French-men ever after in their ordinary sport when they were at Cards and pulled for a Traytor a sort in their Packs as Knaves are in ours would call for a Barnardino de Corte to his perpetual reproach Infamy with the shame whereof and the sting of a guilty Conscience the Rebel was so tormented that he languished continually until he dyed desperatly I have heard of a certain Commander who would often wish he might rot if ever he lift his Hand or drew his Sword against the King Notwithstanding he did both and God answered him in his wish For he rotted within and dyed this was at Worcester A certain Lord likewise I have heard of a Great Ring-leader in a Rebellion yet a great Pretender to Religion and in his Exercises of Devotion would often desire God If the course he took were not right if the cause he mannaged were not just that God would take him away suddainly God heard him and answered him For by the Shot of a Musket he was killed so suddainly that he had not so much time as to say God be merciful unto me and without any sign or symptome of Repentance dyed This was at Liechfield I need not remember you of Pausanias Ariobarzanes Rodolph Duke of Suevia Catcline of Rome Spencers Dudlys and many more of England Not one of them all nor any other Rebel that I have read of but if he lived he lived the scoâ—n of honest men and if he dyed he dyed the shame of his Friends the mirth of his enemies and the example of all God in the shameful and fearful punishments of them telling us That it is not lawful to bear Arms or contribute to maintain a War against the King They that did so against King Charles I. God Almighty look upon them in so much mercy that they may look up to him with so much Repentance that they may be forgiven and their Souls saved whatsoever becomes of their Bodyes and that no man none of us especially may do the like against King Charles II. with the Church I pray From all Sedition and privy conspiracy from all false Doctrine and Heresie from hardnesse of Heart and contempt of thy word and Commandement Good Lord deliver us for Jesus Christ his sake Amen Amen Amen Anno Dom. 1655. 1 REG. 21.19 Hast thou killed and also gotten Possession THat a Rich man that a Good man should be made first a Delinquent and then a Malignant is no news For the Fact can prescribe time out of mind even beyond the memory of Christianity Yet such a Fact may be suspected and called in question whether it be Legal or Illegal since it hath so bad a Founder as Achab and so great a Confounder as God For it was God that sent Elijah the Tishbite to meet Achab King of Israel V. 17.18 with this expostulation Hast thou killed and also gotten Possession But soft Is not this Text corrupted or mistaken for Achab killed not Naboth rather the False Witnesses that testified against him or the false Judges that condemned him or Jesabel that commanded both to be done and him to be stoned Truely they had their Guilt and Punishment yet as if they had been but Accessories Achab is pickt out for the Murtherer because without his Seal to the Letter his Covetousness after the Vineyard Naboth had not been markt out for a Delinquent nor put to death for a Malignant Nor had Achab received this Increpation from God by the hand of Elijah Hast thou killed and also gotten Possession In handling of which words I shall observe 1. Two Persons 2. Two things belonging to each Person The two Persons are 1. The true Malignant Achab. 2. The pretended Malignant Naboth 1. In the pretended Malignant I look upon the two Causes Why he was so pretended 1. He was a Rich man would not part with his Inheritance 2. He was a Good man would not yield to an Arbitrary Government 2. In the True Malignant I look upon the two Causes that so Branded him 1. His Murther Anoccideris Hast thou killed 2. His theft you may call it Plunder or sequestration Ac etiam jure haeriditario possidias and hast thou gotten Possession Of these God willing orderly and first of the first The pretended Malignant Naboth Naboth hath three Significations 1. It signifies Conspicuus visible and so he was a Delinquent and a malignant de Fronte for his honesty 2. It signifies Sessio stable and so he was a Delinquent and a Malignant de pede for his Constancy 3. It signifies Exclusio expelled and so he was a Delinquent and a Malignant de Facto and sequestred both from his livelihood and Life But for a man visibly honest whose Heart and thoughts you may read in his Face and Front without fraud or guile For a man unmoveably constant whose Perseveraâ—ce in honesty keeps company with his Life without halt or Apostacy For a man who will not part with the sincerity of his Intentions nor the Integrety of his Actions for the Frowns of Kings or fear of death For such a man to be made a Delinquent and under sequestration to be made a Malignant and put to Death me thinks is somewhat strange and Illegal It is strange indeed but indeed it is true too de Facto that he was served so though not true de merito that he deserved so It was Illegal too against Law and without president yes against old Lawes and former Presidents But a new Law may come forth by an Ordinance upon a day of Humiliation under a Privy Signet by the subtilty of Jesabel which signifies Covetousness as you may read in this Chapter Jesabel wrote Letters in Achabs name and Sealed them with his Seal and sent the Letters to the Elders and to the Nobles Ver. 8. that were in his City dwelling with Naboth And she wrote in the Letters saying Proclaim a Fast and set Naboth among the Chief of the People Ver. 9. And two wicked men before him Ver. 10. and let them witnesse against him saying Thou didst blasphem God and the King then carry him out and stone him that he may dy And the reason of all this is double 1. Because Naboth was a Rich man and would not part with his Inheritance which is my second Consideration and prima primae So you have it in the 2. and 3 verses Naboth had a Vineyard by the Kings Pallace Achab desires it for a Garden of Hearbs 1 a. 1 ae but he would not part with it because it was the Inheritance of his Fathers In Riches there is a Felicity and an Infelicity Happiness and misery both in Riches Happiness because Wealth gets a man esteem in the World Misery because it gets a man Envy in the World Happiness because it enables a man to do good in the Wâ—â—ld Misery because it tempts a man to do mischief in the World Happiness because a Man may make Friends by the Mammon of Iniquity
fift was made by Josia King of Israel with God that he and his People would walk after the Lord and keep his Commandements and his Testimonies and his Statutes with all his heart and his soul and that he would accomplish the words of the Covenant and he caused all the people to stand to it 2 Cron. 34.30 The sixt and last was requested by the people of the Captivity from Ezra who was then Instar locâ— Râ—gis in these words now therefore let us make a Covenant with our God to put away all our strange Wifes These are all the Covenants I have read of or can remember in the whole Bible and all these were made by and with the severall Kings Ezra 10.3 none without or against them But the English Engagement and Covenant was made without and against the King of England and howsoever those were commendable and extenuated the Israelites sins yet this must needs aggravate the English sins and condemne them who contrived it and took without much Repentance in themselves and more mercy in God and the King to which mercy God incline the heart of the King for Jesus Christ his sake Amen And 〈…〉 â—orse then the former for the former 〈◊〉 only engage against the Kings person 2. â—â—tion and the other part of it promised and pretended to fight for him in order to the preservation of Religion which might and did easily beguile many simple and well minded people but this same Oath of Abjuration was against the Kings Posterity not one of his Race or Name to raign over us any more nay against Lords of both sorts Ecclesiasticall and Temporall yes against the office of Episcopaâ—y so that we should not have had so much as a Skeleton of Monarchy nor a shape of any one of the Royal Tribes none of Benjamin or Nepthali none of Asher or Ephraim not a Duke Marquess Earl Lord or Barron nor any one of an Apostolicall Church not a successor of Aaron not a successor of St. Peterâ— St. Paul or any other of the Apostles some of the Tribe of Levi we might have had in a settell'd Presbytery to the loss of the English and gaine of the Romish Church And had not this been a greater Aggravation of our Countrymens sins in compelling some to be their Prosolites and ten times more the Children of Satan then themselves then a bare knowing and doing those sins with delighting in others that do the same comes short of compelling others to do those things which we know to be sin Delectation comes short of Compulsion and therefore once more I pray O thou Eternall and Mercifull God suffer not againe such Commanders to rule over us or if thou had'st not yet sufficiently punisht us for our former Malignity and Murther yet give us not over to obey such evill Commands that when thou makest Inquisition for blood for common blood for sacred blood or Noble blood for Royall blood our souls may be sprinkled with the saving and all sufficient blood of Jesus Christ 〈…〉 â—â—â—scription which these Master Murtherers required and would have compelled us to do under the specious pretence of against the Common Enemy but in truth with the horrid guilt of shutting out if possible for ever of King Charles the second whom God Almighty preserve to these three Kingdomes England Scotland and Ireland till in a good old age he be received into the Kingdome of Heaven for Jesus for Jesus for Jesus Christ his sake Amen Amen Amen FINIS
the Dead which dye in the Lord. Had it been onely to maintain the publick Service of God established by Law even that alone would have made them Martyrs For not a Tittle of it but it was by the Dictate of the Holy Ghost and I should think my self accursed if I were not able to maintain it and would now if it were not beside my Text and Purpose yet blame not my holy Zeal if I do vindicate that saving-Book against the Schismaticks greatest Exceptions And that is in the Office of Marriage That Office consists of Substance and Ceremony The Substance Prayer The Ceremony a Ring Look you upon both and first the first Prayer in that Office It beseeches Almighty God to bless the Couple to be married As Isaac aâ—d Rebecca whence I aâ—gue thus This Prayer was dictated by the Holy Ghost to the Composers of the Common Prayers or made by those Composers without the Dictate of the Holy Ghost But not by them without his Dictate Therefore by his Dictate to them If by them without him then they would have made it according to Humane Reason and so have said bless them O Lord as thou didst bless Abâ—aham and Sarah or as thou didst bless Jacob and Rachel and they had humane Reason for it for Abraham was Gods fiâ—st Friend Jacob was Gods great Favourite But sayes the Holy Ghost Not so nor so but let it be bless them as Isaac and Rebecca and there is no Humane Reason for this but a Divine Reason there is and that is this Abraham had his Hagar in Sarahs time and this Keturah afterwards Jacob had his Leah his Zilhah and his Bilhah but Isaac had none but his Rebecca and therefore sayes the Holy Ghost let it not be Bless them as Abraham and Sarah Bless them as Jacob and Rachel for then people may be apt to think they may have many Wifes at once if not some Concubines but let it be Bless them as thou didst bless Isaac and Rebecca let them know One man should have but one Wife especially at one time Then secondly look upon the Ring The Ring must be round without end and the Ring must be of Gold without mixture so must the Husbands love be to his Wife perpetual and to be terminated onely by Death and withal his Love must be pure and not given or imparted to any other but to his Wife onely Certainly therefore Blessed they which dye in maintaining that Service-book which can without contradiction father the very Ceremonies of it upon the Holy Ghost But add to this Obedience to the King Unity to the Church Liberty to the Subject and many more commanded by God and deny He that can or dare Blessed is William Laud Archbishop for dying for the Churches Unity Blessed are Cavendish Greenvile c. for dying for Obedience and to keep the Kings Crown upon his Head Blessed is King Charles the first for dying for both and to preserve the Subjects Liberties And if they are Blessed why then do any mourn as if they were lost But alas Nature will have her course and on Gods Name let it but let Nature give you bounds to Natures course stillate volo non currere let your Eyes drop Tears like pretious water out of a Still not run like common water out of a spout So said Seneca from Nature Yes Nature hath taught it not onely by Speech but also by Example what else meant that Heathen Priest who so soon as be heard of his Sons Death presently put off his Crown and vented his Sorrow by his Tears but hearing withal That his Son died Valiantly he assumed his Crown again and finished his Sacrifice So you B. hearing your Friends death lay aside your Crowns and melt your selves into Tears but knowing They died for God for the Church for the King for the Countrey for the glory of God for the Unity of the Church for the Honour of the King for the Lawes of the Countrey and that the King himself was Murthered and Martyred for all these Put on your Crowns again and finish your own Christian course with Joy Give not back though you are bur few Fall not back though Gods the Churches the Kings and your Enemies have got the Trophees you know not whether God hath chosen for his Gedeon a Reserve that his own Glory may be the greater and your own blessedness as sure by Dying In the Lord as your Friends that have dyed For the Lord. Their blessedness is not doubted They that dye For the Lord They that seal the Truth of Gods VVord and Religion with their blood Nor Catholique nor Papist call their blessedness into question They that were slain in the late quarrel And certainly their blessedness too your own needs as little doubt who are resolved to dye In the Lord you who lead a holy life and believe in the Lord Jesus and will continue therein to the end They are you are blessed For questionless St. John is blessed though he died in his bed and was but banished as you are as well as St. Peter though he died upon the Cross and was put to Torment as our glorious King and many of our Friends were And it is to you as well as to them to you that are but Confessors as well as to them that were Martyrs that Christ speaks Come ye blessed of my Father possess the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning Mat. 25.34 But this for my part shall make no quarrel between Rome and England or Amsterdam If they will yield to us in some Substances we will easily yield to them in this Circumstance Let them decline to the killing of Kings and we will soon yield That Martyrs onely are blessed and so by consequence They onely dye in the Lord But with this Proviso That they take not nor understand this word Martyr in the common use of speech secundum vulgus For so it is one that seals his witness to the Gospel with his blood and suffers death for Christ but in the Grammar sence secundum Cleres For so it means but a Witness One that lives and dies in Faith as the Apostle speaks All these Abraham Isaac Jacob and many more died in the Faith i. e. They were all Martyrs Heb. 11.13 or they were all Witnesses to the truth of Christs Religion both in their Life and Death They died in the Lord. And thus you see what it is to dye in the Lord or who may be said to dye in the Lord Now for Application of this Point How may we dye in the Lord Appl. And that I shall tell you plainly and quickly If you would Dye in the Lord you must Live in the Lord Live in him you must by a Faith that purifies your hearts and then Dye in him you may by a Faith that justifies your Souls Live in him you must by the Faith of water to Sanctification Act. 15.9 and then Dye in him you may by
the Faith of Blood to Justification We may not with Balaam desire to dye the death of the Kighteous and live Covetously Nâ—â—b but we must with David lead the life of the Righteous and dye Comfortably If we would dye in the Lord and receive the end of our Faith which is the Salvation of our Souls we must first Live in the Lord by laying the Foundation of Faith by doing the Act of Faith and by bringing forth the Fruit of Faith 1. Fundamentum autem Fidei quid But what is the Foundation of Faith Why it is Cognitio Dei nostri the Knowledge of God and of our selves The Knowledge of God the Father and our Fall He made us upright and we found out many inventions He made us in his Image and we defaced it The Knowledge of God the Son and our Redemption we were lost and He sought us we were sold and He bought us 1 Cor. were slaves and He enfranchised us The Knowledge of God the Holy Ghost and our Sanctification by Him Such we were Druâ—kards Revilers Fornicators c. But we are sanctified by the Spirit of our God 1 Cor. This is the Foundation of Faith and it must be laid by Knowledge 2. The Act of Faith and it must be effected by Applying Actus autem Fidel quid And what is the Act of Faith Why it is Fiducia A perswasion that God the Father so loved me Joh. 3.16 that he gave his onely begotten Son for me A perswasion that God the Son so loved me That he came in the similitude of sinful flesh Rom. 8.3 and for sin condemned sin in the flesh A perswasion that God the Holy God so loved me that he hath baptized me into the death of Christ and hath thereby made me the Temple of Himself a Member of Christ and the Child of God In a word 1 Tim. 1.15 when I believe Though I am the greatest of all sinners yet Jesus Christ came into the world to save me 3. Fructus autem fidei quid And what is the Fruit of Faith Why it is Charitas Charity Charity to God by Prayer Charity to my self by Fasting and keeping my Body under Charity to the Poor by Almes These These are the precious Fruits that grow upon the precious Tree of Faith Faith believing in God thorow Jesus Christ by the Holy Ghost to be saved does therefore pray to God against sin and keeps the Body under from sin and gives Almes to the Poor And when we do this why then as Christ saies you shall know the Tree by his fruit we live in the Lord and therefore we shall dye in the Lord. The word of my Text is not Qui vivunt They which live but Qui exeunt They that dye in the Lord Nor did I say this to deviate from my Text but to tell you How you may fulfil the Text and dye in the Lord and no way for this but by living in the Lord for otherwise the Lord may be said to Dye in us we cannot be said to Dye in the Lord. Nor yet did I say this That the man that lives not in the Lord cannot dye in the Lord For God can fetch water out of the flinty Rock but to tell you That ordinarily Few dye in the Lord that do not first live in the Lord They that live in sin may dye in the Lord and such A course may speed But it is a dangerous and indiscreet pare to venture a Soul upon such an hazard This course is sure to speed ' They that live in the Lord do alwayes dye in the Lord. It is storied that the French ad judged certain ground to the Irish against the Scotch because Spyders Toads and such poysonous Creatures did presently dye if they were put there So you may be our own Judges and know to what Master you belong If siâ—ful lusts words and works dye when they come upon the Ground of your Souls you belong to the Lord He lives in you and you shall dye in him Once more Would you dye in the Lord Why then as St. Paul saâ—es Dye daily i. e. Master your Lusts Subdue your Wrath Humble your Pride Resist all Temptations v.g. more plainly Suppose Covetousness were now breeding in my heart and Money perswaded me to become another Judas to betray my Soul my Saviour my King my Countrey Yet remember I it is but a sad bargain I am about No profit to gain the whole world and loose mine own Soul And what I say of this sin I say of all sin Take them while they are but little ones Mat. even but Temptations and dash them against the stones Against the stones of Mortification and Repentance Obey the Precepts of God and resist sin Believe the Promises of God and relye on Christ and so you shall live in the Lord Continue in this Obedience to the Law Persevere in this Belief of the Gospel and though you do sometimes fall and God forgive us all for who falls not often yet Rise again by Repentance and at the Hour of your Death Then six your Faith upon the Mercies of God in the Merits of Jesus Christ and you shall Dye in the Lord And Dying so you shall be blessed Etiam sic dicit Spirius For so saith the Spirit It is my second General Pars 2. I called it the Witness to assure the Deposition to confirm the truth of the Proposition and I must tell you It is beyond all exception Etiam sic dicit Spiritus For so sayes the Spirit But of this I shall not need to speak much For I hope in Christ There is no Athist here to deny the Truth of God or of his Word No Schismatick or Heretick here I hope to deny this Book of Revelation though penned by St. John to have proceeded from the Spirit Not any Carnal or Private Spirit not any Giddy or worldly spirit but the Holy and Blessed Spirit and therefore I forbear to prosecute this Point and thank your Piety for saving me the pains Nor shall I dare to trespass upon your Patience Pars 3. in speaking much of my Third General This Depositaries Exposition of the Proposition And yet least I should injure your Expectation I shall venture upon a word or two If any one askes wherein are the Dead Blessed They that dye in the Lord wherein are they blessed Loe The Spirit makes answer and sayes They are blessed two wayes 1. In Relaxation They rest from their Labours 2. In Retribution Their Works follow them They are two Blessednesses and two such Blessednesses as this world cannot afford Ease and Glory both In this world If sometimes we have Rest in our Studies by Divine Contemplation yet there we have no Glory we are but poor Schollars still And if sometimes you have Glory in the Court by Royal admission yet there you have no Rest you are but Observing Courtiers still But in Heaven Both you and we shall have
to be sober in the Horse and drink no more then will do us good being Unchast or Lacivious in the Dove and know no woman but out own Wifes being Cruel or Unnaturall in the Storke and to maintain our Parents Children Freinds that if we do such things we are worthy of death Worthy of death of death temporal so Draco by the light of nature appointed Death for all great Transgressions but that is not all our Apostle here means but worthy of death eternal too and this the very Gentiles knew by assigning their Elisyan fields to some sinners and Hell or their Stygian Lake to other sorts of sinners Take you and I therefore heed of all sorts of sins and do with every sin as David did with his water which his Worthies brought him with hazzard of their lives powre it them on the ground and say God forbid we should commit these sins because if we do we are worthy of Death of Death Temporal and Death Eternal Especially take we heed that we delight not that we take not pleasure in that we applaud not them that do them For this is desperate impiety the hight of and the great aggravation of the Gentiles sin here used by this great Apostle which is my second consideretion They do not only do them Psal 2. Put also take pleasure in others for doing the same Some read it Consent so Lyranus Tolet and others and make the Aggravation lesse But Theophylact Paraeus Piscator and others read it Patrocinantur favour delight take pleasure in yes Applaudunt Applaud and defend them that do such things and so make the Aggravation greater either way It is bad enough Alexanders murthering of Clytus was not the lesse though Anaxarchus the Epicurian Phylosopher told him All was lawful that Princes did though Aristander the Stoical Philosopher told him it was Fate and Destiny Davids murthering Uriah was not the lesse though the Ammonite slew him 2 Sam. 12.9 because he commanded it Achitopels killing of Absolom was not the lesse because his Counsel brought him to his death 2 Sam. 16.21 Saul was not lesse guilty of St. Stephens death Act. 7.59 though the Jews stoned him Act. 22.20 because he consented to it Achab was not lesse guilty of Naboths death though some Sons of Belial bare false witness against him and others condemned him Reg. 21.13 and others stoned him because he authorized and countenanced it with his Seal Esau was not the lesse guilty of Jacobs destruction though Forreigners Obed. 11.12 carried him away captive because he did not rescue him All the Tribe of Benjamin was not guilty of the Concubines Death and Rape in the Act of it Jud. 19.22 Jud. 20.13.14 yet they were guilty of the sin because they sheltered the Actors and Doers of it The Modern or latter Jews were not the less guilty of the old Prophets death Mat. 23.34 though their Fathers and Grand-Fathers slew them because they were Heire as well of the Murthers as of their Fathers Nor were they less guilty of King Charles blessed King Charles the first his death who brought him to the Block though others chopt off his head because they then withstood it not nor ever since called any of them to account for doing of it Nor are you or my self the loss guilty of that sin which another man commits if lying in our power we do not hinder it if we do not reprove it if we counsell'd it if we consented to it if we commanded it if we concealed it if we entertain'd the Actors of it and gave them applause or took pleasure in them for doting of it I end this second part with Prayer O God we have much guilt of our own too much if thy mercy be not the greater suffer us not we beseech thee to partake of other mens sins or communicate in other mens guilt but give us Courage to hinder it Zeal to reprove it Power to forbid it Wisdome to dispraise it Anger to discountenance it Strength to resist it Hearts and Tongues to declaime against it The burthens of others miseries give us Charity to bear but the burthens of other mens sins give us piety to forbear and the burthen of our own sins do thou ease and the guilt of our own sins do thou forgive for his sake who hath borne that burthen and washt away that guilt by his pretious and invaluable blood Jesus Christ Amen And now I come to the last part I proposed That if the Apostle were now living Pars 3. he would certainly further aggravate this sin upon the English Christians then he did upon the Romane Gentiles who have out-stript and exceeded their doing these sins themselves and their delighting in those that do them by commanding all others and compelling many to do the same by 1. An Engagement 2. An Oath of Abjuration 3. A subscription of Opposition against the Common Enemy whom they at least some of them I am sure one of them with the Approbation if silence gives consent declared to be Charles Stewart whom we acknowledge to be Charles the second King of England Scotland and Ireland and for whose return we do and will pray with Power from above to recover his own Rights with mercy from above to forgive his Rebellions Subjects and with Wisdome from above to lettle this Church of God and his three Kingdomes in Peace and Truth untill the second comming of our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Amen That Engagement with the Covenant was the first 1. Engagement and either of these bad enough since there is not one Engagement in the whole Book of God save those of the Rebels Corah and his Complices Absolom and his Conspirators Shaba and his Peufellowes nor is there one Covenant in that whole book but they were all given and taken by the Kings Authority not a Covenant amongst them all and they are but six in number imposed without much less against the Kings Authority and besides they were all meerly Religious Covenants not one Politick or state Covenant amongst the whole six Joshua 24.25 The first of which six was made by Joshua with the people The second was made by Jehojada the High Preist in behalf of the young King Joash with the people 2 Reg. 11.4 the sum of which Covenant was that the people should be true to God 2 Cron. 15.12 the King and the Church The third was made by King Asa with the people to seek the Lord God of their Fathers with all their heart and with all their soul The fourth was made by King Hazechiah with the people when they were in great distress for want of Religion and therefore said the King I have purposed to make a Covenant with the Lord God of Israel that he may turn his feirce wrath from us This was the Kings Covenant and Engagement with God for the people 2 Cron. 29.10 not theirs against him The
dimittis Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart Philip. 1. so did St. Paul Cupio dissolvi I desire to be dissolved But yet did ever any man desire to be hanged I do not think Judas senior did who betrayed his Master nor Judas junior neither who condemned his Soveraign True They both hanged themselves but for all that I do not believe that either of them desired to be hanged If I must die let me die any Death rather then a shameful then an accursed Death and yet the Apostle doubles that word upon Christ Philip. 2.8 Christ suffered death mortem autem crucis yea the death of the crosse i. e. He suffered the most shameful and accursed of all deaths For as all Lifes are not equally comfortable so all Deaths are not equally miserable the Cottage is not like the Pallace for life nor is the Water like the Halter for Death The Jewes had four kindes of Death for Malefactors Sword Fire Stone and Towel the Towel was the easiest yet there was Dolor Pain in that the Sword was next yet there was sanguis Blood in that Fire was worse then the Sword for there was scandalum shame in that Stoning was worse then all three yet there was not maledictum a curse in that but crucifying was worse then all Four Colos 1.14 Act. 2.24 Gal. 5.11 Gal. 3.13 for it was Bloudy and therefore called the Blood of the Crosse For it was painful and therefore called the Pain of the Crosse For it was shameful and therefore called the shame of the Crosse For it was cursed and therefore called the curse of the Crosse To dye by Age no man is against It is a Natural Death a Debt we owe to Nature to die by War no Soldier is against It is an honourable Death so that they die pro Rege et Lege for their King Country but if against their King it is Rebellion and damnable to die for Religion no good Christian is against It is a glorioas Death the Death of Martyrs But to dye the Death of the Crosse violently untimely penally cursedly Oh this goes against the haire It strikes to the heart This Cursed it was That is without all question Cursed is every one that hangeth on a Tree Deut. 21.23 Galat. says St. Paul by way of Transcript from Moses's Original Untimely it was For he was now in the prime of his Age about thirty three years old not more by any ones account that I remember His Body most Active now and now his Soul most contemplative both most vigorous Violent it was For they nail'd him and stab'd him spikt His Hands Feet that he might neither shew a nimble pair of heels nor a valiant pair of Hands and last of all they pierced him thorow the Heart the very Fountain of Life least peradventure he might have recovered after three hours crucifixion Painful it was For it is a pain to prick a Vein a greater pain to boar the Hand and peirce the Heart yes a cruel pain it was the cruellest of pains and thence as I take it are Dolores acermi called cruciatus A pain it was when He bled in Gabbatha where they scourged him with Rods and Crown'd him with Thorns more painful it was in Golgotha where they printed his Hands and Feet with Nails and Spikes and peirced his Heart thorow with a Spear and the more long the more painful It is some ease if Gravis be Brevis but if it be Acuta too Oh then it is painful indeed Add but to this the Blood he lost in Gethsemane the Blood of his Soul and without all question you will confess that if this Text had run but in mortuus est He dyed It had been hard enough But Death may still be suffered a painful and shameful Death may but when cruelty and malice are joyned to the shame and Pain Oh then it is hard indeed Indeed hard it is to say whether cruelty or shame have the upper hand Saul chose rather to fall upon his own Sword 1 Sam. 31.4 then to die shamefully by the han's of the Philistines Well but what shame did Christ suffer or rather what shame did he not suffer 1. He suffered first the shame of the whip which was a punishment only for Slaves and Bond-men then amongst the Romans and for Vagrants and Wanderers now amongst the English so it was once answered by a Freeman when he was threatned with a whip Loris saith he Liber sum Whip me Do if you dare I am a Freeman Acts 16.37 and St. Paul himself intimates so much saying After they have beaten us openly uncondemned being Romans they have cast us into prison and now would they put us out privily and more expresly afterward Acts 22.25 Is it lawful for you to scourge one that is a Romane and not condemned 2. He suffered secondly the shame of contempt and disgraceful usage Herods white Sheet ct Pilates blew Livery were put upon him so St. Luke and St. John describe his Apparrel Herod with his men of war despised Jesus and mocked him and arrayed him in white Luk. 23.11 says St. Luke And the Souldiers Pilats Souldiers platted a Crown of Thorns and put it on his Head and they put on him a purple garment says St. John And then they hood-winkt him John 19.2 playd at blind-man-buff with him pull'd him by the hair and spet in his Face 3. He suffered thirdly the shame of despight and malice In the depth of his distresse they would not afford him a dragm of compassion but railed reviled scoft scorn'd derided him in his very prayers and in his extream thirst denied him that which was never denied to any but the damned in Hell John 19.36 A drop of Water and instead thereof offered him a Spunge dipt in Vinegar He suffered fourthly the shame of shames For to make the world believe His Death was an Act of Justice they add the Solemn formality of a new erected and never before heard of Court of pretended High Justice For they knew too well That no Legal Court of true Justice could take away his Life In a word Had it been Occidistis You have killed him though by Assasination It had not been so much because that Act would have workt all honest men to pitty his condition but it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Trucidastis you have impetuously without any judicial proceeding but that of pretence and formality and cruelly without any Relenting and Compassion saving that of Hypocrisie and Dissimulation killed him i. e. in plain English murthered him and if you will believe Mr. Beza and in this you may believe him though he was Dr. of the Chaire at Geneva Trucidare is more then Occidere For Occidere is but to Kill It implies neither shame nor cruelty but trucidare is guilty of both And therefore the Poet expressing the shame and cruelty and subtlety and malice and Revenge to boot which
the Greeks used towards the Trojans gave it by this very word saying Fit via vi rumpunt aditus Aeneid primosque trucidant By this time I believe your Intellectuals are weary of so sad a Theam and rueful Discourse I shall now speak a word to your Affections If it prove sad there too you may not think much of it since it was upon the Prince of Life which is my second Consideration In Quis Who was killed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Prince Pars. 2. the Author of Life 1. The Author of Life who gave life to us 2. The Prince of Life who preserves life in us Corporis anime et utrinsque tám conjunctim quám seperatim The Prince and Author of all our Animal Life For by him were all things made and without him was not any thing made that was made John 1.1 Acts 17. says St. John For in him we live we move and have our being says St. Paul The Author and Prince of our spiritual life I live now says St. Paul Gal. 2.20 yet not I but Christ liveth in me and that I now live in the flesh I live by Faith in the Son of God who hath loved me and given himself for me and so he speaks of us as well as of himself Eph. 2.1 saying You who were dead in sins hath he quickened together in Christ by whose grace ye are saved The Prince and Author of our eternal life and that three ways 1. By Preordination Eph. 1.5.2.6 He hath decreed it to us from all eternity He hath predestinated us to be adopted thorow Jesus Christ to sit together in heavenly places 2. By Purchase He hath bought it for us and us to it by the price of his blood 1 Cor. 6.20 Ye are bought with a price says St. Paul and so bought and with such a price as neither Man nor Angel did administer any help in the Satisfaction Torcular calcavi solus says the Prophet Isaiah in the Person of Christ Isa 63.2 I have trodden the Wine-presse of my Fathers wrath alone and of all the people there was not one with me and so bought and with such a price that neither man nor Devil can hinder us from the fruition of it Nec sublimitas nec profunditas says St. Paul Neither height nor depth nor life nor death nor sword nor peril nor any other thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom. 8.39 For 3. He is the Author and Prince of our Eternal life by Donation were it put upon our Desert Merit we might not only doubt of it but utterly despair of it For all our works whether of Obedience or Patience come infinitely short of it and therefore said one Father Etiamsi millies servirem Though I could should serve God unreproveably a thousand years yet should I not thereby deserve to be one half hour in Heaven and therefore said another Father Etiamsi millies paterer Though I could and should patiently suffer all the pains of Hell for ten thousand years yet should I not thereby deserve to be one minute in Heaven But being that Heaven and eternal Life is Gods gift we may rest assured that no thing Man nor Devil is able to take it out of his hands and therefore we shall have it But oh for Tantus so great an Essence so good an Essence as the Prince of Life of our corporal Life of our spiritual Life of our Eternal Life should be made Tantillus so little a thing as never was lesse Agnus a Lamb Jer. 11.19 Psal as the Prophet Jeremy calls him pittifully slaughtered Vermis a Worm as King David calls him spitefully trod upon me thinks is able to melt Stones into Tears and Hearts of Rock into Hearts of Flesh To see a Lamb lye pittifully bleeding it is a pittiful spectacle To see a Worm scornfully trod upon is a sorrowful sight But Lambs were made to be slaughtered and Worms to be trampled on Be it so But yet for a Man to be made a Worm and no man for a Lion to be made a Lamb and no Lion and that without any demerit of his own To see an Innocent and a Noble person suffer to see a great and a gracious King to be trucidated to see God the Prince and Author of our Life to be killed certainly it is a heavy a very heavy spectacle and enough to make our Bowels yearn The Sun was asham'd of it and therefore withdrew his light the Temple was afeard of it and therefore rent it self in twain the Farth trembled at it and therefore fell into an Ague And shall not we be moved at it to them it appertained not For he came not to Redeem Sun Temple or Earth but to Us it doth For he was killed for us Justus pro injustis He for us The Righteous for the Unrighteous and he by Us Justus ab Injustis The Righteous was killed by the Unrighteous which is my third consideration Qui Pars. 3. Who killed him Vos Ye If you charge his death upon Judas the Traytor who sold him for thirty pence or upon Caiphas the High-Priest who accused him of Envy or upon Pilate the Lord president who condemned him of cowardise and against his conscience you take your aime amiss We wretched sinners that we are were the principal They but the Accessary Instrumental Killers of Christ The Executioner doth not Kill the Man He doth but execute the Sentence The Judge doth not Kill the Man He doth but pronounce the Sentence No Solum peccatum est homicida only sin is the Murtherer so then the true Construction of this Text is this You have killed the Prince of Life i.e. Our sins or we by our sins have killed the Prince of Life And upon the thought of this Can we do lesse then weep Can we see the Sun asham'd and cover his Face and our selves not blush Can we see the Temple rent in two and we not rend our Hearts Can we see the Earth quake and our selves not tremble Can we see Christ pati suffer for us and we not compati suffer with him and if need be for him too Can we see his soul heavy to the death and hear him complain of it too Marke 14. My soul is exceeding heavy even to the death and our souls be light with and delight in sin Can we see Christ Trucidatus killed at and transfixus peirced through the Heart and we not be compunctus prick't at the Heart Can we see the Jewes spet upon his Face that did when he pleased out-shine the Sun and we not wash our Face With Tears Can we see them buffet him on his Face and we not smite our Breasts and cry out God be merciful unto us miserable sinners Can we see his Head Crown'd with Thornes Crown'd to deride him Crown'd with Thornes to torment him and we not cover our Heads with
â—eÌ„ non digné operis ex eâ substractâ Gratiâ magis time quia te reliquit custodia tua si redirit gratia multò amplius time ne forté contingat pacis excidium If Grace be present Fear lest thou answer not the expectation of that Grace If Grace be absent Fear more because thou art left unto thy self If Grace return again Fear much more least thy Security ruine thy Peace And if Fear be so necessary a Vertue by the Verdict of so many Fathers and grave Authors what means King David here to give the blessed man this Character He feareth not Do but you distinguish of the Subject Fear and look upon the Object what the blessed man fears and you will presently confesse There is neither Adaxie nor Paradox neither Absurdity nor Ambiguity in this Character He feareth not Some have made six sorts of Fear 1. Natural which respects Beeing and this is in all Living creatures 2. Humane which respects Life and this is in all men 3. Mundane which respects Riches Liberty Beauty Honour and the like and this is in all covetous and cowardly wretches 4. Servile which respects pain and punishment and this is in Slaves Reprobates Rebels and Devils 5. Initiall which respects sin and this is in all good Christians and Loyal Subjects who chuse rather to suffer in Gods cause then to participate with the sins of a more successfull party 6. Filiall which respects God and this is in all Noble Martyrs and Glorious Saints who therefore fear to sin because they will not offend God You may contract these six into these two Filial Servile because under Servile may be comprised Humane and Worldly and under Filial Initial and Natural fear Filial fear looks upon God as a Father and honours him and is resolved to honour him though there were neither Heaven to reward him nor Hell to torment him Servile fear looks upon God as a Judge and shuns him and if now and then in a Fit he yields God any obedience it is Formidine paenae onely for fear of punishment Filial fear is an Ornament and Vertue of the Soul Servile fear is a Passion and Distresse of the Soul Filial fear is in the Regenerate both in the Church Militant and Triumphant but in several considerations Here by two Actions Evitando malum et faciendo bonum by eschewing evil and doing good There only by doing good Perficitur in Patriâ non abolebitur reverentia Timoris says St. Augustine Reverential fear shall not be diminished in Heaven but encreased It shall not be abolished but perfected Servile fear is not in them not in them at all so far as they are Regenerated As men they may fear their Lifes as covetous they may fear their Estates as Carnal they may fear their Liberties But he that fears either or the losse of either Liberty Estate or Life can never be good Souldier or Loyal Subject can never be good Christian or Gods servant He may fear God as God is just and so Fear is a Passion Distress of the Soule He doth not fear God as God is good for so Fear is a Grace and Ornament of the Soul As Fear is a Passion of the Soul you may understand that speech of St. John Many of the Rulers believed in Christ but for fear of the Jewes they did not confesse him least they should be put out of the Synagogue for they loved the praise of men more then the praise of God I may add They feared the Injustice and punishment of men more then the Justice and Judgment of God and therefore says Christ Fear not them which kill the Body but are not able to kill the Soul but rather fear him who is able to destroy both Soul and Body in Hell Mat. 10.28 The words in the Original are worth the marking Fear not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 them that kill the Body it is not them that can kill the body they do it by a permissive power They cannot do it by any Inherent power of their own 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but the Soul they neither may nor can 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but rather fear him who hath power to destroy Soul and Body in Hell I wish the late Renegado's had seriously considered these Texts Those men I mean who served the late King and tarried with him so long as the Sun shined and the weather was calm but so soon as ever the Rain began to fall and the Winds to blow they presently ran away to compound and save something a little wealth and some few dayes but they did forget that God could Luke 12. and it may be will cast both Soul and body into Hell And then as Christ says Fools whose shall these things your Riches and your Daies be Yes He both can will without a great deal of Repentance For their Sin was far more desperate then the first Rebells They ran into the Sin out of Rashnesse and Inconsiderately But these men put God into one Scale and the World into another and therefore to them especially belongs that fearfull doom The fearful shall be cast out Apoc. 21. i. e. Such men as fear the losse of their Estates more then the losse of Gods favour and the losse of their momentary Lifes more then the losse of their Eternal Lifes They forsook their King and God will forsake them And God have mercy upon us all and forgive us our following the Apostles in their worst Act and forsaking our Soveraign upon the Scaffold as they did their Saviour upon the Crosse and give us grace to redeem that fault by living for the time to come Loyal Christians and dying stout Romans to continue obedientially and not fear man who can kill but our Bodies and dye couragiously in the fear of God that we may not fear any evill tydings It is my second consideration Pars. 2. Quid non timet timens Dominum what he fears not that fears God Ab auditione malà non timet Ab auditu malo non timebit He is not afraid He shall not be afraid of any evil tydings At first sight again this Object encreaseth my wonder Fear not any evill tydings Why the Kings wrath is evil tydings for it is the messenger of death And shall I not fear him Solomon says Fear God and the King St. Peter it at the same Prov. 1 Pet. 2. Fear God and Honour the King St. Paul is at it for conscience sake Be subject to the higher powers not only for wrath but for conscience Rom. 13.5 And is the Son of David against either Fear not them that kill the Body Or is the Father of Christ against either Fear not any evil tydings not the wrath of Kings No at no hand This is no Absolute no General Prohibition but only a Relative and Comparative God is to be feared and the King is to be feared where their commands are not in opposition Fear belongs to them
of necessity note the Person and the Superiority of the Person that hath that Power conferred upon and given to him and such Power no Person in England hath but only the King of England His great Council may Jus dicere propose Lawes but He only can jus dare make Lawes They the Lords and Commons may give weight and Testimony to the Law but He only The King can give Force and Authority to the Law And therefore by Higher Power we English men must needs understand the King of England To whom the King every Soul i.e. All People in the Kingdom of England must be subject subject Actively If He commands not what is against Gods word Subject Passively if He do whether He do or do not we must be so far Subject as that we may not Resist For if we do we shall receive to our selves Damnation Not the Plundering of our Goods at Home not the hanging of our Bodies in the street or field but the Damnation the everlasting Damnation of our Souls and Bodies in Hell for ever Now search and examine your selves Art thou any where in the whole word of God commanded to bear Arms or to contribute to maintain a War against thy Lawful and Rightful King Art thou any where forbidden by the word of God to Assist thy King in his just Wars Nay Doeth not the word of God forbid thee That and command the This It does thou knowest it does and so I conclude this Proposition from the Scripture and say Therefore it is not lawful for any man to bear Arms or to contribute to the maintenance of a War against the King For no man may curse the King in his thoughts for no man may revile the King by his words For no man may resist the King with his Hands yea Therefore every man must assist the King with Arms and contribute to the maintetenance of a War for him with his Purse because they that do not are the Children of Belial The Children of Belial said How shall this man save us and they despised him and brought him no presents And this I shall endeavour to make good Thirdly 3. Fathers By the contemplation and conversation of the Fathers by their Practise and by their Opinion and that I may not tyre you or my self I shall give you but a Taste instead of a Feast and name you but Few instead of Many I begin with Justine Martyr Ad inquisitionem vestram Secund. Apolog ad Anto. Imp. p. 113. Christianos nos esse profitemur c. says he to Antoninus an Emperour bad enough At your Inquisition we Professe our selves to be Christians though we know Death to be the Guerdon and reward of our Profession Did we expect an Earthly Kingdom we would deny our Religion that escaping Death we might obtain our desires For the preservation of publick peace we Christians O Emperour yield you our help and assistance We Christians says Tertullian to Scapula the Vice-Roy are defamed for Seditious Persons against the Imperial Majesty Lib. ad Scap. but we were never yet found to be either Albinians Nigrians Cassians or any other sort of Traytors No we know the Emperour is ordained of God and therefore we love him we honour him we reverence him we pray for him and for the welfare of his whole Empire Una nox pauculis faculis c. says he In Apolog. in his Apologetical Defence of the Christians One short night with a few Fire-brands or Torches would work our deliverance and revenge our wrongs if it were lawful to requite evil with evil Vetat autem Deus ut aut ab igne humano vindicatur Divina secta aut doleat pati in quo probatur But God forbid that the Christian Religion should be revenged with humane fire or that Christians should grieve for suffering because in suffering they are refined and for suffering they are rewarded Apol. Atha ad Constant Holy Athanasius in the clearing of himself against the Accusation of the Arians to Constantius the Emperour thus expresses his own Duty and the Duty of all good Subjects I am not so mad neither have I forgotten the voice of God which says Curse not the King no not in thy heart and backbite not the Mighty in the secreets of thy Chamber for the Birds of the Aire shall tell it and the winged Fowle shall bewray thee It is not for any man to say otherwise then well of his Majesty in the opinion of this holy man and therefore certainly it is not for any man to do otherwise then well To bear Arms or to contribute to maintain War against the King Orat. 1. in Julian Nazianzene the Divine so termed for his Excellent Knowledge and profound Learning speaks to this purpose Repressus est Julianus Christianorum lachrymis quas multas multi profuderunt hoc unum adversus persecutorem medicamentum habentes Julian that great Apostata and persecutor of Christians was restrained by the Tears of Christians which many of them shed and powred forth aboundantly unto God nor had they any other remedy against the Persecutor because they knew it to be unlawful to use any other means then Sufferance or else they might having so much strength as they had have repelled their wrong with violence St. Ambrose being commanded to deliver up his Church in Millane to an Arian Bishop Contr. Aux Ep. 31 32 33. his people being very sorry for his departure he thus resolves and comforts both himself and them Quid turbamini Volens nunquam vos deesram Why are you troubled I will never willingly leave you Repugnare non novi dolere potero potero slere potero gemere adversus Arma Milites Gothos Lach rymae meae mea sunt Arma aliter nec debeo nec possum resistere If I be compelled I have no way to resist I can grieve and sorrow I can weep and sigh my Tears are my Weapons against Souldiers Armors Goths such is the Artillery and Ammunition of a Priest otherwise then with Tears I neither may nor must nor ought resist St. Chysostome in one Epistle tells us Ep. ad Tim. 2. That though Kings continue obstinate in Infidelity yet they must be prayed for they must not they may not be resisted The Apostle commands prayers supplications and intercessions to be made for all men especially for the King What he hath said in another you have heard before and thither I refer you St. Augustine is of the same opinion Julianus extitit Imperator Infidel is Julian was an unbelieving Emperour In Ps 124. he was an Apostata an Oppressor a Tyrant and Idolater yet the Christian Soldiers served this anbelieving Emperour They obeyed him in all things for Christ and when he commanded them any thing against Christ yet they resisted him not though they did not obey him Gregory the Great might if he would Ep. l. 7. Ep. 1. but would not though he could destroy the Lombards
our Preserver from Sin and Danger from the Sin of Rebellion which was this Day acted to purpose and from the Danger of Rebels which for this Dayes Rebellion will ere long be executed on them to the purpose as our Judge according to the Clearness of our Hearts and Cleanness of our Hands we are then Blessed Spe in Regno Gratiae by Hope in the Kingdom of Grace because we have the Forgiveness of our sins and are thereby assured that therefore we shall be Blessed Re in Regno Gloriae by way of Possession in the Kingdom of Glory because then we hall have Everlasting Life And this is the upshot of all Blessedness And this Blessedness will not be had until we be Dead nor can it be had unless we Dye in the Lord. It is my next Consideration 2 a. 1 ae my Secunda Primae proposed thus Who are Blessed And disposed thus The Dead They are the Subject of this Object The Dead are Bessed and their Qualification is If they Dye in the Lord. By Dead here is not meant St. Pauls Dead which he speaks of to Timothy 1 Tim. 5.16 The wanton Widow who is Dead whiles she lives she is not Blessed because Dead but therefore Cursed because she is Dead whiles she lives For howsoever she drawes in the Life of Nature yet she never breaths out the Breath of Grace And this I prove by those three parts which are the best Indications of a Dead or Living Body The Pultse the Heart the Mouth If a mans Pultse beat If his Heart pants If his Mouth speaks or breaths we are sure he lives but if all these are silent and stir not we conclude He is Dead 1. Now for the Pultse of a wanton Widow the Pultse of her Soul her Conscience If it beat at all yet it beats unevenly and out of tune either too high by Desperation and Presumption or else too low by Security and Supiness And by this we know she is sick For the most part It beats not at all It gives no warning before It starts not at the temptation to sin It gives no Remembrance after It checks not at the Commission of sin and by this we conclude she is Dead And so her Heart too If that pants at all It is after sensual Pleasures and things forbidden like the Harlots in the Proverbs Come and let us take our fill of love Prov. Broken Cisterus that can hold no water It is not after the Fountain of living waters like Davids Come and let us go into the house of the Lord. Psal 3. And so her Mouth too That speaks not the Language of Canaan and such as becometh Saints but the Language of Ashdod and such as becometh Devils By which it appears she is Dead but not Blessed Nor by Dead here is meant those Dead which Christ speaks of Let the Dead bury the Dead i.e. The Deal in sin bury them that are Dead for sin As elsewhere He speaks to the Jews Yee shall dye in your sins And they that are so Dead Dead in their sins while they live or so Dye Dye in their sins when they leave this life They that give sin leave to reign in them while they are here and over them when they depart hence They that obey the commanding power of it now and sink under the Condemning Guilt of it then They are not Blessed though Dead but Cursed Cursed in their finishing of sin because that sin brings forth Death as St. James speaks i.e. Eternal Death Jam. 1. But by Dead here is meant not Universally All but Indefinitely Many Those that Dye in the Lord It is my next Consideration my Tertia Primae And here I shall shew you first What it is to dye in the Lord by way of Doctrine and Explication And secondly How we may dye in the Lord by way of Use and Application And first 3 a. 1 ae What it is to dye in the Lord Why To dye in the Lord or To dye in Christ or To dye in Faith for all these are Synonima is either To suffer Death for Christ like a Martyr or To end our life in firm Faith in Christ as a Confessor The Romanists contend earnestly for the Former and will have the Text to be understood of Martyrs onely and so they take In for Propter To dye In the Lord is To dye For the Lord. Now be it That the Martyrs are here Specially meant yet sure I am That they arc not here onely meant For I do not read Luk. 16. That Abraham was a Martyr yet I read That he was Blessed in Heaven with Glory nor do I read That the Thief upon the Cross died for Christ Luk. 23. yet I read That he was Blessed in Paradice with Christ He whosoever he be that doubts of the Martyrs Blessedness His that dyes for Christ is scarce worthy himself to have any part in Christ It is a thing so little doubted That Saint Augustine sayes Injuria est He does the Martyr wrong that prayes for him For by praying for him he doubts of his Salvation and Christ himself sayes He that looseth his life for my sake shall find it And certainly Mat. If he wrongs the Martyr that prayes for him then he that grieves for him wrongs him much more For he either doubts of his welfare or repines at his happiness To see Clouds in the Clergies face for the departing of our late most reverend Father in God William Laud Arch-bishop of Canterbury To see Furrowes in the faces of the remaining Greenvills Smiths or Boules To see water in the eyes of the surviving Cavendishes Lyndseies or Gardiners To hear Plaints from the Tongues of the being Bourcheris and Yeomans Tompkins and Challoners for the not being of their Fathers Sons Brothers Kindreds and Friends is equally to doubt of their being Martyrs and therefore Blessed as of our Enemies being Rebels and therefore Murtherers which for mine own part I no more doubt of either then of success in the End or mine own Salvation It hath been questioned I know by the Church-men of Rome Whether Souldiers may be Martyrs and their Reason is Quia bonum Reip. licet maximum inter bona humana non potest esse Causa Martyris sed solummodo Divinum Yet I know withal It is resolved by them again Quod bonum humanum officitur Divinum si referatur ad Deum est Causa Martyris Aq. 2.2 q. 124. Ar. 5. ad 3. a Subjects fighting and dying for their King or King fighting and dying for his Subjects did Fight and Dye for God they did it of late For of late Gods and the Churches and the Kings Cause consentred in one The King endeavoured to maintain that Religion and that publicly Service of God which Gods own right hand planted and his blessed Martyrs watered watered with their Blood and therefore blessed because they have so done Etiam dicit Spiritus so sayeth the Spirit blessed are