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
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 horses on their head or wombe pressing out their Braines and Bowels are the vsuall comforte that fallen men can sinde Their death is violent in rage at their enemies and without comfort in soule or bodie from their friends A Romane Souldier spoyling his slaine enemie found that hee was his Brother and killed himselfe for griefe And what is all warre-fare but a killing of our Brethren Warres then are the last of all remeeds A wise Physitian goeth not at the first to cutting and burning but after all other cures haue failed So a wise Prince goeth not to warre till all peaceable treatings faile It is not vndertaken for it selfe but for peace and some in a tolerable peace haue made warre for a better peace As a man evill cured of a broken legge will breake it againe to haue it better cured This is the taske of a good King in peace to bee furnished for warre and in warre to aime at peace and if he must haue warres abroad to keepe loue and peace at home with his Subiects and amongst themselues True Religion in puritie peace the greatest care of Kings Subjects OF all that is spoken a generall duetie riseth both for Princes and people that if they would haue all these former blessings they striue carnestlie to maintaine a true Religion So Theodosius on his death-bed exhorted his Sonnes aboue all things to maintaine the true Faith And Iustine told the like to Tiberius his Successor It directeth Kings to bee Kings according to Gods heart and people to obey as the Lords people It tempereth authoritie in Princes and sweetneth Subiection to people The great power of Princes that might turne in tyrannie is made profitable for people the naturall antipathy that is in some people is mitigate and so Princes rule meekelie and people obey willinglie Thereby Kings are taught the forme of Governement from God who disposeth all things sweetely and powerfully and people submitteth themselues to his ordinance as to the will of their Father Kings see great meekenesse ioyned with great power in Christ who beeing the Lord of all made himselfe a servant to all and people see in him a willing subiection to Ioseph and Marie in the course of his education And both of them respect other not onelie as men but as Christians the Brethren of Christ and partakers of that same grace and glorie in Heaven Out will by nature is captivate to sinne and the fountaine of disobedience but beeing made free by grace it sweetelie inclineth that way that God directeth it God dwelleth in Kingdomes where true Religion is harboured by grace giveth an higher qualification to men as it maketh them true Christians in their Persons so their actions and offices are good service to God when they are done at his command and respect to his glorie Impyres haue their beginning growth hight and fall But they fall not as they rise They rise by small degrees but fall at once as by a precipice Belthazar in one night lost his life and his Kingdome and the Persian Monarchie fell to Alexander in one day But there is nothing more forcible to make a Kingdome immortall than Religion truelie practised thereby God dwelleth in a Land as their glorie and their Shield Kingdomes without true Religion are not so the old Monarchies of Assyria Greece c. and Republickes as Rome Sparta c are but bad paternes of Governement they went no further than Nature because they had none other guide And neither knew God in Christ nor sanctification by grace They had indeede a right to secure them from the chalenge of man but in the vse of it were almost as farre behind Christian Kingdomes as flock of Beastes are behind Pagan societies The Heathâ—n saw this farre that Religion is most necessar for Estate And some of them gloried that the Romanes came to their Monarchie not so much by power and craft as by their Religion But what they spake of their superstition we apply it to the truth for it is Religion and the feare of God that keepeth the Societies of men in order without which the life of man would bee filled with foolishnesse wickednesse and cruelâ—ie As true Religion bindeth Princes people together so doth it Kingdome with Kingdome The pride of Conquerours falleth not in a godly Prince all the foure Monarchies were founded by Pagans wheÌ„ the Roman Emperors turned Christian they left their conquering humour though they had power to conquer more Christ the Prince of Peace maketh such Kings as hee ruleth peaceable his Gospel is a Law of peace and his grace maketh men as Lambes to do as they would be done to â—hogh the beasts in the Ark keeped their naturall fiercenes vet God suspended it during their byding there and the Lyon the Lambe liued peaceablie together Nature and superstition bidde men vse their sword to conquer and destroy but the grace of Christ maketh them turne their Swords in Syths and their Speares in Mattockes Pagans and Mahumetans warre against other and both of them against Christians and amongst Christians the conquering humour is not in Protestant Princes but in Papists because their superstition mortifies not their corruption but giveth it full libertie Since the Catholike Kings became Iesuited as well in policie as in Religion they are the oppressours of Europe but when they turne to the truth they will lay downe that invading and encroaching humour and content them to rule their owne Subjects in peace But since poperie directeth them to oppresse other and for that end hath set vp the negociating and statizing order of the Iesuits it is not the Religion of the Lambe but the crueltiâ— of the Dragon France Austria Spaine haue their owne iealousies and encroachings on other and will keepe them so long as they are Popish But when they become reformed in the true Religion they will accord among themselues So true Religion is a bond of peace and maketh Kingdomes in the world like houses in a Citie who delight in a neighbourlie concord By all meanes therefore Princes and people would maintaine the true Religion and that without any mixture or libertie to professe a false Religion There is but one God and one true Religion expressed in Scripture and all false Religions and their mixtures with the Truth offend him Hee forbad Israel to till the ground with diverse sorts of Beasts or to sow it with diverse seedes or to make garments of linnen and wollen together and that not so much for these things in themselues as to tell that hee abhorred all mixture in Religion Therefore Constantine spake like himselfe I haue thought that most of all to bee proponed by mee that in the multitude of the holy Catholicke Church one Faith and sincere Charitie should bee keeped Politicks call this mixture an Accommodation or Toleration the Cassandrians call it a mitigation or condescending and
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
A LOOKING GLASSE For Princes and People Delivered in a Sermon of Thankesgiving for the Birth of the hopefull Prince CHARLES And since augmented with Allegations and Historicall Remarkes Together with a Vindication of Princes c. By M. WILLIAM STRVTHER Preacher at Edinburgh Psal. 2. Bee wise O Kings Printed at Edinburgh by the Heires of Andro Hart. 1632. TO THE MOST HIGH AND MIGHTY KING CHARLES OF GREAT Britaine Defender of the Faith c. Most Dread Soveraigne BOth these Arguments craue your Ma. kyndlie patrocinie as Father of that Prince whose birth occasioned the Thanksgiving And Sonne of that King who went before all Kings in vindicating royall Authoritie Gods Providence over Man his last Creature in time but first in Loue is so great that his care of other Creatures comparatiuely seemeth a Neglect Hee hath distinguished him in Order and Degrees Gathered him in Societies And perfited these Societies with an supereminent power That Head giveth a natiue influence to its Bodie and the Bodie subiecteth it selfe to that Head Wee bring this Law from the Wombe written in our Hearts and Christ confirmed it by Word and Example Hee disposed so his Birth at Bethlehem that at once hee fulfilled his Fathers promise and obeyed Augustus Edict beeing taxed in his Mother The Church for ten Ages followed her Head in that Obedience Though her Worke bee Heavenly by the Keyes of the Kingdome of Heaven to winne Soules â—o Goâ—t and her Reward bee to sit on Thrones and judge the Tribes of Israel Yet shee gaue to Caesar the things that are Caesars And though Ambrose say that Sublimitas Episcopalis nullis potest comparationibus aequari And nihil esse in hoc sâ—câ—do sublimiius sacerdote yet hee both practised and perswaded obedience to Princes But Babâ—l confounded all And Antichrist in a more fearefull Collision of the Civill and Ecclesiastick Powers then the two Hills in Marius Sylaes time trod the honor of Princes in the dust he thought it greater to divide Lands than remit sins and thurst himselfe in their Thrones Hee exposed their Kingdomes to violence and their sacred Persons and Authoritie to contempt These insolencies might seeme tolerable in times of blindnesse as S. Austine speaketh of Romulus Apotheosing But now after so long contest they maintaine them Their Advocate affirmeth Paul the fifth approved it That he is the onelie Emperour and King the Superiour of all Kings from whom all Iurisdiction floweth What ever in danger they deny or in necesitie they mitigate this is the just Modell of their Pope and the prime Article of their faith That Luciferian pride was so eminent in Popes that it is hard to know whether to wonder more at the Impudencie of Christs Vicar vsurping or the patience of Princes suffering Poperie was never further from the Truth and meeknesse of Iesus then since it was Iesuited That name is not a denomination of a new Zeale or goodnesse but the maske of exquisite craft and crueltie and the tincture of impenitencie And as the Apostle maketh the opposition of Christus and Antichristus and Cyprian of Spiritus and Antispiritus somay wee of Iesus and Anti-Iesus But God by Reformation hath mended that confusion The light of the Gospel hath at once revealed his heresie in Doctrine and tyrannie in Vsurpation This is a tryall of Princes for they are free and happie Princes who haue shaken off his Yoak and reformed themselues and their Kingdomes to the Gospel of Christ But thrise miserable are they who lye still drunke in her fornications God in mercie hath put your Ma. in the first ranke The Titles of Defender of the Church from King William of Scotland and of Defender of the Faith from Henrie 8. of England are both Ensignes of your profession and remembrancers of your royall Duetie to defend the true Church and the true Faith your Ma. devotion testifies the peaceable part of the discharge And doth promise the other part by the Sword when GOD shall honour Kings to execute his will on the Whore And in GODS time they who now adhere to her shall count it their happinesse to follow your Ma. Example Behold now your Ma. Happinesse in their miserie Their common end to destroy Protestants hath made them Confederats But God hath divided them by their privat ends like Sechem and Abimelech And juggling Proteâ—s of a bloodie Dragon it turned a craftie Serpent and seeketh his saftie by wynding betwixt the Iealousies of these great Princes Hee is carried violentlie as hope and feare canvasse him Rut fire will breake out from Abimelech and devoure Sechem And these Princes shall dwell in brotherlie loue when they receiue the Gospel of peace This private offering is a fruit and testimonie of a commoun joy the Flowre of the States of this land present in this Citie at the glad newes of the Princes birth were overjoyed And this citie expressed their loyaltie in all significations so that no place of these three Kingdomes could exceede It was S. Austines discretion to Macedonius a Iudge taken vp with publick affaires not to deteine him with long Epistles What shall wee doe to so great a KING Almightie GOD who hath set your Ma. on these three Thrones multiplee royall gifts on your sacred person and make You a King of many Royall blessings That great Britaine vnder you and your clement Name may more and more be a terrour to Anti-christ a comfort to the Saints and a Land wherein GOD delighteth to dwell AMEN Your Ma. most humble Subject and Servant M. WILLIAM STUTHER The Table of the Thanksgiving THE Preface of the Princes Birth Pag. 1 1. The first part King David a Supplicant 4. 2. The second part Of a Monarchie 6. The Author of it 7. 2. The Necessitie 8. The Excellencie 11. The Character of K. 12. Their Limitation 13. Monarchie the best Government 15. Affectation of Divinitie is a frensie 16 The PoPe taken with that frenesie 17. Errours about Magistracie 19. 20. Wee should pray for Kings 21. And obey them in the Lord. 21. Three wayes to come to a Kingdome 1. Conquest 24. 2. Election 26. 3. Succession is better than both 28. Womens Governement lawfull 29 Queene Elizabeths instance determineth the question 30. King IAMES instance 30. A new borne Prince a great blessing 31. 3. The third part of the Royall Gift 1. The habite of Iustice. 33. Religion falleth vnder the care of Kings 37. Popes debarred them from it 38. Hee gulled them by Cannonizing 39. Some Princes abused Religion Reformation a blessing to Princes and People 40. Popes tye God to themselues and loose themselues from God 43. 2. The worke of the royall Gift is Government 44. 1. The rule of it good Lawes 45. Difficultie of iudgement in cause parties witnesse 46. The necessitie and danger of Forture 50. Princes Difficulties and Dangers 52. Flatterers of Princes are Pests 54. It is faintnesse to lay downe their Crownes
Vrbanus the second following his steppes forbade these who were sworne to their Prince to serue him so long as hee was excommunicate But more cleerely in his bloodie Canon Wee iudge them not Man-slayers who burning in the zeale of the Catholicke mother against them that are excommunicate doe kill some of them And Becane in his latter writes is more Iesuited affirming that the Pope having excommunicate and deposed Kings may take their life from them and their Kingdome also that hee may depose them two wayes one by absolving his Subiects from the bond of Obedience The other by way of compensation that seeing they will not protect people but trouble them for their Religion they are no more bound to them In like manner Sixtus the fifth delyvered a gratulatory oration in the Consistorie for killing of Henry the third preferring it to the fact of Iudith Cydonius denyeth it not And while the world was astonished and France sunk in sorrow for the death of their last King a Preacher at Culen publickelie commanded Raviliacke But wee nee le not inquire the opinions of their I heologues Let vs heare Sixtus the fifth commending the fact of Iaques Clement in the Consistorie And how Bellarmine defends that Oration What can bee found saith hee of Sixtus Oration but praises and admiration of the wisedome and providence of God The Pope extolleth to the heavens that a simple Monke with one stroke killed a great King in the midst of his Guards And then giving vs the vses of that Oration Thereby the Pope would admonish Kinges for that King commanded to kill a sacred man the Cardinall of Lorrane and God caused a sacred man a Monke to kill that same King not without a manifest miracle of the providence of God Here the Popes Oration defending Clemens Regicide is defended and the fact it selfe fathered on God With what face then doe they deny that they allow Regicide Cyprian said of another wickednesse that it was not onelie committed but taught and wee may adde more that by them greatest treason is both taught practised and which is the toppe of iniquitie ascrived vnto God Some times disapointment maketh them speak moderatlie I excuse not the fact sayeth Bellarmine of the powder-plot I hate murther I abhorre conspiracies But If God for our sinnes had given way to that blow wee should finde them Apologists defending the lawfulnesse of it who now abhorre it and his damning of it is not for Atrocitie of the matter but for the disappointing of the successe as in Castellus attempt And how can it stand with the posed resolvednesse of the Iesuits to maintaine the Doctrine and condemne the practice And what meaneth Garnets exhortation to his Catholickes to pray profelici successu gravissimae cuiusdam re◠in causa Catholicorum at the beginning of the Parliament It could not bee for the disappointing for that hee might haue done by revealing it which hee knew without confession That happie successe therefore was the blow it selfe These facts are such quae non nisi peracta laudantur they praise them when they are done and consequentlie frustrata damnantur they are damned when they are frutrated How ever then they deny excuse or transferre the matter it standeth on their doctrine and practise that Kings may bee excommunicate and killed and Richemous speaches were neither from his heart nor according to the trueth but to serue the time in glosing a wise and offended King The Iesuits then were in great disgrace and the sacrifice of publicke hatred as a Fox in the snaire they gaue faire words but beeing at libertie returned to their nature So soone as they were restored the Pyramide cast downe and the King himselfe pleading for them whereof they boast they proved irreconciliable For though hee of a Princelie clemencie pardoned their treason yet they neither layed downe their natiue or first hatred nor the second that they conceived of their supposed disgrace in banishment but cut him off and so declared to the world that their Apologies were nothing but fained complements That good Patriot whom Iesuits call a profaine politicke proved a Prophet in the end of his diswasiue Oration to the King and foretolde with teares That if hee restored them they would destroy him and so it came to passe This is the summe of their Tergiversation wherein the Iesuits labour to purge their order So when that order is iustlie pressed then some one must suffer But when France is in a broyle Mariana must bee sacrificed to quench the fire Cotton condemneth him Gretzer calleth it his provat opinion Cydonius extenuats it but Aquaviva censures it severelie in shew The Authour of the Iesuits Apologie defendeth all praiseth all except Mariana alone But that nicenes is needlesse for hee is guiltie of a crime that commandeth to doe it as Cyprian sayeth In the meane time of all this shifting they giue no securitie to Princes but they are cutted downe and cannot tell who doeth it they ioyne scoffing with violence as the Souldiers did to Christ when they buffeted him and said Prophecie who smote thee But some may thinke that these Effronts which they haue suffered in the late tossing of their cause hath brought them to some moderation No but they are as hard sette against Princes as ever Let vs heare the Cardinals of the Consistorie It is in the Popes hand to set vp the Maiestie of the Impyre to transferre the Impyre from Nation to Nation and alluterlie take away the right of Election They thinke matters succeede to their desire and therefore tell plainelie that their intention is no lesse than to overthrow Impyres for the establishing of their Hierarcho-Monarchie And Marta giveth a strange advertisement to Kings Let Princes sayeth hee beware to cast out or misregard Bishops or other Prelats and Ecclesiasticks if they will possesse their Kingdoms and States for a long time This is plaine talke and the just extract of that which the King of the Assasines caused one carying a long speare full of sharpe knifes proclame before him Fugite ab eo qui portat exitiū regum flee from him who caries the ruine of Kings But I answere Let Princes looke to this piece of Divinitie so deepelie contrived for their ruine ex ungue Leonem Iudge what a Religion it is that maintaines such bloodie Doctrine and canonizes the executioners of it And that so much the more that they are not ashamed of it as a sinne but glorie in it as their perfection in setting large Catologues of Kings excommunicate deposed and cut off by them And that speciallie to terrifie Kings in showing them their doome if they doe not adore the Pope CHAP. XVI Of their fourth coverture to wit LVDIFICATION And first of their pretended loue to Kings THe fourth Coverture of their tyrannie is Ludification They are not content with indignities done to Princes but scoffe
are alreadie both iudged of GOD and sentenced in his word to consumption and Abolition and the hand of Providence goeth on in the execution of that sentence there is neither ground to treate for reconcliation nor hope to attaine to it Or if wee will treate of it wee accuse the Lords sentence of iniquitie and his execution of rigour Let Babell then bee vnder her sinne and punishment begun and approaching and let all that loue the Lord Iesus separat themselues from these wickedmen A CONCLVSION Exhortatorie to Princes I Turne now that speach which they abuse to you most sacred Princes Bee wise O Kings bee learned yee Iudges of the earth Christ Iesus whom yee haue long pursued by Antichirsts direction when hee might destroy you calleth you to repentance to change both your mindes and course Your Mindes to know that poperie is that foretold Apostasie and that the Religion which yee persecute is the trueth of God And your course that since blind zeale the companion of false Religion hath made you thinke it good service to God to destroy his Saincts you would turne your power for the service of the Lambe of whom yee haue it and both revenge Gods quarrell and your owne vpon the Beast Consider how GOD setteth downe his Dittay and Dâ—ome His Dittay in Idolatrie Filthinesse and aboue all the blood of the Saincts Rome was ever bloodie the Mathematicians observed that when her ground-stone was layed the Moone was in cauda Draconis to tell that all her changes in rysing growing standing would bee in the câ—uâ—ltie of the Dragon And soone after Romulus wet her wals with his Brothers blood Shee turned the earth in a Butcherie by warres abroad And her Ganâ—es at home in the Theater were bloodie Shee shed the blood of the Saints in her persecuting Pagan Emperours And lastlie sheddeth the bloodie of the Protestants by her Antichristian head Ierusalem was guiltie of the blood of all the Prophets because they succeeded the Murtherers in malice and crueltie And Rome succeeds Ierusalem and exceedeth her in persecuting Christ All blood of the Saints is shedde either in Rome or by Romes authoritie Shee hath shedde more blood than Ninivie Babylon Shusan and Ierusalem it selfe Her Doome is doe to her as she hath done to you And what she hath done to you your Soules Thrones may feele For beside your soules killing the Pope hath overthrowen the Maiestie and dignitie of Impyres Shee denuded you of Kinglie Authoritie when shee exposed your Sacred Persons to the contempt and violence of the basest Villanes Shee ate vp your flesh not so much in catching the riches of your Kingdomes as by nesting in your bosome like a Viper to destroy you Shee burnt your with the fire of excommunication raising such combustions that your Countrie and Courts were divyded The Sonne set against the Father as Henrie the fifth against Henrie the fourth to pursue him to death and after death to deny him Buriall Therefore this is her recompence that you make the Whoore naked eate vp her flesh and burne her with fire God hath sentenced her and there remaineth no more but execution Though wee rest on none but Scripturall Prophecies yet their owne Prophets foretold their ruine For Hildegardis and Catharina Senensis whose contraire visions Delrio laboureth to reconceale Brigitta telleth them of their destruction What ever bee the force of her writ it must be Canonick to them since Boniface the nynth hath cannoized her and Martine the fifth confirmed that canonization and their later writers as Chemensis Capistranus Aytinger c. haue spoken broadlie That Rome shall bee ruined by the Almaines and the French As God calleth and commandeth you to doe it so you are bound to it by these two bonds wherey they presse you most your Baptismall initiation and sacred oath In Baptisme yee were initiate in Christian faith and not in Antichristian perfidie And the substance of your oath is to defend Apostolicke and primitiue trueth and not the yesterday novelties of Rome Their own Patrons graÌ„t that in the middle ages they were Apostaticke and Apotactick but since we never find their reformation or amendement The errour of time confirmed by badde custome hath made men mistake these Notions of Christ and Antichrist trueth and vntrueth and so to misplace their affections and actions about them but open your eyes to the light God offereth in his word and your better informed mindes shall reforme your affections and rectifie your actions least you take darknesse for light night for day and death for life that you may forsake Antichrist and heresies and ioyne your selues to the Lambe and his trueth in the reformed Churches Or if you will not take Gods cause to heart nor bee moved with these bonds let your Life and Crownes moue you Though hee vnder a Iudiciall hardnesse bee senselesse of the guiltinesse of his vsurpation yet be not you senselesse of these indignities He maketh you to fight against your selfe in his quarrell while hee abuseth your power for the maintenance of his greatnesse to the overthrow of your authoritie Remember hee is head of that Court whose Ambassadours boasted in England that they served at that Court which commanded both other Kings and their Courteours It hath ever beene your fault to neglect the commoun cause of Princely authoritie There is nothing more sâ—oothed than that that is pleaded by many When any one Prince was thunder-beaten by Iupiter Capitolinus hee exhorted other Princes that they should not betray the common cause but all in vaine For the ruine of one made a prey to many Therefore they suffered the present storme to passe over and that because by a wicked purchas some accession came to their state This was specially when a great Prince was broken whose greatnesse was fearefull to them all The Emperour was most left in the sturre while smaller Princes thought it their securitie if he were redacted to that state that hee might not rise to the greatnesse of his Ancestors It is tyme for you to awake when their flatterers pittie your injuries and the Iesuits admire your patience Petrus Ferrariensis marking how the Pope insnared you to inlarge his owne iurisdiction cryeth out But alace miserable Emperours and secular Princes who suffer these things and make your selues slaues to the Pope and see the world by infinite cousanages abused and yet you thinke not of a remeede And where the Iesuits please to bee free they wonder fatuos fuisse veteres Imperatores imperij nostri ordines qui sibi tanto cum dedecore ora sublinia Papis sustinuerint that Emperours and the States were so foolish as to bee gulled with Popes Wee haue better cause than Athanasius to say I am Ecclesiae tempora oculatos operosos Principes requirunt that the tymes of the Church require seeing and doing
Providence rule the matter Or they who haue voycetherein were so iust as to giue it where they see God hath given worth surelie it were a good way to enter to a Kingdome But since all men are corrupt and the most vn worthie are most ambitious they supplie that want of worth by the purchase of voyces They also who haue suffrage are vsuallic caried more with Hope and Feare than with Conscience therefore it commeth to passe that Election makes oft-times Butcheries in Kingdomes and what difference is there betweene foreraine invasion by Cōquest factions within by Election but that the one is from without and the other at home Election is both the occasion and matter of tumults And it is as hard to finde manie Electors agree in one as it is to finde their agreement in good But Succession is ruled of God who provydeth himselfe of Princes in the wombe and thereafter blesseth them with a more princelie Education than if they were elected It is not so much free election that caries the matter as the force of a prevailing Faction Even as in the factious choosing of Popes hee is not inrolled as an lawfull Pope who was Canonicallie elected but hee who had the strongest faction And his Competitor though both more worthie and chosen Canonicallie if hee could not make his cause good by force is called the Anti-Pope They giue vs the reason heereof that though they came by tyrannie yet it was better to tolerate them than to rent the Church with a Schisme This also brought on the ruine of the Impyre for Augustus invented a Praetorian band of 1200 olde Souldiours in shew to strengthen the Impyre but indeede it ruined it and that by the occasion of Election making themselues master of Armies Senate Emperour For after that Iulius race ended they took too much on them and afterward caried the matter absolutelie and set vp and cast downe Emperours at their pleasure In so much that they cared not to change Emperours everie day that they might finde daylie Donatiues and Rewards So the way to come to the Impyre was neither mens worthinesse nor the Election of the Senate but the violence of the Pretorian band who beeing altogether saleable preferred them who gaue largest money In like manner doe the Ianisars the Turkes Pretorian band and so will the Iesuits the Popes Iamsars doe when they haue hanked vp the affaires of Poperie in their hands But Succession is better than either Conquest or Election It wants the tumults of Election and the violence of Conquest and is most acceptable to people beginning with birth and confirmed by education It burieth the seeds of changes but Election keepes them greene and fresh as a tusked wall in building makes more way for building It relieveth Kings of many cares how to come to a Kingdome and how to gaine the loue of their people Their birth prevents these cares and at once possesseth them both in their Kingdome and their peoples heart It is also most pleasant to people because it secures them from feare of changes that come of Conquest or Election and settleth their Affections sweetely on their natiue Prince They delight rather to bee vnder a knowne Lord than a stranger The Sons of their Kings are brought vp amongst their they know their dispossion and manners and how to deale with them in their afaires They neede neither an Interpreter for language a great band of humane Societie nor a Mediator to the loue of a natiue Prince They count them their Fosters and Consorts in a manner and from the verie wombe their hearts imbrace them as their desired Heads What is the great Ioy at the birth of Princes such as blessed bee God I see in you all this day bot the hand of God wedding the hearts of people to their new borne Princes and the earnest ingaging of a constant loue to them heereafter That bond is natiue and strong that beginneth at the Birth yea and sooner in the great desire that people haue of natiue Princes before their Birth and God who beginneth so soone confirmes it by time to the mutuall comfort of Prince and people Moreover both Election and Conquest yeeld to Succession as the best way to come to a Kingdome For Conquerors beeing settled doe labour to stablish it to their Posteritie by Succession And many Kingdomes sometimes Electiue are turned to Succession and it is likelie that the remanent will doe so be times And so both Conquest and Election by an open consent doe acknowledge Succession to bee the best way in that they affect to be changed in it Some good men otherwise haue spoken harshlie of womens Governement as an inconvenient of Succession But that was more from some particular than the matter it selfe They distinguished not betwixt the faults of some persons the equitie of Gods ordinance They wrested the These to their owne Hypothese and in a preiudicate manner determined the cause by some badde accidents of their time as though the matter were so in itselfe and had ever been so as they saw it practised in some This was to giue Lawes to God and not to expone his Providence as it runs in the owne libertie and latitude but to force vpon it such a construction as pleased them But others speak more moderatly that there was nothing more vniust than the Law of the Romans that discharged men to mak their Daughters their Heires And God giues this Law in the case of Zelophehads Daughters that they succeede in their fathers portion of Canaan as they were Sonnes If a man die and haue no Sonnes then hee shall cause his inheritance to passe to his Daughter This Yland in our time hath seene two great instances in the right of Succession The first in the Reigne of Queene Elizabeth of happie memorie in whom God refuted reallie that Objection that is taken from womens governement Hee blessed her fourtie fiue yeares Reigne with such prosperitie both spirituall and worldly as few Kings could equall Of former times onely Zenobia seemes to striue with her but shee is nothing like for what shee did was by borrowed forces and after shee had proven valorous for a time was taken captiue to Rome led in triumph and died private But Elizabeth did all vnder God with her owne Forces shee lent Armies to others as this Land France and the Low-Countries can testifie and after a long prosperous Reigne dyed in her owne Palace in a true Religion in peace with God loue of her Subiects commendation of her enemies and admiration of the world The other was in the succeeding of K. Iames of happy memorie In his Youth Papists fedde themselues with a conceit of the possibilitie of his turning and that without any occasion of that fansie offred by him But when hee expressed his loue to the Truth by his Letters to Q Elizabeth and by the
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
his Secretarie Thou art not ignorant how much vantage that Fable of Christ brought to vs. But such politicke abuse of Religion moues God to cast downe these Thrones which they seeke so to establish Never sinne was either more severlie or iustlie punished than this when God the chiefe end and Religion the onelie way to that end are turned in base meanes to bad purposes Secondlie some Kings haue superstitiouslie taken too much on them in things merelie spirituall Uzzah would doe the Priests part in burning Incense and Constantius tooke vpon him to moderate a Councell alone in favour of the Arrians and preiudice of the Orthodoxes And Sigis mund would play the Deacon at Constance in assisting the Masse and that as appeares more because that dayes Lecture began Exijt edictum a Caesare then for any loue of the worke or possiblie because hee was bound to that service as beeing a Chanon in S. Peters Church or the Laterane for the Pope imposeth these Tittles on Emperours as an homage for holding the Empyre of him But God shewed his anger against these preposterous courses Uzzah was smitten with bodilie Leprosie Constantius found confusions in the Impyre and Iulian to vsurpe on him for hee was an enemie to Christ and a more cruell persecuter than Nero or Decius as Hilarie calls him And Sigismund had a worse â—eprosie when hee gaue way to burne Iohn Hus and Ierome of Prage Thirdlie some Princes haue either with Gallio neglected Religion as a light matter and impertinent to them Or like Herod held Christ out of their Kingdomes as though his Throne and theirs could not stand together This was a maine motiue of the persecution by pagane Princes They thought that Christian Religion would â—verthrow their Kingdomes But Herod needed not feare Christs comming for hee who giues heavenlie Kingdomes will not tak earthlie kingdomes from him But besyde the neglect of their owne Salvation they looke not wisely to their worldlie standing It is never better with Kings than when Christ freelie reignes in their Kingdomes and there is no such proppe to their Thrones as his Scepter True Religion in a Land is more forcible to hold people in obedience to Princes than many thousand Souldiours in Garrisons Everie heart that hath the grace of Christ is a loyall heart to authoritie Everie Parish where God is truelie worshipped is a Garrison and great Cities planted with faithfull Pastors are as Citadells for the securitie of Princes Obedience goeth vnder one name yet it hath manie branches it beginneth at God who is both the first Obiect and the fountaine of Dueties Wee ought to respect him before all and that for himselfe But wee respect other things for him and in him as he hath ranked them in the order of his commands or the degrees of place or goodnesse If therefore wee feare the Lord wee are thereby prepared enabled to doe a duetie to man Our Faith Loue and other religious bonds to GOD are so farre from defrauding Superiours of their due or disabling vs from doing of it that on the contrare they gette more respect because wee loue God and wee are both the abler and readier to doe so to them Our heartie Obedience to God giues a life and chearefulnesse to our obedience to man Godlinesse and righteousnesse are the summe of both Tables the twin-fruites of one Faith and the workes of that same Spirit The more godlie the more plyable to righteousnesse to man and the more righteous the more sincere in godlinesse the Soule that loues God truelie will also respect man duetifullie in the Lord. This is manifest in Europe so long as Princes were popish suffred their people to lye in poperie they were never sure of their peoples hearts They had no care to bind them to God by a true Religion therefore God suffred them easilie to be loosed froÌ„ them Everie roaring of the Pope from the Capitol in excommunication made people rebell against their Princes But since the truth of the Gospel shines amongst them they are not so soone moved It bindeth them to God and their Princes in God and maketh them contemne these thunders of Rome as wisemen doe that fatuous wylde fire that hath a colour of fire without burning The Popes excommunications were fearefull in the darkenesse of popish ignorance but now in the night of the Gospel wise people doe scoffe at them iustlie After Hildebrands time Princes were pittifullie abused bot since Luther arose Popes haue learned more modesty in their Censures and Princes haue found more respect of people Such as harboured the Gospel in their Land are free of that abuse and even they who adhere to the Pope are obliged to the revealed Truth that they are not so oft beaten by Excommunications as of olde And people haue their owne blessing by the true Religion that thereby they are taught more chearefullie to obey Princes So great a blessing is the Truth both to Princes and people Wee may close this verse with this Lesson That the gift of Kinglie Governement is not infalliblie annexed to Crownes but the gift of God to Kings So Christ Iesus telleth vs By mee Kings reigne and Princes decree Iustice By mee Princes rule and Nobles even all the Iudges of the earth Their Spirits makes them capable of royall giftes and when he giues Kings in mercie he ever giues that gift This is more thaÌ„ either their Birth in Succession or peoples consent in their Election can giue them And it is a maine difference betwixt Gods calling and mans Mans calling can do more but fill the place with the man applie such a persoÌ„ to such a Station But Gods calling sits the man for the place And maketh the person meete for his Station His providence putteth them in it his liberality furnisheth such gifts as the place craveth to iustifie his providence Mans calling giveth an outward warrand to the wrok but Gods calling giveth the sufficiency and abilitie to doe the work that with a conscience of his Calling and furniture This was a ground for David to aske this gift for Solomon Hee knew it was Gods will to set him vpon the Throne and therefore hee suteth of God who had appointed him that Station the answerable gifts for it Hee saw that same Throne without these gifts in the person of Saul but found them in himselfe and craved the like to his Sonne It is therefore a great folie in Popes to tye Apostolick gifts to their triple Crowne or pretended Apostolike Chaire These things come of a free dispensation not of the merite of any place If we taâ— it for a materiall Chaire all is vncertaine for they know not whither it bee the Chaire of his installing or the other of his repose or the third for proving his sex which now hath no vse since their Children end that question If wee take it for a mysticall
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
in God to repent their sinne and sinde remission in Christ that is the way to Gods Peace Being iustified by Faith we haue peace with God No faith iustifieth but the true Faith no Religion informeth men in the true Faith but the true Religion As it leadeth vs in a sure way to peace in Christ so it leadeth vs to keepe that peace in sincere obedience In which respect when God getteth his due hee blesseth vs with his Kingdome within vs. For the Kingdome of God is righteousnesse peace and ioy in the holy Ghost This is the peace that no Kingdome can haue but such as haue a true Religion they may haue a civill and politicke peace amongst themselues but none of this peace with God The second is a civill peace with man when every one keepeth his place and doeth his duetie as hee standeth bound the body is then in good plight when everie member is whole and exerciseth the functions in order So in a Kingdome when everie one in his calling doeth his duetie with a loving respect to other there is peace or if any bee not peaceablie disposed their broyling humour is hemmed in by Iustice that they trouble not the peace of their Neighbour This is a civill peace the health of the civill body and a comely beautie in it when everie one brooketh another in loue and worketh to others hands And thogh there were innumerable men in callings places offices c. Yet they seeme all to be but one man with one minde seeking the good of other and of the common bodie As in Musicall instruments sounds are diverse and contrair high low c. and yet make a sweete harmonie so in a Kingdome are diverse estats rich and poore c. Yet they haue an harmonie and concord and that concord is peace That rule is generall for all things Let no man seeke his owne but everie one anothers good The third is a particular peace of our Lotte when every mā brooketh his lot peaceably without oppressiō either violent or coloured by Law This is as the life of our lot whē our right and possession haue a peaceable vse following and every man may eate vnder his owne vine and vnder his owne figge-tree It is the verie lotte of our lotte and a pleasant sawce to sweeten our vse a sort of fruition of our Lot the fruite of that fruition a way to Contentment and the verie prosperitie of prosperitie The fourt may bee called a Kinglie peace when people are in loue and peace with their King They are his bodie and hee their Head vnder whose shaddow they haue these peaces The vse and enjoying of them will reflect vpon him as a procurer and maintainer None can finde comfort of a true Religion in libertie and peace but hee must loue and pray for him vnder whose governement hee hath that great blessing None can looke on that publicke peace the health and beautie of the civill bodie but he must loue and honour that Head from whom the influence of the publick peace floweth And none can enioy the private peace of his Lot lying downe rising in peace but he will loue the preserver of it Yea that peace that floweth from supreme Iustice is a natiue and kinde Daughter and so iust as to make vs honour him who ministreth Iustice for the procuring of peace All these are strong bands to ty the hearts of good people to such Princes by whose governement God blesseth them with so inestimable blessings This order is in the Angels Song Glorie to God in heaven peace on earth and towards men goodwill When man giveth God his glorie worshipping him in Spirit and truth then God giveth Peace to man beeing reconciled to him in Christ and the ground of both is Gods good will towards man whereby hee elected him in Iesus Christ that good will sendeth downe true Religion to man to direct him in the obedience of Gods revealed will These are the fruites of Iustice in their severall branches The first is Gods peace in our minde The second is mans peace in the civill body The third is Peace of our Lotte And the fourt is a peace with the Head of the common bodie The first appeaseth the terrours of our Conscience The second stayeth sactions and divisions amongst Subjects The third privat oppression And the fourth Rebellion against Princes And all of them are our ends in their severall kinds when God dwelleth in vs and maketh vs enioy him in his peace then hee maketh vs brooke one another and our selues in him Where Iustice is not these fruites of peace cannot bee found Where God getteth not his due honour in a true Religion there can bee no peace with him but hee sendeth warre or other calamities to trouble their peace and revenge the quarrell of his Covenant As long as Israel worshipped him a right matters went well with them but when they fell to idolatry he raised vp bordering nations to punish them In like manner hee can punish iniustice among people Lawfull Governement ministreth Iustice and Iustice bringeth peace so want of Iustice bringeth confusion and confusion breedeth discord Heerevpon also commeth the losse of particular Peace when by tumults no man can securely possesse his goods his blood or life Where violence rageth there reason is not heard and the Lawes are silent more where Armes doe speake Iustice well administrate is a great preservation to a Land It purgeth it from sin committed by punishing the sinner keepeth many from sin that they would otherwise commit and so holdeth off Gods anger and procurreth his blessing But neglect of Iustice is crueltie and not clemencie or rather a cruell mercie it fostereth sinne and hasteneth Gods wrath when grievous sins are committed they defyle the Land and the Land defyled can not be expiate but by the punishment of the malefactor What shall God doe but powre out his plagues and mak the Land spew out her Inhabitants where sinners will not repent and the Magistrate will not punish These two then Iustice and peace goe in others hands in a well governed Kingdome Iustice without Peace is a fruitelesse severitie and peace without Iustice is a conspiracie against God Iustice is Gods arrestment layed vpon mans corruption and peace is the quietnesse that followeth that arrest Both the necessitie and difficultie to keepe peace are as great as to purchase it for peace bringeth wealth and wealth because of our wickednesse bringeth insolencie and insolencie bringeth violence so that the daughter Peace would devoure iustice her mother except Iustice did her second service to keepe men from violence Her first service is to giue every man his due and her second is to secure him in it Peace of her selfe is a thankfull daughter to her Mother Iustice but our corruption that abuseth all can abuse her also and Ieshurun waxing fatte will kicke against his
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
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
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
Confusion they inverted all and made temporall thinges their end and neglected spirituall They pretended that they vsed temporalia in ordine ad spiritualia but in effect they vsed spiritualia in ordine ad temporalia And so verified of themselues Philoes other exposition b of Babylon that it signified inverting No right no reason could content them to keepe their owne place and suffer Princes to keepe theirs as God had designed to both but they will haue the King subiect to Christ c and to the Pope and the Pope subiect to Christ onelie Therefore with this their Babylonish confusion and inversion they proue themselues by Nicolaus testimonie to bee the successoures of Pagan Emperours who would bee both Priests and Kings But we need not draw this by way of coÌ„sequence Doctour Marta granteth it in a plaine Assertion that in these auntient times all businesse were dispatched by the Priests and confirmes it by Ciceroes testimonie that the chiefe Priests among the Romans did swey both the Religions of the Immortall gods and the chiefe matters of the Common-wealth For which cause it may bâ—e conâ—ectured that their controversar speaking of their Pope calls him rather Pontifex Romanus then Episcopus Romanus that vnder that olde Pagane name hâ—e may insinuate the Notion of his two-fold Pagan power As for his Consistoriall businesse whereof I spake before Palaeottus hath plastered that sore and telleth that the Popes businesse in the Consistorie about temporall things are hierarchicall acts because they are ordered to a spirituall end So great is his power that treasons deposing of Kings overthrow of Empyres c. are all turned in hierarchicall acts by his medling But I would know to what sort of hierarchicall act these may bee referred for Dionysiâ—s recounting the acts of Ecclesiastick hierarchie hath no such matter Therefore they are his Monarchick exercises which hee hath taken vp since hee disdained the Ecclesiastick hierarchie This is farre from Chrysostomes minde who thinketh that Christ forbade his Apostles to take provision for their iourney that they might onelie waite on preaching as the Apostles also did How then doeth the Pope who is altogether taken vp with temporall businesse Gregorie calleth it an earthlie disposition when men forget heavenlie thinges and thirst onelie for earthly things If their Visions tell that the Bishop of Anconaes Soule acknowledged it selfe iustlie in hell because neglecting preaching hee waited onelie vpon Worldlie showes banquets and such other toyes What shall become of the Popes who are worse imployed in oppressing the Church and disturbing Europe And if S. Augustine say truely That the heart of the Wheate is in heaven but the heart of the Chaffe is on earth Then surelie the popes must bee Chaffe and not Wheate since his heart is all on the earthlie Monarchie This then is their wilfull ignorance whereby they deny to Kings not onely their Architectonik power which maketh them custodes vâ—riusque Tabulae And Pastores populi Keepers of both Tables Pastors of people and Nurce-fathers of the Church but also their Eminencie in temporalibus For the Pope hath supreme temporall iurisdiction temporalie and directlie saith Marta And againe hee hath vniversall Dominion vniversallie and over all Papa habet supremam temporalem iurisdictionem temporaliter directè Item habet vniversalem iurisdictionem Dominium in vniversali in omnibus Petrus Damianus was the first who affâ—irmed the Popes tempo alitie and thogh ever since it hath beene in vigour yet as an exposed foundling of an vncertaine father For the defenders of it cannot agree on the originall Some father it on Christs institution Some on the tradition of the Apostles Others on Councels exponding Scripture so Some on the Donation of Princes And some on Prescription It is a staggering faith whose prime article knoweth not the father But let them stand at Innocents the third decretal Reges in temâ— poralibus superiorem non recognoscunt CHAP. XXII Of the fruits of their folie and first Of Irritation THis much of their foolishnesse in the course of vsurpation follow the fruites which are either in regard of the partie offended or of themselues In the partie offended it worketh irritation and an exact inquirie of the matter In themselues it worketh a discoverie and distruction Irritation came necessarilie of so violent and insolent courses as to vse Princes for Lackeyes to cause them wait on bare footed in winter not to find accesse to tred on their necke These and the like indignities were intâ—lerable For though Princes can oversee small offences yet when their Life Honour and Authoritie are trâ—dde vndâ—rfoote it were not patience but senselessenesse not to be moved And so these matchlesse indignities put supreme powers to supreme perturbations of indignation and anger for oppression maketh wise men madde Their generous pirits were as farre irritate by indignities as they haue the prime and flâ—wre of ingenuitic This was augmented by many respects of their iniurers In their Persons they were subiect to Princes their calling was spirituall and ought to haue procured every way their good Their obligement by good deede was exceeding great for they had received liberties and territories from Princes and so were obliged to gratitude But all these could not moue them to their duetie Therefore their iniuries were more greevous to Princes This foule ingratitude was contrar to that which Charles the great exspected in his liberalitie to the Church When hee saw the Germans inclining to rebellion hee thought the best way to secure the Impyre to his house was by giving large Lands and principalities to Church-men and that because of their holie calling and that their Children succeeded them not and in case that Princes rebelled against his Posteritie hee thought Church-men both by their excommunication and civill power would hold them in order But all turned heere contrar to his exspectation for in all sturres the Impyre had not such adversaries as Church-men And herein was verified the old Apologue of the Axe and the Oake tree The Axe without an handle lay on the ground and intreated the Oake for as much timber to bee an handle vnto it vnder promise to cut downe the brambles that molested the Oake but when it was so mounted it turned against the Oake and cut it downe also So when the Pope got the temporall power by the gift of Princes they turned it against the Givers And the parable of Ioannes de rupescisa is not vnlik of a naked Bird who begged feathers from other Birds and when they had busked it with lent feathers it began in pride to smite them who had decked it And most of all they provocked God to anger for they made his Name and trueth to bee blasphemed when men saw nothing in them but the desire of a worldly dominion They layed a stumbling blocke before people to hold them on the earth
there is no such matter for this last age hath seene some strange practises thereof and that either executed or attempted Their crueltie executed in France is not our The Massacre of Paris is their shame wee may say Their fained peace stroue with warre and prevailed Pax ficta cum bello de crudelitate certavit vicit For these last yeares they haue made that floorishing Kingdome a wonder to the World and astonishment to it selfe They found the two Francises Henrie the second and Charles the nynth according to their heart to maintaine Poperie and represse the trueth But after the Butcherie of Paris their rage increased at the reviving Trueth and therefore set forward to the like massacres and finding Henrie the third vnfitte for their cruell purposes they cutte him off to serue themselues of the D. of Guise who was lutum sanguine maceratum Clay knedde with blood Hee was indeered to the Pope for the massacre of Paris and the Cardinall his brother thought it a cause to thanke God that his house was honoured to be the instrument of that massacre Henries catholick zeale could not saue him because hee had not a Iesuited zeale to destroy all the Hugonots hee agreed with them in all points of Religion but in this his clemencie and their crueltie could not agree and therefore hee must bee killed When Henrie the fourth arose their rage was more kindled because of his Religion and notwithstanding his formall reconciliation to their Church yet they ever keeped their prejudices and hatred to him Their rage was not satisfied but doubled by Castellus his misse and their banishment And their desire to returne was not so much for the loue of their Countrie as to haue occasion to cut him off and their hatred had never a pause till his death That same spirit is yet powerfull in them Though King Lewes bee zealous in their Religion and contraire to his clemencie hath beene drawne by instigation to destroy many thousands of the Sainctes yet they are not satisfied with that is done They perceiue in him an halting and therefore are wearie of him They haue boasted him to desist from his League with Protestant Princes which they see a meanes to strengthen himselfe against his common enemie and haue threatned him with rebellions and insurrections They haue also giuen him an Admonition in nyne questions disputed whereof the summe is That if hee relent in destroying the Hugonots in France or assist the Protestants in Germanie they shall set vp with him a coniunct King And least he should think that but wind they stirred vp Franciscus Martellus a Priest neare to deepe like another Ravilliacke to kill him but God discovered the Traitour who before his suffering deponed that two Iesuits Guyotus and Chapusyus were his Counsellours and instigators And lastlie they are brewing a browst like the Guysian faction against Henrie the third and stirring vp his brother against him vnder colour of Courtlie miscontentments against Cardinall Richliâ—u And this is the corregnans or coniunct King whereof their Theses spak It is a wonder that so mightie a Kingdome should bee so fearefullie shaken by plots and more that they see it and groane for it and yet can not expede themselues of these snaires There was matter for redresse when Henrie 3. was killed but nothing answerable followed and Henrie the fourth had just cause of anger and revenge by Castellus stroake but it turned to nothing for when hee had banished the Iesuits within fiue yeares that martiall King turned a pleader for their restoring And after his death wheÌ„ the presumptions of their treason were pregnant they threw from the young King a declaration of their innocencie and a condemning of the Booke-seller that dispersed the Copies of it And when the Nobilitie did their best homage to their dead King to kisse his heart affecting to shew their lone in marking their months with the blood of it the Iesuits by right of a pretended or if it was true an ominous Legacie of his heart left to them caryed it to their Colledge of Laflex and that not so much in the sorrow of funerals as in the ioy of a triumph for that they had found such a morsell for the paines of their long hunting It were an hard matter to determine whether the hearts of the Nobilitie were more grieved or the heartes of the Iesuits more over-ioyed about the Kings heart but sure it is that the Iesuits gloried of it In that common sorrow Abbas Sylviuâ— the Abbot of Boes in the iust griefe of a loyall heart when hee considered the Iesuits Probleme An fas esset tyrannos occidere if it were lawfull to kill tyrants and how Marianas and such Bookes were in the hands of people hee turned him to the Iesuits in his Sermon and exhorted them that they would provyde that no Booke passed vnder the name of their Societie and with the Superiours approbation that might any wayes offend the French Summo studio providerent ne ex ipsorum officina vllus liber qui Gallos offenderet prodiret except they would expose themselues to such a danger which all their wisedome supported with authoritie and riches of their favourers could not eschew The Iesuits tooke that graue admonition so hardlie that they complained to the Queene and made him to bee sharplie rebuked But what they could not doe at Paris they effected at Rome when they caused him to bee put to death there whereof some accused them because that hee was the first who after the Kings death reproved them out of Pulpit albeit in the funerall oration which hee published hee left out the speach that hee directed to them This was a Iesuitish tricke that they who should haue beene punished for treason turned the punishment of it on them who challenged them It is like a new devyce of Bellarmines who seeing how odious the Iesuits are made to the world by their wickednesse layed open in sundrie Books suggested to the Pope and his Consistorie that a new censure of Bookes should bee institute to raze and purge out all thinges that were written against them A devyce of a gnawing Conscience for though all these Bookes were burnt yet the treacherie of that order will bee knowne to Posteritie Let France consider her estate Before Iesuits arose they were loyall to their Princes But since Spaine thirsted for that Kingdome as his great stay of the European Moarchie and hath as manie friends in her bowels as Iesuits there is nothing but Leagues Plottes and Factions formed and everie faction ending in the killing of a King The Sorbone standeth yet in her honestie but can doe no more than a Schoole censure and is borne downe by the incroaching of the Iesuits on her to punish her for her former loyaltie to Kings The auncient forwardnesse of the Court of Parliament seemeth to bee relented since the
cause why they burnt Spalato was for that hee held it possible to reconceale the Church of England to Rome This irreconciliablenesse is both in the outward peace and in Doctrine For the outward peace beside that hath beene said in the former Chapter Since the Trent Councell they haue ever beene plotting and the Iesuits of Princes Confessaris turned their Corycaei and Counsellers the Frogges from the bottomlesse pit haue stirred them vp to warre And when they had prepared all things one a of them began the Alarme in an Imperiall dyet Nunc tempus est haereticorum istorum oppressionem deletionem maturare Catholicis nec nervum pecuniam nec militem nec Consilia deesse Now it is time to hasten the oppression and destruction of these Hereticks For the Catholickes want neither money nor Souldiers nor Councell There is both their plotting and preparation against vs confessed it is senselessenesse not to obserue it But when all was readie and the fire begunne in Boheme then Sciopius gaue a formall Alarme and intitles his Booke suasoria de ratio nibus haereticorum compescendorum A Suasorie to compesse Hereticks And because Granvellanus and some other had suggested peaceable counsels to Emperours about Religion hee bids these moderate counsellers get them gone qui mollibus sententijs haereticorum ingenia alere solent in maximam crucem facessant And to ground their crueltie to Protestants he bids Princes count of Luther as a divell and sayeth That wee worship Sathan in stead of God This is like the blasphemous calumnies of the Iesuits of Munster in their Credo Calvini-sequarum who affained to vs that wee belieue in Sathan Thereafter hee bids destroy all Infaints and Children percuties in ore gladij delebis etiam Infantes pueros That is Magdeburge Modell Hee maketh not bones of that that Iesuits deny That it is leasome to cut off Princes that favour Religion And in end that it is lawfull to make covenants with Turkes Ethnicks and Iewes but not with Protestants This is their preamble Let vs heare what followeth and that both from the Popes Consistorie the Emperours Cabinat For the first the Cardinalls at Rome declare that the Popes designe is to restore the Church of Rome to her wonted greatnesse And for this end that as the Palatine is broken so Saxon and Brandenburge must also be removed as the greatest stayes of their purposes in Germanie And when the French King by their instigation had oppressed the Protestants of France the Iesuite Cornelius at Rome not content to praise him for it lest wee should doubt any longer who are these spirits who stirre vp Kings to battell stirreth vp Princes to persecute other Protestants Agite Principes generosi pergite magnis animis opus felicibus adeo auspicijs caeptum conficite Paribus studijs rebellem Calvini haeresin penè evulsam stirpitus ubilibet eradicate Goe to generous Princes set forward with great courage Perfect the worke begunne with so happie successe And with the like zeale roote out everie where the rebellious haeresie of Calvine And least this seeme to bee the humour of a privat Doctour Their infallible Doctour Vrbane the eight breaths the like crueltie to that same young King after his taking of the Rochell that hee would goe forward to hunt the rest of these fierce beasts the Hugonotes out of their denne and destroy them all vtterlie And from Vienne they declare that they minde no peace but to destroy Religion by force For the Iesuits vnder the fable of Abaris the Hyberborean far worse applyed than Nazianzen did stirreth vp the Emperour with his Arrow Oracles to propagate the truth by force as well as by reason Et norit ad propugnandum coeleste dogma non minus ferri aciem quam ingenij acumen adhibere And that a Prince must vse Appolloes arrowes and know that heavenly doctrine is propugned no lesse by the edge of the sword than by quicknes of Ingyne This is another sort of argument than Christ taught his Disciples Of old it was said that Faith should bee propagate not by Armes but by arguments not by blowes but by words For who will compell me sayth Lactantius either to belieue what I will not or not to belieue what I will But let vs heare the Emperour himselfe declaring his intention Ad exstirpandas sediciosas factiones quae Calvinistica potissimum factione foventur â—o roote out the factions of the Calvinists Beside these wee haue evidences of their irreconciliablenesse from their Pacificators and Scioppius Their Pacificators were set to worke by authoritie to colour their crueltie by a large Volume They saw the Pacification of Passau which was ratified at Augsburge condemned them of crueltie and persurie It provided peace of Religion that none should molest or invade other for their profession And that the peace should haue the owne vigour usque ad finalem compositionem vntill a finall composition But when they saw that they prevailed they set these Lawyers to work to put an Orleand glosse vpon the Pacification and to make men belieue it had no force Their speciall reasons are that the peace was not concluded by way of a Pragmaticall sanction but of a covenant rising of necessitie for the time That the Emperour is not bound to it nor the Bishoppes That beside the case of necessitie there was also feare vim inferens non meretur ut ipsi promissio servetur And lastlie that it is null in it selfe Because the Pope did not approue it Thus they elide that solemne Pacification which held Germanie in peace for sixtie yeares and more Others say the like that the peace was not valide That it expyred at the publication of the Trent Councell That it was onely till the Catholicks had expede their businesse that is their plotting against vs postea hoc vnum bellum contra sectarios administrarent they would follow out this onelie warre against hereticks All the time of their practising the treate of Passau was taken to compryse both the Publicke and religious peace But now when they thinke they haue prevailed they cure their tyrannie with distinctions That it was not a Sanction but a transaction And that the Publicke peace did not touch the religious peace but materiallie and by accident where as formallie they are diverse yea adverse These are shifts to colour perjurie and oppression As these Pacificators were set to worke to loose the bands of the stablished peace so was Scioppius to propone a new forme of Peace with his two Bookes the one of the Consultations of Peace vnder his owne name The other is of the Foundations of peace vnder the fained name of Theophilus Sanctafidius or rather Miso-theus nulli-fidius First hee confesseth that the wickednesse of their Cleargie gaue iust scandall to the Protestants Fundament pag. 48. 157. Next that their
the ill of that censure that it made worthie men hold backe from publicke medling and opened a doore to vnworthie ambitious men to misguide all And the Romans who like a feverous man changed all sorts of governement to finde out the best as Kings Consuls Tribuns c. were forced in great danger to chuse a Dictator and in end turned to a Monarchie which is nothing but a perpetuall Dictatorship And when Augustus fained politicklie to lay downe the Empyre the Senat requeasted him to keepe it still they had beene burnt so oft with the violence of a tribunitious governement that they chused rather to hazard on the faults of one Monarch than the furies of a multitude Everie forme of governement hath the owne Commodities but Monarchie hath moe and all these disputes that conclude for a Monarchie doe vnderstand such a Monarch as is furnished with these three most essentiall gifts Perspicacitie in iudgement Honestie in designes and constant stabilitie There is but one head and one heart in the Body one Sunne for the day and one Moone for the night And Birds Beastes and Bees haue but one Leader of their companie And God set vp but one Moses one Ioshua and one Iudge in Israel at once Hee reproved Israel for seeking a King not because of the vnlawfulnesse of a Monarchie but for loathing the governement of Iudges which hee had established and that ruled more moderately than the Kings of the Nations The errors to be refuted are these which haue fallen either in Princes or people Some Princes looking onely to their greatnesse aboue their Subiects haue forgotten that they were men sought to be counted called Gods They doated so on their prerogatiues as to be ashamed of Humanitie and puft vp with Victories aboue men would not bee men any longer but set forward their Conquest to Heaven So Alexander in his floorishing state and Domitian and Caligula in the midst of their pleasures and Caius was so confident of a Divinitie that hee pittied the Iewes who would not count him as a god That same pitie if wee trust the Stoickes who banish that passion from their wise men might tell him that hee was but a fraile man But they were as senselesse of the inward convictions of their errour as they were ignorant of the Truth There fell never such a frensie in man as to bee tickled with a desire to bee a god or a conceate that hee is so Sound Humanitie knowes that Divinitie is a thing transcendent and they who are sicke of that disease are voyde of sound iudgement and haue put off Humanitie it selfe it was Sathans baite to Adam in the beginning but he proponed it afterward in a grosser sort to such as was sicke of Ambition And it fell not in good Princes but in the worst for Domitian Caligula and such Monsters were greedy of that honour but Augustus Titus and Traian were not so They were conscious to themselves of great wickednesse and knew that the world abhorred them yet they would cover all with that faire colour as to bee better than all men while they were the pests of their time But a good King needeth not seeke to bee counted a god for hee is better than any of the gods of the Heathen But all that affectation of a Godhead was grosse Atheisme for if they had thought that there were any Gods they would not haue vsurped vpon their place or office And it proved that these injured gods were not at all for if they had beene they would not haue suffered themselves to bee oppressed by a multitude of Monsters who did not so much vexe them by that encroaching as destroy their account by profanesse That multiplication of gods destroyed their feare and respect among men I know not whither it was a greater trick in Sathan or madnesse in them to seeke a place among the gods But it testified in them both a mocking of the gods whom they counted no better than Companions to such Monsters for they were as farre dishonoured as these men were honoured imaginarilie but indeede all was alike heere Though wee follow that distinction of Lares and Larvae good and evill Spirits or their Manes whose good or ill was vncertaine yet it is sure that the best of their gods were but men and the most part either cruell oppressours or filthie Atheists Bacchus was a drunkard Hercules a Palliard Iupiter a Parricide Venus a Whore and in a word the gods of the Gentiles were but the names of Vices But indeede Sathan had an higher intention to dishonour the true GOD and exalt wickednesse while hee purchased a commendation to Vices which are too alluring of themselves by the colour of Religion and a Divinitie GOD punished that frensie in Herod for suffering the people cry The voyce of God and not of man hee refuted their flatterie and punished his pride by making wormes at once to breede of him and feede on him He is a miserable god who is turned in the matter and foode of wormes and in one instant is both their Mother and Nurce God tooke that summar course with him because hee vsurped vpon the true God wheras Pagans vsurped vpon the false gods onely who were as wicked as themselves We would count that madnesse fabulous if the Popes brought it not on the Stage againe and none but they in the Christian world for Pagan Princes finde no Successours of their pride in the Throne of Kings but onely in Peters Chaire And what wonder since they professe a power by Consecration to make stones and stockes to bee adored with a relatiue and terminatiue worship and giue power to Priestes by mumbling of fiue words to creat their Creator Why may not the Author of so many gods call himselfe a God and craue adoration The concoat of their transcendent power hath transported them from their wits for vnder other names and colours they follow the pride of Alexander and Domitian to bee counted gods and of Dioclâ—tian to bee adored as a god while hee lived And that more damnablie than they because these Princes were ignorant of the true GOD and the Divinitie they affected was worse than Humanitie But Popes prosessing the true God and vsurping his Name and Titles are more sacrilegious than they They will not byde so low as to bee Men and cannot bee gods therefore they must bee some third thing and what that is may bee knowne by their Luciferian pryde The errors about principalitiie in people are two especiallie The first of Anabaptists who think that Magistracy cannot stand with Christian Religion as though Christ who cam to persite man by grace destroyed good order amoÌ„g men His Redemption looseth vs from sin but not from the ordinance of GOD hee came to destroy the workes of Sathan but not the workes of God And Christian Religion in the Magistrate is so farre from taking away his power that it
addeth moreover an aptitude to vse his Power aright And in Subjects it looseth not the obligement of obedience but confirmes it For if any man thinke because hee is a Christian that he needes not pay tribute nor giue due honour to Superiours hee falleth in a great error And the Iewes sinned not because they said they had not a King but Caesar but because they denyed Christ. It is a singular worke of God to erect and maintaine a right Governement in the world And the Apostle hath commanded vs to render tribute to whom tribute is due custome to whom custome feare to whom feare honour to whom honour The mysticall Bodie of Christ is not a multitude of one gift one degree one office but in diversity of gifts and Operations doth respect other Preheminency in Princes Subiection in people stand well with grace the holie Spirit can direct the one in commanding the other in obeying without any disparagement of grace for hee who said By mee Kings doe reigne sayes also Let everie Soule bee subiect to the higher Powers Since grace then hath the owne order and degrees in his mysticall Body it can well agree with the order and degrees hee hath made in the civill Body of Kingdomes The like may bee seene in Heathen Princes for their jurisdiction destroyes not their humanitie but they may keepe them both it enableth Humanitie in them to curbe the inhumanitie of oppressors The heavenly City of the Church is here lodged in the earthlie Citie of worldlie Kingdomes and it were a bad requit all for that her lodging to destroy them Therefore let that heavenlie Citie obey the Lawes of that earthlie Citie so long as shee soioâ—â—nes in it that since mortalitie is common to both Cities concord may bee keeped betweene them in things that concerne it These men doe sin against God the law of Nature the good of humane Societies for even reasonlesse creatures haue a King of their own kinde submit themselues to him It is but a fleshly licence that they seek vnder the name of a Christian liberty as was said of old to the Donatists their forefathers according to these deceitfull and vaine opinions the raines are loosed to humane licence and all sinne left vnpunisht that a boldnesse to hurt and a libertie of wantonnesse may reigne without the barre and opposition of Lawes Yea take away that which wholesome Doctrine commandeth wiselie by the holy Apostle for the health of the World Let every Soule bee subiect to the higher Powers The second is a popular errour of some who thinke that Magistrats receiue onely benefite of Subiects and giue no recompence againe But they should remember that dueties betwixt Princes and people are mutuall and their fruites also The wise governing of Kings and peace following is as great a good as people can giue to them GOD hath tyed them together by mutuall respects the more they are keeped by both the parties the more they increase and there is neither possibility nor hope of safetie to either but in their agreement The people of Rome fell in this same errour they departed from their Senate because they sate in ease while the people indured labour and lose of warre But Menenius Agrippa cured that errour by a popular comparison All the parts of the bodie said hee were angrie on a time at the Bellie because by their care and service all things were purchased for it which in the meane time had ease in the midst of the Bodie and enioyed the fruite of their labours Heerevpon they conspired against it that the hands should not beare meate to the mouth nor the mouth receiue it nor the teeth bray it But while by this anger they would dantoun the Bellie all the members of the Bodie fell in extreame consumption whereby it appeared that the service of the Bellie was not in vaine and that it was no more nourished than did nourish the bodie while it sent out prepared foode to everie part Theerfore they resolved to quyte their miscontentment and doe their wonted offices to the Bellie By this rude and populare Oration the people of Rome began to heare of concord and at once were reconciled to their Senate The Bees giue the like respect to their King hee alone among so busie labourers is exeemed from labour and yet is placed in the midst and largest roome of the throng Hyue The directions for people are to pray for Princes obey them in the Lord Gods care of Kings is both for their Place which he assigneth vnto them and for their worke to bee his Instruments for the good of mankind And therefore people are bound in the Lord to honour them for their place so farre aboue them To loue them for their worke so profitable for them And to commend them daylie to GOD that hee would hold their Heart in his hand and magnifie his ordinance in their government So Davids example in this place and the Apostle commands vs to make Supplications Prayers Intercessions for all men for Kings and for these that are in authoritie Their condition also craues this for their education is vsually in libertie without controlement and since corruption in Subjects breaketh out in great insolencies What may it doe in Kings great power without great wisedome and a speciall assistance of God is dangerous both to the possessours and those they rule Their place layes them open to many dangers and therefore a necessitie on our part to pray earnestly for them Our prayers are both for their good and our own thogh the fruit come first on Princes yet in the next roome it commeth to vs The raine that falleth on the mountaines bydeth not there but slydeth downe to the Valleyes So when servent prayers bring downe blessings on Kings the people are therein blessed also When the Apostle biddeth vs pray for Kings hee telleth that our fruite shall bee a quiet and peaceable life in all godlinesse and honestie and when God biddeth his people pray for the peace of the Citie where they dwell in captivitie hee promiseth that in their peace they shall haue peace The standing and falling of Princes importeth their Subiects greatlie So long as David walked in his vprightnes God blessed him his people but wheÌ„ he waxed proud Satan tempted him to number them they were punished And when Rehoboam forsooke the Lord hee fell not alone but all Israel fell with him When one of the people goes wrong he alone perisheth but the error of the Prince involveth many hurteth all that hee ruleth The fall of Kings is the punishment of people for as by their vertue wee are safe so by their errour wee are in danger Therefore wee should pray to God that wee may haue a glorious and perfect King It is then most profitable that good Kings reigne long and that profite is not so