profit might arise to the Crowne if he would follow their councell Packe you Iuglers get you to your charges and reforme your owne lives and be not instruments of discord betwixt my Nobilitie and me Or else I vow to God I shall reforme you not as the King of Denmarke by imprisonment doeth neither yet as the King of England doth by hanging and heading but I shall reproove you by sharpe punishments if ever I heare such motion of you againe The Prelats dashed and astonished with this answer ceased for a season to attempt any further by rigour against the Nobility But now being informed of all proceedings by their Pensioners Oliver Sincler Rosse Laird of Cragie and others who were to them faithfull in all things they conclude to hazard once again their former sute which was no sooner proponed but as soone it was accepted with no small regreate by the Kings own mouth that he had so long despised their counsell For said he now I plainely see your words to be true The Nobility neither desire my honour nor countenance for they would not ride a mile for my pleasure to follow mine enemies Will ye therefore finde me the meanes how that I may have a roade made into England without their knowledge and consent that it may be knowne to be mine owne reade and I shall binde me to your counsell for ever There were gratulations and clapping of hands there were promises of diligence closenesse and fidelity among them Finally conclusion was taken that the West borders of England which was most empty of men and Garrison should be invaded The Kings own Banner should be theirs Oliver the great Minion should be Generall-Lieutenant but no man should be privie except the counsell that was then present of the enterprise till the very day and execution thereof The Bishops gladly tooke the charge of that device Letters were sent to such as they would charge To meet the King at the day and place appointed The Cardinall with the Earle of Arran was directed to go to Hadington to make a shew against the East Border when the others were in readinesse to invade the West And thus neither lacked counsell practise closenesse nor diligence to set forward that Enterprise and so among these consulters there was no doubt of any good successe And so was the scroell thankfully received by the king himselfe and put into his owne pocket where it remained to the day of his death and then was found In it were contained more then an hundred landed men besides other of meaner degree Among whom was the Earle of Arran notwithstanding his siding with the current of the Court and his neernesse in blood to the King It was bruted that this roade was devised by the Lord Maxwell but the certaintie thereof we have not The night before the day appointed to the Enterprise the King was found at Lochmabane To him comes companies from all quarters as they were appointed no man knowing of another for no generall Proclamations past but privie Letters neither yet did the multitude know any thing of the purpose till after midnight when that the trumpet blew And commanded all men to march forward and to follow the King who was constantly supposed to have been in the host guides were appointed to conduct them towards England as both faithfully and closely they did upon the point of day they approached to the enemies ground and so passed the water without any great resistance made unto them The forward goeth foorth feare rises hership might have been seen on every side The unprovided people were altogether amazed for bright day appearing they saw an army of ten thousand men Their Beacons on every side send flames of fire unto the heaven To them it was more then a wonder that such a multitude could have been assembled and conveyed no knowledge thereof coming to any of their Wardens For support they looked not and so at the first they utterly despaired and yet began they to assemble together ten in one company twenty in another and so as the Fray proceeded their Troopes increased but to no number for Carlile fearing â—o have been assaulted suffered no man to issue out of their gates and so the greatest number that ever appeared or approached before the discomfiture past not three or four hundreth men and yet they made hot skirmishing as in their own ground in such feats as they are most expert about ten hours When fires were kindled and almost slackned on every side Oliver thought time to shew his glory and so incontinent was displayed the Kings Banner and he upholden by two Spears lift up upon mens shoulders there with sound of Trumpet was proclaimed Generall Lieutenant and all men commanded to obey him as the Kings own Person under all highest pains There was preseut the Lord Maxwell Warden to whom the regiment of things in absence of the King properly appertaineth He heard and saw all but thought more than he spake There were also present the Earls of Glencarne and Cassels with the Lord Flemyng and many other Lords Barons and Gentlemen of Lothaine Fife Angus and Mearnes In this Mountain did the skirmishing grow hotter than it was before shouters were heard on every side some Scottish-men were stricken down some not knowing the ground were mired and lost their horses Some English Horse of purpose were let loose to provoke greedie and imprudent men to presse at them as many did but found no advantage While such disorder rises more and more in the Army every man cried aloud My Lord Lievtenant What will ye do Charge was given that all men should light and go to array in order for they would fight Others cried Against whom will ye fight yonder men will fight none other wayes than ye see them do if ye will stand here while the morrow New purpose was taken That the Footmen they had there with them certain Bands of Souldiers should safely retire towards Scotland and the Horse-men should take their Horse again and so follow in order Great was the noyse and confusion that was heard while that every man calleth his own sluggards the day was neer spent and that was the cause of the greatest fear The Lord Maxwell perceiving what would be the end of such beginnings stood upon his feet with his friends who being admonished to take his horse and provide for himselfe answered Nay I will rather abide here the chance that it shall please God to send me than to go home and there be hanged and so he remained upon his foot and was taken while the multitude fled and tooke the greater shame The enemies perceiving the disorder increased in courage Before they shouted but then they stroke they shot Spears and dagged Arrows where the Companies were thickest some encounters were made but nothing availeth the Souldiers cast from them their Pikes and Culverings and other Weapons fencible the Horse-men left their Spears and
so without judgement all men fled The Sea was filling and so the water made great stop but the fear was such as happy was he that might get a taker Such as passed the water and escaped that danger not well acquainted with the ground fell into the slimy mosse the entry thereof was pleasing enough but as they proceeded all that took that way either lost their horse or else themselves and horse both To be short a greater fear and discomfiture without cause hath seldome beene seen for it is said That where the men were not sufficient to take the Bands of prisoners Some ran to houses and rendered themselves to women Stout Oliver was without stroke taken fleeing full manfully And so was his glory stinking and foolish proudnesse we should call it suddenly turned to confusion and shame In that discomfiture were taken the two Earls aforesaid the Lords Fleming Somerwell and Olyphant and many other Barons and Gentlemen besides the great multitude of servants Worldly men say That all this come but by misorder and fortune as they term it But whosoever hath the least spark of the knowledge of God may as evidently see the work of his hand in this discomfiture as ever was seen in any of the Battells left to us in Register by the holy Ghost For what more evident Declaration have we that God fought against Benhadad King of Aram when he was discomfited at Samaria than now we have that God fought with his own Arm against Scotland in this former discomfiture There did two hundred and thirty persons in the Skirmish with seven thousand following them in the great Battell put to flight the said Benhadad with thirty Kings in his Company But here there is in this shamefull discomfiture of Scotland very few more than three hundreth men without knowledge of any Backe or Battell to follow put to flight ten thousand men without resistance made There did every man recounter his marrow till that the two hundred and thirty slew such as matched them But here without slaughter the multitude fled There had those of Samaria the Prophet of God to comfort to instruct and to promise Victory unto them But England in that pursuit had nothing but as God secretly wrought by his providence in the men that knew nothing of his working neither yet of the cause thereof more then the wall that fell upon the rest of Benhadads Army knew what it did And therefore yet again we say That such as in that sudden dejection beholds not the hand of God fighting against pride for freedome of his own little Flock injustly persecuted doth willingly and maliciously obscure the glory of God but the end thereof is yet more notable The certain knowledge of the discomfiture coming to the Kings ears who waited upon news at Lochmaban he was stricken with a sudden fear and astonishment so that scarcely could he speak or had purpose with any man The night constrained him to remain where he was and so went to bed but rose without rest or quiet sleep His continuall complaint was O fled Oliver is Oliver taken O fled Oliver And these words in his melancholly and as it were carried in a Trance repeated he from time to time to the very hour of death Upon the morn which was Saint Katherines day returned he to Edinburgh and so did the Cardinall from Hadington But the one being ashamed of the other the brute of their communication came not to publike audience The King made Inventory of his Treasure of all his Jewels and other substance And thereafter ashamed to look any man in the face secretly departed to Fife and coming to Hallzairdes was humanely received of the Lady of Grange an ancient and godly Matron the Laird at his coming was absent In his company was onely with him William Kirkâ—ldy now Laird of Grange and some other that waited upon his Chamber The Lady at Supper perceiving him pensive beganne to comfort him and willeth him to take the Work of GOD in good part My portion said he of this world is short for I will not be with you fifteen dayes His servants repairing unto him asked where he would have provision made for Christmas which then approached he answered with a disdainfull countenance I cannot tell chuse you the place but this I can tell you Or Christmas day you will be masterlesse and the Realme without a King Because of his displeasure no man durst make contradiction unto him So after that he had visited the Castle of Carny pertaining to the Earle of Crawfurde where the said Earles daughter one of his Mistresses was he returned to Falkland and took bed And albeit there appeared unto him no signes of death yet he constantly affirmed Before such a day I shall be dead In this mean time was the Queen upon the point of her delivery in Lynlitquow who was delivered the 8 of December in the yeere of God 1542 yeeres of Mary that then was born and now doth raigne for a scourge to this Realme as the progresse of her whole life has to this day declared The certainty that a daughter was born unto him coming to his ears he turned from such as spake with him and said The devill go with it it will end as it began it came from a woman and it will end with a woman From Mary daughter to Robert Bruse married to Walter Stuart he feared that his daughter should be married to one of another Name and Family but you see by Gods providence the Crown remains in one and the same Family and Name to this day notwithstanding the many Plots of the pretenders to the Crowne both at home and abroad After that he spake not many words that were sensible but ever harped on his old song Fie fled Oliver is Oliver taken all is lost In this mean time in his great extremity comes the Cardinall a fit comforter for a desperate man he cries in his eare Take order Sir with your Realme who shall rule during the minority of your daughter ye have knowne my service What will ye have done Shall there not be four Regents chosen And shall not I be principall of them Whatsoever the King answered Documents were taken That so it should be as my Lord Cardinall thought expedient As many affirme a dead mans hand was made to subscribe one blank that they might write above what it pleased them best the Cardinall having hired one Henry Balfour a Priest to make a false Testament which was done accordingly but in vain This finished the Cardinall posted to the Queen lately before delivered as is said At the first sight of the Cardinall she said Welcome my Lord is not the King dead What moved her so to conjecture divers men are of divers judgements Many whisper that of old his patte was in the pot and that the suspition thereof caused him to be inhibite the Queens company Howsoever it was
or controversie shall arise for whatsoever cause that is past present or to come betwixt any of us as God forbid in that case we shall submit our selves and our said questions to the decision of the Councell or to Arbitrators to be named by them c. Providing always That this be not prejudiciall to the ordinary Jurisdiction of Judges but that men may pursue their Actions by order of Law Civilly or Criminally as it pleaseth them This Contract and Band came not onely to the ears but also to the sight of the Queen Dowager whereat she stormed not a little and said The malediction of God I give unto them that counselled me to persecute the Preachers and to refuse the Petitions of the best part of the true subjects of this Realm It was said to me That the English Army could not continue in Scotland ten dayes but now they have lien neer a moneth and are more like to remain then they were at the first day that they came They that gave information to the Queen spake as worldly wise men and as things appeared to have been for the Countrey being almost in all the parts thereof wasted the Victuals next adjacent to Leith either brought into their Provision or else destroyed the Mills and other places as before is said being cast down it appeared that the Camp could not have been furnished except it had been by their own Ships and as that could not have been of any long continuance so should it have been little comfortable But God confounded all worldly wisedom and made his own Benediction as evidently to appear as if in a manner he had fed the Army from above For all kinde of Victuall there was more aboundant and at more easie prices in the Camp all the time that it lay after that eight dayes were past then either they have been in Edinburgh any of two yeers before or it hath been in this Towne to this day the 20 of May Anno 1566. The people of Scotland so much abhorred the tyranny of the French that they would have given the substance that they had to have been rid of that chargeable burthen which our sinnes had provoked God to lay upon us in delivering and giving into the hands of a woman whom our Nobility in their foolishnesse sold unto strangers and with her the Liberty of this Realme God for his great mercy sake preserve us yet from further Bondage in which we are like to fall if he provide not remedy for our Nobility will yet remain blinde still and will follow their affection come after what so may But to returne to our History The Camp abounding in all necessary Provision order was taken for continuation of the Siege and so the Trenches were drawn as neer the Town as possibly they might The great Camp removed from Lestarrig to the West side of the water of Leith and so were the Cannons planted for the Battery and did shoot at the Southwest wall But by reason all was earth the Breach was not made so great upon the day but that it was sufficiently repaired upon the night whereof the English-men beginning to be weary determined to give the Breach an Assault as that they did upon the seventh day of May beginning before the day light and continued till it was nigh seven a clock And albeit that the English and Scottish with great slaughter of the Souldiers of both were repulsed yet was there never a sharper assault given by so few hands for they exceeded not a thousand men that assaulted the whole two quarters of the Town and yet they damned the whole Block-house yea they once put the French clean off their Walls and were upon both the East and West Block-house but they lacked backing for their Scales lacked six quarters of the just height And so while the former were compelled to fight upon the top of the wall their fellows could not joyn to support them and so were they by multitude driven back again when it was once thought that the Town was won Sir Iames Crofts was blamed of many for not doing his duty that day for he was appointed with a sufficient number of the most able men to have assaulted the Northwest quarter upon the Sea side where at a low water as at the time of the assault it was the passage was easie But neither he nor his approached to their quarter appointed He had before at the first coming in spoken with the Queen Regent at the fair Block-house of the Castle of Edinburgh Whether she had enchanted him or not we know not but by suspition of that day in which he deceived the expectation of many and so farre as man could judge was the cause of that great repulse some ascribed the shortnesse of the Ladders to him but that omitted which might have proceeded of negligence his absence from the pursuit of his Quarter was the cause that such French as were appointed there to defend seeing no pursuer came to the relief of their fellowes and so they two joyning together with great slaughter gave the repulse to our Company The French-mens harlots of whom the most part were Scotish whores did no lesse cruelty then did the Souldiers For besides that they charged their Pieces and ministred unto them other weapons some continually cast stones some carried Chimneyes of burning fire some brought Timber and other impediments of weight which with great violence they threw over the wall upon our men but especially when they began to turn back Now albeit in all this we acknowledge to be the secret work of God who by such means would beat down as well the pride of England as of Scotland yet neither ought the feeblenesse nor falshood of man be excused neither yet the crueltie of the adversaries concealed The Queen Regent sat all the time of the assault which was both terrible and long upon the fore-Wall of the Castle of Edinburgh and when she perceived the overthrow of us and that the Ensignes of the French were again displayed upon the Walls she gave a gawfe of laughter and said Now will I go to the Masse and praise God for that which mine eyes have seen And so was Frier Black ready for that purpose whom she her selfe a little before had deprehended with his Harlot in the Chappell But Whoredom and Idolatry agree well together and that our Court can witnesse this day the 16 of May 1566. The French proud of the Victory stripped naked all the slain and laid their dead carkases before the hot Sun along the wall where they suffered them to lie more dayes then one Unto the which when the Queen Regent looked for mirth she leapt and said Yonder is the fairest tapistrie that ever I saw I would that the whole fields that is betwixt this place and you were strowed with the same stuffe This fact was seen of all and her words were heard of some and it
not fail to plague her He asked God mercy that he had so far born with her in her impiety and had maintained her in the same and that no one thing did him more grief then that he had flattered fostered and maintained in her fury against God and his servants And in very deed great cause had he to have lamented his wickednesse For besides all his other infirmities he in the end for the Queens pleasure became enemy to vertue and all vertuous men and a patron to impiety to the uttermost of his power yea his venome was so kindled against God and his Word that in his rage he bursted forth these words Do I see the Queens Majesty so troubled with the railing of these knaves I shall leave the best of them sticked in the Pulpit What further villany came forth of his stinking throat and mouth modesty will not suffer us to write whereof if he had grace unfainedly to repent it is no small document of Gods mercies But however God wrought with him the Queen regarded his words as winde or else thought them to have been forged by others and not to have proceeded from himself and affirmed plainly They were invented by the Laird of Pittarrow and Master Iohn Wood both whom she hated because they flattered her not in her dancing and other things One thing in plain words she spoke That God took alwayes from her those persons in whom she had greatest pleasure and that she repented But of farther sins no mention Whilst the Queen lay at Sterlin with her Idolatry in her Chappell in the Palace of Halyrud-house were left certain Duntiberis and others of the French Menzie who raised up their Masse more publikely then they had done at any time before For upon the same Sundayes that the Church of Edinburgh had the Ministration of the Lords Table the Papists in a great number went to the Abbey to their Abomination Which understood divers of the Brethren being sore offended consulted how to redresse that enormity And so were appointed certain of the most zealous and most upright in Religion to wait upon the Abbey that they might note such persons as resorted to the Masse and perceiving a great number to enter into the Chappell some of the Brethren thrust in also Whereat the Priest and French Dames being afraid made the Showt to be sent to the Town and Madame Baylie Mistris to the Queens Dountibures for maids that Court would not then well bear posted on with all diligence to the Comptroller the Laird of Pittarrow who then was in Saint Geills Church at the Sermon and cryed for his assistance to save her life and to save the Queens Palace Who with greater haste then need required obeyed her desire and took with him the Provest and Baylies and a great part of the faithfull but when they came where the fear was bruted to have been they found all things in quiet except the tumult they brought with themselves and peaceable men talking to the Papists forbidding them to transgresse the Laws True it is a zealous brother named Patrick Cranston past into the Chappell and finding the Altar covered and the Priest ready to go to his abominable Masse said The Queens Majesty is not here How dare you then be so malapert as openly to do against the Law No further was done or said and yet brute hereof was posted to the Queen with such information as the Papists could give Which found such credit as their hearts could have wished for which was so haynous a crime in her eyes that satisfaction for that sin was there none without blood And therefore without delay were summoned Androe Armstrong and Patrick Cranston to finde surety to under-lie the Law for fore-thought Fellony having made violent invasion into the Queens Palace and for spoliation of the same These Letters divulgate and the extremity feared the few Brethren that were within the Towne consulted upon the next remedy and in the end concluded That Iohn Knox to whom the charge was given to make advertisements whensosoever danger should appear should write to the Brethren in all quarters giving information as the matter stood and requiring their assistance which he did in manner as here ensueth The Superscription Wheresoever two or three are gathered together in my Name there am I in the midst of them T Is not unknown unto you dear brethren what comfort and tranquility God gave unto us in times most dangerous by our Christian Assemblies and godly Conference as oft as any danger appeared to any member or members of our own Body And how that since we have neglected or at least not frequented our Conventions and Assemblies The adversaries of Christ Jesus his holy Evangell have enterprised and boldned themselves publikely and secretly to do many things odious in Gods presence and most hurtfull to the true Religion now of Gods great favour granted unto us The holy Sacraments are abused by prophane Papists Masses have been and yet are said openly and maintained The blood of some of our dearest Ministers hath been shed without fear of punishment or correction craved by us And now last are two of our dear Brethren Patrick Cranston and Androe Armstrong summoned to under-lie the Law in the Tolbuith of Edinburgh the four and twentieth of this instant of October for a fore-thought Fellony pretended Murther and for invading of the Queens Majesties Palace of Halyrud-house with unlawfull convocation c. These terrible Summons are directed against our Brethren because that they with two or more passed to the Abbey upon Sunday the five and twentieth of August to behold and note what persons repaired to the Masse And because that upon the Sunday before the Queen being absent there resorted to that Idoll a rascall multitude having openly the least devillish Ceremony yea even the conjuring of their accursed water that ever they had in the time of greatest blindenesse But because I say our said Brethren past and that in most quiet manner to note such abusers these fearfull Summons are directed against them to make no doubt a preparation upon a few that a doore may be opened to execute cruelty upon a greater multitude And if so it come to passe God no doubt hath justly recompenced our former negligence and ingratitude towards him and his benefits in our owne bosomes God gave us a most notable Victory of his and our enemies he brake their strength and confounded their counsells he left us at freedome and purged the Realme for the most part of open Idolatry To the end that we ever mindefull of so wondrous a deliverance should have kept this Realme cleane from such vile filthinesse and damnable Idolatry But we alas preferring the pleasure of flesh and blood to the Pleasure and Commandment of God have suffered that Idoll the Masse publikely to be erected againe And therefore justly suffers he us now to fall in that danger That to look to an Idolater going to his
have done against the children of Reuben Gad and Manasses for their suspected Apostasie and defection from God And the whole Tribes did in very deed execute that sharp judgement against the Tribe of Benjamin for a lesse offence then for Idolatry And the same ought to be one wheresoever Christ Jesus and his Evangell is so received in any Realm Province or Citie that the Magistrates and people have solemnly avowed and promised to defend the same as under King Edward of late dayes was done in England In such places it is not onely lawfull to punish to the death such as labour to subvert the true Religion but the Magistrates and people are bound so to unlesse they will provoke the wrath of God against themselves And therefore I fear not to affirm That it had been the duty of the Nobilitie Judges Rulers and people of England to have resisted and gain-standed Mary their Queen with all the sort of her Idolatrous Priests together with all such as should have assisted her when that she and they openly began to suppresse Christs Evangell to shed the blood of the Saints of God and to erect that most devillish Idolatry the Papisticall abominations and his usurped tyranny which once most justly by common Oath was banished from that Realm But because I cannot at this present discusse this argument as it appertaineth I am compelled to omit it to better opportunity and so returning to your Honours I say That if ye confesse your selves baptized in the Lord Jesus as of necessity ye must confesse That the care of Religion doth appertain to your charge And if ye know that in your hands God hath put the sword for the causes above expressed then can ye not deny but that the punishment of obstinate and malapert Idolaters such as all your Bishops be doth appertain to your Office if after admonition they continue obstinate I am not ignorant what be the vain defences of your proud Prelats they claim first A prerogative and priviledge That they are exempted and that by consent of Councells and Emperouts from all Jurisdiction of the Temporalty And secondly when they are convinced of manifest impiety abuses and enormities as well in their manners as in Religion neither fear nor shame they to affirm That things so long established cannot suddenly be reformed although they be corrupted but with processe of time they promise to take order But in few words I answer That no priviledge granted against the Ordinance and Statutes of God is to be observed although all Councells and men on the earth have appointed the same But against Gods Ordinance it is That Idolaters murtherers false Teachers and Blasphemers shall be exempted from punishment as before is declared and therefore in vain it is that they claim for priviledge when God saith The murtherer shalt thou drive from my Altar that he may die the death And as to the Order and Reformation which they promise that is to be looked or hoped for when Satan whose children and slaves they are can change his nature This answer I doubt not shall suffice the sober and godly reader But yet to the end that they may further see their own confusion and that your Honours may the better understand what ye ought to do in so manifest a corruption and defection from God I ask of them What assurance they have of this their immunity exemption or priviledge Who is the author of it And what fruit it hath produced And first I say That of God they have no assurance neither yet can he be proved to be author of any such priviledge But the contrary is easie to be seen for God in establishing his Orders in Israel did so subject Aaron in his Priesthood being the figure of Christ to Moses that he feared not to call him in judgement and to constrain him to give accounts of his wicked deed in consenting to Idolatry as the History doth plainly witnesse for thus it is written Then Moses took the Calfe which they had made and burned it with fire and did grinde it to powder and scattering it in the water gave it to drink to the children of Israel declaring thereby the vanity of their Idol and the abomination of the same And thereafter Moses said to Aaron What hath this people done to thee that thou shouldest bring upon it so a great sin Thus I say doth Moses call Aaron and accuse him of the destruction of the whole people and yet he perfectly understood that God had appointed him to be the high Priest That he should bear upon his shoulders and upon his brest the names of the twelve Tribes of Israel for whom he was appointed to make sacrifice prayers and supplications He knew his dignitie was so great that onely he might enter within the most holy place but neither could his Office nor dignitie exempt him from judgement when he had offended If any object Aaron at that time was not anointed and therefore was he subject to Moses I have answered That Moses being taught by the mouth of God did perfectly understand to what dignitie Aaron was appointed and yet he feared not to call him in judgement and to compell him to make answer for his wicked fact But if this answer doth not suffice yet shall the Holy Ghost witnesse further in the matter Salomon removed from honour Abiathar being the High Priest and commanded him to cease from all function and to live as a private man Now if the Unction did exempt the Priest from Jurisdiction of the Civill Magistrate Solomon did offend and injured Abiathar for he was Anointed and had carried the Arke before David But God doth not reprove the fact of Solomon neither yet doth Abiathar claime any prerogative by the reason of his Office but rather doth the Holy Ghost approve the fact of Solomon saying Solomon ejected forth Abiathar that he should not be the Priest of the Lord that the word of the Lord might be performed which he spake upon the house of Eli. And Abiathar did thinke that hee obtained great favour in that hee did escape the present death which by his Conspiracie he had deserved If any yet reason That Abiathar was no otherwise subject to the judgement of the King but as he was appointed to be the executor of that sentence which GOD before had pronounced as I will not greatly denie that reason so require I that every man consider That the same God who pronounced sentence against Eli and his house hath pronounced also That Idolaters Whore-mongers Murtherers and Blasphemers shall neither have portion in the Kingdom of God neither ought to be permitted to bear any Rule in his Church and Congregation Now if the Unction and Office saved not Abiathar because that Gods sentence must needs be performed Can any priviledge granted by man be a Buckler to malefactors that they shall not be subject to the punishments pronounced by God I think no man
that there was three causes why the disciples knew not Christ but judged him to be a spirit The first cause was The darknesse of the night The second was The unaccustomed vision that appeared And the third was The danger and the tempest in which they so earnestly laboured for the safeguard of their selves The darknesse I say of the night letted their eyes to see him And it was above nature that a massie heavy and weighty body of a man such as they understood their Master Christ to have should walk go upon or be born up of the water of the raging Sea and not sink And finally the horrour of the tempest and great danger that they were in perswaded them to look for none other but certainly to be drowned And so all these three things concurring together confirmed in them this imagination That Christ Iesus who came to their great comfort and deliverance was a fearfull and wicked spirit appearing to their destruction What here happened to Christ Jesus himself that I might prove to have chanced and daily to happen to the verity of his blessed Word in all ages from the beginning For as Christ himself in this their trouble was judged and esteemed by his disciples at the first sight a spirit or phantasticall body so is the Truth and sincere Preaching of his glorious Gospel sent by God for mans comfort deliverance from sin and quietnesse of conscience when it is first offered and truely preached it is I say no lesse but judged to be heresie and deceivable doctrine sent by the devill to mans destruction The cause hereof is the dark ignorance of God which in every age since the beginning so overwhelmed the world that sometimes Gods very Elect were in like blindenesse and errour with the reprobate As Abraham was an Idolater Moses was instructed in all the wayes of the Egyptians Paul a proud Pharisee conjured against Christ and his Doctrine And many in this same our age when the Truth of God was offered unto them were sore afraid and cryed against it onely because the dark clouds of ignorance had troubled them before But this matter I omit and let passe till more opportunity The chief Note that I would have you well observe and mark in this preposterous fear of the disciples is this The more nigh deliverance and salvation approacheth the more strong and vehement is the temptation of the Church of God And the more nigh that Gods vengeance approacheth to the wicked the more proud cruell and arrogant are they Whereby it commonly cometh to passe That the very messengers of life are judged and deemed to be the authors of all mischief And this in many histories is evident When God had appointed to deliver the afflicted Israelites by the hand of Moses from the tyranny of the Egyptians and Moses was sent to the presence of Pharaoh for the same purpose such was their affliction and anguish by the cruelty which newly was exercised over them that with open mouthes they cursed Moses and no doubt in their hearts they hated God who sent him alleadging That Moses and Aaron was the whole cause of their last extreme trouble The like is to be seen in the Book of the Kings both under Elisha and Isaiah the Prophets For in the dayes of Ioram sonne of Achab was Samaria besieged by the King of Syria In which Samaria no doubt albeit the King and the most multitude were wicked there was yet some members of Gods Elect Church which were brought to such extreme famine that not onely things of small price were sold beyond all measure but also women against nature were compelled to eat their own children In this same City Elisha the Prophet most commonly was most conversant and dwelt by whose counsell and commandment no doubt the City was kept For it appeareth the King to lay that to his charge when he hearing of the piteous complaint of the woman who for hunger had eaten her own son rent his clothes with a solemne Oath and vow That the head of Elisha should not stand upon his shoulders that day If Elisha had not been of counsel That the city should have been kept Why should the King have more fumed against him then against others But whether he was the author of the defending the City or not all is one to my purpose for before the deliverance was the Church in such extremity that the chief Pastor of that time was sought to be killed by such as should have defended him The like is read of Hezekiah who defending his City Ierusalem and resisting proud Sennacherib no doubt obeying the counsell of Isaiah at length was so oppressed with sorrow and shame by the blasphemous words of Rabshakeh that he had no other refuge but in the Temple of the Lord as a man desperate and without comfort to open the disdainfull letters sent unto him by that hauty and proud tyrant By these and many Histories mo it is most evident that the more nigh salvation and deliverance approacheth the more vehement is the temptation and trouble This I writ to admonish you that albeit yet you shall see tribulation so abound that nothing shall appear but extreme misery without all hope of comfort that yet you decline not from God And that albeit somtimes ye be moved to hate the messengers of life that therefore ye shall not judge that God will never shew mercy after No deare Brethren as he hath dealt with others before you so will he deal with you God will suffer tribulation and dolour abound that no manner of comfort shall be seen in man to the intent that when deliverance commeth the glory may be his whose onely word may pacifie the tempest most vehement He drowned Pharaoh and his Army He scattered the great multitude of Benadad And by his Angel killed the hoste of Sennacharib And so delivered his afflicted when nothing appeared to them but utter destruction So shall he do to you beloved Brethren if patiently ye will abide his consolation and counsell God open your eyes that ye may rightly understand the meaning of my writing Amen But yet peradventure you wonder not a little why God permitteth such blood thirsty tyrants to molest and grieve his chosen Church I have recited some causes before and yet more I could recite but at this time I will hold me content with one The justice of God is such that he will not poure forth his extreme vengeance upon the wicked unto such time as their iniquity be so manifest that their very flatterers cannot excuse it Pharaoh was not destroyed till his own houshold servants and subjects abhorred and condemned his stubborn disobedience Iesabel and Athalia were not thrust from this life into death till all Israel and Juda were witnesses of their cruelty and abominations Iudas was not hanged till the Princes of the Priests bare witnesse of his Traiterous Act and iniquitie To
to the feet of those that by nature walk in darknesse the life to those that by sinne are dead a comfort to such as be in tribulation the tower of defence to such as be most feeble the wisedom and great felicity of such as delighteth in the same and to be short You know Gods Word to be of such efficacy and strength that thereby is sin purged death vanquished tyrants suppressed and finally the devill the author of all mischief overthrown and confounded This I say I write that ye knowing this of the holy Word and most blessed Gospel and voyce of God which once you have heard I trust to your comfort may now in this hour of darknesse and most raging tempest thirst and pray That ye may hear yet once again this amiable voyce of your Saviour Christ Be of good comfort it is I fear not And also that ye may receive some consolation by that blessed Gospel which before you have professed assuredly knowing That God shall be no lesse mercifull unto you then he hath been to other afflicted for his Names sake before you And albeit that God speedily removeth not this horrible darknesse neither suddenly pacifieth this tempest yet shall he not suffer his tossed Ship to be drowned Remember brethren That Gods vengeance plagued not Pharaoh the first yeer of his tyranny Neither did the dogges devour and consume both the flesh and bones of wicked Iezabel when she first erected and set up her Idolatry And yet as none of them escaped due punishment so did God preserve his afflicted Church in despight of Sathan and of his blinde and most wretched servants as he shall not fail to do in this great tempest and darknesse within the Realme of England And therefore yet again beloved in the Lord let the comfort of Gods promises somewhat quicken your dulled spirits exercise your selves now secretly in revolving that which sometimes you have heard openly proclaimed in your ears and be every man now a faithfull Preacher unto his brother If your communication be of Christ assuredly he will come before you be aware His Word is like unto sweet smelling Oyntment or fragrant flowers which never can be moved nor handled but forth goeth the odour to the comfort of those that stand by which is nothing so delectable if the Oyntment remain within the Box and the flowers stand or lie without touching or motion Mark well dear brethren before that Christ spake his disciples judged him to have been some wicked spirit which was to them no delectable savour But when he speaketh the sweet sound of his voyce pierceth their hearts For what comfort was in the hearts of the disciples when they heard these words Be of good comfort it is I that is Judge not that I am a spirit come to your destruction no even I am come for your deliverance It is I your Master yea your Master most familiar It is I whose Voyce and Doctrine you know for ye are my sheep It is I whose works you have seen although perfectly ye considered not the same It is I who commanded you to enter into this journey and therefore am I come to you now in the hour of your trouble and therefore be not afraid this storm shall cease and you shall be delivered What comfort I say dear brethren was in the hearts of the disciples hearing Christs voyce and knowing him by the same can neither the tongue or pen of man expresse but onely such as after long conflict and strife which is betwixt the Flesh and the Spirit in the time of extreme troubles when Christ appeareth to be absent feeleth at last the consolation of the holy Ghost witnesse and declare And Peter giveth some externall signe what Christs words wrought inwardly in his heart For immediately after he heard his Masters voice he saith Lord if it be thou command me to come unto thee upon the waters Here it may be seen what Christs voyce had wrought in Peters heart truely not onely a forgetting and contempt of the great tempest but also such boldnesse and love that he could fear no danger following but assuredly did believe That his Master Christs puissance power and might was such that nothing might resist his Word and Commandment and therefore he saith Command me to come As though he should say I desire no more but the assurance of thy Commandment If thou wilt command I am determined to obey For assuredly I know That the waters cannot prevail against me if thou speake the word So that whatsoever is possible unto thee by thy Will and Word may be possible unto me Thus Christ to instruct Peter further and us by his example condescended to his Petition and commanded him to come and Peter quickly leaving the Ship came down from it and walked upon the waters to come to Christ. Thus far of Peters fact in which lieth great abundance of Doctrine but I will passe over all that especially appertaineth not to the quality of this time within the Realm of England Before it is said welbeloved Brethren That sometimes the messengers of life are judged to be the very messengers of death and that not onely with the reprobate but also with Gods elect as was Moses with the Israelites Ieremiah with the City of Ierusalem and Christ himself with his Apostles But that is not a sin permanent and that abideth for ever with Gods elect but it vanisheth away in such sort that not onely they know the voyce of their Pastor but also they earnestly study to obey and follow it with the danger of their own lives For this is the speciall difference betwixt the children of God and the reprobate The one obeyeth God speaking by his Messengers whom they embrace with unfained love and that they do sometimes not onely against all worldly appearance but also against Civill Statutes and Ordinances of men And therefore in their greatest extremity receive they comfort beyond expectation The other alwayes resisteth Gods Messengers and hateth his Word And therefore in their great adversity God either taketh from them the presence of his Word or else they fall into so deadly despair that although Gods Messengers be sent unto them yet neither can they receive comfort by Gods promises neither follow the counsell of Gods true Messengers be it never so perfect and fruitfull Hereof have we many evident Testimonies within the Scriptures of God Of Saul it is plain That God so left him that neither would he give him answer by Prophet Dream nor Vision To Ahaz King of Iudah in his great anguish and fear which he had conceived by the multitude of those that were conjured against him was sent Isaiah the Prophet to assure him by Gods promise That his enemies should not prevail against him and to confirm him in the same the Prophet required him to desire a signe of God either from the heaven or beneath in the
the Author of all Trueth yea rather trueth it self should make a loud lie and therefore of necessitie it was that he should prove in experience what was the frailtie of mans nature and what was the imbecillity and weaknesse of faith even in those that were his chief Apostles which had continually heard his heavenly Doctrine seen daily his wonderfull Miracles which had heard themselves so many admonitions of him which also had followed and obeyed him in many things That imbecillitie and weaknesse of faith if Peter had not proved and felt it in himself neither could he rightly have praised Gods infinite goodnesse and imbraced his free mercy neither had he been apt and meet to have been a a Pastor to the weak sheep and tender lambs of Christ but he should have been as proud a contemner and dispiser of his weak brethren as the arrogant Papists that contemn and dispise all godly and great learned men though they be a thousand parts more excellent then they But to correct and informe both presumptuous arrogancy and fraile imbecilitie and weaknesse of faith Peter was permitted once to sink and thrice most shamefully to refuse and deny his Master to the intent that by the knowledge of his own weaknesse he might be the more able to instruct others of the same and also that he might more largely magnifie Gods free grace and mighty deliverance And that Christ taught him before his falling saying When thou art converted strengthen thy brethren As though Christ should have said Peter yet art thou too proud to be a Pastor thou canst not stoop nor bow thy back down to take up the weak sheep thou doest not yet know thine own infirmitie and weaknesse and therefore canst thou do nothing but despise the weak ones but when thou shalt be instructed by experience of thine own self what hid iniquitie lurketh within the nature of man then shalt thou learn to be humble and stoop among other sinners and also shalt be an example to others which after shall offend as thou didst so that if they repent as thou didst they need not despaire of mercy but may trust most assuredly of Christ to obtain grace mercy and forgivenesse of sins as thou didst This fruit have we to gather dear Brethren of Peters down-sinking in the sea which was a secret knowledge and privie admonition that he after should deny Christ that we are assured by the voice of Christ if in the time of trouble and extreme danger we crie with Peter we shall be delivered as he was and if we mourn for our deniall of Christ as hee did we shall finde the same grace and favour at Christs hand that hee found But now let us touch the third Note which is this That with Gods Elect in their greatest feare and danger there resteth some small sparke of faith which by one means or other declareth it selfe albeit the afflicted person in feare or danger doth not presently perceive the same As herein Peter is most cleare and manifest For perceiving himself to sink down he cryed saying Lord save me which words were a declaration of a lively and quick faith which lay hid within his afflicted and sore perplexed heart whose nature is I mean of faith to hope against hope that is against all appearance or likelihood to looke for help and deliverance as the words of Peter witnesseth that he did He saw nothing but the raging Sea ready to swallow him up He felt nothing but himself sinking down in body and sore troubled in heart and yet he cryed Lord save me Which words first delare that he knew the power of Christ able to deliver him For foolishnesse it had been to have called for the help of him whom he had known to be impotent and unable to help The calling for Christs help by prayer in this extream danger declared also that Peter had some hope through his gracious goodnesse to obtain deliverance For in extream perils impossible it is that the heart of man can cry for Gods help without some hope of his mercy It is also to be noted that in his great jeopardy Peter murmureth not against Christ. Neither doth he impute or lay any crime or blame upon Christ albeit at his commandment he had left his Bote. He saith not Why lettest thou me sinke seeing that I have obeyed thy Commandment Moreover Peter asked help at Christ alone of whom he was perswaded both could and would help at a pinch He cryed not upon Abraham Iacob Moses Samuel David Neither upon any other of the Patriarks Prophets or Saints departed neither yet upon his own fellows in the Bote but upon Christ at whose commandment he had left the Bote. All these things together considered declare that Peter in this his extreame fear and danger had yet some sparke of faith albeit in that present jeopardy he had neither consolation nor comfort For these premisses are undoubted tokens that he had faith But now to the end which is this And immediately Iesus stretched forth his hand and caught him and said unto him O thou of little faith wherefore diddest thou doubt And when they were come into the ship the winde ceased And they that were in the ship came and worshipped him saying Of a truth thou art the Sonne of God And immediatly the ship was at the Land whither they went Hereof first is to be Noted That God is alway nigh to those that call upon him faithfully and so willing is he to deliver them that neither can fear nor extreme danger hinder his godly hand Peter was sinking downe and looked for no other thing but present death and yet the hand of Christ prevented him That that was visibly and openly done to Peter in that his great perill is invisibly and secretly done to Christs holy Church and to the chosen Members of Christs mysticall Bodie in all ages How nigh and ready was the Hand of God to deliver his people Israel when they were almost overwhelmed with despair in the dayes of Moses and Hester the History doth witnesse How nigh was God to Daniel amongst the Lyons To Ionas in the Whales Belly to Peter in the prison is likewise most evidently declared in the holy Scriptures How suddenly and beyond all expectation was David many times delivered from Sauls tyrany his own heart confessed and compelled his pen to write and tongue to sing saying He sent from above and hath delivered me he hath drawn me forth of many waters Open your ears dear brethren and let your hearts understand That as our God is unchangeable so is not his gracious hand shortned this day Our fear and trouble is great the storm that bloweth against us is sore and vehement and we appear to be drowned in the deep but if we unfainedly know the danger and will call for deliverance the Lords hand is nigher then the sword of our enemies The sharp rebuke that Christ Jesus