Authoritie as a vigorous life to quicken a Kingdome and then to bind it vp in such agreement that many thousands of different conditions doe submit themselues to one Princes haue this Excellencie of Spirit not so much from their Birth or bodilie temper as from God immediatelie Hee createth in them a reasonable Soule to mâ—ke them Men and giues them a princelie Spirit to make them Kings among Men. Dauid was of priuate breeding but so soone as GOD tooke him from behind the Ewes and set him vpon the Throne hee gaue him an heroicke Spirit Their Birth indeede giueth them great Priuiledges but the royall Spirit is not infalliblie annexed to it GOD reserueth it to his owne free dispensation hee hath set them as Heads of Societies and the Head is plenished with Vnderstanding and with moe Senses than the Bodie for it is the seate of all the Senses and none but the sense of Feeling is diffused throgh the whole bodie that floweth from the Head So Kings by their place should be accomplished with humane perfections aboue their Subjects This hath with it a largenesse of heart to ouer-reach priuate spirits as farre as their place is aboue them and that both in fore-sight to project their businesse and Prudence to manage it And they haue as large affections of ioy and griefe and their fruits answerable in Contentment and miscontentment Their ordinar measure in these things would bee excesses to ouer whelme priuate Spirits Their greatest place occasioneth them greatest humane contentments but lest they become insolent as great miscontentments are annexed So God hath counterpossed these great things in greatest Spirits both to keepe them from extremities and to hold them on the Ballance of Equabilitie Power and Authoritie are inuisible in themselues but visible in their outward signes and the more euident the greater difference they make betwixt Kings Subiects Princes are men as other yet are they farre in dignitie aboue other as the patternes of natiue Nobility that commeth of Birth and the Fountaine of datiue Nobilitie that flowes from Princes fauour Though it fall out otherwise sometimes for iust causes yet in an abstract consideration they ought to bee and vsuallie are the choysest Men in humane perfections A speciall signe is that Maiestie wherewith God stampeth their countenance to tell what Spirit dwelleth in such a Bodie Though they bee but Men yet that Majestie in their countenance equalleth their place This maketh their verie silence to bee awfull and imperioâ—s it confoundeth sometimes the most resolute Spirits and putteth posed wits to precipitation His whispering in his Chamber setteth all his Kingdome on worke and the onelie mouing of his lippes putteth all his Provinces to businesse But if they speake in passion it is like the roaring of the Lyon This can be no thing else but the hand of GOD that maketh so sensible a difference betweene ruling and ruled Spirits in one kinde of Creature Next God hath giuen them foure Ensignes of a kinglie Power The Throne as the ground of their Authoritie vnder God The Scepter the signe of their Law-making or Nomothâ—ticke wisedome by its touchgiuing life to Lawes The Sword to execute Lawes as a token that all the Swords of their Subiects are at their command for Warre and Peace And the Crowne as the signe of Glorie arising of the right vse of all the former God bestowed on Solomon such a royall Maiestie as had not beene in any King of Israel before For the Lord his God was with him and magnified him exceedinglie Their Place is great indeede to bee Gods Vice-gerents on Earth yet that greatnesse is not absolute but hath the owne limitation Their power is as well bounded as their Persons Mortality boundeth their life so doeth Providence their Power that on Gods part by Communication for the originall and overruling for the vse and on their part dependence on God and subiection to a reckoning hemmeth it in I said Yee are Gods and all of you the Children of the most High But yee shall die like men It is not of themselues but lent of God and not for themselues but for him and his people It carieth in it selfe an obligement to vse it to his glorie whom they represent and a care in that vse to doe nothing that is not worthie of him When Goodnesse and Greatnesse meete in them they are glorious Images of God but when their greatnesse is voyde of goodnesse they are hurtfull to mankinde and make the Name of God to bee evill spoken of So long as they governe aright their governement is acceptable to God but if they abuse their power and follow their owne will and not Gods then hee disclaimes their governement They reigned but not of mee The excellencie of their Calling cannot expiate these faults of their Person but procures a double wrath If they looke onely to their place as comming by Birth or peoples fauour or their owne worth without respect to God they cannot but swell in prid with Nebuchadnezar But when they take them as out of Gods hand they will reverence him and vse them to his glorie and that wise imployment shall proue a way to a better Crowne in Heauen They are indeede aboue their Subiects yet God is aboue them the most High and higher than the highest David knew that he both iniured Uriah and his people that they could not correct him for his offence yet hee saw the punishment in Gods hand and beeing afraied thereof cryed out Against thee against thee onelie haue I sinned Hee confessed himselfe guiltie to God alone because he had no man who might iudge his fault Of all that is said ariseth a confirmation for a Monarchie a RefutatioÌ„ of some errors And a Direction in some dueties For a Monarchie this Text is plaine because it speaketh of a King appointed allowed of GOD in mercie Sundrie sorts of Governement haue beene devysed as Monarchie Aristocracie and Democracie and these either simple or in diverse mixtures but so that some one forme did preponder the rest gaue the name to the whole Though all bee good in themselues and God can serue himselfe of any of these yet they all point at a Monarchie as the best For supreme power is to bee found in them all but the difference is in the number of the Persons For that same supreme Power which Monarchie hath in one Person Aristocracie hath it in some few of the best and Democracie in the multitude of the people so that euery one of them is a Monarchie indeede diversified in the number of Persons As for their Practice when moe ruled they feared the vsurpation of some one and vpon that feare as they saw any excell the rest in Riches Wisedome or Friendship they serued him with an Athenian Ostracisme or a Syracusian Petalisme and for one yeeres ruling cast him in ten yeers banishment But by time they saw
paterne to work himselfe to in the vse of that Wisedome The compleate furniture beginneth at the Spirit of the Lord and is specified in the Spirit of counsell and might the Spirit of knowledge and closed with the feare of the Lord or true pietie The hight of their place exempts them not from this dependance but subiecteth them the more to it the heavier their but then bee the greater neede haue they to seeke Gods helpe Their businesse seemeth to stay devotion but the necessitie is a spurre to prayer The more businesse the more necessitie of helpe and the more felt necessitie the greater earnestnes with God for a blessing Davids a does made him not forget his devotion but hee keeped his day lie dyet thereof Seven times a day doe I praise thee because of thy righteous Iudgements God hath ever noted religious and devote Kings with excellent Blessings in their Governement This makes mee remember a grosse impietie in the Consistorie of Rome When the Pope is absent the oldest Cardinall prayes vnto God to blesse their adoes but when hee is present hee praves none at all Let no man sayeth their Cardinal Think it strange if the Pope pray not for the assisting grace of Gods Spirit because it is likelie he prayed before he came thither Besides it hath beene observed that because of the presence of the most glorious Vicar of Christ who is thought to bee assisted by the grace of the Spirit that Ceremonie is not keeped as in other places and that not to withdraw any thing from due devotion but to signifie a more holie and sacred mysterie So that the imploring of Gods assistance is but a Ceremonie to them That is a mysterie of iniquity to thinke any man exeemed from a necessity of praying vnto God for a blessing to his a lâ—es What is it but to tell that the Pope is a god and needeth not implore Gods assâ—stance As though Gods presence were superfluous where that pretended god presideth Or shall wee say That God maketh him proclaime himselfe the man of sinne by so profaine a misregard of God in his weightiest adoes Their Canon Law inioynes their Clergie to blesse their meate and hath not their Consistorie affaires greater necessitie of a blessing It was the height of Pelagius pride to bidde God adien for hee had no neede of his helpe And what other doeth the Pope Hee contemneth the preaching of the Word as a base service though it bâ—e indeede the most Apostolicke and thinketh the Consistoriall affaires onelie worthie of his greatnesse If therefore hee be so profaine in that hee counts most weighty What devotion hath hee in lesser matters Since they haue left off to preach no wonder they cease to pray and their style to Princes that was to blesse request exhort is turned now in a mandamus volumus to command and will Bernard feared this pride in his Scholler Eugenius and Bellarmine exponeth it rightlie that the businesse of the Court of Rome would stay devotion in him If hee condemnes that slacknesse in Eugenius why reproved hee not that grosse Impietie in Paul the fift whom hee saw act it in the Consistorie But the older Popes had more devotion and acknowledged that in their adoes his grace was to bee implored without whom wee are no where without perrill and sinne The second necessar vertue is Prudence There is no creature more vnrulie than man and the more reasonable in nature the more vnreasonable in his actions turning the quicknesse of vnderstanding to plot and practise wickednesse Hee is more vntractable than the Beastes impatient of equitie but more of servitude and in a naturall blind loue of libertie he hateth them that governe As for the multitude it is called a Beast of many heads but voyde of Iudgement they measure all things more by the events than causes and the events by gaine or losse Their knowledge is rather a guessing than Science the vulgar opinion maketh all the Topicks of their Logicke and the fashion of the world is all their morall wisedome they know nothing but extremes Hosanna or crucifie extreme loue or hatred without moderation They are credu lous of all surmises and expone all to the worst sense They are so desirous of Novelties that Providence is counted Lazines but headie-violence is taken for Courage They are the basest part of the Kingdome yet they craue greatest consideration The terrour of Princes to hemme in their absolute power And a raging sea that cannot be stilled by force but must bee sailled by the Carde and Compasse of prudence if Princes would eschew ship wrack Therefore there is no morall vertue more necessaâ— to Kings than Prudence and that amongst other studies to enable them to governe they studie the disposition of their people and speciallie of such as they trust with their affaires Nations Families and Callings haue their owne complexions as well as particular men and will change with times and occasions by prosperitie or adversitie a peaceable or a severe governement and it is a part of fatherlie prudence to know the temper of his Sonne So David led his people in the integritie of his heart and according to the discretion of his hands This Prudence leadeth Princes to Moderation a speciall piller of their Thrones Extremities are onelie necessar in extreme cases which cannot fall oft to them in respect of the eminencie of their power If Rehoboam had followed the moderation of the Auncients hee might haue keeped the ten Tribes to the house of David Mans rashnesse and peremptorie courses make way to a precipice which hath no evasion but ruine Moderat Governement hath ever proven durable but violence is a degree to tyrannie and overthrowes it selfe Moderation is both Gods command and ever followed with his blessing and most powerfull to rule man who is a reasonable creature but violence is forbidden and abhorred of God and punished with selfe-ruine Wisedome then is as necessar to King as reason is to a man It is his greatest habilitie inlarging his heart to conceiue and direct things aright as hee conceiveth them Hee compasseth his affaires in his minde and levels all to the best end It is in him the Image of the Auncient of dayes who hath all thinges ever present and disposeth them sweetelie and powerfullie Thereby things past are made present by remembrance things to come are present by fore-sight and present things by that vniversall view are rightly ordered and applyed to their circumstances And so the King by wisedome stablisheth the Land Of the subject of Governement Gods people Thy people the Poore BVt whom shall the King iudge Thy people a people gathered in a Societie and by Gods providence subiected vnto him And thy people even the Church of God for the time and his choyse of mankind Hee had blessed them with true Religion and the meanes of grace to incline them to
Monuments of his ingrne and speciallie in that Basilicon Doron they turned their hopes in dispaire took them to plot his debarring from England and when the Pope had written Brieues for that end and all men looked for wars God in mercie according to the right of Succession gaue him a peaceable entrie to that Kingdome and keeped this Yland from the invasion of strangers and factions within They found their former peace continued when God had provyded him one who could as well by his Tongue and Pen mainetaine the Truth as by his Sword But wee neede not dispute where God hath determined hee promised to the King of Israel that if hee would adhere to him in his governement hee should prolong his dayes and the dayes of his Sonnes in the midst of Israel And when hee had sette David on the Throne hee stablished the Crowne in his Line by Succession put it in a promise as a blessing When thy dayes shall bee fulfilled and thou shalt sleepe with thy Fathers I will set vp thy Seede after thee which shall proceede out of thy Bowels and I will establish his Kingdome Therefore all things beeing duelie considered Succession is the best way to come to a Kingdome The next point is Davids acquiescing to Gods designation testified by this prayer for his Sonne Heerein hee found sure grounds for rest Hee had obtained a great blessing hee reioyced and prayed for the continuance of it and thankes God for giving him such a Sonne as was able for so great a Kingdome Shall not a soule rest in the sense of Gods mercie in a ioyfull praising and confident praying for moe It is kindlie to a Father to reioyce in his Sons succeeding and a worke both of sound Nature and of grace Nature maketh them loue the Child who is another themselues and Grace maketh them reioyce in Gods ordinance Where can it fall more pleasantlie to them then in their Sonne who is not so much another person as themselues and that not decaying or dying but waxing and surviving Some Kings haue beene so vnnaturall as to cut off their Sonnes in â—ealousie as Solyman did to Mustapha and some write that Constantine moved with Calumnies killed Crispus his Sonne though other deny it but let that crueltie byde with Barbarians Barbaritie is the dreg and vre of Humanitie till it bee refined by Letters and Sustition and false Religion makes them more vnnaturall So soone as the father dyes the most powerfull Brother embrues his Funerals in the blood of all the rest of his Brethren but there the father bathed himselfe in the funerall of his sonne Gods feare teacheth Christian Kings to rejoyce when they see their Sonnes in their Thrones but Tyrants as they desire none to reigne with them so they wish that the Kingdome and world ended with them Of all this second point is manifest that a Kings Son is a great blessing hee is a pledge of Gods loue both to his Parents and people and a band to tye all their hearts to God and amongst themselues Kings are the more bound vnto God that giues them that fruite of their Body and the more tyed to their people also because a Sonne is the best Pawne of their loue to people Hee is also a strong motiue to moue them to a loving peaceable Governement that thereby they may endeare him in the peoples affection The Sonne of a good King is pretious to a good people and what ever loue his personall worthinesse deserues it is doubled for his Fathers cause There is no such Rhetorick to perswad a people to loue the Kings Sonne as the good governement of his Father Their loue to the Sonne diminishes not their loue to the Father but rather augments it and the increase of the Obiect increaseth loyalty It was the error of some to worship rather the Sunne rysing than going to But Christian Subiects are taught of God not to make them opposite Obiects of their affection but in a Christian loyaltie to loue each of them the more because of other Our new borne Prince then is Gods great Blessing to this Yland Hee is a Guarde to his Father and a comfort to the Subiects in stopping their perplexities about Succession and the plots of factious and ambitious men This Land for almost eleven Ages was ruled by electiue Kings Thereafter for some eight Ages it hath beene ruled by Succession And the race of Stewarts aboue two hundreth yeeres hath succeeded one another and the new borne Prince whom God preserue is the eleventh of that Name and the hundreth and ninth of the never interrupted Line of Fergus the first The third part Of the royall Gift And first of Iustice. Thy Righteousnesse and Iudgements THe third thing in this Text is the Blessing that hee craâ—es to Solomon and that in three thinges The Gift the worke of the Gift and the Fruite of that worke The gift is Righteousnesse and Iudgement wherein wee shall consider the Nature the Necessitie and the Extent of it I will not trouble you with Schoole distinctions of these words because the excesse of Affection is impatient of Subtiltie For Ioy ever hasteneth neither can Gladnesse suffer delayes And I must say with one that your Affection hath preveened my words so that I cannot satisfie you yet with another I promise to speake briefely least in such a solemnitie the length of speach burden your Devotion In a word heere is meaned the gift of Kingly governement in the Spirit of righteousnes prudence So David exponeth it in his prayer to God for Solomon O Lord giue Solomon a perfect heart And in his Blessing of him The Lord giue thee Wisedome Vnderstanding And Solomon cleareth it by his desire when God â—ade him chuse what he would he chused not Riches or honour but a wise heart even the heart of a good King Giue thy Servant an vnderstanding heart to iudge thy people that I may discerne betwixt good and bad and this is iustice an habite of the minde keeped for the good of the common giving everie man his due It looketh to Ius or Right as the obiect to Iustice the Habite or Vertue and to iudgement the sentence or fact flowing from both containeth three things The first is a discerning knowledge to vnderstand exactly and judge betweene right wrong together with a conscience to temper the rigour of right with equity in some coÌ„siderable cases This is as the Eye of the Iudge The second is puritie of the Will and Affections flowing from that knowledge that they loue the knowne Right though it were in cause of their enemie and hate the knowne wrong though in the cause of their Friends This keepeth the Heart free from the base affections of feare or hope The third is Courage cled with Authoritie both to pronounce and execute according to that knowledge A private man may haue exact knowledge
meanes to hyde the truth If Aequivocation had place in Iudgement God had never ordained Oathes for ending of questions though the Iesuits haue perfected that coloured periurie in our time yet it is naturall to man who is a liar It confounded all Iudgement so that neither the oath of calumnie in the parties nor the oath of veritie in the Witnesses wants the owne suspicion But possiblie betime Iudges will bee forced to invent a third sort of oath occasioned by Aequivocation to make parties and Witnesses sweare that they sweare truelie Moreover though Knowledge and Experience in Iudges overcome these difficulties yet their frailtie of affection is inclinable to the Parties Therefore it was a good devyce to pleade causes without designing the names of the parties but vnder the fained names of Seius and Titius c. And that suffrages should not bee given by Word but by Notes on a Table or by White-stones for assenting or blacke-stones for dissenting So a way was provyded for libertie in votting and for securitie from challeng for that libertie But the absolute best remeede for Parties Pleaders Witnesses and Iudges is to set God the supreme Iudge before them and to remember that God sitteh in the assemblie of gods and to proceed as in his sight When cause is simplie compared with cause and reason with reason the sentence will easilie ryse according to right and equitie But this difficultie is greatest in criminall causes and hath brought on the necessitie of torture which is a sort of torment to a pittifull Iudge It is a miserable supplie of the want of probation and so insufficient that the vrgers of it permit the sufferer after torture to goe from his deposition or byde at it It was first devysed by Pagans and is iustlie called a Tarquinian crueltie They had not spirituall and divine motiues taken from GOD or Heaven or Hell c. to presse the Consciences of the guiltie therefore they tooke them to that brutish motiue of a bodilie paine Man is reasonable and truth should bee sought out of him by reasonable motiues which choppe on his reason and Conscience and that in the respects of eternall reward or punishment But the way by bodilie paines is more fleshlie and the order is preposterous by the bruising of the flesh to open the minde An extorted confession is but a bastard confession as fire forced out of the flint It is lamentable that among Christians there is as great necessitie of torture and as small fruite of it as among Pagans What ever bee the lawfulnesse of it the minde of he Iudge is tortured Hee would know the Truth and must vse such a meanes to search it Hee knoweth not whither the sufferer bee guiltie or not yet must hee suffer as suspected of obstinacie in denying lest hee die as guiltie and in avoyding death hee suffereth death in torments hee suffereth not because hee hath done the crime but because it is vncertaine if hee haue done it And so the vnavoydable ignorance of the Iudge is the calamitie of the Innocent and the more hee presse to helpe his ignorance hee hurteth the innocent the more This is lamentable and to bee washeth with floodes of teares that while the Iudge tortures the suspâ—ct person least hee kill an innocent hee killeth that innocent whom hee tortureth lest hee should kill him And when their paine maketh them chuse to die rather than to bee tortured they confesse the cryme that they did not and so are innocent both in torture and in death And yet when they are execute the Iudge knoweth not whither they be guiltie or innocent And so oftimes both tortureth and killeth an innocent while hee laboureth to eschew it By these things a wise Iudge is drawen on not by desire of hurt but by necessitie of ignorance and yet since humane Societie craveth it by necessitie of Iudgement This is contrare to the tortures of the olde persecutors they tortured confessing Christians and let them goe free if they denyed but the criminals torture that they may confesse and destroyeth them for their confession On the other part how oft doe the guiltie endure torture with obstinacie and harden their hearts to conceale the truth Such obstinacie at the first is resolved but if it turne iudiciall by a wilfull denying with cursings and execrations then it worketh either a stupifying senselesnes in their flesh or else by way of diversion fasteneth the minde so vpon losse or shame that followeth a confession that it lets not the flesh feele paine Sathan can stupifie his martyres in maintaining lies that hee may play the Ape to GOD who mitigateth the paines of his martyrs by spirituall comforts It is not therfore for nought that God tooke of the Spirit of Moses and put vpon the Elders because they had a Calling full of difficultie In all which cases it is best for a Iudge to looke to God and that eternall Law in him and withall to craue his direction that hee erre not in Iudgement and cry Deliver mee O Lord out of all my necessities But there is no better spur than Iehosaphaâ—s exhortation to Iudges Take heede what yee doc for yee iudge not for man but for the Lord who is with you in the Iudgement Wherefore now let the feare of the Lord bee vpon you take heede and doe it For there is no iniquitie with the Lord our God nor respect of persons nor taking of gifts Of Princes difficulties dangers IT lyeth then on Princes to exercise their Gift as they would proue the liuelinesse of it and this brings on them a world of difficulties There is none in their Kingdome of a more laborious life The Head that moveth all must haue action in it and the heart is in a continuall motion to furnish fresh Spirits to the bodie Great is their taske to know the state of their Subjects to heare the plaints of the poore to represse the insolencies of the proude by causing minister Iustice to all God hath set them aboue their Subiects but that same exalting in some sort putteth them vnder because they are servants to their Subiects in that they watch for their weall and safty I herefore the Apostle in that same place where hee calleth them supereminent powers calleth them also the Ministers of God to minister Iustice for hee is the Minister of God to thee for thy good They are Gods Ministers attending continuallie vpon this verie thing They haue supreme power bowing downe to a Ministeriall worke and a Ministerie cloathed with supreme power Many are quicke-sighted to see the defects of Governement who will not see the difficulties and dangers of it for beside the weight of such a Calling the most lawfull vse of their coactiue power beareth them on many dangers either in punishing the vniust or affraying them that would bee so Every curbed humour by feare of punishment
least notice of Gods will is sufficient to moue them to doe his will God communicateth his eternall Law to creatures according to their kind and capacitie Hee giveth to heavenly creatures a celestiall Law to adhere to him to reasonlesse creatures a naturall instinct to direct them in their course without either sense of his goodnesse or reflecting on him But to man renewed such a Law where of Reason is capable and Conscience sensible and that both in pietie and righteousnesse The first is all in respect to him the other to man Naturall men can exerce materiallie the workes of Iustice but not spirituallie because they haue no grace nor the bands of a true Religion to God Iustice and pietie of the olde Romans were but a forced curing of the contrare vices that their ambition and pride whereof they were sicke might rule in them Of Princes ruling of their owne Persons and of their Court. THis princely governement is not to bee restrained to the people alone but beginneth at the person of Princes goeth to their Families So David who conceived this Prayer wrote that Commentat on it that hee would sing of Iustice and of Iudgement not onelie exercised amongst his people but also in governing himselfe and his Familie For the first hee sayth I will behaue my selfe in the perfect way That is a good government that beginneth at himselfe Privat men are tolerablie called Kings when by Gods grace they command their own passions For whosoever subdues his owne bodie neither suffereth his Soule to bee troubled with passions while hee refraineth himselfe by a kinglie power is iustly called a King because hee can rule himselfe And if wee rule the earth even this our earthly bodie we are Kings of the earth But this is more in Princes who haue as much natiue corruption as privat men and more power to vtter it The wise ruling of themselues is necessar to moderat their great power The Heathen could say If thou wilt subiect others to thee subiect thy selfe to reason And the Impyre agreeth to none but to such as are better than any of their Subiects But the Divines spake more clearelie by Kings vnderstand these who direct the motions of their soule according to the will of God And they are good Kings who can proue themselues Governours of their Body And iustly they are called Princes who exerce ever a principalitie over their owne thoughts by sound Iudgement It is often seene that greatest power hath greatest righteousnesse joyned with it and that for the good of Princes and people If their passions were like their power they would soone ruine their state or persons or both but Pietie and Iustice ioyned to their power moderateth their passions and preserveth all as the King of the Bees hath a sting but never vseth it to revenge And where shall Iustice haue the owne worke if not in the heart of Kings It must first begin there else it cannot haue the worke on other Iustice distributeth dueties to each one and there must bee in a iust man a iust order that the minde bee subiect to God the body to the Soule and both to God If this bee not there is no righteousnesse in vs and so there cannot be an externall governing righteousnesse This is the glory of Kings when their power is accompanied and sweyed with Iustice in their owne persons when the living law liveth according to the written Law and authoritatiue Iustice becommeth exemplar Iustice their life by example insinuating that to people what the Law and authority commandeth them then Iustice is not so much a gift annexed to their power as a grace changing their persons An evill King is a servant to as many masters as hee hath vices but hee who commandeth his passions is a King indeede because hee ruleth himselfe and is neither taken captiue of sinne nor caried violentlie of vice Man that ruleth over beasts hath beastes within him anger barketh more fiercely than a Dog he that is speedie to wrongs is a Serpent and he that is set for revenge is a Viper Shall man haue Impyre over the outward beasts and leaue the inward beasts loose This is most necessary that rulers of men rule themselues least they fall in contempt For how can hee correct the manners of others who cannot correct his owne An evill man though hee reigne is a slaue to his passions The Kings example is a Law to his Subiects Their mindes are lift vp to his Eminencie and what hee doeth hee seemeth to command The peoples inclination to imitation is the greater because of the greatnesse of his person They passe the good or bad qualitie of the fact and take his greatnesse for a reason The faults of a King overwhelme a people and hee hurteth more by example than by the sinne it selfe And his good example is as forcible to make his people good If they bee godly chast temperate c. they draw many of their Subiects to God but if they bee profaine or dissolute c. they draw multititudes to Hell Pharaoh Herod Nero and such can tell what evill great power ioyned with great wickednesse can doe Therein Sathan exalted sinne when hee vented it by so great persons and disgraced Magistracie when he made it an instrument of monstruous sinnes But God had his good worke therein to teach vs what men clothed with power are in themselues and that principalitie without his Spirit is but a naked sword in a mad mans hand and what a blessing good Princes are who vse their power in such righteousnesse that the world must say They are as good men as they are great Kings This is the Priviledge of Christian Kings God giveth them a greater blessing than other Kings hee maketh them by grace Kings over themselues as well as over their Subiects as they giue Lawes to other so they take Lawes of God and vse their power as they may bee best countable to him they haue principality of authority as Kings and they reigne by grace over themselues as Christians There is no truely free King but a Christian King and such as is neither captivat by the corruption of Nature nor popish superstition but set at libertie by the Law of the Spirit of life in Iesus Christ. Such a King is an Image of God who governeth all in righteousnesse and wisedome and then hee shall most please the King of kings if restraining his power hee thinke that lesse is leasome to him than hee may The other taske of his governement is his Familie I will walke within mine house with a perfect heart I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes c. And in all that Psa. he setteth down the dyet of his house or court-governemēt a fit patern for Princes to follow The court of Kings is an abridgement of their Kingdomes and the
Atheists call it a libertie of conscience which is nothing but a passe-port to runne to hell For what a worse death is there to the Soule than the libertie of errour But God calleth it An halting betwixt God and Baal and grosse Atheisme in the want of Gods feare The people that were sent to dwell in Samaria worshipped the Lord and the gods of their owne Nations they thought themselues sure in that pluralitie of gods and libertie of worshippe but the Scripture saith They feared not God at all The Papists fall in that same sinne they haue multiplied gods with the true One. Beside God they haue their gods and goddesses and they honour their cannonized Saincts as the Pagans did their Apotheosedmen and their Pope vsed it more eminently in calling the blessed Virgine a goddesse when he is suteing timber to build her Church at Loretto But their patrone granteth that these names savour of Paganisme and desireth them to bee a mended in his Bookes and as for the worship given to them another granteth that hee saw no difference betwixt their opinion of the Saincts and that that the Gentiles held of their gods Varro boasteth that he appointed to the gods their offices sacrifices what else are the Rituals ceremonials of the Papists but that same busines vnder other names The Kings of Egypt granted libertie of Religions to their people and that in a fleshlie policie that while everie faction courted them for favour they might keepe all factions obnoâ—ious to them And Iulian at his entrie gaue the like libertie to Iewes Gentiles and Christians with the same spirit he rendred the Churchs to damned Hereticks and opened the Temples to devils Many Christian Princes haue a slayed reconciliation of Religions but God never blessed that worke in their hand Constantius made his Typus Heraclius his Ecthesis Zeno his Henoticon and Charles the fift his Interim but all of them kindled the fire more than quenched it They found the truth of the olde proverbe Isthmum perfodere to digge through the Isthme which was spoken of workes neither lawfull to attempt nor possible to doe And though some proud kings therby assayed to correct Gods creation in ioyning Seas which he had distinguished yet they wer omâ—nouslie forced to desist So others haue laboured to reconcile the true and false Religion which hee hath made irreconcilable but their labour to this houre was ever in vaine It seemeth but a small matter for condescending to cast one letter in the midst of a word and turne homoousios in homoiousios that is the same-substance in the like-substance yet that one Letter overthrâ—w the Article of the Divinitie of Christ. And when Basile in the end of a prayer said in the holie Spirit for with the holy Spirit great offence was taken by the people therefore hee advised Amphilochius to examine not onelie words but syllabs and letters in Divinitie So hard it is to worke a condescending even by the smallest alteration Some reformed Churches haue found woefull fruites of such libertie and hee proues now a true Prophet who said That libertie of prophecying in Preachers and of professing in people would shake Religion in Holland They began modestlie with some fiue disputable points as the small end of the wedge to make way for grosser heresies And if God had not put in the heart of K. Iames to devise and Prince Maurice to effect their curbing by the Councell of Dort their heresies ere now had overflowed that Land But God hath justified that prudent foresight of K. Iames since they haue declared what theÌ„ they denyed They haue taken Socinus by the hand whom I may call as one did Origen hydriam omnium haereseων a masse or surviving monster of all heresies And to mitigate the horrour of these opinions they are pleading for favour to the Socinians as men that either erre not or if they doe they are excusable and not to be censured because forsooth their errours touch not the foundation They layed the seeds of these Apologies covertly long since but now they are discovering to the world that their grounds are the overthrow of the grounds of Religion Their rule is to preach and professe what they please without censure Mans originall miserie in originall sinne they call with Pelagius figmentum Augustini or Augustins dreame and the efficacious working of the holy Spirite applying grace to vs they call figmenta Calvini Calvins dreames In the matter of free-will they follow the Pagans as it is pleaded by Cicero Hee was so hote in that cause that not beeing able to conceiue how Gods Prescience and mans Free-will could stand together for maintaining of Free will hee denyed both Gods Prescience and Divination And rather then these two should stand hee denyed a Deitie His arguments taken from Lawes Rewards Prayers and Exhortations c. to proue the absolutenesse of Free-will Pelagius hath borrowed from him Socinus from Pelagius and they from Socinus So in end vnder colour of Trueth according to godlinesse they come to the naturall Religion of Pagans the common Rendevous of all defections from the Truth Thus after long gadding they proue that Socinus is transformed in them as Ierome said That Basilides was transformed in Ioviâ—ian and that both in sense and style For they affirme that they teach otherwise than heeretofore was beleeved So said hee before them that his opinions of Christ were hid from others and that the true meaning was not knowne of all the Interpreters that are extant And againe our opinion is vnheard not onelie in our time but also in many Ages before And more fullie with disdaine of the Fathers Wee ingenuously confesse that our sentence of Christs Nature and Essence is contrair to all interpreters of Scripture who are come to our time Moreover hee professeth the noveltie of it in his Vncle who first proponed the opinion which hee imbraceth of Iesus Christ and telleth vs the way how hee got it was by Revelation This is like his friend Puccius who affirmed that his opinion of vniversall salvation was revealed to him by God This plat-forme of his divinity is for Epicures and that not farre from Origens mercie to pleade for Sathan Annihilation if not Salvation What grace could this plat-former of Religion haue who refused to bee baptized and when a zealous Preacher challenged him for that hee was not baptized nor would not bee baptized hee answered like a novelling opiniator That what hee thought of Baptisme hee would leaue it to his owne thoughts Sureâ—t is that one who refuseth to be initiate in Christ by sacred Baptisme is not a fitte instrument to reforme Christian Religion After this same manner spake the olde Arrians of whoÌ„ Lyrinensis sayeth That they overthrew well grounded Antiquitie by wicked noveltie and that the ordinances of the Ancient were violate
in loue they were comfortable to other as in Constantine and Sylvester Maurice and Gregorie c. But when they rubbed one other both Churches and Policie smarted They had sundrie other rubbes in former times but never one like that The Emperour thought that the question was no lesse than the standing or ruine of the Impire And Gregorie thought lykewise of the standing or ruine of the Church The Emperour pleaded Prescription because from the dayes of Charles the great vnder threescore Popes and moe it was in vse And Necessitie because by loosing the Investures hee would lose a great of the Impyre for when Charles the great gote that priviledge the Pope and Prelats were poore But thereafter both Kings and Emperours enriched the Church because they had the investiture in their owne hands Besides when Princes had investitures scarcely could Prelates be keeped in Subjection but if they were put in the Popes hands they would make many Enemyes in the Impire so Onuphrius stateth the question But in the multitude of so many Historians affected to one of the parties this much may bee gathered That the Emperour beside his personall faults gaue occasion to Hildebrand to make some sturre Hee abused the power of investiture in passing by the voice of the Church and giving Prelacies and Dignities to the vnworthie whom flatterie or bryberie or such by respects commended vnto him Hee gaue them as rewards for bygone service or ingagements for service to come And at his Court Church benefites were either saleable or exposed to prey Heereof Hildebrand tooke occasion to worke that hee had long desired hee made a strong faction both of Church men and Politicks against the Emperour and draue him in that strait to make such a foule agreement at Canusium as no man can patiently reade of and thereafter put all Europe in dissention and blood They divyded the trueth and each of them had both right and wrong on his side The Emperour had right to the Investitures but erred foully in their abuse and brought in ignorant and fleshlie men in the chiefe places of the Church who overthrew both Religion and State The Pope had iust cause to quarrell that abuse but no right to clame the investitures and farre lesse to oppose seditiously and trode downe the Emperour This was a consequent of too large dotations The Dotars were Patrons of the Church rent and some abusing the Patronage did marre the spiritualitie of the entrie of the Pastours So the Benefice drew the office after it and the Investiture the Daughter of Donations bred this strife and corrupt entrie in some But wise Princes haue made some provision against such corruption in giving the Church her place in election and it is best when Church and Patrons goe together The mysterie of iniquitie was then comming to rypenesse and Sathan had provyded one to hatch that egge of Antichrist whose seedes were layed in the Apostles times and that omnious accident in Rome of a Bird that layed an egge with a Serpent was so expounded by many that the Apostolicke Sea had hatched the Cokatrice egge and brought out a Serpent to destroy the Impyre Wee may passe the things imputed to him by his enemies As his fornication with Mathildis the great vrger of Chastitie to bee familiar with that Countesse lik Cremensis the Popes Legate vrging Chastity in a Synode at London was found at night in a Borthell Or his impietie in casting the Hostie in the fire Or his Nacromancie whereof hee gaue a proofe in that Response That an vnjust King would bee killed that yeare hee tooke this to be Henrie the Emperour but it fell on Rudolph the Vsurper But even his friends charge him with great sinnes As his dissimulation stirring vp Rudolph in Germanie while Henrie the Emperour was at Rome fulfilling his injoyned pennance His idolatrie in incalling the Apostles and blessed Virgine and commanding them speedilie to execute his decreete against the Emperour VVhen hee saw that this made him odious to men he devysed some courses to mitigate their hatred Hee sent Apologeticke Letters to excuse him to all men and pretended the zeale of God in defending the liberties of his Church which was nothing but a fleshlie pride of his owne broyling Nature Hee tooke the lesson from Stephanus who sat a little before him in the Chaire beeing a Brother of the house of Lorraine and offended with the Emperour for hurting of his House hee tooke that Gentilitious enimitie into Peters Chaire and made it Peters quarrell And his Successours finding it there followed it out as the cause of the Church Even as they tooke in the Armes and â—nsignes of their Families Next he pretended great puritie and holinesse and vrged the Chastitie of the Cleargie This was a faire colour both to cover his too â—reat homlinesse with the Countesse Machildis to make the world think that all was good that came from such an one but it was a libertie proclamed to Church men for sundrie of them yeelded to want one wife that they might meddle with many Hereby Europe was filled with troubles and the Sacraments ministred by married Priestes were trod vnder â—â—ote This was to vrge and promone the doctrine of divels But his third and most politick devyce was the holie warre which iustlie may bee called a profaine warre Hee made faire pretexts to recover these places where Christ was borne And lived and wrought our salvation And to make the matter more plausable they fained that Petrus Eremita got a Letter from Heaven written by Iesus Christ to stirre vp Christians to that warre though others are shamed of that fiction and said Hee got it by Revelation The motiues were as powerfull â—o a superstitious Age. They offered to all that would goe to that warre First Securitie from all troubles vnder the Apostolicke protection Secondly Exemption from all pennence Likwise the going to that warre shal be reputed for all Pennance Thirdlie Remâ—ssion of all their sinnes For their wages who are in that warre they shall receiue pardon of all their sinnes Lastlie Life eternall what ever their former life hath beene This hee learned of Mahumet who bade his fellowers defend his Religion by force promising Paradise to good warriours whether they were killed or not In all this businesse of the profaine holy warre they obtained their ends both over Church and Policie Over the Church they sought to establish their Monarchie over the Patriarkes of the East as they had done in the West Over the Policie because they diverted peoples mindes from prying in their tyrrannie over Princes and gaue them another matter of talking They found an errand to send away the most wise and valorous Spirits of whom they feared greatest opposition at home as Gottofred the chiefe Counceller and commander of the Empâ—rours Arâ—ies That emptying the land of such spirits they might securelie encroach on
worke Baronius called it Divinum consilium a divine counsell So bee like these troubles of Germanie are a divine counsell with them With this vsurpation over Princes hee intendeth mainlie the rooting out of Protestant Religion and for that end stirred vp both France and Austria against the Protestants which wee may perceiue in his Resolutions and practice His Resolution is with Innocent the third to destroy the rising trueth This hath ever beene in following Popes and fullie concluded in Trent The Cardinall of Lorraine reveales the Conclusion of Charles the ninth Philip the second and the Pope was ad exstirpandas Germaniae haereticos novam toto Imperio formam instituendam ex prescripto Pontificis and is confident that the Heretickes beeing assaulted both at home and abroad shall be killed as beastes by Dogges sent amongst them and no wayes esâ—hew the snares And againe seeing there is so great a confederacie and power against Hereticks both the Pope and Cardinals doe exspect shortlie so great a mischiefe on them as shall double the ioy for the Massacre of Paris As for the Germanes hee sayeth that nothing is to bee feared from these improvident beasts who know not their strength but shall perish before they perceiue their danger And againe That they are so imprudent and senselesse that they never minde to repell a common danger by common force but everie one labours to defend their owne privatlie And thereafter There they are so stupide that they know not their owne danger till they bee overthrowne This is the opinion of the Pope and his Cleargie of the Germanes which imboldneth them to abuse Germanie as they doe To effectuat this end they haue consederate the Emperour Pope Spaine Bavere and the holy League as they call it even as the Pagan Priests stirred vp the Emperours to persecution and contribute large money to their Armies So now doeth the Pope and his Cleargie in the persecution of Protestants Their wayes to worke this end are Policie periurie and oppression Their policie first they pretend civill causes to hide the other plot of persecution and yet the Emperour discoverth it in his Letter to the King of Spaine That their businesse concerned the conservation of the holie Faith and the standing of their House And it is manifest that long before the sturres of Boheme they were persecuting the Protestants in Westphalieâ—614 â—614 in Silesia 1614. and 161â— in some imperiall Cities as Ulme Aken Wesell 1614. in Donawerda 1617. in the Volteline Stiria and Bohemia it selfe 1618. And the Bohemian wars were occasioned by these persecutions when they were driven to that desperate state in Religion as to seeke the protection of some foreraine Prince Their second policie They divided the Protestants and drew a part of them on their side as Charles the fifth did at the Smalcaldicke war and they boast of it that the Protestants are so loose that many of them fight on the Papists side In all their meetings they pressed to draw the Lutherans from the Calvinists as they call them and vsed that speach Sicut Catholicus sic Lutheranus promifing as great quetnesse to the Lutheran as to the Papist that when they had broken vs by the Lutherans they might destroy them also Some of them contemned the D. of Saxe as a man of no Spirit but the most part feared him for his great power and therefore first â—ngaged him by the offer of Lusatia Next they held him on to bee Executor banni Imperialis And lastlie they fed him with the title of Vicarius Imperij All this was to guâ—l him as Charles the fifth did to Maurice his predecessor So their secret correspondence reveales that they studied by all meanes to please him that at least iâ— sâ—ow hee might bee satisfied Thirdlie in all meetings they ever treated of peace to make the Protestants carelesse And while they were busiest in warre they protested most they were seeking the publick peace and when Armies were gathered on both sides they fained a Cessation of Armes to make Protestants disband their forces which beeing done the Papists with their standing Armies seased on some Provinces as the Palatinate Lastlie as they confounded Religion and policie so in policie they confounded the quarrell of the house of Austria with the quarrell of the Impyre This was the rypenesse of a long plotted persecution for the Papists learned of Severus Canals the arte of Intelligence and myning Hee found them about the walls of Bizantium and brought their Copie in this Land to his Dyke betwixt Forth Clyde They went so alongst the roote of it that all Forts were advertised in an halfe houre what the enemie was doing and where hee assaulted So the Iesuites turned their vniversall intelligence whereof their rules giue a direction to worke mines in all the reformed Churches beyond Sea In France Boheme Silesia Moravia Uolteline Westphalie c. Princes were irritate People were miscontent the Papists fretted at the prosperitie of the Protestants and Protestants abridged of their owne wonted liberties in Religion and debarred from publicke imployments and defrauded of the course of Law c. Such a broyling disposition was like powder layed aboundantlie in mines that lacked nothing but firing In Boheme was their head-mine because of the electiue Kingdome and the exasperate minds of people for their crossing in Religion Thervnto the Iesuits layed the match of a new oppression to force the fire of defence They both sought and wrought this occasion of the Bohemianes the meeting of all their Provincials at Rome was to devise how to vse their opportunitie which they had long exspected So soone as Boheme fired their mines played in all places at once so that none could either helpe another as they were wont nor saue themselues Thus the Protestants were at one time everie where oppressed Secondlie their periurie is manifest For they come directlie against their promise confirmed by oath The Pacification of Passau was solemnelie ratified at Augsburg And the Emperour Rudolph and Mathias confirmed the liberties of Boheme by Letters reversall which in electiue Kingdomes are strong obligements of Princes and haue the force of mutuall contracts And Ferdinand the second by the like Letters declarations and Edicts confirmed the same But most solemnelie by his oath at his Coronation did sweare to maintaine both the Sacred and civill peace of the Impyre That hee would keepe the Electours Princes c. in their possessions dignities and rights That hee would keepe friendship and good correspondence in the Impyre and not bring strange forces in it That he would iniure or offer violence to no Elector nor Prince of the Impyre That hee would not proscriue any vnheard or without a cause That hee would not labour to turne the Imâ—yre hereditarie to his house And finallie that if hee did any thing beside or contraire to his Capitulation it should