the maine meanes of corrupting this people in point of Religion proceeds from the free vse of reading of all kinde of writings without any restraint The other Storie of Augustus is that famous Inscription of his which he made to be set vp in the Altar of the Capitoll to our Sauiour Christ of which Nicephorus makes mention as also Suidas in the word Augustus Caesar Augustus being proclaimed the first Emperour of Rome hauing done many great things and achiued great Glory and felicity came to the Oracle of Apollo offering vp a Heccatomb which is of all other the greatest Sacrifice demaunded of the Oracle who should rule the Empire after his decease receiuing no answere at all offered vp an other Sacrifice and asked with all how it came to passe that the Oracle that was wont to vse so many wordes was now become so silent The Oracle after a long pause made this answere Me puer Hebraeus Diuos Deus ipse gubernans Cedere sede iubet tristemque redire sub Orcum Aris ergo dehinc tacitus abscedito nostris The Emperour receiuing this answere returned to Rome erected in the Capitoll the greatest Altar that was there with this Inscription Ara primogeniti Dei Surely our Augustus in whose dayes our Blessed Sauiour Christ Iesus is come to a full and perfect aage As hee was borne in the dayes of the other studying nothing at all to know who shall rule the Scepter after him for God be praised he is much more happie then was Augustus in a Blessed Posterity of his owne but indeauoring that CHRIST his Kingdome may euer Reigne in his Kingdome hath consulted all the Oracles of GOD and hath found in them that there is but one onely Altar to be erected to the onely Sonne of GOD who is Blessed for euer and therefore hath set himselfe and bestowed much paines to bid that Man of Sinne cedere sede and redire sub Orcum that hath erected so many Altars Athenian-like to vnknowne Gods making more prayers and Supplications to supposed Saints then euer the other did to Gods they knew not But to returne Claudius Caesar that had so much wickednesse in him had this good in him that hee writte many good Bookes Suetonius reports hee writ so many Bookes in Greeke as that hee erected a Schoole of purpose in Alexandria called after his owne name and caused his Bookes to be read yeerely in it He writ in Latine likewise 43. Bookes contayning a Historie from the murther of Caesar to his owne time There would bee no ende of the reporting of the writings of the Heathen Emperours That one example of Constantine amongst the Christian Emperors shall suffice Eusebius hath written curiously his Life and is not sparing to report of his Learning How many Orations and discourses he made exhorting his Subiects and seruants to a good and godly life How many nights hee passed without sleepe in Meditations of Diuinitie His Speeches in the beginning and ende of the Councell of Nice That fomous Oration Ad Sanctorum coetum pronounced in Latine by him Selfe after translated into Greeke by diuerse doe shew how much Glory hee gayned by Letters From these great Monarches abroad giue mee leaue a little to descend to our owne Kings at home Alphredus King of the West-Saxons translated Paulus Orosius S. Gregorie De pastorali cura and his Dialogues into the English tongue He translated likewise Beda of the Actes of the English and Boetius de consolatione Philosophiae Dauids Psalmes and many other things Hee writ besides a Booke of Lawes and Institutions against wicked Judges Hee writ the sayings of Wisemen and a singular Booke of the fortune of Kings a collection of Chronicles and a Manuel of Meditations Ethelstanus or Adelstan as our Stories call him Rex Anglorum as Baleus calls him caused to be translated the Bible out of Hebrew into Saxon and writ himselfe a Booke of Astrologie the Constitutions of the Cleargie corrected many olde Lawes and made many new King Edgar writ to the Cleargie of England certaine Constitutions and Lawes and other things Henrie the first the yongest Sonne of the Conquerour was brought vp in the Vniuersitie of Cambridge and excelled so in the knowledge of all Liberall Arts and Sciences that to this day he doeth retaine the name of Beau-Clerke Achaius King of the Scots writ of the Acts of all his Predecessors And Kenethus King of the Scots writ a huge Volume of all the Scottish Lawes and like an other Iustinian reduced them into a Compendium Iames the first writ diuers Bookes both in English and LatineVerse He writ also as Baleus saith De vxore futura Henrie the eight writ of the Institution of a Christian man and of the Institution of youth Hee writ also a defence of the 7. Sacraments against Martin Luther for which hee was much magnified of the Pope and all that partie Jnsomuch as hee was stiled with the Title of Defensor fidei for that worke And trewly it fell out well for the King that hee writ a Booke on the Popes side for otherwise he should haue them raile on him for his writings as freely as they reuile him for his Actions For he writ two Bookes after that the one De auctoritate Regia contra Papam the other Sententia de Concilio Mantuano as well written for the Stile and Argument as the other is But because they seeme to breath an other breath there is no Trumpet sounded in their praise Edward the sixt though his dayes were so short as he could not giue full proofe of those singular parts that were in him yet hee wrote diuers Epistles and Orations both in Greeke and Latine He wrote a Treatise De fide to the Duke of Somerset He wrote a History of his owne time which are all yet extant vnder his owne hand in the Kings Library as Mr. Patrick Young his Maiesties learned and Industrious Bibliothecarius hath shewed mee And which is not to bee forgotten so diligent a hearer of Sermons was that sweet Prince that the notes of the most of the Sermons he heard are yet to bee seene vnder his owne hand with the Preachers name the time and the place and all other circumstances Queene Elizabeth our late Soueraigne of blessed memory translated the prayers of Queene Katherine into Latine French and Italian Shee wrote also a Century of Sentences and dedicated them to her Father J haue heard of her Translation of Salustius but I neuer saw it And there are yet fresh in our memories the Orations she made in both the Vniuersities in Latine her entertayning of Embassadors in diuers Languages her excellent Speaches in the Parliament whereof diuers are extant at this day in Print And to come a little neerer his Maiestie The Kings Father translated Valerius Maximus into English And the Queene his Maiesties Mother wrote a Booke of Verses in French of the Institution of a Prince all with her owne hand wrought the Couer of it with
that of the Workes of GOD for workes of Nature haue their roote from within vs and bring with them a radicall kinde of vertue that neuer suffers them to rest till they haue produced their fruite to perfect forme and perfection Workes of deliberation and Art haue their foundation from without vs and giue vs occasion to worke vpon them as our phantasies thinke fittest for the present time Hence proceeds it that the workes of Nature haue so few errors in them those of Art so many They of Nature so constant they of Arte so variable they of Nature so permanent they of Art so soone perish they of Nature so well accepted and approued of all they of Art accepted or reiected as it pleaseth the seuerall apprehensions of men to conceiue of them Now albeit the workes of men be of Errors so full of nature so different subiect to so many Jnterpretations published at so diuers times Yet hath it bene euer esteemed a matter commendable to collect them together and incorporate them into one Body that we may behold at once what diuers Off-springs haue proceeded from one braine and how various Conceptions the wit of man is able to afford the world To instance in a few of them beginning a little higher then the writings of ordinarie Men. The seruants of Hezekiah are commended in Scripture for collecting together the Sentences of Solomon Iesus the sonne of Sirach is praised for searching out the Copies of his Grandfathers workes But principally Ezra is had in great honour for setting in order the whole Bookes of the Old Testament and deuiding them into Chapters and Verses which before were caried along in a scroule by a continuall Series without any distinction at all S. Iohn is reported to haue searched out the Copies of the three former Euangelists and to haue added his owne for the fourth in that order as now they are extant And the Primitiue Church was curious to gather together the Epistles of the Holy Apostles which they being not able by reason of persecution perfectly to performe in euery place gaue occasion to after-times to call the authority of so many of them into question But to descend How are we bound to those who haue laboured in setting out the Counsells and Works of the Fathers together Jnsomuch that we thinke our selues as much bound to Eusebius and Hierom and of later times to Peter Crab and Erasmus and diuers others who haue laboured in that kinde as wee doe almost to the Authors themselues Traian commended Plutark for gathering the Apothegmes of wise men together Constantinus the sonne of Leo collected out of all Histories both in the East and West one Corpus Historicum which they counted an inestimable Treasure Iustinian by the helpe of Tribonianus did the like in the Lawes Gratian compiled the Decrees out of the Epistles of Popes Councells and Fathers Damascen collected into one body of Diuinitie the Sentences of the Greeke Fathers And Peter Lumbard 400. yeeres after him by his example did the like in the Latine Fathers And how doe wee labour to recouer Bookes that are lost The Bookes of Origen that amounted to sixe thousand as Epiphanius witnesseth were much laboured for by Eusebius and others The Bookes of Cicero de Repub. were much sought for by Cardinall Poole and great summes of money haue bene spent to recouer the lost Decades of Liuie Wherefore since it hath beene heretofore the practise of all aages to collect the workes of Men of worth and preserue them from perishing to labour much in recouering those that haue bene lost to giue to euery childe the owne Father to euery Booke the trew Author for there neuer had bene halfe so many birds to haue flowen about the world with false feathers if euery Author had set out his owne workes together in his owne time J hope then it shall not be now a matter of reproofe in a Seruant to trauaile in the setting foorth of the Works of his Master and for giuing you that together which before yee could hardly get asunder and for preseruing that in a Masse from perishing that might easily be lost in a Mite But while I am collecting workes one way I heare others scattering wordes as fast an other way affirming it had beene better his Maiestie had neuer written any Bookes at all and being written better they had perished with the present like Proclamations then haue remayned to Posterity For say these Men Little it befitts the Maiesty of a King to turne Clerke and to make a warre with the penne that were fitter to be fought with the Pike to spend the powers of his so exquisite an vnderstanding vpon paper which had they beene spent on powder could not but haue preuayled ere this for the Conquest of a Kingdome For a King say they to enter a Controuersie with a Scholler is as if he should fight a Combate with a Kerne he doth no more descend from his Honour in the one then he bringes vpon himselfe Disgrace by the other And since that booke-Booke-writing is growen into a Trade It is as dishonorable for a King to write bookes as it is for him to be a Practitioner in a Profession Jf a King will needs write Let him write like a King euery Lyne a Law euery Word a Precept euery Letter a Mandate Jn good trewth I haue had my eares so oft dung through with these Obiections and the like as I know not whether I conceiued amisse of my selfe or no thinking I had more ability to answere these Calumnyes then I had patience to heare them And therefore hauing so fit opportunity J shall not let to deliuer my opinion Whether it may sorte with the Maiestie of a King to be a writer of Bookes or no. First I could neuer reade that there was any Law against it and where we haue no Law the best is to follow good Examples And many Diuines are of opinion that examples that are not contrary to any Precept doe binde vs in practise at least so farre that though they doe not inforce vs to the doing yet they warrant the deede when it is done And if Examples will serue the turne wee haue Examples enough First to beginne with the King of Kings God himselfe who as he doth all things for our good So doeth he many things for our Jmitation Jt pleased his Diuine wisedome to bee the first in this Rancke that we read of that did euer write Hee wrote and the writing was the writing saith Moses of God the maner was after the maner of engrauing the matter was in Stone cut into two Tables and the Tables were the worke of God written on both sides Diuines hold that the Heart is the principall Seate of the Soule which Soule of ours is the immediate worke of God as these Tables were the immediate worke of his owne fingers The Stone the expresse represent of the hardnesse of our heart the engrauing the worke of God so deepely impressed
that it can neuer be blotted out the writing the writing of the Law in our hearts In two Tables for our double duty to God and Man on both sides to take vp our heart so wholly that nothing contrary to those Precepts should euer haue any place in our Soules And certainely from this little Library that God hath erected within vs is the foundation of all our Learning layd So that people Ciuillized doe account themselues depriued of one of the best abilities of nature if they be not somewhat inabled by writing to expresse their mindes And there is no Nation so brutish or Barbarous that haue not inuented one kinde of Character or other whereby to conuey to others their inward Conceptions From these Tables of God wee may come to the writing of our Blessed Sauiour which we may put in the next place though not for order yet for Honour His Diuine Maiestie left behinde him no Monument of writing written by his owne hand in any externall Booke for he was to induce and bring in an other maner of the writing of the Law of Loue not in Tables of stone written not with incke and paper but in the Tables of our fleshly hearts written by the Spirit of the Liuing God Yet did he once with his owne finger write on the Pauement of the Temple of Ierusalem What he writ J will not now discusse S. Ambrose saith he wrote this Sentence Festucam in oculo fratris cernis trabem in tuo non vides Beda thinkes he wrote that Sentence that he spake He that is without sinne let him cast the first stone at her Haymo hath a pretty Conceit He thinketh he wrote certaine Characters in the Pauement which the Accusers beholding might see as in a glasse their owne wickednesse and so blushing at it went their wayes What euer it was sure we are our Sauiour would haue false accusations written in dust to bee troden vnder foote of them that passe by But howsoeuer I say our Blessed Sauiour did leaue behind him no writing of his owne hand Yet we may not deny but that God in the old Testament and our Sauiour in the New haue left vs many bookes of their owne inditements For all the Bookes of holy Scripture were written by inspiration and the Prophets and Apostles were but their Amanuenses and writ onely as they were led and actuated by the Spirit of God So that we may not make the Author of any of those Bookes any other then God Himselfe The old world before the flood wil afford vs no writings neither did that aage require them for the liues of Men of that aage were liuing Libraries and lasted longer then the labors of Men doe in this aage Yet S. Iude doeth insinuate somewhat of the writings of Enoch who though he were not in Stile a King Yet there is no reason to contend with him for that Title for his Dominion would beare it standing Heire-Apparent to the greater part of the world Origen Tertullian and Augustine report many things out of the supposititous writings that went vnder his name And Iosephus and that Berosus that wee haue tell vs that hee erected two pillars the one of Stone the other of Bricke wherein he wrote of the two-fold destructions of the world the one by Water the other by Fire But howsoeuer that be trew it is very probable he wrote something of that matter which though it perished with that world yet doubtlesse the memory thereof was preserued by Tradition vnto the dayes of the Apostles J will not here insist vpon the writings of Moses who was not onely a Priest and a Prophet but was as himselfe records amongst the people a King and was the first that euer receiued authoritie from GOD to write in Diuinitie Neither will J insist vpon the Example of King Dauid in whose Psalmes and Himnes are resounded out the praises of GOD in all the Churches for that J finde nothing that these men writ but what they writ as the Scribes of GOD acted as I said euen now by GOD his Spirit and not guided by their owne Yet I suppose wee may safely collect thus much from them that if GOD had thought it a matter derogatory to the Maiestie of a King to bee a Writer he would not haue made choice of those as his chiefe Instruments in this kinde who were principalls in that other Order J would easily beleeue that such men as haue had the honour to be GOD his Pen-men should neuer vouchsafe to write any thing of their owne for as we hold in a pious opinion that the blessed Virgine hauing once conceiued by the holy Ghost would neuer after conceiue by man So surely men that had deliuered nothing but the conceptions of that Spirit should hardly be drawne euer to set out any of their owne labours But we see the flat contrary both in Samuel and Solomon the one the greatest Iudge the other the most glorious King that euer that Kingdome had Samuel who writ by GODS appointment the greatest part of those two Bookes that beare his name writ also by his owne accord a Booke contayning the Law of a King or Institution of a Prince whereby hee laboured to keepe the King as well from declining to Tyrannie as the people from running into Libertie Solomon besides the Bookes of Scripture which remaine writ many likewise of his owne accord which are lost For to say nothing of his 3000. Parables his 5000. Songes that ingens opus as the Hebrues call it of the nature of all things Birds and Beasts Fowles and fishes Trees and plants from the Hysop to the Cedar All these were rather workes to manifest humane wisedome then Diuine knowledge written rather for the recreation of his owne spirit then for the edification of the Church For I cannot conceiue but those Bookes would rather haue taught vs the learning of Nature for which GOD hath left vs to the writings of men then edified vs in the gifts of Grace for which hee hath giuen vs his owne Booke Neither let any man suggest that these writings that are lost and as they say were destroyed in the destruction of the Temple by the Babylonians were of the same authoritie as those that doe remaine for J can hardly be induced to beleeue that the writings that were indited by the Spirit of GOD layed vp in the Arke receiued into the Canon read publikely in the Church are vtterly perished Jt is a desperate thing to call either the prouidence of GOD or the fidelity of the Church in question in this point For if those that haue bene are perished then why may not these that remaine as well be lost which is contrary to our Sauiours assertion that one Iota shall not perish till all bee fulfilled Therefore J rather incline to thinke that what euer was Scripture still is then that any is lost Neither is this opinion so curious to hold as the other is dangerous to beleeue Better it
is euer to argue our selues of ignorance then to accuse GOD of improuidence But if so much Scripture be lost as is alleadged farewell GOD his prouidence farewell the fidelitie of the Church to whose care was concredited the Oracles of GOD. Let vs come to the writings of Kings where we shall not incurre any danger of this controuersie that were so farre from being acted by GOD his Spirit that they were more like those Disciples of Iohn that had not heard whether there were an Holy-Ghost or no that knew nothing of GOD though they felt neuer so much of his Goodnesse that neuer beleeued his Omnipotencie though they had neuer so much experience of his Power To beginne with the Assyrians whose first Monarch was Nimrod and his chiefe Citie Babel from his time to Sardanapalus the last of that Monarchie there was no King amongst them that gaue himselfe to Letters for as their Kingdome was founded in Tyrannie so they laboured to keepe it in Barbaritie neither must we euer looke to see Learning flourish where Tyrannie beareth the Standerd for Learning hath no more a facultie to bring the minde to vnderstanding then it hath with it a power that workes the will to libertie neither of which can euer consist with Tyrannie And therefore it is no wonder that this aage affoorded no learned Kings for in that State which continued thirteene or foureteene hundred yeeres yee can scarce reade of a learned man Therefore let either Histories or Poets paint that out for a Golden aage as they please there was neuer any aage that hath left so little memory of the Golden tincture of their Witts After the time of Sardanapalus in the dayes of Phull Tiglath-Philasar and Salmanasar of whom mention is made in Scripture and to whom as it is thought Ionas preached and with whom some of the Prophets were conuersant when as these Kings came into the land of Israel as they did in the dayes of Menahem who gaue to Phul-Belochus a thousand Talents of Siluer for a Tribute And in the dayes of Hezechiah came Salmanasar and besieged Samaria three yeeres and caried away a great part of the people of the Kingdome of Israel From that time forward their Kings gaue themselues to Letters insomuch as in the dayes of Nabucodonolor who set vp the Monarchy of the Babylonians within one hundred yeeres of Salmanasar King of the Assyrians learning was in great estimation and the Kings Court was a Schoole for the best witts of the Kingdome to be bred in that they might bee able to stand before the King furnished with all learning and vnderstanding And if Stories do not intollerably deceiue vs Daniel and his companions instructed fiue great Monarches as in the trew knowledge of GOD so in the vnderstanding of all excellent Arts and Sciences Namely Nabuchodonosor Euilmerodack Baltazar Darius of the Medes and Cyrus of the Persians And it were no hard matter to proue the trewth of this out of Daniel himselfe Come to the Persians who conuersed more with the Prophets as with Ezra Nehemiah Zachary Malachy and the people that were in captiuitie we shall finde them giuen much to Letters Cyrus the first Monarch is recorded to haue written large Commentaries of all his diurnall Actions amongst those Books are found saith Esdras the Edicts of reducing of the Iewes to their Countrey He wrote diuers Letters for the same purpose to all the chiefe Cities of Asia some whereof we haue in the 11. of Iosephus Chap. the first Many things likewise are reported to haue bene written of Artaxerxes Darius and some others of those Monarches as wee may partly conceiue by the Canonicall Bookes of Ezra and Nehemiah and more by the Apocriphal Esdras who reports it to haue bene a custome of those Kings so much to delight in learning and in the sayings of wise men that they vsed for an exercise in their greatest Solemnities to haue solemne Orations made in the presence of the King and State of sundry purposes which whoso performed to the liking of the King was rewarded with the highest Preferments that so mighty a Monarch could aduance them vnto Come we to the Graecians and there we shall finde Learning in the Tropicke of Cancer at such a height as it neuer was before nor euer that we read of since And surely it is worth the obseruing that when that extarordinary Diuine Light went out humane Learning came in and the ende of the Prophets was the beginning of the Poets The last of the diuinity of the one the first of the Philosophy of the other for from the end of the Captiuity till the Comming of our Sauiour Christ the space of foure hundreth yeares and more in which there was no Prophet that euer J reade of there were so many Orators Poets and Philosophers of such singular giftes in all kindes as wee are onely their Schollers since and can neuer attaine to the Excellency of our Master Jn this time Alexander the Great was as famous for his Learning and writings as he was for his Victories He wrote to Antipater of all his owne Actions in Asia and in India as Plutark reports in his Life S. Ciprian in his Tractate of the vanitie of Jdoles saith that Alexander the Great wrote Insigne Volumen to his Mother wherein he signifies vnto her how it was tolde him by a certaine Egyptian-Priest that all the Gods of the Gentiles had bene but men And S. Augustine also in his twelft Booke De ciuitate Dei makes mention of other of the writings of Alexander to Olimpias his Mother about the Succession of the Monarchies Amongst the Kings of Syria Antiochus surnamed Epiphanes writ many Bookes and sent them into Iudea about changing the Rites and Ceremonies of the Iewes into the Religion of the Grecians The principall heades of his Bookes may be found in the Bookes of Machabes and in Iosephus Amongst the Romans which of their Emperours did not aduance his fame by Letters Iulius Caesar besides many other things writ his Commentaries after the example of Cyrus Octauius as Suetonius reportes writ many Volumes The historie of his owne life Exhortations to Philosophie Heroick Verses Epigrams Tragedies and diuers other things of whom I will only relate two Stories not impertinent to my purpose He is reported to haue bene a very diligent searcher out of all such Bookes as appertayned to the Roman-Ethnick-Religion All the Bookes Fatidicorum of Fortune-tellers that proceeded not from approued Authors both of Greeke and Latin he cast in the fire to the number of two thousand Onely he reserued the writings of the Sibills but with that choise as hee burnt all such of them as he thought to bee counterfeit J relate this Story the rather for that J thinke it were a good President for our Augustus to follow to make a diligent search of all good and profitable Authors As for all Hereticall Pamphlets slaunderous Libells and impertinent writings to commit them to Vulcane for one of
her needle and is now of his Maiestie esteemed as a most pretious Iewell Therefore since wee are compassed about with such a Clowd of Witnesses albeit these are but a little handfull in comparison of the infinite multitude that might be produced Since we haue the examples of all the Mightie-men of the World euen from the beginning thereof vnto this day who haue striuen as much to get a Name for their writings as fame for their doings haue affected as much to be counted Learned as Victorious and to be reputed of as much for their wise Sayings as for their worthy Deeds Why should it bee thought a thing strange in this time that his Maiestie whom GOD hath adorned with as many rare perfections of Nature and Arte as euer he did any that wee read of I except such as were Diuinely inspired should lend the world a few leaues out of the large Volumes of his Learning J commend the wisedome of our Aduersaries who hauing assayed all meanes the wit of man is able to inuent to incline his Maiestie to like of their partie and finding by all their Tricks they haue got no ground would at last put his Maiestie to silence and gaine thus much of him at least that since he will doe nothing for them yet that he would say nothing against them Therefore they cry out against his Maiesties writing and vpbrayd him more for that hee doeth write then they doe for any thing that hee hath written Jt is ynough to wonder at that Rex scribit These people are wise in their generation and haue learned by long experience that as the Kingdome of CHRIST is the Gospel of peace so it hath bene from the beginning spread more by the Pennes of the Apostles then by the power of Princes more propagated by the sweet writings of the ancient Fathers then it could bee suppressed by the seuere Edicts of Emperours and of late their Kingdome hath bene more shaken by a poore Monke then it hath bene able to recouer by the helpe of Mighty Monarches Therefore since the writings of poore Schollers haue so raised the Kingdome of CHRIST and so discouered the Mysterie of Jniquitie they do well to feare what may follow vpon the Writings of so great a King They liue securely from bleeding by his Maiesties Sword but they are not safe from being blasted by the breath of his Maiesties Bookes Jf they could bring it about therefore to calme and quiet his Maiesties Spirit from working vpon them that way as they see his Maiesties sweetnesse to bee farre from drawing of their bloods the other way they would deeme it a greater Conquest then all the conuersions of the Kings of the East and West-Indies they tell vs so many tales of For they looke vpon his Maiesties Bookes as men looke vpon Blasing-Starres with amazement fearing they portend some strange thing and bring with them a certaine Influence to worke great change and alteration in the world Neither is their expectation herein deceiued for we haue seene with our eyes the Operation of his Maiesties Workes in the Consciences of their men so farre as from their highest Conclaue to their lowest Cells there haue bene that haue bene conuerted by them and that in such number as wee want rather meanes to maintaine them then they minds to come to vs. But to conclude this point that Kings may write Giue mee leaue to offer you this Meditation How many are the wayes that men doe inuent to perpetuate their Memorie Insomuch that mortall-men haue made themselues Gods when they were dead that they might be adored as if they were aliue Wherein is the Impetus of Nature so strong as in the affection that propogates to Posteritie Wherefore serue Pictures but to continue our features Why doe men bestow so much cost in sumptuous Buildings but to leaue a Monument of their Magnificence To what end doe we erect Holy-houses and Hospitalls but to possesse mens mindes with the Deuotion of our Soules And shall wee blesse a King when wee behold him in his Posteritie Shall wee admire his features when wee contemplate them in his Pictures Shall we wonder at his Magnificence when we gaze vpon it in his stately Edifices and may wee not as well bee rauished when wee see his sharpe Wit his profound Judgement his infinite Memorie his Excellent affections in his admirable Writings Certainely it is a peruersnes to esteeme a man least for that whereby hee liues the longest to value him more for the outward worke of his hand then for the inward operation of his minde to esteeme him more for that which instructs but little then for that which shall edifie for euer What now remaines of Caesar so famous as his Commentaries What of Cicero as his Orations How comes Aristotle to be of more authoritie then Alexander Seneca then Nero The Triumphes and Victories of the one are vanished the Vertues of the other remaine in their perfect vigour And though all other Monuments by time consume and come to nothing yet these by time gaine strength and get authoritie and euer the more ancient the more Excellent Hauing now deliuered my opinion that J thinke it neither vnlawfull nor inconuenient for a King to write but that he hath the Liberty that other men haue if hee can get the leysure to shew his abilities for the present to perpetuate his Memory to Posterity to aduance his praise before his owne People and gaine Glory from others but especially to giue Glory vnto GOD. J will craue leaue to descend to an other Consideration for it may be there will not be so much fault found with a King for writing as for the matter or Subiect whereof he treates For Personages of their eminent Degree and State must not spend their paines on poore purposes nor write so much to try their witts on triuiall thinges as to winne themselues Honor by the Excellency of their subiect Jndeed if I were worthy to aduise a King hee should meddle very sparingly and but vpon important Causes with Polemicalls Hee should not often fight but in the field for put the case a King writ neuer so modestly that there be not in a whole Booke one word ad hominem nor any touch of his Aduersary in any personall infirmity yet J know not how it comes to passe that in all Controuersies a solide answere to an argument is a very sufficient occasion to make an Aduersary wonderfull angrie And so long as there are diuersity of Opinions there will neuer want matter for Confutations And in these Replications the person of a King is more exposed and lyes more open then the person of a poore Scholler can doe for as he is a farre greater marke so he may farre more easily be hit And though they misse him and can hit vpon nothing iustly to bee reprehended in him yet they doe thinke it Operaepretium to make a Scarre in the face of a King Whereas on the contrary if a King
THE WORKES OF THE MOST HIGH AND MIGHTIE PRINCE IAMES BY THE GRACE OF GOD KING OF GREAT BRITAINE FRANCE AND IRELAND DEFENDER of the FAITH c. PVBLISHED BY IAMES BISHOP of Winton and Deane of his MAIESTIES CHAPPEL ROYALL 1. REG. 3. VERS 12. Loe I haue giuen thee a wise and an vnderstanding heart LONDON PRINTED BY ROBERT BARKER AND IOHN BILL PRINTERS TO THE KINGS most Excellent MAIESTIE ANNO 1616. ¶ Cum Priuilegio HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE DIEV ET MON DROIT ILLUSTRISS ET POTEN PR CAROLUS MAGNAE BRITAN ET HYB PR EB ET AL DUx TO THE THRICE ILLVSTRIOVS AND MOST EXCELLENT PRINCE CHARLES THE ONELY SONNE OF OVR SOVERAIGNE LORD THE KING SIR I Haue humbly sought leaue of his most Excellent MAIESTIE to present your Highnesse with this Volume of his MAIESTIES WORKES I durst not but make the Suite and his MAIESTIE could not well deny it I will not say that it had beene a peece of Iniustice in the KING to haue denyed you this right But I dare say it had beene a point of Sacriledge in a Churchman to haue stolne from you such a portion of your Inheritance which consists as much in the WORKES of his Royall Vertues as in the wealth of his mighty Kingdomes Basilius wrote de Jnstitutione Principis to his Sonne Leo Constantinus to his Sonne Romanus Manuell to his Sonne Iohannes and Charles the fift to his Sonne Philip The workes of the three former are extant both in Greeke and Latine His Maiestie after the Example of those Emperours and sundry other Kings wrote his ΒΑΣΙΛΙΚΟÎ-ΔΩΡΟΠto Prince Henry your Highnesse most worthy Brother His part by GOD his Prouidence is falne to your Lot and who may iustly detaine from you the rest The rule in Scripture is that if the first fruits be holy so is the whole lumpe and to whom the first was giuen to him all the rest was due To your Highnes therefore are these offered as to the trew Heire and Inheritor of them And that I may make you the better accompt of them May it please your Highnesse to vnderstand that of these Workes some were out before some other of them neuer saw light before and others were almost lost and gone or at least abused by false copies to their owne disgrace and his Maiesties great dishonour Now it being the duetie of all Deanes in their Churches Dispersa colligere I thought it might sort well with the nature of my place in the Chappel wherein I haue had the Honour so many yeeres to serue his Maiestie to gather these things that were scattered and to bring to light those that too long had lien in darkenes and to preserue in one body what might easily haue bin lost in parts In this Presentment I must humbly craue of your Highnes not to be mistaken in the trew meaning and maner of it For these Workes come not to you as vsually Bookes doe to men of great Dignitie for Patronage and Protection for Protection is properly from iniurie and that the Royall Author of them is best able to right But to you they come partly for preseruation and for that the Disposition of Nature hath made you more apt and more principally for a Patterne and that not vnfitly since the Samplar is euer more ancient then the Exemplification And as in the preseruation the Sonne hath his aduantage by succeeding so in the Patterne the Father by preceding hath his Prerogatiue Let these Workes therefore most Gracious Prince lie before you as a Patterne you cannot haue a better Neither doeth the Honour of a good Sonne consist in any thing more then in immitating the good Presidents of a good Father as we may very well perceiue by the Scripture phrase where the vsuall Encomium of good Kings is that they walked in the wayes of their Fathers Al men see how like the Patterne GOD and Nature haue framed the outward Lineaments and who knowes your Highnes wel knowes also that the inward Abilliments hold in the like proportion The Philosophers say that Imitation proceeds from Inclination And trewly if your future Imitation be answerable to your forward Inclination in Religion Learning and Vertue your Highnesse cannot come farre short of your Patterne nor yet of any of your Predecessors that euer went before you Which GOD grant together with the length of many good and happy Dayes Your HIGHNESSE Most humbly IA. WINTON THE PREFACE TO THE READER AMongst the infinite number of great Volumes wherewith the world seemes as it were to bee wayed downe there bee few of them that were written at once or were at first published together Writings as they consist of sundry natures so they will beare a diuers maner of Edition To set foorth an Art by pieces is to shew you a body dismembred the one is no more vncomely then the other is vnproper To publish a History before it be at an end is to turne the Hower-glasse before it bee runne out neither of both will giue you a trew taste of the time But writings of other Natures Common places and Controuersies Meditations and Commentaries as they are for the most part accidentally taken vp so they are as occasionally set out They craue no other birth into the world then they had conceptions in our braines singly by vs conceiued and singly by themselues set out The different maner of GOD his setting foorth of his owne Workes may instruct vs in this point His diuine Wisedome held one course in his Naturall Workes an other in his Ceremonialls Politicalls and Moralls Jn his Naturalls he made a masse at once which speedily he diuersified into diuers formes Hee gaue a kinde of potentiall delineation of all things in that vniuersall matter which presently hee distinguished into diuers Species in perfection But in his Ceremonialls hee takes another course he brings not them out of a Masse but into a Masse He doeth not out of a Totum produce the parts but out of the parts make vp the whole For example Jn the Ceremonialls first he beginnes with Sacrifice long after he followes with Circumcision then hee filleth a Tabernacle with them at last makes them full vp in a Temple Jn his Politicalls hee beginnes with a paternall Gouernment in a family proceeds to an Election of a Captaine in an Armie as in Iosuah and the Judges perfects it by way of Succession in a setled Kingdome as in Solomon and his Successors Jn his Moralls hee beginnes with the word out of his owne mouth proceeds with the Tables written by his owne fingers followes on with the fiue Bookes penned by Moses till hee make vp the Canon perfect by a number of succeeding Prophets What we haue from GOD in a president it may wel beseeme vs to practise and since his Bookes came out so farre asunder it is no reproach to any man though his Workes come not foorth together for there is a reason for it in vs answerable in some proportion to
Raylers I leaue them to God his Iudgment whose hand hath bene vpon the most of them Thirdly his Maiesties Confession of faith hath bene so generally approued as it hath conuerted many of their partie And had it not bene as J haue bene informed by diuerse for the Treatise of Antichrist many more would easily haue bene induced to subscribe to all in that Preface Fourthly Kings and Princes haue by his Maiesties Premonition had a more cleare insight and a more perfect discouery into the Iniury offered them by the Pope in the point of their temporall Power then euer they had Jnsomuch as that point was neuer so throughly disputed in Christendome as it hath bene by the occasion of his Maiesties Booke Fiftly and lastly for the point of Antichrist I haue heard many confesse that they neuer saw so much light giuen to that Mysterie neuer descerned so much trewth by the vniforme consent of the Text and strength of Interpretation of places as they haue done by his Maiesties Booke So that though Controuersies be fitter subiects for Schollers ordinarily then for Kings Yet when there was such a necessitie in vndertaking and such a successe being performed I leaue it to the world to iudge whether there were not a speciall hand of GOD in it or no. Now since I haue begunne with this point of Antichrist J will make bolde to proceed a little with his Maiesties Paraphrase vpon the Reuelation wherein that Treatise of Antichrist is principally grounded His Maiesties singular vnderstanding in all points of good Learning is not vnknowne But yet aboue all other things GOD hath giuen him an vnderstanding Heart in the Interpretation of that Booke beyond the measure of other men For this Paraphrase that leades the way to all the rest of his Maiesties Workes was written by his Maiestie before hee was twenty yeeres of aage and therefore iustly in this Volume hath the first place the rest following in order according to the time of their first penning Anciently Kings drempt dreames and saw visions and Prophets expounded them So with King Pharaoh and Ioseph in Egypt So with Nabuchodonosor and Daniel in Babylon Jn this aage Prophets haue written Visions and Kings haue expounded them GOD raised vp Prophets to deliuer his People from a temporall captiuitie in Egypt and Babylon by the Jnterpretation of the one And GOD hath in this aage stirred vp Kings to deliuer his People from a Spirituall Egypt and Babylon by the Interpretation of the other It is an obseruable thing that GOD neuer made his People any great promise but he added vnto his promise a famous Prophecie Three great promises we reade of that runne through all the Scriptures The first of the Messiah the second of the land of Canaan the third of the Kingdome of Heauen To these three promises are reduced all the Prophecies Of the promise of the Messiah prophecied all the Prophets from the fall of the first Adam to the comming of the second Of the promise of the Land of Canaan prophecied Iacob and Ioseph and the rest from the promise made to Abraham to the possessing of it by Iosuah and the children of Israel Of the promise of the Kingdome of Heauen made by our Sauiour CHRIST ' prophecied the Apostles principally S. Paul and S. Iohn in the Reuelation Now though all were to lay hold on the promises yet few were able to vnderstand the Prophecies And surely though all the people of GOD are to lay hold on the promises of that Glorious Kingdome described in that Booke yet few are able to vnderstand the Prophecies therein contained comprehending in them a perfect History and State of the Church euen from the destruction of Ierusalem till the consummation of the whole world Yet this I thinke I may safely say That Kings haue a kinde of interest in that Booke beyond any other for as the execution of the most part of the Prophecies of that Booke is committed vnto them So it may be that the Interpretation of it may more happily be made by them And since they are the principall Instruments that GOD hath described in that Booke to destroy the Kingdome of Antichrist to consume his State and Citie I see not but it may stand with the Wisedome of GOD to inspire their heart to expound it into whose handes hee hath put it to excute vntill the LORD shall consume both him and it with the Spirit of his mouth and shall abolish it with the brightnesse of his comming For from the day that S. Iohn writ the Booke to this present houre I doe not thinke that euer any King tooke such paines or was so perfect in the Reuelation as his Maiestie is which will easily appeare by this Paraphrase by his Maiesties Meditation on the 20. Chap. and his Monitorie Preface Jt was my purpose to haue past through all his Maiesties Books to haue expressed the Argument and the occasion of their writing But I find by that J haue already said I should be ouer tedious vnto you This therefore in generall They are all worthy of a King and to be kept to Posterity For if Ouid could imagine that no time should eate out the memory of his Metamorphoseis which were but fictions J hope no time shall see an end of these Books that carry in them so much diuine trewth and light And as in this first worke of the Paraphrase his Maiestie hath shewed his Piety So in this last Pearle I meane his Maiesties Speach in the Starr-Chamber his Maiestie hath shewed his Policy The first sheweth hee vnderstands the Kingdome of GOD this last that hee as well apprehends the State of his Kingdomes in this World The first sheweth him to haue a large Portion in that of Heauen and this last sheweth him to haue a great Power and experience in these Kingdomes hee hath on earth Therefore let these men that delight so much in Detraction and to vilify him whom GOD hath exalted and to shed his blood whose Soule GOD hath bound vp in the Bundle of life Let them J say write what euer the Subtilty of the olde Serpent can put into their heads or the Malice of Sathan infuse into their hearts Let them speake what the poyson of Aspes is able to put into their lippes they are not all able to make his Maiestie to appeare lesse then he is nor to shew that euer they had of theirs a King so accomplished It is trew that wee haue not had many Kings in this Kingdome of our Profession But for those we haue had this Iland of ours neuer saw the like either for partes of Nature giftes of Learning or Graces of Piety The little time of life that God lent to King Edward must needs lessen his prayses But neuer did there appeare beginnings of more rare perfection then in him The length of Queene Elizabeths dayes together with the felicity of her time was not only a Glory to her owne People but a wonderment to the
deceipt as composed of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gnarma Geddon which may very well agree with the History because it is the name of the place saith Iohn where the wicked being assembled together by the alluring and deceipt of Satan and his three spirits of Diuels to make warre with the faithfull were all destroyed by God and so their destruction came and was procured by deceipt Yet others interpret it to signifie destruction by waters as composed of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Harma Geddon which also may very well agree with the Historie For waters indeed in this Booke signifie oft many people and Nations as appeareth by the very Text in the 17. Chapter And others take it to be an allusion to the destruction that Ioshua made of Gods enemies vpon the hill of Mageddon and therefore to bee composed of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Harr which is called a Hill and Mageddon which may also very well agree with the Historie And as J speake of this so J speake the like of Gog and Magog in the 20. Chapter and of all other ambiguous places in this Booke Jt rests then that what ye finde amisse in this Paraphrase yee impute it to my lacke of yeeres and learning and what ye find worthy to be allowed in it that yee attribute the full praise thereof to GOD to whom onely all praise appertaineth Fare-well THE ARGVMENT OF THIS WHOLE EPISTLE THIS Booke or Epistle of Reuelation was called in doubt aswell for the incertaintie of the Author as also for the canonicalnesse of the Booke it selfe by sundry of the ancients and specially by Eusebe For soluing whereof I need not to insist since it is both receiued now of all Christians and also diuers of the Neoteriques in speciall Beza in his Preface vpon it hath handled that matter sufficiently already So that this doubt onely rests now in men that this Booke is so obscure and allegorique that it is in a maner vnprofitable to be taught or interpreted Whereunto I will shortly make answere and then goe forward to set downe the methode of the same And therefore to make a deduction from the beginning let vs vnderstand in what seuerall or principall parts the whole Scriptures may be diuided in and then which of them this Booke is How soone Adam being made perfect in his Creation and hauing the choise of Life and Death Good and Euill did by his horrible defection make choise of Death and cast off Life and by that meanes infected his whole posteritie with double sinne to wit Originall and Actuall God notwithstanding had such a Loue to mankinde as being his most Noble workemanship and Creature made to his owne Likenesse and Image that he selected a Church amongst them whom first because of their weakenesse and incredulitie he with his owne mouth taught and next instructed and raised vp notable men amongst them to be their Rulers whom he endued with such excellent gifts as not onely their example in life preached but also by Miracles they strengthened and confirmed their Faith But lest this ministrie of men should make them to depend onely vpon their mouthes forgetting Him and making Gods of them he at length out of his owne mouth gaue them his Law which he caused them to put in Writ and retaine still amongst them And then lest they should forget and neglect the same he raised vp godly Rulers as well Temporall as Spirituall who by their holy liues and working of Miracles reuiued and strengthened the Law in their hearts But seeing that notwithstanding all this they cast themselues headlong in the gulfe of vices such is the vnthankefull and repining Nature of Man hee raised vp Prophets as especially Ieremie and Daniel to accuse them of their sinnes and by Visions to forewarne them of the times to come whereby the godly might turne and arme themselues and the wicked might be made inexcusable And thus much for the Old Testament But then God seeing that notwithstanding this there crept in such a generall corruption amongst them that scarce one might be found that bowed not his knee to Baal Hee then by his vnsearchable Wisedome incarnated his Eternall Sonne and Word THE LORD IESVS who by his death and Passion accomplished the faith of the Fathers whose Saluation was by the beleeuing in him to come as also made an open and patent way of Grace to all the world thereafter And then as vpon a new world and a new Church Gods Fatherly care to Mankind was renued but in a more fauourable forme because hee looked vpon the Merits of his deare Sonne Then first Christ with his owne mouth did instruct men and confirmed his Doctrine by Miracles and secondly raised vp the Apostles to giue the Law of Faith confirming it by their liues and Miracles And last that notwithstanding this Defection was beginning to creepe in againe hee inspired one of them to wit IOHN to write this Booke that hee might thereby euen as Ieremie and Daniel did in the old Law aswell rebuke them of their sinnes as by forewarning them to arme them against the great tentations that were to come after Then of it selfe it prooues how profitable this Booke is for this aage seeing it is the last Reuelation of Gods will and Prophesie that euer was or shall bee in the World For wee shall haue no more Prophesies nor Miracles hereafter but must content our selues with the Law and Prophecies already giuen as Christ in his Parable of Lazarus and the rich man teacheth Now as to the Methode this holy Epistle is directed to the seuen Churches of Asia Minor whom hee names and writes to particularly in the first three Chapters of the same and vnder their Names to all their trew Successors the whole Church Militant in the World The whole matter may bee diuided in sixe parts to wit The praise or dispraise of euery one of these Churches according to their merits wherein they merit good or euill what way they ought to reforme themselues and this is contained in the three first Chapters And to make them inexcusable in case they slide againe hee shewes the estate of the whole Church Militant in their time he tells them what it shall be vntill the end of the World and what it shal be when it is Triumphant and immortall after the dissolution These three last parts are declared by Visions in the rest of the Epistle first the present estate of the Church then and what it should be thereafter vnto the later day is summarily declared by the first sixe of the seuen Seales in the sixt and seuenth Chapters and afterwards more at large by the seuen Trumpets that came out of the seuenth Seale in the 8. 9. 10. 11. Chapters And because through Tirannie and abuse of the Popedome Poperie is the greatest temptation since Christes first comming or that shal be vnto his last therefore he specially insists more at large and cleerly in the declaration and painting forth of the
same by Vision of the woman in the wildernesse and of the Beasts that rose out of the sea and the earth in the 12. 13. and 14. Chapters And then to comfort men that might otherwise despaire Chap. 15.16 because of the greatnesse of that temptation he declares by the next following Vision of the Phials what plagues shall light vpon the Pope and his followers Next he describes him againe Chap. 17.18.19 Chap. 20. farre clearer then any time before and likewise his ruine together with the sorrow of the Earth and ioy of Heauen therefore And then to inculcate and ingraue the better the foresaid Visions in the hearts and memories of Men hee in a Vision makes a short summe and recapitulation of them to wit of the present estate of the Church then and what it should bee thereafter vnto the Day of Iudgement together with a short description of the said Day And last he describes by a Vision the glorious reward of them who constantly persist in the Trueth resisting all the temptations which he hath forespoken To wit he describes the blessed estate of the holy and Eternall Ierusalem and Church Triumphant and so with a short and pithie Conclusion makes an end A PARAPHRASE VPON THE REVELATION OF THE APOSTLE S. IOHN CHAP. I. ARGVMENT The Booke the Writer and the Inditer the end and vse thereof The dedication of this Epistle to the Churches and Pastors vnder the vision of the seuen Candlesticks and seuen Starres GOD THE FATHER hath directed his Sonne and Word IESVS CHRIST to send downe an Angel or Minister to me Iohn his seruant and by him to reueale vnto mee certaine things which are shortly to come to passe to the effect in time the chosen may be forewarned by me 2 Who haue borne witnes that the word of God is true and that IESVS CHRIST is and was a faithfull witnesse and haue made true report of all I saw 3 Happy are they that read and vnderstand this Prophesie and conforme themselues thereunto in time for in very short space it will be fulfilled 4 I am directed to declare the same specially to you the seuen Churches of Asia with whom be grace and peace from the Eternall the Father and from the Holy Spirit 5 And IESVS CHRIST that faithfull witnesse the first borne of the dead the Mightie King of the world and head of his Church Who for the loue he bare vs hath made vs innocent by his blood in the worke of Redemption 6 To him then we whom hee hath made Spiritual Kings and Priests in Honour and Holinesse and ordained to serue and praise his Father giue all glory and power for euer so be it 7 Assure your selues of his comming againe from Heauen in all glory and all eyes shall see him Yea the wicked shal be compelled to acknowledge that it is euen very he whom so they did persecute Christ crucified And the whole world shall haue a feeling before him of their vnthankefulnesse So be it 8 I am Eternall saith the Lord before whom all things which is or was are present and I am only the worker of all I who euer Was and still am shall surely come againe according to my promise 1. Cor. 2. And as I am Eternall and true so I am Almighty preordinating all things before all beginnings 9 I Iohn your brother in the flesh Iohn banished to Pathmos for the trueth writeth the Reuelation and companion with you aswell in the seruice of Christ as in the patient suffering of the Crosse being for that word of God and witnessing of Christ whereof I spake so persecuted that for safety of my life I was constrained to flie all alone to the solitarie I le of Pathmos 10 Then was I bereft in spirit vpon the Sunday which is hallowed to the Lord Then heard I behind me turne about and take heed the mighty voyce of the Lord as a Trumpet because he was to declare the estate of the battell of the Church Militant vnto me 11 Saying these wordes I am A and Ω to wit the first and the last write thou in a Booke what thou seest and send it to the Seuen Churches in Asia the names of which are these Ephesus Smyrna Pergamos Thyatyra Sardis Philadelphia and Laodicea 12 And when I turned mee to see the voyce Vers 10. I did see seuen Candlesticks representing these seuen Churches 13 And in the middest of them the figure of the Sonne of man representing him clothed with a side garment for grauitie and girded about the paps with a girdle of Gold for glory 14 His head and haire were white as white Wooll Psal 51. Esay 4. Matth. 3. Ierem. 1.15 Esay 17. or Snow for innocencie and his eyes were bright like flames of fire to signifie his all-seeing knowledge 15 His feet were of brasse brightly flaming as in a furnace to declare his standing in Eternity And his voice like the sounding of many waters representing his Maiestie in commanding 16 And hee had in his Right hand the side that the Elect are on Hebr. 1.10 Vers 10. seuen Starres for you the seuen Angels that is Pastors of the seuen Churches Ephes 6. Esay 60. Matth. 7. And from his mouth came a two-edged sword to wit the Sword of the word which comes onely from him and his face was as the Sunne shining bright for from his Face comes all light to illuminate blind Man 17 And when I thus did see him I fell dead at his feet for astonishment Psal 63. Psal 139. but he lifted mee vp againe with his right and fauourable hand and comfortably said vnto mee Feare not be not astonished for I am the first and the last Christ is risen from death to life Timoth. 1. Hebr. 2. 18 Who as verily as now I liue was once dead as thou thy selfe beares witnesse and yet now doe liue for euer and euer and by my death onely I haue ouercome Hell and Death and I onely and no other keepe the Keyes that haue the power of them both 19 And now I came to charge thee to write these things which thou hast now seene because they are afterwards to come to passe CHAP. II. ARGVMENT Admonition and exhortation to the Churches of Ephesus Smyrna Pergamos and Thyatira WRite then this to the Angel or Pastour of the Church of Ephesus He that hath the seuen Starres Chap. 1. v. 10. or seuen Pastours in his Right hand or fauourable power or protection and who walkes among the seuen Golden Candlesticks or watches ouer the seuen Churches euen hee I say Chap. 1. sayes thus vnto thee 2 I know thy workes thy trauaile and patience that thou suffrest not the wicked to walke with thee but hast learned them out False apostles in the Church of Ephesus that call themselues Apostles in the Church of Ephesus and are not and hast tried them to be lyers 3 Thou art also loaded with a great
burden and yet willingly sustainest it and for the loue of my Name hast thou trauailed much and yet weariest not 4 But in this I must finde fault with thee that thy former charitie is waxed cold Destruction to the Church of Ephesus except they repent Chap. 1. Ioh. 12. v. 35. Nicolates Pouerbs 15. 5 Remember then from whence thou hast fallen and repent turning thy selfe to thy first workes otherwise I wil turne against thee soone and will remoue thy Candlesticke out of the place it is in to wit the light of the Gospel from thy Church if thou repent not in time 6 But this againe thou doest well to hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans which also I hate Matth. 23. 7 Let all who haue eares or are willing to be followers of me heare and take example by this which the Spirit of God sayes to the seuen Churches or their seuen Pastours in the name of them 1. Iohn 2. 1. Iohn 5. Prou. 3.5.18.22 And to him who is Victor in the battell against Satan and the flesh I shall giue to eate of the Tree of Life which is in the middest of the Paradise of God to wit I shall make him liue eternally in Heauen 8 To the Angel or Pastour of the Church of Smyrna write thou This sayes the first and the last Ephes 1.3 who was dead but now liues 9 I know thy workes thy trouble and pouertie but thou art rich to wit in graces I know also what blasphemies are vsed against thee by them who call themselues Iewes but are not but by the contrary are of the Synagogue of Satan The Church of Smyrna afflicted and troubled yet doeth continew Psal 91. 10 Feare not when yee shall be troubled by the deuil for he will persecute and trouble some of you in the flesh that your constancie may be tried and ye shall haue great affliction for the space of tenne dayes to wit for a certaine space but be yee faithfull vnto the death and for your continuance I shall giue you the Crowne of life immortall 11 Hee that hath an eare let him heare what the Spirit saith to the Churches and he that ouercommeth shall not be hurt by the second death which is Hell Pergame the principall Citie in Attalia 12 And to the Angel or Pastour of the Church of Pergame write thou Thus saith he that hath the two edged sword 13 I know thy workes and where thou dwellest euen where the throne of Satan is to wit among a great number of wicked Yet hast thou not denied thy Faith in me no not in straightest times Antipas Martyr when Antipas my faithfull Martyr and witnesse was slaine among you where Satan to wit many wicked remaine 14 Yet haue I some few things to lay to your charge to wit That yee permit them to remaine amongst you who retaine the doctrine of Balaam 1. Cor. 10.14 who perswade men to eate of things immolate to Idoles and to commit fornication and filthinesse in the flesh For the very same did Ba laam to Balac to cause the Israelites stumble 15 Thou offendest also in suffering some to be amongst you who retaine the doctrine of the Nicolaitans which I hate 16 Repent therefore in time otherwise I will come against thee soone and I will fight and ouercome them who are amongst you with the sword of my mouth to wit by the force of my word 17 He that hath an eare let him heare what the Spirit saith to the Churches And to the Victour shall I giue to eate of that secret and hidden Manna to wit of Me the spirituall food of the faithfull of whom that Manna which was hid in the Arke was a figure And I will also giue him a White stone or a Marke of his election and righteousnesse through imputation and in it a New name written to wit his name shall be written vp in the Booke of life which no man knoweth but he who receiues it for no other may know the certaintie of ones Election but onely he who is elected 18 And to the Angel or Pastour of the Church of Thyatire write This saith the Sonne of God whose eyes are like flames of fire and whose feet are like to glistering brasse 19 I know thy workes thy charitie thy almes and carefull helping of the weake thy faith thy patience and shortly all thy workes but in speciall I praise thy great constancie and firme continuance euen so as thy last workes are better then the first 20 Yet some few things haue I to lay to thy charge to wit that thou sufferest a woman like to Iezebel in wickednesse and Idolatrie who calls her selfe a Prophetesse to teach and seduce my seruants to commit fornication and filthinesse of the flesh and to eate of things immolate vnto Idols 21 Yet gaue I her a time to repent from her filthinesse but she would not 22 Therefore loe I shall cast her into a bed to wit I shall destroy her in the puddle of her sinnes and I shall trouble with great affliction all them who commit adulterie to wit spirituall adulterie with her if they repent not of their euill workes in time 23 And I will kill and destroy her sonnes to wit all the followers of her doctrine that all the Churches and faithfull may know me to be the searcher out of the secrets of all hearts and the iust renderer and recompencer of euery man according to his workes 24 But I say vnto the rest of you who are at Thyatire who haue not receiued that false doctrine nor know not the depth nor secrets of Satan or wickednesse whereof the other falsely did purge themselues I will not lay any other burthen vpon you then that which already constantly yee beare 25 But that which yee haue holde it out valiantly vntill my comming againe 26 For vnto him who is victour and beares out to the end that burthen which I lay vpon him I will giue power ouer Nations to wit hee shall triumph ouer the world 27 And he shall rule them with an yron rod and they shall be broken like vessels of earth according as I haue receiued the power from my Father 28 And I shall giue vnto him the Morning starre for as the morning starre shines brighter then the rest so shall he shine brighter in glory then his fellowes 29 He that hath an eare let him heare what the Spirit sayth to the Churches CHAP. III. ARGVMENT Admonition and exhortation to the Churches of Sardis Philadelphia and Laodicea ANd to the Angel or Pastour of the Church of Sardis write thou Thus sayth he who hath the seuen Spirits of God Sardis to wit hee with whom the holy Spirit is vnseparably ioyned and who hath the bestowing of all the graces of Gods Spirit on the Elect and hath the seuen Starres to wit who is the head of you the seuen Pastours I know thy workes for ye say ye liue and yet are dead for
glory that is in heauen at the receiuing of my Commission contained in the following Visions which I did see of the things present and to come in the generall Church militant CHAP. V. ARGVMENT The description of the Booke wherein was conteined all the Misteries which were reuealed to this Writer Christs opening of them vnder the figure of a Lion and of a Lambe The praises giuen him by the Saints and Angels therefore who offer without any Intercessour euery one his owne thankesgiuing and praises to the Mediatour THen first I did see in the Right hand of him that sate on the Throne Dan. 12.4 a Booke the Booke wherein these mysteries are contained Esay 24 11. and all the Booke was written vpon aswell on the backe as within on the backe was written these Visions that I did see Ezek. 2.10 and am presently to declare vnto you within was written the plaine exposition and the very proper names of all things which these Visions did represent which are inclosed there to signifie that the Lord hath not permitted me to manifest the same to the world for the time thereof is not come yet which Booke was sealed with seuen Seales aswell to keepe euery part thereof vnreuealed to any as also to giue the greater certaintie that these things shall come to passe which are prophesied therein 2 And I saw a strong Angel proclayming with a loud voice Who is worthy to open this Booke and to loose the Seales thereof 3 But there could none be found worthy to doe it neither in heauen nor in earth nor beneath the earth no not to looke on it much lesse to open it for neither Angel nor deuil either knows or dare meddle with the high mysteries of God and things future except so farre as pleaseth him to commit and reueale vnto them 4 Then wept I very sore that none could be found worthy to open and read that Booke no not to looke vpon the same for I was very sorrowfull that I could not haue it reuealed vnto me 5 At last one of the Elders said vnto mee Weepe not Loe the Lion of the Tribe of Iuda hath preuailed to wit he who is come of Iuda and hath admirable force in his flesh deriued from the Tribe of Iuda by which he ouercame Sinne Death and Hell and is the roote of Dauid for Dauid was his figure and fore-beer in the flesh is worthy and onely worthy to open the Booke and loose the Seales thereof 6 And then I tooke heed and behold I did see in the middest of the Throne and the foure beasts a second person of the Trinitie sitting with God and in the middest of the Elders as a man and our brother a Lambe standing like as hee had bene slaine to signifie that once indeed hee was slaine but had risen againe and had seuen Hornes and seuen Eyes representing the innumerable times mighty and holy Spirit of God which after his Resurrection he sent out through the whole earth to direct instruct and rule the same by his prouidence and power 7 This Lambe then came and tooke the Booke out of the Right hand of him that did sit on the Throne 8 And so soone as he had taken the Booke in his hand these foure beasts and these foure and twentie Elders fell vpon their faces before the Lambe and adored him and euery one of them had in his hand Harpes and golden Phials full of sweet odours these are the prayers of the Saints which the foure beasts comprehending all the degrees of Angels and the foure and twentie Elders comprehending the whole Church as well Militant as Triumphant perceiuing that CHRIST is to reueale all the tentations which are to fall vpon the earth and Church before the latter dayes doe powre forth aswel on the Church triumphants part thankesgiuing that by the reuealing or opening of the Booke he armeth the Militant Church to resist all the tentations contained therein as also on the Church Militants part to pray him to hasten the end and dissolution for the hastening whereof all creatures sigh and grone to their Creator Euery one of these beasts and Elders presents their owne praiers vnto him who sits on the Throne to teach vs as he is Mediatour and therefore our prayers must be offered vnto him onely that so there is no Intercessour betweene him and vs but euery one of vs must present our owne prayers before him after the example of the beasts and Elders These prayers were inclosed in harpes to signifie the sweet and pleasing sound that faithfull prayers make in the eares of God they were inclosed in golden Phials to teach vs that acceptable prayers must come from an vndefiled heart and pure as gold and they themselues are called incense because their smell is pleasant and sweet like incense in the nostrils of God Exod. 30.7 This did the incense at the sacrifice in the old Law signifie and figurate and of this incense speakes Dauid in his Psalmes Psal 141.2 9 And they to wit the foure and twenty Elders did sing a new Canticle for the matter of their Canticle to wit the accomplishment of the Mysterie of redemption is new Psal 144. and euer ought to be new and fresh in the hearts of all them that would be accompted thankefull Their song then was this Thou art worthy O Lord to receiue the Booke and open the Seales thereof for thou hast bene slaine though innocent and by thy precious Blood hast redeemed vs to God thy Father and hast chosen vs out of all Tribes tongues people and nations aswell Iewes as Gentiles 10 And thou hast made vs Kings and Priests spiritually to our God And we shall reigne ouer the earth at the last and generall Iudgement and as Kings shall be participant of the glory of the holy and new Citie Ierusalem 11 Then I beheld and heard round about the Throne the beasts and the Elders the voyces of many Angels to the number of many thousand thousands Dan. 7.10 to wit innumerable Legions of them 12 Who said all with a loud voice The Lambe who was slaine is worthy to haue all power riches wisedome strength honour glory and blessing for euer 13 I also heard all creatures in Heauen in earth and beneath the earth and in the seas euen all that are in them I heard saying in one voyce vnto him that sits vpon the Throne and vnto the Lambe be Blessing Glory Honour and Power for euer and euer And the foure beastes said Amen and the foure and twenty Elders fell on their faces and adored him that liues for euer and euer CHAP. VI. ARGVMENT The opening of the first sixe Seales The spreading of the Euangel signified by the white horse in the first seale The great Persecution by the red horse in the second The number of diuers heresies by the blacke in the third The Popedome and Tyrannie thereof by the pale in the fourth The complaint of the Saints
in the head as ye heard already and legged like a beare because in the Beares legges consists his greatest strength and durablenesse this proportion signifies that this Monarchie is farre greater then all the rest and all their powers are reuiued in it as I said before 3 And I perceiued that one of the heads of the beast had bene deadly wounded but the wound thereof was healed and the whole earth followed this beast with a great wondering this was to signifie vnto me that it was not of this beast that I was ordained to forewarne you for the worst of this beast is almost past already and this Monarchie shall be within short space destroyed but this beast or Monarchie is shewen vnto me because out of the ruines thereof shall rise in that same Seate where it was that hereticall Monarchie whereof I am to forewarne you which is signified by the deadly wound it gat on the head which was healed againe for as the Phaenix reuiues of her owne ashes as prophane stories make mention so out of the ashes of this Empire shall rise and be reuiued an other which shall grow so mighty that the whole earth that is without Sanctum Sanctorum shall with amasement reuerence obey and follow it as ye heard presently declared 4 And they adored the Dragon who gaue power to the Beast for they shall giue themselues ouer to the workes of darkenes which is to serue and adore the diuel who raised vp this beast to make warre against the seed of the woman Chap. 12. as ye heard before And they also adored the diuel in his instrument by reuerencing that Beast and Monarchie erected by him and they said Who is like vnto the Beast or who may fight with him for this Monarchie shall be so strong in worldly power as the world shall thinke it so farre in strength aboue all other powers that it is impossible to ouercome it especially that the little stone which was cut without hands out of the mountaine mentioned by Daniel Daniel 2. shall euer destroy it which notwithstanding at the last shall bruise it in pieces 5 And there was a mouth giuen vnto it to speake great things and blasphemies It is said in Daniel Daniel 7.11 that his mouth shall speake in magnificencie and vtter words against the Soueraigne to wit this Monarchie and King thereof shall extoll himselfe farre aboue all liuing creatures and shal vsurpe farre higher Styles then euer were heard of before by the which and by his false doctrine together he shall so derogate from the honour of GOD and vsurpe so all power onely proper vnto him as it shall bee great wordes against him and blasphemie of his Name And there was power giuen him to doe to wit GOD shall permit his Tyrannie to encrease and persecute the Saints the space of two and fourtie moneths This space was mentioned vnto me to let me know thereby that this Monarchie risen out of the ruines of the other Chap. 11. is the same which is meant by that Citie whereof ye heard alreadie in the sixt Trumpet which persecuted the two Witnesses for the same space is assigned to her there and consequently it is that same seate and Monarchie which is meant by the angel of the bottomlesse pit Chap. 9. called Apollyon in the fift Trumpet by the Rider on the pale horse Chap. 6. called Death in the fourth Seale and also obscurely meant in the sixt Trumpet by the halfe of that great hoste of horsemen Chap. 9. of the which halfe the armed horse which I saw in the vision was a part of the power whose head and Monarchie was the plague for idolatry as ye heard which Monarchie together with the other of whom yee also heard obscurely in that place as the plague of the sinnes against the second Table to wit this great beast here mentioned and the other reuealed a vowed and open enemie of Christs Church shall both gather their forces to fight against it in that battell of the great day of the Lord Chap. 16. whereof ye shal heare in the owne place Then this beast according to the power which was giuen him opened his mouth in blasphemies against God and spake iniurious words against his Name his Tabernacle to wit his Sanctum Sanctorum which is the Church militant and them that dwell in heauen for his reigne shall be so great that hee shall not onely blaspheme the Name of God in such sort as ye heard alreadie and persecute the members of Christ that shall be on the earth in his dayes but likewise vpbraid with calumnies the soules of the Saints departed 7 And for that effect he was permitted by God to make warre against the Saints and hee gaue him power to ouercome them corporally and to rule ouer all tribes tongues and nations so great shall his Monarchie and power be 8 And so all the in-dwellers of the earth shal adore him to wit a great part of them shall reuerence him whose names are not writen in the booke of life which is the Lambes that was slaine which booke was written before the foundation of the world was laide for these are alwayes excepted from bowing their knees to Baal who were predestinate by Christ to saluation before all beginnings 9 He who hath an eare let him heare and take heede vnto this sentence that followeth to wit 10 If any man leade in captiuitie in captiuitie shall he be led againe if any man slay with the sword with the sword shall hee be slaine againe then since ye are assured that God in his good time shall iustly mete to their tyrannie the same measure that they shall mete to his Church let not your hearts in your affliction through despaire of Gods reuenge because of his long suffering swarue from the bold and plaine professing of his trueth for in this shall the patience and constant faith of the Saints or the chosen be tried 11 And then I saw another beast rise vp vpon the earth and it had two hornes like vnto the Lambe but it spake like the dragon for lest this Monarchie should be taken to be a ruler onely ouer the body and that I might vnderstand the contrary to wit that he was specially a spirituall tyrant ouer the soules and consciences of men this other beast was shewen vnto me which representeth the hereticall kingdome of the grashoppers whereof Apollyon was made King in the fift Trumpet Chap. 9. and it vseth the coloured authoritie of Christ by pretending two swords or two keyes as receiued from Christ which is signified by the two hornes like the Lambes but the end whereof it vseth that authoritie is to get obedience to that false doctrine which it teacheth signified by speaking like the dragon or deuil 12 It is this false and hypocriticall Church then which doeth exercise all the power of the former beast to wit teacheth the Kings of this Monarchy and seat by what
often haue heard already and the in-dwellers of the earth shall wonder whose names are not written in the booke of life before the foundation of the world was laide of this wondering yee heard before they shall wonder I say at this beast which was to wit in great power and is not to wit in a maner as ye presently heard and yet is I meane doeth stand though farre decayed from the former greatnesse 9 Take good heede vnto this that I declare vnto thee for herein shall the trew wisedome of men be tried to wit in knowing by this my description what particular Empire and Tyrannie I speake of And the seuen heads of this beast signifie aswell seuen materiall hilles whereupon the seate of this Monarchie is situated as also seuen kings or diuers formes of Magistrates that this Empire hath had and is to haue hereafter 10 Fiue of them haue beene alreadie one is presently and makes the sixt another shall follow it and make the seuenth but it is not yet come and when it comes it shall remaine but a very short space 11 And this beast which was to wit so great and is not for now it is decaying as thou presently hast heard it is the eight and yet one of the seuen for this beast which rose out of the ruines of the fourth Monarchie as ye heard before in respect it vseth an hereticall Tyrannie ouer the consciences of men by that new forme of Empire is different from any of the rest and so is the eight and yet because this forme of gouernment shall haue the same seate which the rest had and vse as great Tyrannie and greater vpon the world and shall vse the same forme in ciuill gouernment which one of the seuen vsed therefore because it is so like them I call it one of the seuen 12 And the tenne hornes which thou sawest signifie tenne Kings to wit the great number of subalterne Magistrates in all the Prouinces vnder that Monarchy who haue not yet receiued their kingdome for vnder all the diuers sorts of gouernments that shall be in it except the last and hereticall sort these subalterne powers shall be but in the ranke of subiects but they shall take their kingly power with the beast to wit at the very time that this Apollyon shall rise out of the ashes of the fourth beast or Monarchie the kings of the earth shall become his slaues and subalterne Magistrates whereas the subiects were onely the power of that Monarchie before so as the hornes or powers of this beast were but of subiects before it was wounded but after the healing of it the worldly kings and rulers shall become the powers and hornes of it 13 These shall haue one counsell and shall giue their strength and power to the beast to wit these kings shal all willingly yeeld obedience to Babylon and shall employ their whole forces for the maintenance of that Monarchie and the persecution of the Saints 14 For they shal fight with the Lambe in his members albeit all in vaine for in the end the Lambe shall ouercome them because he is Lord of lords and King of all kings and these that are with him and followeth him are called Chosen and Faithfull 15 He also said vnto me The waters that thou saw this Whore sit vpon are the peoples multitudes nations and tongues that haue subiected themselues to her Empire 16 But as touching these ten hornes thou saw thus farre I foretell vnto thee although that for a time these kings shall be slaues and seruants to Babylon and shall be her instruments to persecute the Saints the time shall come before the consummation that they shall hate the Whore who abused them so strongly and long and shall make her to be alone for they shall withdraw from her their Subiects the nations that were her strength and shall make her naked for they shall discouer the mysterie of her abominations and shall eate her flesh and burne her with fire to wit they shall spoile her of her riches power and glory and so destroy her 17 But doe not thou wonder at this for God gaue them in their hearts to wit permitted them to be abused by her for a space that they might doe what pleased her and consent to all her vnlawfull policies and pretences and giue their kingdomes vnto this beast vntill the words of God might be accomplished to wit they shall submit their very Crownes and take the right thereof from her vnto the fulnesse of times here prophecied At what time God shall raise them vp as ye heard to destroy Babylon for the hearts of the greatest kings as well as of the smallest subiects are in the hands of the Lord to be his instruments and to turne them as it shall please him to employ them 18 And this woman or Whore which thou sawest is that great citie and seate of this Beast or Monarchie which beareth rule ouer the kings of the earth as thou hast heard alreadie But although it be one seat yet diuers and a great number of kings or heads thereof shall succeed into it one to another all vpholding an hereticall religion and false worship of God and one forme of gouernment as the fourth Monarchie did out of the which this did spring as ye haue heard CHAP. XVIII ARGVMENT The sorrow of the earth for the destruction of the Popedome The profite that worldly men had by his standing The great riches and wealth of that Church The Pope by his Pardons makes merchandise of the soules of men Heauen and the Saints reioyce at his destruction albeit the earth and the worldlings lament for the same ANd then I saw another Angel comming downe from heauen hauing great power so that the earth shined with his glory for so soone as God by one of the seauen Angels who had the phials had more plainely described vnto mee this woman sitting on the beast then he did before hee now appointeth this other Angel who is Christ to declare vnto me and proclaime to the world as is signified by his comming downe to the earth for that cause the iust condemnation of Babylon according to her sinnes 2 And hee cryed out with a loude voyce saying It is fallen It is fallen Babylon that great Citie and it is made the dwelling place of vncleane spirits and the habitation of all vncleane and hatefull fowles to wit it shall be destroyed and that great Citie the seate of that Monarchie shall be desolate for euer euen as it was prophesied of Ierusalem 3 Because all nations haue drunke of the Vine of her whoredome and the kings of the earth haue committed whoredome with her and the Merchants of the earth are become rich by the great wealth of her delights in so great a worldly glory and pompe did that Monarchie shine 4 And I heard another voyce from heauen to wit the voyce of the holy Spirit saying Goe foorth from her my people to wit all the chosen
their constancie and patience in the time of their persecution they shall as it were reigne ouer the earth and by their Martyrdome be Iudges therof for it is called Christs reigning and the Saints vpon the earth when his word and trew professours thereof shine visibly therein as I haue said and these were they who adored not the beast to wit they are the elect who were predestinate before all beginnings to be preserued from all infections and heresies which is generally represented by this part of them that the beast or Babylon shal raise and maintaine as the greatest and most perillous that euer shall be raised by Satan And the honourable sitting of the Saints and soules of Martyrs was shewed to me to assure me that how soone the soule of any faithfull man is parted from the body it ascendeth immediatly vnto heauen there abiding in all glory the reioyning againe of his glorified body at the latter day coniunctly to possesse all glory in heauen eternally like as by the contrary the reprobate soule how soone it parteth from the body of the wicked goes down immediatly to hell there abiding in all torment the knitting again with his cursed body at the latter day there iointly to be subiect to eternall paine neither is there any resting place by the way for any of them and the rest of the dead to wit all the wicked shal not be reuiued while this space be complete for the wicked shall neither during this space nor at any time thereafter taste of the regeneration which is the first resurrection and second birth as Christ said to Nicodemus and therfore as I said already Blessed and happy are they who are partakers of the first resurrection for the second death to wit hell shall haue no power of them but they shall be Priests of God and Christ and reigne with him these thousand yeeres to wit they shal eternally in heauen offer vp that Eucharisticall Sacrifice of praise to God and so be ioyned in fellowship with the chosen which were vpon the earth in that aforesaid time This first part of this vision is begun alreadie now followeth the next part 7 And when these happy dayes are expired then shal the deuill be loosed out of his prison 8 And he shal go forth with greater liberty to seduce the nations which are in the four airths of the earth to wit he shal not only after the spreding of many heresies cause a general blindnes defection but also make a great persecution vpon the faithful Church by gathering Gog and Magog to battell against them whose number is like the sand of the sea to wit after innumerable troubles at last he shall gather to the great day of the battell of the Lord of the which ye heard in the sixt Trumpet and sixt phiale and last immediately before this Vision Gog and Magog to wit two great seates of Monarchies and Tyrannies ouer the Church who both at one time shall rise in the latter dayes and both at another time shal be destroyed by the blast of Christes breath as ye shall heare whereof the one is the auowed and professed enemie of GOD and his CHRIST but the other is Babylon the hypocriticall and most dangerous aduersary Of these two ye heard in the sixt Trumpet and so these two although pride and enuie shall still keepe a rooted malice betwixt them yet they shall both with innumerable forces make warre against the trew Church as Herod and Pilate did band themselues against Christ notwithstanding the particular dislikes which were betwixt them It is these and their forces that must fight against the Saints at Arma-geddon as ye heard in the sixt phiale and the special drawers on of this battell shal be the three frogs who are the last vermin bred of the smoake of the bottomlesse pit as ye also heard in the said phiale 9 These great forces then went vp vpon the earth for the diuel raised them out of the bottomlesse pit and they spread themselues vpon the breadth of the earth so great was their number and compassed the Tents or dwellings of the Saints and the holy Citie for they were prepared to inuade the trew Church on all sides and by all meanes but the fire came downe from heauen and deuoured them for God by his Almighty power euen when their power was greatest and nothing so like as an apparant rooting out of all the faithfull in rebus desperatis did miraculously confound all the aduersaries of his Church And now comes in the third and last part of this Vision to wit the description of the Consummation 10 For I did see the diuel who seduced these wicked cast into a lake of fire and brimstone to wit in hell out of the which he shall neuer come againe where also the beast and the false prophet were as ye heard before Here now I saw the diuel punished eternally to my greater comfort for troubling the Church where before I saw onely his instruments punished as I said in the beginning of this Vision and he and his instruments shall be tormented there day and night to wit incessantly for euer and euer 11 Then I saw a great white Throne and one sitting thereupon in all glory and brightnesse to wit IESVS CHRIST now comming from heauen to iudge the earth and from his sight fled the earth and the heauen and their place was not found for the whole earth and much of the heauen shall be destroyed and renewed at his last comming 12 And I saw all the dead great and small standing in GOD his sight for then is the resurrection of the dead who at that time must be iudged And the bookes were opened to wit the counsels and secrets of all mens hearts and another booke to wit the booke of Life was opened to the effect that all those whose names were written into it to wit predestinated and elected for saluation before all beginnings might there be selected for eternall Glory And the dead were iudged out of these things which were written in the bookes according to their workes for as God is a Spirit so iudgeth he the thoughts of man and so by faith onely iustifies him which notwithstanding is done according to his workes because they as the fruits of faith cannot be separated from it and beare witnesse of the same to men in the earth 13 And the Sea gaue vp all the dead she had for all the dead must then rise as I haue shewed already And death and hell gaue vp all they had for not onely the bodies but euen the soules of the wicked shal be iudged there and euery one was iudged according to his workes as I presently did shew you 14 And hell and death were casten in the Lake of fire which is the second death to wit hell and death shall then be closed vp for euer within themselues and shall neuer againe come forth to trouble the Saints for death which is the last
enemie shall be abolished from holy Ierusalem for euer 15 And whosoeuers name is not found written in the booke of Life is casten into the Lake of fire for not onely the publike euill doers but euen whosoeuer is not predestinate for saluation shall at that time be casten into hell for there is no midway but whosoeuer gathereth not with Christ he scattereth as I shew before CHAP. XXI ARGVMENT A large and glorious description of the Church Triumphant in Heauen and of all the members of that holy and Eternall Ierusalem NOw the Spirit of God hauing by this last vision made a summe and recapitulation of all the former as yee haue heard he by this following and last vision declareth and gloriously describeth the reward of all them who constantly perseuere vnto the end in the trew seruice of God notwithstanding all the assaults of Sathan which ye haue heard dilated the reward was then to be eternall inheritours of holy Ierusalem as yee shall presently heare 1 For I saw a new heauen and a new earth it is ouer this new heauen and new earth that the faithfull should reigne kings and priests for euer as yee heard before And the first heauen and the first earth went away neither was the sea any more for all shall be burnt with fire at the consummation which fire shall renew them and take away their corruption and mutablitie releeuing them from the seruitude of death to the liberty of the glory of the sonnes of God who notwithstanding shall not dwel there but in heauen 2 And euen I Iohn saw the holy new City Ierusalem comming downe from heauen made ready of God like a bride that is decked for her bridegroome For this holy Church triumphant shal come downe in all shining glorie to meete Christ her husband when hee shall haue iudged the world as ye haue heard before to bee incorporated and ioyned with him for euer 3 And I heard a mighty voyce from heauen saying for confirmation of this happy coniunction Loe the Tabernacle of God and his dwelling place is with men and hee will now dwell with them for euer and they shall be his people and he shall be a God with them and their God 4 And God shall wipe all teares from their eyes for they shall feele no more any sorow as ye haue often heard before and death shall be no more neither shal any sorow crying or dolour euer be in that Church triumphant for the first are gone away and all these things then shall haue an end 5 And then hee that sate vpon the Throne to wit God the Father said Loe I make new or renew all things and he said vnto me Write and leaue in record what thou hast seene for surely these words are faithfull and trew and shall come certainely to passe 6 And he also said vnto me It is done for when these things shall come to passe then is the full accomplishment of all things I am A and Ω to wit the beginning and the ending of all things For as I made the Creation so shall I cause the Consummation And I shall giue to him that thirsteth of the fountaine of water of life freely or for nothing to wit he will grant saluation to all them who cal vpon him for it and that for nothing for it cōmeth of his free mercie and not of any merit in vs How foolish then are they to be accompted who contemning that saluation which they may obtaine for the crauing buie with their siluer a counterfeit saluation from Babylon as ye heard before 7 And he that ouercommeth Satan and his owne flesh shall possesse all to wit he shall be a full inheritour of Gods kingdome and I shall be a God to him and he shall be a sonne to me 8 But for all them who are fearefull and vnbeleeuing not hauing a sure confidence and trust in my promises and for execrable men and murtherers and fornicators and sorcerers and idolaters and all lyers for all these sorts of men I say there is place appointed in that lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death 9 Then there came vnto me one of these seuen Angels which had the seuen phials ful of the seuen last plagues and he sayd vnto me Come and I will shew vnto thee the Bride which is the Wife of the Lambe for this Angel was directed to shewe mee the glorie of this holy Hierusalem the Church triumphant not to satisfie my curiosity therewith but that I might leaue in record to all posterities to come not as a hearer onely but as an Oculatus testis what glorious and eternall reward did abide all the faithfull 10 And so he tooke me vp in the Spirit to a high and great Mountaine for it became well that so glorious a sight should be shewen vpon so eminent a place and there hee did shew mee a great Citie to wit that holy Ierusalem comming downe from heauen and from God as ye heard before 11 And it had the glory of God in it and the light or brightnesse of it was like vnto the glittering of a most pretious stone yea euen like the greene Iasper in flourishing eternitie and like the cleare Cristall in shining brightnesse 12 And this Citie had a great and high wall to hold out all them who had not the marke of the Lambe as ye shall heare after and to protect the Citizens from all blastes of troubles for all teares will then bee wipte from their eyes as ye heard before And this Citie had also twelue gates and in them twelue Angels and their names were written vpon them which were the names of the twelue Tribes of the sonnes of Israel 13 And there were three gates towards the East three towards the West three towards the South and three towards the North to signifie that out of all parts and places of the world and whatsoeuer thy vocation be if thou call to God with an vpright heart thou shalt find that the entrance into the Citie is equally distributed about the same 14 And the wall of the Citie had twelue foundations whereupon were written the twelue names of the Apostles of the Lambe These twelue Angels of the twelue gates and twelue foundations of the wall are the foure and twentie Elders of whom ye heard in the beginning of this my Epistle the twelue Angels of the twelue gates are the twelue Patriarkes who were the first teachers of the way and so the guides to this holy Ierusalem for by the Law which they represent we must first beginne to know the trewth and to know our selues and the twelue foundations are we the twelue Apostles for vpon our doctrine is that wall founded which hedgeth in the Saints in an eternall securitie and debarreth all others 15 And the Angel who spake with me had a golden reed in his hand to measure therewith the Citie and the gates and the walles of the same thereby to signifie the
iust proportion and symmetrie that shall be among all the parts of this holy Citie 16 And this Citie was fouresquare because of the gates towards the foure parts of the earth to receiue indifferently the commers out of any of them as yee heard before And it was alike long and broad to signifie the infinite bounds thereof and hee measured the Citie with his reed and it came to twelue thousand furlongs this number also expresseth the great bounds of this Citie for it is here vsed for a number of perfection as sundry times before And this Citie was alike in length breadth and height for all the parts of it were alike large 17 And the Angel did measure the wall of it and it was an hundred and foure and fourtie cubites of height this number is correspondent to the number of Saints who were standing with the Lambe on Mount Sion as ye heard before and the measure wherewith this was measured was the measure of the man which is the measure of the Angel This Citie is measured with the measure of CHRIST God and man to teach vs that he is onely the Architectour of this Spirituall Citie which he measureth by his cubites and not by the cubites of any man 18 And the fabricke of the wall of the Citie was composed of Iasper to signifie that the wall thereof shall stand eternally and the Citie it selfe was of pure gold and like to cleere glasse whereon no filth will remaine 19 And the twelue foundations of the Citie were decked with all kind of precious stones the first foundation was of Iasper the second of Saphire the third of Chalcedonie the fourth of Emerald 20 The fift of a Sardonix the sixt of a Sardius the seuenth of a Chrysolite the eight of a Berill the ninth of a Topaze the tenth of a Chrysophrasus the eleuenth of an Hyacinth the twelfth of an Amethist These twelue sundry stones one for euery one of the foundations signifie that we the twelue Apostles who are these twelue foundations as ye heard shall euery one receiue a diuers reward and crowne of glory according to the greatnesse and excellencie of our labours in the earth these twelue precious stones allude also to the twelue precious stones in Aarons brestplate 21 And the twelue gates were of twelue pearles and euery gate of a sundry pearle this signifies the like of the Patriarches and the Market place of the Citie was of pure golde and like the glistering glasse signifying thereby as by an euident token that seeing the Market place which is the commonest place of euery towne of this spirituall City is of so fine and bright stuffe that no base and vncleane thing shall be in any part thereof 22 And I saw no Temple in it for the Lord God Almightie euen the Lambe is the Temple of it for no other shall be there wherein God must be praised but the person of Christ in whom all the faithfull shall be incorporated as I said before 23 And this Citie shall neede no Sunne nor Moone to shine in it for the glory of God hath made it bright and the Lambe is the lampe thereof for as it is no corporall paradise nor dwelling place on earth which is heere spoken of so is no part of the glory thereof earthly but celestiall and spirituall 24 And the Gentiles which are saued shall walke in that light and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory vnto that citie for all the faithfull kings shall resigne all their worldly glory in that citie and receiue a new and incorruptible glory from the Lambe who is the light thereof 25 And the gates thereof shall not be shut in the day time for there shall neuer be any suspicion of trouble there for which cause worldly cities often shut their gates and the night shall neuer be there but an eternall brightnesse through all 26 And the honour and the glory of the nations shall be brought into her for all their worldly glory shal be nothing in respect of the glory of this City 27 And there shall nothing enter into this Citie that defileth or is defiled nor no man that committeth any abominable deed or that speakes lies but onely these shall haue entrance into this holy City whose names are written in the Lambe his booke of Life as ye heard before CHAP. XXII ARGVMENT The rest of the same description Mans pronenesse of his owne nature to idolatrie The Writer tells his name that no man may doubt who was the writer of this Booke and who endited the same The faithfull ought to wish the comming of the latter day The curse vpon them who adde or take from this Booke and vse it not aright THen to the effect that I might know that the inhabitants of this holy Citie were as well eternall as the walles and glory of the same this Angel did shew vnto me the cleere and pure flood of the water of life whereof Christ promised to giue the Samaritane to drinke as I said before and it was cleere like crystall and it flowed from the Throne of God and the Lambe This Riuer alludeth to that spring of Ezechiel which came foorth from vnder the Temple floore and it also alludeth to the Riuers of earthly Paradise 2 And in the middest of the market place and on either side of this Riuer did grow the Tree of Life hauing twelue maner of fruits euery moneth bearing once and bearing leaues for the health of the Gentiles This Tree and this water of Life are the heauenly meat and drinke meant by Christ when the Capernaites were scandalized with his doctrine as ye read in the Euangel written by me and of this Tree and water were those of Ezechiel and in earthly paradise the figures the number of the fruits thereof answereth to the number of the tribes of Israel who through eating the fruits thereof by faith obtained saluation as likewise the varietie and plentie of ioyes to all the faithfull there and as it bare fruit to the Iewes for food that is to satisfie them so it did beare leaues to the Gentiles who being healed by these leaues of all spiritual diseases were not onely preserued but also prepared and got appetite thereby to eat and turne into nutriment or spirituall strength and contentation the fruites thereof This tree grew on euery side of the water of Life to signifie that they are both but one thing and inseparable both proceeding from the mightie and mercifull Throne of God and his Lambe and they were both in the middest of the Market place to signifie by their being in so common a place that as they are the support strength and comfort of the Church triumphant or holy Citie so all the in-dwellers therein haue the like free accesse thereunto and are all alike participant thereof 3 And no accursed thing shall be any more for then shall hell and death be confined and restrained within themselues for euer as ye heard in the
former vision for the seat and throne of God and his Lambe shall remaine in this holy Citie for euer and all his seruants shall be there seruing him eternally by thankesgiuing and praises 4 And they shall see his face and be euer reioycing at his presence hauing his name written vpon their foreheads as yee haue often heard 5 And no night nor darkenesse shall be there at all neither haue they need of lampes nor of light of the Sunne nor any materiall light for the Lord God makes them bright as yee haue heard alreadie and they shall reigne there in all glory for euer and euer 6 Then the Angel after all these things had beene reuealed vnto me sayde vnto me for the confirmation of them All the wordes of this Prophecie are trew and faithfull and the same Lord GOD who inspired from time to time his holy Prophets to forewarne his Church of things to come hee also sent his Angel vnto mee that by me hee might reueale vnto his seruants these things that are shortly to come to passe 7 Loe I come shortly sayth the Lord happy is hee therefore that obserueth and obeyeth the wordes of the Prophecie in this Booke 8 And I Iohn am he who haue heard and seene these things I declare you my name the oftener lest the authority of the Booke should be called in doubt through the vncertaintie of the Writer And when I had heard and seene these things I fell at the Angels feet that shewed me them with mind to haue adored him 9 But he said vnto me See thou doe it not I am thy fellow-seruant and one of thy Brethren the Prophets although I be an Angel and one of them which keepeth and obeyeth the words of this Booke adore thou therefore God to whom all worship onely appertaineth By this my reiterated fall and offence notwithstanding that lately before I had committed the same and was reprooued for it and warned to forbeare it as ye heard before I am taught and by my example the whole Church of the great infirmitie of all mankind and specially in that so great an offence of the adoring of creatures whereof God is so iealous as he saith in his Lawe and vpon consideration of man his infirmitie in this point not I but the Spirit of God by me in the very last words of one of my Epistles saith Deare children beware of Idoles and in this I insist so much not without a cause For I know that Babylon in the latter dayes shall specially poison her followers with this spirituall adulterie or idolatrie as ye haue heard mention made in this Booke 10 And the Angel said vnto me Seale not the words of the Prophecie of this Booke for the time is at hand Yee heard before how I was commanded to seale that which the seuen Thunders spake because it was not lawfull for me to reueale the same but now on the contrarie I am commanded to write and forbidden to seale these Prophecies because I am appointed to reueale the same in respect that the time of their accomplishment is at hand 11 And hee also said vnto mee Despaire thou not of the effect of this Prophecie although it profite nothing the wicked but to make them the more inexcusable For God hath fore-signified that he who doeth harme notwithstanding this Prophecie shall yet continue his wrongs and hee who is filthie shall yet notwithstanding this remaine filthie euen as on the other part it shall confirme and encrease the iust man in his iustnesse and the holy man in his holines for it is not the words of Prophecie spoken but the Spirit which is cooperant with it which makes the seed of faith to take root in any mans heart 12 Loe I come speedily saith the Lord IESVS and bring my reward with me to render to euery man according to his workes as ye haue heard before 13 I am A and Ω the beginning and the end the first and the last as ye haue heard already 14 Happie are they who obey and keepe Christes commandements that they may haue right and part in the tree of life for by obeying they shall be made Citizens of that holy Citie of the which that is the food and that they may enter at the gates to that Citie for the gates shall be readie and open to receiue them 15 But without this Citie as debarred thence shall bee Dogges to wit all prophane liuers fornicators sorcerers murtherers and idolaters and all who loue and make lies and shortly all who continue in any kind of knowen sinne without repentance 16 IIESVS saith the Lord sent my Angel to reueale these things to Iohn that they might be testified to you the seuen Churches I am the root and off-spring of Dauid and I am the bright morning Starre to wit the fountaine of all your glorie 17 And the Spirit and the Bride saith Come to wit the Church for they for their deliuerance wish his second comming to be hastened and Christ for the loue he beareth them hath graunted them their request and he that heares it let him say Come for it becommeth all the faithfull to wish it And he that thirsteth let him come to wit he that would drinke of the water of life let him craue earnestly the dissolution and latter day And let any who will receiue the water of life freely and for nothing as ye heard before 18 And I protest vnto all that shall heare the words of the Prophesie of this Booke that if any man adde vnto it any thing God shall make all the plagues in this Booke to fall on him 19 And if any man take away any thing from the words of the Booke of this Prophesie God shal take his part away out of the book of life and out of the holy Citie and out of these blessings that are written in this Booke For whosoeuer in coping or translating this Booke adulterateth any waies the Originall or in interpreting of it wittingly strayes from the trew meaning of it and from the analogie of Faith to follow the fantasticall inuention of man or his owne preoccupied opinions he I say that doeth any of these shal be accursed as a peruerter of the trewth of God and his Scriptures 20 And now I will conclude with this comfort vnto you to wit He euen Christ that testifies these things that ye haue heard he I say doeth say Surely I come shortly Euen so come Lord IESVS to hasten our deliuerance 21 The Grace of our Lord IESVS CHRIST be with you all and all your successours in trew doctrine by the which both yee and they may be so strengthened in the trewth that by your resisting all the temptations contained in this Booke and constantly perseuering to the end yee may at last receiue that immortall Crowne of glorie mentioned in the last Vision AMEN A FRVITFVLL MEDITATION CONTAINING A PLAINE AND EASIE EXPOSITION OR laying open of the VII VIII IX and X. Verses of the
protest to serue for a shew of my learning and ingine but onely moued of conscience to preasse thereby so farre as I can to resolue the doubting hearts of many both that such assaults of Satan are most certainely practised and that the instruments thereof merits most seuerely to be punished against the damnable opinions of two principally in our aage whereof the one called Scot an Englishman is not ashamed in publike Print to deny that there can be such a thing as Witch-craft and so maintaines the old errour of the Sadduces in denying of spirits The other called Wierus a German Physition sets out a publike Apologie for all these crafts-folkes whereby procuring for their impunitie he plainely bewrayes himselfe to haue bene one of that profession And for to make this Treatise the more pleasant and facill J haue put it in forme of a Dialogue which I haue diuided into three Bookes The first speaking of Magie in generall and Necromancie in speciall The second of Sorcerie and Witch-craft and the third containes a discourse of all these kinds of spirits and Spectres that appeares and troubles persons together with a conclusion of the whole worke My intention in this labour is onely to prooue two things as I haue already said The one that such diuelish artes haue bene and are The other what exact triall and seuere punishment they merit and therefore reason I What kinde of things are possible to be performed in these Arts and by what naturall causes they may be not that I touch euery particular thing of the Diuels power for that were infinite but onely to speake scholastickely since this cannot be spoken in our language J reason vpon genus leauing species and differentia to bee comprehended therein As for example speaking of the power of Magiciens in the first booke and sixt Chapter I say that they can suddenly cause be brought vnto them all kinds of daintie dishes by their familiar spirit since as a thiefe he delights to steale and as a spirit he can subtilly and suddenly ynough transport the same Now vnder this genus may be comprehended all particulars depending thereupon such as the bringing Wine out of a wall as wee haue heard oft to haue bene practised and such others which particulars are sufficiently prooued by the reasons of the generall And such like in the second booke of Witch-craft in speciall and fift Chapter J say and proue by diuers Arguments that Witches can by the power of their master cure or cast on diseases Now by these same reasons that proues their power by the Diuell of diseases in generall is aswell proued their power in special as of weakning the nature of some men to make them vnable for women and making it to abound in others more then the ordinary course of nature would permit And such like in all other particular sicknesses But one thing I will pray thee to obserue in all these places where I reason vpon the diuels power which is the different ends and scopes that God as the first cause and the diuell as his instrument and second cause shoots at in all these actions of the diuel as Gods hang-man For where the diuels intention in them is euer to perish either the soule or the body or both of them that he is so permitted to deale with God by the contrary drawes euer out of that euill glory to himselfe either by the wracke of the wicked in his iustice or by the triall of the patient and amendment of the faithful being wakened vp with that rod of correction Hauing thus declared vnto thee then my full intention in this Treatise thou wilt easily excuse I doubt not aswel my pretermitting to declare the whole particular rites and secrets of these vnlawfull arts as also their infinit and wonderfull practises as being neither of them pertinent to my purpose the reason whereof is giuen in the hinder end of the first Chapter of the third booke and who likes to be curious in these things he may reade if he will heare of their practises Bodinus Daemonomanie collected with greater diligence then written with iudgement together with their confessions that haue been at this time apprehended If he would know what hath bene the opinion of the Ancients concerning their power he shall see it well described by Hyperius Hemmingius two late Germane writers Besides innumerable other neotericke Theologues that write largely vpon that subject And if he would know what are the particular rites and curiosities of these blacke Arts which is both vnnecessary and perillous he will finde it in the fourth Booke of Cornelius Agrippa and in Wierus whom-of J spake And so wishing my paines in this Treatise beloued Reader to be effectuall in arming all them that reade the same against these aboue mentioned errours and recommending my good will to thy friendly acceptation J bid thee heartily fare-well IAMES R. x. DAEMONOLOGIE IN FORME OF A DIALOGVE FIRST BOOKE ARGVMENT The exord of the whole The description of Magie in speciall CHAP. I. ARGVMENT Proued by the Scripture that these vnlawfull arts in genere haue bene and may be put in practise PHILOMATHES and EPISTEMON reason the matter PHILOMATHES IAm surely very glad to haue met with you this day for I am of opinion that ye can better resolue me of some thing whereof I stand in great doubt nor any other whom-with I could haue met EPI In what I can that ye like to speir at me I will willingly and freely tell my opinion and if I proue it not sufficiently I am heartily content that a better reason carry it away then PHI. What thinke ye of these strange newes which now onely furnishes purpose to all men at their meeting I meane of these Witches EPI Surely they are wonderfull And I thinke so cleare and plaine confessions in that purpose haue neuer fallen out in any aage or countrey PHI. No question if they be true but thereof the Doctours doubts EPI What part of it doubt ye of PHI. Euen of all for ought I can yet perceiue and namely that there is such a thing as Witch-craft or Witches and I would pray you to resolue me thereof if ye may for I haue reasoned with sundrie in that matter and yet could neuer be satisfied therein EPI I shall with good will doe the best I can But I thinke it the difficiller since ye deny the thing it selfe in generall for as it is said in the Logicke schooles Contra negantem principia non est disputandum Alwaies for that part that Witch-craft and Witches haue beene and are the former part is clearely prooued by the Scriptures and the last by daily experience and confessions PHI. I know ye wil alleadge me Sauls Pythonisse but that as appeares will not make much for you EPI Not onely that place but diuers others But I maruell why that should not make much for me PHI. The reasons are these first yee may consider that Saul beeing
the whole Dialogue CHAP. I. ARGV The diuision of Spirits in foure principall kindes The description of the first kinde of them called Spectra vmbrae mortuorum What is the best way to be free of their trouble PHILOMATHES I Pray you now then goe forward in telling what ye thinke fabulous or may be trowed in that case EPI That kind of the diuels cōuersing in the earth may be diuided in foure different kindes whereby he affraieth and troubleth the bodies of men For of the abusing of the soule I haue spoken alreadie The first is where spirits trouble some houses or solitarie places The second where Spirits follow vpon certaine persons and at diuers houres trouble them The third when they enter within them and possesse them The fourth is these kinde of Spirits that are called vulgarly the Fairie Of the three former kinds ye heard already how they may artificially be made by Witchcraft to trouble folke now it restes to speake of their naturall comming as it were and not raised by Witchcraft But generally I must forewarne you of one thing before I enter in this purpose that is that although in my discoursing of them I deuide them in diuers kinds ye must notwithstanding thereof note my phrase of speaking in that For doubtleslie they are in effect but all one kinde of Spirits who for abusing the more of mankinde take on these sundrie shapes and vse diuers formes of outward actions as if some were of nature better then other Now I returne to my purpose As to the first kinde of these spirits that were called by the ancients by diuers names according as their actions were For if they were Spirits that haunted some houses by appearing in diuers and horrible formes and making great dinne they were called Lemures or Spectra If they appeared in likenesse of any defunct to some friends of his they were called vmbraemortuorum And so innumerable stiles they got according to their actions as I haue said alreadie as we see by experience how many stiles they haue giuen them in our language in the like maner Of the appearing of these Spirits we are certified by the Scriptures Esay 13. Iere. 50. where the Prophet Esay 13. and 34. Chap. threatning the destruction of Ierusalem declares that it shall not onely be wracked but shall become so great a solitude as it shall be the habitacle of Howlets and of Zijm and Ijm which are the proper Hebrew names for these Spirits The cause why they haunt sollitarie places it is by reason that they may affray and brangle the more the faith of such as them alone hauntes such places For our nature is such as in companies we are not so soone moued to any such kind of feare as being sollitarie which the diuel knowing well enough he will not therefore assaile vs but when wee are weake And besides that God will not permit him so to dishonour the societies and companies of Christians as in publicque times and places to walke visiblie amongst them On the other part when he troubles certaine houses that are dwelt in it is a sure token either of grosse ignorance or of some grosse and slanderous sinnes amongst the inhabitants thereof which God by that extraordinarie rod punishes PHI. But by what way or passage can these Spirits enter into these houses seeing they alledge that they will enter doore and window being steiked EPI They will choose the passage for their entresse according to the forme that they are in at that time For if they haue assumed a dead bodie whereinto they lodge themselues they can easily enough open without dinne any doore or window and enter in thereat And if they enter as a Spirit onely any place where the aire may come in at is large enough an entrie for them For as I said before a Spirit can occupie no quantitie PHI. And will God then permit these wicked Spirits to trouble the rest of a dead bodie before the resurrection thereof Or if hee will so I thinke it should be of the reprobate onely EPI What more is the rest troubled of a dead bodie when the diuell caries it out of the graue to serue his turne for a space nor when the Witches take it vp and ioynts it or when as Swine wortes vp the graues The rest of them that the Scripture speakes of is not meaned by a locall remaining continually in one place but by their resting from their trauailes and miseries of this world while their latter coniunction againe with the soule at that time to receiue full glorie in both And that the diuel may vse as well the ministrie of the bodies of the faithfull in these cases as of the vnfaithfull there is no inconuenience for his haunting with their bodies after they are dead can no-waies defile them in respect of the soules absence And for any dishonour it can be vnto them by what reason can it be greater then the hanging heading or many such shamefull deaths that good men will suffer For there is nothing in the bodies of the faithfull more worthie of honour or freer from corruption by nature nor in these of the vnfaithfull while time they be purged and glorified in the latter Day as is daily seene by the vilde diseases and corruptions that the bodies of the faithfull are subiect vnto as ye will see clearely proued when I speake of the possessed and Daemoniacques PHI. Yet there are sundry that affirme to haue haunted such places where these spirits are alledged to be and could neuer heare nor see any thing EPI I thinke well for that is onely reserued to the secret knowledge of God whom he will permit to see such things and whom not PHI. But where these spirits haunt and trouble any houses what is the best way to banish them EPI By two meanes may onely the remeid of such things be procured The one is ardent prayer to God both of these persons that are troubled with them and of that Church whereof they are The other is the purging of themselues by amendment of life from such sinnes as haue procured that extraordinarie plague PHI. And what meane then these kindes of spirits when they appeare in the shadow of a person newly dead or to die to his friends EPI When they appeare vpon that occasion they are called Wraithes in our language Amongst the Gentiles the diuell vsed that much to make them beleeue that it was some good spirit that appeared to them then either to forewarne them of the death of their friend or else to discouer vnto them the will of the defunct or what was the way of his slaughter as it is written in the booke of the histories prodigious and this way he easily deceiued the Gentiles because they knew not God and to that same effect is it that he now appeares in that maner to some ignorant Christians for hee dares not so illude any that knoweth that neither can the spirit of the defunct
suo And of these notes making a little pamphlet lacking both my methode and halfe of my matter entituled it forsooth the Kings Testament as if I had eiked a third Testament of my owne to the two that are in the holy Scriptures It is trew that in a place thereof for affirmation of the purpose I am speaking of to my Sonne I bring my selfe in there as speaking vpon my Testament for in that sense euery record in write of a mans opinion in anything in respect that papers out-liue their authours is as it were a Testament of that mans will in that case and in that sense it is that in that place I call this Treatise a Testament But from any particular sentence in a booke to giue the booke it selfe a title is as ridiculous as to style the booke of the Psalmes the booke of Dixit insipiens because with these wordes one of them doeth begin Well leauing these new baptizers and blockers of other mens books to their owne follies Ireturne to my purpose anent the shortnesse of this booke suspecting that all my excuses for the shortnesse thereof shall not satisfie some especially in our neighbour countrey who thought that as I haue so narrowly in this Treatise touched all the principall sicknesses in our kingdome with ouertures for the remedies thereof as I said before so looked they to haue found something therein that should haue touched the sicknesses of their state in the like sort But they will easily excuse me thereof if they will consider the forme I haue vsed in this Treatise wherein I onely teach my Son out of my owne experience what forme of gouernment is fittest for this kingdome and in one part thereof speaking of the borders I plainely there doe excuse my selfe that I will speake nothing of the state of England as a matter wherein I neuer had experience I know indeed no kingdome lackes her owne diseases and likewise what interest I haue in the prosperitie of that state for although I would be silent my blood and discent doeth sufficiently proclaime it But notwithstanding since there is a lawfull Queene there presently reigning who hath so long with so great wisedome and felicitie gouerned her kingdomes as I must in trew sinceritie confesse the like hath not beene read nor heard of either in our time or since the dayes of the Romane Emperour Augustus it could no wayes become me farre inferiour to her in knowledge and experience to be a busie-body in other princes matters and to fish in other folkes waters as the prouerbe is No I hope by the contrary with Gods grace euer to keepe that Christian rule To doe as I would be done to and I doubt nothing yea euen in her name I dare promise by the bypast experience of her happy gouernment as I haue already said that no good subiect shall be more carefull to enforme her of any corruptions stollen in in her state then shee shall be zealous for the discharge of her conscience and honour to see the same purged and restored to the ancient integritie and further during her time becomes me least of any to meddle in And thus hauing resolued all the doubts so farre as I can imagine may be moued against this Treatise it onely rests to pray thee charitable Reader to interprete fauourably this birth of mine according to the integritie of the author and not looking for perfection in the worke it selfe As for my part I onely glory thereof in this point that I trust no sort of vertue is condemned nor any degree of vice allowed in it and that though it be not perhaps so gorgeously decked and richly attired as it ought to be it is at the least rightly proportioned in all the members without any menstrous deformitie in any of them and specially that since it was first written in secret and is now published not of ambition but of a kinde of necessitie it must be taken of all men for the trew image of my very minde and forme of the rule which I haue prescribed to my selfe and mine Which as in all my actions I haue bitherto preassed to expresse so farre as the nature of my charge and the condition of time would permit me so beareth it a discouery of that which may be looked for at my hand and whereto euen in my secret thoughts I haue engaged my selfe for the time to come And thus in a firme trust that it shall please God who with my being and Crowne gaue me this minde to maintaine and augment the same in me and my posteritie to the discharge of our conscience the maintenance of our Honour and weale of our people I bid thee heartily farewell OF A KINGS CHRISTIAN DVETIE TO WARDS GOD. THE FIRST BOOKE AS he cannot be thought worthy to rule and command others that cannot rule and dantone his owne proper affections and vnreasonable appetites so can hee not be thought worthie to gouerne a Christian people The trew ground of good gouernment knowing and fearing God that in his owne person and heart feareth not and loueth not the Diuine Maiestie Neither can any thing in his gouernment succeed well with him deuise and labour as he list as comming from a filthie spring if his person be vnsanctified for as that royal Prophet saith Except the Lord build the house Psal 127 1. they labour in vaine that build it except the Lord keepe the City the keepers watch it in vaine in respect the blessing of God hath onely power to giue the successe thereunto and as Paul saith he planteth 1. Cor. 3.6 Apollos watereth but it is God onely that giueth the increase Therefore my Sonne first of all things learne to know and loue that God whom-to ye haue a double obligation Double bond of a Prince to God first for that he made you a man and next for that he made you a little GOD to sit on his Throne and rule ouer other men Remember that as in dignitie hee hath erected you aboue others so ought ye in thankfulnesse towards him goe as farre beyond all others A moate in anothers eye is a beame into yours a blemish in another is a leprouse byle into you and a veniall sinne as the Papists call it in another is a great crime into you Thinke not therefore that the highnesse of your dignitie The greatnesse of the fault of a Prince dimmisheth your faults much lesse giueth you a licence to sinne but by the contrary your fault shall be aggrauated according to the height of your dignitie any sinne that ye commit not being a single sinne procuring but the fall of one but being an exemplare sinne and therefore drawing with it the whole multitude to be guiltie of the same Remember then that this glistering worldly glorie of Kings The trew glorie of Kings is giuen them by God to teach them to preasse so to glister and shine before their people in all workes of sanctification and
ceased seeing I could doe you no other good to commend your labouring most painfully in the Lords Vineyard in my prayers to God And I doubt not but that I haue liued all this while in your memory and haue had some place in your prayers at the Lords Altar So therfore euen vnto this time we haue abidden as S. Iohn speaketh in the mutuall loue one of the other not by word or letter but in deed and trewth But alate message which was brought vnto vs within these few dayes of your bonds and imprisonment hath inforced mee to breake off this silence which message although it seemed heauie in regard of the losse which that Church hath receiued by their being thus depriued of the comfort of your pastorall function amongst them yet withall it seemed ioyous because you drew neere vnto the glory of Martyrdome then the which gift of God there is none more happy That you who haue fedde your flocke so many yeeres with the word and doctrine should now feed it more gloriously by the example of your patience But another heauie tidings did not a little disquiet and almost take away this ioy which immediatly followed of the aduersaries assault and peraduenture of the slip and fall of your constancie in refusing an vnlawfull Oath Neither trewly most deare brother could that Oath therefore bee lawfull because it was offered in sort tempered and modified for you know that those kinde of modifications are nothing else but sleights and subtilties of Satan that the Catholique faith touching the Primacie of the Sea Apostolike might either secretly or openly be shot at for the which faith so many worthy Martyrs euen in that very England it selfe haue resisted vnto blood For most certaine it is that in whatsoeuer words the Oath is conceiued by the aduersaries of the faith in that Kingdome it tends to this end that the Authoritie of the head of the Church in England may bee transferred from the successour of S. Peter to the successour of King Henry the eight For that which is pretended of the danger of the Kings life if the high Priest should haue the same power in England which hee hath in all other Christian Kingdomes it is altogether idle as all that haue any vnderstanding may easily perceiue For it was neuer heard of from the Churches infancie vntill this day that euer any Pope did command that any Prince though an Heretike though an Ethnike though a persecutour should be murdered or did approue of the fact when it was done by any other And why I pray you doeth onely the King of England seare that which none of all other the Princes in Christendome either doeth feare or euer did feare But as I said these vaine pretexts are but the traps and stratagemes of Satan Of which kinde I could produce not a fewe out of ancient Stories if I went about to write a Booke and not an Epistle One onely for example sake I will call to your memory S. Gregorius Nazianzenus in his first Oration against Iulian the Emperour reporteth That hee the more easily to beguile the simple Christians did insert the Images of the false gods into the pictures of the Emperour which the Romanes did vse to bow downe vnto with a ciuill kinde of reuerence so that no man could doe reuerence to the Emperours picture but withall hee must adore the Images of the false gods whereupon it came to passe that many were deceiued And if there were any that found out the Emperours craft and refused to worship his picture those were most grieuously punished as men that had contemned the Emperour in his Image Some such like thing me thinkes I see in the Oath that is offered to you which is so craftily composed that no man can detest Treason against the King and make profession of his Ciuill subiection but he must bee constramed perfidiously to denie the Primacie of the Apostolicke Sea But the seruants of Christ and especially the chiefe Priests of the Lord ought to bee so farre from taking an vnlawfull Oath where they may indamage the Faith that they ought to beware that they giue not the least suspicion of dissimulation that they haue taken it least they might seeme to haue left any example of preuarication to faithfull people Which thing that worthy Eleazar did most notably performe who would neither eate swines flesh nor so much as faine to haue eaten it although hee sawe the great torments that did hang ouer his head least as himselfe speaketh in the second Booke of the Machabees many young men might bee brought through that simulation to preuaricate with the Lawe Neither did Basil the Great by his example which is more fit for our purpose cary himselfe lesse worthily toward Valens the Emperour For as Theodoret writeth in his Historie when the Deputy of that hereticall Emperour did perswade Saint Basil that hee would not resist the Emperour for a little subtiltie of a few points of doctrine that most holy and prudent man made answere That it was not to be indured that the least syllable of Gods word should bee corrupted but rather all kind of torment was to be embraced for the maintenance of the Trewth thereof Now I suppose that there wants not amongst you who say that they are but subtilties of Opinions that are contained in the Oath that is offered to the Catholikes and that you are not to strius against the Kings Authoritie for such a little matter But there are not wanting also amongst you holy men like vnto Basil the Great which will openly auow that the very least syllable of Gods diuine Trewth is not to bee corrupted though many torments were to bee endured and death it selfe set before you Amongst whom it is meete that you should bee one or rather the Standard bearer and Generall to the rest And whatsoeuer hath beene the cause that your Constancie hath quailed whether it bee the suddainenesse of your apprehension or the bitternesse of your persecution or the imbecilitie of your old aage yet wee trust in the goodnesse of God and in your owne long continued vertue that it will come to passe that as you seeme in some part to haue imitated the fall of Peter and Marcellinus so you shall happily imitate their valour in recouering your strength and maintaining the Trewth For if you will diligently weigh the whole matter with your selfe trewly you shall see it is no small matter that is called in question by this Oath but one of the principall heads of our Faith and foundations of Catholique Religion For heare what your Apostle Saint Gregorie the Great hath written in his 24. Epistle of his 11. Booke Let not the reuerence due to the Apostolique Sea be troubled by any mans presumption for then the state of the members doeth remaine entire when the Head of the Faith is not bruised by any iniurie Therefore by Saint Gregories testimonie when they are busie about disturbing or diminishing or taking
all aswell strangers as naturall subiects to whose eyes this Discourse shall come may wisely and vnpartially iudge of the Veritie as it is nakedly here set downe for clearing these mists and cloudes of calumnies which were iniustly heaped vpon me for which end onely I heartily pray the courteous Reader to be perswaded that I tooke occasion to publish this Discourse A PREMONITION TO ALL MOST MIGHTIE MONARCHES KINGS FREE PRINCES AND STATES OF CHRISTENDOME TO THE MOST SACRED AND INVINCIBLE PRINCE RODOLPHE THE II. by GODS Clemencie Elect Emperour of the ROMANES KING OF GERMANIE HVNGARIE BOHEME DALMATIE CROATIE SCLAVONIE c. ARCH-DVKE OF AVSTRIA DVKE OF BVRGVNDIE STIRIA CARINTHIA CARNIOLA and WIRTEMBERG c. Earle of TYROLIS c. AND TO ALL OTHER RIGHT HIGH AND MIGHTIE KINGS And Right Excellent free Princes and States of CHRISTENDOME Our louing BRETHREN COSINS ALLIES CONFEDERATES and FRIENDS IAMES by the Grace of GOD King of GREAT BRITAINE FRANCE and IRELAND Professour Maintainer and Defender of the Trew Christian Catholique and Apostolique FAITH Professed by the ancient and Primitiue CHVRCH and sealed with the blood of so many Holy Bishops and other faithfull crowned with the glory of MARTYRDOME WISHETH cuerlasting felicitie in CHRIST our SAVIOVR TO YOV MOST SACRED AND INVINCIBLE EMPEROVR RIGHT HIGH AND MIGHTIE KINGS RIGHT EXCELLENT FREE PRINCES AND STATES MY LOVING BRETHREN AND COSINS To you I say as of right belongeth doe I consecrate and direct this Warning of mine or rather Preamble to my reprinted Apologie for the Oath of Allegiance For the cause is generall and concerneth the Authoritie and priuiledge of Kings in generall and all supereminent Temporall powers And if in whatsoeuer Societie or Corporation of men either in Corporations of Cities or in the Corporation of any mechanicke craft or handie-worke euery man is carefull to maintaine the priuiledges of that Societie whereunto he is sworne nay they will rather cluster all in one making it a common cause exposing themselues to all sorts of perill then suffer the least breach in their Liberties If those of the baser sort of people I say be so curious and zealous for the preseruation of their common priuiledges and liberties as if the meanest amongst them be touched in any such point they thinke it concerneth them all Then what should wee doe in such a case whom GOD hath placed in the highest thrones vpon earth made his Lieutenants and Vice-gerents and euen seated vs vpon his owne Throne to execute his Iudgements The consideration hereof hath now mooued mee to expone a Case vnto you which doeth not so neerely touch mee in my particular as it doeth open a breach against our Authoritie I speake in the plurall of all Kings and priuiledge in generall And since not onely all rankes and sorts of people in all Nations doe inuiolably obserue this Maxime but euen the Ciuil Law by which the greatest part of Christendome is gouerned doeth giue them an interest qui fouent consimilem causam How much more then haue yee interest in this cause not beeing similis or par causa to yours but eadem with yours and indeed yee all fouetis or at least fouere debetis eandem causam mecum And since this cause is common to vs all both the Ciuill Lawes and the municipall Lawes of all Nations permit and warne them that haue a common interest to concurre in one for the defence of their common cause yea common sense teacheth vs with the Poet Ecquid Ad te pòst paulò ventura pericula sentis Nam tua res agitur paries cùm proximus ardet A wake then while it is time and suffer not by your longer sleepe the strings of your Authoritie to be cut in singulis and one and one to your generall ruine which by your vnited forces would rather make a strong rope for the enemie to hang himselfe in with Achitophel then that hee should euer bee able to breake it As for this Apologie of mine it is trew that I thought good to set it first out without putting my name vnto it but neuer so as I thought to denie it remembring well mine owne words but taken out of the Scripture in the beginning of the Preface to the Reader in my 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that nothing is so bid which shall not bee opened c. promising there which with GOD his grace I shall euer performe neuer to doe that in secret which I shall need to be ashamed of when it shall come to be proclaimed in publique In deed I thought it fit for two respects that this my Apologie should first visite the world without hauing my name written in the forehead thereof First because of the matter and next of the persons that I medled with The matter it being a Treatise which I was to write conteining reasons and discourses in Diuinitie for the defence of the Oath of Alleagiance and refutation of the condemners thereof I thought it not comely for one of my place to put my name to bookes concerning Scholasticke Disputations whose calling is to set forth Decrees in the Imperatiue mood for I thinke my selfe as good a man as the Pope by his reuerence for whom these my Answerers make the like excuse for that his Breues are so summary without yeelding any reason vnto them My next reason was the respect of the persons whom with I medled Wherein although I shortly answered the Popes Breues yet the point I most laboured being the refutation of Bellarmines Letter I was neuer the man I confesse that could thinke a Cardinall a meet match for a King especially hauing many hundreth thousands of my subiects of as good birth as hee As for his Church dignitie his Cardinalship I meane I know not how to ranke or value it either by the warrant of God his word or by the ordinance of Emperours or Kings it being indeed onely a new Papall erection tolerated by the sleeping conniuence of our Predecessours I meane still by the plurall of Kings But notwithstanding of this my forbearing to put my name vnto it some Embassadours of some of you my louing Brethren and Cousins whome this cause did neereliest concerne can witnesse that I made Presents of some of those bookes at their first printing vnto them and that auowedly in my owne name As also the English Paragraphist or rather peruerse Pamphleter Parsons since all his description must runne vpon a P. hath trewly obserued that my Armes are affixed in the frontispice thereof which vseth not to bee in bookes of other mens doing whereby his malice in pretending his ignorane that hee might pay mee the soundlier is the more inexcusable But now that I finde my sparing to put my name vnto it hath not procured my sparing by these answerers who haue neither spared my Person directly in naming me nor indirectly by railing vpon the Author of the Booke it is now high time for me no longer to conceale nor disauow my selfe as if I were ashamed of
my owne deed And therefore that ye may the better vnderstand the nature of the cause I will begin at the first ground thereof The neuer enough wondered at and abhorred POVVDER-TREASON though the repetition thereof grieueth I know the gentle hearted Iesuite Parsons this Treason I say being not onely intended a gainst mee and my Posteritie but euen against the whole house of Parliament plotted onely by Papists and they onely led thereto by a preposterous zeale for the aduancement of their Religion some of them continuing so obstinate that euen at their death they would not acknowledge their fault but in their last words immediatly before the expiring of their breath refused to condemne themselues and craue pardon for their deed except the Romish Church should first condemne it And soone after it being discouered that a great number of my Popish Subiects of all rankes and sexes both men and women as well within as without the Countrey had a confused notion and an obscure knowledge that some great thing was to bee done in that Parliament for the weale of the Church although for secrecies cause they were not acquainted with the particulars certaine formes of prayer hauing likewise beene set downe and vsed for the good successe of that great errand adding heereunto that diuers times and from diuers Priestes the Archtraitours themselues receiued the Sacrament for confirmation of their heart and obseruation of secrecie Some of the principall Iesuites likewise being found guiltie of the foreknowledge of the Treason it selfe of which number some fled from their triall others were apprehended as holy Garnet himselfe and Owldcorne were and iustly executed vpon their owne plaine confession of their guilt If this Treason now clad with these circumstances did not minister a iust occasion to that Parliament house whome they thought to haue destroyed courageously and zealously at their next sitting downe to vse all meanes of triall whether any more of that minde were yet left in the Countrey I leaue it to you to iudge whom God hath appointed his highest Depute Iudges vpon earth And amongst other things for this purpose This Oath of Allegiance so vniustly impugned was then deuised and enacted And in case any sharper Lawes were then made against the Papists that were not obedient to the former Lawes of the Countrey if ye will consider the Time Place and Persons it will be thought no wonder seeing that occasion did so iustly exasperate them to make seuerer Lawes then otherwise they would haue done The Time I say being the very next sitting downe of the Parliament after the discouerie of that abominable Treason the Place being the same where they should all haue bene blowne vp and so bringing it freshly to their memorie againe the Persons being the very Parliament men whom they thought to haue destroyed And yet so farre hath both my heart and gouernment bene from any bitternes as almost neuer one of those sharpe additions to the former Lawes haue euer yet bene put in execution And that ye may yet know further for the more conuincing these Libellers of wilfull malice who impudently affirme That this Oath of Allegiance was deuised for deceiuing and intrapping of Papists in points of Conscience The trewth is that the Lower house of Parliament at the first framing of this Oath made it to containe That the Pope had no power to excommunicate me which I caused them to reforme onely making it to conclude That no excommunication of the Popes can warrant my Subiects to practise against my Person or State denying the deposition of Kings to be in the Popes lawfull power as indeed I take any such temporall violence to be farre without the limits of such a Spirituall censure as Excommunication is So carefull was I that nothing should be contained in this Oath except the profession of natural Allegiance and ciuil and temporall obedience with a promise to resist to all contrary vnciuill violence This Oath now grounded vpon so great and iust an occasion set forth in so reasonable termes and ordained onely for making of a trew distinction betweene Papists of quiet disposition and in all other things good subiects and such other Papists as in their hearts maintained the like violent bloody Maximes that the Powder-Traitours did This Oath I say being published and put in practise bred such euill blood in the Popes head and his Cleargie as Breue after Breue commeth forth vt vndam vnda sequitur prohibiting all Catholikes from taking the same as a thing cleane contrary to the Catholike faith and that the taking thereof cannot stand with the saluation of their soules There commeth likewise a letter of Cardinall Bellarmines to Blackwell to the same purpose but discoursing more at length vpon the said Oath Whereupon after I had entred in consideration of their vniust impugning that so iust and lawfull an Oath and fearing that by their vntrew calumnies and Sophistrie the hearts of a number of the most simple and ignorant of my people should bee misse-led vnder that faire and deceitfull cloake of Conscience I thought good to set foorth an Apologie for the said Oath wherein I prooued that as this Oath contained nothing but matter of ciuill and temporall Obedience due by Subiects to their Soueraigne Prince so this quarrelling therewith was nothing but a late vsurpation of Popes against the warrant of all Scriptures ancient Councels and Fathers vpon the Temporall power of Kings wherewith onely my Apologie doeth meddle But the publishing of this Booke of mine hath brought such two Answerers or rather Railers vpon mee as all the world may wonder at For my Booke being first written in English an English Oath being the subiect thereof and the vse of it properly belonging to my Subiects of England and immediatly thereafter being translated into Latine vpon a desire that some had of further publishing it abroad it commeth home to mee now answered in both the Languages And I thinke if it had bene set foorth in all the tongues that were at the confusion of Babel it would haue bene returned answered in them all againe Thus may a man see how busie a Bishop the Diuell is and how hee omitteth no diligence for venting of his poysoned wares But herein their malice doeth clearely appeare that they pay mee so quickly with a double answere and yet haue neuer answered their owne Arch-priest who hath written a booke for the maintenance of the same Oath and of the temporall authoritie of Kings alledging a cloud of their owne Scholemen against them As for the English Answerer my vnnaturall and fugitiue Subiect I will neither defile my pen nor your sacred eyes or eares with the describing of him who ashames nay abhorres not to raile nay to rage and spew foorth blasphemies against the late Queene of famous memory A Subiect to raile against his naturall Soueraigne by birth A man to raile against a Lady by sexe A holy man in outward profession to insult vpon the dead nay to
Platina and a number of the Popes owne writers beare witnesse And 3 Lib. de Clericis Bellarmine himselfe in his booke of Controuersies cannot get it handsomely denied Nay the Popes were euen forced then to pay a certaine summe of money to the Emperours for their Confirmation And this lasted almost seuen hundreth yeeres after CHRIST witnesse 4 In Chron. ad ann 680. Sigebert and 5 In vit Agathen Anast. in vit eiusd Agath Herm. Contract ad ann 678. edit poster dist 63. c. Agathe Luitprandus with other Popish Historians And for Emperours deposing of Popes there are likewise diuers examples The Emperour 1 Luitpr Hist lib 6. ca. 10.11 Rhegino ad an 963. Platin. in vit Ioan. 13. Ottho deposed Pope Iohn the twelfth of that name for diuers crimes and vices especially of Lecherie The Emperour 2 Marianus Scot. Sigeb Abbas Vrsp ad ann 1046 Plat in vit Greg. 6. Henry the third in a short time deposed three Popes Benedict the ninth Siluester the third and Gregorie the sixt as well for the sinne of Auarice as for abusing their extraordinarie authoritie against Kings and Princes And as for KINGS that haue denied this Temporall Superioritie of Popes First wee haue the vnanime testimonie of diuers famous HISTORIOGRAPHERS for the generall of many CHRISTIAN Kingdomes As 3 Walthram Naumburz in lib. de inuest Episc Vixit circa ann 1110. Walthram testifieth That the Bishops of Spaine Scotland England Hungarie from ancient institution till this moderne noueltie had their Inuestiture by KINGS with peaceable inioyning of their Temporalities wholly and entirely and whosoeuer sayeth hee is peaceably solicitous let him peruse the liues of the Ancients and reade the Histories and hee shall vnderstand thus much And for verification of this generall Assertion wee will first beginne at the practise of the KINGS of France though not named by Walthram in this his enumeration of Kingdomes amongst whom my first witnesse shall bee that vulgarly knowne letter of 4 See Annales Franciae Nicolai Gillij in Phil. Pulchro Philip le Bel King of France to Pope Boniface the eighth the beginning whereof after a scornefull salutation is Sciat tua maxima fatuitas nos in temporalibus nemini subesse And likewise after that 5 Anno 1268. ex Arrestis Senatus Parifiens Lewes the ninth surnamed Sanctus had by a publique instrument called Pragmatica sanctio forbidden all the exactions of the Popes Court within his Realme Pope Pius 6 Ioan. Maierius lib. de Scismat Concil the second in the beginning of Lewes the eleuenth his time greatly misseliking this Decree so long before made sent his Legate to the saide King Lewes with Letters-patents vrging his promise which hee had made when hee was Dolphin of France to repeale that Sanction if euer hee came to bee King The King referreth the Legate ouer with his Letters-patents to the Councell of Paris where the matter being propounded was impugned by Iohannes Romanus the Kings Atturney with whose opinion the Vniuersitie of Paris concurring an Appeale was made from the attempts of the Pope to the next generall Councell the Cardinall departing with indignation But that the King of France and Church thereof haue euer stoken to their Gallican immunitie in denying the Pope any Temporall power ouer them and in resisting the Popes as oft as euer they prest to meddle with their Temporall power euen in the donation of Benefices the Histories are so full of them as the onely examples thereof would make vp a bigge Volume by it selfe And so farre were the Sorbonistes for the Kings and French Churches priuiledge in this point as they were wont to maintaine That if the Pope fell a quarrelling the King for that cause the Gallican Church might elect a Patriarch of their owne renouncing any obedience to the Pope And Gerson was so farre from giuing the Pope that temporall authority ouer Kings who otherwise was a deuoute Roman Catholike as hee wrote a Booke de Auferibilitate Papae not onely from the power ouer Kings but euen ouer the Church And now pretermitting all further examples of forraigne Kings actions I will onely content me at this time with some of my owne Predecessors examples of this kingdome of England that it may thereby the more clearely appeare that euen in those times when the world was fullest of darkened blindnes and ignorance the Kings of England haue oftentimes not onely repined but euen strongly resisted and withstood this temporall vsurpation and encrochment of ambitious Popes And I will first begin at 1 Matth. Paris in Henr. 1. anno 1100. King Henry the first of that name after the Conquest who after he was crowned gaue the Bishopricke of Winchester to William Gifford and forthwith inuested him into all the possessions belonging to the Bishopricke contrary to the Canons of the new Synod 2 Idem ibid. anno 1113. King Henry also gaue the Archbishopricke of Canterbury to Radulph Bishop of London and gaue him inuestiture by a Ring and a Crosiers staffe Also Pope 3 Idem ibid. anno 1119. Calixtus held a Councell at RHEMES whither King Henry had appointed certaine Bishops of ENGLAND and NORMANDIE to goe Thurstan also elected Archbishop of YORKE got leaue of the King to goe thither giuing his faith that hee would not receiue Consecration of the Pope And comming to the Synode by his liberall gifts as the fashion is wanne the ROMANES fauour and by their meanes obtained to bee consecrated at the Popes hand Which assoone as the King of ENGLAND knewe hee forbade him to come within his Dominions Moreouer King Edward the first prohibited the Abbot of 4 Ex Archiuis Regni Waltham and Deane of Pauls to collect a tenth of euery mans goods for a supply to the holy Land which the Pope by three Bulles had committed to their charge and the said Deane of Pauls compeering before the King and his Councell promised for the reuerence he did beare vnto the King not to meddle any more in that matter without the Kings good leaue and permission Here I hope a Church-man disobeyed the Pope for obedience to his Prince euen in Church matters but this new Iesuited Diuinitie was not then knowen in the world The same Edward I. impleaded the Deane of the Chappell of Vuluerhampton because the said Deane had against the priuiledges of the Kingdome giuen a Prebend of the same Chappell to one at the Popes command whereupon the said Deane compeered and put himselfe in the Kings will for his offence The said Edward I. depriued also the Bishop of Durham of all his liberties for disobeying a prohibition of the Kings So as it appeareth the Kings in those dayes thought the Church-men their Subiects though now we be taught other Seraphicall doctrine For further proofe whereof Iohn of Ibstocke was committed to the goale by the sayde King for hauing a suite in the Court of Rome seuen yeeres
vs as he who is the searcher of the heart and reines can witnesse to make sundry Instances and Requests vnto the States Generall of the Vnited Prouinces for the banishment of a wretched Heretique or rather Athiest out of their Dominions named D. Conradus Vorstius hath bene so ill interpreted or rather wrested to a peruerse sence by a sort of people whose corrupted stomacke turnes all good nourishment into bad and pernitious humors as if it had bene some vanitie and desire of vaine glory in vs or else an Ambition to encroach by little and little vpon the libertie of their State which had caried vs headlong into the businesse As both to cleare our owne honour from the darke mists of these false and scandalous imputations as also to make it trewly appeare vnto the Christian world in what sort wee haue proceeded herein Wee haue thought good to publish this present Declaration containing as well the discourse of our whole Negotiation hitherto with the States in this cause as also the reasons which haue mooued vs to take it so to heart and to perseuere therein as we haue done and will doe God willing vntill it please him to bring it to some good and happy end In Autumne last about the end of August being in our hunting Progresse there came to our hands two bookes of the said Vorstius the one intituled Tractatus Theologicus de Deo dedicated to the Lantgraue of Hessen imprinted in the yeere 1610. the other his Exegesis Apologetica vpon that booke dedicated to the States and printed in the yeere 1611. Which books assoone as we had receiued and not without much horror and detestation cast our eye onely vpon some of the principall Articles of his disputations conteined in the first booke and his Commentary thereupon in the second God is our witnesse that the zeale of his glory did so transport vs as to say with S. Paul We stayed not one houre but dispatched a Letter presently to our Ambassadour resident with the States to this purpose following TRustie and welbeloued c. You shall repaire to the States Generall with all possible diligence in our name telling them that wee doubt not but that their Ambassadours which were with vs about two yeeres since did informe them of a forewarning that we wished the said Ambassadours to make vnto them in our name to beware in time of seditious and hereticall Preachers and not to suffer any such to creepe into their State Our principall meaning was of Arminius who though himselfe were lately dead yet had hee left too many of his disciples behinde him Now according to that care which wee continually haue of the weale of their State wee haue thought good to send vnto them a new aduertisement vpon the like occasion which is this That there is lately come to our handes a piece of worke of one Vorstius a Diuine in those parts wherein hee hath published such monstrous blasphemie and horrible Atheisme as out of the care that a Christian Prince and Defender of the Faith as we haue euer bene ought to haue of the good of the Church wee hold not onely such a scandalous booke worthy to bee burnt but euen the Authour himselfe to bee most seuerely punished This notwithstanding wee are informed that the States are so farre from beeing sensible of so great a scandall to the Church as that the most part of them haue already yeelded him their free consents and voyces for the obteining of the place of Diuinitie Reader in the Vniuersitie of Leyden which the aboue-named Arminius of little better stuffe lately enioyed and though himselfe be dead hath left his sting yet liuing among them Hauing therefore vnderstood that the time of Election will be about Michaelmas next and holding our selues bound in honour and conscience as a Christian Prince and one who hath vouchsafed the States our Royall fauour and support in respect of their Religion to preuent so great a mischiefe so farre as we are able Wee will and require you to let them vnderstand how infinitely wee shall bee displeased if such a Monster receiue aduancement in the Church And if it bee alleadged that hee hath recanted his Atheisticall opinions and that thereupon he may be capable of the place you shall tell them that wee thinke his Recantation so slender a satisfaction for so fowle an offence as that wee hold him rather worthy of punishment or at least to be debarred from all promotion Wherein though wee assure our selfe that they will of their owne discretions eschew such a viper who may make a fearefull rent not onely in their Ecclesiasticall but also in their Politique State yet notwithstanding all this if they will continue their resolution to preferre him you shall then make a protestation to them in our name That wee will not faile to make knowen to the world publikely in print how much wee detest such abominable Heresies and all allowers and tolerators of them And because the States shall know vpon what reasons we haue grounded this our Admonition you shall receiue herewith a * * This Catalogue is here purposely omitted for auoyding a needlesse repetition seeing the principall points therof are conteined in a little Collection annexed at the end of our second letter written to Wynwood Catalogue of his damnable Positions of which no one page of the booke is free Giuen vnder our Signet c. For obseruing that so prodigious a Monster began to liue among them We could do no lesse considering the infinite obligations which wee owe vnto God then to make Our zeale appeare against such an enemie to the Essence of the Deity Besides the charitie which Wee beare to the said States Our neighbors and Confederates professing the same Religion that we do did enforce Vs to admonish them to eschew and preuent in time so dangerous a contagion which dispersing it selfe might infect not onely the bodie of their State but all Christendome also the danger whereof was so much greater to our Dominions then to many others by how much the Prouinces of the said States are neerer vnto Vs in their situation Our Ambassadour therefore hauing sufficiently acquitted himselfe of that which Wee gaue him in charge by exhorting them in Our Name timely to preuent the danger which might ensue by enterteyning such a guest as VORSTIVS which at that time they might easily haue done seeing he was not yet setled at Leyden neither was he lodged in the house appointed for the publique Reader nor were his wife and family yet arriued and therefore much more easie for them to haue rid him out of their countrey sending him backe to the place from whence he came according to the old Prouerbe Turpiùs eijcitur quà m non admittitur hospes It is more honest to refuse a guest then when you haue once receiued him to thrust him out of doores Yet notwithstanding all the diligence that Our Ambassadour could vse and the oportunity which at that time
of this businesse and of their sincere intention therein hee would according to his high wisedome prudence and benignitie conceiue fauourably of them and their proceedings whereof the Lords States Generall are no lesse confident and the rather for that the said Deputies haue assured them that the Lords States of Holland and Westfrizeland their Superiors would proceede in this businesse as in all others with all due reuerence care and respect vnto his Maiesties serious admonition as becommeth them And the Lords States Generall doe request the said Lord Ambassadour to recommend this their Answere vnto his Maiestie with fauour Giuen at the Hage in the Assembly of the said Lords States Generall 1. October 1611. BVt before wee had receiued this answere from the States some of Vorstius books were brought ouer into England and as it was reported not without the knowledge and direction of the Authour And about the same time one Bertius a scholler of the late Arminius who was the first in our aage that infected Leyden with Heresie was so impudent as to send a Letter vnto the Archbishop of Canterbury with a Booke intituled De Apostasia Sanctorum And not thinking it sufficient to auow the sending of such a booke the title whereof onely were enough to make it worthy the fire hee was moreouer so shamelesse as to maintaine in his Letter to the Archbishop that the doctrine conteined in his booke was agreeable with the doctrine of the Church of England Let the Church of CHRIST then iudge whether it was not high time for vs to bestirre our selues when as this Gangrene had not onely taken holde amongst our neerest neighbours so as Nonsolùm paries proximus iam ardebat not onely the next house was on fire but did also begin to creepe into the bowels of our owne Kindome For which cause hauing first giuen order that the said bookes of Vorstius should be publikely burnt as well in Pauls Church-yard as in both the Vniuersities of this Kingdome wee thought good to renew our former request vnto the States for the banishment of Vorstius by a Letter which wee caused our Ambassadour to deliuer vnto them from vs at their Assembly in the Hage the fifth of Nouember whereunto they had referred vs in their former answere the tenor of which Letter was as followeth HIgh and mightie Lords Hauing vnderstood by your answere to that Proposition which was made vnto you in our name by our Ambassadour there resident That at your Assembly to bee holden in Nouember next you are resolued then to giue order concerning the businesse of that wretched D. Vorstius Wee haue thought good notwithstanding the declaration which our Ambassadour hath already made vnto you in our name touching that particular to put you againe in remembrance thereof by this Letter and thereby freely to discharge our selues both in point of our duetie towards God and of that sincere friendship which wee beare towards you First We assure Our selues that you are sufficiently perswaded that no worldly respect could moue Vs to haue thus importuned you in an affaire of this nature being drawen into it onely through Our zeale to the glory of God and the care which Wee haue that all occasion of such great scandals as this is vnto the trew reformed Church of God might bee in due time foreseene and preuented Wee are therefore to let you vnderstand that Wee doe not a little wonder that you haue not onely sought to prouide an habitation in so eminent a place amongst you for such a corrupted person as this Vorstius is but that you haue also afforded him your license and protection to print that Apologie which he hath dedicated vnto you A booke wherein he doeth most impudently maintaine the execrable blasphemies which in his former hee had disgorged The which wee are now able to affirme out of our owne knowledge hauing since that Letter which wee wrote vnto our Ambassadour read ouer and ouer againe with our owne eyes not without extreme mislike and horrour both his bookes the first dedicated to the Lantgraue of Hessen and the other to you We had well hoped that the corrupt seed which that enemie of God Arminius did sowe amongst you some few yeeres since whose disciples and followers are yet too bold and frequent within your Dominions had giuen you a sufficient warning afterwards to take heed of such infected persons seeing your owne Countrey men already diuided into Factions vpon this occasion a matter so opposite to vnitie which is indeed the onely prop and safetie of your State next vnder God as of necessitie it must by little and little bring you to vtter ruine if wisely you doe not prouide against it and that in time It is trew that it was Our hard hap not to heare of this Arminius before he was dead and that all the Reformed Churches of Germanie had with open mouth complained of him But assoone as Wee vnderstood of that distraction in your State which after his death he left behind him We did not faile taking the opportunitie when your last extraordinary Ambassadors were here with Vs to vse some such speeches vnto them concerning this matter as We thought fittest for the good of your State and which we doubt not but they haue faithfully reported vnto you For what need We make any question of the arrogancie of these Heretiques or rather Atheisticall Sectaries amongst you when one of them at this present remaining in your towne of Leyden hath not onely presumed to publish of late a blasphemous Booke of the Apostasie of the Saints but hath besides beene so impudent as to send the other day a copie thereof as a goodly present to Our Arch-Bishop of Canterbury together with a letter wherein he is not ashamed as also in his Booke to lie so grossely as to auowe that his Heresies conteined in the said Booke are agreeable with the Religion and profession of Our Church of England For these respects therefore haue Wee cause enough very heartily to request you to roote out with speed those Heresies and Schismes which are beginning to bud foorth amongst you which if you suffer to haue the reines any longer you cannot expect any other issue thereof then the curse of God infamy throughout all the reformed Churches and a perpetuall rent and distraction in the whole body of your State But if peraduenture this wretched Vorstius should denie or equiuocate vpon those blasphemous poynts of Heresie and Atheisme which already hee hath broached that perhaps may mooue you to spare his person and not cause him to bee burned which neuer any Heretique better deserued and wherein we will leaue him to your owne bristian wisedome but to suffer him vpon any defence or abnegation which hee shall offer to make still to continue and to teach amongst you is a thing so abominable as we assure our selues it will not once enter into any of your thoughts For admit hee would proue himselfe innocent which neuerthelesse he cannot
pinched with the Arguments of the Orthodoxe Church and had no power to resist The same also doeth more plainely appeare by an other little booke which he hath published intituled Theologicall positions which booke he hath made of purpose to blinde the world withall because they are indeed but the same Theses or Positions vpon which he hath disputed in his first wicked booke that beareth the title Of God and his Attributes For in the Theses themselues there is but little harme but in his disputations thereupon are couched all the horrible Heresies And therefore in this booke hath hee published onely his Theses which are iustifiable and left out his disputations vpon the Theses wherein all the poison is conteined It is moreouer somewhat suspicious in such a tainted person as he is that in an Appendix which hee hath placed at the end of his Theses he taketh occasion to name a number of Heretiques who are aduersaries to the doctrine of his Theses and those especially who haue erred concerning the Diuinitie Humanitie Person or Office of CHRIST as the Ebionites Cerinthians Arrians Praxians Sabellians Marcionites Manichees Docites Apollinarists Mennonites Swenkfeldians Nestorians Monothelites Eutychians Monophysites Iewes Millenaries Papists Amongst which rabble he doeth not once make mention of Paulus Samosatenus nor of Photinius who succeeded him as well in his Bishopricke as in his errour Yet neuerthelesse it is reported that Vorstius in his heart is not very farre from their erronious opinion Now in the Preface of this little booke hee hath taken vpon him very succinctly to make answere to fiue Articles which he confesseth were layd to his charge by which answere in our opinion hee discouers himselfe very plainely The first point is That hee was once accused as himselfe saith of the Samosatenian Heresie because he had sometime both written and receiued letters from diuers of that Sect which he confesseth he did indeed in his youth to this end that by that meanes hee might the more easily come by some of their bookes but that afterward hee did forbeare all correspondencie with them First of all then we would be glad to know why hee forgot the Heresie of Samosatenus in his Appendix where he names so many others and yet confesseth in the Preface of his said booke that he himselfe was accused of that errour Secondly to what end had hee in his youth so great traffique with these Heretiques was it to enable him the better to confute them We heare him not say so much as indeed it was neuer his end Surely this fellow would be an excellent cleanser of a Pest-house for he feares no infection Picem contrectare non timet he dares handle any pitch And yet for all that the Prouerbe is trew Qui ambulat in Sole colorabitur He that walketh in the Sun-shine shall bee Sun-burnt It followes then seeing his intention was not to arme himselfe against them that it must be of necessitie to make himselfe worthy of their Schoole the which hee almost confesseth in the last words of his Answere to that point where he saith thus Non enim quod multi solent alienis sensibus hîc fidendum putaui aut temerè quidquam in causa Fidei damnandum For I doe not thinke it fit as many others doe to relie in these cases vpon other mens constructions or rashly to condemne any thing which concernes matter of Faith To the second Article of his Accusation hee confesseth that hee gaue some of his Samosatenian bookes vnto his schollers Surely a goodly gift But the caution was prettie which he gaue withall vnto them when he deliuered them the bookes which was that they ought to reade them with iudgement not rashly reiecting the doctrine commonly receiued What an Epithite is heere for our holy Orthodoxe Faith to terme it no otherwise then the doctrine commonly receiued And as for his caution not rashly to forsake the old doctrine it is no more then the Turkes would giue vnto any Christian that should suddenly offer to become a Mahometist Nay what Christian did euer sollicite a Pagan or Heretique to bee conuerted but with this caution Who Would perswade a man to receiue the holy Sacrament rashly S. Paul commands euery man to examine himselfe diligently before hee come to that holy Table But on the other side an Orthodoxe Christian would in this case haue said to his schollers If you will reade these wicked bookes reade them with horrour and detestation and with an intent to arme your selues against such wiles and subtilties of Sathan and withall pray vnto GOD to keepe you constant in the holy Catholique and Orthodoxe Faith that these Heresies may haue no power once to mooue you trusting in his mercy and not in your owne strength To the third Article he confesseth that his schollers did publish bookes of the Socinian Heresie and his excuse is that it was without his knowledge But howsoeuer he condemnes them not for hauing done it onely this he saith That they declared vpon their oathes they did not fauour the Heresie To the fourth point he confesseth that about ten yeeres since he wrote a booke De Filiatione Christi for which Title onely an Authour so suspected as he is worthy of the fagot and all his excuse is That he wrote an Epitome vpon Bellarmine Wee doubt not but hee did it for his recreation Forsooth a prety conceit Yet it appeares not by his wordes that he detests the subiect of that Booke but saith That no man can thereby coniecture what his opinion is of that argument no more then they can vpon his Epitome of Bellarmine which was likewise his worke For to condemne it had beene contrary to that which hee auowed in his other booke neuer to repent himselfe of any thing that he hath once written as already we haue obserued As for the fift and last point he will neither confesse nor deny the accusation onely hee saith That a certaine booke intituled Dominicus Lopez which is as we haue heard a very blasphemous Treatise was suppressed by him pacis ergò for peace sake but he is so farre from condemning it as that he alleadgeth the booke hath bene maintained by others which in time shall appeare Two things are here to bee obserued First that hee suppressed it pacis ergò for quietnesse sake Not therefore for the wickednesse of the subiect The next that in his due time the trewth thereof shall appeare In which last point onely we will willingly ioyne with him beseeching our good GOD for his CHRISTS sake that hee will bee pleased to discouer the trewth of this mans intentions as well for his owne Glory as to purge the scandall and to auoyd the danger which may ensue vnto Christendome by the darnell of Heresies which he hath sowne It is therefore to bee noted That to all these fiue Articles his answeres are so silly and weake as in three of them we haue found him planè confitentem reum plainely pleading guiltie
blanching it onely with some poore excuses And to the other two points his answers are doubtfull yet neither condemning the act of his schollers nor the last wicked booke called Dominicus Lopez Hauing now therefore briefly laied open the subtilties friuolous distinctions and excuses of the said Vorstius we will conclude this point with this protestation That if he had bene our owne Subiect we would haue bid him Excrea spit out and forced him to haue produced and confessed those wicked Heresies that are rooted in his heart And in case he should stand vpon his Negatiue we would enioyne him to say according to the ancient custome of the Primitiue Church in the like cases of Heretiques I renounce and from my soule detest them Anathema Maranatha vpon such and such Heresies And not to say For peace sake I caused this booke to be suppressed And these bookes are to bee read with great iudgement and discretion S. Hierome liketh not that any man should take it patiently to be suspected of Heresie And now to make an end of this Discourse we doe very heartily desire all good Christians in generall and My Lords the States in particular to whom the managing of this affaire doeth most specially belong to consider but two things First what kinde of people they be that slander vs and our sincere intention in this cause And next what priuate interest wee can possibly haue in respect of any worldly honour or aduancement herein to engage our selues in such sort as we haue done Concerning the first point There are but three sorts of people that seeke to calumniate vs vpon this occasion That is to say either such as are infected with the same or the like Heresies wherewith Vorstius is tainted ideo fouent consimilem causam and therefore doe maintaine the like cause or else such as be of the Romane Religion who in this confusion and libertie of prophesying would thrust in for a part conceiuing it more reasonable that their doctrine should be tolerated by those of our Religion then the doctrine of Vorstius or else such as for reason of State enuie peraduenture the good amitie and correspondencie which is betwixt vs and the Vnited Prouinces Touching our owne interest the whole course of our life doeth sufficiently witnesse that we haue alwayes bene contented with that portion which GOD hath put into our hands without seeking to inuade the possessions of any other Besides in two of our bookes as well in our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as in the Preface to our Apologie we haue shewed the same inclination For in the first booke speaking of warre we say that a King ought not to make any inuasion vpon anothers Dominions vntill Iustice be first denied him And in the other booke hauing shewed the vsurpation of the Pope aboue all the Kings and Princes of Christendome our conclusion is that we will neuer goe about to perswade them to assault him within his Dominions but onely to resume and preserue their owne iust Priuiledges from his violent intrusion So as thankes be to GOD both our Theorique and Practique agree well together to cleare vs from this vniust and slanderous imputation And as for the States in particular it is very vnlikely that we who haue all our life time held so strict an amitie with them as for their defence wee haue bene contented to expose the liues of many of our Subiects of both Nations would now practise against then State and that vpon so poore a subiect as Vorstius especially that so damnable a thing could euer enter into our heart as vnder the vaile and pretext of the glory of GOD to plot the aduancement of our owne priuate deseignes The reasons which induced vs to meddle in this businesse we haue already declared We leaue it now to his owne proper Iudges to consider what a nursling they foster in their bosome A stranger bred in the Socinian Heresie as it is said often times accused of Heresie by the Churches of Germanie one that hath written so wicked and scandalous bookes maintaining and seriously protesting in the preface of his Apologie to the States for the libertie of prophecying and twice or thrice insisting vpon that libertie in the Preface of his Modest Answere a dangerous and pernitious libertie or rather licentiousnesse opening a gap to all rupture Schisme and confusion in the Church yea hauing had some disciples that be Heretiques themselues and others that accuse him of Heresie And though there were no other cause then the silly and idle shifts wherewith hee seekes to defend himselfe in his last bookes it were enough to conuince him either to haue maintained a bad cause and in that respect worthy of a farre greater punishment then to be put by his place of Professour or at the least to be a person vnworthy of the name of a Professour in so famous an Vniuersitie for hauing so weakely maintained a cause that is iust For our part GOD is our witnesse we haue no quarrell against his person he is a Stranger borne farre from our dominions he is a Germane and it is well knowen that all Germanie are our friends and the most part of the great Princes there be either neerely allied vnto vs or our Confederates he doth outwardly professe the same Religion which we do he hath written against Bellarmine and hath not mentioned vs either in speach or writing for any thing we know but with all the honour and respect that may be GOD knowes the worst that we do wish him is that he may sincerely returne into the high beaten path-way of the Catholique and Orthodoxall Faith And for my Lords the States seeing wee haue discharged our conscience we will now referre the managing of the whole Action vnto their owne discretions For wee are so farre from prescribing them any rule herein as we shall be very well contented so as the businesse be well done that there be euen no mention at all made of our intercession in their publique Acts or Records Their maner of proceeding we leaue absolutely to their owne Wisedomes Modò praedicetur Christus so as CHRIST bee preached let them vse their owne formes in the Name of GOD. For we desire that GOD should so iudge vs at the last Day as we affect not in this Action any worldly glory beseeching the Creatour so to open their eyes to illuminate their vnderstandings direct their resolutions and aboue all to kindle their zeale sanctifie their affections at the last so to blesse their Actions and their proceedings in this cause as the issue thereof may tend to his Glory to the comfort and solace of the Faithfull to the honour of our Religion to the confusion and extirpation at the least profligation of Heresies and in particular to the corroboration of the Vnion of the sayd Prouinces A REMONSTRANCE FOR THE RIGHT OF KINGS AND THE INDEPENDANCE OF THEIR CROVVNES AGAINST AN ORATION OF THE MOST ILLVSTRIOVS CARD OF PERRON PRONOVNCED IN
shewing that he by no meanes doeth approue those prophane and heathenish Lawes whereby secret practises and conspiracies against a Tyrant by administration are permitted His reason Because after deposition there is a certaine habitude to Royall dignitie and as it were a kinde of politicke Character inherent in Kings by which they are discerned from persons meerely priuate or the common sort of people and the obstacle crosse-barre or sparre once remooued and taken out of the way the said Kings deposed are at length reinuested and endowed againe with lawfull vse of Royall dignitie and with lawfull administration of the Kingdome Is it possible that his Lordship can speake and vtter these words according to the inward perswasion of his heart I beleeue it not For admit a King cast out of his Kingdome were sure to escape with life yet being once reduced to a priuate state of life after hee hath wound or wrought himselfe out of deadly danger so farre he is from holding or retayning any remainder of dignity or politike impression that on the contrary he falleth into greater contempt and misery then if he had bene a very peasant by birth and had neuer held or gouerned the sterne of Royall estate What fowle is more beautifull then the peacocke Let her be plumed and bereft of her feathers what owle what iacke-daw more ridiculous more without all pleasant fashion The homely sowter the infamous catchpol the base tincker the rude artificer the pack-horse-porter then liuing in Rome with libertie when Valentinian was detain'd captiue by Saporas the Persian King was more happie then that Romane Emperour And in case the L. Cardinall himselfe should bee so happie I should say so vnfortunate to be stript of all his dignities and Ecclesiasticall promotions would it not redound to his Lordships wonderfull consolation that in his greatest extremity in the lowest of his barenesse and nakednesse he still retaineth a certaine habituall right and character of a Cardinall whereby to recouer the losse of his former dignities and honours when hee beholds these prints and impressions of his foresaid honours would it not make him the more willing and glad to forsake the backe of his venerable mule to vse his Cardinals foot-cloath no longer but euer after like a Cardinall in print and character to walke on foot But let vs examine his Lordships consolation of Kings thrust out of their kingdomes by the Pope for heresie The obstacle as the L. Cardinall speaketh being taken away that is to say when the King shall be reformed thâ—â— habituall right and character yet inherent in the person of a King restores him to the lawfull administration of his Kingdome I take this to be but a cold comfort For here his Lordship doeth onely presuppose and not prooue that after a King is thrust out of his Throne when hee shall repent and turne trew Romane Catholike the other by whom he hath bene cast out and by force disseised will recall him to the Royall seat and faithfully settle him againe in his ancient right as one that reioyceth for the recouery of such a lost sheepe But I should rather feare the new King would presse and stand vpon other termes as a terme of yeeres for a triall whether the repentance of the King displaced be trew sound to the coare or counterfeit dissembled and painted holines for the words the sorrowfull and heauie lookes the sad and formall gestures of men pretending repentance are not alwayes to bee taken to be respected to be credited Againe I should feare the afflicted King might be charged and borne downe too that albeit hee hath renounced his former heresie hee hath stumbled since at an other stone and runne the ship of his faith against some other rocke of new hereticall prauitie Or I should yet feare he might be made to beleeue that heresie maketh a deeper impression and a character more indeleble in the person then is the other politike character of Regal Maiestie Alas good Kings in how hard in how miserable a state doe they stand Once deposed and euer barred of repentance As if the scapes and errors of Kings were all sinnes against the Holy Ghost or sinnes vnto death for which it is not lawfull to pray Falls a pruiate person he may be set vp and new established Falls a King is a King deposed his repentance is euer fruitlesse euer vnprofitable Hath a priuate person a traine of seruants He can not be depriued of any one without his priuitie and consent Hath a King millions of subiects He may be depriued by the Pope of a third part when his Holinesse will haue them turne Clerics or enter Cloisters without asking the King leaue and so of subiects they may be made non-subiects But I question yet further A King falling into heresie is deposed by the Pope his sonne stands pure Catholike The Regal seat is empty Who shall succeed in the deposed Kings place Shall a stranger be preferred by the Pope That were to doe the innocent sonne egregious and notorious wrong Shall the sonne himselfe That were a more iniurious part in the sonne against his father For if the sonne bee touched with any feare of God or mooued with any reuerence towards his father hee will diligently and seriously take heed that hee put not his father by the Kingdome by whose meanes he himselfe is borne to a Kingdome Nor will hee tread in the steps of Henry the V. Emperour who by the Popes instigation expelled and chased his aaged father out of the Imperiall dignitie Much lesse wil he hearken to the voice and aduise of Doctor Suares the Iesuite Lib. 6. cap. 4. Si Papa Regem depenat ab illis tantum poterit expells vet interfics quibus ipse id commiserit who in his booke written against my selfe a booke applauded and approoued of many Doctours after hee hath like a Doctour of the chaire pronounced That a King deposed by the Pope cannot bee lawfully expelled or killed but onely by such as the Pope hath charged with such execution falleth to adde a little after If the Pope shall declare a King to bee an heretike and fallen from the Kingdome without making further declaration touching execution that is to say without giuing expresse charge vnto any to make away the King then the lawfull successour beeing a Catholike hath power to doe the feate and if he shall refuse or if there shall be none such then it appertaineth to the comminaltie or body of the Kingdome A most detestable sentence For in hereditarie Kingdomes who is the Kings lawfull successour but his sonne The sonne then by this doctrine shall imbrew his hands in his owne fathers blood so soone as he shall be deposed by the Pope A matter so much the neerer and more deepely to bee apprehended because the said most outragious booke flyeth like a furious mastiffe directly at my throat and withall instilleth such precepts into the tender disposition of my sonne as if hereafter hee shall
generall and maine grounds the principall things that haue bene agitated in this Parliament and whereof I will now speake First the Arrand for which you were called by me And that was for supporting of my state and necessities The second is that which the people are to mooue vnto the King To represent vnto him such things whereby the Subiects are vexed or wherein the state of the Common wealth is to be redressed And that is the thing which you call grieuances The third ground that hath bene handled amongst you and not onely in talke amongst you in the Parliament but euen in many other peoples mouthes aswell within as without the Parliament is of a higher nature then any of the former though it be but an Incident and the reason is because it concernes a higher point And this is a doubt which hath bene in the heads of some of my Intention in two things First whether I was resolued in the generall to continue still my gouernment according to the ancient forme of this State and the Lawes of this Kingdome Or if I had an intention not to limit my selfe within those bounds but to alter the same when I thought conuenient by the absolute power of a King The other branch is anent the Common Law which some had a conceit I disliked and in respect that I was borne where another forme of Law was established that I would haue wished the Ciuill Law to haue bene put in place of the Common Law for gouernment of this people And the complaint made amongst you of a booke written by doctour Cowell was a part of the occasion of this incident But as touching my censure of that booke I made it already to bee deliuered vnto you by the Treasurer here sitting which he did out of my owne directions and notes and what he said in my name that had he directly from me But what hee spake of himselfe therein without my direction I shal alwayes make good for you may be sure I will be loth to make so honest a man a lyer or deceiue your expectations alwayes within very few dayes my Edict shall come forth anent that matter which shall fully discouer my meaning There was neuer any reason to mooue men to thinke that I could like of such grounds For there are two qualities principally or rather priuations that make Kings subiect to flatterie Credulitie and Ignorance and I hope none of them can bee iustly obiected to mee For if Alexander the great for all his learning had bene wise in that point to haue considered the state of his owne naturall body and disposition hee would neuer haue thought him selfe a god And now to the matter As it is a Christan duety in euery man Reddere rationem fidei and not to be ashamed to giue an account of his profession before men and Angels as oft as occasion shall require So did I euer hold it a necessitie of honour in a iust and wise King though not to giue an account to his people of his actions yet clearely to deliuer his heart and intention vnto them vpon euery occasion But I must inuert my order and begin first with that incident which was last in my diuision though highest of nature and so goe backward THe State of MONARCHIE is the supremest thing vpon earth For Kings are not onely GODS Lieutenants vpon earth and sit vpon GODS throne but euen by GOD himselfe they are called Gods There bee three principall similitudes that illustrate the state of MONARCHIE One taken out of the word of GOD and the two other out of the grounds of Policie and Philosophie In the Scriptures Kings are called Gods and so their power after a certaine relation compared to the Diuine power Kings are also compared to Fathers of families for a King is trewly Parens patriae the politique father of his people And lastly Kings are compared to the head of this Microcosme of the body of man Kings are iustly called Gods for that they exercise a manner or resemblance of Diuine power vpon earth For if you wil consider the Attributes to God you shall see how they agree in the person of a King God hath power to create or destroy make or vnmake at his pleasure to giue life or send death to iudge all and to bee iudged nor accomptable to none To raise low things and to make high things low at his pleasure and to God are both soule and body due And the like power haue Kings they make and vnmake their subiects they haue power of raising and casting downe of life and of death Iudges ouer all their subiects and in all causes and yet accomptable to none but God onely They haue power to exalt low things and abase high things and make of their subiects like men at the Chesse A pawne to take a Bishop or a Knight and to cry vp or downe any of their subiects as they do their money And to the King is due both the affection of the soule and the seruice of the body of his subiects And therefore that reuerend Bishop here amongst you though I heare that by diuers he was mistaken or not wel vnderstood yet did he preach both learnedly and trewly annent this point concerning the power of a King For what he spake of a Kings power in Abstracto is most trew in Diuinitie For to Emperors or Kings that are Monarches their Subiects bodies goods are due for their defence and maintenance But if I had bene in his place I would only haue added two words which would haue cleared all For after I had told as a Diuine what was due by the Subiects to their Kings in general I would then haue concluded as an Englishman shewing this people That as in generall all Subiects were bound to relieue their King So to exhort them that as wee liued in a setled state of a Kingdome which was gouerned by his owne fundamentall Lawes and Orders that according thereunto they were now being assembled for this purpose in Parliament to consider how to helpe such a King as now they had And that according to the ancient forme and order established in this Kingdome putting so a difference betweene the generall power of a King in Diuinity and the setled and established State of this Crowne and Kingdome And I am sure that the Bishop meant to haue done the same if hee had not bene straited by time which in respect of the greatnesse of the presence preaching before me and such an Auditory he durst not presume vpon As for the Father of a familie they had of olde vnder the Law of Nature Patriam potestatem which was Potestatem vitae necis ouer their children or familie I meane such Fathers of families as were the lineall heires of those families whereof Kings did originally come For Kings had their first originall from them who planted and spread themselues in Colonies through the world Now a Father may dispose of his
comming to wit instructed and inspired by Satan to bee his embassadour and to teach his false doctrine to the counterfeit church as well as the true Pastours are the Embassadours of God to the true Church He is called Abaddon or Apollyon because as hee is both a spirituall and ciuill Monarch so he destroyes and killes both body and soule as I tolde you in the fourth seale where hee is called Death for the same cause that hee is called heere Destroyer 12 One woe is past and loe two come after for this which by the fift Trumpet is declared is the first of the three last and greatest plagues whereunto I wished you to take speciall heed and therefore take good heed to the other two blasts of the trumpets that follow 13 Then the sixt Angel blewe and I heard a voice comming from among the foure hornes of the golden Altar that stands euer before the eyes of God saying these words to the next Angel that had a Trumpet Loose these foure Angels bound at the great water Euphrates 14 Now the summons and warning being giuen by the sixt blast of the trumpet of the sixt and fearefull plague that was to come this command of Christ which is the voice here mentioned comes to the sixt Angel commanding him to doe as ye now haue heard For although the trumpet was alreadie blowen yet the execution followes not while Christ command and permit it for these foure Angels mentioned here are the same who were standing before vpon the foure airths of the earth ready to destroy the same who were then as you heard stayed by Christ while first he had sealed his owne who now being all sealed because this is the last plague that is to come vpon the world except that of the consummation Christ therefore commands them to be loosed for they were before stayed as it were bound to the effect they might now put in execution these things which they were ready to doe When they were stayed it is said they were bound at the great riuer Euphrates alluding hereby to the history of Balthasar in Daniel for as Euphrates diuided Babylon from the Persians and the Assyrians which they crossed when they slew Balthasar so this command of stay giuen to these Angels by Christ was that great riuer Euphrates beyond the which they were bound for they had no power to crosse it and to plague the world while first all his chosen were sealed and that hee had loosed and permitted them as by this command here is done 15 And so these foure Angels were loosed who were readie at the houre the day the moneth and the yeere to slay the third part of men to wit they were ready at the very moment prescribed to them by God to destroy all men except such as were sealed ouer whom they had no power and such as were reserued to the destruction of the last plague to wit the consummation and so the third part was left to them to destroy Now followes the plague of the sixt trumpet 16 And first I saw an armie of horsemen the number whereof were two hundred thousand thousand for I heard the number reckoned this double great number signifies that there shall be raised vp at one time two great Monarchies and seats of Tyrants one ruling in the East and another in the West who shal cruelly persecute the Church 17 And in this vision likewise I saw horses whose riders had brestplates of fire of Hyacinth and brimstone and the heads of the horses were like the heads of Lions and from their mouthes came fire smoke and brimstone noting that with fiery rage smokie pride and pretences and loathsome and wicked courses these two Monarches the one secular the other Ecclesiasticall shall conquer and possesse the greatest part of the world These horses are a part yet not the least part of the forces of one of these Monarches in whose description it is most insisted because he is the Destroyer of whom it is spoken in the fift Trumpet where hee is named Abaddon These horses and their riders are the last order and sect of his Ecclesiasticall swarme Their brestplates to wit their worldly defence is composed of fire that is persecution of the body for they shall haue greater credit at the hands of Princes then all these grashoppers spoken of in the fift Seale and so shall vse their forces to defend themselues therewith They are composed of the Hyacinth for as this herbe is darke and of a smoking colour and bitter to the taste so shall they be defended and maintained by the craft of their darke and bitter heresies which in the third Trumpet are called Wormewood as here they are called Hyacynth and they are composed of brimstone which signifieth the loathsomnesse and stench of sinne and the flame and force of hell fire to wit Satan the authour of the one and ruler of the other shall by all maner of craft defend them as his speciall instruments and the last vermine bred and come vp from the smoke of the bottomlesse pit And they shall not onely haue power to defend themselues by these three meanes but they shall also pursue and persecute the faithfull which is meant by their horses heads like to the heads of Lions that is able to deuoure The meanes whereby they deuoure are the same whereby they defend themselues to wit by the power of Princes to persecute the bodies by false and hereticall bragges and sleights which are here called Smoake and by the drifts and frauds of Satan in diuers fashions to deceiue and inflame the soule which craft of Satan is here resembled to brimstone 18 By these three plagues are slaine the third part of men to wit by fire smoake and brimstone which came out of their mouthes to wit their malice and strength shall be so great as they shall vse all meanes wherewith the third part of men shal be destroyed although these meanes shall not be vsed by them onely to worke this great destruction with 19 For their strength is not in their mouthes onely as ye haue presently heard but it is also in their tailes for their tailes are like the tailes of serpents hauing stings whereby they doe harme In this they shall be like vnto the grashoppers 20 But not the lesse the wicked shall be so hard hearted as the rest of them who were not destroyed by the plagues of this trumpet shall not repent nor desist from the workmanship of their hands to wit from Idolatry and adoring of deuils and of images of golde of siluer of brasse of stone and of wood who neither can see heare nor goe whereof this hereticall Monarch is the punishment 21 Nor yet will they repent them nor desist from breaking the second Table by slaughters sorceries fornications thefts whereof that other Monarch who onely persecutes the body is the reuenge scourge and plague CHAP. X. ARGVMENT Iohn heares the explication of these mysteries which was written
vpon the backe of the Booke It is not lawfull to him to manifest it By foreknowing things to come which is signified by swallowing the booke he is mooued to a great ioy in the instant time but it turneth in great bitternesse to him thereafter THen I saw another strong Angel comming downe from heauen hee was clothed with a cloud and at his head was the raine-bow and his face was like the Sunne and his feet like the pillars of fire This strong Angel was Christ clothed with a cloude for in a cloud hee ascended and in the clouds shall he come againe at the latter day Which cloud was a guide to the people of Israel by day while they trauailed through the wildernesse and out of that cloud hee powres the raine and dew of his graces in abundance vpon his chosen His head was clothed with the rainebow which signifies his couenant he made with his Elect as ye heard before His face was like the Sunne and his feet like pillars of fire yee heard these two described in the beginning of my Epistle 2 And he had in his hand an open Booke this was the Booke of the Euangel or glad tidings And he set his right foote or strongest on the Sea to make stable that liquid Element so vnstable of nature and his left vpon the earth which is sooner made firme by this to shew the power he hath ouer all things contained in them who hath no power to passe the bounds and order which he hath prescribed vnto them and therefore the earth is called his footstoole by Dauid in his Psalmes 3 And he cryed with a mighty voice like a roaring Lyon for they were terrible things and great which hee was to denounce 4 And when he had cryed the seuen thunders spake their voices These were the seuen Spirits of God who by his direction did speake and I was to haue written what they did speake of purpose to haue set it downe with the rest But I heard a voice from heauen saying Seale what the seuen thunders haue spoken but write them not For the holy Spirit hauing declared vnto me by them the exposition of the sixe trumpets the voice of God commands me not to manifest that vnto the world with the rest but by sealing of it to keepe it close vnto the due time 5 And the Angel to wit Christ whom I saw standing on the sea and on the earth lifted vp his hand towards heauen 6 And swore by him that created heauen the earth the sea and all that is in them that the time should be no longer 7 But in the dayes of the seuenth Angels voice when he begins to blow the mysterie of God should be consummate according as he tolde to his seruants the Prophets This oath he made to assure me that the world should end immediatly after the accomplishing of these things mentioned in the sixe Trumpets and that the seuenth declares the things which are to be done at the consummation the forme whereof will be as hee hath declared to his Prophets 8 Then that voice which I heard spake to me from heauen to wit the voice of God the Father spake againe vnto me and said Goe and take that open booke which is in the hand of the Angel who stands on the sea and the earth 9 And so I went vnto the Angel and desired him to giue me the booke and hee answered Take and swallow it and it shall bring a bitternesse vnto thy belly but in thy mouth it shall be as sweete as honie 10 Then I tooke the booke and found that which he said to me of it to be true for indeed I thought it delightfull vnto me to know the mysteries of God by swallowing the booke and so it was sweet in my mouth but so soon as by the digestion hereof I must preach it to the world and for that cause become to be hated contemned and persecuted by the wicked and see but a small increase of my great labours then surely it will be bitter to my belly as it was to Ionas and shall be to all the true preachers thereof thereafter 11 Then he said vnto me Thou must prophesie againe before people nations tongues and many kings for my children in Christ to wit my successours in doctrine who shall be in the time of these plagues shall haue the same commission to teach ouer againe the same Euangel to the saluation of all the beleeuers these shall haue such boldnesse giuen vnto them as they shall constantly declare their commission not only before the people but euen before many kings and shall not be afraid of their faces CHAP. XI ARGVMENT Babylon the Popes Empire is the outward part of the Temple The trew Church is in Sancto Sanctorum but vnder the persecution of these hypocrites for a certaine space Faithfull Pastours are sent from time to time to witnesse the trewth They are persecuted condemned and slaine by Antichrist God raiseth vp at the last stronger preachers who shall describe the Popedome and foretell the destruction thereof In the seuenth Trumpet is the day of Iudgement described ANd then was a long reede like a rod giuen vnto me and the Angel who gaue me the booke stood before me and said Arise and measure the Temple of God and the Altar and all them that adore in it with that reede that is giuen thee 2 But the court that is without the Temple exclude thou and measure it not for it is giuen vnto the Gentiles who shall tread down the holy Citie for the space of two and fourtie moneths Now lest I should despaire of any profit which my successors could haue made in doctrine in their time because as it appeareth by the sixt Trumpet the whole world should be subdued to these two Monarchies Christ aswell to assure me some should still remaine pure and vnspotted as also to shew mee and by me to forewarne the Church that this most dangerous Monarch called Apollyon should corporally succeede in the Church and should sit in the Temple of God giues me a reede for that cause and commands me to measure the Temple for he will saue all them that are of the true Church for they are the inward parts of the Temple and the rest by reason of their hypocrisie shal be accounted of as Gentiles and this diuision shal be made by my successours in doctrine of whom I spake already for they by the measure and triall of the word signified by the reede shall separate that holy Sanctum Sanctorum from the rest of the outward Temple of God to wit the hypocriticall and Antichristian Church which shall tread downe and persecute the true Church for the space of two and fourtie moneths or three yeeres and an halfe for it is both one number This space prescribed by Christ alludeth to Daniels prophecie of two times a time and halfe a time for as Daniel meant thereby the halfe of his propheticall weeke so Christ meanes