had they done their dutie But alas this is not to féede gods people in Iacob nor his inheritaunce in Israel This is to féede our selues euen as the Ore is fed to the slaughter house so we doe féede our selues to euerlasting confusion They that haue eares to heare let them heare God had chosen his Rulers To feede his people in Iacob and his inheritance in Israel These are the plaine and expresse wordes of Gods spirit And then what outragious spirit is y â— or what Fury rather that crieth thus wâ—…an impudent face that the Prince hath not to 〈◊〉 with Iacob and may not meddle with Israel But these are the steps that the man of sâ—…e should treade to speake against the Lord and yet say that he cannot erre There are the liuely markes of Antichrist thus to fight against Christ and yet saye he is his â—…hear Such is al the religion of â—…stry examine it if you will euen from point to point where God saith one thing it saith stil contrary and yet crieth with shame inough there is no errour in it God saith It is the doctrine of deuils to forbid mariages and the lawful vse of meates The Pope presumptâ—…y forbiddeth both and yet saith still that he hath the holy Ghost Paule the Apostle saith If you obserue daies and times I am afraid that the Gospel is preached vnto you in vayne The Pope saith you shall obserue both I can dispence with the Apostle and yet he saith he is Apostolical Saint Peter saith Be you subiect to the Prince as to the chiefest The Pope saith the King is not highest but he is aboue doth King and Keasar and yet he saith still he is the Successor of Peter And what should I say more It greueth me to recken vp al that Monsters abominations It would make a Christian hart to bleed to see how he hath deceiued the simple With his paper waules and painted fiers he made them so afraid that they beleued what so euer he had spoken But he is filthy and let him be filthy still We wyll returne to our purpose and learne of a princely Prophet what is a Princes duty He must féede Iacob and Israel that is Kinges must be Nurce fathers Quenes must be Nurces vnto the Churche of God And to this end they must vse their authoritie that Gods children may learne vertue knowledge For to seeke onely worldly peace and securitie or to make vs lyue at ease here in this wayfaring citie that is rather to féede flesh and bloud then to féede Iacob rather to make happy this worldly fellowship then to instruct Israel The true Israelite is strong against the Lord and commeth with violence to claime the kingdome of heauen What helpeth it in this respect to be ritch or honorable If I had al the ritches in the world yet could I not pay the price of my bothers soul. Or if I had neuer so much rule and authoritie I am not therfore the nearer to make intercession vnto God They are other weapons that must preuaile against Sathan and it is an other attyre that wyll be accepted for the mariage garment If we wil feede Iacob and Israel let vs leade them to the house of wisedome and traine them vp in the feare of God The Lord open the Queenes Maiesties eyes that she may looke to this charge Otherwise if we lyued neuer so peaceably vnder her yet when the Lord shal come to aske accompt of her stewardship how she hath fed her fellow seruants with the meate appointed them then she will be found eating and drinking with sinners But because we are so dul of hearing that a little teaching of our dutye is not sufficient for vs I will shew out of the scriptures somewhat more plainly if ought may be playner what is the duty of a Prince The Prophet Esay very effectually setteth it out in the person of our Sauiour Christ saying Righteousnes shall be the girdle of his loynes and faithfulnes the buckle of his raines It is true that the Prince must defende the fatherles and widdow relieue the oppressed and haue no respect of persons in iudgement sake peace vnto his people and gird him selfe with righteousnes But this is also his duty and his greatest duty to be careful for religion to maintaine the Gospell to teache the people knowledge and builde his whole gouernance with faithfulnes For this cause king Salomon both the mightiest and the wisest kyng that euer was called him salfe a Preacher And king Dauid to testifie how he acknowledged his duty spake openly to his people I wyl instruct thee and teach thee in the way that thou shalt go and I wyl guide thee with mine eye This general rule king Salomon gaue vnto other Be diligent to knowe thee-state of thy flocke and take heede vnto thy heardes For ritches remaine not alwaies neither the crowne from generation to generation Expresâ—…y shewing that to encrease riches or to set forth the glory of a kyngdome that is not the greatest dâ—…uty of a Magistrate Thus the Prophet Hoseas crying out against the people of Israel he reckeneth vp this as their greatest disorder that lying and swearing ignoraunce of God was not punished amongest them And alas dearely beloued if this be the saying of the Prophet let vs looke vnto it I dare not but speake the truth seyng God hath called me hether He hath raysed me vp so hye when I was cast downe that I cannot forget hys benefites If this wyll not serue I wil surely speake it more playnely when the Lord shall open my mouth againe Surely if this be the saying of the Prophet as it is in déede that lying that swearing that blynde and wylfull ignoraunce shall be punished let not the Princesse deceiue her self the spirite of God doth not posses her hart if she heare daylye lying and blasphemous swearing and sée the peoples ignoraunce and yet leaue all vnpunished Looke vnto these thinges better if you wyl looke well vnto your selfe you cannot pretend ignoraunce thys is playn inough if anye thyng be inough And yet least you should seeke to buselye to be deceued I wyll rehearse the pláyne law of the Lord. That this doctrine may be warranted with the surer witnesses God sayth of a Kyng in the 17. of Deuteronomy VVhen he shal sit vpon the throne of hys kingdome then shal he vvrite him this lawe repeated in a booke by the Priestes of the Leuites And it shall be vvith him and he shall reade therein all the dayes of hys life That he may learne to feare the Lord his God and keepe all the wordes of his Law and these couenauntes for to do them That hys hart be not lifted vp aboue his brethren That he turne not aside from these commaundements neither to the right hand nor to the leaft But that he may prolong hys dayes in his kyngdome he and
words admonish your Maiesty that are wise inough onely I wyll say this returne into your own hart and search your raynes And here I set before you the tribunall seate of Christ If you know these things to be true discharge the faith you owe greene not your quiet conscience least it begyn to accuse you and the burthen of it be greater then you shal be able to beare If God haue defended you mightely as euer he did Dauid the Prophet discharge your faith with the Prophet Dauid and cry in spirit Quid retribuam Domino pro omnibus quae retribuunt mihi What shal I geue vnto the Lord for all those benefites that he bestowed vpon me And thus much as God hath geuen me vtterance I haue noted vnto you out of the first part of this scripture how that God did chuse Dauid from the shepefold The Lord geue you grace to confesse his goodnes and she we your selues more thankfull for all his benefites One other thing we maye note here that al that we haue of God it is of hys frée mercy it is not of our deseruing euen as he gaue both the Tabernacle and the Scepter vnto the tribe of Iuda because he loued it So God gaue vnto his people a land that flowed with milke and hoony but he gaue it not for their righteousnes for they were a frowaroe people but because he loued them So God delt fauourably with Sion that is wyth the children of Israel not because of their obedience for they were a rebellious nation but because hee remembred his othe whych her sware vnto their forefathers So God fulfilled the prophecy of Iacob he blessed Iuda but he fulfilled it in Dauid whom hee tooke from the shepefoldes So Christ made hys kingdome euerlasting in the house of Iacob but he layd first the fouÌ„dation of it And now he hath builded it vp neither by the wisdome of the wyse nor by the vnderstanding of the pâ—…udent but to testifye vnto vs his frée grace and mercy Hée hath chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wyse and the weake thinges of this world to confound the mighty and vyle thinges of the world which are despised to bring to nought the thinges that are estéemed and had in reputation for this cause alone as the scripture witnesseth that no flesh should reioyce in his presence But what nede we so far to seeke for examples Let vs behold our selues how pleÌ„tifully at thys day are Gods mercies and benefites poured out vpon vs both vpon our Quéene and vpon her people How myghtely doth he defend vs in so many daungers How sit we in safety when all the world is on an vprore And is this thinke you of our deseruing or rather of Gods mercy Now surely surely we were very blinde if we would not al confes with the Prophet Ieremy that it is Gods mercy that we be not consumed So muche disobedience both in Prince and Subiect so litle care of duty so déepe forgetfulnes of God what doth it els deserue but heauye iudgement What can it testifie els but that all these blessinges are of mercy Wel wel the wisest wâ—…y is to take heede in time Let not our syus seperate betwene God and vs. If therebe no wher examples that we can looke vpon yet let vs beware by the tribe of Ephra im that we abuse not Gods mercies for feare we lose them Because we are now out of daunger and ther is no peril that is present let ve not therfore say as proud Babilon I sit like a Queene shal see no euil I shalbe a Lady for euer and shall see no losse of Children He that thinketh he stands saith Paul let him take heede he fall not It is no good argument that our state is sure because God hath deliuered vs out of a great many of trou bles Nay let vs rather feare be the more circumspect Gods arme that hath bene â—…ret ched out for our safegard in times past is not now drawne in that he cannot againe gréeue vs. God deliuered the people of Israel out of the handes of many and gréeous enemies but yet when the people of Israel would in no wise amend God could raise vp Salmanasar to leade them away to perpetual captiuitie Nay we haue a great many more fearful examples then this We haue fearful example before our eyes to take héde of Gods iudgementes when we abuse hys graces God defended Senacherib in the conquest of a great many of countries in al which he escaped harmles yet when he knew not himself but blasphemed the God of Israel euen before the waules of Ierusalem God could finde him out at home in hys own country and in the temple of his Idols his own sonnes slew him Agamemnon x. yeres together in mortall and bloody warres could neuer be hurt yet after at home in his owne house by hys own wyfe he was kylled Bibulus a noble Romaine gat many victories and styll escaped peryl yet afterward in the city of Rome when he should haue had the glory of all hys valiant actes and rode through the strats in the pryde of hys triumphe a tyle fallyng from the house stroke so déepe into hys head that it kylled hym presently Iulius Caisar in wynnyng the west part of the world in 51. set battayles neuer receyued daungerous stroke yet after all hys daungers so happely escaped at home in the Senate house in the myddest of hys Nobilitye and in hys Parlament robes he receiued 24. woundes and all of them deadly Many such examples are before our eyes to make vs beware and take heede of security when any daunger is paâ—… and to take hede of forgetfulnes when we haue receiued mercy The Lord enrich vs with the graces of his spirit that when we often behold from whence we haue bene delyuered we may séeke diligently and be alwayes carefull how to be found thankfull The second argument whych I sayd the Prophet vsed to make the people thankful was taken of Gods intent and purpose to what end he chose Dauid and that he sheweth in these wordes To feede his people in Iacob and his inheritance in Israel These wordes are very plaine and containe so expresly what is the duty of any Prince or Magistrate that none can bee ignoraunt but he that will not know For this purpose they are chosen to feede Gods people in Iacob and his inheritaunce in Israel Whether he bee Prince or Emperour Duke Earle Lorde Counsellour Magistrat whatsoeuer for this purpose he is called discharge it as wel as he will He must feede Gods people in Iacob his inheritance in Israel O if God had called them for some other purpose how gladly would they haue executed it If God had called them to dicing and carding to swearing and lying to pride vanitie the mighty men of our daies how busely
hys Sonnes in the middest of Israel This law I know not how your Maiesty shall interpreate because I knowe not your spirite but of this I am sure it made Dauid that he would not suffer a wicked man in his house It made Asa driue awaye the Sodomites out of Israel put downe the Idols depose his own mother from her dignitie It made Ieosaphat Ezechias Iosias euen in the beginning of their raigne to make godly and zealous réformations in religion and neuer consulted farther with the high Priests Nay it made Salomon to put down Abiathar that was the hye Priest and to place Sadoe a better in his roome This made manye godlye Emperours in the primitiue Church to call general counsels to reforme many misorders crept into the church to depose many ambitious and proude Popes and plate better in their roome And he that denieth this denieth the Sunne to shine at noone dayes And as this lawe hath thus wrought heretofore so when it lighteth in a good spirite I am sure it will do the like hereafter It wyll mooue a godly Magistrate to haue his chiefest care to maintaine Religion and to suppresse superstition And suche is Gods righteous iudgement that whosoeuer shall do the contrarye I am sure his own conscience wyl condemne him selfe It is the law of Nature and it maketh the most wickedest Magistrate to sighâ—… and say in his hart in remembraunce of hyâ—… sinne Sure this doing wil not last alwaye God hath appointed me for some other purpose This was the greatest fault that proud Agamemnon could finde in al the glory of his kingdome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. When Gods cause goeth not vpright it layeth the glorye of my kyngdome in the dust it turneth vpsidowne al my life and happines Thus it happeneth with the wicked who so euer they are they condemne theyr own doing when they séeke not to set out the glory of God The law of God hath thus coÌ„maunded it the godly kinges of Iuda and Ierusalem haue euermore practised it the faithful Emperors in the primitiue Church made it their chiefest study the law of Nature hath ingrauen it in the hart of man And what godly Prince can now sléepe in securitie if he haue no care vnto it Especially seing God is the God of all Magistrates and they are his creatures This is their greatest studye to shew obedience vnto him to féede his people and set forth his Religion But here I thinke some wil easely say If this be so as you teache it then the case is cleare the Prince is a spirituall Magistrate it belongeth vnto him to reforme religion he is the highest Iudge in the Church of God to establish that by law which the law of God hath appointed Howe then that the Pope seeth not this Why do not others sée it that reade and know the scriptures The Emperours them selues why haue not they sâ—…ne it How grew the Pope vp to such vnâ—…ridled authoritie How the Pope shoulde come to so great authoritie I know no cause but this that it was the wyll of God such was the depth of his secrete iudgementes The purple whore would make all the Princes of the earth to drinke of the cups of her fornications But for the Popes seing or not seing of his own abominations I knowe not hys eye sight I cannot tell whether he doth sée them or sée them not but I thinke he seeth them For I sée in all ages how God hath raised vp some that haue enuayed bitterly agaynst hys intollerable pride If he sieth it not his eyes are very sicke and him self a verier beast then euer was Nabuchodonosor And the Lord be praysed that hath hardened his proud hart and reuealed better knowledge vnto litle ones Why other should not sée it that reade the scriptures as wel as we and are as wel learned as we I can assigne no other cause but saye with the Prophet Gods iudgementes are like to a great depth They are as they are and what they are it skilleth nothing vnto vs. I came not hether to compare with learning who be Hebrues and who be none I am sure if they did séeke him in the simplicitie of their hart and cal after him in the truth not in their own inuentions that then they should finde him Now they seeke the liuing springes in vayne because they seke them in the puddels that they haue digged them selues And they seeke for the Gospel of saluation in vaine because they follow the doctrine that is but preceptes of men But what if many learned see it not Is it not therefore truth that is so playne in the Scriptures Let me aske againe I beseth you this question Why did not Pharao sée that Moyses and Aaron were sent of God They turned all his waters into bloud they brought vpon him Frogs that couered all his lande they plauged him with great swarmes of Lyce a Flies they feared hym with thunders and lightnyng and with great tempestes they made darknes thicke and sensible vpon the face of the earth they slew the first borne of all that was in the lande Why knewe not Pharao that they were sent of God They deuided the read sea and went through on dry land What madnes made him venter to go so desperatly after Why would he not be taught till the water couered him and all his host Should the age that came after him reason thus against Israel If your God be the Lord of heaueÌ„ and earth why did not our fathers know him Why did not the Scribes and Pharises know Christ to be the Messias They heard Iohn Baptist geue hym playne testimonie why dyd they not beleue hym The same Christ fulfilled al that was spoken by the Prophets why could they not see that he was the Sauiour of the world He made the himde to sée the deafe to heare the dum to speake the lame to go He made the sicke and diseased whole he raised vp the dead he told vnto them euen their thoughtes and cogitations How were they so dull of vnderstanding that yet they could not know him If this may be sufficieÌ„t to reproue a truth why do not other sée it then the Pharises reason wel against Christ when they sayd vnto the people VVhy doe none of the Princes and Rulers beleue in him But sée I besech you how great is our madnes that thus reason of other men why they see or sée not Why haue we our selues so great beames in our eyes that we can not sée our own estate and condition Why doe we not sée the shortnes of our life but thus lyue in the world as though we should liue euer Seing we haue a righteous God that wil be a reuenger of his own cause and punish oâ—… transgression why do we syn yet dayly more and more Seing our lyfe is but