Gedeon wyselie mustred .10000 against the Madvanites though the Lorde câ—lled out but .300 for the fyght where many men are and fewe hartes there is but small strength all is one to God I graunt to vse scores or hundredes or thousands more or lesse as the examples of Gedeons goade Sampsons iawbone Dauids sling fewe and weake men against many and mighty Captaines But Gedeons case or Sampsons or Dauids is not euery good Princes case though theyr cause may be the same to trust too much therfore is too much to tempt There are examples rounde about vs of the same and theyr remembraunce is rufullye refreshed as it were but yesterdaye to put wisedome in the mouthe of them that heare it to be ware that such late and lamentable confusions can not chuse but awake wisedomes eyes to sée dauÌ„ger and open hir mouth to shewe counsell When men of vnderstanding beare rule the Citie flourisheth It went better with Israell when Moyses helde the rodde than when those rebelles Corah and his companions woulde rule the roste Plato arryued at this marke when he woulde haue eyther Philosophers Princes or Princes to become Philosophers The Grecians against Troye sent not onely stoute Achylles but wyse Vlysses also and Troye to defende had not onelye valyaunte Hector but prudent Eneas also of which the one was called Mens the other Manus Troiae the one the harte and the other the hande of Troye The Athenians woulde not onelye haue the Dragon but Pallas in their Temple I speake it not as though wisedome wanted in Englande for I knowe and acknowledge gladlye that we haue a most wyse Prince and Counsayle wyse Iudges and Magistrates and that they go before other Kingdomes and countreys therin but for the execution thereof we speake for the coÌ„tinuall practise which would preuent all daungerous conspyracies which the Lorde confounde and bring styll to lyght for our better safetie kéepe them farre from Englande farther from London but most farre from the Crowne Not without cause dyd Salomon aske wisdome not wealth to prosper in his kingdome which was the wysest king that euer was whose wisedome drew Saba the Queene of the South to come and see him If I should here stande vpon the excellent graces gyfts of our most wyse vertuous Princesse Quéene Elyzabeth I should but bewraye my vnablenesse and shewe my leaâ—en skyll in a golden cause and besides the necessity is none where Fame doth spread abroade farther and lyuelyer than this my poore remembraunce shal be euer able to do Let vs rather prayse God pray vnto him for hartes of heauenly wisedome to amend our lyues that for his Churches benefite she maye haue hir Seate established hir yeares doubled hir enimies confounded hir happy raigne long prospered ouer vs Amen It is a great comfort to dwell in a common weale where equitie righteousnesse are set vp Christ is no tyraunt I tell you in his kingdome No Iudas and all Traytors to his crosse and crowne Caine and all murtherers of his seruauntes and Mynisters The Deuyll all his lymmes shal be made confesse his equity and the chyldren of his kingdome shall prayse his righteousnesse for euer But some wyll say Was he such an vpright king which kept coÌ„pany with Publicans and fauored sinners saued them healed them did al for them as he sayth himselfe he came not to call the righteous but sinners I aunswer his sauing of sinners declareth his righteousnesse in mercy and his condemning them which séemed iust doth shew his equity in iudgement and so he sets vp equity What can be more full of equity than to geue Caesar his own God his owne Mat. 22. Iustice is no otherwise described vnto vs but to geue euery man his own which is so necessary for an Estate that as Poets faine without Iustice Iupiter can not guide the globs And he that wyll do any Iustice to another must first begin with himself Lycurgus is sayd neuer to commaunde any thing but he would do it himselfe and what a shame was it for Iudas to punish hir whom he himself had layne with all Gen. 38. with what face coulde Marcus Crassus a starke myser speake against couetousnesse or Verres a robber against theft or Nero a tyraunt against crueltie or Gracchus a traytor against sedicion It is required of you not only to be wyse as Serpentes but also to be as innocent as Doues the one subtilty that you maye receyue no hurt and the other simplicity that you do no harme Beware of affection and beware of perturbation take héede of loue take heed of hatred Let no hope or feare make you euer conclude that which you knowe not nor neuer geue sentence against that you knowe Let no widdowes causes fall let no Orphanes lose their right let not equitie go to the wall for if in your presence she can haue no place alas whether being banished shal she wander If the golden king do tell the smothest tale what stumbling makes the poore maÌ„s speaking Let not good Lawes so be made as Spyders webbes to entangle small flyes and let the greate escape to hamper poore men to fauor the ritch Fauor not the ritch man bicause of his rytches nor the poore man bicause of his pouertie let no such respect be and cause to make them fare the better or the worse Saye not to the one syt you here and to the other stand thou there But set vp righteousnesse equity and deale indifferently to all in the Lande All iniuries are done either by affection or perturbation or of negligence or of purpose Looke to it therefore and haue the victory ouer your selues lyke men for any offence in the Magistrate is a sâ—re plague to the innocent And one thing I humbly beséech you before the Lord this day that as I am sure you would not condempne any maÌ„ innocent not for any thing so take good heede of iudging any man absent I call him abseÌ„t whose cause is not throughly handled sufficiently proued lawfully deposed And here I lament the desperate case of some in our dayes that are possessed with whole legions of lying deuylles and passe not a rush for periurie to ouerthrow their enimie in such cases there is requyred of you that I can not teach you I would I coulde onely in the behalfe of your own soules I admonish you to beware of scarlette sinnes I meane red bloudy crueltie which Caesar sayth is the worst companion of a mans olde age that can be a miserable remembraunce of tyranny done in thy youth Take example of Christ to whome when a woman taken in adultry was brought he looked on the grounde and wrote with his finger which maye shew your wisdoms that respite pausing and scanning of a matter without long lingring or reiourning or delay is best and méetest for a Magistrate And that may be wished to that after iudgement all possible speede were
not to executiō Your good pollicies therin to preuent pardon for vnworthy persons is commendable but for tyme space for instruction repentaunce I speake that as we all desire the Lorde to geue vs tyme to keepe vs from soddaine death So as you best shall finde good deale with their soules I beséeche you whose bodies by iustice you commyt to death Iustice is well called the Lady of ciuile affayres or rather the mother of a cōmon weale and hir two daughters or damosels Lenity Seuerity are very necessary handmaids Iustice is to respect euery mans cause but no mans person for that is partiality Lenity is to mitigate or lessen the punishment but not the facte for that were iniquity and Seuerity is to punish the fault condignly but not without cause for that were tyranny I leaue this to your discretions euen thus bicause you are wyse inough to whome the matter is commited onely I pray you remembre that God is Iudge ouer all and that he setteth vp equity and righteousnesse in his kingdome Here is the ende of his comming or kingdome Israels safety by his time is meant for euer for who can tell his age Esa. 53. So long then as he is king so long shal Iuda be safe but he is king for euer therefore for euer shall Iuda be glad We are sealed therfore safe he hath all power therefore we are safe This is the perfect state of happinesse in deede not onely to be in peace but to be without feare of farther trouble This maye partly be vnderstoode of Israels delyuery which were in peace a long season in respect of their wonted troubles warres And it maye be applied to the mylitaunt Church which notwithstāding it is tossed with many tēpestes yet is it voyde of any feare of dampnation bicause of our fayth and faythfull foundation Iesus Christ. Eyther it maye be more effectually vnderstoode of the tryumphant Church which is safe and past all feare euen as Christ himselfe crowned in the heauens and past all the daungers of hell Hence we note the ende of Magistrates of Princes ruling to be their subiectes safetie without feare a shyp sailes to come to the port a man fights to get victory he that labours doth it that he maye rest Christes Church is mylitant that it may be triumphant And looke what the whyte is to him that shooteth and the same is peace to him that gouerneth The marke that Magistrates should ayme and shote at is the prosperity of the people That is no sound peace where there is daunger of warre there is no safety where there is continual feare now at meate and nowe in the fielde nowe in the Church and anon in prison As Israel was sore chased and vexed of their enimies at euery halfe whyle We haue no such cause to complayne God be thanked therefore and yet our hope and feare can not chuse but ebbe and flow bicause we haue had such a peace as the enimie doth enuie and the true Christian can not but feare what wyll followe But séeing Deus nobis haec otia fecit that God is the author of our peace we wyll not cease to put our trust in him and to pray vnto him for encrease of grace and so shall we be sure of long peace Let vs decline in déede from euyll doo in déede the thinges that are good let vs praye vnfeynedly for the bonde of peace which is vnitie but I woulde haue it in verity for a Citie deuided can not long stande He that knoweth both buildings their cause of ruines hath tolde vs so Parris is a pattern not of long ago and Antwerp an example but of yesterday happy are they whom other mennes harmes can make to beware and dolefull is theyr estate that dally with destruction The Lord knit the knot of peace make it fast from flypping and breaking that being at quiet in our bowelles from sedition at home we maye be stronger in body to resyst all forraigne powers abroade A most glorious and gratious tytle and cause of al our comfort how neare a name to this doth the Angell reueale to Ioseph when he called him Emanuel Math. 1. Esa. 8. which is God with vs As the plaister vnapplyed being neuer so good doth yet no good at all So al that we haue heard of this king can comfort vs nothing except it doo pertayne vnto vs nay the brightnesse and glory of his comming kingdom doth rather breede dispayre in vs that well consider what we are therefore to méete with this malady the mercy of the Lord hath discouered him to the full And to vs the daye starre shyneth bright and bringeth ioy in the morning so is the sonne of righteousnesse sprōg vp to vs that were in darknesse and in the shadow of death And hence is it the the ryghteous are sayde to shine as the sonne in the kingdome of God bicause the son himselfe is our righteousnesse at whose appearing the very sūne shal lose his beames the Moone hir brightnesse and the starres theyr lyght for they are darknesse vnto him and he is the Lorde our righteousnesse It is necessary that séeing the reward of sinne is flatte by the Lawe eternall death and that for very shame cōscience sake no man dare able himself iust before the barre or tribunall seate of god Which sore trial Dauid saw and how it would go with him when he cryed Lorde enter not into iudgement with thy seruaunt for no flesh is ryghteous in thy sight Notwithstanding that pestilent rable past all shame doth desperately dare to broche such dampnable doctrine of merite whereby establishing their owne righteousnesse they cast downe the righteousnesse of Iesus Christ as the Iewes dyd Rom. 10. but their rewarde is ready their destruction sléepeth not for their merits sake Let vs deny all worthynesse or towardnesse or sparke of goodnesse to be in vs which the Papistes do falsifie fayne to be a grace remayning in thē wherby they take away that all which is due to Iesus Christ. Who as he is all in all and alone hath wrought our redemption so alone he wyll be glorified and be altogether our righteousnesse without our helpe or addition wherefore it is sayde when we hated him he loued vs which is taught by that place He loued vs first and that he was founde of them that neuer sought after him but that he is made to vs wisedome ryghteousnesse sanctification redemption and onely hath preuēted our dampnation so that al other practises are but simple shifts merites are but popish paltry not woorth one gally halpeny nay whatsoeuer it be beside Christ it helpes to hell as round as can be For he is the way the trueth and the lyfe Of with all backe byases then which maketh vs runne out of course let vs kéepe our grounde beware of wandring for vaine opinion hath caryed many a
righteousnesse For the Prophecie TO stande vpon the prayses of Prophetes and their excellent office being one of the chiefest instrumentes though extraordinary that Christ ordained in his Churches Ephesi 4. he gaue some Apostles some Prophetes some Euangelistes and some Shepherdes Teachers to gather together the Saintes c. Or to shew you their dilligence in sparing no labour fearing no losse vēturing their very lyfe for the prophecying preaching of the trueth or on the other syde to recken rippe vp Dauids sundrie vertues that man according to Gods owne harte it was not so directlye to this purpose Therefore I will turne straight to the prophecie which is concluded by the best learned interpreters without all controuersie to be vnderstood of the Messias and his kingdome Albeit the hungrie Iewes do blyndlie snatche wrest it to the scepter of Dauid and dreame it of his temporall seate The Lorde made a couenaunt with Dauid in déede as in the .89 Psalm I will set thy dominion in the sea and thy right hande in the flouds and thy seede shall abide for euer thy throne as the dayes of heauen I haue sworne once by my holinesse I will not faile Dauid my seruaunt and his seede shall endure and his seate shal be as the Sunne Likewise .2 Sam. 7. by the mouth of Nathan the Prophet Thy house thy kingdome thy throne shal be established for euer What tyme therfore that they were led away captiues to Babilon as in the .4 King. 25. Iere. 34. 2. Cron. 36. Esai 1. appeareth when Iheronias was takē prisoner by Nabuchodonezer and Zedechias led awaye captiue into bondage when the kingdome was spoyled the Temple burned the people subdued in miserable seruitude and besides neuer any man after of Dauids loynes left to sit on his royal seate for though Zorobabel Neuew to Iheconias was captaine yet he was not King of Iuda and there were other valiaunt men and principall leaders of Israel but no Prince nor scepter they were so vnder the Meades and Persians and Macedonians c. Nowe the Iewes doting groslie buylding of an earthlie scepter and a temporall seate of Dauids seede were iustly scattered in their owne imaginations and dyd blindlie thinke the promises of God to be of none effect Here is the barraine fruite of mans owne braine see howe perilous a thing it is to receyue the spirituall promises of God carnallie that is according to our owne vnderstanding what discorde it bréedes and what confusion it brings euen this that our expectation and accoumpt shall be cleane frustrate voyde and of none effect in the ende the letter kylleth it is the spirite that giueth lyfe Yet the Lorde mercifullye saued a great sorte of that people and deliuered them by Cyrus who fought against the Assirians and tooke Babilon and deliuered the Iewes as they had many Oracles before that a man should doo it and is named too of Esaie in his prophecie Esai 44. many yeares before his byrth I am thy God which say Ierusalem thou shalt be inhabited and you Cities of Iuda you shal be buylt Cyrus shal be my heardman c. In due consideration of that I haue shortly sayde it is manifest that the promise must be otherwise than of Dauids house for our earthlie kingdome onelie or else farre off be it from blasphemy with feare I speake it the promise must be of none effecte And hath God said and wyl he not performe it or hath he at any tyme spoken the woord and shall he not do the déede Yes verely God is true and al men are lyers the Iewes are deceiued for God is righteous that he may be cleare whē he is iudged Psal. 51. But yet let vs procéede to a more néere examination and playner pondering of the matter and it shall easier bring vs to the perfect sense Beholde is a noate of demonstratiō often vsed by the Prophets to prepare attention when they speake of any great Mysterie or of any serious matter of importance and weyght as now of the Messias to come than the which there is none greater for all the promises of God to Israel had their strength and performance in him through him and for him without whome the faith of the Fathers had bene voyde and not full This caryeth a certaine awaking or quickning of the dull senses of the Iewes with whome the promises of God by little and little dyd slippe out of remembraunce and verie rawlie and coldlie they looked for Christes first cōming as they shoulde doo Which as it was then so is it nowe a most pestilent practise of Satan to make many which should liuely beholde onely blindely to dreame for his seconde and most glorious appearing The children of God should behold Gods promises of things to come as if they were nowe present for that is the true nature of faith The eye is the suttlest sense of all the fiue as it sooner pearceth his obiect than any of the rest whether Extramittendo or Intramittendo let Philosophers saye So it iudgeth more surer of the same this dignitie it caryeth aboue the rest to be the quickest and perfectest sense of all For example of the first in the tyme of thunder a man shall sooner sée the lyghtning than he shal heare the ratling if he haue any sight at all though he haue neuer so good an eare and yet the lyghtning is the latter of the two being caused of the fraction or rupture or thundering noyse of the Clowde so broken Or more familiarly you shall sée if you marke in a Gūne discharged the pellette flee some space before you heare the sounde and yet it is plaine they can not be a sunder For the other the example of Isaack in the .27 Gene. Wyll shewe you euery sense deceaued for lacke of this chiefe sense And albeit the soonenesse of Iacobs returne in bringing the Kyd had almost marred al his voyce made some suspition in the matter yet olde father Isaack was beguiled neyther his smelling nor tasting coulde iudge of the venison which was but Kyds flesh nor his hearing nor feeling finde faulte with Esau which was but Iacob not without cause in lawe Oculatus testis caryeth credite they that sawe it with theyr eyes are best assured Euen so the Prophete speaketh here Beholde euen as perfectlie though not as presētlie as Saint Iohn the Euangelist séeing our Sauiour poynted at him and sayde Beholde the Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the worlde so with the eyes of your Fayth being farre more excellent than the eyes of the body if you wyll awake and not sléepe watche and not slumber Beholde the tyme commeth c. Daniel doth calculate the tyme .9 of his Prophecie being a notable worthy Prophete yet he perused and read Ieremies bookes as it seemeth and foūd out the Prophecie of the peoples captiuitie .70 years which he calles wéeks that so long Iuda shoulde