propheticall Spirit as some pretend that Dauid and Salomon and Iosias did But as belonging to their function Royall by the light of Nature Wherein if any shall say That seruitude is the punishment of sinne and so this proceedeth out of nature corrupted not pure I answere Peccatum seruitutem fecit Natura subiectionem induxit Sinne brought in tyrannie and slauerie Cursed be Cham a seruant of seruants shall he be But order of superioritie and subiection is the instinct of purest nature For in heauen there is order among blessed Angels and some are higher and some lower and they obey one another if not ex praecepto yet ex consilio if not by precept and command yet by counsell and direction And in the state of innocencie there was superioritie and subiection not onely betweene man and all other creatures but betweene man and woman and had they liued in Paradise till they had bene father and sonne there should haue bene patria potestas and being many families there must necessarily haue bin Regia potestas Else the best and most happy life must haue beene without the greatest happinesse of life and that is Order And this superioritie and subiection remained not onely in the prophane and wicked but also in the line of the godly and the Church vntill the Law of Nature which was dayly adulterated and corrupted by the affections and traditions of men was written by Moses in Tables of stone which is the second precept of this subiection And this Law of Moses did renue the Law of the kingdome and ordained that the King should haue a booke of the Law written by the Priests and deliuered him at his Coronation in which he is commaunded to reade all the dayes of his life that hee may learne to feare the Lord his God and to keepe all the words of this law and these ordinances to do them And in this law there bee many Precepts that concerne the King as hee is a man and many that concerne him as a King And in this ordinance the king is made Custos legis Diuinae The guardian of Gods Law and the whole Law is committed to his charge The first Table that concernes Gods worship and causes Ecclesiasticall as well as the second Table that concernes ciuill conuersation and causes secular By vertue of which Commission when the kingdome Priesthood were diuided in Moses and Aaron Moses the ciuill Magistrate exercised a Supremacie ouer Aaron the high Priest in causes Ecclesiasticall whom hee reprooued for making the golden calfe and in his time the breach of the Sabboth by gathering of sticks was punished by the Ciuill sword Ioshua a Prince and no Priest as Moses is said to be succeeded Moses in this charge and by this Commission he circumcised the sons of Israel erected an Altar of stone read the Law did execution on him that concealed the things dedicated to Idoles caused the people to put away strange gods and renued the couenant betweene God and the people And these are causes Ecclesiasticall Dauids whole study was for causes Ecclesiasticall after he had freed Israel from all enemies then did he compose Psalmes to be sung by Asaph and his brethren then did hee set orders for the Temple appointed Priests Leuites singers and other inferior seruitors and assigned to them their dignities courses and offices Salomon by this Cōmission built the Temple and dedicated it he deposed Abiathar the high Priest and placed Zadok in his roome I hope this is a matter and argument of great supremacy Asa tooke away the Altars of strange gods the high places and groues hee put downe his mother because shee had made an Idoll he tooke an oath of Iuda and Beniamin that whosoeuer would not serue the Lord should bee slayne This was sharpe Law in a cause meerely Ecclesiasticall Iehosaphat sent his Princes to teach in the Cities of Iuda and with them Leuites and Priests himself went from Beersheba to moūt Ephraim and brought al the people againe to the God of their fathers hee set of the Leuites and Priests and chiefe of the families of Israel for the iudgement and causes of the Lord and this is as a Kings high Commission Ezechias seruice in this kinde is famous he opened the doores of the House of the Lord and brought the Priests and Leuites in hee commanded them to sanctifie themselues to offer burnt offrings which they did according to the Kings commandement Here Priests are obedient to the Kings commaund in their owne duties and charge Hee commanded the Leuites to praise God with the words of Dauid there he enioyned a Liturgie He commanded all Israel and Iuda to keepe the Passeouer here is omnia cum Imperio He appointed the courses of Priests and Leuites by turnes hee tooke away the hie places broke downe the Images and brake the brasen Serpent made by Moses because the people burnt incense vnto it Manasses that had set vp Altars groues and Images before his captiuitie after his repentance and returne he tooke away the strange gods and the Image that hee had put in the house of the Lord and the like and restored the worship of God and there hee commanded Iuda to serue the Lord. The last example I will trouble you with is Iosias he purged Iuda and Ierusalem from high places groues and Images he gathered all Israel reade the Law renewed the Couenant and caused all Israel to stand to the Couenant and hee compelled them to serue the Lord he kept the famous Passeouer and reduced the Priests and Leuites to their courses set by Dauid and Salomon These and many more are the Actes of famous Kings in the time of the Law done by their Royall authoritie not at the appointment and command of the Priests that had bene onely Potestas Facti non Iuris A power of Execution and not a power of Iurisdiction if the Priests had first commanded the King and then the King had commaunded the people But the Kings did make Orders and Decrees and commanded the Priests as well as the people and reformed the Priests as well as the people Yea Salomon did depose Abiathar the high Priest and they forced and compelled both Priest and people to serue the Lord and to abolish idolatrie and superstition And therefore this is a power of Iurisdiction ouer persons Ecclesiasticall in causes of Religion If it be said that these Kings did this by the direction of the Prophets and most of these Kings had their peculiar Prophets and Seers this is nothing to the question for no man euer denyed direction to Kings They haue Counsailers for causes Ciuill and Prophets Priests and Bishops for causes of the Church And the question is not Quâ directione but quâ authoritate Not by what direction they must direct themselues by their best helpes but by what Authoritie not a deriued or
power to crosse the will of God And in these things mans power is declaratory and executory not soueraigne of it selfe In things indifferent there is a power to cōmand for circumstances of time place order and the like and there is a necessitie of obedience and that for conscience sake else man hath no power to command any thing of himselfe And yet it is the sinne of disobedience Non solùm malum sed vetitum facere not onely to do that which is euill but that also which is forbidden The 2. is forma debita a due forme an equal proportion of honors burdens according to the difference degrees of seueral Estates conditions and qualities as also a due order of proceeding in Law-making without tumult or confusion without malice spleene or reuenge The 3. is Efficiens debitam a due efficient or a sufficient power to whom the care of Law-making is delegated For as the sentence of him that is no Iudge is no sentence so the Law of him that is not authorized to decree Lawes is no Law The 4. is finis debitus a due end Publicke good and not priuate for as a Tyrant herein differeth from a King that the Tyrant intendeth his priuate good the King proposeth the publicke so euill Lawes ayme at priuate and bad ends and good Lawes propose the most publicke and best ends the increase of good Religion and safety of the Common wealth And these causes concurring the matter being lawfull or indifferent the forme due the efficient potent and the end publicke and good the Lawes of man must be obeyed not onely for wrath but for conscience which is the greatest Obligation on earth For Nemo humanam potestatem contemnit nisi qui priùs diuinam contempsit No man contemnes the power of man vnlesse he first haue contemned the power of God Thus we see All must obey Euill men for feare and good men for conscience Now Subiection in this Text is a transcendent and hath no proper place to be spoken of because it is to bee spoken of in euery place And therefore let vs consider two points The persons and the necessity of obedience The persons are two Subiects that must obey and Higher powers that must gouerne and command The necessitie will bring vs to the circuit and causes in which we must obey The subiects are set downe in the first verse with a note of vniuersality Omnis anima Let euery soule be subiect Not only heathen but Christians and Clearkes also they haue no exemption but by the grace and priuiledges of Princes Omnis anima quia ex animo Let euery soule bee subiect and subiect with the will and heart and inward affection of the soule as S. Paul often teacheth Non ad oculum but ex corde Not with eve-seruice but from the heart So that in Naturam totam peccat qui potestatibus resistit he sinnes against all Nature body and soule that resisteth the higher powers And qui dicit Omnem excludit nullam He that saith Euery soule exempteth no soule The soule of the Priest and Ecclesiasticall person as well as the soule of the Lay-man must be subiect to the higher powers For why S. Paul in this Epistle wrote as well to the Clearks Priests or Bishops of Rome if there were any then resident at Rome as to the people And our Sauiour when hee said Date quae sunt Caesaris Caesari Giue to Caesar the things that are Caesars spake as well to the high Priests Scribes and Pharisees as to the people Chrysostome saith vpon this place Siue Apostolus siue Euangelista siue Propheta siue quis quis tandem fueris Be thou an Apostle an Euangelist a Prophet or whosoeuer thou art thou owest this subiection His reason is Neque enim pietatem subuertit ista subiectio For this subiection doth not ouerthrow true godlinesse In which exposition concurre Theodoret Theophylact and Oecumenius vpon this place S. Gregory in an Epistle to the Emperor Mauritius in the person of Christ saith Sacerdotes meos manui tuae commisi I haue committed my Priestes to thy hand And in another Epistle he saith That God made him ruler not onely ouer Souldiers but also ouer Priests Dominari enim non solùm militibus sed etiam sacerdotibus concessit And S. Bernard long after writing ad Archiepiscopum Senouensem in France alledgeth this place Let euery soule be subiect to the higher powers And addeth further Si omnis anima vestra quis vos excepit ab vniuersitate If euery soule be subiect then is your soule For who hath exempted you from this vniuersalitie And if a man suruey all ancient Histories hee shall finde that this exemption is much yonger then their times The Apostle S. Paul appealed to Caesar to his lawful superior The Martyrs and Confessors and godly Bishoppes neuer pleaded this exemption against their persecutors vntill the Bishop of Rome like the Iuy that growing by the wall eateth out the wall so he growing by the Roman Empire had eaten out the Empire and then hee did exempt himselfe and his Cleargie from the higher powers ordayned of God For so they are higher and indeed highest Powers next vnder GOD that is the next thing to be considered in the persons Powers they are and therefore gouerners for potestas is regiminis the power is the power of gouerning And ciuill powers they are which then were Gentiles and Infidels though now Christians and that appeareth by two circumstances they beare the sword and they receiue tribute Neither of which belongs to the Priests office And they be higher powers the word is with a comparatiue preposition the same that S. Peter hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Regi tanquam excellenti to the King as to the superior merito fortasse inferiori but dignitate authoritate superiori inferiour peraduenture to some in graces and vertues but in dignitie and authoritie superior to all for all men are vnder them and therfore they are superior to al mortal men carying that sword quo omnes corrigendi with which all men are to be corrected And therefore the style of Supremacie or Supreme gouernour is waranted out of the letter of this Text. And Kings and Emperours as they haue their calling immediat from GOD so they admitt no superior on earth but God to whom onely they must make their accompt And so much Tertullian acknowledged Colimus imperatorem vt hominem à Deo secundum solo Deo minorem We Christians honour our Emperour as the second man after God and minor to none but to God Super Imperatorem non est nisi solus Deus qui fecit Imperatorem saith Optatus The Emperour admits no superiour but that GOD that made the Emperour And in that place hee accuseth Donatus that hee esteemed himselfe as GOD and not a man Dum se Donatus super Imperatorem extollit dum se
according to our Canonicall Constitutions in our name and by virtue of our Authoritie And these Lawes were of that force in those dayes that when Mauritius the Emperour that made a Law that Nemo publicis administrationibus implicatus ad Ecclesiasticum officium perueniret That no man intangled with publique charge should bee aduanced to an Ecclesiasticall office S. Gregory approued this part of the Law because many vnder this colour did mutare seculum not relinquere And further the Law forbade any Souldier to enter a Monastery till his warrefare was expired S. Gregory though hee wished not any to flie the warres or not pay their debts vnder the name of a Cloister yet because hee saw it hindered many from the warrefare and seruice of God wrote an humble Letter to Mauritius and another to Theodorus the Emperours Physician to intreat the reuocation of this Law inuented by Iulian in a very submisse Stile Ego quidem iussioni vestrae subiectus I your seruant and subiect to your command haue sent this Lawe to many parts of the world and now I write my opinion to your Maiestie Vtrobique ergo quod debui exolui qui Imperatori obedientiam praebui pro Deo quod sensi non tacui In both I haue done my duety I haue perfourmed my obedience to the Emperor and I haue not concealed what I thought fit for Gods cause And S. August sayth of this power of Lawes Hoc iubent Imperatores quod Christus iubet quia cùm bonum iubent nemo iubet nisi per eos Christus When Emperours command that which is good it is Christ and no man else that commandeth by them The fourth worke of this Supremacie is receiuing of Appeales and giuing Decisions Restitutions and Depriuations and other punishments of Bishops for causes Ecclesiasticall Wherein although Constantine at the first in modestie and a desire to suppresse the calumniations of Bishops and being not yet so fully instructed in Christian faith tooke the papers and Articles of the Bishops and burnt them in the Nicene Councill yet being better instructed and seeing the necessitie of his Authoritie in these causes he iudged Cecilianus cause himselfe Donatus procured Cecilianus to be condemned by 70. African Bishops for certaine crimes obiected against him As also that hee was ordered by one Foelix who as it was pretended had burnt the Scriptures And in a tumult they set vp another Bishop of Carthage against him then they appealed to Constantine and desired him to assigne them Iudges Constantine by his Commission extant in Eusebius delegated and authorized Meltiades Bishop of Rome Marcus a Clergie man of Rome yet no Bishop and Rheticius Maternus and Marinus three French Bishops to heare the cause who gaue sentence for Cecilianus Vpon a second Appeale Constantine made a second Delegacy to Chrestus bishop of Syracuse certaine Bishops of France met at Arle who likewise gaue sentence with Cecilianus Vpon the third Appeale Constantine appointed Elianus a Ciuill Magistrate to examine Foelix who acquited Foelix also Then the Emperour called both parts before him and gaue finall sentence for Cecilianus and made a seuere Law against the Donatists by which Lawe many Donatists were brought home to the Catholique Church In which passage I pray you obserue 1. That Meltiades not as supreme Iudge of all Controuersies but as delegated by Constantine did iudge of Cecilianus cause And S. Augustin defendeth him from vsurpation vpon the 70. African Bishops because the Emperor so appointed it Next the Bishops of France did iudge the same cause after Meltiades without any wrong to the Sea of Rome no man in that age found fault with it And thirdly it is apparant that Constantine was superiour to Meltiades and both made him his Delegat and iudge of his sentence and iudgement which S. Augustine calleth vltimum iudicium the last iudgment vltra quod causa pertransire non potest and that the cause had gone as farre as it could goe And whereas the Donatists pleaded that a Bishop should not be purged iudicio Proconsulari by the Proconsuls iudgment S. Augustine answeres The Bishops sought it not but the Emperour enioyned it Ad cuius curam de qua rationem Deo redditurus erat res illa maximè pertinebat To whose charge of which he must make accompt to God this matter did chiefely appertaine There was a conference held by the appointment of the Emperour Honorius the Iudge designed by the Emperour was one Marcellinus to whom Augustine after writ his Bookes De Ciuitate Dei at which S. Augustine was present and others who disputed against Petilianus Emeritus and Gaudentius and other Donatists which was gathered by Marcellus And S. Augustine hath written the seueral dayes Collations Marcellinus gaue sentence against the Donatists and it was confirmed by the Emperour Honorius all which is extant Theodosius called a Councell of all sorts Nactarius and Agilius made the confession of Consubstantialitie Demophilus deliuered vp the Arrian faith Eunomius the Eunomian faith Eleusius the Macedonian faith Tum solus separatus precatur Deum saith Socrates Then the Emperor alone separate from all company made his prayers to GOD to direct him in the Trueth and then he read the seuerall faiths and condemned and rent all the rest that rent and diuided the Trinitie and commended and approued that faith of the Consubstantialitie of the Father of the Sonne I must here omit infinite other matters of facts and punishments and many obiections and conclude with a question that Theodosius proposed to these seuerall sorts assembled which he did by the counsaile of Sisinius What accompt saith Theodosius make you of the Doctors and Histories of the Church that are vnpartiall and liued before these questions were moued If it be answered as then it was Habemus tanquam magistros We esteeme them as our fathers and masters the cause is cleare they giue witnesse on our side If they reiect them it is a matter of great deliberation whether a man would be of such a Church whereof neuer any man was before themselues In which case it seemeth more then reasonable That in a reformation wee should conforme our selues Ad regulam Antiquorum to the rule of the Ancient Scriptures Apostles and fathers Chrysostome Nazianzen Basill Ambrose Hierome Augustine Gregory the like rather then after the New cut of those who haue not aboue the life of a man on their backs sixtie or seuentie yeeres And surely the rule of Charitie is That since all the Question is of the Churches Regiment not so much who should feede and rule the Church for so must both Prince and Priest but who should rule gouerne most we should euery one lay downe all contentious humors and ioyne hand and heart to feed and gouern Gods inheritance and striue rather in deeds then words who shall most carefully doe that duty which God hath laid vpon him necessitate praecepti by this triple necessitie of his precept That so we may be all partakers of the end peace and tranquillitie and religion in this life and life euerlasting in the kingdome of heauen which God graunt Amen Osea 8.4 1. Cor. 14.33 Numb 16.32 Bern. de Domo Interiori ca. 28 Ephes 6.6 Coloss 3.22 Matth. 22.21 Chrysost in Rom. 13. hom 23. Gregorius Epist 1.2 cap. 100. 103. Bernard Epist. 420. Act. 25.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Pet. 2.13 Tertull. ad Scapul Optatus contra Parm. lib. 3. â— Chrysost ad pop Antioch hom 2. Act. 4.19 August in psael 142. August De verbis Dom. sec Matth. hom 6. Dan. 3.6 29. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â— Cor. 9.16 Exod. 20.12 Arist. polit lib. 3 cap. 10 11. Nouel Constit 6 August Epist 50. Dan. 3.29 〈◊〉 6 26. 〈◊〉 2 6. Gen. 9.25 Deut. 17.18 19 20. Exod 32.21 Numb 15.31 a Iosue 5.2 b Iosue 8.30 c Iosue 8.32 34. d Iosue 7.24.25 e Iosue 24.23 25. 1. Paral. 16. 1. paral 23. 1. paral 24. 1. paral 25. 1. paral 26. 1. paral 27. 1. Reg 6. 1. Reg. 8. 1. Reg. 2 3â— 2. Paral 14.4 c. 2 Paral. 15 8.12 13 14 15. 2. paral 15.16 2. Paral 17.6 7. 2. Paral. 19.4 â— Paral. 19.8 2. Para. 29.3 4. ver 5. 2. Paral. 29.30 2 Paral. 30.1 6 12. 2 Paral. 31.2 2. Paral 31.1 4 Reg. 14.4 2. Paral. 33.3 15. 2. Paral. 34.3 4 29 30 31 32 33. 2. Paral. 35.1 2 3 10 18. Optatus contra Parm. lib. 3. 〈…〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iohn 1.29 Matt. 22.21 1 Pet. 2.23 Iude 8. 1. Tim. 2.2 Psal 2.11 August contra Crescon lib. 3. cap. 51. Isai 49.23 2. Paral. 26.16 Marc. 16.15 August Epist 50. Eusebius de vita Constan lib. 1. cap. 37. 〈◊〉 lib. 1 â—â— 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 14. 1. Bellar. de Concil l. 1. cap. 13. Leo Epist. 9. Epist 24. Epist 26. Epist 23. Epist 43. Oratio Marriani in Concil Calc Epist 59. Hierom. in Apologia contra Ruffinum Socrates lib. 5. in praemio Eusebius de vita Constantini lib. 2. cap. 20. cap. 21. cap. 24. cap. 44. Theodoret. li. 5. cap. 15. 〈◊〉 Franciae per Ansegisum 〈◊〉 Gregorius Epist lib. 1. cap. 100. 101. Ego dignus pietatis vestrae famulus August Epist 166. Vide Optatum lib. 1. Aug. Epist 162. 166. Eusebius li. 10. cap. 5. Eusebius li. 10. cap. 5. August Epist 162. August contrae Parm. lib. 1. cap. 6. August Epist. 166. Extat haec collatio apud Optum Socrates lib. 5 â—ap 10. Socrat. lib. 5. cap. 10.