resisting Princes and disturbing States in the behalf of Holy Church When such actions make men fit to be joynt purchasers with Christ in the Redemption of the World But when the French Histories say 't was disputed long after in Paris whether he were Damn'd or Sav'd that the Church in her publique Offices should pray to go thither where he is gone to have his Society though it expresse their most infallible assurance of the condition of those men who for their sakes resist the Secular Powers yet O my Soul enter not thou into their counsels in this world neither say a Confederacy to whom they say a Confederacy Much lesse pray to be in their Society who by resisting S. Paul sayes do receive unto themselves Damnation Secondly It is notorious that in their first General Counsel at Lyons Anno 1245. the Emperour Frederick the second by the Sentence of the Pope and the whole Councel after long deliberation and producing several Arguments which they say are not sleight but effectual to prove the suspicion of Heresie is depriv'd of his Empire all his Subjects are absolv'd from their oath of Allegiance and by Apostolical Authority forbidden to obey him Therefore that such things may be done in the cases of Religion hath the Authority of a General Council 't was that Councel that Decreed Red Hats to Cardinals Hats red it seems not onely with the Royal Purple but with the Blood of Kings and of Royalty it self Thirdly I should have urg'd the well known Canon of the General Councel of Lateran the greatest their Church ever boasted of which sayes That if the temporal Lord shall neglect to purge his Territories from such as the Church there declares Hereticks he shall be Excommunicated by the Metropolitan if he do not mend within a year complained of to the Pope that so he may declare his Subjects absolv'd from their Allegiance expose his Lands to be seiz'd by Catholicks who shall exterminate the Hereticks saving the right of the chief Lord Provided he give no impediment to this But the same law shall be observed to those that have no chief Lords that is who are themselves Supreme This I should urge but that some say that penal Statutes which are leges odiosae tantum disponunt quantum loquuntur Therefore this Canon since it does not name Kings it does not they say concern them although 't is plain it do sufficiently enough But that there may be therefore no evasion Fourthly In the General Councel of Constance that part of it I mean that is approv'd by their whole Church The Pope and Councel joyn together in commanding all Arch-Bishops Bishops and Inquisitors to pronounce all such Excommunicate as are declared Hereticks in such and such Articles and that of Transubstantiation half-Communion and the Pope's Supremacy are among them or that favour or defend them or that Communicate with them in publique or in private whether in sacred offices or otherwise â—tiamsi Patriarchali Archiepiscopali Episcopali Regali Reginali Ducali aut aliâ quâvis Ecclesiasticâ aut mundanâ praeâ—uâ—geant dignitate And Commands them also to proceed to Interdicts and deprivation of Dignities and Goods and whatsoevâ—r other Penalties vias modos Thus that Councel though it took away the Peoples right to the Blood of Christ denying them the Cup in the Sacramcâ—t gave them in exchange the Blood of thâ—ir own Kings making them a right to that And that they extend the force of these Canons to the most absolute Princes even to him that pleads exemption most to the King of France is plain because when Sixtus the fifth thundred out his Bulls against the then King of Navarre afterwards King Henry the fourth of France and the Prince of Conde depriving them not onely of their Lands and Dignities but their Succession also to the Crown of France absolving their Subjects from their Oaths forbidding them to obey them he declared he did it to them as to relapsed Hereticks favourers and defenders of them and as such fal'n under the Censures of the Canons of the Church Now there are no other Canons that do take in Kings but these which can touch him for that of Boniface the eighth which sayes the Pope hath power to judge all temporal powers is declared not to extend to France Cap. merâ—it de priviledg in extravag communibus Thus by the publique Acts of their Church and by the Canons of their General Councels we have found in causes of Religion Deprivation of Princes Wars and Bloodshed and the other confequent Miseries are establisht Rebellion encouraged by a Law And if Rebellion he as the sin of Witchcrast then we know what manner of Spirit they are of that do encourage it sure witches have no spirit but the Devil for familiar But the Church of England on the other side in her publique Doctrine set down in the Book of Homilies establisht in the 39. Articles of her Religion says in expresse words that it is not lawful for Inferiours and Subjects in any case to resist and stand against the Superiour Powers that we must indeed believe undoubtedly that we may not obey Kings Magistrates or any other if they would command us to do any thing contrary to Gods Commands In such a case we ought to say with the Apostle we must rather obey God than Man But nevertheless in that case we may not in any wise withstand violently or rebell against Rulers or make any Insurrection Sedition or Tumults either by force of Arms or otherwise against the Annoynted of the Lord or any of his Officers 1 Book of Hom. 2 part of Serm. of Obed. Not for Reformation of Religion for what a Religion 't is that such men by such means would restore may easily be judged even as good a Religion surely as Rebells be good men and obedient Subjects 2 Book of Hom. 4. part of the Serm. against wil ful rebellion The very same thing is defined in the first of the Constitutions and Canons Ecclesiastical of the year 1640. for Subjects to bear Arms against their King offensive or defensive upon any pretence whatever is at least to resist the Powers which are ordâ—in'd of God and though they do not invade but only resist S. Paul tells them plainly he that resists receives unto himself damnation This was the Doctrine of the Church in those her Constitutions although there was no Parl. then sitting to enact these Canons into Lawes yet since that time the Law of England is declar'd to say the same and we obliged by it to acknowledge that it is not Lawful upon any pretence whatsoever to take up Arms against the King by this Parliament whose memory shall be for ever blessed And now it is not hard to know what manner of Spirit our Church is of even that Spirit that anoynts the Lords Anoynted that is which
like our Disciples that would call for fire from Heaven on the Village that rejected Christ these will raise up fire from Hell to consume their own Prince and his Progeny the whole line of Royalty the Church and Nation also in their representative and all this onely for refusing him that calls himself Christ's Vicar There are I must confesse among them that renounce the practice and say 't was the devise only of some few desperate male contents wicked Catholiques and design'd by the Devil And they will allow their Father Garnett to have had no other guilt but that he did not discover it having received it in Confession And this gives me occasion to propose a story to your patience and conjectures Not long before the time of this attempt a Priest of the Society of Jesus in a Book he publisht does propose this case of Conscience Whether a Priest may make use of what he hath learnt in Confession to aveâ—t great impendent mischiefs to the Government as for Example One confesses that himself or some other had laid Gun powder and other things under such an House and if they be not taken thence the House will be burnt the Prince must perish all that passe throughout the City will be either certainly destroy'd or in great peril and resolves it thus 'T is the most probable and safe opinion and the more suitable to Religion and to that reverence which is due to the Sacrament of Confession that it is not lawful to make use of this his knowledge to that end That his Holiness Clement the 8. had just before by a Bull sent to the Superiours of the Regulars commanded most studiously to beware they make not use of any thing which they come to know by Confession to the benefit of the secular Government He adds that in cases of Confession the Priest must not reveal though death be threatned to him but may say he knows it not nor ever heard it quia rever à non scit nec andivit ut homo seu pars reipub Tea he may swear all this if he but mentally reserve so as to tell you 'T is Del Rio in 6th Book of his Mag. dis 1. Cap. Sec. 2. It seems 't is safer to break all the obligations to Allegiance and to truth his duty and his oaths the Princes and Gods bonds than the Seal of Confession But I did not mention this to let you see the kindness these men have to Princes and their Government I shall avoid producing any the opinions of particular persons howsoever horrid in my arguments this day but I onely ask whether it be not very probable this instance was the thing to be attempted on this day Whether the resolution was not publisht the Pope's Bull if not made yet produc't at least to caution any Priest that should receive it in Confession and should be so honest as to abhor the Fact yet from betraying it and hindring the Execution of it If it were the case this was not then any rash attempt of some few desperate malecontents but a long contrivance and of many heads and its taking its effect was the great care of their Church Well they are even with us yet and lay as horrid Projects to the charge of Protestants Among our other Controversies this is one whether are the worse Subjects bloody sayings are produc't from Authours on both sides yea there is the Image of both Churches Babel and Jerusalem drawn by a Catholique Pen and then you may be sure all Babell's divisions and confusions make the draught of ours and are said to be the issue of the Protestant Doctrines Whereas such things though countenanc't by some particular Authours of their Church were never own'd by any publique Act or Doctrine of a general Councel to which they provoke us I must needs confesse our Calendar can shew a thirtieth of January as well as a fifth of November There are indeed that say the Romanists hatcht that dayes guilt and challenge any man to call them to account for saying so But whether so or not which Churches Doctrines such things are more suited to I will now put to tryal that we may know what Spirit each is of And I will try it by the publique Acts and most establisht Doctrines of the Churches and here undertake to shew the Church of England most expresly does declare against all practises against the Prince for the cause of Religion But the Romish in those acts wherein she hath most reason to expect infallibility of Spirit also in the publique Acts of the Church representative in General Counsels does abett the doing them not onely for Religion but for the cause of Holy Church First If the Church of Rome have reason to expect infallible assistance of the Spirit in any case it is as much in Canonizing of a Saint as in any other it being as unhappy to determine a false Object for Religious Worship to their Church as a false Article of Faith there is as much need that there should be an infallible proposal of the one as other for when she does Decree by the Authority of the Omnipotent God such a one is a Saint receiv'd in Glory and so renders him the object of their Worship if he should chance to be a Reprobate to cause the People to fall prostrate to the Shrine of one that 's damn'd and call his flames to warm Gods Altar and the Votaries breast to make the whole Church worship one that is in Hell is lyable to greater aggravations of impiety than an erroneous opinion in very many of their points of Faith can be But it is known their Church hath Canoniz'd one of this Nation Becket who though he was indeed illegally and barbarously Murthered yet 't is not the Suffering but the Cause that makes the Martyr now he did not fall a Sacrifice for his Religion but was slain because he did disturb the State by suspending all the Bishops that upheld the Kings just cause against him so that neither King nor State could live in peace for him for opposing also those Lawes which himself had sworn to Lawes that were not onely truly Soveraign Rights but are maintain'd even unto this day as Priviledges by the Gallican Church and they not branded for so doing In a word he was slain for those actions which his own Bishops condemned him for as a perjur'd man and a Traitour And for persisting in them to the death he was Sainted Now whatever the estate of this man be in the next World I meddle not with that Yet for disobedience and Rebellion to place one in Heaven whence for those things Lucifer did fall does seem to shew what Spirit they are of that Canonize such Saints For the Church to pray to Christ that by the wounds of this Saint he would remit their sins does expresse what rate their Church does set upon the merits of
Commissions them Gods Spirit as we find it phras'd in Scripture And 't is obvious to each eye that there is much more resemblance betwixt present Rome and the Image of Babylon as S. John hath drawn it in the Revelations than there is of Babel and the Church of England as to those Confusions which seditious Doctrines make as the Romanists pourtrai'd her But far be it from me to conclude hence that all of their Communion do allow their Doctrines Though they stand on the same bottom that their Faith of half Communion and Transubstantiation do even Acts of the same Counsels yet I doubt not multitudes of loyal Souls of this our Nation do abhorr the Tenents by what Rule of theirs I know not I confesse Nor shall I enquire what Security a Prince can have of the Allegiance of those who by the most infallible Rules of their Religion can be loyal onely on Condition by the leave of those who are his Enemies on whose will and power all their Oaths and duty are depending If the most essential interest of Princes will not move them to consider this sure I am I shall not undertake it But I shall take the confidence out of the premises to infer that no Religion in the World does more provide for the security of Kings than the Christian as it is profest in our Church does And when we see the Interest of the Crown and Church were twisted by God in the preservations of this day nor could be separated in the late dismal Confusions but died and reviv'd together in the resurrection they that hate the execrable mischiefs of those times or love the Crown or do not come to mock God when they come to give him thanks for his great glorys of this day cannot choose but have good will for our Sion cannot have an unconcernedness for this Religion a cold indifference to it or any other which where-ere it is alas I fear betrayes too openly indifference and unconcernednesse for Religion it self For if I should appeal to our most Sceptick Statists and not beg one Principle of a Religion but take their own Religion was contriv'd they say by pretending to engage a Gòd to uphold his Vicegerent and by putting after everlasting punishments before mens fears for they saw present ones restrained not Treason was contriv'd I say to uphold States Then that must be the best with them that best upholds and then I have evinc't the Christian is secure as 't is profest by our Church But then shame to those who to gratifie their lusts meerly labour to perswade themselves and others there is no such thing in earnest as a Resurrection to punishments who by publique raillery in sacred things and turning all to merriment endeavour to take off the sense of all Religion and have done it in great measure and so thrown down the best Basis on which Government subsists which they themselves confess was necessary to be fram'd on purpose for it For if there be no after fears he that is stronger than to need to fear the present may rebell kill Kings These Atheists are Fanaticks I am sure in Politicks more trayterous than our mad Enthusiasts or than the Canons of the Popish Councels To these Sadduces in Christianity we may say ye know not what spirit ye are of who know not whether there be any Spirit But it is indeed because they are all flesh themselves But then if the works of the flesh be manifest adultery fornication seditions heresies murders drunkenness c. we know what manner of Spirit they are of even the spirit that did enter into the Swine the Legion indeed of Spirits one Spirit is not Devil enough to animate the flesh into so many of those works But the fruits of the Spirit that Gospel Spirit which we Christians are of are love peace long-suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance joy in the Holy Ghost and they that do bring forth such fruits are baptised indeed with the Holy Ghost and if with fire fire that came down from Heaven too 't was onely to consume their drosse that they may be pure mettal fit as for the King's Inscription meek Christians good Subjects so for Gods Image to be stampt upon that is renewed in Kighteousnesse and true Holynesse Fire this that will sublime our very flesh into spiritual body that we may begin here that incorruptible which our corruptible must put on when our vile Bodies shall be made like to the glorious Body of our Saviour To which state that Spirit which rais'd up Jesus from the dead bring us by quickning our mortal Bodies To whom c. SERMON XI CHRIST-CHURCH IN OXFORD Novemb. 8. 1665. Being the Monthly Fast-day for the Plague LUKE XVI 30. 31. Nay Father Abraham but if one went unto them from the dead they will repent And he said unto him If they hear not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be perswaded though one rose from the dead THat God who purchas'd for us the possibilities of Repentance with the Son of his Bosom and requires nothing more in exchange of the Blood and Life of Christ but some unfeigned tears and reformation of our lives that He should be contriving methods to bring men to Repentance is nothing strange for this is but to take care that all that ever he hath done for them be not in vain and lost But that in Hell a place which nothing but Repentance can destroy there should be such designs seems strange yet not if we consider the condition of the place whose Torments are not onely of so dire a nature that he that is condemned to them would be alone in them but were made so dire on purpose that they might be preservatives against themselves nothing being judged more effectual to terrifie men from those pains than the exceeding greatness of those pains which he that feels thinks the relation alone will do for he said Nay Father Abraham but if one went unto them from the dead they will repent c. The words do willingly suggest occasion for several Inquiries and some of those of the nicer and more curious kind but truly I shall not attend to those suggestions but shall choose to handle a few of the most obvious and popular Considerations that the words break into and they are three First the Rich man's Charity to his Brethren his unsatisfied desire and care that they may be brought to Repentance expressed in these words Nay Father Abraham though they have Moses and Prophets yet let them have one method more Secondly we have here his choice of that method that which he thought would do though nothing else would in these words If one went unto them from the dead they will repent In the handling of which we shall examine what the grounds were upon which this Rich man was so confident that that would work upon them and here we find he chose with several advantages First One from