God him selfe a great difference And if you wyll go further and aske howe this braunche should be raysed then I aunswer that first you must circumcise your hartes eares least you thinke it an impossibilytie as Nycodemus thought of a mās regeneration so you hauing the vayle of fleshlinesse and the foreskinne of filthinesse shall vncleanlie and grosely imagin of this blessed generation or raysing for carnal man sauoreth not those thinges that are of God. This done I saye he was begotten of God conceyued by the holy ghoste incarnate in the sanctified wombe of the Uirgin Marie euen in the fulnesse of time according to the Scriptures and it is parte of the Articles of our Christian beléefe which none of all Dauids posteritie coulde saye no not he himselfe for he was conceyued borne in sinne But here maye a more strong and mighty obiection be gathered than before as it seemeth and all by my owne saying for is it lykely or is it possible that he shoulde be rightlie called the ryghteous braunche of Dauid which came not of the seede of any man of all that stock before so many Kinges good and bad of which euery one yet naturally descended and were his sonnes after the flesh I aunswere though I say he was not begotten of any man yet I do not say that he came not of that stocke therefore for Ihesse Dauids father was the roote Dauid as the braunch Marie the Uirgin was the flower of Dauides braunche and Christ our Sauiour was the fruite of Maries blossome Therefore is he called the sonne of Dauid in the Genealogie by Math. 1. and often in the new Testamēt comming in déede of that Trybe kyndred or stocke He is called therefore the righteous braunch for thrée respectes First bicause he came of the same kyndred by his mother Secondlie bicause of those degenerating bastardes Roboham Manasses and the like wicked Princes who notwithstanding were of his lyne yet followed not a foote of Dauids wayes but defiled his seate and prophaned the Sanctuarie and turned his Scepter another waye And as he is not a Iewe which is a Iewe borne nor he a true Israelite which is so called nor all are not Abrahams sonnes that are after the flesh Roma 9. No more maye they be called ryght braunches of good Princes which beare no lyke fruite although that otherwise they be their owne sonnes Thyrdlie he is called the ryghteous braunche in respecte of the good Kinges also Salomon Iosias Ezechias and those fewe more which not onelye were of Dauids loynes but also dyd freade in hys steppes and walked in the waye of Dauid theyr Father in obedience to the commaundement of the Lorde in setting foorth the true seruice of the GOD of Israell in fyring the supersticious Idolles cutting downe theyr groues and wooddes to the ruine and spoyle of their Idoll aultares which farre better deserued the tytle of Dauids righteous braunche than anye of the wicked Kinges forespoken of And yet they are not this braunche neyther but onely and trulie and properlie it is Iesus the Messias You wyll thinke then that I do to much wrong to them which were lawfullie begotten Sonnes and laudablie raygned Kinges whiche came of his séede aryght and raigned righteouslie in the seate to and yet not the true braunch I shall satisfie you if you marke and that in a worde I do not denye them to be the right braunch according to the flesh and so is Christ to but I deny them to be the ryght and righteous braunche for so is Christe alone for such a sprygge or stemme neuer sprouted out neyther of Abraham whose Isaack was so increased nor out of Dauid whose kinges so succeded nor out of all generations againe for the fountaine is too fowle our petigrue must be fetcht frō Adam which is earth and this seconde Adam is the Lord from heauē 1. Cor. 15. And the reason is that those excellent vertues and Princely qualities of wisdome iustice Religion in any of those good kinges the sonnes of Dauid or in all it was in them but as shadowes and vnperfect figures of him in whome dwelleth the fulnesse of all goodnesse So that he onely and alone is this ryghteous braunche Here we maye sée the infinite loue of God towardes his Church neuer forsaking hir but in hir first fall renuing of hir with promises in hir forgetfulnesse reuiuing of hir with prophecies that shée myght styll hope and not be confounded for euer And if the Patriarkes and men of God in elder tymes receyued such plentyfulnesse of ioy and gladnesse in the onely promyse of the Messias whereby their faith was full What flowing and ouerstreaming vnmeasurable cōfort should we reape to whome those prophecies do mynister more than to the Prophetes them selues 1. Peter 1. For kinges and Prophets haue desired to sée what we haue séene and yet sawe it not but in the promise only Luke 10. They lyued in the tyme of the promise of this branch and the Apostles lyued as it were vnder the shadowe of his leaues but we lyue as vnder the fruite it selfe For the tyme of Grace the longer and the later it is the more mercifull it is to them that shall be saued And howe graciouslie he hath dealte with vs of Englande besides maye not passe vnspoken of in planting a ryght braunch to raygne ouer vs not a bastarde bramble as Abimeleche was the sonne of a bonde woman as ye maye reade Iudges 9. The Uine the Oliue the Palme the Figge tree and the rest chose a Bramble to be their king Who beganne with murther raigned in crueltie and dyed in bloud But ouer vs hee hath planted a peaceable Prince the ryght braunche of hir royall Father and moste worthye King Henrie the eyght kéeping all good steppes of hir prodecessors going farther in Religion than many of thē if not than any of them The Lorde leade hir farther styrre vp hir counsell to comforte hir strengthen hir kingdome to kéepe hir lengthen hir lyfe longe to raygne ouer vs And though I maye not saye as the Olyue trée to beare fruite yet to florishe as the Palme to be freshe as the Lawrell to be stronge as the Oake to spreade abroade as the Ceader and to be an olde Tree of continuaunce as the Cypre and though she be fruitlesse one waye yet fructifie hir O Lorde many wayes with good and faythfull subiectes that shée and wée as well graffed braunches maye abyde styll in the stocke and tarye in the Uine and fructifie by the operation of Gods holye spyrite vnto eternall lyfe in Iesus Christ. Amen VVhich King shall beare rule Here he is proclaymed Kynge by the Prophete heade of his Church and Prince of his people Trayterous are all other heades then monstrous and rebellious of King or Caesar or Turke or Pope or Deuyll lyfting them selues aboue this King which must beare all the rule He is sayde to be our Prophete our Prieste
and our King a Prophete being a fulfyller of all that they spake and the ende of them a Priest to fynishe all the Sacrifices of the olde Lawe by one suffycient and most blessed oblation of his owne body vpon the Crosse a King by rulyng and gouerning his Church hauyng full aucthoritie alone ouer the same being annointed not with the confections of balmes or spices of swéete odors but with the holy Oyle of gladnesse aboue his fellowes But what rule bare he some wyll say could he come simplier than borne in a Manger despised of the Doctors had in derision of the multitude spytted on and most spitefully dealt withall alas what crowne ware he but a crowne of thornes or what King was he being so poore so persecuted that it was not possible it shoulde be he that is here prophecied Thus they looking for a Princely appearing in power aucthoritie and wealth and to haue an earthly kingdome restored as they dreamed receyued not the King of Kings and therfore though they aske for the daye of the Lorde the daye of the Lorde yet haue they nothing to doo with it when it commes for it is darknesse and no lyght vnto them And yet as naked poore and simple as Christe his byrth was the heauens with their powers the Sunne the starres the Wyse men dyd celebrate solempnize their geuing of Golde declared him a king their offring of Frākensense did signifie him God and the brynging of Myrre dyd shewe he shoulde dye the testimony of the Angels them selues and his healing of sicke and sore his helping of blinde and lame his restoring of deaffe dumme and deade men nay his victorie ouer eternall death doth shewe him selfe to be the gloryous king of kinges and why doo the Heathen then so furiously rage together and imagine a vaine thing or why do the Kinges of the earth and Rulers stande vp and take counsell against the Lorde the King It is all in vaine for yet the Lorde hath set his King vpon his holy hyll of Sion Yet the Lorde is king be the people neuer so vnpacient Psal. 99. Nay the Lorde is king and the earth maye be glad therof Psal. 97. For so the Angell song glory be to God on high and on earth peace good wyll towardes men He beareth rule immediatly or mediatly Immediatly by himself as he is God from euerlasting whose Scepter shal haue no end whose power is all that is in heauen and al that is in earth yet it is not conteyned And as he is God so he ruleth not lyke an earthlie Monarche who by ritches strength of armes pollicie the lyke do rule the rost But he by his onely wisedome by the which he sustaineth al things in heauē in earth to mans reason very folishlie he sometime in an Arke sometime in a Caue sometime in pryson c. he doth for secreet causes leade his Church through many bytter temptacions as it were to no other purpose than by trying them by the Crosse to make them true to his Crowne And that his Church is subiect vnto such mutations too it is our infirmitie weaknesse and not his faulte and yet he is so on our side that nothing can be against vs Though euer dying yet neuer dead styll assaulted and styll assisted nowe as it were extinguished cleane gone and nowe encreased and mightily multiplied He ruleth by his spirite so that neyther thought woorde nor déede can passe without his prouidence and they that thinke he ruleth generallie all but not particularlie euerie one or that it is labour for him to knowe euery mans matter to dispose them all and so say with the foolish Tush the Lorde séeth it not or is there knowledge in the most highest they are but chyldren yet for knowledge and but yong schollers for vnderstanding they haue not in parte learned the Maiestie of God nor sufficiently knowne the greatnesse of his power which in all cases vndoubtedlie is assistent to his whole Church and to euerie part thereof to the whole flocke and to euerie shéepe thereof and séeketh euen that same one wanderer in the wyldernesse and bringes him home againe and preuentes all daungers ditches bryers woolues and deuylles for he may not lose one except that same lost chylde of perdition that the Scriptures might be fulfylled Secondlie he ruleth by his Mynisters and that is the Prince first and vnder him the Pastor for so you shall reade that he lead Israell lyke shéepe through the wyldernesse by the hādes of Moyses and Aaron the sworde ruled in the hande of the one and the worde preached in the mouth of the other So that euerie soule must submyt them selues to the superiour powers for bicause the powers that are are ordained of God and he that resisteth them resisteth the ordinaunce of God for I sayd you are Gods and yet you shall dye like men So that a king is subiect to none vpon the earth but immediatlie vnder God occupieth the highest roome in his owne dominion and sitteth in the chiefest seate yet neuerthelesse are they all but subiectes vnto God and to his woorde and to obey this is the safest waye to walke in a kingdome to saye as Dauid 101. Psa. I wyll walke with a perfect harte in my house A kingdome then is Gods gifte but to one and a king is his gift vnto many as if his Church offende him in iustice he wyll punish hir and children shall be hir kinges Esa. 3. so in his mercie he wyll set vp Dauid in his throne Salomon in his seat wherby we note that both sortes both good and bad gratious and tyrannous are al of the Lord for he that made Cayus made Marius also he that made Augustus made Nero too he that made Domitian the Christian made Iulian the Apostata Emperors And though the Lorde for iust and secret causes many tymes do geue this earthly kingdome to wicked and vngratious Princes to tyraunts and lymmes of Sathan Yet this is sure that not one of them al shal euer enter into the euerlasting kingdome without repentaunce The Lord in whose handes the harts of kings are turne them all vnto him and graunt them timely repentaunce that they may be kinges in heauen as they are vpon the earth Religion pertaynes not to the left hande but to the right hand of a king to his scepter to his Crowne For therfore chiefly hath he placed kings to be our forefathers and therefore Queenes to be our Nurses Esai 49. And secondlie that the Church of God might lacke no cherishing the example of good Iosias teacheth who not only receyued but read dilygently the booke of the Lawe and prouided within thrée yeare that al the Magistrates shoulde haue the same Againe Saules disobedience how it prouoked Gods iudgement and what myserable and desperat end followed who knoweth not Wherefore so to speake and so to do then to punishe and
not to executiō Your good pollicies therin to preuent pardon for vnworthy persons is commendable but for tyme space for instruction repentaunce I speake that as we all desire the Lorde to geue vs tyme to keepe vs from soddaine death So as you best shall finde good deale with their soules I beséeche you whose bodies by iustice you commyt to death Iustice is well called the Lady of ciuile affayres or rather the mother of a cōmon weale and hir two daughters or damosels Lenity Seuerity are very necessary handmaids Iustice is to respect euery mans cause but no mans person for that is partiality Lenity is to mitigate or lessen the punishment but not the facte for that were iniquity and Seuerity is to punish the fault condignly but not without cause for that were tyranny I leaue this to your discretions euen thus bicause you are wyse inough to whome the matter is commited onely I pray you remembre that God is Iudge ouer all and that he setteth vp equity and righteousnesse in his kingdome Here is the ende of his comming or kingdome Israels safety by his time is meant for euer for who can tell his age Esa. 53. So long then as he is king so long shal Iuda be safe but he is king for euer therefore for euer shall Iuda be glad We are sealed therfore safe he hath all power therefore we are safe This is the perfect state of happinesse in deede not onely to be in peace but to be without feare of farther trouble This maye partly be vnderstoode of Israels delyuery which were in peace a long season in respect of their wonted troubles warres And it maye be applied to the mylitaunt Church which notwithstāding it is tossed with many tēpestes yet is it voyde of any feare of dampnation bicause of our fayth and faythfull foundation Iesus Christ. Eyther it maye be more effectually vnderstoode of the tryumphant Church which is safe and past all feare euen as Christ himselfe crowned in the heauens and past all the daungers of hell Hence we note the ende of Magistrates of Princes ruling to be their subiectes safetie without feare a shyp sailes to come to the port a man fights to get victory he that labours doth it that he maye rest Christes Church is mylitant that it may be triumphant And looke what the whyte is to him that shooteth and the same is peace to him that gouerneth The marke that Magistrates should ayme and shote at is the prosperity of the people That is no sound peace where there is daunger of warre there is no safety where there is continual feare now at meate and nowe in the fielde nowe in the Church and anon in prison As Israel was sore chased and vexed of their enimies at euery halfe whyle We haue no such cause to complayne God be thanked therefore and yet our hope and feare can not chuse but ebbe and flow bicause we haue had such a peace as the enimie doth enuie and the true Christian can not but feare what wyll followe But séeing Deus nobis haec otia fecit that God is the author of our peace we wyll not cease to put our trust in him and to pray vnto him for encrease of grace and so shall we be sure of long peace Let vs decline in déede from euyll doo in déede the thinges that are good let vs praye vnfeynedly for the bonde of peace which is vnitie but I woulde haue it in verity for a Citie deuided can not long stande He that knoweth both buildings their cause of ruines hath tolde vs so Parris is a pattern not of long ago and Antwerp an example but of yesterday happy are they whom other mennes harmes can make to beware and dolefull is theyr estate that dally with destruction The Lord knit the knot of peace make it fast from flypping and breaking that being at quiet in our bowelles from sedition at home we maye be stronger in body to resyst all forraigne powers abroade A most glorious and gratious tytle and cause of al our comfort how neare a name to this doth the Angell reueale to Ioseph when he called him Emanuel Math. 1. Esa. 8. which is God with vs As the plaister vnapplyed being neuer so good doth yet no good at all So al that we haue heard of this king can comfort vs nothing except it doo pertayne vnto vs nay the brightnesse and glory of his comming kingdom doth rather breede dispayre in vs that well consider what we are therefore to méete with this malady the mercy of the Lord hath discouered him to the full And to vs the daye starre shyneth bright and bringeth ioy in the morning so is the sonne of righteousnesse sprōg vp to vs that were in darknesse and in the shadow of death And hence is it the the ryghteous are sayde to shine as the sonne in the kingdome of God bicause the son himselfe is our righteousnesse at whose appearing the very sūne shal lose his beames the Moone hir brightnesse and the starres theyr lyght for they are darknesse vnto him and he is the Lorde our righteousnesse It is necessary that séeing the reward of sinne is flatte by the Lawe eternall death and that for very shame cōscience sake no man dare able himself iust before the barre or tribunall seate of god Which sore trial Dauid saw and how it would go with him when he cryed Lorde enter not into iudgement with thy seruaunt for no flesh is ryghteous in thy sight Notwithstanding that pestilent rable past all shame doth desperately dare to broche such dampnable doctrine of merite whereby establishing their owne righteousnesse they cast downe the righteousnesse of Iesus Christ as the Iewes dyd Rom. 10. but their rewarde is ready their destruction sléepeth not for their merits sake Let vs deny all worthynesse or towardnesse or sparke of goodnesse to be in vs which the Papistes do falsifie fayne to be a grace remayning in thē wherby they take away that all which is due to Iesus Christ. Who as he is all in all and alone hath wrought our redemption so alone he wyll be glorified and be altogether our righteousnesse without our helpe or addition wherefore it is sayde when we hated him he loued vs which is taught by that place He loued vs first and that he was founde of them that neuer sought after him but that he is made to vs wisedome ryghteousnesse sanctification redemption and onely hath preuēted our dampnation so that al other practises are but simple shifts merites are but popish paltry not woorth one gally halpeny nay whatsoeuer it be beside Christ it helpes to hell as round as can be For he is the way the trueth and the lyfe Of with all backe byases then which maketh vs runne out of course let vs kéepe our grounde beware of wandring for vaine opinion hath caryed many a