speake the Scriptures and thus experience testisieth of good and evill Princes What shall Subiects doe then shall they obey valiant stout wise and good Princes and condemne disobey and rebell against Children being their Princes or against undiscreet and evill Governours God forbid For first what a perilous thing were it to commit unto Subiects the Judgement which Prince is wise and godly and his government good and which is otherwise as though the foote must iudge of the head and enterprize very haynous and must needs breed rebellion For who else bee they that are most enclined to rebellion but such haughty Spirits from whom springeth such foule ruine of Realmes Is not rebellion the greatest of all mischeifes And who are most ready to the greatest mischeifes but the worst men rebels therefore the worst of all Subiects are most ready to rebellion as being the worst of all vices and furthest from the duty of a good Subiect as on the contrary part the best Subiects are most firme and constant in obedience as in the speciall and peculiar vertue of good Subiects what an unworthy matter were in then to make the naughtiest Subiects and most enclining to rebellion and all evill Judges over their Princes over their Government and over their Conunsellours to determine which of them bee good or tollerable and which bee evill and so intollerable that they must needs bee removed by rebels being ever ready as the naughriest Subiects soonest to rebell against the best Princes especially if they bee young in age women in sex or gentle and courteous in government as trusting by their wicked boldnesse easily to overthrow their weakenesse and gentlenesse or at least so to feare the minds of such Princes that they may have impunity of their mischeivous doings But whereas indeed a Rebell is worse then the worst Prince and rebellion worse than the worst government of the worst Prince that hitherto hath beene both Rebels are unmeete Ministers and rebellion an unfit and unwholesome medicine to reforme any small lacks in a Prince or to cure any little greifes in government such lewd remedies being farre worse then any other maladies and disorders that can bee in the body of a Common-wealth But whatsoever the Prince bee or his government it is evident that for the most part those Princes whom some Subjects doe thinke to bee very godly and under whose government they rejoyce to live some other Subjects doe take the same to bee evill and ungodly and doe wish for a change If therefore all Subjects that mislike of their Prince should rebell no Realme should ever bee without rebellion It were more meet that Rebels should heare the advice of wise men and give place unto their Judgement and follow the example of obedient Subjects as reason is that they whose understanding is blinded with so evill an affection should give place to them that bee of sound Judgement and that the worst should give place to the better And so might the Realmes continue in long obedience peace and quietnesse But what if the Prince bee undiscreet and evill indeed and it bee also evident to all mens eyes that hee is so I aske againe What if it bee long of the wickednesse of the Subjects that the Prince is undiscreet or evill shall the Subjects both by their wickednesse provoke God for their deserved punishment to give them an undiscreet or evill Prince and also rebell against him and withall against God who for the punishment of their sinnes did give them such a Prince will you heare the Scriptures concerning this point God Iob 34. 10. Hosea 13. saith the holy Scriptures maketh a wicked man to raigne for the sinnes of the people Againe God giveth a Prince in his anger meaning an evill one and taketh away a Prince in his displeasure meaning especially when hee taketh away a good Prince for the sinnes of the people as in our memory hee tooke away our good Iosiah King Edward in his young and good yeares for our wickednesse And contrary the Scriptures doe teach that God giveth wisedome unto Princes and maketh a wise and a good King to raigne over that people whom hee loveth 2 Sam. 2.9 and who loveth him And againe if the people obey God both they and their King shall prosper and bee safe Prov. 16. else both shall perish 1 King 12. as God saith by the mouth of Samuel Here you see that God placeth as well evill Princes as good and for what cause hee doth both If wee therefore will have a good Prince either to bee given us or to continue Now wee have such a one let us by our obedience to God and to our Prince move God thereunto if wee will have an evill Prince when God shall send such a one taken away and a good in his place let us take away our wickednesse which provoketh God to place such a one over us and God will either displace him or of an evill Prince make him a good Prince so that wee will first change our evill into good Prov. 21. For will you heare the Scriptures The heart of the Prince is in Gods hand which way so ever it pleaseth him hee turneth it Thus saith the Scriptures Wherefore let us turne from our sinnes unto the Lord with our hearts and hee will turne the heart of the Prince to quiet and wealth else for subiects to deserve to have an evill Prince through their sinnes and then to rebell against him were a double and a treble evill by provoking God more to plague them Nay let us either deserve to have a good Prince or let us patiently suffer and obey such as wee deserve And whether the Prince bee good or evill let us according to the counsell of the holy Scriptures pray for the Prince for his continuance and increase in goodnesse if hee bee good and for his amendment if hee bee evill Well you heare the Scriptures concerning this most necessary point 1 Tim. 2. I exhort therefore saith Saint Paul that above all things prayers supplications intercessions and giving of thankes bee had for all men for Kings and all that are in authority that we may live a quiet and peaceable life withall Godlinesse for that is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour c. This is Saint Pauls counsell And who I pray you was the Prince over the most part of the Christians when Gods holy Spirit by Saint Pauls penne gave them this lesson for sooth Caligula Claudius or Nero who were not onely no Christians but Pagans and also either foolish Rulers or most cruell Tyrants Will you yet heare the word of God to the Jewes when they were prisoners under Nabuchodonosor King of Babylon after hee had slaine their King Nobles Parents Children and Kinsfolkes burned their Countrey Cities yea Hierusalem it selfe and the holy Temple and had carried the residue remaining alive captives with him unto Babylon Will you heare yet what the
THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND Established by PARLIAMENT against Disobedience and wilfull Rebellion Published by G. I. for satisfaction to his Parishioners of WATTON in the County of Hartford Printed for William Sheares at the signe of the Bible in Coven Garden 1642. TO His loving Neighbours of WATTON in the County of Hartford Brethren BE loved in the bloud of JESUS for preaching obedience to God and the King I am and have beene more then a mouth a prisoner and cannot get my liberty unlesse I would promise to forbeare preaching to you as I have done and yet I have promised to preach nothing to you but what I shall prove plainely from the word of God the doctrine of the Church of England the oath of Supremacy the oath of Allegiance and our late Protestation all which I have published for your satisfaction If you will read those oaths and these Sermons in my absence you shall find that I have dealt faithfully with you and am ready to seale my doctrine with my dearest bloud if God shall call so great a sinner to so great an honour Neither Living nor Liberty nor Life is precious to mee when I should sacrifice them all to the glory of my great good God the service of my gracious Soveraigne and the discharge of a good conscience towards my selfe and you I told you before how sensible I was of danger for this my fidelity but for Zions sake I could not I cannot hold my peace God will imprison mee to Hell if I imprison his truths Feare God Honour the King is both Law and Gospell and my prayer is that you all may live and dye good Christians and good Subjects and as the Church prayed for Saint Peter in prison so doe you for your affectionate Pastour in prison for his God his King his Conscience regulated by the word of God the Doctrine of the Church of ENGLAND and his Oaths G. I. Decemb. 3. 1642. A SERMON against Disobedience and wilfull Rebellion The first SERMON AS GOD the Creatour and Lord of all things appointed his Angels and Heavenly Creatures in all obedience to serve and honour his Majesty so was it his will that man his chiefe creature upon the earth should live under the obedience of his Creatour and Lord. And for that cause God assoone as hee had created man give unto him a certaine Precept and Law which hee being yet in the state of innocency and remaining in Paradise should observe as a pledge and token of his due and bounden obedlence which denunciation of death if hee did transgresse and breake the said Law and Commandement And as God would have man to be his obedient subject so did hee make all earthly creatures subject unto man who kept their due obedience unto man so long as man remained in his obedience unto God in which obedience if man had continued still there had beene no poverty no diseases no sicknesse no death nor other miseries where with mankind is now infinitely and most miserably afflicted and oppressed so here appeareth the originall Kingdome of God over Angels and Man and universally over all things and of Man over earthly Creatures which God had made subject unto him and withall all the felicity and blessed estate which Angels Man and Creatures had remained in had they continued in due obedience unto God their King For as long as in this first Kingdome the Subjects continued in due obedience to God their King so long did God embrace all his Subjects with his love favour and grace which to enjoy is perfect felicity whereby it is evident that obedience is the principall vertue of all vertues and indeed the very Root of all vertues and the cause of all felicity But as all felicity and blessednesse should have continued with the continuance of obedience so with the breach of obedience and breaking in of rebellion all vices and miseries did withall breake in and over-whelme the World The first Authour of which rebellion the Roote of all vices and Mother of all mischeifes was Lucifer First Gods most excellent creature and most bounden subject who by rebelling against the Majesty of God of the Brightest and most glorious Angell is become the blackest and most foule fiend and Devill and from the height of Heaven is fallen into the pit and bottome of Hell Here you may see the first authour and founder of rebellion and the reward thereof Here you may see the grand Captaine and Father of rebels who perswading the following of his rebellion against God their Creatour Lord unto our first Parents Adam and Eve brought them in high displeasure with God wrought their exile and banishment out of Paradise a place of all pleasure and goodnesse into this wretched earth and vale of misery procured unto them sorrowes of minds mischeifes sicknes diseases death of their bodies and which is farre more horrible then all worldly and bodily mischiefes hee had wrought thereby their eternall and everlasting death and damnation had not God by the obedience of his Sonne IESUS CHRIST repaired that which man by disobedience and rebellion had destroyed and so of his mercy had pardoned and forgiven him of which all and singular the premises the Holy Scriptures doe beare record in sundry places Thus doe you see that neither Heaven nor Paradise could suffer any rebellion in them neither bee places for any Rebels to remaine in Thus became rebellion as you see both the first and the greatest and the very roote of all other sinnes and the first and principall cause both of all worldly and bodily miseries sorrowes diseases sicknesses and deaths And which is infinitely worse then all these as is said the very cause of death and damnation eternall also After this breach of obedience to God and rebellion against his Majesty all mischeifes and miseries breaking in therewith and overslowing the World least all things should come to confusion and utter ruine God forthwith by lawes given to mankind repayred againe the rule and order of obedience thus by rebellion overthrowne and besides the obedience due to his Majesty hee not onely ordained that in Families and Househoulds the Wife should bee obedient to her Husband the Children unto their Parents the Servants unto their Masters but also when mankind inceased and spread it selfe more largely over the World hee by his holy word did constitute and ordaine in Citties and Countries severall and speciall Governours and Rulers unto whom the residue of his people should be obedient As in reading of holy Scriptures wee shall find in very many and almost infinite places as well of the old Testament as of the new that Kings and Princes as well the evill as the good doe raigne by Gods ordinance and that Subjects are bounden to obey them that God doth give Princes wisedome great power and authority that God defendeth them against their enemies and destroyeth their enemies horribly that the anger and displeasure of the Prince is as the
Almighty God commanded to be slaine according to the Iustice of God against his sworne enemy and although Saul of a devotion meant to sacrifice such things as he spared of the Amalekites to the honour and service of God yet Saul was reproved for his wrong mercy and devotion and was told that obedience would more have pleased him then such lenity which sinnefull humanity saith holy Chrysostome is more cruell before God then any murther or shedding of bloud when it is commanded of God But yet how evill soever Saul the King was and out of Gods favour yet was he obeyed of his subject David the very best of all subjects and the most valiant in the service of his Prince and Countrey in the warres the most obedient and loving in peace and alwayes most true and faithfull to his Soveraigne and Lord and farthest off from all manner of rebellion For which his most painefull true and faithfull service King Saul yet rewarded him not onely with great unkindnesse but also sought his destruction and death by all meanes possible so that David was faine to save his life not by rebellion nor any resistance but by slight and hiding himselfe from the Kings sight Which notwithstanding when King Saul upon a time came alone into the Cave where David was so that David might easily have slaine him yet would he neither hurt him himselfe neither suffer any of his men to lay hands upon him Another time also David entring by night with one Abisai a valiant and feirce man into the Tent where King Saul did lie asleepe where also he might yet more easily have slain him yet would he neither hurt him himselfe nor suffer Abisai who was willing and ready to slay King Saul once to touch him Thus did David deale with Saul his Prince notwithstanding that King Saul continually sought his death and destruction It shall not be amisse unto these deeds of David to adde his words and to shew you what he spake unto such as encouraged him to take his opportunity 1 King 24.7 and advantage to slay King Saul as his mortall enemy when he might The Lord keepe mee saith David from doing that thing 1 King 26.9 and from laying hands upon my Lord Gods annointed For who can lay his hand upon the Lords aunointed and be guiltlesse As truly as the Lord liveth except that the Lord doe smite him or his day shall come to dye or that he goe downe to the warre and be slaine in battell the Lord bee mercifull unto mee that I lay not my hand upon the Lords annointed These be Davids words spoken at sundry times to divers of his servants provoking him to slay King Saul when opportunity served him thereunto Neither is it to bee omitted and left out how when an Amalekite had slaine King Saul even at Sauls owne bidding and commandement 1 King 24. for he would live no longer now for that hee had lost the field against his enemies the Philistines the said Amalekite making great hast to bring first word and newes thereof unto David as joyous unto him for the death of his mortall enemy bringing withall the Crowne that was upon King Sauls head and the bracelet that was about his arme both as a proofe of the truth of his newes and also as fit and pleasant presents unto David 2 King 1.12 being by God appointed to be King Saul his Successour in the Kingdome Yet was that faithfull and godly David so farre from rejoycing at these newes that he rent his cloathes wept mourned and fasted and so far off from thankes giving to the messenger either for his deed in killing the King though his deadly enemy 2 King 1.4 or for his message and newes or for his presents that hee brought that hee said unto him How happened it that thou wast not afraid to lay hands upon the Lords annoynted to kill him whereupon immediately he commanded one of his servants to kill the messenger and said Thy bloud be upon thine owne head for thine own mouth hath witnessed against thy selfe in confessing that thou hast slaine the Lords annoynted This example dearely beloved is notable and the circumstances thereof are well to bee considered for the better instruction of all subjects in their bounden duty of obedience and perpetuall fearing of them from attempting of any rebellion or hurt against their Prince On the one part David was not onely a good and true subject but also such a subject as both in peace and war had served 1 King 8.18 and saved his Princes honour and life and delivered his Countrey and Countreymen from great danger of Infidels forraigne and most cruell enemies horribly invading the King and his Countrey for which David was in singular favour withall the people so that hee might have had great numbers of them at his commandement 1 King 16. if he would have attempted any thing Besides this David was no common or absolute subject but heir apparent to the Crowne and Kingdome by God appointed to raigne after Saul which as it encreased the favour of the people that knew it towards David so did it make Davids cause and case much differing from the case of common and absolute subjects And which is most of all David was highly and singularly in the favour of God 2 King 15.11 On the contrary part King Saul was out of Gods favour for that cause which is before rehearsed he as it were Gods enemy 1 King 18.10 and therefore like in warre and peace to be hurtfull and pernicious unto the Common-wealth and that was knowne to many of his subjects for that he was openly rebuked of Samuel for his disobedience unto God which might make the people lesse to esteeme him King Saul was also unto David a mortall and deadly enemy 1 King 15. and 22. and 26. though without Davids deserving who by his faithfull painefull profitable yea most necessary service had well deserved as of his Countrey so of his Prince But King Saul far otherwise the more was his unkindnesse hatred and cruelty towards such a good subject both odious and detestable Yet would David neither himselfe slay nor hurt such an enemy for that he was his Prince and Lord nor would suster any other to kill hurt or lay hand upon him when hee might have beene slaine without any stirre tumult or danger of any mans life Now let David answer to such demands The Demand as men desirous of rebellion doe use to make Shall not we especially being so good men as we are rise and rebell against a Prince hated of God and Gods enemy and therefore not like to prosper either in warre or peace but to bee hurtfull and pernicious to the Common-wealth The Answer No saith good and godly David Gods and such a Kings faithfull subject and so convicting such subjects as attempt any rebellion against such a King The Demand to bee neither good subjects nor