Garnet was brought in suspition of the last treason least the guilt of such a Priest might be preiudiciall to the Catholike cause did before the formerly named Magistrates at the point of death recall his foresayd confession thrise with protestation Vpon my saluation saith he I was not acquainted with Garnet this many years After his death is Garnet apprehended and examined of that point of acquaintance with Tresham who did vnder his hand writing confesse both the times and places of their conuersing together al this Garnet did acknowledge at the Barre Then the right Honorable the Earle of Salisburie whose rare wisedome did in that vmuersall audience proue it selfe often the only racke to that Iesuite in extracting many truths from that Equiuocator to his often publike confusion asked him What iudge you M. Garnet of that false protestation of M Tresham he made vpon his saluation Garnet smiling answered I thinke he did equiuocate Smiling a thousand beheld him A very ridiculous answer indeed if it had not bene horribly impious which therefore the whole audience as children of truth did then by a common murmure openly detest To conclude I must now my moderate Answerer necessarily racke you but feare not onely by that Logicall instrument which is therefore called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thus you would perswade vs that Priests thinke our Protestant Magistrates competent before whom you may not vse Equiuocation your Superior by whome if you be a Iesuite this your booke was priuiledged did both by practise and position more then allow the vse of Equiuocation the last day euen in a most honorable presence Now therefore if your booke was not priuiledged by Garnet then this inscription of your booke With licence of Superior is vntrue if you say he did priuiledge it then this excuse for all your Priests saying We allow Magistrates in England coâ— petent before whome we may not equiuocate Garnet gaine saying it is likewise vntrue The greatest difficultie now will be to tell whether of you two be the Superior in lying you in saying You do not defend that which you do so manifestly defend a flat lye or he who defendeth that which no man can euer defend Equiuocation the very damme of all damnable lying Whereof more at large in the Confutation Yet behold a greater mysterie of this iniquitie then hath bene yet reuealed Tresham taketh it on his saluation that to his knowledge no Priest was acquainted with the plot Digby and others make the like protestations at their death Garnet a Priest did deny with maine and many protestations that he had conference with Hall and defended it lawfull till he was conuicted by witnesse To what end lest that Priests guiltinesse might make their priestly function and Religion more odious Whence I may conclude that it were more then sottishnesse for any Protestant to beleeue the Priests protesting their innocencie as Garnet did at the Barre or their disciples protesting as Tresham and Digby did the innocencie of Priests and their adherents at their death I say all their witnesses deserue no credite who defend thus to equiuocate till they be euidently conuicted by witnesse CHAP. XXVIII The Discouerie The third abuse of Oathes is in dissoluing them THat though they take an oath of allegeance in cases temporall yet their common interpretation is still with respect of their more supreme head During the will of the Pope who say they hath power to free both himself and others from the bond of an oath Which is their old glosse saying that The case is so to be interpreted namely except the Pope shall release him from his oath because in euery oath the authoritie of a Superior must be excepted The moderate Answerer There must needes be some exception of lawfull oathes else whatsoeuer wickednesse is sworne must be performed as that of the Iewes against Saint Paule and of Herod against the Baptist The Replie There must be some exception of an oath which is this In male promissis rescinde fidem that is A wicked vow is well broken But your Popish exception for two respects we iustly think intolerable this will be plaine by this example If now the Spanish in his league vpon expresse conditions with the English would for the performance of his oath depend vpon the Popes arbitrement which is Till you can find oportunitie for a mischiefe then silly English are in no better case then a goose tyed with a line by the legge to a foxe tayle which doth appeare in the Discouerie following The Discouerie Practise Their practise we haue shewed in the former Reasons we may here adde a more auncient example A Canonist saith a Iesuite did inueigh against Pope Gregorie the 12. who in the time of a great schisme did openly and solemnely sweare that if he were made Pope he would giue it ouer againe but being elected he performed nothing lesse The Canonist doubtlesse wanted not a Canon to condemne this perlurie though the Iesuite vpon presumption of iusta causa doth defend it For the cause was indifferent whether to giue ouer his Popedome or to keepe it but the oath of indifferent matters doth inferre a iustice in performance and condemne the not performance of periurie Who also in the same Volume holdeth their generall position saying Other mens oathes may be dissolued by the Pope So that when the Pope shall send but his Bull of freeing our English the bond of their oath will proue as strong as the knot of a Bul rush The moderate Answerer But to speake vnto this Obiector concerning Protestants proceeding in equiuocating The Reply But first men should be so modest as to couer their owne bald pates before they note others of like imperfections The moderate Answerer f I plainely answer that all Catholikes of this Kingdome both Priests and others do and ought syncerely to acknowledge his Maiestie absolute and really a true King of all his kingdomes c. And that among other duties to denie to sweare or violate an oath iuridicè iustly and according to the course of lawe proposed and to equiuocate therein is a sinne damnable The Reply In this your protestation by these words It is damnable to vse Equiuocation before them iudging iuridicè iustly and according to lawe I doubt much that you your selfe vse some damnable Equiuocation for what is I pray you iuridicè iustly may you Priests take a corporall oath before a ciuill Magistrate whomsoeuer this is against your owne Decrees A Priest saith your Iesuite may not take an oath before any ciuill Magistrate though the Bishop should â—â—cence him thereunto Secondly call to mind the forme of our English oath To acknowledge no forraine power either of any King or Prelate to haue any preheminence ouer our Soueraigne to insist onely vpon this branch in causes temporall either directly or indirectly Say now will you be sworne to this or no If you shall say you will not take heed then
may content vs to know that euen such Kiâ—gs beare in their office the image of God in whom God hath stamped andingrauen an inuiolable Maiestie not to be contemned Thus farre Master Caluin neither doth he euer restrain the outward power of any King except in those States where there is customably ordained for that purpose the Magistracie of those who are called Ephori and Tribuni plebis But when when they shall commaund any thing against the lawe of God then Caluin embraceth the doctrine of Saint Peter Act. 15. 29. We rather obey God then man but how not to obey man as actiuely to resist that is to rebell against him God forbid but onely passiuely which is not to do that which shall be wickedly commaunded Perpeti potiùs quà m à veritate discedere auâ— Ã pietate deslectere Rather suffer saith he then to betray the truth of God or to accord to iniquitie But reade and examine all the lines which euer Caluin penned and you shall not find one syllable that can preiudice his loyaltie Wherof more hereafter The moderate Answerer Beza also and the rest of that holy Synod defend the same The Reply Belike then this rebellious doctrine will be proued a Synodicall Decree among Protestants but if you should vow faithfully not to eate till you proue this I could easily prognosticate what death you should die But Beza as he succeeded Caluine a Doctor so in doctrine likewise Heare Bezas owne confession and it will proue him innocent you a slaunderer and your Popes the capitall delinquents in this kind 1 His innocencie Priuate men among whom I account inferior Magistrates in respect of their King haue no other remedie against Tyrants to whom they be subiect then amendment of their liues prayers and teares which God in his good time will not despise They alwaies prouided not to do but onely to suffer euil as Christ by his owne example hath taught vs. And if it shall so happen that we cannot obey the commaund of the King but that we must offend God the King of Kings then must we rather obey God then man But how so as likewise to remember that it is one thing not to obey another thing to resist and betake our selues to armes This kind of violent disobedience we may not vse Can any moderate spirit call this doctrine rebellious Secondly Your slaunder What our opinion is concerning subiection vnto Magistrates saith Beza a man may better be instructed by our writings then by the slaunders of such as number vs among the companie of intoxicate Anabaptists who renounce the authoritie of Magistrates which doctrine how much we abhorre none can be ignorant which doth not obstinately refuse to see the light Of which kind you must needes be seeing you had rather beleeue any libels against Beza then see his owne writings Thirdly your Popes capitall Offendors The impudencie of our Accusers saith Beza herein is most notorious that they who contrarie to the word of God haue openly subiected Kings and Kingdomes to their authoritie being themselues the most rebellious Sect vnder heauen in contemning Magistrates dare notwithstanding obiect the guilt of that crime vnto vs which they thinke to be a vertue in themselues and wherein they glorie and vaunt Which is most true as we haue proued out of your Bellarmine and others glorying in the acts of such Popes who haue deposed Emperors CHAP. VI. The Practises of Caluin and other Protestants of France obiected by this Accuser in diuers particular instances The first instance The moderate Answerer THese were instruments of all Rebellions and oppressions in the Monarchie of France wherein they tooke all authoritie from the King and Magistrate against King Francis whom they rebelliously persecuted The Reply For your proofes against Protestants in this your Answer you produce Genebrard Claudius de Sanct. Petrus Frar Coclaeus and such like all professed Aduersaries to the Religion of Protestants How moderate dealing this may be accounted will appeare when I shall oppose your owne Historians to condemne you and acquit the Protestants Two witnesses shall suffice who how farre they were from fauouring the Protestants you may iudge by their complexions for the first greedily relateth a Discourse wherein he calleth our Religion new and a plaine imposture The second is dedicated to Charles the then French King and to the Queene mother in which Historie he calleth the doctrine of M. Luther A multitude of absurd heresies Therefore you may not think these men partiall in our behalfe Both prouing 1. The pronenesse of Papists to slaunder the Religion of Protestants 2. That this accusation is a slaunder which is now obiected For the 1. I will alledge of many but one story published by them both False witnesses were brought against Protestants them of the Religion affirming that in a place at Maubert at a Councellors house great numbers of them had eaten a pigge instead of a pascall Lambe before Easter and after the candles being put out euery man tooke his woman and had his pleasure of her The Cardinall vpon these informations moued the Court the Queene mother tooke occasion hereby to reuile some of her Gentlewomen who were of the Religion but they desired and obtained means that the principall witnesses might be examined it was done two young boyes come foorth and affirme that then and many other times they had had the vse of your Councellors daughters but in the end the witnesses began to stagger and couertly to denie it The Councellor sought after for his Religion vnderstanding this shameful slander went with his wife and his two daughters yeelding himselfe prisoner for his Religion desiring that the cause of his daughters might be examined They were diligently searched by Physitions and women and found to be virgins and the young men did thus iustifie themselues that they did it in deuotion being perswaded that such an accusation against such Heretikes was good whether it were true or false But the virgins were cleared and yet their father remained in prison and the witnesses were not punished The second Concerning the present Accusation thus it standeth The Guizes who were no naturall Frenchmen not able to accuse the Prince of Condie of Treason Daniels case called him in question to be condemned of heresie for his Religion But what was the right cause of tumults There was deliuered an exact declaration to proue that those of the Guizes had decreed to put all the Princes of the bloud Royall to death as soone as they had cut off them of the Religion and they were euidently proued to be guiltie of his treason And the King could not otherwise iudge but that great wrong was offered to his bloud Then not the Protestants but the Spanish faction of the Guizes were guiltie of those broyles in the daies of King Francis Notwithstanding Though the Prince of Condie did acquit himselfe of Treason and boldly stood
to his Religion yet not long after they pronounced iudgment of death vpon him But King Francis fell extremely sicke and in his sicknesse made a solemne vow to all Saints in Pieardie that if it pleased them to help him he wold wholy purge his Realme of meaning Protestants all those heretikes And thus all Protestants were freed then from this designe the Saints of Piccardie belike were of your mind Protestants are no heretikes The second Instance of The moderate Answerer They raised such rebellions and civill warres against Charles the ninth wherein the King of Nauarre and Duke Nyuers with others were slaine The Reply I reade the storie in our foresaid Historicall collection of memorable accidents in France and others and I can find onely this thing memorable concerning this point that The King was then in his minoritie and the Queene Mother was regent who yeelded too much vnto the Guizes faction who persecuted the Prince of Condie and sought the destruction of all the bloud royall at length Duke Nyuers with King Nauarre in the warre against his brother at the siege of Roane are wounded and slaine See the cause of the Prince of Condie his defence In lan 1â— anno 1562 was made an Edict whereby permission was granted to them of the Religion to assemble without the townes and order was taken that either part Protestants and Catholikes might liue in quietnesse and peace with each other But a while after the Constable did deface all places of their assemblies and those of the Religion were cruelly handled This was the first beginning of the horrible troubles in France But were Protestants after this rebellious In those of Languidoch the King did pardon whatsoeuer they had done in their iust defence holding them for good subiects What was then the cause why the Prince of Condie and the Admirall did beare armes They vnderstanding that 6000. Switzers were now entred into France with intent to execute violence vpon them of the Religion they betake themselues vnto the King from whom they receiued no fauourable answer therefore they did flie for defence against those Switzers not suffering their throates to be cut by theeues After this was there concluded a peace the Prince of Condie doth lay downe his armes his aduersaries were contented onely to promise to do the like alledging that there is no faith to be held with heretikes Shewing themselues herein false and not onely faithlesse for you know Protestants are no heretikes The third Instance of The moderate Answerer The Duke of Guize was trecherously murdered by Pultrotus for that fact suborned by Beza and the Protestant Admirall The Reply The storie is that The Duke of Guize had appointed a day to take Orleance wherein he would not spare any man woman or child whomsoeuer and after he had kept his Shrouetide there he would spoile and destroy the towne Pultrot riding vpon a Spanish Ginnet shot the Duke with a Pistoll and slue him after was taken and tormented with hot tongs to make him confesse and then torne in peeces by force of horses Let vs leaue him if you will iustly executed by them come to the other vniustly slaundered by you for It was euidently knowne at his execution that Pultrot did it of his owne motion and particular intent thereby to free France and especially Orleance froÌ„ the violence of the Duke of Guize To this first Historian agreeth the second The King after he had examined the Admiral to â—ether with his Councel did acquit him of suspision and imposed perpetuall silence to all not to speake of it You therefore though no subiect might haue bene taught silence especially seeing that the confederates of the Religion among whom was Theodore Beza did condemne this fact of Pulirot as rash and directly contrary to the commaundement of God who will herein condemning all such desperate examples inspired onely with a diuellish motion that euery crime and offence shal receiue punishment according to the institution politike and forme of gouernment established in euery state at the discretion of the Magistrate The moderate Answerer Such were the miserable murders and calamities which they brought to that distressed kingdome that in the two first ciâ—… wars and rebellions aboue an hundred thousand were slaine as Gaspar Collen witnesseth The Reply It is not vnlikely but an hundred thousand were slaine but it is as probable that a thousand for an hundred of them were Protestants persecuted for their Religion who alwayes lay open to Popish trecheries as is plaine by the barbarous massacre wherein as testifieth your owne author there was slaine twentie thousand Protestants in lesse then one moneth by the furie of the Catholikes What could there be in the Protestant was it rebellion No but only constancy in Religion then persecuted by the malignant But what kind of motion might this be in those Catholikes which egged them on to this butcherie whether was it zeale or fury Christian iustice or Antichristian malice The Catholikes not content saith your Author to liue alwayes assured hauing the autoritie of the State for them aspired with a burning desire to bring to passe that which they had a long time plotted against their enemies But let vs leaue this Gâ—lgotha for so you made France by your monstrous massacres as then a place of dead mens sculs Whither shal your next voyage be CHAP. VII The Instances of the moderate Answerer in Heluetia The first The moderate Answerer LEt vs come to Heluetia and especially Geneua the Mother-Church of the Reformed M. Caluine the supreme head of thereformed there hath told vs before that Princes not agreeing with vs in Religion are to be spitted vpon rather then obeyed they are not to be numbred among men they are to be bereaued of all authoritie The Reply What absolutely depriued of all authoritie Proue this and I will as absolutely denie all his doctrinall authoritie whom by reading of your most learned Iesuites as Maldonate Ribera Pererius Salmeron Tollet and such others and conferring their expositions with Caluins I dare boldly affirme him to be of that excelleÌ„t iudgment that these your greatest Rabbies for their best expositions light their candles at Caluins to arch But to the point Caluin doth consider in the person of a wicked King two situations one as he sitteth vnder God the other when he exalteth himselfe to sit aboue God when he commandeth as a substitute and subordinate God hath commanded vs to obey man but when he commandeth contra Deum against God saith * Caluine he vsurpeth Gods throne and herein he looseth his royaltie which is to be obeyed A matter so reasonable that in the behalf of God the A postles in like case are content to appeale herein to the iudgement of his aduersary man Whether it be better to obey God or man iudge you To explane this by example If a Iustice of peace shall command
the Hebrewes of old what nation could haue resisted thew force Although these glorious Martyrs of the mother Church in their death whereby they haue anouched that good and glorious profession of Christian faith haue thereby also sealed the infallible truth of Christian obedience due to earthly Potentates yet will we not be content with these two hundred yeares but challenge the currant and successiue practise of 4000. more We therefore come to CHAP. IX The same duty of Subiection proued in the next 400. yeares FIrst Tertullian in his Apologie in defence of Christian loyalty God forbid saith he that Christian professours should reuenge themselues with humane power or feare that touch of persecution whereby they are tried for if we would either seeke secret reuenge or vse open hostility can you imagine we could want sufficient force we are visibly knowen vnto you and are interested in all your affaires your Cities Iles Forts Borrowes Tents Tribes Decuries Senate Maâ—kets are all full of Christians except only your temples Now what warre are not we ready and sit for who being in power moe yet do willingly suffer death if by this profession it were not more lawfull to be killed than to kill Heerein you who boast often of yours as great multitudes in England as there were locusts in Aegypt able to do mischiefe if you would and professing also to be willing as soone as you are able Compare but your God speed with Tertullian his God forbid and then you shall see that God cannot be said to be otherwise in your Popes Buls to kings than he was in Aarons calfe for in both there is a sinne of rebellion against Gods ordinance The second is Cyprian he likewise penneth an Apology and directeth it to Demetrianus the Officer of the persecuting Emperour answering in behalfe of all the Christians of his time None of vâ—when he is apprehended doth resist or reuenge himselfe of your vniust violence although the number of our people be maruellous great for our certaine confidence we haue in him that will take vengeance of all transgressours doth confirme our patience Whereby you are taught not to glory of patience who if you had force would banish obedience The third is Athanasius writing an Apologie for himselfe to Constantius an Arian Emperor and therfore hereticall to free himselfe of a slanderous imputation which was that he had suggested some matter to the Emperour Constance a Catholicke thereby to kindle coales of dissention betwixt Brethren therefore he saith I call God to record vpon my soule and your Brother Constance could witnesse that I neuer spake word of you in euill part I was not so madde as to forget the commandement of God who saith Thou shall not speake euill of thy King no not in thy hart but did obey your command when I had charge to depart from Alexandria The summe is this When he had power to stirre the Emperour Constance a true professor against his brother Constantius an hereticke yet he made conscience not to raise rebellion but rather submitted himselfe to the violence of persecution If your Pope had beene truly catechized in this Creed of Athanasius belonging to the truth of faithfull allegeance he would not so oft haue raised King against King as your selues confessed And why then may not hee be that man prophecied of Sitting on a red horse and hauing power permissiuely giuen vnto him to take peace from the earth and that they should kill one another The fourth is Gregory Nazianzene in his Oration against the Emperour Iulian who the very hinge of this cause had beene a Christian and did after Apostate and proue an Infidell saith Against whom of you did wee euer raise any insurrection or sedition among your people though otherwise of themselues prone to rebellion or whose death did wee euer conspire But you lately whose deaths haue you not conspired The fifth is Ambrose When the Emperour infected with the heresie of Arius had sent magistrates to remoue Ambrose from his Bishopricke and the people thronged to rescew him In such power saith Ambrose that the Officers could not resist their force I quieted the people and yet could not auoid their malice Then sure he did abhorre by raising sedition among the people to prouoke magistrates to malice The same Father vpon that penitentiall dumpe of holy Dauid to thee only haue I sinned proueth that some Kings are not subiect to any penall law of man And for S. Ambrose his actiue profession in this kind it is confessed by your owne Doctor saying that Saint Ambrose when he was sufficiently armed both by power of people and souldiers strengthened with the might of Christ yet would not defend his Church with violence against the fury of the hereticall Emperor The sixth is Basill Who by reason of the strength of the forts wherein he was needed not to feare any danger yet suppliantly offered himselfe to Iulian the Apostate and caused the gates of the city to be opened vnto him thereby to appease his wrath against Christians The seuenth is S. Augustine who in his expositioÌ„s of some proposition doth concerning this point giue this instruction Whereas the Apostle saith he exhorteth that we should not resist gouernors in temporall matters he saith It is necessary that we be subiect and lest any might not performe this in loue but as from constraint and necessity he addeth Not for feare of wrath but for conscience sake that is not dissemblingly but dutifully in good conscience and loue to him God who commandeth subiection and as in another place he exhorteth Seruants Obey your hard and iniurious masters but not with ey-seruice as only pleasing men but God Therefore you must not plead Your most humble subiect aboue ground and from the concaue and vautes of the earth seeke how to humble your soueraigne Forey seruice and hart-seruice do distinguish a Christian from a Pagan according to that of Arnobius You Pagans do feare onely the outward sight of men we only the inward conscience of our mind The eight is Pope Leo writing to a true Catholicke Emperour You may not be ignorant saith he that your Princely power is giuen vnto you not only in worldly regiment but also Spirituall for the preseruation of the Church As if hee had said Not only in causes temporall but also inspirituall so far as it belongeth to outward preseruation not to the personall administration of them And this is the substance of our English oath and further neither do our Kings of England challenge nor subiects condiscend vnto We are not yet passed the lists of 500. yeares The last is Pope Gregory in his Epistle to Mauritius a right Christian Emperour To this end saith he is power ouer all persons giuen from heauen vnto my Lord that good men may be helped in the way to the kingdome of heauen And again In those gratious commands of your
that which is without force might not be by craft or that they who pretend a forged donation of the Emperour Constantine as your own Pope called it before he was Pope would want art to delude his Successours It it not impossible for Pyrats to build a shippe for spoile and call it Gods prouidence Which wil so much rather appeare in this by how much more you labour to obscure it for Boniface the 9. as your owne Balbus noteth was the first who did assay to challenge there giment of Rome to himselfe which was in the yeare of Christ 1400. And this was but a forged challenge too as is euident because Emperour Charles the fift about the yeare 1550. was the first that bestowed the city of Rome and the Territories adioining vpon the Pope CHAP. XIII Their second Reason from a pretended right of Confirmation of Emperours to conclude a power of abrogation and deposing THe Emperour in his election is confirmed by the Pope and as the Popes minister is to vse the sword at his command and at his command be is deposed Proue this This is apparent by the oath that he taketh at his coronation Proue this The Pope himselfe saith of himselfe that the right and authority of examining the person elected saith he to be a King or Emperour belongeth to vs who doe anoint and consecrate him What will you prooue by this In euery vacancie of temporall States the Pope is Successour in the gouernment What yet more That when there ariseth any doubt betwixt the Emperour and a Prince the Pope is a competent Iudge yea when there is a cause or doubt betwixt the Pope and Emperour the Pope himselfe is Iudge The Answer You know the fable If the wolfe may iudge the sheep in the cause of troubling the water the wolfe wil be the guilty but the sheepe shal be the condemned But that you say The Emperour is not without the approbation of the Pope is false And your Consequents Ergo the Pope doth succeed in vacancy Ergo he may depose are both friuolous and preiudicious to your owne cause To the Antecedent your Bishop Lupoldus hath satisfied long sithence saying That hee that is chosen Emperour by the consent of the greater part of Electours needeth not either seeke or receiue any approbation of the Pope This doth your other learned bishop Balbus by many arguments determine and to this end produceth A publicke decree of the Emperour Lodouicke by the consent of all the Electours Ad â—…ging All such as deny the imperiali dignity to depend only of God as not needing the Popes confirmation to be seditious and presently they that deny it and whosoeuer consenteth vnto thâ—… to be reputed as guilty of high Treason and to incurre all the pâ—…s due to so great a guilt We proceed now to your consequent and first shew the noueltie of your claime For as the same your author witnesseth It was an ancient custome and of long continuance and till Adrian the Pope in the yeare of Christ 815. without contradiction that the Emperour did confirme the election of the Pope that none could be Pope without the approbation of the Emperour which custome after the death of Adrian was inforce till Pope Gregory the 9. which was in the yeare 1072. But now we see a new and contrary countenance of the state of Christendome which the Lawiers deplore as miserable and complaine that the Emperour lost his priuiledge by cosenage and deceit c. How it was we leaue the case to be disputed among your Romists that heere is a change of Antiquity it is not denied either by your Balbus or Carerius or any other Hence we argue That if power of approbation of the election of the Emperour do conferre a temporall authority Emperiall vpon the Pope then when the Pope was confirmed by Emperours there was in the Emperour a spirituall authority ouer the Pope if you will deny our latter consequent then you teach vs to deny your former CHAP. XIIII Their third Argument from a presumed danger The Romish Pretence EXcept there were a way of deposing Apostate Princes God had not prouided sufficiently for his Church The Answer This obiection is in your Extrauagants and so it may be called because it rangeth Extra without the bonds of Gods ordinance beside the presidence of primitiue example beyond the compasse of your owne allowance First from Gods ordinance For by the word of God as your Cunerus diuinely reasoneth which is not partiall and not by the selfe-pleasing fancy of sensuall affection must this question bee determined Though therefore it may seeme to vs a decree of nature for euery one to defend himselfe and the things he doth enioy yet the law of God doth forbid to doe this by taking armes against the higher powers as our L. Christ taught his Disciple now about to defend his Master Put vp thy sword for he that smiteth with the sword shall perish with the sword Because the sword is not put into the hands of Subiects against their Kings but into the hands of Kings against Subiects Accordingly S. Augustine doth conclude Those who beare the sword saith he against rulers must perish therefore the Apostle speak th generally He that resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God And againe not defending your selues my Dearest but giue place to wrath of the Gouernour for it is written vengeance is mine therefore no reuenging power ouer Kings and I will reuenge saith the Lord be not ouercome of euill but ouercome euill with good The second is the consideration of examples of the primitiue Church when for the space of 300. yeares it was in grieuous persecution where as S. Paul speaketh the faithfull fought with beasts after the manner of men namely as some doe allegorize with men as sauage as beasts and there was found no power on earth to restraine that earthly power Was therefore God awanting to his Church God forbid Nay rather he was not awanting for it is written Vertue is perfected in infirmity And againe As gold is purgedin the fire So by affliction c. Because When the outward man suffereth the inward man is renued And When I am weake then am I strong As therefore the wisedome of the Artist is then present with the gold when he is refining it the Physician with his Patient when he woundeth to cure him So whensoeuer the three faithfull be in the fiery furnace Behold a fourth that is a diuine succourer either by the inward miracle of comfort in patience or the outward of deliuerance The third is the view of your owne Popish Principles which is this That the Pope saith Bellarmine may not be iudged of any person vpon earth whether secular or Ecclesiasticall no not of a generall councell Nether may be saith your Carerius be deposed