from them the second Commandement that bewrayeth his impiety by a subtill sacriledge Had the Emporours subjects like wise knowne and beene of any understanding in Gods word would they at other times have rebelled against their Soveraigne Lord and by their rebellion have holpen to depose him onely for that the Bishop of Rome did beare them in hand that it was simony and heresie too for the Emperour to give any Ecclesiasticall dignities or promotions to his learned Chaplaines or other of his learned Clergy which all Christian Emperours before him had done without any controulement would they I say for that the Bishop of Rome bare them so in hand have rebelled by the space of more then forty yeares together against him with so much shedding of Christian bloud and murther of so many thousands of Christians and finally have deposed their Soveraigne Lord had they knowne and had in Gods word any understanding at all Specially had they knowne that they did all this to pluck from their Soveraigne Lord and his Successours for ever their ancient right of the Empire to give it unto the Romish Clergy and to the Bishop of Rome that hee might for the confirmation of one Archbishop and for the Romish ragge which hee called Paul scarce worth twelve pence receive many thousand crownes of gold and of other Bishops likewise great sums of mony for their Buls which is simony indeed Would I say Christian men and subjects by rebellion have spent so much Christian bloud and have deposed their naturall most noble and most valiant Prince to bring the matter finally to this passe had they knowne what they did or had any understanding in Gods word at all And as these ambitious usurpers the Bishops of Rome have overflowed all Italy and Germany with streames of Christian bloud shed by the rebellions of ignorant subjects against their naturall Lords and Emperours whom they have stirred thereunto by such false pretences so is there no Countrey in Christendome which by their like meanes and false pretences hath not beene over sprinkled with the bloud of subjects by rebellion against their naturall Soveraignes stirred by the same Bishops of Rome And to use one example of our owne Countrey The Bishop King Iohn of Rome did pick a quarrell with King Iohn of England about the election of Steven Langton to the Bishoprick of Canterbury wherein the King had ancient right being used by his Progenitours all Christian Kings of England before him the Bishops of Rome having no right but had begunne then to usurpe upon the Kings of England and all other Christian Kings as they had before done against their Soveraigne Lords the Emperours proceeding even by the same wayes and meanes and likewise cursing King Iohn and discharging his subjects of their oath of fidelity unto their Soveraigne Lord. Now had English-men at that time knowne their duty to their Prince set forth in Gods word would a great many of Nobles and other English-men naturall subjects for this forraigne Innocentius 2. and unnaturall usurper his vaine curse of the King and for his faigned discharging of them of their oath and fidelity to their naturall Lord upon so slender or no ground at all have rebelled against their Soveraigne Lord the King Would English subjects have taken part against the King of England and against English-men with the French King and French-men being incensed against this Realme by the Bishop of Rome Would they have sent for Phillip the French King Lew is Dolphin of France and received the Dolphin of France with a great Army of French-men into the Realme of England Would they have sworn fidelity to the Dolphin of France breaking their oath of fidelity to their naturall Lord the King of England and have stood under the Dolphins banner displayed against the King of England Would they have expelled their Soveraigne Lord the King of England out of London the chiefe City of England and out of the greatest part of England upon the South-side of Trent even unto Lincolne and out of Lincolne it selfe also and have delivered the possession thereof unto the Dolphin of France whereof hee kept the possession a great while Would they being English-men have procured so great shedding of English bloud and other infinite mischiefes and miseries unto England their naturall Countrey as did follow those cruell warres and trayterous rebellion the fruits of the Bishop of Romes blessings Would they have driven their naturall Soveraigne Lord the King of England to such extremity that hee was enforced to submit himselfe unto that forraigne false usurper the Bishop of Rome who compelled him to surrender up the Crown of England into the hands of his Legate who in token of possession kept it in his hands divers dayes and then delivered livered it againe to King Iohn upon that condition that the King and his Successours Kings of England should hold the Crowne and Kingdome of England of the Bishop of Rome and his Successours as the Vassals of the said Bishops of Rome for ever in token whereof the Kings of England should pay a yearely tribute to the said Bishop of Rome as his Vassals and Liege-men Would English-men have brought their Soveraigne Lord and naturall Country into this thraldom and subjection to a false forraign usurper had they knowne and had they any understanding in Gods word at all Out of the which most lamentable case and miserable tyranny raveny and spoyle of the most greedy Romish Wolves ensuing hereupon the Kings and Realme of England could not rid themselves by the space of many yeares after the Bishop of Rome by his Ministers continually not onely spoyling the Realme and Kings of England of infinite treasure but also with the same mony hyring and maintaining forraigne enemies against the Realme and Kings of England to keepe them in such his subjection that they should not refuse to pay whatsoever those unsatiable Wolves did greedily gape for and suffer whatsoever those most cruell Tyrants would lay upon them Would English-men have suffered this Would they by rebellion have caused this trow you and all for the Bishop of Romes causelesse curse had they in those dayes knowne and understood that God doth curse the blessings and blesse the cursings of such wicked usurping Bishops and Tyrants as it appeareth afterward in King Henry the eighth his dayes and King Edward the sixt and in our gracious Soveraignes dayes that now is where neither the Popes curses nor Gods manifold blessings are wanting But in King Iohns time the Bishop of Rome understanding the brute blindnesse ignorance of Gods word superstition of English-men and how much they were enclined to worship the Babylonicall beast of Rome and to feare all his threatnings and causelesse curses hee abused them thus and by their rebellion brought this noble Realme and Kings of England under his most cruell tyranny and to bee a spoyle of his most vile and unsatiable covetousnesse and raveny for a long and a great deale
higher estate then God hath given or appointed unto them by ignorance I meane no unskilfullnesse in Arts or Sciences but the lacke of the knowledge of Gods blessed will declared in his holy Word which teacheth both extreamely to abhorre all rebellion as being the roote of all mischiefe and specially to delight in obedience as the beginning and foundation of all goodnesse as hath beene also before specified And as these are the two chiefe causes of rebellion so are there specially two sorts of men in whom these vices doe raigne by whom the devill the author of all evill doth chiefely stirre up all disobedience and Rebellion The restlesse ambitions having once determined by one meanes or other to atchieve to their intended purpose when they cannot by lawfull and peaceable meanes clime so high as they doe desire they attempt the same by force and violence wherein when they cannot prevaile against the ordinary authority and power of lawfull Princes and governours themselves alone they doe seeke the ayde and helpe of the ignorant multitude abusing them to their wicked purpose wherefore seeing a few ambitious and malicious are the authors and heads and multitudes of ignorant men are the ministers and furtherers of rebellion the chiefe point of this Sermon shall be aswell to notifie to the simple and ignorant men who they be that have beene and be usuall authors of rebellion that they may know them and also to admonish them to be ware of the subtill sugestions of such restlesse ambitious persons and so to flee them That rebellions though attempted by a few ambitious through lacke of maintenance by any multitudes may speedily and easily without any great labour danger or dammage be repressed and clearely extinguished It is well knowne as well by all histories as by dayly experience that none have either more ambitiously aspired above Emperours Kings and Princes nor have more pernitiously moved the ignorant people to rebellion against their Princes then certaine persons which falsely challenge to themselves to be only counted and called spirituall I must therefore here yet once againe briefly good people put you in remembrance out of Gods holy Word how our Saviour Jesus Christ and his holy Apostles the heads and chiefe of all true Spirituall and Ecclesiasticall men behaved themselves towards the Princes and Rulers of their time though not the best governours that ever were that you be not ignorant whether they be the true Disciples and followers of Christ and his Apostles and so spirltuall men that either by ambition doe so highly aspire or maliciously teach or most pernitiously doe execute rebellion against their lawfull Prince being the worst of all carnall workes and mischievous deedes The holy Scriptures doe teach most expressely that our Saviour Christ himselfe and his Apostles Saint Paul Saint Peter with others were unto the Magistrates and higher powers which ruled at their being upon the earth both obedient themselves and did also diligently and earnestly perswade all other Christians to the like obedience unto their Princes and governours whereby it is evident that men of the Clergie and Ecclesiasticall Ministers as their successours ought both themselves specially and before others to be obedient unto their Priuces as also to exhort all others to the same Our Saviour Christ likewise teaching by his Doctrine that his Kingdome was not of this world did by his example in fleeing from those that would have made him King confirme the same expressely also forbidding his Apostles and by them the whole Clergie all princely dominion over people and Nations and he and his holy Apostles likewise namely Peter and Paul did forbid unto all Ecclesiasticall Ministers dominion over the Church of Christ And indeede whiles the Ecclesiasticall ministers continued in Christs Church in that order that is in Christs Word prescribed unto them and in Christian Kingdomes kept themselves obedient to their owne Princes as the holy Scriptures doth teach them both was Christs Church more cleare from ambitions emulations and contentions and the state of Christian kingdomes lesse subject unto tumults and rebellions but after that ambition and desire of Dominion entred once into Ecclesiasticall Ministers whose greatnesse after the doctrine and example of our Saviour should chiefely stand in humbling themselves and that the Bishop of Rome being by the order of Gods Word none other than the Bishop of that one See and Diocesse and never yet well able to governe the same did by intollerable ambition challenge not onely to bee the head of all the Church dispersed throughout the world but also to be Lord of all the Kingdomes of the world Qex decr l. 3. tit 16. c. unic l. â— tit 9 c. 5. ün glessa as is expressely set forth in his owne Cannon Lawes most contrary to the doctrine and example of our Saviour Christ whose Vicar and of his Apostles namely Peter whose successour hee pretendeth to be after his ambition entred and this challenge once made by the Bishop of Rome he became at once the spoyler and destroyer both of the Church which is the Kingdome of our Saviour Christ and of the whole Christian Empire and all Christian Kingdomes as an universall tyrant over all And whereas before that challenge made there was great amitie and love amongst the Christians of all Countries hereupon began emulation and much hatred betweene the Bishop at Rome and his Clergie and friends on the one part and the Grecian Clergie and Christians of the East on the other part for that they refused to acknowledge any such supreame authoritie of the Bishop of Rome over them the Bishop of Rome for this cause amongst other not onely naming them and taking them for Shismatickes but also never ceasing opersecute them and the Emperours who had their See and continuance in Greece by stirring of the Subjects to rebellion against their Soveraigne Lords and by raising most deadly hatred und cruell warres betweene them and other Christian Princes And when the Bishops of Rome had translated the title of the Emperour and as much as in them did lye the Empire it selfe from their Lord the Emperour of Greece and of Rome also by right unto the Christian Princes of the West they became in a short spare no better unto the West Emperours then they were before to the Emperours of Greece for the usuall discharging of suâ—jects from their oath of fidelitie made unto the Emperours of the West their Soveraigne Lord by the Bishops of Rome the unnaturall stirring up of the subjects unto rebellion against their Princes yea of the sonne against the father by the Bishop or Rome the most cruell and bloody warres raised amongst Christian Princes of all Kingdomes the horrible murthers of infinite thousands of Christian men being slaine by Christians And which ensued thereupon the pittifull losses of so many godly Cities Countreyes Dominions and Kingdomes sometime possessed by Christians in Asia Africa Europe the miserable fall of the Empire and Church of Greece
sometime the most flowrishing part of Christiandâ—me into the hands of the Turkes The lamentable deminishing decay and ruine of Christian religion the dreadfull encrease of Paganisme and power of the Infidells and miscroants and all by the practise and procurement of the Bishop of Rome chiefely as in the Histories and Chronicles written by the Bishop of Romes owne favourers and friends is to be seene and as well knowne unto all such as are acquainted with the said Histories The ambituous intents and most subtill drifts of the Bishops of Rome in these their practises appeared evidently by their bold attempts in spoyling and robbing the Emperours of their Townes Cities Dominions and Kingdomes in Italy Lombardie and Cisily of ancient right belonging unto the Empire and by joyning of them unto their Bishopricke of Rome or else giving them unto strangers to hold them of the Church and Bishop of Rome as in Capito and as of the chiefe Lords thereof in which tenure they hold the most part thereof even at this day by these ambitious and indeede trayterous meanes and spoyling of their Soveraigne Lords the Bishops of Rome of Priests and none other by right then the Bishops of one City and Diocesse are by false usurpation become great Lord of many Dominions mighty Princes yea or Emperours rather as claiming to have divers Princes and Kings to be their vassalls leigemen and subjects as in the same Histories written by their owne Familiars and Courtiers is to be seene And indeede since the time that the Bishops of Rome by ambition treason and usurpation archieved and attained to this height and greatnesse they behaved themselves more like Princes Kings and Emperours in all things then remained like Priests Bishops and Ecclesiasticall or as they would be called spirituall persons in any one thing at all For after this rate they have handled other Kings and Princes of other Realmes throughout Christendome as well as their Soveraigne Lords the Emperours usually discharging their subjects of their oath of fidelitie and so stirring them up to Rebellion against their naturall Prince whereof some examples shall in the last part hereof be notified unto you Wherefore let all good subjects knowing these the speciall instruments and ministers of the devill to the stirring up of all rebellions avoyd and flee them and the pestilent sugestions of such forraigne usurpers and their adherents and embrace all obedience to God and their naturall Princes and Soveraignes that they may enjoy Gods blessing and their Princes favour all peace quietnesse and security in this World and finally attaine through CHRIST our Saviour life everlasting in the World to come Which God the Father for the same our Saviour IESUS CHRIST his sake grant unto us all to whom with the holy Ghost bee all honour and glory World without end Amen The sixth SERMON NOw whereas the injuries oppressions raveny and tyranny of the Bishops of Rome usurping as well against their naturall Lords the Emperours as against all other Christian Kings and Kingdomes and their continuall stirring of subjects unto rebellions against their Soveraigne Lords whereof I have partly admonished you before were intollerable and it may seeme more than marvaile that any subjects would after such sort hold with unnaturall forraigne usurpers against their owne Soveraigne Lords and naturall Countrey It remaineth that I doe declare the meanes whereby they compassed these matters and so conclude this whole Treaty of due obedience and against disobedience and wilfull Rebellion You shall understand that by ignorance of Gods word wherein they kept all men specially the common people they wrought and brought to passe all these things making them beleeve that all that they said was true all that they did was good and godly and that to hold with them in all things against Father Mother Prince Countrey and all men was most meritorious And indeed what mischiefe will not blind ignorance lead simple men unto By ignorance the Jewish Clergy induced the common people to aske the delivery of Barrabas the seditious murtherer and to sue for the cruell crucifying of our Saviour CHRST for that he rebuked the ambition superstition and other vices of the High Priests and Clergy For as our Saviour CHRIST testified that those who crucified him wist not what they did so doth the holy Apostle Saint Paul say If they had knowne if they had not beene ignorant they would never have crucified the Lord of glory but they knew not what they did Our Saviour CHRIST himselfe also foreshewed that it should come to passe by ignorance that those who should persecute and murther his true Apostles and Disciples should thinke they did God acceptable sacrifice and good service as it al o is verified even at this day And in this ignorance have the Bishops of Rome kept the people of God specially the common sort by no meanes so much as by withdrawing of the word of God from them and by keeping it under the vaile of an unknowne strange tongue For as it served the ambitious humour of the Bishops of Rome to compell all Nations to use the naturall language of the City of Rome where they were Bishops which shewed a certaine acknowledging of subjection unto them so yet served it much more their crafty purpose thereby to keepe all people so blind that they not knowing what they prayed what they beleeved what they were commanded by God might take all their commandements for Gods For as they would not suffer the holy Scriptures of Church-service to bee used or had in any other language then the Latine so were very few eyen of the most simple people taught the Lords prayer the articles of the faith and the tenne Commandements otherwise then in Latine which they understood not by which universall ignorance all men were ready to beleeve whatsoever they said and to doe whatsoever they commanded For to imitate the Apostles phrase If the Emperours subâ—ects had knowne out of Gods word their duty to their Prince they would not have suffered the Bishop of Rome to perswade them to forsake their Soveraigne Lord the Emperour against their oath of fidelity and to rebell against him onely for that hee cast Images unto the which Idolatry was committed out of the Churches which the Bishop of Rome bare them in band to bee heresie If they had knowne of Gods word but as much as the tenne Commandements they should have found that the Bishop of Rome was not onely a Traytour to the Emperour his liege Lord but to God also and an horrible blasphemer of his Majesty in calling his Holy word and Commandement heresie and that which the Bishop of Româ— tooke for a just cause to rebell against his lawfull Prince they might have knowne to bee a doubling and trebling of his most haynous wickednesse heaped with horrible impiety and blasphemy But lest the poore people should know too much hee would not let them have as much of Gods word as the tenne Commandements wholy and perfectly withdrawing