille solito furore accensus in haec verba prorupit Donatus out of his accustomed madnesse burst forth into these mad termes Prima omnium in republ functionum est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist l. 7. c. 8. for it is a duty that lyeth upon all Princes because all both Christians and Pagans ought to be religious as I shewed to you before not onely to be devout but also to be the meanes to make all their Subjects so farre as they can to become devoted to Gods service as the practice of those Heathens that had no other guide of their actions then the light of nature doth make it plaine for Aristotle saith Aristot Polit. l. 3. c. 10. that Quae ad Deorum cultum pertinent commissa sunt regibus magistratibus those things that pertaine unto the worship of the gods are committed to the care of Kings and civill Magistrates and whatsoever their religion was as indeed it was but meere Superstition yet because Superstition and Religion hoc habent commune doe this in common Vt faciant animos humiles formidine divum Therefore to make men better the more humble and more dutifull the transgression thereof was deemed worthy to receive punishment among the Pagans and that punishment was appointed by them that had the principall authority to governe the Common-wealth The chiefâ— Mâ—gistrates of the Heathens had the charge of religion as the Athenian Magistrates condemned Socrates though he was a man wiser then themselves yet as they conceived very faulty for his irreligion and derision of their adored gods And Tiberius would set up Christ among the Roman gods though the act added no honour unto Christ without the authority and against the will of the Senate to shew that the care of religion belonged unto the Emperour or chiefe Magistrate and therefore as the Lord commanded the Kings of Israel to write a copie of his Law in a booke Deut. 17 18 19. and to take heed to all the words of that Law for to doe them that is not onely as a private person for so every man was not to write it but as King to reduce others to the obedience thereof so the examples of the best Kings both of Israel and Juda and of the best Christian Emperours doe make this plaine unto us Josh 24 23. for Ioshua caused all Israel to put away the strange gods that were among them The care of the good Kings of the Iewes to preserve the true religion and to incline their hearts unto the Lord God of Israel Manasses after his returne from Babylon tooke away the strange gods and the Idols out of the house of the Lord and cast them all out of the Citie and repaired the Altar of the Lord and commanded Iuda to serve the Lord God of Israel And what shall I say of David whose whole studie was to further the service of God and of Iehosaphat Asa Iosias Ezechias and others that were rare patternes for other Kings for the well government of Gods Church and in the time of the Gospell Quod non tollit praecepta legis sed perficit which takes not away the rules of nature nor the precepts of the Law but rather establisheth the one perfecteth the other because Christ came into the world non ut tolleret jura seculi sed ut
Martyn Travers Throgmorton Philips Nicholls and the rest of those introducers of Out-landish and Genevian Discipline first broached these uncouth and unsufferable tenets in our Land in the Realme of England and Scotland and truely if their opinions had not dispersed themselves like poyson throughout all the veines of this Kingdome and infected many of our Nobility and as many of the greatest Cities of this Kingdome as it appeareth by this late unparallâ—'d rebellion these and the rest of the trayterous authors of those unsavory bookes which they published and those damnable tenets which they most ignorantly held and maliciously taught unto the people should have slept in silence their hallowed and sanctified Treason should have remained untouched and their memoriall should have perished with them But seeing as Saint Chrysostome saith of the Heretiques of his time that although in age they were younger yet in malice they were equall to the ancient Heretiques and as the brood of Serpents though they are of lesse stature Our rebellious Sectaries farre worse then all the former Disciplinarians yet in their poyson no lesse dangerous then their dammes so no more have our new Sectaries our upstart Anabaptists any lesse wickednesse then their first begetters nay we finde it true that as the Poët saith Aetas parentum pejor avis Tulit nos nequiores These young cubbes prove worse then the old foxes for if you compare the whelpes with the wolves our latter Schismatickes with their former Masters I doubt not but you shall finde lesse learning and more villany lesse honesty and more subtilty hypocrisie and treachery in Doctor Burges Master Marshall â—â—se Goodwin Burrowes Calamy Perne Hill Cheynell and the rest of our giddy-headed Incendiaries then can be found in all the seditious Pamphlets of the former Disciplinarians or of them that were hanged as Penry for their treasons for these men doe not onely as Sidonius saith of the like apertè invidere 〈…〉 â—pâ—sâ— abjectè fingere serviliter superbiro openly envy the state of the Bishops basely forge lyes against them and servilely swell with the pride of their owne conceited sanctity and appâ—â—â—ut ignorance but they have also most impudently even 〈◊〉 their Pulpits slandered the footsteps of Gods Annointed and to brought the abhomination of their transgression to stand in the holy place they have with Achan troubled Israel and tormented the whole Land yea these three Kingdomes England Scotland and Ireland and for inciting provoking and incouraging simple ignorant poore discontented and seditious Sectaries For which their intolerable villanies if I be not deceived in my judgement they of all others and above all the Rebels in the Kingdome deserve the greatest and severest punishment God of Heaven give them the grace to repent to be Rebels and Traytors against their owne most gracious King they have not onely with Jerusalem justified Samaria Sodome and Gomorrah but they have justified all the Samaritanes all the Sodomites all the Schismaticks Hereticks Rebels and Traytors Papists and Atheists and all that went before them Iudas himselfe in many circumstances not excepted and that which makes their doings the more evill and the more exceedingly wicked is that they make religion to be the warrant for their evill doings the packe-horse to carry and the cloake to cover all their treacheries and thereby they drew the greater multitudes of poore Zelots to be their followers And therefore seeing it is not onely the honour but also the duty as of all other Kings so likewise of our King to be as the Princes of our Land are justly stiled the Defenders of the Faith and that not onely in regard of enemies abroad but also in respect of those farre worse enemies which desire alteration at home it behoves the King to looke to these home-bred enemies of the Church and seeing the King though never so willing for his piety and religion What Gods faithfull servants and the Kings loyall Subjects must doe in these times 1. To justifie the Kings right never so able for his knowledge and understanding yet without strength and power to effect what he desires cannot defend the faith and maintaine the true religion from the violence of Sectaries and Traytors within his Kingdome it behoves us all to doe these two things 1. To justifie the Kings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his authority and right to be the supreame governour and defender of the Church and of Gods true religion and service both in respect of Doctrine and Discipline and that none else Pope or Parliament hath any power at all herein but what they have derivatively from him which I hope we have sufficiently proved 2. 2 To assist Him against the Rebels To submit our selves unto our King and to adde our strength force and power to inable his power to discharge this duty against all the Innovators of our religion and the enemies of our peace for the honour of God and the happinesse of this Church and Common-wealth for that power which is called the Kings power and is granted and given to him of God is not onely that heroicke vertue of fortitude which God planteth in the hearts of most noble Princes as he hath most graciously done it in abundant measure in our most gracious King but it is the collected and united power and strength of all his Subjects which the Lord hath commanded us to joyne and submit it for the assistance of the Kings power against all those that shall oppose it and if we refuse or neglect the same then questionlesse whatsoever mischiefe idolatry barbarity or superstition shall take root in the Church and whatsoever oppression and wickednesse shall impaire the Common-wealth Heaven will free His Majestie and the wrath of God in no small measure must undoubtedly light upon us and our posterity even as Debora saith of them that refused to assist Barac against his enemies Curse ye Meroz Judg. 5.23 curse bitterly the Inhabitants thereof because they came not forth to helpe the Lord against the mighty CHAP. VIII Sheweth it is the right of Kings to make Ecclesiasticall Lawes and Canons proved by many authorities and examples that the good Kings and Emperours made such Lawes by the advice of their Bishops and Clergie and not of their Lay Counsellors how our late Canons came to be annulled that it is the Kings right to admit his Bishops and Prelates to be of his Councell and to delegate secular authority or civill jurisdiction unto them proved by the examples of the Heathens Jewes and Christians OUt of all this that hath been spoken it is more then manifest that the King ought to have the supreme power over Gods Church and the government thereof and the greatest care to preserve true religion throughout all his Dominions this is his duty and this is his honour that God hath committed not a people but his people and the members of his Son under his charge For the performance of which charge it is
the Lord himselfe had beene on our side and made our very enemies the Papists to become our friends and to hazard their lives and fortunes according to their duty to preserve the Crowne and Dignity of their King as God most wisely disposeth of things when he produceth light out of darkenesse and against their wills support our true Protestant religion from being quite defaced by these mercilesse enemies we might well feare what destruction would have come upon us And therefore considering the bitter writings of their Prophets old and new being fuller of gall and venome against Christian Kings then can be found in the bookes of the Jesuites and considering the wicked practices and this unparalleled rebellion of these new Proselytes and the loyalty of those that heretofore received least favour from the Church and not much from the State Tell me I pray you which of these deserve best to be suffered in a Protestant Church they that maliciously seeke her ruine or they that unwillingly support her from falling for my selfe I will ever be of the true Protestant faith yet for this loyalty of the Papists unto their King I will ever be in charity and rest in the same hope though not in the same faith with them and I doubt not but His Majestie will thinke well of their fidelity But as S. Bernard saith Non est meae humilitatis dictitare vobis it is not for me to prescribe who are most capable of grace or who best deserveth the Kings favour when his Princely grace presupposeth a sufficient merit but in humility to set downe mine owne opinion in this point of toleration with submission to the judgement of this Church wherein also I humbly desire my reader not to mistake me as if I meant such a publique and legall toleration as might breed a greater distraction in a Kingdome then the wisedome of the State could well master and raise more spirits then they could lay downe Grand Rebellion p. 5â— 6. but such as I have exprest in my Grand Rebellion that is a favourable connivence to injoy their own consciences so long as they live in peace and amity with their neighbours but without any publique exercise of their religion which can produce nothing else but discord distraction and destruction to that Kingdome where two religions are profest in Aequilibrio with the same priviledges and authority These and many more are the rights of Kings granted them by God for the government of his Church which they are to looke unto and to protect in all her rights service maintenance ordinances governours and the like if they looke that God should blesse and protect them in their wayes dignities and dues because it is their duties and the first charge that God layeth upon them Esay 49.23 to be nursing fathers unto his Church for God knew the Church should have many enemies intus est equus Trojanus and they are the worst that are nearest unto Kings and doe with Judas kisse with faire words and Machiavilian counsels betray both Church and King and in the end destroy themselves for who deceived Absolon though rightly but his own Counsellor who betrayed Ahab and that most wickedly but his lying Parasites and who overthrew Rehoboam and that foolishly but his young favourites * Which thing is purposely set downe in the holy Scripture to be a cave 〈◊〉 for all Kings not to rely too much upon young Counsellors not that wisedome and prudence are intayled to old age and inseperable from gray haires or divorced from greene heads but because commonly experience is the fruitfull mother of these faire issues and the multitude of yeares teacheth wisedome for otherwise there may be delirium senectutis the dotage of old age as well as vanitas juventutis the folly of youth and as Elihu saiâ—h Great men are not alwayes wise neither doe the aged understand judgement but as Solomon saith Wisedome even in youth is the gray haires and an undefiled life is the old age as we see young Ioseph was the wisest in all Egypt Solomon Daniel and Titus how wise how learned and how religious were they in their younger yeares So Alexander Haniball Scipio in the feates of warre Lucan Mirandula Keckerman and abundance more in all humane learning that were but Neophuti annis yet were egregij virtutibus young in yeares yet very admirable for their worth And Princes doe most wisely when they make such election especially when they are inforced to call men to places of labour and industry they must have some regard to the bodies as well as to the mindes of their servants and chuse men of younger yeares though not to be their favourites but their confidents according to the French distinction as His Majestie hath lately made choice of one noble servant who is as Nazianzen speakes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gray in the minde though yellow in the head and supplying in all manner of excellent parts what may be conceived wanting in yeares whose name so much already catched at by envy I shall ever reverence though now I purposely passe it over in silence and whom may the Church feare most of all but her dissembling friends that are in most favour with Kings and therefore seduce them soonest insensibly to wound the Care and neglect the Charge that is laid upon them because as S. Bernard saith Longè plus nocet falsus Catholicus quam si apertus appareret haereticus those eare-wigs are most pernicious whose counsels seeme to be most specious when they are but as the spirit of darkenesse appearing like an Angel of light when they say God indeed must be served and the Word must be preached but whether Bishop or no Bishop whether in a sumptuous Church or private house whether by an esteemed Clergy or a poore meane Ministrie in this manner or in another fashion it skilleth not much Kings may well enough give way to spare that cost to lessen that revenue and to pull downe these Cathedrals especially to give content unto the people and to defray the expensive charge of the Common-wealth But these counsels will not excuse Kings in the day of their account therefore let them take heed of such Counsellors and when they heare them begin to speake against the Church though they be-guild their beginnings never so slily let them either stop their eares with the Cockatrice Psal 58.5 that will not heare the voyce of the charmer charme he never so wisely or let them answer as our Saviour answered their grand instructor Matth. 4.10 Vade Satana non tentabis for it is most true that Qui deliberat jam desivit he that listens to them is halfe corrupted by them and so they may prove destructive both to themselves and to their posterity for as nothing establisheth the Throne of Kings surer then obedience to God so nothing is more dangerous then rebellion against God with whom there is no respect of persons Rom. 2.11
most unjustly wrest out of his hands and under the shew of humble Petitioners to become at last proud Commanders for as one saith They whom no deniall can withstand Seeme but to aske while they indeed command 3. His Assistants learned honest and religious 3. For the persons that warre with him they are the cheifest of the Nobility all the best Gentry that hazard their lives not for filthy lucre for the Kings Revenues being so unjustly detained from him they are faine to supply his necessities and to beare their owne charges and the poore common Soldiers are nothing wanting to doe their best endeavours neither need they to feare any thing because 4. The King hath a just right to give them full power and authority to doe execution upon these Rebells as I have proved unto you before 4. His authority sacred and unquestionable And therefore the result of all is that the Parliament side under the pretence of Religion fighting if not for the Crowne yet certainely for the full power and authority of the King who shall have the ordering of the Militia that is What the pretended Parliament is who shall have the government of this Kingdome which is all one as who shall be the King they or King CHARLES and which is the very question that they would now decide by the sword in taking away our goods are theeves and robbers in killing their brethren are bloudy murderers and in resisting their King are rebellious traytors that as the Apostle saith purchase to themselves damnation when as the Prophet Esay speaketh of the like Rebells being hardly bestead and hungry Esay 8.21.22 as I beleeve thousands of them are in London and other rebellious Cities they shall fret themselves and curse their King and their God and looke upward as I feare many of them doe curse the King with their tongues and God in their hearts and they shall looke unto the earth and behold trouble and darknesse dimnesse and anguish and they shall be driven to darkenesse even to utter darkenesse where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Matth. 8.12 if by a true repentance they doe not betimes rent their hearts and forsake their fearefull sinnes And the Kings side in this warre doing no further then the King gives Commission do no more then what God commandeth and therefore living they shall be accounted Loyall Subjects worthy of honour and dying they shall be sure to be everlastingly rewarded CHAP. XIII Sheweth how the first government of Kings was arbitrary the places of Moses Deut. 17. and of Samuel 1. Sam. 8. discussed whether Ahab offended in desiring Naboths Vineyard and wherein why absolute power was granted unto Kings and how the diversities of government came up 2. Part of the regall governement in the time of peace 2. HAving thus shewed you Potestatem ducendi the Kings right and power of making warre it resteth that I should speake De potestate judicandi of his power and right of judgeing and governing his people in the time of peace touching which we finde none denying his right but all the difference is about the manner where Master Selden in his titles of Honour p. 15. 1. I finde Master Selden rejecting as ridiculous the testimony of Justine which saith Populus nullis legibus tenebatur sed arbitria regum pro legibus erant That the first government of Kings was arbitrary the people were kept under by no Lawes but the will of their Kings was all the Law they had but as oportet mendacem esse memorem so it behoves him that opposeth the truth to be very subtle and very mindfull of his owne discourse otherwise a meaner Scholler having such advantage as the truth to assist him may easily get the victory for though he goeth about to consute the reason that some alleadge for the denyall of those times to be governed by any Law because the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not to be found in all Homer Homer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in hymnis ad Apoll. but wheresoever he speakes of Justice he expresseth the same by the word Themis and saith that this is false which he proveth from Homers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and sheweth that there were Lawes before Homers time from Talus his Lawes that were written in brasse in the Isle of Crete Ioseph advers Appion l. 5. yet all this may be answered and Justines opinion prove most true for Talus his time must needs be uncertaine Plutarch in lib. de Hero and by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Homer meanes the just measure of riming but never useth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the set Law of living besides there were many ages and many Kings before Homers time and before Talus Minos Radamantus or any other Law-maker that you reade of Moses was the first that I finde either giving Lawes or inventing Letters and yet there were many Kings before Moses Gen. 14.1 2. nine Kings named in one Chapter and what Lawes had they to governe their people besides their owne wils and therefore Master Selden vi veritatis victus confesseth that in the first times in the beginning of States there were no Lawes but the arbitrements of Princes as Pomponius speaketh and pag. 4. Pompon de origine juris ff l. 1. § 2. he saith the people seeing the inconveniences of popular rule chose one Monarch under whose arbitrary rule their happy quiet should be preserved Iosephus regnū appellat imperium summum unius hominis non ex lege sed ex arbitrio imperanti◠Antiquit l. 4. where also you may observe his great mistake in making the Monarchie to spring out of the Democracie when as I have proved before the Monarchicall government was many hundred of yeares before we heare mention of any other forme of government but in any governement Doctor Saravia saith and he saith most truly Quisquis summum obtinet imperium sive is sit unus rex sivè pauci nobiles vel ipse populus universus supra omnes leges sunt Saravia de imperand autor l. 2. c. 3. ratio haec est quòd nemo sibi ferat legem sed subditis suis se legibus nemo adstringit huc accedit illa ratio quòd neque suis legibus teneri possit scil rex cum nemo sit scipso superior Barclaius l. 3. c. 16. nemo à seipso cogi possit leges à superiore tantum sciscantur dentūrque inferioribus And so Arnisaeus saith and proveth at large Arnis l. c. c. 3◠p. 49 50. Majestatis essentiam consistere in summa absoluta potestate that the being of Majestie and Soveraignty consisteth in the highest and most absolute power Irvinus cap. 4. p. 64 65 And Irvinus alleadgeth many testimonies out of Aristotle Cicero Vlpian Dio Constant Harmenopolus and others to prove that Rex legibus non subjicitur And
cause lest we should think it lawfull to swallow a Camell because we are able to streane a gnat and let us not be afraid where no feare is and think those things sinfull that are most lawfull A heavy judgement upon this Nation by mistaking sinnes 6. From perplexity which is a heavy judgement of God upon the wicked and hath now lighted very sore upon many of the Inhabitants of this land who thinke it Popery to say God blesse you and judge it idolatry to see a Crosse in Cheap-side 6. If it be of perplexity when a man is close as he conceives betwixt two sinnes where he seeth himselfe vnable though never so willing to avoyd both let him peccare in tutiorem partem which though it takes not away the sinne yet it will make the fault to be the lesse sinne as the casting away of the corne which is the gift of God and the sustenance of mans life is an unthankfull abuse of Gods creature Act. 27.38 yet as S. Paul caused the same to be cast into the Sea for the safeguard of their lives so must we doe the like when occasion makes it necessary as now rather to kill our enemies the Rebells though we should think it to be ill then suffer them to wrong our King and to destroy both Church and Kingdome because that of two things which we conceive evill When things are to be judged inevitable and are not both evitable the choice of the lesser to avoyd the greater is not evill but they are then to be judged inevitable when there is no apparent ordinary way to avoid them Hooker Eccles pol. l 5. p. 15. because that where counsell and advice doe beare rule we may not presume of Gods extraordinary power without extraordinary warrant saith iuditious Mr Hooker 7. If it be of too much humility 7. From too much humility which is an error of lesse danger yet by no meanes to be fostered lest by gathering strength it proves most pernitious they should pray to God to preserve them from too much feare Multos in summa periculamisit venturi timor ipse mali Lucan l 7. for though as S. Gregory saith bonarum mentium est ibi culpas agnoscere ubi culpa non est yet as J said before it is a heavy Iudgement and a want of Gods grace to be afraid where no feare is and it makes men to commit many sins many times for feare of sinne And thus having rectified our conscience in the understanding of all these things we are bound by the commandement of God to be obedient unto the commands of our King for it is a paradox to say Christians are free from the Lawes of men Act. 15.20 Rom. 13.2.3 1. Peter 2.13 because it was a human law touching things strangled blood and the Apostles doe exact our obedience unto human lawes even the Lawes of Heathen and Idolatrous Emperours and therefore being bound to obey them they cannot be freed in conscience from the Religion of them and so Dr Whitaker saith that as the Lawes of God must be simply obeyed without any difference of time place and circumstance so must the Lawes of men be obeyed as the circumstances doe require for example he that is a Roman and liveth at Rome must obey the Roman Lawes and he saith that the authority of the Magistrate which is sacred and holy cannot with any good conscience be contemned because it is the commandement of God that we should obey them Whitaker contra Camp p. 258. Ob. and this saith he doth binde the conscience when as the Apostle saith he is to be obeyed for conscience sake But you will say what if the King forbids me to doe what God commandeth as the high Priest did to the Apostles or commandeth me to doe what God forbiddeth as Julian did unto the Christians and Nebuchadnezzar to the three children We have often answered that in such a case Sol. it is better to obey God then man for it is sometimes lawfull not to obey Act. 5.25 but it is never lawfull to resist Ob. What if he compells us by force and violence to doe what God forbids us to do if he play 's the Tyrant violates our Laws and corrupts the true Religion with Idolatry and superstition may we not then as our forefathers did heretofore unto Chilperick King of France to Richard the second of this Kingdom and others bridle them and Depose them too if they will not be ruled by their Great Councell the Parliament I. â—â—gus â—â—â—saeus de â—â—thor princi 〈◊〉 Pop. I answer first Non spectandum quid factum sit sed quid fieri debuerit we are not so much to regard what hath been done as what ought to have been done as Arnisaeus proveth at large and sheweth most excellently with a full answer to all the articles that were alleadged against those Kings how unjustly they were handled and deposed contrary to all right and I wish that book were translated into English 2. Of our passive obed 2. I say that when our active obedience cannot be yeelded our passive obedience must be used for were our Kings as Tyrannicall as Nero as Idolatrous as Manasses as wicked as Achab and as Prophane as Iulian yet we may not resist wheÌ„ as Arnisaeus proveth by many many examples Idâ—m cap. 3. p. 68. that the Rebellion of Subjects against their King doth overthrow the order of nature and Justinian saith quis est tantae autoritatis ut nolentem principem possit coarctare but in such a case we must doe as all the Saints did before us not as the Heathens which thought them worthy of divine honour Cicero pro Milone Seneca in Hercul fur which did kill a Tyrant and said with Seneca victima haud ulla amplior Potest magisque opima mactari Iovi Quà m Rex iniquus But Christ and his Apostles suffered but never resisted the lawfull Magistrate as Christ himselfe suffered under Pontius Pilate a most wicked Magistrate and registred in the breviary of our Faith that we might never forget our duty rather to suffer then to resist the authority that is from Heaven and as Saint Ambrose answered the Emperour that would have his Church delivered to the Arians I shall never be willing to leave it coactus repugnare non novi if I be compelled I have not learned to resist I can grieve and weep and sigh and against the Armes and Gotish Souldiers my teares are my weapons for those are the Bulworkes of the Priest who in any other manner neither can neither ought he to resist so must all Christians rather by suffering death then by resisting our King to enter into the Kingdome of Heaven But 't is objected by our Sectaries Ob. The Author of the Treatise of Monarchy p. 31. Sol. The Law provides that the King should not be circumvented and wronged that His Majesty confesseth there is a
undutifulnesse will needs transferre this right of ruling Gods Church unto a Parliament of Lay-men the King shall be denuded of what God hath given him and the people shall be indued with what God and all good men have ever denyed them I deny not but the Parliament men as they are most noble and worthy Gentlemen so many of them may be very learned and not a few of them most religious and I honour the Parliament rightly discharging their duties Hugo de Sancto Vict. lib. 2. de sacr fid par 2. cap. 3. Laicis Christianis fidelibus terrena possidere conceditur clericis verò tantùm spiritualiâ— committuntur quae autem illâ— spiritualia sunt subjicit c. 5. dicent omnis ecclesiastica administratio in tribus consistit in sacramentis in ordinibus in praeceptis Ergo Laici nihil juris habent in legibus praeceptis condendis ecclesiasticit as much as their modesty can desire or their merit deserve neither doe I gain-say but as they are pious men and the greatest Councell of our King so they may propose things and request such and such Lawes to be enacted such abuses to be redressed and such a reformation to be effected as they thinke befitting for Gods Church but for Aarons seed and the Tribe of Levi to be directed and commanded out of the Parliament chaire how to performe the service of the Tabernacle and for Lay men to determine the Articles of faith to make Canons for Church-men to condemne heresies and define verities and to have the chiefe power for the government of Gods Church as our Faction now challengeth and their Preachers ascribe unto them is such a violation of the right of Kings such a derogation to the Clergy and so prejudiciall to the Church of Christ as I never found the like usurpation of this right to the eradication of the true religion in any age for seeing that as the Proverb goeth Quod medicorum est promittunt medici tractant fabrilia fabri what Papist or Athiest will be ever converted to professe that religion which shall be truly what now they alleadge falsely unto us a Parliamentary religion or a religion made by Lay men with the advice of a few that they choose è faece Cleri I must seriously professe what I have often bewayled to see Nadab and Abihu offering strange fires upon Gods Altar to see the sacred offices of the Priests so presumptuously usurped by the Laity and to see the children of the Church nay the servants of the Church to prescribe Lawes unto their Masters and I did ever feare it to be an argument not onely of a corrupted but also of a decaying State when Moses chaire should be set in the Parliament House and the Doctors of the Church should never sit thereon therefore I wish that the Arke may be brought backe from the Philistines and restored to the Priests to be placed in Shilo where it should be and that the care of the Arke which King David undertooke may not be taken out of his hands by his people but that he may have the honour of that service which God hath imposed upon him For 3. Opinion Of the Oâ—thodox Quia religio est ex potioribus reipublica partibus ut aâ—t Aristot Polit. l. 7. c. 8. ipsa sola custodit hominum inter se societateâ— ut ait Lâ—ctant de ira Dei cap. 12. Veritura Troia perdidit primum Deos. 3. As nothing is dearer to understanding righteous and religious Kings then the increase and maintenance of true religion and the inlargement of the Church of Christ throughout all their Dominions so they have at all times imployed their studies to this end because it is an infallible maxime even among the Politicians that the prosperity of any Kingdome flourisheth for no longer time then the care of religion and the prosperity of the Church is maintained by them among their people as we see Troy was soone lost when they lost their Palladium so it is the truest signe of a declining and a decaying State to see the Clergy despised and Religion disgraced and therefore the provision for the safety of the Church the publique injoying of the Word of God the forme of Service the manner of Government and the honour and maintenance of the Clergie are all the duties of a most Christian King which the King of Heaven hath imposed upon him for the happinesse and prosperity of his Kingdome and whosoever derive the authority of this charge either in a blinde obedience to the See of Rome as the Jesuites doe or out of their too much zeale and affection to a new Consistory as the late Presbyterians did or to a Lay Parliament as our upstart Anabaptists and Brownists doe are most unjust usurpers of the Kings right which is not onely ascribed unto him and warranted by the Word of God but is also confirmed to the Princes of this Land by severall Acts of Parliament Therefore the Tyrians châ—yâ—â—d their gods lest if they fled thâ—y should be destroyed to have the supremacie in all causes and over all persons as well in the Ecclesiasticall as in the Civill governement which being so they are exempted thereby from all inforcement of any domesticall or forraigne power and freed from the penalties of all those Lawes both Ecclesiasticall and Civill whereunto all their Subjects Clergy and Laity Q. Curtius de rebus Alexand. Joh. Beda p. 22 23. and all inferiour Persons and the superiour Nobility within their Kingdomes are obliged by our Lawes and Statutes as hereafter I shall more fully declare Therefore it behoveth all Kings and especially our King at this time seriously to consider what prejudice they shall create unto themselves and their just authority if they should yeild themselves inferiour to their Subjects aggregativè or repraesentativè or how you will or liable to the penall Lawes for so they may be soone dethroned by the unstable affection and weake judgement of discontented people or subject to the jurisdiction of Lay Elders and the excommunication of a tyrannous Consistory who denounceing him tanquam Ethnicum Matth. 18.17 may soone adde a stranger shall not raigne over thee Deut. 17.15 and so depose him from all government For seeing all attempts are most violent that have their beginning and strength from zeale unto religion be the same true or false and from the false most of all and those are ever the most dangerous whose ringleaders are most base as the servile warre under Spartacus was most pernicious unto the Romans there can be nothing of greater use or more profitable either for the safety of the King How necessary it is for Kings to retaine their just rights in their hands the peace of the Church and the quiet state of the Kingdome then for the Prince the King to retaine the Militia and to keepe that power and authority which the Lawes of God and of our Land have granted
especially considering that the discharging of those good duties to give counsell to doe justice to relieve the distressed and the like are more acceptable recreations unto them as it was meate and drinke to Christ to doe his fathers will then the other fore-named exercises are or can be to any others and considering also John 4.34 that where the Bishop or Pastor hath great affaires and much charge he may have great helpes and much aid to assist him You will allow us an houre for our recreation why will you not allow us that houre to doe justice 2. If you say they are spirituall men and therefore cannot Ob. 2 have so great a care of the temporall State and Common-wealth I answer that as now the Common-wealth is the Church Sol. 1 The ability of thâ— Clergy to manage civill affaires and the Church is the Common-wealth and have as good interest therein and better we hope then many of the Common-wealth have in the Church and they should be as able to understand what is beneficiall to the Common-wealth as any other for Ignatius saith Ignat. epist ad Ephes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Kings ought to be served by wise men and by those that are of great understanding 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not to be attended upon by weake and simple men and if Kings must be served by such men then certainly the service of God is not to be performed by Weavers and Taylors and others like Jeroboams Priests but it will require men of great abilities learning and understanding in all businesses whatsoever such as are indeed well able to discourse De quolibet ente And they have very unprofitably consumed themselves with their time in their head pain vigils and heart-breaking studies in traversing over all the Common-wealths of the world The Clergy of better ab lities to benefit the Common-wealth thâ—n many others that now swâ—y it if they have learned nothing whereby they may benefit their owne Common-wealth or doe understand lesse what belongeth unto the good of their Countrey especially in matters of equity and right then illiterate Burgesses and meere Chapmen for if you reade but the bookes of the Prophets you shall finde how plentifull they are in the precepts of peace in the policies of warre and in the best counsels for all things which concerne the good of the Common-wealth and doe not the Divines reade the Histories of all or most other Common-wealths how else shall they be inabled to propose unto their people the example of Gods justice upon the wicked and his bounty and favour unto the observers of his Lawes throughout all ages and in all places of this world and will you deprive the King of the assistance of such instruments for the government of his people The imployment of the Bishops in civill affaires is the good of the Common-wealth that are stronger then any one man can rule and would quickly despise Heaven and destroy the earth if their consciences were not awed with religion or would you damme up the channels of those benefits that should flow from them to the Common-wealth for it is not the addition of any honour to the calling of a Bishop but the Kings interest and the peoples good that is aymed at when we assert the capacity of the Clergy to discharge the offices of the most publique affaires Petrus Blesensis ep 84. because as Petrus Blesensis saith it is the office of the Bishops to instruct the King to righteousnesse to be a rule of Sanctity and sobriety unto the Court to mixe the influences of Religion with the designes of State and to restraine the malignity of the ill-disposed people and all histories doe relate unto us that when pious Bishops were imployed in the Kings Counsells the rigor of the lawes was abated equity introduced the cry of the poore respected their necessities releived the liberties of the Church preserved pride depressed religion increased the devotion of the Laity multiplied the peace of the Kingdome flourished and the tribunals were made more just and mercifull then now they be And therefore the sacred histories doe record of purpose how the people of God never adventured upon any action of waight and moment before they had well consulted with the Preists and Prophets as you see in the example of Ahab No Nation attempted any great matter without the advice of their Priests that was none of the best Kings yet would not omit this good duty and such was the custome of all other Countries wheresoever there was any religion or reverence of God Quae enim est respub ubi ecclesiastici primum non habeant locum in comitiis publicis de salute reipub deliberationibus for which is that Common-wealth where the Ecclesiasticall persons had not the first place in all meetings and publique consultations about the welfare of the Common-wealth as in Germany the three spirituall Electors are the first in France the three Ecclesiasticall persons were the first of all the Peeres in England till this unhappy time the two Archbishops and in Poland as many were wont to have the chiefest place and not unworthily quia aequum est Apud Euseb Paphilum l. 11. antestent in concilio qui antestant prudentia nec videtur novisse res humanas nisi qui divinas cognitas habet Strabo l. 4. Caesar de bello Gallico lib. 6. as the Indian said unto Socrates and therefore the Chaldeans the Egyptians the Grecians the Romanes the French and the Britons thought it alwayes ominous to attempt any notable thing in the Common-wealth without the sad and sage advice of their Priests and Prophets for they knew the neglect of God was never left without due revenge and though their false gods were no gods yet the true God was found to have beene a sharpe revenger of the contempt of the false gods because that to them they were proposed for the true gods and they believed them so to be as Lactantius sheweth and therefore all antiquity that bare any reverence to any Deity shewed all reverence and respect unto the teachers of his religion but now men desire to throw learning over the Barre because it should not discover the ignorance of the Bench or rather piety is excluded because it should not reprove their iniquity And the Clergy must not sit on the seat of judgement that the Laity may doe injustice without controule or perhaps revenge themselves upon their Ministers on the Bench for reproving their vices in the Church so the Devill gaineth whatsoever piety looseth by their depression 2. As the Clergy-men are as able 2. The desire of the Clergy to do good to the State so they are as willing and as carefull to provide for the good of the State as any other for themselves are members of the Common-wealth and they are appointed by God to be watchmen and over-seers to fore tell what mischiefes or felicities are like to
any of these Sects that may be commorant within his Kingdomes Touching which I say that besides dissembling hypocrites and prophane worldlings that have no faith nor any other religion but the shadow of that religion whatsoever it is which is profest wheresoever they are Foure speciall sorts of false Professors 1. Jewes there may be in any Kingdome Jewes Turkes Papists Puritans and the like or to call them otherwise Idolaters Heretiques Schismatiques c. And 1. For the Jewes though they have many things in their religion which will ever alienate them from the Papists yet they have free leave to use their ancient Ceremonies in Rome Whitak against Campian translated by Master Stocke p. 311. saith Doctor Whitaker and it is well knowne that many pious Princes have permitted them to dwell and to exercise their owne religion in this Kingdome the old Jurie in London is so called because it was allotted for their abode and the Lawes of many Christian Emperours have in like sort permitted them to do the like in their Dominions With what cautions the Jewes are to be suffered Deut. 7.3 Exod. 23.32 Doctor Covell c. 14. p. 199. but with those cautions and limitations that Moses prescribed unto the Jewes to be observed with the Heathens and Idolaters that dwelt amongst them that is neither to make marriages with them nor to communicate with them in their religion And S. Augustine is reported to be so favourable towards them that he alleadgeth severall reasons for their toleration As 1. 1. Reason for their toleration That above and before others they had the promise of salvation and therefore though some of the branches be cut off and the case of the rest be most lamentable yet not altogether desperate and incurable Rom. 11.24 25 if we consider what the Apostle setteth downe of their conversion and re-unition unto the good right olive tree 2. That the Prophet David speaking of them made that Reason 2 prayer unto God Slay them not O Lord Psal 59.11 lest my people forget it but scatter them abroad among the Heathen and put them downe O Lord our defence for many excellent ends as first that their being scattered among the Christians might shew both the Clemency and severity of God towards us mercy and clemency and towards them justice and severity which may likewise happen unto us if wee take not heed as the Apostle bids us Rom. 11.20 Wee may not force the Jewes to beleeve Be not high-minded but feare and secondly that being among the Christians they might the sooner at all times by their charity and prayers be reduced the more willingly to imbrace the faith of Christ when as unwillingly wee may neither compell them nor take their children to be baptized from them And therefore as the Princes of this Realme for divers causes hurtfull to their State have banished them out of their Dominions so if they see good cause to permit them as time may change the condition of things they may do as by their counsell they shall be advised either the one or the other to receive them or reject them without offence because we find no speciall precept or direction in Gods Word either to banish or to cherish them in any Kingdome 2 Turkes 2 For the Turkes the reasons are not much unlike though something different and in my judgement no lesse tolerable then the other because somewhat neerer to the Christian faith therefore I leave them to the Lawes of each Kingdome to do as the wisedome of the Prince shall thinke fit 3. Papists 3 For the Papists the case is farre otherwise with them then either with the Turkes or Jewes because 1 They professe the same faith quoad essentialia the same Creedes the same Gospell and the same Christ as we do 2 It is not denyed by the best of our Divines but that they together with us do constitute the same Catholicke Church of Christ though they be sicke and corrupted yet not dead and we strong and sound yet not unspotted members of the same as I have more fully shewed in my booke of the true Church 3. Popist 3 It is not agreed upon by all our Divines that they are idolaters though they be in great errours and implunged in many superstitions because every Church in errour though never so dangerous is not so desperate as that Church which is Idolatrous or be it granted which some of our Protestants will not admit that they were Idolaters Carol. Sigon l. 5. c. 11. p. 174. yet seeing not only seaven speciall sort of heresies as 1 the Sadduces 2 the Scribes 3 the Pharises The Hemero-baptists such as baptized themselves every day 5 The Osseni which Josephus calleth Essai 6 The Nazarites And 7 the Herodians whereof some denied the resurrection and the being of Angels and spirits but also Idolaters and heathens that knew not God but worshipped the Devill insteed of God were not inhibited to dwell and inhabit among the Jewes of whose Religion notwithstanding God was as carefull to preserve the purity of it and as jealous to keepe them from Idolatry as of any Nation that then or ever after lived upon the earth it is no question but if it please the King permission may be granted them to exercise their owne religion not publikely and autoritative equally with the Protestant but quietly and so as I have shewed in my Grand Rebellion Grand Rebell c. 1. p. 5. 6. for I am not of their faith which hold it more safe and lesse dangerous to be conversant with the Turkes or Jewes and to have more neerenesse with them then with an Idolatrous Church that professeth Christ because that where the greater distance is from the true religion there the lesser familiarity and neerenesse should be in conversation and the greater distance in communion therefore as the wrath of God was kindled against the Israelites because they had the Jewes their owne brethren The least familiarity in conversation where there is greatest distance from truth in greater detestation then the Idumeant or the Egyptians whose idolatry must needs be farre greater and their Religion farre worse in their owne judgement then that of the Jewes so we may feare the like anger from God if we will be so partiall in our judgement and so transported with disaffection as to prefer a blasphemous Turke or an impious Jewe before those men though ignorantly idolatrous that do with all feare and reverence worship the same God and adore the name of Christ as we do And we read that the Emperour Justinus a right Catholique Prince as Bishop Horne calleth him Bishop Horne against Fekenham Iustinus gave a toleration to the Arians at the request of Theodoricke King of Italy granted licence that the Arians which denied the Deity of our Saviour Christ and were the worst of Heretiques and therefore worse then any Papist should be restored and suffered to live after
their owne orders and Pope John for the peace and quietnesse of the Catholique Church requested him most humbly so to doe which he did for feare of Theodoric that otherwise threatned the Catholiques should not live Ob. But you will say the fatall successe that that befell to King Davids house for Solomons permission of divers religions to be divided into two parts and the best ten Tribes for two to be given unto a stranger and the principall care of a pious Prince being to preserve pure religion Deut. 17 18 19. which is soone infected by Idolatrous neighbours do rather disprove all toleration then any wayes connive with them that are of a different religion and if we read the Oration of the league to the King of France wherein that Orator numbereth their victories and innumerable successes whilest they had but one religion and their miseries and ill fortunes when they fostered two religions it will appeare how farre they were from allowing a toleration of any more then one religion in one Kingdome Sol. The true cause of renting Solomons Kingdome Ps 106.35 Yet to this it may be easily answered that Solomons Kingdom was not rent from his posterity for his permission of idolaters to dwell in his Kingdome which the Law of God did not forbid but for that fault which his father taxed the Jewes with they were mingled among the heathen and learned their workes for his commixtion of alliances with strangers and the corruption of true religion by his marrying of so many idolatrous wives and so becomming idolatrous himself and thereby inducing his subjects the Israelites to be the like and for the Oration of the league there is in that brave Orator want of Logicke ignoratio eleuchi non causae ut causae for you know what the Poet saith Careat successibus opto Quisquis ab eventu facta notanda putat and we must not judge of true causes by the various successe of things and I may say it was not the professing of one religion but the sincere serving of God in that true religion which brought to them and will bring to others prosperous successe against the infidels neither was it the permitting of two religions or to speake more properly the diversity of opinions in the same religion but their emulation and hatred one against another their pride and ambition and many other consequences of private discords might be the just causes of their misfortunes 4. For the Puritans Brownists Anabaptists Heretiques 4. Puritans and Schismatickes that are deemed neither Infidels nor Idolaters but do obstinately erre in some points of faith as the Arians that denied the Divinity of Christ and the Nestorians that denied repentance to them which sinned after baptisme and the like pernicious heresies though not all alike dangerous or do make a Schisme or a rent in the Church of Christ as the Donatists did in Saint Augustines time and the Anabaptists and Puritans do in our dayes I say these are not to be esteemed and expelled as deadly enemies but to be suffered and respected as weake friends if they proceede not to be turbulent and malicious who then may prove to be more dangerous both to Church and State then any of the former sort that professe their religion with Peace and quietnesse What wrong Professors are chiefly to be suffered for it is not the Profession of this or that religion but the malice and wickednesse of the professer that is the bane and poyson of the Church wherein it resteth for what is diversity of opinions in the Church of God but tares among the wheat and our Saviour sheweth that the tares should not be plucked up Matth. 13.29 but suffered to grow with the wheat to teach us that in respect of externall communion and civill conversation Why to be suffered either for the exercise of the godly or in hope to convert the ungodly all sorts of Professors may live together though in respect of our spirituall communion and exercise of our religion the Heretique shall be cast forth and be unto me tanquam Ethnicus Publicanus with whom notwithstanding I may converse as our Saviour did with hope that I may convert them unto him which could never be done if they should be quite excluded our company and banished from all holy society And therefore as the prudent Prince seeth the disposition and observeth the conversation of any Faction and the turbulency of any Sect so he knoweth best how to advice with his counsell to grant his toleration to them that best deserve it not so much in respect of the meliâ—rity of their religion as their peaceable and harmelesse habitation among their neighbours without rayling against their faith or rebelling against their Prince And thus as the case now standeth I see not any Sect or any sort of Professors that for turbulency of spirit madnesse of zeale and violency of hatred and persecution to the true Protestants are more dangerous to the true religion and deserve losse favour from their pious Prince then these Anabaptists Brownists and Puritans that have so maliciously plotted and so rebelliously prosecuted their damnable designes to the utter ruine both of Church and State Doctor Covell cap. 15. p. 212. His description of the Puritans Doctor Covell long agoe when they were not halfe so bad as they be now saith they pretend gravity reprehend severely speake gloriously and all in hypocrisie they daily invent new opinions and runne from errour to errour their wilfulnesse they account constancy their deserved punishment persecution their mouthes are ever open to speake evill And to confirme this description reade what King JAMES writeth of them in his Basilicon Doron p. 160. 161. and in the Historie of the conference at Hampton-Court in anno 603. p. 81 82. they give neither reverence nor titles to any in place above them in one word the Church cannot feare a more dangerous and fatall enemy to her peace and happinesse a greater cloud to the light of the Gospell a stronger hand to pull in barbarisme and poverty into all our Land a more furious monster to breed contempt and disobedience in all estates a more fretting canker to the very marrow and sinewes of this Church and Kingdome then this beast who is proud without learning presumptuous without authority zealous without knowledge holy without religion and in briefe a most dangerous and malicious hypocrite and were therefore banished from amongst us in the dayes of Queene Elizabeth but now deserve it farre better being more dangerous because farre more numerous * Huc usque and therefore I cannot say with S. Bernard Aut corrigendi ne percant aut coercendi ne perimant for in our judgement they are incorrigible and in their owne opinion they are invincible having by lyes and frauds gathered so much wealth and united such strength together Our factious Puritans bitterer against Kings then the Iesuites that except
people So Arnisaeus saith Arnisaeus de jure Majest l. 2. c. 1. p. 214. Majestatis potestas omnis consistit vel in defendenda repub vel in regenda all the power of royalty consisteth either in defending or in governing the Common wealth according as Homer describeth a perfect King Homer Iliad γ. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And so you see the two principall parts of the Kings government are the Offices 1. Of a Captaine in the time of Warre 1. Ducis in bello gerendo 2. Iudicis in jure reddendo 1. Part. In the time of Warre Ordo ille naturalis mortalium paci accommodatus hoc poscit ut suscipiendi belli autoritas atque consilium apud principes sit Aug. cont Faust l 22. Arnis l. 2. c. 5. p. 345. Plato de legib lib. 2. Arnisaus lib. 2. cap. 5. p. 345. Luc. 14.31 Vers 32. 2. Of a Judge in the time of Peace 1. Then it is the proper right of the King and of none but the King or he that hath the regall and supreme power to make warre and to conclude peace for Plato in his Common-wealth ordained that Si quis pacem vel bellum secerit cum aliquibus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Julian Law adjudgeth him guilty of High Treason Qui injussu principis bellum gesserit delectúmve habuerit exercitum vel comparaverit that either maketh Warre or raiseth an Army without his Kings command And to this part of the regall government which consisteth in the Militia in Armes for the defence of the Kingdome pertaineth 1. The proclaiming of Warre which our Saviour properly ascribeth unto the right of Kings when he saith not what State or Common-wealth but What King going to warre with another King c 2. The concluding of Peace which our Saviour ascribeth also unto the King in the same place 3. The making of leagues and confederacies with other forraigne States Aristot polit l. 7. c. 8. 4. The sending and receiving of Ambassadors 5. To raise Armes and the like which the Lawes of God and of all Nations justifie to be the proper right of Kings Arnis l. 2. c. 1. and to belong onely unto the supreame Majestie Judges 11.11 But then you will say did not the Judges Moses Joshua Gedion Jephta Barac Sampson and the rest make warre and yet they were no Kings Why then may not the Nobles make warre as well as Kings I answer that they doe indeed make warre and a miserable wretched warre but I speake of a just warre and so I say that none but the King or he that hath the Kings power can doe it for though the Judges assumed not the name of Kings nor Captaines sed à potiore parte vocati sunt judices but from the sweetest part of the royall government were termed Judges yet they had the full power ducendi judicandi populum both of warre and peace saith Sigonius and so the men of Gilead said unto Jephthe veni esto princeps noster and they made him their head by an inviolable covenant Deut. 33.5 And of Moses it is plainly said He was King in Jesurun and when there was no Judge it is said there was no King in Israel Judges 17.6.18.1.19.1 for I stand not about words when some were called Kings for the honour of the people and yet had no more power then Subjects as the Kings of Sparta and others had not the name of Kings and yet had the full power of Kings as the Dictator and the Emperour and the great Duke of Muscovie and the like But when a warre is undertaken by any Prince how shall we know which party is in the right for to make an unjust warre cannot be said to be the right of any King yet as the Poët saith Lucan lib. 1. Quis justius induit arma Scire nefas summo se judice quisque tuetur Every one pretends his cause is just he fights for God for the truth of the Gospell the faith of Christ and the liberty and Lawes of his Countrey how then shall those poore men that hazard their lives and their fortunes yea and soules too if they warre on the wrong side understand the truth of this great doubtfull and dangerous point I answer all the Divines that I reade of speaking of warre Dambo ◠d in praxi criminal cap. 82. doe concurre with what Dumbauderius writeth of this point that there must be foure properties of a just warre 1. A just cause Foure properties of a just Warre 2. A right intention 3. Meet Members 4. The Kings authority Sine qua est laesa Majestas without which authority the Warriours are all Traytors And I would to God our Rebels would lay their hands upon their hearts and seriously examine these foure points in this present Warre 1. What cause have they to take Armes against their King 1. A just causes and to kill and murder so many thousands of their owne Brethren they will answer that they doe it for the defence of their Liberty Lawes and Religion but how truly let God himselfe be the Judge for His Majestie hath promised and protested they shall enjoy all these fully and freely without any manner of diminution and we know that never any rebellion was raised but these very causes were still pretended And therefore 2. Consider with what intent they doe all this 2. A right intention and I doubt not but you shall finde foule weeds under this faire cloake for under the shadow of liberty and property they tooke the liberty to rob all the Kings loyall Subjects that they could reach of all or most of their estates and to keepe them fast in prison because they would not consent to their lawlesse liberty and to be Rebels with them against their conscience And under the pretence of Lawes they aymed not to have the old Lawes well kept which was never denyed them but to have such new ones made as might quite rob the King of all his rights and transferre the same unto themselves and their friends so he should be like the King of Sparta a royall slave What Lawes and Religion the Rebels would faine hav◠and they should be like the Ephori ruling and commanding Subjects And for the religion you may know by their new Synod which are a Synod not of Saints but of Rebels what religion they would faine have not that which was profest in Q. Elizabeths times that was established by the Lawes justified by the paines and confirmed by the bloud of so many worthy men and faithfull Martyrs but a new religion first hatched in Amsterdam then nourished in New England and now to be transplanted into this Kingdome 3. Meete Members 3. Who are the persons that are imployed in this warre he first of all that is the more disloyall because he was a person of honour that had so much honour conferred upon him by His
excepting the King himselfe and they say that it were better for them to renounce their Baptisme then to forsake their Covenant which they believe will be more advantageous to the Kingdome then all the Priviledges that are granted in Magna Chartae or the Statutes that have beene made ever since 14. They jeered at the Kings Proclamations trampled his Declarations under feet and incountred the same with rebellious Protestations 15. They perswade the people to give no eare to any discourse of Accommodation or conclusion for any peace To what they lâ—ken the Kings pardons and say that the King is not to be trusted that he will performe no promise that he maketh either in his Proclamations or Declarations and therefore that the Kings Pardons may be likened to a buckler of glasse or a staffe of reede on which there is no trust no committing themselves to the defence of any such pardon So we may say with the Poet Nos juvat alma quies gens haec fern bella minatur Et quoties pacem poscimus arma crepat 16. They teach the Doctrine of coercion dedignifying degrading and decapitating of Kings Whence they learned their Divinity when they deeme them unworthy of that dignity and their arguments and reasons they collect and produce out of Dolman Bellarm. Suarez and the Magazine of the most rigid Jesuites 17. They have so barbarously so irreverently and so prophanely abused our Service-Booke that it would loath your eares to heare and transcend modesty to tell you how they have dealt with it and they threatned that if the Ministers would read it they should never read booke againe 18. They doe agree with the worst of Papists the Jesuites in a great many of the worst points of doctrine that they teach How contrary to Christs doctrine Matth. 13.29 they would â—oâ—â— out â—ll Papists and yet being not well able to understand their tenets they hate Papists so much that they would root them out of their very being they would destroy all the Irish that are Papists and drive all Papists out of England out of the world that the name of Papists should be no more in remembrance and contrary to all reason divinity and humanity they would force and compell every man to professe the religion that they are of though some of them as their independents as farre on the other side would have every man to have liberty to professe what religion himselfe liketh best 19. They have most ingratefully and disloyally injured a most loving wife and their owne most gracious Queene for shewing Her love How they have wronged the Queene the Nobility Clergy Gentry and Commons of this Land and discharging Her duty to Her husband They have imprisoned and barbarously used some of the Nobility most of the Clergy and abundance of the Gentry and others of the best account of the common Subjects of this Kingdome they have plundered and robbed many thousands of men they have killed and murdered as many they have made our Cities dens of theeves our Churches prisons and all the Land Acheldama's fields of bloud they multiplyed the number of Widowes Orphanes and Theeves without number throughout the Land and they filled the whole Kingdome with miseries lamentations and woes and they have done so many mischiefes as if I should set them all downe would fill up another volume And 20. As if all this were not enough to fill up the measure of their iniquity How they laboured to call in the Scots they spared neither paines nor cost to call in the Scots to assist them to perpetuate the warre to fill our Kingdome with strangers and to make our calamities everlasting so they fell from evill to worse from discontent to schisme from schisme to open rebellion and their rebellion more wicked then any rebels that we can reade of in any Historie which is the just judgement of God upon them that they which rebelliously runne out of the communion of Gods Church should most desperately runne out of their owne wits and refusing to be guarded by the heavenly Angels should give themselves to be guided by the infernall Devils which made a merrie fellow at the enumeration of their abhominable and indeed innumerable wickednesses to say Hell was never better then it is now The speech of a merrie companion because he thought the Devils were all in London or otherwise it were impossible that the Citizens which have received so many gracious offers of pardons from His Majestie and promises of other favours should still continue so wicked as they are so gulled and seduced by this Parliament faction that non suadebis etiamsi persuaseris because as S. Augustine saith impia mens nolit intellectum and they love to cozen and cheat their owne soules by new painting these old sinnes and calling their faction faith their madnesse zeale and their horrid rebellion fighting for religion but as the Poet saith Non tanti est civilia bella movere Whatsoever pretences move them to it this remedy will increase their miseries for if God be no more mercifull to us then their sin deserves it may end here in an universall destruction and hereafter in their eternall damnation for doth not all the world see how God scourgeth us with the rod of our owne furious madnesse 2. Chron. 20.23 and like as it befell the Ammonites and Moabites that fighting against the Israelites did helpe to destroy one another so we striving not against Israel but as we pretend both against the Edomites against falshood do utterly destroy our selves Exemploque pari ruit Anglica turba suoque Marte cadunt coesi per mutua vulnera fratres And we that did keepe our enemies in awe shall be now destroyed by the sonnes of our owne mother but I confesse our Land abounds with sinnes and our sinnes have justly deserved this heavy punishment to light upon us yet I beseech our God to chastise us with his owne hands and let us not fall under the swords of the uncircumcised Philistines that are a people much more wicked then our selves and if he will let our soules live we shall praise his name 21. When they had most fraudulently gotten His Majestie to passe an Act which though really intended yet to many men seemes a very strange Act to referre the managing of the affaires of Ireland to the Parliament of England How they intended to get all Ireland to themselves then they tooke that course to root out all the Papists Irish English Brittish and indeed all the inhabitants of Ireland except their own brotherhood for they could have soone discried the marke of the beast in all the rest which they thought would be most effectuall to further their designe and to bring the whole Kingdome of Ireland to be inherited by their owne faction that is to sell all the lands of the Rebels to themselves for they knew none else would buy it at that time in that manner