so great conscience of an Oath that he preferred his oath before his life For when he was at Rome where he might have stayed if he would and knew if he did goe back he should undergoe torments and a most miserable death yet he chose rather to expose himselfe to the hands of his enemies then to break his Covenant and perjure himselfe Oh how shall these Heathen rise up in judgement against us who have the Word of God expresly to bind us to the reverence and observance of an Oath and yet many of us make no regard thereof Have we never taken the Oath of Supremacie Have we never taken the Oath of Allegeance Have we never been Officers I am sure some of us have How then can our former Oathes stand with our present Actions XIII THaerida whetting his sword and asked by one that beheld him Whether it were yet sharp enough Answered That it was sharper then Calamnie (f) Thearum Historicum 659. From thence implying that Calumnie sinketh deep and pierceth farre and is marvellous cutting and if a sword be sharper then that it needs no more whetting What a debaucht and desperate Age then doe we now live in wherein we not onely make no conscience or scruple to wound some of our neighbours with swords and swords sharper then Calumnie but most unworthily presume to strike at those to whom God hath subjected us whom of all others in many respects we are most justly bound to love honour and defend and for whom we ought to lay downe our owne lives if need should require both with sharpest swords and sharpest Calumnies XIV XEnophanes having the name of Dastard cast in his teeth at a Banquet for that he refused to play at Dice I am I confesse a Dastard saith he and fearfull in all dishonest causes Men are now termed Delinquents Malignants Rebels if they will not in a distempered choler renounce their subjection break their oathes and beare Armes or in some other manner make opposition against their lawfull Soveraign For me let my name stand any where in the most disgracefull characters though in a Chronicle for such a Delinquent Malignant Rebell I allow not reviling but I should not grudge to be reviled for being Loyall As with an undaunted resolution Job said in another case so let me say in this though mine Adversary should write a book against me not only say what evill he please but write against me and that even an whole Book of accusations would I be put out of heart or discouraged by it would I not take it upon my shoulders and binde it as a crown unto me (g) Iob 6.31.35.36 XV. WHē Hortensius that spruce Orator immoderately praised Eloquence wherefore said one would he lift her up into Heaven but that himself might go up with her (h) Cicero in Hortens wherefore do many now adays so earnestly strive to set up their Sect above others but that they are cunning in their Sect above others but that they may be lifted up with their Sect and ride upon the Cherubims but because it is for their exaltation and preferment that so they may come to be chief amongst their neighbours but because they may triumph upon the vantage ground of their place and power yea lord it over the heritage and tread down their neighbours at their pleasure XVI DIogenes that counterfeit Cynick as it plainly appeared to some for all his cunning shewes and crafty conveiances pretending great humility trampled and triumphed over Platoes pride with greater pride he laboured to discredit Plato to dignifie himself And what do they many of them who now are so earnest against Bishops and by calumnious accusations conspired their disgrace who would faine down with Bishops and enjoy their Lands and Livings for their supposed arrogancy when ten Bishops are not arrogant enough to make one now leading Presbyterian They cry out upon the pride of Bishops for ruling according to the knowne and approved Lawes that so they themselves may be subject to no Law that so they forsooth may come in time to rule as they please by their own arbitrary lawlesse injunctions XVII ONe beholding Cardinall Wolsey when he was in the height of his pompe and pride when in a Letter of his sent to the Pope he was so out of his Politicks and parts as to put himselfe before his King I and my King Not My King and I but I and my King could not but break out into these words I pity this proud Cardinall that neither knoweth others nor himselfe What true thankfull Minister can now with patience endure to see so many proud Presbyters so saucily to insult and triumph over their Bishops by whom they have been admitted into their sacred functions and not expresse himself with tears and say I am very sorrowfull for the insolencie of these men who have no remembrance left by whose hands they have received their Orders and which is more strange have no right or cleare thoughts what they are themselves XVIII LYcurgus being importuned to establish a Popular Estate amongst the Lacedemonians that so the least and meanest and most unfit to rule might beare like sway with the greatest and wisest fitly answered That he who most desired it should begin it first at home in his owne house presuming that in a private family Parity would never be long liked There are now that so earnestly long for Equality in the Church that they will no longer dispute for it but meane to fight for it And since they cannot bring it in with their tongues they will therefore take help of their hands I would all so minded would learne some wit from Lycurgus in their anger and first weigh in judgement by the poise of wisdome in the ballance of indifferencie hanging upon the beame and rule of right the inconvenience of pulling downe all Officers and establishing community of rule in an Army and then consider whether the like equall Masterdome may be justly put upon the Church which is an Army with banners (i) Cant. 6.4 XIX WHen a young man with whom Plato found fault for playing at Dice said Doe you find fault with me for so small a matter The matter is small quoth Plato but the custome of it is no small matter (k) Diegen Laert. de vit Philosophor lib. 3. Agood remembrance for all those who have any Youth to bring up to be very carefull to keep them from evill practices lest they grow past shame in sinning for if Custome once prevaile and get the place it will discover no small wicked power it will take away all sense and feeling of sinne But it is worth a noting also for another respect There is great exception taken much complaint made and even crue◠revenge executed because some Ministers heretofore have been silenced and put from their Livings for Rites and Ceremonies the which indeed are urged not for Ornament much lesse Necessity of Gods service but for Order
make no account of recovering his favour and reconciling themselves to him he sodainly cast them out indeed as unsavoury salt for as he hath a time of mercy and suffering so of casting out and confounding XCVIII ALexander having besieged any Rebellious City was wont to have a fire kindled before the gate with this condition that if they yielded before the fire went out they might be received to favour but if not they might looke for no mercy The like course doth God take with us all the space of our life as of that fire kindled as given us to repent in but if it end before our repentance begin no place for pardon Yet there is hope yet there is favour yet the light appeareth but when we are once stept over the threshold of death no man may make agreement with God for us when we are once departed this life it is too late to make any prayers for us to deale any doles or to say Masses or to go any Pilgrimages for us yet it is too late then to say for any God have mercy on his soule For we are presently as we depart hence either in Abrahams bosome with poor Lazarus or in hell torments with the rich glutton XCIX I Read of one Eleazar the son of Hircanus that being demanded when it would be time to repent and amend he answered One day before death and when the other replyed that no man knew the day of his death he said Begin then even to day for fear of failing (i) Drusius in his Hebrew and Arabian Apoph Lib. 1. We have all often heard no doubt and therefore should well know though we often forget and therefore are still to learne that our life is of such uncertainty that we are no sooner borne but we are in danger of death one foot no sooner on the ground but the other ready to step into the grave the bud is sometimes blasted as well as the blowne rose the wind bloweth down the blossome as well as the fruit yea we some of us confesse with our lips at least that nothing is more certaine then the change of life and nothing more uncertaine then the houre when it will change the which for ought we know may be this houre why then do we not this houre call our selves to account amend our lives lest another houre be denied us and death find us sleeping in our accustomed wickednesse and so the gate of mercy which is now open be shut up for ever C. GAspar a man of no small account in that Machiavilian Councell assembled at Trent being convicted and urged in his conscience for the Lawfulnesse and duty of receiving the Sacrament in both kinds according to the institution of our Saviour Christ and practice Ecclesiasticall for more then a thousand years for the Communion under one kind was decreed first in the Councell of Constance 1414. yet was still obstinately bent to bar the people from the cup and would not yeild to restore the use of it lest saith he we should seeme to erre They had grievously offended God and grossely wronged men by such an imposture but yet he thought it lesse damage to the offenders to stifle their consciences then to staine their credits Many wicked and monstrous opinions which have since crept into the Church might be no doubt easily disproved and abolished but that the broachers and maintainers of them may not now entertaine the truth lest they be seene to have been deceived that they thinke would be a great blemish in their Armes a grievous disfigure in their faces and not to be indured and therefore though they be sanded and set on ground yet they must needs keep up saile still as if they had water at their pleasure O this unwillingnesse of appearing to erre holdeth men so in bondage to their errours that it hath destroyed many a soul hath been the bane of thousands and ten thousands that had rather be damned then saved HIERON ad PAULIN Esse Christianum grande est non videri non vocari To be a Christian is a weighty matter but not so to seeme not so to be called LEO Epist 83. Ecclesiae nomine armamini contra Ecclesiam dimicatis You are armed with the name of the Church and you fight against the Church FINIS
Prophet Isaiah c Isay 49.15 that she should not have compassion on the son of her wombe as though it were a thing even impossible that any thing should be able to master or kill that affection she were to be reckoned as a monster amongst women that should want it but suppose any should for it may be yet the Lord for all that cannot forget any of his whom making him their God he hath made his servants yet will not yet cannot the Lord forget the poorest soul in the world that trusteth in him and therefore be not faithlesse whosoever thou be if thou be his but faithfull and therefore cast all thy care thou troubled soul ever upon the Lord for he careth for thee XCII IT is not Kingly quoth Antigonus the King to a poore man begging a small matter but a dram of silver It is not for Kings to give trifles but to give royally like themselves How bountifull then must we needs think is the King of Kings with whom no King is to be compared who hath all treasure in his owne hands and whose treasury can never be drawne dry who hath in his hands all the goods and blessings both of this life which is present and of that which is to come How rich is he in mercies how abundant in kindnesses How large is his love giving more things and more plentifully then either we doe ask or think If any man lack wisdome or any other good gift let him aske of God which giveth to all men liberally which giveth not sparingly though the smallest gift be more then we are worthy of but liberally and reproacheth no man and it shall be given him Jam. 1.5 XCIII CEsar purposing to passe into Africk though the rough surges of the raging seas were against him cheared up the Master of the Ship and bade him be confident to hoyse up sayles and commit himself to the fury of the storm because he carryed him that was so mighty a Monarch and yet had he rebuked the violent winds or the unruly waters never so much they would never have yeelded him the least obedience How much rather should a Christian not be dismayed but Magnanimous to whom Christ hath said Be of good cheere I have overcome the world (d) Ioh. 16.33 I have already won the field and obtained the victory for you O how should a Christian be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might (e) Ephes 6.10 against all assaults of tyrants all temptations of Satan to whom God hath said (f) Heb. 13.5 that he will never leave him nor forsake him neither in wealth nor want neither in life nor death O how should a Christian be incouraged against all dangers either of body or soul in whom God dwelleth and he in God 1 Joh. 4.15 XCIV IT was not a slight and superficial but solid though short advice of the Philosopher Menedemus to Antigonus the sonne of King Demetrius that he should remember he was a Kings sonne thinking that a sufficient motive to keepe him from all base behaviour And how could he well conclude otherwise For doth it become Princes so to descend as to follow the conditions of Pesants should not they seek to demean themselves in all their carriages according to their high places O Christian man what art thou Know thy calling and consider the blessed state of Christian profession Thou art the sonne of God thou hast his Spirit the earnest peny the pawn the pledge the inunction the cry of his Spirit But by what meanes Through faith In whom and by whose merits In Christ For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Iesus (g) Gal. 3.26 And shall we not therefore scorne and hate sin so unfit for our estates and so unseemly for the children of God And shall we not therefore abstaine from immoderate mourning for worldly losses too base and meane for our calling XCV A King of France hearing the King of Spaines titles at large rehearsed as that he was King of Castile King of Portugal King of Naples King of the Sicilies and many other Dominions opposed to every one of them severally and to all of them joyntly but onely this that he was King of France he made account that France was more excellent then Spaine and all the rest annexed Kingdomes A true Christian in the poorest estate if you weigh him with the richest worldling is as France was by him conceived and compared with Spaine though not so great in title yet greater in truth though not so good in outward shew yet better in inward substance Thou hast put gladnesse in mine heart saith David more then in the time that their corne and wine increased (h) Psal 4.7 As much as to say thy favour O Lord hath brought me more true and sound joy then others take or can take in this that their revenues and incomes do abound XCVI SEleucus comming back with a company of armed men to Babylon from whence he was expelled as he made haste into the City stumbled and wrested his foot His friends moved at it heaved up the stone at the which he tooke his hurt and finding under it a ring in which was engraven the forme of an anchor supposing it to portend captivity but Seleucus understood it otherwise that the anchor which they thought to signifie captivity did certainely portend and promise conquest and security Be courageous my friends saith he for this ground whereon we now tread as aliens and exiles we shall undoubtedly possesse as heires and owners Wicked men if any crosses befall them they begin to sinke down under the burden their hearts faile them they conceive and take things in the worst sense but the children of God being assured upon better grounds then Seleucus make no other account but are resolute and confident that neither good can happen to the evill nor evill to the good being changed by the blessing of God that all things of what sort soever by one meanes or other shall in the end without peradventure worke together for the best unto them XCVII ECebolius a Sophister of Constantinople before Julian was Emperour demeaned himself as an earnest Christian both for belief and life under Julian he became a cruell Apostate and Panym and persecutor and after Julian was dead he would be a Christian againe but his owne conscience at last accusing him for his dissembling for altering his faith religion and manners according to the time he cast himself flat upon the ground before the Church-gate as the people should passe and cryed Tread on me that am unsavoury salt O how many in these times have been on all sides as the sides still prevailed who though they cast not themselves down at the Church door as he did for the people to tread upon yet have need presently to cast themselves down in the inner temple of their hearts before God with hearty repentance and humble confession lest if they