IN the beginning of this Chapiter wee haue Saul persecuting, and Dauid persecuted; the Ziphians discouering him, Dauid his espies, Saul sleeping with his souldiours, the comming of Dauid with Abishai to Sauls campe in the night: and nowe in this part of Scripture we heare the conference and disputation of A­bishai and Dauid.

The argument and question is, whether Saul the king may bee lawefully slaiue by them his subiectes or no?

As the persons are two,A generall diuision of the Text. so are the partes of this speach two: first Abishai the Opponent, ob­iecteth and defendeth the Affirmatiue, requesting withall that hee may kil him. Secondly Dauid [Page 2]the Respondent, holdeth the Negatiue, denying that act to be lawful.

A matter in mine opinion most necessary for Preachers to entreate of, and for vs all to heare and consider of in these daies, when subiects vt­terly forgette their duety and reuerence, which they owe to the sacred Maiesty of Princes, and to all lawfull Magistrates. A thing long since prophecyed of by God in his holy word, and in al ages detested of the better sort. Iesaiah among other things prophecieth that the boy shal pre­sume against the Auncient, Iesaia. c. 3 & the vile against the honorable. Paul also prophecieth of these la­ter times, [...]. Tim. 3. that men shall bee fierce, enimies of the good, traitors, headdy, high-minded, The hainousnes hereof, both Heathen and Christians haue abhorred. The mistocles a notable captaine, being banished from his vnthankeful country by the Athenians, & entertained of Xerxes King of the Persians, was willed, according to his pro­mise, to subdue Graecia vnto his Empire: but rather then hee woulde betray his country, hee dranke vp a bole ful of Buls bloud,Plutarch. and so after his sacrifices and prayers to his Gods, gaue vp the ghost. Vsthazares chamberlaine to Sapor King of the Persians, beeing apprehended for his confession of Christ, and refusing to woorship the Sunne their God,Sor. lib. 2. cap. 9. doth onely make this petition to the King, that by the voice of a cryer it might [Page 3]be proclaimed & signified to al men: Vsthazares is beheadded, not for any treasō, or crime in the Kings court, but that he is a Christian, and re­fusing to obey the king, cannot abide to deny his God. So much was the very name of a trai­tor abhorred of thē. Now, seeing the enormity of the fault, & necessity of the time, giue me leaue to speake to you as Bernarde once did in the like case vnto the Romanes, Epist. 24 [...] departing from the Pope Eugenius. When the heade a keth, dooth not the toung cry for al the partes of the body, that they ake also with the head? Ego corporis membrum minimum. As he, so I, the smallest and simplest member of our bodie, craue leaue to vt­ter our common griefe, for the heade and Soue­raigne of this Realm, of late without cause trou­bled and assaulted by open and priuy practises of such as ought to haue been true subiectes, and faithful countrymen. And for this purpose haue I chosen this parcell of Scripture, in the which wee may first learne the wickednes it selfe in the person of Abishai, and next in the person of Da­uid a controulment and a confutation of it, as in the Sermons following shall be declared.

Touching the first, when hath there not bin an Abishai? Naie some worse then Abishai, seekers and suckers of bloud?1 Part. Abishai would haue Saul a wicked persecutor dispatched out of the waie,Treason auncient and news o­thers conspire against the godly and innocent. [Page 4] Abishai vseth more good maner in asking leaue of Dauid, others headdily attempt the same, con­sulting nether with God, nor with good men, but only with their owne frontike pates, or factious mates, Abishai yealdeth reasons, that he may dee it: The authority of God, the opportunity of the time, the possibility and easines of the fact: for he saith, God hath deliuered thine enimy into thyne hand this day, and he saw both Saul, and Abner, and the people in a deadly sleepe, and pro­miseth at one blow to destroy him, but the others doe far differ from Abishai, especially in the ma­ner howe they doe it, and in the causes why they doe it.

The manner is,The manner of Traitors. not only fiercely, and forcibly to rise against man, but most communelie and cunningly with sweete and faire words to com­mit this foule and filthy Act. The first murderer that euer was, vsed this pleasant speach, speaking to Abel as it is in the greeke text: Brother, let vs goe walke into the field; but a good beginning in shewe, brought an il ende, according to that which is written by this our Dauid against his false familiar friend, The woords of his mouth were softer thē butter, Psa. 55. yet war was in his hart: his woordes were more gentle then oyle, yet they were swordes. And also by his Sonne Sa­lomon: A man that flattereth his neighbour, Proue. 29. spreadeth à net for his steppes. This Cainicall [Page 5]course followed Absalom, 2. Sam. 13. who inuiting his bro­ther Amnon to a sheepe-shearing feast, killed him. When I read the Commission giuen by Ab­salom, to his seruantes, it seemeth to me that the Romish Absalom Pius Quintus speaketh a­gainst a Prince: Smite, kill, feare not, for haue not I commaunded you? Be bould therefore. Is not this a strange father of Peace, an Absa­lom? Likewise Ioab laid his net against Amasa, 2. Sam. [...] whom he tooke by the beard with the right hand to kisse, and with his sworde priuily, and traite­rously smote him to death. I omit Iudas the dis­ciple and traitour of Christ, and that with a kisse and with fair words. Aue Rabbi, Haile Master. Luc. 22. This Iudas had two Schoole-masters, Scribes and Pharisies, but the chiefe was Satan who en­tred into him, euen as these Papistical Traitors are not successours of Peter in this point, but of Iudas, and are schoole-fellowes with him. It is not only Iudas his treasō, but a Turkish-trick a­gainst Christian Prínces and gouernours. One Sarracene vsed this against Edward king of Bri­tane or England. It maie beè the Author meaneth Rich. To him ayding the Christi­ans against the enemies of Christ, came this fleeting fellow secretum colloquium ab eo petens, requesting secret conference with him, and stri­keth: but after two woundes receiued, the King laid handes vpon him and siue him. Another Sar­racens was suborned by the Sultan to kil Iames [Page 6]Lusignane king of Cyprus, vnder the pretense of caryeng letters: but he missed, and was tormen­ted for it. These flattering traitours that with this courtly or rather crafty curtesie, and Popish holy-water, work this cruelty, eyther by woords and insinuations, or by presents and gifts, or by deliuery of letters, or messages, or other waies vnder colour of friendshippe, the more close they be, the more crafty are they, the more priny, the more perilous: for flattery is more hurtful then the most cruell poyson, according to the verse: ‘Blanditi a plusquam dira venena nocent.’

Wherefore it were to be wished, that Princes and great personages would purge and clense their Courtes and houses of such that haue beene taught in the Schoole of Gnato to de­nye, to double, & dissemble, and by the lesson of Cato, Saluta libenter, seeke not to salute nor to saue, but to slaie them. Take the drosse from the siluer, Prou. 25. and there shall bee made a precious vessell for the finer. Take awie the wicked from the King, and his throne shal be stablished in righteousnesse. Out Dauid had his eies vpon the faithfull of the land, that they might dwell with him, and vpon them that malk in a perfect may, that they might serue him. There shall (saith hee) no deceitefull person dwell in my house. Psal. 101. Hee that telleth lies, shall not remaine in my sight. This faithfulnes [Page 7]is first towardes God, and then towardes the Princes and neighbours: this deceitfulnes, flat­tering; glosing, temporizing must needes offend God, and man: and therefore ought not to be re­garded. The example of Constantius as it is no­ted by Eusebius found out these vnconstaunt men-pleasers,Lib. 1. de vita Con [...] & tanquam Proditores Dei as trai­tours to God esteemed them vnworthy to be with an Emperour, and determined they should be ba­nished out of the Court: for that they will neuer be true to Emperour, who are found vnfaithfull towardes God. Quomodo enim Imperatori fidem seruarent his qui erga Deum deprehensi sunt perfidie Because these fleering counterfaites are hardly found out, therefore there needeth great cir­cumspection in discerning and tryeng them, and also earnest praier to God that he would giue vs the spirit of discretion, & by his prouidence to pre­serue vs from them. Such discretiō this Constā ­tius seemed to haue. A Philosopher the nephew of Plato discreetly espied it, who said vnto a flate­terer, Desine adulari, nihil prosicis, cùm te intelligā. Leaue off this flattering & fauning, for thou pre­uailst not, I perceiue thee. Praier also is needful, as an old prouerb importeth: Cui fidem adhibeo, ab [...]o me deus custodiat. God keep me frō him in whō I put my trust, for the other I wil see to my self. The effect of this is, that the maner of dealing in these mē is worse, thē the doing of Abishai. You [Page 8]may see by this that al is not goulde that shineth like gould: that euen Bees though they carry ho­ny in their mouth, yet may sting: that Sirenes or Myrmaidens sing sweetly, and haue their a­miable entertainementes and allurements, but otherwise bring Shipwracke to Mariners: and therefore Vlysses gaue counsail to his Shipmen to stop their eares. I wish al men to take heede of Scorpions, though flattering in face, yet pernici­ous in the taile▪ the beginning may bee plausible, the end clean coutrary. The Crocodile whyneth and plaieth the Hypocrite, but it is to catch and to kil. The flattering Dragon the Diuel, as Au­gustine termeth him, is woorse than the roaring Lyon, and this is the maner & fashion of this new or rather ould rotten naughty world.

Now we are to consider the motiues & causes perswading these men to enter into these high pointes of treacherous actions,2. Part. Causes of a reason. passing the com­passe of this Abishai. There are many, but I re­duce them to these following: Some men are led or rather missed by couetousnesse,1. Cause [...]centious­ [...]esse. that is, either desirous of liberty and impunity, which is loose­nes; or else of gaine, which is ai [...]arice; or else of he­nour and dignity, which is ambition. In the time of the Emperour Henry the fourth certaine gen­tlemen not liking the bridle of discipline, nor the restraint of their dissolutenes, laid their heads to­gether how they might rid that Emperour out of [Page 9]this life, or bring him into the low order and base and bare condition of a priuate man,In vi [...]a Hen [...]. 4. not remem­bring that they did owe a peace vnto their coun­try-men, iustice to the Realme, and fidelity to the Ring. So far were these from the rule of obedi­ence, that desirous of their licentiousnes woulde hazard the seruitude of the country. The desier of lucre is another motiue to treason.2. Cou [...] nesse. It was the couetous question of Iudas, Quid vultis mihidare? What will ye giue me? Which maketh a number of malecontentes, seditious, troublers of a com­mon-weale for apriuate commodity. So that now the case is, as in the time of Dauid, When the Prince studieth peace, Psal. 110. and speaketh peace­ablie, they are ready to fight. Their feete are swifte to shed bloode nay they knowe not the waie of peace: Rom. 3. They will neither knowe nor haue peace. They seem to be kinned to that mad souldiour, that passing by the Church, & hearing them pray for peace, Donanobis pacem, was an­gry with them, Phy, quoth he, Peace? Manliue. how shuld we liue? Such a Prince Cor. Agrippa telleth of in Italy, who being moued by the said Agrippa, to take awaie that famous or rather infamous faction of Gibellines and Guelphians in his Territory, Naie not so, quoth hee, confessing plainly it was not for his profit, for that ther was brought into his coffers yearely about twelue thousand ducats by occasion of this faction.De van [...] scienti.

This greedines is the cause that many being now become bankerupts, vnthrifty & born to con­sume & to spend the fruits of the earth, think by mutations and chaunges to recouer, and to licke themselues whole. This is the cause, that mooueth some to fly from their countrie, and captaines to serue straungers contrarie to the Law of GOD and man. Nemo miles ab imperatore ex­traneo stipendium accipit, saith Chrysoftome. No man taketh wages of a forraine king, or Empe­ror. How much more wicked is it, for Christians professing the gospel to be in seruice vnder the cō ­duct & banner of a stranger, both in nation and in religion? & that for mony, bloud-gilt, the reward of Iudas? Quidagis Christiane, sidomini hostē ami­cum habueris? what dost thou o christian, what a­uaileth thee if thou hast the enemy of the Lord to be thy friend? The same Chrysostome hath these words in an homily De proditione & Iuda. There is a third kind of couetousnes not of these meane things, but an insatiable desire of honor, princi­pality, & soueraignty: Iulius Caesar imagining or rather dreaming of such a thing, [...]ic. offi. 1. for a kingdom & a Monarchy brake the laws of God & man. This is pride and presūption when men wil not be con­tent with Dauid to tary their time, but wil aduē ­ture by hook or crook, by right by wrong to sur­mount. [...] lib. Dor­ [...]i securè. [...]rm. 6 I reade of the Romans that they painted pride with a triple crowne Pope-like, because, [Page 11]as R. Holcot testifieth,Holcot. fol. 23 [...]. the proud man wil ouer­rule al his equals, his inferiours, his superiours. The first crowne hath this title, Transcendo, I surmount: the second, Non obedio, I disobey: the third, Perturbo, I trouble all: which in verse is expressed somewhat otherwise in Holcot,

Meaning therby, that those that wil be climing & transcendent, and disobedient and troublesome, must finde trouble and affliction themselues.

Another motiue of these rebellious interprises is Enuie & Ingratitude. 3. Enuie. Enuie is a smoke that cā not abide y^e brightnes of good proceedings of her Maiesty, that goeth about to smother & obscure the blessings of God shining among vs in al pros­perity & felicity, in the time of her gouernment.

It is a poisō that gnaweth & cōsumeth the vu­godly, that cānot abide the happy estate by which we enioy the gospel, & al spiriual consolation, by which we haue the fruitiō of peace & plenly, if our sinfulnes & vnthankfulnes do not abbridge vs.

The vnkind dogges monstrously rent Acteon their master.Plut [...] Inuidia. The ougly toad cannot abide the good sent of florishing vines. Cantharides green worms, though they haue their being & succor in [Page 12]the tops of ashes, in oliues & sweet roses, yet they wil shew their nature, their iuice is poison, and they wil make blisters, tumbling, and trouble in the common weat. It is to be feared least by their vnthankefulnes and grudging, this our prospe­rous and good estate, which we haue many years by Gods goodnes seene & felt, wil be turned by his heauy displeasure into dearth and scarsity, as since these newe traiterous enterprises we may, if we be not blind, see some experience. Our too much plenty heretofore hath made vs wanton, new fangled, busie bodies, not contented with our blessings of Manna, as murmuring Israelites, preferring before this heauenly felicity the gar­lick and flesh-pots of AEgypt, or rather the bur­dens of intolerable taske-masters vnder Ro­mish Pharao. These benefites and this repining cannot long continue togither by the iustice of God and by the course of naturall thinges. Too much rancknes beateth downe the corne, and bowes are broken with the burden; ouermuch aboundaunce of fruite commeth not to anie ripenesse, as wise Seneca writeth: euen so our prosperity, I feare, hath corrupted some of vs. and made vs forgetful of our duty towards God and our Prince. Gregory the great, when Popes were not so great, but did acknowledge the soue­raignty of Princes ouer them, did wel confesse writing to one Theodore, [...]pish. 103. a Physition, in this [Page 13]maner: Howe great benefites I haue receiued frō Almighty God, & from my most soueraign lord, the Emperour, my toung is not able to ex­presse. Would to god our Gregoriās, folowers, & fautors of the Pope, wold haue such meditatiōs.

Another motiue, and cause of these stirs,4 Religi [...] and tumultes, is forsooth Religion, A straunge Reli­gion doubtlesse, that teacheth men to murther Princes and Monarches of the world. It was a pretence of Religion in Herod, who told the wise men of the East,Mat. 2. that hee was desirous to knowe where Christ was, that he might worshippe him: but his Religion was a ful entent to kill Christ. True Religion is euer assaulted and unpugned by a false Religion. Haman could not abide good Mardocheus, nor the Iewes for their Religion, calling their lawes, new, straunge,Hest. ca. 3. and differing from all people, and so procured from Assuerus the King a bloody decree, to destroy al the nation. When the Christians in Persia, Soz. l [...]. c. 7. by reason of ac­quaintance, and conuersation with the Osroens, and Armenians, had gathered a church and con­gregation to serue Christ: that thing offended the Magicians, or wise Diuines of Persia, who by succession, as Priestes, had the charge, & mi­nistery of that heathenish Religion. It offended also the Iewes: so that Christians for their Reli­gion were tormented, and good Father Symeon Archbishop of Seleucia, was accused to Sapor [Page 14]the King, Quasi Regni, & Religionis Persarum pro­ditor, as a spy, and a betrayer of the Realme, and of the Religion of the Persians, reuei­ling the secretes of Persia to the Emperour of Rome, Soz. libae. cap. 8. and so was imprisoned and put to death, with an hundred Christians. The ground of these violences or rather vilanies is Religion.

But there is a difference betweene the true and false Religion. The Religion of Ieroboam was a false, and caluish Religion, contrary to the Religion of the house of Dauid: and therefore he made two calues of goold, the one in Bethel, the other in Dan, made Priestes of the dregges and rascalles of the people,1 King. 12. commaunding them, that they shoulde no more sacrifice at Ierusalem in the house of the LORD, and persecuteth the Prophetes and the professours of the true seruice of GOD. And this was a pretense of Religion. But the Religion of Ezechias, and of Iosias Kinges of Iuda, was good Religion,2. Chron. 29. & 35. to pull downe Images, and all Idolatrie, to restore the Lawe, and the Bible of GOD, and the true vse of the Sacramentes. What other Religion is the Reformation of Queene Elizabeth, then this of these Kinges? And if their reformed Religion was commen­ded by GOD, and of al the godly: why should the Religion now receaued from GOD, and [Page 15]restored by Queene Elizabeth be condemned? May not I iustlie say to the posterity of cru­ell Saul, as Ionathan saide to his Father Saul? What harme hath our Dauid doone,1. Sam. 19. more then oulde Dauid, then Ezechias, then Io­sias did? Why then will you sinne against innocent bloode, and slaie Dauid with-out a cause? Why dooth the Popish Saul of Rome the Supreme Vicar of CHRIST, per­secute the annointed of God, and the hande­maide of Christ? Surely it is hee, and none but hee that is Abishai in name,The Pops is Abishal in name & nature. and in deede, I saie the Romish Abishai, that is the Fa­ther of bribes, and giftes, by corruption a taker, and giuer, inueigling, and perswa­ding the Potentates, and people of the world, to rebell, and to murther the Lordes true annointed, to rise, and to take weapon a­gainst their owne naturall, and lawefull Prince. It is hee that blesseth, and conse­crateth with holy water, and incense a sworde, In defensionem S. Romanae Ecclesiae: for the de­fense of the holy Church of Rome, and for the reuenge of the Popes enemies, and that in the solemne feast of the Birth of Christ: which hee fendeth abroade as a present to some most Christian, or most Noble Prince, for the protection of his Catholicke Church, against the true Catholicke faith of Christ, which [Page 16]is not without a mystery,C [...]r [...]. Rom. Eccele. lib. 1. Sect. 7. Fog [...]rat hic pontificalis gladius potestatem summan [...] temporalem à Christ [...] Pontifici eius in terris vicario collatam, i [...]xtae illud [...] Data est mihi omnis potest as in caelo & interra. E [...] ­alibi, Dominabitur à marivs (que) ad mare. This Pon­tifical sworde, doth signifie the supreme tempo­ral power giuen of Christ to the Bishop his vi­car on earth,Mat. 28. according to that saying: Al power is giuen vnto me in heauen and in earth. And in another place: You shall haue dominion from sea to sea. Behold what a fisher of men Peters successour is, that fisheth for the dominion of all the woorld: all is fish that commeth to his nette, where with he draweth to himselfe that which is properly and truely spoken of Christ by Dauid: vnles hee will also haue that which followeth, That al kings shal adore, Psal. 72. and worshippe him, and that his kingdome is eternall and before the Sonne: But he wil prooue in the ende, to bee that foolish fisher in Theocritus, that dreamed he had caught a golden fish, and waking, he got not so much as a frog. It is that Abishai, that like­wise scattereth abroade in Lent his consecrated golden roses to some Princes, and also sendeth to the captains or stāderd-bearers of the Church of Rome, Ibidem in C [...]rem. his banners and armour, likewise hal­lowed at a masse: It is he that sendeth souldiors signed with the Crosse against Christian Empe­rours, as against Frederike the Emperour, who [Page 17]dooth signify to the King of England trea­sons, & conspiracies against him.Jn Hem. 3. The prac­tisers whereof, being beseiged,Matth. Paris. were accompa­nied with Fryers, and by them receiued the signe of the Crosse against him, pretending the authority of the high Bishop by his Aposto­licke letters, ac praedictae mortis, & exhaeredati­onis nostrae, summum Pontificem, Greg. 9. sic asse­runt incentorem, affirming that the Su­preme Byshoppe of Rome, was the author of his disinheritaunce and destruction. This Byshoppe of Rome, taking occasion of the absence of Frederike, being nowe in the ser­uice of Christ against the Turke, as well to perfourme his vow in visiting the holie land, as also to please the Pope: notwithstanding this his daungerous viage, and humble o­bedience, he tooke from him his land in A­pulia and Lombardie. And when Frederike sent letters vnto the Pope, of the honorable peace betwixt him, and the Soldan (wherein hee was forced to surrender vnto the saide Christian Emperour Ierusalem, whereof he was crowned King, and many other cities) and wished him to publish that great ioy vn­to all Christendome, and to thanke GOD for that glorious victorie, hee refused it, and cast awaie the letters: excommunicateth Frederike, graunteth the Crosse and the [Page 18]crossed warre-fare against him as against an Infidel and Turke, who at his commaun­dement fought valiauntly against the Turke. Hee gaue out also at one time this false A­laram, that he was dead, and the souldiours of Germany and France that returned from the holy land hee put to cruell death, that they should not tell the truth: all which things wee may read in Carion, Cuspinian, and in Ab­bat Vrspergensis. Lib. 3. And here the Author ex­claimeth not without cause: Who rightly considering such factes, Ann. 1228. dooth not lament and detest them, which seeme to bee signes and certaine prognostications of the ruine of the Church? Greg. 9. The same Gregory by let­ters priuilie desireth the Soldan not to yeelde vp the holie land vnto the Emperour, but as an enimie to kill him.Cuspinian. Against Friderick who­soeuer would fight, had a pardon & a promise of life euerlasting. He about that time cōman­ded to bee sung, Salue Regina. But beholde more faith & charitie in the Turke, then in the Pope: for whē the Soldā had receiued letters from the Hospitalars & Tēplaries how Fride­rick might be taken, he detesting this treasō, sent the letters vnto Friderick, & said vnto his own Counsailers: Ecce fidelitas Christianorum Behold the fidelity of Christians! A vile and shamefull fact of the father of Christians the [Page 19] Pope, that set him a woorke to goe this voy­age, so vnchristianly & vncharitably to betray him abroad, and to inuade his countryes and dominions at home. Dum Imperator oues Chri­sti, ne à lupo discerpantur, ense suo tutatur as defendit, Pontifex radit, deglubit, & deuorat sa­ginatas. Hoc est enim verè pascere ones. This is he that claimeth three Pasce, Feede, feed, feede, for his triple crown & triple Regiment: but of a feeder is become a sheep-biter, yea a woolfe, swallowing and deuouring the sheepe. God blesse vs from such fleaing & butcherly sheepe-hards. Of these and such like Acts we may cry out with Cuspinian: O integritas Romani Pon­tificis! And againe,In Frides ô scrinium pectoris sanctum! This is the honesty of the Byshoppe of Rome: This is the holy chest of his brest. Thus the poore Emperours, and Princes are made vas­sals and subiect to the check and censure, yea to the slauery and slaughter of the Pope, either by himself immediatly, or by others his means and instrumentes. How did Gregory the se­uenth otherwise Hildebrand practise traite­rously against Henry the fourth? Ʋarijs mo­dis, he did manie waies laie in wait to destroy him, but especiallie once, when the Emperour was at his deuotion in S. Maries Church at Rome, Cardinal Bem [...]. euen in that time and in that place this Pope from the top of the Church by a stone [Page 20]did minde to murder him, and for that pur­pose had hyred a young Nouice to do the feyt, but while hee was tempering his stone, by the waight of it the bord brake, & he with his stone, fel downe to the ground & was brused & dashed in peeces. The citizens of Rome wor­thily incensed at it, caused his foote to bee tied with a rope, & to be drawn through the streets of the city for the space of three daies. Thus the Pope was disappointed, and his conduict and hyred man condignely punished, and the Emperour by God his prouidence mightily preserued. This practise of theirs is principal­ly wrought by themselues, as you haue heard, and sometimes by others their deputies, by sword,A double practise of Pope [...] by themselues and their Agents. Jn Philog. l [...]b. 28. dag, dagger, poyson and so forth. For the Pope hath his Popelings and Para­sites more than euer had Gnato in his schoole of Flattery: very like those clawebackes of whom R. Volaterrane reporteth to be among Sontiates a people of France, whose king hath flatterers, called by them in french Silodures, by the Graecians Euolimi (or rather by trans­position of letters, Euomili (sweet-tounged men, or fair-spoken men, who alwaies cleaue to him, hang on him, follow him whithersoe­uer he goeth, do as he doth, whether he laugh or weep, apishly fashioning whatsoeuer he de­lighteth in: if he lie, they lie, or if he dy, they dy [Page 21]with him. Euen so the Popes adherentes and Silodures are at his beck, to go, to run, to flee, to execute al his commaundements vpon any Prince in the world, in such sort as he prescri­beth. I told you of Gregories slattering fac­tour, that brake his neck for his labour.A Nou [...] the Pope [...] factour. King Iohn by the Pope was excommunicated, and released vpon this condition, that hee and his successours the Kings of England should ac­knowledge themselues tributaries to the Bi­shop of Rome, but afterward he was poisoned with confected wine in the Abby of Swins­heade by a Monke,A Monke. who perished with the King. Henrie the Emperour, the seuenth of that name, or rather the sixt as I take it,Carion. l. 3. was poysoned by Paulinus a Friar,A Friar. corrupted by money, Denarijs & pluribus florenis, at the receiuing of the Sacrament, of whom thus it is written in certaine auncient rithmes,

The same Henrie the sixt was called Lu­cemburgensis by Raph. Volaterrane, In Anthro­polog. l. 23. and by Baptist Ignatius, Lucelburgensis, mentio­ning also of his poisoning in the Eucharist.

An other instrument was of late our Car­dinal Pole the Popes penne-man,A Cardi­nal. who in his booke for the Supremacy of his great master the Byshop of Rome incited Charles the Em­perour then preparing against the Turke, to bende his force against his owne country of England, and against his soueraigne Lorde King Henry the eight, a Prince indeede of fa­mous memory, but by the opinion of Pole woorse then the Turke: for these be his words: In Anglia sparsum nunc est hoc semen, vt vix à Turcico inter nosci queat, id (que) anthoritate vnius coaluit: Terming the good seed of Gods word sowen by the appointment of God,Mat. 13. and spreade by Authority of the King in England, to bee but a Turkish seede, and worse then that, for that the Turke doth compell no man, as King Henry did, when he commanded his subiects to renounce subiection to the Pope, & to yeeld it to their owne natural Prince. I neede not speake of late hyrelings against the Prince of Orenge, nor of the latter Mercenary men a­gainst our dread soueraigne Queene Eliza­beth by Pius Quintus and his successours:Parrie and other hyre­lings a­gainst Q. Elizabeth. and al is, as they bear men in hand, for the Re­ligion of the Catholick Church. Such a Ca­tholicke faith must be maintained by such Ca­tholicke meanes, namely by open rebellions, priuie practises in a Catholicke and vniuer­sall [Page 23]manner, that is by all vnlawfull meanes.

A peece & a part of this religion is a Vow, not of forced chastity, but of voluntary cruel­ty, which the Pope giueth presumptuously, and the Popelings take foolishly. Such there haue beene, and such are among vs, whome Ambrose reprooueth: Saepe pleri (que) constringun [...] seipsos iurisiurandi sacramento &c. Off [...]. lib. [...]. cap. 13. Religious votaries against Princes. Can. 22. quaest. 4. [...]. inter cae [...]. Oftentimes the most part of men bind themselues with an oth, and when they themselues knowe that it should not haue been promised, yet they doe it in respect of their oth. Is not their owne Law contrary to this? Is not there forbidden euery oth that is the hande of iniquity? And is it not an vniust band when wee sweare the spoile of Princely blood? No man liketh the vow that Iepthe made & seemed to keepe for the slaugh­ter of his owne Daughter.Iud. 11. Dura promissio, a­cerbior solutio, as Ambrose thinketh.Lib. 3. c. 13. No wise man wil allowe the rash vowe perfourmed by Herode for the beheading of Iohn Baptist at the motiue of a dauncing damsel the Daugh­ter of Herodias: Matth. 14. neither yet the vowe of the Iewes, Act. 23. who swore they would neither eat nor drinke til they had killed Paul. And why shall our men bind themselues by a cruel oath, and make a cōscience in obseruing it?Ex Hid [...]r [...] in Syno [...]. In the same Popish decrees it is called a wicked promise, which is fulfilled wickedly, and in a Councel [Page 24]we are taught, [...] [...]onsil. [...]ibert. that an vnaduised determina­tion may lawfully and laudably bee broken, neither is it a transgression, but a correction of rashnesse. If any vow haue beene made a­mong our countrymen, you see it ought in no wise to be stoode too, and I desire them so to thinke and doe. For so thought Dauid when he sware by God to kill that great foole Na­bal: yet Ensem in vaginám reuocauit, hee put by his sworde in the sheath, at the request of Abigael, and was not sory for that periury, as it is wel applied by Beda. Hom. 44. Euē as the same Ambrose exhorteth that a mā shal promise no vnhonest thing,Libro Offic. 3. cap. 13. or if hee hath promised, it is more tolerable not to keep promise then to do that, that is vnhonest. Which sentences euen the Popes Lawe reciteth,C. 22. Q. 4. but falsly cites the first booke for the third.

But if any Papist either of scruple in mind & conscience, either of good nature, or rather grace of God cannot be induced to communi­cate with such traiterous enterprises, allead­ging their duty & former oth made to Princes in the league of association & otherwise: thē the Pope hath this religiō & omnipotency, that he can & wil dispēse w^t any oth.Plat. Adrian the Pope the fourth of that name excōmunicated Williā King of Sicily, and assoiled al those that were subiect to his gouernmēt frō the oth of obedi­ence, [Page 25]that they might, being freed frō that, the sooner reuolt frō him. Pope Innocent the 3. Cuspini. in Frideric. 1. in a coūcel at Lions for hatred he bare against Frederik the 2. depriued him of al Imperiall dignity, & gaue an absolutiō to y^e Princes frō y^e oth of fidelity, exhorting thē to chuse another: & al this is catholick and current religion, & at Rome is auouched good doctrine from Peter and Paul the Patrones of that Church. O blessed Saint Peter, saieth Gregory the se­uenth, I depose Henry the fourth from al Im­perial and regal authority, Plat in vi­ta Gregor. who hath lifted vp his hande too boldly and rashly against thy Church, and I doe release his loial leige people of their oth. You haue heard of Tho­mas Becket our countryman a man like Mer­cury in Aristophanes, In Pluto a man of all artes and occupations, a courtiar, a clerk, an Arch-Bi­shop, by his hair cloth a Monk, by his inwar­dest garmēt nighest to his skin an Heremite, a man that first sware the oth of fidelity to Hen­ry the secōd, & the same man was the first that brake it by a dispensation of Alexander the Pope ad soluendam, I [...] Thomae Beckes. quàm ad confirmandam fi­dem promptior, a better Schoolemaster of per­iury, then of obedience: and this prodition was such a religion, that by the Monkes of Caun­terbury it was praised and approued. This is a right Supremacy, to doe and vndo what [Page 26]he listeth: this is the pride and the cruelty of the Romish Abishai against the Lordes an­nointed, not fearing to violate the maiesty of Princes, to breake oathes, to teach disobedi­ence, and wilful periuries, and al this hee may doe absolutely by his new religion, and large commission.

You vnderstand by the premisses the effect of the first part, & the meaning of the first persō Abishai: al tending to the death of the Lordes annointed. You vnderstand the predecessours and successours of Abishai in number to bee many, in maner of attempting to be violent & fierce, or else hypocriticall and flattering, and the causes mouing them to be either couetous­nes catching, either ambition aspiring, ey­ther enuy maligning, either religiō pretensed, or some such like. As I reported before in the beginning out of Bernard to the Romans, so in the conclusion out of the same Epistle, I speak to the Romanists: You foolish Roma­nists, Epist. 242. doe you neither iudge nor discern that which is honest? Doe you disgrace and dis­honor as much as in you is your owne head, and the head of vs al, for whome you ought not to spare your own necks, if need should require?

I end with this good note of the saide Ber­nard. I knewe once (saith hee) in Babylon at [Page 27]the voice of one young man, that al the peo­ple which were deceiued by the vniust Se­niors of the city to condemne Susanna, did returne to Iudgement, and reuerse it, and so that innocent bloud was saued that daie. I pray God, that you of whom I conceiue well, and others who may be suspected elsewhere, may harken with indifferent eares, if not at the voice of Daniel, yet at our dayly motion, that you wil auoide the deuise of Abishai, that you wil not be seduced by the false ould iud­ges of Israel, that you wil not condemne our Susanna rashly and without al cause, but ab­hor al wicked conspiracies, mutinies, practi­ses, against her Maiesty, whom the Lorde pre­serue many years among vs, that she may at­taine that happines which wise Thales spake of, Principis faelicitas, vt senex secundum na­turā in suo lectulo moriatur: this God grant,Raph. Vola [...] in Philol. 30. that she may haue that felicity of a Prince, to dy according to nature in her bed an old Mo­ther in our Israel, and after liue and raigne e­ternally with him, to whom I commit you, and to him be al honor and praise, world with­out end. Amen.

HERODIAN an Historiographer cō ­plaineth that it was an old disease amōg y^e Graeciās, Lib. 3. that they were alwaies amōg them-selues at dis­corde, and were wil­ling to destroy those that seemed to excel others, and so in the end cōsumed Greece. A fatal matter, a mortal sin is sedition, reckoned woorthily among the works of the flesh, tied and chained altogether as it were with a lincke in the Epistle to the Galathians: The woorks of the flesh are ha­tred & debate, Cap. 5. wrath, contentions, dissensi­ons, sects, enuy, murders, al of one cognation and kinred. This sedition is, and euer hath bin not only in Greece, but by sundry makebates at al times and in al places, by Abishai in Iu­ry as you lately heard cōspiring against King [Page 29] Saul, and by others against Dauid himselfe as he thus lamenteth:Psal. 71. Mine enemies speake against me, & they that lay wait for my soul, take their counsail together saying: God hath forsakē him, persecute & take him, for ther is none to deliuer him. I haue also decla­red that the Romanists & their Prelats haue bin Graecians in this behalfe, consenting with Abishai against Saul, nay Dauid, and made much trouble in the common-weal & Christiā churches, [...] & they haue wasted our Greece, most parts in christendom, absol­uing al ecclesiastical & laymen frō their othes made to their lawful Princes, and presenting abroad their Roses, their bāners, their swords consecrated or rather execrated to such, as shuld betray & persecute the good. This cruel deuise of betraieng godly gouernors was here of Abishai, but not of him alone, but an inuen­tiō of the diuel himself, who seing Gods work to go forward, euer laboreth to disturb, and to throw it down: Semper Diabolus bono operi im­minet, vbi (que) gradientibus ponit laqueos. Hieran. Jereman the pr [...]ssu [...] of his 4. books. He is stil peering into the good works of the godly, he is ready to hinder the course of the gospel, and laieth snares against them that walke in the way of the Lord.

You remember the Sermon of Abishai, I neede not repeate it: nowe the second [Page 30]person must be produced, namelie Dauid re­plying to Abishai.

This aunswere conteineth these three sub-diuisions,A diuision general of Dauids Replie. his Prohibition, Protestation, and Policie. The Prohibition forbidding Abishai. The Protestation of him-selfe detesting the fact. His Policie in taking away the speare and the cuppe as a signe of his faithfulnes, who might as easily haue takē away his heade as his helmet, or those things whatsoeuer that were by him then sleeping.

At this tyme onely of the first, and so farre as I may for the time,A speciall Diuision. in the ninth verse stan­ding vpon these two points: A proposition for­bidding, and a reason proouing the same.

The first in these words,1 Proposi­tion against murder. Destroy him not: and this was alwaies the opinion of Dauid to be good to the bad, to bee a friende to his ene­mies, as in the case of Shimei who railed and cursed him, and called him a man of blood, and a man of Belial, a murtherer and wicked man. And here againe the same Abishai the sonne of Zeruiah folowing his hoat spirit,2. Sam. cap. 16. termed this Shimei a dead dog, and would haue faine cut off his head, but King Dauid then reprooued and restrained Abishai, and saide that no man should die that day in Israel, Cap. 19. and sware to Shi­mei he should liue.Cap. 24. And in the twenty fourth Chapter of this booke Dauid found Saul in a [Page 31]caue, and though his seruants and frinds told him that the Lorde had deliuered his enemie into his hand, he spared his body, and only for a token cut off the lap of his garment priuilie, and euen for that hee was touched and striken in heart.1. Sam. 24. So in this place hee would not haue that forward or rather froward man Abishai to take that aduantage: & vsed this argument, For who can lay his hand vpon the Lordes annointed, and be guiltlesse? Saul is the an­nointed of the Lord,2. The ex­plication of the Reason. therefore no man can lay hands on him without punishment, which reason I minde to open to you and prosecute.

In the person of the Prince are to be consi­dered two things, his māhood, & Princehood. Aliter Rex seruit, quia homo est, August. Epist. 50. aliter quia etiā Rex est: one way a King serueth because he is a man, another way also because he is a King: so y^t he beareth & representeth a double person.1 As man, he must [...]o [...] bee killed o [...] man. As man, if there were nothing els, he may not be spoiled by any priuat man. Who so shed­deth mans blood, by man shall his blood be shed, Gen. 9. for in the Image of God hath he made him. Moses hath made a Law general: Thou maist not kil. And yet not so general,Exod. 20. but that it hath an interpretatiō & limitation. It is not ment, saith Austine, of cutting or as it were of killing of shrubs, trees, or such like which haue no sense in them, neyther is it meant of vnrea­sonable [Page 32]creatures flying,Whether is be lawful to kil a man, and howe. swymming, wal­king, creeping: it remaineth therefore that we vnderstand it onely of men, that we should not kill any man, & therefore not our selues. This generall also hath another exception,Austin. l. 1. de ciuitate Dei cap. 20. for it is lawful to kil a man, as in lawfull wars, Deo auctore, by the warrant of God, nay a souldior lawfully constituted, if he do not kil, he is guil­ty of contempt, imperij deserti at (que) contempti, as the saide Augustine teacheth in another place of the same City of GOD.Li. 1. c. 26. Againe it is lawful for a Magistrate to put to death a ma­lefactour, or for such as bear the person of pub­licke power by the Lawes of God, or of any which is mooued certainely and called there­vnto by a special inspiration of the holy Ghost, or for that authority which did choose and or­daine that gouernour, or in any such like case and cause. Otherwise no spirite, no reason, no friend, no carnall respect may authorize any man of his owne heade, or his priuate affecti­on to draw weapon against any man, much les against a double and compound person, as the Prince established by lawful and publique au­thority.

What if Abraham should haue killed his owne sonne Isaac? Gen. 21. Is it therefore lawful for al parents to doe the like: The commaunde­ment of God for the killing was onely to trie [Page 33]his faith, but the sauing of Isaac by God was a secret commaundement to all fathers, to commit no such thing against their children. Of this example Augustin also writeth in his first book De C. Dei, cap. 16. Though Moses killed the Aegyptian, Exod. 2 Num 25. 1 Sam. 15. Acts. 5. and Phinehas the for­nicatours, and Samuel Agag, and Peter A­nanias and Saphira without sword, with a worde, yet the specialties are not generall rules for priuate men against men: according to the sayeng, Priuilegium non est lex: A priui­lege is no law: It is said of the Magistrates rightly, by Hierom vpon Ieremy: Lib. 4, c. 22. To pu­nish murderers, Church-robbers, poisoners, is not shedding of bloud, but the ministerie of Lawes. It is saide to Magistrates, and to priuate men by Ieremy in the same Chapter, speaking to the King of Iuda: Cap. 22. Doe no vio­lence, nor shedde innocent bloode in this place. These wordes, as Hierom expoundeth them, forbid not only the Kings court, but E­piscopos, & socios eorum presbyteros: al Bishops, and their fellowes the Ministers, Deacons, and all the order Ecclesiasticall, or else they leese their dignity. What shal we saie then of the Byshoppe of Byshoppes, that draweth his sword as the foole dooth his wodden dagger against euery body, and for euery trifle? No man, publique, or priuate, secular, or Ecclesi­astical, [Page 34]inferiour or superiour, ought without crime, or cause, to put to death any man. It is said to Peter, and to Peters successour the Pope, Ioan. 18. (as they wil haue him) Put vppe thy sworde into his sheath, for all that take the sword, shal perish with the sword. If Peter did il in cutting off an eare of a seruant, how much more doe they offend that cutte off the head? And if the seruant may not bee striken by Peter, howe can they escape that strike the Master, the Lord, or Lady of the land? And if Christ found fault with his seruaunt fighting in his owne quarel, how much more wil he be angry with them that take weapon against his Annointed Prince, his lieuetenaunt in the earth, nay, against himselfe in defense of his aduersary and Antichrist?

For nowe consider with mee the reason of Dauid, 2 Person. No man ought to be slain of pri­uate men, Ergo much les a Prince of a subiect. and the second qualification of Saul, that he is not only created a man, but also an­nointed King. For what doe these Nephilim Giantes, and tyrantes of the world think? Or what do they esteem of the blood of a Prince? Or what doe they imagine of the ordinaunce or institution of Princes? Are they vpstartes by themselues, or able to rise and stand of thē ­selues? No, that was the phrenesie of madde Aiax, That Cowardes did get the victorie by God, he would winne whether GOD [Page 35]would or no. Or is it a matter of force or for­tune? No, that was the desperate saying of Antiochus [...] Let him take the kingdome, to whome fortune, or the sword shal giue it. Or dooth policy and go­uernement of the world, or the worlde it selfe consist of the Sunne beames: That might be the fantasie of Democritus, that scoffed at all things. Or is it the ordinaunce of Iupiter or any heathen God: No, for so dreamed Homer, Illud. [...] that termed Kings, Nursed vp and fostered by Iupiter: and Hesiod, that wrote,In ope [...] Dier. lib. [...]. some to be noble, and some to be base, by the wil of great Iupiter. So Iulian the Apostata thought, who caused in al his publique and popular images,So [...] [...] 5. cap. 17. Iupiter to be painted, as appearing from hea­uen and reaching to him the crowne, and the purple, ensignes of the Empire. No: it is only the ordinaunce of our liuing God, the gift of Christ, who hath that written in his garment, and in his thigh, the King of Kings, Apoc. 1 [...]. the Lord of Lordes. So is the Prince desined of Saint Paul to the Romanes: and by Iohn Salisberg lib. 4. Polycrat. A Prince is a publike power, Ro [...]. 13. & in earth a certain image of the diuine po­wer. Therefore as before I proued him to bee a double person, so is he now a double Image of God, for hee was made after the Image of God, and by office representeth God may: fur­ther, [Page 36]he is a God himselfe. God is God by na­ture, the Prince by name, God by propriety, the Prince by grace: So God himselfe saith, Yee are Gods, Psal. 82. and the children of the high­est: And the same Dauid in the same place, God standeth in the congregatiō of Gods: he iudgeth among Gods, quia ipse est solus qui Deos faciat: It is he alone that maketh Gods, as Tertullian expoundeth, aduersus Hermo­genem.

Euen Saul himselfe is named here the an­nointed of the Lorde, and so are all other Po­tentates that are by their vices euil men, yet by office the ordinance of God:Prou. 8. Iob. 34. Cap. 13. By me Rulers raigne: The hypocrits rule not without him: And God himselfe saith in Osc, I gaue thee a King in myne anger, and tooke him awaie in my wrath. Iohn. 19. Christ told Pilate that he could haue no power at all, except it had bin giuen him frō aboue.Rom. 13. There is no power but of God, and the powers that be, are ordeined of God. The Fathers if need were might be brought for the same,Lib. 3. as Optatus: Paul teacheth (saith he) not without cause, that we must pray for Kings, and powers, although the Emperour were such a one as liued heathenishly. And Augustine: Wee call them happy Prin­ces, Lib. 5. de ci­mitate Dei, cap. 24. if they commaund iust thinges &c. And if they make their power as a seruaunt and [Page 37]hand-maid to his maiesty, especially in setting forth his honour. And in another Chapi­ter,Cap. 21. Let vs not giue the power of bestowing kingdomes, and Empires to any, but onely to the true God: He that gaue authority to Marius, gaue it to Caius Caesar: He that gaue it to Augustus, gaue it to Nero: He that gaue it to the Vespasians, either the Father, or the Sonne, most sweete and milde Emperours, hee gaue it also to Domitian, à most cruell man. And least I should passe through al, he that gaue it to Constantine the Christian, gaue it vnto Iulian the Renigate. And why are the bad as wel as the good aduanced? The fame Austine against the Manichees giueth two reasons hereof:De Na [...]t. Bon [...]. c [...]. 3 [...]. It is not vniust that wic­ked men receaue power to hurt, both that the patience of the good may be tried, and the wickednes of the euil punished.

Heereby the Prince and the people may learne these notes. In that the Princes are called Gods, they must serue God,Psal. [...]. 2. Ch. c 19. and not ex­ercise their owne iudgement: Againe they must gather a good hart vnto them,A notefo [...] Princes. and con­ceiue a cōfort of this doctrin: because they are set vp by God, they cannot fall, but by God, and if they serue their lord,Lib. Nat. histor. 16. cap. 39. the Lord wil serue and saue them. Pliny saith that the Cedar tree and the Iuniper, if they bee annointed with [Page 38]oyle, they feele neither moth nor rotting: euen so the Prince & gouernor being annointed not only outwardly, but also inwardely with oyle of the holy Ghost (for the holy Ghost is called an oile or annointing) they neede not fear the moths of the common-weal,2 Iohn. 2. that seek by fret­ting and eating to consume both Kingdome, and King: And so may I woorthily cal them as Licinius did, Tineas, sorices (que) palatij, the moothes and rats of the court,In vita Constant. as Sextus Au­relius Victor testifieth in his Epitome. This comfort gaue Bernard both to King, and to Pope: to Lewes the King of Fraunce, thus: The Kingdoms of the earth, Epist. 255. & the Laws of Kingdomes do then indeed stand sound, & stable to their Lordes, if they doe not with­stand the ordinaunces and decrees of God. To the Pope Eugenius thus: I haue read in à wise man, Epist. 256. that hee is not a valiaunt man, whose courage & spirit doth not encrease, when his case is most hard: but I say, a faith­ful man must more trust when the scourges hang ouer him. Therefore the Gods of the earth, if they wil be preserued by God, with al trembling and feare must serue God:Psal. 2. if not, they must hear, be they Popes, be they Prin­ces, what the same Bernard saith to them in the same Epistle: Quale est hoc, principatum te­nere, & ministerium declinare? What maner of [Page 39]thing is this, to hold the principality, and to shunne the seruice? But the good Gods must conceiue hope, and haue a boldnes with Dauid that feared not, because God was with him, and because God wil defend him whom he an­nointeth.

Now let vs consider beeing inferiours our note,D [...] sub [...] T [...] touching vs in the conclusion of Dauids argument. These be men, and woorthy men, made after the similitude and image of God, therefore they ought not to bee oppressed, or made away by priuat men: nay, they are Gods and Christs, the annointed of God, therefore you Abishai his ofspring, destroy not Saul: If not Saul, much-lesse Dauid, much-lesse your good and gracious Prince. Touch not mine annointed, my Christes, saith God.Psal. 10. Man is to be loued and helped because he is man, the image of God: therefore the man that is God, and by God a Prince, must be honoured, and spared, not spoiled, and butchered: for hee is in two respectes the image of God. He that de­faceth this image, defaceth God, and God ta­keth his quarell vpon himselfe, and thinketh the vilany to be done to himselfe: They haue not cast away thee, but me, 1. Sam. [...] that I should not raigne ouer them, saith God to Samuel.

Although this might suffice for the vnfoul­ding & opening of the Text, & of the reason of [Page 40] Dauid against such Abishais, The method and order of proceeding. yet I purpose further to confirme the same by Lawes and practises among the heathen, and all naturall creatures, among Iewes in the oulde Testa­ment, & also in the new Testament by Scrip­tures, and after Christ by Christian fathers, by Princes, by Ciuil constitutions, and Cano­nical decrees, by Laws and examples abroad and at home, as time and leasure will serue, and in such order and method as I may: to this ende, and purpose, that in all these, obedi­ence may appeare fully proued, and al kind of disobedience vtterly disproued.

The Law of nature might instruct natu­ral citizens,1 The Lawe of nature teacheth kindnes and obedience. and countrimen to loue, honour & obey their natural Soueraigne. Shall I be­gin to our shame with the kindnes of vnreaso­nable beasts towards their masters & feeders? The Oxe knoweth his owner, and the Asse his masters crib: Es. 1. and shal not Israel, I say, shal not England acknowledge their dutifulnesse towarde their Soueraigne? What shoulde I speak of these two both simple and vile crea­tures, and yet kind, patient and obedient vnto master-ship? There is none but obserue the first ordinaunce of God, which is the acknow­ledgement of superiority. The first Lawe is, that man should haue dominion ouer the fish of the Sea, ouer the foule of heauen, ouer the [Page 41]beastes in earth:Genes. 1. and is not this commaunde­ment by them towardes man obserued? Chry­sostome hath, that among brute beasts, Bees,Rom. 13. Cranes, Heardes, and flockes of Cattle this order is kept, and also in the Sea this disci­pline is reteined, that many kinds of fishes are ruled, & as it were wage warre vnder one. Of the fearfulnes and awe of fishes we may read Basil, Hexaem. Hom. 10. howe according to this first creation, they acknowledge at the sight of man, his dominion euer them: And the Dolphin, though he be a most regal & Prince­ly fish, vbi hominem prope esse conspexerit, re­ueretur: when he seeth man neere, hee sheweth reuerence as to his Lord. Cyprian likewise confirmeth the same of Bees,Epist. l. 4. epist. 9. Apes habent Re­gem, & Iudicem, & ei fidē seruant: The Bees also, saith he, haue their Praepositum, their pro­uost and Rector, whom they honour and fear. It is straunge that Plinie recordeth of the faithfulnes of Dogs towards their Master.Lib. 8. c. 40. A Dog hath fought against theeues for his Ma­ster, and neuer departed from the dead corps, though he were wounded: and being not able to faue him, yet draue away birdes and wilde beasts from tearing, and eating of him. A dog in Epirus did know the man that strooke and killed his master, and neuer left barking, and byting of him, vntil he made him confesse the [Page 42]murder. Two hundred dogges brought from banishment Garamantus the King, praeliati contra resistentes, as it were, warring against those that withstoode him. The dogs alone know their Master, and a straunger if he come sodainly: they alone know their owne names, and the voice of any of the howse. I referre you to Ambrose in his Hexaemer. Lib. 6. c. 4. reporting of a dogge, that kept in the night his masters corps at Antiochia slaine by a souldier: and afterward in the troupe caught the malefac­tour with his teeth, and neuer left him, vntill by the barking of that dogge, and of his owne conscience he confessed the murther. I omitte the dogs of Sabinus, Iason, Lysimachus the King, and Hieron, neuer forsaking their Ma­sters liuing or deade: you may find them in Bap. Fulgosus. As also of an horse of king An­tiochus slaine by Centaretrus Gallata, Lib. 5. cap. 2 who perceiuing that his masters enemy had got vp on his back, neuer left running vntill hee cast himselfe and the horseman headlong from an high rock.

In the time of nature, I meane before the Law of Moses, although there was much vio­lence & tyrannie by Cain, Nimrod, & others, yet naturallie there was a detestacion of this shedding of bloude. Some of the brethren of Ioseph enuied his parti-coloured coate,Genes. 37 and [Page 43]would haue slaine him: but Reuben deliuered him out of their handes and said: Let vs not kill him: shedde not bloude, put him into a pitte in the wildernes, lay no handes vppon him, minding to restore him to his father a­gaine: Iudas although he was a right Iudas, predecessor to Iudas the trayterous scholer of Christ, gaue a sentence meete for Iudas, but better then others his brethren gaue, that he should be sold to the Ismaelites: for, He is our brother, and our fleshe, and so agreed to sell him to the Midianites. The brethren by a ly colouring the matter, coloured Iosephes coat and dipped it in the blood of a goat, which Ia­cob seeing and thinking it to be Iosephs coat, and that he was torn in peeces by a wild beast, rent his clothes, put on sackcloth, not abyding the sight of blood.Plutarch. The father with the sonnes Reuben, and Iudas in this time before Moses abhorre bloud. As Iulia the wife of Pompeie, seeing the gown of her husband bloody, by the touch of others blood, more afraid than hurt, fel downe halfe dead, and in this agony was deliuered before her time.

What were the Magistrates in the time of Peter and Paul, but heathen, and tyrants, as Nero and such other? And yet Paul exhor­teth euery soule to be subiect to the higher po­wers: and whosoeuer resisteth the power, [Page 44]resisteth the ordinance of God. Rom. 13. Whereunto Bernard alluding, declareth his owne iudge­ment in this question very wisely to the King of Fraunce: Epist. 170. If al the worlde should coniure against me, and sweare mee to attempt anie thing against the Maiesty of the King, yet would I feare God, neither durst I rashlie offend the King ordained by him, neither am I ignoraunt where I haue read, He that resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God. 1. Peter. 2. Peter exhorteth to bee subiect to all maner of ordinaunce of man in the Lord: and Paul, especially aboue all, beseecheth vs to make supplications,A reason in nature dra­wen from commoditie of obediēce. praiers, intercessions, & giuing of thanks for Kings, and for al that are in authority: and al this is proued to bee profi­table for common tranquillity, to obey Nero, and such like: although they were heathen men in profession and conuersation. The com­modity of that heathenish gouernment is thus set foorth: Hee is the minister of God for thy good: Rom. 13.1. Tim. 2.1. Pet. 2. we may lead a quiet and a peaceable life vnder them in al godlines and honesty: Gouernours are sent for the punishment of euill doers: and for the praise of them that doe wel. Chrysostome sheweth the commo­dities of this politicke gouernment: In that there are principalities, in that some com­maund and some obey, Ad Ro. 13. and in that al things [Page 45]are not turned vpside downe by fortune and chaunce, and the people are not tosted hither and thither, I affirm it to be the work of the wisedome of God. And hee saith, it is for the auoiding of discordes and dissensions in these words: Because the equality of ho­nour and state bringeth in commonly figh­ting and braules, God hath ordeined many principalities and many subiections, name­ly of the husband and the wife, of the sonne and of the father, of the ould man and the young, of the seruant and of the free, of the Prince and the subiect, of the schoole-mai­ster and the scholer: he concludeth thus: In­numera bona &c. Infinite commodities come to cities by Magistrates, which if you take a­way, al things wil come to wreck. Now let vs recount with our selues: if this be the bles­sednes of gouernment vnder the heathen, how much more are we bound to God for a Chri­stian and godly regiment? Euen Nabucha­donezer a tyraunt and infidel was to be prai­ed for: And the Iewes are willed to pray for him, & for Babylon: and to seeke the peace of that City where they were captiues: for thus saith Ieremie, Ierem. 29. In the peace thereof shal you haue peace: This is the office and duty of the Iewes, though straungers, toward the Baby­lonians, notwithstanding their straunge, and [Page 46]idolatrous religion. O that our great soiour­ner receiued in England with fauour,Q. of Scots. enter­tained with honour, vsed with al liberal liber­ty, pardoned many times by mercy, woulde haue sought the peace of the land where shee harboured, or at least had not sought the dis­quietnes of the state, the disturbaunce of the realme, the hauocke and vndooing of manie Gentlemen, the perill of the person of the Prince of the land, so gratiously affected to­warde her, beeing but a Queene quondam, a Queene without a Kingdome, and onely in name. Such soiournours haue been here not a few: What shal I say, a Snakish and Ser­pentine generation? I might so. Thomas Walsingham remembreth in his Chronicle of three vnkind guests, a Mouse in a wallet, a Serpent in ones bosome, and fier in the lap: Nay I might say woorse: They passe some Serpents. In Aegypt an Aspis or Serpent by nature learned this, to shew friendship to a friend, and an host: for beeing brought vp in a poor mans house, & deliuered of young-ones, and perceiuing that one of that brood had with byting and stinging killed the good mans Sonne, shee did sley al her children, and was neuer after seen in that house. O admiranda Dei virtus, saith Baptista Fulgosus: O woun­derful power and vertue of God! A cruel Ser­pent [Page 47]towards her host would shewe her selfe thankfull, euen with the death of her young­lings, and with her own discommodity: and a man,Ful. l. 5. c. 7. a reasonable creature oftentimes more cruell than the Aspis, will destroy man and host: Doubtles a great and grosse ingratitude. But now what reward either forreiners, or domestical practisers, and traytours haue had from time to time among these heathen vnder the Law of nature: giue me leaue by exampls somewhat to make manifest vnto you. Great Pompeie flying for succour into Aegypt, and requesting to soiourne vnder Ptolomeie a young King, a Councell was called about it, and whereas one thought him to hee admit­ted, another to be repelled: Theodotus Chius Schoole-master to Ptolomeie in the Art of Rhetorik, agreed to neither of them: For if they receiued him, they should haue Caesar an enemy: if they should refuse him, it woulde turne to some reproch to them, and bee offen­siue to Pompeie. Wherefore the best is (quoth he) to dispatch him, adding (as Plutarch saith) merily, [...]: Dead men bite not: J [...]i [...]e Pom [...]. and yet here was no present practise by Pom­peie, but a fear of some troubles and treache­ries by him. Among the Romanes it hath bin seuerely punished, whensoeuer any such tray­terous prancke hath beene displaied, either a­gainst [Page 48]their country, either against their frindes or foes.Lib. Offic. Ambrose commendeth highly Fabritius the Romane, who perceiuing that a Physitian offred to poyson Pyrrhus his King­sent the traitour backe againe to his Master, to suffer condigne punishment for it. Metius Suffetius keeping touch neither with the Al­banes, nor with the Romans, as he was dou­ble, and trayterous in heart, so with wild hor­ses his body was rent, and diuided: where Tullus cōfesseth, that there is no war greater, or more perilous than cum proditione & per­sidia sociorum: Liui. decad. 1. lib. 1. when there is falshoode in fel­lowship. Tarpeia the daughter of the Lieuete­naunt of the tower or Capitolium, in the bat­tell betwixt the Romanes and the Sabines, corrupted,In vita Romul. either by bracelettes, as Plutarch writeth, or for gold, as Liuie telleth, betraieth the tower vnto Tatius, and had rewarde, but such as choked her. Maximinus killed men as it were beasts, against whom when the Os­droens bowmen had made a faction, and com­motion, and chosen a newe Emperour, one Macedonius did slay him, and brought his heade to Maximinus, who thanked him with courteous woordes, but afterward in seuere maner as a traytour put him to death. What should I repeat the traiterous Schoolmaster of the Faliscians, who bringing out of the city, [Page 49]his scholers, as the maner was for their recre­ation, now cōmeth into the camp of Camillus, and deliuered Principum liberos, Noble mens children vnto him, ioyning with his wicked act more wicked speach, that the Valerians did yeelde themselues into the hands of the Romanes, in that he yeelded into their power those children, whose parents were the heads and chiefest there: but Camillus espyeng the treachery, after his sharpe aunswere to him, stript him naked, tyed his hands behinde his back, committed him to the boies, with rods in their hands, to whip the traitor into the city againe: whereby Camillus got thankes, and renowme of the enemies, and of his country­men, declaring to the worlde the auncient iu­stice of the Romanes, not to win by fraude, but by vertue and manhoode, virtute, opere, Decad. 1. l. [...] armis vincere, as Liuie alleadgeth his words. The same Liuie telleth how Papirius Cursor han­dled certaine traitours, or reuoulters,Lib. 9. first beating them with rods, then beheading them with an axe. These be some examples of Ro­manes. In the wars betwixt Alexander and Darius, the like seuerity against like offenders is to be found. Ariobarzanes promised to kill his father Darius, but Darius vnderstanding of it, strook off his head. Barsanetes a Prince perceiuing Darius to be ouercome by Ale­xander, [Page 50]killed him, but he for his pains or ra­ther perfidiousnesse by Alexander was requi­ted by death: so writeth Brusonius. Paulus Orosius saith,Orosius. l. 3. that Alexander found Darius bound with golden fetters, and afterward in his iourney left all alone, stricken with many wounds, and ready to yeeld vp the ghost: and Alexander pitieng him, when hee was dead honourably buried him. Carion writeth of a­nother traitour Bessus, captaine of Darius, who seeing his master fly, wounded him: and Alexander comming, and finding him halfe dead, promised him, that that notorious trea­chery of Bessus against his owne Lord, should not be vnpunished: and so tooke him and com­maunded him to be hound between two trees, and pluckt in peeces,Lib. 2. and rent. O worthy exe­cution of a trayterous subiect, and that by an enimy for an enemy!

I passe ouer many others that attempting the death of tyrauntes, escaped not the iudge­ment of God, Zeno Eleates was diuers waies tormented by Nearchus Mysius, Dion by Di­onysius, Raph. Volat in philol. lib. 30. & Apollonius Tyaneus a great lear­ned Philosopher was imprisoned by Domitiā. What then deserue such as commit this hey­nous act against their milde and mercifull Prince? Surely no mercy, being mercilesse themselues, yea more cruel than Tygres. I [Page 51]will adde in the number of these heathen one Turk. There was in Constantinople a great rich citizen, who taking snuffe against his Emperour, came priuily to Mahomet, then intending to besiege the city, & made this bar­gaine with him, that if hee would let him haue one of his Daughters to bee his wife, with a large dowry, one of the gates of the city should be at his commaundement. The Turkish ty­rant agreeth, the gate is opened, and after the cruell massacre, hee demaundeth his reward. Meruisti (quoth the tyrant) you haue wel de­serued it, and commaundeth a great masse of gould to be brought to giue him: but because thou doost aske my Daughter with a dowry, being thy selfe a Christian, thou must first put off this skin, and leaue this life: and forthwith commaundeth the officer to flea him from top to toe, and casteth on hote ashes with salt,Cuspinia in Con­stant. 8. and laieth him, and couereth him in a bed, that a new skin might grow vpon him, that he might be the more apt to receiue the new spouse of a new sect.

Here we may see as in a glasse the working of nature in brute beasts, in naturall men and others before the Law of Moses, and in very Pagans, and Turkes, howe they reuerenced their masters, and superiours: how they hated, and plagued this horrible sinne of treachery [Page 52]against them: I should proceede in the rest, but I must differre it. God grant that we Christi­ans, may not be found more vngrateful, more vnthankful, and more brutish, than the beastes and beastly men. God open our eies to see that old saieng to be true, [...], Traison is euil: euil to the Prince, euil to the country, euil to the woorkers themselues.

GOD preserue her Maiesty, the whole Realme, & vs all from these practises in these daungerous, and doubtfull daies: To him be praise &c.

ATHENAEVS al­ledgeth out of Bero­sus an auncient au­thor,L. Deipnos [...] 14. [...]th. 17. that about the sixteenth of the Ca­lends of September, there was a feast cal­led Sacea, solemnised in Babylon for the space of fiue daies, in the which, this custome was, that seruants should haue rule ouer their masters, & that one of thē shuld be brought out of the house in Robes like a King, whom they termed Zoganes: If (dearely beloued) such a feast should endure, not for the space of fiue daies, but for mo daies, & mo years, would you not think this to be a right Babylon? A disor­der and a confusion in a common weal? There is in our time already, in the sight of al men of any iudgement, a new Babylon, Rome, where a Seruant, nay, a Seruant of Seruauntes by name, is indeede a Master of Masters, a Lord [Page 54]of Lords,Zoganes of Rome. a Zoganes, not in sport, but in ear­nest, not for a fewe daies, or yeares, but such an one as without good warrant claimeth a Perpetuity, not only ruling himselfe, but set­ting vp other seruauntes against and aboue their Lordes, Princes and Monarches, vsurping authority ouer the anuointed of god. O double pride, that celebrateth such a double feast all the daies of his life, not onely chalen­ging a dominion. for himself, but also placing seruants, and subiects, displacing the right inheritours and possessors of the Crown, with the vtter desolation of common weales. This Babylonicall Priest reuiueth & raiseth out of the earth again,The Pope a Babylonical priest. those old Giants, Terrae filios, priuate men to bee [...], to striue and fight against the gods of the earth, and against God himselfe. He hath bred a new brood of vipers, that cannot be content to come into the world,A serpen­tine off­spring bred & spred frō Rome in England. and liue, but by the death of the mother. He is, and hath beene the cause of a Serpentine generation, not grateful, but graceles, requi­ting euil for good, gaping for the destruction of those, who haue by al means' endeuoured to preserue, relieue, and promote thē. Now you knowe the fable of AEsope of the snake found in the snow & cold, by the hus bādman brought to the fire, and warmed, and refreshed, but afterward, recouering heat, and health, hissed [Page 55]against his benefactour, and poysoned the house:

And afterwards, ‘Amplectens (que) virum, sibila dira mouet.’

O beastly broode and viperous children, when, as Epiphanius describeth them,Epipl [...] To 2. Her. 2. latus matris sauciant, & sic gignuntur, vt pater, & mater ipsorumpereant: They goare, & wound the side of the Morther: they are so begotten and so borne, that by them, Father, and Mo­ther perish. The moral and meaning is this:

To apply this to our purpose, these oulde Giants, vipers and Serpents are newly born againe, in these daies, vnthankfull men set vp by this romish Zoganes, vnnaturally, vngod­ly, mōstrously attempting whatsoeuer means vnlawful against the Mother and Parent of the countrey, vnder whose protection, by the prouidence of God,After the winter of Q. Mary ae summer of Q. Eliza­beth. they haue enioyed after the winter and tempest of Queene Maries persecution, the warmth and heat of the fier, and many blessinges of God, both spirituall, and temporal.

For a remedy of these euils, & for redresse of this be astlie ingratitude, disobedience, and rebellious behauiour against the royal person [Page 56]of the Prince, I haue as you haue heard, dis­coursed of the history of Dauid the last day, re­plieng against Abishai: which history Chry­sostome so liked,Hom. de Dauid & Saul. Chrysostoms Amplifica­tion of this historie. Exod. 21. that he made Homilies of it, and amplifieth the excellent integritie, and faithfulnes of Dauid towarde Saul the an­nointed: in that Dauid did this in the oulde Testament, where some reuenge was in a sort permitted: in that Dauid bestowed benefites vpon Saul, sparing him, when hee might haue killed him,1. Sam. 24. aduenturing his life against Go­lias, 1. Sam. 16. defending both Saul the King, and the whole host of Israel that day, and with his harp charming and chasing away the furious spirite, that possessed Saul: and yet, this not­withstanding, Sauls speare was euer ready to pearce Dauid. And whereas hee should haue had for the victory ouer Golias, a dowry with his Daughter,1. Sam. 18. the King set downe this cruell condition against him, that he must winne in battel and hūdred foreskins of the vncircumci­sed Philistines, which he valiantly performed with an aduantage, bringing two hundred foreskins with him. And lastly, when he had cut off the lap of Sauls cloke, he was striken in hart, & lamented for it: & yet for the defense of this fact Gods name was auouched, Gods his authority was alledged by Dauids seruantes & souldiors: Deus tradidit illum in manus &c. [Page 57] God hath deliuered thine enemy into thine hands. Allegant illi diuinam authoritatem, as the said Chrysostom testifieth in that Ho­mily, They alleage the authority of God.

Wherefore once againe I am to request you, patiently to heare the rest. I beganne to prooue the opinion of Dauid against Abishai (although many did hold with Abishai) that it was not lawfull to kil Saul, nor any the an­nointed of the Lord, being contrary to the law of nature and al lawes.

Before I enter into the particular proba­tion hereof,A generall Rule of Reuenge. I doe set downe this ground ge­nerally receiued by common Law, Lex talio­nis: The Law of retaliation: That like will haue like: Woe be to thee that doest spoile: Esa. 33. when thou shalt cease to spoile, thou shalt be spoiled: when thou shalt make an end of doing wickedlie, they shall doe wickedlie against thee. Hee that diggeth à pitte, Psal. 7. Prou. 26. shall fall into it himselfe: and he that casteth vp à stone on high, it may returne vpon his own pate. It is the plaine case of Shimei, pronoun­ced by the mouth of this Salomon, vpon this general rule: Thou knowest all the wicked­nes whereunto thine hart is priuy, 1. Reg. 1. that thou didst to Dauid my father: The Lord there­fore shal bring thy wickednesse vpon thine owne head. Let al Shimeians beware of this [Page 58]strait and sharpe verdict: for

The arrow oftentimes hitteth the shooter himselfe, and the stroke reboundeth back, to the striker.Plin. l. 34. cap. 8. Perillus that deuised the brasen Bul to encrease the cruell humour of the Ty­raunt Phalaris, in the which men shoulde bee burned quicke, with intolerable paine and roaring, was by Phalaris appointed, first to feele the smart of his owne inuention:

It is not amisse but a most iust law, that the truel workman, should perish in his owne workmanship: It is a true prouerb among the Hebrues, Middáh Keneged middáh, A measure for a measure: And our sauior vseth the same: What measure ye mete, Matth. 7. it shal be measured to you again. It is the law, Quod fecit, semper expectet: Col. l. 3. Nemo. & our lawe in Moses, Huic fiet, quēad­modum ipse fecit. Wherfore as it was said once in Exod. Exo. c. 21. Leuit. 24. Deut. 19. A breach for à breach, or à fracture for a fracture, an ey for an ey, à tooth for à tooth: so is it also the iudgement of God, a limine for a limme, bloud for bloud, and this is a lawe vniuersal.

To return now to our particulars, I haue declared the law of nature, how this common [Page 59]law is verified by creatures voide of reason, and by men void of religion: which law of na­ture is established by the wisedome of God himselfe, who hath created and directed all things in wisedome.Themgu­ment of Nature for­cible. Ambrose hath a sentence pertaining to this, & an example, prouing this: The sentence is, Omnia penetrat diuina sapien­tia, implet omnia, id (que) locupletius ex irrationabi­lium sensibus, quàm ex rationabilium disputa­tione colligitur: validius enim est naturae testimo­nium, quàm doctrinae argumentum, noting the force and validity of nature, and of vnreasona­ble creatures, for the plaine demonsiration of this argument. The example is of a dogge,A Dogge faithfull so man. whereof I spake the last day out of Plinie, and out of Ambrose, who in general woords con­firme the fidelity of dogs. They knowe to flie vpon theeues for their master, Hexaemer. 6. cap. 4. and in the night to forbid strangers to come neer, and they are ready to die for their masters, and oftentimes, they giue euidence, to conuince men guilty of muther: so that their dum te­stimony hath bin credited for the most part. I reported before out of the same Ambrose, that in the suburbs of Antiochia, in the dark, a man was slain, that had a dog accompani­ing him. And the worker & minister of the slaughter was a souldiour, discouered by the dog, who pursued as hee might the reuenge [Page 60]of the enemy, because he could not woork the defense of his master as he wold. I omit the kinde nature of Bucephalus, Plin. l. 8. cap. 42. Alexander his horse, who when he was decked with the trappings and furniture of the King, would suffer no man to ride him but the King, other­wise he was content with any man. O that men would bee as wise as Bucephalus, to know a King from a common man, and yet, In horse and mule there is no vnderstan­ding. Psal. 32.

But to come from beasts to men, from the horse to the master, Alexander himselfe a na­tural man was taught by his Master Aristo­tle, this supernatural lesson, in a certaine book written to him: Quantum potes: As much as you can, take heede, that you shedde not the blood of any man. Euripides also condem­neth it as a wicked thing to kil a King. Hol­cot recyting certaine lawes of India, Jn moral. 5. setteth downe against traytours,Lawes of Jndia. that they should bee banished. The reason of the law is, that the King might be without fear, & the kingdome in peace: and if a traytour were taken, all the siue counsailers should giue sentence against him, and that iudgement once pronounced should not be reuoked. O that England had the Law of India, or rather that happy effect of the law: that Prince and people freed from [Page 61]them, might liue in quietnes and security.Hierons, in Mac. c. 10. We al naturally defend our head as the Serpent doth his, and naturally, the head is either reue­renced, or feared most, as the Panthera, Plin. lib. 8. cap. 16. though for the variety of her coloures, of other beasts she is most gazed vpon, and for her sauor is marueilously comfortable, yet with her head she is most terrible: And though shee bee wild, and cruell towardes others, yet feeling a remedy euen by the excrementes of man, against poyson, dooth so loue man, and couet them, that if they be hanged vp in a basket, or a vessel by sheepheards, higher than she can touch them, yet by reaching and leaping after them, she faileth, and fainteth, and at last dieth.Cap. 27. Princes are the heads of our common-weals, they ought therefore to bee had in reuerence, and to be defended, feared, and loued, except we wil be worse than heathnish miscreantes, than beasts, as dogges, serpentes, horses, and sauage Panthers.

Now we must passe from the law of nature vnto the law of God,The lawe of God to the Jewes. although indeed the law of Nature is the law of God, but I mean the written law of the Iewes: in the which wee find,Eccl. c. 10. That the birdes of the aire shal carry the voice of him, that speaketh euil, or curseth the King euen in his thought, or in his bed-cham­ber, and the foul of the heauen shal declare the [Page 62]matter abroadt.Examples of Gods plagues a­gainst diso­bedience. Numb. 16. Numb. 12. Exod. 14. And that Mary the sister of Moses himselfe murmuring against her bro­ther a Magistrate, was striken with a leaper: that the Israelites for mumling, and making mutiny against him their Captain were puni­shed: that Corah, Dathā, & Abiram, rebelling against him, the one with fier, the other with earthquake perished, with their wiues, childrē and goods: And that the common people, for saying to Moses, and Aaron, That they had murdered the people of the Lord, were pla­gued with death by God himself to the nūber of fourteene thousand, and seuen hundred, be­sides them that died in the conspiracy of Co­rah. If for thinking, or speaking, and murmu­ring against the Magistrats such punishment was inflicted, how much more for conspiring the death of a Prince? Let thē also take heed, who iustifie traytours,Against ac­cessaries and Iustifi­ers of Trai­nours. aad aske with these Israelites, Why haue you put to death these good men Corah, Dathan, & Abiram? Why haue you shed the bloud of Campian, and other Catholickes? Such reason as serued against Corahits in the iudgement of God, may serue in the opinion of al good men, against Campi­anistes, and such spirituall, nay, such spitefull Catholickes. The end you see grieuous, by the iudgement of the law, & by the displeasure of God. What murder is, by the priuate man [Page 63]committed against a priuate man,The terri­ble example of Cain the first nu [...] ­derer. let cursed Cain teach al men. Hee is first cursed, and the earth also made barraine and fruitlesse who opened her mouth to receiue the blood of A­bel. Hee is pronounced a vagrant man, bani­shed from the face of God, hee falleth to despe­ration, crying out that his sin is greater, than that it can be pardoned.Gen. 4. He hath a marke of trembling, & quaking, fearing euery shadow of man, and the shaking of the leaues of the trees. This seuerity was exercised in the law of Nature, I meane before the sentence of the Lawe Mosaical, and before any example of punishment shewed against any murtherer, beyng himselfe the first that euer suffered that way for that offense. Afterward we find too many examples and punishmentes: a few may suffice. The Daughter of Amry Athaliah rose vp and destroied al the Kings seede,2. King. 11. onely Ioas excepted, and she cried: Treason, treason, but she her selfe as a traytor was slaine with a sworde, whereat the people of the lande re­ioyced, and the city was in quiet. I pray God we may haue the like sequel, for the like iustice extended vpon our trayterous persons in these daies. When King Assuerus found out by Hester his Queene vpon the information of Mardocheus, Lib. Hest. cap. 1.2. that there was treason in his priuy chamber against him by Bighthan and [Page 64] Teresh, either by poison as some write, either by the sword as Caietanus the Cardinal ga­thereth by the phrase and maner of speaking, to ridde him out of his life: the conspiratours were hanged, the discloser Mardocheus ho­nored, and the Act for memory sake registred. The life and raigne of Dauid may bee once againe a myrror to behold al this Tragedy,The exam­ple of Da­uid in him­selfe. in y^e which we haue partly seen before, & now also may see his vprighteous dealing, & obedient behauior towards Saul, who would not suffer Abishai to touch him, nether he himself would at any time hauing iust opportunity to aduen­ture it, whose discreet moderation is by Chry­sostom wondred at, & also noted in the Popes decrees out of Ambrose. Hom. de Dauid. & Saul. De paenit. distinct. 2.1. Sam. 31. Dauids se­ueritie a­gainst other murderers. Saul in battle pursu­ed to death by the Philistines, requested his ar­morbearer to draw out his sword, & thrust him thorow: but he would not, being affraid to of­fend, & of better nature thā to shew any kind of vnthākfulnes to his King: so that the desperat wretched King was driuen to that extreme Exigent, to dy vpon his owne sword. But the Amalekite that brought tydinges to Dauid of the death of Saul, & confessed that he made an end of him, was for his paines rewarded with the like death by Dauid. 2. Sam. 1. Thy bloud be vpon thine own head, for thine own mouth hath testified against thee. In this gouerne­ment [Page 65]of Dauid Absalom the Kinges Sonne did slay his Brother for his Sisters sake,2. Sam. 3. but knowing and fearing his fathers iustice, fled awaie for the space of three yeares, and after that vpon great intreaty was made a prisoner in his owne house, and did not see the Kings face. Afterward when the same Absalom was a rebel against his owne father,Cap. 14. though Da­uid perhappes in a fatherly pitty would haue spared him, yet God himselfe did execute his iudgement vpon him,2. Sam. 18. and was without the hand of man, hanged vpon a great oke by the long locks of his head. A straunge execution of a Rebell: as was that also of Achitophel that had his hand in this pye, for he was his owne hangman.Cap. 17. But mark in this history a­nother proofe. When Ioab asked the messen­ger that brought woord to him of Absalomes hanging vpon the oake, why he did not smite him to the ground, that hee might haue had a recompence for it,Cap. 18. he auswered as becommeth a faithful priuate man, Though I shoulde receiue a thousand Sicles of siluer in my hand, yet would I not lay mine hand vpon the Kings Son. He wold not touch the Kings son, and yet the son did rise against the father: & how then dare subiects hazard & enterprise the like against the lords anointed? Dauid wēt further in this point of iustice, that hee did not [Page 66]suffer any murther to escape vnpunished a­gainst priuate men, neither did God suffer those to goe scot-free:1. Reg. c. 2. Abner killed Asael bro­ther to this Abishai, and Ioab killed him a­gaine, and Dauid cursed Ioab for it, and by the fathers appointment Salomon the Sonne put him to death: no refuge, no sanctuary, no Altar could saue him. She bah raiseth a power against Dauid, 2. Sam. 20. but by the procurement and wisedome of a woman, his head was cut off, and cast downe to Ioab. This history of Dauid alone diligently considered is enough to en­struct vs in our duty towards the Prince, and sufficient to proue our proposition, that blood requireth blood.

As these examples among the Iewes doe warne,Other laws of God a­gainst mur­der. Cap. 21. so the lawes among them warrant the same. It is written in Exodus: Hee that smiteth à man & he dy, he shal dy the death: which is repeated in Leuiticus, and againe in Exodus: If a man come presumptuously vp­on his neighbor to slay him with guile, thou shalt take him from mine Altar, Cap. 24. that he may dy. A plaine precept we haue against sedition and rebellion in Salomon: My sonne, fear the Lorde, Prou. 24. and the King, and meddle not with them that are seditious: for their destructio [...] shal rise sodainly, and who knoweth the r [...] ­ine of them both? And in another place, Giu [...] [Page 67]not thy waies to destroy Kings. Cap. 31. The penalty of this offense felt ambitious Adomas by Sa­lomon executed, and the trayterous Priest A­biathar deposed, and railing Shimei at length put to death: whereof came a good ende, Et confirmatum est Regnum in manu Salomonis. 1. Reg 2. By this iustice the Kingdome of Salomon was established. The Lord graunt of the like cause the like effect among vs.

Another Law of God is in the new Testa­ment,Lawes and example in the newe Testament. Iohn 8 which plainely auoucheth that this murdering commeth from the Diuel, and tea­cheth vs a cleane contrary doctrine to the Ro­mish rebellious religion, namely, to obey, to pray for Princes, and to pay duties to them, to giue to Cesar, that which is Caesars. Matth. 22. Cap. 13. Paul to the ould Romanes gaue this lesson, to render honour to whom honour is due, and fear to whom fear belongeth: Cap. 3. and in the Epistle to Tite: Admonish those to be subiect to Prin­ces and powers. So dooth Peter: 1. Pet. 2. Honour the King. And in his second Epistle he saith, that God doth preserue the vniust vnto the day of iudgement to be punished, Cap. 2. & chiefly those that walk after the flesh in the lust of vncleannes, and despise the gouernment, which are presumpteous, and stand in their owne conceite, and fear not to speak euill of them that are in dignity. The like is read [Page 68]in Iudas. Iuda. Paul acknowledgeth this out of the ould law in the Acts of the Apostles: Thou shalt not curse the Prince of the people. Cap. 23. Wherupon Chrysostom inferreth this expo­sition, I take it that he did not know at al that he was the Prince of the Priestes, otherwise he would haue honoured him. Shal I trou­ble you with the recitall of a fewe examples? Theudas made a conspiracy, but he was slaint so did Iudas of Galile, Act. 5. but he also perished, & they that obeyed him were scattered abroad. I conclude this with the terrible example and ruful end of Iudas the traytour of Iesus Christ his Master, forsaken of God and of man: of God, for that hauing no grace, he hanged him­selfe: of man, for when Iudas bewailed his case to the Priestes,Of Iudas the tray­tour two notes. and confessed to them that hee had sinned, betraying the innocent bloode, What is that to vs, (quoth they?) see thou to it. Mat. 26.27 C. 11. q. 3. Two notes we may gather out of Beda and R. Holcot, both our countrymen, the first th [...] cause, the second the time: the cause, was mony [...] in Iudas that moued him to betray his master [...] which fault of Iudas, Mat. 27. saith Beda, many thi [...] day abhor as cruel & wicked, but they tak [...] not heede of it: the other is the time, wh [...] he betraied him, euen when hee had taken h [...] Supper, he went out and betraied him. B [...] ­ware al traytours of Iudas ende, beware a [...] [Page 69]auoide the cause, that is hope of siluer, and of a better change, his chaunge was no Royall Exchāge, but insteed of his Apostleship, a rope. Let vs dearly beloued seek no alteration of the state, nor of the Prince: let vs consider our blessed time, better thā this vnkind Iudas did. For we at this time are no lesse thē Iudas was both corporally fed with the plentiful prouisi­on at Gods hande, and also spiritually refre­shed at the table of the lord, and with the right vse of the sacraments.

From the lawe of Christ, wee come to the opinion of Christian Fathers.The iudge­ment of Christian Fathers. Ignatius the Martyr alloweth no such rebellion, but auou­cheth the Scripture of God, that God taketh this quarell of Princes vpon himselfe, as hee said vnto Samuel, he alleageth the Scripture of Moses saying, This murmuring of yours is not against vs, but against the Lorde God: and setteth downe this seuere sentence: No mā that lifteth vp himself against his better, Epist. 3. ad Magnesios. wēt at any time vnpunished, cōcluding thus: Wherefore wee must reuerence our superi­ours, for that it is no great matter to be cal­ [...]ed à Christian, but to bee one: as though hee would imploy,Ad Scapul. that those that are disloyall and [...]ebels, are not good Christiās. The same rea­ [...]on Tertullian rendreth. We are defamed as [...]raytours against the Maiesty of the Empe­rour, [Page 70]and yet Christians were neuer found to be Albimans, nor Nigrians, nor Cassians, but he there discharging the Christiās, char­geth the heathen who cōdemned the chri­stians: Christianus nullius est hostis, nedum Im­peratoris. A Christian is foe to no man, much lesse to the Emperour. The office of Christi­ans and priuat men is by Augustine thus des­cribed:Cap. 23. q. 8. Quicun (que). Whosoeuer striketh euil men in that they are euil, and hath a cause to kil them, is the minister of God. But hee that killeth or slaieth or maimeth à sorcerer, theef, church­robber, à periured man, or any other male­factour, shal be iudged as a mankiller, and the more sharply, because he was not afraid abusiuè or disorderly to vsurp vnto himselfe a power not graunted vnto him from God. The same Austine ratifieth this order politi­cal & the authority of Magistrates as necessa­ry and inuiolable.Jn. l. de bo­no Discip. cap. 3. Except there were ordei­ned an order of liuing certainely, nature would neuer make an end of sinning. Chry­sostome agreeth to the same. If thou takest a­way the tribunal seats of iudgement, Hom. 6. ad pop. Antioc. tho [...] hast taken away all order of our life: and thou shalt separate from the ship the goue­nour, thou hast drownd the boat: if thou t [...] ­kest away the captaine from the army, tho [...] deliuerest vp the souldiours captiues to t [...] [Page 71]enemies: euē so if thou takest away Prince from cities, we shall lead a life more vnrea­sonable, then vnreasonable wild beasts, by­ting and deuouring one another, the man of might him that is the poorer, the boulder him that is the simpler. 1. Cor. [...]; H [...]m. 3 [...]. The same father vpon the Epistle to the Corinthians sheweth the Maiesty of a Prince, and that by the outwarde ensignes of his office, and roiall robes: Although wee see cloth of golde, and shooes of gold, and such like, yet we still re­quire and desire another garment and ve­sture to know a King: but assoone as we be­hold his Purple and Crowne, now we look for no other sign of the Maiesty of a Prince. And againe, No man will entertaine a King vnreuerently, Cap. 10. no man wil touch the Kinges robe with vncleane handes, although hee were alone in a solitary place: and yet the garment is nothing else but the threed of worms. If thou wonder at the coloring and dyeng of it, euen that is the blood of a dead fish. Againe he telleth vs that this vplandish & barbarous shedding, of bloud came frō our old Ethnish forefathers the Britanes, who did eat mans flesh, very Giants indeede: it came from the Massagets & Derbices, who thought them miserable that died of any sicknes, & therefore whē they came to be old, killed thē & deuoured [Page 72]them, Father, Mother, Cosens, Kinsmen, whatsoeuer. The like and almost in the same words hath Ierom. Li. 2. aduer. Jouinian. These and such like may be authorities and positions of the Christian fathers to disanull all these saucy and insolent attempts.

To these opinions of fathers might be ad­ded ciuill Lawes, if a Ciuilian hadde this matter in handling.Ciuil lawes. They could tell you out of the Code:Cod. l. 3. Nemo. Let euery poisoner, sorcerer, a­dulterer, coiner, murderer, parricide suffer tormentes, and hee that is guilty of treason, let him not hope for any pardon of his lord, against whome hee hath presumed such thinges: He could tel you by the law of Pom­pey this decree, That if a mā kil his father or mother, ff. l. 1. de parricidijs. wife, husband, patrō, or patronesse, and such others, there mentioned, hee must be in daunger of that penalty which is sette downe by the law of Cornelius. They could tel you,L. Cornel. de ficarijs Cor. 1. sept. Hee that walketh with a weapon, with an entent and purpose to kil a man, is to be punished, as if he had killed a man: for in great and grieuous offenses the will is re­spected, and not the end. And their Rule is, that the will is to bee punished as seuerely as the deed. They could also report out of their Law, that it is a wicked thing for a man to ly in waite against man, because Nature hath [Page 73]linked vs altogether with a certaine kinred and cognation.

And againe, That whosoeuer raseth, wa­sheth, counterfeiteth the mony of a Prince, L. Diu [...] C [...] ad. L. Corah. sica. ff. ad L. Cor. de falss [...]. l. 2. c. de fal. mon. if he bee a free man, he is to bee throwen to beasts: if a seruant, he ought to be extremely punished. And also he that coineth a new coin without the authority of the Prince, hee must be burned. What then may be thought of such Giaunts that are not onely contumelious a­gainst the coat of the Prince, but also against his person, not only iniurious against his coin, but against his body, not only intend murther, but practise it?

We may ioyn vnto these lawes, Exampls, experimentes and documents which we learn by ciuil and Christian gouernours.Examples of ciuil and also christi­an gouer­nours. For when did not God one way or other meet with these new deuisers of treasons & rebellions against the Lordes annointed? Maximus an vpstart, set vp by souldiours, circumuented by craft, and killed by violence Gratian the Christian and gratious Emperour preparing his iour­ney into Italy: Augustin. l. 5. de ciuit. Dei. cap. 15. Socra. lib. 5. cap. 11. did not Theodosius put to death the same tyrant? Was not Symmachus a Senator, for writing the praise of that Ma­ximus, reputed guilty of Treasō? and fearing death, was he not forced to take Sanctuary?Hist. Trip. l. 9. c. 23. Did he not retract the same by an Apologie? [Page 74]Did not the same Theodosius tame Eugeni­us, Cap. 26. who was intruded into the Emperours roome?Abbas Vrs. f. 158. Phocas killed his Master Mauritius the Emperour with his wife Constantia and his children and was not hee afterward van­quished by Heraclius, by the means of his own Son in Law Priscus? Did not the common people after his apprehension put him to death and burne him? Constans the good protector of Athanasius was depriued of his kingdome and his life by Magnētius: Did not Constan­tius brother of the said Constans pursue him, so that at Lyons hee was brought to this ex­tremity,Ruff. lib. 1. cap. 19. Orosius. l. 7. to kil himselfe with his owne hande? A certain man called Constantinus furiously ran vpon Belisarius with his dagger drawen: was not the traytour killed himselfe? Were not the Goathes made lords,Blondus l. 5. decad. 1. and conquerors that day? How egregiously Traytours were punished by the Emperour Valens, wee read in Sozomen and Socrates. Soz. l. 6. c. 8. Soc. l. 4. c. 5. Procopius an v­surper encountred against the Emperor Va­lens, but by the means of his owne captaines was taken aliue, and betraied by them. These traitors, notwithstanding the oth made, were cut in sunder with sawes. Procopius the v­surper was tied by the thighes to two trees, and straungely torne into peeces. You may read Cuspinian of the trayterous dealing of [Page 75] Manuel Emperour against Conradus and against Lewes King of Fraunce, Jn [...]i [...] Manuel. and of Cani­clinus, and other three courtiers against the Emperour, and their punishment. Berhardus the nephew of Lewes the Emperour conspt­reth, and by the sētence of the french men was condemned to dy,Abbas, Vrs. fol. 192. but by the fauor of the Em­perour his eies only were put out. I told you out of Tertullian of certain traytours named onely by him,Ter. lib. ad. S [...]apulam. as notorious in this leud sect of Traitours: and now shall be more at large by Historiographers displaied to you. The one was Clodius Albinus, Sectaries in Treason, 1. Albin [...]as. Jn Sen [...]ro Jmperator. of whō Aelius Spar­tianus writeth, that hee rebelled against the Emperour Seuerus in Fraunce: how sped he? When hee was ouercome, and his body was brought, he commanded his head being halfe dead to be cut off, and to bee carried to Rome, the rest of the carcase to be quartered, & set vp before his owne house: some ad that he willed the same carcase to be throwen into the riuer Rhodanus with his children.2. Nigrian. Another rebell was Pescennius Niger saluted as Emperor by the band of the Syrians: what was his end? He was staine by Seuerus, his head was cari­ed vpon a speare, his children, who had beene entreated of the said Emperour as his owne children, were banished with the Mother: and after the rebellion of Albinus hee put them al [Page 76]to death.3. Sectaries Cassians. The last was Cassius descending of y^e line of the Cassians the great cōspirators a­gainst Iulius Caesar, as Vulcatius Gallicanus witnesseth. He wrought treasō against Verus, he rebelled vnder Marcus Antoninus Philo­sophus, his delight was to be called Catiline, bragging that he should be also Sergius, if hee might kil Dialogistam and Philosopham a­niculam, naming and meaning Antonine, because he was a learned disputer, and giuen to the study of Auncient Philosophy. What was his rewarde? Antoninus himselfe was mercifull: but Faustina the Empresse wri­teth to Antonine, that if he loued his children & wife, hee should sharply pursue these rebels, for that these mutinous & seditious captaines & souldiours had an euil custom, Quinisi oppri­mantur, Faustina a worthy and wise coun­sailor a­gainst trai­tours. oppriment, except they bee oppressed, they wil oppresse. And in another Epistle shee alledgeth a sentence of her Mother Faustina vnto his father Pius, That hee shoulde first shew pitty to himselfe and to his owne, and then afterward to straungers. In fine, the Senate tooke order, that he should be iudged a traytour, and his goods confiscated, Et con­sensu omnium, praeter Antiochenses, interemp­tus est, and by the consent of euery man (excep­ting the Antiochians) he was executed.

Now for that I must end this time, apply [Page 77]this in our latter and leud daies, as you think good. Our learned Antonina for her owne part of her admirable clemency, hath she­wed pitty, and mercy to many traitours: our Honourable Counsail, and our Lawes haue prouided against them, and some of them haue had their desert by Iustice, as you haue heard it should be, and might be by the law of Nature, by the Law of God among the Iews, and also among the Christians, by the iudge­ment of Christian Fathers, by the constituti­ons ciuil, by Emperours and Princes Chri­stian and others.

You also my brethren and countrimen, haue taken anoth of fidelity as the Athenians did, [...] &c.

The oath of the Athe­nians and English subiects. I will defend Religion, holy and prophane thinges, and fight for them either alone, or with many, I will not leaue my Countrie in woorse state, but in better. I will alwaies obey the Magistrate, and chiefe Ruler, I will bee subiect to Lawes ordained, Ex Apoph. Aristoxeni Pythagori. and to al other Decrees set downe by the Com­mons [Page 78]and Parlament. If anie will frustrate or make voide the Lawes, or not bee obedient to them: I will not agree, but will re­uenge it either alone or with ma­nie. I will obserue and reuerence the Holie Ceremonies of My Countrie: whereof God be my witnesse and iudge. Wee of this land doe swear and protest in the name of Christ, a fidelity to God, to the Prince, & to our coun­try. This oath must be kept, you know the rule of law: Nimis indignum esse iudicamus quod quisque sua voce dilucide protestatus est, infirmare. Wee thinke it an vnworthy and shameful thing, that a man should breake that which he hath protested plainly with his owne mouth. God graunt vs al to bee mindful of it: To whom &c.

CHRYSOSTOM a worthy & eloquent father, hath vttered a good methode and order of teaching to bee obserued of all that shall occupy the roome of Ministers in the Church of Christ.A methode in teaching and prea­ching. For he intreating of the same argumēt which wee nowe handle, saith thus man Ho­mily:De David & Saul. Hic mihi videtur optimus esse docendi mo­dus &c. This seemeth to me the best way of teaching, if we doe not cease to counsel and exhort in any matter, before we shal see our counsel and admonition to come to effect: for if one reasoneth to day of almes, to mo­row of praier, the next day of humanity, and againe afterward of modesty and humility of minde, hee cannot well make perfect a­ny of these in the heartes of his auditours. I am therefore returned to this place, to pro­secute the same matter, which the last time was deliuered to you. You haue heard obedi­ence towards Princes and Superiours hath [Page 80]bin commended by diuerse lawes of Nature, of God in the ould and new Testament, com­mended by auncient Christian fathers, by Ci­uil Cōstitutions and Examples of Princes, & how contrariwise. disobedience, treacheries, rebellions were euermore condemned, & con­dignlie punished.

Now I am to proceede to other lawes,The Popes Lawe con­demneth treacherous murdering. and decrees, and examples to proue the same. The next law, is the Law Canonical, aduouched, & recited by the Pope himselfe, whereby al kind of murther against any person neuer so meane is vtterly forbidden in priuate men:De Poenit. dist. 1. as out of the Epistle of Clement: That blessed Saint Peter said, there were three kinds of Homi­cides or murderers, killers of brethren, slan­derers, and haters: out of Hierom: Al iniqui­ty, and oppression, and vnrighteousnes is iudgement of bloud, Jn Jesaiā. and although thou dost not kil with the sworde, yet doost thou slay with thy wil. Austin. ibi. And out of Augustine: Murder forbidden by Law was thought to bee no­thing els but the killing of the body: There­fore the Lord hath opened to vs that euery vniust motion to hurt a brother, is to be re­puted among the kindes of murther. This doctrine gathered out of these fathers, and borrowed out of the interpretation of our sa­uiour Christ,Matth. 5. defining murder to be threefold, [Page 81] operis, oris, cordis, in work, woord, and hart, in­serted and allowed by the Popes owne lawe,Triple [...] ­ther. doth touch the quick and the very point of this controuersy: It is not lawful to murther by detracting, by thinking against any person: and shal it not be accounted of these Catholiks murther indeed to lay violent hands vpon the same person? And shal this be esteemed mur­ther against priuate persons, and shall it not much more bee so esteemed against publicke Magistrates? Shal not the murdering hande, the murdering tongue, the murdering heart against Princes be guilty also by this Law't We vnderstād what they say in their Popish Decrees. And this also I would haue our coū ­trymen note, that if any haue taken an oath to Pope or any other,C. 12. q. 5. [...] Glossa. Tamen contra propriā patri­am non iuuabit ipsum, He shal not aid any man or master against his own coūtry. And where­as in sundry places of scripture we are bound by the commaundement of God to obey, to ho­nour, to fear the King and al higher power, as the places rehearsed before declare: now their Law inforceth that beeing a precept or com­maundement, it must be doone and followed: Whosoeuer obeyeth not commandements, C. 14 q. 1. is guiltie and a debtour of the penaltie, out of Austin, De sermone Domini in Monte. And in the same Title out of Gregory. That which [Page 82]is giuen in precept, is commaunded: that which is commaunded, must needs be don: if it be not done, Paenam habet: it hath the penalty. Why then should any Pope dispense with any Princes subiect, and not incurre double punishment, in that hee breaketh him­selfe, and causeth many thousands to commit the like? The Popes law can tel him, Quod al­ter mandato nostro facit, nos reputamur fecisse. The Popish Schoolmen teach, That if a man doth not fulfil his penance enioyned to him by his ghostly father, he committeth deadly sin. Scot. in 4. d. 15. and so doth Bonauenture require obedience to a Prelate vnder paine of death. And to disobey a Prince shal it be veni­al, and a thing of nothing?

Nowe let vs set their owne sayinges, and doings in one ballaunce, and see how far they disagree from this authority of these fathers,The Popes Actes con­trarie to their lawes. alleadged by their Gratian. It is written that Pope Innocentius the third of that name, when he had intermedled, and made debate by his double dealing betweene Otho the first, and Frederik, B. Fulgos. lib. 6. he made a cunning collation at Rome in the holy time of Lent, of peace and agreement: but this iudgement was giuen of that Sermon by a noble Citizen of Rome, Iohn Capocius: O holy father, your wordes are the wordes of God, but your deedes are [Page 83]the deedes of the diuell. So may wee iudge of the rest of the rabblement of Popes, whose lawes compiled out of these fathers, are godly in some cases, but their own woords, & works are diuelish.

Touching woords,N [...]c [...] C. 9. qu [...]s [...] in their owne high ma­iestical stile, thus they speake. It is certainly most euident, that the iudgment of the A­postolical See (whose authority is greatest) must not be retracted of any man, neither is it lawful for any man to iudge of her iudge­mentes. And againe,Junnocent. cap. Nem [...] The iudge must not be iudged, neither of the Emperour, neither of al the cleargy, neither of Kings. And againe: The Church of Rome alone by her own au­thority may iudge of al, Calixen [...] but it is not permit­ted to any to iudge of her. It is a great vsur­pation of the Byshop of Rome, both in his no­torious claime of all Kingdomes, and in his oppression of all Kinges: which by generall terms, and particular discourse may be found in Histories, and are couched together in Au­gustin Steuchus a great Proctor of the Pope, euen out of the bowels and priuities of the Popes Epistles, & Registres.De Dona [...] Constant. cont. I aur. Vall. The Vni­uersality of Rome. The generals are: Papam habere vetustissimum vniuersa­lem (que) Dominatum &c, that the Pope hath a most auncient and vniuersal dominion ouer the King domes of al the west Church. That [Page 84]Rome is content, King Pope, Queene Rome de­stroieth all Kinges and Queenes. The speciall and peculi­ar Prouin­ces of the Pope. Sect 93. Spaine. and suffereth Kinges to rule, so that they acknowledge hir to be Pa­tronam, Dominam, ac Reginam, as the Patro­nesse, Lady, and Queen: so that al pensions be payed to her, and shee as Queene to be saluted, & worshipped, Adoretur. These spe­cialties be many: Gregory, otherwise Hilde­brand, giueth the Kinges of Spaine to vnder­stand, Regnum Hispaniae ex antiquis constituti­onibus Beato Petro, & Sanctae Romanae Eccle­siae in ius & potestatem traditum esse: That the Kingdome of Spaine by auncient Recordes and constitutions hath beene giuen vp, and deliuered to the right, & propriety of Bles­sed Saint Peter, and of the holy church of Rome. Sect. 94. Hungarie. The same Pope writeth to Salomon King of Hungary in like sort, chalenging that Kingdome as his proper possession. Pope A­lexander the third certifieth William Con­querour, that before King Iohn offered vppe England to the Church of Rome, England. it was in the hand of the Prince of the Apostles, and vn­der his Tutorship or tuitiō, vntil some others came, who following the pride of Satan, Pa­ctum Dei abiecerunt,Sect. 95.& Anglorum Populum à via veritatis auerterunt, that is, Vntil they did cast away the couenant of God, and turned the people of England frō the way of truth: And praiseth English men, as faithful Contri­butours [Page 85]butours,Exhibeb [...]e. and Exhibitors to the See Apostoli­cal by a yearly Pension, partly to the Byshop, and partly to Saint Maries Church, Quae vocatur Schola Anglorum, which is called the Schole of English men. It is likely our En­glish Seminaries receiue some portion and peece of this Exhibition at Rome, & Rhemes, which our Popish Iesuites bragge to bee the Popes liberality.The Pope giueth a Pig to our Papistes of our owne Sow. But there is another effer­tuous point in that Popish Register: A sure, and certaine warrant to William, that he shal haue Peter a pitifull and gracious debeour, Pium, & propitium debitorem. I know not with what measure of mercy, and pitty, Saint Peter hath paied this debt to King William: but Queene Elizabeth and her predecessours of late haue receiued smal Alms, but rather haue felt a shroad recompense. The same Alexan­der chalengeth Denmarke, Denmarke. tanquam peculium & vectigal Romanae Ecclesiae: As his owne pe­culiar, and trybutary to his church: Sect. 96. Ex Regist Im [...]c. 3. Alex. 3. Paschalis. Bohemia. Genua. Sect. 97. &c Item the Kingdomes of Aragonia, of Sardinia, of Por­tugal, of Boemeland, Swethland, Norway, Dātia are subiect with like conditions, as also Ianua in Italy. Our neighbour Fraunce is so holden: and King Demetrius, and the Queene of Ruscia so confesse to Gregory the seuenth, That they receaued it, Ex dono Petri: Of the ree gyft of Peter: And yet their printed Text [Page 86]is in a Distinction against these Registres: Imperator non habe [...] ▪ Imperium à Papa, Abbas Vrs. fol. 231. sod à Deo: The Emperour hath his Empire not of the Pope, but of God. I omit the rest, as Croatia, Dalmatia, who acknowledge that they haue their Regimēt per vexillum &c. By the banner, sword, Scepter, and Crown ren­dred from Gebyzo the Legate of the Aposso­lick See. What is the conclusion of this new father Augustine? Domine sac, dic, da totum. Quidigitur superest in Occi­dente, quod apertè non sit Sedis Apostolicae? What is left in the west, which is not by plaine e­uidence belonging to the Apostolical See? Ergo this is the meaning: Al is ours, quoth the Diuel, or rather the Pope, whō the diuell hath lifted vp not onely to the Pinnacle of the Temple, as high and vniuersal Priest: but set and exalted vpon an high hit, and giuen to him al the Kingdomes of the worlde, for his good seruice, in adoring & worshipping him, which he offered before to Christ,Matth. 4. but he refused that his conditional offer, and now Antichrist hath accepted it.

In their Decrees and Decretals and Glo­ses and Doctours we may find those and the like speaches. The Pope may take away pri­uileges, and depose Bishoppes, and the Em­perour: Hee is Lorde of Lordes, hauing the iurisdiction, and the right of the King [Page 87]of Kinges ouer Subiectes.

As his brags are bigge, so his practises are not vnlike,Aenead. lib. 7. Sabellicus is witnesse of the pride of Clement against Frauncis Dandalus Em­bassadour, & afterward Duke of Venice, who comming from the great Seignory of the world for peace,F [...]. Danda [...]. as a poore penitent, was vsed like a dog in an iron coller about his neck, ly­ing prostrate vnder the Popes table: and with much ado at length obteined absolution. Hen­ry the fourth Emperor,Hen. 4. being also discommu­ned of Gregory the seuenth, came speedily to Canossum (which Abbas calleth oppidum Ca­nusinum) bare footed in winter and trost,A. D. 1076 put­ting off his princely robes, and comming near to the gate, desireth to be let in, which was de­nied to him: so remaining in the suburbes the space of three daies,Platin in vita Gre­gorij 7. continually crauing par­don, at the length by intercession of Mathildes a Countesse, and a familiar frind of the Pope, & the Earle of Sauoy, & an Abbat, was absol­ued. The same Platina doth not deny but that many misliked such cursing & bāning, & did in­stantly vrge and hold, That a King ought not so sodainly to be pronoūced an accursed mā or an Anathema. Ioan. 21. [...]eed, th [...] is, Rule. The Pope had Scripture for this, that Peter had commissiō from Christ to feed his sheep, Pasce oues meas, & maketh a Cō ­mētary or rather a cōment vpon it, Excepit ne [Page 88]Reges? Did he except Kinges: And Peter had authority of binding and loosing,Jbidem. and there­fore exempted no man, and Gregory in earth appealeth to Peter and Paul in heauen against the same Henry, abusing the Text of Scrip­ture: Astiterunt Reges terrae: The Kinges of the earth and Princes of the world stood vp, and Ecclesiasticall persons, Psal 2. A Glosse meete for a Pope. and other com­mon men haue coniured against the Lorde, and against vs his Christs, and Henry hath too proudly lifted vp his hornes, and heeles against the church of GOD, meaning the church of Rome. Gregorie Christ. Abbas in anno 1106. Gregory proceedeth still by excommunicating, and persecuting by himself and his Catholickes, blasing him out in his armes, and coulours to bee an Archheriticke, and an Apostata, whom notwithstanding the other Historiographers commend,Lib 7. The Italian writers par­tial on the Popes side against the Germanes. as Sige­bertus, Otto Frisingensis, Auentine, Cuspi­nian, who findeth fault with these men that cary the King, and namely with Bertholdus, who continued the history of Hermānus Con­tractus with the Abbat of Vrsperg, affirming that, vter (que) ardentius quàm conueniat pium Im­peratorem insectetur, reproouing their heate against the godly Emperour. The Pope also maketh the subiect Rodolph to rise against his Master, and the son Henry against Henry his father, who by the hypocriticall protesta­tion [Page 89]of the Sonne, and the crafty counsaile of some Peeres, rendred vp hie Regalities, that is, his crosse, his saunce, his scepter, & crown: which practise so displeased the good father af­terward, that shortly after he fel sick and died at Leodium, and his corpes by these Popish mens cruelty was for the space of fiue yeares vniustly kept from Christian burial. A matter more than tragical that hath no end, but in life and death, yea after both, persecuteth the an­nointed of the Lord.

This is the practise of Popes and specially of Gregory: now consider with me,The plagues of Gregoria and his ad­herentes. whether Dauids argument holdeth or no, whether the Pope so ouer-reaching in loftines of wordes, so surmounting in hautinesse of deedes against such Personages, hath escaped guiltles in the sight of God? And whether any Popish com­missioners vnder him haue gone vnpunished? Was not Gregory subiect to the censure of August, and of the cleargy, and of the church, contrary to that brag of the Popes, Nicolas, Innocent, and Calixt, of whom before is spo­ken? Gregory notwithstanding these Popes charters and lofty stile,Gregorie. Abb. Vrsp. anno. 1080. was iudged to bee a manifest coniurer, sorcerer, and a stragler and runnagate from the true faith, and that in a Councel holden at Brixia, and as saith Abbas Vrspergensis, Factus est omnium consensus ad­uersus [Page 90]Hildebrandum Papam, There was a generall consent of al against this Gregorie, whom they terme a false Moncke, & totius Vesaniae pestiferum Principem, and of all this brainsicknesse a pestilent ring-leader. He was iudged before in a Councell at Wormes, and depriued with this plain speech, Because thou hast declamed, that none of vs should be a Bishoppe to thee: therefore hereafter thou shalt not be Apostolicall to vs. He was also iudged in a Councell at Mence, Ann. Dom. 1076. where in the presence of the Emperour and the Legates of Rome, Inanno 1085. all those Bishops rebels to the Empe­rour, were deposed, and others accursed. And the Romanes with one consent deposed him, and as Christianus Massaeus affirmeth,Ann Dom. 1083. a No­ble man Cincius at the beginning, when the Pope song his first Masse,Lib. chr. 16. plucked him from the Altar, & cast him into prison. This Pope shamefullie fledde to Salerna, and taried there vnto his dying day,Abbas. fol. 238. confessing before his death that hee had molested iniuriously Henrie the Emperour, and therefore euen then assoiled him. Platina the Popes Secretary saith, that when in the synod of Bishops Gregory was depriued, Gilbertus was chosen in his place, whom they called Clement. Cuspinià. in Hen. 4. Horman. Cuspinian also saith, that Hermannus a noble and valiaunt man, but factious, rebelling against the saide [Page 91] Henry, was slaine euen of a seely woman, out of a tower by a great stone throwen down vp­on him:Eggibert and that his owne kinsman Eggibert for the like seditious attempt taken in a mill, was put to shamefull death by the souldiours of the Emperour,Rodolph. and that Rodolph a subiect of the Emperour, whom the Pope aduaunced and freed from his oth of allegenunce, beeing conquered in war, when hee behelde his right hand cut off, lamentably said: I doe confesse that I am well serued: In Hen. 4 for with this hande I made a promise and tooke anoth of fideli­ty to my lord, which I haue vnhonestly bro­ken by your persuasion, I haue a iust reward for my periury: and, as also the Abbat; of Vr­sperge confesseth,Abbas Vrs. ann. 1080. he being carried to Meres­burge, made his moane vnto the Bishops that he had lost his right hand. Kingdome and life by their means. These be the fruits of Popish Counsailours and ghostly fathers. Here is one thing to bee noted out of Iohn Cuspinian tou­ching the good nature of the Emperour a­gainst this leud Rebel, that he buried him ho­norably with roial pompe, which when it was reprooued and misliked by his frinds, he aun­swered: Vtinám omnes mei aduersary eo ornatu sepultiiacerent, A praier for Rebels. I would to God that all mine aduersaries mightly and dy with such an ho­nourable burial. So (dearly beloued) let vs al [Page 92]pray, that al the fors and rebels and if willers of her Maiesty may either be conuerted, or so confounded, though they had afterwards a­sumptuous funeral.

Now what became of Henry the fist,Man. 5. the parricide of his father, the Popes darling, an Emperour of the Popes owne cecation: He dranke of the same cup of affliction which he offered to his father. First the Pope denied him that priuilege, which iustlio hee claimed in bestowing Ecclesiasticall dignities, and inuesting of Bishops and Abbats, which was the sparke, and beginning of a great flame of dissension betwixt Henry the father, and the Pope. Pope Paschalis the second in a Councel holden at Lateran reuoketh all his promises which he made to the King, euen by the recea­uing of the Sacrament solemnly and religi­ously at his Masse,Abb. Vrsp. anno 1116. calling that a Prauilege, and not a Priuilege: and in the end excommu­nicated him, striking him, as some write, Grandi fulmine, with a great lightening or thunder-bolt. Afterward he was driuen to re­lease al the Inuesting to his Lord Calixtus: & as the Pope began with him, so God in iudge­ment proceeded against him. For there fel out in Germany tumultes, spoiles, burning, wa­sting, murthering euery man as hee listed: Ci­ties were destroied, and they made a pray of al [Page 93]things that was the Emperours. And the same Abbas reporteth that there were cer­taine conspirators against them,Ann. 1124. and the tem­pest of ciuil seditions inceased, &, as the Pro­phet saith, Lying, and periury ouer flowed,Ose. 4. and bloode touched bloode: so that hee dranke the dregs of that cup which hee made his father tast.Inan. 1117 There followed most terrible wonders & signes from heauen, and earthquakes, thun­der with hailestones, and lightning, whereby cattle, men, townes, and fields were destroied. There fel out also a great famine and morta­lity, so that it was thought that the third part of men perished, and that scarcely men were left to bury the dead carcasses. And not long after died Calixtus the Pope, and a multitude of Noble men, and the common people so fast, and in such heapes by hunger, and pestilence, that no man (saith Cuspinian) was able to number them. The Emperour himselfe was striken with a straunge disease, called Dra­cunculus, a foule vlcer or botch in his priuy partes, whereon he died, in his life being in mi­serable pain, and had infamy and an euil name after his death. For thus the history recordeth of him that he was a Prince, In. Heur. 5. not greatly to be commended, for that vnder the pretense of Catholick Religion he depriued his father: Whose life is thus painted out by Cuspinian: [Page 94]his impiety and cruelty towards his father: his owne wretched life and shameful death.

Thus the Pope Gregory with al his trea­cherous practisers is come to nought, and iud­ged of God and men, who wil be iudged of no man: ‘ [...].Hesiod.’

The saying of the Poet is verified: Euill counsel is woorst for the counsailour himselfe. What should I speak of Henry the sixt Em­perour,Rebellion against Heur. 6. against whom the Byshop of Leedes rebelled, and was slaine for his labour: and so by his death the rebellion ceased? A good end of good iustice ministred: God graunt the like euent in these daies. Earles also and Barons rebelling in Apulia against their promise and faith, were not their hostages taken, and their eies pluckt out,Abbas. 1191. and the rest of their rebellious captiues put to death by sundry horrible pu­nishmentes? Among the prisoners was an Archbishop of Salerna, but his eies were spa­red, more of the Kinges goodnesse then of his desert. I told you before of this Henry out of Bapt. Egnatius and Raph Volaterran how he was poysoned in the Sacrament,Lib. 3. Anthrop. lib. 23. which hee [Page 95]was woont oft to receiue. And Abbas Vrsper. Multi asserebant eum interysse veneno, albeit he himselfe doubteth of it.

I might adde vnto these the treachery of Pope Lucius the third against Frederik Bar­barossa, Luci. Pope against Fre­derik. in stirring vp controuersies and qua­rels against him, for which God iudged him, so that hee died strait in his consultation at Verona, and was buried with this Epitaph.Abb. Vrsp. an. 1185.

Read also there of the rebellion of the Mil­leners, Alexander. P. & Mil­leners. who contemned their oth to their liege Lord, vpon the bare word and warrant of A­lexāder the Pope: Read there of the treache­ry of Vrban the third, called Turban of many,Vrban. for his troubles moued against the Emperor: but al three Popes died before him,Jn anno 1186. and Vrban disquieting the church was striken by the hād of God and perished. This is the iust plague of God vppon such Successours of Peter, that draw the sworde: and as Otho writeth, such priests are to be blamed greatly, that go about to strike Kinges with that sword which they haue receaued by the courtesy and fauour of the Kinges.In lib. 7. in prolog.

And hath not also the cup of poyson walked among the Popes themselues as they haue gi­uen it to others?Popes poi­soned. Did not Gerhardus Brasutus [Page 96]dispatch with poyson sixe Byshops of Rome, Benno Car. Clement, Damasus, &c. only to make a room for Hildebrand aspiring to the Popedome? Was not Victor the third of an Abbat made a Pope, and within a yeare and foure months was he not scrued with this vnsauery and pe­stiferous sauce?In Poemat. Antiquis. Volat. li. 22. Lib. 16. was he not poysoned in a cha­lice by a Deacon? Or as Christian Massaeus writeth, per fautores Guiberti, By the fauou­rers of Guibert? Did not Alexander the sixth when he had prepared a poisoned cup,In speculo Rom. Pont. tast him­selfe of the same bottle by errour of seruitours at the table, & died with them: There is none of this Popish broode that commit such trea­chery against Christian Princes, or periuries against Turks, and Infidels, that God wil suf­fer vniudged,Treacherie of Popea a­gainst Turkes. Bonf. lib. 6. Dec. 3. Amura­thes. and vnreuenged. One not able History we read in Bonfinius, and in the chro­nicle of Carion, that Hunniades a valiaunt captain with other christians had made truce for ten years with Amurathes the Turke: but by the persuasion of the Pope Eugenius, and his Cardinal Iulian, Vladislaus the young King and the rest brake it, for that the Pa­pistes auouched that no such platte of peace shoulde bee pitched without the consent of the Pope: Whereupon Vladislaus was forced to send for help to his friend Dracoles a Walla­chian, and hee receiued from him, besides the [Page 97]aide of two thousand horsemen, two swift hor­ses, one for himselfe, and another for his Son, with signification, that, assoone as they could, they shoulde runne away, for that the Turke should of all likelyhood ouercome: which pro­phecy or forespeaking came to passe: for the Turk spreading out towards heauē the book & Articles of Pacificatiō agreed vpon, betwixt them, & sworn to, by the Christiās, vpō the En­angelists, by the other vpon their Alcoran, cri­ed out to Christ, that if he were a true God, he should be reuenged of his false Christiās, Im­mediatly the King was staine, the Cardinall running away was thrust thorow, Hunniades hardly escaped, & the Christians, who had the better hand afore, were with great losse, and shame of al Christendome vanquished. Thus the Romish Ismael hath his hand lifted vp a­gainst all men,Gen. 16. Epl. 242. and the handes of al men are a­gainst him, as also Bernard did apply this text against the Romanes in like sense.

The Turke truer and inster than the Pope.A Turke sometimes keepeth touch better than the Pope: and punisheth most seuerely al vnfaithfulnes. Saladine Soultan of AEgypt, as he was fauourahle vnto Guye Lusignane King of Ierusalem his prisoner, so he was se­uere against Rainold Castilian, Saladine. Bapt. Ful. lib. 6. and cut off his head w^t his own hand, bicause he waged battle against him contrary to the league of Truce [Page 98]and contrary to his faith and troth giuen in that behalfe. So it falleth out that ether God, or by his permission the Diuel, either Christi­an, or Turke, or Soultan, or one, or other will meete in the end with such Popish Prelates. If none wil, they among themselues will take order, that they shal be murdered or cousoned. Marke I pray you an Pistory. Celestinus of an Eremite made Pope, pretending a refor­mation of the Cleargy of Rome in his first Consistory got displeasure by it, Tantum in­currit indignationis, vt delirum & fatuū susur­rarent, that is,Pope a­gainst Pope He incurred so much their in­dignation, that they whispered among thē ­selues that he was an old doting foole. And one of them, Benedict, non re, sed nomine, not in deed, but by name, set one at the Popes cham­ber doore, many nightes, by a reed to sound as it had been an Angel: Celestine, Celestine, cede, negotium supra vires est: Boniface a Cousoner of Celestine. O Celestine, Cele­stine, giue place, this is more than thou canst perfourme: which voice the simple Pope hea­ring aunswered, Faciam quod Deus voluerit: Gods will bee doone, I will doe as pleaseth God. But the pleasure of Benedict or Be­net was,Masse. l. 17. that he should to prison, where hee re­mained more then seuen years: And the See Papall was vacant scarcely one day: and this Benet was sodenly transformed into Bo­niface [Page 99]the eight: but as he entred in as a for, so he liued as a lion.Ju [...] Bonifae. And Platina thus describeth this Lyon, Qui imperatoribus, regibus, princi­pibus. &c. This Boniface that did strike into Emperors, Kings, Princes, nations and peo­ple a terrour, rather than a religion: He that went about to giue, and to take away king­domes, to thrust out and thrust in at his own pleasure and arbitrement, dieth, and as it was commonly saide at that time,Mat. West. in Edo [...] [...] De Don [...] Constan [...] vt canis, as a dog. Little better was the end of others by the confession of Augustinus Steuchus, de­claring how the Romanes themselues hardly entreated their Popes. How many haue they cruelly killed? How many haue they taken, imprisoned, and strangled? And yet the same Steuchus will goe about to prooue vnto vs the perpetuity, and eternity of the Romish Seat, and that out of a Poet Virgil, Imperium sine fine dedi. the sense is,

That their Papal Empire shal be endlesse: wherein I may well resemble these Roma­nistes vnto the people of Athens, Aristoph. [...] Equitibus. who promi­sed vnto themselues, an vniuersall gouerne­ment ouer the whole world,

Treioice that I shal bee as an Eagle in the cloudes. Athenian [...] and Roma­nists moun­ting Eagle [...] Notwithstanding this conceit, and crochet of these Romish Athenians about their euerlasting continuaunce, and Eagle­like [Page 100]mounting, I must say of all these Popes, Chr. Mass [...]. L. Chro. 18. as the Chauncelour of Paris Gerson in the Coūcel of Constance said many times of one Pope, Peter de Luna: Non erit pax Ecclesiae do­nec auferatur Luna: There wil be no peace to the church of Christ, vntil this Lunatike Pa­paty be rooted out from vs, and out of al Chri­stendome, This also was once prefigured, and shadowed out to vs in another sort against Iu­lius the second that Romish Ruffler, and a­gainst that bloody Seat by a strange monster born at that time,Chr. Massae. lib. 20. whē Iulius his army fought against the French-men: The monster had in his head an horn: for arms wings: both sere, in part a man, in part a womā: in the knee an ey, the foote of an hauke: in the brest these marks, V. ✚ The Mon­ster of Rome The interpretation of it was thus then set downe: Pride, lightnes, want of ver­tues, Sodometry, the loue of earthly things, forgetfulnesse of God, and vnsatiable coue­tousnesse, FLAGELLO FRANCO­RƲM PƲNIENDA: These mon­strous vices must be punished by the scour­ges of French-men: Iulijstes and Papists enimies to Fraunce, & yet Fraunce a friend to Papistes. which partly was veri­fied then in the great slaughter of the Popes host: and partly in the miserable ransacking of Rauenna by the French-men: but shal be fully accomplished when Fraunce wil reforme the Religion, and embrace the Gospel of Christ, [Page 101]and shake off the tyrannicall cordes, and cart­ropes of that man of sinne, whereas now they cry a contrarie note against God, and his Annoynted, Lette vs breake their bandes: let vs cast from vs their yoke: Psal. 2. for the which, Hee that sitteth in heauen laugheth them to scorne: Pray dearly beloued for them: Pray for the French nowe afflicted, Pray for the French that afflicte: for the one, that they may bee comforted, for the other, that they may be conuerted. Their conuersion will bee the Popes destruction, and a consolation for vs, and for all the Godly: Therefore O Lord so be it: Say Lord Jesus, Amen.

The totall Summe which I haue nowe spoken of in this latter argument,The Con­clusion. compri­seth these three pointes: First the Popes owne Decrees and Constitutions, which are sound. Secondlie their owne breaches of the same, which are manie. The third their deserued end and iudgement, which from time to time falleth vpon them, sometimes by man, and alwaies by God, whom they doe grieuou­sly offend. The same God turne them or bridle them, that we and our gouernours being deli­uered from the handes of al our enemies, may serue him in holines and righteousnes all the daies of our life: who bee praised for euer and euer. Amen.

I HAVE cōfuted in the last sermon Abishai of Rome, and al tray­terous Remainstes, by their owne Laws of Rome, Canonical [...] in name, and indeede good Rules against al kind of murder: I haue complained iustly of their irregular and vnruly rashnes in contemning and breaking their owne rules, and making their owne will their law and rule.

I am now to speak to Englishmen, and out of English laws and others,A proofe of Dauids Reason out of English Lawes. to admonish you; Fathers, Brethren, and Countrimen, in such ordinaunces and practises as come to my knowledge: which I wish some learned Law. yer would take in hande, and better performe it. In the meane time I exhort you which now by Gods onely goodnes securely dwell in the [Page 103]Land, to think of your loyalty, and to be more and more thankful. A vertu the more to be ex­ercised by vs al, for that it is most rare, & very hard to be found in the world. And a woride it is, to see the worlde altogether grudging and spiting such Principall persons, and Peeres, as are excellently qualified,Murmu­ring and vnthanke­fulnes a­gainst the best. and haue infinitly well deserued of the common weale. When Tully had defended by his eloquence Ch. Po­pilius in a doubtful cause much perplexed, and hazarded, and was by his meanes quitte, and returned safe and sound to his country, and neither in deede nor word hurt at any time by the said Tully: yet he, such was his vnkindnes,Tully. maketh request vnto Antonie, that hee might be sent to cut his throat: & vpon the graunt he runneth to Caieta, commaundeth his Orator to yeeld his throte, and by and by cutteth off the head of the Romane Eloquence, Lib. 5. & the most noble right hand of peace, neuer remē ­bring, y^t he caried that head, which had made an Oration for his head. I report almost the very words of Valerius Maximus. Lycurgus, of whome Apollo gaue this Oracle,Lycurgu [...]. that hee knew not whether hee should number him a­mong men, or among Gods, was notwithstan­ding cast at with stones, sometimes cast out with a publicke and popular rage, and by Al­cander had his eye put out, and in the ende [Page 104]was driuen out of his country, and in that cuntry, where he had made, enacted & establi­shed many good Lawes. Let vs not be Spar­tans, churling and spurning against our Ly­curgus, nay our Christian Lawe-maker: Let vs not bee vnthankfull Popilians to couet the heade of our Soueraigne, who hath saued and preserued many heades. Harken therefore, welbeloued Countrimen, to our own Lawes, ould and new, and afterward to other constitu­tions, & Examples abroad among our neigh­bours, if occasion serueth.

An old Law was by Canutus, Canutus. Edgar, & A­lured, that he that railed onely against a pub­licke person,Aluredus. should haue his toung cut out. If a man fought before the Kings counsailour, or in the house of a counsailor, hee was amerced and fined for it.Jnas. If in the court, hee was amer­ced in his goods, and whether he should dy or no, it was in the Kings pleasure and discretiō. Another Law of Alure du was, That who­soeuer laid wait to kil trayterously the King, either alone or accompanied with others,Jn Archae­onomia. hee should loose liuing and life. The Law of King Aethelstane was, that if a man wrought mis­chiefe against his lord, it was a capital crime, and the losse of his head. Euen at that time as you may cōceaue by the premisses, were lawes deuised not only to punish man-slaughter, but [Page 105]woundes, not only woundes, but blowes, not only blowes, but words. This Canutus as he was a good Law-maker, so hee practised the same against Traytors, euen against the trai­tours of Edmond King of England his en­emy,Fabian. 6. c. 205. R. Holinsh. lib. 7. who after the peace made betweene him and Canutus, was trayterously slaine at Oxford, as hee sate dooing his necessaries of nature. And yet Canutus perswading his Countrymen the Danes to pay the tithes truely, that ministers might be the better re­lieued, was contrary to the Law shamefully murdered of them in Saint Albanes Church, whereof more at large you may reade in Iac. Lib. 3. Am [...]. Meyer, in the Chronicle of Flaunders. In this and in other examples hereafter you shal finde to be true, that against these blood-thirsty mē, Sunt leges & legum paenae. Their be Lawes, and penalties of Lawes, not lawes as a sword hid in the scabbard, but drawen out & executed vp­on them: and also that there is no succour by Law, or by dispensation for Lawe-breakers, according to that saying in Lawe:Lauxili­um. 37. ss. Raphael Holinshed. Frustrale­gum auxilium implorant, qui in leges cōmittunt. King Richard the first though a warrior, and now marching towardes the holy Lande, yet made Lawes among his souldiours against murderers, that if it were cōmitted in the ship,Rich. 1. he should be cast into the Sea with the corps, [Page 106]if vpon the Land, he should be bound with the dead body, and buried quick with it. And these cases were of smaler weight than treason cō ­mitted against great estates. It is therefore prouided, that a traytour should be halfe han­ged, and taken down aliue, his bowels cast in­to the fier, and in the end quartred, if he were a male: if a woman, burned.

These Lawes notwithstanding,Disobedi­ence against the lawes. yet the vnbridled and cruel Subiectes haue alwaies vnkindly and vnnaturally conspired against Prince and against their own country. What inuasion hath there been in this Iland either by Iulius Caesar and the Romanes, either by the Danes, either by the Saxons, either by the Normanes, but by the vnthankful and grace­lesse children of this our common Mother? Gildas complaineth of the Britanes, that they were conquered, non armis, not by battle, but by their own slouthfulnes, & treachery: and as Demosthenes accuseth his countrymen the Athenians, Jn Olyn­thiacis. that Philip King of Macedonia thriued and prospered not so much by his own strength,England alwaies subdued by treachery of her owne children. as by their default: Euen so our king Egilred, or as others terme him Ethelred complaineth in an Oration in this sort: Wee are ouercome of the Danes, not with wea­pon or force of armes, but with treason wrought by our owne people. The cause is [Page 107]opened by Matthaeus Westmonasteriensis, Pag. 396. that when the King, and his Sonne Edmond were like to haue the vpper hād against Cneu­to or Canutus the King of the Danes, Edrike Traitour. Eadri­cus plaied the traytour, went about by sleight and subtilty, and allured of the Kinges Nauy forty shippes, and he slipped to Canutus, and subiected himselfe to his dominion, whereby west-Saxonie and the Mercians with their horses, and artillery offered themselues to him: Intimatum est Regi, quod nisi cautius si­bi prouideret, ipse à Gente propria hostibus trade­retur. It was priuily told the King, that if hee did not prouide for himselfe more warily, hee should bee berraied into the handes of his ene­mies, by his owne nation. I signified before how King Edmond surnamed Ferreum La­tus, Iron-side, at Oxford being at the Priuy on Saint Andrewes night, was slaine by the Sonne of Eadrik through the fathers instiga­tion: & the father after the fact cōmeth to Ca­nutus with this salutatiō: Aue Rex solus: Matth. Westmona. pag. 402. Polyd. Vir. Ang. Hist. lib. 7. Hail O King alone, but he heard this his rewarde by Canutus, Ego te hodie ob tanti obsequij meri­tum cunctis regni proceribus reddam celsiorem, For this your great seruice I wil exalt you & set you higher than al the Peers of the realm. Periury and perdition or treason had in this realme euermore according to their desert. [Page 108]When King Edward the Confessour kept his solemnity of Easter at Winchester, at din­ner Earle Goodwine being burthened at the table with the treacherous murder of his bro­ther Aelfredus, Earle Goodwin. added to the murther periury, and desired of God, as hee was true and iust, that the morsell of bread which hee held in his hand might neuer passe his throate, if his bro­ther by himselfe or by his counsail at any time were neerer to death,A terrible example a­gainst for­swearing. and any way further from life: so putting the bread into his mouth with an il conscience, was choked by it. When the King sawe him pale, and without breath, Carry out (saith he) this dog,Jn vita Edwardi Confessor. this traytour, & bury him in the quadrangle, for he is vnwoor­thy to enioy Christian burial. Another traytor in the time of Egilred, or Ethelred, was El­frik, who being made Lieutenant of the Kings army left his Master,Elfrick. and took part with the Danes vpon the suddain, when he should haue discharged vpon the enemies of the King and the country:Polyd. Vir. lib. 7. but afterward being Admiral of the Kinges Nauy, and destitute of all hope of preferment with the enemy: because he retur­ned to the King, & craued pardon, his punish­ment was mitigated, for he saued his life with the losse only of his eies. In the time of King Edwarde the first, the Scots breaking peace which they had made to their liege Lorde, [Page 109]King of England, and conspiring nowe with the king of Fraunce, partly because Iohn Be­liol by the king of England was made their King, one Thomas Turbeuile more acquain­ted with chiualry, than honesty,Th. Turbe­uile. plaid on both sides, promising to the French-men, that by treason they should possesse the Kingdome of England, vppon condition to receiue a large summe of mony & land, leauing for assurance his two children, as Hostages: And so that de­ceiuer returning from beyond the Sea, tolde the King of England another Parasiticall tale: howe hee escaped hardly out of prison, & how he had learned the weaknesse of Fraunce. But here a crooked Snake lurked, hee caried poyson mingled with hony, wherewith they that touched it, might be infected: & creeping into fauour, & into the secret counsels of the Realm, set down al in writing, & directed thē to the Prouost of Paris. This fraude & fact be­ing opened by the prouidence of God, (who is wel called of the autor, Exterminator impiorū. The destroier of the wicked) & declared to the king: he was immediatly by sergeants appre­hended, bound with cordes & carried to iudge­ment, accused, and by his owne confession condemned. First laid vpon an Ox hide, dra­wen at horse tailes thorough London, guar­ded with disguised tormentours, baited at & [Page 110]railed on by the way, & mocked, was hanged, & his body vnburied, the people passing by scorn­fully asking,Mat. West. in Edou. 1. Is this Thomas Turbeuile? Whose Epitaph a versifier wrote in this sort: That Turbeuile was a troubler of the tran­quillity & quietnes of the Realme, & therefore hee that would bee an hoate burning sparkle, was become a dead spark himselfe, as in those rythmes may appeere at large, whereof this is the beginning:

In the time of Edward the second,Andrew Earle of Carlile. Andre­as Hartlee created Earle of Carlile at York, & sent by the King into Scotland to King Ro­bert to intreat of Peace, made another mat­ter, & turned it into a message for war, priuily, & fraudulently to compasse the destruction of his owne King. This though contriued se­cretly, yet it was certified to the King, & hee immediatly at his returne vpon the comman­dement of the King,Polyd. Vir. Hist. Ang. lib. 18. was attached & taken by the guard, & so by & by cōuicted, & put to death. Ita Andreas crucem sibi construxit ex qua penderet: So Andrewe prepared for himselfe a Gallose to hang vpon, & made a rodde for his owne tasle. In the time of Edwarde the third like conspiracies against the Prince had the like measure,Polyd. l. 19. when Edmond Earle of [Page 111] Kent, Roger Mortimer, & others were be­headded.

Thus you see exemplified by these traitors that which was by Lawes enacted: as also by another example of an Italian, indeuouring to betray Calice to the French. An Ita [...] trick a­gainst Ca­lice. For when an English man had committed it vnto the Ita­lian, the French-man knowing the nature of that Nation to be most couetous of golde, se­cretly dealt with him, that he would sel the ca­stle to him for twenty thousand crownes. The Englishman being made priuy of this, dissem­bleth all thinges, driueth out the French, and taketh them, & with them the principall cause of that treachery. In the time of Richard the second, there was a conspiracy of some,Jn Epit. Frosardi. lib. 1. Eccle. 10. Ansley and Carton. that had in their mouth the Prouerbe of the He­brues, Woe be to the Land, whose King is a Childe: And of others euen in the court, as of Iohn Ansley knight, and of Hugh Carton minding with their complices to set vpon the King and to murder him: although they two were enemies before, yet in this made one, agreeing too well: but God turned all to the best, and mery it was for the Lande and the King, when theeues fel out: for Ansley detec­ting Carton, and Carton Ansley, it was de­termined by the priuy counsel, that it should be tried in a Combate, in the which at the length [Page 112] Carton was wounded, and throwen downe, & euen now at point of death, cōfessing his fault, was drawen to the place of Execution, as Po­lydor testifieth.

I haue entred into a long and large fielde, and mind to goe out of it, [...]pish [...]actises a­ [...]inst Reli­ [...]on in En­gland. and onely now to de­clare howe our Countrymen in former time, haue been bewitched by Popery, and haue at­tempted to erect and prop it vp by treachery, and yet al ended in vanity. The Pope hath stil practised by many, but not preuailed: though they came in his name, and sometime with his consecrated ware, and armed with his conse­crated Crosses, his Agnus Dei, and other ho­ly blessed stuffe,Trebellius Pollio. no wiser indeede then those heathen men, who beleeued that those that ca­ried about thē the image of great Alexander expressed in siluer or gold, shuld haue al things fortunately fal out vnto them as they would, wherein Erasmus toucheth the Bishoppes of Rome: In Chiliad. 1. Cen. 10. Nechodie desunt, qui gladios in bello for­tunatos, & huinsmodi nugas pollicentur Principi­bus. Ther be some now a daies, which promise to Princes swords & other trifles happy & for­tunate in war, which haue notwithstāding an vnhappy end: and there he much more maruei­leth that any mā can beleeue such subtile mer­chauntes. There was such a flattering Papi­stical Preacher, William Fitzosbert, other­wise [Page 113]called Long-beard,W. Long-bearde. who in his Sermons entised the people to rebel against their King, Richard the first, whose Theme was takē out of Esay: Cap. 12. You shal draw with ioy waters out of the wels of saluation. A faire allurement whereby hee got after him many thousand fol­lowers, as fond people wil hearken to the whi­stle, and daunce after the pipe of such Popish Libertines. But this liberty was seruitude, for though hee fledde into Bowe-Church with his concubine, and others, yet it was not long a Sanctuary for him, he was pluc­ked out, and by Hubert Lorde chiefe Iustice of England was adiudged to be drawen tho­rough the streetes,R. Holinsh. Et in vit [...] Huberti. and tied to the horse tailes, to bee hanged, to bee let downe halfe quicke, his heade cut off, and his body cut in foure quarters. See heere, I beseech you, the superstition of the people, they tooke this Concubinary Priest and Traytour to be a Saint forsooth,A Traytor in Popery a Martyr. because his chaines where­with he was bound wrought miracles, and the woman visited the place where he was laide: In sana plebs vt Martyrem diu colebat, The mad people did long honor him as a Martyr, worshipping his members and bones, as Re­liques. In Wales what Superstition hath there not been?Welch pro­phecies. They were so deceiued with false prophecies, that they perswaded out of [Page 114] Merline, Leoline the Prince, that hee should wear the crown of Brutus, & therfore took ar­mour against King Edward. In vita Io­hannis Peccam. They were wil­led by Iohn Peccam Arch-Bishop of Caun­terbury to cary in their handes bookes of the Gospel, as reliques. All these fantasies could not saue the heads of Leoline & Dauid, Leoline & Dauid. which were set vpon long poles, and erected on high vpon London bridge. What a Saint was the Traitour Thomas Becket? Th. Becket Traitour a Sainct of the Pope. In what fauour with the Pope Alexander? And yet was he in a councel at Northhampton accused & con­uicted of extortion, robbery, forgery, falshood, treason, & periury, in the presence of the King, of the Peeres, and Prelats for some matters in his Chancelarship: whereupon although he lifted on high his crosse staffe, and ran out of the court & councell in hast and in an heat ouer the sea to Rome, yet neither the Pope nor the crosse could saue him frō y^e crosse of death. And here obserue the vniust dealing of the Pope A­lexander, who canonized among the Saints, Thomas the Traitour, the Kings deadly eni­my, and persecuted King Henry the second, who was not accessary, nor priuy at that time to it, as it fel out in proofe: for when the doers thereof slipping aside to Duresme looked for great thankes of the King, for that they gaue out, that they had most faithfully defended [Page 115]him, & rid his enemy out of the way: it is writ­ten by Polydore that Henry did take this hai­nous act as no benefite,Angl. Hist. lib. 13. but vtterly misliked it: insomuch as they hearing this, and hoping for no pardon, ran one, one way, & another, an­other way, & by reasō of the kings displeasure died al within three yeares, & yet the Pope an heauy master of the King, not beleeuing his Embassadours purposely sent to Rome: sent into England his Cardinals for the trial of it, and though the cause did not appeare, yet was he compelled by oath to purge himselfe, and by inforcemēt of their order to send to Ie­rusalem two hundred souldiours, & himselfe to lead an army into Syria within three years after (which was perfourmed by his sonne Ri­chard:) and to promise to be good afterward to the cleargy, and that by an oath, & (as some write) that none after his and his Sons death should cary the name of a King, but such a one as the Bishop of Rome did nominate and appoint, albeit by our Chronicles, Ibidem. and by the practise in the tract of time no such bondage doth appear.Thomas Walsing­ham in Ri­chardo 2. The sediti­ous sermon of J. Ball Priest. Another seditious Preacher na­med Iohn Bal Priest, prooueth the equality of States without any difference of callinges, which made the simple people to be giddy hea­ded. His text was not taken out of scripture, but borrowed out of a common prouerb: [Page 116]

But the Epilog and conclusion of this Ser­mon was sorowful for himselfe, being drawn, hanged, and beheaded at Saint Albans, and his quarters sent to foure cities of the Realm. There was another zealous Monk in cōspira­cy w^t the Barons of Englād against king Iohn & against his son Henry the third,Jbidem. who beeing no great friend to the Pope, was therefore the woorse liked of the Monk Eustachius, in that point more destable thē a dog:Eustachius a Trayte­ [...]ous Monk for the prouerb is true: Canis caninā non est, nec lupus lupinam: A dog is no deuourer of a dog, nor the wolfe of a wolfe: And yet in the war betwixt our King & Lewes the French King, he plaid the Aposta­ta, a rebel & renegate, reuoulting frō his King to another vncōstantly, and perfidiously, wor­thily called of Matthew Paris, In Hypod. Neustriae, per Thom. Walsing. Proditor Regis Angliae, & Piratanequissimus, being turned out of his coule into a Traytor of the King of En­gland, & a most wicked Pirat: &, as it is in an­other history, tāquam de Monacho, factus Dae­moniachus, as it were of a Monk made a De­moniacal man, and possessed of a Diuel. But this diuelish man was drawn out of the pump of the ship where he hid himselfe, and his ende was the chopping off of his head by the hande of the Earle of Cornwal, Richard, the Kings [Page 117]brother, carried to the King,Ma [...]. Da [...] in He [...]. and so to diuerse places of the Realme, which the Moucke woulde haue redeemed with an mestimate masse of money, but coulde not.Adam. Adam the Byshop of Hereford was accused of treason, and yet was protected by the Arch-Bishops of Canterbury, of Yorke, and of Dublin, Th. Wal­sing. in [...] wardo [...]. and of ten other Bishops, and with violence, and with the Arch-bishops crosses was pluckt out from the place of iudgement, but afterwards being found guilty by the sworne Iurie of all the crimes obiected, was so pronounced, & his goods confiscated, & the traiterous and horned Priests blancked: for so these verses signifie.

This Adam, as this history reporteth, was arrested openly in the Parlament at London, to the great reproch of the cleargy, and preiu­dice of the whole church of England. Against Henry the fourth,Conspira­tours a­gainst He [...]. the 4. what conspiracies were there not? by Earls, and specially by Cleargy men? whose meaning was sodenly at the castle of Winsor, in the time of Christmasse plaies, to rush in, to kill him & his children: but their Christmas py, was a deadly pie to them: some ran away to London, and so ment to passe be­yond the sea, but the wind being against them, they were taken and beheadded: The cleargy [Page 118]men,Maude. Ferby. Maudlin Maude, and William Ferbie, were hanged, drawen, and beheaded at Lon­don, others at Oxford. The Priest of Ware, that had matriculated in a roole the names of the conspirators, whereof some were innocēt, had the same iudgement. The Prior of Laune once Canon of Dunstable, Walter Baldock a Prior. Walter Baldocke confessing himselfe to be priuy to it, for concei­ling it, was hanged, so were the Minorit Fri­ers euen in the habit of their religion.Friers. An Abbat of Westm. As for the Abbat of Westminster, a chiefe stickler in this matter, in whose house after the feast this conspiracy was deuised, was by God himselfe stricken with a palsey, and by & by was dum, and so died. At the same time Thomas Wal­singham writeth of Owen Glendar a Welch man, Owen de Glendour. In Henr. 4. a rebel against the same King, intending by his Magicall coniuration to kill the King, the Diuel so working by raine, winde, snowe, haile stones, and al tempests against the King and his camp,Jbidem. Fuerunt plures, si fas sit credere, qui dicerent haec aduersa, arte fratrum Mino­rum contra Regem fuisse commentata. It was a common rumour then, that Friers hauing familiarity with Diuels, wrought & brought al these miseries against the King, as friendes to the Welch: but you heard, how the Diuell was ouertaken by God: The Minorites exe­cuted by the King in their best and most holy [Page 119]weedes: and so Owen Glendar in the absence of the King following his prophecy, wandred miserably vp and downe in the desert and in solitary places, & by penury and hunger pined away. The like iudgement fel vpon Falcasius a rebel against Henry the third, of a great rich man so miserably poore, that he in banishment begged his bread in Fraunce, and had not a bolster to lay his head vpon. I might haue rec­koned vp many Iackes, as Iacke Strawe, Th. Wal­singham n. Hypod. Neusiri [...]. or Wat Tiler, Iack Miller, Iacke Carter, against King Richard the second, and also Iack Cade of Kent, who was in a cart brought to Lon­don, taken before in a garden in Sussex, and his head set on London bridge, his quarters sent into Kent in the time of Henry the sixt, but these are matters of rebellion indeede, but not so much for Religion, which is my purpose and chiefe scope: And yet all these drink of one cup, bitter enough here for such, and most bit­ter in the life to come.

Now to come nearer vnto our time & me­mory,Late Po­pish tray­tours for their Re­ligion. R. Holinsh. in Henr. 8. Rebellions for religi­on vnde [...] Henr 8 our Popish Traitours haue had no bet­ter successe. In the raigne of Henry the eight by Parliament, the Lords praier and the ten commandements were decreed to be learned in English: for this good seruice to God and to the common weal, the blind people seduced by blind guides, Monks, Priests, made a com­motion [Page 120]in Lincolne shier: In Lincolne shiere. God fought for his cause & for his King, and gaue to him the victo­ry: The multitude by proclamation was par­doned, a new oath of fealty to the King recei­ued, Captaine Cobler, Doctor Mackarel. a Monke named Doc­tor Mackarel, and others put to death.

How fel it out in the North by their religi­ous rebellion?In the North an holy pilgri­mage. It was forsooth for the Cacho­licke Church: It was called a holy blessed pilgrimage: In their banners was painted Christ hanging on the Crosse, a Chalice with a painted cake, in the sleeues of the souldiours were embrodered the fiue wounds of our Sa­uior: But God ouerturned al their purposes, and they were supplaunted, and by a floud on Simon & Iudes Euen their heat was cooled,A butcher & a Priest executed. and a butcher at Winsor wishing, that these good fellowes of the North had some carkases of his sheepe, with a Priest procured to preach in fauour of Rebels, were adiudged to dy by Law Martial.

Good king Edward the sixt proceeded in zeale as his father began,Rebellions for religion in the time of Edwa. 6. Jn Corne­wall. and more sincerely reformed religion: but (alas) in Cornewall and Deuonshire, it was not brooked nor di­gested: the king his Commissioner in Corn­wall was slaine: but God did not suffer it is remaine vnreuenged: a Priest was taken, and executed in Smithfield by Law. In Deuon­shiere [Page 121]they did rise for the six Articles,In Deuon­shiere. they would haue Masse, holy water, holy bread, but they wilfull men lacked all, they famished for want of bread. The Lorde Russel, the Lorde Grey, the kings army ouercame them. Sir Pe­ter Carewe, and Gawine, and other faithfull subiects, with the city of Exceter, perseuering true and loyall, were rewarded, & highly com­mended: but Welch, vicar of Saint Thomas in Exceter, a newe reformer of religion, was hanged vp in chains vpon the top of the church with his sacring Bel, holy water bucket, and sprinkle, beeds, and other Popish trash, & the chiefe captaines most disloial carried to Lon­don to be executed.

In Northfolke was another rebellion of such as partly were deceiued,In North­folke. or not through­ly persuaded in religion: they had an old Oak, a tree not of life to them, but of death, called by them the tree of Reformation,The tree of Reforma­tion. but it was the tree of Absalom, vppon the which Miles their Gunner, and two of their false Prophets were executed, for they trusted in vaine Pro­phecies, which were partly vttered in these verses:

This prophecy was a dreame, their cap­taine Ket crept into a corner, but was openly put to death: his other brethren were hanged in chaines, the rest of meaner sort hearing the pardon proclaimed by an herauld of Armes, cast downe their weapons, and lifted vp their voices, praying to God to preserue King Ed­ward.

There brake out a new stur in Yorkshier, In Yorke­shiere. False Pro­phecies cause of re­bellion. by false prophecies & by a fond misliking of the Kings proceeding: But here also the captains that thought to raise a great flame, and to set al on fier, made but a smoke, wherewith they were choked themselues, namely a poore man William Ombler, and a simple parish clerke Thomas Dale, and such like. All these ment vnhappily, by extraordinary means, to turn al the Lawes of God, and ordinaunces of Prin­ces topsie-turuie. About that time of these re­bellions wee had set foorth by the authority of the King to these rebels an Eloquent oration by a great learned man Sir Iohn Cheeke Schoolemaster to the King,Sir I. Cheek grauely and pi­thily dehorting them from such vprores, as contrary to Gods word, the honour of a King, and the safety of the comon-weale, which in mine opinion would make any hard heart to melt.

These former and foolish attemptes in [Page 123]the beginning pernitious, and tragicall in the end, might haue persuaded our countrymen to haue learned by their fore-fathers to keepe themselues within their tedder & compasse of obedience.The Raign of Q. Eli­zabeth. But (alas) our Soueraign Queen Elizabeth hath felt too much of their wilfull disobedience, and they tasted somewhat of hir prouoked seuerity. Wherefore did Thomas Pearcie Earle of Northūberland, & Charles Earle of Westmerlande against the Lawes of God and man by forcible meanes set vp Masses, burne Bibles, and bookes of Com­munion? Why did they rise themselues, when they might haue been quiet? And raise the peo­ple, which should haue been taught obedience? Let the death of the one, and the miserable flight of the other, & the execution of Parson Plumtree at Duresme, and of others hanged and beheaded at Knaues. Mire not farre from Yorke, be instructions and examples for sub­iects. These and many mo cannot warne vs, neither the history of Iohn Story prouidently caught beyond the Seas, and trimly shipped into this lande, and afterward iustly executed vpon a newe paire of Gallowes, euen at this day commonly bearing his name:Saunders li. 7. de vi­sibili Mo­narchia. Ann. 1566. neither the terrible end of Iohn Felton, who vpon Corpus Christi day at London at the Bishoppes gate published the Declaratory sentence of Pius [Page 124]Quintus Pope, making this Realme of Eng­land, and the Queenes Maiesty, a pray, and a spoil to our neighbours and to al nations: nei­ther the beggerly, and lamentable state of Iames Desmond, neither of Iohn Desmond, bearing himselfe too bould vpon an Agnus Dei, and a ring sent from the Pope, neither of Nicolas Saunders himself the rebellous prea­cher to the Irish-men, Saunders and the rest. in the end taken with a frensie: these al, while they bend the vttermost of their wittes, and of their forces against the Maiesty of our Prince, whom the Maiesty of God hath enthronized, they al, I say, haue but knocked their heels against the prick, & spur­ned to their owne destruction, and to the con­fusion of that Popish sect. By these and manie others, neither Campion nor the rest of the Iesuites new Incommers,Campion & other Ie­suites. and Inmates in this Realme coulde beware, neither yet by them other new cutters, and practisers could be warned, neither yet to this day the peo­ple coulde bee taught or perswaded, but that their holy fathers Buls and Decrees, & De­clarations must be obeyed, and that his waxe, and his lead, and his Pontifical presentes con­secrated by his execrable authority may pre­serue & exempt them from al daungers & touch of our law, & hereafter from al perill & punish­ment either in hel or in purgatory.

I am to passe ouer at this time other exam­ples and ordinaunces of other countries ad­ioyning to vs, as of Flaunders and Fraunce, which wee must differre till another time if God will.

In the meane time let vs aliena frui insa­nia, by the madnes of these men learne to bee wise, as many of our predecessors both Prin­ces, and learned men of this Vniuersity haue doone, and know that the Queenes Maiestie hath waded no farther in these causes, than other Kinges of this Land, who haue broken the yee before. King Stephen perceiuing that Theobald Arch-Bishoppe of Caunterburie brought Popish laws from Rome into Eng­lande, by decree of Parliament condemneth them, & burned them, as hurtful to a common weale,Iohn Bale cent. 2. in ape [...]lice. as Iohn Sarisbury beareth witnes in his eight book and two & twentith chapter of Polycrat. King Richard the second also mo­lested with Romish affaires and tyranny of the Pope in Parliament holden at Westmin­ster decreed and enacted, that it shoulde bee lawfull for no man for any cause to pleade before the Byshoppe of Rome, Polyd. Vir. lib. 20. for excom­munication of any English-man by his au­thoritie: and if anie such commaundement came from him, it shoulde not bee executed vpon paine of losse of all their gooddes, and [Page 126]perpetuall imprisonment, and therefore great marueile that any such sentence of excom­munication from such a forreiner and vsur­per against our gracious Prince shuld in these daies of more knowledge by our countrimen, be either receiued or harkned to, or feared. You (dearly beloued) I hope wil not: and that you may not, take an example by old Oxford Stu­dentes, who could ne would like of a Bull of Gregory directed against Iohn Wicliffe, and therefore are chidden of the Pope that would suffer cockle and darnel of his heresie to grow among pure wheat, & in the beutifull fieldes of their Vniuersity. You may also cal to minde, that are ancients, the daies of Henry the eight and Edward the sixt, and iustifie the thinges to be true which I haue alleadged, and much more which might bee said, to this purpose & to the proofe of this argument of Dauid, that whosoeuer laieth hand of the lords annointed, shal not be accounted innocent, but shal be pla­gued for it. The Lord giue vs grace to haue this doctrine fixed and setled in our heartes, and expressed in our liues: To whom bee all honour &c.

THE questiō between Abishai and Dauid hath been disputed & discussed, and lastly out of the laws, acts and monumentes of England, and deter­mined by the allega­tions and premisses before, that it is a true conclusion, that no such thing can be iustified, that al such rebellions and trayterous enterprises are forbidden and punished.

I must now goe forward, and first make an end of this first part, & so proceed to the second part, the Protestation of Dauid for himself. I should make a discourse of other countries, [Page 128]but because it hath been by the way touched al­ready, and may be hereafter incidently glaun­ced vpon: I wil cut it off in these few woords. In Fraunce I read this same matter fitly de­claring our Tert,Christian. Massaeus lib. 20. Ann. 1510. and much tending to this our purpose, wel debated by king Lewes: who vnderstanding that Pope Iulius the second, now ioyned with the Venetians, did attempt somewhat against himselfe and his subiectes: in a Councell at Towers proposed these two questions: the first, whether it were lawful for the Pope to raise warre against any Prince without cause?Questions proposed in Fraunce. The second, whether any such Prince in defense of himselfe and his Realme may inuade the first-onsetter, and withdrawe himselfe frō his obedience? The answere was, that it was vnlawful for the Bishop, but law­ful for the Prince to do that which was in question, & that the cōstitution called pragmatical should be obserued throughout all France, not regarding the lightening, or thundring of any such vniust censures, if any should be. This de­terminatiō of France might be a resolutiō for thē & for vs,Examples. to make no more of the Pope than he dooth of vs, especially if hee vnlawfully vse his autority.Sleidan. lib. 1. Histor. In Flaunders I might shew like exāples: as namely, of Iames Arteuillanus, for y^e like practise against his cuntry put to death by the Citisens of Gaunt, as it is in Frossard: & [Page 129]also out of Iacob Meier his Chronicle,Lib. [...]6. Au [...]talium. Flandri [...]. who telleth of many seditious men vpō the scaffold beheadded, and of Lewes Wallan cōdemned, and of Gertrude his wife, whose iudgement was to loose her head with her husband, and to bee buried in the middest of the market place, with this inscription, A monument of Ger­trude wife to Lewes Wallan, a pestilent wo­man, who by her fraude and deceite hath brought a noble Prince to great danger, & the Citty of Burges, into extreme calamity. Although the rigour of this sentence was af­terward mitigated by earnest intercession of some honourable Ladies and principal perso­nages. The same author maketh mention of one Arteualda a poore mans sonne, who pros­pering and preuailing by his rebellion,Iac. Ma [...]ter. Annal Fla. Lib. 13. tooke vpon him lustily and loftily the person of an Earle in his golde, and siluer, his wines, and his garments, ascribing his victory not to God but to himselfe, and was so blinded, and puffed vp with pride, that he doubted not confidently to brag that he would be Lord of Fraunce: be­cause (saith hee) the French-men durst not encounter with the English-men running ouer al Fraunce: yet for al these brags he was slaine among his owne souldiours in the con­flict at Rosebeck. It is a good Morall that is there added, Quem Deus punire decreuit, [Page 130]intellectum illi aufert. Whom God mindeth to punish, him he bereaueth of his wits.

I haue one Lawe behind,The lawe or testimony of our con­science. Rom. 2. Quintil. Orat. insti­tution. l. 5. & that is the gri­ping and gnawing Law of the Conscience: The Law written in our harts inwardly ac­cusing vs, and bearing witnesse against vs, which is in steed of a thousād witnesses: which alone will persecute vs, & seeke reuengement, though al the Lawes rehearsed before should sleepe and pronounce nothing against vs. Such is the Conscience and custom of such offen­ders (saith Chrysostome: Chrysost. Hom. 8. ad pop. Antioc.) they suspect all thinges, they quake at shadowes, they feare euery blast, and noise, they thinke al things come against them. And againe, Such a sin­ner hath within him an accuser pleading al­waies against him, and this hee carieth euery where, with this hee is scourged whither soe­uer he goeth, as the Scripture testifieth, that the wicked man flieth when no man pursu­eth. Prouer. 28 As we may see in the Prouerbes, and in Iob, Iob. 15. Leuit. 26. Pro Roscio Amerino. and in the booke of Leuiticus. Which vex­ation Tully painteth out of the Poets, and ter­meth it a continual & domesticall fury hauing whot burning torches; calling night and day for reuengement against such Parricides, and murderers.Cap. 66. It is the worme in Esai, that shall neuer dy. The woorme that sodenly smote the gourd of Ionas, wherewith straitwaies it wi­thered, [Page 131]as Theophylact in these words expoū ­deth it not absurdly. This Conscience, Ion. cap. 4. saith he vpon that place, is the worme that maketh vs alwaies haue a feeling and sense of our sins: This is that sensible moth of our bones and our hearts, setting before vs our wickednes. Theoph. in 4. cap. Ion [...]. And whereas Scripture setteth downe cer­taine sinnes that are called, Peccata clamantia, which wee may reade in Genesis and in Exo­dus, Cap. 18. Cap. 2. Cap. 5. Gen. 4. and in Saint Iames, and otherwhere: The chiefe and most Crying sinne is murder. The voice of thy brothers blood cryeth vn­to mee out of the earth. For as a good consci­ence is the best companion and comforter vnto vs, as it is written:Prouer. 15. A mery mind is a conti­nual banquet, and as our Dauid did maruei­lously reioice in himselfe that hee did not slay Saul: Euen so contrariwise,2. Sam. 15. they must needes haue an heauy hart, a corrosiue, and an eating canker of an euill conscience still vpbraiding them with this heynous and detestable act:

They cary a witnes against them, and shal haue no rest night nor day. Tertullian saith: Omne malum aut timore aut pudore natura per­fundit. Deni (que) malefici gestiunt latere, Ter. in [...] ­polog. deuitant apparere, trepidant deprehensi. Sinne hath two companions & followers, either fear or shame: feare teacheth them to hide themselues, they [Page 132]shunne to bee seene, and beeing taken, they quake and tremble. Shame maketh them blush.

Feare and shame make them not onely to seeke corners, but to hang themselues beeing affraid and ashamed to shew their heads in the world. This testimony of the conscience brin­geth thē to these two incōueniences,The incon­ueniences of an euill conscience. to betray their fault, and for sorowe or desperatenes to make thēselues away, & that vpon euery light occasion at the sight of any man or beast, at the shaking of a leafe, at the voice of any creature. Alexander a tyraunt of the Phereians behol­ding a tragedy,Plutarch. and bewailing the miseries of Hecuba and Polyxena, ran out of the stage in al hast, vpon some griefe of mind, and ashamed any more to be looked vppon, because hee had killed so many citizens. Bassianus the Empe­ror after he had murdered his brother Geta, Spartianus in Anton. Caracallo. whensoeuer he did see his picture, or heard his name, he wept, and poysoned Laetus the first counsailer of his brothers death, and killed all those that were priuy to it, that there might be none liuing to giue any testimony, or once to know it. In what an hel was Nero that put to death Peter and Paul? Herode. Eusebius ax Iosepho. Act. c. 12. And Herod that behea­ded Iohn Baptist? And Herod Agrippa that murdered Iames, who after great tormentes [Page 133]and horrible pains, the ūst day died miserably by the stroke of an Angel in a visible manner appearing to him. In what a pitifull case was Theodoricus, Theodo [...] ▪ when he had flame Boetius and Symmachus? the sight of a great sish brought to his table, and gaping vpon him, stroke such a conceit and impression into him, that hee be­leeued verily, that it was the terrible and low­ring face of Symmachus threatening him,Procopi [...]. wherewith he was brought to a sicknes, and so to his end. In what a desperate case was Richard the third the vsurper of the crowne,Rich [...]. the murderer of two young Princes: Who, after the fact committed, coulde neuer haue quiet sleepe, and thought in the night at Bos­woorth, (where the fielde was fought) in his terrible dreame, that hee sawe about him as it were the Image of wicked spirits, that would not suffer him to take any sleep. Heare I pray you the Commentary of Polydor Virgil. Angl. His [...]. lib. 25. I beleeue (saith he) it was no dreame, but the conscience of his wickednes, a conscience, I say, the more heauy, the greater the fault was, the which if neuer at any other time, yet at our last day is woont to represent vn­to vs the memory of al our faultes, and shew withal the paines that hang ouer vs. I neede not put you in minde of the lamentable ende of late Traytours, Someruile & others. All [Page 134]these felt the remorse & byting of an euill con­science, whereby their harts were as the trees of the forrest moued with the wind, as Achas his hart was:Iesai. c. 7. to whō the Lord doth giue a trē ­bling hart, and a sorrowful mind, so that they shal feare night and day, & shall say in the mor­ning, Would God it were euening,Deut. 28. and at eue­ning, Would God it were morning. I wil not referre you againe to the cerrible examples of Cain saying:Gen. 4. Matth. 27. Whosoeuer findeth me, wil kil me: nor to the tragical end of Iudas.

I signified lately how dogs haue betraied murderers,Dogges. and made them to confesse their faults of murder:Fishes. and euen now, how a fish a­mased and daunted a King: and before, howe Salomon telleth the same of birds of the Air.Eccle. 10. Plutarchus desera nu­minis vin­dicta. Birds betray murderers. Swallowes. Bessus killed his father: it was long hidde: at length after supper among straungers he was so mad, and so persecuted in conscience, that hearing swallowes sing, he foorthwith with a speare threw downe their nest, and killed the young ones: & being chiddē for it, he answered: Doe yee not hear how these birdes defame me, as though I had killed my father? Wher­upon he was atterwarde in tudgement found guilty, and suffered, Ibycus a Poet fel among theeues: when he saw he should bee killed, hee made as it were a certaine praier and obte­station to the Cranes flying there aboue at [Page 135]that time, to bee witnesses and reuengers of his death.Cranes. These men afterward seeing Cranes, ieasted among themselues in the mar­ket place, Behold, Jdemde furili In­quacitate The reuengers of Ibycus are come. This ieast being ouer-heard, and the Poet wel knowen and found dead, when they were racked vpon these suspitions, they confesse al. I haue seen in Heluetia the like e­uidence and testimony of this conscience, in a man, who for a little paultry pelfe set vpō his fellow-pedler, as I remember, and gaue him many wounds, killed him, buried him deepely in the ground, that no body might see him, but the Rauens found him out, they sly after him and vpon him,Rauea [...]. persecuting him from place to place, from village to village, vntil people rū ­ning out, and wondring at that straunge acci­dent, enquired earnestly after it: the fellow perceiuing by no meanes he could driue away the birdes, and guilty in conscience, and strait­ly examined, cried out: It is I that killed the man, and so being apprehended and impriso­ned, as he had mangled the man when he was dead with many strokes, to make him sure: so was hee after condemnation and iudgement broken in many parts of his body, & set vpon the wheele, for birds to pick at him. How true is the saying of Isocrates, Though a man hide it from al men, yet he cannot hide it from him­selfe? [Page 136]And that of Gregory Nazianzene, [...], The couscience stri­keth and beateth the mind.

And thus far haue I gone in y^e proofe of Da­uids reason, that no man can be guiltles that laieth his hand vpon the Lords annointed, but shal be condēned by al laws, sacred prophane, diuine humane, Imperial Pontifical, christiā heathnish, forreine abroad, positiue at home, yea by the conscience it selfe, a seuere accuser, and witnes and iudge of al murders.The conclu­sion of the forst part of Dauids speach. In consi­deration hereof, although I hope I need not, yet I must in few words speake to vs all sub­iectes, Remember the proposition of Dauid, Destroy not the Prince: Remember the rea­son hereof: For God will not suffer any such destroier, or open conspirator & rebel, or pri­uy murderer, or any other practiser to scape vnpunished, but will by one torment or other reuenge the quarel of his anointed, and this is the conclusion of the first part of Dauids reply.

THE second part of Dauids speach, is his PROTESTATION for himself in these words:Vers. 10. and 11. Text of the 2. part.

10 Moreouer Dauid saide, As the Lord liueth, either the Lord shal smite him, or his day shal come to dy, or he shal descend into battle, and perish.

The Lorde keepe mee from laying mine [Page 137]hand vpon the Lords annointed.

AS Dauid hath forbidden Sauls murder in Abishai, so he now protesteth for him­selfe and that with anoth, As the Lord liueth, that he detesteth the fact, and relieth himselfe vpon God: that God shal strike this stroke, and desireth God, that he may not be so graceles as to lay his hands vpō his annointed. And why: Either the Lord shal smite him, The summa of Dauids Protesta­tion. or his daie shall come to dye, or hee shall descend into battle, and perish. The Argument is this, God wil in his wisedome appoint his time for the dispatch & death of Saul: therefore I may not, ne will intermeddle in this action against Saul, as though he should in the name and per­son of God thus say, If Saul haue offended, the iudgement is mine against mine annointed. I am, and so am called the God of reuengement.Psal. 94. Rom. 12. Reuengement is mine, I will repay: Ergo, I wil be no reuenger, neither wil I vsurp that office, which pertaineth to God. What neede I, or you Abishai, or any other hastē the death of a Prince, which is set downe in the booke of foreknowledge by God himselfe, and can­not be preuented by any mortal man, or anie wates altered: No fate or destiny, no constel­lation, no fortune or chaunce, no cunning of star-tooters or figure-flingers, no conspiracy of number, no strength of confederates, no [Page 138]counsailes or polices of wise men can change the Prognostication or Almanacke of God, which is that Saul and we al, Prince & people, Magistrate and priuate men, young and old, man and woman, good and bad, all must die, but not when we will, nor when friend or foe wil, but as God in his fatal book hath written it downe.

The consequence and congruity of Da­uids Protestation thus explaned: I pray you marke these notes.

First our mortality generally incident to vs al high & lowe, which is woorth the noting at al times,1. Note, death com­mon to al. Gen. 3.2. Reg. c. 14 especially in the time of these new and straunge diseases assaulting vs. The ge­neral sentence is, that Adam is Adam stil, hee came from dust, and shal return to dust again: that we dy al, and as water slide away. Who liueth,Psal. 88. Hebr. 9.2. Cor. 5. and shal not see death? It is a statute and decree, that men must dy once: We know that our earthly house of this tabernacle shall be destroied. In this declaration our Dauid is very copious, particularly for himselfe, and generally for vs all:Psal. 39. Behold, thou hast made my daies as a-hand breadth, & mine age is as nothing before thee, Psal. 102. surely euery man is altogether vanity. And again, My daies are like a shadowe, and I am whithered like grasse. What is a shadow, but the defect and [Page 139]priuation of light, and then what is the life of man but death? The same vanity of man is painted out liuely in the hundred and third Psalme by comparing vs to grasse and to a flower of the field,Esaie. 40. 1. Pet. 1. as we haue also in Esay and Peter, Dauid is not alone mortal as you haue heard, but al,

The effect is, that all must returne to the Mother from whence they came.In Boeotici [...]. A figure of this is declared by Pausanias: Amōg the gifts and oblations of Apollo there was coūterfat­ted after the imitation and resemblance of the old works in brasse one Image, the flesh was clean gone from the skin, so that there remai­ned nothing but bones. They say that Hippo­crates the Physition did dedicate this at Del­phos: Phaylus captaine of the Phocensians in his sleepe dreamed,Hippocrates naked I­mage. that hee himselfe was made like vnto this gift, a naked dead man: and so beeing deadly sicke, ended his life, and prooued his vision true. So fareth it not only with captaines and Emperours, but with vs al, who al shal be the image of Hippocrates. A bare Anatomy, a schelitō or picture of death.

Who then shal escape? Shal children: No,2. Note, Children and youth mortall. not the babe of one yeare.

When the Prophet proclameth al flesh to be grasse,Ies. 40. and al people to be verily, and truelie hay: (but yet this must be taken not properly, but by a figure) when common experience tea­cheth, that an apple fresh and red doth perish or fall downe with the woorm, with winde, or with a staffe, and when the prouerb saith, that assoone goeth the Lambes skin to the market as the sheepe: shal we thinke that the younger sort and lusty folkes shal bee priuileged from death?3. Note, Great die. Shal the mighty men or nobles or va­liant or Princes bee freed from this sentence of death?3. Kindes of death. Dauid saieth, No: and sheweth three kindes of death, either extraordinary before time, either ordinary & natural, either by an externe cause or accident, as in battle. I speak of the death which is the separatiō of the body & the soul: for the death of sin, & the death my­stical, which is mortificatiō,De bono mortis. pertain not to this point, wherof you may read in Ambrose. This triple kinde, or triple way to death heere set down by Dauid, is manifold, there are many pathes & steps to death,Prosper. L. Epigram. as one doth expresse it.

That is, we dy by sword, pestilence, famin, imprisonment, colde, heate, yea by a thousand meanes, which God can and will deuise, as [Page 141] Dauid hath set down for al men, especially as it is ment in our Text against Princes and Potentates of this world. And to begin with Saul, did hee not desperatly kill himselfe? as Dauid here talketh in battle, but yet by the hand of the Lord, and indeede extraordinarily by his owne hand? It is reason that mightie men should mightily suffer tormentes, accor­ding as it is written, and also Saint Austine hath a notable place: Let the king know, Sapi [...]us. 6. De 12. abu­sionum grad. that as he is ordained chiefe in his throne aboue all men: so in punishment if hee doe not iu­stice, he shal haue the chiefe-dom, and first place. And in another book,Idem in L. Q. Noui & Vet. Test cap. 16. Lib. 9. D [...] cad. 4. Ʋiri sublimis cul­pa, grane est peccatum. Shall perhaps great captaines and warriours auoide this stroke? Liuie rehearseth of most valiant captaines, Scipio, Annibal, Philopaemē, that al three in one year died, but nether died nor were buried in their own country. Suidas telleth of Thulis King of al AEgypt vnto the Ocean sea, that builded an Ilande of his owne name, that asked the Oracle of Serapis: Tel me who be­fore me could doe such actes, An Oracle of the death of Thulis, & of the e­ternal do­minion of God. and who shal doe after me? The Oracle was, ‘ [...].’ That is, in effect, that first God the father, next the woord and his sonne, and with them the holy ghost, the blessed Trinity in vnity did [Page 142]raigne before, & should after euerlastingly: but for himself hee was willed speedily to depart, and immediatly after the Oracle, was slaine, [...], of his owne people. What are all these mighty men but the Gourd that was gi­uen to Ionas for a shadowe to sport himselfe for a time,Ionae. 4. but in the morning God sendeth a woorme, and striketh the Gourd, and it wi­thereth away?The death of persecu­tours. Are not al these persecutors tēporal or ecclesiastical vnder the sentence of this mortality? you haue hard before of some, and in Orosius you may see the death and de­struction both of traitors and of persecutors,Lib. 7. namely of Magnēsius, Constantius, Decen­tius, Gallus, Syluanus, Iulian. We haue in E­gesyppus a marueilous History of Aristobu­lus King of the Iewes, not only for his perse­cution of the good, but also for the murder of his brother, in body and in conscience fore af­flicted, his blood gushing out:Lib. 1. c. 8. which when his boy had poured out by chaunce vpon the blood of his slaine brother, an horrible fearefulnesse increased his paine, and tooke away his life. O that these worldely men persecuting and seeking after blood would cōsider that which is written in Herodotus: Tomyris to K. Cyrus. Thou hast thirsted after bloode, and now thou shalt drinke thy belly ful of blood. What brags are giuen out in euery cornet against poor Protestants [Page 143]in England, in France, Flanders, and Gene­ua, as though al were on their side, as though they were Gods vpon the earth? They haue their fore-fathers whome they imitate very braue and glorious in threats,Bragges a­gainst the godly. but miscarieng in the ende. Pharaoh and his souldiours say: I wil pursue, I wil ouertake them, I will di­uide the spoile, my lust shal be satisfied. But the Lord blew with his wind,Exod. 15. the fea couered thē, they sanck as lead in the mighty waters. In the booke of Iudges there is the like tri­umph of the Heathen against Israel, where the Ladies flatter the mother of Sisera, that hee had gotten the victory, and had a great spoil,Iudic. 5. when Sisera was by a woman Iael knocked in the head. Ben-hadad threatned the King of Israel, but Ahab aunswereth: Let not him that girdeth his harneise, bost himself, as he that putteth it off. 1. Reg 20. It is an easie matter for God to crush these Kings conspiring against his annointed, and against his church,Psal. 2. with a rod of Iron, and breake them in peeces like a potters vessel:Psal. 3. To smite al his enemies vpon the cheek bone, and to strike out the teeth of the wicked: to pull downe the great heart of Pharaoh by al kind of scourges,Exod. c. 9. with botches and sores, with murreine of beasts, with hail, thunder, and lightening, with the death of the first borne of AEgypt, with grasse-hoppers,Exod. 12. [Page 144]with frogges, flies, lice, to strike persecuting Herod with vermine.Cap. 10. Cap. 8. Act. 12. We haue heard a long time against our Soueraigne Queene Eliza­beth, and against our country the smoke of threats: but God bee praised, no flame that could annoy vs. Wee haue had among vs the brags of the Pompcian souldidurs, that haue made a reckoning of the spoile of vs at, & diui­sion of our liuings among thēselues, but they were but only brags: for why? the lot is cast in­to the lap, Prouer. 16 but the whole disposition thereof is of the Lord. Therfore let al men take heed how they vvast of a day, whether it bee in the sommer or winter, whether it be in the yeare eighty seuen or eighty eight, whether they be forreiners abroad, or cuntrymen at home: Let thē harkē to wise Salomō: Prouer. 27 Boast not thy self of to morrow, for thou knowest not what a daie may bring forth. Al the wicked persecu­tours, traitours, rebels knowe not when they beginne, what shal bee their end. Looke in the booke of the Kinges, home many died losing Kingdome and life in the space of three and thirty yeares?2. Reg. 15. Looke in the Histories, howe sodenly the Emperours went, Otho, Galba, Vitellius. To be short, I say to them,Plutarchus desera nu­minis vin­dicta. as Bias said once to an vngracious fellow: That hee was affraid, not that he should not be puni­shed, but that he himselfe should not see it.

But yet perhaps Eloquent men may scape this death? Nay Cicero, Val. Ma [...]. The death of Oratora as it is declared be­fore, was traiterously murdered leesing his toung and his head. Demosthenes drank poi­son and died.

But I trow the Popes holinesse cannot be touched with any dart of death,The death of Popes for hee that is able to deliuer out of Purgatory and hel, may also saue himselfe from death. No: he hath no freedom, no immunity aboue other men, being one of Adams brood: for so euen his own Ce­remonial booke giueth him warning hereof.Sacr. Cer. lib. 1. cap [...] The Bishop of Rome, although hee passe al mortall men in dignity and authority, and can bind, and lose al things in earth: yet can he not loose himself out of the bonds of fa­tal necessity. The scholer is not aboue his Master, and therefore he willeth him to think, that although he be the greatest man, yet hee is a mortal man, and biddeth him remember the forme of his consecration, which is after this sort: When the newe Pope is chosen, and Te Deum song, and he newly, Cap. de Consecrat. and Pon­tifically reuestred, and his hands and feete kissed, euen then in all this solemnity and glory a Clerk or Master of the Ceremonies setteth tow on fier (after the Pope is come out of the Chappell of Gregory) and knee­ling downe singeth with a loud voice: C. Deegr [...]. & exeq. Pap [...] Pater [Page 146]sancte, sic transit gloria mundi: Omnis carofae­num, & omnis gloria eius tanquam flos agri. O holy father, as this hemp or tow burneth, so passeth away the glory of the world: al flesh is hay, and the glory thereof is as it were the flo­wer of the field. This Ceremony notwithstā ­ding, the Pope forgetting all this lesson, ri­deth through the Citty with a great troupe of Mitred Bishops & Abbots, his horse trap­ped & trimmed with red scarlet, the Emperor himselfe holding the horse bridel: and when all the lewes met him in the market place, and reached vnto him, as the manner is, their Ce­remonies and their law, he flingeth them be­hind his backe, saying proudly: Recedant ve­tera, noua sunt omnia: Away with these oulde things, al are now new: As Thomas Wal­singham declareth at large in the Coronation of Pope Martine. Jn Henr. 5. I haue told of Boniface the eight, of whose end Celestine his predecessor gaue this prophecy:Tho. Wal­sing. in Hy­podig. Neu­striae. Ascendisti vt vulpes, reg­nabis vt Leo, morieris vt Canis: Thou didst clime vp like a Fox, thou shalt raigne like a li­on, & thou shalt dy like a dog. As he, so others, like flax set on fier haue passed away, most of them sodenly and shamefully, specially such as haue been cruel in excommunicating and per­secuting Emperours.Carion. lib. [...]. & Abb. Vrso. You heard of Lucius and others before. And as wee read of Fabius [Page 147]the senatour, choked with an hair in his milk: so Adrian died with a fly, when he had excom­municated Friderik the first. Vrban the third was striken nutu Dei, Abbas V [...]. in an. 118 [...] attempting the same against the Emperour. A Pope of one yeare, & little more. And haue not of late Pius Quin­tus and Gregory the thirteenth prooued to be quenched tow, notwithstanding all their glory, and their Buls against our Soueraign Prince Elizabeth? Were they not indeede Bullae? Bubbles of water: The great whore of Babylō, whose cup is ful of abhominations & fornications, who hath her selfe been dronke with the blood of Saints,Apocalyp. 17.18. and with the blood of Martyrs of Iesus, shall drinke of the same cup double, & then shall it come to passe which happened vnto Cerylus, which of a seruaunt was waxen rich, and so insolent, that he chan­ged his name into Laches, to whom Vespa­sian gaue this lesson of humility in greeke words in this sense, O Laches, Laches, Sutton. I [...] Vespasian [...] when thou art dead, thou shalt bee called againe Cerylus, as before. So I say of Pope Iohn, The Pope is Cerylu [...] that so shamefully died in trauel going on pre­cession, shal in the end againe be harlot Ioan: Sergius shal be Os Porci, hogs-mouth. Iulius the second shal be Iulian agiane. Leo the tenth shal be Iohn againe. Iulius the third shall bee Iohn Marie. Paul the fourth shal be Iohn Pe­ter [Page 148]Gregory the thirteenth shall bee Bone-Companion, Sixtus Quintus a poore mans sonne borne in a little village, though an high name, Alto-monte, though now lifted vp to the Popedome,Act. c. 9. & like Saul breathing out threates and slaughters against the Church, shal be as he was a Franciscane, and Faelix Perenettus againe. They al shal be of Lordes seruants, of Popes poore Priests, nay of men, earth, and wormes meat. They shal be successors of this Saul, as in persecuting Dauid, and in murde­ring Abimelech, and the Priestes of the lord, I meane the Princes, and the Preachers whom the Lorde hath annointed and called: Euen so of his death either smiten of God, or when their day commeth to dy, or when they shal descēd into bloody battles, as many Mar­tial Popes haue done.

Although the enemies glorye against the Godly,The good delight not in the ouer­throw of the euil, but in their con­uersion. yet the Godly haue no delight in the death of these before rehearsed, persecutours, Emperors, Popes. We are sory that they had no more grace. As alwaies mercifull Prin­ces haue vsed moderation and compassion: so the Sexe, the good nature, the piety of our Prince hath alwaies desired rather the good behauior and conuersion of the offenders, then the subuersion of destruction of any one. Da­uid neuer sought nor desired the death of [Page 149] Saul, but contrariwise lamented for it, and punished the Amalekite that brought him the newes. We are not more vnnatural then men onely endewed with natural affection.

Iulius Caesar a natural & an heathen man, when Pompey fled into AEgypt, and was be­headed at the commaundement of Prolomei for his sake:Christi [...] Masseus lib. 7. Ch [...] yet whē his head was brought to him, he wept. Vespasian the Emperor seemed to be a tender-harted Prince, in whose time no man was lightly punished without cause, except he himselfe were absent, or ignorant of it, or in deed vnwilling or deceiued. A notable report Suetonius maketh of him, that he neuer at any time reioyced in the slaughter of any mā, but iustis supplicy sillacrymauit & ingemuit, Sueton. in vita eins. he wept & sighed when any mā suffred, though for a iust cause. Theodosius was a most graci­ous Prince, of whō it is said,Socrat. lib. 7. cap. 22. Sozom. lib. 7. cap. 24. that he neuer pu­nished any mā of whom he was hurt. He made a law by the aduise of Ambrose, that the offi­cers, which should execute his commissions or commandementes, should differre the punish­mentes of those that were condemned to dy for the space of thirty daies, to the intent that in the meane time the Kings wrath might be asswaged. When the people of Antioch had raised a sedition, and yet afterward repented, he hearing at his table a Ballad or song in a [Page 150]mourneful Melody, was so mooued, that his anger straightway ceased, he was reconciled to the citty,Cap. 23. & with tears trickling downe hee filled a cup that he held in his hand. Alexan­der the great lamented when he saw the body of Darius. Antoninus desired that no Se­natour or counsailour in the time of his Em­pire should be slaine, that his Empire might not be stained. Hee was not much offended with the defection or reuoulting of Cassius, neither did hee exercise tyranny against his children, but although the Councel did punish him, as before it was touched, yet the author saith,Iulius Ca­pitolin. Vulcatius Gallicanus. that it was most certaine that he would haue spared him, if it had been in his hand: and when the head of Cassius was brought to him, he did not reioice at it, but it grieued him that the occasion of mercy was taken from him. What should I speak of our Christian Prin­ces and rulers: Constantine, as it is written by Eusebius, was very carefull for the com­monweal,Lib. 2. Nec magis pro salute suorū, quàm ho­stiū orabat. Hee did not pray more for the safe­gard of his owne, then of others his enemies. It is reported of William Conquerour, that euen in his death bed hee repented him of ma­ny things,Polydor. Virgil. in Histo. Ang. lib. 3. but specially he was sory that hee had beene some-what seuere against the En­glishmen. When certain had conspired with [Page 151]the French-men against Henry the fift, and were by the iudgement of their peeres con­demned: as some were executed, so some were pardoned, for the King pitied their case,The W [...]. sing. in Hy­pon. N [...] so that English-men turned that praise which was spoken to Augustus Caesar by Ouid, vnto him,

The same verses may be more iustly appli­ed vnto our Augusta, who to punish hath been most slow: to pleasure, & to do good most rea­dy, and when she must needs be seuere, it grie­ueth her. I neede not exemplifie it, they are fresh in memory. How vnwilling was shee to consent to the beheading of the Duke of Northfolke? The de na ne [...]e of Q. [...] beth in pardoning or punishing. How often did she stay the exe­cution? How gratiously did she then wineke at the Queene of Scots, who was as guilty euen then as he was? How many haue beene in her time pardoned? How many yet remain vnpunished, though not vncondemned, and I doubt not, but that she thinketh as Theodosi­us said: Vtinam mortuos ad vitam reducere possem: Socrat. t [...]. 7. cap. 22. I would to God I might call to life againe some of those that are dead. I haue also to make a wish, that those that are faulty & li­uing, woulde remember one Story, that I would tel thē. Licinius a rebel fought against [Page 152] Constantine, but was ouercome, and had a pardon with this charge, [...]crat. lib. [...] 3. that he should keepe his house at Thessalonica, & liue quietly: but when hee had gathered a newe hand of vplan­dish and barbarous men, then hee commaun­ded him to be slaine. Well: The effect of my speach is, God wil not haue the death of a sin­ner, neither doe godly men desier these euill men to be rid out of the way, but to turne into a better way, and to reforme themselues, and yet the Protestation of Dauid is true vppon their impenitency and frowardnes, God will ease the world of these burdens of the earth.

I am now to make vp my general, that all must dy,The death of Princes. not only the bad, but euen the good shal depart frō vs. The bad for our comfort, & for the consolatiō of the church: The good for our plague: for not only wicked Saul, but euen good Dauid is gone. O that we may not say in our daies, Our Dauid is gone: but she must goe, and perhappes the sooner for our wicked­nes. Let vs pray therefore for her long and prosperous raigne among vs: wee haue great cause so to pray: The righteous perisheth, and no man considereth it in his heart, Esaie. 57. the merciful men are taken away, and no man vnderstandeth it, as the Prophet saith. Mark I beseech you, mark you that loue chaunges, how perilous they are: What good commeth [Page 153]by the good Princes: what losse commeth by their departure. Augustine writeth:De Ciui [...]. Dei lib. 4. cap. 3. Vtile est vt bons longe late (que) diu regnent, ne (que) hoc tam ipsis quàm illis, vtile est, quibus regnant. It is profi­table that good men raigne far and wide and a long time: neither is this so profitable vnto themselues, as to those ouer whō they raigne. The mutation of Princes, and alteration of States how dangerous it is, may appear by former times. After good Samuel, and in the time of the banishment of Dauid, the Phili­stines warred against the Israelites, in the which battle Saul was slaine, and the peo­ple of God conquered, but by Dauid that suc­ceeded, the common weale and the church flo­rished. After the death of Iosias was the bat­tel of the Babylonians, wherby the Kingdom of Iuda was brought to slauery,2. Paralip. 32.36. and after­ward subuerted. After this Iosias and Eze­chias followed euil rulers, as it is in the book of Chronicles. Alexander the great is called of Daniel a mighty King: but his King dome was diuided towards the 4 winds of heauē, & not to his posterity,Cap. 11. nor according to his domi­niō. Where wise mē ruled, as Solon, Lycur­gus & others: who now rule there but Turkes & Infidels? After the death of William Con­querour came famine, pestilence, thundring, & lightening & flashes in heauen, fires in Eng­land, [Page 154]as a certaine Prognostication of mise­ries and ruful calamities in Rufus time.Polydor Virg. lib. 9 The death of Heroicall and great personages is ominous and vnluckie.

Therefore, that I may drawe to an end, and to the conclusion of Dauids argument,The Con­clusion of Dauids reason in his prote­station. seeing God hath set downe a periode & course for euery man, and a terme and time of death, seeing all, young and old, rich and poore, no­ble, vnnoble, yea Princes, Monarches and Popes must die, by some of these meanes and kindes of death, which Dauid setteth down: let vs obey the reason, and reserue to God his iudgement. Let vs not preuent his houre, no not against the wicked gouernours: and sith God hath sent vs a Dauid, let vs not by our vnthankfulnes forgoe her Maiestie, or by our treacherous behauiour cut off her daies. God hath numbred them, and they cannot be shor­tened, no nor prolonged, but that number will come once to an end, though when, we cannot tell. Augustine maketh me affraide in these words:De Ciuit. Dei lib. 5. cap. 25. Iouinianum multo citius quàm Iulianum abstulit, Gratianum Ferro Tyrannico permisit interimi, longè quidem mitius, quàm magnum Pompeium, colentem videlicet Romanos Deos. God tooke away Iouinian much sooner then Iulian, he suffered Gratian to bee killed with the sword of a tyrant, a great deale more gen­tly, [Page 155]then great Pompeie, a man forsooth that worshipped the Gods of Rome. If the cer­tainty be such of death, and the vncertainetie of the time so great, let vs once againe pray to our heauenly father for the prosperity of her State, for the peace of her raigne, for the continuance of her daies, and for vs al: which God grant through the merit of Jesus christ, to whom with the father &c.

FOR y^e better vnder­standing of this text, and of all that which I haue to say in this place, I must in few woordes repeat and rippe vp that which went before.A repetiti­on of Da­uids dis­course. Dauid hath aunswered the motion of Abishai in this proposition, That King Saul should not bee destroied: and yeel­deth two reasons, for that he is the Lords an­nointed, and whosoeuer laieth hand vpon him shal not be holden guiltles: Another reason is in the protestation of Dauid, that he will not doe it, because the matter lieth in Gods hand, and he hath ordinary & extraordinary meanes [Page 157]to remoue him or kil him at his own pleasure: and therfore it pertaineth not to him a priuat man, although he be next in succession, to vse any fraudulent or violent preuention. Which reasons I haue elsewhere examined, & by ma­ny lawes & autorities confirmed to be of force & moment: the particulars whereof I omit.

At this time I purpose to proceede, first in the proofe of the reason, & so nextly to intreat of the last part.

It is a scruple or question nowe in these daies, who bee the successours of Abishai in these mischieuous, and malicious conspira­cies against Princes. Staphylus seemeth to burden Luther, that he commandeth subiects to rebel,In Apola­gia Fride [...]. Staphyli, in praefa [...]. and to disobey the commaundements of Caesar, and forbiddeth to sight against the Turkes. But this Question wee haue resol­ued and determined before, that the Popes are aduersaries and no friendes of Caesar, and that they are the onely authours of insur­rections, and rebellions against lawefull au­tority. As for Luther, he teacheth obedience in al his writings, he loueth not such presūp­tion against superiors lawfully placed in the Throne of God, and saith, He that is inarmor against them that sit in high places is like to them that cut wood, & look high, & sometimes the chippes fall into their owne eies, as it is [Page 158]in Ecclesiasticus, Who so casteth a stone on high, Cap. 27. casteth it vpon his owne head. Such cutters and casters you shal find the Popes of Rome to be. Reinerus Reineccius saith, that Helmoldus granteth the Popes to haue been oftentimes, Bellorum & aliorum seditiosorum motuum tubas: In prooemio Annalium, Helmoldi. The trumpets of wars and of other seditious commotions. How bitter Pas­chalis was against the Emperour Henry the fift, and howe Henry the fift was sturred vp against his father Henry the fourth, by the in­ticement & incitement of Papistical trumpe­ters: I haue opened before. The troublesome tumults between this Pope & this rebellious sonne,Hebnoldus in Chron. Sclauor. lib. 1. cap. 60. may appeare in the Chronicles, when Paschalis in the consecration of the Empe­rour required his oath, that he should bee per­fect in the obseruaunce and obedience of the Catholicke faith, and ready to reuerence the Apostolical See, and careful for the defense of the Church: it is thus notoriously described to the vtter shame both of the seditious Pope & of the rebellious Prince,The plague of Pope & son for the rebellion a­gainst, Henr. 4. as the iust iudge­ment of God for the death of the good father, Bellum in domo Petri, There was war in the house of Peter, betweene the Cleargy and the communalty, there was no difference, the sword deuoured them al. The house of holinesse is filled with Carcases, riuers of [Page 159]blood ran out of the heapes of deade men▪ so that the waters of Tyber were chaun­ged into the coulor of bloode, the Car­dinals were tied in chaines and ropes han­ged about their neckes and the Pope taken prisoner. For this fact against himselfe, the Pope could cal him a wicked, a bloody, a false man: for this hee cursed him, and in a councel of Bishops his priuileges giuen him before, were named prauileges, & taken frō him: but the childe depriuing his father of crowne and life was by the same Pope accompted his white sonne.Jn Henr. 4. But Cuspinian crieth out a­gainst this sonne: O wicked child, which for greedines of a Kingdome dooth persecute, and prosecute with hatred and sword him, by whō he hath receiued both life & roial dignity. So he was cursed on euery side,Helmoldus cap. 60.61. at al hauds, & of the Pope forspokē, that, He should neuer thriue after, nor see peace in his daies, nor get a child to sit in his throne after him.

But this horrible sin of treason & rebelliō, I haue proued to be in al places, by all lawes, of al Kings cōdemned: to which I ad here these proofes for a further fortification.Treason de tested by Iewes. The Iewes detested it as Dauid in this place, & in others before rehearsed, and besides he curseth Ioab for the death of Abner, 2. Sam. [...]. and caused the people to rent their clothes, and put on sackcloth, and [Page 160]he followed himselfe the beare, and wept, and said to his seruants: Know ye not that there is a Prince, and a great man fallen this day in Israel? If Abner be so lamented, how much more lamētable had been the death of Dauid? Banaah & Rechab did stay Ishbosheth y^e son of Saul, 2. Sam. 4. brought his head to Dauid, thinking it had been glad tydings to him to see his ene­my dead, but Dauid caused their heads to bee cut off, with their feete, and to be hanged ouer the poole in Hebron. Romanes. The Romans could not abide treachery, as by many examples was shewed before. Lucius Sylla would faine haue Sulpitius Rufus destroied: but when he percei­ued vpon his proclamatiō that he was hid in a village, and betraid by his owne seruant, hee gaue this parricide freedō, according to pro­mise in his Edict,Valerius lib. 6. but with al by & by he com­maunded him to be cast downe headlong from the top of the tower Tarpeia with his cap of freedome vpon his head, which he had vnho­nestly gotten with such treachery. In the bat­tle of Licinius against Constantine, God shewed out his iudgement against al the Li­cinians and rebelles,Eusebius li. 2. de vita Constant. so that some of them, ca­sting away their weapons fell downe at the Emperours foote, others were slaine, others running and rushing together did fall vppon their owne swordes, as Eusebius testifieth. [Page 161]What shall I say of the Graecians, Graecians. who all with one consent would declare their hatred against Traitours: Cillicon betraied Samos or Mile [...]us to the Prienians, which treason made him rich, but od [...]e to euery mean man. Afterward when he came to buy flesh of The­agenes, Suidas i [...] ver [...] Cil­licon. he biddeth him shew him what peece hee would haue cut, & stretching out his hand pointed to it, and the other cut it off, saying, [...]. With this hand thou shalt not betray an other Cittie. The same Suidas telleth of another perfidi­ous and treacherous man Aristocrates, who being chosen a captaine for the Rodians de­ceiued them:Jd [...] for comming to the action and to the point of seruice, as to the sier to be tried, he was found false and counterfait coin.Plutsarch de sera N [...] ­minis vi [...] ­dicta. Another Aristocrates when he had betraied the Misse­nians in bat [...]le, hee waxed so wealthy, and so mighty, that he was made ruler ouer the Ar­cadians but by Gods prouidence after twen­ty yeares, he was found out, and punished for his treason. So much was it detested among them, that in al time they would not forget it, nor forgiue it.

I spake before of Fraunce, of Flaunders, and of others.Hunga­rians. The Hungarians abhorre this vice. Bela successor vnto Stephen, was a blind man, yet a good. King and yet indaungered by [Page 162]Traitours, which thing being vnderstood, the Queene Helena in a great assembly made an oratiō against those rebels,Queene Helena an enemie to [...]raitours. Bonfin. re­rum Hung. decad. [...]. [...]br. 6. that this fact was not to be forgiuē, that kings were to be spared for that they should be reputed as gods: wher­upon they were al iudged to dy, & one Samp­son that had called the King blind theefe and most vile dog, was punished by the Peers, and flying away was followed and driuen heade­long into a riuer, and had many wounds, and being Ioded with his ha [...]neisc was drowned. It was shewed before of Canutus King of the Danes, Danes. how hee was contented to remit a certaine exaction and tribute, so that they would pay their tithes to the Priests Among them one Blacco most Judasly delt with his King, beeing sent an Ambassadour to the peo­ple, was of a mediatour become a traitor, and did not pacifie the people, but stirred them vp against him. The King being at his praiers, in Saint Albons Church, seeing the violence and fury of the people, continued stil at his de­uotion, making his confession vnto God: & by the thrust of a sworde, and by shedding his in­nocent blood, was made pium morris sacrifi­cium, a sacrifice and a Martyr to God. But Blacco the Captaine that first rushed into the Church, & made the people in that holy place to shed blood, euen in the first entraunce of the [Page 163]Church was first of al murdered, as a sacrile­gious man towards God, and a Parricide to­wards his King: the people afterward repen­ted them of their rashnes, tooke this Canutus to be a Saint. What should I speak of others rather wolues, and vipers, & dogs, then men, who thus brutishly deuise, say, and do against the Lords annointed? Is not this woluish & foxy generation yet aliue? Haue they not, doe they not, stil practise against our Soueraign, notwithstanding the examples of Gods seue­rity in al times and countries, neither looking backward toward the punishmēt passed in Iu­ry, in Italy, in Greece, in Flanders, in France, in Hungary, in Denmarke, and here in Eng­land: neither looking for-ward on the iudge­ments to come: And what is the cause: Onely this in Tertullian, Bonus vir Caius Seius, Ju Apo [...] sed malus [...]antùm, quia Christianus. Item alius, Ego Luciune sapientem virum repentè Christia­ [...]um factum defero. Caius Seius is a good man, but he is an il man, only because hee is a Christian man. And another saith, and confes­seth Lucius to bee a wise man, but sodenly made a Christian man: the one they cannot but praise, the other they tel as newes, of dis­praise. I say with Tertullian: They praise chose things that they know, they dispraise those thinges that they knowe not, and that [Page 164]thing which they doe knowe because they know not, they doe corrupt and man: Our Religion is forsooth a cause of their rebellion: therefore our Countrymen at home are our enemies. Is this newes to you? You knowe, my Brethren, that it is an ould grudge, an auncient offense, and scandal. You know, ma­ny shal be Offended with Christ. Matth. 10.1. Pet. 2. Matth. 21. Luc. 2. You knowe the Scriptures, Christ shal bee the stone of offense, and the rocke of scandal. The stone cast away of the builders and Priests, set to be the ruine & resurrection of many. Christ, and Christes annointed haue this portion, the inheritaunce of the Crosse, euen for Christes Crosse sake. The Kinges of the earth bande themselues, Psal. 2. and the Princes are assembled together against the Lorde, and against his Christ. Psal. 3. And againe: How many rise against mee? The Prince and the Prophet haue this lot: King Cyrus had displeasure of the Baby­lonians for defending Daniel, & his religion. They say, the King is become a Iewe, he hath abolished Bel, killed the dragon, slain Priests, and they flocke together to the King, saying: Giue vs Daniel, or woe will kil thee with all thy house. In Histor. Bel. Daniel likewise is laide waite for by the Princes, and nobles, he is complained of to Darius, because they found him making praiers and suppl [...]cation to his God. As Da­niel, [Page 165]so the rest of the Apostles and Prophets, and why? Serpens hostis est, contrarius veritati, Daniel. 6. In Eze [...] Hom [...]. Actor [...] as Origen replieth. The Serpent is an ene­my, contrary to the truth. Which of the Pro­phetes haue not your fathers persecuted, smd [...] blessed Stephen, and therefore was stoned: The Propher Icremy was mocked continually, stricken of the Priest Pashur, Cap. [...]0. Dorothe [...] in synopsi. Origen. in Matth cap. 13. and in the end murdered, and in AEgypt sto­ned by the people. Esay for the truth was cut in peeces by his countrymen. Zachary for the truth was slaine, betweene the Temple and the Altar. The Thessalonians for the truth suffered euen of their owne countrymen.1. Thessal. cap. 2. And Origen maketh this coniecture, that Paul preaching euery where, yet hee prenched not at Tharsis in his coutry: Sciens Propheram ex­pertē esse honoris inpropria patria, because Paul did knowe that a Prophet was not honoured in his owne country [...] [...] for this cause the Apostle forsooke Israel; and said:Act. c [...] [...]. Because you cast vs out, & iudge your selues vn worthy of euenlasting life, behold we turn to the Gen­tils. The Gospell could haue no place, mira­cles could take no effect, in Christs countrie, whereof he complaineth in his Euangelisles, Mat. 13 Math. 6. Luc. 4. Matthe we, Marke, and Luke. I speake not this of you, dearelie beloued, whose zeale in Religion is knowne, and I hope will conti­nue, [Page 166]and increase more and more: but I speak it with griefe of minde, by this common prac­tise and experience oftimes, fearing our coun­trimen that euen now begin to reuolt in hart, and a great number in bodie, who withdraw themselues from our Church, from our Ser­mons and Seruice, and Sacramentes; and from their obedience t [...] God & their Prince, and from all pierie towar [...]s their P [...]ia [...] and Country,Christ ba­nished. daily conspiring, and all for Christ and his Gospel, whom they would banish, and like Herodians extinguish among vs [...] but if he be banished, it is no sh [...]le for vs to be bani­shed with him. It is he to whō we must clean [...], by life or by death: It is his cause, her is able and willing to defend it: He is our friend and Protector, against at traitours and enemsies, whereof now by order I must speake, as follo­weth in the Text.

As Dauld hither to hath made a prohibitiō to Abishai, The third part of D. politick Re­solution. and also hath protested for himself saying: The Lord keepe me for laying mine hands vpon the Lordes annointed: So now he goeth forward with his politick and proui­dent resolution, beginning here.

I pray thee take now the speare that is at his head, and the pot of water, and let vs go hence, and so foorth, as you may see in the eleuenth & twelfth verses: & this is the third [Page 167]part of Dauids aunswere, and of my diuision.

In which part as many good notes may be made, and many pointes of doctrine may bee gathered: as Dauids humble request to A­bishai, and his poliey, in taking away the spear and the pot, for considerations, and the drow­sines of the enemies: so I rest only vpon this common place, the Prouidence of God, & that threefold, taken out of the circumstāces, First out of the person of Saul: Secondly out of the person of Dauid and Abishai: A triple prouidence of God. Thirdly out of the circumstaunce of the place, where they were, and of the state they were in, at this time.

Sauls person ministreth occasion to intreat of the protection of Princes, & of the singular prouidence of God, which is a reason forcible to penswade all euill and ob [...]inate men,Gods singu­lar proui­dence and care of Princes. that they intermeddle not against them of whome the Lord hath fueh an extraordinary & special care s [...]nd it is a woonder to see and to heare, bowe man not regarding this carefull and watchfuley of the Lord, ouerlooking all their actions, nor fearing the haude of the Lorde striking al such actours, dare in this manner aduenture any thing against thē, so guarded & armes with his protection. And yet alwaies there haue bin such murmurers. There were that mūbled against Moses, Exod. [...] Who made thee [Page 168]Prince and iudge ouer vs? There was a wic­ked Belial Sheba that blewe a Trumpet to sturre the people, We haue no part in Dauid, neither haue inheriance in the son of Ishai. [...]. Sam. 20. There were that murmured against the ser­uaunts of God sent vnto them, and beat some, and killed others, and stoned some others, yea they saide,Mat. 21. Let vs kill the heire.

All this winde shaketh no corne, Triticum non rapit ventus, Cyprian de simplicitate Praelato­rum. the winde carieth not away the wheat. The annointed of the Lord remai [...] neth stedfast: be he good, or be he had, either he tarieth in his good pleasure, or hee is taken a­way in his displeasure. Saul is a sleepe, and yet he is saued, and God s [...] ruled Dauid and so bridles Abishai, that the one would not, and the other could not set vpon him beeing at his head. O maru [...] oa [...] ful [...]iesse of our God ouer the gods of the earth! yea [...]godly gods. With what pro [...]ēce was Moses pres [...]rued, kept close for three mouthes;Exo. 2. throwen into the water, and yet drawen out, [...]t [...]d by Pharaoh, and yet fostered by his daughter [...] oftentimes ass [...]lted by Is [...]lit [...], euer ready to stone him, oftentimes murmured at, and entried by AEgyptians, Exo. 15.16. Num. 11.12.16. by Israelites, and somewhat by his owne sister, as wee may read in the booke of Exodus, and in the booke of Numbers? Our Dauid standing nowe in reuersion, but after­ward [Page 169]put in possession, was euermore both a priuate and publick person kept safe, because the Lord would haue it so. The Lord, saith he,Psal. 18. Psal. 38. is my rock & my fortresse. They haue spred a net, and they haue sought my life, and yet this dead dog, this little flea hath gods passe­port and warrant for himselfe.Psal. 89. I haue found Dauid my seruaunt, with my holy oile haue I annointed him, therefore mine hand shall helpe him, and mine arme shall strengthen him: the enemy shal not oppresse him, nor the wicked hurt him. This comfortable warrant reacheth vnto all Princes that fear God. It is recorded in an oration made at the request of Queen Elizabeth, in Bonsinius his story of Hūgary: Dec. 3. lib. 4. We must vndoubtedly be­leeue that al power is giuen to men of God & who can withstand the wil of God? Cy­rus an infant was cast out of dores. Romulus with Rhemus was cast into Tyber. Seruius Tullius was borne of a seruant and captiue mother; and yet they coulde not bee staied or stopped by any violence, but that they must obtaine those Kingdomes, to the which they were borne and predestinated. The prouidence and predestination of God are vnchaungeable and vnmoueable both for comming to Principalities, and for keeping their holds: which is so certaine, that neither [Page 170]force nor frand, neither [...]iue action of Diuels, nor conspiration of men can breake or inter­rupt this appointed course of God. Constan­tine the Great writeth vnto Sapor the King of the Persianes to be fauourable to Christi­ans, So [...]. lib. 2. cap. 15. assuring hin that God would be therfore merciful vnto him, and that hee himselfe ha [...] for his faith by the help of God subdued and subiected vnto himselfe the whole Empire of the Romanes. Vulcatius Gallicanus. God spake sometimes in the mouth of the heathen, as of Antonine the Emperour, saying: Wee doe not so worship God, nor so liue, that Cassius a Traytour should ouercome vs.

The assuraunce that was made vnto Ves­pasian in this doctrine of Prouidence was woonderfull, when two noble men were con­uiceed for conspiracy against him, aspiring to the Empire: he did nothing else but warne them; that they should surcease, affirming, Principatum Fato dari: Principality to bee giuen by the decree of God. These men he did not onely famliarly admicte to his Supper, but also the next day in the shewe, and play of Fensers or sword-plaiers, he set them for the [...]once about him,Sueton in Tit. Vesp. and the or namentes & wea­pons offered vnto him by the fighters, he gaue to these aduersaries, to bee looked vppon and handled of them: no doube but assuring him­selfe, [Page 171]that they could not, ne durst strike. Saxo Grammaticus declareth how Canutus and Charles, and diuers others went about to kil the King of Danes, Waldemarus, who both with others their complices beeing familiar in the court, and neere vnto the King a person, and one of them alone sometime with him at­tending vpon his chariot,A nesa [...] confession of Gods pro­ [...]dence its prese [...]in [...] Princes. and many times hauing a coate of maile, might haue sodenly dispatched him, but hee by Gods prouidence alwaies by one meanes or other was pre­serued, and (as one of the conspiratours cal­led Magnus in his examination confesseth) that it was, Non sorte humana, sed diuina ope­ra, by no lucke or cunning of man, but by the work of God: and wōdreth how he did escape, being so many times and by so many waies intrapped. And when the King asked him,Sarc. [...] Danie. l. 1 [...]. whether hee did meane indeede to set vppon him and oppresse him, he aunswered stoutely, Nec animum sibi nec arma, [...]ihil (que) quod tanto f [...] ­einori attinuit, excepth. Deinutu defursse: That there wanted nothing to him, neither intent, nor courage, nor weapons, nor any thing that pertained to such a wicked not, but only gods beck & assent. In Flanders. Count Lodowick Maleanus distressed by a rebell Arteualda (of whose ende I spake of before) and by some souldiors of Gaunt being of that conspiracy, [Page 172]sought for, he was hid by a woman in a poore bedde, where her little children did ly: This woman was woont to sitte at the Counte his gate, for au almes: one of the souldiours tooke a candle, and looked narrowely in euery cor­ner, and after his search returneth to his fel­lowes, and saith: Let vs goe, wee leese time, here is none, besides her little ones: so as the author writeth, this woman as another Ra­hab saued the Earle: Ita sola voluntate Numi­nis seruatus Comes, qui haec omnia nudiuit ver­ba, so by the onely will of God the Earle was saued,Jac. Meyer lib. 13. An­nal. Fland. Chr. li. 20. and heard al these words. God did also prouide marueilously for Charles the fift, as Massae us witnesseth. It is well knowen, his owne courtiours sometimes by poyson, sometimes by other treason went about to destroy him but the Lorde presented him. King Henry the fourth him many conspira­tours, and this one [...]aspitu [...]y was most nota­ble.Hen. 4 King of England In the night when hee should goe to bed, the enemies had laide there in the strawe a galthrop which had,Th. Wal. three long sharpe pikes, that when hee shoulde sodenly [...]y downe, hee might be destroied, but as God would he felt it and perceiued it before, and so auoided the peril. There is nothing can annoy the godly Magistrate, but all shall woorke for the best. There haue beene in all ages, and specially in [Page 173]these latter times many fetches and deuises to circumuent & to catch in a snare the Lords annointed, but the prouidence of god hath con­foūded the wisedom of man, for he giueth life, he is the life and length of their daies,Deut. 30. Psal. 103. he deli­uereth their life from death: who can then take it away, or abridge it? He that is aboue beareth stroke in the Kingdome of men,Daniel. [...]. and he bestoweth vpon whom hee will, and who is he that dare take vpon him to dispose it other­wise then is appointed: As Austin saith of the greatues of the Empire of Rome, The cause thereof is: because it is not ruled by fortune or destiny: so I say of the state and prosperity of England, & of the preseruation of our Prince: It is not by chaunce, nor by our cunning, nor our policy, but only by the merciful protecti­on of God.Austin de ciuit. Deil 5. cap. 1. Prorsus Diunina prouidentia regna constituuntur humana. The Kingdoms earth­ly and humane are constituted and stablished altogether by the prouidence of God. The ship (saith Chrysostom) can neuer passe the waues of the sea without a gouernour: a souldiour can doe no great exploite with­out the conduct of a captaine, and house is not built, vnlesse there bee one to build it: and can this large and vnmeasureable world, can the ornaments of these elements be moued casually or rashly? Is there none [Page 174]that can moderate them, and knoweth by his wisedome to keepe and preserue them? Whereupon I gather this conclusiō: He that ruleth, and v [...]doeth these superiour and iufe­riour things, he that maketh the world, & ma­keth an end therof, must make and marre the Mouarches of the world, and therefore bould fooles are they, that go about to rule, or ouer­rule, or vnrule them.

The prouidence of God appeareth also in the person of Dauid, The 2 pro­uidence of God ouer his Elect. and Abishai, who came into the centes of Saul, and tooke away the spear, and pot from him, and yet no man seeth nor marketh, neither did any awake, and so they went away through the whole army, vn­wounded, vntouched, vnseen: for God had cast the enemies into a dead sleepe. This part of gods prouidence is also the more to be consi­dered, because euen the godly seing their own afflicted state in this world, & the prosperity of the wicked,In praefat. Abacuc. begin, as Theophylact faith, to doubt, whether God be touched with the care of worldly things. In this point Dauids feet beganne to slip.Psal. 73. Cap. 1. And Abacuc crieth, O Lord, how long shal I cry, and thou wilt not hear? And Icremy, Why happeneth that the way of the wicked dooth prosper? Cap. 12. And Ionas: Lord take my life from me. Cap. 4. So Iob: What profit shal we haue, Cap. 21. if we serue and pray to [Page 175]him? So Malachie also,Cap. 3. where God aunswe­reth that he hath a booke of remembrance for them that feare him, & biddeth these murmu­rers consider what a difference there is be­tweene the iust and the wicked. So, dearely beloued, let vs consider though Dauid here be banished, yet he cōmeth into the host, & neither king, nor captain, nor souldior saith any thing to him, nor seeth him. This is a general care that God hath of his Church, & of al the mem­bers, his elect, by one meanes or other to de­liuer them. The meane here set downe for the deliueraunce of Dauid, is Tardemáh, a sound sleep, slumber and drousines of Saul and his camp. While Adam sleepeth, Eua is crea­ted, and so many times the Church is preser­ued, euen as Ioseph in his sleepe was warned to fly into AEgypt with Iesus and Mary his Mother.Marth. 1. Iudith conquered Holofernes, be­cause God had cast him into a sleepe.Iudith. 13. Gideon ouercame the Midianites drousing and lying in the valley like grasse-hoppers,Iudic. 7. and was en couraged thereunto by a dreame; that one told vnto his neighbour. As this is one mean, so we may consider all other meanes ordina­ry and extraordinary, by which hee ouercom­meth & daūteth the aduersaries of his church, sometimes by frindes, sometimes by foes: by friendes, in procuring them & in strengthning [Page 176]them: by foes, in confounding their deuises, and in bridling their furious affections, as wel it is expressed by Origen. Duobus ex mo­dis constat in omnem creaturam Christi domi­nation. Lib. 9. ad Romanos. The Lordship and soueraignty of Christ is two waies shewed: by his maiesty, and po­wer subdiung: all thinges & al creatures: first bowing, and bending the holy minds and spi­rits to his pleasure, secondly commaunding and forcing the wiched, and reprobate to the excrution of his purposes. God in his domini­on dooth so excell, that all his creatures, good and bad, yea the diuel himselfe cannot annoy those whom hee loueth. The Diuell goeth no farther then his chaine, wherewith he is tied as a dog. He could not hurt Iob but by a Li­cense,Iob. 2. Mat. 8. nor enter into Hogges, but by leaue. Sometimes God maketh enemies frindes. When the souldiours of Iulian, for feare had sworne to him: only Nebridius withstoode it, saying, that he could not be tied by an oath a­gainst Constantius, Marcelli­nus. lib. 21. to whom he was by many and often benefites bound and beholding: which when the souldiours heard, they were inflamed, and ready to kil him: & then [...]uen Iu­lian his enemy seeing him falling down vpon his knees, couered him with his coat of armor and gaue him a protection of security: Hind quo libet abi securus. Goe thy way front hence [Page 177]whither thou wilt safe and secure. It is not a­misse that is said of Thomas Aquine, defining Prouidence after this sort: Prouidence is, which to things foreknown by God & in his wisedome ordained ministreth that thing, In tractatri de Praedest. which may keep & vphold that order, & re­moueth away al disorder or inordinatiō, that is, taketh away all that may hinder it, & so di­recteth al things, that the last end proposed by him, may be archiued. Whereby the Princes come to their Kingdoms, & continue al the pre­fixed time without hinderaunce, and the Prea­chers run their race, and keepe on their course without interruption of man or diuel. Esay the Prophet cōtinued in spite of his enemies, about fourscore years: Polycarpus fourscore & six.Polycarpos Ie­remy was threatned of the Iewes, Let vs, say they, destroy the tree with the fruit therof, Ierem. 11. & cut him out of the lande of the liuing: but yet Gods decree was otherwise: that the mē of A­nathoth should dye with the sworde, and they that sought his life, & would not hear his pro­phecy in the name of the Lord,Ieremi [...] should bee pla­gued in the day of the visitation: but to Ieremy he said comfortably: Be not affraid of their fa­ces, for I am with thee. Daniel was cast by the Babylonians into the den of Lyons, and yet he taught mo then seuenty years.Act. 1 [...] Peter a captiue was appointed by Herode to death, but Gods [Page 178]appointment was, by an Angel to deliuer him: Paul saith: All men haue forsaken me, but the Lord assisted me, & strengthned me, that by me the preaching might be fully known, 2. Tim. 4. and that al the Gentiles should heare and I was deliuered out of the mouth of the Lyon. He neuer left preaching from Ierusalē to Illyricū, Spain & Italy, & was neuer offred to death, til y^e time of his dissoluing came, & then he did wor­thily say of himself: I haue fought a good fight, I haue finished my course, I haue kept the faith. Bee therefore of good comfort my bre­thren, Preach the word, be instant in season & out of season, reproue, rebuke, exhort with al long suffering & doctrine, for the times are come that he telleth of, that man wil not suf­fer wholesome doctrine, yet nothing can hurt or stay you, vntill you come to your iour­neies ende, not only you, but all other godly of this realme. This Church of England, is as mount Sion vnmooueable, it shall haue the Queen to be her Nurse, the gooly gouernors, the faithful ministers during the time set down in God his decree. Though Sion say, the Lord hath forsakē me, Esai. 49. yet the lord wil be more tē ­der thē a womā ouer her child, nay he assureth vs that he hath grauen vs vpō the palme of his hands, and that our wals are euer in his sight, though y^e diuel watcheth for vs, seeking, & run­ning [Page 179]about like a roaring Lion,Psal. 1.25. yet God ouer­watcheth him. He neither sleepeth nor stūbreth that keepeth Israel. The wilde bore of Rome would enter into this vineyeard, but the Lord doth keep him out. Ipse faecundat, saith Bernard, He doth make it fruitfull, hee encreaseth it, Bernard. super Cat [...] sermo. 30. cutteth it, purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit: for howe can he leaue it destitute of his care, & trauel, seing that his right hand hath planted it? Only let vs see that it bee not barren by our negligence, and then leaue all the rest to his prouidence.

The third kind of Prouidence may appeare by the circumstance of the place.3. Proui­dence in temporall thinges. In wildernes Dauid and his army are fed and maintained. This temporal prouidēce also must be learned against those murmurers, that say, O that we had bin dead in AEgypt when we sate at the flesh-pots, when we eate bread our bellies ful, now you haue brought vs into this wildernes, to kil this whole congregatiō with famine and hunger. Are there not in England, Exo. 16.17. murmuring Israelites this day, who for a little pinching of penury, for lack of corne, cry out against God, and his word, not mindful of the Manna, of the dew of heauen, of the fat of the earth, ministred plentifully vnto them these many years,In the ye [...] 1586. was that dearth in this blessed raign of the Queens maiesty: And euen in this time of this small dearth, there is chari­table [Page 180]order taken by her Maiesty, and the hono­rable counsel.Plenty ne­uer more in Poperie then in the year 1587. The cause of this lack is not so much for lacke of graine, but for lack of faith & religiō in some of vs towards our God, for lack of charity towards the poore in some: in lack of obedience towards the Prince in some others, for lack of thankfulnes in vs all: which vices being reformed in vs, we shal haue inough. Our forefathers Abraham, Isaac & Iacob in strange places found a straunge goodnes of God for their prouision, which is not vnknowen vnto you. Ierome expoundeth a prouerb among the Hebrues: In monte dominus videbit. i. prouidebit. God wil in the mount prouide for his, In quaest. seu trad. Heb. in Ge­nes. euen as he prouided for Isaac a Ramme in steed of Isaac. As God had mercy vpon Abraham, so he wil haue mercy vpon vs. And therefore in signe of this Ram giuen, the Iewes are wont euen this day to blow their horn. He that pro­uided for Agar, and for Ismael the boy, and cast away for lacke of help of man, in wildernes: He that fed Elias by crowes, by a widdow, by An­gels: and Daniel by Abacuc: He that was able by Elizeus to heal the waters infected: He that saued Ionas in the whales belly: He that with a few loaues & fishes satisfied such a multitude: he hath not, he wil not forsake you that professe his word and practise accordingly, any Aegypt shall bee scourged,Exod. 9. when Israel shall be preser­ued [Page 181]in Goshen: God wil rather transubstanti­ate al his creatures, and make stones bread, & water wine, & cause rocks yeeld water, rather then you that fear God & loue his word, should vanish or perish.

But here I pray you mark, Hee that giueth food to cattle, & to the young Rauens meat, he giueth it to them in their manner calling vpon him,Psal. 147. and the same Lord delighteth onely in thē that fear him.Ose. 7. For the strength of Israel is the Law, & al the safegard of our Israel is the kee­ping & obseruing of the word of God. Origen hath, Hijs quiin Agone pietatis positi sunt, Ho [...]il. 19. in li [...] Num cap. [...]4. conte­ret sathanam Deus sub pedibus. God will treade sathan, vnder the feete of them that striue for piety, and godlinesse. The same Origen giueth vs good cōfort, but cōditional.Jbid. ca. 25. Hom. 20. If we want not weapōs wherwith the Apostle willeth vs to be armed, all other dartes cannot pearce vs. If we haue the armor of God, Ephes. 6. the brest plate of righteousnes, the sword of the spirite, and aboue al the shield of faith. Basil saith, No munition, or Martiall puislaunce, In Psal. 32. no walles of cities, no army of horse men, nor power of foot men, no preparatiō of ships saue a King: for God doth appoint Kings and disappoint and depose. Exalt not your horne,Psal. 75. speake not with a stiffe necke, for promotion commeth, neither from the east, nor from the west, nor frū, [Page 182]the south, because God is iudge, abasing one & exalting another. And therfore while Dauid is godly, & doth not transgresse, while the people and all liue within their compasse,Prouidence of God spe­cially belon­geth to the good Daui­dians. there is no doubt but both in plenty and pouerty, dearth & death, God shal, and will giue safe conduict. Religion and Piety, must be our onely safety and preseruation: for against the godly man, neither malignant diuel, neither any destiny can preuaile. So writeth an auncient author Mercurie Trismegistus in Lactantius. Dearly beloued, let vs be only religious, and god alone will succour and shield vs, because Dauid here feared God, reuerenced the person of Saul, be­cause Abishai beeing better aduised, was con­tent to bee ruled with a woorde of Dauid: you see how the Lord did prouide for them. Be hee Frenchman, or Spaniard, Iew or Turk, he can­not hurt or harme vs in this case,Bonfin. deca 3. lib. 5. Mimmo digito Turcas omnes, si voluerit, illico conteret Deus no­ster. Our God can out of hand, if hee wil, burst and breake with his little finger, al Turkes, al our enemies.

But now, my Brethren, as on Gods part al is certaine and sure,Esa. e. 59. The stop of Gods proui­dence our sinne. For neither his hande is shortned that he cānot saue, neither his eare heauy that it cannot hear: so on our side al the dāger is to be feared. Your sins haue separated becween you and your god, saith the same Pro­phet. [Page 183]Sin maketh this diuision:Gen. 3. Adam sin ning lost Paradise, for himselfe & for vs. The world sinning was drowned:Gen. 6. Ios. 7. One Achā sinning was the plague of al Israel: One Ionas sinning in­dangered the whole ship: Sin brought fier and brimstone from heauen vpon Sodome, Gen. 19. Act. c. 27. whō ten good men might haue saued: as one Paul saued himselfe and al his company in the ship. It is a true saying of Achior the Ammonite to Ho­lofernes: If there be any fault in this people, so that they haue sinned against their God, this shal be their ruine. Iudith. 5. Let vs goe vp and we shal ouercome: but if there be none iniqui­ty in this people, let my Lord passe by, least their Lord defend them, and wee become a reproch. Al euil men & sinners, al sinful King­doms and nations though planted by him, yet shal be plucked vp by him, and they shall be all out of Gods protection, as it is written:Ieremy. 18. I wil speak sodenly concerning a nation, and con­cerning a Kingdom to build it & to plant it, but if it do euill in my sight, and hear not my voice, I wil repēt of the good that I ment to thē. Ies. 7. Therefore if any commotion or wars be raised, it is because the Lord hath hissed for the Fly, & the Bee out of the vttermost part of the world, & hath mustered those enemies against vs for our sinnes: if any euil come, it is because we are euil. Chrysostom vpon the words of E­say, [Page 184]I saw the lord, Cap. 6. Hom. 1. maketh this questiō: What is the cause, that matters of the commō weal do not go forward wel? that they are not in a better case? The people answer, by the ouer­sight & carelesnes of Magistrats, that bear of­fice, but Chrysostome replieth: It is not the carelesnes of Princes, but ourvnrighteousnes, punishment is exacted for our sins, those sins do turn & tūble al things vpside-down. They haue brought in all calamities whatsoeuer, they haue armed enimies: And a little after he demandeth thus: Why so? If the Prince bee a trāsgressor of Lawes, our rashnes & rudenes, our offenses haue procured this plague. And againe: Although the Prince be iust, yea as iust and as vertuous as Moses: yet could not the righteousnes of that one man couer the manifold sinnes of so many rebelles, Exod. 32. neither coulde the praier of Moses chaunge the iust sentēce of God. O that we were pure in Gods sight, as our religion is pure out of his word! Such were the old Christians our cuntrymen in the time of Constantine, of whom he giueth this report:Sozom. lib. 2. cap. 15. Nihil in moribus religionis huius est, quod reprehendi debeat: There is nothing, in the maners & conuersation of this religion, which ought to be blamed, for these christiās are con­tented only with the vnbloody vows or praiers to pacifie God, who is delighted not with shed­ding [Page 185]of blood, but reioiceth only in a mind pure & cleane, in the contemplation of vertue & god­lines. Of these Christians reporteth Plinie thē Lieuetenant vnto Traian the Emperour, that hee found nothing in thē that was wicked, but that they would not worship Images,Ensebius. l. 3. cap. 3 [...]. Teriul. in Apol. and that they rise betime in the morning to praise christ as god, and that they kept their discipsine, as Eusebius alleadgeth out of Tertullian. Now if this doctrine bee true,Alaior. that Realmes and Kingdoms stand or fall by their religion or by the coutempt thereof: and if it bee as true,Minor. that we al are sinners, and contemners, and not an­swerable to the former purenes of our forefa­thers:Conclusion▪ then what must be the conclusion vppon vs, but misery, plagues and scourges of God for our iniquities?

I come not hither to be Momus, or to wish a window into euery mans hart and conscience, to see euery mans secret faults. I would there were not too many, too open in the sight of the worlde, to the great displeasure of Almighty God: of which giue me leaue to speake a little, that we may not loose the sweetnes of this doc­trine, and the fauour of our God, and the pro­tection of this Realme.

But we must needs loose it, if we doe not hereafter repent vs: and euery man in his cal­ling walk accordingly. Though man wincke, [Page 186]Yet God seeth, & wil visit the sins of this land, which draw on with cartropes our speedy de­struction. In the beginning of the world, at the first fal of Adā God steppeth out to iudgement, and iudicially proceedeth against him, and his wife, and the serpent: & will he not now in the end of the world serue the same processe against vs: Wil he not say to euery one of vs, Adam, where art thou? Gen. 3. wil he not cite Prince, Peers, and people? Yes verily, & that shortly, without speedy & harty repentance.A particu­lar citation of God a­gainst sin­ners of this Land. To Magi­strates and Iudges. He will cite rulers, Iudges, Nobles & Magistrates of this land, of whō he requireth iustice, that the innocent may be defended & cherished, that the wicked be not iustified, and maintained, but condēned and pu­nished. You Honorable & Worshipful shal find, or if you wil not, he wil find two kinds of these wicked men specially in this land, godlesse A­theists irreligious, others too religious or su­perstiously religious, fauourers rather of the Popish myter, thē of the Princely crown. Let iustice be done against both, Currat Lex, & vi­nat Rex: Let not your Lawes bee cobwebs, to catch the little flies, and to let the great ones break out.Anacharsis. If you Iudges of the earth wil haue God prouidently to care for you, you must zea­lously care for him. You know what vndermi­ners, & pioners haue crept in, what pirats haue ioyned themselues with the gouernors & true [Page 187]mariners of this english ship, seminary mē, like vnto one Iohn Abbot, a professour of Phisicke, more presūptuous then cunning. Hee promised vnto Waldemarus King of Denmark present help, he cōmandeth all to depart out of the chā ­ber, he ministreth vnto him a refection, or con­fection, or rather an infection,Saxo Gran [...] lib. 16. His [...]. Danicae. and willeth him to sleepe, but it was woorse then Tardemáh, the deadly sleep of Saul, for they returning in again found him to be sine voce, speachlesse and dead: Semblably,Iesuites murdering Phisicians. these Iesuites haue promised vnto the people of England (in secret corners, shut­ting vs out of dozes,) sospitatē, al health of body and soul, but it was sospitate that Popish illusio, that not only pickt our purses, but is able to kil our souls: & shal these be nourished amūg vs, by whō the people haue bin bewitched, the realme of many a subiect robbed, the church troubled, the state indaungered, our gracious Queene hazarded? I am no perswader of crueley, but of seuerity, reasonable, and requisit in such a case, that England may be rid of them. You may re­member the general Lawes of Emperours a­gainst those that do not communicate,Aug. cont. epist. Par­menian. c. 7. lib. 1. with the catholick church, but are gathered together in secret & seueral cōuenticles. We haue by these meetings & conferences many Nouices made in seminaries beyond the sea, & many mo in od Seminaries at home, where they haue learned [Page 188]a new Catechisme, a new religion, new lessons of rebelling, of poisoning, & other new kindes of murdering. These younglings of the Pope will prooue to be whelpes of the Woolfe. Let them not grow, for such wolues cannot agree with the sheep of Christ. You are the Pastors of our flock, mark the complaint of a seely sheep in the greek Epigram, I giue milke with my vdders to a woolfe against my will, the fol­ly of the sheepherd compelleth me, but after he hath been fed vp, and growen big by me, he wil first turne against me, his nature can­not be chaunged by any curtesies. Therefore before this Citation come, be zealous for your God & for his law, otherwise the day of the lord wil come vpō al the Cedars of Libanō, be they neuer so high,Esai. 2. vpon al the Okes of Bashan, be they neuer so strōg, vpō y^e moūtains, & towers: I meane with the Prophet, the greatest, the strongest, the highest, shal be shaken in that day.

This Citation shall be set vpon the dores of all Clergy men, that enter in by Simon Ma­gus: [...]o Ckeargie [...]en. either be idle bellies, that will not: either be ignorant and cānot preach the word of God: either so couetous, that with Balaam had as leiue curse as blesse our Israel. But these sin­ners, as vntouched in my Text, I passe ouer: and yet it wil hasten Gods Citation.

This Citation wil reach to all the people of [Page 189]this Land: where shall be laid to their charge many thinges, many articles,To the peo­ple and to all. but I will touch that onely which may be gathered out of this Text. A general sleep,A general slumber [...] and secu­ritie. a drowsines and dronkē ­nes of the land. For as here not only Saul, but Abner & his whole host are in a sleepe: Euen so wee al from the greatest vnto the lowest liue in security, which I fear wil be our vaine. A foul fault in rulers or captains in this our life which is a continual warfare. It is not for Agamēnō or y^e ruler to sleep the whole night:Homer J [...] liadae. Plutarch. ad Princi­pem indo­ctum. Epaminon­das alone was in watch & ward vpō the wals, when the Thebans were feasting. If the King of Persia had euery morning his chamberlaine saying: O King rise, and haue care of thy busi­nesse, which Mesoro-Masdes willeth thee: much more ought our gouernors be carefull in publick affaires of the church and the common weal, & in such things as our God hath cōman­ded. The law of Canutus was, that if the soul­dior appointed to watch & to keep his standing, did so sleepe,Saxo. Hist Dan. li. 10 that a man might take his weapon or apparel from him sleeping, he had discipline, and punishmēt for it, & was thought vnworthy to be in the Kings seruice. Many Princes and Kings, yea and Kingdoms were taken and de­stroied by security. Isbosheth sleeping in his bed at Noon,2. Sam. 4. Iudic. 5. by the sons of Rimnon was smit­ten in the fift rib, and Sisera by Iael: and Scipio [Page 190]Affricanus and others. What realme hath not bin by security conquered? Grauely Cato, as Austine alleadgeth out of Salust against Cati­line, De Ciuit. Dei lib. 5. cap. 12. amongst other vices of the Romans, as ri­ot, couetousnes, ambitiō, hath these words: We folow idsenes and pleasures at home, and hunt after mony and fauor of men, and therefore in­ferreth: Eo sit, vt impetus fiat in vacuam Remp. hence cōmeth it, that euery man may enter into the country, as voide, and open for euery man. Balthazar at a feast rioting with his Nobles & concubines,Dan. 5. lost his Kingdome, which passed from the Chaldeians to the Medes and Persi­anes. Troia being drowned, and buried in wine & sleepe, was taken & spoiled. Saxo Grāmaticus writeth, that ther is nothing more pernicious and hurtful in war, then carelesse quietnes, dis­solute negligence, & bould and presumptuous confidence. So Frotho a captain besieging the City Peltisca, by munition inuincible, by this policy took it. For he fained himself to be dead, and in token thereof his funerals were solem­nised:Saxo. Hist. Dan. lib. 1. whereupon Vespasius the King persua­ded, that this was true, in his security, sports and plaies was slain. So we read of Hannibal, and his souldiours, as by manhood and paines they ouercame the Romanes at Cannae, so they lost the victory by their effeminat and loose be­hauiour afterward. So Britany or England [Page 191]was this way conquered by Iulius Caesar, Saxo. li. 1 [...] as before I touched, and in England Herald son of Godwine caused the army of the Danes to be slain in the night, whē they were fast asleep. In summe, that which Bernard said of a Monk Dormientem Monachum Deo mortuum esse, Marullus. lib. 1. ca. 1 [...] nec sibinec vlli vtilem: so generally we may say, A man sleepy and drowsy is a dead man, nether profitable to himselfe, nor to others. I omit o­ther transgressions of the Land, as periury, dis­cord, dissentions, hypocrisie in all estates, and other sinnes, bicause they are not touched in my Text. These and such like sins abound & raign in this Land. The whole body is thus diseased and sick from the sole of the foot to the head, as Esay complaineth ful of wounds and sores and botches.Esai. 1. God forbid that we should not recouer out of this malady. If wee be vncureable, then must the Prophets Text conclude vpon vs as vpon Iewes, Your Land is wast, your cities are burnt, straungers deuoure your Lande, you shal creepe out of corners like wormes out of their holes, Mich. 7. you shal be troden down like myre in the streetes.

Now, dearly beloued, what remedy haue we to cure our selues from these imminent daun­gers? Iuda can haue no help from AEgypt, if God bee displeased, there are but two waies proposed by God,Deut. 30. either the right hand or the [Page]left, either life or death, good or euill. If you heape sin vpon sin, if you turne to the left hand, you dy: if you repent, and keepe the right hand, you liue. There must be the best way deuised. Serpents and Eagles know many remedies to take away poison, and to driue away their euils, saith Origē. And again in the same place: Serpents vse fenel to sharpen & quicken their sight:Origen con­tra Celsum lib. 4. the Eagles take y^e stone Aetites foūd out for the preseruation of their yoūg ones, & cary it to their nest. And is there no help nor remedy for vs? Yes, dearly beloued, to return to him by repentance, from whō we haue by sin departed: Quisquis Deum offenderit, whosoeuer shal offēd god,Thoeph. in Ose. c. 5. he hath this only hope & help left, to be re­cōciled to him again. Walk therfore sincerely in a single heart before God, let rebels be sub­iects, let Papistes with the Ephesian exorcists burn their magical masse-books: let superiors oppresse no more, let the cold be inflamed with zeal of Justice & religion, let the drowsy slug­gards be watchfull against the euill day. Take heed al, that Saul wake not againe. He hath hi­therto bin cast into a deadly sleepe by God. It is he that must continue him in that slūber. If we wil repent, he will haue mercy vpon y^e house of Iuda, & wil saue England, yea the Lord will saue, not by bow, nor by sworde, nor by battle, nor by horses,Ose. 1. nor by horsemen, but by himselfe: which God grant: To whom &c.