shall we despaire of any particular man that he belongeth to God and that he may be reclaimed O no let vs teach let vs improue let vs admonish let vs rebuke with all long suffering and gentlenesse and then God will doe that which seemeth good in his eyes he will in time giue them grace to repent that they may escape out of the snares of the Deuill though presently they be led captiue of him after his will they may be graffed in saith Saint Paul if they abide not in vnbeleefe for God is able to graffe them againe Goe thy wayes saith a Reuerend man to Austins mother for it cannot be that Filius tantarum lachrymarum pereat That one that is so much prayed for should perish Peter excluded not Iudas out of his Calendar of hope no more should we doe any that commeth about Christ. This is my third note Fourthly let me answer a false glosse of the Rhemists for they like bryers take hold of our garment and hinder our proceeding to that which followeth When company say they vpon this place draw vs to reuolt let vs say thus Lord whither or to whom shall we goe when we haue forsaken thee To Caluin Luther or such and forsake thee and thy Church with the vnfaithfull multitude c. Touching Caluin and Luther I answere first that though we doe not glory in them for we are forbidden by the Apostle 1. Cor. 3.21 to glory in men whether it be Paul or Apollos or Cephas c. Yet is there no cause why we should be ashamed of them for he that was least learned of the two was more learned then an hundred of their chiefest Prelates take them one by one and he that was lest vertuous of the two had more vertue in him then forty of those Prelates that might be named put it all together I know that they escaped not the tongues of the wicked nor the pens neither of them that were hired to deuise whatsoeuer slanders they could against them as also our Sauiour himselfe was both traduced while he liued and written against when he was dead But if it be enough to accuse who shall be innocent and if professed enemies and mercenaries their euidence shall be admitted what Naboth shall not be condemned This may content indiferent men that they did not mure themselues vp in Cloysters where Mendacia vuliu stâ—gâ—tia pariâ—tibus tegebantur Where hypocrisie and secresie made all whole but in luâ—e Reipub. they did liue they were for fame as Cities set vpon an hill that could not be hid they liued in famous Vniuersities and Cities th' one Geneua specially commended for the gouernment thereof by Bodin no partiall man themselueâ— alwayes in labours preaching or writing continually alwayes attended alwayes obserued and yet they had nâ—uer their names called in question for dishoâ—esty Called in question Nay their liues were proposed by all that knew them for a paterne for others to follow and they found as many all their life time that did reuerence them for their vertue as did honour them for their learning And shall these mens names be cast in our teeth by way of reproch whom yet we neuer esteemed otherwise then for seruants not as Lords ouer the house nor yet as Lords ouer our faith but as faithfull and learned men by whose labours wee haue profitâ—d Thereâ—ore though wee be not to build our faith vpon them nor vpon any other but on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ himselfe being the head Corner-stone yet there is no cause for all their twiting why we should not honor them shewing themselues to be friends of the Bride groome and discerning the Bride-groomes voyce rather then the very heads of their Church yea the chiefe head and Top-gallant of their Church speaking like the Dragon and vttering words of blasphemy which are not agreeable to the wholesome doctrine of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ reuealed and set forth in his holy Word But this wee may examine particularly in the Aetiologue following namely in these words Thou hast the Words of euerlasting life In the meane time out of the Interrogation which implyeth a deniall and a refusing of other courses we haue learned thus much namely to professe Christ boldly to professe him readily and with the formost to professe him charitably not excluding others yea and to hearken to those worthy seruants of God whom he hath raised vp in these latter dayes for the cleering oâ— the doctrine of the Truth and the reuealing of the man of Sinne notwithstanding the disgraces and contumelies which not the true Church but the Church-men of Rhemes and the Chaplaines of Rome doe throw vpon them And let so much be spoken of these words Simon Peter answered and said Lord to whom shall we goe It followeth Thou hast the words of euerlasting life Which because the houre is already spent I purpose not to handle at this time To God the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost be rendred all praise and thankesgiuing from euery one of vs now and euer-more Amen A SERMON VPON THE SEVENTH OF ESAY THE THIRD SERMON Preached vpon Christmas day ESAY 7. verse 14. Behold a Virgin or the Virgin shall conceiue and beare a Sonne and she shall call his Name Immanuel WHEN Phaeton was to get vp into the Suns Chariot that is as it is interpreted by the learned when he vndertooke to meddle with great matters and such as exceeded the reach of the common sort he had a certaine sacred ointment giuen to him to preserue him from scorching and burning Tum pater ora suisacro medicamiue nati conâ—igit rapiosae fecit patientia flammae The holy Law-giuer Moses writeth that when himselfe was to deliuer vnto the people the Law of the Highest hee was first admitted to talke with God withall his face was made to shine And the Prophet Esay witnesseth that before he was to be sent to prophesie he had his hips sared with a liue coale taken from the Altar And the Euangelist likewisereporteth that before the Apostles Elders ioyned in commission with them that were set on worke about the Gospell to carry the same to the Gentiles they had the gift of the H. Ghost shed vpon them in the forme of clouen tongues So to be short Simeon Metaphrastes writeth that at such time as Saint Iâ—hn was busie in penning of the Gospell the holy Ghost made apparant signes of his presence by thundrings and lightnings and the like And why was this For two causes First to resolue the Apostles and Prophets then and the Church to the end of the world that the doctrine deliuered by them came not by priuate motion nor from themselues but that they should so write as the holy Ghost should giue them vtterance and therefore that their writings should be holy sound and true A second reason was to teach them and vs how necessary the gift of the holy Ghost yea and a
by the sword of the enâ—my or by handling their owne sword dastardly or vnskilfully Againe many haue lost that for want of gold which they got by the sword euen children can instance these points Therefore as Ioseph is commended for his good husbandry in that he gathered together an infinite deale of corne and layd vp the same in store-houses against the yeeres of deaâ—th And as Calebs daughter is commended for her good huswifery in that she would not suffer her husband to be content with the fields allotted vnto him but she would needs begge of her father the springs of water for the continuall watering of the same Briefly as on the other side Hezekiah is commended for his good policy that he caused the people to stop all the fountaines and the riuer that ran thorow the middest of the Country that the enemy might be distressed for want of water So if we will not haue the riuer of our hope turned away by the enemy nor otherwise dryed vp if we meane either to win or to saue we must be willing most willing to furnish the State with store of treasure before-hand that there be â—o want when time requireth I confesse that Eusebius reporteth of Constantius Chlorus that he should say that he cared not to haue treasure in his owne coffers all the while his friends his louing subiects had money in their coffers or purses because he could command the same But I thinke it was spoken more confidently than prouidently for howsoeuer it may be as certain that is in friends hands as if it were in our own yet it is not so ready and that euen Constantius himselfe did find for he was faine to detaine with him the Embassadours of Dioclesian to whom he vttered that confident speech for a good time before he could amasse that together that was worth the shewing as is to be seene in the same Eusebius So it is Quod à multis fit negligenter fit It is commonly said that is That which is to be done by many hands it will be long before it be done and so that which is to be gathered from many hands will be long in gathering If any thing be to be receiued we striue who shall be foremost fearing all will be gone before we come but if any thing be to be layed out we striue to be hindmost hoping the burthen will be borne before we come Now by this staggering and looking one vpon another as Iacobs sonnes are said to haue looked one vpon another when they knew not what to doe for want of corne there hapneth delay and delay proueth many times dangerous Neither is that in the 17. of Deut. Where Moses sayth The King shall not gather vnto him much siluer and gold against that which is proiected for in that place not so much the hauing as the coueting nor the coueting simply as to couet with an euill couetousnesse to set our nests on high as the Prophet speaketh to couet to bestow vpon our lusts as Saint Iames speaketh to couet to make ostentation of our wealth as Hezekiah did and by his example Aquinas doth explicate Moses Lastly to couet and to gather by extreme exactions such as Rehoboam would haue vsed and Marcus Antonius de facto did vse imposing vpon Asia two maine Tributes in one yeere who therefore was told but mannerly and perswasiuely not rudely that if he would haue two such Tributes in one yeere he must help them to two Haruests in one yeere But English Tributes moderate Tributes such I say as haue these three properties intimated by the very Etymon of the three Chaldee words signifying Tribute Ezra 4. Mindah belo halac namely that first they be Mindah that is in a measure and moderate according to Saint Pauls rule Make your Collection as God shall haue prospered you 1 Cor. 16. And as it is in the 11. of the Acts They decreed to send to the Brethren that dwelt in Iudea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is According to euery ones store Secondly they must be halac that is goe ouer the Land in generall without partiality according to Saint Pauls rule Againe 2 Cor. 8. Not that others should be eased and you pressed or wringed but that there be an equality Lastly they must be Belo that is inueterate or ancient so farre and so long as the common State requireth no more For salus Regis salus Reipub. salus Reipub. summa Lex that is The safety of the King is the safety of the Common-weale the safety of the Common-weale is a Law aboue all Lawes such Tributes I say Customes Subsidies Fifteenes call them how you will are as necessary many times to vphold a State as the outward ayre which we drawe-in is necessary for respiration and for the refreshing of the vitals as the blood in the veines is necessary for the conseruing of life It was said in old time 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is You may not define and stint the charges of warre And the like may be said of the charge of a King and Kingdome that they can hardly be rated or stinted Besides those that are ordinary albeit who can recite halfe the ordinary charges of either how much are they forced many times to bestow 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is vpon the secret purposes and aduantages of the State as Pericles brought in his account to the Athenians how much in exploratores as Consalvus brought in his account to his master of Spaine witnesse Arnold Ferron Now in these cases is it for Sophocles his sonnes to implead as it were their father for dilapidating or are wee not rather to request him with all instance as Saint Paul was requested 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by his sonnes whom he had begotten in the Gospell that he would receiue a blessing of vs and are we not to yeeld willingly to bestowe and to be bestowed againe as the same Apostle speaketh for his sake Lastly I grant that when the holy father of Rome I call him holy as the falling-sickenesse is called an holy sickenesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 made this argument namely The Church of Rome is mother to the Church of England and consequently I said he the father thereof therefore since children are not to suffer their parents to want you must supply me with two Prebends out of euery Cathedrall Church with two portions out of euery Religious house c. I say when he made this argument vnto them they denyed the argument and contradicted his agents And no maruell for as when Rabshakeh bragged that his Lord the King of Assyria had preuailed against such a God and such a God and the other God Hezechiah answered Truth for they were not Gods but the worke of mens hands so say I that the English had great reason to deny to ayde the father of Rome and the Church of Rome his spouse all the while he is not our true father
truth being reuealed let error how ancient soeuer giue place to truth So a Father in a Councell holden vnder Cyprian in Carthage For as Ambrose said against Symmachus Nulla aetas ad peâ— discendum ser a est nullus pudor est ad meliora transire No age is too late to learne it is no shame to proceed to the better Saint Peter was at the first of opinion that it was vnlawfull for a lewe to keepe company or come to one of another Nation So Act. 15. Certaine that were of the Sect of the Pharises Nazarites beleeued thought and taught that we must be circumcised and keepe the Law of Moses euen the Ceremoniall Law or else we cannot be saued But afterward St. Peter was let to vnderstand and so were those beleeuing Pharises too that Circumcision is nothing and vncircumcision nothing but Christ is all in all and as many as be in Christ are deliuered from the curse of the Law and from the bondage also So Saint Paul whilest he was in Iewishnesse was most zealous of the Traditions of the Fathers and a most bitter enemy to the Gospell who but he but after it pleased God who separated him from his mothers wombe and called him by his grace to reueile his Sonne vnto him and to make knowne to him the Doctrine of the Gospell whereby hee might saue himselfe and those that heard him did he once communicate with flesh and blood or did he asmuch as deliberate whether a cancred and inueterate error were to be forsaken and changed for a new and sauing truth No no but presently he ioyned himselfe to the true Church howsoeuer he had scorned nay detested it and raged against it before and chose rather to be a dore-keeper in Gods house then to be a great Rabby in the Synagogue of mis-beliefe Thus Saint Paul was not ashamed of the Gospell for all the nouelty thereof as the world counted nouelty No more let any of vs be at this day for the like imputation Where was the Gospell before Luther who liued within these hundred yeeres or before the Bohemians of whom Iohn Hus and Hierâ—me of Prague were chiefe who liued within these two hundred and sixty yeeres at the most before Wickliff who liued within these three hundred yeeres at the most before the Waldenses and Pauperes de Lugduno who liued within these foure hundred at the most before Henry of Tholous who liued within these fiue hundred yeeres at the most before Iohannes Scotus and Bertram who liued within these six or seuen hundred yeeres vpward towards Christs time and of fiue or sixe hundred yeeres from Christ downeward Adde these times together and then what great prescription not onely antiquity can our aduersaries bragge of It is certaine that as God neuer left himselfe without witnesses vnder the Law no more did hee vnder the Gospell And as he raised vp true Prophets which opposed themselues to the false prophets that brought in damnable Doctrines and Keraim Textuall men that stucke to the Word written that withstood the Pharises which made voyd the Commandements of God with their Traditions So did he in these later corrupt times for in the first foure or fiue hundred yeeres we claime and can proue that the learnedst and grauest writers be in the chiefe Controuersies of Religion wholy on our side alwayes stirre vp some that professed maintained the truth that now we stand vpon by the like grounds out of the Word of God and this we can shew out of our Aduersaries writings who you may be sure will not speake or write the best of them And haue we then any cause to be ashamed of the Gospell which howsoeuer it hath beene troden downe yet it was not so in the best times yet neuer so but that God left himselfe still a remnant that could not be brought to bowe the knees to Baal or to worship the Beast Now as we are not to be ashamed of it neither for the falsely so called newnesse nor for that some of our selues were peraduenture for a great while of another perswasion so ought we not chiefely for the holines purenesse and soundnesse thereof The Pharises and as many as were carnally-minded would haue Christ to restore the temporall Kingdome to Israel and to free them from the yoke of the Romanes but now the Gospell assureth vs that God hath deliuered vs from the power of darkenesse and translated vs into the Kingdome of his deare Sonne in whom wee haue redemption in his blood euen the forgiuenesse of sinnes And whether is more spirituall The carnally-minded Iewes would haue Ierusalem onely to be the place where men ought to worship the Tribe of Leui onely to be the Sacrificers and the flesh of Bulls and Goates and Lambes and Rammes to be the speciall Sacrifices But now the Gospell teacheth vs that not in Ierusalem nor in the Mountaine but the true worshippers worship God in sincerity and truth and that we are all become a Royall Priest-hood an holy Nation a peculiar people to offer vp spirituall Sacrifices the Sacrifice of righteousnesse the Sacrifice of a contrite heart the Sacrifice of thankesgiuing the Sacrifice of Almes acceptable to God in Iesus Christ. And whether is more pure The Pharises and their Disciples taught and beleeued that man had Free-will witnesse Iosephus to that which is good as well as to that which is bad That if a man keep the more part of the Commandement though he transgresse a few yet he is righteous with God witnesse Burgensis in â—ac cap. 2. add 1. That if a man will be Chasid that is an holy man indeed he must haue Ribbith letorah he must supererogate and doe more then the Law hath prescribed witnesse the Iewish books briefely that by Korban by that which they offer to their boxe men might be discharged of their bounden duty to their Parents That by fasting twice a weeke by vsing much washing by Touch not Tast not Handle not c. they were more iust then others witnesse the Scribes But now the wisedome of the Gospell speaketh on this wise touching Free-will No man commeth to Christ except the Father drawe him we are not sufficient of our selues to thinke a good thought as of our selues c. Touching the keeping of the Law that if a man will liue thereby he is a debtor to abide in all the Commandements of God to doe them that if a man keepe the whole Law and faile in one he is guilty of all c. Touching workes of Supererogation and voluntary obseruation that howsouer they haue a shew of wisedome yet for as much as they are after the Commandements and doctrines of men they doe all perish with our vsing Coloss. 2. For in vaine doe they worship me teaching for Doctrine mens precepts Who can tell how oft he offends Lord purge me from my secret faults sayes the Prophet And will any dare to bragge of his good workes yea that
causa It is not the punishmeÌ„t it is the cause that maketh a true Martyr For our parts we say vnto them as Optatus doth to their like Nulli dictum est Nega Deum Nulli dictum est Incende Testamentum Nulli dictum est Aut Thus pone aut Basilicas destrue â—stae enim res solent Martyria generare That is To none of them hath it beene said Deny God To none of them hath it beene said Burne the New Testament To none hath it beene said Offer incense or throw downe Churches for these things are wont to engender Martyrdomes Thus Optatus lib. 3. And I pray you is not our cause like to Optatus his and theirs to the Parmenians When haue our Magistrates vrged any of them that haue beene sent from Rome much lesse Recusants to deny God except they make him of Rome to be their God Nay both they and we doe exhort them with all instance to turne from that vanity and to trust in the liuing God Cursed be he that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arme So When doe we vrge them to burne the Bible or any part of the Bible Nay this hath beene their fault and sticketh to them for infamy like the Leprosie of Gehezi To set fire vpon the translated Bibles wheresoeuer they could finde them and to burne them by hundreds on an heape yet the worst translation made by our men is founder and more agreeable to the Originall then the Translation of the Seuentie and yet the Apostles themselues suffered the same nay vsed the same as is euident to the Learned so farre were they from defacing it To be short When and where haue our men forced them yea or perswaded either to put Incense vpon the Altar or to throw downe Churches Nay it is their proper guise euen now in the time of the Gospell when shadowes and carnall worship should cease to perfume their Altar and their vestiments and many things that I know not nor care to learne and it hath beene their ordinary practice where they haue beene the stronger to destroy not onely Churches but also as many as haue beene assembled in them to heare Gods Word and to receiue the Sacrament euen bloudily and butcherly with a rage that reached vp to heauen Witnesse the Massacres that they made at Vassey at Merindol and Cabrias in Piemont in Calabria and where not So that we haue great cause to flee from them not onely to goe away and they no cause to flee from vs who neuer thirsted after their blood nor drew it but constrained and in our defence But to what purpose all this Since they whom it concerneth are not here and them that are here it doth not concerne yet as our Sauiour made full account that some of his Auditors would relate vnto Herod what opinion he held of him and therefore said vnto them Goe yee and tell that Fox So we are content that they take information by some of you that we maintaine and are instant that there is cruelty in their side and not in ours and a good cause with vs and not with them and therefore that there is cause why they should returne to vs and no cause in the world why we should turne to them And let so much be spoken of the Question It followeth Simon Peter therefore answered him Lord to whom shall we goe thou hast the words of euerlasting life And we haue beleeued and knowne for we doe beleeue know Heb. that thou art the Christ the Son of the liuing God In this answere Saint Peter doth two things First he denyeth flatly that hee or his fellow Apostles haue any such meaning Then he bringeth reasons of their constant adhering to him The denyall is set forth by way of Interrogation for more vehemency sake and containeth in it a reason drawne from the excellency of Christ before other teachers Lord to whom shall we goe meaning there was no Master worth the thinking of in comparison to him and therefore that they were farre from any such purpose The reasons drawne from the excellency of Christ are two The one from the excellency of his Doctrine Thou hast the words of euerlasting life the other from the excellency of his person Thou art the Christ the Son of the liuing God Our heart and conscience telleth vs so much therefore we are not men but deuils if we forsake thee To this effect is Saint Peters answer in the name of his fellowes Let vs take the words before vs in order as they lye and first speake of the Interrogation Simon Peter therefore answered him saying Lord to whom shall we goe The first thing that we are to learne out of these words is this namely That truth and a good cause hath alwayes some to maintaine it The Disciples fell away yea many of the Disciples fell away yea they fell away so that they came no more at our Sauiour as the Text hath it but yet hee was not left without witnesse he had the Apostles to beare record to him and to stand for him So the High Priests and the Elders yea and the whole multitude of the Iewes cryed out against him and would not otherwise be satisfied then with his death but Ioseph of Arimathea a Councellour a iust man and a good consented not to their plots and practices Luk. 23. So Obadiah was not carryed away with the streame of the time to kill Gods Prophets and those that worshipped the Lord with holy worship but hid them in Caues and prouided for them though it were with the jeopardy of his head So Ruben though he had sinned before a great sinne and had highly offended God thereby and his father too yet in this no question he pleased both that he dissented from his brethrens bloody designe to murder their bother Ioseph and both disswaded them and deliuered him The like example of constancy and magnanimity appeared in Caleb and Iosuah Numb 14. who opposed themselues not onely to their fellowes being tenne to two but also to the whole Congregation of the Children of Israel being an hundred thousand to one against all they stood boldly for the maintenance of Gods glory in the power of his might and the truth of his promise saying Rebell not against the Lord neither feare yee the people of the Land for they are but bread for vs their shield is departed from them and the Lord is with vs feare them not Thus they and this was counted to them for righteousnesse vnto all posterity for euer-more Yea that God that prospered the Midwiues of Egypt for not subscribing to the bloody decree of Pharaoh and his Councellors did also highly aduance these his seruants not onely bringing them into the Land of Promise the place of rest where they would be but also making one of them Generall Captaine ouer his people anâ— giuing him admirable victories and the other also a great man and a mighty and of such
vigorousnesse in his extreme old age that he confesseth that hee was as lusty at eighty fiue yeeres of age as he was at forty and as sufficient for managing matters of warre or matters of peace as you may see Ioshuah 14. Thus there is a reward with the Lord and a speciall reward for them that cleaue fast vnto the Lord and doe sanctifie him both in their hearts and in their tongues as Peter doth in my Text and will not be carryed away by the example of the multitude to thinke or say as they doe But on the contrary side you know in the Psalme they are condemned who seeing a Thiefe runne with him and are partakers with the Adulterers Yea Saul though he threw neuer a stone at Saint Stephen yet because he kept the clothes of them that stoned him he may be reckoned among the persecutors Yea Moses himselfe that Saint of the Lord at other times so zealous so faithfull so couragious yet because at the waters of Meribah he did not sanctifie the Lord and rebuke the people for their rebellion with that edge and resolution as he ought to haue done is told plainely by God himselfe that he should not enter into the Land of Promise see it he should but put his foote in it he should not See the 20. Chapter of Numbers and the 32. of Deuteronomy Let vs consider of these things Beloued It is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the liuing God It is a dangerous thing to deale remissely in his businesse who is jealous of his seruice and requireth the whole man If this were done to Moses a greene Tree what shall be done to a dry And if Moses were condemned because he was not so hot as he should haue beene doe they thinke to escape that are key-cold This I say because some thinke that they make Religion beholding to them and God their debtor for euer if they doe not fall away from it as well as others and if they doe not openly blaspheme and raile vpon it though in the meane time they speake neuer a word for it But as God said to Moses I will make thee a greater Nation and a mightier then these though all these should be brought to nought And as Christ said in the Gospell I tell you the truth that if these hold their peace the stones shall speake So we may write vpon it that God is both able and willing to defend his Truth howsoeuer many shall agree to betray it and rather then he will leaue it vnmaintained he will open the mouthes of the dumbe and the children that are yet vnborne shall praise the Lord. In the meane time as it is said in Genesis The Nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I iudge saith God And in the Gospell Woe be to that man by whom offences shall come and especially Woe be to the man by whom the Sonne of man shall be betrayed So let these men-pleasers and place-pleasers know that as they are ashamed to confesse Christ before men so he will not be pleased to confesse them before his Father which is in heauen Gordius the Martyr was of that minde for being exhorted by a friend of his to keepe his conscience to himselfe and not to professe it made answer as Basil writeth that the Truth is not onely betrayed of them that doe plainely forsake it but of them also that will not publikely confesse it Fulgentius was of the same minde Nec immeritò talis seruus abijcitur punitur c. Such a seruant saith he is worthily reiected and punished because by one and the same silence he establisheth error who being forestalled by error or time doth not by meanes of his silence vouch and maintaine the Truth Euen as further saith he he that doth not establish Gods glory doth euacuate it and he that doth not refute and ward the blow of dishonour from God doth no lesse then heape it vpon him Why my Brethren our cause is good it is Gods we haue proued it so to be in hundreds of discourses the times are fauourable we haue the Bride-groome with vs why then should any mans heart faile him ô verè Phrygiae neque enim Phryges 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They that be in pace Cerui I inuert Tertullians words will they be in praelio Leones will they be as valiant as the Lyon in the day of battell when the wicked compasse them about at their heeles and draw them before Rulers yea and peraduenture to a fiery tryall that shew themselues as fearefull as the Deere in the dayes of peace in Alcyon dayes They feare where no feare is saith the Psalmist the shadow of the mountaines maketh these to feare saith one in the booke of Iudges By the Art of dissembling many thinke they haue great aduantage The Protestant taketh them for theirs for their comming to Church The Romanist theirs because they speake neuer a word against them so they gaine on both sides Wherefore if they should be any thing busie so they call sincere dealing then they should leese such a Gentlemans custome and such a Gentlewomans fauour c. Thus the loue of man casteth out the loue of God and the feare of man casteth out the feare of God But where is Elias euen he himselfe said Elizeus Where is Brutus I would thou wert aliue Brutus it was once written vnder his statue We may say Where is Peter and his spirit He confesseth in my Text and denieth not but saith plainely that there was none worth the looking after but Christ nor no Doctrine worth the harkening after but his It was a great blot to Osius of Corduba his reputation that had beene a faithfull Confessor in the dayes of persecution that following the sway he was seene to be present and an abettor in the Conuenticles of the Arrians and so those other Bishops did themselues most hurt that deserued the imputation of Nazianzen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All sauing a few followed the time On the other side Paphnutius is much renowned in Story for withstanding the greatest part of the Councell of Nice in a cause of truth wherein he also preuailed And so in these last perilous times Vergerius the Italian and Dalthius the Hungarian and Fricius the Polonian excellent learned men and great Statists and two of them Orators from great Princes deserued no lesse honour though they had not so good successe for Trent Conuenticle would not be like Nice Councell in manfufully proposing and defending many points of Christian Religion euen as they are taught and vrged by vs. They learned it of the Prophet I will speake of thy testimonies before Kings and will not be ashamed Or of Saint Peter in my Text who answered boldly and cared not who heard him that Christ was to be followed and he onely Let vs also Beloued be followers of Saint Peter in this point and let this be our first note or lesson To be
resolute Peter answered and said The next note is like to it namely That we be forward yea and formost too in a good cause As Peter doth not straine courtesie nor pause to see whether any other would speake and ease him of his labour but as though the waight of it lay vpon his shoulders hee dischargeth himselfe of it valiantly and hardily The Lord loueth a cheerefull giuer saith Saint Paul and so The Lord loueth a forward Confessor say I. Thou commest to see me the last of all my friends saith Octauius to Tully in Appium And 2. Sam. 19. Dauid reproueth the Elders of Iudah for that they were behind to bring the King againe to his house he meaneth that they were hindmost and lag On the other side Shimei that had abused Dauid so villanously for words that no man was euer abused worse by any for hee called him man of blood and man of Belial yet because he was the first of the house of Ioseph that came downe to meete him after his restitution to his Kingly Estate Dauid thought himselfe bound to pardon him and so assured him of his life by an oath So much it importeth a man what he doth well to doe quickly and to doe it betimes then there is thanke with God thâ—n it is accepted of man Euen as Dauid setteth forth his forwardnesse saying I made haste and prolonged not the time to keepe thy righteous iudgements and Saint Paul his When it pleased God to reueale his Sonne in me immediatly I communicated not with flesh and blood but went about that worke And Iames and Iohn being called Math. 4. forsooke their ship and their father forthwith and followed Christ And Luke 19. Zacheus being bid to come downe from a tree came downe in haste and receiued him Now as this haste and forwardnesse is necessary and to be vsed by all so especially by them that are Ring-leaders and Captaines of the flock In their countenance there is hope and despaire in their courage there is life and death If L. Martius had not bestirred himselfe and shewed an vncontrolable quicke resolution and an vndauntable fiery courageousnesse after the ouerthrow giuen to the two Scipio's all had beene lost in Spaine the name of a Romane had beene no more in remembrance This one example for hundreds for matters of warre So if Nasica had not presently vpon the hurly-burly stirred by the Gracchi obiected himselfe as a Bulwarke against their seditious complotments the Common-weale had beene drencht in the gulph of sedition out of which it would hardly haue popped vp for the hearts of the valourous would haue failed them for feare and the hearts of the turbulent would haue been strengthened Thus one example out of hundreds for matters of peace So if Saint Peter vpon the reuolt of so many Disciples and staggering peraduenture of some of the Apostles had hanged the wing as they speake or let fall his Crest who doth know but that many by his example would haue beene drawne away to obiect cowardize or amazed distraction Therefore blessed be God that gaue such strength vnto him for by his strength many were confirmed Let vs thinke of this Beloued specially we that are or should be men in Christ let vs reproue them that cannot abide wholesome Doctrine and let vs confute such vpon occasion and modestie and in order as are contrary-minded and teach contrary to the truth that is the Scriptures For the Scriptures are true and whatsouer is repugnant to the same is false-hood Let vs not draw backe and say Why doth not such a one speake and why doth not such a one but rather as in a common fire let euery man bring his bucket of water to quench it let euery one presently put his hand to the worke and helpe to beare anothers burden and then he shall be blessed in his worke This is my second note That not onely we professe boldly but also that we doe it presently The third note shall be shorter then the second namely that we be charitable What in Gods name might one say what meanes Saint Peter to be so liberall to vndertake for others He knew what himselfe would doe but he did not know what others meant Cato refused to vndertake for Catulus his honesty and none of better note for vertue then Catulus Cato therefore was a wise man So Ieremy saith The heart is deceitfull and wicked aboue all things who can know it So Saint Paul What man knoweth the things of man but the spirit of man that is in him Paul was an Apostle as well as hee How then could Saint Peter say boldly To whom shall we goe but vnto thee Hee should rather haue said To whom shall I goe To make the matter short I answere in a word that Saint Peter sheweth hereby his great charity which thinketh none euill and his brotherly loue which conceiteth another as himselfe The better a man is the lesse euill he suspecteth to be in another the worse a man is himselfe the more naught he suspecteth to be in another It is written of Nero by Suetonius that persuasissimum habuit He was verily perswaded that there was no continent man vpon the earth What maruell he was most vicious and most abominable himselfe On the other side Solon that carryed a naturall heart to his Parents could not be induced to thinke that there was any vse of a Law to be made against murderers of Fathers Mothers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Nazianzen speakes that which is free from naughtinesse is slower to suspect naughtines As it is written for example of Francis the fiâ—st that carrying a generous minde himselfe he thought he should be intreated with like generousnesse by his enemy As on the contrary side the brethren of Ioseph that had vsed cruelty themselues were no sooner brought within their brothers danger specially their father being dead but they said It may be that Ioseph will hate vs and will pay vs againe all the euill which we did vnto him Now St. Peter was not like to these later bad ones but to those former good ones or rather better then they He knew whom he beleeued and he knew that his owne heart was established and his faith built vpon the Rocke Christ and therefore thought that others would be as forward as he and as firme as he Hee neuer thought that any of the Apostles would play the Traytor or that Iudas would be other then Iudas that is a Confessor He knew peraduenture that he was a Theefe and bare the bagge c. but yet who would not looke for reformation vnder such a Censor and Master This made Peter to say not in the singular number To whom shall I goe but in the plurall To whom shall we Let vs be slow to anger slowe to iudge swift to pity swift to hope Saint Paul hoped of the whole Nation of the Iewes that in time they should be saued Rom. 11. And
against the Luciferians Quae est ista simplicitas nescire quod credas c What simplicity is this to beleeue you cannot tell what He beleeued simply what did he beleeue By which places you see that as the knowledge of Christ is required if we meane to be acknowledged of his Father so this knowledge must not be a generall conceit or notice onely that there is such a one and that some thing he hath done for so we shall shoote but at an vncertaine marke striue as they that beate the ayre as Saint Paul saith but we must know in particular what great things he hath done and from what aboundant loue hee did it and with what fierce enemies he encountred in doing it and for what kind of persons he did that which he did and lastly in what miserable estate we had beene if he had not done it And is this so easie a faith that it may be gotten with once opening of our eyes or conned by one stans pede in vno or haue we not need rather to search the Scriptures as Christ spake and to Take vp and read Take vp and read as Augustine was admonished and to attend to those things which the Preachers teach vs as Lydia did to Pauls Doctrine As I say we are to giue our diligence that we may be skilfull in the whole booke of God in the whole doctrine of our Saluation so especially it shall behoue vs to get by heart and haue in a readinesse such Sentences as doe summarily and briefly containe the mysterie of Christs Incarnation and the chiefe benefits of his Mediatorship And such a place of Scripture is this that I haue in hand yea such a word is this Immanuel so rich so effectuall so full of Doctrine and consolation if you doe not so much tell the syllables as prize the waight and doe not so much content your selues with the outward barke and rinde as with the inward substance and pith Consider therefore of it againe and againe and marke me opening and vnfolding of it This therefore I say that in this word is couched together both Christs Nature and his Office His Natures of two kindes both Diuine and humane and yet but one Person his Offices though diuers for functions yet all tending to this one end to set vs at peace with God and to vnite him vnto vs. he shall call his name Immanuel or God with vs. Now to proue vnto you Well-beloued that Christ is God very God as Saint Iohn speakes God blessed for euer as Saint Paul calleth him I hold it superfluous before Christians since not onely the whole Scripture being giuen by inspiration from God doth auow so much The Law the Prophets the Psalmes the Apostles the Euangelists c. but also the Father himselfe the Word himselfe and the holy Ghost himselfe those three in heauen and vpon earth the works that he did farre exceeding the power of any creature and especially the raising himselfe from death the third day together with the bodies of many Saints that had slept longer Thus as Aratus saith of Iupiter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All streets are full of Iupiter and markets and the Sea and Ports c. So is it true of Christ and his Deity that he hath filled all places with the glory thereof so the same needs not to be proued or demonstrated no more needeth his humanity whereof besides his birth shape growing his hunger his thirst his faintnesse and wearinesse his feare and shrinking his stripes and buffetings his reuilings his cruell and bitter death and lastly his burying be abundant witnesses So be there also euidences enow of the vnity of his Person in two Natures euen in these two places of Scripture Iohn 1. The Word became flesh and dwelt among vs and we saw the glory of him c. He doth not say of them though he were both God and Man Word and Flesh. And Iohn 3. No man ascendeth into heauen but he that descended from heauen the Sonne of man which is in heauen he doth not say Sonnes as of many but Sonne though hee speake of such a manner of existence which is not incident to one nature Christ therefore is but one but his Natures are two Diuine Humane both true both perfect yet vnseparable and vnconfused For neither hath the Deity swallowed vp the humanity so thought that wicked Hereticke Eutyches neither hath the humanity made a new person from the Deity as thought that vile miscreant Nestorius But howsoeuer according to his Deity he be equall to his Father inuisible impassible incircumscriptible c. and according to his humanity he be like to vs euen of the same nature with vs corporall visible reall hauing flesh and bone and a reasonable soule as wee haue yet as is truly taught by Athanasius Hee is not two but one Christ for if there were two then the Prophet should not haue said in my Text She shall call his name but She shall call their names And the Apostle should not haue said to Timothy There is one Mediator betweene God and man but There are two Mediators the Sonne of Mary and the Sonne of God yea then he could not haue said truly as he doth that God was in Christ that God was manifested in the flâ—sh or that the Princes crucified the Lord of glory which places doe most strongly euince the Deity not to haue beene separated from the humanity being once assumed but in death nor the humanity to make an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of it selfe but both together concurring in the person of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which yet was a perfect Person before he assumed our nature to make vp the Head of his Church euen the Sauiour of his body that is the Sauiour of all that beleeue Now hauing spoken so much which was contrary to my promise and contrary to my meaning of the vnspeakeable vnion of two Natures in one Immanuel let vs consider a little of the causes hereof to wit why God would descend into the world and become man and then adde something touching the vse of the Doctrine and so an end For as touching his Offices I haue spoken of them out of another Text vpon pregnant occasion and so I may doe againe vpon the like Touching the fiâ—st Augustine hath a good speech Tali auxilio natura nostra indigebat causa Our nature and our cause stood in need of such an helpe Vt repararet genus humanum nec sine Maiestate posset humilitas nec sine humilitate Maiestas that neither humility or base estate could repaire man-kind without a Maiesticall nor a Maiesticall estate without an humble or base one And why so Fulgentius will tell vs Dâ—us verus viuus imo Deus veritas vita c. God being true and liuing nay truth and life it selfe if he had not beene true Man could not haue tasted of death and if he
not onely they had fauour with their owne people but also they haue beene awed of their very enemies Some haue beene so blessed some few pauci quos aequus amauit Iupiter atque ardens euexit ad aether a virtus sayes the Poet. Some few that haue beene extraordinarily tendered by God and which haue beene mirrors of all vertue and goodnesse Howbeit that you may not thinke the worse of our Hezekiah nor derogate from the perfection of his vertues hereby for that he was inuaded by Sennacherib and not suffered to liue in peace You are to vnderstand that as in naturall and artificiall workings it is not enough that the Agent haue vertue and vigor in it but the patient also or that which it should worke vpon must be rightly disposed and capable of the working as for example How long would it be before you could mould Iron or make mortar of sand or make a piece of dadocke-wood to flame c So likewise for the price and estimation of vertue it is not enough that there be excellency in the doer but there must be some inclination and affection to it in the beholder or witnesse In the great battell that was fought betweene the Romans and the Parthians wherein there were so many thousands of the Romanes so miserably slaine there were twenty Romane Souldiers as Plutarch writeth that fought so valiantly and laid about them so manfully that their enemies that had beene able to hacke them in pieces suffered them to escape thorow the middest of them How so The Parthians were valiant men themselues and therefore no maruell if they honoured valour in other men On the contrary side Proculus a goodly tall man that had gotten the victory of as many as encountred him striking them downe one after another Caligula did not suffer to escape aliue but commanded him to be slaine Why so Caligula was a cowardly wretch himselfe and therefore enuyed the opinion and marke of man-hood in whomsoeuer it was eminent So Xenocrates as the same Plutarch writeth in the life of Phocion was of that reuerend estimation and credit for his wonderfull grauity that they who knew him thought that it was impossible for any to be so carryed away of his passions but euen by the sight of him he should find an alteration in his mind yea and shew some blushing too in his countenance This impression he wrought in others but yet when he came to Antipater with other Ambassadours to waigh him to equity and clemency he could not get as much as a good morrow from him or that he should take him by the hand Why so Antipater was a wicked man the Story sayes and being not vertuous himselfe he had not learned to know vertue in others Hereupon it is found true that was said of the ancient Philosopher that honor is a matter of courtesie and rather in honorante then in honorato And which a learned man of late dayes hath written Quidam laudem merentur quidam habent as though it were not alwayes giuen to whom it is due but others that doe not deserue it will goe away with it sometimes You see therefore that it is not a certaine rule to iudge of mens worth by their renown For although Wisedome and so Vertue and Piety be iustified of her children that is of them that be wise vertuous and godly yet for all that with them that are wicked it is not of that price but contrariwise despised scorned abhorred No maruell then if Hezechiah were not esteemed of Sennacherib according to his vertuous acts all the while Sennacherib was so bad a man as he was first an Idolater then proud then couetous then crafty then puffed vp with successe of his warres else-where c. For the contrary were rather to be maruelled at if darknesse could abide light sowre sweet or euill good The same is to be said to those that are tempted thus to thinke in their hearts Why if our Prince were so peerelesse a Lady as we make her so godly so wise so iust so clement also if the reformation which she hath wrought were according to the Word of God as it is pretended then surely the Lord would haue caused the feare of her to be vpon all the Nations round about vs and no man should be so hardy or so malicious as to assaile vs all the time of her gouernment Answer as the truth is as hath beene partly shewed already that God sometimes for the comfort of his weake ones and that his bounty may be the more sensibly felt euen with carnall hands doth grant peace and quietnesse to his Church and restraine the hearts of Tyrants so that they haue neither power nor heart to doe any euill to his Sanctuary Howbeit this commeth by priuiledge and is not ordinary Againe for some certaine time it is granted but not for ones life Salomon indeed had peace round about for the greatest part of his raigne but had Dauid likewise No he had both his hands full all the dayes of his life and yet who comparable to Dauid So Hezechiah a great part of his raigne was free from any inuasion by the enemy and though his neighbours Lands were on a fire yet in his owne he felt no losse but did he remaine in that securitie No about the middest of his raigne he was brought in ieopardy of his Estate by the Assyrians who could not keepe in any longer the malice that boyled in their brests But some man will say Yet by your leaue Hezechiah was to blame so to prouoke Sennacherib as he did a Prince of farre greater puissance and strength then himselfe for did he not deny him his tribute and so bring vpon himselfe and his people an vnnecessary warre Indeed if it were so Hezechiah was much to blame and Sennacherib was before him not onely for strength of Forces but also for goodnesse of cause and therefore a very euill match made But wel-beloued iudge nothing before the time but iudge with righteous iudgement and as Dauid saith Psalme 40. so say I Blessed is he that iudgeth wisely of the poore or afflicted whom God hath visited In the 53. of Esay the godly confesse their fault for iudging Christ to haue beene plagued and smitten of God for his owne sinnes And in the 9. of Iohn the Apostles are told their fault for that they could no sooner see a blind man one that was borne blind but they must presently aske Master who did sinne this man or his parents that he was borne blind The like reproch doth belong vnto vs if we take the like course of mis-iudging either of Hezechiah or of them that be in like case with Hezechiah Hezechiah did not pay him tribute Why Because he did owe him none for if he had owed any then he had sinned in not rendring it according to that of the Apostle Rom. 13. Giue to all men their duty Tribute to whom Tribute Custome to whom yee
water is carried by pipes into the Cisterne be either stopped with Preiudice or poysoned by Partiality then they that are to pronounce according vnto their mouthes must needs pronounce amisse Therefore they that are faulty this way deserue double punishment 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because they offend themselues and make others to offend So much against Partiality The third thing that impeacheth Iustice is Bribery A Lacedemonian Generall complained that he was driuen out of Asia by a thousand Archers he meant by the King of Persia his money an Archer was the stampe of the Persian coyne So in the late ciuill warres in France many were said to haue beene pelted with Spanish Pistols a Pistoll is an indifferent word both for a certaine coyne and a small Peece So the Philistines cryed out Who shall deliuer vs out of the hands of these mighty Gods and so many haue said Who can withstand an Army of Angels of golden Angels But as Austine said Aliud est ridere aliud resp ndere It is one thing to iest another thing to answere So I thinke such a sinne as Bribery is must be beaten downe and broken in pieces more grauely and more substantially then by breaking of Iests It is a truth that corruption is a very old sinne euen Hesiod that liued seuen or eight hundred yeeres before Christ complaineth that his brother went beyond him by bribing of Magistrates 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by greatly honouring such as deuâ—urâ—d gifts And Plato long after him yet long before Christ reciteth a Sentence of an old Poet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is The greatest Rulers and the greatest Gouernours they that are like Gods vpon the earth haue beene won and ouercome with gifts There is no City so inuincible said one but an Asse laden with gold will make the gates flie open And another receiued this Oracle Fight with siluer Lances and thou shalt be sure to conquer But we need not to rake in the puddle of heathenish writers to know the power of Bribes and gifts Salomon the wisest and best experienced King saith A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it it prospereth whither-soeuer he turneth it And againe A mans gift maketh roome for him and bringeth him befoâ—e great men Yea God himselfe by Moses in Deut. sheweth the great strength of gifts or the great weakenesse of man to withstand them A gift saith he doth blind the eyes of the wise and peruerteth the words of the iust therefore thou shalt not take a gift As if he told vs that there was I know not what poyson in them and indeed men vse to say that beneficia be venificia that the very handling of them will infect a man As â—liny writeth of the fish called Torpedo that if a a man touch it not onely with his hand but with sticke or rod or such like it will benumme him And as Scholers know that Dâ—mosthenes by poysoning Harpalus his Goblet was tempted and weighed to fauour his cause to the great danger of his Countrey and vnto his owne vtter shame No man doubteth but Samuel his sonnes were well brought vp by their Father and so was Gehesi as well by his Master Elisha and Iudas best of all at the feet of our Sauiour And yet Iudas for money sold his Master and Gehesi for money shamed his Master And Samuel his sonnes for money by taking of gifts made their Fathers Gouernment odious to the people which otherwise they could neuer haue beene weary of Now if this were done in better times and where the best examples were shewed then what is to be expected in these worser times in the wane of the Moone as it were in the decrepit age of the world Is it for any man that is in authority being wise to giue absolute credence to his followers that that must be true which they doe prompt iust which they perswade Or are they not rather to suspect them when they see them earnest in a cause that Boâ—em habent in lingua as one said Argentum in faucibus as it was said of another It is certaine that it is not enough for a Magistrate to haue abstinent hands himselfe but he must looke to the fingers of his followers that they be not giuen to finger or prowle Plutarch writeth of Pompey that marching with his men in Sicily because hee would haue them to keepe good rule hee caused their swords to be sealed vp in their scabberds and if he found the seales stirred it was an argument to him they had beene meddling and had done some body wrong and then they paid for it I doe not wish Officers or their men should haue their purses sealed or their armes tyed behind them when they begin their Circuit or enter vpon their imployment By no meanes For The Labourer is worthy of his reward And Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the Oxe that treadâ—th out the Corne. And if we thinke them worthy their hyre that gather stones out of the fields to mend the high-wayes or that doe plucke vp weeds out of a Garden that the good herbes may haue the more roome and grow the better then how can we honour or reward them too much that doe plow vp iniquity by the rootes and doe take all offences out of Church and Common-weale Therefore such Fees as are granted them by Law let them take in the Name of God no man is to grudge at it Onely this I aduise and admonish and pray that they that be in authority whether Ciuill persons or Ecclesiasticall yea and their seruants also would thinke Iâ—hn Baptists charge to the Souldiers in Saint Luke to belong to themselues Vse no violence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tosse no man to and fro get nothing by sycophansie and be content with your wages whatsoeuer is taken aboue that is euill What if it be giuen of good will should any mans eye be euill because some mans hand is good Truely if it be giuen of single sincere good will I haue nothing to say against it for nothing is freer then gift and volenti nulla iniuria But what if it be Mixta voluntas as in a tempest the Merchant throweth his goods into the Sea to saue himselfe and his ship shall we call this beneuolence or good will to the Sea or is it not rather necessity or inforcement Why Dauid the time was did make choice of the plague which otherwise he would haue shunned as the gates of death but it was because he would escape a greater Plague euen the plague of Famine or Sword So many put themselues to great charges which they would be glad with all their hearts to saue sauing to auoyd a greater mischiefe Gifts from them that haue no suite present or toward are kindnesses gratuities liberalities and against such there is no Law from them that haue a suite either in present or
Prophet meaneth that we should aske for the old way which is good doth not this imply that there be old wayes which be bad and consequently doth not this make against our Aduersaries that doe rely vpon Antiquity simply without distinction Thus as hee that diggeth a pit falleth many times into it himselfe as it is in the Booke of the Preacher So the Arguments that are framed against the truth doe turne oft-times to the conuiction of false-hoood which it would establish We can doe nothing against the truth but for the truth saith the Apostle Lastly let it be granted that the old way is the good way the right way the true way which in some sense is true if they vnderstand by Old that which is most old that which was from the beginning As our Sauiour Math. 19. When the Pharises alledged for themselues the Antiquitie of Moses his dispensation about the matter of diuorce answered that the manner of Dispensing was not old enough for from the beginning it was not so And Tertullian Id verum quod prius prius quod ab initio ab initio quod ab Apostolis That is true that is former former that was from the beginning from the beginning that was from the Apostles I say if we should grant as we may grant that they that can shew the highest Antiquity to be on their side should goe away with the cause should our Aduersaries gaine any thing thereby Where was their Supremacie in Saint Peters and Saint Pauls time When Saint Paul commandeth Ecclesiasticall persons and all to be subiect to the Higher or chiefe Powers namely to the Magistrate by the interpretation of St. Chrysostome and of whom not And Peter more precisely To be subiect to the King or Emperour as to the chiefe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To whom agreeth Tertullian Colimus Imperatorem vt hominem à Deo secundum solo Deo minorem Wee honour saith he the Emperour as a man immediatly subiect or second to God and inferiour to none but God So where was it taught in Antiquity That Subiects were no longer to obey their Prince then it should please a forraine Bishop if a Bishop and that at his voyce they might take Armes against their Soueraigne and lawfully kill him nay that it was a meritorious deed to kill him Did Peter or Paul or any of the Apostles so teach Did Augustine or Ambrose Basil or Chrysostome or any Doctour for a thousand yeeres after Christ euer write so Lego relego Romanorum Regum res gestas c. saith Otho Frinsigensis I read read ouer againe the Acts of the Roman Emperours and doe find none of them to be so proceeded against by any Roman Prelat before Hildebrands time who liued a thousand and threescore yeeres after Christ. I know he addeth an exception of Pabianus his dealing with Philip and Ambrose with Theodosius but it is one thing to put away a Prince from the Communion another thing to depriue him of his Kingdome This for discharging of Subiects from their oath of obedience As for the suborning of Fryers and Monks and Ruffians to stabbe Kings or Queenes or otherwise to mischiefe them it was neuer heard of in Christendome for a thousand and fiue hundred yeeres and an halfe after Christ vntill the time of these vpstart Iesuites whose proper vocation and imployment seemeth to be to set the whole world on fire being themselues set on fire of hell In Christendome I say the like practice to dispatch the Popes enemies by the hands of Cut-throats allured with the faire promises of this life and of that which is to come hath not beene heard of But in Turky and in Syria for the aduancement of the authority of the Calipha of Babylon and to strengthen the Kingdome of the Soldans it hath beene many times set on foot by the hands of Assasins as some call them as others call them Arsacidacs Thus as Aspis à Vipera venenum mutuatur as Tertullian saith So they of new Babylon haue learned of the old to embrue their hands in the blood of the Lords Anointed But from Mount Sinai this came not nor from Hierusalem nor from the Ancient of dayes But if they will stand vpon Antiquity I will tell you who was their Schoole-master euen he that was a Murderer from the beginning the old Serpent the Deuill Satanas Shall I prosecute this course a little further to shew the newnesse of their doctrine in other points of Religion What one probable place out of Scripture what one colourable reason out of the Fathers or Councels can they produce either for their Seruice in an vnknowne Tongue or for their barring of the people from reading the Scriptures Or for denying them the Cuppe in the Communion Or for the Popes Pardons Or for the merits of Monkery Or that fiue words mumbled by a Priest ouer a piece of bread should annihilate the substance of bread and bring Christs body in place carnally as he was borne of the Virgin Mary c These and twenty other such toyes nay Heresies nay Impieties if they haue any ground in the world for in Antiquity let vs be taken for false witnesses and slanderers and beare the blame for euer The time is spent I presume and therefore I must huddle vp that which remaineth and conclude in a word or two that which is yet vnhandled of my Text to wit the last branch of the Perswasion That wee walke in the good old way And the promise of the reward We shall find rest for our soules I will handle them both together The Apostle in the first to the Romanes conuinceth the Gentiles for that they knowing God did not glorifie him as God And our Sauiour Iohn 13. telleth his Disciples If you know these things happy are yee if you doe them If God hath traced vnto vs in the Scriptures the old and good way If we declare lay open the same vnto you out of the Scriptures you refuse to tread the same then we may say vnto you as the Prophet doth in the like case Doubtlesse in vaine made he it the pen of thewriter is in vaine The King in the Gospell making a marriage feast for his Sonne did not bid them that they should refuse to come or come euill appointed but that they should come with their wedding garment meet at his Table No more doe we light a candle put it on a Candlesticke that any should winke with their eyes or loue darkenes more then light but that they should take knowledge thereof and doe their businesse thereby Euen so if we shew you the truth so euidently that you cannot deny it why doe you not beleeue it If wee shew you the more excellent way as the Apostle speakes so plainely that you cannot controll it why doe you not follow it why doe you not walke therein that so you may finde rest for your soules Shall they
good his doctrine by miracles being a new doctrine and therefore the miracles which were wrought by the Apostles and Prophets could not serue to strenghten it but onely by the sword and an arme of flesh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they be the words of the Alcoran that is he came not to giue the Law by miracles but by the sword and how then can such a doctrine be embraced by any saue such as are plainely bewitched or out of their wits for to vse onely naturall reason to naturall men how can God be thought to be of one mind for twenty or fiue and twenty ages together for so long he gouerned the Church by Propheticall and Apostolicall doctrine then vpon the suddaine change his minde vpon the starting vp of a Start-vp neither learned nor wise nor vertuous onely he had a great Army and had some successe against the Emperour Scilicet illum expectabat liberanda veritas a likely matter that the truth should be held captiue till Mahomet set it at liberty No no the strength of Israel the God of the whole earth is no changeling neither is there with him any shadow of change He is Amen that is true and stable and though heauen and earth perish yet no tittle of the Law or Gospell shall fall to the ground till all be fulfilled God hath spoken in these last dayes by his Sonne He hath spoken by him it is not said that he will speake by any after him that will oppugne him or correct him Therefore away with Mahometisme It is enough to say of it as the foresaid Tertullian said vpon the like occasion Nobis curiositate non est opus post Christum Iesum nec inquisitione post Euangelium that is Hauing Christ Iesus we need not be further curious and hauing the Gospell we need not be further inquisitiue thus he The same reason doth militate against the Romanists who although they seeme to attribute much to the Gospell in words yet in effect they deny it For they are not content with the written Word but they stand vpon vnwritten supposed verities which they may multiply at their pleasure as well as they doe magnifie them making them to be of equall authority with the written Word so doe they of Trent speake insomuch as if we will beleeue them we shall not know what to beleeue nor what to affirme For whatsoeuer is questioned betweene them and vs touching either Purgatory or prayer for the dead or praying to Saints or praying in an vnknowne tongue or touching the Masse or Chrisme or the Ceremonies of Baptisme c. All these points and an hundred more which they can no more finde in the written Word than they can finde water in fire fire in a poole of water they poast ouer vnto Tradition appealing vnto it which is as much as if they should turne vs to seeke them vpon the backe-side of the booke For what is Tradition else but the report of men and what are men all men sauing they which were priuiledged with the priuiledge of infallibility the Apostles and Prophets I meane which neither were deceiued in matters of faith neither could deceiue but deceitfull vpon the weights and in plaine English lyers I meane subiect to error and mistaking We must take their credit for doctrines affirmed by them to haue beene preached by Christ and his Apostles fifteene or sixteene hundred yeeres agone when they cannot be beleeued touching that which themselues or their confellowes preached two or three yeeres since except there be notes kept of it nay he hath a good memory that can repeat in the after-noone as much as he heard in the fore-noone Behold we count them for no better than mad-men that will make claime to a piece of land for the which they haue nothing to shew but bare words as I heard my neighbour say this or that or mine vncle or my father c. whereas the party that they would get it from hath Euidences and Records ancient and faire without any shew of rasure without any suspition of forgery And can we thinke our Aduersaries to be well in their wits that would wrest from the Laity the Cuppe of the Lord against so faire a Record as this As oft as yet shalt â—ate of this bread and drinke of this Cuppe c Thus Saint Paul writing to the Church of Corinth consisting of Laickes as well as Ecclesiastickes also from the Cleargy they would wrest marriage against this Record Marriage is honorable in all in all persons not in all things onely as it appeareth by the Anâ—uhesis Adulterers and Fornicators he doth not say Adulteries and Fornications And againe To auoide fornication let euery man haue his wife and euery woman her husband if Ministers be men then they may be married So further from the vnâ—earneâ— they would wrest the vse of the Scriptures they will not suffer them to vse them in their mother-tongue vnlesse they haue a Licence by as good reason they might forbid them to looke vpon the Sunne or to drawe in the ayre without a Licence contrary to the Commandement Deut. 3â— When aâ—l Israel shalt come to appeare before the Lord thy God c. thou shalt read this Law before all Israel that they may heare it c. He was to read the Law therefore it was written he was to read it before all Israel therefore it was written for all Israel So in the Gospell When a young man would know what he might doe to attaine eternall life our Sauiour answered him saying What is written in the Law 〈◊〉 readest thou Behold he doth not send him to the â—radition of the Fathers but to the written Word that he should beleeue and liue according to that rule But now forâ—ouâ— Aduersaries iâ— ye hap to conferre with them or shall haue a desire to looke into their bookes you shall find that the claimâ— that they make by the Scriptures for any thing of moment in Controuersie betweene them and vs either touching the head of the Church or the visibility of the Church or the keyes of the Church c. is but dicis causâ for fashion-sake their sure-hold and fortresse they fly vnto is Tradition Now what is this else but to bring all things to their owne Consistory as they say and to make themselues Iudges in their owne cause and to measure themselues by themselues as the Apostle speaketh yea and to symbolize with those Heretickes whom Ticonius allowed by Augustine for this speech noteth thus to speake Quod volumus sanctum est that It is holy because we would haue it so and so it is true because they say it is a Tradition But well speaketh the same Augustine Contra insidiosos errores Deus voluit ponere firmamentum in Scripturis c. Against deceitfull errors God thought it good to place a sure foundation in the Scriptures against which no man dares to speake that would be counted a
them we must not be euery one a wolfe to his neighbour according to the Prouerb Homo homini Lupus but euery one as it were a God vnto him Homo homini Deus forasmuch as God hath made all of one blood to dwell vpon the face of the earth And as the Prophet saith Haue we not all one Father hath not one God made vs why doe we transgresse euery one against his Brother c This much and a great deale more we are to learne hereby that the Son of God is our maker Now from his Diuine estate acts the Apostle riseth higher to his Diuine Nature and Person in these words Who being the brightnes of his glory and the expresse Image of his Person c. The Iesuits that write the life of their Founder Ignatius Loiola report that Christ forsooth appeared to him at the Eleuation as he was at Masse in a Church at Venice as I remember and there he discerned the Hypostaticall vnion of two natures in Christ and the reall distinction of the three Persons in the God-head Doe you beleeue them Noâ— nor I thinke their owne disciples doe beleeue them more in this than they beleeue their Saint Thomas of Aquine telling them that the Crucifixe commended him in these words Bene scripsisti de me Thoma Thomas thou hast written well of me well for their kitchin but not well for their conscience for the edifying of it in holy faith in holy doctrine Miserable companions was it not enough for them to be grieuous to men but they must grieue our God also Esay 7.13 was it not enough for them to beguile the people with lying vanities but they must abuse them also with lying miracles or apparitions saying with the lying old Prophet 1 Kings 13. An Angell spake vnto me in the word of the Lord when there was no such matter and with the false Prophets Ieremy 23. I haue dreamed I haue dreamed But what saith the true Prophet in the same place The Prophet that hath a dreame let him tell a dreame let him deliuer it for a dreame and for no better and hee that hath my Word let him speake my Word faithfully what is the chaffe to the wheat saith the Lord God hath no need neither doth he like that one should make a lye for his sake Iob 13. Neither that his truth should abound to his glory by any mans lye Rom. 3. This one part of my Text doth more clearely open the truth and may more soundly settle our consciences than a thousand Legend-tales The Apostle saith that Câ—rist is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the brightnes of his glory It is well translated as well as it might be in so few words but the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth somewhat more than brightnesse euen such a bright thing as hath a lustre cast vpon it from some other thing For as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not signifie the act or quality of singing but a song the song it selfe and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not signifie the act or quality of imagining but the thing that appeareth to the imagination â—pectâ—um visum so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the thing that hath brightnesse in it and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is that which receiueth his brightnesse from another So then now you see what a fit word the Apostle made choice of euen such an one as then which none could haue beene deuised by many yeeres study more pregnant to expresse the euerlasting generation of the Sonne of God For though Christ be the true light that enlightneth euery one that commeth into the world yet as he iâ— the second Person in the Trinity hâ— hath this light of his Father and he is as God of God so light of light euen a light springing from the Father For this cause he is called by Saint Luke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Day-spring or Sunne-rising yea he is called so by Philo the Iew in his booke of the câ—nfusion of tongues 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is The Father of the world Gr. the Father of things that be made his Sonne to spring forth or arise as the morning or Sunne doth a strange testimony of one that was borne Iew and dyed Iew. For though Hierome doth reckon him among Ecclesiasticke writers yet we doe not finde that he ioyned himselfe to the Church of God or turned Christian But the truth is that he liued in the time that the Apostles did and therefore might learne of them to write more piously as Theodoret I remember doth obserue that the Philosophers that wrote after the Gospell was promulgated did correct many of their errors and euery where inserted many Sentences sauoring of truth and godlinesse But to returne to Christ the true Light He sprang from the Father but not as our light doth from the Sunne in time but before all beginnings neither yet as a quality our light is a quality but as being a substance and the Authour of all substance being neither was he euer separated from the Father as the light of the Moone is separated at the least to our appearance from the Sunne in the night and the light of the Sunne from the Moone in the day but He is and was alwayes in the Father and the Father in him and both in the holy Ghost and the holy Ghost in both Vnum non vnus tres non tria that is One thing not one Person three in number not three in nature So saith Prosper Aquitanicus that worthy Scholler of that excellent Master Augustine Cum Pater in Veâ—bo sit semper in Patre Verbum Sitque iâ—â—m Verbi spiritus atque Patris Sic de persoxis tribus est tibi non dubitandumV num vt docta fides confiteare Deum that is For as much as the Father is alwayes in the Word and the Word in the Father and one and the same Spirit common both to the Word and to the Father thou must in such O learned faith he meaneth a man that hath a learned faith be farre from doubting of the three Persons that thou doe confâ—sse one God So said Nazianzen before him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. I doe no sooner think vpon one but I am compassed about with the light of three I doe no sooner distinguish the three Persons but I am brought backe vnto one God-head So before them both Iustine Martyr or a learned ancient man bearing his nâ—me in the best times 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is The Sonne being a light shone forth out of light by way of generation The holy Ghost being also a light went forth out of light not by way of generation but of proceeding So Mathew of Vandome though he liued in a very corrupt age yet that you may acknowledge it to be true which the Apostles affirme Acts 14. Euen that that is verified of the later times of
darkenesse that they testified of the former darke times to wit That God left not himselfe without witnesse he writeth most soundly in this argument Et Pater natus sic Spiritus est Deus vnus Non plures tres sunt non tria tres idem that is Both the Father and the Sonne and the holy Ghost are one God not more Gods three Persons nor three things three and yet the same thing Thus they And as Saint Paul saith of Epimâ—nides This testimony is true so may we say of all these mens sayings I could produce an hundred such testimonies if it were needfull from the first vnto the last that they are faithfull and true But now if you aske with Nicodemus How may these things be Iohn 3. How can God haue a Sonne how can he that is a Sonne be God I answere that this is a secret that the very Angels if they did desire to behold cannot comprehend so saith Nazianzen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Let the generating of God be honoured with silence It is a great matter for thee to know or learne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that he was begotten 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but as for the maner how wee will not allow the Angels much lesse thee to conceit Will ye needs haue me tell you how The Father knoweth that did generate The Sonne knoweth who was generated that which is aboue this is hidden by clouds which it is a hard thing for thy dull sight to pierce thorow Thus Nazianzen godlily modestly wisely To the like purpose speaketh Hilary The mystery of this generation I doe not know nec requiro that is neither doe seeke after and yet I will comfort my selfe with this Archangeli nesciunt c. The Archangels doe not know it the Angels haue not heard it the worlds dâ—e not vnderstand it the Prophet hath not perceiued it the Sonne himselâ—e hath not vttered it cesset dolor querelarum that is Be not longer grieued nor complaine of the matter Thus much we are to beleeue and God forbid that we should liue longer than we doe beleeue it that our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ â—s the Sonne of God and therefore God For if he that is begâ—tten of man is man then he that is generated of God is God by the very light of reason euen very God as Saint Iohn calleth him 1 Iohn 5. Euen God blessed for euer as Saint Paul calleth him Rom. 9. This also you are to vnderstand that in this generation nothing corrupt oâ— carnall or after the maner oâ— this world or temporall is to be imagined God forbid God forbid but that the Father did beget or generate that is did truely communicate his substance vnto the â—onne that is that whereby the Sonne is a Sonne after an vnspeakeable maner nay after an incomprehensible maner I say aboue all conceit or reach of man or creature and before all time yea and before all eternity The same may be further considered of by the adiunct or property that followes namely that he is called the Character of his Person that is the stampe print and forme of him Would you see the forme or fashion of a mans seale the print in wax doth shew it that is his character Would you see the image of a mans minde his speech doth declare â—t that his character index est enim sermo saith one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith another So would you see the Image of God the Father looke vpon the Sonne in him you may see him he is his Character you know what is written Iohn 14. when Philip had said to our Sauiour Lord shew vs the Father it sufficeth Iesus answered and said Philip he that hath seene me hath seene the Father c. Thus it is No man hath seene God at any time the onely begotten Sonne of God which is in the bosome of the Father hee hath declared him How by his words of doctrine reuealing Gods will by his works of wonder manifesting Gods power but specially by taking our nature vpon him in becomming man thereby he manifested himselfe and consequently his Father vnto vs by vniting his manhood vnto his God-head in identity of Person as from euerlasting his God-head was vnited to the Father in identity of nature By this meanes it is come to passe that he said well that said Irenaeus reporteth it to be the saying of some ancient Father Bene qui dixit ipsum immensum Patrem in filio mensuratum that is The Father which is immense or that cannot be measured is measured in his Sonne The Sâ—n as he is God is the Stampe of his Fathers Person and is the same in nature The Son as he is man is the Stampe of his Fathers power wisedome and will but different in nature For he is not man alone nor God alone but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Man-God God-man in whom are hid all the Treasures of wisedome and knowledge nay in whom dwelleth the fulnesse of the God-head bodily that is really truely substantially Scrutari hoc temeritas est credere pietas est nosse vita est vita aeterna that is To search this too curiously is rashnesse to beleeue it is godlinesse to know it is life and life euerlasting Christ then is the Image of God begotten of his Father that is hauing that whereby he is a Son communicated vnto him by the Father before all worlds as he is man made after the image of God as all men be but in a farre more excellent degree of perfection beyond all comparison And indeed if our Sauiour Christ had not bin both God and man he had not bin a fit Mediator I meane he had not beene a fit Person to reconcile man and God together for as Fulgentius well saith Deus verus viuus imò Deus veritas vita c. that is God being true and liuing or rather being truth and life eternall if he had not beene true man he could not haue tasted of death and if the same that tasted of death had not beene true God and life eternall he could not haue ouercome death Thus Fulgentius To which purpose I could produce many other Fathers of like note and worth as also I could reckon vp many other causes why it was necessary for our Mediator to be both God man but the time being past I cannot stay longer vpon that point and for that that remaineth of my Text I thinke it better to leaue it vnhandled than to handle it insufficiently Praestat de Carthagine tacere quà m pauca dicere To God the Father God the Sonne and God the holy Ghost be all honour and glory world without end Amen Amen A SERMON VPON THE TVVENTIETH OF THE PROVERBS THE TVVELFTH SERMON PROVERBS 20. verse 8. A King sitting in the Throne or Seate of Iudgement scattereth away or fanneth away all euill with his eyes Hebr. Melec iosheb
we shall not be vtterly ashamed So much of the notes that arise hereby that a King is called a Shep-heard The other title that I promised to gather matter of duty from is the title of Father A sonne honoureth his father and a seruant his Lord saith the Prophet Malachi and besides it is not scripta but nata Lex If then the King be a Father where is his honour if Lord where is his feare this may be demanded and challenged by him and for him Now by honour I vnderstand not so much that which is outward in words and in gesture words full of all reuerence gesture full of all submissiuenesse bowing of the knee bending of the body c. Albeit a man cannot stoope too low to Maiesty for in whom all authority is founded as it were originally and to whom it is reduced reciprocally to him no honour ciuill honour may seeme to be giuen superfluously But that honour specially which Saint Paul vnderstandeth when he saith Honour Widdowes that is doe for them and which is to be vnderstood of the commandement Honour thy Father and thy Mother that is to say doe for them by the interpretation of Christ himselfe Marke 7. I grant it is said 2 Cor. 12. Children ought not to lay vp for the parents but parents for the children But I answere that there the Apostle doth argue Ex abundanti and rather sheweth what affectionate parents doe binde themselues vnto voluntarily making their affection a Law to themselues than what may be required of them of duty if they will stand vpon their right The truth is that as no naturall father will suffer his child to want if he haue to giue him so euery naturall child will Fraudare genium pinch his owne belly yea and the bellies of his children too rather than he will not yeeld supply vnto his father Was not the fact of a young woman in Rome who beguiled her child sucking on her brests day after day for many dayes together that she might bring her brests full of milke to her father to suckle him which otherwise should haue beene starued to death was not that fact of hers I say honoured and rewarded by them that knew not God and thereupon a Temple erected to Pitie and this was done to an ordinary father to a priuate father What then is to be done to the Father of the Country to such a Father that a man may say of him in some respect as Tertullian doth of the Father of Fathers Tampater nemo tam pius nemo Not such a Father againe to be found none so pitifull We read of one that was called Pater Patriae an hundred were so called in processe of time but he that was first honoured with that title he was truely honourable of another that was called Pater pauperum of another that was called Pater Reipublicae of another that was called Pater literarum that is a Father of learning Francis the first of France was so called Thus these Princes were dignified with seuerall titles for their seuerall vertues what then is due vnto him in whom all these vertues doe shine and in a good measure due I say for honour for supply for support I speake this to doe mine owne duty not to insimulate any no norvpon any weake conceit as though my poore speech might be holden any way necessary O no his Maiesties owne worth is an hundred times a greater motiue than any words that can proceed from a farre more sufficient man than I am His Maiesty is interessed and rooted as is fit in the hearts of his louing subiects no lesse than Dauid was in the hearts of his when the holy Ghost said of him and them as it is in the 2 Sam. 3. All the people knew it and it pleased them as whatsoeuer the King did pleased all the people Before I end this passage I thinke it not vnfit as a stander-by to helpe to remoue three or foure stumbling-blocks and I hope it will not be imputed to me The speech of a great Prince of old time euen of Traian is well knowne Fisâ—us said he that is the Exchequer or common Treasury is like the spleene of a man for as when the spleene waxeth bigge and swelleth the other parts doe payre and fall away so if the Exchequer doe stroute and be stuft with siluer and gold all parts of the Realme besides will be impouerished and as it were hunger-starued Thus Traian Now say I Howsoeuer this comparison hath beene applauded vnto neither doe I thinke it simply to be condemned specially for some States and some commings-in yet I doe not thinke it to be so fit generally In my iudgement the Exchequer or such a place may fitly be compared to the ventricle to that which we call the stomacke for as if the ventricle be not plyed with necessary meates and drinkes the Messaraike veines sucking continually from it and from the bowels and the Liuer continually sucking from the Messaraikes and the Capillar or small veines dispersed ouer the body sucking from the Liuer there must needes ensue first a hungrynesse secondly a faintnesse thirdly in time a waste and lastly an vntimely death so if the Treasury should not haue as great commings-in and supplyes as it hath so kings and euacuations if it should not haue as well Oesophagum to bring in as Pylorum to send forth and venam portam as well as ve nam cauam it cannot be but the whole Estate will be greatly enfeebled that I doe not say indangered Philopemen was a great Souldier Schollers know out of Liuie and Plutarke yet because he was bare for money he was gibed at by his Aemulus that he wanted a belly he had a head and legges and armes but his belly was pulled-in Maximilian the first was an extraordinary worthy Prince as all confesse that write of him at the least whom I haue read yet because the Empire did not supply him with treasure and besides himselfe was not the best husband but very profuse if Guicciardines taxation be iust hee vndertooke many things and brought little to effect whereby he greatly eclipsed his glory The Hebrewes haue a Prouerb Hacceseph iagnanch â—th haccol that is Siluer answereth all things yea and maketh all things to hold correspondency with it And the wise Grecian said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Money money that is a man without it a body is no body This made Aurelian the Emperour his Councell to tell him that if he would beare himselfe worthily and according to his estate he must be furnished with two things with gold and with iron with gold to reward his faithfull-ones and neere-ones and with iron to beate downe his owne and his Countries enemies Both those are necessary very necessary and it is hard to say whether more It is certaine that many States haue recouered that by gold which they lost by the sword
It is not in heauen that you should say who shall ascend thither and fetch it vs neither is it beyond the Sea that you should say who shall bring it vs thence But what saith the Scripture The Word is very neere vnto vs we may helpe our selues and saue our skinnes if we will Doe well embrace holinesse purity righteousnesse keepe your selues innocent from the great offences free from presumptuous sinnes Giue vnto Caesar the things that are Caesars obedience honour feare c. then there is no danger nor feare Rulers are not fearefull to them that doe well but to them that doe ill To this effect speaketh Saint Paul in my Text Agreeable to that which Saint Peter hath Who is he that will harme you if ye be followers of that which is good My method shall be this First I will consider with you what Rulers be here meant Secondly to what persons and for what causes they be fearefull Touching the first Some Romanists will haue no way but that Saint Paul speaking of Rulers and Powers as he doth here in this Chapter doth comprehend not onely Ciuill but Ecclesiasticall Rulers Euen such as the Apostle speaketh of 13. Helr Obey them that haue the rule ouer you and submit your selues for they watch for your soules as they that must giue account but herein I make no doubt but they are deceiued First Chrysostome to whom themselues attribute much and indeed he deserueth respect from all commenting vpon this place of Saint Paul ranketh Ecclesiastikes euen the greatest of them among them that are to yeeld obedience to the Higher powers therefore themselues cannot be the Higher powers here meant For as no man can be father and sonne in one respect no more can he be Superiour and inferiour Now Chrysostomes words be these Though thou be an Apostle though an Euangelist though a Prophet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Yea whosoeuer thou art thou must be obedient to the Higher powers He addeth a reason for obedience doth not ouerthrow piety that is It is no disgrace to the highest degree in the Church to yeeld obedience to the Prince and to his authority to this effect Chrysostome out of whose words we may conclude thus with Bernard If an Apostle must be subiect then the Apostolike he I meane of Rome that claimeth from the Apostle Peter he must be subiect much rather for Peter could not leaue to his Successor a higher and freer estate than he had himselfe But this he left vnto him Solicitudinem Ecclesiarum as the same Bernard saith a care for the Church Bernard is bold and addeth Planum est Apostolis interdicitur dominatus that is It is euident the Apostles are forbidden to domineere Goe your wayes therefore and vsurpe vnto your selfe being a Successor of the Apostle a Lordly domineering you must leaue one of them either Lordlinesse or Apostolickenesse you may not vse both Thus Bernard But we haue a greater testimony than of Bernard or of Chrysostome either the very letter of my Text if you looke vnto it thorowly doth plainely euict that the Apostle speaketh preciseâ—y of the obedience that is due to the Ciuill Magistrate Hilarie hath a good rule Dictorum intelligentia aut ex praeposilis aut ex consequentibus expectetur that is The meaning of Texts of Scripture ought to be gathered either from that which went before or from that that followes after and to like purpose speake the Rabbins He that takes vpon him to interpret a place in the Scripture and doth not marke Mah tegamalah umah lemattah that is What is aboue and what is below he peruerteth the words of the liuing God What is aboue ye haue seene already and ye haue heard the Collection of Chrysostome and of Bernard namely that subiection from the Highest Minister of the Church without any exemption or priuiledge for them at Rome is required Now the same appeareth more plaine by that which followeth For doth not the Apostle make it manifest in the fourth verse that he speaketh of that Ruler that beareth the Sword Now to whom doth that belong doth it belong to any but to the Ciuill Ruler Indeed Boniface the eighth he flourished and braued it with his Ecce duo gladij Behold here are two swords said Peter therefore said Boniface I am the highest Prince not onely the highest Priest Emperour at the least specially in the vacancy Also Iohn Archbishop of Millaine shewed himselfe with a Crosse in one hand and a Sword in the other as though it belonged to him to play Rex and to play the warriour but indeed these were exorbitances and enormities from the prescript of Christ from the beginning it was not so They should haue remembred that the weapons of our warfare are not carnall yet mighty through God to the pulling downe of strong holds c. and the sword that they should haue taken was the sword of the Spirit the Word of God which entreth in to the diuiding asunder of the soule and spirit and of the ioynts and marrow c. This would better become the Successor or follower of Peter that was bid by his Lord to put vp the materiall sword into his sheath But we may say vnto him as Bernard said to one of his predecessors In his successisti non Petro sed Constantino that is In these things you shew your selfe not the Successor of Peter but of Constantine This therefore is one reason whereby we may proue the Ciuill Ruler precisely to be meant for that he is said to beare the Sword Another and the same a strong one may be gathered out of the sixth verse where the paying of Tribute is mentioned Now Tribute is not due to any but to them that haue Iura Regalia which no Church-man euer could claime by vertue of his Priest-hood or Father-hood either There was once in England a young Earle made of an old Bishop which same had Palatine power which was little lesse than Regall but he could not say as Saint Paul saith I was free-borne But as the Heathen Captaine said there with a great summe obtained I this freedome So in the dayes of the Conquerour and his sonnes Kings here The man of Rome claimed Tribute from hence because forsooth some of his Predecessors had Peter-pence from hence but he was answered that almes and beneuolence was one thing Fealty and Tribute another thing If he would haue more than Charity he deserued to haue euen that taken from him The truth is that at the first the Church had for her maintenance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Beneuolences and Collections Afterwards when Emperours and Kings embraâ—ed the faith they were made partakers of the good things of the Land with the rest of their subiects before many of them and by name they were endowed with Tithes and Glebes yea and Lordships also in Francke-alme which they might claime and sue for as
sword hath made women childlesse so shall thy mother be childelesse among women This then is one meane to make Rulers euen good Rulers to be fearefull euen to well-doers because they may be carryed away by false oaâ—hes Another way to make them fearefull is when he that is accused is a plaine simple man and cannot speake for himselfe and his accuser hath a shrewd head and an vngracious tongue wherewith he is so potent that he is able to make that which is false probable and that which is probable necessary and consequently beare downe his aduersary 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is An eloquent man will make one that is faultlesse seeme to be faulty Now what is to be done in this case I know that the Law doth not allow him that is questioned for his life either Aduocate or Counsellor for it is presumed that innocency euen alone is hard enough for a hundred oppugners And indeed Plutarch affirmeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is That which is iust cannot be ouercome but yet he addeth in the same place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is if it be well pleaded Now then if a man standing by should step forth and say I saw this man so many score miles off from the place whâ—re and when the deed should be done therefore he cannot be the offender If I say he should alleage this or the like circumstance being grounded vpon truth should this man be challenged as speaking against the King I trow no. He doth not speake against the King that speaketh for his true subiect but he speaketh against the King that would haue his true subiect to be hanged Tully auerreth that he that was seuen hundred miles off two dayes before the thing was done in Rome could not possibly be present at the doing of it This went for a good plea then carried And truely if any man at any time shall know so much or to the like effect for the iustifying of him that standeth at the Barre as he is bound in conscience to reueale it for this is to open the mouth for the dumbe as Salomon speaketh so I make no doubt but the Reuerend Iudges would gladly heare him and allow him Thirdly there is another meane to make Iudges terrible euen to good men when one either corrupted by money or bearing a secret malice vnto a prisoner findeth meanes to be one of the Iury and the prisoner suspecting nothing doth not challenge him now this is Ouem Lupo as they say for the Iuror craftily crept in maketh a vow with himselfe either to hang the prisoner or to starue his fellow Iurors at leastwise to weary them and to make them dance attendance after the Iudges into another County This is hard but I thinke it is not rare for my selfe haue heard one confesse that being vnequally yoked with a tugger he was faine full sore against his will to bring in an innocent man guilty for feare of some mischiefe towards himselfe It was weakely done by him to yeeld at last for where is fortitude and the patience of Saints but to stand for Truth and Iustice euen vnto death Blessed are the dead that die so for no question they die in the Lord. But yet this sheweth what men be if the Iudge doe not carry an eye and a hand ouer them It is certainely the extremity of iniquity to vowe the destruction of the guiltlesse and who can promise himselfe security if such kind of persons be not looked vnto and weeded out By such Bonus cautus optâ—mus venditur Imperator the Iudge though he be pious and prudent is bought and sold and made partaker of other mens sinnes nay the executioner of the malice of the wicked vpon the the innocent except he repriue them And so I make no doubt but you my Lord doe vpon the least suspicion of foule play and this is your honour before all men that you are not swift to shead blood Plutarch writeth of Marius of whom I spake before that when he heard his aduersary Anthony was taken he clapt his hands for ioy and could hardly be restrained from leaping from the table where he sate at supper to see execution done in his owne sight The like is written of Nero that he shewed himselfe ioyfull when he heard of the breaking of his Lawes because then he had both matter for his cruelty to worke vpon and meanes to fill his coffers by confiscation To be short the like is written of Caligula that other monster that because he would haue his Edicts violated he caused them to be set vp in darke by-corners where they could hardly be seene and to be written minutissimis literis in the smallest glosing hand that they could hardly be read that so men might be insnared at vnawares Blâ—ody men which were desirous to haue that done which if tâ—ey had had ought of humanity in them they would haue studied to haue preuented that it might not haue beene done But they haue receiued the wages of their cruelty euen in this world for their name is become a wonderment and a Prouerbe and an hissing euen vnto all generations On the other side they that haue beene mercifull haue left a good memory behind them and all men speake of their praise yea though they were otherwise defectiue and faulty Claudius was a weake man More foolish than my sonne Claudius his mother vsed it as a Prouerbe when he was a priuate man and afterwards his inconsideration 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is much taxed yet how is the clemency he shewed to one Titus Iunius remembred This Titus Iunius belike some decayed Nobleman being amongst the guests that the Emperour had as he vsually had many and supping at his Table either at or after supper slily conueyes away a peece of plate the Emperour obserued it or was made acquainted with it yet would haue nothing said vnto him then but the next time when he came when all thâ— other guests were serued in plate he caused him to be serued in earthen-ware and thus he was iudged of all and rebuked of all and this was all the punishment he suffered So they that know Story know that Gallienus was a bad man and a worse Gouernour yet an act of clemency that he did gat him much loue and couered many of his vices The act of clemency was this There was one that sold vnto his Lady a counterfeit iewell instead of a iewell of great price and so coozened her of much money she complaineth to the Emperour will haue the Law executed in all rigour to make the matter short he seemeth to giue way and commands the offendor to be carryed towards the Lions denne and when he looked for nothing but death and that a cruell one by the teeth of a Lion Behold in stead of a Lion rampant there was let forth a Capon and all men maruelling at it the Cryer was ready to proclaime Impostur am fecit passus est