The Lord strooke him with leprousie vers 19. and then the Priests thrust him out of the holy place because of his uncleannesse according to the Law Nay sayes the Text vers 20. himselfe hasted also to goe out because the Lord had smitten him this example therefore makes nothing at all for the lawfulnesse of resisting the Kings person commanding against his owne Lawes Other examples as little to the purpose are also alleadged by those that would faine winde Gods Word to speake the language of their owne spirits but these onely were mentioned at our conference and therefore I will not spend time to answer any other which indeed are already answered by abler pens then mine Sect. 11 Now I come to the Argument from reason which in your thoughts as it seemes if you be in earnest doth imply a necessity of resistance in such a case Salus populi which is Suprema lex doth require it for thus you argue It is according to reason that every particular man should endeavour the preservation of his owne being yea 't is Lex naturae every member of the body every creature in the world will doe it ergo much more man who hath also the use of Reason to perswade him to defend himselfe against an unjust violence Indeed say you Christianity commands us patiently to submit when we are wronged by the Law but if against Law then we may stand upon our owne guard by all the Lawes of Nature and Nations As for example say you if a father or master whose commands are to be bounded within the compasse of their particlar relations shall by unjust violence require things unsuteable to be done the childe or servant may and ought to defend himselfe even to the disarming of his Governour so if a Prince shall command any thing beyond or beside the relation of his Kingly office as for example when a sentence is passed by a triall at Law for me against him he shall notwithstanding in his passion send to my house to do me violence I must defend my selfe and disarme him if I can for if in such a case I shall yeild my throat to his fury to be cut I shall be guilty of selfe murder and if this may be done for the safety of a private man then much more when Salus populi wrich is suprema lex doth require it These in breife as I remember were your Arguments and illustrations to which I thus answer First in generall Reason I grant ruleth well when Religion opposeth not but 't is her duty to vaile unto faith and therefore as you and I have often taught even reason her selfe must be denied in some cases as well as nature a Christian as well as another creature may and must looke to his owne preservation but we are bought with a price 1 Cor. 6.20 and so are not our owne nor must be in the first place for our selves the Honour of that profession which he that bought us hath entrusted us to maintaine must be preserved by us before life it selfe if selfe defence will blemish my Holy profession if resisting the King speakes rather the doctrine of the Iesuits then of Iesus I had rather by patience possesse my soule in safety then by opposing endeavour the preservation of my body Ob. But for the particular instances every member of the body say you will defend it selfe Answ True and all the Head yea every one of them will defend the Head before it selfe 't is naturall to them and if wee be right members of the Commonwealth the King is our Head Ob. Every Creature will endeavour the preservation of its own being Answ So will a reasonable man and a Christian in speciall ought so to do that he may do his Creator the more service but onely in that way and by those meanes as may not crosse the end of his beeing Ob. But Christianity commands to submit with patience onely when wronged by the Law Answ It hath beene already answered that Christian patience is not so limited if the Law be on my side when the King wrongs me my wrong is the greater and my patience in such a case is more glorious and comes nearer to perfection Ob. But the Kings Commands are bounded as those of a Father or master within the compasse of their particular relations Answ That is already denyed and must be better proved before I answer further onely this I adde that the similitude of a father or master is not to this case corresponding for 1. I am equall to my father or master as I am a Subject though their inferiour in my particular relation to them but so I am not to my Prince 2. I have a Law to warrant me to stand upon mine owne defence against them and to disarme them when they breake the Kings peace upon mee but I have not to justify me in my so doing against my Prince 3. The King hath not given a father or master potestatem vitae et necis over those that in their relations are under them as God hath given the King therefore although I may defend my selfe against them yet not against him to whom being the publick father and Lord I owe the greater duty and obedience and am to forsake them to serve him Answ 2 Besides I do not wholely yeild to the lawfulnesse of resisting a father or master onely for the unsuteablenesse of their command or perhaps because jujurious to the childe or servant if it be not impious in it selfe for that place of the Apostle seemeth to gainsay it servants bâ— subject to your Masters with all feare 1 Pet. 1 18.19 not onely to the good and gentle but also to the froward for this is thanke worthy if a man for Conscience sake toward God indure griefe suffering wrongfully q. d. when in the frowardnesse of their Spirits they command things unsuteable submit your selves and resist not now if subjection in such a case be due to Masters much more is it unto a Prince Answ 3 Or lastly I answer there is a medium between obeying and resisting in a case of that nature and that is complaining to those that are above them for fathers and masters are themselves also under Authourity unto which their children or servants may appeale for their own defence when unreasonable commands with violence are forced upon them and so may and must the Subjects do appeale to God in such a case 1 Sam. 8.18 who onely is above their Prince 1 Sam. 8.18 Ob. But suppose the streight be such that the Son or servant cannot appeale to the Magistrate hee must either yeild to the thing unlawfull or be killed if he do not resist Answ The case is never so between us and God Gen. 22.14 hee is every where to whom we may appeale yea providebit in monte our extremity is his best oportunity Quest But what warrant for this Answ I know your selfe at leasure can finde many I 'le minde
the same in specie so must it have the same manner and way of expression as namely by our beleeving him by having an high esteeme of him by our obedience to his will by our manner of addresse unto his presence by our unfeigned and constant love unto his person and by our endeavouring to rejoyce and glad his spirit for by these particulars we doe expresse our honour and reverence of heart unto the Lord. 1. We honour God when we doe beleeve him yea then most of all as Luther sayes for thereby we give him the glory of all his attributes nor doe we ever more disparage the Majestie of God then when we make him a lyer like unto our selves in not giving credit unto his sayings those who would neither beleeve nor speake one word of truth themselves did most of all dishonour our Saviour when they voiced him to be a deceiver and a false speaker so no greater dishonour can men offer to their Prince then not to take his word unlesse withall to labour that others might not Surely it is a part not onely of good manners but also of that reverence and duty which a Subject owes unto his Soveraigne to credit and beleeve him before any other in the world especially upon his Protestations But indeed the more like unto Christ a Prince is in meeknesse mercy truth sweetnesse of disposition and desire of doing good the more of Christ's enterteinment shall he meet withall in this world 2. We honour God by having an high esteeme of his Majestie and by manifesting the same in termes accordingly to his praise upon all occasions and after this sort must we testifie our honour to the King we must have an high and pious conceit of him speaking of him alwaies as good and praying for him not as evill To make mention in prayer of a Christian Prince as if he were an Infidel or an enemy to goodnesse is rather to calumniate and vilifie him to slander and disgrace him then to shew reverence and honour to him it is rather the way to insinuate a tediousnesse of him and to worke an odium against him in the hearts of men then a venerable esteeme of him When Saint Paul required it as a thing good and acceptable in the sight of God to pray supplicate 2 Tim. 2. and give thankes for Kings and commends it as a meane whereby to live a quiet and peaceable life in all godlinesse and honesty I beleeve he did not intend such kinde of prayers as should leave a misconceit of Kings in the mindes of their people no I beleeve such prayers have beene the seeds of these our present troubles they have prejudiced our peace and quiet and provoked but little to the practice of true godlinesse and honesty the Lord in his good time touch the spirits of the seeds-men 3. We expresse our honour and feare to God by our full and perfect obedience to his will and word so must we to our Soveraigne by our obedience to his Person and Lawes preferring none but God before him the first in Authority must alwaies command our first obedience God that gives Authority to the King is therefore the greatest and so to be first obeyed the King gives Authority to all inferiour Magistrates and therefore is greater then all they both divisim conjunctim and so before them to be preferr'd in our submission unto should they command any thing contrary to his will If it be said but suppose the inferiour Magistrate commands according to the Kings Law which is his revealed will then 't is lawfull not onely to disobey his person but also to make resistance I answer This objection shall be dealt withall anon onely for the present I say this God is not honoured by being resisted no more surely is the King Moreover Authority is rather rooted in the Prince then in his Law for as he gives beeing to the inferiour Magistrate so he doth to the Law it selfe making it authorizable Et propter quod aliquid est tale illud est magis tale He is greater therefore then his Law not to be resisted for the sake of that which may be evidenced farther thus if when the Prince commands any thing contrary to the revealed will of God who hath given him his power he is not to be resisted though not to be obeyed then much lesse when he commands any thing contrary to his owne Law to which himselfe hath given power Christian Religion hath hitherto taught that the Prince his will must alway be done of us or on us of us when 't is according to or not against the Word of God on us when contrary to the same we must one way or other submit to Authority to the penalty if not to the command nor doe I conceive how I disobey the Law of the Land by submitting to the penalty annexed in obeying the will of the Prince seeing I must honour his person by my obedience 4. We doe manifest our reverence to God by our manner of addresse into his presence we doe not use to carry our Petitions to God with our hands upon our swords nor goe to him with threats and armes to have our requests granted neither must we in that fashion repaire unto our Soveraigne nor doe we use to thinke to make God yeild unto us by fore reporting of him that he meanes to doe so and so that we might force him for his credit sake to doe the contrary but we goe to him with selfe-denying hearts and words confessing his goodnesse and our owne unworthinesse intreating him to take advantage of our necessities to manifest his owne free grace and to cause his owne glory to appeare and after such a manner and with such termes must we goe unto our King the humble way is Gods way which he will make successefull 5. We honour God by our unfeigned and constant love unto him and for his sake to those that love him or that he loves which is expressed by our speaking good of him and them and not by endeavouring his or their disgrace and ruine And so must we also shew our honour to our Prince by our love which must be unfeigned and constant both to him and his in all conditions we must be willing rather to suffer for his and their sakes then to countenance any evill against either Indeed our love to our King will be thus natured if it be rightly grounded namely on Gods command and because he is our Soveraigne for though indeed we are to pray that a Prince may alwayes be as eminent in grace and goodnesse above others as he is in dignity yet if he be not we must remember that we owe him the highest honour as he is the Lords Anointed and appointed of God to be our Governour God who hath deserved from us to be obeyed hath commanded us to honour and love our King Indeed a Christian is Homo per se and hath a foundation for his duty
innocent and had that day been Gods Instrument of so great salvation unto Israel Nay Peter Martyr addes further that if the people did any more then pray if they pressed violently upon Saul in making a mutiny they sinned so that the first example is nothing to the purpose The second is of Davids strengthening himselfe against Saul To which I answer that I finde not in Scripture that David ever strooke up the Drum or used any meanes to call or gather men unto him for any such end indeed 't is said 1 Sam. 22.2 that many that were afflicted as he was gathered themselves unto him and he became their Captaine so that properly he strengthened not himselfe they rather strengthened him or the Lord by them preserved him for that imployment whereunto he was appointed But doe we ever reade of any act of hostility that David with them did exercise against Saul or against any of his followers so long as Doeg was in favour they might well pretend that the King had ill Councellours about him yet we reade not of any violence that was used to remove them Nay very easily might David have revenged himselfe upon the Ziphites that did their good will to betray him into Sauls hand if his conscience would have served him to kill any of the Kings Subjects against the minde of the King Whereas you say that you gather from 1 Chron. 12. that David was 40000 strong in the dayes of Saul and 't is probable he did not lie still with his great Army I answer it is not apparent that all those Captaines mentioned in that Chapter brought all their men with them yet if it were so it makes against you that David being so strong should alway flee from Saul when pursued by him and resist never much lesse seeke after him should get him out of Sauls Kingdome with so many men following him and beg a place to dwell in of Achish King of Gath. But Sir the truth is David was never above 600 strong till about the time that Ziglag was burnt which was about the time of Sauls death and that great concourse of men mentioned 1 Chron. 12. came then to him it may be probable that they fled from the battaile wherein Saul was slaine for the Text sayes vers 21. some of them helped David against the Rovers And vers 22 23. 't is said They came to him to turne the Kingdome of Saul to him according to the word of the Lord. It was well knowne in Israel that David was appointed to succeed Saul and who will not at such a time looke to the Sun-rising Thus to my apprehension the second example is as farre from the marke as the former Beside David being an extraordinary person full of Gods spirit and by unction designed of God unto the Kingdome his example in such a case is not proper Sam. 23. The third you alleadged is the businesse at Keilah It is supposed say you that David would have defended that Towne against the King if the Inhabitants would have beene faithfull to him ergo 'T is lawfull to resist the King and to keepe his Townes against him We use to say à facto ad jus non valet consequentia indeed this was not factum yet I see not how it followes It is so supposed but not by every body for some may and perhaps as simply suppose because 't is said afterward Chron. 12.1 that David kept himselfe close in Ziglag that he would also here have lien close in Keilah if the men thereof would as Rahab did the spyes but have concealed him But by the way here is one thing notable David it seemes though he was 600 strong in that Towne would not venture upon it for to hold it untill he knew whether he should have the good will of the Inhabitants he did not seize upon it on the suddaine whether the King and they would or no before they were aware and keepe it by force against both robbing killing and plundering his fellow Subjects But to the place the Text sayes vers 9. 1. Sam. 23.9 that David knew that Saul secretly practiced mischiefe against him and thereupon fearing some treachery in the men of Keilah if he stayed there being in a great streight He asked counsell of God about the matter and the Lord answered him accordingly and this was all the businesse But if you will suppose further that David had a purpose to have kept the Towne against the King if the Citizens would have stood to him I hope it may be lawfull for me to suppose also that the Lord whose counsell was asked both could and would have inclined their hearts to have beene faithfull if the thing purposed had beene lawfull but Gods answer speakes to my apprehension his disallowance of it and so doubtlesse it did to Davids as appeares by his departure and his never attempting any such matter afterward if the answer of God had been cleane contrary to what it was or such as might in any sort have countenanced his stay there had beene some colour to have alleadged this story for this matter of resistance but Gods wisedome would not have any such example upon record in his Word he fore-saw that they who are so bold upon a bare supposition would have beene more bold if more could be upon a plaine example Gods answer therefore is such that all may understand if they please his refusall of a blessing upon such an enterprise If it be yet urged upon me farther as was before the Committee what I thinke David would have done if he had staid in Keilah till Saul came I must make the same answer as I did then what David would have done I cannot tell but I suppose the men of Keilah would have done to him as the men of Abell did to Sheba afterward even cut off his head and throwne it o're the wall had the King came or sent for to demand it But truly I wonder that the example of David should be alleadged in this case of fighting against the King considering what his deportment to Saul was at two severall times when he had him at such advantage Chron. 26. â—s 17 18 c. But now for the last example that of Vzziah who for going in the pride of his heart sayes the Text into the Temple to meddle with the Priests office was withstood by Azariah the Priest and fourescore Priests with him that were valiant men But how was he withstood by these men in the Temple not with swords or weapons but vers 18. They withstood Vzziah the King and said unto him it perteineth not to thee Vzziah to burne incense unto the Lord but to the Priests the sonnes of Aaron who are consecrated thereunto goe out of the Sanctuary therefore for thou hast trespassed neither shall it be for thine honour from the Lord God thus they withstood Vzziah by saying these words unto him Indeed when he persisted notwithstanding this
you but of two one a precept and another an example the first is Esay 50.10 whoever feares the Lord when he is in darkenesse and hath no light that is Es 50.10 in such great streightes and deep dangers that he can see no glimpse of deliverance from the creatures no hopes of escape let him namely at such a time trust in the name of the Lord and stay himselfe upon his God O! Master M. when shall wee live by faith if not in such a Condition The second warrant is the example of David in the wildernesse of Maon Saul had beset him round hee was in a great distresse 1 Sam. 23.26 27. fly hee could not from his Prince fight he durst not against his Prince what shall he doe He stayed himselfe upon his God who appeared to his helpe by diverting the King to a businesse of better consequence a messenger comes all on the suddaine and brings him word the Philistines had invaded his Land Ob. But suppose the Prince sets upon me in mine owne House and I therein am able to defend my selfe which perhaps David in his distresse was not why may I not so do and trust to Gods Assistance that way my House is my Castle Answ I yeild your house is and may be your Castle to defend you against any private Person but whether against your Leige Lord the King or no I question or if the Law yeilds you this that the House which was left you by your predecessors be your owne and the weapons therein which you bought with your owne money be solely yours for your defence and for that purpose you may use them But not forgetting your similitude suppose you be in your fathers or masters House and the weapons therein be his weapons whether you may keep his owne house or use his owne weapons against himselfe Hoc restat probandum Ob. But shall I yeild my throat to be cut then I shall be guilty of selfe-murder Answ It doth not follow that if you yeild to your Prince in such a case that your throat must needs be cut for we read of some that by faith stopped the mouth of Lions Heb. 11.34 and escaped the edge of the sword God is able and will if you pray and trust to him by your yeilding to your offended and displeased Prince mollify his heart towards you as hee did Sauls heart to David Labans to Iacob at one time and Esau's towards him at another O deare Sir have wee beene preaching faith and patience thus many yeares to others and shall we thus boggle and wriggle against the Power of faith and the practice of patience when we are put to trials nay shall we argue in the behalfe of flesh and bloud against the power of faith But I returne Ob. To permit a Prince said you to do what he will without resistance is the way to destroy the whole society of men and the Church in speciall if a Prince be so minded Answ It doth not follow for Church and Commonwealth are both preserved by Gods providence God is Governour of and in both and so far as the rage of men shall make to the praise either of his wisedome and justice in punishing the wicked or of his Power and grace in the trials of his servants Psa 76.10 Es 10. so far doth he permit it and the remainder thereof doth he restraine we see it in Assur Es 10. and in all the Tyrants of all Ages the Romane Emperours that had their wils had also but their time and did no more by all their fury then Gods hand and counsell had foredetermined should be done Ob. But this is Anabaptisme to hold it unlawfull for Christians to fight Answ It is one thing for Christians to fight under their Princes Banner and at his command and another thing to fight against his standard and contrary to his will to fight for him is Christianity but to fight against him is Anabaptisme nor indeed do the Anabaptists hold it unlawfull to fight when they thinke themselves strong enough to resist as appeared by their behaviour at Munster but as Jsrael had beene in peace if Ahab had been as free from troubling it as Elias was whom hee accused 1 King 18.17 so should England at this time be if they that oppose Regality and indeavour the dammage of it were as far from Anabaptisme as they are that hold such resistance unlawfull Ob. But Salus populi is suprema lex and for the preservation of the whole we may resist a part Answ There is indeed much talke of Salus populi now adayes but I believe there is a great mistake both in Salus and in Populi 1. In Salus which as appeares by mens proceedings is thought to consist in fighting rather then in flying in resisting rather then in yeilding in shedding one anothers bloud rather then in sleeping in peace God the generall conserver of mankinde hath created man for that end conservare speciem and his will is that those vertues should be specially practiced and maintained that are most conducible thereunto and those are not warres and contentions strife and debate but love meeknesse and patience bearing and forbearing one another I professe Sir it is a Paradox to me that men should lead people from peace to warre to preserve them sure there is a mistake in Salus 2 And so there is in Populi too for whereas some say by the people they meane all who conjunctiâ—â— are as much above the King as hee is above any one of them sigillâ—atim and therefore though one may not resist him yet all may as if the sinne were the lesse because many commit it or rather none at all if they have but strength and company for to act it others againe by the people do interpret every mans particular selfe whence arise those expressions I value the King no more then I do another man I would rather disarme the King then he should disarme me yea and kill him too to save my selfe I tremble to mention these sayings doubtlesse these varlets to save themselves would deale so with God himselfe if he were capable and they could reach him I do believe your selfe will yeild that there is a mistake also in Populi But Sir is not the King the Head of the people and can they be safe without him I admire at some of us that dare in the pulpit separate betwixt them and vilify Majestie to advance popularity O cry some the whole must be preferred before a part Ob. for Christ saies if thy right eye or right hand offend thee cut it off and cast it from thee 't is better that a part perish then the whole Answ Yea but Christ doth not say if thine head offend the cut off that for that would be to the ruine of the whole Ob. O say others the Kingdome is cheifly to be regarded the King is but for the Kingdomes sake Hee is the younger of the two there was
to death they for walking in the way of resistance and I for practiceing the duty of obedience they had not rather be in my case in respect of the cause of suffering then in their owne If any of you would but in earnest aske your consciences this question I dare say it would tell you that your way were not the way of God 2. This your way destroyes the whole Law of God Destructive to the whole Law of God It becomes us who are Gods Ministers entrusted with his holy truths to be faithfull unto every one of them all Gods commands ought to be equally deare unto us when time was you were all faithfull to the fourth Commandement You did runne well who did hinder My conscience tells me that the fifth Commandement being upon the stage of persecution must be as pretious to me now as the fourth was then and if Gods will so be I must be as willing to suffer with and for that though alone as I was before in behalfe of the other with your company Nay Sir as the ruine of one Jew would not satisfie Hamans malice his aime was at the destruction of the whole Nation so 't is not the death of the fifth Commandement onely that the unruly and bloudy Genius of these times thirsts after it desires rather as may appeare the extirpation of all insomuch that if ever we had cause to cry 't is time for thee Lord to worke for thy have made void thy Law we have cause now For consider doth not the first Commandement require us to acknowledge onely one God and him alone to be omnipotent most blessed and of an unerring spirit and yet have we not many that would make a certaine peece of the Parliament Gods equall in these Attributes doe they not intitle it the most blessed infallible omnipotent and wonder-working Parliament for my part I doe as truly honour the Parliament in a compleat sence as any poore Subject in England and being rightly congregated and joyntly compacted of Head and Members I thinke it not fit for any inferiour to imagine it to erre in matters of State and yet even then it may in matters of God for there is no Scripture that I know to the contrary I love the Parliament so well that I had rather die then be one of them that provoke God to such jealousie against it as I feare they doe that call it by his names of omnipotent and unerring and most blessed I have read what God did to the Spanish Navy in 88 that had the title of Invincible and how the Pope and his Church have gone downe the winde since Infallibility hath beene affixed to his Chaire by his flatterers I have read also how the good King of Sweden did truly presage his owne death when he saw the people begin to give him more honour then was due to man Act. 12. and Scripture tells us how God smote Herod with wormes because he tooke to himselfe from the peoples hands that honour which was Gods due nor do I see how that part of the Parliament hath greatly prospered to the benefit either of Church or Common wealth since those high and divine titles by its adorers have beene given unto it I have much wondred that among the late plenty of Ordinances there hath not beene some one to inhibit people this Blasphemy and Idolatry doubtlesse it affords suspicion of little true love to the first Commandement So is not reverence in Gods House and Service with a due regard to his Ministers in the execution of their office required in the second Commandement as well as Superstition forbidden and yet we see 't is counted ranke Popery to be more reverend there then other men and want of zeale not to abuse Gods Ministers yea prophanenesse and misbehaviour in Gods worship and opposition to his servants are reckoned by some the best Characters of Religion I dare affirme it from what I have read and now see that no people in the world not they that worship the Devill himselfe are so rude and unmannerly in their actions of this nature and to the Ministers of their Religion as some of ours are at this present and yet there is no Law to punish them nay all Lawes are taken away as they say that were wont to restraine them sure if this be so 't is a making void of the second Commandement And concerning the third we have those and they in favour too that not onely thinke it lawfull for themselves to breake those oathes which they have formerly made in the presence and name of God but also having as may seeme as good a faculty as the Pope to dispense with the breach of them in others and teach and exhort others thereunto as a thing necessary so it be in ordine ad causam as the Jesuites speake to promote the good cause Surely Sir I am much deceived if this be not the highest contempt that can be offered to the third Commandement if God were in earnest when he made it hee will never hold them guiltlesse that doe such things against it And for the fourth I wonder how that of late hath lost the favour of some of them who foure or five yeares agoe were ready to venture all they had to maintaine the dignity of it did they onely endeavour to preserve it till now that it might perish with its fellowes or are all kinde of revellings or sportings no sinnes on the Lords Day because they are acted in this yeare of Jubilee these blessed dayes of liberty as they are called nay are mustering of men when there is no enemy nigh plundering of men murdering of men on the Lords Day no violations of the Day it seemes so for some of us on that day can exhort to nothing else Surely Sir from preaching for and approbation of such doings some will be ready to say that we Ministers indeavoured onely to preserve the fourth Commandement heretofore that our selves might destroy it now and our feare onely was lest any should be injurious to God beside our selves And for the fifth Commandement is there any thing required in that which this generation will acknowledge as a duty any thing forbidden therein which it will yeild to be a sinne the Author of the late exhortation to repentance published to the whole Nation doth instance in no one direct breach of the fifth Commandement to be confessed on the fast day indeed all bonds of duty and relation are preached asunder to make way for liberty the Subject may not onely resist the King saies the Weaver that is set up to preach in my Church but also kill him in some cases and so the wife may kill her husband and the childe may kill his father and Surely Sir if such preachers and Doctrines must be forced upon a Ministers people in spight of his teeth I must needs feare that treason is hatching against the fifth Commandement we must bid farewell to that very shortly And
their Brethren and the Saints of God for a while yet they shall have the same in the end at Gods hand which those Leaguers had they shall ly downe in sorrow I have read of the Carriages of Hacket and his fellowes in Queene Elizabeths daies and find them the same in all respects with those of some people now onely those were not so violent as these because not growne to that height and strength Their talke was much of the Government of Christ and the setting up of that They said this could not be done nor reformation come to this nation without bloud they prophesied that there must be a great bickering which would be very short but sharpe these were their very words which are also the language of these times they boasted that their side was an hundred thousand strong and just that number do they boast of now they went much upon blind prophesies and had high conceipts of the merit of their owne fastings and prayers which is also the very fancy of this Generation they defamed and belied the Queene that She was a favourer of the Popish Religion as these do our King They stirr'd up the people to advance their way and published this position among them It is the multitude and common sort that must bring this worke to passe and is not this the tenent and practice of these times They endeavoured indeed to engage some of the Nobility and inferiour Magistrates with themselves in the quarrell against the Queene and her Government but those were more wise and godly then to be so deluded Now what the end of Hacket and his fellowes was the story tels us and reason saies other mens harmes should make us wary Nay Sir I have also observed with diligence what Josephus tels of the manners waies and words of the seditious in Jerusalem when that City was destroyed by Titus Vespatian and finding the same so fully consonant to the qualities of our resisting spirits I confesse I have often feared the like Consequence I will name some few particulars unto you and leave them also to your owne thoughts and Conscience for Application 1. They were divided among themselves and would not be perswaded to lay downe their hatred towards each other yea they killed those that moved thereto and said plainely we will not leave our Enmity one was slaughtered but for making this prayer O Lord plant among the children of Israell freindship and Brotherhood take away from them this hatred that is risen of nothing let not the one prevaile against the other seeing they be all thy servants and the children of thy Covenant 2. They also at that time of division fell off from their obedience to Caesar who was their King indeed they had beene brewing of that revolt in their purposes many yeares before as appeares by that advice of Agrippa unto them mentioned by Josephus Be not hasty I beseech you of Liberty for many seeking Liberty have fallen into further Captivity and greater Bondage 3. It was a fault among them not onely to be peaceable and Godly but also to be rich for the Captaines of the Conspiracy with Cut-throats like themselves would lay hands on the rich men of the City and spoile them of their goods pretending they had sent letters to Vespatian their right Governour to betray the City to him which by the Testimony of godlesse persons of their owne Company limbes of the Devill as the Story calls them they would prove and thereupon spoile them of their goods put them into prison and condemne them to death for Rebels 4. They held the Judges in awe threatening that unlesse they did give sentence upon those they brought before them they should go themselves the same way 5. They were of such contradictive spirits that if any whom they persecuted did but request ought at their hands for that cause they would deny it when Gorinion a good rich man being condemned for his wealth and his honesty desired but buriall they answered if he had not desired it they would have granted it but since he was so bold to aske it he should not have it and so threw his body being slaine unto the beasts 6. They made one Pavi the sonne of Peniell a Carterly Husbandman ignorant of what belonged to the Preists office High Preist for saies the Story they held the Preisthood and service of God but as toies gaudes and trifles though they pretended that all they did was for it 7. When Josephus being sent by Titus with promise of favour if they would submit did make an Oration to them disswading from resisting Caesar their Soveraigne alleadging many Scriptures against their way telling them withall that their fathers did never prevaile with speare and shield but with prayer repentance and purenesse of heart instanceing in Abraham Jacob Moses David and Ezekiah's examples they did use all meanes that possibly they could to doe him some mischiefe 8. When Titus himselfe who for his sweet disposition was intituled Amor deliciae humani generis the Carolus of that age in pity to the poore seduced hunger-sterved people did with all compassion and promise of mercy perswade them not to suffer themselves to be destroyed they would not beleeve him nor suffer the people to yeild unto him but railed upon him and abused him most shamefully endeavouring from the walls to doe him hurt who for all this when hee heard of the number of their slaine he would lift up his eyes to Heaven and say 'T is well knowne to thee O Lord of Heaven that I am not the cause of these evils for I desired to be at peace with them oftner then once but the seditious evermore would nothing but warre warre 9. They pretended in all their rebellion that they fought for the Lords cause for the Law and Religion of their God which the Romanes had no purpose to debarre them of nor indeed had they that so pretended the least sparke of Gods feare in them as appeares by the Proclamation of one of the Captaines to gather Souldiers together which was in these words Whosoever listeth to be rid of his Master or hath received any injury and desires to be revenged or that cannot abide the rule of any or that is in debate or in feare of creditors or that hath shed innocent bloud or that lurketh in secret for feare of the Law whoever is disposed to rob and rifle to doe injury or wrong to haunt whores to steale and murder to eate and drinke at other mens cost without labour of his owne hands let him resort unto me and I will deliver him from the yoke and danger of the Lawes and will finde him his fill of booties and spoyles 10. They had their lying Prophets that prophecied to the last yea when the Temple was burnt and divers of the obstinate Priests had leapt into the fire these Prophets still stirr'd up the people to play the men and to resist their enemies telling them that the