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A69013
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A sermon preached at Hampton Court before the Kings Maiestie, on Tuesday the 23. of September, anno 1606. By Iohn Buckeridge, D. of Diuinitie
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Buckeridge, John, 1562?-1631.
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1606
(1606)
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STC 4002.5; ESTC S118735
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17,733
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45
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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
boldnesse of such Bishops and others shall be brought in order by the sword or execution of Gods minister that is my selfe And the sixt Toletan Councell speaking of Chintillanus the king saith Nefas est in dubium deducere eius potestatem cui omnium gubernatio superno constat delegata iudicio It is an hainous offence to call his power into question to whom it is apparant that the gouernement of all is delegated by the diuine Decree To reduce these things to certaine heads The first worke of this supremacy is reformatio Ecclesiae The reformation of the Church by abolishing Idolatrie superstition and heresie and placing of true Religion practised by Constantine and all the godly Emperours his successors A matter so euident both in the Law the Gospel that it needeth no proofe And they which withstand and cry downe the Supremacie of Kings were the men that first told Kings that they had a supremacie in causes Ecclesiasticall and ought to reforme the Church and make way for Gods owne kingdome and Christs owne Scepter which when they had effected by the Ciuill sword and grew potent and strong and able to stand of themselues Then these Equiuocating companions began to deale plainely and to tell Kings that they had nothing to do in causes Ecclesiastical As those that when they haue beat the child burne or cast away the rod as who vsing temporall Authority as a ladder to clime vp to the height of their ambition fling it away and breake it in pieces as if they that reformed for them might not also reforme them and bring them into Order The second worke of this Supremacie is Conuocatio Synodorum the calling of Councels and Synods as the foure first generall Councels were called by foure Emperors The Nicene Councell against Arrius by Constantine The Councell of Constantinople against Macedonius by Theodosius the elder The Councel of Ephesus against Nestorius by Theodosius the yonger The Councell of Chalcedon against Eutiches by Martian I might adde the Councell of Sardis by Constans and Constantius many more for many hundred yeeres after Christ But I note rather the weake allegation of Cardinall Bellarmine That all these Councels and many more were called by Emperours but authoritate Papae by the authoritie of the Bishop of Rome or the Presbyterie if there were any such thing then in being as if in those times Emperours had bene vassals to the Bishops of Rome whereas Leo magnus made supplication to Theodosius the yonger supplicationi nostrae dignetur annuere that the Emperor would call a Councell in Italy But the Emperour called it at Ephesus And the Bishops of Italy could not come in time and Eutiches hersie was there countenanced by the meanes of Dioscorus Bishop of Alexandria Then Leo made a second supplication and alledged the sighes and teares of all the Clergie for to obtaine a Councell in Italy He sollicited the Princesse Pulcheria to further his supplication to the Emperour He wrote to the Nobles Cleargie and people of Constantinople to make like supplication to the Emperour yet he could not obtaine it in the time of Theodosius When Martian succeeded by the fauour of Pulcheria a Councell was granted not in Italy but at Chalcedon Then Leo made a fresh suite That the Emperour would command the Bishops of the Councell that the faith of the Nicene Councell might stand in full force vnaltered which the Emperour did at his request And the Emperours Oration to that purpose is extant Now if supplication intercession of friendes sighes and teares of Priests be the authority of the Pope then the Pope vsed his authoritie and commaunded the Emperour to call Councels But in the subscription you shall see his authoritie Because saith Leo I must by all meanes obey your sacred and Religious will I haue set downe my consent in writing to those Constitutions Here you see it is plaine Councels were called by Emperours at the Popes supplication and entreatie And therefore when Ruffinus alleadged the Canon of a Councell against S. Hierome his answere was Doce quis eum Imperator iusserit conuocari shew what Emperour commanded this Councell to be called I will therefore ende this point with Socrates words Who giuing a reason why in his Church-story he made so often mention of Emperours saith Propterea quod ex illo tempore quo Constantini esse coeperunt negotia Ecclesiae ex eorum nutu pendere visa sunt atque adeo maxima concilia de eorum sententia conuocata fuerunt adhuc conuocantur Since Emperours became like Constantine fathers of the Church the causes of the Church haue depended vpon their will And therefore the greatest Councels haue bene and yet are called by their authoritie The third worke is promulgatio legum the promulgation of Church Lawes and Edicts commanding or forbidding things expedient or hurtful for the Churches gouernment whereof the Church stories are full Constantine made many Lawes concerning Confessors and Martyrs Christians and Heathen Eusebius mentioneth two Lawes one that abolished idolatrie images sacrifices and diuinations an other concerning building enlarging of Churches at the Emperors charge Theodosius made a Lawe against the Arrians the maner of it is worth the repeating Amphilochus Bishop of Iconium had beene a long suter in vaine at last hee vsed this stratageme hee came into the Court and saluted the Emperour but would not salute the Emperours sonne Arcadius newly created Caesar Theodosius thinking hee had not seene his sonne shewed him his sonne and bid him salute and kisse him Amphilochus answered It is enough to honour the father Theodosius interpreting it as a contempt of his sonne grew very angrie whereupon Amphilochus discouering himselfe said Art thou offended O Emperour that I reuerence not thy sonne and thinkest thou that God is not offended with the Arrians the blasphemers of his sonne The Emperour ouercome with these words Legemscribit made a Lawe presently forbidding the assemblies of the Arrians I should tire my selfe and your patience if I should enter particulars onely I must referre you to the titles of the Ciuil law De summa Trinitate fide Catholicâ de sacrosanctis Ecclesijs de Episcopis clericis de haereticis c. which were promulgated by Iustinian Theodosius Valentinian Honorius Arcadius and other godly and Religious Emperours There is a Collection of Ecclesiasticall Lawes made by Charles the Emperour Lodouicke and Lotharius gathered by Ansegisus Anno 827. Of Charles his Lawes there be 168. And of the Lawes of Lewes and Lotharius 157. In the Preface the Emperour Charles professeth Quapropter nostros missos ad vos direximus qui ex nostri nominis Authoritate vnà vobiscum corrigerent quae corrigenda essent Therefore we haue directed our Commissioners vnto you Heere you see Kings high Commissioners and visitors are ancient that shall ioyne with you to redresse those things which neede reformation