meanes they shall allure and compell the people to obey their commands and this Church shall also entise the earth and the inhabitants of the same to wit all nations which beleeue the false doctrine that it teacheth to adore this other beast whose deadly wound was healed for it shall perswade them that this hereticall Monarchie ought for conscience sake to be obeyed by all persons in whatsoeuer it commandeth as if it could not erre 13 And to perswade men thereof it makes great signes or wonders yea euen causeth fire to fall out of heauen vpon earth in the sight of men vpon whom because they shall swarue from the loue of the trewth to beleeue lies God shall iustly by the meanes of this false Church as his instrument of reuenge send a strong illusion and deceit with great efficacie of miracles and woonders 2. Thess 2. 2. Kings 1. yea as mightie and strong as that of Elias was calling for fire from heauen which here is repeated 14 And all these miracles it did in the presence of the beast to make the beast to be adored therefore by the inhabitants of the earth and it perswades them to make an image of the beast which was wounded by the sword and reuiued againe for not onely shall this hereticall Monarchy haue power in his owne person to command absolutely many nations but euen the nations shall consent by the perswasion of this false Church to obey the absolute command of his Lieutenants Legats and Embassadors in euery countrey so as they shall not onely be exempted from the lawes of euery countrey wherein they liue but shall euen be fellowes and companions in all honours and priuiledges to the princes or kings thereof And this willing consent of nations vnto this by the perswasion of this false Church is signified here by the making of this image at the Churches perswasion 15 And power was giuen vnto it to wit vnto this false Church to quicken this image and to make it speake and to cause that all those who will not adore this image should be slaine corporally for as the consent vnto this authoritie of the image must be giuen by the nations and so they to be the makers thereof so the authoritie which is meant by the quickening of it and making it speake must be giuen it by the working of this false Church whose rage shall be so great as it shall persecute any who will not thinke the commands whatsoeuer of this Monarches embassadours and images to be an infallible Law as well as his owne 16 And so this false Church makes that all small or great rich or poore bond or free in short all men of whatsoeuer degree shall take the Character or seale of this Monarchie into their right hand or into their forehead to wit publikely professe obedience thereto and assist the maintenance thereof and downe-throwing of all resisters 17 And that none may buy and sell except they haue the Character or the name of the beast or the number of his name for this defection shall be so vniuersall and so receiued by all degrees of men as it shall not be possible to any neither shal that hypocriticall church permit any to be partakers of their ciuill societie which is meant here by buying and selling except they be knowen to be of his fellowship in religion which is meant by the character and his name and the number thereof Then since you see that this defection shall be so generall beware of euery one that shall say Lord Lord thereby to deceiue you for you see by this that false prophets shall for a time so triumph as they shall vaunt themselues to be the trew Church because there shall be no other Church visible at that time although there shall euer besome that shall not bow their knee to Baal for the woman shall not be deuoured by the dragon 1. Kings 19. Chap. 12. but hid and nourished in the wildernesse out of sight for a space as ye heard before Retaine well in memorie these words for the time shall come in the latter dayes that this doctrine shall be thornes in the eyes of many 18 Now as to the number of the beast here is wisedome let him that is endued with knowledge number it for the number of the beast or Monarchie is the number of the man to wit of the first Monarch of this seat who shall first vsurpe all these styles of blasphemie and who in the fourth Monarchie shall reuiue a spirituall supremacie and tyrannie and his number to wit the date of yeeres that he shall begin to reigne in reckoning from the time of this Reuelation is sixe hundred sixtie and sixe Benedictus the 2. Platine CHAP. XIIII ARGVMENT The happie estate of the faithfull in the meane time of the Popes Tyrannie His destruction The faithfull onely are all saued NOw so soone as the tyrannicall gouernment of these two beasts to wit the false church and their king had bene declared by this last Vision vnto me euen as before after the denouncing of the fearefullest plagues the happy estate of Christ and his Church was declared to comfort me as ye heard before so now the plagues that are to be wrought by this spirituall Tyrannie being declared the estate of Christ and his followers in the meane time is next set forth as followeth Then I did looke and loe I saw the Lambe standing vpon Mount Sion and with him a hundred fourtie and foure thousand hauing the Name of his Father written vpon their foreheads for in the meane time that this Tyrannie was raging on the earth this Lambe Christ was standing vpon Mount Sion to wit vpon his holy place out of which he promised saluation to the faithfull as Dauid saith and is accompanied with this great number of faithfull which number was composed of twelue thousand of euery Tribe as ye heard before but this number comprehends in this place all the faithfull aswell of Gentiles as of Iewes although it seeme to be vnderstood of the Iewes onely which is done for continuing of the Metaphore because as Sanctum Sanctorum which was a part of the materiall Temple of Ierusalem did signifie before all the faithfull as ye haue heard so now this number of Iewes here signifies the faithfull both of Gentiles and Iewes as I haue said who now are described here making publike profession of Christ by bearing his marke on their forehead an eminent part euen as the wicked beare on their forehead the Character of their king the angel of the bottomlesse pit These faithfull followers of Christ did beare now his Marke to testifie thereby that they were preserued by it euen in the very time that this Tyrannie was raging all the fastest 2 And I heard a voyce from heauen like the sound of many waters in greatnesse and like the roaring of the thunder in terriblenesse And I also heard the voyce of many harpers playing on their harpes 3 And singing
likewise you cannot without most euident and grieuous wronging of Gods Honour bind your selues by the Oath which in like maner we haue heard with very great griefe of our heart is administred vnto you of the tenor vnder-written viz. I A. B. doe trewly and sincerely acknowledge The Oath professe testifie and declare in my conscience before God and the world That our Soueraigne Lord King IAMES is lawfull King of this Realme and of all other his Maiesties Dominions and Countreyes And that the Pope neither of himselfe nor by any authority of the Church or Sea of Rome or by any other meanes with any other hath any power or authoritie to depose the King or to dispose of any of his Maiesties Kingdomes or Dominions or to authorize any forreigne Prince to inuade or annoy him or his Countreys or to discharge any of his Subiects of their Allegiance and obedience to his Maiestie or to giue Licence or leaue to any of them to beare Armes raise tumults or to offer any violence or hurt to his Maiesties Royall Person State or Gouernment or to any of his Maiesties subiects within his Maiesties Dominions Also I doe sweare from my heart that notwithstanding any declaration or sentence of Excommunication or depriuation made or granted or to be made or granted by the Pope or his successors or by any Authoritie deriued or pretended to be deriued from him or his Sea against the said King his heires or successors or any absolution of the said subiects from their obedience I will beare faith and trew Allegiance to his Maiestie his heires and successors and him and them will defend to the vttermost of my power against all conspiracies and attempts whatsoeuer which shal be made against his or their Persons their Crowne and dignitie by reason or colour of any such sentence or declaration or otherwise and will doe my best endeuour to disclose and make knowne vnto his Maiestie his heires and successors all Treasons and traiterous conspiracies which I shall know or heare of to be against him or any of them And I doe further sweare That I doe from my heart abhorre detest and abiure as impious and Hereticall this damnable doctrine and position That Princes which be excommunicated or depriued by the Pope may be deposed or murthered by their Subiects or any other whatsoeuer And I doe beleeue and in conscience am resolued that neither the Pope nor any person whatsoeuer hath power to absolue me of this Oath or any part therof which I acknowledge by good and full authoritie to bee lawfully ministred vnto mee and doe renounce all Pardons and Dispensations to the contrarie And all these things I doe plainely and sincerely acknowledge and sweare according to these expresse words by mee spoken and according to the plaine and common sense and vnderstanding of the same words without any Equiuocation or mentall euasion or secret reseruation whatsoeuer And I do make this Recognition and acknowledgment heartily willingly and trewly vpon the trew faith of a Christian So helpe me GOD. Which things since they are thus it must euidently appeare vnto you by the words themselues That such an Oath cannot be taken without hurting of the Catholike Faith and the saluation of your soules seeing it conteines many things which are flat contrary to Faith and saluation Wherefore wee doe admonish you that you doe vtterly abstaine from taking this and the like Oathes which thing wee doe the more earnestly require of you because wee haue experience of the constancie of your faith which is tried like gold in the fire of perpetuall tribulation Wee doe well know that you will cheerefully vnder-goe all kinde of cruell torments whatsoeuer yea and constantly endure death it selfe rather then you will in any thing offend the Maiestie of GOD. And this our confidence is confirmed by those things which are dayly reported vnto vs of the singular vertue valour and fortitude which in these last times doeth no lesse shine in your Martyrs then it did in the first beginning of the Church Stand therefore your loynes being girt about with veritie and hauing on the brest-plate of righteousnesse taking the shield of Faith be ye strong in the Lord and in the power of his might And let nothing hinder you Hee which will crowne you and doeth in Heauen behold your conflicts will finish the good worke which hee hath begun in you You know how hee hath promised his disciples that hee will neuer leaue them Orphanes for hee is faithfull which hath promised Hold fast therefore his correction that is being rooted and grounded in Charitie whatsoeuer ye doe whatsoeuer ye indeuour doe it with one accord in simplicitie of heart in meekenesse of Spirit without murmuring or doubting For by this doe all men know that we are the disciples of CHRIST if we haue loue one to another Which charitie as it is very greatly to be desired of all faithfull Christians So certainely is it altogether necessary for you most blessed sonnes For by this your charitie the power of the diuel is weakened who doeth so much assaile you since that power of his is especially vpheld by the contentions and disagreement of our sonnes Wee exhort you therefore by the bowels of our Lord IESVS CHRIST by whose loue we are taken out of the iawes of eternall death That aboue all things you would haue mutuall charitie among you Surely Pope Clement the eight of happy memory hath giuen you most profitable precepts of practising brotherly charitie one to another in his Letters in forme of a Breue to our welbeloued sonne M. George Arch priest of the Kingdome of England dated the 5. day of the moneth of October 1602. Put them therefore diligently in practise and be not hindered by any difficultie or doubtfulnesse We command you that ye doe exactly obserue the words of those letters and that yee take and vnderstand them simply as they sound and as they lie all power to interpret them otherwise being taken away In the meane while we will neuer cease to pray to the Father of Mercies that he would with pitie behold your afflictions and your paines And that he would keepe and defend you with his continuall protection whom wee doe gently greet with our Apostolicall Benediction Dated at Rome at S. Marke vnder the Signet of the Fisherman the tenth of the Calends of October 1606. the second yeere of our Popedome THE ANSWERE TO THE FIRST BREVE FIrst the Pope expresseth herein his sorrow for that persecution which the Catholiques sustaine for the faiths sake Wherein besides the maine vntrewth whereby I am so iniuriously vsed I must euer auow and maintaine as the trewth is according to mine owne knowledge that the late Queene of famous memory neuer punished any Papist for Religion but that their owne punishment was euer extorted out of her hands against her will by their owne misbehauiour which both the time and circumstances of her actions will manifestly make proofe of
Pope our Superior hath in a late Treatise of his called the Recognition of his bookes of Controuersies made the people and Subiects of euery one of vs our Superiors For hauing taken occasion to reuisite againe his bookes of Controuersies and to correct or explaine what he findeth amisse or mistaketh in them in imitation of S. Augustine his retractions for so he saith in his Preface he doth in place of retracting any of his former errours or any matter of substance not retract but recant indeed I meane sing ouer againe and obstinatly confirme a number of the grossest of them Among the which the exempting of all Church-men from subiection to any Temporall Prince and the setting vp not onely of the Pope but euen of the People aboue their naturall King are two of his maine points As for the exemption of the Clerickes he is so greedy there to proue that point as he denieth Caesar to haue beene Pauls lawfull Iudge Acts. 25.10 contrary to the expresse Text and Pauls plaine Appellation and acknowledging him his Iudge besides his many times claiming to the Roman priuiledges Actes 22.28 and auowing himselfe a Roman by freedome and therefore of necessitie a Subiect to the Roman Emperour But it is a wonder that these Romane Catholikes who vaunt themselues of the ancientie both of their doctrine and Church and reproch vs so bitterly of our Nouelties should not be ashamed to make such a new inept glosse as this vpon S. Pauls Text which as it is directly contrary to the Apostles wordes so is it without any warrant either of any ancient Councell or of so much as any one particular Father that euer interprets that place in this sort Neither was it euer doubted by any Christian in the Primitiue Church that the Apostles or any other degree of Christians were subiect to the Emperour And as for the setting vp of the People aboue their owne naturall King he bringeth in that principle of Sedition that he may thereby proue that Kings haue not their power and authoritie immediatly from God as the Pope hath his For euery King saith he is made and chosen by his people nay they doe but so transferre their power in the Kings person as they doe notwithstanding retaine their habituall power in their owne hands which vpon certaine occasions they may actually take to themselues againe This I am sure is an excellent ground in Diuinitie for all Rebels and rebellious people who are hereby allowed to rebell against their Princes and assume libertie vnto themselues when in their discretions they shall thinke it conuenient And amongst his other Testimonies for probation that all Kings are made and created by the People he alledgeth the Creation of three Kings in the Scripture Saul Dauid and Ieroboam and though hee bee compelled by the expresse words of the Text to confesse that God by his Prophet Samuel annointed both 1 1. Sam. 10.1 Saul and 2 1. Sam. 16.12.13 Dauid yet will he by the post-consent of the people proue that those Kings were not immediatly made by God but mediatly by the people though he repeat thrise that word of Lott by the casting whereof he confesseth that Saul was chosen And if the Election by Lott be not an immediate Election from God then was not Matthias Actes 1. who was so chosen and made an Apostle immediatly chosen by GOD and consequently he that sitteth in the Apostolike Sea cannot for shame claime to be immediatly chosen by God if Matthias that was one of the twelue Apostles supplying Iudas his place was not so chosen But as it were a blasphemous impietie to doubt that Matthias was immediatly chosen by GOD and yet was hee chosen by the casting of Lots as Saul was so is it well enough knowen to some of you my louing Brethren by what holy Spirit or casting of Lots the Popes vse to be elected the Colledge of Cardinals his electors hauing beene diuided in two mightie factions euer since long before my time and in place of casting of Lotts great fat pensions beeing cast into some of their greedy mouthes for the election of the Pope according to the partiall humours of Princes But I doe most of all wonder at the weakenesse of his memorie for in this place he maketh the post-consent of the people to be the thing that made both these Kings notwithstanding of their preceding inauguration and anoyntment by the Prophet at GODS commandement forgetting that in the beginning of this same little booke of his answering one that alledgeth a sentence of S. Cyprian to prooue that the Bishops were iudged by the people in Cyprians time he there confesseth that by these words the consent of the people to the Bishops Election must be onely vnderstood Nor will he there any wayes be mooued to graunt that the peoples power in consenting to or refusing the Election of a Bishop should be so vnderstood as that thereby they haue power to elect Bishops And yet do these words of Cyprian seeme to bee farre stronger for granting the peoples power to elect Churchmen then any words that he alledgeth out of the Scripture are for the peoples power in electing a King For the very words of Cyprian by himselfe there cited Cyprian lib. 1. Epist 4. are That the very people haue principally the power either to chuse such Priests as are worthy or to refuse such as are vnworthie And I hope hee can neuer prooue by the Scripture that it had beene lawfull to the people of Israel or that it was left in their choise to haue admitted or refused Saul or Dauid at their pleasure after that the Prophet had anoynted them and persented them vnto them Thus ye see how little he careth euen in so little a volume to contradict himselfe so it may make for his purpose making the consent of the people to signifie their power of Election in the making of Kings though in the making of Bishops by the peoples consent their approbation of a deed done by others must onely be vnderstood And as for his example of Ieroboams election to bee King 1 King 12.20 hee knoweth well enough that Ieroboam was made King in a popular mutinous tumult and rebellion onely permitted by God and that in his wrath both against these two Kings and their people But if he will needs helpe himselfe against all rules of Diuinitie with such an extraordinary example for proofe of a generall Rule why is it not as lawfull for vs Kings to oppose hereunto the example of Iehu his Inauguration to the Kingdome 2. King 9.2 3. who vpon the Prophets priuat anointment of him and that in most secret manner tooke presently the Kings office vpon him without euer crauing any sort of approbation from the people And thus may ye now clearely see how deepe the claime of the Babylonian Monarch toucheth vs in all our common interest for as I haue already told the Pope nor any of his Vassals
in hand that a petition put vp and preferred by the third Estate can carry the force of a Law or Statute so long as the other two Orders withstand the same and so long as the King himselfe holds backe his Royall consent Besides the said Article was not propounded as a point of Religious doctrine but for euer after to remaine and continue a fundamentall Law of the Common-wealth and State it selfe the due care whereof was put into their handes and committed to their trust If the King had ratified the said Article with Royall consent and had commanded the Clergie to put in execution the contents thereof it had bene their duetie to see the Kings will and pleasure fulfilled as they are subiects bound to giue him aide in all things which may any way serue to procure the safetie of his life and the tranquilitie of his Kingdome Which if the Clergie had performed to the vttermost of their power they had not shewed obedience as vnderlings vnto the third Estate but vnto the King alone by whom such command had bene imposed vpon suggestion of his faithfull subiects made the more watchfull by the negligence of the Clergie whom they perceiue to be lincked with stricter bandes vnto the Pope then they are vnto their King Here then the Cardinall fights with meere shadowes and mooues a doubt whereof his aduersaries haue not so much as once thought in a dreame But yet according to his great dexteritie and nimblenesse of spirit by this deuice he cunningly takes vpon him to giue the King a lesson with more libertie making semblance to direct his masked Oration to the Deputies of the people when hee shooteth in effect and pricketh at his King the Princes also and Lords of his Counsell whom the Cardinall compriseth vnder the name of Laics whose iudgment it is not vnlikely was apprehended much better by the Clergie then the iudgement of the third Estate Now these are the men whom he tearmes intruders into other mens charges and such as open a gate for I wot not how many legions of heresies to rush into the Church For if it be proper to the Clergie and their Head to iudge in this cause of the Right of Kings then the King himselfe his Princes and Nobilitie are debarred and wiped of all iudgement in the same cause no lesse then the representatiue body of the people Well then Pag. 61. the L. Cardinall showres downe like haile sundry places and testimonies of Scripture where the people are commanded to haue their Pastors in singular loue and to beare them all respects of due obseruance Be it so yet are the said passages of Scripture no barre to the people for their vigilant circumspection to preserue the life and Crowne of their Prince against all the wicked enterprises of men stirred vp by the Clergie who haue their Head out of the Kingdome and hold themselues to be none of the Kings subiects a thing neuer spoken by the sacrificing Priests and Prelates mentioned in the passages alleadged by the Lord Cardinal He likewise produceth two Christian Emperours Pag 62. Constantine and Valentinian by name the first refusing to meddle with iudgement in Episcopall causes the other forbearing to iudge of subtile Questions in Diuinity with protestation that Hee would neuer bee so curious to diue into the streames or sound the bottome of so deepe matters But who doth not know that working and prouiding for the Kings indemnitie and safetie is neither Episcopall cause nor matter of curious and subtile inquisition The same answere meets with all the rest of the places produced by the L. Orat. ad ciues timme perculsos Cardinal out of the Fathers And that one for example out of Gregory Nazianzenus is not cited by the Cardinall with faire dealing For Gregory doeth not boord the Emperour himselfe but his Deputy or L. President on this maner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For we also are in authoritie and place of a Ruler we haue command aswell as your selfe wheras the the L. Cardinal with foule play turnes the place in these termes We also are Emperours Which words can beare no such interpretation as well because he to whom the Bishop then spake was not of Imperiall dignitie as also because if the Bishop himselfe a Bishop of so small a citie as Nazianzum had qualified himselfe Emperour hee should haue passed all the bounds of modestie and had shewed himselfe arrogant aboue measure For as touching subiection due to Christian Emperours hee freely acknowledgeth a little before 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that himselfe and his people are subiect vnto the superiour powers yea bound to pay them tribute The historie of the same Gregories life doeth testifie that he was drawen by the Arrians before the Consuls iudgement seate and from thence returned acquitted without either stripes or any other kinde of contumelious entreatie and vse yet now at last vp starts a Prelate who dares make this good Father vaunt himselfe to be an Emperour It is willingly granted that Emperours neuer challenged neuer arrogated to bee Soueraigne Iudges in controuersies of doctrine and faith neuerthelesse it is clearer then the Sunnes light at high noone that for moderation at Synods for determinations and orders established in Councils and for the discipline of the Church they haue made a good and a full vse of their Imperiall authoritie Vide Canones Graecos à Tilio editos The first Council held at Constantinople beares this title or inscription The dedication of the holy Synode to the most religious Emperour Theodosius the Great to whose will and pleasure they haue submitted these Canons by them addressed and established in Councill And there they also beseech the Emperour to confirme and approue the said Canons The like hath bene done by the Council of Trullo by whom the Canons of the fift and sixt Councils were put foorth and published This was not done because Emperours tooke vpon them to bee infallible Iudges of doctrine but onely that Emperours might see and iudge whether Bishops who feele the pricke of ambition as other men doe did propound nothing in their Conuocations and Consultations but most of all in their Determinations to vndermine the Emperours authoritie to disturbe the tranquilitie of the Common-wealth and to crosse the determinations of precedent Councils Now to take the cognizance of such matters out of the Kings hand or power what is it but euen to transforme the King into a standing Image to wring and wrest him out of all care of himselfe and his Kingly Charge yea to bring him downe to this basest condition to become onely an executioner and which I scorne to speake the vnhappy hangman of the Clergies will without any further cognizance not so much as of matters which most neerely touch himselfe and his Royall estate I grant it is for Diuinitie Scholes to iudge how farre the power of the Keyes doth stretch I grant againe that Clerics both may and ought also
of our Catholike Religion then if it should bee granted the Church hath decided the said points without any authoritie c. Mee thinkes the L. Cardinal in the whole draught and course of these words doeth seeke not a little to blemish the honour of his Church and to marke his religion with a blacke coale For the whole frame of his Mother-Church is very easie to be shaken if by the establishing of this Article she shall come to finall ruine and shall become the Synagogue of Satan Likewise Kings are brought into a very miserable state and condition if their Souereigntie shall not stand if they shall not bee without danger of deposition but by the totall ruine of the Church and by holding the Pope whom they serue to be Antichrist The L. Cardinall himselfe let him be well sifted herein doeth not credit his owne words For doeth not his Lordship tell vs plaine that neither by Diuine testimony nor by any sentence of the ancient Church the knot of this controuersie hath bene vntied againe that some of the French by the Popes fauourable indulgence are licensed or tolerated to say their mind to deliuer their opinion of this question though contrary to the iudgement of his Holinesse prouided they hold it onely as problematicall and not as necessary What Can there be any assurance for the Pope that hee is not Antichrist for the Church of Rome that she is not a Synagogue of Satan when a mans assurance is grounded vpon wauering and wilde vncertainties without Canon of Scripture without consent or countenance of antiquitie and in a cause which the Pope by good leaue suffereth some to tosse with winds of problematicall opinion It hath beene shewed before that by Gods word whereof small reckoning perhaps is made by venerable antiquitie and by the French Church in those times when the Popes power was mounted aloft the doctrine which teacheth deposing of Kings by the Pope hath bene checked and countermanded What did the French in those dayes beleeue the Church was then swallowed vp and no where visible or extant in the world No verely Those that make the Pope of Soueraigne authoritie for matters of Faith are not perswaded that in this cause they are bound absolutely to beleeue and credit his doctrine Why so Because they take it not for any decree or determination of Faith but for a point perteining to the mysteries of State and a pillar of the Popes Temporall Monarchie who hath not receiued any promise from God that in causes of this nature hee shall not erre For they hold that errour by no meanes can crawle or scramble vp to the Papall See so highly mounted but grant ambition can scale the highest walls and climbe the loftiest pinacles of the same See They hold withall that in case of so speciall aduantage to the Pope whereby he is made King of Kings and as it were the pay-master or distributer of Crownes it is against all reason that hee should sit as Iudge to carue out Kingdomes for his owne share To bee short let his Lordship be assured that he meeteth with notorious blocke-heads more blunt-witted then a whetstone when they are drawen to beleeue by his perswasion that whosoeuer beleeues the Pope hath no right nor power to put Kings beside their Thrones to giue and take away Crownes are all excluded and barred out of the heauenly Kingdome But now followes a worse matter For they whom the Cardinall reproachfully calls heretikes haue wrought and wonne his Lordship as to mee seemeth to plead their cause at the barre and to betray his owne cause to these heretikes For what is it in his Lordship but plaine playing the Praeuaricator when he crieth so lowd that by admitting and establishing of this Article the doctrine of Cake-incarnation and priuie Confession to a Priest is vtterly subuerted Let vs heare his reason and willingly accept the trewth from his lips The Articles as his Lordship granteth of Transubstantiation auricular Confession and the Popes power to depose Kings are all grounded alike vpon the same authoritie Now he hath acknowledged the Article of the Popes power to depose Kings is not decided by the Scripture nor by the ancient Church but within the compasse of certaine aages past by the authoritie of Popes and Councils Then he goes on well and inferres with good reason that in case the point of the Popes power be weakened then the other two points must needs bee shaken and easily ouerthrowen So that hee doeth confesse the monstrous birth of the breaden-God and the blind Sacrament or vaine fantasie of auricular confession are no more conueyed into the Church by pipes from the springs of sacred Scripture or from the riuers of the ancient Church then that other point of the Popes power ouer Kings and their Crownes Very good For were they indeed deriued from either of those two heads that is to say were they grounded vpon the foundation of the first or second authoritie then they could neuer bee shaken by the downefall of the Popes power to depose Kings I am well assured that for vsing so good a reason the world will hold his Lordship in suspicion that he still hath somesmacke of his fathers discipline and instruction who in times past had the honour to be a Minister of the holy Gospel Howbeit he playeth not faire nor vseth sincere dealing in his proceeding against such as he calls heretikes when hee casts in their dish and beares them in hand they frowardly wrangle for the inuisibilitie of the Church in earth For indeed the matter is nothing so They freely acknowledge a visible Church For howsoeuer the assembly of Gods elect doth make a body not discerneable by mans eye yet we assuredly beleeue and gladly professe there neuer wanted a visible Church in the world yet onely visible to such as make a part of the same All that are without see no more but men they doe not see the said men to be the trew Church Wee beleeue moreouer of the vniuersall Church visible that it is composed of many particular Churches whereof some are better fined and more cleane from lees and dregs then other and withall we denie the purest Churches to be alwayes the greatest and most visible THE FOVRTH AND LAST INCONVENIENCE EXAMINED THE Lord Cardinall before he looketh into the last Inconuenience vseth a certaine preamble of his owne life past and seruices done to the Kings Henry the III. and IIII. Touching the latter of which two Kings his Lordship saith in a straine of boasting after this manner I by the grace of God or the grace of God by mee rather reduced him to the Catholike religion I obtained at Rome his absolution of Pope Clement 8. I reconciled him to the holy See Touching the first of these points I say the time the occasions and the foresaid Kings necessary affaires doe sufficiently testifie that he was induced to change his mind and to alter his religion vpon the strength of other
that of the Workes of GOD for workes of Nature haue their roote from within vs and bring with them a radicall kinde of vertue that neuer suffers them to rest till they haue produced their fruite to perfect forme and perfection Workes of deliberation and Art haue their foundation from without vs and giue vs occasion to worke vpon them as our phantasies thinke fittest for the present time Hence proceeds it that the workes of Nature haue so few errors in them those of Art so many They of Nature so constant they of Arte so variable they of Nature so permanent they of Art so soone perish they of Nature so well accepted and approued of all they of Art accepted or reiected as it pleaseth the seuerall apprehensions of men to conceiue of them Now albeit the workes of men be of Errors so full of nature so different subiect to so many Jnterpretations published at so diuers times Yet hath it bene euer esteemed a matter commendable to collect them together and incorporate them into one Body that we may behold at once what diuers Off-springs haue proceeded from one braine and how various Conceptions the wit of man is able to afford the world To instance in a few of them beginning a little higher then the writings of ordinarie Men. The seruants of Hezekiah are commended in Scripture for collecting together the Sentences of Solomon Iesus the sonne of Sirach is praised for searching out the Copies of his Grandfathers workes But principally Ezra is had in great honour for setting in order the whole Bookes of the Old Testament and deuiding them into Chapters and Verses which before were caried along in a scroule by a continuall Series without any distinction at all S. Iohn is reported to haue searched out the Copies of the three former Euangelists and to haue added his owne for the fourth in that order as now they are extant And the Primitiue Church was curious to gather together the Epistles of the Holy Apostles which they being not able by reason of persecution perfectly to performe in euery place gaue occasion to after-times to call the authority of so many of them into question But to descend How are we bound to those who haue laboured in setting out the Counsells and Works of the Fathers together Jnsomuch that we thinke our selues as much bound to Eusebius and Hierom and of later times to Peter Crab and Erasmus and diuers others who haue laboured in that kinde as wee doe almost to the Authors themselues Traian commended Plutark for gathering the Apothegmes of wise men together Constantinus the sonne of Leo collected out of all Histories both in the East and West one Corpus Historicum which they counted an inestimable Treasure Iustinian by the helpe of Tribonianus did the like in the Lawes Gratian compiled the Decrees out of the Epistles of Popes Councells and Fathers Damascen collected into one body of Diuinitie the Sentences of the Greeke Fathers And Peter Lumbard 400. yeeres after him by his example did the like in the Latine Fathers And how doe wee labour to recouer Bookes that are lost The Bookes of Origen that amounted to sixe thousand as Epiphanius witnesseth were much laboured for by Eusebius and others The Bookes of Cicero de Repub. were much sought for by Cardinall Poole and great summes of money haue bene spent to recouer the lost Decades of Liuie Wherefore since it hath beene heretofore the practise of all aages to collect the workes of Men of worth and preserue them from perishing to labour much in recouering those that haue bene lost to giue to euery childe the owne Father to euery Booke the trew Author for there neuer had bene halfe so many birds to haue flowen about the world with false feathers if euery Author had set out his owne workes together in his owne time J hope then it shall not be now a matter of reproofe in a Seruant to trauaile in the setting foorth of the Works of his Master and for giuing you that together which before yee could hardly get asunder and for preseruing that in a Masse from perishing that might easily be lost in a Mite But while I am collecting workes one way I heare others scattering wordes as fast an other way affirming it had beene better his Maiestie had neuer written any Bookes at all and being written better they had perished with the present like Proclamations then haue remayned to Posterity For say these Men Little it befitts the Maiesty of a King to turne Clerke and to make a warre with the penne that were fitter to be fought with the Pike to spend the powers of his so exquisite an vnderstanding vpon paper which had they beene spent on powder could not but haue preuayled ere this for the Conquest of a Kingdome For a King say they to enter a Controuersie with a Scholler is as if he should fight a Combate with a Kerne he doth no more descend from his Honour in the one then he bringes vpon himselfe Disgrace by the other And since that Booke-writing is growen into a Trade It is as dishonorable for a King to write bookes as it is for him to be a Practitioner in a Profession Jf a King will needs write Let him write like a King euery Lyne a Law euery Word a Precept euery Letter a Mandate Jn good trewth I haue had my eares so oft dung through with these Obiections and the like as I know not whether I conceiued amisse of my selfe or no thinking I had more ability to answere these Calumnyes then I had patience to heare them And therefore hauing so fit opportunity J shall not let to deliuer my opinion Whether it may sorte with the Maiestie of a King to be a writer of Bookes or no. First I could neuer reade that there was any Law against it and where we haue no Law the best is to follow good Examples And many Diuines are of opinion that examples that are not contrary to any Precept doe binde vs in practise at least so farre that though they doe not inforce vs to the doing yet they warrant the deede when it is done And if Examples will serue the turne wee haue Examples enough First to beginne with the King of Kings God himselfe who as he doth all things for our good So doeth he many things for our Jmitation Jt pleased his Diuine wisedome to bee the first in this Rancke that we read of that did euer write Hee wrote and the writing was the writing saith Moses of God the maner was after the maner of engrauing the matter was in Stone cut into two Tables and the Tables were the worke of God written on both sides Diuines hold that the Heart is the principall Seate of the Soule which Soule of ours is the immediate worke of God as these Tables were the immediate worke of his owne fingers The Stone the expresse represent of the hardnesse of our heart the engrauing the worke of God so deepely impressed
first part vpon that subiect should haue ditted the mouth of the most enuious Momus that euer hell did hatch from barking at any other part of my booke vpon that ground except they would alledge me to be contrarie to my selfe which in so small a volume would smell of too great weakenesse and sliprinesse of memory And the second part of my booke teaches my Sonne how to vse his Office in the administration of Iustice and Politicke Gouernment The third onely containing a Kings outward behauiour in indifferent things what agreeance and conformitie hee ought to keepe betwixt his outward behauiour in these things and the vertuous qualities of his minde and how they should serue for trunsh-men to interprete the inward disposition of the minde to the eyes of them that cannot see farther within him and therefore must onely iudge of him by the outward appearance So as if there were no more to be looked into but the very methode and order of the booke it will sufficiently cleare me of that first and grieuousest imputation in the point of Religion since in the first part where Religion is onely treated of I speake so plainely And what in other parts I speake of Puritanes it is onely of their morall faults in that part where I speake of Policie declaring when they contemne the Law and souereigne authoritie what exemplare punishment they deserue for the same And now as to the matter it selfe whereupon this scandall is taken that I may sufficiently satisfie all honest men and by a iust Apologie raise vp a brasen wall or bulwarke against all the darts of the enuious I will the more narrowly rip vp the words whereat they seeme to be somewhat stomacked First then as to the name of Puritanes I am not ignorant that the style thereof doeth properly belong onely to that vile sect amongst the Anabaptists called the Family of loue because they thinke themselues onely pure and in a maner without sinne the onely trwe Church and onely worthy to be participant of the Sacraments and all the rest of the world to be but abomination in the sight of God Of this speciall sect I principally meane when I speake of Puritans diuers of them as Browne Penry and others hauing at sundrie times come into Scotland to sow their popple amongst vs and from my heart I wish that they had left no schollers behinde them who by their fruits will in the owne time be manifested and partly indeede I giue this style to such brain-sicke and headie Preachers their disciples and followers as refusing to be called of that sect yet participate too much with their humours in maintaining the aboue mentioned errours not onely agreeing with the generall rule of all Anabaptists in the contempt of the ciuill Magistrate and in leaning to their owne dreams and reuelations but particularly with this sect in accounting all men profane that sweare not to all their fantasies in making for euery particular question of the policie of the Church as great commotion as if the article of the Trinitie were called in controuersie in making the scriptures to be ruled by their conscience and not their conscience by the Scripture and he that denies the least iote of their grounds sit tibi tanquam ethnicus publicanus not worthy to enioy the benefite of breathing much lesse to participate with them of the Sacraments and before that any of their grounds be impugned let King people Law and all be trode vnder foote Such holy warres are to be preferred to an vngodly peace no in such cases Christian Princes are not onely to be resisted vnto but not to be prayed for for prayer must come of Faith and it is reuealed to their consciences that GOD will heare no prayer for such a Prince Iudge then Christian Reader if I wrong this sort of people in giuing them the stile of that sect whose errours they imitate and since they are contented to weare their liuerie let them not be ashamed to borrow also their name It is onely of this kinde of men that in this booke I write so sharply and whom I wish my Sonne to punish in-case they refuse to obey the Law and will not cease to sturre vp a rebellion Whom against I haue written the more bitterly in respect of diuers famous libels and iniurious speaches spred by some of them not onely dishonourably inuectiue against all Christian Princes but euen reprochfull to our profession and Religion in respect they are come out vnder coulour thereof and yet were neuer answered but by Papists who generally medle aswell against them as the religion it selfe whereby the skandale was rather doubled then taken away But on the other part I protest vpon mine honour I meane it not generally of all Preachers or others that like better of the single forme of policie in our Church then of the many Ceremonies in the Church of England that are perswaded that their Bishops smell of a Papall supremacie that the Surplise the cornerd cap and such like are the outward badges of Popish errours No I am so farre from being contentious in these things which for my owne part I euer esteemed as indifferent as I doe equally loue and honour the learned and graue men of either of these opinions It can no wayes become me to pronounce so lightly a sentence in so old a controuersie Wee all God be praised doe agree in the grounds and the bitternesse of men vpon such questions doeth but trouble the peace of the Church and giues aduantage and entry to the Papists by our diuision But towards them I onely vse this prouision that where the Law is otherwayes they may content themselues soberly and quietly with their owne opinions not resisting to the authoritie nor breaking the Law of the Countrey neither aboue all sturring any rebellion or schisme but possessing their soules in peace let them preasse by patience and well grounded reasons either to perswade all the rest to like of their iudgements or where they see better grounds on the other part not to bee ashamed peaceably to incline thereunto laying aside all praeoccupied opinions And that this is the onely meaning of my Booke and not any coldnesse or cracke in Religion that place doeth plainely witnesse where after I haue spoken of the faults in our Ecclesiasticall estate I exhort my sonne to be beneficiall vnto the good-men of the Ministrie praising God there that there is presently a sufficient number of good men of them in this kingdome and yet are they all knowne to be against the forme of the English Church Yea so farre I am in that place from admitting corruption in Religion as I wish him in promoouing them to vse such caution as may preserue their estate from creeping to corruption euer vsing that forme through the whole Booke where euer I speake of bad Preachers terming them some of the Ministers and not Ministers or Ministrie in generall And to conclude this point of Religion
your actions as farre as yee may eschewing euer wilfully and wittingly to contrare your conscience For a small sinne wilfully committed with a deliberate resolution to breake the bridle of conscience therein is farre more grieuous before God then a greater sinne committed in a suddaine passion when conscience is asleepe Last account Remember therefore in all your actions of the great account that yee are one day to make in all the dayes of your life euer learning to die and liuing euery day as it were your last Omnem crede diem tibi diluxisse supremum Horat. lib. 1. Epist And therefore I would not haue you to pray with the Papists to be preserued from suddaine death but that God would giue you grace so to liue as ye may euery houre of your life be ready for death so shall ye attaine to the vertue of trew fortitude neuer being afraid for the horrour of death Trew fortitude come when he list And especially beware to offend your conscience with vse of swearing or lying suppose but in iest for others are but an vse Foolish vse of oathes and a sinne cloathed with no delight nor gaine and therefore the more inexcusable euen in the sight of men and lying commeth also much of a vile vse which banisheth shame Therfore beware euen to deny the trewth which is a sort of lie that may best be eschewed by a person of your ranke For if any thing be asked at you that yee thinke not meete to reueale if yee say that question is not pertinent for them to aske who dare examine you further and vsing sometimes this answere both in trew and false things that shall be asked at you such vnmanerly people will neuer be the wiser thereof And for keeping your conscience sound from that sickenesse of superstition Against superstition yee must neither lay the safetie of your conscience vpon the credit of your owne conceits nor yet of other mens humors how great doctors of Diuinitie that euer they be but yee must onely ground it vpon the expresse Scripture for conscience not grounded vpon sure knowledge is either an ignorant fantasie or an arrogant vanitie Beware therefore in this case with two extremities the one to beleeue with the Papists the Churches authority better then your owne knowledge the other to leane with the Anabaptists to your owne conceits and dreamed reuelations But learne wisely to discerne betwixt points of saluation and indifferent things Difference of internall and externall things betwixt substance and ceremonies and betwixt the expresse commandement and will of God in his word and the inuention or ordinance of man since all that is necessarie for saluation is contained in the Scripture For in any thing that is expressely commanded or prohibited in the booke of God ye cannot be ouer precise euen in the least thing counting euery sinne not according to the light estimation and common vse of it in the world but as the booke of God counteth of it But as for all other things not contained in the Scripture spare not to vse or alter them as the necessitie of the time shall require Account of things externall And when any of the spirituall office-bearers in the Church speake vnto you any thing that is well warranted by the word reuerence and obey them as the heraulds of the most high God but if passing that bounds they vrge you to embrace any of their fantasies in the place of Gods word or would colour their particulars with a pretended zeale acknowledge them for no other then vaine men exceeding the bounds of their calling and according to your office grauely and with authoritie redact them in order againe To conclude then Conclusion both this purpose of conscience and the first part of this booke keepe God more sparingly in your mouth but abundantly in your heart be precise in effect but sociall in shew kythe more by your deedes then by your wordes the loue of vertue and hatred of vice and delight more to be godly and vertuous indeed then to be thought and called so expecting more for your praise and reward in heauen then heere and apply to all your outward actions Christs command to pray and giue your almes secretly So shal ye on the one part be inwardly garnished with trew Christian humilitie not outwardly with the proud Pharisie glorying in your godlinesse but saying as Christ commandeth vs all when we haue done all that we can Luke 10.17 Inutiles serui sumus And on the other part yee shall eschew outwardly before the world the suspition of filthie proude hypocrisie and deceitfull dissimulation OF A KINGS DVETIE IN HIS OFFICE THE SECOND BOOKE BVT as ye are clothed with two callings so must ye be alike careful for the discharge of them both that as yee are a good Christian so yee may be a good King discharging your Office as I shewed before in the points of Iustice and Equitie The Office of a King which in two sundrie waies ye must doe the one in establishing and executing Plato in Polit. which is the life of the Law good Lawes among your people Isocr in Sym. the other by your behauiour in your owne person and with your seruants to teach your people by your example for people are naturally inclined to counterfaite like apes their Princes maners Plate in Polis according to the notable saying of Plato expressed by the Poet Componitur orbis Regis ad exemplum nec sic inflectere sensus Humanos edicta valent quà m vitaregentis Claudian in 4. cons Hon. For the part of making and executing of Lawes consider first the trew difference betwixt a lawfull good King and an vsurping Tyran and yee shall the more easily vnderstand your duetie herein Difference of a King and a Tyran for contraria iuxta se posita magis elucescunt The one acknowledgeth himselfe ordained for his people hauing receiued from God a burthen of gouernment Plato in Polit. whereof he must be countable the other thinketh his people ordined for him Arist 5. Polit. a prey to his passions and inordinate appetites as the fruites of his magnanimitie And therefore as their ends are directly contrarie so are their whole actions as meanes whereby they preasse to attaine to their endes A good King thinking his highest honour to consist in the due discharge of his calling emploieth all his studie and paines to procure and maintaine Xen. 8. Cyr. by the making and execution of good Lawes the well-fare and peace of his people and as their naturall father and kindly Master Cic. lib. 5. de Rep. thinketh his greatest contentment standeth in their prosperitie and his greatest suretie in hauing their hearts subiecting his owne priuate affections and appetites to the weale and standing of his Subiects euer thinking the common interesse his chiefest particular where by the contrarie an vsurping Tyran thinking his greatest
extraordinarily wrought by God wherin many things were inordinately done by a popular tumult and rebellion The occasion of the Tribunat of some Puritanes of such as blindly were doing the worke of God but clogged with their owne passions and particular respects as well appeared by the destruction of our policie and not proceeding from the Princes order as it did in our neighbour countrey of England as likewise in Denmarke and sundry parts of Germanie some fierie spirited men in the ministerie got such a guiding of the people at that time of confusion as finding the gust of gouernment sweete they begouth to fantasie to themselues a Democraticke forme of gouernment and hauing by the iniquitie of time beene ouer-well baited vpon the wracke first of my Grandmother and next of mine owne mother and after vsurping the libertie of the time in my long minoritie Such were the Demagogâ— at Athens setled themselues so fast vpon that imagined Democracie as they fed themselues with the hope to become Tribuni plebis and so in a popular gouernment by leading the people by the nose to beare the sway of all the rule And for this cause there neuer rose faction in the time of my minoritie Their formes in the State nor trouble sen-syne but they that were vpon that factious part were euer carefull to perswade and allure these vnruly spirits among the ministerie to spouse that quarrell as their owne where-through I was oft-times calumniated in their populare Sermons not for any euill or vice in me but because I was a King which they thought the highest euill And because they were ashamed to professe this quarrel they were busie to look narrowly in all my actions and I warrant you a mote in my eye yea a false report was matter enough for them to worke vpon and yet for all their cunning whereby they pretended to distinguish the lawfulnesse of the office from the vice of the person some of them would sometimes snapper out well grossely with the trewth of their intentions informing the people Their razing the ground of the princely rule that all Kings and Princes were naturally enemies to the libertie of the Church and could neuer patiently beare the yoke of Christ with such sound doctrine fed they their flockes And because the learned graue and honest men of the ministerie were euer ashamed and offended with their temeritie and presumption preassing by all good meanes by their authoritie and example to reduce them to a greater moderation there could be no way found out so meete in their conceit that were turbulent spirits among them for maintaining their plots as paritie in the Church whereby the ignorants were emboldened as bairdes to crie the learned Their pretence of paratie godly and modest out of it paritie the mother of confusion and enemie to Vnitie which is the mother of order For if by the example thereof once established in the Ecclesiasticall gouernment the Politicke and ciuill estate should be drawen to the like the great confusion that thereupon would arise may easily be discerned Take heede therefore my Sonne to such Puritanes verie pestes in the Church and Common-weale whom no deserts can oblige neither oathes or promises binde An cuill sort of seed-men in the State breathing nothing but sedition and calumnies aspiring without measure railing without reason and making their owne imaginations without any warrant of the word the square of their conscience I protest before the great God and since I am here as vpon my Testament it is no place for me to lie in that ye shall neuer finde with any Hie-land or Border-theeues greater ingratitude and moe lies and vile periuries then with these phanaticke spirits And suffer not the principals of them to brooke your land if ye like to sit at rest except yee would keepe them for trying your patience Xantippe as Socrates did an euill wife And for preseruatiue against their poison Preseruatiue against such poison entertaine and aduance the godly learned and modest men of the ministerie whom-of God be praised there lacketh not a sufficient number and by their prouision to Bishoprickes and Benefices annulling that vile acte of Annexation if ye finde it not done to your hand yee shall not onely banish their conceited paritie whereof I haue spoken and their other imaginarie grounds Parity incompatible with a Monarchie which can neither stand with the order of the Church nor the peace of a Common-weale and well ruled Monarchie but ye shall also re-establish the olde institution of three Estates in Parliament which can no otherwise be done But in this I hope if God spare me dayes to make you a faire entrie alwayes where I leaue follow ye my steps And to end my aduice anent the Church estate Generall aduice in behalfe of the Church cherish no man more then a good Pastor hate no man more then a proude Puritane thinking it one of your fairest styles to be called a louing nourish-father to the Church seeing all the Churches within your dominions planted with good Pastors the Schooles the seminarie of the Church maintained the doctrine and discipline preserued in puritie according to Gods word a sufficient prouision for their sustentation a comely order in their policie pride punished humilitie aduanced and they so to reuerence their superiours and their flockes them as the flourishing of your Church in pietie peace and learning may be one of the chiefe points of your earthly glory being euer alike ware with both the extremities as well as yee represse the vaine Puritane so not to suffer proude Papall Bishops but as some for their qualities will deserue to bee preferred before others so chaine them with such bondes as may preserue that estate from creeping to corruption The next estate now that by order commeth in purpose according to their rankes in Parliament is the Nobilitie although second in ranke Of the Nobilitie and their formes yet ouer farre first in greatnesse and power either to doe good or euill as they are inclined The naturall sickenesse that I haue perceiued this estate subiect to in my time hath beene a fectlesse arrogant conceit of their greatnes and power drinking in with their very nourish-milke that their honor stood in committing three points of iniquitie to thrall by oppression the meaner sort that dwelleth neere them to their seruice and following although they holde nothing of them to maintaine their seruants and dependers in any wrong although they be not answerable to the lawes for any body will maintaine his man in a right cause and for anie displeasure that they apprehend to be done vnto them by their neighbour to take vp a plaine feide against him and without respect to God King or common-weale to bang it out brauely hee and all his kinne against him and all his yea they will thinke the King farre in their common in-case they agree to grant an assurance to a short day
hencefoorth I shall beare faith and trew Allegiance to the Kings Highnesse his Heires and lawfull Successours and to my power shall assist and defend all Iurisdictions Priuiledges Preeminences and Authorities granted or belonging to the Kings Highnesse his Heires and Successours or vnited and annexed to the Imperiall Crowne of the Realme So helpe me God and by the Contents of this booke And that the iniustice as well as the error of his grosse mistaking in this point may yet be more clearely discouered I haue also thought good to insert here immediatly after the Oath of Supremacie the contrary conclusions to all the points and Articles whereof this other late Oath doeth consist whereby it may appeare what vnreasonable and rebellious points hee would driue my Subiects vnto by refusing the whole body of that Oath as it is conceiued For he that shall refuse to take this Oath must of necessitie hold all or some of these propositions following That I King IAMES am not the lawfull King of this Kingdome and of all other my Dominions That the Pope by his owne authoritie may depose me If not by his owne authoritie yet by some other authoritie of the Church or of the Sea of Rome If not by some other authoritie of the Church and Sea of Rome yet by other meanes with others helpe he may depose me That the Pope may dispose of my Kingdomes and Dominions That the Pope may giue authoritie to some forreine Prince to inuade my Dominions That the Pope may discharge my Subiects of their Allegiance and Obedience to me That the Pope may giue licence to one or more of my Subiects to beare armes against me That the Pope may giue leaue to my Subiects to offer violence to my Person or to my gouernement or to some of my Subiects That if the Pope shall by Sentence excommunicate or depose mee my Subiects are not to beare Faith and Allegiance to me If the Pope shall by Sentence excommunicate or depose me my Subiects are not bound to defend with all their power my Person and Crowne If the Pope shall giue out any Sentence of Excommunication or Depriuation against me my Subiects by reason o◠that Sentence are not bound to reueale all Conspiracies and Treasons against mee which shall come to their hearing and knowledge That it is not hereticall and detestable to hold that Princes being excommunicated by the Pope may be either deposed or killed by their Subiects or any other That the Pope hath power to absolue my Subiects from this Oath or from some part thereof That this Oath is not administred to my Subiects by a full and lawfull authoritie That this Oath is to be taken with Equiuocation mentall euasion or secret reseruation and not with the heart and good will sincerely in the trew faith of a Christian man These are the trew and naturall branches of the body of this Oath The affirmatiue of all which negatiues Touching the pretended Councell of Lateran See Plat. In vita Innocen III. doe neither concerne in any case the Popes Supremacie in Spirituall causes nor yet were euer concluded and defined by any complete generall Councell to belong to the Popes authoritie and their owne schoole Doctors are at irreconciliable oddes and iarres about them And that the world may yet farther see ours and the whole States setting downe of this Oath The Oath of Allegiance confirmed by the authoritie of ancient Councels did not proceed from any new inuention of our owne but as it is warranted by the word of GOD so doeth it take the example from an Oath of Allegiance decreed a thousand yeeres agone which a famous Councell then together with diuers other Councels were so farre from condemning as the Pope now hath done this Oath as I haue thought good to set downe their owne wordes here in that purpose whereby it may appeare that I craue nothing now of my Subiects in this Oath which was not expresly and carefully commaunded then by the Councels to be obeyed without exception of persons Nay not in the very particular point of Equiuocatiō The ancient Councels prouided for Equiuocation The difference betweene the ancient Councels and the Pope counselling of the Catholiques which I in this Oath was so carefull to haue eschewed but you shall here see the said Councels in their Decrees as carefull to prouide for the eschewing of the same so as almost euery point of that action this of ours shal be found to haue relation agreeance one with the other saue onely in this that those old Councels were careful and strait in cōmanding the taking of the same whereas by the contrary he that now vanteth himselfe to be head of al Councels is as careful strait in the prohibition of all men from the taking of this Oath of Allegiance The words of the Councell be these Heare our Sentence Whosoeuer of vs Concil Tolet. 4 can 47. Anno 633. or of all the people thorowout all Spaine shall goe about by any meanes of conspiracie or practise to violate the Oath of his fidelitie which he hath taken for the preseruation of his Countrey or of the Kings life or who shall attempt to put violent handes vpon the King or to depriue him of his kingly power or that by tyrannicall presumption would vsurpe the Soueraigntie of the Kingdome Let him bee accursed in the sight of God the Father and of his Angels and let him bee made and declared a stranger from the Catholique Church which hee hath prophaned by his periurie and an aliant from the companie of all Christian people together with all the complices of his impietie because it behooueth all those that bee guiltie of the like offence to vnder-lie the like punishment Which sentence is three seuerall times together and almost in the same wordes repeated in the same Canon After this the Synode desired That this Sentence of theirs now this third time rehearsed might bee confirmed by the voyce and consent of all that were present Then the whole Clergie and people answered Whosoeuer shall cary himselfe presumptuously against this your definitiue sentence let them be Anathema maranatha that is let them bee vtterly destroyed at the Lords comming and let them and their complices haue their portion with Iudas Iscarioth Amen And in the fifth 1 Concil Tolet. 5. Can. 7. anno 636. Councell there it is decreed That this Acte touching the Oath of Allegiance shall bee repeated in euery Councell of the Bishops of Spaine The Decree is in these wordes In consideration that the mindes of men are easily inclined to euill and forgetfulnesse therefore this most holy Synode hath ordained and doeth enact That in euery Councell of the Bishops of Spaine the Decree of the generall 2 Synod Tolet 4. vniuersalis magna Synodus dicta Synod Tolet. 5. cap 2. Councell which was made for the safetie of our Princes shall bee with an audible voyce proclaimed and pronounced after the
thereof since those which immediatly follow are so much derogatorie to the diuine Maiestie And againe My 6 Epist 52. writings be strengthened by the authoritie and merit of my Lord most blessed S. Peter We 7 Epist 89. beseech you to keepe the things decreed by vs through the inspiration of God and the Apostle most blessed S. Peter If 8 In serm 2. in die anniuer assum suae any thing be well done or decreed by vs If any thing be obtained of Gods mercy by daily prayers it is to be ascribed to S. Peters workes and merits whose power doeth liue and authoritie excell in his owne Sea Hee 9 Serm. 3. in die anniuer assump suae was so plentifully watered of the very fountaine of all graces that whereas he receiued many things alone yet nothing passeth ouer to any other but hee was partaker of it And in a word hee was so desirous to extoll Saint Peter that a messenger from him was an 10 Epist 24. embassage from Saint Peter 11 Epist 4. any thing done in his presence was in S. Peters presence Neither did he vse all this Rhetoricke without purpose for at that time the Patriarch of Constantinople contended with him for Primacie And in the Councell of 12 Concil Chalceden Act. 16. Can. 28. Chalcedon the Bishops sixe hundred and more gaue equall authoritie to the Patriarch of that Sea and would not admit any Priuiledge to the Sea of Rome aboue him but went against him And yet he that gaue so much to Peter tooke nothing from Caesar but gaue him both his Titles and due giuing the power of calling a Councell to the Emperour as it may appeare by these one or two places following of many If it may please your 13 Epist 9. Theodosie godlinesse to vouchsafe at our supplication to condiscend that you will command a Councell of Bishops to be holden within Italy And writing vnto the Bishop of Constantinople Because the most clement 1 Epist 16. Flan. Emperour carefull of the peace of the Church will haue a Councell to be holden albeit it euidently appeare the matter to be handled doeth in no case stand in neede of a Councell And againe Albeit 2 Epist 17. Theodosie my occasions will not permit me to be present vpon the day of the Councell of Bishops which your godlinesse hath appointed So as by this it may well appeare that hee that gaue so much to Peter gaue also to Caesar his due and prerogatiue But yet he playeth not faire play in this that euen in all these his wrong applied arguments and examples hee produceth no other witnesses but the parties themselues bringing euer the Popes sentences for approbation of their owne authoritie Now indeed for one word of his in the middest of his examples I cannot but greatly commend him that is that Martyrs ought to endure all sorts of tortures and death before they suffer one syllable to be corrupted of the Law of God Which lesson if hee and all the rest of his owne profession would apply to themselues then would not the Sacrament be administred sub vnâ specie directly contrary to Christs institution the practise of the Apostles and of the whole Primitiue Church for many hundred yeeres then would not the priuate Masses be in place of the Lordes Supper then would not the words of the 3 Bellar. de sacra Encharist lib. 4. cap. 14. Canon of the Masse be opposed to the words of S. Paul and S. Luke as our Aduersarie himselfe confesseth and cannot reconcile them nor then would not so many hundreths other traditions of men be set vp in their Church not onely as equall but euen preferred to the word of God But sure in this point I feare I haue mistaken him for I thinke hee doeth not meane by his Diuina Dogmata the word of the God of heauen but onely the Canons and Lawes of his Dominus Deus Papa otherwise all his Primacie of the Apostolike Sea would not be so much sticken vpon hauing so slender ground in the word of God And for the great feare he hath that the suddennes of the apprehension the bitternesse of the persecution the weaknesse of his aage and other such infirmities might haue been the cause of the Arch-priests fall in this I haue already sufficiently answered him hauing declared as the trewth is and as the said Blackwell himselfe will yet testifie that he tooke this Oath freely of himselfe without any inducement thereunto either Precibus or Minis But amongst all his citations Some of Sanders his worthy sayings remembred hee must not forget holy Sanderus and his visibilis Monarchia whose person and actions I did alreadie a little touch And surely who will with vnpartiall eyes reade his bookes they may well thinke that hee hath deserued well of his English Romane-Church but they can neuer thinke but that hee deserued very ill of his English Soueraigne and State Witnesse his owne books whereout I haue made choice to set downe heere these fewe sentences following as flowers pickt out of so worthy a garland 4 Sand de visib Monar lib. 6. cap. 4. Elizabeth Queene of ENGLAND doeth exercise the Priestly acte of teaching and preaching the Gospel in ENGLAND with no lesse authority then Christ himselfe or Moses euer did The supremacie of a 5 Sand de clau Dauid li. 6. c. 1. woman in Church matters is from no other then from the Deuill And of all things in generall thus he speaketh The 1 Sand. de visib Monar lib. 2. cap. 4. King that will not inthrall himselfe to the Popes authoritie be ought not to be tolerated but his Subiects ought to giue all diligence that another may be chosen in his place assoone as may be A King that is an 2 Ibidem Heretike ought to be remooued from the Kingdome that hee holdeth ouer Christians and the Bishops ought to endeauour to set vp another assoone as possibly they can Wee doe constantly 3 Ibidem affirme that all Christian Kings are so farre vnder Bishops and Priests in all matters appertaining to faith that if they shall continue in a fault against Christian Religion after one or two admonitions obstinately for that cause they may and ought to be deposed by the Bishops from their temporall authoritie they holde ouer Christians 4 Ibidem Bishops are set ouer temporall kingdomes if those kingdomes doe submit themselues to the faith of Christ We doe iustly 5 Sand. de clan Dauid li. 5. c. 2. affirme that all Secular power whether Regall or any other is of men The 6 Ibidem anoynting which is powred vpon the head of the King by the Priest doeth declare that hee is inferiour to the Priest It is altogether against the will of 7 Sand. de clan Dauid li. 5. c. 4. Christ that Christian kings should haue supremacie in the Church And whereas for the crowne and
conclusion of all his examples The Cardinals paire of Martyrs weighed he reckoneth his two English Martyrs Moore and Roffensis who died for that one most weightie head of doctrine as he alledgeth refusing the Oath of Supremacie I must tell him that he hath not been well informed in some materiall points which doe very neerely concerne his two said Martyrs For it is cleare and apparantly to be prooued by diuers Records that they were both of them committed to the Tower about a yeere before either of them was called in question vpon their liues for the Popes Supremacie And that partly for their backwardnesse in the point of the establishment of the Kings succession whereunto the whole Realme had subscribed and partly for that one of them to wit Fisher had had his hand in the matter of the holy 8 Called Elizabeth Barton See the Act of Parliament maide of Kent hee being for his concealement of that false prophets abuse found guiltie of misprision of Treason And as these were the principall causes of their imprisonment the King resting secure of his Supremacie as the Realme stood then affected but especially troubled for setling the Crowne vpon the issue of his second mariage so was it easily to be conceiued that being thereupon discontented their humors were thereby made apt to draw them by degrees to further opposition against the King and his authoritie as indeede it fell out For in the time of their being in prison the Kings lawfull authoritie in cases Ecclesiasticall being published and promulged as well by a generall decree of the Clergie in their Synode as by an Acte of Parliament made thereupon they behaued themselues so peeuishly therein as the olde coales of the Kings anger being thereby raked vp of new they were againe brought in question as well for this one most weighty head of doctrine of the Pope his supremacy as for the matter of the Kings mariage and succession as by the confession of one of themselues euen Thomas Moore is euident For being condemned he vsed these words at the barre before the Lords Non ignoro cur me morti adiudicaueritis videlicet ob id Histor aliquet Martyrum nostri seculi Anno 1550. quòd nunquam voluerim assentiri in negotio matrimonij Regis That is I am not ignorant why you haue adiudged mee to death to wit for that I would neuer consent in the businesse of the new mariage of the King By which his owne confession it is plaine that this great martyr himselfe tooke the cause of his owne death to be onely for his being refractary to the King in this said matter of Marriage and Succession which is but a very fleshly cause of Martyrdome as I conceiue And as for Roffensis his fellow Martyr who could haue bene content to haue taken the Oath of the Kings Supremacie with a certaine modification which Moore refused as his imprisonment was neither onely nor principally for the cause of Supremacie so died hee but a halting and a singular Martyr or witnesse for that most weighty head of doctrine the whole Church of England going at that time in one current and streame as it were against him in that Argument diuers of them being of farre greater reputation for learning and sound iudgement then euer he was So as in this point we may well arme our selues with the Cardinals owne reason where he giueth amongst other notes of the trew Church Vniuersalitie for one wee hauing the generall and Catholique conclusion of the whole Church of England on our side in this case as appeareth by their booke set out by the whole Conuocation of England called The Institution of a Christian man the same matter being likewise very learnedly handled by diuers particular learned men of our Church as by Steuen Gardiner in his booke De vera obedientia with a Preface of Bishop Boners adioyning to it De summo absoluto Regis Imperio published by M. Bekinsaw De vera differentia Regiae Potestatis Ecclesiasticae Bishop Tonstals Sermon Bishop Longlands Sermon the letter of Tonstall to Cardinall Poole and diuers other both in English and Latine And if the bitternesse of Fishers discontentment had not bene fed with his dayly ambitious expectation of the Cardinals hat which came so neere as Calis before he lost his head to fill it with I haue great reason to doubt if he would haue constantly perseuered in induring his Martyrdome for that one most waighty head of doctrine And surely these two Captaines and ringleaders to Martyrdome were but ill followed by the rest of their countreymen for I can neuer reade of any after them being of any great accompt and that not many that euer sealed that weighty head of doctrine with their blood in England So as the trew causes of their first falling in trouble whereof I haue already made mention being rightly considered vpon the one part and vpon the other the scant number of witnesses that with their blood sealed it a point so greatly accompted of by our Cardinal there can but smal glory redound thereby to our English nation these onely two Enoch and Elias seruing for witnesses against our Antichristian doctrine And I am sure the Supremacie of Kings may The Supremacy of Kings sufficiently warranted by the Scriptures wil euer be better maintained by the word of God which must euer be the trew rule to discerne all waighty heads of doctrine by to be the trew and proper office of Christian Kings in their owne dominions then he will be euer able to maintaine his annihilating Kings and their authorities together with his base and vnreuerend speaches of them wherewith both his former great Volumes and his late Bookes against Venice are filled In the old Testament Kings were directly 1 2. Chron. 19.4 Gouernours ouer the Church within their Dominions 2 2. Sam. 5.6 purged their corruptions reformed their abuses brought the 3 1. Chron. 13.12 Arke to her resting place the King 4 2. Sam. 6.16 dancing before it 5 1. Chron. 28.6 built the Temple 6 2. Chron. 6. dedicated the same assisting in their owne persons to the sanctification thereof 7 2. King 22.11 made the Booke of the Law new-found to bee read to the people 8 Nehe. 9.38 Dauid Salomon renewed the Couenant betweene God and his people 9 2. King 18.4 bruised the brasen serpent in pieces which was set vp by the expresse commandement of God and was a figure of Christ destroyed 10 1. King 15.12 2. king 13.4 all Idoles and false gods made 11 2. Chron. 17.8 a publike reformation by a Commission of Secular men and Priests mixed for that purpose deposed 12 1. King 2.27 the high Priest and set vp another in his place and generally ordered euery thing belonging to the Church-gouernment their Titles and Prerogatiues giuen them by God agreeing to these their actions They are called the 13 2.
Platina and a number of the Popes owne writers beare witnesse And 3 Lib. de Clericis Bellarmine himselfe in his booke of Controuersies cannot get it handsomely denied Nay the Popes were euen forced then to pay a certaine summe of money to the Emperours for their Confirmation And this lasted almost seuen hundreth yeeres after CHRIST witnesse 4 In Chron. ad ann 680. Sigebert and 5 In vit Agathen Anast. in vit eiusd Agath Herm. Contract ad ann 678. edit poster dist 63. c. Agathe Luitprandus with other Popish Historians And for Emperours deposing of Popes there are likewise diuers examples The Emperour 1 Luitpr Hist lib 6. ca. 10.11 Rhegino ad an 963. Platin. in vit Ioan. 13. Ottho deposed Pope Iohn the twelfth of that name for diuers crimes and vices especially of Lecherie The Emperour 2 Marianus Scot. Sigeb Abbas Vrsp ad ann 1046 Plat in vit Greg. 6. Henry the third in a short time deposed three Popes Benedict the ninth Siluester the third and Gregorie the sixt as well for the sinne of Auarice as for abusing their extraordinarie authoritie against Kings and Princes And as for KINGS that haue denied this Temporall Superioritie of Popes First wee haue the vnanime testimonie of diuers famous HISTORIOGRAPHERS for the generall of many CHRISTIAN Kingdomes As 3 Walthram Naumburz in lib. de inuest Episc Vixit circa ann 1110. Walthram testifieth That the Bishops of Spaine Scotland England Hungarie from ancient institution till this moderne noueltie had their Inuestiture by KINGS with peaceable inioyning of their Temporalities wholly and entirely and whosoeuer sayeth hee is peaceably solicitous let him peruse the liues of the Ancients and reade the Histories and hee shall vnderstand thus much And for verification of this generall Assertion wee will first beginne at the practise of the KINGS of France though not named by Walthram in this his enumeration of Kingdomes amongst whom my first witnesse shall bee that vulgarly knowne letter of 4 See Annales Franciae Nicolai Gillij in Phil. Pulchro Philip le Bel King of France to Pope Boniface the eighth the beginning whereof after a scornefull salutation is Sciat tua maxima fatuitas nos in temporalibus nemini subesse And likewise after that 5 Anno 1268. ex Arrestis Senatus Parifiens Lewes the ninth surnamed Sanctus had by a publique instrument called Pragmatica sanctio forbidden all the exactions of the Popes Court within his Realme Pope Pius 6 Ioan. Maierius lib. de Scismat Concil the second in the beginning of Lewes the eleuenth his time greatly misseliking this Decree so long before made sent his Legate to the saide King Lewes with Letters-patents vrging his promise which hee had made when hee was Dolphin of France to repeale that Sanction if euer hee came to bee King The King referreth the Legate ouer with his Letters-patents to the Councell of Paris where the matter being propounded was impugned by Iohannes Romanus the Kings Atturney with whose opinion the Vniuersitie of Paris concurring an Appeale was made from the attempts of the Pope to the next generall Councell the Cardinall departing with indignation But that the King of France and Church thereof haue euer stoken to their Gallican immunitie in denying the Pope any Temporall power ouer them and in resisting the Popes as oft as euer they prest to meddle with their Temporall power euen in the donation of Benefices the Histories are so full of them as the onely examples thereof would make vp a bigge Volume by it selfe And so farre were the Sorbonistes for the Kings and French Churches priuiledge in this point as they were wont to maintaine That if the Pope fell a quarrelling the King for that cause the Gallican Church might elect a Patriarch of their owne renouncing any obedience to the Pope And Gerson was so farre from giuing the Pope that temporall authority ouer Kings who otherwise was a deuoute Roman Catholike as hee wrote a Booke de Auferibilitate Papae not onely from the power ouer Kings but euen ouer the Church And now pretermitting all further examples of forraigne Kings actions I will onely content me at this time with some of my owne Predecessors examples of this kingdome of England that it may thereby the more clearely appeare that euen in those times when the world was fullest of darkened blindnes and ignorance the Kings of England haue oftentimes not onely repined but euen strongly resisted and withstood this temporall vsurpation and encrochment of ambitious Popes And I will first begin at 1 Matth. Paris in Henr. 1. anno 1100. King Henry the first of that name after the Conquest who after he was crowned gaue the Bishopricke of Winchester to William Gifford and forthwith inuested him into all the possessions belonging to the Bishopricke contrary to the Canons of the new Synod 2 Idem ibid. anno 1113. King Henry also gaue the Archbishopricke of Canterbury to Radulph Bishop of London and gaue him inuestiture by a Ring and a Crosiers staffe Also Pope 3 Idem ibid. anno 1119. Calixtus held a Councell at RHEMES whither King Henry had appointed certaine Bishops of ENGLAND and NORMANDIE to goe Thurstan also elected Archbishop of YORKE got leaue of the King to goe thither giuing his faith that hee would not receiue Consecration of the Pope And comming to the Synode by his liberall gifts as the fashion is wanne the ROMANES fauour and by their meanes obtained to bee consecrated at the Popes hand Which assoone as the King of ENGLAND knewe hee forbade him to come within his Dominions Moreouer King Edward the first prohibited the Abbot of 4 Ex Archiuis Regni Waltham and Deane of Pauls to collect a tenth of euery mans goods for a supply to the holy Land which the Pope by three Bulles had committed to their charge and the said Deane of Pauls compeering before the King and his Councell promised for the reuerence he did beare vnto the King not to meddle any more in that matter without the Kings good leaue and permission Here I hope a Church-man disobeyed the Pope for obedience to his Prince euen in Church matters but this new Iesuited Diuinitie was not then knowen in the world The same Edward I. impleaded the Deane of the Chappell of Vuluerhampton because the said Deane had against the priuiledges of the Kingdome giuen a Prebend of the same Chappell to one at the Popes command whereupon the said Deane compeered and put himselfe in the Kings will for his offence The said Edward I. depriued also the Bishop of Durham of all his liberties for disobeying a prohibition of the Kings So as it appeareth the Kings in those dayes thought the Church-men their Subiects though now we be taught other Seraphicall doctrine For further proofe whereof Iohn of Ibstocke was committed to the goale by the sayde King for hauing a suite in the Court of Rome seuen yeeres
burnt as Heretikes Yea so peremptory will this Beast or false Prophet be so called in the xvj Chapter of this booke for the aduauncement of the other Beast or Antichrist Verse 17. as all sorts and rankes of people must receiue the marke or name of that Beast in their right hand Verse 16. or in their forehead without the which it should be lawfull to none to buy or sell by the Marke in the forehead signifying their outward profession and acknowledgement of their subiection vnto her and by the Marke in their right hand signifying their actuall implicite obedience vnto her who they thinke cannot erre though she should commaund them to rebell against their naturall princes like that Caeca obedientia whereunto all the Iesuits are sworne and like those Romish Priests in this Countrey that haue renounced and forsworne againe that Oath of Allegiance grounded vpon their naturall Oath which though at their taking it they confessed they did it out of conscience and as obliged thereunto by their naturall duetie yet now must they forsweare it againe for obedience to the Popes command to whose will their conscience and reason must be blindly captiuated And who euer denied this absolute power might neither buy nor sell for no man was bound to keepe any faith or obserue any ciuill contracts with Heretikes yea to aequiuocate and commit periury towards them is a lawfull thing in a Catholike Now as to the Mysterie anent the Number of his name whether it shal be vnderstood by the number composed of the Letters in that Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which word well sutes with the Romish Church Irenaeus aduersus Haeres lib. 5. Romish Faith and Latine Seruice Or whether in respect that in the Text it is called the number of the man ye will take it for the number or date of the yeere of GOD wherein that first man liued that firstooke the title of the Antichrist vpon him I leaue it to the Readers choice By that first Man I meane Bonifacius tertius who first called himselfe Vniuersall Bishop which S. Gregorie that liued till within three yeeres of his time 1 Epist. lib. 6. cap. 30. foretold would be the style of the Antichrist or his Praecursor for though he died threescore yeeres before the 666. of CHRIST yet was that Title but fully setled vpon his Successors sixtie yeeres after his time Or if ye list to count it from Pompey his spoiling of the Temple to this same Mans time it will goe very neere to make iust vp the said number 666. Now the raigne of the Antichrist being thus prophetically described in the xiij Chapter his fall is prophecied in the xiiij Chap. xiiij Verse 3. First by the ioyfull and triumphall New song of the Saints in heauen And next by the proclamation of three Angels Verse 6. whereof the first hauing an euerlasting Gospel in his hand to preach to all Nations the trew armour indeed wherewith the Witnesses fought against the Antichrist The first Angel I say Verse 7. proclaimed Feare and glory to GOD since the houre of his Iudgement was come Verse 8. And the second proclaimed the fall of Babylon which is the destruction of the Antichrist Verse 9. And the third prohibited vnder great paines euen the paine of eternall damnation that none should worship the Beast or receiue his Marke But though that in the rest of this Chapter the Latter day be againe prophecied as a thing that shall come shortly after the reuealing of the man of Sinne yet in the xv Chap. he telleth of seuen plagues vnder the name of Vials Chap. xv Verse 1. that shall first fall vpon the Antichrist and his kingdome which being particularly set downe in the xvj Chapter he reckoneth among the rest Chap. xvi In the fift viall the plague of darkenesse yea Verse 10. such darkenesse as the kingdome of Antichrist shall be obscured Wherby at the powring foorth of the sixt Viall the way of the Kings of the East shall be prepared Verse 12. the man of Sinne being begun to be reuealed and so all impediments remooued that might let the inuasion of that Monarchie euen as that great riuer Euphrates that runneth by the literall Babylon guarded it from the Kings of the East the Medes and Persians the time of the Babylonian Monarchie till by the drying thereof or vnexpected passage made through it by Cyrus Dan. 5.3 Babylon was wonne and Baltasar destroyed and his Monarchie ouerthrowne euen while hee was sitting in that literall Babylon corporally drunken and quaffing in the vessels ordained for GODS Seruice and so sitting as it were in the Temple of GOD and abusing the holy Mysteries thereof For remedy whereof Verse 13. at the powring forth of the sixt Viall three vncleane spirits like frogs shall then come foorth out of the mouth of the Dragon that beast and of the false prophet which I take to be as much to say as that how soone as the kingdome of Antichrist shall be so obscured with such a grosse and a palpable ignorance as learning shall be almost lost out of the world and that few of the very Priests themselues shall be able to reade Latine much lesse to vnderstand it and so a plaine way made for the Destruction of Babylon Then shall a new sect of Spirits arise for the defence of that falling Throne called three in number by reason of their three-fold direction being raised and inspired by the Dragon Sathan authorized and maintained by the Beast the Antichrist and instructed by the false prophet the Apostatike Church that hath the hornes like the Lambe but speaketh like the Dragon These Spirits indeed thus sent foorth by this three-fold authoritie for the defence of their Triple-crowned Monarch are well likened to frogges for they are Amphibions and can liue in either Element earth or water for though they be Churchmen by profession yet can they vse the trade of politique Statesmen Verse 14. going to the Kings of the earth to gather them to the battell of that Great day of GOD Almightie What Massacres haue by their perswasion bene wrought through many parts of Christendome and how euilly Kings haue sped that haue bene counselled by them all the vnpartiall Histories of our time doe beare record And whatsoeuer King or State will not receiue them and follow their aduise rooted out must that King or State be euen with Gunpowder ere it faile And these frogges had reason indeed to labour to become learned thereby to dissipate that grosse mist of ignorance wherewith the reigne of Antichrist was plagued before their comming forth Verse 17. Then doeth this Chapter conclude with the last plague that is powred out of the seuenth Viall vpon the Antichrist Verse 19. which is the day of Iudgement for then Babylon saith he came in remembrance before God But in the 17. The fourth description Chap. 17. Verse 3. Chapter
Religion as beeing instructed by their schoolemasters in Religion And who were they but Ecclesiasticall persons All this presupposed as matter of trewth I draw this conclusion Howsoeuer no small number of the French Clergie may perhaps beare the affection of louing Subiects to their King and may not suffer the Clericall character to deface the impression of naturall allegiance yet for so much as the Order of Clerics is dipped in a deeper die and beareth a worse tincture of daungerous practises then the other Orders the third Estate had beene greatly wanting to their excellent prouidence and wisedome if they should haue relinquished and transferred the care of designements and proiects for the life of their King and the safety of his Crowne to the Clergiealone Moreouer the Clergie standeth bound to referre the iudgement of all matters in controuersie to the sentence of the Pope in this cause beeing a partie and one that pretendeth Crownes to depend vpon his Mitre What hope then might the third Estate conceiue that his Holinesse would passe against his owne cause when his iudgement of the controuersie had beene sundrie times before published and testified to the world And whereas the plot or modell of remedies proiected by the third Estate and the Kings Officers hath not prooued sortable in the euent was it because the said remedies were not good and lawfull No verily but because the Clergie refused to become contributors of their duty and meanes to the grand seruice Likewise for that after the burning of bookes addressed to iustifie rebellious people traytors and parricides of Kings neuerthelesse the authors of the said bookes are winked at and backt with fauour Lastly for that some wretched parricides drinke off the cuppe of publike iustice whereas to the firebrands of sedition the sowers of this abominable doctrine no man saith so much as blacke is their eye It sufficiently appeareth as I supose by the former passage that his Lordship exhorting the third Estate to referre the whole care of this Regall cause vnto the Clergie hath tacked his frame of weake ioynts and tenons to a very worthy but wrong foundation Page 9. Howbeit he laboureth to fortifie his exhortation with a more weake and feeble reason For to make good his proiect he affirmes that matters and maximes out of all doubt and question may not be shuffled together with points in controuersie Now his rules indubitable are two The first It is not lawfull to murther Kings for any cause whatsoeuer This he confirmeth by the example of Saul as he saith deposed from his Throne whose life or limbs Dauid neuerthelesse durst not once hurt or wrong for his life Conc. Constan Sess 15. Likewise he confirmes the same by a Decree of the Councill held at Constance His other point indubitable The Kings of France are Soueraignes in all Temporall Soueraigntie within the French Kingdome and hold not by fealtie either of the Pope as hauing receiued or obliged their Crownes vpon such tenure and condition or of any other Prince in the whole world Which point neuerthelesse he takes not for certaine and indubitable but onely according to humane and historicall certaintie Now a third point he makes to be so full of controuersie and so farre within the circle of disputable questions as it may not be drawne into the ranke of classicall and authenticall points for feare of making a certaine point doubtfull by shuffling and iumbling therewith some point in controuersie Now the question so disputable as he pretendeth is this A Christian Prince breakes his oath solemnely taken to God both to liue and to die in the Catholique Religion Say this Prince turnes Arrian or Mahometan fals to proclaime open warre and to wage battell with Iesus Christ Whether may such a Prince be declared to haue lost his Kingdome and who shall declare the Subiects of such a Prince to be quit of their oath of allegiance The L. Cardinall holds the affirmatiue and makes no bones to maintaine that all other parts of the Catholique Church yea the French Church euen from the first birth of her Theologicall Schooles to Caluins time and teaching haue professed that such a Prince may bee lawfully remooued from his Throne by the Pope and by the Councill and suppose the contrarie doctrine were the very Quintessence or spirit of trewth yet might it not in case of faith be vrged and pressed otherwise then by way of problematicall disceptation That is the summe of his Lordships ample discourse The refuting whereof I am constrained to put off and referre vnto an other place because he hath serued vs with the same dishes ouer and ouer againe There we shall see the L. Cardinall maketh way to the dispatching of Kings after deposition that Saul was not deposed as he hath presumed that in the Councill of Constance there is nothing to the purpose of murthering Soueraigne Princes that his Lordship supposing the French King may be depriued of his Crowne by a superiour power doth not hold his liege Lord to be Soueraine in France that by the position of the French Church from aage to aage the Kings of France are not subiect vnto any censure of deposition by the Pope that his Holinesse hath no iust and lawfull pretence to produce that any Christian King holds of him by fealtie or is obliged to doe the Pope homage for his Crowne Well then for the purpose he dwelleth onely vpon the third point pretended questionable and this hee affirmeth If any shall condemne or wrappe vnder the solemne curse the abettours of the Popes power to vnking lawfull and Soueraigne Kings the same shall runne vpon foure dangerous rocks of apparent incongruities and absurdities First he shall offer to force and entangle the consciences of many deuout persons For he shall binde them to beleeue and sweare that doctrine Pag. 14. the contrary whereof is beleeued of the whole Church and hath bene beleeued by their Predecessors Secondly he shall ouerturne from top to bottome the sacred authoritie of holy Church and shall set open a gate vnto all sorts of heresie by allowing Lay-persons a bold libertie to be iudges in causes of Religion and Faith For what is that degree of boldnesse but open vsurping of the Priesthood what is it but putting of prophane hands vpon the Arke what is it but laying of vnholy fingers vpon the holy Censor for perfumes Thirdly hee shall make way to a Schisme not possible to bee put by and auoyded by any humane prouidence For this doctrine beeing held and professed by all other Catholiques how can we declare it repugnant vnto Gods word how can wee hold it impious how can wee account it detestable but wee shall renounce communion with the Head and other members of the Church yea we shall confesse the Church in all aages to haue bene the Synagogue of Satan and the spouse of the Deuill Lastly by working the establishment of this Article which worketh an establishment of Kings Crownes He shall
not onely worke the intended remedy for the danger of Kings out of all the vertue and efficacie thereof by weakening of doctrine out of all controuersie in packing it vp with a disputable question but likewise in stead of securing the life and estate of Kings he shall draw both into farre greater hazards by the traine or sequence of warres and other calamities which vsually waite and attend on Schismes The L. Cardinall spends his whole discourse in confirmation of these foure heads which wee now intend to sift in order and demonstratiuely to prooue that all the said inconueniences are meere nullities matters of imagination and built vpon false presuppositions But before wee come to the maine the reader is to be enformed and aduertised that his Lordship setteth a false glosse vpon the question and propounds the case not onely contrary to the trewth of the subiect in controuersie but also to the Popes owne minde and meaning For he restraines the Popes power to depose Kings onely to cases of Heresie Apostasie and persecuting of the Church whereas Popes extend their power to a further distance They depose Princes for infringing or in any sort diminishing the Priuiledges of Monasteries witnesse Gregorie the first in the pretended Charter granted to the Abbey of S. Medard at Soissons the said Charter beeing annexed to his Epistles in the rere The same hee testifieth in his Epistle to Senator by name the tenth of the eleuenth booke They depose for naturall dulnesse and lacke of capacitie wether in-bred and trew indeed or onely pretended and imagined witnesse the glorious vaunt of Gregory VII that Childeric King of France was hoysted out of his Throne by Pope Zachary Caus 15. Can. Alius Qu. 6. Not so much for his wicked life as for his vnablenesse to beare the weightie burden of so great a Kingdome They depose for collating of Benefices and Prebends witnesse the great quarrels and sore contentions betweene Pope Innocent III. and Iohn King of England as also betweene Philip the Faire and Boniface VIII They depose for adulteries and Matrimoniall suites witnes Philip I. for the repudiating or casting off his lawfull wife Bertha and marrying in her place with Bertrade wife to the Earle of Aniou Paul Aemil. in Phil. 3. Finally faine would I learne into what Heresie or degree of Apostasie either Henry IV. or Frederic Barbarossa or Frederic II. Emperours were fallen when they were smitten with Papall fulminations euen to the depriuation of their Imperiall Thrones What was it for Heresie or Apostasie that Pope Martin IV. bare so hard a hand against Peter King of Arragon that he acquitted and released the Aragonnois from their oath of Alleagiance to Peter their lawfull King Was it for Heresie or Apostasie for Arrianisme or Mahumetisme that Lewis XII so good a King and Father of his Countrey was put downe by Iulius the II Was it for Heresie or Apostasie that Sixtus V. vsurped a power against Henrie III. euen so farre as to denounce him vnkingd the issue whereof was the parricide of that good King and the most wofull desolation of a most flourishing Kingdome But his Lordship best liked to worke vpon that ground which to the outward shew and appearance is the most beautifull cause that can be alleaged for the dishonouring of Kings by the weapon of deposition making himselfe to beleeue that he acted the part of an Orator before personages not much acquainted with ancient and moderne histories and such as little vnderstood the state of the question then in hand It had therefore beene a good warrant for his Lordship to haue brought some authenticall instrument from the Pope whereby the French might haue beene secured that his Holinesse renounceth all other causes auouchable for the degrading of Kings and that he will henceforth rest in the case of Heresie for the turning of Kings out of their Free-hold as also that his Holinesse by the same or like instrument might haue certified his pleasure that hee will not hereafter make himselfe Iudge whether Kings bee tainted with damnable Heresie or free from Hereticall infection For that were to make himselfe both Iudge and Plaintiffe that it might be in his power to call that doctrine Hereticall which is pure Orthodoxe and all for this end to make himselfe master of the Kingdome and there to settle a Successour who receiuing the Crowne of the Popes free gift and grant might be tyed thereby to depend altogether vpon his Holinesse Hath not Pope Boniface VIII declared in his proud Letters all those to be Heretiques that dare vndertake to affirme the collating of Prebends appertemeth to the King It was that Popes grosse errour not in the fact but in the right The like crime forsooth was by Popes imputed to the vnhappy Emperour Henrie IV. And what was the issue of the said imputation The sonne is instigated thereby to rebell against his father and to impeach the interrement of his dead corps who neuer in his life had beate his braines to trouble the sweet waters of Theologicall fountaines Annal. Beio Lib. 3. Iâ—â—â—anen Episcop It is recorded by Auentine that Bishop Virgilius was declared Heretique for teaching the Position of Antipodes The Bull Exurge marching in the rere of the last Lateran Councel sets downe this Position for one of Luthers heresies A new life is the best repentance Optima poenitentia noua vita Conc. Constan Sess 2. Among the crimes which the Councel of Constance charged Pope Iohn XXIII withall one was this that hee denied the immortalitie of the soule and that so much was publiquely manifestly and notoriously knowen Now if the Pope shall be caried by the streame of these or the like errours and in his Hereticall prauitie shall depose a King of the contrary opinion I shall hardly bee perswaded the said King is lawfully deposed THE FIRST INCONVENIENCE EXAMINED THE first inconuenience growing in the Cardinall his conceit by entertaining the Article of the third Estate whereby the Kings of France are declared to be indeposeable by any superiour power spirituall or temporall is this It offereth force to the conscience vnder the penaltie of Anathema to condemne a doctrine beleeued and practised in the Church in the continuall current of the last eleuen hundred yeeres In these words he maketh a secret confession that in the first fiue hundred yeeres the same doctrine was neither apprehended by faith nor approoued by practise Wherein to my vnderstanding the L. Cardinall voluntarily giueth ouer the suite For the Church in the time of the Apostles their disciples and successors for 500. yeeres together was no more ignorant what authoritie the Church is to challenge ouer Emperours and Kings then at any time since in any succeeding aage in which as pride hath still flowed to the height of a full Sea so puritie of religion and manners hath kept for the most part at a lowe water marke Which point is the rather to be considered for that during the first
manner of arguments then Theologicall schooles or the perswasions of the L. Cardinals fluent Rhetoricke doe vsually afford or could possibly suggest Moreouer who doeth not know that in affaires of so high nature and consequence resolutions once taken Princes are to proceede with instructions by a formall course As for the Kings absolution pretended to bee purchased of Clement 8. by the L. Cardinals good seruice it had beene the part of so great a Cardinall for the honour of his King of the Realme and of his owne place to haue buried that piece of his notable seruice in perpetuall silence and in the darke night of eternall obliuion For in this matter of reconcilement it is not vnknowne to the world how shamefully and basely hee prostituted the inuiolable dignity of his King when his Lordship representing the person of his King and couching on the ground by way of sufficient penance was glad as I haue noted in the Preface to my Apologie to haue his venerable shoulders gracefully saluted with stripes and reuerently worshipped with bastonados of a Pontificiall cudgell Which gracefull or disgracefull blemish rather it pleased Pope Clement of his rare clemencie to grace yet with a higher degree of spirituall graces in giuing the L. Cardinall then Bishop of Eureux a certaine quantity of holy graines crosses and medals or little plates of siluer or some other mettall to hang about the necke or to bee borne about against some euill Which treasures of the Popes grace whosoeuer should graciously and reuerently kisse they should without faile purchase vnto themselues a pardon for one hundred yeeres These feate and prety gugawes for children were no doubt a speciall comfort vnto the good Kings heart after his Maiestie had beene handsomely basted vpon the L. Bishops backe But with what face can his Lordship brag that he preuailed with Pope Clement for the Kings absolution The late Duke of Neuers not long before had solicited his Holines with all earnest and humble instance to the same purpose howsoeuer the Kings affaires then seeming desperate in the Popes eye he was licensed to depart for France without any due and gracious respect vnto his errand But so soone as the Pope receiued intelligence of the Kings fortunes growing to the full and the affaires of the League to be in the wane and the principall cities the strongest places of garrison through all France to strike tops and tops gallant and to hale the King then the holy Ghost in good time inspired the holy Father with a holy desire and tender affection to receiue this poore wandring sheep againe into the flocke of Christ and bosome of holy Church His Holinesse had reason For he feared by his obstinate seuerity to prouoke the patience of the French and to driue that Nation as they had many times threatned before then to put in execution their auncient designe which was to shake off the Pope and to set vp some of their owne tribes or kinreds for Patriarch ouer the French Church But let his Lordshippe vouchsafe to search the secret of his owne bosome and no doubt he wil not sticke to acknowledge that before he stirred one foote out of France he had good assurance of the good successe and issue of his honourable embassage Now the hearers thus prepared by his Preface the L. Cardinall proceedeth in his purpose namely to make proofe how this Article of the third Estate wherein doubtfull and questionable matters are mingled and confounded with certaine and indubitable principles doth so debilitate and weaken the sinewes and vertue of any remedy intended for the danger of Kings as it maketh all remedies and receipts prescribed for that purpose to become altogether vnprofitable and without effect He yeelds this reason take it forsooth vpon my warrant a reason full of pith and substance The onely remedie against parricides is to thunder the solemne curses of the Church and the punishments to be inflicted after death which points if they be not grounded vpon infallible authoritie will neuer be setled in mens perswasions with any certaine assurance Now in the solemne curses of the Church no man can attaine to the said assurance if things not denied be mingled with points not graunted and not consented vnto by the Vniuersall Church By a thing not denied and not contested the L. Cardinall meanes prohibiting and condemning of King-killing and by points contested he meanes denying of the Popes power to depose Kings In this whole discourse I find neither pith of argument nor course of proofe but onely a cast of the L. Cardinalls office by way of counsell whereunto I make this answere If there be in this Article of the third Estate any point wherein all are not of one mind and the same iudgement in whom lieth all the blame from whence rises the doubt but from the Popes and Popish parasites by whom the certaintie of the said point hath bin cunningly remooued and conueied away and must be restored againe by publike authority Now the way to restore certainty vnto a point which against reason is called into doubt and question is to make it vp in one masse or to tie it vp in the same bundle with other certaine points of the same nature Here I am forced to summon the consciences of men to make some stand or stay vpon this point and with me to enter into deepe consideration how great and vnuanquishable force is euer found in the trewth For these two questions Whether Kings may lawfully be made away by assassins waged and hired for the act and Whether the Pope hath lawfull power to chase Kings out of their Thrones are by the L. Cardinals owne confession in so full aspect of coniunction that if either bee brought vnder any degree of doubt the other also is fetcht within the same compasse In which words he directly pointeth as with a finger to the very trew source of the maine mischiefe and to the basilique and liuer veine infected with pestilential blood inflamed to the destruction of Basilicall Princes by detestable parricide For whosoeuer shall confidently beleeue that Popes are not armed with power to depose Kings will beleeue with no lesse confidence and assurance it is not lawful by sudden assaults to flie at their throats For are not all desperate villaines perswaded when they are hired to murder Kings that in doing so damnable a feate they doe it for a piece of notable and extraordinary seruice to the Pope This maxime therfore is to be held for a principle vnmooueable and indubitable that If subiects desire the life of their Kings to bee secured they must not yeeld the Pope one inch of power to depriue their Kings of their Thrones and Crownes by deposing their Kings The Lord Cardinall testifieth no lesse himselfe in these words If those monsters of men and furies of hell by whom the life-blood of our two last Kings was let out had euer beene acquainted with Lawes Ecclesiasticall they might haue read themselues
Ecclesi Hist gen Ang. lib. 1. cap. 4. Lucius send to Eleutherius his predecessour and hee sent him diuers Bishops who were all placed by the Kings authoritie These conuerted men to the faith and taught them to obey the King And if the Popes in these dayes would but insist in these steppes of their fore-fathers then would they not entertaine Princes fugitiues abroad nor send them home not onely without my leaue but directly against the Lawes with plots of treason and doctrine of rebellion to draw Subiects from their obedience to me their naturall King nor be so cruell to their owne Mancipia as returning them with these wares put either a State in iealousie of them or them in hazard of their owne liues Now to our Apostle since the Cardinall will haue him so called I perswade my selfe I should doe a good seruice to the Church in this my labour if I could but reape this one fruit of it to moue the Cardinall to deale faithfully with the Fathers neuer to alledge their opinions against their own purpose For this letter of Gregorius was written to Iohn Bishop of 7 Greg. lib. 11. cap. 42. Palermo in Sicily to whom he granted vsum pallij to be worne in such times and in such order as the Priests in the I le of Sicily and his predecessors were wont to vse and withall giueth him a caueat That the reuerence to the Apostolike Sea be not disturbed by the presumption of any for then the state of the members doeth remaine sound when the head of the Faith is not bruised by any iniury and the authoritie of the Canons alwayes remaine safe and sound Now let vs examine the words The Epistle was written to a Bishop especially to grant him the vse of the Pall a ceremonie and matter indifferent As it appeareth the Bishop of Rome tooke it well at his hands that he would not presume to take it vpon him without leaue from the Apostolike Sea giuing him that admonition which followeth in the wordes alledged out of him which doctrine we are so farre from impugning that we altogether approoue and allow of the same that whatsoeuer ceremony for order is thought meet by the Christian Magistrate and the Church the same ought inuiolably to be kept and where the head and gouernour in matters of that nature are not obeyed the members of that Church must needs run to hellish confusion But that Gregory by that terme caput fidei held himselfe the head of our faith and the head of all religion cannot stand with the course of his doctrine and writings For first when an 1 Iohn of Constantinople See Greg. lib. 4. Epâ—stâ— 2 other would haue had this stile to be called Vniuersalis Episcopus hee said 2 Lib. 6. Epist. 30. I doe confidently auouch that whosoeuer calleth himselfe or desireth to be called Vniuersall Bishop in this aduancing of himselfe is the fore-runner of the Antichrist which notwithstanding was a stile farre inferiour to that of Caput fidei And when it was offered to himselfe the wordes of S. Gregory be these refusing that Title 3 Greg. lib. 4. epist 32. 36. None of my predecessours Bishops of Rome euer consented to vse this prophane name of vniuersall Bishop None of my predecessours euer tooke vpon him this name of singularitie neither consented to vse it Wee the Bishops of Rome doe not seeke nor yet accept this glorious title being offered vnto vs. And now I pray you would he that refused to be called Vniuersall Bishop be stiled Caput fidei vnlesse it were in that sense as I haue expressed which sense if he will not admit giue me leaue to say that of Gregorie which himselfe sayth of 4 Bellar. de Rom Pont lib. 2. cap. 10. Lyra Minus cautè locutus est or which he elsewhere sayth of Chrysostome 5 Idem lib. 2. de Missa cap. 10. Locutus est per excessum To redeeme therefore our Apostle out of his hands and to let him remaine ours and not his in this case it is very trew that he sayth in that sense he spake it When yee goe about to disturbe diminish or take away the authoritie or supremacie of the Church which resteth on the head of the King within his dominions ye cut off the head and chiefe gouernour thereof and disturbe the state and members of the whole body And for a conclusion of this point I pray him to think that we are so well perswaded of the good minde of our Apostle S. Gregory to vs that wee desire no other thing to be suggested to the Pope and his Cardinals then our Apostle S. Gregory desired 6 Greg. lib. 7. Epist. 1. Sabinian to suggest vnto the Emperour and the State in his time His words be these One thing there is of which I would haue you shortly to suggest to your most noble Lord and Master That if I his seruant would haue had my hand in slaying of the Lombards at this day the Nation of the Lombards had neither had King nor Dukes nor Earles and had beene diuided asunder in vtter confusion but because I feare God I dread to haue my hand in the blood of any man And thus hauing answered to S. Gregory An answere to the authoritie out of Leo. I come to another Pope his Apostle S. Leo. And that hee may see I haue not in the former citations quarelled him like a Sophister for contention sake but for finding out of the trewth I doe grant that the authorities out of 1 Leo primus in die assump suae ad Pont. serm 3. Leo Epist 89. ad Episc Vien Idem ibid. ca. 2. Leo are rightly alledged all three the wordes trewly set downe together with his trew intent and purpose but withall let me tell him and I appeale vnto his owne conscience whether I speake not trewly that what Tullie said to 2 Cic. in Hort. Hortensius when he did immoderately praise eloquence that hee would haue lift her vp to Heauen that himselfe might haue gone vp with her So his S. Leo lift vp S. Peter with praises to the skie that he being his 3 For so hee calleth himselfe in serm 1. in die assum heire might haue gone vp with him For his S. Leo was a great Oratour who by the power of his eloquence redeemed Rome from fire when both 4 Ex breniario Romano Attilas and Gensericus would haue burnt it Some fruites of this rhetoricke hee bestowed vpon S. Peter saying The Lord 5 Epist 89. did take Peter into the fellowship of the indiuisible vnitie which wordes being coupled to the sentence alledged by the Cardinall that he hath no part in the diuine Mysterie that dare depart from the soliditie of Peter should haue giuen him I thinke such a skarre as hee should neuer haue dared to haue taken any aduantage by the wordes immediatly preceding for the benefite of the Church of Rome and the head