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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69197	The white wolfe, or, A sermon preached at Pauls Crosse, Feb. 11 being the last Sonday in Hillarie tearme, anno 1627, and printed somewhat more largely then the time would permit at that present to deliuer wherein faction is vnmasked, and iustly taxed without malice, for the safetie of weake Christians : especially, the Hetheringtonian faction growne very impudent in this citie of late yeeres, is here confuted / by Stephen Denison...	Denison, Stephen, d. 1649 or 50.	1627 (1627)	STC 6607.5; ESTC S109591	56,251	87

his Proselytes know tutissimum esse that it is the safest course as Saint e Lib. 2. de doct Christian c. 8. Augustine saith to receiue onely for Canonicall Scripture such bookes as all Catholike Churches receiue And indeede it concernes authority to take this to heart for if it were at euery priuate mans choice what bookes he would receiue to bee Canonicall what would become of the true Christian Faith or what swarmes of errors and corruption of faith would not immediately inuade the Church as wee see in Popery whilst they haue receiued pretended Apostolicall Traditions intruded into the Canon diuers Apocryphall bookes and entertained the n Bellar. lib. 3. de eccles c. 14. sentences of the Pope and the Court of Rome as inertant truth and haue o Trident concil 1. decret Sess 4. equalized traditions to the Canonicall Scripture what is become of the Orthodoxe faith amongst them It is either farre to seeke or else miserably corrupted And the Reasons to proue the bookes of Esdras not to be Canonicall Scripture against this Sectary are these following First because they were written at the first not in Hebrew as the bookes of the Old Testament were but in Latine and c In prolog Galeat ad Paulinum Saint Hierome is very confident in this that whatsoeuer Books of the old Testament were not written in Hebrew c Vide etiam praesat in lib. regum Tom. 3. they are not canonicall Secondly because the Church in former times hath not receiued them for canonicall receiuing onely the 22 books of the Old Testament as they were antiently diuided and what these 22 bookes were may bee gathered out of c Lib. 3. eccles hist cap. 10. Eusebius and g Lib. 1. contra Appion gramat Iosephus but especially out of Hierom who doth more cleerely reiect the Apocryphall bookes in the forenamed place then some other of the Fathers doe I will not insist vpon further testimonies out of n Lib. de mensur p●nd Epiphanius out of o In Synopsi Athanasius out of p Catech. 4. Cyrill Bishop of Hierusalem out of q Lib 4 Orthod fid c. 18. Damascene and others because I hasten to a conclusion I know we are not any further bound to agree to former Churches in iudgement then so farre as they agreed to the truth especially in matters of Faith but yet to depart from the ancient Churches in that wherein they are sound and Orthodoxe is horrible presumption and be wrayeth very much pride Thirdly a learned man of our Church saith of all other Apocryphall bookes the bookes of Esdras are worthy of the least credit being stuffed full of vaine fables r Dr Willet in his Synopsis fitter to feede curious eares then tending to edification Fourthly those bookes are not to bee esteemed Canonicall in the which there be errors but in the bookes of Esdras there be errors Ergo. That there be errors in the third Books of Esdras I referre the learned to the annotacions of Iunius vpon it and that there be errors in the fourth Booke I might easily proue by instance For first in the fourth Chapter the Author saith that soules are kept in the wombe of the earth In the sixth Chapter there is a tayle of two great fishes Henoch and Leuiathan which no waters could hold In the fourteenth Chapter hee reporteth that the Bookes of Scripture being lost in the Captiuity were restored by him and how hee had drunke of a cup of water as fier in colour giuen by an Angell and so spake 40 daies together and ceased not in the which space fiue Scribes wrote from his mouth 204 Bookes these and such like tales that Booke is full of as our Learned Country man speaketh whom I quoated before I doe not denie but in these bookes of Esdras there may be many truths especially the three last Chapters of the third booke which are almost a meere transcript out of the canonicall Esra and Nehemiah but yet I must say of them as Saint c Lib. 15. de ciuit c. 23. Augustine saith of them and of all the rest of the Apocrypha in his autem Apocryphis etsi inuenitur aliqua veritas tamē propter multa falsa nulla est canonica authoritas in these Apocryphall bookes although there be found some truth yet in respect of many false things found in them they haue no canonicall authority And thus I haue done with the second thing propounded namely the Consutation An exhortation to Christian people remaining sound in the Faith HAuing dispatched the two former branches concerning Discouery and Confutation come wee now to the third which concernes matter of Exhortation and to beginne with Exhortation to the Christian brethren which still by the mercy of God remaine sound in the Faith Good people you haue heard in all the foregoing discourse of false teachers and also how many such at these dayes remaine amongst vs seducing many in their priuate conuenticles giue me leaue in the next place by way of introduction to shew you the reasons wherefore the Lord suffereth such in his Church and then to propound some preseruatiues against seduction which may serue for matter of Exhortation For the first of these The Lord suffereth Seducers in his Church with long patience and doth not presently roote them out for diuers reasons First that the goodnesse of truth might the more appeare who could know the benefit of light vnlesse sometimes we were sensible of the darkenesse of the night as c Quis sciret bonam esse lucem nisi noctis tenebras sentiremus hom 9. in c. 16. 17. numer Saint Origen saith euen so who canne know the benefit of health but by the smart of sicknesse or the benefit of liberty but by restraint or imprisonment Secondly that the word might bee the more deepely sought into The mystery of the Trinity had neuer beene so exactly handled by many of the Fathers in c De Triait whole Tractates had not diuers damnable Heretickes sprung vp to oppose the same wherein the Lord shewed his singular wisedome as hee did also in the first Creation bringing light out of darknesse truth out of error good out of euill contraries out of contraries Thirdly to trie the Gouernors of the Church whether like vnto the Church of Pergamus Magistratus indicat virum they will tolerate such as hold the doctrine of Balaam Reu. 2. 12. or with the Church of Thyatyra suffer the woman Iesabel that calleth her selfe a prophetesse to teach and to seduce Gods seruants Reu. 2. 20. Fourthly he doth it for the punishment of such as haue itching eares and vnconstant mindes which are neuer satisfied with any true teachers especiall in publique but haue a lusting after the onyons and garlike of priuate errors preferring any thing done in a priuate Conuenticle though it be neuer so vnwholesome before that which is done in the publike Congregation Nolunt doctores probos

much prophanation of the Sabbath In the yeere 1582. Ian. 13. being the Lords day the scaffolds in Parisgarden fell vnder the people at a Bearebaiting so that eight were sodainly slaine and many others hurt and maimed Also a certain Nobleman vsually prophaning the Sabbath by hunting had a childe by his Lady which had an head like a dogs head with eares and iawes answerable making also a noise when it cried like an Hound In like manner a woman as I am informed preparing a paire of stockings for the market vpon the Lords day with a pan of coales at Parshore in the Countie of Worcester her house was burnt and two and twenty more vpon the same day It is certaine there were so many houses burnt and that vpon the Lords day for that appeares by the Briefe which was gathered at the Churches And that the fire came by this meanes some that then dwelt in the towne said vnto mee that they would be deposed of the truth of it All which may be faire warnings to forewarne not onely prophaners of the Sabbath but also all such as by their pernicious doctrine teach men to prophane it Seauenthly there is infinite necessitie of a Lords day or Sabbath First for the rest of poore Seruants and Cattell which otherwise might sinke vnder the burden of vncessant labour Secondly for the sanctification of euery one of vs how worldly minded should the best of vs grow if we had not the Sabbath to take of our hearts from the world Thirdly for the instruction of the ignorant what instruction haue many thousands in this Kingdome and elsewhere but onely that which they receiue vpon the Sabbath day Fourthly for Gods worship and publike seruice when is God publikely worshipped in the Countrey ordinarily but vpon the Sabbath Obiections against the Sabbath answered HAuing thus proued the Moralitie of the Sabbath come we now to answer the Obiections which the Familists and their adherents bring to infringe the same First 1. Obiection you keepe not say they the same day which the Iewes kept and therefore you grant by your owne practise that the Law of the Sabbath is not Morall I answer they might as truely say our practise in receiuing the Lords Supper in the morning doth proue that that blessed Sacrament is abolished because wee obserue not the same circumstance of time We keepe not indeede the Iewish Saturday as the Thraskites but we celebrate the Lords day the Sabbath being not abolished but altered from the Saturday to the Sonday and that by order from Christ himselfe who immediately before his ascension instructed his Apostles in things belonging to the Kingdome of God Acts 1. 3. and the Sabbath I hope is one speciall thing belonging to Gods kingdome yea our Sauiour taught vs by his owne example to celebrate this day appearing to his Disciples after his resurrection especially vpon it Iohn 20. 19. 26. Moreouer the example of the Apostles themselues which celebrated this day Iohn 20. 19. 26. should be a forcible motiue vnto vs to doe the like for wee are bound to follow them as they follow Christ 1 Cor. 11. 1. and the occasion of the alteration of the Sabbath was extraordinary namely the resurrection of our Lord which fel out not vpon the Iewish Saturday but vpon our Sonday Mat. 28. 1. an occasion which may very well deserue the honor of the day before that of Gods resting frō the works of creation although both the occasiōs are very renowned Secondly 2. Obiection whereas they obiect that in Exod. 31. 13 14 15 16. and Ezek 20. 12. where the Sabbath is tearmed a signe I answer euery caeremonie is a signe but euery signe is not a caeremonie The Sacraments are signes Rom. 4. 11. and yet not fading caeremonies Thirdly whereas they obiect that in Col. 2. 16. Let no man iudge you in respect of Sabbaths 3. Obiect and that in Gal. 4. 10 11. Ye obserue dayes and times and moneths and yeares I am in feare of you I answer by Sabbaths in those places are meant certaine caeremoniall dayes amongst the Iews viz. their feast of Tabernacles their new Moones and the like for these are tearmed Sabbaths Leuit. 23. 24. and the Apostle doth sufficiently expresse himselfe to intend such dayes and not the morall Sabbath naming new Moones and other caeremoniall times The like may be answered vnto that in Rom. 14. 5. one man esteemeth one day aboue another another man esteemeth euery day alike c. It is not meant that the Church made no difference in those times between the Lords day and any other day as the Familists would peruert it but that they which were better informed then others made no difference betweene the ancient Caeremoniall dayes which were now abolished and other common dayes Fourthly 4. Obiect whereas they alleadge that in Mat. 12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. and Mar. 2. 23. as though our Sauiour had defended the breach of the Sabbath so by consequence had abrogated it I answer it is the scope of our Sauiour in those places to defend the lawfulnesse of works of mercy and works of necessitie and not in any sort to plead for the abrogation of the Sabbath much lesse of the Lords day Fiftly 5. Obiect whereas they obiect that in Iohn 5. 8. where our Sauiour commands a manifest seruile worke to be done vpon the Sabbath namely the carrying of a Bed I answer the carrying of the Bed in that place is not commanded as a seruile worke but to confirme the truth of a Miracle tending greatly to Gods glory euen as our Sauiour commanded to giue meat to the Damosell whom he raised from death Luk. 8. 55. not so much for necessity as for the confirmatiō of the truth of the Miracle wrought vpon her Sixtly 6. Obiect whereas they obiect that in Heb. 4. 3. 9. we that haue beleeued doe enter into rest whereby it might seeme that the Sabbath of Christians or their rest is meerely mysticall I answer that place of Scripture doth not treat of the morall Sabbath as though that were mysticall but of our eternal rest in heauen whereinto we enter at our death by faith in Christ Iesus Seauenthly 7. Obiect whereas they obiect that in Luke 24. 13. 23. 33. where Cleophas and the other Disciple went to Emmaus which was sixtie surlongs from Hierusalem that is about seauen miles a mile consisting of eight furlongs and returned againe the same day which was vpon that day which we call the Lords day and therefore that they made no such scruple of working or trauelling vpon the Lords day as we doe I answer it was not knowne to all the Disciples this being the very day of Christ his resurrection that they ought to celebrate the first day of the weeke and therefore it was no maruell if they trauelled vpon that day The good women which made scruple to annoint the body of Christ vpon the Sabbath made no

THE WHITE WOLFE OR A Sermon Preached at PAVLS Crosse Feb. 11. being the last Sonday in Hillarie Tearme Anno 1627. and printed somewhat more largely then the time would permit at that present to deliuer Wherein Faction is vnmasked and iustly taxed without malice for the safetie of weake CHRISTIANS Especially the Hetheringtonian Faction growne very impudent in this Citie of late yeeres is here confuted By STEPHEN DENISON Minister of Katherine Cree-Church London 1. TIM 1. 3. As I be sought thee to abide still at Ephesus when I went into Macedonis that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other Doctrine HIER aduers LVCIFERIAN Qu●modo destructa sunt Diaboli Ciuitates in fine hoc est in seculorum consummatione idola corruerunt AT LONDON Printed by GEORGE MILLER dwelling in Blacke-Fryers 1627. TO THE HIGH And Mighty PRINCE CHARLES By the Grace of God King of Great Britaine France and Ireland Defender of the FAITH c. Most Dread Soueraigne c. SEneca saith Lib. 1. de Clemēt●a c. 1. nullum ex omnibus clemētia magis quam Regem aut principem decet Clemency becomes no man better then a King or Prince and being fully perswaded that this together with all other both Princely and sauing graces meete in your Maiesties royall breast euen as the lines of a circumference meete in the center or middle point I am encouraged to present this Sermon to your Princely view I know indeed it is not with Kings as * Eidyl 15. v. 26. Theocritus saith it is with persons without imployment 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which keepe euery day holy day the imployments and labours of Princes are farre greater then ordinary Subiects can conceiue yet I hope I may say of your Maiesty as * Lib. 1 c. 1. ad Thrasimund regem Fulgentius saith of Thrasimund the King vnto whom he writes te numerosis Regni curis iugiter occupatum feruenti cognoscendae sapientiae dilectatione flammari that howsoeuer your royall heart be much taken vp with manifold cares cōcerning the Kingdome for the common safety of all your Subiects yet it is inflamed also with a godly zeale after the best things your Maiesty is a Defender of the true Christian Faith in which respect you are highly honoured and sincerely beloued of all your true hearted and truely Religious Subiects no doubt they dayly pray for you they blesse God for you they esteeme you the breath of their nostrills and this loue of the Subiects is to be esteemed by Kings their strongest Defence or Castell in respect of ordinarie meanes as * In Orat. ad Nicocl de regno Isocrates saith to Nicocles the King in his Greeke Oration made before him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. thinke the loue of the Citizens the safest guard of thy person indeede so it is vnder God There hath bin discouered of late vnto your Maiesties high Commission-Court a dangerous familisticall sectarie one Iohn Hetherington by trade a Boxmaker who hath seduced and withdrawne many as well men as women from the Church of England in the famous Citie of London by his subtile suggestions as hath bin proued against him I cannot more fitly describe him then by the words of my Text Lupus est ouili pelle tectus hee is a Woolfe in a Sheepes-skinne for outwardly if he liue amongst Protestants hee will seeme to be a Protestant if a bare profession ore tenus will serue the turne whilst in the meane time hee may gird at them in his writings and condemne them as adulterous Congregations in his Conuenticles or otherwise Secondly hee will seeme to be a conformable man to the Doctrine of the Church if subtile equiuocations and cunning euasions will passe for conformitie Thirdly hee will seeme an innocēt person if impudent denials or casting of aspersions vpon honest witnesses will goe for innocency And in this that honourable quicksighted and Eagle-eyed Court deserueth great encouragement in that when they had to deale with one that would deny almost all that was laid to his charge yet they discerned aright of him and accordingly censured him and thus the Greeke Prouerbe is verified 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Woolfe thinkes to run from the Eagle and so to escape but all in vaine and amongst those worthy and learned Commissioners he that is the chiefe optimo iure primas agit whose acumen whose soundnesse in the faith whose singular grauity whose happy speech whose excellent parts euery way are the very grace of that venerable Court it may be said of him as * Orat. 30. in laudem Basil Gregorie Nazianzen saith of S. Basil Archbishop of Caesarea whom he stiles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that he is like vnto Noah vnto whom the Arke of the Church is committed and so kept from drowning whiles it floats in the turbulent waters amongst Haereticks And whiles I am speaking of Ecclesiasticall worthies very dutie will not suffer me to be vnmindfull of him vnder whom the Ministers of London liue as children vnder the care of an indulgent Father his great humility will not suffer him to Lord it ouer the Clergie nor his peaceable disposition to yrannize it may be said of him as * Lib. 4. epist 9 Saint Cyprian Bishop of Carthage saith of himselfe in one of his Epistles Humilitatem meam fratres omnes gentiles norunt diligunt I finde that I haue stirred vp to wrath against my selfe the most part of all the factions in England by this publike Sermon which I made in the defence of Gods eternall truth in loue to my Country and in compassion of weake brethren which are in the most danger of seduction I remember Saint Paul saith that he had fought with beasts at Ephesus after the manner of men and in like sort it befalleth vnto mee at this time I haue to deale with young Foxes which spoyle the Vine of the Church and with Wolues which seeke to strangle the Sheep of Christ but what then so long as I stand for that truth whereof your excellent Maiestie is a defender I doe not doubt of acceptation and if my poore endeauours shall be so happy as to finde acceptation with your sacred person as they haue found in the learned Court before your Maiesties Commissioners and in the audience where the Sermon was preached euen this acceptation greater then all the rest shall be all-sufficient to blunt the edge of all the power of the aduersary and to secure the Author from wrong and violence yea it shall no doubt encourage many able men in the Kingdome to take paines in the suppressing of faction both by preaching and writing so farre as shall be thought fit by authoritie Thus crauing pardon for my boldnesse I beseech almighty God to blesse your Maiesty with long life many happy dayes with abundance of all gifts and graces in this world and with eternall glory in that which is to come Your Maiesties most humble subiect STEPHEN DENISON

of their fellow-shepheard what hee meant to be so cruell to hang vp a silly harmelesse sheepe he answered his skinne as you see is the skinne of a sheepe but his workes are the works of a Woolse vnto the which it is not altogether improbable for I will not be peremptory in allusions that our Sauiour in my Text doth in some sort allude no more then it is improbable that S. Paul doth allude to the olympian games in 1 Cor. 9. 23 24 25. where he speakes of running of a race for a corruptible Crowne neither is it in any sort impossible for Christ to haue this allusion Aesop the mythologist liuing almost 600 yeeres before him as Bucholzerus notes out of c Eusebius Suidas two substantiall Authors in his index Chronologicus and the words of the Text so iustly agreeing Beware of False Prophets which come vnto you in sheepes clothing but inwardly they are rauening Wolues In sheepes clothing wherein we may obserue that it is not the manner of seducers ordinarily to appeare outwardly what they are within but if they be birds of the prey they will seeme to be doues if they be stinging Serpents they will seeme to be harmelesse wormes if they bee truculent Wolues they will seeme to be innocent sheepe in a word if they be e Introrsum turpes speciosi pelle de● ora foule within they will be faire without and the reason of this hypocrisie in seducers in manifest because as it is with a Wolfe if he should come howling to the sheepefold and in his owne skinne the watchfull shepheard would resist him with his crooke and with his dog but putting on a sheeps skinne and counterfeiting the bleating of a sheepe hee findes entertainement and the sheepe shunne him not but delight to walke with him vntill he plucke out their throates euen so pernicious seducers if they should come in their owne likenesse they know the Magistrates and Ministers would withstand them and the people would shunne them and flie from them but comming in the name of zealous Christians they are lesse suspected and lesse shunned and opposed yea with some they finde kinde entertainement and obtaine a good report I speake this to the shame of many in our times which haue not learned to put difference so ignorant are they of the doctrine of Religion betweene a palliated Woolfe and a true Orthodox sheepe of Iesus Christ SECT 9. In sheepes cloathing HEere it may be demanded what is meant by sheepes cloathing or in what manner cunning seducers come in that rayment I answer Seducers come in sheepes clothing First when they come with quotations out of holy Scripture to confirme their damnable positions thus the diuell came to our Sauiour in sheepes clothing when he came with a sic scriptum est Mat. 4. for it is written he will giue his Angels charge ouer thee c. and thus Familists and Anabaptists come in sheepes clothing which vse to bring Scripture peruerted to proue their tenents as though the Scripture of truth did in any sort fauour their errors and thus Arius came in sheepes clothing of whom I haue read that he brought 42 places out of the Scripture to proue that Christ was meere man and not God against Athanasius that disputed with him in the Nicaean Councell Secondly when they come vnder a pretence of hauing all antiquity on their sides fauouring their hereticall opinions deceiuing the world as the Gibeonites deceiued Iosua with old bottels and old shooes and mouldy bread and old garments as though they had come from farre when as indeed they were but of the next towne Ios 9. 11 12. Thus Bellarmine and other Controuersists amongst the Papists come as Woolues in sheepes clothing when they impudently affirme that all antiquity is on their sides that all the Fathers and Councels and Doctors speake for them and the like which hath beene proued false to their faces by many of our c Whitakers Chamierus Willet and many others learned Diuines which haue taken paines to confute them and this shewes that they haue browes of brasse to boast of antiquity when as the maine abominations of Popery were first hatched by the Trent-Councell or rather the Trent-Conspiracie hardly yet an 100 yeeres agoe and were not so much as knowne to the Fathers which liued in the first 500 yeeres after Christ I pittie their soules that are so enthraled to such guides as that they must beleeue whatsoeuer they tell them without any further disquisition and so must content themselues with the colyars faith to beleeue as the Church beleeues though they know not what the Church beleeueth I pitty them I say because they are as sheepe committing themselues to the keeping of a Woolfe as it is in the e Apud Terentium ouem Lupo commisisti in Eunucho act 5. scen 1. comaedie and I will still pray that God would deliuer them out the iawes of these foul-deuouring Woolues and that hee would cause the light of his owne Gospell to shine into their hearts whereby the darke mists of ignorance and superstition may bee dispelled and abolished that so they may receiue the truth in the loue of it to their owne eternall benefit and the comfort of others Thirdly when they come with plausible bookes such bookes as seeme to haue many good things in them but some bad such bookes as haue some phisicke and some poyson Lib. 15. moral c. 10. habent hoc haretici proprium vt bona malis punisceant Sicut qui veneni poculum porrigit ora poculi dulcedine melius tangit some wheate and some tares for it is the manner of Heretickes as Gregory notes to mingle some good things amongst their bad euen as a cunning poysoner when he meanes to poyson another man with some deadly wine he first annointeth the lip of the cup with sweet hony thus the most Heretickes and Seducers come in sheepes clothing by giuing seducing bookes as a great present to such as they meane to seduce their bandy bookes being like the c Aenaeads 9. Troiane horse in Vergil which was pretended to be the gift of Minerua but it wrought the ruine of Troy Fourthly when they come as the Apostle speakes of them Rom. 16. 18. with good words and flattering speeches pretending to tender our good and to counsell vs for the best to wish our saluation c. and yet vnder that coulour labour to seduce vs for as a learned c Gregorius magnus lib. 23. moral c. 21. haeretici sub specie consulendi agūt negotium seducendi Father speaketh Heretickes vnder a colour of giuing good counsell doe indeed seduce men thus likewise all seducers come to the Church of God in sheepes Cloathing for they all pretend to giue good and sauing Counsell when as their breath is as the poyson of Aspes and as it is said of the Basiliske that hee kills with his looke or with the beames that come from his poysonfull eyes euen so

homini Lupus est one man becomes a Woolfe to another Thirdly as a Woolfe begets a Woolfe according to that rule in nature Omne simile generat sibi simile euery like begets his like euen so peruicious seducers spiritually beget such as proue like vnto themselues both in opinion and practise and indeede they which are conuerted or rather peruerted by haereticall spirits whatsoeuer high conceits they may haue of themselues they are but of seeming Sheepe made reall Wolues Fourthly Voce deseratur is quem prior viderit Lupus Plin. l. 8. nat hist c. 22. as the Wolfe is said to strike a man dumbe if he spie the man before the man spie him euen so when seducers preuaile they strike men dumbe in respect of any true profession of Christianity yea they bring them by their seductions to blaspheme all sound profession Fiftly as the wooll of a Woolfe if it be made into a garment will proue but an odious garment 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c Lib. 2. Sympos q 9. breeding vermine vpon him that shall weare it instead of ministring any comfort as Plutarch speakes euen so the good which poore seduced soules thinke they receiue by impostors and deceiuers of mindes Lupi toto anno non amplius quā duodecim diebus coeunt Isid Hispal lib. 12. Originum c. 2. it will proue corruption in the end Sixtly as the Woolfe maketh shew of ciuile vertue as of chastitie and the like congressing but onely 12. dayes in a whole yeare Euen so the most pernicious seducers commonly make shew of much ciuilitie and moralitie and thereby they doe more harme amongst the ignorant sort then by any other meanes Whereupon one of the c Orig hom 7. in Ez●k Sollicitè caueamuus haereticos qui conuersationis optima sunt quorum fortè vitam non tam Deus quam diabolus instruxit Fathers saith notably let vs be exceeding wary of those heretickes which are of the best conuersation whose liues possibly are directed not of God but of the diuell And thus we see for what reasons hereticall seducers are fitly compared pared vnto Wolues I might adde another taken from the rauenousnesse of Wolues but that I reserue for the next Section Come we now to the vse of the point And it being demonstrated that haereticall seducers are Wolues it first serues not onely to iustifie against all calumniators but also much to commend the lawfull seueritie of Courts of Iustice against such c Sicut est misericordia puniens ita est crudelitas parcens Epist 54. Saint Augustine saith there is a punishing mercy and a sparing crueltie This may seeme to be a paradox to some but the father knew what he said for it is a punishing mercie when worthy Gouernours doe punish dangerous seducers for the safetie of the whole and it were a sparing crueltie to let them passe vnpunished for looke how much mercy is shewed to the Wolfe so much crueltie is done to the Sheep yea it is mercy to seducers themselues if they could skill of it that the Gouernors seeke to restraine them from their damnable wayes by inflicting iust punishment vpon them this being the last meanes that the Church can vse to cure them according to that of Aristotle Lib. 2. Ethic. c. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 punishments are kindes of medicines but howsoeuer seducers themselues and their court-flandering adherents doe take it I am sure all good people haue great cause to praise God for the zeale of our Gouernours in this respect our bodies might as safely liue in a roring wildernesse in the midst of Wolues and Tygers as our soules in our strongest Cities amongst seducers if there were not Courts of Iustice to suppresse them Secondly it makes for the iust reproofe of many at these dayes who when they haue dangerous Wolues discouered vnto them will not lend their helping hand to suppresse them for the common safetie of the Church but suffer them to walke vp and downe in the very Sheepfold without resistance Gods cause and his truth for the which they ought to contend Iud. 3. is little beholding to them I pray God it be not one day said to their charge a bad cause oftentimes findes much patronage the wicked will straine their purses try their friends put themselues to great paines for the supporting of it but the cause of God may sinke or swim were it not for good Gouernours for any helpe or countenance that the forward men of our time for the most part will giue vnto it If it were notoriously knowne that some deuouring Wolfe did haunt about this Citie which had destroyed an 100. persons I suppose euery man would lay it to heart and vse the best meanes he could to suppresse such a noysome creature are we thus carefull for the common safetie of mens liues and shall there be no care for the common safetie of their soules Is it so heinous a matter when an hundred persons are corporally strangled and is it nothing when many hundreds are spiritually murdered But I imagine what you will say why should wee put our finger in the fire why should we meddle in a controuersie which concernes vs not I answer if the controuersie indeede were a meere priuate controuersie you seeme to say some thing but if it be a publike controuersie and concerne the common safetie your obiection or plea is little worth But many haue learned that Greeke Prouerbe in our times 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is good sleeping in a whole skin yea some are such valiant champions that being ingaged in the Lords controuersie will vse meanes and friends to draw their owne heads out of the collar and leaue others to endure the whole brunt of the battell and danger Such white-liuerd Soldiers are fit to take the Salmacida spolia which c In officijs Cicero speakes of spoiles which are obtained fine sanguine sudore if victorie will come of it selfe without paines or peril it shal be welcome if not they loue not to contend for it SECT 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rauening RAuening Hence obserue we that Seducers are of a rauenous disposition In which very respect they are also compared vnto Wolues in the words of my Text. And it is famously noted by Heathen Phylosophers who had a great gift in looking farre into the natures of the creatures that the Wolfe of all other beasts is the most rauenous c Ouid. l. 1. trist Eleg. 1. excussa est auidis dentibus Agna Lupi One saith making it a wonder the tender Lambe is shaken out of the greedy teeth of the Woolfe describing the Woolfe as a greedy creature Another saith that the Wolfe endures winde and weather i Virgil. AEnead 9. ventos perpessus imbres nocte super media raine and stormie tempests and that at midnight to watch for his prey Thus the poets sing concerning the rauenousnesse of the Woolfe and in like manner others write in