rehearsall of ensamples of extraordinary punishments execute by God against such aswell mentioned in the Scriptures as by profane writers and Histories And finallie to speake of the blessing of the Lorde bestowed vpon them who did advance his seruice and contribute liberallie of their substance for the vp-holding and furthering thereof So that our exhortation may tende if not to prouoke others to the like liberalitie at least to mooue them to absteine from such vngodly dealing as to abstract and greedely apply to their owne profite particular vses that which hes bene giuen of others of good zeale euen in the time of ignorance to vp-hold the seruice of God so fa◅ as the giuers thereof then vnderstoode The Lord graunt that our proceedings may be to his glorie and that his worde may fructifie in our hearts To begin then to explaine what wee cal Sacrilege I finde the worde taken diuerse waies by writers For because the crime properly called Sacrilege is odious commonly all haynous offences committed against publicke Lawes of God or man are named Sacrilegious As the Poet calles them Sacrilegious handes that murthered CA◅SAR The practises of Sorcerers and harlots are called Sacriligeous artes In like maner the violence done to Parents Magistrates or their lawes and generally all things that ingender publick infamy or slander may bee so denominate in detestation of the committers thereof But Sacrilege properly taken hath respect vnto God and offenses done against his divine majestie either by blaspheming or profanation of his holy name or by ascribing his glorie to creatures or by contempte of his seruice or religion or by abusing of thinges dedicate to the maintenance thereof or turning the same to profane vses And in summe it comprehendeth al robberie or stealing of holy things as the worde it selfe by interpretation beares Trueth it is that commonly among the Gentiles who ascribed all the Majestie and honour of their Gods vnto Idoles the name of Sacrilege was appropriate to that which was robbed from their Idols or taken from their Temples wherinto certaine vaine and superstitious ceremonie◅ they placed their whole Religion As the Papistes following the like superstition commonly count no other Sacrilege but the robbing of their relicques other rich apparrell of their Temples and Idols But indeed it is easie to prooue by the Scriptures and also by best approoued laws of men that which is properly to be counted Sacrilege to be more largely extended then to such a narrow compasse For besides things immediatly done against the honor majestie of God whereof I cease nowe to speake I finde Sacrilege may be defined to comprehend conteine vnder it also all robberie or vnlawfull intrometting bying or selling of holy things as by the ensamples and testimonies following may be euidently prouen For it is not to be doubted but ACHAN in the dayes of IOSVA thiefteously medling with the excommunicate spoile of Iericho committed thereby detestable Sacrilege as the punishment execute against him did declare Al-be-it these thinges were not taken out of any materiall Temple Likewise HOPHNI PHINEAS sonnes of HELI the Priest who spoyled and refte from the people the Ram-flesh of the sacrifices before the fat was offred vnto the Lorde according to the Law cannot be excused of haynous Sacrilege The like is to be esteemed of the people whome the Prophet MALACHIE rebuked for defrauding of the Lord and spoyling him of his teindes offrings for the which cause hee pronounceth them accursed And in the New Testament were not ANANIAS SAPPHIRA guilty of the sacrilege defrauding and stealing from the Apostolicall Kirk the just price of the fielde solde by them Their suddane exterminion to death by the mouth of PETER doth beare witnesse And would not SIMON the Sorcerer by bying the gifts of the holy Ghost haue committed execrable Sacrilege For the which PETER threatned him with vtter destruction So Sacrilege wee see may be committed many waies although no materiall Temples be robbed or spoyled In the ciuill lawes also set out by Christian Emperours it is not onely counted Sacrilege if any man do violence or injurie vnto Priestes or ministers of God which kinde of sacrilege is ouer-rife also in our daies or to diuine seruice or place wher it is ministred but also generally if any breake Gods holy law and in special whosoeuer of knowledge toucheth or taketh things destinat to religious vses and maketh no scruple to buy or sell or with-draw the same any way are said in these lawes to haue fallen in crimen laesae religionis which is Sacrilege Now if any man would demand what be those holy things or how far be they extended whereof we account the intrometting to be Sacrilegious I answer according to the Scriptures All things separate from the common vse of men whether it be man or beast or lande of inheritance together with all the teinds of the landes and other things destinate for holy vses are saide to bee most holy vnto the Lord as is expressely conteined in the last Chapter of Leuiticus And a little before it is said nothing that any man doth dedicate vnto the Lorde of ought that he hath be it man or beast or land of his possession may be sould or analyed And if a man would redeeme any thereof hee should adde a fift part thereunto So that he may not lawfully diminish any of that thing which hath bin dedicate to an holy vse As also by the sacred cōstitutiones of Emperours Princes such things cannot be annalied nor ingaged vnlesse it be in great necessitie as for the relief of the poore or captiues for al these holy things are said to be in no mans possession but to appertein to God his right So vnder the name of holy thinges are to be included first all thinges that bee holy of their owne nature as are the spirituall giftes of God bestowed vpon his Kirke which SIMON the sorcerer would haue bought And generallie whatsoeuer perteineth immediatly to the glory and honour of Gods holy Majestie Of the which sorte are the holy Scriptures and doctrine conteined therein the which to violate is most haynous Sacrilege so as IOHN testifieth in the end of the Revelation whosoeuer adde anie thing thereto God shall adde against him the plagues written in the booke whosoeuer taketh any thing there-fra God shal take rase out his name out of the book of life From the which kinde of Sacrilege the Papistes of our daies cannot bee excused who haue falsifyed the writings of the auncient Fathers exponing the Scriptures either by fathering vpō them such works as they neuer writ or by adding altering or diminishing their sayings to foster mainteine corrupt doctrine And namely by that Treatise lately come to light which they cal Index expurgatorius wherin they note all such places as make against their superstition and will haue all Imprenters of bookes whom they may commande to delete and
Throne and taking his hearte from him For hee was driven from amongste men and his hearte made like to the hearte of a beaste And hauing his dwelling among the Wilde beastes he eate grasse like an Oxe His bodie was vvette vvith the devve of Heauen till his haire grew like the Eagles fethers and his nayles like the foules clawes vnto the time that he knew the most highest to beare rule ouer the Kingdomes of men and to giue them to whom he will And yet his Sonne or rather Nephew ◅ BELTSASER did not humble himselfe knowing al these things but becomming worse then any his predecessors lifted vp his heart against the Lorde of Heauen brought forth the vessels of the Lords house before him in his banket and he and his Princes his wiues and Concubins drank wine therein and praysed their Idols and Gods of Golde and Silver Brasse Woodde and Stone And glorifyed not the God in whose hand his breath and all his waies were Therefore the Lord sent foorth the palme of an hande and wrote against him vpon the wall declaring the destruction of him and his Kingdome which came to passe that same night For hee was slaine and his Kingdome translated to an other Nation As the whole Historie at length beares record In the book of Machabees also which albeit they be not Canonical Scriptures it may serue for record of trueth there is a notable historie of HELIODORVS Thesaurer to king SELEVCVS who hauing sente to spoyle the Temple of Ierusalem of the Thesaurarie being therein whereof a great parte perteined to the vviddowes and fatherlesse was miraculously smitten by the hande of God as hee was about to take away the money put therein and was there left for dead till by the prayer of ONIAS the high Priest he becomming penitent was restored to his health And being returned to his Maister the king demaunding who should be meete to sende againe for that purpose Answered if the king had any enemy or euill-willer to send him For he should receiue him againe wel whipped and beaten if he escape with his life Because the power of God was truely in that place and hee that dwelled in heauen would be revenged vpon them who did invade his house In the same bookes wee haue recited the miserable ende of King ANTIOCHVS who after he had sacrilegiously spoyled the temple of Ierusalē passed in Persia and preassing also to commit Sa◅vilege in the Cietie of Persepolis was ignominiously driuen back threatning to returne to ludea mak Ierusalem a barial place of the Iewes was brought to extreame diseases so that worms issued out of his body and his seruantes could not abide the vyle sture of his Carcase and so perished most miserable The third example we haue also written of certain souldiers of IVDAS MACCHA◅EYS who were slaine in a battle against Gorgias Gouernour of Iamnea vnder whose coates were ◅ounde Iewelles of the Iamnites which thing was forbidden by the Lawe So euery man sav◅ sayth the Historie that this was the cause wherefore they were slayne Whereupon Iudas exhorted the reste o◅ his armie to keepe themselues from such kinde of sinne because they saw that example before their eyes I adde hereunto that which is writren by IOSEPHVS of certaine Romane Governours namely Crassus and Pompeius of whome the former going to warre against the Parthians by the way spoyled the Temple of Ierusalem and tooke thence amongst other thinges a golden piller of 150. poundes weighte brake it in peeces and payed the souldiers wages therwith afterward he fought against the Parthians but with such vnhappy succes that it was counted one of the greatest misfortunes losse that the Romaines receiued For his Sonne was slaine with many Legiones of the Romane Chilvalrie and he himselfe being takē prisoner fearing the enemies cruelt◅e was his own murtherer by thrusting in his eye the ryding wande wherewith he beate his Horse his head his right-hand being thereafter cut off the barbarous people powred molten gold in his mouth because hee so inordinatly thyrsted af◅ed golde in his life time The other Pompeius the great by name being otherwise one of the most noble Senators and valiant Romanes in his daies had no better successe after th◅t he likewise had spoyled the Temple of the God of heauen in Ierusalem for he his armie although being of a greater multitud◅ wer discomfited by Iulius Cesar at that moste famous battle of Pharsalia And himselfe shortly thereafter murthered by young Ptoleme King of A Egypt The contrarie fell foorth to ALEXANDER the great who passing forward to his warres in Asia and comming to Ierusalem by the way spoyled not the Temple of the Lord but did great honour thereto to IADDVA the hie Prierst granting to the Nation of the Iewes libertie to liue after their owne lawes and for the space of seuen yeares they should be free from all kinde of tribute And hee thereafter had a most prosperous successe in all his interprises I may for this purpose produce many other examples out of profane writers Of the which for shortnesse of time I will onely collect and touche compendiously some of the principals There is a famous reporte and past in a Prouerbe of the golde of Tholose Which Q. SCIPIO and his souldiars spoyled from the temples of that Citie howe they therafter come to a miserable ouer-throwe XERXES king of Persia invading Greece with an innumerable army was shamefully driuen back who sent as the historie reporteth 400. souldiars to Delphus to spoyle the Temple of Apollo who were destroyed with thunder and Tempest Q. FVLVIVS FLACCVS a Censour of Rome as VALERIVS MAXIMVS writeth toke the pillers of the Temple of Iuno out of the Cittie of Locris placed them in his owne house but he fel thereafter in a phrensie and so still continued And finally hearing tel of his three Sons whereof one being dead another was grieuously sick he died miserably wherwith the Senate being mooved decreed to send these Pillars againe to their own place Of this and such things it appeares to haue past in a common Proverbe and saying amongst the Romanes that they desired no more harme to their enemies then to haue the stones of a Temple builded in their house Plemmenius likewise a Romane Legate hauing spoyled the Temple of Proserpina in Locris as hee carryed the spoyle in his ships they were casten and broken on the sea ◅ands and the spoyle founde restored againe to the Temple Plemmenius himselfe neuer prospered thereafter But being driuen from Italie to Greece dyed a shamefull death The like thing also we reade of Pyrrhus And concerning Brennus an aunciente king of the Gaules how he with his souldiers going to spoyle the Temple of Delphos the most parte of his armie was destroyed with an earth-quake himselfe so smitten that for sorrow he killed himself But men may say why produce I these ēnsamples of spoyling of Idols Idolatrous temples Seeing
omitte all such sentences as they haue thought meete to be razed out of these workes Of this sorte are also they who apply the Scriptures to vngodly and profane vses as to diuilish sorcerie charmes or to Idolatrie or profane jesting and mockage In this firste ranke also are to be counted the Sacraments of Christ annexed to the worde which in like manner haue bene corrupted by the Papistes ministring them without doctrine and adding thereto many superstitious rites of their owne inuentions Nexte in the second order of Sacrilege wee place the violence done to the Ministers of God either in their bodies or in their office who are called holy in respect of their function For albeit al the faithful be called the Saints or holy ones of the Lord and who toucheth them toucheth the apple of his eye as the Prophete speaketh yet of the Prophets and 〈◊〉 in special it is saide Touch not 〈◊〉 â—…ted and doe my Prophets 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So they that invade or huit theÌ„ in theiâ—… persons especially for the holy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are culpable of great sacrilege 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they be worthy of the titles of 〈◊〉 and ministers and do the duâ—…y â—…ning to that charge For they are ane chiefe parte of the Holie Temple of God which may be highly violated if violence be done to them in their persons or in their office In the third roome are to be placed things dedicate to the holy seruice of GOD for maintenance thereof such as are the Teindes Landes and possessiones appoynted for that vse For although they of themselues in their owne nature may bee counted commoun and profane like to others earthlie possessiones yet in so farre as they are annexed to holy vses and can not bee separate with-out the decaye thereof they may well bee called and ought to bee repute holy So it may bee well concluded that who-so-euer invade or vsurpe vnlawfully any of such holy thinges therein committes Sacrilege Concerning the which Sacrilege because it is most common in this Land and yet holden by many no great sinne but rather a lawfull conquest to appropriate such thinges to mennes priuate vses I minde specially to inciste and make some large discourse not onelie in this dayes Sermon but if God graunte me hability the two Sabboth-daies hereafter following To enter then to speake more particularlie of this laste kinde of Sacrilege I finde it to bee diuided in the auncient Cannons in three sorts to witte when thinges called holie either are taken out of an holie place or holy thinges out of a profane place or thinges not holy out of an holy place Al-be-it some Ciuill Lawes call it not Sacrilege but thieft to take priuate mennes goodes out of a Sanctuarie or holie place Alwaies to speake according to the Scriptures wee may gather by examples thereof all these three kindes to bee counted as Sacrilege For al-be-it the name of Sacrilege be rarely founde in the Bible and peraduenture not expressed in all the Olde Testamente yet it is alike if we finde the equivalente thereof as when medling with Holie or Excommunicate thinges is called in Hebrew Hherem or spoyling of GOD for the which hee pronounceth a curse vpon the dooers thereof As when NEBVCHADNETZAR spoyled the holy vessels and other plenishing out of the Temple of God in Ierusalem al-be-it that plague come of the Lord yet no doubte he committed a great sacrilege by taking of these holy things out of an holy place Which made CYRVS although he was an Heathen King hauing some sponke of Religion to send these vesselles againe to the house of God Also to prooue it to be Sacrilege to take away holy things al-be-it not out of an holy place or Sanctuarie the ensamples before adduced sufficiently prooue As to the thirde the treasures layde vp in the Temple of Ierusalem by priuate persons and taken away first by IOAS King of Israell and thereafter invaded by HELIODORVS at commandement of king SELEVCVS no man can say but both the on and the other were mooued with a sacrilegeous greede to apply the same to their owne commoditie The plague wherewith HELIODORVS was smitten may well ratifie it to be trueth But as to these two sortes of sacrilege to wit to robbe take away holy things out of an holy place or vnholy things out of an holy place we need not in this corruptage to vexe our selfs much therwith For who wil now commit any treasures to be kept in Kirkes seeing the most part of them be as open as the Kirk-stile as wee vse to speake And to robbe any thing out of them it will not in-rich the sacrilegious vnlesse it bee some poore thiefe for necessitie to rob a peece of a benke or window-bands or such trifles Therefore it is the second kinde of Sacrilege that we haue to intreate of concerning the rich sacrilegious thieues who meddle not with small matters but with landes teindes and great possessions not regarding in what place things dedicate to the holy seruice of God be founde so they may catch apprehend them And first this I gather for a good ground vpoÌ„ that which hath bin already spoken that al they who appropriat to their own priuate vses the patrimonie and rents of the Kirk defrauding thereby disappointing the Ministrie the schooles and the poore of that which should justlye perteine to them are to be holden sacrilegious And consequently that there be mo sacrilegious in Scotland considering the quantitie and reuenues thereof then in any other countrie that hath embraced the true light of the Gospell of Iesus Christ. Whereof almost all men amongst vs will bee called professours but in that poynte not a fewe number are become transgressoures Then to compare time with time our estate with the estate of the people of the Iewes wee may vnderstande and perceiue as in the daies of PAVLL when he wrote this Epistle the Iewish people were ridde of externall Idolatrie hauing their Temple purged froÌ„ the pollution of the Gentiles hauing liberty graunted vnto them to vse and exercise their Religion So hes the Lord deliuered vs of his mercie from the Papisticall Idolatrie our Temples from their superstition yea and freede vs from the tyranny of them that helde vs in the thraldome of conscience Yea I say our estate hath bene far better in this behalfe then that of the Iewes For as to them although they had an outward face of Religion purged from externall Idolatrie yet the doctrine of God his law was in many chief points corrupted by false and wrong wresting and exponing thereof by the Scribes Pharisees and others pretending themselues to be Doctors thereof Whereas praise be to God since the first reformaof religion amongst vs the poore doctrine of the Gospel hath bene continued in ane estate without anye substantiall poynte of errour with discipline agreeing thereunto And whatsoeuer hath bin cast in by Satan to disturbe the same the Lorde hath not suffred