lands were giuen vpon the first planting of the Churches and if such Temporalties of Bishops and those which they called matrices Ecclesiae much more tithes of Gods owne institution or at the least giuen by the common consent of the Christian world All which endowments not we but the auncient Fathers as Augustine Cyprian Chrysostom and the rest call patrimonium Christi dotem Sponsae Christi sacram possessionem and praedia sancta Therefore let vs not correct magnificat and in presumptuous noueltie condemne and contemne all antiquitie The word Church or as our Northren Brittan calls it Kyrck is but the corruption of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to say the Lords house which so long as the world was enflamed with the sacred fire of deuotion euery hand and heart desired to sanctifie it selfe to adorne and endow But now since that was quenched and the sacred fire of rapine and sacriledge hath bin kindled men leaue to be zealous and learne to be sacrilegious becomming execrable by touching execrables As for those lights of Gods Church whose learning we loue and names reuerence I speak of Calvin the rest whose authoritie is vrged against vs who for the prophanation fell out with the Consecration of these things like the Athenian that came to Aristides to haue him write Aristides name to banish him by the law of Ostracisme yet it was not for any crime that either had committed but that for want of meanes and leisure from other imployments they were no better acquainted with the parties yet Calvin misliked of tythes onely because they were obtruded sacerdoâ—ali iure not if they had been maintained ministeriali iure being well assured that reuerent man would be little pleased were hee liuing to heare his name opposed against the Church that spent all his time and meanes in the behalfe of the Church no more then he was with his zealous Auditor that so extolled his sermons that if S. Paul and S. Calvin were to preach in one houre hee would leaue S. Paul to heare S. Caluin For you I wish you better aduised least God obserue by whom he is impeached your meaning may bee good but hast of your way hath out-galloped your good intent and precipitancie in iudging hath forestalled your iudgement For I beseech you look backe into your preposterous courses and tell mee what manner of propositions these be Tythes Prelacies Churches demeanes dignities are all Antichristian the markes of the beast the garments of the whoore the sties of the deuill Lentardus 600. yeeres since made himselfe away in verie deepe desperation hauing taught that these things were idle and superfluous and many among you hauing been drawne away from the mother Church after your whistles and oaten pipes finding hollownesse in your holinesse haue done little better whereby many of your Doctors haue been murderers of Gods people and if not violatores inuaders your selues of Gods inheritance yet ye haue been traditores betrayers of it to other and traytors to your Master For as in the trade of pursing there are setters and there are actors so it cannot be denied that if you did not commit the robberies your selues yet you plotted the matches and were partakers of the purchase For who were they that egged on the Herodians to beg our reuenewes and set on the souldiers to cast a chance for Christs coat againe were they not some men in your coates that put vp bills and petitions to the Parliament house to plucke downe Churches to erect Chappels to ruine many to reare one Who were they that would haue made the world beleeue that Bishops were Antichristian callings and elders were the worthy gouernours that so not in euerie Diocesse but in euery parish for a Bishop you might erect a superintendent in name a Pope in truth Who was it that called the Vultures to the spoyle the beasts vnto the prey with an Edomites voice crying Downe with them downe with them euen to the ground and a Moabites tongue Vp Moab to the spoyle by which meanes both the Canaanite is still in the land and the Edomite hath deuoured all and all the cost bestowed on Gods house is counted Poperie and all the meanes that commeth not of Almes is held tyrannie So that shortly we shall not be so holy as horses for they may be stabled in Churches but wee shall not haue our ceremonies so well as in stables but either in houels or vnder hedges the Ministers hauing no more respect then grooms ostlers and the land no religion at all or so many as there are Churches by meanes of euery new fanglednes But what saith Peter They who through couetousnesse make marchandize of the word of God their iudgement lingreth not and their damnation sleepeth not and our Sauiour Who so breakes the least of these commandements and teach men so to doe shal be called the least in the Kingdome of heauen And so much of the second sort CHAP. III. Against Lay-mens vsurpations of holy demeanes with answer to their cauils NOw come I to Lay-men who haue inuested themselues with Tithes and Church possessions some vnder colour of pious offices most without colour making them or taking them for things of meere appropriation like the frosen Serpent so long harboured by the farmers fire till it had recouered life and then driuing his kind host out of his owne house Many of whose court-rowls if they were well suruaied would bee found as womens accoustrements which is mundus indeed a world of trinkets but in that world the woman is minimapars sui so if euery bird had her owne feather and euery Church her true tythe many of them would not haue the tythe of that they hold Such is the age wherein wee liue wherein nothing is accounted ill that can be gained the names of sinnes for the most part as this of Sacriledge containing more horror then the sins themselues as I could instance in many The sinne of Vsurie that was of old so odious to God and man the vsuall theame of childrens declamations is now growne so well reconciled that no trade is more compendious warrantable vniuersall as if the venemous teeth were either fallen out with age or the vicious qualitie were so well corrected that all borrowers were inriched by it But as one hath well said if the teeth are rebated for biting yet the gummes are hard in nipping so that it may be truely said of this as is spoken of the great Turke The grasse wil neuer grow more where the Grand Seniors horse hath set his foote sieldome hath any state recouered that hath beene beholden vnto the Vsurer Yet call a demure professor by the name of vsurer though Nouerint Vniuersi all the world doth know it he will haue an action against you Now what is the reason of this but that he cannot endure to heare what he can be content to be the word containes some kinde of malignitie the monie hath none but like the
is well obserued of an heathen writer Soli sacrilegi pugnant contra Deum it is no other then your sacrileger that wars with God and make rampiers against his Maiestie Thus then Plato hath soundly concluded all sacrilegers to be verie Atheists for albeit they do not totidem verbis in direct termes denie there is a God with Dauids foole and those abiects of the forlorne hope yet doe they the same indirectly and by necessarie consequence when they deifie a false or idolize the true God which is by denying his essentiall attributes and diuine properties As 1. of holinesse with such as do thinke him like themselues that is a God that delighteth in wickednesse 2. of iustice saying I shall haue peace though I walke in the stubbornenesse of my owne heart 3. of power like the Aramites that said he was a God of the hills and not of the vallies 4. of prouidence saying he doth neither good nor euill But M. Zanchius saith that sacriledge is species irreligionis a spice of atheisme iumping with Aquinas that saith it is oppositum religioni crossing religion and S. Augustine that saith it is directè contra deum opposite to God in point blanke whose reasons are most reasonable because it can proceed from nothing but open contempt of holinesse and plaine impietie for els why doe men lay theeuish fingers vpon things consecrated to religion but because they care not for religion or whereto tends the spoile of holy things but to the ouerthrowe of holinesse for men knowe this God cannot be serued without men nor men bee maintained without meanes therefore the substracting such meanes is the disappointing such seruice therefore Zanchius reduceth Sacriledge to the second commaundement where Gods seruice is established and prouided Because it is here set out in his owne colours it is not amisse to take a tast of the fulsomenesse of it The donations of former times that were giuen to God were called anathemata either for their sequestration from profane vse or suspension on the walls and pillars of holy Temples Now what the Latines called anathemata from the Greeke the Hebrewes called cherem 1. for their consecration 2. for their execration the one in their vse and end the other in their nature and effect of all which the Lord to Moses gaue this caueat Let none of the cursed thing cleaue to thine hand because in that case the spoyle in warre or any such thing as the Lord reserued to himselfe did alwaies so prooue as is expressed in Iosuah Keepe your selues from the cursed thing least it make you accursed and trouble you as fel out to Achan in the valley of Achor or of trouble Therefore the censers of the rebellious Leuites beeing once consecrated when they perished were commaunded to bee preserued not for any or prophane vses but to make a couering of the Altar But to deuoure such holy vtensils or donation Salomon pronounceth to be a curse or snare or destruction as seuerall translations do read it that is to appropriate them to priuate vses The like Metaphor doth Ieremie vse to shew their nature Israel was as a hallowed thing vnto the Lord all that touch him shall offend euill shall come to them saith the Lord nothing the vengeance on their enemies to bee no lesse then Sacrilegers Paul compared it as wee saw with idolatry which destroyeth the whole lawe and Samuel with idolatrie and witchcraft as the contrary obedience with the holiest sacrifice God himselfe with other theft where the circumstances of the person augment the gradation Will any people robbe their idols which are their gods Salomon with the hainousest theft among men He that stealeth from his father and mother and saies it is no sinne the same is a compinion of the destroyer Wherefore to conclude 1. if in ordinarie theft he that steales to satisfie his soule when he is hungry if he be taken shall restore seuen fold or giue all the substance of his house 2. if the flying booke of Gods vengeance shall enter into the house of the theefe which booke was 20 cubites long and 10. broad that is a terrible curse though but to his substance 3. if he that steals from his father shall be destroyed 4. if idolaters and witches must not liue Or to gather the argument more narrow 5. if that man that sinnes against another is to be iudged of the iudge and make so large satisfaction what rule of proportion will serue sufficiently for our computation for a man that shal sinne against the Lord who shallplead for him what shall be done vnto him We may bee sure that if Caine bee reuenged seuen times and Lamec 77. how many millions how many myriads of millions shall he be reuenged that sinnes against God that tooke vengeance of Caine and Lamec both for finiti ad iâ—finitum nulla est proportio And so much shall serue for the aggrauation of this sinne CHAP. VI. The Censure or Excommunication HItherto we haue seene his sinne which we may truely pronounce to haue been a sinne of sins now followes his punishment and that well proportionate a curse of curses anathema euen maranatha the most high the most heauie the most horrible of all degrees of ecclesiasticall censure for that it was an ecclesiasticall censure the whole series or order of the causes doe euince 1. the efficients both principall and instrumentall 2. the forme of spirituall or ecclesiasticall iurisdiction 3. the matter execration or extirpation 4. the ende that other may feare Now then for our better vnderstanding both of his sinne and of his suffering the learned Drusius doth teach vs that among the Iewes where this fell out there were three sorts or seuerall degrees of Church censure apparant enough in both Testaments 1. Called niddui of nadah a word that signifies expellere or elongare to expell or driue far away this we haue in Esay Heare yee the word of the Lord all yee that tremble at his word your brethren that hated you and cast you out for my names sake said Let the Lord bee glorified that was the forme as we see in Achans story but he will appeare to your glorie and they shall be ashamed And this is that which in the newe Testament is called casting out of the Synagogue as the Pharisies serued the blind man whom Christ had healed hauing made a Canon that whosoeuer should confesse Iesus to be Christ should be excommunicate or cast out of the Church 2. The second was Cherem of the roote that signifies occidere or excidere to kill or cut off this we finde in Moses where God speaking of the cursed nations whom his people were to exterminate and possesse their places saies thus as the vulgar translation doth well deliuer it anathematizando anathematizabis eos the English if not so significantly yet as effectually thou shalt vtterly destroy
sword and that doth not iust in the scabbard but as Petrus de Aliaco did sometime complaine in the Council of Constance it is subiect to much abuses vulgaritie partialitie triuialiâ—ie which make it almost a wooden dagger Gladius saith he qui in primitiua ecclesia veneranda raritate erat formidabilis iam propter abusum contrarium contemptibilis factus est the Ecclesiasticall sword which in the Primitiue Church was seldome vsed and greatly reuerenced is now become by daily distriction of small account and little esteeme The like complaint doth Scotus make so as wee may truely say with the Poet at te genitor cum fulminatorques Nequicquam horremus coecique in nubibus ignes Terrificant animos inania murmura miscent Now concerning the vsurped proprietie which the Bishop of Rome doth claime to himselfe as Peters successor that is the sole temporall and spirituall monarch whose yron must beare downe all swords whose keies must open all locks whose ledde must blunt all steele and crosier put downe all scepters albeit between these two propositions Peter for sacriledge stroke Ananias dead and the present Paulus 5. may excommunicate King Iames of great Brittaine for non conformitie there be many gulfes to fill and casmaes to make vp I leaue to be further confuted by the learned pens that at this time fight the Lords battels against that man of sinne Sure I am of one thing this is not Peters petra rocke of saluation but Neroes Tarpeius the break-necke of destruction nor eloquium Dei but laqueus diaboli nor ignis spiritus but ignis fatuus I come to some other point more neere our matter and obserue the wisedome and omniscience of the mightie Spirit discerning the hearts and peircing the reines of the most reserued hypocrites for albeit here are many things of more then ordinarie practise the immediate gubernation of the Church in generall at this time and this action in particular the immediate reuelation of this part in proper and the immediate emancipation of the party to his place of perdition yet this no way hinders the information of our knowledge concerning his nature and power that all things are naked to his eyes and that there is no creature that is not manifest in his sight and confirmes those doctrines of the Prophets I the Lord search the heart and try the reines and of the Apostles Thou that knowest the hearts of all men shewe whome thou hast chosen Such a God is it that we serue that can discerne himselfe and disclose to other the secretest malefactors Ionas in the shrowds Nathaniel vnder the figtree Ieroboams wife vnder her maske the Assyrians plotting in his priuie chamber the iugling of Gehezi the blanching of Iehoram the bloodinesse of Hazael the blending of Dauid the idolizing of the Iewes For which the heathen in their hieroglyphicks disciphered Iupiter by an eie and an eagle to insinuate that such a nature beseemed the highest maiestie as was not deceiueable by any obscuritie The consideration of which point may serue to disrobe vs of all Adams fig-leaues and bereaue vs of all hope of impunitie in our secretest villanies and most inveloped treacheries Erasmus brings in a paire of amorous pigeons looking for some very retired roome where they might renew their lewd acquaintance but neuer could so be couered in any corner that the eies of God should not descrie them Therefore in that description of him in the vision his eies are said to be as a flaming fire that is eies for obseruing sire for reuenging according to the Poet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This one perswasion if well concocted would strangle our wicked proiects much better then those simple supposalls of the heathen of Cato or Scipioes ouer-seeing what we doe Lastly obserue we in this censure the exact retribution and geometricall proportion which God obserueth in his iudgements Those saith Gregorie Nyssene are the purest stones and finest chrystals that do most truely represent the faces of the inspectors yeelding backe to merrie visages merrie reflexions but to sad and sowre lookes the like againe such are Gods doings which represent to vs our iust deseruings so that it is easie to reade our owne deeds in his very doomes As for example The old world was plagued with inundations of waters because of their great inundations of sinnes the fiue cities were consumed with sulphurous flames of fire against nature because they boiled with sulphurous flames of lust against nature Pharaoh that had been as a staffe of protection to the people of God so soone as he turned serpent to hisse and sting his benefactors to death is showne himselfe in a reall embleme by the staffe in the hand of Moses and his vnnaturall subiects had their waters turned into blood for defiling their riuers with the innocent blood of the Israelites children and in the end were drowned in the red sea for drowning others children in their Nilus Saul no sooner reiected the word of the Lord in the spoyle of the Amalakites but he heard himselfe reiected from being King and as the sword of that Agag whom he so spared had made many women childlesse so was his mother also by the hand of Samuel made childles herselfe among other women Adonibesec that had cut off the thumbs and toes of 70. Kings and set them to picke crumbs vnder his table was by Ioshua serued with that same sawce in the end himselfe This sea of examples hath no bottome Dauids adulterie was repaied him by his sonne Ioabs blood Ahabs field Diues almes and a number more Heraclius the Emperour following incestuous lust had such distension in that part of nature that he could not let his vrine but in his owne face Brunechildis a wicked Queen of France that ioyed in nothing but the discord of her children was in the end taken after she had made away 10. Princes and infinite other and was torne in peices with wilde horses Boleslaus King of Cracow who put Staniflaus his Bishop to a cruell death for his honest admonitions and carued his flesh among his dogges being driuen out of his Kingdom and wandring in Hungarie was torne in peices of his owne dogges But to insist in this verie sinne Leo Emperour of Constantinople taking a rich Coronet out of a Church set with diamonds and other verie rich stones and setting it on his own head had instantly his head so pearled with boiles and crowned with carbuncles that for extremitie of torment he instantly died There was one Addo Archbishop of Mentz that hauing a number of verie poore people in his countrie that craued his reliefe he caused them all to be collected into a barn vnder a colour of almes so set it on fire and when with their extreame yelling and howling they had with their noise peirced vnto him where he sate in his Pallace he vsed this sarcasme while they were dying
to God committing all things to the heauenly prouidence and for the accomplishment of his fatall destinie rested patiently in hourely expectance Not long after the souldiers now lying in garrison I know not whereupon rose in mutinie and crowned Phocas so often mentioned to be Emperour who presently addressing himselfe for Constantinople and by sudden surprisall taking the citie through the negligence of the warders by the Patriarke and all the people was soone confirmed some fewe excepted who because Mauritius was yet liuing durst not assent which Phocas had forgot so presently hee goes to the palace and searching for Mauritius hee found him fled into a monasterie whence plucking him out and carrying out to Calcydon they put him to cruell torments killing his wife and his fiue sonnes before his face during all whose death and his owne danger hee did nothing but pray with great deuotion euer repeating these words iuâ—tus es domine recta iudiciatua righteous art thou O Lord true are thy iudgements and so most patiently commending his soule to God he tooke his death Thus farre the historie By which wee note the truth of the Scripture which calls riches deceitfull things for though they present as I spake of the hawthorne a faire lustre to the eie and promise much happinesse to the heart yet they are like the Apothecaries boxes which are written vpon Cordials but are ranke poisons for although pouertie is the vndoing of many yet riches are the vndoing of farre more as one saith Wherefore our Sauiour directing his speech to the rich saies thus videte cauete ab auaritia see the effects beware the danger The world thinks gold is good for the eyes and so saith Moses to make men blind and the blind saith Christ are in danger to fall into the ditch therfore see and beware the eie must shew the feet must shun the danger that is double 1. for this world Temptations and snares and foolish and noysome lusts which drowne men in perdition and destruction 2. for the other whose god is their belly and glory their shame minding earthly things their ende is damnation As the anguish so is the antidote also double 1. contentation Let your conuersation bee without couetousnesse and be content with that you haue 2. dependance on his prouidence he hath said I will not faile thee nor forsake thee so that we may boldly say The Lord is my helper I will not feare what man can do vnto me Let not any indent with God or craue a bill of his hand If I had so much I would trust to Gods prouidence for the rest for we must simply surrender our selues vnto him The readiest way to get the world is to sacrifice it vnto God as Abraham did his sonne Salomon asked but wisdome and had all other with it happie if hee had also asked grace But greedinesse is the portion of them that want godlinesse therefore the Caribes and Sauages set their heart vpon the earth because they haue no further hope in heauen Doth God care for oxen saith Paul nothing like as he doth of his children why then should his children care for oxen or the earth more then for him But here is a brow and wall of brasse euer rebounding and euer resounding non persuadebis etiamsi persuaseris which God amend and so I ende Let God be glorified Psalm 83. Breifly paraphrased and scholied wherein is declared the Vniuersall Conspiracies of Gods enemies for the vtter subuersion of the Church with a propheticall imprecation or prediction of their fall A Song of Asaph this Asaph was a Leuite of the sonnes of Cohath by Dauid made magister chori to say Deane of the Chappell for his excellent skill in musique but more excellent gift and eloquence in Theologie as appeares by many Psalmes of his making Psal 50. and from 73. to 83. as was also his brother Heman the pen man of some other for which they were of great account and esteeme in Court and Church The notation of his name for all this Psalme through he runnes vpon that figure doth signifie the Congregation and thereunto fitteth his inuention in this place wherin is descried the estate of the Church and Congregation of God The parts are 3 first the exordium or entrance v 1. then a proposition against the enemies of the Church 1. against their enuie 2. Blasphemie against God himselfe where is an enumeration of their names and those nations that were of the league from ver 2. to 8. Lastly an imprecation or praier 1. Touching the Church that God would deliuer it from the force and furie of her enemies as formerly he had don in like impetitions Which part is amplified with a reason because they seeke to ingrosse the inheritance of God which pertaineth not vnto them from 8. to 12. 2. Respecting the enemies that God would defeat and confound them as he best knowes 3. Regarding God himselfe that he would glorifie his glorious name either in the conuersion of them that sinne ignorantly or subuersion that sinne maliciously c. Keep not thou silence O God hold not thy peace and be not still O God The 70. and vulgar read it who is like vnto thee but the Hebrew yeeldeth not that sence except the preposition el had been with it This then is spoken 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as men seeme to sit still when they doe not succour their friends so doth God when he taketh not the defence of the Church vpon himselfe The note God so long seemes to defer his help while we stand as men amazed at our tribulation and looke not vp to him therefore if we would haue God to heare and help vs we must importune him with our praiers and peirce his eares with our cries Againe though God seemes to deferre his help to exercise our patience and increase our zeale and to let the wicked runne on till their sinnes be ripe yet that is but to set an edge to our deuotion and to punish their security the more seuerely For loe thine enemies make a noise and they that hate thee lift vp their head Here he setteth downe the behauiour of Gods enemies like feirce and furious beasts whose voice in proper is not sermo but sonus a murmure of brutishnes no manner of manlines The note 1. it is not possible they should be men bearing Gods image or children of the Church or indewed with grace that seeke to ruine Gods house and inheritance but like S. Iudes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beasts without reason corrupting themselues in those things they know by nature 2. he calls the enemies of the Church the enemies of God which is no small comfort to the godly that they are so neere allied to him as to haue communes amicos inimicos the same friends and enemies opposites and participants Such was his couenaut with the Father and all the sons of faith to blesse and curse those that blesse