Then kings leaue of to be Princes when as such as ought to obey them cōtemne their lawes Therefore it is a principal point of obedience to obserue lawes and to doe that which is commaunded But some peraduenture will say must we obey the Prince in all things hee commaundeth Is there no exception What if he commaunde that which is against Gods commaundment The answere is easie and common There is no powre giuen to any man saith Basill either to cōmaund that which God hath forbidden or to forbid that which God hath commaunded therefore if any such cōmaundement happen to be thou must answere with the Apostles in the Acts that it is better to obey God then men But take this with thée also which Hierome noteth vpon this place that this Rule doth not onely belong to that obedience which is required in the Subiect towards the magistrate but in that also which is required in Seruants towards their Maisters in wiues towards their Husbands in Children towards their Parents for neither must the seruaunt obey his maister nor the wife her husband nor children their parents in those things which are contrary to Gods cōmaundements And therefore measure thy obedience towards the Prince and Magistrate by that which thou thy selfe requirest of thy seruant wife or children Certaine it is that thou must obey Magistrates and Lawes in all thinges not contrary to the word of God The second poynte of Obedience is to pray for Magistrates The people of GOD being in captiuitie were commaunded to pray for the long life of the King of Babilon and of his sonne S. Paul exhorteth that aboue all thinges praiers supplications intercessions and giuing of thankes bee made for all men for Kinges and those that are in authori tie Tertulian testifieth that in his time the Christians in all their assemblies prayed for the Emperours and Potentates of this world The people of God were commaunded to pray for Nabuchadonezer a forraine King and a Tyrant S. Paul exhorteth to pray for Kinges and Princes when they were as Augustine not̄eth enemies to the Church of Christ. The Christians in Tertulians time prayed for their Emperours and Magistrates being persecutors and shall not wee praie and exhorte to praie for her Maiestie our naturall Prince mercifull Christian and a constant defendor of the true Religion of the Church of Christ Here then is the Bishop of Rome condemned who is so far from praying for Princes that he curseth them and prayeth against them if they displease him neuer so little Likewise those fantasticall spirits are likewise here reprooued which dissalow and mislike this manner of yerelie celebrating this day to giue God thankes for the great and wonderfull benefits which we enioy thorough his goodnes by the ministerie of her Maiestie whome it pleased him as this day fiue and twentie yeares to place in the Throne of this Kingdome and to praie vnto him for her long life and prosperitie as though wee did it superstitiouslie or dedicated the day vnto her as to some Sainct whereas in deede wee doe but our duetie and that which is most lawfull for vs to doe Mardocheus as wee reade in the booke of Hester without anie expresse commaundement of God ordeyned that the Iewes shoulde yere lie celebrate and keepe holie the foureteenth and fifteenth day of the moneth Ader in remembrance of the deliuering of the Iewes by the ministerie of Hester from the blouddie conspiracie of Hammon And is it not lawfull for vs to celebrate this day and to dedicate it vnto God which by the ministery of Queene Elizabeth hath not onlie deliuered vs from the crueltie and tyranny of the Bishop of Rome but also opened vnto vs the dore of his Gospell and as yet keepeth it open and hath further giuen vnto vs that peace tranquillitie and aboundance of all thinges that of all people in the worlde wee are thought to bee the most happie and as it were an astonishment to our enemies But let vs not regard what they thinke or saie who either maligne and enuie this our felicitie or are pleased with nothing which they themselues do not deuise It is certaine that this our sacrifice of praying thankes-giuing is most acceptable to God and approued of al godlie men and I most hartely beseeche GOD that we may continue this exercise in this manner and vppon this occasion euen to the worlds ende and the Lorde blesse and preserue her Maiestie encrease the number of her frends and conuert or ouerthrowe all her enemies The third poynt wherein obedience consisteth is in fearing and honoring of Magistrates The wise man saith my sonne feare God and honour the Kinge S. Paul likewise willeth that honour be giuen to whom honour is due and feare to whome feare is due Likewise Sainct Peter saith Feare GOD honour the King By feare and honour is comprehended not onely the outward gesture of the bodie reuerence of wordes c but also the inward good will and reuerence of the heart and minde which especiallie is required of all subiects towards their Princes and Magistrates The Kingdome of the Persians contynued verie long and greatlie increased Isocrates saith that the cheife and principall cause thereof was for that the Persians aboue all other nations did most of all feare honour and reuerence their King God graunt that wee may also performe our duety in this poynt as we haue iust cause to doe The fourth and last office of obedience is to helpe and relieue Princes and Magistrates when neede requireth Christ himselfe payed tribute to Caesar and the Apostle commaundeth tribute to be giuen to whome tribute is due Obedience then consisteth in obseruing of lawes praying for the Magistrate fearing and honouring of him and in paying vnto him tribute And thus much of the second part In the third I haue to declare who they be that are disobedient and offend against this commaundement of the Apostle There are three kindes of men giltie of disobedience The Papist the Anabaptist the conceyted and wayward person The Papist restraineth the authoritie of the Magistrate more then is conuenient The Anabaptist taketh it altogeather away The conceyted person obeyeth and disobeyeth at his pleasure The Papist restrayneth the authority of the Magistrate in two respects in the respect of persons in the respect of causes For hee denieth the Magistrate to haue authoritie ouer Ecclesiasticall persons especiallie ouer the Bishoppe of Rome hee denieth him also to haue authoritie in Ecclesiasticall causes but this error is soone confuted For that he hath authoritie ouer Ecclesiastical persons it is manifest Christ himself being an Ecclesiasticall person and the heade of the Church was subiect to Caesar as I haue before declared S. Paule saith Let euery soule submit it selfe to the Superior power be exempteth none and therfore Chrisostome expounding this place sayth Ista imperantur omnibus sacerdotibus Monachis non solúm secularibus c
Etiam si Apostolus sis si Euangelista si Propheta siue quisquis tandem fueris These commaundementes are enioyned vnto all to Priestes to Moonkes and not to lay men alone c. yea though thou bean Apostle or Euangelist or whatsoeuer els Therefore Chrisostome doeth also include the Pope in this precept of obedience Peter from whome the Pope claymeth his Supremacie speaking of the obedience due vnto Kinges calleth the King most excellent that is aboue all others and greater then all other neither dooth he exempt himselfe much lesse those that clayme to bee his successors Colimus saith Tertulian Imperatorem sic quomodo nobis conuenit illi expedit vt hominem a deo secundum post quem primū ante omnes homines Deos. 〈◊〉 was a Priest of the Church of Rome if he had knowne or remembred the Pope to haue bin aboue the Emperour or equall vnto him hee woulde not haue said the Emperour had bin next vnto God the first after God and before all other men and Gods Chrisostome saith that the Emperour hath no peere vppon earth and calleth him Summitatem caput omnium super terram hominum The chiefe head of al men vpon earth Many of the Popes themselues haue acknowledged this superioritie in the Emperours for they haue bin complayned of vnto them pleaded their causes before them receaued iudgement by them and yeelded thereunto as it is to be read in their owne histories yea diuerse Emperours haue deposed diuers Popes from their Popedomes as it is also manifest in the same histories One of their owne Canonists saithe that the Emperour may require of the Pope an accompt of his faith And Gratian himselfe where hee dooth most of all exempt the Pope from the iurisdiction of the Emperour maketh this exception Nisi fuerit a fide deuius aut in crimine haereseos deprehendatur Vnlesse he be slid from the faith or infected with the sinne of herresie Therefore it is manifest that the Emperour hath authoritie ouer Ecclesiasticall persons euen ouer the Pope himselfe That hee hath also authoritie in Ecclesiasticall causes it is easelie prooued When I say that the Emperour or Ciuill Magistrat hath authority in Ecclesiasticall causes I meane not as the Papists and some other malitiously cauill that hee hath authoritie to execute Ecclesiasticall functions proper to the ministers of the word as to preache the Gospell to minister the Sacraments to cōsecrate bishops and such like which was neuer giuen to any ciuill Magistrate neyther yet did any Chrystian Prince take it vpon him But by authoritie in Ecclesiasticall causes I meane that it appertaineth to the Office duetie of the Ciuill Magistrat to see the commandements of God obserued true Religion mayntained euery man in the Church to doe his duetie and to prouide that all things be done therein decently and in order according to the rule of the Apostles That Christian Magistrates ought to haue this authority it is notorious For first the custodie of both Cables is committed vnto them which they can not performe accordinglye vnlesse they haue authoritie in Ecclesiasticall causes The first Table conteining thinges méerely Ecclesiasticall The Prophet calleth Kinges the nursing fathers of the Church and Quéenes the nursing mothers which title is giuen them in vaine if they haue no authoritie in matters of the Church All the good Kings and Magistrates of the old Testament as Iosua Dauid Salomon Asa Iosaphat Ezechias Iosias c. had and vsed this authority For they did not onely rule ouer the Priestes but also prescribed vnto them what they should doe in diuine matters as in Sacrifices Circumcision Blessings Cursings dedication of the temple casting downe Idolatrie Idols and such like Some of the Papistes themselues confesse that the Kinges of the olde Testament had this authoritie That Christian Kinges also hadde the same it appeareth by sundrie examples Elutherius Bishoppe of Rome who liued within two hundreth yeares of Christ writing to Lucius King of this lande calleth him Goddes vicar within his kingdome and sayth that it pertayneth to his dutie to make lawes according to the worde of God for the gouernement of his kingdome as well in matters of Religion as in matters of pollicie Eusebius calleth Constantine the great quasi communem quendam Episcopum a Deo constitutum As a cōmon Byshoppe appoynted by God And it is certayne that the sayd Constantine did not onelie call the Councell of Nice but had herein also the chiefe gouernement and superioritie he compounded controuersies betwixt the Bishops hee prescribed vnto them a rule according to which they should iudge matters then in question c. Iustinian and other godlie Emperours made lawes concerning publique prayers in the Church concerning the Trinitie Baptisme the Sacrament of the Supper Festiuall daies ordering of Byshoppes against Heretiques c. Socrates saith that since the Emperours were Christians the matter of the Church especiallie depended vppon them that the greatest councels were called by them Nabuchodonozer sayth Augustine when his heart was peruerted sette vp an Image and made a law for the worshiping thereof But when his heart was conuerted he pulled it downe and made a law for the true worshipping of the true God In hoc enim sayth he Reges Deo seruiunt sicut eis diuinitùs praecipitur in quantum sunt Reges si in suo regno bona iubeant mala prohibeant non solùm quae pertinent ad humanam societatem verùm etiam quae ad diuinam religionem In this behalfe Kings serue God for so God commaundeth them in that they are Kings if in their kingdome they appoint good things as also forbid that which is naught and this not onely in those causes which concerne the outward Communion and societie of mans life but also such as appertayne vnto Gods Religion and seruice And againe Seruiunt Reges terrae Christo leges ferendo pro Christo. The Kinges of the earth doe serue Christ in making and appoynting lawes for Christ. And writing against the Donatistes who graunted and denyed the authoritie of the Emperour in causes ecclesiasticall at their pleasure he sayeth An fortè de Religione fas non est vt dicat Imperator cur ergo ad Imperatorem vestri venerunt legati cur eum fecerunt causae suae Iudicem non secuturi quod ille iudicaret Is it not forsooth lawfull for the Emperour to commaund concerning causes of religion why then come your Embassadors vnto the Emperour why did they apoynt him Iudge in their businesse if they entended not to stand to his iudgement In the same Booke he writeth that the Emperour made pecuniarie lawes against those which called them-selues Christians and yet did not communicate with the vniuersall Church but gathered them-selues together in priuate Conuenticles which lawes although he sometimes misliked yet vpon better aduisement hee did not onelye allowe of them but also thought them to bee most profitable necessary It appeareth therefore that the Ciuill
A Most godly and Learned Sermon Preached at Pauls Crosse the 17 of Nouember in the yeare of our Lorde 1583. Maledici Regnum Dei non possidebunt 1. Cor. 6. 10. Raylers shall not in herit the Kingdome of God Imprinted at London by Thomas Orwin for Thomas Chard 1589. To the Christian Reader OF late perusing certaine writings which laie by me it was my good hap to light vpon one which was full welcome both for the profite which presently I reaped in reading of that which before time I hadde heard as also in regard of these our daies wherin if euer in any former age these or such like most learned godly instructions are more then necessarie The treatise is not long and therefore I mind not to make anie recapitulation thereof and the rather too because I would bee loth to dismember that which so learnedly and so methodically is conioined togeather Onely this in generall that it meeteth with a kinde of bad people who were budding and sprouting vp then but since in respecte of their outragious demeanour both to God and man without all compasse For proofe hereof let the lewd and shameles libels speake of late set out But heerein they expresse the auncient and olde disturbers of the Church who dealt in such manner with their Bishops then as they doo now The qualitie of these men at this time shall not be particularized by me Although if we would do as their manner is that is to cull out meÌ„ by name make legendes of them without either feare of God loue of brother or care of religion perhaps they might be made to blush as well as others But that course is vile hardly if at all will we bee drawen to the practise thereof And yet let Ireneus say what he felt by them and thought of them They are cruell saieth he they haue not the loue of God they seeke their owne glorie rather then the peace of the Church for euery small cause they deuide cut in sunder the glorious bodie of Christ as much as in them lieth they haue peace in their mouthes war in their hearts they straine at a gnat and swallow vp a Cammell Nazianzen writeth that the like kinde of People also troubled the Church in his time and that suche were then of diuers accompted the godliest which did most spitefully slander their bretheren scornefully vse other Omnes saith he per hoc docti et Catholici volumus videri si alios reprehendimus impios iudicamus that is we do all now a daies by finding fault with others and accounting them vngodly procure to our selues an opinion of learning and religion The rest of the auncient Bishops were in the same taking as it is manifestly to be seen in their writings especially in Ambrose Athanasius Ierome Basil Augustine manie others The learned of our age haue likewise tasted of this cuppe Caluin writeth that these kind of meÌ„ did more slaunder him raile vpon him and reuile him then did the open enemies the Papists yet that he was therewith so continually exersiced that he made no account therof And so Chris. as if hee had liued in Caluins time Non tanta ab infidelibus conuitia probra quanta ab his qui â—obis iunctireligione videntur fidelibus iaci videbit aliquis that is A man may easily see that the faithful do not beare so many slaunders and reproches at the handes of the infidels as they do of such as seeme to be professors of the same religion It is therefore no maruaile though some in these daies tread in the steps of their predecessors But for my part I am fully perswaded that these worthie and godlie Fathers who of long time before and of late most straungely haue bene thus set vpon may and doo in the testimony of a good conscience say with Cal. I am pridem ad eiusmodi probra quibus Prophetas Apostolos vnigenituÌ„ dei filium obnoxios esse video continuo vsu obdurui that is long since haue I bin hardened against such slanders from which neither the Prophetes neither the Apostles neither yet the onely begotteÌ„ son of God could be cleare and free In a word let the ciuill magistrates looke to theÌ„selues Let them call to minde how the Anabaptists did first deale so with the ministers of the word afterwards both with words blowes fell likewise vpon them As for the most reuerend godly learned meÌ„ber of our Church the authour of this sermon vpon whoÌ„ they yawne most and snatch at without all modestie or truth I know in respect of himselfe he makes small reckoning of their doings which in truth are too too odious intemperate yea sory he is sorie againe that Martyn and his Martynistes haue giuen so great an offence to the Church of God yelded to the common enemy so iust occasion of Ioy and Triumph Ad Titum tertio In the third Chapter to Titus Admone eos vt Principibus Potestatibus subditi sint vt Magistratibus pareant vt ad omne opus bonum sint parati ne de quoquam maledicant ne sint Pugnaces c. Warne them to be subiect to rule and power to obey Magistrates to be reddie to euerie good worke To blaspheme no man to be no fighters c. WE haue here to consider first what mooued the Apostle thus to write to Titus and to commaund him to preach obedience to Magistrates c. Secondly we learne that obedience is necessarie and required of all Christians Thirdlie we may also note who they be that are disobedieut and by what notes and qualities they may bee knowen We reade in the fift of the Acts of one Iudas of Galaley a troublesome person who as Iosephus reporteth taught that by the law of God none ought to be called Lord but God himselfe and that there was no obedience due to ciuil Magistrates no tribute due vnto Caesar. Which doctrine of his was so plausible and so well liked of the common people that they followed him in great multitudes and in the ende grewe into open Rebellion Yea it so troubled the better sort among the Iewes euen the Pharises themselues that they began to doubt of the matter and mooued the question to Christ whether it were lawfull to paâ— tribute to Caesar or not Hierome thinketh y t this herisie was either not altogether extinguished in the Apostles time or began then to be reuiued which hee saith to be the cause why the Apostle wrote in this manner to Titus gaue him in charge that he should admonish them to bee obedient to Princes c. And surelie whosoeuer diligentlie readeth and considereth the writinges of the Apostles shall well perceiue that they had much to doe in their time to keepe men in due obedience to their Magistrats and Superiors And therefore S. Paul often and S. Peter very earnestly exhorteth Seruaunts to obey their Masters Children their Parentes
Magistrate hath authoritie in ecclesiasticall causes in manner and fourme as I haue declared And therefore the Papistes in abridging this authoritie must needs be found guiltie of disobedience But I would to God it consisted herein only it reacheth further for whē they list they altogether take away the authoritie of the Magistrate The Bishops of Rome vsurpe vnto themselues power to place and displace Emperors and kings at their pleasure to deliuer their subiectes from their oath of obedience to mooue them to rebell against them and if that will not serue to suborne some priuilye and secretlye to murther them Pope Zacharie who liued seuen hundred yeares and more after Christ was the first that tooke vpon him that authoritie but diuers afterwards put it in execution Gregorie the seuenth did not onelye excommunicate Henry the fourth and animated his subiectes to revell against him by deliuering of them from their oath of obedience but when that woulde not serue sought also waies and means secretly to murther him by hiring one to let a stone fall frō the top of the church vppon the Emperours head as hee was praying but God preuented that practize by punishing the murtherer and crushing him in peeces with the same stone Paschalis the second continued the same course against the same Emperor and in the end caused his owne Sonne to rebell against him Alexander the third delt in like maner against Friderick the Emperor and betrayed him to the Turke So did Innocentius the fourth with the Emperour in his time and at the length poysoned him It were too long to reherse all examples which might be vsed in this matter doeth not experience teache vs that they contynue their practise euen at this time The Lorde defend her Maiestie from them and confound their deuises against her Certein it is that they are enemies to Princes and guiltie of disobedience The second kinde of men offending against this precept of the Apostle are the Anabaptists who thinke it not lawfull for Christians eyther to bee Magistrates or to obey Magistrates grounding themselues vpon that which the Apostle writeth in the fift to the Galathians Stand in the libertie wherin Christ hath made you free c and such like places forgetting that which followeth in the same Chapter Take heed you make not your libertie an occasion to the flesh whereby it appeareth that Christian libertie is not of the flesh but of the spirit not of the bodie but of the minde not of freedome from being subiect to men but from subiection to sinne and to death Lex spiritus vitae saith the Apostle liberum me reddidit a iure peccati mortis The lawe of the spirit of life through Iesus Christ hath made me free from the lawe of sin and death Rom. 8. 2. Christ himselfe obeyed the Ciuill Magistrate Peter and Paul commaund Christian Seruants Children Wiues and Subiects to obey their Maisters Parentes Husbandes and Magistrates The Gospel doeth not destroy common-welthes but establisheth them And Christian religion taketh from no man that which is due vnto him Therefore the opinion of the Anabaptists is of it selfe absurd and needeth no confutation The third kinde is of those that are conceited and wayward who onely obey when they list wherein they list and so long as they list men delighted with singularitie whome nothing can please but that which themselues doe inuent Of whome the Apostle S. Peter speaketh when he saith Dominationem contemnunt audaces praefracti qui gloria praecellentes non verentur maledictis incessere They dispise authoritie they are presumptuous and stande in their owne conceit which feare not to speake euill of them that excell in worship They contemine Lordship and Superioritie He saith not that they condemne Lordship and Superiority but that they contemne it being bold wilfull and froward which are not afraide to speake euill of those that are in authoritie The Apostle Iude in like manner writeth of them in his Epistle S. Paul giueth vnto them these titles Louers of themselues disdainefull proude cursed speakers disobedient vnthankfull calūniators fierce rashe heddie hauing a forme of godlines but denying the force thereof they creepe into houses liuing at other mens tables speciallie into womens houses loaden with sinne alwaies learning neuer stayed in any opinion S. Augustine also speaketh of these kinde of men when he saith Non iam vt vetus prouerbium fertur quod volumus sanctum est sed etiam quando volumus quà m diu volumus Not now as the old Prouerb is is that holy which we fancie to be holy but the same also when wee fancie and so long as we fancie For nothing is holie but that which they wil haue to be holie and that when they will haue it holie and as long as they will haue it holie and not otherwise I my selfe doe knowe and am able to proue that some things are now holie in their iudgement which before they compted vnholy and likewise something now to be vnholie which heretofore they haue set downe to be holie But these are holie ones and may not bee touched Therefore I will cease to speake anie more of their persons and come to the qualities and notes whereby they and al other disobedient persons may be discerned and knowen It followeth in the Apostle admonish them that they speake euill of no man that they bee not contentious And the Apostle Iude speaking of disobedient persons saith they are murmurers and quarrilous wherby I gather that there are two notes by the which disobedient persons may bee knowne Euill and slaunderous speaking and contention else the Apostle woulde not haue giuen Titus speciall charge to warne disobedient persons of these two crimes Well then those that are disobedient may bee knowne by their euill speaking of Magistrates and by contending against orders and lawes Touching the first the nature of man it selfe is prone and bent to speake euill of two kindes of persons principallie of those which haue gouernement in the Church as of Bishops Preachers c. And of those which haue gouernement in the common wealth as of Princes and Magistrates the deuill also prouoking thereunto For by speaking euill of the one the Religion that they professe and preache is slaundered the good successe of the Gospell hindred and by speaking euill of the other contempt of superiours is wrought in the harts of the subiects whervpon springeth all disobedience That Bishoppes and preachers and such as haue gouernment in the church haue bene alwaies subiect to the slaunderous tongues of disobedient persons it appeareth by the example of Christ him selfe who though he neuer offended eyther in life or doctrine yet could hee not auoide the malitiousnes of the tongue They called him Samaritane they sayd he had a deuill they accused him for keeping company with Publicans and sinners Therefore in purging of himselfe he faith not which of you accuseth me of sinne but which of you can conuince