God out of their hearts as the Gergezites drove Christ Little fear of God in them that expell their Pâ—iâ—sts oâ—t of their societies out of their Coasts when they expell Aaron the chief Priest or Bishop out of their Assemblies there is but little fear of God before their eyes for if Seneca that was but Nature's Schollar could tell us that when we go about any wicked Act a grave Cato or severe Aristides standing by us would mâ—ke us blush and stop the doing thereof thereof then certainly the Christian that hath any grace will be ashamed of his evill intent and be afraid to offend God when he seeth a man of God so near him who doth oftentimes ponere obicem make a stop to stay the proceedings of the wicked that would not seldom be farre worse and do more unjustice if it were not for the company and perswasions of the Priest and Preacher And therefore the former ages that feared God more then we and were The wisdom of the former age wiser to use this means that they might fear him desired that in their greatest Assemblies of greatest affairs as Sessions Councels Parliaments and the like the Bishops and Preachers might be as the chief members of their consultations as well to witnesse the uprightnesse of their actions as to direct them in cases of conscience what is most agreeable to the divine constitution And wheresoever you see the expulsion of these men and the rejection of The â—xpussion of-Bishops the cause of mâ—ny subsâ—qâ—ient mischiefs these helps and furtherances unto godlinesse you shall find no good success nor better fruit of their greatest Counsels than Sedition Oppression Confusion and Rebellion For it is not the least part of the Bishops office and the duty of all Preachers not onely in the Pulpit where what they say is of many men soon forgotten but also in all other meetings and assemblies and in the very instances when occasion shall be offered to do as Christ and his Apostles did perswade peace righteousnesse and obedience unto the people and the want of their association hath been the opening of many gaps to let in much injustice and impiety in many places because their present perswasion may do as much if not more good with men when they are in action then their preaching can do when they come to contemplation And therefore if any assembly hath like Corah rebelled against Aaron and cast their Bishops and Preachers out of doores I would advise them to follow the Counsell of Saint Ambrose in the like case Quod inconsultò fecerunt consultiùs revocetur what they have inconsiderately done to throw them out let them more advisedly revoke and call them in again and they whose breeding hath been in knowledge and their calling is to do justice and to teach truth will help and not hinder them to understand the truth and to proceed in righteousnesse And so you see who these men were in regard of their places CHAP. III. Sheweth the assured testimonies of a good and lawful Governour their qualifications our duties to them and wherein our obedience to them consisteth SEcondly we are to consider Qâ—ales fuere how these men were qualified 2. How these Governours were qualified for their places 2. Points discussed 1. How they obtained their places Many usurp their places for their places touching which these two points are to be handled 1. Modus assumendâ— the manner of obtaining it 2. Facultas exequendi the ability and fidelity of discharging it 1. I told you before that many do obtain their places by sinful means as many of the Popes and Roman Emperours by poysoning and murthering their Predecessours have unlawfully stept the Thrones of Majesty and so did Henry the fourth by the unjust deposition of Richard the second and Richard the third by the cruell and secret murthering of his poor innocent Nephewes attain unto the Crown of England And in such manner of assuming government there is just cause of resisting and a fair colour of rebelling against them if you call it a Rebellion when men discharge their duties in defeâ—ce of justice to oppose usurpation But neither Moses nor Aaron came so to the places of their government For 1. Moses had a double testimony to approve his calling to be from 1 Moses hâ—d â— twofold testimony to justifie his calling God The first was Laternum to assure himself And the second was Externum to confirm the same unto the people For 1. When Moses said unto God Who am I that I should goe unto Pharaoh 1. Inward The Lord answered I will be with thee ad protegendum derigendum saith the glosse and this shall be a token unto thee that I have sent thee After that you have brought the people out of Egypt you shall serve God upon this Mountain and that may assure thee that I have sent thee and will bring thy people unto Canaan as I have brought them into this wildernesse 2. That the people might be assured he was lawfully called God gave 2. Outward which was a threefolâ— sign 1. Oâ— his Rod. unto him a threefold sign 1. Of his Rod that being cast to the ground was turned to a Serpent but taken by the tayle it turned to a Rod again to shew that when the rod of Government is thrown out of the Magistrates hand the people are People without government like Serpents like the brood of Serpents a malicious and a viperous generation but being taken into the hand of government they prove a royal and a glorious Nation 2. The hand thrust into his bosom and taken out was Ieprous but 2. Of the Hand thrust again and taken out was made whole to signisie that a good Magistrate out of the bosom of the Law must pull out the hand of justice both to wound and to heal to kill and to make alive as the Poeâ— saith Parcere subjectis debellare superbos To defend the innocent and to punish the wrong doer 3. The water taken out of the river and cast upon the dry ground 3. Of the Water should be turned into blood to intimate unto them that the blood which was spilt by Pharaoh when their children were murthered and drowned in the Rivers should be required and revenged upon the Aegyptians when by the government of Moses the carkasses of those outragious oppressours should be cast out of the Red Sea and laid upon the dry ground Thus Moses shewed that he was lawfully called 2. For Aaron the Apostle makes him the pattern of all lawful entrance 2. Aarons calling justified Heb. 5. into this Calling when he saith that No man taketh this honour upon him but he that is called as Aaron was and Mosâ—s manifested the lawfulnesse of his calling unto all Israel when according to the number of their twelve Tribes he caused 12. Rods to be put in the Tabernacle of witness and of all them the Rod of Aaron only which
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
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
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
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
into the time past you shall find that as Cicero saith Fuit quaedam ab infinito tempore aeternitas quam nulla Cicero de Nat. Deorum l. 1. circumscriptio temporum metiebatur there hath been a certain Eternity from an inâ—inite space of time which no circumscription of time could measure sed qualis ea spatio fuerit intelligi non potest but what manner of space that should be cannot be understood quod nec in cogitationem quidem cadit ut fuerit tempus aliquod nullum cum tempus esseâ— neither can it fall into the thought of man to consider truly how any time should be when as yet there was no time but also if you look forward into the time to come you shall find that when there shall be neither Sun nor Moon which are appointed to be the measure of time yet there will be an endless infinite space of time that cannot be terminated And Apuleius the Platonist saith that time iâ— but the Image of Eternity and What time is and how expressed Apuleius de dogm Platonis that time moveth but Eternity moveth not being naturally fixed and eternally immoveable and also that time passeth towards Eternity and endeth in the Perfection thereof the time being dissolved whensoever the Creator of this world pleaseth but Eternity abiding for ever And in this respect the Egyptians that taught all by Hierogliphicks represented Eternity how expressed Eternity by a Circle which had neither beginning nor ending and for the same cause Numa Pompilius that was unto the Romans as Moses was unto the Jews the Author of all their Religion and Religious Ceremonies and others the ancient Pontifices of the Romans erected their Temples which they dedicated unto their gods whom they conceived to be eternal in a circular form and Mercurius Trismegistus one of the most ancient Philosophers that we read of expressed this Eternity by an intellectual Sphaere whose Center is every where and Circumference no where because Eternity cannot be bounded within any compass nor terminated by any Limits And the difference which these wise men assigned betwixt Eternity and Perpetuity The difference betwixt Eternity and Perpetuity is this that Eternity is that which hath neither beginning of dayes nor end of time as is God alone and none else but perpetuity is that which though it had a beginning yet it shall never have an end as are the Angels both good and bad and the Soules of all men both the righteous and unrighteous And therefore it is naturally ingrafted in the Soul of every man to affect perpetuity All men desire perpetuity and to be united to Eternity and to desire to have an Union and Communion with God which is Eternity because as S. August saith God made us for himself that we might be perpetually with him ideo irrequietum est cor nostrum donec requiescat in â—o and therefore as no Element no thing can rest satisfied and contented until it cometh to its own proper place as the fire to be on high and the stone to come to the bottom so our hearts can never attain to any true rest until they do rest in God and nothing in the world can satisfie the mind of man but that which is above man neither can all the Gold of Ophir all the Sand of Tagus all the Treasures of Egypt all the riches of the World and all the allectives under Heaven make a proportionable Object to satisfie the Soul of man for seeing as some Philosophers have observed the heart of man is after a sort made triangle wise and the world circular therefore as a Globe can never fill a triangular figure so no more can the whole world replenish the vast corners and the illimited desires of mans heart Therefore the very Heathens that knew no more of â—od than what Nature taught them had an earnest desire to attain unto an Union with this Eternity as How the heathens affected to have an union with Eternity we read how Cleombrotus hearing the Philosophers discoursing of the excellency of Eternity and the Felicity of the soul united unto the Deity in an over-hasty desire of this Unition tumbled himself voluntarily to death that his soul might presently enjoy that happy Life and Socrates smiled upon his Hemlock that his Adversary gave him to dispatch his life while he assured himself that it would send him from this mortal Frailty unto eternal felicity And not only these particular men and the like learned Philosophers and wisest sorâ— of men but we read also how those famous Nations of the Brachmans Indians Persians and indeed all other Pagans whatsoever had this desire of Immortality and Eternity imprinted in their hearts by the pen of Nature Why they desired perpetuity And no marvel for as thou canst not like so well of the longest Lease of thy House or Lands as of the Free-hold and Perpetuity so there can be no true rest nor any satisfying content in any transient thing but only in that which is perpetual for when we have improved our Ambition to our own content even to the height of our hearts desire and have attained to so much happiness as this world can afford us and are become the only men both in Court and Countrey both in Church and State and as able to do so much in the Ecclesiastical Affairs as Eusebius Bishop of Nicomedia could do with Constantius the Arian Emperor and as much in the Political State as Haman could do with Ahasuerus Sejanus with Tiberius or Hebraem Bassa with Saladine the Great Turk who were the only Favourites that were most powerful with these great Monarchs and as dearly beloved of them as Ephestion was of Alexander or more than this could we come to be the Pope that challengeth to be the Head of the Church or to be such a Monarch as was Alexander Nebuchadâ—ezzar or the most Illustrious of all the Rom. Emperours yet then we may be cut off with Belshazzar in the midst of our dayes or if we can be permitted to spin the Thread of our Lives to the fulness of years yet at last and that soon enough time and age will take us down and we shall bring our years to an end even as a Tale that is told and then as Job saith the eye that saw us shall see us no more and the men that feared us shall fear us no more but seeing that as Solomon saith a living Dog is better than a dead Lion the poor living Snakes that are now â—ode upon by the Tyrants and Oppressors of this world may then tread upon the Graves and trample upon the necks of their greatest persecuters even as Diogenes did upon those buried Kings and Princes amongst whom he sought for the bones of King Philip but could not distinguish them from the bones of a Peasant But what of that What matter of all this when as the Divinity of the School of Epicures is that after death