CHAP. I. Sheweth who are the fittest to set down the Rights which God granted unto Kings; what causeth men to rebell; the parts considerable in S. Peter's words, 1 Pet. 2.17. in fine. How Kings honoured the Clergie; the faire but most false pretences of the refractary Faction, what they chiefly aime at, and their malice to Episcopacie and Royaltie.

IT was not unwisely said by Ocham that great Schoolman to a great Emperour (which M. Lu­ther said also to the Duke of Saxonie) Tu pro­tege me gladio, & ego defendam te calamo; Guliel. Ocham. Ludov. 4. do you defend me with your Sword, and I will maintain your right with my pen; for God hath committed the Sword into the hand of the King, and his hand which beareth not the Sword in vain knoweth how to useRom. 13. v. 4. [Page 2] the Sword better than the Preacher, and the King may better make good his Rights by the Sword than by the pen, which having once blotted his papers with mistakes, and concessions more than due, though they should be never so small (if grant­ed further than the truth would permit, as I feare some have done in some particulars) yet they cannot so easily be scraped away by the sharpest sword; and God ordered the divine tongue and learned Scribe to be the pennes of a ready Writer, and thereby to display the duties and to justifie the Rights of Kings; and if they faile in either part, the King needeth nei­ther to performe what undue Offices they impose upon him,The Divine best to s t down the Righ s of k ngs. nor to let passe those just honours they omit to yield unto him; but he may justly claime his due Rights, and either retaine them or regain them by his Sword, which the Scribe either wilfully omitted, or ignorantly neglected to ascribe unto him, or else maliciously endeavoured, (as the most impudent and rebellious Sectaries of our time have most virulently done) to abstract them from him.

And seeing the Crown is set upon the head of every Christi­an King, and the Scepter of government is put into his hand, by a threefold Law

• 1. Of Nature, that is common to all.
• 2. Of the Nation, that he ruleth over.
• 3. Of God, that is over all.

As,

Every Christi­an king esta­blished by a threefold Law.1. Nature teaching every King to governe his People ac­cording to the common rules of honesty and justice.

2. The politique constitution of every severall State and particular Kingdome, shewing how they would have their go­vernment to be administred.

Psal. 119.3. The Law of God, which is an undefiled Law, and doth infallibly set downe what duties are to be performed and what Rights are to be yielded to every King: for whatsoever things are written of the Kings of Israel and Judah in the holy Scri­ptures are not only written for those Kings and the government of that one Nation,To what end the stories of the kings of Is­rael and Iudah were written. Rom. 15.4. but as the Apostle saith, They are written for our learning, that all Kings and Princes might know thereby how to governe, and all Subjects might in like manner, by this impartiall and most perfect rule understand how to behave [Page 3] themselves in all obedience and loyalty towards their Kings and governours; for he that made man knew he had been better unmade than left without a Government; therefore as he or­dained those Lawes whereby we should live, and set down those truths that we should believe;The ordination of our govern­ment as bene­ficiall as our creation. so he settled and ordain­ed that Government whereby all men in all Nations should be guided and governed, as knowing full well that we neither would nor could do any of these things right, unlesse he himselfe did set down the same for us; therefore though the froward­nesse of our Nature will neither yield to live according to that Law, nor believe according to that rule, nor be governed ac­cording to that divine Ordinance, which God hath prescribed for us in his Word; yet it is most certain, that he left us not without a perfect rule and direction for each one of these, our faith, our life, and our government, without which government we could neither enjoy the benefits of our life, nor scarce reape the fruits of our faith: and because it were as good to leave us without Rules and without Lawes, Unwritten things most uncertain. as to live by unwritten Lawes, which in the vastnesse of this world would be soon al­tered, corrupted and obliterated; therefore God hath written down all these things in the holy Scriptures, which though they were delivered to the People of the Jewes for the govern­ment both of their Church and Kingdome, yet were they left with them to be communicated for the use and benefit of all other Nations, (God being not the God of the Jewes onely, Rom. 3.2 [...]. but of the Gentiles also) because the Scripture in all morall and per­petuall precepts (that are not meerly judicialia Judaica, or se­cundae classis, which the royall government was not, because this was ordained from the beginning of the world to be ob­served among all Nations, and to be continued to the end of the world: nor the types and shadowes that were to vanish when the true substance approached) was left as a perfect pa­terne and platforme for all Kings and People, Pastours and Flockes, Churches and Kingdomes throughout the whole world, to be directed how to live, to governe, and to be go­verned thereby. Such was the love and care of God for the Go­vernment of them that love and care as little to be governed by his government.

Every Govern­ment the better by how much nearer it is to the Govern­ment of the Scripture kings.And therefore the dimme and dusky light of bleare eye'd Na­ture, and the darke distracted inventions of the subtillest poli­tickes must stoope and yield place in all things, wherein they swerve from that strict rule of justice and the right order of government, which is expressed necessarily to be observed in the holy Scripture, either of the Kings part towards his People, or of the Peoples duty towards their King.

And though each one of these faculties, or the understanding of each one of these three Lawes requireth more than the whole man, our life being too short to make us perfect in any one; yet seeing that of all three, the Law of God is abyssus magna, like the bottomlesse sea, and the supreme Lady, to whom all other Lawes and Sciences are but as Penelopes handmaids to attend her service; the Divine may farre better and much sooner un­derstand what is naturall right,The Divine is better able to understand Law, than the Lawyer to un­derstand Divi­nitie. Psal. 1.2. and what ought to be a just na­tionall Law, and thereby what is the Right of Kings, and what the duty of Subjects, than any, either Philosopher or Lawyer can finde the same by any other art; especially to understand the same so fully by the Law of God, as the Divine that exer­ciseth himselfe therein day and night may do it; unlesse you thinke (as our Enthusiasts dreame) that every illiterate Tradesman, or at least a Lawyers Latine (I speak of the gene­rality, when I know many of them of much worth in all learning) may easily wade with the reading of our English Bi­bles into the depth of all Divinity, and that the greatest Do­ctour that spent all his dayes in studies, can hardly understand the mysteries of these Camelion-like Lawes, which may change sense, as often as the Case shall be changed, either by the subtlety of the Pleader, or the ignorance, or corruption of the Judges. But we know their deepest Lawes, discreetest Statutes, and subtillest Cases cannot exceed the reach of sound reason; and therefore no Reason can be shewed, but that a rationall man meanly understanding Languages, may sooner understand them, and with lesse danger mistake them, than that Law, which (as the Psalmist saith) is exceeding broad, Psal. 119.96. and exceedeth all humane sense, and the most exquisite naturall understanding, 1 Cor. 2.14.when (as the Apostle saith) The naturall man receiveth not the [Page 5] things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishnes unto him, neither can he know them, because they ar [...] spiritually discerned: and being not discerned or misunderstood, they make all such mistakers li­able to no small punishment, if God should be extreme to marke what is done amisse: and this not understanding of God's Law, is the errour of other Lawes, and the cause of much mischiefe;What causeth many men to rebell. The Scriptures say more for the right of kings than any booke in the world. D wning in his d scourse of the Ecclesiasticall State, p. 91. for if men understood the Law of God, or would believe us that do understand it, I assure my selfe many of the Rebels (such as rebell not out of pride, disobedience, or discontent) are so conscientious, that they would not so rebell as they do, being seduced through their ignorance, by the subtletie of the most crafty children of disobedience.

And therefore letting the usuall impatience of the furious fire-brands of sedition, and the malicious incendiaries of Re­bellion, together with those treacherous Judasses, that insensibly lurke in the King's Court, and are more dangerous both to the Church and State than those open Rebels that are in the Parliament House, to lay on me what reproach they please; as some of them being galled, and now gone, have already done,August. Ego in bonâ conscientiâ teneo, quisquis volens detrahit famae meae, nolens addit mercedi mea. I shall believe it in a good con­science, that whosoever shall wittingly detract from my repute, and unjustly load me with un [...]u [...] disgrace, shall unwillingly adde to my reward; neither shall I ever thinke,Ambros [...] Plus ponderis esse in alieno convicio, quàm in testimonio meo, that there is more ac­count to be had in the foule slander of another mans malice, than in the spotlesse testimonie of mine own conscience: but considering (as Saint Hierome saith) that, Apud Christianos non qui patitur sed qui facit contumeliam miser est; among Christians, not he that suffereth, but he that offereth injuries and reproaches is wretched;Osor. in Epist. Regina Eliz [...] pag 7. though (as Osorius saith) Multa insidiae principibus à suis domesticis intenduntur, multae fraudes in aulâ Regiâ quaestus & compendii gratiâ suscipiuntur, multa, partim adulatione & perfidia, partim offensionis periculosâ for­midine dissimulantur, ita ut rarò inveniantur qui Regibus liberè loqui audeant; many snares are laid for Princes by their own domestique servants many deceitfull trickes and cunning plots [Page 6] are undertaker in the King's Court for gain and honours sake,How kings are deluded by their owne Courtiers, and the truth con­cealed from them. and many things partly for feare of offending, and partly through a perfidious and false flatterie, are dissembled, and the truth of things is imprisoned from the sight of the King, so that he that seeth with these Courtiers eyes, and heareth with their eares, can hardly know the certain state of his own affaires, especially when these flattering Parasites shall beare so heavie a hand over the faithfull servants, that few of them shall dare freely to declare the Truth; yet I am resolved to set downe the plaine face of Truth,The Authours resolution with Gods assistance. without either flattering of my royall Master, or fear either of the Court flatterers hatred, or the Parlia­mentarie Factions crueltie; and though my eldest Brethren, that are abler than my selfe, should reprove me, and say unto me as Eliab said unto David, 1 Sam. 17.28. yet I will take my staffe in my hand, mine own integritie to uphold me, and my fidelity to my King and to the King of kings to protect me, and I will gather a few stones out of the Brook of living waters, out of the Book of holy Scriptures, and I hope with one of them to smite the Phi­listine, The Adversaries of regall right. the three-headed Gerion, the Anabaptist, Brownist, and Puritan Rebell, in the forehead, that he shall fall to the earth, his head shall be cut off with his owne sword, and the whole army of the uncircumcised Philistines, that is, all the rest of the wilfully seduced Rebels, that refuse to be un-deceiv­ed, and to accept of his Majesties grace and pardon, shall fl [...]e away and be destroyed. And,

The first stone that comes into my hand (which I believe will hit the Bird in the eye, and be abundantly sufficient to do the deed) is a stone taken out of the Rocke, that appeares high­est in the Brook, that is Saint Peter, which our Saviour in the judgement of some Fathers, which I quoted in my True Church, calleth a Rocke, and in the judgement of most of the Fathers, and the sober Protestants, is the Prince of Apostles: for he saith, [...], 1 Pet. 2.17. Honour the King; and this one short sentence truly understood, (though I confesse many others may seeme more full) is absolutely sufficient to overthrow all the Anti-royalists, and to silence all the Basileu-Mastices, all the opposers of their own Kings, throughout all the world, especially, if we consider,

• [Page 7]1. Who saith this, S. Peter.
• 2. What is said, Honour the King.
• 3. To whom he saith this, to every Soule.

First, the words are the words of Saint Peter, 1. The Authour of these words: the first in or­der, the chiefest for authority, and the greatest for resolution of all the Apostles of Christ;2 Pet. 1.21: and he spake them as he was inspi­red by the holy Ghost; therefore we may believe them, and we should obey them, or we should feare the judgements of God;Hebr. 12:27: for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turne away from him that speaketh from heaven.

Secondly,2. The sub­stance of the precept. the substance of this precept containeth as many parts as there be words,

• 1. Who is to be honoured, the King.
• 2. What is that honour that is due unto him.

Which two points rightly understood, and duely observed as they are injoyned, would make a peaceable Common­wealth, and a most flourishing Kingdome, without any Civill broiles or intestine Rebellion, which is the greatest plague, and heaviest curse that God hath ever laid upon any Nation.

I have therefore resolved (to prevent this evill, and to disswade us from this miserable mischiefe) to say something of these two points, as may best heale the bleeding wounds of these unhappy and distracted times.

First, It is the most Gratious promise of our good God to all them that will faithfully serve him,1 Sam. 2.30. I will honour them that honour me: and Saint Augustine saith, that Sicut verax est in punitione malorum, ita & in retributione bonorum; as he is most certaine in his threatnings, for the punishment of the wicked, so he is most faithfull in his promises for reward­ing of the Godly; and that not onely for the future, but also in these present times,1 Tim. 4.8. because Godlinesse hath the promise both of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

Therefore pious Princes,How kings have honoured those that ho­noured God. that are God's Vicegerents here on earth, and his Deputies to discharge his promise, have accord­ingly honoured them, that have by their upright life and indefa­tigable [Page 8] paines honoured God in his Church, with double ho­nour.

1. With Digni­ties.1. With titular Dignities, honourable Places, and consider­able eminencies in the Common-wealth, as conceiving it not unworthy, to make the greater lights of the Church to be not of least esteem in the Civil State, but judging it most conveni­ent, that they whom God had intrusted with the soules of men should with all confidence be intrusted with their personall acti­ons, and with the imployments of the greatest trust.

2. With mainte­nance.2. With competent meanes, in some sort answerable to sup­port their Dignities, without which meanes as the Poet saith, Virtus nisi cum re vilior algâ, so honourable Titles without any subsistence is more contemptible than plaine beggery; therefore out of their piety to God, and bounty to the Church, they have conferred many faire Lordships and other large endowments upon the best deserving Members of Christs Ministers.

Matth. 13.24. [...].But as the good Husbandman had no sooner sown his pure Wheat, but immediately Inimicus homo, the evill and envious man, superseminavit zizania, sowed his poysonous Tares a­mongst them; so God had no sooner thus honoured his ser­vants, but presently the Devill, which is [...]. 2 Cor. 4.4. the god of this world, began to throw dirt in their faces, and to deprive them of both these honours: for,

1. He stirred up ignorant men, of small learning but of great spirits, of no fidelity but of much hypocrisie, that, as Pope Leo wrote unto Theodosius, Leo papa Epist. 23. Privatas causas pietatis a­gunt obtentu, and under a faire pretext did play the part of Aesop's Fox, who being ashamed that his taile was cut off, be­gan to inveigh against the unseemly burthensome tayles of all the other Foxes,What the facti­ous Preachers pretended. and to perswade them to cut theirs off; that so by the common calamity he might be the better excused for his obscenity; for so they cried downe all Learning as prophane, they railed at the Schoolmen, they scorned the Fathers, and esteemed nothing, but that nothing which they had themselves: and although they professed to the Vulgar, that they aimed at no end but the purity of the Gospell, they desired nothing but the amendment of life and reformation of Ecclesiasticall Disci­pline, [Page 9] and hated nothing but the pride and covetousnesse of the Bishops, and the other dignified Prelates, which stopped their mouthes, and imprisoned the liberty of their conscience; yet the truth is, that because their worth was not answerable to their ambition, to enable them to climbe up to some height of honour, their envy was so great, that they would faine pull downe all those that had ascended and exceeded them.

And therefore with open mouthes that would not be silen­ced, they exclaimed against Episcopacie; and as the Apostle faith, spake evill of Dignities, imploying all their strength, like wicked birds, to defile their owne nests, to disrobe us of all ho­nour, and to leave us naked; yea, and as much as in them lay,What the Fa­ctious ayme at. to make us odious, and to stinke (as the Israelites said to Moses) in the eyes of the people. Then

2. As Plutarch tells us,Plutarch. in lib. [...]. that a certaine Sicilian Gnatho and Philoxenus the sonne of Erixis, that were slaves unto their gutts, and made a god of their bellies, to cause all the other guests to loath their meat, that they alone might devoure all the dainties, did use Narium mueum in catinis [...]mungere; so doe these men spit all their poyson against the revenues of the Bishops, and that little maintenance that is left unto the Mi­nisters, and are as greedy to devoure the same themselves as the dogs, that gape after every bit they see us put into our mouthes; for, so I heard a whelpe of that litter,Doctor Burges. making a bitter invective in the House of Commons against Bishops, Deanes, and Chap­ters, and the greatnesse of their revenue; and concluding that all they should be degraded, their meanes should be sequestred, and distributed all without any diminution of what they now possessed, but with the restitution of all Impropriations unto himselfe, and the rest of his factious fellow Preachers; which speech, as it pleased but few in the latter clause, so no doubt it had faut [...]rs enough in the former part, when we see this little remnant of our fore-fathers bounty, this testimony of our Prin­ces piety, is the onely mote that sticks in their eye, the undige­sted morsell in their stomacks, and the onely [...]ait that they gape after; for did our King yeild this garment of Christ to be par­ted among their Souldiers, and this revenue of the Church to [Page 10] be disposed of by the Parliament, I doubt not but all quarrels about the Church would soone end, and all other strife about Religion would be soone composed.

What many men would willingly un­dergoe to pro­cure peace.But, would this end all our civill warres, would the un­bishoping of our Prelates bring rest unto our Prince, and the taking away of their estates settle the State of the Common-wealth, and bring peace and tranquillity unto this Kingdome? If so, we could be well contented for our owne parts, to be sa­crificed for the safety of the people; for though we dare not say with Saint Paul, [...]. Rom. 9.6. that we could wish our selves [...], or seperated from Christ for our Country-men; yet I can say it with a syncere heart, that I beleeve many of us could be well contented our fortunes should be confiscated, and our lives en­ded, so that could procure the peace of the Church, which is infinitely troubled, redeeme His Majesties honour, which is so deepely wounded, and preserve this our native Country from that destruction, which this unparallel'd Rebellion doth so in­fallibly threaten,The abolishing of Episcopacie would not sa­tisfie the Facti­ous. but the truth is, that the abolishing of Epis­copacie, root and branch, the reducing of the best to the lowest ranke, and the bringing of the Clergie to the basest condition of servility, to be such as should not be worthy to eat with the dogs of their flocke, as Job speaketh, will not doe the deed; be­cause,Iuven. Sat. 2. as the Satyrist saith, nemo repentè fit turpissimus, but as vertues, so vices have their increase by use and progression, & primum quodque flagitium gradus est ad proximum, and every heynous offence is as an iron chaine, to draw on another. For as Seneca saith,Seneca de Clem. lib. 1. nunquam usque adeo temperata cupiditates sunt, ut in eo quod contigit desinant, sed gradus à magnis ad majora fit, & spes improbissimas complectuntur insperata assecuti: our desires are never so farre temperated, that they end in that which is obtained, but the gaining of one thing is a step to seek another: And therefore, cùm publicum ju [...] omne positum fit in sacris, Plato de legibus lib. 12. as Plato saith, how can it be, that they which have pro­phaned all sacred things, and have degraded their Ministers, should not also proceed to depose their Magistrates? if you be diffident to beleeve the same; let the Annals of France, Ger­many, England and Scotland be revised, and you shall finde that [Page 11] Charles the fifth was then troubled with warre, when the Bi­shops were turmoyled, and tumbled out of their Seas: & Sco­ti uno eodémque momento numinis & principis jugum excusse­runt, nec justum magistratum agnoverunt ullum, ex quo primum tempore sacris & sacerdotibus bellum indixerunt: and the Scots at one and the selfe-same moment did shake off the yoke of their obedience both unto their God, and to their King; neither did they acknowledge any for their just Magistrate after the [...] had once warred against Religion and religious men, which were their Priests and Bishops, saith Blacvodaeus: Blacvod. Apo­log. pro regibus. pag. 13. and in France (saith he) the same men were enemies unto the King that were adversaries unto the Priests; quia politicam domi­nationem nunquam ferent, qui principatum ecclesia sustulerunt, nec mirum si regibus obloquantur, The haters of the Bishops ever enemies unto Kings. qui sacerdotes flamma & fer­ro persequuntur; because (as I have shewed at large in my Grand Rebellion) they will never endure the Politicall Magi­strate to have any rule, when they have shaken off the Ecclesi­asticall government; neither is it any wonder that they should flander, rage against, and reject their King, when they persecut [...] their Bishops with fire and sword.

And I thinke the sad aspect of this distracted Kingdome at this time, makes this point so cleare, that I need not adde any more proofe to beget faith in any sober man; for doth not all the world see, that assoone as the seditious and trayterous fa­ction in this unhappy Parliament, had cast most of the Bishops, How soone the Faction fell up­on the King, after th y had cast off their Bishops. the gravest and the greatest of all, with Joseph, into the dun­geon, (a thing that no story can shew the like president in any age) and had voted them all, contrary to all right, out of their indubitable right to sit in the House of Peeres, ( [...]n act indeed so full of incivility, [...]. Matth. 8.34. as hath no small affinity with that of the Gergesites, who for love of their swine, drave not out, but de­sired Christ to depart out of their coasts:) they presently be­gan to plucke the sword out of the Kings hand, and endea­voured to make their Soveraigne in many things more servile then any of his owne Subjects, so that he should be gloriosissi­mè servilis as Saint Augustine saith, that Homer was suavissimè [...]anus: and to effect this, you see how they have torne in [Page 12] pieces all his Rights, they have trampled his Prerogatives un­der foot, they have as much as they could, laid his honour in the dust; and they have with violent warre and virulent ma­lice, sought to vanquish and subdue their owne most gracious Soveraigne, which cannot chuse but make any Christian heart to bleed, to see such unchristian and such horrid unheard of things attempted to be done by any, that would take upon him the name of a Christian.

Therefore to manifest my duty to God, and my fidelity to my King, I have undertaken this hard, and to the Rebels unpleasant labour, to set downe the Rights of Kings: wherein I shall not be affraid of the Rebels power, neither would I have any man to feare them; for however, Victores victique cadunt, The Rebels for the punish­ment of our sins may pros­per for a time, but at last they shall be most surely destroy­ed. Prov. 8.15. Psal. 68.30. Joshua 9.16. Psal 91.16. there may be a vicissitude of good successe many times on both sides, to prolong the warre for our sinnes, and they may prosper in some places; yet that is but nubecula quaedam, a tran­sient cloud, or a summer storme that will soone passe away; for we may assure our selves they shall not prevaile, because God hath said it, By me Kings doe raigne, and He will give strength unto his King, and exalt the horne of his Annointed; He will scatter the people that delight in warre, and make the hearts of the cursed Canaanites to melt, and their joynts to tremble; but, He will satisfie the King with long life, and sh [...]w him his salvation.

CHAP. II. Sheweth, what Kings are to be honoured; the institution of Kings to be immediately from God; the first Kings; the three chiefest rights to Kingdomes; the best of the three rights; how Kings came to be elected; and how, contrary to the opinion of Master Selden Aristocracie and Demo­cracie issued out of Monarchie.

TO proceed then, you see the person that by Saint Peters precept is to be honoured to be the King, and what King [Page 13] was that? but (as you may see in the beginning of this epistle) the King of Pontus, Galatia, Cuppadocia, Asia, and Bythinia; and what manner of Kings were they, I pray you? I presume you will confesse they were no Christians, but it may be as bad as Nero, who was then their Emperour, and most cruelly ty­rannizing over the Saints of God, gave a very bad example to all other his substitute Kings and Princes to doe the like;What Kings are to be honou­red. and yet these holy Christians are commanded to honour them. And therefore,

• 1. Heathen, Pagan, wicked and tyrannicall Kings are to be truly honoured, by Gods precept.
• 2. Religious, just, and Christian Kings are to have a double honour, because there is a double charge impo­sed upon them: as,

1. To execute justice and judgement among their people;The double charge of all Christian Kings. 1. To preserve peace. to preserve equity and peace, both from intestine broyles and ferraig [...] foes; which carefull government bringeth plenty and prosperity in all externall affaires unto the whole Kingdome, and this they doe as Kings, which is the common duty of all the Kings of the earth.

2. To maintaine true Religion,2. To protect the Church. to promote the faith of Christ, and to be the guardians and foster-fathers unto the Church and Church-men, which tye their people unto God to make them spiritually and everlastingly happy; and this duty is laid upon them as they are Christian Kings: and therefore in regard of this accession of charge, they ought to have an [...]es­sion of honour, more then all other Kings whatsoever.

1. Then I say, that the Heathen, Pagan, wicked and tyran­nicall Kings, such as were Nero, Dioclesian, and Julian, among the Christians, or Ahab and Manasses among the Jewes, or Antiochus, Dionysius, and the rest of the Sicilian Tyran [...] a­mong the Gentiles, are to be honoured, served, and obeyed of all their Subjects, and that in three speciall respects.

• 1. Of their institution,
  1. All Kings to be honoured in three re­spects.
  which is the immediate ordinance of God.
• 2. Of Gods precept, which enjoyneth us to honour them.
• [Page 14]3. Of all good mens practice; whether they be
  • 1. Jewes.
  • 2. Gentiles.
  • 3. Christians.

1. The institu­tion of Kings, is immediately from God. Iustin. lib. 1.1. Justin tells us, that, Principio rerum gentium nationūm­que imperium penes reges erat, from the beginning of things; that is, the beginning of the world, the rule and government of the people of all nations was in the hands of Kings; Qu [...]s ad honoris fastigium non ambitio popularis, sed spectata inter bo­nos moderatio provehebat. Herodot. lib. 1. Clio. And Herodotus setteth downe how Deioces the first King of the Medes had his beginning. And Homer also nameth the Kings that were in and before the warres of Troy. But the choice of Deioces, and some others about that time and after,Cicero in Offi­cus. whereof Cicero speaketh, may give some colour unto our rebellious Sectaries, to make the royall Dignity [...], a humane ordinance; therefore I must goe before Herodotus, and looke further then blinde Ho­mer could see: and from the first King that ever was, I will truly lay downe the first institution and succession of Kings, and how times have wrought by corruption, the alteration of their right, and diminution of their power, which both God and nature had first granted unto them.

God the first King. [...]. 1 Tim. 1.17. Apoc. 19.16.And I hope no Basileu-mastix, no hater of Kings, nor oppo­ser of the royall government can deny, but that God himselfe was the first King that ever the world saw, that was the King of ages before all worlds, and the King of Kings ever since there were any created Kings. The next King that I reade of was Adam, whom Cedrenus stiles the Catholique Monarch; [...]: a mighty King, of a large Territorie, of great Dominion, and of unque­stionable right unto his Kingdome, which was the whole world, the earth, the Seas, and all that were therein. For, the great King of all Kings said unto him, Be fruitfull and multiply, and replenish the earth, Gen. 1.28. and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the Sea, Adam the first King of all men. and over the fowle of the aire, and over every li­ving thing that moveth upon the earth. Which is a very large Commission, when dominare is more then regere; and there­fore [Page 15] his royalty is so plaine, that none but wilfull ignorants will deny it to be divinum institutum, a divine institution, and af­firme it, as they doe, to be humanum inventum, a humane or­dination, when you know there were no men to chuse him, and you see God himselfe doth appoint him:Iohan. Beda, de jure regum. p. 4. and after the flood the Empire of Noah was divided betwixt his 3 sonnes; Japhet raigned in Europe, Sem in Asia, and Cham in Africa.

Yet I must confesse the first Kingdome that is spoken of by that name, is the Kingdome of Nimrod, Gen. 10.9. who notwithstanding is not himselfe termed King, but in the Scripture phrase a mighty hunter, because he was not onely a great King, but al­so a mighty Tyrant, or oppressour of his people in all his King­dome; or as I rather conceive it, because he was the first usur­per that incroached upon his neighbours rights, to inlarge his owne dominions: and the first King that I finde by that name in the Scripture was Amraphell, King of Shinar, Gen. 14.1. with whom we finde 8 other Kings named in the same chapter.

But we are not to contest about words, or to strive about the winde, when the Scripture doth first give this name unto them: the plaine truth is that which we are to enquire after; and so it is manifest, there were Kings ever since Adam, and so na­med ever since Noahs floud; for Melchizedech, which in the judgement of Master Selden, Broughton, and others, was Sem the eldest sonne of Noah, (though mine owne minde is set downe otherwise) was King of Salem; and Justin tells us, that long before Ninus, which was the sonne of Nimrod, there were many other Kings, as Vexores King of Aegypt, [...]. Euripides de Cyclop. and Ta­nais King of Scythia, and the like; and as reason sheweth us that every one, qui regit alios rex est, so every master of a fa­mily that ruleth his owne houshold is a petite King, as we com­monly say to this very day, every man is a King in his owne house; and as their families were the greater, so were they the greater Kings: so Abraham had 300 and 18 servants,Gen. 14.14. that were able men for the warre in his owne house: and therefore the inhabitants of the Land tell him, Princeps Dei es inter nos, thou art a Prince of God, that is, a great ruler amongst us: and yet the greatest of these rulers were rather reguli then reges, [Page 16] Kings of some Cities, or small Territories, and of no large do­minion,Josh. 12.14. as those 31 Kings which Joshua vanquished, doth make it plaine.

Selden in his Titles of ho­nour, cap. 1.But Master Selden confesseth that civill societies, beginning in particular families, the heads thereof ruled as Kings: and as the world increased, or these Kings incroached upon their neighbours, so their Kingdomes were inlarged.

Kings therefore they were, and they were Kings from the beginning. But how they came to be Kings, or what right they had to that regall power, from whence their authority is derived.

• 1. Whether God ordained it: or,
• 2. Themselves assumed it: or,
• 3. The people conferred it upon them:

herein lyeth all the question.

The chiefest rights to King­domes either of three wayes.To which I must briefly answer, that the right of all Kings which have any right unto their Kingdomes, is principally either

• 1. By birth: or,
• 2. By the sword: or,
• 3. By choice.

whereof

• The last is and may be just and good.
• The second is so with­out question: but,
• The first is most just, & so best of all. For,

1. The best right, wi [...]hout contradiction, is by inheri­tance.1. The best right, whereby the Patriarches and all the rest of the posterity of Adam injoyed their royalty, was that which God hath appointed; that is, the right of primogeniture, whereby the elder was by the law of nature, to raigne and rule over the younger; as God saith unto Cain, though he was never so wicked an hypocrite,Gen. 4.7. unto thee shall be the desire of thy brother, and thou shalt rule over him, though he was never so godly and syncere a server of God:Gen. 25.31. which made Jacob so ear­nestly desirous to purchase the birth-right, or the right of pri­mogeniture from his brother. And

2. The right by conquest is a just and a good right.2. When the rightfull Kings became with Nimrod to be un­just Tyrants, then God that is not tyed to his Vicegerant any longer then he pleaseth, but hath right and power Paramount to translate the rule, and transferre the dominion of his people [Page 17] to whom he will;Psal. 89 44. So the Israelites enjoyed the kingdome of Canaan, and David the ter­ritories of them that he subdu­ed, &c. Esdras 1.2. Esay 45.1, 2. Dan. 2. &c. 4. hath oftentimes throwne downe the migh­ty from their seat, and given away their crownes and king­domes unto others, that were more humble and meeke, or some other way fitter to effect his divine purpose, as he did the king­dome of Saul unto David, and Belshazzar's unto Cyrus; and this he doth most commonly by the power of the sword, when the Conquerour shall make his strength to become the Law of justice, and his ability to hold it, to become his right of enjoy­ing it; for so he gave the Kingdomes of the earth to Cyrus, Alexander, Augustus, and the like Kings and Emperours, that had no [...]her right to their Dominions, but what they purcha­sed with the edge of their swords; which notwithstanding must needs be a very good right, as the same commeth from God, which is the God of war, Psal. 144 10. and giveth the victory unto Kings; when, as the Poet saith, Victrix causa Deo placuit; and he deposeth his Vicegerents, and translateth the govern­ment of their Kingdomes, as he seeth cause, and to whom he pleaseth.

3. When either the Kings neglected their duty,3. The right of elective kings, and how they came to be elected. and omitted the care of their People so farre, as that the People knew not that they had any Kings, or who had any right to be their Kings, or upon the incursions of invading foes, the Nations being ex­ceedingly multiplied, and having no Prince to protect them, did change the orderly course of right, belonging unto the first-borne (which their rude and salvage course of life had oblite­rated from their minds) unto the election and choice of whom they thought the better and the abler men to expell their ene­mies, and to maintain justice among themselves; so the Medes being oppressed with the insolencies and rapines of enemies and the greater men, said, it cannot be that in this corruption and lewdnesse of manners we shall long enjoy our Countrey: and therefore [...]. Let us appoint over us a King,Herodot, lib. 1. that our Land may be go­verned by good Lawes. [...]: and we turning our selves to our owne affaires need not be oppressed by the rage and violence of the lawlesse; and finding by their former experience of him, that [Page 18] Deioces was the justest man amongst them, they chose him for his equity to be their King; which is the first elective King that I do reade of:Cicero in Offic. pag 322. and Cicero saith, Mihi quidem non apud Medos solùm, sed etiam apud majores nostros, justitiae fruenda causâ videntur olim benè morati reges constituti: even as Justin said before. And when the People do thus make choice of their King, it is most true which Roffensis and our most learned Divines do say,Roffensis de po­testate Papae, fol. 283. that Licet communicatio potestatis quandoque sit per consensum hominum, potestas tamen ipsa immediatè est à Deo, cujus est potestas; though the power be sometimes con­ferred by the consent of men, yet it is immediately gi [...]en from God,Spalet. tem. 2. 529. whose power it is. Et communitas nihil sui confert regi­bus (saith Spalet.) nisi ad summum personam determinet; & po­tiùs personam applicat divina potestati, quàm divinam potestatem persona: & ita Winton. Resp. ad Matth. Tort. fol. 384. saith, Christi Domini, non Christi populi sunt.

Why kings were rejected by the people.But as their justice and goodnesse moved the People to exalt them to this height of Dignity; so either their own ty­ranny, when change of place did change their manners, or their Peoples inconstancy, that are never long pleased with their governours, caused them to be deposed againe, and many times to be murdered by those hands that exalted them.

Then the People perceiving the manifold evils that flow from the want of government,How the Ari­stocracie and Democracy issued out of Monarchy. do erect other governments un­to themselves, and rather than they will endure the miserable effects of an Anarchie, they resigne their hurtfull liberty, and their totall power sometimes into the hands of few of the best of the flocke, which we call Aristocracie or optimacy, and sometimes into the hands of many, which we call Democracie, or a popular state. In all which elections of Magistrates, and resignations of the Peoples power voluntarily to the hands of their governours,Each forme of government lawfull: call them what you will, Senate, Consuls, Duke, Prince or King, though I dare not any way reject any of them as a forme utterly disallowed and condemned of God; yet comparing them together, I dare boldly say, the farther men go from God's first institution the more corruption we shall finde in them; and therefore it must needs follow that Demo­cracy [Page 19] is the next degree to Anarchie, Democracy the worst kinde of Government. and Aristocracie farre worse than Monarchy; for though it may seem very unreason­able that one man should have all the power;

And many plausible reasons may be alleadged for the rule of the Nobles, or of the People; yet the experience, Inter patres plebemqu [...] cer­tamina exerce­re modo turbu­lent tribuni, medò consules praevalidi; & in urbe ac foro tentamenta ci­vilium be [...]lo­rum, mon è plebe infima C. Ma­rius, & nobili­um sae vissimus L. Sylla victam armis libertatē in dominatio­nem v [...]rterunt, Tac. l. 2. hist. p. 16. usque 28. Prov. 28.2. that the Ro­man state had in those miserable Civill Warres, that so fre­quently and so extremely afflicted them, after they had put down their Kings, (as when Caius Marius, the meanest of the Commonalty, and Lucius Sylla the cruellest of all the No­bility, destroyed their liberty, and rooted [...]t all property, by their Civill faction, and the assistance of an illegall Militia, and a multitude of unruly voluntiers) and the fatall miscarriages of many businesses, and the bad successes of their Armies, when both the Consuls went forth Generals, together with the want of unity, secrecy, and expedition, (which cannot be so well preserved amongst many) do sufficiently shew, how defective these Governments are, and how farre beneath the excellency of Monarchie, as it is most fully proved in the unlawfulnesse of Subjects taking up armes against their Soveraigne; and more especially by the wisest of men that tels us plainly, that for the transgressions of a Land many are the Princes thereof, but by a man of understanding and knowledge the State thereof shall be prolonged: and in another place he crieth,Ecclesiast. 10, 16. Woe to that Land whose king is but a childe, either in knowledge or in yeares; for that during his infancy and the want of ability, the government will be managed by many others, which can produce nothing else but woes to that Common-wealth;Aug. de l. arbi [...]. l. 1. c. 6. and therefore Saint Augustine saith, that if they who beare rule in Democracy do corrupt justice, a good powerfull man may lawfully change that Democraticall goverment into an Aristocraticall or Mo­narchicall; but you shall never finde it in any Christian Au­thour, that any man, be he never so good, never so powerfull may lawfully, upon any occasion or pretence, change the Mo­narchie into an Aristocracy, or Democracy; because it is law­full for us to reduce things from the worst and remotest state to [Page 20] the better and the nearer to the originall forme, but not from the better to a worser and remoter from its originall institution, which is then soundest when it is nearest to its first ordination.

CHAP. III. Sheweth the Monarchicall Government to be the best forme; the first Government that ever was; agreeable to Nature, wherein God founded it; consonant to God's own Govern­ment; the most universally received throughout the world; the immediate and proper Ordinance of God; when the other Governments began; how allowed by God; the quality of elective Kingdomes, not primarily the in­stitution of God; and the nature of the People.

The Monarchi­call govern­ment best.THerefore it is apparent, that of all sorts of Government the Monarchie is absolutely the best, (and of all Monarchs the best right is that which is hereditary) because it is,

• 1. The first in Nature.
• 2. The prime and principall Ordinance of God. For,

1. Reason. Selden in his Titles of Ho­nour, lib. 1.2. Though Master Selden saith, that naturally all men in oeco­nomicke rule, being equally free, and equally possest of superio­ty in those ancient propagations of mankinde, even out of Na­ture it selfe, and that inbred sociablenesse which every man hath, as his character of civility, a popular state first raised it selfe, which by its owne judgement afterward was converted into a Monarchie; and in the fourth page of his Book reject­eth the opinion of great Philosophers, that affirme with Saint Austin the first of the three Governments to be a Monarchy, and affirmeth positively that the Monarchy hath its originall out of a Democracy, as Aristocracie likewise had; yet I say, that this contradicteth his first Thesis, where he asserteth that the husband, father, and master of the house ruled as a King: and therefore the Monarchie must needs be before either Aristocra­cy or Democracy: and where civing Pausanias, that In Boce­ticorum [Page 21] initio, saith, [...].Monarchy an­cienter than any other go­vernment. All Greece was anciently under Kings and no Democracies, he is driven to confesse, pag. 5. that a fami­ly, being in Nature before a publike Society or Common-wealth, was an exemplary Monarchie, and in that regard Mo­narchie is to be acknowledged ancienter than any other state; and so not onely the Orthodoxall people, but the Pagans also had this notion thereof by the instinct of Nature; for the Cappadocians being vanquished by the Romans, Monarchicall government most agreeable to Nature. did instantly request them to give them a King, protesting that they were not otherwise able to maintain themselves; and so most other Nations esteemed that true, which Herodian saith, that as Ju­piter hath command over all the gods, so in imitation of him, it is his pleasure, that the Empire of men should be Monar­chicall.

And indeed it is concluded by the common consent of the best Philosophers that the Lawes of Nature lead us to a Monar­chie, Monarchy founded in Nature. as when among all Creatures both animate and inanimate, we do alwayes finde one that hath the preheminence above all the rest of his kinde, as among the Beasts the Lion, among Fowles the Eagle, among Graines the Wheat, among Drinkes the Wine, among Spices the Baulme among Metalls the Gold, among the Elements the Fire, among the Planets the Sun; and all the best Divines conclude the Monarchicall government to be the most lively image and representation of the divine re­giment and government of God,Consonant to the Divine go­vernment. who as sole Monarch ruleth and guideth all things; and therefore we finde all the Nations of greatest renown lived under the Royall Government, as the Scythians, Aethiopians, Indians, Assyrians, Medes, Aegypti­ans, Bactrians, Armenians, Macedonians, Jewes, and Romans first and last; and at this day the most famous people live un­der this forme, as the English, French, Spaniards, Polonians, The govern­ment of the most famous Nations Mo­narchicall. Danes, Muscovites, Tartars, Turkes, Abissines, Moores, Agia­mesques, Zagathinians, Cathaians; yea and the Salvage people lately discovered in the West Indies, as being guided thereto onely by the rules of Nature, do all of them in a manner live under the Government of Kings; and I believe the Apostle [Page 22] doth specially meane the Regall Government,—Summo dul eius unum stare loco, s [...]is [...]ue con e discordia regnis, Statius Thebaid. 1. though he speak­eth plurally of powers, as understanding the same of many Kings, because he speaketh but of one [...], one sword, which being wrested out of the hand of the King, and put amongst many would make them all, like mad men, fall out and fight, which of them should beare it, when one Sword can ne­ver be well guided by many hands; and therefore I thinke it is a madnesse indeed for any people to be weary of that govern­ment which God first ordained, which is most agreeable unto Nature, most consonant to God's government, most acceptable to God himselfe, and most profitable unto men, and to affect a late new invented government full of all dangers and inconve­niences.

Therefore it is apparent that Monarchie is the first Ordi­nance of all governments; a family being nothing else but a small Kingdome,A family is a small kingdom, and a kingdom a great family. wherein the paterfamilias had Regall power, & potestatem vita & necis, even over his own children, as I have elsewhere shewed in the example of Abraham, and of o­ther Heathens, that justly executed their own sonnes; and a Kingdom being nothing else but a great family, where the King hath paternall power, and more than fathers now have, because of the great abuse that divers fathers committed, while they had their plenary authority: therefore it was thought fit to a­bridge them of that pristine power, and to place it all in the hands of the more publique father.

And to make this yet more plaine unto the world, I would fain know of these Democraticall men,

• 1. When
• 2. How

their Democracy and Aristocracy had their being, and came first in use.

I have shewed the age of Monarchie to be from Adam.

And I cannot remember that any Democracie or Aristocracy was in all the Assyrian Monarchy,When Aristo­cracies and De­mocracies be­gan. which notwithstanding last­ed above a thousand yeares; for the Aristocracies of Greece, alas, they are but of yesterday, of no age, long after Homers time, which yet lived but about the time of Jephte Judge of Is­rael, and besides, I will not believe,

And for the Democracy of Rome, Titus Livius sheweth when it was first hatched, after the expulsion of Tarquinius Super­bus; if therefore you will believe Tertullian, that Id verius quod prius, you must needs give the precedencie of all governments unto Monarchy.

But that which is more considerable is to understand how these birds flitted out of the nest of Monarchy? Our Saviour saith,Matth. 15.13 [...]. Every plant which my father planted not shall be rooted up: that he planted Monarchie, I have made it plaine; but when this Vine began to grow wilde,What caused the change of Monarchy. and instead of grapes to bring forth bitter clusters, that is, oppression, instead of justice; the people grew weary of God's Ordinance, and loath to be contained within the bounds of obedience, when they found strength and oportunity they withstood their lawfull but dege­nerated Kings, and then they deposed them from their estates and deprived them of their lives; so that as the Poet saith;Juvenai Satyr. 10.

And thinking to finde a better way than that which they found so thorny, and a better government than that which formerly they found so bad, they elected those men, whom they thought would make them happy, sometimes more, The uncon­stancy of the people in the choice of their governours. and some­times fewer, as their disposition was, to be their governours: so after the expulsion of Tarquinius the Romans chose two Consuls, and these giving not a plenary content unto the Peo­ple, they added the Tribunes to bridle the disorders of the Consuls, and when all this would not satisfie their unsatiable expectation, they must have their Decem viros, and in great dang [...] their Dictator, then comes the Triumvirat, of Antony, The govern­ment never setled till it came, as all things in na­ture, [...], to Monar­chy. Lepidus, and Augustus, who at last takes upon him the name of an Emperour, but the full power of a King, and governes all as the sole Monarch: thus they ran in a ma [...]e, and turned round like a wheele: and I should but weary my Reader to trace the Greek Histories, to set down the state of Athens, under the thir­ty Tyrants, or of the Lacedem [...]nians under those Eph [...]r [...]. [Page 24] that bore a faire shew to restrain their Kings,Lacedaemonio­rumaristocra­tia ex duobus Regibusquinque Ephori [...], octo & viginti se­natoribus com­posita [...] but were indeed a scourge and plague unto the People; so that in truth, the remedy proved farre worse than the disease, excessit medicina modum, and the change of Government never brought any other good, but an exchange of miseries, the greater for the lesser, unto the People, as for that one rape of Lucrece by Tar­quinius, to undergo a thousand greater insolencies under the new erected Government of the Consuls and Tribunes; and the Israelites for preventing the snatching of the flesh out of their pots,1 Sam. 2.14.15 by the sonnes of Eli, and growing weary of the sonnes of Samuel, Chap. 8.11. to have a Saul, that shall teare their own flesh in pieces, and take their sonnes and their daughters for his vassals.

2. Reason that Monarchy is the best forme of government.2. As the hereditary Monarch is the first kinde of Govern­ment, so it is the principall and best government; because it is the immediate Ordinance of God, that he set down for the Government of his People; for this was ordained by God himselfe, and so continued among his People, even in an heredi­tary way, unlesse the same God designed another person by those Prophets, that he inspired for that purpose; as it was in the case of David, Solomon, and Jehu; and it is certain, that the wisest of men cannot devise a better Forme of Govern­ment than God ordained: therefore the choice of one or more, made by the People to be their King or Governour, cannot be (if not without sin) yet I am sure, without folly; but seeing, as our Saviour saith, a Sparrow cannot light upon the ground without the providence of our heavenly Father: Matth. 10:29: so I must con­fesse;

This election of Kings and change of the first Ordina [...]e hap­pened not without God's providence, either for the tyranny of the evill Kings, or the punishment of the rebellious people: and therefore as Moses for the hardnesse of those mens hearts that hated their wives, to prevent a greater mischiefe, either continuall fighting, or secret murdering one another, suffered them to give their wives a bill of divorcement, Deut. 24.1, (but as our Sa­viour [Page 25] saith, Non erat sic ab initio, Matth. 19.8. it was not any primary Ordi­nance of God, but a permissive toleration of the lesser evill; so when the People out of their froward disposition to God's first Institution of the Regall Right, and presuming to like bet­ter of their owne choice do alter this hereditary Right and di­vine Ordinance into the election of one or more Governours,How God al­lowed the Ari­stocraticall and Democraticall Government, and why. either annuall, as among the ancient Romans, or vitall, as it is in the present state of the Venetians,; God, out of his infinite lenity to our humane frailty, rather than his People should be without Government, and so many hainous sinnes should go unpunished doth permit, and it may be allow and approve the same, though sometimes not without great anger and indigna­tion for our contempt and distaste of his heavenly institution;Deut. 33.5. as when the Israelites, weary of the Judges that succceded Moses, who was a King in Jesurun, and that God raised still to rule as Kings amongst them, to make War against their enemies, and to judge them according to the Law in the time of peace, which are the two chiefest Offices of all Kings, desired to have a King, to judge them like all the Nations; 1 Sam. 8.5. not a King simply (for so they had indeed though not in name) but a King like all the Na­tions, that is, a King of a more absolute power than the Judges had, as Samuel sheweth, and they seem contented therewith: God sent them a King in his wrath, because they had rejected him, that he should not reigne over them; that is,vers. 7. they had refu­sed to submit themselves to his Ordinance, and to obey the Kings that he appointed over them, but they must needs be their own carvers and have a King of their owne election, or such a King (invested with a more absolute power) as they desired, though notwithstanding they did most hypocritically seem to desire none but whom God appointed over them; and there­fore perceiving their own errour, and seeing their own offence by the anger that God shewed, they confessed their fault,The lamenta­ble successe of the first elective Kings. and did alwayes thereafter accept of their Kings by succession, but onely when their Prophets by the sacred Ointment had ordain­ed another by God's speciall designation.

But I cannot finde it in all the Scripture, or in any other Wri­tings authenticall, where God appointed or commanded any [Page 26] People to be the choosers of their Kings, but rather to accept of him, and submit themselves to him, whom the Lord had placed over them.Rossen, de [...]otest. Papae, 282. For I would very fain know, as Roffensis speaketh, An potestas Adami in filios ac nepotes, adeoque om­nes ubique homines, ex consensu filiorum ac nepotum dependet, an à solo Deo ac natura profluit? And if this autority of the Fa­ther be from God without the consent of his children, then certainly the authority of Kings is both naturall and divine immediately from God, and not from any consent or allowance of men;Pineda de rebas Solo. l. 2 c. 2. and Pineda saith, Nusquam invenio Regem aliquem Judaeorum populi suffragiis creatum, quin si primus ille erat, qui designaretur à Deo, vel à Propheta ex Dei jussu, vel sorte, vel aliâ ratione quàm Deus indicasset. Neither do I remember any one that was chosen King by the Children of Israel, but onely Abimelech the bastard son of Gedeon, and (as some say) Jero­boam that made Israel to sin; and the Scripture tels you how unjustly they entered, how wickedly they reigned, and how la­mentably the first,Strange that the People should bestow the greatest fa­vour or dignity on ear [...]h. Esay 42.8. that was without question the Creature of the People, ended both his life and his Reigne; to teach us how unsuccesfull it is to have other makers of Kings than he that is the King of kings, and saith, He will not give his glory unto another, nor hold them guiltlesse that intrude into his Throne, to bestow Soveraignty and create Kings at their plea­sures, when as he professeth, it belongeth unto him, not to the People, to say, Yee are gods, and to place his own Viceroy to governe his own People.

Arist p [...] l. 3.And therefore though I do not wonder to finde Aristotle of that opinion, Ʋt reges populi suffragio constarent, that Kings should be elected by the People, and that it was the manner of the Barbarians to accept of their Kings by succession, Quales sors tulerit, The nature of the people. non virtutis opinione probatos, such as nature gave them, and not those which were approved by the People for their vertues;Blac [...]od. p 61. and as T. Li [...]. sai [...]h, Aui ser­ri [...] hu [...]liter, aut don [...]atur superse. because he was ignorant of the divine Oracles; yet me thinkes it is very strange that men continually versed in God's Word, and knowing the nature of the People, which as one saith, Semper aeger est, semper insanus, semper furore & in­temperiis agitur, and specially reading the story of times, [Page 27] should be transported with such dreames and fopperies, that the People should have any hand in the election of their Kings: for if you briefly run over most of the Kings of this world, you shall scarce finde one of a thousand to be made by the suffrage of the people;Of all the Kings of the world, very few made by the suffrage of the People. for Nimrod got his Kingdome by his strength, Ninus enlarged the same by his sword, and left the same unto his heires; from the Assyrians the Monarchy was translated to the Medes and Persians, and I pray you how? by the consent of the People, or by the edge of the sword? From the Persians it was transferred to Alexander, but the same way; and it continued among his successours by the same right: and Romulus, Ad sua qui domit [...]s deduxit flagra Quirites. did not obtain his power by the suffrage of his People; and if you look over the States of Greece, we shall finde one Ti­mondas which obtained the Scepter of the Corinthians, and Pittacus the Government of the Mitylenians by the suffrage of the People; but for the Athenians, Lacedemonians, Sicyo­ni, Thebanes, Epirots, and Macedons, among whom the Regall Dignity flourished a farre longer time than the popular rule, Non optione populi sed nascendi conditione regnatum est; Idem pag. 63. their Kings reigned not by the election of the People, but by the condition of their birth: and what shall we say of the Par­thians, Indians, Africans, Tartars, Arabians, Aethiopians, Nu­midians, Muscovites, Celtans, Spaniards, French, English, and of many other Kingdomes that were obtained, either by gift, as Abdolonimus received his Kingdome of Alexander, Juba the Kingdome of Numidia from Augustus, Quintus Curtius. and the French King got the Kingdome of Naples and Sicily; or by Will, as the Romans had the Kingdomes of Egypt, Bithini [...], Pergamus, and Asia; or by Armes, as many of the foresaid Kingdomes were first gotten, and were alwayes transmitted afterwards to posterity by the hereditary right of bloud?Claud. de 4. cons Honorii. And the Poet could say,

It behoved the Kings of the earth to be borne of Kings.

Besides we must all confesse, that the King is the Father of people, the Husband of the Common-wealth, and the Master of [Page 28] all his Subjects:Children and servants not allowed to choose what fathers and masters they please. and can you shew me, that God ever appoint­ed that the children should make choice of their fathers? then surely all would be the sonnes of Princes; but though fathers may adopt their sonnes, as the King may make a Turke or any other stranger a free Denizon; yet children may not choose whom they please for their fathers, but they are bound to ho­nour those fathers that God hath appointed, or suffered to beget them; though the same should be be never so poore, never so wicked; so the wives, though while they are free, they may have the power to refuse whom they dislike, yet they have no such prerogative to choose what husbands they please; or if they had, I am sure no woman would be lesse than a Lady; and the like may be said of all servants.

Therefore the election of Kings by the People seemes to me no prime Ordinance of God, but as our Sectaries say, [...], A humane Ordination indeed, and the corruption of our Nature, a meere [...], and an imitation of what the Poet saith, ‘Optat Ephippia bos niger, optat arare caballus.’ Just as if the women would faine have that Law of liberty to choose what husbands they please, and the servants to make choice of what Masters they like best;The People are in all things greedy to have their own wils. so the People, never contented with whom God sendeth, never satisfied with his Ordinance, would fain pull their neckes out of God's yoke, and become their own choosers both of their Kings and of their Priests, and indeed of all things else, when as nothing doth please them but what they do, and none can content them, but whom themselves will choose; and their choice cannot long satis­fie their mindes, but as the Jewes received Christ into Jerusa­lem, with the joyfull acclamation of Hosanna, and yet the next day had the malicious cry of Crucifige, so the least distaste makes them greedy of a new change; such is the nature of the People.

But though I said before, the election of our chiefe Gover­nours may for many respects be approved of God among some States, yet I hope by this that I have set down, it is most appa­rent unto all men, contrary to the tenet of our Anabaptisticall [Page 29] Sectaries, that the hereditary succession of Kings to governe God's People is their indubitable right, and the immediate prime, principall Ordinance of God: therefore it concernes every man, as much as his soule is worth, to examine seriously, whether to fight against their owne King be not to resist the Or­dinance of God, for which God threatneth no lesse punishment than damnation, from which Machiavel cannot preserve us, nor any policy of State procure a dispensation.

CHAP. IV. Sheweth what we should not do, and what we should do for the King; the Rebells transgressing in all those; how the Is­raelites honoured their persecuting King in Egypt; how they behaved themselves under Artaxerxes, Ahashuerus, and under all their owne Kings of Israel; and how our Kings are of the like institution with the Kings of Isra­el; proved in the chiefest respects at large; and therefore to have the like honour and obedience.

2. AS every lawfull King is to be truly honoured in regard of God's Ordinance,2. All Kings are to be ho­noured in re­spect of God's precept, consi­dered two wayes. so likewise in respect of God's precept, which commandeth us to honour the King; and this duty is so often inculcated and so fully laid upon us in the holy Scri­pture, that I scarce know any duty towards man so much pres­sed, and so plainly expressed as this is;

1. Negatively, what we should not do,1. What we should not do. to deprive him of his Honour.

2. Affirmatively, what we should do, to manifest and ma­gnifie this Honour towards him: for,

1. Our very thoughts, words, 1. To thinke no [...]ll of the King; Curse not the King, no not in thy thought, Eccles. 10.30. and workes are imprisoned and chained up in the linkes of God's strictest prohibition, that they should no wayes peepe forth, to produce the least dishonour un­to our King: for,

1. The Spirit of God by the mouth of the wisest of men, [Page 30] commands us to thinke no ill of the King, let the King be what he will, the precept is without restriction; you must thinke no ill, that is, you must not intend and purpose in your thoughts to doe the least ill office or disparagement unto the King that [...]leth over you, be the same King virtuous or vitious, milde or cruell, good or bad: this is the sense of the Holy Ghost. For, as the childe with Cham shall become accursed, if he doth but dishonour and despise his wicked father (or his father in his wickednesse) whom in all duty he ought to reverence, so the Subject shall be liable to Gods vengeance, if his heart shall in­tend the least ill to his most tyrannicall King.

To sa [...] no [...]ll of th [...] King [...]xod 22.28. Act. 23. [...]. [...].2. The same Spirit saith, Thou shalt not revile the Gods; that is, the Judges of the Land; nor curse, that is, in Saint Pauls phrase, speake evill of the Ruler of the people: and what can be more evill, then to bely his Religion, to traduce his Government, and to make so faithfull a Christian King as faithlesse as a Cre­tan, which is commonly broached by the Rebels, and preach­ed by their seditious teachers.

3. To doe no hurt to the King. [...]al. 105.15. 1 [...]am. 24.4, 5.3. The great Iehovah gives this peremptory charge to all Subjects, saying, Touch not mine Annointed; which is the least indignity that may be: and therefore Davids heart smote him when he did but cut off the lap of Saules garment. What then can be said for them that draw their swords, and shoot their Canons, to take away the life of Gods Annointed, which is the greatest mischiefe they can doe? I believe no distinction can blind the judgement of Almighty God, but his revengefull hand will finde them out, that so maliciously transgresse his pre­cepts, and thinke by their subtilty to escape his punishments.

2. What we should doe to honour the King. Eccles 8 2. 1. To observe the Kings com­mands.2. The Scriptures doe positively and plainly command us to shew all honour unto our King. For,

1. Salomon saith, I counsell thee to keepe the Kings commande­ment; or, as the phrase imports, to observe the mouth of the King; that is, not onely his written law, but also his verball commands, and that in regard of the oath of God; that is, in re­spect of thy religion, or the solemne vow which thou madest at thine initiation and incorporation into Gods Church, to obey all the precepts of God, whereof this is one, to honour and obey [Page 31] the King; or else that oath of allegiance and fidelity,Et si religio to [...] ­litur, nullà n [...] ­be [...] cum coelo ra­tio est. Lactant, Inst. l. 3. c. 10. which thou hast sworne unto thy King in the presence and with the approbation of thy God, which certainly will plague all perju­rers, and take revenge on them that take his name in vaine; which is the infallible, and therefore most miserable condition of all the perjurod Rebels of this Kingdome. For if morall ho­nesty teacheth us to keepe our promises, yea, though it were to our owne hinderance, then much more should Christianity teach us to observe our deliberate and solemne oathes, whose viola­tion can beare none other fruit, then the heavy censure of Gods fearefull indignation.

But when the prevalent faction tooke a solemne Oath and Protestation to defend all the Priviledges of Parliament, and the Rights of the Subjects;How the preva­lent Faction of the Parliament forswore them­selves. and then presently forgetting their oath, and forsaking their faith, by throwing the Bishops out of the House of Peeres, (which all men knew to be a singular Pri­viledge, and the House of Lords acknowledged to be the in­dubitable right of the Bishops) and their doctrine being to dis­pense with all oathes for the furtherance of the cause, it is no wonder they falsifie all oathes that they have made unto the King.

2. The people said unto Joshuah, 2. To obey the Kings com­mandements. Josh. 1.18. Whosoever rebelleth against thy commandement, and will not hearken to the words of thy mouth in all that thou commandest, he shall be put to death: sure­ly this was an absolute government, and though martiall, yet most excellent to keepe the people within the bounds of their obedience; for they knew that where rebellion is permitted, there can be no good performance of any duty; and it may be a good lesson for all the higher powers, not to be too clement, (which is the incouragement of Rebels) to most obstinate, Trayterous, and rebellious Subjects, who daring not to stirre under rigid Tyrants, doe kicke with their heeles against the most pious Princes: and therefore my soule wisheth (not out of any desire of bloud, but from my love to peace) that this rule were well observed, Whosoever rebelleth against thy comman­dement, he shall be put to death. Quia in tali­bus non chedi­entes mortali­ter peccant, nisi foret illud quod praecipitur con­tra praceptum Dei, vel in sa­lutis dispendi­um: Angel. summa verb. obedientia. 3. To give the King no just [...] cause of anger.

3. The wisest of all Kings, but the King of Kings, saith, The [Page 32] feare of a King is as the roaring of a Lion, Prov. 2.2. who so provoketh him to anger sinneth against his owne soule. And I beleeve that the taking up of Armes by the Subjects against their owne King, that never wronged them,The Rebels have given him cause enough to be provoked. and the seeking to take away his life, and the life of his most faithfull servants, is cause enough to provoke any King to anger, if he be not [...], too Stoically given, to abandon all passions: and that anger should be like the roaring of a Lion to them that would pull out the Lions eyes, and take away the Lions life.

4. To speake reverently to the King, and of the King. Eccles. 8.4.4. The King of Heaven saith of these earthly Kings, That where the word of a King is there is power, and who may say unto him, what doest thou? And Elihu demands, Is it fit to say to a King, thou art wicked; or to Princes, you are ungodly? Truly if Elihu were now here, he might heare many unfitter things said to our King by his own people, and which is more strange, by some Preachers; for some of them have said, but most ma­liciously and more falsely, that he is a Papist, he is the Traytor, unworthy to raigne, unfit to live; good God! doe these men thinke God saith truth, Where the word of a King is, there is power, that is, to blast the conspiracies, and to confound the spirits of all Rebels, who shall one day finde it; because the wrath of God at last will be awaked against their treachery, and to revenge their perjury by inabling the King to accom­plish the same upon all that resist him,Jerem. 27.8. as he promised to doe in the like case.

5. To pray for the King. Ezra 6.10.5. The Israelites being in captivity under the King of Ba­bylon, were commanded to pray for the life of that Heathen King, and for the life of his sonnes. And Saint Paul exhorteth Timothy to make supplications, 1. Tim. 2.1, 2. prayers, intercessions, and gi­ving of thankes for Kings, and for all that are in authority: and how doe our men pray for our King? in many Pulpits not at all, and in some places for his overthrow, for the shortning of his life, and the finishing of his dayes (nullum sit in omine pon­dus:) and they give thankes indeed, not for his good, but for their owne supposed good successe against him; thus they prevari­cate and pervert the words of the Apostle, to their owne de­struction,Psal. 109.6. when as the Prophet saith, Their prayers shall be tur­ned into sinne.

[Page 33]6.6. To render all his du [...]s un­to him. Christ commandeth us to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesars, that is, (as I shall more fully shew hereafter) your inward duties of honour, love, reverence, and the like; and your outward debts, toll, tribute, custome, &c. and the Re­bels render none unto him, but take all from him, and returne his Armes to his destruction.

I might produce many other places and precepts of Holy Scripture to inforce this duty to honour the King; but what will suffice him, cui Roma parum est; if they beleeve not Mo­ses, neither will they beleeve if one should arise from the dead; Luke 16.31. and if these things cannot move them, then certainly all the world cannot remove them from their wickednesse. Yet

3. Quia exempla movent, plus quàm praecepta docent; 3. All Kings should be ho­noured by the example of all Nations. 1. The Israe­lites. 1. In Egypt. you shall finde this doctrine practised by the perpetuall demeanour of all Nations. For

1. If you looke upon the children of Israel in the Land of Egypt, it cannot be denyed but Pharoah was a wicked King, and exercised great cruelty, and exceeding tyranny against Gods people; yet Moses did not incite the Israelites to take armes against him, though they were more in number, Exod 12.37. Exod. 1.9. being six hundred thousand men, and abler for strength to make their party good then Pharoah was, as the King himselfe confesseth; but they contained themselves within the bounds of their obe­dience, and waited Gods leisure for their deliverance; because they knew their patient suffering would more manifest their owne piety, and aggravate King Pharaohs obstinacie, and espe­cially magnifie Gods glory, then their undutifull rebelling could any wayes illustrate the least of these.

2. Davids demeanour towards Saul is most memorable;2. Under Saul. The loyall Sub­jects beliefe, p. 55. for though (as one saith) King Saul discovered in part the descri­bed manner of such a King, as Samuel had fore-shewed; yet David and all his followers performed and observed the pre­scribed conditions, that are approved by God in true Subjects: never resisting, never rebelling against his King, though his King most unjustly persecuted him. Samuel also when he had pronounced Sauls rejection,1. Sam. 15. yet did he never incite the people to Rebellion, but wept and prayed for him, and discharged all [Page 34] other duties, which formerly he had shewed to be due unto him;3. Under Ahab. and Elias, that had as good repute with the people, and could as easily have stirred up sedition, as any of the seditious Preachers of this time; yet did he never perswade the Sub­jects to withstand the illegall commands of a most wicked King,1. Reg 21.25. that as the Scripture testifieth, had sold himselfe to worke wickednesse, and became the more exceedingly sinfull by the provocation of Jezabell his most wicked wife, and harlot; but he honoured his Soveraignty, and feared his Majestie; when he fled away from his cruelty.

Two examples of the whole Nation under Heathen k [...]ngs. 1. Under Ar­ [...]xerxes. Ezr [...] 1.1, &c.And because these are but particular presidents, I will name you two observable examples of the whole Nation.

1. When Cyrus made a Decree, and his Decree (according to the Lawes of the Medes and Persians) should be unalterable, that the Temple of Jerusalem should be re-edified, and the ad­versaries of the Jewes obtained a Letter from Artaxerxes to prohibit them, the people of God submitting themselves to the personall command of the King, contrary to that unalterable Law of Cyrus, pleaded neither the goodnesse of the worke, nor the justnesse of the cause, but yeilded to the Kings will, and ceased from their worke, untill they obtained a new Licence in the second yeare of King Darius: and if it be objected that they built the Temple in despite of those that hindered them, with their sword in one hand, and a trowell in the other: it is rightly answered, that having the Kings leave to build it, they might justly resist their enemies, that did therein, not onely shew their malice unto them, but also resisted the will of the King.

2. Under Aha­shuerus. Hester 3.10.2. When Ahashuerus, to satisfie the unjust desire of his proud favorite, had wickedly decreed, and most tyrannically destined all the Nation of the Jewes to a sudden death; yet this dutifull people did not undutifully rebell, and plead the King was seduced by evill counsell, and misguided by proud Haman, therefore nature teaching them, vim vi pellere, to stand upon their owne defence, they would not submit their necks to his unjust Decree; but, being versed in Gods Lawes, and unacquainted with these new devices, they returne to God, and [Page 35] betake themselves to their prayers, Hester 8.11. untill God had put it into the Kings heart to grant them leave to defend themselves, and to sheath their swords in the bowels of their adversaries; which is a most memorable example of most dutifull unresisting Subjects: an example of such piety, as would make our Land happy, if our zealous generation were but acquainted with the like Religion.

But here I know what our Anabaptist, Brownist, and Pu­ritane will say, that I build Castles in the aire, The author of the Treatise of Monarchie, p. 33. and lay downe my frame without foundation; because all Kings are not such as the Kings of Israel and Judah were, as the Kings that God gave unto the Jewes, and prescribed speciall Lawes, both for the Kings to governe, and the people to obey them; but all o­ther Nations have their owne different and severall Lawes and Constitutions, according to which Lawes their Kings are tyed to rule, and the Subjects bound to obey, and no otherwise.

I answer,Henric. Ste­phan, in libello de hac re con­tendit in omne [...] respull. debere leges Hebrae­rum, tanquam ab ipso Deo pro­fectas, & per consequens om­nium optemas [...]educi. that indeed it is granted there are severall consti­tutions of Royalties in severall Nations, and there may be Regna Laconica, conditionall and provisionall Kingdomes, wherein perhaps upon a reall breach of some exprest conditi­ons, some Magistrates like the Ephori, may pronounce a for­feiture, aswell in the successive as in the elective Kingdomes; because (as one saith) succession is not a new title to more right, but a legall continuance of what was first gotten: which I can no wayes yeild unto, if you meane it of any Soveraigne King, (because the name of a King doth not alwayes denotate the Soveraigne power, as the Kings of Lacedamon though so called, yet had no regall authority; and the Dictator for the time being, and the Emperours afterwards had an absolute power, though not the name of Kings) for I say, that such a government is not properly a regall government, ordained by God, but either an Aristocraticall or Democraticall governe­ment instituted by the people, though approved by God for the welfare of the Common-wealth;1. Sam. 8.4.20. but as the Israelites desired a King to judge them like all the Nations, that is, such a King as Aristotle describeth, such as the Nations had, intrusted with an absolute and full regall power, as Sigonius sheweth; so the [Page 36] Kings of the Nations, if they be not like the Spartan Kings, were and are like the Kings of Israel, both in respect of their ordination from God, by whom all Kings, as well of other Na­tions as of Israel, doe raigne, and of their full power and in­violable authority over the people; which have no more dis­pensation to resist their Kings, then the Iewes had to resist theirs; And therefore Valentinian, though an elected Emperour, yet when he was requested by his Electors to admit of an associate, answered,S [...]zom. h [...]stor. l. 6. c. 6. Niceph. hist. l. 11. c. 1. it was in your power to chuse me to be an Emperour; but now, after you have chosen me, what you require is in my power, not in you; Vobis tanquam subditis competit parere, mihi verò quae facienda sunt cogitare, it becomes you to obey, as Sub­jects, and I am to consider what is fittest to be done.

And when the wife takes an husband, there is a compact, a­greement, and a solemne vow past in the presence of God, that he shall love, cherish, and maintaine her; yet if he breakes this vow,The wife may not forsake her husband, though hee break h [...]s vow, and neglect his duty. and neglects both to love and to cherish her, she cannot renounce him, she must not forsake him, she may not follow af­ter another; and there is a greater marriage betwixt the King and his people: therefore though as a wife they might have power to chuse him, and in their choice to tye him to some conditions, yet though he breakes them, they have no more power to abdicate their King, then the wife hath to renounce her husband; nor so much, because she may complaine and call her husband before a competent Judge, and produce witnesses against him; whereas there can be no Iudge betwixt the King and his people, but onely God; and no witnesses can be found on earth; because it is against all lawes, and against all reason, that they which rise against their King, should be both the witnesses against him; and the Iudges to condemne him: or, were it so, that all other Kings have not the like constitution which the Scripture setteth downe for the Kings of Israel; yet I say that, excepting some circumstantiall Ceremonies, in all reall points, the Lawes of our Land are (so farre as men could make them) in all things agreeable to the Scriptures in the con­stituting of our Kings,An Appeale to thy conscience, pag. 30. according to the livelyest patterne of the Kings of Israel; as it is well observed by the Author of the [Page 37] Appeale to thy conscience, in these 4 speciall respects.

• 1. In his Right to the Crowne.
• 2. In his Power and Authority.
  Our kings of the like Institu­tion to the kings of Israe [...].
• 3. In his Charge and Duty.
• 4. In the rendering of his Account.

For

1. As the Kings of Israel were hereditary by succession, and Respect. 1 not elective, unlesse there were an extraordinary and divine de­signation, as in David, Salomon, Iohn: Kings of Eng­land are kings by birth. Proved. so doe the Kings of England obtaine their Kingdomes by birth, or hereditary suc­cession, as it appeareth.

1. By the Oath of Allegeance, used in every Leete, that you Reason. 1 shall be true and faithfull to our Soveraigne Lord King Charles, and to his Heires.

2. Because we owe our legeance to the King in his natu­rall Reason. 2 capacity, that is, as he is Charles the Sonne and Heire ap­parent of King Iames; Coke, l. 7. Cal­vins case. when as homage cannot be done to any King in his politique capacity, the body of the King being invi­sible in that sense.

3. Because in that case it is expresly affirmed, that the King Reason. 3 holds the Kingdome of England by birth-right, inherent by de­scent from the bloud-royall; therefore to shew how inseperable this right is from the next in bloud. Hen. 4. though he was of the bloud-royall, being first cozen unto the King, and had the Crowne resigned unto him by Rich. 2^d,Speed, l. 9. c. 16. and confirmed un­to him by Act of Parliament; yet upon his death-bed, confes­sed he had no right thereunto, as Speed writeth.

4. Because it was determined by all the Judges, at the Ar­raignment Reason. 4 of Watson and Clerke, 1. Jacobs. that immediately by descent his Majestie was compleatly and absolutely King, without the Ce­remony of Coronation, which was but a royall ornament, and out­ward solemnization of the descent. And it is illustrated by Hen. 6.Speed, l. 9. c. 16. that was not crowned till the ninth yeare of his reigne; and yet divers were attainted of High Treason before that time, which could not have beene done, had he not beene King. And we know that upon the death of any of our Kings,The right heire to the King­dome is King before he is crowned. his Successor i [...] immediately proclaimed King; to shew that he hath his King­dome by descent, and not by the people at his Coronation; [Page 38] whose consent is then asked, Why the peo­ples consent is asked. not because they have any power to deny their consent, or refuse him for their King; but that the King having their assent, may with greater security and confi­dence rely upon their loyalty.

Respect. 2 2. As the Kings of Israel had full power and authority to make warre and conclude peace, to call the greatest Assemblies, as Moses, Joshua, David, Iehosaphat, and the rest of the Kings did; to place and displace the greatest Officers of State; as So­lomon placed Abiathar in Sadoc's roome,2. Chron 19.11 and Iehosaphat ap­pointed Amariah and Zebadiah rulers of the greatest affaires: and had all the Militia of the Kingdome in their hands;The absolute authority of the Kings of Eng­land. Coke 7. rep. fol 25. 6. P [...]lyd. Virgil. lib. 11. Speed. St [...]w, &c. so the Kings of England have the like; for,

1. He onely can lawfully proclaime warre, as I shewed be­fore; and he onely can conclude peace.

2. There is no Assembly that can lawfully meet but by his Authority; and as the Parliament was first devised and insti­tuted by the King, as all our Historians write in the life of Hen. 1. so they cannot meet but by the Kings Writ.

3. All Lawes, Customes, and Franchises are granted and confirmed unto the people by the King. Rot. Claus. 1. R. 2. n. 44.

Smith de repub. Angl. l. 2. c. 4. &c. 5.4. All the Officers of the Realme, whether Spirituall or Temporall, are chosen and established by him; as the highest immediately by himselfe, and the inferiour by an authority de­rived from him.

The absurdities of them that deny the Mili­tia to the King.5. He hath the sole power of ordering and disposing all the Castles, Forts, and strong Holds; and all the Ports, Havens, and all other parts of the Militia of this Kingdome: or otherwise it would follow, that the King had power to proclaime warre, but not to be able to maintaine it; and that he is bound to de­fend his Subjects, but is denied the meanes to protect them; which is such an absurdity, as cannot be answered by all the House of Commons.

6. The Kings of Israel were unto their people their honour, their Soveraignes, their life, and the very breath of their no­strils, as themselves acknowledge; and so the Kings of Eng­land are the life, the head, and the authority of all things that [Page 39] be done in the Realme of England; Smith de Repub. l. 2. Cambden Bri­tan: p. 132. supremam potestatem & merum imperium apud nos habentes, nec in Imperii clientelâ sunt, nec investituram ab alio accipientes, nec praeter Deum superio­rem agnoscentes; and their Subjects are bound by oath to main­taine the Kings Soveraignty, in all causes, and over all persons, as well Ecclesiasticall as Civill; and that not onely as they are singularly considered, but over all collectively represented in the body politique; for by sundry, divers, old authentique Hi­stories and Chronicles, it is manifestly declared and expressed, that this Realme of England is an Empire, and so hath beene accepted in the world,In the P [...]eface to a Sta [...]. 24. Hen. 8. c. 12. governed by one supreame Head and King, having the dignity and royall estate of the Imperiall Crowne of the same; unto whom a body politique, compact of all sorts and degrees of people, divided in termes and by names of spiritualty and temporalty, have beene bounden and owen to beare next to God a naturall and humble obedience.

3. As the duty of every one of the Kings of Israel was to be Respect. 3 Custos utriusque tabulae, to keepe the Law of God, and to have a speciall care of his Religion; and then to doe justice and judgement, according to the Law of nature, and to observe all the judiciall Lawes of that Kingdome; so are the Kings of Eng­land obliged to discharge the same duties.

1. To have the chiefest care to defend the faith of Christ,The duty of the Kings of Eng­land. and to preserve the honour of Gods Church, as I shewed be­fore.

2. To maintaine common right, according to the rules and dictates of nature. And

3. To see the particular Lawes and Statutes of his owne Kingdome well observed amongst his people.

To all which the King is bound, not onely virtute officii, in respect of his office, but also vinculo juramenti, in respect of his oath, which enjoyneth him to guide his actions, not accor­ding to the desires of an unbridled will, but according to the tyes of these established Lawes; neither doe our Divines give any further liberty to any King, but if he failes in these he doth offend in his duty.

4. As the Kings of Israel were accountable for their actions Respect. 4 [Page 40] unto none, but onely unto God, and therefore King David af­ter he had committed both murder and adultery, saith unto God,Psal. 51.4. Tibi soli peccavi; as if he had said, none can call me to any account for what I have done but thou alone; and we ne­ver read that either the people did call, or that the Prophets perswaded them to call any of their most idolatrous, tyrannicall, or wicked Kings to any account for their idolatrie,The kings of England ac­countable for their actions onely to God. tyrannie, or wickednesse; even so the Kings of England are accountable to none but to God.

1. Because they have their Crowne immediately from God, Reason. 1 who first gave it to the Conquerour through his sword, and since to the succeding Kings,Smith de repub. l. 1. c. 9. by the ordinary meanes of hereditary succession.

Reason. 2 2. Because the oath which he takes at his Coronation binds him onely before God, who alone can both judge him, and pu­nish him if he forgets it.

Reason. 3 3. Because there is neither condition, promise, or limitation, either in that Oath, or in any other Covenant or compact that the King makes with the people, either at his Coronation, or at any other time, that he should be accomptable, or that they should question and censure him for any thing that he should doe.

Reason. 4 4. Because the testimony of many famous Lawyers justifie the same truth; for Bracton saith, if the King refuse to do what is just, satis erit ei ad paenam quòd Dominum expectet ultonem, the Lord will be his avenger, which will be punishment enough for him;Bracton fol 34. a. b. apud Lin­col anno 1301. but of the Kings grants and actions, nec privatae per­sonae, nec justiciarii debent disputare. And Walsingham maketh mention of a Letter written from the Parliament to the Bishop of Rome, wherein they say, that certum & directum Dominium à prima institutione regni Angliae ad Regem pertinuit, the cer­taine and direct Dominion of this Kingdome from the very first institution thereof hath belonged unto the King, who by rea­son of the arbitrary or free preeminence of the royall dignity and custome observed in all ages,Ex liberâ pra­eminentiâ. ought not to answer before any Judge, either Ecclesiasticall or Secular. Ergo neither before the Pope, nor Parliament, nor Presbyterie.

[Page 41]5. Because the constant custome and practice of this King­dome Reason. 5 was ever such, that no Parliament at any time sought to censure their King, and either to depose him, or to punish him for any of all his actions; save onely those that were called in the troublesome and irregular times of our unfortunate Princes,No legitimate and just Parlia­ment did ever question the Kings of Eng­land for their actions. and were swayed by those that were the heads of the most powerfull Faction, to conclude most horrid and unjustifiable Acts, to the very shame of their judiciall authorities; as those factious Parliaments in the times of Hen. 3. King John, Rich. 2. and Hen. 4. and others, whose acts in the judgement of all good authors, are not to be drawne into examples, when as they deposed their King for those pretended faults, whereof not the worst of them but is fairely answered, and all 33 of them pro­ved to be no way sufficient to depose him, by that excellent Ci­vilian Heningus Arnisaeus. Heningus c. 4. p. 93.

And therefore seeing the institution of our Kings is not onely by Gods Law, but also by our owne Lawes, Customes, and pra­ctice, thus agreeable to the Scripture Kings, they ought to be as sacred and as inviolable to us, as the Kings of Israel were to the Jewes; and as reverently honoured and obeyed by us, as both the Apostles, Saint Peter and Saint Paul, advise us to ho­nour and obey the King.

CHAP. V. Sheweth, how the Heathens honoured their Kings; how Christ exhibited all due honour unto Heathen and wicked Kings; how he carried himselfe before Pilate; and how all the good Primitive Christians behaved themselves towards their Heathen persecuting Emperours.2. The Hea­thens. Persa quidem olim aliquid coeleste atque di­vinum in regi­lus inesse statu­ebant. Osor. de Instit. regis. l. 4. p. 106.

2. WE finde that not onely the Jewes, that were the peo­ple of God, a royall Priesthood, that had the Oracles of God, and therefore no wonder that they were so conforma­ble in their obedience to the will of God; but the Gentiles al­so that knew not God, knew this by the light of nature, that [Page 42] they were bound to yeild all honour unto their Kings. For Quintus Curtius tells us, that the Persians had such a divine estimation and love unto their King, that Alexander could not perswade them either for feare or reward, to tell him where their King was gone, or to reveale any of his intenti­ons, or to doe any other thing that might any wayes prejudice the life, Justin. l. 4. or the affaires of their King. And Justin tells us, that the Sicilians did beare so great a respect unto the last Will and Testament of Anaxilaus their deceased King, that they disdai­ned not to obey a slave, whom he had appointed Regent, du­ring the minority of his sonne,Herodet. l. 8. And Herodotus saith, that when Xerxes fled from Greece in a vessell that was so full of men of warre,What great re­spect men in former times did beare unto their kings. that it was impossible for him to be saved, without cast­ing some part of them into the Sea; he said unto them, O ye men of Persia, let some among you testifie that he hath care of his King, whose safety is in your disposition; then the Nobili­ty which accompanied him, having adored him, did cast them­selves into the Sea, till the vessell was unburthened, and the King preserved. And I feare these Pagans will rise in judge­ment to condemne our Nobility, that seeke the destruction of their King. And the Macedonians had such a reverent opinion of their King, that being foyled in warre, before they returned againe to the battaile they fetched their cradle, wherein their young King lay, and set him in the midst of the Campe, as sup­posing that their former misfortune proceeded,Justin. l. 7. because they neglected to take with them the good augure of their Kings presence. And Boemus Aubanus speaking of the Egyptian Kings, saith, that they have so much good will and love from all men,Aubanus de A­frica. l 1. p. 39. Reges divinos, Iove genitos, à Iove nutritos, Homerus & [...]esi [...]dus appel­larunt. ut non solùm sacerdotibus, sed etiam singulis Aegyptiis major regis quàm uxorum filiorúmque, aut aliorum principum salutis inesset cura; that not onely the Priests, but also all the Egyptians have a greater care of the safety of their King, then of their wives or children, or any other Princes of the Land. And the same Author describing the manner how the Tartars create their King; saith, the Princes, Dukes, Barons, and all the people meet, then they place him that is to be their King on a Throne of gold, and prostrating themselves upon the ground, [Page 43] they cry with an unanimous and loud voyce, Rogamus, volu­mus & praecipimus ut domineris nobis, We entreat you and be­seech you to raigne over us; and he answereth, if you would have this of me, it is necessary that you should be obedient to doe whatsoever I shall command you; when I call you, to come; whethersoever I shall send you, to goe; whomsoever I shall command you to kill, to do it immediately without feare; and to commit the whole Kingdome into my hands: then they doe all answer, we are willing to doe all this. And then he saith againe, therefore from hence-forth, oris mei sermo gla­dius meus erit, the word of my mouth shall be the sword of my power: then all the people doe applaud him. And a little af­ter he saith, in ejus manibus seu potestate omnia sunt, Aubanus l. 2. p. 141. all things are in his hands and power: no man dare say, this is mine, or that is his: no one man may dwell in any part of the Land, but in that which is assigned unto him by the King. Nomini licet imperatoris verba mutare, nemini latae ab illo sententiae quali­cunque modo contraire; and no man dares alter the Kings words, nor gain-say his sentence whatsoever it is. And we reade that the Turke is as absolute in his Dominions, and as rea­dily obeyed in his commands as the Tartar; and yet these Sub­jects learne this duty of honour and obedience unto their Kings onely by the light of nature; and if grace and the Gospell hath made us free from this slavish subjection, should we not be thankefull unto our God, and be contented with that liberty which he hath given us; but because we have so much, we will have more:And as the Poët saith, Like Subjects arm'd, the more their Princes gave, They this ad­vantage tooke the more to crave. Lucan. lib. 1. and seeing God hath delivered us from the rage of tyrannous Kings, we will free our selves from all go­vernment, and disobey the commands of the most clement Prin­ces? We may remember the fable of the Frogs, when they prayed unto Jupiter to have a King, and what was the suc­cesse thereof; —omnia dat qui justa negat: and he that un­dutifully denyeth his due obedience, may unwillingly be forced to undue subjection; as the Israelites, not contented with just Samuel, shall be put under an unjust Saul. So God may justly deale with us for our injustice towards our King, to deny that honour unto him which God commanded to be given, and the [Page 44] very Heathens have not detained from their Kings. But

3. Christians.3. Lest with Saint Paul we should be blamed (though un­justly) for bringing the uncircumcised Greeks into the Temple, for alleadging the disorderly practice of blinde Heathens to be a patterne for these zealous Christians; (which thing, notwith­standing our Saviour did, when he preferred Sodome and Go­morrah before Capernaum; Matth. 11.21. yea Tyrus and Sydon before Cora­zin and Bethsaida:) we cannot want the example of good Christians, and a multitude of most holy Martyrs, to shame the practice of these prophane hypocrites. For

1. Christ h [...]m­selfe exhibited all du [...] honour unto wicked Kings.1. Christ himselfe, the author and the finisher of our faith, never left any plainer marke of his religion, then to propagate the fame by patience; as on the other side, there cannot be a more suspicious signe of a false religion, then to inlarge it and protect it by violence: and therefore when the Inhabitants of a certaine Samaritane village refused to admit Christ and his Disciples into their Towne,Luke 9.54. and so renounced him and his reli­gion; James and John, two principall members of his Court, remembring what Elias did in the like case,1. Reg. 18. 2. Reg. 1. asked if they should not command fire to consume them, as Elias did? that is, if they should not use their best endeavours, and be confident of Gods assistance, to destroy those prophane rejecters of Christ, and refusers of his religion? Our Saviour, though ever meeke, yet now moved at this their unchristian thought, rebuked them with that sharpnesse, as he did Saint Peter, when he commit­ted the like errour,Matth. 16.23. and said, You know not what manner of spi­rit you are of: as if he had said, you understand not the diffe­rence betwixt the profession of Elias, and my religion; for he was such a zelot, that jure zelotarum, and the extraordinary in­stinct of Gods Spirit that was in him, might at that time (when the Jewes were governed by a [...], as Josephus saith, and God presiding as it were their King amongst them, and in­terposing rules by his Oracles, and other particular directions, that should oblige and warrant them, as well as their standing Law) doe this or the like act, though not authorized by any ordinary Law; and those actions thus performed, are as just and as legall as any other that proceed legally from the autho­rity [Page 45] of the supreame Magistrate; but that dispensation of the Prophets is now ended, and the profession of my Disciples must be farre otherwise; for I doe not authorize my servants to pre­tend to the spirit of Elias, or to doe as Phineas and others, ex­traordinary men among the Jewes, have done, but they must learne of me to be meeke and lowly in heart, Matth. 11.29. and rather to suffer wrong of others, then to offer the least injury unto their mea­nest neighbour, much lesse to resist their supreame Magistrate.

And when Christ was apprehended,How Christ carried him­selfe before Pi­late and the High-Priests. not by any legall power of the supreme Magistrate, but by the rude servants of the High Priests; and Saint Peter, as zealous for his Master as our Zea­lots are for their Religion, drew his sword and smote off Mal­chus eate, a most justifiable and commendable act, a man would thinke, to defend Christ, and in him all Christianity; our Savi­our bids him put up his sword, and he addes a reason most con­siderable to all Christians; for all they that take the sword shall perish by the sword: that is, all they that without lawfull autho­rity take the sword, to defend me and my religion with the sword, they deserve to suffer by the sword; and it is very well observed by the Author,Pag. 6. of resisting the lawfull Magistrate upon colour of religion, that the two parallel places quoted in the margent of our Bibles, are very pertinent to this purpose; for that Law concerning the effusion of bloud,Gen. 9.6. being not any pro­hibition to the legall cutting off of Malefactors, is notwithstan­ding urged against S. Peter, to shew that his shedding of bloud in defence of religion was altogether illegall, and prohibited by that Law: and the other place (where immediately after these words,Revel. 13.10. He that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword; the Holy Ghost adjoyneth, here is the patience and the faith of the Saints:) doth most clearely shew, that all forcible resistance is inconsistent with the religion of the Saints; because their faith must be ever accompanied with their patience; and it is contrary to their profession to save themselves by any vio­lent opposition of them that have the lawfull authority.

But that example which is unparallel'd, is the suffering of Christ under Pontius Pilate; for the whole course of their proceeding against Christ was illegall, when as no Law can be [Page 46] found to justifie the delivering up of an innocent person to the will of his accusers, John 19.16. as Pilate did our Saviour Christ; and our Saviour had ability and strength enough to have defended him­selfe; for he might have commanded more then 12 Legions of Angels to assist him; yet our Saviour acknowledging the legall power of Pilate to proceed against him,John 19.11. that it was given him from above, makes no resistance either to maintaine his doctrine or to preserve his life, but in all things submits himselfe to their illegall proceedings, and gives unto the Magistrates all the ho­nour that was due unto their places: and you know the rule, Omnis Christi actio debet esse nostra instructio, we ought to fol­low his example.

And therefore not onely Christ, but also all good Christians have imitated him in this point; for the Apostles prayed for their persecuting Tyrants, exhorted all their followers to ho­nour even the Pagan Kings, and most sharpl [...] reproved all that spake evill of authority, much more would they say against them, that commit evill, and proceed in all wickednesse against authority.How the Pri­mitive Christi­ans behaved themselves to­wards their Heathen per­secutors. And Tertullian speaking of the behaviour of the Primitive Christians towards the Heathen Emperours, and their cruell persecutors, saith, that because they knew them to be appointed by God, they did love and reverence them, and wish them safe with all the Romane Empire; yea they honoured the Emperour, and worshipped him as a man second from God, & solo Deo minorem, and inferiour onely unto God; and in his Apologetico he saith, Deus est solus in cujus solius potestate sunt reges, à quo sunt secundi, post quem primi, super omnes homines ante omnes Deos; God alone is he by whose power Kings are preserved, which are second from him, first after him, above all men, and before all gods; that is, all other Magistrates that the Scripture calleth Gods. So Justin Martyr, Minutius Felix, Nazianzen, (which also wrote against the vices of Julian) S. Augustine, and others of the prime Fathers of the Church have set downe, how the Primitive Christians and godly Mar­tyrs, that suffered all kinde of most barbarous cruelty at the hands of their Heathen Magistrates, did notwithstanding pray for them and honour them, and neither derogated from their [Page 47] authority, nor any wayes resisted their insolencie.Beda p. 15. And Iohan­nes Beda, Advocate in the Court of Parliament of Paris, saith, that the Protestants of France in the midst of torments have blessed their King, by whom they were so severely intreated; and in the midst of fires and massacres have published their con­fession in these words:Artic. 39. & 40. confess ec­cles. Gal. re­for. For this cause he (that is God) put the sword into the Magistrates hand, that he may represse the sinnes committed, not onely against the second table of Gods Comman­dements, but also against the first: We must therefore for his sake not onely endure that Superiours rule over us, but also ho­nour and esteeme of them with all reverence, holding them for his Lieutenants and Officers, to whom he hath given in commission to execute a lawfull and a holy function: We therefore hold that we must obey their Lawes and Statutes, pay Tributes, Imposts, and other duties, and beare the yoke of subjection with a good and free will, although they were Infidels.

Ob. But against this patience of the Saints, Ob. and the wisedome of these good Christians, it is objected by Goodwin and others of his Sect, that either they wanted strength to resist, or wan­ted knowledge of their strength, or of their priviledge and power, which God granted them to defend themselves and their religion; or were over-much transported with an am­bitious desire of Martyrdome, or by some other misguiding spirit were utterly mis-led to an unnecessary patience; and therefore we having strength enough, as we conceive, to sub­due the King and all his strength, and being wiser in our gene­ration then all the generation of those fathers, as being guided by a more unerring spirit, we have no reason to pray for pati­ence, but rather to render vengeance, both to the King and to all his adherents.

Sol. This unchristian censure,Sol. and this false imputation laid upon these holy Fathers, by these stabborne Rebels, and proud Enthusiasts, are so mildly and so learnedly answered by the Au­thor of resisting the lawfull Magistrate upon colour of religion, Where they are fully answered. that more need not be said to stop the mouthes of all ignorant gain-sayers.

Therefore seeing that by the institution of Kings, by the pre­cept [Page 48] of God, and by the practice of all wise men and good Chri­stians, Heathen Kings and wicked Tyrants are to be loved, ho­noured, and obeyed; it is a most hatefull thing to God and man, to see men professing themselves Christians, (but are in­deed like those in the Revel, Revel. 2 9. which say they are Jewes and are not) in steed of honouring, transcendently to hate, and most vio­lently to persecute their owne most Chr [...]stian and most gracious King; a sinne so infinitely sinfull, that I doe not wonder to see the greatnesse of Gods anger to powre all the plagues that we suffer upon this Nation; but I doe rather admire and adore his wonted clemency and patience, that he hath not all this while either sent forth his fire and lightning from Heaven, as he did upon Sodome and Gomorrah, Gen. 19.24. Numb. 16.31. to consume them, or cause the earth to swallow them, as it did Corah, Dathan, and Abiram, for this their rebellion against their King; or that he hath not showred downe farre greater plagues, and more miserable calamities then hitherto we have suffered; because we have suffered these Antichristian Rebels to proceed so farre, and have with the Merozites neglected all this while to adde our strength to assist the Lords Annointed,Judges 5.23. to reduce his seduced Subjects to their obedience, and to impose condigne punishments upon the se­ducers and the ringleaders of this unnaturall and most horrible Rebellion.

CHAP. VI. Sheweth the two chiefest duties of all Christian Kings; to whom the charge and preservation of Religion is commit­ted; three severall opinions; the strange speeches of the Disciplinarians against Kings are shewed; and Viretus his scandalous reasons are answered; the double service of all Christian Kings,2. Christian Kings are to have double honour in re­spect of their double duty. and how the Heathen Kings and Emperours had the charge of Religion.

2. AS all Kings are to be honoured in the fore-said respects, so all Christian Kings are to have a double honour, in [Page 49] respect of the double charge and duty that is laid upon them: As

1. To preserve true religion, and to defend the faith of Dutie. 1 Christ, against all Atheists, Hereticks, Schismaticks, and all other adversaries of the Gospell, within their Territories and Do­minions.

2. To preserve their Subjects from all forraigne adversaries, Dutie. 2 and to prevent civill dissentions, to governe them according to the rules of justice and equity, which all other Kings are bound to doe; but neither did, nor can doe it so fully and so faithfully as the Christian Kings; because no Law, either Solons, Lycur­gus, Pompilius, or any other Greeke or Latine; nor any Poli­tique, Plato, Aristotle, Machiavil, or whom you will, old or new, can so perfectly set downe, and so fairely declare, quid justum, & quid honestum, as the Law of Christ hath done; and therefore, seeing omnis honos praesupponit onus, the honour is but the reward of labour, and that this labour or duty of Kings to maintaine true religion, well performed, and faithfully dis­charged, brings most glory unto God, and the greatest honour to all Kings; when it is more to be, with Constantine, a nursing father to Gods Church, then it is to be with Alexander the sole Monarch of the known world; I will first treat of their charge and care, and the power that God hath given them to defend the faith, and to preserve true religion. And

1.1. Care of Kings to pre­serve true Re­ligion. Aug. de utili­tate credendi cap. 9. Religion (faith a learned Divine) without authority is no Religion; for as Saint Augustine saith, no true Religion can be received by any meanes without some weighty force of au­thority: therefore if that Religion, whereby thou hopest to be saved, hath no authority to ground it selfe upon; or if that au­thority, whereby thy Religion is setled, be mis-placed in him that hath no authority at all, what hope of salvation remaining in that Religion canst thou conceive? but it is concluded on all sides, that the right authority of preserving true religion must reside in him, and proceed from him, by whose supreme power and government it is to be enacted and forced upon us:To whom the charge of pre­serving religion is commited. and therefore now the question is, and it is very much questioned, to whom the supreame government of our Religion ought [Page 46] [...] [Page 47] [...] [Page 48] [...] [Page 49] [...] [Page 50] rightly to be attributed;3 Opinions. whereof I finde three severall reso­lutions.

• 1. Papisticall, which leaneth too much on the right hand.
• 2. Anabaptisticall, which bendeth twice as much on the left hand.
• 3. Orthodoxall of the Protestants, that ascribe the same to him, on whom God himselfe hath conferred it.

Opinion. 1 1. That the Church of Rome maketh the Pope solely to have the supreme government of our Christian Religion, is most ap­parent out of all their writings;Ʋnde saepè obji­ciunt dictum [...]l [...]su ad Con­stantium: Tibì Deus impertum commisit, nobis qu [...] sunt eccle­siastica concre­didit. Sed h [...]c intelligitur de executione offi­cij, non de gu­bernatione ec­clesiae. Sicut ibi manifestum est, cum dicitur ne que fai est no­bis in terris im­perium tenere, neque tibi thy­miamatum & so [...]rorum pote­statem habere. (i e.) in pradica­tione Evangelij, & administra­tione Sacra­mentorum & similibus. and you may see what a large book our Countrey-man Stapleton wrote against Master Horne Bishop of Winchester to justifie the same. And Sanders to dis­prove the right of Kings, saith, Fatemur personas Episcoporum, qui in toto orbe fuerunt, Romano Imperatori subjectas fuisse, quo­niam Rex praeest hominibus Christianis, verùm non quia sunt Chrstiani, sed quia sunt homines, episcopis etiam ea ex parte rex praeesset. So Master Harding saith, that the office of a King in it selfe is all one every where, not onely among the Christian Princes, but also among the Heathen; so that a Christian King hath no more to doe in deciding Church matters, or medling with any point of Religion then a Heathen. And so Feken­ham, and all the brood of Jesuites, doe with all violence and vi­rulencie labour to disprove the Princes authority and suprema­cy in Ecclesiasticall causes, and the points of our Religion, and to transferre the same wholly unto the Pope and his Cardinals. Neither doe I wonder so much, that the Pope having so uni­versally gained, and so long continued this power, and retained this government from the right owners, should imploy all his Hierarchie to maintaine that usurped authority, which he held with so much advantage to his Episcopall See, (though with no small prejudice to the Church of Christ, when, the Empe­rours being busied with other affaires, & leaving this care of re­ligion and government of the Church to the Pope, the Pope to the Bishops the Bishops to their Suffragans, and the Suffragans to the Monkes, whose authority being little, their knowledge lesse, and their honesty least of all, all things were ruled with [Page 51] greater corruption & lesse truth then they ought to be) so long as possibly he should be able to possesse it.

But at last, when the light of the Gospell shined, and Chri­stian Princes had the leisure to looke, and the heart to take hold upon their right, the learned men (opposing themselves against the Popes usurped jurisdiction) have soundly proved the Sove­raigne authority of Christian Kings in the government of the Church; that, not onely in other Kingdomes, but also here in England, this power was annexed by divers Lawes unto the interest of the Crowne, and the lawfull right of the King: and I am perswaded (saith that Reverend Archbishop Bancroft) had it not beene that new adversaries did arise,Survey of Di­scip. c. 22. p. 2 [...]1 and opposed themselves in this matter, the Papists before this time had been utterly subdued; for the Devill seeing himselfe so like to lose the field,How the De­vill raised in­struments to hinder the re­formation, stirred up in the bosome of Reformation a flocke of violent and seditious men, that pretending a great deale of hate to Popery, have notwithstanding joyned themselves, like Sampsons Foxes, with the worst of Papists, in the worst and most pernicious Doctrines that ever Papist taught, to rob Kings of their sacred and divine right, and to deprive the Church of Christ of the truth of all those points, that doe most specially concerne her government and governours: and though in the fury of their wilde [...]eale they do no lesse maliciously then falsly cast upon the soundest Protestants the aspersion of Popery and Malignancie, yet I hope to make it plaine unto my reader, that themselves are the Papists indeed, or worse then Papists both to the Church and State: For

2. As the whole Colledge of Cardinals, Of the Anabap­tists and Puri­tans. and all the Schooles Opinion. 2 of the Jesuites, doe most stiffely defend this usurped authori­ty of the Pope, which, as I said, may be with the lesse admirati­on, because of the Princes concession, and their owne long possession of it; so on the other side there are sprung up of late a certaine generation of Vipers, the brood of Anabaptists and Brownists, that doe most violently strive not to detaine what they have unjustly obtained, but a degree farre worse, to pull the sword out of their Prince his hand, and to place authority [Page 52] on them which have neither right to owne it,Where the P [...] ­ritans place the authority to maintaine reli­gion. 1. In the Pres­byterie. nor discretion to use it; and that is, either

• 1. A Consistory of Presbyters: or,
• 2. A Parliament of Lay men.

For

1. These new Adversaries of this Truth, that would most impudently take away from Christian Princes the supreme and immediate authority, under Christ, in all Ecclesiasticall Callings and Causes, will needs place the same in themselves, and a Consistorian company of their own Faction: a whole Vo­lume would not contain their absurdities, falsities, and blasphe­mies that they have uttered about this point. I will onely give you a taste of what some of the chiefe of them have belebed forth against the Divine Truth of God's Word and the sacred Majesty of Kings.Calvin in Amos, cap. 7. Master Calvin, a man otherwise of much worth, and worthy to be honoured, yet in this point transport­ed with his own passion, calleth those Blasphemers, that did call King Henry the Eighth the Supreme Head of this Church of England: Stap [...]. cont. [...]dorn. l, 1. p. 22. and Stapleton saith, that he handled the King him­selfe with such villany and with so spitefull words, as he never handled the Pope more spitefully; and all for this Title of Su­premacy in Church causes: and in his 54. Epist. to Myconius, he termeth them prophane spirits and mad men, that perswaded the Magistrates of Geneva, not to deprive themselves of that authority which God had given them: Viretus is more viru­lent; for he resembleth them not to mad men, (as Calvin did) but to white devils, because they stand in defence of the Kings authority; and he saith, they are false Christians, though they co­ver themselves with the cloak of the Gospell,How Viretus would prove the temporall Pope (as he cal­leth the King) vvorse then the spirituall Pope. affirming that the putting of all authority and power into the Civill Magistrates hands, and making them Masters of the Church, is nothing else but the changing of the Popedome, from the Spirituall Pope in­to a Temporall Pope, who (as it is to be feared) will prove worse and more tyrannous than the Spirituall Pope, which he laboureth to confirme by these three reasons:

Reason. 1 1. Because the Spiritual Pope had not the Sword in his own hand, to punish men with death, but was fain to crave the [Page 53] aid of the Secular power, which the Temporal Pope needs not do.

2. Because the old Spirituall Popes had some regard in their Reason. 2 dealings of Councels, Synods, and ancient Canons; but the new Secular Popes will do what they list without respect of any Ecclesiasticall Order, be it right or wrong.

3. Because the Romish Popes were most commonly very Reason. 3 learned, but it happeneth oftentimes that the Regall Popes have neither learning nor knowledge in divine matters; and yet these shall be they that shall command Ministers and Preachers what they list; and to make this assertion good, he affirmeth that he saw in some places some Christian Princes, under the title of Reformation, to have in 10 or 20 yeares usurped more tyrannie over the Churches in their Dominions, then ever the Pope and his adherents did in 600 yeares.

All which reasons are but meere fopperies, Viretus his scandalous rea­sons answered. blowne up by the blacke Devill, to blast the beauty of this truth; for we speake not of the abuse of any Prince, to justifie the same against any one, but of his right, that cannot be the cause of any wrong; and it cannot be denyed but an illiterate Prince may prove a singular advancer of all learning, as Bishop Wickham was no great Scholler, yet was he a most excellent instrument to pro­duce abundance of famous Clerks in this Church; and the King ruleth his Church by those Lawes, which through his royall authority are made with the advice of his greatest Divines, as hereafter I shall shew, unto you: yet these spurious and speci­ous pretexts may serve, like clouds, to hide the light from the eyes of the simple. So Cartwright also,T. C. l. 2. p. 411 that was our English firebrand, and his Disciples teach, as Harding had done before, that Kings and Princes doe hold their Kingdomes and Domi­nions under Christ, as he is the Sonne of God onely, before all worlds, coequall with the father, and not as he is Mediator and Governour of the Church: and therefore the Christian Kings have no more to doe with the Church government, then the Heathen Princes: so Travers saith, that the Heathen Princes being converted to the faith, receive no more, nor any further increase of their power, whereby they may deale in Church [Page 54] causes, then they had before; so the whole packe of the Disci­plinarians are all of the same minde, and do hold that all Kings, aswell Heathen as Christian, receiving but one Commission and equall authority immediately from God, have no more to doe with Church causes, the one sort then the other. And I am ashamed to set downe the rayling and the scurrilous speeches of Anthony Gilby against Hen. 8.Gilby in his ad­monition. p. 69. Knox in his ex­h [...]ta i [...]n to the Nobility of Scotland, fol. 77. and of Knox, Whittingham, and others, against the truth of the Kings lawfull right and authori­ty in all Ecclesiasticall causes. For, were it so, as Cartwright, Travers, and the rest of that crew doe avouch, that Kings by being Christians receive no more authority over Christ his Church, then they had beforeWhich is most false.; yet this will appeare most evi­dent to all understanding men, that all Kings, aswell the Hea­thens as the Christians, are in the first place to see that their people do religiously observe the worship of that God which they adore: and therefore much more should Christian Princes have a care to preserve the religion of Jesus Christ.

The Gentile Kings preser­vers of religi­on.For it cannot be denyed, but that all Kings ought to preserve their Kingdomes; and all Kingdomes are preserved by the same meanes, by which they were first established; and they are esta­blished by obedience and good manners: neither shall you finde any thing that can beget obedience and good manners, but Lawes and Religion; and Religion doth naturally beget obe­dience unto the Lawes; therefore most of those Kings that gave Lawes were originally Priests;Synes. ep. 126. Vide Amis. part. 2. pag. 14. Ad magnas r [...]spubl. utilita­tes retinetur religio in civi­tatibus. Cicero de divin. l. 2. and, as Synesius saith, [...]; a Priest and a Prince was all one with them; when the Kings, to preserve their Lawes inviolable, and to keepe their people in obedience that they might be happy, became Priests, and exercised the duties of Religion, offering sacrifices unto their gods, and discharging the other offices of the Priestly function (as our factious Priests could willingly take upon them the offices of the King;) or if some of them were not Priests (as all were not Law-makers) yet all of them preserved Religion as the onely preservation of their Lawes, and the happinesse of their Kingdomes, which they saw could not continue without Religion. But

2. In the Par­liament.2. The wisedome of our grave Prelates, and the learning of [Page 55] our religious Clergie having stopped the course of this violent streame, and hindered the translation of this right of Kings, un­to their new-borne Presbyterie and late erected Synods: There sprang up another generation out of the dregs of the former, that because they would be sure to be bad enough, out of their envy unto Kings, and malice unto the Church (that the one doth not advance their unworthinesse, and the other doth not beare with their undutifulnesse) will needs transferre this right of ruling Gods Church unto a Parliament of Lay-men; the King shall be denuded of what God hath given him: and the people shall be indued with what God and all good men have ever denyed them. I deny not but the Parliament men, as they are most noble and worthy Gentlemen, so many of them may be very learned, and not a few of them most religious; and I ho­nour the Parliament rightly discharging their duties,Hugo de Sancto Vict. lib. 2. de sacr. fid. par. 2. cap. 3. Laicis Christia­nis fidelibus ter­rena possidere conceditur, cle­ricis verò tan­tùm spirituali [...] committuntur; quae autem ill [...] spiritualia sunt subjicit. c. 5. dicent; omnis ecclesiastica ad­ministratio in tribus consi­stit, in sacra­mentis, in or­dinibus, in prae­ceptis. Ergo, Laici nihil ju­ris habent in le­gibus & prae­ceptis condendis ecclesiasticit. as much as their modesty can desire, or their merit deserve; neither doe I gain-say, but as they are pious men, and the greatest Councell of our King, so they may propose things, and request such and such Lawes to be enacted, such abuses to be redressed; and such a reformation to be effected, as they thinke befitting for Gods Church; but for Aarons seed and the Tribe of Levi, to be di­rected and commanded out of the Parliament chaire, how to performe the service of the Tabernacle, and for Lay men to de­termine the Articles of faith, to make Canons for Church-men, to condemne heresies and define verities, and to have the chiefe power for the government of Gods Church, as our Faction now challengeth, and their Preachers ascribe unto them, is such a violation of the right of Kings, such a derogation to the Clergy, and so prejudiciall to the Church of Christ, as I never found the like usurpation of this right, to the eradication of the true religion, in any age; for seeing that, as the Proverb goeth, Quod medicorum est promittunt medici, & tractant fabrilia fa­bri; what Papist or Athiest will be ever converted to professe that religion, which shall be truly, what now they alleadge falsely unto us, a Parliamentary religion, or a religion made by Lay men, with the advice of a few that they choose è faece Cle­ri? I must seriously professe what I have often bewayled, to [Page 56] see Nadab and Abihu offering strange fires upon Gods Altar, to see the sacred offices of the Priests so presumptuously usurped by the Laity, and to see the children of the Church, nay, the servants of the Church to prescribe Lawes unto their Masters; and I did ever feare it to be an argument, not onely of a corrup­ted, but also of a decaying State, when Moses chaire should be set in the Parliament House, and the Doctors of the Church should never sit thereon: therefore I wish that the Arke may be brought backe from the Philistines, and restored to the Priests, to be placed in Shilo where it should be; and that the care of the Arke, which King David undertooke, may not be taken out of his hands by his people; but that he may have the honour of that service, which God hath imposed upon him. For

3. Opinion. Of the O [...]tho­dox. Quia religio est ex potioribus reipublica par­tibus: ut a [...]t Aristot. Polit. l. 7. c. 8. & ipsa sola custo­dit hominum inter se societa­te [...]: ut ait L [...]ctant. de ira Dei, cap. 12. Veritura Troia perdidit pri­mum Deos.3. As nothing is dearer to understanding, righteous, and re­ligious Kings, then the increase and maintenance of true reli­gion, and the inlargement of the Church of Christ throughout all their Dominions, so they have at all times imployed their studies to this end; because it is an infallible maxime, even a­mong the Politicians, that the prosperity of any Kingdome flourisheth for no longer time, then the care of religion and the prosperity of the Church is maintained by them among their people: as we see Troy was soone lost, when they lost their Palladium, so it is the truest signe of a declining and a decaying State, to see the Clergy despised, and Religion disgraced: and therefore the provision for the safety of the Church, the pub­lique injoying of the Word of God, the forme of Service, the manner of Government, and the honour and maintenance of the Clergie are all the duties of a most Christian King, which the King of Heaven hath imposed upon him for the happinesse and prosperity of his Kingdome; and whosoever derive the au­thority of this charge, either in a blinde obedience to the See of Rome, as the Jesuites doe, or out of their too much zeale and affection to a new Consistory, as the late Presbyterians did, or to a Lay Parliament, as our upstart Anabaptists and Brownists doe, are most unjust usurpers of the Kings right, which is not onely ascribed unto him and warranted by the Word of God, [Page 57] but is also confirmed to the Princes of this Land by severall Acts of Parliament,Therefore the Tyrians ch [...]y­ [...]d their gods, lest if they fled th [...]y should be destroyed. to have the supremacie in all causes and over all persons, as well in the Ecclesiasticall as in the Civill governe­ment; which being so, they are exempted thereby from all in­forcement of any domesticall or forraigne power, and freed from the penalties of all those Lawes, both Ecclesiasticall and Civill, whereunto all their Subjects, Clergy and Laity,Q. Curtius de rebus Alexand. Joh. Beda, p. 22, 23. and all inferiour Persons, and the superiour Nobility within their Kingdomes, are obliged by our Lawes and Statutes; (as here­after I shall more fully declare.)

Therefore it behoveth all Kings (and especially our King at this time) seriously to consider, what prejudice they shall create unto themselves and their just authority, if they should yeild themselves inferiour to their Subjects, (aggregativè, or reprae­sentativè, or how you will) or liable to the penall Lawes, (for so they may be soone dethroned by the unstable affection and weake judgement of discontented people) or subject to the jurisdiction of Lay Elders, and the excommunication of a ty­rannous Consistory, who denounceing him, tanquam Ethnicum, Matth. 18.17. may soone adde, a stranger shall not raigne over thee, Deut. 17.15. and so de­pose him from all government. For seeing all attempts are most violent, that have their beginning and strength from zeale unto religion, be the same true or false, and from the false most of all, and those are ever the most dangerous whose ringleaders are most base, (as the servile warre under Spartacus was most pernicious unto the Romans) there can be nothing of greater use, or more profitable, either for the safety of the King,How necessary it is for Kings to retaine their just rights in their hands. the peace of the Church, and the quiet state of the Kingdome, then for the Prince, the King, to retaine the Militia, and to keepe that power and authority which the Lawes of God and of our Land have granted to, and intayled upon him, in his own hands unclipped and unshaken: for when the multitude shall be un­bridled, and the rights of the Kings are brandished in their hands, we shall assuredly tast, and I feare in too great a mea­sure (as experience now sheweth) of those miserable evils, which uncontrouled ignorance, furious zeale, false hypocrisie, and the mercilesse cruelty of the giddy-headed people, and [Page 58] discontented Peeres shall bring upon us and our Prince.

But to make it manifest unto the world, what power and authority God hath granted unto Kings, for the government of the Church, and the preservation of his true religion; we find them the worst men, at all times and in all places, that mislike their government,The Kings that maintaine true religion make their Kingdoms happy. and reject their authority; and we see those Churches most happy, and those Kingdomes most flourishing, which God hath blessed with religious Kings, as the State of the Church of Judaea makes it plaine, when David, Ezechias, Josias, and the other virtuous Kings restored the religion, and purified that service, which the idolatry of others their prede­cessours had corrupted; and we know that as Moses, Exod. 14.31. Numb. 12.7, 8, Deut. 34.5. Josh. 1.1, 2. so Kings are called the servants of God in a more speciall manner then all others are: that is, not onely because they serve the Lord in the government of the Common wealth, but especially because he vouchsafeth to use their service for the advancement of his Church, and the honour of his sonne Christ here on earth: or to distribute their duties more particularly, we know the Lord expecteth,The double service of all Christian Kings. and so requireth a double service from every Chri­stian King.

• 1. The one common with all others, to serve him as they are his creatures and Christians; and therefore to serve him as all other Christians are bound to doe.
• 2. The other proper and peculiar to them alone, to serve him as they are Kings and Princes.

1. As they are Christians.In the first respect, they are no more priviledged to offend then other men; but they are tyed to the same obedience of Gods Lawes, and are obliged to performe as many virtuous actions, and to abstaine from all vices, as well as any other of their Subjects: and if they faile in either point, they shall be called to the same account, and shall be judged with the same severity as the meanest of their people: and therefore, Be wise O ye Kings, Psal. 2.10. be learned ye that are Judges of the earth; Serve the Lord in feare, and rejoyce unto him with reverence; for with God there is no respect of persons, Rom. 2.11. Psal. 149.8. but if they doe offend he will binde Kings in fetters, and their Nobles with linkes of iron: and we dare not flatter you, to give you the least liberty to neglect the strict service of the great God.

In the second respect,2. As they are Christian Kings: and that is twofold. the service of all Christian Kings and Princes hath (as I told you before) these two parts:

• 1. To protect the true religion, and to governe the Church of Christ.
• 2. To preserve peace, and to governe the Com­mon-wealth.

For

1. It is true indeed, that the Donatists of old,1. To protect the Church. the grand fa­thers of our new Sectaries, were wont to say, Quid Imperatori cum Ecclesia? what have we to doe with the Emperour,Aug. cont. lit. petil. l. 2. or what hath the Emperour to doe with the Church? but to this Optatus answereth, that,Optat. Melivet. lib. 3. Ille solito furore accensus in haec verba prorupit. Donatus out of his accustomed madnesse burst forth into these mad termes;Prima omnium in republ. fun­ctionum est, [...]. A­rist. l. 7. c. 8. for it is a duty that lyeth upon all Prin­ces, (because all, both Christians and Pagans, ought to be reli­gious, as, I shewed to you before) not onely to be devout, but also to be the meanes to make all their Subjects (so farre as they can) to become devoted to Gods service, as the practice of those Heathens, that had no other guide of their actions then the light of nature, doth make it plaine; for Aristotle saith,Aristot. Polit. l. 3. c. 10. that Quae ad Deorum cultum pertinent, commissa sunt regibus, & magistratibus, those things that pertaine unto the worship of the gods are committed to the care of Kings and civill Ma­gistrates: and whatsoever their religion was, (as indeed it was but meere Superstition) yet because Superstition and Religion, hoc habent commune, doe this in common: Ʋt faciant animos humiles formidine divum. Therefore to make men better, the more humble and more dutifull, the transgression thereof was deemed worthy to receive punishment among the Pagans; and that punishment was appointed by them, that had the principall authority to governe the Common-wealth;The chief [...] M [...] ­gistrates of the Heathens had the charge of religion. as the Athenian Magistrates condemned Socrates, (though he was a man wiser then themselves, yet as they conceived very faulty) for his irre­ligion and derision of their adored gods: And Tiberius would set up Christ among the Roman gods (though the act added no honour unto Christ) without the authority and against the will of the Senate; to shew that the care of religion belonged unto the Emperour, or chiefe Magistrate; and therefore as the Lord [Page 60] commanded the Kings of Israel to write a copie of his Law in a booke, Deut. 17, 18, 19. and to take heed to all the words of that Law for to doe them; that is, not onely as a private person, (for so every man was not to write it) but as King, to reduce others to the obedi­ence thereof; so the examples of the best Kings both of Israel and Juda, and of the best Christian Emperours doe make this plaine unto us;Josh. 24 23. for Ioshua caused all Israel to put away the strange gods that were among them,The care of the good Kings of the Iewes to preserve the true religion. and to incline their hearts unto the Lord God of Israel; Manasses, after his returne from Babylon, tooke away the strange gods, and the Idols out of the house of the Lord, and cast them all out of the Citie, and re­paired the Altar of the Lord, and commanded Iuda to serve the Lord God of Israel. And what shall I say of David, whose whole studie was to further the service of God; and of Iehosa­phat, Asa, Iosias, Ezechias, and others, that were rare patternes for other Kings for the well government of Gods Church? and in the time of the Gospell, Quod non tollit praecepta legis, sed perficit, which takes not away the rules of nature, nor the precepts of the Law, but rather establisheth the one & perfecteth the other; because Christ came into the world, non ut tolleret jura seculi, sed ut deleret peccata mundi, not to take away the rights of the Nations, but to satisfie for the sinnes of the world; the best Christian Emperours discharged the same duty,The care of the good Empe­rours to pre­serve the true religion. refor­med the Church, abolished Idolatry, punished Heresie, and maintained Piety: especially Constantine and Theodosius, that were most pious Princes, and of much vertues, and became as the Prophet foretold us,Esay 49.23. nursing fathers unto Gods Church; for though they are most religious and best in their religion, that are religious for conscience sake; yet there is a feare from the hand of the Magistrate, that is able to restraine those men from many outward evils, whom neither conscience nor religion could make honest: therefore God committed the principall care of his Church to the Prince, and principall Magistrate.

Who defended th [...]s truth.And this is confirmed and throughly maintained by sundry notable men, as Brentius against Asoto, Bishop Horne against Fekenham, Jewell against Harding, and many other learned men, that have written against such other Papists and Puritans, [Page 61] Anabaptists and Brownists, The Papists unawares con­fesse this truth. that have taken upon them to im­pugne it; yea, many of the Papists themselves at unawares, doe confesse as much; for Osorius saith, Omne regis officium in religionis sanctissimae rationem conferendum; Osortus de re­lig. p. 21. & munus ejus est beare rempubl. religione & pietate: all the office of a King is to be conferred or imployed for the regard and benefit of the most holy religion, and his whole duty is to blesse or make happy the Common-wealth with religion and piety: Quod enim est aliud reipublicae principi munus assignatum, quàm ut rempubl. florentem atque beatam faciat? quod quidem nullo modo sine egre­giâ pietatis & religionis sanctitate perficitur. For though we confesse with Ignatius, that no man is equall to the Bishop in causes Ecclesiasticall, no not the King himselfe; that is, in such things as belong to his office, as Whitaker saith;Whitak. resp. Camp. p. 302. because he onely ought to see to holy things, that is, the instruction of the people, the administration of the Sacraments, the use of the keyes of the Kingdome of Heaven, and the like, matters of great weight, and exceeding the Kings authority;The Kings au­thority over Bishops. yet Kings are above Bishops in wealth, honour, power, government, and majestie: and though they may not doe any of the Episcopall duties, yet they may and ought lawfully to admonish them of their duties, and restraine them from evill,1. Chron. 28.13. 2. Chron. 29. 1. Reg. 2.26. and command them diligently to execute their office; and if they neglect the same, they ought to reprove and punish them, as we reade the good Kings of the Jewish Church, and the godly EmperoursAs Martian. apud Binium, l. 2. p. 178. Iustinian. no­vil. 10. tit. 6. Theodos. jun. Evagr. l. 1. c. 12. Basil. in Concil. Constant. 8. act. 1. Binius tom. 3. p. 880. of the Christian Church have ever done; and the Bishops themselves in sundry Councels, have acknowledged the same power and authority to be due, and of right belonging unto them: as at Mentz, anno 814. and anno 847. apud Binium, tom. 3. p. 462. & 631. At Emerita in Portugall, anno 705. Bin. tom. 2. p. 1183. and therefore it is an ill consequent, to say, Princes have no authority to preach, Ergo they have no authority to punish those that will not preach, or that doe preach false Do­ctrine.

This truth is likewise apparent, not onely by the testimony of Scripture and Fathers, but also by the evidence of plaine reason; because the prosperity of that Land which any King [Page 62] doth governe,Reason con­firmeth, that Kings should take care of religion. without a principall care of religion, decayeth and degenerateth into Warres, Dearthes, Plagues and Pesti­lence, and abundance of other miseries, that are the lamentable effects and consequences of the neglect of religion, and contempt of the Ministers of Gods Church; which I beleeve is no small cause of these great troubles that we now suffer; because our God,Psal. 35.27. that taketh pleasure in the prosperity of his servants, can­not endure that either his service should be neglected, or his servants abused.

CHAP. VII. Sheweth the three things necessary for all Kings that would preserve true Religion; how the King may attaine to the knowledge of things that pertaine to Religion; by his Bi­shops and Chaplaines, and the calling of Synods; the un­lawfulnesse of the new Synod; the Kings power and au­thority to governe the Church; and how both the old and new Disciplinarians and Sectaries rob the King of this power.

THerefore seeing this should be the greatest care, that brings the greatest honour to a Christian Prince, to pro­mote the true religion; it is requisite that we should consider those things that are most necessary to a Christian King, for the religious performance of this duty: And they are

• Three things necessary for a King to pre­serve the Church and true Religion.
  1. A will to performe it.
• 2. An understanding to goe a­bout it.
• 3. A power to effect it.

And these three must be inseparable in the Prince that maintaineth true religion. For

1. Our knowledge and our power without a willing minde doth want motion.

2. Our will and power without knowledge shall never be able to move right. And

3. Our will and knowledge without ability can never [Page 63] prevaile to produce any effect. Therefore Kings and Princes ought to labour to be furnished with these three speciall gra­ces.

The first is a good will to preserve the purity of Gods service,1. A willing minde to do it. not onely in his House, but also throughout all his Kingdome: and this, as all other graces are, must be acquired by our faith­full prayers, and that in a more speciall manner for Kings and Princes then for any other; and it is wrought in them by out­ward instruction, and the often predication of Gods Word, and the inward inspiration of Gods Spirit.

The second is knowledge, 2. Understan­ding to kn [...]w what is to be reformed, and what to be re­tained. which is not much lesse necessary then the former; because not to runne right is no better then not to runne at all, and men were as good to doe nothing, as to doe amisse; and therefore true knowledge is most requisite for that King that will maintaine true religion: and this should be not onely in generall, and by others, but as much as possible he can in particulars, and of himselfe; that himselfe might be as­sured what were fit to be reformed, and what warranted to be maintained in Gods service; for so Moses commandeth the chiefe Princes to be exercised in Gods Law day and night: be­cause this would be a speciall meanes to beatifie or make hap­py both the Church and Common-wealth:The Kings neglect of reli­gion and the Church, is the destruction of the Common-wealth. As the neglect thereof brought ignorance unto the Church, and ruine to the Romane Empire; for as in Augustus time learning flourished, and in Constantines time piety was much embraced; because these Emperours were such themselves: so when the Kings, whose examples most men are apt to follow, either busied with secular affaires, or neglecting to understand the truth of things, and the state of the Church, do leave this care unto others, then others imitating their neglect, doe rule all things with great corruption, and as little truth; whereby errours and blindnesse will over-spread the Church; and pride, covetousnesse, and ambition will replenish the Common-wealth; and these vices, like the tares that grow up in Gods field to suffocate the pure Wheat, will at last choake up all vertue and piety both in Church and State.

Therefore to prevent this mischiefe, the King, on whom [Page 64] God hath laid the care of these things, ought himselfe (what he can) to learne and find out the true state of things: and because it is far unbefitting the honour, and inconsistent with the charge of great Princes, (whose other affaires will not permit them) to be alwayes poring at their bookes, as if they were such cri­tiques, as intended to exceed all others in the theorick learning, like Archimedes, that was in his studie drawing forth his Ma­thematicall figures, when the Citie was sackt, and his enemies pulling down the house about his eares;How Kings may attaine unto the know­ledge of religi­on, and under­stand the state of the Church, and how to go­verne the same. therefore it is wisedome in them to imitate the discreet examples of other wise Kings, and religious Emperours, in following the meanes that God hath left, and using the power and authority that he hath given them, to attaine unto more knowledge, and to be better instru­cted in any religious matter, then themselves could possibly at­taine unto by their owne greatest studie: and that is,

1. To call able Clergy-men about them.1. As Alexander had his Aristotle ready to informe him in any Philosophicall doubt, and Augustus his prime Orators, Poëts, and Historians to instruct him in all affaires; so God hath granted this power unto his Kings, to call those Bishops and com­mand such Chaplaines to reside about them, as shall be able to informe them in any truth of Divinity, and so direct them in the best forme of government of Gods Church; and these Chaplaines should be well approved, both for their learning and their honesty; for to be learned without honesty, as many are, is to be witty to doe evill, which is most pernitious, and doth often times make a private gaine by a publique losse; or an advantage to themselves by the detriment of the Church: and to be honest without knowledge,How they should be qua­lified. or to have knowledge without experience, especially in such places of eminencie, and for the affaires of importance, may be as dangerous; when their want of skill may counsell to doe matters of much hurt: but when both are met together in one person, that man is a fit Subject to doe good service both to God and the King: and the King may be assured there cannot be a better furtherance to assist him for the well ordering of Gods Church, then the grave advice & directions of such instruments, as it appeareth by that memorable example of King Ioas, (left to be remembred by all [Page 65] Kings) who, whilest the wise and religious Priest Jehoiada assi­sted and directed him, had all things successefull and happy to his whole Kingdome; but after Jehoiada's death,2. Reg. 12.1. the King de­stitute of such a Chaplaine to attend, and such a Priest to coun­sell him, all things came speedily to great ruine.

Therefore I dare boldly avouch it, they are enemies unto Kings, and the underminers of Gods Church, and such instru­ments as I am not able to expresse their wickednesse, that would exclude such Jehoiada's from the Kings counsell; for was not Saul a wicked King, and Ahab little better? yet Saul would have Samuel to direct him, though he followed not his direction; and Ahab would aske counsell of Micaiah, though he rejected the same to his owne destruction: and King David, 1. Reg. 22.16. though never so wise and so great a Prophet, and Josias, and Ezechias, and all the rest of the good Kings, had alwayes the Priests and the men of God to be their Counsellors, and follow­ed their directions, especially in Church causes, as the oracles of God:Mar. 6.20. so wicked Herod disdained not to heare John the Baptist, and to be reformed by him in many things; and happy had he beene had he done it in all things. And if you reade Eusebius (which is called Pamphilus, for the great love he bare to that his noble Patron) and Socrates, and the rest of the Ecclesiasticall Historians, or the Histories of our owne Land, you shall finde that the best Kings and greatest Emperours had the best Divines, and the most reverend Bishops to be their chiefest Counsellors, and to be imployed by them in their weigh­tiest affaires. How then hath the Devill now prevailed to ex­clude them from all Counsels, and as much as in him lyeth, from the sight of Princes, when he makes it a suspicion of much evill if they do but talke together? How hath he bewitched the Nobility to yeild to be deprived of their Chaplaines? Is it not to keepe them (that have not time to studie, and to find out truth themselves) still in the ignorance of things; and to none other end, then to overthrow the true religion, and to bring Kings and Princes to confusion?

2. When the King seeth cause,2. To call Synods to discusse and conclude the harder things. God hath given him power and authority to call Synods and Councels, and to assemble the [Page 66] best men, the most moderate and most learned, to determine of those things together, which a fewer number could not so well, or at least not so authoritatively conclude upon: for so Con­stantine the Great called the great Councell of Nice, to sup­presse the Heresie of Arius. Theodosius called the Councell of Ephesus in the case of Nestorius: Valentinian and Martian cal­led the Councell of Calcedon against Eutyches: Justinian cal­led the Councell of Constantinople against Severus, that renew­ed the Heresie of Eutyches: Constantine the Fifth called the sixth Synod against the Monothelites; and so did many others in the like cases: God having fully granted this right and au­thority unto them, for their better information in any point of religion, and the governement of the Church.

And therefore they that deny this power unto Kings, or as­sume this authority unto themselves, whether Popes or Par­liament, out of the Kings hand, they may as well take his eyes out of his head; because this is one of the best helpes that God hath left unto Kings, to assist and direct them in the chiefest part of their royall government:The unparal­lel'd presumpti­on of the Fa­ction to call a Synod without the King. how presumptuous then and injurious unto our King, and prejudiciall to the Church of Christ, was the faction of this Parliament, without the Kings leave, and contrary to his command, to undertake the nomina­tion of such a packe of Schismaticall Divines for such a Synod, as might finally determine such points of faith and discipline, as themselves best liked of, let all the Christian world, that as yet never saw the like president, be the Judge; and tell us what shall be the religion of that Church, where the Devill shall have the power to prompt worldlings to nominate his prime Chaplaines, Socinians, Brownists, Anabaptists, and the refuse of all the refractary Clergy,The quality of the Synod call men. (that seeme learned in nothing but in the contradiction of learning, and justifying Rebellion against their King and the Church) to compose the Articles of our faith, and to frame a new government of our Church? I am even ashamed that so glorious a Kingdome should ever breed so base a Faction, that durst ever presume to be so audacious; and I am sorry that I should be so unhappy to live to see such an un­parallel'd boldnesse in any Clergy, that the like cannot be found [Page 67] in any Ecclesiasticall Historie, from the first birth of Christ's Church to this very day, unlesse our Sectaries can produce it from some of the Ʋtopian Kingdomes, that are so farre South­ward In terra Incognita, beyond the Torrid Zone, that we (whose zeale is not so fiery, but are of the colder spirits) could not yet perfectly learne the true method of their Anarchicall government: or if our Lawyers can shew us the like president that ever Parliament called a Synod contrary to the Kings Pro­clamation, I shall rest beholding to them, produce it if they can. credat Judaeus apella; non ego.

The third thing requisite to a King for the preservation of true religion, and the government of Gods Church,3: An authori­ty and power to guide the Church, and to uphold the true religion. is power and authority to defend it; for though the Prince should be never so religious, never so desirous to defend the faith, and ne­ver so well able in his understanding, & so well furnished with knowledge to set downe what Service and Ceremonies should be used; yet if he hath not power and ability, which doe arise from his right and just authority to doe it, and to put the same in execution, all the rest are but fruitlesse embryoes, like those po­tentials, that are never reduced into actions;Psal. 129.6. or like the grasse upon the house top, that withereth before it be plucked up.

But to let you see, that Kings and Princes should have this power and authority in all Ecclesiasticall causes, and over all Ec­clesiasticall persons, we finde that all Ages and all Lawes have warranted them to doe the same;1. Reg. 2.27. & 35. Jerem. 26. for Solomon displaced Abia­thar, and placed Zadoc in his roome; Jeremy's case was heard by the King of Israel; Theodosius and Valentinian made a Decree, that all those should be deposed, which were infected with the impiety of Nestorius; How all Kings and Emperours exercised this power over the Church. and Justinian deposed Sylve­rius and Vigilius: and many other Kings and Emperours did the like; and not onely the Law of God, whereof the King is the prime keeper, and the keeper of both Tables, but also the Statutes of our Land doe give unto our King the nomination of Bishops, and some other elective dignities in the Church, the custody of the Bishops Temporalties during the vacation, the Patronage Paramount, or right to present by the last lapse; and many other furtherances and preservatives of religion are in [Page 68] terminis terminantibus, deputed by our Lawes unto the King; and for his care and charge thereof, they have setled upon him our first fruits, Tenths, Subsidies, and all other contributions of the Ecclesiasticall persons, which the Pope received while he usurped the government of this Church; these things being due to him that had the supreme power for the government.

And therefore seeing the examples of all good Kings in the Old Testament, and of the Christian Kings and Emperours in the New Testament, and all Lawes both of God and man, (ex­cepting those Lawes of the Pontificials, that are made against the Law of God,) and all Divines, excepting the Iesuites and their sworne Brethren the Presbyterians, do most justly ascribe this right and power unto Kings;Cass [...] de [...] ­ca [...], l. 1. [...]. [...]. I may truly say with Cassia­nus, that there is no place of audience left for them, by whom obedience is not yeilded to that which all have agreed upon; nor any excuse for those Subjects that assist not their Sove­raigne to inable him to discharge this great charge that is laid upon him.

What then shall we say to them that pull this power, and teare this prerogative out of the Kings hand, and place it in the hands of mad men,P [...]l. 65.7. How th [...] Disci­plir. [...] the King of this right. as the Prophet epithets the madnesse of the people? for that furious Knox belcheth forth this unsavory Do­ctrine, That the Commonalty may lawfully require of their King to have true Preachers; and if he be negligent, they themselves may justly provide them,Knox to the Commonalty, fol. 49, 50, 5 [...]. maintaine them, defend them against all that oppose them, and detaine the profits of the Church Li­vings from the other sort of Ministers; a point fully practised by the English Scotizers of these dayes: and as if this Doctrine were not seditious enough, and abundantly sufficient to move Rebellion, Goodman publisheth that horrible tenet unto the world, that it is lawfull to kill wicked Kings: which most dan­gerous and more damnable Doctrine, Deane Whittingham affir­meth to be the tenet of the best and most learned of them that were our Disciplinarians.

What true reli­gion teacheth us.But when as true religion doth command us to obey our Kings, whatsoever their religion is, aut agendo, aut patiendo, either in suffering with patience whatsoever they doe impose, [Page 69] or in doing with obedience whatsoever they doe command, Religion can be no warrant for those actions, which must re­maine as the everlasting blemishes of that religion, which either commanded or approved of their doing; I am sure all wise men will detest these Doctrines of Devils; and seeing it is an infal­lible rule, that good deserveth then to be accounted evill, when it ceaseth to be well done, it is apparent that it is no more law­full for private and inferiour persons to usurpe the Princes power, and violently to remove Idolatry, or to cause any refor­mation, then it is for the Church of Rome by invasion or trea­son, to establish the Doctrine of that See in this or any other forraigne Kingdome; because both are performed by the like usurped authority.

Yet these were the opinions and practises of former times,The old Disci­plinarians. when Buchanan, Knox, Cartwright, Goodman, Gilby, Penry, Fenner, Martyn, Travers, Throgmorton, Philips, Nicholls, and the rest of those introducers of Out-landish and Genevian Disci­pline, first broached these uncouth and unsufferable tenets in our Land, in the Realme of England and Scotland; and truely if their opinions had not dispersed themselves, like poyson, throughout all the veines of this Kingdome, and infected many of our Nobility, and as many of the greatest Cities of this King­dome, (as it appeareth by this late unparall [...]'d rebellion) these and the rest of the trayterous authors of those unsavory bookes, which they published, and those damnable tenets which they most ignorantly held, and maliciously taught unto the people, should have slept in silence; their hallowed and sanctified Trea­son should have remained untouched, and their memoriall should have perished with them.

But seeing, as Saint Chrysostome saith of the Heretiques of his time, that although in age they were younger, yet in malice they were equall to the ancient Heretiques; and as the brood of Serpents, though they are of lesse stature,Our rebellious Sectaries farre worse then all the former Disciplinari­ans. yet in their poyson no lesse dangerous then their dammes; so no more have our new Sectaries, our upstart Anabaptists, any lesse wickednesse then their first begetters; nay, we finde it true, that as the Poët saith,

These young cubbes prove worse then the old foxes; for if you compare the whelpes with the wolves, our latter Schismatickes with their former Masters, I doubt not but you shall finde lesse learning and more villany, lesse honesty and more subtilty, hypocrisie and treachery in Doctor Burges, Master Marshall, [...]se, Goodwin, Burrowes, Calamy, Perne, Hill, Cheynell, and the rest of our giddy-headed Incendiaries, then can be found in all the seditious Pamphlets of the former Disciplinarians, or of them that were hanged (as Penry) for their treasons: for these men doe not onely (as Sidonius saith of the like) apertè invi­dere, [...] [...]p [...]s [...]. abjectè fingere, & serviliter superbiro, openly envy the state of the Bishops, basely forge lyes against them, and servile­ly swell with the pride of their owne conceited sanctity and ap­p [...] [...]ut ignorance; but they have also most impudently (even [...] their Pulpits) slandered the footsteps of Gods Annointed, and to brought the abhomination of their transgression to stand in the holy place; they have with Achan troubled Israel, and tormented the whole Land; yea, these three Kingdomes, Eng­land, Scotland, and Ireland; and for inciting, provoking, and incouraging simple, ignorant, poore, discontented and seditious Sectaries,For which their intolerable vil­lanies, if I be not deceived in my judge­ment, they of all others, and above all the Rebels in the Kingdome, de­serve the grea­test and seve­rest punish­ment; God of Heaven give them the grace to repent. to be Rebels and Traytors against their owne most gracious King; they have not onely with Jerusalem justified Samaria, Sodome and Gomorrah, but they have justified all the Samaritanes, all the Sodomites, all the Schismaticks, Hereticks, Rebels, and Traytors, Papists and Atheists, and all that went before them, Iudas himselfe in many circumstances not excep­ted; and that which makes their doings the more evill, and the more exceedingly wicked, is, that they make religion to be the warrant for their evill doings, the packe-horse to carry, and the cloake to cover all their treacheries: and thereby they drew the greater multitudes of poore Zelots to be their followers.

And therefore seeing it is not onely the honour, but also the duty, as of all other Kings, so likewise of our King, to be as the Princes of our Land are justly stiled, the Defenders of the Faith; and that not onely in regard of enemies abroad, but also [Page 71] in respect of those farre worse enemies, which desire alteration at home, it behoves the King to looke to these home-bred ene­mies of the Church; and seeing the King, though never so wil­ling for his piety and religion,What Gods faithfull ser­vants, and the Kings loyall Subjects must doe in these times. 1. To justifie the Kings right. never so able for his knowledge and understanding, yet without strength and power to effect what he desires, cannot defend the faith, and maintaine the true religion, from the violence of Sectaries and Traytors within his Kingdome; it behoves us all to doe these two things.

1. To justifie the Kings [...], his authority and right to be the supreame governour and defender of the Church, and of Gods true religion and service, both in respect of Doctrine and Discipline; and that none else, Pope or Parliament, hath any power at all herein, but what they have derivatively from him: which I hope we have sufficiently proved.

2.2 To assist Him against the Rebels. To submit our selves unto our King and to adde our strength, force, and power to inable his power to discharge this duty against all the Innovators of our religion, and the enemies of our peace, for the honour of God, and the happinesse of this Church and Common-wealth: for that power which is cal­led the Kings power, and is granted and given to him of God, is not onely that heroicke vertue of fortitude, which God planteth in the hearts of most noble Princes, (as he hath most graciously done it in abundant measure in our most gracious King) but it is the collected and united power and strength of all his Subjects, which the Lord hath commanded us to joyne and submit it for the assistance of the Kings power, against all those that shall oppose it; and if we refuse or neglect the same, then questionlesse whatsoever mischiefe, idolatry, barbarity, or superstition shall take root in the Church, and whatsoever op­pression and wickednesse shall impaire the Common-wealth, Heaven will free His Majestie, and the wrath of God, in no small measure, must undoubtedly light upon us and our poste­rity; even as Debora saith of them, that refused to assist Barac against his enemies, Curse ye Meroz, Judg. 5.23. curse bitterly the Inha­bitants thereof, because they came not forth to helpe the Lord against the mighty.

CHAP. VIII. Sheweth it is the right of Kings to make Ecclesiasticall Lawes and Canons, proved by many authorities and examples; that the good Kings and Emperours made such Lawes by the advice of their Bishops and Clergie, and not of their Lay Counsellors; how our late Canons came to be annulled; that it is the Kings right to admit his Bishops and Prelates to be of his Councell, and to delegate secular authority, or civill jurisdiction unto them; proved by the examples of the Heathens, Jewes, and Christians.

OUt of all this that hath been spoken, it is more then mani­fest, that the King ought to have the supreme power over Gods Church, and the government thereof, and the greatest care to preserve true religion throughout all his Dominions: this is his duty, and this is his honour, that God hath committed not a people, but his people, and the members of his Son under his charge. For the performance of which charge, it is requisite for us to know, that God hath granted unto him, among other rights,Two speciall rights and pre­rogatives of the King, for the government of the Church. these two speciall prerogatives.

• 1. That he may and ought to make Lawes, Orders, Ca­nons, and Decrees, for the well governing of Gods Church.
• 2. That he may, when he seeth cause, lawfully and just­ly grant tolerations and dispensations of his owne Lawes and Decrees, as he pleaseth. For

1. To make Lawes and Ca­nons.1. Not onely Solomon and Jehosaphat gave commandement, and prescribed unto the chiefe Priests and Levites, what forme and order they should observe in their Ecclesiasticall causes, and method of serving God; but also Constantine, Theodosius, Justinian, and all the Christian Emperours that were carefull of Gods service did the like; and therefore, when the Dona­tists alleadged, that secular Princes had nothing to doe to meddle in matters of religion, and in causes Ecclesiasticall, [Page 73] S. Augustine in his second Epistle against Gaudentius, saith,Aug. l. 2. c. 26 I have already proved that it appertained to the Kings charge, that the Ninivites should pacifie Gods wrath; and therefore the Kings that are of Christ's Church do judge most truly, that it be­longeth to their charge, to see that men rebell not without pu­nishment against the same;Idem ep. 48. & ep. 50. and Boni­fa [...]. because God doth inspire it into the mindes of Kings, that they should procure the Commandements of the Lord to be performed in all their Kingdomes; for they are commanded to serve the Lord in feare; and how doe they serve the Lord as Kings, but in making Lawes for Christ? as man he serveth him by living faithfully, So they are cal­led the Kings Ecclesiasticall Lawes. but as King he serveth him in making Lawes that shall command just things, and for­bid the contrary, which they could not doe if they were not Kings: And by the example of the King of Ninive, Darius, Nebuchadnezzar, and others, which were but figures and pro­phesies that fore-shewed the power, duty, and service that Christian Kings should owe and performe in like sort to the furtherance of Christs religion, in the time of the New Testa­ment, when all Kings shall fall downe and worship Christ,Psal. 72.11. and all Nations shall doe him service, he proveth,Aug. cont. lit. Petil. l. 2. c. 92. that the Chri­stian Kings and Princes should make Lawes and Decrees for the furtherance of Gods service,Idem in l. de 12 abus. grad. grad. 2. even as Nebuchadnezzar had done in his time. And upon the words of the Apostle, that the King beareth not the sword in vaine, he proveth against Pe­tilian, that the power and authority of the Princes, which the Apostle treateth of in that place, is given unto them, to make sharpe penall Lawes to further true religion, and to suppresse all Heresies and Schismes.

And so accordingly we finde the good Emperours and Kings have ever done;The good Em­perours have made Lawes for the govern­ment of the Church. for Constantine caused the idolatrous religi­ons to be suppressed, and the true knowledge of Christ to be preached and planted amongst his people, and made many wholesome Lawes and godly Constitutions, to restraine the sa­crificing unto Idols, and all other devillish and superstitious south-sayings, and to cause the true service of God to be right­ly administred in every place, saith Eusebius. Euseb. in vita Const. l. 2. & 3. And in another place he saith, that the same Constantine gave injunctions to [Page 74] the chiefe Ministers of the Churches, that they should make speciall supplication to God for him; and he injoyned all his Subjects that they should keepe holy certaine dayes dedicated to Christ, and the Sabboth or Saturday (which was then wont to be kept holy, and as yet not abrogated by any Law among the Christians;) he gave a Law to the Ruler of every Nation, that they should celebrate the Sunday, Idem de vita Constant. l. 1. & 3. & 4. c. 18. or the Lords day in like sort; and so for the dayes that were dedicated to the memory of the Martyrs, and other festivall times; and all such things were done according to the ordinance of the Emperour.

Niceph. in pra­fation. Eccles. hist. Nicephorus writing of the excellent vertues of Andronicus, sonne to Immanuel Palaeologus, and comparing him to Con­stantine the Great, saith, thou hast restored the Catholique Church, being troubled with new opinions, to the old State, thou hast banished all unlawfull and impure doctrine, thou hast established the truth, and hast made Lawes and Constitutions for the same.

Sozomenus l. 3. c. 17. Sozomen speaking of Constantines sonnes, saith, the Princes also concurred to the increase of these things, [...], shewing their good affections to the Churches, no lesse then their father did, and honouring the Clergy their ser­vants with singular promotions and immunities, both confir­ming their fathers Lawes, and making also new Lawes of their owne, against such as went about to sacrifice and to worship Idols, or by any other meanes fell to the Greekish or Heathenish superstitions.

Theodoret tells us, that Valentinian at the Synod in Illirico, did not onely confirme the true faith by his royall assent, but made also many godly and sharpe Lawes, as well for the main­tenance of the truth of Christ his doctrine, as also touching many other causes Ecclesiasticall, Theodor. l. 4. c. 5, 6, & 7. and, as ratifying those things that were done by the Bishops, [...], he sent abroad to them that doubted thereof.

Distinct. 79. [...] d [...]. Honorius at the request of Boniface the first, made a Law, whereby it might appeare what was to be done, when two Popes were chosen at once by the indiscretion of the Electors.

Martianus also made a Statute, to cut off and put away [Page 75] all manner of contention about the true faith and religion in the Councell of Calcedon.

The Emperour Justinus made a Law, that the Churches of Heretiques should be consecrated to the Catholique religi­on, saith Martinus Poenitentiarius. And who knowes not of the many Lawes and Decrees that Iustinian made in Ecclesiasticall causes for the furtherance of the true religion? for in the be­ginning of the Constitutions collected in the Code of Iustinian, the first 13 titles are all filled with Lawes for to rule the Church; where it forbiddeth the Bishops to reiterate baptisme,L. 1. tit. 5. L. 1. tit. 7. Novel. 123. c. 10. Novel. 58. Novel. 137 c. 6. to paint or grave on earth the Image of our Saviour. And in the Novels the Emperour ordaineth Lawes, of the creation and consecration of Bishops; that Synods shall be annually held; that the holy mysteries should not be celebrated in private hou­ses; that the Bishops should speake aloud when they celebrate the Sacraments of Baptisme and the Eucharist; and that the ho­ly Bible should be translated into the vulgar tongue, and the like.

And not onely these and the rest of the godly Emperours that succeeded them, but also Ariamirus, Wambanus, Richaredus, and divers other Kings of Spaine did in like manner: And Charlemaine, who approved not the decisions of the Greekish Synod, wrote a booke against the sameIntituled, A Treatise of Charlemaigne against the Greekish Synod touching Ima­ges., whereby the King maintained himselfe in possession, to make Lawes for the Church (saith Iohannes Beda) of which Lawes there are many in a booke, called The capitulary Decrees of Charles the Great; who as Pepin his predecessor had done in the Citie of Bourges, so did he also assemble many Councels in divers places of his Kingdomes, as at Mayens, at Tours, at Reines, at Chaalons, at Arles, and the sixt, most famous of all, at Francfort, where himselfe was present in person, and condemned the errour of Felician; and so other Kings of France, and the Kings of our owne Kingdome of England, both before and after the Con­quest, (as Master Fox plentifully recordeth) did make many Lawes and Constitutions for the government of Gods Church.

But as Dioclesian, The saying of Dioclesian. that was neither the best nor the happiest governour, said most truly of the civill government, that there [Page 76] was nothing harder then to rule well That is, to rule the Com­mon-wealth., so it is much harder to go­verne the Church of Christ; therefore as there cannot be an argument of greater wisedome in a Prince, nor any thing of greater safety and felicity to the Common-wealth, then for him to make choice of a wise Councell to assist him in his most weighty affaires,Tacitus Annal. lib. 12. saith Cornelius Tacitus: So all religious Kings must do the like in the government of the Church, and the ma­king of their Lawes for that government; for God, out of his great mercy to them, and no lesse desire to have his people re­ligiously governed, left such men to be their supporters, their helpers and advicers in the performance of these duties: and I pray you whom did Kings choose for this businesse, but whom God had ordained for that purpose? for you may observe, that although those Christian Kings and Emperours made their Laws, as having the supremacy and the chiefest care of Gods re­ligion committed by God into their hands; yet they did never make them, that ever I could reade, with the advice, counsell, or direction of any of their Peeres, or Lay Subjects; but, as David had Nathan and Gad, The good Kings and Em­perours made their Lavves for the govern­ment of the Church, onely by the advice of their Clergy. Nebuchadnezzar had Daniel, and the rest of the Jewish Kings and Heathens had their Pro­phets onely and Priests to direct them in all matters of religion; so those Christian Kings and Princes tooke their Bishops and their Clergie onely to be their counsellors and directors in all Church causes, as it appeareth out of all the fore-cited Authors, and all the Histories that doe write thereof: and Justinian published this Law, that when any Ecclesiasticall cause or mat­ter was moved, his Lay officers should not intermeddle with it,A good Law of Iustinian. but should suffer the Bishops to end the same according to the Canons: the words are, Si Ecclesiasticum negotium sit, nullam communionem habento civiles magistratus cum ea discep­tatione, Constit. 123. sed religiosissimi Episcopi secundum sacros canones ne­gotio finem imponunto. For the good Emperours knew full well that the Lay Senate neither understood what to determine in the points of faith, and the government of Christ's Church, nor was ever willing to doe any great good, or any speciall fa­vour unto the Shepherds of Christ's flocke, and the teachers of the true religion; because the Sonne of God had fore-told it, [Page 77] that the world should hate us, John. 15.19. that secular men and Lay Senators should commonly oppose, crosse, and shew all the spite they can unto the Clergy, of whom our Saviour saith,Matth. 10.16. Behold I send you forth, [...], as sheepe in the midst of wolves. Whence this, [...], great distance between their dispositions being observed, it grew into a Proverb, that Laici semper infesti sunt Clericis. How the Laity love the Cler­gie. And Doctor Meriton in a Sermon before King James, observed this as one of the good favours the Clergie of England found from our Parliaments since the reformation, (when many men first began to be translated from the seat of the scornefull to sit in Moses chaire,A very memo­rable act. Anno 39. Eliz. cap. 4. and to prescribe Lawes for Christ his Spouse) to make an Act, that all wandering beggars after their correction by the Constable, should be brought to the Minister of the Parish, to have their names registred in a booke, (and the Constable used to give to the Minister 2^d for his paines for every one so registred) but if he refused or neglected to doe it, the Statute saith he should be punished 5▪ for every one that should be so omitted; where, besides the honourable office, I will not say to make the Mini­ster of Christ a Bedle of the beggars, but a Register of the va­grants; you see the punishment of one neglect amounteth to the reward of thirty labours: therefore all the Christian Em­perours and the wisest Kings, considering this great charge that God had laid upon them, to make wholesome Lawes and Con­stitutions for the government of his Church, and seeing the inclinations of the Laity, would never permit any of these Lay Elders, and the Citizens of the world, to usurpe this authority, to be the composers, contrivers, or assistants in concluding of any Ecclesiasticall Law,That the Laity should have no interest in ma­king Lawes for the Church. untill the fences of Gods vineyard were pulled downe, and the wilde Boare out of the forrest, the auda­cious presumption of the unruly Commonalty ventured either to governe the Church, or to subdue their Prince; since which incroachment upon the rights of Kings, it hath never succeeded well with the Church of Christ; and I dare boldly say it, & fidenter quia fideliter, and the more boldly because most truly: the more authority they shall gaine herein, the lesse glory shall Christ have from the service of his Church; and therefore Be [Page 78] wise ô ye Kings. And consider how any new Canons are to be made by our Statute, 25. Hen. 8.

Ob. Ob. But then it may be demanded, if this be so, that the Laity hath no right in making Lawes and Decrees for the go­vernment of Gods Church, but that it belongs wholly unto the King to doe it, with the advice of his Bishops and the rest of his Clergy; then how came the Parliament to annull those Ca­nons that were so made by the King and Clergy, because they had no vote nor consent in confirming of them?

Sol. Sol. Truely I cannot answer to this Objection, unlesse I should tell you what the Poet saith,

They were furiously bent against them; and you know, furor arma ministrat: & dum regnant arma silent leges, all Lawes must sleepe while Armes prevaile: Besides, you may finde those Canons, as if they had beene prophetically made, fore-saw the increasing strength of Anabaptisme, Brownisme, Puritanisme, most likely to subvert true Protestanisme, and therefore were as equally directed against these Sectaries of the left hand, as against the Papists on the right hand; and I thinke the whole Kingdome now findes and feeles the strength of that virulent Faction; and therefore what wonder that they should seeke to breake all those Canons to pieces, and batter them downe with their mighty Ordinances, for seeking to subdue their in­vincible errours; or else, because (as they say) the Ecclesiasticall State is not an independent society, but a member of the whole the Parliament was not so to be excluded, as that their advice and approbation should not be required, to make them obligato­ry to the rest of the Subjects of the whole Kingdome, which claime this priviledge, to be tyed to the observation of no humane Lawes, that themselves by their representatives have not consented unto.

2. To grant dispensations of his owne Lawes.2. As the King is intrusted by God to make Lawes for the government of the Church of Christ, so it is a rule without question, that ejus est dispensare & absolvere, cujus est condere; he hath the like power to dispense with whom he pleaseth, and [Page 79] to absolve him that transgresseth, as he hath to oblige them: therefore our Church being for reformation the most famous throughout all the parts of the Christian world, and our King having so just an authority to doe the same, it is a most impu­dent scandall, full of all malice and ignorance, not to be endu­red by any well-affected Christian, that the new brood of the old Anabaptists doe lay upon our Church and State, that they did very unreasonably and unconscionably by their Lawes grant Dispensations both for Pluralities and Non-residency, The scandall of the malicious ignorants a­gainst the wor­thier Clergy. onely to further the corrupt desires of some few, to the infinite wrong of the whole Clergy, besides the hazard of many thou­sands of soules, the intolerable dishonour of Gods truth, and the exceeding disadvantage of Christ his Church: for, seeing God hath principally committed, and primarily commanded the care of his Church and Service unto Kings, who are there­fore to make Lawes and Orders for the well governing of the same, I shall make it most evident, that they may, as they have ever done, most lawfully and more beneficially, both for Gods Church, and also for the Common-wealth, doe these three things.

1.Three speciall points handled.To grant that grace and favour unto their Bishops and o­ther Ecclesiasticall persons, as to admit them of their counsell, and to undertake secular authority and civill jurisdiction.

2. To allow dispensations of Pluralities and Non-residency, which they may most justly and most wisely do, without any transgression of the Law of God.

3. To give tolerations (where they see cause) of many things prohibited by their Law, to dispense with the transgres­sions, and to remit the fault of the transgressors. For

1. Though the world relapsed from the true light,1. Point. and de­clined from the syncere religion to most detestable superstition; yet there remained in the people certaine impressions of the divine truth, that there was a God, The great re­spect of the Clergy in for­mer ages. and that this God was reli­giously to be worshipped; and those men that taught the wor­ship of that God, how fowly soever they did mistake it,Sarawa, l. 2. c. 2. p. 103. were had in singular account and supereminent authority among all Nations: and as Saravia saith,1. Among the Gentiles. they were compeeres with [Page 80] Kings in their government, so that nothing was done without their counsell and consent; and as Theseus was the first that Cives Atticos è pagis in urbem compulit, Osor. p. 231. and put the diffe­rence betwixt Nobles,De tota Syria & Palestina re­fert Dion. l. 37. quòd rex sum­mi Pontificis nomen habeat. Husbandmen, and Artificers; so the Priests were alwayes selected out of the noblest families, and were ever in all their publique counsels, as the Divines sate a­mong the Athenians, and the South-sayers sate with the King among the Lacedemonians in all their weightiest consultations: And Strabo tells us,Strabo lib. 12. that the Priests of Bellona, which were in Pontus and Cappadocia, Apud Tertul. advers. Valent. Hermetem le­gimus appellar [...] & Max. sacer­dotem, & ma­ximum regem. (for that Goddesse was honoured in both places) were regarded with the greatest honour next to the King himselfe: and the Romans that were both wealthy, warlike, and wise, did almost nothing without the advice and counsell of their Priests. I will omit what Valerius Maximus setteth downe of their care of religion, and their great respect unto their Priests and religious persons; and I will referre you onely to what Tully writeth of this point,Cicero l. 2. de legibus. Diotogenes a­pud Stob. dicit. [...]. Aethiopes reges suos deligebant ex numero sa­cerdotum. Di­odor. l. 3. c 1. Tòtus Vespas. Pontificatum maximum ideo sese professus est accipere, ut pu­ras servaret manus. Sueton. in Tito. c. 9. In Aritia reg­num erat con­cretum cum sa­cerdotio Diana. ut innuit Ovid. Ecce suburbana templum nemo­rale Dianae, Partaque per gladios regna nocente manu. De arte aman­di, lib. 1. & Strabo l. 5. where he saith, that the greatest and the worthiest thing in their Common-wealth was the priviledge and preheminence of the Divines, which was joyned with the greatest authority; for they dismissed the companies and the Councels of the chiefest Empires and the greatest Potentates, when they were proposed; they restray­ned them when they were concluded; they ceased from the affaires which they had in hand, if but one Divine did say the contrary: they appointed that the Consuls should depose themselves from their Magistracie; & it was in their intire pow­er, either to give leave or not to give leave, to deale with the people, or not to deale; to repeale Lawes not lawfully made, and to suffer nothing to be done by the Magistrate in peace or warre without their leave or authority: this was their Law; (though I beleeve it was not alwayes observed by their proud Consuls, and unruly Magistrates.) Cicero de nat. deorum, l. 2.

In like manner Caesar writeth of the Gaules and Britons, that they had two sorts of men in singular honour; the one was their Druides or Divines, the other was their Souldiers or men of warre; and he faith, that their Druides determined of all controversies (in a manner) both private and publique; and if [Page 81] there were any crime committed, any murther attempted, if any controversie about inheritance, or the bounds of lands did arise, they also did set downe their Decree, and appointed the penalty: and whosoever rejected their order, or refused their judgement, they excommunicated him from all society, and he was then deemed of all men as an ungodly and a most gracelesse person. Thus did they, that had but the twilight of corrupted nature to direct them, judge those that were most conversant with the minde and will of the gods, to be the fittest Counsel­lors and Judges of the actions of men: and I feare these chil­dren of nature will rise in judgement, to condemne many of them that professe themselves to be the sonnes of grace, for comming so short of them in this point.

2. The Jewes also which received the oracles of God,2. Among the Iewes. were injoyned by God to yeild unto their Priests the dispensation both of divine and humane Lawes; and the Lord enacted it by an irrevocable Law, that the judgement of the High Priest should be observed as sacred and inviolable in all controversies: and if any man refused to submit himselfe unto it,Deut. 17. his death must make recompence for his contumacy. And Iosephus saith, Si judices nesciunt de rebus ad se delatis pronunciare, integram causam in urbem sanctam mittent, & convenientes Pontifex & Propheta & Senatus, quod visum sit pronuncient: Ioseph. contra App. lib 2. and in his se­cond booke against Appian he saith, Sacerdotes inspectores om­nium, judices controversiarum, punitores damnatorum constituti sunt à Moyse: the Priests were appointed by Moses to be the lookers into all things, the Iudges of controversies, and the pu­nishers of the condemned. And they were of that high esteeme among the Iewes, that the royall bloud disdained not to match in marriages with the Priests, as Iehojada married the daughter of King Iehoram, 2. Chron. 22 11 and in the vacancie of Kings they had all the affaires of the Kingdom in their administration; and when they became tributaries unto the Romans after Aristobulus, the roy­all government was often annexed to the Priesthood: and S. Paul argueth from hence,2. Cor. 3.7, 8, 9. that if the administration of death was glorious, how shall not the ministration of the spirit be ra­ther glorious? for if the ministration of condemnation be glory, [Page 82] much more doth the ministration of righteousnesse exceed in glo­ry; or otherwise it were very strange, that the Ministers of the Gospel should be deemed more base and contemptible, because their calling is farre more glorious and excellent; yea, so ex­cellent,Esay 52.7. that to all good Christians the Prophet demandeth, quàm speciosi pedes eorum?

Priests imploy­ed in secular affaires.And for the discharging of secular imployments, we have not onely the example of the Priests and Prophets of the Old Testament,1. Among the Jewes. Psal. 99.6. but we have also the testimony and the practice of many godly Bishops and Fathers of the Church of Christ, under the New Testament, to justifie this truth. For

Priests & Pro­phets among the Jewes ex­ercised secular jurisdiction.1. Not onely Moses and Aaron that were both the Priests of the most high God, and the chiefe Judges in all secular cau­ses, but also Joseph had his jurisdiction over the Egyptians, Daniel had his Lieutenancie over the Babylonians, and Nehe­mias was a great Courtier among the Persians: and yet these secular imployments were no hinderance to them in the divine worship and service of God. So Ely and Samuel both, were both Iudges and Priests together: and the most religious Prin­ces, David, Solomon, Iehosaphat, and others, used the Priests and Levites at their command in the civill government of their Dominions; for when David caused all the Levites to be numbred from 30 yeares old and upward, and that they were found to be 38 thousand; he appointed 24 thousand of them to be over-seers of the workes for the house of the Lord, and he ordained the other six thousand to be Iudges and Rulers in all Israel; 2. Chron. 23.4. and so did Iehosaphat likewise2. Chron. 19.11. The place ex­plained.; for though the last verse of the said chapter seemes to put a difference betwixt the Civill matters and the Ecclesiasticall affaires; yet it is rightly answered by Saravia, that this errour riseth from a misconcei­ved opinion of their government, as if it were the same with the government of some of our reformed Churches, which was nothing lesse; for if you compare this place with the 26. chap. of the 1. Chron. vers. the 29,Sigonius legit, super opera [...]a ad regis officia pertinent. l. 6. p. 315. 30, and 32. you may easily finde, that the Kings service, or the affaires of the King, doth not sig­nifie the civill matters, or the politique affaires of the King­dome, over which Amarias here, and Hashabia and his bre­thren [Page 83] there (1. Chron. 26.30.) were appointed the chiefe Ru­lers;1. Sam. c. 8. but it signifieth those things which pertained to the Kings right, betwixt him and his subjects, (as those things that were described by Samuel, and were retained, and perhaps augmen­ted, either by the consent of the people, or the incroachment of the succeeding Kings, as the speciall rights of the Kings) over which Zebadias the sonne of Ismael was appointed by Iehosa­phat to be the Ruler; and the businesse of the Lord is fully set downe, vers. 10. to be not onely the Church affaires, but all the affaires of the Kingdome, betweene bloud and bloud, Vers. 10. be­tweene Law and Commandement, Statutes and judgements, over which the Priests and Levites were appointed the ordinary Judges, and the Interpreters of the Law, as well Civill as Eccle­siasticall; for the Lord saith plainly,Ezech 44.23. Vide locum. Sigon. ait; & circa judicium sanguinis ipse insistent. that every question and controversie shall be determined according to the censure of the Priests; which certainly he would never have so prescribed, nor these holy men have thus executed them, if these two fun­ctions had beene so averse and contrary the one to the other, that they could never be exercised together by the same man.

2. In the Primitive times under the Gospell, Salmeron saith,2. In the Pri­mitive Church. Salmer. tract. 18. in parabol. hominis divitis. lo. 16. num. 1. that in the time of S. Augustine, as himselfe teacheth, Episcopi litibus Christianorum vacare solebant, the Bishops had so much leisure, that they were wont to judge of the quarrels of Chri­stians; yet they did not so spend their time in judging their contentions, that they neglected their Preaching and Episcopall function: and now that they doe judge in civill causes, con­suetudine Ecclesiae introductum est, ut peceata caverentur. And Bellarmine saith, Non pugnat cum verbo Dei, Bellar. de Rom. Pont. l. 5. c. 9. ut unus homo sit Princeps Ecclesiasticus & politicus simul; it is not against the Word of God, that the same man should be an Ecclesiasticall and a Secular Prince together, when as the same man may both governe his Episcopacie and his Principality. And therefore we reade of divers men that were both the Princes and the Bi­shops of the same Cities: as the Archbishop of Collen, Ments, Theod. l. 2. c. 30. Triers, and other German Princes,Henr. of Hun­tington, Hist. Angl. that are both Ecclesiasticall Pastors, and great secular Princes. And Hubert Archbishop of Canterbury was for a long while Viceroy of this Kingdome: [Page 84] And so Leo 9. Julius 2. Philip, Archbishop of Yorke. Adel­boldus. Innocent 2. Collenutius and Blondus, and many others, famous and most worthy Bishops, both of this Iland and of other Kingdomes, have undertaken and exercised both the Fun­ctions. And Saint Paul recommendeth secular businesses and judgements unto the Pastors of the Church,Aug. tom. 3. de operib. Mo­nach. c. 29. as S. Augustine te­stifieth at large; where he saith, I call the Lord Iesus a witnesse to my soule, that for so much as concerneth my commodity, I had rather worke every day with my hands, and to reserve the other houres free to reade, pray, and exercise my selfe in Scrip­tures, then to sustaine the tumultuous perplexities of other mens causes in determining secular controversies by judgement, or taking them up by arbitrement; to which troubles the Apo­stle hath appointed us, not of his owne will, but of his that spake in him. And as this excellent Father, that wrote so many wor­thy volumes, did notwithstanding imploy no small part of his time in these troublesome affaires, so S. Ambrose twice under­tooke an honourable Embassie for Valentinian the Emperour unto the Tyrant Maximus. Socrat. Eccl. hist. lib. 7. And Marutha Bishop of Meso­potamia was sent by the Roman Emperour, an Ambassadour to the King of Persia, in which imployment he hath abundantly benefited both the Church and the Emperour: And we reade of divers famous men that undertooke divers functions, and yet neither confounded their offices, nor neglected their duties; for Spiridion was an husbandman, and a Bishop of the Church; a Pastor of sheepe, and a feeder of soules; and yet none of the ancient Fathers, that we reade of, either envyed his Farme, or blamed his neglect in his Bishopricke; but they admired his simplicity, and commended his sanctity: they were not of the spirit of our hypocriticall Saints.Theodor. lib. 4. [...].13. And Theodoret writeth, that one Iames Bishop of Nisib, was both a Bishop and a Captaine of the same Citie, which by the helpe of his God he manfully preserved against Sapor King of Persia. And Eusebius Bishop of Samosis, managing himselfe with all warlike abiliments, ranged along throughout all Syria, Phaenicia, and Palaestina; and as he passed, erected Churches, and ordained Priests and Dea­cons, and performed such other Ecclesiasticall pensions, as per­tained [Page 85] to his office in all places: and I feare me the iniquity of our time will now call upon all Bishops, that are able, to doe the like; to preach unto our people, and to fight against Gods enemies, (that have long laboured to overthrow his Church) as we reade of some Bishops of this Kingdome that have beene driven to do the like: and if these men might doe these things without blame, as they did, why may not the same man be both a Bishop and the Kings Counsellor? both a Preacher in the Pulpit, and a Justice of the Peace on the Bench? and yet the callings not confounded, though the same man be called to both offices; for you know the office of a Lawyer is different from the office of a Physitian, and the office of a Physitian as diffe­rent from the duty of a Divine; and yet, as Saint Luke was an excellent Physitian, and a heavenly Evangelist; and S. Paul as good a Lawyer, as he was a Preacher, (for he was bred at the feet of Gamaliel) as was Master Calvin too, as good a Ci­vilian as he was a Divine, (for that was his first profession;) so the same man may, as in many places they doe, and that with­out blame, both play the part of a Physitian to cure the body, and of a Divine to instruct the soule; and therefore why not of a Lawyer? when as the Preachers duty, next to the teaching of the faith in Christ, is to perswade men to live according to the rules of Iustice; and Iustice we cannot understand with­out the knowledge of the Lawes, both of God and man; and if he be obliged to know the Law, why should he be thought an unfit man to judge according to the Law? But

CHAP. IX. Sheweth a full answer to foure speciall Objections that are made against the Civill jurisdictions of Ecclesiasticall per­sons; their abilities to discharge these offices, and desire to benefit the Common-wealth; why some Councels inhi­bited these offices unto Bishops; that the King may give titles of honour unto his Clergy; of this title, Lord, not unfitly given to the Bishops, proved; the objections against it answered; six speciall reasons why the King should con­ferre honours and favours upon his Bishops and Clergy.

Ob. 1 1. IF you say the office of a Preacher requireth the whole man, and where the whole man is not sufficient to discharge one duty,2. Cor. 2.16. for [...]? then certainly one man is never able to supply two charges.

Sol.I answer, that this indefinite censure is uncertainly true, and most certainly false, as I have proved unto you before, by many examples of most holy men, that discharged two offices with great applause, and no very great difficulty to themselves; for though S. Matthew could not returne to his trade of Publican, because that a continued attendance on a secular businesse, would have taken him from his Apostolate, and prove an impe­diment to his Evangelique ministration; yet S. Peter might returne to his nets, as he did, without blame; because that a temporary imployment, and no constant secession, can be no hinderance to our Clericall office;No man is al­wayes able to doe the same thing. when there is no man that can so wholly addict himselfe to any kinde of art, trade, or fa­culty, but that he must sometimes interchangeably afford him­selfe leisure, either for his recreation, Ʋt quemvis animo possit sufferre laborem; or the recollection of strength and abilities to discharge his office, by the undertaking of some other exer­cise, which is to many men their chiefest recreation; as you see, the husband-mans change of labour doth still inable him to continue in labour; and the Courtier cannot alwayes wait in the [Page 87] same posture, nor the Scribe alwayes write, nor the Divine al­wayes study; but there must be an exchange of his actions,Change of la­bour is a kinde of recreation. for the better performance of his chiefest imployment: and that time, which either some Gentlemen, Citizens, or Courtiers spend in playing, hawking, or hunting, onely for their recreati­on, the better to inable them to discharge their offices; why may not the Divine imploy it in the performance of any other duty, different, but not destructive or contradictory to his more speciall function? especially considering that the discharging of those good duties, to give counsell, to doe justice, to relieve the distressed, and the like, are more acceptable recreations un­to them (as it was meate and drinke to Christ to doe his fathers will) then the other fore-named exercises are or can be to any others; and considering also,John 4.34. that where the Bishop or Pastor hath great affaires and much charge, he may have great helpes and much aid to assist him. You will allow us an houre for our recreation, why will you not allow us that houre to doe ju­stice?

2. If you say they are spirituall men, and therefore cannot Ob. 2 have so great a care of the temporall State and Common-wealth.

I answer, that as now the Common-wealth is the Church,Sol. 1 The ability of th [...] Clergy to manage ci­vill affaires. and the Church is the Common-wealth, and have as good in­terest therein, and better we hope then many of the Common-wealth have in the Church; and they should be as able to un­derstand what is beneficiall to the Common-wealth as any o­ther; for Ignatius saith,Ignat. epist. ad Ephes. [...]. that Kings ought to be served by wise men, and by those that are of great understanding, [...], and not to be attended upon by weake and simple men; and if Kings must be served by such men, then certainly the service of God is not to be performed by Weavers and Taylors, and others like Jeroboams Priests; but it will require men of great abilities, learning, and understand­ing in all businesses whatsoever, such as are indeed well able to discourse De quolibet ente: And they have very unprofitably consumed themselves with their time in their head pain vigils, and heart-breaking studies, in traversing over all the Common-wealths [Page 88] of the world;The Clergy of better ab lities to benefit the Common-wealth, th [...]n many others that now sw [...]y it. if they have learned nothing, whereby they may benefit their owne Common-wealth, or doe under­stand lesse what belongeth unto the good of their Countrey, especially in matters of equity and right, then illiterate Bur­gesses and meere Chapmen; for if you reade but the bookes of the Prophets, you shall finde how plentifull they are in the precepts of peace, in the policies of warre, and in the best coun­sels for all things which concerne the good of the Common-wealth: and doe not the Divines reade the Histories of all or most other Common-wealths? how else shall they be inabled to propose unto their people the example of Gods justice upon the wicked, and his bounty and favour unto the observers of his Lawes, throughout all ages, and in all places of this world? and will you deprive the King of the assistance of such instru­ments for the government of his people,The imploy­ment of the Bishops in ci­vill affaires, is the good of the Common-wealth. that are stronger then any one man can rule, and would quickly despise Heaven, and destroy the earth, if their consciences were not awed with reli­gion? or would you damme up the channels of those benefits that should flow from them to the Common-wealth? for it is not the addition of any honour to the calling of a Bishop, but the Kings interest, and the peoples good that is aymed at, when we assert the capacity of the Clergy to discharge the offices of the most publique affaires;Petrus Blesensis, ep. 84. because, as Petrus Blesensis saith, it is the office of the Bishops to instruct the King to righteousnesse, to be a rule of Sanctity and sobriety unto the Court, to mixe the influences of Religion with the designes of State, and to re­straine the malignity of the ill-disposed people; and all histo­ries doe relate unto us, that when pious Bishops were imployed in the Kings Counsells, the rigor of the lawes was abated, equi­ty introduced, the cry of the poore respected, their necessities releived, the liberties of the Church preserved, pride depressed, religion increased, the devotion of the Laity multiplied, the peace of the Kingdome flourished, and the tribunals were made more just and mercifull, then now they be.

And therefore the sacred histories doe record of purpose, how the people of God never adventured upon any action of waight and moment, before they had well consulted with the Preists and [Page 89] Prophets, as you see in the example of Ahab, No Nation at­tempted any great matter without the ad­vice of their Priests. that was none of the best Kings, yet would not omit this good duty: and such was the custome of all other Countries, wheresoever there was any religion or reverence of God; Quae enim est respub. ubi ec­clesiastici primum non habeant locum in comitiis & publicis de salute reipub. deliberationibus? for which is that Common-wealth, where the Ecclesiasticall persons had not the first place in all meetings and publique consultations about the welfare of the Common-wealth? as in Germany the three spirituall Ele­ctors are the first; in France the three Ecclesiasticall persons were the first of all the Peeres; in England (till this unhappy time) the two Archbishops, and in Poland as many, were wont to have the chiefest place; and not unworthily, quia aequum est, Apud Euseb. Paphilum, l. 11. antestent in concilio qui antestant prudentia, nec videtur novisse res humanas, nisi qui divinas cognitas habet; Strabo l. 4. Caesar de bello Gallico, lib. 6. as the Indian said unto Socrates: and therefore the Chaldeans, the Egypti­ans, the Grecians, the Romanes, the French, and the Britons, thought it alwayes ominous to attempt any notable thing in the Common-wealth, without the sad and sage advice of their Priests and Prophets; for they knew the neglect of God was never left without due revenge; and though their false gods were no gods, yet the true God was found to have beene a sharpe revenger of the contempt of the false gods; because that to them they were proposed for the true gods, and they be­lieved them so to be; as Lactantius sheweth: and therefore all antiquity that bare any reverence to any Deity, shewed all reverence and respect unto the teachers of his religion; but now men desire to throw learning over the Barre, because it should not discover the ignorance of the Bench; or rather piety is excluded, because it should not reprove their iniquity: And the Clergy must not sit on the seat of judgement, that the Laity may doe injustice without controule; or perhaps re­venge themselves upon their Ministers on the Bench, for re­proving their vices in the Church: so the Devill gaineth what­soever piety looseth by their depression.

2. As the Clergy-men are as able, 2. The desire of the Clergy to do good to the State. so they are as willing and as carefull to provide for the good of the State, as any other; for [Page 90] themselves are members of the Common-wealth, and they are appointed by God to be watchmen and over-seers, to fore tell what mischiefes or felicities are like to ensue, and to admonish as well the Prince as the people of such things, as are to be a­voided and to be performed; which they cannot doe, if they be strangers from the conscience, and excluded from the confe­rence of such things that are to be done in the Common-wealth.

The Church of Christ and a Chrisitan com­mon-wealth sayle together.Therefore, seeing the good of the Common-wealth is their owne good, and the good of the Church is the good of the Common wealth, when a Christian Common-wealth and the Church of Christ are imbarked in the same vessell, and do sayle together with the same successe, ayming both at the same Port; and God hath commanded his Ministers to be no lesse solicitous for the one, then the other: it is incredible to thinke that a godly Minister should have lesse care of the Common-wealth, then the best of our common Burgo-masters; and it is impossible to conceive any true reason, why the Bishops and Pastors a­bove all others, should be excommunicated out of their assem­blies, and excluded from their Parliaments, and other civill Courts; when it doth most chiefly concerne them, to see unto the welfare of their flocke, not onely in such things as concerne the safety of their soules, A miserable thing, that the Ministers of the Gospell should be made more slaves, then the basest calling in the world. but also in all other things that may pertaine, either to the security of their bodies, or the quietnesse of their estates; because this is a thing utterly against the equall right of all Subjects, that the Ministers of the Gospell, being Subjects unto the King, and Citizens of the Common-wealth, should have nothing to do in the government thereof, but must be governed, not as strangers, that may have admission, but as slaves, with an impossibility to be received into the civill admi­nistration of any matter: and their exclusion is as prejudiciall to the King and Kingdome, as it is injurious unto the Clergy; when they must be deprived of the grave advice and faithfull service of so learned and religious assistants for the governe­ment of the people, as the reverend Bishops and devout Do­ctors have ever beene.

Ob. 3 3. If you say the sixth Canon of the Apostles, the seventh [Page 91] Canon of the Councell of Calcedon, Act. 15. S. Cyprian pu­nished Gemi­nius Faustinus for undertaking the Executor­ship of Gemi­nius Victor. ep. 66. Sol. and S. Cyprian in his Epi­stle to the Priests of Furnam, doe forbid these things in Eccle­siasticall persons; and so many Fathers have accordingly refu­sed these civill imployments and jurisdictions.

I answer briefly, that while the Emperours were Heathens, and neither the Kings nor their Kingdomes Christian, but their counsels were often held for wicked ends, private gaine, or pri­vie deceit, for bloudy murders, or horrid treasons; the Clergie were inhibited, and the godly Bishops were ashamed to sit in such ungodly assemblies, that would neither be converted to Christ, nor reformed from their sinnes; and so now, when the Puritan faction prevailed in our Parliament, and our Sectaries disdained in their counsels, to take the councell of Religion, and resolved to banish God from their assemblies,Good to be ex­cluded from the counsell of th [...] wicked. to make the Church and Church-men a publique scorne unto the wicked, and the Common-wealth a private gaine to every broken Ci­tizen, and every needy varlet; I say happy are those Bishops that are excluded, and well it is for those Ministers that are fur­thest off from such godlesse and irreligious, not Parliament, but Parracides; even as the Psalmist testifieth.Psal. 1.1. Blessed is the man that hath not sate in the seat of the scornefull; and therefore if they had not beene excluded, I am sure, that as the case now standeth, they would have seceded themselves.

But when the civill Magistrates became Christians, and the Christians consulted with God in all their actions, then it was no indecorum for the servants of Christ to be seene in the Con­gregation of Saints, and to sit as Judges among gods, where the judgement shall passe for the glory of God;The giving of Caesar's due doth not hin­der us to give to God his due. neither is it any prejudice to our holy calling, to give unto Caesar those things that are Caesars's, and that we owe unto him, as our service and our counsell, and whatsoever else lyeth in us to do for the good of the Common-wealth: as we are his Subjects and the Tenants of the Common-wealth: nor doe the rendering of these things to Caesar any wayes hinder us to give unto God the things that are God's, and that we owe to God, as our prayers and our care over Gods flocke, as we are Christians and Bishops over the Church of Christ; but the same man, if [Page 92] he will be faithfull, may justly performe both dutyes, without giving over or neglecting either. And when our men shall re­turne to God, and take him along with them into their coun­sels, and desire the assistance of his servants, (as I hope they will have the grace to doe) I assure my selfe the Reverend Bi­shops will not refuse to doe them service.

Ob. 4 But you will say the Emperours were good Christians, when the Councell of Calcedon put out their Canons.

Sol.I answer, the Emperours were, but all Kings were not: be­sides, that Canon cleares it selfe; for it sheweth that Clergy-men did at that time undertake secular imployments, Propter luera turpia, ministerium Dei parvi pendentes, for gaine, neg­lecting their duty; and therefore the Councell forbade all Clergy-men, negotiis secularibus se immiscere; because the Apostle saith,2. Tim. 2.4. [...]; no man that warreth intangleth or insnareth himselfe with the affaires of this life: and so, neither the Apostle nor the Councell doth absolutely forbid all secular affaires, as inconsistent with this function;Concil. Arelat. Can. 14. The words of the Canon ex­plained. but as the Councell of Arles saith, Clericus tur­pis lucri gratià aliquod genus negotiationis non exerceat, so they forbid all Clerkes to meddle with any businesse for the love of gaine, and filthy lucre, that might insnare him to neglect his duty: or as the Canon of the Apostle saith, [...], a Bishop should not assume unto himselfe, or seeke after worldly cares, but if either necessity or authority impose them on him, I see not how he can refuse them; because there is no absolute prohibition of such imploy­ments in any place, but as it might be a hinderance to discharge his office: or otherwise S. Paul's Tent-making was as much against the calling of an Apostle, as the sitting in a secular tri­bunall is against the office of a Bishop; because there is no rea­son we should deny that benefit to a publique necessitated community, which we will yeeld to a private personall ne­cessity.

The Presbyteri­ans will be the directors of all affaires.And so indeed these very men that crie out against our Bi­shops, and other grave Prelates of the Church, for the least medling in these civill affaires, doe not onely suffer their owne [Page 93] Preachers to straine at a gnat, but also to swallow a Camell, when M. Henderson, Marshall, Case and the rest of their new inspired Prophets shall sit as Presidents in all their Counsels, and Committees of their chiefest affaires and consultations, ei­ther about Warre or Peace, or of any other civill cognizance; how those things can be answered, to deny that to us, which they themselves do practice, I cannot understand, when as the light of nature tels us.

And therefore when as there is no politique Philosophy, no imperiall constitution, nor any humane invention, that doth or can so strictly binde the consciences of men unto subjection and true obedience, as the Doctrine of the Gospell; and no man can perswade the people so much unto it, as the Preachers of Gods word, (as it appeareth by this Rebellion, perswaded by the false Preachers) because the Principles of Philosophy, and the Lawes of many nations do permit many things to be done against tyrants, which the Religion of Christ and the true Bi­shops of Gods Church do flatly inhibit;How requisite it is for Kings to delegate ci­vill affaires un­to their Cler­gie. it is very requisite and necessary for all Christian Kings, both for the glory of God, their owne safety, and the happinesse of the Common wealth, to defend this their owne right, and the right of the Clergie, to call them into their Parliaments and Counsels, and to de­mise certaine civill causes and affaires to the gravest Bishops, and the wisest of the ministers; and not to suffer those Rebel­lions Anabaptists and Brownists, that have so disloyally labou­red to pull off the Crowne from their Kings head, to bury all the glory of the Church in the dust, to bring the true Religion into a scorne, and to deprive the King of the right, which is so necessary for his safety, and so usefull for the government of his people, that is, the service of his Clergie in all civill Courts and Councels

And as it is the Kings right to call whom he pleaseth into his Parliaments and Councells,That it is the Kings right to give titles of honour to whom he plea­seth, and to delegate whom he will to discharge the office of a Civill or Ecclesiasticall magistrate, or both, wheresoever he appoints, within his Real [...] and Domini­ons: [Page 94] so it is primarily in his power and authority and his re­gall right, to give titles of honour and dignity to those officers and magistrates whom he chooseth; for, though the Barbari­ans acknowledge no other distinction of Persons, but of Ma­ster and Servants, which was the first punishment for the first contempt of our Superiors;Gen. 9.25. therefore their Kings do raigne and domineere over their Subjects, as Masters do over their ser­vants;Saravia c. 28. p. 194. and the Fathers of families have the same authority over their Wives and Children, as over their slaves and vassals,▪ and the Muscovites at this day do rule after this manner; nei­ther is the great Empire of the Turke much unlike this govern­ment; and generally all the Easterne Kingdomes were ever of this kind, and kept this rule over all the Nations whom they Conq [...]ered; and many of them do still retain it to these very times. Yet our Westerne Kings, whom charity hath taught better and made them milder, and especially the Kings of this Iland, The mild go­vernment of our Kings. which in the sweetnesse of government exceeded all o­ther Kings, (as holding it their cheifest glory to have a free peo­ple subject unto them, and thinking it more Honourable to command over a free then a servile nation,) have conferred up­on their subjects many titles of great honour, which the Lear­ned Gentleman M. Selden hath most Learnedly treated of: and therefore I might well be silent in this point, (and not to write Iliads after Homer) if this title of Lord, given by His Majesty unto our Bishops, (for none but he hath any right to give it) did not require that I should say something thereof:Of the title of Lord: touching which, you must observe that this name dominus is of divers significations, and is derived à domo, as Zanchius observeth, where every man is a Lord of that house and possession which he holdeth; and it hath relation also to a servant; so that this name is ordinarily given among the Latinists to any man that is able to keep servants: and so it must needs appeare, how great is the malice, I cannot lay the ignorance, (when every school-boy knowes it) of those Sectaries that deny this title to be con­sistent with the calling of a Bishop, which indeed cannot be denyed to any man of any ordinary esteeme.

But they will say, that it signifieth also rule and authority, [Page 95] and so, as it is a title of rule and Dominion, it is the invention of Antichrist, the donation of the Devill, and forbidden by our Saviour, where he saith, [...]:Luke 22.25. [...]. Mat. 16.30. that is, in effect, be not you called gratious Lords or benefactors (which is the proper signification of [...]:) therefore these titles of honour are not fit for the Preachers of the Gospell, to puffe them up with pride, and to make them swell above their brethren.

It is answered,That there is a double rule or dominion. that if our Saviours words be rightly under­stood, and his meaning not maliciously perverted, neither the authority of the Bishops, nor the title of their honour is forbid­den; for as [...] is a title of dominion, so it is fit to be ascribed to them, unto whom the Lord and author of all rule and domi­nion, hath committed any rule or government over his People; and our Saviour forbiddeth not the same; because you may find that there is a double rule and dominion; the one just and ap­proved, the other tyrannicall and disallowed; and the tyranni­call rule, or, as S. Peter saith [...],1 Pe [...] 5.3. [...]. the domineering au­thourity over Gods inheritance, both Christ and his Apostles do forbid; but the just rule and dominion they deny not; because they must do it, [...], as the son of man doth it; so the manner of their rule, [...]; as the Kings of the nations rule with tyranny he prohibiteth; but as the servants of Christ ought to rule with charity not with austerity, with humility and not with insolencie, he denieth not; and so he denyeth not the name of Lord, as it is a title of honour and reverence given unto them by the King, and ascri­bed by their people; but he forbiddeth an ambitious aspiring to it, and a proud carriage, and deporment in it; yet it may be so with you, [...] as it is with the sonne of man, whom no man can exceed in humility; and yet in his greatest humility, he saith, ye call me [...], Master and Lord: [...], and ye say well, for so I am: Iohn 13.13. And therefore he forbad not this title no otherwise then he forbad them to be called Fathers, Doctors, and Masters; and I hope you will confesse he doth not inhibit the Children to call them Fathers that begat them, nor forbid us to call them Do­ctors, [Page 96] unto whom the Lord himselfe hath given the name, [...], of Doctors in his Church, Ephe. 4.11. otherwise we must know why S. Paul doth call himselfe the Doctor of the Gen­tiles, 1 Tim. 2.7. and why doth the Law command us to honour our Father and our Mother, if we may call no man Father.

But Christ comming not to diminish the power of Princes, nor to make it unlawfull for Christian Kings to honour his ser­vants, which the heathen Princes did to the servants of God, as Nebucchadnezzar preferred Daniel among the Babylonians, and Darius advanced Mordecai among the Persians, nor to deny that honour unto his sevants, which their owne honest demerits, and the bounty of their gracious Princes do confer upon them;What Christ forbiddeth to his Ministers. it is apparent, that it is not the condition of these names, but the ambition of these titles and the abuse of their authourity is for­bidden by our Saviour Christ; For, as Elias and Elizaeus in the old Test. suffered themselves with no breach of humility to be called Lords, 3. Reg. 18.1. as where Abdias, a great officer of King Ahab sayeth, art not thou my Lord Elias? & the Shunamite called Eli­zaeus Lord. 4. Reg. 4.16. So in the new Test. Paul. and Barna­bas that rent their cloathes when the people ascribed unto them more then humane honour; yet refused not the name of Lords, Act. 16.30. [...]. when it was given them by the keeper of the prison, that said, Lords, what shall I do to be saved? which title certainly they would never have indured, if this honour might not be yeelded, and this title received by the Ministers of the Gospell; & S. Peter tels us, that Christian women, if they imitate Sarah (that obeyed Abraham [...].) whom he propoundeth to them as a patterne, may, and should call their husbands, though meane mechanicks, Lords; or else he proposeth this example to no purpose; and therefore me thinkes they should be ashamed, to thinke this honour may be afforded to poore Trades-men, and to deny it to those eminent pillars, and cheife governours of Gods Church. And as the Script. gives, not onely others the like eminent, and more significant titles of honour unto the go­vernours of the Church, (as when it saith they are [...], presidents; [...], rulers; [...] & [...], Princes; as where the Psalmist sayth, in steed of thy Fathers, thou shalt [Page 97] have children, whom thou mayest make Princes in all lands, Origen ho. 19. in Math Hier. in Psal. 45.16. which the best interpreters do expound of the Apostles and Bishops, that are called the Princes of Gods Church, but also giveth and alloweth this very title of Lord unto them, as I shewed be­fore; so the fathers of the Primitive Church did usually ascribe the same one to another, as S. Hierome writing to S. Aug. saith, Domine verè sancte, Sozom. lib. 3. c. 23. and the Letters sent to Julius Bishop of Rome had their superscription, [...], to our most blessed Lord. And Nazian. sayeth,Nazian. in ep. ad gr. Nyssen. let no man speak any untruth of me, nor [...] of the Lords the Bishops: and in all antiquity as Theodoret sheweth,Theodor. l. 1. c. 4. & 5. l. c. 9. this title of Lord is most frequently ascribed unto the Bishops: S. Chrysostome in Psal. 13. as he is cited by Baronius, Anno 58. n. 2. sayeth that Hereticks have learned of the Devill to deny the due titles of honour unto their Bishops; neither is it strange, that he which would have no Bishops, should deny all honour unto the Bi­shops; but they can be contented to transferre this honour, though to cover their hypocrisie in another title, that shall be as Emperor instead of King, from the Episcopacie to the Presby­tery; so that indeed it is not the honour which they hate, but the Persons of the Bishops that are honoured;

Therefore, though for mine owne perticular, I do so much undervalue the vanity of all titles, that were it not the duty of the people to give it, more then the desire of the Bishops to have it, I should have spared all this discourse; yet seeing it is the right of Kings to bestow honors, and it is an argument of their love to Christ, to honour them that honour God, to magnifie the order of their Religion, and to account the chiefe Ministers of the Gospell among the chiefe States of the Land, I could not passe it over in silence, but shew you how it belongs to him to give this honour to whom he will; and because this digni­ty cannot be given to all that are in the same order, it is wisely provided by the King, that the whole order or Ministry should be honoured in those few, The whole order honoured in few. whose learning and wisedome he hath had most use and experience of, or is otherwise well infor­med thereof; and it is no small wonder unto me, that any lear­ned man should be so blinded with this error, as any wayes to oppose this truth, or that any Christian should be like the sons [Page 98] of Jacob, so transported with envy, when they see any of their brethren made more honourable then themselves, for they ought to thinke themselves honoured in the honour of their brethren; but that pride is such a beast, that thinketh himselfe the most worthy, and envy is such a monster, that cannot endure any hap­pinesse to any other.

When the Lord Bishops are downe, the Lords Te [...]po­r [...]ll shall not continue long; for as Geneva put away their Bishop, th [...]t Prince; so the Cantons and Switzers put a­way all Lords. A just judge­ment of God, that they which will have no s [...]irituall Lords should not be any temporall Lords, but should be as little regarded by their crea­tures, as th [...]y regard the ser­v [...]nts of their Creator.And that which makes me wonder most of all, is to see those Lords, whose honours scarce saw the age of a man, and some pretending great loyalty to His Majestie, and wishing happi­nesse to His Posterity, so farre yeilding to the mis-guided Fa­ction, to darken the glory of Gods Church, and to undervalue Christs Ministers, as to obliterate that dignity, and rase out those titles which are inherent to the Ministrie from the foundation of the Church, and are ascribed unto the Bishops by the same Majestie that honoured them; and for some by-respect and private ends to perswade the King, to desert the Church, to leave the Prelates in the suds, their honour to be laid and bu­ried in the dust, and their revenues to be devoured by the ene­mies of all godlinesse.

But doe these men thinke that blessings come from God, or that this is the way for God to blesse the King, or themselves, or this Kingdome, to vilifie those that honour God, and of whom Christ directly saith, He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that despiseth you despiseth me? for alas, who were more favoured, protected, and blessed by God, then Constantine, Theodosius, and the rest of those good Emperours and Kings, that gave most immunities, and conferred most dignities upon the Bishops and Prelates of Gods Church? because that here­by they testified their love to Christ himselfe; and did not God withdraw his favour and protection from those Kings and po­tentates that neglected to protect his servants? therefore they cannot wish well unto the King,Six speciall reasons, way the King should conferre his fa­vo [...]s and ho­nour upon the Bi [...]hops. that wish him to give way to denude the Church, and to desert the defence of the Bishops. For, besides many other reasons, we finde six speciall arguments proving that our King, rather then any King in Europe, should uphold his Clergy, and confer his favours and honours upon them, I say n [...] [...] then upon his nobility, for that would [Page 99] procure hatred unto the King, envy unto them, and ruine unto all, but as well as upon any other State in this Kingdome. As

1. Not onely the relation betwixt them and [...]ei [...] Prince, as Reason. 1 they are his faithfull Subjects, and be their Soveraigne King, but as he is the Lords Annointed, and the Defender of that faith which they teach and publish unto his people; for this annoin­ting of him by God for this and superinduceth a brother-hood betwixt the King and the Bishops,Rex inunctus non est merus Laicus, Gut­merus, tit. 12. §. 9. and makes him quasi unus ex nobis, and the chiefe guide and guardian of the Clergy; be­cause that hereby he is mixta personae, more then a meere Lay­man, and hath an Ecclesiasticall supreme government, as well as the civill, and ut oleo sancto uncti sunt, spiritualis jurisdictionis caepaces sunt, as it was said in the time of Edw. 3.33. Edw. 3. tit. Aide le Roy. and there­fore as in relation to the temporalty, the King is supremus justi­tiarius totius Angliae; so in respect to the spiritualty, he is as Constantine stiled himselfe in the Councell of Nice, [...], as the chiefe Christian Bishop among his Bi­shops.

2. Our Bishops and Clergy are truer and faithfuller Subjects Reason. 2 to their Prince, then any other Clergy in Christendome; be­cause the Clergy of France and Spaine, and other Popish States and Dominions, are not simply Subjects unto their Kings, but deny civill obedience unto their Prince, where canonicall obe­dience commands the contrary; and you see how the Presby­terie not onely deny their just allegeance, but incite the people to unjust rebellion; but the Bishops and their Clergy renounce all obedience to any other Potentate, and anathematize as ut­terly unlawfull all resistance against our lawfull Soveraigne; and in this hearty adherence to His Majestie, as they are wholly his, so they doe expect favour from none, but onely from his Highnesse; and yet Philip the second of Spaine, notwithstand­ing he had but halfe the obedience of his Clergy, adviced his sonne Philip the third to sticke fast unto his Bishops, even a [...] he had done before him; therefore our King that hath his Bishops so totally faithfull unto him, hath more reason to succour them, that they be not made the object of contemps unto the vulgar.

[Page 100] Reason. 3 3. The state of the Clergy is constantly and most really, to their power, the most beneficiall state to the Crowne, both in ordinary and extraordinary revenues of all others; for though their meanes is much impaired, and their charges increased in many things; yet if you consider their first fruits the first yeare, their Tenths every yeare, Subsidies most yeares, and all other due and necessary payments to the King. I may boldly say, that computatis computandis, no state in England of double their re­venue scarce renders half [...] their payments; and now in the Kings necessity for the defence of Church and Crown, Or else they are much too blame, and f [...]rie unworthy to be B shops. I hope my Brethren the Bishops, and all the rest of the loyall Clergy, will rather empty themselves of all they have, and put it to His Ma­jesties hands, then suffer him to want what lyeth in them, du­ring all the time of these occasions.

Reason. 4 4. They bestow all their labours in Gods service, continu­ally praying for blessings upon the head of His Majestie, and his posterity; and next under God relying onely upon His fa­vour and protection.

Reason. 5 5. God hath laid this charge upon all Christian Kings, to be our nursing fathers, Esay 49.33. and to defend the faith that we preach, which cannot be done when the Bishops and Prelates are not protected; and God hath promised to blesse them, so long as they discharge this duty, and hath threatned to forsake them when they forsake his Church, and leave the same as a prey to the adversaries of the Gospell.

Reason. 6 6. Our King hath, like a pious and a gracious King, at his Coronation promised and engaged himselfe to doe all this that is desired of him. And as for these and other reasons His Ma­jestie should, so we doe acknowledge with all thankefulnesse that He hath and doth His best endeavour to discharge this whole duty,Quia non plus valēt ad dejici­endum terrena mala, quàm ad erigendum di­vina tutela: Cypr. and doe beleeve with all confidence, that maug [...]e all open opposition, and all secret insinuation against us. He will in like manner continue His grace and favour unto the Church and Church governours unto the end: And if any, whosoever they be, how great or how powerfull soever, either in King­dome or in Court, shall seeke to alienate the Kings heart, or di­minish His affection and furtherance to protect and promote [Page 101] the publishers of the Gospell, (which we are confident all their malice cannot doe, because the God of Heaven, that hath built his Church upon a rocke, and will not turne away his face from his Annointed, will so blesse our King, that it shall never be with Him as it was with Zedechia, when it was not in his power to save Gods Prophet, but said unto his Princes,Jerem. 28.5. Behold he is in your hand, for the King is not he that can doe any thing against you;) yet as Mordecai said to Hester, God will send inlargement and deliverance unto his Church, Hester 4.14. and they and their fathers houses that are against it, shall be destroyed; because, as S. Peter saith, we have forsaken all to become his servants, that other­wise might have served Kings with the like honour that they doe, and we have left the world to build up his Church, we put our trust under the shadow of his wings, and being in trouble we doe cry unto the Lord, and therefore he will heare our cry and will helpe us, and we shall never be confounded. Amen.

CHAP. X. Sheweth that it is the Kings right to grant Dispensations for Pluralities and Non-residency; what Dispensation is; reasons for it, to tolerate divers Sects or sorts of religions; the foure speciall sorts of false professors; S. Augustines reasons for the toleration of the Jewes; toleration of Pa­pists and of Puritans; and which of them deserve best to be tolerated among the Protestants; and how any Sect is to be tolerated.

2. WHereas the Anabaptists and Brownists of our time,2. That the King may law­fully grant his d [...]spensation for Pluralities and Non-residency. with what conscience I know not, cry out that our Kings by their Lawes doe unreasonably and unconscionably grant dispensations both for Pluralities and Non-residency, onely to further the corrupt desire of some few aspiring Pre­lates, to the infinite wrong of the whole Clergy, the intolera­ble dishonour of our religion, the exceeding prejudice of Gods [Page 102] Church, and the lamentable hazard of many thousand soules.

I say, that the Pluralities and Non-residency granted by the King, and warranted by the Lawes of this Land, may finde suf­ficient reasons to justifie them; [...]n anno 112. for if you consider the first limi­tation of Benefices,In anno 636. that either Euaristus Bishop of Rome, or Dionysius (as others thinke) did first assigne the precincts of Pa­rishes,The first distri­bution of Pa­rishes. and appointed a certaine compasse to every Presbyter: and in this Kingdome Honorius Archbishop of Canterbury was the first that did the like, appointing the Pastorall charge, and the portion of meanes accrewing from that compasse, to this or that particular person; whereas before, for many yeares they had no particular charge assigned, nor any Benefice allotted them, but had their Canonicall pensions and dividents given them by the Bishop out of the common stocke of the Church, according as the Bishop saw their severall deserts; for at first the greater Cities onely had their standing Pastors, and then the Countrey Villages imitating the Cities, to allow maintenance according to the abilities of the inhabitants, had men of lesser learning appointed for those places.

[...]iu [...] autic [...] and Non residency no transgressi­on of Gods Law.Therefore this limitation of particular Parishes, being meer­ly positive, and an humane constitution, it cannot be the trans­gression of a divine ordinance to have more Parishes then one, or to be absent from that one which is allotted to him, when he is dispensed with by the Law maker to do the same; for as it is not lawfull without a dispensation to doe either, because we are to obey every ordinance of the higher power for the Lords sake; so for the higher power to dispense with both, is most agreeable to reason and Gods truth;Gods Law ad­mitteth an in­terpretation, not a dispensa­tion of it. for all our Lawes are ei­ther divine, or humane: and in the divine Law, though we al­low of interpretation, quia non sermoni res, sed rei sermo debet esse subjectus, because the words must be applyed to the mat­ter, else we may fall into the heresie of those; that as Alfon­sus de Castro saith, held it unlawfull upon any occasion to sweare; because our Saviour saith, sweare not at all: yet no man, King nor Pope, hath power to grant any dispensation for the least breach of the least precept of Gods Law: he cannot dispense with the doing of that which God forbiddeth to be [Page 103] done, nor with the omitting of that which God commandeth; but in all humane Lawes so far as they are meerly positive and humane,Mans Law may be dispensed with. it is in the power of their makers to dispense with [...]hem; and so quicquid fit dispensatione superioris, non fit contra praeceptum superioris, and he sinneth neither against the Law, nor against his owne conscience, because he is delivered from the obligation of that Law by the same authority, whereby he stood bound unto it.

And as he that is dispensed with is free from all sinne, so the King which is the dispenser is as free from all fault, as having full right and power to grant His dispensations. For seeing that all humane Lawes are the conclusions of the Law of na­ture, or the evidences of humane reason, shewing what things are most beneficiall to any society, either the Church or Com­mon-wealth; and that experience teacheth us, our reason grow­eth often from an imperfection to be more perfect, when time produceth more light unto us, we cannot in reason deny an ab­rogation and dispensation to all humane Lawes, which there­fore ought not to be like the Lawes of the Medes and Persi­ans, that might not be changed; and so Saint Augustine saith,Aug. de libero arbit. l. 1. Lex humana quamvis justa sit, commutari tamen pro tem­pore justè potest, any humane Law, though it be never so just, yet for the time, as occasion requireth, may be justly changed: & dispensatio est juris communis relaxatio facta cum causae cognitione ab eo qui jus habet dispensandi; Dispensation what it is. and as the Ci­vilians say, a dispensation is the relaxation of common right, granted upon the knowledge of the cause, by him that hath the power of dispensing; or as the etymologie of the word beareth, dispensare est diversa pensare, The reward of learning and vertue, how to be rendered. to dispense is to render different rewards: and the reward of learning, or of any other vertue, either in the civill or the ecclesiasticall person, being to be ren­dered (as one saith) not by an Arithmeticall, but a Geometri­call proportion; and the division of Parishes being (as I said before) a positive, humane Law, it cannot be denyed but the giver of honour, and the bestower of rewards, which is the King, hath the sole power and right to dispose how much shall be given to this or that particular person.

Ob. If you say the Law of the King, which is made by the ad­vice of his whole Parliament, hath already determined what portion is sit for every one, and what service is required from him.

Sol.I answer, that the voice of equity and justice tells us, that a generall Law doth never derogate from a speciall priviledge, or that a priviledge is not opposite to the principles of common right, and where the Law it selfe gives this priviledge (as our Law doth it yet) envy it selfe can never deny this right unto the King, to grant his dispensation whensoever he seeth occasi­on; and where the Law is tacite and saith nothing of any pri­viledge, yet seeing in all Lawes, as in all other actions, the end is the marke that is aymed at,The end of eve­ry Law is chiefly to be respected. and this end is no other then the publique good of any society, for which the Law is made; if the King, which is the sole Law-maker, so, as I shewed in my Discovery of Mysteries, seeth this publique good better procu­red by granting dispensations to some particular men, doth he not performe thereby what the Law intendeth, and no wayes breake the Law of common right? as if a mans absence from his proper Cure should be more beneficiall to the whole Church, then his residence upon his Charge could possibly be,Reasons of dis­pensations. (as when his absence may be either for the recovery of his health, or to discharge the Kings Embassage, or to doe his best to confute Heretiques, or to pacifie Schismes, or to consult about the Church affaires, or some other urgent cause that the Law never dreamt of when it was in making) shall not the King (whom the Lawes have intrusted with the examination of these things, and to whom the principall care of religion and the charge of all the people is committed by God himselfe, and the power of executing his owne Lawes) have power to grant his dispensa­tions for the same?

Certainly, they that would perswade the world that all Lawes must have such force, that all dispensations are trans­gressions of them, (as if generall rules should have no excepti­ons) would manacle the Kings hands, and binde his power in the chaines of their crooked wils, that he should not be able to doe that good, which God, and right, and Law it selfe do give [Page 105] him leave; and their envy towards other mens grace,How God doth diversly bestow his gifts. is a great deale more, then either the grace of humility, or the love of truth in them; for doth not God give five talents to some of his servants, when he gives but one to some others?Matth. 25.15 and did not Joseph make Benjamins messe five times so much as any of his brethrens? and have not some Lords 6, or 8,Gen. 43.34. or 10 thousand pounds a yeare, and some very good men in the Common-wealth, and perhaps higher in Gods favour, not ten pounds a yeare? and shall not the King double the reward of them that deserve it in the Church of God? or shall he be so curbed and manacled, that he shall neither alter nor dispense with his owne Law, though it be for the greater glory unto God, and the greater benefit both to the Church and Common-wealth?

Besides, who can deny, but that some mens merits, vertue, paines, and learning, are more worthy of two Benefices, then many others are of one? and when in his younger time he is possessed of a small Benefice, he may perchance afterwards, when his yeares deserve better, farre easier obtaine another little one to keepe with it, then get (what I dare assure you, he would desire much ratherFor who would not ra­ther chuse one Living of a 100l a yeare, then two of 50l a piece.) one Living of equall value to them both: and shall the unlearned zeale of an envious minde so farre prejudice a worthy man, that the Kings lawfull right shall be censured, and his power questioned and clipped, or tra­duced by this ignorant Zelot? I will blesse my selfe from them, and maintaine it before all the world, that the Kings dispensa­tions for Pluralities, Non-residency, and the like Priviledges, not repugnant to common right, are not against Law; nor the giving or taking of them upon just causes against conscience: but what the violence of this viperous brood proclaimeth an into­lerable offence, we dare warrant both with good reason and true Divinity to be no sinne, no fault at all, but an undoubted portion of the Kings right, for the greater benefit both of the Church and State, and the greater glory unto God himselfe.

And therefore (most gracious King) we humbly desire your Majestie,The Authors Petition to His Majestie. suffer not these children of Apollyon to pull this flower out of your royall Crowne, to abridge you of your just right of granting dispensations for Pluralities and Non-residency (which [Page 106] the Lawes of your Land doe yet allow you) and which they labour to annull, to darken the glory of Gods Church, and to bring your Clergy, by depriving them of their meanes and ho­nour into contempt; lest that, when by one and one, they have robbed you of all your rights, they will fairely salute you, as the Jewes did Christ, Haile King of the Jewes, when God knowes they hated him, and stript him of all power, (I speake not of his Divinity) either to governe them, or to save him­selfe.

[...]3. As the King hath right and power to grant his dispensa­tions both of grace and of justice, of grace when it is meerely of the Kings Princely favour, as in legitimations and the like, and of justice when the King findeth a just cause to grant it; so likewise it is in the Kings power and right to remit any offence, (that is, the m [...]lct or penalty) and to absolve the offender from any or all the transgressions of his owne Lawes; from the transgression of Gods Law, neither King, nor Pope, nor Priest, nor any other can formally remit the fault, and absolve trans­gressors, but as God is the Law-giver, so God alone must be the forgiver of the offence;Mar. 2.7. so the Jewes say, who can forgive sins but God onely? Yet, as God which gives the Law can law­fully remit the sinne, and forgive the breach of the Law, so the King which makes these positive Lawes cannot be denyed this power,As David par­doned Absolon, and Solomon Abtathar. to pardon when he seeth cause, or is so pleased, the of­fenders of his Lawes; as you see they do many times grant their pardons for the most haynous faults and capitall crimes, as trea­sons,Christ biddeth that the tares should grow. Matth. 13.30. And the Apo­stle saith, [...]. there must be here­sies: therefore there must be a toleration of divers Sects. 1 Cor. 11.19. murders, felonies, and the like: And if they may grant their pardons for the breach of the Law, and remit the mulct imposed for the transgression thereof, it is strange if they should not have right to dispense with whom they please, when they see cause, from the bond of the Law: and therefore we are to discusse how farre the King (in these Lawes of the Church) may give exemptions and tolerations unto them▪ whose consci­ences cannot submit themselves to the observation of the esta­blished Lawes; for seeing all men are not of the same faith, nor doe professe the same religion; and it is the nature of all men to dislike that which themselves will not professe, and if oppor­tunity [Page 107] serve to root out that which they dislike; it is requisite it should be shewed how farre a prudent and a pious Prince may grant a toleration (the Law in terminis not forbidding it) unto any of these Sects that may be commorant within his Kingdomes.

Touching which, I say that besides dissembling hypocrites, and prophane worldlings, that have no faith, nor any other reli­gion, but the shadow of that religion, whatsoever it is, which is profest wheresoever they are,Foure speciall sorts of false Professors. 1. Jewes. there may be in any Kingdome Jewes, Turkes, Papists, Puritans, and the like; or to call them otherwise, Idolaters, Heretiques, Schismatiques, &c. And

1. For the Jewes, though they have many things in their religion, which will ever alienate them from the Papists, yet they have free leave to use their ancient Ceremonies in Rome, Whitak. against Campian. trans­lated by Ma­ster Stocke, p. 311. saith Doctor Whitaker; and it is well knowne, that many pious Princes have permitted them to dwell, and to exercise their owne religion in this Kingdome; the old Jurie in London is so called, because it was allotted for their abode; and the Lawes of many Christian Emperours have in like sort permitted them to do the like in their Dominions,With what cau­tions the Jewes are to be suffe­red. Deut. 7.3. Exod. 23.32. Doctor Covell, c. 14. p. 199. but with those cautions and limitations that Moses prescribed unto the Jewes, to be obser­ved with the Heathens and Idolaters that dwelt amongst them; that is, neither to make marriages with them, nor to communi­cate with them in their religion. And S. Augustine is reported to be so favourable towards them, that he alleadgeth severall reasons for their toleration. As

1.1. Reason for their tolerati­on. That above and before others they had the promise of sal­vation; and therefore though some of the branches be cut off, and the case of the rest be most lamentable, yet not altogether desperate and incurable,Rom. 11.24, 25 if we consider what the Apostle setteth downe, of their conversion and re-unition unto the good right olive tree.

2. That the Prophet David speaking of them, made that Reason. 2 prayer unto God, Slay them not, O Lord, Psal. 59.11. lest my people forget it, but scatter them abroad among the Heathen, and put them downe, O Lord, our defence, for many excellent ends; as first, that their being scattered among the Christians, might shew [Page 108] both the Clemency and severity of God, towards us mercy and clemency, and towards them justice and severity, which may likewise happen unto us if wee take not heed, as the Apostle bids us,Rom. 11.20. Wee may not force the Jewes to beleeve. Be not high-minded but feare: and secondly, that being among the Christians, they might the sooner at all times by their charity and prayers be reduced, the more willingly to im­brace the faith of Christ, when as unwillingly wee may neither compell them, nor take their children to be baptized from them. And therefore as the Princes of this Realme, for divers causes hurtfull to their State, have banished them out of their Domini­ons, so if they see good cause to permit them (as time may change the condition of things) they may do, as by their coun­sell they shall be advised, either the one or the other, to receive them or reject them without offence; because we find no spe­ciall precept or direction in Gods Word either to banish or to cherish them in any Kingdome.

2 Turkes.2 For the Turkes, the reasons are not much unlike, though something different, and in my judgement no lesse tolerable then the other, because somewhat neerer to the Christian faith; therefore I leave them to the Lawes of each Kingdome, to do as the wisedome of the Prince shall thinke fit.

3. Papists.3 For the Papists the case is farre otherwise with them, then either with the Turkes or Jewes; because,

1 They professe the same faith, quoad essentialia the same Creedes, the same Gospell, and the same Christ as we do.

2 It is not denyed by the best of our Divines, but that they together with us do constitute the same Catholicke Church of Christ, though they be sicke and corrupted, yet not dead; and we strong and sound, yet not unspotted members of the same; as I have more fully shewed in my booke of the true Church.

3. Popist.3 It is not agreed upon by all our Divines, that they are ido­laters, though they be in great errours, and implunged in many superstitions; because every Church in errour, though never so dangerous, is not so desperate as that Church which is Idola­trous; or be it granted, (which some of our Protestants will not admit) that they were Idolaters; Carol. Sigon. l. 5. c. 11. p. 174. yet seeing not only seaven speciall sort of heresies, as 1 the Sadduces. 2 the Scribes. 3 the [Page 109] Pharises. The Hemero-baptists, such as baptized themselves eve­ry day. 5 The Osseni, which Josephus calleth Essai. 6 The Na­zarites. And 7 the Herodians; whereof some denied the resurre­ction, and the being of Angels and spirits; but also Idolaters and heathens, that knew not God, but worshipped the Devill in­steed of God, were not inhibited to dwell and inhabit among the Jewes (of whose Religion notwithstanding God was as carefull to preserve the purity of it, and as jealous to keepe them from Idolatry, as of any Nation that then or ever after lived upon the earth) it is no question, but if it please the King, permission may be granted them to exercise their owne religion, not publikely and autoritative, equally with the Protestant, but quietly, and so as I have shewed in my Grand Rebellion; Grand Rebell. c. 1. p. 5. & 6. for I am not of their faith, which hold it more safe, and lesse dange­rous to be conversant with the Turkes or Jewes, and to have more neerenesse with them, then with an Idolatrous Church that professeth Christ; because, that where the greater distance is from the true religion, there the lesser familiarity and neere­nesse should be in conversation, and the greater distance in communion; therefore as the wrath of God was kindled against the Israelites, because they had the Jewes, their owne brethren,The least fami­liarity in con­versation, where there is greatest di­stance from truth. in greater detestation then the Idumeant or the Egyptians, whose idolatry must needs be farre greater, and their Religion farre worse, in their owne judgement, then that of the Jewes; so we may feare the like anger from God, if we will be so par­tiall in our judgement, and so transported with disaffection, as to prefer a blasphemous Turke, or an impious Jewe before those men, though ignorantly idolatrous, that do with all feare and reverence worship the same God, and adore the name of Christ as we do.

And we read that the Emperour Justinus, a right Catholique Prince, as Bishop Horne calleth him,Bishop Horne against Feken­ham. Iustinus gave a toleration to the Arians. at the request of Theo­doricke King of Italy, granted licence that the Arians, which denied the Deity of our Saviour Christ, and were the worst of Heretiques, and therefore worse then any Papist, should be re­stored, and suffered to live after their owne orders; and Pope John, for the peace and quietnesse of the Catholique Church, [Page 108] [...] [Page 109] [...] [Page 110] requested him most humbly so to doe, which he did for feare of Theodoric, that otherwise threatned the Catholiques should not live.

Ob. But you will say, the fatall successe that that befell to King Davids house for Solomons permission of divers religions, to be divi­ded into two parts, and the best ten Tribes for two to be given unto a stranger; and the principall care of a pious Prince, being to preserve pure religion,Deut. 17, 18, 19. which is soone infected by Idolatrous neighbours, do rather disprove all toleration, then any wayes connive with them that are of a different religion: and if we read the Oration of the league to the King of France, wherein that Orator numbereth their victories, and innumerable successes, whilest they had but one religion, and their miseries, and ill for­tunes when they fostered two religions, it will appeare how farre they were from allowing a toleration of any more then one religion in one Kingdome.

Sol. The true cause of renting So­lomons King­dome. Ps. 106.35.Yet to this it may be easily answered, that Solomons Kingdom was not rent from his posterity for his permission of idolaters to dwell in his Kingdome, which the Law of God did not forbid; but for that fault which his father taxed the Jewes with, they were mingled among the heathen, and learned their workes, for his commixtion of alliances with strangers and the corruption of true religion, by his marrying of so many idolatrous wives, and so becomming idolatrous himself, and thereby inducing his sub­jects the Israelites to be the like: and for the Oration of the league, there is in that brave Orator want of Logicke, & igno­ratio eleuchi, non causae ut causae, for you know what the Poet saith

and we must not judge of true causes by the various successe of things; and I may say, it was not the professing of one religion, but the sincere serving of God in that true religion, which brought to them, and will bring to others, prosperous successe against the infidels: neither was it the permitting of two religions, or to speake more properly, the diversity of opinions in the same religi­on, but their emulation and hatred one against another, their pride and ambition, and many other consequences of private [Page 111] discords might be the just causes of their misfortunes.

4. For the Puritans, Brownists, Anabaptists, Heretiques, 4. Puritans. and Schismatickes, that are deemed neither Infidels nor Idolaters, but do obstinately erre in some points of faith, as the Arians, that denied the Divinity of Christ, and the Nestorians that de­nied repentance to them which sinned after baptisme, and the like pernicious heresies, though not all alike dangerous; or do make a Schisme or a rent in the Church of Christ, as the Dona­tists did in Saint Augustines time, and the Anabaptists, and Pu­ritans do in our dayes; I say these are not to be esteemed and expelled as deadly enemies; but to be suffered and respected as weake friends, if they proceede not to be turbulent and malici­ous, who then may prove to be more dangerous, both to Church and State, then any of the former sort that professe their religi­on with Peace and quietnesse:What wrong Professors are chiefly to be suffered. for it is not the Profession of this or that religion, but the malice and wickednesse of the profes­ser, that is the bane and poyson of the Church wherein it rest­eth: for what is diversity of opinions in the Church of God, but tares among the wheat? and our Saviour sheweth, that the tares should not be plucked up, Matth. 13.29. but suffered to grow with the wheat; to teach us, that in respect of externall communion, and civill conversation,Why to be suf­fered; either for the exercise of the godly, or in hope to con­vert the ungod­ly. all sorts of Professors may live toge­ther, though in respect of our spirituall communion and exer­cise of our religion, the Heretique shall be cast forth, and be unto me tanquam Ethnicus & Publicanus, with whom not­withstanding I may converse, as our Saviour did, with hope that I may convert them unto him; which could never be done, if they should be quite excluded our company, and banished from all holy society.

And therefore as the prudent Prince seeth the disposition, and observeth the conversation of any Faction, and the turbulency of any Sect, so he knoweth best how to advice with his coun­sell to grant his toleration to them that best deserve it, not so much in respect of the meli [...]rity of their religion, as their peace­able and harmelesse habitation among their neighbours with­out rayling against their faith, or rebelling against their Prince.

And thus, as the case now standeth, I see not any Sect, or any [Page 112] sort of Professors, that for turbulency of spirit, madnesse of zeale, and violency of hatred and persecution to the true Pro­testants, are more dangerous to the true religion, and deserve losse favour from their pious Prince then these Anabaptists, Brownists, and Puritans, that have so maliciously plotted, and so rebelliously prosecuted their damnable designes, to the utter ruine both of Church and State.Doctor Covell, cap. 15. p. 212. His description of the Puritans. Doctor Covell long agoe, when they were not halfe so bad as they be now, saith, they pretend gravity, reprehend severely, speake gloriously, and all in hypocrisie; they daily invent new opinions, and runne from errour to errour; their wilfulnesse they account constancy, their deserved punishment persecution, their mouthes are ever open to speake evill; And to con­firme this description, reade what King JAMES writeth of them in his Basilicon Do­ron. p. 160. & 161. and in the Historie of the conference at Hampton-Court in anno 603. p. 81, 82. they give neither reverence nor titles to any in place above them; in one word, the Church cannot feare a more dangerous and fatall enemy to her peace and happinesse, a greater cloud to the light of the Gospell, a stronger hand to pull in barbarisme and poverty into all our Land, a more furi­ous monster to breed contempt and disobedience in all estates, a more fretting canker to the very marrow and sinewes of this Church and Kingdome, then this beast, who is proud without learning, presumptuous without authority, zealous without knowledge, holy without religion, and in briefe a most dange­rous and malicious hypocrite, and were therefore banished from amongst us in the dayes of Queene Elizabeth, but now deserve it farre better, being more dangerous, because farre more nume­rousHuc usque.; and therefore I cannot say with S. Bernard, Aut cor­rigendi ne percant, aut coercendi ne perimant; for in our judge­ment they are incorrigible, and in their owne opinion they are invincible, having by lyes and frauds gathered so much wealth, and united such strength together,Our factious Puritans bit­terer against Kings then the Iesuites. that, except the Lord him­selfe had beene on our side, and made our very enemies the Pa­pists to become our friends, and to hazard their lives and for­tunes, according to their duty, to preserve the Crowne and Dignity of their King, as God most wisely disposeth of things, when he produceth light out of darkenesse, and against their wills support our true Protestant religion from being quite defaced by these mercilesse enemies, we might well feare what destru­ction would have come upon us.

And therefore considering the bitter writings of their Pro­phets, old and new, being fuller of gall and venome against Chri­stian Kings, then can be found in the bookes of the Jesuites; and considering the wicked practices, and this unparalleled re­bellion of these new Proselytes, and the loyalty of those that heretofore received least favour from the Church, and not much from the State: Tell me I pray you which of these de­serve best to be suffered in a Protestant Church? they that maliciously seeke her ruine, or they that unwillingly support her from falling? for my selfe, I will ever be of the true Protestant faith; yet for this loyalty of the Papists unto their King, I will ever be in charity, and rest in the same hope, though not in the same faith, with them: and I doubt not but His Majestie will thinke well of their fidelity.

But as S. Bernard saith, Non est meae humilitatis dictitare vo­bis, it is not for me to prescribe who are most capable of grace, or who best deserveth the Kings favour, when his Princely grace presupposeth a sufficient merit, but in humility to set downe mine owne opinion in this point of toleration, with submission to the judgement of this Church: wherein also I humbly desire my reader not to mistake me, as if I meant such a publique and legall toleration, as might breed a greater distra­ction in a Kingdome, then the wisedome of the State could well master, and raise more spirits then they could lay downe;Grand Rebel­lion, p. 5 [...] 6. but such as I have exprest in my Grand Rebellion; that is, a favou­rable connivence to injoy their own consciences, so long as they live in peace and amity with their neighbours, but without any publique exercise of their religion, which can produce nothing else but discord, distraction, and destruction to that Kingdome, where two religions are profest in Aequilibrio, with the same priviledges and authority.

These and many more are the rights of Kings, granted them by God for the government of his Church, which they are to looke unto, and to protect in all her rights, service, maintenance, ordinances, governours, and the like, if they looke that God should blesse and protect them in their wayes, dignities, and dues; because it is their duties and the first charge that God [Page 114] layeth upon them,Esay 49.23. to be nursing fathers unto his Church: for God knew the Church should have many enemies; & intus est equus Trojanus, and they are the worst that are nearest unto Kings, and doe with Judas kisse, with faire words, and Ma­chiavilian counsels, betray both Church and King, and in the end destroy themselves; for who deceived Absolon, though rightly, but his own Counsellor? who betrayed Ahab, and that most wickedly, but his lying Parasites? and who overthrew Rehoboam, and that foolishly, but his young favouritesWhich thing is purposely set downe in the holy Scripture, to be a cave [...] for all Kings, not to rely too much upon young Coun­sellors; not that wisedome and prudence are intayled to old age, and in­seperable from gray haires, or divorced from greene heads; but because commonly experience is the fruitfull mother of these faire issues, and the multitude of yeares teacheth wisedome; for otherwise there may be delirium senectutis, the dotage of old age, as well as vanitas juventutis; the folly of youth; and as Elihu sai [...]h, Great men are not alwayes wise, neither doe the aged understand judgement: but as Solomon saith, Wisedome, even in youth, is the gray haires, and an undefiled life is the old age; as we see, young Ioseph was the wisest in all Egypt: Solomon, Daniel, and Titus, how wise how learned, and how religious were they in their younger yeares? So Alexander, Haniball, Scipio, in the feates of warre; Lucan, Mirandula, Keckerman, and abundance more in all humane learning, that were but Neophuti annis, yet were egregij virtutibus, young in yeares, yet very admirable for their worth. And Princes doe most wisely, when they make such election; especially when they are inforced to call men to places of labour and industry, they must have some regard to the bodies, as well as to the mindes of their servants, and chuse men of younger yeares, though not to be their favourites, but their confidents, according to the French distinction; as His Maje­stie hath lately made choice of one noble servant, who is (as Nazianzen speakes) [...]: gray in the minde, though yellow in the head, and supplying in all manner of excellent parts, what may be conceived wanting in yeares, whose name, so much already catched at by envy, I shall ever reverence, though now I purposely passe it o­ver in silence.? and whom may the Church feare most of all, but her dissembling friends, that are in most favour with Kings, and therefore se­duce them soonest, insensibly to wound the Care, and neglect the Charge that is laid upon them; because, as S. Bernard saith, Longè plus nocet falsus Catholicus, quam si apertus appareret haereticus; those eare-wigs are most pernicious, whose coun­sels seeme to be most specious, when they are but as the spirit of darkenesse, appearing like an Angel of light, when they say, God indeed must be served, and the Word must be preached, but whether Bishop or no Bishop, whether in a sumptuous Church or private house, whether by an esteemed Clergy, or a poore meane Ministrie, in this manner or in another fashion, it skilleth not much; Kings may well enough give way to spare [Page 115] that cost, to lessen that revenue, and to pull downe these Ca­thedrals, especially to give content unto the people, and to de­fray the expensive charge of the Common-wealth.

But these counsels will not excuse Kings in the day of their account; therefore let them take heed of such Counsellors; and when they heare them begin to speake against the Church, though they be-guild their beginnings never so slily, let them either stop their eares with the Cockatrice,Psal. 58.5. that will not heare the voyce of the charmer, charme he never so wisely; or let them answer, as our Saviour answered their grand instructor,Matth. 4.10. Vade Satana, non tentabis; for it is most true, that, Qui deliberat, jam desivit; he that listens to them is halfe corrupted by them; and so they may prove destructive both to themselves, and to their posterity; for as nothing establisheth the Throne of Kings surer, then obedience to God; so nothing is more dangerous then rebellion against God, with whom there is no respect of persons; Rom. 2.11. for he expecteth, that as he made Kings his Vice-gerents, so they should feare him, preserve the right of his Church, uphold his service, defend his servants, and do all that he commandes them entirely, without taking the least libert [...] [...]or feare of the people, to dispense with any omission of his h [...]nour, or suffering the hedges of his Vineyard, the governours of his Church, to be troden downe and torne in pieces, that the beasts of the field may destroy the grapes, and defile the service of our God.

Therefore to conclude this point, let all Kings doe their best to hinder their people to corrupt the Covenant of Levi, Malath. 2. [...]. which is a Covenant of Salt, that is, to indure for ever; let them re­member Moses prayer; Blesse Lord his substance, Deut. 33.11. and accept the worke of his hands; smite through the loynes of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not againe; and let them alwayes consider,Psal. 35.27. that God taketh pleasure in the prosperity of his servants.

CHAP. XI. Sheweth where the Protestants, Papists, and Puritans, doe place Soveraignty; who first taught the deposing of Kings; the Puritans tenet worse then the Jesuites; Kings autho­rity immediately from God; the twofold royalty in a King; the words of the Apostle vindicated from false glosses; the testimony of the Fathers and Romanists for the Soveraign­ty of Kings; the two things that shew the difficulty of go­vernment; what a miraculous thing it is; and that God himselfe is the governour of the people.

2. The duty of the King in the government of the Common-wealth.2. HAving set downe some particulars of the Kings right in the government of Gods Church, it resteth that I should shew some part of his right and duty to serve God, as he is a King, in the government of the Common-wealth; touching which, for our more orderly proceeding, I will distribute my whole discourse into these five heads.Five points handled.

• 1. To justifie his right to governe the people.
• 2. To shew the difficulty of this government.
• 3. To set downe the assistants that are to helpe him in the performance of this duty.
• 4. To distinguish the chiefest parts of this governement.
• 5. To declare the end for which this government is ordained of God.

1. Point. 1. Where the Protestants place Sove­raignty.1. We say that the Kings Soveraignty or royall power to governe the people, is independent from all creatures solely from God, who hath immediately conferred the same upon him; and this we are able to make good, with abundance both of di­vine and humane proofes: and yet we finde the same adver­saries of this truth (though with a farre lesse shew of reason) that we met withall about the government of Gods Church. For

2. In whom the Papists do place Soveraignty.2. They that are infatuated with the cup of Babylon, the Canonists and some Jesuites doe constantly averre, that sum­mum [Page 117] imperium, the primary supreame power of this govern­ment is in the Pope, [...], absolutely and directly,The Pope's sad Message to Hen. 3. Imp. Quem meritum investivimus quare immeri­tum non deve­st [...]amus? quia ad quem perti­net institutio, ad eundem per­tinet destitutio. as he is the Vicar of Christ, who hath all power given him both in Heaven and earth; from whom it is immediately derived unto his Vi­car, and from him to all Kings, mediately by subordination unto him: so Baronius, Carerius, and others. But Bellarmine and the rest of the more moderate Jesuists say, that this imperium in reges, the Popes power over all Kings and States is but indi­rectum dominium, a power by consequent and indirectly, in or­dine ad bonum spirituale, as the civill State hath relation to re­ligion; and this great Cardinall, lest he should seeme sine ra­tione insanire, doth (as the Heretiques did in Tertullians time) Caedem Scripturarum facere ad materiam suam, alleadge 22 places of Scripture mis-interpreted, to confirme his indirect Divinity; and as Potiphars wife, he produceth very honest ap­parell, but to prove a very bad cause; and therefore attributing to the Pope by the greatnesse of his learning, and the excellen­cy of his wit, more then he could justifie with a good consci­ence, he was so farre from satisfying the then Pope, that he was well nigh resolved to condemne all his workes for this one opi­nion: and Carerius undertooke his confutation ex professo, Carerius, lib. 1. cap. 5. and taxeth him so bitterly, that he putteth him inter impios haereticos, which he needed not to have done; because the dif­ference is onely in the expression, when the Pope by this indi­rect power may take occasion to king and unking whom he pleaseth, and doe what he will in all Christian States.

3.3. Where the Puritans place the Soveraign­ty. Majestas regia sita est magis in populo, quam in persona regis. Parsons in Do [...] man. The Anabaptists and Puritans either deny all governe­ment, with the Fratricelli, and all superiority by the title of Christianity, as the Author of the Tract of Schisme and Schis­maticks; or doe say that originally it proceedeth, and habitu­ally resideth in the people, but is cumulatively and communi­catively derived from them unto the King; and therefore the people (not denuding themselves of their first interest, but still retaining the same in the collective body, that is, in themselves suppletivè, if the King in their judgement be defective in the administration, or neglect the performance of his duty) may question their King for his mis-government, dethrone him if [Page 118] they see cause, and resuming the collated power into their owne hands againe, may transferre it to any other whom they please.

Which opinion, if it were true, would make miserable the condition of all Kings; and I beleeve they first learned it from the Sorbonists, The Sorbonists first taught the deposing of Kings, and why. who to subject the Pope to the community of the faithfull, say, that the chiefe spirituall power was first com­mitted by Christ unto them, and they to preserve the unity of the Church remitted the same communicatively unto the Pope, but suppletively, (not privatively, or habitually devesting them­selves thereof) retaining the same still in themselves, if the Pope failed in the faith of the Church; and therefore he was not only censurable, but also deposable by the Councell, if he became an heretique, or apostated from the religion of Christ; and to make this both the more plausible and probable, they alleaged how Kings were thus eligible, Buchan. de jure regni. p. 75. & 91. and likewise deposable by the commu­nity of the people; for out of this Buchanan saith, Romani Pon­tifices longè regum omnium conditione superiores, legum tamen poenis haud eximuntur; sed & eos, quanquam sacrosanctos Chri­stianis omnibus semper habitos, Synodus Basiliensis communi or­dinum consensu senatui sacerdotum obnoxios esse pronunciavit: that is, in briefe, the Popes are deprivable by the Counsell; So are Kings by the community of the people: and so both the Pa­pist and the Puritane doe agree to depose their Kings, and as the Poet saith,Claudian de 4. Consul. Honorii

never a barrell better herring; both alike freinds to Kings.

But to this Blacvodaeus answereth most truly, that although the Pope should be deprivable by the counsell, (which I am sure nei­ther Pope nor Jesuite will allow) yet for divers different reasons betwixt the examples, Kings are not deposable by their Subjects; especially if you cōsider the great difference betwixt the Church of Christ, that is guided by the Spirit of God, and the represen­tation thereof in the flower of her Clergy,Blac v. cap. 23. p. 304. and a giddyheaded multitude, that is led by their unruly and unreasonable passions, and are represented by those, that either basely bought their Votes, as the Consulls and other great men did the votes of the [Page 119] people of Rome, or that their partiall and most ignorant affecti­on, oftentimes without judgement, have made choice of: ex quo sequitur, ut non sit eadem populi potestas in regem, quae in pontifi­cem est Ecclesiae: So that the reason is farre unlike.

But, though the Sorbonists, to justifie their former tenet,The Puritans opinion worse then the Jesu­ites in two re­spects were the first broachers of this uniust opinion of the deposition of Kings by the people, from whence the Iesuites, to subject the King unto the Pope, suck't it afterward: Yet in two maine res­pects I find this tenet, as it is held by the Puritanes, far worse then the doctrine of the Jesuites.

1. Because some of them say that the people may not restraine Respect. 1 the power, which they have once transmitted unto the King: when the Law of justice doth not permit, that Covenants should be repealed, or a donation granted should be revoked, though it were never so prejudiciall to the donor: and Bellarmine makes this good by the example of the soldiers, Bellar. in tract: cont. Pat. Paul. that had power to ac­cept or reject their Emperour before he was created, but being once elected they had no coactive power over him: whereas all the Puritanes will make and unmake, promise and breake, doe and undoe at their pleasure.

2. Because the Iesuites permit not the people nor any Peeres Respect. 2 to depose their King, untill the Pope, as an indifferent judge deputed by Christ, shall approve of the cause; and our Sectaries depresse Kings so farre, as to submit them to the weake judge­ment and extravagant power of the people, who to day cry to Gideon, raigne thou and thy sonne over us for ever, and to morrow joine with the base sonne of Ierubbaal and the Sichemites to kill 70 of the Children of Gideon, Judges 91 and to create Abimilech to be their King.

But, though the Anti-Cavalier takes it ill, Our Opinion proved. Anti-Cav. in Os Ossor. p. 25. that I should af­firme that the Kings power and right unto his government is immediately from God; yet if he would beleeve learned authors, he might find enough of this judgement; for the sublime power and authority that resideth in earthly Potentates, is not a deriva­tion or collection of humane power scattered among many, and gathered into one head, but a power immediately granted by God to his VicegerentsSo acknow­ledged by Act of Parliament, 25 H. 8. c. 12. 28. c. 10., quam nunquam fuisse populo demanda­tam [Page 120] legimus, which God never communicated to any multi­tudes of men,Dt Sarav. fol. 175. Bellar. de L [...] ­cis, cap. 6. & 8. saith Saravia.

And Bellarmine himselfe against the Anabaptists confuteth their error, that denyed the power and authority of Kings to be immediately from God; I. From Script. Sap. 6. Esay 45. Hie­rom. 27. Dan. 2. Rom. 13. 1. Pet. 2. II. from the Councell of Constans. Sess. 8. & 15. III. from S. Aug. de civit. Dei. l. 5. c. 21. where he saith, non tribuamus dandi regni potestatem nisi Deo vero; which giveth felicity in the kingdome of heaven onely to the godly, but the earthly Kingdomes he giveth both to the godly and to the wicked; nam qui dedit Mario, ipse & Caesari, qui Augusto ipse & Neroni, Idem de Rom. Pont. l. 5. c. 3. Irvinus de jure regni. c. 2. p. 40. qui Vespasianis, vel patri vel filio, suavissimis, imperatoribus, ipse & Domitiano crudelissimo, qui Con­stantino Christiano, ipse & Apostatae Iuliano; And IV. it is pro­ved from the confession of the Popes of Rome, as Leo. ep. 38. & 43. Gelasius epist. ad Anastasium. Greg. l. 2. epist. 61. Nicho­laus epist. ad Michaelem: out of all which saith Irvinus, it is apparent, all and every King non multitudini aut hominibus sed Deo soli, regum regi, quicquid juris habent acceptum ferre; And he might consider that a thing may be said to be immedi­ately from God divers wayes, as specially.

• 1 [...], abs (que) ullo signo creato.
• 2 [...] cum aliquo actu conjuncto.

that is,

1. Solely from God and no other; presupposing nothing prae­vious to the obtaining of it; So Moses and Ioshua had their au­thority from God.

Heningus fusè, c. 1. p. 4 & 5. de distinct. duplici jurisdict. Sive electione sive po­stulatione, vel successione, vel belli jure Prin­cept fiat, Prin­cipitamen facto divinitus pote­sta [...]data est Cu­nerus, c. 5. de [...]ffic. Princip.2. Jointly with an interposed act of some other instrument, as the Apostolicall power of Matthias was immediately from God, though his constitution was from the Apostles; so Kings though some of them be after a sort elected by men; yet as our Saviour saith to Pilate, that his power was from above, though he was deputed by Caesar; So may they be said to have their authori­ty immediately from God; though they should be some wayes deputed by men: for we must distinguish betwixt the soveraign­ty, the Subject, and the collation of the Soveraignty to the Sub­ject; the Soveraignty is immediately from God, the Subject is from it's naturall causes, and the unition of the Soveraignty to [Page 121] the Subject is likewise immediately from God, not onely ap­proving but appointing the same, in all the Kings of his ordina­tion: or to speake with the Schooles, we must distinguish betwixt deputationem personae, and collationem potestatis, the designa­tion of the person, which is sometimes done by men, & that is where the King is elective, & the donation of the power which is proper onely unto God; for so the Psalmist saith, God hath spoken once and twice; Psal. 62.11. I have also heard the same, that power belongeth unto God: and the Apostle saith,Rom. 13.2. the powers that are, are ordained of God, which is to be understood of the regall, or Monarchicall power; because Saint Paules [...], higher powers are interpreted by Saint Peter, 2. Pet. 2.13. to be [...], Kings that are supreme; where Saint Peter makes an excellent distinction betwixt the superiour and the in­feriour Magistrates;Saint Peters description be­twixt the King and the inferi­our Magi­strates. A two fold roy­alty in a King. 1 Merum impe­rium. the superiour is that which Saint Paul saith is ordained of God, & the inferiours are they which S^t Peter calleth [...] such as are sent by the King; for the bet­ter explanation of which place, you must know that in every King or supreme Magistrate, we may conceive a double royalty.

The 1 is merum imperium, or regni potestas, summa & plenis­sima; and this [...], this fulnesse of power, and independent of any creature, and immediately received of God, which the Civilians call jus regis, or munus regni, is in the person of the King indivisible, not to be imparted by the King to any creature; because he cannot divest himselfe, divide this power, or alienate the same to any subject, no not to his owne son,How the King cannot doe un­justly. without re­nouncing or dividing his Kingdome; and by this the Civilians say, the King may governe sine certa lege, sine certo jure, sed non fine aequitate & justitia, without Law, but not without equity: whereupon it is a rule in the Common Law, hoc unum rex potest facere, quod non potest injustè agere. 2 Imperium dis­positi vum. which is to be applied to this inseperable regality of the King; and hath beene often al­leadged by other Parliaments to justifie the King from all blame. The 2 is, imperium dispositivum, or jus gubernandi vel jurisdictio the right of governing, or jurisdiction and distribution of ju­stice; and this may be derived and delegated from the King, le­gatis vitalitiis, either for terme of life, or during the Kings plea­sure. But how?, not privativè, when the King doth not denude [Page 122] himselfe thereof, but cumulativè and executivè, to execute the same,How the King delegates his power to his inferiour Magi­strates. as the Kings Instruments for the preservation of peace and the administration of justice, as it appeareth in their patent; and this subordinate power is not inherent in their persons, but one­ly committed unto them for the execution of some office: be­cause that when the supreame power is present, the power of the inferiour officers is silent, it is in nubibus, fled into the clouds, and like the light of the moone and starres vanishing, whenso­ever the Sun appeareth; for Kings, when they doe transferre any actuall power to the subalternate Officers, retaine the habi­tuall power still in their owne hands, which upon any emeregent occasion they may actually resume to themselves againe, which they could not do, if they parted with the habite and forme of this despoticall power of government, that they have immediately received from God.

The words of the Apostles vindicated from the false glosses of the S [...]ctaries. Rom. 13.3.And, as the Scriptures make it plaine, that the Kings right and power to governe is immediately from God, so they make it as plaine, that it is the greatest right and most eminent highest power that is on earth; for though the cavillers at this power translate the words of Saint Paul [...], not potestati­bus sublimioribus or supremis, but potestatibus superexcellenti­bus, and say that the word or particle [...] where S. Peter bids us submit our selves to the King, [...], as to the cheife, intends a resemblance onely, and not a reall demonstration to prove the King to be the cheife; Yet the malice of these men, and the falshood of these glosses will appeare, if you consider that the word, [...] habens se super alios, or [...] joyned with [...] to the powers that are or­dained of God, must needs signifie not any subordinate power, but the supremest power on earth; because the other powers are directly said by Saint Peter to be sent by the King,1 Pet. 2.13. and the article [...] doth as really expresse the matter there, as in John 1.14. where the Evangelist saith, and we beheld his glory [...],The testimony of the Fathers for the Sove­raignty of Kings. as the glory of the onely begotten Son of God. And I hope our Sectaries will not be so impudent, as to say that this signifieth but a resemblance of the Son of God.

But to make this point more plaine, you shall heare what the fathers and the learned say; for,

I told you before, Tertullian saith of Kings and Emperours,Tertul. ad Scap. & in apologe [...]. c. 30. I [...]en. ad­vers haeres. Va­lent. l. 5. c. 20. Optat. contr. [...]armen l. 3. [...]. Chrysost. tom. 6. orat. 40. orat. 2. Aug. de civit. Dei. l. 5. c. 21. Q Curtin [...] l. 9. inde potestas, unde & spiritus, and he is solo Deo minor, inferiour to none but God. Saint Chrysostome saith, he hath no peere on earth, but is the top of all men living. Athanasius saith, there is none above the Emperour, but onely God that made the Emperour. Saint Cyrill in a Sermon upon that text, I am the vine, commendeth the answer of a King, (whom Quintus Cur­tius affirmeth to be Alexander,) that being shot, & his Subjects would have him bound to pull out the arrow, said, non decet vinciri Regem, Bern. Tractat. de pass. Dom. c. 4. it becomes not Kings to be bound, because none is superiour unto them: Aga­petus, a Deacon of Constantine, saith as much; and because it is a rule in the Civill Law, testem quem quis inducit pro se tenetur recipere contra sese: the testimony of our adversaries is most convictive; therefore I beseech you heare what they say; for Rosellus a great Catholique saith, it is hereticall to affirme, that the universall administration of the temporall affaires is or must be in the Pope, when the King hath no superiour on earth, but the Creator of heaven and earth. Caninus also saith, that the Apo­stle, Rom. 13. spake of the Regall and secular power,Cassani Catal. glor. mundi p. 8. considers 28. Card. Cusan. concord. Cathol. l. 3. c. 5. Vide Arnis. p. 5. de dist. dupl. iurisdict. and not of the Ecclesiasticall; and Cassanaeus saith, that Kings are the highest and most paramount secular power and authority that ever God appointed on earth, and denies that either the old or the new Testament makes any mention of an Emperour: & juris utriusque testimonia manifestè declarant imperialem dignitatem & potestatem immediatè a filio Dei ab antiquo processisse, said Philip King of France, in Constit de potest. elect. Imperat. Irvin. p. 33, 34, 35. quoteth many authors to confirme the same truth: Lombard, Gratian, Melancton, Cranmer, Tyndall, and abun­dance more without number do likewise most peremptorily af­firme, that the Kings power is the supreme power on earth: and as the mirror of our time, the Bishop of Winchester, obser­veth, the Scripture testifieth, that their Throne, their Crowne, their Sword, their Scepter, their Judgement, their Royalty, their power, their Charge, their Person, and all in them are of God, from God, and by God; to shew how sacred they are, and ought to be unto us all; and so the very Heathens teaching sounder [Page 124] Divinity then our Sectaries thought,Homer. Plutarch. Ovid Fast. l. 5. Quia a love nutriti & ab eo regnum adepti­sunt. Scapula in ver­bo [...]. and said, that Kings were [...], and [...], the Ministers of God, and not the servants of the people.

Good God! what shall we say then to those children of Adam, that will not onely with Adam be content to be like God, but with Antichrist, this [...],Many headed beast. as Plato calleth them, will exalt themselves above all that is called God? They will divest the King, and invest themselves with his right; and therefore,

2. The difficul­ty of governe­ment.2. This sheweth how difficult a thing it is to rule and go­verne this unruly, aspiring, and ambitious multitude: for the fuller understanding of which difficult duty, Osorius saith, that two things are to be considered.2 Things shew­ing the difficul­ty of governe­ment.

1. Suscepti muneris amplitudo, the greatnesse of the charge, which is of that weight, that we can scarce thinke of a greater in all our life; the care of Church and Common-wealth, and to rule millions of men farre and neare.

2. Gubernandorum qualitas, the quality and conditions of those men that are to be governed; which (if there were no­thing else to prove it) will sufficiently shew the difficulty of their government; for if it be a very hard thing to governe a mans selfe, how much harder is it to governe such a multitude of mad men?Cicero. Tusc. 3. & de sinibus lib. 2. Plutarch. in Alc [...]biad. for Cicero saith, the multitude is the greatest teacher of errour, the unjustest judge of dignity, being without counsell, without reason, without judgement; and Plutarch calleth them possimam veritatis interpretem, whereunto agreeth the answer of that Pope, who being demanded what was fur­thest from truth, answered, populi sententia, the opinion of the people; and as they are the weakest for judgement, so they are most instable in their resolutions; to day crying Hosanna, and to morrow Crucifige; this is the nature of the people, of whom these our Sectaries are the very dregs, Osorius his de­scription of the factious Puri­tans, most plain­ly seene veri­fied in our Re­bels. the worst and the basest of all: I must crave leave to set downe what Osorius saith of them long agoe, and you may finde that this rebellion proves his words most true: for he saith, the desire and end of this faction is too much liberty, then which nothing can be more averse to the office and government of Kings; for it is the duty [Page 125] of a King to cut off all haynous offences with just punishments, the unbridled people desires to be free from all feare of punish­ment; the King is the Minister of the Law, the Keeper of it, and the avenger of the transgression thereof, the people as much as possibly they can, with an impetuous temerity, pulleth downe all Lawes; the King laboureth to preserve peace and quietnesse, the people with an untameable lust turmoileth and troubleth the peace of all men: lastly, the King thinkes not fit to distribute rewards and compensations indifferently to all men alike, but the people desire to have all difference of worth and dignity taken away, & infima summis permisceri, and to make the basest equall with the best, whence it happeneth so, that they hate all Princes, and especially all Kings, quos imma­ni odio persequuntur, whom they persecute with a deadly hate; for they cannot endure any excellency or dignity: and to that end they use all endeavour, ut principes interimant, vel saltem in turbam conjiciant, either utterly to take away and destroy their Princes, or to implunge them into a world of troubles; which thing at first doth not appeare, but when the multitude of fu­rious men hath gathered strength, then at last their impudent boldnesse, being confirmed by daily impunity, breaketh forth to the destruction of the royall Majestie.Osorius in op. Regina Eliza­bethae prafin. l. de relig. And a little after he saith, adde to these things the abolition of Lawes, the contempt of Rule, the hatred of royall Majestie, and the cruell lying in wait, which they most impiously and nefariously do endeavour, for their Princes: adde also their clandestine and secret dis­courses, where their confederacies are made for the extirpation of their Kings, and to plot with unspeakable mischiefe the death of them, whose health and safety they ought most hearti­ly to pray to God for: and then he addeth, cum immodica li­bertatis cupiditate rapiantur, leges oderunt, judicia detestantur, regum majestatem extinctam cupiunt, Pagina 24. & 25. ut licentiùs & impuniùs queant per omnia libidinum genera vagari; and this is most manifest (saith he) all their endeavours ayme at this end, that Princes being taken away, they may have an uncontroulable leave and liberty to commit all kinde of villanies; and to that purpose they have poysoned some Kings, and killed others with [Page 126] the sword,Revera mihi vi­detur esse ar [...] artium, homi­nem regere, qui certè est inter omnes animan­tes maximè & moribus vartus, & voluntate diversus. Na­zian. in Apol. and to root out all rule, Consilia plena sceleris in­ierunt, they are full of all wicked counsels.

And therefore this being the condition of the people, as the Scripture sheweth plainly in the Jewes, by their continuall re­bellions and murmurings against Moses and Aaron; and we see it as plainly in our owne time, when our people hath con­firmed all that this Bishop said; it is not an easie matter to go­verne such an unruly people: But we finde that the rod of go­vernment is a miraculous rod, that being in Moses hand was a faire wand, but cast unto the ground turned to be an ugly and a poysonous Serpent; to shew that the people, being subject to the hand of government, is a goodly thing, and a glorious socie­ty;A people well governed very glorious. but let loose out of the Princes hands, they are as Serpents, crooked, wriggled, versipellis, and as full as may be of all dead­ly poyson: and the Prophet David makes the ruling of the people to be as great a miracle, as to appease the raging of the Seas; and therefore he ascribes this government to be the proper worke of God,Psal. 65.7. when speaking unto God, he saith, Thou rulest the rage of the Seas, the noyse of his waves, and the mad­nesse of the people; God is the go­vernour, and Kings are but Gods instru­ments. Psal. 77.20. for Kings are but Gods instruments, and God himselfe is the ruler of his people, even as the same King Da­vid sheweth, saying still to God, Tu deduicisti populum tuum, Thou leadest thy people like sheep by the hands of Moses and Aaron; God was the leader, and they were but the hands by which he led them; for where God hath not a hand in the go­vernment of the people, it is impossible for the best and most politique heads to doe it: and this Solomon knew [...]ull well, when God bade him aske what he should give him, and he said, Thou hast made me King, (he doth not say the people hath made me) and I know not how to goe out or in; that is, to go­verne them: 1 Reg. 3.7.9. therefore I pray thee, give thy servant an under­standing heart to judge thy people, that I may discerne betweene good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? that is, what one man is able to governe an innumerous multi­tude of men? Thou therefore must be the governour, and I am but thine instrument; and that I may be a fit instrument to doe thy worke, I desire thee to give me a docible heart.

Wherefore, O you Subjects without obedience, They that re­ject their King, reject God. and you Di­vines without Divinity, how dare you put any instruments into Gods hands, and refuse, nay reject the instrument that he chuseth, for the performance of his owne worke, to rule the people? you may as well refuse God himselfe, even as God saith unto Samuel, They have not rejected thee, 1 Sam. 8.7. but they have rejected me; so you that doe rebell and cast away your King that God hath chosen, as his hand to guide you, [...]. Luke 10.16. and his instru­ment to governe you, I pronounce it to all the world you have rebelled against God, and you have cast away your God; for the rule of Christ must stand infallible, he that rejecteth (or de­spiseth) him that is sent, rejecteth him that sent him.

CHAP. XII. Sheweth the assistants of Kings in their government; to whom the choyce of inferiour Magistrates belongeth; the power of the subordinate officers; neither Peeres nor Par­liament can have supremacy; the Sectaries chiefest argu­ment out of Bracton answered; our Lawes prove all So­veraignty to be in the King; the two chiefe parts of the regall government; the foure properties of a just Warre; and how the Parliamentary Faction transgresse in every property.

3. SEeing it is so hard and difficult a matter,3. The assi­stance that God alloweth unto Kings to helpe them in their government, of two sorts. ars artium gu­beruare populum, the Mistresse of all Sciences, and the most dangerous of all faculties to governe the people, that Sa­turninus said truly to them that put on his Kingly ornaments, they knew not what an evill it was to rule, because of the ma­ny dangers that hang over the rulers heads, which under the seeming shew of a Crowne of gold, doe weare indeed a Crowne of thornes; therefore, ut rarò eminentes viros non magnis ad­jutoribus ad gubernandam fortunam suam usus invenies, saith Paterculus; as great men, of a wealthy and vast estate, are sel­dome [Page 128] without great counsell to assist them to governe, and to dispose of that great fortune; so Kings having a great charge laid upon them, are not onely permitted, but advised and coun­selled by God, to have