particularly to every Article directed from my Lord of S. Andrews to me by Sir David Hamilton which Articles are in number nine and heere repeated and answered as I trust to his Lordships contentment 1. THe first Article putteth me in remembrance of the antiquity of the blood of my house how many Earles Lords and Knights hath been thereof how many Noble-men descended of the same house how long it continued true to God and the Prince without spot in their dayes in any manner of sort Answer True it is my Lord that there is well-long continuance of my house by Gods providence and benevolence of our Princes whom we have served and shall serve truely next to God And the like obedience towards Gods and our Princes remaineth with us yet or rather better praised be the Lords Name neither know we any spot towards our Princesse and her due obedience And if there be offence towards God he is mercifull to remit our offences For he will not the death of a sinner Like as it standeth in his omnipotent power to make up houses to continue the same to alter them to make them small or great or to extinguish them according to his own inscrutable wisdom For in exalting depressing and changing of houses the laud and praise must be given to that one eternall God in whose hands the same standeth 2. The second Article beareth the great affection and love your Lordship beareth towards me and my house and of the ardent desire ye have of the perpetuall standing thereof in honour and fame with all them that are coming of it Answ. Forsooth it is your dutie to wish good unto my house and unto them that are coming of the same not onely for the faithfulnesse amity and society that hath been between our forefathers but also for the late conjunction of blood that is between our said house if it be Gods pleasure that it have successe Which should give sufficient occasion to your Lordship to wish good to my house and perpetuity with Gods glory without which nothing is perpetuall unto whom be praise and worship for ever and ever Amen 3. Thirdly Your Lordship declareth how displeasant it is to you that I should be seduced by an infamed person of the Law and by the flattery of a forsworn Apostata that under pretence of his giving forth maketh us to understand That he is a Preacher of the Gospel and therewith raiseth Schismes and Divisions in the whole Church of God And by our maintenance and defence would infect this Countrey with Heresie alleadging that to be Scripture which these many yeeres past hath been condemned as Heresie by the generall Councells and whole estate of Christian people Answ. The God that created heaven and earth and all that is therein preserve me from seducing for I dread others many under the colour of godlinesse are seduced and think that they do God a pleasure when they persecute one of them that professe his Name What that man of the Law is we know not we hear none of his flattery his perjured Oath of Apostasie is unknown unto us But if he have made any unlawfull Oath contrary to Gods commandment it were better to violate it then to observe it He Preaches nothing to us but the Gospel if he would do otherwise we would not beleeve him nor yet an Angel of heaven we heare him sowe no Schismes nor Divisions but such as may stand with Gods Word which we shall cause him to confesse in presence of your Lordship and the Clergy when ye require us thereto And as to it that hath been condemned by generall Councels we trust you know well that all the generall Councels have been at diversity among themselves and never two of them universally agreeing in all points in so much as they are of men But the Spirit of Verity that bears testimony of our Lord Jesus hath not neither can erre For heaven earth shal perish ere one jot of it perish Beyond this my Lord neither teacheth he neither will we accept of him but that which agrees with the Word of God set forth by the Patriarks Prophets Apostles and Evangelists left to our salvation in expresse words And so my Lord to condemn the Doctrine not examined is not required For when your Lordship pleaseth to hear the confession of that mans Faith the manner of his Doctrine which agreeth with the Gospel of Jesus Christ I will cause him to assist to judgement and shall be present there at Gods pleasure that he may render reckoning of his belief and our Doctrine to the superiour Powers according to the prescription of that blood of the eternall Testament sealed by the Immaculate Lambe To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be all honour and glory for ever and ever Amen 4. The fourth Article puts me in remembrance how dangerous it is if the Authority would put me to it and my House according to comely and common Laws and our own municipiall Lawes of this Realme and how it appeareth to the decay of our House Answ. All Laws are or at least should be subject to Gods Law which Law should be first placed and planted in every mans heart it should have no impediment Men should not abrogate it for the defence and setting up of their owne advantage If it would please Authorities to put at our House for confessing of Gods Word or for maintenance of his Law God is mighty enough in his own Cause he should be rather obeyed then man I will serve my Prince with body heart goods strength and all that is in my power except that which is Gods duty which I will reserve to him alone that is To worship him in truth and verity and as neer as I can to conform to his written Word to his owne honour and obedience of my Princesse 5. The fifth Article puts me in remembrance how woe your Lordship would be to hear to see or know any displeasure that might come to me my son or any of my House and especially in my time and dayes And as to heare the great and evill brute of me that should now in my old age in a manner begin to vary in my Faith and to be altered therein when it is time that I should be most sure and firm therein Ans. Your Lordships good will is ever made manifest unto me in all your Articles that you should be sorry to hear see or know my displeasure for the which I am bound to render your Lordship thanks shall do the same assuredly But as for wavering in my Faith God forbid that I should so do For I believe in God the Father Almighty Maker of heaven earth And in Jesus Christ his onely Son our Saviour My Lord I vary not in my Faith but I praise God that of his goodnesse now in my latter days hath of his infinite mercy opened his bosome of grace unto me to acknowledge him the eternall Wisedome his
Church the Queene our Soveraigne her honourable and gracious Husband the abilitie of their succession your Majestie Regent the Nobilitie and whole State of this Realme Secondly If it shall happen in our said meetings any hard place of Scripture to be read of which without explanation hardly can arise any profit to the hearers that it shall be lawfull to any qualified persons in knowledge being present to interpret and open up the said hard places to Gods glory and to the profit of the Auditory And if any thinke that this libertie should be occasion of Confusion Debate or Heresie we are content that it be provided that the said Interpretation shall underly the judgement of the godly and most learned within the Realme at this time Thirdly That the holy Sacrament of Baptisme may be used in the Vulgar Tongue that the God-fathers and Witnesses may not onely understand the points of the League and Contract made betwixt God and the Infant but also that the Church then assembled more gravely may be informed and instructed of their duties which at all times they owe to God according to that promise made unto him when they were received into his houshold by the lavacre of spirituall regeneration Fourthly We desire that the holy Sacrament of the Lords Supper or of his blessed Body and Blood may likewise be ministred unto us in the Vulgar Tongue and in both kindes according to the plaine Institution of our Saviour Christ Iesus And lastly We most humbly require That the wicked slanderous and detestable life of Prelats and of the state Ecclesiasticall may be reformed that the people by them have not occasion as of many dayes they have had to contemne their Ministerie and the Preaching whereof they should be Messengers And if they suspect that we rather envying their honours or coveting their riches and possessions then Zealously desiring their amendment and salvation do travell and labour for this Reformation We are content that not onely the Rules and Precepts of the New Testament but also the Writings of the ancient Fathers and the godly and approved Lawes of Justinian the Emperour decide the controversie betwixt us and them And if it shall be found that either malevolently or ignorantly we aske more then these three forenamed have required and continually do require of able and true Ministers in Christs Church we refuse not correction as your Majestie with right judgement shall think meet But if all the forenamed shall condemne that which we condemne and approve that which we require Then we most earnestly beseech your Majestie that notwithstanding the long custome which they have had to live at their lust that they be compelled either to desist from Ecclesiasticall administration or to discharge their duties as becometh true Ministers So that the grave and godly face of the Primitive Church reduced Ignorance may be expelled True Doctrine and good Manners may once againe appeare in the Church in this Realme These things we as most obedient Subjects require of your Majestie in the Name of the eternall God and of his Son Christ Iesus in presence of whose Throne judiciall ye and all other that heere in earth beareth authority shall give account of your temporall regiment The spirit of the Lord Iesus move your Majesties heart to Iustice and Equity These our Demands being proposed the State Ecclesiasticall began to storme and to devise all manner of lies to deface the equitie of our cause They bragged as that they would have publike Disputation which also we most earnestly required two things being provided First That the plaine and written Scriptures of God should decide all Controversies Secondly That our brethren of whom some were then exiled and by them unjustly condemned might have free accesse to the said Disputation and safe-conduct to return to their dwelling places notwithstanding any Processe which before had been laid against them in matters concerning Religion But these being by them utterly denied for no Judge would they admit but themselves their Counsels and Canon Law They and their faction began to draw certain Articles of reconciliation promising unto us If we would admit the Masse to stand in its former reverence and estimation Grant Purgatory after this life Confesse prayer to Saints and for the dead and suffer them to enjoy their accustomed Rents Possession and Honour That then they would grant us to pray and baptize in the Vulgar Tongue so that it were done secretly and not in the open assembly But the grosenesse of these Articles was such that with one voice we refused them and constantly craved justice of the Queene Regent and a reasonable answer of our former Petitions The Queene then Regent a woman crafty dissimulate and false-thinking to make her profit of both parties gave to us permission to use our selves godly according to our desires provided that we should not make publike assemblies in Edinburgh nor Lieth and did promise her assistance to our Preachers untill some uniform order might be established by a Parliament To them we mean the Clergie she quietly gave signification of her minde promising that how soon any opportunity should serve she should so put order to these matters that after they should not be troubled for some say they gave her a large purse 40000. l. Turn or Scots gathered by the Laird of Earleshale We nothing suspecting her doublenesse nor falshood departed fully contented with her answer and did use our selves so quietly that for her pleasure we put silence to Iohn Dowglas who publikely would have preached in the Town of Lieth for in all things we sought the contentment of her minde so far as God should not be offended against us for obeying her in things as we thought unlawfull Shortly after these things that cruell Tyrant and unmercifull hypocrite falsly called Bishop of S. Andrews apprehended that blessed Martyr of Christ Jesus Walter Mill a man of decrepite age whom most cruelly and most unjustly he put to death by fire in Saint Andrews the twenty eighth day of April in the yeere of God 1558. Which thing did so highly offend the hearts of all godly that immediatly after his death began a new fervencie among the whole people yea even in the Towne of Saint Andrews began the people plainely to condemne such unjust crueltie And in testification that they would his death should abide in recent memory there was cast together a great heap of stones in the place where he was burnt The Bishop and Priests thereat offended caused once or twice to remove the same with denunciation of cursing if any man should there lay any stones But in vaine was that winde blowne for still was the heape made till that the Priests and Papists did steale away by night the stones to build their walls and to other their private uses We suspecting nothing that the Queene Regent was consenting to the forenamed murther most humbly did complain of such unjust crueltie
do enterprise to purge the Lords Temple and Sanctuary What God required of them it is before declared to wit That most diligently they should observe his Law Statutes and Ceremonies And how acceptable were their facts to God doth he himself witnesse For to some he gave most notable Victories without the hand of man and in their most desperate dangers did declare his especiall favour towards them by signes supernaturall To other he so established the Kingdom that their enemies were compelled to stoup under their feet And the names of all he hath registred not onely in the Book of life but also in the blessed remembrance of all posterities since their dayes which also shall continue till the coming of the Lord Jesus who shall reward with the Crown of Immortality not onely them but also such as unfainedly study to do the will and to promote the glory of his heavenly father in the midst of this corrupted Generation In consideration whereof ought you my Lords all delay set apart to provide for the Reformation of Religion in your Dominions and Bounds which now is so corrupt that no part of Christs Institution remaineth in the Originall purity and therefore of necessity it is That speedily ye provide for Reformation or else ye declare your selves not onely voyd of love towards your subjects but also to live without care of your own salvation yea without all fear and true reverence of God Two things perchance may move you to esteem these histories before briefly touched to appertain nothing to you First Because you are no Jews but Gentiles And secondly Because you are no Kings but Nobles in your Realm But be not deceived for neither of both can excuse you in Gods presence from doing his duty for it is a thing more then certain That whatsoever God required of the Civill Magistrate in Israel or Iuda concerning the observation of true Religion during the time of the Law the same doth he require of lawfull Magistrates professing Christ Jesus in the time of the Gospel as the holy Ghost hath taught us by the mouth of David Psal. 2. saying Be learned you that judge the earth kisse the Son lest that the Lord wax angry and that ye perish away This Admonition doth not extend to the Judges under the Law onely but doth also include all such as be promoted to Honours in the time of the Gospel when Christ Jesus doth raigne and fight in his Spirituall Kingdom whose enemies in that Psalme be first most sharply taxed their fury expressed and vanity mocked and then are Kings and Judges who think themselves free from all Law and Obedience commanded to repent their former blinde rage and Judges are charged to be learned and last are commanded to serve the Eternall God in feare to rejoyce before him in trembling to kisse the Son that is To give him most humble Obedience Whereof it is evident That the Rulers Magistrates and Judges now in Christs Kingdom are no lesse bound to Obedience unto God then were those under the Law And how is it possible that any should be obedient who despiseth his Religion in which standeth the chief glory that man can give to God and is a service which God especially requireth of Kings and Rulers Which thing Saint Augustine plainly did note writing to one Bonifacius a man of Warre according to the same argument and purpose which I labour to perswade your Honours For after that he hath in that his Epistle declared the difference betwixt the heresie of the Donatists and Arrians and hath somewhat spoken of their cruelty he sheweth the way how their fury should and ought to be repressed and that it is lawfull for the unjustly afflicted to seek support and defence at godly Magistrates for thus he writeth Either must the Verity be kept close or else must their cruelty be sustained But if the Verity should be concealed not onely should none be saved but also should many be lost through their deceit But if by Preaching of the Verity their fury should be provoked more to rage and by that means yet some were delivered and made strong yet should fear hinder many weaklings to follow the Verity if their rage be not stayed In these first words Augustine sheweth three reasons why the afflicted Church in those dayes called for the help of the Emperour and of godly Magistrates against the fury of the persecuters The first The Verity must be spoken or else mankinde shall perish in errour The second The Verity being plainly spoken provoketh the adversaries to rage And because that some did alleadge That rather we ought to suffer all injury then to seek support by man he addeth the third reason to wit That many weak ones be not able to suffer persecution and death for the Truths sake to whom not the lesse respect ought to be had that they may be won from their errour and so be brought to greater strength Oh that the Rulers of this age would ponder and weigh the reasons of this godly Writer and provide the remedy which he requireth in these words following Now when the Church was thus afflicted if any thinke That rather they should have sustained all calamity then that help should have been asked of Christian Emperours by the godly he doth not well to advert That of such negligence no good counts nor reason could be given For where such as would that no just Laws should be made against their impiety alleadge That the Apostles sought no such things of the Kings of the earth they do not consider That the time was other then it is now and that all things are done in their owne time What Emperour then believed in Christ that he should serve him in making Laws for godlinesse against impiety While that saying of the Prophet was compleat Why hath Nations raged and people have imagined vanity The Kings of the earth have stood up and Princes have convened together against the Lord and against his Anoynted That which is after in the same Psalme was not yet come to passe And now understand O ye Kings be learned you that judge the earth serve the Lord in fear and rejoyce to him with trembling How do Kings serve the Lord in feare but in punishing and by a godly severity forbidding those things which are done against the Commandment of the Lord For otherwise doth he serve the Lord in so farre as he is man otherwise in so farre as he is King In so farre as he is a man he serveth him by living faithfully but because he is also King he serveth establishing Laws that command the things that be just and that with a convenient rigour forbid things contrary As Ezechias served destroying the Groves the Temples of Idolls and the places which were builded against Gods Commandment So served also Josias doing the same So the King of the Ninivites compelling the whole City to mitigate the fury of the Lord.
The dead shall not live saith he neither shall the tyrants or the dead arise because thou hast visited and scattered them and destroyed all their memory From this 14 verse unto the end of the 19 it appeareth That the Prophet observeth no order yea that he speaketh things directly repugning one to another For first he saith The dead shall not live After he affirmeth Thy dead men shall live Secondly he saith Thou hast visited and scattered them and destroyed all their memory Immediately after he saith Thou hast increased thy Nation O Lord thou hast increased thy Nation They have visited thee and have poured forth a prayer before thee Who I say would not think that these are things not onely spoken forth of good order and purpose but also manifestly repugning one to another For to live and not to live to be so destroyed that no memoriall remaineth and to be so increased that the coasts of the earth shal be replenished seem to import plain contradiction For removing of this doubt and for better understanding of the Prophets minde we must understand that the Prophet had to do with divers sorts of men he had to do with the conjured and manifest enemies of Gods people the Caldees or Babylonians even so such as professe CHRIST JESUS have to doe with the Turke and Sarazens He had to doe with the Seed of Abraham whereof there were three sorts The ten Tribes all degenerate from the true worshipping of GOD and corrupted with Idolatry as this day are our pestilent Papists in all Realms and Nations there rested onely the Tribe of Iudah at Ierusalem where the form of true Religion was observed the Law taught and Ordinances of God outwardly kept but yet there were in that body I mean in the body of the visible Church a great number that were Hypocrites as this day yet are among us that do professe the Lord Jesus and have refused Papistrie not a few that were licentious livers some that turned their backe to God that is Had forâ—aken all true Religion and som that lived a most abominable life as Ezekiel saith in his vision and yet there were some godly as a few Wheat Cornes oppressed and hid among the multitude of Chaffe Now according to this diversitie the Prophet keepeth divers purposes and yet in most perfect order And first after the first part of the complaint of the afflicted as we have heard in vehemency of spirit he bursteth forth against all the proud enemies of Gods people against all such as trouble them and against all such as mock and forsake God and saith The dead shall not live the proud Giants shall not rise thou hast scattered them and destroyed their memoriall In which words he fighteth against the present temptation and dolorous state of Gods people and against the insolent pride of such as oppressed them as if the prophet should say O ye troublers of Gods people howsoever it appeareth to you in this your bloody rage that God regardeth not your crueltie nor considereth not what vioâ—ence you do to his poor afflicted yet shall ye be visited yea your Carcases shall fall and lie as stinking Carrions upon the face of the earth ye shall fall without hope of life or of a blessed resurrection yea howsoever ye gather your substance and augment your families ye shal be so scattered that ye shall leave no memoriall of you to the posterities to come but that which shall be execrable and odious Hereof have the Tyrants their admonition and the afflicted Church inestimable comfort The Tyrants that do oppresse shall receive the same end that they did which have passed before that is They shall die and fall with shame without hope of resurrection as is foresaid not That they shall not arise to their own confusion and just condemnation but that they shall not recover power to trouble the servants of God neither yet shall the wicked arise as David saith in the Councell of the Just Now have the wicked their Councells their Thrones and finally handling for the most part of all things that are upon the face of the earth but the poor servants of God are reputed unworthy of mens presence envyed mocked yea they are more vile before these proud Tyrants then is the very dirt and mire that is trodden under foot But in that glorious resurrection this state shall be changed for then shall such as now by their abominable living and crueltie destroy the earth and molest Gods children see him whom they have pierced they shall see the glory of such as now they persecute to their terrour and everlasting confusion The remembrance hereof ought to make us patient in the dayes of affliction and so to comfort us that when we see Tyrants in their blinde rage tread under foot the Saints of God that utterly we despaire not as if there were neither Wisdome Justice nor Power above in the Heavens to represse such Tyrants and to redresse the dolours of rhe unjustly afflicted No brethren let us be assured that the right hand of the Lord will change the state of things that be most desperate In our God there is Wisdome and Power in a moment to change the joy and mirth of our enemies into everlasting mourning and our sorrows into joy and gladnesse that shall have no end Let us therefore in these apparent calamities and marvell not that I say calamities apparent for he that seeth not a fire begun that shall burn more then we look for unlesse God of his mercy quench it is more then blinde not bee discouraged but with unfained repentance let us return to the Lord our God let us accuse and condemne our former negligence and stedfastly depend upon his promised deliverance so shall our temporall sorrows be converted into everlasting joy The doubt that might be moved concerning the destruction of those whom God exalteth shall be discussed if time will suffer after that we have passed thorowout the Text now proceedeth the Prophet and saith Thou hast increased the Nations O Lord thou hast increased the Nations thou art made glorious thou hast inlarged all the coasts of the earth Lord in trouble c. In these words the Prophet giveth consolation to the afflicted assuring them That how horrible soever that desolation should be yet should the Seed of Abraham be so multiplied that it should replenish the coasts of the earth yea that God should be more glorified in their affliction then he was during the time of their prosperitie This promise no doubt was incredible when it was made for who could have been perswaded That the destruction of Ierusalem should have been the meanes whereby the Nation of the Iews should have beene increased seeing that much rather it appeared That the overthrow of Ierusalem should have been the very abolishing of the seed of Abraham But we must consider to what end it was that God revealed himself to Abraham and what is
to think that our God beareth lesse love to his Church this day then that he hath done from the beginning For as our God in his own nature is immutable so remaineth his love towards his elect alwayes unchangeable For as in CHRIST JESUS he hath chosen his Church before the beginning of all ages so by him will he maintain and preserve the same unto the end Yea he will quiet the storms and cause the earth to open her mouth and receive those raging flouds of violent waters cast out by the Dragon to drown and carry away the woman which is the spouse of Jesus Christ unto whom God for his own Names â—ake will be the perpetuall Protector This saw that notable servant of Jesus Christ Athanasius who being exiled from Alexandria by that blasphemous Apostata Iulian the Emperour said unto his flock who bitterly wept for his envious banishment Weep not but be of good comfort said he For this little cloud will suddainly vanish A little cloud he called both the Emperour himself and his cruell tyranny And albeit That small appearance there was of any deliverance to the Church of God or yet of any punishment to have apprehended the proud tyrants when the man of God pronounced these words Yet shortly after God did give witnesse That those words did not proceed from flesh nor blood but from Gods very spirit For not long after being in warfare he received a deadly wound whether by his own hand or by one of his own souldiers the Writers cleerly conclude not But casting his own blood against the Heaven he said Vicisti tandem Galilee That is At last thou hast overcome thou Galilean So in despite he termed the Lord Jesus and so perished that tyrant in his own iniquity The storm ceased and the Church of God received now comfort Such shall be the end of all cruell persecuters Their raign shall be short their end miserable and their name shall be left in execrations to Gods people and yet shall the Church of God remain to Gods glory after all storms But now shortly let us come to the last point For behold saith the Prophet the Lord will come out of his place to visit the iniquitie of the Inhabitants of the earth upon them and the earth shall disclose her blood and shall no more hide her slain because that the finall end of the troubles of Gods Chosen shall not be before that the Lord Iesus shall return to restore all things to their full perfection The Prophet bringeth forth the Etenall God as it were from his owne place and habitation and therewith sheweth the cause of his coming to bee That hee might take account of all such as have wrought wickedly for that he meaneth where he saith Hee will visit the iniquity of the inhabitants of the earth upon them And lest that any should thinke That the wrong doers are so many that they cannot bee called to an account he giveth unto the earth as it were an Office and charge to beare witnesse against all those that have wrought wickedly and chiefly against those that have shed innocent blood from the beginning and saith That the earth shall disclose her blood and shall no more hide her slain men If Tyrants of the earth and such as delight in the shedding of blood should be perswaded that this sentence is true they would not so furiously come to their own destruction for what man can be so enraged that he would willingly do even before the eyes of God that which might provoke his Majestie to anger yea provoke him to become his enemy for ever if that he understood how fearfull a thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God The cause then of this blinde fury of the world is the ignorance of God and that men think that God is but an Idoll and that there is no knowledge above that beholdeth their Tyranny neither yet Justice that will nor power that can represse their impiety but yet the Spirit of truth doth witnesse the contrary affirming That as the eyes of the Lord are upon the just and as his ears are ready to receive their sobbing and prayers so is his angry visage against such as work iniquitie he hateth and holdeth in abomination every deceitfull and blood-thirsty man whereof he hath given sufficient document from age to age in preserving the one or at least in revenging of their cause and in punishing of the other Where it is said That the Lord will come from his place and that he will visit the iniquity of the inhabitants of the earth upon them and that the earth shall disclose her blood we have to consider what most commonly hath been and what shall be the condition of the Church of God to wit That it is not onely hated mocked and despised but that it is exposed as it were in a prey unto the fury of the wicked so that the blood of the Children of God is spilt like unto water upon the face of the earth The understanding whereof albeit it be unpleasant to the flesh yet to us it is most profitable lest that we seeing the cruell entreatings of Gods servants begin to forsake the Spouse of Jesus Christ because that she is not so dealt withall in this unthankfull world as the just and upright dealing of Gods Children do deserve But contrariwise for mercy they receive crueltie for doing good to many of all the reprobate they receive evill And this is decreed in Gods eternall Councell that the members may follow the trace of the head to the end that God in his just judgement should finally condemne the wicked for how should he punish the inhabitants of the earth if their iniquitie deserved it not How should the earth disclose our blood if it should not bee unjustly spilt Wee must then commit our selves into the hands of our God and lay downe our neckes yea and patiently suffer our blood to bee shed that the righteous Judge may require account as most assuredly hee shall of all the blood that hath been shed from the blood of Abel the just till the day that the earth shall disclose the same I say every one that sheddeth or consenteth to shed the blood of Gods Children shall be guilty of the whole So that all the blood of Gods children shall crie vengeance not onely in generall but also in particular upon every one that hath shed the blood of any that unjustly suffered And if any thinke it strange that such as live this day can be guilty of the blood that was shed in the dayes of the Apostles let them consider that the verity it selfe pronounced That all the blood that was shed from the dayes of Abel unto the dayes of Zacharie should come upon that unthankfull generation that heard his Doctrine and refused it The reason is evident for as there is two heads and captains that rule over the whole world to wit Jesus Christ the Prince of