by God's holy Spirit both for the building of the Temple and the ordering of the Priests and Levites for the Service of the Temple And as Jehu had the direction of the Prophet Elisha for the suppression of the Priests of Baal so had Ezechias the Prophet Esay to direct him in the puâ—ging of the Temple and Râ—formation of those abuses that had crepâ—â—â— into the Service of God To this we answer That as Joshua the Prince was required to go in Sol. and out at the word of Eleazar the Priest so we yield that the King ought to hearken to the counsel and direction of his Bishop and Priest as David here did consult with Nathan and Ezechias with the Prophet Esay And while Religion is purely maintained the people truly instructed and the Church rightly and orderly governed by the Bishops and the rest of the Ecclesiastical Governours the Prince needs not to trouble himself with any Reformation or to meddle with the matters of Religion But the King Prince and Supreme Magistrate ought to see that all the aforesaid things are so and if they be not to correct the Priest when he is careless and to cause all the abuses that he seeth in the Church and in Religion to be Reformed Because as S. Augustine saith In hoc reges Deo serviunt sicut Augustin contra Cresconium l. 3. c. 51. iis divinâ—tùs praecipitur in quantum sunt reges si in suis regnis bona jubeant mala prohibeant non solum quae pertinent ad humanam societatem verumetiam quae ad Divinam religionem In this Kings and Princes do serve God as they are commanded by God if they do command as they are Kings in their Kingdoms those things that are good and honest and prohibit the things that are evil noâ— only in causes that do properly appertain to civil society but also in such thâ—ngs as belong and have referâ—nce to Religion and Piety And when they do so the Bishops and Priests be they whom you will should observe their Commands and submitt themselves in all obedience That the Bishops Priests ought to submit themselves to the lawful commands directions of their Kings civil Governours to their Determinations and censures For Moses was the civil Magistrate and the Governour of the people and as he received them from God so he delivered unto the people all the Laws Statutes and Ordinances that appertained to Religion and to the Service of God And when Aaron erected and set up the golden Calf to be worshipped and so violated the true Religion and Service of God Moses reproved and censured him and Aaron though he was the High Priest of God and the Bishop of the people yet as a good example for all other Priests and Bishops he submitted himself most submissively unto Moses the chief Magistrate and said Let not the anger of my Lord wax hot And I would the Pope would Exod 32. 22. do so likewise And therefore though we say the Judge is to be preferred before the Prince in the knowledge of the Laws and the Doctor of Physick in prescribing potions for our health and the Pilot in guiding his Ship which the King perhaps cannot do Yet it cannot be denied but the King hath the commanding power to cause all these to do their duâ—ies and to punish them if they neglect it So though the King cannot preach and may not administer the holy Sacraments nor intrude himself with Saul and Vzzia to execute the Office of the Priest or Bishop yet he may and ought to require and command both Priests and Bishops to do their duties and to uphold the true Religion and the Service of God as they ought to do and both to censure them as Moses did Aaron and also to punish them as Solomon did Abiathar if their offence so deserve when they neglect to do it and both Priests and Bishops ought like Aaron and Abiathar to submit themselves unto their censures CHAP. VII The Objections of the Divines of Lovaine and other Jesuites against the former Doctrine of the Prince his authority over the Bishops and Priests in causes Ecclesiastical answered And the foresaid truth sufficiently proved by the clear testimony of the Fathers and Councils and divers of the Popes and Papists themselves BUt against this Doctrine of the Prince his authority to rectifie the Obj. things that are amisse and out of order in the Church of God the Jesuites and their followers tell us Spirituales dignitâ—tes praestantiores â—sse secularibus seu mundanis dignitatibus That the Spiritual Dignities are more excellent than those that are worldly When as these two Governments Gen. 1. 16. Rom. 13 12. And though thâ— light of the Church be the greater yet that proves not but that the King should be the prime and chief Governoâ— of the Church the one of the Church and the other of the Common-wealth are like the two great Lights that God hath made the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night and the Government of the Church must needs be acknowledged to be the Day and to have the greater light to guide and to direct it The Apostle telling us plainly that now the Gospel being come and the Church of Christ established the night is past or far spent and the day is at hand and come amongst us And the Government of the Secâ—lar State is like the Moon that ruleth the Night and receiveth her cleerest light from the Sun as all Christian Kingdoms do receive their best light and surest Rules of Government from the Church of God which is the pâ—llar and the ground of truth But To these that thus make the Civil Government subordinate to that which is Spiritual as both the Papists and our Fanatick-Sectaries here amongst us like the old doting Donatists would do and so abridge and deprive the Christian Prince of his just right and jurisdiction over the affairs and persons of the Church I answer 1. That Symbolical propositions examples parables comparisons and Sol. similitudes can prove nothing they may serve for some illustrations but for no infallible demonstrations of truth 2. I say that Isidorus a popish Doctor preferreth the Government of the Isidorus in â—lâ—ssa in Gen. ut citatur In the Scourge of Sacriledge Kingdom before the Priesthood by comparing the Kingdom unto the Sun and the Priesthood unto the Moon 3. I say that Theodore Balsamon a good School-man saith Nota Canonem Dicit Spirituales dignitates esse praestantiores secularibus sed ne hoc eò traxeris ut Ecclesiastiâ—ae dignitates praeferantur Imperatâ—riis quia illis subjiciuntur You must note that when the Canon saith the Spiritual dignities are more excellent than the Secular you must not so understand it Balsamon in Sextâ— Synodo Canonâ— 7. as to prefer the Ecclesiastical Rule or Dignities before the Imperial State because they are subject unto it and so to be
or some part of the Tythes of an impropriate Church for the inlarging of their Larder-house And that you need not doubt of this I must here set down what you may find in Mr. Crashaws Epistle to Mr. Pâ—rkins second Treatise of the Duties of the Ministry that in one County of the Kingdom of England the East riding of the County of York there are contained one hundred and five Parishes whereof nigh an hundred or the full number of an hundred are of this hateful name and bastardly title of Impropriations and some of them are of yearly value of four hundred pounds others worth three hundred pounds per annum others two hundred pounds and almost all worth one hundred pound a year and yet the Minister's part is ten pound stipend yea some have but eight pounds and some but six pounds and some but four pounds to live upon for the whole year and out of the Great Benefice of four hundred pounds a year the Minister had but eight pound per annum until of late with much labour ten pounds yearly for a Dr. Gardiner in his Scourge of Sacriledge Preacher And saith mine Author the most of the Churches in the properest Market-Towns of this Kingdom are thus held and retained by our Nobility and Gentry And so I found it in my Diocess of Ossory in the Kingdom of Ireland that the Impropriations had so swallowed up the Tythes and the Revenues of the Churches that as I shewed it in my Remonstrance to his Majesty six or seven Vicaridges united together will scarce make twenty pound a year for the Preacher Et durus est hic sermo for hereby the people perish and as the Prophet saith The poor Children cry for Bread and for want of means to maintain the Ministers there is none that is able to give it them I know King Henry the 8th that could cause his Parliaments as I ever understood from the old Parliament men of those times to make what Laws and to conclude what Acts of Parliament he pleased got many Laws to be made and many Acts to pass to justify and to make good and Lawful the Taking away Leasing Selling and Alienating the Tythes Lands Houses and Possessions of the Church and of our High Priest Jesus Christ from his servants to be inherited by lay persons and many other Acts of Parliaments have been made since that time to the same purpose which very thing we conceive as I have shewed to be very High Sacriledge and a robbing of Jesus Christ and the obstructing of his service and we fear the cause of the perishing of many souls And therefore how the Shield of the Pope's Authority that was the first Foster-Father of this execrable and accursed title of Impropriation or the power of King Henry the 8th that would expunge the Pope's Sacriledge with a greater Sacriledge and be the second Patron of this Bastard brood or all the pretences of the now detainers of the Tythes and portion of Christ and the Lands Houses and Possessions of the Church by these Humane Laws can bear off the blow of Gods wrath and turn aside the fierceness of his vengeance when in the day of his fury he shall powre out the full vial of his indignation upon the head of all Sacrilegious persons and upon the children and posterity of them that have devoured the Lords inheritance and laid wast his dwelling place I can no waies understand neither do I know how to give them any comfort or counsel but to advise them to a full and timely Restitution of that which otherwise will be their utter destruction Quia non remittitur peccatum donec restituatur August ad Maced Epist 54. oblatum cum restitui potest The sin shall never be remitted and blotted out of Gods book until the Tythes and goods of Gods Church be restored when men can restore them and will not do it CHAP. XVIII Of the second part of the Stipend Wages and Maintenance of the Ministers of the Gospel which is the Oblation Donation or Free-wil-offering of the people for to uphold and continue the true service of God and to obtain the blessings of God upon themselves and upon their labours which Donations ought not to be impropriated and alienated from the Church by any means YOu have heard of the first part of the Ministers maintenance the second part consisteth in the voluntary Oblations or Free-wil-offerings of the people which the Lord requireth should be done according as every one in his own heart thought good to bestow upon the service of God and what they did offer in this kind was most acceptable in the sight of God For this is a Principal Branch of that Honor which we yield unto God by and with our substance which we are injoyned to do Prov. 3. 9. Because what we relieve the poor with is not so much our alms as their exigence which as necessity exacts it so it is soon passed and as quickly perisheth but those Donations that were given for the service of God as they savour of a more inward and deeper piety so they are of a more lasting substance and besides the eternal Treasures which men do thereby lay up for themselves they do provide for the perpetuity of Religion unto the after-ages of men and may be justly said to Honour God not only in themselves but in all those likewise which they gain by their Donations to Honor him And it is strange and marvellous to consider how liberal and how free the people of old time were in their Donations and Free-wil-offerings to maintain the Worship of God and to do any thing that did any wayes appertain to his service for if you look into the 36. Chapt. of Exod. vers 5. you shall find how Bezaleel and Aholiab spake unto Moses saying The people bring much more then enough for the service of the work which the Lord hath commanded to be made and Moses gave commandment and caused Exod. 36. 5 6 7. it to be Proclaimed through the Camp that they should bring no more for that they had already brought enough and too much So they that returned out of Babylon were as ready and as willing to offer up their gifts and free-wil-offerings for the service of the Temple as their Forefathers were for the erecting of the Tabernacle as you may see it in the books of Ezra and of Neh 7. 70. c. 10. 33. Nehemiah But the Christians of the Primitive Church were so zealous herein that they exceeded all that went before them in their Donations and Free-wil-offerings for the service of God and the increase of the Christian Religion for they sold their Lands and Possessions and laid the prizes thereof at the Apostles feet and had all things in common among themselves And Pope Vrban the I. instituted Vt eâ—clesias praedia ac fundos fidelibus oblatos Platin. in Vrban â—piscopus recipereâ— partireturque proventus clericis omnibus viritim
greatest Nobility Lords of the Council Senate Parliament or Pope for any cause compelling to Idolatry exercising Cruelty practising Tyranny or any other Pretext how fair and specious soever it seems to be to Rebell take Arms and resist the Authority of their lawfull King whom God will protect and require all the blood that shall be spilt at the hands of the head-Rebels And all the main Objections to the contrary are clearly answered By GRYFFITH WILLIAMS Lord Bishop of Ossory London Printed for Phil. Stephens the younger 1663. TO THE KINGS Most Excellent MAJESTY Most Gracious Sovereign I Have been long ashamed to see the Aegyptian locusts the emissaries of Apollyon and the sons of perdition under the name of Christ so much to abuse His sacred truth as to send forth so impudently and most ignorantly such lying Pamphlets so stuffed with Treason to animate Rebellion and to poyson the dutiful affections and the obliged loyalty of Your Majesties seduced Subjects and seeing we ought not to be sleeping when the Traytors are betraying our Master I have been not a little grieved to see so many able men the faithful servants of Christ and most loyal to Your Majesty either over-awed with fear or distempered with their calamities or I know not for what else to be so long silent from publishing the necessity of obedience and the abomination of Rebellion in this time of need when the tongue and pen of the Divine should aswell strengthen the weak hands of faithful subjects as the Sword and Musket of the Souldier should weaken the strength of faithlesse Rebels Therefore not presuming of mine ability to equalize my brethren but as conscious of my fidelity both to God and to Your Majesty as in my younger years I * Non sine meo magno mâ—lo fearlesly published The resolution of Pilate so in my latter age though as much perplexed and persecuted as any man driven out of all my fortunes in Ireland hunted out of my house and poor family in England and after I had been causelesly imprisoned and most barbarously handled then threatned beyond measure yet I resolvedly set forth this Tract of The Grand Rebellion and though it be plain without curiosity Qualem decet exulis esse Yet I do it in all truth and sincerity without any sinister aspect for my witnesse is in Heaven I had rather have all the estate I have plundred and pillaged my wife and children left desolate and destitute of all relief and my self deprived of liberty and life by the Rebels for speaking truth in defence of whom my conscience knoweth to be in the right than to have all the praise and preferment that either People Parliament or Pope can heap upon me for sewing pillowes under their elbows and with idle distinctions false interpretations and wicked applications of holy Writ hypocritically to flatter and most seditiously to instigate the discontented and seduced spirits and others of most desperate fortunes to rebell against the Lord's annointed I presume to present the same into Your sacred hands God Almighty which delivereth your Majesty from the contradiction of sinners and subdueth your people that are under You bless protect and prosper You in all Your wayes Your Royal Queen and all Your Royal Progeny Thus prayeth Your Majesties most loyally devoted Subject and most faithfully obliged servant Gryffith Ossory THE GRAND REBELLION PSAL. 106. 16. Aemulati sunt Mosen in Castris Aaron sanctum Domini CHAP. 1. Sheweth who these Rebels were how much they were obliged to their Governours and yet how ungratefully they rebelled against them I Am here in this Treatise to shew unto you a Monster more hideous and monstrous than any of those that are described either by the Greek or Latin Poets and more noysome and destructive to humane kinde then any of those that the hottest Regions of Africa have ever bred though this be now most frequently produced in these colder Climates The name of it is Rebellion an ugly beast of many-heads of loathsome aspect of great antiquity and as great vivacity for the whole world could not subdue it to this very day And this Rebellion the like whereof was never seen from the Creation of the World to this very time and I hope shall never be seen hereafter The greatnesse of this sin of Rebellion is seen two ways 1. From the Text. 2. From their punishment 1. Of the Text 4. Parts of the Text. to the day of Judgement is fully set down in the 16. of Numbers and it is briefly repeated in the words of the Psalmist Psal 106. 16. How great a sin it is and how odious unto God will appear if we examine 1. The particulars of the Text in the 16. verse and but view 2. The greatnesse of their punishment in the next verse 1. The Text containeth four special parts 1. Qui fuâ—re who the Rebels were that did this 2. Contra quos against whom they rebelled 3. Quid fecerunt what they did 4. Vbi fecerunt where they did it And in each of these I will endevour brevity for as the Poet saith Citò dicta Percipiunt dociles animi retinâ—ntque fideles Horat. Few words do best hold memory and a short taste doth breed the more eager appetite therefore as all the precepts of Christ were 1. Brevia so my desire shall be to do herein 3. Properties of Christs precepts 2. Levia so my desire shall be to do herein 3. Vtilia so my desire shall be to do herein First then Aemulati sunt they angred and who were they the Prophet 1. Part who the Rebels were Described by four notions answereth Vers 7. Patres nostri in Aegypto Our Fathers regarded not thy wonders in Aegypt And therfore they were 1. Their own Countrey-men the Israelites 2. Of their own Tribe as was Corah and his companions and of the Nobility of Israel as were Dathan and Abiram and their adherents 3. Of their own Religion such as had received the Oracles of God and did professe to serve thâ— same true and â—ver living God as the others did 4. Such as had obtained multa magna many great favours and benefits yea Beneficia â—â—mis â—opâ—â—sa and I may say very precious benefits from them For when God sent Mâ—ses his servant and Aaron whom he had chosen these delivered them from bondage and brought them forth with silver and gold and there was not one feeble person among their Tribes saith the Prophet And yet these were the men that rebelled 1. They were their own Country-men of their own Tribe the seed of Abraham 1. Of the same Country and partakers of the same fortunes And therefore they should love and not hate they should further and not hinder rejoyce and not envie at one anothers happinesse for though wicked men of desperate fortunes care for none but for themselves Sibi nati sibi vivunt sibi moriuntur sibi damnantur yet not only the Heathen Philosophy of Natures
him Had Zimri peace which slew his Master to whom he might have answered He breaks no Law that obeyeth the commands of the Law-maker no more then the Israelites could be accused of theft when they did rob the Aegyptians or Abraham of murder if he had killed Isaac but without this special command he could not have done this extraordinary work without sin and therefore that which he could not do then without the warrant of the heavenly Oracle cannot be done now by any other without Jehu's example not to be imitated the contempt of the Deity the reproach of Majesty and abundance of dammage to the Common-wealth And so not onely I but also Peter Martyr commenteth upon the place where he saith God stirred up and armed one onely Jehu against his Lord which fact as it is peculiar and singular so it is not to be drawn for any example for certainly if it might be lawfull for the people upon any pretence to expell their Kings and Governours though never so wicked and unjust from their Kingdomes and government no Kings or Princes could be safe in any place for though Petrus Martyr loâ— com class â— loc 20. they should raign never so justly and holily yet they should never satisfie the people but they would still accuse them of injustice and impiety that they might depose them And Bodinus in his Policy differeth not at all from this Divinity for he saith If the Prince be an absolute Soveraign as are the Kings of France Spain England Scotland Aethiopia Turkie Persia Muscovie and the like true Monarchs whose authority cannot be doubted and their chief rule and government cannot be imparted with their subjects in this case it is not lawful for any one apart nor for all together to conspire and attempt any thing either of fact or under the colour of right against the life or the honour of his Prince or Monarch yea though his Prince should commit all kind of impiety and cruelty which the tongue of any man could expresse For as concerning the order of right the subject hath no kind of jurisdiction against his Prince from whom dependeth and proceedeth all the power and authority of commanding as they that rise against their King do notwithstanding send out their Warrants and Commands in the Kings name and who not onely can recall all the faculty of judging and governing from his inferiour Magistrates whensoever he please but also Johan Bodinus de repub l. 2. l. 5 being present all the power and jurisdiction of all his under-Magistrates Corporations Colledges Orders and Societies do cease and are even then reduced into him from whom before they were derived But we find it many times that not the fault of the Prince nor the good The true causes that move many men to disturb the State and to rebell of the Common-wealth but either the hiding of their own shame or the hope of some private gain induceth many men to kindle and blow up the flames of civil discord for as Paterculus saith Ita se res habet ut publicâ ruinâ quisque malit quà m suâ proteri It so falls out that men of desperate conditions that with Catiline have out-run their fortunes and quite spent their estates had rather perish in a common calamity which may hide the blemish of their sinking then to be exposed to the shame of a private misery and we know that many men are of such base behaviour that they care not what losse or calamity befalls others so they may inrich themselves so it was in the civil warres of Rome Bella non causis inita sed Paterculus in Histor Roman prout merces eorum fuit they undertook the same not upon the goodnesse of the cause but upon the hope of prey and so it is in most warres that avarice and desire of gain makes way for all kind of cruelty and oppression and then it is as it was among the Romans a fault enough to be wealthy and they shall be plundered that is in plain English robbed of their goods and possessions without any shew of legal proceedings But they that build their own houses out of the ruine of the State and make themselves rich by the impoverishing of their neighbours are like to have but small profit and lesse comfort in such rapine because there is a hidden curse that lurketh in it and their account shall be great which they must render for it Therefore I conclude this point that for no cause and upon no pretext it is lawful for any subject to rebell against his Soveraign governour for Moses had a cause of justice and a seeming equity to defend and revenge his brother upon the Aegyptian And Saint Peter had the zeal of true religion and as a man might think as great a reason as could be to defend his Master that was most innocent from most vile and base indignities and to free him from the hands of his most cruell persecutors and yet as Saint Augustine saith Vterque justitiae regulam excessit ille Fraterno August contra Faustum Man l. 2â— c. 70. iste Dominico amore peccavit both of them exceeded the rule of justice and Moses out of his love to his brother and S. Peter out of his respect to his Master have transgressed the commandement of God And therefore I hope all men will yield that what Moses could not do for his brother nor Saint Peter for his Master and the religion of his Master Christ that is to strike any one without lawful authority ought not to be done by any other man for what cause or religion soever it be especially to make insurrection against his King contrary to all divine authority for the true Religion hath been always humble patient and the preserver of peace and quietnesse and as Saint Augustine saith the City Pro temporall salute non pugnavit sed pâ—tiâ—s ut obtineret â—ternam non repugnavit Aug. de Civit. l. 22. c. 6. of God though it wandred never so much on earth and had many troopes of mighty people yet for their temporal safety they would not fight against their impious persecutors but rather suffered without resistance that they might attain unto eternal health And so I end this first part of the objection with that Decree of the Councell of Eliberis If any man shall break the Idols to pieces and shall be there killed for the doing of it because it is not written in the Gospel and the like fact is not found to be done at any time by the Apostles it pleased Concil Eliber Can 60. the Councel that he shall not be received into the number of Martyrs because contrary to the practice of our dayes when every base mechanick runs to the Church to break down not Heathen Idols but the Pictures of the blessed Saints out of the windows they conceived it unlawful for any man to pull down Idolatry except he had a lawful
the Papists in Ireland and to get that Act to purchase all the Lands of the Rebels had tasted too much of this bitter root of such destructive Doctrine whereby you see how the Religion of these men robbes us of our Estates keeps no faith with us and takes away our lives 7. Though among the works of God every flower cannot be a Lilly 7. They would have a party among all men both in Church and Common-wealth Gal. 5 6. Câ—l 3. 11. every beast cannot be a Lyon every bird cannot be an Eagle and every Planet cannot be a Phoebus yet in the School of these men this is the doctrine of their to be new erected Church that with God there is no respect of persons and neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but whether they be bond or free masters or servants Jew or Gentile Barbarian Scythian a country-Clown or a Court Gallant rich or poor it is all one with God because these Titles of Honour Kings Lords Knights and Gentlemen are no entities of Gods making but the creatures of mans invention to puffe him up with pride and not to bring him unto God and therefore though for the bringing of their great good work to passe they are yet contented to make the Earl of Essex their General and Warwick their Admiral and so Pym and Hampden great Officers of Stateâ— yet when the work is done their Plot perfected and their Government established then you shall find that As now they will eradicate Episcopacie and make all our Clergie equall as if all had equally but one talent and no no man worthier than another so then there should be neither King Lord Knight nor Gentleman but a parity of degrees among all these holy brethren And to give us a taste of what they mean as the Lords concurrence with them inabled them to devour the Kings poweâ— so they have since with great justice prevailed with the House of Commons to swallow up the Lords power and have most fairly invaded their priviledge when they questioned particular Members * As my Lord Duke and my Lord Digbie 8. They would have no man to pray for temporal things Matth. 33 34. Matth 6. 1â— 9. Not to say the Lords Prayer 10. Not to say God Speed you 2 John 10. 11 12 Not to pray for the Malignants 1 John 5. 16. for words spoken in that House and then the whole House when they brought up and countenanced a mutinous and seditious Petition which demanded the Names of those Lords that consented not with the House of Commons in those things which that House had twice denied 8. Because our Saviour saith Seek ye first the Kingdom of Heaven and the righteousnesse thereof and all these things that is meat drink and cloathes and all other earthly things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall be cast unto you and again Be not carefull for to morrow they teach their Proselytes that they ought not to pray by any means for any of these things whereas Christ biddeth us to say Give us this day our daily Bread 9. They cannot endure to say the Lords Prayer for that 's a Popish superstition but their Prayers must be all tautologies and a circular repetition of their own indigested inventions 10. You must not say God speed you to any neighbour or any traveller lest he intends some evill work and then you shall be partaker of his sin 11. They will not allow any of their Disciples to pray for any of the Reprobates and therefore they do exceedingly blame us and tear our Liturgie because we say That it may please thee to have mercy upon all men 12. Because Christ saith Call no man father on earth for one is your Father which is in Heaven the child must not call him that begat him and nurseth him his father nor kneel unto him to ask him blessing nor perform many other such duties which the Lord requireth and the Church instructeth her children to do to this very day and this foolish Doctrine of calling no man Father no man master or Lord and the like in their sense because they understand not the divine meaning of our Saviour's words hath been the cause of such undutifulnesse and untowardnesse such contempts of superiours and such rebellions to Authority as is beyond expression when as by their disloyalty being thus bred up in them from their cradle they first despise their father then their Teachers then their King and then God himself CHAP. IX Sheweth three other speciall points of Doctrine which the Brownists and Anabaptists of this Kingdom do teach 13. BEcause they can find no Text in Scripture when as the Alcoran is not so impudently hellish as to justifie the action for to warrant men to absolve our consciences from any Oaths that we have voluntarily taken for the performance of any businesse I cannot say that they do professedly teach but I do hear they do usually practise this most damnable sin as that Master Marshall and Master Case did absolve the Souldiers taken at Brainceford from their Oath which they took never to bear Arms against his Majesty which is a sin destructive both to body and soul when their Perjury added to their Treason makes them two-fold more the children of hell than they were before and if they be taken again they can expect nothing but their just deserved death and therefore I do admire that any man can challenge the name of a Divine which doth either preach or practise a point so devilish 14. Because Saint Paul saith These hands have ministred to my necessities 14. They think sacriledge to be no sin Acts 20. 34. 1 Thes 2. 9. 1 Cor. 1. 12. and to them that were with me and again Labouring night and day because we would not be chargeable to any of you we preached unto you the Gospel of God and because the rest of the Apostles and Disciples were Fishermen Tradesmen or professours of some Science either liberal or mechanick as Saint Luke was a Physician Joseph a Carpenter and the like who did live by their manual crafts and were chargeable to none of their people but sought them and not theirs to win their souls to God and not their monies unto themselves therefore they think it no robbery to take away all the revenues of the Church nor sacriledge to rob the Clergy of all the means they have because they should either labour for their livings as the Apostles did or live upon the peoples Almes as many poor Ministers do to the utter undoing of many souls in many distressed and most miserable Churches But because this revenue of the Church and the Lands of the Bishops is that golden Wedge and the brave Babylonish garment which the Anabaptistical Achans of our time do most of all thirst after in this their pretended holy Reformation I must here sistere gradum stay awhile and let you know 1. That the taking away of any Lands or goods given and
Where the Puritans place the authority to maintain religion 1 In the Presbytery which have neither right to own it nor discretion to use it and that is either 1. A Consistory of Presbyters or 2. A Parliament of Lay men For 1. These new Adversaries of this Truth that would most impudently take away from Christian Princes the supreamo and immediate authority under Christ in all Ecclesiastical Callings and Causes will needs place the same in themselves and a Consistorian company of their own Faction a whole Volume would not contain their absurdities falsities and blasphemies that they have uttered about this point I will onely give you a taste of what some of the chief of them have belched forth against the Divine Truth of God's Word and the sacred Majesty of Kings Master Calvin a man otherwise of much worth and Calvin in Amos cap. 7. worthy to be honoured yet in this point transported with his own passion calleth those Blasphemers that did call King Henry the eight the supreme Head of this Church of England and Stapleton saith that he handled the King himself Stapl. cont Horn. l. 1. p. 22. with such villany and with so spiteful words as he never handled the Pope more spitefully and all for this Title of Supremacy in Church causes and in his fifty fourth Epistle to Myconius he termed them prophane spirits and mad men that perswaded the Magistrates of Geneva not to deâ—rive themselves of that authority which God hath given them Viretus is more virulent for he How Viretus would prove the temporal Pope as he calleth the King worse then the spiritual Pope resembleth them not to mad men as Calvin did but to white Devils because they stand in defence of the Kings authority and he saith they are false Christians though they cover themselves with the clâ—ke of the Gospel affirming that the putting of all authority and power into the Civil Magistrates hands and making them masters of the Church is nothing else but the changing of the Popedome from the Spiritual Pope into a Temporal Pope who as it is to be feared will prove worss and more tyrannous then the Spirituall Pope which he laboureth to confirme by these three reasons 1 Reason 1. Because the Spiritual Pope had not the Sword in his own hand to punish men with death but was fain to crave the aid of the Secular power which the Temporal Pope needs not do 2. Because the old spiritual Popes had some regard in their dealings of Councils 2 Reason Synods and ancient Canons but the new Secular Popes will do what they list without respect of any Eâ—clesiastical Order be it right or wrong 2 Reason 3. Because the Romish Popes were most commonly very learned but it happeneth oftentimes that the Regal Popes have neither learning nor knowledg in divine matters and yet these shall be they that shall command Ministers and and Preachers what they list and to make this assertion good he affirmeth that he saw in some places some Christian Princes under the title of Reformation to have in ten or twenty years usurped more tyranny over the Churches in their Dominions then ever the Pope and his adherents did in six hundred years All which reasons are but meere fopâ—eries blown up by the black Devil to blast the beauty of this truth for we speak not of the abuse of any Prince to Viretus his scandalous reasons answered justifie the same against any one but of his right that cannot be the cause of any wrong and it cannot be denyed but an illiterate Prince may prove a singular advancer of all learning as Bishop Wickham was no great Scholler yet was he a most excellent instrument to produce abundance of famous Clerks in this Church and the King ruleth his Church by those Laws which through his royal authority are made with the advice of his greatest Divines as hereafter I shall shew unto you yet these spurious and specious pretexts may serve like clouds to T. C. l. 2. p. 411. hide the light from the eyes of the simple So Cartwright also that was our English firebrand and his Disciples teach as Harding had done before that Kings and Princes do hold their Kingdoms and Dominions under Christ as he is the Son of God onely before all Worlds coequal with the Father and not as he is Mediator and Governour of the Church and therefore the Christian Kings have no more to do with the Church government then the Heathen Princes so Travers saith that the Heathen Princes being converted to the saith receive no more nor any further encrease of their power whereby they may deale in Church causes then they had before so the whole pack of the Disciplinarians are all of the same minde and do hold that all Kings as well Heathen as Christian receiving but one Commission and equal Authority immediately from God have no more to do with Church causes the one sort then the other And I am ashamed to set down the railing and the scurrilous speeches of Anthony Gilby Gilby in his admonition p. 69 Knox in his exhortation to the Nobility of Scotland fol. 77. against Hen. 8. and of Knox Whittingham and others against the truth of the King 's lawful right and authority in all Ecclesiastical causes For were it so as Cartwright Travers and the rest of that crew do avouch that Kings by being Christians receive no more authority over Christ his Church then they had before * Which is most false yet this will appear most evident to all understanding men that all Kings as well the Heathens as the Christians are in the first place to see that their people do religiously observe the worship of that God which they adore and therefore much more should Christian Princes have a care to preserve the religion of Jesus Christ For it cannot be denyed but that all Kings ought to preserve their Kingdoms The Gentilee Kings preâ—ervers of religion and all Kingdoms are preserved by the same means by which they were first established and tâ—â—y are established by obedience and good manners neither shall you finde any thing that can beget obedience and good manners but Lawes and Religion and Religion doth naturally beget obedience unto the Lawes therefore most of those Kings that gave Lawes were originally Priests and as Synes ep 126. Vide Arnis part 2. pag. 14. Ad magnas reipubl utilitates retinetur religio in civitatibus Cicero de divin l. 2. Synesius saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Priest and a Prince was all one with them when the Kings to preserve their Laws inviolable and to keep their people in obedience that they might be happy became Priests and exercised the duties of Religion offering sacrifices unto their Gods and discharging the other offices of the Priestly Function as our factious Priests could willingly take upon them the offices of the King or if some of them were not Priests
fight our battails Out of which two places we finde two special parts of the King's government 1. Principatum bellorum the charge of the wars in respect whereof the Sigon l. 7. c. 1. Kings were called Captains as the Lord said unto Samuel concerning Saul Vnges eum ducem thou shalt anoint him to be Captain over my people 1 Sam. 9. 16. Israel 2. Curam judiciorum the care of all judgments in respect whereof David 1 Reg. 3. 9. Psal 72. 2. Arâ—isaeus de jure Majest l. 2. c. 1. p. 214. and Solomon and the other Kings are said to judge the people So Arnisaeus saith Majestatis potest as omnis consistit vel in defendenda repub vel in regenda all the power of royalty consisteth either in defending or in governing the Common-wealth according as Homer describeth a perfect King 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Homer Iliad â— And so you see the two principal parts of the King's government are the Offices 1. Ducis in bello gerendo 2. Judicis in jure reddendo 1. Part. In the time of War Ordo ille naturalis mortalium paci accommodatus hoc poscit ut suscipiendi belli autoritas atque consilium apud principes siâ— Aug. cont Faust l. 22. 〈◊〉 l. 2. c. 5. p. 345. Plato de legib lib. 2. 1. Of a Captain in the time of War 2. Of a Judge in the time of Peace 1. Then it is the proper right of the King and of none but the King or he that hath the regal and supreme power to make war and to conclude peace for Plato in his Common-wealth ordained that Si quis pacem vel bellum fecerit cum aliquibus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Julian Law adjudgeth him guilty of High Treason Qui injussu principis bellum gesserit delectúmve habuerit exercitum vel comparaverit that either maketh War or raiseth an Army without his Kings command And to this part of the regall government which consisteth in the Militia Luc. 14. 31. 32. Aristot Polit. l. 7. c. â— Arâ—is l. 2. c. 1. in Armes for the defence of the Kingdome pertaineth 1. The proclaiming of War which our Saviour properly ascribeth unto the right of Kings when he saith not what State or Common-wealth but What King going to war with another King c. 2. The concluding of Peace which our Saviour ascribeth also unto the King in the same place 3. The making of leagues and confederacies with other forraigne States 4. The sending and receiving of Ambassadors 5. To raise Armes and the like which the Lawes of God and of all Nations justifie to be the proper right of Kings and to belong onely unto the supreame Majesty But then you will say did not the Judges Moses Joshua Gideon Jephta Judges 11. 11. Barac Samson and rest make war and yet they were no Kings Why then may not the Nobles make war as well as Kings I answer that they do indeed make war and a miserable wretched war but I speak of a just war and so I say that none but the King or he that hath the Kings power can do it for though the Judges assumed not the name of Kings nor Captains sed à potiore parte vocati sunt judices but from the sweetest part of the Royall government were termed Judges yet they had the full power ducendi judicandi populum both of war and peace saith Sigonius and so the men of Gilead said unto Jephthe veni esto princeps noster and they made him their head by an inviolable covenant And of Moses it was plainly said He was King in Jesurun and when Deut. 33. 5. there was no Judge it is said there was no King in Israel for I stand not about Judges 17. 6. 18. 1. 19. 1. words when some were called Kings for the honour of the People and yet had no more power then Subjects as the Kings of Sparta and others had not the name of Kings and yet had the full power of Kings as the Dictator and the Emperour and the great Duke of Muscovie and the like But when a war is undertaken by any Prince how shall we know which party is in the right for to make an unjust war cannot be said to be the right of any King yet as the Poet saith Quis justius induit arma Lucan lib. 1. Scire nefas summo se judice quisque tuetur Every one pretends his cause is just he fights for God for the truth of the Gospell the faith of Christ and the liberty and Lawes of his Countrey how then shall those poore men that hazard their lives and their fortunes yea and soules too if they war on the wrong side understand the truth of this great doubtfull and dangerous point I answer all the Divines that I read of speaking of war do concur with Dambaud in praxi criminal cap. 82. what Dambauderius writeth of this point that there must be foure properties of a just war 1. A just cause Foure properties of a just War 2. A right intention 3. Meet Members 4. The Kings authority Sine qua est laesa Majestas without which authority the Warriours are all Traytors And I would to God our Rebels would lay their hands upon their hearts and seriously examine these foure points in this present War 1. What cause have they to take Armes against their King and to kill and 1. A just cause murder so many thousands of their own Brethren they will answer that they do it for the defence of their Liberty Lawes and Religion but how truely let God himselfe be the Judge for His Majesty hath promised and protested they shall enjoy all these fully and freely without any manner of dimunution and we know that never any rebellion was raised but these very causes were still pretended And therefore 2 A right intention 2. Consider with what intent they do all this and I doubt not but you shall finde foul weeds under this fair cloak for under the shadow of liberty and property they took the liberty to rob all the King 's loyal Subjects that they could reach of all or most of their estates and to keep them fast in prison because they would not consent to their lawless liberty and to be Rebels with them against their conscience And under the pretence of Lawes they aimed not to have the old Lawes well kept which was never denyed them but to have such new ones made as might quite rob the King of all his rights and transfer the same unto themselves and their friends so he should be like the King of Sparta What Lawes and Religion the Rebels would fain have a Royal Slave and they should be like the Ephori ruling and commanding Subjects And for the religion you may know by their new Synod which are a Synod not of Saints but of Rebels what religion they would fain have not that which was
of Parliament made by powerful Commands and either through fear or errour can make that which is against the Will and contrary to the Law of God to be no sin or free the sinner from God's wrath Or do you think that I stand against so many well-deserving Gentlemen of such means and friends and power as you are only for covetousness to gain the Rent of a few houses and no longer than the remainder of a poor old man's life Surely not any one that had but the least inch of worldly wisdom would do so For besides my pains and labour I have spent already and shall spend yet before the Church shall lose them perhaps ten times more than my span-long life shall gain by them And what of that I have done my best when I have lost them Et liberavi animam meam and shall leave to God Causam suam Let him arise and defend his own Cause but let men take heed how they strive against God or seek to obstruct his Service and cause the diminution of his Worship which I hope your Piety will never suffer any one of you to do And I shall pray for you all and assuredly remain Your affectionate friend and servant Gryffith Ossory THE CONTENTS of the Chapters Chap. I. AN Introduction shewing the occasion of this Treatise and what the Author doth therein Page 1. Chap. II. Of Sacriledge what it is how manifold it is and how it hath been alwayes punished and never escaped the Hand of the Divine Vengeance p. 4. Chap. III. The divers sorts and kinds of Sacrilegious persons And first of those that do it under colour of Law and upon the pretence of Reformation whereby they suppose their Sacriledge to be no Sacriledge at all p. 15. Chap. IV. Of two sorts of Sacrilegious persons that rob the Church of Christ without any colour or pretence of Law but indeed contrary to all Law p. 21. Chap. V. The words of King David in the 2 Sam 7. 1 2. and their divisions When they were spoken And how or in what sense Sitting and Standing are commonly taken in the Scriptures And of the two Persons that are here conferring together p. 27. Chap. VI. What the Rest and peaceable times of King David wrought The Prince's authority in causes Ecclesiastical and how they should be zealous to see that God should be justly and religiously served p. 31. Chap. VII The Objections of the Divines of Lovain and other Jesuites against the former Doctrine of the Prince his Authority â—ver the Bishops and Priests in Causes Ecclesiastical answered And the foresaid truth sufficiently proved by the clear testimony of the Fathers and Councils and divers of the Popes and Papists themselves p. 37. Chap. VIII That it is the Office and Duty of Kings and Princes though not to execute the Function and to do the Office of the Bishops and Priests yet to have a special care of Religion and the true Worship of God and to cause-both the Priests and Bishops and all others to discharge the duties of God's Service And how the good and godly Emperours and Kings have formerly done the same from time to time p. 41. Chap. IX Of the chiefest Parts and Duties of Kings and Princes which they are to discharge for the maintenance of God s Service and the True Religion and the necessity of Uathedral-Churches and Chappels for the people of God to meet in for the Worship and Service of God p. 46. Chap. X. The Answer to the Two Objections that the Fanatick-Sectaries do make 1. Against the necessity And 2ly against the Sanctity or Holiness of our Material Churches which in derision and contemptuously they call Steeple-houses p. 53. Chap. XI The Answer to another Objection that our Fanatick-Sectaries do make against the Beauty and Glorious Adorning of our Churches which we say should be done with such decent Ornaments and Implements as are besitting the House and Service of God The Reasons why we should Honour God with our goods and how liberal and bountiful both the Fathers of â—â—â— Old Testament and the Christians of the New Testament were to the Church of God p. 58. Chap. XII The Answer to another Objection that our brain-sick Sectaries do make for the utter overthrow of our Cathedrals and Churches as being so sowly stained and profaned with Popish Superstitions and therefore being no better than the Temples of Baal they should rather be quite demolished than any wayeâ— adorned and beautified p. 63. Chap. XIII That it is a part of the Office and Duty of Pious Kings and Princes as they are God's Substitutes to have a care of his Church to see that when such Cathedrals and Churches are builâ— and beautified as is fitting for his Service there be Able Religious and Honest painful and faithful Bishops placed in those Cathedrals that should likewise see Able and Religious Ministers placed in all Parochial Churches and all negligent unworthy and dissolute men Bishops or Priests reproved corrected and amended or removed and excluded from their places and dignities if they amend not p. 67. Chap. XIV Of the maintenance due to the Bishops and Ministers of God's Church how large and liberal it ought to be p. 75. Chap. XV. That the payment of Tythes unto the Church is not a case of Custom but of Conscience Whenas the tenth by a Divine right is the Teacher's tribute and the very first part of the wages that God appointed to be paid unto his Workmen and therefore that it is as heynous a sin and as foul an offence to defraud the Ministers of this due as it is to detain the meat or money of the labouring-man which is one of the four Crying-sins p. 82. Chap. XVI The Answer to the Choisest and Chiefest Objections that the School of Anabaptists have made and do urge against the payment of Tythes now in the time of the Gospel p. 91. Chap. XVII What the ancient Fathers of the Church and the Councils collected of most Learned and Pious Bishops have left written concerning Tythes And of the three-fold cause that detains them from the Church p. 98. Chap. XVIII Of the second part of the Stipend Wages and Maintenance of the Ministers of the Gospel which is the Oblation Donation or Free-wil-offering of the people for to uphold and continue the true service of God and to obtain the blessings of God upon themselves and upon their labours which Donations ought not to be impropriated and alienated from the Church by any means p. 105. Chap. XIX That it is the duty of all Christian Kings and Princes to do their best endevours to have all the Impropriatioâ—s restored to their former Institution to hinder the taking away and the alienation of the Lands Houses and other the Religious Donations of our Ancestors from the Church of Christ and to suppress and 〈◊〉 all the Vnjust and Covetous sâ—ttle customs and frauds that are so generally used and are so derogatory to the service of God from
ruled by it 4. And lastly I say that the Regal Government or Temporal State and civil Government of the Common-wealth is not meerly secular and worldly as if Kings and Princes and other civil Magistrates were to take no care of mens souls and future happiness which they are bound to do and not to say with Cain Nunquid ego custos fratris Am I obliged to look what shall become of their souls But they are called Secular States and civil Government because the greatest though not the chiefest part of their time and imployment is spent about Civil affairs and the outward happiness of the Kingdom even as the Ecclesiastical persons are bound to provide for the poor and to procure peace and compose differenâ—es among neighbours and the like civil offices though the most and chiefest part of their time and labour is to be spent in the Service of God and for the good of the souls of their people And so Johannes de Parisiis another man of Johannes de Parisiis Can. 18. the Roman Church doth very honestly say Falluntur qui supponunt quod potestas regalis sit Corporalis non Spiritualis quod habeat curam corporum non animarum quod est falsissimum They are deceived which suppose that the Regal power is only coâ—poral and not spiritual and that it hath but the care and charge over the bodies of his Subjects and not of their souls Wâ—ich is most false 2. They say as I have said even now that similitudes and examples Obj. nihil ponunt in esse and are no apodictical proofs for any weighty matters especially the examples of the old Testament to confirm the doing of the like things under the new Testament because that for us to be guided and directed by the examples of the old Law is the high-way to lead us to infinite inconveniences Therefore it followeth not that because the Kings of Israel and Juda did such things as are fore shewed unto the Priests and Levites and the setling of the Service in the Temple therefore our Moderne Princes should have the like Authority to do the like things unto the Bishops and Priests of the new Testament about the Worship of God and the Government of his Church and especially in the censuring of them that are appointed by Christ to be the Prime Governours of the same To this I answer 1. That this is as the Schooles say Petitio principii and Sol. a begging of the Question for we say that although for the pâ—rfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministery for the edifying or building up of Ephes 4. 12. the body of Christ that is the Church God hath set in his Church first Apostles secondarily Prophets thirdly Teachers and so Bishops and Priests 1 Cor. 12. 28. primarily and principally to discharge the aforesaid Offices and Duties yet this proveth not that they are simply and absolutely the Prime Governours and Chief Rulers of the Church but that the Kings and Princes in the In what sense the Bishops Priests and in what sense Kings Princes may be said to be the prime Governours of the Church Esay 49. 23. other respects aforenamed may be justly said to be the Prime and Supreme Goverâ—ours as well in all causes Ecclesiastical as Temporal for the Prophet Esay speaking of the Church of the Gospel saith That Kings should be her nursing fathers and Qâ—eens her nursing mothers And I hope you will yield that the fathers and mothers are the Prime and Supremest Governours of their children rather than their School-masters and Teachers But though the progeny of the Pope and our frantick Sectaries would fain thrust out the eyes of the politick Prince and make him just like Polyphemus that had a body of vast dimensions but of a single fight scarce able to see his wayes and to govern himself yet I shall by God's assistance make it most apparent unto you by the testimony of the Fathers Councils and some Popish Authors that the Soveraign Prince hath and ought to have alwayes a peremptory Supreme power as well over the Ecclesiastical persons and causes of the Church as over the Civil persons and causes of the Temporal State and Common-wealth For 1. S. Augustine writing against Parmenian the Donatist that would with 1. The testimony of the Fathers Aug. p. 1. Cont. Epistâ—lam Parmon our Disciplinarians that are the very brood of those Donatists unarme the King of his Spiritual Sword saith An forte de Religione fas non est ut dicat Imperator vel quos miserit Imperator Cur ergo ad Imperatorem vestri venerunt legati Cur eum fecerunt causae suâ— judicem Is it not lawful for the Emperour and so the Prince or whomsoever he shall send to treat and determine matters of Religion If you think it is not Why did your Messengers then come unto the Emperour And why did they make him the Judge of their cause Whereby you see S. Augustine judgeth the Emperour or any other Supreme Prince to have a lawful power to hear and to determine the points and matters controverted among the Bishops and so to have a Spiritual jurisdiction as well as a Temporal Nicephorus also in his Preface to the Emperour Immanuel saith Tues Nicephorus in praefatione ad Immanuel Imperat Dux professionis fidei nostrae tu restituisti Catholiâ—am Ecclesiam reformasti Ecclesiam Dei à mercatoribus coelestis Doctrinae ab hâ—reticis per verbum veritatis Thou art the Captain of our Profession and of the Christian Faith and thou hast Restored or Reformed the Catholick Church and cleansed it from those Merchants of the heavenly Doctrine and from all the Hereticks by the word of Truth And I think nothing can be said fuâ—â—er and clearer than this to justifie the Spiritual jurisdiction of the Prince and Supreme Magistrate in causes Ecclesiastical Yet Theodoret and Eusebius say as much Theodoretus l. 1 c. 7. of Constantine the Great 2. You may read in the Council of Chalcedon That all the Bishops and 2. The testimony of the Councils Clergy that were gathered together to that place as the Members of our Parliament use to do were wont to lay down the Canons they had agreed upon in the Council until the Emperour should come to confirm them with his Royal assent and when the Emperour came they said These Decrees seem good unto us if they seem so to your Sacred Mâ—jesty And the Bishops of the Council of Constantinople that was after the first Council of Ephesâ—s Concil Chalcedon Artic. 1. pag. 831. wrote thus submissively unto the Emperour Theodosius We humbly beseech your Clemency that as you have honoured the Church with your Letters by which you have called us together Ita finalem conclusionem decretorum nostrorum corrobores sententia tua sigillo So you would be pleased to strengthen and confirm the last conclusion of our Decrees by your Royal
Sentence and Seal 3. As the Fathers and Councils do thus acknowledge the Emperours 3. The testimony of Popes and Papists right in the Spiritual jurisdiction So many of the Popes and Papists themselves have confest the same truth and yielded the same right unto the Empâ—rour and other Soveraign Magistrate in the Church and Church-matters and over all the parsons belonging unto the Church for Platina that 〈◊〉 Plâ—tina in sâ—verino papa Library-keeper unto the Pope saith that Without the Letters 〈◊〉 the Emperour to confirm him the Pope is no lawfull Pope and 〈◊〉 great Scholar saith The Pope may be accused before the Emperour of and Zabarella de Schismaie Conciliis for any notorious crime and publick scandalous offence Imperator potest à papa requirere rationem fidei and the Emperour may inquire and call the Pope to yield an account of his faith and Religion And so many of the better Popes were not ashamed to confess the same for Saint Gregory who for his great learning and piety was sirnamed the Great writing unto Mauritius the Emperour saith Imperatori obedientiam Theodoret l. 2. c. 16. praebui pro Deo quod sensi minimè tacui I have yielded all obedience unto the Emperour and what I conceived to be truth and for God I concealed it not and before Saint Gregâ—ries time Pope Liberius being convented 2 q. 4. Mandastis to appear before Constantius denied not most readily to obey his summons So did Pope Sixtus upon the like complaint appear to purge himself before Valentinian and Pope Leo the third before Charles the Great And 2. q. 7. Nos si it is registred that Pope Leo the 4th wrote unto the Emperour Lodouick saying Si incompetenter aliquid egimus justae legis tramitem non conservavimus Epist Eleâ—th inter leges Edovard admissorum nostrorum cuncta vestro judicio volumus emendare If we have done any thing unseemly and amiss and have not observed and walked in the right path of the just law we are most ready and willing to amend all our admissions or whatsoever we have done amiss according to your judgment and Pope Eleutherius saith to Edward the â— of England Theodoretus l. 2. c. 1. Vos est is Vicarius Dei in Regno vestro that he and so every other King is Gods Vicar in his Kingdom This was the mind and sense of these Popes and many other Popes in former ages were of the same mind until pride avarice and ambition corrupted them to be as now they are And as God hath given this power and required this duty of Kings and How the Emperour and Kings executed the power that God had given them Princes to have a care of his Church and to reform Religion and the Fathers and Councels have confirmed this truth and divers of the very Popes themselves and Papists have yielded and submitted themselves unto their spiritual jurisdiction even in the Ecclesiastical causes so the Emperours and Kings omitted not to execute the same from time to time especially those that had the master power and ability to discharge their duties for Theodoret writes that Constantine was wont to say Si episcopus Idem l. 1. c. 7. turbas det mea manu coercebitur If any Bishop shall be turbulent and troublesome he shall be refrained and censured by my hands and both Theodoret and Eusebius tels us how he came in his own person unto the Councell of Sozom. l. 4. c. 16. Nice Et omnibus exsurgentibus ipse ingressus est medius tanquam aliquis Dei coelestis Angelus the whole company of the Bishops and all the rest arising he came into the midst amongst them as it were an Heavenly Angel of God And Sozomen writeth how that ten Bishops of the East and ten others of the West were required by Constantine to be chosen out by the Convocation Conciliorum Tom 2. In vita Sylvani vigâ—â—i and to be sent to his Court to declare unto him the decrees and canons of the Councell that he might examine them and consider whether they were consonant to the Holy Scriptures And the Emperour Constantius deposed Pope Liberius of his Bishoprick and then again he deprived Pope Foelix and restored Liberius unto the Popedom and in the third Councell at Costantinople he did not only sit among the Bishops but also subscribed Concil Bonâ— 3. c. 2. with the Bishops to such bills as passed in that Councell saying Vidimus Subscripsimus we have seen these canons and have subscribed our approbation of them And King Odoacer touching the Affairs of the Church saith Miramur quicquam tentatum fuisse sine nobis We do admire that you should attempt to do any thing without us for while our Bishop lived that is the Pope sine Nobis nihil tentari oportuit Nothing ought to be done without us much less ought it to be done now when he is dead And the Emperour Justinian doth very often in Ecclesiastical causes use Authent Collat. â—â—it 6. to say Definimus jâ—bemus We determine and command and we will and require that none of the Bishops be absent from his Church above the Quomodo oportet Episcop space of a year and he saith further Nullum genus rerum est quod non sit penitus quaerendum Authoritate Imperatoris there is no kind of matter that may Authent Collat. Tit. 133. not or is not to be inquired into by the Authority of the Emperour because he hath received from the hands of God the common government and principality over all men And the same Emperour as Balsamon saith Balsamon de Peccat Tit. 9. Idem in Calced Concil c. 12. Idem de fide Tit. 1. gave power to the Bishop to absolve a Priest from pennance and to restore him to his Church And the same Author saith that the Emperours disposed of Patriarchal seats and that this power was given them from above and he saith further that the Emperour Michael that ruled in the East made a law against the order of the Church that no Monk should serve in the Ministry in any Church whatsoever And we read further how that divers of the Emperours have put down Evodius inter decreta Bonifacii 1. Vâ—sbergen anno 1045. and deposed divers Popes as Otho deposed John 13. Honorius deposed Boniface Theodoricus deposed Symma hus and Henry removed three Popes that had been all unlawfully chosen and in the Councel of Chalcedon the Supreme Civil Magistrate adjudged Dioscorus Juvenalis and Thalassus three Bishops of Heresie and therefore to be degraded and to be thrust out of the Church And so you see how the Emperours Kings and Civil Magistrates behaved themselves in the Church of God and used their power and the Authority that God had given them as well in the Spiritual and Ecclesiastical Affairs of the Church and points of Faith as in the Civil
lay the prices of their lands at their Preachers feet I know they will answer That this extraordinary Devotion is not of necessity to be drawn into imitation and I confess it But in the Apostles time there were no Vniversities no Schools of Learning no Hospitals nor Alms-houses no Book of the Holy Scriptures divided into Chapters nor Chapters into Verses no distinction of Parishes and many other good things were not then in being And shall we now cast them all away because the Apostles and the first Christians had them not Or will not the giddy-heads understand that as the Sun in the firmament goeth higher and higher unto the noon and perfect day so the truth and knowledge of the Sun of Righteousness and the perfection of his Service groweth more and more unto the fulness of the knowledge of Christ and even as Christ himself increased in wisdom and knowledge and in favour with Luke 2. 52. God and men so doth the Church of Christ And so to return and to apply our selves to the case of Tythes though some places as it may be in the Low-Countries and the Reformed Churches in France have their immunities by themselves and are not charged with the payment of Tythes their state and condition not admitting it yet in lien of their Tythes their Ministers are maintained with as sufficient supplies and necessity excuseth even in greater matters as in not praying and not receiving the Sacraments as well as in not paying Tythes when the case cannot be otherwise As S. Paul for some special exigency took no stipend of some Churches for his labours in the preaching of the Gospel Yet he tells them that by right he might have claimed it and therefore inferreth that what he did for some special causes should not be drawn into an example to prejudice and defraud others of that which was their due So we say That in those Churches which pay not their Tythes in kind there is an allowance equivalent to the Tythes given to those Ministers that The Ministers of the Reformed Churches in the other Countrys have no cause to complain have no Tythes And as the Kings of Persia imposed no Tribute upon those subjects that brought in their voluntary contributions that increased their Exchequer more than their Tribute So their Preachers have no cause to complain for not receiving their Tythes when they have as much or more than their Tythes are worth And the example of these that live by their set and certain stipend ought not to be alleadged and pleaded to the hurt and prejudice of them that are sustained by their Tythes And though all this that I have said be very true yet because as I conceive it taketh not away the strength of the foresaid Argument which is That if it be a Moral Precept that doth oblige us to observe it semper ad semper then it obligeth all men and in all places to pay their Tythes and they sin that pay them not though they do pay some other stipend be it more or less in lieu of them because it lieth not in man to alter or change the Commandment of God but to do what he commandeth them Therefore 2. I say and yield That the Precept of paying Tythes for the Service of 2. Answer more fully God being a Moral perpetual and universal Precept it obligeth all men in all places and at all times as well before the Law as after the Law and as well after the incarnation of Christ as before his incarnation to observe and to obey the same and that they sinned which did it not for as God hath imprinted it in the heart of man and the light of nature teacheth him that God must be served and a set time must be appointed for that Service What all the generations of men are bound to do and a standing proportion of our goods allotted for them that do him service and teach others so to do and God hath shewed unto us that the ser time for his Service should be every seventh day which we should Sanctifie and keep Holy for that end and the standing quantity and proportion of our goods that we ought to set forth for his Service should be our Tythes So accordingly every man among all the generations of men ought to do to sanctifie the Seventh day to serve God and to pay their Tythes for the performance and continuance of his Service And if man by his transgression hath obscured this light of nature and obliterated that impression which God had imprinted in his heart and through his own negligence or forgetfulness remembreth neither the day that he should keep holy nor that part that he should pay for his Service Shall that make the Commandment of God of none â—ffect or acqult man for the not performance of his duty By no means for you know what the Prophet saith of the children of Israel when God had done his wonderful Psal 78. 11. Psal 106. 13. works for them in Egypt and fearful things by the Red Sea they soon forgat what he had done and were not mindful of his Covenant So did all the sons of Adam forget not only these but also all other the Commandments of God especially in many if not the chief points thereof and nâ—ither their negligence nor forgetfulness can excuse them herein from sin in the breach of his Commandment But you will say This Commandment of keeping the Seventh day and eplicatio giving the tenth part of our goods for his Service was never directly and precisely or expresly given in terminâ— until Moses time and where there is no Law there is no transgression therefore they did not sin when they had no Commandment I answer That when Cain and Abel brought their Oblation unto the Responsio Gen. 4. 3. Chap. 4. 26. Chap. 8. 20. Lord and when children were born unto Sheth and men began to call upon the Name of the Lord and when Noah built an Altar unto the Lord and offered burnt-offering upon the Altar And so likewise when Abraham did the like and called on the Name of the Lord the everlasting Else these Services had been but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Will-worship and no wayes acceptable unto God God we read of no Command in terminis that they had to do these things but God had written these Commandments in their hearts with the Pen of Nature And so as the Apostle saith having no Law they were a law unto themselves and having no Commandment they were commandments unto themselves and whosoever transgresse the same transgresse the Commandments of God And therefore these things being imprinted in mans heart by the Pen of Nature I say that what Nation soever and what Church soever have not or do not serve God and pay their Tythes to Christ and his servants for the Service of God and the continuance of his Service they do transgresse the Commandment of God But I do
expresseth the same to be Tribute that is Imposts Subsidies Gifts or the like call it by what name you will we are commanded by God to the uttermost of our abilitie to supply their occasion and necessities even as the children are bound to relieve their parents in their extremities And if we see our Moses our King or chief Governour any wayes 3. To hazard our lives for them impugned or like to be oppressed either by forraign Aegyptians or domestick Israelites though they should be Datqan and Abiram the most prime and popular men in all the Congregation that could draw thousands after them yet are we bound to the hazard of our lives to preserve the Life Crown and Dignity of our Prince as the subjects of King David hazarded themselves to save him harmlesse And if we will not do this 2 Sam. 18. 3. Hester 4. 14. then as Mordecai in the like case said to Hester If thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time then shall there inlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place but thou and thy fathers house shall be destroyed So I say with King David the Lord will help his Annointed and deliver him from the strivings of his people and if we still be silent and do nothing yet the Starres in their order shall fight against Sisera Et conjurati veniunt ad classica venti and as the Angell of the Lord said of the Merozites Curse ye The punishment of them that will not assist their Governours Meroz curse ye bitterly the Inhabitants thereof because they came not to help Barack against the Canaanites So let them fear a bitter curse and a curse from God that will not help their Prince against his enemies especially such enemies as have least reason to be enemies unto him So you see what obedience we owe unto our Governours and therefore their rebellion was the more intolerable that thus spurned against their Magistrates CHAP. IV. Sheweth the objection of the Rebels to justifie their Rebellion the first part of it answered that neither our compulsion to Idolatry nor any other injury or tyranny should move us to Rebell BUt we must not condemn them before their cause be heard and therefore Corah shall have his Counsell to object what he can for himself And I find but one Objection of any moment though the same consisteth of many branches As What if Moses the King or chief Governour being so much affected The objection of the Rebels and addicted unto Aaron the chief Priest or Bishop and to others his prime Councell should be led by evill advice to set up Idolatry and to play the Tyrant to take away the goods destroy the lives and bring most of his people to most miserable conditions may neither private men nor the subordinate Magistrates nor the prime Nobility of the people nor any other Court or Assembly of men restrain his fury or remove this mischief from Gods inheritance from the Church and Common-wealth This is that Gordian knot which is so hard to be untied But if I might in the School of Divinity have leave to resolve this question Solutio and not to be confuted as Saint Steven was with stony arguments I would soon answer that 1. In neither of these cases 2. Neither of these Two Parts of their objection men may do it and I could make this good by very good authority for Si Magistratus est bonus nutritor est tuus if our Governour be good he is our Nursing-Father and we should receive our nourishment with thanks and no thanks to us for our obedience to such a one And if our Governour be evill he is so for our transgression and we should receive our punishment with patience and therefore no resistance but either obey the good willingly or endure the evill patiently But to proceed to break this Gordian knot in pieces and to answer each part of this Objection 1. I say that many wicked Kings and cruel Emperours have set up 1. Part of their objection answered Not to rebell for any cause 1. Not for our compulsion to Idolatry Idolatry and blasphemy against God and yet I do not find that any of Gods servants did ever rebell against them for you know Jeroboam the son of Nebat that made Israel to sin did set up golden Calves to be worshipped Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon made an Image of gold and commanded all his people to fall down to worship it And what shall I say of those Idolatrous Kings Achab Manasses Julian and abundance more that most impiously compelled their subjects unto Idolatry and yet you shall not find that either the faithfull Jews under Jeroboam or the Prophet Daniel in Babylon or Elias the man of God in the time of Achab or any of all the good Christians that were under Julian either did themselves or perswaded others of the servants of God at any time to rebell against those Idolatrous Kings for they considered how far the Law of God that prohibiteth Idolatry and instigateth us against the allurers and perswaders of us to Idolatry and blasphemy extendeth and that is If thy brother Deut. 13 6. How far the Law of God extendeth to resist Idolaters the son of thy mother or thy son or thy daughter or the wife of thy bosom or thy friend which is as thine own soul shall intice thee to Idolatry and to serve strange Gods thine eye shall not spare him neither shalt thou have any pitty upon him but for the sonne to rise up against the father the wife against her husband the servant against his Lord the subject against his King here is not a word and therefore by this Law they are not obliged but rather forbidden to do it for though the son is not expressely prohibited to accuse his father nor the wife her husband nor the servant his Lord nor the subject his King yet because Gods Law is absolute and perfect to which we must neither adde nor detract nor construe it as we please the Divines conceive those things forbidden which are not expressed especially in penall precepts which are to be restrained and not extended any further then they are set down as Tostatus doth most truly conclude Tostatus in Deut 13. q. 3. And what the sonne may not do against his father nor the wife against her husband nor the servant against his Lord that certainly no man may do against his King which is the father of his Country the husband of the Common wealth and the supreme Lord over all his subjects And therefore Christ himself that came to fulfill the Law and knew best how farre it reached living under the Empire of Tiberius the Principality of Herod and the Government of Pilate that were all wicked and idolatrous did notwithstanding submit himself in all things which the Law of God forbad him not unto them and though for strength policy and power he might easily have resisted them yet
Religion should be revenged with humane fire or that it should grieve us to suffer wherein we are commended for suffering Nazianzen that for his soundnesse of judgement and profoundnesse of Nazian Orat. 1. knowledge was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 termed Theologus the Divine saith that the fury of Julian that great Apostata was repressed onely with the tears of the Christians which many of them did most plentifully powre forth to God when they had no other remedy against their Persecutor because Mark that they ay it is unlawful to resist they knew it unlawful for them to use any other means then sufferance or else they might having so much strength as they had have repelled their wrongs with violence Saint Ambrose saith as much and Prosper in like manner saith The present Ambros ep 33. evils should be suffered untill the promised happinesse doth come the Infidels should be permitted among the faithful and the plucking of the tares should be deferred and let the wicked rage against the godly as much as they will yet the case of the righteous is far better because that Quantò acriâ—s impeâ—untùr tantò gloriosiâ—s coronantur by how much the Prosper in sent 99. more sharply they are tormented by so much the more gloriously they shall be crowned And Saint Bernard saith If all the world should conspire against me and conjure me that I should plot any thing against the royal Majesty yet I would fear God and would not dare to offend the King that is appointed Bernard Ep. 170. of him over me because I am not ignorant of the place where I read Whosoever resisteth the Power resisteth the Ordinance of God And yet he speaketh this of King Lodovicus that offered a monstrous wrong to all the Clergy when he robbed them and took away all their goods without cause and which is worse would hear of no perswasions to make restitution or to give them any satisfaction as Gaguinus Gaguin lib 6 testifieth Thus the Fathers whereof I could heap many more do testifie of this The Schoolmen of the same judgement truth and the School-men tread in the same steps and differ not a nails breadth from them herein For Alexander Hales saith wicked and evill men ought to suffer for the fault of their irrationability and good men ought to suffer Propter debitum divinae ordination is for the duty that they owe to the divine ordinance and the benefit of their own purgation Whereupon Saint Ambrose saith Ambrosius in Rom. 13. If the Prince be good he doth not punish the well-doer but loveth him because he doth well but if the Prince be evill and punisheth the well-doer he hurteth him not but purgeth him and therefore he is not a terrour to him Alex. Hales p. 3. q. 48. memb 2. art 1. de offic subd erga Princ. that doth well but the wicked ought to fear because Princes are appointed that they should punish evill Aquinas saith The faith of Christ is the beginning and the cause of righteousnesse and therefore by the faith of Christ the order of Justice is not taken away but rather setled and strengthened because as our Saviour saith It became him to fulfill all righteousnesse But the order of justice doth require that all inferiours should obey their superiours otherwise the estate of humane affairs could no ways be preserved and therefore by the Tham. secunda secundae q. 104. art 6. faith of Christ the godly and the faithful Christians are neither exempted nor excused but that they are tyed and bound by the Law of Christ to obey their secular Princes Where you see the Christian faith doth not submit the superiour to the inferiour contrary to the rule of justice neither doth it any wayes for any cause permit the power of the sword to any subject to be used against his Prince because this inordinate power would turn to the ruine of man-kind and the destruction of all humane affairs which can no otherwise be preserved but through the preservation of the order of justice Indeed many times there may happen some just causes for which we are Wherein we may disobey and how not bound to obey the commands of our Magistrates as when they command any thing contrary to the commandements of God and yet then there can be no cause why we should withstand him that executeth the unjust sentence of our condemnation or requireth the punishment that an unjust malitious Magistrate under the colour of his power and authority hath most unjustly laid upon us because he hath as our Saviour saith unto Pilate this ordinary power from God which if he doth abusâ— he is to be refrained not by the preparation of arms and the insurrection of his subjects to make impressions upon their Soveraign but by those lawful means which are appointed for them that is Petitions unto him and prayers and tears unto God for him because nothing else remaineth to him that is guilty or condemned as guilty for any fault but to commit his cause to the knowledge of the omnipotent God and to expect the judgement of him which is the King of Kings and the Judge of all Judges and will undoubtedly chastize and correct the iniquity of any unjust sentence with the severity of eternal justice as Barclay saith Barcl l. 3. c. 10. These testimonies are clear enough and yet to all these I will adde this one memorable example which you may read in Berchetus and Joh. Servinus Berchetus in explicat controvers Galli cana cap. 7. which tells us that in France after the great Massacre at Paris when the reformed Religion did seem as it were forsaken and almost extinguished a certain King powerful in strength rich in wealth and terrible for his Ships and navall Force which was at enmity and hatred with the King of France dispatched a solemn Embassie and Message unto Henry King of Navarre and other Protestant Lords and commanded his Embassadors to do their best to set the Protestants against the Papists and to arm Henry the Prince of Navarre which then lived at Bearn under the Dominion of the most Christian King against his Soveraign the French King which thing the Embassadours endeavoured to do with all their art and skill but all An example of a faithful and excellent subject in vain for Henry being a good subject as it were another David to become a most excellent King would not prevent the day of his Lord yet the Embassadours offered him many ample fair and magnificent conditions among the rest abundance of money the summe of three hundred thousand Aureorum Scutatorum French Crowns which were ready to be told for the preparation of the warre and for the continuation of the same there should be paid every moneth so much as was necessary but Henry being a faithful Christian a good Prince a Widower and though he was displaced from the publique government of the Common wealth and
for his sake for the dislike the King bare towards him the King had banished many Protestants from his Country and had killed many faithful Pastours yet would not he for all this lift up his hand against the Lords annointed but refused their gold rejâ—cted their conditions and dismissed the Embassadours Jâ—h Seâ—vinus pro libertat Ecclesiae statu Regni tom 3. Monarchia Rom. p 202. as witnesses of his faith to God his fidelity and allegiance to his King and peaceable mind towards his Country Where you see this prudent and good Prince had rather patiently suffer these intolerable injuries that were offered both to himself to the inferiour Magistrates and to many other good Christians for his sake then any wayes undutifully resist the Ordinance of God And surely this Example is most acceptable unto God most wholesome for any Common-wealth and most honourable for any subordinate Prince for I am certain this is the faith of Christ and the religion of the true Protestants Not to offer but suffer all kind of injuries and to render good for evill and rather with patience love and obedience to study to gain the favour of their Persecutors then any ways with force and arms to withstand those that God hath placed in authority which must needs be not onely offensive unto God whose Ordinance they do resist but also destructive to the Common-wealth which can never receive any benefit by any insurrection against the Prince 3. Though the King should prove to be Nerone Neronior worse then 3. Not for any tyranny that shall be offeâ—ed unto us Phalaris and degenerating from all humanity should prove a Tyrant to all his people yet his subjects may not rebell against him upon this pretence for if any cause should be admitted for which subjects might rebell that cause would be allwayes alledged by the Rebels whensoever they did rebell and whom I and many others should deem a good Prince and most pious the Rebels would proclaim him tyrannical and idolatrous And therefore in such a case when some men think their King most gracious The difference betwixt king and people to be determined onely by God and others think him vitious some believe him to be good others believe him to be evil shall we think it fit that the disaffected party shall presently with arms decide the controversie and not rather have the accused the accuser and the witnesses before a competent Judge to determine the truth of this question Surely this seems more reasonable and more agreeable unto the rules of justice when as The Law condemneth no man much lesse the King before his cause be heard And seeing such a competent Judge as can justly determine this controversie betwixt the King and his People or rather betwixt one part of his people and the other cannot be found under Heaven therefore to avoid civil warres and the effusion of humane and Christian blood and the prevention of abundance of other mischiefs both the Scripture teacheth and That we ought not by any means to resist our kings Proved the Church believeth and Reason it self sheweth and the publique safety requireth that we should transmit this question to be decided onely by him which is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and will when he seeth good bind evil Kings in fetters and their Nobles with links of iron CHAP. V. Sheweth by Scripture the Doctrine of the Church humane Reason and the Welfare of the weale publique that we ought by no means to rebell A threefold power of every Tyrant Three kinds of tyrannies The doubtful and dangerous events of Warre Why many men rebell Jehu's example not to be followed 1. THe Scripture saith I counsell thee to keep the Kings commandement 1. By the Scriptures and that in regard of the oath of God that is the oath whereby thou hast sworn before God and by God to obey him Be not hasty to go out of his sight that is not out of his presence but out of his rule and government and stand not in an evill thing that is in opposition or rebellion against thy King which must needs be evill and the worst of all evils to thy King for He doth whatsoever pleaseth him that is he hath power and Ecclesiast â— 2 3 4. authority to do what he pleaseth Where the Word of a King is there is power and who may say unto him What dost thou or Why dost thou so And Solomon saith A Grey-hound an Hee-Goat and a King against whom Prov. 30. 31. there is no rising up there ought not to be indeed I will not set down what Samuel saith but desire you to read the place 1 Sam. chapter 8. verse 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18. where you shall see what the King will doe and what remedy the Prophet prescribeth against him Not to rebell and take up arms but to cry unto the Lord that he would help them And Saint Paul saith Whosoever resisteth the power resisteth Rom. 13. 2. the Ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation And S. Peter saith that they which despise government and are 2 Pet. 2. 10. 12. not afraid to speak evil of dignities are presumptuous and do walk after the flesh in the lusts of uncleannesse and as natural brute beasts that are made to be taken and destroyed they speak evil of the things they understand not and therefore they shall utterly perish in their own corruption And Saint Jude in like manner calleth those that despise Dominion and speak evil of Dignities the very phrase of Saint Peter filthy dreamers Jude 8. 10 11. that defile the flesh and therefore shall perish in the gainsaying of Coran This is the doctrine of God therefore Saint Paul exhorteth us not to rebell nor to speak evil of our Kings be they what they will but first of 1 Tim 2. 2. all or before all things to make prayers and supplications for our Kings and for all that are in authority And I wonder what spirit except it were the spirit of bell it self durst ever presume to answer and evade such plain and pregnant places of Scripture to countenance disobedience and to justifie their rebellion And therefore 2. The Church of Christ believeth this Doctrine to be the truth of God 2. By the Doctrine of the Church for no man saith Saint Cyril without punishment resisteth the Laws of Kings but Kings themselves in whom the fault of prevarication hath no place because it is wisely said It is impiety therefore against the will of God to say unto the King Iniquè agis Thou dost amisse for as God is Cyrill in Johan l. 12. c. 56. the supream Lord of all which judgeth all and is judged of none so the Kings and Princes of the earth which do correct and judge others are to be corrected and judged of none but onely of God to whose power and authority they are
authority CHAP. VI. Sheweth that neither private men nor the subordinate Magistrates nor the greatest Peers of the Kingdom may take arms 2. Part of the objection answered No kind of men ought to rebell 1. Not private men Calv. Inst l. 4. c. 20. Sect. 31. Beza Confess â— 5. p. 171. J. Brutus q. 3. pag. 203. Dan. de Polit. Christ l. 6. c. 3. Bucan loc com 49. Sect. 76. The examples of obedience to kings and make Warre against their King Buchanan's mistake discovered and the Anti-Gavalier conâ—uted 2. AS it is not lawful for any cause so no more is it lawful for any one or for any degree calling or kind of men to rebell against their lawful Governours For 1. Touching private men we find that Calvin Beza Jun. Brutus Danaeus Bucanus and most others yield that meer private men ought not to rebell at any hand and no wonder for the Scriptures forbid it flatly as Exod. 22. 28. Revile not the Gods curse not the Ruler 1 Chron. 16. 22. Touch not mine annoynted Prov. 30. 31. Rise not up against the King that is to resist him Eccles 8. 3. Let no man say to the King Why doest thou so Eccles 10. 17. Curse not the King in thy thought And the examples of obedience in this kind are innumerable and most remarkable for David when he had Saul a wiâ—ked King guilty of all impiety and cruelty in his own hand yet would he not lay his hand upon the Lords annointed but was troubled in conscience when he did but cut the lap of his garment Elias could call for fire from Heaven to burn the two Captains and their men a hundred in number onely for desiring him to come down unto the King as you may see 2 Reg. 1. 10 12. and yet he would not resist Achab his King that sought his life and was an enemy to all religion but he rather fled than desired any revenge or perswaded any man to rebell against him Esaias was sawed in pieces by Manasses Jeremy was cast into the dungeon Daniel exposed to the Lyons the Three Children thrown into the fiery Furnace Amos thrust thorough the temples Zacharias slain in the porch of the Temple James killed with the sword Peter fastened to the Crosse with his head downward Bartholomew beaten to death with clubs Matthew beheaded Paul slain with the sword and all the glorious company of the Martyrs which have ennobled the Church with their innocent life and inlarged the same by their precious death never resisted any of their Persecutors never perswaded any man to rebell against them Why the holy Saints obeyed the unjust Tyrant never cursed the Tyrants never implored the aid of the inferiour Magistrates or superiour Nobility either by force to escape their hands or by violence to resist their power for they thought it more honour unto God and farre better to themselves that the just should unjustly suffer for righteousnesse sake than under the colour of justice undutifully to resist and unjustly to rebell against these unjust Persecutors And yet some men are not ashamed to averre that meer private men A strange Position and inferiour subjects if their King as a Tyrant should invade them like a robber or ravisher may defend themselves and oppose the Tyrant as well and as violently as they may resist a private thief or a high-way robber But how untruly they do avouch this thing will plainly appear if you consider how disjunctive these things are and how unjustly they are alledged for this purpose for a Chirurgion launceth a man and draweth his Confuted blood and so doth the thief or a robber but he deserveth a reward this a rope So the Prince sometimes doth in some sort the same thing and it The Tyrant hath a just power though he useth the same unjustly so hath not the thief or the robber may be after the like manner as a thief or a robber doth as often as with a strong hand he taketh the goods of his subjects and forceth the rebellious unto obedience But will you say that both of them do it by the same right I hope not for God gave the power and the sword unto the Prince and he as the Judge of our actions useth the same ad vindictam for the punishment of our offence but the thief or the robber usurpeth the sword and abuseth the same ad rapinam to our destruction and therefore whosoever saith that a subject hath the same reason to rise against his Prince that punisheth him as a traveller hath against a robber that stealeth from him may well be ashamed of such doctrine that carrieth so little shew of any truth But you will say the Prince that is a Tyrant punisheth for no fault without Object any just cause nay altogether unjustly and against all truth as Saul persecuted David and put to death the harmlesse Priests and David did the like to Vrias Achab to Naboth Joash to Zachary Manasses to Esay Pilate to Christ Nero to Peter and perhaps Theodosius to the Thessalonians may they not resist in such a case when they are thus punished and persecuted without cause I answer that under Saul David Achab Joash and Manasses there lived Sol. many faithful Priests and Prophets that were both upright for life and excellent for knowledge and in the days of Christ Zacheus Nicodemus How the Saints at all times suffered and never resisted their kings and Gamaliel were inferiour Magistrates and were also pious men and skilful in the understanding as well of Politique as of Divine affairs and we are sure that no age brought forth either more learned Bishops or holyer Saints than the Apostles and Disciples of â—â—rist that lived under Nero and those excellent Fathers that were in the time of Theodosius and yet never any of these not one of them all shewed us this resisting way to escape the force of tyranny but it hath been alwayes the doctrine of Christ and his Church that Kings and Princes offending the Lawes and transcending the bounds of their duties have onely God for their revenger and ought not to be resisted by any man or any kind of men though they should never so much abuse that power which they have received from God And therefore Christ himself and all his Saints not onely suffered their Christ and his Apostles perswade all men obediently to suffer greatest rage but also exhibited all honour and shewed all reverence unto their most cruel Persecutors and they perswaded all others both by their precepts and examples to do the like and that not onely for fear of wrath but also for conscience sake because the King is Gods Steward which Christ hath set over his whole family and if the Steward like the evil servant in the Gospel shall begin to despise his Master neglect his duty smite his fellows and dissolutely go on to eat and drink and be drunken yet not all the whole family not the Priests not
lawfully do it not with swords speares and shields but with our prayers and teares to God And it would be too tedious for me to set down all that I might collect of this kind most excellent sayings of those worthy men which never hoped for any glory in the Kingdome of Heaven but by suffering patiently in the Kingdom of the Earth and when they could did faithfully discharge the duties of their places and when they could not did willingly undergo the bitternesse of death and were alwayes faithfull both to their good God and their evil Kings to God rather by suffering Martyrdom then offend his Majesty and to their Kings not in committing that evil which they commanded but in suffering that punishment which they inflicted upon them 2. As no private men of what rank or condition soever they be so 2. Not the Nobility or Peers Calvin Instit l. 4. c. 20. Sect. 31. Beza in confess c. 5. p. 171. Autor vindic q. 3. pag. 203. Althus de polit c. 14 pag. 142. 161. Danaeus de polit Christiana l. 6. â— â— p. 413. 1. Reason 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 neither Magistratus populares the peoples Magistrates as some term them nor Junius Brutus his Optimates regni the prime Noble-men of the Kigdom nor Althusius his Ephori the Kings assistants in the government of the people nor his great Councel of Estate nor any other kind calling or degree of men may any wayes resist or at any time rebell for any cause or colour whatsoever against their lawful Kings and supreme Governours 1. Because they are not as Althusius doth most falsely suggest Magistratus summo Superiores but they are inferiours to the supreme and chief Magistrate otherwise how can he be Summus if he be not Supremus or how can Saint Peter call the King supereminent 1 Pet. 2. 13. if the inferiour Magistrates be superiour unto him and it is contra ordinem justitiae contrary to the rules of justice as I told you before out of Aquinas that the inferiours should rise up against their superiours which hath the rule and command over them as the husband hath over the The Inferiour should never rise against his Superiour Optat. de schis Donat. l. 3. p. 85 wife the father over the sonne the Lord over his servants and the King over his subjects and therefore Jâ—zabel might truly say Had Ziâ—â—i peace which slew his Master And I may as truly say of these men as Optatus saith of the Donatists when as none is above the King or the Emperour but onely God which made him Emperour while the inferiour Magistrates do extoll themselves above him they have now exceeded the bounds of men that they might esteem themselves as God Non verendo eum qui post Deum ab hominibus timebatur in not fearing him which men ought to fear next to God But the words of Saint Peter are plain enough Submit your selves unto 1 Pet 2. 15. every ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether it be unto the King as supreme or unto Governours as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil doers and for the praise of them that do well Wherein you may see not onely the subordination which God hath placed betwixt the King and his Subjects but also that different station which is betwixt the Supreme and the inferiour powers for the words sent of him do most clearly conclude that the inferiour Magistrates have no power to command but by the vertue power and force which they receive from the supreme and that the inferiour Magistrates opposed to the supreme power are but as private men and therefore that as they are rulers of the people so being but instruments unto the King they are subjects unto him to be moved and ruled by him which is inferiour to none but God and their authority which they have received from him Inferiour Magistrates in respect of the king are but private men can have no power upon him or to manage the sword without him and especially against him upon any pretence whatsoever how then can any or all these Magistrates make a just war against their King when as none of them can make any just warre without him 2. Because as Bodinus saith most truly the best and greatest not onely 2. Reason of the inferiour Magistrates but also of all these Peers Nobles Counsellors or what you please to call them have neither honour power nor authority but what they have given them from him which is the King or supreme Magistrate as you see God made Moses the chief Governour and Moses made whom he pleased his Peers and his inferiour Magistrates and as they have all their power derived from him that is the chief so he that is the King or chief can draw it away from them that are his inferiours when he pleaseth and as he made them so he can unmake them when he will and none can unmake him but he that made him that is God himself and therefore David that was ex Optimatibus regni the greatest Peer in Israel being powerful in warre famous in peace the Kings Son-in-law and divinely destinated unto the Kingdome yet would he not lay his â—and upon his King when he was delivered into his hands And this Buchanan cannot deny but confesseth that the Kings of the Jews were not to be punished or resisted by their subjects because that from the beginning they were not created by the people but given to them by God and therefore saith Buchanan's absuâ—dity he jure optimâ— qui fuit honoris autor idem fuit poenarum exactor it is great reason that â—e which gives the honour should impose the punishment But for the Kings of Scotland they were saith Buchanan not given Buchan de juâ—â— Regni apud Scotoâ— them of God but created by the people which gave them all the right that they can challenge Ideoque jus idem habere in reges Multitudinem quod illi in singulos è multitudine habent which is most false for Moses tells us that immediately after the deluge God the Creatour of all the world ordained the revenging sword of blood-shed and the slavish servitude of paternal derision wherein all the parts of civil jurisdiction and regâ—l power are Synecdochically set down and Job saith that there is one God which looseneth the bond of Kings and girdeth about their reines which must Job 12. 18. be understood of the Gentile-Kings because that in his time the Commong-wealth of Israel was not in being and God himself universally saith By me Kings do reign that is all Kings not onely of the Jews but also of the Gentiles and Christ doth positively affirm that the power of Pilate was given him from Heaven and Saint Paul saith There is no power but what is appointed of God And Tertullian saith Inde Imperator unde homo inde illi potestas unde spiritus he that
was in Saint Bernard who saith If all the world should conspire against me to make me complet any thing against the Kings Majesty yet I would fear God and not dare to offend the King ordained of God I might fill a Volume if I would collect the testimonies of our best Serenissimus Rex Jacobus de vera lege liberâ— Monarchiae Writers I will adde but one of a most excellent King our late King James of ever blessed memory for he saith The improbity or fault of the Governour ought not to subject the King to them over whom he is appointed Judge by God for if it be not lawful for a private man to prosecute the injury that is offered unto him against his private adversary when God hath committed the sword of vengeance onely to the Magistrate how much lâ—sse lawful is it think you either for all the people or for some of them to usurp the sword whereof they have no right against the publique Magistrate to whom alone it is committed by God This hath been the Doctrine of all the Learned of all the Saints of The obedient example â—f the Martyrs in the time of Queen Mary God of all the Martyrs of Jesus Christ and therefore not onely they that suffered in the first Persecutions under Heathen Tyrants but also they that of late lived under Queen Mary and were compelled to un dergoe most exquisite torments without number and beyond measure yet none of them either in his former life or when he was brought to his execution did either despise her cruell Majesty or yet curse this Tyrant-Queen that made such havock of the Church of Christ and causelesly spilt so much innocent blood but being true Saints they feared God and honoured her and in all obedience to her authâ—rity they yielded their estates and goods to be spoyled their liberties to be infringed and their bodies to be imprisoned abused and burned as oblations unto God rather then contrary to the command of their Master Christ they would give so much allowance unto their consciences as for the preservation of their lives to make any shew of resistance against their most bloody Persecutors whom they knew to have their authority from that bloody yet their lawful Queen And therefore I hope it is apparent unto all men that have their eyes Numb 24. 15. Gen. 19. 11. open and will not with Balaam most wilfully deceive themselves or with the Sodomites grope for the wall at noon-day that by the Law of God by the example of all Saints by the rule of honesty and by all other equitable considerations it is not lawfull for any man or any degree or sort of men Magistrates Peers Parliaments Popes or whatsoever The conclusion of the whole you please to call them to give so much liberty unto their misguided consciences and so farre to follow the desires of their unruly affections as for any cause or under any pretence to withstand Gods Vice-gerent and with violence to make warre against their lawful King or indeed in the least degree and lowest manner to offer any indignity either in thought word or deed either to Moses our King or to Aaron our High Priest that hath the care and charge of our souls or to any other of those subordinate callings that are lawfully sent by them to discharge those offices wherewith they are intrusted This is the truth of God and so acknowledged by all good men And what Preachers teach the contrary I dare boldly affirm it in the name of God that they are the incendiaries of Hell and deserve rather with Corah to be consumed with fire from Heaven then to be believed by any man on Earth CHAP. X. Sheweth the impudencie of the Anti-Cavalier How the Râ—bels deny they warre against the King An unanswerable Argument to presse obedience A further discussion whether for our Liberty Religion or Laws we may resist our Kings and a pathetical disswasion from Rebellion I Could insert here abundant more both of the Ancient and Modern Writers that do with invincible Arguments confirm this truth But the Anti-Cavalier would perswade the world that all those learned Fathers Anti Cavalier p. 17 18 c. and those constant Martyrs that spent their purest blood to preserve the purity of religion unto us did either belye their own strength * Yet Tertul. Cypr. whom I quoted before and Râ—ffiâ— hist Eccles l. 2. c. 1. and S. August in Psal 124. and others avouch the Christians were far stronger then their enemies and the greatest part of Julians army were Christians or befool themselves with the undue desire of over-valued Martyrdome but now they are instructed by a better spirit they have clearer illuminations to inform them to resist if they have strength the best and most lawful authority that shall either oppose or not consent unto them thus they throw dirt in the Fathers face and dishonour that glorious company and noble army of Martyrs which our Church confesseth praiseth God and therefore no wonder that they will warre against Gods annointed here on Earth when they dare thus dishonour and abuse his Saints that raign in Heaven but I hope the world will believe that those holy Saints were as honest men and those worthy Martyrs that so willingly sacrificed their lives in defence of truth could as well testifie the truth and be as well informed of the truth as these seditious spirits that spend all their breath to raise arms against their Prince and to spill so much blood of the most faithful subjects But though the authority of the best Authours is of no authority with them that will believe none but themselves yet I would wish all other men to read that Homily of the Church of England where it is said that God did never long prosper rebellious subjects against their Prince were they never so great in authority or so many in number yea were they never so noble so many so stout so witty and politique but alwayes they came by the overthrow and to a shameful end Yea though they pretend the redresse of the Common wealth which rebellion of all other mischiefs doth most destroy or reformation of religion whereas rebellion is most against The Homily against rebellion p. 390. 301. all true religion yet the speedy overthrow of all Rebels sheweth that God alloweth neither the dignity of any person nor the multitude of any people nor the weight of any cause as sufficient for the which the subjects may move rebellion against their Princes and I would to God that every subject would read over all the six parts of that Homily against wilful rebellion for there are many excellent passages in it which being diligently read and seriously weighed would work upon every honest heart never to rebell against their lawful Prince And therefore the Lawes of all Lands being so plain to pronounce them Traytors that take arms against their Kings as you may see in
arms submit thy self unto thy Soveraign and know that as the Kings of Israel were merciful Kings so is the King of England 1 Kings 20. 31. thou shalt find grace in the time of need but delay not this duty lest as Demades saith the Athenians never sate upon treaties of peace but in mourning weeds when by the losse of their nearest friends they had paid too dear for their quarrels so thou be driven to do the like for except the sinnes of the people require no lesse satisfaction then the ruine of the Kingdom I am confident and am ready to hazard life and fortunes The Authours confidence of the kings victory in this confidence that the goodnâ—sse of our King the justnesse of his cause and the prayers of all honest and faithful Ministers for him and our Church will in the end give him the victorie over all those his rebellious enemies that with lyes slanders and false imputations have seduced the Kings subjects to strengthen themselves against their Soveraign and all the world shall see that as Christ so in sensu modificato this Vicegerent of Christ shall rule in the midst of these his enemies and shall reign untill he puts them all under his feet And because we never read of any rebellion not this of Corah here A rebellion that the like was never seen which of above six hundred thousand men had not many more then 250. Rebels nor that of Absolon against David who had all the Priests and Levites and the best Counsellors and a mighty Army with him such as was able to overthrow Absolon and twenty thousand men in the plain field nor Israel against Rehoboam because they did but revolt from him and not with any hostile Arms invade him nor the Senate of Rome against Caesar though he was the first that intrenched upon their libertieâ— and intended to exchange their Aristo-democracie into a Monarchie nor any other that I can remember except that Councel which condemned Christ to death that was grown to that height to be so absolute and so perfect a Rebellion in all respects as that a whole Parliament in a manner and the major part of the Plebeians of a whole Kingdom should make a Covenant with Hell it self yea and which is most considerable that as I understand the beginning of this rebellion in this Kingdom of Ireland was the Commonalty therein should so fascinate the Nobility as to allure them so long to confirm their Votes till at last they must be compelled in all things to adhere unto their conclusions that they whose power was formerly most absolute without them must now be subordinate unto them that the strength of the people may defend the weaknesse of the Nobility from that desert which they merited by their simplicity to be seduced to joyn with them to rebell against their King Therefore if any faction in any Parliament should thus combine against the Lord and against his annointed there is no question but their reducement to obedience will make that Majesty which shall effect it more glorious to posterity than were any of all his Predecessors And therefore I say again Return O Shulamite return and remember I pray thee remember lest my words shall accuse thy conscience in the day of judgement that we are often commanded in many places of the Scriptures to obey our Kings but in no place bidden nor permitted to rise up and assist any Parliament against our King If thou sayest Thou dost not do it against thy King but against such and such that do abuse the King I told you before that whosoever resisteth him that hath the Kings authority resisteth the King and therefore the whole world of intelligible men laugheth at this gullery and he that dwelleth in the heavens shall laugh it to scorn when with such equivocation men shall think to justify their rebellion and I hope the people will not still remain so simple as to think that all the Canon and the Musket shot which the enemies of a King should make at him must be understood to be for the safety of his person And as neither private men nor any Senate nor Magistrate nor Peers That the Pope hath no power to licence any man to make war against the King nor Parliament can lawfully resist and take Arms against their King so neither Synod nor Councel nor Pope have any power to depose excommunicate or abdicate or to give immunities to Clergy or absâ—lution to subjects thereby to free them from their duty and due allegiance and to give them any colour of allowance to rebell and make warre against their lawful King And this point I should the more largely prosecute because the natives of this Kingdome are more addicted to the Pope and his Decrees then any others of all the Kings Dominion But the bulk of this Pareus in Rom. 13. Johan Bede in the Right and Prerogatives of Kings And the Treatise intituled Gâ—d and the King Treatise is already too much swelled and I hope I may have hereafter a fitter opportunity to inlarge this Chapter and therefore till then I will onely referre my Reader unto Pareus John Bede and abundance more that have most plentifully written of this Argument And so much for the persons against whom they rebelled Moses their King and Aaron their High-Priest or chief Bishop both these the prime Governours of Gods people whom they ought by all laws to have obeyed and for no cause to have rebelled against them CHAP. XI Sheweth what these Rebels did How by ten several steps and degrees 1. Pride 2. Discontent 3. Envy 4. Murmuring 5. Hypocrisie 5. Lying 7. Slandering 8. Rayling 9. Disobedience 10. Resistance they ascended to the height of their Rebellion and how these are the steps and the wayes to all Rebellions and the reason which moveth men to rebell 3. WE are to consider Quid fecerunt what these Rebels did Cajetan 3 Part. What these Rebels did saith Zelati sunt Tâ—rinus saith Irritaverunt The vulgar Latin saith Aemulati sunt Our vulgar English saith They angred Moses and our last English saith They envied Moses And indeed the large extent of the original word and the diversity of the Translation of it sheweth the greatnesse of their iniquity and the multiformity or multiplicity of their fin And therefore that you may truly understand it you must look into the History * Numb 16. and there you shall see the whole matter the conception birth strength and progresse of their sin for 1. This sinne was begotten by the seed of Pride they conceived an opinion of their own excellency Excellency that bewitcheth men to rebell thinking that they are inferiour to none equall to the best if not superiour unto all and therefore they disdained to be governed and aspired to the government of Gods people And then Pride as the father Pride the beginning of rebellion begat Discontentment as his eldeâ—t sonne they liked not their own
station but would fain be promoted to higher dignity and because Moses and Aaron were setled in the government befâ—re them and they knew not how either to be adjoyned with them or advanced above them therefore discontent begat Envy and they began to pine away at their felicity and so our last English reads it They envied Moses Private meetings do often produce mischief 2. This sinne being thus conceived in the womb of the heart at last it commeth forth to birth at the mouth for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh and they begin to murmure and mâ—tter among themselves and as Rebels use to have they have many private meetings and conventicles among themselves where they say We are all good we 2 Sam. 15. 3 4 are all holy and They are no better then we and as Absolon depraved his fathers government and promised justice and judgement and golden mountains unto the people if he were King so do they traduce the present government with all scandalous imputations and professe such a reformation as would make all people happy if they were but in Moses place or made over him or with him the Guardians and Protectors of Common-wealth And so now you see this ugly monster the son of Pride and Discontentment is born into the world and spreads it self from the inward thought to open words Then Moses hears the voyce of this infant which was not like the voyce of Jacob but of the Serpent which spitteth fire and poyson out of his mouth And therefore lest this fire should consume them and these mutterers prove their murderers Moses now begins to look unto himself and to answer for his brother he calleth these rebels and he telleth them that neither he nor his brother had ambitiously usurped but were lawfully called into those places and to make this apparent to all Israel he bad these rebels come out of their Castles to some other place where he might safely treat and conferre with them and that was to the Tabernacle of the Lord that is to the place where wisdom and truth resided and was from thence published and spread to all the people and there the Lord should shew them whom he had chosen And here I do observe the care and wisdom of the Prophet that at The wisdom of Moses the first appearance of their design would presently begin to protect his brother before their rebellion had increased to any strength for had he then delivered Aaron into their hands his hands had been so weakened that he had never been â—ble afterwards to defend himself to teach all Kings to beware that they yield not their Bishops and Priests unto the desires of the people which is the fore-runner of rebellion against themselves for as King Philip told the Athenians that he had no dislike to The witty tale of Demosthenes to save the Oratours and to assure all Kings that if Aarons tongue and the Prophets pen perswade not the conscience to yield obedience Moses's power and Joshua's sword may subdue the people to subjection but never retain them long without rebellion Evil men grow worse worse Vers 12. Vers 13. them but would admit them into his protection so they would deliver to him their Orators which were the fomenters of all mischief and the people were mad to do it till Demosthenes told them how the Wolf made the same Proposition unto the Sheep to become their friends and protectors so they would deliver their Dogs which were the cause of all discontent betwixt them and the Shee being already weary of their Dogs delivered them all unto the Wolves and then immediately the Wolves spared neither Sheep nor Lambs but tore them in pieces without resistance even so when any King yieldeth his Bishops unto the peoples Votes he may fear ere long to feel the smart of this great mistake Therefore Moses wisely delivereth not his brother but stoutly defendeth him who he knew had no wayes offended them and offered if they came to a convenient place to make this plain to all the people But as evil weeds grow apace and lewd sons will not be kept under so the more Moses sought to suppresse this sinne the faster it grew and spread it self to many branches from secret muttering to open rayling from inward discontent to outward disobedience They tell them plainly to their faces they will not come è Castris from their strong holds they accuse them falsely that Moses their Prince aymed at nothing but their destruction and to that end had brought them out of a good land to be killed in the wildernesse and contemning them most scornfully in the face of all the people whatsoever Moses bids them do they resolve to do the contrary So now Moses well might say with the Poet Moses is in a strait Fluctibus hic tumidus â—ubibâ—bus ille minax Quocunque aspicio nihil est nisi pontus aether And therefore it was high time this evil Weed should be rooted out or else the good corn shall be choaked these Rebels must be destroyed or they will destroy the Governours of Gods people and Moses now must wax angry Nam debet amor laesus irasci otherwise his meeknesse had been stupidnesse and his mercy had proved little better then cruelty when as to spare the Wolfe is to spoile the Sheep and because these great Rebels had with Absolon by their false accusations of their Governours and their subtle insinuations into the affections of the people stole away the hearts of many men therefore Moses must call for aid from Heaven and say Exsurgat Deus And let him that hath sent me now defend me So God must be the decider of this dissention as you may see he was in the next verse And by this you find Quid fecerunt what these Rebels did and how their sin was not Simplex peccatum but Morbus cumulatus a very Chaoâ— and an heap of confused iniquity for here is 1. Pride 2. Discontent 3. Envy 4. Murmuring 5. Hypocrisie 6. Lying 7. Slandering The ten fold sin of rebels 8. Rayling 9. Disobedience 10. Rebellion A Monster indeed that is a ten-headed or ten-horned beast 1. Pride which bred the distraction in the Primitive Church and will 1. Pride be the destruction of any Church of any Common-wealth was the first seed of their rebellion for the humble man will easily be governed but the proud heart like a sturdy Oak will rather break then bend 2. Discontent was the second step and that is a most vexatious vice for 2. Discontent though contentation is a rare blessing because it ariseth either from a frâ—ition of all comforts as it is in the glorious in Heaven or a not desiring of The poyson â—f discontent that which they have not as it is in the Saints on earth yet discontent is that which annointeth all our joyes with Aloes for though life be naturally sweet yet a little
the Law gives me not leave I have truly paid all duties and humbly submitted my self to all penalties and yet I know not why I am thus used and abused by my neighbours I am driven from my house by force of Arms and I have no place to breathe but under your Majesties wings and the shelter of your power therefore I beseech you as you are my King and are obliged to do your best for the safety of your true Subjects let me have your protection and you shall have my service unto death I would fain know what the King should do in such a case deny his protection or refuse his service The one is injustice the other not the best wisdom especially if he needed service for as the Law of nature and of nations requireth all Subjects to obey their Kings and faithfully to serve them of what Religion soever their Kings shall be so Lege relationis every King is bound to protect every faithfull Subject that observeth his Laws or submitteth to their penalties without corrupting of his fellow Subjects of what Religion soever he is because they are his Subjects not as they are faithfull Christians but as obedient men and he is to rule not over the faith of their souls but the actions of their bodies and it is an Axiom in Divinity that Fides non est cogenda and if Kings cannot perswade their subjects to embrace the true Faith they ought not to cut them off so long as they are true Subjects And therefore with what reason can any man blame the King either for protecting them in their distresses or accepting their service in his own extremities I cannot understand And yet for the goodly company of Papists which his Majesty entertaineth in all his Armies they cannot all make up so much as one good Regiment as an Officer in his Majesties Army confidently affirmeth but it will serve their turn to taxe the King to lay imputations upon him even the very things that belong unto themselves as the whole summe of those things that are expressed in Englands Petition to their King mutatis mutandis might truly be presented to the two Houses that have now almost destroyed us all and to make them mighty faults in him which are no faults at all in themselves because there is no fear of their favouring Popery though as they have very many so they should have never so many more in their Army 3. Another Slander they not onely whispered but also dispersed the same 3. Lye that he caused the Rebellion in Ireland farre and near among the people to make the King still the more odious unto his Subjects that he was the cause of the Rebellion in Ireland and that the Rebels there had his Commission under the Broad Seal to plunder the Protestants and to expell them thence that so the Gospel being rooted out of Ireland Popery might the easier be transported and planted here in England whereas themselves in very deed were the sole causers of this Rebellion as I have shewed unto you before and the colour of this slander was that the Rebellion being raised the Ring leaders of those The cause of this slander Rebels the sooner to gain the simple to adhere unto them perswaded them to believe that they had the Kings command to do the same and to that purpose shewed them the Broad Seal which they had taken from Ministers and Clerks of the Peace and others whom formerly they had plundered and taken their Seales from them which they cunningly affixed to certain Commissions of their own framing as M. Sherman assured me he saw the Broad Seal that was taken from one M. Hart that was Clerk of the Peace in the County of Tumond and was found in the pocket of one of the chief Leaders of the Rebels when he was killed by the Kings Souldiers yet this false and lewd practice of these Rebels in Ireland was a most welcom news to this Faction in England to lay this imputation upon the King that he was the cause of this Rebellion which themselves had kindled and were glad to find such a colour to impute it unto him that it might not be suspected to be raised by them Many other such falsehoods Lyes and impudent slanders hath the father of lyes caused these his Children most impudently to father upon the King but as the Philosopher saith Nâ—n quia affirmatur aut negatur res erit aut How things are indeed non erit Things are not so and so because they are said to be so neither can they be no such things onely because they are denied to be such as Gold is not Copper because ignorant men affirm it to be so nor a drunken man sober or a vitious man vertuous because they deny him to be good and blazon him abroad for one of the sonnes of Belâ—al but as Gold is Gold and Brasse is Brasse so godly men are good wicked men are evill and Rebels are none other then Rebels let men call them what they will and so our King is not such a man as they say because they affirm it but he is indeed a most just vertuous and most pious Prince let them say what they will Their tongues are their own and we cannot rule them and so all his followers are better Protestants indeed and less Papists in all points of faith than the best of them that term us so by false names God forgive them these slanderous accusations CHAP. XI Sheweth the unjust proceedings of these factious Sectaries against the King eight special wrongs and injuries that they have offered him Which are the three States And that our Kings are not Kings by election or Covenants with the People ANd yet for all these strange courses contrary to all humane thoughts Psâ—l 118. 23. Esay 46. 10. which is marvellous in our eyes the Lord of Heaven whose counsell shall stand and whose will shall be done hâ—th them all in derision dissipates all these devices and turns all the counsell of Achitophel against his own head when he opened the eyes of many millions of the Kings true Subjects to behold and detes these unfaithful dealings and dis loyall proceedings against so gracious a King and therefore petitioned and subscribed that his Majesty standing upon his Guard and defending himself from such indignities as might follow they would hazard their lives and fortunes to assist him to repell those more than barbarous injuries that were offered unto Him Therefore now Memoriae proditum est I find it written that without fear of God without regard of Majesty without justice without honesty they are resolved rather than to repent of their former wickednesse to involve the whole Kingdome in an unnatural civill War and to maintain the same against the will and contrary to the desires both of the King and Kingdom and it is almost incredible what wicked courses and how unjust and insufferable Orders and Ordinances you shall find recorded that
of an absolute and a Politick Monarch with his two-leaves discourse upon the same is so false and so frivolous that as Saint Bernard saith of the fooleries of Abailardus it deserveth rather Fustibus contundi quà m rationibus refelli for Aristotle tels us that the Aristot Polit. l. 4. Supreme Power of all Government which resideth in every absolute Monarch and doth constituere Monarcham give being unto the Monarch consisteth chiefly in these three distinct branches 1. Legislative to make and repeal Laws The Supreme Power of every Government wherein it consisteth 2. Bellative to pronounce War and conclude Peace 3. Judicative decisively to determine all crimes and causes whatsoever And when this threefold power is not penes unum but penes optimates then it is no Monarchy but an Aristocracy and when it is penes populum then it is neither of those but a meer Democracy or popular Government And therefore our Kings having the sole power First to make War and conclude Peace at their own pleasure and have called Parliaments only to supply their wants and to add their counsel and assistance therein Secondly to make Laws and repeal them when they please save only that they promised to their people and obliged themselves not to do it without the advice of their Parliament And thirdly to judge all their Subjects according to their Laws It is most apparent that our Kings are most absolute Monarchs as Cassaneus Bodinus Sir Thomas Smith and all that wrote of this Kingdom do peremptorily affirm And though I deny not Bodins distinction of a Lordly Monarch a Bod l. 2. c. 2 3. Royal Monarch and a Tyrannical Monarch which sheweth only the Power and the Practice of the Monarch yet I say That the distinction of an absolute and mixed Monarchy which defigneth the manner of the Government is a meer foppery and a ridiculous distinction Because that Government which extendeth it self to more than one can never be a Monarchy as every man knoweth that understandeth the word Monarch These and many more such injuries and insufferable indignities they have offered unto our King and so indeed unto the whole Kingdom which they durst not have offered to any Tyrannical King that would have ruled them with his iron Rod but as the mercy of God emboldeneth wicked men to proceed in their abominations so the lenity and goodness of this pious Prince and nothing else in him encouraged these factious and ambitious men the people greedy of a licentious Liberty and the Nobility and Gentry of Rule which is their natural disease thus to usurpe the Rights of our King and to raise this miserable War CHAP. XII Sheweth the unjust proceedings of this Faction against their fellow-Subjects set down in four particular things 2. LEst they should be thought juster to their fellow Subjects than they 2. Their proceedings against the Subjects wherein I shall in most points set down what I find in the Remonstrance of the Commons to the House of Commons and what I collected out of other Writers of the best credit are to their Soveraign King you may observe what I find related of them 1. That besides the Act which they composed and procured it to passe for the Pole-money wherein they shew their exceeding great love to the Clergy as to make Deans whose Deanaries were scarce worth 100. l. apiece per annum to pay 40. l. per pole equall with the Lords and Aldermen of London and many Prebendaries to pay more than the annual worth of their Prebends and the like many passages of their respect to the Ministers and some other particulars which I passe without reproof because the Act is passed There were monies advanced by gift and by adventure and Souldiers were prepared for Ireland to reduce those Rebels to their former obedience and to restore the Kings distressed Subjects to their rights and possessions but the great neglect they shewed to discharge this duty the Souldiers that were sent being left almost altogether unpaid to be starved and exposed to the mercy of their merciless enemies and we the poor English that were robbed and spoiled of our goods and lands left not only unrelieved but also twitted with that scandal for our comfort that we were worthily expelled by the Irish and left unregarded by the English because we were but as the Samaritanes neither Israelites nor Pagans or as the Turks that partaking with the Jews and the Christians are neither 1 How they neglected the distresled Subjects of Ireland Jews nor Christians So the English in Ireland were just Laodicean like neither hot nor cold neither English nor Irish neither zealous Papists nor true Protestants and therefore worthily to be spued out of the mouth of all men which is the comfort we have of them and which puts us in a desperate condition unlesse his Majesty will be pleased to take another course to relieve us to be left as a prey to be destroyed betwixt two sorts we know not which more cruel enemies and makes us believe that the monies are diverted and the Souldiers detained to continue this unnatural War against our King that so by losing the Kingdom of Ireland they might the sooner destroy the Kingdom of Old England to bring the Kingdom of New England amongst us And besides this simple conversion of the Irish monies it is almost incredible to consider how unjustly they have dealt with the English Subjects to get money for to let abundance of other particulars pass the Earl of Manchester in the night time fetched away six thousand pounds as I understand that were collected for the repairing of Saint Andrews in Holbourn and the great sums of money that we gathered for London-derry Sober sadnesse p. 21. and for Brainceford were imployed by these Zelots not to maintain the lives of those distressed people but to destroy the lives of loyal Subjects and to prove themselves right Iscariots they brake into the Hospital at Gilâ—ord in Surrey and took four thousand pounds from the poor Lazars But as the Romans dealt with their neighbours Territories when they were made their Arbitrators so these men dealt as finely with the lading of that Ship called Sancta Clara for while the Merchants disputed about the goods these just Judges to reconcile the difference seize upon all and twenty thousand pound must be lent them before the right owner can receive them I might fill my papers with such examples 2. They have made an Ordinance that the twentieth part of mens 2. How they take what part they will of our estates Wheâ—eas they object That in the raign of King John and others â—f our king the twentieth fifteenth tenth or seventh part hath been given I answer in one word Never apart by the two Houses without the King and against the king as they do estates must be paid towards the maintenance of this Rebellion and they do appoint those that upon their discretion shall value that
happiness we would buy Arms and be Voluntiers and every Town being too wanton would needs train and put themselves into a posture of defence as they termed it to be secured from their own shadows and though the King told them often there was no cause of their Jealousies and therefore forbade these disloyalties yet just like the Jews they were willing to be deceived by this miserable faction that contrived that Act whereby they have perfidiously over-reached both our good King and the rest of our wel-meaning brethren either to perfect their Design or else to make themselves perpetual Dictators and to betray the felicity of all our people under the name of Parliament which though as I said before I honour and love as much as any of the truest Patriots of either House both in the institution and the right prosecution thereof that is as it was constituted to be the great Council of the Kingdom graciously called by his Majesties-writ confidently to present the grievances of the people and humbly to offer their advice and counsels for their Reformation yet I do abhor those men that would abuse the word Parliament only as a Stalking-Horse to destroy all Acts of Parâ—iament and I hate to see men calling the Fanatick actions of a few desperate seditious persons the proceedings of Parliament and others making an Idol of it as if their power were omnipotent or unlimitted and more than any Regal Power their judgment infallible their Orders irreprehensible and themselves unaccountable for their proceedings to be so besotted with the name of it that this bare shadow without the substance for it is no Parliament without the King and the Major part of both Houses is either banished or imprisoned or compelled to reside with his Majesty should so bewitch us as Master Smyth blushed not to say Nothing could free us Ingeniosus ad blasphemiâ—â— from our dangers but the Divinity of a Parliament out of our own happiness to become more miserable then heretofore this Kingdom hath ever been by any Civil War for if you will consider the Treasons and Rebellions the Injustice Cruelty and Inhumanity the Subtilty Hypocrisie Lying Swearing Blasphemy Prophaneness and Sacriledge in the highest pitch and many other the like fearful sins that have been committed since the beginning of this Parliament by the sole means of this Faction and observe the ill Acts that have been used by them to compass things lawful the wicked Acts that have been daily practised to pâ—ocure things unlawful when by blood and rapine and the curses of many Fatherless and Widdows they have gotten the Treasure of the Kingdom and the Wealth of the Kings loyal Subjects into their hands and wasted it so that their wants are still as notorious as their crimes we may admire the miracles of Gods mercy and the bottomless depth of his goodness that the stones in the streets have not risen against them or the fire from Heaven had not consumed these Rebels that thus far and thus insolently had tempted Gods patience and provoked him to anger with such horrible abominations 5. As Jerusalem justified Samaria so this Faction hath justified all the 5. Mischief Romanists and shewed themselves worse Christians less Subjects and viler Traytors than all the Papists are for these factious Rebels justify their Rebellion and to the indelible shame of their Profession they maintain that it is not only lawful but that it is their duty to bear Arms and to wage War against their King when the King doth abuse his Power whereas the Doctrine of the Church of Rome * Christoâ—herson tract contr rebell Rhemist in Nov. Test p. â—01 Goldastus de Monarchia S. Imp. Rom. tom 3. Dr. Kellison in his Survey Aquin. de Regim Princip â— 6. Concil Constan Sess â—5 Stephan Cantuar anno 8. H. 3. Tolet. in summa l 5. c 6. Gr. Valentia p. 2. q 64. Bellar. Apol. c. 13. Lessius l. â— c. 9. Serrarius Azorius c. utterly denieth the same and concludes them no Children of the Church that do it and Doctor Kellison giveth this reason for it because Faith is not necessarily required to Jurisdiction or Government neither is Authority lost by the loss of Faith therefore it is not lawful for any Subjects to Rebel against their King though their King should prove a Tyrant or should Apostate from the Faith of Christ so that now the Papists boast they are better Subjects than these Rebellious Protestants and thefore I fear that this Faction Defendens Christum verso mucrone cecidit by their unjust Design to propagate the Gospel have most grievously wounded the Faith of Christ and given a more deadly blow to the Protestant Religion than ever it had since the Reformation when it is impossible that the true Religion should produce Rebellion And therefore seeing we are free born Subjects and persons interessed in the good and safety of this Kingdom as well as any of them we must crave liberty to express our grievances and to crave redresses and seeing my self am called to be a Preacher of Gods Word and a Bishâ—p over many of the souls of my Brethren for which I must render an account to my God both for my silence when I should speak and speaking any thing that should not be spoken I resolved to fear my God and neither out of flattery to the King and his party nor out of hatred or malice to those factiâ—us men but as I am perswaded in my Conscience fully satisfied and guided by Gods Truth to set forth this Discovery of these Mysteries what danger soever I shall undergo and if I shall become their Enemy for speaking Truth I shall fare no worse than Saint Paul did and it shall be with them if they do not repent as it was with the Israelites When their destruction cometh they shall seek peace and shall not have it but calamity Ezech. 7. 25 27. shall come upon calamity CHAP. XV. Sheweth a particular recapitulation of the Reasons whereby their Design to alter the Government of the Church and State is evinced And a pathetical disswasion from Rebellion ANd thus I have set down not any thing to render these men more odious If I have been misinâ—oâ—med of any thing that shall appear false I shall not blush to retract it by an ingâ—nuous confession than they are or to abuse my Reader with falshood or uncertainties but to report what I knew and what I collected out of the present writings of best credit and attested by men of known truth and integrity whereby it is most apparent to any discerning eye That the Faction of Anabaptists and Brownists and some other of the subtilest heads in the House of Commons had from the first Convention of this Parliament secretly projected this Design and insensible to the rest of their well-meaning Brethren prosecuted the same to alter and change the ancient Government both of the Church and Kingdom which the Author of Sober-Sadnâ—ss
â—â—ber Sadnesse p. 44 45 46. Their Design to change the Churcâ— Government proveâ— 4. wayâ—â— proveth by these subsequent Reasons as for the first 1. By suspending all Ecclesiasticall Laws and Censures which indulgence of all Vices hath drawn all Offenders to comply with them 2. By setting the people on work to petition against the present Government and the Service of the Church 3. By the Bill concluded for the abolishing of our Government 4. By the chief persons countenanced and imployed by them in that businesse who are Anabaptiâ—ts and Brownists and all sorts of Sectaries he evinceth their Design to change our Church-Government and to convert the Patrimony of the Church which our religious Ancestors dedâ—cated for the advancement of God's Worship not to establish Learning and a preaching Ministery as they pretended but to dis-ingage their Publick-faith which otherwise would never prove a saving faith And I wish there might be none about His Majesty that pretending great loyalty unto him do comply with them herein and either to raise or to secure their own Fortunes would perswade Saint Paul to part with Saint Peters keyes so he may still hold the sword in his hand or to speak more plainly to purchase the peace of the Common-wealth with the ruine of God's Church But for this let me be bold 1. To crave leave to tell His Majesty It was not His sword that hath brought him from a flying Prince out of Westminster and as yet unsecured at Nottingham to be a victorious King at Edge hill and immediately to be the terrour of all the Rebels in London But it was God whose Church and Church Service he defended that protected him hitherto and gave him the Victory iâ— Battel And let him be assured that He which is Yea and Amen will be his Shield and Buckler still to defend him from the strivings of his people and to subdue them that rise against him while he defendeth them whose eyes next under God are only fixt on him to be as God hath promised their nursing Father 2. To assure those that would suffer the Church to fall or perhaps sell the same out of a by-respect unto themselves That taking their rise from the fall of the Church or laying the foundation of their houses in the ruine of the Clergy they do but build upon the sands whence they shall fall and their fall shall be great when the successe thereof shall be as the success of the City of Jericho that was built by Hiel who laid the foundation of it in Abiram his first-born and set up the gates thereof in Segu ' his youngest son and had her destiny described by Joshua and all the Possâ—ssions that they shall get shall prove Acheldama's fields of blood and we hope God will raise deliverance to his Church from some better men when as they and their Fathers House shall all perish and shall stink in the nostrils of all good men for their perâ—idiousness in Gods cause But if any man should demand why we suspect any Traytors or false Counsellours to be in Kings Courts I answer because Saint Paul saith Oportet esse haereses and I believe the purest Court hath no more Priviledge to be free from Traytors then the Church from Hereticks And you know there was one of eight in Noahs Ark and another of twelve in Christ his Court and he that was so near him as to â—ip his hand with him in the dish was the first that flew in his face and yet with a Hayl Master and with a Kiss two fair testimonies of true love Therefore let no King in Christendom think it strange that his Court should have Flatterers Traytors or evil Counsellours let not us be blamed for saying this and let not Pym so foolishly charge our King for evil Counsellours for certainly did he know them I make no question but he would discard them or could I or any other inform his Majesty who they are and that it were an easy matter dicter Hic est we would not be affraid to pull off their veils and to say as Christ did to Judas Thou art the man but their Maeandrian windings their Syrens voyces and their Judas kisses are as a fair mantle to conceal and cover Joabs Treason even perhaps to betray some of the wisest in the Parliament as well as some of them have betrayed the King In such a case all I can say is this Memento diffidere was Epicarmus his Motto The honest plain dealing man that doth things for Religion not for ends is the unlikest man to betray his Master and few Counsellours are not so apâ— to breed so many Traytors as a multitude It was the indiscretion of Reâ—oboam that lost him ten parts of twelve to prefer young Counsellours before the ancient †Seldom discretion in youth attendeth great and suddain fortunes In vita Hen 3. and if we may believe that either paupertas or necessitas cogit ad turpia or the fable of the ulcerated Travailer They that are to make their fortunes are apter to sell Church and State and to betray King and Kingdom rather then those that have sufficiently replenished their coffers and inlarged their possessions But I assure my self the mouth of malice cannot deny but that our King hath been as wary and as wise in the choice of his Servants Officers and Counsellors so far as eyes of flesh can see in all respects as any Prince in Christendom and more by man cannot be done Their design to change the Government of the State shewed 1. Way And for the second that is their Design to change the Government of the State and to work the subversion of the Monarchy he evinceth it 1. By that Declaration upon the Earl of Straffords suffering that this Example might not be drawn to a President for the future because they thought that themselves intending to do the like and to become guilty of the same Crimes might by virtue of this Declaration be secured from the punishment if things should succeed otherwise then they hoped 2. By the pulling down of so many Courts of Justice which may perhaps 2. Way Relieve the Subjects from some pressures but incourage many more in licentiousness and prove the Prodroms to the ruine of our Monarchy 3. By those 19. Propositions whereby the King was in very deed demanded 3. Way to lay down his Crown and to compound with them for The Letter p. 11. the same because as another saith therein there was presented to him a perfect Platform of a total change of Government by which the Counsellours indeed were to have been Kings and the King in name to have become scarce a Counsellour and nothing of the present Staâ—e to have remained but the very Names and Titles of our Governours 4. By that expression so little understood by many men and yet so 4. Way much talked of in many of their papers of a power of re-assuming the trust which is
Sheweth the unjust proceedings of this Faction against their fellow-Subjects set down in four particular things p. 2â—9 Chap. XIII Sheweth the proceedings of this Faction against the Laws of the Land The Priviledges of Parliament transgressed eleven special wayes p. 292. Chap. XIV Sheweth how they have transgressed the publike Laws of the Land three wayes and of four miserable Consequences of their wicked doings p. 295. Chap. XV. Sheweth a particular recapitulation of the Reasons whereby their Design to alter the Government both of Church and State is evinced And a pathetical disswasion from Rebellion p. 301. JVRA MAJESTATIS THE RIGHTS OF KINGS BOTH IN CHURCH and STATE 1. Granted by God 2. Violated by the Rebels 3. Vindicated by the Truth AND The Wickednesses of the Faction of this pretended PARLIAMENT at Westminster 1. Manifested by their Actions 1. Perjury 2. Rebellion 3. Oppression 4. Murder 5. Robbery 6. Sacriledge and the like 2. Proved by their Ordinances 1. Against Law 2. Against Equity 3. Against Conscience PUBLISHED 1. To the eternal honour of our just God 2. The indeleble shame of the wicked Rebels And 3. To procure the happy peace of this distressed Land Which many fear we shall never obtain until 1. The Rebels be destroyed or reduced to the obedience of our King And 2. The breaches of the Church be repaired 1. By the restauration of God's now much prophaned service And 2. The reparation of the many injuries done to Christ his now dis-esteemed servants By GRYFFITH WILLIAMS Lord Bishop of OSSORY Impii homines qui dum volunt esse mali nolunt esse veritatem quâ condemnantur mali Augustinus Printed at LONDON Ann. Dom. 1662. TO THE KING'S most Excellent MAJESTY Most gracious Soveraign WITH no smal paines and the more for want of my books and of any setled place being multum terris jactatus alto frighted out of mine house and tost betwixt two distracted Kingdoms I have collected out of the sacred Scripture explained by the ancient Fathers and the best Writers of God's Church these few Rights out of many that God and Nature and Nations and the Lawes of this Land have fully and undeniably granted unto our Soveraign Kings My witness is in Heaven that as my conscience directed me without any squint aspect so I have with all sincerity and freely traced and expressed the truth as I shall answer to the contrary at the dreadful judgement 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 therefore with all fervency I humbly supplicate the divine Majesty still to assist Your Highness that as in Your lowest ebb You have put on Righteousness as a breast plate and with an heroick Resolution withstood the proudest waves of the raging Seas and the violent Attempts of so many imaginary Kings so now in Your acquired strength You may still ride on with Your honour and for the glory of God the preservation of Christ his Church and the happiness of this Kingdom not for the greatest storm that can be threatned suffer these Rights to be snatched away nor Your Crown to be thrown to the dust nor the Sword that God hath given You to be wrested out of Your hand by these uncircumcised Philistines these ungracious Rebels and the Vessels of God's wrath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unlesse they do most speedily repent for if the unrighteous will be unrighteous still and our wickednesse provoke God to bring our Land to Desolation Your Majesty standing in the truth and for the right for the honour of God and the Church of his Son is absolved from all blame and all the bloud that shall be spilt and the oppressions insolencies and abhominations that are perpetrated shall be required at the hands and revenged upon the heads of these detested Rebels You are and ought in the truth of cases of conscience to be informed by Your Divines and I am confident that herein they will all subscribe that God will undoubtedly assist You and arise in his good time to maintain his own cause and by this war that is so undutifully so unjustly made against Your Majesty so Giant-like fought against Heaven to overthrow the true Church You shall be glorious like King David that was a man of War whose dear son raised a dangerous rebellion against him and in whose reign so much bloud was spilt and yet notwithstanding these distempers in his Dominion he was a man according to God's own heart especially because that from α to ω * As in the beginning by reducing the Ark from the Philistins throughout the midst by setling the service of the Tabernacle in the ending by his resolution to build leaving such a treasure for the erecting of the Temple the beginning of his reign to the end of his life his chiefest endeavour was to promote the service and protect the servants of the Tabernacle the Ministers of God's Church God Almighty so continue Your Majesty bless You and protect You in all Your wayes Your vertuous pious Queen and all Your royal Progeny Which is the dayly prayer of The most faithful to Your Majesty GRYFFITH OSSORY THE RIGHTS OF KINGS Both in CHURCH STATE And The Wickednesses of this Pretended PARLIAMENT Manifested and Proved CHAP. I. Sheweth who are the fittest to set down the Rights which God granted unto Kings what causeth men to rebell the parts considerable in S. Peters words 1 Pet. ii 17. in fine How Kings honoured the Clergie the â—aâ— but most false pretences of the refractary Faction what they chiefly aâ—me at and their malice to Episcopacie and Royaltie IT was not unwisely said by Ocham that great Scholeman Guliel Ocham Ludov. 4. to a great Emperour which M. Luther said also to the Duke of Saxâ—nie Tu protege me gladio ego defendam tâ— calamo do you defend me with your Sword and I will maintain your Right with my Pen for God hath committed the Sword into the hand of the King Rom. 13. v. 4 and His hand which beareth not the Sword in vain knoweth how to use the Sword better than the Preacher and the King may better make good His Rights by the Sword then by the Pen which having once 〈◊〉 His papers with mistakes and concessions more then due though they should be never so small if granted further than the truth would 〈◊〉 as I fear some have done in some particulars yet they cannot so easily be scraped away by the sharpest sword and God ordered the divine tongue and learned Scribe to be the pens of a ready Writer and thereby to display the duties and to justifie the Rights of Kings and if they fail in either part the King needeth neither to performe what undue Offices they impose The Divine best to set down the Rights of Kings upon him nor to let pass those just honours they omit to yield unto him but he may justly claime his due Rights and either retain them or regain them by his Sword which the Scribe either wilfully omitted
territoâ—ies of them that he subdued c. Esdras 1. 2. Esay 45. 1 2. Dan. 2. c 4. from their seat and given away their crownes and kingdomes unto others that were more humble and meek or some other way â—itter to effect his divine purpose as he did the kingdom of Saul unto David and Belshazzar's unto Cyrâ—s and this he doth most commonly by the power of the sword when the Conquerour shall make his strength to become the Law of justice and his ability to hold it to become his right of enjoying it for so he gave the Kingdoms of the earth to Cyrus Alexander Augustus and the like Kings and Emperours that had no other right to their Dominions but what they purchased with the edg of their swords which notwithstanding must needs be a very good right as the same cometh from God which is the God of war and giveth the victory unto Kings when as the Poet saith Psal 144. 10. Victrix causa Deo placuit And he deposeth his Vicegerents and translateth the government of their Kingdomes as he seeth cause and to whom he pleaseth 3. When either the Kings neglected their duty and omitted the care of 3. The right of elective kings and how they came to be elected their People so far as that the People knew not that they had any Kings or who had any right to be their Kings or upon the incursion of invading Foes the Nations being exceedingly multiplied and having no Prince to protect them did change the orderly course of right belonging unto the first-born which their rude and salvage course of life had obâ—â—â—erated from their minds unto the election and choice of whom they thought the better and the abler men to expel â—heir enemies and to maintain justice among themselves so the Medes being oppressed with the insolencies and rapines of enemies and the greater man said it cannot be that in this corruption and lewdness of manners we shall long enjoy our Countrey and therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let us appoint over us a King that our Land may be Herodot lib. 1. governed by good Lawes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And we turning our selves to our own affairs need not be oppressed by the rage and violence of the lawless and finding by their former experience of him that Deâ—â—ces was the justest man amongst them they â—hose him for his equity to be their King which is the first elective King that I do read of and Câ—â—ero saith Mihi quidem non apud Medos sâ—lùm sed â—tiam â—pud majorâ—s nostros Cicero in Oâ—â—ic pag. 322. justitiae fruendae causâ videntur olim benè morati râ—gâ—â— censâ—tuti even as Justin said before And when the People do thus make choice of their King it is most true which Roffensis and our most learned Divines do say that Licet Rossensis de potestate Papae fol. 283. communicatio potestatis quandoque sit per consensum hominum potestas tamen ipsa immediatè est à Deo cujus est potestas though the power be sometimes conferred by the consent of menâ— yet it is immâ—diately given from God whose power it is Et communitas nihil sui confert regibus saith Spalat nisi ad Spalat tem 2. 529. summum personam determinet potiùs personam applicat divinae potestati quà m divinam potestatem personae it à Winton Resp ad Matth. Tort. â—ol 384. saith Christâ— Domini non Christi pâ—puli â—â—nt But as their justice and goodness moved the People to exalt them to this Why kings were rejected by the people height of Dignity so either their own tyranny when change of place did change their manners or their Peoples inconstanâ—y that are never long pleased with their governours caused them to be deposed again and many times to be murdered by those hands that exalted them Then the People perceiving the manifold evils that slow from the want of How the Aristocracy and Democracy issued out of Monarchy government do erect other governments unto themselves and rather then they will endure the miserable effects of an Anarchy they resign their hurtfull liberty and their total power sometimes into the hands of â—â—w of the best of the flock which we call Aristocracy or optimacy and sometimes into the hands of many which we call Democracy or a popular state In all which Elections of Magistrates and resignations of the Peoples power voluntarily to the hands Each form of government lawfull of their governours call them what you will Senate Consuls Duke Prince or King thougâ— thoug I dare not any way reject any of them as a forme utterly disallowed and condemned of God yet comparing them together I dare boldly Democracy the worst kinde of Government say the farther men go from God's first institution the more corruption we shall finde in them and therefore it must needs follow that Democracy is the next degree to Anarchy and Aristocracy far worse then Monarchy for though it may seem very unreasonable that one man should have all the power toto liber in orbe Solus Caesar â—rit And many plausible reasons may be alleadged for the rule of the Nobles or of Inter partes plebemque certamina exercere modâ— turbulenti tribuni modò consules praevalidi in urbe ac foro tentamenta civilium bellorum mâ—x è plebe infiâ—a C. Marius nobilium saevissimus L. Sylla victam armis libertatem in dominationem verterunt Tac. l. 2. hist P. 16. usque 28. Prov. 28. 2. Ecclesiast 10. 16. Aug. de l. arbit l. 1. c. 6. the People yet the experience that the Roman State had in those miserable Civill Wars that so frequently and so extremely afflicted them after they had put down their Kings as when Caâ—â—s Marius the meanest of the Commonalty and Lucius Sylla the cruellest of all the Nobility destroyed their liberty and rooted out all property by their Civill faction and the assistance of an illegal Militia and a multitude of unruly voluntiers and the fatal miscarriages of many businesses and the bad successes of their Armies when both the Consuls went forth Generals together with the want of unity secrecy and expedition which cannot be so well preserved amongst many do sufficienty shew how defective these Governments are and how far beneath the excellency of Monarchy as it is most fully pâ—oved in the unlawfullness of Subjects taking up armes against their Soveraigne and more especially by the wisest of men that tells us plainly that for the transgressions of a Land many are the Princes thereof but by a man of understanding and knowledg the State thereof shall be prolonged and in another place he crieth Wo to that land whose king is but a childe either in knowledg or in years for that during his infancy and the want of ability the government will be managed by many others which can produce nothing else but woes to that Common-wealth and therefore
to have their own wills them but whom themselves will choose and their choice cannot long satisfie their mindes but as the Jews received Christ into Jerusalem with the joyfull acclamation of Hosanna and yet the next day had the malicious cry of Crucifige so the least distaste makes them greedy of a new change such is the nature of the People But though I said before the election of our chiefe Governours may for many respects be approved of God among some States yet I hope by this that I have set down it is most apparent unto all men contrary to the tenet of our Anabaptisticall Sectaries that the hereditary succession of Kings to govern God's People is their indubitable right and the immediate prime principal Ordinance of God therefore it concerns every man as much as his soul is worth to examine seriously whether to fight against their own King be not to resist the Ordinance of God for which God threatneth no less punishment then damnation from which Machiavel cannot preserve us nor any policy of State procure a dispensation CHAP IV. Sheweth what we should not do and what we should do for the King the Rebels transgressing in all those how the Israelites honoured their persecuting King in Egypt how they behaved themselves under Artaxerxes Ahashuerus and under all their own Kings of Israel and how our Kings are of the like institution with the Kings of Israel proved in the chiefest respects at large and therefore to have the like honour and obedience AS every lawfull King is to be truly honoured in regard of God's Ordinance 2. All kings are to be honoured in respect of God's precept considered two wayes 1. What we should not do so likewise in respect of God's precept which commandeth us to honour the King and this duty is so often inculcated and so fully laid upon us in the holy Scripture that I scarce know any duty towards man so much pressed and so plainly expressed as this is 1. Negatively what we should not do to deprive him of his Honour 2. Affirmatively what we should do to manifest and magnifie this Honour towards him for 1. Our very thoughts words and works are imprisoned and chained up in the linkes of God's strictest prohibition that they should no wayes peeep forth to produce the least dishonour unto our King for 1. The Spirit of God by the mouth of the wisest of men commands us 1. To think no ill of the King Curse not the King no not in thy thought Eccles 10. 30. to think no ill of the King let the King be what he will the precept is without restriction you must think no ill that is you must not intend or purpose in your thoughts to do the least ill office or disparagement to the King that ruleth over you be the same King virtuous or vitious milde or cruell good or bad this is the sense of the Holy Ghost For as the childe with Cham shall become accursed if he doth but dishonour and despise his wicked father or his father in his wickedness whom in all duty he ought to reverence so the Subject shall be liable to Gods vengeance if his heaâ—t shall inâ—end the least ill to his most tyrannicall King 2. The same Spirit saith Thou shalt not revile the Gods that is the Judges of 2. To say no ill of the King Exod 22. 28. Act 23. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3. To do no hurt to the King Psal 105. 15. 1 Sam. 24 4 5. the Land nor curse that is in â—aint Pauls phrase speak evill of the Ruler of the people and what can be more evill then to bely his Religion to traduce his Government and to make so faithfull a Christian King as faithless as a Cretan which is commonly broached by the Rebels and Preached by their seditious Teachers 3. The great Jehovah gives this peremptory charge to all Subjects saying Touch not mine Anointed which is the least indignity that may be and therefore Davids heart smote him when he did but cut off the lap of Sauls garment What then can be said for them that draw their swords and shoot their Cannons to take away the life of Gods Anointed which is the greatest mischiefe they can do I beleive no distinction can blinde the judgment of Almighty God but his revengefull hand will finde them out that so maliâ—iously transgress 2. What we should do to honour the King Eccles 8. 2. 1. To observe the kings commands his precepts and think by their subtilty to escape his punishments 2. The Scriptures do positively and plainly command us to shew all honour unto our King â—or 1. Solomon saith I counsell thee to keep the Kings commandment or as the phrase imports to observe the mouth of the King that is not onely his written law but also his verball commands and that in regard of the oath of God that is in respect of thy Religion or the solemne vow which thou madest at thine initiation and incorporation into Gods Church to obey all the precepts of God whereof this is one to honour and obey the King or else that oath of â—â— si religio tollitur nulla no bis cum coelo ratio est Lactant Inst l. 3. c. 10. allegiance and fidelity which thou hast sworn unto thy King in the presence and with the approbation of thy God which certainly will plague all perjurers and take revenge on them that take his name in vain which is the infallible and therefore most miserable condition of all the perjured Rebels of this Kingdom For if moral honesty teacheth us to keep our promises yea though it were to our own hindrance then much more should Christianity teach us to observe our deliberate and solemn oathes whose violation can bear none other fruit then the heavy censure of God's fearful indignation But when the prevalent faction took a solemn Oath and Protestation to defend all the Privileges of Parliament and the Rights of the Subjects and then presently forgetting their oath and forsaking their saith by throwing the Bishops out of the House of Peers which all men knew to be a singular Priviledge How the prevalent Faction of the Parliament forâ—wore themselves 2. To obey the kings commandements Josh 1. 18. * Quia in talibus non obedientes mortaliter peccanâ— nisi foreâ— illud quod praecipitur contra praeceptum Dei vel in sa lutis dispendium Angel summa verb. obedientia 3 To give the king no just cause of anger Prov. 2. 2. The Rebels have given him cause enough to be provoked 4. To speak reverently to the king and of the king Eccles 8. 4. and the House of Lords acknowledged to be the indubitable right of the Bishops and their doctrine being to dispence with all oaths for the furtherance of the cause it is no wonder they falsifie all oaths that they have made unto the King 2. The people said unto Joshua Whosoever rebelleth against thy commandment
and will not hearken to the words of thy mouth in all that thou commandest he shall be put to death surely this was an absolute government and though martial yet most excellent to keep the people within the bounds of their obedience for they knew that where rebellion is permitted there can be no good performance of any duty and it may be a good lesson for all the higher powers not to be too clement which is the incouragement of Rebels to most obstinate trayterous and rebellious Subjects who daring not to stir under rigid Tyrants do kick with their heeles against the most pious Princes and therefore my soul wisheth not out of any desire of bloud but from my love to peace that this rule were well observed Whosoever rebelleth against thy commandment he shall be put to death * 3. The wisest of all Kings but the King of Kings saith The fear of a King is as the roaring of a Lion who so provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul And I believe that the taking up of Armes by the Subjects against their own King that never wronged them and the seeking to take away his life and the life of his most faithful servants is cause enough to provoke any King to anger if he be not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 too Stoically given to abandon all passions and that anger should be like the roaring of a Lion to them that would pull out the Lions eyes and take away the Lions life 4. The King of Heaven saith of these earthly Kings That where the word of a King is there is power and who may say unto him what dost thou And Elihu demands Is it fit to say to a King thou art wicked or to Princes you are ungodly Truely if Elihu were now here he might hear many unfitter things said to our King by his own people and which is more strange by some Preachers for some of them have said but most maliciously and moâ—e falsely that he is a Papist he is the Traytor unwoâ—thy to reign unfit to live good God! do these men think God saith truth Where the word of a King is there is power that is to blast the conspiracies and to confound the spirits of all Rebels who shall one day finde it because the wrath of God at last will be awaked against Jerem. 27. 8. their treachery and to revenge their perjury by inabling the King to accomplish the same upon all that resist him as he promised to doe in the like case 5. The Israelites being in captivity under the King of Babylon were commanded 5. To pray for the king Ezra 6. 10. 1 Tim. 2. 1 2. to pray for the life of that Heathen King and for the life of his sons And Saint Paul exhorteth Timothy to make supplications prayers intercessions and giving of thanks for Kings and for all that are in authority and how do our men pray for our King in many Pulpits not at all and in some places for his oveâ—throw for the shortning of his life and the finishing of his dayes nullum sit in omine pondus and they give thanks indeed not for his good but for their own supposed good success against him thus they praevaricate and pervert the words of the Apostle to their own destruction when as the Prophet Psal 109. 6. saith Their prayers shall be turned into sin 6. To render all his dues unto him 6. Christ commandeth us to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesars that is as I shall more fully shew hereafter your inward duties of honour love reverence and the like and your outward debts tolls tribute custome c. and the Rebels render none unto him but take all from him and return His Arms to his destruction I might produce many other places and precepts of Holy Scripture to inforce this duty to honour the king but what will suffice him cui Roma parùm est Luke 16. 31. if they beleive not Moses neither will they believe if one should arise from the dead and if these things cannot move them then certainly all the world cannot remove them from their Wickedness Yet 3. Quia exempla movent plus quà m praecepta docent you shall finde this 3. All kings should be honoured by the example of all Nations 1 The Israelites 1 In Egypt Exod. 12 37. Exod. 1. 9. doctrine practised by the perpetual demeanour of all Nations For 1. If you looke upon the Children of Israel in the Land of Egypt it cannot be denyed but Pharaoh was a wicked king and exercised great cruelty and exceeding tyranny against Gods people yet Moses did not excite the Israelites to take arms against him though they were more in number being six hundred thousand men and abler for strength to make their party good then Pharoah was as the king himself confesseth but they contained themselves within the bounds of their Obedience and waited Gods leisure for their deliverance because they knew their patient suffering would more manifest their own piety and aggravate king Pharoah's obstinacy and especially magnify Gods glory then their undutiful rebelling could any ways illustrate the least of these 2. Davids demeanour towards Saul is most memorable for though as one 2. Under Saul The loyal Subjects belief p. 55. faith king Saul discovered in part the described manner of such a king as Samuel had foreshewed yet David and all his followers performed and observed the prescribed conditions that are approved by God in true Subjects never resisting never rebelling against his king though his king most unjustly persecuted him Samuel also when he had pronounced Sauls rejection yet did he 1 Sam. 15. never incite the people to Rebellion but wept and prayed for him and discharged all other duties which formerly he had shewed to be due unto him and Elias that had as good repute with the people and could as easily have stirred 3. Under Ahab up sedition as any of the seditious Preachers of this time yet did he never perswade the Subjects to withstand the illegal commands of a most wicked king 1 Reg. 21. 25. that as the Scripture testifieth had sold himself to work wickedness and became the more exceedingly sinful by the provocation of Jâ—zabel his most wicked wife and harlot but he honoured his Soveraignty and feared his Majesty when he fled away from his cruelty And because these are but particular presidents I will name you two observeable Two examples of the whole Nation under Heathen kings 1 Under Artaxerxes Ezra 1. 1. examples of the whole Nation 1. When Cyrus made a Decree and his Decree according to the Laws of the Medes and Persians should be unalterable that the Temple of Jerusalem should be re-edified and the adversaries of the Jews obtained a letter from Artaxerxes to prohibit them the people of God submitting themselves to the personal command of the king contrary to that unalterable Law of Cyrus pleaded neither the
goodness of the work nor the justness of the cause but yeilded to the kings will and ceased from their work until they obtained a new Licence in the second year of king Darius and if it be objected that they built the Temple in despite of those that hindered them with their sword in one hand and a trowel in the other it is rightly answered that having the kings leave to build it they might justly resist their enemies that did therein not onely shew their malice unto them but also resisted the will of the King 2. When Ahasâ—uerus to satisfie the unjust desire of his proud favorite had 2. Under Ahashuerus Hester 3. 10. wickedly decreed and most tyrannically destined all the Nation of the Jewes to a sudden death yet this dutiful people did not undutifully rebel and plead the King was seduced by evil counsel and misguided by proud Haman therefore nature teaching them vim vi pellere to stand upon their own defence they would not submit their necks to his unjust Decree but being versed in God's Lawes and unacquainted with these new devices they return to God and betake themselves to their prayers until God had put it into the Kings heart to Hester 8. 11. grant them leave to defend themselves and to sheath their swords in the bowels of their adversaries which is a most memorable example of most dutiful unresisting Subjects an example of such piety as would make our Land happy if our zealous generation were but acquainted with the like Religion But here I know what our Anabaptist Brownist and Puritan will say that The author of the Treatise of Monarchy p. 32. I build Castles in the air and lay down my frame without foundation because all Kings are not such as the Kings of Israel and Judah were as the Kings that God gave unto the Jews and prescribed special Laws both for the Kings to govern and the people to obey them but all other Nations have their own different and several Laws and Constitutions according to which Laws their Kings are tyed to rule and the Subjects bound to obey and no otherwise I answer that indeed it is granted there are several Constitutions of Royalties Henric. Stephan in libello de hac re contendit in omnes respub debere leges Hebraeorum tanquam ab ipso Deo profectas per consequens omnium optimas reduci in several Nations and there may be Regna Laconica conditional and provisional Kingdoms wherein perhaps upon a real breach of some exprest conditions some Magistrates like the Ephori may pronounce a forfeiture as well in the successive as in the elective Kingdoms because as one saith succession is not a new title to more right but a legal continuance of what was first gotten which I can no ways yield unto if you mean it of any Soveraign King because the name of a King doth not always denotate the Soveraign power as the Kings of Lacedaemon though so called yet had no regal authority and the Dictator for the time being and the Emperours afterwards had an absolute power though not the name of Kings for I say that such a government is not properly a regal government ordained by God but either an Aristocratical or Democratical government instituted by the people though approved by God for the welfare of the Common-wealth but as the Israelites desired a 1 Sam. 8. 4 20. King to judge them like all the Nations that is such a King as Aristotle describeth such as the Nations had intrusted with an absolute and full regal power as Sigonius sheweth so the Kings of the Nations if they be not like the Spartan Kings were and are like the Kings of Israel both in respect of their ordination from God by whom all Kings as wel of other Nations as of Israel do reign and of their full power and inviolable authority over the people which have no more dispensation to resist their Kings then the Jews had to resist theirs And therefore Valentinian though an elected Emperour yet when he was requested by his Electours to admit of an associate answered it was in your power Sozom. histor l 6. c. 6. Niceph hist l. 11. c. 1. to chuse me to be an Emperour but now after you have chosen me what you require is in my power not in you Vobis tanquam subditis competit parere mihi verò quae facienda sunt cogitare it becomes you to obey as Subjects and I am to consider what is fittest to be done And when the wife takes an husband there is a compact agreement and a solemn vow past in the presence of God that he shall love cherish and maintain The wiâ—e may not forsake her husband though he break his vow and neglect his duty her yet if he breaks this vow and neglects both to love and to cherish her she cannot renounce him she must not forsake him she may not follow after another and there is a greater marriage betwixt the King and his people therefore though as a wife they might have power to chuse him and in their choice to tye him to some conditions yet though he breaks them they have no more power to abdicate their King then the wife hath to renounce her husband nor so much because she may complain and call her husband before a competent Judge and produce witnesses against him whereas there can be no Judge betwixt the King and his people but onely God and no witnesses can be found on earth because it is against all Lawes and against all Reason that they which rise against their king should be both the witnesses against him and the Judges to condemn him or were it so that all other Kings have not the like constitution which the Scripture setteth down for the Kings of Israel yet I say that excepting some circumstantial Ceremonies in all real points the Laws of our Land are so far as men could make them in all things agreeable to the Scriptures in the constituting of our Kings according to the livelyest pattern of the Kings of Israel as it is well observed by the Authour of the Appeal to thy conscience An Appeal to thy conscience pag. 30. Our Kings of the like Institution to the kings of Israel 1. Respect Kings of England are kings by birth Proved 1. Reason in these four special respects For 1. In his Right to the Crown 2. In his Power and Authority 3. In his Charge and Duty 4. In the rendring of his Account 1. As the Kings of Israel were hereditary by succession and not elective unless there were an extraordinary and divine designation as in David Salomon Jehu so do the Kings of England obtain their Kingdoms by birth or hereditary succession as it appeareth 2. By the Oath of Allegiance used in every Leete that you shall be true and faithful to our Soveraign Lord King Charles and to his Heires 2. Because we owe our legeance to the King in
and the Idols out of the house of the Lord and cast them all out of the City and repaired the Altar of the Lord and commanded Juda to serve the Lord God of Israel And what shall I say of David whose whole study was to further the service of God and of Jehosaphat Asa Josias Ezeâ—h as and others that were rare patternes for other kings for the well government of Gods Church and in the time of the Gospel Quod non toâ—lit prâ—cepta legis sed perficit which takes not away the rules of nature nor the precepts of the Law but rather establisheth the one and perfecteth the other because Christ came into the world non ut tolleret jura saeculi sed ut deleret peccata mundi not to take away the rights of the Nations but to satisfie for the sins of the World the best Christian Emperours discharged the same duty reformed The care of the good Emperours topreserve the true religion Esay 49. 23. the Church abolished Idolatry punished Heresy and maintained Piety especially Constantine and Theodosius that were most pious Princes and of much virtues and became as the Prophet foretold us nursing fathers unto Gods Church for though they are most religious and best in their religion that are religious for conscience sake yet there is a fear from the hand of the Magistrate that is able to râ—strain those men from many outward evils whom neither conscience nor religion could make honest therefore God committed the principal care of his Church to the Prince and principal Magistrate And this is confirmed and throughly maintained by sundry notable men as who deâ—ended this truth The Papists unawares confess this truth Osorius de relig p. 21. Breâ—tius against Asoto Bishop Hâ—rne against Fâ—kenham Jewel against Harding and many other learned men that have written against such other Papists and Puritans Anabaptists and Brownists that have taken upon them to impugne it yea many of the Papists themselves at unawares do coâ—fess as much for Osorius saith Omne regis officium in religionis sanctissimae rationem conferendum mâ—nus ejus est beare rempâ—bl religione piâ—tate all the office of a King is to be conferred or imployed for the regard of the most holy Religion and his whole duty is to bless or make happy the Common-wealth with Religion and piety Quod enim est aliud reipublica principi munus assignatum quà m ut rempâ—bl florâ—ntem atque beatam faciat quod quidem nullo modo sine egregia piâ—tatis religionis sanctitate perficitur For though we confess with Ignatius that no man is equall to the Bishop in causes Ecclesiasticall no not the King himselfe that is in such things as belong to his office as Whitaker saith because he onely Whit. resp Camp p. 302. ought to see to holy things that is the instruction of the people the administration of the Sacraments the use of the keyes of the Kingdom of Heaven and the like matters of great weight and exceeding the Kings authority yet The Kings authority over Bishops 1 Chron 28. 13. 2 Chron. 29. 1 Reg. 2. 26. Kings are above Bishops in wealth honour power government and majesty and though they may not do any of the Episcopall duties yet they may and ought lawfully to admonish them of their duties and restrain them from evill and command them diligently to execute their office and if they neglect the same they ought to reprove and punish them as we read the good Kings of the Jewish Church and the godly Emperours * As Martian apud Binium l. 2. p. 178. Iustinian novel 10. tit 6. Theodos jun. Evagr. l. 1 c. 12. Basil in Council Constant 8. act 1. Binius tom 8. p. 880. Reason confirmeth that Kings should take care of religion of the Christian Church have ever done and the Bishops themselves in sundry Councils have acknowledged the same power and Authority to be due and of right belonging unto them as at Mentz Anno 814. and Anno 847. apud Binium tom 3. p. 462. 631. At Emerita in Portugall Anno 705. Bin. tom 2. p. 1183. and therefore it is an ill consequent to say Princes have no Authority to preach Ergo they have no authority to punish those that will not preach or that do preach false Doctrine This truth is likewise apparent not only by the the testimony of Scripture and Fathers but also by the evidence of plain reason because the prosperity of that Land which any King doth govern without a principal care of Religion decayeth and degenerateth into Wars Dearths Plagues and Pestilence and abundance of other miseries that are the lamentable effects and consequerces of the neglect of Religion and contempt of the Ministers of Gods Church which I beleive is no small cause of these great troubles which we now suffer because our God that taketh pleasure in the prosperity of his servants cannot endure Psal 35. 27. that either his service should be neglected or his servants abused CHAP VII Sheweth the three things necessary for all Kings that would preserve true Religion how the King may attain to the knowledge of things that pertain to Religion by his Bishops and Chaplains and the calling of Synods the unlawfulness of the new Synod the Kings power and authority to govern the Church and how both the old and new Disciplinarians and Sectaries rob the King of this power THerefore seeing this should be the greatest care that brings the greatest honour to a Christian Prince to promote the true Religion it is requisite that we should consider those things that are most necessary to a Christian King for the Religious performance of this duty And they are And these three must be inseperable in the Prince that maintaineth true Religion For 1. A will to performe it Three things necessary for a king to preserve the Church and the Religion 2. An understanding to go about it 3. A power to effect it 1. Our knowledge and our power without a willing minde doth want motion 2. Our will and power without knowledge shall never be able to move right And 3. Our will and knowledge without ability can never prevaile to produce any effect Therefore Kings and Princes ought to labour to be furnished with these three special graces The first is a good will to preserve the purity of Gods service not onely in 1. A willing minde to do it his House but also througout all his Kingdom and this as all other graces are must be acquired by our faithfull prayers and that in a more speciall manner for Kings and Princes then for any other and it is wrought in them by outward instruction and the often predication of God's Word and the inward inspiration of Gods Spirit The second is knowledge which is not much less necessary then the former 2. Understanding to know what is to be reformed and what to be retained because not to run right is
of Eâ—tyches Constantine the Fiâ—th called the sixth Synod against the Monothelites and so did many others in the like cases God having fully granted this right and autho ity unto them for their better information in any point of religion and the goverment of the Church And therefore they that deny this power unto Kings or assume this authority unto themselves whether Popes or Parliament out of the Kings hand they may as well take his eyes out of his head because this is one of the best helps that God hath left unto Kings to assist and direct them in the chiefest part of The unparallel'd presumption of the Faction to call a Synod without the king their royal government how presumptuous then and injurious unto our King and prejudicial to the Church of Christ was the factiâ—n of this Parliament without the Kings leave and contrary to his command to undertake the nomination of such a pack of Schismatical Divines for such a Synod as might finally determine such points of faith and discipline as themselves best liked of let all the Christian world that as yet never saw the like president be the Judge and tell us what shall be the religion of that Church where the Devil shall have the power to prompt worldlings to nominate his prime Chaplains Socinians Brownists Anabaptists and the refuse of all the refractory Clergy that seem The quality of the Synodical men learned in nothing but in the contradiction of learning and justifying Rebellion against their King and the Church to compose the Articles of our saith and to frame a new government of our Church I am even ashamed that so glorious a Kingdom should ever breed so base a Faction that durst ever presume to be so audacious and I am sorry that I should be so unhappy to live to see such an unparallel'd boldness in any Clergy that the like cannot be found in any Ecclesiastical History from the first birth of Christ's Church to this very day unless our Sectaries can produce it from some of the Vtopian Kingdoms that are so far South ward In terra incognita beyond the Torrid Zone that we whose zeal is not so fiery but are of the colder spirits could not yet perfectly learn the true method of their Anarchical government or if our Lawyers can shew us the like president that ever Parliament called a Synod contrary to the King's Proclamation I shall rest beholding to them produce it if they can Credat Judaeus apella non ego The third thing requisite to a King for the preservation of true religion and 3. An authority and power to guide the Church and to uphold the true religion the government of God's Church is power and authority to defent it for though the Prince should be never so religious never so desirous to defend the faith and never so well able in his understanding and so well furnished with knowledge to set down what Service and Ceremonies should be used yet if he hath not power and ability which do arise from his right and just authority to do it and to put the same in execution all the rest are but fruitless embryoes like those potentials that are never reduced into actions or like the grass upon Ps 1â—9 6. the house top that withereth before it be plucked up But to let you see that Kings and Princes should have this power and authority in all Ecclesiastical causes and over all Ecclesiastical persons we finde that all Ages and all Lawes have warranted them to do the same for Solomon displaced Abiathar and placed Sadoâ— in his room Jeremy's case was heard by the King 1. Reg. 2. 27. 35. Jerem. 26. How all kings and Emperors exercised this power oâ—er the Church of Israel Theodoâ—â—â—s and Valentâ—nian made a Decree that all those should be deposed which were infected with the impiâ—ty of Nestorius and Justinian deposed Sylverius and Vigilius and many oâ—her Kings and Emperours did the like and not onely the Law of God whereof the King is the prime keeper and the keeper of both Tables but also the Statutes of our Land do give unto our King the nomination of Bishops and some other elective dignities in the Church the â—ustody of the Bishops Temporalties during the vacation the Patronage Paramount or right to present by the last lapse and many other furtherances and preservatives of religion are in terminis terminantibus deputed by our Lawes unto the King and for his care and charge thereof they have setled upon him our first Fruits Tenths Subsidies and all other contributions of the Ecclesiastical persons which the Pope received while he usurped the government of this Church these things being due to him that had the supreme power for the government And therefore seeing the examples of all good Kings in the Old Testament and of the Christian Kings and Emperours in the New Testament and all Lawes both of God and man excepting those Lawes of the Pontificials that are made against the Law of God and all Divines excepting the Cassian de Incarn l. 1. c. 6. Jesuites and their sworn Brethren the Presbyterians do most justly ascribe this right and power unto Kings I may truly say with Cassianus that there is no place of audience left for them by whom obedience is not yielded to that which all have agreed upon nor any excuse for those Subjects that assist not their Soveraign to inable him to discharge this great charge that is laid upon him What then shall we say to them that pull this power and tear this prerogative out of the King's hand and place it in the hands of mad men as the Prophet epithets the madness of the people I or that furious Knox belched forth Psal 65. 7. How the Disciplinarians rob the king of this right Knox to the Commonalty fol. 49. 50 55. this unsavory Doctrine That the Commonalty may lawfully require of their King to have true Preachers and if he be negligent they themselves may justly provide them maintain them defend them against all that oppose them and detain the profits of the Church Livings from the other sort of Ministers a point fully practised by the English Scotizers of these dayes and as if this Doctrine were not seditious enough and abundantly sufficient to move Rebellion Goodman publisheth that horrible tenet unto the world that it is lawful to kill wicked Kings which most dangerous and more damnable Doctrine Dean Whittingham affirmeth to be the tenet of the best and most learned of them that were our Disciplinarians But when as true Religion doth command us to obey our Kings whatsoever their Religion is aut agendo aut patiendo either in suffering with patience whatsoever What true religion teacheth us they do impose or in doing with obedience whatsoever they do command Religion can be no warrant for those actions which must remain as the everlasting blemishes of that Religion which either commanded or approved of
Counsellours how our late Canons came to be annulled that it is the Kings right to admit his Bishops and Prelates to be of his Council and to delegate secular authority or civil jurisdiction unto them proved by the examples of the Heathens Jewes and Christians OUt of all this that hath been spoken it is more then manifest that the king ought to have the supreme power over Gods Church and the Government thereof and the greatest care to preserve true Religion throughout all his Dominions this is his duty and this is his honour that God hath committed not a people but his people and the members of his Son under his charge For the performance of which charge it is requisite for us to know that God hath granted unto him among other rights these two special prerogatives 1. That he may and ought to make Lawes Orders Canons and Decrees for the well governing of Gods Church Two special rights and prerogatives of the King for the government of the Church 1. To make Laws and Canons 2. That he may when he seeth cause lawfully and justly grant tolerations and dispensations of his own Laws and Decrees as he pleaseth 1. Not onely Solomon and Jehosaphat gave commandment and prescribed unto the chief Priests and Levites what form and order they should observe in their Ecclesiastical causes and methode of serving God but also Constantine Theodosius Justinian and all the Christian Emperours that were careful of Gods service did the like and therefore when the Donatists alleadged that secular Princes had nothing to do to meddle in matters of Religion and in causes Ecclesiastical Saint Augustine in his second Epistle against Gaudentius saith I Aug. l. 2. c. 26. have already proved that it appertaineth to the Kings charge that the Ninivites should pacifie Gods wrath and therefore the Kings that are of Christs Church do judge most truely that it belongeth to their charge to see that men Rebel not without punishment against the same because God doth inspire it into the Idem ep 48. ep 50. ad Bonifac mindes of Kings that they should procure the Commandments of the Lord to be performed in al their Kingdomes for they are commanded to serve the Lord in fear and how do they serve the Lord as Kings but in making Laws for Christ as man he serveth him by living faithfully but as King he serveth him in So they are called the kings Ecclesiastical Lawes making Laws that shal command just things and forbid the contrary which they could not do if they were not kings And by the example of the king of Ninive Darius Nebuchadnezzar and others which were but figures and prophesies that foreshewed the power duty and service that Christian kings should owe and performe in like sort to the furtherance of Christs Religion in the time of the New Testament when al kings shall fall down and Worship Christ and all Nations shall do him service he proveth that the Christian Psal 72. 11. Aug. cont lit Peul l. 2. c 92 Idem in l. de 12. abus grad grad 2. kings and Princes should make Laws and Decrees for the furtherance of Gods service even as Nebuchadnezzar had done in his time And upon the words of the Apostle that the king beareth not the sword in vain he proveth against Petilian that the power and authority of the Princes which the Apostle treateth of in that place is given unto them to make sharpe penall Lawes to further true religion and to suppress all Heresies and Schismes And so accordingly we finde the good Emperours and Kings have ever done The good Emperours have made Laws for the government of the Church Euseb in vita Constant l. 2. 3. for Constantine caused the idolatrous religions to be suppressed and the true knowledge of Christ to be preached and planted amongst his people and made many wholsome Lawes and godly Constitutions to restrain the sacrificing unto Idols and all other devillish and superstitious south sayings and to cause the true service of God to be rightly administred in every place saith Eusebius And in another place he saith that the same Constantine gave injunctions to the chiefe Ministers of the Churches that they should make speciall supplication to God for him and he enjoyned all his Subjects that they should keep holy certain dayes dedicated to Christ and the Sabboth or Saturday which was then wont to be kept holy and as yet not abrogated by any Law among the Christians he gave a Law to the Ruler of every Nation that they should celebrate Idem de vita Constant l. 1. 3. 4. c. 18. the Sunday or the Lords day in like sort and so for the dayes that were dedicated to the memory of the Martyrs and other festival times and all such things were done according to the ordinance of the Emperour Nicephorus writing of the excellent virtues of Andronicus son to Immanuel Niceph. in praefation Eccles bist Palaeologus and comparing him to Constantine the Great saith thou hast restored the Catholique Church being troubled with new opinions to the old State thou hast banished all unlawfull and impure doctrine thou hast established the truth and hast made Lawes and Constitutions for the same Sozomen speaking of Constantines sons saith the Princes also concurred to Sozomenus l 3. c. 17. the increase of these things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shewing their good affections to the Churches no less then their father did and honouring the Clergy their servants with singular promotions and immunities both confirming their fathers Lawes and making also new Lawes of their own against such as went about to sacrifice and to worship Idols or by any other means fell to the Greekish or Heathenish superstitions Theodoret tells us that Valentinian at the Synod in Illirico did not onely confirme the true faith by his Royall assent but made also many godly and sharpe Lawes as well for the maintenance of the truth of Christ his doctrine as also touching many other causes Ecclesiastical and as ratifying those things that were done by the Bishops 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he sent abroad to them Theodor. l. c. 5 6 7. that doubted thereof Honorius at the request of Boniface the first made a Law whereby it might Distinct 7 9. siduo appear what was to be done when two Popes were chosen at once by the indiscretion of the Electors Martianus also made a Statute to cut off and put away all manner of contention about the true faith and Religion in the Councell of Calcedon The Emperour Justinus made a Law that the Churches of Heretiques should be consecrated to the Catholique Religion saith Martinus Poenitentiarius And who knowes not of the many Laws and Decrees that Justinian made in Ecclesiasticall causes for the furtherance of the true Religion for in the beginning of the Constitutions collected in the Code of Iustinian the first 13 titles are all filled with Laws for to rule
no absolute prohibition of such imployments in any place but as it might be a hinderance to discharge his office or otherwise Saint Paul's Tent-making was as much against the calling of an Apostle as the sitting in a secular tribunal is against the office of a Bishop because there is no reason we should deny that benefit to a publick necessitated community which we will yeeld to a private personal necessity And so indeed these very men that cry out against our Bishops and other The Presbyterians will be the directors of all affaires grave Prelates of the Church for the least medling in these civil affaires do not onely suffer their own Preachers to strain at a gnat but also to swallow a Camel when M. Henderson Marshal Case and the rest of their new inspired Prophets shall sit as Presidents in all their Counsels and Committees of their chiefest affaires and consultations either about War or Peace or of any other civil cognizance how these things can be answered to deny that to us which they themselves do practise I cannot understand when as the light of Nature tells us Quod tibi vis fieri mihi fac quod non mihi noli Sic potes in terris vivere jure poli * Vnde Baldus jubeâ— ut quis in alios non aliter judicet quà m in se judicari vellet And therefore when as there is no politick Philosophy no imperial constitution nor any humane invention that doth or can so strictly binde the consciences of men unto subjection and true obedience as the Doctrine of the Gospel and no man can perswade the people so much unto it as the Preachers of Gods word as it appeareth by this Rebellion perswaded by the false Preachers because the Principles of Philosophy and the Laws of many nations do permit many things to be done against tyrants which the Religion of Christ and the true Bishops of Gods Church do flatly inhibit it is very requisite and necessary for all Christian How requisite it is for Kings to delegate civil affaires unto their Clergie Kings both for the glory of God their own safety and the happiness of the Common-wealth to desend this their own right and the right of the Clergy to call them into their Parliaments and Counsels and to demise certain civil causes and affairs to the gravest Bishops and the wisest of the Ministers and not suffer those Rebellious Anabaptists and Brownists that have so disloyally laboured to pull off the Crown from their Kings head to bury all the glory of the Church in the dust to bring the true Religion into a scorn and to deprive the King of the right which is so necessary for his safety and so useful for the Government of his people that is the service of his Clergy in all civil Courts and Councils And as it is the Kings right to call whom he pleaseth into his Parliaments and That it is the Kings right to give titles of honour to whom he pleaseth Councils and to delegate whom he will to discharge the office of a civil or Ecclesiastical magistrate or both wheresoever he appoints within his Realms and Dominions so it is primarily in his power and authority and his regal right to give titles of honour and dignity to those officers and magistrates whom he chooseth for though the Barbarians acknowledge no other distinction of Persons but of Master and Servants which was the first punishment for the first contempt of our Superiors therefore their Kings do raign and domineer Gen. 9. 25. over their Subjects as Masters do over their servants and the Fathers of â—amilies have the same authority over their Wives and Children as ouer the Saravia â— 28. p. 194. slaves and vassals and the Muscovites at the day do rule after this manner neither is the great Empire of the Turke much unlike this Government and generally all the Eastern Kingdomes were ever â—of this kinde and kept this rule over all the Nations whom they Conquered and many of them do still retain it to these very times Yet our Westerne Kings whom charity hath â—aught better and made them milder and especially the Kings of this Island which in the sweetness of Government exceeded all other Kings as holding it their The milde government of our Kings chiefest glory to have a free people subject unto them and thinking it more Honourable to command over a free then a servile nation have conferred upon their subjects many titles of great honour which the â—earned Gentleman M. Sâ—lden hath most Learnedly treated of and therefore I might well be silent in this point and not to write Iliads after Homer if this title of Lord given by His Majesty unto our Bishops for rone but he hath any right to give it did Of the Title of Lord. not require that I should say something thereof touching which you must observe that this name dominus is of divers significations and is derived à domo as Zanchius observeth where every man is a Lord of that house and possession which he holdeth and it hath relation also to a servant so that this name is ordinarily given among the Latinists to any man that is able to keep servants and so it must needs appear how great is the malice I cannot say the ignorance when every school-boy knowes it of those Sectaries that deny this title to be consistent with the calling of a Bishop which indeed cannot be denyed to any man of any ordinary esteeme But they will say that it signifieth also rule and authority and so as it is a title of rule and Dominion it is the invention of Antichrist the doration of the Devill and forbidden by our Saviour where he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke 22. 25. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 16. 30. that is in effect be not you called gracious Lords or benefactors which is the proper signification of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 therefore these titles of honour are not fit for the Preachers of the Gospell to puffe them up with pride and to make them swell above their brethren It is answered that if our Saviours words be rightly understood and his That there is a double rule or dominion meaning not maliciously perverted neither the authority of the Bishops nor the title of their honour is forbidden for as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a title of dominion so it is fit to be ascribed to them unto whom the Lord and author of all rule and dominion hath committed any rule or Government over his People and our Saviour forbiddeth not the same because you may finde that there is a double rule and dominion the one just and approved the other tyrannicall and disallowed and the tyrannicall rule or as S. Peter saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the domineering 1 Pet. 5. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 authority over Gods inheritance both Christ and his Apostles do â—orbid but the just rule and
portion is fit for every one and what service is required from him I answer that the voice of equity and justice tells us that a generall Law Sol. doth never deâ—ogate from a speciall priviledge or that a priviledge is not opposite to the pâ—inciples of common right and where the Law it selfe gives this priviledge as our Law doth it yet enâ—y it selfe can never deny this right unto the King to grant his dispensation whensoever he seeth occasion and where the Law is tacite and saith nothing of any priviledge yet seeing in all Lawes The end of every Law is chiefly to be respected as in all other actions the end is the marke that is aimed at and this end is no oâ—her then the publique good of any society for which the Law is made if the King which is the sole Law-maker so as I shewed in my Discovery of Mysteries seeth this publique good better procured by granting dispensations to some particular men doth he not performe thereby what the Law intendeth and no wayes breake the Law of common right as if a mans absence from his proper Cure should be more beneficiall to the whole Church then his residence Reasons of dispensations upon his Charge could possibly be as when his absence may be either for the recoveâ—y of his health or to discharge the Kings Embassage or to do his best to consute Heretiques or to pacific Schismes or to consult about the Church affaires or some other urgent cause that the Law never dreamt of when it was in making shall not the King whom the Lawes have intrusted with the examination of these things and to whom the principal care of Religion and the charge of all the People is committed by God himselfe and the power of executing his own Lawes have power to grant his dispensations for the same Certainly they that would perswade the world that all Lawes must have such force that all dispensations are transgressions of them as if generall rules should have no exceptions would manacle the Kings hands and binde his power in the chaines of their crooked wills that he should not be able to do that good which God and Right and Law it selfe do give him leave and their envy towards other mens grace is a great deale more then either the grace of humility How God doth diversly bestow his gifts Matth. 25. 15. Gen. 43. 34. or the love of truth in them for doth not God give five talents to some of his servants when he gives but one to some others and did not Joseph make Benjamins messe five times so much as any of his brethren's and have not some Lords six or eight or ten thousand pounds a year and some very good men in the Common-wealth and perhaps higher in God's favour not ten pounds a year and shall not the King double the reward of them that deserve it in the Church of God or shall he be so curbed and manacled that he shall neither alter nor dispense with his own Law though it be for the greater glory unto God and the greater benefit both to the Church and Common-wealth Besides who can deny but that some mens merits virtue paines and learning are more worthy of two Benefices then many others are of one and when in his younger time he is possessed of a small Benefice he may perchance afterwards when his years deserve better far easier obtain another little one to keep with it then get what I dare assure you he would desire much rather * For who would not rather chuse one Living of an 100 l. a year then two of 50 l. a peice one Living of equall value to them both and shall the unlearned zeal of an envious minde so far prejudice a worthy man that the King 's lawful right shall be censured and his power questioned and clipped or traduced by this ignorant Zelot I will blesse my self from them and maintain it before all the world that the King's dispensations for Pluralities Non-residency and the like Priviledges not repugnant to common right are not against Law nor the giving or taking of them upon just causes against conscience but what the violence of this viperous brood proclaimeth an intolerable offence we dare warrant both with good reason and true Divinity to be no sin no fault at all but an undoubted portion of the King 's right for the greater benefit both of the Church and State and the greater glory unto God himself And therefore most gracious King we humbly desire your Majesty suffer The Author's Petition to His Majesty not these children of Apollyon to pull this flower out of your Royal Crown to abridge you of your just right of granting dispensations for Pluralities and Non-residency which the Lawes of your Land do yet allow you and which they labour to annul to darken the glory of God's Church and to bring your Clergy by depriving them of their meanes and honour into contempt lest that when by one and one they have robbed you of all your rights they will fairly salute you as the Jews did Christ Haile King of the Jewes when God knows they hated him and stript him of all power I speak not of his Divinity either to govern them or to save himself 3. As the King hath right and power to grant his dispensations both of grace 3. The toleration of divers Sects and sorts of religions and of justice of grace when it is merely of the King ' Princely favour as in legitimations and the like and of justice when the King findeth a just cause to grant it so likewise it is in the King's power and right to remit any offence that is the mulct or penalty and to absolve the offender from any or all the transgressions of his own Lawes from the transgression of God's Law neither King nor Pope nor Priest nor any other can formally remit the fault and absolve transgressors but as God is the Law-giver so God alone must be the forgiver of the offence so the Jewes say who can forgive sins but God onely Yet as Mar. 2. 7. God which gives the Law can lawfully remit the sin and forgive the breach of the Law so the King which makes these positive Lawes cannot be denyed this As David pardoned Absolon and Solomon Abiathar power to pardon when he seeth cause or is so pleased the offenders of his Lawes as you see they do many times grant their pardons for the most haynous faults and capital crimes as treasons murders felonies and the like and if they may grant their pardons for the breach of the Law and remit the mulâ—â— imposed for the transgression thereof it is strange if they should not have right to dispense with whom they please when they see cause from the bond of the Law and therefore we are to discuss how far the King in these Lawes of the Church may give exemptions and tolerations unto them whose consciences cannot submit
5. voice of the charmer charme be never so wisely or let them answer as our Saviour answered their grand instructor Vade Satana non tentabis for it is most Matth. 4. 10. true that Qui deliberat jam desivit he that listens to them is halfe corrupted by them and so they may prove destructive both to themselves and to their posterity for as nothing establisheth the Throne of Kings surer then obedience to God so nothing is more dangerous then rebellion against God with whom there is no respect of persons for he expecteth that as he made Kings his Vicegerents Rom. 2. 11. so they should feare him preserve the right of his Church uphold his service defend his servants and do all that he commands them intirely without taking the least liberty for feare of the people to dispense with any omission of his honour or suffering the hedges of his Vineyard the Governours of his Church to be trodden down and torne in pieces that the beasts of the field may destroy the grapes and defile the service of our God Therefore to conclude this point let all Kings do their best to hinder their People to corrupt the Covenant of Levi which is a Covenant of Salt that is to Malach. 2. 8. Deut. 33. 11. indure for ever let them remember Moses prayer Blesse Lord his substance and accept the worke of his hands smite through the loynes of them that rise against him and of them that hate him that they rise not again and let them alwayes consider that God taketh pleasure in the prosperity of his servants Psal 35. 27. CHAP. XI Sheweth where the Protestants Papists and Puritans do place Soveraignty who first taught the deposing of Kings the Puritans tenet worse then the Jesuites Kings authority immediately from God the twofold royalty in a King the words of the Apostle vindicated from false glosses the testimony of the Fathers and Romanists for the Soveraignty of Kings the two things that shew the difficulty of government what a miraculous thing it is and that God himself is the governour of the people HAving set down some particulars of the Kings right in the Government 2 The duty of the King in the government of the Common-wealth of Gods Church it resteth that I should shew some part of his right and duty to serve God as he is a King in the government of the Common-wealth touching which for our more orderly proceeding I will distribute my whole discourse into these five heads 1. To justifie his right to govern the people Five points handled 2. To shew the difficulty of this government 3. To set down the assistants that are to helpe him in the performance of this duty 4. To distinguish the chiefest parts of this Government 5. To declare the end for which this Government is ordained of God 1. We say that the Kings Soveraignty or royal power to govern the people 1. Point 1. Where the Protestants place Soveraignty is independent from all creatures solely from God who hath immediately conferred the same upon him and this we are able to make good with abundance both of divine and humane proofes and yet we finde the same adversaries of this truth though with a far less shew of reason that we met withall about Government of Gods Church For 2 They that are infatuated with the cup of Babylon the Canâ—nists and some 2. In whom the Papists do place Soveraignty The Pope's sad Message to Hen. 3. Imp. Quem meritum investivimus quare immeritum non devestiamus quia ad quem pertinet institutio adâ—eundem pertinet destitutio Jesuites do constantly aver that summum imperium the primary supreme power of this Government is in the Pope 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 absolutely and directly as he is the Vicar of Christ who hath all power given him both in Heaven and earth from whom it is immediately deriued unto his Vicar and from him to all Kings mediately by subordination unto him so Baronius Careriâ—â— and others But Bellarmine and the rest of the more moderate Jesuists say that this imperium in reges the Popes power over all Kings and States is but indirectum dominium a power by consequent and indirectly in ordine ad bonum spirituale as the civil State hath relation to Religion and this great Cardinal lest he should seeme sine ratione insanire doth as the Hereticks did in Tertullians time Caedem Scripturarum facere ad materiam suam alleadge two and twenty places of Scripture mis-interpreted to confirmâ— his indirect Divinity and as Pâ—tiphars wife he produceth very honest apparel but to prove a very bad cause and therefore attributing to the Pope by the greatness of his learning and the excellency of his wit more then he could justifie with a good conscience he was so far from satisfying the then Pope that he was well nigh resolved to condemne all his works for this one opinion and Carerius undertooke his confutation ex professo Carerius lib. 1. cap. 5. and taxeth him so bitterly that he putteth him 〈◊〉 impiâ—â—â—â—reticos which he needed not to have done because the difference is onely in the expression when the Pope by this indirect power may take occasion to king and unking whom he pleaseth and do what he will in all Christian States 3. The Anabaptists and Puritans eitheâ— deny all government with the Fratricelli 3 Where the Puritans place the Soveraignty Majestas regia sita est magis in pâ—pulo quam in persona regis Parsons in Dolâ—an and all superiority by the title of Christianity as the Author of the Tract of Schisme and Schismaticks or do say that originally it proceedeth and habitually resideth in the people but is cumulatively and communicatively derived fâ—om them unto the King and therefore the people not denuding themselves of their first interest but still retaining the same in the collective body that is in themselves suppletivè if the King in their judgement be defective in the administration or neglect the performance of his duty may question their King for his mis-government dethrone him if they see cause and resuming the collated power into their own hands again may transfer it to any other whom they please Which opinion if it were true would make miserable the condition of all Kings and I believe they first learned it from the Sorbonists who to subject The Sorbonists first taught the deposing of Kings and why the Pope to the community of the faithful say that the chief spiritual power was first committed by Christ unto them and they to preserve the unity of the Church remitted the same communicatively unto the Pope but suppletively not privatively or habitually devesting themselves thereof retaining the same still in themselves if the Pope failed in the faith of the Church and therefore he was not onely censureable but also dâ—posable by the Council if he became an heretique or apostated from the religion of Christ and
to make this both the more plaâ—sible and probable they alleadged how Kings were thus eligible and likewise deposable by the community of the people for out of this Buchanan saith Romani Pontifices longè regum omnium conditione superiores legum Buchan de jure regni p. 25 91. tamen poenis haâ—d eximuntur sed eos quanquam sacrosanctos Christianis omnibus semper habitos Synodus Basiliensis communi ordinum consensu senatui sacerdotum obnoxios esse pronunciavit that is in brief the Popes are deprivable by the Council So are Kings by the community of the people and so both the Papist and the Puritan do agree to depose their Kings and as the Poet saith Ausus utérque nâ—sas domini respersus utérque Claudian de 4. Consul Honorii Insontis jugulo never a barrel better herring both alike friends to Kings But to this Blackvodaeus answereth most truely that although the Pope should be deprivable by the Counâ—il which I am sure neither Pope nor Jesuite will allow yet for divers different reasons betwixt the examples Kings are not deposable by their Subjects especially if you consider the great difference betwixt the Church of Christ that is guided by the Spirit of God and the representation thereof in the flower of her Clergy and a giddyheaded multitude that Blâ—c cap. 23. p. 304. is led by their unruly and unreasonable passions and are represented by those that either basely bought their Votes as the Consuls and other great men did the votes of the people of Rome or that their partial and most ignorant affection oftentimes without judgement have made choice of ex quo sequitur ut non sit eadem potuli potest as in regem quae in pontificem est Ecclesiae So that the reason is far unlike But though the Sorbonists to justifie their former tenet were the first broachers The Puritans opinion worse then the Jesuites in two respects of this unjust opinion of the deposition of Kings by the people from whence the Jesuites to subject the King unto the Pope suck't it afterward Yet in two main Respects I finde this tenet as it is held by the Puritans far worse then the doctrine of the Jesuites 1. Because some of them say that the people may not restrain the power 1. Respect which they have once transmitted unto the King when the Law of justice doth not permit that Covenants should be repealed or a donation granted shoud be revoked though it were never so prejudiciall to the donor and Bellarmine makes this good by the example of the souldiers that had power to accept or reject Bellar. in tract cont Pat. Paul their Emperour before he was created but being once elected they had no coactive power over him whereas all the Puritanes will make and unmake promise and breake doe and undoe at their pleasure Because the Jesuites permit not the people nor any Peers to depose their King 2 Respect untill the Pope as an indifferent judge deputed by Christ shall approve of the cause and our Sectaries depresse kings so far as to submit them to the weake judgment and extravagant power of the people who to day cry to Gideon raign thou and thy son over us for ever and to morrow joyne with the base son of Jerubbaal and the Sichemites to kill seventy of the Children of Gideon and Judges 9. to create Abimilech to be their king But though the Anti-Cavalier takes it ill that I should affirm that the kings Our Opinion proved Anti-Cav in Os Ossor p. 25 power and right unto his government is immediately from God yet if he would believe learned Authours he might find enough of this judgment for the sublime power and authority that resideth in earthly Potentates is not a derivation or collection of humane power scattered among many and gathered into one head but a power immediately granted by God to his Vicegerents * So acknowledged by Act of Parliament 25 H. 8. c. 12. 28. c. 10. Dr Sarav sol 175. Bellar. de Laicis cap. 6. 8. quam nunquam fuisse populo demandatam legimus which God never communicated to any multitudes of men saith Saravia And Bellarmine himself against the Anabaptists confuteth their error that denyed the power and authority of kings to be immediately from God I. From Script Sap. 6. Esay 45. Hierâ—m 27. Dan. 2. Rom. 13. 1 Pet. 2. II. From the Councill of Constans Sess 8. 15. III. From S. Aug. de civit Dei l. 5. c. 21. where he saith non tribuamus dandi regni potestatem nisi Deo vero which giveth felicity in the kingdome of Heaven onely to the godly but the earthly kingdomes he giveth both to the godly and to the wicked nam qui dedit Mario ipse Caesari qui Augusto ipse Neroni qui Vespasianis vel Idem de Rom. Pont. l. 5. c. 3. Irvinus de jure regni c. 2. p. 40. patri vel filio suavissimis imperatoribus ipse Domitiano crudelissimo qui Constantino Christiano ipse Apostatae Juliano And IV. it is proved from the confession of the Popes of Rome as Leo. ep 38. 43. Gelasius epist ad Anastasium Greg. l. 2. epist 61. Nicholans epist ad Michaelem out of all which saith Irvinus it is apparent all and every king non multitudini aut hominibus sed Deo soli regum regi quicquid juris habent acceptum ferre And he might consider that a thing may be said to be immediately from God divers wayes as specially 1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 absque ullo signo creato 2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cum aliquo actu conjuncto that is 1. Solely from God and no other presupposing nothing praevious to the obtaining of it So Moses and Joshua had their authority from God 2. Joyntly with an interposed act of some other instrument as the Apostolicall Heningus fuse c. 1. p. 4 5. de distinct duplici jurisdict Sive electione sive postulatione vel successione vel belli jure Princeps siat Principi tamen facto divinitùs potestas data est Cunerus c. 5. de offic Princip power of Matthias was immediately from God though his constitution was from the Apostles so Kings though some of them be after a sort elected by men yet as our Saviour saith to Pilate that his power was from above though he was deputed by Caesar So may they be said to have their authority immediately from God though they should be some wayes deputed by men for we must distinguish betwixt the soveraignty the Subject and the collation of the Soveraignty to the Subject the Soveraignty is immediately from God the Subject is from it's naturall cause and the unition of the Soveraignty to the Subject is likewise immediately from God not onely approving but appointing the same in all the Kings of his ordination or to speak with the Schooles we must distinguish betwixt deputationem personae
Grammatically for the true right of a King that may do all this and yet no way contradict those precepts forecited by Moses to confirme which supposition they say 1. The phrase here used must beare it out for as the Hebrew word signifieth as Pagninus noteth Morem aut modum aut consuetudinem and many other things as the place and the matter to be expressed do require because every equivocall word of various signification is not to be taken alike in all places but is to be interpreted secundum materiam subjectam yet the Septuagint that should know both the propriety of the word and the meaning of the Holy Ghost in that place as well as any other translate the word to signifie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Appareâ— nomen juris significare hic potestatem jure concessam Arnisaeus c. 1. p. 216. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and we know the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Septuagint useth and jus which the Latine useth is never taken in the worsâ—r sence the Scripture never using to call â—ices by the names of vertues or to give a right to any one to exercise tyranny which then might be better termed jus latronis because an unjust tyrant is no better then an open thiefe 2. There is nothing here set downe by Samuel that is simply forbidden by the Law of God but that any the very best Kings may do as the occasions shall requiâ—e for being a King he must have the royalty of his house supported and the necessities of his war supplied and you may read in Herodotus how Dioces after he was chosen King had all things granted unto him that were needfâ—ll to express his royall state and magnificence and here is nothing else in the text for if you marke it the Prophet saith not he should kill their sons nor ravish their wives nor yet take their daughters to be his Conâ—ubines which are the properties of a tyrant * Instat terribilis vivis morientibus haeres Virginibus raptor thalamis obscaenâ—s adulter Diâ—itâ—busque dies nox meâ—uenda maritis Quisquis vel locuples pulchra vel conjuge notus Crimini pulsatur falso si crimina desunt Accitus conviva perit mors nulla refugit Artificem Claudian de bello Gildon Bilson diff fol. 356. but he should take them to support his State and to maintain his war which as his necessities require is lawfull for him to do so that it is not the doing of those things but the motives that cause the King to do them or the manner of doing them that do make it either an unjust tyranny or the just right of a King for as Doctor Bilson saith kings may justly command the goods and bodies of all their Subjects in the time both of war and peace for any publique necessity or utility And Hugo de Sancto Victore saith Nunquam possessiones à regia potestate ita â—longari possunt quin si ratio postulaverit necessitas illis ipsa potestas debeat patrocinium illis ipsâ— possessiones debeant in necessitate obsequium And so most Authors say the Subjects ought to supply the kings necessities and he may justly demand what is requisite and necessary for his publique occasions and who shall judge of that necessity but his own conscience and God shall judge that conscience which doth unjustly demand what he hath no reason to require because the greatness of his authority gives him no right to transcend the rules of equity whereof both God and his conscience will be the impartiall Judges And therefore in Deut. Mâ—dus describitur res non prohibetur and in Samuel Jus ponitur ratio subintelligitur for many things may be prohibited in some respect that in other respects may be allowed and many things lawfull in some wayes which otherwayes may be most sinfull as it is most lawfull to drink ad satiâ—tatem but not ad â—briâ—tatem and many other the like things so it is lawfull for the king to do all that Samuel saith ad supplendam râ—ipubl necesâ—itatem supportandam regiam majestatem but not ad satisfaciâ—â—dum suo fastui luxâ—i luâ—ro vanitati aut carnali voluptati which is the thing that Moses forbiddeth So that in briefe the meaning is if the Subjects should be unwilling to do what Samuel saith then the king when just necessity requireth may for these lawfull ends lawfully assume them And if he takes them any other way or for any other end then so habet Deum judicem conscientiae ultorem injustitiae But then it may be said Ahab did not offend in taking away Naboths vineyard Ob. if Samuel did properly describe the right of kings I cannot say that Ahab sinned in desiring Naboths vineyard neither do I Ans sinde that the Prophet blames him for that desire there is not a word of that in the text but for killing Naboth and then taking possession for this he might not do the other he might do so he do it to a right end and in the right manner wherein he failed 1. In being so discontented for his denyal because his conscience telling 〈◊〉 sin him that he had no such urgent necessity whereby he could take it and Naboth being unwilling to sell it he should have beene satisfied 2. In suffering his wife whom he knew to be so wicked to proceed in her unjust course against Naboth 3. In going down to take possession when he knew that by his Wifes wicked Naboths fault practice the poore man was unjustly murdered when he should have rather questioned the fact and have punished the murderers And yet Ahabs sin doth not excuse Naboths fault both in the denyal of the Lex posterior derogat priori specialis generali ceremonialia atque forensia cedunt moralibus Kings right if the king had a just necessity to use it and also for his uncivil answer unto the King far unlike the answer of Arauna to King David but nearer like the answer of Nabal which the Holy Ghost seemes to take notice of when after he had said The LORD forbid it me which was rather a prayer and postulation that God would forbid it as we say absit when we hear of any displeasing likelyhood then any declaration of any inhibition of God to sell it who never denyed them leave to sell it until the yeare of redemption the Prophet tells us in the next verse that Naboth said I will not give thee the inheritance of my father 1 Reg. 21. 4. Which very answer seemes to be the cause why Ahab was so much displeased But whether this speech of Samuel sheweth the just right of a King what he might do or his power what he would do what belongs to him of equity or what his practice would be by tyranny I will not determine but I say that although it should not be a just rule for him to command yet it is a certain rule for
that e're long the King shall have but few Nobility when not onely the Mechanicks and Rusticks will all cry out against this Lordlinesse and say as they did in the rebellion of Jack Cade and Wat Tyler When Adam delv'd and Eve span Who was then the Gentleman And why should we now indure so many titles of vanity and so many vain honours to vapour it over us but the Puritan Clergy also seeing themselves deprived of their due honour and made all equall all as base as Jeroboams Priests will be apt enough to blow up this conceit and to put it into the Creed of all the vulgar that God made us all equall and to be Lords is but to be tyrants over their Brethren and the Presbytery whose pride could not obey the authority of their Bishops will not abide the superiority of any Lords but if they cannot Lord it themselves will be sure to take away the Lordship from all others And therefore if the Nobility be not wiser then to lay our honours in the dust as I see some about his Majesty that would faine be the Priests to bury it which meere policy though they wanted piety should prohibit they shall find that Jam tua res agitur paries cùm proximus ardet Virgil. Aeneid l. 1. When our Cottages are burnt their next Palaces shall not escape the fire but through our sides their Honours shall be killed and buried without honour 3. Jus legitimandi the right of legitimation belongs unto the King without 3. Jus legitimandi which legitimation the Lawyers tell us that as the world now standeth a mighty emolument would happen unto the Crown if the King granted not this grace to them that want it 4. Jus appellationes recipiendi the right of taking notice of causes and of judging 4. Ius appellationes recipiendi Act. 25. 11. the same by the last appeale definitively doth alwayes belong to the supreme Majesty because that as Saint Paul appealed unto Caesar so the last appeale is to the highest Soveraigne from whom there lyeth none appeale but onely to him that shall judge all the Judges of the earth 5. Jus restituendi in integrum the right to restore men attainted or banished 5. Honores restituendt or condemned to death unto their Country wealth and honour is likewise a part of the royall right So Osorius saith that Immanuel King of Portugall restored Osorius de rebus Imman p. 6. James son of Fernandus and his brother Diâ—nysius and others unto their forfeited honours and so not â—nely the Scripture sheweth how David pardoned 1 Reg. 2. 26. Absolon and Shimei two wicked Rebels and Solomon pardoned Abiathar that were all worthy of death but also Saint Augustine speaking of other Kings and Veniam criminosis indulgere Emperours saâ—th judicibus statuendum est ne liceat in reum datam sententiam revocare the Judges may not pardon a man condemned to death numquid ipse Imperator sub hac lege erit but shall not the Emperour or King pardon him are they likewise under this Law of restraint by no meanes Nam ipsi soli licet revocare sententiam reum mortis absolvere ipsi ignoscere for he and he alone that is the Emperour or King may revoke the sentence and absolve him that is guilty of death And so our King according to this his undenyable right hath most graciously and not seldome offered his pardon unto these intolerable Our kings unparallel'd elemency and piety towards the Rebels Rebels a pardon not to be parallel'd in any History nor to be beleived unlesse we had seen it that a man could be so far inclined to elemency and mercy as to remit such transcendent impiety which will render them the more odious both to God and man and their names the more infamous to all posterity that after they had filled themselves with all kind of wickednesse with incredible transgressions they should be found contemners of so favourable a pardon But though it be the Kings right to pardon faults and to restore offenders yet herein all Princes should take great heed especially when they have power 2. Sam. 3. 39. to take revenge for sometimes the sâ—nners may be like the sons of Zervia too strong for David how they pardon thâ—se great crimes that are committed to the dishonour of God and do so far provoke him to anger as to plague both the doers and the sufferers of them because that although they be sâ—luti legibus suis not Arnisaeus l. 1. c. 3. pag. â—9 bound to their own Lawes yet they are not soluti ratienâ— praeceptis divinis but they are bound to observe Gods Lawes and to punish the transgressors of his Commandments or if they do not when they can do it they shall render a strict account to God for all their omissions as they may see it in the example of King Saul 1 Sam. 15. 9. 6. Jus convocandi the right of calling Synods Parliaments Dyets and the 6. Jus convocandi Synodos Parliamenta c. like were the rights of the kings of Israel and are the just Prerogatives of the kings of England howsoever this saction of the Parliament hath sought to wrest it as they do all other rights out of the kings hands by their presumption to call their Schismaticall Synod to which they have no more colour of right then to call a Parliament 7. Jus excudendi the right of coyning mony to give it valxe to stampe his 7. Jus mone tas excudendi Matth. 22. 20. armes or his image upon it as our Saviour saith Whose Image and superscription is this and they say to him Caesars is the proper right of Caesar the prerogative of the king The second sort of the King 's right is circa Magistratus and containeth jurisdiction 2. About the Magistrates rule creation of officers appointing of circuits provinces judgements censures institution of Scholes and Colledges collation of dignities receiving of fidelities and abundance more whereof I intend not to speak at this time but refer my Reader to Arnisaeus de jure Majâ—statis if he desires to be informed of these particulars Arnâ—s l. 2 c 2 And as these and the like are jura Regalia the rights of Majesty in the time of peace so when peace cannot continue it doth properly belong unto the King and to none else but to him that hath the Soveraignty whose right it is alone to make war either to succour his allyes or to revenge great injuries or for any the like just causes and as he seeth cause to conclude Peace to send Ambassadours to negotiate with foreign States and the like are the rights of Kings and the indeleble Characters of Soveraignty which whosoever violateth and endeavoureth to purloin them from the King doth with Prometheus steal fire from Heaven which the Gods would not suffer as the Poets feign to go unrevenged And these
of themselves so any Statute that disinableth the Kings Government must needs be void ipso facto as I have partly shewed in my Discovery of Mysteries p. 32. 3. Because it may be beleived no King would ever grant such an act unless he were either subtilly deceived and seduced or forâ—ibly compelled thereunto for feare of some inavoidable extremity which according to all outward appearance could not otherwise be prevented without the concessions of such unspeakable disadvantages as a man gives away his sword when he seeth his life in danger if he deliver it not Therefore the premises considered 5. The Quaere is whether any King should be bound and obliged to 5. Quaere In all these Quaeries I conclude nothing whatsoever I beleive observe such grants and make good such Acts as are thus fraudulently obtained or forcibly wrested from him and are thus contradictory to Gods will thus prejudiciall to the power of Government and thus destructive to his Subjects which for the fore said reasons is by many men beleived he is not but that this right was unduly procured from him so when God inableth him he may justly acquire it and re-assume it without any offence to God or the least reluctancy to his own conscience And if this Act that hath passed in our Parliament makes it immediately to be no Parliament * As I know not whether it doth or not neither will I determine it as being now another forme of government which the Divines hold ought not to be effected then certainly all Acts that passed since are no Acts but are void and invalid of themselves Or be it granted that the Act for the perpetuity of Parliament doth not annul the Parliament yet it is doubted by many whether the Parliament may not themselves without the kings pronouncing it void or dissolved make it no Parliament when of Counsellors for the King they become Traytors unto the Quid prodest tibi nomen usurpare alienum vocari quod non es King and of Patriots that should protect the Common-wealth they become Parricides and Catilines unto the same because these duties being as the soul the life and the end of Parliaments when these are changed to be the bane and death of King and Kingdome it is doubted how it can be a Parliament any more then a dead carkase that is deprived of his soul can be said to be a man for the circumstances and ceremonies of times places and the like are not essentialia Parliamenti but as accidentia quae possunt adesse abesse sine interitis subjecti and may be ad benè esse but are as Punctilio's in respect of the end and essence of a Parliament And therefore as God promiseth infallibly to do a thing for example that He will not fail David his seed shall endure for ever and of Eli he said indeed Psal 89. 34. 1 Sam. 2. 30. that his house and the house of his father should walke before him for ever yet this unchangeable God when the change is wrought in David or his seed or in Eli his house David doth immediately say Thou hast abhorred and forsaken thine Anointed and art displeased at him and of his promise to Eli God Psal 89. 37. 1 Sam. 2. 30. saith in the same place now be it far from me so it may be conceived that when any Parliament changeth its nature faileth in its very being and of a I should never acknowledge Judas after he betrayed his master and resolved to persist in his wickednesse to be an Apostle of Jesus Christ no more then I should take the Temple of Jerusalem to be the house of God so long as it continued the den of theeves preservative becomes a poyson both to the King and Kingdome the King and Kingdome may then without any change in themselves or failing of their former promises justly say they are no Parliament but as the Romans said unto a worthy Patriot that had formerly saved them from the Senones and at last became an enemy to the State We did honour thee as our deliverer when thou didst save us from the Senones sed jam nobis es quasi unus ex Senonibus so may we say of any Parliament that turnes to be the destruction of a Common-wealth that it is but a shadow and no substance a den of theeves and no Parliament of Counsellours And I assure my selfe much more may be spoken and many in answerable arguments may be produced to confirm this to be most true so I have set down what I conceive to be true about the Kings grants and concessions unto his people and his obligations to observe them And if His Majesty whom I unfainedly love and heartily honour and in whose service as I have most willingly spent my slender fortunes so I shall as readily hazard my dearest life be offended with me for setting down any of these things that my conscience tells me to be true and needful to be known and my duty to declare them I must answer in all humility and with all reverence that remembring what Lucian saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 many men shunning the smoake fell into the fire and that Job saith Timentes pruinam opprimentur à nive which Saint Gregory moralizeth of them that fearing the frost of mans anger which they may tread under foot shall be overwhelmed with the snow of Gods vengeance that fals from Heaven and cannot be avoided I had rather suffer the anger of any mortal man then endure the wrath of the great God and now I have freed my soule let what will come of my body I will fear God and honour my King 5. We are to consider the end for which God ordained the King to rule and 5 The end for which God ordained Kings govern his people and that is to preserve justice and to maintain peace through out all the parts of his Dominions for as the Subjects may neither murmur nor resist heir Soveraign at any time for any cause so the King must not do any wrong or â—njustice to his meanest Subject neither do we presse the obedience of the Subject to give licence unto the King to use them as he listeth but we tell Kings their duties as well as we do to the Subjects and that is to doe justice unto the afflicted and to execute true judgement among all his people for as Plato saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 82. 3. Zâ—char 7 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all men cry out with one mouth how beautiful a thing is temperance and righteousnesse Cicero calleth her the Lady and Mistresse of all virtues and Pindarus saith that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a golden eye and a Cicero offic l. 3. golden countenance are always to be seene in the face of justice and that Jupiter Soter dwelleth together with Themis whereby he would give us to understand Pindar apad A then Cl. Alex and Sirom l. 5. regem
discharge it 1. Kings are called Gods and all the Royal Ensigns and Acts of Kings are ascribed 1. Feare to God as their Crown is of God whereupon they are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 crowned Psal 21. 3. Psal 18. 39. Judg. 7. 17. Exod. 4. 20. 17. 9. 1 Chron. 19. 21. 2 Chron. 19. 6. Sap. 17. 12. of God their sword is of God whereupon the Psalmist saith thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle their Scepter is the Scepter of God for so Moses rod which signifieth a Scepter as well as a rod is called the rod of God their throm is the throne of God and their judgment is the judgment of God and you know how often we are commanded in the Scripture to feare God and the Poet saith primus in orbe Deos fecit timor and where there is no feare of God there is no beleife that there is a God for feare is the betraying of the succours which reason offereth and when we have no reason to expect succour our reason tells us that we should feare that is the punishment which we deserved for those evils which deprived us of our suâ—cours and therefore this feare of the punishment The want of feare the cause of all mischiefe doth often times keep us from those evils even as the Scripture saith timor Domini expellit peccatum and the want of this feare is the cause of all mischief as the Prophet David sheweth when after he enumerated the most horrible sins of the wicked that their throat was an open sepulâ—her the poyson of aspes under their Rom. 3. 13. lips their mouth full of cursing and bitternesse and their feet swift to shed blood he addeth this as the cause of all that there was no feare of God before their eyes P. 14. V. 7. And truly this is the cause of all our calamities that we feare not our King for if we feared him we durst not Rebell and revile him as we do But what is the reason that we do so little fear either God or the king the Why men do so little sear God and the king Eccles 5. 6. son of Sirach sheweth it is their great mercy and clemency this which worketh love in all good natures produceth boldnesse impudency and Rebellion in all froward dispositions who therefore sin because God is merciful and will Rebel against their king because they know he is pitiful and milde and will grant them pardon as they beleive if they cannot prevaile which is nothing else but like spideâ—s to suck poyson out of those sweet flowers from whence the bees do gather hony but let them not deceive themselves for debet amor laesus irasci love too much provoked will wax most angry laesa patientia sit furor and therefore the son of Syrach saith concerning propitiation be not without Eccles 55 6. fear and say not his mercy is great for mercy and wrath come from him and his indignation resteth upon sinners so though our king be as the kings of Israel a merciful minded man most mild and clement yet now when he seeth how these Rebels have abused his goodnesse and his patience to the great sufferance of his best Subjects he can draw his sword and make it drunk in the bloud of the ungodly that have so transcendently abused both the mercies of God and the goodnesse of the King When diverse people had Rebelled against Tarquin and his son had surprised many of their chief leaders he sent unto his father to know what he should do with them the King being in his field paused a while and then summa Papavera carpsit with his staffe chopt off the heads of diverse weeds and thistles and gave the messenger none other answer but go and tell my son what I am doing and his Son understanding his meaning did with What Tarquin did to Rebels them as Tarquin did with the Poppies so many Kings would have done with these Rebels not out of any love to shed bloud but out of a desire to preserve Peace not for any natural inclination to diminish their Nobility by their decollation but from an earnest endeavour to suppresse the community from unnatural Rebellion ut poena in paucos metus adomnes that the punishment of some What effects the Kings clemency wrought might have bred fear in the rest and that fear of the King in them might keep his good Subjects from fear of being undone by them But all the World seeth our King is more merciful and hath sought all this while to draw them with the cords of love which hath bred more troubles to himself more afflictions to us and made them the more cruel and by their Oaths and Protestations Leagues and Covenants to do their best to bring the King and all his loyal Subjects into fear if they may not have their own desires But we are not afraid of these Bug-beares because we know this hath been the practice of all Rebels to linke themselves together with Leagues and Covenants as in the conjuration of Cateline and the holy league in France and the like and many such Covenants and Leagues have been made with Hell to the utter destruction of the makers as when more then forty men vowed solemnly and they intended to do it very cunningly that they would neither eat nor drinke until they had killed Act. 23. 12. Paul for so they might be without meat until the day of judgement if they would keep their Oath and so these Covenanters may undo themselves by such hardening their faces in their wickednesse because this sheweth they are grown The Rebels Covenants shew they are grown desperate desperate and are come to that pass that they have little hope to preserve their lives but by the hazarding of their soules as if they thought the Devil for the good service they desire to do him to overthrow the Church to destroy thousand souls may perchance do them this favour to preserve their lives for a time to bring to passe so great a worke whereas we know the Church is built upon a Rock and God hath promised to defend his Anoynted so that all the power of hell shall never prevail against any of these Wherefore to conclude this point seeing God hath put a sword into the hand of the king and the King bears not the sword in vain but though it be long Rom. 13. 4. in the sheath he can draw it out when He will and recompence the abuse of His lenity with the sharpnesse of severity let us fear or if you would not fear do well saith the Apostle return from your Rebellion and from all V. 3. your wicked wayes and you may yet finde grace because you have both a merciful God and a gracious king 2. As we are to feare so we are to reverence our King that is to have an 2. To have an high and good esteeme of our
of the liberty of the Subjects and suppressing tyranny shaked of the yoke of all true Obedience and dashed the rights of government all to pieces therefore as the law of God and the rules of his own conscience should keep every Christian King from exercising any unjust tyranny over his Subjects so if men will transcend the rules of true obedience the Kings Power and authority should keep them from transgressing the limits of their just liberty but this unlawfulnesse of resisting our lawful King I have fully proved in my Grand Rebellion and it is so excellently well done by many others that I shall but acta agere to say any more of it CHAP. XVII Sheweth how tribute is due to the King for six special reasons to be paid the condition of a lawful tribute that we should not be niggards to assist the King that we should defend the Kings Person the wealth and Pride of London the cause of all the miseries of this Kingdome and how we ought to pray for our King 4. TRibute is another right and part of that honour which we owe unto our King Negotia â—nim infinita sustinet equabile jus omnibus administrat The great charge of Princes periculum à republica cùm necessitas postulat armis virtute propulsâ—t bonis praemiâ— pro dignitate constituit imprâ—bos suppliciorum acerbitate coâ—rcet patriam denique universam ab externis hostibus ab intestinis fraudiâ—us tutam vigilantia sua praestat haec quidem munera aut opere tuetur aâ—t quoties opus fuerit tuenda susciâ—it qui autem existimat haec tam multa munera sine maâ—imis sumptibus sustineri posse mentis expers est atque vitae communis ignarus â— ideirco hoc quod communi more receptum est ut reges populi sumptibus alantur Osorius de rebus Emanuel lib. 1â— p. 386. nâ—n est humanâ— tant ù◠jure sed etiam diuino vallatum saith eloquen Osorius â—or he undergoeth infinite affaires he administreth equal right to all his people he expelleth and keepeth away from the Common-wealth all dangers when necessity requireth both with armes and prowesse he appointeth rewards to the good and faithful according to their deserts he restraineth the wiâ—ked with the sharpnesse and severity of punishments and he preserveth his Country and Kingdome safe by his care and watchfulnesse both from Forraigne foes and intestine frauds and these offices he dischargeth indeed and undertaketh to discharge them as often as any need requireth And he that thinketh that all these things so many and so great affaires can be discharged without great cost and charge is void of understanding and ignorant of the common course of liâ—e and therefore this thing which is received by a common custom that Kings should be assisted and their royalty maintained by the publick charge of the people is not onely allowed by humane law but is also confirmed by the divine right Men should therefore consider that the occasions of Kings are very great abroad for intelligence and correspondency with Foreign States that we may reap the fruit of other Nations vent our own commodities to our best advantage and be guarded secured and preserved from all our outward enemies and at home to support a due State answerable to his place to maintain the publique justice and judgements of the whole Kingdom and an hundred such like occasions that every private man cannot perceive and think you that these things can be done without meanes without money if you still pour out and not pour in your bottle will be soon empty and the Ocean sea would be soon dried up if the Rivers did not still supply the same and therefore not onely Deioces that I speak of before when he was elected King of the Medes caused them to build him a most stately Palace and the famous City of Ecbatana and to give him a goodly band of select men for the safeguard of his Person and to provide all other things sitting for the Majesty of a King and all the other Kings of the Gentiles did the like as well they might if it be true that some of them thought Quicquid habet locâ—ples quicquid custodit avarus Jure quidem nostrum est populo concedimus usum Gunterus But also Solomon and all the rest of the Kings of Israel required no small aid 1 Reg. 12. 4. Tertul. to 3. de pudicit c. 9. Pamel in Tertul and tribute from their Subjects for though Tertullian out of Deut. 23. 17. reads it there shall not be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vectigal pendens a payer of tribute of the sons Israel yet Pamelius well observes it that these words are not in the original but are taken by him out of the septuagint which also saith not of the sons but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the daughters of Israel that is ex impudicitia lupanaribus for their dishonesty as it is said in the next verse that the hire of a whore and the price of a dog are an abomination unto the Lord and so S. Augustine useth the Deut. 23. 18. Aug. de Civit. deâ— l. 10. c. 9. word Teletae for those unchaste sacrifices wherewith such women did oblige themselves and so doth Theodoret likewise but that the Jewes paid tribute it is manifest out of 1 Sam. 17. 24. where this reward is promised to him that killed Goliah that his father's house should be absque tributo free from all tribute 1 Sam. 17. 25. in vulgata editione 2. reg 11. 28. in Israel therefore certainly they paid tribute and to make it yet more plain Solomon appointed Jeroboam super tributa universae domûs Joseph saith the vulgar latine over all the charge or burthen of the house of Joseph that is of the tribe of Ephraim and Manasses as our translation reads it and he appointed Adoniram the Son of Abda over the tribute 1. Reg. Barrad to 2. l. 5. c. 21. p. 340. 4. 6. Yea though the Jewes were the people of God and thought themselves free and no wayes obliged to be taxed by foreign Princes that were Ethnicks yet after Pompey took their City they paid tribute to the Romans and our Saviour Josephus l. 15. c. 18. bids us not onely to obey but also to render unto Caesar what is Caesar's that is not determining the quota pars how much as he doth the tenth unto the Priest but indefinitely some part of our goods for subsidies imposts aids loanes or call it by what name you will and rather then himself would omiâ— this duty though he never wrought any other miracle about money yet herein when he had never a peny he would create money in the mouth of a fish as S. Barrad to 2. l. 10. c. 32. p. 317. Hierom and the interlin glosse do think and command the fish to pay tribute both for himself and his Apostle Therefore we should render unto Caesar what is
Caesar's that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Greekes take promiscuously though the Civilians distinguish them de solo fundo de bonis mobilibus de mercibus of our grounds of our goods of our merchandize we ought to pay subsidies aid and tribute unto our King and that not sparingly nor by way of benevolence as if it were in our power to do it or not to do it sed ex debito but as his due jure divino regulâ— justitiae as his proper importance annexed unto his Crown for I take it infallibly true which Suarâ—z saith acceptationem Suarez de leg l. 5. c. 17. n. 3. sol 316. Tribute due to the King populi non esse conditionem necessariam tributi ex vi juris naturalis aut gentium neque ex jure communi quia obligatio pendendi tributum it à naturalis est principi per se orta ex ratione justitiae ut non possit quis excusari propter apparentem injustitiam vel nimium gravamen the consent of the people is not any necessary condition of tribute because the obligation of paying it is so natural springing out of the reason of justice that none can be excused for any apparent injustice or grievance and therefore the Parliaments that are the highest representations of any Kingdome do not contribute any right unto Kings to challenge tribute but do determine the quota pars and to further the more equal imposing and collecting of that which is due unto Kings by natural and original justice as a part of that proper inheritance which is annexed unto their Crownes And therefore our Saviour doth not say give unto Caesar but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the same word which S. Paul useth when he biddeth us to pay Matth. 22. Rom. 13. Latimer in Mat. 22. 21. our debts and to owe nothing to any man saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pay to every man that which you owe and Father Latimer saith if we deny him tribute custome subsidie tallage taxes and the like aid and support we are no better then Theeves and steale the kings dues from him because Navar. apud Suarez de legibus sol 300. sol 311. the Law testifieth tributa esse maximè naturalia praese ferre justitiam quia exiguntur de rebus propriis and Suarez saith penditur tributum ad sustentationem principis ad satisfaciendum naturali obligationi in dando stipendium justum laborauti in nostram utilitatem tribute is most naturall and just to be paid to the king for our own good therefore Christ pleading for the right of Caesar that was a Tyrant saith not give unto him quia petit because he demands it but pay unto him quae illius sunt the things that are his and are due unto him even as due as the hirelings wages which we are commanded not to detain for Deut. 24. 15. one night because this is a part of that reward and wages which God alloweth him for all his pains and cares that he takes to see Justice administred in the time of Peace and to protect us from our enemies in the time of War which makes the life of kings to be but a kind of splendid misery wearing many times with Christ a Crown of Thornes a Crown full of cares while we lap our heads in beds of downe and therefore it is not only undutifulnesse to deny him or unthankefulnesse not to requite the great good that he doth unto us but it is also a great injustice especially if we consider that as Ocham saith Qui est dominus aliquarum personarum est Dominus rerum ad easdem personas spectantium omnia quae sunt in regno sunt regis quoad potestatem utendi eiâ— pro bono communi Ocha tract 2. l. â— c. 22. 25. to detain that right from him which God commands us to pay unto him and that indeed for our own good as Menenius Agrippa most wittily shewed unto the People of Rome when they murmured and mutined for these taxes that whatsoever the stomach received either from the hand or mouth it was all for the benefit of the whole body so whatsoever the King receiveth from the People it is for the benefit of the people and it is like the waters that the Sea receiveth from the Rivers which is visibly seen passing into the Ocean but invisibly runneth through the veines of the earth into the Rivers again so doth all that the King receiveth from the People return some way or other unto the People again And there be six speciall reasons why or to what end we should pay these dues unto the King 1. For the Honour of his Majesty Six reasons for which we pay Tribute unto the king 2. For the security of his Person 3. For the protection of his Kingdome 4. For the succour of his confederates 5. For the securing of our 1. Goods 2. Estates 3. Lives 6. For the propagating of the Gospel and defence of our Religion But for the further clearing of this point you must know that every just and Lawfull tribute must have these three essential conditions that are proprietates constitutivae 1. Legitima potestas that is the Kings power to require it Three conditions of every lawfull Tribute 2. Justa causa an urgent necessity or need of it 3. Debita portio a due proportion according to the Kings necessities and the peoples abilities that he be not left in need nor the people overcharged For As the Subjects are thus bound to supply the necessities of their King so the King is not to over-charge his Subjects for the King should be the Shepheard of his People as David calls himself and Homer tearmeth all good Kings and not the devourer of his people as Achilles calleth Agamemnon for the unreasonable Kings should not overcharge their Subjects taxes that he laid upon them therefore good Kings have been very sparing in this point for Darius inquiring of the Governours of his Provinces whether the tributes imposed upon them were not too excessive and they answering that they thought them very moderate he commanded that they should raise but the one half thereof which had Rehoboam bin so wise to do he had not lost A worthy speech of Lewis 9. ten parts of his Kingdome and Lewis the ninth of France which they say was the first that raised a tax in that Kingdome directing his speech to his Son Philip and causing the words to be left in his Testament which is yet to be found Registred in the chamber of accounts said be devout in the service of God have a pittifull heart towards the poore and comfort them with thy good deeds observe the good Lawes of thy Kingdome take no taxes nor benevolences of thy Subjects unlesse urgent necessity and evident commodity force thee to it and then upon a just cause and not usually if thou doest otherwise thou shalt not be accounted a king but a
put away their strange Wives according to the Law The second of Christians and indeed of most Christian Kings and Princes that is of Queene Elizabeth's assisting the Hollanders against the King of Spain and of King Charles assisting the Rochellers against the King of France To both which examples and all other things that are conteined either in the Covenant it selfe or the exhortation of the Assembly thereunto annexed I do understand there shall be a full and a perfect answer made by one that hath undertaken the same ex professo yet give me leave in the interim to say this much 1. What vows and covenants are allowable First touching Covenants and Vowes it is plain enough that although the superior may with Ezra cause the inferior to Vow or swear the performance of his duty that he is bound by the law of God and nature to performe Gen. 24. 3. so Abraham caused his servant to swear fidelity when he sent him for Isaack's Wife And so the King may cause his Subjects to take the Oath Numb 20. per totum of their Allegiance and the lawful General cause his Souldiers to swear their fidelity unto him yet the inferior subject can not swear or if he swears he ought not to observe it when he doth it contrary to the command of him that hath command over him as you may see in Numb 30. throughout Therefore as children may not vow any thing though it be never so lawful contrary to their Fathers command or if they do they ought not to keepe it so no more may any Subject Vow or make a Covenant contrary to their Kings command or if they do they ought not to observe it and they are as you see absolved by God himself If you say Ezra and the Jewes did it contrary to the command of Artaxerxes Ob. Sol. 1 that was then their King I answer that it is most false for 1. Ezra was the Priest Nehem. 8. 2. and 9. and the chief Prince that was then over them and Nehemiah had his authority from the King and he was the Tirshatha that is their governour saith the text Nehem. 10. 1. and therefore they might lawfully cause them to take that Covenant 2. They had the leave and a large commission from Artaxerxes to do all that they did as you may see * See Ezra 7. 11. 22 c. 3. For so the text saith Let it be done according to the Law Ezra 10. 3. neither can you finde any syllable that Artaxerxes forbad them to do this in any place 3. This Covenant of Ezra and his people and Nehemiah's was to do those things that they had covenanted before to do which God had expresly commanded them to do and which they could not omit though they had not covenanted to do it without great offence so if our covenanters swear they will serve God and be loyal unto their King as they vowed in their baptisme they shall never finde me to speak against them but to propose a lawfull Covenant to do those things that God commandeth and is made with the leave and commission of the supreme Prince to justifie an unlawfull Covenant to do those things that were never done before never commanded by God but forbidden both by God and especially by the King in the expressest termes and most energeticall manner that might be is such a piece of Divinity as I never read the like and such an argument a dissimili that never schollar produced the like 2. The examples of Queen Elizabeth and King Charles answered 1. By way of Divinity 2. For the examples of Queen Elizabeth and King Charles assisting Subjects for their Religion sake against their lawfull Princes two things may be said the one in Divinity the other in Policy First for Divinity I say vivendum est praeceptis non exemplis we have the sure word of God to teach us what we should do and no examples unless they be either commended or allowed in Gods word ought to be any infallible patterne for us to follow 2. By way of Policy Secondly for Policy which may be justified to be without iniquity I doubt not but those men which knew the secrets of State and were privy to the causes of their actions are able to justifie the proceedings of these Princes in their assistance which perhaps they did not so much simply in respect of their Religion as of some other State Policy which we that are so far from the helme have no reason to prie unto Besides you may know that neither King Charles nor Queen Elizabeth were Subjects to the other Kings but were every way their equall if not more and independent Princes And to bring the actions of such absolute Monarchs the one How wickedly they deceive the simple against the other to justifie the actions of Subjects against their Soveraigne is such Logick as the other example was Divinity Queen Elizabeth did so against the King of Spain ergo any Subject may do so against his king or rather Queen Elizabeth did that which for ought we know was most lawfull to be done against the king of Spain ergo the Earl of Essex may do that which we do know to be most unlawfull against King Charles This is the doctrine that they teach their Proselytes but that they give this poyson in a golden cup and hide their falsehood under a shew of truth but I hope ere long you shall have these things more fully manifested unto you CHAP. XX. Sheweth how the Rebellious Faction for swore themselves what trust is to be given to them how we may recover our peace and prosperity how they have unking'd the Lords anointed and for whom they have exchanged him and the conclusion of the whole AND now having committed all these things and much more wickednesse then I though I had the tongue of Angels can expresse I am perswaded many of them seeing the miraculous mercies of our God in protecting and assisting His Majesty far beyond their thoughts and imaginations do begin to think on peace and accommodation which they presuming on the Kings lenity made sure to themselves whensoever they pleased and indeed dâ—lce nomen pacis and the Esay 52. 7. feet of them that bring tydings of peace are more specious then the fairest countenance Psal 85. 10. Rom. 1. 7. 1 Cor. 3. 2 Cor. 2. c. of Aurora then the sweet face of Helen But seeing righteousnesse and peace have kissed each other and the Apostle joyneth grace and peace alwayes together as two deare friends saith S. Aug. so deare that si amicam pacis non amaveris neque te amabit pax ipsa and these men are filled with all unrighteousnesse and have trampled the grace of God and their King under feet and having sworne and forsworne themselves over and over as at their baptisme that they would keep Gods Commandments whereof this is one to be obedient unto our Rom.
with us to the comfort of our King and the glory of our God through Jesus Christ our Lord To whom with his Father and the Holy Spirit be all honour thanks prayse and dominion for ever and ever Amen Amen Jehovae liberatori FINIS Errata PAge â— lin 35. dele not p. 5. l. 50. for make r. made p. 9. l. 23. for hand r. had p. 27. l. 53. dele can p. 39. l. 25. r. right to be p. 51. l. 54. r. this day p. 54. l. 37. dele and p. 61. l. 21. r. that denyed repentance p. 62. l. â—â— r. the same hope p. â—5 l. 18. for justice r. injustice p. 106. l. 49. for ye r. yet The Contents of the severall Chapters contained in the RIGHTS of KINGS CHAP. I. Sheweth who are the fittest to set down the Rights which God granted unto Kings what causeth men to rebell the parts considerable in S. Peter's words 1 Pet. 2. 17. in fine How Kings honoured the Clergy the faire but most false pretences of the refractary Faction what they chiefly ayme at and their malice to Episcopacy and Royalty Pag. 1 CHAP. II. Sheweth what Kings are to be honoured the institution of Kings to be immediately from God the first Kings the three chiefest rights to kingdoms the best of the three Rights how Kings came to be elected and how contrary to the opinion of Master Selden Aristocracy and Democracy issued out of Monarchy 7 CHAP. III. Sheweth the Monarchicall Government to be the best forme the first Government that ever was agreeable to Nature wherein God founded it consonant to Gods own Government the most universally received throughout the world the immediate and proper Ordinance of God c. 11 CHAP. IV. Sheweth what we should not do and what we should do for the King the Rebels transgressing in all those how the Israelites honoured their persecuting King in Egypt how they behaved themseves under Artaxerxes Ahashuerus and under all their own Kings of Israel c. 17 CHAP. V. Sheweth how the Heathens honoured their Kings how Christ exhibited all due honour unto Heathen and wicked Kings how he carried himself before Pilate and how all the good Primitive Christians behaved themselves towards their Heathen Persecuting Emperours 23 CHAP. VI. Sheweth the two chiefest duties of all Christian Kings to whom the charge and preservation of Religion is committed three several opinions the strange speeches of the Disciplinarians against Kings are shewed and Viretus his scandalous reasons are answered the double service of all Christian Kings and how the Heathen Kings and Emperours had the charge of Religion 27 CHAP. VII Sheweth the three things necessary for all Kings that would preserve true Religion how the King may attain to the knowledge of things that pertain to Religion by His Bishops and Chaplains and the calling of Synods c. 34 CHAP. VIII Sheweth it is the right of Kings to make Ecclesiasticall Lawes and Canons proved by many authorities and examples that the good Kings and Emperours made such Lawes by the advice of of their Bishops and Clergy and not of their Lay-Counsellors how our late Canons came to be annulled c. 40 CHAP. IX Sheweth a full answer to four speciall Objections that are made against the Civill jurisdictions of Ecclesiasticall persons their abilities to discharge these offices and desire to benefit the Common-wealth why some Councels inhibited these Offices unto Bishops c. 47 CHAP. X. Sheweth that it is the Kings right to grant Dispensations for Pluralities and Non-residency what Dispensation is reasons for it to tolerate divers Sects or sorts of Religions the foure speciall sorts of false Professors S. Augustines reasons for the toleration of the Jewes toleration of Papists and of Puritans and which of them deserve best to be tolerated among the Protestants and how any Sect is to be tolerated 56 CHAP. XI Sheweth where the Protestants Papists and Puritans do place Soveraignty who first taught the deposing of Kings the Puritans tenet worse then the Jesuites Kings authority immediately from God the twofold royalty in a King the words of the Apostle vindicated from false glosses c. 64 CHAP. XII Sheweth the assistants of Kings in their Government to whom the choice of inferiour Magistrates belongeth the power of the subordinate officers neither Peeres nor Parliament can have Supâ—emacy the Sectaries chiefest argument out of Bracton answered our Lawes prove all Soveraignty to be in the King 70 § The two chiefest parts of the Regall Government the foure properties of â— just war and how the Parliamentary Faction transgress in every property 74 CHAP. XIII Sheweth how the first Gouernment of Kings was arbitrary the places of Moses Deut. 17. and of Samuel 1 Sam. 8. discussed whether Ahab offended in desiring Naboths Vineyard and wherein why absolute power was granted unto Kings and how the diversities of Gouernment came up 78 § The extent of the grants of Kings what they may and what they may not grant what our Kings have not granted in seven speciall prerogatives and what they have granted unto their people 83 CHAP. XIV Sheweth the Kings grants unto His People to be of three sorts Which ought to be observed the Act of excluding the Bishops out of Parliament discussed the Kings Oath at His Coronation how it obligeth him and how Statutes have been procured and repealed 88 § Certain quaeries discussed but not resolved the end for which God ordained Kings the praise of a just rule Kings ought to be more just then all others in three respects and what should most especially move them to rule their people justly 92 CHAP. XV. Sheweth the honour due to the king 1. Feare 2. An high â—steem of our king how highly the Heathens esteemed of their kings the Marriage of obedience and authority the Rebellion of the Nobility how haynous 3. Obedience foure-fold divers kindes of Monarchs and how an absolute Monarch may limit himselfe 98 CHAP. XVI Sheweth the answer to some objections against the obeying of our Soveraigne Magistrate all actions of three kindes how our consciences may be reformed of our passive obedience to the Magistrates and of the kings concessions how to be taken 104 CHAP. XVII Sheweth how tribute is due to the king for six speciall reasons to be paid the condition of a lawfull tribute that we should not be niggards to assist the king that we should defend the Kings Person the wealth and pride of London the cause of all the miseries of this Kingdome and how we ought to pray for our king 116 CHAP. XVIII The persons that ought to honour the king and the recapitulation of 21 wickednesses of the Rebells and the faction of the pretended Parliament 121 CHAP. XIX Sheweth how the Rebellious faction have transgressed all the ten Commandments of the Law and the new Commandment of the Gospell how they have committed the seaven deadly sins and the foure crying sins and the three most destructive sins to the soul of man and how their