A SERMON PREACHED BEFORE THE KINGS MOST EXCELLENT MAiestie in the Church of Beauly in Hampshire the thirtieth of July M.DC.IX BY CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON Doctor in Diuinitie and one of his Maties Chapleines DVBLIN Printed by the Societie of Stationers Printers to the Kings most excellâ—â—â— Maiestie Ann 1620 TO THE MOST HIGH and mightie Prince IAMES by the Grace of God King of Great Britaine Fraunce and Ireland Defendor of the Faith c. Most Renowned most Dread and most Gracious Soueraigne IT is not long since I heard a Recusant of vnderstanding and qualitie professe that the Spiritual presence of our Sauiour Iesus Christ in the holy Sacrament of the Lords Supper contented him sufficiently But he desired satisfaction at the same time in the matter of Supremacie and to haue reasons why Christian Princes should challenge it I promised to resolue him in that point too and had not any thing so readie to do it withall as certain collections which I gathered for a Sermon preached before your most Excellent Matie Those I haue now published that all of my charge may take coÌ„moditie to reade them for their satisfaction or vse And that they are like to do with more cheerefulnesse if your Matie wil be Gratiously pleased to let them passe vnder your Royall protection with the same Clemency now which you vouchsafed to countenaÌ„ce them withall when they were pronounced in your Sacred presence The Lord that hath giueÌ„ your Matie both this great power to be his LieutenaÌ„t a prudent heart to exercise it continue your happy Gouernement to the aduancemeÌ„t of his glory the comfort of these Churches and your owne Eternall honour Euen so prostrating my selfe to kisse your blessed hands I remaine Your Maiesties most humble and obliged Seruant and Almosner ARMAGH A TREATISE OF SOVERAIGNETIE LVC. 22.24 25. And there arose also a strife among them which of them should bee the greatest But he said vnto them The Kings of the Gentiles raigne ouer them they that rule ouer them are called gracious Lords But you shall not bee so c. THE Text deuideth it selfe into two principall parts In the former you see a Contention betweene the Apostles for SVPERIORITIE Their example serues to admonish vs that the Saints themselues are obnoxious to humane affections and neede the grace of God To this purpose the holy Ghost recordeth not only the examples of their vertues that thereby we might behold the richnes of Gods mercy towards his seruants but hee mentioneth their infirmities errors too Paul describes his owne Pharisaisme noteth Peters halting in the vse of things indiffereÌ„t John rehearseth his mistaking in the worshipping of Angels Things registred of purpose not for contumely vnto them but for instruction vnto vs. That by these monitions we should watch ouer ourselues more atteÌ„tiuely if Saints fall from their vertues what may befall vs in the midst of our sins From hence also wee receaue hope comfort in the sorrowes of our fals Audiant qui non ceciderunt ne cadant Audiant qui ceciderunt vt resurgant Let them that haue not fallen heare these things prouisionally that they doe not fall And let theÌ„ that haue fallen heare them exemplarily that they may rise againe Lastly this may teach vs to admire no man with superstition but to make the word of God our guide in the imitation of Saints we liue by lawes and not by examples And if wee desire to treade in the steps of holy men the Word will direct vs safely to followe them no further then they followe Christ I confesse that if any men were to bee followed this glorious Companie of the Apostles is most worthy of imitation But then let vs follow them in their Sanctimonie not in their Schisme in their vnanimitie and concord which they exercised in the Acts when they had receiued the holy Ghost not in their carnall strife Contention which of them should be the greatest Therefore let no man reioyce in men but if any will reioyce let him reioyce in God Securus gloriatur qui gloriatur in Domino The storie of this said Contention is frequent amongst the Euangelists and rehearsed often Heere Marc. 10. Matth. 20. and a Contention of the same nature is set downe Matth. 18. And wherevnto tends the ingemination of a thing that is not so memorable in it selfe Doubtlesse for the prevention premonition to the Church that it should not bee swayed with such ambitious prehensations and vast desires though they bee guilded ouer with Apostolicall stiles titles Apothecaries boxes sometimes haue the inscriptions of restoratiues when they be full of poison Affectation of greatnesse is repressed in the Apostles themselues in the rampant Bell-weathers of the Christian flocke and then how should it bee allowable in their successors or Apostolicall men It is not improbable that some such windie affection did thrust the Apostles into this strife but most certaine that those that vaunt themselues to be successors of the Apostles haue intertained quarrells with all the world by reason of some peculiar fauours and indulgences that CHRIST shewed to some of the Apostles aboue the rest Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke will I build my Church are thought to be very significant words that way But Paule telleth vs Petra erat Christus that Christ was that rocke and not Peter So saith God himselfe by Esay J lay in Sion a low corner stone elect and precious whosoeuer beleeueth and resteth on it shall not be coÌ„founded And no man can lay another foundation then that which is layd already which is Iesus Christ For Quis est Deus praeter Dominum Et quis est Petra praeter Deum nostrum Who is God but the Lord and who is the Rock saith Dauid except our God Again Vnto thee wil I giue the Keyes of the kingdome of Heauen are vsed to the like purpose But this strife proues directly that the Apostles made no coÌ„struction out of these wordes for Peters prerogatiue Had they conceiued any meaning that way it had ended the strife and Peter must haue beene the greatest But they renew their quarrell after these wordes they argued it againe and againe they insisted vpon it at the last Supper that euer they had with their Master Pregnant arguments that the Apostles vnderstood nothing of this graunt that is vrged What doe they thinke of Christ that knew the meaning of his owne wordes was he not willing to informe his Disciples to leaue quietnesse amongst them might he not haue done it with one word that Peter should be greatest or would hee reproue their Contention with an absolute non sic if he had concluded any thing for Peter formerly Multa coguntur male interpretari qui nolunt vnum rectè intelligere They are forced to interprete many things wrongfully that will not vnderstand one rightly It is euident in the 2. Gal. that Peter and Paul were allotted to seueral portions Peter
will haue it euer hee will neuer resigne it to any of his Apostles Hee sent them but as his Father sent him into the World that was without any Royaltie or Kingly power But after his Resurrection he saith All power is giuen mee both in Heauen and in Earth and addeth Go therefore vnto his Apostle By that power which was giuen him both in Heauen in Earth he sheweth that hee hath authoritie to send forth his Apostles so he addeth rightly Goe ye therfore But how shall they goe Suerly not with that fulnesse of Power ouer Heauen Earth which hee mentioned instantly before and then was the fittest time to haue giuen it But Goe teach all nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost teaching them to obserue all things that J haue commaunded you This is their Charter their Commission their Letters Patents and it containeth all the notes and markes of the Church Those things bee within their charge the preaching of the Gospell the administration of the Sacraments the setling not of any one modell but of that discipline that may bring men to the obedience obseruation of CHRIST his Commaundements For planting or transplanting of kingdomes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is no Title in all their Commission Bellarmine makes much adoe about the translation of the Romane Empire from the Greekes to Charlemaine by the B. of Rome and pleaseth himselfe with coniecture more then his Iudicious Reader with soliditie of reason The verie trueth of that storie is that Charles the great had it not by the authoritie of the Pope but by Conquest and Transaction with Nicephorus the Greeke Emperor when he could hold it no longer But allow the Cardinall that which he cannot proue that Charles obtained the Empire by the Popes authoritie then he may call to minde That the restitution of the Romane Monarchie must be done by Antichrist as it is in the 13. Chap. of the Reuelation But Bellarmine tells vs that the B. of Rome effected the restitution of the Romane Empire therefore Bellarmine makes the Bishop of Rome to be Antichrist which I will not confute You haue heard how CHRIST his Censure doth deiect the Pope from his vsurped Monarchie Vos autem non sic You that be Ministers of the Gospel may not raigne like Kings And some of our Brethren alleage the same words also to dispossesse the Reuerend Bishops of this Church from their Superioritie But they set CHRISTS wordes vpon the tentar-hookes and stretch them too farre His meaning is not to make an equalitie amongst the Ministers but to set a difference betweene Kings the Ministers of the Word that none should inuade the right of Princes vnder the pretence of their Ministerie As for Aequalitie when one aduised Lycurgus to establish it amongst the Lacedaemonians whereby the least meanest might beare like sway and rule with the greatest The wise man answered that he which calleth for that should begin it first at home in his owne house And if all men be carefull to exclude Paritie out of their priuate families if men experienced in Policie and Gouernement will not admit it into the Common-wealth because that cannot bee preserued with equalitie but by authoritie and rule Why are not men as sensible of the House of God as of their own houses why should Aequalitie that is found intollerable in other Societies be obtruded to the Church Because distinctions and inequalitie of Pastors cannot bee proued by Scripture That is not so There were diuers Pastors vnder the Law so I thinke I may call the Priests but they were not equall for there was one High Priest as it were a Transcendent aboue them all But his eminencie was to expresse the Soueraignetie of IESVS CHRIST But then there were Captaines of euerie family of the Leuites and that proues an inequalitie Last of all there were two ioyned with the high Priest which are called Rulers in the House of God in the first Paralip Chap. 24. Vers 5. In the New Testament there was distinction and inequalitie betweene the Apostles themselues or else Paul would neuer haue called Peter Iames Iohn cheife pillars of the Apostles There was distinction inequalitie betweene the twelue Apostles the seuentie Disciples Paulus Appellat seipsum Architectum Wee reade of many Pastors at Ephesus Act. 20. in the Reuelat. John writeth To the Angel of the Church of Ephesus which euicteth necessarily that there was one greater then the rest Par in partem non habet Imperium One equall hath no power ouer another But Paul gaue Timothy authoritie ouer Pastors Therefore he intended ordained an inequalitie no paritie amongst the Pastors of the Church The reasōs of those that call for equalitie in the Ministers of the Church are not made to build vp and they are too weake to pull doune Zeale is good a sweet thing it is to vow your hearts vnto God but euery Sacrifice must be seasoned with Salt least yee goe about to reform the Church with one hand to subuert the state with the other Abraham sayes grauely vnto Lot Let there be no Contentions betweene mee and thee for wee are Brethren That is one reason And it is both good pleasant for Brethren to dwell together Againe The Chananite the Peryzite are yet in the land that is another motiue In which case who knows not that the aduersaries of our doctrin wil sooner be ouercom with vnited thē distracted forces And so we that fight the Lords battels cannot dis-joyne our selues without preuarication bootie Away then with all singularitie and admiring our owne opinions know ye not that it is the Seminary of inward Contention The spirit of the Prophets must be subiect vnto the Prophets Let vs haue but one heart one way that we may fill the Lords House with Garlands of victories that wee may beat our Aduersaries from humane merits and bring them to the diuine mercies from Free-will and the possibilities of Nature to the Grace of God from Traditions to the written Word from Eleuation Adoration Circumgestation Transubstantiation of the Sacrament to the Commemoration of Christs death a sweet fruition thereof by Faith from their Hierarchy visible Monarchy to the Headship of our Lord IESVS CHRIST from superstition to the true worship of God Oh how glorious are these holy triumphes how instantly doe they call vpon vs to combine our selues together that the Conuersion Offering vp of the Papists may be acceptable and sanctified And thus much for Concord to my Brethren of the Ministerie I would not dismiss you of the Laity after this long discourse of contention without som short exhortatiō to peace The very name of Peace is a sweete word but the worke is sweeter I cannot alwayes speak of it but that which I cannot speake of alwayes you
giuen to Kings and none sorteth better with the intent end of their office which is as Aristotle admonisheth king Alexander 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Paul expresseth it in good English Hee is the Minister of God for thy good Tu regem patremque geras tu consule cunctis You haue heard how the Lord that is annoynted honoureth the Lords annoynted with Supremacie in his Iurisdiction with Maiestie in his Stile and Titles It is our dueties to wish him good lucke with his Honour Peace be within his Wals plenteousnesse within his Palaces for my Brethren Companions sake I will wish him prosperitie yea because of the house of the Lord J will pray for his good Now let vs see the last passage what interest the Apostles and their successors haue in this matter of Supremacie and Titles of Maiestie Our Sauiour takes it from them Positiuely Vos autem non sic You that are Apostles shall haue no such power Our Masters of the Church of Rome drawes it to them crookedly whether will ye beleeue him that was indifferent and without respect of persons or these that are partiall him in the trueth or these in their pride the Sonne of God or the Brethren of the Conclaue Amongst many differences that be betweene them this may be reckoned for one That we beleeue the Sauiour of mankinde vpon his word Jpse dixit is sufficient But the other must attend for no further credit from vs then they can winne by the euidence of their proofes And these are either Blasphemous or Triuiall They now say that wee must conceiue a secret implyed Oath in our Baptisme to yeelde obedience to the Pope A proofe full of horrible blasphemie true Christians will detest to sweare into the Popes wordes and to ioyne him in their Baptisme as a Consort with the three Persons of the holy and vndiuided Trinitie Hearest thou not this O Christ at the right hand of God How the Aduersaries for their owne greatnesse would euacuate and violate thy holy Baptisme The other proofes Feede my sheepe and Vnto thee will I giue the keyes for I reade no more in the writhen Diuine are ouerworne triuiall proofes vnbeseeming the cause which is now made one of the principall Articles of Faith as if none could be faithfull vnlesse he beleeue in the Pope vnfitting the person that alleageth them from whom the world did looke for Oracles and behold nothing but that which euery triobolour Papist can tel As to the former Paul in his farewell tould the Elders of Ephesus that The holy Ghost had made them ouerseers to feed the Church of God Wherein I note two things First the Office of Elders did consist in feeding Secondly that the Church of God which they must feede is of equipollent and of as large compasse as the sheepe of CHRIST Therefore if there bee any force in the words of our Sauiour vnto Peter for feeding his sheepe because they are indefinite There must needs bee the same in these of Paul to the Priests of Ephesus because they are equiualent And so euerie inferior Minister should hould a kinde of Soueraignetie in their places which peraduenture our Aduersaries may intend though it bee not expressed for they conceale many things till opportunitie serue But if the Pope by feeding of Christs sheepe may exercise authoritie ouer Kings be well assured that his inferior Ministers which haue the same power of feeding may and will practise the like vpon you that are Subiects Is it possible that any Subiects should bee in better Condition then their Soueraigne Doe not deceiue your selues my good Brethren friends the seruant is no better then his Master That which is good in the head of the Church against the heads of Kingdomes will alwayes be of validitie in the Members of the Church against the Subiects of kingdomes Therefore beware of them beloued They that dare attempt against the Maiestie and Persons of Kingdomes will much sooner attempt against your lands and liues goods Nothing shall be left vnviolable nothing remaine free in any part of the Common-wealth all must bee at the pleasure and mercie of the Pope his Priests You see how he is not content to sheare but will skin his sheepe so as no man hath cause to be sorie that hee is not of his fould Now looke vpon his Keyes if they bee as powerfull as the feeding of sheepe The keyes of the kingdome of heauen is a perspicuous exposition of the Gospel teaching men what way they may goe to Heauen and how to be saued This Key was not cōmitted to Peter alone but vnto all the rest of the Apostles Hoc dictum Tibi dabo Claves regni Coelorum caeteris quoque commune est Et quae sequuntur velut ad Petrum dicta sunt omnium cōmunia This sentence of Christ Vnto thee will I giue the keyes of the kingdome of Heauen is spoken to the other Apostles too and the wordes that follow which seeme to bee deliuered vnto Peter are common to all the rest Then if wee maruaile that they which are designed to the charge of expounding of the Gospel and opening Heauen vndertake other things by the power of their keyes as Kingdomes and Gouernments of the Earth wee doe it not without the warrant of Scripture Heere is a Patterne that our Sauiour leaueth to his Apostles in my Text Soueraignetie is interdicted and a Ministerie is enioyned them Bernard writ to as great a Pope as Paul the fift Quid vos alienos fines invaditis What doe you meane to enter vpon other mens rights Disce tibi Sarculo opus esse nō Sceptro vt opus Prophetae facias Vnderstand that an Hooke to weede withall is fitter for you then a Scepter to doe the office of a Prophet Esto vt quacunque alia ratione hoc tibi vendices non tamen Apostolico iure By what other right soeuer you can challenge this thing it is certaine you may not doe it by any right deriued from the Apostles Nec illud tibi dare Petrus potuit quod non habuit For that which Peter had not himself he could neuer conuey to the Pope And so hee concludeth I ergo tu tibi vsurpare aude aut dominans Apostolatum aut Apostolicus dominatum Goe too then vsurpe if you dare either a Lord-like Apostleship or an Apostolicall Lordship Planè ab alterutro prohiberis You are cleerely forbidden the one of the two Si vtrumque similiter habere voles vtrumque perdes If you will needes haue them both together you must needes loose them both Well then are not the Keyes sometimes a Cognisance of absolute Authoritie yes verily but that is Dauids Keye not Peters I but CHRIST had that keye too It is true but he did not communicate it to Peter or to any of the Apostles This saith he that hath the keye of Dauid then he had it he hath it still hee