of him Rulers were not sent indeed but as it were sent Which is so shallow a shift that it is not worth the confuting Of like moment is the other which Innocent and the Glosse hath in the same place that it is a Counsell and not a Commandement for the Lords sake If we will supererogate we may but we are not bound Whereas it is euident to euery one that hath but halfe his eye open that Saint Peter hath the same meaning that St. Paul namely to yeeld obedience not only for feare of man and of punishment but also and especially for loue towards God and for conscience sake But I haue stood ouerlong vpon this point of the Romish Gospell touching the authority of the Bishop of that See and touching his shamelesse eluding of such places as make for the Princes Soueraignty It is well said by Optatus Cùm supra Imperatorem not sit nisi solus Deus c. Forasmuch as there is none aboue the Emperour but onely God who made the Emperour while Donatus exâ—olleth himselfe aboue the Emperour he had now as it were exceeded the bounds to esteeme himselfe as God and not as man c. Let him of Rome thinke that of Optatus to be spoken to himselfe and so I leaue him for that matter What if I should now enter vpon an Antithesis betweene other points of the Romish Gospell and the true Gospell of our Sauiour Christ should there not be matter of shame and confusion ministred to our Aduersaries and to vs of glory and reioycing Their Doctrine of the Head of the Church militant you heare is carnall while they reioyce in a thing of naught and make flesh their arme also seditious while they will haue him to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to meddle out of his Dioces and to haue an Oare in euery Princes Boate. Now what is their Doctrine of the body it selfe the Church what of the food thereof the Word what of the badges and seales thereof the Sacraments what of the Keyes thereof the power of binding and loosing what of the exercise thereof prayer and fasting what of the life thereof Faith in the Sonne of God what of the Iustifier and Sauiour thereof Iesus Christ and that with that one bloody Sacrifice of his body and blood once for all c As Tertullian saith De praescript Ipsa Doctrina eorum cum Apostolica comparata ex diuer sitate contrarietate suapronuntiabit non Apostoli alicuius authoris esse neque Apostolici c. Their Doctrine it selfe being compared with the Apostles Doctrine by the diuersity and contrariety thereoâ— will pronounce that it came not from any Apostle nor Apostolike man So if wee lust to enter the comparison wee shall soone finde how much their Doctrine differeth from the Gospell and how agreeable ours is to it We teach that Christs true Church being his body and a Communion of Saints consisteth onely of such as belong to God They that it comprehendeth bad as well as good Reprobate as well as Elect They that the visible Church is discerned by multitudes and succession of Bishops c. We that it should be rather by purity of Doctrine and sincerity of ministring the Sacraments Whether truer and more consonant to the Gospell of Christ Doth not our Sauiour teach that when he commeth he shall scarsely find faith in the earth Where then be multitudes and the visibility thereof Doth not Saint Paul that after his departure there should enter grieuous Woolues What reckoning then of Succession Malè vâ—s pariâ—tum amor caepit c. Your loue that you beare to the walls of the Church is but a bad loue You doe euill to reuerence the Church by roofes and buildings c. Anné ambiguum est in ijs Antichristum esse sessurum Is there any doubt but Antichrist will sit there Montes mihi Spinae Lacus Carceres Voragines tutiores sunt iâ— illis enim Prophetae aut manentes aut demersi Dei Spiritu prophetabant Mountaines and Woods and Lakes and Prisons and deepe Caues are safer for me I may more safely haue recourse to them for direction and safety for in them the Prophets did either abide or being drencht there did prophecy Thus Hilary against Auxenâ—ius As for the Word the Food of the Church how many wayes blessed God! doe they adulterate it or make it vnprofitable and so make it no Gospell at all They equall their Traditions they call them the Apostles Traditions but while they cannot shew them in the writings of the Apostles Non accipio quod extra Scripturam de tuo infers as Tertullian saith with the written Word of God So doth the Councell of Trent yea the Decretall Epistles of the Popes Inter Canonicas Scripturas Decretales Epistolae connumerantur So hath my Gratian dist 19. in the Title and the Glosse also taketh it so I know not whether they be ashamed of it and haue corrected it in the later Editions This is one way Againe they keepe it in an vnknowne tongue as it were vnder locke and key or a booke that is sealed or if it be translated by Godly Learned men they storme as much as Alexander did when he heard that Aristotles bookes wherein he would be onely cunning were published nay as much as Herod was troubled and all Ierusalem with him vpon the newes that Christ was borne for that now their Kingdome was neere to an end They pretend that it is not well translated by our men and therefore they are so much against it but why doe not they translate it better Why in their forty seuen yeeres of leisure for so many it is since they left their Country haue they set forth the New Testament onely and that in such sort as all men may plainely see how much against their hearts it is that the people should haue any knowledge of the Word of God whereby they might discouer reproue the falshood of their Doctrine They that would not haue a Lyon or an Elephant to stirre they hudwinke them They of Mitelene when they would vse their subiects like slaues and oppresse them with tyrannie tooke order that they should not put their sonnes to schoole and that they might learne nothing witnesse Aelianus The like practice Nahash the Ammonite attempted with them of Iabesh-Gilead That if they would haue peace they must buy it with their right eyes If you will haue this applyed take the simplest of the people and make them applyers Their Kingdome is a Kingdome of darkenesse dumbe Images for their Teachers dumbe signes in the Masse for their Preachers dumbe or not-vnderstood Seruice for their deuotion c. And therefore without darkenesse and ignorance it cannot be vpholden Come we to the Doctrine of the Keyes of the Church Christ deliuered to Peter and in him to all the Apostles as Origen Cyprian Chrysostome Augustin and which not of the ancient Fathers doe teach the Keyes
nourishing and ripening of our wits let vs not suffer them to continue whole and vnaltered but let vs concoct them and digest them otherwise they will be for our memory onely and not for our wit To this effect he And to the same purpose say I Let vs not be like those filthy belly-gods that swallow downe their meate whole without masticating and passe away their drinke without any concoction as they receiued it in This is not to feed so on the word of God that we may grow thereby no but hauing once taken it into the stomack of our soule by the vertue attractiue we must there heate it and cherish it by the vertue retentiue yea as the veines of our Liuer doe not suffer the nutriment that wee haue receiued to abide still in the stomack but doe sucke out of the same that which is wholesome and conuey it to the Liuer by the veines whereof it is turned into blood so it becommeth a godly soule not to suffer any part of the Word which he heareth to passe away without fruite but to apply the same to his heart and conscience and to make vse of the same both for beliefe and sanctimony But let vs returne to our Apostle I am not ashamed c. If any might lawfully be ashamed thereof a man would thinke Saint Paul might for had hee not beene zealous of the traditions of the Fathers was he not a Pharisee the son of a Pharisee did he not persecute this way euen to the death did he not make hauocke of the Church of God how then could he without note of inconstancy change his note and sing a new song How could he goe about to plant the Doctrine which before he pluckt vp preach the faith which before he destroyed Indeed if hee had stood vpon the day of man or vpon mans iudgement if he had stood vpon his credit in the world his reputation with his friends his rising and aduancement in dignity his pleasure his profit he might in some sort haue smote vpon his thigh and couered his face for sorrow and shame that by giuing his name to the Gospell he had stript himselfe of all worldly comforts and aduantages But now Saint Paul cared not for any of these things neither was his life deare vnto him so that hee might fulfill his course He was carefull to please him that had chosen him to be a Souldier chosen him to his calling and for other respects he stood not vpon them yea the things that might haue beene vantage to him he counted them losse for Christs sake yea he iudged them to be dung that he might winne Christ. This was the Apostles resolution and was not the same a godly one and a wise and to be imitated by vs all There are and euer haue beene some who into what perswasion soeuer Quasi tempestate delati sunt they haue beene carryed by whatsoeuer wind of vanity or superstition of their friends or subtlety of seducers the same they thinke themselues bound to retaine and maintaine euen for constancy sake Haue I beene so long of this opinion now shall I change what will men say What foolish men say it is no matter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 said Cleanthes by the testimony of Clemens Alexandrinus Feare not vniudicious and impudent iudgement of the multitude And Saint Paul I if I should please men were not the seruant of Iesus Christ But now I will tell you whose speeches you should feare Feare them that shew themselues to feare God and to haue a right iudgement in all things that haue their wits exercised in the Word and doe proue what is the good will of God and acceptable and perfect these mens verdict seemeth to be of great moment and to giue light to that inquest that passeth of life and death truth and error Therefore if those condemne you for altering of your course I cannot blame you to starkle but now there is no such matter wise men teach and haue euer taught that it is not so much to bee enquired How long either he or our Fathers haue held an opinion but How consonant the same is to Gods reuealed will That must be the Touch-stone of our faith and the Load-stone of our perswasion Quum nobis intenditis auer sionem à Religione priorum causam conuenit vt inspiciatis non factum nec quid reliquerimus opponere sed secuti quid simus potissimùm contueri saith Arnobius When you obiect to vs our falling away from the Religion of our Elders you ought to consider the cause and not the fact not to tell vs what we haue left but to marke what we haue followed So he There is a way that seemeth to be old and yet it was but lately found out in comparison Againe there is a way that seemeth to be but of yesterday and yet it was but purged and renued then it was not then made What was Mishnah to Mâ—rah 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to Deuteronomy that is to say the leauen of the Scribes and Pharises to the sweet bread of Moses and the Prophets yet for all that the same was dubbed with the honorable title of the Tradition of the Elders Math. 15. yea and equalled for esteeme with that which was knowne and confessed to be the vndoubted Word of God On the contrary side what more ancient then the Doctrine of the Gospell which hath testimony from the Law and the Prophets yea before the Law was written yea before the first Adam was cast out of Paradise it was yet for all that we find Mark 1. that all amazed they asked What new Doctrine is this Christs owne preaching was accused of nouelty so we haue heard already how Saint Paul was accused to be a setter forth of new Deuils or gods for the gods of the Gentiles were Deuils and the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and signifieth either a good Angell or a bad and so in the Primitiue time it was one of the ordinary obiections of the Pagans Why your Sect began but in the later time of the raigne of Tiberius was all the world deceiued till then Had God no care of the people before c To whom the Father 's answered in those times as Learned men doe in our times First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Old Singers be not alwayes true Singers And Austine or an ancient Writer bearing his name Per traducem antiquitatis commendatur fallacia Falshood and guile is many times commended through the Pipe or deuices of antiquity Secondly thatour Religion is wroÌ„ged when it is charged to be new Non quod sequimur nouum est sed nos serò didiscimus quidnam sequi oporteat colere c. That which we follow is not new but wee haue learned but of late what wee ought tofollow worship c. Thirdly Reuelatione sacta veritatis cedat error veritaâ—i c. The
yea this is the image of the afflicted state of the Church here in this world These things haue I spoken vnto you saith Christ Iohn 16. that in me yee mighht aue peace In him indeed the Church hath peace that is comfort of the Spirit and assurance of their reconcilement to God according to that which Saint Paul hath Being iustified by faith we haue peace with God through Iesus â—hrist our Lord Rom. 5. In the world yee shall haue affliction yea affliction vpon affliction â—heâ—eof you shall not know the morning as the Prophet saith nor yet the euening The Children of Israel when they had escaped the red Sea and seene their enemies the Egyptians dead they thought all was cocke-sure and therefore sang Epicinia songs of reioycing for the victory But what followed within a while The Lord stirred vp another enemy against them from out their bowels as it were which was hunger and this pinched them sorer they thought then the Egyptian But was this the last No after the hunger came thirst and this made them to murmure as much as the former and after the thirst came fiery Serpents and fire and Pestilence and Amalekites and Madianites and what not Thus hath it beene with the Church not onely vnder the Law but also vnder Christ as it might be easily declared vnto you Neither hath it beene better with the seuerall members thereof they likewise haue beene made conformable to the body and to the Head What a fight of temptations did Abraham endure so Iacob so Ioseph so the Patriarkes so the Prophets Yea and all they that would liue godly in Christ Iesus though their sorrow in the end were turned to ioy yet they wept and lamented first Though they were brought at the length to a wealthy place yet they passed thorow fire and water first And thus much doth Hierome I remember paint forth in the life of Paul the Eremite and of Hilarion whether they were Stories or fables Anthony is directed to seeke out one more perfect then himselfe that is as I interpret it the true and perfect way which bringeth a man to happinesse but what meeteth he by the way what obstacles must he encounter with First a Hippocentaure This is Tyranny secondly a Satyre this is voluptuousnesse thirdly a shee-Wolfe this is hunger and thirst lastly the scorching of the Sunne and the pricking of bushes and the cragginesse of clefts and the wastnesse of a wildernesse whereby are meant all kinds of crosses and bitternesses This in the life of Paul So in the life of Hilarion he telleth that to the said Hilarion were presented many fearefull things which he was forced to heare and see roarings of Lyons and the noyse of an Army and a Charet of fire comming vpon him and Wolues and Foxes and Sword-players and wicked women and I cannot tell what These and the like be the exercises of a Christian Souldier and from all these he is deliuered in the end howsoeuer he be tryed with them for a season if need so require Well you heare how as it was said of Hezekiah Moreouer more troubles in the middest of his Raigne besides those which he suffered in the beginning and vpward more and more so it may be said of all the Children of God They are troubled on euery side from time to time fightings without feares within And therefore if wee would be counted children there is no cause that we should count it for a strange thing if the like temptation take hold on vs. But I may not stand so long vpon euery circumstance The next thing that I will come vnto shall be the person of Sennacherib and his acts mentioned in the Text. Hee came vp against all the strong Cities of Iudah and tooke thâ—m What did hee take all euery one No for then Lachish being a City of Iudah had beene taken which yet he was in besieging himselfe yea and then too Hierusalem had beene taken before it was besieged by them whom he sent But by All is meant in this place a great many as it is also in diuers other places of the Scripture All the Cattell of Egypt dyed Exod. 9. and yet Pharaoh had a great number of horses to chase the Children of Israel with So Iohn 3. He to whom thou bearest witnesse behold he baptizeth and all men come vnto him All that is an exceeding great number otherwise if you will vnderstand it De singulis generum What place in the world is so great that it could containe the hundreth part of the commers I will spend no more time in opening the litterall sense For the morall sense or that which may be picked out for our instruction thus we may profit by the example of Sennacherib First he and his Souldiers may teach vs what a dangerous thing it is for any people to entertaine strangers into their Land to helpe them against their enemies and to fight their battels for them They that doe so commonly pull more vpon them with one hand then they can put off with both They may come in readily for your pleasure but they will not goe forth so easily The men of Iudah in Ahaz his time thought they had dealt politickly to get the Assyrians to take their part against the Israelites and those others that fought against them but what sayes the Oracle of God 2. Chron. 28. verse 20. Tiglath Pilnesser King of Ashur came vnto Ahaz but he troubled him and did not strengthen him yea though Ahaz gaue him great gifts yet it helped him not Why might one say Tiglath Pilnesser inuaded the enemies of Ahaz both them of Israel and them of Aram and made a great slaughter of their people and a great spoile of their Countries therefore it would seeme that hee strengthned him greatly in thus reuenging him of his enemies and weakening of their forces Thus indeed it would seeme at the first blush and to a simple man but the Prophet as a man of another kind of reach had a respect vnto the end and to the mischiefe that came thereby For the Assyrians tasting by this meanes the goodnesse of the Land and the weakenesse of the people thought both that the Countrey was too good a Countrey for circumcised ones and the people vnworthy to enioy their liberty and therefore sought by all meanes from time to time to bring them vnder their yoke Thus profitable was Ahaz to his Countrey by hyring of the Assyrians And surely in like sort haue they sped and in like sort haue they benefited their Countrey whosoeuer haue sought in any age either to defend themselues or to reuenge themselues by strange forces I cannot tell whether it be worth while to bring forth examples because they be so common as that which is most common The Britans hyred the Saxons against the Picts and Scots how sped they After that the Saxons had serued the Britans turne a while they serued their owne turne of
grind him to powder For this cause we must be subiect not onely for feare but also for conscience sake nor onely to the King as to the chiefe but also to Rulers as to them that be appointed by him for the punishment of those that doe ill and praise of them that doe well His pleasure if it could be knowne should be a kind of law vnto vs his law when it is promulgated should tye vs by a kind of oath of Alleageance Laudo fidem saith Tertullian quae ante credit obsâ—ruandum esse quam didicit I like of such a faith as beleeueth it ought to obserue this or that before it hath learned the euident reason thereof This hath place in some mysteries of Religion and so in some State-matters a kind of simple obedience is many times necessary but Tergiuersation and reasonings and murmurings and contentiousnesse they must be done away with all vnquietnesse What a motiue is this to induce vs to study by all meanes to giue content to our higher Powers for that we may say of them truly which the flattering Oratour said of the Romane Gouernour falsely Act. 24. By their meanes we enioy much peace and many worthy things are done to our Nation by their prouidence and for that we may say with the words of my Text that they sitting on the Throne of Iudgement doe scatter away all euill What doe they doe They scatter away What doe they scatter away Euill all euill It is said of Christ that he hath his Fan in his hand and will thorowly purge his floore c. Math. 3. The like office is here ascribed to a King a good King that he hath his Fan in his hand and before he doe scatter he doth Fan sift winnow trie for that is implyed in the originall word Zarah so then hee doth not scatter away all causes and persons that are brought before him the righteous as well as the vnrighteous like the cruell Tyrant that cryed out A Calvo ad calvum To the pot with them euery mothers sonne and as Benhadad proclaimed Whether they be come out for peace take them aliue or whether they be come out to fight take them yet aliue make bond-men of them all spare none And briefly as Henricus Stephanus writeth of a Iudge that his manner was when an old fellow was brought before him vpon suspition of felony to say Away with him hang him he hath committed many a felony I warrant you if a young fellow were brought Away with him too hang him he will commit many a felony if he be suffered I say good Gouernours doe not goe thus rashly to worke and as it were by whole-sale but they will separate the precious from the vile as the Prophet speaketh and weigh all things in the ballance of Prudence and will order their Iudgement with discretion as Isaak would not blesse his sonne before he had felt him and Salomon full wisely found out the true mother by tendring an offer and Claudius the Emperour almost as wisely found out the true son by making the like offer witnesse Suetonius in Claudio Ch. 15. Thus by searching they found out who hath right on his side who not who deserue punishment who reward then accordingly they proceed to Iudgement and scatter away all euill All Euill If all euill then the euill that is in the Tribe of Leui as well as in other Tribes Here then the Kings Supremacy ouer all persons is proued againe if all euill then the euill of impiety against the first Table as well as of iniquity against the second Table here then the Kings Supremacy in all causes is vouched What if Gallio and Festus in the Acts of the Apostles did put from them or did not care to meddle with Church-matters and matters of faith They were both Pagans and neither of them a member of the Church much lesse head of any Church So what if Constantine the Great tooke so little vpon him in the Councell of Nice albeit that Councell and others were conuocated by his authority and in that Councell he commanded the books of the Old New Testament to be produced forth tryall of controuersies What if Valentinian the second did endure to heare of Ambrose Ad Imperatorem palatia pertinent ad Sacerdotem Ecclesiae that is The Emperour hath to doe in his Palaces but the Bishop or Priest in Churches why Constantine and Valentinian were both Neophytes or young Schollers in the faith and neither of them as yet baptized Should this be a barre either to Theodosius the Great or to Martianus or to Iustinian or to Carolomannus or to his nephew Charles the Great or to the Othoes Fredericks Henries or to the Kings of France England Scotland Denmarke Swedeland or to such Princes and States that haue Iura Regalia that they should not make Lawes for the aduancement of the true faith and Seruice of God for the abolishing of Idolatry for the curbing of superstition for the rooting out of Heresies for the punishing of blasphemous and seditious Heretickes Briefly for the maintenance of the Ministery and for the inioyning of Ministers to their duty and so forth What reason in the world against this or that Princes should looke for a Commission and as it were an Oracle from Rome This for instruction So for Institution or admonition a word or two had need to be spoken for as S. Peter prophesied that in the last times there should come mockers walking after their owne lusts and saying Where is the promise of Christs comming or presence so peraduenture in this prophane age some will demand prophanely Where is the truth of Salomons assertion He saith That a King sitting in the Throne of Iudgement scattereth away all euill Now it is euident that the King sitteth on the Throne of Iudgement by himselfe and others carefully and Iustice was neuer better administred without respect of persons or Country and yet we see not all euils scattered away For when say some was there more impiety iniquity impurity in the world Quando maior avaritiae patuit sinus alea quando hos animos c. that is When was there more couetousnesse more deceiuing and cogging when was there more gluttony and drunkennes chambring and wantonnes strife and enuying neither can they be content to be drunke with wine and strong drinke as in former ages but they must be drunke euery day and almost euery houre of the day with smoake a sinne that our Elders heard not of Neither are they that weare soft clothing in Kings Courts onely as it is said in the Gospell but they iet it not onely in soft clothing but in cloth of gold and of siluer euen in townes and villages and many haue more vpon their backs then they are worth in their coffers Further euery man hunteth his brother as with a net as the Prophet saith Euery one catcheth his fellow seruant by the throate
It is not in heauen that you should say who shall ascend thither and fetch it vs neither is it beyond the Sea that you should say who shall bring it vs thence But what saith the Scripture The Word is very neere vnto vs we may helpe our selues and saue our skinnes if we will Doe well embrace holinesse purity righteousnesse keepe your selues innocent from the great offences free from presumptuous sinnes Giue vnto Caesar the things that are Caesars obedience honour feare c. then there is no danger nor feare Rulers are not fearefull to them that doe well but to them that doe ill To this effect speaketh Saint Paul in my Text Agreeable to that which Saint Peter hath Who is he that will harme you if ye be followers of that which is good My method shall be this First I will consider with you what Rulers be here meant Secondly to what persons and for what causes they be fearefull Touching the first Some Romanists will haue no way but that Saint Paul speaking of Rulers and Powers as he doth here in this Chapter doth comprehend not onely Ciuill but Ecclesiasticall Rulers Euen such as the Apostle speaketh of 13. Helr Obey them that haue the rule ouer you and submit your selues for they watch for your soules as they that must giue account but herein I make no doubt but they are deceiued First Chrysostome to whom themselues attribute much and indeed he deserueth respect from all commenting vpon this place of Saint Paul ranketh Ecclesiastikes euen the greatest of them among them that are to yeeld obedience to the Higher powers therefore themselues cannot be the Higher powers here meant For as no man can be father and sonne in one respect no more can he be Superiour and inferiour Now Chrysostomes words be these Though thou be an Apostle though an Euangelist though a Prophet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Yea whosoeuer thou art thou must be obedient to the Higher powers He addeth a reason for obedience doth not ouerthrow piety that is It is no disgrace to the highest degree in the Church to yeeld obedience to the Prince and to his authority to this effect Chrysostome out of whose words we may conclude thus with Bernard If an Apostle must be subiect then the Apostolike he I meane of Rome that claimeth from the Apostle Peter he must be subiect much rather for Peter could not leaue to his Successor a higher and freer estate than he had himselfe But this he left vnto him Solicitudinem Ecclesiarum as the same Bernard saith a care for the Church Bernard is bold and addeth Planum est Apostolis interdicitur dominatus that is It is euident the Apostles are forbidden to domineere Goe your wayes therefore and vsurpe vnto your selfe being a Successor of the Apostle a Lordly domineering you must leaue one of them either Lordlinesse or Apostolickenesse you may not vse both Thus Bernard But we haue a greater testimony than of Bernard or of Chrysostome either the very letter of my Text if you looke vnto it thorowly doth plainely euict that the Apostle speaketh preciseâ—y of the obedience that is due to the Ciuill Magistrate Hilarie hath a good rule Dictorum intelligentia aut ex praeposilis aut ex consequentibus expectetur that is The meaning of Texts of Scripture ought to be gathered either from that which went before or from that that followes after and to like purpose speake the Rabbins He that takes vpon him to interpret a place in the Scripture and doth not marke Mah tegamalah umah lemattah that is What is aboue and what is below he peruerteth the words of the liuing God What is aboue ye haue seene already and ye haue heard the Collection of Chrysostome and of Bernard namely that subiection from the Highest Minister of the Church without any exemption or priuiledge for them at Rome is required Now the same appeareth more plaine by that which followeth For doth not the Apostle make it manifest in the fourth verse that he speaketh of that Ruler that beareth the Sword Now to whom doth that belong doth it belong to any but to the Ciuill Ruler Indeed Boniface the eighth he flourished and braued it with his Ecce duo gladij Behold here are two swords said Peter therefore said Boniface I am the highest Prince not onely the highest Priest Emperour at the least specially in the vacancy Also Iohn Archbishop of Millaine shewed himselfe with a Crosse in one hand and a Sword in the other as though it belonged to him to play Rex and to play the warriour but indeed these were exorbitances and enormities from the prescript of Christ from the beginning it was not so They should haue remembred that the weapons of our warfare are not carnall yet mighty through God to the pulling downe of strong holds c. and the sword that they should haue taken was the sword of the Spirit the Word of God which entreth in to the diuiding asunder of the soule and spirit and of the ioynts and marrow c. This would better become the Successor or follower of Peter that was bid by his Lord to put vp the materiall sword into his sheath But we may say vnto him as Bernard said to one of his predecessors In his successisti non Petro sed Constantino that is In these things you shew your selfe not the Successor of Peter but of Constantine This therefore is one reason whereby we may proue the Ciuill Ruler precisely to be meant for that he is said to beare the Sword Another and the same a strong one may be gathered out of the sixth verse where the paying of Tribute is mentioned Now Tribute is not due to any but to them that haue Iura Regalia which no Church-man euer could claime by vertue of his Priest-hood or Father-hood either There was once in England a young Earle made of an old Bishop which same had Palatine power which was little lesse than Regall but he could not say as Saint Paul saith I was free-borne But as the Heathen Captaine said there with a great summe obtained I this freedome So in the dayes of the Conquerour and his sonnes Kings here The man of Rome claimed Tribute from hence because forsooth some of his Predecessors had Peter-pence from hence but he was answered that almes and beneuolence was one thing Fealty and Tribute another thing If he would haue more than Charity he deserued to haue euen that taken from him The truth is that at the first the Church had for her maintenance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Beneuolences and Collections Afterwards when Emperours and Kings embraâ—ed the faith they were made partakers of the good things of the Land with the rest of their subiects before many of them and by name they were endowed with Tithes and Glebes yea and Lordships also in Francke-alme which they might claime and sue for as