doe vtterly cry down and forbid fasting and thereby that helpe from Heauen as much as in them lyeth that the said Prince and Princesse Palatine need abroad and consequently our King and his most Noble Sonne also and therefore likewise all their Kingdomes the good of the one being the good of the other Such I say are not only all they that so oppugne fasting but they also that doe what they can to with-hold all and of man from them neither so only but that also be Instruments for sending ouer more helpe to their Enemies Num. 33.55 Iudg. 2.3 Spinola and other Thornes in the sides of the Church that bestur their stumps what they can for vp-holding the cursed Kingdome of the Romane Antichrist the Man of Sinne the Child of Perdition now drawing towards his end and therefore gasping striuing and strugling for life and that with all their might oppugne the Kingdome of Christ Iesus and vnder-hand also the Kingdomes of all other Princes aboue whom the said Antichrist exalteth himselfe 2 Thes 2.4 Ps 118.12 Act. 9.5 So they compasse the little Flocke of Christ about like Bees not knowing for all that that they shall all Spinola and his Mates be quenched as the Fire of Thornes because it is as hard for them as before it was for Saul to kick against the prickes Touching Fraies Quarrels Fraies and quarrels Preu 14.28 and Murders within and without the Land I shall not need to say any thing for more seueritie for preuenting the like though the honour of a King consist much in the multitude of the people and by the want of people destruction commeth to a Prince because his Maiestie by publique Proclamation hath signified his Princely indignation against the same since which we haue not heard of so many such things as before yet a Law being more certaine and memorable then a Proclamation it were better to make some more seuere Law against such outrages Hose 6.6 because as mercie is better then sacrifice so crueltie especially sheading of Innocent blood is more odious to God then euer was the neglect of such sacrifices Blood touching blood Hose 4.2 may we not feare a controuersie of the Lord with the whole Land I haue credibly heard of sixe strange Murders tried at one Summer Assizes at Exceter anno 1613. First Of an Husband poisoning his Wife Second Of a Wife murdering her Husband Third Of a Father killing his Sonne Fourth Of a Sonne killing his Father Fifth Of a Master killing his Seruant Sixth Of a Seruant killing his Master How strange also was that threefold Murder at Halsworth in Suffolke committed foure or fiue yeeres since but discouered the last yeere Two of the Murderers were executed the last Summer 1620 and the third repriued for a longer time As by euerie Murder God is bereaued of one of his principall Creatures and the King of a Subiect so also many times a Father looseth his Child the Husband a Wife or the Wife her Husband a Brother and Sister a Brother or Sister many Children their Father or Mother many Friends and Neighbors a Friend and a Neighbor and somtimes the Church a good Minister and the Common wealth a good Magistrate or Officer Can there therefore be too much care for preuenting of such mischiefes All such persons as commit the same doe manifestly bewray themselues to haue no feare of God in them Gen. 20.11 Many times also some wilfull Murders are cleard vnder the name either of chance-medly or at least of man-slaughter All kind of bodily filthinesse euerie where so much abounding Against Adulterie Num. 25.7 8. 1 Cor. 5.6 Heb. 12.15 16. hath not your Honourable Court need to be put in mind of making a Law without further delay for punishing Adulterie with death Who of any zeale can but burne to heare and almost to see as much as Phineas saw If one Incestuous person and one Fornicatour be dangerous for a whole Church oh how much more dangerous are many The more we professe and some of vs boast of the profession of the Gospel and of the glorious state of our Church the more need we haue to purge our Land of such euils As death according to Gods Commandement is the punishment of Adulterie in most other Countreys and so ought to be by the iudgement of most Diuines none almost being so bold as to write to the contrarie so why should it not be in this Kingdome Our Lawes inflict death vpon some transgressions of the eighth Commandement why therefore should Adulterie be so lightly punished By the order of the Commandements and by the testimonie of Salomon Prou. 6.30 Adulterie plainly appeareth to be greater then Theft If the pronenesse of our Nation to Theft doe require the greater punishment of Theft are not the people as prone also to Adulterie and other carnall vncleannesse Oh let vs take need that as now we say that no man shall keepe his goods in safetie were not the punishment of Theft so seuere as it is so the time come not if further seueritie preuent it not when no man shall keepe his Wife or his Daughter or Maid-seruant from the violence of other The Lord that gaue the Morall Law and appointed punishment for euerie transgression 1 Sam. 2.3 being a God of knowledge knew before the inclination of all Nations to one sinne as well as to another And is not our Nation as much inclined to all breaches of the seuenth Commandement as vnto Theft At least to such Theft as by our Law is punishable with death Alas the poore chiefly doe offend in this kind but all sorts especially the greater are most prone to the other Moreouer by the sinne of Adulterie the eighth Commandement is broken in the highest degree Gen. 2.24 For first of all the heart of a mans Wife that is one Flesh with her Husband is stolen Mat. 19.6 Is not the Wife more then any goods Secondly by this sinne the whole state and the name it selfe of a man yea sometimes of Noble Houses is deriued to another euen of most base state and degree Thirdly Are not many Noble Houses and Families ruinated thereby Gen. 34.2 19. The example of Schechem the Sonne of Hamor and Salomon himselfe doe testifie these things Hamor was a chiefe Ruler and the Lord of the Countrey where he dwelt And of what King were there euer so great things spoken as of Salomon Yet the Fornication of Schechem was the ruine of all the Schechemites and the loue of many Wiues by Salomon was the desolation of his Kingdome in his Sonnes daies 1 Kin. 11.1 11.30 31. How many troubles also followed Dauids one Adulterie with Bathsheba Euen to the endangering of the losse of his life and whole Kingdome The Law alreadie made for death as in case of Felonie of any man that shall haue two Wiues liuing togither may the more perswade your Honourable Court to take order for death against
4 the doing whereof seemeth a small matter and such as might haue admitted a good excuse so he dealt seuerely with Vzza for an act in shew of small account 2 Sam. 6.4 It is sometime better loyaltie not to yeald then to yeald obedience to the command of Princes though good and religious as appeareth by the example of Ioah before mentioned 2 Sam. 18.3 and by them that would not suffer Dauid to goe out with them to battell against Absolom Cap. 21.17 and by the answer of other vnto him after a great danger Especially by them that would not obey Saul's commandement for putting Ionathan to death 1 Sam. 14.44 euen before Saul had euer bewraied so great wickednesse as afterward he did 1 Sam. 22.17 as well as they that afterward refused his like command for killing the Lords Priests If any shall obiect such examples to disgrace our Christian King as making him like to Saul Theodor. Hist Eccl. L. 2. C. 16. he may well be answered as Liberius sometime a good Bishop of Rome now the Seat of Antichrist answered a flattering Courtier Eusebius that charged the said Liberius for alleadging the example of the three Children in Daniel to purge himselfe of singularitie in defending boldly Athanasius against the Emperour Constantius and many Bishops that he compared the said Emperour to Nebuchadnezzer No said Liberius But thou without reason dost condemne a man that hath not beene brought into Iudgement Euen so I say may all such Flatterers and pickthankes be answered that snatch at euerie aduantage against such as plead for the Innocent whereby to bring them into displeasure with their Soueraignes Neither also can it be iustly charged to be seditiously spoken to the encouragement of other Papists or Atheists not to obey iust and lawfull commands Forasmuch as by many Bookes to subscribe and conforme are shewed not to be lawfull by diuers arguments not answered nor answerable and also because the parties not subscribing and conforming doe in all other things shew all alleageance and teach all other so to doe whereas the contrarie is daily seene in Papists and Atheists as they dare and haue any opportunitie and meanes according to their mindes Do not also the parties pleaded for submit themselues to suffer any thing for their not subscribing and conforming That of Samuel Obedience is better then sacrifice 1 Sam. 15.22 is spoken of obedience to God and not of obedience vnto men as the Text plainly sheweth and it being sayd to the king himselfe euen to Saul for his transgressing the expresse commandement of God and not for transgressing any commandement of man For he being the king was not subiect to any man The premises are the more to be respected in regard of the tendernesse of conscience The tendernesse of conscience apparant by Dauids heart smiting him for cutting only of a Lap of Saul's garment and by the great griefe of Iohn Hus in remembrance of his finenesse in apparell whiles he was young and of his playing at Chesse 1 Sam. 24 6 Acts and Mon. printed 1596. p. 580. Gen. 42 2â— and also by the accusation of the consciences of the brethren of Ioseph for things done against Ioseph long after the doing of them Oh that the Prelats would seriously consider this in time towards their brethren yea also because to oppresse the conscience being well considered is worse then the demand of Nahash the Ammonite for thrusting out all the right eyes of the Inhabitants of Iabesh Gilead 1 Sam. 11.2 For if the conscience be wounded the whole mind is blinded And if Ministers be blinde how shall they giue light to their people If the light that is in them be darkenesse Matt. 6.23 how great is their darkenesse And if Ministers be so wounded in their consciences that themselues haue no comfort Pro. 18.14 for a wounded spirit who can beare how can they comfort other Oh that his excellent Maiestie in the Spirit of the Lord would be pleased and moued to relieue such Ministers vpon consideration hereof as Saul in the same spirit was moued to relieue Iabesh Gilead 1 Sam. 11.6 That fayling sometime in greater matters is not sufficient to proue smaller things not to be refrained of conscience A good conscience may fayle in greater matters and yet stick at small appeareth by David who notwithstanding he were in his minde troubled for that small matter before mentioned yet afterward many wayes sinned most grieuously against Vriah both in his adulterie and also afterward The greater also and heauier the burden of other sinnes is the more such as so feele the same haue neede to take heed of increasing their burden by any other thing 1 Thess 5.22 yea to abstaine from all appearance of euill They also that do obiect the former do most offend in greater matters themselues as against Gods Word so also against the Lawes of the Land vsing all meanes daily to hinder the proceeding of the Law against themselues and denying the benefit of the Law vnto others thereby bewraying that themselues would rule and raigne as Lords and Kings subiect to no Law and seeking to haue all other subiect to themselues like to that king that Daniel said should do according to his owne will Dan. 11.36 Neyther also do the Ministers molested plead conscience in respect of themselues only Ministers refraine conformitie in conscience to their Rulers but also in respect of their Rulers and molesters and that because to molest such is a thing more dangerous then to be molested In such things it is worse to be agents then patients Though Dauid at the first would not be disswaded from numbring the people yet how wofully and dolefully afterward did he cry out as a child beaten laying it wholly vpon himselfe 2. Sam. 24.10.17 without imputation thereof to any other Oh that such Rulers of their brethren would not be deceiued herein That which seemeth now a small thing may herafter be great and heauie A Gnat is but a small thing a flea lesse yet eyther of both doth trouble the greatest as well as the least the highest as well as the lowest Great persons haue great meanes for solacing themselues but alas who as I sayd before can beare a wounded spirit Pro. 18.14 spirit I doe further in all humilitie beseech your most Honorable Senate The innocencie of Ministers to be tryed euen by the Lawes of the Land that the innocencie of the Ministers before mentioned may be tryed not only by the Word of God but also by the Lawes of the Land and that the learned Iudges and other Lawyers may freely and at large argue their cause before his Maiestie and your Honorable Court being by an oath of the Lord first charged vpon their alleageance truly plainly and fully to deliuer their iudgements touching the Lawes of the Land in that behalfe as also by his excellent Maiestie being enboldned so
the entrance of the Israelites into the earthly Canaan and that 400 yeeres after they had so done and against the two Captaines and their Fifties for comming only by the Kings commandement to fetch Elijah vnto the King 2 Chr. 24.23 24. 2 Chr. 36.16 and against Ioash King of Iuda for putting Zechariah the Sonne of Iehoiadah to death and vpon all the Iewes for their manifold contumelies and other great iniuries against the Prophets from time to time so the Ministers of the Gospel being greater then the Prophets may we not feare some great Iudgement of God against vs for all the former hard dealing against them Mat. 23.37 Mat. 11.9 Doubtlesse we may feare the more because God spared not good King Asa for imprisoning Hanani the Seer for the word of the Lord deliuered by him against Asa 2. Chron. 16.7 c. for his relying vpon the king of Syria Your most Honorable Court may likewise be pleased to remember the great earthquake that followed the vniust depriuation of Athanasius by the first Synod of Antiochia Socra hist Eccles lib. 2. cap. 7. compared with Sozomen Lib. 3. cap. 5. Theodor. lib. 5. C. 34 Sozomen lib. 8. C. 27 Socrat. lib. 6. cap. 17. as also the like after for the like iniurie done vnto Chrysostom And although vpon the same he were recalled home and restored to his place yet not long after for the like cause being againe bannished the Lord pleaded his cause by a very extraordinarie hayle and by the speedy death of the Empresse Eudoxia who had much exasperated the Emperour Honorius against him and finally that that is written of diuers strange accidents after the death and martyrdom of William Gardiner though but a marchant mentioned in our owne booke of Acts and Monuments In all which so honourable wise and iudicious a Court need not any admonition to take heed of such flatterers as shall say no such thing is now to be feared For yee all know them that heretofore in like cases were wont to crye peace peace Iere 6.14 and 8.11 Ezek. 13.18 and to heale the Lords people with sweet words to haue beene accounted false Prophets as also woe was denounced against all them that did sowe pillowes to the armeholes and that did sing a requiem to their owne soules Amos 6.3 Psal 10.14 putting farre away the day of the Lord as likewise that the Lord is now the same God in iustice against the same sinnes that euer he hath beene and the same beholder of mischiefes and wrongs and the same reuenger of iniuries done vnto his Ambassadors that euer he was Yea yee also know that although the Ministers hitherto mentioned by their aduersaries haue beene accounted no better then Asses yet as the Angell of the Lord rebuked Balaam Balaam and his Asse Num. 22.23 c. for smiting his Asse when she turned first out of the waye wherein he would haue had her to goe and then for lying downe vnder him so the tyme may come when the Lord will take their cause into his hands and rebuke their riders the more for all the blowes they haue giuen them because euer since they haue beene called to the Ministerie they haue done as good seruice to the Church as euer Balaams Asse had done vnto him In the meane tyme they thinke they may as well complaine of the manifold blowes wherewith they haue been often smitten as Balaams Asse hauing her mouth opened by the Lord complayned of the stripes that Balaam had giuen her Yea it seemeth they may the more complayne in that behalfe because they haue neuer so crusht the foot of their riders as Balaams Asse had crushed his foot If they haue it hath beene because their riders haue gone that waye for going wherein the Lord was angrie with them or because the sayd Ministers being ridden in such a waye as where they could not turne haue as it were lyen downe and not gone so farre as their riders would haue had them as also because they haue smitten such Ministers with their staffe and threatned to haue killed them if they had had a sword In all which notwithstanding they haue pleaded the sight of the Angel of the Lord standing in the waye with a sword readie drawen in his hand which they haue more feared then the staffe or sword of their riders The wrath of God seemeth the more to be feared for the former hard dealing with such Ministers because of the iudgments threatned against the Princes of Iudah for their hard dealings with their seruants Ier. 34.16 Euen so much the more seemeth such wrath to be feared because the Lord hath not only dignified his sayd Ministers with many great titles and with the preaching of the best libertie but also with the instrumentall effecting of such libertie Galat. 5.1 wherewith Christ hath made men free and charged them not againe to be intangled with that yoake of bondage that sometime God himselfe had made much lesse with the yoake of bondage made only by men yea at the first by the man of sinne and aduersarie of Christ himselfe The chiefe Captaine feared to proceed against Paul because he was free of Rome Acts 22.24 Is nothing then to be feared for proceeding so farre and so long against so many Ministers of the Gospel that are free of Heauen it selfe and haue as I sayd beene the meanes to make other also free thereof How many fearfull things also followed all the Iewes for the hard dealing of their Clergie against Ieremiah notwithstanding the Princes of Iudah tooke his part and pleaded for him as many Nobles of this kingdome haue done for such Ministers as well as for other common sinnes of that tyme Not here to trouble you with repetition of that before touched viz. which the Lord commanded both to be written Exo. 17.14 1 Sam. 15.2 Ierem. 4.19 2 Kings 22.11 and also to be executed without any compassion against Amalek neyther to speake of the bitter complaynt of Ieremiah in the fore-sight of iudgements comming my bowels my bowels 2. Chron. 34.19.24 Amos 6.1 c. c. neyther also of his dolefull lamentation in that behalfe afterward in his Booke of Lamentations nor of the teares and sackcloth of Iosiah at finding the Booke of the Lawe discouering such future euills for the transgressions thereof and to omit the woe threatned to them that were at ease in Zion and that liued in pleasures without remorse of the afflictions of Ioseph as both generally wee doe now in England and particularly many of the Prelats not regarding eyther the heauie distresses of the Churches in France or the hard state of the most Noble and renowned Prince and Princes Palatine though by nature as well as by religion wee are bound vnto them and as we loue the kingdome of Christ Iesus ought to helpe them against their enimies least wee incurre the curse Iudg. 5.23 Iudgements already executed euen the bitter