slew 70 of them upon a Stone and then with a Stone cast upon him by a Woman himself was first brained and after by his own Commandment thrust through by his Page Judg. 8. 27. and 9. 6. Saul takes upon him to offer a burnt Offering to God in the Absence of Samuel The Kingdom therefore is cut from his Family 1 Sam. 8. 9. and nothing after prospers with him but he runneth into other Sins as that of sparing Agag and the Cattle He is overthrown by the Philistines himself and three of his Sons are slain by them 1 Sam. 3. 6. Ishbosheth a fourth Son by Treachery 2 Sam. 4. 6. and seven more are hang'd for appeasing of the Gibeonites Vzzah being no Levite stretched forth his hand and stayeth the Ark from falling It seemed a pious Act yet God presently struck him dead for it 2 Sam. 6. 6 7. Vzziah the King in spight of the Priests goeth into the Sanctuary and would burn Incense which belonged only to the Priest's Office This saith the Text was his Destruction for he transgressed against the Lord therefore whilst he was yet but about it having the Incense in his hand to burn it the leprosie presently rose in his forhead so that he was not only constrained to haste himself presently out of the Temple but to live all his Life after sequestred from the Company of Men and being dead was not buried in the Sepulchre of his Fathers but in the Field there a-part from them 2 Chron. 26. 16 c. Let those that have Impropriations consider whether these Cases concern not them for like Vzzah they stretch out their hands to Holy Things but would God it were to no worse intent like Gideon they bring them into their own Inheritance and like Saul and Vzziah they take upon them the Priest's Office For they are Parsons of the Parish and ought to offer up Prayers for the Sins of the People SECT VI. Sacrilege of Holy Places Churches and Oratories consecrated to the Honour and Service of God And the fearful Punishments thereof shewed by many Examples SAcrilege of the Place is when the Temple or the House of God or the Soil that is consecrated to his Honour is either violated or profaned When God was in the fiery Bush at Horeb the place about it was presently sanctified so that Moses himself might neither come near the Bush nor stand a-loof upon the holy Ground with his Shooes on but in Reverence of the Place must be bare-footed Exod. 3. 5. So when God descended upon Mount Sinai his Presence made the Place round about it Holy He commanded therefore that Marks should be set upon the Border to distinguish it from the other Ground and that if Man or Beast did but touch it they should be either stoned or thrust through with a dart Exod. 19. 21. Thus afore the Law when the Law was given first the Tabernacle and then the Temple were full of Sanctification both by the Presence of God and by the Decree of his Mouth as appeareth abundantly in Scripture Ex. 40. 34 35. 1 King 8. 10 11. Therefore grievous Punishments were always inflicted upon such as did violate them in any thing If any man saith the Geneva Translation destroy the temple of God him shall God destroy for the temple of God is holy 1 Cor. 3. 17. The Greek is much more copious and doth not restrain it to them only that destroy the Temple but extendeth it to all that either destroy or abuse it in any sort 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The vulgar Latin doth well express it Si quis templum Dei violaverit disperdet eum Deus c. for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is corrumpo vexo calamitatem infero perdo defloro violo vitio so that it contains as well the lesser Injuries done to the Temple as that great and Capital Crime of destroying it but because the Apostle useth one word in both Places 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they likewise in the ... would have one word in both places ... Upon the word destroy which to my understanding is too particular and might have been better expressed by a word of more general Signification as to say If any Man spoil the Temple of God God shall spoil him that is to say If he spoil the Temple either by destroying it or defacing it or violating it in any Course as by robbing stealing or taking from it any Ornaments ... Goods Rights ... Means of Maintenance or by abusing it in any manner whatsoever God shall spoil him in one sort or other as of his Patrimony Lands Goods Liberty Pleasures Health and Life it self Children Family and Posterity and not so only but by casting also upon him divers fearful Visitations and Misfortunes more or less as in his Wisdom shall soon ... The word destroy is not properly said of any Punishment that tendeth only to work Amendment and God doubtless often spoileth a Man of the things he delighteth in not to his whole Destruction but to awaken him to Amendment Let us see in what manner God hath punished this kind of Sacrilege among the Jews In the time of the Law though frequent Examples are not to be expected for that there was but one Temple of God in both the Kingdoms of Judah and ... namely that of Jerusalem built by Solomon and for the most part p ... preserved in after Ages Another there was at Samaria which ... builded upon Mount Gerizim like to that of Jerulem by Licence of Alexander the Great and being afterward destroy'd by Hyrcanus King of Judah gave occasion to the Samaritan Woman to say unto Christ John 4. 20. Our Fathers worshiped in this Mountain A third also for the dispersed Jews in Aegypt built by Onias Son of Onias the High-Priest in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes Joseph Antiq. l. 12. c. 14. de Bello Judaico c. 7. But these two being against the Commandment of God who would have no Temple but at Jerusalem I meddle not with nor with the Synagogues of the Jews being many in every City 480. in Jerusalem instituted for Strangers as the Temple was for the Citizens and erected of later time without any mention of them in the Old Testament or Books Apocryphal Let us see I say Examples of this kind Nadab and Abihu Sons of Aaron polluted the Tabernacle by neglecting the sanctified Fire of the Altar and offering Incense by strange and common Fire they were therefore devoured by strange Fire sent upon them by the Lord himself Hophni and Phinehas the Sons of Eli made a Sacrilegious Rapine upon the Offering of the Lord upon the Fat and upon the Flesh and upon the Holy Portion polluting also the Sanctified Place with sacrilegious Adultery 1 Sam. 2. 12. God termeth this a dishonouring himself and saith ver 30. Them that honour me I will honour and they that despise me shall be despised Hereupon he threatneth First To cut
reigning after him taken Prisoner by Pharaoh Nechoh and dying in Egypt his second Son Jehoiakim succeeding taken also Prisoner by Nebuchadnezzar Jerusalem spoiled and he his Princes People Treasure and Golden Vessels of the Temple all carried to Babylon and all for Idolatry 2 King 24. 2. 25. 1. For Jehoram's Idolatry Jerusalem is taken he with his Wives and Treasure and all his Sons save the Youngest slain and himself after a long tormenting Disease hath his Guts fall out 2 Chron. 21. 17 18 19. So Amaziah seeth Jerusalem defaced the Temple spoiled his Treasure carried away and himself a Prisoner and being restored driven out by Treason and slain at last 2 Chr. 25. 14 c. I will wade no farther in this Kind of Sacrilege which is never pass'd over in Scripture but with some Remarkable Punishments Our Country I hope doth not at this Day know it SECT III. Of the other Sorts of Sacrilege commonly so called as of Time Persons Function Place and other things consecrated to the Worship of God And first of Time in profaning the Sabbath I Come now to the second Part which indeed is that which the Schoolmen and Canonists only call Sacrilege as tho' the former were of too high a Nature to be express'd in this Appellation so exorbitant a Sin as that no Name can properly comprehend it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Warring against God and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a direful Violence upon Divine Majesty a superlative Sacrilege The other and common Kind of Sacrilege is as was said a violating mis-using or a putting away of things consecrated or appropriated to Divine Service or Worship of God It hath many Branches Time Persons Function Place and materially Omne illud saith Th. Aquinas quod ad irreverentiam rerum sacrarum pertinet ad injuriam Dei pertinet habet Sacrilegii rationem 2 a2 ae qu. 99. art 1. This Description of Sacrilege may well enough be extended further than Aquinas did perhaps intend it to the former or superlative Kind Sacrilege of Time is when the Sabbath or the Lord's Day is abused or profaned This God expresly punish'd in the Stick-gatherer Some Canonists seem not to reckon this under the common Kind of Sacrilege Soto de justitia jure lib. II. qu. 4. fol. 50. 6. So that in all that followeth we shall run the broken Way of the Schoolmen and Canonists SECT IV. Sacrilege of Persons that is Priests and Ministers consecrated to the Service of God and the Punishments thereof SAcrilege against the Person is when Priests or Ministers of God's Divine Service are either violated or abused Again Fear the Lord and honour his Priests Ecclus 7. 29 31. For he beareth the iniquity of the congregation to make an atonement for them before the Lord Deut. 8. 17. For the Levite is separate to the Lord to minister unto him to bless thee in his name Deut. 10. 8. therefore when Micah had got a Levite into his House he rejoiced and said I know that the Lord will be good unto me seeing I have a Levite to my priest Judg. 17. 13. Touch not mine anointed nor do my prophets no harm Psal. 105. 15. Mine anointed that is not my Kings nor my Priests and Deut. 12. 19. Beware that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth Beware saith God as intimating Danger and Punishment to hang over their head that offered otherwise and what not for wronging the Levite a thing too impious but for not loving and cherishing him all the days of thy Life I must here note as it cometh in my way the remarkable Justice and Piety of Pharaoh towards his Idol Priests that when by reason of the Famine he had got and bought unto himself all the Money Cattle Lands Wealth and Persons of the Egyptians yet stretched he not forth his Thoughts to the Lands or Persons of his Priests but commiserating their Necessity allowed them a ... at his own Charge that they might both live and keep their Lands Gen. 47. 22. Musculus hereupon infers Quantum sacrilegium est in nostris principibus negligi legitimos probosque sacrorum ministros How great a Sacrilege is it in our Princes that the good and lawful Ministers of Holy things are thus neglected It is to be noted That as Micah expected a Blessing from God for entertaining an Idolatrous Levite into his House so Pharaoh's Piety towards his Priests wanted not a Blessing from God upon his House though God hated both the Idolaters and Idolatry it self Let us see how Sacrilege in this Kind hath been punished The Benjamites of Gibeah wronging a Levite villainously in abusing his Wife Judg. 19. 25. Gibeah is therefore destroyed with Fire and Sword above 26000 valiant Men of the Benjamites slain and the whole Tribe almost wholly rased out of Israel with their Cities and Castles Ch. 20. Jeroboam making Golden Calves driveth the Priests of the Lord out of Israel and makes himself other Priests not of the Tribe of Levi for this he is overthrown by Abiah King of Judah and 500000 of his Men slain his Son taken from him and his Posterity threatned to be swept away like Dung and those of them that died in the city to be eaten of dogs those in the fields by the fowls of the air 2 Chron. 13. 9. 1 King 14. 10. Jeroboam also stretched but out his hand against the Prophet to have him apprehended and it is presently withered 1 Kings 13. 4. Joash commanded Zacharias Son of Jehoiada the Priest to be slain in the court of the Lord's house this done he is overcome the next Year following by the Aramites all his Princes are slain his Treasure and the Spoil is sent to Damascus himself left afflicted with great Diseases and at last murthered in his bed by his servants 2 Chron. 24. 21 c. Zedekiah King of Judah casteth Jeremy the Prophet first into Prison then for a season into the Dungeon and useth him harshly Jer. 32. 3. 37. 21. 38. 9. He and those that counselled him to it are overthrown by Nebuchadonosor Jerusalem taken his Sons slain before his Eyes and then his Eyes put out and the People carried captive to Babylon but Jeremiah himself is set at liberty and well intreated by his Enemies the Chaldaeans Jer. 39. 1 c. SECT V. Sacrilege of Function by usurping the Priests Office and the Punishment thereof SAcrilege of Function is when those that are not called to the Office of Priesthood or Ministry do usurp upon it So Gideon made an Ephod that is a Pontifical Ornament of the Tabernacle not at Shilo but in his own City Ophra whereby the Israelites fell to worship it or as others think that he made all the things of the Tabernacle whereby the People were drawn to worship there and not to go to Shilo where the Tabernacle was This saith the Text was the Destruction of Gideon and his House for his Son Abimelech rising against his Brethren
apud Malmes de gest Reg. lib. 1. p. 28. Sed fusiùs apud Baron in An. 745. nu 5. Ceolred King of the Mercians or Midland England was guilty also of spoiling Monasteries and defiling of Nuns and was the first with Osred before named that since the entrance of Austin brake the Privileges granted by the Saxon Kings unto Monasteries and for these sins saith Boniface and the other Bishops in the said Epistle Justo judicio Dei damnati de culmine regali hujus vitae abjecti immaturâ terribili morte praeventi c. For Ceolred as those that were present did testifie being at a great Feast among his Earls that Evil Spirit which before had mov'd him to do such wickedness struck him there with Madness and in that case he dy'd Impenitently the same Year that Osred his fellow in Sacrilege was murder'd viz. An. 716. Epist. praedict Beda in Epit. It seemeth his Line was also extinct Ethelbald the next Successor of Ceolred in the Kingdom of Mercia succeeded him also in his wicked Courses He forbeareth lawfull Marriage but liveth Adulterously with the Nuns and breaking the Privileges of Churches and Monasteries taketh away also their Substance which gave the occasion that Boniface Arch-bishop of Mentz and other German Bishops wrote the foremention'd Epistle unto him desiring him to mend his course and the wrongs he had done which like a good King he willingly did and at a Council holden at Clovesho now call'd Cliff in Kent acknowledging his Sin did also by his Charter restore what he had taken or broken with an Overplus and founded the Monastery of Crowland yet so was the hand of God upon him that in a War unwisely begun he was treacherously Slain by Bartred alias Beornred and the Kingdom by him usurp'd Epist. praedict Stow pag. 88. Bar. 742 nu 16. Celsus Veronensis THat many rare and excellent Men and all Nations attributed the fortunate Success of the Turks against the Venetians as the loss of their Island Cubaea the lamentable success of their Expedition of Achaia his last Victory which made his way broader and his enterance easier the Death and Calamity of their Euripus many think and affirm that God of his righteous and just Judgment hath brought upon you for your insolent Taxing and Polling of Holy Things belonging to the Church and your injurious troubling of the Estate of Religion pag. 212. Compilation and Pilling of Holy Things pag. 214. New and unusual Taxing and Tolling of the Church pag. 215. How many Victories Conquests Sports happy Events have you had in these so long Wars since you invented this strange and pestilent Counsel to lay violent Hands on Church Goods and Holy Things dedicated to God which Impiety believe me will not help you one whit in these your great Dangers and extream Necessity pag. 219. That the Captivity of Constantinople was from the discord and departing from the Church of Rome pag. 215. The Pisans Kingdom prosper'd by Sea and Land till they laid wicked and violent Hands on the Church and the Ministers of the high God Ibid. Caesar would not suffer his Sword hung up as a Spoil gotten from him in the Church of Avernia to be pull'd down Vita ejus pag. 219. Mithridates in the Life of Lucullus notably afflicted by Diana pag. 226. Historius Banish'd taken Captive by the barbarous the City burnt over his Head his Life always in danger fell into a most deadly Contagion his Tongue eaten out of his Head with Worms and miserably died Evagr. Hist. lib. 1. pag. 169. Lastly Propound unto your selves the late Example of Philip Maria when he had good Success in all his Affairs and all things fell out with him as well as he could wish At length he gave over himself to such a madness that all fear set apart he challeng'd Church Goods to himself But mark how duly he suffer'd worthy Punishment being wearied with continual Wars he not only lost a great part of his own Dominions his Enemies besieging him even hard unto his Walls but also he suffer'd dangerous and grievous Diseases so that he being blind led a most sorrowful life a long time after But what became of his Empire and by what means his Noble Family is now clear extinguish'd and no Succession left at all it may easily appear to every Man the thing being so fresh in Memory Cels. Veron pag. 241. Frederick II. made Emperor by Innocent III. having taken the Cross against the Christian Enemies even then feared not wickedly to take away the Goods of the Church to employ them profanely but made a Sacrilegious pact with the mighty King of Egypt the Soldan concerning the suppressing of Religion and Religious Houses but he did not long escape the just Vengeance of God for after he had spoil'd many Cities after many Dissensions had with the Church of Rome after he had devour'd many Temples after many most cruel and barbarous Sacrileges having his own Son in a jealousie that he affected the Empire he shut him up in most filthy Dungeons till he dy'd And he feeling the great and grievous censure of the Church as the righteous God had appointed was Strangled by his own Son Manfredus most cursedly Celsus of Verona pag. 289. The Princes of Carraria in like Impiety when they began once wickedly to challenge to themselves the ordering of those things which belong only to the Holy Function by reason of the Pestilent Counsel they had taken very soon after lost the famous City Patavium most strong by Situation and free which was thought almost to be invincible Cels. of Ver. pag. 239 240. Eudo alias Oda Duke of Aquitane not able to resist Charles Martel draweth an excessive Army of Saracens out of Spain unto his aid They being come into France waste all places and burn down the Churches as far as to Poictiers Charles Martel assisted by the Hand of God encountreth them and slayeth three Hundred seventy five Thousand others say three Hundred eighty Thousand of them together with their King Abdyrama losing not above an Hundred and Fifty of his own Men. Then Eudo himself reconcil'd to Charles spoileth the Camp of the Saracens and destroyeth the rest But fighting again with Charles in Gascony loseth both his Dukedom of Aquitane and his Life his Sons also Gaifer and Haimald are overcome and the Saracens wholly beaten out of France Sigeb An. 730 732. Guil. de Nanges Blond 10. Decad. 1. Platin. The Normans under Ragenarius their Captain besides other Sacrileges spoil the Church of St. Germans by Paris and attempting to cut down some of the Firr Beams to repair their Ships three of them attempting it are dasht in pieces Another hewing a Marble Pillar with his Sword to overthrow some part of the Church had his Hand like Jeroboam's dried up and the haft of his Sword stuck so to it as it parted not without the Skin Many were stricken with Blindness and as