doctrine of saluation speaking in sinceritie as of God in the sight of God casting from them the cloakes of shame neither handling the word of God deceitfully but in declaration of the truth approuing themselues to the consciences of all good men There be many worthie meÌ„ in our Church of excellent gifts and graces whose ministrie hath beene powerfull to call many thousands from sinne and error to truth and holines to the conuersion and sauing of soules Our Church holdeth the true foundation it setteth it selfe by doctrine and sword against all heretickes it hath bredde many worthy Martyrs it is a true witnes keeper interpreter and translator of the holy scripture it is an helper and harbourer of the Saints and it doth truely call vpon the name of the true God and hath the true word and Sacrament the essentiall markes of the true Church What cause then is there of separation from vs though there be great oddes betwixt these two kindes of Recusants the one in greater degree of error then the other Yet we dare bouldly say to them both as Saint Paul saith to the Corinthians who began to contemne their Apostle Paul and to get other teachers If he that commeth saith Paul preacheth an other Iesus then him whom wee haue preached or if you receiue an other spirit then that which you haue receiued either an other Gospell then that you haue receiued ye might well haue suffred him As if he should say If any man can preach a better Iesus a better Gospell a better spirit they might hearken to him but indeed none could doe it And therfore he saith in an other place Though that wee or an Angell from heauen preach vnto you otherwise theÌ„ that which we haue preached vnto you let him be accursed As we said before so say I now againe If any man preach vnto you otherwise then that you haue receiued let him bee accursed We preach the true Iesus according to the scriptures that there is no Name vnder heauen that wee can be saued by but by him that hee is both true God and man that he is the King the Priest and Prophet of his Church we preach the true Gospell containing the doctrine of Faith and Repentance To this doctrine is ioyned the true spirit the spirit of Adoption the spirit of boldnes of comfort and sanctifâ—cation If any of them can teach a better Iesus a better Gospel a better spirit we will harken to them The Papists they teach hold many things corruptly of Christ Iesus the sonne of God ouerthrowing the power and ende of his comming and derogating from him the glory of our owne and full redemption by their Masse and manie Mediators they abolish the Priesthood of Christ by the Popes supremacie making him the vniuersall head of the Church they diminish dishonor and quite ouerthrow the Kingly Office of Christ by their owne Inuentions and vaine Traditions they take away his Propheticall office their Gospell is full of superstition and Idolatrie adding and diminishing at their pleasure making newe Articles and new Sacraments their spirit is a spirit of Error of Ignorance of doubting and torment But to let these goe and to come to the other It may beâ— some will say that they hold the same Iesus and Gospell with vs Let it be graunted that they and wee agree in all matters concerning Faith and saluation as it may appeare by their owne confession of Faith wherin there is nothing that is sound and Orthodoxall but they receiued it from vs Many of them specially of their founders and first beginners were bredde and borne amongst vs they had their faith if they haue any their knowledge the word and SacrameÌ„ts from vs they confesse they holde the same things with vs and other Churches touching matters of Faith the more shame for them to flie and run away from vs as though they had some better Iesus some better Gospell then wee haue where as all may see that they haue no other And therefore their separation is most vnkinde and ridiculous Let the best reformed churches in the world who haue giuen vs the right hands of fellowship Let them I say be Iudges between vs them or let the scriptures theÌ„selues truly opened applied be the true touch-stone triall betweene vs. Let them shew bring forth one scripture commanding or one holy example approuing such a separation from such a church from such ministers holding professing teaching that which they do from wheÌ„ce you your selues haue receiued all the good things which you holde maintaine or professe in matters of Religion So that you might say as Carneados a Philosopher was woont to say of his Maister and reader Chrisippus If it had not bene for Chrisippus I neuer had bene any body So might you say If the pride of your heart will suffer you If it had not beene for the church of EnglaÌ„d many of you could neuer haue had Bible Faith nor knowledge in the matters of your saluation Now you doe very ill requite the fathers that begot you the mother that bare you thus to flie from them to accuse slaunder reuile and curse them Herein you deale as Aristotle dealt with his maistar Plato who hauing gotten great Learning from his master did after oppose himself against him and by all meanes sought his disgrace and discredit Therfore Plato was wont to call Aristotle a Mule because when shee hath filled her self with her mothers milke she will beate her damme with her heeles Plato signified by this the ingratitude of Aristotle for when he had receiued from Plato the principles of Phylosophie and encrease of knowledge therein he became enemy to the schoole of Plato and with his Familiers and Schollers did alwayes contend and striue against Plato If the dealing of these men bee not as harde and vnkinde against our Church let any reasonable indifferent men iudge And are they not too neere like the Viper who gnaweth out the dammes bellie and so liueth by the death of her damme But of the vnthankfulnes of these men to God their Prince and this Church we shall speake of it in an other place For this time I referre them to the iudgment of two worthy men writing iointly vpon the 13. chap of the Prouerbs 13. verse the words are these He that despiseth the word shall be destroyed but he that feareth the commandement hee shall be rewarded This sentence say they will presse so vpon the Brownists who are become bitter despisers of the Ministrie of Iesus Christ by separating themselues from the Churches of God and deprauing all the holy meanes of saluation howsoeuer they preteÌ„d to stand for sinceritie yet they resist it taking vpon them to be chaÌ„pions for Christ his kingdom they fight against it though their argumeÌ„ts seeme to be grounded on the word yet being well sifted they proue meere falacies haue no agreement with the meaning of the holy Ghost in the
wickednes are set vp and they that tempt God yea they are deceiued Then spake they that feared the Lorde euery one vnto his Neighbour and the Lorde hearkened and heard it and a Booke of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lorde and thought vpon his Name And they shall be to mee saith the Lord of Hostes in that day that I shall doe this for a Flocke and I will spare them as a man spareth his owne sonne that serueth him Then shall you returne and discerne betweene the righteous and the wicked betweene him that serueth God and him that serueth him not Against all blasphemous false and wicked speeches of the worlde let the friends of wisedome oppose for their comfort these sweete words and comfortable promises of God the Father and Founder of wisedome and the defender liberall rewarder of all such as truely loue it And nowe before I passe to other matter by your Patience in respect of the premises Let mee make some Application to this Citie God hath blest you with many speciall fauours and mercies a long time farre aboue and beyond many other places I will not speake of your outward Priuiledges Freedomes Donations order of gouernment wherein it may be you excell some others But I will speak of your chiefest Priuiledge the beautie and Ornament of your Citie and the best flower of your Garden and that is indeed the plentifull and sincere preaching of the Gospell In respect whereof some doe truly thinke and say with this woman Happy are you which may daily heare such wisedome And they may truely say in respect of so many heauenly visions This is the house of God this is the gate of heauen and though many other places are in some sort partakers of this happines yet but fewe are equall with you in this gracious blessing First then consider how long a time you haue had a certaine setled and resident ministrie for the space of no lesse then fiftie yeares many in the meane time haue beene destitute as poore sheepe without a shepheard Some haue had this meanes of saluation very seeldome and sometimes interrupted and eclipsed O happy are you that haue had so great a blessing so many yeares continued and the greater blessing it is not onely that you haue had this word of Wisedome preached amongst you but also soundly and sincerely by faithfull Pastors and teachers diuiding the word of Truth aright Others it may be haue had the Word preached but corruptly and erroniously mixing Chaffe and Wheate together and flattering the people in their sinnes This is also a further blessing that you haue the Word preached not onely so long and so sincerely but also in such variety of gifts teachers of strangers of yout owne Countrey-men of young and olde variety of teachers amongst your selues this is a speciall blessing Thus you haue experience of the diuers graces and gifts of God in diuers men and heerein God is good vnto you if one can doe you no good another may A worthy Father holdeth it profitable that of the same questions many Bookes should bee made by sundry men in a differing stile though not in a differing faith all stomaches wee see are not alike One kinde of dressing pleaseth one which hath no relish with an other and yet the same meate ordered after another fashion may fitte his appetite As differences of meates so of humors and dispositions of men the same matter diuersly handled may find entertainment with diuers men which yet disgested after one only fashion would haue acceptance with feare All fishes are not taken with the same baite all birds are not caught by the same kind of voyce and singing I speake not this to please vaine and curious humors who without iust cause distaste and dislike their faithfull teachers Loue your Pastors reuerence the gifts of God in any be they more or lesse yet know that it is a blessing which many want to be in such sort as you are partakers of the labours of sundrie teachers And herein also your blessing is the greater because you haue such preaching so often and so plentifully both vpon the Saboth day and at other times howsoeuer some may thinke this too much and some murmer at it and some loathe it so that much preaching is loathsome odious to some yet is this a rare blessing which God hath not imparted to many In other things we count plentie a blessing and we neuer care how much we haue the more the better we neuer thinke we haue too much or enough God himselfe doth promise it as a blessing to his children to haue store and abūdance of victualls of Cattell of Corne and the men of this world doe confesse it a great blessing to enioy these and such like things plentifully Is it not a farre greater blessing to haue in such abundance the blessed foode of our soules the want penurie and scarcitie of this foode is a curse and iudgement therefore to haue it plentifully is a speciall and a rare blessing God doth promise it as a rare mercy to his people and a speciall token of his loue to giue them such Pastors as shall feede them with knowledge and vnderstanding Againe he sayth I haue set watchmen vpon thy walls oh Ierusalem which all the day and all the night continually shall not cease you that are mindfull of the Lord keepe not silence and giue him no rest till he repaire and vntill he set vp Ierusalem the praise of the world The Ministers must be watchfull in praying continually for the people and they must be as carefull to put the people in minde of their dutie and the people must take it as a blessing to haue such remembrancers wee are dull slothfull in attention in vnderstanding in memorie and practise the best remedie is often preaching importunate calling vpon The words of the wise sayth Salomon are like goades like nayles fastned by the masters of the assemblies which are giuen by one Pastor His meaning is that whereas we are dullards and slobacks in all goodnes by the goade of preaching we are set on prickt forward and quickned in all good wayes and whereas we are wauering and fickle we are by the naile of preaching if it be wel and often driuen we are I say by this setled and stayed in the truth And though this goade and naile be commonly vsed amongst vs yet in respect of our weakenes we haue great neede of it neither are we to contemne it because it is so common and plentifull Good and necessary things are not to be loathed though they be cōmon The sunne moone stars water fier bread drinke are common yet can we not liue without thē neither do we contemne them and though the word be compared to corporall foode in many things they agree together as we haue heard before yet herein they differ that of the foode of the
or if they come to the Sermon their mindes are at home they are like Idols that haue eares and heare not eyes and see not they doe not consider and marke nor beleeue those things which are spoken of the contempt of this world against couetousnesse oppression and deceit If they be somewhat neerely touched they gruntle like Swine they barke like Dogges such as are learned and haue knowledge beeing delicate and dainetie they thinke the plaine and simple stile of preaching agreeing to the Scripture to haue small sweetnesse or delight in it they stand vpon eloquence and mans wisedome it is grieuous to them to heare a plaine simple Preacher though he speake with power of the spirit Great persons men of state and countenance which are scarcely accounted men but halfe Gods they thinke it a discredit to heare many sermons I am afraid saith a Father that the Queene of the South comming froÌ„ the farthest part of the world to heare the wisedome of Salomon that she shall iudge men of this age and the men of Niniuie repenting at the preaching of Ionas shall condemne those which despise a greater then Ionas so many among the people shall condemne many Ministers in the Church withdrawing themselues from their Ecclesiasticall dutie and doing those things which doe not beseemeâ— a Minister yea they doe not beseeme a simple Christian An other complaineth both of Ministers and people saying Woâ— be vnto you Scribes and Pharises hypocrites which shut the kingdome of heauen before men By these words the Lord will shew that the Priests of the Iewes did all things for couetousnes and who knew by the scriptures that Christ was come and they considered because Christ was beleeued and receiued that the custome of sacraficing and offering would cease and that the sacrifice of righteousnes would preuaile but they did shut the doore of truth when they decreed that if any should say he was the sonne of God he should be shut out of the Synagogue so now hereticall ministers they doe shut the doore of truth for they know if the truth be made manifest the Church would leaue them and they should be cast downe from their places What then is the ignorant people to be excused No for if thou wouldst buy thee garments thou seekest to sundry Chapmen and where thou maist haue the best garments and the easiest price those thou takest and therefore thou must seeke and search for teachers and enquire where truth is and where is error It is not forbidden to know the confessions of all men and to choose that which is best according to the saying of the Apostle Proue all things and hold that which is good If for worldly busines thou wouldest goe to a place thou knowest not thou dost not cease from thy purpose because thou knowest not the way but thou doest trie this and that way thou dost aske seek and enquire and so findest the right way If thou wilt enter into the truth of the scriptures sometimes pray sometimes search the scriptures sometimes seeke by good workes sometimes enquire of this minister sometimes of that that so thou maist see who they be that haue the keyes of knowledge If these things be not done it is because the word of God is not beleeued nor the promise of blessednes desired nor the last iudgement feared Where is this care of searching and the truth to be found where is that diligence of inquiring Men are readie to heare receiue and beleeue any thing like children they are carried away with any kinde of doctrine they are still ignorant and fall into many errors because with this woman they will not diligently and carefully seeke for the truth where it may be found All others are carefull and painefull to learne and seeke the true knowledge and skill as much as they can of their trades and sciences onely Christians are idle careles and ignorant in their profession Harken I pray you saith the same father is it not an absurd thing that the Physition the Shoomaker and Weauer and generally all workemen striue for the profession of their Arts but a Christian cannot bring a reason of his religion those Artes being neglected are but the losse of money the contempt of religion is the losse of the soule and yet we are so madde that we imploy all our care and thoughts that way and we make no account of the necessarie defence of our soule for this cause the heathen knowe not their error but take offence and mocke vs for they being in error doe all things for the defence of their errors We being professors of the truth can say nothing for defence of it and for this cause the very heathen doe condemne our doctrine of weakenes they suspect in vs some fraude and foolishnes and so they speake euill of Christ as of a liar we are the cause of this blasphemie Saint Peeter commandeth vs to be readie to giue a reason of the faith that is in vs to euery man that asketh And S. Paul doth exhâ—rt vs That the word of God may dwell plentifully in vs. But what say the foolish people to this they say blessed is the simple soule and he that walketh simplie walketh boldly this is the cause of all euill that many cannot rightly and truly applie the scriptures for by the simple is not meant the foole but he that is honestly and vprightly minded for if it were so vnderstood in vaine were the saying of Christ Be wise as serpents and innocent as doues Let vs blush and be ashamed that the Samaritan woman was so carefull in learning that her worldly busines could not hinder her from the doctrine of Christ We enquire nothing in the knowledge of heauenly things but are carelesse and neglect all things Which of vs I pray you when we come home doth any thing worthy of a Christian who doth search repeate or remember the scriptures The scriptures are giuen not onely that you should haue them in your bookes but also in your hearts I doe not forbid to get you bookes nay I doe admonish you and entreate you that you get them yet so that you doe oftentimes repeat both the letters and the sense in your minde that by it that may be made pure For if in whatsoeuer house the Gospell of Christ is the diuell dare not enter how much lesse shall the diuel ore sinne touch that soule which is familiar with the diligent reading of it therefore sanctifie thy soule and sanctifie thy body this shall come to passe if thou haue alwaies in thy minde and tongue the Gospell of Christ Seeing therefore there is such ignorance impenitencie prophanenes disobedience and vnthankfulnes amongst vs not onely the former examples but many others shall rise vp in iudgement against vs in the last day The Gâ—ecians shall condemne vs in that day for they reuerently esteemed and heard their Philosophers disputing doubtfully of vice and vertue but wee
and a sincere loue to the word And aboue all things let vs pray hartily and continually to the father and founder of all good gifts for the blessings of all good lessons and instructions to our soules let vs confesse our owne weakenes and say in our soules with the spouse to her husband Christ Drawe me and we will runne after thee Finally let vs pray with Dauid be beneficiall to thy seruant that I may liue and keepe thy word open mine eyes that I may see the wonders of thy lawes I will runne the waies of thy commandements when thou shalt inlarge my heart Teach me ô Lord the way of thy statutes and I will keepe it to the end Giue me vnderstanding and I will keepe thy lawe yea I will keepe it with my whole heart Direct me in the path of thy commandements for therein is my delight Incline my heart to thy testimonies and not to couetousnes turne away my eyes from regarding vanitie and quicken me in thy way Looke vpon me and be mercifull to me as thou vsest to doe to those that feare thy name Direct my steppes in thy word and let none iniquitie haue dominion ouer me Teach me to doe thy will for thou art my God Let thy good spirit lead me vnto the land of righteousnes And in an other place Teach me thy way ô Lord and I will walke in thy truth Knit my heart to thee that I may feare thy name And let vs pray with the Prophet Ieremie Heale me ô Lord and I shal be whole saue me and I shall be saued for thou aâ—t my praise turne thou vs vnto thee ô Lord and we shall be turned And indeed the calling and conuersion of a sinner is the great worke of God as great as the worke of our creation And indeed what is our conuersion but an new creation for God that commandeth light to shine out of darknes is he which shineth in the he arts of his children conuerted It is he that must make both the eare and the heart tractable and flexible It is he that both must make vs willing to doe good and also able to doe good It is he that must inwardly perswade the heart and by his spirit teach vs inwardly before we can be truely conuerted Let therefore ministers of the word giue attendance to reading exhortation and doctrine Let them stirre vp the grace of God that worthy thing in them Let them be faithfull and wise stewards in disposing the secrets of God Let them preach sincerely diligently and feruently Let their affections and life be vpright and holie Let them be wholy possessed with the desire of Gods glory with the loue of Christ and with loue to the soules of the people and then their ministrie shall be acceptable to God If not powerful to conuert yet to confound their recompence shall be with the Lord their labour shall not be in vaine in the Lord. We are vnto God saith the Apostle the sweet Sauiour of Christ in them which are saued and in them which perish to the one we are the Sauiour of death vnto death and to the other a Sauiour of life vnto life and who is sufficient for these things And seeing that Paul is nothing Apollos is nothing but the effect and blessing is of God Let them striue and wrastle with them by humble and hartie prayer continually vehemently priuately and openly for the assistance of his spirit and the blessing of their labours that he would perswade Iapheth that he might dwell in the tents of Shem that he would circumcise the hearts and eares of the people and take from them the vaile that hindreth as ignorance prophanes vnbeleefe hardnes of heart and such like That he would power water vpon the thirstie and floods vpon the drie ground That hee would take away their stonie hearts and giue them hearts of flesh that so they might walke in his statutes finally that he would giue them vnderstanding hearts that they might be fulfilled with the knowledge of his will in all wisedome That they may discerne the things that differ that they may be pure and without offence vntill the day of Christ That they may walke worthy of the Lord and please him in all things that the same signes of conuersion may be seene in their people as were truely found in this woman And indeed many if not all the notes of good hearers which in the beginning I obserued in her are true signes and notes of her calling In that she takes so great paines and bestowes so much cost to seeke for true wisedome In that she is so carefull to enquire and search out the truth of religion In that she speaketh and thinketh so reuerently of Salomon her teacher reposing true happines in true wisedome and stirreth vp others to be of her minde these and sundrie other are signes and tokens of her conuersion She speaketh not like a Pagan Heathen or Idolater but like a worshipper of the true God she blesseth him and confesseth him to be the disposer of kingdomes and acknowledgeth Israell to be Gods people and howsoeuer before either by secret inspiration or by report she heard of the true God of his worship and of Salomons wisedome yet now she doth fullie taste the truth of it in her owne soule the secrets of her hearts are made manifest shee worshippeth God and saith plainely that God was in that place The diuine wisedome of Salomon had parswaded this daughter of Iapheth to come to the tents of Shem to be a member of the visible Church and to imbrace the truth of religion and no doubt she went ioyfully home and indeuoured by all meanes possible to establish the lawe and worship of the true God in her owne countrie Our Sauiour as you haue heard commended this woman and ioyneth her with the Niniuites who no doubt truely repented though many of them fell away afterwards It is true that all the Kings of the earth sought the presence of Salomon to heare his wisedome that God had put in his heart as we may see in this chapter I doe not say that all these were called and conuerted It may be many of them came to heare and see newes rather for humane then diuine wisedome to see the glory and royaltie of Salomon the beautie of the Temple and his Pallace which he had builded or vpon some other sinister respects Among so many this woman is especially named singled out and commended yea a whole storie is recorded of her and not of the rest the cause of her comming was religion She lost not her labour but got fruit and profit by her comming and sheweth plaine testimonies of her conuersion Indeed something is said of King Hyram that he euer loued Dauid and when he hard the words of Salomon he reioyced greatly and said Blessed be the Lord this day which hath giuen to Daâ—id a
sinne they must needes rise againe by repentance and so be saued And I haue neuer read in all the scripture that God doth professe any such loue to a reprobate God saith of Iacob I haue loued him because he was chosen I haue hated Esau because he was reiected Againe we haue heard alreadie that Salomon was a figure and tipe of Christ Iesus the sonne of God the Sauiour of the world Againe he was also as we haue heard inspired by the holy Ghost and a writer of the holy scripture Some reprobates haue spoken the truth and haue preached and prophecied as Balaam and Iudas but the Prophets and writers of holy scripture are all elect and saued so far as we know Our Sauiour Christ saith that the wicked shall see Abraham Isaacke and Iacob and all the Prophets in the kingdome of God and themselues thrust out of doores Now Salomon was a preacher a Prophet a writer of scripture and therefore we doubt not but he hath his part in the kingdome of heauen Finally the booke of the Preacher is called by the Hebrewes the repētance of Salomon and so it seemeth by the first beginning and entrance of it where he cryeth out Vanitie of vanities all is vanitie They be the words of one that had tasted of all the pleasures in the world that could be deuised and yet at last being wearie of all and renouncing all he reposeth all true felicitie of this life in true religion and the feare of God This may serue to satisfie vs touching the repentance and saluation of Salomon And now because we vpon some iust occasion haue made some digression not impertinent nor vnprofitable and because this fall of Salomon is abused by many let vs before we proceed further deliuer some good instructions and vses touching this his fall First then consider how dangerous the prosperitie the great wealth and honours of the world are and therefore let vs not too much desire them nor set our hearts or delights too much vpon them For thorough the corruption of our nature many wax proud contemning God and men iniurious to themselues and others being wanton luxurious and Lasciuious And therefore the Lord saith to his people Israel When thou hast eaten and filled thy selfe thou shalt blesse the Lord thy God for the land which he hath giuen thee Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God not keeping his commaundements and his lawes and his ordinances which I commaund thee this day least when thou hast eaten and filled thy selfe and hast built goodly houses and dwelt therein and thy beasts and thy sheepe are increased and thy siluer and thy gold is multiplied and all that thou hast is increased then thine heart be lifted vp and thou forget the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the land of Aegypt and out of the house of bondage And in an other place he complaineth of that people saying He that should haue beene vpright when he waxed fatte spurned with his heele Thou art fatte thou art grosse thou art loaden with fatnes therefore he forsooke God that made him and regarded not the strong God of his saluation How should I spare thee saith the Lord thy children haue forsaken me and sworne by them which are no Gods though I fed them to the full yet they committed adulterie assembled themselues by companies in the harlots houses They rose vp in the morning like fed horses for euery man neighed after his neighbours wife Again I did knowe them in the wildernes in the land of drought as in their pastures so were they filled they were filled and their heart was exalted Therefore haue they forgotten me Oh that the great men of the world the Potentates Princes States Nobles and all the wealthy of the earth would remēber this who by their power and wealth take libertie to sinne and to liue licentiously without controulement and are infatuated by worldly cares and pleasures whereas the end of all outward blessings is to make vs more thankfull and more holy God gaue his people the lands of the heathen and they tooke the labours of the people in possession the end of this and of all their former blessings is that they might keepe his statutes and obserue his lawes And seeing that great prosperitie is so dangerous let vs pray with the wise man Giue me not pouertie nor riches feed me with food conuenient for me least I be full and denie thee and say who is the Lord or least I be poore and steale and take the name of my God in vaine Great abundance is dangerous and extreame pouertie is dangerous the competent estate is the best and let vs be content with it and let euery one harken to that counsell of the Lord saying Let not the wise man glory in his wisedome nor the strong man glory in his strength neither the rich man in his riches but let him that glorieth glory in this that he vnderstandeth and knoweth me Againe by this example we see that great and good Princes are subiect to falling some haue good beginnings and continue long and yet in the end they decline and fall away Nero in the first fiue yeares of his raigne was of such liberatie clemencie and gentlenes that he passed all Princes that were before him he either for gaue or else diminished all taxes and payments He was so gentle and fauourable to all degrees that he would admit them to come to salute him and also did salute them himselfe by name He made many good lawes but although he did these and such like things with great honour at the beginning of his raigne yet at the last forgetting the Imperiall dignitie he opened his wantonnes his fleshly pleasures his riot his Auarice his crueltie Oftentimes he attempted to kill his owne mother Agrippina She escaped often at last the Centurion comming towards her with a naked sword in his hand slew her she putting forth her belly cried out That hee would strike that part first for this bellie saith she is to be pierced through with Iron which brought forth such a monster Then the Centurion thrust his sword into her bellie and so slew her with many woundes after this horrible murther was done Nero being both without feare and shame beheld the Carkasse of his mother being slaine He killed Seneca his maister and Burrus one of his gouernours What will you more he ceased not to kill whom he pleased and that for what cause soeuer he pleased Tyberius who succeeded Augustus raised vp of himselfe at the beginning of his raigne no small hope of goodnes but afterwards proued a very Tyrant and most filthy man Alexander the great at the first ruled iustly and valiantly but after he was so effeminated with the daintie delicates of Pasia that he became proud leacherous a drunkard a murtherer by the which vices he both shortned his owne daies and made himselfe to be detested of his