giuen to Kings and none sorteth better with the intent end of their office which is as Aristotle admonisheth king Alexander 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Paul expresseth it in good English Hee is the Minister of God for thy good Tu regem patremque geras tu consule cunctis You haue heard how the Lord that is annoynted honoureth the Lords annoynted with Supremacie in his Iurisdiction with Maiestie in his Stile and Titles It is our dueties to wish him good lucke with his Honour Peace be within his Wals plenteousnesse within his Palaces for my Brethren Companions sake I will wish him prosperitie yea because of the house of the Lord J will pray for his good Now let vs see the last passage what interest the Apostles and their successors haue in this matter of Supremacie and Titles of Maiestie Our Sauiour takes it from them Positiuely Vos autem non sic You that are Apostles shall haue no such power Our Masters of the Church of Rome drawes it to them crookedly whether will ye beleeue him that was indifferent and without respect of persons or these that are partiall him in the trueth or these in their pride the Sonne of God or the Brethren of the Conclaue Amongst many differences that be betweene them this may be reckoned for one That we beleeue the Sauiour of mankinde vpon his word Jpse dixit is sufficient But the other must attend for no further credit from vs then they can winne by the euidence of their proofes And these are either Blasphemous or Triuiall They now say that wee must conceiue a secret implyed Oath in our Baptisme to yeelde obedience to the Pope A proofe full of horrible blasphemie true Christians will detest to sweare into the Popes wordes and to ioyne him in their Baptisme as a Consort with the three Persons of the holy and vndiuided Trinitie Hearest thou not this O Christ at the right hand of God How the Aduersaries for their owne greatnesse would euacuate and violate thy holy Baptisme The other proofes Feede my sheepe and Vnto thee will I giue the keyes for I reade no more in the writhen Diuine are ouerworne triuiall proofes vnbeseeming the cause which is now made one of the principall Articles of Faith as if none could be faithfull vnlesse he beleeue in the Pope vnfitting the person that alleageth them from whom the world did looke for Oracles and behold nothing but that which euery triobolour Papist can tel As to the former Paul in his farewell tould the Elders of Ephesus that The holy Ghost had made them ouerseers to feed the Church of God Wherein I note two things First the Office of Elders did consist in feeding Secondly that the Church of God which they must feede is of equipollent and of as large compasse as the sheepe of CHRIST Therefore if there bee any force in the words of our Sauiour vnto Peter for feeding his sheepe because they are indefinite There must needs bee the same in these of Paul to the Priests of Ephesus because they are equiualent And so euerie inferior Minister should hould a kinde of Soueraignetie in their places which peraduenture our Aduersaries may intend though it bee not expressed for they conceale many things till opportunitie serue But if the Pope by feeding of Christs sheepe may exercise authoritie ouer Kings be well assured that his inferior Ministers which haue the same power of feeding may and will practise the like vpon you that are Subiects Is it possible that any Subiects should bee in better Condition then their Soueraigne Doe not deceiue your selues my good Brethren friends the seruant is no better then his Master That which is good in the head of the Church against the heads of Kingdomes will alwayes be of validitie in the Members of the Church against the Subiects of kingdomes Therefore beware of them beloued They that dare attempt against the Maiestie and Persons of Kingdomes will much sooner attempt against your lands and liues goods Nothing shall be left vnviolable nothing remaine free in any part of the Common-wealth all must bee at the pleasure and mercie of the Pope his Priests You see how he is not content to sheare but will skin his sheepe so as no man hath cause to be sorie that hee is not of his fould Now looke vpon his Keyes if they bee as powerfull as the feeding of sheepe The keyes of the kingdome of heauen is a perspicuous exposition of the Gospel teaching men what way they may goe to Heauen and how to be saued This Key was not cōmitted to Peter alone but vnto all the rest of the Apostles Hoc dictum Tibi dabo Claves regni Coelorum caeteris quoque commune est Et quae sequuntur velut ad Petrum dicta sunt omnium cōmunia This sentence of Christ Vnto thee will I giue the keyes of the kingdome of Heauen is spoken to the other Apostles too and the wordes that follow which seeme to bee deliuered vnto Peter are common to all the rest Then if wee maruaile that they which are designed to the charge of expounding of the Gospel and opening Heauen vndertake other things by the power of their keyes as Kingdomes and Gouernments of the Earth wee doe it not without the warrant of Scripture Heere is a Patterne that our Sauiour leaueth to his Apostles in my Text Soueraignetie is interdicted and a Ministerie is enioyned them Bernard writ to as great a Pope as Paul the fift Quid vos alienos fines invaditis What doe you meane to enter vpon other mens rights Disce tibi Sarculo opus esse nō Sceptro vt opus Prophetae facias Vnderstand that an Hooke to weede withall is fitter for you then a Scepter to doe the office of a Prophet Esto vt quacunque alia ratione hoc tibi vendices non tamen Apostolico iure By what other right soeuer you can challenge this thing it is certaine you may not doe it by any right deriued from the Apostles Nec illud tibi dare Petrus potuit quod non habuit For that which Peter had not himself he could neuer conuey to the Pope And so hee concludeth I ergo tu tibi vsurpare aude aut dominans Apostolatum aut Apostolicus dominatum Goe too then vsurpe if you dare either a Lord-like Apostleship or an Apostolicall Lordship Planè ab alterutro prohiberis You are cleerely forbidden the one of the two Si vtrumque similiter habere voles vtrumque perdes If you will needes haue them both together you must needes loose them both Well then are not the Keyes sometimes a Cognisance of absolute Authoritie yes verily but that is Dauids Keye not Peters I but CHRIST had that keye too It is true but he did not communicate it to Peter or to any of the Apostles This saith he that hath the keye of Dauid then he had it he hath it still hee
A SERMON PREACHED BEFORE THE KINGS MOST EXCELLENT MAiestie in the Church of Beauly in Hampshire the thirtieth of July M.DC.IX BY CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON Doctor in Diuinitie and one of his Maties Chapleines DVBLIN Printed by the Societie of Stationers Printers to the Kings most excellâ—â—â— Maiestie Ann 1620 TO THE MOST HIGH and mightie Prince IAMES by the Grace of God King of Great Britaine Fraunce and Ireland Defendor of the Faith c. Most Renowned most Dread and most Gracious Soueraigne IT is not long since I heard a Recusant of vnderstanding and qualitie professe that the Spiritual presence of our Sauiour Iesus Christ in the holy Sacrament of the Lords Supper contented him sufficiently But he desired satisfaction at the same time in the matter of Supremacie and to haue reasons why Christian Princes should challenge it I promised to resolue him in that point too and had not any thing so readie to do it withall as certain collections which I gathered for a Sermon preached before your most Excellent Matie Those I haue now published that all of my charge may take coÌ„moditie to reade them for their satisfaction or vse And that they are like to do with more cheerefulnesse if your Matie wil be Gratiously pleased to let them passe vnder your Royall protection with the same Clemency now which you vouchsafed to countenaÌ„ce them withall when they were pronounced in your Sacred presence The Lord that hath giueÌ„ your Matie both this great power to be his LieutenaÌ„t a prudent heart to exercise it continue your happy Gouernement to the aduancemeÌ„t of his glory the comfort of these Churches and your owne Eternall honour Euen so prostrating my selfe to kisse your blessed hands I remaine Your Maiesties most humble and obliged Seruant and Almosner ARMAGH A TREATISE OF SOVERAIGNETIE LVC. 22.24 25. And there arose also a strife among them which of them should bee the greatest But he said vnto them The Kings of the Gentiles raigne ouer them they that rule ouer them are called gracious Lords But you shall not bee so c. THE Text deuideth it selfe into two principall parts In the former you see a Contention betweene the Apostles for SVPERIORITIE Their example serues to admonish vs that the Saints themselues are obnoxious to humane affections and neede the grace of God To this purpose the holy Ghost recordeth not only the examples of their vertues that thereby we might behold the richnes of Gods mercy towards his seruants but hee mentioneth their infirmities errors too Paul describes his owne Pharisaisme noteth Peters halting in the vse of things indiffereÌ„t John rehearseth his mistaking in the worshipping of Angels Things registred of purpose not for contumely vnto them but for instruction vnto vs. That by these monitions we should watch ouer ourselues more atteÌ„tiuely if Saints fall from their vertues what may befall vs in the midst of our sins From hence also wee receaue hope comfort in the sorrowes of our fals Audiant qui non ceciderunt ne cadant Audiant qui ceciderunt vt resurgant Let them that haue not fallen heare these things prouisionally that they doe not fall And let theÌ„ that haue fallen heare them exemplarily that they may rise againe Lastly this may teach vs to admire no man with superstition but to make the word of God our guide in the imitation of Saints we liue by lawes and not by examples And if wee desire to treade in the steps of holy men the Word will direct vs safely to followe them no further then they followe Christ I confesse that if any men were to bee followed this glorious Companie of the Apostles is most worthy of imitation But then let vs follow them in their Sanctimonie not in their Schisme in their vnanimitie and concord which they exercised in the Acts when they had receiued the holy Ghost not in their carnall strife Contention which of them should be the greatest Therefore let no man reioyce in men but if any will reioyce let him reioyce in God Securus gloriatur qui gloriatur in Domino The storie of this said Contention is frequent amongst the Euangelists and rehearsed often Heere Marc. 10. Matth. 20. and a Contention of the same nature is set downe Matth. 18. And wherevnto tends the ingemination of a thing that is not so memorable in it selfe Doubtlesse for the prevention premonition to the Church that it should not bee swayed with such ambitious prehensations and vast desires though they bee guilded ouer with Apostolicall stiles titles Apothecaries boxes sometimes haue the inscriptions of restoratiues when they be full of poison Affectation of greatnesse is repressed in the Apostles themselues in the rampant Bell-weathers of the Christian flocke and then how should it bee allowable in their successors or Apostolicall men It is not improbable that some such windie affection did thrust the Apostles into this strife but most certaine that those that vaunt themselues to be successors of the Apostles haue intertained quarrells with all the world by reason of some peculiar fauours and indulgences that CHRIST shewed to some of the Apostles aboue the rest Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke will I build my Church are thought to be very significant words that way But Paule telleth vs Petra erat Christus that Christ was that rocke and not Peter So saith God himselfe by Esay J lay in Sion a low corner stone elect and precious whosoeuer beleeueth and resteth on it shall not be coÌ„founded And no man can lay another foundation then that which is layd already which is Iesus Christ For Quis est Deus praeter Dominum Et quis est Petra praeter Deum nostrum Who is God but the Lord and who is the Rock saith Dauid except our God Again Vnto thee wil I giue the Keyes of the kingdome of Heauen are vsed to the like purpose But this strife proues directly that the Apostles made no coÌ„struction out of these wordes for Peters prerogatiue Had they conceiued any meaning that way it had ended the strife and Peter must haue beene the greatest But they renew their quarrell after these wordes they argued it againe and againe they insisted vpon it at the last Supper that euer they had with their Master Pregnant arguments that the Apostles vnderstood nothing of this graunt that is vrged What doe they thinke of Christ that knew the meaning of his owne wordes was he not willing to informe his Disciples to leaue quietnesse amongst them might he not haue done it with one word that Peter should be greatest or would hee reproue their Contention with an absolute non sic if he had concluded any thing for Peter formerly Multa coguntur male interpretari qui nolunt vnum rectè intelligere They are forced to interprete many things wrongfully that will not vnderstand one rightly It is euident in the 2. Gal. that Peter and Paul were allotted to seueral portions Peter
to the Jewes Paul to the Gentiles neither had Primacy or vniversall charge of the whole Church What shall wee say of the Primatiue times Then euery Church was gouerned by their owne Canons little respect was had of the Church of Rome to the great Councell of Nyce that appointed three other Patriarckes besides the B. of Rome to gouerne the Churches that were contiguous to the first Councell of Constantinople that gaue the B. of that See equall priuiledges with the B. of Rome to the Councell of Calcedon that confirmed them to the learned Fathers that vnderstood nothing of this Primacie for diuers hundreth yeares after CHRIST vntill the Church of Rome began to swell with the Dropsie of this Contention Then indeede men that were willing to serue such turnes found this liquor out of the places that I haue alledged to quench their mothers thirst But they beare witnesse to themselues and are not to be heard in their own cause vnlesse they compasse such a Decree as Stratocles did for Demetrius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whatsoeuer Demetrius will commaund shall bee holy before God and iust amongst men Therefore leauing Stratocles and his Bishop together to court the World for this Decree I returne to the occasion of the Apostles strife The neerest occasion of this Text seemes to bee taken from the death of CHRIST mentioned in the wordes precedent After his death they imagined he would set vp an earthly kingdome and so consequently enter in strife which of them should haue administration of it When Mariners fall out in a tempest at Sea which of them shall first cast himselfe ouer-board euerie one findeth their Contention absurd dangerous because an agreement in their seruice is most necessarie at such a time for preseruation of the Ship euen so is this difference of the Apostles What was the affectation of a Masterie but a renunciation to their Ministerie And that could neuer haue beene at a more vnseasonable time by reason of CHRIST his death being then imminent When the Sheepheard was to bee smitten the sheepe had occasion to runne together into an holy Concord either to preuent or to adiourne the scattering and dissipation to come When the Bridegrome was readie to be taken away teares and lamentations would haue suted well with the Children of the marriage chamber To haue no apprehension of sorrow at his death by whose life they had receiued the sweetnes of Comfort no concussion of feare when their Master should be taken from their heads but euen then to deuise of their owne affaires to attend and to meditate of their future power was certainely an vntimely fruite of ambition which is like the Bitch if I may speake it with your reuerence that for hast throwes out her puppies blinde Is this the kindnesse that they shew to their Master O worthy Elizeus how affectionat were thine obsequies in the like case you may remember That hee could neither be perswaded nor beguiled nor forced from Elijah when he should haue beene taken from him but left all other thoughts did cleaue to his Masters side with an inseparable resolution As the Lord liueth and as thy soule liueth I will not leaue thee And did the sonne of God deserue lesse respect from his Apostles then the Tishbite had from the sonne of Shaphat verily no. Where then is their zeale where is their retaliation where is the desire of Peters deuoted affection Lord to whom shall wee goe thou hast the words of eternall life Forsooth a strong imagination of a kingdome hath suppressed them all Graunt all that they expected that CHRIST would leaue them an earthly kingdome Yet pretenders should stay till things were readie and not burie their predecessors aliue But their hopes of such a kingdome were verie fantasies and great thoughts of heart How should he leaue that to them which hee had not himselfe The confession he made before Pontius Pilate is an indefesible euidence That his kingdome is not of this World therefore hee could not leaue them an earthly kingdome They had promise of an eternall kingdome and there can bee no eternitie but in that which is spirituall All corporal things haue their fatall periods and spirituall things onely are permanent in eternitie The Prophets describe the kingdome of Christ with wordes of externall Maiestie but then they adde the doctrine of his Passion and imply an other kind of Maiestie then the world affordeth Heere Kings must be suffered they must not suffer To be short Christ left not his glorification and kingdome vnmentioned yet confesseth plainely enough by washing his Disciples feete that his kingdome consisteth in a Ministerie not in any outward Soueraignetie command The Sonne of man came not to bee ministred vnto but to minister Marke therefore the vanitie of this Contention they striue for precedencie in Christs corporall kingdome but seeing there is no such corporall kingdome as I haue alreadie proued neither can there bee any such greatnesse as they imagine so their Contention comes to a matter of nothing conceaued of winde and ends with winde Indeede Contentions Kingdomes greatnesse in such great places are nothing belonging to the Apostles and Ministers of Christ as appeareth in his Censure following But he said vnto them the kings of the Gentiles raigne ouer them c. I doubt not but you see that the Apostles came into a iust reprehension and deserued sharpe reproofe yet because they offended not of malice but of ignorance and were carried along with the current of that time which reduced all the promises of Christ his gouernment to an earthly kingdome therefore their sweete and milde Master instructeth them friendly without bitternesse reserueth the thunderboults of his seueritie for the obstinate and incorrigible Hee exhibiteth the disposition that Esay foretold Heere is no Contention no Clamour no contumelius insultation but a graue and quiet instructiō He breaketh not a brused Reed he quencheth not smoking flaxe For hee considereth whereof we be made he remembreth that we are but dust I can compare the kindnesse of his facilitie to nothing more aptly then to the bowells of the Euangelicall sheepheards how affectionately did they yearne after the lost Sheepe He contemned it not though it were but one Hee neglected it not through slouth giues not ouer his loue when it was gone he seeketh it finding it deales not roughly nor frowardly but fairely and tenderly with it leaues it not when it was wearie but layes it vpon his shouldiers O good Sheepeheard that paines himselfe to giue ease to a poore wearie sheepe Can ye tell me whether was greater his care and endeuour when the sheepe was lost or his compassionate intreaty sweet indulgence when it was found againe was he more carefull in the former or gracious in the latter or incomparable in both Such are the bowells of our Sheepeheard I serue him for the one loue him for the other And though
it followeth in the storie that at length hee made peace with all the nations round about Concerning Officers Rex Assuerus Aman quamuis alienigenam ad id honoris euexit vt cunctis Persarum Medorum Principibus anteferretur Et Mordechaium totius honoris dignitatis eius successorē constituit The Book of Kings and Chronicles yeeld cleere testimonies that these Offices were in the Kings dispose hee placed and displaced them all euen the high-Priests too Pope Boniface the 8. would haue put himselfe into these rights in Frāce But he got a Great fooliship for this attempt Sciat maxima tua fatuetas c. and then was quiet Who can doubt of the matter of appeale that reads Pauls prouocation vnto Cesar I stand at Cesars iudgement seate where I ought to be iudged not only in respect of himselfe because hee could not decline that iurisdiction but of all others besides for none could exempt him because Cesar had the last resort and supreame Iudicature Last of all the grace of deliuerance and pardoning criminalls was in the King else Ioab was mistaken in the middest of his subtilitie when he sent the woman of Tekoah to Dauid Dauid Salomon were mistaken too the one when hee pardoned Absolon and Shemey the other when he gaue to Abiathar the high priest his life Thou art worthy of death but I will not kill thee goe to Anathoth to thine owne fields Hee did confine him Now who can denie the Kings Supremacie seeing all the particulars of Soueraignetie meete together in his person Peter graunts it Submit yourselues to all maner ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether it bee to the King as hauing more then all that is the force of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And in my poor vnderstāding he that hath power boue all must needes bee Supreame But why doth Peter call it a humane ordinance The Kings power is like to Pearles that are found heere below but carrie a resemblance of Heauen in their brightnesse and Orient colours Such is the authority that I treat of S. Peter calls it a humane ordinance because it is conuersant here vpon earth and exercised amongst men But it may iustly challenge an higher parentage when the beautie therof is marked and the emoluments considered Then it is like to Daniels goodly Tree of whose fruite all mortall men doe tast and eat vnder whose shadow they also take rest and comfort How often haue those holy Fathers run to the defence and succour of this Tree in stormes which now in their faire Sunne-shine goe about to shroude lopp the branches O vnthankefull remembrancers But to the point If this power be of men how is it sacred and if it be from heauen why should it not be Soueraigne The Royall Law is this Thou shalt make him King ouer thee whom the Lord thy God shall choose The people haue no authoritie to make a King no voyces nor interest in the businesse when they desire a King God reserueth that power to himselfe You know who saith it Acts 13. When the people of Jsrael desired a King God gaue vnto them Saul the Sonne of Cys Samuel did not appoint him the people did not chuse him but God To morrow about this time I will send thee a Man him shalt thou annoynt There is Samuels warrant And will you see what part the people had Samuel assembled the people the tribe of Benjamin was taken So Saul the sonne of Cys was taken And Samuel said see you not him whom the Lord hath chosen Nor Priest nor Prophet nor people had Nomination Election or Approbation of the King but God did all according to the reseruation of his own Law The people were beholders no actors they did take Conditions they could make none Hoc erit ius Regis This shall bee whether you translate it the Kings right or his manner It is an Item to Subiects that they can neuer Capitulate with their Prince If you translate it the Kings right then that may not be inuaded If you translate it His manner or custome that creates an other right and cannot handsomely be auoyded Heere is the difference between a Law that giueth right a Custome that maks a manner in the former there is an expresse allowance in the second a secret consent The appointment of the second King was like vnto the first and the third also was assigned to Dauid by God The greatest diffrence was that Gods Election began then to be hereditarie and to bee declared by succession But mens inheritances take not away Gods right they confirme it rather because he appointeth heires Ego dixi dij estis He calleth them Gods to whom the Word of God came Which speech of Christ is an Hebraisme signifying that Kingdomes Gouernments come not by authority or practise of men but by Gods holy Ordinance and Commission The Word of God must come vnto them before they can be called Gods And so I will shut vp this point with that which they say Peter spake to Birthwould a Moncke of Glassenburie when hee was anoynting Edward the Confessor as I remember The Moncke was inquisitiue who should succeed him in the kingdome And Peter answered Ne talia cures Sir Moncke trouble not your head with such cares Regnum enim Angliae Dei regnum est For the Kingdome of England is Gods kingdome Euen so Lord IESVS let it euer continue that it may bee safe vnder the shadow of thy wings If the Monckes vision were true it brings our Superuisors of kingdomes a Supersedeas from Peter that should be of some force amongst those that crie nothing but Peter Peter If it be not true yet it shews what the opinion of the world was then namely That the disposition of kingdomes belongeth to God alone And that the Care of Titles and Successions was no fit Meditation for Monckes and Parsons of that rancke Thus much for the Supremacie of the Kings power Now the stile of Kings followeth which our SAVIOVR in this place would haue proportionable to the Maiestie of their places wee are commanded To giue honour to whom honour belongeth Surely none hath such right vnto it as the King And the first part of honour consisteth in Tearmes and Titles of respect My sonne feare the Lord and the King and meddle not with them that are seditious God and the King are proposed ioyntly and made the Obiects of our feare therefore the Holy Ghost inioyneth vs to performe no perfunctorie or vulgar reuerence to Kings but that which is Sacred Cordiall Bring such reuerence all Complements of Honour will follow to content Christian Princes And remember that as they haue Gods Chaire and represent Gods image so hee hath communicated his Name vnto them which containeth the amplitude of all Honour Heere the Sonne of God calleth them Benefactors or gracious Lords a Title anciently