A NEVV EIGHT­FOLD PROBATION OF THE CHVRCH OF ENGLANDS DIVINE CONSTITV­TION, PROOVED BY MANY PREG­nant arguments, to be much more com­plete then any Geneuian in the world against the contrary assertion of the fifty three petitioner-preachers of Scotland in their petition presented in the late Parliament to the Kings most excellent Maiesty.

With a ten-folde probation of the same Churches doctrine touching one of the most important points of our Creede, which is of our Sauiours descending into Hell,

BY IAMES MAXVVELL Master of Artes, &c.

LONDON, Printed by IOHN LEGATT, Printer to the Vniuer­sitie of Cambridge. 1617.

Psal. 122. verse 6. Pray for the peace of Ierusalem, let them prosper that loue thee.
Isay 41.8, 9, 25. Thou Iacob, whom I haue chosen, I haue taken thee from the endes of the earth, and called thee before the cheife thereof, and said vnto thee, thou art my Seruant, &c. I haue raised vp from the North, and he shall come: from the East Sunne shall he call vpon my Name.

TO THE MOST LEARNED, RELI­GIOVS AND RENOWNED PRINCE IAMES the Concorder, King of Britaine, France, and Ireland, defender of the faith, all felicitie.

Most gratious and redoubted Soueraigne.

INEVER read those words of the Euangelicall Prophet prefixt in the former page; (and I haue read them often;) but as oft did I thinke of Al­mighty Gods raising of you our Iacob from the North, and endes of the earth, to performe the part of his Se­lect Seruant for the especiall good of his Church: and euen, so oft did I call to minde your gratious en­deauours for the farthering of the glorious worke of Vnitie and Concord amongst diuided Christians: but more especially, ac­cording to your Royall and proper interest, among your owne vn­vniformed Britaines. Wherefore perswading my selfe, that it is both the duty of all good Christians to applaude your mest Chri­stian & Commendable endeauours and designes; and the part of all your good subiects to concurre with your Maiestie in so wor­thy a worke, for the aduancing thereof; I haue brought vnto the [Page]building of this spirituall Temple of Concord and Peace, two stones, to wit two Treatises penned and framed to the common peoples capacitie. Such as they are, I doe humbly exhibite both heere together into your Royall hands, to dispose of according to your most gratious and wise pleasure, and as ye shall thinke good for them; for whose good they are intended. The first Treatise, containeth an eightfold probation of the diuine and perfit consti­tution of the Church of England, the which I doe demonstrate to be much more complete then any Genenian forme whereso­euer in the world, for a moderate, quiet and calme refutation of a certaine contrary assertion contained in the three and fifty prea­chers of Scotlands petition presented vnto your Maiestie in the late Parliament. And though there were many reasons; which might induce me to dedicate the same vnto your Royall Maie­stie; yet nothing mooued me so much thereunto, as that the de­monstration which I doe vse, is drawen out of the diuine Booke of the Reuelation of Saint Iohn the diuine; the which I may in a manner call the Booke of King Iames the diuine, a demon­stration that no writer hath vsed, before me so farre as I know [...] for I suppose, that no diuine will or can denie; but that [...] [...]he Booke of the Reuelation is contained a representation both of the Church Triumphant in Heauen by such externall or sensi­ble signes or showes, as were most fit to represent the same by; and likewise of the Church militant on earth, such as it was to bee after our Sauiours ascensien in the two times of persecution and peace, aye vntill the last period of his glorious comming to iudgement. For as the beloued and diuine man of God Moses, made the Tabernacle according to the patterne or modele shewed him in the mount; as the Scripture speaketh; so our Sauiour Christs beloued and diuine disciple Saint Iohn representeth vnto vs the forme and fashion of the militant Church, according to the patterne of the Triumphant, shewed vnto him by reuelati­on in the Ile of Pathmos. So that (in the opinion of all diuines) amongst the many particular Churches, that are on earth, that which is likest vnto the Church in heauen, must needs bee the [Page]diuinest and best; and that so much the more because that our Sauiour himselfe hath taught vs to pray and say daily, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heauen. Now that the Church of England doth more neerely resemble the heauenly Church, then the Geneuian doth; I make it apparant by eight pregnant proofes, and irrefragable arguments; founded and grounded all of them in Gods written word, especially in the foresaid diuine booke of Saint Iohns Reuelation. 1. in that the Church of England is more diuine, or God-like then the Geneuian, in her supreame Gouerner on earth, the Prince. 2. in that shee is more Angelicall, or Angel-like in her secondary Gouernours of Archbishops and Bishops. 3. more celestiall or heauen-like for holinesse. 4. more heauen like for humble reuerence. 5. more heauen-like for harmonie. 6. more heauen-like for habite. 7. more heauen-like for locall decencie, Church-implements conueniency, Church-seruice solemnity, and sacramentall ceremo­nies. 8. and lastly, more heauen-like for honour of the ministery. In the handling of which eight arguments, I doe demonstrate the lawfulnesse, vtility, and conueniencie of the chiefe rites vsed in the Church of England, as namely of holy dayes, of standing vp at the reading of the Gospel, of kneeling at the rehearsall of the Law, and in receiuing the holy Sacrament, of Church [...]mu­sicke consisting of song and Organs, of the Church habite of Surplice and Rotchet, of the comely Structure and ornaments of Churches, of hauing a Font with a standing Table for the celebration of the Sacraments, and of signing with the crosse in Baptisme; for the which I doe produce thirteene arguments all grounded in Gods word. I doe likewise iu­stifie the title of Priest giuen to the inferiours of the mini­stery, and of Lord giuen to the superiours by diuers good reasons: and by thirteene arguments I prooue the lawfulnes and equity of paying tithes to the ministers vnder the Gospel, adding thereunto an Invectiue against the Genevian or Puritane impure sinne of sacriledge. And in handling the first of the eight branches of this our new demonstration, which is, that the [Page]Church of England is more diuine or God-like then the Gene­uian in her supreme Gouernour on earth; I do procue these sixe important points after following, most part against the common contrary opinions of Romanes and Geneuians; first that the King­ly power is immediatly from God, and not from man, by eight Testimonies of Scripture and three arguments. Secondly that the kingly dignitie is absolutely greater then the priestly, and of all other the diuinest, by eight arguments. Thirdly that christian kings are not meere lay-men, but of a mixt condition partly, ec­clesiasticall and partly secular, by ten sacred examples and three arguments. Fourthly that kings are lawgiuers vnto their people, and haue power of God to make lawes for the good both of church and common-wealth, by sixe arguments. Fifthly that kings are to be honourably and magnificently maintained, and that God hath allotted them a certaine competent portion of their subiects goods Sixtly, and lastly, that Kings are endowed with a sacred immunity from all manner of coercion and censure spirituall or temporall at their subiects hands. The which thing I procue against Romanes and Geneuians by seuenteene arguments, And this is the summe of the first Booke which I most humbly com­mend vnto your maiesties patronage; the other beeing onely a briefe of a certaine part of a larger worke, I haue begun in La­tine, containeth a ten-fold probation of the doctrine of the Church of England touching our Sauicurs locall descending in his soule after death into the hell of the damned, against the different and repugnant dostrines of Genenians and Romanes the which I do dedicate vnto the Reuerend prelats and pastors of the Church of Scotland. The verity of which doctrin I do show & confirme 1. by Typical prefiguration both personall and real, 2. by propheticall praediction. 3. by holy Scriptures pregnant histo­ricall allusion. 4. by Euangelicall asseueration, 5. by apostolical explication, 6 by all christians catholicall confession, 7, by three & fortie ancient doctors and fathers vnanime and harmonious profession, besides some sixe or seauen Councels. 8. by thirtie chiefe protestant writers ingenuous reception and subscription, [Page]besides some particular reformed Churches. 9. by irrefragable reason and demonstration. 10. and lastly, by the consideration of the diuers grosse absurdities, impieties, contradictions, and ridiculous expositions that they haue committed, which haue op­pugned this auncient doctrine of the Church of England or dis­sented from the same. And here I will likewise professe pub­likely, that in case our precise Diuines can but shew as great va­riety, and as good solidity of arguments and reasons, euen for all their opinions ioyned together, wherein they do dissent from the Church of England, as I shall shew for this one point onely, that I shall not be ashamed to retract my present opinions, wherein I doe dissent from them, and subscribe vnto theirs, and so become as precise, as euer I was knowne to bee once before. And thus haue I briefly laid open vnto your Maiestie the summe and sub­stance of these two little bookes, which I haue written of late for the furthering of a perfit vniformity both in doctrine and disci­pline in the Churches of these two Kingdomes; and euen for the perswading and enducing of my deere Countrey men to the reception of the auncient primitiue forme of Church, such as it was in the dayes of glorious Constantine the great, and during the purer time of the first fiue hundreth yeares; which is one of your Maiesties most christian and commendable desires and designes, worthy of the memorie and celebration of all succeding ages, the which, I pray the God of vnity and veritie that yee may as happily atchieue, as yee doe holily wish it and worthily haue begunst. That so the Church of Scotland may in your Maiesties blessed time receiue the consummation and accomplishment of her reformation from England, like as from her, shee had the in­choation or beginning thereof, as our owne historie, doth witnesse: and that as the said Church hath already receiued of England their English Bible and Psalme-Booke, so may she now likewise receiue her Liturgie or Seruice-booke with the whole rites and orders contained therein. And though I be haply the first of my Countrey that euer wrote thus earnestly in defence of the Church of England; yet let not my deere Countrey-men, (vnto [Page]whom God is my witnesse, I doe dayly wish all manner of happi­nesse) thinke that I haue done it out of any worldly respect to priuate profite, benefit or benefice either already confe­red, or hereafter to be confered vpon me; by Prince or Prelate, but out of a meere affection to verity and vnity & to the pure primitiue Church. The truth of which my protestation may hence appeare in part, in that these ten yeere past that I haue liued in England, I was at no time a Suter vnto your Ma­iestie nor yet beholding to any Bishop, nor euer aimed at any benefice; as being at this houre and intending to continue euer hereafter a Lay-man; notwithstanding that the learned and re­uerend Deane of Exeter, Doctor Sutcliffe, the nominated Pro­uost of that begunne Controuersial Colledge, which beareth your Maiesties name, hath chosen me to be a fellow and an Antiqua­ry therof. So that my deere countrymen shal haue no cause I hope to charge me with any preposterous affection or flattering hu­mor in the behalfe of England; seeing that I haue no purpose of aspiring to Church preferment amongst them, who haue worthie Schollers enough of their owne and most complete Preachers to brooke their Benefices. Neither shal the learned ministery of my country take it euill, that a lay-man should thus meddle in Eccle­siastical matters, if it shal please them to consider, how that a lay­man may with greateringenuity & indifferencie handle such an argument as this is, then a Church-man who might happely be suspected offlatterie or fauour in the behalfe of one churches formemore then another, & that meerely for loue of preferment, from the which kinde of suspicion, one of my fashion is free. And as for capacitie requisite in the handling of this argument, I am content, they should haue no better opinion of me then the course of my life and stadies in their owne good iudgement may challeng at their hands: abreefe narration whereof, I thought good, by your Maiesties gracious leaue, here to insert, not out of any humour of ostentation, but onely that it may thereby appeare, that though I be a lay-man; yet I haue spent a good part of my time in the study of diuinitie, vnto the which, I was knowne at [Page]home, so much to haue addicted my selfe, that at the age of 19. yeares, and euen before, I proceeded Master of Artes, I was re­quested of some of our Ministery to preach by way of exercise: And though I did refuse to condescend vnto their earnest desire proceeding from their good opinion of me, for the which course I was not a little commended of that learned and renowned Di­uine of good memorie, (Master Robert Rollock) who disliked the vnripe forwardnesse of some young spirits, howsoeuer other­wise of great towardnesse; yet I ommitted not my priuate studie of diuinttie, but followed the same assiduonsly, being thereunto en­couraged by the the foresaid Reuered Diuine, who had diuerted me from my intended voyaege into Denmarke, towards the fa­mous and noble Philosopher and Astrologian Tycho Brahe, with whom I thought to haue prosecuted my begun Mathema­ticall studies, and so perswaded mee to finish my Academicall course in the learned Colledge of Edenburgh, before I went to trauaile. And there beeing past some seuenteene yeares since the time I proceeded Master of arts, & went beyond sea, which was in the yeare 1601. I haue all this while giuen my minde wholly to good letters, and aswell diuine as humane. For three yeares of the said space I spent in the priuate studie of Philosophy, in con­sidering of the more noble and choice questions, that haue beene mooued or disputed by the followers of Aristotle, but especially of diuine Plato, vnto whom I was alwayes more deuoted, and of the renowned Aegyptian Philosopher Hermes Trismegistus; following therein the example of those foure famous Italian Phi­losophers, Franciscus & Ioannes Picus Mirandula, Marsi­lius Ficinus, & Franciscus Patricius. Other three years I spent in reading and pondering the Church questions and con­trouersies of our time, as they haue beene learnedly and diligent­ly debated on both hands, by diuers great Diuines of these dayes. One yeare I spent in perusing some fourty treatises, discourses, commentaries, and consuitations written by some of the more mo­derate and ingenuous, tending to pacification. Fiue yeares I spent in reading and perusing some of the choicest bookes of the Do­ctors [Page]of the Church, Greekes and Latines, and of the more re­nowned amongst the Schoole-men, and other fiue I spent in per­using politicall and historicall workes penned by diuers authors, especially Italians and Germans: together with the Genealogies of the Kings and Princes of Christendome. And for some clea­rer euidence and proofe of this studious pastime, besides some ten little things already published in english, most part vpon diuine and morall arguments, namely, the Looking glasse of grace and glory, the Treasure of tranquillity, the Mirrour of religious men & godly Matrons, the Golden art or the right way of enriching, the Game of concord and vnion, admirable Prophecies of 24. famous Romane catholikes, touching the deformation and refor­mation of Rome, two Pamphlets containing some seauen short Poems in honour of your Maiestie, and your noble children, to­gether with these two present Treatises written of late in defence of the Church of Englands discipline and doctrine, besides these ten little exercises, I say, I haue written diuers things in Latine vpon Philosophicall, Historicall, and Politicall arguments, but most of all vpon Theologicall points: for being once a follower of the most precise sort, and euen a professed Puritane as they tearme it, I began at nineteene yeares of age, to write in Latine two bookes against Poperie; one of the which I haue entituled, of the admirable Antipathie or contrariety of Theolo­gie and Papalogie, or of Gods word and the Popes. Wherein I point forth the oppositions & contradictions betweene the Scripture and the Romane doctrine, from the beginning of the Bible vnto the end thereof, going thorow euery chapter of both Testaments; answerable whereunto I haue deuided the said worke into two parts, the first containing an hundred and fourty nine Sections, the second an hundred and thirty: and it hath bin seene and well liked of some learned Schollers. The other is a de­scription of the Tyrannie which was to be exercised vpon the mi­litant Church, according to the tenure of the two noble prophesies of Daniel and Saint Iohn; where I doe entreat of the authors, instruments, duration, beginning, manner and ending of those [Page]great troubles: and doe compare the opinions of writers, together touching the foresaid circumstances with the reasons thereof: a worke of no small labour consisting of eighteene large Sections or Chapters, and was by me dedicated vnto the Church and Col­ledge of Edenburgh, where I tooke my degree, and therefore I sent it home out of France with my Coosin M. William Max­well of Kauens, to be presented accordingly; though as I vn­derstood since, it was the fortune of my Booke, to fall into the hands of M. Iohn Welshe, then a famous Preacher in those parts; who borrowed the same for a few daies, but not deliuering it againe, carried the same away with him into France, and hath kept it vntill this houre. I haue likewise written in Latine ano­ther Booke called Romase redarguens, or Rome rebuking and reproouing her selfe: Wherein I doe prooue by the expresse Testi­monies of Popes, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, Monkes, Friers, Prophets, Prophetesses, Schoolemen, and Cell-women of the Church of Rome, that shee standeth in need of reformation, against the contrary assertion of the learned Iesuite Martinus Becanus. The Propheticall part, (if so I may call it,) of which worke, I did publish of late in English, a Booke containing a col­lection of more then an hundred strange Prophesies vtteredin former times touching the deformation, and reformation of Rome, by twenty foure famous Romane-Catholikes, whereof some twelue haue beene canonized for Saints, to wit, seauen men, and fiue women. I haue likewise written a disputation or disqui­sition touching the seate of Sathan: whether it was to be in the North, as the Romish Doctors doe holde, or in the South, where I prooue against the Romane Doctors by Scripture and nature, by Theologie and Astrologie, by Philosophie and Historie, how that the North is absolutely the most diuine, eminent and excel­lent, the very seate of God, and not of Sathan, and the chiefe re­ceptacle of his Church. Another disputation and disquisition I haue written touching the seate of soules, where I refute the Po­pish opinions of Purgatory, Limbus Patrum, Limbus infan­tium, and the like hollow habitations of soules within the earth, [Page]and I doe show that the ancient Fathers, knewne more places but three at most, as the Greekes doe at this day; Paradise; Heauen and Hell. In the same I doe refute the erroneous opini­ons of Romanes and Geneuians, Papists and Puritanes touching our Sauiours descending into hell, and prooue the doctrine of the Church of England touching that article to be only orthodoxe; a briefe of which part of that Booke, I haue here published in English. And in the same larger worke, I do defend the saluation of Salomons soule against Cardinall Bellarmine, and others, iumping with him in that vnprobable and vncharitable opinion. Another disputation I haue written in Latine vpon the Inuo­cation of Saints, against the Romane Knight of Saint Peter Gaspar Scioppius, against whose allegations of Scripture, and probations fetcht from thence: I who am a layman like him­selfe, howsoeuer inferiour for humane letters and titles doe em­ploy some 28. arguments fetcht not only from Scriptures, but also from Greeke and Latine Fathers, besides Philosophers, Poets, and Historians: and the same Methode and manner of probation, I doe vse in a certaine Theologicall and Historicall Plea against the learned Iesuite Iames Gretser, for the prehe­minence of the Emperour, and Kings aboue Popes, Patriarkes, Archbishops and Bishops, and generally of all Priests, and for their mixt condition of Ecclesiasticall and ciuill. Lastly, I haue written a Treatise called Catholico-Iacobus, Catholi­co. Britannus; wherein I do demonstrate the true Catholi­cisme of Britaines, and doe euidently prooue that your Maie­stie and your subiects haue all those things, that Gods word re­quireth, to make men true Christians and Catholikes, against the contrary assertion of the learned French Archbishop, Car­dinall Iames Perron. The which two Treatises last mentio­ned, written in defence of King Iames, and this Church, against two learned and famous Romane Catholikes of the name of Iames, by your Maiesties subiect and seruant of the same Name, shall be (God willing) shortly published for the first laïck fruits of that begunne Colledge, which beareth the name of [Page] King Iames, whereof I am to bee a Fellow. The which pre­misses beeing considered, I hope the more easily to gaine the Church of Scotlands good opinion, and that they shall not charge me with incapacitie to handle such a weighty argument as this, hauing written so much in matters belonging to Church and Religion. To be briefe, thus haue I spent these seuenteene yeares yeares of my priuate & obscure life, since I proceeded Master of Artes, and went beyond sea, in giuing my selfe to studie and contemplation, endeauouring to know much, and to contentation, in no wise coueting after much; and to Temperance and Conti­nency, Whereof I take the all-knowing God and his chaste An­gels to witnes. And now these my poore labours, such as they are, I most humbly lay downe at your Royal feet, begging your Ma­iesties most honourable patronage and acceptance, and in pray­ing the God of Vnitie and Veritie, to giue them a blessing for the furthering of your most Christian desire, and glorious designe, so that we may euen in your owne happie daies, see with our eyes the full accomplishment thereof, to the glorie of his name; the comfort of his Church, the good of great Britaine, and your Maiesties eternall honour. So prayeth daily

YOVR MAIESTIES Most humble subiect and seruant, and euen the grandchilde of your most No­ble Grandmothers and Mothers house­hold seruant, William Maxwell sonne to the Laird of Kirkonnell, and in his life man at armes to the most Christian King IAMES MAXVVELL.

THE CONTENTS OF THESE TWO BOOKES.

  • 1 THat Vnitie and Concord in matters belon­ging to Gods Worship amongst Christians, especially Protestants, and more especially a­mongst Britaines, both for reason of Church, and reason of State is to bee by all meanes desired and endeauou­red. Sect. 1.2.3.
  • 2. That one Churches constitution is more perfit and complete then anothers, and that the lesse perfit ought to cōforme it selfe vnto the more perfit. Sect. 4.5
  • 3. That the constitution of the Church of England is much more perfit then an Geneuian whatsoeuer, or wheresoeuer. Sect. 6.
  • 4. That the Church of England is more Diuine and God-like in the supreme Gouernor, the Soueraigne Prince then the Geneuian. Sect. 7.8.
  • 5. That the Kingly power is immediately from God, and not from man as both Romanes and Geneuians doe hold, prooued by eight testimonies of Scripture and three irrefragable arguments. Sect. 9.
  • 6. That the kingly dignitie is absolutely greater then the priestly, and of all other the diuinest, contrary to the opinion of Romanes and Geneuians, prooued by eight arguments. Sect. 10.
  • 7. That Kings are not meere lay-men, but mixt of an ecclesiasticall and secular condition, contrary to the opinion of Romanes & Geneuians, prooued by three ar­guments, & ten examples of Kings that haue exercised spirituall power for the good of the Church. Sect. 11.
  • [Page] 8. That Kings are Law-giuers to their people, and haue power of God to make lawes for the good both of Church and Common-weale, prooued by sixe arguments. Sect. 12.
  • 9. That Kings are to be honourable and magnificently maintained, and that God hath allotted them a certaine portion of their subiects goods. Sect. 13.
  • 10. That Kings are indued with a Sacred immuni­tie from all manner of coercion, and censure spirituall or temporall at their subiects hands, prooued against Ro­manes and Geneuians by 17. arguments. Sect. 14.
  • 11. That the Church of England is more Angelicall or Angel-like in her secondary Gouernours of Archbishops and Bishops. Sect. 15.
  • 12. That their is an imparitie or inequalitie a­mongst Gods Ministers in the Church triumphant in hea­uen, and that their hath beene alwaies the like imparitie in the Church militant on earth, first vnder the Law, then vnder the Gospel; and aswell in the time of Christ and his Apostles, as of their successours. Sect. 15.
  • 13. That the Church of England is more heauen-like for holinesse, where the conueniency of holydaies besides the Sunday, is prooued and demonstrated by vnanswer­able arguments. Sect. 16.
  • 14. That the Church of England is more heauen-like then the Geneuian for humble reuerence, where the conue­niencie of the gestures of standing vp at the reading of the Gospel, capping or bowing at the name of Iesus, of kneeling at the rehearsing of the Law, and especially at the receiuing of the holy Sacrament is declared and prooued. Sect. 17.
  • 15. That the Church of England is more heauen-like then the Geneuian, for harmonie, where the conueniency of Church-musicke consisting of voices and organes and o­ther instruments is declared. Sect. 18.
  • [Page] 16 That the Church of England is more heauen-like then the Geneuian for habite, where the conueniencie and decencie of Church-habites, as of the Surplisse and Rotchet is prooued. Sect. 19.
  • 17. That the Church of England is more Heauen-like then the Geneuian, for locall decencie, Church-implements conueniency, Church-seruice solemnitie, and sacrament all ceremony; where the conueniencie of a Font or the Mini­stration of Baptisme, and of a standing Table for the cele­bration of the Lords Supper is declared, and the vse of the ceremonie of the signe of the Crosse in Baptisme prooued most lawful and commendable by 13. arguments. Sec. 20.
  • 18. That the Church of England is more heauen-like then the Geneuian for honour of the Ministerie, where the lawfulnesse of the stile of Priest amongst the Ministers of the Gospel, and likewise of the stile of Lord, conferred on the reuerend Gonernours of the Church is decla­red, and the Geneuian-church gouernors of Lay-elders prooued to be a thing vnlawfull and absurd. Sect. 21.
  • 19. That the maintenance of the Ministerie is more diuine, heauen-like and honourable in the church of Eng­land, then in the Geneuian, where the perpetuall mainte­nance of Tithes is prooued, and the Geneuian sinne of sa­criledge exagitated and shewed to be more hainous then heathenish Idolatrie. Sect. 21.
  • 20. The diuersitie and repugnancie of the opinions of diuines touching our Sauiours descending into hell, breif­ly propounded. Tract. 2.
  • 21. The doctrine of the church of England touching the foresaid point demonstrated to be only orthodoxall by a Ten-folde probation. Tract. 2.
A Primitiue patterne …

A Primitiue patterne for the Church of Scotland.

Sect. 1.

VNitie and Concord amongst Chri­stians, especially amongst Prote­stants or reformed professours, but more especially amongst Britaines, Psal. 133.1, 2, 3. Ioh. 17, 20, 21, 22, 23. 1. Pet. 3.8. Heb. 12.14. as they that are the worshippers of one and the same true God, the ser­uants of one and the same only Sa­uiour Iesus Christ, the children of one Church, and the subiects of one and the same Soueraigne, is in the iudge­ment of all them that are truely wise, of all other things most to bee desired and endeauoured, as a thing most pleasing to God, and most profitable to man.

Sect. 2.

Vnitie and Concord is to bee desired and endea­uoured in all things, but especially in those things, Psal. 122.6. Rom. 15.6. 1. Cor. 1.10, 11, & 3, 3, 4. Eph. 4.3, 4, 5 Phil. 3.16. that concerne Gods worship, the saluation of mens soules, and the good constitution of the Church: because by the meanes and occasion of discord and dissention, such as be without, are scandalized, and still kept out of the Church; and those that are within, are so pittifully distra­cted, that either they are driuen out of the Church, or if they stay still in it, they prooue no better then dull or dead members of the Church, (much like the parts of a blasted body,) for lacke of true deuotion and spirituall life. For whilest wee contend about veritie, wee loose [Page 2]vnitie, and striuing about the shaddowes of ceremonie and circumstance, we slip from the body and substance; opinion oppresseth pietie, faction vndermineth faith, controuersie quelleth charitie, and reasoning rooteth vp religion.

Sect. 3.

The procuring, furthering and preseruing of Vnitie and Concord in the Church appertaineth principally vnto the Christian Prince, Isay 49.23. Exod. 4.16. & 22.8. Psal. 82.1.6. Ioh. 10.34, 35 Math. 5.9. 2. Tim. 2.24, 25. whom God hath called to be a nursing-father vnto his Church, and hath honoured most highly, with the stile of the Son of the most high, and euen of a God, to put him in minde of his care and studie for the things of God, and the good of his Church which principally consisteth in the Vnitie thereof, and next it appertaineth vnto the Pastors, who are to ioyne with the Prince in this glorious worke; whom of all o­ther it becommeth least to be men of strife and conten­tion, or instruments of discord and diuision, seeing that the God of peace hath called them to bee Messengers and makers of peace and Vnion.

Sect. 4.

Amongst the many particular Churches that are at this day diuided from themselues, one from another, whether in doctrine or discipline, in substance or circum­stance, there is a difference in perfection; and I thinke no man doubteth of it, but that one Church may be of a more perfit and complete constitution, then another Church: yea we are so farre from doubting any thing of this point, that euery professour holdeth the Church that he is off to be the more perfit then that which hee disclaimeth.

Sect. 5.

It beeing most certaine that the particular diuided Churches are not alike perfit; it standeth the lesse per­fit in hand to conforme it selfe vnto that which shall by [Page 3]the light of Gods word and good reason appeare to bee more perfit; both because our Sauiour Christ comman­deth all Christians to aspire vnto perfection, saying, Mat. 5.48. Phil. 3.15.16 Coloss. 1.28. Heb. 6.1. Bee ye therefore perfit, as your Father which is in heauen, is perfit, and the Apostle exhorteth all men to bee led forward to perfection, and because that this is the only way to knit vp the Churches in Concord and Vnitie, and to draw them to an vniformitie.

Sect. 6.

Amongst the particular reformed Churches: that of England is more perfit and complete in many respects then any Church reformed after the fashion of Geneua, contrary to the petitioners assertion, and namely, then that of Scotland, whose forme and constitution was meerely Geneuian, before that our sacred Soueraigne di­uinely enspired began the second reformation thereof, tending to the conformation of it with England, or ra­ther with the Primitiue, whereunto it is much more like then the other.

Sect. 7.

The perfection of the english Church is apparent whe­ther we compare her with the Church of God, and the blessed Spirits in heauen, or with the Church of God & beleeuing men on earth, before Christs time, in his time, or after his time: or whether we respect the warrant and authoritie of Gods word or mans, of diuinitie or huma­nity, of Scripture or nature, of religion or reason; or whether wee respect her essentiall perfections and parts for piety or charity, faith or repentance, deuotion or reuerence, illumination or sanctification, doctrine or discipline, substance or circumstance, seruice or ceremo­nie, order or decency, the honour and dignity of Prince or of Pastors, with the edification and consolation of the whole people.

Sect. 8.

Considering that the pregnantest proofe that can be brought of a particular Churches perfection, The Church of England more diuine and God-like then the Geneuian. and painting out as it were to the life, the analogie and affinitie, likenesse or resem­blance, that it hath with that Church which is knowne to bee absolutely the most diuine, compleate, and perfit. I shall therefore prooue in this present discourse by ma­ny places of Scripture, especially of that most diuine part of it called the Reuelation of Saint Iohn the diuine, that the Church of England is much more diuine, and farre liker the Church of God in heauen, then any Geneuian Church is, and therefore much more perfit, contrary to to the Petitionerslate assertion. For seeing that as oft as in praying the Lords prayer we say, Mat. 6.9.10. thy will bee done in earth as it is in heauen, wee doe desire of God with all our hearts, that his Church on earth militant, may bee euery day more and more conformable and like vnto his Church in heauen triumphant, which wee beleeue and confesse to be the most perfit; it must needs follow that the more conforme a Church on earth bee vnto the Church in heauen, the more it findeth and feeleth the efficacie and force of our Lords prayer, and the neerer that it doth resemble the Church in heauen, the perfiter must it be: for that thing is the more perfit, which is the more like vnto the most perfit. And that the Church of England is much liker the Church that is aboue, then the Geneuian is, it may appeare by comparing the con­stitutions of the two Churches together. And first I say that the Church of England is liker vnto Gods Church in heauen, then any other Church Geneuian or Ro­mane, as beeing more diuine and God-like in respect of the supreme Gouernour. For like as the Soueraigne go­uernour of the Church in heauen consisting of those blessed Spirits which Saint Iohn saw almost beyond [Page 5]number in the presence of the throne of God seruing him day and night in his Temple, Ruele. 4, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. & 5.8, 9, 10, 11, 14. & 7.9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 & 19.1. & 21.1, 2, 3. Exod. 15.18. 1. Sam. 8.7. Psal. 2.6. & 30 9, & 22.28. & 24.7, 8, 9, 10. & 29.10. Gen. 2.20. Exod. 3.1, 2, 3 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. & 4.16. & 7.1. & 22.28. Psal. 82.1.6, & 95.3. & 50.1. is such a one as is both God and King: so the Soueraigne Gouernour of the Church of England is such a one, as is both a King and a God on earth: for in the holy Scripture wee know that Kings are called Gods, as God himselfe is called a King. And euen God himself hath called Kings by this name, & not any creature: for Adam gaue al other things their names, but could not giue this: for none but God can giue this name. Thou shalt be to Aaron as God (said the Lord to Moses) whom he had made a soueraigne Prince ouer his people. And againe, I haue made thee a God to Pharaoh: and Moses calleth the soueraigne Iudges by the name of Gods, saying, thou shalt not rayle vpon the Gods, for so it is in the originall, and the Psalmist to the same purpose (speakes thus) God stādeth in the assembly of Gods, he iudgeth among Gods: and againe, he brings in the great God speaking thus of his little Gods, I haue said ye are Gods, & yee are all children of the most high.

Sect. 9.

In that Kings are called Gods, That the Kingly dignitie is immediate­ly from God. wee learne sixe notable lessons hereafter following, The first, that the kingly power is immediately of and from God, and not of man, as both Geneuians and Romanes most erro­niously doe hold: for none can make of a man a God on earth, but God in heauen, neither is it in the power of man to make one Gods seruant or minister, but we must leaue it vnto God himselfe to choose and ordaine his owne seruants. And truely if the King were ordained of man as he is for the good of man, (and therefore is by Saint Peter called an ordinance of man) the Apostle Paul would neuer haue named him Gods seruant and minister, but mans. 1. Pet. 2.13. Rom. 13.4.1. Chron, 29.23. The King sitteth in the Lords throne, (saith the holy Chronicler) now it belongeth not vnto man to set another man in Gods seate, but must let this alone for God himselfe to doe. The throne [Page 6]is Gods and not mans, Psal. 21.3.1. Sam. 9.15, 16, 17, & 10, 1, 24, & 13, 13, 14, & 16, 1, 2. 1. King. 3.7. & 10.9. 1, Chr, 29, 29 2, Chro, 2.11 Nehe 13, 26. Dan. 4.14.23. Prouerbs 8.15.16. Wisd. 6.1, 2.3. Rom. 13.1, 4. and he that sitteth in it is Gods minister and not mans, yea he is of God, called God, for man cannot make a man God, and therefore Kings are immediately from God, and not from man, an argument that all the Geneuians and Romanes in the world, shall neuer be able to answer. And therefore to shut vp this first lesson (for in our worke of kingly controuersies, we disputeit more largely and accurately) three Kings, Da­uid, Salomor, Hiram, one Queene of Sheba, one Prince, Ne­hemiah, one high Priest Samuel, one chiefe Prophet Dani­el, one principall Apostle Paul, yea Gods Angel and God himselfe doe all of them anouch that kings are chosen of God, nominated, sent, crowned, created and set in Gods throne by God himselfe, and not by man.

Sect. 9.

The second lesson that wee learne here is that the kingly dignitie is of all other dignities absolutely the greatest and the diuinest, That the kingly digni­ty is the diui­nest and grea­test of all o­ther. Reuel. 2. & 3. Psal. 82.6. Dan. 3.26, & 6.20. Ioh. 15.14, 15. and not the priestly, as both Romane & Geneuians do erroniously suppose. For first as none can be greater in heauen then the God of hea­uen, or so great: so none in earth can be greater then he, who is called of God to be a God on earth, nor none can beso great. Secondly, as the highest stile that can bee giuen to any, is giuen to Kings, so a lower stile is giuen to Prelates and Priests, for they are in the Scripture no where called Gods, but well are they named Angels, so that as the Angels in heauen are inferiour to the God of heauen, so are the Angels on earth, to wit, the chiefe Priests and Prelates inferiour vnto the Gods on earth; which are Soueraigne Princes: thirdly, Princes are called the children of the most high, where as Church-men are instiled onely the seruants and friends of the most high. Psal. 21.3. 1. Chron. 29.23. Fourthly, God putteth a crowne of golde vpon the Kings head, and he setteth him in his owne throne to sit there for God as God; so that as the Apostle (speaking of [Page 7]the inferioritie of the Angels of heauen beeing compa­red with Christ the annointed of the Lord) saith, vnto which of the Angels said he at any time, Heb. 1.13.14. sit at my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstoole, are they not all ministring Spirits, sent forth to minister for their sakes, which shall be heires of saluation? In like manner may it be said in this matter, touching the inferioritie of the Angels on earth, that is prelates, beeing compared with the Lords Christ and annointed one, the Soue­raigne Prince, vnto which of the Angels on earth (for Prelates are called Angels in the Reuelation seauen or eight times) said the Lord euer, sit in my throne, Reuel. 1.20. & 2.1.8, 12, 18, & 3, 1, 7, 14. as hee saith vnto Kings? yea I haue sought much in reading and could neuer finde in old Testament, or new, in Scripture or Father Greeke or Latine, that euer the Lord said, im­mediately or mediately vnto the great Archangel him­selfe that sitteth in S. Angel, sit thou in my throne; for no man taketh, or at least should take this honor vnto him­selfe, but he that is called of God, as was Dauid, or Salo­mon. What are the angels on earth else then, but as mini­string spirits sent forth by the Gods on earth, 2. Chro. 17, 7, 8, 9. Exod, 32.21.22. Numb. 12, 11 1. King, 1.33, 34. 2, Chton, 29, 11. Exod. 5.1, 4, 20, &, 1, 6.8, 20. &, 10, 20. & 9, 8, & 10, 3, &. 11, 10, & 12, 1. Psal, 77, 20. 2, Chron, 24, 12, 13, 14, &, 31, 13. the Christi­an Ichosophats, to teach in Iuda through al the Cities of their kingdomes to minister the holy Sacraments to them that shal be heires of Saluation, & to gouerne the Church. Fiftly, the high priest Aaron calleth the Soue­raigne Prince Moses his Lord: and Salomon a king is called Zadoks the high Priest Lord, Ezekiah a king cal­leth the priests his sons: which doth argue the superiori­tie and maiestie of kings, for the Lord is superior to his seruant, and the Sonne inferiour to his father. Sixtly, the Spirit of God euery where placeth Kings before the chiefe Priests; Moses and Aaron, the King and Iehoiada, Ezekiab the King and Azariah the chiefe of the house of God, and preferreth the Princely dignitie before the priestly where they meete in one and the same person. [Page 8] Moses in Genesis, Gen. 14, 18, Heb. 7, 1, Exod 19.6, 1. Pet. 2.9, Reuel. 1.6, &, 4.10. and Saint Paul to the Hebrewes doe ob­serue this order in Melchisedech whome they name a King and a Priest. The same Moses or rather the Lord himselfe calleth his people a kingdome of Priests or a royall Priesthoode, as speaketh Saint Peter; and Saint, Iohn in the Reauelation hath these words, and made vs Kings and Priests vnto God, and the same words are vsed of the foure and twenty Elders. Seuenth ly, Psal. 2, 6, &, 20, 9, & 24, 7, 8, 9, 10, & 29, 10, & 95, 3, & 98, 6, Esther 13, 9, 15, &, 14, 3, 12. Reuel. 1.5, &, 15, 3, & 17, 14, & 19, 16, 1. Tim. 6, 15. Mat. 28, 18, 1. Cor, 15, 25 26, 27. Philip. 2, 8, 9, 10, 11, Heb, 2, 7, 8, 9 10, 17, 18. Reuela. 1.5. & 19.16. the greatest glory and dignitie in heauen is the Kingly and the highest title or stile, that is giuen to God in the old Testament, or to our Sauiour Christ in the new, is to be called a King, a King of glory, a King for euer, a great King aboue all Gods, the King almigh­tie, a king of Gods, the Prince of the Kings of the earth, the Lord of Lords, the king of Saints, and King of Kings, and thus is he called foure times in the booke of the diuine Reuelation, which is questionles the grea­test and highest stile, that Christ hath, and by many de­grees greater and higher, then his priestly stile of high priest after the order of Melchisedech: for this stile hee had on earth in the state of his humility, wheras he was not an actual king, vntill he rose, ascended into heauen, and receiued all power in heauen and earth, as the Soue­raigne King of both, at the hands of his Father, accor­ding as both Gospell and Epistle do testifie. Wherefore also the kingly dignitie is the greatest on earth, and such as do represent Christ in his kingly dignitie as Christian kings doe, are greater and more eminent then those that represent him in his Priestly dignitie; Mat. 22, 23, Dan, 2, 34, 45. 1. Pet. 2.17. that is then Priests, Bishops Archbishops, or Patriarkes. Eight­ly and lastly, the honour of the king is commanded next vnto the honour of Godin holy Scripture, Giue vn­to God the things which are Gods, and giue vnto Caesar the things which are Casurs, saith our great Caesar, who as Daniel speaketh; is the Stone, that was without hand, [Page 9] cut of the mountaine, of the blessed Virgine Mary, and euen the corner stone of the Church. Feare God, ho­nour the King, saith Saint Peter another stone, yea, Ioh. 1.42, Galat. 2, 9. Psal. 118, 22, Isay. 28, 16. Mat. 21.42. Mark. 12, 10. Luk. 20.17. Act. 4.11. Rom. 9.33, 1. Pet. 2, 7. Ioh. 1.42, Galat. 2.9, a pillar and chiefe stone of the Church, whome I wish the Pope may immitate, in this and all other Christian duties. To be briefe (for in our royal controuersies and disputations wee doe handle this question more accu­rately, and employe besides Scriptures, the fathers, Greeks and, Latines, the Schoolemen, Philosophers, Polititians, Poets and Historians both sacred, and pro­phane, to prooue the truth of this point, against the ilearned Iesuit Iames Gretser) in the creation of Salomon, [...]t is said that the people bowed downe their heads, and worshipped the Lord, and the King. So that it is more then manifest, that the King is the person next vnto God, in power, dignitie, honour, and authoritie, 1. Chron, 29, 20. and thersore greater: and higher then the greatest and high­est priest, of them all.

Sect. 11.

The third lesson that we learne hence, to wit, That kings are not lay­men but of a mixt con­dition. in that kings are called Gods, is that Kings, are called of God to be nursing Fathers vnto the Church, and haue a special power about the things of God, and consequently that they are not meere lay-men as both Iesuits and Gene­uians, Papists and Puritans doe holde, but of a mixt condition, partly Ecclesiasticall, and partly ciuill or se­cular, as in our latine workbefore named shal be largely proued both by Theology, & by Philosophy & history. For the present; I say that the truth her of is apparent in Scripture, by precept made vnto Kings, by the practise of kings, vnder the law, and by Prophesie of Kings to be fulfilled vnder the Gospell. And first it doth appeare by precept, in that Kings are enioyned in the Scripture to make themselues able for the mannaging of the [Page 10]things of God, Deut. 17, 18, 19. Psal. 2, 10, Wise. 6, 1. Ioh. 10, 34. for they are enioyned to study Gods word diligently, to reade in his Law continually, to bee wise and learned exceedingly: and therefore our Sauiour, teacheth vs that Kings are called Gods, because the word of God, was giuen vnto them, meaning Principally, and to the end that they might gouerne Church and commonwealth according to God, and for God, as his vicares or depu­ties, on earth. Secondly it doth appeare by the practise of Kings vnder the law, Exod. 39, 43. Iosh. 3, & 6, & 22, 1.6. 2. Sam. 5, 6, 21 & 6, 12. 1. Kings 2, 27 35, & 5, 5. & 8.14, 15, 10, 22. 2. King. 18, 4, & 23, 4.5. & 24, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25. 1. Chron. 13, 1, 2, 3. &, 15, 1, 2, 3.4, 11, 16. 2. Chron, 15, 8, 9, 10, 16, & 17, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, & 19, 8. & 20, 3, &, 24, 4.5, 6, 7, 8, &, 29, 4, 5, 11, 15, 18, 21, 25, 27, 30, 31, & 31, 2.10, 11. 1. King. 2.27, 35, 2. Chron. 19, 11. Isay 49, 22, 23. and not onely of those that were both Princes, and Prophets, as were Moses, Dauid and Salomen, but also of those that were meere Princes with­out the Propheticall gift, such as were Ioshnah, Asa, Icho­saphat, Ioash, Ezekiah, Iosias & Manasses; they haue cōman ded the Priests, yea euen the chiefe priests to doe the parts of their office, and appointed them to their courses and charges, they haue placed and displaced the high Priests, themselues, they haue suppressed Idolatrie, remoued and deposed, yea put to death Idolatrous Priests, broken downe the Idols, restored religion, to her purity, assembled both the priests to bring vp the arke of the Lord, and the people to celebrate the pas­seouer, and to serue God, haue read the law publikely in the audience of the people, proclaimed fasts, & pray­ed for them, and blessed them likewise in the house of the Lord. Thirdly the Ecclesiasticall power of Princes doth appeare by prophesie, for the Euangelicall Pro­phet Isay when hee foretolde the conuersion of the Kings of the gentiles to the Christian faith he likewise prophesied of their Ecclesiasticall place and power, of being Nursing Fathers vnto the Church saying; Thus saith the Lord God beholde I will lift vp mine hand to the Gen­tiles, and set vp my standard to the people, and they shall bring thy sonnes (meaning the Churches children) in their armes, and thy Daughters shall bee carried vpon their shoulders; and Kings shall bee thy nursing Fathers, and [Page 11]Queenes shall be thy nurses. And in our Latine worke of royall Controuersies, we shall show how this Prophesie hath beene accomplished in the person of Christian Princes, Kings and Emperours, and how they haue ex­ercised that part of the Ecclesiasticall power, which stan­deth in the supreame gouernment of the Church. To wit that they haue made lawes of ecclesiasticall matters, and for the confirmation of faith, haue tried matters of heresie & punished heretickes, rooted out & suppres­sed I dolatry, exhorted and conuerted nations to the Christian faith, instituted Bishops, and sent them to preach, placed pastours in the Church, called councells and presided in the same.

Sect. 12

The fourth thing that wee learne of this stile of God giuen to Kings by God himselfe, That kings are lawgiuers vnto their people. is that Kings are Lawgiuers vnto their people, that is to say, that they haue power from God to decree, and make lawes for the good gouernment of their kingdome, and not onely that they are appointed for the custody, expo­sition and execution of lawes, made or to bee made by the people, as some phanaticall spirits sprong from the Lemānian lake haue supposed. The people are law-takers not law-makers, and law-keepers, not law-giuers; for the law-giuing power is a diuine power, and therefore belongeth to God, or to him whom hee hath called by the name of God, to make lawes for God, and in his name, for the good of the people. And this doth appeare by diuers sound and infallible arguments drawne from Gods word. First in that Moses gaue lawes and ciuill or­dinances vnto his people of the Hebrewes, wrote, Exod. 18.15, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26. deli­uered and declared them, and appointed inferiour Ma­gistrates for the execution of them, to wit, the seuenty Elders, whereby we see how that the execution of lawes [Page 12]appertaineth to the inferiour Magistrates, not to the So­ueraigne; but that it is his part to make lawes, to giue & expound them, like as it is the peoples part to take them and keepe them. Secondly, that Princes are law-giuers, it doth appeare in that the Lord commaundeth the King to write vnto himselfe the law of God, to keepe it with him, and to reade therein all the dayes of his life. Now to what end all this? questionlesse, that hee may learne there by to be like Moses, euen a faithfull seruant of God in all his house, Numb. 12.7. Heb. 3.2.5. and ouer all his house, and not onely that he might keepe Gods law the better in his owne person, but also, that he might deliuer the same to his people as Moses did, Exod. 24.34 Deut. 17.18, 19. Ioh. 10.34, 35 to be obserued of them: and that the lawes hee should make himselfe, might bee conformable to Gods lawes: for as God the King almighty is the Law­giuer of Kings, so Kings, whom God hath called Gods, are the Law-giuers of their people. Thirdly this doth appeare in that Salomon calleth Mans law, the word of the mouth of the King, and the Kings word, like as the law of God euery where in the Scripture is called Gods word, Eccl. 8.2, 3, 4. Psal 119.1, 4, 5, 9, 10, 13, 16, 17. Exod. 24.28. and the ten commandements the ten words of Gods mouth. I aduertise thee to take heed to the mouth of the King (saith the Spirit of God by Salomon) and to the word of the eath of God. Where the word of the King is, there is power, and who shall say vnto him what doest thou? Fourthly this doth ap­peare, in that questionlesse the more diuine power doth belong vnto the Prince, Psal. 82.1, 6. 1. Chron. 29.23. to whom God hath both giuen his owne diuine name, (and not to the people) and hath set him in his owne throne. Now to make a law is the most diuine thing that can be done of a man, and there­fore it appertaineth vnto the Prince, that sitteth in Gods throne, and not to the people, that stand before the throne. Fiftly the eternall wisedome saith, By mee Kings raigne and Princes decree instice, Prou. 8.15, 16By mee Princes rule, and the Nobles and all the Iudges of the earth: out of which place, [Page 13]it is more then manifest that it belongeth to Kings and rulers to make decrees and lawes of iustice, and to pre­scribe rules of vpright liuing vnto their Subiects. Sixtly and lastly it is said of Kings in the Scripture, (and to their highest commendation) that they haue made certaine good lawes and decrees for the glorie of God, and the good of their people: Dan. 3.29. & 6.25, 26. thus Nebuchadnezzar King of Babel, made a decree or law, that euery people, nation and language which should speake any blasphemie against the God of Shadrach, Messach & Abednego, should be drawen in pieces, and that their houses should bee made a iakes, and Darius King of Medes and Persians, made a law or decree; that in all the dominion of his king­dome, men should tremble and feare before the God of Daniel: and by these sixe arguments it is more then eui­dent that the Prince, (and hee principally) hath an affir­matiue voyce, and not onely a negatiue in the assembly of his estates. The which thing we shall prooue likewise by politicall and philosophicall arguments in our Latine worke of Kingly controuersies.

Sect. 13.

The fifth lesson that we learne, That Kings are to be libe­rally and honoura­bly main­fained. Prou. 3.9, 10. in that Kings are of God, called Gods, is this, as we must honour God with our riches, and the oblation of our hands, according as Salomon exhorteth, saying, Honour the Lord with thy riches, &c: so must we likewise honour them whom God hath called Gods, to wit, Soueraigne Princes, whom when as wee honour with our riches in giuing them a portion thereof, for their honourable prouision, then we honour God himselfe with our riches, as Salomon exhorteth all men to doe, that would haue God to blesse them with abundance. And truly, if wee would be loath to let God want (if hee were subiect to want in his owne person, as man is) then ought we likewise be loath to let the Prince [Page 14]want, who representeth God, and therefore is called God, to teach vs, that what we bestow vpon him wee offer vnto God and in whose person God oftentimes carrieth himselfe as one that wanteth, and standeth in need of our helpe. And if we would willingly, cheere­fully and without murmuring bestow vpon our most bountifull Father, our goods in whole or in halfe, then truly wee ought not to murmure or grudge to bestow vpon Princes (whom God hath called by the name of the children of the most High) a conuenient portion of the same, Psal. 82.6. at lest for their fathers sake. So that the good Chri­stian subiect when he seeth a King, especially a Christian King, and such a one as besides his diuine power is ador­ned with the diuine qualities and perfections of wise­dome, bounty, iustice and mercy, he ought to thinke with himselfe, that he seeth God in mans likenesse, and when such a King asketh subsidie or releefe at his sub­iects hands, they ought to shew themselues, as willing and ready thereunto, as they should, if God himselfe in mans likenesse were come downe amongst men to re­quire a sacrifice or oblation at their hands. And though it bee true that that Almighty God doth not stand in need of any thing we haue, (for he is alsufficient in him­selfe) yet wee must thinke that it is his pleasure to carrie himselfe oftentimes, as one that doth need in the person of the Prince, the Priest and the Poore. And this hee doth, to trie whether wee loue Almighty God and our neighbour better then our goods, or no, and to know by the effect, if we haue as yet attained to this perfecti­on, as to giue vnto God all that we haue, if he should re­quire it at our hands; for the man that will grudge to giue a part vnto Gods Image and chiefe Minister for his sake, will neuer be willing to forsake all for Gods sake: no hee would neuer bee willing to bestow his whole goods vpon God himselfe, that will refuse or repine to [Page 15]giue a part vnto his cheife Minister. And cōtrariwise, the man that doth cheerefully bestow vpon the Prince, in regard that hee is Gods Image, Deputie and Minister, (For he is the Minister of God for thy wealth saith the Apo­stle and for this cause ye pay also tribute, Rom 13.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.for they are Gods Ministers) doth in so doing euidently show that hee lo­ueth God better then his golde, and goodnesse better then his goods, and that he would make no difficultie to bestow most willingly 6all that he hath vpon God, yea to forsake his whole goods for Gods sake. But of this matter of the Princes maintenance I haue entreated elsewhere, in another worke published some two or three yeares agoe, called the Golden art, or the right way of enriching, dedicated to the two Royal cities of these two kingdomes, but much more copiously in another worke of Kingly Controuersies not as yet finished, where I doe discourse of the particular manner of the maintenance of Princes amongst Gods people, both ac­cording to Scripture, the Iudgement of diuines, and Po­liticians, and according to the seuerall customes of king­domes. And there I show 1. that the soueraigne Prince, is not Lord of the whole goods of his subiects, and that his right doth not extend ouer their whole faculties, as some flatterers of Princes doe falsely and dangerously hold them in hand. Secondly, that the soueraigne Prince hath a right only to a certaine proportionable portion of the subiects goods. Thirdly, that as God and not man is the institutor, author and ordainer of Kings, so is he the appointer of their portion, and the prescriber of their manner of maintenance: for if God hath ordai­ned and instituted Kings to bee his Ministers and Ser­uants, for the gouernment of his people, as we haue al­ready showed that he hath; then must it needs be true, that the same God hath taken order for their mainte­nance. And truly seeing that all wise and good masters [Page 16]doe prouide for their seruants, and allow them meanes for their sustenance and maintenance, it were a thing most vnbeseeming the wisedome and goodnes of God, who is the Master of masters, both for wisedome and goodnesse, to thinke that he hath not as great care, and taken at least as good order, for the maintenance of his seruants, namely of Kings, as other men being masters, haue taken and doe take for theirs. God doth alwaies that which is most fitting, and therefore hee hath de­signed and ordained the particular manner of the Prin­ces maintenance: for it is most fitting that the master should prescribe and appoint the quantitie of his owne seruants wages. And it was so fit that God should do it, that it was not fit nor expedient to referre the doing thereof, vnto the will or discretion of man. It was not fit that it should be remitted to the will of the Prince him­selfe, for he might perhaps require more then inough, as for example, the halfe, third, fourth, or fifth part of the subiects goods, neither was it fit that it should be refer­red to the discretion of the people; for they lightly might allow the Prince lesse then inough; and therefore God hath taken order for this thing himselfe, and not left it for man to doe. Rom. 14.4. For as the Apostle saith, Who art thou that iudgest another mans seruant? so may it bee well said in this matter; who art thou that takest vpon thee to share out a portion or allowance for another mans seruant, yea for Gods owne chiefe seruant? doth not such an office properly belong vnto God? Fourthly, that God hath set downe the manner of the Princes maintenance, and hath specified the quantitie of his portion in some place of his word, and that hee hath done it in the fittest place that could bee for that pur­pose: for except it were so, it should not appeare, when it is, that a Prince playeth the Exactor, for seeing that he hath a right vnto a certaine portion of his subiects [Page 17]goods (as all doe grant) how shall they know, when it is that he craueth more then hee ought, except there bee some law to determine his portion, and to inhibite him to leuy any more then the quantitie thereof doth per­mit. In one word, Exaction in a Prince is the transgres­sing of Gods law, and not the breaking of some humane statute or decree; and therefore there must be a certaine speciall law in Gods word, touching the quantitie of the Princes portion, aswell as there is of the Priests, the one beeing as important as the other, and Princes beeing Gods Ministers and Seruants aswell as Priests, and so consequently to bee maintained aswell as they. Yea it behoued so much the more, because that Soueraigne Princes or Kings are Gods Ministers in a higher, more eminent and honourable degree and kinde, then Priests are, as hath beene before abundantly shewed. So that it is not likely that the Spirit of God would haue omitted so important a point as this is; being such as that with­out the certaine knowledge thereof, neither can Soue­raignes nor Subiects doe their dutie to one another. For neither can they know when it is that the Soueraigne keepes himselfe within the bounds of equitie and mo­deration, or contrariwise that he debordeth into oppres­sion, extortion, or exaction; neither yet when it is, that the subiect offendeth by detention or diminution of his Soueraignes due. Seeing then it was so necessarie for the quiet, iust, and vpright constitution of a kingdome amongst Gods people, that the Kings portion should be specified aswell as the Priests, we need not doubt, but that the Spirit of God hath proposed the same, some where in holy Scripture, and euen in that place which was of all other the most conuenient for such a purpose; and what place of Scripture so conuenient as that wher­in the first institution of Kings amongst amongst Gods people is propounded and expounded? The which [Page 18]place, because some Geneuians and moderne diuine haue monstrously misconstered, I shal refute their errour (God-willing) other where by 13 vnanswerable argu­mēts. And amongst other probations, we shal show it by the Hebrew Text, the Chaldaick Thargums or Paraphra­ses, the Greeke translation of the Septuagints, the Latine translations of Hieronymus, Pagninus, Ʋatablus, Munste­rus, Leo, Montanus, with the old English, and namely, that the word MISHPAT, which is translated [...] in Greeke, and in Latine Ius or Lex, is alwaies taken in the Scripture, and in no fewer then 210. places for the vpright iudgement of God, and of the Kings and Iudges of the earth, and no where for vniust and tyrannicall gouernment, or for a Princes abusiue power; as some moderne writers haue vnderstood it most grossely in that same place of Scripture, whereupon the resolution of this question doth wholly depend: a thing which I wish our diuines should well consider, that they doe not runne into their errour; 1. Sam. 8.9.10, 11.21, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. in expounding those words of the Prophet Samuel. But of this more in another worke. In the meane time I would entreate all good subiects to beware of charging, either now or hereafter, their Prince with the odious aspersion of Exaction, vnlesse they can show that he requireth and receiueth more of his people, then the law of God doth allow him; but that they would honour him with their best opinion, not only of a iust and vpright Prince, but euen of an indulgent, and beneficent Father, incase it shall be well and sufficiently prooued vnto them, that he is so farre from the iniustice, of requiring or taking from them any part of their own, that hee euen releaseth and giueth them a part of his owne, which is indulgencie, bounty and beneficence, and in a word: that he is content for his louing subiects further ease, to leuie much lesse then Gods law doth al­low him, for the maintenance of himselfe, his chiefe [Page 19]officers in the Common-wealth and in the Court, and of his other seruants at home or abroad, in peace and in warre.

Sect. 14.

The sixt and last lesson that we learne, That kings are free from all manner of coercion & censure. in that Kings are called Gods, is that Almighty God in giuing them this name, euen his owne name, hath exempted them from all manner of violence, coercion or censure at their subiects and inferiours hands; where as our Geneuites aswell as Iesuites, and Caluinists, aswell as Papists doe hold the contrary; for both of them wil haue Soueraigne Princes subiect to coercion, excommunication and de­priuation: a doctrine and opinion, repugnant I dare say both to Theologie and Philosophie, to Diuinitie and Humanitie, as we shal (God willing) show at large other where. For the present, because in this worke we thought good for soliditie and breuities sake to employ only te­stimonies of Scripture and some reasons deriued from thence, it shall suffice that we show and confute the im­pietie and absurditie, yea the vnlearnednesse and stupi­ditie of this doctrine of Geneua and Rome, by these 17 reasons after following. The which if any Diuine can answere sufficiently and soundly, or bring better rea­son for the contrary opinion, I shall not be ashamed to change the opinion that I now hold, and subscribe to theirs, and freely confesse this of mine to bee as blockish and vnlearned, as now I hold theirs to bee. First, God himselfe by his seruant Moses saith vnto euery Subiect, Thou shalt not raile vpon the Gods, Exod. 22, 28.nor speake euill of the Ruler of thy people: if it bee not lawfull to rayle vpon the Prince, then must it bee as vnlawfull to rage or rise vp against him; and if wee must beware of vehement words in his behalfe, then much more, of violent deeds: and if the subiects must not speake euill of their Ruler or Soueraigne, then they cannot excommunicate him: [Page 20]for whosoeuer excommunicateth a Prince, must needs speake the greatest euill of a Prince that can bee, euen that hee is a most wicked man, and fitter to bee Sathans slaue then Gods seruant. Ecclesiast. 10.20. To the same purpose appertai­neth that other precept or prohibition of the Spirit of God, by the mouth of Salomon, proclaimed to subiects, Curse not the Prince, no not in thy thought: if it be not law­full to curse the King, then is it not lawfull to excommu­nicate him; 1, Chron. 29.23. Psal. 21.3. let both Rome rage, and Geneua iangle as much as they can to the contrary. Secondly, God hath set the King in his throne, and set on his head with his owne hand a crowne of pure gold; now who can say that it is fitting or comely that any man or order of men, especially subiects, and such as stand before the throne, should offer violence to him that sitteth in the throne, or put out the hand to thrust him out of the throne, or to pull off the crowne that God hath put vpon his head. Thirdly, It is the most high, (saith the holy Angel and the Prophet Daniel, Dan. 4.22.28.29. Prouerb. 21.1 to King Nebuchadnezzar) that beareth rule ouer the Kingdome of men, and giueth it to whomsoeuer he will: The Kings heart is in the hands of the Lord, as the riuers of waters, he turneth it whither soeuer it pleaseth him (saith Salomon) and therefore the most high is the onely Ruler, Curber, Connerter, and Scourger of Kings, and men must not bee so bould, as to take Gods proper office vpon them: for in so doing, they commit a greater offence against God, then doth the greatest Tyrant that can be, in plaguing and persecuting his people. For no subiect, one or moe, ecclesiasticall or secular can meddle in such a matter as this, without impeaching God of a notable imperfection: for either they must thinke that God seeth not the wickednes of the tyrannous or idolatrous King, which is to deny his diuine omniscience and ab­solute knowledge, or if hee seeth it, that he careth not for it, which is to deny his diuine prouidence, and to charge [Page 21]him with humane negligence; or if he care for it, that he is either vnable to reuenge it without the hand of the Kings owne subiect, which is to deny his diuine omni­potency, and to brand him with humane infirmity, or else that he is vnwilling to reuenge it; which is to charge him both with iniustice and want of mercy. Whence it followeth, that such subiects as would correct their So­ueraigne, doe both make God no God, and make them­selues God: in a word, such a subiect is Dauids foole, Psal. 53.1.2. Thess. 2.4. that hath said in his heart, there is no God, except perhaps himselfe, and so becommeth such an Antichristian Anti-god, as exalteth himselfe both aboue Gods God on earth the King, and aboue the God in heauen, in taking his proper place and office vpon him. No, Iosh. 6.8, 10, 11 12, cap. Iudg. 1.2.6, 7, &, 3, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28, 1. Sam. 13, &. 15. &. 22, & 31 1. King. 16, & 22. 2. King. 16. & 25. 2. Chron. 28. & 33. Exod. 14, 28, & 15, 4. Dan. 4.22, 28 29, 30. 1. King. 1, 2, 3, 4, 16, 17, & 15, 4, 5. 2. Chron. 26, 16, 17, 18, 19 20, 21. God needeth not the hand of any subiect, to be reuenged on a wicked Prince, for hee can stirre vp other Princes and people or forraine persons against him, as we reade, that hee did against these Kings of Iericho, of Ai, and of the Amorites, against Adonibezek King of Canaan, Eglon King of Meab, Saul, Ahab, Ahaz, Manasseth, and Zedekias, Kings of Iudah and Israel: or he can make the wicked King (as it were with his own hand) execute Gods ven­geance vpō himself: thus he suffered Saul to slay himselfe, and Zimri to burne himselfe. And as he wil not employ a Princes owne subiects in such a businesse, so he needeth not to vse the hand and power of any person whatso­euer; for God can drowne the wicked Prince in the wa­ter or sea with Pharaoh, or hee can strike him with mad­nesse with Nebuchadnezzar, or hee can burst him or breake his necke with Ahazias, or can strike him with leprosie like Vzziah or Azariah. The very elements, and beasts of the field are at his beck and bidding, the beasts to deuoure, the fire to burne, the aire to infect, the water to drowne, and the earth to swallow vp such Princes, as God will be auenged on, yea he hath armies of painefull [Page 22]and shamefull diseases, of wormes, of mice and of lice to consume and vexe wicked Kings with. Dan. 4, 10, 11 12, 13, 14, 22 23, 28, 29, 30. & 5.6, 7, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 2. Micha. 6.9. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 11, 12, 13, 14 15, 16, 17, 18 28. And as the An­gels of God (which are his highest creatures) smote Ne­buchadnezzar with madnes, & droue him from amongst men, to dwell with the beasts of the field, and so depri­ued him of his kingdome for a time (for those Noters and Geneuian Glossers are deceiued, that doe thinke his owne subiects did depose him for tyrannie) and as an­other Angel did write vpon the wall, the sentence of King Belschazzars destruction; so the wormes that are the Lords lowest creatures, conspired to vexe the wicked tyrant Antiochus the cruell persecuter of the Iewes, that he died miserably; and both these creatures together, the highest in heauen, act 12.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 21, 22, 23 and the lowest on earth, did at Gods appointment concurre to plague Herod the persecutor of the Christians, who had vexed many of the faithfull, killed Iames and imprisoned Peter: for the Angel of the Lord smote him, because he gaue not glory vnto God, so that hee was eaten vp of wormes. Thus we see how God getteth glory, when he correcteth wicked Kings with his owne hands, 1. Sam 13.9, 10, 11, 12, 13 14, & 15, 1, 2 3, 8, 9, 10 11, 16, 17, 22, 23 & 19, 20, 22, 23, 26, 28, cap. 1. King. 16.30, 31, 32, & 17, 18, 19, 20 21, 22, cap, 2. King. 21, 1, 2, 3, 4.5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 16 2. Chron. 33.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. whereas he is robbed of his glorie by such subiects as dare take the rod, as it were out of Gods hands, and put it into their owne, to scourge Kings with. Fourthly, the people of God vnder the old Testament did not imprison or depose their most wic­ked Princes, such as were Saul, Ahab, and Manasses, nor did the high Priests excommunicate them for their cru­eltie, tyrannie, apostasie and idolatrie, persecution and seduction; and therefore the people of God vnder the new Testament ought to doe the like, in following the example of their pietie and patience in the behalfe of bad Princes; otherwise Christians should come short of the Iewes in morall perfections, which were absurd. Fifthly, the constitution and creation of Kings is of God and not not of man, it is Gods hand only that can [Page 23]make a King, according as he saith himselfe, By me Kings raigne, and as we haue prooued aboue in the first lesson, and therefore the deposition of Kings, Prouerb. 8.15 and their coerci­on, belongeth likewise to God, and not to the Kings owne subiects, for the power is equall in the one and the other. And therefore wee see that the voice that deposed Nebuchadnezzer, came from heauen. Dan. 4.22, 28, 29. Thy kingdome is departed from thee, like as the Angel and the Prophet doe both of them auouch, that it is the most high that giueth the kingdome to whomsoeuer hee will. Sixtly in the new Testament Christ and his appo­stles, do oftentimes command subiects to giue vnto Kings, but no where they bid take away or withhold any thing from Kings, howsoeuer vnworthy, neither tribute and liuing by detention, nor libertie by incarceration, nor Kingship by depriuation, nor life by ciuil (or rather vnciuill and sinnefull) execution, nor the benefits of the Church and kingdome of heauen, by hellish ex­communication. Giue (saith the King of Kings) vnto Caesar the things which are Caesars, like as he had comman­ded, Peter his very prime Apostle to giue the Kings Receiuer poll money for them two, Mat. 22, 17, 21, &, 17, 24, 25, 26, 27, Mark. 12, 14, 15, 16, 17. Mat. 10.1, 2. 1. Pet. 2.17. Rom. 13, 1, 2, 24. giue (saith hee) the twenty pence vnto them for me and thee, and the same prime Apostle, commandeth all subiects both spirituall and temporall persons, euen as many as haue Soules, (for his fellow Saint Paul saith let euery soule besubiect to prin­ces) to feare God and honour the King, Ergo subiects must not dishonour the King by coercion, incarceration, ex­communication or depriuation. Yea Saint Peters Suc­cessor himselfe (if he hath any) hath no power to dis­honour the King, whom God hath honoured with his crowne and throne, let him be neuer so vnworthy in his conceite, nor to expose him to the dishonour, or danger of any of his subiects, by his censure of ex­communication, or sentence of depriuation. Our Sa­uiour [Page 24]bids giue to Kings, Saint Peter gaue to Kings' and bids giue them honour, and so doth S. Paul, saying, Giue to all men their duty, Rom. 13.7.tribute to whome yee owe tri­bute, custome, to whome cnstome, feare to whome feare, ho­nour to whom yee owe houour. And no where they bid take away any thing from Kings: and therefore such men as take away from Kings their liuings libertie or life, or the benefits of the Church, Gods kingdome, or their owne doe disobey God, the father of Kings, and obey the deuil the dishonourer, & debaser of kings. Seuenthly, wee doe not read in Gods word that euer a King was deliuered vnto Satan; so that it wanteth ex­ample; and as for precept, the very formal words vsed in the institution of excommunication by our Lord, do shew that it was neuer intended for Kings, by the Spi­rit of God. For besides they were not as yet within the bosome of the Church, Mat. 18, 15, 16, 17. by calling, when it was ordai­ned, those words; If thy brother trespasse against thee, If thy brother hoare thee, If thy brother heare thee not, If thy brother refuse to heare the Church also, do euidently, and pregnantly euince, that excommunication is a cen­sure of an offending brother, 1. Cor. 5.12. not of the father of the people. And therefore the Apostle entreating of excom­munication, extendeth it no further, then unto such a one as is called a brother. If any that is called a brother (saith he) be a formcatour, 2. Thess. 3.13.14, 15.or couetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with such a one eate not, neither companie together; and againe, And ye brethren be not wearie in well doing, if any man (to wit beeing a brother) obey not our sayings, note him by a letter, and haue no compante with him, that he may be ashamed; yet count him not as an ene­mie but admonish him as abrother. And though it bee true that the beleeuing Soueraigne aswel as the Subiect is a brother in Christianitie, and might well haue beene so called by our blessed Sauiour, and his Apostle, yet I [Page 25]say it doth not appeare that they vnderstood by the title of brother in those places, but such as did then beleeue the Gospell, who were all subiects, for as yet there were no beleeuing Soueraignes; yea both our Sauiours and the Apostles words doe euince that a King though hee bee a beleeuer and so a brother, yet that he can not bee brought in amongst those excommunicable brothers, because the excommunicated brother must be vnto the other brethren as an Heathen and a Publican, as our Sa­uiour commandeth, that is to say, they must auoide his conuersation, and decline his companie, and flee his familiaritie, as the Aposlle expoundeth it. But so it is that subiects can not by any meanes shunne or abhorre the presence and conuersation of their Soueraigne, both because of duty, and because of necessitie. As for duty, the lawes of nature and of Scripture, of reason and religi­on, of Church & State, doe oblige subiects to doe their duty to their Soueraigne be he neuer so bad; and there­fore they must repaire vnto his presence and conuerse with him, whensoeuer it pleaseth him to command. And as for necessitie; subiects can not choose but repaire to the Prince to haue iuslice, and such other helpe as they sland in need of at his hands. And therefore I say, though both Rome and Geneua should ioyne their iarring and warring wits together, yet they shall neuer bee able to solue or satisfie this argument, Mat. 18.17. 1. Cor. 5.5.9.11. 2. Thess. 3.14. 1. Tim. 1.20. all excommunicated per­sons presence, societie and companie, is to be shunned as a Heathens, a Publicanes, or which is worse, as a mans deliuered to the Diuell. But no Kings presence, society and conuersation can bee shunned of their subiects, for both duty and necessitie binde them to the contrary. Ergo no Kings can be excommunicated: or thus; the effects of excommunication can not haue place in the person of a Prince, as for example, his presence and con­uersation can not be declined of his subiects, without [Page 26]both sinne and their great hurt, and therefore the cen­sure it selfe hath no place in Princes. Ninthly, the ex­communication of an vniuersalitie or multitude, as of a whole citie, Body, Common-wealth or kingdome is in the iudgement of all, thought a thing vnlawfull; and semblably the excommunication of the Soueraigne, as he that representeth the whole Body of his kingdome, must bee vnlawfull: neither can the head be punished without the sensible hurt of the whole body. Tenthly, God is a God of order & not of disorder or confusion, 1. Cor. 14.33. as the Apostle speaketh, and therefore hee hath not giuen the inferiours power to punish corporally or spiritually their superiours, for this were most contrary to order, & consequently he hath not giuen subiects any power vp­on their Soueraigne, nor Priests any power to punish Princes; for both people and priests be inferiours, and their Soueraigne is their superiour; they are as members of the body taken seuerally, the commons as feete, the Nobles as hands, the Priests as eyes: or they are as the bodie, being taken coniunctly, but the Soueraigne is as the head, higher then all the other members, and aboue the whole body, and as the soule more diuine, excellent and eminent then the whole body; the subiects are as seruants, the Soueraigne as the Master or Lord, the peo­ple as the children, and the Prince as their common fa­ther. It is against good nature and order, for the inferi­our members to rise or rebell against the supreame mem­ber, for the body to beate or breake the owne head, and it is repugnant both to good nature and grace, for chil­dren to stretch forth the hand to chastise or punish their father bee hee neuer so furious. And as for the chiefē Priests and Prelates they are as Angels and Archangels, indeed, but the Soueraigne Prince, is as the God of An­gels and Archangels farre aboue their reach. Eleuenth­ly, if it belongeth not vnto one man or more men to [Page 27]beate, punish, iudge or condemne another mans ser­uant as the Apostle S. lames teacheth, saying, Who art thou that iudgest another man? Iam. 4.12, Rom. 14.4. and the Apostle S. Paul likewise, saying, Who art thou that condemnest another mans seruant? then it belongeth much lesse to one man or more to iudge, punish, excommunicate, depose or con­demne Gods chiefe seruant; Rom, 13 4. now the Prince is Gods seruant, saith the same Aposlle and in the same Epistle to the Romanes (and I wish that both Romanes and Ge­neuians would weigh those words better then they do) and therefore who is hee that condemneth such a ser­uant, as is not only another mans seruant, but euen the best mans seruant, to with Christs, and his chiefe seruant, yea Gods seruant? He standeth or falleth to his owne master, saith the Apostle, and that is, neither the Pope of Rome, nor the master Minister of Geneua; but God and Christ; who will not haue his seruant subiect to the proud cen­sure eitheir of the Romane Consistorie, or of the Gene­uian Presbyterie. The Apostle would not presume to iudge them that are without the Church, because they belonged to Gods iudgement in propriety, what haue I to doe to iudge them also which are without saith he, doe ye not iudge them that are within? but God iudgeth them that are without, and shall we thinke that he would haue pre­sumed to iudge those that God hath placed aboue the Church, I meane Christian Princes, 1. Cor. 5.12.13. who though they be within the bosome of the Church as Christians, yet are they without or aboue the reach of the hands of the Church, as the nursing-fathers and heads of the Church on earth, vnder Christ the Soueraigne King of the Church, whose immediate seruants they are, and there­fore as his peculiars are subiect to nones iudgement but his only. Twelfthly, if seruants must be subiect to their masters with all feare, and not only to the good and courteous, but also to the froward, as the Apostle Saint [Page 28] Peter teacheth; 1. Pet. 2.13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 22, 23. then must subiects be loy all and dutifull to their Soueraigne, and not only to the good, but also to the euill; for as the family is a little kingdome, and the master of the family, a little king, and the sonnes and ser­nants of the family, are the subiects of this little king­dome; so is the kingdome a great family, the King the great master of this great family, and his subiects are the children and seruants of the same family. Thirteenthly, if the Angels of heauens Church, from their heauenly seates and habitations, doe not exclaime or giue out rai­ling iudgement against Princes before the Lord, though they see and know their wickednesse much better then men doe, 2. Pet. 2.10, 11 and that they be aboue them in dignitie, pow­er and place, as the Aposlle S. Peter doth auouch and witnes; then much lesse must the Angels of the Church on earth, Romane or Geneuian, from their earthly seats, and pulpits, Consistories or Presbyteries exclaime a­gainst Princes, be they neuer so wicked, or yet proclaime any railing iudgement against them, seeing they are not only inferiour vnto the Angels in heauen which spare them, but euen vnto the Princes themselues, which are Gods by their place, though in their persons they were neuer so prophane. And I wish with all my heart that the great Angel that sitteth in S. Angel, would now at last learne this Angelicall lesson, of those Angelicall Doctors in heauen, and of his owne supposed Euangelicall Pre­decessor Saint Peter, who professeth in expresse words, that it is one of the properties of false Prophets to de­spise Princes, and to speake euill of them that are in dig­nitie and authoritie; Iude. v. 8.9, 10 Where as the Angels which are greater both in power and might, giue not railing Iudgement against them, and the same thing is said of Saint Iude. Fourtenth­ly, if a most holy Angel, yea euen Michael, the highest Archangel durst not raile vpon the diuell, who is all wic­kednesse, nor blame him with cursed speaking, when as he strone against him, and disputed about the bodie of [Page 29] Moses, as the holy Apostle Iude witnesseth, how then dare subiects, which be sinfull men themselues raile vp­on the Prince, or how dare either the Romane Archan­gel that sitteth in S. Angel, or the Angelings of Geneua, from their consist orie or presbyterie, or yet from their pulpits pronounce any curse or excommunication a­gainst Princes, or deliuer them vnto the diuell, though they were liker little diuels, then little Gods on earth, by reason of their wicked liuing? And if wee must not so much as raile vpon wicked Kings, nor reuile and dif­fame them with our tongues, much lesse must wee hurt them with our hands, or offer their persons any violence. If ye loue them which loue you, (saith our Sauiour,) and dee good to them which doe good to you, what thanke haue yee, or what reward? Mat. 5.46, 47, Luk. 6.32, 33doe not the Publicanes and sinners euen the same? and the like may be said in this case, if Christians loue and loyally obey such Princes as loue them, and if they speake well of such gouernours, as doe wel to them, and submit themselues to such Princes as are vertuous, godly and iust, what thanke, or what reward haue they, or what singular worke doe they worthy of a singular reward? doe not the heathen and infidels, euen the same? and as our Sauiour said to his Disciples, Except your righ­teousnesse exceede the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Phari­sies, and not only of publicanes & sinners, Mat. 5.10. ye shall not enter into the kingdome of God; So may it bee said to Christian subiects, except your obedience, subiection & patience, in the behalfe of your Princes and Rulers exceede the obedience, subiection & patience of heathen and vnbe­leeuing subiects in the behalfe of their Soueraignes, yee cannot bee subiects of the kingdome of heauen.

Fifteenthly, Subiects ought to bee most tender and carefull of the saluation of their Soueraigne, and there­fore they ought not to seclude him from the vse of the ordinary meanes of his amendment, his sanctification [Page 30]and saluation; as from the hearing of the word, the pray­ers of the Church, and the receiuing of the Sacrament.

Sixteenthly, a wicked Prince in receiuing the Sacra­ment, either receiueth it worthily and penitently, and so is pardoned, or else vnworthily and impenitently, and so is plagued of God, according to that of the Apostle, Hee that eateth and drinketh vnworthily, 1. Cor. 11.28.29.eateth and drinketh his owne damnation, because he discerneth not the Lords body, and so hee is either made better or worse; if better, then it should not haue beene well done to keep him from the Communion, if worse, then God himselfe hath punished and plagued him with his owne hand, which is much more fit, then that any of his owne Subiects should pre­sume to punish him. So that it is euery way more for the glory of God and the good of the Church, that a Prince be admitted to the Sacrament, then that hee be secluded there-fro; for either Gods mercie is manifested, when as receiuing it worthily and wel, he amendeth his manners, or his iustice is executed and notified, when as receiuing it vnworthily, he runneth into some greater sinne, or in­curreth some temporall or spiritual iudgement, and both the wayes Gods glorie is more and more demonstrated, and the Church edified by so notable an example. Seuenteenthly and lastly, our most blessed Sauiour when he exhorteth vs vnto perfection, (saith thus,) Loue your enemies, Mat. 5.44, 45, 48. Luk. 6.27, 28, 35.blesse them that curse you, doe good to them that hate you, pray for them which hurt you wrongfully, trouble and per­secute you, that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heauen, who is kinde and good, both vnto the good and the e­uill; and the Apostle Saint Paul writing to the Romanes saith the same: Blesse them which persecute you, Blesse and curse not, recompence to no man euill for euill, auenge not your selues, but rather giue place vnto wrath, for it is written, venge­ance is mine,Rom. 12.14, 17, 19, 21.I will repay saith the Lord. Whereof it follow­eth, that if Princes bee our foes, which ought to bee our [Page 31]friends, yea our fathers, and so both hate vs and hurt vs which are their subiects: yet wee ought to loue them, and helpe them what wee can, though they doe euill to vs, yet wee ought to doe good to them, though they op­presse and persecute vs, yet wee ought to pray for them, though they speake euill of vs, yet wee ought to speake well of them, though they grieue vs, yet we ought not to grudge against them, though they require too much of vs, and more then we can well spare, yet we ought not to refuse them, much lesse to resist them, or rebell against them: though they haue many imperfections, yet wee ought not to aggrauate them, or blaze them abroad by slandrous wordes or infamous writes: yea rather wee ought to extenuate and to lessen them, hide them, couer them, and excuse them. Finally though they seeke to kill both our bodies and our soules, yet we ought to seeke the preseruation of their bodies, and the saluation of their soules; and in so doing we subiects shall be per­fit as the children of the most high, and our reward shall be great and inestimable in the heauens.

Sect. 15. The Church of England more Angelicall or Angel­like.

We haue shewed at large the perfection of the Church of England in regard of the diuine condition of the su­preame Gouernour thereof vpon earth, which is the King, whom God himselfe hath called by the name of God, as hee that hath his royall power immediately from God, and not from man, contrary to the opinion of Romanes and Geneuians, and whose dignity is absolutely the grea­test and diuinest of all other, and much more eminent then the Priestly, contrary to the opinion of the same, and whose person and power is mixt of ecclesiasticall and ciuill, as he that is not a meere lay-man, contrary to the opinion of them likewise, and whose Maiestie and dig­nitie is inuiolable, and not liable to any kinde of censure or punishment at the hands of man, spirituall or tempo­rall, [Page 32]otherwise then both Romanes and Geneuians would make vs beleeue, in all which points for all their ium­ping together, they erre most grossely, and the Church of England holdeth or thodoxally. Now in the next place wee shall prooue the perfection of the same Church by shewing how that she is more Angelicall or Angel-like in respect of the secondary Gouernours of the Church, and consequently liker vnto Gods Church in heauen then any Geneuian Church is. For like as in the Church of God in heauen, God himselfe gouerneth soueraignely and supreamely, as Monarch and King, and the Arch­angells doe gouerne the inferiour Angels secondarily as Senatours, and the twenty foure crowned Elders, which are of the blessed Spirits of men doe gouerne the inferi­our spirits, as we may learne by some ten chapters of the Reuelation, and as all ancient Diuines doe deliuer; so in the Church of England, the Soueraigne Prince as God, and for God, doth gouerne it supreamely vpon earth, and secondarily the Archbishops, Colloss. 1.16, 1. Thess. 4.16. as Archangels doe pre­side aboue the Bishops, which againe as Angels (and so are they called in the same Diuine Reuelation, seuen times in two chapters) doe gouerne the inferiour Ministers of the Word and Sacraments; and these againe like vnto those more perfit spirits or soules of men, Reuela. 45, 7, 8, 9, 12, 14, 15 16, & 19. cap. Reuel. 2.1, 8, 12, 18, & 3, 1, 7, 14, doe gouerne the lay multitude of men and women. So that the Anglicane or English Church is more Angelicall or Angel-like then the Geneuian is, which admitteth no such Angelicall distin­ction and order of Ministers; for there they are equall, and neither like the Angels in heauen, which haue their chiefe Princes, Dan. 10.13, & 12.1. Ju [...]e vers. 9. Reuel. 12.7. Colos. 1.16. Reuel. 9.11. & 12.7. and their inferiours, as namely, Michael the Archangel and his Angels; euen Thrones, Domimons, Principalities, Powers, as the Apostle speaketh, nor like the Diuels in hell; which are better ordered, as hauing a di­stinction of degrees, for the Angel-king of the bottom­lesse pit, otherwise called the Dragon, hath many blacke [Page 33]Angels vnder him; whence it followeth that the Angli­cane Church as being the more Angelicall or Angel-like is perfiter then the Geneuian by farre.

And truly I can not wonder inough of this paritie of theirs from whence they had it, for it is more then ma­nifest, that they had it not from heauen, nor yet from hell, as hath beene before shewed; belike they haue learned it of the Grashoppers, that leape about the banks of the Lemannian lake, for they haue no King, yet goe they forth all by bands saith Salomon. From the Church of God vnder the law they had it not, for they had their high Priests their principall or chiefe Priests, and their inferi­our Priests, Exod. 28. Leuit. 8. Numb. 3. &, 4, &, 8, &, 18, 1. Chron. 9. & 15, & 16, &, 24, & 25, & 26 2. King. 23. Nehem. 12. Heb. 5, 5, 6, 10 Mat. 10, 1, 2, & 28, 16, Mark, 3.14, & 6, 7, Luk. 6, 13, & 9, 1, Act. 1.22, 16, & 2, 14, &, 6, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, &, 8, 5, 6, 14, 15, 16, 17, &, 19, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 Cor. 12.28, 29. Ephes 4.11.12. and likewise among the Leuites some were superiours, and some inferiours, some were as Lords and chiefe Fathers, and other some as sonnes and followers. Nor had they their paritie and equalitie of Church Mi­nisters from the Church of God vnder the Gospell, such as it was in the daies of Christ and his Apostles, for our Sauiour himselfe was as the high Priest, the Apostles as the chiefe Priests, the seuenty Disciples as the inferiour Priests, and the Deacons as the Leuites: and no man that hath his right wittes, will say that the Apostles, Pro­phets, Euangelists, and Pastours mentioned by the Apo­stle Paul as ordained of God in the Church, were all equall in dignitie and office. Neither had they their pa­ritie of pastours from the Church, such as it was after the Apostles daies, for within the first fiue hundreth yeares we read in the Ecclesiasticall histories, how that the Church was gouerned by Patriarkes and Arch bi­shops representing the twelue Apostles, and by Bishops representing the Euangelists. Yea in the very Apostles daies, there were Bishops which had vnder them inferi­our Pastours, as S. Iames Bishop of lerusalem, S. Peter Bishop of Antioch, S. Paul Bishop of Rome, S. Marke Bishop of Alexandria: and if we will not beleeue the Ec­clesiasticall [Page 34]historie of the Primitiue Church, yet let vs beleeue the Epistles of the Apostle Paul, who enstileth Timothie the Euangelist, 2. Tim. 4. Tit. 3. 1. Tim. 5.22, Tit. 1 5, the first Bishop of the Church of Ephesus, and Titus another Euangelist, first Bishop of the Church of the Cretians, and testifieth that by vertue of their function, they did ordaine presbyters or inferiour pastours in those Churches, for ordination argueth de­monstratiuely the superioritie of the ordainer, and the inferioritie of the ordained, Act. 20, 17, 18 1. Tim. 3.1, 2, &, 5.17, 19, Tit. 1 5.6, 7, and without such inequali­tie, their can bee neither ordination nor order. And though it be true that in the Scripture, the names of Bi­shop and Presbyter or Pastour, be taken indifferently for one and the same office, yet that doth argue only that euery Pastor or Presbyter is and may bee called a Bishop in respect of his people or parish, ouer which hee is placed, so that he may bee called a Bishop aboue the Laitie, but it doth not argue that their were no superi­our Bishops aboue those Bishops of the Laitie; to or­daine, order and direct them, which were Bishops of a more eminent degree, and distinct from the other; these Bishops, Presbyters and Pastours aboue the Clergie, and those Bishops, Presbyters and Pastours aboue the Laitie, and consequently inferiour vnto the former, wherefore I could wish that learned men would not leane so much as they doe, to that argument taken from the indiffe­rencie of those two words [...] and [...] see­ing the question and controuersie is not verball but re­all, for the question is not, if all the Ministers of the Church may be called by the common name of Pastor, Presbyter and Bishop; but if all those that are called by the common name, ought to bee of equall dignitie and authoritie? or whether or no there ought to bee a­mongst the multitude of Ministers, some superiours to gouerne, and some inferiours to be gouerned, for good orders sake, and to bee called for distinctions sake, by [Page 35]different names, applying or appropriating the com­mon name of Bishop to the superiour, and the common name of Presbyter, Priest or Pastour to the inferiour? And truly in the time of my owne Puritanisme and Ge­neuisme, I was wont to presse this verball argument as­much as any man, to prooue thereby the paritie of pa­stours; and there is not another argument to that pur­pose worth a pinne; but in the end I found it both falla­cious and friuolous, for in the Scriptures, Kings, Apostles, Act. 6. Rom. 13, 4, 1. Cor. 4, 1. Colosi. 1.25, 1. Thess. 3.2, 1. Tim. 3.8.12 Prophets, Euangelists, Pastours and Deacous are called by the common name of [...], Ministers or seruants of God, and yet their Ministrations and seruices are not of the same nature, nor of equall dignitie, and the two names of presbyter or elder beeing referred to office and not to age, and of Gouernour or Ruler or Ouerseer, are conucrtible; for euery Elder is a Gouernour, and euery Go­uernour is on Elder, and yet the Elderships and Gouern­ments are distinct; Numb. 11, 16.17, Ezra. 10.8, Luk. 22.66, Act. 20.17, for some are called Lay-elders or elders of the people, to wit, in temporal matters, and those were the Magistrates of the lewish Common-wealth, and others are called Elders of the Church, to wit Gouernours of the people, in spirituall matters; as Ministers of the Word and Sacraments; so that both the one and the o­ther were Elders and Gouernours, and yet they were of different and distinct kindes, the one temporall Elders and Gouernours of the people, in the Common-weale, the other spirituall Elders and Gouernours of the same people in the Church; and semblably, these spiritual Go­uernours of the Church and Ministers of the word, both Bishops and Presbyters or Priests, are called by the common name of Presbyters, Priests and Elders, and likewise by the common name of Episcopi, Bishops, Supe­rintendents or Ouerseers, and yet they differ both in the obiect of their office, and in their degree: for the one are cheife Priests & Elders of the Church, and the other are [Page 36]inferiour Priests and Elders of the same Church; the one are Bishops, Superintendents and Ouerseers of the Laitie or people in spirituall things, but the other are Bishops, Superintendents and Ouerseers of the Clergie, as well as of the Laitie; and of their inferiour priests and pastours, aswell as of the people in the same spirituall things. In a word, the Church of God being the best ordered Body that can be, behoued to consist of Superiours to gouerne, and of Inferiours to bee gouerned, to wit, of these two rankes, Clergie and Laitte, and as the Laitie was to bee gouerned by the Clergie, as the children by the fathers, and schollers by their masters; so the Clergie being a great multitude was to haue order and gouernement in it selfe, and therfore behoued to consist of superiours and inferiours likewise And to these ouerseers of the Church were assigned different names and titles for distinctions sake; the Ouerseers or Rulers of the Church in the quarters of the world, were called Patriarkes, the Ouer­seer and Ruler of the Church of a whole kingdome was called a Primate, the Ouerseers and Rulers of the Clergie or Church in the seuerall Prouinces of a king­dome were called Archbishops, and the Ouerseers or Ru­lers of the same Clergie in a diocesse or shiere, were cal­led Bishops, like as the Ouerseers of the Laitie or people in a parish, were called Presbyters, Priests or Pastours, for in the last Section of this worke; wherein we doe entreate more at large of the honourable titles and maintenance of the ministerie, we show likewise, how that the Mini­sters of the Gospel, ought not to disclaime the honoura­ble stile and title of Priests. Thus we see how that there must needs bee imparitie and inequalitie amongst Mi­nisters, except wee meane to make them a multitude without order and gouernment, or else giue them from Geneua Lay-gouernours; for amongst them, the Elders of the Church which bee lay men, being more in number [Page 37](to passe ouer their Lay-deacons) doe gouerne the Mi­nisters beeing the smaller number; iudge and censure them, both in life and doctrine; and so are they well ser­ued, because they refused to bee gouerned by men of their owne order, to wit, by Bishops, therefore God hath giuen them ouer to bee deluded, derided, debased, and dishonoured by the Lay gouernment of those whom they ought to gouerne and rule as the Shepheard his sheepe, the father his children, the schoolemaster his schollers, for amongst the Geneuians it is quite contrary, where the Lay-elders as being more in number, doe ouer-rule the Ministers as hath beene said. But thankes bee vnto Almighty God; for raising vp a Iacob from the North, Isay. 41.8, 9, 25. Reuel. 1.20. & 12.7 and calling him from the endes of the earth to doe him seruice in restoring of his Church in the North, to the ancient Angelicall forme, and in banishing out of it, the Grashopper-gouernment of Geneua; and let all Britaines, North, and South, Prouerb. 30.27. euen as many as doe loue the likenesse of Ierusalems Angels, better then of Geneuian Grashoppers, say Amen.

Sect. 16

Thirdly the Church of England is more like the Church in heauen for holinesse, then the Geneuian is; The Church of England more hea­uen-like for holines. Isay 6.1, 2, 3 Reul. 4. & 5.8, 12.13. & 7.15 for in heauen the Angels and blessed Spirits keepe euery day holy, incessantly praising God and saying, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hostes, the whole world is full of his glory, so saith the euangelicall Prophet Isay in the old Testament, & diuine S. Iohn in the new saith, that they cease not day nor night to say and to sing, holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty, which was, and which is, and which is to come, & that they serue him day and night in his Temple, saying, Praise and honour and glory and power, bee vnto him that sitteth vpon the throne, and vnto the Lambe for euer more, and the foure said Amen. Now the Church of England is farre holier then the Geneuian, [Page 38]because the Geneuians are not so holy as the Iewes were, nor haue not so many holy dayes as they had: for besides the two and fifty Sabbaths of the yeare, Exod. 12.14, 15, 16, 17, 18. & 13.6.7. & 20.8, 9, 10. & 23.12, 14, 15, 16, 17. & 38.18. Deut. 16. Ester 9.17, 18, 19, 21, 26, 27, 28, 29. 30, 31. 1. Machab. 4.43, 44, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59. which are the Geneuian holy dayes, they had other holy dayes, and festiuities, which they did obserue, as of the Passeouer, of the first fruites, of Tabernacles, and of Purim instituted by Queene Ester and Mordecai, and of the dedication of the Altar, instituted by Machabaeus. But the English like good Christians, which should not come short of the Iewes in doing of holy duties, but either match them or surmoūt them, haue besides the two and fifty. Sundaies of the yeare, set apart to the performing of holy duties, about thirty holy daies more, in honour of God and of our Sa­uiour Christ: and moreouer they haue in diuers places, as namely, in Cathedral Churches frequent holy assem­blies, yea daily, for the holy seruice of God morning and euening, and in other Parochiall Churches, they haue ho­ly assemblies for Gods seruice on Wodnesday, Friday, and Saturday, euery weeke throughout the yeare, and besides these, they haue frequent holy assemblies on other daies of the weeke, vpon the religious occasions of Christe­nings, Weddings, Burials, Minde dayes, and Lectures, where the people pray and praise God, and heare the word of God read or expounded in a Sermon. So that if there be any holinesse placed in praying vnto God, and in prai­sing of his name publikely in the congregation, a thing which no man that is in his right wits will deny, or if ho­linesse of life may bee holpen any whit by such frequent assemblies and Sermons, it must needes follow that the Church of England hath more holinesse then the Gene­nian, because shee hath many more of such holy assem­blies for seruice and sermons, prayers and praises then the other hath. And that these were obserued in the pri­mitiue Church within the first fiue hundreth yeares, ma­ny holy daies besides the Sunday, and euen the same that are at this day obserued in England, wee shall prooue it [Page 39]more particularly by alleadging the testimonies and au­thorities of the Church Greekes and Latines in another worke called Dies Domini; which containeth diuers dis­putations, and discourses vpon the times of the worlds beginning, lasting, ending, according to the Scriptures, and the opinions of Hebrews, Greekes and Latines, Diuines, Philosophers, Historians and Schoole-men; and in it we doe also entreate of the holy times of the Church. But because that many do so misconceiue of holy daies, as if they were onely fit for the Popes holinesse, and for hypocrites, which is as damnable and deuillish opi­nion as euer hell hatcht in the disgrace of true holinesse, without which, the Apostle saith, Heb. 12.14. no man shall euer see God; therefore let mee intreate and beseech my Coun­trimen for the most holy Gods sake, to aske them these few questions. First, if the attaining of holinesse, and the doing of religious duties be not the chiefe end of good Christians in this life? which I hope will not bee denied. Secondly, if religious assemblies, and holy meetings bee not the proper meanes of attaining vnto true holinesse? the which I take will be granted. Thirdly if the frequen­cie of such holy assemblies, bee not in all likeli-hoode a more ready and easie meanes for men to attaine vnto holinesse, and to doe religious duties, then the raritie thereof? in a word, which of the two is most likely, that a man should attaine vnto true holinesse by repairing vnto holy assemblies or places, often or seldome? and me thinkes no man that is in his good wits will deny, but that often repairing to the holy house of the most holy God, for the doing of holy duties, as to pray vnto God for our selues, and for others, to praise his name for bene­fites and blessings, spirituall and temporall, to sing Psalmes, to heare Gods word, and the Sermons of his seruants, and the like is a more direct meanes to attaine vnto holines, then seldome repairing as namely once in [Page 40]the weeke. Lastly, I demaund, if it were not an excellent thing, and a happie condition, if men could set apart, a part of euery day in the yeare to Gods seruice, and to meete together in the holy Congregation, for the per­forming of such holy duties: and if the necessities of hu­mane life will not let vs haue the leisure to doe so, if at least the next best is not to be done, which is to haue as many holy daies as possibly we can, and as better one then none, so better more, then one onely; and many then fewe: that so wee may the more neetely resemble those Church-members in heauen, which keepe euery day holy, according as we doe pray daylie, taught by our Lord, saying, Our Father which art in heauen, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdome come, thy will be done in earth, (that is in the Church militant) as it is in heauen, or in the Church triumphant.

Sect. 17.

Fourthly, as the Church of England is more like the Church of God and Angels for heauenly holinesse, The Church England more hea­uen like for humble re­uerence. then the Geneuian is, so is shee more like the same in heauen­ly and humble reuerence, and in the expression thereof by religious gestures. In the Church of God and blessed spirits, the Angels and Saints are painted out, couering their faces, standing before the throne, kneeling and falling before it on their faces, vncouering of their heads, and casting of their crownes before the throne, and most sub­missely worshipping of God, Isay. 6.1, 2, Ezech. 1.24, 25, & 10, 3, 19 Dan. 7.9, 10, Zach. 6, 4, 5, Iob. 1.6, & 2, 1. Reuel. 4, 10, & 5, 8.14, & 7, 1, 9, 10, 11, 12, &, 8, 2. as wee may reade in the pro­phesies of Isay, Ezechiel, Daniel, Zacharie, in the booke of Iob, and in the Reuelation of S. Iohn in many places: for S. Iohn beheld and saw a great multitude, which no man could number of all nations and kinreds, and people and tongues, stan­ding (not sitting) before the throne, and before the lambe, and saying with a loude voice, Saluation commeth of our God, that sitteth vpon the throne, and of the lambe. And he saw all the [Page 41] Angels likewise standing round about the throne, and the Elders kneeling: yea falling before the same throne on their faces, and worshipping God and saying; Amen, Praise and glorie, and wisedome, and thankes, and honour, and power, and might be vnto our God for euermore, Amen. And in the Church of England answerably hereunto, the Preachers doe reuerently vncouer their heads, not only in praying, but also in preaching and expounding Gods words, and in the orations or sermons, in honour of his name, like as those holy Elders or Priests in heauen doe, which vncouer their heads, and cast their crownes before the throne: whereas the Geneuians and French in prea­ching, do vnreuerently couer their heads, and not with a Church cap or bonnet (which were more tolerable) but with their ordinarie and vsual hats, more like millars or maltmen, then Gods Ministers; though in Scotland I confesse they follow the godly and comely fashion of England in preaching, with their heads vncouered, and not the capped custome of Geneua: and God grant they may doe so in many other matters, where they haue as good reason, and namely in kneeling humbly, not only in making confession of their sinnes vnto God, but also at the repetition of the law of God, or ten commande­ments, as they doe in England, and in standing vp reue­rently in making confession of their faith, at the rehear­sall of the Creed, and at the reading of the Gospell. The which gestures are to bee vsed, both for reuerence and for signification; for reuerence because their is no man so ignorant or blockish, but vnderstandeth that kneeling and standing vp are much more reuerent, humble and re­spectfull gestures then sitting, and therefore in the doing of such religious duties to God wards, are to bee vsed. And for signification, because that as by kneeling at the rehearsing of the law, wee doe professe and confesse our miserie and wretchednesse, occasioned by the fall in the [Page 42]first Adam, and doe humbly aske God mercie, for trans­gressing his commandements; so by our standing vp at the reading of the Gospel, or rehearsing of the Creede, or articles of faith, we professe and acknowledge that our rising after the fall, and our standing by Grace, were cau­sed by the second Adam Christ. So that by these reue­rent and significant gestures, wee doe put our selues in minde of the chiefe matters, that concerne saluation, we show how that we stand in Gods fauour by faith, as also we declare and notifie, how that we ought to be alwaies ready to defend the faith. And truly the man that will not doe so much as stand vp reuerently vpon his feete, when the Minister maketh a publike confession of faith in the name of the people, doth argue that his faith wanteth the feete of deuout affections, and ten to one, but it wanteth likewise the hands of charitable actions. He himselfe loueth sitting, and I feare me, least his faith loue too much creeping or lying along vpon the ground, whereunto it is as it were tyed by the taile, so that hee can not minde heauenly matters. Moreouer in the Church of England, they vse reuerently to vncouer their heads, and bowe or kneele at the naming of Iesus, in resem­blance of the holy Elders in heauen, which vncouer their heads, and bow before the Lambe Christ Iesus, as said is, and that both in imitation of the first Christians, within the first fiue hundreth yeares, and because the holy Apostle doth ioyne the bodily obeisance of bowing or kneeling at the name of Iesus, with the dutie of the tongues Confessing of his name: for writing to the Philip­pians, thus he saith, Christ humbled himselfe and became obedient vnto the death of the crosse. Philip. 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11.Wherefore God hath also highly exalted him, and giuen him a name aboue euery name, that at the name of Iesus, should euery knee bow, and that euery tongue should confesse, that Iesus Christ is the Lord vnto the glorie of God the Father. Christ this only Sonne [Page 43]of God, had humbled himselfe as man, for mans sake below all men, and therefore God the father exalted him as man aboue all men, Heb. 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 1. Cor. 15, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 1. Tim. 6.15, Reuel. 17.14, & 19, 16, & 1, 5. and made him the head and Mo­narch, both of men and Angels, the King of kings, and Lord of lords blessed for euer, as the same Apostle otherwhere teacheth. And this his royal exaltation, all Christians are bound to acknowledge, by Confession of Tongue, and by the obeisance or bowing of the body, and the vncouering of the head. And that it is a Christian and a commendable custome, I prooue it thus: All action or gesture, that declareth the subiection of the creature to Iesus Christ, as the King of all mankinde, must needs be a Christian and commendable gesture or action; But the bowing of the body or knee, and the vncouering of the head at the pronouncing of the name of Iesus, are gestures and actions declaring our subiection to Iesus, as the King of mankinde, especially of his Church, and therefore they are Christian and commendable. A­gaine, it becommeth good Christians to take all occa­sions they can of performing Christian duties; now it is a Christian dutie, and one of the chiefest, to thanke God for the worke of our saluation, for louing vs so deerely; as that hee would giue his only begotten Son to bee our Sauiour, and to expresse our thankfulnesse by some religious and reuerent gesture. Now what better occasion can there bee offered of doing this duty, then when we heare that name pronounced, which signifieth a Sauiour, and putteth vs in minde of our Saluation, as the ringing of the bell putteth vs in minde of com­ming to Church, and which is both his proper name, his royall name, and therefore to be ciuilly honoured, his diuinest name, and therefore to be religiously wor­shipped, and of all his other names the most comforta­ble to miserable mankinde? In a word all Christians are bound to honour, magnifie and blesse Gods name [Page 44]at all times, in all places, and vpon all occasions, but espe­cially and principally in the publike congregation, when we heare his principall and most maiesticall name pronounced, which is Iesus, vnder the Gospel to Chri­stians, as Iehouah was vnder the law to lewes. Lastly, to conclude this point of the English Churches Reuerence, I say that it appeareth yet more, in their religious ge­sture vsed in receiuing the holy Sacrament, which they doe not standing, as at some hunters breakfast with the French, nor sitting as an ordinary supper with the Scottish, but humbly kneeling and bowing vpon their knee as Gods humble guests, acknowledging themselues vnworthy to stand or sit downe at his Table, so long as we are in this life loaden with sin, and doe want the wedding garment, of such perfit and inherent righteousnesse as wee shall haue in the kingdome of heauen; where wee shall haue the honour to sit downe with the Lambe at Gods board: for then wee shall bee made his glorified guests, when wee shall bee fully freed from sinne, Reuel. 19.7, 8, 9. Mat. 15.22, 23 24, 25, 26, 27 & 22, 11, 12, and arraied in the white robes of inherent righteousnesse, as it is in the Reuelation. Whereas so long as wee are here vpon earth, we cannot for our life, quite cast off old Adams skinne­coate of origin all corruption, nor yet put off perfitly the rotten ragges of actuall vnrighteousnesse; which makes vs with the Cananite to creepe (as it were) vnder Christs Table, and to be content for the time of this sin­full life to gather vp the crummes. But because that our Geneuits for all that, are disposed to be as bold & homely at the Board of heauen, as they are in their owne houses, & do condemne this reuerent gesture of kneeling, there­fore I must intreat my deere Countrey-men to giue me leaue to aske them a few questions. And first, if it be not only lawfull, but also conuenient and necessary to re­ceiue the Sacrament with the greatest reuerence and hu­militie that can be, and I thinke it will not bee denied? [Page 45]Secondly, if it bee not lawfull, yea conuenient and nece­ssarie to vse some one externall gesture or other in recei­uing the Sacrament, which I take will also be graunted? Thirdly, if it be not onely lawfull, but also conuenient and almost necessarie to vse that gesture which doth most signifie and declare, and vsually accompanie the greatest humilitie and reuerence? and what other gesture can this bee but kneeling, which is more reuerent then standing, like as this is more reuerent then sitting? and therefore Saint Iohn sawe the foure and twenty Elders first sitting vpon seates, then rising and standing, Reuel. 4.4, 10. & 5.6, 7, 8, 14 and after that falling downe or kneeling before the Lambe, in imi­tation whereof, all good Christians ought to kneele be­fore the holy Lambe, when they receiue his blessed bo­dy as it were, out of his owne heauenly hands, for the spirituall foode of their soules, which do assuredly feede vpon his flesh by faith in a mysticall, spirituall, and sacra­mentall manner. Againe, I aske of our Geneuites, if it be not lawfull to thanke God in receiuing of the Sacra­ment of thanksgiuing which I thinke wil not be denied? In the next place I aske if it bee not lawfull to vse in our thanksgiuing, the gesture that the seruants of God haue alwaies vsed in their other religious thanksgiuings? and if not, why shall that gesture which is lawfull in all other religious thanksgiuings, bee vnlawfull in this? and if it be lawfull in this aswell as in all other then let them shew me what other gesture it was but kneeling? and if kneeling be the fittest gesture for the expressing of a most humble thanksgiuing, such as we should offer vnto God in this Sacrament of thanksgiuing, then why doe we not kneele with the Church of England, rather then sitte, or stand after the homely, yea vnholy and vnhumble manner of Geneua.

Sect. 18.

Fifthly, The Church of England more hea­nen-like for harmo­nie. Reuel. 5.8, 9. & 14.2, 3. & 15.2, 3, 4. & 19. the Church of England is more like the Church of God in heauen, for heauenly harmonie, then the Geneuian is; for in Gods Church in heauen, those holy and vnspotted Priests are painted out in seauen or eight places of the Reuelation, singing new songs vnto God in most melodious manner, both with voices and instru­ments, and namely with Harpes: and answerable there­unto in the English Church wee haue the harmonious consort and musicall concord of voices and instruments, especially of Organes in the praising of God with Hymnes, Psalmes and songs. The which kinde of musicall instru­ment beeing as it were animated with the melodie of Singing-mens voices, doth most of all other represent that which Saint Iohn heard in heauen, like a voyce of a great multitude, and as the voyce of many waters, and as the voyce of strong thundrings saying and singing, HALLELVIAH. Of the which my sticall musicke, I shall (God willing) deliuer many notable considerations, and most comfor­table Contemplations in our worke called Dies Domini. And there I shal prooue both by Scriptures and Fathers authoritie, and by irrefragable reasons euidencie, the lawfulnesse and commendablenesse of the musicall con­sent of voyces and instruments in the seruice of God; and that the alternatiue Church singing of the Quire, diuided into two parts, is conformable vnto the manner of the heauenly Churches musicke, as may be gathered out of the prophecie of Isay, who in his vision of the maiestie of God and his glorious Seraphims, Isay. 6.1, 2, 3, saith that one cryed to another and said, holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hostes, the whole world is full of his glory. And truley the Doctours of the Church, and other ecclesiasticall writers doe witnesse in expresse words, as shall be shewed in our said worke, that the first Christians were wont to sitte one for [Page 47]against another, as wee see they doe now adaies in the Quire, and to inuite or cohort alternatiuely or by turnes, one another to the praising of God, by singing of Psalmes. So that I cannot but wonder how our Geneui­ans can say any thing against so auncient and christian a custome, or yet against the vsing of some instruments in the singing of Psalmes, especially when as the word Psalme doth signifie either the melodie of the instru­ment or Organ alone, or else the harmonie of the instru­mentall noise and the musicall voice going together; so that indeed there cannot be a Psalme, there may well be a Song without an instruments sound, and if we haue our Psalmes originally from Ierusalem, and not from Rome, from the Prophet Dauid and not from the Pope, why may we not with the same Dauid vse in struments and organes, especially when as the Spirit of God by him exhorteth men thereunto, so often in the same Booke of the Psalmes, which wee reade and sing euery day, in our Churches? yea with such an exhortation hee shut­teth vp his Psalmes, saying, Praise ye him with Virginals and Organes. Psal. 150.4. 1. Cor. 14, 26 Ephes. 5.18, 19, 20, Coloss. 3.16. And that we might know that the praising of God vpon instruments, was not a meere lewish Ce­remonie, and to last only vntill the comming of Christ, and no longer; the Apostle Saint Paul writing to the Corinthians, sheweth that the Christians in his time, in their assemblies, were wont to sing Psalmes, that is to say, to ioyne the melodie of instruments with spirituall hymnes and songs, for somuch doth the word Psalme in Greeke signifie: and therefore the same Apostle distin­guished betweene Psalmes and Songs, both in his Epistle to the Ephesians, and in his Epistle to the Colossians, where hee exhorteth the faithfull to the melodious singing of Psalmes, Hymnes and Spirituall Songs. But if neither the example of king Dauid and the Church of Ierusalem, both in King Dauids time and Saint Iames the first Bi­shop [Page 48]thereof, nor the practise of the Primitiue Church within the first 500. yeares, can induce vs to a liking of this kinde of Church musicke and of Organs melody; yet let this mooue vs to like it, that the Pope doth dislike it, for otherwise hee would not want Organs in his chap­pel, as he doth, whereof I gather this new argument in fauour of Organs, at least for the Kings Chappell. If it be fit that our Kings Chappell, bee vnlike vnto the Popes, then is it fit that their bee Organs in our Kings Chappel, for there are none in the Popes; but the former is fit at least in the opinion of Puritaines and Precisians, which would faine, wee were vnlike the Pope in each indiffe­rent thing, and therefore the latter is fit likewise.

Sect. 19.

Sixtly, The Church of England more hea­uen-like for habite. as the English Church, is more heauenly for harmonie, and therein resembleth neerer the Church of God and Angels, then the Geneuian doth, so is shee more heauenly, for habite. The ministers of the trium­phant Church, euen those blessed spirits, that doe offer vp incessantly the sweet incense and sacrifice of praise vnto God, are said to bee suted in pure white linnen, as wee may reade in the Reuelation in some ten or eleuen places in sixe seuerall chapters, Reuel. 3.4, 5.18, & 4, 4, & 6, 11, & 7, 9, 13, 14, & 15, 6, & 19, 8, 14, Dan. 10.5, & 12.6, Ezech. 9.2.3, Mat. 28.1, 2.3 Mark. 16.5, Iohn 20, 12 besides that the Angels when euer they assumed humane shapes, alwaies appeared in white, as we may reade often, both in the old and new Testament. For this colour hath beene in all ages, and in all Churches thought the most comely, and conueni­ent to bee vsed in the doing of diuine seruice, and the most sutable to sanctitie puritie and glorie. Answera­bly whereunto in the Church of England, our Euange­licall ministers, when they doe diuine seruice, or cele­brate the Sacraments both for distinction and decencie, and likewise for a signification of puritie and sanctitie, doe put on a white linnen garment commonly called a [Page 49]Surplisse, and the Bishop beareth and weareth a white Rotchet; where as our Geneuians are all for Baals and Beelzebubs blacke, and had rather bee in habite like hell then heauen, rather like the Angels of the bottom­lesse pit, which dwell in darkenesse, and whose loath­some liuerie is blackenesse, then like the Angels of Para­dise, which dwell in brightnesse, and whose liuerie is light, and whiter then the finest and purest laune. But, white, say they, must bee abandoned, because it hath bin abused in Poperie; and by the like reason, blacke should be forborne because Baals priests haue abused it to ido­latrie, and had the name of Chemarims, 2. King. 23.5, Hos. 10.5. because they wore blacke garments, or Goneuagownes in their ministra­tion, witnesse the very Geneua note it selfe vpon the place marked in the margine. But it is a thing resolued amongst all the iudicious and wise, that the abuse of a thing, doth not take away the right vse thereof, and that the children of the Church are not tied to bee vn­like vnto the very enemies of it, Reuel. 13.11. and idolaters in euery thing. For wee may reade in the Reuelation, how that Christ and Antichrist are to resemble one another in some things; for the Beast is said to haue two hornes like vnto the Lambe. 2. Cor. 11.13 14, 15. Mat. 7 15, &. 10, 16. And S. Paul vnto the Corinthians tel­leth vs that Sathan will be like vnto the Angels of light in some things, and his false Apostles and Ministers, will be like vnto the Apostles and Ministers of Christ: and in the Gospell of S. Matthew, the Apostles and Ministers of Christ are likened to sheepe, and the very false Pro­phets will bee like them in somethings, for they come in sheepes cloathing. So that both Gospell and Epistle besides prophesie, may teach the Ministers of Christ, not to forsake their owne liuerie, which is white, wher­in they resemble God and his Angels, and the blessed spirits, because that others perhaps doe abuse it; yea ra­ther because that some doe so, the Ministers of Christ [Page 50]ought to vse it still, to the end that by their example such as doe abuse it, may be brought to vse it aright, and so should we doe in other ceremonies of the like nature.

Sect. 20.

Seuenthly, The Church of England more hea­uen-like for locall decencie Churchim­plements conuenien­cie, church­seruice so­lemnity & sacramentall ceremony. Reuelat. 3.12 & 7.15, & 11 1, 2, 19, & 14, 15, 17, & 15, 5, 6, 8, & 16, 1, 7, 17, & 21, Psal. 45, 13, 14 Isay 60, 13, 17. Reuel. 4.1. 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, & 5, 1, 6, 7, 11 13. the Church of England is liker the Church that is in heauen then the Geneuian is, in locall decencie, Church-implements conueniencie, in Church-seruice solemnitie, and in sacramentall ceremonie. And this is true, whether we looke vnto the costlinesse and comelinesse of the Churches of England, which are much liker that stately Temple and glorious golden citie new Ierusalem de­scribed in the Reuelation, then are the base contemptible buildings after the Geneuian forme. For wee must re­member how that though the Church bee all glorious within, yet all her glorie is not within, but a good part of it is without, or to be seene and discerned by the eye, as the royall Prophet teacheth, and the Euangelicall Prophet testifieth, foretelling that God was to haue his house and the place of his feete amongst Christians, to be glorious both for matter and manner, structure and furniture. Or whether we looke more particularly vnto the splendour and magnificence of the Kings Chappel, much like vnto that stately Throne which blessed S. Iohn saw, set in heauen for the almightie King to sit on, or yet of the Cathedrall Churches, the Seas of the reuerend Bishops, much like vnto those foure and twentie seates round about the throne, whereon the foure and twentie Princely and Priestly Elders doe sit: or whether wee looke vnto the conueniencie of the seates of the Quire in each Cathedrall Church, appointed for the holy singing men to sit in; who like vnto those holy Elders, and the yonger Quiristers, againe, like vnto those Harping Ʋir­gines, which follow the Lambe, and doe sing most sweetly before the throne and the Elders, both ioyning their me­lodious [Page 51]voices together make a sweete consort, and send forth Psalmes and Songs of praise vnto him that sitteth vpon the throne, and vnto the Lambe, to bee lauded for euermore. And as the hearts of these our singing Elders, and Virgin-yongers, are like those Harpes of God, which Saint Iohn saw in the hands of the Elders and yongers in heauen; so the holy, heauenly and harmonious anthemes and accents of these Harpes or Hearts, beeing strung and tuned by Gods owne finger, conioyned with the musi­call and artificial thunder of our Church-organes, do most resemble the heauenly harmonie which Saint Iohn heard as the sound of many waters, and as the sound of strong thun­derings, and as the voice of harpes, harping with their harpes, and singing and saying, HALLELVIAH; the which kinde of harmonie such Geneuian eares as can not en­dure heere on earth, had best to stay still about the brinkes of the Lemannian lake, and hold as farre from heauen, as they possibly can: for what a gods name should they doe in heauen, except they loued heauens harmonie, euen our Churches musicall melodie, better then they doe? And as our comely Churches doe re­semble the corners, courts and chambers of the stately Temple, that Saint Iohn saw opened in heauen, our Kings Chappel, the heauenly Kings throne, our Cathedrall Chur­ches, those Princely and Priestly Elders seates, our harmo­nious Organes, those heauenly harpes which Saint Iohn saw in the hands of those skilfull Quiristers some like olde men, and some like yong boyes, and so well resem­bled by ours, and as our Quiristers Psalmes and Songs, doe resemble their new songs, Reuelat. 8. &, 9. &, 10, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and as they are most like one an­other in their white habites, & heauenly HALLELVIAHS, so doe our Church-belles and chimes resemble those An­gelicall trumpets and thunders seauen in number, which blessed Saint Iohn heard, our Church-Bible answereth to that great sealed Booke, our Seruice and Psalme-booke to [Page 52]that little opened booke, our Euangelicall Priests reading of the Bible to the Lambes reading, and vnsealing of that sea­led Booke, Reuela. 1.2.8 9, 11, & 14, 1 6.7, & 21, 14, & 22, 1, 3, our Church angelspreaching of the Gospel, to the Preaching of Angels which Saint Iohn heard, the Pul­pit answereth to Mount Sion, whereon he saw the Lambe standing, or rather to that Tree of life, bearing twelue manner of fruites; for from thence the word of life is de­linered by the learned and reuerend Bishops, as it were from the mouth of the Lambes, twelue Apostles, twelue times in the yeare, the first Lords day of euery moneth. To be briefe our Church-font with Holy-water for the ce­lebration of Baptisme, doth answer vnto that glassie Sea or riuer of water of life cleere as christall proceeding out of the throne of God, & of the Lamb, our Euangelical Priests Crosse-siguing the baptized on the fore-head, and our An­gelicall Bishops sealing and confirming of the Virgin ser­uants of our God (which by Baptisme had beene bathed and washed, Reuela. 4.6. & 6.9, &. 7, 2, 3.4, & 14, 1, 2, 3, 4. and so made fit to follow the Lambe) doe answer vnto the Angels signing and sealing of the Seruants of God on the fore-head; our Sacrament all holy bread of life, answereth to that hidden Manna of heauen, promised to him that ouercommeth; our Lords supper to the Lambes supper; Reuela. 2.17. & 6.9, & 8, 3, 4, 5, & 19, 13 & 11, 1, 19, & 19, 9. our Church golden and siluer Basons and Cuppes for the ministration of the holy Sacrament, to the Angels golden Censer; and our Church, Table for the ministration and celebration of the same Sacrament, an­swereth vnto the Golden Altar which Saint Iohn sawe before Gods throne. And who can say otherwise but that a Font and a Church-Table are two implements or instruments, as requisite to be in enery Church for the ministration of the Sacraments, as a Pulpit is requisite for the delinerie of Sermons, and for the reading and prea­ching of the word. And thus haue I made it apparent, to all such as haue but common sense and vnderstanding, that the Church of England is much and many degrees [Page 53]liker then the Geneuian, to the Church that Saint Iohn saw in heauen: so that as many of vs as doe loue heauen, cannot but exceedingly like the forme of the English Church, and better then that of Geneua: and wee may well say it, that the forme of the Church of England, and not that of Geneua, was reuealed and represented to our diuine Prophet. For the Reuelation containeth a pro­pheticall representation of the Church of Christ, and of the forme and constitution thereof, such as it was to bee after our Sauiours ascension in the two times of perse­cution and peace, vntill his last comming to iudgement, to confound his foes, and to glorifie his friends and elect children; as I doe shew more particularly in another worke in Latine, entreating of the persecution and peace of the militant Church, according to the holy prophe­sies of Daniel and Saint Iohn, a booke that I began at the age of nineteene yeares: wherein all the opinions of an­cient and moderne writers, and euen of the learned of both Religions, touching the authors, instruments, du­ration, beginning, manner and ending of the persecuti­on or troubles, and of the tranquillity and peace of the Church are propounded and compared together, with their reasons and arguments debated, and many errours refuted. Now because I haue said in this Section, that the Church of England is liker to the Church of God in heauen (in the matter of sacramentall or symbolicall ceremony) then the Geneuian is, and haue giuen an in­stance thereof in their Signing of Christs new-borne babes on the fore-head with the signe of the Crosse in Baptisme, Ezech. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Reuelat. 7.1, 2 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. like as the Angels in heauen are said in Ezekiel to signe them that sorrow and mourne, vpon the fore thead with the Crosse-like letter Thau, and in the Reuelation of Saint Iohn, to signe the fore-heads of Gods seruants with the seale of God. I haue thought good to insist a little longer vpon the matter of this ceremony, and to prooue [Page 54]the lawfull, commendable, and Christian vse of it, by ma­ny arguments, and euen some new ones of our owne me­ditation. Our first argument is thus: both the Prophet, Ezekiel in the old Testament, and the Prophet S. Iohn in the new, haue prophesied of the conuersion of the Iewes to the faith of Christ, by the Angels signing of them in the fore-head, as the letter of the word doth beare in both places, the which the auncient Doctours of the Church haue vnderstood of the Signe of the Crosse to be receiued at the hands of the Church in their Baptisme; as no diuine that euer read the Fathers, dare deny: whereby they shall professe that they are no more ashamed of his Crosse, or scandalized at the ignominie of it as their fore­fathers had beene, 1. Cor. 1.23. to whom it prooued a stumbling block, (as the Apostle speaketh) but that they glorie in it, and beleeue to be made blessed by it, euen to bee saued by Christs suffering on that same Crosse, which their fore­fathers had once set vp to slay and destroy him by. Wher­fore if our Geneuians would haue the Iewes to bee con­uerted to their Church, they must needes receiue from England, or rather from the primitiue Church, the sacred signe of the crosse, that they may haue it to christen the Iewes with; otherwise they will not goe to Geneua for Christendome, nor to Scotland neither, nor to any refor­med Church of their fashion. Secondly, in all reason and common sense, it is conuenient that the Iewes beeing conuerted, should declare by some sensible signe, that they are no more ashamed of Chrisls crosse, but well ashamed of their owne cursed course in crucifying him, that came to cure them; and though there were not any mention at all made in holy Scripture, of their signing or sealing in the foreshead (as there is most expressely) yet should it bee lawfull for them to declare by some exter­nall gesture or act, aswell as by words of mouth, their Christian disposition of this kinde. Thirdly, as it ten­deth [Page 55]much to the glory of God, in that he can bring light out of darkenesse, life out of death, saluation out of destruction, nobilitie and fame out of ignominy and shame, and honour, out of dishonour, so it tendeth to the edification of the Church, that this admirable working of our most glorious and wise God, bee declared and made as notorious as it can be, with all conueniencie, both by words of profession and gestures of significati­on; and consequently it tendeth to the edification of the Church, that the Iewes should declare by the signe of the crosse, that they doe acknowledge God to haue drawen admirably blessing and honour, out of the di­shonour and curse of the crosse, and saluation out of de­struction. It is a most Christian confession for Iew or Gentile, especially the Iew, to confesse and acknow­ledge, that the Crosse which they once set vp with their hands in dishonour of Christ, yea more for an instru­ment of his destruction, Almightie God hath made it the in strument of their highest honour, and happiest condi­tion, euen of their saluation; and therefore the outward expression of this confession by a gesture, Mat. 28, 18, 19 externall act or signe of the hands, must needs be Christian and com­mendable. Fourthly, our Sauiour Christ commanding to teach and baptize both Iewes and Gentiles, comman­deth questionlesse to expresse and declare the nature and vse of Baptisme, and consequently commandeth to vse the signe of the crosse, for this ceremonie serueth to de­clare the nature and vse of this Sacrament, in that there­by wee are baptized into the death of Christ vpon the crosse, and that our olde man is crucified with him, and euen nailed to his crosse, as the Apostle speaketh saying, Rom. 6.4, 5, 6 7, 8, Philip. 2.8, Coloss. 2.12, Galat. 2, 19, & 5, 24. Know ye not that all we which haue bin baptized into Iesus Christ, haue beene baptized into his death? we are buri­ed then with him by Baptisme, into his death, that like as Christ was raised vp from the dead by the glory of the father, so wee [Page 56]also should walke in newnesse of life, For if wee be planted with him to the similitude of his death, euen so shall wee bee to the simi-litude of his resurrection, knowing this that our olde man is crucified with him, that the body of sinne might bee destroyed. Whereby wee are taught that in Baptisme their must bee a three-folde similitude or representati­on, to wit of Christs dying, burying and rising bodily and of our dying, burying and rising spiritually with him. Now I aske what similitude there is in Baptisme of Christs ig­nominous death vpon the crosse, or of his bodily crucify­ing, and of the spirituall crucifying of our old man with him, setting aside the signe of the crosse? The sprinkling on of the water doth represent only a shedding of his blood, but not necessarily a shedding of it vntill death, for Christ might haue shed his blood without dying. And as for the immersion or dipping of the baptized body into the water, it doth represent his burying directly, like as the emersion or rising of the body out of the water, repre­senteth his rising out of the graue, but it doth not direct­ly represent his dying: and though it doth by way of consequence represent his death, in respect that ordina­rily none are buried but the dead, yet it doth not for all that set before our eyes the kinde of his death, nor yet the accursed and ignominious manner thereof, which are two circumstances of especiall moment and consi­deration. For our Sauiours death, was not a natural death; for he died not in his bed (as we say) and so was buried, but the death that hee died was a violent death and wrought by the hand of man. Neither was it an easie or an honest violent death, but the most painefull and shamefull of all other, and euen an accursed death, as both in the law, and in the Epistle of the Gospell wee are taught: all which circumstances are represented and set before our eyes only by this ceremonie of the signe of the crosse. Deut. 2.23. Gal. 3.13. Fifthly, if it be lawfull for a Minister to expresse [Page 57]the mysteries and meaning of the Scripture of God by a Sermon, as euery one will grant that it is; then shall it bee as lawfull to expresse the mysteries of Gods Sacrament by a ceremonie: for there is the like reason, for the one and for the other. For seeing the Sacrament of God, aswell as the word of God hath something to bee explicated and declared, and that the best explication and declaration is made by things of the like nature, it followeth that as the audible word is explicated and declared by a ser­mon and by words to the eare, so the visible Sacrament be­ing a ceremonie, is to be explicated and declared by a ceremonie to the eye, such as is the signe of the crosse: hee that addeth vnto word or Sacrament for perfection is a blasphemer and a deceiuer, but hee that addeth vnto word or Sacrament, either other words and rites for expla­nation and declaration is a true Doctor. Sixtly, by this signe the Church doth confesse her owne miserie and wretchednesse, in that wee did euen crucifie Christ with our sinful hands by our sinnes, as much as the Iewes did that set vp the crosse with their vnhallowed hands; this confession is lawfull and good, and therefore the decla­ration of it by a sensible signe, can not be vnlawfvll or euill. Seauenthly, Galat. 3.13. Ephes. 2.14.15, 16, 17, by this signe the Church confesseth her faith in Christ crucified, that hee hath redeemed vs from the curse of the law by the curse of his crosse, and re­conciled vs vnto God by the blessed peace of his crosse, as the Apostle speaketh; this confession is Christian, and therefore the declaration thereof by a sensible signe, externall act or gesture of the bodie cannot bee Antichristian, as our Geneuians would haue vs to beleeue. Eightly, by this signe the Church decla­clareth her Christian disposition and resolution, of figh­ting vnder the banner of Christ against sinne and Sa­than, and of suffering persecution for the crosse of Christ (as the Apostle speaketh) shee declareth her Christian en­deauour [Page 58]in crucifying the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof, Galat. 5.24, & 6, 12, 14, and testifieth her faithfull affection, in not being ashamed of the crosse of Christ, but that shee glorieth and reioyceth in it, according to that of the Apostle. God forbid that I should reioyce, Mat. 26.39. Mark 14.35. Act. 7.60. & 9.40. &. 20.36. Ephes. 3.14. Luk. 18.13. Mat. 14.19. Ioh. 11.41. & 17.1. 1. Tim. 2.8. 1. Cor. 11.4.but in the crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ, whereby the world is crucified vnto mee, and I vnto the world. This disposition, resolution, endeuour and affection, is most commendable and Christian [...], and therefore the testification, declaration or notification thereof, must needs be so likewise. For if it be lawfull and laudable for the Church to declare the inward humilitie of the heart, by the outward bowing of the body or knees; and the casting downe of the eyes, the inward sorrow of the soule for sinne, by an externall beating of the breast; the in­ward confidence or affiance in God, in expecting at his hands, euery good thing, by the visible lifting vp of the hands and eyes vnto heauen; and finally the internall re­uerence of the heart, by an externall bare head: why may not the same Church aswell declare the inward reioycing and glorying of the heart in the crosse of Christ, by such a sensible signe made with the hands, especially it being made with the hands of the Minister, who is the likest to vse it aright, and the best able to free it from abuse? Ninethly the Church may and ought to vse that outward act, which the Spirit of God himselfe doth designe, Eze. 9.4, 5, 6. Reuel. 7.1, 2, 3 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. for the expressing of his owne inward action; but the Spirit of God doth designe the outward act of signing, for the ex­pressing of his owne inward action of spirituall sealing; as both Ezekiel in the olde Testament, and Saint Iohn in the new doe witnesse: and therefore the Church may and ought to vse the same outward act of signing. Tenthly the Church is bound to declare and notifie the grace of Gods Spirit, working in men, and euen to make men as sensible of the workes of Gods Spirit in them, as they can conueniently: now it is one of the workes of Gods [Page 59]Spirit, and a chiefe worke too, to seale men in their soules inwardly, and to stampe them as it were with the print of his Image, vnto the day of redemption, 2. Cor. 1.22. & 5.5. Ephes. 1.13. & 4.30. (as the Apo­stle speaketh) and therefore for the Church to make men sensible of this internall and mysticall sealing of Gods Spirit, by the meanes of such a conuenient and decent sensible signe, as that of the Crosse (though there were no particular mention at all made in the whole Scripture, of any such externall gesture or act of signing on the fore-head) must needes be lawful and commenda­ble. Eleuenthly, by this Signe the Church putteth her children in minde of their owne miserie, and of Gods mercy, of Christs loue towards them, and of their duty and affection towards him, for his vnspeakeable loue, and therefore it tendeth to edification. Twelfthly this ceremonie was receiued and practised of the primitiue Church, neither is there any ecclesiasticall writer or Fa­ther, Greeke or Latine, but maketh honourable menti­on of it, as we shall shew particularly in our Commenta­ries of the persecution and peace of the Church; and therefore we ought to vse it now, if it were no more but to shew our conformitie with the primitiue Church: for the daughter ought to follow the footesteps of her mother in all lawfull and commendable actions, and ought not to depart from her, otherwise shee shall both dishonour her mother, and discredit her selfe. And que­stionlesse, the want of this primitiue ceremonie and others the like in some reformed Churches, hath brought a most dangerous discredite vpon the reforma­tion, and made it obnoxious vnto the suspition and odi­ous imputation of the same noueltie, in the very sub­stance, which it carrieth amongst them in the out side & circumstance. And therfore those venerable Bishops that reformed the Church of England, considering wisely with themselues, how that men are so apt to cen­sure [Page 60]of the inside by the outside, especially in Church mat­ters, and to iudge of doctrine and pietie, by the externall discipline and ceremonie, retained stil the primitiue dis­cipline and auncient ceremonies of that Church, but banished the abuses. And would to God the Church of Geneua had done the like; for so our common aduersaries should not haue had so good and iust cause as they haue, to hit them in the teeth with their noueltie, as though their Church had newly crept or leapt out of the Leman nian lake, or had beene conceiued of Caluin and borne of Beza. Thirtenthly and lastly, the enemies of the signe of the crosse, can not bring so much as one good au­thoritie or probable argument for their opinion: not the letter of the Scripture; for they see that the letter fauou­reth it both in the olde Testament and new; not the sense of the Scripture, as it hath beene deliuered by the fathers of the Church, for they know, that they are all for it, and as for reasons deriued from the light of nature, or Scripture, from Theologie or Philosophie, Diuinitie or humanitie, they can bring none, worth the hearing, (for I haue read diligently their bookes and was once a Puritane my selfe) except it bee this one, The Church of Rome hath abused the signe of the crosse, and therefore the reformed Church ought to forbeare it, least wee should seeme to fauour or follow their abuses. But I wonder but they should remember better that olde maxime, abusus non tollit vsum, some folkes abusing of a thing, doth not hinder or let, but that others may vse it aright. And doe they not thinke that the Church of Rome, doth abuse praying and preaching, and Chur­ches, and pulpits, and kneeling, and Godfathers and Godmothers aswell as crossing, and yet we doe not for­beare these things, because of their abuse; neither is there any reason why we should doe so, but rather great rea­son to the contrary. The Church of Rome doth abuse [Page 61]ceremonies; & therfore the reformed Church ought to vse them aright, to the end that in so doing shee may both show her selfe like and conforme vnto her Mother the Primitiue Church, and by her good example doe what shee can, out of Christian charity to reforme and amend her straying sister the deformed Romish Church. And so I end this my plaine disputation for the signe of the crosse in Baptisme, beseeching my countrymen to take it in good part, euen for his sake that suffered vpon the Crosse. The Church of England more hea­uen like for honour of the Mi­nistery.

Sect. 21.

Eightly the Church of England is liker then the Ge­neuian, to the heauenly Church in the dignitie and ho­nourable estate of the Ministerie. In heauen Gods Mini­sters are honoured with the holiest stile of Priests, and with the highest stile of Princes; for as vnder the highest of Priests, they are Priests, so vnder the highest of Princes they are Princes. And therefore we reade in the Reuela­tion how that blessed Saint Iohn calleth the Bishops of the seauen Churches by the honourable stiles of Kings and Angels, Reuel a. 1.4, 5 6, & 2. & 3. &. 5.3, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, & 7, 10, 12, & 8, 3.4. and the foure and twentie Elders doe magnifie the Lambe for making them vnto God Kings and Priests, to raigne or rule vpon the earth. Answerably whereunto in the Church of England, the reuerend Fathers of the Church are graced by the Soueraigne Prince, representing the Lambe and the Lyon of the tribe of Iudah, with the ho­nourable title and dignitie of Lords and Barons. And good reason surely, seeing that the Gouernours of the Church vnder the Gospell, are to be rather more then lesse honoured, then were the Gouernours of the Church vnder the law, in so farre as the Ministerie of the Gospell is much more honourable and glorious then that of the law, 2. Cor. 3.7, 8, 9, 10, 11. as the Apostle expressely auou­cheth. And that the Ministers and Gouernours of the Church vnder the olde Testament were called [Page 62]by honourable titles it may appeare in that Moses a pro­phet, Exod. 3. & 4, 16, & 18, 1. Sam. 1.3.9, 15, & 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, Deut. 17, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 2. Chron. 17, 7, & 19, 8, 9.10, 11, Ezech. 44, 24, 1. Sam. 1.9.14, 15, 16, 17 18, 26, & 4, 18 1. King. 17, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20.21, 22, 23, 24, & 18, 3, 4, 7, 9, 12, 13, 2. King. 1.13, 14, & 4, 1, 2, 16, 27, 28, 37, & 5, 15, 16, 17, 18, & 8, 9, 12, Act. 10.25, & 16.24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, Gen 40.8, & 41, 14, 15, 16, 25, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, Dan. 2.28, 29 30, 36, 48, 49 & 5, 29, & 6, 1 2, 3. Psal. 45.9, 13, 16, was likewise a Prince, Eli and Samuel Priests, were Princes and Iudges, and the Priests iudged of some ciuill causes, together with the other temporall Iudges. The chiefe Priests which taught the people of Iuda, are called Princes, whom King Iehesophat had appointed to be Iud­ges vnder him, both in ecclessiastical and temporal cau­ses, as betweene blood and blood, betweene law and precept, statutes and iudgements. Anna, called Eli the the chiefe Priest her Lord, the widdow of Zarepta, the widdow of Bethel, the Shunamite Gentlewoman, Obadiah King Achabs steward, the good Captaine sent by King Ahaziah, Naeamen the King of Syrta his Generall, Hazael one of the Princes of Benhadad King of Aram, did all of them honour the chiefe Prophets of God, Eliah and Elisha, with the stile of Lords, and bowed before them. And so did Cornelius the Captaine, and likewise the Iay­lor, to the blessed Apostles, Peter and Paul; to passe ouer, that Ioseph a Patriarke and a Prophet of the Church, was likewise a chiefe Prince vnder the King of Egypt, euen the next vnto the King, Daniel another chiefe Pro­phet of the Church, was likewise a Prince, and the next person to the King of Babel Nebuchadnezzar, and his three fellowes, Shadrach, Messach, and Abednego, were made Gouernours ouer the Prouinces of Babel, and the same Prophet Daniel, was by King Belshazzar made the third Ruler in the kingdome, and by King Darius, the first and chiefe Ruler ouer the whole kingdome. And the Prophet Dauid prophecying of the splendour and dignitie of the Fathers of the Church, vnder the Gospel, vseth these words, In stead of thy Fathers, shall thy Children be, thou shalt make them Princes through all the earth; mea­ning that of the Children of the Church, there should be chosen such as should bee Fathers and Rulers of the Church, as Arch-Bishops, and Bishops, which should bee [Page 63]honoured throughout the whole Christian world, as Lords and Princes. For the holy Prophet, as hee descri­beth typically Christ, as the King of the Catholike Church, and none but he to be King; and the Church as the Queene and Spouse of this King, so doth be signifie vnto vs, that the Princes of this King and kingdome, are the Rulers and Gouernours of the Church aboue na­med, which of the Children of the Church should bee made Fathers of the Church, and should be honoured as Princes, as hath binsaid. And this prophesie is most cleer­ly accōplished and verified in the Church of England, not of Geneua, nor any Geneuian; vnto whose Ministers God hath not graunted so much honour, as they who haue vnhappily dishonoured and debased themselues, in brin­ging in their Lay-elders to bee Church gouernours, in stead of the Bishops. I say they haue debased themselues most ridiculously, because that they haue submitted themselues, who should be as Fathers and Schoolema­sters, vnto their owne children and Schollers: for by those Lay-elders they are elected, they are iudged and censured, in matters both of life and doctrine, they are suspended or remooued from their ministerie: and yet they are but meere Lay-men, generally voide of learning, as being for the most part tradesmen and artificers, and some coun­try gentlemen. So that there is as great disorder in the Geneuian Church, and as grosse absurditie as if the chil­dren should command their Fathers in the house, or the Schollers correct their Masters in the Schoole, or as if the Sheepe should pull the pastorall crooke out of their Sheepheards hand. And though that our Geneuians do deriue their Lay-elders and Eldership, from the Synedrie of the Iewes, (for I graunt them with all my heart, that the chiefe perfections of the Iewish Church, ought to bee found in the Christian Church, which thing if they vnderstood well, they should see their grosse errours) [Page 64]yet I must tel them that they haue nothing like but the name. For first the Iewish Elders were inferiour magi­strates ordained primarily by the Soueraigne and chie­fest magistrate Moses to assist him in matters of Iudge­mēt; Numbers. 11.16, 17, Ezr. 10.8, Luk. 22.66, Act. 5.27. wheras the Geneuiā are not Iudges or any such pub­like persons, appointed by the Prince, but priuate per­sons picked out of the Parish by the Preacher, and some other with him. Secondly, the Iewish Elders iudged and censured the Laitie, and therefore were called the Elders of the people, wheras the Geneuiā presume to censure & correct their Clergie. Thirdly and lastly the Iewish El­ders concurred with the Princes of the Priests as their assistants or officers in matters of iudgement and debate, but the Geneuian haue no Princes of Priests, Deut. 17.8.9.10.11, 12,2. Chron. 19, 8, 9, 10.11, Ezech. 44.4. or Prince-Church gouernours, as Primates, Archbishops or Bishops, to giue assistance vnto: whereby it doth appeare that the Iudges and Iustices of Peace in England, are like those Elders of the Iewes, especially the Iudges of Eccle­siasticall courts called by the names of Chancellour, Com­missary, Deane of the Arches, Officiall and the like, and in no wise the Elders after the Geneuian forme. More­ouer as the Ministers of the heauenly Church are called Priests, so are the Ministers of the Church of England honoured, Reuel. 4.8, 9, 10.11, & 5, 8 & 7, 10, 12, & 8, 3, 4, Heb. 13.15. Hos. 14.3, with the same holy title and stile. Those An­gelicall Priests doe offer vp vnto God the spirituall sacri­fice of prayer and praise; and answerably thereunto our English Euangelicall Priests offer vnto God, the like spi­rituall sacrifice, as the Apostle prescribeth saying, Let vs therefore by him offer the sacrifice of praise, alwaies to God, that is, the fruite of the lippes which confesse his name. Publike prayer and praise is a sacrifice: and therfore, the Minister that offereth it is a Priest, neither could he blesse pub­likely the people, except hee were a Priest (for Church-benediction is a part of the Priests function) nor yet Mi­nister any of the two Sacraments, in both which there [Page 65]is a spirituall sacrifice; for by Baptisme our bodies and soules are offered vnto God by the hand of his Priest, Rom. 12.1. Mat. 26.27.28, 29, 30. &. 28, 19, Ioh. 6.32, 33 41, 51, Reue l. 2, 17, a reasonable and liuing sacrifice, and in the Eucharist or Sacrament of the Lords Supper, he offereth vnto God in our name the spirituall sacrifice of thankesgiuing, for giuing the substance of his blessed body, both corporal­ly for vs, a bloodie sacrifice vpon the crosse, and spiritual­ly vnto vs in the Sacrament of bread & wine, and euen for feeding of vs in a my sticall and supernaturall manner with his flesh, which is that hidden Manna of heauen, Reuel. 1.4, 5, 6, & 5.10, Heb. 7.15, 17, 21, 24, 26, 28, & 8, 1, 2, 3. promised in the Reuelation to those that ouercome. To bee briefe, the blessed Apostle Saint Iohn writing vnto the Angels or Bishops of the seauen Churches of Asia, calleth them Priests, like as the foure and twentie Elders in heauen, doe call themselues Priests; and Iesus Christ himselfe is called a Priest, yea more, an high or chiefe Priest, and consequently must haue inferiour Priests vn­der him. And such are the Ministers of the Gospell in England; the which stile whilest our Genenians cannot endure, no more then the white Surplisse, and the artifi­ciall singing; I wonder what they meane to do in heauen, where Saint Iohn saw so many Priests, so many white habits, and heard such harmonie and musicall melodie. Now the honourable titles that God hath vouchsafed his Mini­sters, doe show that it is his will, Deut. 10, 9, & 12, 19, & 24, 23, 25, Numb. 18.12 13, 17, 18, 19 20, 21, 2, 23 24, 1. Cor. 9.7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, Heb. 10. 1. Tim. 5.17, 18, they should haue a more honourable maintenance, then Geneua doth allow them in their beggarly contributions. The Priests and Mini­sters of the Gospell, haue succeeded into the roome of the legall Priests and Ministers of the Tabernacle, and therefore they haue succeeded to their maintenance, and so much the more because these serue him in a more excellent manner then the other did. And if hee would not haue his Ministers to begge vnder the law, or yet to depend vpon popular beneuolences, shall wee thinke that hee would haue his Ministers vnder the [Page 66]Gospell, to be subiect to such a beggarly condition? Eue­ry prouident & wise master prouideth for his houshold and seruants; Leuit. 27.30, 31, 32. Deut. 12.17, 18, 19, & 14, 22, 23, 27, 29 & 26, Numb. 18. Nehem. 10.35, 36, 37, 38 39. Iosh. 13.14, 33. 2. Chron. 31.4, 5, 6, 7, 8, Ezech. 44, 28 29, 30, 2. Tim. 2.6. Luk. 10.2.7. 1. Tim. 5.18. Mat. 9.37, 38. wherefore it followeth, that God, who is the most prouident and wise Master of all other, hath prouided for the maintenance of his houshold seruants, and we know none other, but first fruites and tithes: all labourers haue certaine standing wages, the Ministers of the Gospell are Gods labourers, therefore they ought to haue their standing wages likewise, and wee read of none other, except first fruites and tithes. And therefore we see how our Sauiour forbiddeth his Apostles to goe from house to house, telling them that the workeman is worthy of his hire. And truly if hee would not haue his Apostles to goe from house to house, euen in that time when tithes were withholden from them by the Iewish clergie; shall we thinke that now when the Iewish clergie is abolished, he would haue his Ministers of the Gospell to goe from house to house, or yet to send from house to house, to begge the peoples beneuolences? Those that withheld from Christs Apostles and Mini­sters, the duty of first fruites and tithes, were such as perse­cuted both them and Christ, and crucified him in the end; Deut. 10, 9, & 12, 19, & 14, 23.29, 2. Chron. 31.4. Prouerb. 3.9, 10. and such God spoiling Gospellers, as doe now adaies withhold the Church-rents from Churchmen, what doe they else but persecute Gods Ministers, and crucifie Christ daily in his members? The ends of paying first fruites and tithes vnto Gods Priests are perpetuall, to wit, that the Ministers of God may bee maintained, and not forsaken, but more and more encouraged in the ser­uice of God, that God may be honoured with our riches, and acknowledged to bee our great Land-lord and good Lord, that we may learne to feare the Lord, and that hee may blesse vs in all the workes of our hands, that so our store may be increased, and our barnes filled with abun­dance: are not Christians Gods tenants, farmers and [Page 67]vassals as well as were the Iewes? and doe we not hold all that we haue of God as well as they? and are we not bound to pay our annuall rents vnto God as duly and truly as they? and what reason haue Christians to for­sake their Ministers more then the Iewes had? and doe not the one deserue aswell to bee liberally maintained and encouraged in their worke as the other? and haue not Christians as great cause to learne to feare God, as the Iewes had? finally doe not Christians desire as earnestly as the Iewes did, to be blessed in the workes of their hands, and in the encrease of their store? wherefore it followeth necessarily that we Christians must pay our Tithes as truly and duly as did the Iewes. 1. Tim. 5 17, 18. 1. Cor. 9.7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. And therefore the blessed Apostle, as he commendeth vnto Christians the honourable and liberall maintenance of the Mini­nistery, right diligently, writing to the Corinthians, and euen prooueth by the law of Moses, the right that the Ministers of the Gospell, haue vnto our carnall things and euen vnto such carnall things as both Moses doth prescribe in his Law, and the Apostle himselfe doth men­tion, entreating of this matter, comprehending them vnder these two kinds, the fruits of the field, and the flockes of the fold; so writing to the Galathians, he enioy­neth in expresse words, Heb 13.7, Galat. 6.6, euery one that is taught in the word, to make him that hath taught him, partaker of all his goods. The people must giue a part of their goods vnto their Pastours, as the Apostle prescribeth, and all doe acknowledge to be reasonable, now this part must either be equall vnto the Leuiticall part, or greater then it, or else smaller. To giue them a smaller, were a most vnreasonable indiscretion, and a more then beastly in­gratitude, and if they will not, nor cannot bestow a grea­ter, such as indeed it ought to be, 2 Cor. 3.6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. (for looke how farre the ministerie of the Gospell is more excellent then that of the law, so much the more ample and liberall ought [Page 68]to be the maintenance of the Ministers of the Gospell, then was that of the Ministers of the Tabernacle) yet at least for shame, they must giue an equall portion with that of the legall Priests. Lastly to shut vp this our reaso­ning for the perpetuitie of tithes & for the honourable maintenance of Christs seruants (for hereof wee haue written more amply in a worke published some fewe yeares agoe called the Golden art or the right way of En­riching dedicated to the two most famous and royall Ci­ties of these two kingdoms) I say that the holy Scripture setteth downe the paying of these yearely Church-rents amongst morall duties, and accounteth of Sacriledge, not as if it were the transgression of a ceremoniall ordi­nance, but euen the violation of a morall law. Will a man spoyle his Gods, (saith the Lord God by his Prophet Ma­lachie) yet ye haue spoyled me in tithes and in offerings.Malacha. 3, 8. Prouerb. 3.9, 10, & 20.25,Honour the Lord (saith Solomon) with thy riches, and with the first, fruites of all thine encrease, so shall thy barnes bee filled with a­bundance, and thy presse shall burst with new wine. But it is a destruction for a man to deuoure that which is sanctified: mea­ning that the man who will not honour God with first fruites and tithes, but doth deuour the holy things, and committeth sacriledge, bringeth destruction vpon him­selfe, his soule, his body, his goods, and his house. Thon that saiest a man should not commite adulterie, Rom. 2.22,breakest thou wedlocke? (saith the Apostle) and thou that abhorrest Idols doest thou committ sacriledge? as if he should say, thou that detestest the honouring of a false God wilt thou neuer­thelesse spoile and dishonour the true God; whereby wee are giuen to vnderstand, that sacriledge is not only a transgression of the morall law, but that it is euen a double sinne, compounded of robbery and Idolatry, and consequently a more detestable and abbominable euill then Idolatry it selfe. For the Idolater with his heart, his bodie and substance, yea sometimes with the [Page 69]blood of his deerest children honoreth a false God, Leuit. 18.21. &. 20.2. 2. King. 23.10. & 16.3. & 17.17. Ierem. 7.31 yet thinking that it is the true God indeede he doth thus worship; whereas the sacrilegious God-spoyler robbeth the true God of his owne. The Idolater is careful to wor­ship some God, but the God-spoyler careth for no God at all; a false god he doth not know, and it is well; and the true God he will not acknowledge, which is a worse part then the others blind worshipping of a false god. For the Idolater being misled with an erroneous opinion, maketh and taketh that to be God which is not God, for ignorantly of an Idol he maketh God; whereas the sacrilegious God-spoyler malitiously euen wittingly and willingly of the true God maketh no God at all but a meere Idol: otherwise he durst not be so bold as to rob him of his right, for it is an infallible maxime, that a man will neuer robbe or spoyle him whom he loueth hono­reth or feareth.

O how vgly then is the sinne of sacriledge that beareth neuerthelesse such a sway in this Ile, but especially in the North! O how horrible an iniquitie is it for men of might to pull out of Gods mouth the diet of the Church to put it into their owne, and to fill the bellies of their houndes and their horses with the meate of Gods mi­nisters! It is a sinne of that high nature, that because of it, God hath said vnto vs, as once he said vnto the peo­ple of Israel vpon the like occasion, Malach. 3.9, 10.11. Amos. 4.6.7, 8, 9, 10. Isay. 16.9.10. Hag. 1.10. & 2.18. yee are cursed with a curse, for yee haue spoiled mee, euen this whole nation (but blessed be our Soueraigne for labouring to remooue this curse from our nation) and that he hath sometimes sent scarcenesse of bread, and cleanenesse of teeth in our Cities and townes; sometimes hath with holden the raine from vs when there were yet three moneths to the haruest; and shut the windowes of heauen vpon vs and stayed the raine till the fruits of the earth were destroied with drought, sometimes hath smitten our fruites with [Page 70]blasting and mildew, and sent the palmer worme to de­uoure the fruites of our trees, yea made our singing and shouting for ioy in barnest to cease, and made vs drunke with our teares, for that the heauen aboue vs was stayed from dew, and the earth vnder vs from yeelding her en­crease. For this abhominable sinne God hath somtimes sent the pestilence amongst vs to rage in most violent manner, to consume our bodies and the fire to burne, and the water to ouerflowe our townes, landes, houses and habitations. In one word, it is this horrible sinne of Sacriledge that hath ouerthrowne the strength and glo­ry of diuers mighty and wealthy houses; God in most iust iudgement shutting such from their inheritance as were so audacious and bold as to robbe him of his. The sacrilegious God-spoyler is the man which (as Iob spea­keth) hath stretched out his hand against God, Iob. 15.6.27.and made him­selfe strong against the almighty, therefore God shall runne vpō him, euen vpon his necke, and against the most thicke part of his shield because he hath couered his face with his fatnesse, and hath collopes in his flankes, as if the holy man should say, because this God-spoyling Anti God hath presumed to shut God from his inheritance, and hath taken from him his Tithes and hath made himselfe fat with Gods meate which he hath pulled out of the hands and mouthes of his mi­nisters, Vers. 29.30.31.32.33.34. therefore God shall be auenged on him, hee shall not be rich alwaies, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof in the earth, he shall neuer depart out of darkenesse, the flame shall drie vp his branches, & he shall goe away with the breath of his mouth. His branch shal not be greene, but shall be cutte off before his day, and the con­gregation of the Hypocrites shall be desolate: and who is so great an hypocrite as the sacrilegious Church robber, who being an impure God-spoyler indeed will needes in the meane time be esteemed a pure Gospeller and one of the precisest professours of the reformed Church? Hee [Page 71]may well make himselfe merry with the meate of Gods Ministers, as prophane Balthasar did with the golden and siluer vessell of Gods house, Dan. 5.1, 2, 3 4.5. Iob. 20.5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. but he shall know in the end, that the reioycing of the wicked shall haue an end; and (as Zophar speaketh) that the ioy of hypocrites is but a moment. Though his excellency mount vp to the heauen, and his head reach vnto the cloudes, yet shall he perish for euer like his dung, and they which haue seene him, shall say, where is he? he shall flee away as a dreame, and they shall not finde him, he shall passe away as a vision of the night, so that the eye which had seene shal doe so no more, & his place shal see him no more: as if he should say; though hee were neuer so great and mighty a man, that robbeth Gods Church, yea though his height did reach vnto heauen, yet for all his height, he shall not en­ter into heauen, but shall fall to the earth like his owne dung, and his sacrilegious soule shall stinke, Vers. 10. more vilely then his dung amids hel flames. His children shall flatter the poore, and his hands shall restore his substance, as if hee should say; because the father through pride and tyrannie op­pressed the poore, and spoiled Gods Ministers, therefore God shall make the posteritie of that man, for pouertie & want to begge his bread at other poore folkes doores; yea that thing which the sacrilegious father tooke away by violence, Vers. 15, 16 17. his barnes shall be brought to restore againe by force. Hee hath deuoured substance, and he shall vomite it; for God shall draw it out of his belly, seeing to him it belon­geth, and in lieu thereof, he shall sucke the gall of Aspes, and the Vipers tongue shall slay him; that is, his portion shall bee with hypocrites, and the generation of vipers, for the old Serpent that wicked viper shall slay his soule, hee shall not see the riuers, nor the floods and streames of hony and butter, that is to say, hee shall not taste of the happinesse of the heauenly Canaan. Hee on earth shut God from his in­heritance on earth, but in the end, God shall shut him out of the earth, and debarre him from heauen, & hurle [Page 72]him headlong into hell. He shall restore the labour, and shall deuoure no more, euen according to the substance, shall bee his exchange, Vers. 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23and he shall enioy it no more. For he hath vndone ma­ny, he hath forsaken the poore, and hath spoyled houses which hee built not euen Church-mens houses, yea Gods house, and God himselfe hath he spoiled. Surely he shall feele no quiet­nesse in his body, neither shall hee reserue of that which he desi­red, there shal none of his meate beleft, therfore none of his shall hope for his goods. As if hee should say, because hee would needes deuoure Gods meate, and the dyet of his Mini­sters, therefore God shal send the deuourer to eate vp his meate. For when hee shall bee filled with his abundance, that is, with Gods portion and Church mens prouision, He shall be in paine, and the hand of all the wicked shall assaile him: that is to say; because he was so wicked as to stretch out his hand to spoile God; therefore God shall make many wicked mens hands to spoile him: He shal be about to fill his belly, to wit, with Gods Ministers meate, but God shall send vpon him his fierce wrath, and shall cause to raine vpon him, euen vpon his meat. As if he should say, Gods Ministers meate shall doe him no good; for God shall either draw it out of his belly, or else he shall turne it in the midst of his bowels into the gall of aspes. And not only shall God draw his own Ministers meate out of the God-spoilers mi­serable belly, but he shall also draw the sacrilegious soule out of the deuouring body, & it shal burne in the fire that is not blowne, that is, in hell fire that needeth no blowing. The heauen shall declare his wickednesse (for he was so wic­ked and impious, Verse 26, 27, 28, 29, as to spoile the God of heauen) and the earth shall rise vp against him (for he was so vngratious, as to robbe Gods Ministers and houshold seruants on earth) the increase of his house shall goe away, it shall flow away in the day of his wrath. As if he should say, the mans house that is increased, builded or reared vp, by the decrease or robbery of Gods house, it shall not alwaies stand, the [Page 73]grease and fatnesse of it shall flow away like water, the pelfe and wealth thereof, shall vanish and melt away like the fat of Lambes, or as doth the snow before the Sun. Such is the portion of the wicked from God, and the heritage that he shall haue at Gods hands; as if he should say, desolati­on and destruction in substance, in body and soule, shall be the portion and heritage of all impenitent vnrestoring God-spoilers, vnworthy of the title of Gospellers, men worse then idolaters, which doe indeed turne the true God into an idol, as the other doe an idol into God, and worship & feare, neither true nor false deitie. A false God they know not, and the true God they will not acknow­ledge; for otherwise they would stand in awe, to spoile God of his portion, and to bereaue him of his inheri­tance. And therefore to shut vp this pleading for Gods Priests and their honourable maintenance, let me pray & beseech all Britaines, especially my deere country-men of Scotland, that if they desire either to be rich heere, or happie hereafter, that they would be bountiful & liberal to Gods seruants, & that euery man that hath takē from the Church any thing, or withholden from Churchmen their Tithes in whole or in part by sacrilegious impropria­tion or wicked vsurpation, Luk. 19.8. that he would restore with re­penting Zacheus fourefolde, or at least the principall stocke, which he hath in his hands. Let him I say, listen with all diligence and conscience vnto the precept of the most high vttered by the mouth of his prophet Ma­lachie saying, Malach. 3.10.11.12. bring euery Tithe into the storehouse that there may be meate in mine house, and prooue me withall, saith the Lord of hoasts, If I wil not open the windowes of heauen vnto you, and powre you out a blessing without measure; and I wil reproue the deuourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruite of the ground, neither shall your vine be barren in the field saith the Lord of hoastes, and all nations shall call you blessed because ye shall be a pleasant land. Lastly, let vs all listen vnto the [Page 74]godly and graue exhortation of wise king Salomon; saying honor the Lord with thy substance and with the first fruites of all thine encrease, Prouerb. 3.9,so shall thy barnes be filled with abundance and thy presse shall ouerflow with new wine; and let vs with our whole hearts applaude our owne Salomons glorious and diuine endeauours tending to the perfit constituti­on of our Church, and to the aduancing of Almightie Gods sincere worship: and let vs blesse the God of Iacob, for raising vp vnto vs from the North, a Iacob, to be anin­strument of such blessednesse vnto both North and South, according to that which he once promised by his Prophet, Isay. 4 3, 6. Isay. 4.1, 25. I will say to the North, giue, and to the South, keepe not backe. And againe, I haue raised vp from the North, and be shall come, from the east Sunne shall hee call vpon my name: and yet againe, Vers. 8.9, 10.11, 12, speaking of the conuersion of the Ilands and endes of the earth vnto Christ, as if hee pointed at our Iacob, Thou Iacob, whom I haue chosen, I haue taken thee from the endes of the earth, and called thee before the chiefe thereof, and said vnto thee, thou art my seruant; I haue chosen thee, be not afraid, for I am with thee, behold all they that pro­uoke thee, shall be ashamed, and they that striue with thee shall perish. Euen blessed be the God of Iacob for giuing vs a Iacob to be the instrument of so great blessednesse vnto this Ile, and to the Church thereof, and grant that wee may with both hands and hearts lay hold on such blessed occasions, as he doth now tender vs, by the hand of his blessed Iacob, for the amending of the defects of our Church, where through all nations may call vs a blessed people. Amen.

FINIS.
A DEMONSTRATIVE DEFE …

A DEMONSTRA­TIVE DEFENCE OR TENFOLD PROBATION OF THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHVRCH OF ENGLAND TOVCHING one of the most important points of our Creed, necessary to be vnderstood of all Christians, which is of our Sauiours descending into hell after death, to binde and sub­due Sathan, &c.

Written for the information and sa­tisfaction of many mens mindes touching so weighty a matter, but especially for the furthering of the Church of Scotlands full conformitie with that of England.

BY IAMES MAXVVELL Master of Artes, &c.

PSAL. 122. verse 6. Pray for the peace of Ierusalem, let them prosper that loue thee.

LONDON, Printed by IOHN LEGATT, Printer to the Vniuer­sitie of Cambridge. 1617.

TO THE RIGHT REVEREND FATHERS IN GOD, THE ARCHBISHOPS, AND BISHOPS, HIS VERY GOOD LORDS, AND OTHER LEARNED AND GRAVE PASTOVRS OF THE CHVRCH OF SCOTLAND, IAMES MAXWELL WI­SHETH, PEACE, VNITIE AND CONCORD FROM THE GOD OF CON­CORD, AND PRINCE OF PEACE, AND HVMBLY DEDICATETH FOR A TESTIMONIE OF HIS DVTY, THIS PRESENT TREATISE OF CHRISTS DESCEN­DING INTO HELL.

A Demonstration of Christs Descending into Hell.

LIke as the dissensions and diffe­rences in matter of faith be­twene Christian and Christian, Greeke and Latine, Papist and Protestant, haue prooued the greatest scandall and offence, to those that are without the bo­some of the Church, and the greatest hinderance of both Iewes and Gentiles conuersion vnto Christ, that euer the hand of hell brought into the world, or the diuell did de­uise; so the contentions and dissentions, the diuisions and differences, arising betweene Protestant and Prote­stant (which haue a number of new denominations such as sorrow and shame will not so much as once suf­fer me to mention) haue prooued questionlesse the grea­test scandall of our reformed profession, and the chiefest cause of many Papists auersenesse from Reformation. And this may sufficiently appeare by their daily obie­cting, and hitting vs in the teeth with our diuisions and differences, and telling vs that our Church is so farre de­noide of Vnitie, that euen the reformed subiects of one & the same Soueraigne cannot be brought to an agree­ment in the matters and manner of Gods worship. Wit­nesse, say they, there repugnant expositions vpon that article or particle of faith, touching Christs descending into hell, their discrepant doctrines touching the Prin­ces [Page 2]ecclesiasticall power, their generall auersenesse from Prelacie, with their differences in matter of ceremonie, Sacramentall Ministerie, and Church-sernice. And what other thing else (say they) can it be, but a manifest token of a weake and ruinous Religion, to say no worse, when as the professours thereof, Mat. 12.25. Mark. 3.24.25 Luk. 11.17. can neither agree with other Christians, nor yet with themselues according to that saying of our Sauiour, Euery kingdome or house diuided a­gainst it selfe shall be brought to desolation? For the preuen­ting of which euill, and the remooning of which cursed scandall and cause of offence, seeing that Almighty God hath raised vp our Soueraigne, and endued him with a most diuine Spirit, both for pregnancie, and peaceable­nesse, far beyond all the other Princes of the earth, yea and far beyond many professed diuines; Isay. 41, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 20, 21, 25. and that hee hath euen chosen our Iacob, and taken him from the endes of the earth, and called him before the chiefe thereof, (to speake with the Euangelicall Prophet Isay) to be the chiefe instrument of so glorious a worke; let vs in the consideration thereof, both acknowledge the inestima­blenesse of the blessing that Almightie God offereth vs, by the hand of his seruant, (for Concord and Vnitie, especially in the matters of God, is an inestimable bles­sing vnto man, and a thing most acceptable and agrea­ble vnto God) and let vs likewise acknowledge the fa­nourable prouidence of God towards vs, disposing all things as for our greatest good, so for our chiefe comfort and contentment; in that he hath beene graciously plea­sed to picke out a King of the North, to be the Bringer and Brocher of this blessing vnto vs, according to that in the Prophet, saying, I haue raised vp from the North, and he shall come, Isay. 41.25,from the East Sunne shall he call vpon my name: and euen such a King of the North, as hath loued vs so deerely as hee hath done, and who would not for all the kingdomes of the world, bring the Church of God, or [Page 3]his owne natiue Country, into any corrupt or dishonou­rable condition. No, I dare take it vpon my soule, that it is his zeale and loue towards the glorie of God, the ho­nour and credite of our Country, and the happie and more perfit constitution of our Church, that hath set him a worke, about so blessed a businesse, as the working of a perfit agreement and full conformitie betweene the Churches of these two kingdomes. For I suppose that no man is so far deuoide of comon sense, but seeth suffi­ciētly how that both Pietie & Policie, Religion of Church and Reason of State, doe require that Britaines, which are the worshippers of one true God, the seruants of one Sa­uiour, the children of one Church, and the subiects of one and the same Soueraigne, should agree in all things belonging to Gods worship, especially. in all matters of faith, such as is this present point of Christs descending into hell. The which though all Christians doe professe to beleeue according to the letter, yet we can not say that our verball or literall profession thereof, is seconded with a solide consent in the meaning and sense. For first the Papists vnderstand it of Christs descending in his soule to a certaine region or habitacle of hell, called Limbus Patrum to deliuer the fathers; an opinion voide of all good warrant: for we shall make it more then apparant In our Latine disputation of the seate of soules, both by Scripture and Doctors, by authoritie and arguments, that the soules of the beleeuing people vnder the law, went not downe into any corner of hell, (for all that they can say to the contrary, and though Zuinglius ioyne with them herein) but to Paradise. And as for our Protestant writers, we see how some, namely, the Geneui­ans expound it of Christs suffering the sorrowes of hell in his soule before his death, denying his descending in soule after death into hell, to deliuer the faithfull from descending thither, and to conquer and binde Sathan in [Page 4]his owne strongest holde, (though Mr. Caluin did not denie his foresaid locall descending after death, but ac­knowledged it;) others expound it idly of Christs buri­all, others of his continuance in the graue vnder the power thereof for three daies; others of his translating into the state of the dead, and others most ridiculously haue deliuered that by the descending of Christs soule into hell, is to bee vnderstood, no other thing but the ascending thereof into heauen: all which opinions are false, fanaticall and friuolous; and the doctrine of the Church of England, and of some other reformed Prote­stants of Germanie, is only orthodoxe, and true; to wit that our Sauiours soule beeing seuered from the Bodie, which lay in the graue three daies, went downe into the very loathsome dungeon of the damned, for our sakes (and not into any superiour Limbus Patrum as Papists do dreame) partly to deliuer his elect children from descen­ding thither, and partly to binde Sathan in chaines of darkenesse, and to triumph ouer him in his strongest hold. The which doctrine is verified and iustified both by Scriptures authoritie, and Churches testimony, euen both by Gods word and mans. First, by typicall prefigu­ration, secondly by propheticall prediction, thirdly by pregnant historicall allusion, fourthly by euangelicall explication and application, fiftly by apostolicall asseue­ration, sixtly by all ancient Christians common and Catholike confession, seuenthly by Primitiue Doctors consent & vnanime profession, eightly by the most part of learned Protestants ingenuous reception, & subscrip­tion, ninthly by irrefragable reason and demonstration, tenthly and lastly, by the consideration of such opposi­ons, dissentions and contradictions as the oppugners of our Sauiours locall descending haue fallen into about this point, and of the absurde, vnlearned, and ridiculous, yea impious expositions, that the Genenians haue deui­sed [Page 5]of such Scriptures as do most cleerly euince the truth of this article. The impiousnesse of which their doctrine shall appeare by our showing, how in some things they doe iumpe with the Iewish enemies and opposers of the Messias his suffering death, and descending into hell, to destroy the author of death; and in some things with the ancient Hereticks Arrians and Apollinarians, which did denie our Sauiours humane reasonable soule: and there­fore did expound those places of Scripture, wherin men­tion is made of the beeing of our Sauiours soule in hell after his death, in the same manner that the Geneuians, and other vpstarts haue done of the preciser sort, Whereas the Doctors of the Primitiue Church, which oppugned those heretickes, did expound them as the Church of England: I meane the reuerend Bishops and other lear­ned Doctors thereof, that haue beene since the daies of King Edward the sixt, of famous memorie, vntill this present time of the happie raigne of our most learned and religious Soueraigne King Iames the sixt. Which being well considered, the Church of Scotland shall see, how that they haue a thousand times better reason for them, to ioyne with the Church of England, and with the ancient orthodoxe, and true Catholike Christians, then to iumpe with the new Geneuians or any of the condemned hereticks in the expounding such places of Scripture.

I.

And first I say that there is in the Scripture, Gen. 37.24, Ionah. 1.17. & 2.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, typicall prefiguration both personall and reall, of our Sauiours descending into hell; namely, Iosephs putting into the pit without water; by his brethren mentioned in the 37. chapter of Genesis; and Ionah his being in the belly of the Whale in the midst of the sea three daies & three nights, as it is in the first and second chapters of his prophesie. And therein our Sauiour himselfe affirmeth that Ionah [Page 6]was a type or figure of him, and that his foresaid conditi­on was a figure or signe of his owne being after death in the hart of the earth, Mat. 12.39.40, as it is in the twelfth of S. Matthewes Gospell, for as Ionas, (saith our Sauiour) was three daies and three nights in the whales belly, so shall the sonne of man be three daies and three nights, in the beart of the earth. The which cannot be vnderstood of our Sauiours buriall, as our Geneuians would make vs beleeue; for his graue was not neere the heart of the earth, nor Christs body was not in the belly of the earth, but both were in the head, face, or top of the earth, and not within it, but without it, for it was a tombe hewen out of a rocke as it is in the Gospell, and so those words of Ionah were verified in the person of Iesus really, Mat. 27.60. Out of the belly of hell cried I, and a­gaine, Thou hast brought vp my soule from the pit: for as Io­nab was in the middest of danger, without danger, in the bottome of the sea, without being drowned, so was our Redeemer Iesus in the middest of danger without dan­ger, and euen in the bottome of the fiery pit without be­ing burned, or consumed thereby; as Ionah was in the belly of the Whale without being destroyed, so was Ie­sus his soule in Leuiathans belly, which is hell, without be­ing deuoured of Leuiathan, the roaring and denouring Lyon. And as Ionah as brought vp from the bottome of the sea; so was Iesus his soule, brought vp from the bottome of the pit, wherein is no water, but all fire, and is so deepe that it is said to bee without bottome. And as Iosephs being in that pit without water, and Ionahs being in the Whales belly, and in the bottome of the sea, were personall types and prefigurations of our Sauiours bee­ing in hell, so haue we in the Scripture, reall types and prefigurations thereof, for as the bloody Sacrifices of the law, did shaddow out our Sauiours bloody sacrificing of his blessed Body vpon the Crosse for our sins, in which doing he shut vp all those bodily and bloody sacrifices, [Page 7]with a solemne Consummatum est, saying, it is finished; so the burnt offerings of the law, did fore shew how our Saui­our should offer his soule for an holocaust or burnt offe­ring, Ioh. 19.30. according as the Euangelical Prophet Isay had fore tolde, saying in the fiftie three chapter: He was taken out from prison and from iudgement, and was cut out of the land of the liuing; for the transgression of my people was he plagued, Isay. 53.8, 9, 10.11.12.hee made his graue with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no wickednesse, and hee shall make his soule an offering for sinne, &c. Hee shall diuide the spoile with the strong, because hee had powred out his soule vnto death. In which words the Prophet pointeth out our Sauiours im­prisonment, araignement, iudgement, execution, the crucifying and burying of his bodie, which was the bloody sacrifice, that put an end vnto all bloody sacrifices, with his pow­ring out of his soule vnto death, and making it an offering for sinne, to wit a burnt offering. Where obserue well, that though our Sauiour offered his very soule, to be a burnt offering for the expiation of the sinnes of our soules, as hee had done before, his bodie for a bloody sacrifice to expiate the sinnes of our bodies, yet had not the flames of hel any power thereupon, in which respect the three children were a type of him, in their walking in the midst of the seuen times hote fiery furnace, Dan. 3.21, 22, 23, 24, 25 26, 27, & 6, 16, 22, 23, without any hurt, as it is in the third of Daniel. Yea Daniel himselfe being in the Lyons den, without any harme, as it is in the sixt chapter, was a type and figure of our Sauiours con­quering condition in hell; that though hee had offered the Lambe of his blessed body to the shambles of the shame full and accursed crosse to be slaine, and the Turtleedoue of his diuine soule to the hote furnace to be burnt: (such bur­ning loue he bare vs) yet could not hell fire take any hold thereon, but was free among the dead, as it is in the eighty eight Psalme, that is to say, Psal. 88.4, 5, 6 free from the tormenting flames and paines of hel fire. And though he was laid in [Page 8]the lowest pit in darknes and in the deepe (as the Psal­mist there subioyneth, immediately prophesying of Christs descending into the lowest hell, and not into any vpper Limbus patrum) and that he was brought downe in­to the diuels darke dungeon, into the den of the roaring and deuouring Lyon, to haue seased vpon his soule, and to haue kept it captiue; yet was the diuell disappointed, and was so far from detaining our Sauiours soule in cap­tiuitie, as that he himselfe was by him captiuated & boūd vp in chaines of darkenes; for the Apostle to the Ephesi­ans, Ephes 4.8. testifieth that he led captiuitie captiue. So that he that did once lye downe, and couch as a Lyon (as the Patri­arke Iacob in blessing his Son Iudah prophesied of Iesus, Gen. 49.6. Reuel. 5.5. the Lyon of the tribe of Iudah,) so soone as the denouring olde Lyon the diuell, hauing him in his denne, began to rowse and stirre him vp, and to encounter with him, (for then was the King of heauens great Lyon baiting) hee left of to be Couchant, and became Rampant, and graspling with him, gaue him the foile, and entered to the spoyle, according as Iacob had prophesied, saying, Iudah as a Ly­ons whelpe,Isay 53.12.shalt thou come vp from the spoile, and Isay likewise (in the place before alleadged) saying, He shall deuide the spoile with the strong, & as the A postle in the Epistle to the Colossians testifieth that he did, saying, and hath spoiled the principalities and powers, Colos. 2.15.and hath made a show of them openly.

II.

Secondly our Sauiours descent into hell, is in the Scripture not onely by typicall prefigurations, both per­sonall and reall, as hath bin now shewed; but also by ex­presse propheticall predictions. For Dauid, who was both a type and a Prophet of Christ, prophesieth of it in many places, Psal. 16.10. & 18.5. & 30.3. & 88.6. and namely, in the 16. Psalme saying, Thou wile not leaue my soule in hell, and in the 18. The sorrowes of hell hane compassed me, and in the 13. Lord thou hast led forth my soule out of hell, and in the 88, Thou hast laid me in the lowest [Page 9]pit, in darkenesse and in the depth: and so hath Zacharie pro­phesied of his descending into the very dungeon of the damned, Zach. 9.11, 12 (and not into any Limbus patrum as the Papists suppose) when he saith in his ninth chapter, prophesying there of Christ. I haue loosed thy prisoners out of the pit, wher­in is no water. And if any one aske what these prisoners were, that were thus loosed by our Sauiours descending; I answer, that all the elect soules of Gods children were in effect prisoners of hell, and that they were indeed de­liuered and loosed out of that prison, by the vertue of Christs personall descending, though they were not pre­sentially and personally there themselues. For God doth deliuer men from dangers and euils tam praeueniendo quam subueniendo, aswell by preuention before the fall, as by subuention, when they haue fallen. The Romane Do­ctors indeed, expound this place of Christs descending into a certaine blacke border of hell, which they call Limbus patrum, to deliuer the Patriarkes soules from thence: for as for the pit or prison of the damned, from thence they hold there is no redemption. But truly they are deceiued in their opinion, for the pit or prison where­unto our Sauiour did descend, is called the lowest pit in the Scripture, and so must needes bee the prison of the damned; Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit in darkenes, Psal. 88.6.and in the deepe, (saith the Prophet Dauid) prophecying of his Sons descending into the Iowest hell. And the Prophet Zacharie calling it a pit without water, intimateth that it is a pit full of fire, and consequently no Limbus patrum, nor blacke border of hell fire, but hell fire it selfe. And in our Latine disputation of the Seate of Soules, as we shall proue both by Scriptures authoritie, and Fathers testimonie; that the soules of the faithfull Iewes before Christ, were in no subterraneall pit or prison, but in Paradise: so shall we dispute another noble question, whether or no, the soules of the vertuous Gentiles were deliuered from the [Page 10]lowest pit, Zach 9.11, 12 Psal. 107.10, 11, 12, 13, 14. at our Sauiours descending, and whether this place of Zacharie of our Sauiours loosing of those priso­ners of hope out of the pit, wherin is no water, and that of the Psalmist, of the breaking of the bondes of such as did dwell in darkenes, and sit in the shaddow of death: and that of the Prophet Isay, Isay 61.1 prophecying of our Sauiours preaching libertie to the captiues, and to them that are bound, Luke 418. 1. Pet. 3.18, 19 20. & 4.5, 6. the opening of the prison, as it is likewise in the Gospell of S. Luke, and those words of S. Peter, when hee saith that our Sauiour being dead in his body, but quick or liuing in his Spirit (for so readeth the Syrian text) went by the same Spirit and preached to the Spirits in prison, which were in times past disobediēt. And finally, those other words of the same Apostle, for vnto this purpose was the Gospell preached also vnto the dead, that they might bee condemned according to men in the flesh, but might liue accor­ding to God in the spirit: Isay 53.12. Mat. 12.29. Ephes. 4.8. Colos. 2.15. whether I say these places of Scrip­ture and others the like wherein mention is made of our Sauiours spoyling of hell and Sathan, and of his leading captiuitie captiue, may perhaps be probably vnderstood of his powerfull and mercifull deliuering from hell, some of the soules of the vertuous Gentiles, as of their Philo­sophers, Law giuers, Gouernours, Kings, Queenes, and other priuate persons renowned for their wisedome, prudence, fortitude, temperance, bounty, chastity, iustice, mercy, and generally for their ciuill carriage, and morall conuersation, such as were Hermes Trismegistus, Zoroaster, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, Homer, Phocilides, The­ognis, Epictetus, Cicero, and such as were Hercules, Theseus, Cyrus, Solon, Lycurgus, Aristides, Cimon, Timotheus, Epamis nondas, Tarina, Camilla, Nicaula, Pauthaea, Penelope, Artemi­sia, and others the like. For my owne part I doe professe such loue to those vertuous wights, for their vertues sake, that I had rather condemne twenty such opinions, as that of the subterraneall Limbus patrum, then to damne [Page 11]eternally the soule of one Socrates, or of one Cyrus, let alone of a Salomon: concerning whom, we shall likewise dispute the question, whether his soule went to Paradise, or to the hell of the damned; and shall proove the salua­tion of his soule, against Cardinall Bellarmine, and other his Romish damners, by many authorities & arguments.

III.

Thirdly our Sauiours descending into hell, Iob 38.17. is in the Scripture by pregnant historicall allusion. In the booke of Iob the greeke interpreters allude thereunto most e­uidently, for the English of the Septuagints reading of the 17. verse of the 38. chapter is thus, Were the gates of hell opened vnto thee for feare, and did the Porters of hell at the sight of thee, shrinke for feare? and in the translation accor­ding to the hebrew, it is thus, Haue the gates of death beene opened vnto thee, or hast thou seene the gates of the shaddow of death? and in the Gospell, Mat. 12.24, 25 26, 29, 28, 29. our Sauiour himselfe alludeth disertly thereunto, when he saith in the Gospell, Else how can a man enter into a strong mans holde, except he first bind the strong man, and then spoile his house: where note, how that immediately before, hee spake of his casting out of diuels, and his ouercomming of them, which argueth that Christ was to conquer the diuell; for all his strength in his owne house, and both to foyle him, and spoile him in his owne strongest hold.

IIII.

Fourthly, our Sauiours locall descending into hell is in the Scripture, by Euangelicall explication or applica­tion; for S. Matthew in the same twelfth chapter, Mat. 12.39, 40 where he entreateth of our Sauiours casting out of diuels, and of his entering into the strong mans house to binde him and spoile him, testifieth, that Ionah in his being three daies and three nights in the Whales belly, was a type or figure of our Sauiours being three daies & three nights in the heart of the earth; which cannot be vnderstood of [Page 12]the place of his Body, but of the seate of his soule, as wee haue showed before.

V.

Fifthly, Mat. 10.2. Act. 2.26.27, 30.31. Christs locall descent into hell, is in Scripture by Apostolicall asseueration. For first, S. Peter the prime Apostle in the second of the Acts, mentioning both the parts of our Sauiours humanitie, to wit his soule and flesh, showeth how God had preordained that neither should his soule be subiect to detention or destruction in hell, nor yet his body to detention or corruption in the graue: Psal. 16.8, 9, and he expoundeth the Prophet Dauids words, in the six­teenth Psalm: Thou will not leaue my soule in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption, of the resurrection of Christ; that his soule should not be left in hell, neither his flesh should see corruption. For as the resurrectiō could not be atchiued without a combination of Christs bo­dy and his soule; 1. Pet. 3.18.19 &, 4.6, so it behoued the soule, aswell to rise in a manner out of hell, where it lay downe like the Lyon couchant of the tribe of Iudah; as the body to rise out of the graue or tombe, where it was laide. The same Apo­stle in his first Epistle teacheth the same doctrine, in two seuerall places; the one where he saith that Christ beeing put to death, concerning the flesh, but quickned in the Spirit (ac­cording to the greeke text, or being quicke and liuing in the Spirit, according to the Syrian) went by the same Spirit, and preached vnto the Spirits in prison; the other, where he saith that the Gospell was preached vnto the dead, to the end that they might liue according to God in the Spirit. And as S. Peter, the prime Apostle (for so the Scripture calleth him) in the three places now alleadged affirmeth Christs descen­ding into hell in his soule, Mat. 10.2, Mark. 3.16. so S. Paul in as many places doth the like. The first place is in the tenth to the Ro­manes where he affirmeth both his ascending into heauen, and his descending into the deepe or bottomlesse pit which is hell. Rom. 10.6.7.Say not in thine heart (saith hee) who shall ascend into [Page 13]heauen that is to bring Christ from aboue? or who shall descend into the (a byssus) deepe or bottomles pit, that is to bring Christ from the dead? where note that the Greeke word abyssus, which our English haue translated, the deepe is neuer ta­ken for the graue, but for hell and the bottomlesse pit, it is often taken, as in Luke the eight, Luk. 8.31. Reuela. 9.1.2.11 & 11.7. & 20.1.3.7.10.14.15. in the ninth of the Re­uelation thrise, in the eleuenth once, and in the twentieth twise; where it is likewise called Sathans prison, and the lake of fire and brimstone. The second place where S. Paul teacheth Christs descent into hell, is the fourth to the Ephesians, thus, Now in that hee ascended, what is it, but that bee also descended first into the lowest parts of the earth? where the lower or lowest parts of the earth can signifie no other thing but that, Ephes. 4.8.9, 10. which he calleth the deepe or bottomlesse pit in the Epistle to the Romanes; for as he ma­keth an expresse opposition betweene ascending and de­scending, which are contrary motions, so doth he between the two opposite places, to wit, the highest part of heauen, and the lowest part of the earth. The third and the last place is the second to the Colossians, where speaking of our Sauiours Mediatourship, hee vseth these words a­mongst other, Colos. 2.15. And hath spoiled the principalities and pow­ers, and hath made a show of them openly, and hath triumpbed ouer them in himselfe; for so readeth the Syrian text, and the Greeke text likewise in most part of bookes, together with the Latine of Saint Hierome, of Erasmus, of Dela­nus, of Castalso, of Stephanus, of the Tigurins or Leo Iuda, and of Arrias Montanus; where as the Geneuian translation of Beza attributeth this triumph to Christ on the Crosse, contrary to the common translation, and exposition of tenne of the Doctors of the Primitiue Church, as shall bee shewed other where. And truely Christ did triumph ouer the Principalities and powers when as hee did binde Sathan, and by his presence terri­fie [Page 14]the whole infernall forces, the which thing hee did not on the crosse, for there hee suffered himselfe to bee foyled and ouercome; but hee did it in Sathans owne house, and strongest holde. So that his triumph began in hell, in respect of his soules diuine vanquishing of the diuell, like as it began in the graue, in respect of his Bo­dies powerfull rising from death to life; and it was fi­nished both in soule and body, when hee gloriously ascended into heauen. So that they are mightily de­ceiued which doe thinke our Sauiour triumphed ouer Sathan and hell vpon the crosse; for atriumph doth al­waies follow vpon a perfit victorie, and doth not goe before it, much lesse before the conflict, as our Geneuians would ridiculously haue it. Thus we see twentie ex­presse passages of Scripture for our Sauiours descending into hell after death, (for so many haue we alleadged from the first to the last,) where as the Geneuians can not pro­duce so much as one text bearing, that Christs soule went not to hell: only out of two texts in the Gospell, they draw an argument against his descending; the one in that he said to the penitent thiefe, To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise: Ioh. 23.43.46, the other in that he said a dying; Fa­ther into thy hands I commend my Spirit: but neither doth the one nor the other argument conclude punctually. First the argument doth not follow; Christs Spirit was in his fathers hands, Ergo it was not in hell; for Gods hands is in hell aswell as in heauen, according to that of the Psalmist, speaking of our Sauiour, belike by way of prophesie; If I ascend into heauen thou art there, if I lie downe in hell thou art there; Psal. 139, 8, yea the hand of the Father was with his Sonne in hell, in a fatherly manner fortify­ing him, in his conflict against the furie of the whole infernall forces, like as his hand and Spirit, was with him to raise him vp from the dead, Rom. 8.11. as the Apostle teacheth. [Page 15]Neither doth the other argument follow, Christ was that day or night in Paradise; Ergo he did not descend into hell; for to speake nothing of his beeing in Paradise in his Godhead, I say that in his very soule hee might without all repugnancie; haue gone first to Paradise, which was the place due vnto him, beeing considered as a most perfit and iust man, free from sinne; and after­wards to hell, which was the place due to all sinners, and euen to him, in so farre as hee became the pledge, and surety for sinners, a sufferer for them both of death and dishonour, and a deliuerer of them from sinne and Sa­than, from Gods hatred and hell. But Godwilling in our Latine disputation of the Seate of soules, we shall han­dle the point of our Sauiours going to Paradise more accurately; where wee shall likewise dispute the questi­on of the place, situation, existence, and vse of the terre­striall Paradise, and shall by certaine probable argu­ments make it apparant; how that it was created in the heart of the world vpwards, like as hell was created in the heart of the earth downwards. And there shall wee refute an errour of the learned Spanish Iesuite Pererius and of our Geneuians touching the non-existence of Para­dise; like as in our worke called Dies Domini, which deli­uereth the doctrine of Hebrewes, Greekes and Latines, Theologians, Philosophers and Historians; touching the worlds beginning, lasting and ending, wee doe refute the same Iesuites, and some of our owne Protestants com­mon errour touching the worlds beginning, in the moneth of September; and that by diuers new argu­ments, besides the authorities of Theologians, Astrologi­ans and Philosophers.

VI.

Sixtly, as the holy Scripture doth auouch our Saui­ours descending into hell, in his soule after death, in the [Page 16]foresaid fiue respects; so doth the Catholicke or vniuer­sall Churches common Confession of faith auerre it; as may appeare by our common Creed, commonly called the Creede of the Apostles, wherein after the mention of our Sauiours buriall, is immediately subioyned his de­scending into hell, like as after his rising from the dead, he is said to haue ascended into heauen. Neither could this point haue beene expressed in plainer words then it is, for plainnesse was fittest for the expression of the common faith of Christians. The motion of ascending and the place thereof heauen, are both of them taken literally and properly; and therefore their contraries, descending and hell must likewise be properly taken, with­out running to a figure. And we may as well denie that in the Creed, ascending signifieth a local motion vpwards, and that heauen signifieth the seate of God, and the re­ceptacle of the blessed Spirits, and with all, say that by our Sauiours ascending into heauen, is signified no other thing else, but his enioying of some spirituall solace and heauenly ioy; as to denie that his descending is a locall motion downewards, and that hell is the seate of Sathan and of his slaues, and as to say with the Genenians, that by Christs descending into hell, is nothing else meant, but his feeling of some spirituall sorrowes or hel­lish horror. If hell must be taken by a figure in the Creed, then heauen in the same Creede shall bee but another fi­gure; and so should our Creed be but a Creed of figures, and our faith, a faith of figures. And to say that there are many Creedes and confessions of faith (wherein there is no mention made of Christs descending into hell) it doth not argue that the authors and makers of those confessi­ons, did not beleeue this point: for other clauses are likewise often wanting, as namely, in the Nicene Creede, these words, Borne of the Virgin Mary, he was buried, hee sit­teth [Page 17]on the right hand of God, I beleeue the Catholike Church, the communion of Saints, the resurrestion of the body, and the life euerlasting, aswell as those wordes, he descended into hell. And yet the Fathers (no doubt) were aswell perswaded of these things they left out, as they were of those things they put in. Againe, it is sufficient that in none of the Creedes and confessions that euer were published aboue threescore, the descending of Christ into hell is denied: for yee shall not reade in one of them all, such a clause, I beleeue that Christs soule beeing seuered from the bo­dy, went not downe into hell, but ascended vp into hea­uen. But not onely is it not denied so much as in one Creede of many: but also it is affirmed expressely, in some Creedes, as namely, in that of the Apostles, and in that of Saint Athanasius, and implicitly it is in all the Creedes and confessions that euer were made, for more then fifteene hundreth yeares toge­ther: for it is implied in the word suffered, and in the word died. For in Christ the Mediatours death, are these three parts; the separation of the soule from the body, the collocation of the body being dead in the graue, as being the bodies chamber of death, and the migration of the seuered soule into the blacke house of death, which is hell; where it behooued the soules of all men to bee im­prisoned, except the Sonne of God, by descending into that dungeon, had deliuered and exempted all beleeuing soules from descending. Psal, 107.14, 16. Iob 38.17. For he it was that brake those gates of brasse, and brast the barres of yron asunder, and to him the gates of hell and of death were opened for feare. It is certaine that Christs soule went to some place after death, and in the Creede wee finde no place mentioned, but hell, or heauen: now in it there is mention made, of his descen­ding into hell after death, but there is no mention made of his soules ascending, vntill at what time being risen, after forty daies aboade with his Disciples, hee ascended [Page 18]visibly, in his whole humane nature. And that he ascen­ded not into heauen, before that time, wee may gather it out of his owne wordes to Mary Magdalen, Ioh. 20.17. saying, Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father; & there is not so much as one letter in the whole Scripture, that sheweth that our Sauiour was to ascend twice to heauen, or that his soule was to descend twice from heauen: the which double descension and ascension, are inferred necessarily of the Geneuian doctrine. And as the word died, in the Creede, doth imply our Sauiours descending in soule, to the house of death, though not to dye, (for Christs soule could not dye) but to ouercome death, and to destroy the author of death, the diuell, (as the Apostle speaketh) so doth the word of suffering the like. 1. Cor. 15.55. Heb. 2.14. For Christ suffered the greatest humiliation and deiecti­on that could be, for mans cause, and therefore it behoo­ued his soule to be humbled vnto hell, and without this hee had not beene subiected to the highest degree of humiliation in his soule, as hee was to bee, answerably to the humiliation of his body, which was in the highest degree, euen vnto the death of the crosse: like as for that cause God exalted him, both in body and soule, in the highest degree, Philip. 2.6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. (as the Apostle teacheth.) So that we see that Christs locall descending into hell, is denied in no Creede, but expressed in some, and implied in all.

VII.

Seauenthly, the locall descent of Christs soule into hell, is confirmed by the common consent, and con­stant profession of the Doctors of the primitiue Church, in their Sermons, Homilies, Commentaries, Expositions and Glosses, vpon the places of Scripture aboue allead­ged, about twenty in number; and vpon the Creede, especially this article thereof, as shall bee shewed more [Page 19]particularly in our Latine worke by the expresse testi­monies of these three and forty Fathers, Doctours, and writers, Hebrewes, Greekes and Latines, Thaddaeus, Ignatius, Iustinus Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullianus, Origines, Cyprianus, Arnobius, Lactantius, Eusebius, Athanasius, Hilarius, Socra­tes, Basilius, Gregorius Nazianzenus, Ambrosius, Hieroni­mus, Ruffinus, Epiphanius, Chrysostomus, Augustinus, Cassia­nus, Caesarius, Philippus Presbyter, Cyrillus, Primasius, Euthy­mius, Theodoretus, Leo, Ʋigilius, Fulgentius, Cassiodorus, Beda, Titus Bostrensis, Didimus, Ioannes Damascenus, Theo­phylactus, Oecumenius, Bernardus, Prudentius, Petrus Chrysologus, Rabbi Hoccadosh, Rab. Simeon: whereunto shal be added, some sixe or seauen Councels, as of Ephesus, Chalcedon, Alexandria, Constantinople, Toledo, Arles and others. So that if the Fathers of the Church haue any weight or authority amongst the Geneuians, they shall soone see themselues in a manifest errour which God grant they may as soone amend.

VIII.

Eightly, Christs locall descent into hell after death, is confirmed by the ingenuous reception and subscrip­tion of the most part of learned protestant writers, as we shall show in our Latine worke, by the testimonies of some thirty; to wit, Luther, Calum, Peter Martyr, Bullm­ger, Pomeran, Pellican, Chytraeus, Aepinus, Bucer, Illyricus, Selneccer, Lossius, Hemingius, Aretius, Rulandus, Marlerat, Vrbanus Rhegius, Lauater, Vitus Theodorus, Mylius, Muscu­lus, Mollerus, Westhemerus, Heresbachius, Felinus, our coun­trimen Alexander Alesius, or Aeleis, Bishop Latimer, and Robert Samuel Martyrs, Deane Nowell, Master Foxe, with the reuerend Bishops and learned Doctors of Fngland, in the time of King Edward the sixt, and afterwards, to this present day of the happy raigne of King Iames the [Page 20]sixt, together with the whole Lutheran Protestants in Denmarke, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Boheme, Hungary, and other parts of Germany, with some of those, whome they call Caluinians; as namely, that most learned and iudicious Italian diuine, Hieronymus Zanchius.

IX.

Ninethly, the doctrine of Christs locall descending into hell, is prooued by irrefragable reasons: for first the doctrine of the Church of England doth illustrate, com­mend and magnifie, the loue of God towards mankinde, where as the doctrine of Geneua obscureth, ecclypseth, and diminisheth it, exceeding much. For it is an argu­ment of great loue, that the Sonne of God would daigne to descend from his throne, and seate of maiestie, into this earth of vilitie and misery, which is his foote-stoole: but it is an argument of farre greater loue, that for our sakes, he would yet descēd lower, euen so low, as to take upon him the shape of a seruant, and in that shape to suf­fer so shamefull a death, as that vpon the crosse; but it argueth the highest degree of loue that could bee, in that for our sakes hee would descend so low as into the lowest hell, the vile and loathsome dungeon of the damned, to the end that we should not descend thither, nor be damned. Secondly, the very Ground, whereup­on the Geneuians doe found their doctrine of Christs suffering the pangs of hell, doth prooue pregnantly this very point, which they denie of Christs descending in­to hell in his soule. The ground is this, It behooued the Mediatour of sinfull mankinde to suffer what was due to sinfull mankinde, whereupon it followeth necessa­rily, that he suffered the highest degree of humiliation, to wit to be humbled vnto hell in his soule, as his Bodie was humbled vnto the shame of the crosse, & the graue, [Page 21]for sinfull mankinde had deserued this deiection, and should haue beene humbled so farre for his sinfull and proud rebelling against God, if our Redeemer had not humbled himselfe in our stead and for our sakes to ex­empt, and deliuer vs from this ignominie. Yea their very doctrine is contradictory to it selfe, for they hold that Christ was to suffer the torments of hell in his soule, and yet they will not haue him goe to hell; which two asser­tions cannot well stand together; for though that the soule may feele the horror, or apprehend the feare & ter­ror of hell, out of hel, Psal. 18.4, 5, Mat. 26.37.38 39, 42, 46, Mar. 14.33 34, 35, 36, & 15, 34, & that our Sauiours soule did so in the garden and vpon the crosse, according as the Pro­phet Dauid had prophesied, of him saying, the sorrowes of death and of hell, haue compassed me about, and as our Saui­our said of himselfe, My soule is very heauy euen vnto the death, and as the Euangelists doe testifie of him, that hee began to waxe sorrowfull: and grieuously troubled, to bee afraid and in great beauinesse, and euen in such an agonie vpon the apprehension of the fearefull cup of Gods wrath, that he sweat drops of blood, and afterwards cried out, that he felt himselfe in a manner forsaken of his Father, for our sakes for a while; all which soule-suffering, the Apostle Peter calleth by the name of the sorrowes of death, and Dauid, the sorrowes of hell; though I say that our Sa­uiour suffered in his soule for our sakes, these horrours and terrors of hell, in the very garden and on the crosse, yet he could not suffer the pangs, paines, or torments of hell, without being in hell, no more then one can enioy, the ioyes of heauen out of heauen. But the truth is, that Christs soule was no more capable of those tor­ments of hell, then it was of desperation or damnati­on. And though he descended into hell, yet it was not to suffer torment, but only the highest degree of humilia­tion and debasement, and with all to begin his highest [Page 22]exaltation in the same very place, where his lowest hu­miliation did end. Thirdly, the doctrine of the Church of England doth magnifie and set out the Maiestie of Christs victorie and conquest, where as the doctrine of Geneua doth obscure and diminish the Maiestie thereof. For who knoweth not, but that it is a greater glorie for a King or Captaine to vanquish and conquer his enemie in his owne kingdome, and to make his enemies owne pallace his prison, then to doe it elsewhere? Wherefore seeing our Sauiour atchieued the greatest, and the most glorious conquest that euer was, and triumphed the most magnificently; Mat. 12.29. we must needs beleeue, that he did it in Sathans the strong ones owne house, castle and king­dome, as it is in the Gospell, and as the Church of England together with the Primitiue doth beleeue and teach; and not that he did it out of hell, or on the crosse, as they iargon at Geneua.

X.

Tenthly and lastly, the veritie of the Church of Eng­lands doctrine touching our Sauiours descending into hell, may appeare by the contradictions, oppositions, and dissentions, and fanaticall expositions of such as haue oppugned it, or dissented from it; some expounding those words, hee descended into hell, of our Sauiours bu­riall, others of his detention in the graue, and the most part of his suffering the paines and torments of hell, in the garden, and on the crosse; some haue expounded it of his translating into the state of the dead, and some haue beene so fanaticall, as to say, that his descending in­to hell, meaneth no other matter but the ascending of his soule into heauen after death. And as some of them haue most vnlearnedly and ridiculously vnderstood hea­uen by hell in the Creed, and ascending by descending, which is all one with the taking water for fire, or God for the [Page 23]diuell, so haue they as vnlearnedly and ridiculously con­strued diuers other places of Scripture. In the sixteene Psalme, by the Hebrew word NEPHESH, Psal. 16, 10. Act. 2.27. and in the se­cond of the Actes by the Greeke [...] (both which doe signifie the soule) they vnderstand the body, which is the contrary part, and the other halfe of man, a thing that no learning diuine or humane will suffer. And though a man perhaps might excuse such a simple or single Ig­noramus as this; yet how can he excuse it, when it is dou­bled? for those Geneuians will haue the word soule to sig­nifie the body and a dead body, which in all learning di­uine, or humane, signifieth alwaies a liuing substance; and either the principall part, which is the soule, and that pro­perly, or else the whole person, figuratiuely. And as these admirable Metamorphosers of Geneua, turne in one place hell into heauen and descending into ascending, euen blacke into white, and in another place, Christs liuing soule they turne into his dead Body; so doe they turne hell into the graue, for the Hebrew word SHEOL; and the Greeke word [...], which doe properly and principally signifie hell (as the learned in these languages doe well know, and as we shall show particularly otherwhere, by allead­ging the testimonies of the best Hebricians and Grecians) but especially when the word of Soule is thereunto an­nexed, as it is in the sixteenth Psalme, and in the second of the Actes, they do translate Graue and not Hell; which is not only the secondary and improper signification of those two words, but also quite repugnant to those texts of Scripture, wherein mention is made of the con­ditiō of Christs soule: For though it be true that the said two words doe sometimes signifie the graue, yet it is but secondarily and improperly, and when the word of Body or flesh is ioyned thereunto, but neuer when the word of Soule, is annexed, as it is in those two places of Scripture, [Page 24]and because they see the absurditie that should insue of saying that Christs soule should be buried in a graue, there­fore for preuenting one absurditie, they runne into ano­ther: for as they turne hell into graue, so doe they Christs liuing soule into his dead body, the most blockish and stoc­kish abusing of Scripture, that euer was heard tell off: yea more, the most impious, for in so doing they ioyne with the professed enemies of Christ both Iewes, Arrian, and Apollinarian Heretickes. For first such Geneuian expositors ioyne with the Iewes, who (as Aepinus the Protestant Su­perintendent of Hamburge, writeth vpon the sixteenth Psalme) to ouerthrow the certainty of our faith, con­cerning Christs descension into hell and his resurrecti­on, did by the word soule, vnderstand life, (though it bee not so bad, nor so farre fetcht as Bezas dead bodie) and by the word hell, they vnderstand graue, as the Geneuians doe. And next they ioyne and iumpe with the old Arrian and Apollinarian Heretickes, which denied our Sauiours true humane soule, and therefore vnderstood those Scriptures as the Geneuians doe, and not as the ortho­doxe fathers vnderstood them, that out of those Scrip­tures, refuted their fooleries, as Athanasius, Theodoretus, Epiphanius, Cyprianus, Augustinus, Fulgentius, Hieronymus, Ambrosius, Philippus Presbyter, Ruffinus, Cassiodorus, Euthy­mius, Beda, Petrus Chrysologus, and others whom the Church of England doth follow: all which shall be (God-willing) particularly prooued in our Latine worke. And the Geneuians doe ioyne with the same Apollinarian here­tickes in vnderstanding by the Spirit of Christ in the third chapter of the first Epistle of Saint Peter, 1. Pet. 3.18.19. his Diuinitie or God-head, and not his humane Spirit; though the other halfe of his humanitie, to wit his flesh bee there menti­oned with it: like as in the same text, they turne Christs person, into Noahs, and Christs preaching in Spirit vnto [Page 25]dead mens spirits after his passion, into Noahs preaching in body vnto liuing men, many hundreth yeares before the passion, and incarnation. Where note how that con­trary to all learning diuine and humane, they expound the word Spirit of a liuing man, and not of the soule of one deceased. And in the same absurd manner, they turne Christs wrastling vpon the crosse, into triumphing, and make him to sing his owne triumph before his full and absolute victorie. Finally, as in expounding the Gospel they turne the heart or middle of the earth into a Tombe, Math. 12.40. & 27.60. which was not so much as within the foreskin (if I may so speake) of the earth, so in expounding the Epistle, they turne the lower or lowest parts of the earth, Eph. 4.8.9. whereinto our Sauiours soule descended, into the vpmost parts or surface of the earth, where in body hee conuersed, when hee was vpon earth. So that they turning thus vpside downe, both in Gospell and Epistle as they doe, we haue as little cause to iumpe or ioyne with Geneua in this point, as wee haue to runne with Rome for the finding out of their fa­naticall Limbus Patrum.

And thus I haue by a ten-fold probation, cleered the truth of the doctrine of the Church of England touching our Sauiours descending into hell, and haue with all dispelled the cloudes and mistes, both of Romane and Geneuian opinions. For as it is most certaine that our Sa­uiours soule did after death descend into hell, which our Geneuians doe most vnlearnedly and ignorantly de­nie, so is it as certaine, that hee descended into the very lowest hell, and not to any vpper region or subter­raneall Limbus Patrum, to deliuer the Fathers, as the Romanes doe imagine; for wee shall prooue both by Scriptures and Fathers, and many pregnant reasons, that they went presently after death into Paradise; and that there is no other Limbus or lodge for Fathers or Infants [Page 26]either, but it, nor no other Purgatorie after this life, but the fire of Gods Spirit in the same Paradise. And in the same worke, we shall likewise dispute the question, whe­ther our Sauiour went first into Paradise, before he went downe to hell; and whether the soules of the Patriarkes, went in his companie, to bee witnesses of his victorie in hell? wherefore I would wish with all my heart, that for the furthering of the peace of the Church, both Romanes and Geneuians, Papists and Puritanes would subscribe vnto the doctrine of the Church of England in this point, and borrow from her the golde of this orthodoxall doctrine, as they would she should borrow from them some thing that they can show as good warrant for, as the Church of England can doe for this. And let them both, doe as they please, one thing I dare vndertake to prooue by publike disputation, in any Colledge in Christendome, and shall shall doe it, (God willing) before a few yeares goe about, in King Iames his Colledge; that the Romanes cannot show so much Scripture, and so many testimonies of Fathers, nor so many pregnant reasons, for any two positions or opinions that they differ in from the Church of England, as wee shall show for this one, tou­ching Christs descending into the dungeon of the dam­ned, to deliuer vs from descending. And againe, that all the Geneuians in Christendome (though they should ioyne their whole wits together) shall neuer bee able to show so many authorities, testimonies, reasons and argu­ments, fetcht from Scriptures, Fathers, and Doctors, for the probation of the whole opinions, that they differ in from the Church of England, as we shall show for the probation of this one position, onely against them. The which being well considered, I hope my Countrey men will not be so fond of euery Glosse, that goeth forth from Geneua, as to take all to bee vndoubtedly true; and that [Page 27]hereafter they will not applaude promiscuously all their pedling and paltrie opinions; seeing some of them are so absurde and ridiculous, and other some so vnlearned and impious as we haue now showed and can show; how that they commit the like incongruities, absurdities, er­rours and impieties in their popular paritie, amongst Mi­nisters, in their lay-presbytery, in their exploding of Pre­lacie, in their denying of the Christian Princes Ecclesi­asticall facultie and sacred immunitie from secular coer­cion and ecclesiasticall censure: and to be briefe, in their suppressing and opposing of such religious ceremonies, and solemnities as haue beene vsed of the ancient Chri­stians through out the whole world, in the most flourishing and prospering ages of the Church. The which errours and defects, I pray the God of Vnitie and Veritie to giue them grace speedily to amend. Amen.

FINIS.

Errata.

IN the Epistle, page 6. line 19. for enough read enough, In the Contents numb. 9. for honorable in some copies read honorably, & num. 17. after sont, read for, in stead of or, in some copies. In the first Treat. p. 10. lin. 17 in some copies put out whensoeuer, p. 35. lin. 9. for fabulous read friuolous, pag. 56. lin. 17. for hee o­uerseers, read the ouerseers, pag. 40. lin 11. for Churchmen being, read Church-members, pag. 45. lin 23. for the other, read their other, pag. 51. lin. 29. betweene resembled and ours, read, by, in some copies, p. 71 l. 10. after had seene, adde him. Tract. 2. pag. 10. line 31. in some copies read Tarina for Taxina, and Artemisia for Artenisia, pag. 16. lin. 6. for the death, read the dead.

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