might prone out of the word kill that he is not the head but the headsman of the Church For out of the word eate we maie conclude him to bee the mouth I maie saie as Cato spake to Lentulus Dicam cos falli qui te negant habere os I saie they are much deceiued who denie him to haue a mouth and a fowle one to Euen such a mouth as vttereth blasphemies Whose lips haue the poisō of Aspes Whose tongue is sharpned like a Serpents Whose teeth be like to Lions teeth And whose throat is an open sepulchre Yea a deuouring Sheol hel it selfe Thus he is the mouth Now that he is not so much the head as the headsman of the Church may be proued by those manie stratagems engines tortures burnings broylings rackings dilaniating murthering massacring wherby the Pope hath made the Church the shame shambles of the worlde as maie be seene by the manifolde floods of warm reaking gore blood that he hath shed and by the soules of the Martyrs crying vnder the Alter How long Lord Iesus Bellarmine and Baronius in this are like to those wicked Iudges founde in a diuerse tale the one out of kill the other out of eate making him their head and therfore they well deseruing by him to bee rewarded the one by beeing his butcher the other his cooke I could proceed further in the discribing of this child of the deuil and father of darknes whose religion is rebellion whose planters are supplāters whose professors be Traitors whose oracles bee lyes whose miracles bee strawes But J come to my Text. Jn that potestes data wee must consider another 2 fold power power in hoc seculo power in futuro That the Saints of God shal enioie power ouer nations In hoc seculo as the Glosse interpreteth in finali Iudicio as Lyra readeth In vtroque as Austin testifieth Gloss Lyra. Austin Hugo Hierom. In this life to come super motus Carnales saith Hugo in this life to come super thronos iudicātes tribus Israell saith Hierome So that here and hence in this life and that to come in earth and in heauen Doct. The Saints shal be sure to receiue power ouer Nations the Doctrine is this that the Saints of God shal receiue in this in God in the life to cōe with God more true glory and honour and power then euer any Monarch had vpon the earth I need not to proue this the verie text promiseth to giue power ouer nations This power Christ calleth a kingdome Luk. 12. Math. calleth it an heauenlie Mat. 21.24 Luke a blessed kingdome Luk. 14.15 Peter an eternal kingdome 2. Pet. 1.11 because you shal not thinke it a kingdome without a Crowne C. hath promised a Crowne yea an immarcessible Crowne 1. Pet. 5.4 and to the inestimable price hee hath added glorie a Crowne of glorie Esay 28.5 and to this glorie hee hath added Righteousnes a Crowne of righteousnes 2. Tim. 4.8 and to this righteousnesse hee hath added life a Crowne of life Revel 2.10 Vse The vse of this doctrine is to enflame the soules of the godlie and to stir them vp to the seeking of this kingdome All the world cannot afforde more riches honour pleasure glorie power and confluence of ioieful comfort then this kingdome O then striue resist wrestle run the race fight the finish the course that you maie ouercome My most gratious soueraigne let it not be offensiue that I haue beeene so bould in a time of such gratious and glorious peace to moue this assembly to fight especially seeing the Gospel is a Gospel of peace we that preach that Gospel are bound to the peace by S. Paul Seeing I haue begun to speake 1. Tim. 3.3 O let not my Lord the king be now angry God hath chosen and apointed and anointed your Maiestie to fight his battels hee hath giuen you the head of Salomon the hart of Dauid hand of Gedeon to make you able to ouercome Hee hath already giuen you power ouer nations in the vāquishing of Heresie Poperie Idolatrie He hath enabled your highnesse in this high woorke to establish true religion in one kingdome to confirme it in a nother to found it in on to finde it in a nother to plant it in the oue to water it in the other and at the length to ioine both in on so that male diut sum is become bene coniunctū O let these kingdomes neuer knowe that fallacie a bene coniunctis ad male diuisa Those that God hath ioined to gether let no man put a sander If euer the Lord verified that prophecy of Esekiell Faciam eos ingentem vnam hee hath now surely they are one and noe more two peoples neither deuided any more so that your Maiestie may saie with Caesar veni vidi vici but J hope your Maiestie will rather speak with a more Christian Caesar then he was Carolus Quintus whose woords were vidi veni at Deus vicit by him you liue moue breath haue being to be a King and Conquerour For if euer God ouercame for any or ever any ouer came by God your Maiestie maie glorie in it as much as euer any that breathed J maie saie that God ouercame more gloriously for you by a weake small vnimaginarie Charactericall armie then euer he did by the sun against the Aramits by the fier against the Sodomits by the starrs against the Cananits by the water against the Aegyptians or by the earth against the Murmerers hee ouercame more powerfully more miraculously for your highnesse in an army of letters by a Schedule schrole paper gūne of their owne making then euer be overcame for anie since the first daie of the world As hee hath ouercome for your Maiestie so hath hee apointed your Maiestie to ouercōe for him to ouercome and Conquer all the monsters you find in this king dome the Bethauen of Idolatrie the Gilgall of Heresie the houses of bribery the Churches of Symony the seats of iniustice and offices of oppression the possessions of sacriledge the professions of Athessme Matchavelisme Anabaptisme Barrowisme Paganisme Pa pisme And this shall be the victory whereby yee shal overcome even your faith your Maiestie is the defender of the faith O be an overcomer in this faith that so this land maie obey you your subiectes maie serue you your seruants may praie for you the whole world may honor you the Lord may reward you And there may neuer be wanting one of your roial seede to sit in holines and happines vpon the throne of these kingdomes vntil Christ Iesus come to iudgmēt Let al true Christian subiects saie Amen My Honourable Lordes yee oracles of our wisdome and Chariots of our Jsrael seeing I haue beene bold to speake vnto my Lord the King let mee finde fauour in your sight to shew you how you maie finde fauour in Gods sight Heauen is the hauen whether ye desire to come otherwise though now your state be
honorable it wil be most miserable To heauen if ye desire to come here ye must overcome yea you your selues my thrice Hon Lords must your selues endeuour to ouercome though worthilie you be imploied in the greatest state of the kingdome O forget not the state of the greatest kingdome though yee be Domint Terrae yet yee are but terra Demint though yee were the Lords of the whose world yet the whole world cannot ouercome for you Jt is only your faith this is the aime the scope the marke the armour the complement the weapon of your warfare the victorie of your combat euē your faith Not your wit wisdome honour followers not armies not navies be able to ouercome for you Not wit it is vertues wanton iudgments ouerthrow Not wiscom it is the peoples talke the statists opinion Not eloquence it is deceipts Councellour Hipocrisies advancer Not honour it is ennies obiect cares subiect Not friends they are but profits guard affections we thercockes Not armies they are wraths executioners deaths purseuants Not navies they are the Oceans wracke and the windes run awaies Not al the world and the power thereof for the victorie of that power is but the swords whetstone and cruelties want O thē remember the weapons of your warfare are not carnal but spiritual therefore take vnto you the whole Armour of God that yee maie bee able to resist in the euil daie hauing finished all things stand fast Yee haue latelie celebrated the festiuitie of S. Georges knights with manie laudable honourable and religious ceremonies Long maie yee so celebrate it to the glorie of your God ioie of your King honor of your nation and eternal perpetuitie of loue among your selues Might I presume I could shew your Honors another order of knighthood not an new order for I am sure it was the first that euer was in Christendome and in the scriptures heraldrie you maie finde it emblasoned by the proper armes robes motto Schutchion that belong to this order The order of S. Vincent it is the order of the Saint in my Text Vincenti the order of Saint Vincent But it is such an order that whosoeuer be knights of this order must first be knights of the bath they mustwash and bathe themselues as David did and then they shal be dubd and double knighted and then God who is the soveraigne of the order and Christ Iesus the Prince of Peace the President of the order and the holy spirit the Bishop of our soules and Prelate of the order and the Angels the guardians and heavenly heralds of that order shal bring forth the vnder robe purity the vpper robe righteousnes the Helmet salvation the sword the spirit the Eschouchion a white crosse in a bloody fielde vnder the Crosse a Serpent latent and a Lyon couchāt Death and hell ouer the Crosse a Crowne triumphant a lawrell slorant honour and power and the motto Vincenti dabitur And this is the most honorable order of knighthood he that is of this order of S. Vincent is not onlie a knight of the Bath but a knight of S. Michaell for he hath overcome the deuil and a knight of Saint George for he hath ouercome the olde Dragon and a knight of the Temple for he is the Temple of the holy Ghost and a knight of the holy Ghost for the holy spirit of God dwelleth in him O that yee were such knights such Conquerours I shoulde nowe returne againe vnto my Lorde the King to beseech his Maiestie to establish this order but who am I that should I presume so much I feare mee I haue already presumed to too much I wil goe to my heaunely Lord the King beseech him to establish it in you all that you may all ouercome be al rewarded that what at this time yee haue herd carefully you maie conceaue rightly beleeue faithful lie discerne fruitfullie and practise effectually that at the length you may receaue your reward in the Court of that celestial Citye the gates wherof bee of pearle the streets of gold the walls of pretious stones the Tēple God the light the lambe the Cheere ioye the exercise singing the Quire Angells the Hymne Haleluiah Amen Amen FINIS
is not so properlie said to doe good as to be compelled to doe it by the good spirit of God And the Apostle teacheth that it is not in him that willeth or in him that runneth but in God which enableth vs we can doe al things Austen endeth al this in his 3. booke de lib. Arbit 16. Esay Deus velle praecepit posse praebuit et non impune nolle permisit God commands all men to be willing he giueth vnto some his grace to be able he permitteth others to remaine vnwilling but neuer to remaine vnpunished And therfore our prayer must be as the same fathers is Da Domine quod iubes iube quod vis giue vs O Lord abilitie to doe what thou commandest and coÌ„maunde what thou wilt for without thee our knowledge is ignorance our power is infirmitie our sight is blindnes our light is darknes our strength is weaknesse But J have founded a retrait too longe from my warfare he that ouer commeth The heathens had sundrie times at which they did especially practise militarie actions and points of chiualtie had their Nemea Istmia Pythia Olympia in which they did exercise striuing wrestling runing fighting and other feats of Martialisme The verie saÌ„e exercises hath God appointed for his seruaÌ„ts he hath appointed them to runne 1. Cor. 9.24 per viam man datorum Ps 119.32 per viam patientiae Heb. 12.1 he hath appointed them to resist Eph. 6.13 in fide 1. Pet. 1.9 In sanguine Heb. 12.4 hee hath appointed them to wrestle Eph. 6.12 vsque ad auroram Gen. 32.35 adversus principatus adversus potestates adversus muÌ„di dâ—minos adversus spirituales astutias Eph. 6.12 hee hath appointed vs to fight Iob. 14.14 non secundum carneÌ„ 2. Cor. 10.3 sed bonam militiam militare 1. Tim. 1.18 and in all these the life of a Christian is a busie stirring agonizing trade of life a pressing to the marke a striuing to enter in at the narrowe gate and a violeÌ„t suprising of the kingdome of heauen So the doctrine hence to be obserued is this Doct. that Christianitie is not a liceÌ„tious or a libertine like securitie but an earnest painful watchful Conflicting Combating life And whosoeuer wil vndergoe this be coÌ„teÌ„ted to take presse mony in this warfaring life shal be sure to haue God stil helping strengthning encouraging CoÌ„forting and assisting so that what is faynedly reported of Pindarus to be continuallie assisted by Apollo Lycurgus by Pithia Numa by Aegeria Socrates by his Genius Phiddias by his Iupiter and Philemon by the Muses may more truelie be said of the Lord our God who doeth continuallie assist his seruants to the last of their life to ouercome Manie things are said to ouercome the word of God to ouercome man that word made man to ouercoÌ„e for man man himselfe by repentance and praier to ouercome God by faith hope charitie to ouercome al spiritual aduersaties The word of God powerful to ouercome strong holdes and to cast downe and ouerthrow euerie high thing 2. Cor. 10.5 witnes Niniueh imperious insolent intollerable Niniueh Niniueh the imperial coÌ„mander of the Easterne parts prowde of her wals and bulwarks Niniveh the mother Cittie of Assiria the Metropolis of the Countrie the goldeÌ„ head of the picture the glorie of the earth the seate of the Empire the Ladie of the East and the Queene of the Nations so strong so potent ouercome with this word yet fortie daies and Niniveh shal be destroied The message of their ouerthrow ouerthrew the messuage saith Chrysost the prophecie fel the Cittie fel not because her fal was prophecied Vincit verbuÌ„ The word made man ouercame for man Christ saith Ioh. 16. I haue ouercome the world witnesse that bloodie conflict when Mount Calvary was the field the Crosse the bloody banner his blessed body the weapon of his warfare his anguishes his armies My God why haste thou forsaken me the Trumpet his death the life his miserie the victorie his crucifying the conquest his Tortours the Triumph Vincit Christus Repentance overcommeth Affliction is said to ouercome man and Repentance is somewaie said to ouercome God for as Affliction causeth man to turne to God so repetance causeth God to turne to man Apostrophe in man froÌ„ God breeds Apostrophe in God from man Epistrophe in man to God begets Epistrophe in God to man Repentance in man begets Repentance in God non per naturam sed per effectum though the heauens bee readie to plague vs the sun moone to raigne downe blood vpon vs the fire hote burning coles the aire I hunderbolts the earth readie to swallow vs the water to drowne vs hel to deuour vs nay al the hosts of the God of hosts to ouercome vs yet by faithfull repentance wee ouercome them all Vincit Penitentia Praier doth ouercome For it is not onlie Angelis solatium Aug. Daemonibus flagellum animae praesidiuÌ„ as Austine speaketh But it is more it is Eliahs key Moyses rod Iacobs sword and bow Davids shield and speare the most powerful of al the weapons of a Christian I wil fetch but one drop from the Ocean to proue this When Egypt was smitten and Pharaoh plagued and their waters and riuers and streames and ponds and pooles and vessels of stone were silled with blood and frogs and lice and botches and soares and haile and thunder and lightning and grashoppers morreine and darknes were sent vpon the Countrie By Moyses praiet they were remoued dispersed scattered demolished vtterlie dissipated as the dust before the winde Vincit Oratio Oratio paenetrat coeluÌ„ So might I speak of faith hope and charitie which be most forcible singuler effectual powerful energeticallie potent I had almost said omnipotent in the trials trauils battels warfare combates conflicts conquests victories triumphs trophes of the Saints To end this point God hath made man a Christian and dubd euerie Christian a knight Eph. 6. prouided him the armor of God nay God for his armor giuen spirite to his sword for it is the sword of the spirit giuen safety to his helmet for it is the helmet of saluation righteousnesse for his brestplate for it is the brest plate of righteousnesse faith for his shield for it is the shield of faith veritie for his girdle for it is the girdle of veritie giuen him the Gospel of Peace for his feet for his feet bee shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace This is now that Complete knight Hauing on his feet spurs guilt with his blood who tooke awaie the guilt of the law on his head a helmet saluation on his hart a brest plate righteousnesse on his loines a girdle veritie in his hand a sword the spirit on his whole bodie a robe the seamelesse garment the Lord Iesus Christ and vpon this garment putting on an armour Armaturam Dei naie more Armaturam Deum the whole armour of God naie whole God for his Armour Euerie man is