Lands because to seeke these things is no other than to cast downe the Apostolicke seate from the rights of her Maiestie d And least the Pope proue tractable these holy Cardinals will bind his omnipotencie with their owne oath that hee should change nothing that is done Heere is barbarous tyrannie bound with roapes of sand They vent their malice and folie but God hath begunne to beholde and judge that tyrannie and possiiblie will restore him without their consent Lastlie if Kings by their power or loue of their people bee secured from forraine violence they haue their last refuge to cause kill him by stobbing poyson or powder-plots And that not onelie Protestant Princes but euen of such as are Papists as the world saw in Henrie the third of France for after excommunication any man may take his life by any means whatsoever But this crueltie must haue a warrand and Scripture shall bee throwne to favour it for these words Peter kill and eate giue power to the Popes to excommunicate depose and kill Kings if wee trust Baronius for Peters Ministerie is two fold sayeth hee to feede and to kill And he is commanded to kill them that is to resist to fight against them and to defeate them that they be not at all And because the Notion of killing soundeth harshlie hee will giue vs a charitable Commentarie of it that killing ought to bee in great charitie That the thing killed bee eaten to wit by Christian charitie to hyde it in his bowels and so that killing is not crueltie but Pietie I doubt if the Pope will count it either Pietie or Charitie if hee felt such a killing And Bellarmine is as grosse though in fewer words For it is the duetie of the head â—aith hee to eate and by eating to send downe meate into the Stomach This is a strange libertie in glossing Scripture and to turne Peter a fisher of men in a Butcher of Kings and the Pope in a Polyphemus to devour men It is like the Iesuite Alcasers conceate on the Revelation He saw how that Booke tortured the Church of Rome therefore he cast it in a new mould and exponeth her destruction Cap. 18. of her conversion to Christ and the fire of Gods anger that destroyeth her to bee the flame of Gods loue turning her to Christianity A fansie contrar to sense reasoÌ„ for this destruction is threatned as a plague to Rome not promised as a blessing So these men wil never want a colour for their cause so loÌ„g as they play the Quâ—dlibitars to draw every thing out of any thing But this glosse is coÌ„trare to the Text which speaketh only of the conversioÌ„ of the Gentiles the Fathers exponded this eating of the Churches turning the Gentiles to her selfe by Baptisme so Augustine He said to Peter kill and eate that is kill them as they are corrupt and make them the thing that thou art And this is contrare to Baronius for the end of his eating is to destroy them alluterlie but the end of this eating is to saue them by grace And Baronius himselfe in cold blood and free of preiudice before the question arose betwixt the Pope Venice What that heavenlie vision meant the event declared so that we neede no humane interpretatioÌ„ for it meant that the Gentiles shuld be turned to the Church by Baptisme And their owne Onus Ecclesiae telleth vs from what Spirit such glosses and practises come it is not pastorall loue but a divellish malice to scatter kill and destroy This libertie of glossing is that which Basile and Nazianzen call duleuein Hypothâ—sei to serue their turne and to make the sense of Scripture currrent with the occasion or time as Cusane affirmeth But such dealing Christian Princes are in the worst casâ— of any men Pagan Princes are without the Popes iurisdiction and free of his censure Kings vnder the Law had authoritie over the high Priest but now the Pope clames more power than the high Priest had And though Subjectes of any qualitie bee excommunicate they are neither cast out of their possessions nor killed by vertue thereof They say by word that when a King becommeth Christian hee loseth not his earthly kingdome wherevnto he had right but acquireth a new right to an eternall Kingdome If it bee so as it is indeede how is it that vnder the Pope Kingdomes are looseable onelie because of Christianitie They fall heere in that same inconvenient they would eschew that Christianity is hurtfull to Kings and Grace destroyes Nature The cause of this difference is that they are Kings and by their place come in Competition with him who will be absolute Monarch over all For the Pope sayeth Suarez hath the height of both powers and is both high Priest and a temporall King This is a stumbling blocke to hold infidell Princes from Christ The Turks stumble at popish images and at the Siege of Vien when their Canon brake in pieces the images that were set on the wals to keâ—pe the Towne they cryed with disdaine Take vp the Christians gods Their Transubstantiation is another stumbling block wheÌ„ in one houre they will create adore and eate their god And that made Averroes to cry The Religion of the Iewes is for Swine The ReligioÌ„ of Mahumetanes is for Chidren The ReligioÌ„ of Christans is of impossibilies Therefore Anima mea cum Philosophis my soule with the Philosophs So this excommunicating killing of Kings maketh infidell Princes abhorre Christianitie whose first reward vnder the Pope would bee this base abusing Therefore the Turk holdeth him with Mahumet and though hee honour his Muffti and vse his counsell in great matters yet hee keepeth him alwayes subject to him in Civill things CHAP. VII That Vsurpation now is the prime Article of their faith THis was some-tymes no Tenet of Doctrine no not a Probleme in the Schools yea when it began Sigibert called it an Haeresie It was not so much as res fidei a matter of faith but now it is made de fide an article of faith and that not a commoun one but caput fidei an head article of faith It is both their negatiue and affirmatiue confession Negatiue If this proposition bee denyed that the Pope may depose hereticall Kings the Catholicke faith is abiured said Suarez And who deny this falleth in Paganisme and in the sinne against the holy Ghost said Alvarez Pelagius It is their affirmatiue confession because this is the maine and principall point of faith sayeth the Cardinall and the chiefe hinger wherevpon all the contraversie turneth And vnder the counterfitte name of Skulkenius hee sayeth that this Papall power is the hinger the fundation and in a word the summe of Christian Faith And Cardinall Peron in his diswasiue oration to the communalitie of France calleth it the greatest matter wherevpon the safetie of all Christendome dependeth By this
hath the like censure of him that hee honoured the Emperour but by way of complement and for the fashion This is worse than anie of the former shifts to damne the Pietie and humble obedience of the Auncients vnder the name of dissimulation They rubbe on these Ancients their owne doublenesse who like Solomons whoore can suffer the Babe to bee divyded and that not in obedience only but in religious worshippe For Pope Pius 5. sent Medalls to the English recusants with this Circumscription Da mihi fili mi cor tuum sufficit My sonne giue me thy heart and it sufficeth He gaue them libertie to bee present at the exercise of our Religion if they keeped their heart to him and his Masse Heerein also they trode vnder foote the Godlinesse of Gregorie the first to hold vp the pride of Gregorie the seventh and to preoccupie the Reader least the grace of these ancients should condemne the ambition of their Successors If Gregories obedience was but dissimulation how deeper hypocrisie is theres who borrow his stile of Servant of Servants and yet trode vpon Princes If for his learning and pietie hee bee called Gregorie the Great what degree shall they haue who in Ignorance Pride and profainesse are contrare to him Heerein also they show how little they count of Fathers They crie everie where in their wrytes Patres Patres the Fathers the Fathers yet they accuse them of dissimulation praevarication c. C ham covered his Fathers nakednesse but they call that nakednesse in Fathers which is their glorie and declare what Duraeus spake of their doctrine Neque enim Patrâ—s censentur cum suum aliquod quod ab Ecclesia non acceperunt vel scribunt vel docent That they are not to bee counted Fathers when they write or teach any thing of their owne which they haue not receaved from the Church of Rome In like manner Gretzer speaking of Bertrame Hee who feedeth not the Church with wholesome foode is not a Father but a Step-father This is it that Gregorie sayeth of Hereticks that are they friendly to them that are dumbe but enemyes to them when they speake Wee neede no more proofe of their contempt of the Fathers than Sixtus Senensis Bibliotheck But I close this point with S. Augustine against the Donatists How can an evill pleader praise the Iudges by whose iust iudgement hee is over come But they might borrow a better shift than these from Gratian speaking of the Election of former Popes done by Emperours but now by the Popes creatures in the Conclaue That the Church hath authoritie to abrogate such customes as in former times were without fault but afterward turned to errour or superstition So be like the subiection of old Popes as the brasen Serpent was turned in abuse and therefore must bee turned in rebellion And Azorius telleth as much that Gregorie called Mauritius his Lord and was subiect to him not of right but of force sicuti Paganis olim subiecti erant Sacerdotes Christiani In the meane time wee haue gained this point of them that in the first Ages their Usurpation was neither in doctrine nor practice And that wee who obey Princes proue the successours of these pious and obedient Fathers VVhile they proue successours of the Heathen Priests who on everie miscontentment cutted off their Princes CHAP. IX Of the proofe of their positiue NOveltie Or of Hildebrands contention FOlloweth that wee proue positiuely the Noveltie of this Usurpation which wee affirme to haue begunne with Hildebrand They call it old indeede This Theologie of the Iesuites is not new but most auncient And the Iesuits in their Apologie againe the Behemians rest not on that indefinitenesse but affirme their Doctrine to haue stood 1610. yeares But when hee commeth to muster his forces to proue that Antiquitie hee beginneth at Gregorie the seventh who entred to the Popedome about the 1073. and so at the first encounter hee passeth a thousand yeeres and more Hee stumbleth in the threshold of his dispute and seeth not a contradiction in that his first reason primus prodeat septimus first let the seventh come foorth The seventh in order argues not a prioritie but a posterioritie and a noveltie Though hee had begunne at Gregorie the first it had not proven true Antiquitie yet seeing hee passeth sex Gregories in silence he telleth that they were named by that watchfull name in vaine in betraying the Ecclesiasticke libertie and that this seventh Gregorie did first a wake to defend it The next proofe is Otho Frisingensis I read and read over againe saith hee the doings of the Emperours but I finde none of them excommunicate or deprived of their Kingdome by the Pope before Henrie the fourth This Bellarmine presseth to refute but in vaine For Onuphrius as zealous for the Pope as hee and a better antiquaâ—ie confirmeth it Gregorie the seventh the first of all the Popes trusting to the forces of the Normanes c. Beside the custome of the Auncients contemning the authoritie of the Emperour was so bold as to excommunicate Caesar himselfe and depriue him of his Kingdome A thing not heard of before that time And where their best reason to proue the practise of it before Hildebrands time is taken from some practise against Arcadius Anastasius and Leo Emperours Onuphrius sheweth the vanitie of that alledgeance in calling them fables not to be respected In like manner Eberhardus as he is alledged by Aventine Hildebrand before an 170 yeares was the first who layed the foundation of Antichrists Impyre vnder colour of Religion Baronius also confesseth as much when hee prefaceth that contentioun Gregorie sayeth hee began a controversie with a constant mynde although hee knew all Christian Princes would bee his a iversaries yet with a mightie Spirit that could not yeelde hee enterprised a matter verie hard and which could not bee compassed by humane power If it was so hard a worke as he truely calleth it then it was not ancient for long practise would haue made it easie Lessius would make vs belieue that Kings and Emperours followed that doctrine without any doubting But Azorius contradicteth him affirming that there was ever a great controversie amongst Princes and the Popes concerning their power in depryving Kingâ— So Azorius expoundeth the cause of Baronius difficultie to bee the opposition of Princes And Baronius confessed difficultie proveth the noveltie of the matter Hee insinuateth also the same in his Votum to Paul the fifth against the Venetians when hee testifyeth his ioy because hee saw in Peters chaire another Gregorie the seventh or Alexander the third who were the chiefe defenders of Ecclesiasticke libertie But the contentioun it selfe will cleare the matter for there is not in al the storie a more remarkable poynt than this fearefull collision of these two powers in Henrie the fourth and Hildebrand When they respected others
reconciliation after a just censure but suffered a rash and vniust Interdict to bee revoked by a verball declaration The Cardinall Ioyeous sent by the Pope declared that the Pope revoked his interdict and they gaue him an Act of the revocation of their Protestation Hee keeped no order in giving out an Interdict and as little in revoking of it the pronouncing was in splene and passion and the retreate was in shame and confusion This was against their owne Lawes for the interdicted persons should not bee received vnlesse first they satisfie for their fault or that they giue their oath for fulfilling of the commandements of the Church But the late â—asuists helpe the Pope in this straite Avila sayeth that that the Pope may relaxe an Interdict by his inward Act alone Papa potest solo actu interiori relaxare Interdictum And Fernandes affirmeth that the Pope may absolue albeit the cause cease not and a Rodrikez sayth That one who is absent or vnwilling may bee absolved All these cases serue to cure the Popes folie His intention is good enough to vndoe that whereby he had plondered the world two yeares And while the Venetians held at the point of their innocencie and would not bee absolved by him he was forced abruptlie to declare them free But Becanus telleth vs That they are ashamed of the matter for when it is obiected hee frets and fumes saying That since the matter is setled it ought not to bee wakened againe because such doing is the worke of seditious men Ais venetos sed bis peccas 1. quia cum lis illa sopita sit tu illam tuo flabello resuscitare non debes Hoc seditiosorum hominum est But I will serue him with his owne dilemmes Either the Pope had a good cause in hand or a badde If a good cause why did hee quyte it so shamefullie Where was his omnipotencie that hee could not double out the defence of the great and maine Article of his faith If hee had an evill cause where was his omniscience and infallibitie that they suffered him to enter in such a quarrell But the trueth is it was the witlesse impotencie of his proude spirit By their fretting they testifie they are ashamed of the cause contest and event But if they had prevailed in this contest they would haue put it in the Catalogue of the Popes victories over Princes and gloried in it as they did of Dandalus subiection to Clemens the fifth Thus was the Question cariage of it vulgarlie takeÌ„ vp but God had a secreit in it to giue the Pope a foile at his owne doores and that not so much in the opposition and event as in the cause which was not onely avarice and pride but most of all the defence of sorcerie and villante Heere in GOD would haue the world looking on the Whoore in her owne colours Sathan also blinded the Pope that hee saw no more but to pouse his power and smyled in his sleeue when hee brought Sanctissimus on the Stage to patronize Villanie It is their custome to act and maintaine villanies and though they confesse Iohn the tweluth to haue beene a monstruous adulterer yet they damne the Councell that condemned him Lastlie God was heerein teaching the possibilitie of the Popes curbing when a petite state in comparison of great Kings at his Elbow gaue him an irrecoverable blow for his folie CHAP. XXXIX Their cruell attempts in great BRITAINE THeir other attempt was in great Britaine They assayed it with all sorts of weapons First by the wind of cursing Henrie the eight and Elizabeth But that proved evill wind to the blower Next by VVater and Sea by their great Armado wherein Sixtus the fifth a had his hand but God scattered them and made the winds Seas fight for this Yland Therafter they pressed to barre K. Iames entrie by Brieues perindiciall to his Succession but when they saw they prevailed not they pressed to flatter him at least to feede themselues with hope of toleration And when that failed they turned to their wonted practice of treason and laboured to kill him before his Coronation And when God disappointed them therein and all hope of toleration was lost they went to extremitie and fetched from hell the devyce of the powder-plot Some thing lik was attemped in Florence and Lisbone latelie in Genua but they are nothing to this for these were Papists against Papists their grouÌ„d was civill miscontentments but heere Religion was the cause that against a King a Queene Prince and flower of all the Estates of a Kingdome and many Papists also These were against some few foes onelie but this was to blow vp friends with foes and not to giue them leaue to thinke of God at their death but in one instant to bee Breathing dead and evanished without Buriall But GOD turned this Mine vpon the Miners to discover and overthrow the depths of Rome This brought the matter of vsurpation againe on the Stage with a new and singular sort of acting Before it was disputed by Divines and Lawyers but then by the pen of a King and while other Kings were either killed in the question or beeing aliue durst not or could not debate it God set vp a living and learned King on a throne to plead his cause Strangers acknowledged his furnishing with wisedome and learning as farre as any King since Solomon Iacobus 1. Mag. Brit. Rex omni laude maior eminet adeo ut cum Solomone sapientissimo certare posse videatur And that our Age hath seene him onelie among Princes plenished with all knowledge beloved of them for his most learned works Cum autem nostra aetas te solum augustissime Princeps incomparabili felicitate sortiatur qui excelsamente doctissi mis lucubrationibus omnium Principum animos tibi conciliasti And himselfe professeth that God had raised him from an obscure Kingdome to a greater that from so eminent a place the world might heare him pleading for the trueth Two glorious Titles concurred in him First the title of Defender of the Church from the Crowne of Scotland And the title of Defender of the Faith from the Crowne of England And God gaue him a double measure amongst Kings to bee one of his Worthies and to lift vp his penne against many hundreth Papists That royall Premonition dedicate to Princes was easilie vshered comming from a Prince but it cast the Iesuited Papists in a plunge Manie of them railed against it as Bellarmine Becane Suarez Cofteau Schioppius and others to the number of fourtie fiue But it stands yet vnanswereable because they brought nothing against it but their owne preiudicate and ranâ—ide Paradoxes And the worthy Divines of England vnder such a Chiftane haue so tortured them in that argument that they haue left the field And whereas the Parliament and Sorbone censured some Bookes written
are alreadie both iudged of GOD and sentenced in his word to consumption and Abolition and the hand of Providence goeth on in the execution of that sentence there is neither ground to treate for reconcliation nor hope to attaine to it Or if wee will treate of it wee accuse the Lords sentence of iniquitie and his execution of rigour Let Babell then bee vnder her sinne and punishment begun and approaching and let all that loue the Lord Iesus separat themselues from these wickedmen A CONCLVSION Exhortatorie to Princes I Turne now that speach which they abuse to you most sacred Princes Bee wise O Kings bee learned yee Iudges of the earth Christ Iesus whom yee haue long pursued by Antichirsts direction when hee might destroy you calleth you to repentance to change both your mindes and course Your Mindes to know that poperie is that foretold Apostasie and that the Religion which yee persecute is the trueth of God And your course that since blind zeale the companion of false Religion hath made you thinke it good service to God to destroy his Saincts you would turne your power for the service of the Lambe of whom yee haue it and both revenge Gods quarrell and your owne vpon the Beast Consider how GOD setteth downe his Dittay and Dâ—ome His Dittay in Idolatrie Filthinesse and aboue all the blood of the Saincts Rome was ever bloodie the Mathematicians observed that when her ground-stone was layed the Moone was in cauda Draconis to tell that all her changes in rysing growing standing would bee in the câ—uâ—ltie of the Dragon And soone after Romulus wet her wals with his Brothers blood Shee turned the earth in a Butcherie by warres abroad And her Ganâ—es at home in the Theater were bloodie Shee shed the blood of the Saints in her persecuting Pagan Emperours And lastlie sheddeth the bloodie of the Protestants by her Antichristian head Ierusalem was guiltie of the blood of all the Prophets because they succeeded the Murtherers in malice and crueltie And Rome succeeds Ierusalem and exceedeth her in persecuting Christ All blood of the Saints is shedde either in Rome or by Romes authoritie Shee hath shedde more blood than Ninivie Babylon Shusan and Ierusalem it selfe Her Doome is doe to her as she hath done to you And what she hath done to you your Soules Thrones may feele For beside your soules killing the Pope hath overthrowen the Maiestie and dignitie of Impyres Shee denuded you of Kinglie Authoritie when shee exposed your Sacred Persons to the contempt and violence of the basest Villanes Shee ate vp your flesh not so much in catching the riches of your Kingdomes as by nesting in your bosome like a Viper to destroy you Shee burnt your with the fire of excommunication raising such combustions that your Countrie and Courts were divyded The Sonne set against the Father as Henrie the fifth against Henrie the fourth to pursue him to death and after death to deny him Buriall Therefore this is her recompence that you make the Whoore naked eate vp her flesh and burne her with fire God hath sentenced her and there remaineth no more but execution Though wee rest on none but Scripturall Prophecies yet their owne Prophets foretold their ruine For Hildegardis and Catharina Senensis whose contraire visions Delrio laboureth to reconceale Brigitta telleth them of their destruction What ever bee the force of her writ it must be Canonick to them since Boniface the nynth hath cannoized her and Martine the fifth confirmed that canonization and their later writers as Chemensis Capistranus Aytinger c. haue spoken broadlie That Rome shall bee ruined by the Almaines and the French As God calleth and commandeth you to doe it so you are bound to it by these two bonds wherey they presse you most your Baptismall initiation and sacred oath In Baptisme yee were initiate in Christian faith and not in Antichristian perfidie And the substance of your oath is to defend Apostolicke and primitiue trueth and not the yesterday novelties of Rome Their own Patrons graÌ„t that in the middle ages they were Apostaticke and Apotactick but since we never find their reformation or amendement The errour of time confirmed by badde custome hath made men mistake these Notions of Christ and Antichrist trueth and vntrueth and so to misplace their affections and actions about them but open your eyes to the light God offereth in his word and your better informed mindes shall reforme your affections and rectifie your actions least you take darknesse for light night for day and death for life that you may forsake Antichrist and heresies and ioyne your selues to the Lambe and his trueth in the reformed Churches Or if you will not take Gods cause to heart nor bee moved with these bonds let your Life and Crownes moue you Though hee vnder a Iudiciall hardnesse bee senselesse of the guiltinesse of his vsurpation yet be not you senselesse of these indignities He maketh you to fight against your selfe in his quarrell while hee abuseth your power for the maintenance of his greatnesse to the overthrow of your authoritie Remember hee is head of that Court whose Ambassadours boasted in England that they served at that Court which commanded both other Kings and their Courteours It hath ever beene your fault to neglect the commoun cause of Princely authoritie There is nothing more sâ—oothed than that that is pleaded by many When any one Prince was thunder-beaten by Iupiter Capitolinus hee exhorted other Princes that they should not betray the common cause but all in vaine For the ruine of one made a prey to many Therefore they suffered the present storme to passe over and that because by a wicked purchas some accession came to their state This was specially when a great Prince was broken whose greatnesse was fearefull to them all The Emperour was most left in the sturre while smaller Princes thought it their securitie if he were redacted to that state that hee might not rise to the greatnesse of his Ancestors It is tyme for you to awake when their flatterers pittie your injuries and the Iesuits admire your patience Petrus Ferrariensis marking how the Pope insnared you to inlarge his owne iurisdiction cryeth out But alace miserable Emperours and secular Princes who suffer these things and make your selues slaues to the Pope and see the world by infinite cousanages abused and yet you thinke not of a remeede And where the Iesuits please to bee free they wonder fatuos fuisse veteres Imperatores imperij nostri ordines qui sibi tanto cum dedecore ora sublinia Papis sustinuerint that Emperours and the States were so foolish as to bee gulled with Popes Wee haue better cause than Athanasius to say I am Ecclesiae tempora oculatos operosos Principes requirunt that the tymes of the Church require seeing and doing
A LOOKING GLASSE For Princes and People Delivered in a Sermon of Thankesgiving for the Birth of the hopefull Prince CHARLES And since augmented with Allegations and Historicall Remarkes Together with a Vindication of Princes c. By M. WILLIAM STRVTHER Preacher at Edinburgh Psal. 2. Bee wise O Kings Printed at Edinburgh by the Heires of Andro Hart. 1632. TO THE MOST HIGH AND MIGHTY KING CHARLES OF GREAT Britaine Defender of the Faith c. Most Dread Soveraigne BOth these Arguments craue your Ma. kyndlie patrocinie as Father of that Prince whose birth occasioned the Thanksgiving And Sonne of that King who went before all Kings in vindicating royall Authoritie Gods Providence over Man his last Creature in time but first in Loue is so great that his care of other Creatures comparatiuely seemeth a Neglect Hee hath distinguished him in Order and Degrees Gathered him in Societies And perfited these Societies with an supereminent power That Head giveth a natiue influence to its Bodie and the Bodie subiecteth it selfe to that Head Wee bring this Law from the Wombe written in our Hearts and Christ confirmed it by Word and Example Hee disposed so his Birth at Bethlehem that at once hee fulfilled his Fathers promise and obeyed Augustus Edict beeing taxed in his Mother The Church for ten Ages followed her Head in that Obedience Though her Worke bee Heavenly by the Keyes of the Kingdome of Heaven to winne Soules â—o Goâ—t and her Reward bee to sit on Thrones and judge the Tribes of Israel Yet shee gaue to Caesar the things that are Caesars And though Ambrose say that Sublimitas Episcopalis nullis potest comparationibus aequari And nihil esse in hoc sâ—câ—do sublimiius sacerdote yet hee both practised and perswaded obedience to Princes But Babâ—l confounded all And Antichrist in a more fearefull Collision of the Civill and Ecclesiastick Powers then the two Hills in Marius Sylaes time trod the honor of Princes in the dust he thought it greater to divide Lands than remit sins and thurst himselfe in their Thrones Hee exposed their Kingdomes to violence and their sacred Persons and Authoritie to contempt These insolencies might seeme tolerable in times of blindnesse as S. Austine speaketh of Romulus Apotheosing But now after so long contest they maintaine them Their Advocate affirmeth Paul the fifth approved it That he is the onelie Emperour and King the Superiour of all Kings from whom all Iurisdiction floweth What ever in danger they deny or in necesitie they mitigate this is the just Modell of their Pope and the prime Article of their faith That Luciferian pride was so eminent in Popes that it is hard to know whether to wonder more at the Impudencie of Christs Vicar vsurping or the patience of Princes suffering Poperie was never further from the Truth and meeknesse of Iesus then since it was Iesuited That name is not a denomination of a new Zeale or goodnesse but the maske of exquisite craft and crueltie and the tincture of impenitencie And as the Apostle maketh the opposition of Christus and Antichristus and Cyprian of Spiritus and Antispiritus somay wee of Iesus and Anti-Iesus But God by Reformation hath mended that confusion The light of the Gospel hath at once revealed his heresie in Doctrine and tyrannie in Vsurpation This is a tryall of Princes for they are free and happie Princes who haue shaken off his Yoak and reformed themselues and their Kingdomes to the Gospel of Christ But thrise miserable are they who lye still drunke in her fornications God in mercie hath put your Ma. in the first ranke The Titles of Defender of the Church from King William of Scotland and of Defender of the Faith from Henrie 8. of England are both Ensignes of your profession and remembrancers of your royall Duetie to defend the true Church and the true Faith your Ma. devotion testifies the peaceable part of the discharge And doth promise the other part by the Sword when GOD shall honour Kings to execute his will on the Whore And in GODS time they who now adhere to her shall count it their happinesse to follow your Ma. Example Behold now your Ma. Happinesse in their miserie Their common end to destroy Protestants hath made them Confederats But God hath divided them by their privat ends like Sechem and Abimelech And juggling Proteâ—s of a bloodie Dragon it turned a craftie Serpent and seeketh his saftie by wynding betwixt the Iealousies of these great Princes Hee is carried violentlie as hope and feare canvasse him Rut fire will breake out from Abimelech and devoure Sechem And these Princes shall dwell in brotherlie loue when they receiue the Gospel of peace This private offering is a fruit and testimonie of a commoun joy the Flowre of the States of this land present in this Citie at the glad newes of the Princes birth were overjoyed And this citie expressed their loyaltie in all significations so that no place of these three Kingdomes could exceede It was S. Austines discretion to Macedonius a Iudge taken vp with publick affaires not to deteine him with long Epistles What shall wee doe to so great a KING Almightie GOD who hath set your Ma. on these three Thrones multiplee royall gifts on your sacred person and make You a King of many Royall blessings That great Britaine vnder you and your clement Name may more and more be a terrour to Anti-christ a comfort to the Saints and a Land wherein GOD delighteth to dwell AMEN Your Ma. most humble Subject and Servant M. WILLIAM STUTHER The Table of the Thanksgiving THE Preface of the Princes Birth Pag. 1 1. The first part King David a Supplicant 4. 2. The second part Of a Monarchie 6. The Author of it 7. 2. The Necessitie 8. The Excellencie 11. The Character of K. 12. Their Limitation 13. Monarchie the best Government 15. Affectation of Divinitie is a frensie 16 The PoPe taken with that frenesie 17. Errours about Magistracie 19. 20. Wee should pray for Kings 21. And obey them in the Lord. 21. Three wayes to come to a Kingdome 1. Conquest 24. 2. Election 26. 3. Succession is better than both 28. Womens Governement lawfull 29 Queene Elizabeths instance determineth the question 30. King IAMES instance 30. A new borne Prince a great blessing 31. 3. The third part of the Royall Gift 1. The habite of Iustice. 33. Religion falleth vnder the care of Kings 37. Popes debarred them from it 38. Hee gulled them by Cannonizing 39. Some Princes abused Religion Reformation a blessing to Princes and People 40. Popes tye God to themselues and loose themselues from God 43. 2. The worke of the royall Gift is Government 44. 1. The rule of it good Lawes 45. Difficultie of iudgement in cause parties witnesse 46. The necessitie and danger of Forture 50. Princes Difficulties and Dangers 52. Flatterers of Princes are Pests 54. It is faintnesse to lay downe their Crownes
Authoritie as a vigorous life to quicken a Kingdome and then to bind it vp in such agreement that many thousands of different conditions doe submit themselues to one Princes haue this Excellencie of Spirit not so much from their Birth or bodilie temper as from God immediatelie Hee createth in them a reasonable Soule to mâ—ke them Men and giues them a princelie Spirit to make them Kings among Men. Dauid was of priuate breeding but so soone as GOD tooke him from behind the Ewes and set him vpon the Throne hee gaue him an heroicke Spirit Their Birth indeede giueth them great Priuiledges but the royall Spirit is not infalliblie annexed to it GOD reserueth it to his owne free dispensation hee hath set them as Heads of Societies and the Head is plenished with Vnderstanding and with moe Senses than the Bodie for it is the seate of all the Senses and none but the sense of Feeling is diffused throgh the whole bodie that floweth from the Head So Kings by their place should be accomplished with humane perfections aboue their Subjects This hath with it a largenesse of heart to ouer-reach priuate spirits as farre as their place is aboue them and that both in fore-sight to project their businesse and Prudence to manage it And they haue as large affections of ioy and griefe and their fruits answerable in Contentment and miscontentment Their ordinar measure in these things would bee excesses to ouer whelme priuate Spirits Their greatest place occasioneth them greatest humane contentments but lest they become insolent as great miscontentments are annexed So God hath counterpossed these great things in greatest Spirits both to keepe them from extremities and to hold them on the Ballance of Equabilitie Power and Authoritie are inuisible in themselues but visible in their outward signes and the more euident the greater difference they make betwixt Kings Subiects Princes are men as other yet are they farre in dignitie aboue other as the patternes of natiue Nobility that commeth of Birth and the Fountaine of datiue Nobilitie that flowes from Princes fauour Though it fall out otherwise sometimes for iust causes yet in an abstract consideration they ought to bee and vsuallie are the choysest Men in humane perfections A speciall signe is that Maiestie wherewith God stampeth their countenance to tell what Spirit dwelleth in such a Bodie Though they bee but Men yet that Majestie in their countenance equalleth their place This maketh their verie silence to bee awfull and imperioâ—s it confoundeth sometimes the most resolute Spirits and putteth posed wits to precipitation His whispering in his Chamber setteth all his Kingdome on worke and the onelie mouing of his lippes putteth all his Provinces to businesse But if they speake in passion it is like the roaring of the Lyon This can be no thing else but the hand of GOD that maketh so sensible a difference betweene ruling and ruled Spirits in one kinde of Creature Next God hath giuen them foure Ensignes of a kinglie Power The Throne as the ground of their Authoritie vnder God The Scepter the signe of their Law-making or Nomothâ—ticke wisedome by its touchgiuing life to Lawes The Sword to execute Lawes as a token that all the Swords of their Subiects are at their command for Warre and Peace And the Crowne as the signe of Glorie arising of the right vse of all the former God bestowed on Solomon such a royall Maiestie as had not beene in any King of Israel before For the Lord his God was with him and magnified him exceedinglie Their Place is great indeede to bee Gods Vice-gerents on Earth yet that greatnesse is not absolute but hath the owne limitation Their power is as well bounded as their Persons Mortality boundeth their life so doeth Providence their Power that on Gods part by Communication for the originall and overruling for the vse and on their part dependence on God and subiection to a reckoning hemmeth it in I said Yee are Gods and all of you the Children of the most High But yee shall die like men It is not of themselues but lent of God and not for themselues but for him and his people It carieth in it selfe an obligement to vse it to his glorie whom they represent and a care in that vse to doe nothing that is not worthie of him When Goodnesse and Greatnesse meete in them they are glorious Images of God but when their greatnesse is voyde of goodnesse they are hurtfull to mankinde and make the Name of God to bee evill spoken of So long as they governe aright their governement is acceptable to God but if they abuse their power and follow their owne will and not Gods then hee disclaimes their governement They reigned but not of mee The excellencie of their Calling cannot expiate these faults of their Person but procures a double wrath If they looke onely to their place as comming by Birth or peoples fauour or their owne worth without respect to God they cannot but swell in prid with Nebuchadnezar But when they take them as out of Gods hand they will reverence him and vse them to his glorie and that wise imployment shall proue a way to a better Crowne in Heauen They are indeede aboue their Subiects yet God is aboue them the most High and higher than the highest David knew that he both iniured Uriah and his people that they could not correct him for his offence yet hee saw the punishment in Gods hand and beeing afraied thereof cryed out Against thee against thee onelie haue I sinned Hee confessed himselfe guiltie to God alone because he had no man who might iudge his fault Of all that is said ariseth a confirmation for a Monarchie a RefutatioÌ„ of some errors And a Direction in some dueties For a Monarchie this Text is plaine because it speaketh of a King appointed allowed of GOD in mercie Sundrie sorts of Governement haue beene devysed as Monarchie Aristocracie and Democracie and these either simple or in diverse mixtures but so that some one forme did preponder the rest gaue the name to the whole Though all bee good in themselues and God can serue himselfe of any of these yet they all point at a Monarchie as the best For supreme power is to bee found in them all but the difference is in the number of the Persons For that same supreme Power which Monarchie hath in one Person Aristocracie hath it in some few of the best and Democracie in the multitude of the people so that euery one of them is a Monarchie indeede diversified in the number of Persons As for their Practice when moe ruled they feared the vsurpation of some one and vpon that feare as they saw any excell the rest in Riches Wisedome or Friendship they serued him with an Athenian Ostracisme or a Syracusian Petalisme and for one yeeres ruling cast him in ten yeers banishment But by time they saw
of causes in his minde with equitie and puritie in his affections and yet wanting authoritie his sentence hath no weight nor his worke any efficacie But God hath joyned all these three in this Kinglie gift as their place is aboue privacie so are their eyes to see and their heartes aboue these base and perverting Passions and they are cled with supreme authoritie to giue life and power to their words They haue both a Mouth to pronounce and an Hand to doe for where the word of the King is there is power Iethros counsell to Moses hath all these Chuse said he men of courage and that because their administration will encounter many rubs of miscontent humours which they cannot through without Courage Next men that feare God because that is a Bridle to keepe them from ill and a Cordiall for faintnesse Thirdlie men that loue the Truth that is haue Veritie in their minde Veraoitie in their word and Sinceritie in their actions that Heart Tongue and Hand goe all one way And lastlie men that are not greedie because it is impossible for an avaricious man either to bee iust in private Bargans or righteous in Iudgement God hath stablished that Soveraigne power amongst men for three speciall reasons The first is the vniust and selfish disposition of man Wee are all in societies ought to seeke the good of the common and of our Neighbours but selfe-loue turneth euery man into himselfe It killeth in vs the loue of the common and of our Neighbour and suckes in our owne particular good with the hurt of them both God hath written this law in our hearts and in his word Doe to other as thou would be done to and hath given vs a Conscience to checke vs for the breach of that law But the violence of selfe-loue caries vs away against both Law and Conscience Therefore there must be without vs an Iustice clad with a coactiue power to represse that corruption that Conscience cannot mend This correcting Iustice God hath primelie seated in Princes So there is a necessitie of a living Law armed with authoritie to vrge the Observation of the written Law This is Gods arrest on mans corruption For the power of Kings and the force of the Sword and the instruments of the Burrio the Armes of Souldiers all the Discipline of Rulers are not appointed for nought For when men feare these thinges both the wicked are dauntoned and the Godlie liue more peaceablie among the wicked Innocen cie is safe among the vnrighteous that while their desires are bridled by the feare of punishment their will may bee healed by calling vpon God The second Reason is from our Lotte God hath given everie man his Lotte and fenced everie part of it from the Iniurie of his Neighbour with commands Hee hath fenced our Honour with the fift Command Thou shalt honour thy Father and Mother Our life with the fixt Thou shalt not kill Our Chastitie with the sevent Thou shalt not commit adulterie And our Goods by the eight Thou shalt not steale c. These Commands are like Marches in a field divyded to a Commonalitie whereof everie one hath his portion designed vnto him But man who can never bee content with Gods appointment is given to passe these Marches and incroacheth vpon his Neighbour to hurt him in his goods name c. Therefore God hath set Princes as Wardens of these Marches to see that they bee keeped as his Providence hath fixed them and everie mans Lotte secured by the ministration of iustice which is nothing else but a perambulation vpon the Lottes and Marches of people What are Kingdomes without Iustice but great robberies And by the iust governement of Kings wee possesse and brooke peaceablie our possession This is Gods Guarde on everie mans Lotte The third Reason is for settling inumerable and endlesse questions for everie calling hath the owne gift for it's worke and righteousnesse is the gift and accomplishment of Kings and God hath given them power as an Usher of that righteousnesse to make way for it through the bodie of their Kingdomes Right and Equitie are a straight Line and beeing rightlie applyed make a cleare difference in mens causes betweene Contentment and miscontentment Peace and oppression c. But mans affaires furnish many questions to his contentious humour and the least circumstance maketh a new case and every case altereth the state of the Question It is impossible to write such Lawes as can either meete with all cases or decide all questions That same question the day may bee diverse the morne by the smallest change of place Person or Time For this cause God hath sette Kings as living Lawes in respect of the habite of Iustice in them and speaking Lawes to expresse that Iustice by word Edicts And doing Lawes to apply the generalitie of the Law to everie particular by execution It was said of olde That the Common-wealth could not bee governed without wrongs so natiue to man is iniquitie And therefore the best Remeed is Iustice without which said an other Proverbe Iupiter himselfe can not reigne Iudgement is justlie put in the hand of Princes because their place setteth them aboue outward things that may corrupt or passions within that may bee corrupted They are aboue honour riches c. And so neede not be ambitious of honour nor greedie of goods And within foure things especiallie pervert Iudgement feare of Hurt hope of Gaine hatred of Boes loue of Friends Where these rule the Ballance is deceitfull persons causes are confounded together They see the right of their Foe as a wrong and the wrong of their Friende as a right What ever Iudge puttethon the person of a â—riend or Fâ—e in Iudgement hee layes aside both the person and Conscience of a Iudge But righteousnesse seated in the heart of Princes purgeth them of these base affections within and secureth them from these temptations without There is no temper nor disposition of it selfe more capable of Equity or more able to pronounce execute Iudgement aâ—ight Of Princes care of Religion THis much for the necessitie of Iustice The extent of it is not to bee restrained to civill things alone as though Princes might not meddle with Religion but God hath given them an interesse therein For if the proper worke of Iustice giue everie one his due then surelie that must bee her first taske to see God get his due and so Religion commeth within her compasse as the first and maine taske The Kings of the Earth serue Christ when they make Lawes for Christ and heerein they serue God if in their Kingdomes they command good and forbid evill and that not onelie in things pertaining to humane Societie but also in divine Religion In matters of Religion three parties haue interesse First GOD hath absolute power as Hee is the onelie Author and Obiect
of the Church These are faire pretexts as though hee sought nothing but mans spirituall good but they are onely colours for his ambition For if hee can come be his Monarchie he careth neither for the good of the Church nor of Soules for hee hath varifyed Basiles saying That how much a Church decayeth the more are they desirous of government And it seemeth that hee had a Propheticall Spirit in that place when hee said that the domination of Bishops was devolved ad infelices homines servos servorum to vnhappie men the servants of servants This is the Popes propper stile But the discerning of the weight or lightnes of these causes is restrained to the Pope alone because hee as a spirituall Father can best discerne when Kings doe wrong to their Subiects in things spirituall And they haue a more compendious course for beside Dogmaticall heresies in points of faith they haue also a practicall heresie or schisme which they call the Henrician heresie For as they call Antichristian vsurpation Ecclesiasticke libertie so they call the lawfull defence of imperiall authoritie by the name of Henrician heresie Binius defyneth what it is to wit the same that the Politicks of our tyme affirme Behold wee haue witnesses for the libertie of Princes vnder the name of Politicks as well as we haue witnesses of dogmatick trueth vnder the Name of Heretiks And it were wisdome in these Politicks to ioyne themselues to reformed doctrine as they doe in the vindicating of Princes They gaue the Name of Henriciana haeresis from Henrie the fourth who was opposite to Hildebrand the father of the Hildebrandine tyrannie And a councell at that tyme was indicted by Hildebrand against that pretended heresie And though they doe none of these but bee slack in rooting out of Protestants that slacknes is a cause of deposition for a secular Iudge may be deposed not only for his heresie but also for his negligence in rooting out of heresies So wheÌ„ the Pope is angry he shal never want a cause heresie as they call it or Schisme negligence c. that is to say the loue of the trueth the defence of their liberties and clemencie to their Subiects are sufficient causes with him to cast them down And smaller things than heresie oâ— schisme are found causes relevant If they but violate the least priviledge of a monasterie they shall bee cast out of their Kingdome So Valdensis concludeth it for the power of Gregorie over the French Kings and Bellarmine approveth his Conclusion But Bozius holdeth vs not long in suspense affirming that the Pope may transferre greatest impires vpon iust causes or without a fault Persidious men said Tacitus will never want a cause to break their promise for they will ever set some collour of law vpon their deceate Lastly Alphonsus à Castro putteth vs out of doubt saying that they hold firmely many things pertaining to faith by the Popes definition alone wherein the Pope hath given no reason of his definition The Popes will then is a sufficient cause hâ—e careth for no cause though it were to breake his owne oath For when Gregorie the twelfth was periured in keeping still the Popedome which hee sware to lay downe yet it was not perjurie sayeth Azorius out of Panormitane because hee had a iust cause so to doe This câ—use was his owne will and the loue of the Popedome Their third Limitation is from the manner of proceeding It is not rash say they but all is in loue and wises dome for this is the Popes custome first to rebuke fatherlie next to depriue them of the Sacraments by Ecclesiasticke censure Lastlie to loose their Subiects from their oath c. Azorius putteh three conditions First to bee admonished Next that the cause bee notour Thirdlie that hee be disobedient The like moderation is set downe by their â—ateranâ— Councell And as for their sentence of excommunication it is to bee vnderstood clave non erranâ—e if the key doe not erre But their Law proues this a scoffing for the sentence of the Pastour whither iust or vniust is ever to bee feared where the glosse and their Doâ—tours everie where affirme that the vnjust sentence of excommunication is valide and differeth from that that is null And Navarrus affirmeth that even the vniust sentence regularlie is valide And Bellarmine taketh away all doubts saying Peccabit princeps spiritualis sed non poterit tamen princeps temporalis iudicium sibi sumere For if a spirituall Prince abuse his power in excommunicating vâ—iustlie a temporall Prince or loose his Subiects from obedience without a iust cause and so trouble the state of the Common-wealth the spirituall Prince sinneth in so doing But yet the temporall Prince may not iudge of these thinges c. And Hildebrand speaketh more peremptorlie Although that hee to wit the Emperour had beene vâ—iustlie excommunicate by vs yet hee should haue made supplication to vs and sought the benefite to bee absolved And what they speake of the not erring of the Keye is in vaine for they maintaine that the Key cannot erre in the Popes hand and haue layed that fearefull yoâ—ke vpon the Church to tak that for good which he commandeth although it were vice For the Church say they is bound in doubtfull things to acquâ—esce to the Popes iudgement and to doe what hee commandeth c. And least she should doe against her conscience shee is bound to belieue that to bee good which hee biddeth and that to bee evill which hee forbiddeth But they neede not a long Procedor for how soone a King becommeth Hereticks his people are loosed from their obedience And though hee bee not excommunicate by man all is one â—notâ—â—â— matter needeth no pronouncing of a sentence And there is yet more for the Pope needeth neither to call a Couâ—cell nor a Consistorie for his interpretaâ—â—â—â—â—â—â— is sufficient There is then no more for Kings but after the condemnatorie sentence of deprivatâ—o Hee may bee â—â—pryâ—ed of his Kingdome And Thomas closeth all affirming that Subiects of an excommunicat King are indeede loosed from his Dominion and oath of fidelitie This is contrare to the wisedome and lenitie of the primitiue Church for Cyprian telleth that in consuring Philumelus and Fortunatus the meanest of the Cleargie hee would not proceede without the consent of his Brethren and the people But they agree not amongst themselues in their limitation Simanca will haue the cause declared and Thomas sayeth It is enough that the sentence bee pronounced And Cydonius darre determine nothing therein Yet Princes must bee content with that they know not what declared or vndeclared The Key erring or not erring In Councell or out of Councell Iustlie or vniustlie But all agree to cast downe Kings and that with so many frivolous causes as the justest King cannot eschew some of them All their moderation in proceeding which
Princes He had to doe with the Arrians but now the AntichristiaÌ„ Mysterie rages God hath given you power open but your eyes to leade you in the vse of it How long will it be ere yee awake to see how hee hath first led you from God in superstition and now leadeth you against God in persecuting of his Saints Consider how Maximinus the Emperour was stirred vp to persecute the Church by Pagane Priests vnder hope of great successe But when hee saw himselfe overthrowne by Licinius hee destroyed his instigators as deceavers The Pope and his Cleargie haue set you on this last bloody persecution God vvill disappoint you and turne it to your shame It were your wisedome to avenge you of your seducers Looke on other Princes who haue shaken off his yoake as England Scotland Denmark Sweden c. Their Kings know none aboue them vnder GOD They are honoured and obeyed of their Subiects without reflecting vpon any other power on earth You reigne but precario as Titulars and they count you but as Kings of the Chesse Neither dare you rule your Subiects as free Princes Neither dare your people obey you as such The terrour at least the credulitie of the Popes Transcendencie limiteth your p 〈…〉 er and looseth your people to rebell Receaue Christ in his Gospell and set vp his Throne in your lands as they haue done and then you shall finde both the sweetnesse of the Grace of the Gospell and of a free and vndependent governement Gods Trueth amongst vs Protestants maketh vs not onely to congratulate our happinesse in our free Kings and Churches but also to commisâ—rate your estate when wee see Gods image in you great Princes so shamefully abused by a deceaver You cannot be both Popish and free Princes The verie Notion of Poperie subiecteth you necessarly to Hildebrands vsurpation Renounce Antichristian tyrannie and come to Christian libertie and you shall finde both grace for your persons and glorie to your government Angment the Popesplunges and while that Iuglar knoweth not which of you to keepe let him feele the revenging power of you all You gote mâ—â—y exhortations of this kinde from Preachers and Theologues but you haue heard them with close eares Therefore God hath sent you latelie a royall premonition from the Pen of the King of great Britaine The suggestions of Subiects found little accesse and as little regard at your hands But the Counsell of a King to Kings and that in the matter of a Kinglie authoritie is more weightie Trueth is trueth and powerfull who ever speake it But Trueth in the quarrell of Kings proponed by a great and wise King will find more accesse than private suggestions The royall Genius which is one in Kings maketh them to haue a sympathie speciallie where their common cause threateneth a common danger Let none bee so simple as to thinke they will either repent their whole course or relent its extreamitie Though they haue found and ere it bee long may find a great dash yet they will but temporize and suting peace turne to more deepe and deadlie plotting They thought all their own at the Smalcaldicke warre and when God brak their forces they simulat a pacification yet they wâ—â—e ever plotting a new persecution If GOD shall disappoint them of their cruell intentions as in merâ— hee hath begunne to doe yet ere it bee long they would fire Europe with a new and greater combustion Antichrist may bee destroyed but mollified or tamed can hee not bee Their Romish temper is vncapable either of the change of repentance or the mollifying of moderation The curbing of the Popes insolencie is no more iust and necessar in it selfe than faceable to you Romes natiue crueltie caried ever the cause of her ruine in her bosome It was noted as ominous in olde Rome that when they beganne first to execute that Romane censure interdicere igni aqua their Atrium or great Court was burnt with thunder and so since Popes began to play vpon Princes with their ordinance of excommunication their state hath beene broken When Boniface the â—â—ght would take on him the Habite Sword and Ensignes of the Impyre Philip of France compâ—sced that insolencie shortlie and made him die in exile and greiefe And how much their power is broken since Luthers time the world seeth King Henrie of England devorced his Kingdome from the Pope because Clement the seventh impiouslie denyed to devorce him from his incestuous Queene to whom Iulius the second dispensation tyed him Scotland in the minoritie of her Princesse proved both Maior and masculous in shaking off the Popes yoake Denmarke Sweden and manie Princes of Germanie haue cut his wings in their Dominions What an angrie King can doe to him was latelie seene betwixt Philip the second and Sixtus the fifth Cardinall Estensis the ruler of the Consistorie promised to make him Pope if hee would never promoue Hieronymus Mattheus but beeing chosen Pope hee made Hieronymus a Cardinall and so Estensis sent his hand-writ to Philip the second to proue his periurie and Symonie herevpon Philip minded to call a Councell to processe him for these two crymes and declare the nullitie of his Election according to their Lawes But while Sixtus is grieved for the intended processe and devising a revengfull excommunication against Philip hee contracted a fever and dyed If that sturre had gone on possiblie the Pope had beene curbed or Spaine reformed to bee as eminent in true zeale as now pertinax in supperstition But Gods time is comming And seeing the republick of Venice gaue him a wound which hee can not cure What may not you great Princes doe whose glaining is greater than the vintage of Abiezer As Princes and Republickes so his owne Romans haue curbed his pride And God set vp barres to it so soone as it began to overflow for Cincius a Romane compesced Hildebrand in Rome while he was abusing the Emperor in Germanie and when Alexander the third by his Legate was disciplining Henrie the second for Beckets cause the Romans had expelled him out of Rome And Onuphrius marketh that for the space of fiftie yeares from Celestine the second to Clement the third the Romans did so intreate the Popes that some of them died for displeasure others were almost killed in tumults and a third sort were banished and that in their heate of vsurpation over Kings God hereby was both taxing the feeblenesse of Princes and teaching Posteritie the possibilitie of the Popes curbing His Brieves Bulls and Legats did more in Kingdomes farre distant than his owne presence could doe in Rome Hee domnineered absolutelie abroad while hee fought at home for the governement of the Citie and safetie of his owne life Gerson hath made his curbing problematicke and it is your part to turne his probleme in effect The Apostle descryving Antichrist taketh some part of that Description from Nero whose tyrannie hee
a Gift the other conferring the sought Gift or rather declaring that it was to bee conferred on Solomon Parents haue a Fatherly authority ouer their Children to blesse them and are obliged to seeke their good because like Adam and Eue they are first their murtherers ere they bee their Parents And Kings as Fathers ouer their Subjects but Prophets are aboue them both in this point what the former haue by nature and Gods power committed to them that and more had Dauid a Prophet as being priuie to Gods purpose So that this Prayer is not so much a Prayer for obtaining as a prophecie that hee shall obtaine That extraordinar Gift is now ceased in the Church yet euery one should take heede how hee prayes That as the matter hee seekes is good in it selfe needfull for vs and promised so it be sought with confidence and liberty If the Lord so open our hearts to seeke it hee will also satisfie our hearts in granting None knowes his minde nor hath giuen him counsell but when Prouidence is performing his promises hee will giue some notice of his purpose to his owne in these particulars GOD had purposed this blessing to Solomon and now hee moueth Dauid to pray for it as a meanes both to giue his purposed Gift to Solomon and to oblige Dauid the more for obtaining of it by prayer The Blessing hee hath ordained for vs hee giues an heart to seeke it and in the very time of so free and affectuous seeking worketh in vs an hope of receiuing For wee know not what wee shall pray for as wee ought But the Spirit it selfe maketh intercession for vs with groanings which cannot bee vttered And hee that searcheth the hearts knowes what is the minde of the Spirit because hee maketh intercession for the Saintes according to the will of God Gods Spirit will not assist vs with a spirituall libertie and confidence in seeking that that God is not purposed to giue for GOD is euer like Himselfe Prayer is on our part a Condition required and a meane to obtaine and on Gods part a sort of beginning and obligeing to giue vs that blessing that he hath made vs to seeke These are both temporary effects of Gods eternall purpose and meanes to performe it This is the couenant of grace to turne the Condition in a promise and then to performe it in vs that as GOD presenteth Saluation vnder condition of Faith and other workes of grace so hee promiseth these conditions and worketh them in vs. Hee promised that they should beleeue who said And they shall not teach euery man his neighbour Know the Lord. Hee promised that they should bee pardoned who said I will bee mercifull to their iniquities Hee promised that they should obey who said I will put a new heart in them Hee promised that they should perseuere who said I will put my feare in their heart so that they shall not depart from mee So then Grace purposeth Grace promiseth Grace maketh vs to pray and Grace performeth the promise in answering our prayers that it may bee seene Wee are saued by Grace This wonderfull disposition of Gods Grace in prayer is summed vp in one verse Lord Thou hast heard the desire of the humble thou wilt prepare their heart Thou wilt cause thine Eare to heare And Dauid on this same purpose Thou hast said That thou wilt builde mee an house Therefore haue I found in mine heart to pray this Prayer to Thee To the KING The second part Of a Monarchie THis much for the Person that prayeth To wit King Dauid the next is for whom hee prayeth and that is the King euen his Sonne Solomon and that for three causes The first is common to Kings whom GOD respâ—cts as his Deputies among men The next is particular to Solomon as beeing designed in Gods promise to be a successour to Dauid The third is typicall because hee was the type of Christ the King of his Church and so had a right to competent giftes for his place for the better typifying of such a truth Heere is the great respect that God hath to Kinges he causeth pray for them marke their businesse and write portions of Scripture for them So Solomons designing to the Crowne gaue vs this Psalme and his Mariage the 45. Psalme and their Acts hath giuen vs manie Histories in Scripture that his Prouidence about them may bee more manifest and his care of them may witnesse his care of all mankind God hath set them vp to bee respected as the Heades of humane Societies and though there bee innumerable people in the World different in Lawes Manners Languages c. Yet hee hath summed them vp in seuerall Societies vnder Princes and prouided not onely Order but also degrees whereof Kings are the Heads Therefore the holy Apostle calleth them supereminent Powers and the primitiue Church expounded that clearly Wee honour the Emperour next to God and lesse than God alone This leads vs to consider in principalitie the Authour the Necessitie the Excellencie and Limitation The Author of Principalitie is GOD the King of Kings either immediatelie designing them as hee did Dauid and Solomon c. or mediately mouing the heartes of people to choose them Hee hath made man a sociall creature delighting in Society and Necessitie and Profit hath confirmed that sociablenes and drawne them together in Societies and Incorporations they know by the light of Nature that Societie is better than Solitarines and that a multitude with equalitie hath confusion and Order without Authoritie is an Anarchie with Oppression Therefore as GOD wisely ordained so they willingly admit these graduall respectes of higher and lower degrees and take on that beautifull Order which hee established Hee appointes an outward Gouernement to mankind and giues the influence of it not indifferentlie to all but to Kings and Princes as the most eminent parts of mankind If wee looke to man simplie as hee is reasonable it is not vnpossible for him to liue without publicke Gouernement but if wee consider him as hee is now with corrupt reason it is altogether impossible Hee could not liue alone without Societie and in Societies hee was worse than alone because of injuries the wealthie oppressed the poore and the stronger the weake so that by time Societies agreed vpon a common Gouernement and set vp some one who excelled the rest to gouerne all and that common consent gaue him power to rule and disposed the rest for more heartie obedience So GOD by his Law written in their hearts led them to Gouernement to deuolue their power in the hand of one for eschewing of injuries and procuring both publicke and the priuate good Societie remeeded Solitarinesse and Principalitie remeeded the iniuries of Societies Some haue drawne Principalitie simplie from the Ambition of men because Cain Nimrod and such like were vsurpers But they should distinguish betwixt mans Ambition and
Providence rule the matter Or they who haue voycetherein were so iust as to giue it where they see God hath given worth surelie it were a good way to enter to a Kingdome But since all men are corrupt and the most vn worthie are most ambitious they supplie that want of worth by the purchase of voyces They also who haue suffrage are vsuallic caried more with Hope and Feare than with Conscience therefore it commeth to passe that Election makes oft-times Butcheries in Kingdomes and what difference is there betweene foreraine invasion by Cōquest factions within by Election but that the one is from without and the other at home Election is both the occasion and matter of tumults And it is as hard to finde manie Electors agree in one as it is to finde their agreement in good But Succession is ruled of God who provydeth himselfe of Princes in the wombe and thereafter blesseth them with a more princelie Education than if they were elected It is not so much free election that caries the matter as the force of a prevailing Faction Even as in the factious choosing of Popes hee is not inrolled as an lawfull Pope who was Canonicallie elected but hee who had the strongest faction And his Competitor though both more worthie and chosen Canonicallie if hee could not make his cause good by force is called the Anti-Pope They giue vs the reason heereof that though they came by tyrannie yet it was better to tolerate them than to rent the Church with a Schisme This also brought on the ruine of the Impyre for Augustus invented a Praetorian band of 1200 olde Souldiours in shew to strengthen the Impyre but indeede it ruined it and that by the occasion of Election making themselues master of Armies Senate Emperour For after that Iulius race ended they took too much on them and afterward caried the matter absolutelie and set vp and cast downe Emperours at their pleasure In so much that they cared not to change Emperours everie day that they might finde daylie Donatiues and Rewards So the way to come to the Impyre was neither mens worthinesse nor the Election of the Senate but the violence of the Pretorian band who beeing altogether saleable preferred them who gaue largest money In like manner doe the Ianisars the Turkes Pretorian band and so will the Iesuits the Popes Iamsars doe when they haue hanked vp the affaires of Poperie in their hands But Succession is better than either Conquest or Election It wants the tumults of Election and the violence of Conquest and is most acceptable to people beginning with birth and confirmed by education It burieth the seeds of changes but Election keepes them greene and fresh as a tusked wall in building makes more way for building It relieveth Kings of many cares how to come to a Kingdome and how to gaine the loue of their people Their birth prevents these cares and at once possesseth them both in their Kingdome and their peoples heart It is also most pleasant to people because it secures them from feare of changes that come of Conquest or Election and settleth their Affections sweetely on their natiue Prince They delight rather to bee vnder a knowne Lord than a stranger The Sons of their Kings are brought vp amongst their they know their dispossion and manners and how to deale with them in their afaires They neede neither an Interpreter for language a great band of humane Societie nor a Mediator to the loue of a natiue Prince They count them their Fosters and Consorts in a manner and from the verie wombe their hearts imbrace them as their desired Heads What is the great Ioy at the birth of Princes such as blessed bee God I see in you all this day bot the hand of God wedding the hearts of people to their new borne Princes and the earnest ingaging of a constant loue to them heereafter That bond is natiue and strong that beginneth at the Birth yea and sooner in the great desire that people haue of natiue Princes before their Birth and God who beginneth so soone confirmes it by time to the mutuall comfort of Prince and people Moreover both Election and Conquest yeeld to Succession as the best way to come to a Kingdome For Conquerors beeing settled doe labour to stablish it to their Posteritie by Succession And many Kingdomes sometimes Electiue are turned to Succession and it is likelie that the remanent will doe so be times And so both Conquest and Election by an open consent doe acknowledge Succession to bee the best way in that they affect to be changed in it Some good men otherwise haue spoken harshlie of womens Governement as an inconvenient of Succession But that was more from some particular than the matter it selfe They distinguished not betwixt the faults of some persons the equitie of Gods ordinance They wrested the These to their owne Hypothese and in a preiudicate manner determined the cause by some badde accidents of their time as though the matter were so in itselfe and had ever been so as they saw it practised in some This was to giue Lawes to God and not to expone his Providence as it runs in the owne libertie and latitude but to force vpon it such a construction as pleased them But others speak more moderatly that there was nothing more vniust than the Law of the Romans that discharged men to mak their Daughters their Heires And God giues this Law in the case of Zelophehads Daughters that they succeede in their fathers portion of Canaan as they were Sonnes If a man die and haue no Sonnes then hee shall cause his inheritance to passe to his Daughter This Yland in our time hath seene two great instances in the right of Succession The first in the Reigne of Queene Elizabeth of happie memorie in whom God refuted reallie that Objection that is taken from womens governement Hee blessed her fourtie fiue yeares Reigne with such prosperitie both spirituall and worldly as few Kings could equall Of former times onely Zenobia seemes to striue with her but shee is nothing like for what shee did was by borrowed forces and after shee had proven valorous for a time was taken captiue to Rome led in triumph and died private But Elizabeth did all vnder God with her owne Forces shee lent Armies to others as this Land France and the Low-Countries can testifie and after a long prosperous Reigne dyed in her owne Palace in a true Religion in peace with God loue of her Subiects commendation of her enemies and admiration of the world The other was in the succeeding of K. Iames of happy memorie In his Youth Papists fedde themselues with a conceit of the possibilitie of his turning and that without any occasion of that fansie offred by him But when hee expressed his loue to the Truth by his Letters to Q Elizabeth and by the
Monuments of his ingrne and speciallie in that Basilicon Doron they turned their hopes in dispaire took them to plot his debarring from England and when the Pope had written Brieues for that end and all men looked for wars God in mercie according to the right of Succession gaue him a peaceable entrie to that Kingdome and keeped this Yland from the invasion of strangers and factions within They found their former peace continued when God had provyded him one who could as well by his Tongue and Pen mainetaine the Truth as by his Sword But wee neede not dispute where God hath determined hee promised to the King of Israel that if hee would adhere to him in his governement hee should prolong his dayes and the dayes of his Sonnes in the midst of Israel And when hee had sette David on the Throne hee stablished the Crowne in his Line by Succession put it in a promise as a blessing When thy dayes shall bee fulfilled and thou shalt sleepe with thy Fathers I will set vp thy Seede after thee which shall proceede out of thy Bowels and I will establish his Kingdome Therefore all things beeing duelie considered Succession is the best way to come to a Kingdome The next point is Davids acquiescing to Gods designation testified by this prayer for his Sonne Heerein hee found sure grounds for rest Hee had obtained a great blessing hee reioyced and prayed for the continuance of it and thankes God for giving him such a Sonne as was able for so great a Kingdome Shall not a soule rest in the sense of Gods mercie in a ioyfull praising and confident praying for moe It is kindlie to a Father to reioyce in his Sons succeeding and a worke both of sound Nature and of grace Nature maketh them loue the Child who is another themselues and Grace maketh them reioyce in Gods ordinance Where can it fall more pleasantlie to them then in their Sonne who is not so much another person as themselues and that not decaying or dying but waxing and surviving Some Kings haue beene so vnnaturall as to cut off their Sonnes in â—ealousie as Solyman did to Mustapha and some write that Constantine moved with Calumnies killed Crispus his Sonne though other deny it but let that crueltie byde with Barbarians Barbaritie is the dreg and vre of Humanitie till it bee refined by Letters and Sustition and false Religion makes them more vnnaturall So soone as the father dyes the most powerfull Brother embrues his Funerals in the blood of all the rest of his Brethren but there the father bathed himselfe in the funerall of his sonne Gods feare teacheth Christian Kings to rejoyce when they see their Sonnes in their Thrones but Tyrants as they desire none to reigne with them so they wish that the Kingdome and world ended with them Of all this second point is manifest that a Kings Son is a great blessing hee is a pledge of Gods loue both to his Parents and people and a band to tye all their hearts to God and amongst themselues Kings are the more bound vnto God that giues them that fruite of their Body and the more tyed to their people also because a Sonne is the best Pawne of their loue to people Hee is also a strong motiue to moue them to a loving peaceable Governement that thereby they may endeare him in the peoples affection The Sonne of a good King is pretious to a good people and what ever loue his personall worthinesse deserues it is doubled for his Fathers cause There is no such Rhetorick to perswad a people to loue the Kings Sonne as the good governement of his Father Their loue to the Sonne diminishes not their loue to the Father but rather augments it and the increase of the Obiect increaseth loyalty It was the error of some to worship rather the Sunne rysing than going to But Christian Subiects are taught of God not to make them opposite Obiects of their affection but in a Christian loyaltie to loue each of them the more because of other Our new borne Prince then is Gods great Blessing to this Yland Hee is a Guarde to his Father and a comfort to the Subiects in stopping their perplexities about Succession and the plots of factious and ambitious men This Land for almost eleven Ages was ruled by electiue Kings Thereafter for some eight Ages it hath beene ruled by Succession And the race of Stewarts aboue two hundreth yeeres hath succeeded one another and the new borne Prince whom God preserue is the eleventh of that Name and the hundreth and ninth of the never interrupted Line of Fergus the first The third part Of the royall Gift And first of Iustice. Thy Righteousnesse and Iudgements THe third thing in this Text is the Blessing that hee craâ—es to Solomon and that in three thinges The Gift the worke of the Gift and the Fruite of that worke The gift is Righteousnesse and Iudgement wherein wee shall consider the Nature the Necessitie and the Extent of it I will not trouble you with Schoole distinctions of these words because the excesse of Affection is impatient of Subtiltie For Ioy ever hasteneth neither can Gladnesse suffer delayes And I must say with one that your Affection hath preveened my words so that I cannot satisfie you yet with another I promise to speake briefely least in such a solemnitie the length of speach burden your Devotion In a word heere is meaned the gift of Kingly governement in the Spirit of righteousnes prudence So David exponeth it in his prayer to God for Solomon O Lord giue Solomon a perfect heart And in his Blessing of him The Lord giue thee Wisedome Vnderstanding And Solomon cleareth it by his desire when God â—ade him chuse what he would he chused not Riches or honour but a wise heart even the heart of a good King Giue thy Servant an vnderstanding heart to iudge thy people that I may discerne betwixt good and bad and this is iustice an habite of the minde keeped for the good of the common giving everie man his due It looketh to Ius or Right as the obiect to Iustice the Habite or Vertue and to iudgement the sentence or fact flowing from both containeth three things The first is a discerning knowledge to vnderstand exactly and judge betweene right wrong together with a conscience to temper the rigour of right with equity in some coÌ„siderable cases This is as the Eye of the Iudge The second is puritie of the Will and Affections flowing from that knowledge that they loue the knowne Right though it were in cause of their enemie and hate the knowne wrong though in the cause of their Friends This keepeth the Heart free from the base affections of feare or hope The third is Courage cled with Authoritie both to pronounce and execute according to that knowledge A private man may haue exact knowledge
righteousnesse amongst themselues and yet for all this they haue neede of civill Governement The best man hath some remanent Corruption and in the best particular Churches are some who haue not the power of Religion nor are disposed for righteousnes Herein appeareth mans vnrulines Gods mercy supplying it with Governement And the happinesse of such Kings as rule the people of God This is mans vnrulinesse that though hee bee reasonable and of one stocke in Adam and of one condition in sinne which should make him to loue his Neighbour yet wee are most vnreasonable and inhumane to other Neither the bands of common nature nor common miserie no not of Religion can make vs liue in righteousnesse It was truelie said That the necessitis of many Physitians in a Citie argued great intemperance in a people So the necessity of Magistrates argueth great vnrighteousnes amoÌ„gst men If we had stood in Innocency as wee were created wee had beene to others as harmelesse Lambes and gallesse Doues our pure minde tooke light of God fully our Will followed that Light freelie and our Affections and the whole man went one way to obey him But by our fall that furnishing is lost and that harmonie broken our mynde taketh not Gods Light our will and affections miscarie the whole man violently wee breake to God and so cannot doe a duety to man That fansie of some Schoole-men of a meere and pure Nature is a pernitious errour that ignorance and concupiscence were the conditions of that Nature and that man in his first estate would haue beene caried to the desire of sinfull things This obseureth the integritie of our creation the miserie of our fall and Gods mercie restoring vs In our innocencie we had no disposition to sin our originall righteousnesse was a sweete applying of everie power in vs to another and all of them to God But now beeing voyde of that originall iustice and full of iniquitie wee are like vnreasonable creatures Man is in honour and vnderstandeth not hee is like a beast that perisheth As the greater Beastes devour the smaller and ravening fowles prey vpon the weaker and greater fishes eat vp the lesser So everie man as hee hath a gift aboue his Neighbours vseth it to their hurt The wise man turneth his wisedome to intrappe the simple the mightie man his power to oppresse the weaker and the rich man maketh his riches as feete and hands to fulfill his evill purpose against the poore So though it would seeme an easie thing for a King to rule a multitude of reasonable men brought vp in civilitie and Religion yet it is a matter of great difficultie Therefore one said right That Kings ought to bee Pastours and that because they rule men who are led by brutâ—sh affections This is a Glasse for mans infirmitie That hee is the most disobedient creature the will of God is an eternall Law the cause and rule of all equitie and reason thereby hee disposeth his owne actions and giveth the extract of it respectiuely to creatures and all of them except man obey that Law according to their power This power is specified in their essentiall formes and these formes are the immediate cause of their working and Character of their worke Mans disobedience is the greater because he hath the most excellent forme is best obliged and best furnished he hath a reasonable Soule and the greatest extract of Gods eternall Law both wriâ—en in his heart and revealed to him in Scripture Hee alone hath a Conscience to charge him with obedience in the Name of God As a Center hee is compassed with obedient creatures If he looke aboue hee seeth the Angels keepe their celestiall Law in loving adoring and imitating God if beneath hee seeth all creatures keepe their Law the fruite of their obedience is his comfort and if they altered their course but a short space hee would perish And yet notwithstanding of the excellencie of his forme the riches of his furniture and his compassing with a cloud of so many obedient witnesses hee remaineth still vntractabâ—e Secondly herein is Gods great mercie to man that hee leaveth him not in this disorder Hee knoweth that hee would be as a beast pushing and goaring other therefore he hath set vp Magistracie as a soveraigne remeede of that furie and given it power to secure the weake from the injuries of the mightie wisedome to saue the simple from the snares of the craftie That if the great sort will abuse their power in tyrannizing over the weake they may finde in Kings a power to controll them The greatnesse of Kings aboue their Subjects is both a staffe to the weaker to leane to and a bridle to restraine the outrages of the mightie as the Prophet expresseth Defend the poore and fatherlesse doe Iustice to the afflicted and needie deliver the poore and needie ridde them out of the hand of the wicked This vindicating power of Princes is as great a blessing to the oppressours whom it restraineth as to the poore who are rescued Thirdly this is the happinesse of Kings that rule over Gods people that their lotte is fallen pleasantly in Gods inheritance They who reigne over Barbarians are Kings over beastes rather than men and they who rule over civill Countries where true Religion is not are Kings but of men but they whose Kingdome is a particular Church to God are Kings over Kings or Christians more than men and their common Subjects by grace haue more true worth than such Kings as are over Barbarians because wee are a royall Priest-hood The one reignâ—th in a Paradise the other as in a barren Wildernesse This excellencie hath also an easinesse with it to overcome mans natiue vnrulinesse for Gods Scepter bringeth people to obedience as this Prophet acknowledgeth It is God that subdueth my people vnder mee When mans rudenesse is broken with a true Religion it is most plyable to authoritie as to the ordinance of God hee both commands and alloweth that obedience and disposeth people thereto willinglie Numa by Religion plyed his rude Romans more to the offices of Warre and peace than Romulus austere governement If a false Religion did this in Pagans what shall the true Religion and the grace that accompanieth it worke in Christians It is farre more easie to rule good people than badde because there is none so rebellious to Authoritie as those who rebell against their own reason a good man is more obsequious to Princes than a Russian The godly doe feare Princes more than they are to bee feared of Princes but no bands can keepe the wicked in order True Religion binds vs to God and the grace of it is our greatest perfection in this life and that partaking of the divine Nature maketh vs the more respectuous to Gods ordinance Where that is not Lawes Rewards and Punishments are but weake motiues but where it is they neede not a Law The
circle of the Subjects neerest to them It is a proofe of the Governement of their persons an Image of the ruling of their Estates If every house be a beginning and part of a citie and every beginning ought to bee referred to the owne end much more the Families of Princes which are not simplie parts but rather compends extracts of their Kingdomes People cannot alwayes see the person of their Kings but they may guesse at their disposition by the manners of their Court As is the Prince so is his Court because they seeke by his imitation to procure and keepe his favour and as the Court is so will the Countrie bee Such as his servants are such is hee counted For men can hardly thinke but they are such by his command or connivence or example If therefore they bee godly and righteous they win the hearts of people to the King But if they bee profaine and godlesse they procure his contempt This care ought not onely to be of his neerest Attendents but also of these whom he intrusteth with his affaires abroad If they minister Iustice defend the people exact no more than is due then the people ascryue all that goodnesse to the King commanding his Officers to handle his people tenderly But if they be violent and outragious the contrare followeth as if all that severity were commanded of the King A good king by doing good maketh his Subjects good is as eminet in example before them as in dignity aboue them The Roman Impyre had a great proofe of the force of their example both in their Court and people when in fiftie foure yeeres space it found fiue changes First DiocletiaÌ„ like his Predecessours was a Pagan Next Constantine turned himselfe the Impyre to Christianity 3. Constantius his sonne turned all Arrian 4. Iulian the Apostate went backe to Paganisme And fiftlie Iovinian following Constantines zeale brought them back againe to Christianitie So important is the example of Princes either in good or evill and so changeable are the people to follow them The Kings of Iudah were not vnâ—â—k Achaz an idolater Ezekiah a zealous worshipper of God Amon and Manasseh restorers of idolatrie Iosiah a destroyer of idolatrie c. And their Courts and Countries followed their steppes Constantius the father of Constantine tryed his Courteours wisely hee offered preferment to such as would worship Pagan gods and when some for feare and desire of honour did so others layed downe their honour rather than that they would quite Christ hâ—ereby hee saw the ground of his Courtiers hearts he degraded such as had forsaken Christ and said They would never bee true to him that were false to God but he honoured such as were readie to losse all for adhering to God he made them his Guard and Governours of his Kingdome saying That such men were to bee numbered as his speciall Friends and Familiars And Theodoricke the Goth an Arrian King had some like practise but with a more summar censure for when one of his Court willing to please him forsooke the faith of Christ and turned Arrian hee was so offended that hee killed him with his owne hand affirming that hee would not bee trusty to him that was a traytour to Christ. To close this point the fruite of Davids prayer is manifest in Solomons extraordinary wisedome and that both in speculation and practice For the first hee knew all mysteries and wrote of the nature of all things from the Cedar of Lebanon to the Hysope on the wall Beside his heavenly Doctrine in his Song whereof none of all the wise men of the earth could so much as dreame in his moralities in the Proverbs and Ecclesiastes he passed them all Thogh they came long after him and had the benefite of his Writs by some two Greeke translations before the Septuagints yet they are no more to his wisedome than a aram of vnfined silver-vre to a talent of pure gold As for his practice his first tryall proved an excellent practicall gift It was a plea betwixt two Harlots both of them clamed the living Child no doubt with the like boldnes cursing execration the vsuall companions of passionat pleading Heere God offred a fit purpose to proue the truth of his promise to Solomon The question was not of civill things but naturall to finde out the mother of the living Childe and there was no witnesse but both parties alike peremptory in their alledgeance His wisedome leadeth him to find out the truth by naturall affection Hee layed this sure ground that the Mothers affection is tender and the bowels that bredde the Child would never agree to see him killed On the other part that the cruell affection agreeing to the division of the Childe was but a strange and stepmotherly affection On these grounds hee pronounceth That the living Babe shall bee cut in two It might seeme a cruell sentence to kill the Babe but some equitie in the just division but the truth was hee found the decision of the matter in the show of division and adiudged the living Babe to her who in a sparing affection choosed rather to want her Babe than the Babe should want his life Hee saw in the tender affection of the one the equity of her cause and in crueltie of the other the iniquity of her clame This was a proofe of deepe wisedome The people heard of it and were both glad of such a King because the wisedome of God was in him and yet feared him because they saw hee was such a one as could discover the secrets of their hearts and counter-mine their deeepest policies 3. The fruite of their Governement Of PEACE Vers. 3. The Mountaines shall bring foorth peace c. THis is the third thing he craveth the fruite of kinglie Governement in the blessing of peace whither we take the Mountaines hills figuratiuelie for the estate in generall or for the degrees of power in greater and lesser Princes c. all is to this end that Iustice well ministered brings peace to a Countrie for the mighty who are as mountaines when they shall see Iustice reigne in the King are stayed from oppressing the poore and become a shadow to them So Iustice is both the mother to bring foorth and a Nurce to foster peace Peace is the desired and sweete end of all blessings and prosperitie it selfe without it is but adversity All our labours are for Peace and Warres the wrake of mankind and brâ—ake of Peace are vndertaken tâ— purchase and keepe Peace And God the Authour of all hath contempered the variâ—tie and disâ—rds of creatures to bring them all to a purposed peace All men are of him he summeth them all vp in Governement and peace is the beautie of all This Peace may bee considered in foure sorts The first is Peace with God which commeth of a true Religion When men are led by the truth to belieue
feeder but peace is both best purchased preserved when Iustice absolutely reigneth Therefore good governours of Provinces may tightlie bee called Iustices of peace their name beareth these twinne blessings of Iustice and peace and if they answere to their name they are worthie instruments vnder God and the King by ministration of Iustice to keepe peace amongst people In this point David alludeth to Solomons name for God tolde him Beholde a Sonne shall bee borne to thee who shall bee a man of rest And I will giue him rest from all his enemies round about For his Name shall bee Solomon and I will giue peace and quietnesse to Israel in his dayes On that prophecie David foundeth this prayer and Experience proveth both the truth of the Prophecie and force of this prayer Hee answered to his name as hee was called peaceable so hee ruled his people in peace and God blessed them with great prosperitie vnder him Iudah and Israel dwelt every one vnder his vine c. They had peace with God so long as they keeped his Commandements and peace with neighbouring Nations and amongst themselues And the fruite of long peace was gold and silver as Stones at Ierusalem Heerein hee was the type of the true Solomon Christ Iesus whom this Psalme principallie respecteth and who for this same end was shaddowed by Melchisedecke hee is first King of Righteousnesse or Iustice and then King of Salem or of Peace Hee proved the King of righteousnesse when hee fulfilled all righteousnesse in satisfying the Iustice of God for vs and then applying and imputing that Righteousnes vnto vs is the Lord our Righteousnesse for hee is given of the Father to bee our Righteousnesse Redemption c. Hee proveth the King of our Peace in that hee hath purchased vs peace by righteousnesse For the chastisement of our peace was on him and by his strips wee are healed When wee are covered with his righteousnesse God seeth not sinne in Iacob nor iniquitie in Israel His Iustice beeing satisfied hath no quarrell against vs but by vertue of that satisfaction iustlie adiudgeth peace and salvation to vs. It is as proper to Iustice to pardon a penitent sinner in Christ as to punish an impenitent sinner If wee confesse our sinnes hee is faithfull and iust to forgiue them Christs obedience hath a double respect to Iustice the one of satisfying all it can claime of vs the other of meriting all good to vs. The first putteth away the demerite of sin The other possesseth vs in peace and glorie Of Warre THus a good King ruleth his people in peace but some time necessitie will draw him to Warre and that either for defence of the truth his Crowne or Countrie the iust causes for a lawfull warre Some haue thought Warres vnlawfull to Christians but that was onelie in some times and cases when the Heathen Emperors vrged Souldiers to offer to idoles and if they refused they were shame fullie cashired or martyred In such a case it was good to abstaine from a voluntarie or mercenarie warrefare To goe to warre is not sinne but to doe it for prey is sin And though warfare bee a lawfull calling yet warre is one of the three plagues wherewith God vsuallie breaketh the pride of mans body As by with-holding of nourishment in Famine So by violence with his Arrow of pestilence or by the hand of man in warres Our sins procure war at Gods hands For when we will not serue him in peace hee maketh vs suffer in warres And when our lusts rebell against his grace why should hee not punish vs with the warres of man Yea our lustes fighteth within vs before wee can fight with man without For if man could dwell in himselfe in the contentment of his loâ—te hee would not encroach on his neighbour in ambition crueltie avarice c. Miscontentment with our lot and too great loue of earthly thinges maketh vs quyte peace and fall in iarring Warres are sweete to them that haue not felt their miserie but a taste of them giveth a sweeter relish to peace and this is among other reasons why God afflicteth a Land with warre that thereafter they may count more of the blessing of peace The fruite prooveth it to bee a plague Thereby peace is broken Lawes are silent oppression and iniquitie doe reigne There is neither marches of possession nor propertie of vse and no man hath place to iudge or power to set things aright beside the violence of the enemie the insolence of our assistants is intolerable They who come to helpe vs thinke they cannot hurt vs but vnder colour of defence they bereaue vs of our goods and of our liues also if wee resist and though neither the enemie nor assisting Friend vse violence the licence of people in their owne Countrie is no lâ—sse hurtfull The Souldiers girdle looseth the most part from all feare of God and respect to man childreÌ„ women the obiects of pitie find no pitie but their chastitie and liues destroyed at once and their defyling is more bitter than their death cities of many yeares building in one houre turned in ashes And though a â—and bee a Paradise before Armies yet after them is an horrid wildernesse Man exceedeth all creatures in Hostilitie Lyons against Lyons and Dragons against Dragons are not so cruell as man against man Their fighting is but at occasionall encounters yet out of sight of other their rage ceaseth But man can spend dayes nights and yeares in devysing mischiefe against absent man their yoaking in Battell is but the fruite of their former plotting Reason our priviledge aboue Beastes when it turneth furious putteth vs farre vnder them Wee are borne naked but crueltie hath turned vs all in armour And where it might bee called prudence to invent defensiue weapons yet crueltie is more inventiue of offensiue weapons to hurt other and more forward to destroy others than saue our selues This last Age the Rendevous of all wickednesse hath fetched from the hel 's the invention of Gunnes and fire worke and that with a defect on the defensiue part There was no hurting weapon before but Nature found a Guard for it but fire-work hath not yet found a shield Corrupt Nature is more ingenious to destroy than to preserue and decaying mankind falling further from God â—urneth more to Sathans image both in an actiue and passiue destruction When Armies ioyne in Battell man is going out of himselfe And though hee bee reasonable yet beeing cloathed with Brasse or Yron hee is more brasen and irnish than his Armour Hee hath none other respect to his enemie but to destroy him and that rage is so bâ—nded that they cannot helpe their Friend Though woundes strike their neighbour-Souldier to the ground yet the necessitie to keepe their ranke turneth them out of loue and humanitie and if they bee straited they must trode on his bellie to keepe their order The feete
wicked idolaters and of Iudah onlie two were exceeding good Ezekiah and Iosiah sixe were praised in part and reprooved in part as Asa Iosaphat Ioaz Amasah Vzzah and Iotham And all the rest were idolaters as the Kings of Israel The praise of good Kings is that they know the Truth and serued God accordinglie They were zealous for his glorie destroying idolatrie and holding it out of their Kingdomes they maintained the worship of God according to his Truth and gaue neither toleration nor libertie of false Religions to their Subiects but astricted them by Lawes to worship him aright went before them in a royall example They sought not themselues but Gods glorie and he recompenced them againe by his blessing on their persons and government and making their Names to flowrish in benediction But the idolatrous Kings were contrare they forsooke the true God themselues and permitted a miscellanie Religion to their people Therefore his curse was on them and their government Hee wrote their Names in the dust and made them vyle to the posteritie as may be seene in Histories Heere is a looking Glasse for Christian Princes Popish Kings though they bee in the Church yet they are like the Kings of Israel in idolatrie as Ieroboam with the Calues at Bethel But Kings in reformed Churches are like the Kings of Iudah who haue God among them in the Arke of his testimonie and true Religion and it is their safetie to follow David Ezekiah and Iosiah in the maintenance and practise of true Religion This is a better exemplar than the Cardinals When for a fashion he hath set downe the example of some good Iewish and Christian Princes hee subioynes the Legend of some canonized Kings who got that honour when Ignorance and Idolatrie prevailed in the Church That looking to that Glasse of the Popes forging hee may steale the hearts of Princes from God to superstition I would aske if Ioseph Moses David c. before Christ and Theodosius Tiberius the younger c. were not as holy as Vencesâ—aus Leopoldus and other canonized Kings If they were wherefore are these canonized and not the other A good King setteth God before him as his end and true happinesse in his fauour hee counteth his earthlie Kingdome neither his eâ—d nor a way to the right end but seeketh the Kingdome of Heauen aboue the other and that by the way of godlinesse and righteousnesse It is a well grounded Throne that standeth on these two pillers Godlinesse maketh men eternall it is his Image that never dyeth and maketh their persons and workes acceptable to him without it as no man can see him so with it vndoubtedlie they shall enjoy him for euer No Iewell nor Dyamount shineth brighter in the Crownes of Kings than true godlinesse Righteousnesse is another Pillar the proper worke of the Throne and Gods worke in Kings who sit in it for the heart of the King is in the Lords hand and hee sweyeth it whither hee will It is a just thing with GOD to maintaine the Throne his owne ordinance when righteousnesse his will and work doe both liue in it and issue from it And what are good Kings on Thrones but God in them iudging the World God standeth in the Congregation of the mightie and hee iudgeth among Gods Hee delighteth to rest where hee reigneth and ruleth with delight A righteous King sitting on his Throne is a more pleasant sight than Solomons that more for his invisible Attendants than for his visible Before him standeth Affabilitie as a Porter to giue accesse to the plaints of the afflicted Injuries choppe the hearts of the oppressed and they runne to Princes for helpe And they are set vp in their greatnesse not to neglect the oppressed but to heare their complaints It was a fault in the Kings of Persia not to admitte any to their presence but such as were called vpon it made oppressours bolde and the oppression of the poore incurable But it was commended in another King who gaue justice to an oppressed woman who told him freelie That if hee had not leasure to iudge he should not reigne And Traian was honoured with a Statue because beeing on horse and going to battell hee stayed till hee did Iustice to an oppressed Widow When affabilitie as a Porter hath made way to the oppressed then loue of the people in the Kings heart as a Master of requeasts taketh the complaint in hand and calling Wisedome and Prudence to counsell they consult to doe right according to the cause Before his Throne stand Courage Clemencie Courage to proceede according to Iustice and Clemencie to temper some times the strictnesse of Iustice Clemencie remoueth Severitie least it turne to Crueltie and Courage remoueth too great Indulgence least it breed in People a libertie to sinne and contempt of Princes Clemencie can pardon small faultes but great sinnes and effronts of Authoritie would bee punished else it is not Clemencie but Crueltie On either side of the Throne two Sergents stand Power and Diligence Power to execute the sentence pronounced which careth as little the difficulties that may follow execution as Iustice did the respect of persons And Diligence doth all with such convenient speed as the nature of the matter and the honour of the Prince requireth At the backe of this Throne leaneth Peace and Prosperitie Peace among the whole Bodie while everie one getteth his right and is secured in it And Prosperitie as Gods blessing following that his own worke of a wife and righteous government As a good King seeketh Gods favour aboue all so nixt therevnto the loue of his people The heart is the Man and among all affections loue caries the heart and captiues man Hatred and Feare are troubling passions and separate the heart from their object but loue applies it selfe ioy fullie and draweth the whole Man to that it loueth The best conquest of their loue is by goodnesse Loues proper obiect and there is no heart so hard as to hold it selfe from these in whom true goodnesse shineth Wee may compell men to feare but cannot moue them to loue vs but by sweete motiues the bond that commeth by compulsion is vnpleasant to the parties it is soone broken and when it leaveth off is turned in hatred but the band of loue is both pleasant and firme Fatherlie loue in a King to his people and loue in them to him againe is a sweete relation and maketh their mutuall dueties both easie and pleasant Moses preferred the people to himselfe Spare them O Lord but raze my name out of the Booke of life And David offered himselfe to bee punished for the people I haue sinned but these sheepe what haue they done Next to the loue they send vp to GOD this descending loue to their people maketh them carefull of their peoples good When hee loueth his people he hath conqueshed their heart absolutelie
arguuntur in accusationem earum convertuntur Before the Colloque of Ratisbone when the Protestant Divines intercommuned by letter with the Iesuits that they would agree on the places of arguments The Iesuits in their Preface declared that they would not stand to Scripture least say they we had lost our cause in the verie entrie I his their distrust of Scripture is a reall confessing that their faith is not Scripturall Secondly they came to Traditions and because wee sticke to Scripture they called vs Scripturarij to tell vs that they are Lucifugae Scripturarum as Tertullian calleth Hereticks And againe Credunt sine Scripturis vâ— credant contra Scripturas And yet they finde no rest in Traditions The indefinetnes of their number the confussion of their kinds Divine Apostolicke Ecclesiasticke hath confounded them who expresly laboured to distinguish them But the first tymes reasoned not from their owne asseveration but by divine testimonies as sayeth Lactantius Non asseveratione propriâ sed testimonijs Divinis sicut nos facimus Thirdly from Traditions of an vncertaine Author they come to Fathers and with a froggish and laterane coaxation doe cry Patres Patres But Protestants haue driven them from that retreate also for though in the Fathers some Liturgicall ceremonie may bee found yet in Dogmaticke poynts they are all for vs Neither can they make Lirinensis triple tryall to fitte their Tenets that they were receaved ab omnibus semper vbique Fathers are worthie of respect when they speake according to our Heavenly Father They gaue that respect to their Ancestors and craved no more to themselues Who ever shall reade these things let him not imitate mee erring but growing to the better Non me imitetur errantem sed in melias proficientem sayeth Augustine even of his retractations And they themselues condemne the Fathers except they speake to their sense Fourthly from Fathers a-part they come to Fathers mette together in Councells So Bellarmine everie where thinketh it enough In hoc conveniunt omnes Scholastici propter Conciliorum authoritatem But when these Councells are searched they are but late Conventicles gathered for their purpose as Dioscorus did at Ephesus Irene at Neece The Laterane Councells of Florence Constance Basile And lastly their Trent Councell by a preposterous order giving authoritie to the former They contemne ancient and lawfull Councells as Vives remarketh Reliqua non pluris aestimant quam conventus muliercularum in textrina vel thermis These are Councels to them sayeth hee which serue their turne as for other they count no more of them Conventions of Women c. Fifthly they muster the Testimonies of their Popes as the last and greatest ground of their Faith A matter more ridiculous than serious to judge a malefactor by his owne testimonie If they thinke them infallible why giue they them not the first place They are neither as Primipili or Triarij but rather Rorarij and Ferentarij amongst the Legions more for number than for weight But the wiser â—ort are ashamed to vse these shaddowes in disputs Sixtly When they finde no safetie in all these refuges they come to humane learning And for this cause the Iesuits seeing their Cleargie ignorant affected a Monarchie of Letters As Ierome said of the Hereticks who called themselues Reges Philosophorum Kings of the Philosophs They are destitute of Scripture and runne to the supplie of Nature Arte. These olde Hereticks boasted of the furniture of humane learning So Novatian threw the darts of poysoned eloquence and was more hard by the perversenesse of secular Philosophie c. In like manner Aponius descryveth them that they turned the trueth in a lie by sharpe words and syllogismes And Ierome d telleth that the Htreticke propter acumen ingenij discurrit per testimonia Scripturarum and laboureth by Sophistrie to oppresse the Trueth And againe the good Christian veritatis simplicitate contentus Haereticorum suppellectilem argumentorumque divitias non requirit Hee is content with the simplicitie of trueth seeketh not the furniture of Hereticks Papists coÌ„fesse a sympathizing with Pagans Humane learning is Gods gift indeede but should not bee abused to impugne the Trueth And it is Gods will that naked and simple Trueth bee cleerely proponed because it is sufficiently decored of it selfe sayeth Lactance And to that same sense Ierome Nolim Philosophorum argumenta sectari sed simplicitate Apostolicae acquiescere And Basile likewise Nuda est veritas paâ—rono non egens ipsa seipsam defendens Though with Nazianzen hee profited wonderfully in Philosophie at Athens yet hee calleth it an hyding of the Trueth to trouse it vp in humane farding ne contegamus veritatem verborum fuco But they acknowledge their distrust of this refuge also For Transubstantiation is so contrare to sound Philosophie that Scotus doubtes against it are neither solved by himselfe nor any other as Quantum futurum cum quanto Quantum fine modo quantitativo Partem extra partem tamen in qualibet parte totum Therefore they haue devised a bastard Philosophie to colour their bastard Divinitie That there is a penetration of Dimensions that one body of a numericall vnitie may bee in innumerable places at once that many compleete bodies may bee couched vnder these same Speces that they may bee consumed and yet abide that in their consumption they neither feele nor are felt of the consumer that one bodie is continued and discontinued in Heaven and Earth at once that it hath a localitie and illocalitie that an Accident can subsist without a Subiect that a dimensiue Quantitie is a Subiect of the Speces that there is a mixed proposition whereof one part is in the mouth and another in the mynde c. If Aristotle and olde Philosops were in the world and heard these monstruous opinions in Philosophie they would misknow their owne Art With these weapons they haue long mustered and their Armies are led with two Goliaths Baronius and Bellarmine from whose first syllabs some haue wittily found out BA-BELL They haue done what Nature and Sophistry can to oppresse the Trueth and colour heresie Bellarmine dogmatickly in great volumes laboureth in the perpetuall Elench of the authoritie of the Church Baronius practickly in his Anachronismes Suppressions Inversions of Order Anticipations laboureth in the perpetuall â—lâ—nch facti pro â—ure And all of them fill the world with large volumes vt stupefaciant ignaros literarum as sayeth â—râ—neus Suarez with his tedious Disputs hath gotten the rewarde of fire to his treasonable Booke Ualentia thinketh his Analysis can not bee loosed and yet it is but a petition of the principle of the Churches pretended authoritie Gretzer hath casten himselfe off the stage by his scalding Uasquez with his blasphemous worshipping of Sathan is abhorred Becane with his affected brittle subtilities is
bee given to the crosse of Christ and not to him That is but a scoffing for the foote is not a place to put the crosse on and the Emperours Theodosius and Valentinian were more religious who discharged to paint the crosse on the ground least it should bee trod vpon Hee admitteth men to three kisses pedis pectoris oris of the feete the breast and his face If therefore hee would honour the Crosse why putteth hee it on his foote and not on his breast to tell his loue to it or on his face to tell his account of it And the Greeks are more religious than he for though they take not that Adoration yet they set it on their face or Breast His second reason is a mocking of men as his first is of Christ That since the Popes office is to teach the world and the feete of Preachers are beautifull they cannot beautifie them better than by put putting the crosse on them for the spirit and grace descends to the feete and to make their steppes stay in the way This is a fiction for neither hath the Pope that office of vniversal preaching neither dischargeth hee it in any one Church and the beautie of the feete of Preachers is not by the signe of the Crosse but by their heavenly commission their fruitefull discharge of it and a godly life But the secret of all this businesse is this hee is an enemie to the crosse of Christ and by that seeming honouring of it vpon his foote is tredding it vnder foote indeede But hee commeth nearer the poynt at length that whereas the Popes received white shooes from Constantine they haue taken purpour or skarlet shooes in their place And what is this but to tell the world that Rome is the scarlet coloured Beast drunke with the blood of the Saintes and this is the more because they acknowledge such kissing of his feete to come of Diocletian who thought himselfe a god craved divine honours And thogh that his wickednes was a damnable sayeth hee in craving of it yet the custome is not to bee damned that gaue it This is all one as to condemne Herod who took divine honours but not the people that gaue them Diocletian then is the father of this pride and it is worse in them than in him for hee beeing an Emperour tooke it of his Subjectes but they being Church-men exact it of Emperours They should remember their owne glosse The Pope is successour to Peter the Fisher but not to Augustus the Emperour If not to Augustus farre lesse should they succeed Diocletian Beside reason Scripture must also bee abused to colour this wickednesse that thy foote may bee dipped in blood and the tongues of thy Dogges in the same Then the feete are dipped in blood say they when they are decored with a crosse of Christ then the tongues of Dogges are dipped therein when Heretickes like dogges licke the Popes feete But Augustine exponeth that blood of Martyrs and these Dogges of painefull Pastours which pertaine nothing to the Pope for hee massacres Martyres and doeth not preach at all To this same ende they abuse that Prophecie Kings shall bee thy nourcing fathers and Queenes thy nourcing mothers they shall bow downe to thee with their faces towards the Earth and licke the dust of thy feete This Prophecie according to the Letter is fulfilled in the Emperours and Kings kissing the Popes feete with their faces toward the ground The like hath Eudaemon Ioannes the Iesuite But this is a great change and farre from that which Leo the third did after he had crowned Charles and made him Emperour hee would worship him before the people that they might know the greatnesse of the imperiall Maiestie Haymon apud Bozium de signis This is proper to Heretickes who steale the glorie of God to pervert Scripture for colouring that sacriledge But Marta helpeth him and would proue the lawfulnesse of it from the Iaylors falling downe at Paul and Silas feete and Cornelius falling downe before Peter but there is nothing for kissing of his feete in these Texts and it is a weak proofe to alledge Abdias Babylonius a fabler whom he grantes is ab Ecclesia reprobatus reiected of the Church And the antiquitie of the practice hee findeth no sooner then Pipine and Charle-maine Fables and the colour of antiquitie serue these men who are destitute of auncient truth But we shall help them in fathering of this adoration aright on Darius who called himselfe King of kings and cousing of the gods and Cleopatra who would bee called the Queene of queenes These are the parents of their pride and would bee adored Thirdlie they vse greatest degree of their prid in trodding on the neckes of Emperours as Alexander the third did to Fridricke Barbarosa at Venice That is a more commendable fact sayeth one and more iust than the trodding of Ecebolius because it was against a most cruell enemie of the Church and Alexander b did well that hee insulted with his heeles against that horrible Beast While heaven and earth are astonished at that pride they glorie in it And of this sort was that pride of Celestine the third who did cast the Crowne off the heade of Henrie the sixe with his foote as though the Crownes of Emperours served for none other vse but to bee foote-bals to Popes It is good for Kings who kisse his foote that they are able againe to rise or walke For the trees of the wood of Loretto inclined so low to welcome the Virgins Chamber comming over the Hadriaticke Sea that they neither raise againe nor inclined to the House when it was settled behind them Tyrannie in Barbarians cannot exerce greater indignities against Princes then this humilitie of the Servant of servants CHAP. V. Of their third vsurpation over Princes In their Lawes THeir third vsurpatiō over Princes is in their Lawes God hath invested Kings with a Nomo-theticke power to make lawes within their Kingdomes but the Pope taketh on him to Expone Mend Alter and Repeale them at his pleasure and that is the common doctrine of the Schoole-men As for their Execution hee may stay their vse or set it to some profitable end for the good of the Church and he power of both resideth in the Pope And for this end absolutely he taketh on him to direct and command Kings in the vse of their power against Protestants If they obey him hee casteth them in danger and hatred of their people If they disobey hee hath a cause of Censure against them to suspend or depose them for if the secular power bee denyed or neglected the Seculars may bee excommunicate This is also injoyned to their Inquisitours to compell Kings and Princes to recall their lawes that are against the Inquisition And because Eymericus is too generall in his decision therefore Pegna is more particular in his Commentar that commoun and fundamentall
they measure their trustie Professours what ever men hold or deny in other points so that they maintaine this all is well But if they oppugne this though they bee sound in other points they are persecuted as Hereticks They charge vs falsely that we make our doctrine of Antichrist an expresse article of our Creede but they hing all their Creede and Faith vpon it And vpon their grounds it may passe since they make the Pope their Church They obiect sayeth Gretzer that wee call Papam Ecclesiam quid tum non abnuo What of that I deny it not And Ualentia more posedly Nomine Ecclesiae intelligimus caput Ecclesiae by the Name of the Church wee vnderstand the head of the Church Since therefore they make their pretended head the Church no wonder that the greatnesse of that Head bee the greatest articlâ— yea the summe of their whole Faith And Baronius a firmeth that without obedience to this Head neither Faith nor good workes availe And againe that even Arrian Princes prospered when they obeyed the Pope This Head is All to them their Faith their Creede the rule and cause of prosperitie to blesse Hereticks if they obey him to damne the Faithfull if they disobey him But seeing they will haue it an head article wee aske in what Creede they finde it It is neither in the Nicene nor Athanasian Creede neither in these larger formes as Ierome wrote to Damasus or Augustine to Laurentius or Petrus Diaconus neither in the Creede of the Apostles which crediblie was written before Peters supposed comming to Rome and containeth nothing of his Supremacie Therefore they must come home to their Trent Creede canonized by Pius the fourth This is their idole of Ecclesiasticke libertie wherein though they speake diverselie yet all runneth to a lawlesse licence Sometimes they restraine it to Canonicke election of Prelats Some times to the investures of benefices and immunities of the Cleargie but Aventine descriueth it more partiticularlie that Hildebrand was desirous to shake off the Emperours yoake breake his authoritie and turne all power to himselfe and so to confirme the principalitie of the Pope That there was nothing better than to take away all feare and bee affrayed of no man and that hee might enioy the Ecclesiasticall libertie and haue such an Emperour whose forces hee feared no as one that did reigne at the pleasure of the Pope This is the first branch of it in his Securitie The second is in being terrible to others that as hee feared not the Emperour so although hee iniured him yet the Emperour must bee affrayed of him And Gerochus an eager defender of Hildebrand descryveth it more shortly The Romaines said hee vsurpe divine honour they will giue no reason for their doing neither suffer they any man to say to them why doe yee so But vse that verse of the Poet so I will so I command and let my will passe for a reason But Hildebrand expoundeth it himselfe most cleerely to bee a power to take away and giue Impyres Kingdomes Principalities and what ever mortall men may haue And what these proud words meaneth hee exponeth it in his twentie seven Dictats the hammers of all lawfull authoritie And Vendramenus the Venitian defines it libertatem quodvis agendi rapiendi impune a libertie to doe and pull what they please But seeing they must haue this Title of Head in their owne sense let them haue it as Aquinas calleth the Antichrist perfect or an Head quo modo dicimus perfectum latronum as wee say a Brigand is perfect But there needeth no comparison where there is an Identitie Their Church cannot bee perfect in faith that is ever parturiens bring out new Articles of faith Their Regulars haue latelie affirmed Quod Regulares sint de herachia absolute articulum fidei esse puto But the Parisian Divines haue censured it thus Author novum eumque falsum fidei articulum fingit And that same Sorbone gaue the like censure against Becan Bellarmine Suarez c. in the point of the Popes headship There is as much truth amongst themselues as to refute their new bred Articles of faith Asorius is sufficient Facta pontificum rem fidei non faciunt faciunt tamen probabiliorem sententiam If the Popes doing make not rem fidei a Matter of faith how can it make a thing de fide an Article of faith and that a prime one I will close this point with Alvarez strange positions of this head Maioritas Papae that the Popes greatnes is in all by all before all and aboue all Christians This might suffice but we shall haue more Papa est Deus imperatoris the Pope is the Emperours god And yet more blasphemouslie sicut Deus as God cannot set a god aboue himselfe so the Pope cannot set an equall to himselfe These and other like blasphemies they suffer to stand in print albeit they purge out better things by their Indices Expurgatorii And when Paul the fift was latelie called Vice-Deus a Vice-God by Thomas Carafa and Benedictus and offence was taken at these Titles by Plessie and other Protestants the Consistorie tooke it in their considerations to moderate them But the Pope stayed all moderation and said That no more was in these Titles than agreed to Peters successour Thus their Head is farre from found judgement when hee will suffer no mitigation of the blasphemous titles of his Headship CHAP. VIII That the end of the Popes Vsurpation is his Monarchie HIs end in all this Vsurpation is hee will hee must be a Monarch At the beginning hee was subiect to Emperours as well as other men As the Popes submissiue and humble Letters to Princes beares as shall bee seene heereafter Next they aspired to an equalitie as Symmachus with the Emperour Anastasius Itaque non dicam superior cerâ—è aqualis honor est I will not say it is a superiour but certainelie it is an equall honour But they knew that Equalitie of power cannot well stand therefore they ascended in end to a Superioritie So Gregorie the seventh to Henrie the fourt And Hadrian to Friderick who was angrie that hee preferred his name to his This was farre from Gregorie the first who reproved a noble woman for calling her selfe his hand-maide For this cause they are not content with the Myter as Church-men but weare the Crowne which they call Regnum And Hildebrand hath decreede Quod solus Papa potest vti imperialibus insignibus That the Pope alone may vse imperiall Ensignes And hee hath a triple Crowne to tell that hee is greater than all the Kings of the Earth in glorie and authoritie This they make plainer by a strange collation making themselues to bee all and Kings but as cyphers For temporalis potestas est in Rege ut administrante But they put it in the Pope in fiue respects The first as in conferente by
holynes The other is given to helpe others to salvation and holinesse and this is common both to good and evill and of this kind is that holinesse wee acknowledge in the Pope And when Gardius objected to him that some Popes were ignorant and flagitious hee answereth that that did not stay the assistance of the holie Spirit in those things that was necessar to the Popes holines because Balaam was a flagitious maÌ„ these workers of iniquitie to whom Christ will say I know you not depart from me This is true indeed we hold him at his word for it is a poore pleading to sure no more holines for their Pope than to Balaam or false prophets Thirdlie A titular holinesse given for a title and made passant through long custome a As the Emperours were called Augusti from Augustus and Optimi from Traian though they were infortunat and dissâ—lute as Nero Heliogabalus and Galien c. So because some Popes were holie that â—aâ—e passed as a Title to their Successoures without any respect of their personal qualification This Azoâ—ius confesseth that it is an â—lâ—e custoâ—e that the Pope beâ—alled most holie and most blessed c. So hee contenteth him with a custome Fourthlie A putatiue or presumed holinesse when men thinke him to be holie though he â—e a monster indeede So Hildebrand in his owne cause If the Pope bee Canonicallie ordained vndoubâ—dlie he is made holy by the merites of S. Peter And who can doubt sâ—id Symmachus â—ut hee is holy whom the toppe of so great dignitie extolleth In whom if they lacke merites of their owne the merites furnished by their Predecessours will suffice For this place either exalteth them who are excellent or maketh them excellent who are exalted Let the World judge whither they or wee put pillowes of seâ—uritie vnder menâ— head since they come so easilie to merite But their Councel of Basile is more cleare giveth vs three sorts of this putatiâ—e holinesse The first is of his State that hee be reputted holie so that holinesse is not referred to him but to the estimation of people as honour is in honoranâ—e non in honorato The second holinesse is religious The third is the holinesse of publicke Iustice. But the Pope as Pope is the highest degree of all these sorts therefore hee may be called most holy albeit he be of a wicked life so long as he is not iudged to be so but tolerate by the holy Church This like their State-sanctitie or holinesse of their religious orders which is contrair distinguished to true holines For a man may be truelie perfect and not in a religious state and in a religious state but not perfect I admitte their distinction but why tye they Evangelicke perfection to that state except they meane such a perfection as is their holinesse and that is but a fansie They moâ—ke the Imputation of Christs righteousnesse when the godlie applie it by â—â—ith Christ alloweth it and the Father imputeth it And â—et they content themselues with a putatiue holinesse borrowed of man and iâ—puted by â—an So in their Priests absolution of the penitâ—1nts and in this their holinesse of Popes It argueth an evill cause in so great a clame to bee content with so base a portion in the strife for a Monarchie they outrack all the notions of the words that signifie power Supremacie c. But in the clame of holinesse they decline the proper Notion and retrinches all to a Titular and putatiue sense This maketh their Patrone when hee disputs his eight note of the Church to wit holinesse to shift it from persons and applie it to doctrine And in another place to craue no more respect to their Pope than Caiaphas had though hee was a false Priest and wicked and such respect as Iudas had among the Disciples This is a great change that hee who tâ—rusteth himselfe aboue Kings yet among the Cleargie is content to bee ranked among Caiaphas and Iudas This their not our wickednesse seemeth to bee the secret cause of the change of their Name wheÌ„ they enter the Popedome The most part beginneth at Sergius the second who beeing ashamed of his name Swynes-mouth called himselfe Sergius But Baronius ascriveth it to Sergius the third Who beeing first called Peter would not retaine that name for the reverence hee bare to S. Peter But here is the mysterie they haue no part of the holinesse of S. Peter therefore tak not his name And moreover among all who tooke other names as of Paul Iohn c. yet never one tooke the name of Peter albeit some had that name before their Papalizing as Innocent the fourth formerlie called Petrus of Tarentasia and Paul the fist formerlie called Petrus Carafa This is not of humilitie but of conviction of conscience not taking his name to whom they are opposite So long as Sancta Catholica stood in the Creede there was some holinesse amongst them but since they thrust Romana on it they haue lost holinesse Romane holinesse is but by Equivocation and in end resolues in monstruous profainnesse for at Rome it is all one to bee called a Christian as in other places to bee called an Asse The head of their Church may be a Monster to be a member of that Church faith inward vertue is not required but onelie a Subiection to the Pope So their Church in the head members are by Equivocation their holines by Equivocation all of them in the Church but secundum apparentiam exteriorem putative Campian needed nâ—t boast vs ad Ecclesiae nomâ—n rostis expalluit As though it were to vs as Gâ—rgons head to make vs astonished but if they haue any remnant ingenuitie they should bee ashamed of their excrementitious Church for they craue none other place for it but as haires and nailes and evill humours in the bodie and their excommnnication is not a curse but a blessing to bee separate from such a Synagogue All heere agree such an head such members And this was the fruite of their Monarchie when the Romanes wanted Carthage and other emulous Republickes they ranne head-long to all â—vices stantibus maenibus mores ruebaÌ„t while their wals stood strong their liues weâ—e dissâ—lute So when the Popes had trod downe all competitours they loosed themselues to all profainesse Heerein they seeme to walke in an evill Conscience both in plunging ignorant men and flattering the Pope They plunge the ignorant while they affirme that the salvation of all Christians dependeth on the holinesse vertue and example of the Popes And Salianus an Iesuite writting to Paul the fiâ—t saith Ut per unum te in communione tantum tua vis omnis ac vigor gratiarum sanctâ—â—atis in omnia membra diffundatur That Christ hath thee for his Vicar and as the necke vnder such an Head that by thee alone and in thy communion onelie all
when they should haue led them to Heaven The pietie of olde Prelats turned Pagans to Christianitie But they did what they could to make Princes and people forsake the Religion of so proude and fleshlie Prelats That which seemed to bee peace betweene Emperours and Popes for some three or foure Ages was but a conspiracy each of them flatetred other in offending God but hee turned this â—ust irritation of Princes in a preparatiue to reformation that Princes being sensible of the Effronts done to their honour by the Popes tyrannie might bee led to feele the wounding of their Soule by his heresie so stirred vp to reform the Church in both People were also irritate For beside their defrauding of spirituall coÌ„fort wherof as then they were senseles they were cast in civill discord The factions of the Guelfs Gibelins so called from Guâ—lfus D. of Baveere Conradus Giblingen Ann. 1140. c. The excoÌ„municatioÌ„ of Princes turned them all in division some of duetie conscience adhering to their princes other of superstition and treason falling froÌ„ them Kingdome against Kingdome Kingdomes Cities and Families divided amongst themselues So soone as the alarme was given by excommunication there was neither peace nor place for Neutralitie but the olde bloodie proscriptions of Sylla and Marius were acted everie where This made them wearie of such broiles and disposed them to embrace a more peaceable Religion that would keepe them in peace with their Princes and Neighbours Their intolerable crueltie against the Emperours inforced the world to this remeede Gregorie the seventh against Henrie the fourth Paschal the second against Henrie the fifth Innocent the third against Philip. Innocent the fourth hyred men to poyson and stobbe Fridericke and Conrad Iohn the twentie two and Benedict the eight vexed Lodovicus Bavarus They excommunicat them stirred vp other Princes to invade them and forced them to base vnreasonable conditions of peace they poysoned them with the hostie or cup. It is impossible to consider what miseries these iarres brought on people For Otho testifieth that they brought so many evills and Schismes and involved the bodies and soules of men in so many dangers that the crueltie and durance of that persecution was sufficient to proue the miserie of mankind In all these broylâ—s people smarted being brought to desperation were forced to take some course to vendicat themselues Their law provyds that feudum meretur amittere qui feudum inficiatur CHAP. XXIII Of the second fruit of their folie An exact inquirie of the matter THe second fruite of their foolishnesse is an exact inquirie of the matter When men saw their tyranny they inquired the cause and as Tertullian speaketh of the Martyrs when they know the trueth they follow it For as hee speaketh in another place who so studieth to vnderstand shall bee forced to belieue Their tyrannie is so grosse and manifest that the world shall bee forced to see the thing they could not imagine The more that Princes inquired the more they found their owne innocencie and the tyrannie of the Pope Moderate iniuries are tolerable but extreme indignities put men to the highest degree of redresse so bring them neerer to a remeed thaÌ„ lesser wrongs This was a meeting of their Inquisition For their bloody inquisitours inquire persons to destroy them But this inquirie seeketh out the cause to follow the trueth If they had keepâ—d themselues in moderation the world possiblie would haue bidden in their implicite Faith in the point of iurisdiction as well as in doctrine But when they went to intolerable insolencies men were forced to inquire in the state of the matter as a man brangled in his Possession searcheth all his writs So Princes set Lawyers Divines c. to worke to plead their cause at least by writ for there was no place for iudiciall pleading their partie beeing their Iudge and stopping all meanes of redresse by his tyrannie Everie onset that the Popes made brought both a new search of the matter a new discovery of their shame Divines Politicks were divided amongst themselues and their contraire disputs and treatises made the world see more in these deepes than otherwise they could haue seene Their strife with the two Henries gaue some light the other with Fridericke Barbarossa gaue more Even in these times of greatest tyrannie God raised vp some good Patriots to plead the cause of Princes as well as hee had Witnesses of the truth And though the Pope bare downe the one vnder the name of Hereticks and the other vnder the name of politicke Shismaticks yet their workes testifie that God lette not Antichrists pride goe without a witnesse It is a wonder that so many durst write so plainelie in those Ages and of that argument that was then tossed de potestate imperiali Papali Beside the Sorbone who proved loyall to their Princes Many Divines else where made it their taske as may bee seene in Otho Frisingensis I read and I â—read over againe the doings of the Romane Bishops c. And the fruite of their reading at least so many of them as were honest minded was with Occam to implore the Emperours protection Defend mee O Emperour with thy Sword and I shall defend thee with mâ— Penne so dangerous a thing it was then to write the trueth Goldastus hath done good service to God and authoritie but hath given a blow to the Pope in gathering together in great volumes these many Treatises which were scattered in obscure corners As a Physitian by seeing the Recepts and Medicine of a diseased Age will easelie know what hath beene the Epidemicke disease of the time So a iudicious Reader will perceiue that Christendome was then in a burning fever by the Popes ambition Such were then the Emperours best defences with Apologies Protestations c. Their authoritie was broken the Maiestie of the Impyre defaced and their Sword so blunted by Superstition in their people that they could neither defend their right nor revenge their wrong And if wee consider exactlie the ingynes of these times wee shall finde that God stirred vp for the defence of Princes the most godly iudicious and learned men but a rable of fleshlie flatterers defended the Pope This great exact search of the matter was a second preparatiue to reformation Irritation gaue the first by the Alienation of Princes minds from the Pope And this inquirie gaue the second by the illumination of their mindes in the trueth It will befall him as to the Asse who not content with his long eares asked two hornes of Iupiter And beeing importune in his pleading hee got his eares cut off And when the Persians were not content with their dominions in Asia but incroached on Greece they stirred vp Alexander to â—ast them out both of Greece and Asia So the Pope not content with his spirituall power but vsurping on the
that hee is that man of sin that exalteth himselfe aboue authoritie And this one point of Antichrist may resolue all the questions betweene them and vs. For it is an infinite labour to cast over all the Controversies but this one virtuallie hath all Some haue thought to bee resolved of all by the Question of Scripture because it containes the places of arguments Others from the question of the Church because of her authoritie c. But this one of the Pope hath all because hee is both Church Scripture and all to them and when it is clearlie proven that he is that Antichrist it will follow necessarlie that in all questions controverted they haue the worst part So that the point of Antichrist proponed by the Apostles mysticallie and knowne by the first Ages coniecturallie by the doctrine and practice of Rome is made now so cleare that wee may say with reverend Iuell Multi quidem loci de Antichristo obscuri erant iam verò Ecclesiae Romanae doctrina institutis effectum est ut quibus oculi non desunt ne Sol ipse clarior fiet Though many places of Scripture concerning Antichrist were of olde obscure and ambiguous because as then it appeared not to what policie they should apply them Yet now by the doctrine and practice of the Church of Rome it is come to passe that the Sunne himselfe is not clearer to such as want not eyes For which cause the Pope when hee saw that his person estimation was touched by the things that were spoken of Antichrist he discharged straitlie all Preachers that none of them should so much as surmise any thing of the comming of Antichrist This is nothing else but secret conviction that the notes of Antichrist appertaine to him And that same Leo the tenth more fullie in his Bull discharges that same the yeare preceeding Luthers kything Therefore it galleth them at the heart to call the Pope Antichrist and Maximilian Duke of Bavere tooke occasion thereof to dissolue a Dispute at Ratisbone betweene the Theologues of Saxonie and the Iesuits of Bavere Hee saw his Iesuits failing in the matter while they cryed continuallie ad formam ad formam and sought but a colour to breake the Dispute And when Hunnius occasionallie called the Pope Antichrist he fretted and discharged any further proceeding Baronius railes against vs in vaine for that same cause saying that the vile Novators vse reproachfull names and pictures to the disgrace of the Apostolicke Sea but they neede not for the Pope endeth the plea and bee vsurping on Princes exalting himselfe aboue them and putting them out of the way by excommunication and tyrannie giveth a iust Commentar of the Apostles words proclaimeth himselfe to be that great Antichrist hee expresseth more vyle lineaments than the Protestants can attribute vnto him And it was the prime question that the Emperours Commissioners for the reformation or rather the deformation of Germanie proponed to the Preachers of Augsburgh To declare if they counted the Bishop of Rome to bee Antichrist adhâ—ret capiti lethalis arundo The deadlie dart of their discoverie hath wounded their head grievouslie that they can not heare of it CHAP. XXV Of the fourth fruite of their folie Their just destruction THe fourth fruite of this vsurpation is their destruction The Apostle descryveth it in two degrees consumption and abolition The Lord will consume him by the Spirit of his mouth and abolish him by the brightnesse of his comming This consumption is by the word of God a most powerfull meanes to destroy poperie for it is a worke of darknesse begunne increased and perfected by the graduall obscuring and depressing of Scripture And therefore the graduall revealing and manifesting of Scripture is sufficient to banish that darknesse So the Waldenses began with a private vse of Scripture and thereby troubled Antichrists Kingdome VVicliffe brought it to Lectures in the Schoole and wrought them more harme Hus broght it to the Pulpit and made it shine clearer But Luther Calvine and other VVorthies of reformation made that Light to shine clearer in manie places at once and so brought a great destruction vpon Antichrists kingdome and made many Nations forsake him and turne to the Lord. The Light of the Gospell discovered two thinges at once the Popes heresie and tyrannie by the first discoverie it looseth the bands that formerly held people in awe Superstition so puddled their consciences that they indured his verie tyrannie as equitie But when the shining truth discovered him to bee an Antichristian seâ—ucer their irritation was doubled to avenge themselves on him both for his misleading of them and vsurpation Doubtlesse this is the secret cause why so farre they abuse Scripture they accuse it of insufficiencie and forbid the translating of it in vulgar tongues and reading of it to people because Sathan maketh them presagious of their destruction to come by it Their adoring of the Nailes the Speare and weapons that killed Christ argues their sympathie with Sathan the Iewes that crucified him And their abhorring of the Sword of Gods word argues their Antipathie to it as a malefactour abhorreth the Sword of the Magistrate And the three Bishops at Bononia who gaue advise to Paul the third for reformation besought him to put the Bible out of the way because it was the Booke that wrought them most woe This their consumption they acknowledge with griefe for who is ignorant sayeth Bellarmine That the Lutheran Trueth which hee calleth a Pest arose in Saxonie and thereafter occupyed almost all Germanie Thence it went to the North and to the East and consumed Denmarke Norraway Swaden Gothland Panonia and Hungarie Thereafter with the like swiftnesse to the West and the South and in a short time destroyed France England Scotland some time floorishing Kingdomes And lastlie that it passed over the Alpes and pearced into Italie it selfe The Gospel preached into these places was like the sounling of the Trumpets about Iericho to throw downe mightilie the abominations of Babel And Cotton confesseth further that the authoritie of the Pope is incomparablie lesse than it was and now the Romane Church is but a diminitiue of that it was as may bee seene in the ardidinals who were wont to meete oftner but now meete oneâ— onelie once a weeke because the businesse of the Court of Rome decressed The order of their consumption is verie considerable that such Nations for sooke the Pope first who were most abuâ— sed by his vsurpation They abused Germanie pittifullie in the dayes of the Henries and Fridericks No reason could content them the Emperors found more patience to suffer than the Popes tyrannie found measure to bound it selfe England also was to them a Paradise of delight and an inexhaustable fountaine at every occasion they sent Legats to presse that Kingdome for money as a sponge is pressed for water and imposed the
ruine for the blood of the Saintes that hee spilleth lik water filleth vp the cup fot his destruction Everie droppe of that blood like Abels cryeth for a vengeance Salmanasers prevailing over the ten Tribes was a forerunner of his overthrow and Nebuchadâ—ezars carying of the Iewes captiue brought ruine to his owne Monarchie While the Pope now like Balthasar is insulting over God and his Church hee is but hastening destruction on himselfe God hath striken that Beast to the ground by the hammer of reformation and his present broyles are sturring of his hornes hooues to be vp againe but he will never recover his former grandour It is more like his vltimus conatus his last pressing preceeding his destruction than a kindlie recoverie They haue wrought their heartes to a strange hardnesse against their destruction Baronius layed these grounds that their seate non potest destrui no not superabundanti peccato And though hee grant that the abhomination of desolation was in it Ibid. and Monsters sate on it yet sayeth hee there remained a Church 899 This is a pillow for them to sleepe to death This argues an imminent ruine as Origen observeth When a great disease sayeth he taketh a maÌ„ as now Babylon which is confused with the wound of her own malice then God is hastening to punishment Capitur Babylon non agnoscit Babylon is taken and knoweth it not And a sicke man the nearer to death the further from the knowledge of his sicknesse sayeth S. August This their senselesnesse is confessed Sathan keepeth vs in captivitie sayeth their Onus Ecclesiae and hath bereft vs of sound iudgement that wee know not how wee haue offended neither ponder our sinne nor see the punishment readie for vs. And hee giveth the reason in another place Because the viall of ignorance of the owne state is powred out on the seate of the beast That wee see this their state better than they one of themselues hath told vs. The Babylonians sayeth hee seeth not Babels burthen but onelie they who are in Ierusalem The like Ierome noteth of their Predecessours that when the Goths tooke their Towne they fought not to God but to humane helpe And S. Austine that while the world pittied their ruine they were seeking stage-playes and laughing in the Theater And Salvianus sayeth The Romane people is drunke with the Sardonick herbe moritur ridet they die and they laugh They feele a decay and take not vp the cause of it to bee their Apostasie Si cladis causa cognoscitur vulneris medela invenitur sayeth Cyprian So long as they will not see the cause they will not repent CHAP. XXVI That now Rome is incurable GOD hath gone so farre on with them as to consume them in a part there restes no more but to goe on till their finall abolition In this case it were their happinesse to repent reforme themselues But what hope can there be of reformation since they haue wedded themselues to their wickednesse and God hath given them over to it The vyall is powred out vpon the seate of the Beast and his kingdome is full of the darknesse of feare and sorrow that maketh them gnaw their tongues for paine And they blaspheme the God of Heaven because of their paines and sores and raile against his trueth and yet repent them not of their deeds There is no greater stay of this reformation than the greatnesse of the Pope For corruption hee is as the head of the fish that rotteth first and then infecteth all the bodie So Hadrian the fixt directed his Legate to confesse ingenuouslie in his Name that God had sent persecutioÌ„ on his Church for the sinnes of men and chieflie of the Priestes and Prelats of the Church for we know sayth he that in this holy seat for some yeares many abominations haue beene abuses in spiritualie excesse in commandements and in a word all things perverted Neither is it to bee wondered if this sicknesse haue discended from the head to the members All wee to wit Prelats of the Church haue declined everie one to his owne way and for a long space there is none that hath done good no not one And for reformation the Pope is as the head of the Conie when all the bodie is flaine the skinne sticks at the head so it is more easie to reforme all the bodie of Popedome than this head If hee would returne to his primitiue State to bee a preaching Bishop over the Citie and his Ecclesias suburbicarias In such a case wee might say of him as Lactance did of old Rome If she would lay down her Monarchie adantiquas casas redundum esset Then there might bee some hope of a reformation but hee keepeth the Romane temper of whom justlie it was said Romani regnare sciunt regi nesciunt Hee will not reforme one jot but verifieth Ambrose saying that a continuall and long power begetteth insolencie For what man will wee finde who of his owne accord will lay downe his Impyre and Ensignes of his Government and of a first in number can willinglie bee made last It is not Religion hee striues for but his triple crowne and his exorbitant power over all is dearer to him than his life and it is the Iesuits doctrine that they who denie that power would throw Poperie out of the Church And Paul the fourth made this good when hee offered to Queene Elizabeth of happie memorie to ratifie the Inglish reformation if shee would but acknowledge his Supremacie So he will rather mixe Heaven and Earth than lay down his greatnesse as Menelaus an usurping high Priest was the greatest impediment to Iudas Machabeus in reforming and purging the Temple So is the Pope the greatest impediment of Christian reformation Many inquire what is the greatest controversie that holds vs and Papists at ods some think idolatrie others the Masse or Transubstantiation Some free-will Merite Iustification Purgatorie c. But this is the greatest even the Popes Monarchie For if Protestants would acknowledge him to bee a Spirituall and Temporall Monarch I make no question but hee would subscriue other controverted points They pleade that the Pope is the best bond for vnion of the Church and Canus affirmeth that the Apostle speaking of the offices of the Church did forget that whereon her vnion most depends that is Pope But beside that blasphemie the contraire is cleare For hee is the roote and life of this Schisme They talked indeede much of Reformation and made a fashion by Cardinall Campegius to reforme Germanie but hee medled with trifles and no substance and nyne Cardinals offered a plat-forme of reformation to Paul the third and three Bishops of Bononia gaue him a more full one but hee suppressed them both and at the Trent Councell they mocked the world both promising and pretending reformation but they strengthened