Preacher toucheth no mans commoditie for what was Aristotle the richer for denying Vacuum in the World or Democritus the poorer for affirming it what is Galilaeus the wealthier for discrying mountaines in the Moone or Kepplenus the lesse landed for not seeing them to be a Nominalist or to be a Realist are held matters of great importance amongst some and yet make the most they can of Vniuersals genus species cogitur ire pedes I thinke that neither of them will make any great market of either But descend to other Problemes conuince Briberie tax Oppression disswade Depopulation or if you list to looke ouer sea and denye the Popes Ecclesiasticall and Temporall Iurisdiction or question Purgatorie his Market-towne Indulgences and Pardons his Ware now you touch Saint Peters copie-hold these bold Preachers must looke to themselues there want not Demetriuses and Crafts-men enough to accuse them But here you may behold as in a Mirrour the state of Christs Messengers in this Church militant vpon Earth you may see what Bands of Atheists what Armies of Epicures what Legions of couetous Mammons they necessarily doe prouoke and incense against them The Generall of these Troupes is not a bodily but a spirituall Enemie whose Dragon eyes pries into all aduantages against them intermits no time to entrap them no stratagem to subdue them Now what safetie can there be for simple Innocencie where there is so vigilant a Captaine so officious Souldiers Antichrist may come with Peace in his mouth when hee hath Warre in his heart hee may court it with the flatteries of an Harlot when either hee hath Poyson in his cup or Powder-plots in his head wee where Christ hath set vp his Flagge of defiance must deliuer his Message in his words wee may not either by mentall reseruations or verball equiuocations or secret euasions whatsoeuer turne either to the right hand or to the left but that which hee puts in our mouthes that must wee speake Quid proderit non puniri suo qui puniendus est alieno peccato sayth Prosper What will it boot a man not to be punished for ones owne sinnes when if he cease or omit to reprehend others hee shall be punished for their sinnes so that in this naked Warfare which we vndergoe in this plaine Song of the Word which we sing we find a weapon offensiue perhaps to some no way defensiue to shield vs from their malignitie hence Backbitings hence Slandrings hence Reuilings hence false Accusations how few Pauls how many Demetriuses how few Patrons of Religion how many Crafts-men And how should the chance fall otherwise for thinke you that the world will now brooke a checke of our rudenesse when the Diuine eloquence of the Apostles was so harsh vnto it or will the sonnes of the Earth suffer without indignation the least diminution of their riches by our meanes when they welcommed S. Paul himselfe with such affronts for attempting it nay rather perish Religion fall Churches cease prayers be forfeited all the treasures and conduits of grace to the vttermost racke of Saluation the losse of Heauen to boote But I hope better things of this Auditorie I trust right Honourable that your graue wisedomes will bee a Sanctuarie vnto those which are accused by Demetrius or their factious complices Magistrats as the best coÌ„mission they can shew for their authoritie is the Word written so the best Agents they haue to cause that their commands are executed are the Ministers of this Word You deale not with Barbarians but Christians this is our labour your lawes are executed not of constraint but willingnesse this is our diligence you are obeyed not for feare but conscience this is our industrie O what an happy thing were it then for England if the place which I now stand in to defend against the Crafts-men were lesse contemned more reuerenced and obeyed we should then need no Assises but the Iudgement Seat of God no Accusers but Conscience no Bloud to shed but Teares no Torments to affrighten but Hell no Death to die but to Sinne and Iniquitie As for the rest of this iudicious Assemblie whereof the greater part are interested in Pauls cause my best hopes are that they will not leaue any which possesse his roome to the bitings of such Dogs if their merchandise haue corrupted any to be fauourers of their gaines or touched with their losse I should rather hold them meet to bee admitted into the Corporation of Demetrius and the Crafts-men then to be reputed successors either of Paul or his companions And so I passe from the accusers produced Demetrius and the craftsmen to the directions for hearing which come in the second place to be treated of The law is open and there are Deputies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Originall which in Latine may bee rendred Forenses aguntur or to vse Cicero's phrase Forum agunt the Pleas are held or the Courts are kept Now what these Courts should be I find some difference amongst Writers The Syriack translation implies as Tremellius obserues the Corporations of Artificers to which either Numa Dionys Halicar lib. 1. Plin. lib. 34. c. 1. Flor. in Epist Baron Annal Tom. 1. as Dionysius Halycarnassaeus and Plinie report or Seruius Tullius as Florus affirmes gaue these immunities to haue Causes heard and determined within their owne Halls Baronius would haue them to bee vnderstood of certaine Circuits which the Roman Proconsuls deputed for Asia whom hee would haue here meant by Deputies made at set seasons in those Prouinces and were not altogether differing from those which at this time are presented to our view Lorin ad loc and this Lorinus moreouer confirmes out of Dion Chrysostomus and Festus de verborum significationibus Howsoeuer two things worth our consideration at this time doe in these words offer themselues to be discussed the one the free accesse which â—ourts of Iustice doe yeeld to all Plaintiffes argued in that hee saith The Law is open The other the due Ministers of Iustice for the satisfaction of all complaints where he addes And there are Deputies For the first where it is here said The Law is open the question ariseth how farre the borders of this Libertie doe extend Some distinguish betweene the dutie of the Magistrate and the dutie of priuate Persons Sot lib. 4. de inst q. 4. art 2. The Magistrate saith Sotus is to proceed according to the iniurie of the Patient because the forgiuenesse of trespasses which our Sauiour enioynes his followers to performe is an act appertaining to a man in his absolute state of Christianitie and not as he is respectiuely considered in some Office or Function of the common-wealth therefore vnlesse the pardoning of a crime in an Offendor bee more expedient for the common good to which euery priuate person is to submit his Cause the Law saith he is open on the Magistrates side to all the consideration whereof made the Courts of Iustice in all times to set
open doores as we reade of the Elders of Israel They sate in the Gates of the City that so whosoeuer went in or out might haue their Causes determined and free accesse might bee giuen to all Commers least the complaint of Absolon against Dauid should bee verified 2. Sam. 15. See thy Matters are good and right but there is no man deputed of the King to heare thee But if wee consider priuate persons the reason is different for concerning these Thom. 2.2 q. 68. Thomas giues two rules The first that in matters which concerne the common good or common hurt the Law is open to euery man in particular to bee an Actor or Accuser And indeed in such Cases beside that as Ambrose saith qui indulget indigno ad prolapsionis contagium prouocat vniuersos in being pittifull to some one we may be cruell vnto many Achans stealth vnreuealed Eli and his sonnes defaults vnreformed cost the liues of many Israelites one Ionahs disobediece almost sunke a ship wherein were many Iâ—â—ocents and by the crime of some one person oftentimes the whole people are held defiled The second Rule of Thomas is that in matters which concerne not the common good or common hurt but onely some mens particulars there is a larger scope giuen Though the Gates of Iustice as I said before stand wide open yet before we may enter them in our priuate businesse we must consider first the End of our entrie that it bee not reuenge but either the repaire of our owne losses or to amend our aduersaries for in this latter Case saith Austen he which meditateth Iustice Eleemosynam facit quia misericordiam praeslat doth Almesdeeds in that he compassionately reclaimes his brother from an errour Secondly wee must weigh the qualitie of the businesse if it bee weightie and not trifling if necessarie and not friendly to be composed and lastly if such as is subiect to restitution As alwaies we must forgiue our Aduersaries in respect of hatred to their person and of priuate reuenge so some times in respect of Legall satisfaction He which will goe as farre in all points as the Law will giue him leaue must hope for an Aduocate to pleade his Cause at the last Day and be sure that Forfeitures and Aduantiges be as currant Law in Heauen as they are vpon Earth The drinke of Gheistians is the soft sliding Siloah not Esecke and Massa and Meribah the waters of Strife and Contention Wee may remember the Doome which lighted vpon the Seruant in the Gospell Mat. 18.29 that forgaue not his fellow Seruant the hundred pence which hee ought him when his Lord had a little before forgiuen vnto him ten thousand Talents All the while saith Chrysostome that hee had wasted the ten thousand Talents his Lord was mild vnto him Chrysost in Gen. hom 27. now when hee grew cruell vnto his fellow O thou wicked seruant saith he I forgaue thee all that debt those ten thousand Talents for a little lip seruice because thou desiredst mee shouldst not thou in so smal a matter as one hundred pence haue had coÌ„passion on an Equall of thine thy fellow seruant The application is easie we our selues aske pardon daily for talent sinnes as I may call them and ought not we to forgiue our brother peny offences But the Law is open saith my Text true that thou maist vse it when necessitie requireth it not when thy Auarice and Malice abett thee when Iustice hath absolued thine Aduersarie what is that to thee Wee say not forgiue vs our trespasses as the Iurie shall acquit them which trespasse against vs but as we forgiue them It were good that wee should marke this Clause more carefully least we be constrained to doe as Latimer reports of some in his daies 〈◊〉 who being not willing to forgiue their Enemies would not say their Pater noster at all but in stead thereof tooke our Ladies Psalter in hand because they were perswaded that by that they might obtaine such fauour as forgiuenesse of their sinnes at Gods hands without putting in of so hard a Condition as forgiuenesse of their enemies into their bargaine But I need not insist longer vpon the explication of our Towne Clerks meaning where he saith The Law is open if hee had done this to incite them to Law vnder fauour I might iustly thinke that hee had either spoken for his commoditie but I thinke hee could not expect large fees from a man so poore and honest as Saint Paul Act. 24.26 He which would not haue his Cause suspected by bribing Felix would not now haue sought fauour by feeing the Towne Clerke and therefore I leaue this phrase with its fauorable construction The second point with the Towne Clerke in this direction mentioneth was the Ministers of iustice specified here by the name of Deputies A double way of satisfaction is intimated in my Text the one priuate vsed at this time by Demetrius who suspecting perhaps the equitie of his Cause brought not the matter before the lawfull Magistrates but caused an vproare amongst the common sort and thought by their furie to be auenged vpon Saint Paul and his Companions These proceedings the Towne Clerke in my Text disswades them from for besides the danger which might accrue to the Citie being now subiect to the Romans from such commotions reason would confute these Anabaptisticall proiects of working Reformation without the authoritie of the Magistrate therefore the Towne Clerke tells them of another remedie for their griefs if they had ought against any man by making their complaints knowne in open Courts in a lawfull Assembly to the Deputies This course not the twelue Tables of Rome not the Edicts of the Emperors not the Plebiscites of the people not the Decrees of the Senate doe authorize but the Magna Charta euen the Acts of the blessed Trinitie doe warrant for authenticall I might here summon for confirmation those frequent admonitions ingeminated againe and againe in the Lawes of Moses Exod. 23.6 Exo. 18.21 to incite the Iudges to the due performance of their iudiciall authoritie Leuit. 19.15 I could fortifie it with the presence of the Almightie whom the Psalmist makes the President of the Bench Deus stat in medio Deorum God standeth or assisteth in the midst of the Iudges Psal 82. I might if it were not preiudiciall to the Pope adde that appeale of Saint Pauls to Caesar Act. 25. or that Patent which hee deliuers Magistrates from Heauen that their power is ordained of God Rom. 13. But I desire for vse sake to applie these directions in my Text concerning the deciding of Law Cases to this present Age. The World is compared to a Theater Let the Theater wherein our Towne-clerke is orating bee the Embleme of it Two sorts of Auditors he had the one which knew not wherefore they were come together and may not altogether bee vnlike to the Anabaptists and Trinitarians of our times they suffer
at Athens after the manner of Beasts That we may allow the Epicures deboistnesse and rudenesse which yet Epicurus himselfe if wee may beleeue Seneca would not haue brookt in his Scholers Senec. de vita beata c. 13. yet then where was that composed grauitie of the Stoiks where that modestie and ciuilitie Lips Manuduct ad Stoic Philos l. 1. d. 10. which Zeno and Chrysippus taught in their Schools the Theame they argue no lesse then the saluation of their soules and yet with lesse seriousnesse discussed by them then Problemes in Sophistrie Lips ib. lib. 3 dissert 7. the Agents against Paul such as proclaymed passions to be vices in Nature and incompatible with the temper of a wise man and yet see who more vainely breakes out now as if moralitie consisted meerly in speculation into termes of passion then these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What will this Babler say But their furie stayes not here I see that Arts and Sciences doe not alwaies mollifie the rough inclinations of men one would thinke that Philosophie her selfe grew cruell to see such a troup of her followers lay violent hands vpon Saint Paul and to dragge him from the place where he disputed as a Doctor in the Schooles to a Tribunall where he must change his Formes and pleade his Cause as a Prisoner at the Barre To say little of the iudgement place where you may suppose our Apostle now standing it was the famous Senate of the Areopage a noble Court a more noble Cause much might we conceiue of the Plea of this blessed Prisoner which was both partie accused and Aduocate to himselfe no Demosthenes was entertayned to powre forth his streames of eloquence in his Cause no thundring Pericles was found to open his mouth in his defence for what that dabitur in illa hora which Christ bequeathed to his Disciples was that which could make Paul a perfect Orator and an Orator powerfull he needed no penned Oration to affect the minds of his Auditors for he at whose voyce the depths and foundations of the Earth are shaken did speake in him But I must remember where it was that Saint Paul pleaded his Cause It was not in the Forum at Rome Vlpian in Orat. Demosth de falsa legat where the 12 Accuser had but six houres alotted him to accuse and the Guiltie nine houres to make his answere but it was in the Areopage at Athens where the Aduersarie might freely accuse but the Defendant onely speake to what was obiected and Laconike-breuitie had been Leeger in that Court so long that Proems themselues saith Sigonius were proscribed the Verse Sigon de Repub. Athen lib. 3. and disvsed by the Orators of that Citie To frame therefore any long Preface in handling our Apostles Cause especially before another Areopage might seeme both improper impertinent Wherefore to come to the words themselues the whole Oration is but ro conuince the Athenians of idolatrie and superstition my Text is an instance by way of induction to confirme his Thesis or Position in that Point the summe whereof if wee should consider it in it selfe is a relation of his Topographicall obseruations in his aboad at Athens whilest hee walked the streets not like that Cynick to find an honest man at noone by the light of a candle but to discouer the traps and machinations of Satan at a mid-night of ignorance by the light of the Gospell The things therein contayned according to the Apostles termes are two first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what he beheld and secondly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in beholding what hee had found the one subordinate to the other In the things hee is said to behold wee may consider first the things themselues their deuotions and secondly the prudencie and cautelousnesse which he vsed in beholding them as he passed by In the things he found wee are likewise to note what it was it was an Altar and the title it had An inscription to the vnknowne God Of these in order as God shall enable me and your Christian patience permit mee and first for the things hee beheld and the prudencie which hee vsed in beholding them which for the better explaning of either I shall handle together in the first place As I passed by I beheld your denotions c. Whether it bee lawfull or no to view and behold the superstitious Rites of Idolators is much controuerted both by the Fathers Aug lib. de Haeres c. 70. Euseh lib. 6. hist c 28. Adri n. 4. Seul q. 1. Schoole-men and moderne Writers The Priscillianists and Elcesaites thought it lawfull in any case to dissemble ones faith and for the outward act to ioyne ones selfe to Idolators Adrianus vpon the fourth of the Sentences agrees with them so it bee when Gods honour is not dimiâ—ished thereby nor our Neighbours eduication substracted who indeed in this could not be so much blamed were it not that he supposeth some outward act of idolatrie may be committed and yet neither Gods honour thereby impared nor weake ones offended The most therefore hold the negatiue part to them so farre as it toucheth any ioyning or communicating with them in their actions but yet for naked inspection or meere presence they hold the affirmatiue and positiue with some limitations These words of Saint Paul containe the whole state of the question should wee but narrowly looke into them The Position is plainly proued in that he saith I beheld your deuotions the originall hath it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Vatablus and Erasmus turne culturas vestras your worshippings the vulgar simulachra vestra your Images but both somwhat scantling the extent of the word as Beza notes Beza Annot ad loc for neither doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imply the Image alone or alone the worshipping of it but rather both so that Saint Paul seemes not to limit himselfe in this place from beholding either the one or the other The limitations are found contayned in the former wordes As I passed by c. Where we may obserue First The manner of his seeing It was so that hee might giue no offence nor scandall to any it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as he passed by c. Where we may obserue Secondly The Person who beheld It was not a weake Brother which was in danger to receiue infection either for lack of knowledge or courage it was the Apostle As I passed by c. Where we may obserue Thirdly The occasion of his looking on It was not any idolatrous motion but his way or passing by As I passed by c. So then you see with what cautions the Apostle and by his example euery good Christian may take a view of the ceremonies of other Religions it must be for the manner without offence for the Person without danger of peruerting and for the occasion it must bee a ciuill respect and not any idolatrous purpose but first for the Position The Position seemes