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A02862 A reporte of a discourse concerning supreme power in affaires of religion Manifesting that this power is a right of regalitie, inseparably annexed to the soueraigntie of euery state: and that it is a thing both extreamely dangerous, and contrarie to the vse of all auncient empires and commonwealths, to acknowledge the same in a forraine prince. Hayward, John, Sir, 1564?-1627. 1606 (1606) STC 13001; ESTC S116592 39,799 62

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iudgements to correct his lawes to restraine or constraine him at pleasure and with case Religion is seated within the soule and conscience of man and is a most potent ruler of the same The life saith Plinie consisteth in religion If then the consciences of a people be commanded by a stranger if their soules be subiect to a forraine power if their liues be at the seruice of an external Prince it is but a weake but a dead dominion which the naturall Prince shall hold ouer their bodies That Prince whose subiects soules are in subiection to a stranger for matters of religion shall neither preuaile more against his enemies nor beare greater authoritie amongst his owne people then that stranger shall limit him leaue All men of themselues are moued with religion but when they are also thrust on by those who make it their purchase as Liuie speaketh to possesse soules with superstition then doe they not inconsideratly only but in a wild furie runne and rush vpon most desperate aduentures The multitude saith Curtius being weake fierce and mutable when it is once possessed with vaine religion is more obedient to their Priests then to their Commander or Prince Diodorus Siculus hath a memorable Historie concerning this point of the Priests of Iupiter in the Iland Meroe enuironed with the riuer Niliu who held the people of Aethiopia in so superstitious dependancie vpon them that they would send to them at pleasure and giue in charge the slaughter of their Kings no man making offer either to deny or to delay their cruell command vntill Ergamenes a King of Aethiopia suddenly surprised and slew them all whereby both their office and authority did surcease Florus writeth that Eunus a slaue counterfeiting a fanaticall furie and pretending some diuine inspiration was able to see 60. thousand armed men in the face of the Romans euen in the principal time of their policie and strength being then hardlie able to deliuer Sicilia frō his subiection Iosephus reporteth of an Aegyptian in the time of the Emperour Claudius who bearing himselfe to be a Prophet vnder that pretext adioined 30. thousand men vnto him in the country of Iudea with whom he maintained head against the forces of the Romans Tacitus writeth the like of Maricus who giuing forth that he was the God and deliuerer of Gallia drew 8. thousand men vnto him with whom he attempted against the Romane garrisons One of our late writers reporteth that because in one chapter of the Alcoron all the Musulman Princes are forbidden to call themselues Lords except their Caliph or great Vicar of their Prophet Muhamed by colour thereof the Mahometan Bishops vsurped absolute soueraignety aboue all their Princes disposing of principalities at their pleasure vnder the name and title of gouernments At last the Muselman Princes supposing that Chapter not to haue been inserted by Mahamed their Law-giuer but by their Caliphes for aduancing their owne authoritie at such time when of diuers corrupt Alcorons they composed one long time after the death of Muhamed they tooke aduantage of a diuision among their great Bishops when three of them did take vpon them the title of great Caliph together and thereupon the Princes of Persia the Curdes the Turkes the Tartars the Sultans of Aegypt the Kings of Marrocco of Fez of Telensin of Tanes of Bugia the people of Zenetes and of Luntune quitted themselues of their obeysance to the Caliphes and maintained Soueraigntie within their states Elmahel in Africa hauing gained a great opinion of sanctitie among the people of Marocco raised them against Abraham their King and dispoyled him both of his Empire and life With like industrie and art an other impostor called Chemin Mennal stirred the people against the King of Fesse and constrained him by armes to yeeld vnto him the kingdome of Temesna Schacoculis being of the sect of the Persians by pretence of piety gathered such strength that he tooke many Cities in Asia ouerthrew the Turkes forces in three great battailes and brought his whole Empire to a dangerous distresse How Iohn of Leiden a Taylor by his trade set all Germany in vproare and in armes by bearing himselfe to be a principall man in religion it scarce exceedeth the memory of this present age And what practises in this kind haue been either atchieued or attempted in other Christian countries I shall haue occasiō hereafter to touch But for auoiding of these and the like dangers I find that two policies were aunciently obserued One consisted in excluding all externall ceremonies and rites the other was in comm●ting the gouernment for matters of Religion to the soueraigne power and authoritie in the State In regard of the first the Iewes would not conuerse or accompanie a man who was not of their owne religion Among the Grecians Socrates and Protagoras were condemned Anaxagoras and Aristotle were accused for holding opinions contrarie to their receiued religion Iosephus writeth that the Athenians had a seuere law against any man who should speake a word in religion against that which was established by law The Scythians put Anacharsis to death for performing the tites of Bacchus after the manner of the Grecians Liuie writeth that among the Romanes the Aediles receiued in part of their charge that no externall religion or ceremony should be brought in And to the same purpose M. Aemilius recited a decree that no man should sacrifice in a publike or sacred place after a new or externall rite How often saith the same Liuie haue our fathers and ancestors giuen charge to the Magistrates that externall ceremonies should bee forbidden Maecenas in Dio gaue this exhortation and aduice to Augustus Obserue religion after the fashion of your country and compell others to do the like but those who bring in strange and foraine rites hate and correct because they perswade many to worke alterations from whence conspiracies and seditions are oftentimes occasioned Concerning the second point Iustine reporteth that it was a custome among the Iewes to haue the same men both Princes and Priests This was at sometimes true in the gouernment of the Iewes At other times the Kings gaue order in matters of religion and appointed not only inferiour Priests and officers as did Iosias but also high Priests as did King Salomon to execute the same For this cause Moses left in charge that the King should reade in the booke of the law all the daies of his life that he might learne to feare the Lord his God and to keepe all the words of that law and those ordinances for to dee them For this cause also they were sacred with oyle to declare saith Eusebius both their dutie and authoritie in matters of religion From hence it proceeded that as the Kings prooued good or euill so the true religion was either obserued or neglected From hence also Tacitus hath