Liturgy and Her Ecclesiastical Constitutions Her Avouched Doctrine is declared in the 39 Articles From the Doctrine of the Church in the Articles and Homilies and the Book of Homilies set forth by Authority exactly consonant to them These she acknowledgeth next to the Scriptures as the Measure of her Faith and the Rule for her Practice And because they are no Novel Inventions nor the Products of any particular brain but the first agreed upon by the whole Convocation the Clergies Representative and the Other compiled by able Persons appointed to that employment we see they are of age and shall speak Aâ—t 37. for themselves The Queens Majesty so it was 1562. now the Kings hath the chief Power in this Realm of England and other Her His Majesties Dominions unto whom the Government of All Estates in this Realm whether they be Ecclesiastical or Civil in All Causes doth appertain and is not nor ought to be subject to any forreign Jurisdiction Thus much declared in general terms the Explanation follows presently after Where we attribute to the Queens Kings Majesty the Chief Government we understand that only Prerogative which we see to have been given alwayes to all godly Princes in Holy Scripture by God himself i. e. that they should rule all Estates and Degrees committed to their charge whether they be Ecclesiastical or Temporal and restrain with the Civil Sword the stubborn and evil doers Then is there particularly added The Bishop of Rome hath no Jurisdiction in this Realm of England Upon which passage a motion was made in the Hampton-Court Conference for inserting Nor ought to have but King James in his wisdom rejected it with this answer habemus jure quod habemus intimating that the Actual asserting that Priviledge argued a legal title to it And it may be worth your observation that the Title-page of the Articles tells you they were agreed upon for avoiding diversities of opinions and for the establishing of consent touching true Religion What these speak more concisely the Homilies teach more fully I refer you to the six Sermons against Rebellion proving the greatness of that sin from Scripture and the remarkable Examples of Gods vengeance upon persons guilty of it and proceeding in a method of close and strong arguing so that the perusal of them will be a good improvement of your time and pains Onely towards the latter end of one there is this Exhortation which I could not well omit Let us as the Children of Obedience fear the dreadful 〈◊〉 3. Execution of God and live in quiet obedience to be the Children of Everlasting Salvation For as Heaven is the place of good obedient Subjects and Hell the Prison and Dungeon of Rebels against God and their Prince so is that Realm happy where most obedience of Subjects doth appear being the very figure of Heaven and contrariwise where most Rebellions and Rebels be there is the express similitude of Hell and the Rebels themselves are the very sigures of Fiends and Devils and their Captain the ungrateful Pattern of Lucifer and Satan the Prince of darkness With an exact agreement to this Doctrine is her From â—he Liturgy Liturgy composed And because according to the Apostles Exhortation first of all as a duty never to be neglected supplications and prayers and intercessions 1 Tim 2. 12. and giving of thanks are to be made for all men for Kings and for all that are in authority there are none of Her Services of daily or weekly use wherein her Prince is not particularly remembred and the Almighty Protection of Heaven earnestly desired to be his continual defence Nay all the blessings in the world but especially what concern his Place and Station are the matter of his Subjects prayers a a Second Prayer before the Communiâ—n and the Prayer for the Church Mâ—litanâ— That He may be instructed for Government b b Versicle after the Câ—â—ed Preserved in His Person c c Dâ—iâ—y Prayer Replenished with Heavenly Graces d d Liâ—any Service Prove victorious over his Enemies And as Two of these fall within the compass of Her constant Morning and Evening Devotions so a Third is added three times in the week and all of them used every Sunday and Holiday A piece of duty which with some instead of a just applause hath met with severe censures and been cavelled at like Maries Box of oyntment by Judas To what purpose was this Matt. 26. 8. waste a thing whereof our blessed Martyr took especial notice as a reason why so many Zealots of the times were eagerly bent against the Publick Service One of the greatest faults some men found with the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Common Prayer Book I believe was This that it taught them to pray so oft for me to which Petitions they had not loyalty enough to say Amen Not doth the Church onely teach us to pray for the King but to do it with an acknowledgment of His Soveraign Authority and subjection to none but God himself whom therefore she stiles The only Ruler of Princes To all this may be added that in some of those Prayers made for Him we are also enjoyned to implore Gods mercy for the keeping his People in their Allegeance that they may obey him as the Almighties Vicegerent a a First Prayer before the Commuâ—ion That we and all his subjects duly considering whose authority he hath may faithfully serve honour and humbly obey him in Thee and for Thee In a word our Prayers for their fulness loyalty seem excellently framed after the Pattern of the Primitive Church as owned by Tertullian b b Precati sumus semper pro omnibus Imperatoribus vitam illis prolixam imperium securum domum tutam exercitus forâ—es senatum fidelem orbem quiecuâ— quaecunque hominis Caesaris vota sunt Tertul. Apolog. cap 30 We pray at all times for all Emperors that they may have Long Life a Secure Empire a Safe Palace Valiant Armies a Faithful Senate an Honest People a Quiet World and whatsoever each of them can desire either as a Man or a Prince Pass we now from her Liturgy to her Ecclesiastical From the Canons of the Church Constitutions agreed upon in a full Convocation 1603 and then ratified by Royal Authority where the first thing determined is this very Particular All Ecclesiastical Can. 1 persons having cure of Souls shall to the uttermost of their Wit Knowledge and Learning purely and sincerely Teach Manifest Open and Declare four times a year at the least in their Sermons That the Kings Power within his Realms is the highest Power under God to whom all men do by Gods Law owe most Loyalty and Obedience Afore and Above all other Power and Potentates in the Earth Now certainly if the Incumbents are obliged thus to Preach it is an argument this is the received Doctrine of the Church and the design of this Duty imposed
singly not All of them together will discharge the Subject from his obedience And to convince the World what particular care this Church of ours takes that these Principles of Loyalty may be imbibed by all her children she hath not only appointed those Chapters Rom. 13. and 1 Pet. 2. to be read in the constant course for daily Service nor designed those Passages in them only for the more especial Solemnities of the Fifth of November and Twenty nineth of May but hath selected them likewise for her Sundayes Epistles the one on the fourth Sunday after Epiphany the other on the third Sunday after Easter But the Absolute Subjection she owns to the Holy 2. From the Writings of the Fathers Scriptures doth not in the least lessen her Honor to the Primitive Fathers from whose Writings as the best Expositors of the Sacred Text she would satisfie her Children in this point of Duty It may well be presumed that in those early dayes of Christianity Religion was in its greatest vigour and men did not only best Know but Practice what they were obliged to both with respect to God and their Superiors She doth not indeed allow us jurare in verba to pawn our Faith upon any man's credit but to be Followers of Them so far as They have been Followers of Christ and to take directions from them where those directions agree with the written Word So that whensoever any of the Romanists would asperse us as slenderly regarding the Authority of the Ancients we boldly plead in our own justification the venerable esteem we entertain of the Authors and their genuine Writings for the first four Centuries And truly the higher we trace the better we like them God in his infinite wisdom resolved the seed of the Gospel should no sooner be sown than watered with blood A great while did his faithful servants bear a very heavy Cross The Roman Emperors were Heathens and some particular piques most of them had taken against Christianity insomuch that the Professors of it met with a great deal of misery during their life and many with a great deal of cruelty were put to death Yet whether Martyrs or not Martyrs this was still the Doctrin they taught and from them we learn it That nothing can dispense with the Subjects Obedience to his Prince Pardon me Sir if I spend a little paper in presenting you with remarkable passages taken out of some whose heads are the grayest among them I begin with Ignatius Scholar to St. John and twelve years old at our Saviours Crucifixion Thus he instructs the Antiochians a a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ignat. Epist ad Antioch Be obedient to Caesar in those things wherein you may obey without danger which is in all that are not sinful provoke not your Governors to anger that you may not give occasion to them who seek it against you But because the Authority of this Epistle is matter of some dispute pass from him to Justin Martyr not much behind him in years b b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Just Mart. Apol. 2. pro Christianis We worship saith he speaking to the Magistrates God alone but in all things else we cheerfully serve you A third among the Greek Fathers is Theophilus Patriarch of Antioch who delivered this good Rule c c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theoph. Antyoch lib. 1. ad Autolycum Honor the King honor him by being kindly affected to him by obeying him by praying for him for thus doing thou doest the will of God From those of the Greek come we to them of the Latine Church and certainly She preached the same Doctrine The Kings Supremacy and the Subjects Obedience was never better taught by any man in the world than Tertullian a thousand pities he turn'd Montanist at last a a In cujus Dei potestate sunt a quo primi post quem secundi ante omnes super omnes Deos Tertul Apolog. cap. 30. They i. e. Kings are only under the coercive power of God to whom they are subordinate under whom Chief before and above all that are called Gods b b Christianus nullius est hostis nedum Imperatoris quem sciâ—nâ— Ã Deo suo constitutus necesse est ut ipsum diligâ—t hoâ—oâ—â—â— revâ—â—â—atur salvum 〈◊〉 Idem lib. ad Scapulam cap. 2. A Christian saith he is no mans Enemy not the Emperors the great crime objected against them for knowing Him to be a Person of His Gods own appointment it is necessary he should love honour reverence and wish him all the prosperity imaginable And upon a large discourse in his most excellent Apology a book that deserves the greatest commendation he declares plainly it was not want of Power but Will that hindred them from being rebellious not fear of Punishment but sence of Duty not Restraint but Conscience that awed them into obedience They were gotten most numerous both in the Court Senate City and Camp and it was the Heathens security to have them so for c c Nunc pauciores hostes haâ—â—tis pâ—ae multitudine Christi moâ—um Idem Apolog. cap. 50. the more Christians alwayes the fewer Enemies I have made the bolder with Tertullian both because of his Antiquity and the Pertinent Quotations wherewith his Writings supply me To him let me add Lactantius who instructs all Christians in Passive as the rest have done in Active Obedience For put case the Old Plea for Disobedience should be renewed a Reformation of Religion yet will not that plausible pretense justifie the failure in our Allegeance since a Christian must learn Patience as well as Courage and prepare to be a Martyr rather than a Rebel d d Defenâ—â—nda est Râ—lâ—gio non occidâ—ndo sed moriâ—nâ—o non sâ—vi◠á sed patientiá neâ— sceleâ—e sed fiâ—e Ilâ—â— enim maloâ—um sunt â—aec hoâ—orum La â—â—ant lib 5. cap 30. Religion is to be defended not by Killing but by Dying not by Cruelty but by Patience not by Wickedness but by Fidelity Those are the practices of Wicked but these of men truly good To these might be added many others which for brevity sake I omit because this Pamphlet would swell beyond what is intended and create you more trouble than is necessary in so plain a case Let me now fall upon what more peculiarly belongs to our Church The Papists keep the Scriptures from their people which God be thanked we may have free recourse unto but they mightily brag of an Adherence to the Fathers Had the Writings of those Holy men as great an influence upon them as they pretend Princes Thrones and Lives would be much more secure than they are and the Church Censures not be thundred out against them as they be upon every trivial occasion But of this hereafter Now Sir give me leave to assure you that what you have already read from the Scriptures and Fathers is but the same our Church maintains in Her Avouched Doctrine Her Publick
neque jure humano nec Divino Idem ibid. p. 327. Edit Celon Agripp n. all Ecclesiastics from Subjection to the Secular Princes it follows that in respect of those Church-men they are not the higher Powers and consequently the Church-men are not obliged to obey them by any Law either Divine or Humane except only in some trivial matters which he there calls Leges Directivae such as a man 's not stirring out of doors after a particular hour without his Sword by his side and a Light in his hand c. In these petty Trifles they will out of good nature obey the King but for any things of greater concern therein they beg excuse to be out of his reach So that in plain terms at this rate all the Clergy in every Kingdom are left at Liberty whether they will be Loyal or no and the Prince shall wholly lose his Coercive Power over a considerable part of his Subjects So that sometimes it may happen there shall not only be a Refusal of Obedience to but a downright Resistance of his Commands Instances hereof are numerous How saucily did Anselm carry to King Rufus and Thomas Becket to Henry the Second till the one died abroad and the other was killed at home And upon every occasion it would happen so still The Clergy believing themselves freed from any Punishment their Prince could inflict and knowing full well that upon an Appeal to Rome the Sentence would surely pass in favour of the Church Or let it but once come to a Contest that the Pope enjoyns one thing the King another the Pope passeth such a Decree the King gainsays it who shall prevail Shall not the Pope because the Church-men are under his Lash but exempted from the Kings nor will they in reason be easily drawn to provoke him who both can and will for another mans sake who neither must nor dare correct them So that in effect they are but titularly Subjects and will so far be dutiful to the King as their own good Inclinations shall prompt them Now how can he expect to be secured in his Throne by those persons who are not under his Jurisdiction In case their Holy Father for some particular pique at him or to gratifie a beloved Nephew declare him an Heretic that he may dispose of his Kingdom these good Children must needs tread in his Steps and do as he bids them they being according to their own Principles as much obliged to take part against as our Religion would teach us to take part with our Prince notwithstanding all opposition in the world Besides these Ecclesiastical Immunities drain a great deal of wealth out of each Kingdom which might better be laid up in the Kings Exchequer All the Profit of Collations to Benefices First-Fruits Tenths and several other Duties of that kind these the Pope hoords up in his own Coffers a Grievance whereof this particular Nation was so sensible that open Complaint was made against it Temp. Hen. III in Parliament for such vast Sums were sent away out of this little Kingdom from one time to another that the People were much impoverished to make it what he called it Puteus inexhaustus a Well not to be drawn dry So that it is strangely wonderful how the Princes abroad to this very day bear so great an Imposition upon them and submit to such a Diminution of their Authority so contrary to the Rule of Scripture so without all Precedent from Antiquity unless one spurious Passage palpably foisted into Ignatius his Epistles so Dangerous to the peaceable state of their several Countreys and so Inconsistent with the Obedience owing to their own persons But it were something tolerable if this might prove II. By teaching the lawfulness to excommunicate 〈◊〉 murther Kings for Religion the worst so far is the Romish Religion from enjoyning Obedience to Princes that it teacheth those pernicious Doctrins of the Lawfulness to excommunicate depose and murther Kings if their Religion may thereby be promoted So that not only the Clergy but the Princes too lie at the Popes mercy His Fingers indeed have long itched to be medling with Crowns and therefore he employs his Agents abroad to whisper these Devilish Maxims into peoples Ears Now when the grave Fathers of the Church teach and their seduced Children admit them for Truths no marvel if the King sits uneasie in his Throne and his Scepter be ready to fall out of his Hand For satisfaction herein I refer you to Bellarmine again for no mans Credit is better in that Church Three Chapters he spends very eagerly in one Book upon this Subject fending and proving according to our Proverb with might and main The Dâ—â—â—t â—ontifex Râ—gâ—bus juberâ—â—â— hâ—c faciâ—â—◠〈◊〉 nisi fâ—cerâ—nt etiam cogere per excommunicatiâ—nem alâ—asque commodas rationes Bellarm. de Râ—m Pont. l. 5. c. 7. p 505. Pope saith he must command Kings to do these things things relating to the Service of God and if they do them not to compel them by Excommunication and other commodious ways This is pretty smart but all the while sure there is no fear of altering his Property or taking that Dominion from him which God had given Yes there may be Reason for that too if the Cause of Religion require the doing it The Pope may Papa potest mutare Regnâ— uni aâ—ferre at que alters conferre tanquam summus princâ—ps spirituâ—lis si id necessarium sit ad animarum salutem Idem c. 6. p 901. make an Alteration in Kingdoms dethroning one man and exalting another as being the greatest spiritual Prince if it be necessary for the good of souls And this unlimited Power he endeavours to defend by a great many Authorities Nor may he only exercise this strange kind of Prerogative but the good Subjects also must be so much concerned for the Catholic Cause as to set themselves against their Heretical Ruler Christians are Non tenentur Christiant in â— non debeat cum evidente periculo Religionis tolerare regem infidelem Idem p 94. not bound indeed they ought not to tolerate unbelieving King and all of our Principles are with them no better than Infidels if Religion be in any apparent danger They must not tolerate him but how shall it be helped There is scarce any Remedy left but the deposing him and then to make sure work they must either put him into a safe Prison or send him into a cold Grave Now lest this Position of his should be decried as strange and novel being so contrary to the practice of the Primitive Christians who without question were the best Subjects in the world he presently answers that they were not either to be thanked for or imitated in their Obedience since it was matter of Constraint rather than Choice And if they deposed not Nero the Cruel Quod si Christiani olim non deposuerunt Neronem Dioclesianum Julianum Apostatam
of their Superiors not only for Fear but Conscience Nor did ever the very worst of them stir in any Sedition when they were admitted but to half the Rights of English-men Nor were they many that ever attempted their own Relief by Endangering their Countries Peace all the rest sitting Quietly and Patiently under the Burdens which the heavy Hand of those Times continually heaped upon them When Cromwel had engrossed all into his own hands then comes out a Book called The Grounds of Obedience and Government full fraught with the most pernicious Principles that can be devised against the Interest of our Sovereign then in Exile and for the Encouragement of that Tyranny the rebellious Party had introduced much like another Entituled The Holy Common-wealth though written by a Person of a different Persuasion from the former And had both those Books been burnt by the common Hangman the Kingdom had susteined no great Loss Then who but Oliver because he was in possession and it was for the Common Good to submit unto him Nay the very dispossessed Prince was obliged to renounce all Claim to his Government else he would make himself worse than an Infidel Here was excellent Doctrin for Loyal Subjects to disperse among the infatuated Rabble and what could the Design of it be but to make them stark mad who were but too mad before It will perhaps be pretended that these were onely the Miscarriages of some particular persons but why then were not those persons discouraged by the rest of their own Party why were not their Writings protested against and Themselves Censured by their Superiors Had this course been been taken the Church of Rome had proceeded fairly to her vindication and we neither should nor in reason could have blamed her But there is not the least ground to believe such a thing was ever attempted considering how serviceable those destructive Positions were in that juncture of time to their grand Interest And now to dismiss you from your trouble for a The Conclusiâ—n conclusion of the whole I appeal to your own serious thoughts whether it be not the Honor and Happiness of all the People of England that they profess so excellent a Religion which secures the King in his Throne and teacheth his People a consciencious Obedience to his Commands Which instructs them so clearly in their Allegeance and renders them inexcusable if at any time they deviate from it Which in the greatest extremities allows them no other weapons against their Sovereign but those of the Primitive Church Prayers and Tears Which discourageth Rebellion though upon never such plausible pretences and in case of miscarriages by Him who sits upon the Throne looks upon him as unaccountable to any Earthly Power and leaves him to the Judgment of that God who alone hath an absolute Authority over Him Nor will it only appear the Subjects Happiness to be Educated in it but the Princes Concern to Defend this Religion and encourage all the faithful Adherers to it We obey out of a Principle of Piety not out of any particular Interest and discharge all our Duties to the King in compliance with his Command By whom Kings reign Which makes me very confident that though we are now fallen to a low Ebb he will bring us to High-water again and This Church thus firmly established upon the Principles of Religion and Loyalty will be so far The Object of Gods particular Care that the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it that our Lord the King who is wise according to the wisedom of an Angel of God will be a Nursing-Father to the true Protestant Profession among us as the surest support of his Honour and Dignity Let thine Hand therefore O God be upon that Psal 80. 18. Man of thy right hand and that Son of Man of that Blessed Prince that Royal Martyr that Prodigious Example of Piety and Patience whom maugre the spite of his Enemies thou hast now made strong for thy self You see Sir how freely I have discovered my Thoughts concerning our last Discourse What Satisfaction you may reap from them depends upon the Almighties Blessing Only I assure you with all faithfulness they convince me of the Reasonableness Goodness and Divinity of my Religion and furnish me with Grounds of unexpressible Gratitude to God for my Birth and Education in the Church of England out of whose Arms I hope the Cunning Devices of Jesuitical Impostors shall never be able to snatch you to the endangering your Souls Eternal Happiness or the robbing your Sovereign of so good a Subject as your Quality and Faculties capacitate you to be And if these Papers may be in the least Instrumental to keep you stedfast in our Holy Communion I shall infinitely rejoyce at so fair an Occasion of manifesting my self SIR Your very faithful Servant FINIS