the weakenesse of the Nobility from that desert which they merited by their simplicity to bee seduced to joyne with them to rebell against their King Therefore if any faction in any Parliament should thus combine against the Lord and against his annointed there is no question but their reducement to obedience will make that Majesty which shall effect it more glorious to posterity then were any of all his Predecessours And therefore I say againe Returne O Shulamite returne and remember I pray thee remember lest my words shall accuse thy conscience in the day of judgement that wee are often commanded in many places of the Scriptures to obey our Kings but in no place bidden nor permitted to rise up and assist any Parliament against our King if thou sayest thou dost not doe it against thy King but against such and such that doe abuse the King I told you before that whosoever resisteth him that hath the Kings authority resisteth the King and therefore the whole World of intelligible men laugheth at this gullery and hee that dwelleth in the Heavens shall laugh it to scorne when with such aequivocation men shall thinke to justifie their rebellion and I hope the people will not still remaine so simple as to thinke that all the Canon and the Musket shot which the enemies of a King should make at him must bee understood to bee for the safety of his person And as neither private men nor any Senate nor Magistrate That the Pope hath no power to licence any man to make warre against the King nor Peeres nor Parliament can lawfully resist and take armes against their King so neither Synod nor Counsell nor Pope have any power to depose excommunicate or abdicate or to give immunities to Clergy or absolution to subjects thereby to free them from their duty and due allegeance and to give them any colour of allowance to rebell and make warre against their lawfull King And this point I should the more largely prosecute because the natives of this Kingdome are more addicted to the Pope and his Decrees then any others of all the Kings Dominion Pareus in Rom. 13. Iohan. Bede in the right and prerogatives of Kings and the Treatise intituled God and the King but the bulke of this Treatise is already too much swelled and I hope I may have hereafter a fitter opportunity to inlarge this Chapter and therefore till then I will onely referre my Reader unto Pareus John Bede and abundance more that have most plentifully written of this Argumenh And so much for the persons against whom they rebelled Mosec their King and Aaron their High Priest or chiefe Bishop and both these the prime Governours of Gods people whom they ought by all lawes to have obeyed and for no cause to have rebelled against them CHAP. XI Sheweth what these Rebels did How by tenue severall steps and degrees 1. Pride 2. Discontent 3. Envy 4. Murmuring 5. Hypocrisie 6. Lying 7. Slandering 8. Rayling 9. Disobedience 10. Resistance they ascended to the height of their Rebellion and how these are the steps and the wayes to all Rebellions and the reason which moved men to Rebell VVEe are to consider Quid fecerunt 3. Part. What these Rebels did what these Rebels did Cajetan saith Zelati sunt Tirinus saith Irritaverunt The vulgar Latine saith Aemulati sunt Our vulgar English saith They angred Moses and our last English saith They envyed Moses And indeed the large extent of the Originall word and the diversity of the Translation of it sheweth the greatnesse of their iniquity and the multi-formity or multiplicity of their sinne And therefore that you may truly understand it you must looke into the History * Numb 16. and there you shall see the whole matter the conception birth strength and progresse of their sinne for 1. This sinne was begotten by the seed of Pride they conceived an opinion of their owne excellency excellency that bewitched men to rebell thinking that they are inferiour to none equall to the best if not superiour unto all and therefore they disdained to bee governed and aspired to the government of Gods people Pride the beginning of rebellion And then Pride as the father begat Discontentment as his eldest Sonne they liked not their owne station but would faine bee promoted to higher dignity and because Moses and Aaron were setled in the government before them and they knew not how either to be adjoyned with them or advanced above them therefore discontent begat Envie and they began to pine away at their felicity and so our last English reades it They envied Moses 2. Private meetings do often produce mischiefes This sinne being thus conceived in the wombe of the heart at last it commeth forth to birth at the mouth for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh and they begin to murmure and mutter among themselves and as Rebels use to have they have many private meetings and conventicles among themselves where they say we are all good 2 Sam. 15.3 4. we are all holy and they are no better than we and as Absalon depraved his fathers government and promised justice and judgement and golden mountaines unto the people if he were King so doe they traduce the present government with all scandalous imputations and professe such a reformation as would make all people happie if they were but in Moses place or made over him or with him the Guardians and Protectors of the Common-wealth And so now you see this ugly monster the sonne of Pride and Discontentment is borne into the world and spreads it selfe from the inward thought to open words Then Moses heares the voyce of this infant which was not like the voyce of Jacob but of the Serpent which spitteth fire and poyson out of his mouth And therefore lest this fire should consume them and these mutterers prove their murderers Moses now begins to look unto himselfe and to answer for his brother he calleth these rebels and he telleth them that neither he nor his brother had ambitiously usurped but were lawfully called into those places and to make this apparent to all Israel he bade these Rebels come out of their Castles to some other place where he might safely treate and conferre with them and that was to the Tabernacle of the Lord that is to the place where wisedome and truth resided and was from thence published and spread to all the people and there the Lord should shew them whom he had chosen And here I doe observe the care and wisedome of the Prophet that at the first appearance of their designe The wisdome of Moses would presently begin to protect his brother before their rebellion had increased to any strength for had he then delivered Aaron into their hands his hands had beene so weakened that he had never beene able afterwards to defend himselfe to teach all Kings to beware that they yeeld not their Bishops and Priests
unto the rules of justice when as The Law condemneth no man much lesse the King before his cause be heard And seeing such a competent Judge as can justly determine this controversie betwixt the King and his People or rather betwixt one part of his people and the other cannot be found under Heaven therefore to avoid civill warres and the effusion of humane and Christian blood and the prevention of abundance of other mischiefs That we ought not by any means to resist our Kings Proved both the Scripture teacheth and the Church beleeveth and Reason it self sheweth and the publique safetie requireth that we should transmit this question to be decided onely by him which is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and will when he seeth good bind evill Kings in fetters and their Nobles with links of iron CHAP. V. Sheweth by Scripture the Doctrine of the Church humane reason and the welfare of the weale publique that we ought by no means to rebell A threefold power of every Tyrant Three kinds of tyraunies The doubtfull and dangerous events of Warre Why many men rebell Jehu's example not to be followed 1. THe Scripture saith 1. By the Scriptures I counsell thee to keep the Kings commandement and that in regard of the oath of God that is the oath whereby thou hast sworne before God and by God to obey him Be not hastie to go out of his sight that is not out of his presence but out of his rule and government and stand not in an evill thing that is in opposition or rebellion against thy King which must needs be evill and the worst of all evils to thy King for He doth whatsoever pleaseth him that is Ecclesiast 8.2 3 4. he hath power and authority to do what he pleaseth Where the Word of a King is there is power and who may say unto him What doest thou or Why doest thou so And Solomon saith A Greyhound an Hee-Goat and a King Prov. 30.31 against whom there is no rising up there ought not to be indeed I will not set down what Samuel saith but desire you to read the place 1. Sam. 8.11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18. where you shall see what the King will do and what remedy the Prophet prescribeth against him not to rebell and take up armes but to cry unto the Lord that he would help them And Saint Paul saith Whosoever resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God Rom. 13.2 and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation And Saint Peter saith that they which despise government 2. Pet. 2.10.12 and are not afraid to spoake evill of dignities are presumptuous and doe walke after the flesh in the lusts of uncleannesse and as naturall bruit beasts that are made to be taken and destroyed they speake evill of the things they understand not and therefore they shall utterly perish in their own corruption And Saint Jude in like manner calleth those that despise Dominion and speak evill of Dignities the very phrase of Saint Peter filthy dreamers Iude 8.10 11. that defile the flesh and therefore shall perish in the gainsaying of Corah This is the doctrine of God therefore Saint Paul exhorteth us not to rebell nor to speak evill of our Kings 1 Tim 2.2 be they what they will but first of all or before all things to make prayers and supplications for our Kings and for all that are in authoritie And I wonder what spirit except it were the spirit of hell it selfe durst ever presume to answer and evade such plain and pregnant places of Scripture to countenance disobedience and to justifie their rebellion And therefore 2. 2. By the Doctrine of the Church The Church of Christ beleeveth this Doctrine to be the truth of God for no man saith Saint Cyril without punishment resisteth the Laws of Kings but Kings themselves in whom the fault of prevarication hath no place because it is wisely said it is impiety therefore against the will of God to say unto the King Cyril in Iohan. l. 12. c. 56. Iniquè agis thou dost amisse for as God is the supreame Lord of all which judgeth all and is judged of none so the Kings and Princes of the earth which do correct and judge others are to be corrected and judged of none but onely of God to whose power and authority they are onely subject and therfore King David understanding his own station well enough when he was both an adulterer and a murderer and prayeth to God for mercy saith Against thee onely have I sinned because I acknowledge none other my superiour on earth besides thee alone and I have no judge besides thee which can call me to examination or inflict any punishment on me for my transgression And so the Poet saith Regum timendorum in proprios greges Reges in ipsos imperium est Jovis But you will object against Saint Cyril Obiect if it be impiety to say unto the King Thou doest amisse how shall we excuse Samuel that told King Saul he did foolishly and Nathan that reproved King David and Elias that said to King Ahab it was he and his fathers house that made Israel to sinne and John Baptist that told Herod It was not lawfull for him to have his brothers wife I answer 1. Sol. That by the mouth of these men God himself reproved them because these men were no private persons What the Priest or Prophet may do private men may not do but extraordinarily inspired with the Spirit of God to perform the extraordinary messages of God 2. I say as I said before that as Moses may correct and punish Aaron if he doth amisse so Aaron the Priest inregard of his calling may reprove and admonish Moses the chief Magistrate when he doth offend but so that he do it wisely and with that love and reverence which he oweth unto Moses as to his God not publiquely to disgrace and vilifie his Prince unto his people but modestly and privately to amend his fault and reconcile him to God and this is the work of his office which he ought to do as he is a Priest and not of his person which ought not to do it as he is his subject 3. Reason it self confirmeth this truth 3. By humane reason because the King is the head of the body politique and the members can neither judge the head because they are subject unto it nor cut it off because then they kill themselves and cease to be the members of that head and therefore the subjects with no reason can either judge or depose their King 4. 4. From the welware of every Common-wealth The event of every warre is doubtfull The publique safety and welfare of any Common-wealth requireth that the Subjects should never rebell against their King 1. Because the event of a rebellious warre is both dubious and dangerous for who can divine in whose ruine it shall end or which
Magistrates doe extoll themselves above him they have now exceeded the bounds of men that they might esteeme themselves as God Non verendo eum qui post Deum ab hominibus timebatur in not fearing him which men ought to feare next to God But the words of Saint Peter are plaine enough Submit your selves unto every ordinance of man for the Lords sake 1 Pet. 2.13 whether it be unto the King as supreame or unto Governours as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evill doers and for the prayse of them that doe well Wherein you may see not onely the subordination which God hath placed betwixt the King and his Subjects but also that different station which is betwixt the supreame and the inferiour powers for the words sent of him doe most clearely conclude that the inferiour Magistrates have no power to command but by the vertue power and force which they receive from the supreame and that the inferiour Magistrates opposed to the supreame power are but as private men and therefore that as they are rulers of the people so being but instruments unto the King they are subjects unto him to be moved and ruled by him which is inferiour to none but God and their authority which they have received from him Inferiour Magistrates in respect of the King are but private men can have no power upon him or to mannage the sword without him and especially against him upon any pretence whatsoever how then can any or all these Magistrates make a just warre against their King when as none of them can make any just warre without him 2. Reason 2 Because as Bodinus saith most truly the best and greatest not onely of the inferiour Magistrates but also of all these Peeres Nobles Counsellors or what you please to call them have neither honour power nor authority but what they have given them from him which is the King or supreame Magistrate as you see God made Moses the chiefe Governour and Moses made whom he pleased his Peers and his inferiour Magistrates and as they have all their power derived from him that is the chiefe so he that is the King or chiefe can draw it away from them that are his inferiours when he pleaseth and as he made them so he can unmake them when he will and none can unmake him but he that made him that is God himselfe and therefore David that was Ex optimatibus regni the greatest Peere in Israel being powerfull in war famous in peace the Kings sonne in law and divinely destinated unto the Kingdom yet would he not lay his hand upon his King when he was delivered into his hands And this Buchanan cannot deny but confesseth that the Kings of the Iews were not to be punished or resisted by their Subjects because that from the beginning they were not created by the people but given to them by God Buchanans absurdity and therefore saith he jureoptimo qui fuit honoris autor idem fuit poenarum exactor it is great reason that he which gives the honour should impose the punishment But for the Kings of Scotland Buchan de jure Regni apud Scotos they were saith Buchanan not given them of God but created by the people which gave them all the right that they can challenge Ideoque jus idem habere in reges multitudinem quod illi in singulos è multitudine habent which is most false for Moses tels us that immediately after the deluge God the Creator of all the world ordained the revenging sword of bloudshed and the slavish servitude of paternall derision wherein all the parts of civill jurisdiction and regall power are Synecdochically set downe and Iob saith that there is one God which looseneth the bond of Kings Job 12.18 and girdeth about their reines which must be understood of the Gentile Kings because that in his time the Common-wealth of Israel was not in being and God himselfe universally saith By me Kings doe reigne that is all Kings not onely of the Iewes but also of the Gentiles and Christ doth positively affirme that the power of Pilate was given him from Heaven And Saint Paul saith There is no power but what is appointed of God And Tertullian saith Inde Imperator unde homo inde illi potestas unde spiritus he that made him a man made him Emperour and he that gave him his spirit gave him his power That God is the ordainer of all Kings And Ireneus saith God ordained earthly Kingdomes for the benefit of the Gentiles Et cujus jussu homines nascuntur illius jussu Reges constituuntur and by whose command men are borne by his command Kings are made And S. Augustine more plainly and more fully saith Aug. de Civit. Dei l. 4. c. 33. God alone is the giver of all earthly Kingdomes which hee giveth both to the good and to the bad neither doth he the same rashly and as it were by chance because he is God but as he seeth good Pro rerum ordine ac tempore in respect of the order of things and times which are hid from us but best knowne unto himselfe and whosoever looketh back to the originall of all Governments God the immediate author of Monarchie he shall find that God was the immediate Author of the Regall power and but the allower and confirmer of the Aristocraeticall and all other forms of Government which the people erected and the Lord permitted lest the execution of judgement should become a transgression of justice for as Homer saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Homer odyss α And Aristotle tels us Arist Pol. l. 1. c. 8. that the Regall power belonged to the father of the family who in the infancie of the world was so grandevous and long-lived that he begat such a numerous posterity as might well people a whole Nation as Cain for his owne Colonie built a Citie and was aswell the King as the father of all the Inhabitants and therefore Iustin saith very wel that Principio rerum gentium nationumque imperium penes reges erat Justin l. 1. the rule of all Nations was in the hands of Kings from the beginning and the Kingly right pertaining to the father of the family the people had no more possibility in right to choose their Kings then to choose their Fathers and to make it appeare unto all Nations that not onely the Kings of Israel but all other Heathen Kings are acknowledged by God himselfe to be of divine institution Jer. 43.10 Esay 45.1 he calleth Nebuchadnezzar his servant and Cyrus his anointed And therefore though I doe not wonder that ignorant fellowes should be so impudent Jo. Good win in his Pamphlet of Anti-Cavalierisme p. 5. as to affirme The King or kingly Government to be the ordinance or creation or creature of man and to say that the Apostle supposeth the same because he saith Submit your selves to
every ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether it be unto the King c. whereas he might well understand that the same act is oftentimes ascribed aswell to the mediate as to the immediate agent as Samuels anointing of Saul and David Kings denyeth not but that God was the immediate giver of their Kingdomes and the Author of that Regall power for God anointing Saul Captain over his inheritance 1 Sam. 10. and by the mouth of Nathan he telleth David 2 Sam. 12. that he anointed him King over Israel and Solomon acknowledgeth 1 Reg. 2. that the Lord had set him on the seat of his father David 1 Reg. 11. and Abija in the person of God saith unto Ieroboam I will give the Kingdome unto thee and yet it is said that all the people went to Gilgal 1 Sam. 11.15 and made Saul King before the Lord and the men of Iuda annointed David King of Iuda 2 Sam. 5. and Zadok the Priest and Nathan the Prophet annointed Solomon King that is God annointed them as Master of the substance and gave unto them Regall power in whom is all power primario perse and the Prophets anointing them as Masters of the Ceremony and declared that God had given them that power Constituere regem est facere ut regiam potestatem exerceret Pineda de reb Solom c. 2. And therefore the power and authority of Kings is originally and primarily as S. Paul saith the ordinance of God and secondarily or demonstratively it is as S. Peter calleth it the ordinance of man when the people whose power is onely derivatively makes them Kings not by giving unto them the right of their Kingdoms but by receiving them into the possession of their right and admitting them to exercise their royall authority over them which is given them of God and therefore ought not to be withstood by any man And this Anti-Cavalier might further see that Saint Peter meaneth not that the King is the creature of man or his office of mans Creation but that the Laws and commands of Kings though they be but the commands and ordinances of man yet are we to obey the same for the Lords sake because the Lord commandeth that Every soule should be subject to the higher powers Or if this will not satisfie him because the Greeke word is not so plaine for this as the English yet let him looke into Pareus that was no friend to Monarchie Pareus in Rom. c. 13. p. 1327. and he shall find that he doth by seven speciall reasons prove that the authority of Kings is primarily the ordinance of God and he quoteth these places of Scripture to confirme it Prov. 8.15 2 Chron. 19.6 Psal 81.6 Ioh. 10.34 Gen. 9.6 1 Sam. 15. 1 Kings 12. 2 King 9. Dan. 2.21 Iob 34.30 Eccles 10.8 and to this very objection he answereth that the Apostle calleth the Magistrate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an humane ordination or creation not causally because it is invented by man and brought up onely by the will of men but subjectively because it is borne and executed by men and objectively because it is used about the government of humane society and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in respect of the end because it is ordained of God for the good and conservation of humane kind and he saith further that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 appellatio the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad Deum primum autorem nos revocat sheweth plainly that God is the first Author of it for though the Magistrate in some sense as I shewed may be said to be created that is ordained by men yet God alone is the first Creator of them as Aaron though he was ordained the high Priest by Moses yet the Apostle tels us None taketh this office upon him but he that is called of God as Aaron was Yet I doe admire that Buchanan or any other man of learning to satisfie the people or his owne peevish opinion will so absurdly deny so divine and so well known verity and say that any Kings have their Kingdomes and not from God so flatly contrary to all Scripture CHAP. VII Sheweth the reasons and the examples that are alleadged to justifie Rebellion and a full answer to each of them God the immediate Author of Monarchie inferiour Magistrats have no power but what is derived from the superiour and the ill successe of all rebellious resisting of our Kings BUt to prove their absurdities they still alledge The allegation to justifie Rebellion That the inferiour Magistrates as the Peeres and Counsellors of Kings and the chiefe heads of all the people which are flos medulla regni 1. By reason are therefore added unto the superiour Magistrate both to be his helpers in the Government and also to refraine his licentiousnesse and to hinder his impieties if he degenerate to be an Idolater or a Tyrant And to confirme this tenet 2. By examples they produce many examples both out of the Sacred and Profane Histories as the Iudges that that rose up against their neighbour Tyrants Ezechias against the King of Assyria the people withstanding Saul that he should not slay Ionathan Ahikam defending the Prophet Ieremy against King Iehoiakim Jer. 26.24 the revolting of the ten Tribes in the time of Rehoboam the Priests and Princes of Iuda taking away Athalia the Macchabees arming themselves against Antiochus and others of the Macedonian Tyrants Thrasibulus driving the thirty Tyrants out of Athens the Romans expelling their flagitious Kings Consuls and other Tyrants that behaved themselves most wickedly out of Rome and so many Peeres and Potentates of other Kingdomes that in the like cases did the like To all which I answer 1. That it is most false that any Peere Sol. or inferiour Potentate Magistrate or other 1. Their reasons answered is appointed by God to be the Associate of the King or supreame Governour for the government of the people for as God and not the people appointed Moses Ioshua Gideon and the other supreame Judges of Israel so Moses and not God immediately as he did the others appointed the Rulers of tens To what end Kings doe choose their inferiour Magistrates fifties hundreds and thousands which alwayes acknowledged themselves his subjects and not his associates in the government of the people And so other Kings and Princes have alwayes chosen whom they pleased to be their Peeres Counsellors and inferiour Magistrates as well to beare some part of their burthen as Iethro saith unto Moses and to lessen their care as also to afford them their best assistance and counsell in the discussion and determination of great and difficult affaires but not for them to prescribe and set down lawes orders and ordinances that should either moderate their royall liberty or bridle and revenge what they conceive to be Idolatry or Tyranny I am sure no King that did intend to be a Tyrant would choose Counsellours
or make Magistrates to that end but they make choyce of them as I said to further them and not to hinder them to effect those things which they conceive to be most fit and just for the Magistrates that are over the people are under the King and doe all as you see in the name of the King All the inferiour Magistrates must doe all in the name of the superiour from whom they derive all the power that they have whereby it followeth that neither the people can resist the Magistrates whom the King appointeth nor those Magistrates resist their King without apparent sacriledge against God because the greater can never be judged nor condemned by the lesser but as the Apostle saith of Abraham and Melchisedech Heb. 7.7 that without contradiction the lesse is blessed of the better so I say that without all controversie the inferiour must be alwayes judged of the superiour and therefore if these Peeres Nobles or inferiour Magistrates have any wayes any power or authority over their Kings we must conclude against S. Peter that these are above the King and so they and not the King are the supereminent power But we finde no such power nor commandement that they have frow God to refraine Kings in all the holy Scriptures Et si mandatum non est presumptio est ad poenam proficiet non ad praemium and if there be no commandment for it it is presumption to doe it which deserveth punishment and not praise because it is to the reproach of the Creator that contemning the Lord we should worship the Servant and neglecting the Emperour we should adore or magnifie his Peeres as Saint Augustine saith And therefore both the learned and religious Fathers And the Homilie of the Church of England against wilfull rebellion and the best of our later Writers are flat against this Doctrine that any sort of men have any power over Kings but he that is the King of Kings as you may see what would be too tedious for me to set down in Iohan. Bodinus Apol. pro Regibus c. 27. de Repub. l. 2. c. 5. Barclaius contra Monarchom l. 3. c. 6. Berchetus in explicat controvers Gallicar c. 2. Saravia de imperator autorit l. 2. c. 36. Sigon de repub Hebraeor l. 7 c. 3. Bilson de perpet Eccles gubernat c. 7. Pet. Gregor Tholos de republ l. 5. c. 3. num 14 15 16. and many more 2. 2. Their examples answered For the examples that are produced to countenance Rebels against their Kings I answer that they are unlike or of some peculiar fact or unjust and therefore no warrant for any other to doe the like when as we are to live by the lawes and precept of God and not by the examples of men which many times contrary to equity do induce us to transgresse the divine verity but to runne over the particulars of their examples as briefe as I can 1. I say 1. Example answered that to conclude an ordinary rule from the doings of the Judges which were extraordinarily commanded by God to be done is no more lawfull for us to doe then it is for us to rob our neighbours because the Israelite robbed the Egyptians August in Jud c. 20. as Saint Augustine sheweth And therefore Aquinas if Aquinas be the Author of that booke De Regimine Princip saith excellent well Quibusdam visum est it seemes to some men that it pertaineth to the honour of valiant and heroicall men to take away a Tyrant and to expose themselves to the perill and danger of death for the liberty and freedome of the multitude whereof they have an example in the Old Testament where Ehud killed Eglon Judg. 3.21 But this agreeth not with the Apostolicall Doctrine for Saint Peter teacheth us to be subject not onely to the good but also to the froward because this is thanke worthy with God if for conscience sake we patiently suffer wrongs therefore when many of the Romane Emperours did most tyrannically persecute the faith of Christ Thom. de Regiminae Princip la. 1. c. 6. and a great and mighty multitude both of the Nobility Gentry and Commons were converted unto Christianity they are praised not for resisting but for suffering death A great deale of disterence betwixt a lawfull King and an Usurper Besides Eglon was not the lawfull King of Israel but an alien an usurper and a scourge to punish them for their sin and therefore no patterne for others to rebell against their lawfull King 2. 2. Example answered For the example of Ezechias rebelling against the King of Assyria it is most impertinently alleadged for Ezechias was the lawfull King of Iudah and the King of Assyria had no right at all in his Dominions An impertinent example but being greedily desirous to enlarge his territories he incroached upon the others right and for his injustice was overcome by the sword in a just battell and therefore to conclude from hence that because the King of Iudah trefused to obey the King of Assyria therefore the inferiour Magistrates or Peeres of any Kingdome may resist and remove their lawfull Prince for his tyranny or impiety surely this deserves rather Fustibus tutundi quà m rationibus refellt to be beaten with rods then confuted with reasons as Saint Bernard speaketh of the like Argument And whereas they reply that it skilleth not whether the Tyrant be forreine as Eglon and the King of Assyria wero or domestique Saul Achab and Manasses were because the domestique is worse then the forreigne The absurdity of their replication and there fore the rather to be suppressed I will shew you the validity of this argument by the like the seditious Preachers are the generation of vipers nay far worse then vipers because they hurt but the body onely and these are pernitious both to body and soule therefore as a man may lawfully kill a viper so he may more lawfully kill a seditious Preacher But to omit their absurdity let us looke into the comparison betwixt domestique and extranean Tyrants Quia dare absurdam non est solvere argumentum and we shall finde that domestique Tyrants are lawfully placed over us by God who cōmandeth us to obey them forbiddeth us to refist them in every place for the Scripture makes no distinction betwixt a good Prince and a Tyrant in respect of the honour reverence and obediecce that we owe unto our superiors as you see the Lord doth not say touch not a good King and obey righteous Princes but as God saith Honour thy father and thy mother be they good or bad so he saith Touch not the King resist not your Governours speake not evill of the Rulers be they good or be they bad and therefore Saint Paul when he was strictly charged for reviling the wicked high Priest answered wisely I wist not brethren that he was Gods high Priest for if I had knowne him
omnes Deos it is God alone in whose power Kings are kept which are second from him first after him above all men and before all Gods that is all other Magistrates that are called Gods Athanasius saith Athanasius de summo regum imperio q. 55. that as God is the King and Emperour in all the world that doth exercise his power and authority over all things that are in Heaven and in Earth so the Prince and King is appointed by God over all earthly things Et ille libera suâ voluntate facit quod vult sicut ipse Deus and the King by His own free will doth whatsoever he pleaseth even as God himselfe and the Civilians could say but little more Saint Augustine saith Simulachrum à similitudine dictum Isidot Videtis simulachrorum templa you see the temples of our Images partly fallen for want of reparation partly destroyed partly shut up partly changed to some other uses ipsaque simulachra and those Images either broken to pieces or burned and destroyed and those Powers and Potentates of this world which sometimes persecuted the Christians Aug. ad frat Maduar â—p 42. pro istis simulachris for those Images to be overcome and tamed non à repugnantibus sed à morientibus Christianis not of resisting but of dying Christians See the duty of Subjects or a perswasion 〈◊〉 Loyalty which is a full collection of the Fathers to this purpose and the rest of the Fathers are most plentifull in this theam and therefore to the later Writers Cardinall Alan saith but herein most untruly that the Protestants are desperate men and most factious for as long as they have their Princes and Lawes indulgent to thier owne wills they know well enough how to use the prosperous blasts of fortune but if the Princes should withstand their desires Card. Alan in rep ad Iustit Britannicam c. 4. or the Lawes should be contrary to their mindes then presently they break asunder the bonds of their fidelity they despise Majesty and with fire and sword slaughters and destructions they rage in every place and do runne headlong into the contempt of all divine and humane things which accusation if it were true then I confesse the Pretestants were to be blamed more then all the people of the World but howsoever some factious seditious Anabaptisticall and rebellious spirits amongst us not deserving the name of Protestants may be justly taxed for this intolerable vice yet to let you see how falsly he doth accuse us that are true Protestants and how fully we doe agree with the Scriptures and the Fathers of the purest age of the Church in the Doctrine of our obedience to our Kings and Princes I will only give you a taste of what we teach and to begin with the first reformer Luther saith no man which stirreth up the multitude to any tumult can be excused from his fault though he should have never so just a cause but he must goe to the Magistrate and attempt nothing privately Sleidan Commentar l. 5. because all sedition and insurrection is against the Commandement of God which forbiddeth and detesteth the same Philip Melancthon saith though it be the Law of Nature to expell force with force yet it is no wayes lawfull for us to withstand the wrong done us by the Magistrate with any force yea Melanctgon apud Luther to 1 p. 463. though we seeme to promise our obedience upon this condition if the Magistrate should command lawfull things yet it is not therefore lawfull for us to withstand his unjust force with force for though their Empires should be gotten and possest by wicked men yet the worke of their government is from God and it is the good creature of God and therefore whatsoever the Magistrate doth no force ought to be taken up against the Magistrate Brentius saith The rule of a Prince may be evil two waies that the rule and government of a Prince may be evill two wayes 1. When hee commandeth any thing against the faith of Christ as to deny our God to worship Idols and the like and herein we must give place to the saying of the Apostle It is better to obey God then men but in this case the subiect must in no way rage or rise against his Magistrate but he should rather patiently suffer any evill then any way strike againe and rather endure any inconveniences and discommodities then any wayes obey those ungodly commands 2. The Prince his government may be evill when hee doth or commandeth any thing against the publique Justice of which kinde are the exaction of our goods or the vexation of our bodies Brentius in re spon-ad artie rusticorum and in these kindes of injuries the subject ought rather then in the former to be obedient to his Magistrate for if hee steps forth to armes God hath pronounced of such men He that smiteth with the sword shall perish with the sword Cranmer Archbishop of Canterbury together with the rest of the bishops and most famous Divines of this Kingdome saith if Princes shall doe any thing contrary to their duties God hath not appointed any superiour Judge over them in this world but they are to render their account to God which hath reserved their judgement to himselfe alone and therefore it is not lawfull for any subjects how wicked soever their Princes shall be to take armes or raise sedition against them but they are to powre forth their prayers to God Cranmer in lib. de Christiani hominis institut in whose hand Kings hearts are that he would inlighten them with his spirit whereby they might rightly to the glory of God use that sword which he hath delivered unto them Gulielmus Tindall a godly Martyr of Christ when Cardinall Lanio's sonne did leade the Lambes of Christ by troopes unto the slaughter doth then describe the duty of subjects according to the straight rule of the Gospell saying David spared Saul and if he had killed him he had sinned against God for in every Kingdome the King which hath no superiour judgeth of all things and therefore he that endeavoureth or intendeth any mischiefe or calamity against the Prince that is a Tyrant or a Persecuter or whosoever with a froward hand doth but touch the Lords anointed he is a rebell against God and resisteth the ordinance of God as often as a private man sinneth he is held obnoxious to his King that can punish him for his offence but when the King offendeth he ought to be reserved to the divine examination and vengeance of God and as it is not lawfull upon any pretence to resist the King Tindall l. de Christiani bominis obedient so it is not lawfull to rise up against the Kings Officer or Magistrate that is sent by the King for the execution of those things which are commanded by the King for as our Saviour saith Hee that heareth you heareth me and he that despiseth
you despiseth me and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me And as he said unto Saul when he persecuted the servants of Christ Act. 9.4 Saul Saul why persecutest thou me when as hee was then in Heaven farre above the reach of Saul yet because there is such a mysticall union betwixt Christ and his Church the head and members as is betwixt man and wife no man can be said to injure the one but he must wrong the other so whosoever resisteth the Kings Lieutenant Deputy or any other Magistrate or Officer that he sendeth with Commission to execute his commands resisteth the King himselfe and all the indignities that are offered to the Kings Embassador or servant that he thus sendeth 2 Sam. 10. are deemed as indignities offered to the King himselfe as we see the base usage of Davids servants by King Hanun David revenged as an abuse offered unto himselfe because the Kings person cannot be in all places where justice and judgement Whatsoever is done to any Messenger is deemed as dont to him that sent him and many other offices and actions are necessarily to be done throughout the latitude of his Dominions but his power and his authority deputed to those his servants and officers that he sendeth are as the lively representatives of the King in every part of his Kingdome and whatsoever favour payment neglect or abuse is shewed unto any of them the same in all Nations is accounted and therefore punished or rewarded as a service done unto the King himselfe as our Saviour when but the Tole-gatherer came for the Tribute money saith Give unto Caesar what belongeth unto Caesar And therefore it is but an idle simple and most foolish frivolous distinction of men to deceive children and fooles to say they love and honour their King and they fight not against their King but against such and such whom notwithstanding they know to be the Kings chiefest officers and to be sent with the Kings Power Commission and Authority to doe those things that they doe this is such a foppery that I know not what to say to undeceive those that are so desirous to be deceived when the Devill * S. Paul saith God sendeth them strong delusions 2 Thess 2.11 But what God sendeth justly as the punisher of their sin the Devill sendeth maliciously as the guider of them to Hell which knoweth how neare their destruction hangeth over their heads sends them strong delusions that they should so easily and so sillyly believe such palpable lyes as to make them thinke they love him dearely whom they murder most barbarously Barnesius Barnesius in tract de humanis constitut a very godly and learned man treating of the same Argument saith in a manner the same thing that the servants of Christ rather then either commit any evill or resist any Magistrate ought patiently to suffer the losse of their goods and the tearing of their members nay the Christian after the example of his Master Christ ought to suffer the bitterest death for truth and righteousnesse sake and therefore saith he whosoever shall rebell under pretence of Religion aeternae damnationis reus erit he shall be found guilty of eternall damnation Master Dod saith Master Dod upō the Commandements that where the Prince commandeth a lawfull act the subjects must obey and if he injoynes unlawfull commands we must not rebell but we must be content to beare any punishment that shall be laid upon us even unto death it self and we should suffer our punishment without grudging even in heart and this he presseth by the example of the Three Children and of Daniel that was a mighty man and of very great power in Babylon yet never went about to gather any power against his King though it were in his own defence Master Byfield expounding the words of S. Peter Master Byfield upon 1 Pet. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as to the Supreame saith this should confirme every good subject to acknowledge and maintaine the Kings supremacy and willingly to binde himselfe thereto by oath for the oath of supremacy is the bond of this subjection and this oath men must take without equivocation mentall evasion or secret reservation yea it should binde in them the same resolution that was in Saint Bernard who saith if all the world should conspire against me to make me complot any thing against the Kings Majesty yet I would feare God and not dare to offend the King ordained of God I might fill a volume if I would collect the testimonies of our best Writers I will adde but one of a most excellent King our late King Iames of ever blessed memory for he saith The improbity or fault of the governour ought not to subject the King to them over whom he is appointed Judge by God Serenissimus Rex Jacobus de vera lege liberae Monarchiae for if it be not lawfull for a private man to prosecute the injury that is offered unto him against his private adversary when God hath committed the sword of vengeance onely to the Magistrate how much lesse lawfull is it thinke you either for all the people or for some of them to usurpe the sword whereof they have no right against the publike Magistrate to whom alone it is committed by God This hath beene the Doctrine of all the Learned of all the Saints of God of all the Martyrs of Jesus Christ The obedient example of the Martyrs in the time of Queene Mary and therefore not only they that suffered in the first Persecutions under Heathen Tyrants but also they that now of late lived under Queene Mary and were compelled to undergoe most exquisite torments without Number and beyond Measure yet none of them either in his former life or when he was brought to his execution did either despise her cruell Majesty or yet curse this Tyrant Queene that made such havock of the Church of Christ and causelesly spilt so much innocent bloud but being true Saints they feared God and honoured her and in all obedience to her authority they yielded their estates and goods to he spoyled their liberties to be infringed and their bodies to be imprisoned abused and burned as oblations unto God rather then contrary to the command of their Master Christ they would give so much allowance unto their consciences as for the preservation of their lives to make any shew of resistance against their most bloudy Persecuters whom they knew to have their authority from that bloudy yet their lawfull Queene And therefore I hope it is apparent unto all men that have their eyes open Numb 24.15 Gen. 19.11 and will not with Baalam most wilfully deceive themselves or with the Sodomites grope for the wall at noone day that by the Law of God by the example of all Saints by the rule of honesty and by all other equitable considerations it is not lawfull for any man or any degree or sort of men
Chamberlaines their Treasurers and their servants of nearest place and greatest trust And though Aaron the High Priest or Bishop doth impose his hands on others and admit them into sacred Orders above their brethren to be neare the Lord and bestow all the preferment they can upon them yet with Corah these unquiet and ungratefull spirits must rebell against their governours For I think I may well demand which of all of them that now rebell against their King have not had either their Grand-fathers Fathers or themselves promoted to all or most of their fortunes and honours from that crown which now they would trample under their feet Who more against their King then those that received most from their King Just like Judas or here like Corah Dathan and Abiram I could instance the particulars but I passe So you see who were the Rebells most ungratefull most unworthy men CHAP. II. Sheweth against whom these men rebelled that God is the giver of our Covernours the severall Offices of Kings and Priests how they should assist each other and how the people labour to destroy them both SEcondly 2. Part against whom they rebelled we are to consider against whom they rebelled and the Text saith Against Moses and Aaron and therefore we must discusse 1. 2. Points discussed Qui fuere who they were in regard of their places 2. Quales fuere what they were in regard of their qualities 1. In regard of their places we finde that these men were 1. The chiefe Governours of Gods people 2. Governours both in temporall and in spirituall things 3. Agreeing and consenting together in all their Government 1. They were the prime Governours of the people Moses the King or Prince to rule the people and Aaron the High-Priest to instruct and offer sacrifice to make attonement unto God for the sinnes of the people and these have their authority from God for though it sometimes happeneth that potens Hos 8.4 the ruler is not of God as the Prophet saith They have reigned and not by me and likewise modus assumendi the maner of getting authority is not alwaies of God but sometimes by usurpation cruelty subtilty or some other sinfull meanes yet potestas the power it self whosoever hath it is ever from God Aristot Polit. lib 1. c. 1. Ambros Ser. 7. for the Philosopher saith Magistratûs originem esse à natura ipsa And Saint Ambrose saith Datus à Deo Magistratus non modo malorum coercendorum causà sedetiam bonorum fovendorum in vera animi pietate honestate gratiâ And others say the Sunne is not more necessary in heaven then the Magistrate is on earth for alas how is it possible for any Society to live on earth cum vivitur exrapto when men live by rapine and shall say Let our strength be to us the law of justice therefore God is the giver of our Governours and he professeth Per me regnant Reges And Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar That the most high ruleth in the Kingdome of men and he giveth it to whomsoever he will Dan. 4.25 Vide etiam c. 2. v. 37. 2. These two men were Governours both in all temporall and in all spirituall things as Moses in the things that pertained to the Common-wealth and Aaron in things pertaining unto God And these two sorts of Government are in some sort subordinate each to other and yet each one intire in it selfe so that the one may not usurpe the office of the other for 1. The spirituall Priest is to instruct the Magistrates 2. Governours both in temporall and spirituall things and to reprove them too if they do amisse as they are members of their charge and the sheepe of their sheepfold And so we have the examples of David reproved by Nathan Achab by Elias Herod by John Baptist and in the Primitive Church Euseb l. 6. c. 34. Sozomen lib. 7. of Philip the Emperour repenting at the perswasion of Fabian and Theodosius senior by the writings of St Ambrose 2. The temporall Magistrate is to commend and if they offend to correct condemne the Priests as they are members of their Common-wealth for Saint Paul saith Rom. 13. Bernard ad Archiepis Senevensem Let every soule be subject to the higher powers and if every soule then the soule of the Priest as well as the soules of the People or otherwise Quis eum excepit ab universitate as Saint Bernard and so Theodoret Theophylact and Oecumenius are of the same minde and the examples of Abiathar deposed by Solomon and a greater then Solomon Christ himselfe not refusing the censure of Pilate though for no fault Saint Paul appealing unto Caesar Caecilian judged by the Delegates of Constantine Flavianus by Theodosius and all the Martyrs and godly Bishops never plâ—â—â—â—◠〈…〉 from their persecuters doe make this point 〈…〉 〈…〉 Governours were not onely consanguinei 3. Governours well agreeing in their government two 〈…〉 so were Cain and Abel to whom totus non suffiâ—◠〈…〉 were also consentanei like the soule and body of man of the same sympathie and affection for the performance of every action for the Church and Common-wealth are like Hippocrates twyns so linked together as the Ivie intwisteth it selfe about the Oake that the one cannot happily subsist without the other but as the Secretary of nature well observeth That the Marygold opens with the Sunne and shuts with the shade even so when the Sunne-beames of peace and prosperity shine upon the Common-wealth then by the reflection of those beames the Church dilates and spreads if selfe the better as you may see in Act. 9.31 and on the other side when any Kingdome groaneth under civill dissention the Church of Christ must nee is suffer persecution And therefore to the end that the Prince and Priest might as the two feet of a man helpe each other to support the weight of the whole body and to beare the burthen of so great a charge God at the first severing of these offices which before were united in one person as the Poet saith of Anius Rex idem hominum Phoebique Sacerdos And the Apostle saith of Melchisedech that hee was both a King and the Priest of the most high God did chuse two naturall brethren to be the Governours of his people and that quod non caret mysterio Aanon was the eldest and yet Moses was the chiefest to signifie as I take it that they should rather helpe and further each other then any wayes rule and domineere one over the other because that although Aaron was the eldest brother and chiefe Priest yet Moses was the chiefe Magistrate and his brothers God as God himselfe doth stile him and therefore this should terrorem incutere and teach him how to behave himselfe towards his brother and though Moses was the chiefe Magistrate yet Aaron was the chiefe Priest and his eldest brother which had not lost like Reuben the prerogative of his birth-right and
as the Prophet calleth him The Saint of the Lord that is not onely Sanctificatum ad Sacerdotium but also a holy just and godly man in respect of the innocency of his life And so you have seene the persons described against whom these Rebels have rebelled They were the prime Governours of Gods people and such Governours as the like for all kinde of goodnesse and excellencies could not be found on earth Therefore these Rebels ought to have obeyed them though for nothing else but because they were their Governours for the Apostle tells us plainly that necesse est subjici wee must needs be subject not onely for wrath but also for conscience sake wherein you see a double necessity of obeying 1. Externall Propter iram for feare of wrath 2. Internall Propter conscientiam for conscience sake A double necessity of obedience therefore we must needs obey And our obedience consisteth chiefly in these two things Our obedience consisteth in two things 1. To doe nothing against them 2. To doe all that we can for them For 1. 1. In doing nothing against our Governours 1. In Thought Eccles 10.20 2. In Word Exod. 28.28 3. In Deed. Rom. 13.2 We are forbidden to thinke an ill thought of them with our hearts Speake not evill of the King saith Solomon no not in thy thought for a bird of the aire shall carry the voyce and that which hath wings shall tell the matter 2. We are charged not to revile them with our tongues for Thou shalt not revile the Gods nor curse the Ruler of the people 3. We are restrained from resisting them with our hands for Whosoever resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God and they that resist receive unto themselves damnation And therefore the Lord saith unto all Nolite tangere Christos meos where he doth not say non occides or ne perdas the worst that can be but ne tangas the least that may be touch not tactu noxio with any hurtfull touch And many times we are touched secretly we know not how Many kinds of touches nor when nor by whom but cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour secretly and all the people shall say Amen and therefore much more cursed be he that smiteth his Prince his Priest his Governour And sometimes we are touched with violent hands when with hostile force and open armes our power and authority are withstood but Most frequently we are touched with virulent tongues as they say in Ieremie Venite percutiamus eum linguá Ierem. 18.18 and this touch though it breakes no bones yet doth it wound and kill the very heart But the Lord saith in generall touch not at all therefore no kinde is limited 2. In doing all that we can do for our Governours 1. To honour them no way permitted to touch them 2. As we are forbidden to doe any thing against them so we are commanded to doe all we can for them for Saint Peter saith Feare God and honour the King therefore he cannot be said to feare God that doth not honour his King And Solomon saith Feare God my sonne and the King therefore he cannot be the sonne of Wisedome the sonne of Solomon that doth not feare the King that is feare to wrong him feare to offend him Rom. 13. Vide Josh 1.16 Wherein wee ought to obey and disobey feare to anger him And when the Magistrates command us any thing Saint Paul bids us to obey them but if they command any thing against God then indeed their authority comes too short Quia melius est obedire Deo quà m hominibus Yet in these things wherein we may not obey we must not resist but as Julians Souldiers would not sacrifice at his command Sed timendo potestatem contemnebant potestatem in fearing the power of God regarded not the power of man yet when he led them against his enemies Subditi erant propter Dominum aeternum Aug. in Psal 124. etiam domino temporali so should we truly distinguish of the things they do command and take heed we be not blinde Judges herein and too partiall to satisfie our owne passionate affections 2. To impart our goods to them And besides we are to impart our goods to supply their necessities and for the supportance of their dignities for our Saviour bids us Give unto Caesar what belongeth unto Caesar and Saint Paul expresseth the same to be Tribute that is Imposts Subsidies Gifts or the like call it by what name you will we are commanded by God to the uttermost of our abilities to supply their occasions and necessities even as the children are bound to relieve their parents in their extremities And if we see our Moses 3. To hazard our lives for them our King or chiefe Governour any wayes impugned or like to be oppressed either by forraign Egyptians or domestick Israelites though they should with Dathan and Abiram the most prime and popular men in the Congregation that could draw thousands after them yet we are bound to the hazard of our lives to preserve the Life Crowne and Dignity of our Prince as the Subjects of King David hazarded themselves to save him harmlesse 2 Sam. 18.3 And if we will not doe this then as Mordecai in the like case said to Hester Hester 4.14 If thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time then shall there inlargement and deliverance arise to the Iewes from another place but thou and thy fathers house shall be destroyed So I say with King David the Lord will helpe his Annointed and deliver him from the striving of his people and it we still be silent and doe nothing yet the Starres in their order shall fight against Sisera Et coniurati venient ad classica venti and as the Angell of the Lord said of the Merozites curse yee Meroz The punishment of them that will not not assist their Governours curse yee bitterly the Inhabitants thereof because they came not to helpe Barack against the Canaanites so let them feare the bitter curse and a curse from God that will not helpe their Prince against his enemies especially such enemies as have least reason to be enemies unto him So you see what obedience wee owe unto our Governours and therefore their rebellion was the more intolerable that thus spurned against their Magistrates CHAP. IV. Sheweth the objection of the Rebels to justifie their Rebellion the first part of it answered that neither our compulsion to Idolatry nor any other injury or tyranny should move us to Rebell But we must not condemne them before their cause be heard and therfore Corah shall have his Counsell to object what he can for himselfe And I finde but one objection of any moment though the same consisteth of many branches As What if Moses the King or chiefe Governour The objection of the Rebels being so much affected and addicted unto Aaron the chiefe Priest or Bishop and to
maintaine that Idoll as they terme it And this false pretext might be a dissembled cloake for all Rebels to say they doe it in defence of their Religion because they are affraid to be compelled unto Idolatry And therefore the truth is if any Tyrant like Julian should endeavour to compell men unto the Idols Temple or to worship my true God with false service I will rather die then doe it but I may not resist when I am compelled by any meanes for so I sinde that Shadrac Meshac and Abednego Elias the Prophets and the Apostles and all the Christians of the Primitive Church did use to doe in the like case And I had rather imitate the obedience of those good Saints to those wicked Kings that would have compelled them to Idolatry then the insolencie of those proud Rebels that under these false pretences will rebell against their lawfull Princes 2. 2. Not for any injury that is done unto us If we may not rebell when we are compelled to Idolatry much lesse may we do it for any other injury for what injury can be greater then to be inforced to Idolatry when as to be robbed of my faith and religion is more intolerable then to be spoyled of all my goods and possessions And therefore No injury greater then compulsion to Idolatry when Christ suffered as great an injury as could bee offered unto his person when the Souldiers came with Swords and Staves to take him as if he had been a thiefe and a murderer and Saint Peter then like a hot-headed Puritane was very desirous to revenge this indignity our Saviour reprehended his rashnesse because he knew what the other as yet knew not that he ought not to resist when the Magistrate doth send to apprehend and so the Christians of the Primitive Church were extreamely injured by their Persecuters And the Catholique faith it selfe suffered no small oppression under Constantius the Arian Emperour and yet that purer age wherein the better Christians lived did not so much as once thinke of any revenge or resistance saith Baronius When and who did first resist and what moved them Baron ad annum Christi 350. But about the yeare of Christ 350. then first saith he alas the Christian Souldiers being swell'd with pride and taken up with a cruell desire of bearing rule have conspired against the Christian Emperours when as before Ne gregarius quidem miles inveniri quidem posset qui adversus Imperatores licet Ethnicos Christianorum quoque persecutores à partibus aliquando steterit insurgentium tyrannicorum not a Christian could be found that stood up against the Heathen Emperours that were the persecuters of the Christians But to make it yet more plaine that no grievance should move good Christians to make resistance no injury should cause them to rebell against their Magistrates our Saviour saith authoritativè with authority enough I say unto you that ye resist not evill Matth. 5.39 but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheeke turne to him the other also and if by our Saviours rule we may not resist any one what thinke you that we may resist our King our Priest or any other Magistrate that correcteth or reproveth us 2 Pet. 2.19 And Saint Peter saith This is thanke-worthy if a man for conscience toward God endure griefe suffering wrongfully for what glory is it if when yee suffer for your faults yee take it patiently but if when ye do well and suffer for it ye take it patiently this is acceptable with God where you see still the rule of piety is none other but suffering though it be never so unjustly And therefore the Fathers are most plentifull in the explanation and confirmation of this point How patherically the Fathers perswade us to suffer and not to resist for Tertullian that was no babe in the Schoole of Divinity nor any coward in the Army of Christ speaking of those faithfull Christians that suffered no small measure of miseries in his time saith that one short night with a few little torches might have wrought their deliverance and revenged all their wrongs if it had beene lawfull for them to blot out or expell evill with evill but God forbid saith he Vr aut igne humano vindicetur divina secta Tertull in Apologet aut doleat pati in quo probatur that either the divine sect that is the Christian Region should be revenged with humane fire or that it should grieve us to suffer wherein we are commended for suffering Nazianzen that for his soundnesse of judgment and profoundnesse of knowledge was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 termed Theologus the Divine Nazian Orat. 1. saith that the tury of Julian that great Apostata was repressed onely with the teares of the Christians which many of them did most plentifully powre forth to God when they had no other remedy against their Persecuter Marke that they say it is unlawfull to resist because they knew it unlawfull for them to use any other meanes thâ—n sufferance or else they might having so much strength as they had have repelled their wrongs with violence Saint Ambrose saith as much Ambros op 33. and Prosper in like manner saith the present evils should be suffered untill the promised happinesse doth come the Infidels should be permitted among the faithfull and the plucking of the tares should be deferred and let the wicked rage against the godly as much as they will yet the case of the righteous is farre better because that Quantò acriùs impetuntur tantò gloriosiùs coronantur Prosper in sen 99. by how much the more sharply they are tormented by so much the more gloriously they shall be crowned And Saint Bernard saith if all the world should conspire against me and coniure me Bernard Ep. 170. that I should plot any thing against the royall majestie yet I would fear God and would not dare to offend the King that is appointed of him over me because I am not ignorant of the place where I read Whosoever resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God And yet he speaketh this of King Lodovicus that offered a monstrous wrong to all the Clergy when he robbed them and took away all their goods without cause and which is worse would hear of no perswasions to make restitution or to give them any satisfaction as Gaguinus testifieth Gaguin li. 6. Thus the Fathers whereof I could heap many more do testifie of this truth The Schoolmen of the same judgement and the Schoolmen tread in the same steps and differ not a nails bredth from them herein For Alexander Hales saith wicked and evill men ought to suffer for the fault of their irrationability and good men ought to suffer Propter debitum divinae ordinationis for the duty that they owe to the divine ordinance Ambrosius in Rom. 13. and the benefit of their own purgation Whereupon Saint Ambrose saith if the Prince
be good he doth not punish the well-doer but loveth him because he doth well but if the Prince be evill Alex. Hales p. 3. q 48. memb 2. art 1. de offic subd erga Prine and punisheth the well-doer he hurteth him not but purgeth him and therefore he is not a terrour to him that doth well but the wicked ought to seare because Princes are appointed that they should punish evill Aquinas saith the faith of Christ is the beginning and the eause of righteousnesse and therefore by the faith of Christ the order of Justice is not taken away but rather setled and strengthened because as our Saviour saith It became him to fulfill all righteousnesse But the order of justice doth require that all inferiours should obey their superiours otherwise the estate of humane affaires could no wayes be preserved Thom. secunda secundae q. 104. art 6. and therefore by the faith of Christ the godly and the faithfull Christians are neither exempted nor excused but that they are tyed and bound by the Law of Christ to obey their secular Princes Where you see the Christian faith doth not submit the superiour to the inferiour contrary to the rule of justice neither doth it any wayes for any cause permit the power of the sword to any subiect to be used against his Prince because this inordinate power would turne to the ruine of mankinde and the destruction of all humane affairs which can no otherwise be preserved but through the preservation of the order of justice Indeed many times there may happen some just causes Wherein we may disobey and how for which we are not bound to obey the commands of our Magistrates as when they command any thing contrary to the commandements of God and yet then there can be no cause why we should withstand him that executeth the uniust sentence of our condemnation or requireth the punishment that an uniust malitious Magistrate under the colour of his power and authority hath most unjustly laid upon us because he hath as our Saviour saith unto Pilate this ordinary power from God which if he doth abuse he is to be refrained not by the preparation of armes and the insurrection of his subjects to make impressions upon their Soveraigne but by those lawfull meanes which are appointed for them that is Petitions unto him and prayers and tears unto God for him because nothing else remaineth to him that is guilty or condemned as guilty for any fault but to commit his cause to the knowledge of the omnipotent God and to expect the iudgement of him which is the King of Kings and the Judge of all Judges and will undoubtedly chastise and correct the iniquity of any unjust sentence with the severitie of eternall justice Barcl l. 3. c. 10. as Barclay saith These testimonies are cleare enough and yet to all these I will adde this one memorable example Berthetus in explicat contro ver Gallicanae cap. 7. which you may read in Berchetus and Joh. Servinus which tell us that in France after the great Massacre at Paris when the reformed Religion did seeme as it were forsaken and almost extinguished a certain King powerfull in strength rich in wealth and terrible for his Ships and navall Force which was at enmitie and hatred with the King of France dispatched a solemne Embassie and Message unto Henry King of Navarre and other Protestant Lords and commanded his Embassadours to do their best to set the Protestants against the Papists and to arme Henry the Prince of Navarre which then lived at Bearne under the Dominion of the most Christian King against his Soveraigne the French King which thing the Embassadours endeavoured to do with all their art and skill but all in vaine An er ample o a faithfull and excellent Subject for Henry being a good subject as it were another David to become a most excellent King would not prevent the day of his Lord yet the Embassadours offered him many ample fair and magnificent conditions among the rest abundance of money the sum of three hundred thousand Aureorum scutatorum French Crownes which were readie to be told for the preparation of the warre and for the continuation of the same there should be paid every moneth so much as was necessarie but Henry being a faithfull Christian a good Prince a widower and though he was displaced from the publique government of the Common-wealth and for his sake for the dislike the King bare towards him the King had banished many Protestants from his Countrey and had killed many faithfull Pastours yet would not he for all this lift up his hand against the Lords anointed Joh. Servinus pro libertat Ecclesiae statu Regni tom 3. Monarchiae Rom. p. 202. but refused their gold rejected their conditions and dismissed the Embassadours as witnesses of his faith to God his fidelitie and allegeance to his King and peaceable minde towards his Countrey Where you see this prudent and good Prince had rather patiently suffer these intolerable injuries that were offered both to himself to the inferiour Magistrates and to many other good Christians for his sake then any wayes undutifully resist the ordinance of God And surely this example is most acceptable unto God most wholsome for any Common-wealth and most honourable for any subordinate Prince for I am certain this is the faith of Christ and the religion of the true Protestants not to offer but to suffer all kinde of injuries and to render good for evill and rather with patience love and obedience to studie to gaine the favour of their Persecuters then any wayes with force and armes to withstand those that God hath placed in authority which must needs be not onely offensive unto God whose ordinance they do resist but also destructive to the Common-wealth which can never receive any benefit by any insurrection against the Prince 3. 3. Not for any tyranny that shall be offered unto us Though the King should prove to be Nerone Neronior worse then Phalaris and degenerating from all humanitie should prove a Tyrant to all his people yet his subjects may not rebell against him upon this pretence for if any cause should be admitted for which subjects might rebell that cause would be alwayes alledged by the Rebels whensoever they did rebell and whom I and many others should deeme a good Prince and most pious the Rebels would proclaim him tyrannicall and idolatrous And therefore in such a case The difference betwixt King and people to be determined onely by God when some men think their King most gratious and others think him vitious some beleeve him to be good others beleeve him to be evill shall we think it fit that the disaffected party shall presently with armes decide the controversie and not rather have the accused the accuser and the witnesses before a competent Judge to determine the truth of this question Surely this seems more reasonable and more agreeable
the publique good yet it is not good to do it because it can never stand with a good conscience because it is contrarie to the Commandement of God A threefold power in every Tyrant for in every Tyrant there is a threefold power and authority that doth concurre 1. Paternall 2 Conjugall 3 Herile and you know the law of God doth not permit the children to renounce their father nor which is lesse to laugh at their fathers nakednesse nor doth it suffer the wife to forsake her husband nor the servant to chastise his Lord and Master and therefore much lesse may the Subjects deprive their King from his Dominion and take from him what God hath given him or any wayes chastise him for his ill government whereof he is accomptable to God and not to them or if they might depose him or reduce him by their correction when he doth degenerate into a Tyrant yet seeing there are many kinds of Tyrannies I demand if the same reason shall serve to proceed against all kinds of tyrannie Punishment should be proportionable to the fault to the like condemnation of all tyrannous Kings and this every Sophister will deny for where the punishment is not preportionable to the fault the sentence is most unjust and the suppressours of the Tyrant doe shew the signes of a worse tyrannie and if there must be an adaequation of the punishment to the sinne I would know how they would distinguish to impose the just measure that is due to each kinde of tyranny But to leave the Rebels in this Labyrinth till they be better able to evade I say 3. Kindes or tyrannies that there are three speciall kindes of tyrannies 1. 1. Kinde Is against all humane right for his owne private commoditie to the publique losse and dammage of his Subjects as was the tyranny of Achab when he tooke away Naboths vineyard 1 Sam. 8. and of those Kings which Samuel doth describe 2. Violateth the divine Law 2. Kinde to the contumelie of the Creator as was the tyranny of Nebuchadnezzar when he would have forced the three children to adore his golden Image and of Jeroboam the sonne of Nebat that made Israel to sinne because he compelled them to goe to Dan and Bethel to adore his Calves and hindred them to goe to Hierusalem for to worship the true God 3. 3. Kinde Treadeth and trampleth under-foot both the divine and humane right to the utter overthrow of all pietie and justice as was the tyranny of Manasses Julian and others that regarded neither the worship of God nor the good of men And I doe confidently affirme that each one of these tyrannies apart or all of them coupled in one tyrant as well that which offereth violence unto God as that which bringeth calamitie and cruelty unto man ought to be suffered and not abolished antill he doth abrogate the same which alone looseth the belts of Kings and girdeth about their loynes as Job speaketh for you know the forenamed Tyrants and many more as bad or worse then they as Solomon himselfe that by his Oppression Polygamie and Idolatry had most grievously sinned both against God and man and yet all of them went on without either the diminution of their glory or the losse of their dominions These should be our patterns uulesse we have some new Revelations And Achab did most tyrannically kill Naboth and tooke away his Inheritance without Law as David did before kill Vrias a most innocent man and tooke away his Wife contrary to all Law which was death by their law to any other man and he exiled the Prophets was the death of many of them and he trampled downe the true Religion under his feete and by publique authority established the Idolatrous worship of Baal in every place and yet neither the inferiour Magistrates nor the greatest Peeres nor the consent of all the people durst presume contrary to the ordinance of God to depose or suppresse any of these tyrannous men If you alleadge Jehu Ob. I confesse indeed he did it when he conspired against Joram 2 Reg. 9. his own Lord and Master But how did he this Sol. By a power extraordinarily given him from Heaven as you may see in the 6. and 7. verses of that Chapter when the same was not permitted him by any lawes as Iezabell her self could tell him Had Zimripeace which slew his Master To whom he might have answered He breakes no Law that obeyeth the Commands of the Law-maker no more then the Israelites could be accused of Theft when they did rob the Aegyptians or Abraham of Murder if hee had killed Isaac but without this speciall command hee could not have done this extraordinary worke without sinne and therefore that which He could not doe then without the warrant of the heavenly Oracle cannot be done now by any other without the contempt of the Deitie Jebu's example not to be imitated the reproach of Majestie and aboundance of dammage to the Common-wealth And so not onely I but also Peter Martyr commenteth upon the place where he saith God stirred up and armed one onely Jehu against his Lord which fact as it is peculiar and singular so it is not to be drawne for any example for certainly if it might bee Lawsull for the people upon any pretence to expell their Kings and Governours though never so wicked and unjust from their Kingdomes and government no Kings or Princes could be safe in any place Pettus Martyr loc com class 4. loc 20. for though they should reigne never so justly and holily yet they should never satisfie the people but they would still accuse them of injustice and impietie that they might depose them And Bodinus in his Policie differeth not at all from this Divinity for he saith If the Prince be an absolute Soveraigne as are the Kings of France Spaine England Scotland Ethiopia Turkie Persia Muscovie and the like true Monarchs whose authoritie cannot be doubted and their chiese rule and governement cannot be imparted with their Subjects in this case it is not lawfull for any one apart nor for all together to conspire and attempt any thing either of fact or under the colour of right against the life or the honour of his Prince or Monarch yea though his Prince should commit all kinde of impietie and crueltie which the tongue of any man could expresse For as concerning the order of right the Subject hath no kinde of jurisdiction against his Prince from whom dependeth and proceedeth all the power and authoritie of commanding as they that rise against their King doe notwithstanding send out their warrants and commands in the Kings name and who not onely can recall all the facultie of judging and governing from his inferiour Magistrates whensoever he please Iohan Bodinus de repub l. 2. c. 5 but also being present all the power and jurisdiction of all his under Magistrates Corporations Colledges Orders
and Societies doe cease and are even then reduced into him from whom before they were derived But we finde it many times that not the fault of the Prince The true causes that move many men to disturbe the State and to rebell nor the good of the Common-wealth but either the hiding of their owne shame or the hope of some private gaine induceth many men to kindle and blow up the flames of civill discord for as Paterculus saith Itase res habet ut republicâ ruinâ quisque malit quà m suâ proteri It so falls out that men of desperate conditions that with Catiline have out-runne their fortunes and quite spent their estates had rather perish in a common calamstie which may hide the blemish of their sinking then to be exposed to the shame of a private misery and we know that many men are of such base behaviour that they care not what losse or calamity befalls others so they may inrich themselves Paterculus in Histor Roman so it was in the civill warres of Rome Bella non causis inita sed prout merce corum fuit they undertooke the same not upon the goodnesse of the cause but upon the hope of prey and so it is in most warres that avarice and desire of gaine makes way for all kinde of crueltie and oppression and then it is as it was among the Romans a fault enough to be wealthy and they shall be plundred that is in plaine English robbed of their goods and possessions without any shew of legall proceedings But they that build their owne houses out of the ruine of the State and make themselves rich by the impoverishing of their neighbours are like to have but small profit and lesse comfort in such rapine because there is a hidden curse that lurketh in it and their account shall be great which they must render for it Therefore I conclude this point that for no cause and upon no pretext it is lawfull for any Subject to rebell against his Soveraigne Governour for Moses had a cause of justice and a seeming equitie to desend and revenge his brother upon the Aegyptian And Saint Peter had the zeale of true Religion and as a man might thinke as great a reason as could be to defend his Master that was most innocent from most vile and base indignities and to free him from the hands of his most cruell persecutors August contra Faustum Man l. 22. c. 70. and yet as S. Augustine saith Vterque justitiae regulam excessit ille fraterno iste Dominico amore peccavit both of them exceeded the rule of justice and Moses out of his love to his brother and Saint Peter out of his respect to his Master have transgressed the commandement of God And therefore I hope all men will yeeld that what Moses could not doe for his brother nor Saint Peter for his Master and the Religion of his Master Christ that is to strike any one without lawfull authoritie ought not to be done by any other man for what cause or religion soever it be especially to make insurrection against his King contrary to all divine authoritie for the true Religion hath beene alwayes humble patient and the preserver of peace and quietnesse Pro temporali salute non pugnavit sed potius ut obtineret aeternam non repugnavit Aug. de Civit. l. 22. c. 6. and as S. Augustine saith the Citie of God though it wandered never so much on earth and had many troopes of mighty people yet for their temporall safety they would not fight against their impious persecuters but rather suffered without resistance that they might attain unto eternall health And so I end this first part of the objection with that Decree of the Councell of Eliberis if any man shall break the Idols to pieces and shall be there killed for the doing of it because it is not written in the Gospel Concil Eliber Can. 60. and the like fact is not found to be done at any time by the Apostles it pleased the Councell that he shall not be received into the number of Martyrs because contrary to the practise of our dayes when every base mechanick runs to the Church to break down not Heathen Idols but the Pictures of the blessed Saints out of the windows they conceived it unlawfull for any man to pull down Idolatry except he had a lawfull authority CHAP. VI. Sheweth that neither private men nor the subordinate Magistrates 2. Part of the objection answered No kinde of men ought to rebell 1. Not private men Calv Inst l. 4 c. 20. Sect. 31. Beza Confess c. 5. p. 171. I. Brutus q 3. pa. 203. Dan. de Polit. Christ. l. 6. c. 3. Bucan loc com 49. Sect. 76. nor the greatest Peeres of the Kingdome may take armes and make Warre against their King Buchanans mistake discovered and the Anti-Cavalier confuted 2. AS it is not lawfull for any cause so no more is it lawfull for any one or for any degree calling or kind of men to rebell against their lawfull Governours For 1. Touching private men we finde that Calvin Beza Junius Brutus Danaeus Buchanus and most others yeeld that meere private men ought not to rebell at any hand and no wonder for the Scriptures forbid it flatly as Exod. 22.28 Revile not the Gods curse not the Ruler 1 Chron. 16.22 Touch not mine anointed Proverb 30.31 Rise not up against the King that is to resist him Eccles 8.3 Let no man say to the King Why doest thou so Eccles 10.17 Curse not the King in thy thought The examples of obedience to Kings And the examples of obedience in this kinde are innumerable and most remarkable for David when he had Saul a wicked King guilty of all impiety and cruelty in his owne hand yet would he not lay his hand upon the Lords annoynted but was troubled in conscience when he did but cut the lap of his garment Elias could call for fire from Heaven to burne the two Captains and their men a hundred in number onely for desiring him to come down unto the King as you may see 2. Reg. 1.10.12 and yet he would not resist Achab his King that sought his life and was an enemy to all Religion but he rather fled then desired any revenge or perswaded any man to rebell against him Esayas was sawed in pieces by Manasses Jeremy was cast into the Dungeon Daniel exposed to the Lyons the Three Children thrown into the Fiery Furnace Amos thrust through the temples Zacharias slaine in the porch of the Temple James killed with the sword Peter fastened to the Crosse with his head downward Bartholomew beaten to death with Clubs Matthew beheaded Paul slaine with the Sword and all the glorious company of the Martyrs which have ennobled the Church with their innocent life and inlarged the same by their pretious death never resisted any of their Persecuters never perswaded any man to rebell against them never cursed the
to be the true high Priest I would not have spoken what I did because I know the Law of God obligeth me to be obedient to him that God hath placed over me be he good or bad for it is Gods institution Bad Kings to be obeyed as well as the good and not the Governours condition that tyeth me to mine obedience so you see the minde of the Apostle he knew the Priesthood was abolished and that he was not the lawfull high Priest therefore he saith God shall smite thee thou whited wall But if hee had knowne and beleeved him to be the true and lawfull high Priest which God had placed over him he would never have said so had the Priest beene never so wicked because the Law saith Thou shalt not revile thy Ruler but for private robbers or forreigne Tyrants God hath not placed them over us nor commanded us to obey them neither have they any right by any law but the law of strength to exact any thing from us and therefore we are obliged by no law to yeeld obedience unto them neither are we hindred by any necessity either of rule or subjection but that we may lawfully repell all the injuries that they offer unto us 3. 3. Example answered For the peoples hindering of King Saul to put his sonne Ionathan to death I say that they freed him from his fathers vow non armis sed precibus not with their weapons but by their prayers Saul was contented to bee perswaded to spare his sonne when they appealed unto himselfe and his own conscience before the living God and perswaded him that setting aside his rash vow he would have regnard unto justice and consider whether it was right that hee should suffer the least dammage who following God had wrought so great a deliverance unto the people as Tremelius and Iunius in their Annotations doe observe And Saint Gregory saith Gregor in 1 Reg. 4. The people freed Ionathan that he should not die when the King overcome by the instance of the people spared his life which no doubt hee was not very earnest to take away from so good a sonne 4. 4. Example answered Touching Ahikam that was a prime Magistrate under King Iehoiakim I say that he defended the Prophet not from the tyrannie of the King but from the fury of the people for so the Text saith Jer. 26.4 The hand of Ahikam that is saith Tremelius the authority and the helpe of Ahikam was with Ieremy that They that is his enemies should not give him into the hands of the people which sought his life to put him to death because Ahikam had beene a long while Councellour unto the King and was therefore very powerfull in credit authority with him The act of Ahikam no colour for Rebellion And you know there is a great deal of difference betwixt the refraining of a tumultuous people by the authority of the King and a tumultuous insurrection against the King that was the part of a good man and a faithfull Magistrate as Ahikam did this of an enemy and a false Traytor as the opposers of Kings use to doe 5. 5. Example answered For the defection and revolting of the ten Tribes from Rehoboam their own naturall lawfull King unto a fugitive and a man of servile condition and for the Edomites Libnites and others 2 Chron. 21. that revolted against King Ioram and that conspiracie which was made in Ierusalem against Amazia 2 Reg. 14.19 I answer briefely that the Scriptures doe herein as they doe in many other places set downe Rei geste veritatem non facti aequitatem the truth of things how they were done not the equity of things that they were rightly done Actions commanded to bee done are not to bee imitated by us unlesse wee bee sure of the like commandement and therefore Non ideo quia factum legimus faciendum credamus ne violemus praeceptam dum sectamur exemplum we must not beleeve it ought to be done because we reade that it was done lest we violate the commandement of God by following the example of men as Saint Augustine speaketh for though Ioseph sware by the life of Pharaoh the Midwives lyed unto the King and the Israelites robbed the Egyptians and sinned not therein yet we have no warrant without sinne to follow their examples Besides God himselfe had fore-told the defection of the ten Tribes for the sinne of Solomon and he being Lord proprietary of all his donation transferreth a full right to him on whom he bestowes it and this made Shemaiah the man of God God is the right owner of all things and therefore may justly dispose any Kingdom to warn Rehoboam not to fight against his brethren for as when God commanded Abraham to kill his sonne it was a laudable obedience and no murder to have done it and when he commanded the Israelites to rob the Egyptians it was no breach of the eight Commandment so this revolt of these Tribes if done in obedience unto God could be no offence against the law of God but because they regarded not so much the fulfilling of Gods will as their not being eased of their grievances and the fear of the weight of Rohoboams finger which moved them to this rebellion I can no waies justifie their action and though God by this rent did most justly revenge the sinne of Salomon and paid for the folly of Rehoboam yet this doth no waies excuse them from this rebellion because they revolted not with any right aspect and therefore it is worth our observation that the consequences which attended this defection was a present falling a way from the true God into Idolatry and not long after to be led into an endlesse captivity which is a fearfull example to see how suddenly men do fall away from God and from their true Religion after they have rebelled against their lawfull King and how to avoid imaginary grievance they do often fall into a reall bondage and so leap out of the frying pan into the fire And for the Edomites they were not Israelites that led their lives by the law of God neither can any man excuse the conspirators against Amazia from the tranlgression of the law of God 6. For Vzziah that was taken with a grievous sicknesse 6. Example answered so that he could not be present at the publick affaires of the Kingdome I say that according to the law by reason of the contagion of his disease he was rightly removed from the Court and concourse of people and his son in the mean time placed in his fathers stead to administer and dispose the Common-wealth but he in all that while like a good son did neither affect the name nor assume the title of a King 7. For the deposing of Athalia 7. Example answered I see nothing contrary to equity because she was not the right Prince but an unjust Vsurper of the
Crown and therefore Jehoida the chiefe Priest having gathered together the principall Peers of the Kingdome and the Centurions and the rest of the people shewed them the Kings son whom for six yeares space he had preserved alive from the rage and fury of Athalia which had slain all the rest of the Kings seed and when they saw him they did all acknowledge him for the Kings son they crowned him King and he being crowned they joyfully cryed God save the King and then by the authority of the new crowned king that was the right heire unto the Kingdome they put to death the cruell Queen that had so tyrannically slain the Kings children and so unjustly usurped the Crowne all that while And therefore to alledge this example so justly done to justifie an insurrection contrary to justice doth carry but a little shew of reason And I say the like of the Macchabees and Antiochus that neither he nor any other Macedonian Tyrant had any right over them but they were unjust usurpers that held the Jewes under them in ore gladii with the edge of their swords and were not their lawfull Kings whom they ought to obey and therefore no reason but that they might justly free themselves with their swords that were kept in bondage by no other right then the strength of the sword 8. 8. Example answered For the example of Thrasibulus Junius Brutus and other Romans or whosoever that for their faults have deposed their Kings Examples not to be imitated I answer with Saint Augustine that Exemplo paucorum not sunt trahenda in legem universorum we have no warrant to imitate these examples for though these things were done yet we say they were done by Heathens that knew not God and unjustly done contrary to the law of God and therefore with no blessing from God with no good successe unto themselves and with lesse happinesse unto others but it happened to them as to all others that do the like to expelle mischiefe and to admit a greater as besides what I have shewed you before this one most memorable example out of our owne Histories doth make it plaine In the time of Richard the second the Nobility and Gentry murmured much against his government in brief they deposed him The ill successe of resisting our superiours and set the Crown upon the head of the Duke of Lancasher whom they created King Henry the fourth The good Bishop of Carlile made a bold and excellent speech to prove that they could not by any law of God or man depose or dispossesse their lawfull King or if they deposed him that they had no right to make the Duke of Lancaster to succeed him but he good man for his paines was served as S. Paul and others were many times for speaking the truth committed to prison and there was an end of him but not an end of the story for the many battels and bloodshed the miseries and mischiefes that this one unjust and unfaithfull act produced had never any period never an end till that well nigh an hundred thousand English men were slaine in civill warres Trussel in his supplement to Damels History whereof 2 were Kings 1 Prince 10 Dukes 2 Marquesses 21 Earles 27 Lords 2 Viscounts 1 Lord Prior 1 Judge 139 Knights 421 Esquires and Gentlemen of great and ancient Families a far greater number a just revenge for an unjust extrusion of their lawfull King whose greatest misery came from his great mildnesse And therefore these things being well weighed in the the ballance of the Sanctuary in the scales of true wisedome it had been better for them as it wil be for us all others patiently to suffer the crosse that shall be laid upon us untill that by our prayers we can prevail with God that for our sins hath sent it in mercy to remove it then for our selves to pluck our necks out of the coller and in a froward disobedience to pull the house as Sampson did upon our own heads and like impatient fishes to leap out of the frying-pan into the fire All the pressures that wee have suffered since the first yeare of our King are not comparable to the miseries that this one yeares civill warre hath brought upon us from hard usage that we impatiently conceived to most base and cruell bondage that we have deservedly merited or at the best to bring many men to many miseries before we can attain unto any happinesse and so as the Poet saith in this very case among the Romanes when for their liberty and priviledges as they termed it in Pompeyes time Excessit medicina modum the remedy that they procured hath proved farre worse then the disease they suffered and I doubt not but ere long the Rebels in this Kingdome will feelingly confesse this to bee too true when they shal more deeply taste of the like miseries as they have brought as well upon many of their own friends as others If you alledge the time of Richard the third how soone he was removed and how happily it came to passe that Henry the seventh succeeded I answer briefly that Richard the third was not only a cruel bloody Tyrant but he was also an unjust Usurper of the crown and not the right King of England and that there is a great deal of difference betwixt rebelling against our lawfull Kings which God hath justly placed over us and expelling an usurping tyrant which hath unjustly intruded himselfe into the royall throne This God often hath blessed as in the case of Eglon Athalia Henry the seventh and many more which you may obviously finde both in the Greek and Romane stories and the other he alwayes cursed and will plague it whensoever it is attempted Object After I had answered these objections I lighted upon one more which is taken out of 2 King 6.32 where the Objector saith when Ahab sent a Cavalier a man of blood to take away the Prophet Elisha's head as he sate in his house among the Elders did Elisha open his doore for him sit still til he took off his head in obedience to the King No he bestirred himselfe for the safeguard of his life and called upon others to stand by him to assist him and a little after he saith surely he that went thus farre for the safety of his life when he was but in danger to be assaulted would have gone further if occasion had been and in case the Kings Butcher had got into him before the doore had been shut if he had been able and had had no other means to have saved his own head but by taking away the others there is little question to be made but he would rather have taken then given a head in this case I answer Sol. that who this Goodwin is I know not I could wish he were none of the Tribe of Levi The Ministers of Chist should not be incendiaries of waite 1. Because I finde him such an
as Moses the meekest man on earth and the Bishops as holy as Aaron the Saint of the Lord yet such disobedience and rebellion would anger Saints Tirinus in h. psal for so Tirinus saith Irritaverunt they angred Moses in their Tents and Aaron the Saint of the Lord Nay more then this they angred God himselfe so farre that fire was kindled in his wrath and it burned to the bottome of hell And as these rebels were Lords and Levites Clergy and Laity so God did proportion their punishments according to their sinnes for the Levites that were to kindle fire upon Gods Altar and should have beene more heavenly and those 250 men which userped the Office of the Priests He sent fire from heaven to devour them and the Nobility that were Lay Lords the Prophet tels you the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan and covered the Congregation of Abiram A most fearfull example of a just judgment for to have seene them de ad upon the earth as the Egiptians upon the shore had beene very lamentable but to see the earth opening and the graves devouring them quick was most lamertable and so strange that we never read of such revenge taken of Israel Basiil hom 9. never any better deserved and which is more S. Basil saith quod descenderunt in infernum damnatorum they fell into the very pit of the damned which dolefull judgement though they well deserved it yet I will leave that undetermined And if these rebels proceeding not so farre whatsover they intended to offer violence and to make an open war against Moses were so heavily plagued for the Embrio of their rebellion what tongue shall be able to expresse the detestation of that sinne and the deserts of those rebels that by their subtilty and cruelty would bring a greater persecution upon the Church then any that we read since the time of Christ and by a desperate disobedience to a most Gratious King would utterly overthrow a most flourishing State a rebellion and persecution the one against the King the other against the Church that in all respects can scarce be paralleled from the beginning of the world to this very day And therefore except they doe speedily repent with that measure of repentance as shall be in some sort proportionable to the measure of their transgression I feare God in justice will deale with them as he did with the Jewes 2. Chron. 36.17 deliver them into the hand of their Enemies that will have no compassion upon young man or maiden old man or him that stoopeth for age or rather as he did with Pharaoh King of Egypt deliver them up to a reprobate sense and harden their hearts that they cannot repent but in their folly and obstinacie still to fight against Heaven untill the God of heaven shall overthrow them with a most fearefull destruction the which I pray God they may foresee in time and repent that they may prevent it that God may be still mercifull unto us as he useth to be to those that love his Name And so much for the words of this Text. Now to Apply all in briefe if God shall say to any Nation The application of all I will send them a King in my wrath and give them Lawes not good let them take heed they say not we will take him away by our strength for we have read that hee hath authority to give us a King in his displeasure but you shall never read that we have authority to disobey him at our pleasure and to say Nolumus hunc regnare super nos or if any do let them know that he which set him up and setled him over them is able to protect him against them they that struggle against him do but strive against God and therefore they have no better remedie then to pray to God which hath the hearts of Kings in his hand that he would as the Psalmist saith Give the King his judgements and his righteousnesse unto the Kings Son that he would either guide his heart to right and direct his feete to the way of peace or as he hath sent him in his fury so hee would take him away in his mercy But for our selves of these Ilands we have a King and I speak it here in the sight of God and as I shall answer for what I say at the dreadfull judgement not to flatter him that heares mee not but to informe those of you that know him not so well as I that had the happinesse to live with my ever honoured Lord the Noble Earle of Pembroke and Montgomery 16. or 17. yeares in the Kings house and of them 6. or 7. yeares in the Kings service He is a most just pious and gracious King and I beleeve the best Protestant King that ever England or Ireland saw neither Popishly affected nor Scismatically led to disaffect but most constantly resolved to be a true Defender of that true Protestant Faith which is established by Law in the Church of England and he is such a King of so unblameable life so spotlesse in all his actions so clement and so meeke towards all men and so mercifull towards his very enemies that the mouth of Envie cannot truly tax him nor malice it selfe disprove him in any thing Yet wee know that as Moses the meekest among men and David the best of Kings were sore afflicted slandered and persecuted not a little by many of their owne obliged subjects yea and the best Kings have had the greatest troubles so this good King hath had for his tryall a great part of the like usage I know not by whom neither do I indend here to accuse others but to instruct you and by what I shewed out of this text to teach you above all to take heed of disobedience and Rebellion towards your King and to let you understand that what priviledges in the New Test are acknowledged to be due to Heathen Princes and what prerogatives the spirit of God hath in the Old Testament warranted unto the Jewish Kings and what the universall Law of Nature hath established upon all the supreme Governours do all of them appertaine by unquestionable right unto his most sacred Majesty and yet his Majesty out of His incomparable goodnesse insisteth not to challenge all these but vouchsafeth to accept of these rights and prerogatives which are undoubtedly afforded him by the Lawes of His own Lands and these come far short scarce the moity of the other because we know if our Historians have not deceived mee how many of them were obtained by little better then by force and violence compelling Kings to consent unto them whereas Lawes should be of a freer nature And therefore of all the Nations round about us besides that God hath intrusted Him with us all wee have most reason to entrust him and to give credit unto His Majesties many protestations too high to be forgotten by him or misdoubted by us for His resolution to