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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
act_n	king_n	parliament_n	writ_n	3,273	5	9.6734	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96595	Vindiciæ regum; or, The grand rebellion that is, a looking-glasse for rebels, whereby they may see, how by ten severall degrees they shall ascend to the height of their designe, and so throughly rebell, and utterly destroy themselves thereby. And, wherin is clearly proued by holy Scripturs, ancient fathers, constant martyrs, and our best modern writers, that it is no wayes lawfull for any private man, or any sort or degree of men, inferior magistrates, peeres of the kingdom, greatest nobility, lo. of the councel, senate, Parliament or Pope, for any cause, compelling to idolatry, exercising cruelty, prastizing [sic] tyranny, or any other pretext, how fair and specious soever it seems to be, to rebell, take armes, and resist the authority of their lawfull king; whom God will protect, and require all the blood that shall be spilt at the hands of the head rebels. And all the maine objections to the contrary are clearly answered. / By Gr. Williams, L. Bishop of Ossory.	Williams, Gryffith, 1589?-1672.	1643 (1643)	Wing W2675; Thomason E88_1; ESTC R204121	92,613	114

incendiary of warre and an enemy unto peace whereas the messengers of Christ have this Elogie given them Quam speciosi pedes Evangelizantium pacem And the Scripture saith Blessed are the Peace-makers and we continually pray Give peace in our dayes O Lords and therefore I can hardly beleeve these incendiaries of warre to be the sonnes of the God of peace 2. Because his objection is full of falshoods and false grounds as 1. He saith that Ahab sent to take Elisha's head The first mistake in the front of his speech when as Ahab was dead long before it was his ghost therfore and not he but it was his son and what then what did the Prophet he shut the door and desired the Elders to handle the Messenger roughly or hold him fast at the doore Thus saith the text 2 Kings 6 32. and the Prophet in my judgment doth herein but little more then what God and nature alloweth every man to doe If any thing more not to lay down his life if he can lawfully preserve it but as the Prophet did to shut the doore or as our Saviour saith When we are persecuted in one Citie to flie into another to save our lives as long as we can and in all this I find no violent resistance But 2. the Objector telleth us Surely if the messenger had got in Elisha had taken off his head rather then given his own I demand what inspiration he hath from God to be sure of this for I am sure Iohn Baptish would not do so nor S. Paul nor any other of Gods Saints that I have read of but these men are sure of every thing even of Gods secret counsell and that is more then the thoughts of mens hearts or if this be sure which I am not sure of I answer that Elisha was a great Prophet that had the spirit of Eliah doubled upon him and those actions which he did or might have done through the inspiration of Gods spirit this man may not doe except hee bee sure of the like inspiration for God who is justice it self can command by word as he did to Abraham to kill his sonne or by inspiration as he did to Elias to call fire from heaven and it is a sin to disobey it whereas without this it were an horrible sin to doe it And we must distinguish betwixt rare and extraordinary cases that were managed by special commission from God and those paternes that are confirmed by knowne and generall rules which passe through the whole course of Scripture and take heed that we make not obscure commentaries of humane wisedome upon the cleare Text of holy Writ Quia maledicta glossa quae corrumpit textum But indeed the place is plain that Elisha made no other resistance but what every man may lawfully doe to keep the messenger out of doors so long as he could and yet this man would infer hence that we may lawfully with a strong hand and open warre resist the authority of our lawfull Kings a Doctrine I am sure that was never taught in the Schoole of Christ He makes some other objections which I have already answered in this treatise and then he spends almost two leaves in six severall answers that he maketh to an objection against the examining the equity or iniquity of the Kings commands but to no purpose because we never deny but that in some cases though not in all for there must bee Arcana imperii and there must be privie Counsellors every Peasant must not examine all the Edicts of his Prince The commands of Kings may not only be examined but also disobeyed as the three children did the commands of Nebuchadnezzar and the Apostles the commands of the high Priests but though we may examine their commands and disobey them too when they are contrary to the commands of God yet I would fain know where we have leave to resist them and to take armes against them I would he understood there is a great deale of difference betwixt examining their commands and resisting their authority the one in some cases we may the other by no meanes we may doe CHAP. VIII Sheweth that our Parliament hath no power to make warre against our King Two maine Objections answered The originall of Parliaments The power of the King to call a Parliament to deny what he will and to dissolve it when he will Why our King suffereth BUt when all that hath been spoken cannot satisfie their indignation against true obedience and allay the heat of their rebellious spirits they come to their ultimum resugium best strength and strongest fort that although all others should want sufficient right to crosse the commands and resist the violence of an unjust and tyrannicall Prince yet the Parliament that is the representative body of all his Kingdom are intrusted with the goods estates and lives of all his people may lawfully resist and when necessity requireth take armes and subdue their most lawfull King and this they labour to confirme by many arguments I answer that for the Parliament of England it is beyond my sphere and I being a transmarine member of this Parliament of Ireland And whatsoever I speak of Parliament in all this Discourse I mean of Parliaments disjoyned frō their King understand only the prev●lent fact●●n that ingrosseth and captivateth the Votes of many of the plain honest minded party which hath been often seen both in generall counsells and the greatest Parliaments I wil only direct my speech to that whereof I am a Peer I hope I may the more boldly speak my mind to them whereof I am a member and I dare maintain it that it shall be a benefit and no prejudice both to King and Kingdom that the spirituall Lords have Votes in this our Parliament For besides the equity of our sitting in Parliament and our indubitable right to vote therein and his Majesty as I conceive under favour be it spoken is obliged by the very first act in Magna Charta to preserve that right unto us when as in the Summons of Ed. 1. it is inserted in the writ * Claus 7. m. 3. dort that Quod omnes tangit ab omnibus approbari or tractari debet whatsoever affair is of publick concernment ought to receive publicke approbation and therefore with what equity can so considerable a party of this Kingdome as are the Clergy who certainly cannot deserve to forfeit the priviledge of the meanest subjects and of common men because they are more immediately the servants of the living God be denyed the benefit of that which in all mens judgement is so reasonable a law and they only be excluded from that interest which is common unto al I cannot see yet I say that besides this our right while we sit in Parliament this fruit shall alwaies follow that our knowledge conscience shall never suffer us to vote such things against the truth as to allow that

1. c. 8. pag. 95. in English and the place is worth the noting no power to make Lawes without their King no right to meet without his Writ no liberty to stay any longer then he gives leave how then can you meet as you doe now in my Episcopall See at Kilkenny and continue your Parliament there to make warre against your lawfull King What colour of reason have you to doe the same you cannot pretend to be above your King you have with lies and falshoods most wickedly seduced the whole Kingdome and involved the same in a most unnaturall civill warre you are the actives the King is passive you make the offensive He the defensive war for you began and when he like a gracious King still cried for peace you still made ready for battell And I doubt not but your selves know all this to be true for you know that all Parliament men must have their elections warranted by the Kings especiall Writ you will say The letter sent from a Gentleman to his friend that so you were well and you were chosen but by subjects and intrusted by them to represent the affections and to act the duties of subjects and subjects cannot impose a rule upon their Soveraigne nor make any ordinance against their King and therefore if the representative body of subjects transcend the limits of their trust and doe in the name of the Subjects that which all subjects cannot doe That men intrusted should not go beyond their trust and assume that power which the subjects neither have nor can conferre upon them I see no reason that any subject in the world should any wayes approve of their actions for how can your priviledge of being Parliament men priviledge you from being Murderers Theeves or Traytors if you doe those things that the Law adjudgeth to be murders thefts and treasons Your elections cannot quit you and your places cannot excuse you because he that is intrusted cannot doe more then all they that doe intrust him and therefore all subjects should desert them that exceed the conditions and falsifie the trust which their fellow subjects have reposed in them Besides The King must needs be a part of every Parliament you know the King must needs be reputed part of every Parliament when as the selected company of Knights and Burgesses together with the Spirituall and Temporall Peeres are the representative body and the King is the reall head of the whole Kingdome and therefore if the body separates it selfe from the head it can be but an uselesse trunke that can produce no act which pertaineth to the good of the body because the spirits that give life and motion to the whole body are all derived from the head as the Philosopher teacheth And further you doe all know The power of dissolving the Parliament greater then the power of denying any thing that as the King hath a power to call so he hath a power to dissolve all Parliaments and having a power of dissolving it when he will he must needs haue a power of denying what he pleaseth because the other is farre greater then this And therefore all these premises well considered it is apparent that your sitting in Kilkenny without your King or his Lieutenant which is to the same purpose and your Votes without his assent are all invalid to exact obedience from any subject and for my part I deeme them fooles that will obey them and rebels that will take armes against their King at your commands and if you persist in this your rebellious obstinacy I wish your judgements may light onely upon your owne heads and that those which like the followers of Absolon are simply led by you may have the mist taken from their eyes that they may be able to discerne the duty they owe unto their King that they be not involved and so perish in your sin For though you be never so many and thinke that all the Kingdome Townes and Cities be for you yet take heed lest you imagine such a mischievous device which you are not able to performe Psal 21.11 for the involving of well-mearing men into your bad businesses 1. Reg. 22.29 as Jehoshaphat was misled to warre against Ramoth Gilead doth not onely bring a punishment upon them that are seduced but a farre greater plague upon you that doe seduce them and God who hath at all times so exceeding graciously defended His Majesty and contrary to your hopes and expectation from almost nothing in the beginning of this rebellion hath increased his power to I hope an invincible Army will be a rock of defence unto his anointed For what causes the King suffereth because it is well known to all the world that whatsoever this good King hath suffered at the hands of his subjects it is for the preservation of the true Protestant Religion of the established Lawes of his Kingdoms and of those Reverend Bishops Grave Doctors and all the rest of the Learned and Religious Clergy that have ever maintained and will to the spilling of the last drop of their blood defend this truth against all Papists and other Anabaptisticall Brownists and Sectaries whatsoever And therefore if you that are his Parliament What a shame it is to use the power we have received against him that gave it us should like unthankefull vapours that cloud the Sunne which raised them or like the Moone in her interposition that obscures the glorious ' lampe which enlightens her in the least manner imploy that strength which you have received from His Majesty when he called you together against His Majesty it will be an ugly spot and a foule blemish both for your selves and all your posterities and if not suddenly prevented you may raise such spirits that your selves cannot lay downe and sow such deeds of discord and discontent betwixt the King and his people as may derive through the whole Race of all succeeding Kings such a disaffection to Parliaments as may prove a plague and poyson to the whole Kingdome For if the King out of his favour and grace call you together and intrust you with a power either of continuing concluding or enacting such things as may be for the good of the Commonwealth you abuse that power against him that gave it you I must needs confesse that I am of his mind who saith That it is lawfull to recall a power given when it is abused that the King were freed before God and man from all blame though he should use all possible lawfull means to withdraw that power into his owne hands which being but lent them hath bin so misapplyed against him for if my servant desireth to hold my sword and when I intrust him with it he seekes to thrust the same into my breast will not every man judge it lawfull for me to gaine my sword if it be possible out of his hand and with that sword to cut off his head that would

have thrust it into my heart or as one saith if I convey my estate in trust to any friend to the use of me and mine the person intrusted falsifie the faith reposed in him by conveying the profits of my estate to other ends to the prejudice of me and mine no man wil think it unlawfull for me to annihilate if I can possibly do it such a deed of trust And therefore Noble Peeres and Gentlemen of this ancient Kingdome of Ireland that your Parliament may prove successefull to the benefit of the Common-wealth let me that have some interest and charge over all the Inhabitants and Sojourners of Kilkenny perswade you to thinke your selves no Parliament without your King and that your Votes and Ordinances carrying with them the power though not the name of Acts of Parliament to oblige both King and Subjects to obey them are the most absolute subversion of our fundamentall Lawes the destructive invasion of our rightfull Liberties and that by an usurped power of an arbitrary rule to dispose of our estates or any part thereof as you please to make us Delinquents when you will and to punish us as Malignants at your pleasure and through your discontent to dispossesse your rightfull King though it were to set the Crown upon the head of your greatest Oneale is such a priviledge that never any Parliament hath yet claimed Or if you still goe on for the enlargement of your own usurped power under the title of the priviledge of Parliament to Vote the diminution of the Kings just prerogative that your Progenitors never denied to any of his Ancestors to exclude us Bishops out of your Assemblies without whom your determinations can never be so wel concluded in the feare of God and to invade the Liberties of your fellow subjects under the pretences of religion and the publique good I will say no more but turne my selfe to God and put it in my Lyturgy From Parasites Puritans Popes and such Parliaments Good Lord deliver us CHAP. IX Sheweth the unanimous consent and testimonies of many famous learned men and Martyrs both ancient and moderne that have confirmed and justified the truth of the former Doctrine ANd so you see that as for no cause so for no kind or degree of men be they what you will Peeres Magistrates Heads of Families Darlings of the people or any other Patriots whom the Commons shall elect it is lawfull to rebell against or any waies to resist our chiefe Princes and soveraigne Governours This point is as cleare as the Sunne and yet to make it still more cleare unto them that will not beleeve that truth which they like not but as Tertullian saith Credunt Scripturis ut credant adversus Scripturas doe alleadge Scriptures to justifie their owne wilfull opinions against all Scripture I will here adde a few testimonies of most famous men to confirme the same Testimonies of famous men Henry de Bracton Lord Chiefe Justice of the Kings Bench under Hen. 3. saith as he is quoted by the Lord Elismer L. Elismer in orat habita in Camera Fiscali anno 1609. pag. 108. that under the King there are free men and servants and every man is under him and he is under none but onely God if any thing be demanded of the King seeing no Writ can issue forth against the King there is a place for Petition that he would correct and amend his fact and if he shall refuse to doe it he shall have punishment enough when the Lord shall come to be his revenger for otherwise touching the Charters and deeds of Kings neither private persons nor Iusticiaries ought to dispute this was the Law of that time what new Lawes our young Lawyers have found since I know not I am not so good a Lawyer The Civill Lawyers do far surpasse the Common Law herein for Corsetus Siculus saith Rex in suo regno potest omnia Corsetus Sic. tract de potestat reg part 5. num 66. imo de plenitudine potestatis And Marginista saith Qui disputat de potestate Principis utrum benè fecerit est infamis Hostiensis saith Princeps solutus est legibus id est quoad vim coactivam Marginista in Angelum Perusinum c. l. 9. tit 29. De crimine sacrilegii l. 2. Hostiens sum l. 1. rubr 32. de offic ligati non quoad vim directivam Thom. 1. 2 ae q. 96. ar 5. ad 3. quia nulli subest nec ab aliis judicatur And to omit all the rest Gulielmus Barclaius out of Bartolus Baldus Castrensis Romanus Alexander Felinus Albericus and others doth infer Principem ex certâ scientiâ supra jus extrajus contrajus omnia posse Principem solum legem constituere universalem Princeps soli Deo rationem debet Princeps solutus est legibus temerarium est velle Majestatem Regiam ullis terminis limitare Barclaius contra Monarchomach l. 3. c. 14. which things if I should English seditious heads would thinke my head not sufficient to pay for this but I onely repeat their words and not justifie their sayings and therefore to proceed to more familiar things Pasquerius writeth Pasquer de Antiquit Gallican l. 1. that Lewis the 11th did urge his Senators and Counsellours to set forth a certaine edict which they refused to doe because it seemed to them very unjust Sicut olim Lacedaemonii victoribus responderum si duriora morte imperetis potius moriemur and the King being very angry threatned death unto them all whereupon Vacarius President of the Councell and all the Senate in their purple robes came unto the King and the King astonished therewith damanded whence they came and what they would have Vacarius answered for all we come to undergoe that death which you have threatned unto us for you must know O King that we wil rather suffer death then doe any thing against our conscience towards God or our duty towards you Wherein we see the Nobility of this King like Noble Christians doe more willingly offer to lay down their lives at the command of their Liege Lord then unchristian-like rebell and take Armes against their delinquent Soveraigne And so Colmannus a godly Bishop did hinder the Scottish Nobility to rise against Fercardus that was their most wicked King Tertullian writing unto Scapula the President of Carthage Tertull. ad Scapul saith we are defamed when the Christian is found to be the enemy of no man no not of the Emperour whom because he knoweth him to be appointed by God he must needs love and reverence and wish him safe with all the Romane Empire for we honour and worship the Emperour as a man second from God Et solo Deo minorem and inferiour onely to God And in his Apologetico Tertull. in Apologet he saith Deus est solus in cujus solius potestate sunt reges à quo sunt secundi post quem primi super omnes homines ante

every ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether it be unto the King c. whereas he might well understand that the same act is oftentimes ascribed aswell to the mediate as to the immediate agent as Samuels anointing of Saul and David Kings denyeth not but that God was the immediate giver of their Kingdomes and the Author of that Regall power for God anointing Saul Captain over his inheritance 1 Sam. 10. and by the mouth of Nathan he telleth David 2 Sam. 12. that he anointed him King over Israel and Solomon acknowledgeth 1 Reg. 2. that the Lord had set him on the seat of his father David 1 Reg. 11. and Abija in the person of God saith unto Ieroboam I will give the Kingdome unto thee and yet it is said that all the people went to Gilgal 1 Sam. 11.15 and made Saul King before the Lord and the men of Iuda annointed David King of Iuda 2 Sam. 5. and Zadok the Priest and Nathan the Prophet annointed Solomon King that is God annointed them as Master of the substance and gave unto them Regall power in whom is all power primario perse and the Prophets anointing them as Masters of the Ceremony and declared that God had given them that power Constituere regem est facere ut regiam potestatem exerceret Pineda de reb Solom c. 2. And therefore the power and authority of Kings is originally and primarily as S. Paul saith the ordinance of God and secondarily or demonstratively it is as S. Peter calleth it the ordinance of man when the people whose power is onely derivatively makes them Kings not by giving unto them the right of their Kingdoms but by receiving them into the possession of their right and admitting them to exercise their royall authority over them which is given them of God and therefore ought not to be withstood by any man And this Anti-Cavalier might further see that Saint Peter meaneth not that the King is the creature of man or his office of mans Creation but that the Laws and commands of Kings though they be but the commands and ordinances of man yet are we to obey the same for the Lords sake because the Lord commandeth that Every soule should be subject to the higher powers Or if this will not satisfie him because the Greeke word is not so plaine for this as the English yet let him looke into Pareus that was no friend to Monarchie Pareus in Rom. c. 13. p. 1327. and he shall find that he doth by seven speciall reasons prove that the authority of Kings is primarily the ordinance of God and he quoteth these places of Scripture to confirme it Prov. 8.15 2 Chron. 19.6 Psal 81.6 Ioh. 10.34 Gen. 9.6 1 Sam. 15. 1 Kings 12. 2 King 9. Dan. 2.21 Iob 34.30 Eccles 10.8 and to this very objection he answereth that the Apostle calleth the Magistrate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an humane ordination or creation not causally because it is invented by man and brought up onely by the will of men but subjectively because it is borne and executed by men and objectively because it is used about the government of humane society and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in respect of the end because it is ordained of God for the good and conservation of humane kind and he saith further that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 appellatio the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad Deum primum autorem nos revocat sheweth plainly that God is the first Author of it for though the Magistrate in some sense as I shewed may be said to be created that is ordained by men yet God alone is the first Creator of them as Aaron though he was ordained the high Priest by Moses yet the Apostle tels us None taketh this office upon him but he that is called of God as Aaron was Yet I doe admire that Buchanan or any other man of learning to satisfie the people or his owne peevish opinion will so absurdly deny so divine and so well known verity and say that any Kings have their Kingdomes and not from God so flatly contrary to all Scripture CHAP. VII Sheweth the reasons and the examples that are alleadged to justifie Rebellion and a full answer to each of them God the immediate Author of Monarchie inferiour Magistrats have no power but what is derived from the superiour and the ill successe of all rebellious resisting of our Kings BUt to prove their absurdities they still alledge The allegation to justifie Rebellion That the inferiour Magistrates as the Peeres and Counsellors of Kings and the chiefe heads of all the people which are flos medulla regni 1. By reason are therefore added unto the superiour Magistrate both to be his helpers in the Government and also to refraine his licentiousnesse and to hinder his impieties if he degenerate to be an Idolater or a Tyrant And to confirme this tenet 2. By examples they produce many examples both out of the Sacred and Profane Histories as the Iudges that that rose up against their neighbour Tyrants Ezechias against the King of Assyria the people withstanding Saul that he should not slay Ionathan Ahikam defending the Prophet Ieremy against King Iehoiakim Jer. 26.24 the revolting of the ten Tribes in the time of Rehoboam the Priests and Princes of Iuda taking away Athalia the Macchabees arming themselves against Antiochus and others of the Macedonian Tyrants Thrasibulus driving the thirty Tyrants out of Athens the Romans expelling their flagitious Kings Consuls and other Tyrants that behaved themselves most wickedly out of Rome and so many Peeres and Potentates of other Kingdomes that in the like cases did the like To all which I answer 1. That it is most false that any Peere Sol. or inferiour Potentate Magistrate or other 1. Their reasons answered is appointed by God to be the Associate of the King or supreame Governour for the government of the people for as God and not the people appointed Moses Ioshua Gideon and the other supreame Judges of Israel so Moses and not God immediately as he did the others appointed the Rulers of tens To what end Kings doe choose their inferiour Magistrates fifties hundreds and thousands which alwayes acknowledged themselves his subjects and not his associates in the government of the people And so other Kings and Princes have alwayes chosen whom they pleased to be their Peeres Counsellors and inferiour Magistrates as well to beare some part of their burthen as Iethro saith unto Moses and to lessen their care as also to afford them their best assistance and counsell in the discussion and determination of great and difficult affaires but not for them to prescribe and set down lawes orders and ordinances that should either moderate their royall liberty or bridle and revenge what they conceive to be Idolatry or Tyranny I am sure no King that did intend to be a Tyrant would choose Counsellours

to be the true high Priest I would not have spoken what I did because I know the Law of God obligeth me to be obedient to him that God hath placed over me be he good or bad for it is Gods institution Bad Kings to be obeyed as well as the good and not the Governours condition that tyeth me to mine obedience so you see the minde of the Apostle he knew the Priesthood was abolished and that he was not the lawfull high Priest therefore he saith God shall smite thee thou whited wall But if hee had knowne and beleeved him to be the true and lawfull high Priest which God had placed over him he would never have said so had the Priest beene never so wicked because the Law saith Thou shalt not revile thy Ruler but for private robbers or forreigne Tyrants God hath not placed them over us nor commanded us to obey them neither have they any right by any law but the law of strength to exact any thing from us and therefore we are obliged by no law to yeeld obedience unto them neither are we hindred by any necessity either of rule or subjection but that we may lawfully repell all the injuries that they offer unto us 3. 3. Example answered For the peoples hindering of King Saul to put his sonne Ionathan to death I say that they freed him from his fathers vow non armis sed precibus not with their weapons but by their prayers Saul was contented to bee perswaded to spare his sonne when they appealed unto himselfe and his own conscience before the living God and perswaded him that setting aside his rash vow he would have regnard unto justice and consider whether it was right that hee should suffer the least dammage who following God had wrought so great a deliverance unto the people as Tremelius and Iunius in their Annotations doe observe And Saint Gregory saith Gregor in 1 Reg. 4. The people freed Ionathan that he should not die when the King overcome by the instance of the people spared his life which no doubt hee was not very earnest to take away from so good a sonne 4. 4. Example answered Touching Ahikam that was a prime Magistrate under King Iehoiakim I say that he defended the Prophet not from the tyrannie of the King but from the fury of the people for so the Text saith Jer. 26.4 The hand of Ahikam that is saith Tremelius the authority and the helpe of Ahikam was with Ieremy that They that is his enemies should not give him into the hands of the people which sought his life to put him to death because Ahikam had beene a long while Councellour unto the King and was therefore very powerfull in credit authority with him The act of Ahikam no colour for Rebellion And you know there is a great deal of difference betwixt the refraining of a tumultuous people by the authority of the King and a tumultuous insurrection against the King that was the part of a good man and a faithfull Magistrate as Ahikam did this of an enemy and a false Traytor as the opposers of Kings use to doe 5. 5. Example answered For the defection and revolting of the ten Tribes from Rehoboam their own naturall lawfull King unto a fugitive and a man of servile condition and for the Edomites Libnites and others 2 Chron. 21. that revolted against King Ioram and that conspiracie which was made in Ierusalem against Amazia 2 Reg. 14.19 I answer briefely that the Scriptures doe herein as they doe in many other places set downe Rei geste veritatem non facti aequitatem the truth of things how they were done not the equity of things that they were rightly done Actions commanded to bee done are not to bee imitated by us unlesse wee bee sure of the like commandement and therefore Non ideo quia factum legimus faciendum credamus ne violemus praeceptam dum sectamur exemplum we must not beleeve it ought to be done because we reade that it was done lest we violate the commandement of God by following the example of men as Saint Augustine speaketh for though Ioseph sware by the life of Pharaoh the Midwives lyed unto the King and the Israelites robbed the Egyptians and sinned not therein yet we have no warrant without sinne to follow their examples Besides God himselfe had fore-told the defection of the ten Tribes for the sinne of Solomon and he being Lord proprietary of all his donation transferreth a full right to him on whom he bestowes it and this made Shemaiah the man of God God is the right owner of all things and therefore may justly dispose any Kingdom to warn Rehoboam not to fight against his brethren for as when God commanded Abraham to kill his sonne it was a laudable obedience and no murder to have done it and when he commanded the Israelites to rob the Egyptians it was no breach of the eight Commandment so this revolt of these Tribes if done in obedience unto God could be no offence against the law of God but because they regarded not so much the fulfilling of Gods will as their not being eased of their grievances and the fear of the weight of Rohoboams finger which moved them to this rebellion I can no waies justifie their action and though God by this rent did most justly revenge the sinne of Salomon and paid for the folly of Rehoboam yet this doth no waies excuse them from this rebellion because they revolted not with any right aspect and therefore it is worth our observation that the consequences which attended this defection was a present falling a way from the true God into Idolatry and not long after to be led into an endlesse captivity which is a fearfull example to see how suddenly men do fall away from God and from their true Religion after they have rebelled against their lawfull King and how to avoid imaginary grievance they do often fall into a reall bondage and so leap out of the frying pan into the fire And for the Edomites they were not Israelites that led their lives by the law of God neither can any man excuse the conspirators against Amazia from the tranlgression of the law of God 6. For Vzziah that was taken with a grievous sicknesse 6. Example answered so that he could not be present at the publick affaires of the Kingdome I say that according to the law by reason of the contagion of his disease he was rightly removed from the Court and concourse of people and his son in the mean time placed in his fathers stead to administer and dispose the Common-wealth but he in all that while like a good son did neither affect the name nor assume the title of a King 7. For the deposing of Athalia 7. Example answered I see nothing contrary to equity because she was not the right Prince but an unjust Vsurper of the